#if people cannot be normal about my gen fic

[altschmerzes]

like i should not have to say in the notes of my fics on ao3 'this is a gen fic, it is clearly marked as a gen fic, it is not meant to be shippy, please respect that' when the fic is already clearly marked as gen and with tags indicating the dynamics are not romantic/sexual.

and then it still doesn't work. people still do this shit, no matter how loudly or clearly people say that on their fics. nobody can make you read and interpret a fic a certain way but what is it gonna take for you to understand other people's gen fics are not about your ship and you absolutely should not be saying things about your ship to the author based on their gen fic. most of fandom is already about you and what you're interested in can you not be happy with that and leave me and my fics and every other gen fic out there the hell alone.

[rosesradio]

tl;dr for the pjo fandom 🔱

• In the six years that I have been on ao3, 0.5% of all total readers i've had have left a comment on one of my fics. zero-point-five percent.

• Please support fic writers, fan artists, & other creators with comments. Kudos are great, but letting us know with words what you enjoyed about the piece or just that you're Unwell about it in general is the best thing a creator could ask for! It's why we do what we do!

• Yes, this includes every kind of fic you enjoy. I promise you, no one is going to "catch" you lurking on the "wrong" fic (define "wrong" fic??) and even if they do, block them, because no one should be telling anyone what to read & not read.

• This also goes for fics you think "have enough comments" (they don't, or this post wouldn't exist), or are "too old" to the point of which it would be "weird" to comment. I promise you, those stigmas are not real, and no author has ever thought it was "weird" to recieve a comment on a fic they still choose to have on their profile (in fact, they're probably thrilled that the work is still making people happy!).

• Please don't use AI to make fandom creations for you! There are thousands of people in fandom looking to take requests, and fandom thrives from engagement!

• You cannot complain about a dead fandom or disheartened creators leaving the fandom space if you are not doing your part to ensure they feel appreciated.

• Most of my comments come from older people in fandom, from early 20s to 30s. Don't let commenting become a practice that dies with older gen z & millennials!

• I don't normally push to boost posts, but if you'd like, you should reblog this to share with people in the fandom! I want to try to do my part to help other creators feel appreciated as well! 💌

[diamondmeadow]

Just one of those mornings when I keep thinking how LJ was so great because people (most likely a good part of them) who read your fics also read your personal journal entries and knew stuff about your life that a, were a base for lifelong friendships (yes, I am looking at you my 15 year old fandom friend group on Facebook), and b, made everything personal enough that people understood what process it is to write a fic, what all goes into it and that it isn’t always easy with real life always happening around you AT ALL TIMES.

We understood those efforts and that’s why we cherished every fic enough to comment and appreciate. And we didn’t forget that even writers are readers (thus commenters). Not to mention we just all loved to go on and on about our blorbos in the fic for miles and miles in the comments (I wonder where that has gone, I never see this happening in ao3 anymore) and brainstorm and then write more fics based on those talks.

I really hate to be the person who says good old times, but… good old times. I wish this could come back for the younger tiktok gen fic readers. Honestly, this is how you learn what fandom truly is about, how tight of a community it really is. How we are just normal people behind the pc screens with life troubles and just wanting a space to feel good and call our own. How readers and writers are absolutely codependent and cannot exist without each other. How spewing shit and hate about people’s writing and hcs has no place in this world. And honestly even irl, like why would you even make fun or say shitty things to people about their hobbies…

Anyway, just one of those days…

[hackedmotionsensors]

lol i've complained about this a fair amount on twitter but I got a comment last night? that made me think about this again.

And its ...getting weird comments that I cannot tell if they're being RUDE or there's a language barrier or some combination of both.

I finished a standee art last night and posted it and this morning I get a reply from someone who's replied very confusingly before...."You're tired and need to go to sleep"

Which LMAO wasn't entirely untrue but that was the whole comment on the art.

Not to put this person on blast and obviously do not go bother them if you know where the comment is at.....

But like what the hell does that mean? I F E E L like this is a translation error or a miscommunication. But thats the ENTIRE problem. THAT IS THE ENTIRE PROBLEM. I'm tired of getting comments that are CONFUSING to me AT BEST...and more often just fucking rude.

Like....its weird. Bc i've been on the internet for close to 3 decades now??? Lol I'm so old. But.....I've been more confused in the past year or so with how people talk to perfect strangers on the internet. I think it might be a generational thing but like LMAO ARE THE "KIDS THESE DAYS" just ......fucking RUDE??? Like I've heard pre-teens and teens talk to each other and its pretty mean but so were a lot of kids when I was a teen. So maybe its a language barrier there.

But I feel like....because everyone is so comfortable talking to perfect strangers on the internet, and getting EXTREMELY overly close? or thinking they have the right to speak to people as if we're super besties (which in turn means saying a rude backhanded compliment thats intended to be nice but just sounds mean??)...its just....so common lately for me to just be like "Why the fuck would you say this to me?"

I'm not your friend. I'm just a random artist online that draws from a fandom you probably like (or hate? Idk your life lol)

I think this whole thing STARTED with Japanese and Korean artists (and probably lots of other languages that aren't English) begging people to stop leaving horrible reaction images or people saying "I'M GONNA K*LL YOU!!!!! THIS IS DEVASTATING!!!! I'M DEAD!!!!" and the poor artist being like...okay well this is a thing I have to live with now.

And I thought we DID move past that but I feel like its back just without the reaction images bc Gen Alpha and Z thinks reaction images are cringe LMAO (small blessings)

But ....I forget which drawing I did.....It was something sad. I think it was a sad zosan?? And this person LITERALLY said they were going to hunt me down. And that wasn't the initial comment. They said something equally as rude and when I asked for clarification for what they meant they were like " I'M GONNA FIND OUT WHERE YOU LIVE"

GIRL ITS FANART OF ZORO AND SANJI!?!?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN

Again. I've talked about this til I'm blue in the face (fingers?? since its typing??) about this on twitter. And I've been sitting on this comment for nearly 24 hrs just....fucking confused. And I hate this ....confusion. Bc In My Day(tm) .....lol I didn't like mean comments then either but it was usually some asshole in my tumblr mail being like "YOU FUCKIN SUCK!!" lol

I might just be too stupid to interpret these quirky little comments but like

guys please if you like something. Just be normal and say "omg I love this" or like a cute reaction that is APPROPRIATE to the situation lol Don't demand things from me when I'm already giving you something that I'm doing in my free time for fun. Lol And stop asking me if there's a fic for comics or art that i TELL you came from me asdfasdfa I don't know where the fic is. I'd like to know too. (but also if I draw from a fic I link to the fic but I've decided to stop that for the time being. Any comics coming from me will be mine wholecloth for the foreseeable future)

[thealogie]

I’m not sure I can properly express the disappointment many of us Gen X women feel about Johnny Depp, and Brad Pitt for that matter. They were so beautiful back then. At least Leo is trying to fight Climate Change.

As a younger millennial, Brad Pitt was a little before my time but Johnny Depp was the very first actor I ever loved. I watched the pirates of the Caribbean movies 1000 times. It was the fist fic I ever read. I thought what he did with that character was genius and I literally watched everything he had been in up to that point.

And this is why I’m baffled when people (not you! I get what you’re saying! it’s fine and normal to be disappointed) cannot let go of these celebrities. Like I was legit obsessed with this man in a way I’ve never been and never will be obsessed with a celebrity ever again and it was exceedingly easy to be like “oh lol yikes he sucks actually” so it’s baffling people ruined a woman’s life just because some guy was hot in chocolat three decades ago or whatever

[radioactive-earthshine]

Because I had all my fics locked down when I published this fic, I am making a new promo post.

