#i started writing a couple of fics but I won't be able to finish them on time :(

[neflil]

Aah here is the text post...

The usual couple doodles ::D

And future projects / catching up vv

*taps mic* Yaelokre gabbro makes a return. Also new song is out! Go listen to it if you haven't jshfjjs

Just gabbooo :3c

Okay so, gather up everyone. Schools started, I suddenly have to study and memorize two latin texts within a few days, history, and ancient Greek philosophy analyses and translations. Not fun, kinda! I don't have as much time as I did during summer and I can't finish a full drawing within a day. *But* ideas are as vivid as ever. And honestly I really want to do some of the stuff I'm imagining. Some are already in the works !!! These are mostly gabbro/time buddies related. Sorry fans of other characters but I spent the entire summer only drawing slate </3

Sooo... What to expect from me? Well:

• I'm writing a short fic! Which is close to being done- Without saying much- a replay of certain memories before the eventual death/creation of everything.

• I am currently doing an OC piece with two owlks ::D this should probably be next post if I finish it soon!

• More short animatics. Cus I have... So many songs... That I want to draw with the time buddies. Short ranging from a couple of seconds, to maybe a minute, so don't expect much. All I'll say is- guhhh y'all better enjoy flower face because all of these are with her songs lmfao..

> There are two songs atleast that I want to make almost full animatics, but that's probably not going to happen, so instead I'll take sections from them.

> Two lyrics from the same song I made last time buddies animatic. Cus I had a vision and I must fulfil it. If this continues, at this rate I'll animate the entire song every time I get struck with a vision, part by part lmfao.

> A possible gabbro centric animatic with the chorus of a song.

• And well, more school doodles/drawings ofc.. but those are kinda random. Please, if you have any suggestions drop them in my ask box!

• A certain fic might get an animatic. I won't elaborate on this. Patience.

• Lastly Mica and Slate piece, bc apparently I've never drawn them and that should be a crime. Some fluff to break up all this incoming angst.

These have a priority list ofc, but the way I work is pretty much spontaneous. So whatever I'm up for will take priority. It'll take time but I hope to have finished all of these within the next couple of months. We'll see how things go... I also have to balance other things and art in-between so blehhh. It's a mess.

Reminder if anyone wants to browse through my art easier without having to go through my entire account- the tag #noofposting is here for that reason. o7

Also also, since I now have these two animatics and more to come- to not get lost in my acc, I'll also tag them with #noofanimatics to be able to filter through my stuff easier.

[yume127]

Roxas and Ventus Week Day 3 - Differences

One of the main differences between Roxas and Ventus is their personalities, so I thought it could be interesting to see how they react when facing similar situations.

For example, in the first two gifs, they’re both upset with one of their best friend for treating their other best friend unfairly. While the situations are similar, they handle it very differently. Ventus is vocal in expressing to Aqua what he thinks right away. On the other hand, Roxas doesn’t confront Axel at all; instead, he keeps what he feels to himself, and gives Axel the silent treatment.

In the next couple of gifs, Roxas and Ventus are both confronting someone dear to them, someone they believed they could trust, to learn the truth that was kept from them. Again, Ventus —while hesitant at first—snaps at Eraqus almost immediately, and doesn’t hold back in saying what he thinks, even displaying anger in his tone of voice and body language. Roxas instead starts talking with Axel calmly, and only raises his voice when Axel refuses to give him the answers he’s looking for.

Lastly, we see them deal with having someone essentially trying to end their life. In this situation, Roxas is the one displaying clear signs of anger and aggression, while Ventus doesn’t fight back at all, and even tries to convince Terra that what Eraqus tried to do was the right thing.

So, my take on this is that, normally, Ventus is the one more impulsive, more prone to anger, and that speaks his mind, while Roxas mostly keeps to himself, and tends to approach situations more calmly. When they have to face grim situations, though, Roxas is the one who reacts more strongly, with anger and aggression, while Ventus surrenders more easily.

[pacific-rimbaud]

i'm curious how do you feel about dramione community now?

i'm a new writer, long time reader and can't help but feel like the fandom and the ship changed so much and i wonder if i even have a place in it anymore.

there's so much demand for the writers from the readers (constant update demands, no willingness to engage with wips) and at the same time i've been in a couple of dramione writer communities where other writers are openly pressuring each other to either start tiktok or finish the fic before posting it (the new dramione writers society discord server specifically).

particularly upset when i see people advising each other to commission art to promote their fic for writing.

it seems like that space for writers to be just writers becomes smaller and smaller and readers are not interested in the fandom but rather the next hot fic that's getting traction.

and all that combined with the overall hatred toward dramione as a ship outside of dramione.

I've genuinely stopped writing because of this. and i'm sad that i lost that one hobby that made me feel good, as it now seems like a popularity contest more than just fandom fun.

you seem like you're able to balance your love for writing with the changed landscape of the fandom. at least from the outside posts :D

DHr grew exponentially in the short time I spent in the ship, and that growth will only accelerate as big name fandom writers continue to enter traditional publishing with seven-figure book and film deals.

Life is change. Change is death. It's okay to grieve what's gone and won't come back.

And I want to add: keep writing. No matter what. But that would be hypocritical. I haven't written in a year, and remain deeply uncertain about whether or not I'll take it up again. It's a real puzzle.

The relevant questions seem to be: why do I want to write? And: what spaces feel nurturing to me as a writer?

The first one's easy. I write because I like the films I see in my head. I like the way language sounds. I like to experience the past, and to be swept away by intense emotions. It's like having a Holodeck in my head. And sometimes, when everything clicks, I get to describe my little bespoke scenarios in words that make a nice sound when they rub up against one another.

I'm waiting on a good answer to the second question. All I know is that art, criticism and commerce have always been an incredibly awkward ménage à trois. No shade to folks seeking to work the fandom algorithm and secure the bag (posting already completed work on a schedule, writing popular tropes and characterizations, and using original art in social media marketing are all great ways to do that). Whether money changes hands or merely attention (which can be converted into money), that's commerce having its turn at the wheel.

I'm suspicious that my creative brain is commerce-repulsed. Maybe yours is, too. So it goes.

I'm certain that we shouldn't let that keep us off the Holodeck.

So. Make a deal with me. I promise to run some freaky little scenarios in the simulator this summer if you'll do the same. Then let's meet in the limestone cave and paint our blorbos by candlelight. Let's tell them around the campfire. Come draw them with me in the sand.

[crescencestudio]

Is there anything non-spoilery you can tell us about the fae worldbuilding you have? I had an idea for a fic with a faerie oc but I have no idea what kinda lore to give them sdjfvbsjkd

if not thats totally okay i'll just make something up LOL congratulations on (almost) graduating by the way! I know your break won't be for resting but I hope you're still able to find the time to relax a little and can come back refreshed. Good luck!!

this is so late anon im so sorry KDSOOS the queue is backed up w all the messages yall have been sending (i am thankful for them it just takes me a while to get to ppl's messages now). hopefully this still helps u!!!

also thank u for the congrats and everything 🥲 i have Not had any time to relax since ive been trying to desperate crank this thing out..... for context ppl usually write their dissertation over the span of a couple months and i am trying to do it in the span of a couple weeks if that tells yall anything about how close to the sun i am trying to fly LDLOSOS but im hoping after i finish everything, ill be able to enjoy the Greatest Break to ever enter this plane of existence

anyways....

✨ Fae Lore

there are two courts to the fae! one is called the dawn court and the other is called the dusk court. the dawn court draws its magic from the sun and other related elements. i often associate it with warm and/or yang elements (like yin and yang). so fire and air elements.... spring and summer seasons.... even colors like red and orange and yellow and stuff.... things like that!

dusk court draws its magic from the moon and other related elements. so i associate with with colder and/or yin elements. so water and earth elements..... fall and winter seasons..... and colors like blue, purple, and other darker cool colors.

i think that's all i can rly tell u before i start diving into spoiler territory. ik it's not much KDKSKA but literally everything else i a spoiler LSLSLA

[captainsophiestark]

No Way To Know For Sure Part 2

Daniel Sousa x Reader

Masterlist - Part 1 - Join My Taglist!

Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Also written for @ghostofskywalker as a part 2 to the fic you let me adopt a while ago! I've had this in my drafts since all that AI stuff and I'm happy to have rediscovered and finished it 😄 Hope you like it!

Fandom: Marvel

Summary: Now that you've decided to move to LA with Daniel, there's a few loose ends left to tie up in New York.

Word Count: 2,174

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I sighed dramatically as I sared straight ahead out the window, watching all the people bustling around the streets and the familiar, giant buildings hovering over them. I'd been gone for some time now, but New York hadn't changed.

Jarvis, currently in the driver's seat of the car, was positively buzzing, and I could tell he was struggling not to say anything. Even the great city of New York couldn't keep me distracted from all the ridiculous energy he was projecting.

"Alright, Mr. Jarvis, spit it out," I said, at last turning from the window to look at my friend. He glanced at me, lips pursed tight to try and hold back a smile before he had to turn his gaze back to the road.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I must admit, I'm rather excited. Since Mr. Stark has been spending more time in Los Angeles, I've missed seeing all of you here in New York. Having you regularly in Los Angeles as well as Rose and Chief Sousa... well, it will be a delight."

A smile made its way onto my face despite my best effots. I'd wanted Daniel to drive me in to the office this morning to put in my transfer request for the LA office, but he had a meeting with an informant he couldn't move. I hadn't really wanted to resort to Jarvis, only because I knew he wouldn't be able to stay calm about my decision, but now I had to admit I was happy to be here with him.

"It'll be wonderful to get to see more of you too, Mr. Jarvis," I said with a smile. "You, me, Ana, and Daniel should set up a regular double date."

"Oh, that would be lovely!" Jarvis turned to give me a big smile as we at last pulled up in front of the New York SSR. He hopped out and ran around to open my door for me, beating me to the punch of opening it myself, something we'd turned into a bit of a competition. "Ana will be delighted at the idea too, I'm sure."

"Maybe we can even invite Howard," I said, my voice serious even though I was cackling in my head. I got out of the car and stood, smirking at Jarvis' less than enthusiastic expression as I continued. "He can bring along whoever he's brought home with him on any given week."

"That may be the single most horrifying suggestion I've heard in my entire life."

I cackled, clapping Jarvis on the shoulder as I walked past him and towards the entrance to the "telephone company".

"Thanks for the ride! I promise I won't let Howard crash any of our couples' nights, unless he finally gets a girlfriend who sticks around for more than a few weeks."

"At this point in Mr. Stark's life, a few days would be impressive," he called after me. I laughed, then turned back at the door to give Jarvis a smile.

"I'll see you back in LA!"

"I'm looking forward to it!"

I smiled and waved before finally heading through the door and back into the familiar hallways of the New York SSR. Daniel would be picking me up later, after I got everything sorted out for my move, and then who knew when I'd next be back in this place and this city. We had plenty of friends here and the other half of the SSR, so it's not like I'd never see the city again, but for the first time since I'd started working here I had no idea when I'd next be back. I tried not to let it get to me, but stepping into the currently-empty bullpen of the place I'd spent so much time in the last few years drove the knife in a little harder.

I'd intentionally arrived before most of the other agents got here, hoping to avoid a lot of hubub about my transfer request. No matter how nostalgic I felt being here, my decision had been made. I loved Daniel and the life I'd started building with Daniel in LA enough that nothing could make me want to leave it. Not even my favorite pizza place on the way between here and my former apartment.

"Well well well. Look what the cat dragged in."

Of course, I couldn't get away with avoiding Chief Jack Thompson, especially not when I had to turn my transfer request papers in to him. He came striding out of his office, a massive grin on his face as he crossed the bullpen towards me.

