#if you write fanfics i owe you my life

[andrew-garfields-left-titty]

god, i love fanfiction SO MUCH. i love that there are people out in the great ethos of nerdy subcultures who are moved to write pieces of literature that often rival and surpass the canon media. i love it. i love writers. i love that everyone's experience with media and fandoms is so unique.

(also pls drop your favourite fics in the comments- no matter the fandom)

[reflectionsofgalaxies]

Okay Yellowjackets fanfic readers, I need input. Should I read you stay with the earth?

It last updated in 2022 so my assumption is that it will never be completed which usually is an automatic no from me (falling in love with a never-to-be-finished fic is it’s own kind of heartbreak) BUT it has an insane number of kudos for a JackieShauna fic and I’ve heard it spoken about highly.

So. Should I?

[strawberriesinmoominvalley]

@lunahhhhhhhhhh wanted to see a bit of my kid!fic, so i thought why not share it with all of you :)

the basic premise is this: oscar is max's child, whom he brings to a race for the first time. shenanigans ensue, oscar really doesn't like how busy and loud it is (but loves the racing), charles offers to coach them both in french so oscar can be understood at school. somehow in this there's a lestappen endgame!

anyway here's two snippets :D

Oscar faltered at the question, before looking back towards his bed with a wobbling chin. “Nijntje?” Max scrunched up his face for a moment, pushing down all the swear words that bubbled in his throat. He did not - he could not stress that enough - have time for a fight over whether Nijntje could come. Oscar’s soft rabbit was far too precious to risk being lost, but Max really didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with a meltdown right now. “You can bring her if Nijntje doesn’t get lost,” Max agreed, regretting his choice even as he said the words. But Oscar beamed as he ran over to his bed, grabbing the white rabbit by her ears. Returning to Max and grabbing his hand again, Max gave a cursory glance over the room before they left. It was a lot earlier than Max would usually consider leaving for the track, but that was most of the point. He was going to meet Gemma, his press officer, outside the back entrance so they could get in with as little fuss as possible. Victoria was going to meet them at some point so Max could hand off Oscar to her for the race. Max didn’t exactly want Oscar to be swarmed with media attention. But Max also wanted Oscar to not cry so much for how much he missed his father, so sacrifices had to be made. “You’ll win?” Oscar asked Max as they stepped into the lift, slowly heading down to the ground floor. Max gave him a soft smile. “I’ll win,” he assured the child. “For me?” “I always win for you, schat.” Oscar looked at him with stars in his eyes and Max resisted the urge to scoop him up and pull him close. “But I’ll win especially for you today.” Oscar leaned against his leg, clinging to him. “I win for you.” “Will you?” Max gave into the urge and picked Oscar up. “I think you need to grow a bit for that.” Oscar didn’t have any objections to the statement, burrowing his face into Max’s neck.

“Oscar’s my kid, yes,” Max clarified, stopping the argument before it could really begin. “I just don’t really want him in the media.” “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Lando lamented, flopping against the railing next to Max. “I thought we were friends!” “Only Daniel and Mick knew,” Max admitted. “And Alex and Checo, but they were my teammates.” Lando wheeled around to Alex, who clearly started plotting escape routes. “You didn’t tell me?” “Maybe this fight will be more important than you having a kid,” Daniel muttered. “It’s about Oscar,” Max pointed out. Charles carefully made his way over to Max as Lando continued to screech at Alex, successfully drawing attention away from Max. “He’s called Oscar?” “Yes,” Max replied, feeling his cheeks turn pink. It was a curse of being anywhere in the vicinity of Charles. “Oscar Jack. My mum chose the middle name-” He cut himself off before he could properly start rambling. There was something about Charles that made him want to talk continually, some part of him that hoped that if he never stopped talking Charles would have to stay with him. That if talked, it gave him an excuse to cling to Charles like glue. Max could never escape Charles' orbit - he couldn’t remember how old they’d been when they first met. It was implicit in his memory: wherever Max was, Charles was close by. Charles smiled at him. “He’s very cute, especially with the rabbit.” “Nijntje- the Miffy books, have you read them? He named the rabbit after her.” Charles’ eyes sparkled under the lights. “Yes, I think Arthur had them. I’m not going to try and say the Dutch word.” “Didn't know you gave up that easy,” Max teased. “Only when it comes to Dutch,” Charles retaliated. Max’s face scrunched up as he grinned. “I could say the same about French- though I have to learn it now, so it’s even worse!” “Why?” Charles’ brow furrowed, before clearing. “I could help you!”

(p.s. this is referencing this post, feel free to send me asks about my wips!)

the real issue with this fic - why it's taking me a while to write - is planning out all the races. this is set in a fictional 2024, and i know who is going to win the championship, but that means i need to plan out where everyone places. do i need to take it this seriously? no probably not. but i am. but it's loosely planned out and it's slowly being worked on, because i adore writing it

if you're still reading this i love you! thank you for listening to my insanity <3

[bizarrelittlemew]

There are already some great sex pollen fics in this fandom, so now it's time for me to introduce: CUDDLE POLLEN

8.2k words, T, modern au with supernatural elements, a brand new trope(?)

When Ed and Stede get lost in Iceland, they happen upon an eerie place, and have to deal with the consequences of being poisoned by a strange substance (cuddle pollen, it's cuddle pollen).