Within the Rubble and Harvest

Status: Complete Words: 14118 Rating: Gen Main Tags: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Farm Life, Introspection Kon El-centric fic about him finding the name Conner Kent post-Superboy 1994 ending. Fic explores his relationship with Ma and Pa, Clark and John Henry Irons during the aftermath of the Our Worlds at War arc.

Summary

"Now, it’s your turn to start finding out about who you are. It’s time to live, not as Superboy, but as a boy, a person, you. And find as much of him as you can. And you know what? I know you are going to find him, whoever he is. Because you’re one of the bravest damn people I know with the biggest spirit.” Immediately following the destruction of Lee Lee's Apartment Complex in Metropolis Clark brought Kon El to Smallville to do something Kon had never done before; live normally, truly normal. But before he can really do that he needs only one thing. A name. Who knew choosing a name could be so hard.

Excerpt

Being at the Kents’ house alone doesn’t feel right to me, even if they all insist this is my home and I’m not an intruder or a replacement for Clark .  

I’m on edge, and I don’t want to even sneeze wrong, so when I am done with my turkey sandwich I make sure I leave everything exactly where I found it so there’s as little evidence that I existed as possible. Back at Cadmus I didn’t mind leaving my socks in the hallway even though I knew I’d get a lecture about it later. Why? I can’t even piece together why. 

Maybe I really didn’t care. 

No, I cared, I correct myself. I cared plenty but I just didn’t care about the small stuff. Like socks in the hallways or shuffling into the mess hall half-dressed with Waller breathin’ down my butt. 

If Jim or Dubby were here I think they’d tell me that sometimes caring about the small stuff tells everyone that you’re serious about the big stuff. Well Jimbo! You’d be happy! Here’s your no.1 boy, worrying about if he washed a plate correctly and put it in the dishrack inoffensively. Oh! And my room’s spotless! Only thing in there that’s mine is a pack of cheap underwear I picked up from a drugstore for only eight dollars, one set of civvie clothes, and a toothbrush. 

So on God I fucking care about the small stuff. I care about everything. A lot. It’s probably anxiety .

Damn, I’m rambling even in my head. 

I literally cannot shut up even when my mouth is closed. 

It’s literally not even 9AM yet!

[thevioletcaptain]

Day two of the @spnficrecfest is all about kink!

Given that Dean has several established kinks in canon, I've decided to list one fic for each! Which kinks in particular? I'm talking cowboys, tentacles, satiny panties, doctors, and being dominated by his partners -- whether that means being slapped around, or just being given some sexy rules to follow.

Some of these fics are set in the canon universe and some are AU, but all of them feature or explore some aspect of one of Dean's canonically established kinks. Enjoy!

boy leave your boots by the bed by an_ardent_rain Explicit | 9.8k | 🤠

I've had this fic on my to-read list since it was published last September, and I'm so mad at myself for leaving it so long. It's post-canon, set in the open-world Heaven 2.0 that Jack and Cas made, and Dean's cowboy kink not only features heavily throughout, it also serves a catalyst for change in Dean and Cas' relationship. It's hot and sweet in equal measure, and just a really beautifully written fic.

Dean and Castiel's Lagoon of Love by almaasi Explicit | 12.5k | 🐙

This one is described by the author as "Tentacle Porn For People Who Don't Usually Enjoy Tentacle Porn." While I can't speak to how true that might be, this enjoyer of tentacles had a great time. Set in an alternate canon where Cas remained human, the fic opens with Team Free Will arriving back at the bunker after a witch turned Cas into an octopus from the waist down. Dean's desire to have him act out the story of "Sweet Princess Asuka Meets the Tentacles of Pleasure" cannot be repressed, and Cas is more than willing to play along. Just normal boy bestie things!

Satin and Sawdust by Ltleflrt Explicit | 159k | 🩲

If you haven't already read Satin and Sawdust, let this be the day you check it out -- and if you have already read it, here's a sign that it's time to read it again. For the uninitiated, this AU is a rare treat in which Cas is the one having a sexuality crisis, all thanks to his neighbor (and handyman) Dean, whose low-riding waistband and extensive collection of lacy underwear is rapidly driving him out of his mind. It's been a while since I read this fic, but I was just thinking of it earlier this week, so it's definitely time to dive back in. (Side note, the fact that I can't change the color of the underwear emoji is an attack on my freedom of expression or whatever.)

Gimme the News by robotsnchicks Explicit | 1.9k | 🥼

This AU oneshot leans into Dean's medical kink, as he goes to see Doctor!Cas about a potentially "lost" sex toy, and requests a thorough examination. It's tightly written, packing plenty into 1,960 words, and also has some really great characterization -- from Dean's blend of humor and horniness to Cas' exasperation... and horniness. If you're worried about potential dubcon, check the author's end notes for some spoilers left out of the main fic tags :)

dying to let you know by bisexualsage Explicit | 4.7k | 🙇‍♂️

One of my absolute favorite things is when authors use kink as a vehicle for character exploration, and this established relationship post-canon ficlet delivers -- digging into why both Dean and Cas enjoy the dynamics they've found themselves playing out in the bedroom. This fic does have a dash of daddy kink, so beware of that if it's a squick!

Check under the cut for links to all of the rec lists I make for this fest! I'll update with new links as I post them :)

Day One - Purgatory Era Day Two - Dean's Canon Kinks Day Three - Long Fics Day Four - Alternate Universes Day Five - Rare Pairs Day Six - Case Fics Day Seven - Tropes Day Eight - Gen Fics Day Nine - Vintage Fics Day Ten - Coda Fics Day Eleven - Mystery List

[knizuu]

Talk to me abt uhhh anything- Fang, Petey, OC, idc. ANYTHING U WANT💖💖

PLEASE IM GENUINELY INTERESTED IM NOT DOING THIS JUST CUS U LET ME- /gen

I get so nervous writing asks wtf

DUDE IM SO DUCKING HAPPY +omg same </33

COUGH well imma go in order lets go with the

FANG🫧….

SIGHH I LOVE HIM SM. tbh I see how people react to the recent idw miniseries which left the Hooligan fans really sour </33 to me, though, it wasn’t too bad?? I see how it works and honestly the only sad part to me is WHY DID HOOLIGANS BREAK UP AUH but im so used to “sonic canon ew” so like-I should’ve expected that sigh. So I can reason with how excited people headcannon/draw/make whatever of the guy it’s really cool since we all kinda agree? Like even with such a variety we all take the guy lovingly <33 which is sweet :> like its pretty chill-WHCIH IS FUNNY because Im actually really scared in small communities <- i made a post bout it once i-I EAT UP ANY FAN MADE FANG CONTENT FR i love all fangs really [so far] ^ ^ tbh even my school knows that-I did pottery of him, drawn him, spoke of him, my teacher saw a drawing of Fang I did and HE QUOTE: I was looking for that [SIR I GET IT IM PREDICATABLE/silly]

PETEY💠

Ok as much as heartfelt I feel about Fang-Petey is just some other freak of nature my family knows. I’m NOT EVEN JOKING-MY MOM SANG ABOUT HIM WHILE MAKING LUNCH/GEN GEN GEN-cough. Idk why but ever since my brother [the first dog man fan obviously] inserted dog man into my family [by 1. SHOWING MY FANART/BOOKS TO MUM 2. LETTING ME SING THE MUSICAL ALL DAY LON-/positive fs] its been insane/sILLY because-who expected everyone to say “Papa Petey” [i do NOT know how some typo made mo-ok my mom has a Petey problem/sILY AGAIN] in the car-at home…NOT ME THATS WHO. WHY IS PETEY SUCH A NORMAL THING IN MY HOUSEHOLD/positive sigh

OC🌸

OKK well they are ALMOST a wasteland but I have an original story to bring some ocs to life ^ ^ [including-sigh vague mention-the space dog lady and red haired lady ocs i have :3] ESSENTALLY: I’m calling it Brink of Bryony!! [Bryony is about a flower but in plot idk a city??] it’s just a human loser [red haired lady MAYBE] meeting alien folk [Cordella is there…i showed her ONCE] like my self insert hehe [Norolist] because OH NO beeg mister evil guy wants to take over Earth and this NICE alien people gonna protect it! That’s the entire thing, very unserious lmao. Pyrexavul is my precious <33 I don’t think I shared him?? I’ll share em all sometime hehe im too lazy LMAO. So yes yes I’ve been into making that story recently :> !!