"Long time no see, Agent."

"I saw you two weeks ago, Jack."

"Yeah, but in LA. You've been on-loan for a while. I haven't seen you as my agent, in New York, in a long time."

I just rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well, enjoy the next half hour then, because as soon as these papers are finalized, I'm officially Daniel's agent."

"Now hold on a minute, I have some serious concerns about you leaving that we need to address before I finalize anything. I mean, is it really appropriate for a chief to be dating one of his own agents? Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen if you ask me."

"Jack. You are the one who sent me there, you meddling mother hen, with the exact hope that this would happen. I will literally fight you in the middle of the bullpen if you want to use that against me now."

Jack held up his hands. "Alright, relax. Your transfer's basically already finalized, I just need your signature next to mine. Then you can go run off into the sunset with Sousa and leave the greatest city in the world behind like it's nothing."

"Alright, you went to Ithica for college. At least I'm leaving for another interesting city, even if it's not as good."

"At least we can agree on that last part."

I snorted, but I couldn't totally keep a smile off my face either. Jack and I had actually kind of become friends in the past few months, especially in the wake of Daniel leaving, and I was surprised to find a little ping of sadness in my chest at the thought of leaving him behind with the rest of this city. If you'd told me a few years ago I'd be missing Jack Thompson, I would've laughed in your face.

Jack pulled the transfer papers out of a file on the nearest desk where they'd apparently been waiting for me all morning, setting them down in front of me. In turn, I handed him the papers I'd filled out since I last saw him, then glanced at what was in front of me. True to his word, they only needed my signature to be finalized.

"We're gonna miss you around here," he said, his voice unusually serious. I glanced up to find him holding out a pen to me, a small smile on his face. "Seriously."

"...I'm gonna miss you too, Jack."

We held each other's gaze for a few moments, maybe the first time we'd had a sincere exchange in my entire time working here. Finally, he cleared his throat, looking away as I finally took the pen from his hand.

"Alright, that's enough of that sappy crap. You bring a box to clean out your desk? I don't want to have to waste agency time clearing out whatever garbage you left in there before you went to LA."

"Don't worry, I've got a plan for all my leftover trash and scribbled notes I don't need anymore."

"I don't like the way you said that. What do you-"

"Oh, thank goodness!"

I straightened from signing the documents after finishing the last one to find Peggy coming through the doors into the bullpen, looking slightly more frazzled than usual. She shook her head at me as she approached, dropping her stuff at the base of the desk and putting her hands on her hips.

"I thought I'd missed you. I can't believe you were planning to just duck in and duck out this morning. What were you planning to do if Thompson hadn't called me to tell me when you were coming in? Just leave for Los Angeles without a goodbye?"

"Actually, Daniel and I were planning to invite the two of you to dinner tonight for a real goodbye. I'm just trying to avoid causing a scene in the middle of the bullpen, in the middle of the SSR's workday."

Peggy and Jack both scoffed, the sounds eerily similar. I raised an eyebrow, but Jack leaned in and snatched the papers off my desk before I could comment.

"Alright, I'm gonna go process these since you don't want to hang around here. By the time you're done with your desk, I'll be done with these."

I nodded, watching Jack's back as he headed back into his office. As soon as he disappeared through the doorway, I turned back to Peggy.

"I need you to get him out of his office for, like, five minutes between when I finish cleaning out my desk and when I head out of here. I'm gonna put all the papers and stuff I don't need in his desk."

Peggy grinned. "I'll make sure you have the window of opportunity you need."

"I knew I could count on you."

We snuck a high-five before Jack could notice, then I headed over my desk to start the packing process in earnest. There really wasn't much I needed to get, since I'd brought most of the things I needed with me to LA the first time, but a handful of the things I'd collected found a temporary home in my bag. Even better, the stack of trash I was planning to stick in Jack's office was substantial, and just like Peggy'd promised, she dragged Jack away from his desk long enough to give me just the opening I needed.

I stepped out of his office and back into the bullpen after finishing my mission, and a moment later, Peggy and Jack came around the corner to join me. I smiled at the both of them.

"Desk's been cleared. Papers are done. I think... I'm officially all finished up here."

"You sure I'm not going to find some trash you forgot about when I try to put somebody else at your desk?" Jack asked, hands on his hips. I rolled my eyes and sighed, responding without missing a beat.

"Of course not, Jack. You're not going to find any forgotten trash in my desk. Come on."

All true, technically. Peggy grinned at me, but I managed to keep a straight face as Jack put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"...I guess this is it, then, huh?"

"I guess it is."

I sighed, looking around at the empty bullpen one last time. I hadn't been working out of this office for a while now, and it's not like I'd never be back. But something about having my desk packed, ready to head out the door with the last of my roots pulled up still hit me a bit.

"I'm... gonna miss you guys," I said, shaking my head as I turned back to my two friends. Jack rolled his eyes, since we'd already exhausted his reserve of sincerity for the day, but Peggy gave me a soft smile.

"We'll miss you too. And you can expect regular visits from us in the winter, when we're sick of the snow and need to use our friends for access to the sunshine in Los Angeles."

I grinned. "As long as you promise to bring real pizza with you whenever you visit."

"Deal."

We shared a smile, and thankfully, before any of us could get any sappier, Daniel walked through the door, his meeting with his contact apparently over with.

"Hey," he said, giviing me a smile as he walked over to join us. He leaned in to give me a quick kiss, then pulled back with a smile. "You ready to go? Our favorite breakfast place is waiting for us."

I smiled, then gave Daniel a nod. We were technically on vacation, so we'd planned to spend the rest of our day on a tour of all of our favorite places in New York city.

"We'll see you guys for dinner tonight, right?" Daniel asked as he took my hand, the two of us taking a few steps towards the door.

"As long as you're buying," called Jack, and Peggy nodded. Daniel shot him a thumbs up as I rolled my eyes, and just like that, Daniel and I were standing on the threshold of the New York SSR.

"You ready?" Daniel asked, leaning in to whisper to me. I took a deep breath, sparing one last moment of reminiscing for the place I'd spent so much of my life in over the last few years, then turned to Daniel with a smile.

"Yeah. I'm ready."

He smiled back at me, giving my hand a quick squeeze before we turned our backs on the office, officially and completely moving forward together. It still stung a little to be leaving, but not nearly as badly as it could've, since I knew and loved where I was heading.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @infinetlyforgotten @sagesmelts @gaychaosgremlin

[possibilistfanfiction]

Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that I love your writing. I love the universe you've created for ava and beatrice. I could have said Avatrice but the thing is you write them so beautifully as individuals, all their triumphs and losses, that it doesn't feel right not to acknowledge them as they are on their own as much as they are as a couple. Anyway! I pretty much have bookmarked all your work and I keep suggesting your fics on Twitter, I'm pretty much your unofficial publicist at this point, proudly so 😆

I just finished the multitude of loving and once again you made me laugh and smile and cry and you made my heart warm and for a while, my depression didn't feel as debilitating. So thank you. I don't know what you're gonna write next whenever inspiration strikes, but if you ever do another outside pov, would you mind writing one from Diego's? I guess I'm biased because aside from your fics, I've been obsessed with do a flip by sunsafe and it warms my heart to see Diego in fics because well, I think it's safe to say that he was the one who loved ava first, he was there by her bedside and all and so it would be lovely, to know how he feels and thinks about ava and beatrice, after all the years of living his own life, after all the years wishing to see his sister, his best friend, his... Ava, because there's no traditional title that really fits them, after all the years wishing that ava is okay and... Alive, more than just surviving because even when he was a child he knew, ava was meant for such a bright and grand life, just because she was all that herself.

Anyway, just an idea, of course. My rambling is not in any way meant to pressure you into writing it 😆😅 I hope you're having a good day wherever you are. Cheers!

[first of all i love do a flip!!!! 100/10 recommend if anyone hasn't read it!!

anyway, here's a little diego pov in the butch bea universe. he's like 18 or 19? idk. yknow just roll w it :) ]

//

university is busy as hell, and it's cool that they pay for your doctor's appointments and, when you actually started getting the care you needed, you were able to do basically everything in the normal, big wide world with regular meds and check-ins — but mostly you just want to play rugby and flirt with girls (not well, but you're 18 and always kind, so who cares your success rate) and pass all of your classes. when you got adopted it had seemed like a miracle, and so you don't take any of this time for granted — not the bright sun or the grass stains on your knees or how rachel plays with your hair when you hang out in her dorm.

you don't think much of it when you get a random email from beatrice gu-knight, partially because emails are a pain in the ass and partially because nico brought over a six pack of stellas and his nintendo switch — you're the mario kart champion, undisputed — but, in the morning, when you open your phone, you think your heart might stop in your chest.

Hello Diego,

I hope you're well. I know it might seem strange to get an email like this from someone you don't know and have never even heard of, and, if you don't wish to follow up or connect, please just let me know, and that will be the end of it.

But, in the hopeful chance that you do: my name is Beatrice (she/her), and I'm reaching out to you because Ava Silva is my life partner. We've been together for a few years now and she talks of you often, and fondly; I know from her stories you were an extraordinarily joyful and sustaining part of her life at St. Michael's, and, if nothing else, I hope you understand my deep gratitude for that. I work in tech, so I was able to find this email address for you in the hopes that you might want to reconnect with Ava. We live in Los Angeles, and she's, as I'm sure you remember, wonderful. Maybe even more wonderful now, as I hope you are too.

Again, if you are at all uncomfortable, please feel no pressure to engage in any way; I won't let Ava know, so don't worry about that. If you would like to reconnect, though, you can respond to this email, or call or text me at my cell listed below. Thank you.

Warmest regards,

Beatrice

it takes you a few seconds to get it together, because, what the fuck, first of all. second of all, ava — one of your favorite people ever, and someone you miss every day. who apparently has a very proper and seemingly kind partner named beatrice, and lives in california. ava is alive, and probably really happy. the last time you saw her she was scared and upset and you had thought she died before that. you had thought you would never see her again.

Hey, this is Diego, you text the number on Beatrice's email. you think about the time difference, and, sorry if it's the middle of the night for you

it takes a minute or two, but then your phone vibrates. Diego, wonderful to hear from you! I'm glad my email wasn't too intense.

and, like, maybe it was a little, but your calc III professor is a fucking nutcase, so you kind of have a high bar.

Ava works late sometimes, so don't worry about the time difference right now

it's sweet, you think, that beatrice doesn't work late, or, whatever, maybe she does, but she's up because ava is awake. because ava will be coming home, or finishing up in an office. you wonder about their life, what their home looks like and if ava's laugh is still just as awesome. and, like, what is ava's job? is she still paralyzed, or can she walk like she had the last time you saw her? you're glad for her, honestly, that her partner is a girl, because ava thought boys were hot but also seemed to like girls more — so, like, how did they fall in love? it's funny to imagine ava as a grownup, with a partner and a home and a whole life, but it's also the best.

do you want to facetime tomorrow or something, you text, because you don't really know what else to say, but you want to find out: about your sister, and the life she's apparently built. you think — if ava is anything like how she had been when you were younger — you definitely want to be in it.

I would love that, beatrice responds immediately. you work out the details and, eventually, you go to class and try to have a normal day. but ava is out there, happy, in california, with a partner who clearly cares about her. it feels like a gift, even to know. it feels like a gift, to get to be in her warmth again.

