#fic: fools gambit

[kardia-library-official]

perfect for you - Chapter 1 - kindlystrawberry - Rune Factory 4 [Archive of Our Own]

https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/170391031?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_923136340

Everyone probably knows that I enjoy a good Vishnal freakout (and subsequent reassurance), and this one was quite charmingly written! ^_^

[midniqhtt]

comfort fic reads II 4k celebration

₊˚⊹⋆ main masterlist ꨄ︎ part two list ₊˚⊹⋆

a/n: list got too long and had me maxed out. so i shifted some fandoms to part two instead.

hi loves! i never do anything for celebrating but i thought i could make a big list of all my favorite fics i’ve read over the past few months/years and continue rereading. i can never get enough of showing my appreciation for writers and all their hard work, and i want them to know i think of these fics/series at least once a day ♡︎ i say ‘comfort’ but theres more angst lol

key- A: angst II F: fluff II S: smut II SB: slow burn II C: comfort

.𖥔 MARVEL .𖥔

𝑩𝑶𝑩 𝑹𝑬𝒀𝑵𝑶𝑳𝑫𝑺

ꨄ︎ loving you is easy two II @blank-potato II A + F

You and Bob are indifferent to each other, never seeming to mesh. But when you lose your memory, something new blooms between the two of you.

ꨄ︎ fooled around and fell in love II @flowersforbucky II S + A + F

you've never been one for commitment, and your teammates know it. when you and bob start seeing each other, it takes them by surprise and makes them worry about how he'll react to the heartbreak that they expect to follow. what they don't understand - you've never felt like this about anyone.

ꨄ︎ soft currents next to you II @nghtwngs II S + A + F

there is falling in love. there is also falling into another universe. there is also falling in love again.

ꨄ︎ home is where the heart is II @ilovemilestellersmoustache II A + F

Wanting to feel more included Bob decides to help on a mission but in efforts to protect you he injures himself leaving him with amnesia. Your boyfriend not remembering isn’t the biggest problem because he’s always going to find you again, even in a hundred lifetimes.

ꨄ︎ soulmate II @geminiwritten II A + C

you're engaged to bucky when you find out that not only are fated mates real, but you have one... and it's not your fiancé

ꨄ︎ we can’t be friends part two II @tfatwsbarnes II A

bob always wondered why you didn’t favour him over the rest of your team. until he learned that you had unsettled the bones of the tva.

ꨄ︎ cowboy like me II @goldenlikedayl1ght II A + F

you get a text from an old friend and think.. you could do worse than a book club.. with some benefits.

ꨄ︎ xerox two three II @ichori II A + SB + C

you had one last job before you were free. no more splitting, no more deaths. unfortunately, that job seemed to rope in four other assassins and a... a man in hospital-wear?

𝑩𝑼𝑪𝑲𝒀 𝑩𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑬𝑺

ꨄ︎ bad boys don’t buy flowers II @espinosaurusrexex II S + A + F

Bucky would have never thought, he’d be chasing after a girl. Not when all of them usually fell at his feet. But when he finds himself entangled in a deal born out of a desperate argument with his assistant, he realizes there is nothing he wouldn't do for you: The independent florist who is adamantly dragging him to the homeless shelter every chance she gets. There is just one problem: Bucky doesn't know how to tell you. And the teasing from his friends is certainly not making things easier for him...

ꨄ︎ come back to you II @buckyalpine II F

What happens when a time travel mission ends up with a version of Bucky from the 40′s standing on the time travel platform.

ꨄ︎ curiosity killed the cat II @queers-gambit II A + C

after rescuing you from kidnappers, you overhear your boyfriend-turned-savior complain about how clingy you've become.

ꨄ︎ you’re my desire part two II @marvelouslizzie and @notafunkiller II S + F

Your best friend drags you out on a double date. You were supposed to be Steve Rogers' date, but plans change pretty quickly and you end up in Bucky Barnes' arms.

ꨄ︎ graveyard part two II @wkemeup II A + C

As the unofficial healer for the Avengers, you pride yourself on the ability to mend heroes with the touch of your hand. Only, your gift comes at a heavy price — one you keep secret from your friends —and when Bucky asks you to do the impossible, they’ll discover why your gift is called a sacrifice, too. 

ꨄ︎ dreamscape II @/wkemeup II A + C

When Bucky falls under the spell of a Djinn, the line between fantasy and reality blurs. In order to survive, he must fight his way back to the real world - even if it costs him everything he's ever wanted.

ꨄ︎ blurred lines part two II @ellemj II S + A + F

When choosing a female agent to send back in time to gain young Sergeant Barnes's trust, everyone's in agreement that it should be Sharon. Until Bucky, the man that you barely get along with, speaks up and lets everyone know that it could only be you.

ꨄ︎ love language II @/flowersforbucky II S + F

snapshots of your relationship with bucky told through the five love languages.

ꨄ︎ flashing lights part two II @pellucid-constellations II A + C

Bucky’s worst fears come true when he’s called to a scene. If he’s the one with the dangerous job, then why is it your life that’s hanging in the balance?

ꨄ︎ stay still part two II @buckysknifecollection II A + C

What if your soulmate was the one person you had hurt the most?

ꨄ︎ saturn II @shurisneakers II A

you die. bucky tries to bring you back (or) close to a year after you die, bucky's desperation finally finds an answer. but it may not be the one he's hoping for.

ꨄ︎ bleeding heart II mournthebird II A + C

You're his assigned nurse.

ꨄ︎ 40s!bucky II @helaintoloki II A + F

after accidentally sending yourself back in time, you run into a younger version of the man you loathe only to find yourself questioning your feelings for him

𝑱𝑶𝑯𝑵 𝑾𝑨𝑳𝑲𝑬𝑹

ꨄ︎ under my skin II @/flowersforbucky II F

what first begins as a series of bad luck shows you a different side of the man who normally drives you crazy.

ꨄ︎ moral of the story II @starktonyx II A

You never expected to be blindly sent to kill your ex-husband, but when you cross paths again in looping shame rooms, it’s like going through the pain all over again.

𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑻 𝑴𝑼𝑹𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑲

ꨄ︎ without you part 2 II @foli-vora II A

You return after the 'blip'. Five years is a long time, and a lot of things can happen in that time.

𝑴𝑶𝑶𝑵 𝑲𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻

ꨄ︎ for science II @projectionistwrites II S + A + C

In which the Moon Knight alter system presents a unique opportunity to settle the nature versus nurture debate, once and for all...

ꨄ︎ red flags II @astroboots and @thirstworldproblemss II S + A + F

Sweet as he is, dating Steven means you have to be willing to ignore a few red flags along the way. 

ꨄ︎ the jake problem pt2 II @bensolosbluesaber II S + A + C

Jake hates you. Like really hates you, which wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t dating Steven and Marc. But maybe, just maybe, Jake doesn’t hate you.

𝑷𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑲𝑬𝑹

ꨄ︎ sunset lovers II @duskholland II F

you’ve never met your soulmate, but you know his handwriting like the back of your hand—literally. every word your soulmate writes on his skin appears on yours, and vice versa. you’re desperate to meet him, but until the universe decides to introduce you, you’re stuck with scribbled smiley faces and chemistry formulae.

ꨄ︎ one more to see you II @waitimcomingtoo II A

in an effort to see Peter again, you Dream Walk and learn it’s consequences

𝑷𝑰𝑬𝑻𝑹𝑶 𝑴𝑨𝑿𝑰𝑴𝑶𝑭𝑭

ꨄ︎ silent treatment II @floral-and-fine II A + C

where the words their soulmate speaks first are tattooed on their arm.

𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑽𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑹𝑺

ꨄ︎ watchful eyes II @/espinosaurusrexex II S + A + F

When your best friend gets you a new job, cleaning the apartment of the most successful man in New York City, you don't hesitate to accept. The pay is more than good, and the man himself is better than any eye candy you have ever seen. Unbeknownst to you, you've caught his attention just as much. Steve can't keep his mind off you, so much so, that he drives everyone around him insane with his grumpiness when you aren't around. It seems like he has to take matters into his own hands when he realizes, you're too shy to take things further yourself.

ꨄ︎ out of time pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 pt8 II @after-avenging-hours II S + A + F

When Steve is poisoned on a mission, his only hope is a pure Super Soldier Serum. You travel to 1943 to find it—but without the infinity stones, your actions could change the future. Can you save him before time runs out?

.𖥔 TOP GUN .𖥔

𝑩𝑶𝑩 𝑭𝑳𝑶𝒀𝑫

ꨄ︎ the plan II @/geminiwritten II A + F

the squad are all pretty sure that bob has a thing for you, but you're not convinced, so you hatch a plan to tease him within an inch of his life until he snaps

ꨄ︎ the kind of girl i could love II @roosterforme II F

Bob has a secret admirer, but he's convinced it's actually Jake and Nat messing with him. 

𝑩𝑹𝑨𝑫𝑳𝑬𝒀 𝑩𝑹𝑨𝑫𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑾

ꨄ︎ love to lie pt2 pt3 pt4 II @/ddejavvu II A + F

Your worst fear is recognized when Bradley’s jet goes down with him in it. You’re not sure why you’re still his emergency contact, you’d broken up two weeks ago, but when you rush into the hospital room, you discover that you have a chance to fix the mistake you’d been cursing yourself for. The only problem is, you have to lie to Bradley, and you discover that you love doing it if it means you get to be with him again.

ꨄ︎ things unseen and heard II @bloatedandalone04 II S + A + F

the one where you overhear bradley talk about you to jake and decide to give him the space he apparently wanted.

ꨄ︎ playing games II @/geminiwritten II A + F

you've been best friends with rooster for years and you're both obviously in love with each other, but he refuses to cross that line... until you accept some help from hangman and he takes the game just a little too far

ꨄ︎ wrong number II @roosterforme II F

Bradley was planning on a quiet night at home with a beer and a basketball game on TV. When he receives a text from a wrong number, he's left looking at a beautiful photo of you. Now he just needs to persuade you to ditch the guy you meant to text and focus on him instead.

ꨄ︎ between friends II @sometimesanalice II S + F

Bradley and you don’t talk about that Spring Break. But a single question asked during a night out at the Hard Deck might just change things between the two of you forever.