ANYTHING🦐

OK SO my Luxury AU has been MANIFESTING MOI cuz i decided: why yes I WILL make a fic bout it!! Yknow just remaking the lore[cough this means me rewriting the first book of DogMan] and putting some stuff into one work ^ ^’ SO FAR I’m really getting into the vibes but what’s crazy is how I turned what I THOUGHT was oughta be a comedy-to a tragedy. No like I KNOW IM GONNA WRITE CUTE STUFF I WILL I JUST-….also might’ve included grief, addiction, ETC I dont even know how I got there 🙂‍↔️but it’s been fun! Especially since it makes me go down a nice study check with me lmao [I’ve been learning the medical field, laws, how media handles stuff, types of _, etc] hehe rubbing my hands together imma be so happy to write it all hehe and with that I’m learning about my characters a lot better! I thought of it more one noted because its a good start but now im actually learning more bout em :0 !! Love reworking stuff, redesigning, it’s been a huge part of me since idk when ^ ^’

COUGHHHH i think that all works out!! TYSM FOR ASKING I CANNOT EXPRESS THE WHIMSY I FEEL RN <33

[apollos-boyfriend]

psst you got any more creepypasta fic recs? 👀

i have quite a few!!

putting them all below the cut to save space, and i cannot stress enough that if you want to read most of these you Need to read all the tags. some of these are very light and sweet, others do not play about with the genre. i’ll be giving overall synopses + warnings (somewhat) but do read the tags for further details!!

in loco parentis by nymm_at_night is. well. you’ve all heard me praise it before. you say “more” so i assume you’ve already read it, but i legally can’t make a fic rec list without it. it centers around jeff, jack, and ben + tim/brian, and is where i’ve taken So much inspiration from. if any of you who like creepypasta have not read it yet please do. tim/brian (in a divorced way), all the chapters have their own disclaimers but the overall biggest overarching ones i can think of are semi-heavy descriptions of death and gore.

visual arts by killer_cat is a very good, short one shot! it centers around helen and jack and i absolutely love the author’s characterizations/interpretations of everyone. gen and mentions of blood/typically creepypasta-typical killings, but overall nothing too major

KISS ME WHEN YOU KILL ME by notaccessible is unfinished with only two chapters, but i really like where they’re going with things! they’ve retold both jeff and jack’s origins in pretty compelling ways. jeff/jack, but there’s no actual ship content as of yet. there are a few heavy scenes, largely dealing with abuse, murder, and suicide, largely in jeff’s chapter.

undone drawings by sleeplywritings (pancakebluess) is a very sweet, cute one-shot about sally and jeff. some of the formatting is wonky at times when it comes to the dialogue, but it’s not too bad, and overall understandable. plus the overall mansion dynamics are fun and silly (AND they’re normal about tim 🔥🔥). gen + no real warnings

water bearer (paint me red) by xfreesomebodyx is a one-shot centered around jeff and jack. it goes into extreme detail about jeff the killing people, so do tread carefully, but i REALLY enjoy their jeff characterization. i like it when authors latch onto his whole being beautiful bit. i’m ambivalent towards their jack at best, but GOD is jeff well-done in this. heads up so you don’t get confused like i did there IS a formatting error in it where a section seems to have been pasted twice (as of writing this). tagged as jeff/jack but there’s nothing explicitly romantic, largely just subtext/undertones.

a house full of serial killers VS the barbie movie starring margot robbie and ryan gosling by salty_sam is a one-shot chatfic but you guys know they’re my guilty pleasure so i can’t not add it. it’s largely just the author messing around with character dynamics and mansion relationships which is what i am here for always. tim and brian are off (brian especially) but everyone else is super fun and consistently entertaining. gen, no real warnings outside of mentioned drug use

handling rejection by sunsh1ne_sweethe4rt has wonky formatting BUT if you can get past it it’s just a cute one-shot, if not a little simplistic in terms of writing. it’s just about tim trying to help nina get over her crush on jeff. i’m a bit biased bc anything with tim written normally makes me instantly herald it like a miracle but i really just think it’s cute and funny :] gen (with the exception of nina’s crush on jeff) and no real warnings i can think of

déjà vu by nightstar1888 is a bit hit or miss for me due to their tim/masky characterization, but i REALLY enjoy the stuff they did with ben. it’s a one-shot about toby helping jeff dye his hair, nothing too special, but i like the parallels they drew between then two. it’s tagged as jeff/toby but nothing romantic really happens outside of a few lines of semi-flirting, no real warnings outside of mentions of toby + jeff’s backstories and all they entail

the collar incident by honeycirrus is. well i’m hesitant to fully recommend it. there are certain parts of it i really enjoy, especially with the dynamics between the mansion cast, but that’s pretty much it, and those are kind of few and far between. i’d recommend the first four chapters ish? they do some fun stuff with BEN that i might honestly steal for myself, but i spent way too long wondering if they actually meant BEN or didn’t get the 2020 lore update. ben/toby, one semi-intense self-mutilation scene.

[nyaagolor]

Vex's big fat SV fic recommendation list

Being stressed while waiting for reviews and thesis feedback had me tearing through the SV AO3 tags like a rabid animal. Bright side to this is that I've been through basically the entire tag for a few characters so you don't have to. Below the cut is all the fics that really stuck with me

Invasive Species by hiratake Hassel/Brassius oneshot. You know that popular post that says the holy grail of AO3 is a 10k oneshot that changes your life when you binge it at 3am? yeah that's this one they meant this fic. It's a look at their younger years and the falling in love stuff these two go through and it's fantastic. There's cute cameos, excellent prose and really fun themes throughout

Team Building (and other remedies for loneliness) by viodef Arven Gen multichap. By the time I finished this fic I was convinced it's canon. It fills in the unseen parts of the game absolutely expertly, telling the story of how Arven caught and raised his team, and balances emotional angst and cute moments within his team flawlessly. It actually got me to care immensely about Arven's Toedschol. btw, this fic is part of a series-- and every fic in it is just as excellent as this one. They're some of the best Arven fics I've ever seen and I cannot recommend them highly enough

I Love You (just in case you didn't know) by WizardGlick Hassel/Brassius oneshot collection. "Where are all the incredible writers for SV?" making old man yaoi content. The Hassel/Brassius scene on AO3 is killing it. This fic has been on my mind since I first read it, it's so GOOD. It's tender it's emotional it's cute it has it all. Even if you don't care for this ship you will by the end of it. Read it

normal people by golden_blue Larry gen oneshot. I'm actually astounded at the charm people are putting into fics about Larry, a character designed to be as basic as possible. This is a fic that really just brings the pokemon world to life, giving so much depth to characters and making everything feel so grounded and lived in. If you like Larry, or even if you don't, read this fic, it'll leave you loving Medali and everyone in it

