#if anyone has fics with this in it PLEASE SHARE

[its-kaede]

There's an alternate universe out there where Sangwoo and Gihun partnered up for the marbles game

[zouisfics]

Hello hello!

We (@so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed and @beardyboyzx) are the new mods of the Zouisfics Tumblr, and we are happy to announce Round Three of Zouisfest! And it is starting immediately! Here is the full information for anyone considering signing up:

Schedule:

Prompt Submissions: February 2nd - February 17th

Author Sign-ups: from February 18th on

Fics Due: July 28th

Rules:

the main pairing has to be Zouis (Zayn/Louis). This can be a romantic, queerplatonic or non-romantic pairing.

you may claim a prompt from our prompt list or choose to write your own prompt

there is no minimum or maximum wordcount

fics must be completed by the time of posting

there is no maximum to the amount of fics you can write, however you may only claim subsequent prompts after you’ve finished your first fic

we will not moderate for content, however we ask you to tag your work appropriately

when posting your fic we ask you to make a fic post on Tumblr. Use of AI is not allowed for the images in the moodboard

this fest is not anonymous, so feel free to share snippets and tag us in your posts!

We are currently in the prompt submission phase. We have a lot of older prompts from previous rounds, which you can pick from once sign-ups open. For now, if you have any prompts to share, please fill in this form.

We're super excited to start round three of this fest, and we hope you are too!

[scarlett-ink]

Pixel Art Commissions!

I have such a fun time with pixel art I decided to open up commissions for it! If anyone is interested I would majorly appreciate it as I continue the arduous process of getting onto disability! And if you don't want an art piece but want to help out then donations on my ko-fi are open too! I would really appreciate it, and reblogs on this too!

Below is the pricing information as well as my wills/won'ts:

Pixel Art Type - Prices

Simple background - 25$ Detailed background - 50$

Will Do:

Specific Scene requests My AU's (To Steal a Butterfly | Eclipse of the Valley | Dead in the Water | Drive Fast, Trust Slow| etc.)* AU's that are yours** Romantic Platonic Queerplatonic Fluff Found family Violence/Horror Angst Hurt/Comfort

Won't Do:

NSFW Hateful/Bigoted themes Minors shipped with adults Incest

Finished Pieces:

When finished the piece will be sent to you through either discord or email (your preference!), with your permission I will post it on tumblr. But if you don't want it shared it will not be posted anywhere!

Important notes:

*Please be aware that if you're asking for one of my DCA AU's that Sun, Moon, and Eclipse are brothers in these fics so I will not write any Sun x Moon, etc., pairings for any of my AU's for obvious reasons!

**If you want writing of an au that isn't my own it has to be your own, I don't want to be making money off of anyone's au without permission so please only ask for a DCA AU that either you can give permission for as it's creator or ask for one of mine.

[starrysnowdrop]

WIP Whenever

I was tagged by @ainyan, thank you so much for thinking of me sweetie!! 🥰 Oh and consider this an open tag for anyone that wants to share a WIP, here’s your chance to share! And please tag me so that I can read it okay??

So I started this only a couple of days ago, but I’m very happy with how the words are flowing so well, and I hope you all enjoy the little preview I have for you below! It’s my first Hali/Themis fic!! 💖

Fragments Lost

Hali/Themis (WoL/Elidibus)

Brief mention of @traveler-of-light’s WoL OC Astrid Lucis

During the patch 5.3 quest entitled “Heroic Dreams”; Elidibus is uncertain why he was compelled to seek out Hali alone, and yet he stands before the Warrior of Darkness, desperately seeking an answer as to why he is so drawn to his enemy.

~**~

“One last matter.”

Hali’s eyes widened slightly as Elidibus suddenly stopped his usual diatribes laced with arrogant boasting and repeated threats of death towards her and turned once more towards the lalafellin woman, though this time the no nonsense, self-assured, steely facade began to crack. The arrogant smirk on the borrowed flesh of Ardbert soon fell as Hali swore that she heard Elidibus’ voice soften ever so slightly.