READ HERE

For the OFMD AUpril day 8 prompts: Supernatural – Medicine – Fae/Folklore

Thanks to @blakbonnet for betaing ❤️❤️❤️

[nebula-gray]

help i'm hyperfixating on a character who appears in one episode of a silly cartoon

[fitzrove]

dystopia,,,,

[basilpaste]

chrysanthemum au headspace mari and chrys talking,, hoogugh

“Do you know much about flowers, Chrys?” Mari asks him once, tilting her head in such a way that her dark eyes glitter.

He almost laughs. Almost. 

“Some.” He says instead, looking out at the vast Sunflower Forest.

Mari hums,” That must be why you call yourself Chrysanthemum, then, huh? They symbolize friendship, right? Sunny thinks you’re a good friend, that’s for certain!” 

If he were someone else, Chrys might be bashful at that comment. He’s not, though. Mostly it just sets that familiar burning in his chest, radiating out of him like a lit match. Chrys shrugs vaguely, keeping his eyes trained on the yellow and green horizon. 

“Who says I called myself anything?” He tells her,” Chrysanthemum isn’t such an odd name.” 

“... You wear one too, is all. I feel like I’d get sick of them if I didn’t pick the name myself.” 

“... Maybe you’re right.” 

Still, something about this bugs him. But... she’s perfectly herself, right? Sweet and positive, just… Mari. She's always been perceptive.

“So. Are you sure you don’t want to let me tag out Hero? I’m a pretty good sweet-talker, too!” 

Pressure builds up in his chest but he makes no note of it. If Mari feels it, she says nothing either. As the logic goes, he knows his “emotion” has changed, but neither mentions it. 

“... I…” he pauses, trying to pick his words carefully,” I don’t think that Sunny would like that, much.”

“I’m a big girl!” She laughs it off easily, idly putting a row of stitches in the crochet project on her lap,” I think I’d be alright!”

“I- uh…” can’t let you get hurt. “I-I… believe you. But… your knee.” 

“Oh, haha! I’d be more worried about my neck!” 

…

Chrys became afraid. 

“Wh-what?” He asks, and suddenly the burning is much more like stabbing, like choking. Suddenly it’s less of a weight and more of a wound, a hole straight through his chest.

“Hm?” She tilts her head again. Her neck pops. Are heads supposed to tilt that far? “Ah, nothing, nothing!”

[shinakazami1]

• previous ask anon here! I saw the positive response on my last ask so might as well say some more (imagine getting happy from being praised on your own praise, can't be me/j)

• you may feel like Dear Stanley doesn't get many reads but I assure you, if the fic was a youtube video I would put it on loop (they are so silly and the metaphors and the way he cared so much about those little details?? same fr)

• Tomato getting more content. oh no. my heart. you better prepare to pay for the damages that will be inflicted on my soul.

• I decided to tour your ao3 works and read Bad Luck! …I checked all the tags, no worries. (Love, Falling and All Things did came up first but it's in a series so I put it for later)

• 27k. That one hour of reading was quite something. It's so wrong but it's so good?? keyboard smashes I won't dive into details here, but the words hold so much feelings. They are so,,,a (Fanfic writers my beloved good job you two) Question: how are their lives after that. are they happy like really truly happy. it's an au but i need to know if my blorbos are ok.

• I'm probably going to read the soulmate bodyswap series next, and I'm really excited since 1. omg tooth-rotting fluffy gay men, I need this and 2. planetariums, aquariums and animal facts are my absolute favourites stop hitting my soft spots (once again thank goodness for fanfic writers amen)

• sorry if this is too long and possibly confusing! I'm not the best at writing anything out...maybe retreating to ao3 comment sections now that I know anonymous/no account commenting exists (because of you, I finally found out about it after all these years, thanks). Have a nice 365 days!

Anon please my gosh I just opened tumblr and I saw I had a message and just to hear my reaction for your comment meant a lot means a lot to me ofahioasi we are rn in a very silly loop and just please know I told my close buds about you writing these asks and just it means so much to me, and to see you wrote such a long comment (I checked, wow, 307 words, dude I appreciate you sm if you would ever want to reveal yourself be my guest IOHFSOIFSAO I just, I truly appreciate you)

Now lemme just respond to each point under the cut but PLEASE THIS IS NOT CONFUSING NOR TOO LONG THIS IS JUST SO PRECIOUS

Dude I am so glad you liked the metaphors!! I really wanted to make him project onto different things and just, Narrator feels like a man who would care so much about details that others wouldn't

If I ever get back to writing haha, but the prequel is gonna be a cute slowburn of how they got together (no angst tho haha noooo sir don't look how I mostly write angst hahahaah h a ) ; while sequel is their trip to the mountains which would have similar tone to the original!! But gosh thank you you really make me want to write it hehe

Bad Luck is one of my collabs with a user who left TSP community so now I am left as the only creator listen but they were the ones who came up with the idea for that and Good Luck Charm, which is the fic this one kinda comes from !! We were a bit scared if people would think we agree with Stanley's actions (esp since I was the one who wrote them fihfsoiafsih) but I am glad you like it! And well - we actually discussed it and haha no they are not good they are far from good in that au, what we intended to do was (SPOILER: DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW IF I EVER WRITE IT) that Stanley would confess to Narrator that he drugged him and Narrator would be very mad but since he got bitten and it was found out that he was omega, he would lose his job since the world is omegaphobic and Stanley would only later learn just of how much he fucked up. But since the damage is done and Leo would not want him to have easy way out, they kinda stay together and Stanley develops and anxiety disorder. They kinda make it all work and let themselves explore the feelings but Leo never forgives and good for him, good for that man

Gosh to hear you want to keep on reading my work???? That just means so much to me??? I wrote this one with Surf and the amount of silliness that series has just still makes me giddy with how I pulled some of my fav moments in my TSP fanfics so I hope you will not only have a nice read but if you do write, you will share your opinion if you will want to!!