Kitchen Confidential by aclockworklemon Zerotrio Gen Twoshot (for now). People who characterize the player's mom are the most powerful among us and this is as good as it gets. There's a lot of subtlety in how the characters emotions are explored through the perspective of the character's own mom, and honestly I just love a fic that feels so grounded and sweet. Everyone is characterized so well, and the conflicts feel so real and personal. Good times all around

lost in translation by fivveweeks E4 gen oneshot. This fic is fucking hilarious I am actually begging you to read this one. One of the few times a fic actually got me to belly-laugh. Every work in this author's series about the E4 is equally as funny and equally as good so just do yourself a favor and read them all

holding onto the past (just like her) by centispores Arven oneshot, focused on grief. This one absolutely destroyed me. It has a real mastery of prose, a slowly building sense of dread and confusion that really hammers in the emotional core, and a really good understanding of flow. Setting the fic to a flu delerium backdrop lets the author's talents really shine and also gut punch you right at the end! It hurts, highly recommend

Tenderhearted Trust by infaredlove Jacq focused oneshot. SV introduced the best cast of side characters (the teachers) in the history of this franchise and some valiant authors took it upon themselves to just make banger after banger all about them. This is honestly a recommendation for this author's entire catalogue of work because I adore how they characterize the academy staff, Jacq especially. The prose is great, the feelings are tender, and who doesn't love seeing some nice stories about the adults in the room?

kids and their newfangled lingo by rentaldragon Rika/Geeta oneshot. This one is less than 1k words and as cute as it is funny. It needs no introduction, it's got silly lesbians in it!!

Up the Creek by neutralize Arven oneshot, focused on his failed attempts to heal Mabosstiff. Another ouchie of a fic. This one stings real bad, and the depth of emotion in this one is an absolute killer. The ever increasing desperation here and the ways that Arven's own trauma prevent him from reaching out or getting help for his own mental state are absolutely brutal and an incredible way of illustrating the pre-canon events. This one is rough but it's a very worthwhile read

YOUR _____ APPEARS ABNORMAL. by johnchurch Larry oneshot, Geeta POV. This fic is absolutely genius and even if you don't like either character you have got to give it a shot. It's such a fun and clever way to integrate in-game glitches to an in-universe headcanon. Genuinely delightful. Also watching Geeta slowly lose her mind is more fun than I initially expected

Cool, Cool, Cool by Chumpy Arven/Giacomo oneshot. Really and truly who is doing it like rarepair shippers. They are the backbone of fanfic society and I mean this. This fic is pretty lowstakes in comparison to the others on this list, but man is it cute. I love the characterization, the realism of teenage dialogue and all its awkwardness, and just the way the relationship progresses during the story. Sooo cute, give it a read!

Perennial by Seasonal Penny twoshot. Fics that are canon to me. I'm not even sure how to properly articulate how much this just feels like a legitimate explanation of canon events that happened offscreen. This fic is perfect and also canon. Real to me.

The Fellowship of Glimmora by dragons_tree Geeta multichap, unfinished. This is THE Geeta fic to me. The prose is incredible, the characterization is incredible, the worldbuilding is incredible. If you read one SV fic today make it this one, it will leave you with so many new thoughts on Geeta and her relationships with the gym leaders. Genuinely so so so good I think I would kill to get this fic to update again

Ortega's Drag Race by MimeOfATime Team Star oneshot. This fic is canon in my brain. This is so real to me. The characterization is perfect, the worldbuilding is perfect, begging you to read this fic Right Now. Pls. For me.

Push by agendergrim Professor-focused oneshot. This one is short and also just cracked my brain wide open. SUCH an interesting take on what happened to the other professor and well-written to boot. Do yourself a favor and read this one when you have a few minutes

Historical Perspective by n7punk Sada/Raifort exes oneshot. No one understands Raifort like this author I stg. The characterization of everyone here is absolutely fantastic and is filled with concepts and ideas that feel so authentic to the story of the game. I too love disaster lesbians so this fic was an absolute delight

regret, reflected in crystal by Emolga Turo and Arven focused oneshot. This one is INSANELY rough, big tw for child abuse and an absolutely gut-wrenching internal monologue about it. This fic is really heavy but insanely good, I had to sit down for a while to process it all when I was done. I highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a fic to blow them away, the author is insanely talented and a master of their craft, but also OOF.

oh, just one more question… by pistachiosoda Penny focused oneshot. Such a sweet Team Star character study, it's really neat to see the unique ways that each character speaks and reflects about the boss and how it serves not only to characterize Penny, but them in turn. This genuinely feels like it could be dialogue ripped from some DLC of the game. If you like Team Star def give this one a look

irony by mousewritings Penny and Arven oneshot. This author REALLY understands teenage dialogue. It feels so real it's almost painful, so if you want something that's really gonna captivate you, give this a read. There's something about the way the characters fumble that feels really natural, and this author is extremely talented when it comes to dialogue and attitude. I adore this fic

Endearment by Sarajaye Penny focused oneshot. Centers around Penny's feelings about her dad-- it's like 400 words and super sweet, just do yourself a favor and read it right now. Click on the link and go for it it'll take like two minutes. You'll thank me later.

Glimmer by WolvZephyr Geeta focused oneshot. Good Geeta focused fics are few and far between, so it was fantastic to see one that really delved into her philosophy and attitudes and personality. This is one of those fics that really puts so much depth into a character that it feels like a natural extension of everything in game. Whether or not u think ur a Geeta fan, read this, because it'll absolutely give you a fresh perspective on her

Patch Up by ColourfulVoid Nemona and Miriam focused oneshot. This might actually be one of, if not my absolutely, favorite fic I've read about Nemona. It so perfectly captures the masking she does and the ways that the adults in her life WANT to help but can't because of all the fronts she puts up. This is filed under lists of fics that changed my brain chemistry. Read it

hues by aukai Nemona and Jacq focused oneshot. Similar to the above, this focuses on Nemona's unhealthy habits and masking and I just absolutely adore it. It's a brief glimpse into her pre-story school life and really adds depth to everything happening offscreen. Nemona my beloved

If you don't wanna use a tumblr post for the links, I have all these bookmarked on my AO3 Vex_ation, which is linked here

[kardia-library-official]

I haven't played RF2 in forever, but...

...I'm just spitballin' here. :P

Anyway, I know a lot of us wish there would have been updated character designs after the timeskip in RF2, and we all have our headcanons about what that would look like, but my spicy take is...

...Let gen 2 Max be FAT, you COWARDS! I'm not saying he would be the same size as his dad at that phase of his life, or that he should be drawn the same way (characters should probably remain recognizable as themselves at a glance), but I think even just rounding him out a little would have been a really interesting creative choice.

Like, consider:

-Body diversity is cool! For a lot of reasons, but also just because I write fic and have to describe these people. More body types means less using the same adjectives until my eyeballs fall out.

-It would just be a fun little detail for him to mature into a closer resemblance to some of his other family members? Because it's normal for people to, well, look like people they're related to. (Incidentally, this is also why I interpret Martin as shorter and less bulky than a lot of people seem to. Him and Cecil were dealt slightly different cards, but from the same genetic deck!)

-There's potential for Julia to have some positive character growth? It's either a) Max doesn't give much of a fuck either way and sets a good example by still talking about himself like he's hot shit constantly, or b) (my preference, I need angst to live) he actually struggles with it a lot, and she has this moment of "oh, shit, how I talk about this stuff is really affecting him, and he's already feeling down on himself, I'd better handle my situation." But either way, the end result is Julia being like "okay, he's still a smokeshow, maybe I don't need to put myself through this," and Max at least being on the road back to being way too into himself by the gen 2 era. (Maybe even a little more sincerely so, with less underlying insecurity.)

...Ha, only it wouldn't go like that, because this series has been historically and notoriously weird about this stuff. It would probably just have her being awful to him, which would be a massive bummer and proof that we cannot have nice things.

