#instead of ao3 there was a chance that i would have posted them on fanfic.net

[mayullla]

Slowly moving all my works to ao3 in a way to make a backup I guess for all my works. Problem here is tags I not very familiar with ao3 as I lived in fanfiction.net for most of my life before moving to tumblr. Oh boi I forgot how I wish to cover my eyes as I look at my old works. Especially the Naruto ones. Completely didn't care about grammar at all 🥲😂😂😂 ehhh it is the past I guess... I am working on it... which is hopefully obvious 🥲

[mythicamagic]

Sesskag week Day 4: Comedy

Summary: Kagome resolves to snap a photo of the infamous Killing Perfection, which proves more difficult than expected. Oneshot.

AN: For Sesskag Week Day 4 - Comedy.

Rated T 

2,900 words

(all prompts posted on Ao3, fanfic.net and Dokuga)

Camera Shy

To the surprise of pretty much all who knew her, Kagome pursued art and photography in those three years away from the feudal era. In fact, even after the well re-opened, she continued to take classes, often creating life-like drawings from whatever photos she'd taken.

After joining everyone on a warm spring day for a picnic, Shippo had innocently inquired;

"What's that, Kagome?" pointing at a square black box hanging around her neck.

Grinning, she tapped it with pride.

"This is my instant polaroid camera. Very vintage, very hipster- some might say," she giggled, noting everyone's puzzled looks. Raising it, she took a snap of the fox demon, who yelped and ducked behind Sango's leg.

Crouching down, Kagome held out the photo once it had slid from the camera, shaking it gently and showing him the blank space that slowly filled with his image.

"Fascinating," Miroku hummed, while Sango nodded in awe. Inuyasha merely snorted, unimpressed since he'd been exposed to so much future tech already.

Kaede gasped, staring at the picture with mild concern.

"You have imprisoned him."

"What? No-" Kagome smiled and shook her head. "It's just a photo. Kind of like a painting. I feel bad that I never took any before but I was always so busy with Naraku or studying for tests."

Taking the photo gingerly, Shippo grinned at himself. He then beamed brighter and tugged on Kagome's sleeve. "Let's go show Rin!"

---

After taking various photos that would make a historian lose their mind, Kagome sat back within Kaede's hut and sketched some snapshots. She quietly giggled at the candid pictures; Inuyasha caught mid-yawn, exposing his thick fangs. Miroku studying a scroll while holding his youngest son, who drooled all over his robes, Kirara playing with a ball of yarn, Sango teaching her daughter a style of kickboxing, or Shippo trying to cram an entire sandwich in his mouth at once.

While looking through them, however, one particular figure seemed to be missing among her collection.

Approaching the stoic demon lord with perhaps a little too much familiarity and enthusiasm, Kagome smiled at him as he peacefully reclined against a tree.

"Sesshoumaru," she raised her camera slightly from where it hung around her neck. "I don't know if you've noticed on your visits but lately I've been taking-"

"Photos. Rin showed me some."

Kagome stopped and hummed. He caught on fast. And judging by how warily he eyed her camera, the answer to her question simmering right on the edge of her tongue would be a big fat no.

"Right! Sooo I've taken photos of just about everyone now," dragging her sneaker back and forth over the dirt, a hopeful smile graced her mouth. "All except you."

"No."

Ah, no use in sugar-coating it, huh?

Kagome rose a brow and folded her arms. "May I ask why?"

Giving a sigh that bespoke of his annoyance with having to explain himself, Sesshoumaru idly studied sharp nails. "I do not believe you have earned it."

Out of all the things she'd expected him to say, that wasn't on the extensive list. "I haven't earned a picture of you?"

"Hn."

Smiling slightly, she sized him up. "And what do I need to do in order to get a snap of the illustrious Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Golden eyes slanted up at her and crinkled at the edges in slight amusement. Kagome's insides went all warm for some reason, cheeks reddening. "You needn't do anything grand. This one is merely discontent with letting you capture a picture of me so easily. I will not forbid you from trying, however."

Kagome tried to follow his line of logic, experimentally shifting- before grabbing her camera and rapidly pressing the button.

Sesshoumaru blurred away from his spot.

Jolting, the miko whipped her head around, grasping her photo and watching as it cleared to reveal a plain tree. No Daiyoukai in sight.

A piquant scent filled her next inhale. Kagome's skin pricked, hot breath dancing over the nape of her neck.

"Do you understand now, miko?" he rumbled.

"Y-yeah," glancing at him over her shoulder, she tried in vain to ignore the heat in her cheeks and pleasant twinge in her lower stomach. "Sure, I'll play your game- and win too."

Confidence clung to Sesshoumaru like a second skin as he tilted his chin up, the ghost of a smile curling his mouth. "Hn."

---

The next time Lord Sesshoumaru deigned to grace the village with his presence, Kagome was ready. Having memorised his visiting schedule with Rin long before, she lay in wait within the trees.

Grinning sharply, she let out an evil laugh reminiscent of Naraku's 'kukukuku.'

Straddling a tree branch and hearing Shippo's signal (a whistle from further away in the trees) Kagome tightened both legs around her perch and held the camera, holding still. It had only taken a few lollipops to persuade the kitsune to help.

Heart thundering and eagle-eyed, Kagome waited with bated breath for any sign of the Daiyoukai wandering below en-route to the village.