ꨄ︎ trouble in paradise II @/sunlightmurdock II S + A

After the most painful break-up of his life, Rooster is stationed in Hawaii for the next six months. Alone, away from home and hurting, he finds comfort in the arms of a stranger.

ꨄ︎ i’ll show you good, restore your faith II @/se7entyrell II A + F

Your relationship with Bradley is new. Really new. Like, 'haven't let him smell your morning breath yet' new. But when he gets a call telling him that his mom is dying, you find yourself driving him to San Diego in the middle of the night, preparing to meet his entire extended family during the worst period of their lives.

ꨄ︎ terms of endearment II @ohtobeleah II A + C (heavy themes)

They always say when you aren’t looking for love it tends to find you. So when you and your daughter turn up in Fighter Town, Bradley Bradshaw is instantly infatuated. With reluctance to trust and harbouring a bad past, you don’t make it easy for the fighter pilot to love you.

𝑱𝑨𝑲𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑰𝑵

ꨄ︎ domestic fantasy II @/geminiwritten II F

your ex is coming back to collect some things he left behind and you accidentally tell him that you have a new boyfriend, so hangman accepts the role of your new (fake) boyfriend

ꨄ︎ dirty laundry part two II @/geminiwritten II S + A + F

after a couple months of living together, you're still completely oblivious to how you affect jake and he's starting to spiral because now he's... feeling things

ꨄ︎ medical emergency II @marvelwitchergilmore II F

When Jake gets a call asking to pick you up from the hospital, it's safe to say he's confused. Especially considering neither of you were known for getting along with the other.

ꨄ︎ sign of the times pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 II @se7entyrell II S + A

You're destined to die in Jake Seresin's arms. In every life, in every iteration, it's inescapable. Whether you loathe, or love each other, each ending stays the same. But what if it doesn't have to?

ꨄ︎ spring fling pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt6 pt7 II @ddejavvu II F (in progress)

You should have known the ‘no refunds’ detail on the website for Spring Fling was a red flag. But you paid no mind to it, eager to be assigned a quick fuck for spring break. When the man that walks through your cabin door is none other than Jake 'Hangman' Seresin, your wildly infuriating fellow pilot, you have two choices: bicker the entire time and have a miserable spring break, or fuck.

.𖥔 MISCELLANEOUS .𖥔

𝑹𝑯𝑬𝑻𝑻 𝑨𝑩𝑩𝑶𝑻𝑻

ꨄ︎ odds are stacked II @sunlightmurdock II S

In which Rhett loses a bet and you lose your virginity.

𝑻𝒀𝑳𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑺

ꨄ︎ all yours II @/geminiwritten II A + F

after being best friends and chasing storms with tyler for years, one night changes everything... now you're staring at a pregnancy test with two pink lines—and just as you're working up the nerve to tell him, tyler announces to the world that he never wants to settle down or have kids

ꨄ︎ orange juice II @ahsokaismyqueen II S + F

When it's time to interview a group of storm chasers for your new book, you get sent back to your hometown. You never would have guessed one of the people you'd be interviewing would be your ex boyfriend. And you might still be a little in love with him.

ꨄ︎ no hesitation II @briefinquiries II S + F

Tyler would be the type of guy that if a girl came up to him and said ‘this guy is creepy, pls pretend to be my bf’ he would be like ‘hell yay’ and scare the guy away

𝑪𝑯𝑹𝑰𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑪𝑲

ꨄ︎ all the stars are closer II @kashimos-hajime II A + F

mark watney wasn’t the only one left behind on mars, and as you struggle to survive on the desert planet, hidden feelings come to light between you and your best friend, dr. chris beck.

𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑹𝑲 𝑲𝑬𝑵𝑻

ꨄ︎ all american boy II @scribes-of-valar II A + C

Your friend has been distant for months, all of a sudden he's a brand new man. He's practically a puppy dog following after you and you're not sure how to feel. What's a girl to do when she suddenly finds herself looking at not one, but two Clark Kent's?

ꨄ︎ no.1 party anthem II @sunsburns II F

what was supposed to be a night for work takes an unexpected turn when you run into clark kent—alone at a restaurant, waiting for a date who seems to have no intention of showing up. poor guy.

𝑴𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑬𝑳 𝑹𝑶𝑩𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑽𝑰𝑻𝑪𝑯

ꨄ︎ an itch you can’t scratch pt2 II @theonewiththefanfics II S + A + F

After taking a bad fall, Y/N gets rushed to the ED of Pittsburg Trauma Medical Hospital only to come face to face with a man she had a one-night stand with, and who ghosted her that same morning without a word - Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch. As if her bad day couldn't get any worse than it was...

[dinogoofymutated]

Hi there! I'm currently watching the original X men series to catch up to 97, and I'm in love with Gambit.

Would it be possible to ask for Remy and reader to be on a secret mission, and the Ole "make out so they don't suspect us" trope comes in, and gambit kinda (obviously) has feelings...?

It could be sfw or nsfw, either is perfect! Thank you for all that you do, I've been trying to find fics for the xmen for a while 🙏🙏

Kinda spicy! Gambit/GN!reader

YESS!! YESSSS!!! I legit had a dream about this situation with remy the day before you sent me this ask and I was cackling in joy when I saw this! I basically hyperfixated on it because I love this trope.

TWS: sexual themes n shit, no explicit smut. As always, reader written while picturing fem! but no specific pronouns mentioned. Semi-public making out and touching. Nipples be touched but size and type of breast not mentioned.

-Ps- reader can see heat signatures for plot purposes. I usually try to keep powers ambiguous but it was a NEED!

"In here, quick!" Remy's thick draw catches your attention, just before he yanks you into an alley. The two of you were in New Orleans, looking for a specific mutant Xavier wanted to talk to. The only downside was that Remy still had a warrant out for his arrest, and wanted posters plastered all over the city from bourbon Street to the garden district.

"Don't worry Cher. You said. NOPD 'dumber than a sack of rocks, you said!" You gripe at him. Remy laughs, tugging you around the corner. The alleyways on Burbon street are mostly private areas, owned and sealed off by the bars that line the storefronts- but Remy knew this city like the back of his hand. However, things had changed since he was here last. That became apperent when the two of you reach the end of the alleyway and there's a brand new brick wall, a dead end.

Remy curses and skids to a stop, causing you to slam into his back. You send him a dirty look as you whip around, eyes adjusting to the brick surroundings. It's hard to make out the figures of the cops through the walls of the busy bar in in front of you, too many people crowding the street for drinks even this late at night. You strain your eyes a bit, but are able to make out the stiff-shouldered men, heat signature slightly elevated from booking it after the two of you. Unfortunately, they're headed towards the mouth of the alleyway.

"Damnit." You mutter, turning back to Remy. He understands what you mean just by looking at your face. He hums, thinking for a moment before he begins to take out a playing card. You grab his arm to stop him, trying to ignore how warm his skin is against your own.

"Don't. The explosion will just lead them to us." You say. Remy nodds, glancing at the corner before suddenly caging you against the wall of the alleyway. You try not to blush as he does so. Remy smirks at you, and you think your heart might just explode. You remind yourself that this is standard Remy behavior, but it doesn't stop your face from heating up. You can only hope it's too dark for him to see you properly.

"Well, there is another way we could fool those pigs." Remy says, quieter than before. You cock an eyebrow at him before looking back over in the direction of the alleyways opening, able to spot the cops as they begin to enter. In your peripheral, you see Remy running his fingers through his hair to flatten it. You open your mouth to ask him what he has in mind, but the sound of footsteps cut you off.

"-Well, if you're going to do something, you better do it quick!" You whisper back at him. Remy pushes you further against the cold brick, his hands drifting down to your waist as he leans over to wisper in your ear.

"Trust me, Cher. I'll take care of you." His words cause goosebumps to rise at the back of your neck, and you hardly have time to react before he's kissing you. Your eyes are blown wide, heart thumping wildly as you start to slowly relax into the kiss.

Unsurprisingly, Remy is a really, really good kisser. It's hard to focus while he's touching you like this, kissing you deeply like he loves you. He nips at your lip, and you gasp, having forgotten about everything else already. His tongue darts into you mouth, caressing the skin he finds there. You let out a small moan as one of his hands drifts lower, caressing your thigh and hiking your leg up just a bit. Your own hands slowly slide up his chest, drifting to his neck.

The heat in your chest is unbearable when Gambit separates from the kiss, a string of spit connecting your mouths before he wipes it away, nothing but affection on his eyes. You're panting for breath while he kisses the corner of your mouth, then your cheek, and then lower. Remy places wet kisses on your neck, sucking and biting as he tries to swallow you whole. You thread your hands through his soft hair as his does so, fully encouraging him to ravage you in whatever way he would like. One of his hands begins to slide under your shirt when a cough startles you out of your heated state.

Your first instinct is to turn towards the noise, but Gambit is quick to cup your cheek and pull you into another heated kiss before your head could move a centimeter. He keeps you occupied as his other hand fully caresses the skin beneath your shirt, squeezing and caressing your chest. You hear another exhausted sigh from the cops. You crack and eye open slightly, knowing they cant see you do so in the dark. One of them begins to raise his voice, but the other smacks him on the shoulder.

"Just another pair of drunks. We've got bigger things to worry about right now." The cop says. You could practically hear the other roll his eyes before they turn to and walk away. Gambit brings your attention back to him and only him when you feel a finger brush lightly against your nipple. You gasp, and Remy chuckles, playfully biting your lip as he pulls away. He's smirking as he looks at you, and you can only imagine what you look like right now.

"Looks like you enjoyed that." He teases, voice low and husky. You can't seem to pull your thought together properly when he's looking at you like that. You nervously look away, hands playing with his collar.

"And if I did?" You ask, glancing back at him to gage his reaction. He looks surprised at first, face morphing into a lovestruck smile before he tries to cover it up with a smirk. Didn't stop you from being able to see the heat rise to his cheeks, however.

"Then gambit thinks we should do this more often."

[authorsofghosts]

You're Not Him | Horseman!Gambit x Reader | Pt. 1

Author's Note: I do not enjoy the design of black gambit in the comics so i decided to go with another design(that i made the fuck up), my apologies horseman gambit fans.... anyways enjoy the first fic we're posting here !!! thank you @genderqueerbarbie777 for beta reading :3

Summery: Remy was dead. Or so you thought. There was a man that sounded like him, had his powers, but... why did he look like that? Who was this? This wasn't your Remy.