You reminded me I have to check ao3 iohfashiosafois I haven't really been logging in so I prob been slacking off with responses but please, wherever you choose to write, it will always mean so much to me. You already spending time writing the first thing meant for me a ton, esp since this semester has been hard and I've been in art block overall but please anon, know that your words truly make me feel not only good but just grateful to you. Know that your words mean more than you can imagine and they can affect people in a good way. Thank you <3 Have lovely 365 days! (or 365/2 days, if you are a Kingdom Hearts fan)

[planetsnakes]

Hey guys bbc merlin ended in 2012 you know why the fandom is still around?

Because we have a hella cool community that is still going strong, welcoming to new fans and ridiculously supportive whenever anyone makes something for the community.

Fandom is so different now and it’s becoming un-fun with how quickly shit moves.

I just want to enjoy things. I don’t want to have to play a game of Artist-Race that seems to be afoot lately.

Ya’ll eat up fandoms, leave artists and writers bone dry and then move on so fucking quickly then fucking wonder where all the Good Fandom Stuff is.

Idk Maybe cherish some things for longer. Reblog stuff. Interact with people. Comment and share.

Fandom is Capitalism now and I’m not being nuanced.

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

"guys I do not condone any of this in real life" "this is fiction" "consent is key. this is only fiction" "murder is bad irl" — I wish fanfic authors didn't feel like they had to clarify this in author's notes or else they might be accused of being abusers or worse (I admit that such disclaimers are also something I personally use for my own stuff because I feel like I had to make it clear). like... people used to not care if an author wrote dead dove fics because people used to understand that ao3 fics are not a reflection of someone's in real life views or morality in any way. people used to understand that fanfics mean what they mean; fan fiction. none of it is real. maybe it's purity culture that normalizes witch hunt and censorship in the past couple years, and therefore authors feel like they have to clarify that just because they write about violence or noncon stuff doesn't mean they're murderers or sex offenders in real life. and I think it sucks that these things (purity and cancel culture?) have made authors feel like they have to apologize for the art they created instead of being proud of their hard work and all the dedication they put into creating these art. artists should not have to feel like they have to apologize for creating art that isn't all rainbow and sunshine. artists should not have to be made to feel ashamed of their own art if it's not all rainbow and sunshine.

I don’t agree with the “you can write noncon and dark fics as long as you make sure your readers get the message that these things are bad” or “you can write noncon and dark fics if it’s your way of coping with your trauma” take either. because writers do not owe you anything. the message writers want to send to their readers — whatever that message may be, if there’s any message or moral of the story for readers to take from the stories at all — is none of your business. why writers write what they write is none of your business. remember “don’t like don’t read”. no one forces you to read anything you don’t like. dark and noncon fics are a form of creative writing and creative writing is a form of art. you can’t pressure artists into creating art that “fit your moral compass” nor can you apply your own moral compass to artists to determine if they can create dark art or not, if their reasoning behind creating dark art passes your moral compass. like… what artists create and why artists create are none of your business. and you don’t get to shame artists for creating art that you hate / art that disgusts you. what you can do is ignore the art because it clearly was not made for you and that’s okay. what isn’t okay is you harassing artists because you don’t like the things they created.

writers, embrace and be proud of your works. as long as all the trigger warnings are tagged properly, you have nothing to apologize for.

[thisisnotkitty]

whenever an author is like "sorry it took so long to update/sorry the update is late" im like NOOOOOOO!!! u owe me nothing! how can you be sorry when you've made my day infinitely better??

[all-eyes-no-dragon]

Begging for more chapters will not manifest more chapters. Aggressively or snidely remarking on someone's lack of updates will not manifest more chapters. Positively affirming the writer and offering your support could manifest more chapters. But, you know, things can happen. One time a person didn't update their fic in while because their bones were dissolving. It hurts some people to type yet they still do it. Why should people write for you if you take them for granted or treat them like dirt? Be the reason why a person would continue on despite the pain they're facing in their lives; whether mental or physical. Spark joy in them. They deserve better.

They are humans! Not robots that can effortlessly crank stuff out. AI is what will do that for you. If you want to read something soulless generated from the amalgamation of already existing works and not something new and exciting :)

As a creative I have a lot of feelings about this 😭 rant over

Please, for the love of god, please don’t be this person. No matter how long it’s been since an update, no matter how many unfinished stories are sitting on their account, no matter what - do not be this person.

Not only is it insanely rude, but you also do more damage than you think be being such a self-entitled ass about something someone created for free and for fun. “This author” can see what you say.

RIP decency indeed.

[holyhadesimweird]

the butterfly effect

photo from rorokonaa on twitter

captain curly x reader

trigger warnings : mentions of attempted sa/abuse (not really specified) and jimmy

summary : a butterfly effect in which curly steps up the moment he can after finding out something happened to you, causing the events of the game to never happen.

note : i have not written fanfic in many years, i'm so sorry and this is warning my writing may be dogass still or even worse than it was before. anyways, enjoy!

the moment anya speaks your name when informing him something happened to one of the crew mates, he runs. his heart has never beat so fast in his life, curly thinks he may die if he doesn't reach you.

as he runs to the cockpit, curly's mind races to an image of what anya's face looked like when she told him something happened to you. that bruise on her face scared the shit out of him.

was jimmy a bad man this entire time? after knowing him for so many years curly wants to doubt it, but the image of anya and knowing you were in danger because of jimmy doesn't allow him to even doubt that jimmy is a horrible man.

as he runs, daisuke and sawnsea see him and decide to run after him. neither of them are fast enough to keep up with curly's desperate running and are left behind.

curly can hear jimmy yelling and your sobs as he approaches the cockpit, making him push forward and into the cockpit when the door opens.