Forget I said anything! D:

[mushibashiraas]

tw: manga spoilers. possibly a few swear words. this is supposed to be light though. don't worry, kids!

THE INVINCIBLE MIKEY.

— mikey and his newly formed kanto manji gang definitely made the mistake of booking the wrong restaurant at first. he and sanzu had to wait outside while kokonoi and the rest went inside to broker a deal between three other gang leaders for territory among other... less than legal stock. it was more than awkward for both but especially for the invincible, feared, powerful, most individually well-known gangster in tokyo. unfortunately for him, sanzu found it hilarious watching his boss sulk like they were little kids again and shinichiro had just denied mikey a taiyaki before dinner.

— so you'd think after the tragic battle against the second generation toman, they'd learn their lesson. but the haitani brothers had forgotten their fearless leader's true age and booked a well-known high-rise restaurant in roppongi frequented by gangsters, politicians, and celebrities alike to work out a deal with some local politician. and once again, mikey and sanzu had to wait outside while kokonoi and the rest of kanto manji's executives went inside.

— maybe mikey smacked sanzu across the face for taking his teasing too far... sanzu may or may not have offered cute, pre-made party hats to mikey to wear on his head while they waited for koko and the rest to finish upstairs.

notes:

hello! hi! yes. yall signed up for me and my immaturity the second yall read my rules and clicked follow. heehee! i love tokyorev so so muchdjdjd like?? PLEASE?? tell me they did not run into the dumbest silliest bullshit amidst them ruining people's lives. gotta find humor somewhere, am i right? or that could just be me and my horrid, dark sense of humor talking. idk

but i literally cannot think without getting mikey and sanzu being pouty, childish, teasing 5 yr olds as they navigate the dark and gritty underworld lifestyle — that normally one'd discover and learn about as adults — as teenagers. BEATS THEM OVER THE HEAD! I AM TRYING TO WRITE A SERIOUS FIC, YOU TWO!! PLEASE KEEP UR NONSENSICAL CHAOTIC TOMFOOLERY OUT OF MY HEAD FOR NOW. FJSJXJSJ

anyway. ofc as always this is posted with little to no proofreading djsjdj we die like shinichiro and emma (bad joke. i am so sorrydhdj). apologies! also, there shouldnt be a gn reader in this? hence no indication in the "tw" at the top. i'm planning on making this a mainly canon-characters-only hc list. .....a list which i will def. be adding on to and plugging as time goes on. aaaaa i just had to get these three hcs out so i can get serious and sad. lol

also will def. add more character tags as i add more characters to this hc list. i promise! probs gonna go as far as write for post-2nd-gen-toman fight!kanto manji and bonten. not rlly gonna much for og and 2nd gen toman charas. sorry, yall fjsjdjdjdj

manga pic belongs to wakui. i just took a screenshot — it is literally one of my fave panels lmaooo they are so cute. kisses koko my love and pats inupi on the head. aaaaa

[kholran]

twenty questions for fic writers!

tagged by @lucientelrunya Thank you friend!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

26

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

297,713

3. what fandoms do you write for?

DMBJ right now, but in the past I have written for The Hobbit movies and Les Mis. I've written half a Weilan fic for Guardian but...

4. top five fics by kudos

I Will Go Now to My Pyre (DMBJ, RiSang, 262) And Here My Troubles Begin (The Hobbit, Barduil, 256) When the Stars Align (The Hobbit, Barduil, 220) I Get By (DMBJ, Gen/Liu Sang-centric, 215) Skin Deep (The Hobbit, Barduil, 205)

5. do you respond to comments?

I try to! Sometimes one or two falls through the cracks when I don't have the spoons to respond right away, but I do try and at least acknowledge them even if it's been ages.

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

Probably a little ficlet I wrote here on Tumblr and never put on AO3, in which one of the characters is revealed to have been dead the whole time. Usually I'm not about the super depressing endings though, just about everything else at least ends on a hopeful note, if not a resolved one.

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

I think most of my RiSang fics end on a happy note, especially the one-shots and the exchange fics. Love Light, Ordinary World, ADHAU, Wild Fire, Last to Know...I think they're pretty equally happy?

8. do you get hate on fics?

Not really, but I did get one bizarre comment on a fic where the commenter presumed to predict where the plot was going and then comment on how much they didn't like when things like that happened? Except it wasn't a fully published fic yet and the actual ending was...nothing at all like they predicted.

9. do you write smut?

I sure do.

10. craziest crossover?

I don't think I've ever actually written a crossover. Crazies fusion fic was definitely Les Amis Do Titanic (In Every Age).

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. I mostly write rarepair/pool noodle fic in a tiny fandom so...who's really going to take it?

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of.

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

I used to do a lot of forum-based RP, back when invision/tapatalk/proboards forums were all the rage in the early 2000s. In terms of fic I've published on AO3, I haven't. But that's largely due to the fact that I'm the slowest writer known to man, and I'd just end up frustrating any writing partner I had with my slowness ^_^;

14. all time favorite ship?

I think Weilan (Guardian) is the ship I've read the most fic for overall. But it's definitely not my longest-term ship or anything.

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

The Weilan Mermaid AU I started back in like...2020? I fell into the DMBJ pits before I finished it and idk if I'll ever go back to it at this point.

16. what are your writing strengths?

I've been told I'm good at setting scenes and writing things that people can visualize, so that, I guess?

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Oh god dialogue. I cannot write a normal conversation to save my life. What even is normal human interaction?

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Nah. I mean I'll use a word here or there, if it's something very commonly understood in the fandom (like calling Wu Erbai "Er-shu" or Zhang Rishan "fuguan" if that's how a character would address them in the show). But in terms of full sentences? I wouldn't be confident enough in my ability to write the language fluently, and even if I could, I'd just have to provide translations anyway. Far easier to say "...'said so-and-so in [language]."

19. first fandom you wrote in?

Like, EVER? I had a generic American Girl doll that I named after a Baywatch character and wrote a story for her when I was like...9? Does that count?

20. favorite fic you've written?

I'm still really proud of Ordinary World. It's not my most popular by any measure, but I put a ton of work into it and I still enjoy re-reading it sometimes. Plus I'm proud of the fact that I churned out nearly 60k words in like a month since it was for an exchange that had a deadline.

Tagging: @merinnan @eirenical @xantissa @alxina @amidalogicdive (if you want to!) and anyone else who may also want to, consider yourself tagged!

[hyewka]

There really has been no dom beomgyu smuts lately as a switch myself I’m a little sad haha but I also find it really funny but I don’t think there’s a lot of sub beomgyu smuts just because people think beomgyu is submissive because honestly I just think the whole of txt are switches and I think dynamics also really depend on what kind of partner you have as well so I wouldn’t say someone is dominant or someone is submissive. I think reading femdom smuts is just a lot more fun to read and probably to write because I feel like normal ones can get quite repetitive and it feels more exhilarating and powerful even if you aren’t actually a dom irl it’s nice to see women being more dominant with men because in real a lot of guys have quite a fragile masculinity with it. Also txt tumblr is quite small compared to other kpop writing communities I’ve seen, there isn’t actually that many consistent blogs on here and so actual smuts on any txt members have actually been quite sparse. I’d say sub beomgyu became a thing because of the blueprint blogs that kickstarted it such as wildernessuntothemselves I had never really seen submissive beomgyu until they came around and other blogs such as you and fairyofshampgyu inspired others to write sub beomgyu because those blogs were the only really ones consistent and kickstarting this. Haha I don’t know why this is so long but hopefully it is somewhat coherent!