Themes: Angst, Hurt w/ No Comfort, Previous Relationship, Betrayal, Crying, Cursing, Kidnapping, R's a mutant/x-man (no powers written), Violence.

Word Count: 1.6k

next pt

Apocalypse had chosen the perfect moment to strike, the X-Men still mourning Gambit's death. You were still shaken up about it, though it had happened months ago. You loved him, you really loved him. Even if you never let anyone but him know. You stood up from the blast, dusting yourself off till you're frozen, hearing a voice behind you.

"Cher...?" You heard, a raspy of remnant of something from your past. It wasn't him. It couldn't be. You turned to look for Remy, but you were met with something... ghoulish.

"Y-... you're not him." You say, voice strained as you look at the creature that stood there, stolen Remy's voice to fool you. The silvery skinned man smirked. He wore Remy's jacket, his fucking jacket, he had his voice, a dark deck of cards in one hand and a baton in the other. This had to be some kind of trick, an illusion, anything but real.

"Oh, but Gambit is him, petit..." The ash covered man walked towards you, his white hair covering his blackened eyes. Even his walk, his mannerisms, they were Remy's. But he was dead, Remy Lebeau was dead. You watched his casket get put in the ground, there was no way this was your lost love.

You backed away as he stood in front of you, looking down with pink glowing eyes as he put the deck of cards in the inner pocket of his jacket. He went to place his bone-y, gaunt hand on your cheek, being met with a quick swat as you took another step back.

"N-no, you're not! Wh-what are you?!" You yelled out, tears swelling in your eyes as you yelled at the thing in front of you, mocking you, mimicking the man you loved, the man you watched die.

This Remy chuckles, a sound that would normally make your heart swell with love, but this... this was dark, something evil behind it. You know if this was really Remy, he'd never hurt you, but you couldn't help the chills that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. He grabs your wrist, pulling you close.

"Gambit's 'Death', baby..." He starts, another low chuckle coming from his lips, "But he remembers you, cher. You're mine, remember?" These words, they brought a memory that shook you to your core.

"Cher, what are you doing?" Remy spoke softly, watching you walk into his room at the mansion. He laughed at the sight of you, your face flushed as you took off your jacket. "Ya gonna answer ol' Remy or nah?"

"I'm tired. I want... to be held." You murmur, laying on the bed next to him, quick to get his attention away from whatever he was doing before. He wrapped an arm around you, pulling the covers over you and placing you between his arm, flush against his bare chest.

You both laid there in silence, breathing synced up as he caged you in his arms, head nuzzling your neck, his stubble tickling your skin. "You're okay, mon amour... You're here, you're... mine."

You tried pulling back, the walking corpse in front of you growling lowly. "Don't ya dare fight my hold on you." His voice hissed, strong hand gripping your wrist so hard it made you gasp in pain, the tears finally falling from your eyes.

There's a shocked look on his face, grip loosening ever so slightly as he watches you closely. You notice something slight, something that reminded you of the Remy before. "P-please..." you cry out softly, "Lemme go, Rem."

This upset him, but it also made him smile as you finally acknowledge he's really who he says he is. "I don't think I will, cher..." He turns you around, placing an arm across your middle to hold you against him, other hand still tight on your wrist. "I ain't gonna leave you again. And yer not leavin' me, ya hear?"

The gaunt hand holding your wrist lets go, traveling up your arm, up your neck before finally resting on your chin, holding it softly, thumb caressing your cheek. You can't help but shiver. This causes Remy to laugh again, nuzzling into your skin. "Why are ya afraid of lil ol' me, petit? I ain't gonna hurtcha..."

"Y-you're not?" You ask, voice hoarse and breathy. You smile nervously, leaning your head back against his chest to try and show him you want to trust him. You swallow hard as he sits up, setting his chin on the top of your head.

"Of course not, cher. Why would Gambit do that to ya?" He says softly, eyes looking around at the make shift battlefield that used to be the X Mansion, pointing his baton at your teammates as they fight in the distance. "Looks like they've forgotten you, amour."

Your eyes widen as you realize what he means. It wasn't just that they'd forgotten you, you knew this wasn't true, but that they were fighting without you. They hadn't even bothered to look for you. "No, they... they need me-" You go to walk forwards but his arm around your middle brings you back flush against him.

"No they don't. I do." He growls out, his hand on your chin turning your gaze up to him. "I said it already. We ain't leavin' each other again, yer coming with me." His eyes glow, staring down at you as his grip around you tightens even more.

Your eyes widen "With you? What are you-" You're cut off by his hand on your chin covering you mouth, Remy shushing you softly. Before you can protest, you feel his baton snap to your neck, hitting a pressure point and causing you to pass out.

"Cher? Cher, wake up, please..." You heard, the cold sting of the metal table in the medical bay pressed against your back.

"Remy?" you said weakly, feeling his hands move from your own to your face, pulling you flush against his chest, a tear falling from his eyes. "What's wrong? W-what happened?" You ask, unable to remember the fight from before.

"You got hurt, bad, petit... Gambit though he was gonna lose ya fo' a moment..." He says softly, nuzzling into your skin, his warm touch against your cold skin sending chills up and down your body. It was nice, being in his arms, but in this situation? It felt live a saving grace.

You woke up, your vision blurred and and the sounds around you muffled under a sharp ringing in your ears. You can't move, the small amount you can making your realize you're tied down, laid against the corner of two walls. You try to focus on the voices, eyes closing.

"You brought an X-Man here?! Are you fucking stupid?!" An unfamiliar voice says, angry.

"It's not just any X-Man, it's... my cher..." Remy says, voice breaking slightly. After a second you hear him scream out in pain, causing you to wake up fully, your eyes wide as you look in the direction.

"Weak... he shouldn't even be able to remember his life before becoming Death!" You see the tall, menacing Apocalypse, his arm turning from some kind of taser to his normal hand. He looks over at you, eyes widening as he sees your awake. "What a surprise, though..." He takes a step towards you.

"N-no, don't!" You say, backing yourself against the corner as the towering monster stands a few feet in front of you. You scream out as he grabs you, taking you across the room and throwing you down once again. You hear a click as something snaps around your neck. Your binds are taken off just to be replaced with the same metal that adorns your neck, pressing you flat against whatever surface you're on.

Your eyes look back at Remy as he stands up, face full of defeat as he looks at Apocalypse. "Sir, I'm sorry-" He starts, cutting himself off as the man looks at him. He backs away, lowering his head. You still can't believe it, Remy's alive, but... not himself, working for Apocalypse.

"Well, now that we have an X-Man... why don't we celebrate? This means we won the fight." The tall, broad creature known as Apocalypse says, voice dark with intent. He looks down at you, a grim smile on his face as he speaks again, "Don't try to do anything, mutant. Your powers are useless with the bindings you're in. If you do, however, there will be punishment."

You don't want to test his words, nodding quickly. Your fear and submission causes the man to laugh, clearly entertained that you're so quick to listen. "It seems Gambit has picked the perfect hostage." Apocalypse chuckles, turning his back to you as he addresses the others in the room. "That does not mean I am not disappointed, though, feeble mutant."

He walks up to Remy, who sits up, eyes shaking as he looks up at the taller man. In a swift movement, Apocalypse grabs him by the throat, causing you to yell out. He brings Remy to eye level before speaking, "If you were not needed for the unstoppable force of the Apocalypse, you'd be dead by my hand. Do you understand, mutant?"

Remy nods, closing his eyes as the other man drops him. You stare at him as he lands on his knees, not fighting back. It was strange to see him so... weak, submitting to the orders of terrible force. It was frightening, even. Remy opened his eyes and looked up at Apocalypse, "Yes, sir."

His voice was just as weak as he looked next to Apocalypse. You could tell by the ways his eyes shifted that he was biting back an insult or some smart alack response. That was until they met yours again, all of the pain in them leaving and being replaced with something much more positive. A love that you'd seen many times before, making you sure that this was in fact your Remy.

[thekaoticfoxi23]

Youson week 2025: Day 4 Triumphant

(Challenge by @mxboxlocks)

No fan fic for today, but what you do get is my take on Tri!Wilson as well as Tri!Wixen. Also, just colored sketches instead of clean lineart. Heres also info about them!

(This is sorta based on two roleswap AUs, tri!Wilson takes Maxwell's spot while Wixen takes Charlie's, and tri!Wixen taking Maxwell's spot while Wilson takes Charlie's)

Info about my headcannons and concepts bellow the cut! (Since they are REALLY long)

Triumphant!Wilson

-Generally more of a goofy villian, but when he decides to actually try, he gets VERY intimidating

-Wixen is the jester/assistant to his king/mad scientist

-In adventure mode, Wixen goes behind Wilson's back to basically make up a story of how the Constant could be good if it wasn't ran by a madman, ans how they only joined up with him to save their soul. They support the player throughout so they could get to the throne

-Once they do, they see a similar scene as woth Maxwell, though instead Wilson and Wixen both explain themself, Wixen knowing Wilson would never allow them to take the throne, so they helped the player through the adventure mode

-very quickly after the player gets trapped on the throne, Wixen takes their place, content knowing that no one else will be hurt by them

'Triumphant'!Wixen

-In a LOT more rough state than other triumphan tcharacters, as Maxwell said:"They will show you terrible, beautiful things, it's best not to fight it" but what if fighting back is in your very nature?

-Entire body (except face) has been turned into a black goo, capable of shap, shifting but is rarely consistant

-Laughs instead of crying, They wouldn't allow her to cry

-Can't remove the mask! Masks are actually usually a form of self-expression for Wixen, allowin ghim to show off different parts of himself, but with this They force a more traditional meaning on them

-Wixen carved the body themself from living logs so he could have a more consistant form, moves very creepily like a puppet

-Destroyed her version of the codex umbra (the umbratic manuscripts) when getting into the constant from hurt and rage

-To punish them for this, They pulled a Wickerbottom and forced a memory of every single page and word into her mind

-Can craft pieces of the umbratic manuscripts because of that (this is also how you refuel their masks)

-Unique healing animation akin to Fuelweaver

-Uses both lunar and shadow magic, both parts of Them hate him

-instead of summoning things with her sanity like Maxwell, he summons them with his blood

-Different mask=different summon

-Through the years of torture, has been stripped down to his most basic element (chaos)

-They refuse to let Wixen and Wilson reunite

-While the constant itself is less harsh under Wixen's reign, their challenges are much harder tha Maxwell's

-Final chapter of their adventure mode is called 'fools gambit'

-Regains sanity and original personality when interacting with things reminiscent of their old life

-When confronted on the throne, begs the player not to free them, so they too wouldn't have their freedom stripped away too

[spaceorphan18]

X-Men Fic (Rogue/Gambit) : Toys

A/N: Yes, this was inspired by that clip that's been going around of Gambit's VA for XM97 playing with action figures. I cannot believe this is what I'm writing for my first real fic for this fandom. Dear lord, forgive me for the shenanigans... also, unbeta'd. I just wanted to get it out into the world and be done with it.

