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zeestarfishalien · 8 months ago

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My Graveyard Song Ch. 14

(Totally got distracted and forgot to post this to tumblr. It's been up on ao3 for a few days now)

[Masterpost]

Jason looked at the two empty bowls and one empty plate of food Danny had polished off and promptly decides to take him to Rosa Lee’s Diner. They always serve extra large portions of food that stands up to even Alfred’s high standards.

As he urges Spooky into one of the jackets left by his siblings, he shoots a text off to Cass.

[BCC plz 4 Spooky u wel 2 IOU 1 🏠🍝 ur chc]

By the time Cass gets there, Danny is starting on his third plate. Mind you, she got here in under half an hour and Danny is not in fact a speedster, but at the rate Danny is going, Bruce is certainly going to think someone fed a speedster.

Jason is really not sure where all this food is going. By all rights, his spooky friend should be on the verge of exploding from eating more than his body weight in food.

Even the waitstaff are watching this little meta-looking kid down pounds and pounds of food.

Cass passes Jason an unmarked black credit card and sits next to him in order to better watch Danny scarf down his waffles.

Five minutes later when their waiter swings by, Jason orders a platter of beignets and Danny orders Rosa Lee’s own personal special, a breakfast that comes with four slices of ham, a mountain of cheesy scrambled eggs, two pancakes, four breakfast sausage links, two biscuits, and an apple turnover.

At this point, the waiter doesn’t even blink, just asks if he’d like anything to add or substitute.

He asks for 3 extra pancakes.

By the time he's halfway through his stack of pancakes -the last thing left of his Rosa Lee Special- it dawns on Jason, that maybe Danny shouldn't be eating this much when he hasn't eaten regular human food in a long time.

But then again, what does he know? The world is a great big mysterious place and you cannot treat every humanoid looking being by the limitations of humans.

Danny is watching him now, an openly curious look on his face. There's a question in the air between them, even Cass picks up on it.

Carefully slow, Danny sets down his fork and finishes chewing the bite in his mouth.

"You're worried," he croaks, tapping his index finger on the table to emphasize his words.

He pauses, distracted, and looks down at his hand, repeating the motion of tapping his finger on the table while studying it closely. Jason almost breaks into laughter when Danny’s head tilts in an oddly animal like fashion.

If he needed any other proof that Spooky the dog is Danny the spirit sitting before him, this would do it.

His glowing eyes flick back up to Jason.

"Amused," he rasps out barely above a whisper. There's still that unspoken question in the air.

It finally clicks. The emotions Danny is naming are Jason’s. The question he wants to know is 'why'.

"I wasn't sure if you could get sick from overeating. Humans need to ease back into eating normal amounts but you're not human so I don't know what standard to hold you to."

Danny nods absently, his finger tap tap tapping away on the table.

"Hard to say," he says finally. His voice still sounds like gravel, not unlike Cass' own voice.

"Ecto fills in gaps. A temporary fix. Rebuilding with the right stuff now." He gestures vaguely to the empty plates stacked on their table. "Ecto is fast. I'm probably fine."

"Sorry," Jason half mumbles. "I just worry."

All movement from Danny freezes, like someone pressed pause on the TV. His eyes go wide in realization and alarm.

"Jazz..."

Jason blinks and then it hits him with the speed and force of a freight train.

"Oh shit! Jazz!" He scrambles for his phone. "Do you remember anything else about her that might help?!"

~•~

Bill would like everyone to know that he works very hard to be a good hench person.

He's not dumb. Now he may not be book smart like half the big baddies in Gotham, but he's not dumb.

He would have died long ago if that were the case. He's worked for the Red Hood for a couple years now —it's one of the best decisions he's ever made; the guy knows how to treat his hench people. What more can Bill say?— and he's avoided asking questions just like with all his hench jobs before this.

But he'd really like to ask one now that he's stuck watching years worth of security footage...

What even constitutes suspicious activity in a cemetery?

Now most people would automatically say, graverobbing, but Big Red is a Gotham native. In Gotham, no one is buried with their valuables, not unless your grave is in a super secret spot. Gothamites can smell money and anytime there's a possibility of it, people will dig up the grave in question.

Hell, the cops don't even stop for it anymore, they just keep on rollin' even if it's happening right before their eyes.

Point is, graverobbing can't be the suspicious behavior he's supposed to look for, but Bill really isn't sure what exactly does quantify as suspicious behavior to Big Red.

Everything here has been run of the mill, graverobbing, teen/young adult vandalism, or drug deals.

Yes, he considers goth teens/young adults having sex in a cemetery as vandalism too. Vandalism on his eyes, if nothing else.

He hits pause on a big white van and rubs his eyes tiredly. Perhaps it's time to call it a night. He's losing focus, getting caught up in his own thoughts.

His hand hovers over the mouse about to drag it over to close out of the program when his brain catches up to what his eyes are seeing.

The van, big, white, armored...

Now that IS unusual. Black or gray vans are the favored colors in Gotham and anyone, who knows anything about Gotham, knows that you NEVER armor up a suspicious color and type of vehicle. Not if you don't want the cops and vigilantes breaking down your door.

He can just make out two people in bright colors inside the van. They're grainy but not grainy enough for Bill to doubt the color of their outfits.

It's too bright for any regular gothamite. The only people in this city who dress like that are the big shot villains and their cronies.

The two disappear into the cemetery, out of sight of the camera with tools in hand. He scans forward a few hours (less time than he expected honestly) and slows back to normal speed just in time to watch them unload what seems to be some sort of coffin, except it's metal with glowing lines and patterns on it.

He pauses the video again and with elbows resting upon the desk he presses clasped hands against his mouth to muffle his sigh.

Well, if that doesn't constitute suspicious activity then Bill will hand in a letter of resignation and go flip burgers.

Well...time to let the boss know.

Yall thought I made up the part where Bill the Henchman comes in, but I definitely, absolutely had this planned from the beginning. [Lying]

Okay, gonna be honest, I may have had a plan for Bill, but it either was lost in the shuffle or there never actually was a plan for scenes with Bill. Considering I can only sometimes keep my dream memories from mixing with my awake memories, any hope of recovering any potential memories is nigh on impossible.

HOWEVER

I can always make new plans. AND I HAVE! So yes, we have Bill now and I'm going to pretend like this was planned all along.

Oh yeah! So Jason’s text at the beginning says: Black credit card please, for Spooky. You are welcome too. I owe you one homemade meal, your choice.

Also can you imagine being a vigilante? Bc you have at least 10 very important things you have to juggle on just an average Tuesday. This is not including sudden family disasters like a family member getting trapped in a burning building and having to go save them, plus more wild revelations about your funky supernatural roomie. So like, cut a guy some slack, I know I'd be floundering some days. Attempting to prioritize must really be a bitch some days. Just...oof...

#my graveyard song #dpxdc #dcxdp #church grim danny #black dog danny au #jason is doing his best okay?#and look! he delegates things!!!

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 8 months ago

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AITA for cutting my friend off after I visited him?

I, 19X (I’m nonbinary), visited my friend, M21, in his home country not too long ago. I paid for my own plane ticket, I paid for American snacks for him and his friends, and when I arrived I paid for any food I ate, all of our outings (my expenses and his for the most part), and even helped cover the difference on the electric/water bill. He provided me lodging (I slept on his couch for 3 weeks) and created the itinerary as he’s naturally more familiar with the country than I am. In total, I spent around 3,000 USD, spent 24 hours on a plane, and had jet lag for 3 weeks. I also dealt with extreme mental health symptoms alone while there because of homesickness and general issues I have.

We had been friends for almost 7 years at that point - we met when I was 12 and he was 14. For that entire time, we were incredibly close and supported each other through high school and the beginning of university. All this to say, our history was extensive, and I was excited to visit him. He was my best friend, so it didn’t matter how hard it was for me. I wanted to see him. To emphasize how strong our bond was, he literally got a tattoo representing me.

A month or so after I arrived home from my trip, he sent me a message at 3 AM (he intentionally sent it at that time so I couldn’t respond to him). The message basically said that he no longer felt as close to me, that it wasn’t anything I did, but he was changing and his interests were elsewhere. It was a classic “it’s not you, it’s me” move. He did specify that he still wanted to be my friend and that he still loved and cared for me, but that he wouldn’t be putting in as much effort. After sending that message, he didn’t say anything more for about two days.

I was distraught over this and freaked the fuck out, to be candid. But then I got to thinking and my sadness and anxiety turned to rage. I’d spent so much money just on him, I’d turned my life upside down to see him, I was jet lagged for three whole weeks, I was working back to back 12 hour shifts to make up for the money I’d lost — and that was it? He just didn’t feel close to me anymore? Granted, it’s not like he can control his feelings, but I started to feel like all that effort I put in was wasted. I asked him how long he had felt that way (distant from me), and he said he’d felt that way for around a year but he’d just now realized.

