#i COULD make one of those multi oneshot fics....

[spinnysocks]

when i make the shocking realisation i can write whatever i want (i already knew this)

[shibaraki]

❄︎ ─ END OF YEAR REC REPORT: THE READER INSERT EDITION

hi lovelies!! as the year is coming to an end I wanted to work with my followers to compile a rec list of fics that have stuck with us as one massive thank you to all of the writers in our corner of tumblr/AO3. below you will find x reader fics from multiple different fandoms, and everything is in alphabetical order. I am grateful to all of you for the amazing work you do, and to those who participated!

extra note: I read through and tried my best to make sure everything is appropriately tagged (reader type and blushes included) but do let me know if anything needs amending—or if you are on this list and wish to be taken off it. happy reading and happy new year! (and thank you to @namodawrites for helping with the banners ily)

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ─ ❄︎

fics: 100 fandoms: 23 total word count: 💀

an observer of longing by shibaraki [ONESHOT] [18K] #: afab reader - childhood best friends to lovers - romantic and sexual tension - mutual pining - casual physical affection - love confession - eventual sexual content

Could Hajime really return your feelings? Tooru certainly thinks so. And Issei, and Takahiro. Seemingly everyone that has been within twenty feet of you.

I wanna be yours by gabseyoo [ONESHOT] [5.9K] #: fem reader - recreational drug use - stoner suna rintaro - friends to lovers - shotgunning - smut - face riding - unprotected sex - sex under the influence

Your usual smoking date with your best friend takes an unexpected turn after a certain song starts playing.

in orbit by neonghxst [MULTI-CHAP] [27K] #: fem reader - slow burn - fluff - angst - enemies to friends to lovers - childhood friends - breaking up/making up

You tend to have a habit of coming and going, life sending you away at odd intervals and guiding you back into his path without warning. Akin to two planets caught in each other’s orbits, you pushed and pulled in a never-ending cycle. But if there was one thing Atsumu was certain of, it was that you would always find your way back to him (and this time, he’s determined to make you stay).

lover be good to me by suguwu [MULTI-CHAP] [30K] #: fem reader - soulmate au - slow burn - hurt/comfort - partner death (not kita shinsuke)

You meet Kita Shinsuke on a rainy summer day, with a sea of hydrangeas swirling at your feet. You know him instantly, as only a soulmate can. He seems like a good man. Like a good soulmate. But it's your wedding day.

miya atsumu and the chronic lovesick disease by fushisagi [ONESHOT] [12.6K] #: gender neutral reader - university au - fluff - friends to lovers - denial of feelings - mutual pining

The question comes to him one autumn night, surrounded by his friends and the chilly november breeze, asked by, who he assumes to be, just another nobody looking for money: what is it that you desire most, boy? the psychic asks, her saccharine smile forgotten when he looks into the crystal ball and all he ends up seeing is you. Alternatively: Miya Atsumu is not in love. what the hell? who would ever suggest something like that?

monster by satendou [SERIES: ONGOING] [13K] #: fem reader - unprotected sex - creampie - vaginal fingering - mentions of bullying - insecurities - described as blushing

You like horror movies, Tendou likes horror movies, what could go wrong?

storm chaser by amjustagirl [MULTI-CHAP] [163K] #: fem reader - post canon - domestic fluff - friends to lovers - romance - marriage - parenthood - angst

Living life with Miya Atsumu is like chasing a storm - equal parts exhilaration and danger. After all, it’s impossible to tame a storm.

the burden of being by sashimiyas [ONESHOT] [22K] #: fem reader - angst - fluff - amnesia - pro volleyball player osamu - unhealthy coping mechanisms

There was an Osamu who loved you once. Who loved Onigiri Miya so much he spent most of his waking hours there, supported loyally by the members of Hyogo Ward. A fire changes that and he and his twin brother adopt their old high school motto: we don’t need the memories. Now they’re gone and memories are all you have. So as an homage to the man you love, you reopen his restaurant back up for him.

the inbetween by oh-katsuki [ONESHOT] [25K] #: fem reader - manga spoilers - childhood friends to lovers - slow burn - angst - sexual content

You and Tendou have been best friends since before you can remember. You share everything with each other and over the years have fallen into a friendship with clear boundaries but intimate values. When you start to notice Tendou growing more distant, you begin to worry that he’s keeping more secrets than you thought. 

there are reasons why a body stays in motion by gardenofnoah [ONESHOT] [4.7K] #: afab reader - strangers to lovers - fluff - eventual sexual content

You work too hard—kita knows it the second he meets you. He’s not expecting you to take him up on his offer. You don’t either, until you end up on his farm.

the blood of the witch is not ours by demxnscous [ONESHOT] [11K] #: afab reader - vampire miya osamu - strangers to friends to lovers - modern setting with a hidden supernatural world - blood and injury - eventual sexual content

The door opens. Osamu whines pitifully, a shallow breath that scarcely pulls at the lacerations along his body, blood of his own and of another creature matts his fur to his ribs, along his spine, and he lifts his head. “Oh, fuck.” From the threshold, your eyes widen, a stranger to the fox you find.

to: tokyo, love hyogo by akimind [ONESHOT] [15K] #: fem reader - described as blushing - reunions - angst - fluff - exes to lovers

Your mind wasn’t tricking you when it caught sight of this name from across the street you rarely frequent; it remains the same name even as you stand directly below now and reread that sign again. Onigiri Miya. …I’ll meet you in Hyogo. The same echo. The same memory.

roommate osamu kiss by shibaraki [DRABBLE] [0.6K] #: gender neutral reader - pre relationship - fluff - roommate miya osamu - sleepy kiss

Osamu likes to think that unlike Atsumu, he has some semblance of control over his impulses. it’s a fine art. When you softly touch his waist as you squeeze past, or dig your feet under his thigh on the couch, or lean into his side as you share the small bathroom, he can will his body still and maintain the equilibrium you’ve crafted together. But this morning he is frayed at the seams.

venus by saetyrn [ONESHOT] [15K] #: cisfem reader - mutual pining - alcohol consumption - friends to lovers - eventual sexual content - reader is inexperienced

After returning to Japan from studying abroad in California, Hajime’s found that his desire for you has only grown stronger in his year away. He hopes you feel the same, and see him as he sees you. What he doesn’t expect is for it all to go tits up when you ask him--your trusted friend--for help with losing your virginity.

wet haired kuroo by mrs-kurooo [DRABBLE] [0.8K] #: gender neutral reader - pre relationship - romantic tension

His hair lies flat, unlike the usual unruly, gravity-defying mess of black that sits on his head. It’s still a little damp, slowly drying in the warmth of your apartment, a lone droplet of water dripping from the ends and landing on his towel. It hangs in his eyes a little, more so than usual and the urge to run your fingers through it overwhelms you - it just looks so soft.

a duke's son and a baron's daughter by katsukikitten [ONESHOT] [14K] #: fem reader - victorian era au - arranged marriage - pining - slow burn - suggestive content - lord bakugo katsuki - lord todoroki shouto

The room ebbs in the low light of flickering candles, people gather in clusters like lost geese as they honk their gossip at one another causing you to sigh. It would be another long night of mental games as your cold eyes fail to warm from the eccentric sights. Silk dresses, long gloves, shimmering gems, and endless drink and food.  Yet you hated how little power you had over your choice of being here or not. 

a light that never comes by mighty-mighty-man [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [430K] #: fem reader - enemies to friends to lovers - reader is an ex villain - worldbuilding - polotics - drama - eventual romance

After your life is saved by a quirkless middle-schooler, you find yourself roped back into the world of Heroism you've spent years trying to escape. Your mentor convinces you to take a job at U.A. that will bring you perilously close to your former best friend, Toshinori Yagi, who you have been avoiding since you mysteriously dropped out of high school in your third year. Being a Hero never gets any easier. And high school never ends.

all the times i told you by gardenofnoah [SERIES] [8K+] #: afab reader - estbalished relationship - fluff - intimacy - hurt/comfort - eventual sexual content

A sweet little multi-parter about being so in love it makes you sick, featuring Katsuki.

a withered rose by potionpeddlerpatchy [ONESHOT] [18K] #: fem reader - mythical au - reader is a nymph - god of sleep shinsou hitoshi - sexual content - dubious consent - somnophilia - manipulation

In the center of all the strange but wonderful opulence sat a giant glass orb propped so beautifully atop of a pillar, woven so intricately like vines, of tourmaline. You couldn’t help but approach it, the alluring purple aura seemed to call out to you, reaching your delicate hand before you, nothing else crossed your mind that your desire to touch the orb's smooth surface. “You’re a bold little one, aren’t you?” Hitoshi spoke, chuckling deeply as he took in your startled form. 

a world away by invie [MULTI-CHAP] [26K] #: fem reader - slow burn - timeskips - pro hero bakugo katsuki - parallel universes - dimension travel - feelings realisation - first meetings - fluff - angst - love confessions

He met you at 16 and hasn't known peace since then.

casual by ghostbeam [ONESHOT] [4K] #: fem reader - no quirk au - friends with benefits - friends to lovers - sexual content - todoroki family feels

“My mom wants to meet you.” It’s a sentence uttered as Touya pulls the T-shirt he’d discarded earlier (while he was pushing you toward your bed and sucking your tongue into his mouth) over his head. It comes as a shock, lying in your bed completely bare, still struggling to catch your breath. It shouldn’t make you feel excited in the way that it does, not when Touya has been more than clear about the nature of the relationship between the two of you. Nothing serious. No commitment.

cruise universe by bfbkg [SERIES] #: fem reader - cruise au - pro hero bakugo - developing relationship - strangers to lovers - fluff - alcohol consumption - eventual sexual content

Your cruise holiday with your friends has got some pretty views, your favourite being the grumpy pretty blonde.

deceiving the duke by andypantsx3 [MULTI-CHAP] [30K] #: fem reader - regency au - class differences - romance - identity porn - eventual sexual content

When Camie Utsushimi elopes on the eve of her society debut, scandal threatens to destroy the family’s prospects. It’s up to you, a maid, to impersonate Camie throughout the Season, long enough that her elder sister can make a match. The only trouble? Lord Shouto Todoroki is also intent on making a match—and that match, quite impossibly, appears to involve you.

fill my little world by shibaraki [ONESHOT] [20K] #: afab reader - no quirk au - single dad aizawa shouta - nanny reader - falling in love - eventual sexual content

You are employed by Aizawa Shouta to nanny for his vulnerable adoptive daughter Eri while he’s at work. As time passes you find yourself equally smitten with them both, longing for a more permanent place in their family.

heart of the ocean by secondhand_trash [TWOSHOT] [13K] #: fem reader - pirate au - inspired by princess bride - romance - pirate todoroki touya - angst with a happy ending - sexual content

You had met many sailors in your life growing up by the sea, but there was only one like him.

higher than the mountain, deeper than the sea by itoshisoup [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [50K+] #: fem reader - psychological drama - childhood friends to lovers - stockholm syndrome - hurt/comfort - noncon elements

Touya watches you stare feebly out the window, your fingers curled around those useless flowers he bought, and he finally understands why his pathetic excuse of a father could never find the words to apologize to his mother.

I'll make this feel like home by missmeinyourbones [ONESHOT] [6K] #: afab reader - angst - canon compliant - hurt/comfort - dabi centric - todoroki family reveal - sexual content

Touya was eight years old when his youngest brother was born—the same age realized that his house no longer felt like home. 

incendiary by andypantsx3 [MULTI-CHAP] [30K] #: fem reader - enemies to lovers - quirkless discrimination - reader is a college student - romance- eventual sexual content

When you accidentally go viral in defense of quirkless people, an extremist group puts a target on your back. Pro hero Dynamight is the last person you want watching it.

in the dark of morning, you promise me the sun by kirketeer [MULTI-CHAP] [78K] #: fem reader - major character death - slow burn - grief and mourning - angst with a happy ending - eventual sexual content

When Denki, your long-term boyfriend, is stabbed by a villain on his way home from work, left to bleed out on the sidewalk only a mile from your apartment, you find yourself adrift. Strangely enough, it's Bakugou that helps with what comes after.

kingdom of ashes by shibaraki [TWOSHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - historical royalty au - prince todoroki touya - arranged marriage - sexual content - fluff - angst - hopeful ending

When you are suddenly uprooted from your life to enter an arranged marriage with Prince Touya you are unprepared for how greatly he defies your expectations, nor for how quickly you fall for him.

lights will guide you home by a11eya [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [22K] #: gender neutral reader - soulmate au - trope inversion/subversion - slow burn - getting together - falling in love - eventual sexual content

Soul-lights aren’t as common in this day and age as they were in the past, before quirks, but they’re common enough that people do still find their soulmates. At thirteen, you meet Bakugou Katsuki, and he lights up for you in orange and gold. You tell him he's your soulmate. He sneers and tells you that you aren't his. He makes your adolescence miserable until you part ways. You meet again as adults, late at night, in a grocery store, over a pile of bok choy. He apologizes for how he treated you when you were children. (In which you have a choice—to reject Bakugou's apology, reject him, or to let him show you the man he's become, to learn with him what it means to love and forgive.)

one for the rules by alkhale [ONESHOT] [9K] #: fem reader - actor au - soulmates and identifying marks - romance - actor kita shinsuke - implied sexual content - reader described with long hair

“(Y/n)-san,” Kita whispers, low, just for you. Your eyes flicker nervously up to meet his, heart beating so wildly in your chest you feel like you’ll explode. Any minute now. There’ll be nothing left for him but little bits of nonsense. “I know I have no right to stop you… but please, if you’d be willing to wait, just a bit…” Kita pulls both your hands together now, away from both your shared marks. He holds them in both of his and he gazes at you the entire time, a man truly from another era, from a lost era of things so hopeless romantic and earnest you feel like there’s nothing you can do in the very face of it. Kita brings your hands up and he presses a kiss to your knuckles, peering up at you, eyes like honey, voice soft and warm and everywhere around you. “Would you give me the chance to show you my worth?” Kita asks. Ah, that’s it. Your heart really can’t take anymore.

passing peonies by dira333 [MULTI-CHAP] [34K] #: fem reader - recovery - mental health issues - returning to society - healing todoroki family - reader described to have a ponytail - angst

When the war ended, Midoriya Izuku had proven one thing: That Villains did not need to be killed to be defeated. That you could make friends from enemies. Touya Todoroki, formerly known as Dabi, had been one of those taken into the rehabilitation program. After one year of intense physical and psychological therapy, he's got the chance to prove himself. To prove that he can be a part of this world.

something just like this by ofmermaidstories [MULTI-CHAP] [200K] #: fem reader - strangers to lovers - pro hero deku - manga artist reader - eventual sexual content

It probably says a lot about you that your first thought on meeting Deku, international Symbol of Peace, isn't something like "Oh, wow," or, "Oh he's so nice," but is, instead, the un-Plus Ultra thought of, "I definitely would’ve bullied him, in high school." At least until those muscles came in.

the cardinal rule by coopigeoncoo [ONESHOT] [9K] #: gender neutral reader - romantic comedy - bird puns - blood and injury

A story where Hawks learns that while humans might be awed by his flying skills, the bird population is decidedly less impressed.

the widening sky by ofmermaidstories [MULTI-CHAP] [37K] #: fem reader - merpeople au - merman bakugo katsuki - canon typical violence - grief and mourning - eventual sexual content - bittersweet ending

You don’t believe your Grandmother’s stories about mermaids — until you meet one.

triptych by narumi-gens [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [20K] #: fem reader - yandere chisaki kai - psychological abuse - angst - codependency - imprisonment - canon typical violence - sexual content

Your life is nothing more than a triptych, a work of art in three parts with each panel depicting a distinct period — a beginning, a middle, an end. And in the triptych that is your life, the central figure has always been Chisaki Kai.

when to cradle, when to pry by therealvalkyrie [ONESHOT] [1.3K] #: fem reader - established relationship - depresson and panic attacks - reader has low self esteem - hurt/comfort

As he re-learns the joys of loving you, Katsuki also learns how to help you back on your own feet when you need it. OR An "in the aftermath" look at the relationship in 'you feel love in the sodium'

11:49pm by shotorus [DRABBLE] [0.4K] #: gender neutral reader - fluff and intimacy

Gojo is larger than life, but you make him feel small.

all that is solid by grilledtandoorismoke [SERIES] [38K] #: fem reader - arranged marriage - curse user reader - described as blushing - hurt/comfort - domestic fluff - angst - canon typical violence

Coming from a family of curse users and the first person in three hundred years to have your clan's inherited technique, political machinations force you to attend Jujutsu Tech while having to agree to an arranged marriage to Gojo Satoru.

am I (25F) the asshole for fucking my boyfriend's older brother (28M) by rinhaler [ONESHOT] [10K] #: fem reader - sexual content - dom/sub dynamics - older brother ryomen sukuna - sex under the influence - cheating - daddy kink

I know it sounds bad but we got high and he's hot!!

blood and pearls by vennilavee [SERIES: ONGOING] [10K] #: fem reader - trueform sukuna - developing relationship - canon typical violence - cannibalism - eventual sexual content

A lonely water nymph washes up to the shores of an enchanted lake with dreams of the sun and the stars. Little do you know, that this enchanted lake belongs to the king of curses himself, Ryomen Sukuna.