"what did you do to her?!" curly yells as he pushes jimmy away from your curled up frame in the corner of the room.

"nothing at all captain, i came to check on her-" jimmy is cut off as curly's fist makes contact with his jaw.

"bull-fucking-shit you liar. anya came directly to me after you hit her and i could hear you yelling at her. if you move, i will kick your teeth in." curly threatened.

it was at this moment daisuke and swansea's footsteps could be heard approaching the cockpit. as they reached the doorway, anya' lighter footsteps could be heard as well.

"what in the fuck is happening?" swansea questions.

"swansea, pick him up and take him to the kitchen. do not let him out of your sight until i come see you. daisuke, stay with him and watch too." curly orders.

"but curly-" jimmy tries.

"no, we're gonna talk about what you did. there will be a punishment." curly states as swansea grabs jimmy, not saying a word as him and daisuke take him to the kitchen.

"thank you for helping. i- i- didn't know what else to do." anya says quietly, kneeling down beside you. your sobs have quieted down but it broke curly's heart seeing you like this.

"thank you so much curly, i owe you so much. he- he kept trying to do things to me but i kept fighting and he hit me again right before you came in. i think he-" you rambled.

"listen to me, you don't owe me anything. i'll kick his teeth in before he goes near you again. i'm so sorry he-." curly kneels. he takes your hand and anya quietly gets up to leave for you two to have a moment alone.

"i was so scared i was going to lose you. i'm so sorry this happened and i wish i could go back in time to protect you. i'm here now and i won't let anything else happen to you. you're the most important thing to me and i can't bear losing you." curly rushes and stands up. "i'm going to make things right."

anya is stood outside of the room and makes her way inside to stay with you as curly marches towards the kitchen.

once he arrives in the kitchen he can see that swansea and daisuke have tied up jimmy who is yelling and trashing against the ropes. making his way to where they all are, curly decided on what to do.

"shut up and listen to me jimmy. you do not deserve to be free after this. you will be locked, barricaded, i don't care, in your room until this job is finished. it does not matter that pony express is kicking the can, because you'll be rotting right along with them in prison when we get back on earth. i'll make sure of it." curly spits out to jimmy.

"you don't deserve to be captain, i was going to be the hero in this story and you ruined it! i had a plan!" jimmy exclaims. "i was going to-" jimmy was cut off as swansea stands up from where he was sitting.

"you're insane. daisuke, come help me." swansea says eerily calmly.

when curly finally finds you after locking jimmy up in his room and leaving daisuke and swansea to guard. you're in your quarters, on your bed sleeping with anya sitting next to you, clearly on edge as she jumps when curly enters your room.

"thank you anya, for everything." curly says, offering her a smile and a hug.

"she's my friend and you both mean the world to me. when i realized i wouldn't be able to fight him off and help her, i knew i had to get help. i wish i could've done more." she says.

"you did your best and did the right thing. without you, who knows what could've happened. i'm just extremely sorry i didn't believe you at first when you tried warning me about him." he thanks and apologizes.

"i'll leave you two alone. goodnight captain."

curly takes a seat where anya was sitting and takes your hand.

.:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:.

"curly? curly!"

curly swears he hears someone call his name and blinks awake. the sight in front of him is other worldly and he wants to bask in it forever. you look beautiful despite everything that happened recently and he's happy to see you smiling at him.

"hey big man. thank you for protecting me, i don't know how to thank you. anya told me what you did with..... him. thank you." you thank him.

"it's the least i could do. you're important to me and i would do anything for you." he says sincerely. "...listen, i don't want to ruin this, but i have to go check on something in the cockpit. i'll be right back."

"of course, i can join you for the walk. but i might have to stay behind a little bit." you say.

"that is perfectly fine. we can go at your pace. i have to keep an eye on the controls for the next day, autopilot detected a possibility of needing course correction. let's go make sure we don't crash."

grabbing your hand, you and curly slowly but surely make your way to the cockpit to contact the company and to correct the autopilot route.

.:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:..:.:.:.

it takes time, but by the end of the tulpar's journey, you are able to navigate the entirety of the ship without being scared.

you and curly become closer and he attempts to have a romantic dinner with you to ask you to be his significant other, but it doesn't go according to plan. however, you two love joking and talking about how the night you became an official couple.

having jimmy on the ship is hard for the entire crew for the rest of the journey, but when landing on earth and seeing law enforcement ready to take jimmy away, it feels like a weight has been lifted from the entire crew.

[trixy812]

009 ⤿ ⩇8:⩇⩇ a.m.

🅼🅰🆂🆃🅴🆁🅻🅸🆂🆃

Content: satoru gojo x reader, Sorcerer!Reader, gaslighting, me vs the gojo on my mind — it's getting personal, angst!, unrequited? Love, men being men.

Summary: The strongest sorcerer decides to gaslight his way out of catching feelings.

A/N: Hey everyone! I feel so bad! I feel like my fanfics were finally gaining momentum, and then I just disappeared! I still owe a request that I’m working on, but it’s been so hard to write with my mom around 24/7 lately (she is staying by me because of the holidays). Anyway, no more excuses—I’ll start writing at night like I’m doing now! I always write Gojo as a jerk, but, well… he does give off those vibes LOL.