That was the nail on the coffin for me. That, and the fact that he only ever talked to me if I was the one to reach out. I removed him from all of my socials and left any servers we had in common. I deleted a lot of his old artwork. The message he sent me helped me realize a long pattern - he didn’t put in as much effort as I did, and I was secondary. Granted, I don’t expect to be the most important person in his life, but he would tell me all the time about his other friends — he’d send me pictures of them, screenshots of their messages to him, all that. And they knew nothing about me. I was going to visit and meet them and they hadn’t even seen a picture of me before.

Some part of me feels like I’m overreacting, though. I just want other people’s feedback on this. Am I the asshole for cutting him out of my life?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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tciddaemina · 26 days ago

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haha thank you @leviathiane for the tag

20 Questions for Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Exactly 100 currently. I'm working on my 100th fic and am aiming not to post anything more until I've finished that one

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

yikes. yikes. uh, so its 2,351,346 words (2.3 mil). look okay i'm a sucker for long fics okay

3. What fandoms do you write for?

a lot of things. i tend to be a fandom generalist, so i'll bounce around a lot between fandoms and have even (guiltily) written a few fics for fandoms that i havent seen canon of. i tend to think that for any fandom i'm enjoying, there's at least one or two good fics in it I could make if so inclined by numbers though my top fandoms are one piece, then naruto (bc of cross-overs with aforementioned one piece), then LoZ, and then SVSSS.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

duty, given chance bureaucratic processes it's what isn't in the name Vitra te Ikran the thing that remains

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes, but not super often. Often just if someone leaves a super nice comment that's very touching or if someone has a question. I appreciate all my commenters but I often just end up feeling awkward if I try to respond to them all. If you ever have commented on one of my fics through, I love and appreciate you and I'm kissing you on the mouth

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

At the moment its probably three past the hour, my Katakuri/Sanji work, but when I get round to finishing no one left to tell the secret, my demon AU Shanks/Buggy fic, then it will probably be that one

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hhhhhhh, maybe the thing that remains? that one gets quite fluffy at the end. a lot of my works have happy endings though, so its hard to say.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Almost never. I get people being weird sometimes, like that one rando commenting on my Zoro/Kisame fic whining about how Zoro shouldn't be gay, but like. eh. eh. Cannot remember a single proper instance of hate or flaming.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Haha man. Lets look at the stats. Yeah, uh, 35 of my 100 fics are rated explicit, and some of these fics are pretty freaky. Look i've done size kink, i've done various flavours of monsterfucking, one of my series with the biggest following is one about a dude falling in love with and getting hot with a sentient suit of armour. I write some weird stuff

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I write some, but sort of only occasionally. For proper crossovers, I only really have my naturo x one piece series and my doom slayer x batman story. I tend to prefer aus, so like i have a hannibal souleaster au and a bleach elden ring au.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. Lets say no and hope it stays that way

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

My NiF fic with honour was translated into Russian as part of an event a few years back. That's the only one currently though

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. Cher and I played around with something a while back but its sort of been on the back burner. I've got a stupid Supernatural fic I'm working on right now that is essentially co-written, just because discord friends are helping me figure out what the fuck happened in canon, since I never watched it 😂

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Trafalgar Law/Luffy. I write a lot of stuff and ship a lot of things but these guys are my absolute fave. Writing my big Lawlu fic took the better part of two years and got me through some hard times, so they just have a special place in my heart

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

This ones hard. There's a lot of fics I want to come back to but there's just not enough hours in the day. I'm overflowing with projects and sometimes I just don't manage to get back to them. I always mean to try go back, so I don't want to write them off. I'm gonna cop out on this one and not answer

16. What are your writing strengths?

World building, maybe? I have degrees in botany and anthropology, and studied ecology and zoology as well while I was at uni. I feel like world building, especially coming up with fun cultural stuff, is something I've learned how to do well, and its something I enjoy a lot. Other than that, idk, I feel like I have strong dialogue as well. It's never been something I struggled with a lot

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Conciseness. Not having run away sentences. I get carried away sometimes with long descriptions for things. Also repetitiveness sometimes. I sometimes catch one paragraph just rewording what I'd been trying to express in the last, which can bloat things. And goddamn though, my inability to keep projects small. I can't remember the last time I managed to finish a project in under 15k. It's a real problem.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

It usually feels clunky, and I don't really do it unless its for a language that doesn't exist. Its too easy to make stupid mistakes if you're trying to write in a language you don't know, which can be annoying for natural speakers, and even if I do know a language and am confident having a character talk in another language still puts the readers in a weird position. Like I feel like its often done to instill a sense of mystery, but like as a reader I mostly just find it tiring to deal with. So yeah, nah. I'll do bits and pieces in made up languages when its useful to help create a sense of cultural depth, but not usually otherwise.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Cringes. Probably Harry Potter. That was sort of the kiddy pool of fandom back in the day and it was definitely where my main writing stayed for a while. I don't think I have a single HP story still up, except maybe VtI, which... yeah is a complicated case

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

It's a tossup between the thing that remains, which even two years after finishing just owns my heart and soul, and one hundred years past, which was my first ever Ganondorf/Link fic. That one was just so much fun to write and is so solid, like I'm still very happy with it, and its a fic I'm always happy to see comments on

@chershare, @everbright-mourning, @transmascgerudo, @zaera-d. i cant remember if you write much @sanguine-tenshi but hey just in case. also @shizunitis just in case you write any fic as well and wanna be included.

man its problematic that you tagged me leviathiane because otherwise i'd tag you 😂😂😂

#te talks #fanfic #question game

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weatheringtea · 2 years ago

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FMA Cafe

While I was in Japan, the FMA cafe opened up :D I've never been to an anime cafe before, so this was perfect! I went once a week (so 3 times in total) so I could try a bunch of different dishes and collect coasters lol

I tried to put this under cut because it's long and full of pics, but adding the read more ruined the formatting of the pics so I'll leave it.

The first trip was March 22, kind by accident LOL. I was in the area to see Shinjuku Gyoen and the cafe was on our walk back to Shinjuku stn. The lobby was empty, so I gathered my very out of practice JP skills and asked if it was possible to get a seat as a walk-in. They said yes :D

Word hadn't gotten around yet it seems, so it was very empty upstairs too LOL. Great for pics :D

There's a ¥1,000 sitting fee and you get a drink with that. There's a QR code given to you for the menu (it matches to your table number so your orders are tracked). Menu was a bit clunky, probably because my JP reading skills are in the toilet, but I figured it out! They played the same 10 minute video the entire time (for the FMA mobile game).

Because I showed up late I only bought one thing to eat (last order for food was 18:00 and I didn't really sit down and get things figured out until 17:45-ish), and it was Lust's chocolate cake. It was very good (and very heavy lol). I got the Edward Elric drink first and the Roy Mustang drink second. Both came with mystery coasters. Ed's drink was better imo.

At the end the couple of us on the 2nd floor snuck up to the 3rd for pics before leaving.

I went back the day before I left for Osaka :D (27th)

Word had gotten around by now about the cafe and merch shop and it was busy this time! I popped in at 12:15 and asked if they had any seats available. No, they're full. He offered to book me in for 14:30 though! So I putzed around Shinjuku for 2 hours and went back :D

It was packed this time!! On both floors.

Winry's pie was alright. Heavier than I was expecting. Ed's fries were fun! They came with a white paper bag that you transfer the fries into, and you add whatever mix of spices you want from the spice cups it came with, then shake in the bag. Neat! Also tasty.

Drinks were Olivier's, Bradley's (with matching coaster!) and Ed's drink again (I should have gotten Roy's again dammit, I tried to take his glove hand home from the first time, but it got wet, the ink bled, and it ironically fell apart...)

Olivier's was the neatest looking drink, but also my least favourite. Bradley's was my favourite drink - very good!

I went back on April 4 before I went home ;A;. This time I made a reservation. I asked for a seat on the 3rd floor, since my first 2 had been on the 2nd, but I think seating is actually based on how early you get in line. I got in line early and noticed everyone in front of me also got 3rd floor, so I think they just fill the 3rd before dealing with the 2nd.

ANYWAYS

Great seat. A+. My spot had 2 table numbers and I asked if it was okay and they just were like "yeah yeah it's fine no worries". Okay!

By this point they must have been besieged with tourists. Poor woman hosting the floor couldn't speak English to save her life (and half my floor was tourists). She got to me and tried to suffer through a few English words and I stopped her. I'm fine with the instructions in Japanese :') please don't suffer more on my account.