candied hearts by mrs-kurooo [ONESHOT] [10k] #: fem reader - no curse au - hurt/comfort - fluff - third party infidelity - sexual content - body worship - size difference - pull out method

Gojo is a nuisance. What more is there to say.

cor unum by vampyrsm [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [130K] #: fem reader - trueform sukuna - slow burn - period typical sexism - body horror - cannibalism - blood and violence - eventual sexual content

A tale of how the Shogun's daughter ends up in the maw of one of the most fierce curse users to ever exist.

godmaker by firein-thesky [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [50K] #: fem reader - arranged marriage - angst - unhealthy relationships - parental abuse - canon typical violence - hurt/comfort - slow burn - eventual sexual content

And the form leans down, closer, as their voice drops to a murmur, all honey and thorns, the promise of something far greater than you. A storm to come. The future that you will bear upon the slant of your shoulders. And when they speak, you know they’ve cursed you; “I will teach you how to make a God.”

hey lonely stranger (won't you meet my eye?) by stellamancer [ONESHOT] [6.4K] #: fem reader - speed dating - unresolved romantic tension - jealous gojo satoru - allusions to canon typical violence

You attend a match-making event and who else should be there but the last person you want to see: Satoru Gojo.

how to be a dog by prettyboykatsuki [TWOSHOT] [37K] #: fem reader - yandere gojo satoru - manipulation and coercion - stalking - graphic depictions of violence - rape/non-con - forced intimacy - sexual content

"Of course you must learn to love, to love always and love entirely and to be wounded by nothing so much as the violence of your own love." - ANDREW KANE, HOW TO BE A DOG. With six eyes to see, it becomes clear. You are being watched.

intrinsic warmth by thatdesklamp [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [150K] #: fem reader - slow burn - childhood friends - mutual pining - angst - canon typical violence

You meet Satoru on 7th September, 1996. Some time later, you realise you love him.

let your hand become a blade so i may take it by seravphs [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [10K] #: princess reader - knight gojo satoru - royal au - forbidden love - period typical misogyny - childhood friends to enemies to lovers

Knights are bound by duty and honor, but Gojo is more devoted to his princess than he ever was to his oaths.

limerence by shibaraki [ONESHOT] [4K] #: gender neutral reader - friends to lovers - pining - masturbation - sexual tension

The little intimacies you shared together were a fix of Gojo's.

lucky by izvmimi [ONESHOT] [3.5K] #: fem reader - crack - plot heavy with a little porn - todo aoi's otaku behaviour

You meet someone desperate to win a competition.

men are so quick to blame the gods by awearywritersworld [SERIES] [16K+] #: fem reader - enemies to lovers - developing relationship - angst - fluff - canon typical violence - not canon compliant - jealousy

Your boyfriend is a heavy sleeper, leaving you to form an unlikely relationship with the curse occupying his body during the late hours of the night.

playing pretend by itadorey [ONESHOT] [5.4K] #: gender neutral reader - fake dating - friends to lovers - slice of life and humour

Gojo lies to Shoko in order to win a bet and you're dragged along for the ride.

🔒 polluted by heich0e [ONESHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - university au - sexual content - recreational drug use - sex under the influence - gangbang - double penetration - dubcon

"Weed doesn't make her annoying," Sukuna drawls, tossing the basketball up again, only this time away from him—you watch as it curves gracefully in the air, swishing through the little net Geto and Gojo have affixed to the back of their dorm room door. "She's always annoying." [...] Sukuna's smirk turns into something even sharper, a smile unfurling slow and wicked across his face. "Weed doesn't make her annoying--it makes her into a whore."

seat taker by coconutdays [ONESHOT] [10K] #: fem reader - university au - biker geto suguru - sexual tension - fluff - strangers to lovers - eventual sexual content

You have a crush on the smartest and sexiest guy in your lit class who happens to ride a motorcycle with spooky season around the corner. what ever might happen?

still melting? by arminsumi [ONESHOT] [1.4K] #: fem reader - best friend geto suguru - romantic and sexual tension - flirting

Practicing putting eyeliner on your best friend, while sat in his lap. He can't help but take this chance to flirt with you. Of course, a certain someone interrupts your moment right at the end

sunset by princess-okkotsu [ONESHOT] [5.6K] #: princess reader - knight zen'in maki - reader implied shorter than maki - royal au - period typical attitudes - sexual content

You’re a princess, though the last of several siblings, set to never wear the crown of your kingdom. The last to marry, you're suddenly betrothed after your father waged your hand in marriage in some game of bow and arrow. Though you and your knight, Maki, have been content with bottling up your affections for one another, this sudden betrothal has you both wishing for something you know you can't have.

they were just friends by wanderwithme [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [65K] #: fem reader - fireman fushiguro toji - slow burn - roommates - character death - eventual romance - described as blushing

It’s 4:24 p.m. and the love of your life is cheating on you.

turn me like a beast / hold you to the floor by gardenofnoah [ONESHOT] [6.5K] #: princess reader - strangers to unfortunate lovers - hunter nanami kento - the fall of a dynasty - major character death - reincarnation - bittersweet ending

The world is at its end, and an unlikely pair finds solace in each other. To love is an animal thing.

wormwood by linkcities [ONESHOT] [25K] #: fem reader - angst with a happy ending - canon compliant - childhood friends to lovers - mutual pining - codependency - new beginnings

Absence festers in the presence of little yellow wormwood flowers, and you come to learn about how it goes hand in hand with lingering bitterness when you meet Gojo Satoru. or, As the young God’s only friend, you are punctured with the burden of his companionship, regardless if you deem yourself unworthy of it.

风月 | wind, moon by itoshisoup [ONESHOT] [7.5K] #: gender neutral reader - established relationship - fluff - romance

In which you drag Dan Heng halfway across the universe for a candied fruit skewer, and he gets a taste of the life that was once denied to him.

christmas countdown by suguwu [ONESHOT] [16K] #: gender neutral reader - hallmark au - holiday fluff - age gap - romance

Your company is taking on a new project and desperately wants the backing and expertise of retired CEO Jing Yuan. Dispatched out into the countryside to bring him on board, you find it won't be as easy as you think. Jing Yuan strikes a bargain with you: spend the upcoming days with him, until Christmas Eve, and he'll tell you exactly what it will take for him to come back if you don't figure it out yourself. Let the Christmas countdown begin.

nexus by ddarker-dreams [MULTI-CHAP] [51K] #: fem reader - yandere blade - codependency - eventual sexual content - dark comedy - space politics

You belong to a specialized group — the Arbiters — who are capable of influencing others' perceptions. Your clients hail from all corners of the universe to see their wildest fantasies come true. By establishing a link with them, they can experience a dreamscape of their choosing, more convincing than the latest developments in augmented reality. You have received many unique requests throughout the years. After the Stellaron Hunter's swordsman saves you from an early demise, you offer him the chance to experience any phantasia of his choosing. It is then that you're posed with a trying challenge: "Show me what it's like to die."

scrap metal by lorelune [TWOSHOT] [5K] #: gender neutral reader - captive reader - injury - use of a muzzle - non consensual touching - yandere blade - force feeding

Per Elio's newest script, the Stellaron Hunters take in a stray.

love like no other by nanamimizz [ONESHOT] [2.6K] #: fem reader - sexual content - established relationship - open communication

Al Haitham is man solemnly thought he would never find love, so when he has that and more the night turns...physical.

you didn't teach me how to forget you by haitaniapologist [TWOSHOT] [15K] #: ragnvindr fem reader - described as blushing - fluff - lovesick childe - possessiveness

You never thought you would find the boy who haunted your childhood in a trip to Liyue.

arranged marriages and well-kept secrets by dearayato [ONESHOT] [1.7K] #: gender neutral reader - established relationship - talk of marriage - proposals

Ayato props himself on his elbows, a smug smile adorning his face, “Don’t worry love, the only person I see in my future is you.”

for you are the world by lorelune [MULTI-CHAP] [29K] #: fem reader - childhood friends to lovers - post trauma - fluff - hurt/comfort - chronic injuries - sexual content - protective diluc

You return to Mondstadt after many years away, sick, with an feeling that's all-too familiar and unwelcome.

bury me by deskaisers [ONESHOT] [8.8K] #: fem reader - described as blushing - stepcest - step brother oliver aiku - virginity - corruption kink - unprotected sex

Your father's new relationship was rather unexpected, but there was no way in hell you could have predicted everything else that came with it.

everything's better when you're honest by prettyboykatsuki [ONESHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - friends to lovers - professional athlete isagi yoichi - reader is sexually experienced - sexual content

you notice early on that isagi is always holding back something. the deeper into your relationship you go, the more you wish he'd let loose.

to my first love by by-moonflower [TWOSHOT][17.3K] #: fem reader - high school au to married au - non-linear narrative - exploring girlhood - fluff - angst - romance - suggestive - described as blushing

When you agreed to date itoshi sae in mid-October of 1993, you never imagined he'd be your first love—whose presence would continue to linger in your life, hauntingly, even if a year, two, or ten came to pass.

finding peace in the spontaneous wild (that is you) by tired-biscuit [ONESHOT] [26K] #: fem reader - university au - modern supernatural elements - friends to lovers - werewolf kiba - mutual pining - eventual sexual content

You run into Kiba at the grocery store, around two weeks after returning home from college.

🔒 tacenda by namodawrites [MULTI-CHAP] [100K] #: gender neutral reader - mutual pining - slow burn - childhood friends to lovers - canon typical violence - rivalry

Somewhere along the way trying to prove Neji wrong about fate and destiny, you fall in love.

den of wolves by kuramakakashi [MULTICHAP] [37K] #: senju reader - descriptions of gore - uchiha centric - canon typical violence - worldbuilding

Peace in our time – it was the dream your cousin had championed since childhood, and it was the foundation for all of his efforts to bring the constant warring between clans to a permanent end.  And it was why he sent you into the den of wolves with only one order: Save Izuna Uchiha.  

🔒 birds of a feather by namodawrites [ONESHOT] [18K] #: gender neutral reader - touchstarved - possessive behaviour - comfort/angst - canon typical violence

Knives rediscovers his humanity while recovering. You fight hard not to lose yours.

bittersweet by heich0e [ONESHOT [6K] #: afab reader - domestic fluff - sharing a bed - gentle sex - sweet soggy vash

Something shuffles in the dark. Papa left you a gun, too. Even taught you how to shoot it. Mama hated that. She hated how good you were at it even more. She used to say that shooting was gonna be your husband’s job someday, and that even in a world this wicked Papa was teaching you things you didn’t need to know. But now Mama’s gone. And Papa’s gone. And the world is still wicked. And you’ve got no husband, but you have a gun you know how to shoot.

and I know it’s hard enough to love me (but I woke up in a safe house) by seoafin [ONESHOT] [4K] #: fem reader - sharing a bed - tending to wounds - fluff - blood and injury

“My husband and I would like a room. We’re on our honeymoon”. “In this shithole of a town?” The innkeeper asks with a raised eyebrow, looking from you to Vash, who only lets out a sheepish chuckle as he scratches the back of his head. Despite his sluggish breaths, his slow blinking gaze, and the red slowly staining his shirt.

solar lunacy by bamsara [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [225K] #: gender neutral reader - slow burn - fluff and angst - developing relationships - blood and injury - posessive behaviour

You weren’t a technician, you weren’t a security guard, you weren’t a daycare assistant. You’re just an employee. Staff. The ‘jack-of-all-trades’ employee with mediocre at best skills and specialty in none, tasked with doing miscellaneous jobs that robots couldn’t do and human staff couldn’t care to. The job is unpredictable, but it pays good and it’s relatively easy. Except for the part where all the animatronics are more sentient than you thought, and you’re roped into a mystery surrounding the Daycare Attendants, who are bit too curious about you for your liking. You don’t think this was in your employee contact.

cryptid sightings by naffeclipse [MULTICHAP] [250K] #: gender neutral reader - cryptid au - reader is a cryptid hunter - horror - blood and violence - sleep terrors - non-sexual intimacy - posessive behaviour

Perhaps this would scare a person, being all alone in the woods in the dark, but not you. You’re too intertwined with the paranormal and inexplicable. It’s in your blood. That doesn’t mean your heart won’t pound with terror when you face something with fangs and hungry eyes for flesh, but you don’t run away, and that’s what matters most. You will face the monsters.

celestial sundown by pillowspace [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [80K] #: gender neutral reader - god au - historical fantasy - slow burn - blood and injury - developing relationships - dimension travel

You are a peasant living in the middle of the woods, Sun is the god of day you brought back home with you, and Moon is the god of night tucked away in the Celestial Realm.

method acting by seeingivy [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [168K] #: fem reader - celebrity au - actor eren jaeger - enemies to friends to lovers - slow burn - miscommunication - eventual fluff - social media elements

Method acting is a very powerful skill. Using your own personal, physical, and emotional self and pouring it into the character on the screen makes for a powerful performance. Except when it's you and Eren - you're not sure where the acting starts, and real life begins.

public relations by crybaby-ink [ONESHOT] [12K] #: afab reader - office romance - boss/employee relationship - power dynamics - drama - politics - sexual content

Even though Zeke has had a little crush on you for a while now, he’s mostly okay with things in the office staying exactly the way they are. Mostly.

vestal virgin by bokutosdove [ONESHOT] [6K] #: fem reader - modern au - sexual content - loss of virginity - jean kirstein has a corruption kink - protected sex - implied dom/sub dynamic

A virgin consecrated and vowed to chastity; a chaste woman.

wild card by wellitcouldbeworse3 [MULTI-CHAP] [215K] #: fem reader - hunger games au - tribute levi ackerman - blood and violence - slow burn - psychological torture - character death - reader is proficient at archery - described as blushing

When you're selected to be the tribute representing District 12 in the 121st annual Hunger Games, you're pretty sure you're screwed. But, somehow, there's two things working in your favor. One: you're not half bad with a bow and arrow. Two: the male tribute from District 2 seems to have his eye on you...

❄︎ DEMON SLAYER

something blue by extrav1rgin [ONESHOT] [11K] #: fem reader - described as blushing - arranged marriage - angst with a happy ending - hurt/comfort - not canon compliant

Turning away you trace your way back through the route Giyuu had taken you down before. As you walk nearly silently you keep your ears out for the sound of another human. You find a note stuck to the door when you make your way toward it. If it was there before you must’ve missed it. ‘Gone on a mission, will be back.’ And you suppose that’s that.

❄︎ HELL'S PARADISE

safe for one more night with you by nagumoan [ONESHOT] [3.3K] #: fem reader - established relationship - domestic fluff - humour - sexual content

You get to share one last night with your husband Shion before his work will steal him from the warmth of your embrace with the first rays of the sun in the morning.

❄︎ BUNGO STRAY DOGS

pharos by auraxins [ONESHOT] [14K] #: afab reader - mer au - eldritch mer chuuya - strangers to lovers - island survival - blood and injury - eventual sexual content - unprotected sex

“Who are you?” you call. “What business have you here?” “You don't know?” barks the man, incredulousness in his tone. “You summoned me here.” “I fixed the lighthouse,” you correct. “I did not summon anything.”

❄︎ TOKYO REVENGERS

from his mind to hers by embossross [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [102K] #: fem reader - dark content - patient x doctor relationship - sexual content - stalking - cheating

Forced into therapy, Hanma expects to waste his time and yours, but you’re not about to let the chance of a high-profile and higher paying patient slip through your grasp. The fact that you’re both attracted to each other doesn’t hurt either.

❄︎ ONE PIECE

breathe me in by standfucker [ONESHOT] [7.4K] #: fem reader - inappropriate use of devil fruit powers - described as blushing - rough unprotected sex - creampie and breeding

As a woman in the Marines, the path to Read Admiral has been rough, but Smoker's been there for you since the beginning.

❄︎ BALDUR'S GATE

through the gates of horn and oak by sensoo [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [116K] #: fem reader - graphic depictions of violence - sexual content - fluff - F/M/M threesomes - spoilers marked by chapter

Each of them needs something different, but under the surface it's really the same thing. The burden of leadership is isolating and it is so difficult to carry on alone. Zevlor is trying to navigate through the shattered pieces of his life. Halsin is haunted by regrets and the tasks left unfinished. And you can't stop meddling in everyone else's affairs, even as you swear up and down that you're just trying to survive. Living is more than survival, but both are getting increasingly more difficult.

the five senses by nanamimizz [SERIES] [9K] #: fem cleric reader - non-sexual intimacy - angst - hurt/comfort - developing relationship - exploring trauma

A five part mini-series with everyone's favorite high elf vampire focusing on non-sexual intimacy and the budding relationship you foster with the guarded rouge.

❄︎ TWISTED WONDERLAND

uniform by giratinazero [ONESHOT] [2.4K] #: fem reader - non-sexual intimacy - undressing

With one gloved hand he reached up, threading his delicate fingers through a loop in the heart-shaped collar to drag you down to his height. Riddle slowly, purposely ran his eyes up and down the length of your body— you could feel the frustration that simmered just under the surface, like a teapot left on the heat and about to burst with steam.

❄︎ MORTAL KOMBAT

inescapable by dynamites [ONESHOT] [7K] #: gender neutral reader - light angst - crossing timelines - pining

From half across the somber battlefield, someone keeps glancing your way.