The bar was alive with laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the occasional sharp remark from Shoko that left everyone in stitches. For a group of jujutsu sorcerers constantly staring death in the face, it was rare to find a moment of ease like this. You couldn’t help but feel grateful.

To your left, Gojo Satoru sat with his usual air of ease, holding a glass of sake he clearly had no intention of finishing. Despite his reputation for being a lightweight when it came to alcohol, he’d taken a few sips tonight—mostly because you had dared him to.

“See? Not so bad,” you teased, the corner of your lips curling mischievously.

“You’re lucky I’m weak to peer pressure, soulmate.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t suppress your smile. “You’re insufferable.”

“Insufferably charming?”

“Keep dreaming.”

The hours slipped by faster than you expected. Laughter turned to quieter conversations, and the group began to dwindle as the night bled into morning. By 7 a.m., only a handful of them remained—Gojo, you, and a few others—now lounging in Gojo’s room.

You claimed the small couch with a tired groan, sinking into the cushions as your body finally gave in to the weight of exhaustion and a little too much sake. You weren't drunk, but your guard was lower than usual.

Moments later, you felt the cushions dip beside you. You didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“Hope you don’t mind me intruding,” Gojo said, his voice low and teasing. “Sharing a couch with me might be the highlight of your night, you know.”

“You’re delusional,” you mumbled, eyes still closed.

“Delusion or destiny? Hard to tell.”

His words earned a quiet laugh from you, but you didn’t push him away. You were too tired, and his presence, while annoying, was oddly comforting. Silence settled over you—a rare, fragile moment of peace.

Then, without really thinking, you let your fingers brush against his. It was a small, almost hesitant motion, but it felt like a spark in the quiet room.

To your surprise, Gojo didn’t pull away. Instead, he shifted, his hand catching yours with a natural ease. His long fingers intertwined with yours, his grip firm but gentle.

Your eyes opened slightly, catching the faintest glimpse of his profile. His head was tilted back, resting against the couch, his expression uncharacteristically serene. You wondered if he was even aware of what he’d just done.

Neither of you spoke. Your joined hands spoke louder than words ever could.

. ₊ ⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊. ₊ ⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊. ₊ ⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊

The buzzing of your phone pulled you from your half-hearted attempt to focus. Your head still throbbed faintly from the late night, but your thoughts were sharper than ever, replaying the memory of Gojo’s hand in yours. You'd barely had time to process it when his name lit up your screen.

The message was short.

Gojo: Hey, I’m worried.

Your brow furrowed as you tapped to read the rest.

Gojo: It seems like you’re starting to fall harder for me. I wish I hadn’t come into your life. That way, you wouldn’t have to suffer because of me.

Your heart stopped, then restarted with a sharp jolt of frustration. You read the words again, disbelief coloring your thoughts.

Fall for him? Fall HARDER for him? Was he serious?

Your mind raced, emotions clashing between anger and something softer—something you didn’t want to name. Gojo’s words felt like a dismissal, an assumption wrapped in pity. But instead of giving in to your frustration, you forced yourself to think carefully. You wouldn’t let him rewrite the narrative.

Taking a deep breath, you began typing.

Y/n:

Satoru, don’t say things like that. You’re really important to me, and I want us to keep having fun together—at parties, going out to eat, wherever.

Yes, it’s true that we flirt and we’ve shared some amazing moments, but we both know where the line is, right? I don’t want our dynamic or our friendship to change.

Your fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before you hit send. You didn’t regret the words—they were honest. But as the message disappeared into the void, your stomach twisted with uncertainty.

For days, you couldn’t stop turning the situation over in your mind.

“He acts like I’m the one chasing him,” you muttered, pacing your apartment for the fifth time that morning. Your frustration bubbled over, equal parts anger and hurt.

The memories of his teasing messages flashed through your mind:

"Do you think soulmates are real? Because I’m starting to."

"If you cosplayed, you might actually win my heart."

It wasn’t just you! He had been just as complicit, throwing out lines that blurred boundaries, making you wonder if there was something more beneath the banter. And now, he had the nerve to act like it was all your doing?

You clenched your fists, then exhaled deeply, forcing yourself to calm down.

Your next meeting was purely professional. You handed Gojo a thick report, carefully detailing the outcomes of a mission he was scheduled to follow up on. You were in a brightly lit office, the air between you cool but not uncomfortable.

Gojo skimmed the papers briefly, then grinned. “You’re efficient as always, y/n. What would I do without you?”

You gave him a polite smile, trying not to overthink the casual tone of his voice.

As you turned to leave, his voice stopped you.

“Hey.”

You glanced back to find him making a heart shape with his fingers, his grin widening. “I couldn’t expect anything less from my best friend. Thanks for existing.”

You froze for half a second before your lips curved into a faint smile—one that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “Anytime, Gojo.”

As you walked away, your chest felt heavy. You wee relieved your dynamic hadn’t shifted after his stupid message. But deep down, a small part of you wished that moment on the couch—the warmth of his hand in yours—had been the beginning of something far more tangible.

Taglist

@haruhatake

🅼🅰🆂🆃🅴🆁🅻🅸🆂🆃

[thatacotargirl]

Shadows and Surprises (3)

Part 3 of Azriel x Reader fanfic! Enjoyyyy!

Summary: Azriel meets y/n at Rita's and spends a single night of passion with you before heading your separate ways. Only, the Mother had different ideas.

Warnings: vague mentions of family difficulties.