Bradley's drink again, Ed's Milk Hater drink, and the classic FMA drink BECAUSE I CONTINUE TO FORGET ALL ABOUT ROY...

Ed's milk drink though... you pour the milk into the mug filled with soda(??) and ice. It tasted like a float without the cola?? It was unique... the most interesting drink to try for sure (Bradley's still my favourite).

I bought the mug at the gift shop :')

LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS AL PUDDING. This was amazing and fun. There is a little cake, there is a little ice cream, there is a little pudding, there's a little idk what it was but it was chocolate and good, and there are cat themed cookies under the pudding cup LMAO. Then there's the blood seal inside the tin. A+ Al wins. That was so much fun, I'm sad I left that until last, I probably would have gotten it again.

You could have totally sold me on this mug too if it had been for sale.

Look, I did remember Roy sorta :') I got his doughnut. It was HEAVY and the icing was so thick on top it was rock hard. Sticky, messy finger food.

So that's it :D I've run out of picture space lol. I wish I'd gotten to taste test things in the second round later in April (ARMSTRONG'S HASHED BEEF ;____;) but I hope they enjoy all the money I gave them while I was there LOL. I had some neat food and had fun doing it :)

#Fullmetal Alchemist #FMA #Café #Hagaren Cafe #anime cafe #Edward Elric #Alphonse Elric #Winry Rockbell #Roy Mustang #King Bradley

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prettygoododds · 1 year ago

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20 Questions for fic writers

Thanks @wellbelesbian for tagging me. Such fun questions! Tags below the cut.

How many works do you have on AO3

68! Wow, I did not realize this.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

134,335

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The Carry On Series aka Simon Snow fandom aka Snobaz

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

When the Ink Dries

Can I Change My Mind (this one blows my mind, how it continues to stay at the top)

Namaste Away

Every Lover Has A Little Dagger In Their Hand

We're So Starving

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or Why not?

I try to, but I'm very bad at it. It's something I need to work on.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

We Were Pity Sex, Nothing More and Nothing Less It doesn't even pretend to be kind.

Also, I'm Right Where You Left Me It's short, but cuts right to the bone.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of mine do have a happy ending (when I go sad, I go hard). If I had to choose a few, I suppose:

Where Did the Party Go?

Believe

Namaste Away

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No. Had a few recommendations on how to tag a few works, or to make it more user friendly but everyone has always been very kind with those suggestions. The Carry On fandom is a really good fandom.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I'm slowly dipping my toes in that water. I've posted a few works that have smut, but I'm still very tentative about it. I don't know what kind really. Regular?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I do not

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not, but I'm not opposed to it.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Snobaz, hands down. It's the one I come back to every time. My comfort ship.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have 2 WIP currently and both of those will be finished. My other WIP not on AO3 are just sitting in my google docs, where no one can see them shivering in the corner, neglected.

16 What are your writing strengths?

Oof. I'd like to think I'm good at dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions and setting a scene. I'm working on it though, and that's the important bit I suppose *shrugs shoulders in Simon*

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Not something I've attempted. I won't say I never will, but I will probably not unless I absolutely have to

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Somewhere, in the depths of fanfic.net are my abandoned Twilight fics. And that is where they will stay until the death of the planet.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I have a few and when I'm questioning why I think I should be doing this at all, I read them to remember I started because I wanted to write the stories I wanted to read.

When The Ink Dries - I started this fic waaaaay before I ever posted it and it was the reason I decided to participate in my first Carry On Big Bang. It's my fic first born.

I'm Not A Pitch - This fic popped my AO3 cherry. I posted it before I could second guess myself. It's full of errors, but I wouldn't change anything about it.

Vibe Check - I wrote this in a few hours when I was feeling silly and it is still one of my favorites

Who Wants Ramen? - My friend and I giggled endlessly when I plotted this one out.

You Can Call Me Babe for the Weekend - I spend a lot of time listening to music and plotting out the story that a 3-4 minutes song can tell. 'Tis the Damn Season was an immediate movie in my head and as soon as I could plot it out and put it on paper (so to speak) I did.

And last but not least Sugar, We're Going Down Swingin - This is pure self indulgence. I got into hockey, I wanted the boys to be hockey players...bam, here's a fic with almost no hockey in it, but sometimes they talk about it.

I'm don't know who's already been tagged, so sorry if I double up:

@facewithoutheart @imagineacoolusername @artsyunderstudy @shemakesmeforget @ivelovedhimthroughworse @ionlydrinkhotwater @rimeswithpurple @aristocratic-otter @cutestkilla @blackberrysummerblog @nausikaaa @supercutedinosaurs @nightimedreamersworld @valeffelees @iamamythologicalcreature @shrekgogurt @ileadacharmedlife @martsonmars @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

#tag game #big thank you to all who support my fics #seriously #it means the world to me #prettygoododdsfic #prettygoododds #snowbaz #simon snow series #carry on fanfiction #carry on fandom #snobaz #simon snow #baz pitch #carry on series #simon and baz #simon baz

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shootingstarpilot · 1 year ago

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Fic Writer 20 Questions

Thanks for the tag, @merlyn-bane!

1.) How many works do you have on ao3?

Eight!

2.) What's your ao3 word count?

217,911

3.) What fandoms do you write for?

*sobbing* Star Wars, my beloved. The brainrot is real; I am consumed. When I was still on FF.net, though, I had stuff up in Harry Potter and How to Train Your Dragon.

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

back then, i was dauntless

how to bring him home

if i don't make it back (from where i've gone)

though some would harm you

like lightning changing hands

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I absolutely do! I feel bad because I know I've gotten some lovely comments on chapters that aren't the most recent one, and those tend to get lost in the inbox, but I promise I'm working on it- if you get a response from a comment you left a year and a half ago, don't hold it against me 😅

I do it because I want so badly to build community here! I love getting comments from people, responding to something with a wee hint of a tease because I'm AWFUL and then getting a keysmash of a response and then exchanging snippets in the comments, truly, it fills me with delight- and I've met some absolutely wonderful people who I got introduced to by responding to comments-

Anyway. Community. That.

6.) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh. Hm. Hm.

I... guess it would have to be though some would harm you? Although I'm not sure if I feel confident in that designation, because it's very much part of a multi-work series. And I'm too much of a sucker for happy endings to write a stand-alone fic that doesn't have one, I think.

7.) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, neural plasticity, for sure! Short and sweet <3

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

A bit. I can brush off the "actually the Jedi were the real monsters" assholes easily enough, but honestly, the comments that hit the hardest are the ones that clearly come from people who think they're offering ✨constructive criticism.✨ Not only because I didn't ask for it, but also because saying my work is "fatiguing" or "I'm sure there's a decent story here, but it's being buried under what you're trying to do with it-" there's nothing constructive there.

Side note: the person who left that last comment deleted it about half an hour later, because when I went to reply, it had vanished from my inbox. I don't know if they did that because they didn't want me to be able to reply, or if they realized that what they said was unhelpful and mean, but if they ever happen to see this-

I still got the email, prick.

9.) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Write? No, I haven't quite worked up the panache to try. Reading, on the other hand...

10.) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I do have snippets of one crossover that I actually posted in an anonymous collection, ha- an old BBC Merlin/ Good Omens/ Supernatural fic that I dug out of my old documents. Other than that, no- unless you count the Prequels and the Clone Wars as different enough to qualify as a crossover.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also not that I know of- very much open to it, though!

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Since I don't think taking drabbles in tumblr chats to ridiculous lengths counts, I'd have to say no- I'd like to, though!

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

Codywan. Fiercely, unwaveringly Codywan.

Just to reinforce this- 292 of my bookmarks consist of Cody/Obi-Wan. The next most common romantic pairing (Aziraphale/Crowley) has less than half that, at 121.

I'm a goner, and I can't even bring myself to regret it.

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

OKAY SO I've written snippets of a modern AU focusing on Helix, Needle and Stitch, and I'm totally gonna take this opportunity to rage about it. I'm probably never gonna finish it, but it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling, so, hey- what else is fic for, really, if not for indulging yourself?

At first, it's just Needle and Stitch. It's just been the two of them, for as long as Stitch can remember. Needle's only a few years older than him, but he's raised him, kept him in school, kept a roof over their heads and food on the table-

Food on Stitch's plate, at least.

Then, one night, Needle does not come home.

A hit-and-run, the nurse tells him, although the words will not trickle through until much later. A coma.

He will not, they say patiently, come home for some time.

(There is so much that needs doing.)

Helix, meanwhile, is studying physical therapy at the local community college and working part-time at his brother Ace's bakery.

It's during one of these shifts that a skinny little twerp comes in and hands him a job application.