Upon glimpsing the tell-tale red and white silks and silver hair, Kagome swung herself down. Gripping the branch hard with her legs, dark hair flew up, leaves being knocked free and cascading around her as she appeared before him, hanging upside down.

With a smirk, she struck her finger onto the button- just as Sesshoumaru blurred through the air, palm closing over the lens.

Kagome squeaked, mouth falling open. Her gaze slid from camera to Daiyoukai, who gazed at her, face quite close to hers. Thin lips then curved down, but from her flipped perspective, she realised the jerk was smirking at her.

Kagome's legs then lost their grip. Yelping, the miko dropped like a sack of potatoes, landing hard at his feet in a sprawl of limbs. Letting out a long groan, Kagome patted around, hands empty. Something light was then placed onto the crown of her head. Reaching up, she felt the camera and frowned just as Sesshoumaru smoothly stepped over her body and sauntered away, continuing on without a care in the world.

Growling, Kagome sat up, rubbing her throbbing skull.

Shippo burst from the trees and landed beside her. "Ahh that was a colossal failure! You okay Kagom-"

A giggle slid out from the miko, shoulders shaking. Shippo's tail puffed up, observing her wide smile with slight unease.

"Heh, he's pretty good," she flashed a sharp grin, cheeks glowing. "This is fun. Who knew such a stuffy guy could be playful."

Shippo tilted his head to the side, not exactly understanding but smiling anyway. "Let's go with plan B!" he encouraged.

Kagome nodded with determination.

---

Typically during the afternoon portion of his visit, Sesshoumaru would leave Rin to her duties and go recline against a tree situated near a small lake, sometimes reading. Following this ritual, the Daiyoukai now sat at the base of a tree and drew up one knee. Drinking in the quiet serenity of the picturesque scenery, Sesshoumaru leaned his head back and looked out at the glittering water-

-only to notice a reed moving.

Raising a brow, he blinked. Relaxed muscles then stiffened, and he reacted seconds before Kagome lunged up from within the water, a waterproof camera in hand and reed clutched between her teeth as a breathing tube.

Yanking her camera up, Kagome's victorious expression changed the second she registered red youki cloaking his form, curling around it like a thick mist.

By the time his energy dissipated, a giant silver furred inuyoukai towered above her.

Blue eyes widened, which only caused the smirk to grow wider on his feral jaws. Sesshoumaru slammed a paw down into the water.

Yelping, Kagome was soon consumed in a mini tidal wave.

By the time she'd surfaced, coughing and minding slick hair away from her face, the dog demon had trotted away, tail swishing behind him with an arrogant flair. Kagome glared and trudged to shore, leaving soggy footsteps on the sand.

"Uh...Plan C?" Shippo chanced weakly, hopping out of some bushes.

Kagome nodded, sputtering some lake water from her mouth. "Plan C."

---

The way she figured, Sesshoumaru was one of the fastest beings alive. Yet with every attempt to take his photo, he'd not turned tail and ran once, instead meeting her head-on.

This led her to believe that if she could distract him with enough things, he'd stay rooted to the spot out of sheer bullheaded pride but be too overwhelmed to react as she took a photo.

With all this in mind, Kagome adjusted the bow and quiver of arrows over her shoulder before gripping a saddle and unsteadily climbing onto the back of a horse.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shippo said, tail twitching worriedly as he gazed up at the tall steed.

"Kaede said she didn't mind me borrowing her horse, I don't see the problem," Kagome wobbled and clutched at the reins.

"But you don't even know how to ride a horse!"

"I know the basics," she huffed, clicking her tongue and urging the horse into a walk. "See? Easy. Now, let's just do this as we practised and it'll run smoothly," touching the camera hanging around her neck, she grinned.

The fox demon hurried alongside the horse to keep up with her. "When we practised you weren't on a horse," he mumbled worriedly. "Can we go through it again, just to check?"

"Oh alright, worry-wort," Kagome smiled. "Sesshoumaru is going to come from that direction," she pointed further along the dirt road. "You'll burst out of the forest and turn into a smoke bomb to disorientate him. I'm going to come galloping by and release one of these," Kagome touched the fletching of an arrow. "Which has been modified to be soft pointed and filled with a strong perfume that'll release on contact. This'll temporarily daze him further while the smoke clears- and when that happens, I'll loop around him and snap my picture."

Shippo continued on all-fours, frowning to himself. "I'm still not too confident in my smoke bomb illusion though."

"I know you can do it," she smiled. "Don't sell yourself short."

"But maybe something else would work better, like this-" he hopped up and burst into his floating pink ball form with a loud 'pop!'

The horse suddenly reared, making a whinny of distress, eyes wide with fright. Kagome gasped, clinging to it's back and yelping as it bolted.

Shippo gaped and popped back into his regular form, watching her image draw further away at a breakneck speed. "Kagome!"

Squeezing her eyes shut and feeling the horse gallop with powerful strides that threatened to knock her off, all she could do was cling to its neck. The reins flailed in the air- and if she could just grab them and pull the beast to halt, maybe he would stop. Kagome whimpered, body jolting from the movement. Cracking open fearful blue eyes and trying to reach for them- she felt her thigh slip slightly. Quickly abandoning that idea, she clung like a madwoman, tears stinging her lashes from the breeze racing by.

I screwed up! This was a terrible idea!

Looking ahead of them with mild disorientation caused her breath to hitch the second she caught sight of a pale figure. She stiffened.

Sesshoumaru stood on the road. They were headed right for him!

