#i have written over 9000 words for this fic

[nostalgia-tblr]

Almost everyone in this fic is awful at some point or another and much of that behaviour gets rewarded in some way.

YAY!

[starry-bi-sky]

ive been hesitating to ask this bc youve been on a roll with the clone^2au (which i am frothing over) but could i poke you for some childhood friend au? bc GOD i wanna see how danny reacts to reuniting w jason or how the rest of the batfam react to learning jason never told danny of his resurrection or wondering if dannys gonna put jokers dead body on a display/offering to jasons grave. i havent been normal about this since i first read it and was wondering. thank you for your writing.

RAAAAHHHH DON'T BE HESITANT I AM JUST AS FERAL OVER MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AU AS I AM WITH CLONE^2 I AM DELIGHTED BY THIS. Like.,,,, i literally love them,,, so much. I can't listen to The Crane Wives without thinking of them.

(which is my fault - the ao3 fic of them has literally only crane wives lyrics for each chapter title and summary (posted AND the ones not written) so of course im gonna associate with them.)

(if you wanna listen to some of their songs while thinking of cfau here are my recommendations: "Once & for All", "Here I Am", "Hollow Moon" is a Danny AND Jason song to me, this would be my go-to song for an animatic of CFAU if i had the skills for it. "Tongues and Teeth", "Curses" and "take me to war" is a heavy cfau danny song to me, and of course, "the moon will sing")

Like they're BEST friends dude, they're two sides of the same coin and when they were kids they would do this thing where their 'fingers crossed'/'double-crossed' was them hooking their index fingers in the fingers crossed gesture.

and i'm actually currently rewriting my original post into a more fic-like format, and when I'm done I'll post it on here under the cfau tag - with the original post still in tact. But its,,, gonna be so long dude,,,, the original behemoth was just over 9000 words,,, and I've written 3k words already of the new one and we haven't even reached Jason and Danny reuniting at the gala yet,,, i need to get back to that,,,

and then to answer your questions!! god im almost hesitant to answer because i dont wanna spoil the little fic i had planned for it but also like,, its not like im gonna spoil everything, right? and answering the questions isnt the same as writing the scene down so!!

i love danny and jason's reuniting, like i've thought about it SO much and I've thought about it happening after Danny kills the Joker. I know the reveal could have been before that, and it could have been equally just as dramatic but like??? Thematically, doing it after danny kills the joker is SO good. To me at least.

Because like?? Jason's been in somewhat denial about danny's plan to kill the joker for months. ever since danny told him that he wanted to at the gala. And from Jason's pov its not even technically a plan. He sees his best friend for the first time after five years and his best friend still isn't over his death. He hasn't stepped foot in Gotham since his funeral and now suddenly he's here.

And he's still so full of grief over his death that he tells a masked vigilante that he's going to kill the guy that did it, who lives in said masked vigilante's city. And danny's got that look in his eyes that Jason knows so well that means he's being serious. And yet he still doesn't know if he should believe him or not.

And then he does. Danny kills him. And Jason can't fucking believe it. And when he goes and sees Danny, Danny's hands are still covered in blood. And that reunion? God like a fucking firework show. Danny's so fucking angry, and pissed, and hurt, and so goddamn overjoyed that he's alive and here that he sends them both to the ground, and if he doesn't calm down he's gonna take out the power in a five block radius.

there's just so, so much yelling on Danny's end. And then so much crying, first from Danny and then them both. because god, you're alive. you're here. i've missed you so much. i'm never letting you out of my sights again.

and Joker's death! God I don't want to actually say too much about that, but the way I have it set up thematically makes me actually not want danny to take any part of the joker with him as an offering. and he may actually forego that particular ghost etiquette and offer something else as an offering to Jason in substitute to not bringing him the Joker's heart/head/ritualistic body part.

Because you know what the last thing a man whose been spending the last two decades of his life building himself up to be larger than life would want? A death that's unremarkable. :) and that's all i'll put on the matter for now.

and the batfam!! they technically already know that jason hasn't told danny he was resurrected, and plenty of them have mixed feelings on them. largely bruce and dick i think, considering they saw firsthand how close jason and danny were when they were kids.

Dick was honestly surprised at first when he found out that Jason hadn't told Danny he was alive - and on one hand he understands the reasoning for it, and on the other hand he isn't sure if it was such a good idea. Especially after he sees Danny again after he arrives back in Gotham and sees just how badly Jason's death was still affecting him. But it's not like he's going to try and convince Jason to tell him - he can make his own choices, even if Dick has questions about them.

Bruce has much the same thoughts as Dick, so there's not really much to add here other than he might bring it up once or twice to Jason like, vaguely. And then immediately drops it when Jason shuts him down. He might actually somewhat...?? prefer that Jason hasn't told Danny because that raises a lot of questions and could jeopardize their identities. However, again, Jason can make his own choices and there's not much Bruce can do about it other than disapprove from afar.

Tim who knew of Danny from stalking the Wayne family shares similars sentiments of being surprised that Jason didn't tell Danny, but again, yeah, understands the thought process to some extent. Doesn't bring it up ever.

Everyone else who hadn't seen firsthand how close Danny and Jason are don't really have much opinion on it -- Jason didn't tell his best friend he was alive, great, he also didn't tell them either so it's not like its that much of a surprise. It would've been more of a surprise to them if Jason had told Danny before he told Bruce and co. Damian may make a comment or two about Jason not telling Danny, but its not about how he can't believe he didn't tell him or anything like it.

[spacedlexi]

Hi, I read your Violetine fanfic and I LOVED it, I was wondering if you had any recommendations on any good Violetine stories that you’ve liked? And do you plan on writing more in the future? Just wondering.

YAAAAYY im so glad you liked it!!!

i bookmark fics on ao3 for recommendation here :) i have a bunch of fics open at the moment that i will one day get through but these are my faves atm

READ AFTERMATH!! the clemvi in it isnt the focus but its such a good clem healing fic everyone is written so well 😭😭 i think its my fave out of all of them 🥺💕 (warning its still currently updating. the only fic on the list that isnt complete but its just that good)

and i am currently writing a new fic right now 😏 its gonna take me a while which is why i havent talked about it much 💀 but im writing a 2 week fic. its basically completely outlined and im almost done with chapter 1 (which is over 9000 words unedited 💀 i kind of want them to feel like full eps), but i dont plan on posting it until its finished since itll take so long and i dont want to leave people waiting for as long as the last one took between chapters 🫣 (when its done i'll release it chapter by chapter probably weekly). heres some snippets from the first chapter 😏 im having a lot of fun with it actually its like im getting whole new episodes 😭 i plan on it being 14 chapters one for each day. real slow burn 😏

i actually have a lot of ideas written out in my notes but havent decided if they should be comics or fics or boards 🤔 all these outlines just sitting around... 😔 one day...

[crowleyscleaninglady]

GO Fanfiction list

This contains part 1 and 2 of my list of recommendations. There are 12 on here now. Some are about 9000 words and others are almost 250,000, and I have read every single word. Three of my favorites are Stitch me up, Slow show, and Or Be Nice

******Stitch Me Up  (medical au)*****

If you read any of the fics from this list this is the one. I was literally distracted at work last week because I was thinking about it. There is angst, fluff, spice (like really spicy), comfort, ughhhhh it has it all. 

This is the fic that started my medical field au binge. 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23157691 

Pretend for Me (fake dating) 

Fake dating in order to trick the Archangels. This one is so beautiful and the ending makes me tear up (happy tears) every time

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20535329 

Their tumblr: @obsessivelollipoplalala 

In Plain Sight (fake dating) 

This is the companion piece to Pretend for Me. I 100% this should be read after the first one, it makes it feel so much more complete

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21741256 

Tumblr: @obsessivelollipoplalala 

*******Slow Show (tv show costars)*****

They are co-stars on a TV show. The backstories on this one are so beautiful. I forgot this was a fanfiction at multiple points and thought it was a work in and of itself. 

10/10 I will recommend this to anyone who will listen 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20395261 

Tumblr: @mia-ugly 

Give me a title, I’ll give you my heart (single dad) 

Aziraphale is a single dad to an adorable and mischievous Adam, Crowley just moved into the neighborhood. This had me kicking my feet and giggling. 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21160262 

Tumblr: @nohaijiachi

Ink Blots and Forget-Me-Nots (tattoo and flower shop)

Literally all of the best tropes in one well written fic. Tattoo shop and flower shop. Friends to lovers to enemies to lovers

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19455634 

The Crime Boys AU (mafia bosses) 

This was so dark and beautiful. If you like dark themes and dark romance these are the fics for you!! Make sure to read the tags on this one, but it’s so so good. 

I read Dark Angels, Golden Serpents first and then Dark Angels, Darker Serpents. It can be read either way. 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924780 

START OF PART 2

******Or Be Nice (musician and bookseller) ******

Author description:

Crowley and Aziraphale are neighbours. And...it does not go at all well, until it does.

A human AU in which Aziraphale is a bookseller, Crowley is a drummer, and they are both petty disasters in the worst/best way.

My thoughts: If you read anything on this list make sure it is this one. This fic had me up until 4:45 in the morning because I could not put it down. The characterization here is absolutely perfect. I was giggling and kicking my feet at it. Also there are in text images that push this fic over the edge to be one of my all time favorites. 

Tumblr:  @charlottemadison42

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28427940/chapters/69660750 

In Knowing, In Silence (they are angels) 

Author description: After being punished in Heaven for being in love as angels, Aziraphale and Crowley spend the next 6,000 pretending their relationship never happened. 

My thoughts: The naivety of both characters is beautiful. They are just both full of so much love and don’t know how to deal with anything. It is cute and fluffy and then it kinda rips your heart out in the best way possible. It is one of the fics that make you feel something when you read it. 

Tumblr: @obsessivelollipoplalala  

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50313406/chapters/127105990 

Epiclesis (Aziraphale can hear Crowley’s prayers)

Author description: Prompt: Angels can hear it when you pray to them. Crowley has been praying for 6000 years.

My thoughts: A very beautiful representation of the idiots to lovers tag. I want to give both boys a hug and also tell them how stupid they are. I can 100% see this fic happening and I really enjoyed it. 

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27836200/chapters/68148130 

What Angels Want (Crowley can hear Aziraphale’s thoughts) 

Author description: Set post-s1. Aziraphale finds a "communication spell" in one of the books in his shop. He decides to try a modified version of it in hopes of finding out if Crowley feels the same way about him. Nothing seems to happen, and Aziraphale assumes the spell is a dud.

Unfortunately, Aziraphale is bad at magic and through the kind of silly logic only fan-fiction can provide, it turns out Crowley can now read all of Aziraphale's thoughts about his favorite demon!

Join these two silly heads in a silly mini-adventure featuring some very un-angelic thoughts and one very scandalized Demon. Please do not take this seriously, this is just for fun and not representative of how I view the canon characters!

My thoughts: If you like dirty talk then this is the fic for you!!! This fic was a lot of fun to read. It gets very dirty but I absolutely loved it. 

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47184475/chapters/118884859 

[cosmereplay]

Happy Fanfic Friday, and happy my birthday months! This week I'm recommending my OTHER Shakadolin fics because yes I am that bitch and I think they are very fun dolls to make kissy kissy with.

The Call to Adventure - Unrated, 40,000 words. This is a Choose Your Own Adventure style story! This fic has eight happy endings and choices depend on what kind of relationship you want Kaladin to have with Shadolin - Friendship? QPR? Messy romance? Messy sex? You will have ample warning of how your choices will affect the rating of the next chapter. It's got tender moments and easter eggs and cameos from Bridge Four, Maya, and Syl!

This One's Going in the Bedroom - Rated Teen, 1000 words. Adolin gives Kaladin a massage, and Shallan sketches him, much to his annoyance. More of a pre-OT3 but it has some fun character moments!

By the Light of the Moons - Rated Teen, 9000 words. This is written as platonic friendship between Kaladin and Shadolin but could be read with shipping goggles on too. Post-RoW, Moash confronts Kaladin to explain why he did what he did. Afterwards, Adolin and Shallan support him.

Reassurances - Rated Teen, 200 words. Adolin, Veil, and Kaladin are in over their heads.

Plausible Deniability - Rated Explicit, 24,000 words. Shallan and Adolin are trying out polyamory and mistakes are being made. Kaladin gets sucked into their drama. Things get messy. And sexy.