“I bore witness to your final struggle with Emet-Selch. It seemed as if he saw something familiar in you.” The ascian paused momentarily as he chose his next words carefully. “As if he mistook you for another.”

Hali was caught off guard by Elidibus’ revelation, and though there was no particular question attached, she knew what was implied.

Just who was she really? Yes, Warrior of Light and Darkness, Champion of Eorzea, Hydaelyn’s Chosen, Famed Ascian Slayer, amongst so many other titles that she has lost track of over the years. No, that wasn’t at all what Elidibus had meant.

No, he was asking if she had been an Ancient, one of his own people who had been sundered and reincarnated over and over again until she was born into this life, as his sworn enemy. And as much as she wished she could give him a straight answer, as much as she felt a sense of deja vu and an unsettling nostalgia in that recreation of the long lost Amaurot which sits at the bottom of the ocean, fated to fade away as the Ancients themselves did, Hali still couldn’t be sure of anything. She had no memories of that place and those people, and no amount of her Astrologian’s skills of divination seemed to help her either.

Though she was still as unsure as she was a moment ago, Hali did recall that she was not without evidence. The shade that sat with her and had a long chat about Emet-Selch, the Final Days, and the Sundering… yes, Hythlodaeus. He had been the one to notice that she and Lamitt were sundered shards of the same soul, just as Astrid and Ardbert shared a soul as well.

What was it that the shade had called her again? Oh yes…

The pink haired lalafell scrunched up her nose and squinted her eyes as she looked off into the distance, urging herself to take a much needed breath before calmly responding to his inquiry, “Hythlodaeus called me his ‘new little sister’. Do you know what he meant by that? Am I the reincarnation of someone who Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus once knew?”

Elidibus closed Ardbert’s stolen eyes as he seemed to search himself for an answer, struggling to remember, well, something. What exactly was going through the ascian’s mind, Hali could not discern.

Elidibus soon shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “…No. I recall not of whom he spoke.”

Hali was stunned that Elidibus seemed to be deeply saddened by the fact that he couldn’t remember whom Hythlodaeus had referred to… He couldn’t remember who she was, and therefore, he doesn’t recognize her as anything more than his enemy. Elidibus’ gaze lowered to the ground, lost in the abyss of his own mind, and Ardbert’s countenance sunk into a deep frown. And for just a fleeting moment, Hali wished to reach out to comfort him, as she shared in his sorrow at the unanswered questions of her existence that seemed to trouble him so, for reasons which eluded her.

At last the ascian spoke once more, his voice softening even further, “Mayhap I never knew you. Or mayhap it is another fragment lost.”

Thank you all for reading, and I hope to have this WIP completed soon!!

[k0t3x-n3t]

There's something about barista! Atsushi and tattoo artist! Akutagawa that makes my heart flutter

[meidui]

heyyy！i just saw u reblog an ask and it just happened to be the exact same thing I wanted to ask👉👈 do u have and recommend stony fics that are top Tony/bottom Steve 🥺

you know i do!! see also k's rec list and bulky's rec list, i tried not to rec any that were already on their lists <3

Jackpot by @elcorhamletlive

It’s not always like this.

Tony leans back on the bed, assessing his view. Near the door, balanced on his knees, Steve stares at him with half-lidded eyes, blue eyes darkened under those beautiful eyelashes. His blonde bangs stick a little to his forehead, where a glimmer of sweat is evidence of how long he’s been in that position: knees firmly planted on the rug of Tony’s bedroom, naked aside from a pair of cotton black briefs, hands tied up behind his back, exactly as Tony left him this morning. He breathes heavily, his muscular chest going up and down as he watches and waits.

Doubling Up (Steve) by @elcorhamletlive

“Well,” Tony drawls, his gaze going from the bed to where Steve, and, uh, Tony are standing, next to the small pile where Steve’s shirt lies along with his trousers. “This is awkward.”