"Sesshoumaru!" she cried, trying to get across to move aside.

The Daiyoukai observed them with a frosty expression, slowly raising his claws.

Noticing the toxins colouring them green, her eyes widened. "Don't hurt him!" she burst. The fault lay with her, not the horse.

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered with mild frustration. He then leapt up in the air to avoid a collision, floating above their heads. The sight of him became blurry because of tear-filled eyes, and Kagome ducked her head into the horse's mane.

Speeding before them again and landing, Sesshoumaru then drew his sword. Lifting it- he then slammed the blade into the earth. Bakusaiga emitted a large burst of green youki, skittering over the ground in a wide arch that flashed like minty lightning.

The horse skidded to a stop, kicking up dirt and neighing, rearing back on hind legs. Kagome gasped, unprepared for the movement- but clinging hard.

Slamming both hooves down and whickering, the horse panted wildly, finally still. Feeling hands slide under her numb thighs and wrap around her torso, Kagome stiffly unfolded from the saddle, placing her hands on broad shoulders as she was lifted down.

Kagome buried her face in the demon's neck, shuddering violently. She muffled sobs into his flesh, gripping his exquisite silks so tight her knuckles bled white.

Sesshoumaru held her without a word, nose dipping into windswept dark hair.

When Shippo finally caught up, having pursed on all fours, he jumped up into her arms and wailed louder than she, crying and nuzzling the frazzled miko.

Calming and smiling tiredly, she petted his soft red hair, looking up at Sesshoumaru. He gazed back, face closer than expected. He then shifted mokomoko beneath her legs to support her weight, picking up the reins of the horse and leaving the road.

"Are you angry with me?" she muttered, feeling the tension in his frame.

"Answer me this; can you ride horses?"

"N-no..."

"Then you were foolish," Sesshoumaru bit out. "But one cannot completely predict horses. I do not care for them," he threw a glare over his shoulder at the steed dutifully following them. He then released a hard exhale through his nose, levelling a frown at her. "Never do something so ridiculous again for a game, miko. My picture is not worth injury...or worse."

Kagome rested her cheek against his furs, looking up at him and feeling a twinge in her chest. His worry felt better than any blanket and hot cocoa could right then.

Noticing what direction he headed in, Kagome touched a striped cheek. "L-let's not head to the village just yet. I'd rather...calm down in the forest somewhere."

Sesshoumaru rose a brow but nodded, feet shifting and changing direction, walking beneath the shadows of the trees.

---

She felt glad of the quiet, the calm serenity surrounding their afternoon after all the chaos earlier. The horse grazed within a clearing near the lake, seeming to comfort eat. Shippo had fallen asleep, curled into a ball at her side. Kagome quietly sketched with a notebook and pencil in hand, sitting against a tree. Opposite her, Sesshoumaru reclined against his own, gazing at the scenery with a touch of daydream hazing his eyes. The light bathed his hair in a gentle glow, eyes the colour of milky honey instead of the usual burning embers.

So lost in thought was he that Kagome smiled. She then cleared her throat to gain his languid attention, turning the sketchbook around so that the page faced him.

"I win," she said softly.

Surprise slackened his expression, attention flitting over the paper where his likeness lay with impressive attention to detail. The pencil shading captured the soft shadows of his face, the richer, darker tones coloured his chest armour. Even the long silver hair looked sublime, life-like. Somehow the minute details and the idea of her watching- staring at him for so long made his ancient blood heat.

He realised, somewhat belatedly, that this was what he'd sought. Not a quick, cheap snap of a camera, but her willing and arrested attention upon his face.

Sesshoumaru dragged his gaze from the picture to dancing blue eyes.

"Indeed."

Kagome smiled, turning the picture back to gaze at it with affection.

"Why did you desire a picture of this one so badly?" he asked.

Not looking up, she brushed a thumb over the sketches pointed ear. "I like having pictures of my friends. Besides, this is yours now. A thank you gift for saving me."

Sesshoumaru observed her carefully, noticing the quiet fondness gentling her features as she looked at the picture instead of him. Because it was safer than gazing at him.

"Let me see it up close," Sesshoumaru uttered.

Kagome raised her head and blinked but nonetheless rose and walked over. The second she crouched before him- a clawed hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist and tugging.

This resulted in her body swaying forward, nose stopping inches from his as she squeaked.

"You seem to find satisfaction in looking at this one, miko," his voice curled into a teasing tone. "Perhaps this proximity is preferable."

Kagome's mouth turned dry, heart thundering. Setting the sketchbook down and shifting her knees beneath her, she nodded with a shy smile. "Y-yeah...it is. I'm glad you noticed," she murmured, placing her hands on the cool, steady metal of his chest plate. When she did not pull away in rejection, Sesshoumaru's clawed hand slid possessively to her waist. An aristocratic nose brushed hers, mouth hovering close.

"Do you do this with your friends too?"

She huffed, blushing. "No, only with crushes."

Thin lips tugged up at the edges before spreading wider with victory, flashing a fang. Kagome found it perfectly endearing. A rare, beautiful moment she wished she could capture forever. But, as the Daiyoukai guided her mouth to his wickedly grinning one, she figured they had plenty of opportunities to repeat such a soft moment, however many times they wished.

End

[ailec-12]

Today, September and Calendar

Thanks!

Today: Have you made any progress in any wips today?

Uhh, no. Remember what I said about writing earlier this week? Well, I've done a million things, but unfortunately writing hasn't been one of them.