[gemini-sensei]

okay but now we need mom!tory headcanons 😭 i can see tory ending up as a mom of multiples (trips/quads)

I dont know if you meant girlcock!Tory or regular Tory, so I went with girlcock!Tory since this came in around the time I was doing some of those fics/headcanons.

More Than One | Mom!Girlcock!Tory x Chubby!Pregnant!Reader Headcanons

no major content warnings other than pregnancy related things. I'm definitely up for more of this, though, if people want it.

When Tory finds out Reader is pregnant, she is very proud and very happy. She pulls her in and kisses her because she has no words. She can't express herself in words, so she uses actions. They kiss for a long time, just holding each other in between big smiles and I love you's. Her hands ghost over Reader's belly. It's just such a happy moment for them.

They go to the first appointment together and Tory almost can't keep her hands off of Reader. She's so proud of herself for getting her pretty wife pregnant and wants everyone to know it. She settles for holding her hand throughout most of the process, not that she was going to go very far anyone...

Tory is extremely protective and doesn't want to leave Reader's side. It's endearing but also very serious. Not kidding, Tory is ready to rip a man apart if he looks at her wife the wrong way.

So when it comes to getting the scan done, Tory is excited but she's not expecting much. They're just a few weeks along, in her mind there isn't going to be a lot to see. Maybe at later scans, but not now. That doesn't mean she's not thrilled, though, she just can't wait for the time when Reader is bigger and they'll see more of a baby shape.

Well, they end up seeing a lot more than they thought. When the image pops up, the doctors lets out an "oh my!" and Tory's protectiveness is amped up to 9000 really quick. She starts asking "what's that supposed to mean?" and "is there something wrong?" It sounds like she has an attitude, but that's just her defense mechanism.

The doctor assures her that everything is fine and that she may want to sit back down. So she does, rather unpleasantly, and waits to hear what the doctor has to say. However, before the woman speaks, she turns the screen to them so that they can see and that's when Tory and Reader realize that this isn't a normal looking scan. Three little dots are facing back at them and the doctor announces, "you're having triplets!"

Can you unprepared? Tory feels completely blindsided. Her jaw drops as she stares at the screen, but she clutches Reader's hand in both of hers just to keep herself grounded. The doctor gives them a moment to collect their bearings and get Reader cleaned up, and the couple doesn't say anything for a moment. They don't even move.

"Tor, are you okay?" Reader eventually asks. She looks at her wife and sees the evident shock written all over her face. She pulls her close and they hug each other. Reader tells her, "it's okay."

Tory laughs and pulls away, smiling at her. "It's more than okay. This is amazing. We're gonna have our own little family."

Reader stares at her, then giggles. "I don't think many people consider triplets little."

Planning and saving up for the triplets starts immediately. Tory stresses over money a lot despite being in a much better position than she was in as a teenager. She's money savvy, but knowing that doesn't make it easy on her at times. There's always this fear in the back of her mind that something is going to go wrong and leave her with mere pennies to her name. So she lays everything out for herself so that isn't an option before the pregnancy and especially looking forward to the triplets' arrival.

Total Mama Bear. When people see her with Reader and Reader big pregnant belly, they think they're so cute; they are holding each other and kissing so sweetly; Tory is doing everything for Reader. However, their friends are smarter than that and know that at the drop of a hat, one wrong move, and Tory will be glaring at someone from across the room with the promise to do harm burning in her eyes all because they started whispering about her wife.

They learn that two of the babies are going to be identical and Tory almost has a heart attack. She has a moment of panic where she asks herself: what if she confuses them for each other. Reader laughs at her wide eyed expression and tells her, "At least they won't all be identical."

Tory fixes her with a look. "Don't even joke about that."

Of course, as time passes, Reader gets bigger and bigger. She is eventually put on bedrest so that she can remain pregnant as long as possible. They want them to get everything they need, but at a certain point the mamas-to-be know that they will have to deliver early for Reader's and the babies' well being.

That being said, all their friends pitch in when they can and as much as possible. They help put the nursery together, buy tons of toys and diapers and other stuff when they have their baby shower, someone comes over to spend the day with Reader while Tory is at work, and Moon even offers to come live with them as a sort of nanny since there's gonna be three babies and only two mamas. It's all very kind and sweet of them and Tory might actually take Moon up on that nanny offer, least until they can get used to how things are going to be after the babies are born and brought home.

As it gets closer to the triplets' arrival, Tory is stressed. She cuddles with Reader to calm herself down and clear her head, stroking her round, beyond big belly. She feels the babies squirming around and pushing on her hand as she and Reader talk about names and how excited they are about their little ones. It's going to be okay, she knows, because so long as Reader is right there beside her, they are going to be the best mamas ever.

[greypetrel]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @theluckywizard for the tag! It's been fun to compile :3

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 6

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 356,534 (from last October. It's higher since I haven't upload a lot of ficlets I wrote here, oops)(But! it's my AO3 birthday, yeeeeh!)

3. what fandoms do you write for? Dragon Age, there's a crossover with LOTR/Silmarillion. I don't know if I'll ever write anything solely on Tolkien lore, I tend to reason per OCs in stories and I feel slightly bad in treating other's characters as my own.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos? - Home Was Never On The Ground (CullenxLavellan, long fic)(also known as Monster Fic) - She of Many Names (CullenxLavellan, a Dragon Age and LOTR - crossover) - The Night Before First Day (Some CullenxLavellan but very on the sidelines. it's Solas acting as Santa. And it rhymes.) - One For the Road (FenrisxLavellan, Angst is over 9000, 2 chapters.) - Death and All of His Friends (HawkexMerrillxIsabela, I'll get on with it but everything is on hold because I want to get Monster fic done before the year ends)

5. do you respond to comments? Oh yes, of course! Jumping on my seat and being very happy about it. I'm wordy, so chances are that comments will be answered with more lore.

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Death and All of His Friends, right now.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? The Night Before First Day.

8. do you get hate on fics? Not that I know of. The worst hate I got in the fandom were some assholes who commented on an adoribull fanart here on Tumblr. I didn't want to learn how to say "F*ggot" in Russian, but I did. They didn't expect me to understand and reply in Russian, and they never got back.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? … Tried to. I'm self-conscious about my writing, so it never got posted. I don't know if it ever will. It was just to see if I could, but for now I'd rather keep it personal.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written? Yes! I love making connections between things and fiction and see similarities and who inspired some others. I have She of Many Names, which is a Dragon Age with Lord of the Rings crossover. There's some Silmarillion, but as long as highlighting characters background goes. A person on Instagram commented on one artwork of my Lavellan (miss cinnamon "I cry if you tell me that there are kittens under the rain" roll) asking me if she was Sauron. I laughed so art imagining her as an evil overlady that I HAD TO write it. "It's all a big misunderstanding".

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? I haven't, but I'd love to!

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship? You'll pry HawkexMerrillxIsabela from my cold, dead hands. HawkexFenris has the best ANGST. FaramirxEowyn. Been there since I was 10, will probably die on that hill. I see the fascination of Solavellan, but Cullavellan is there above, of course. And, MaharielxMorrigan. I am surely forgetting something, but it's one case of "I am asked what's my favourite movie and suddenly my brain thinks we never saw ONE movie in our life".

OH OH OH EnjolrasxGrantaire. I SAID IT.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? I have another chapter half blorted down for One For the Road but I'm not feeling it. It's sliding towards a triangle and it's losing all the appeal to me.

16. what are your writing strengths? Oh shit, that's difficult ahahahahahah. As above, I'm self conscious about my prose. I'll try, tho.

Dialogue (been writing my own comics for years, those are just dialogue. I have exercise on that, ahahahah)

… angsty, emotional scenes?

People crying. watches Aisling

17. what are your writing weaknesses? Language and mispellings. English is not my first language, and as every person who speaks more than one, I have a very confused brain. I re-read my own writing again but there's always something missing. I also tend to write prose without a precise plan: I started writing fanfiction after YEARS of not writing prose after some comments that caught me in a moment when I was particularly fragile and convinced me my prose was never going to be ok. In order to ease me back into it, I started writing Monster Fic purposefully without a plan of action or a plotline not to stress myself too much and convince my brain it's just a hobby to relax. It worked, but in long fics I prefer having plans, I read it again and I think it shows that there's little planning ahead. When synthesis ability was being distributed, I was trying to pet a dog.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Uh, English not being my first language counts? xD Beside that: I wrote some SIMPLE lines in wannabe-Latin, some words here and there in French. If it's something long, tho, I'm against it. Personal preference, I'd rather have my readers understand what's being said if it's important, rather than showing that I know more than one language. Personal preference, I also tend not to like movies that are all done in dead languages that nobody speaks, with subtitle. Glad the writer can master ancient Latin, here's a cookie, now what.

19. first fandom you wrote for? … Inuyasha in middle school. I drew small comics for my friends over it. And, I drew a parody comic of the Iliad in my first year of high school, which is the first fandom with a COMPLETED fic.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written? … Still with the difficult questions AHAHAHAHAHAH. These two because I got to use friends' blorbos and I was so nervous but also had the best of times: - Three Cards Trick [ Maria Hawke becomes the official third Science Sibling. They adopt a skeleton. ] - Saving Grace [ Aisling as a companion for Kerry Hawke in DA2. She refuses to pay for elfroot, but will find a way to acquire "some" from the Templars. ]

- Could be Worse. [ Mahariel, Morrigan, and Aisling becomes Ghost Hunters in modern time New York. It should have been a scam. ] I live for quotations and it set my head on fire and it's yet another modern AU I'll get back to sooner or later.

- Death and all of His Friends. [ Raina Hawke, human disaster but mildly successfull trash raccoon, fucks up royally at the end of Act 2.] Originally prompted by salsedine but I'm linking the polished AO3 version. Raina Hawke won the lottery of having issues similar to mine, and writing her has always some form of therapy. But I did it, I like the three parts, and I completed it and posted it anyway.

- Not the Years but the Mileage. [ Booby traps in the Temple of Mythal. Cullen breaks stuff that should be in a museum. ] And this one because again, quotings. Arbor Wilds (that mission is flawed, but the environment? Not.). And that piece of dialogue where Aisling can't talk and Cullen just understands her mumbling.

- Something Fishy. [ Raina and Garrett Hawke, loyal knights at the court of the Red King of Amaranthine, gets sent on a... Fishy mission.] This was probably the funniest to write, and nothing. I thrive in angst or in absurd crack fics, and this by now is my peak crack.

... I wrote for years and I hope it was remotely interesting.

TAGGING BACK: @shivunin @ndostairlyrium @heniareth @oxygenforthewicked @rosella-writes @scribbledquillz @star--nymph @zenstrike and YOU who are reading.

[tequiilasunriise]

Honestly, can we please take a step back and laugh over how absolutely hilarious the spectrum that is humanity? This turned into a bit of a tangent so the muskrat dragging will be under the cut.

Like, on one hand we have Elon Musk who is throwing the world’s biggest, most publicized temper tantrum over random internet strangers being mean to him and rightfully calling his bullshit out. This man is trying so hard to cover his tracks after buying Twitter and time after time after time again he keeps being his worse enemy. If he would just shut his mouth and stop giving the rest of the world fuel to clown the fuck outta him, Twitter wouldn’t be actively burning to the ground in real time right now. Sure, these memes are incredibly funny and I am very much thriving over these homefires, but I do feel bad for those who relied on Twitter for business like small artists. This is only the iceberg tip of his vileness, mind you.

Moving on, on the other side of the spectrum we have the backbone of our society, truly the peak, dare I say the PINNACLE of humanity- softly apologetic ao3 writers. Literally some of my FAVORITE ao3 experiences is opening up the update and seeing author’s notes like, “I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in a while, my cat’s ovaries exploded and on the way to the hospital I got into a major car crash but don’t worry the doctor who took care of me was amazing and next thing you know we’re wives now with like, two kids and yes my cat is perfectly fine after all of this time.” Obviously this is a dramatization, but we all know and have seen those authors who literally went through the most traumatic, the most absolutely life-changing shit and STILL genuinely apologize to their readers for?? For what??? Not updating this Wenclair Griddlehark AU 200k words enemies to lovers slowburn??? Like, you are the least problematic person to ever exist please don’t ever apologize for not cranking out surprisingly well-written smut about some popular Tumblr Sexyman getting the wizzy dizzy glizzy gulp gulp guzzler 9000 because real life obligations got prioritized. 