Chamber of Reflection by @thahiree

A few years after retiring, Steve and Tony get a surprise visit from another Steve. Steve Rogers from Earth 1610 is lost, grappling with the new century he’s been unceremoniously dropped in, with confusing feelings for his new teammate, with himself.

Steve and Tony decide to get involved.

A Proportional Response by @mserm

Steve doesn't have a reason for cock-blocking Tony.

No reason, whatsoever.

It's Hard To Look Right At You, Baby by Albuss

“Woah,” Tony says, “slow down. Take it easy. Hold your horses.” He can be forgiven for saying the same thing four times because he is already completely, utterly wrecked.

“Fuck me,” Steve whispers. “Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me.”

Five Times Steve Woke Up Early (And One Time He Didn’t) by @airlocksandaviaries

Steve's not actually a morning person, despite his body's insistence. It's quite possibly the one thing about the serum he's not immensely grateful for. Forcing himself up and on a run to burn through the overwhelming, restless energy that builds bright and early would be much more tolerable if it were a few hours later. Tony decides to do something about this.

Underneath it All by @hollyandvice

Steve's finally ready to indulge Tony's fantasy of seeing him in a thong. He just has terrible timing when it comes to implementing sexy times. But that's alright, Tony's a master of making the best of a (not actually) bad situation.

the year you were mine by @areiton

The night that changes his life forever, Steve is on a date with another man.

Or: Steve is a pricy escort and Tony buys him for a year. Neither of them are doing this for love.

a thousand things you call me by @areiton

He calls you a thousand things, and you love them all, count them all and guard them close, because with each he calls you mine.

Your Reputation Precedes You by @vanilla-shoes

Tony agrees to watch the desk for the salon next door to his garage as a favor -- but when he meets the salon owner's fiery best friend Steve, maybe the favor is for Tony after all...

Brooklyn After Dark by darefanny

”I could do that”, Steve had said before his brain could catch up to his big, stupid mouth. He had leaned over Tony’s shoulder to look closer at a photo of a man in lingerie on his tablet.

Slow Burn Fireworks by felisnocturna

Tony fucks him incredibly slowly this time.

praise you like I should by @firebrands

steve gets de-serumed for a hot second, but tony's pretty quick to reassure him of all his lovely traits. (made even better by having to sleep in a shitty motel with a mirror on the bed.)

Suds 'n Studs by @fohatic

Tony didn't mean to hire some super hot, young guy to take his clothes off for money -- honestly! He just wanted somebody to wash his cars! But accidents happen when you let your AI do the hiring for you, apparently. Now the recent divorcee has an awkward apology to make. He also has as an invitation to subscribe to Steve's OnlyFans. What he doesn't have is any clue what he should do in this situation.

In Too Deep by @fohatic

Steve knew that he was asking for trouble when he agreed to let the gallery auction off a date with him for charity, but he needed to get in the director's good books if he wanted to make it as an artist in this cutthroat town. He never imagined that his participation would ignite an outrageous bidding war, or that the infamous, billionaire ex that he hadn't seen since their sudden breakup two years prior would show up and stake his claim.

the thorn in his side by @fohatic

It had been there from the beginning. There was no end to it, that mutual wanting between them—forever unresolved—that had grown so terribly soft and unbearably romantic with age...

But there was an unspoken rule between them, as well: an understanding that they could never act on it.

That is, until an alien parasite's brood nest gets violently dislodged from its Chitauri Leviathan host during the Battle of New York, dispersing its contents directly over two time-jumping tourists who are very much in the wrong place and the wrong timeline.

pull me down by breakeven

He doesn’t mean to pull, is just brushing through the locks there as a means of comfort, to show Steve that he’s still there and present with him, that Tony is just as affected by the wet grasp of Steve’s hole as Steve is by the insistent pressure against his prostate

wind me up by breakeven

Steve hadn’t known it, but apparently Tony could tell after the first time they ever fucked. He could see in Steve the need to please, the need to be of some sort of service, and had known that it would translate perfectly in sexual desires, even when Steve hadn’t had a clue himself.

honey from your hive by meidui

"Steve, stop that," Tony says, sounding strangled as his grip tightens and Steve stops, letting Tony grab his face and tilt him up. "You're kind of scaring the crap out of me. What is it? What's going on with you?"