September: Share a comment or review which still warms your heart?

Oh, Anon, I can't share only one. I've been rereading comments this past month and several come to mind right now. These all warm my heart no matter how old they are or how many times I've read them already.

randomdork11 on House Potter:

You’re back!!!! I’ve missed you and this story more than I realized. Little Sev dealing with sick Harry and exhausted parents is so heartbreaking and sweet that I can’t handle it! Plus, I can totally relate to the exhausted parent bit XD. That whole family is just far too adorable. A certain bean who is far less evil than she proclaims to be, told me you were about to post again, so I’ll admit that I’ve been checking my updates like a crazy person.

Self-doubt is easily the worst part of writing. However, if I can offer you any encouragement, it’s that you have no reason to doubt yourself. Sometimes stories seem so big and daunting and we aren’t sure if what we are writing even makes sense or is relatable or true to character. Everyone goes through it and - as I’m sure many have already said - in your case, you’ve nothing to worry about. This story is beautiful and charming and captures the characters so very well. You’re doing a marvelous job of creating well rounded characters who all have faults and positive traits. You’re writing it in a way that none of the characters seems too good or too bad, just simply human. It’s utter perfection and you should be extremely proud of this work!!

Happy writing Ailec! And if you end up in doubt, just remember that your readers all agree that you are wonderful and we are here for you!!

@allstoriesrtrue24601 on the last OFaH chapter on AO3:

What a beautiful ending to an unbelievably impressive series! Having read the original series on fanfic.net repeatedly habitually since their original completion, it’s brought me so much joy to have weekly reminders of how much I love this story; and now with a gorgeous new epilogue!!

I’ve said it before but the one thing that really gets me about your writing is the characterisation - it drives the stories in a way I feel is really missing from most pieces of published works and tv shows. The bonds you build between characters and the whole dynamic really comes through throughout each installment - making the character development extremely natural and impactful. I’ve waxed lyrical previously about your writing style but I reiterate that it’s utterly and irrevocably beautiful, especially when considering English is not your first language. The pacing, plot and actual progression of the pieces are so well thought-out and really prompts excellently-executed dialogue and exposes opportunities to get to the hearts of the characters. It is suffice to say I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed your work in every one of its forms.

On a side note, I feel massively honoured to be mentioned in author’s notes (I have to say I’m slightly star-struck) and I’m more than happy for any future English queries. Have a wonderful day x

Kuroui, also on OFaH, but the first version on FF:

I realize I never actually left a review on here but here it goes.

This is definitely one of my all time favourite fics to ever exist period. Not just within the OUAT fandom. I was ecstatic with the introduction of Zelena, as it opened potential for Regina to have someone blood related still alive for her to interact with. At the end of Season 3 when Zelena was given that second chance, I was excited to see a possible turn around for her character. Up until that point, everything she had done was to give herself a better life, one with her blood mother, in hopes that she may be loved. She was not unlike Regina's initial persona and I could see how they could connect over it.

Season 4 dashed those hopes, and the progressing seasons left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. In the end, I am glad at least that at the end of Season 6 they had become something like sisters, and for that I am glad. I am also happy to see Zelena returning to play some time in Season 7. I dont know what it is but Zelena is my favourite OUAT character, and I love Rebecca Mader who plays her. For that reason I always seek out Zelena fics in hopes of finding good ones as she is not one of the most popular characters, in terms of fic writing at least.

This fic was both amazingly written and brought to light my hope of them reconciling as sisters. I like that it was not an immediate turn around from "villian" to "good", but a gradual process that involved interactions with multiple people and learning from mistakes. It made her a very real and relatable person. Everyone has flaws and makes mistakes and going from a life where her only goal was to hurt Regina, to living with her and attempting to be "good" was a large turn around that no doubt shook her to her core. You displayed that in your series very well, showing the ups and downs in her journey as well as the reflective reactions from those around her.

Henry's role in this was very heartwarming and he really is a miracle. The Greatest Believer. I do not think that Zelena would have come as far as she had without him. Though Regina does her best, it is always nice to have someone else there, not to mention someone who looked at Zelena without any negative feelings. Having multiple people care and believe in her no doubt gave her greater motivation to change and be a better person. Not to downplay Regina's role in this of course. Regina very much has been the core to this family, to Zelena's change.

At the end, Zelena desired to be wanted, to be enough, and she was going to look for that in Cora. Regina knew though, that it wasn't Zelena's fault for that, Cora only wanted power. Which you had her explain. And I think that having Regina turn into that person that Zelena wanted to be enough for, to be loved by, was a big change even if she didn't realize it. The initial hostility, anger and sadness moved away from being targeted AT Regina, to more herself and referenced in terms of Regina instead.

At that point, I think that Zelena's family slowly began to form in her own subconscious which eventually or hopefully would expand onto friends like Robin and Tinkerbell and perhaps even the Charming family, they do get along well enough of course. And if Charming's reaction to her run in with Sidney was any indication, I'm sure they would welcome her with open arms at this point.

Overall I suppose I can summarize it into this.

Thank you for writing this story/series. It holds a very very special place in my heart and I come back every once in a while to read through it. It warms my heart every single time no matter how many times I've read it. I love it with every inch of my OUAT loving soul and I am so glad that such an extensive well-written piece on Zelena exists.