(In all seriousness, yes, I love getting updates on my favorite fics as much as the next media enjoyer, but self care babes self careeeee. You may be a content creator of any variety, but you’re your own person first. Don’t ever feel the need to apologize for living your life because us shippers, shitposters, and all in-between can (and should) wait.)

tl;dr: The sheer duality of humanity is absolutely hilarious and I think we should talk about this more.

[mysicklove]

hi mello ! i’m feeling a bit bold (as far as bold goes considering i’m asking anonymously) i wanted to ask abt your opinion considering how yk like usually nsfw pages tend to strictly ban minors (rightfully so ofc) but then write content of characters who are minors aged up, and idk why but to me aging up the character never seemed right cuz doing so gives the space for others (like those ppl that would justify sexualizing young characters and then say ‘oh but they’re like this dragon hybrid thing so they’re actually 9000 years old) to use this as an excuse to make said nsfw content,,

but yeah,, no hate ofc !!!! just wanted to explore the reasoning behind aging up characters cuz i don’t fully understand it so i wanna hear someone else’s opinion and you seemed to be the most approachable

no pressure tho, if you don’t wanna answer that’s totally fine you don’t owe it to anyone x

take care !!

-🩰

hm. well, it’s because i literally do not give a fuck LOL

to me, it is drawings. they don’t have feelings, they don’t breathe, they aren’t human. they were made up. so, if they were made up to be a certain age by someone, what is stoping me from changing that age? they aren’t real…so idk man it just doesn’t seem immoral to me.

just like i age down characters for my big brother au, or i wrote a shit ton of characters as literal hybrids. it’s not real, so i can change characters in the way i see fit because i am an author. you are x reader fics, which in no way will ever be real, so i just don’t think that being able to change a characters age will do harm.

so when i see, for example, yuuji itadori, and i think that i am attracted to him, never in my mind does something flash the words “he is a minor” because to me…he isn’t, at least in my fics with him. it’s just the way you interpret it, and that’s what causes the “controversy” on tumblr.

i also see characters in my fics as prototypes? ig u can call it? with the same example, my yuuji x reader fics, he would look like yuuji itadori, act like yuuji itadori, but he isn’t. he isn’t written by gege, he isn’t animated by mappa. he is written by me, which means i have the power over him to do what i seen fit. if that is to write smut/romance, then he will be a adult, because I am an adult and i made this au. although neither of them are not real, they are two separate entities of each other

andddd this is completely different than minors irl. a drawing of something is completely different than a human being that is under the age of 18. tbh if you can’t separate fiction versus reality then…no offense but i do not see whoever you are as an intelligent being LOL. but that sounds mean, i am not bashing anyone who doesn’t agree with aging characters up, but it is the same people who bash on this who read/interact with dark content. like all of the sudden they can seprate fiction and reality when it regards to yandere…..

but like i said in the beginning, i don’t give a fuck what people do with my work.. if you want to interpret a character as a child, that’s disgusting, but it’s not my fault? if your mind is to think of a character as a child when reading smutty things, then you are sick in the head, but it’s not like my readings spurred it on. they will always be like that, regardless of what they are reading.

i write (95% of the time) for myself. i don’t see the character as a child, and honestly that’s all that matters to me at least. i can’t stop the small amount of people from having pedophilic thoughts about my work, but to be honest, i am not going to let that ruin my fun. i think about myself firstly — i am not a good person anon

hope this didn’t come across as rude, and when i say “you” i am not regarding you as yourself, ig i’m talking to people who shit on others who age characters up. not the people who disagree with it, and remain silent (respectful) about it

[citrinekay]

27, 32 and 37 for the weird questions for writers game if you feel like it!

I love your writing so much!!

Hi, thank you so much for the ask! I love being given the opportunity to talk about my fics/writing :))) 27. Who is the most stressful character you've ever written and why? Oh this is easy. John Silver from Black Sails, hands down. He's stressful because everything he says is a lie while at the same time, he feels Everything at level 9000. There is this constant discrepancy between what he is saying and what he is actually feeling. Massive characters details were purposefully left out by the writers, leaving humble fanfic authors like myself patching together what I DO have to create a whole picture from his POV while still trying to be true to the shadowy nature of the character from canon. Second place probably goes to Lee Dong-sik for similar reasons. He's a slippery guy to get your hands/mind around because he's always deflecting lol 32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you? This is tough. I've read a lot of good books, novels, and fanfics over the years but the very first passage that popped into my head is this one from James Baldwins' Giovanni's Room:

"I did not know what to do or where to go. I found myself at last along the river, slowly going home. And this was perhaps the first time in my life that death occurred to me as a reality. I thought of the people before me who had looked down at the river and gone to sleep beneath it. I wondered about them. I wondered how they had done it - it, the physical act. I had thought of suicide when I was much younger, as possibly, we all have, but then it would have been for revenge, it would have been my way of informing the world how awfully it had made me suffer. But the silence of the evening, as I wondered home, had nothing to do with that storm, that far-off boy. I simply wondered about the dead because their days had ended and I did not know how I would get through mine.

Pretty dark, I know. But this book is one of the best I've ever read and I would encourage anyone, especially folks identifying as LGBTQ+ in some way, to read it. It's a book not just about being gay but about not succumbing to fear and failing to let anyone in and love you. What it means to me is embracing my queer identity and opening the doors of my heart to let love in because in this whole world, it's the most important thing. 37. If you were remembered only by the words you put on the page, what would future historians think of you? I would love to think that historians would remember for me for my queer love stories about identity, home, and belonging, but lets be real. The world is not that nice to queer people. They would probably remember me for all my raunchy, filthy, kinky porn and consider me a hedonistic, irredeemable heathen. In the end, I suppose that's okay Send me a number from this ask game, Weird Questions for Writers, if you want to hear more!

[iboatedhere]

I absolutely love the secret service au. I think it may be one of my fave fics of yours (and thus fave of this fandom!). Do you have any idea when the next chapters be up?

Thank you!!

I’d like to get a little further into the 4th chapter than I am now. I’m at 9000 words with over a dozen scenes left. I think I want to try to knock a third of them out before I get the 2nd chapter up. I want to give myself plenty of room between what’s written/posted and what still needs to be written.

[shadowbends]

I posted 5,560 times in 2022

That's 2,468 more posts than 2021!

21 posts created (0%)

5,539 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@somescribblybits

@dontron-9000

@number5theboy

@camlations

@onaishi

I tagged 5,559 of my posts in 2022

#rottmnt - 1,905 posts

#leonardo - 1,067 posts

#donatello - 990 posts

#umbrella academy - 894 posts

#michelangelo - 851 posts

#i laughed - 818 posts

#raphael - 804 posts

#asdfghjkl - 571 posts

#five - 431 posts

#klaus - 282 posts

Longest Tag: 82 characters

#i’d bet $10 rise!april taught the boys how to do doughnuts in an empty parking lot

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I looked at my notifs, and one of my favorite ROTTMNT fanfic writers visited my blog??? The stars in my eyes you would not believe, screams—

11 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

#4

I don’t know if it’s turtles having me feeling nostalgic, but I’ve had such an itch to get involved in fandom lately. I’m not much of an artist, and I don’t feel quite brave enough to try my hand at fic again. Gosh, it has be over twelve years since the last time I wrote, and I’m just too rusty. 

The ROTTMNT fandom is super cute, though. I’m deeply enjoying all the fic and art and other creative fan content that crosses my path, and the fans seem very friendly. 

It makes me want to contribute too, even if it’s just in a small way. In line with that, I’m thinking of putting together a fic rec list? Just not sure how I want to go about doing it yet, I’m tossing around several ideas ranging from a simple list to... something a bit more ambitious. We’ll see how it goes.

Idk, though. It’s so funny to me that once again turtles have me feeling like this. I’ve dabbled here and there in other fandoms, but the only one I was actually ever a part of was the 2k3 TMNT series from back in the day. So it’s just kind of serendipitous that ROTTMNT would be the one to make me feel this way again. 

20 notes - Posted October 20, 2022

#3

STUFFED CRUST!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (BETWEEN 5,000 AND 15,000 WORDS)

Hello again, cultured turtle fans! Do you enjoy good fanfic? Hopefully so, because I’m back with more recs! Whether you’re new to the fandom and diving into the ROTTMNT fic scene for the first time, or a veteran looking for content you might have missed, my hope for this project is to point you to something you’ll enjoy!

This rec list is the second of three and focuses on short stories in the fandom, with a length between 5,000 and 15,000 words each. Much like a stuffed crust pizza, they’re the perfect option when you’re feeling for something indulgent, but don’t want to go all out. If you want to browse a little more though, feel free to check out the other lists below!

NEW YORK STYLE, BABY!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (UNDER 5,000 WORDS)

STUFFED CRUST!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (BETWEEN 5,000 AND 15,000 WORDS) — You’re here!

DEEP DISH!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (OVER 15,000 WORDS)

If you enjoy any of these fics, make sure to reblog and spread the love! Don’t forget to check out the other works by these authors; many of them have written multiple wonderful stories not featured here that are just as good. Additionally, consider leaving the authors a comment! I’m not always the best at that myself, but fic writers work hard and deserve all the love in the world.

Now, let’s get to the recs. Bon appétit!

➤ ➤ ➤ PRE-SERIES

The Corner Store by KicsterAsh

12,790 words, 5/5 chapters

Character Focus: Raphael & his brothers, w/ Splinter coming in later

Genre: Fluff, Adventure

“I know what I’m spending my three dollars on,” Raph said. He and Donnie dragged Leo to the machine, which was near the front desk of the store, and sat him down against the wall. “Make sure he doesn’t fall asleep,” Raph said to his other siblings, before rushing to the front desk.

The man, who had been watching them since they dragged Leo into view, looked at the turtle as he ran over. Raph tried ignoring that he noticed this and only looked back once he had reached the counter, where his chin just reached over the top.

“Hello, Mister,” Raph said as politely as he could in his urgency. “How much is a small cup of hot chocolate?”

The man pushed up his glasses and looked at the machine. “It’s two dollars and seventy-five cents after tax,” he said.

“I dunno what tax is, but here.” Raph slapped three dollars down on the counter and then pointed at the machine. “Can you show me how to pour one, please? I’ve never done it before.”

I have such a soft spot for this fic; it was one of the first I ever read for the fandom, and it has the perfect blend of adorable turtle tot hijinks with just enough risk involved to make you concerned and keep the story gripping. To summarize the premise: Splinter lets the boys play topside in the snow while he scavenges for food and supplies, but is gone longer than anticipated. As the hours pass and the temperature drops, a young Raphael decides to break the rules and seek out human shelter to keep his brothers from freezing. All of the turtles’ budding personalities shine through in this story, but good older brother Raph is especially a treat here.

Lost and Found (Family) by ashtreelane

7,007 words, 2/2 chapters

Character Focus: April & Michelangelo, April & The Family

Genre: Fluff, Adventure

"Wow!" April says, her eyes wide with fascination. "Are you some sort of…turtle alien?"

"Yeah! Well- not the alien part, but I am a turtle!“

"So how can you talk?" April asks, leaning in to peek into Mikey's head hole. Her voice echoes slightly in the shell.

"Cause I'm not allllll turtle, duh!" Mikey says, smiling. "Our dad doesn't really like to talk about it, but he says that we’re the product of parental love and ‘unholy sorcery’!

"Oh wow! That’s way more interesting than how I got born!"

After being left behind on a field trip and struggling to find a way home, a young April finds someone just as lost as herself. A charming little story that tells how April met the turtles for the first time.

responsibility by TheWhitesOfYourEyes

See the full post

101 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

#2

New York Style, Baby!! ROTTMNT Fanfic Recs (under 5,000 words)

Greetings, dudes and dudettes, and anyone in between! Do you enjoy good fanfic? Well, then you’ve come to the right place! As something of a collector of fics, I welcome you to peruse the many links below. Whether you’re new to the fandom and diving into the ROTTMNT fic scene for the first time, or a veteran looking for content you might have missed, my hope for this project is to point you to something you’ll enjoy!