(Rent and bills and Needle Needle Needle-)

It doesn't take Helix long to realize something is... off.

Ace tells him not to push it, but-

The kid's a good worker. Great, as a matter of fact. He's never late. Stays past closing, too, if they've had a rush. He tells Helix about his brother and nothing else.

(His brother hasn't come to visit.)

Everything that's not sold at the end of the day gets packaged up and given out. They only toss in the dumpster what's really, truly inedible- stuff that got dropped in the kitchen, scraps left over from customers-

He thinks it's raccoons, at first, until he peers in and sees Stitch flatten himself against a heap of bags in the corner.

They package up leftovers for him, after that. A bit more than leftovers, maybe. Ace sets aside sandwiches. Helix buys him a thermos and tells him it's been in the lost and found for over a year. They make sure he eats.

(Needle's getting transferred out of the ICU.)

Stitch is trying. He's doing everything he can, and more besides. But Needle's life is too expensive and he's buckling under the weight.

(He hasn't even grieved. Not really. No room. No time.)

Eventually, something has to give.

He does.

(He hadn't expected someone to be there to catch him.)

Featuring:

Helix stumbling into adopting first one, then two idiot kids

Ace being a supportive brother

Needle finding his way home

Mace Windu as Needle's (unfairly attractive, Helix thinks) neurologist

Obi-Wan as a hospital social worker who gets assigned Needle's file

Cody as Obi-Wan's husband, Helix's cousin, and children's book author (Stitch's favorite)

(listen I am WEAK for author!Cody, truly)

(Helix was totally the one who got them together and he regrets it every day of his life.)

Sheev Palpatine as the epitome of the evil of the American healthcare system

The Melidaan crew running a long-term, non-profit care facility that offers both in-patient and out-patient rehab services

16.) What are your writing strengths?

(I'VE PUT TOO MUCH THOUGHT INTO THIS. SHIT.)

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

I am, apparently, really good at writing breakdowns. >:3

18.) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Dialogue does not come easily to me. I have to work a bit to hit my stride. But I think it turns out well enough!

Hm. Coming from a purely technical perspective here, I think the reader should be able to understand everything that's spoken in a fic. If a character says something in another language, then I think the best way to convey that is, "X muttered something Y didn't catch," or, if the listener recognizes that it's at least in another language, "X muttered something in French."

If the reader should understand it, then something along the lines of: "'I knew we shouldn't have trusted him,' X muttered in French."

If the POV character doesn't understand the language, it doesn't make sense to provide the reader with a perfect transliteration of what the other character is saying. The character wouldn't have that knowledge. It can really take me out of the fic when two characters suddenly start conversing in written-out sentences in another language, and I have to scroll all the way down to the footnotes for translations.

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

But then again, that's just my opinion- I'm sure others have their own thoughts on this!

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

Harry Potter.

Hell, I have to say like lightning changing hands, if only because whatever fic I'm writing at the moment is my favorite. It's the act of creation that does it for me!

(Also because it's such a good opportunity to explore so many relationship dynamics.)

No-pressure tags for @jedi-enthusiast, @themonopolyhat, @shadow-pixelle, and @foreverchangingfandomsao3!

#shoulder the sky #me: let's summarize this lil nebulous au for sharing! :D #also me ten minutes later: shit. it's grown legs.#personal #my writing

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laserswordtraining · 21 days ago

Text

20 Questions for fanfic writers (answered)

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

62! Including the few I have on anon

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

314,584 (nearly twice in just this year of what I’ve written before in the time before!)

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter, and whatever fandoms I want to au into. (But also have technically done Star Wars and vampire diaries but we don’t talk about that, they just exist now)

4. top five fics by kudos:

1) Dream to Keep You(E) 2)Doubt it’s going to change what we are inside (E) 3) Two sugars no cream(E)

4)Thunder to break the silence(G) and 5) Bloody Gorgeous(T)

But I give it 2 weeks until the top five is all explicit works 😂

5. do you respond to comments?

Yes, and hardly immediately, I do it in clumps

6. what is the fic your wrote with the angstiest ending?

Divine Violation(e) !!!! You watch those tags, poor Harry’s life is in Voldemorts hands

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Got Lost in it,feels impossible(t)

8. do you get hate on fics?

No and I don’t give it either 🙂

9. do you write smut?

Hell yes I do

10. craziest crossover?

Hehe tomarry 101 Dalmatians or Tomarry shrek @fanged-fate-fest hmmm or..(trips,falls, fics fall out of my pockets left and right all over)

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Attempted so far, progress…. Though if you count the Korra/Makko fic from high school it’d be that

14. all time favorite ship?

Harrymort 😎 or…percabeth!!

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a handful I ditched at the end of last year-here’s one that’s still under 1k: Draco’s name meaning dragon could’ve inspired so many different paths for his life. But he’s in a dungeon, Potter is on the run, and Voldemort is living in his house.

16. what are your writing strengths?

I don’t fuck with writers block- I write something more or getting to read is a great solution for me! Breaks from stories are such a need too!

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

I am weak to include scenes and lines that I think are cute and funny, but then later I find them (adorably) cringey and wish I had gone through my plot more than editing…but that’s all a learning curve too

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I like it! Translation at the bottom notes is best. Also more relevant to my own writing-if it’s parseltongue it should be in italics as well as quotes.

20. favorite fic you've written?

What an evil question!!! i literally looked at all my fics for an hour I can’t ever pick one, I have to fall back on the same goddamn one every time even though I’ve written better ones since it still rules my heart

Here- my first Harry Potter fic. Building my foundation in crack treated seriously, based on the plot of Cars(Disney,yes) Harry Kachow

Thanks @liquidluckandstuff for questions ✨

#lasers answers #ask games

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eyra · 1 year ago

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20 questions for Fic Writers

thank you to everyone who tagged me and I'm sorry it's taken me a month to do this.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

25 plus a few that I've posted anonymously. bonus points if anyone ever finds them.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

348,031

3. What fandoms do you write for?

just HP/marauders these days

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Brief History of Dragons - people like this Remus I think.

Beneath a Big Blue Sky - my love letter to Yorkshire.

Statten Park - an old one but I do actually still like this, it's a lot of fun.

Sunshine on Leith - can we knock this out of the top five already please.

And a Hedgehog in a Pine Tree - I'm so surprised that this is here, it's such an inconsequential little thing. people like Christmas I suppose.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

oh god I try I really do, every email that comes through with a new comment makes my day but I'm terrible for leaving them all unanswered in my inbox. I'm sorry to everyone who has ever left a comment that I haven't responded to.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The Proctor House for sure. A Winter, Forever Ago is pretty bleak too.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

most of them! probably the most joyous is something like Beneath a Big Blue Sky because you've been on a decent journey to get there. that goose threatening everyone's happiness and all.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really. one comment I do get sometimes is that the way I write Remus/Sirius is OOC and yes I agree, it absolutely is. Remus in Beneath a Big Blue Sky has nothing to do with e.g. Remus in Ullswater. those men have never even met in a bathroom. James in A Brief History of Dragons is an arsehole compared to living legend James in Beneath a Big Blue Sky. Sirius in Statten Park is a complete stranger to Sirius in Heartstones. none of them, really, have much to do with their canon counterparts. just bits here and there but I haven't read the HP books in well over a decade and I don't really remember what these characters are actually like beyond the surface-level stuff, so a lot of what I write is fairly OOC. it's all done knowingly and intentionally and I'm not going to change that.

9. Do you write smut. If so, what kind?

oh gosh a little bit a little bit. please understand that I'm a repressed Englishwoman and I'm trying my hardest. Seventeen Hours and Statten Park are both fairly smutty. I'd like to write more but I'm awkward af.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

no not really my thing but I do like to take other stories and plonk marauders characters into similar worlds - Ullswater was very much inspired by If We Were Villains.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no but people keep nabbing them to get them printed and then apparently sell them? so actually maybe yes. grow up.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no because I'm a control freak and I don't allow my work to be replicated. sorry about it. I think people have done it for personal offline projects though and that's absolutely fine.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

back in the day I used to co-write with my then-partner but it was just bits and pieces, not full fics. again, I'm a control freak so I'd struggle with this. I need to get my own way always.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

right so I should say Remus/Sirius but honestly... Remus/James just reaches places other pairings simply cannot. so it's a toss up.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

oh god how long have you got. I think one of the reasons I dislike Sunshine on Leith so much is because I put that stupid note at the end promising a third part in a few weeks. that was in 2020 and I've still not done it. help.

16. What are your writing strengths?

description, particularly when it comes to: natural landscapes, buildings, food, weather. I think I'm alright at witty dialogue too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

actually writing anything down. also action, can't do action to save my life.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I don't think I've done it but I'd give it a go.