Long comments aren't the only ones that have my eternal love and gratitude, though. Here's a couple of recent ones that are making this writing hiatus much more bearable:

Ninafia on the latest instalment of Hotchpotch:

I loved this! You're really good at writing emotions.

It's like I'm in their head, if that makes sense. Thanks for the chapter!

Lilia on House Potter:

This is such a remarkable story—so subtle and heartbreaking. Use of child Sev’s POV is a true narrative tour de force. Wish I could give it 100 kudos.

I'm lucky to have received a lot of nice comments over the years and you can be sure that, if your comment made me happy the first time I read it, I've come back to it more than once.

Calendar: Do you have a schedule for posting?

Not right now —I only keep a posting schedule when there are a few chapters already written at the very least.

Fanfic questions :)

[dayseternal-blog]

hello days, I've been a fan of your writing and followed u through here in tumbler and AO3, I'm just wondering why u did not published all ur stories in wattpad???😊😊😊

💕💕 thank you for enjoying my stuffs!!  This is a really interesting question to me, and it stirred a lot of thoughts.  You probably just meant this as a simple ask, but uhhh…sorry.  So I took awhile to post my answer 🙇🏻‍♀️  My major reasons are all in bold.  TL;DR at the bottom.

Long story short, I don’t have a good reason to post there, I guess?…  I’ve only visited the wattpad site once to read a fic that shamy recommended.  So, I’m not familiar with wattpad’s features and navigation at all.

I once considered posting my stories on fanfic.net because a couple readers were asking if Nightdreams was there, too.  When I asked everyone for their thoughts, this was the feedback:

1. It wouldn’t be hugely beneficial for the readers because a lot of them make multiple accounts on diff. sites to read fics anyway (or are like me, and just check up on the tags regularly to skim for new stories and updates).

2. fanfic.net reaches a wider audience, so the chance of getting nasty/insensitive comments increases 😢.

3. The readers who really enjoy my fics are fine with following my content no matter where I decide to post 💕, so ao3 works just fine.

(I love AO3 and would never leave such a wonderful platform to post somewhere else.)

Tumblr’s events and the “community” aspect of it make posting here a worthwhile use of time.  It takes a lot of time to post updates on different sites because I always have to fix the formatting 😠.  Tumblr always erases italics and double returns.  AO3 irregularly messes up spacing between sentences and paragraphs.  (What else would go wrong if I tried posting to another site).

Then I started writing White Lilies.  My experimental project blew up in my face.  And I thought a lot of things…but the only pertinent thought here was that, People like my writing, and getting more people to read my writing won’t make me any happier than this.  At some point, the numbers stop meaning anything.  If I can get at least 10 people to like my new story, or 10 more people on a new chapter, that’s great!  I love it.  I can imagine 10 people giving me a thumbs-up, and that’s super cool, and makes me really happy.  White Lilies is an example of reaching an unimaginably wide audience.  Insensitive comments caused me some stress to post updates, and the huge number of kudos/reblogs/hits meant less to me than you’d think they should’ve.  (My IDGAF mentality developed a lot after that experience, and now I write for my own enjoyment more than ever).

I try to reply to all comments because I really enjoy reading people’s reactions, and I want those readers to know I appreciate their thoughts.  I have a certain expectation of myself, and I think it would be harder for me to reply to everyone if I post in multiple places.  

TL;DR I imagine posting to another site like wattpad would take time and energy that I could instead be spending on scrolling mindlessly through tumblr (or writing my fanfics haha).  Reaching more readers wouldn’t benefit me, and the wonderful readers who already keep an eye on my updates wouldn’t benefit either.

BUT!!!  If you think there’s a good reason for me to post on Wattpad, please let me know!

[scribblescrabblebabble]

RoyEd Week Day 2

Title: All in One

Rating: T+

Relationships: Roy Mustang/ Edward Elric; Alphonse Elric/ Winry Rockbell

Chapter: 2 (Celebration/Stillness)  [Trisha Elric’s ghost and Sarah Rockbell’s ghost- centric. Roy and Ed visit the Resembool Graveyard.]

Cross- Posted on AO3 and Fanfic.net links- AO3; Fanfic.net

Trisha Elric sat boredly atop her gravestone, absentmindedly poking her foot through a dandelion, when she noticed two figures walk through the gates of the small countryside cemetery. She immediately recognized the first person as her eldest son, Ed, but the other she didn’t recognize.

“Sarah, Edward’s here!” She called to her old friend, who had been talking up an elderly lady (who had died ages before the both of them) named Ramona.

“Took him long enough!” Sarah replied, “Who’s that with him?”

Trisha shrugged, “Beats me.” She inspected the second man better once the duo was closer to her grave. His dark hair almost obscured a dark eye-patch from the distance the two were still at, and he walked a respectful few steps behind Edward as they made their way closer to Trisha.

Ed was wearing a normal white button down and brown waistcoat (for once). Trisha thought the look was rather charming and much better than that ghastly red cloak he had worn throughout his entire adolescence (if she’d been alive, Trisha would have burnt the hideous garment along with those obscene leather pants long ago). Trisha also noted how much Ed’s brown trench coat made him look like Hohenheim.

The two finally made it to the Elric mother’s graveside. Ed laid down a bouquet he’d been carrying by the gravestone; it was full of pink and violet flowers that Trisha recognized as the local florist Martha’s prized spring combination. The blonde turned when he noticed the other man straggling along.

“Roy, hurry the shit up, it’ll be sunset soon!”