❄︎ BLEACH

cherry coloured funk by grinmjows [ONESHOT] [8.7K] #: fem reader - described to have dark hair and pale skin - explicit incest - sexual content

You usually find the moonlit nights strangely empty, for when you call your brother's name through them, he never answers.

desperate measures by ghost-party [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [27K] #: fem reader - modern au - transactional relationship - sugar daddy - age difference - dom/sub dynamic - sexual content - violence

After you’ve been laid off from your job, your friend Rangiku recommends a very specific kind of dating app — one where rich, lonely men seek younger partners to spoil. Reluctantly, you decide to give it a try. You tell yourself it’s a one-time thing, and that you have no plans on becoming dependent on anyone, let alone falling for them. But Sosuke Aizen makes you rethink everything…

❄︎ IDOLISH 7

in the eyes of the tide by namodawrites [ONESHOT] [15K] #: gender neutral reader - merman au - secret identity - angst - hurt/comfort

Oogami Banri is a calm, unassuming man. His first and second impressions of you had been undignified to say the least: encountering you passed out on a bench outside of a little shop, sheltered beneath its slanted tiled awning; assisting you to escape a cave during high tide, too afraid of the strange shapes you’d seen in the water to make the short journey alone.

❄︎ GOD OF WAR

and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face by vampireloverz [ONESHOT] [8.8K] #: fem reader - pre-canon - size difference - sexual content - unprotected sex - canon-typical violence - described with body hair - reader is lifted by character

You hum to yourself, curious about what business he has in the woods, maybe it has something to do with whatever mysterious thing he has wrapped in foreign fabric. Through the days, you find yourself thinking of him. This warrior, this man, so elusive he feels almost like a ghost. You find yourself earnestly looking forward to the next time you come across each other.

❄︎ DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

kinktober: monsterfucking by mintmatcha [TWOSHOT][5K] #: cisfem reader - original character romance - racism in a fantasy setting - sexual content - monsterfucking

After months of adventuring with your party, you can't help but be curious about a certain dragonborne...

❄︎ THE HUNGER GAMES

the death of an actor by uzurimisery [MULTI-CHAP: ONGOING] [36K] #: fem reader - fake dating - misogyny - reader is dr. gaul's daughter - sexual content - unhealthy dynamics

Y/N Gaul the Capitol's unregulated daughter of Dr. Gaul. Argumentative, independent, and hindrance to Coriolanus Snow's life plans.He can't stand you, you’re impossible for him to read. When your mother concocts a hairbrained plan to better set up her protege you’re caught in the crossfire and forced to play the part of Snow’s lover. Now if only the lines of what's an act and what was real wouldn’t get so blurry.

❄︎ DC UNIVERSE

callipygian by onesmartcookie78, pennydragons [MULTI-CHAP: ONGONG] [70K] #: original female character - described as blushing - canon typical violence - enemies to friends to lovers - secret identity - batfamily drama

"She knows that ass. In fact, she'd spent the whole day staring at pictures of it. So she is absolutely, 100% certain that ass belongs to Dick Grayson. Now, if Dick Grayson wants to run across the rooftops dressed in spandex, that's his prerogative. The problem is, he's not just Dick Grayson. No. Dick Grayson is Nightwing. And she has questions." She hadn't been trying to figure out who he was. In fact, she was trying to uncover the identity of the Red Hood. But now that she knows, she can't go back.

let me just add there are an infinite amount of other amazing fics that will not have made this rec list purely due to the time constraints, submission limit and lack of reach, etc. your fic is valuable and loved whether it made the cut or not—please do remember that!!!!!!

[trensu]

do you think you'll put "Stasis in darkness" on AO3 eventually?

see, when the idea first came to me, I hadn't really planned on doing anything with it because I wasn't sure if I could make it work. there's a level of gravitas in the relationship between a god and their devoted servant that I didn't think would translate well to steddie because, let's be real, those boys are goofy dorks. but the idea wouldn't leave me alone so I typed up the original post in an attempt to work it out of my system and move on.

(the post kind of blew up, which I was not expecting at all!! like, not even a little bit! i post all sorts of rough little ideas for my own amusement and I've been able to do that without drawing much attention until that point.)

Anyway, I wouldn't have done much with it but @acowardinmordor left some comments/tags/what have you that helped me nail down the setting in my head which really opened the door for me to explore how the story could progress. (apologies, strife, I'm not sure I ever properly thanked you for that burst of inspiration, so please accept this shoutout as an expression of gratitude). And the amazing @ent-is-indecisive allowed me to rant about it which really helped flesh out the story. Seriously, there are elements and lore coming up that would not have existed if it weren't for ent. (and thank you once again ent for the ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL fanart you made for the reveal scene, I'm still overcome with joy whenever I think about it!).

Once it got to that point, I knew I wanted it to be a self-contained story and I was afraid that if I did a multi-chapter fic I'd lose the thread and never make it to the ending I want the fic to have. (no, the end scene hasn't been written yet but I KNOW what it's going to be and I hope everyone will love it as much as i do). So I promised myself that I was not going to post it on ao3 until the whole thing was written out completely.

However, I occasionally need a confidence/motivation boost so I've been posting consecutive parts of the rough draft here. you have no idea how much the people who reblogged with tags or left comments have helped me fight off the discouragement my brain likes to bog me down with; off the top of my head, @godsweakestboy , @redfreckledwolf, @fuctacles , @spectrum-spectre , and @lawrencebshoggoth have given me lovely, enthusiastic words of encouragement. and they're only the ones I can think of at this moment. there's so many other people who've done this, so if you've ever left me nice tags or comments, please know that I've read every single one of them repeatedly whenever I need to get over a slump. I'm so grateful for all of you!

Anyway, all this is to say yes! It is going to be posted as a oneshot on ao3 once I've finished writing it. <3

[dayseternal-blog]

days!! i have seen you answering some fic asks again. is it okay to ask you some of your recommended omegaverse naruhina fanfics? thank you and have a nice day :’) 🧡

:D Omegaverse 💖

NaruHina Omegaverse

"Hinata (Sweet)" from "Chicken Ramen for the Pervert's Soul" by @wickermayne - Rated E, A/B/O AU, One-shot. I don't explain shit about A/B/O, either you understand or you won't get this at all lol. Also, probably the closest thing I'll write to dubious consent with Naruto as the lead.

“Alpha” from “NaruHina Erotica Oneshots" by Makuro767 - Rated E, A/B/O Canon-Divergent AU, Three-shot. Naruto bit Hinata…that’s not a good thing…or is it?

"Shinobi" from "NaruHina Erotica Oneshots" by Makuro767 - Rated E, A/B/O AU, One-shot. Hyuuga Hinata is a human student of Shinobi History visiting the Shinobi Settlement; Konoha, when she met the Alpha Shinobi Uzumaki Naruto who showed an intense interest into making her his Omega.

“A fate worse than death” by Caelestia - A/B/O Canon-Divergent, One-shot.  Naruto, improperly socialized and traumatized as a child, rejects his inner Alpha, which has devastating consequences on his family and marriage.  “A risky bet” is its fluffier follow-up (One-shot).

“When the Devil Picks Up a Stray” by callmesenorita - Rated E, A/B/O Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Hinata, an Omega, questions buried feelings when she decides to help a childhood friend who has adopted a new persona under the name Menma. Although their attraction is instant he is no longer the Naruto she once knew, and soon enough Hinata is thrust into a dangerous yakuza conspiracy. DELETED FIC

"Afire" by vortexlove777 - Rated E, A/B/O Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. An omega moves next door to a very troubled bachelor alpha. Childhood friends meet again and form an alliance while trying to help their mutual friends out. But when the Hyuugas intend on forcing the heiress into a marriage, Namikaze Naruto finally decides to make his move and put his claim on her.

"lovely" by Mdaughter - Rated E, A/B/O Modern AU, One-shot (?). When his childhood crush reappeared 12 years after she disappeared and asked him to help him. Naruto didn't expect his life to be shook up like that. What the hell is happening to him right now ?

and there's mine:

“Sweet As” from “Needs & Wants” - Alpha/Omega Modern AU, One-shot. Hinata gives Naruto candy on Valentine’s, and he develops a crush early-on.

“Lovesick” - Rated E, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Hinata’s dealt with the difficulties of her designation. She’s sealed. She’s fought off rowdy Alphas. She’s always prepared for hot days. She wasn’t ready for Naruto to come-of-age. He wasn’t ready, either.

Those are all the ones I could find!! If anyone knows more, please add them!

[deityoftherain]

matchless matchmaker - Flower Court 5+1 Things

Flower Court is the polyam ship name for Scott, Tango, Jimmy, and Martyn :D

Rating: Teen

Relationship: M/M, Multi

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 9,382

Summary: Scott had a habit of constantly working hard and sacrificing his own well-being to care for his friends and family. One of those tasks ended up playing up to his skill of matchmaking his friends with other people he knew. Being so busy, he blocked himself from love himself despite how desperately he wants it. This made him blind to the fact that his crushes (Jimmy, Tango, and Martyn) had fallen for him as well...

AKA the five times they (Flower Court) thought about/tried asking each other to date them plus the one time it actually worked :D

Full fanfic underneath the cut! Please reblog, leave kudos on the AO3 fic slash notes/likes here on Tumblr, comment either place, and etc if you enjoy the story :D

-ˋˏ ༻❀ one ❀༺ ˎˊ-

Why is asking someone out so nerve-wracking?

Jimmy stood outside of the door of Scott’s apartment, trying to work up the courage to knock on the apartment’s wooden door. He glanced at his phone again, opening it with his face ID and, navigating back to the text messages he exchanged with Martyn( Scott’s roommate) not too long ago.

Jimmy: hey, do you know if scott’s home

Martyn: yeah he’s home

Martyn: why? something wrong?

Jimmy: no i just want to talk to him about something and he’s a hard man to get ahold of

Martyn: ha well that much is true

Martyn: he’s home now but idk how long he will be

Jimmy: omw

Martyn: [thumbs up emoji]

He sighed deeply, tucking his phone back into his pocket. It was now or never, he supposed. Jimmy raised his fist to knock against the door when the door swung open, revealing the very man he had shown up to see.

“Jimmy?” Scott questioned, blinking rapidly in surprise at him. “What are you doing here?” “Uh,” Jimmy responded dumbly. He hadn’t expected Scott to open the door before he even had a chance to knock! “I wanted to talk to you.”

Scott furrowed his eyebrows and glanced down at his phone to check the time. “Can you make it quick? I promised Cleo I would help them move into their girlfriend’s place and I’m supposed to be there soon.” Considering that Cleo was Lizzie’s partner and that Lizzie was one of Jimmy’s siblings, Jimmy already knew about those plans. He simply hadn’t realized that today was the day they chose to do it. It was poor timing on his part to do this now, but almost every other time had the same probability of being a poor choice. Scott tended to help out everyone that he possibly could so, while most people would try to get out of helping someone move, Scott was the first to say “yes”. 

Jimmy admired Scott’s desire to help, but between him constantly helping other people, working his two jobs, and trying to still make time for his friends, it was hard to get one-on-one time with him. As previously acknowledged, now may not be the best time, considering Scott was itching to get on the road, but Jimmy wasn’t sure when he would build up the nerve to ask him out again. It had to be now!

“I would like a date,” Jimmy blurted out in an attempt to ask Scott on a date. Unfortunately, it didn’t come off that way. He tried to tack on a “with you” to the end of his sentence once he realized he hadn’t said enough- it was a fumbling attempt, but he did try! By the time he caught it, it was too late.

Scott’s frosty blue eyes (that still looked warm despite the frost coloring) widened as a grin grew on his lips. “Jimmy Solidarity, are you wanting me to matchmake you?”

“No!” Jimmy panicked, not sure how he got himself here. He got mildly distracted by how excited Scott got, but he forced himself to focus. “I mean, not exactly-”

“Come on, Jimmy.” The way Scott said his name was strangely addicting. Honestly, Jimmy would be willing to listen to him talk even if all he said were passages from the world’s most boring textbook. “You’re a good guy, great smile, easy on the eyes, I’m sure I could find you someone easily.” Scott had gained the reputation of being a matchmaker of sorts in the giant web of social connections he was a part of. The giant web may be better understood as an extended friend group or social circle, but the effect was the same. Scott’s matchmaking skills have had a fairly impressive success rate so far. “I mean, I helped your sisters!” Scott continued to speak while Jimmy was still on the fact that Scott had basically called him handsome. “Last I heard, Lizzie and Pearl are both in happy, healthy relationships. Grian would be too if he would actually let me try to help him with Scar- everyone and their mother knows about Grian’s crush yet he won’t admit it- but he’s so frustratingly stubborn and won’t accept my help. Anyway, I’ve helped your sisters and I know I can help you too! Hell, I’m helping Lizzie’s partner move in with her! Which I should be going to do soon, but wait, let me think…” 

“Well, that’s true, but,” Jimmy started, wanting to nip the idea of matchmaking him with someone else in the bud. How did he fuck this up so badly this quickly? This wasn’t the goal!

“Let’s see, who would be good for you…” Scott tapped his chin as he started to mutter to himself, debating between various people. “Oh! I know this guy named Tango that I think you would like. Martyn and I had some repairs that needed to be done a bit ago, he overheard us and offered his services. He’s, like, stupidly smart and thinks it’s no big deal, but it’s super impressive. Anyway, being as broke as we were, we offered him food and friendship in exchange, and we’ve kept in touch. He’s pretty talkative and high-energy, so I think you two will mesh well. Don’t you think so?” 

Jimmy ducked his head, averting his eyes as a light pink flushed his cheeks. This was embarrassing. “Well, yeah, he seems cool-”

“Perfect! I’ll talk to him and see if he’s also interested, but I really have to go Jimmy.” Scott gave him an apologetic expression. “Text you later?”

“Yeah, yeah, talk to you later,” Jimmy sighed as he moved out of the way for Scott to speed walk down the hall.

What just happened? He had gone to ask Scott out and he (somehow) ended up getting set up on a blind date! How did he manage to fail at asking someone out that poorly? 

(Later that week, Jimmy did end up meeting Tango. They found out that they were both in similar situations; they both were crushing on someone, but Scott somehow got them on a date- and they instantly hit it off. The more they talked, the more Jimmy could feel himself starting to fall for Tango too… even as his crush for Tango grew, his affections for Scott never wavered.)

-ˋˏ ༻❀ two ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“Come on, Martyn, drive faster,” Scott urged, patting the top of the dashboard of Martyn’s car. “We’re going to be late.” “Yeah, and who’s fault is that?” Martyn huffed with a slight shake of his head, but Scott knew him well enough to tell he wasn’t that annoyed. “And we’re not even that late! The GPS says we’ll be there in a few minutes. I can see the sign for the neighborhood just up ahead! What’s the rush?” “I’m just excited to see everyone!” Scott defended himself, practically bouncing at the prospect of the group get-together. “I’ve been busy so I haven’t seen most of them in a bit. Plus, Lizzie’s party-hosting skills are so good. I always have fun and you do too. Besides, Ren will be there with his boyfriend. You two always get along really well and act like you haven’t seen each other in years, even if it’s only been a few days, so I don’t want to hear it.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever makes you feel better,” Martyn dismissed, knowing full well that Scott was right. “Just lay off my car! I don’t need a Scott’s hand-sized dent in my dashboard.”

Ren and Martyn had always been a dynamic duo, making a rather big presence wherever they were. If Ren was going to be at an event, Scott knew that he wouldn’t have Martyn by his side, but he didn’t mind. Scott was plenty social on his own, so he had his own list of people to check in on.

It didn’t take much longer for them to reach the correct street and park on the side of the road outside of Lizzie’s house. Well, they parked further down the street from her house, but it was close enough. The sheer amount of cars parked on the side of the road made it clear that someone nearby was having a bunch of people over.

Scott and Martyn made it to Lizzie’s front door in no time (there is some truth to the saying “gays walk fast”), and Scott knocked on the door. It was a common courtesy to not enter someone’s house without permission, after all.

The door swung open, revealing someone wearing green overalls, a black shirt, and moon hair clips. Those items stuck out to Scott before he even had time to register her face, knowing who it was based on outfit recognition. “Pearl!” “Scott! Long time no see, my friend!” Pearl greeted as they both stepped closer to give the other a quick hug. Once they parted, Pearl peered around Scott to give Martyn a wave. “Hi Martyn. Nice to see you too.” 

“S’up.” Martyn gave her a little salute, but he was otherwise rocking on his heels. It was clear that he wanted to get inside, but Scott got distracted before he made the move to let him in.

Still standing in the doorway, Scott asked, “So how are things going with Gem? Still in the honeymoon phase?” 

“Honeymoon phase?” Pearl snorted, amused. “We’re coming up on our four-year anniversary soon. If our ‘honeymoon phase’ has lasted this long, I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon. Still crazy about her, ya know? I’m thinking about doing something special special if you know what I mean, but don’t tell her I said that.” Scott gasped, pleased that it was working out so well between his friends. He knew they would be a good match when he paired them together. If his guess was correct, Pearl was planning to propose! Scott would have to make sure to check in on that later and see if he can help record the proposal or something else. He clapped his hands in delight before zipping his lips shut and throwing away the key. “I won’t tell a soul.” 

“You better not because I know where you sleep,” Pearl lightheartedly threatened before catching something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her body to the object of her attention and yelled, “Fwhip, I see you! Stop eavesdropping on me!” “I heard nothing!” Fwhip claimed loudly, giving his drink a sip before speed-walking away.

