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captainlunaxmen · 8 months ago

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Meet cute

Sirius Black x Fem!reader

Context ⚠️

I got this idea completely out of nowhere.

I watched "we live in time" trailer and picture this. I changed Andrew Garfield's character in Remus to fit the fandom, but Florence Pugh's character's name is the same. Also, I still haven't watched the movie, so this is not a crossover except for her name.

That being said, I hope you'll like it, and please let me know what you think 🙏 ❤️

Summary: Remus is adamant about finding his best friend a love match. Thankfully, his girlfriend helps him out.

Warnings: none, I think.

"I'm not trying to set you up with anyone." Remus laughs as he leads, more like drags, his best friend to the building where a party's supposed to be.

"I know you, Remus." Y/n glares at him, even though he's not looking at her. "You do the same thing when you try to play cupid for me."

"Not true!" He defends.

"That's so true." She insists, "and let me tell you... not a great job, mate."

"Okay... okay... I admit, my friends weren't exactly the perfect match, that's why I stopped playing cupid" he agrees, but Y/n could sense something was off.

"C'mon, Remus, you promised not to set me up with one of your friends anymore." She complains as she's literally dragged by Remus, up to the roof of the building.

"I promise I'm not setting you up with one of my friends, cross my heart." He tells her, genuinely.

Y/n and Remus have been friends since... well, since always, they know each other like the back of their hands, so Y/n lets out a relieved sigh when he says that.

"That's a relief." She replies, not putting up a fight anymore and simply follows the guy upstairs.

"I promised you after all," he says opening the door for Y/n, and it's when he closes it that he adds, "he's actually Almut's friend."

"What?" Y/n exclaims, wanting to turn around and just leave, but Remus' hands on her shoulder prevent her from going any further.

"You made it!" Almut's cheerful voice makes Y/n glares at the man in front of her.

"Hi!" She turns, accepting Almut's hug.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Her best friend's girlfriend cheers.

"So am I... I hope." Y/n hesitantly smiles.

"Oh..." the blonde realises, then confirms after seeing the guilty expression on her boyfriend, "you figured it out, didn't you?"

"Have you met your boyfriend?" I joke, "not exactly subtle."

"I did fool you for a second." He once again defends himself.

"I told you I should've taken her here myself." Almut accuses and takes Y/n's arm to lead her more into the party, "I promise you, no pressure. Just meet him."

"Do I really have to?" Y/n asks, already given up her chance of going back home.

"Yap." She answers, "Sirius! Come here, will you?"

"I'm just gonna introduce myself and that's it." Y/n warn both Almut and Remus, "and. That's. It."

"Yes, fine, amazing." Almuta dismisses her focusing her attention on her friend talking over to them, "Sirius! Hey!"

"Hey! Good to see you!" Sirius cheerfully greet her with a side hug, "Remus, nice to see you too, mate, how are you?"

"I'm great, thanks, uh... this is Y/n, my best friend, Y/n this is Sirius."

"Nice to meet you." Sirius smiles brightly at her and holds out his hands for Y/n to shake, whish she does.

"Nice to meet you too." She replies with a smile, now taking in his appearance. She mentally curses Remus because he knows she always liked long haired men. She breaks eye contact, Remus notices her reluctance in having a conversation so he decides to take charge of the situation.

"So," he starts to rumble about some documentary he watched, everyone saying their opinions, interested in Remus' documentary. Surprisingly so.

Remus and Almut notice how their friends finally talk to each other, among them, but it's still victory in their mind.

The party goes on all afternoon, everyone having a great time, it's when the sun starts to go down that the roof slowly gets emptier and emptier. Only a few people left.

Almut and Remus by the ledge talking with each other, watching Y/n and Sirius as they talk in one of the sofas.

"I... I don't know how to say this," Sirius starts, nursing his almost empty glass, "but I think they're trying to set us up." He slightly nods to the couple not so far from them.

"You think?" Y/n laughs, "they're not that subtle."

"Well, I wasn't suspecting anything untill I saw how they're watching us." He admits.

"Really? Remus has been suspicious all morning." The girl chuckles, taking a sip of her drink.

"How?"

"First of all, you have to know that he's been trying forever to play Cupid. He introduced me to countless friends, so I learned to catch hints." She explains, Sirius listening closely to her, "when he wants to genuinely introduce me to a new friend, he goes like this.'They're amazing. You need to meet them.' But when he wants to introduce me, hoping to find love, he goes 'just wait till you meet them, you two are going to get along perfectly.' Emphasis on 'you two'." She laughs again, earning a smile from Sirius, "has Almut ever set you up with anyone?"

"Never, I'm unfortunately very picky, so she never tried," he says, but catches himself once her chuckle makes him realise what he said, "now I sound like an asshole, I promise it's not like that."

"It's okay," she laughs, "how is it then?"