"We blew up the lab," Steve manages, and something dawns on Tony's face. "Everyone had a reaction 'cept me. Think 'm having it now."

Blushes Per Hour by @blossomsinthemist

Steve chewed on his bottom lip. “Well, no,” he said. “Um, but.” He was breathing heavily now, through his nose. “Rachel liked it when I did it, because she has, uh, she has sensitive breasts, and I, um, err. Sometimes I’d pull on my own nipples during, or, or after, on my own, and. And I’d imagine—wonder, really, if I was. If I had enough, or—”

“Are you saying you’ve fantasized about this?” Tony said, and he couldn’t help the pure delight that came through in his tone, because had he actually stumbled onto one of Steve’s kinks, here? He’d never let on at all before, not at all.

Please Please Me by @blossomsinthemist

Steve looked so beautiful flushed and wanting, on his knees, begging.

Failing To Not Fall by @nvrthlessthsun

Steve was failing to not fall in love with Tony Stark.

AKA the one where Steve thinks he's Friends-With-Benefits with Tony, and Tony thinks he's dating Steve.

Paint Job by @valdomarx

“You want me to what?” Steve looked incredulous. “I want you to detail my car,” Tony said with a smirk.

Relax, Darling by @valdomarx

Steve is stressed and tense after a hard mission.

Luckily for him, Tony and his tongue are available to relax him in a variety of delightful ways.

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd, Four’s a Party by @valdomarx

How to satisfy the secret desires of a horny supersolider:

Ults Steve gets gangbaged by Tony from four different universes (Ults, MCU, AA and 616).

Mark Sixty-Nine by @everybodyilovedies

Tony is irritated that Steve's first hug-and-fly wasn't with him. As the source of many of Steve's other "firsts", Tony has a brilliant idea of how he could take one more. Specifically, Steve's first time being fucked by a machine.

Afternoon Delight by @greyduckgreygoose

Tony watched with narrowed eyes as Rogers nodded politely to Natasha. They exchanged quick, familiar smiles, which suggested that they knew each other better than the acquaintances they seemed to want Tony to think they were. Up close, Rogers was even more attractive than he had appeared on camera, a touch of blonde stubble along his jaw, large square hands.

He also had a nice ass, not that Tony was particularly staring.

“Mr. Stark,” Natasha said, as they both stood before Tony’s desk. “May I introduce Steve Rogers? Or, if you prefer, Captain America.”

The Sixth Time is the Charm by @onemuseleft

The fifth time Steve tried to get Tony to fuck him (and failed) is when he started taking it personally.

Your Kind of Love by blue_jack

The first time they have sex, Tony isn’t really hoping for much.

[melikes-reads]

To German speakers

Serious question: how do you think, before you talk?

I've been watching German tv series and reading German fics, so my reading and listening comprehension is improving.

But.

German syntax is puzzling. Extremely so.

I know the grammar rules, I do! But my mind automatically goes subject + verb + object + conjunction + subject + verb + object when I want to speak.

When I write, I have time to reflect about the correct order of each word (and pieces of a word!), but trying to speak and remember where every part of the speech goes, and the right declensions… Impossible.

So, any advice?

[aeon-uriel]

married at first meeting (not that other trope) might be No Way for others but not zolu. they just genuinely go husbands? yea sure, captain. simple. yes im very right. no not taking any other questions

[iphyslitterator]

Probie

@118dailydrabble, day 19

“Probie! Come deal with these hoses!” Tommy yells.

Howie snaps his mouth shut. “Duty calls,” he says, and jogs over.