I'll post this tomorrow on Ao3

Rated: T for suggestiveness

Summary: Rogue catches Remy playing with toy action figures of the X-Men. Shenanigans. Set in the 616 comic verse, but some fun meta-y references to XM97

****

Toys

Upon arriving home, Rogue comes in through the open kitchen window because why bother with stairs when you can fly? It’s been a long day, a long week, a long life… All she wants to do is curl up on the couch with the cats and a trashy book and hopefully Remy’s home so she can get a back massage.  Hell, forget the book, she’ll gamble for the massage first.  Save the trashy for later.  

She grins, thinking about her husband’s warm hands on her skin.  

Remy is, indeed, home; standing at the kitchen island, his back turned towards the window, so engrossed in what he’s doing that he doesn’t hear her come in.  And what he’s doing takes her by surprise.  

The kitchen counter is covered in half open boxes, plastic containers, cardboard, and little zip ties.  There are a good, half-dozen or so action figures all lined up in a semicircle; each one of them a well detailed, classically designed replica of, well… the X-Men.  Oh, dear god, what did she walk into? 

“I’ll take ya down in one slice, bub,” Remy says, holding the Wolverine figurine in one hand, his voice low as he attempts Logan’s gruff voice.  Remy LeBeau is good at a lot of things, Rogue would be first to give you a list, but doing impressions is not one of them.  She bites her lip, fascinated to see how this plays out.  Remy grabs the Magento figurine as his voice shifts to imitate Erik.  “You incels!” Remy screams; loud, exaggerated, and carefully enunciated.  “How dare you try to take down me; the questionably dressed, ego too big for my helmet, Master of Magnetism?” 

Rogue puts a hand up to her lips, holding back an amused snort.  Oh, Remy… 

Remy loses the impression as he lunges the Wolverine figurine at the Magneto one.  The Magneto one floats away.  “You fools! Don’ you remember I control the metal?”  Shaking the Wolverine figurine violently, Remy lets out a feral scream and the figure is flung to the side, landing with a clatter in the sink.  

Magneto is discarded for a moment as Remy picks up the Scott and Jean figurines.  Scott has his hand to his visor while Jean has both her hands on the sides of her head.  “Jean! I seem to have made a tactical error,” Remy cries in Scott’s no-nonsense voice.  His voice then slides higher as he mimics Jean.  “Scott, my telepathy.  It out o’ whack!  Oh, Scott!... Jean!… SCOTT!.... JEAN!!”

Rogue is dying inside.  She holds herself tightly, trying as hard as she can not to burst out laughing.  

Scott and Jean are shuffled into one hand as Remy picks up the Magneto figurine again.  “Enough of this!” Remy says, back in the Magneto voice.  He then lets out another dramatic scream as he tosses the Scott and Jean figurines onto the pile of boxes, scaring Oliver, who had been inspecting one of the twist ties.  

He picks up the Storm figurine next, raising her arms to the ceiling.  “An’ now you deal with Stormy, who will smite you with her lightning blasts.” He jolts the Storm hands into Magneto, making little sound effect lightning blasts as he does so.  “Fool, I am impervious to lightning…  How dat possible? Lightning an’ magnetism are not the same thing!... I can control static electricity!... Dat…still don’ make any sense!... Begone, weather witch!”  

Rogue has tears in her eyes. She’s biting her lip so hard, it’s beginning to hurt.  Thankfully, Remy is so lost in his make believe world that he can’t hear her snickering.  

The Storm figurine is placed gently face down on the counter as Remy picks up the Gambit figurine.  Rogue’s eyes grow wide, intensely waiting to see how this will play out… 

“Ohh, you goin’ down now, mon ami,” Remy’s voice grows low and serious.  He starts making explosion sound effects, as if the Gambit figurine is throwing little playing cards at the Magneto one.  Remy then throws his head back in a villainous laugh as he goes back to the Magneto voice.  “You seriously think a few mild explosions could ever touch me?”  

Remy stops, and grins that cocky, beautiful grin of his.  “Non, but it enough to keep you distracted.”  He starts turning the Magneto figurine around, as if it’s confused.  “See, I always gotta ace up my sleeve.”  

In a quick second, he drops the Gambit figurine, and grabs the Rogue one.  Her arm is out, one leg up, poised to fly.  Remy slams the fist of the Rogue figurine into the Magneto one’s head.  “Howdy, sugah.” 

Rogue tilts her head, amused.  Remy’s imitation of her own voice is so comically off, and yet incredibly endearing.  

“How ‘bout you leave my family alone!” The Rogue figurine crashes into the Magneto one again.  This time, Remy charges the Magneto figurine, causing it to glow purple.  He tosses the charged Magneto figurine up, letting it explode in mid-air with a bang.  The charred remains drop to the counter with a clang before it bounces into the trash next to the counter.  

Remy then picks up the Gambit figurine and brings it in close to the Rogue one.  “Anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are when you’re punching people, chere?...Why don’t you shut up and kiss me, Remy…” Remy starts clicking the faces of the two figurines together, making little kiss-y noises and ‘mwa’ sounds as the action figures ‘make out’.  

Rogue grins wildly, expecting nothing less.  She crosses her arms across her chest, casually walking forward to let her presence be known. “Whatcha doing, sugah?” 

Remy gives a startled jump, the figurines dropping out of his hand with a clatter.  He’s not the least bit sorry he’s been caught, however, a devilish grin quickly sliding onto his lips.  “Jus’ havin’ a bit of fun testing some of these toys that show sent us.”  Rogue picks the destroyed Magneto figurine out of the trash.  “Some of dem defective,” he says slyly. 

“Defective huh?” She drops the figurine unceremoniously back into the trash and comes in close, wrapping her arms around his neck.  She knows the show is a sore spot, no matter how much free merch they’ve gotten from it lately.   “You still salty about all that?”

He lets out a grumble, but still wraps himself around her, just the way she likes.  “Don’ act like you wouldn’t be, too, if they killed you off like dat.   Middle of the first season, too.  What’d I do to deserve dat?” 

“They just knew you were the best one.” She runs her fingers through his hair.  “Who else gonna go out in a fiery blaze of heroism like that?” 

He smirks, though she can still see a hint of sadness in his eyes.  “It was pretty epic, non?” 

“The best…”  She draws him in for a kiss, sweet and gentle and comforting.  “Forget that show, Remy.  That ain’t our life.  This is.” She kisses him again, a little bit harder, grounding herself in his embrace.  He had tortured himself wanting to keep watching that show, but she couldn’t.  She wouldn’t.  She didn’t want to imagine herself going down a path she would never recover from.  “Besides…” she says, trying to keep it light.  “I��m sure season two will have me pulling your pretty ass back from the dead one way or the other.  And if it doesn’t, you best bet I’ll get those writers fired and write it myself.”  

“I ever tell you how sexy you are when pulling me back from the dead?” 

“Shut up and kiss me, Remy.”  He does and they do.  Forget the massage tonight, they’re going straight to the trashy.  She’s hungry to feel him everywhere tonight.  

They break apart once again, breathing heavily as Rogue leans her forehead against his.  “Hey, Remy?” 

“Oui?” 

“Why don’t we leave this mess for later and go play with some of the toys we’ve already got.”

He laughs into another kiss.  “You always have de best ideas, chere…” 

****

Later… 

In the stillness of the night, long after Remy’s fallen asleep, Rogue gets up for a glass of water.  

The kitchen is how they left it hours ago, a mess of trash and action figures scattered around the room.  The cats had gotten into some of it.  Poor Scott had fallen to the ground.  She picks him up, placing him next to Jean, giving him a little pat as she does so.  

She wants to ignore the others.  Wants to ignore the strange sensation it is to have your likeness in toy form.  Still, she’s drawn to the little action figure her. She picks it up, inspecting it.  It’s her old green and yellow uniform, one she hasn’t worn in years. She doesn’t even know where it is, probably having been trashed in some long ago fight.  Unsurprisingly, the boobs are a little too big, the waist a little too small, and the hair a bit ridiculous.  But it’s oddly still her.  A little version her.  

She looks down to the Gambit figurine and smiles.  The trench coat, the staff, the ridiculously abbed pink breast plate.  The cocky little grin.  They got his likeness perfectly.  And yet it doesn’t even hold a candle to the real thing.  

“Love ya, Remy,” she says softly, as she takes the Rogue figurine and gives the Gambit figurine a kiss with it.  She laughs at her own silliness, but still takes a moment to place the figurines together, resting against each other, as they should be.  

She grabs her water and turns off the light and heads back to the bedroom, where she’ll soon curl up against her husband and fall asleep.  

[maehwajuuuu-chu]

A Fool's Gambit - A Mini Snippet into Rai and Kaeya's Jobs (Fic link is here)

Not every job is pleasant — for some within the Favonius Knights, it is something dreadfully unpleasant. Specifically, for individuals like Kaeya and Rai, it often revolves around dealing with the city's questionable dealings with those who remain in the dark (a small snippet into their work lives — set in the Ludi Harpestum in the Genshin comics)

Well, I might not have any art ready rn but hopefully some writing from a while back may be offered as a sacrifice? I linked the A03 writing on here, cause I don't trust Tumblr haha. Anyways here is to Raiya being in the local Dottore hater club (I do find him to be a brilliant villain — not supportive of whatever he does tho). There are warnings in the A03 tags by the way, so check those out before you continue reading it (big ol' warning is DOTTORE, thus all of the warnings are related to violations of our lovely Geneva code) ALSO DO YOU SEE THE NEW LIL BANNERS? Yeah those are the Raiya ones teehee - maybe you can spot the details that represent those two hehe

[fandomzwriterk]

We need a continuation to f.r.i.e.n.d.s, I honesty don't know what is going to happen next, this fic was so good

A/N: you ask and I shall provide! Aw shit, here I go again!! Also I was playing Cult of the Lamb when I was writing this so it got a little dark😱😨

Warnings: sorta non-consenty, Remy sorta watching, Hostage Reader and Remy, sorta NSFW under cut, cursing, MDNI

F.R.I.E.N.D.S pt2

“Come on Y/n we have to hide somewhere!”