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

I think it was LOTR and yes it probably still exists somewhere on an old desktop computer at my dad's house and yes that thought keeps me up at night.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

The Proctor House and Beneath a Big Blue Sky

#ask game #ask

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1rsoldiersince2012 · 2 years ago

Text

Bound by Law (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Words: 2420 (chapter 14)

Summary:

You and Matt met in the courtroom. Now, you may think that Matt was a knight in shining armour and defended you in the name of all United States laws, but that was not the case. Matt was totally destroying your client, and you wanted to tear him into pieces right then and right there, because with Murdock as your rival, your head is on the firm's plate with each case. Did Matt care? No, he only cared about bringing justice, he was a human-machine, driven by the need to bring righteousness no matter the cost. Or was he just that? What happens when you get involved in Fisk's business and Daredevil's lies against your will?

UPDATES EVERY FRIDAY

Find my other accounts on ao3 and wattpad! <3

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1rSoldierSince2012

wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/1rsoldierSince2012

14. Back When It All Made Sense

Matt was furious and felt like he was literally burning inside. Pretending to be calm while he left the radar of your car, he pulled into an alley known only to him and probably some drug addicts, he stopped and started breathing through his nose like an angry bull. The dumpster became a scapegoat to absorb all Matt's anger, which he vented by hitting the side of the dumpster repeatedly until he felt the metallic smell of blood in the air and on the tip of his tongue. Todd had to yet to face the wrath of the devil, but here Matt faced a problem - neither he knew how this scumbag looked, nor he knew where he lived. He can't ask Foggy to find him. In fact, he can't ask anyone at all.

After leaning face towards the wall for a while, and releasing a long breath, a thought finally occurred: what would someone like Todd do on Friday evening? Go to a bar and try to get laid. He remembered you mentioning Josie's, so perhaps luck will be on his side again tonight.

Yes, Matt called you in his arms, even for a moment, luck. He couldn't deny anymore that he felt the need to breathe in your expensive perfume once again, he couldn't lie to himself that you were his biggest mystery now. He wanted nothing more than to hold you tight in his arms and protect you from this world, although you were more than capable enough to kick someone's ass if needed.

Matt slightly shakes his head to himself and finally pulls away from the cold wall, wiping the bloody knuckles into a handkerchief and making himself presentable again. He had to focus on how to make Todd pay. He could just beat the shit out of him, but it would be too suspicious on how he learned about the whole thing and Matt would push you into a very uncomfortable situation, again. Slowly dragging his feet back to his apartment, Matt was debating on his choices and weighting each outcome, convincing himself that he would do the same for anyone else, although deep down inside he knew that all this effort was only for you.

***

Not in the mood for food, only for alcohol and still burning with anger, you were lost on the Internet, reading and re-reading the legislation, all which you knew almost by heart. Kitchen turned out to be once again the best place for work, although personal matter shouldn't be called work, you treated it like another case, because you knew how quickly feelings got the best of you.

A couple of hours later, you managed to pull out some good stuff, and decided to call your dad. Just for assurance, you told yourself. Although, you just wanted to talk to someone who understood you better than anyone else. Three rings later, a rough voice was finally heard in your ear:

"Yeah?"

"Hey, dad, it's me." you smile immediately.

"Oh, hey, honey."

"You still didn't put the names on your contacts, right?" You tease and a heavy sigh on the other side is heard along with your mother's laughter somewhere far away.

"You know that I don't understand how to use that damn thing."

"Dad, you're not that old to not know how to use a smartphone."

"I only use this because you gifted it to me. Through mail, by the way." He scolds slightly, not letting you forget that you haven't found enough time to visit them in the past couple of months.

"Dad, I already apologized like a million times, complain to Hogarth for giving me a case on your birthday."

"I don't care about that woman, I only care about my daughter, who has the audacity to not visit her parents and hides behind her work."

Now it's your turn to sigh heavily, and take out a beer bottle out of the fridge. "Dad, I'll come for the Holidays, I promise... Maybe even earlier, since I no longer work regularly."

"What do you mean by that?" The interrogation skills from years working in the police force kick in, and you hear a change in his voice, which becomes strict and professional.

"They offered me a new way of working. I work as a sort of assistant now." You sigh again, opening the beer bottle loudly, which doesn't go unnoticed by your dad.

"What's in it for you?"

"They promised to pay more."

"Have they?"

"I only started like a week ago, or maybe later..." you try to remember how long ago you were brought into another affair in the firm, feeling like all the days are the same and nothing makes much sense, "it doesn't matter, honestly." You finish desperately before you concern your father any further.

"I'm sure they are afraid to lose you now, especially after that trial was shown on a TV."

That meant - I'm really proud of you, daughter, but my manliness won't allow me to be so expressive. However, you had to admit, your mother managed to soften your dad a little over the last couple of years.

"Yeah, I guess... Listen, dad, I'm kind of dealing with a case now-"

"On a Friday evening, you should be going out, y/n!" Your mother shouts loudly in your ear, and you almost drop your phone on the counter.

"Jesus, mom, no need to shout, it's a new phone."

"She's telling the truth, I want to live up to see your husband." Your dad says in a scolding tone again, and you roll your eyes slightly.

"So you could put him in a cell on our wedding night?"

"My biggest dream, that's for sure."

"Dad, I thought you got rid of that dream, I'm not 17 anymore."

"Doesn't change the fact that I can easily do it, all I have to do is call Robert, and he would deal with everything." He huffs a laugh, and for a moment your thoughts wander to Robert - a boy from your neighbourhood, who thought of your dad as a hero, after he managed to put in jail the biggest gang of the 90s, and said that one day he'll be just like him.

"Robert? How's he doing?" You ask cautiously, not trying to raise suspicions on why you suddenly became so interested in the man from the precinct.

"He's actually running for sheriff's office in Brooklyn."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, chances are big he's going to win, so much charisma in one place just can't go unnoticed. In fact, I saw him the other day."

"Really? You what, went to Brooklyn?" You laugh.

"It's not as far as you imagine, kid, a couple of hours in the car, and you're in the Bronx. Rob came to visit us." Your father falls silent, and you know what that silence means - the guy bothered to come all the way from Brooklyn, and you can't come from Hell's Kitchen.

"What was the occasion? Meeting the force buddies? I thought Robert was too young for those things." You huff a laugh and take a big gulp of cold beer, savouring the feeling of it going down your throat.

"No, he came by to visit, asked about you too. I assume you're no longer in touch after what happened." He says this as a statement, not a question, and it takes you a moment to realize that this was just a disappointing tone.

"Yeah, I thought you already knew that, 5 years have passed since I last saw him." You say, saddened a bit.

"You do remember that you were merely a guest at home during college, right?"

"Yes, dad, I do." You sigh again, this phone call turned out to be more depressive than you expected.

"He's grown into a nice man." Of course, your dad always wanted you to marry Robert, and obviously he wasn't going to let go of that thought any sooner.

"What'd you tell him?" You disregard the last statement swiftly, closing the computer with Todd's mugshot-like photo on the screen.

"I told him that my dear daughter is so busy that she forgot her old man-"

"Daaad, please-"

"I also gave him your contacts, because he wanted to visit you."

"You- what?" You stand up from the stool, and start pacing in the kitchen.

"Listen, you have to open yourself up for others, enough time has passed."

"I am opening myself to others... At least starting to." You softly bang your fist against the cold window, enjoying the dull sound, thoughts wandering to Matt, then to James for a split second.

"Just... Be nice to him if he comes, although he's quite busy with the campaign now. Remember, he was there for you when-"

"Okay, okay, got it, not to be myself then. Dad, I..." You inhale sharply, realizing that this conversation is no longer in your favour. "I'll visit you sometime, goodnight."

"Think about what I said, night." He turns off his phone, and you drop yours on the counter loudly, cooling off before you have another breakdown.

***

"So, I told him, either you stop whining like a baby and show them that you're the man I presented to the court, or you rot in jail for 10 years, guess what he chose." The annoying voice stands out among the chatter of the full bar, and Matt puts his focus on it for a moment, leaning on the chimney on the rooftop of Josie's building.

Few seconds later, a soft voice of a woman answers, "the first option, right?"

"See, honey, you're smart, not only beautiful, but have brains too, because poor Charlie didn't have any." The man fakes a sigh, and then laughs, "that idiot really chose jail, just because he thought that his wife would forgive him in the end."

"Listen, Todd, maybe we should call it a night, I'm not really feeling this place."

Matt smirks, jackpot.

"I paid for three drinks, and now you're not feeling it?" Todd fires up.