Tag list - @mirandasidefics @lilah-asteria @nyxbranwenn @nickishadow139 @dee-writes-smut @impossibelle @mybestfriendmademe

Y/N POV

You groaned as you dragged yourself from the bed, the knocking at your door more insistent now. You pulled the door open and gaped, seeing Azriel standing there behind it.

"Hi" he said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and nervous.

"Hi" you replied, holding the door a little wider open, a silent offering for him to come into your apartment. He accepted, his wings tucked in tightly to avoid knocking into you or the doorframe as he walked into your living room. The room was a mess - you never had the time or energy to clean it these days. When you weren't working at the bookstore, you were sleeping away your nausea and indigestion. You knew growing a baby would be exhausting, but this surpassed all of your expectations.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" you joked, leaning against the sofa edge to support yourself. You hadn't expected Azriel to show up at your apartment. In fact, you hadn't expected to see him again. It wasn't that you thought he was a bad male and would deliberately want to shirk his responsibilities - but he was responsible for the safety of an entire Court, and a baby likely wasn't in his plans.

"We need to talk", was all he replied. You stared at him silently, encouraging him to go on.

"I don't know what I am doing. It's not that I never wanted children, I do, I just didn't expect to have any at this time in my life. But I want to be there. I want to be involved. I know what it feels like to have a broken family and feel like a burden, like you're unloveable, and I don't want my child to ever question if I love them". He had tears in his eyes, and you realised there was probably a lot of unspoken, unshared pain behind them that you might never know. But it was enough. You had your own pain that you hadn't shared with him, and you couldn't expect disclosure from him if you weren't willing to return the gesture. Not yet.

You reached out to touch his arm in comfort and, much to your surprise, Azriel caught your arm before you could reach him and pulled you into his chest. You nuzzled in and he rested his head on top of yours, a deep sigh sounding in the otherwise silent room.

"We will need to plan logistics", he said into your hair, ever the pragmatist.

"Yes Mr Spymaster, we can plan logistics", you chuckle back.

"I'm serious", he says, pulling away to look at you. He scans your body from head to toe, and you realise he is surveying you. Taking an inventory. "I can see how tired you are, are you not sleeping? You know it's not good for the baby if you're not resting, right?".

You laugh, your heart warm at the fact that Azriel was suddenly so concerned for yours and the baby's welfare.

"Az, it's hard to sleep when you single-handedly run a business and a home", you gesture around yourself at the piles of dirty dishes, laundry, the thick layer of dust on the broken fireplace. Azriel's eyes followed yours, and you suddenly felt ashamed. Your apartment was far from perfect. Your landlord was quite the absentee, so your broken fire place had gone unfixed for several winters now. As had the poorly insulated windows, the kitchen sink tap which sometimes decided to spray you down when you turned it on, and the mould forming around the edges of the bathroom floor. Whilst your bookstore was successful, life in Velaris was still expensive, and you couldn't really afford much better.

"Then you move in with me", he said. You simply gaped.

"In your own room, of course", he added quickly. "You will have your own room and your own space".

"Az, I couldn't ask you to do that" you replied, pulling out of his embrace.

"You're not asking. I am insisting. I don't fancy showing up here one day and finding you rabid from a rat bite", you notice him glance over to a hole in the skirting board of your kitchen.

"It's not a rat, it's a mouse, her name is Daisy and she would never bite me", you retort. Admittedly, you didn't like sharing your living space with Daisy, even if you were somewhat confident that she wouldn't bite you. Somewhat.

Azriel only chuckled. "I insist", I will ask Rhys and Cassian to come and help move your belongings over to the House of Wind".

Rhys, Cassian, House of Wind. You were moving into the centre of the Night Court. Azriel felt your shiver.

"Don't worry, only Cassian and I live there. He will dote over you more than I will - he will carry you everywhere if you ask".

Cassian. Lord of Bloodshed. Commander of the Night Court armies.

Azriel could see the uncertainty in your face and pulled you back to his chest. "Relax, they are just normal people, I promise they will love you. Mor will be so happy to finally have another female in her presence she probably won't leave you alone."

"Mor?" you asked.

"Rhys' cousin and third in command" he replied. You could sense from his tense stance that there was some history there, but decided now wasn't the time to broach it.

"Ok", you sighed, "when do we make this happen?".

Azriel smiled. "Now".

Azriel's POV

After reaching out to Rhys, Azriel took y/n's hand and let her lead him to her bedroom to start packing. It was only about 10 minutes later that another knock sounded at the door, and Azriel opened it to see Rhysand and Cassian beaming behind. They both walked into the apartment.

"A new chapter, brother" Cassian said, pulling Azriel into a hug. Rhysand smiled as he watched them, giving Azriel a hearty pat on the shoulder. They both turned to the door of y/n's bedroom as they watched her appear, shyly holding a box of her belongings. Cassian was the first to approach her, giving her a huge smile and taking the box from her hands. Azriel noticed that Cassian's smile only grew wider when he looked down to y/n's stomach and saw the small swelling.

"Welcome to the family, y/n" he said, putting the box on the floor and offering his arms out to her. She stepped forward slowly into them, but seemed to warm into his embrace. He could almost feel her relief. Rhysand stepped forward, careful not to appear intimidating. Whilst Rhys had the kindest soul Azriel had known, his power was palpable, and capable of intimidating just about anyone. He saw y/n peer past Cassian at Rhys, who simply offered his hand to her. She accepted as Rhys brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the top of her fist.

"It is an honour to meet you, y/n", he said. Y/n blushed so deeply he had to withhold a laugh. Y/n mumbled something quite incoherent in response, which earned her a chuckle from Rhys.