“Where?!”

“Here!”

It was the warehouse from where they rescued Roberto months ago from those cruel Liberators. You had wanted to kill them yourself, but Scott stopped you. Death was too easy of a punishment for them. So, they were thrown in jail, the Sentinels scrapped and the building being closed for repairs. You both remembered a window that could be opened up on the roof, so Remy lead the way up the side of the building, walking and carefully climbing over boxes.

“Shh. Right here.”

Remy crouched, walking quietly through the window and up into the walkway above. He moved his arm past you, holding up the window as you crawled through. He could’ve easily gone first, but he needed to make sure that you weren’t in view from outside in case Scott was somewhere near you two.

“Brings back good memories eh?”

“Remy now is not the time.”

“Cherié I’m just trying to calm you down.”

“Sorry.”

You bit your tongue, knowing the last couple of months have been confusing for everyone. You fooled Remy into thinking you were in love with Scott, and Scott did the same to Jean. For Scott, it was real though. What was he to you now? An ex? A friend? A… murderer? No. It wasn’t possible Scott wouldn’t… would he?

“I know you’re in here! Come on out Remy let’s settle this like men!” Scott taunted as he rammed down the wall

Remy put a finger to his lips, telling you be quiet so you both wouldn’t be heard. He slowly stood up, but you grabbed onto his arm, making him stop. He kissed your cheek, staring into your eyes as he turned to slowly and carefully walked down the stairs. If you stopped him it would just delay the inevitable, that Scott was going to kill Remy and take you from him.

“Up ‘ere fucker!” Remy shouted as he flung a playing card at Scott’s head while Scott walked into the center of the room

“God I’ve always wanted to beat the shit outta you and your ego.” Scott retorted back as he dodged it

“And I’ve always wanted to put you in your place for hurting my friends.”

Remy and Scott swung fists at each other, Remy dodging to making sure that Scott wouldn’t see you. You noticed his eyes went up to you, him giving a wink to you as a way to tell you to run.

“I know she’s here Gambit.”

Scott was quicker by just a second, grabbing Remy’s throat and slamming him down in the concrete. Remy still clung onto his rage and urge to protect you, desperately trying to take a swing at Scott’s head with his staff. You could see Scott’s grip was iron tight, almost crushing Remy’s throat with his own hands. And that was it, Remy’s eyes glancing to you as Scott did it one more time, as you watched Remy go unconscious in front of you. You hope he is unconscious and not dead.

“Come on out Y/n in know you’re here darling.”

You put a hand over your mouth, seeing Scott drag Remy over to a concrete pillar, leaving him there as he went to look for something. You debated on going to save him, but doing that would destroy the sacrifice Remy made to get you to run away unharmed. You watched as Scott came back, dragging a half ruined chair to Remy, picking him up and sitting him on it. Remy’s hand were tied behind him, and you watched as Scott pulled out a Liberators Mutant Collar and put it around Remy’s neck.

“Come on out Y/n~ Come on out and I’ll let Remy live. I’ll even consider leaving you two alone as an agreement.”

You felt your skin crawl, the hair on the back of your neck rising as you watched Scott kick Remy’s chair over and start to push his foot down on Remy’s neck. You stood up slowly, raising your hands in the air as a surrender. You were not going to let Remy die for your sake. You walked down the metal stairs, making Scott turn his head to face you. His evil smile widened as you walked slowly up to him.

“Let him go.”

“Y/n don’t do it cherié. Don’t ‘cha let him take you!”

Scott kicked Remy, making Remy groan in pain while Scott had a cruel smile on his face.

“Now… come here my darling~”

He stretched a hand out to you, waiting for you to grab it. There was a small hesitance, slowly moving it to grab it. You stopped when your finger tips touched. Your face fell, and Scott didn’t like that. So, he grabbed you, put an arm around your neck and having a hand covering your mouth. You tried to scratch at his arm, but Scott was faster, his grip on your arm almost crushing it with his hand.

“You son of a bitch when I get out…”

“And you won’t. I made sure of that.”

Scott pulled you backwards, your heels dragging on the floor while Remy struggled in his chair. Scott stopped once he had you moved a few feet away from Remy, making him face towards you two.

“You are so dead Scott. I’m gonna make sure you suffer for this.”

You could see out of the corner of your eye, Scott’s eyes glaring and staring at Remy. Then, his attention went to you.

“And now my darling… why don’t I show him who you really belong to.”

Scott’s other hand traced your thigh, slowly going up and tracing your hip, your chest, and then ending with it moving towards your ass. You clawed against Scott’s skin, but he was so much stronger than you. Remy wasn’t happy either. He was pissed and wanted to save you.

“So beautiful darling~”

His hand went back up, reaching your chest. His big hands started squeezing and playing with your breast. You screamed into Scott’s hand, his grip getting harder with each scream and kick against him.

“I don’t want to hurt you but if you don’t listen…”

“I swear to god Cyclops I’m going to fucking kill you myself.”

“Try me mother fucker.”

You were scared, Scott touching you in places even when you were fake dating you wouldn’t let him touch. Hell you never even kissed the man. Only just a hand on the thigh or hand holding. Where did it all go wrong?

“You son of a bitch!” You heard being shouted from above

Logan and Morph came crashing through the roof while Jean flew through a broken window. Scott gripped you like his life depended on it.

“I’m going to kill each and every one of you if you get in my way.”

Jean slowly flew down to the ground. She now knew this wasn’t the real Scott.

“Scott please let them go. They’ve done nothing wrong.” Jean begged

Scott’s other hand was still over your mouth, now his free hand moving up to his glasses.

“Run!” Remy shouted

And just like that, the building came crashing down.

A/N: hope you enjoyed!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald, Tuesday, November 26

Giles: Josephus du Lac was buried here. He belonged to a religious sect that was excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century. Buffy: Excommunicated *and* sent to Sunnydale. There's a guy big with the sinning. Giles: You remember the book that was stolen from the library by a vampire a few weeks ago? Buffy: Yeah. Giles: It was written by Du Lac. Damn it! I let it slip my mind with all the excitement. Buffy: I'm guessing it wasn't a 'Taste of the Vatican' cookbook.

~~Buffy Episode #21: "What's My Line, Pt I" ~~

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PODCAST: Episode 51 - Attack of the Purple Ninja! (Enemies) by The Sunnydale Diaries

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[kobrafangs]

2024 WRITING IN REVIEW

thank you for the tag @ssseashell <3 mmmmwah! this made me realize i wrote so much this year oh my god .. OKAY lets go

JANUARY

love thats running through my veins (for you) – (everlark, 1.2k), post mockingjay.

don't leave me (to bleed) – (everlark, 2.1k), post mockingjay, domestic fluff.

FEBUARY

after the cherry blossoms wilt – (gyeongseong creature, jang tae sang/yoon chae ok, 1.1k), post s1, happy ending.

against the grain – (ninjago, 1.3k), band au, lloyd centered.

APRIL

does it haunt you too? – (ninjago, nya centered fic, 1.9k), rgb sibs (but its really just nya and lloyd), angst, post s2p1 dragons rising.

MAY

i'm a young man (built to fall) – (hiccstrid, 2.4k), hurt/comfort.

of roses and wanting something more – (hiccstrid, 2.6k), fluff.

when you say my name, nothing's changed – (hiccstrid, 2k), fluff, drunk astrid.

JUNE

i love you (it's ruining my life) – (newtmas, 1.5k), TDC, hurt/comfort.

you make me feel like a fool – (newtmas, 2.2k), hurt/comfort, domestically cleaning each other with a rag LMAO

JULY

fight or flight – (newtmas, 2.1k), TDC, hurt/comfort, newt has the flare.

tenderly, tragically – UNFINISHED (4/7), (newtmas, 11k), vacation au, so so so much pining lol.

AUGUST

hunger hurts (but starving works) – (newtmas, 4.2k), zombie apocalypse au.

OCTOBER

so loved and so lonesome – (ninjago, seawalker, 1k), fluff. small drabble

DECEMBER

when i go (bury me six feet in snow) – (newtmas, 2.5k), modern au, skating trip

i like how you can see when certain fixations start and when they end,,, lol,,, i'm really glad i picked up writing again, especially because my last published fic prior to 2024 was all the way back in 2022! i think my favourite thing i've written this year was either fight or flight, or one of my httyd fics. i have a lot of unfinished drafts sitting in my drive (vampire/werewolf newtmas au.... hiccstrid drawing date..... literally 4 queens gambit fics i'm not even kidding) so hopefully this year i'll actually finish stuff haha.

i havent had much motivation to write lately due to school (rrrghhh shakes my fist in the air and growls)... and im NOT sure i'll continue tenderly, tragically (please dont hurt me wauugh) BUT. here's to another year of writing 🥂 hooray!

anyone who'd like to participate feel free to :^)

[kronoose]

when you find quotes from a fic but dont remember the name of it

basically edward and lydia are terrorizing people then taako takes it as a challenge to make a better haunted house then them

"A reasonable person would probably call the whole thing off; manifesting a whole haunted house in 36 hours is a fool’s gambit. But Taako’s never counted himself as someone reasonable."

"He's trying to turn this haunted house into a haunted home goddammit,"

[shadowphoenixrider]

Food, Favours and Promises (2/2)

(Previous)

(Second part to this 'morning after' fic. This part gets a little spicy, because apparently Shadow got ideas, and, yeah. Enjoy!)

A couple of minutes after my mad dash from the kitchen, I heard footsteps across the control room's metallic floor towards where I was sitting.

"Forgot ya tea, Shadow." Gambit said softly, setting it beside me. "Heated it up a bit so it should still be good."

"Ah, thank you!" I flashed him an apologetic smile. "Slipped my mind completely." The mug warmed my hands, and I took a cautious sip. It was no longer hot, but still pleasant enough to drink. "Thank you for this. Both this and the food." I nodded towards my now empty plate.