"I told you before, I was getting ready to leave-"

"Whatever, just get out of my sight." Todd snaps suddenly, the girl hesitates to do anything. "LEA-ve" he lowers his voice mid-word, but the girl flinches nonetheless, quickly grabbing her things and leaving the table. "Bitch." Todd scoffs when he's left alone again, and finishes his drink, "who cares about them when I got eyes on the big prize."

Matt clenches a fist, intently listening to where Todd is going, already creating scenarios of him lying and begging for mercy. Todd chooses to take the main street, avoiding dark alleys, and hoping to catch a girl on his way home. Matt slightly curses under his breath, yet decides to follow him through the rooftops.

***

Robert. Your first 'love', the embodiment of goodness and a perfect guy to grow old with, and practically every girl's dream. Yet, you didn't find it in your heart to love him back as much as he loved you. Friends since childhood, you spent every day together until he confessed to you his love in high school.

Robert was your father's favorite kid in the neighborhood, of course, after you, although sometimes you felt that he preferred Robert's presence to yours. How could you say no to Robert, when he came to your garden with a bouquet of wildflowers that he picked on his way from the old lady on the corner of the street, and he said that he'll love you forever? How could you say no, when you knew that your father was watching you through the window? How could you possibly say no to Robert when he was your father's favorite? How could you say no, when you wanted to please your father with 'good' and 'mature' decisions?

Even now, all those years later, you blamed it on yourself, breaking poor man's heart, not once, but twice, you didn't have a will to meet him again, because you knew that he will soften you just like he did before.

You didn't even feel how half of beer was already gone, and your computer was about to die, and Matt was making a plan on how to approach Todd, because the latter was just a block away from his apartment. And James? Long forgotten today, was making another deal for Fisk, taking all the work so he could get his mind away from you.

Suddenly you felt as if you were in the middle of everything - Hell's Kitchen, New York, hell, even in the middle of world, knowing that every decision will lead to another problem, no matter what you choose. The curse of knowing that you still can't cross over yourself and finally open up for love, instead of running away from it, because you were simply hurt too deep.

You dreaded the thought of seeing Robert again. You know that he asked your father to tell him everything about you, and knowing how welcomed Robert was in that house, it wasn't too hard. Why did he decide to do it now, after all those years that you spent fighting your hardest battles alone and needed a shoulder to lean on more than ever? Why now when your life was finally going the right way?

You chuckle to yourself. The answer to the first question was as clear as the night sky in Hell's Kitchen - you were the one who pushed him away, and then convinced yourself that he wasn't interested in you anymore, because that hurt far less than the truth. You caught the thrill, as bad as this sounds, and just couldn't imagine yourself living in the suburban house with three kids and a perfect police officer Robert, who would take out all his awards to show at any given chance. The thrill haunted you throughout the college, suppressed and hungry, it was about to be unleashed with the person you only saw through eyes of burning rage, until now.

***

Luckily for Matt, Todd lived on the floor closest to the roof. What really put a smile on devil's face was the habit of Todd's - not smoking inside, instead, he went on the rooftop, and that was his biggest mistake of the evening.

Just as Todd closed the door of the corridor, he wasn't met with the cool air of the night, instead, he was met with a punch to his face, which briefly knocked him out.

Matt squats in front of groaning Todd, "let's have a chat, shall we?"

#matt murdock #foggy nelson #marvel daredevil #matt murdock x reader #netflix daredevil #matts superhearing complicates things for you #matthew murdock #karen page #wilson fisk #james wesley #lawyers #bound by law #daredevil #marvel

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harrison-abbott · 5 months ago

Text

Most of us were young and almost

All of them were loud. You were by

Far the quietest and thrown into this place

Of mayhem. With the steam and shouting

And the radio music, and the different

Accents whizzing about. The job was dull

But it was easy and there was never a non-

Eventful shift … You learned how other

People talk in a manic environment and

You learned to raise your voice a bit.

It was hard at first but you got there.

You met other people who were interested

In music and you got jamming with them.

You met girls and learned how to speak

To them and you’d always been super shy

Around that lot and so this was beneficial.

You learned how to stay stuff that was

Funny, and how to avoid saying things

Which were mean. You wrote songs on

The side in between this and university.

Almost every night you’d head out on

The town and drink the beers and you’d

Go home at 3 a.m. and the bakery was

Open with its yellow windows. And you’d

Be able to head into work again without

Being comatose. All of the colleagues

Were ace. There was loud bantering Dave,

And mischievous Steven, and foul-mouthed

Tracy, and big chubby friendly Calum,

And flirtatious Joe, and half-serious half-

Fantastic Pawel, and mentally ill Katia,

And stick-thin Lewis who played electric

Guitar and who joined me on stage; and

Irish Laura with the dyed hair who became

His girlfriend; and Katie with the ginger

Hair and baritone voice; and Scott who

Was totally useless with his job and

Never put any work in but everybody

Loved him because he was funny. That

Was all back in 2014. And I’m remembering

It now because it was ten years ago this

Summer. And the World Cup was on in

Brazil. And they gave all of the staff these

Little mini Brazil tops. Just cheap things.

That was the good thing about soccer.

It brought cultures together. And even

Though it was only a part time minimum

Wage job cleaning dishes it was fun and fine.

Was a real lively environment in which to work.

…………………………………………………

And the World Cup ended and then it slipped into

The autumn and things began to change. First thing

Was that Steven left the kitchen, and a lot of

The banter died with that. He was replaced with

Zoe, who was okay at first. But she got heavily

Overworked because a few other chefs left

Too, so she had to work about 70 hours a week.

She got ratty and she took it out on the colleagues.

And Joe left, and that took a lot of the humour

With him; and the manager friendly Calum

Was replaced with another manager who changed

A lot of the rules. And then the manager above

Him made us close an hour later at night, whilst

Also cutting our hours. So we had less money

And we had to work longer into the night.

And then loud bantering Dave left too.

And so it was just me, Zoe, and a handful

Of others in the kitchen. We had to put up

With Zoe’s wrath, whenever she felt like it.

Lewis and Laura were on the floor staff team.

Lewis got her pregnant. She went four months

Without knowing she was pregnant and then

They were shocked when they found out and

They didn’t feel they were equipped enough

To keep the baby so they decided to give it

Up for adoption. And many of that old 2014

Team left the city altogether. So they weren’t

Even around for pints in the evening. Those

That had replaced the old team weren’t into

Hanging out after the shifts. Lewis and Laura

Had the baby and then they passed it on for

Adoption, and then they left the city too.

And so it was pretty much me left in the joint.

That would have been in the autumn of 2015.

It’s crazy how much can change in a year.

Whereas I had been cheerful going into

Work the previous summer it was all but

Miserable now. I stayed on (miraculously,

Now that I think about it) for another couple

Of years, only because I needed the money

And because I was still studying. And there

Were a few colleagues who came in who

Were sound enough. On the floor team,

A few other cats who were nice folks.

It’s just that that ’14 period was never

Reincarnated. Lost forever. I miss it.

#writeblr #creative writing #writers on tumblr #poem #poetry #tumblr writers #spilled ink

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that-ghosts-art · 2 years ago

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The Other Way Chapter 14: The Portal