"Let's get moving, shall we?", Cassian called out, holding onto the first of y/n's boxes and flying off towards the House of Wind.

-

It took a few hours, but eventually all of y/n's belongings had been moved into her new bedroom. Azriel watched as y/n took in the room. He had picked a room a few doors down from his, to give y/n her privacy, but to be close enough in case she needed anything. Cassian's room was a few doors the other way, so she was sandwiched between the pair of them. Azriel hoped that that way, if anything happened, one of them would be there to help.

"You are welcome to change the room however you wish", Rhys said, appearing in the doorframe. "Paint it, change the furniture, whatever you want - this is your room and you can do with it as you like".

"Thank you", y/n replied, breathless in wonder. The bedroom was almost the size of her entire apartment had been, and Az could see that she was starting to feel overwhelmed. He silently gestured for his brother to leave them and walked to y/n's side.

"Are you ok?", he asked.

"Yes", y/n replied, "just a bit shocked at how this day has turned out. It's certainly not what I expected. Who knew how much could change over an indigestion tonic". She laughed, but it sounded more hollow than normal.

"I'm sorry", Azriel said, his hand rubbing circles on y/n's back.

"What for?".

"I don't know. I just felt like a sorry was warranted right now".

"You're daft".

Azriel shook his head, hiding a smile that had crept onto his face. No wonder he had been enamoured with you that night. You were one of the few people who wasn't intimidated by him. Who spoke your mind to him. He appreciated it more than he would tell you.

"Mor and Amren are joining us for a family dinner tonight, but you don't need to come if you are feeling tired or not up for it. They will all understand and we can have your food brought up here".

Y/n looked up at him and gave him a small, watery smile.

"I think I would like that", she replied. Azriel couldn't hid his smile in response.

"Great, dinner is at 7, I'll leave you to have a rest now and come and get you to take you down to the dining room just before". With that, he departed, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Y/N's POV

I think I would like that.

WHAT.

You didn’t know what had come over you. Of course you wanted to meet Azriel’s family, eventually. But most females are wined and dined before being introduced to a male’s family. Then again, most females are wined and dined before having a male’s baby, so if anything, you were at least consistent.

Your new home was nothing short of show-stoppingly beautiful. Your bedroom, which was fit for a queen, followed a pearlescent theme, with light marble furniture. The walls, which were a shade of muted light gold, rivalled any room you had lived in before. Rhys’ offer to re-design the room was kind, but you’d be crazy to want to change a single thing. The bed, clearly designed for Illyrian wings, would fit 5 of you with space, and had the softest duvet you could imagine. It felt like stroking a cloud. You felt a momentary panic that you had, in fact, fallen asleep when you had intended to nap - and dreamt this entire encounter. You pinched yourself hard and yelped. No, this was very real. You hopped into the bed, and sleep took you immediately.

-

A soft knock at your door had you leaning up on your shoulders. You took a moment to remember your surroundings.

“Come in”, you called.

Azriel walked into the room and you had to force your jaw not to drop open. Clad in his Illyrian leathers, he looked devastating.

“It’s almost time for dinner, are you sure you’d like to join?”, he asked, taking in your bed hair.

“Yes, yes, sorry just a minute!”, you jumped from the bed and ran in front of the vanity mirror, smoothing down the knots that had formed from your tossing and turning. Azriel chuckled and walked over to you, reaching out to untangle a knot that had formed by the back of your neck. You froze as his hands brushed against you, gently pulling the hair free. When you looked presentable, you turned to face him and took a deep breath.

“You ready?”, he asked.

“Ready”.

[featherandferns]

my thoughts on the rudy/madison discourse and obx 4 generally (spoilers):

I watch obx 4 for the characters. I appreciate the actors, find their behind the scenes moments entertaining at times, and indulge in the occasional interview or Instagram post, but I do not 'follow' the actors. My fanfics are about JJ Maybank as a character, not Rudy Pankow. I appreciate Rudy Pankow's attraction, especially when playing JJ's character, but writing fanfic about Rudy himself (or any other actor) is, for me, uncomfortable. That isn't to shame anybody who does write or read such content, it just makes me personally feel uncomfortable.

All this to say: I don't care about the drama. I don't care about why Rudy left the show, whether this was his decision or the writer's. I think Rudy's girlfriend seems lovely, but I am highly aware neither myself nor anybody else knows her. Rudy is a grown man. He's in his twenties. He can decide who he does and does not want to date, and who he does and does not want to spend his time with, both on and off set. An Instagram post Rudy made on his story on Canadian Thanksgiving I think summed it up perfectly: he loves his girlfriend, and if people can't get behind that, then get out.

Furthermore, Madison and Rudy do not owe anybody anything. I don't find interest or want to engage in the toxic debate of the 'he said, she said'. They're all adults, they all have their own lives, this is all between them. The speculation and pressure from fans is cruel and uncalled for. They don't owe anybody insight into their private lives. Maybe they aren't friends anymore - that's okay! People drift apart, people fall out. Yes, it's sad to see the change from season 1 in terms of dynamics, but a lot can happen behind the scenes. That's life! Also, I don't like the comparison between Rudy and Madison, and Madison and Chase. People saying 'but the actual ex-couple can work together fine' are forgetting that every situation is different! I had an ex-boyfriend at an old job; I was pissed at him for a few months but civil at work, and then I got over it and he apologised and we became actual friends about a year after the break-up. However, I have other ex-friends and ex-lovers who I could not ever tolerate or be near, and I can't imagine what it would have been like having to work with them after a falling out. If this is the case for Rudy and Madison, that's a really tough thing to navigate! Give them grace - yes they're actors, but they're humans too! The bottom line is: it's their life, leave them alone.