"I'm just very protective of my heart." He simply answers, Y/n nods understanding.

"You don't want to be hurt again, the first time was more than enough, uh?"

"Exactly like that, "he softly nods, "are you the same?"

"I'm afraid so." She nods too, "I definitely wouldn't want experience that same pain again."

"May I ask?" Sirius tries, he doesn't want to pressure, he understands her pain, like she does his.

"Well," she chuckles, "this is usually a fifth date conversation."

"Fifth?" He asks and Y/n nods, "I'll look forward to it then."

Y/n looks at him, his sweet smile gretting her. She sees honesty in his eyes, she's a little taken aback, but feels comfort in them. She feels peace.

"Are... are you flirting with me?" She asks, confused, "I'm not good at noticing if someone does..."

"Do you want me to?" He smirks, but it's not a teasing smirks, it's playful.

"Uh..." Y/n chuckles and breaks eye contact, not being able to stop the smile on her face.

Y/n and Sirius clearly forgot about the two pairs of eyes watching them.

"Look! Look how she's smiling!" Remus nudges his girlfriend.

"And loom at how he looks at her!" Almut cheerfully points out.

"I think we did a great job." Remus says, "I really hope this time is the one. She deserves to be loved."

"So does he. He's been through so much, some happiness is what he needs." Almut agrees.

"This is the first time she looks like she's actually enjoying herself." The brunette sighs content, "I don't know how it never happened before."

"Because you tried to set her up on your own." She grins, "you didn't have me."

"That's right."He agrees hugging her, "we make a great team, don't we?"

"The best."

#wizarding world #sirius black #sirius black x reader #sirius orion black #sirius black imagine #sirius black x y/n #sirius black x fem!reader #remus lupin #marauders imagine #marauders x reader

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tackytigerfic · 5 months ago

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Writer interview game

Thank you to my pals @arminaa8, @citrusses, @garagepaperback, @houndsinhades, @sorrybutblog, @sweet-s0rr0w, @wholahoop for tagging me - as always i'm deeply late to the party, due to an anxious few weeks/horridly busy work month! so love being tagged in these things though, i appreciate you all and loved reading yours.

how many works do you have on ao3? 69 😏 under tacky and 2 under BrassTacks (the account I set up when I was going to migrate all my fics over to a new name for some reason)

what's your total ao3 word count? 679,422 (nervous laughter) (also this is just the tacky account)

your top 5 stories by kudos? (a clear indication that kudos count means fuck all imo, three of the five of these are very much not my best imo - but which three?!)

If It Takes All Night (E, 11k)

A Lick and a Promise (E, 55k)

Modern Love (E, 62k)

And One To Play (E, 22k)

Through the Window, Clear Skies (M, 1.4k)

do you respond to comments? I used to reply to all, then i fell hugely behind with Modern Love, and then life got exceptionally busy and for ages it was either reply to comments or write new fics. i am currently working my way through comments on my new long fic though - really trying to catch up, albeit slowly.

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? People might say my MCD fic Last Offices. I would say The Quiver of a Heartstring.

what's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? First Watch, imo - i think they really had to work for their happy ending, and also it's a double Drarry happy ending

do you write crossovers? I have a rough idea for an F1 crossover based on the Grosjean fiery crash/coming back wrong trope

have you ever received hate on a fic? a few times, that stuff doesn't really bother me though. personal unpleasantnesses are much harder to deal with but luckily don't happen often.

do you write smut? yes i do! it's something i've been actively working on improving, in fact. my most recent fic Standing in the Way is probably my best (though the sex scene at the end of First Watch was the one I found most satisfying in terms of the resolution of the fic)

have you ever had a fic stolen? yes, had a few put on that AI voice-recorded site recently.

have you ever had a fic translated? yes, a few - always a great honour as i see translation as an art in itself

have you ever co-written a fic before? yes! and it was very fun. Body Electric with @shealwaysreads and the Dreaming Skies Dronarry fics with @sweet-s0rr0w

what's your all-time favorite ship? look i've been reading drarry since around 2002 so...

what's a wip that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? Dudley with a magical baby/forced marriage/drarry on the run after Muggles find out about magic. MoD Harry who keeps dying but not for good having to go retrieve Draco from death. Draco going through the Veil to get Sirius back. Vicar Harry that I started years ago and would probably need a full rewrite. Caravan park worker Draco in a holiday camp in France. Seer Ron. I have lots. Though I do hope to finish them at some point!

what are your writing strengths? probably immediacy of emotions/ a strong visual style?

what are your writing weaknesses? sloppiness, sameiness, trying to be concise but just making it dull. getting discouraged at never being as good as the writers i really admire.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? i... don't really have many? if someone in the story speaks a foreign language and doesn't speak english then I'd find a native speaker to help me translate their dialogue. I would never write an accent/dialect phonetically a la JKR though (RIP Fleur and Hagrid, you deserved better)

what's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? F1!! I have two WIPs, a Maxiel non-racing AU where Daniel owns an organic farm shop and Max is a finance bro who makes friends with him and joins his 11-a-side amateur footie team and they hook up on a stag do while dressed as mariokart characters, and a Galex fic with Vicar!George.

what's your favorite fic you've ever written? First Watch! I think it's a really good fic (relative to my writing i mean), it does exactly what i hoped it would, and the people who like it seem to really genuinely love it, which is the best feeling. Also I do love the Voldemort-Wins trope and we don't have a huge amount in Drarry so I'm happy I wrote one.