As soon as he’s close enough, Tommy thrusts a hose at him and hisses, “You cannot take Barnes’s side, Gerrard’s barely moved on from you.”

“It’s his kid, man.”

“And I guarantee he’s heard it before. Let him handle it.”

“Tommy, I appreciate what you’re doing–”

“So listen!”

“I don’t want to be a coward!”

After a pause, Tommy says, “Good luck with that,” and walks off.

Howie sighs. Nice. Check out the big brain on Brett. Lunch now, he decides. If he’s going to talk Tommy out of a snit, he damn well deserves chicken wings first.

[sylthedumbassdemon]

I get why Shinso got put in 1A but I still like to think about what could’ve been a potential (albeit incredibly contrived) outcome of this plot.

What if, through some turn of events, he was placed in 1B. Maybe since Aizawa was the one to train him outside of classes the school decided to do this to prevent any potential conflict of interest? Idk how it would happen because it’s not really important. But someone would obviously have to be moved to the other class, correct? I just think it would have been funny if the Shinso subplot ended with an excuse to move Monoma to 1A.

I just love the idea of a character who’s most iconic trait is being a pretentious asshole to 1A suddenly be a part of the class he hates so passionately, and what he would do about it.

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

can someone please banish this writer's block for me 😫

it's the worst i've had in such a long time and i've tried to be patient with it but it's been fucking weeks now. i want to write so much but whenever i try they just feel like words on a page. every evening i sit down and rearrange them a little here and there and add some new ones, but they all just feel empty and and shit and my brain feels totally devoid of the creative spark i need to make everything come to life.

i know in large part it's my perfectionism getting in the way, but i don't know how to break through it. i don't know how to feel connected to my writing again. i don't know how to shift this fear of not being good enough that surges up every time i pick up a pen.

it's something that's always been there - but usually it at least comes in waves, or my love of what i'm creating is big enough to muffle it. right now, it's all i can hear. my inspiration has been totally drowned out by it. and i hate it so, so much. the fact that i can't access the one thing that brings me the kind of solace and joy and escapism i can't get anywhere else and is so vital to my soul. that i am blocking myself from engaging in the one thing that makes me feel like me.

i just feel so stuck and so lost and i miss being in that creative headspace so much it’s like a physical pain. it feels like part of me is missing, and it terrifies me that i don't know how to get it back.

[scrimblobimblowhump]

a hurt/comfort tidbit I’m CRAZY about is when an adult character gets wrapped up in blankets and it’s described as them being “swaddled”. like fuck yeah, we need to swaddle grown up blorbos more often, i think. especially when they indeed do get all rolled up and tucked in and compressed in it tight and nice

and goddd how i love the sheer image of a grown up, Long human wrapped like a baby. and they’re all eepy and warm in there.

[teashoptiramisu]

hello! this blog seems pretty inactive so im sorry if this is annoying, but i dont know who to ask 💀 do you!! have any fic recs? (I really really wanna see more zuko + gaang found family stuff and also anything with an azula redemption arc would be very cool but I dont know how to find good stuff since im very new to the fanbase so.. hope this is ok! (I am literally always late to fandoms it’s so sad)

also, if there’s any place, like a discord server or tumblr community where I can ask for recs, that would be very helpful to know!! the brainworms must be fed

I haven't been maintaining my queue but I'm around (well, sometimes)! And no worries, if I found asks annoying I would turn them off.

As I said last time, it's been a while since I read a lot of ATLA fic -- but I still have my old favorites! That post also has advice for finding fic recs (particularly geared towards fans of muffinlance but I think it's solid advice in general) -- unfortunately I don't know of any dedicated fic reccing community, just specific people you can follow such as @/captainkirkk and @/royaltealovingkookiness

But yeah look through my bookmarks, look through muffinlance's bookmarks, look through the bookmarks of authors whose fics you like!