Following on from that, stop placing blame! We don't know why Rudy left the show. There's all different opinions and sources about who said what, who did what, who is the 'bad guy'. Nobody knows the truth but the three involved and, as I said before, they owe this to nobody to disclose.

I think Rudy leaving the show, whilst sad, is a fair decision. OBX began filming in 2019. You do a lot of growing from there and, especially with changes in writing, you can want a change. I think actors can sometimes be too tethered to their characters and it limits their future work abilities, because nobody can picture them as anything other than that character. You can still have successful careers because of this (think Camila Mendes and Riverdale; Matt Le Blanc and Friends; Ellen Pompeo and Meredith Grey), but Rudy clearly wants to explore other areas and other characters, like theatre and Indie movies. Good for him! We should support him! I don't love this 'I'm sorry we couldn't save you from your actor, JJ' stuff, because Rudy gave his heart and soul to that character and that performance. He doesn't deserve to be punished because he craves a change. It's the same as any other job/career; we all want a change sometimes.

The writers and show creators have been getting a lot of backlash too. Here's my thoughts on season 4: was it their best season? No. Did it do some of the other seasons and previous plotlines/character development justice? No. Did JJ have to die? Not necessarily. However, it is easy to lose sight of the small picture when you have increased demand and increased budgets. Netflix like 'bigger and better'. When people are given more creative freedom, sometimes things can veer off course. We can forget the original character motivations, dreams and desires by getting caught up in the spectacle. The only show I've ever seen that really keeps the characters true and consistent, whilst developing, and never forgetting a plot point, is Bojack Horseman. To me, that is the only show. It's a shame, yes, that it veered so far from season 1's aesthetic, but that's how it is.

As a fellow creator, I feel it's cruel sending so much blatant hate to the writers and creators for making the show. If Rudy did want to leave, they had to find a way to make this work for JJ. Yes, I've seen some say 'he didn't have to die' but I sort of disagree. JJ is too loyal and attached to his friends to just 'go off' on his own to somewhere else. That would also be out of character. I think the way he died, and the build-up and plot points that didn't get resolved prior to his death, is a little annoying. I don't like how it wasn't in Kildare, in his home, and in a different country. But hey - that's just me.

I know, that if I took so much time and energy and money, working and building something that I am proud of just, just to receive so much black-and-white hate, I'd be crushed. Constructive criticisms and opinions are good - we can be upset about a character dying - but saying 'fuck you' and 'we hate you' is a bit mean, in my opinion. The time and energy and work gone into this season is astounding. The travelling and set design is incredible! I mean, the shop is the most awesome thing I've ever seen!

I also respect that they killed JJ. I'm not saying I wanted him to die. I'm saying, it pisses me off when shows give plot-armour to the main characters. It lowers the stakes. You know they're going to be fine because they're always fine (think the majority of Stranger Things - there's a really good video essay about that here btw that articulates this point a bit better). JJ's death was shocking and upsetting, that's how a death (in a show, at least) should be, but it means hey, there are real stakes here. It's not fair he died! He didn't deserve to die! But he did, oh my God. It takes guts to kill of a beloved, main character. I agree, JJ was my favourite part of the show, but I respect the choice, personally.

I liked season 4. It wasn't as good as season 1, I wish they stayed more grounded and didn't start so many plot points without resolving any/all of them, but I liked it. It was entertaining. The acting was pretty decent, though the chemistry and acting when Rudy and Madison had scenes together was a little disappointing (again, I don't want to point blame at a certain individual; it's hard to have good on-screen chemistry, especially when you don't feel like it matches your character's true motivations).

Was it unrealistic at times? Yes, but OBX usually is haha. It's a show about finding EL DORADO at this point, like I can accept that they let Sarah and JJ get swept into the sea during a storm and come out fine, without a single earring out of place. Sure, whatever, I'll take it (so unrealistic, 90% would drown and you'd at least shed your clothes to help you swim and stay afloat but WHATEVER. Also put your life jackets on guys wtf it's a STORM).

I wish there was more development on the plots, done by having less plots at once, and more conclusions for JJ before his death. I felt as though we were building up to a big blow-out/resolution with Pogues which never really came. Also, don't love how they handled JJ and his biological dad. I don't think he'd be that willing to trust a random man who abandoned him so easy. Yes, he's reluctant, but COME ON. JJ has the biggest trust issues. I just don't buy it. Also, explain, please, how Luke went from being so wonderful and gentle with JJ to full on abusive? Just a bit of explanation would be nice, please. Not a huge fan of the pregnancy plotline but hey, sure, whatever.

So, yes, that's my thoughts on everything: leave the actors alone; the writers have balls for killing JJ but that isn't necessarily a bad thing; give people grace; treat people with kindness; I'm going to keep writing for JJ; and season 4 altogether gets a 6/10 from me.

I'm open to different opinions, further thoughts, or just general musings/ideas. I hope this doesn't upset or offend anyone, I'm not trying to spark drama or shame a certain person or people: these are just my thoughts and views! So, I won't be participating in any 'who's the bad guy' discourse surrounding the actors. I'm just here for JJ and the Pogues. Take care of yourselves and spread positivity in this crazy, difficult time <3 and, of course, rest in peace, JJ Maybank <3

P.S. These are my season-by-season ratings: season 1 - 10/10; season 2 - 8/10; season 3 - 6/10; season 4 - 6/10.