Definitely agree with the femdom writing being fun-- like, you don't need to be a dom in real life to enjoy writing it and that is the case for me 😅 This is a little bit of a contradiction to your earlier statement but I genuinely do not believe I have one percentage of dominant energy, completely submissive over the years with my relationships (but I'm starting to doubt it just a little bit after getting into femdom content so....idk ���). Yes, yes about the women being more powerful kind of serving as an exhilarating experience even when just writing it-- is it a little embarrassing to admit that most of my smut are incredibly self indulgent? Lol I seriously just cannot with meeting so many men who have fragile masculinity, working with them, talking with them-- it just bleeds through every interaction it's aggravating! Writing it as a fantasy of putting someone "in their place", definitely like a reliever after having to put up with it practically every day of my life.

Point made with TXT tumblr being small! Did a quick comparison to other 4th gen boy groups and it's a little odd how significant the difference is at times? 😂 Yet the smut tag has more people posting under (maybe that changed over the past few months and fluff is what people are leaning more towards?) even though there's definitely a sparse number of consistent blogs (which would naturally equate to less variety in content).

Ha! I was on here earlier than I started posting like most people are on tumblr, and I'd have to say that your observation skills are so good because lol yes, @wildernessuntothemselves (heh sorry for tagging you mort but i just might want you to see this 😂) was definitely a blog I first got introduced to with sub!beomgyu like, just hardcore, straight up whiny boy and a powerful woman (lover = loser fic...ah, very delicious).

There were definitely some fics here and there, but kick starting it, I'd want to give that credit to her! After a bit, @fairyofshampgyu came out with their fuck you series, and I'd say both are sort of the blueprint of the recent rising in seeing beomgyu as a very strong sub. Before this, you'd see one of those MTL posts and almost always Beomgyu is categorized as a hardcore dom, and now I almost get shocked seeing Beomgyu being considered more of a sub than Hueningkai and Soobin (who were often seen as softer doms or just sub men in general).

I wasn't even meaning to turn this blog into a sort of sub!beomgyu cult of fics, like...at all so I find it funny that I'm jumbled together with a more experienced writer like Nia 😂 But yeah, some really good points. It's just funny how a few months ago I was desperately looking for anything sub!beomgyu related (to the point i created this blog in hopes of receiving sub beomgyu requests), just a tinge because everything under the smut tag was hardcore dom, I wouldn't have imagined the tables would turn so quickly especially considering male subs aren't particularly that popular comparative to their counterparts.

I do feel for people who are sub leaning, content is sparse with txt in general-- and for people to get even simply blocked for requesting a dominant beomgyu? A... little insane 😅? I even remember this sort of thing being brought up around three months ago, someone talking about how they see Beomgyu as a complete dom and do not understand that appeal of the recent surge of sub Beomgyu-- perception is different, and I do wish for you and others to get more dominant Beomgyu fics, everyone deserves a little treat 😭

[lucientelrunya]

one line any fic! rules: pick ten of your fics, scroll to somewhere midpoint, pick a line chunk and share it, and then tag ten people

I was tagged by the awesome @forerussake, thank you! So, I only have 6 fics posted on AO3 and the stuff I don't have on AO3 is old RPG-stuff in changing first-person-perspective, so I won't do those (I would have to translate them and I'm too tired for that). Which means I only have 6 chunks.

Between the Shadow and the Soul (M9, FuBa)

“But I am willing to forget this happened. The dagger’s master didn’t do this. I am willing to offer the dagger’s master a trade.” Qi Tiezui swallows and finally manages to move again, taking an instinctive step back. The thing tilts its head, but doesn’t follow him again. “This vessel means a lot to you,” it adds unprompted, “You love it. I am willing to give it back to you. Unharmed. For the dagger.” The thing extends its arms, as if it wants to present Rishan’s body to him, something that could be a smile creeping onto its face. It only makes Qi Tiezui feel cold all over, because it’s more of a parody of a smile, there is too much teeth in it, danger oozing out of every pore. His hold on the dagger grows tighter on instinct. As long as he has it, this thing cannot hurt him. As long as he holds it the dagger will protect him. As long as he holds it he is the dagger’s master.

2. We go deeper than the ink beneath the skin of our tattoos (M9, Gen)

He goes in first, ducking a little under the door and turning to the spot in the corner where he knows he left Rishan on the pressure plate. And uneasiness turns to full blown panic in his gut. Rishan is still there. Exactly in the spot he had been told to stay in. There is a considerable puddle of blood at his feet and his head is slumped forward. Unmoving. Zhang Qishan stops short, staring at him for a second and at the blade piercing through his side. But then he shakes himself out of it, rushing to grab Rishan’s shoulders and get him upright again, to get some of the pressure off the blade. It’s almost a miracle that he doesn’t trigger some other trap in his haste. He can hear Ba Ye gasp behind him, but he ignores him for now.

3. The Darkest Night (M9, FuBa)

With his useless shoulder it’s a real fight to keep Lao Ba away from the door and he is panting in pain once Lao Ba gives up his fight and stops hitting him to just break down crying. Accepting that Rishan had to leave. That there really were claw marks on his arm, even if he didn’t see them with his own eyes. That there was no way at all to save him. Zhang Qishan gets down to the ground with him, holding him against his chest with his good arm, fighting against his own tears. It’s not fair, it’s still so utterly unfair. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, but he can’t be sure if Lao Ba even hears him.

4. Stolen Moments (M9 FuBa, implied Fo Ye/Rishan, NSFW)

"My darling, are you up for another round? It's okay if you're not," he asks softly, because no matter how much he would like to just hold onto Rishan and push inside of him like this, Fo-ye said he has been rough. And since Fo-ye is always rough with Rishan that means something. He would also be content with just kisses and finishing himself off against the warm body in his arms. Rishan makes a small sound, holding onto his arms as he wriggles his hips back against Ba-ye's already hard dick. "I'm good," he says and his voice is wrecked, which elicits another jolt of arousal from Ba-ye because he can vividly imagine what Fo-ye did to cause that. He smiles against Rishan's throat and just barely manages to keep himself from sucking a bruise right there, where everyone could see.

5. Like a lonely house (post-TLRTR, FuBa)

It seems to encourage Liang Wan to ask jokingly but still quietly if Ba Ye felt the need to protect her and Zhang Rishan with his snoring. Ba Ye doesn’t seem too happy about that, which seems strange because he can normally take such a small joke and laugh about it. And that he accuses her of being too cuddly-clingy in return makes it really hard not to burst out laughing. Because if that isn’t a case of the pot calling the kettle black then he doesn’t know what is. Liang Wan blushes and looks at Zhang Rishan like she doesn’t know how to answer that and wants his help with this. Interestingly it’s Huo Xiuxiu who says something before he has a chance, having watched them from her place across the table. “You both seemed pretty cuddly-clingy last night,” she says, but she looks straight at Zhang Rishan, so he isn’t sure if she is referring to him carrying Liang Wan to her bed or the part where Ba Ye had clung to him the rest of the evening. Or the part where both of them had clung to him while sleeping?

6. The Crystal Menace (Mecha-AU, FuBa, to no one's surprise)

Wu Xie is lying on one of the bunk beds, a book in his hand but he has lowered it to watch them with a confused expression. Zhang Qiling is dozing in the bed above him, seemingly undisturbed by the commotion, but Zhang Rishan knows he is probably not asleep at all and listening to everything, prepared to jump out of the bed if the need should arise. It seems almost like a normal evening, like they don’t have to process anything at all. “Sit down,” Pangzi says again, putting gentle pressure on his shoulder and he obeys and sits on one of the chairs. Pangzi slides into the one across from him, his frown now clearly worried. “I’m sorry,” Zhang Rishan says again and Pangzi just shakes his head. “Stop apologizing and tell me what’s wrong,” he says calmly, still looking worried.

I'm tagging everyone who hasn't been tagged yet and wants to do this.