“You better not have!” Pearl called after him before rolling her eyes. A small smirk grew on her lips as she shook her head to affectionately complain, “Brothers, honestly! I already have two brothers- Grian and Jimmy are a pain enough- but Fwhip has basically become my third.”

“He’s just getting you ready for when he’s your brother-in-law.” Scott poked Pearl’s side. “Now let us in before we freeze out here.” “Oh, right!” Pearl stepped aside to let them inside. “That’s why Martyn’s been trying to kill me with his eyes.”

“If looks could kill, you would have been brutally murdered,” Martyn huffed, but Scott appreciated that he didn’t interrupt their conversation. Those little signs of consideration were nice to see from his roommate and childhood best friend, even if he would huff and puff about it after the fact.

From there, the three of them separated to mingle. Scott fluttered around like the social butterfly he was at this sort of thing, making conversation and trying the various alcoholic drinks available at the bar.

He didn’t drink very much on his own, but he had the habit of being a social drinker when it was available to him. Sometimes the most interesting thing to do was go to the local bar and make easy conversations with people. That was how he made some of his friends, like Sausage and Doc.

The problem with his social drinking is that he tended to overdo it. It was much like being a kid with unrestricted access to a candy store after being on a strict diet of fruits and vegetables. Scott could blame his mum for modeling his habit, but he enjoyed indulging in it too much to only blame her. Besides, she had enough going on with taking care of his kid siblings (he had been the result of a teen pregnancy, so he was much older than they were), especially since one of them has been in and out of the hospital for a few years now…

Scott shook his head to clear his brain. It wasn’t time to be anxious and worried about that. He had come here to have fun, after all! With the stress he had to carry on his shoulders, Scott enjoyed being able to loosen up enough to properly enjoy his free time and forget everything he had waiting for him to do. I need another drink.

He downed what was already in his cup, got another one, and wandered to the living room where a bunch of people had circled around to chat. He was thoroughly buzzed, his usually high energy that came out around people dialing down a few clicks.

“Hey, Scott! Wow, it was like on cue, wasn’t it Joel?” Bdubs commented on Scott’s entrance with a grin almost as large as his eyes seemed to be. He turned to Joel, who was sitting next to him. “See, it’s fate! You should talk to him. He’s the local matchmaker, after all.”

“I don’t need a matchmaker!” Joel exclaimed, face annoyed-red as he crossed his arms. “Just ‘cause I’m not dating doesn’t mean I’m lonely.”

“But he could pair you with someone special!” Bdubs tried to convince Joel, continuing to talk about Scott as if he wasn’t there. Scott wasn’t there enough to fully care, settling down where there was room on one of the offered seatings. “He paired me and Etho together, and we’ve been happy ever since.”

“He can’t be that good of a matchmaker if he’s single himself.” Joel gestured to Scott, voice razor sharp as if it were an accusation. He then hiccuped a bit before taking another swig of whatever was in his cup.

“I could date if I wanted to,” Scott chimed in, feeling the need to defend himself. His eyes darted to Tango and Jimmy, who were sitting nearby. Scott’s chest tightened at the sight so he forced his gaze away from them to look back at Joel and Bdubs. “I’m just busy.” “Sure,” Joel muttered dismissively. “I don’t care either way, but I don’t need you managing my love life.

“I never even offered!” Scott furrowed his eyebrows before deciding to ignore him. He didn’t need to deal with grumpy drunk Joel. He had come here to have fun and to relax.

Scott’s cup was halfway full, meaning it was still a significant amount. Still, he shot it back and chugged it until the liquid was gone. He closed his eyes and focused on the alcohol doing its job. The spacey-er he got, the further away his problems seemed and the less he cared about everything.

If he were to be honest, he didn’t remember much after that. Scott knew he talked to more people and that he likely drank a bit more, but his memories were all fuzzy. It was like he blinked and suddenly teleported to another location within the house, leaning against a wall. A cup he hadn’t been aware of fell out of his hand as someone crouched down in front of him.

Scott blinked before squinting his eyes, trying to focus on the person’s face… the person who was looking at him with such care and concern. He wanted to reach out and touch them… hug them… mmm… Scott’s always been a cuddly drunk. He tried to mutter Tango’s name once he placed who it was, but his words were slurred.

Tango was here… Tango with his pale blonde hair and his red sunglasses only there for aesthetics and his stupidly handsome face and his kissable lips… maybe Scott was drunker than he thought he was. Tango was Jimmy’s boyfriend now! He shouldn’t think that way about him anymore… Scott had paired them together on purpose, hoping to banish his affections (those of which went beyond simple friendship) for them both from his mind. He was too busy… always too busy…

“I think he drank too much,” Tango glanced at the person standing beside him. Jimmy! “He seems fine otherwise.”

“He should probably stay here tonight. I think he got here with Martyn, but I don’t know where he ended up. He’s not answering his texts and he was drinking a decent amount too last I saw him. I don’t think Lizzie would mind having a few guests crash on her couch. Honestly, I think she expected it…” Jimmy hummed softly, beckoning Tango to move to the side some. He crouched down next to Scott and moved his arm over his shoulders. “Get his other side. We’ll move him to the living room.”

Scott could feel his heart beat quickly at the close proximity to the two men. He hoped that his blushing would be covered by his already red flushed cheeks, thanks to the alcohol. They helped him to the couch before setting him down there. Scott clung to them, despite his best judgment, and asked, “Stay with me?” Tango and Jimmy exchanged a glance, expressions on their faces that Scott couldn’t quite read. He hated that. He hated when he couldn’t pick up body language and nonverbal cues from other people.

“Okay,” Tango agreed in a low tone, sitting down next to Scott. “Only so we can keep an eye on you.”

Jimmy, familiar with the house, found some throw blankets that had been hidden away somewhere and brought them out. He laid them out over Tango and Scott, and he pushed the ottoman closer to make them an impromptu “bed” of sorts before settling down on Scott’s other side.

Being this close to them as they laid down to sleep had his brain going all sorts of places. Scott knew he was being selfish and he knew they would push him away if they knew what was going on in his brain, but he kept his lips sealed shut. He wanted their closeness more often and much more beyond that.

What if I was selfish for once? 

Scott thought, knowing asking them to stay was already selfish. This was him being selfish, but he knew what he wanted, what his heart wished for so desperately. They were so close, yet just out of reach. Maybe, in another life, he could have them, but he couldn’t now. He had too much to do… he had his jobs, his mum, his siblings, his friends… but maybe he could pretend for a night. There was no harm in pretending, was there?

-ˋˏ ༻❀ three ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“Scott and Tango!” Grian announced, holding up the two pieces of paper up for the crowd to see. Martyn was standing next to the whiteboard and, when their team was announced, it was written down for everyone.

Grian had gathered a bunch of their friends to do a field day full of obstacle courses and various challenges. Tango had participated in several others before and they’ve always been a lot of fun so, when Grian asked him, he accepted.

Tango hadn’t expected to be paired with Jimmy’s crush though, but he should have not been that surprised that it was a possibility. Scott wasn’t only Jimmy’s crush, he was a friend, however distant, as well, but it was something that stuck in his brain.

Jimmy had admitted what had happened to get them matched on their first date and Tango was relieved at his openness. He had been (still was) in a similar boat, for he also had a crush on someone else, but struggled to say no to Scott. He was a force of power that was difficult to stop once he put his mind to something! Tango hadn’t wanted to give Scott the real reason why he wanted to say no (his crush was Martyn and Martyn was Scott’s roommate), so his excuses fell flat and Scott somehow managed to rope him into it.

They had a good laugh about their situation and decided to try out the whole date-hangout thing anyway. Worse comes the worst, they simply don’t talk to each other again. Tango didn’t think either of them expected to have such a good time or to hit it off so well. The end result was them dating and, not too long later, the topic of polyamory was brought up. The acknowledgment of their previous crushes opened that conversation to them, making it easier and less nerve-wracking.

After many long discussions, they’ve agreed to stay exclusive with the exception of if something happened with either Scott or Martyn. If someone else came into their lives that they wanted to pursue, they would just have another conversation. Open communication and transparency were necessary for any relationship, but especially important for polyamorous ones.

Tango’s feelings towards Scott were casual and friendly with some aesthetic attraction (he wasn’t a stranger to admiring one’s beauty) thrown in there. Tango knew that last part for certain (at least from his end) when he found himself staring at his assigned teammate as Grian continued to announce the rest of the teams. Scott was wearing simple, black shorts, which showed off his long, lean legs, and a sleeveless crop top, which showed off his belly button piercing. 

The crop top was designed to be for workouts based on the elastic band built into the bottom of it which would prevent it from moving much, even if Scott randomly started doing cartwheels. It was pale yellow with some sort of design on the front. Tango didn’t pay much attention to it; he was too busy looking below it.

The belly button piercing showed off a five-petal flower made up of red crystals. Tango may have stared at it too long, partly because he was just put off by it. When did Scott get a belly button piercing? He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would get one, but Tango supposed there was still a lot he didn’t know about Scott.

“My eyes are up here, Tango,” Scott teased as he approached, a slight smirk on his lips. Grian must have announced all the teams and told them to find their teammates, but Tango hadn’t been listening. “I know I’m cute, but you’re a taken man.”

“When did you get your belly button pierced?” Tango blurted out his question, ever curious. His curiosity often got the best of him, but, this time, his curiosity luckily saved him. He didn’t want to confront his embarrassment about being caught staring by the very man he was staring at. “I didn’t know you had one.”

Scott looked down at the jewelry in his navel for a moment before looking back up and shrugging. “I got it a while ago out of spite. I don’t think I would have gotten it otherwise. It’s not really something I would normally go after- I prefer regular earrings- but since I have it, I might as well use it.”

“Out of spite?” Tango parroted, amused. “It sounds like there may be a bigger story to uncover here. What happened?”

Scott laughed (a rather joyous sound) before closing one eye and placing a finger against his lips. “It’s a secret.”

“Oh, come on!” Tango protested with no real fire behind his words. “We’re friends, aren’t we? Wait, I could just ask Martyn. I’m sure he’ll know- hey, Martyn!”

Scott grabbed Tango’s wrist to prevent him from walking any further to go and bother Martyn about it. “How about this: I’ll tell you if we win?”

Tango pursed his lips, considering Scott’s offer. After a few seconds of “considering” (his mind had already been made up, but he played it up for the bit), Tango nodded in agreement. “Deal.”

From there, they worked as a team to complete various obstacles and challenges Grian had put together. Tango hadn’t teamed with Scott before, so he was surprised at how well they meshed together. They were friends before this, sure, but events like this were always a toss-up on how well one would mesh with others. Tango supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised, considering Scott’s reputation of being extremely good at this sort of thing. He’s even won a few and gotten close in others!

Currently, all the teams were wiping rags against their foreheads, drinking water like there was no tomorrow, and waiting in anticipation for BigB (he had agreed to be the non-biased record keeper and referee this time around) to count up the results.

“Everyone shut up!” Joel ordered in a loud enough scream to be heard over everyone chatting. As he intended, everyone closed their mouths and turned to where Joel was standing. He cleared his throat and nodded his head towards BigB. “BigB’s been trying to get your attention for the past three minutes. I don’t know about you blummin’ idiots, but I want to hear the results.” “Thank you, Joel,” BigB flashed him a partially nervous smile before addressing the crowd. “I have tallied everything up and will be announcing the winners now!”

BigB paused for a moment as cheer and applause broke out among the gathered crowd. Once it quieted down, he announced each team that got into the top three, pausing in between each team to allow time for congratulations and clapping. “In third place, we have Pearl and Scar! In second place, we have Scott and Tango!”

“Not bad! Second place!” Scott grinned widely, looking proud of the both of them. He glanced at Tango. “We make a good team, you and I.”

“We do, don’t we?” Tango returned the grin, a soft yet fierce warmness burning within him. Is this what Jimmy felt when he was with Scott? Is this what he saw in him? “Last but not least, the ones in first place and the team that gets to take home the trophy are Gem and Cleo!” BigB finished the list. “Congratulations everyone!” 

Once everything started to die down from the cheering, Tango turned to his teammate. “Hey, Scott, do you think you want to go out sometime? You know, to celebrate our almost-win?”

Scott opened his mouth to respond when someone else grabbed his attention. After a brief conversation with them, he turned back to Tango. “I would love to, but maybe another time. I have a lot on my plate and- yeah just a second! Sorry, Tango.” With the apology, Scott hurried off to go tend to whatever it was this time. Tango scrunched his nose as a sinking feeling grew in his stomach. He didn’t like the feeling. Instead of focusing on it, he took a deep breath and went to find Jimmy. Maybe they could go get something to eat (he’s sure Jimmy would be okay with him tagging along if he was planning to go out with his teammate) and talk about the day they’ve had.

-ˋˏ ༻❀ four ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“You should not go out and stay in tonight.” Martyn sat on Scott’s bed as Scott rummaged through his closet. “You’ve barely been at the apartment all week. You’re going to run yourself into the ground.”

While that was true, that wasn’t the only reason Martyn wanted Scott to stay around. Truth was, Martyn simply enjoyed Scott’s company and wanted more of it. He became roommates with Scott, specifically, for a reason. They were childhood friends, yes, but Martyn knew he loved him beyond a platonic or even familial bond. Thank the stars they have never had the whole “you’re basically my brother” sentiment passed between them, or Martyn may just have to walk across an intersection without looking both ways first.

“I’ll be fine,” Scott dismissed as he turned around to face Martyn, holding up two hangers along with their sweaters. “Which one do you like better? I like the black starry one, but the red stands out more since it’s not as dark.”

Martyn pursed his lips for a moment before commenting, “Wear the black one. The red makes you look like a bitch.”

Scott hummed in consideration, studying the two sweaters for a moment. “You’re probably right. Bitchy isn’t the vibe for tonight. I don’t want to be perceived that way when trying to celebrate Cleo’s accomplishments.”

“You know that you can go visit Cleo’s exhibit on another night, right?” Martyn pointed out. “They’re probably going to be distracted anyway. Plus, Lizzie’s going to be there so she’ll be there for Cleo. You’re not even getting paid! This is unpaid labor.”

“I know that, but I want to be there for them. Think of it as me getting in some volunteer hours.” Scott pulled off his shirt to change into the black starry sweater. Martyn averted his gaze, feeling like it was disrespectful to do so despite the fact he’s seen his best friend shirtless many times before. It just felt wrong, knowing the extent of his feelings and attraction toward him. “Besides, I showed up to Cub and Pix’s big first exhibits when they had those. It would only be fair to Cleo that I do the same for her. They’re also expecting me to show up to help them double check everything before the opening.”

“I just feel like you’re running yourself ragged,” Martyn further expressed his concern, but he knew it was a losing battle. “Especially with Lizzie and Cleo, between their move a bit ago and this. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you to ordain and cater their wedding.”

“Well, I did get a license to ordain people for a reason.” Scott shrugged, unbothered. “I’ve done it before. I married my cousin to their husband. Remember that one weekend I traveled back to Scotland to visit my extended family?”

“You’re impossible,” Martyn scoffed, deciding to give up. Scott was determined to go and it didn’t matter what Martyn wanted. The thought was unfair, but he couldn’t help but feel upset by it. Was it so wrong to just have a nice night with his (crush) best friend?

“What did you expect from me?” Scott laughed as he stood in front of his room’s mirror. He held up two different earring options to his ears, debating between the various options. Scott set down one pair and put in the other, a bluish-tinted silver gem shaped like a star. “If people are going to call me a matchmaker, then I might as well live up to the title!” 

“Mhm, sure,” Martyn grumbled, leaning back on Scott’s bed. He wasn’t interested in the conversation any longer.

“What? Sad you don’t have someone?” Scott teased Martyn lightheartedly. He tilted his head in consideration. “I could match you up if you’d let me. Hm, let me guess who may be a good match for you. You would want an animal lover, I bet. You’ve wanted a dog for forever, but our apartment complex doesn’t allow that. Maybe a theater nerd as well, so you two have something in common to gush about. I love a good play, but you are obsessive to another level! It’s rather endearing. Someone smarter than you would be nice, but that shouldn’t be hard to do-” 

“Hey!” Martyn shot back up with an offended gasp. He grabbed one of Scott’s pillows and tossed it at him. “I am very smart, thank you!”

Scott dodged out of the way with a gleeful giggle, the pillow missing him entirely. Before he could make a quip back in response, his phone’s alarm went off. “Oh, I need to get going. That was my ‘gotta go’ alarm.”

“Uh, since you’re not free tonight, would you like to go out, together, another day?” Martyn asked quickly, getting in the words before Scott had the chance to leave the room. If he was shot down or rejected, at least he would have the apartment to himself for a bit. “Maybe tomorrow or this weekend? It’s been a bit since we’ve hung out one-on-one”

“That sounds awfully romantic, Martyn,” Scott commented with a mild teasing tone, shoving his phone in his pocket. There was more to his voice than just teasing, but Martyn couldn’t quite pinpoint it. He hoped it was Scott liking him back, but that felt too hopeful for him to realistically believe.

“It could be!” Martyn felt like kicking himself. “We could go all classy with dinner, or maybe even a picnic in the park or a day at the pool. Something chill and low stress. I mean, what's a better first date than that?” 