/

beatrice, when you answer the facetime call at exactly the second the clock hits 7 pm your time, is beautiful. it doesn't surprise you, not really, because you remember ava being pretty, and, even more than that, fucking awesome. beatrice is younger than what you think someone with that formal a name would be, with short dark hair that flops into her eyes, which are kind of gold in the light through the window of whatever room she's in. 'hello, diego,' she says, and, yeah, ava probably loves that accent.

it makes you laugh, but, like, in a nice way, to know that ava has a whole partner. a whole entire person who shares a life with her, who helps her with stuff and — beatrice is a saint for this — laughs at her puns.

'hey,' you say, feel awkward and a little sloppy in the face of the chic big oil painting behind her, the hoodie you know is expensive because your friend artur had had it marked on his stockx for, like, months now. 'uh, i'm diego. nice to meet you.'

beatrice smiles, and you see her freckles, and you realize, in a flash, a truth you know implicitly — that ava loves this person. ava picked this person to spend her life with. the world is cruel, you know better than most, but the world is also so, so kind.

'i'm so happy you responded to my email,' she says, less formal and with a slight laugh, mostly with joy. 'ava is the best, and i know that — she misses you. she loves you, a lot. i've always wanted to meet you.' you kind of don't know what to say, and you're relieved when she shakes her head. 'sorry, i'm being a lot again. believe it or not, this is my first rodeo with something like this.'

first rodeo sounds foreign from her, and it inexplicably makes you laugh. 'you're doing fine.' you realize that beatrice is just as nervous as you are, maybe even more: she loves ava. she has a whole life with ava. 'i — does ava want to talk to me?'

'i haven't told her yet. i wanted to see how you felt first, without any pressure, and i didn't want her to feel disappointed. but i know she will be... overjoyed, to have you in her life again, if you want.'

'yeah.' you think of ava's jokes and how full of life she was, even when she didn't have access to much of it herself. you think about the clumsy drawings you had made her, and how happy she was every time she got to go outside in her wheelchair. 'i do, want that. a lot.'

beatrice's smile is relieved and grateful. 'i can talk to her, then, and then maybe you two can set up a video chat? i know she'll be beside herself with excitement.'

'yeah,' you say, and you can't help but smile looking forward to it. it doesn't sound like ava's changed much, in the good ways, which is super cool. 'i'm excited too.'

/

your palms are clammy and you feel like you might throw up, but beatrice had sent you a link to a zoom and asked if the evening worked for you; you're so thrilled but also, like, what if ava doesn't like you anymore? what if she's way way cooler than you, or too grown up, or just bored by your life? it had been one thing, to lose her when you were young and confused, to have to grieve her absence so obliquely — but it would be an entirely different thing now, to know she's alive and has a life of her own and just doesn't want you in it. you don't really know how you would handle that. ava was your friend and ava was your sister, in the ways that really matter.

but, you realize very quickly, all of your anxiety was for nothing, because ava's face pops on screen — older, and her hair is shorter, and there are slight laugh lines settling into the skin around her eyes, but she mostly looks the same — and her smile is so warm and then she starts to cry and laugh and, yeah. if you do too, it's fine. no one else is in your dorm room anyway.

'hey,' she says, the first to get any words out. she's sitting up, and she waves, and you feel like you're seeing a real life miracle, right there on your computer screen. 'you look so old. i really missed you.'

'you look so old too.' she grins. 'i really missed you.'

it's a little stilted at first, probably because you're both overwhelmed, but then it's just... the fucking best. ava is a bartender, 'mostly for fun,' she says, which, whatever that means, and she still loves the beach. they apparently have a house right by the water. she starts crying again when you tell her you got adopted, that you're not so sick anymore because you have good doctors and caring parents, that you're in school to become an accountant.

'the family business?' she says, choked up, after you tell her that your adoptive mom is one too, and that she wanted you to be able to take over one day if you were interested.

it's as unbelievable to you some days as it seems to her, on bright mornings or when you get to go skiing in the cold snow, when your friends pass around a joint or when you get to go to a museum, whenever you want. 'yeah,' you say —  a family; you learn ava has one too. 'it's pretty incredible.'

/

'holy shit, ava.'

she just laughs, letting you go in front of her into her house. well, her and beatrice's house, you guess. you'd facetimed and texted a bunch with ava in the past two months, so you had figured out they were kinda loaded, and they'd both picked you up from the airport in a very sleek, fancy volvo, but, like —

'this is nuts.'

you think you might immediately cry again when you notice, right away, how there's not a single part of the house you can see that isn't accessible for someone in a wheelchair. ava had told you that she can walk but some days has a lot of pain and a hard time with mobility, and that beatrice was awesome and she had a good chair and even a van and a service dog, but you never could've imagined this. their house is huge and beautiful, like something you'd see in an AD tour you like to watch when you're stoned. ava has a cane today, and beatrice trundles in with your bag — she had insisted, quietly, but with a look that told you it would be totally pointless to argue.

'your house is awesome,' you say, to both of them.

beatrice smiles gently. 'we redid it last year, for accessibility. i think it turned out great.'

'wanna see the best part?' ava says, using her cane to bounce a little on the balls of her feet and you have to clear your throat because you had known her for so long. you had loved her for so long, your best friend in the entire world, who was smart and funny and bursting at the seams to feel it all, to really get to live.

'dude,' you say, 'of course.'

'i'm going to put your bag in your room,' beatrice says. 'and then i have a work call. but i should be done after the hour, for whatever you'd like to do, if you want me to join.'

'of course we want you to join,' ava says, and beatrice blushes and then gathers herself and kisses the top of ava's head before she offers you a thumbs up — nerdy, and it makes ava snort — and then lifts your bag like it weighs two pounds or something. 'love of my life,' ava says. 'definitely doesn't have a work call, but she's been stressed all week about making sure she gives us time to ourselves but doesn't seem aloof. huge weirdo.'

'she's hot.'

'ew, diego.'

you shrug. 'all i'm saying is that, like, i get it. not for me, because she's, like, super gay, but you know. for you.' you take a breath. 'sorry, i'm just excited.'

ava laughs. 'bea is super gay, it's true.' she points to a button on the wall nearby and then floor to ceiling glass doors that separate the living space from the patio. 'now, check this out.'

it's pretty fucking wild that ava went from the horrible orphanage, and tons of abuse that you were too small and too weak and too scared to stop, to a whole house that opens up to a day bed and an outdoor kitchen and dining area and a hot tub, a small patch of grass, and then the sea behind — but in the best kind of way. the kind of way that makes you want to tell everyone you meet that things can get better. that good things will happen to good people, at least sometimes. at least ava, who is the best of all of them.

ava motions for you to come with and walks outside, and then it's, like, genuinely the best thing ever when a black and white dog — korra, who ava sends you pictures of all the time and has featured in multiple zoom calls — who was napping in the sun, perks her head up and you swear she, like, dog-smiles at ava. 'hi, good girl,' ava says, and then claps her hands once and korra obediently, and happily, comes to ava's right side and sits, leans her little head against ava's thigh.

'i can't spend this entire time crying,' you say, and ava laughs. 'can i say hi?'

'of course,' she says. 'she's not usually formally working at home, unless i'm having a really bad day. which, you know, i'm not, but they do happen sometimes.' she shrugs and you kneel down in the sun and pet korra's soft ears as she nuzzles your face.

'she's so cool,' you say, and then kiss the top of her head and her nose. 'hey korra! i'm your uncle, i guess?'

'yeah! uncle diego.'

it makes you beam, to sit on the patio with ava as she shows you some of the tasks korra has been trained to do, and tells you about her bar you'll go to later, and points toward their outdoor shower with a sly smile. you do her the courtesy of fake gagging, although you really are just mostly happy for her, with her partner and her dog and a house that was built just for her.

eventually, beatrice comes outside, carrying a very intense charcuterie board. she places it down on the day bed, between you and ava, korra happily snoozing at your feet.

‘hi baby,’ ava says and scoots closer to you, then tugs on beatrice’s hand until she sits. ava kisses her temple. ‘this is very extravagant.’

‘well, we have a guest,’ beatrice says. ‘there’s wine inside, if you’d like a glass.’

‘i know nothing about wine,’ you admit, ‘but if there’s one you think… pairs? well with, you know —‘ you gesture to the elegantly laid out spread of food in front of you — ‘then i’ll trust you and go with that.’

ava grins. ‘yes, beatrice. be our resident sommelier, please.’

beatrice rolls her eyes, again with a blush, but then stands, ignoring ava’s pout. ‘i’ll be right back.’

‘she’s, like, really nice.’

ava lays back with a grin. ‘well she’s on her i was raised by diplomats and nannies most proper behavior right now. i don’t get charcuterie boards like this… ever.’ she takes a bite of cheese. ‘but bea is wonderful. she’s brilliant and funny and so, so kind. she’ll loosen up. i’m really excited you get to spend time with her.’

‘i’m thankful she reached out. i — i’m so happy to be here, and to see you.’

‘me too, my dude.’

beatrice comes back out with fancy real crystal glasses and a bottle of wine she explains is a vintage napa chardonnay, which mostly just makes you think it’s expensive. it probably is, with the way she efficiently uncorks it — ava practically drools, annoying, and you elbow her in the ribs — but it’s, like, really good. at least compared to the cheap wine you sometimes have with your friends when you order greek food.

‘diego,’ beatrice says, measured and anxious and, if ava’s stupid expression is anything to go by, endearing, ‘as you know, i like to surf. although it’s quite early, i was wondering if you might like to join me tomorrow? one of my best friends is an excellent instructor and the wave report looks ideally calm. ava thought you might be interested, if you’d like to learn?’

‘yeah,’ you say. ‘of course. that sounds sick.’

beatrice grins, relaxing a little. ava squeezes her hand. ‘i find it quite fun. it can be hard at first, but it’s nice to be in the water.’

‘diego gets his astounding athletic ability from my side of the family,’ ava says, patting you on the knee.

‘your side of the family?’ beatrice arches a brow.

‘yeah, the orphan side,’ you say, an old joke coming back to you, and ava gives you a high five.

‘i —‘

‘don’t think about it too hard, beatrice. diego also gets his bisexuality from my side of the family too.’

‘now that i’m willing to believe.’

ava winks at you, and then settles back into beatrice’s side.

/

admittedly, you're exhausted, so the mezcal margarita — smoky and just the right amount of sour — is hitting harder than you thought.

'okay,' ava says, 'boys are easy to flirt with.'

beatrice rolls her eyes.

'they are, bea,' she insists, then looks to you. 'sorry, diego, but boys are just... simple. they see someone hot, especially me, and there's, like, no thoughts.'

you think of the way luis had kissed you one night at a party — with his strong hands and his strong jaw and the rough, delicious scratch of his beard — after you'd just offered him a drink politely, so. honestly, that tracks.

'girls, though, diego.'

you laugh.

'you know, people who aren't men.'

'yeah, of course.'

'difficult. i just — whew.'

'aren't you, like, basically married?'

'well, yes, we're domestic partners. but beatrice is horrible at flirting. she's just lucky she's brilliant, and beautiful, and handsome, and funny.'

beatrice rolls her eyes again, although a blush spreads across her cheeks. 'i think i have more women try to flirt with me than you.'

ava huffs. 'that's because you're just — ugh.' she turns toward you. 'bea has grown into being a lesbian magnet. i once was superior. plus, boys flirt with me too.' she claps you on the back. 'either way, between the two of us, we'll teach you everything you need to know.'

'they won't,' one of their friends says, sliding in next to beatrice, who smiles and kisses him on the cheek. he's maybe the hottest person you've ever seen, with tattoos down both arms and a neat fade, probably a few years older than beatrice. 'i'm keiko,' he says, and offers his hand. his handshake is so strong and you feel yourself blush. 'i own the dojo beatrice goes to.'