[bcdrawsandwrites]

Fandom: Psychonauts

Rating: K+

Genre: Gen?? Sickfic?? mild H/C??? you got me, man

Characters: Caligosto Loboto, Boyd Cooper, Gloria Von Gouton, Fred Bonaparte, Crispin Whytehead, Sheegor

Warnings: Vomit, blood, depictions of sickness... (SPOILERS: implied torture + amputation)

Description: Loboto is having a very bad night. The inmates are not helping.

Beta Readers: @jaywings​ and Rocket

Notes: This fic is based on a theory that comes from a few figments in Loboto’s mental world in the demo footage of Psychonauts 2. ...also I wrote this while sick with a fever, edited it while still sick, and illustrated the cover while recovering from said sickness. have fun

—~~~—

He did not remember arriving back at the tower.

Partially because he wasn't even back in the tower, instead standing on the frosty shoreline, the chilly waves lapping at his boot heels.

Loboto stared dumbly out at the cliffside for a long moment before frustration simmered beneath his fogged mind. Yes! Of course, they wouldn't send him back to his lab. No! He could do with a good climb, especially on a frigid night like this! His chest heaved with quiet, dazed laughter before he took a gasp of cold air that grated against his sore throat.

The wind, though not harsh, cut through every part of him that wasn't covered by his shower cap or lab coat like a fine knife, as cold as it was painful. It grazed his shoulder, and his vision went white as his mechanical eyes flashed. But even with the blasted optics glitching, he could still see. His imagination ran wild with absurd visions of ridiculous things that had never happened.

On top of that, the slice of pain brought with it a violent realization that it was not the only pain he was in. The numb shock he’d been in gave way to an agony that tore through him, ripping up and down his side, nearly bringing him to his knees. No, no, no, that pain could not be real, just like the horrific visions of red and yellow that flashed through his mind. It was all a trick—all a stupid trick from his malfunctioning eyes and his brain. Pah!

He found himself clawing at his shower cap, occasionally stopping to smack his mechanical eyes a few times until they flickered back into focus, the desolate beach snapping back into view. "Enough of this!" he growled hoarsely at the sand beneath him. "That little army man will be back any day now, and we can't keep him waiting."

With a grunt, Loboto marched forward and heaved himself up onto the first narrow ledge, already finding his body shuddering with the effort and his mind struggling to push back the imaginary waves of pain. "Ridiculous!" he blurted into the rock he leaned against for balance. "A child can climb a mountain ten times this height!" And it wasn't like he'd never done it, either. Muscle memory helped him get from one step to the other, but keeping his balance was harder than normal, especially as his mind repeatedly dipped back into brain fog.

His eyes flickered in a blink when he found himself on the ladder, his boot slipping on the frosty wood and one hand losing its grip. Realizing he was about to fall, he flung his weight back against the ladder, biting down on the nearest rung to keep himself in place. A frantic giggle worked its way through his clenched teeth—ah, teeth! Useful for so many things! They would never let him down.

If you let us down one more time—

Ripping himself away from the rung and leaving rough teeth-marks behind, he let out a snarl and heaved himself the rest of the way up the ladder and onto the ledge. He sat on his knees for the moment, his mechanical eyes pulling back as he tried to make sense of the gate that seemed to be spinning around him. No, not just the gate—the entire cliffside spun beneath him like some wild carnival ride. He couldn't remember it doing that before, but the absurdity of it made him laugh, the action tearing through his sore throat. Yet he continued to laugh until his stomach lurched and a cascade of vomit silenced him.

He managed to scoot himself away, spitting and coughing as the world slowly came to a halt. At the same time, a figure that had been sleeping against the opposite wall snapped alert with a panicked gasp.

"Ah—ah!" Boyd stammered, scrambling to his feet and whipping his head around until he spotted Loboto on the ground. "Who are you working for?"

"That fool Oleander," Loboto grumbled under his breath, his eyes swiveling to glare at him.

Boyd's eyes blinked separately before recognition dawned upon him. "Y-yes! Of course!" Fumbling with his keys, he got to work unlocking the gate. "It's said he knows the milkman..."

Gritting his teeth, Loboto shakily began to push himself back upright. A large hand suddenly clapped against his shoulder, and he gave a yell as he was heaved to his feet. Without turning to look, he struck at the one who'd grabbed him. "Tricky terrible traitors try to trap—"

"AH—no, I am no traitor, I am the guard!" Boyd cried, stumbling back and holding up his hands as Loboto found his balance.

The two stared at each other for a tense moment, Loboto's eyes glowing harshly as Boyd trembled beneath his gaze. He couldn't help feeling a twinge of satisfaction at seeing his subordinate cower.

"Th... the milk is not ready yet!" Boyd said, wincing away as he eyed the doctor's clenched fist.

Loboto stared.

"I'm lactose intolerant."

Boyd glanced at something on the ground. "I-I noticed."

With a growl, Loboto finally marched past the guard, who frantically closed the gate behind him.

Now that that mess was over, he could finally get back up to his lab and get back to—

He paused.

"SHEEGOR!"

His voice boomed through the empty grounds. It was empty of people, now empty of crows, and empty of elevators.

When his assistant did not spontaneously appear, he clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white beneath his glove. "Yes! Wonderful!" he proclaimed to no one as he stamped toward the withered garden with a harsh laugh. "I can scale this dilapidated tower myself then. Fine night for some exercise!"

He knew his way through his asylum, of course, so it wouldn't be overly difficult, but he would have much preferred the express elevator so he could get back to work immediately. But as it was, he ducked through the entrance to the greenhouse, fighting to keep steady as the action made his head spin, his back ache (no it didn’t, he was fine), and his shower cap to catch against the branches overhead. Turning his optics up, he pressed a hand down into the cap, pulling it away from the plants. He'd hoped to avoid the woman who occupied this corner of the asylum, but as he straightened his back, he bumped into one of the flowerpots, knocking it to the ground with a dull clunk.

"My, you need to buy seats in advance if you want to come to my shows!" Gloria said, turning to him with a patient, hazy smile. "No need to be harassing the paying customers."

"What do they pay you in? Leaves? Seeds?" Loboto asked, the frantic giggle that followed clashing with his strained smile.

Gloria ignored the comment, glancing him over and waving him off. "Please see yourself out. I'm not an usher, but since they seem to be ignoring their duties, I'll have to tell you you cannot bring food or drink into the theater."

Swiveling his optics in an approximation of an eye roll, Loboto turned away to head out the other side of the greenhouse. "I don't have any."

"Not anymore, but anyone can see that wine you've sloshed onto your nice suit."

Loboto froze.

"It's a wonder it didn't get onto the carpet—"

The next thing he knew, he was staring down at an entire line of flower pots that lay in pieces on the floor of the greenhouse.

"Oh!" Gloria cried. "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure the ushers will attend to this ruffian, and the play can resume..."

He left her to continue rambling to her imaginary audience as he tried to rid the imaginary nonsense (visions, pain, glowing yellow eyes) from his mind. "Fickle fumbling females feeling faint for fading flowers..." he mumbled as he stepped into the lower floor of the asylum. It brought its usual sights and sounds of one of the former orderlies dozing over a makeshift game board (with stolen game pieces, he noted), the artist in the room overhead scraping old brushes furiously against a canvas, and finally Crispin standing dutifully in front of the asylum's only other elevator.

"Crispin!" Loboto said, and the man turned to face somewhere slightly to his left. "Let me up, will you?"

"Of course, Doctor Loboto." Crispin turned toward the elevator controls, only to pause, his dull eyes squinting as he turned back. "Wait..."

"Wait for what?" Loboto threw out his arm in a wide gesture. "Do you want to hear that army man ranting at us again? Or perhaps you find it funny! Though it is, isn't it? Shouting about sneezing powder and tanks! HAH!"