Chapter 1 - Last Chapter - AO3 Link

To those who are reading my fanfic I hope the wait was worth it ;3

~~~

The fading light filtered down through the thick layer of leaves. How long had they been out here, Dipper wondered, searching the forest for the way home.

It had been at least a few hours since Alcor had brought them to the forest surrounding Gravity Falls in search of the portal, and now here they sat infuriatingly close. Unfortunately there were also a bunch of heavily armed, multiverse hating cultists in the way that wanted to destroy his and Mabel’s home dimension, and probably them as well if what Alcor said was anything to go by.

If there was one thing Dipper was taking away from his little interdimensional ‘adventure,’ it was that there were cultists quite literally everywhere here.

The three humans were waiting in a small clearing while Alcor went ahead to get a feel for the situation, with Wren keeping an eye on the twins.

Dipper glared up at the dusken light from his spot sprawled out on the grass, letting out an annoyed huff. “If I never have to deal with another cult, it’ll be too soon,” he grumbled quietly, mindful of the headache that had stubbornly remained after his last attack. It was like the dull thumping of a heart, beating in time with the unknown force that resented his dual presence in this dimension. An ever present reminder of the time limit hanging over their heads.

Looking up from cleaning her strange looking gun Wren raised an eyebrow at the sulking pre-teen. “Another? How many cults have you two met?”

“This’ll be my second and bro-bro’s third since getting here,” Mabel said, before looking thoughtfully at nothing in particular, nothing that Dipper could see at least. “Though I guess all up it’d be third and fourth if we include that memory erasing one from back home,” she added, shrugging and looking up at the demon hunter with that characteristic Mabel smile, if a bit smaller than it usually was back home.

“Damn, that’s a lot of cults for four days.”

“Three actually, and that’s including today,” Dipper corrected, slowly sitting up.

“Crazy to think it’s only been three days, with everything that’s happened it feels like it’s been ages since we got here,” Mabel mused, and Dipper silently agreed.

Since first falling in that hidden portal and appearing in that alley they had been captured, saved by Alcor, played an, in hindsight, rather ridiculous amount of DDnMD, temporarily believed Alcor murdered a family and stole their home only to then discover that actually he was an alternate Dipper, leading to him, the original human Dipper to run off and get captured again, saved by Alcor again, learnt about Alcor’s past, and finally ended up in the Gravity Falls woods where they met Wren and located the portal home. Just one more obstacle to get past and this would all be over.

There was a small feeling that could only be described as a ‘blip’ and the trio looked up to see that Alcor had returned, face scrunched up in thought and feet decidedly off the ground.

Putting her weapon down Wren got up and approached the demon. “What’s the status Alcor? Will I be needing to help out?”

“Probably,” he admitted, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck. “There's only nine cultists total, three guarding the perimeter, two by the portal itself and three more going over what looked like data they had collected.”

“But?” Mabel prompted from her spot on one of the larger rocks in the area, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

Alcor sighed, running a hand through his hair. “While normally I’d be able to handle these guys easily on my own, I need to focus and put my energy into making sure that the portal’s safe and will actually take you two where you need to go.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Dipper grumbled, scratching the back of his left hand as he layed back down. He’d found that lying down made the throbbing in his head easier to deal with.

“How do you know about these weirdos anyway?” Mabel asked.

“An older faction of them summoned me a couple hundred years ago in the hopes I would open a portal for them,” he answered, beginning to pace back and forth in a manner Dipper recognised as being not too dissimilar to his own habit. “Honestly I’m surprised they even still exist,” Alcor added, almost as an afterthought.

“So, did you?” Wren asked, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. “Open a portal for them?”

Alcor stopped mid - step? Dipper wasn’t sure if it counted as such given his feet remained hovering above the ground - and gave Wren a deadpan look. “If I couldn’t open a portal now for two kids I actually want to help what makes you think I could, or even would, for a bunch of nut jobs that think they’re capable of destroying other universes?”

She shrugged, quietly mumbling “fair point,” before returning to cleaning her gun.

“Hey, wait,” Dipper said, sitting up again, ignoring the dull protest from his head at the sudden movement. “If they already have access to the portal, you don’t think they already-“ Breathing suddenly became very difficult, panic filling his lungs with each attempt. Surely these people would not have the ability to do any damage to his and Mabel’s home, but paranoid ‘what if’s’ consumed Dipper’s thoughts like a virus.

Alcor was already shaking his head though, feet landing on the ground. “Oh no no no! I highly doubt they have the means to destroy an entire universe,” he interrupted, kneeling down and making abortive hand motions. “Maybe give a couple solar systems some strife but no actual danger. From what I saw it looked like they were probably still testing the portal out, seeing what they can do with it,” he added with what Dipper assumed Alcor thought was a comforting smile, but it was difficult to tell with his shark-like teeth.

“You think so?” Dipper asked, uncertain but wanting desperately to believe it.

“Of course!” Alcor said, standing up again.

“I mean, you say that but we don’t actually know how long they’ve had access to that thing,” Wren interjected, mostly focused on the last part of her gun that had yet to be cleaned.

Alcor glared at her, crossing his arms. “Hey! I’m trying to be reassuring here! And besides, last I checked they were all still mortals without universe destroying powers.”

“Yeah!” Mabel said with a chuckle. “They probably don’t even know how to go through the portal,” she snickered.

“Oh definitely not.”

The two started laughing, much to Dipper’s frustration.

“Okay that’s great and all,” he said, “but do you think we could maybe get back to figuring out what our plan is? It’s not like we can just wander out there with all those cultists around.”

“Right, yes, plan. You guys have any ideas?” Alcor asked, sobering up, hand moving up to rub his chin.

“Maybe I can go ahead,” Wren offered. “Distract them while you three get to the portal and do whatever it is you need to do,” she said, waving in Alcor’s direction.

“No, as good a fighter as you are, I don’t think you can take on nine destruction happy cultists all at once.”

“Try me!”

As the two bickered about the general usefulness of a single stun gun against nine cultists, all with significantly more deadly weaponry, Dipper realised focusing on what they were saying had suddenly become more difficult than it should have been. He ignored the feeling of pins and needles that had appeared in his left hand as he tried to focus through the headache on what Alcor was saying.

“I guess I could go ahead and deal with them all beforehand but-“

Alcor paused, probably in thought, but for half a second it looked as if he might have flinched. Dipper knew Alcor had said that his presence there would not have an affect on him, but perhaps-

Mabel’s gasp interrupted Dipper’s train of thought - it was probably nothing anyway -, and when he looked over to see what was wrong was met with her terrified face staring down at him.

“Dipper your hand!” she cried out and they all looked at it, only to find the tips of his fingers steadily fading away. Dully Dipper heard the frantic and panicked exclamations of the others, but all he could focus on was the pounding in his head as he stared in terrified silence at his vanishing hand.

With that realisation his headache decided now would be a good time to remind him why they could not take things slowly as the dull throbbing abruptly became a sharp pain that spread through his head and down his arm to the hand that was now barely there.

A quiet “oh,” was the only reaction Dipper could manage before he felt his vision fade.

Soon the only thing he was cognisant of was a ripping sensation, like the individual atoms in his arm were fighting to leave his body. His head felt as if it was being split in two, or perhaps merged into one? Afterall there were already two of him there. As it was, whatever thoughts he might have had were drowned out by the burning, the pulling, and the crushing feelings overcoming his every sensation.

When the feelings resided to a more bearable level Dipper saw Mabel, Alcor, and Wren hovering over him, fear, concern and panic clear on all their faces.

“That, was definitely worse than the last one,” Dipper croaked.

“Screw this, we need to go, now,” Alcor said, eyes dark and shoulders tense. “Wren we’ll go with your plan you go ahead to distract the cultists I’ll get these two to the portal and make sure they can pass through it safely. Let’s get moving people!”

As Mabel helped him up Dipper was dimly aware of Wren running ahead and Alcor gently ushering them forward. All Dipper could focus on though, was his left hand, and the pain emanating from it. Well, where his left hand had been.

What had vanished leading up to the attack had not returned with its passing. It had only gotten worse.

~~~

Mabel, Dipper, and Alcor moved as silently and as carefully as they could towards the clearing that gradually came into view. Wren had already run ahead to distract the cultists, and Mabel could just see her in between the trees.

“It’ll come back, right?” Mabel heard her brother whisper, still staring at the slowly fading stump where his left hand had been not that long ago. It looked, Mabel thought, like someone was trying to erase him, and she could already see other small spots and pockets where Dipper was starting to fade away, tiny dust-like specks falling away from him. She felt the hole in her stomach fall deeper with each smudged spot she saw.

Alcor’s crouched form stopped as he looked over his shoulder at the two of them, his eyes screaming worry and fear, and not a small amount of tiredness. As Mabel looked at Alcor, her alternate brother, she wondered how true his claim was that he would be fine. Had he always looked that exhausted? Not to mention that odd little moment he had immediately before Dipper’s last attack.

“Of course!” he whispered with a soft smile. “I’m like, ninety nine percent certain it’ll all be okay.”

“But, not a hundred?”

Alcor’s smile became softer still, as he cautiously placed a hand on Dipper’s shoulder. “I’m sure that once you’re both back in your own dimension everything with right itself and it’ll be fine, there’s no reason for things to not fix themself as soon as you’re home,” he said, looking at Mabel as well. She appreciated the effort to comfort them both, and gave him a small smile of her own.

“Now,” he continued, “please stay quiet, we’re almost there, and we need to be ready to run as soon as Wren start’s distracting these guys.”

Mabel nodded her head, a look of steely determination falling on her face, and she could see out the corner of her eye Dipper doing the same.

The trio stopped just shy of entering the clearing itself, staying just out of sight. Mabel could see five cultists from their hiding spot, but knew the other four must have been somewhere nearby. They hardly mattered though, because across the clearing, barely any distance at all, all things considered, the shimmering light from the portal was winking at her.

They were so close, after all this time finally seeing their ticket home was a welcome sight.

The large guns were significantly less welcoming.

They waited in nervous silence for Wren to make her move. Fortunately they did not have to sit there long, as less than a minute later she burst through the trees on the opposite side of the clearing, screaming and firing her weapon at the cultists, bursts of sparkling blue light knocking down three of them before the rest could react. The last of the nine cultists appeared as they all started firing at Wren, the tallest of the group barking orders at the others to get her.