"You liked it?" He asked, stepping closer and gently brushing a hand against my upper back.

"Oh yeah, it was delicious." My smile broadened. "Thank you."

Gambit's answering smile brightened his dark eyes for a brief moment, before his gaze slid to his mark on my neck. He became pensive.

"You gonna be okay wit keepin' dat? Jubilee be one ting, but de others...?" He spoke quietly, guilt clear in his voice.

I touched it again, feeling the weak pain pulse through my nerves.

"Do you want me to get rid of it?" I asked. He glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I...I don't wanna make it awkward for you, mon amie. Don'...Don't keep it jus' to make me happy. If you feel better de others not knowin', den I can live with it. Long as you happy."

I watched him, my heart fluttering at his words. He was contrite, almost regretful, his usual swagger muted to the point he seemed to have shrunk an inch or two. It tugged hard at my heart-strings to see him like this - I realized I would be happy...as long as he was too.

I considered a moment, looking him over. Although Gambit's gaze was elsewhere, I could see he was watching me out of the corner of his eye, awaiting my decision. His hand dropped away from his neck to fidget with his gloves, and that was when the idea formed in my head.

"Well...maybe I should return the favour." I suggested. He glanced back to me, frowning in curiosity. "Why don't I leave my mark on you, Gambit? There'd be less pressure on me having the evidence of our night together if both of us have a bruise to share."

His eyes widened slightly, pupils dilating. The skin around his cheeks seemed to darken too.

"You can do dat?" He asked inquisitively.

"Oh yeah." I nodded. "I can make the capillaries under your skin leak enough blood to produce the effect of a bruise, minus most of the pain. It'd be pretty indistinguishable from a real traumatic contusion, except yours would heal naturally faster as there's technically no damage to heal - just the pulling of fluids back out of the tissues."

He touched his neck thoughtfully.

"However," I continued, "although I could try and match this bruise, I wouldn't be able to fake it completely - I wouldn't be able to simulate the gradient of colour or the random pattern of a bite mark. It would probably be enough to fool a casual observer, but it might also come across as too fake."

Gambit's eyebrow arched slowly upwards.

"So what're ya suggesting, mon amie?" He asked, his voice sinking into a deeper register that sent a shiver up my spine.

"What I said before; returning the favour." I grinned at him. "After all, the best fakes are the ones you don't have to, right?"

An answering grin slid across his lips, and he took a step closer to me.

"You're a fast learner, chère." Purred Gambit, his eyes dark and hungry.

"I learn from the best." I replied, rising to my feet. His grin widened.

"Come now Shadow, Gambit already down for dis plan. No need to sweeten de pot." I giggled at him. "Jus' one question though. Jubes has already seen dat I don' have a bite. Ain't she gonna know when she sees dis one dat it were added later?"

"Did she?" I smirked. His eyebrow quirked up. "What's to say she missed it with all the excitement of teasing me, hmm? That, and are the others really going to quibble over any other antics we might have gotten up to between our night together and when they next see us?"

His smile was approving.

"Ya make a good point, petite."

"Of course, if you are worried about that..." My gaze trailed slowly down his body, lifting the edge of his top with a finger. "I could always mark you a little lower down and you can change into a shirt that shows some skin?"

"Non, dat would be too obvious it be staged." Gambit shook his head. "Wanna keep de benefit of de doubt, like ya said."

"Well then," I stepped closer, gently pushing the Cajun against the main table. "How about you let me get at that pretty neck of yours...?"

Gambit's eyes darkened, parting his legs to let me close the gap between us.

"D'accord, ma chère," he crooned, flicking his ponytail onto his other shoulder before leaning down to me, presenting his neck. "Gambit is all yours..."

A frisson of electric heat thrummed through me, temptation whispering in the back of my head to take advantage of this brief time together. How far could we go before we were caught, especially here? I leaned in, my breath against Gambit's skin making him shudder with delight, and I couldn't help that shock of fire straight into my chest. Focus, I reminded myself, as Gambit's hand settled into the curve of my lower back.

Pressing my nose into him, my nostrils flared as I inhaled his scent deep into my lungs - spice, cinnamon, soap, cooking grease and the richer smell that defied my ability to describe. I uttered a pleased hum that was dangerously close to becoming a more lurid moan, and I heard his breath hitch, felt his pulse quicken.

Calling my powers, I began to kiss over his neck gently, slowly tracing my way towards where his carotid artery throbbed with each beat of his heart. It was quick, excited, the anticipation humming under his skin as I placed opened-mouthed kisses there.

"Shadow..." Gambit breathed, his hand pressing me even closer to him. Oh, that was a nice noise. Let's see what noise you make when I do this!

And with that, I curled my lips back and bit him. Gambit gasped, the sound flashing heat through me to pool between my thighs, his hand curling into a tight grip of my shirt. Much like he'd done hours before, I sucked at the part of him my jaws had claimed, listening to his cells start a chorus of trilling at my work.

Yet the sweetest sound came from Gambit himself; he all but whimpered in my ear - a noise I'd never thought I'd hear from the man, but one so delectable it took all the discipline I had not to push him down flat and make him do it again. Difficult, when his hips lifted against me, and I swore I felt him already starting to harden.

After a couple of minute-long seconds, I pulled back to admire my handiwork - a deep mauve bruise only slightly smaller than my own now sat right over Gambit's pulse-point. Looking up at the man himself, I saw his face was flushed, eyes blissfully closed, and lips parted, his breathing heavier than before.

Pride bloomed in my chest to see the effect I'd had on him; it seemed I could wrap him around my finger every bit as easily as he could with me. That was a thought I very much liked.

I gently traced the mark I'd made, and...something shifted in me. Something about my mark on him, the fact he'd let me - and that his would stay for as long it took to heal. That he wanted others to know (or didn't mind that they did) that it was my mark, that for a brief period of time, Gambit had been mine. Was that what he'd thought when he saw I'd kept his bite?

Gambit made soft grunt, his eyes flickering open; he looked a little dazed, as if just waking from a dream. Considering the hardness I was feeling pressing against my thigh, I reckoned I kinda knew why.

"Enjoy that, Cajun?" I purred, cupping his cheek and turning him to look at me. For a brief moment, he was limp against me, before he blinked, awareness sharpening his gaze in a way that gave me the shivers. Gambit leaned into my ear, lips brushing against the shell.

"How about Gambit show ya, chère." He growled, and then his lips were on mine, kissing hungrily. I moaned softly, his other hand tangling into my hair to hold me close as I melted into him. A dim voice in the back of my head protested, that we shouldn't do this here, we could be caught at any moment-

I studiously ignored the flash of pure heat that thought gave me, and its attendant implications.

Gambit's teeth against my bottom lip made me gasp, his hot tongue soothing the hurt away.

"Remy..." I mumbled in his mouth, just about resisting his attempts to deepen the kiss further, the hand on my back creeping down to my backside.

"Un peu plus, juste peu plus ma chère..." Was his muttered reply, kissing and nipping at me as if drunk on my taste.

He then froze as a very familiar chime sounded out from behind him; that of a call attempting to connect.

"Duty calls." I sighed softly, stroking his cheek.

We reluctantly untangled from one another, straightening our shirts and trying not to look like we'd been fooling around in a place we probably shouldn't. Just before I sat down, I caught Gambit's hand.

"Hey, if we get some time and privacy today...I'd like to finish what I started."

A smile played on his lips, lifting my hand.

"Gambit would like dat very much too, mon ombre," he spoke huskily. "Promise?"

I arched an eyebrow at the new name for me, surprised he'd never used it before now, yet just smiled.

"Promise." I replied, squeezing his hand, and blushing when he kissed mine. "Alright, now shoo, before Scott really decides to chew me out!"

The Cajun flashed me a cheeky grin before he strode quickly (albeit rather stiffly) out. A part of me wondered if he was going to take care of his own business, before quickly dismissing the thought. Not the time!

"Shadow, there you are!" Cyclops said as I accepted the call, his image appearing from the projector in the dais. "Took a little longer to get through than I expected, is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, the board's all green here. Sorry, I stayed up late last night reading, woke late, so everything was a bit last minute." I grinned weakly, quickly bringing up the mission status report. "How's everyone on your end? I hate to say it and potentially damn you, but it seemed relatively calm yesterday."

"Yes." Cyclops dipped his head. "The worst appears to be over now, and I think it won't be long before we finish up and return home. Have you heard from Blue Team?"

"Not checked in yet today, but everything was fine yesterday too." I replied. "I might send a message to remind them, but Storm's diligent enough, I'll wait. The Professor and Hank are still out at the conference, but they'll no doubt be on their way back soon too."

"Good to know." Cyclops nodded, fixing me with a steady stare. "And back at the Mansion?"

"Jubilee's fine, and Gambit's...Gambit." I chuckled, lifting a shoulder. "He's been taking care of her and training, the usual."

"And you?"

I stared back at him.

"I'm fine, aside from the hurried start. Been mostly here at my post." I tried to read him through his visor and the flicking image. "Why?"

"You're hurt." He tapped his neck. "Looks like a nasty bruise. Something happen in the Danger Room?"

My heart skipped a beat, but I was ready for the inquiry this time.

"Sure, let's go with that." I replied smoothly. "Just a little accident."

Cyclops stared at me for a long, long moment, and I could tell he was trying to believe the utter bullshit I'd just told him. He turned his head slightly to listen to someone, frowning at them. Definitely wasn't Jean, then.

The image flickered a moment, and then I saw Wolverine's face appear next to Cyclops'.

"Oh hey!" I grinned. "Everything going okay with you guys?"

"We're just fine, kiddo." Was his gruff reply, giving me a quick once over, before he grinned widely. "Looks like you had a good night too."

Despite everything, I still blushed - there was no hiding things from Logan.

"A very good night." Was my reply.

Cyclops looked between us, completely stumped. Wolverine gave a long-suffering groan.

"She's got a love-bite, Slim you idiot!" He growled in frustration. "Nothing in the Danger Room gives neck marks like that unless it's the Cajun himself!"

"What?!" Cyclops cried.

"I'll talk to you guys later when you've got mission critical updates!" I quickly interrupted. "Take care!" And disconnected it before the barrage of questions could begin.

Leaning back in my chair, I had to laugh, touching the proud mark on my skin. Whelp, the cat was truly out of the bag now. It would only be a matter of time before it spread to the others.