This rec list is the first of three and focuses on ficlets in the fandom, with every one clocking in under 5,000 words. As such, all of them are also complete. Think of these as the New York Style pizza of fanfics: thin, but cheesy goodness that’s pre-sliced and ready to go when you have a killer craving, but no time to sit down. If you want to browse a little more though, feel free to check out the other lists below!

NEW YORK STYLE, BABY!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (UNDER 5,000 WORDS) — You’re here!

STUFFED CRUST!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (BETWEEN 5,000 AND 15,000 WORDS)

DEEP DISH!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (OVER 15,000 WORDS)

If you enjoy any of these fics, make sure to reblog and spread the love! Don’t forget to check out the other works by these authors; many of them have written multiple wonderful stories not featured here that are just as good. Additionally, consider leaving the authors a comment! I’m not always the best at that myself, but fic writers work hard and deserve all the love in the world.

With that said, sit back, relax, and let’s grab a slice!

➤ ➤ ➤ PRE-SERIES

An Act of Yokai Kindness by BiographyDivider

2,834 words, 1/1 chapter

Character Focus: Splinter & The Boys

Genre: Fluff, Angst

“Okay, boys,” Lou Jistu said, kneeling down to look his gaggle of sons in the face. “What are our Topside Rules?”

“Hats on all the time,” Blue said, pulling his beanie down a little further.

“Or hoods,” Purple chimed in, scowling at his brother for forgetting that he liked a big hood, not a tight hat. Lou nodded.

“And jackets buttoned up too, right? To your chinny-chin-chins?”

A darling little fic about Splinter taking the boys on a trip to the local library—what might be their last trip, as it’s become increasingly difficult to pass them off as human. Features both Turtle Tot goodness and some absolutely on-point Splinter characterization, and is just all around wholesome. 

Coming of Age, Coming to Terms by Drifting_Andromeda

4,018 words, 1/1 chapter

Character Focus: Leonardo & Splinter, Ensemble

Genre: Family Bonding, Fluff

“Huh.” Was all he said, which made Splinter chuckle.

“That’s not the reaction I was expecting.” The rat admitted.

“Really? What were you expecting?”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe some more denial? I was definitely in denial when I first realized I was attracted to men.”

Leonardo realizes something about himself on his 12th birthday, but struggles putting those feelings to words. Thankfully, his dad is there to both offer support and help him sort it out. 

Cradled Close by Poppyseed20

2,903 words, 2/2 chapters

Character Focus: Splinter & Leonardo, Ensemble

See the full post

121 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

DEEP DISH!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (OVER 15,000 WORDS)

It’s me again, folks. Do you enjoy good fanfic? We’re reaching the end of the line, but I’m here to hook you up! Whether you’re new to the fandom and diving into the ROTTMNT fic scene for the first time, or a veteran looking for content you might have missed, my hope for this project is to point you to something you’ll enjoy!

This rec list is the last of three and focuses on longfic in the fandom, with a word count reaching anywhere over 15,000 words. You’ll find a variety of fic here, from novellas to full-blown novels—some complete, but many still ongoing! Though it may be heresy on the streets of New York, this is the list you want when you’re craving something really thick to sink your teeth into: a sit-down experience exploding with flavor. Don’t have time for that, actually? Then consider checking out my previous rec lists as well!

NEW YORK STYLE, BABY!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (UNDER 5,000 WORDS)

STUFFED CRUST!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (BETWEEN 5,000 AND 15,000 WORDS)

DEEP DISH!! ROTTMNT FANFIC RECS (OVER 15,000 WORDS) — You’re here!

If you enjoy any of these fics, make sure to reblog and spread the love! Don’t forget to check out the other works by these authors; many of them have written multiple wonderful stories not featured here that are just as good. Additionally, consider leaving the authors a comment! I’m not always the best at that myself, but fic writers work hard and deserve all the love in the world.

With all of that said, it’s time for the recs. Let’s dig in!

Quick note: On previous lists, I separated the recs by the general time period they took place in. I’m not going to that here, largely because—uh. Well. Nearly all of them are post-movie! This fandom’s sure been active in the last couple of months, huh? Given that, I’ll be sorting them by a broader method, but yes. If you’ve not seen the movie, this is your warning that spoilers abound in the recs below. 

➤ ➤ ➤ CANON COMPLIANT

The Aftermath by Starrcrossrose

57,262 words, 9/? chapters (last updated 11/03/2022)

Character Focus: Everyone (Leo-centric)

Genre: Angst, Family Drama, Hurt/Comfort

It would’ve been easier to say what he was feeling, but he honestly didn’t know how. He wasn’t sure why, either. He knew his brothers would understand and comfort him and be there if he wanted them to be. Hell, Donnie’s surprise sleepover and everyone showing up for it in the living room had been proof of that.

Yet he still couldn’t do it. He’d tried to talk to Donnie and the pain on his brother’s face had been enough to make him never want to speak about things ever again. He didn’t want them to hurt the way he did; he wanted them to be okay and normal and happy.

You know they aren’t happy. Why do you keep pretending to be fine when the others aren’t either?

Leo squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face into his knees as he pulled himself into an even tighter ball. He wanted to go into his shell as much as possible, but at the same time, a searing energy was making his legs feel like he could run or swim for miles. He could just go and go and go until he collapsed.

Maybe… maybe that'll help.

Set a few months after the movie, Leo struggles with the long recovery time needed for his injuries to heal, both physical and mental. Unable to talk about it, he turns to unhealthy coping methods instead. The rest of the family is doing no better from the fallout of the invasion, however, with each of their own stresses mounting the longer things go unaddressed. That is until Chapter 8, when things come to a head...

There are a lot of post-movie recovery fics out there, each one unique. The Aftermath’s hallmark has to be in its slowburn foreshadowing, and excellent character writing. Throughout many chapters, we get a glimpse into the heads of just about every beloved character the series has to offer, including April and Casey Jr. Little clues to what’s going to go wrong are set up early on, but just like the characters, I was blind to how serious of a turn things were about to take until the problem finally reared its head. This fic does a good job of showing how important it is to talk to one another, even if it’s hard.

Aftershocks by Katiemonz, McBethins, octolingkiera, theashemarie, and this_kills_the_man

153,543 words, 12/15 chapters (last updated 11/06/2022)

Character Focus: Everyone

Genre: Family Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

“Good game,” Leo said to Donnie, smiling at Mikey in the same sly way as before.

“Thank you, Leonardo, but as I’ve said Uno is—”

“But you still lost,” Leo continued. He swept the cards up and began to straighten them for another shuffle.

“Second place is hardly—”

“Honorary title,” Leo cut in again. “Mikey won, so we owe him.”

See the full post

268 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[vinkunwildflowerqueenupdates]

Wicked Fanfics- Author’s Favourites

Here’s some of my favourite Wicked fanfics that I’ve written:

After Forever: They once promised one another "for as long as you're mine". They have six months of marriage counselling to work out if their marriage can be saved. Fiyeraba. Post-canon. 120,000 words. 31 chapters.

An Autocorrect Arrangement: The moral of this story is: always proofread your texts. Fiyeraba. Modern AU. 61,000 words, 20 chapters.

Blackout There's a blackout at Shiz. Gen. Shiz-era. Not canon compliant. 3200 words.

Come What May Elphaba and Fiyero have the world at their feet, they're young and in love. But there's so much more to overcome. Fiyeraba. Not canon compliant. 129,000 words. 41 chapters.

Exhale The moment Fiyero stopped breathing, and the moment he was able to breathe again. Fiyeraba. Canon compliant. 3000 words.

Haunting You Fiyero feels like he lives a false life as captain of the Gale Force. But he can't escape Elphaba. Fiyeraba. Canon compliant. Intermission fic. 3000 words.

Life’s Epochs When the woman who cares for his youngest daughter leaves Munchkinland, Frexspar Thropp must hire a new governess. Frex/OC. Gen. Not canon compliant. Part of the Life's Epochs series. 51,000 words. 19 chapters.

Long Time Coming After a fight with her father over her future, Elphaba flees Munchkinland for the Emerald City, determined never to go back and to take control of her own life. Fiyeraba. Not canon compliant. 99,000 words. 31 chapters.

On a Night Like This Fiyero finds Elphaba returning from the library and tells her a story about the stars. Pre-Fiyeraba. Not canon compliant. Shiz-era. 2700 words.

peace "Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?" Fiyeraba. ALAYM. Canon compliant. 3000 words.

Reality Bites The Shiz gang watch The Bachelor. Modern-ish AU. Gen. Not canon compliant. Shiz-era. 3400 words.

Save My Soul Frex outsources a parental duty to the local minister. Fiyeraba. Not canon compliant. 5000 words.

Saviour Fiyero takes Elphaba to see that not everyone is festivating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. Fiyeraba. Post canon. 2200 words.

Sins of the Father Frexspar Thropp's relationship with his eldest daughter has never been easy, but now it's at breaking point. Greater powers decide it's time to intervene. Gen. Fiyeraba. Not canon compliant. 14,000 words. 5 chapters.

The Governor’s Gambit Governor Frexspar Thropp can think of nothing more ridiculous than the idea of his eldest daughter dating the Vinkun prince. Gen. Fiyeraba. Not canon compliant. 9000 words. 4 chapters.

This is how the story ends Fiyero and Elphaba's story comes to an end. Fiyeraba. Not canon compliant. OC centric. Part of the Life's Epochs series. 5600 words.

Until the end of time Elphaba is ready for the next great epoch of her life- Shiz University. Fiyeraba. Alternate Universe. 165,000 words. 38 chapters.

[bookwyrminspiration]

Shattered Upside Down

A kotlc wings au: masterpost here

Chapter 13: The Abandoned

word count: 8.8k

chapter summary: Confused, Sophie searches for answers to the mysteries of her friends, but what she finds may be more than she can handle.

warnings: brief descriptions hinting at a place with a bad past, caves and darkness, mention of a rotting skeleton (like one sentence), panicking, swearing, intentional misuse of grammar for dramatic effect, and I think that's everything!

taglist: I’ll reblog with it. let me know if you want to be added or removed

This is one of the longest chapters I've ever written help--but also, enjoy!! It feels like so much happens and yet nothing at all, but I had a lot of fun with this one

ao3 link here or read below the cut

A million little slivers of starlight burned beneath Marella’s skin, marking her position in the sky. Had she not known better, Sophie would’ve thought she was burning alive from the inside out, tumbling through the sky like that.

Brrr, it whispered, rubbing against her leg.

Dumbstruck, she didn’t even register the sensation.

“Where on Earth is she going,” she marveled, watching Marella’s form move further and further away, intention and dedication mirroring her every move.

It was only that crystal clear eyesight that enabled her to pick out the details. Black leggings and a black long-sleeved shirt adorned her body, clearly intending to hide. Yet the dark fabric couldn’t hide the stark shine of her wings against the night, lighting her up like a beacon.

Thudding its head against her leg, the little creature finally got through to her. “Wait, how did you know about this,” she hissed down at it, eyes still tracking Marella.

It didn’t respond.

Hesitating for only a moment, she groaned. “Well, I have to make sure, she’s okay, right?” Her logic fell flat, the all-consuming curiosity and faint betrayal urging her forward. This was justified. She needed to follow her, to be there in case something happened. She couldn’t just go wandering off like that, she reasoned.

Yeah! She was just being a concerned friend, worried what Marella was getting herself into. Nothing more. It was unusual behavior, so Marella couldn’t get mad at her for being worried.

Never mind that she’d done the exact same thing and hadn’t faced the consequences.

“Are you coming, too?” She asked, as if the thing would respond. It just shook itself off, padding beside her as she moved along the platform, looking for a better spot to take off from.

There. Up ahead a bridge lay with open sky above it, free from the dense trees dominating this area. She’d even bet that’s where Marella herself had taken off from. Secluded, away from the rest of them all, easy to disappear; she’d thought this through, Sophie realized.

The clothing, the location--all those questions from before. Something wasn’t adding up.

Taking no more than a few seconds to tie her hair back with a spare elastic on her wrist, Sophie took off at a sprint, pushing off into the night.

Wind rushed past her ears, drowning out several of her thoughts as she ducked low, sticking close to the canopy of trees populating the forest. Marella’s wings kept her from maneuvering as easily down here, so if Sophie stayed low, perhaps she’d be harder to notice.