Some specific recs:

[my eternal faves are all works by muffinlance and The Dragon-King's Temple -- but you probably already know about those]

The Best Path by EudociaCovert -- I know you said Zuko+gaang but my favorite found family fic is this one, which is Zuko, Jet, and Smellerbee canon divergence from "Zuko Alone". I think it's a little off the beaten path (heh) these days so I wanted to give it a shout.

close your eyes, make a wish by atleastwestoletheshow (Silverwolf329) -- canon universe gaang-bonding-with-zuko-while-fighting-together fic

definitely not suspicious at all in the least by presumenothing (justjoy) -- kinda similar to the above, more of a heist maybe

Big Damn Heroes by Damkianna -- the GAANG in SPACE!! very fun AU, good Zuko content

How It's Done by ryfkah -- the gaang forms a pro-bending team (like in LoK season 1, but you can probably read this even if you haven't seen Legend of Korra)

Tea? by thesometimeswarrior -- Iroh and Azula post-canon, start to an Azula healing arc

and it's my whole heart (weighed and measured) by agentcalliope -- another Azula post-canon fic I found interesting

[gerec]

Is there any fic where one of the two is a mutant and the other isn't? Or at least one of them doesn't know he's a mutant, sorry if this request is too specific, it probably doesn't exist, I just want to be sure 😭😭

Here's a post with some great recommendations for Human!Charles fics!

And here are a few more to add to the list!

Magneto, Would You Fall In Love With A Human? by CherikDogFood

Erik Lehnsherr, better known as Magneto, is a famous activist of Mutant Rights and Leader of the Brotherhood. Unknown to the public, he's in love (and married) to Charles Xavier, a human. Erik strives to keep his private love life a secret from prying journalists, but there are bound to be slip-ups...

Or, 5 times Magneto almost (accidentally) exposed his love life plus 1 time he did it intentionally.

Let Them Talk by manic_intent

Sub/Dom pairs are created by imprinting. Mutants generally imprint on mutants and Erik who is the most powerful among them thinks that he will have equally powerful sub. Turns out that he imprints on Charles – a brilliant yet entirely human Professor. Cue Erik being disgusted and angry with his Sub, which Charles takes really hard. Erik is ashamed of him, and doesn’t want him to associate with other mutants, but slowly Charles charms his way to the hearts of everyone and one day another mutant (Logan pretty please?) challenges Erik’s claim over Xavier.

in time to change your mind by dizzyfaced

It took a bit of nudging from Raven, who had told Magneto that her brother is not like other humans, he’s totally different and he is so so kind, and Erik come on—he could clean the base for us?

And Charles had said, oh yes, in fact I could cook and do everyone’s laundry, please let me stay with my sister?

And Magneto, who could not have been any older than twenty-one at that time, had considered what a hassle it was to clean after a bunch of mutants, and said: Yes, sure. He can stay.

Hip to Be Square by seutedeern

The year is 1985. Humans and mutants have lived together for a hundred years and now co-exist peacefully.

That is, outside of high school. Charles Xavier happens to be an ordinary human being, but that's not the worst of his troubles. He's a true geek, with so few friends he could count them on two fingers, and he also happens to be the school's favourite victim.

Erik has always looked down upon humans without any powers, thinking he is superior to them.

Naturally, he's not pleased at all when for some unknown reason, Charles latches onto him after only one lesson of group work as though they were the best of friends.

[crookedfivefingers]

NOTE 7/23: The actual first chapter of this fic is now significantly different! Just keeping this post here for archive purposes, I suppose 😂

NOTE 8/13: The first chapter is now up!

I had this thought about Ten and Martha traveling back to Venice in the 1700s.

Naturally, they wind up separated during the trip — which is how Martha eventually finds herself in the company of a charming, if hauntingly familiar stranger…

One who can’t seem to keep his eyes off of her.

Ten x Martha | Martha x Casanova

✨WIP snip from ch.1✨

In May of 1758, the many streets of Venice are packed for the annual Feast of the Ascension —but a day filled with food and laughter is cut short when Martha loses sight of the Doctor in the crowds.