“I wonder how many first dates we’ve had at this point.” Scott skipped over the part of the conversation that would clarify that they’ve done those sorts of things with each other many times before. They had been friends since they were kids, after all, so they both knew that information.

“Many, but as long as they’re with you, they’re all perfect,” Martyn leaned into the flirting and flattery, maintaining an outwardly collected composure.

“You’re such a flatterer, aren’t you Martyn? You really know what to say to a guy.” Scott’s face flushed pink, but he seemed to try and play it off like it was nothing. It wasn’t too unusual for Martyn and Scott to have “flirt-offs” from time to time, but it’s been a bit since they’ve engaged in that sort of competition. “I’ll have to take a rain check though. I’m working this weekend, remember? Anyway, I’ll be back late tonight so don’t wait up. I’ll lock up when I get home. Bye! Love you.” “Love you too. See ya later,” Martyn waved him off, not taking his eyes off of him until he was out of sight. He couldn’t help but be disappointed, but what did he expect? Scott has an eye for romance, attraction, and affection for literally everyone else but himself. Martyn loved him (so much that it was becoming a problem), but, stars, he was dense as hell sometimes.

-ˋˏ ༻❀ five ❀༺ ˎˊ-

“What’s worrying you?” Martyn asked, snapping Scott out of his thoughts.

Scott and Martyn were sitting down together at their little dining table, eating dinner together. They tried to make a point to do so semi-regularly, sometimes cooking the meal together or one treating the other by cooking them a meal.

What’s not worrying me, is the better question…

Scott contemplated confiding in Martyn for a moment, but it didn’t last long. Martyn was his best friend and he cared deeply about him. If he couldn’t confide in him, who could he confide in? 

“I don’t know if I can keep up with rent payments,” Scott admitted. “You may have to find a new roommate.” 

“A new roommate?” Martyn echoed, eyebrows furrowing and mouth gawking open. “No, Scott, I don’t want a new roommate, I- Why not? You work so often and… you know I can cover you for a bit, yeah?” 

“I know you can, I just…” Scott trailed off, avoiding Martyn’s piercing blue eyes. He didn’t want to leave Martyn, but there was only so much he could do. He took a deep breath before starting to ramble off his reasonings. “My car has needed repairs, and one of my siblings has been really sick lately, so I’ve been sending more money than usual home for my mum so she can pay the bills and still take care of my younger siblings and it’s just a lot. I might have to move back home to save on rent-”

“We could get roommates!” Martyn offered, placing a hand on the table and straightening his posture. “That way our collective rent is less.”

“In this small place?” Scott raised an eyebrow. They had their own bedrooms now, yes, but they were cramped. Living with another person- especially a stranger- in that small of a living quarters was not something he cared to do. “This is a good place for two people, maybe a couple and their kids, but not for more roommates.” 

“We could get a different apartment!” Martyn brought up another alternative to solve their possible “no longer being roommates and Scott moving back in with his mum” problem. “Our lease for this one is almost up anyway, and I know Jimmy and Tango are looking for a new place. Maybe we can all move in together.” 

Scott considered it for a moment. He liked Jimmy and Tango (a lot), but he wasn’t sure he could be close to them *that* often, knowing that they were happy together without him. He hated that he was jealous of them… not that they were happy together, but that they were content without him. Scott wanted to be important to them in a more significant way, but that couldn’t possibly happen. They deserve a better boyfriend than me anyway…

Mentally dismissing those thoughts, Scott turned to a practical question, “What apartment around here has four bedrooms?” 

“We could share,” Martyn stated, simple as that. It was the obvious situation, after all. “We could find bigger bedrooms than the ones here. Tango and Jimmy would probably want to share a room and… and we can relive our university dorms experience. Or we can see if we can afford a house together with four incomes. We’re all friends, and you and I’ve been rooming for years now, so it shouldn’t be too hard to adjust. I think I would love living with the three of you too.” 

What Martyn was saying was making sense, but Scott was curious as to “Why do you care so much? It's not like you’ll never see me just because we’re not rooming together anymore. You’re still my best friend.” 

“I just don’t want to see you have to move back to our small hometown when you worked so hard to come out here.” A light blush graced Martyn’s cheeks as he shrugged and glanced off to the side. “Besides, I like having you around. If you leave, who will be my roommate? Some stranger?” 

Scott pursed his lips for a moment before nodding slowly. “Okay, I’ll make a group chat and see if we can work it out.” 

Martyn’s eyes lit up, looking extremely pleased (maybe too pleased) as Scott grabbed his phone to do as he said. He picked up Scott’s cleared-off plate and set it on top of his. “Here, I'll clean up dinner and you go pick out a movie for us to watch.” 

“Martyn, you don’t have to do that. I can help clean up.” Scott picked up his cup and went to grab Martyn’s as well. “We both made dinner, so we both should clean up the mess.” 

“No, no, you’re clearly stressed out about everything and this is my way of helping.” Martyn prevented Scott from grabbing his cup and gestured for Scott to give him the other one. Scott obliged him with a weary smile. “Go sit your ass down on the couch and I'll come over to play with your hair when I’m done.” 

“You’re using my weaknesses against me,” Scott whined, but wouldn’t object. He loved when other people ran their fingers through his hair and Martyn always knew how to make it feel really nice. 

“I know, I know, I’m so awful,” Martyn rolled his eyes affectionately as he walked over to the sink with all their dishes. “Now go.” 

“Okay, okay!” Scott had started to move to sit down, but he spotted the broom leaned against the wall and couldn’t help himself. “Here, I’ll sweep first.”

“Scott, no.” Martyn moved swiftly to dry his hands on the rag by the sink before standing in front of Scott. He placed his hands on his shoulders and looked him directly in the eye. “You do so much to help everyone else, arguably too much at times. You need to learn to let other people take care of you sometimes.”

“But I like helping other people,” Scott scrunched his nose, but allowed Martyn to prohibit him from the broom.

“I know it’s how you are, but that doesn’t mean I have to stand for it when I can help it.” Martyn smiled at him so lovingly that Scott wished he could cup his face and trace his thumb along his lips and- stop! You’re just friends! Don’t think like that…

Scott ducked his head, hoping to hide how red his face burned. He turned around to beeline toward the couch like Martyn wanted him to. “You’re the best, Martyn.”

Martyn snorted at that comment, but there was a bit of a laugh to it. “Yeah, I know.”

-ˋˏ ༻❀ plus one ❀༺ ˎˊ-

So, as Martyn suggested, they ended up buying a small house not too far away from where they lived before, with Jimmy and Tango now included. Scott knew Jimmy and Tango saw him and Martyn as friends, but he hadn’t expected them to jump on the idea so ecstatically. It worked out for the better though, with Tango and Jimmy sharing the master bedroom, and Scott and Martyn taking the smaller rooms. 

Scott got the bigger of the two rooms, mostly because he had more things, but also because Martyn claimed the smallest bedroom when they were deciding who went where. Martyn explained that he liked the simplicity of the smaller space (though Scott guessed that he liked that there was an easy exit route from that bedroom’s window to the outside) and he brought up the fact that he would probably spend a decent amount of time in the common areas over his bedroom anyway. From there, it made the bedroom choices obvious.  

Things have been good- really good. Great, even! They settled into a routine rather quickly and it’s been smooth sailing. They had chore lists, a group calendar, and all those typically helpful things to have in place when living together with other people. What was great was the time in between the chores and their jobs. The time Scott had enjoyed the most was the sweetly domestic moments the four of them shared.

It wasn’t an unusual sight to see the four of them cuddled on a couch to watch a movie or baking together with some tunes on in the kitchen. They would play board games, go on almost date-like activities on their days off, and wander around on duo adventures in every combination possible… it all felt so natural and so wonderful.

Yet Scott still wanted more. Selfishly wanted more.

That wasn’t to say he wasn’t content because, for the most part, he was! It was just those moments of intimacy he was craving more. Scott was grateful none of them were closed off to cuddling together with him, hugging him, or running their fingers through his hair (Tango and Jimmy had picked up on his love of it from Martyn doing it), but there were nights where he craved more. There were nights when he didn’t want to sleep alone in his bed. There were times when he wanted to feel their lips. There were moments he wished he could call them his. Each and every single one of them.

He forbade himself from getting a boyfriend at all because he was too busy and now he found himself desiring three! How selfish was he?

If Scott were to give himself grace, his chaotic schedule had been getting better. His kid sibling was currently in recovery, so he didn’t have to send as much money home, and the house payment split four ways was a lot easier to come up with the funding for.

Maybe I can afford to be a little selfish…

Scott stood in the doorway of his bedroom, biting his lower inner lip as he stared at the back of Martyn’s head. He was in a house full of blondes, yes, (maybe he had a type) but Scott had perfected the skill of telling who was who from the back on first glance. Jimmy, Martyn, and Tango’s hair were all different shades of blonde and styled with different haircuts. Besides, Martyn often wore a headband and had for a good chunk of the time Scott’s known him. He didn’t expect Martyn to give up the headband anytime soon.

Martyn was watching some show on the television, and Scott wasn’t sure where Jimmy and Tango were off to. The house was quiet, aside from their quiet breathing and the sound coming from the speakers.

Scott stepped forward softly, creeping his way around the couch to sit down next to Martyn. When Scott got there, he leaned into Martyn, and the action was accepted without any fuss. Scott cuddled against his childhood best friend, who wrapped his arm snuggly around him as he idly scratched his fingernails against Scott’s side. Scott breathed out, content with the comfort and closeness.

This was pleasant, nice, wonderful, perfect, and all those other positive terms. Did he really need the label on it to be happy? Scott knew he should just learn to be content with what he had. He didn’t want to scare them off! Besides, Scott didn’t even know if they would be open to polyamory; he’s never asked.

Scott’s phone started ringing, pulling both Martyn and himself out of their peaceful moment. He wrinkled his nose as he tried to blink himself into awareness. Scott fished his phone out of his pocket, squinted at the caller ID, read that it was Jimmy, and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hey, Scott, are you and Martyn home or busy at the moment?” Jimmy’s voice spoke louder than Scott had anticipated so he pulled his phone away from his ear, clicking down the volume button.

“Does Jimmy need us?” Martyn asked, overhearing Jimmy’s question considering the louder volume the phone was set at. “Put it on speaker.”

Scott did as he was told before replying to Jimmy, “Yeah, we’re both home. We’re just watching one of Martyn’s shows. Why?” “We’ve been talking a lot and there’s something we want to talk about with you two.” Tango’s voice came through, meaning they were together and also on speaker. Based on the background feedback, Scott guessed they were driving. Tango’s next comment proved that guess correct, “We’re almost home and we just wanted to make sure you two were free to have a conversation.”

“What about?” Martyn asked, taking the words right out of Scott’s mouth.

There was silence on the other end for several heartbeats before Jimmy spoke up again. “It’s a conversation that’s best to happen in person. It’s nothing bad and, no matter what the conclusion is, nothing has to change.” “Okay, we’ll be home soon, bye!” Tango spoke quickly with his voice pitched in the way that happened when he was nervous. 

The call disconnected and Scott turned to Martyn. “Do you know what that was about?”

“No,” Martyn suddenly looked mildly flustered and Scott wasn’t sure why, “but I have a few suspicions.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Scott raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought everything was going well between the four of us.” “Everything is going well,” Martyn assured Scott with a half smile. “I- I think it is something you will like if what I think they’re talking about is correct.”

“How do you know what they’re going on about and I don’t?” Scott huffed, crossing his arms. He didn’t enjoy being the only one in the dark.

“I’m just really good at listening,” Martyn gave the excuse as if it was an acceptable explanation.

Before Scott could say anything in response, the front door opened to reveal Tango and Jimmy. Scott started to stand to join them, but Jimmy instructed him against that. “No, stay sitting. We’ll come to you. This conversation is probably better sitting down, anyway.”

Scott obeyed, sitting back down beside Martyn as Jimmy and Tango took a seat (Jimmy on another chair and Tango criss crossed on the floor) in the living room as well. An awkward silence hung in the air as they all stared at each other, no one daring to say the first word.

“So, have either of you considered polyamoring?” Tango blurted out, suddenly breaking the growing tension. His face was red, but so were the other three’s so no one commented on it. 

They exchanged looks for a moment before Martyn hummed, “...it’s definitely been on my mind recently.”

“Tango and I’ve talked about it before, and we’ve discovered we’re polyamorous.” Jimmy gave them a rundown of the reasoning behind Tango’s question before diving into more detail. “We were both crushing on other people- still are- when Scott introduced us. We hit it off and started dating, as you know, but those crushes never went away. If anything, they’ve gotten stronger and we may or may not have developed feelings for the other’s crush as well.”

“And those crushes are me and Scott, aren’t they.” Martyn’s words were set up like they formed a question, but he said them like they were a statement. Both Tango and Jimmy nodded to confirm the suspicion. 

“What?” Scott’s eyes widened, feeling like he was being tricked (not that this was bad news) somehow for some reason. He didn’t think that they were the kind of people to do that sort of prank about something like this, but surely they wouldn’t feel the same way towards him? Was he really that blind? How had he never picked their affections up if it’s actually been that long? Thinking back, there were so many signs, but Scott had dismissed them all as affectionate actions between friends.

“For a matchmaker, you’re pretty oblivious when it comes to your own love life,” Martyn huffed, half teasingly, half simply stating the obvious. He took a breath, averting his eyes away from them before braving it and looking back at them. “Since we’re being honest and open right now, I’ve liked you, Scott, for several years now. I just didn’t know how to tell you and you always said you were too busy for that sort of thing.”

“Really?” Scott squeaked, hating the sound that built in his throat. So he had been that blind! Stars, how oblivious could he be? Here he was, priding himself on picking up on body language and nonverbal cues while these things had gone undetected on his radar.

“Yes, you dumbass.” Martyn’s insult didn’t have any bite to it. His focus moved from Scott to Jimmy and Tango. “After all our time building up our friendships, and now, after living together, I can see myself falling for both of you too.”

Scott buried his head in his hands, his face hot enough that he could feel the heat against his face. This must be a dream, right? He’s had them before. He’s daydreamed about what it would be like to date each of them so many times now…

“You don’t have to agree to date us, any of us,” Jimmy promised, moving closer and placing a hand on Scott’s thigh. His tone was gentle and caring, which only made Scott’s heartbeat quicken. “We still care about you and, as we said, nothing has to change.” “We won’t thirdwheelificate you,” Tango chimed in. He was clearly nervous if only based on the word “thirdwheelificate.” Tango only used words like that when he was nervous, forgot a word, or was showing off some big accomplishment. “Or, rather, fourthwheelify you-”

“No, no, that’s not,” Scott choked on his words, surprised to feel wet tears against his hands. He rubbed his palms against his eyes before removing them and beaming brightly at them. “I would love to date you all, I just… I thought it wasn’t an option, especially with everything I had going on, I wouldn’t be a very great one…”

“Bullshit,” Martyn scoffed in dismissal, wrapping his arm around Scott again. “You would be a great boyfriend. You’re already a fantastic friend. You broke through my angry shell when I was a kid and my life is significantly better off because of it. For someone typically so confident in yourself, you sure have a lot of self-doubt.” “Well, you didn’t have to call me out like that,” Scott stuttered a laugh. A weight he hadn’t fully realized was still there lifted from his shoulders. He felt happy. Happy in a way he hadn’t thought he would a year ago. Life seemed to like him once more, everything turning up in his favor. Scott’s stressors weren’t as numerous as they once were and now he was being offered what he assumed would only be dreams.

“I would be a bad friend if I didn’t.” Martyn paused for a moment with a slight tilt of his head. “Bad boyfriend?” “I think you’ll find the answer to that question if you kiss me,” Scott couldn’t help but slip a sly, little flirt in. 

A brief look of surprise flashed on Martyn’s face before morphing into a smirk. He pulled Scott onto his lap. “C’mere, then.”

Scott giggled, wrapping his arms around Martyn’s neck as they leaned in for a kiss. This wasn’t the first time they have kissed before, but it had been a while since they kissed last. Scott and Martyn were two of those kids who kissed each other “for practice” and discovered they enjoyed it much more with another boy than with a girl. Honestly, Scott was surprised at how their parents didn’t pick it up sooner growing up.

When they broke, they were both looking very satisfied. Scott stayed on Martyn’s lap, but he twisted his body to face Tango and Jimmy. “Can I kiss you two as well?”

He wasn’t met with words, but they both nodded. Since Tango was closer, Scott climbed off of Martyn and moved to where Tango was sitting on the floor. He got to his knees to meet Tango’s lips, but they didn’t stay upright. They moved their kiss to a horizontal position, and he could hear Martyn and Jimmy entertaining themselves with each other as Scott eagerly explored Tango, experimenting to see how each other responded to various things.

When they finally came up for air, they were panting to try and catch their breath. Observing the details of Tango’s face as he laid under him with a huge grin on his lips and his face flushed a bright red was such a beautiful sight to commit to memory.

“We’ll have to talk more in detail later,” Jimmy started, though he looked thoroughly dazed from his kisses with Tango and Marytn.