The thought nearly stopped her short--why was she trying to hide from a friend?

Well, she started hiding things, first, she reasoned, pushing past the guilt and doubts marring her vision, infecting her resolve in her own justification. She never answered the question.

A flickering shadow shivered through her peripherals, the little echo gaining traction ahead of her as it moved through the tops of the trees, silent, like the woods knew it and accommodated its every whim.

Marella stayed clearly visible up ahead, but the further they flew from the village, the more confident she seemed to become in her movements, more determined. Her pace increased, and Sophie nearly crashed into a few particularly crooked branches sticking out as she matched speed. At this rate, she felt as though she could teleport, that’s how quickly the two of them were moving, a chill spreading through her body as lost clothing did nothing against the rush of the sky against her skin, horrid and pulling and unforgiving.

And still Marella appeared none the wiser to her presence.

Trees became fewer and farther between, rocks and tumbling landscape taking over the area in their stead; Sophie ducked even lower to avoid notice--while her wings wouldn’t give her away by sight, the light grey of her shirt might, especially alongside those thick white bandages wrapped around what felt like her entire body; Elwin hadn’t taken them off yet.

Elwin. A flurry of guilt bombarded her, stealing the very air from her lungs. She was digging her own grave with each minute she let him stay, let him learn, let him in. She’d have to take him back eventually, and the world would come crashing down when she did.

What a risky game she loved to play.

Marella’s trajectory shifted without warning, dipping downwards exponentially, ground rushing up to meet her. Far enough away, there was no sound as she made contact with the ground.

Sophie slowed, drifting to the blanketed ground, the buzz behind her fading in the wind as her feet met rock. There was practically nothing out here, just flat expanses of stone and rich moss, the vegetation creeping underground rather than growing upwards like she was used to.

Except for the boulders.

Scattered throughout the place were boulders of deep grey rock, slightly taller than her in height. But it was their unnatural roundness that unsettled her, nearly perfectly spherical in shape.

Marella moved, and with a start Sophie dropped to the ground. Shit. Flat expanses. One wrong move and anyone--Marella--could see her. It’d been so much easier to hide when she’d been along the trees, the foliage, part of a crowd.

Mistakes tumbled into landslides within her mind, cascading down down down as she realized the severity of the hole she’d dug herself into. Not even a ruminating, hesitating thought had passed through her mind before she’d leapt into the sky after Marella, who was currently hastily making her way through the field of rocks, heading for something unseen up ahead.

Scrambling, she darted to a crouch behind one of the nearest boulders in; Sophie tried to think for once in her life.

She had no clue where they were, why Marella was out here, or what she’d find if she carried on, but she knew one thing for certain. She wouldn’t leave Marella alone. Even as she sat there, the rustle of the woods behind her frothed with unnatural sounds, claws tapping against trees, the rough thump of heavy-set footsteps on an Earth not built to bear them.

Holding her breath, Sophie peered around the boulder only to find Marella nearly vanished from view, moving steadily downwards, jutting rock and overgrown foliage blocking her line of sight. But the sound of her moving remained, barely audible over the wind.

Shifting, she leaned her weight forward, intending to press herself up, to maneuver around some of the obstacles atop this otherwise flat expanse, her only defense against discovery.

Losing her footing, her shoulder--still not fully healed--knocked into the boulder with enough force to shift it, a deep grating sound rumbling from the ground as it scratched against rough terrain.

A few pebbles loosened, just enough to unsettle the thing, and with dawning horror Sophie realized it was going to tumble away from her, completely giving her away. Rocks didn’t just move on their own.

Acting on instinct, Sophie dug her fingers in, as though she could somehow keep several thousand pounds of rock still, as though she could hold it back.

It worked.

The noise quieted as she strained, not wanting to breathe but not daring to hold it, a steady in and out as her muscles pulled taught. Eyes wide as they could go, she froze.

Marella’s footsteps had paused up ahead [mention them earlier], now sounding closer and closer with each step. She was coming back.

Sophie didn’t notice. Her attention was focused on her hands, the one’s grasping that boulder like her life depending on it, holding it steady.

She’d clawed gouge marks into its surface.

Each place her fingertips met, an indent caved in, the sheer force of her grasp tearing it apart. She hadn’t even meant to, had just wanted to keep it still, keep it quiet.

It was quiet, too quiet.

A hand clapped over her mouth from behind.

“Don’t move,” they hissed, nails digging into the skin of Sophie’s cheek as she started to struggle. Everything within her fizzled out, replaced by a numb, hollow echo of that panic.

Biana? She asked, reaching her mind out behind her. That voice, she’d know that voice anywhere, the cherry blossom aroma that clung to her skin, now pressed to her face

Her mouth would’ve fallen open were it not held closed as she tried to look around, instead catching a glance at her hands on the rock surface. Or rather, at where they should have been. Nothing occupied the space, as though she weren’t even there.

Biana had vanished the both of them.

“Come to visit, huh?” Marella called out, footsteps growing louder amongst the quiet moss.

Eyes wide, both of their heads snapped to the side, the source of the sound. Could she see them? How?

Only...Marella wasn’t there.

Brrr, the echo mumbled, crawling around from atop the boulder, jumping to the ground. Frozen, she tried not to breathe. Maybe Marella hadn’t noticed the two of them at all.

“You’re going to help me,” she stated, and with a start she realized Marella was coming around the boulder, directly towards them.

Biana shifted behind her, leaning back slightly as she pulled Sophie along, hands pressed so tight against her face she was worried her blood flow would never recover.

Brrr, it said again, rubbing its face against an edge of the boulder as Marella came into view, mere feet away. Biana was shaking against her skin, anxious yet unforgiving with her grip.

Her legs ached something fierce, but Sophie refused to give herself even a moment of reprieve. Any movement could alert Marella to her presence, and she couldn’t figure out the right way to explain this if they were caught.

Marella reached down, and Sophie nearly stopped breathing. A touch of space separated their arms, so precarious she could’ve sworn she felt the shift of the wind with it. Her heart had gotten itself lodged in her throat, the press of Biana’s skin against her own the only thing keeping her lips from quivering.

Exhaling, Marella picked up the creature, hoisting it into her arms, and it went along with it, just sitting there.

Brrr, it postulated, looking very much like a cat with the way it folded in on itself and turned into a liquid as she held it.

Not seeming to bother with anything else, she turned, her face becoming more visible, and Sophie cringed away, frightened by something she didn’t entirely understand.

A feverish light had taken hold behind Marella’s vacant eyes, burning with something that wasn’t quite her. Eyes too wide, smile too flat, limbs too loose, her blood-red wings readjusted themselves a few times as she stood, stirring the air as she began to walk away.

What-- Biana started in her mind, knocked out of some stupor as she tried to understand the friend before her.

Quiet, Sophie hissed back, mental shields reinforcing themselves on instinct. Her focus had slipped more than once recently. With the mindbubble and the proximity, it'd be her luck that her thoughts would be broadcast to everyone when she was specifically doing something she wasn’t supposed to, feet away from someone she was spying on.

Neither of them moved as they listened to the sound of those retreating footsteps, not until they’d been gone for several minutes did Biana’s grip on her face loosen, retreating back a few steps as she stumbled to the ground, sitting with her legs splayed out in front of her.

With precision and more than a little chagrin, Sophie carefully peeled her fingers away from the surface of the boulder, the little craters she’d left behind to decorate it, ensuring it wouldn’t shift the moment she let go.

That was too close, Biana whispered, hands braced on the back of her neck, looking off into the distance. They breathed for a moment, letting the adrenaline calm from their systems, but not to the point of complacency.

Every so slowly, Sophie turned to face Biana. Adorned in what looked like pajamas, soft maroon pants paired with a button up in the same shade, she looked entirely out of place in this rocky landscape. But of course, it was the wings that drew her attention, like always; colorful and splayed wide behind her, their scaled sunset pattern on full display, yet she somehow managed to keep from being dwarfed beneath them. A simple braid kept her hair out of her face, dark with moisture, like she’d just gotten out of a shower.

Entirely out of place was more than a correct description. What are you doing here?

What are you doing here, she countered crossing her arms with contempt from her position on the ground, looking up at her.

Sophie flushed, gritting her teeth, utterly caught. I was concerned for Marella.

And I was concerned for you. Still am, but Marella’s deal seems a little weirder right now, so I’m focusing more on that. Biana leaned forward, starting to get up, wings flapping slightly behind her, flickering in and out of view in time with her body.

How did...how did you find…she trailed off, not even sure what she was trying to say. They didn’t have time for this.

Biana dusted herself off, shaking some of the pollen from Sophie’s skin out of her dirtied pajamas. Sneaking around is my thing, Foster. Can you blame me for being curious when you started moving around the place at odd hours? I mean, you walked right past my house.

Had she? She hadn’t paid very close attention, just trying to puzzle out what the creature was doing--the creature.

Yes, I can. But that’s not important right now. Do you know what’s going on with Marella? she asked, already turning away, hurrying around the boulder and out into whatever lay beyond. The footsteps had faded away, so she’d need to move a little quicker to catch back up, figure out what was going on.

That conversation from earlier today just...didn’t sit right, a ship caught in a whirlpool within her stomach, tumbling down and down and down the hollow waves, dangerously close to capsizing. The questions, the avoidance...the guilt.

Is something wrong? Biana countered, reaching out to lock her fingers around Sophie’s wrists. Enhance me, it’ll be easier. The last part was added on as an afterthought.

Nodding in agreement, she plucked at the strings of her enhancing to release it, an electric hum shivering through her body, traveling into Biana’s skin, the two of them vanishing as one.

I...don’t know. I wanted to check, but I didn’t know how to ask. I tried, earlier today I mean, but it didn’t go well. I pried.

Something indescribable flickered in the forefront of Biana’s mind, but she said nothing as Sophie began pulling her along, impatient and fueled by nerves frying themselves to shreds.

Can you track her? Biana asked, quiet, almost hesitant.

Blinking, she stopped in her tracks. Oh. Yeah. That’s a thing I know how to do.

Closing her eyes to block out all the sensory information she could, she raised both hands to her temples, more a habit than a necessity at this point. Biana’s hand slid from her wrist down her arm, coming to rest on her shoulder, never breaking contact.

Pushing out her mind, she focused on the quiet rage, the pain Marella’s presence always brought, the glimmer of something more always out of sight, but there. Broadcasting her search in pulsating waves, she aimed them towards the direction she knew Marella had gone, the maze of tortured moss and rock, vast and unknowable.

Presences flickered all around her and she shuddered. So many thoughtless, hollow creatures, wandering the Earth yet dead in all the ways that mattered. It was cruel, whoever put them out into the world, to look at something so full of life and choose to unmake it into something of your own.

Faintly, she could feel Biana running her fingers through her hair, untangling a few of the knots she’d acquired over the flight. With each passing second she grew more and more restless, desperate for the feeling of Marella to light up her mind.

Anything yet? Biana asked, sounding a little preoccupied, like she was trying to work her way through a flurry of obstacles to voice the thought.

Frustrated, Sophie gritted her teeth, sending out a stronger push. I can’t--

Heat blossomed in her mind, a few of Marella’s disjointed thoughts exploding into color in the distance.

I got it! she exclaimed, bouncing slightly on her feet, feeling the grin splicing her face spread wider. Wait. Where...where is that.

The exuberance trickled out of them, the momentary victory not enough to explain what she’d found. Marella was...underground. At least, that’s what her mind was telling her, the origin of those echoing thoughts distinctly lower than ground level, and moving further downwards with each passing second.

Well, what are we waiting for? Biana countered, slipping her hand across her skin to interlace her fingers with Sophie, the more powerful energy transfer in her palms making them both jump a little. Here, I’ll help lead the way, just like in Nightfall.

Sophie’s eyes remained closed as Biana took control of Sophie’s physical well-being, helping lead her through various labyrinths of moss and rocks and dead twigs so she wouldn’t trip over them as she went, leaves blown from the forest behind them scattered throughout, only detectable by the crunching beneath their feet.

It feels wetter here, Sophie mumbled into Biana’s mind, a chill lighting her skin, yet up ahead the pulse of Marella’s mind remained constant. Stagnant, she realized, remained the air against her skin. Wait. What’s blocking the wind?