By the time she’s finally able to break free and locate the missing Time Lord, she’s stunned to see him being tugged into a carriage by a beautiful young woman… A carriage that swiftly disappears down the road and out of sight.

Alone, hurting, and more than a little cross, Martha suddenly realizes that she’s stranded in an unfamiliar city… over two hundred years in the past. Bloody brilliant.

She can’t even remember where they parked the TARDIS at this point — not with the endless narrow alleyways and labyrinthine streets.

It’s a modest blessing, but she takes some comfort in knowing she’s at least dressed appropriately for the times, straightening her elaborate wig as she begins walking in the carriage’s general direction.

As time passes, the sun tucks itself away beneath the edge of the horizon, and the crowds finally begin to dissipate. Without the excess noise and foot traffic, Martha has more room to process the events of the evening, sort-of-searching for the long-lost carriage (but mostly brooding) as she puts increasing wear on her shoes.

After some time, the sound of music and laughter drifts into her ears, catching her attention to pull her from the darkness of her thoughts. She allows herself to be drawn towards it without hesitation, and not three minutes later, she’s standing at the edge of a ballroom in the Palazzo Pisani Moretta.

Partying shouldn’t be top of mind, of course — but after a full day of celebrating throughout the city, she can’t imagine putting any more stress on her aching feet. The poor extremities scream for reprieve in the wedge sandals that hide beneath her skirt, scolding her for not putting more thought into her choice of footwear.

To be fair, the move to enter the building isn’t entirely void of strategy. After all, the Doctor could be in here. Seems like just the sort of place his little date might like to mingle, she thinks with a healthy roll of her eyes.

To say the Palazzo is extravagant is putting it mildly. In addition to what may well be a few hundred elite guests in attendance, the spacious hall is adorned from floor to ceiling with finery, the glowing chandeliers illuminating marble statues and countless works of art. Servers in masquerade weave through the crowd with practiced ease, trays of nibbles and beverages balancing on splayed fingertips.

Feeling inspired, Martha snags a cup of wine as soon as she’s close enough to reach for one, downing half of the bitter, eighteenth-century swill with as much haste as her twenty-first-century taste buds will allow. She forces a smile through her grimace when the server looks to her for approval, still concerned with cordiality [even as she crashes a party wherein she knows no one at all].

Partygoers welcome her readily: happy socialites with hair as big and dramatic as the wig she’s been regretting picking out all day. The compliments they lavish her with almost make it feel worth the hassle, however, and in that moment, she’s grateful that the Doctor let her raid the wardrobe. It feels so much easier to exist in a time period without standing out — at least, more than she already feels she does as a black woman.

(The Time Lord really can be thick, can’t he?)

Over and onward, Martha decides to let loose as much as she can, keeping a wary eye out between little sips of murky, purple wet. It’s been at least three hours since she last saw her mate, and though the environment that surrounds her is intoxicating, she can’t deny the little pinpricks of worry that emerge in her gut.

Surely he wouldn’t just sod off for a shag... would he? Leave her all alone without a word?

Is that really something the Doctor is capable of after everything they’ve been through?

An image of his disappearance flitters across her mind’s eye: a flash of a woman’s smiling face as she drags him into her fancy carriage by the lapels, her giggles resounding off the stone walls as they slip away together.

Another image nips at the heels of the former, only this time, it’s the Doctor’s stony expression as he returns from across the field in Farringham, having just had a proposition rejected by Nurse Redfern. The same proposition he made the morning after finding out how his companion truly felt for him, easily filing that information away as a “non-issue.”

Alright, so maybe he can be a bit of a tosser. Great. Maybe he has no interest in being found just yet, being fully aware that Martha can handle her own.

Everything’s always on his terms, anyway.

Furthermore, and she hates to even think it in the first place, but: who’s to say he didn’t think slipping out unannounced was the only way to get away from her for the night?

Blimey. If that’s the way he really thinks of her...