'my favorite sparring partner,' beatrice says. 'partially because i have never lost.'

keiko waves her off.

'uh, i'm diego.'

ava laughs, delightedly, at how flustered you clearly are.

'well, if you want advice on boys, i am quite successful.'

'i'm sure you are.'

ava gives you a high five, mortifyingly. 'that's my man.'

'i'm cutting both of you off,' beatrice says.

'one shot, bea, please. come on. all we have to do is walk home.'

beatrice sighs dramatically and runs a hand through her hair, and keiko nudges her in the shoulder. 'for once in your life, beatrice, have a little fun.'

it takes a moment, but she laughs. 'fine. one shot, and then home.'

/

you surf the next morning, early as fuck, but you’re kind of jetlagged anyway and it’s really beautiful to watch the sunrise while you rest on a board. you haven’t popped up and you got tired pretty fast, but beatrice’s friend, ray — and beatrice herself, obviously — are patient and relaxed and don’t seem to care at all.  ava wanders out eventually, setting out a towel and drinking a to-go cup of coffee. she waves happily and blows a kiss in beatrice’s direction, who blushes. it had made you laugh, quietly, when she had put a special bucket hat designed for surfing on after she situated her wetsuit.

‘i don’t want to get sunburned,’ she explained, and then handed you a bottle of spf 100 sunscreen and a zinc stick.

eventually you ride a wave in on your knees, laughing, and then go sit by ava while you watch ray and beatrice and the rest of their little crew surf the next set, bigger on the outer break. you can tell beatrice shows off, for ava and, maybe a bit, for you. it's still early, and ava's happy to sit back in the easy quiet.

'hey,' you say after a while, during a break in sets, 'so, beatrice introduced me this morning as "ava's little brother".'

she turns to you, studies your features carefully, just like she always would when you were in the orphanage, trying to pay close attention. 'did that feel okay?'

'other than the fact that i'm taller than you —'

'— hey —'

'— of course,' you say. 'i love being your brother.'

ava scoots closer to you and bumps your shoulder with hers; you have your wetsuit down around your waist and she has one of beatrice's hoodies on, but you've mostly dried off by this point so you put your arm around her shoulders and tug her to you.

'do you, uh. sister? sibling?'

ava smiles. 'either is great.'

'okay.'

'thanks, diego.'

'nothing to thank me for there. i should be thanking you, honestly. all expenses paid trip to a bougie beach house in california to see someone i've missed so much? the dream.'

she sniffles. you don't know all the details but you know ava has been through some real shit after she — came back to life, you guess? 'i missed you too, so so much.' she clears her throat and wipes under her eyes. 'in the spirit of being your cool older sibling, what mild to moderately wild things do you want to do here. i don't want your parents to be mad at me so consider wisely.'

'tattoo.'

'do you have anything planned that you would want?'

'well, no.'

ava laughs.

'what? beatrice has cool tattoos.'

'she is a staunch believer that you should plan your tattoos in advance. but think of something and then next time we'll get you all set up with her artist, if you want.'

there's a level of maturity and care that's a little unexpected but, like, really cool? really nice. it's kind of weird and makes you a bit emotional, because ava is grown up. she's still an idiot, and constantly annoying, and very funny — but she's gotten to get older, and so have you.

'we could dye our hair,' she says, shrugging. 'easy to rectify, if it's a disaster.'

'i'm so in, man.' your hair is darker than hers, and you have no idea if she knows what she's doing, but you trust beatrice — with her neat hair and neat house and neat clothes and seemingly undying love for ava — to monitor the situation.

'maybe we can do the bi flag.'

it makes you laugh, imagining how silly it would look. 'what about just purple? like, a light purple situation.'

'i've done that before,' she tells you excitedly. 'loved it. definitely time to return.'

'deal. also, i want to try california weed.'

ava grins. 'we would have let you last night, you know, but you were actively falling asleep at the bar after one cocktail.'

'it's the time difference, i swear.'

'sure it is.'

'well, bea loves her edibles. she's very particular about them. i'm... much less particular about joints, but we can start off chill. maybe this afternoon. and then we can have tacos.'

'that sounds like a perfect day.'

she smiles. 'yeah,' she says. 'even more perfect because i get to share it with you.'

'gross,' you say, although you might suddenly cry. 'sappy.'

'yeah, yeah. whatever.'

you keep your arm around ava's shoulders and watch beatrice and ray trade tricks the next set, and then they both call it and walk, laughing, toward you. ava struggles to stand with a frown, and you offer your arm for her to take if she wants. she does, smiles quickly in thanks and then, you know too, moves on without a word. she kisses beatrice soundly on the mouth, then pushes her goofy bucket hat off her head, fastened around her neck and resting on the back of her shoulders, and then gratuitously unzips her wetsuit while ray rolls her eyes.

it's a whole big world, you learn more and more every day. ray joins you for breakfast and then ava takes you shopping while you're pretty sure beatrice just naps. ava uses her chair and brings korra, which is mostly just the coolest thing in the world to you, because she has a whole van customized too, and she just — you had known, when you were younger, when ava would get to go outside in her chair, that nothing was limiting her other than care, and access. you had been limited too, and you ached with it. you ache differently now, because ava navigates her day fully and independently: a wheelchair lift for the stairs, and a huge, beautiful closet and kitchen where she can reach everything without having to stand, and korra, who can turn on lights and open doors and brings you a juice from the fridge when you sit down and mention you're thirsty; ava grins with the command and then praises korra, and you scratch her soft head and even softer ears.

beatrice does supervise when you and ava dye your hair, but ava mostly knows what she's doing, and really gets distracted the most when she looks over at beatrice in lowslung joggers and a cutoff tank and a beanie, leaning against the doorframe quietly, a fond expression on her face. ava wears crop tops and wideleg pants and expensive sneakers and you both end up laughing when you have your matching lavender hair.

you eat edibles that make everything feel lush and slow and perfect, and beatrice laughs softly at ava's ramble about her arms, and she orders a ton of her favorite chinese food that you eat on the patio at sunset. you take some pictures on your film camera, at sunset, and beatrice takes a few of you and ava. you wish you could go back in time and tell both of you, when you were small and sad and scared and abused, that things would be this beautiful one day. that things would be this good.

ava and beatrice eventually say goodnight before they head inside to their bedroom. there's too much light pollution in los angeles to see many of the stars, but you know they're there all the same.

[fizzyxcustard]

Ciaoooo I have a little ask for you :3

Historical AU.

Finally, after much searching, you managed to find a job. It consists of transporting supplies on a boat for the lighthouse keeper who lives alone on the islet lashed by wind and waves. You like the job even if you have to help the guardian to rearrange the supplies, a certain Thorin Oakenshield, a taciturn and rather gruff dwarf. Unfortunately, that day the sea was quite rough and when you arrived on the islet the wind picked up and a storm started. You've taken refuge in the lighthouse with Thorin ruling that you won't be able to return to dry land for some time, maybe a week!

Ooooh!!

You can use this ask as a prompt for a fic or you can describe to us what you feel and what you do, the important thing is to make us dream ✨

This is such a lovely ask, so detailed and creative. I absolutely l love it, and thank you so much for sending it to me. I'm going to write it as a head canon, and then, who knows, it may be developed for a fic. ;)

You take a boat over to the island every three days, making sure that you have plenty of basic items for Thorin, such as groceries, toiletries, household items and even clothing.

He keeps in close contact with you so that you can also shop for the items that he needs before delivering them.

You know when you set off that afternoon that a storm is approaching, but Thorin is particularly low on food supplies and you cannot leave him without food.

As you row towards the island, you can feel the waves picking up height and speed. You know that you're not going to see your own home for at least a couple of days.

Thorin in surprised to see you and tells you that you shouldn't have come out in the bad weather.

As he lets you into the lighthouse, he can't help but smile as you drift past him. It's lonely out on the island and he often thinks about you at night, wondering what it would be like to hold you and find warmth with you.

You help Thorin pack away all of his items, but after an hour, you can hear the winds gusting around the tall building.

"There is no way you can go back while the weather is like this!" Thorin insists, as he stands at the window and pulls the curtain aside, watching the frightening height of the waves.

You can't help but feel a spark of excitement in your belly. You've had a crush on Thorin since the first time you came to the island and delivered his items. His eyes, his voice, his presence. But you also sense sadness inside him and loneliness.

Thorin cooks you a meal, a hearty stew, and just as you finish the last mouthful, the power goes out.

Thorin lights many candles and places them in the main rooms on the ground floor.

Your room will be the guest room next to Thorin's and he shows you your room, holding a candle which illuminates his face.

Once you head to bed, you lie there in silence, listening to the raging storm outside.

Thorin also lies awake in the next room, wondering what you are doing.

You get up to go to the toilet and accidentally fall over something in the darkness, which makes Thorin come running into your room as he heard the tumble.

He gets down to you, a candle glowing. "Are you alright?" he asks softly. Then he offers you his hand and helps you up.

Your ankle has been twisted and you moan in pain, falling against him.

Thorin grabs you, and for a couple of seconds, you can't help but gaze into each other's eyes.

[unnoticed-poison]

My sister is...a fraud!!

Those two have been all over my TikTok and I couldn't resist writing a short fic for them (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠)this is also posted on AO3 and Wattpad

Part 2 of this fic is posted

_____________─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───_____________

"Listen people of Mount Rageous.."

Veneer took a deep breath as everyone's head snapped towards him, he could feel Velvet's curious gaze on his back.

He glanced at Floyd, who gave him a reassuring nod.

'𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵.' he mouthed, Veneer smiled in response and turned to face the crowd. They were all watching him with curiosity and doubts clear in their eyes from everything that happened just now, he couldn't blame them.

"My sister is....a fraud!!"

There were gasps and murmurs among the people gathered here tonight as their eyes moved to his sister, who was staring at him in complete shock, her eyes wide open in disbelief.

"I...What?!!" he winced at her outburst but continued to look straight into her surprised expression.

"Sorry sis but you brought this on yourself.." he said, as he recalled how they got in this situation in the first place.

...══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════...

"We make a good team aye little bro?" Velvet asked, tapping the perfume bottle lightly with her finger.

"Yeah..."

"After such a show I need a rest, watch him for me k?" Velvet said, throwing the bottle his way, Veneer quickly caught the bottle before it hit the floor. He looked up at her and nodded.

"Just don't lose sight of him or something okay?" she said, yawing.

"Will do Sis." he nodded as she walked away, disappearing behind a nearby alleyway.

"Veneer, please.. let me go." Floyd, who was stuck inside the bottle, pleaded, pressing his hand against the glass to get Veneer's attention.

.......

Veneer sighed. " You know I can't." he shrugged. "It's nothing personal really, I just love my sister and all my fame, and things I brought, you get it? I can't afford to lose all that you know?"

Floyd opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't say anything for a moment. Finally, his lips parted again, helplessness plain on his features as he stared at Veneer.

"Is there no other way..?"

"I'm afraid not, I can't betray my sister sorry, like I said it's nothing personal."

Silence fell between them.

Veneer couldn't deny that he felt a little guilt about what he and his sister were doing, he didn't even want to be famous at first, but Velvet was so adamant about having him join her when she started her career, and Veneer loved his sister too much to deny her anything. Even if it meant risking his reputation and his life.

Floyd suddenly broke the silence, "Wait!"

Hm?

Veneer raised a brow as he waited for the red-haired troll to continue, his eyes brightened as he stood up and pressed both his hands against the glass.

"How about we make a deal? I'll help you so you can keep being famous and you let me go, and I'll promise that I won't tell anyone about what you two did."