I let my gaze wander out of the door and my mind to Gambit, and the mark he now bore. My mark. I found I liked that thought, just as much as I'd liked the new name he'd gave me.

Mon ombre.

My Shadow.

I felt my heart skip in my chest at the thought of it, a familiar joy pulsing through me to the ends of my hair and the tips of my toes, one that I hadn't felt since I'd last loved Tom.

Wait.

Ohh shit.

[an-aura-about-you]

tackling the foreword now, possibly more if I think I'm up for it:

-well, we're dropping the g slur on the first page of this foreword. I knew it was in here but that's certainly less than ideal.

-it's mentioned here that the author is Jewish, and the information I have indicates that this is going to be used later to confirm the main character is Jewish. that's just sloppy writing if this is true. but I'm putting it here in case it IS the only time anyone is mentioned to be Jewish before the love interest asks the main character about it.

-"We met in quite an unprecedented way." They met via the internet because they had a common fandom. *takes a look at all of my friends on here, some of whom I've met in person, that I share a fandom with*

-so far the person writing the foreword has talked more about the book SHE wrote instead of the one I'm about to read.

-the foreword is five pages long and doesn't start talking about the creation of the book I'm reading or what it means to her until page four.

-she doesn't start talking about what happens in the book until the second paragraph on page five and she gets some fairly noticeable information wrong in the very first sentence she writes about the book. (she says the main character is from Nashville. this is not true. the main character is from a small town that is CLOSE to Nashville. I don't even know if you could call it a suburb because it's got a population of like less than 300.)

-she says she enjoyed this book more than others in the same genre, but as far as I know she writes in the same genre. granted, I'm primarily thinking of this as a romance book along the lines of fluffy coffee shop au fic and not as any sort of magical adventure. if the person writing the foreword thinks it's the latter, then maybe she likes this book more because it doesn't cleave to the conventions of the genre she thinks it's in.

-"I tend to be a bit snobbish about books." funny, that, because I don't and will gleefully wallow in the trash if it's to my liking. but I can still recognize trash when I see it.

-we get a page with four quotes on it before we kick off on the book proper. now, I'm cool with using multiple quotes in a book to set the stage? in fact, one of my favorite books, The Disaster Artist, uses a LOT of quotes. most of the chapter titles are quotes from The Room since a good portion of the book is about making that movie. in addition to that, every other chapter has a movie quote alternating between Sunset Boulevard and The Talented Mr. Ripley. but this works because Greg's story resembles Sunset Boulevard and he and Tommy going to see The Talented Mr. Ripley was a turning point that led to Tommy writing his script for The Room. it also helps that the placement is at the start of each chapter and not dumped all at once at the start of the book.

-I also get the feeling that I should just. keep my copy of The Disaster Artist on hand. the more I think about it, the more Lani Sarem resembles Tommy Wiseau when it comes to their art and how they perceive themselves.

-oh yeah I should probably mention that each chapter of the book is named after one of the tarot cards in the Major Arcana. not for any good reason, though the placement of the Fool and the World make enough sense. if you want to read something that's actually worth reading with an author who writes well and knows how to use tarot cards in naming chapters, go read the fanfic Persephone's Gambit by Diva from Musical Hell. it is a Phantom of the Opera fic in which Christine offers a different choice to Erik's ultimatum and how that plays out.

-I went to do a quick count of how long it takes from page 1 to get to when the main character's name is finally said for the first time because that is pretty infamous. we, the readers, don't learn our main character's name until we get to the middle of page 7. girl, you are not Daphne du Maurier nor do you have her reason for not divulging the main character's name a la Rebecca.

-the book straight up starts with, "I've always envied those with normal lives." no you don't. know how I know? because your name is Zade. the name you ask other people to call you is Zade. fun fact: one time when I was a kid, I told a kid at the swimming pool that my name was Amy because I didn't want to struggle with someone I didn't really know trying to say my somewhat unusual name. if you truly wanted to be normal, you would probably do something similar.

-"I won't cover everything that has been crazy or unusual in my life." I kind of wish you would because that would probably be more interesting to read.

-"Don't fight it. Destiny will always win." Ok thanks D. D. Drosselmeyer.

-our main character is blabbing on and on about things that truly aren't important, but I will talk about her thoughts on thunderstorms because hey, it's my blog, I'm allowed to be petty and nitpicky. I don't get why she's like, "The nighttime thunderstorms are more magical." That seems backwards. like, ok, I will temporarily allow the author to possess me and spend an unreasonable amount of time writing about why daytime thunderstorms are more magical to me. when it happens in an otherwise clear, sunny sky, it is the unexpected pleasure of a sunshower. but it's even more impressive to me when the clouds roll in and the world is under their dense, turbulent blanket, and the sky grows so dark that it is nighttime during the day only for the sudden sunbright shock of a lightning bolt to blind your senses. but then, I get the feeling my tastes are going to differ a LOT from our protagonist's.

-you see that thing I did where I pointlessly talked about thunderstorms for like 60 words? when our protagonist talked about thunderstorms, she did it for about 180 WORDS. this is what she's burning her precious chapter 0 on and she hasn't even introduced herself yet.

-oh right, it's chapter 0 because the Fool is 0. This is actually something I'm ok with.

-our protagonist's mother is the local fortune teller (and witch who can do legit fantasy magic, but that's not made absolutely clear yet) and she's talking about how people come from all over to see her. like, this COULD be worldbuilding because we don't know how many legit magic users there are in the world or how spread out they might be. but lemme tell ya, if they're going for a spread or to have their palm read or whatever, that's honestly not as weird in the south as she's trying to indicate. yes, there are the churchy sorts who think it's of the devil, but I've been on enough road trips down here where I've passed multiple fortune teller setups. I am not going all the way to Nashville to have her mom fuss over my broken marriage line when I've got perfectly competent locals who know their palmistry.

-she says when she was a kid, the other kids weren't allowed to be friends with her because of her family's beliefs, and I call bullshit on that. again, southerner here, and I've been to enough sleepovers that included a trip to church in the morning to know full well that at least one family would allow their kids to be friends with her for conversion purposes.

-by the way, our main character didn't actually do anything in the book until we got to page 5.

-so, our protagonist is leaving her family home, which she compares to the plantation Tara in Gone with the Wind. and earlier she said her family has owned land in Tennessee since the 1700s. while I get the feeling none of this will matter later, it still merits a fairly big Yikes from me.

-it's so weird when authors spend a lot of time talking about the brands their characters use. it feels like that scene in Wayne's World where they parody corporate sponsors. it's just distracting and makes me wonder if they paid you for the reference.

-gosh, the way she describes what normal people do to those who stand out is so clunky. it's not even worth repeating because it's honestly just painful. there must have been a better way to make that point.

-so wait a minute: Zade says her mother Dela can always tell when she's lying, but then she says she's not good at lying to her mother. the first part of it made it sound like her mother has some sort of power where she can magically sense when people are lying to her. why don't we establish that? it would be some much-needed world building.

-Zade is going to an audition, and Dela makes it clear she knows who the audition is with. I'm gonna just come out with the big twist now because I want to highlight how this book will not hold up upon a reread. Zade is going to audition for a magic show in Las Vegas that's headlined by Charles Spellman. but *Speed Racer announcer voice* unbeknownst to the readers, Charles Spellman is actually Zade's long-estranged father! but here's the thing: WHY don't we know? the book is told from Zade's first person pov and it's clear from the way she and Dela are talking that Zade has some awareness of who Spellman is. this is going to shoot the book in the foot later for a bunch of different reasons, and I can offer two ways to fix it: either write the book in third person limited so we're not in Zade's head or make it so Zade doesn't know Spellman's her father until the very end. (though there would be some other issues with the story if that second option had been taken.)

-"My anger erupted, if she hadn't been my mother I probably would have punched her." much like the taste we get of Zade's love interest Mac from the blurb on the back of the book, Zade is also a violent person. this is only going to get worse as the story goes on.

-also right after that they hug and make up. it seriously goes from 100 to 0 like that.

-I don't care that you got permission to print the song lyrics. that is not what I am here to read.

and that's how we end the very first chapter of this garbage heap. it's amazing how much I could just kind of skim over because so much nothing happens.

[wordsandrobots]

Falling for a Fool: Afterword

A confession: I cannot get through episode 45 of Iron-Blooded Orphans, properly, without coming to the verge of tears. I have discovered that if I turn the sound off, I can make it about as far as the back half of episode 46 without that happening. Which made it a lot easier to take screenshots, but it still got me, in the end.

And that's exactly why I fell in love with this show.

It's trite, but I think everyone should have the chance to be moved by something, whatever it is and wherever it comes from. Stories, all artworks in fact, are there to make us feel something. To convey emotion and meaning, to play on the keyboard of our minds and allow us to hallucinate meaningful things in safety. A couple of years back, the thing that moved me was an anime about child soldiers in space, produced to sell model kits. It worked. I did buy a lot of model kits. I also got to have my emotions twisted to bits by a superbly crafted tragedy.

I can wax lyrical about the technicalities of that process. I can do the writerly bit, as I've said before, of pulling apart the mechanics of how this show works and why it hits me so hard. That doesn't change the fact it *does* hit me, hard, and that's why I've spent my time since first watching it writing so much about it. It was exactly what I needed to see, when I saw it, and the inspiration it has given me has been absolutely wonderful.

I guess the reason I decided to run back through the imagery of the series, and specifically that concerning Yamagi and Shino's relationship, is that I wanted to check my working. I'm nearly at the end of the huge story I developed off the back of my first fanfic for IBO, the culmination of two and a half years of work. When I post it, likely at the start of August 2024, I will have approaching 650,000 words worth of 'here's how I would do a follow-up' on Ao3. That's a lot. For me, it's a hitherto unheard-of amount of consistent work.

Yet it started, very simply, with this: how do you save Shino?

Because the end to his arc in the show is a moment of deliberate pointlessness. It's got to be, for the narrative to work. But I have a soft heart and more than that, I'd fixated on what precedes the failure of Shino's daring gambit. Those scenes between him and Yamagi throughout episode 45 and the fundamental, unintentional cruelty of asking someone who adores you to enable what is, however much it wasn't supposed to be, your suicide run.