Roy, Trisha assumed, sighed through a small smile, “I’m barely two yards behind you, Ed.” His voice was deeper than her son’s, and she realized as he came to a stop beside Ed that he had to be a good bit older than her son as well. He held two smaller bouquets in one hand, the other rested lightly in his pocket.

Trisha hopped off of her grave, choosing to stand in front of the two as she noticed in her periphery Sarah coming towards her.

“He’s familiar, don’t you think?” Winry’s mother asked.

Trisha frowned, shaking her head, “I’ve never seen him before. Edward called him Roy.”

“Roy, huh? Maybe he’s one of those Central city-men; that’s where Edward lives, right?” Sarah asked. Trisha nodded.

Ed glanced sidelong at Roy, smirking, “Can’t keep up walking half a mile? Your age is really starting to take its toll.”

Roy rolled his eyes, “Maybe I enjoy taking in the scenery while I walk.”

Ed snorted, “That’s what old people do.”

“It’s what people who know how to appreciate days-off do, thank you.”

Ed smiled fondly, “Sure, keep believing that.” Trisha couldn’t help but notice the warmth with which the taller man smiled as he shrugged in response to Ed’s snarky remark.

Both Trisha and Sarah were caught off-guard when, having stood from placing his bouquet down, Ed tugged Roy’s arm out of his pocket and entwined his fingers with the other man’s, the newly-captured appendage quick to comply. It was also at this point, when Trisha actually paid attention to the duo’s (couple’s?) hands that she noticed the matching rings around their left ring-fingers.

Trisha was speechless, but she knew that Sarah had noticed as well, as she began to hit Trisha’s arm excitedly with the back of her hand, “Oh my God, Trish, do you see it?!”

The brunette woman grabbed at the neck of her apron, eyes affixed to the metal bands, “My little boy’s got a…”

A what? Fiancée? Husband? Friend with benefits? City people do those kinds of things, right?

“Hey Mom,” Ed greeted awkwardly, which Trisha understood. It’s hard to talk seriously to a rock, especially with another person in your midst. Ed gestured vaguely behind him, “That’s Roy, he’s a bastard but I’m marrying him in a quarter of a year. Yeah, I don’t know why either.”

Trisha would have been worried about Ed’s words, had she not, firstly, known about Ed’s snarky side and, secondly, seen the amused eye-roll Ed’s fiancée directed towards him.

Having broken the initial awkward atmosphere, Ed settled down into his usual graveyard visit rambling about his work- a research job within the military- which Trisha didn’t follow amazingly, but loved to hear anyways, just to listen to her son’s happy voice. It hadn’t been happy or relaxed for many years, so just to see Ed able to ramble without worries lifted years of anxiety off of Trisha’s heart.

While Ed talked, Trisha took this time to examine her future son-in-law. Roy seemed quiet, or maybe just giving Ed his space to do his thing, and his adoring gaze almost never left Ed (so much, in fact, that Ed turned around and lightly slapped Roy’s arm, calling him a ‘sappy old man).

Compared to Ed, Trisha noted, Roy was rather old. He couldn’t be older than Trisha, but if she had to guess, the dark-haired man was at least in his adolescence when Ed was born. ‘It’s no matter’ Trisha reminded herself, ‘Edward is an adult, and Hohenheim was a fair few hundred years old when you married him, so who are you to talk?’

Trisha kept observing the soon-to-be addition to her little family. As his eye slowly peeled from Ed to observe his surroundings, Trisha saw a near-nervousness overcome his mannerisms. He began to bounce his fingers against the bouquets in his one hand, whilst rubbing his fingers together in the other. His fond expression even dimmed a little as he scanned each gravestone around Trisha’s. His eyes and fidgets seemed to stop abruptly at the Rockbells’ graves, which sat directly behind Trisha’s.

Sarah, from beside Trisha seemed to give Roy the same scrutinizing gaze as Trisha, whilst Urey, who sat atop his wife’s stone, gazed elsewhere.

Sarah shook her head, “I just can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen him before.”

Trisha hummed, noticing that Ed was finishing up his talking. She stepped forwards, patting her son lightly on the shoulder (even though he couldn’t see her). He smiled wistfully and turned to Roy. Tiptoeing, Ed gave Roy a quick cheek-kiss, winning him a forehead kiss in return.

“Take your time- I’ll see you back at Winry’s, okay?” Ed said, squeezing Roy’s forearm.

“Okay,” Roy repeated, smiling down at his fiancée. He stood still until Ed passed the gates of the graveyard, watching his figure disappear amongst the rolling hills of Resembool.

Instead of taking his own turn talking to Trisha, as she’d expected, Roy moved past her grave (not without a sad smile) to the two directly behind hers- The Rockbells.

----

When Sarah first saw the black-haired man beside Edward, she was absolutely sure she’d seen him somewhere before. She definitely didn’t recognize the eye patch, but she’d been dead a while- anything could happen. What she did recognize was his remaining eye that matched the darkness of his hair. If only she could place the face to the eye…

It clicked when, despite having come to the graveyard for Ed’s sake, Roy took a detour from Trisha’s grave towards her own, two small bouquets in hand. He knelt down at the foot of her and Urey’s graves, setting the bouquets gently against either.

Urey, who had previously been zoned out atop Sarah’s grave, stood confusedly, “Sarah, do you know him?” He pointed to Roy.

Trisha spoke, equally perplexed, “He’s Edward’s fiancée.”