Veneer paused for a moment, contemplating his words. "Elaborate.."

A glint of determination sparked through Floyd's eyes as he explained. "Remember the times you practised when Velvet wasn't around?"

Oh.

"You do have some talent, albeit not much, but with a couple of months of practice.."

"What are you trying to say..?" Veneer asked, his interest peaked.

"If you would let me finish explaining first, that would be great," Floyd replied, smiling slightly, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

Veneer rolled his eyes as Floyd continued,

"The plan is simple, if you train hard for a few months, let's say two or so, you should be able to sing and dance without resorting to kidnapping and torturing more trolls like me,"

Oh..

Veneer considered for a while, he had never actually thought about this, but the idea was intriguing.

"Sure.. but what about Velvet though, you know how she is."

"You can show your sister after that how much you improved and perhaps she'll change her mind and start practising as well!"

huh.

"And if she says no?"

......

Floyd shrugged, he'll find a solution for that later. "Then we'll just have to see then, won't we?"

"Well, it's certainly worth a shot.."

Veneer said reluctantly, he still wanted to make sure his sister wouldn't hate him after this, but..he was willing to give it a try.

"So do we have a deal?" Floyd asked, looking up hopefully.

.....

"..Fine." Veneer finally gave in.

He just hoped this wouldn't end badly for him.

And thus, they began their secret singing and dancing sessions, with Floyd as his unofficial music tutor.

Whenever he and Velvet were done with their shows, he would sneak out and return to the studio to meet Floyd and practice for hours and hours until dawn.

Floyd was a wonderful teacher and helped him a lot with getting his range and flexibility right.

"Good good you're doing great! now three turns to the left then a flip! very good, just keep going like that!" Floyd exclaimed.

Veneer was panting, sweat pouring down his face as he repeated the steps over and over again until he perfected what he'd learned so far.

After practice, he'd return home before it was time for Velvet to wake up, leaving him with only 2 or 3 hours of sleep if he was lucky, so he started taking naps in between practice hours.

But there seemed to be something wrong with Velvet, her behaviour seemed to be getting...real bad, worse than ever before, he could barely catch any breaks from her, she would criticise him constantly, whenever it was about his dancing or singing, she would always find something to criticize.

'What the hell was that?'

'You call that dancing? our fans would hate that'

'How many fans do you think we can gain by making up little dances? Don't be stupid.'

'You need to do better'

'I'm starting to think you need the troll more than me'

It made him angry and upset at the same time, it frustrated him beyond belief, but thankfully Floyd was there to comfort him every time.

'How can someone treat their own sibling this way..?'

'Don't listen to her, you're doing great.'

'I just feel sorry for you.'

'I know it's none of my business, but if she truly cared about you, she wouldn't force you to do this.'

Floyd continued to chip away at Veneer's doubts, planting seeds of resentment and doubts at the back of his mind during this period.

Veneer was exhausted by the constant arguments, he didn't want to think badly of his own sister, but that last comment from the little troll made him have some doubts.

if she really cared for him, why does she treat him like an inconvenience..?

........

No no, it's not like that, maybe she's just stressed from having to keep up with the shows and fans and stuff and that was her way of relieving some of the stress, yeah that's it.

She would never intentionally hurt him, she cares about him.

Right..?

✧Sometime later✧

Velvet and Veneer smiled as they basked in the people's praises and adorations for their last performance of the evening.

Velvet smirked as she glanced at her brother. "Oh don't you just love this Veneer, the cheer and praises from our fans, It feels so good to get all that attention."

Veneer nodded, the smile he had was a little strained, "Yeah I guess..."

Once they were out of sight, her smug smile turned into a frown as she turned to him.

"By the way..."

He flinched and awaited the unavoidable criticism coming his way.

"What's wrong with you lately?! you almost made me trip when you bumped into me earlier!"

Veneer winced, after several weeks of the same routine, the lack of sleep took a toll on him and his performance during the shows, his dancing moves were a bit sloppy but his singing seemed better than ever.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep well the last few days," he said, taking a seat on the couch to rest and catch his breath.

"Well you better find a solution to whatever is bothering you cause you're making ME look bad!" she huffed, her arms crossed and glaring at him.

Veneer nodded and rubbed his neck in thought, he was a bit nervous.

"Sis, There's something I need to talk with you about, it's important..." He began, he kept putting it off as much as he could, but he and Floyd figured that it was time, and he finally worked up the courage to talk to his sister about it.

Velevt hummed. "Out with it then."

"I was thinking that maybe we can...stop using the troll..?" he muttered, his voice too low and filled with uncertainty.

"Huh? Stop with the mumbling I can't hear shit." Velvet said, and she used the perfume bottle again, making the troll inside groan in agony.

"I don't want to use the troll anymore!"

........

Velvet paused, while the previously blue, now turned grey troll stared at him with a proud expression, a small glint of hope can be seen in his eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, they both flinched as the girl suddenly burst out laughing. "My god, this is THE funniest joke I've ever heard! you're a real comedian, brother."

"I'm not joking, this is serious."

Velvet scowled, their 'talent' had won them countless fans and everything they had ever wanted, to see her own brother have doubts now about their doings, it filled her with rage. "Why the sudden change of heart, Don't be stupid Venner, you know we can't."

"But we can practice!" He pressed on, he didn't want to go against her, and he knew Floyd was the source of their success and everything they have now, but he couldn't keep on like this either. "it might take a while but we'll finally be famous in our own right without having to resort to kidnapping anymore trolls and drain their talents, we can tell our fans that we're talking a small break so they won't suspect anything!" he added, desperation creeping into his voice trying to choose his words carefully to not make her even more mad.

He then pointed to the tired-looking troll. "I mean look at this guy, he looks rough and pale as heck, and not in a gorgeous Victorian way, I don't think we can use him for much longer anyway, and look! I can show y-" he said, about to show off the results of his hard work, but Velvet immediately interrupted him.

"Ooo so that's what this is about, I get it now."

He blinked. "You do?"

Velvet nodded, shaking the perfume bottle lightly. " You are worried about what are we gonna do after this one kicks the bucket, huh."

"What? no, I-"

"Well, I have a surprise for you little bro," she said, before turning to their assistant, who was standing in the corner. " Crimp!"

The little creature jumped slightly startled. "Y-yes?"

"Do you have the thing ready?" she asked.

"What thing? oh, you mean THAT thing! Of course one second I'll bring it in right away!" she said, running off as fast as she possibly could, leaving the two siblings behind.

"What was that about...?" Veneer muttered, he had a bad feeling about this.

Velvet grinned as she walked over to the closet nearby. "No need to worry, I have already got this covered, look!"

"What do you mean- What the hell!?" he yelled out in shock as she pulled out a small cage.

"We can't let our career get ruined just cause one pesky troll died, can we?" she said with a wicked grin on her face.

"You let us go right this second you little brat!!"

"John?!" Floyd yelled out, staring at his brothers in shock and horror, "Spruce, Clay? how did you all get captured?!"

"It's a long story."

"All of you shut it." Velvet hissed as she shook the cage angrily, causing the trolls inside to stumble back and cry out in pain.

Veneer was stunned.

"You captured more trolls..?"

Velvet looked proud of herself. " Yes, aren't I so great and thoughtful? there's more than enough for the two of us, we don't have to worry about losing our 'talent' anytime soon, now where the hell is Crimp?"

"I'm here!" Crimp called out as she ran back in, this time with two tops with huge shoulder pads.

Velvet nodded, before walking over and putting each of the struggling trolls into the empty spaces.

"Velvet... What is this?"

"Oh, this? we just have to press this little button here and voilà!" she said as she pressed the button, causing the trolls to groan in pain as they felt their talent being sucked while Crimp and Veneer watched in horror.

"You're smart Crimp, I'll give you that, but unfortunately..." she suddenly grabbed the wig and walked over to the closed, "I can't trust you anymore, so you'll stay here until we get a new assistant."

"Wait please no-!" Crimp yelped as she was roughly thrown inside the closet before it was closed.

Fuck, this couldn't be happening...

"Please sis, we can't be doing this! it's too cruel, how about we practice like I sugges-"

"Oh my dear stupid brother, I have already said that I DON'T want to work to be famous, and nothing will EVER change my mind, besides, if those little things escape and expose us we'll be done for," she said, walking over to him and glared at him, making him take a few steps back until his back hit the wall. "So, If you ever think of doing something stupid, just remember that you'll end up in jail just like me, and believe me when I say I'll make you regret it, got it?"

She then scowled, looking down at the trolls, to her, those annoying little creatures were nothing more than power resources. "As for you, don't worry, you won't be alone for long, even more of you will be joining you soon enough." Velvet hissed.

"Now make sure to take a long rest tonight, we have a big show tomorrow night, and you better not miss it up like today." she patted his head with a small mocking smile "And remember, you're 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 without me, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have all this fame and money, and don't you forget it."

She then left before Venner could respond, leaving him staring after her in shock. The whole situation was getting out of control, and he knew better than anyone how dangerous she was.

He felt his knees give up as he slumped to the ground.

What was he going to do?

Floyd, who noticed the state he was in, turned to his brothers and placed his finger on his lips, signalling them to be quiet while he dealt with the situation.

they were confused, they raised an eyebrow at him but decided to keep quiet and wait to see what he was going to do.

Veneer lifted his head as he heard Floyd speak up. " Are you really gonna let her treat you this way..?" his voice was laced with concern. "family don't treat each other like this."

"I don't know anymore..."

Fuck.

Floyd cursed in his heart, all his actions and words those past 2 months were to stir up conflict between the twins, creating a rift between them in Veneer's heart just in case the girl refused to change her ways like now, he could see that he still cares about her a little bit, which made him panic, he needed to find a way to change his mind, and quick, or else he and his brothers are done for.

He just needed a little push.

" Look, Veneer, I know this situation is difficult for you, you care for your sister and want the best for her, but can't you see that she's using you?"

Hurt shone in the youth's eyes as Floyd continued. "She doesn't treat you as an equal, you're nothing but a pawn to her, she's only using you for her own benefits, and you're letting her do as she pleases, she doesn't care about you like you think she does, do you want to spend the rest of your life being controlled by someone who doesn't even respect you?"

He then delivered the final blow. "Is that what you truly want?"

Veneer felt a lump form in his throat, he wanted to deny what Floyd was saying, but a small part of him knew that it was true, he had been so caught up in trying to improve and prove himself to his sister that he was been ignoring the way she's been treating him, shrugging it off as her being stressed.

.......

He really couldn't deny it anymore, huh...

"Maybe you're right..." He finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "but I guess it doesn't matter what I think now, what else can I do? I still need to do whatever she says, If I let you guys go now, both of us will go to prison for tax fraud and other crimes, I have no choice in the matter."

"Wait." he suddenly said.

The green-haired boy groaned. "What now?"

There was a dangerous glint in the troll's eyes as he gave him a small smile." I think I know how to get you out of this situation scot-free."

"How..?"

"In order for this to work, I'll need your full cooperation and trust, it's not gonna be an easy thing for you, do you understand?"

The boy paused for a moment, considering his words, finally he nodded his head. " Yes, I understand, please tell me what to do."

Floyd nodded his head in approval. "Good, now first things first, let Crimp out."

Veneer did as he was told, he took the wig out, who was shaking in fear. " I swear I won't tell any-"

"Relax, we just need your help."

Crimp gulped, nodding her head, not daring to say anything else.

Floyd coughed as everyone gathered." now that everyone is here, what we need to do is..."

...══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════...

And so here they are now, in the middle of the stage, surrounded by their fans and the now-free trolls.