“We can work out everything later, but that’s too much to think about right now,” Scott interrupted him as he approached Jimmy to claim his lips in a kiss. He had wanted it long enough that he didn’t want to talk about boundaries and everything else more in-depth until later. Scott wanted to claim his Jimmy kiss before then, at least. “I would prefer it if you just kissed me-” Scott was going to say more, adding more flirt and maybe some extra touches, when Jimmy shut him up with a kiss. It was wonderful, so Scott certainly wouldn’t complain. When they broke, Scott knew he had a stupid grin on his face. He felt warm and fuzzy with a sufficiently content buzz humming in his chest. “If that’s how you’re going to shut me up from now on, feel free to do it anytime.”

“Is that offer open to us too?” Martyn chimed in. “Because that would be oh so very useful.” Scott rolled his eyes and flipped Martyn off, who promptly cackled with delight. Despite what may typically be perceived as annoyance, it was anything but. Scott felt pure bliss as he came to terms with the situation and it continued to stay with him. He didn’t know exactly how their relationship was going to go, how it would develop, or where they would end up, but those questions didn’t matter right now. They would figure it out together, one day at a time, and Scott couldn’t wait to see what was in store for them next.

If you made it this far, please reblog this post, and maybe leave a like/kudos slash comment here or on AO3, thank you <333

[umbracirrus]

Umbracirrus Writing Masterlist

Originally, some of my writing masterlist was contained within my pinned post, though it hadn't been updated since April, and the post in question felt horribly long. So, I decided to make this list separate to my pinned post and to have it link to this instead.

It is split into multi-chapter fanfictions and oneshots, with the oneshots all at the bottom. It only includes things which I have posted at least one chapter of (or posted all of, in the case of oneshots)! And I happen to have.... Well, a lot of other things in progress not even mentioned here.

Masterlist last updated: 27th October 2024

Multi-Chapter fics

The Perfect Storm (On AO3) - In Progress

Skyrim fanfiction

Balgruuf the Greater/Dragonborn (Elyse Verne - OC); background Irileth/Hrongar

Rated E on AO3

Slow burn, Romance, Skyrim's chaotic politics, Skyrim Civil War, eventual sexual content

Summary:

“What do you think will burn better? Another ballad of Mikael’s about Whiterun’s ‘assets’, or yet another letter from Ulfric Stormcloak asking for me to join him?" When the Dragonborn is facing pressure to choose a side in the brewing war, she sticks with the side which holds a special place in her heart. She picks Whiterun.

Seeking the Sun (On AO3) - In Progress, precursor to The Perfect Storm

Skyrim fanfiction

Dragonborn (Elyse Verne - OC)

Rated M on AO3

Adventure, Angst, Skyrim main quest, minor canon divergence

She was free to go wherever she wished, drift around and allow her whims to guide her feet. But she had a plan… and that plan was Skyrim. Yes, it was a land full of strife, but it was still a place of great significance to her. It was her mother's homeland. When Elyse finds her life in Cyrodiil too painful to bare, she makes the decision to travel north, to Skyrim - unaware that she was Dragonborn, and that her decision would soon determine not just her own fate, but the fate of Skyrim... and potentially that of the world itself.

Tenacity (On Tumblr) - In Progress, prequel to both Seeking the Sun and The Perfect Storm

Skyrim fanfiction (based in 4E 172/173 - approximately 28/29 years pre-game)

Edwyn Verne (OC)/Ingja Frosthand (OC)

Chapters - {1} (currently only posted on Tumblr, not AO3)

Enemies to lovers, Forbidden romance, tragedy with a happy ending

"Stay away from those mages and their college. They are nothing but bad news." That message had been instilled in Ingja since she was but a child. So after a chance encounter leads to her getting to know Edwyn, an aspirational student of conjuration in the College, she realises that perhaps... mages simply aren't as bad as their reputation would say.

Tempest (on AO3) - In Progress

Skyrim fanfiction (based in the same version of Skyrim as The Perfect Storm, but is a standalone fic)

Thorne (OC)/Vilkas, past Thorne/Brynjolf

Rated M on AO3

Enemies to lovers, Found family, Secrets, Mental health issues, Companions questline, past Thieves Guild questline

The Thieves Guild were like the family which Thorne never had, though she never felt as though she truly fit in, even after reaching position of guildmaster. After a heart-to-heart with Brynjolf, she finds herself planning to amicably part ways with the guild and find somewhere that she could belong. Somewhere that she could feel happy. That somewhere ends up being Jorrvaskr much to the chagrin of Vilkas, who feels that she is hiding more than she is letting on.

With light comes shadow (On AO3) - In Progress

Oblivion fanfiction (featuring two heroes of Kvatch)

Martin Septim/Hero of Kvatch (Florian Livius - OC); uncertain if my other HoK, Drissa Arys (OC), will have a relationship established or not.

Rated M on AO3

Character Redemption/Condemnation, Oblivion Main Quest, Oblivion Dark Brotherhood, canon character death, Found family

At a pivotal time for the Empire, in the wake of the Emperor’s death, two so-called heroes emerge from the ashes of Kvatch - an incompetent thief and a disgraced arena fighter. One takes the chance at redemption. The other seeks their own ruin.

Oneshots

A Moment in the Sunset (On here and AO3)

Skyrim fanfiction

Balgruuf the Greater (Elyse Verne - OC)

Rated M on AO3

As the sun sets across Skyrim, the Dragonborn and Jarl of Whiterun spend a peaceful few moments on the porch of Dragonsreach.

"Do you surrender?" (On AO3)

Skyrim fanfiction

Balgruuf the Greater/Dragonborn (Elyse Verne - OC)

Rated E on AO3 (sexual content)

When business in Whiterun grows far too tedious for Balgruuf's liking, he takes a break to find his wife in order let off some steam. What starts out as a sparring session with Elyse on the Dragonsreach porch takes a heated turn.

Kiss (On here)

Skyrim fanfiction

Balgruuf the Greater/Dragonborn (Elyse Verne - OC)

To be part of a bigger oneshot in the future (or maybe added in to The Perfect Storm eventually :3)

Elyse and Balgruuf sneak out of Dragonsreach for a night in the Bannered Mare without telling anyone, not even their housecarls, and end up sharing a dessert. A very messy dessert.

Purity (On here and AO3)

Skyrim fanfiction

Vilkas/Dragonborn (Thea - OC)

Rated T on AO3

An odd, prickly feeling went down Vilkas' spine as he watched Thea navigate towards a wall, which upon further inspection, looked to have an indent about the size of a door. The sensation made him shiver, and he had to stretch his fingers with anticipation. Sweat was also pouring down the back of his neck, a looming sense of… not quite terror, but more along the lines that something was going to go awfully wrong if he were to go any further.

Starlit (On here)

Skyrim fanfiction

Miraak

Miraak looks up at the night sky after his long-awaited freedom from Apocrypha.

[bettsfic]

hi beth! i've got a fic that i've been struggling with for some time, and i think i could feasibly it scrap for parts and come out with a few smaller and (more likely to be finished) oneshots. i loved your advice that nothing is wasted when writing and not to be precious about ideas/words, so do you have any advice on whether it's the right idea to scrap a fic, and if so, how to do it?

i think if you're considering scrapping a fic for parts, it's worth it to try, just to see if you like the result better than what you already have. you really have nothing to lose, you know? either you'll get some good one-shots out of it or you'll get some new insight into the form you've already chosen.

one of the hardest skills to develop in writing is being able to feel and acknowledge when a story is working and when it's not. it's so amorphous and clouded by either doubt or enthusiasm, and you never know for sure until you get to the end.

going back to my knitting analogy, it's the point at which you realize the sweater you're knitting is not going to fit its recipient. so do you undo the whole thing and start over? use the yarn for socks to give to multiple people? or do you find someone slightly smaller to give it to, knowing you'll be a little disappointed in yourself for not doing what you set out to do?

i think the activity i'm about to lay out is good to do not just in this situation but also any time you feel very lost about a big project that you've been working on for a while. i've done it many times and i hope it helps you as much as it has me.

step one: go through the piece and highlight all the parts you like. this can be anything from entire chapters to maybe just a single sentence. these are parts that make you go "yeah this is working" or that you're particularly proud of. your darlings, if you will.

optional: in a different color, you can do this also for the parts you really don't like, that you'd be embarrassed to show someone else. what's left un-highlighted is what you feel neutral about.

step two: either zoom very far out on the document or do a multi-page view, however you can to see as much of the work as possible at once. notice the ratio of highlighted to un-highlighted text.

step three: brainstorm. i have to do this part with pen and paper, but however you get your big-picture ideas down is fine. at this point you haven't made any major decisions yet. it's just an experiment. IF you were to scrap a story for parts, what would it look like? and so you can start writing down your one-shot ideas.

at this point, you should have a better idea about how you want to proceed. maybe the highlighting activity brought to light the fact that there are really only a few spots you don't like and maybe you can rewrite or cut those; or maybe you have an idea for some restructuring. or you really like the one-shot ideas you've written and want to start the first one.

it's important to remember that there's really no loss here. you can write the one-shots, post them, and then come back to the longer version of the fic maybe years later and finish it. it's fanfiction; your audience will not complain about overlapping parts of stories. they'll just be happy to have more to read.

so if you've decided to play around with the one-shots, here's how i've done it in the past.

step four: open a new document. i call this document the stitch draft. the stitch draft is used for situations like this, but also for major structural edits. you need a bridge between the old draft and the new one. the sole purpose of this draft is to copy and paste over the parts you've already written that you want to keep for your first one-shot, in roughly the order you want them in.

step five: open another new document. put it side by side with the stitch draft. start writing the one-shot by bringing in the work from the stitch draft while also writing the connective tissue of the new context of the story. this may involve editing the stitch draft elements at the same time to make them relevant to your new story.

the stitch draft method has never really steered me wrong. in fact when you're very stuck i think highlighting and moving stuff to a new document is a way to help inspire new ideas, simply because you're fiddling with the text and getting out of your own head about it.

[sethnakht]

fic recs feat. darth vader

Back in the day, I posted a list of fics (centered on the character of Darth Vader, in relation to Leia in particular) that left a strong impression on me as a reader. As part of a 2023 resolution to ease back into active reading, I wanted to shout out some newer stories that have equally grabbed my imagination. Like the original list, these stories are focused on Vader, especially if not exclusively in dialogue with Leia.

For context, I look for stories that grapple with the suit, with its effects, so you can expect medical and psychological horror as a theme. I also really like the kinds of horror stories you can tell with a character like Vader: I'm drawn to stories abounding with ghosts and gore. tl;dr - you can expect graphic depictions of violence and body horror, and please heed the tags on the fics themselves.

✦ appenza, multi-chapter wip by zinoviev, darth vader & leia organa, leia organa & luke skywalker

As a girl, Leia always dreamed of the stars. She had two passions: to become a pilot and to make the galaxy a better place. On her sixteenth birthday, she ran away from home to do what she thought was right. Two years later, she is a stellar recruit at an Imperial flight academy when an unwanted foe takes interest in her: Darth Vader.

Leia's characterization takes a stark departure here from the norm - she's alienated from her family and role on Alderaan, and has run away to become a pilot - offering a fresh and bold perspective on the AU scenario where Vader discovers her before Luke.

✦ divine comedy, multi-chapter wip by frodogenic, darth sidious & ghost!padmé amidala

Palpatine knows exactly how Padme Amidala died-trying to save her fool of a husband. What he can't understand is why she won't stop trying... Canon-compliant multi-chapter fic, spanning ROTS to ROTJ.

Padmé lives on a ghost, but only Palpatine can see her. Banger of a set up, and I love how this story is told from his perspective, slippery and odious; the cunning displayed by both as they make competing bets on Anakin’s fate.

✦ greater intrepidity than I could behold myself, orphaned oneshot, leia organa & darth vader

A towering, sinister shape in all black trudges into view. The sight of it is a confusing clash of associations as she and the creature try to identify it, an amalgamation of man-machine-beast. Its loud respiration cycles send chills down her spine. It is the center of the abnormality, she realizes.

In a dream that is also an allegory, Leia enters the mind of a red-eyed animal drawn by gnawing hunger into Vader’s presence. Sharp, visceral writing.

✦ heartstrings, completed multi-chapter genfic by severnlight, darth vader & leia organa 

Forced to deliver a mysterious message, Princess Leia suddenly finds herself on a quest to chase ephemera alongside Darth Vader. Things wouldn't be so bad if he only acted like himself.

Fantastical, atmospheric variation on the AU scenario where Leia’s parentage is revealed to Vader before their relationship is irretrievably soured on the Death Star. 

✦ in the deep and perfect dark, completed multi-chapter slashfic by qqueenofhades, darth vader/obi-wan kenobi

Obi-Wan considers cursing at it, or shouting at it, neither of which would do the least amount of good. Droids are nothing more than the reflection of their makers’ wishes and intentions; if this one has been designed to sit back and watch him suffer, that is not its fault but those who ordered it to do so. No machine can replicate the simple, spontaneous hatred and cruelty of an organic being ...

AU from the Kenobi show. I came to this by chance and am glad I took the plunge; there are scenes that continue to present themselves to me vividly weeks later, thanks to evocative writing.

✦ madhouse promenade, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader/ghost!padmé amidala

In a bid to save his new apprentice's life, Darth Sidious siphoned the life force from Padmé Amidala, ultimately killing her. Ten years later, after finding out the truth, Darth Vader finds himself haunted by her ghost, and Padmé finds herself face-to-face with what her husband has become.

It's a thankless task to try and explain why this hits so hard, in multiple registers; the premise is gruesome, hilarious, the scene gothic-romantic and post-apocalyptic, the characters melancholy, bitter, unleashed, and cruel, somehow also at their best.

✦ more to me, and more in my mediations, multi-chapter wip by whetstonefires (Kieron_ODuibhir on AO3), darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

The threads of life he’d felt slipping away were clutched fiercely now, as though for the first time since the Emperor’s death—for the first time in Luke’s lifetime possibly—his father had a reason to survive.

It's never explicitly established in ROTJ whether Vader picked up that Luke's sister was Leia or merely called the word, the feeling from his mind; this story launches from the premise that he was going to die in ignorance, and that learning Leia is his daughter gives him a reason to hold on, to actively atone. There's tremendous humor and sadness and discomfort here; Vader is at once pitiable and impossible to pity, and Leia's perspective gives room for many shades of ambivalence to fester and bloom.

✦ mythology, multi-story series by husborth, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker, darth vader & obi-wan kenobi

In a universe where Darth Vader uncovered his lost twins and raised them in the heart of the Empire, Luke more-or-less accidentally instigates the most painful family reunion the galaxy has ever seen.

I'm desperate for this series to continue, for more of this particular Vader, this Leia, this Luke, and this Obi-Wan - all flawed, all hurting, all slowly beginning to heal.

✦ nameless, on the edge of nowhere, multi-chapter wip by ambivalent-cosmos (Taxonamie on AO3), darth vader & leia organa

Commander Luke Skywalker is MIA. Darth Vader is MIA. Rebel command has hopes, and they have fears, and the wrong ones will come true. Alone in a big bad galaxy, what will Anakin Skywalker do to find his son? Whatever he has to, including walk the razor's edge of tentative alliance with the Rebels who would be happy to spit on his corpse. Free from all Masters, can Anakin learn who he wants to be, at last?

Vader survives the second Death Star with no inkling that his daughter is Leia; separated from Luke during a hurried last-second escape, he ends up having to fend for himself, half-dead and without his suit, to the point of negotiating with the Alliance on his own. There's splendid tension here from the fact that Leia knows more than he does; even exposed as an invalid, on hunger strike, and at a knowledge disadvantage, Vader remains palpably dangerous, volatile, compelling.

✦ notes from the dark side of the moon, completed one-shot by amylion, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

When suddenly some of the rich and powerful of the galaxy begin to disappear and later turn up dead on a consistent basis, it worries both the Empire and the Alliance enough to open up an investigation. Only half-heartedly though, because there's also the matter of the war to distract them. That is, until Darth Vader disappears...

I love this set-up: Vader, deprived of his mask and further neutralized with Force binders, ends up shut up in a prison cell with Leia, and she can't begin to guess as to why.

✦ order carnivora, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader & leia organa

In a universe where Leia is told the truth of her biological parentage as a child, she makes a deal to save the galaxy from certain destruction; she'll surrender herself to Vader if he'll destroy the Death Star. Between the galaxy and what he wants, there's only one choice Vader always makes.

Leia saves herself from torture on the Death Star by revealing her parentage to Vader - the trope feels fresh in this giddy, wild ride of a take. Vader is as insane, Leia as exasperated, foul-mouthed, and unpredictable as one might hope.

✦ red meat, short stories by husborth, darth vader & darth sidious

A collection of short stories about Darth Vader and the Emperor, and the absolute vile nonsense evil wizards do in their spare time.

It feels pointless to try and describe what is best experienced for oneself - the superlative character study, more wickedly imaginative and gloriously unhinged than anything the official canon-makers could even dream of producing. NB. - dead dove, do not eat

✦ the good he seeks, multi-chapter wip by husborth, darth vader & luke skywalker

After killing the Emperor, Darth Vader agreed to serve the fledgling New Republic and destroy the last true-believers of the Empire he had once helped create. But he's living on borrowed time.

Images from this story haunt my waking hours; husborth's command of language and gift for building scenes of ruin and devastation into which love and humor nevertheless shine - leave me speechless. One of my absolute favorites.