While he'd been talking, Crispin had been leaning forward, eyeing him up and down. He frowned. "You're not Doctor Loboto," he said at length.

"WHAT?!"

Behind him, Fred sprang to his feet. "Sacré bleu! We have fallen asleep on ze battlefield!"

Ignoring the man and his terrible French accent, Loboto stepped closer to Crispin, finding himself trembling—in rage or in suppressed laughter or something else, he wasn't sure. "Of course I'm Doctor Loboto! I was, last I checked. Highly trained and professional!"

"Yes, well," Crispin began, leaning back and raising a brow, "the real Doctor Loboto does not wear an actual straitjacket. It's merely a strappy jacket fashioned from one."

"This is my jacket, you milky-eyed moron!" Loboto cried, tugging on the front of his coat in demonstration. "It doesn't have my arms tied up!" He lunged toward Crispin to grab him by the collar, but stumbled as the world spun once more. He struggled to keep his stomach from flipping again.

"Well, that's because you're wearing it poorly. But you are certainly not Doctor Loboto. I can tell. You don't have the right jacket, or the right complexion." He tipped his head. "The real Doctor Loboto is blue, not sickly gray. As you can see, you can't fool me. Now go back to wherever you came from and—"

"He has returned from ze war!" Fred blurted behind him. He blinked, then shook his head, hunching in on himself. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, we really shouldn't—" He straightened again. "Yes, shut up! We are in ze presence of a great war hero!"

Crispin rolled his eyes. "What are you going on about now, Fred?"

"Do you not see? He bears ze blood of his enemies upon his robes, and ze scars of victory—"

Loboto whirled on him faster than he could think, managing a swift kick to Fred's shin.

With a yelp, the man crashed to the ground, curling up on himself and whining. "Ohhh... can we just postpone the battle until morning?" He twitched. "NON! Ze enemy never sleeps, so neither shall we!"

"Well, Fred's down for the count again," Cripsin remarked. "So if you're done, kindly step away from my elevator and off the nearest cliff, thanks."

Loboto wanted nothing more than to knock Crispin to the ground and find a few bad teeth to remove, but his vision was blurring and flickering, and he found it hard to think.

"No, really, we can't fight in the dark, and the enemy can't either, can they?" "Rrrrrghhh, I suppose you are right, for once. We shall camp here for now, but come sunrise, we fight!"

A weak laugh made its way past his lips as he stared down at the former orderly settling on the cobblestone. Yes, that crazy man had a point. There was no point in fighting tonight—he'd get his work done in the morning. And that work would have to include getting back into his lab in the first place.

After a brief moment, he snatched an item from the floor before stumbling back through the greenhouse and toward the entrance.

A nice night for sleeping under the stars, he supposed.

---~~~---

Judging by how bright the world was by the time his mechanical eyes flickered back on, the sun was starting to rise. But he couldn't tell for sure when there was a large metal cage blocking his view, with something else within—

"He said he would be back by nightfall, but he hasn't come!" a high pitched voice cried as a familiar form stepped out of the elevator, her back to him. "Oh Mr. Pokeylope, do you think he's gone for good this time?"

The corner of Loboto's mouth twitched.

"Oops!" She clapped an oven mitt over her mouth. "I'm glad he's not around to hear me say that," she said as she began to turn. "If he was, he'd be—EEK!"

Sheegor jumped back at the sight of Loboto laying sprawled out at the foot of the fountain, having slept (or passed out) there the remainder of the night. He clutched his worn teddy close to his chest and stared her in the eyes.

"Oh—I—I—!" Sheegor held her pet turtle close to herself. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry Doctor Loboto, I didn't mean any of that, I—"

"Yes, well it's a nice morning, isn't it?" Loboto grumbled, tucking the teddy bear under his arm so he could push himself to his feet. His entire body ached (from sleeping on the ground, not from anything else). "A nice morning to get some work done after you left me stranded here all night!" He took a threatening—but wobbling—step forward, fist clenched.

Oddly, Sheegor didn't seem as intimidated as usual. Her mouth gaped, and her eyes darted between his face and his right side.

"What are you looking at?"

"Y... you..." A trembling mitt was covering her open mouth. "D-Doctor! What happened to you?!"

His eyes flickered. "I slept out here with a rock for a pillow."

"N-no, it's—it's—!" Her whole body was shaking now, but not, he sensed, in fear of him. It should have made him angry, but exhaustion pulled at him instead, making his frame droop.

"Yes? Well, spit it out."

Sheegor held out one hand, pointed toward his right side. "Y-your arm!"

Loboto's optics slowly angled down to his right. For the first time he noticed the enormous, darkened bloodstains on his jacket, and a torn, empty sleeve hanging limply at his side.

"Oh," he said dully, feeling himself wobble as the pain finally worked its way to the forefront of his mind. "How did that happen?"

At once the world tipped to the side, and Sheegor caught him, straining to keep him from fully collapsing to the ground.

Wordlessly she helped him into the elevator, letting him lean onto her while he bit back the urge to scream. He wanted to protest, to berate her for touching him, but everything felt distant, even the upper floor of the asylum as they rapidly ascended toward it. And anyway, once they reached the top, anything he would have said was held back by his rolling stomach ejecting whatever bile still occupied it.

As he gagged, he could hear Sheegor whispering to the turtle in her mitts: "I know, I know, but I-I can't leave him like that—th-the asylum wouldn't... w-we were supposed to..."

"Just... get back to work... Sheegor," he managed to slur around the acrid taste in his mouth. Bitter bile breaks brittle bones of the mouth.

Sheegor looked from him to her turtle a few times, her mouth wobbling, and carefully eased his arm over her hunched back again. Instead of leading him to his lab, however, she led him down into the asylum, into the usual room he slept in: a mostly-intact bedroom with a mattress and blankets over a broken bed frame shoved into one corner, a chair and a desk with papers scattered across it, and a meticulously crafted and framed (and official) DDS license on the wall.

After easing him down into the bed, Sheegor stepped back, looking away. "Um... I-if you want, Doctor, I can clean that robe..."

His initial thought was that the blood stains made a wonderful addition to his ensemble, but glancing down at them again caused his brain to supply him with more awful, made-up nonsense. No, he wouldn't have that any longer.

With some amount of struggling he managed to get the thing off, unceremoniously tossing it in Sheegor's general direction. She managed to catch it and quickly scurried out. "I'll get this back to you as soon as I can Doctor bye!" she squeaked before the door slammed behind her, leaving Loboto sitting in the empty room.

Everything felt surreal, being in familiar surroundings after spending an entire night on freezing cobblestone. The sight when his gaze turned downward, however, was less familiar: there was new stitching across his chest, and on his right shoulder where his arm had been. It was cleanly done—they hadn't wanted him too much worse for wear, since he still had a job to do for—

Oleander. He had a job to do for Oleander right now. The sneezing powder, yes. His mind drifted over the things they'd discussed in their last meeting.

They'd both figured out a way for it to be made, more or less. The remaining issue was how to properly dispense the stuff. Oleander had suggested keeping it in a bag, but that was easily-spilled, and it may lose potency if pre-ground. But what was he supposed to do? He didn't have a grinder with him on-hand at all times—

A shock of brilliance bolted through him, and he stumbled to his desk with renewed energy. He grabbed a well-chewed pencil and began to write, his non-dominant hand shaking badly as he forced it into motions it was not used to.

But that was fine. It wouldn't have that job for long.

A manic giggle bubbled out of his throat as he worked out the notes and rough sketches, detailing a jointed pepper grinder with claws and a strap to secure it to his now-unoccupied side.

This loss of a limb, baffling as it was, was exactly what he needed.