No. No, no, no — those thoughts aren't helpful for anyone. Not right now.

Worst case scenario, Martha will find a kind local to seek shelter with before night’s end, though she prays it doesn’t come to that. The idea of even thinking about sleeping knowing the Doctor is just out there somewhere makes her stomach churn — even if he has got… friendly company.

Sigh.

Time for more wine, she reckons; her eyes flick about the crowd until she spots the closest server, and then she attempts to head in her direction.

While en route, a portly man in technicolor robes requests a dance, which she turns down as politely as possible. Then another guest — a dark-haired noblewoman about forty-five years old — stumbles on the mosaic when her heels catch the train of another woman’s dress, and Martha helps her to her feet.

All the servers carting wine around only seem to be getting further away, and it feels like a sign. Perhaps she shouldn’t be consuming any more alcohol — at least, not until she has a little more peace of mind.

To her surprise, she doesn’t have to wait long at all.

Through a sea of bobbing heads, swaying bodies shrouded in brightly-colored fabrics, and a thin haze of incense smoke, their eyes lock from across the room — and Martha briefly foregoes the right to oxygen.

She knows she should be relieved (or perhaps furious — definitely furious), but as her throat grows tight and dry, all she’s got the presence of mind to feel is the frantic fluttering of her heartbeat as blood roars in her ears.

The Doctor has never looked at her like that.

Temporarily immobile, she can only watch as he approaches her with deliberate, single-minded steps, the dance floor seeming to part naturally around him. He doesn’t falter or pause and he doesn’t need to; this man claims a route that no one capable of sight would dare interfere.

Somehow, in the last few hours, he’s wound up in a loose red tunic, tight black trousers — tights, essentially — and matching black boots. A black, silken band wraps around his neck, purely decorative, bringing the black from the rest of the outfit together to complete the look.

It’s an entirely different getup than the one she helped him pick out this morning, but let it be known that it’s no less gorgeous for it. Even his hair is different than she’s ever seen it, appearing softer and lighter with significantly less product than usual (if any at all), and he looks…

Bloody hell, he looks incredible.

When he arrives, he gets quite close — closer than Martha’s body and mind are anywhere near recovered enough to be prepared for — and she has just enough time to notice the color of his eyes when he takes her hand.

Are his eyes... blue?

The smile he fixes her with is slow and certain; it simmers just as the gaze he ensnares her with. He seems to reach right into her soul’s lowered defenses to bury himself at the thick of it, lifting her hand to his mouth to rest his gentle lips against her skin.

The touch is just jarring enough to wrench Martha out from the clouds as the realization hits her.

This man is not the Doctor.

“I hope you’ll forgive me,” he murmurs, his voice and cadence eerily identical to the one she knows. “If I'm honest, I just couldn’t resist your magnetism for another moment longer.”

His words, though softly spoken, seem louder than anyone or anything else in the room, effectively shutting the rest of the world out.

"Erm," Martha chokes, eyes wide. Stunned. "I-I, er..." She shakes her head slowly, her voice (and brain) temporarily evading her. It feels as though she's fallen through a crack in dimensions. Perhaps she has.

“Right — sorry," the man chuckles. "Bit rude of me. My name's Giac." He finally lowers her hand between them, flashing a wink, giving her fingers the softest of squeezes before letting them slip through his. "Though I must admit... I am far more eager to learn yours.”

Note: This is a post-Blink story in which Martha is seduced by Giacomo, inspiring clarity and an almost possessive jealousy within the Doctor. How ever will he handle it? I’ve also considered an eventual threesome, but should that happen, it will be strictly het Martha-worship. (Also, per the David Tennant miniseries, Giac is pronounced “Jack”)

[subject-to-antagonism]

I NEED Gwen to go feral in bstv. Cause like, we got crumbs in across with her absolutely bodying that shipment container after being sent home, but I need her to do that on an actual person (preferably Miguel because fuck him) like PLEASEEE