Urey looked surprised, “I didn’t know Ed swung that way.”

“No.” Sarah interjected, eliciting silence from the other two. She knelt down in front of Roy, who had yet to rise from his knees. He looked distantly at the stones, previously peaceful face transformed with new lines of remorse and mild terror. It was the terror in his eye that she recognized most of all. “Urey, your back was turned. You were folding bandages in our makeshift tent. You didn’t get a chance to turn around when he came in. I looked at him- that’s why he hesitated the second time.”

“The second time?” Trisha asked. Urey had gone still.

“…The second time he fired his gun.”

“Oh my God…” Trisha gasped.

“He’s the kid? Are you sure?” Urey rested his hand atop Sarah’s shoulder.

Her voice shook a bit, “I’m positive. Back then- his expression- you can’t replicate utter horror so accurately unless you felt it.”

It was true. The longer Roy sat crouched in front of the graves, the more distant and jarringly haunted his gaze became. He didn’t seem to really process the growing darkness around them, although everything around them seemed to grow tired and fall asleep, stilling with the lessening light.

The three ghosts stood in silence. Trisha looked very consternated, like her mind was waging a battle against its other half. Urey stood behind his wife, a spark of anger somewhere deep down unable to rise fully to the surface, as the man, hunched in front of them all, simply looked so pitiful it was hard for Winry’s father to feel much more than exhausted wariness. Had Roy shown up years previously, then he maybe could have let that spark of anger fester into a flame, but he’d been dead for upwards of two decades.

Sarah gazed into Roy’s distantly staring face, although the deepening dusk made it hard to discern sharp details on him.

She had also been angry, earlier on. She had been angry with Roy for taking them her away from her daughter, at the military for giving orders to execute neutrals, and with Urey and herself for leaving Winry and Pinako behind for that stupid war.

Sarah had seethed behind her phantasmal tears during her own funeral, unable to hold Winry as she cried her heart out, and for years afterward. Her anger had tempered slightly when Trisha joined them, and her heart’s anger was drowned out by sympathy. She watched when Trisha, panicked, had screamed wildly at her sons when Ed suggested they bring her back to life, and when she merely dropped to her knees in disbelief a few years later as a two-limbed Ed returned to her graveside, carried by a suit of armor whose voice resembled Al’s. Now, as Sarah sat directly in front of the man that killed her, she was surprised to find herself not feeling as angry as she had imagined she would. By this time, the sun had pretty much completely set, so only the large moon and speckles of stars made out any indication of the man’s features.

 It had to have been at least an hour since Ed had left. Roy was in the same position as he had been at the start, but Sarah and Urey were sitting atop their respective graves now. Trisha sat in between them. Ironically, the Elrics’ mother seemed the most uncomfortable about Roy.

“Edward has to have known that his fiancée is your executioner. I’m just saying, how much of a kindred spirit could he really be? He could have refused to kill you, but he didn’t!” Trisha vented.

“He was young back then, Trish. They probably threatened him with his own death. I saw soldiers on both sides, nobody really expects war to be just as horrifying as it really is. You can’t really use a decade-old war to define the life of someone who survived it.” Urey said back.

“I can be concerned for my son’s marital choices, though.” Trisha stood back up when a lantern’s light appeared over the crest of the hill that opened up into the graveyard. As the light grew closer, Sarah could see Ed’s features illuminated by the glow.

Ed reached Roy and crouched quietly beside him, setting down the lantern in front of them both. The sudden light seemed to shake Roy from his stupor a bit, as he turned his head, blinking, towards his fiancée.

“Dinner’s just about ready, and you’ve been here a while. I was getting worried.” Ed stated.

“I’m sorry,” Roy said back.

Ed shook his head, “Don’t be, I get it.”

It was Roy’s turn to shake his head, “You haven’t had to experience a battlefront like Ishbal. There wasn’t any reason for all the death- it just was. To keep living with yourself you had to strip off any kind of empathy or relativity. I had killed before the Rockbells, but they were both the first people not decidedly against us I was ordered to shoot. I argued with General Grand, because they weren’t just helping Ishballan soldiers, but our men as well. None of it was right, but their deaths were the least right- least justified.”

“Well, Mr. Fürher, sir,” Ed said whilst he stood up, Roy soon to follow, “Now you can make sure we don’t have another war like Ishbal.”

Before Ed could crouch back down to pick up the lantern, Roy pulled him into a tight hug, “Thanks.”

Ed smiled, wrapping his arms over Roy’s, “Whatever.”

After a second, Roy pulled himself away from his fiancée, picking up the discarded lantern and grabbing onto one of the blonde’s hands instead, “I guess we should go back before the food gets too cold. What is the food, anyways?”

Ed shrugged as they began to walk away from the graves, “I don’t know, but it smelled really good.”

Their voices grew incomprehensibly fainter they further from the graves they became. The land stood quiet and still behind them; not even an owl hooted its presence. Trisha, Sarah, and Urey remained how they had been, non-contributive to the stillness around them. Mildly wary and filled with new questions, they watched the lantern light bob around the hills and fade away into night.

[END]

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Year in Review

Hello Gundam Wing Fandom!

We have had an INCREDIBLE year!! So much amazing content has been created, and so many wonderful events have occurred.

For this last week in the year, instead of doing the weekly roundup, we wanted to pull together details on the fandom events, as well as some plans for 2018!