There are any number of ways to save Shino, in the sense of imagining he wasn't actually dead when Flauros was blown off into space in the next episode. It's easy! But which option allows one to best drill into what he and Yamagi are to each other, in that moment where he finally demonstrates he isn't the totally oblivious himbo after all? What is the method that allows them to come together again, not as comet and tail, but something more equal? Something that, rather than just clicking one's fingers and declaring, 'all is well', admits to everything dire and disturbing about Tekkadan.

Because those things are the point. And to me, they are vital to my love of the original work.

So. My apologies for a couple of days of scab-picking on main. I needed it, I think, to look back and see that, yes. What I have done follows (in my own mind at least) from what's on-screen. As much as my fic is essentially a work of reconstruction -- of redeeming love from hopelessness -- the heart of it remains full of rust and sharp fragments, of blood and pain, and a bitter understanding that the world does not care about you in the slightest.

And that the point is to care anyway.

[nullcanary]

ooh, definitely curious about the title "Mechanics of Affection" !

This was a very popular request! Thank you @cinderflower @lamortwrites and @mostly-michaela for the ask!

Mechanics of Affection is part of a Durgetash feelings realization fic I've been tinkering with for a while now. Here's a bit I've written up for Gortash's chapter.

Sometimes it starts with a look – a heavy-lidded gaze lingering far too long; language untangled in the period point of the pupil. Others write that it is found in a touch, the spark connection between skin and skin when one brushes the hair aside or is caught within a solitude-staving embrace. Some find the feeling composed straight from the tongue – the sound of one's name from another's lips or a confession that lifts the veil and the self-sabotaging sense of denial. For a few, these are simply the gambits in which to pull the rein in their favor. 

For Enver Gortash, it had always been the latter. Well known to him was the waltz of charm and enticement. In the grand scheme of burgeoning his way up in the world of the higher class, he understood which shoulders to brush in order to catch them or land in their arms with ease. All it took was a strong impression, an air of mystery, and an inescapable magnetism to draw them in and hold them fast. From there, it was a matter of when to soften his gaze through dark lashes, offer hushed propositions to an eager ear. How promises spilled like coins from a purse soon thereafter. Fools' gold, all of it. Once he had harvested his desired intent, the subtle persuasion came to end the dance. It was a matter of the right words, the proper steps, and he could convince them that it was their decision, their choice to release the hold, and he was off to dip into the arms of other affairs. 

The rules were easy when falling had never been an option for him. Frankly, Enver didn't believe himself capable of becoming like the fools he spooled along his fingertips. Affection was merely a tool, a rung for a boot to step on. A target on one's back. One he had aimed at with advantage many a time. It made even the most calculated falter to complacency.

His mentors had taught him well that love was merely a transaction, that duty and devotion would be reshaped with the weight of enough coin. Their choices had thrust his juvenile sensibilities into the realm of the realistic, led by the quick-thinking, the sharp-minded, and the power-hungry. Dawdling over petty endearment would have only served as a distraction from the demands of his obligations, his ambitions, his Divine Right. What use was sentiment in the venture of sovereignty and gods?

[domoz]

AU where Hashirama + Tobirama + Madara + Izuna are the ones who died, and their brothers are the ones who lived.

Kou = Uchiha clan head

Kuro = Uchiha clan heir

Togakushi = Uchiha clan sir not appearing in this fic

Kawarma = Senju Clan head

Itama = Senju Clan heir

It is a lovely day, but Kou has opted to have the shogi board set up inside with the fusuma closed.  He's not so dramatic as to darken the room enough to need candles to see by, but the temptation is there -- he likes to set a mood, and more importantly, he likes to prove a point. Waiting for him, kneeling in perfect seiza on the other side of the board, is the man responsible for keeping Kou from total victory over the Senju clan.

He still does not know quite how; he's been manevoring for years and had been quite sure that the daimyo would finally agree to seize their stolen lands and scatter the clan members to the four winds. Instead, somehow, the Senju have survived, have ended up as Uchiha vassals instead of dead, and Senju Itama, with his striking two colored hair, had been the one at court when it was announced. He had bowed deeply to the daimyo and given thanks for his mercy, then had turned to bow to Kou and greet him as his Lord.

In the most infuriatingly move of all, he had insisted that he had been given orders not to take action until he had reported to his clan head, and though he wasn't able to deny the offer to be escorted back to his clan lands, he had managed to politely rebuff any conversations that went deeper than basic barbs and pleasantry quite skillfully.

Now, though, he's spoken to his clan head -- in person, not the summons Kou knows he sent ahead. Senju Kawarama and Kuro are only a few rooms over, discussing the Senju clan's obligations to their new lords, and Itama has no more excuses to deny him a game and a discussion.

The Senju bows at the waist as Kou sweeps into the room, perfectly formal and polite, as is the way he averts his eyes.

Hah. Yes, that's going to be a change in etiquette that will be a pain to force the Senju to accept. Now isn't the time to push it though. Instead he hums, "It's lovely to see you again, Senju-san. And -- ah, what a nice board you've set up for us."

"You as well." Itama has seated himself on the white side and will be playing second -- Kou respects him enough to know it must be deliberate, though to what end he cannot yet say, "And thank you. It was actually grown in one piece by the last member of our clan to hold our kekkei genkai."

Ah, so it would have been one of Itama's long-dead brothers, then. Terrible thing, killing one so young, but it wasn't as though there were many options to deal with someone with the potential for so much disruptive power; not when they were still at war. He could do better now, but it isn't now. Again, Kou is unsure what the Senju is trying to do by evoking the dead, but if a try an emotional reaction, he's not going to get it.

"Interesting." He says, "I hadn't known it could be used for craftsmanship."

Which is a lie, and an obvious one, but Itama does not call him on it. He does, however, stiffen as Kou activates his sharingan. It's not obvious, Itama's composure is very good, but when faced with a sharingan there are some reactions that just can't be hidden. The slight thinning of lips, the locking of muscles, the speed of his pulse hammering in his throat.

"I like to remember the games I've played to go over them later." Kou says with his most disarming smile, "You won't mind."

"Of course not." Itama agrees easily, voice betraying nothing, "I await your move."

Kou slides a pawn forward, faux careless in his selection. He's not one of those fools who believes that one can see into a man's soul from how he plays the game, but he will admit there is some insight to be had. A few moves pass in silence, the Senju going for a traditional, defensive opening, and quickly foiling any chance Kou might have had at a gambit and a quick win.

Ah, well. More fun to play it out, anyways.

"I must say, you keep beautiful gardens here in your clan compound." He says. It's nothing, just probing idle small talk, but the corner Itama's lip curls.

"We do." And then, "If you don't mind me saying so, Uchiha-sama, there's no need to work up to your point. I'm ready to hear it."

That startles a barking laugh out of Kou. What an exercise in contractions Senju Itama is! He's clearly afraid of him, must hate his clan, yet he holds himself so calmly -- he's the only one who has ever truly challenged Kou, politically, yet he speaks so bluntly. How bold!

"Oh you misunderstand." Kou purrs as he captures on of Itama's pawns, "I didn't come here with a point, I simply find myself quite enchanted and wished to learn more about you. That's all."

"Ah. Well I suppose that I'm flattered then. Thank you" Itama replies, voice genuine and his face not twitching a bit to prove otherwise.

Yes, he is good, and if allowed to remain with the Senju clan he will become dangerous. There are many ways Kou could have gone about this, but Itama has postured himself as a man who appreciates directness, so he'll try that first.

"Truth be told, I'd love to take you out of here." He admits, and there is a pause in Itama's hand as he goes to move another piece -- capturing one of his pawns in fact, though doing so doesn't actually improve his position by much, "As lovely as the gardens may be, you must be aware that the things needed to help adjust a clan to becoming vassals are… Difficult. I simply think you'd be better suited elsewhere, with your talents. Somewhere where you might live a bit of a nicer life."

Yes, quite a lot of his clan want to make the Senju live in misery, but if Kou is to let them do that, it will have to be subtle. If they mistreat their vassals, they will look like bad lords, and may even give the Senju enough argument to try and demand freedom again -- given their circumstances, becoming subservient was actually the best protection the Senju could have asked for.

Itama hums neutrally as he appears to study the board. They trade a few quick moves before he asks, "We hardly know each other as yet, what sort of work could you possibly have in mind?" The steadying breath he takes before meeting Kou's eyes is silent, and his gaze is challenging.

"Oh, I'm sure you'd do well no matter what I asked of you, Senju-san, but I wasn't thinking of putting you to work." He glances down only long enough to capture Itama's gold general, "Marriage was more what I had in mind."

He's good, but not that good. That casual declaration clearly scrambles Itama's thoughts and delays his next turn for a long moment before his expression settles into something unimpressed.

The Senju and Uchiha clans are not equals now, not that Kou thinks they ever were, and that demotion is so fresh that there is next to no chance of any marriage between their clans being a balanced one.

Not that Kou was lying about giving him a nicer life! It would not do for the head of the Uchiha clan to mistreat a concubine of his, after all.

"…One of my brothers died defending me from the Uchiha." Is how Itama responds a long moment later, picking up the game again and moving to defend his other general. He speaks evenly, without hostility, despite the subject, "It took me a long time to come to terms with it, but I decided that the best way to honor what he'd done for me was to live my life as freely and happily as I am able."

Itama's eyes remained fixed to the board as they trade a few inconsequential moves back and forth, "So, Uchiha-sama, assuming you are giving the option, I'm afraid I will have to decline." He moves his rook back to the position it was in the turn before, and looks up with a ghost of a smile. "I am, however, amenable to being courted."

Kou almost laughs again. Bold, indeed! A shame he cannot force the issue, or he'll run into the same problems with mistreatment that his clan is certain to complain about in the coming days. He smiles back, knowing that his smirk makes him look cruel.

"Perhaps we can revisit the offer later."

"Perhaps." Itama agrees. Then he takes his turn. Moves a piece, and says, "Ah. It appears we've reached a sennichite."

…A repetition draw. Kou had been more focused on Itama's reactions than the game, but when he thinks back on the past few moves find that the Senju is right. What a blunder on his part, and when was the last time there was someone capable enough to make him do that?

"So we have." Kou agrees, letting his sharingan fade, "I think it's time we check on our brothers then. It was an interesting game, Senju-san. I hope you'll join me for another soon."

He thinks he means it too. Senju Itama is someone he's going to have to keep a close eye on, indeed.