Veneer tried to ignore Velvet's shocked and furious glare as he spoke again. "She wanted to be famous by all means necessary, though she lacked talent, so she kidnapped the trolls and forced both me and our assistant to cooperate with her, we had no choice but to play along and obey her orders."

Veneer looked around the stand as he said this, seeing all their faces filled with confusion and disbelief.

"What the hell do you think you're doi-" Velvet began but interrupted as Crimp jumped on her head before jumping again and landing beside him, she pushed up her glasses. "And I have the proof!" she said, pressing the button as the large TV showed yesterday's event, with Velvet shaking the cage containing the trolls and threatening him to keep quiet.

"Oh my god.."

"It's true then!"

"What a monster.."

"Those poor little creatures.."

Suddenly a loud screech startled them, Veneer gasped as Velvet jumped at him, wrapping her hands around his neck, squeezing tightly.

Velvet had mascara running down her cheeks from the tears as she growled. " YOU LITTLE BASTARD! HOW CAN YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS? YOU'RE IN THIS JUST LIKE ME! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY FUCKING SIDE!! HOW COULD YOU!"

The boy struggled to breathe, trying to hold Velvet off as she kept screaming insults at him.

Ritz, the DJ who interviews them regularly tried to get her off him but was punched in the face, making him stumble back and fall to the ground in pain.

One of the security guards immediately rushed in and tackled her off of him, dragging her away.

"You're coming with us miss," he said as the girl struggled furiously, causing him to tighten his grip around her arm and drag her out.

"Let's me go!! Veneer!!"

Veneer coughed as he tried to catch his breath, his hand touched his neck, which was now bruised and full of bloody nail marks.

"Are you okay?" Ritz asked.

"Yeah.. you?"

The DJ nodded as he held his broken nose. "Yeah, but damn that girl is strong, I can't feel my nose, gotta get that checked right away, bye!"

Veneer nodded as the guy rushed off, he suddenly felt a hand on his foot and looked down, seeing Floyd looking up at him with a proud smile. " You alright?"

Veneer smiled at him weakly, rubbing his neck. "I think so..."

"I know it wasn't easy for you, but you did the right thing," he said quietly, giving him a reassuring pat, watching Velvet getting dragged by the security guards, with her still hurling insults their way.

His plan worked better than he expected, now he and his brothers are free, and he got revenge on one of those two.

Veneer couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. " I guess.."

Huh.

This is strange..

He doesn't feel as sad as he thought he would.

Maybe this is a good thing.

══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════

"Look there she is..."

"She still has the nerve to act like she's something."

"What a bitch."

The two girls flinched as Velvet turned her head in their direction, her eyes holding a cold anger behind them.

"If you have something to say say it to my face, got it?" she hissed, glaring daggers at them, they both quickly backed down and ran off.

Velvet scoffed. "That's what I thought."

She grabbed a tray and went to grab some food, she almost gagged at the smell, the food here was absolutely vile and awful.

And this.. thing, this dark brown prison outfit was so uncomfortable and looked horrible on her.

She thought, taking a seat at an empty table and grabbing her fork.

"And now our time for our rising star, Let's have a round of applause for Veneer!!"

What..!

Her head immediately snapped towards the TV that was hanging on the wall to her left.

She could see Veneer smiling and waving at the camera as the fans cheered for him, she felt sick, a mixture of anger and jealousy consumed her as she watched him perform on stage without the help of any trolls, she couldn't believe it, and she hated to admit, but he was amazing at it.

The feeling of injustice and anger was becoming too much to bear, and the sight of him singing and dancing so confidently, only served to remind her of everything she had lost, her wealth, glory, fans, and her position as a rising star in the industry.

When did he suddenly get good at singing?! he was just as bad as her a few months ago!

This wasn't fair.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦!

𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰-

Oo I see what this is about-

Wait..

Is 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 what he was trying to show her back then?

Was he practising behind her back..?

Is this why his movement was a bit sloppy during those few times..

𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴..

His lack of sleep...

So that's why he had a sudden change of heart... he didn't need any trolls to begin with!

She growled, her thumb pressing on the fork until it bent under her pressure.

This wasn't fair, if he tried harder to show her back then she wouldn't be rotting in this damn prison in the first place, she would've been standing beside him, basking in the glory and fame that she know they deserved!

This wasn't fair..

This wasn't fair!

THIS WASN'T FAIR!!!

"Do you have anything you want to share with your fans?" kid Ritz asked him, handing him the microphone.

Veneer let out a nervous chuckle, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Well, I kind of miss my sister to be honest with you, I..tried to change her mind multiple times, I didn't want to do this to her, believe me, I wish things were different, but she...refused to listen, I wanted us both to be here today since we've always been there for each other, but..you know.."

He sighed. " I just want her to know that I still care about her deep down, and I hope that one day...we can get back to the way we used to."

.........

After a few minutes of silence, she finally let out a sob, her grip on the fork loosened, before slipping out of her hand and onto the floor.

'This isn't fair...'

_____________─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───_____________

Kinda want to write more for those two and others ngl (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

[thisisapaige]

Tagged by @mercurialkitty. Thanks! This was fun :-)

20 Questions for Writers

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 59

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 645,479

3. What fandoms do you write for? Just Supernatural. I have the brainworms and they are in the shape of Thee One and Only Castiel.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

stay, In Just Saying It, Non Solum, Still Waters Run Deep, Sleeping Together

5. Do you respond to comments? Most of them. I do get kind of overwhelmed (with love and joy) if someone comments on all the chapters as they read, so I'll often reply to their final comment. And if the comments are rude, I ignore them (doesn't happen often, but it has).

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Thee fic that started it all: Empty Spaces. A bold choice for my first posting, lol. At least I wrote a sequel? :-P

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Something Blue. I wrapped that up with a bow. As a commenter wrote, "Holy happy ending, Batman!!!!!"

8. Do you get hate on fics? Mmmmm, not sure I'd call it hate but I did have a commenter who wasn't happy with the direction The Angel went in. Thankfully, they figured out the fic wasn't to their tastes and decided to leave halfway through.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yeah. It's fun to write but, whew, very difficult to edit, lol. As for what kind... somewhat-idealized- romantic-everyone-has-a-good-time-and-feels-their-feelings kind of smut, I think. Most of the time... Murder the World was a lot more angsty.

10. Do you write crossovers? Nah. I don't really have the fic bug for other fandoms.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yup! A couple in Russian and one in Chinese.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No. I don't know if I'd be able to. I don't think I'd be a very good partner :-P. I don't even like a beta to look at my stuff 'till the draft is done and I read it though a couple times.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? It's the DeanCas of it all.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? The Path of the Righteous Man (my reverse verse fic) is like, my white whale. I keep going back to it and never adding a single word. The block is strong on that one.

16. What are your writing strengths? Introspection and action. Both are sooooo fun.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Dialogue. UGH. Dialogue. How do people talk? Hell if I know.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Sure. My monolingual ass won't, though.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Posted? SPN. Written on loose leaf paper as a tiny child, which has been lost to the ages (thank goodness)? Final Fantasy VII.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? This is a mean, mean question. I cannot chose one! I cannot! So have a selection (answer subject to change in 30 seconds):

stay for being my fix it that allowed me to continue enjoying the show after that fiasco of an ending.

The Angel for being the fantasy epic I always wanted to write.

insi(de an)d outside for being some of my strongest writing.

Still Waters Run Deep for being my first bang and also because I have prints of the art reafre made and that still blows my mind.

Something Blue because it took me on a very personal journey (and also I just posted it so it's fresh in my mind).

I *could* probably post most of my fic, honesty. I like my stuff. I wrote them for me, after all.

Tagging: @angelcasendgame @hornystiel @wormstacheangel @bloodydeanwinchester if you so chose to participate!

[chunkypossum]

Thank you for the tags guys (@jules-writes-stories @fieldofdaisiies @highlordofkrypton)

1. How many works do you have on AO3? More than I realized. 18.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 552,788 Azris week put me over 500k and I forgot to document!!

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Kerosene 

So I Start to Say Goodbye ( I have started hyper fixating on the long fic this one inspired. It's .... so.... sad. Praying for a happy ending though)

Come Hel or High Lord ( I should really finish this one... ooops)

Mother Save Us From Your Twisted fate (send help... part two is struggling to get written)

By Solstice End (16,588 words)

5. Do you respond to comments? YES! I am here. to word vomit about the things I can't stop thinking about... I love to talk about them. TALK TO ME

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? sans keurig incident I think I have done a pretty good job of leaving everyone with something happy at the end. All eyes on Eris week though. It's not going to end well ... most angsty I guess would have to be Once Upon a Dream

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Kerosene OR Mother Save Us From Your Twisted fate because of the pain you had to go through to get there.

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes but only where it makes sense in a story I am telling. Writing it is so embarrassing and I'm more into the emotional yearning of it all than how horny I can make something. I let other people fill that part of the fandom bc they are infinitely better at it than me.

9. Do you write crossovers? Come Hel or High Lord has the entire MAASiverse cast and I will NEVER do that again LOL.... It's so difficult to deal with all these personalities

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? When I was in High School my BFF and I handwrote Roswell (1999 version bc I am OLD) fanfic together. I WISH I could find those notebooks.

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? Forever in my heart of hearts it will be Satosugu for the absolutely beautiful tragedy that they are. They are PAINFUL to even think about but I love them more than anything. Azris is a CLOSE second and they are how I am funneling all of my Satosugu angst and pain bc writing for Satosugu is too painful and I don't think I would be good at it.

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I refuse to consider a world where I don't finish all of them HOWEVER... this one is going to give me the most trouble. I have a very specific vision and it's HARDDDDDDD ... When Even Moonlight Burns 

14. What are your writing strengths? I'm hopeful that I paint the emotion of a scene as well as I feel I do sometimes

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  There are too many to list. I chase the dopamin and as a result... I am not craft focused. Vibes all the way

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I am not fluent enough in anything else to be able to pull it off. I do enjoy reading and writing it in small quips and phrases though.

17. First fandom you wrote for? Again... Roswell (1999) and oh Buffy I think... first one I am actually writing and posting for though is ACOTAR

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? I am just really proud ot have been able to finish the monster of a fic that was Kerosene and will always love it for being my first but I have a couple coming up that the concepts make my toes curl and I can't wait to get out of my head!!! LIVE MY BABIES LIIIIVE (ironic bc my boys won't always lol)

Pressuring y'all next: @born-to-riot @acourtofladydeath @thelovelymadone @brunetterebel010

[dorkasdaydreams]

Sweet Serenade (Part 1)

Juliana/Kieran (Pokémon Scarlet & Violet)

Summary:

Juliana and Kieran ever imagined they'd both want the same thing on the same day.

Word Count: TBA

A/N:

Happy Valentine's Day! Sadly, I won't be able to finish this fic right away. Instead, I'm splitting it into two parts. Hope you all enjoy it regardless!

----------------------

The students of Blueberry Academy were a bit more lively than usual. Many of them were carrying pink & red boxes and balloons, while others toted bouquets and Pokémon plushies. Everyone was striding through the vibrantly decorated hallways with a hopeful gleam in their eyes (and a few with flushed cheeks). There was good reason everyone was acting this way today. It was that special day of the year when families, friends, and couples showed their love and appreciation for one another.

Yes, today was Valentine's Day, and one young lady in particular was determined to celebrate it in the best way possible. Juliana, the exchange student-turned-BB League Champion & League Club president, cradled a box of heart candies in her arms as if it was a newborn. Each individual piece had a romantic message printed on the front. As she strolled over to her first class, Juliana only had one person on individual. That person would be the recipient of her gift: her boyfriend, Kieran.