First off, we would like to say a HUGE thanks to our mods: @helmistress @maevemauvaise @kangofu-cb @anaranesindanarie @rhysgalentalcernunnos @claraxbarton Thank you all so so much for putting in a hell of a lot of time each week to find the content this fandom generates. This is a VERY time consuming task, and I’m sure none of you really knew it would be going in - I sure didn’t - and your work is so, so appreciated. 

Alright, below we’ve got some links for the events in the fandom this year!

Summer of Zechs: a fortnight of Zechs centric content from this summer. There isn’t a master-post of all the things created, but definitely check out the blog to see some really awesome stuff!

End of Summer Block Party: Trope Fest: this is the masterlist for all of the truly phenomenal content that was generated for the End of Summer Tropefest.

OCtober: OC-October: A celebration of Original Character content. This link is the blog that gathered and promoted a really wonderful month long celebration.

Unnatural November: Another Block Party Event, this one featuring a month of the weird and spooky. This link will take you to the master post list.

GW Eve Wars: An event to commemorate the Eve Wars and sponsor Gundam Wing content with a Sci-Fi focus. This link takes you to the blog, but a master post list will be up there soon!

Gundam Wing Secret Santa Exchange: 40 members of the community(plus some pinch hitters) participated in a content-gift exchange. You can find the master post list in the link.

Discord Server Meetup: set up by the amazing @lifeaftermeteor,  open to all Gundam Wing fans! Check out the different channels - for intros, brainstorming, and chatting!

While that list seems kind of short, it’s worth pointing out that HUNDREDS of fanfic and fanart were generated by these phenomenal events.

So where does that leave the Fandom?

On AO3 Gundam Wing has over 4692 posts -let’s see if we can make it 5000 in 2018?

On Fanfiction.Net Gundam Wing has 41,700 posts - let’s make that 42,000 in 2018.

And I frankly have no idea how to collate data from Deviant Art but let’s just say there’s a lot of awesome content there and let’s make even more next year.

Now, ABOUT NEXT YEAR:

There are already some things for the fandom to look forward to (we hope you’re looking forward to them) and you can check back on this blog and @thisweekingundamevents for more details as we get closer to each event, but for now, here are a few things we - and some other amazing blog hosts - have planned for 2018 (And I’m sure more will be added by more amazing hosts, so don’t take this list as the be-all, end-all):

New Year’s Resolution: Break the Inbox 2018. This isn’t an event so much as a challenge. We, mods of @thisweekingundamwing, challenge YOU, fandom, to break the inbox with comments, reviews, reblogs and likes. Our small but mighty fandom is amazing at supporting content creators - but let’s up our game. We challenge you to give as much feedback to your fandom peers as you can - let’s break all of the inboxes with notifications of appreciation.

Re-Write the Romance: For Valentine’s Day @gwblockparty will be hosting a “Re-Write the Romance” event. Ever read the summary of a romance novel and thought “wow, this is REALLY bad. I could totally make this better.” Well, now is your chance to write those wrongs (get it?). Anyway, details and specifics will be posted to the blog soon so make sure you are following!

Women’s Month: International Women’s Day is March 8 and Relena’s Birthday is April 7th. Women’s Month will be an event that supports and promotes content that centers around the amazing female characters of Gundam Wing. More details to come!

Big Bang Event: Brought to you by the masochistic hosts of @gwsecretsantaexchange, we are going to try a Summer Big Bang event. Wait, what is a Big Bang? Well, it’s a collaboration between artists and writers. We will match creators based on pairing and genre preferences (sign-ups are in June) and they will have the summer months to work together to create fantastic collaborations (to be posted in September). More details and the blog site to follow

Halloween Event: We aren’t sure what it’s going to be yet, but it’s going to be something. (Got any ideas? Send us an ask and we will keep track and that will help us decide).

Very Merry Poly-Days: For those cold winter months in 2018, what’s a better way to warm up than spending time with your OT3? Maybe time with your OT4... or OT5 or... you get the idea. Very Merry Poly-Days will be our “Solstice” event that sponsors poly-amorous relationships. Dates and details to follow! 

Discord Meet-Up: A Discord server has been set up and is open to all Gundam Wing fans! Check out the different channels - for intros, brainstorming, and chatting!

But wait, that’s not all!

Over the course of the year, you can look forward to:

Cocktail Friday: We now have a stand-alone blog, which will post weekly prompts (usually photos, gifs, videos or dialogue prompts) on Mondays. Fandom is encouraged to come up with content and post it that Friday during Happy Hour (3:30-5:30 EST)

Interview With a Creator: The inestimable @remsyk-blog is collecting interviews from the entire fandom and will be posting (at least) biweekly interviews with the content creators we all know, love and support. Be sure to fill out the interview if you haven’t already!

This Week Weekly Roundups: Yes, we will STILL be doing weekly roundups in 2018. We want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who took the time to submit content in 2017, and we want to take this opportunity to BEG everyone in the fandom to submit content in 2018. It takes forever each week to search through tumblr, AO3 and fanfic.net to find all of the content you prolific people have created. It would help us tremendously if content is submitted - it doesn’t even have to be by the creator. If you see someone post a fic, art, podcast, playlist, headcanon, meta discussion, moodboard - send it our way! We NEED your help. In 2018 we simply cannot devout so much time each week to hunting down content, so if you don’t submit your content, we can’t guarantee that it will be posted.

Okay, that’s going to round us up for now.

Thank you, fandom, for all that you do, and we can’t wait to see what you make in 2018!