✦ this place loves what it eats, multi-chapter wip by roadtripexpert, darth vader & leia organa

What could be called but isn’t death, or Leia Organa doesn't kill the man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker.

Leia, not Palpatine, is the one who retrieves Vader from the banks of Mustafar, in this feverish, lyrical, astonishing time-travel AU.

✦ twin suns at the door of night, multi-chapter wip by achrmy, darth vader & leia organa, darth vader & luke skywalker

In the ruins of Polis Massa Medical Facility Vader finds the memory bank of a midwife droid, and within…multiple revelations. Luke Skywalker has a vision of Vader in an unimaginable state, engulfed in flames, hunted…and vulnerable. An alternate universe story, beginning from Darth Vader 2020 #5

AU of the ongoing comic series, set after Vader is brutally punished by the Emperor for failing to capture Luke at Bespin. Enjoyed this both as a commentary on the comic and as a standalone adventure story.

✦ wastelands, completed multi-chapter genfic by mistress_siana, ghost!darth vader & leia organa

When Leia’s ship crashes, she’s faced with a choice: die, or accept help from a Force ghost who used to be good at fixing things.

Vivid reimagining of the trope where Anakin's ghost helps Leia survive a crash. There's a toxic cloud, "pulsating green" on the horizon, that I've not been able to forget months after first reading this.

✦ white orchid, multi-chapter, multi-fic wip by husborth and whetstonefires (Kieron_ODuibhir on AO3), darth vader & leia organa

Emperor Palpatine dies unexpectedly a year before the Death Star would be deemed operational. His heir apparent, Darth Vader, startles the galaxy by passing up the throne, and then passing it on to the newly-elected Senator of Alderaan, Leia Organa, after the Force leads him to directly to her. The new Empress inherits a terrorized galaxy, a broken Empire to tear down from the inside, and the weirdest second-in-command anyone can imagine.

See also this glorious illustration by symeona. The story that got me to start reading here again, replete with ironies and delights like a murderous garden and a palace designed to be impassable.

[honeym4rk]

another mark friends-to-lovers au lol

part of the same storyline as my previous post !!!! where mark and oc are best friends in the same friend group in high school and oc starts falling for mark even though he likes to play into the running joke that they're some perfect couple.

i think i might make this another series of oneshots bc i... am not ready to write a whole full blown fic yet AHAHAHAH we'll see lol but i just wanted to put this up in case i never touch it again

here's the previous post!

---

It’s almost as if Mark wants to continue proving you wrong. Because as much as you think there’s already so much about him that’s attractive, endearing, hot, whatever; he seems to pile on even more labels and traits that make you want to melt into a puddle of nothingness. It's like he's aiming to become one of those... multi-hyphenates that the teachers in school like to talk about.

He got his stupid Driver’s License. 

And to be honest, you never really thought it was hot that people could drive- it’s literally just operating an automobile, a routine of turning the steering wheel and hitting pedals- so what about it could possibly ever evoke any sense of attractive quality to it?

Maybe you’re just biased because it’s Mark who’s driving right now, after so long of boasting about how he got his license and how he’s already “reeeaaalllyyy good”. You sit in the passenger’s seat as he drives you back home from another day at the Library, and you buckle your seatbelt just a little tighter, holding onto it in fear as he starts the car to pull out of the parking lot.

He punches at your shoulder lightly, “Hey! I promise I’m fine! Look, I can do the one handed thingy!”

“Literally, don’t. Isn’t it dangerous, or something?”

“I mean, kinda, but I swear I’ve got it down. See?”

And got it down, he does- and you can’t lie and say it wasn’t cool. Maybe even hot. His hand on the steering wheel, he turns around to look behind the car, leaning in a little closer to you, and you have to will yourself to look away from the concentration on his face, and how good he looks with his hair out and not hidden by a cap, his circle-rimmed glasses resting on his nose. Your eyes land on the knife of a jawline he has, and then they naturally travel up to his lips that are so incredibly pink and plump-

“Cool, right?” He manoeuvres successfully, and makes a straight to send you home, and you gulp, staring straight at the street in front of you. It’s almost as if his stare has a weight of its own, crushing you, pressing you to squeeze into the car door. It’s so embarrassing that you’re secretly harbouring all of these feelings, they’re so…. strange, and maybe even inappropriate since you’re just friends.

“Okay, fine, it is pretty cool. Now you just have to get me home in one piece.” You laugh, and just pray, that for the love of God, you can just get through another day without getting flustered over something stupid like this.

“Oh yeah, I wanted you to listen to this! Unlock my phone and go into my Spotify, it’s the top playlist.”

He hands you his phone, and continues, “You remember Phony Ppl, right? They had that song you liked with Megan Thee Stallion? Well, I found one of their new songs and someone in a YouTube comment said it was sampled on the first song in that playlist, but I swore it sounded like this old 5SOS song.”

Huh. Funny. The very first song in the playlist is titled ‘I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On,’ and you literally want to punch yourself in the face. You press play.

It’s a funky disco-beat- Mark’s recommendation playlist for you has been full of these songs lately. 

“Hmm, it’s fun! I love the synths, they’re going crazy. Also, love your car’s stereo? Wow!”

You’re starting to really like it, it’s groovy, it’s fun, and then she starts singing, so you look at the lyrics on his phone- they’re not synced to the song, so you just scroll, skimming through in curiosity. And in huge, bold, white letters, almost to mock you,

You read me wrong. I wasn’t trying to lead you on. I want a friend. I didn’t mean to turn you on.

Haha. Oh my God. Hahahaha. You nod your head in awkwardness, but then try to play it off by looking like you’re just doing it to the music. 

“Right?! It’s such a bop, man! And yeah, sometimes I have to stop myself from playing the music too loud. If not I can literally feel the vibrations in my fingers. Okay, anyways, the song itself is like, seven whole minutes, and gets kinda repetitive at the end, so you can just skip to the next one. Just listen to the intro!”

‘Nowhere But Up’ sounds pretty similar to the previous song, it’s pretty clear they did sample it, yet they’ve definitely made it their own since the vibe is completely different, and the lyrics are still on the screen, and Wow! They do not get any better.

So, like hold on, you, you wait, so you want me to chase you through this song? Huh, you sound crazy, you sound crazy. The last thing I remember is you said that you want me.

You chuckle sardonically before you can even stop yourself, and you should’ve seen this coming, but he asks you what’s so funny and you have to come up with a lie on the spot.

“Oh, no, the bass is ridiculously good! That part in the intro? It’s so good. This part.” You replay the part, and he agrees, “Yeah! Their bass lines are always so sick.” There is a moment of silence shared just to listen to the music, and the suffocating feeling of his eyes on you is back for a brief moment before he continues to tap the rhythm on the steering wheel, head bopping to the beat.

Then his phone buzzes, the ping interrupting your moment of solace, and you see the text message notification from Karina before he can even ask who it is. 

[karina ☺️, 2002] heeeey wru

Your heart drops to your stomach- it’s almost as if this is the perfect storm of events and it’s not even just your confirmation bias, almost as if he did play those songs to unknowingly reject you, no- almost as if he knew you how you felt, almost as if he was deliberately trying to shut you down. 

“Ooooooo! Karina just texted you.” You wiggle your eyebrows and try to force as much excitement and curiosity as possible for someone that just got their life and soul sucked out of their body. 

“Oh, um,” Mark, too, looks pretty shocked. “Can IIIIIIIII open it?” You stare intently at him, waiting for his answer, stare right at his face like he has something to explain to you. Which, he doesn’t, not necessarily. But you still feel this way anyway. He licks his lips, as if in contemplation.

“Yeah, sure. What’d she say?” 

“She just asked where you are. Are you supposed to be anywhere right now?” Hands clammy, you click on the notification. At first glance, it does look like they’ve been talking quite a bit- they even texted each other ‘gn’ three days ago. Everything is sending you into a frenzy, and you’re trying to convince yourself it’s just a normal thing people do. Friends do. You’ve texted Yeonjun ‘goodnight’ before, and it doesn’t mean anything. Where does he have to be? Are they supposed to go on a date? Where could they be possibly going on a Saturday Night? 

His voice cuts off your train of thought- “Oh, shit!” His voice cracks, and there’s just so much panic packed into the tiny space of his car, “I’m supposed to be in some Zoom Call right now, it’s for the project we’re doing. Uhhh, tell her I’m on the way home right now, I’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

You type away, and all the fear that struck terror in your soul seems to have deflated, yet it’s left your heart palpitating. You feel so stupid for feeling so worked up about this, it’s crazy. Never in your life had you thought you’d be overcome with jealousy, even if it was for a tiny moment, but you suppose that it’s really just the uncertainty that spurs it all. 

You know, since you don’t know how he feels about you. No clue at all about whether or not he reciprocates whatever stupid crush you have. He literally just recommended two songs that were about turning someone down. But then again, when has he ever sent cryptic messages through his song choices? It’s totally unlike him, and your leaping-to-conclusions- brain is just incredible at making complete nonsense of anything that’s happening. 

God, you need to convene with Minji and Ryujin again. Your hand is itching to whip your phone out to send a text, why in front of Mark you’re not too sure, maybe the desperation really has gotten to you.

“Can I take the call at your place? It’s only going to be, like, thirty minutes max, I think.” He’s come over multiple times, it really isn’t that big of a deal. It’s fine. Your mom likes him. Haha. 

“Yeah, sure, I think my mom’s home and she probably wouldn’t mind.”

The next song has started.

“Great, thanks! Oh, this was the last song I wanted to show you, the 5SOS one? Do you hear the similarity? Like the chord progressions, and the rhythm? It’s not the same synth sound, I mean, duh, it’s a guitar, but yeah.”

When you’re talking to your girls, do you talk about me? Do you tell’ em that you love me the way that I’ve been loving you?

You are seriously going to punch yourself in the face later.

---

LOL yeah um let me know what i should do with this fic should i try to flesh it out and write a whole story that really flows or just post the random scenarios agashgahee

also the songs are: i didn't mean to turn you on - cherelle nowhere but up - phony ppl girls talk boys - 5sos

go have a listen!!! they are such boppy songs lol.

[two-reflections]

how you feel about your current WIP

Which one, hahahahaaa...

Thanks for asking, it's always good to do a WIP audit. Let's do it as a numbered list. Only going for the multi-chapter stories here. I also have a lot of oneshots in varying states of completion.

Non Warhammer 40k stories are under the Read More.

Carrion's Heir - Technically not a WIP, but not fully uploaded yet. It would have been a better story if I hadn't had to follow a set of prompts, but that was how the challenge I wrote it for worked. Still, I love the main character and his story arc. May come back to it in the future.

Of Steel and Flesh - Started off as a quick series of campaign-inspired drabbles, but became its own thing. I kind of love it and kind of hate it sometimes. Maybe I should have just left it as a bunch of tiny vignettes. I am committed to finishing it, though. Again, I care a lot about the main characters, and I REALLY like the Dark Mechanicum sect in it.

Even in Death - MY BELOVED. MY DARLING. MY SWEET, SELF-INDULGENT DREADNOUGHT-BASED BABY. Putting this one off to finish other projects hurts so bad. I want to write the rest of this ASAP.

[Unnamed Techmarine Story] - This is about my character Bai'keti's 30 years on Mars. It's less about his training and more about what being so far from his brothers and culture is like, the difficulty of adopting a new culture, and his intense friendship with another techmarine in training from the Dragonspears chapter. I'll probably never upload this one because I'm not too familiar with what Mars in 40k is like beyond "Admech and the Void Dragon live here." Plus, it's based on my own time as an International student at a particularly weird British University. It makes me feel nostalgic for the rare good times, and also SO freaking glad I survived my time and am not there any more. Hated my Uni so much. This WIP is also on the back burner at like 12k words, will probably pick it back up in the autumn.

[Unnamed Salamander Story] - The story of Val'ten's first year in the Salamanders' 6th company. Includes a romance between him and his brander priest, but it's mostly about various missions and adventures, how he settles to life as a Salamander brother, and his attempt to grow a little garden in his downtime. This one is my most long-term wh40k project since I came up with Val'ten in 2017 for a completely different (and much worse) fic. His story has been stuck at around 60k words for months because it's on the back burner while I finish other things, but this is the story I think about in the shower, when I'm waiting in a queue, when I'm on the train. It's so important to me.

Other fandoms and Original Work

The Name Within - A leftover from my Kingdom Hearts Days. It's about Isa straightening out his head after everything that happened in KH3, and coming to terms with perhaps never functioning like a normal human after experiencing literal dehumanization at a pivotal age. I've linked it because it's on Ao3, but I wouldn't bother checking it out, it's probably not worth reading unless you really like this one particular dude. It's been missing around two paragraphs to finish for years. I should just bash those out and finish it, but it's hard to find the keen for it now.

Big Name on Campus/The Dream He Was Given - Temporary names for two fanfics based on a very old Sci-Fi manga. One is a weird fix-it-fic, the other is based on the University career of my favourite character, the chronically ill director of a medical center. I know, another university story, but I swear this one's not primarily based on my experience; rather, on watching my parents' students over the years. Decent chance I will never finish these two, there's no English-speaking audience for this comic so they're only for me. I love BNOC, though. The other, I could take or leave.

Twisted Links - Original story. After a series of international incidents and corporate takeovers, HR Agent Marley from the Pan-Martian Corporation ends up as temporary site director for a radio telescope in the Caribbean with secret instructions to ensure the Corp's permanent control of the site. Unbeknownst to Marley, local engineer and anti-colonialism activist Victor is struggling to hide a rogue Pan-Martian AI which caused a major international incident several decades before. Will Victor be able to keep the AI secret, or will Marley find out that there's a second being living inside Victor's head? Whose vision for the future of the telescope will become reality, or will the whole place shut down? The first 20k words of this story secured me a first-class Master's degree, but just as I was gearing up to write the rest, the catastrophic demise of the telescope where I grew up happened. I miss this story and want to go back to it but... Trauma...

[ilikelookingatthings]

I NEED TO SCREAM INTO THE VOID.

I am in a pickle of my own making! I have over 1000 tabs open on my computer because I kept opening new windows and forgetting the previous windows. Most of these tabs are fanfiction. My computer is slow as all get out because of all the tabs so I can't bounce between them to get to all the oneshots. There are so many that the windows don't show as pictures and the only way to scroll to tabs is to have all the tabs on the side instead of at the top.

So I've been meticulously going through each tab to try to finish a window to then start again in the next window.

But not ONLY are a majority of the tabs fanfictions...many are multi-chapter.

But my ONLY hobby right now(aside from making earrings out if beads so I can get rid of my beads) is writing comments on fanfictions....so my pace is slowed down EVEN MORE because I am SHIT at summarizing my thoughts in a short ans sweet manner!

I write my comments to process and get out every thought I can on the fanfiction currently in my sights so I won't be lingering on it for months mentally. The good, the bad, the 'this part doesn't make sense logically with what you set up but COULD WORK if you adjust this part a smidge so we can enjoy your brilliant lines over here', the ooooh my God I'm terrified I'm having so much fun reading this, amd of my God this is infuriating and I hate it but I live it write more!

My computer bounces between being able to spell properly and skipping letters and the spell check takes so long to do because I write so much!!! And then I need to check tone of my comment because what if I wrote out all my thoughts and didn't realize my love and appreciation didn't get through where people might take it as critique or hurtful because I didn't get my feeling across properly.

So I need to double check! Because I don't want to accidentally discourage someone who's fic I cared enough about to read through! I'll want more fanfics after all!!!

But I also need to get through the fanfics as quickly as possible and I write alot quickly and I need to get my thoughts out of my head as soon as possible so I can go to the next fanfiction!

But then I have such good taste and the writers are so great I get sucked in again! And if I'm not careful I'll write a comment for every chapter!!!

I spent TWO DAYS going through a 20 chapter fanfic! Just to delete ONE TAB! I can't even sort the tabs by oneshots! I have to go tab by tab in this window to get through the window or risk the computer rebooting and reopening or opening copys of windows!!!! And I can't pin point all the copy windows cuz some windows have fanfics from the other windows!

And then I thought! Hey no one really CARES if I comment right? I can just skip one or two! But not only does my brain say no! that fanfic didn't have any comments!!! which was a travesty because the fic was so good and needs to be appreciated! So I needed to write one! And THEN apparently people recognized that I commented on almost every fanfiction I've read and noticed I'm BACK because I took hiatus for so long due to lent! I don't eve have any writing of my own and somehow people noticed?

AND WRITERS apparently appreciate them so I get all warm and fuzzy! Whoch gives me energy to comment more!

But I still have a ridiculous amount of tabs and I made a deal with myself I can't scroll on tumblr or YouTube for too long on my phone until I get through ALL of them! Because that risks me making MORE comments because it's not just fanfictions I process that way!!!

There are tabs from at least 3 years ago!!!! And that's not even adressing when I AM done I plan on getting through my bookmarks because they are separate!!!! And how when I read a fic from one Fandom I get the erge to look for MORE!

I've got myself opening up new tabs at least 3 times! Luckily stopping myself from diving further in. Commenting on those fanfictions and closing the tabs quickly. But still!!!!

And that's not even adressing tge fanfic purges that happen so what if one of the five I was reading got taken down so I'll never know the ending? Or when my tabs refresh so the comment I spent 15 minutes writing disappeared!!!! I can type very quickly and my reading comprehension are high. I wrote past the archive comment limit within 2 minutes once so I thought this would be faster!