They’d come to a stop, slowing down as Biana pulled back on her wrist, fingers tightening.

Biana hesitated a moment before replying, as though uneasily looking around. I...think you should open your eyes, Sophie.

What? she replied, startled, though her eyes were already opening at the first inclination she should. Oh.

This is…

What am I...what am I even looking at? Sophie asked, utterly bemused.

Before them, a deep depression began, cutting through the land. Rock coated in moisture and dying moss tumbled down the terrain--stairs, she realized. Carved into the form of the area in such a way it took a moment to find, but those were deliberately placed. Reaching down without a rail--unsafe, if anyone asked her--those steps and chaotic rock formations descending downwards, steeper than any she’d ever seen before in her life, leading down down down into the Earth.

A cave. You’re looking at a cave, Biana told her, mental voice a little shaky.

She was right, the vast, looming space beckoning her forward looked like a cave, but--

Why would Marella sneak away to a cave? she asked, because down those precarious steps, into that jagged, leering mouth, was that ever-burning presence moving down down down into its depths.

Biana took a breath before responding. Let’s find out.

Sophie didn’t trust her body to take her down those steps with her eyes closed, so she kept them open for this part of the journey. Biana also let go of her, and she blinked as her body came back into view. Marella was far enough ahead that neither of them were worried about being seen anymore, but they liked to have the option open. Who knew what else was out here and relied on sight to hunt.

Her fingertips grew slick and moist from the moss covering those barely stairs, heart thundering into her ribs as she nearly turned the stairway into a slide, losing her balance badly enough she knew she would have coasted all the way to the bottom and crashed just a few weeks before.

But not now. Now, her wings steadied her, held her aloft with a hum as she regained her footing and continued on, Biana a few moments behind.

I’m ruining these pajamas, she commented, sounding more amused than annoyed.

That’s what you’re thinking about right now? Sophie questioned, bewildered as she turned back to make a face at her. It kept her mind off the way the air became stale. There was something else to it, something more than just stagnation that haunted the scent. It was...metallic.

Biana nodded solemnly, fingering the cuffs of her shirt, which were now dark with water. We should’ve flown. Her wings fluttered slightly behind her to emphasize the point.

I’ll keep that in mind next time we walk down a hidden path into a cave in the middle of the night.

Holding up her hands in faux surrender, like she was giving in just this once to keep her happy, Biana grinned at her. Then flinched. They both did.

It was difficult not to when the steps dropped off so suddenly, a gaping ledge at the edge of the entrance

Just another step and they’d enter the cave properly, not just the depression it was sunken into.

We’re really doing this, Biana whispered, awed.

Sophie just nodded, stealing herself for only a moment, then pressed forward, jumping off the edge into the open air.

The hum as they opened and caught her echoed throughout the space, leering back at her in a mocking imitation of herself. But she didn’t care. Not as she hovered there, back muscles straining as she turned around to look back at Biana, to encourage her to take the leap.

But Biana was already in the air, gaining height and momentum as she soared over Sophie, spinning about in a pretty loop before coming back down to meet her in the air.

Sophie thought she was smiling, but it was difficult to see her in the dark and night vision had never been a strength of hers. See. I told you we should’ve been flying.

Yeah, sure. She rolled her eyes affectionately, but it couldn’t ease the anxiety the dark brought. All the jokes, all the teasing with each other, all it could do was distract from the burning curiosity at the back of her throat, the reckless abandon with which she’d thrown herself into this situation.

Marella had walked into this cave alone, so they could do it together.

They’d put this off too long.

A faint bit of light still shone through from the gaping entrance, the moonlight bidding them one final farewell before they found something they’d never be able to undiscover.

Marella was down here somewhere, she realized with a start. Marella was down here somewhere, all alone.

Sophie cast her mind up ahead to regain that sense of direction she’d lost when opening her eyes, to figure out where the hell in these gaping caverns she’d gone. Her human family had gone to Carlsbad once on a vacation, but that had been a controlled cave with paths and railings, not at all like this uneven, natural cacophony of rock.

That burning spark had moved further and further away, but Sophie had enough of a latch on it now that she was confident they could trail Marella.

That was until her mind vanished entirely, extinguishing like a doused torch.

It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. A few minutes of bumbling their way through the dark, trying their damnedest not to make a noise.

If they could hear the dripping of the water off to their side, ringing through caverns and echoing through the air, then surely the sound of them moving--well, Sophie moving--could be heard up ahead. And with Marella’s mind vanishing, she was taking absolutely no chances.

Go go go go go. It was all she could think to say, desperation pushing her forward. Marella had to be okay. She had to be. There was simply no other option, no other ending Sophie would accept.

She didn’t want to think about why minds went silent.

Sophie--down there, Biana called out, though her sense of urgency was much less panicked and more determined. A fire had been lit behind her eyes, her mind entrenched in lighter fluid catching quick. There was no hesitation in her voice as she angled sharply down, towards the cave floor.

No, not the floor--there was something there.

Right before she slammed into the ground, Biana pulled back up, coming to rest on a small expanse of flat, stable ground half-hidden behind a myriad of other shapes and shadows. Her wings flapped anxiously behind her, at least that’s what Sophie thought.

Sophie followed, coming to a less dramatic landing, but she still nearly lost her footing, unable to see what she’d stepped on in the dark. Catching herself, nearly hitting Biana in the process of regaining what little sense of balance she had.

Frowning, she reached down, feeling along the ground to try and find the thing she’d stepped on, because it certainly hadn’t been rock. No, it had shifted and moved, unconnected to the ground. There, her fingers made contact, and she scooped it into a hand.

What’s that? Biana asked, reaching out blindly in the dark until her fingertips met Sophie’s, pulling the two of them closer together.

Running her hand up and down to try and get a feel for it in the dark, she fumbled about for an explanation. It’s like some kind of...stick. But-- her palms rubbed against something rough adorning the top, and she stopped short.

But what?

Sophie rubbed her fingers together, now oily and slick, the scent emanating from them familiar in an unsettling way. But she didn’t know where she would’ve seen something like this before aside from brief mentions of advancements in her human history classes.

It's...a torch. She mumbled, disbelief coloring the words. Like a rudimentary human torch.

Because those were flammable oils coating her fingers, soaking through the rope crudely tied around the top of the stick. Why would Marella need a torch? Was this Marella’s?

Turning to Biana, she held it out tentatively. Was this what you saw down here?

No, she replied, the faint sound of moving air accompanying her shifting wings. That was.

Frowning, Sophie took a breath. She’d need to work on her night vision in order to get through the next few minutes. Concentrating, she started off into the darkness, letting the little flickers and the knowledge that there was light somewhere in this cave guide her, her eyesight shifting just enough that everything became just a tad bit clearer. No longer was the world made of shadows, it was only haunted with them.

Blinking, she saw Biana’s arm extended, pointing to something, heart thundering in her chest and seeming to echo through the cavern.

Sophie turned.

And her heart stopped dead in her chest, stuttering through the next few beats as the burst of adrenaline hit her system.

They needed to find Marella and they needed to find her now.

Because her mind had found just enough light to discern the details in the cave wall, the claw marks gouged into the side, the spacing belonging to something much larger than she’d ever seen before.

But it was what she saw above it that gave her such pause, breath catching in her throat.

There was a symbol carved into a solid metal door, sitting agape in the shadows.

An eye, the same one that had been haunting her all those years ago and come back with such vengeance when her back was turned.

And a chain, intertwined throughout.

Sophie was through the door before she’d even decided to open it, Biana pressing in right behind her. It was left ajar; whoever had last passed through here hadn’t the time or the care to shut it. And for that she was grateful, because as she wrapped her fingers around it to push it open she realized it was several inches thick, complete with a complex latching system that had just been abandoned to the elements.

Stepping forward, several balefire sconces leapt to life along the walls, but their placement was scattered, as though multiple were missing or broken. Retreating, they winked out, only the vague shapes she could pick out on her own accompanying her. Testing, she inched forward, letting those lights ignite once again, illuminating the next few dozen feet.

The walls were solid cold stone, matte rock curving into carved pillars reaching off towards the ceiling alongside the length of the hall. It was all deep slate with a perfectly smooth finish.

Except for the claw marks gouged into the stone. Every few feet, another set could be seen, same as those outside.

Something terrible had once roamed this place, maybe still did.

Biana slipped her fingers between Sophie’s, squeezing tight as she exhaled in one big breath beside her, rhythmic, as though she were counting.

Ugh, what is she doing, Biana groaned with faux annoyance, but it couldn’t hide the tremor upsetting her mind. Sophie didn’t have time to be anxious, each passing second her heartbeat growing louder.

Questions later, she deadpanned, squeezing Biana’s hand back as she started off down the hallway. A rush of something unsettling devoured her skin, and in the flickering cast of those balefire sconces she realized could no longer see herself.

Drifting around them as they moved, the air had an...unnerving quality that she couldn’t put her finger on. It wasn’t stagnant, but it tasted almost...sterile. Too clean, artificial in a way that brought back childhood memories she’d rather forget.

As they picked up speed, fires kept igniting in front of them, more and more sconces reaching infinitely ahead, the patterns repeating themselves again and again. Pausing, she looked around, trying to see if there was anything in this hall. It couldn’t just continue like this, right?

Looking over her shoulder, only pitch black space met her. Apparently, the lights went out once you got far enough away.

Sophie Foster and Biana Vacker stood in a puddle of light in the middle of an eternal hallway, unseeing of anything on either side.

Look--the claw marks, Biana noted, her hand materializing in midair just long enough to gesture to the walls.

Tilting her head to the side, Sophie stepped a little closer, trying to see what Biana was noticing. Five deep scratches had been carved into the wall, but they weren’t humanoid in any way.

Materializing again for a brief second, her disembodied hand pointed off to their left.

Another scratch in the walls, the same five tears into that stone finish. Sophie didn’t need any direction to note the third instance, this one off to the right. Like Clockwork, every few sections of wall separated by those pillars were gouged out and cracked, having been torn through by something much bigger than the two of them.

But what does it mean, she asked herself, reaching her free hand out to finger the marks. Her fingertips were still slick with that oil, and she left glistening fingerprints on the walls every crack she touched.

The wall gave beneath her caress, something clicking in a way that would’ve been silent to anyone except her and that new hearing.

Biana pulled her back with a start, fingers tightening as her other hand came up to rest on Sophie’s chest, protective. But it was too late.

Moving on silent mechanics, the wall began to depress, sliding back and folding in on itself, curving around like some scene from Labyrinth to make an opening in the wall.

A doorway.

The hall wasn’t just infinite off into eternity--they’d been passing by doors the entire goddamned time.

Ecstasy lit her up inside like a switchboard, the stark relief that there was something something something and they were making progress.

Poking in her head, just to take a brief look around, she felt Biana pulling slightly ahead, moving into the room in its entirety. Sophie chose to stay closer to the door, just in case it started to close behind them. And maybe she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of just walking into a room underground without a backup plan to escape.

A few scattered flames flickered into existence, triggered by something they didn’t understand just like all the others. The light cast the room into uncertain shadows, but it was enough to see by. Tables, long a slender, wrapped around one half of the room, the other--

Her heart stumbled in her chest, a deep, instinctual fear telling her to run run run to get out while she still could.

It hit her then, what childhood memory this place reminded her of. The smell.

A hospital. It smelled sterile and stagnant like a hospital, like too much antiseptic and clean metal, like overhead lights buzzing in your ear and the crinkle of plastic and paper--easy to dispose of.

This is a facility, she choked out, stumbling out of the room, pulling Biana with her. She still couldn’t see her, but she could feel the tremble of her fingers in her hand, could hear the way her heart had picked up a beat, smell the sweat slicking from her palms.

There’d been several smaller facilities, hidden places scattered around the world, but none had been as fearsome as that original one. The one where everything had gone so wrong.

But that didn’t mean places like this one didn’t exist, offshoots to make sure not everything was localized, keeping animals and monsters and poking around with them or whatever they did.

Because that was a cage on the other side of the room, thick bars bent and twisted and unfurling themselves from the walls. Whatever had been kept there no wanted to be kept, had let itself out. She just hoped it wasn’t still somewhere within these walls, this hall.

That explained the symbol outside, at the very least.