Despite only being together for a couple of months, the two of them were practically inseparable. Kieran was already so many things to Juliana. He was her closest confidant, her favorite battle partner, her sweetheart...and so much more. He deserved something extra special today. However, the heart candies weren't exactly the main gift she'd bestow upon him. They were merely a prelude to the main event.

The young champion hurried into the Pokemon Lore Studies classroom. The whiteboard had little doodles of various Pokemon symbolizing love, such as Luvdisc, Tandemaus, and even Applin (her personal favorite of the bunch). Students were still up and about, trading cards and candy. Well, not all of them. To her surprise, Kieran was already there, seated at his usual spot and scribbling on a piece of paper. His hair was tied back as usual (save for his bangs), and he sported the summer uniform just as he did when the two of them first met. She quietly took her seat and opened the candy box.

Kieran didn't even notice his girlfriend sitting next to him. He was too busy writing down a hundred different ways he could make her a very important request that had been on his mind for at least a few weeks. As he skimmed over the plans he had so far, he heard something sliding in his direction. Looking to his left, he saw Juliana smiling bashfully at him with a heart candy underneath her index finger. The phrase on the treat read "Kiss me?" in all caps.

To say Kieran was flustered would be quite the understatement. The very phrase he wanted to ask her had been thrown back in his face, and he hadn't prepared for this outcome. He was about to respond when he heard claps from the front of the room. The Pokemon Lore professor was already at her desk, sporting a pink cardigan and red beret as opposed to her usual orange and green ensemble.

"Hey, everyone! I know you're all excited to exchange gifts, but we should really start class now! Get to your seats, please!" The class followed her instructions, taking their seats and putting their gifts away for later. "Aw man..." With a defeated sigh, Kieran whispered "Let's talk about this later..." to Juliana, who nodded as she took out her laptop to take notes.

[popcornfairy28]

Voiceteam is done! (and I'm back from my trip)

I somehow overestimated how good the internet would be on my trip, as I could not connect to Tumblr at all. It was just BLANK. I managed somehow to post to AO3 for my last few podfics, so I guess I'll share them here. I might have a couple of links left to share from all that, but I'll share them when I get them.

I sang literally only a tiny bit for our Pink Panda Bandits theme song for round 3. I was so busy recording other filks, that I won't be able to post until I get permission from the writers, because we needed it for our mod dare this round. So I've got a bunch of unedited podfics recorded sitting around that I planned on finishing but instead just sang for most of my points lol.

2. For Amnesty, originally for round 1 I had podded another @ligercat fic called A Dog's Duty: (I may have been purposefully picking easier-looking ones for starting out...but they were still so fun!)

3. Another that I ended up posting for Amnesty that was originally for round 1 was a Merlin fic that I was recommended to pod written by @schweetheart called: the course of true love (never did run smooth). This so far was the longest podfic I have done, at about 23 minutes...which admittedly doesn't sound very long but before this one I'd only done ones less than 10 minutes long LOL. It was a fun challenge to stretch myself that way though, and the fic was a delight.

Alrighty, now I should probably go to bed but I probably won't because while I'm absolutely exhausted I'm also still exhilarated from the day and driving, so maybe I'll write??? I was utterly unable to work on the Chesterton Challenge Prompts since I couldn't access Tumblr and hadn't listed them. Plus I just didn't generally write because the conference I went to was a little bit different than I was expecting (even though I've gone two times before). People were more social with me and wanting to talk with me and spend time with me just generally, so I couldn't go hide in a corner and write as easily. Which it is great that I got to go talk to real people face to face, but it is kinda a bummer that I got so little free time. I am definitely looking forward to introverting for the next couple of days after extraverting so much...

[elvendria]

NOTICING YOU - E.M x FEM READER Part One

summary:

-What are you doing to me y/n Henderson?- -I could ask you the same Eddie Munson-

y/n Henderson is Dustin's older sister. She's the shy, reserved bookworm you see around the hallowed halls of Hawkins High. She's a cynic. She's seen how those you love can treat you, and knows that true love and soulmates belong only in her books.

At least until a freaky metalhead who happens to be friends with her brother shows up more and more in the most convenient of places.

\\acquaintances - friends - lovers - enemies - lovers//

Ok so I just want to clarify a few things:

Although set in the time of season 4, music up to the current decade will be used, I just find it easier to know what songs to use when I'm not limited to specific timelines

There'll be referneces to songs however some of them may be listed as y/n writing them herself, but I'll put the original singer/songwriter at the end of the chapter

It'll start before the events of season 4, but will gradually move into that storyline over time

(I should also mention that in this fic, Eddie only repeated his senior year once, meaning there's only a year between them instead of two, and Steve hasn't graduated yet)

Ok. Let's jump in.

part one part two part three part four part five part six part seven

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TW: single mom/absentee dad, shy bookworm reader, fem!reader

word count: 2.2K

August 20th

The thought of walking across the school carpark for the first day of Senior Year felt like walking through the gates of hell. All I wanted to do was run somewhere until the end of the day, and then slowly crawl my way home.

I could barely find the will to get my legs to move out of my 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, my most prized possession. It felt like my legs were encased in cement as a cold sweat ran down my spine at the thought of having to face more than one person every day.

Dad had fixed Betsy before he left all those years ago, I thought it would be junk by now but it runs just like it did when he finished it up and took Dustbin and me out for a test drive. Sure she's bumpy in places, but nothings is ever perfect.

I looked out the driver's side window to a couple running and jumping into each other's arms, kissing all slobbery as if he'd just returned from war when in reality she saw him like two days ago. That, or he was away at camp this summer. And let's be real, he most definitely did not stay celibate for a month or 2 just because he was away from his girlfriend. Either way, she was overreacting and trying to put her claim on him in front of all the other girls in the parking lot.

"What a stupid thing to be doing in public, save it till you get home," I scoffed, but not loud enough for them to hear me, confrontation is not my forte. Running and hiding, now that's something I'm good at.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had someone to smooch on a Monday morning." Dustin teased from beside you, a grin spreading across his face.

I've always found my brother's smile to be infectious, even when I was in the worst mood possible.

"Alright Dustbin, you've convinced me. This year I'll have so many boyfriends I won't have time to be cynical. Your wish is my command." I feigned a bow towards him, knowing deep down inside, that he was just as nervous as I was.

"If I'm going to be going to high school, you need to stop calling me Dustbin. It was cute when you were 3, but we're grown now." Dustin huffed, crossing his arms and slumping in his seat.

"I don't know, you look like a little kid to me, I mean I could mix you into a batch of newbie middle schoolers and no one would be able to tell the difference. " I felt a swat at my arm, which further instigated my laughter.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a guy turn his head and look at the car, his hair falling below his shoulders. Our eyes met and he quickly turned and walked away, but it was too late.

Eddie Munson had just caught me laughing like a maniac with my brother.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a lot of self encouragement, and a bit of teasing from Dustin, I finally worked up the courage to get out of the car and start walking to the school doors, pleading with myself to turn around once or twice. Somehow I made it to my homeroom and my desk without knowing how, as if my feet had grown tired of the back and forth, the will she won't she, and just decided to move on their own.

Sitting down at the furthest corner of the room, I pulled my white knitted sweater around my arms, carefully listening to my favourite teacher in the whole school."

"Alright students," Ms Collins called out, I'm passing around your timetables now. I'd just like to remind everyone-"

"Sorry I'm late, hellfire club duties and all that, I would say it won't happen again but we both know you don't like liars, Ms C."

"Mr Munson please find your way to an available seat. There's one beside Ms Henderson."

Fuck.

"As I was saying, students will not be allowed to switch classes this semester." Light groans presented themselves around the classroom, and I wanted to join them when I saw my timetable,

Homeroom

Period 1: Biology

Period 2: English

Period 3: History

Period 4: Spanish

Lunch

Period 5: Math

Period 6: Music

Period 7: Chemistry

Period 8: Economics

"Who makes a person cut open a frog first thing in the morning?" I whispered to myself.

"I know right, there has to be some sort of law against it or something, it's disgusting," the deep voice from beside me whispered back. I couldn't move, I could barely breathe. I could feel his body heat beside me. 

Why did this have to be a two-person desk?

I've always found it difficult to talk to people, but I've found it especially difficult to talk to him ever since he was in the middle school talent show. Past friends have said it was a crush but I knew that wasn't true. Crushes were only for hopeless romantics and kids.

I hate myself for it, I don't want to seem like all those people who called him a freak.

But ever since Dad left I told myself I never wanted to get close to anyone, yet here I was, sitting thinking about the time I sat in the wings and watched him play with his band. His hair was really short then and he was skinny. Mom said he was all elbows with the way he was holding his guitar. But that didn't matter to me. Just to see him so involved in the music, it was almost like he'd forgotten everyone else could see him.

I swore that after I went out on the stage, played the piano and sang Hello, Hello by Elton John, I'd go backstage and talk to him. However, I was barely 5 words in when my vision went blurry and I was suddenly running off the stage. I remember running to a classroom-turned dressing room and curling up into a ball, completely and utterly embarrassed. I decided from then on that I wasn't going to speak to Eddie ever, I took it as a sign that I wasn't supposed to. So when he talked to me in homeroom, I felt my lips had been sewn shut and that I was rooted to my seat.

Once the bell rang, I jumped from my seat and practically sprinted out the door on my way to Biology, only realising along the way that Eddie might be in my class. I didn't see his timetable, but he agreed with me about biology, so there's always the possibility.

I sat down at the back of the biology class, tying my dark red hair into a ponytail when a girl sat down beside me. I was right about Eddie being in this class, but he sat in front of me with Steve Harrington, so it wasn't so bad. At least he couldn't directly see me unless he fully turned around, and he had no reason to do that.

The girl nudged me with her arm I turned to look at her as she gave a short, small wave.

"I figured we should introduce ourselves because if we don't then this lab partner business is going to get weird really fast because I don't think I would be able to call you buddy or gal for the whole semester, especially considering I hate using both of those words." She rambled on.

I usually don't make friends with people who could talk for hours, but something about this girl was different. Instead of freaking me out, her rambling made me want to chuckle along with her.

"Oh, you're laughing, thank god because I thought you were going to be one of those people who is all work and no talk and that would get irritating really fast." All you could do was smile back.

"I'm Robin by the way! Robin Buckley," She smiled gleefully.

"Y/n Henderson, a pleasure to meet you, Robin," I said back, returning her small wave from earlier.

"Wait, are you Dustin's sister?" Suddenly Steve Harrington was a part of this conversation, pulling me from the happy little bubble Robin had formed around our Biology desk.

I could see Eddie's head turn slightly and all I could manage was an "Uh hmmm" before Mr Wright came in and Robin told Steve to shut up and turn around.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The day flew by, Robin invited me to sit with her at lunch, and although I would've loved to, my special place was calling to me.

Pushing throw a creaky old door near the end of the school, I made my way into the library. Sliding past the textbook section I found myself perusing the fiction aisle, looking for something to get lost in for an hour.

The smell of the old musty pages was like a personal high, and curling up in a beanbag in the far corner of the room was heavenly. I could relax. I'd missed it all summer, you couldn't relax in the public library during the summer, it doubled up as an arts and crafts centre for kids.

I was in the middle of reading something about a girl caught in a war between the underworld and the real world when the bell rang to signal lunch was over. Grabbing my stuff, I rushed out of the library and into someone, sending me backwards, my glasses flying from the top of my head, the price I pay for not putting them back on correctly.

"Oh, shit are you ok?"

No. No No No NO NO NO. This was not happening. I am not running into this man for the third time today.