In that moment of confusion Alcor started making his way to the portal, Dipper and Mabel following closely behind, staying quiet as they moved swiftly across the clearing. Before they could make it halfway though, Mabel heard a pained gasp behind her, turning just in time to see her brother collapse once more, almost his entire left arm already gone from view.

Panic flooded her system and froze her in place. “Dipper!” she called out, getting Alcor’s attention. He was by Dipper’s side in the blink of an eye, carefully picking him up and making his way to the portal.

Mabel forced her body to unfreeze - Dipper would be okay, as soon as they went through that portal it would all be okay, it had to be okay, he had to be okay - and followed behind at a slower pace, her legs shaking far too much to go any faster without falling over herself.

She could hear the blood pumping through her ears, the sound rising and she pushed forward, eyes darting quickly between their last hope and what little of her brother Mabel could see from behind Alcor. ‘Everything will be okay, everything will be alright, everything will be fine’ she thought to herself, a mantra she refused to let wander to the terrifying ‘what if’s’ that lurked on the edge of her mind.

Ahead of her she saw Alcor reach the portal, gently placing Dipper down before bringing all his attention to their only hope of returning home.

The sight helped Mabel to push past those stupid doubts and began to move faster as her legs began to feel more solid and less like her special brand of Mabel Pasta™ (like regular pasta but with more glitter and rainbow coloured yarn) when a rough hand grabbed her right arm.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” the cultist grumbled, their grip tightening.

Mabel’s eyes widened, her throat closing up, and sweat beading down her face. As the looming cultist yanked her closer to them, a knife glinting in their other hand, Mabel’s mind went blank, instinctive fear freezing her in place.

This could not be happening, she was supposed to go to the portal and stay by her brothers side and go home and this was not the plan this was not the plan what was she supposed to do she didn’t have her grappling hook as it was back home she didn’t have anything she could use to fight back she-

“MABEL!” That was Dipper’s voice, he must have woken up from his attack and she tried to force herself to focus on him but all Mabel’s panicked mind let her fixate on was the large hand holding her arm, and the shimmering knife that got closer and closer with each frantic heartbeat.

Suddenly an angry scream drew the cultists attention away from Mabel, the hypnotising knife pulling away it time for her to see Wren running up to them. Before Mabel - or it would seem the cultist - could realise what was happening, Wren punched them in the face, startling them enough to let go, Mabel stumbling to the ground in awe.

“Hands off!” Wren yelled as the two began fighting.

Alcor appeared at her side, his wings curling up protectively around her as he picked Mabel up and brought her over to Dipper and the portal.

“Are you okay?!” Alcor and Dipper asked in unison, bringing a smile to Mabel’s lips.

“Y-yeah I’m good,” she stuttered. “Let’s get this thing going!”

“Right!” Alcor said, concerned eyes lingering on her for a moment before returning his attention to the portal.

His hands moved over it methodically, his fingers twitching as if playing the harp, small wisps of blue flame dancing around them. A frown began to form on his face the longer he worked, his eyebrows coming together and nose scrunching up.

Mabel could see Dipper open his mouth, she imagined to ask what was wrong, but before he could a startled shout from Wren grabbed all their attention.

“Look out!”

Running their way was another cultist and surely, surely, there were not that many left.

Yelping Mabel jumped out of their path, seeing Alcor grab Dipper and jump out the way himself just in time for the cultist to skid through the portal, their angry cry cut short.

“Is that going to be a problem?!” Dipper shrieked, the three of them staring wide eyed at the portal.

“No, you won’t have to worry about them,” Alcor said, letting go of Dipper’s shoulders.

“Cause it’s connected to a different dimension now?” Mabel asked.

“Ehhhhhhh.”

“R-right?”

Alcor averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head as he seemed to look anywhere but the two of them. “Uhhh, yeah yeah totally!” he said, moving back to his previous position in front of the portal, hands starting to work again. “And definitely not because this thing currently has the same internal structure of a blackhole and ripped their fragile fleshy body into a million exponentially smaller pieces,” he muttered and wait what? That could not be right. Looking at the odd expression on Alcor’s face, Mabel figured it was probably for the best if she pretended she did not just hear that.

“What was that?” Dipper asked.

“Nothing!” Alcor said with a wonky smile. “Time to make sure this thing will, safely, get you guys back to your dimension.”

~~~

It had not taken too long for Wren to dispatch the rest of the cultists after that. Alcor watched out of the corner of his eye as she tied up the last one before wandering over to the three of them huddled around the portal.

It was wider now, almost circular in shape, with a near hypnotic swirl of rainbow colours slowly spinning around its edge.

“Are you sure that’s safe now?” Wren asked, eyeing the portal with distrust.

“Oh definitely,” Alcor said, sticking his arm through it as if to prove so before pulling it back out.

“I realise given my powers that probably didn’t actually prove anything but I promise it’s perfectly safe now,” he added, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head with the same arm.

Mabel could not help but laugh at his sincere awkwardness. To think Alcor being an alternate Dipper had been a surprise when they first found out. She couldn’t help but let out a little laugh at the absurdity of that.

“So this is really happening? Can we really go home now?” she asked, the hope that filled her heart making her small smile grow ever larger.

“Is this actually it?” Dipper added, a cautious hope of his own seeping into his voice.

Alcor merely smiled and stepped aside, moving his arms as if presenting the portal to the both of them. “You guys ready to leave this dimension and finally go home?” he asked with a dramatic flourish.

“Yes!” the twins cheered in unison, making the two adults laugh.

“Good luck you two,” Wren said. “I still don’t a hundred percent understand what exactly is going on with all this but I’m glad I could help out. Here’s hoping Alcor isn’t lying about you getting better when you go through that thing.”

“Hey! I would never!” Alcor protested, much to everyone else's amusement.

“Thank you, both of you,” Dipper said, looking up at Alcor, tired and tentatively optimistic eyes meeting human ones, before sharing a small smile.

“Yeah! We couldn’t have done this without your help,” Mabel added, her smile the brightest it had been since this whole ordeal had started.

Alcor let out a small chuckle. “Well I’m happy to have helped, and all things considered it was nice meeting you guys,” he said, ruffling Mabel's hair.

“You too!”

“I guess you weren’t that bad, in the end,” Dipper mumbled with a smile.

At that they all laughed, enjoying the moment.

The twins stood before the portal and gave each other a smile.

“Ready?” Dipper asked.

“As I’ll ever be!”

With one final wave goodbye, Dipper and Mabel stepped through the portal.

~~~

Bright sunlight shone overhead, its light sprinkled over the forest floor through thick leaves, the subtle glow from the thin sliver of torn reality mixing with it. The portal rippled, suddenly growing wider as two small forms stumbled through, collapsing next to each other.

Mabel instantly jumped up, looking at her familiar surroundings, the same trees and rocks she had seen just days before. The deep pit that had previously settled in her stomach dissolving instantly with the growing sense of recognition, her true smile finally returning.

Dipper watched as his arm and hand rapidly returned, flexing his fingers as they re-materialised. He looked up at his sister who’s smile said it all.

“We’re finally home,” Dipper said, the realisation truly setting in as he spoke.

The two began rushing in the direction they remembered the Mystery Shack to be in, neither able to stop the smiles from pulling at their cheeks, not that they would have cared too. As their home away from home came into view, they knew it really was all going to be alright.

~~~

A/N OH MY GOD I FINALLY FINISHED!!!! After almost THREE YEARS I can FINALLY say I've finished the Other Way :D Thank you everyone who decided to give my little fic a read and an especially big thank you to all of you who commented I love each and every one of you SO MUCH!! I can't promise I'll write anything after this cause if I've learnt one thing from my experience writing this it's that I do not have the patients to be an author haha, but who knows maybe in three years from now I'll appear out of the void and share something new ^-^ (but probably nothing with more than one chapter, at least for now, I've learnt my lesson haha)

Thank you all so much seriously if it weren't for all of you this thing would not exist and despite it's flaws and a chronic lack of proper editing or proofreading I'm really proud of what I achieved, so I truly cannot thank you all enough ^-^

#transcendence au #reverse transdimensional au arc #gravity falls #dipper pines #mabel pines #alcor #fanfic #the other way #IT'S FINALLY FINISHED #Oh god I just looked at the post for the previous chapter and I joked about the next chapter taking 8 months #oh foolish me for thinking that was a long time #meanwhile 3 years later xD #If you're new the rest of the chapters are on AO3 under thatdisastrousfangirl #and on my now abandoned writing blog thatdisastrousfangirl-writes #both of which I have linked above :3

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