Breath quickening, Sophie moved to the opposite side of the hall, pressing her fingers to about the same spot, moving her hand around until that same click sounded, the wall unfurling into a door revealing more of the same desolate decor, the sterile air.

In this room, though, there were spilled vials of various colorful liquids spreading all over the table. Deep red crusted the edges of notebooks and papers littered on every surface and floor, wrinkling and warping their appearance. Jagged and elegant, she couldn’t understand the runes written on the papers.

That wasn’t the worst thing in the room, though. No, she realized, as Biana let out a little squeak, grip tightening in Sophie’s like all that stood between the end of the world and the world itself was the two of them.

Rotted and crumbling, a skeleton sat behind the bars of this room, curling in and out of itself, sprawled in the corner, some parts a polished white and others coated in dried sinew and lingering skin. Inhuman in every sense of the word, but there was something in the back of her mind that couldn’t help but recognize the thing, to see it and understand it on some level.

Biana pulled her back out of the room. We have to find Marella--now.

I know. I know. But I don’t know how! she groaned, reaching a hand up to brace on the top of her head, like there was just some answer she could find to make this all fix itself. She’d fixed too many of the world’s problems before, but now this was personal.

Are you sure you can’t track her?

Grimacing, she dropped her hand back to her side. I can try again.

Opening her mind once more, she sent her consciousness rocketing in each direction for Marella, for a hint of anything. Any hint of a spark, any trace of a tail to follow. Again and again, her power shot out of her mind like shock waves, powerful enough Biana shifted in discomfort.

Nothing.

Panting, Sophie lowered herself to the ground, letting go of Biana’s hand to press both of her own to her temple.

“She has to be somewhere,” she croaked, throat raw from the stress coating every inch of her insides, the tension littering her muscles.

One more time. One more minute, and then they’d tear the entire place to pieces to find her--she’d call everyone else to come look, too. It didn’t matter that they’d scold them later for running off alone, for spying on a friend. As many eyes as they had would be on this area as soon as possible if she couldn’t find anything in one more try.

Gathering everything within her, she sent one last desperate, searching wave into this hall, searching for an end, searching for a lead, searching for a friend.

Nothing.

Groaning to herself, she dug her fingers into her scalp. Nothing nothing nothing again and again, the silence as deafening as it had been back when--

Wait.

A dozen moments flashed across her mind, testing and comparing and questioning.

Sophie sat up straighter, and Biana glanced side to side, like there was something she’d be able to see in this darkness.

Dark and numb and quiet. That’s what this place was, that’s where Marella’s mind had gone.

“Of course,” she hissed, jumping to her feet. “Don’t let me bump into anything.” The last part was directed at Biana, who was looking at her with hesitant hope.

“You found her?”

“No, but I think I can. I have to find my blind spots.” She explained, closing her eyes as she reached out again, searching for the center of that emptiness her voice had vanished into.

Biana hesitated for a moment, processing. “What?”

Sophie waved her arms in a brief explanation that didn’t explain anything. “Quiet. Monsters. Marella. It makes sense.”

Because it did, and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t put the pieces together sooner.

Marella’s mind had become undetectable, and every since then she’d been unable to find any mind other than Biana’s within this emptiness, but if she was right, that would disappear soon as well. She hoped she was right.

That day, just a few weeks ago, had she not made the same realization? Neither her nor Fitz could pick up on that mind approaching, and they’d burst into the wrong room without realizing there were swaths of people behind it.

Monsters were quiet. They made everything quiet, casting a thick blanket of emptiness over those near them.

Marella must’ve been near one, one powerful enough to snuff out a mind she knew so well, to hide it from her at her most desperate.

So she’d follow the emptiness, the silence. She’d follow it to it’s core as it got louder and louder until she found Marella. Searching for her like a blind spot, just like she’d said.

She just hoped her realization didn’t come too late.

Turn upon turn, rooms and stone and doors merging upon themselves and melding into a maze she couldn’t understand. How do you find a blind spot? She couldn’t see it, her eyes shut tight as they were.

Biana held her hand the entire way, the creaking grinds off opening passages and the overwhelming power of rot and rubbing alcohol and ruin pressing against her face as they moved.

MARELLA, she called out, desperate. It echoed into the emptiness pouring into her mind, as though the further she went the deeper and thicker the water grew. Wading through tar would’ve been easier than transmitting to Marella. But that’s not what she was trying to do.

It vanished into the murky fog, but with direction. Casting it all about, there was a direction where it became muddiest, traveled the least.

That’s the direction she indicated to Biana, letting her handle the doors and the moving, Sophie concerned with keeping that hold, that single gleam of hope amongst an otherwise bleak existence. Because at the other end was Marella. It had to be. There was nothing else she’d accept.

Again and again she called out, keeping them on the right track, though it was difficult with all the twists and turns. Ignoring how difficult it would be to get back out, Sophie furrowed her brow further.

But they’d stopped moving.

Biana’s arm was pressed against Sophie’s middle, holding her back. “Um. Sophie. I think you need to see this,” she whispered, breath trembling as she exhaled oh so slowly.

Sophie opened her eyes. Sophie let her hands fall to her sides.

Framed on either side by a once-extravagant curling arch, the world reoriented itself in her mind. The balefire sconces on either side tried desperately to illuminate the vast, unending cavern before her, but it simply couldn’t reach far enough. It would never be enough.

Mouth agape, Sophie stepped forward, moving through that arch and into the end of the world.

Wet and craggy, the smooth polish of the floors turned to rough rock, dropping off into an edge like the side of a cliff only a dozen feet in front of her.

A cave, vast and eternal. This was a true hollow beneath the earth, unending. A few wrong moves and she’d get lost in this molten black with no way back, stranded.

Because it was pitch black, the ceiling practically non existent it was so far away--when had they gotten so deep underground?

A cough rang out behind her, and she turned to see Biana’s arm pressed to her face, her eyes watering from the putrid rot and mold growing everywhere they could touch.

What had this facility been hiding down here?

Cautiously, Sophie reached out her mind. Nothing. As far as she could reach she sensed nothing, no one, nowhere. It wouldn’t do her any good to just go rushing off into the dark. She was reckless but she wasn’t that reckless--that was something Keefe would do, which meant she absolutely shouldn’t do it. Taking a single moment to get her bearing and solidify an approach could be the difference between life and death later. That didn’t mean she liked the wait, though.

“We have to find her,” she whispered, wings humming to life at her back, turning to look over her shoulder one last time to meet Biana’s eye.

But Biana wasn’t there.

Whirling, she turned back around, squinting out into that darkness, that open cavern with no boundaries. She could’ve sworn she saw a hint of the void grinning back at her. Perhaps Biana had flown off ahead of her, had moved when Sophie had frozen. But if she had, she was vanished and Sophie couldn’t detect a trace of her, not even the slight flapping of her wings in this dead silence.

Brr.

Sophie flinched, muscles all jumping to high alert at that single noise. She knew exactly what that noise meant.

A light exploded into existence in the distance like a beacon.

Fire.

Marella.

Found her.

How strange it was that concern for another could be so powerful any thought for yourself would vanish like an extinguished candle, hardly a puff of smoke to remember that self-preservation by.

Sophie was in the air and she didn’t know how she’d gotten there.

Heavy nothing pressed against her eyes, none of the shapes she knew existed registering in her conscious mind. It was too dark.

But that flash of flame--such a brilliant red-- had shot so high, so bright. The cavern had been illuminated for just long enough she’d been able to burn the image into her mind, knew there was nothing but open open space ahead of her.

She forced herself to think over the rest of the image, the cracked floor and frozen trickle of water that marred its surface. But she was in the air, so that didn’t matter. Why was she thinking of it?

“Marella!” she called out, desperate, hoping hoping hoping for another burst of light, a hint of direction. Her mind had become useless, the heavy lull of the presence of something keeping her suppressed, unable to reach out or track her any further.

Wait.

The presence of something.

Lead filled her heart, choked her lungs, tore her to pieces. So desperate, she’d been, to find Marella, to figure out where she was. She’d even made the connection between here and that first facility. The monsters, the blanket over her mind, the dampening of her ability.

There was something here.

And Marella was near it.

“MARELLA,” she called, listening to the echo back at her. If only Tam were here, maybe he’d be of some use in this environment. Some shade trick, some sleight of hand acquired from those bat wings of his.

A puff of flame answered her call, and her focus narrowed in.

No hesitation crossed her mind as everything became that one spot. She didn’t even register what that brief light illuminated, the marks on the ground, the curls of smoke that smelled faintly of burning sugar.

Towards the back of this cavern, or perhaps it was the middle, an outcrop of rock jutted into the sky, raised a bit higher than its surroundings. That’s what she’d noticed with that light in that moment.

Brr.

There. The sound came from so close she could’ve sworn she could see it, touch it. Something unfamiliar rippled through her body, coursing hollow electricity through her mind as her skin shuddered against her will. Air rushed past her mind, echoing further and further away, her ears ringing.

Wet rock and moss slammed against her, sending her crashing to her knees on the ground, hands splayed before her. What? That wasn’t possible--she hadn’t been close enough yet, hadn’t reached where she’d meant to be.

Stifling a yelp, Sophie pressed to her feet, and the wobbling of her mind told her if she could see the floor it would be swimming before her, undulating and curving in an unnatural way, nearly sending her to her knees again. Get it together, she scolded herself, trying to shake the feeling away.

Exhaustion pulled at her eyes, a deep desire to calm down and let all her worries fade away, nearly undoing all the effort she’d put into this trip.

Brr.

Just ahead of her, that’s where the noise came from.

“Oh? What are you hissing at?” Marella. That was Marella’s voice saying those words. Why?

That creature, that little echo. She’d taken it. Taken it and vanished into the earth.

Hissing? It wasn’t hissing, couldn’t she hear? Was it not clear the casual deference in its sound, as though bored with this whole ordeal.

But Marella. That was Marella, safe and alive and whole and so so so close. Where was she--the darkness remained relentless, impenetrable. Even if she’d had her sense of balance she doubted she could force her way through this empty smog, not this deep in.

She didn’t have to.

Brr.

The sound--behind her, it was behind her so she whirled, wings steadying her with a hum as she staggered into position.

It blinked at her. A pair of eyes, pure white, a ripple washing down its body as each of those white stripes she’d caressed not so long ago burst to light, incandescent, a beacon. Tumbling down and around and flooding the air, specks of dust turned to glitter rain and the wet rock beneath her feet shivering into life.

And it was as that light burst from it’s little body, curling through the air and guiding her, that illuminated Marella. It was still in Marella’s arms, but she was facing away from her, dragon wings draping down her back, falling around her as she looked off off off into the darkness that wasn’t so dark anymore.

And it was that light that killed her and left her to rot. Curling through the air, rippling through the world in waves, that light was bouncing back, bringing something else out of the dark and into the light.

That pure light turned into a deep red, glinting off claws and leather flesh and dripping dripping dripping into the ground.

Marella stood in front of a dragon.

There was nothing more beautiful, more alive in this world than being afraid. A pounding heart reminded her of all the blood she could lose, the tremble of each muscle a gentle threat of all the power she could be, the potential she could hold if only she was willing to throw her head back in the wind and embrace it as her.

This moment was beautiful in that Sophie Foster’s lungs moved too quick for her to count, in that Marella was oh so close to that thing and the thought of it set her alight.

She didn’t say a word, didn’t need to. Nothing more than a silent observer, Sophie feared.

As though the light against its scales were sparks hitting tinder, a warm glow burst to life beneath its skin, illuminating like a forge in its belly, lighting it up from the inside out as it raised its head, burnt sugar scented smoke leaking from its mouth as it exhaled oh so slowly.

Sprawled on its side, its appearance became visible: deep ruby scales to match the ones at Marella’s back, eyes a hollow white, the right one marred through with several deep scratches still fresh. Its body wrapped around itself, forming a crescent on top of this raised dais. A crescent Marella stood in the center of, that echo held tight in her arms, no hint of fear to be seen.

“Will you let me approach, now?” Marella whispered, not looking at it.

What are you doing, she called out with her mind, desperate, but she could feel it fall flat. It didn’t stop her from trying. A heavy silence pressed over this place, stole her breath, and she feared if she spoke it would be the last time she did so.

Her mind was unreachable despite such close proximity, guarded and elusive enough it may as well have been that of the dragon.