Eddie bent down to get my glasses while I fumbled to put my books back in my bag, not daring to look him in the eye in case he could see right through me. His friends from Hellfire were there, snickering not so quietly to themselves.

As he handed them to me, I mumbled a "Thanks", before jumping to my feet despite his offer to help me up, and practically running down the hall as I heard the late bell ring. I had Mrs Mayer for Math and she doesn't take kindly to latecomers. I reached my desk before she got to the room, breathing out a sigh of relief as I slumped down in a chair in the back.

The rest of the school day went by in a blur, and before I knew it the bell rang to signal the end of the day. I rushed to my locker to grab the books that I'd need when Dustin and Mike walked up to me.

"You want a lift home, Mike?" I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Thanks, Y/n! Nancy's working after school with the school newspaper." Mike beamed at me.

"Y'know, there used to be a time when you smiled up at me, nowadays I have to crane my neck just to look at you. It's weird. Stop." I said, the three of us walking out to the car that sat like a glowing yellow sun at the back of the car park.

Even my car has to sit in the back.

"I can't help it, it's puberty or something," Mike laughed back.

"Yeah, well next time you feel like taking a growth spurt, let Dustbin do it instead, poor kid is tiny," I chuckled, feeling a sharp nudge in my side.

"I'll get you for that." Dustin retorted, playfully scowling at me.

Clambering into the car, I began to reverse out of my spot when I saw him about to get in his van, he raised a hand and gave a small wave. My knuckles went white from gripping the steering wheel, and instead of waving back, I drove out of the car park and didn't check the rearview until I was sure he wouldn't be in it.

It's just one year, and then it's over, I told myself mentally

"Oh was that Eddie? I was going to tell you, we joined Hellfire club, We might even become friends with him." Dustin cheerfully said.

Just one year.

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let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

part one part two part three part four part five part six part seven

[cinderella-ish]

Fic Reading Bingo: Blackout!

I finished with a blackout!

Okay, two caveats:

I've been dealing with the logout issue recently, so as I've been going back to make sure I've commented and left kudos on everything, I haven't been able to do so for every fic. I will keep at it until I get them all, though!

I'm actually still reading my fic of choice for "vampire AU" but I'm going to include it anyway because I'm pretty sure I'll be reading straight through to the end as soon as I'm done writing this post. (It's really good, y'all.)

This summer, I read 70 fics in 2 languages, 11 different fandoms, and by 67 authors, and that's an undercount, because A) 3 of those "fics" are actually entire series, and B) I read countless oneshots from OnigiriCat4Ever's various collections, but it was hard to figure out which ones I read this summer just by going through my history. I also found 2 new-to-me favorite authors (AO3: AveSolace and ohmygodwhy) and wrote or started 10 of my own fics while continuing my 2 WIPs.

I filled most of the squares without trying, just by doing my usual reading (okay, a bit more than my usual, since I don't work summers). Some were outside my comfort zone, like Omegaverse, or hard to find, like a fic with multiple authors. I probably still won't seek out Omegaverse in the future, but I don't think I'll avoid it, either. I enjoyed the fic I read, and I did mark a couple of others for later.

I very much avoided crossovers before this summer, but the one I read for this was beyond delightful, I marked several more for later, and I started writing two of my own!

Additionally, I met my goal of using only fics I love to fill out this card! I moved some around since last time to fill different squares, and swapped a couple out so I could let a few more fics shine. I'm sure you'll be seeing most of these in my next fic recs post!

List below the cut! Fandoms included are as follows:

Astra Lost in Space

Fruits Basket

The Hunger Games

JuJutsu Kaisen

Ouran High School Host Club

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Spy X Family

Crossover | of cats and curses, by faerialchemist Fruits Basket & She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | Tohru/Kyo, Adora/Catra | 6666 words Catradora meets Kyoru. As you might expect, chaos ensues.

Small Fandom | a piece of the sky, by evitably Astra Lost in Space | Luca/Ulgar | 2840 words Every person has a place they can claim as their own. Ulgar's happens to be another person.

Oldest Fic | Loophole, by Geoduck Fruits Basket | Gen | 463 Words Kyo has lost the bet. Akito demands that Kyo meet the terms of the agreement. There's only one teensy-weensy, itsy-bitsy problem...

Whump | End of the Banquet, by AveSolace Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo, Machi/Yuki | 55,197 words* (WIP) All the geopolitical tension in East Asia has come to a head. China has invaded Taiwan, and Japan is immediately drawn into the conflict. The Sohmas' lives are thrown into chaos, even as the Zodiac curse remains unbroken.

Character Study | 5 Times Shigure Claimed to be Selfish + 1 Time He Admitted the Truth, by TolkienScholar23 Fruits Basket | Gen | 1838 words* (WIP) Shigure insists he's the worst kind of man, and most people don't question him… and yet, somehow, his younger cousins tend to find themselves on his doorstep every time they're in trouble.

Rarepair | Setting Sail, Coming Home, by redelric Fruits Basket | Momiji/Kimi | 11,673 words Momiji claims his stake in his father’s business. Kimi is his secretary.

Multiple Authors | About Midnight, by CSHfic, VSfic Spy x Family | Loid/Yor | 2222 words The Forgers are invited to a party on New Year's Eve.

Magic | bone-white, soaked through, by chuuyasoup JuJutsu Kaisen | Geto/Gojo | 5166 words Satoru does not survive his fight with Toji. He doesn't stay dead, either.

Canon Compliant | Fourth Trimester, by AveSolace Fruits Basket | Gen | 6741 words Four and a half vignettes about the Zodiacs as newborns.

Omegaverse | Made Together, by Moonstorm69 Fruits Basket | Machi/Yuki | 13,121 words Yuki, a Beta, has spent most of his life hating his secondary gender. Yet when Machi enters her rut for the first time, Yuki is the perfect man to help his anxious, terrified girlfriend through this, if only she'd let him in…

Secret Relationship | All That, by himawaribees (series) JuJutsu Kaisen | Megumi/Yuji | 80,776 words* (WIP) Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori Yuuji first meet at a frat party and proceed to have lots and lots of sex.

Secret Identity | The Cost for Silence, by AveSolace Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo, Machi/Yuki | 56,711 words Someone has an axe to grind with the Sohmas, and they've managed to find the perfect piece of blackmail to use against them. And this person is willing to keep the incriminating evidence to themselves--for a price.

Free Space | an inch away (from more than just friends), by ohmygodwhy Fruits Basket | Kakeru/Yuki | 12,034 words Six years after high school graduation, Tohru and Kyo finally get married. Kakeru tags along as Yuki's plus-one. Reunions, bonding, and eye-opening revelations ensue.

Short Fic | La fièvre de Tohru (Fr)/Tohru's Fever (En) by Soffya Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 576 words (Fr)/588 words (En) Kyo took off his shoes, the house seemed empty. He went up when he heard a noise. Apparently, he was not alone in the house. Someone was coughing.

Take Your Fandom to Work | My Brother, by OnigiriCat4Ever Fruits Basket | Gen | 58,867 words Momiji has made a new life for himself in Germany. He has a job he enjoys, a boyfriend he loves, and a life that makes him happier than he'd felt in a very long time. It wasn't perfect, but it was happy, and he was satisfied…until Momo asked if they could talk.

Old Favorite | inertia, by miss_coverly (series) Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 59,032 words Kyoru Friends With Benefits AU

Unfinished/Work in Progress | desiderium, by tessohma Fruits Basket | Kakeru/Yuki | 22,502 words* (WIP) Yukeru Friends With Benefits AU

BIPOC Main Character | reaching across years, by ohmygodwhy Fruits Basket | Gen | 4559 words Shigure asked Ayame to collect some of Yuki’s things. Ayame said: okay. I’ll do it. I’ll do it tomorrow, in fact. 

Vampire AU | Bloodlust, by Aa_chanFan Fruits Basket | Tohru/Akito | 13,852 words* (WIP) Girl meets beautiful stranger, beautiful stranger turns out to be a vampire. Yet Tohru Honda is not as easy prey as she seems…

5+ Year Old Fic | Due Diligence, by galaxysoup Ouran High School Host Club | Gen | 1841 words Kyoya goes to Haruhi for parenting advice.

Under the Influence | Think we kissed, but I forgot, by cold_flame Fruits Basket | Kakeru/Kyo | 38,163 words Kakeru and Kyo meet at a party. Things escalate quickly.

Future AU | The miner's wife, by MockingJayFlyingFree The Hunger Games | Katniss/Peeta | 142,741 words In an alternate universe in which Prim was never reaped, Katniss married Gale at the age of 18, and Peeta Mellark became the lone victor of the 74th Hunger Games. What happens when their paths cross for the first time since that fateful incident with the bread?

Unhappy/Bittersweet Ending | In a Year or So Fruits Basket | Akito/Kureno | 3786 words A bleak look at Akito and Kureno’s relationship.

Ghosts | Magic, by alchemicink Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 1867 words Kyo helps Tohru get ready for Halloween

Soulmates | our dreams are not our own, by AnxietyAvocado Fruits Basket | Tohru/Kyo | 1460 words they say that your dreams are your soulmate's memories

@ficreadingchallenge

[loaflovesdoodling]

GUESS WHO'S BACK IN TOWN

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I MISSED Y'ALL SO FKN MUCH I COULD SWEAR I WAS GOING CRAZY RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

Fr though, I just got back home right now and it's.. uh...

y'know, kinda almost 1AM in here,

so, the repair shop is closed, my phone and tablet are still in their transformers bomb form, and so I'm writing this from my tidy computer. :,)

Ok, so, here's the plan:

Tomorrow morning, I wake up and immediately head over to the repair shop. I ask them to repair my phone first and then hand over both phone and tablet. Sign the invoice, and done.

If everything goes well, I should be able to already get my phone back by 6PM. By then I make some adjustments with the writing for Part Two of the Dulciades fic and finally start making the illustrations. :D

The next morning, I finish the illustrations for Part Two and publish it on here.

From then on I will publish a new part of the fic every morning (it's most likely going to be five parts, so it won't take me too much work.)

Even if I do get my tablet back early, I will still finish the fic before I start working on Double-Sided Trouble again, as it is crucial for Ades' character arc, but also mostly because multitasking is not exactly my thing. I pinky promise you though I WILL work nonstop to get that shit out before the eleventh.

If I have time, maybe I'll do a couple side things like animatics (specifically one based on Fylass in Wonderland's Finale), but it's still pretty much all in the air, as I also have to hop back to school next monday, giving me a more restricted time window to work on all these things. So, other than the fic and DST, I can't really promise anything. :,D

[myrmidryad]

I don't know if I hallucinated this but a couple months ago I remember seeing you answering an ask about your current writing projects and I can't find it now but I just wanted to say how excited I was when I read about them and temm you how much I love your writing!

I definitely did, yeah - it was a while ago, but things have Come Along since then! I have finished the Challengers fic I was working on (it needs a second round of edits, a final read-through, and then I'm finally posting it!), and the West Side Story fic I was working on (which is the definition of writing for an audience of one lol and needs sooooooo much more work and possibly a complete rewrite before it's in posting shape, and I won't be able to look at it again for months becase:). I'm now noodling with ideas for RIP Roswell and I need to reread and start working again on the not-an-arranged-marriage malex fic for the RNM Big Bang.

I'm uncomfortably aware that the deadlines for both the RNM projects are in November, so I've only got a month and a half to get those done. I s2g tho, this WILL be the year that I finish my RIP Roswell fics at least a week in advance! I'm on holiday for the last two weeks of October, so I need to cram my spooky vibes into September instead.

anyway, thank you! :D I hope you enjoy the oncoming glut of fic!