Am I my own worst enemy?! I can't just give up now! But there are so many!!!! And something tells me most won't be one shots! But even just the one shots can be worth multiple comments!

Its how I process! My sister can only take so much of ne talking at her about characters and Fandom she isn't in!!! And my prize at the end are more fanfictions I'm not letting myself read til I finish all of these!

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Why do I DO this to myself!!!!!

[crazy-ache]

Fanfiction Ask Game

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 21

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 184,514

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR (my current obsession), and I used to write quite bit for Avatar: The Last Airbender (back in the DAY with fanfiction.net and livejournal.com just to show my AGE), and I have dabbled briefly in GOT haha

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?  

when destiny keeps calling (Zutara, ATLA)

the other side of mercy (Zutara, ATLA)

surround me (Zutara, ATLA)

Call Me Selfish, Call Me Wreck (Elucien, ACOTAR)

Dear Lucien, Dear Elain (Elucien, ACOTAR)

Major love to my old Zutara fandom.

5. Do you respond to comments? I didn't always understand the importance of doing it and I used to be very shy in fandom, but now I do my best to always respond! I have made friends from engaging on fics on Ao3 which I love. It makes the writing experience feel like a community event which has been really fulfilling.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I usually leave on a hopeful note, but I did write water can heal, water can break which was slightly Zutara with anti Kataang vibes and the implications of the ending break my heart because they were aligned with the canon for Katara. I basically was so disappointed by the absence of her story in LoK that I needed to explain why it wasn't her fault and her own internal heartbreak about it.

Call Me Selfish, Call Me Wrecked is happy but also has my special mix of angsty-HEA. 7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All of them LOL. But maybe Courting Lucien Vanserra because I was just in a silly goofy mood when I wrote it. But I also still technically need to write the epilogue....shit....

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Oh! I used to not. @zenkindoflove influenced me lmao. Now I am getting better at it. So, yes, I do. I'm going to call it smut-with-lots-of-feelings.

9. Do you write crossovers? I have not!

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but please tell me if you do LOL

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Oooh yes. Me and @zenkindoflove have written two works together. I highly recommend it to anyone else considering it. It was some of the most fun I had writing in a long while- a true creative experiment. We basically have our own "Canon" universe of crazykindoflove that we have established in our heads. It helps we very much have the same tastes.

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? Zuko/Katara was the ship that started it all for me. It taught me fandom obsession, fandom community, it spurred a life-long passion for writing....I think I have to give it credit where it is due. Elain/Lucien is getting up there. Their book might be the very thing that puts them into the number one slot.

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Divine Punishments....the multi-chapter fic I had grand plans for that I abandoned after the first chapter LOL.

14. What are your writing strengths? Metaphors. I can come up with a damn good metaphor. That's my poetry background coming into play. My writing is very lyrical, descriptive, and introspective. I love finding a beautiful metaphor that just perfectly describes an emotion or situation.

Because were she to ever wear the dress, those stitched sunflowers, with their bright yellow petals, would be a declaration to the whole world exactly what his heart intended. That she was the sun and he was the humble sunflower, forever loyal to follow her, forever in adoration of her shine; for the sunflower only grows facing the sun’s light, in an eternal chase of her orbit. It didn’t matter where either of them moved, he would be there, waiting to bloom at her smile. 

Like damn look at this. I still think about this one LOL

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  Plot LOL. I was a oneshot girl my entire life and could never tackle multi-chapter works with elaborate plots. Until ACOWAR (Elucien's Version)!!

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I'd love to incorporate my Spanish but haven't had a reason to yet in a fic.

17. First fandom you wrote for? ATLA!

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? This is really hard. Several are near and dear to my heart. But I'm going to say ACOWAR (Elucien's Version). Because I'm really proud of the quality of the writing, the interesting take on Canon AU, the characterizations, and the time spent mapping out the chapters. I'm halfway through and it's already been beyond rewarding.

I feel as though everyone has been tagged on this one, so feel free to steal and share!!!

[mythandlaur]

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet? | 18. Do you typically post multi-chapters as you write, or finish it all and then start posting? Would you like to change your posting method?

New Year's Fanfic Asks

18. Do you typically post multi-chapters as you write, or finish it all and then start posting? Would you like to change your posting method?

On the rare occasions I've tried to write things longer than (sometimes particularly long) oneshots, I've posted as I've written...and I've never managed to actually finish a single fic. This has led to many actually abandoned or "I'll get to it someday maybe"-abandoned WIPs out there and the guilt's decidedly starting to pile up, so yes, I would like to change it. The things I've been writing recently I've been trying to finish before I start posting...but I'm also having trouble finishing those so I'm not sure it's helping, exactly, it's just added the additional "I want to share this so bad" feeling on top of it. I'll get back to you on that when I do manage to finish something and post it all. Which leads to...

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

(Given you chose these two questions to send together I imagine you might've been expecting this answer, that or I just really want an excuse to talk about it. Which part of the whole reason I reblogged this in the first place was to have an excuse to talk about my stuff so thanks.)

There are several Shovel Knight oneshots I worked on more recently that I probably should feel more strongly about finishing sooner, but the one most urgent in my mind is the one you know about that I've been sitting on for over a year and wrote 8k words for in one day.

Front Lines [Code Lyoko] - An attempt to make up for a social misstep leads to disaster as Aelita and Jeremie find themselves on Lyoko with an activated tower and no one on Earth who knows they've gone. As pressure mounts, they decide to take matters into their own hands, but they're quickly running out of time--and not in the way they think they are...

Basically I have the whole thing planned and mostly written, but it's been so long since I started writing it and the draft's so messy I worry I should rewrite everything to meet my current standards. That and there's still a couple of fight scenes that need to get done and I have a really hard time writing those. Here's a bit I can share without really spoiling anything.

Aelita steps fully into the room, closing the door behind her. Jeremie raises an eyebrow and rolls his chair slightly closer to her—something about Lyoko, then?

Aelita’s face pinches with worry. “I’ve been thinking about what you said at lunch.”

Jeremie’s smile drops. He glances off to the side as if his closet doors have suddenly become interesting. “Yeah, what about it?”

Aelita frowns, taking a step towards him with her hands on her hips. He knows the look well.

“Would you really rather be possessed by XANA again than go to Lyoko?”

Jeremie winces, pulling both of his legs up to sit in an awkward-looking butterfly position on his office chair and grabbing at his feet. He still doesn’t look at her, but he can feel her eyes burning into his head.

“...No,” he admits, “I’m not that stupid. I can’t afford to be compromised like that again.” And he doesn’t particularly feel like going through it again, either.

When he finally manages to meet her eyes, her lips are pursed in an expression he can’t quite read. “Then why did you lie?”

Jeremie scowls. “You heard Odd, he wouldn’t leave me alone. Imagine how bad it’d be if he knew I was going.”

“So you have been going!”

Jeremie realizes he may have made a mistake in saying that, but he’d long since figured out lying to her is an exercise in futility no matter how experienced he gets at it. “Yeah, I’ve been going. Not for very long—I have the computer set to run devirtualization after one minute. If I could get away with not sending my data to Lyoko at all, I would, but...I haven’t figured out what causes the resistance to XANA’s influence yet, so I can’t take any chances.”

“And you haven’t told anyone?”

“They’d insist on coming with me or training me or something, and the last time the three of us went, three megatanks showed up. If they got devirtualized with me, that’d be another opportunity for XANA to attack while they were recovering.”

“And you’re embarrassed.”

Jeremie grabs his desk and turns his chair back towards it so she can’t see his face. “You heard them, I look ridiculous. I don’t want to make myself look like even more of an idiot.”

Aelita huffs, grabbing the back of Jeremie’s chair and spinning him around to look at her. She keeps hold of the chair arms to keep him from turning away again, glaring into his eyes with her jaw set.

“When’s the next time you plan on going?”

Jeremie swallows hard, his stomach dropping. It doesn’t take a genius to see where she’s going with this. “...Sometime this week. Aelita—”

“You’re right about one thing, I’m not letting you go alone.” Aelita leans away and crosses her arms. “We’re going. Both of us. Today.”

“And that’s definitely because you’re worried about me and not just curious about how dumb I look?” Aelita winces, and Jeremie realizes he's talked before thinking again. He'd been trying to work on that. “...Sorry.”

“It’s not not because I’m curious, I admit.” Her tone grows pained. “But I’m also worried. What if your devirtualization program doesn’t work? Or XANA’s monsters get to you first? I just don’t like the idea of you doing something like this all by yourself.”

“Aelita...”

Her voice softens, and though she smirks at him, her eyes are earnest. “You’ve always been protective of me. Now it’s my turn to worry about you.”

Jeremie feels his face heating up. Of course, she has every right to worry—the thought of doing this frankly still scares him half to death. It would be nice to have someone looking out for him...and besides, if he doesn’t do it now, he might very well put it off as long as he can get away with it. Potentially longer than he can get away with it.

“...And you promise you won’t laugh at me.”

Aelita puts a hand over her heart, solemn. “I promise.”

Jeremie sighs, rubbing his elbow with the opposite hand. “Okay. Clearly I’m not getting out of this.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Just give me a few minutes to get ready.” And get up the nerve.

[dayseternal-blog]

Do you have any fics recs of hinata raising boruto and hima as single mom and later reunites with naruto kinda plot??

hmmmmmmmmmmm ok

“Missed Years” by Rinne-Kami - Rated T, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. The act of one night gave birth to their future. And now, with years past since that one night, they were left with years to return. Seven years of love to find, seven years of trust to rebuild, and seven years of fatherhood to return.

"Fantasy AU" from "Tales of Two Ninjas" by @magmawrites - Rated E, High Fantasy AU, One-shot. War brought them together. Will it keep them apart?

uhhhhhhhhhhhh what else

Just Boruto for Single Mom Hinata Fics

“Blurred Lines” by @vegebulsoup - Rated E, Police / Cops and Robbers Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Detective Naruto Uzumaki is having a hard time staying focused at work due to an elusive, dark-haired beauty.

Untitled by @jadeandonyx - Rated T, Modern AU, One-shot. Prompt: 4. teacher/single parent au + 5. one night stand and falling pregnant au

“Sun/Moon Deities” from “Small Doses” by chloelapomme - Rated E, Gods & Goddesses AU, One-shot. Powerful and yet even stronger when united, the Moon and the Sun can create and protect life together.

“Shattered Ties” by UltimateUnknown - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete.  Hinata and her seven year old son, Boruto live in a small village far away from the influence of ninjas. By moving to such a distant location, Hinata thought she could both outrun her past and live peacefully with her beloved son. However, all of those plans are thrown for a loop when Hinata and Boruto’s lives are taken by a storm from the past. That storm’s name - Naruto Uzumaki.

In these next ones, their kid isn't named Boruto, but it's still Naruto and Hinata's son.

“Girl No 10” by meeiwan - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto makes a mistake with a dancer one drunk night.  Years later when he meets her again, he begins realizing his perfect life is a lie, but he’s too late to fix it. 

"A Common Story" from "NaruHina Erotica Oneshots" by makuro767 - Rated E, High School / Modern AU, One-shot. It's really a story you can find anywhere. Teenage mistakes, unplanned pregnancy, family drama...the usual drama you really can find anywhere...

And then I wrote this one that has Hinata raising the kids on her own for a bit...rather similar to Chloe's Sun/Moon Deities fic.

"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" - Rated M, Gods & Goddesses/Folklore AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. The folktale of the Japanese summer festival Tanabata, the story of Orihime’s and Hikoboshi’s love.

[carriedreamerx]

Carriedreamer's current fic to do list / future published short stories on archive for 2024 early 2025

Pokemon Scarlet Violet:

Multi-Chap

1. "Supernova":

Chapter 5: Be prepared

Chapter 6: How Far I'll go

Rating: T

Read here:

2. "Frozen Revenant"

"Let me tell you somethin' kid, there's worse things on those mountains than a pissed off Pokemon... never stray from the trail. Ever."

Arven Sada and Juliana Scarlet are that odd duo who claim to be just friends but they end up locking lips a little too much for this to be really believable anymore.

But when a shiny hunt up in the peaks of Glasdeo leads the two to come across a mysterious mansion hidden in the snow with an injured Froslass in tow, it's soon apparent there is something far more sinister than a mere blizzard at play here... and his little buddy's life may very well depend on Arven finding his courage amongst the ghosts that surround him.

---

Inspired by "Until Dawn" the video game and "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault

Rating: M

Begun: 10.8.2024- Part of Halloween ( Carrie-tober)

Read here:

Oneshots:

1. "Applin Dumpling"

2. "The Flat"

In which a misunderstanding between Penny and Nemona over an Applin results in chaos.

Rating: T

Of course there was only one solution to the Crater Crew all graduating but not wanting to go "home" or in some cases having no real home to go to. Be roommates of course!

How bad could it possibly be?

Rating: T

3. "Dragon's Breath"

Drayton is very amused by the chaos that is the Arven and Juliana nuptials happening all around him...but nothing is more entertaining than watching their very rigid and far too *stiff* bean pole of an emcee Kieran trying to figure out his speech.

Rating: T

Pokemon ( All Gens )

1. "A deals a deal"

Once upon a time there was a boy who climbed up a mountain... and once upon a time the boy did not climb down.

Rating: M

[ another carrie-tober fic for 2024 ]

****

Stardew Valley:

"To whom it may concern"

Quite the stir in Pelican Town occurs when news the Farmer is leaving town for their wedding spreads like wildfire - all except for a young man with a computer in the dark. Who has a few things to say...

Note: [ written entirely in 2nd perspective ]

Rating: T

***

Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom

"Ghosts"

They can see the tears of the man who must save them... and yet they can do nothing about it.

Rating: T

"Petals in blood"

For each flower he plucks he weaves into a crown for her fair hair... this woman whose face he has never seen.

But who never leaves his mind

Rating: T

***

Could be more and i have one more Multi chapter scarlet violet fic ( another redux) "Better Late than Never" which makes "The Contract" look like it's rated T so do with that as you will xD

[a03-anxiousandafraid]

Fanfic Masterlist

Hi! I realized I never made one of these and that I really should cause it would be helpful if someone decided to click on my blog~ Here is a master list of my fanfictions up on A03 with links and descriptions. Also, to be extra safe, all M rated fics will be listed under “NSFW” regardless of if they contain sexual content or not! I will try to keep this updated as I continue to make stuff! :) 

Legend of Zelda

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

💕~SFW~💕

.::.

An Ode To Yesterday [complete] 

Rated T (suggestive themes), zelink oneshot, Hurt/Comfort, gift fic, Post Calamity

Zelda, enthralled at learning one of her favorite traditions is still alive after a hundred years, helps Link learn to accept the love and happiness he desperately yearns for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Advice for Aryll [complete]

Rated T, zelink oneshot, “make Fate cry competition” (2021), Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Post Calamity

Link struggles with recovering memories of his sister while living with Zelda in their Hateno home. Distraught that he forgot her and having to digest her subsequent fate disrupts their lives and leads Link to take drastic measures when something strange happens to Zelda’s slate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Need You At Night [complete]

Rated T, zelink, oneshot, Post Calamity, Hurt/Comfort, very soft

Her smile rivaled the sun. Lying amongst the wheat she was one with the earth. With Hylia. She was the soil and the grain as much as she was the wind and the sky, happiness and hope, expectation and reality. She was all. All but one thing.

It tunneled its way through the garden. Followed the song of unbridled joy until it loomed above her like predator on prey.

"There's a flower hidden near. Might you find it?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⚠🔞~NSFW~🔞⚠

.::.

Stress- Zelink Oneshot Collection [ongoing]

Rated (varies per entry but set to M just in case), zelink, oneshots

Oneshot collection (mostly Zelink) to help encourage myself to write more. Each entry is a different story, so feel free to skip around chapters since they do not have any bearing on what gets uploaded next. Themes and writing styles will vary from prompt to prompt. This could be rated T but I'd like to play it safe and keep it rated M based on more mature themes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Woman in Hateno [Complete]

Rated M (language, alcohol, graphic depiction), zelink, multi-chapter, MCD, alcoholism, post Botw, canon divergence, SAD

Zelda struggles to come to grips with her current reality despite having successfully vanquishing Calamity Ganon. Spending her days mostly in a drunken haze, it takes a lot of convincing from those who care about her to find her bearings to reach catharsis.

Rated M for language, alcohol use, and a graphic description (in Ch.5)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OnlyFandom [ongoing]

Rated E (suggestive themes, sexual content), zelink, long fic, slow-burn, modern au, college au

Not much thought had ever been put into thinking about the body in non-platonic circumstances. Between a heavily structured home life and strong personal aspirations, this whole format was completely out of her comfort zone. It wasn’t so much of an infatuation as much as it was a thirst for knowledge. More of a curiosity that had the scientist in her screaming to observe and to learn. But to learn WHAT? Urbosa probably had an answer for that… but messaging her was out of the question. Not after waking up to a conspicuous text containing nothing but a winky face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Control [complete]

Rated E (sexual content), zelink oneshot, zelinktines 2022 (prompt “smut”), modern au

When Zelda's friends can't take their eyes off of Link all morning, she makes it a point to prove just how valuable her companionship can be.