Whatever kept Marella safe so close to that creature, she did not dare disturb further.

What next and what to do? Look look look at me the answer said and yet she could not find it, saw only the glint of scales and the hollow of this chamber and the nothing nothing nothing on all side.

It was nothing.

The answer.

Do nothing.

Sophie stood frozen as stone as Marella stepped forward, closer to that dragon.

Its head turned towards the sound of her approach--it couldn’t see. It was relying on sound and scent and everything in between but it could not see. That slash through its eye must’ve blinded it.

It exhaled in a snarl, great bellowing curls of smoke adding to the miasma.

Marella did not flinch and Sophie could only watch stare fear as it pressed closer and closer and closer, the ground beneath them rumbling as it started to shift to its feet.

The shift allowed it to press its head right up beside Marella, head nearly half the size of her.

Slowly, determined, Marella’s hand moved from the echo in her arms, reaching out out out, skin meeting scale as she exhaled, the palm of her hand glowing with that same burning light that came from this beast’s throat, shining through as it puffed a lick of flame against her face.

Like calls to like.

The saying popped into her mind, but its origin eluded her.

Marella’s head bowed as she moved closer, resting her forehead against that of the dragon, encased in smoke. Each breath they took, they took in tandem.

A faint grinding sound, something ancient, snapped into place and their heartbeats synced; Marella’s existence could barely be heard over the cacophony of the dragon, its thunderous presence.

Whatever this was, it would pass. It had to. Sophie would get Marella, find Biana, and get them both out of here. Whatever was happening, she’d fix it. Everything would be okay. She just had to wait it out, see it through.

Something screamed.

From way off in the distance.

Wretched and wet and echoing.

The dragon’s head snapped up, huffing.

Marella turned, quick as a whip.

Her eyes were lidded and vacant, her breathing rhythmic.

But that’s not what caught Sophie’s attention.

It was the glow, the heat, emanating from those eyes. Alive. Marella was burning alive from the inside out.

The intensity of that gaze had her stumbling back, unnerved. Her hand flew to press against her sides, searching instinctively for those pockets, those missing pockets. Throwing stars, there were supposed to be throwing stars on her person, but there weren’t any pockets in her clothes because these weren’t meant for fighting.

She was. What devastating, effervescent beauty, to be born to fight. A fury in her soul refused to quiet, the remnants of her haunting lull on the battlefield never content.

Her pain would not be tamed.

Sophie’s hand slipped into a pocket; something pressed against her fingertips.

Unthinking, she withdrew it.

Her imparter cast a murky light into the growing smoke, the fog, but it remained devastatingly legible.

A cascade of messages had come through in the past few minutes alone.

Fitz had sent question after question, out of his mind with worry. Why couldn’t he reach her? Where was she? Was she hurt?

But there was another message from someone unexpected. Maruca had reached out, one sentence. But those three words may as well have slit her throat for the way she choked.

Linh’s gone missing.

[retrowhatever]

So basically all I've done in the last week is consume an unhealthy amount of Horizon fanfic. I don't have an ao3 account (yet) so I thought I would put my list of faves here. I've ordered them from shortest to longest. This is the first of two posts.

Ereloy fics I love:

Glarebreak by @dark-t1des-hzd - 850 words / Teen & Up - short and sweet scene of Erend being hopelessly in love and Aloy being injured

The Greatest Moment by @pikapeppa - 1200 words / Teen & Up - short scene at a festival with an absolutely dazzling kiss

Sparkstruck by @yogrossdude - 1200 words / Teen & Up - short scene of Erend tripping over his words when he sees Aloy in Oseram armor

A Forthright Woman by @dawnfromzero - 1500 words / General - bewildered Erend not realizing she's into him too

The Serendipity of Thunderjaws by blue_dragon1836 - 1700 words / Teen & Up - injured Erend and probably my favourite Aloy-kisses-him-first moment

Chainscrape by @dark-t1des-hzd - 2100 words / Teen & Up - I won't ever get tired of Aloy getting mad enough that Erend just confesses his love, plus the last line of this one is *chef's kiss*

another lesson learned in blood by sunspot - 2600 words / Teen & Up - Erend would die for her (don't worry, he doesn't) and I would die for them

you are unbreaking, though quaking by @plaidflannelcake - 3000 words / Mature - I have such a weak spot for like mind control fics (spoiler alert for my upcoming niloy list) and this one about corruption arrows scratches the itch

a sky full of light and none of them stars by @rhovanels - 3400 words / Teen & Up - condensed slow burn, plus drunk Erend falls out a window

your hands on every part of me by justalittlebluetiefling - 3600 words / Mature / HFW spoilers - just a raunchy scene at the base but also Erend is in love because duh

your hands on every part of me by @soupandchaos - 3600 words / Teen & Up - come for the sexy sparring, stay for Erend flexing

Thread Together by @yogrossdude - 3600 words / Teen & Up - single scene where Aloy gets injured and Erend stitches her up while being awkward

Long Road Ahead by @ladymaliwan - 4300 words / Teen & Up - I love drunk Erend and I love drunk and confused Erend even more

Steady by theyloy - 4500 words / Mature / mild HFW spoilers - Erend is surprisingly delicate when applying body paint, Aloy is unsurprisingly flustered

old wounds by @yogrossdude - 4500 words / Teen & Up - Erend is injured and Aloy is mad at him, quelle surprise

A Chance by @brandyllyn - 5000 words / Explicit / mild HFW spoilers - Aloy thinks she's missed her chance and Erend is bewildered as usual

outside looking in by I_heart_thunderjaws - 6600 words / Teen & Up / HFW spoilers - Big ol' mutual pining, the ending is so sweet I almost cried, and fun cameos from the rest of the gang

Playing Games series by @soupandchaos - 7900 words / 2 works / Explicit / HFW spoilers - stripstrike. that's it, that's the fic

Hearth by @yogrossdude - 8400 words / 3 chapters / Teen & Up - hypothermia and unresolved tension

those wings in your spine by @theherocomplex - 8800 words / Teen & Up - Erend is charming and lovestruck and dense, so basically he's Erend, kind of a slow burn I guess

simmer down and pucker up by @skellagirl - 9000 words / Explicit - injured, tattooed Erend and Aloy being shocked that she's into him

Fire and Spit by @godliath - 15k words / 10 chapters / Teen & Up - a good slow burn with lots of lovestruck gentleman Erend

Honourable mention: The Moth by @sacrificethemtothesquid - 250k words / 92 chapters / Explicit - look I don't think anyone needs to be told about this fic considering it's the #1 ereloy fic on ao3 and honestly I've only read like a third of it and it's almost too angsty for me because I'm a delicate flower so I probably won't finish it but the Vanguard in this are amazing and Tandin might be my favourite OC in all the Horizon fic I've read so we're including this for him and the rest of the Oseram weirdos

I can't draw and I haven't written anything in years and years, so consider this a small contribution to the fandom. I'd love to hear anybody else's fanfic recs as well!

Oh and I used the tumblr @'s for people whose names I could find. Happy to edit to include the @'s for anyone I'm missing, just tell me who I should be crediting!

Part 2: Niloy recs

[kyoshi-lesbians]

Gen and Sapphic ATLA Fic Recs

I’ve been meaning for some time to put together a list of fics focused on under-appreciated characters, relationships, and pairings, and here it finally is! Split into gen and sapphic pairs, including some rarepairs, rangshi, mailee, yueki. I’ve mentioned just one story from each author for brevity's sake, but plenty of these writers have many awesome atla fics to check out

general, character studies, and worldbuilding

The Hand of Kyoshi by TehRaincoat, 23,000+ words 

MY FAVORITE SUKI FIC. You want in-depth, culturally appropriate worldbuilding of Kyoshi Island? Suki’s fleshed out backstory? Maybe a look into her relationship with her mother and how she became the leader of the Kyoshi warriors at such a young age? This is it. This is IT. 

you were never supposed to leave by windupclock, 2500+ words  

Exploration of Sokka and Kya’s relationship and Sokka’s grief. This fic makes me want to punch a wall. I love it. I hate it. It’s incredible and you should read it.

you are any way the wind blows by suzukiblu, 1000+ words

Beautifully written fic about secret airbender ty lee. I think about this story all the time. 

to hold the breeze by purplecresent, 4000+ words

“tiny vignettes about aang's tattoos, his culture, and those who love him”. This story is beautiful, and heartbreaking, and so loving. My favorite Aang fic.

(many more below the cut)

Encounters of a Swampy Kind by meetmeatthecottage, 1000+

Aang meets Ikki in the Swamp. Pretty sure I cried reading this. As ya do :’)

Long Long Time Ago by Lisse,  2000+ words

One of my absolute fave fics. The story features great OCs, worldbuilding, and Haru. It is part of a series called “Swampverse” that features an alt-universe where the war went differently (badly). Short series, worth reading all of it. I’m always in awe that this was published waaaay back in 2006. Cw for heavy subject matter, including some mentions of violence. 

Sands of Time by starsofgems, 64,000+ words

OH MAN. THIS STORY. IS. INCREDIBLE. Features amazing worldbuilding focused on the sandbenders, Toph and Zuko friendship, and the story of Avatar Yangchen and her girlfriend! Many moving parts, yet it all works together perfectly. Part of a larger series but I did jump into this without reading the previous parts and could follow the plot without trouble.

a tale I know well by undergrounddash, 6500+ words

My favorite ‘Zuko making amends and getting to know the gaang’ fic! Set at the Western Air Temple, Zuko reads a story to Toph, which becomes Zuko reading a story to everyone. 

rarepairs 

Tide Locked by ambyr, 9000+ words

One of my all time favorites. A beautifully written story about Kanna and Hama, and how war changes people.  If you’re at all interested in either of their characters, it is a must read.

The Eyeliner Incident by spacemagic, 14,000+ words

I can’t say I’m a Katazula fan, but this breaks the mold for me! Canon-divergent modern AU set in Ba Sing Se, wonderfully written, delves into serious themes, and all the characters are wonderfully written!    

Rangshi!!! 

all i ever wanted was a life in your shape by axsun, +3000 words

It’s sweet but not just sweet, ya know? Kyoshi and Rangi are so true to character. Somehow the author manages to pack in excellent modern worldbuilding in a little over 3000 words. Incredible, must read. (It is part 2 of a previous story which is also wonderful.) 

come back with gravity by frutescence, 7500+ words

THEE Rangi fic of all time. Her relationship with her father is fleshed out beautifully and heartbreakingly −  all Rangi’s relationships are explored so well. So so good!!!!!

Steel, Moon, and Fire by rivensilk, 3000+ words

A tag for this fic is “rangi is an assassin but still harps on about her honor”, what more can i say? What’s not to love???

where we go for each other, we go together by city_of_suns, 2000+ words

GOD. I think it was one of the first rangshi fics i ever read and it cuts me deep every time. Fic summary is “In which Koko grows up idealizing one mother and being raised by the other”. Yeah. YEAH. 

Mailee time! 

to the moon and to saturn by wearealltalesintheend, 10,000+ words  

Mai centric mailee story!! Love love love the exploration of Mai, it has a cool plot, great structuring, and JUNE makes an appearance <3 

bad girls by airnomadenthusiast, 11,500+ words 

So this is mailee but it’s also just the atla girls all together having a good time! They start a band! It’s hilarious and heartwarming, a great feel good story along with the cute mailee.

the language of flowers (aka- how you get the girl) by i_love_your_light, 3000+ words  

I am not immune to flowershop fics and if you aren’t either, this is for you! It’s inspired by the tumblr post about saying 'fuck you' in flower, and if that doesn’t scream mailee idk what does

second star to the right and straight on 'til morning by whattheelizabeth, 11,500+ words

MAILEE ROAD TRIP FIC. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s sweet, and at times it’s hilarious. LOTS of pinning but they figure themselves out eventually :) 

hello yueki nation

A Tale of Love Letters and International Incidents by theknightlybisexual, 4000+ words

Another favorite! Chief Yue and Captain of the Kyoshi Warriors Suki become friends while exchanging letters. It's a great take on their leadership roles post-canon, and its SUCH a fun read; I laughed out loud so many times.

moonstruck by zeitgeistofnow, 1000+  

Also explores Yue and Suki's leadership roles post-canon. It's beautiful! And it kinda hurts! And I love it!