Since I'm so late I'm not sure who's done this already (will try a few F1 pals too in case this hasn't reached you yet) @beloved-child-of-the-house @boxboxlewis @disarmd @elskanellis @epitomereally @faiell @kendra-vendetta @maesterchill @magicalrocketships @powerful-owl @saxamophone @skeptiquewrites

#rowing and chatting #drarry #writer interview game

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donovankinard · 6 months ago

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what's up guys!!! monthly recs - some holiday-related fics and then just general fics. i've not had as much opportunity to read fic as i normally do, and i'm pretty disappointed by that, but the hecticness of the holiday season has restrained me, unfortunately. for december we've got a lot of buddie and tevan, tarlos, bathena, mateo/nancy, polyfire, saltommy and a dash of henren! happy new years<3

🎁 cheap décor and flavoured cheer || @theclaravoyant evan buckley/eddie diaz/tommy kinard || 4k When Eddie flies back to El Paso, something goes terribly wrong. A fic about hurt/comfort, nostalgia, Christmas and coming home.

🔥 thursdays child has far to go|| @kinnsporsche evan buckley/tommy kinard || 17k Tommy laughs, as much as it can be called a laugh when he can barely get the air to do it, but his breath still grazes against Buck’s lips, the ghost of what he really wants. It’s warm, and Tommy’s still looking at him, and it’s been eighteen days, and he’s baked on nearly every one of them. They’re in a crashed helicopter and Tommy’s pinned down and it’s a terrible idea and it’s been eighteen days, he’s counted every one, and- Buck kisses him.

🔥 snowflakes falling like winter butterflies || 2pretty_2die evan buckley/tommy kinard || 1.6k “Oh man, I don’t think I’ve seen snow in nearly a decade.” “I don’t think I’ve ever seen snow outside of TV and movies.”An off-handed comment made while they cuddled on the couch watching Tommy’s favorite (Christmas) movie on Netflix ended with Buck scouring the internet for a surprise for his boyfriend.

🔥 Misperception || @emphasisonthehomo evan buckley/tommy kinard || 7.2k There’s a new kid at Harbor. He’s the youngest rookie they’ve ever gotten, one of those guys that went for the academy right out of high school. He’s also gay. Flamboyantly gay. Tommy’s jealous. OR: It doesn’t occur to Tommy that he should come out.

🔥 Bulletproof || ScarsLikeVelvet evan buckley/david 'deacon' kay || 1.1k (S.W.A.T. crossover). A rain of bullets is the beginning of the end for Evan's and Eddie's time at the 118. Their professional paths divide, but they remain close all the same while making new friends.

🔥 take my hand, heal my wound || 2pretty_2die evan buckley/donovan rocker || 1.2k (S.W.A.T. crossover). Buck expected a lot when it came to a day of hanging out with Christopher. He knew they’d play some games, maybe watch a movie, go indulge in some good food—because he has definitely turned the kid into a fellow foodie—and likely spend some time out in the sun. What he did not expect to happen was to end the day cleaning gravel from his boyfriend's hands.

🔥 A quiet place || @calinaannehart athena grant/bobby nash || 2.7k Athena had given up trying to sleep somewhere around three and had settled on the couch to wait for the sunrise. It used to be her favorite time of day, the array of reds, oranges, and yellows that painted the sky over the backyard as the sun inched its way over the horizon offering a prelude to a beautiful day. Now, however, it served as nothing more than a countdown.

🔥 Sprinkles of Joy|| BatThatBites mateo chavez/nancy gillian || 2k Mateo and Nancy are tasked with making the cookies for the 126 winter party. It can’t be that hard, right? ….Right?

🔥 A Crack In The Facade || immortalje carlos reyes/tk strand || 634w Working on last bits of release paperwork, Carlos tried to process the conversation he just had with TK and the glimpse it had given him behind the facade he wore for everyone else.

🔥 my lover's body is a map || @kinnsporsche evan buckley/tommy kinard || 15.5k They're all scarred. All of them. There isn't a single person in the firehouse that's unscarred, it's just the nature of the job. But that doesn't make the process of getting them any easier to deal with. Or: the one where Buck's drawn to Tommy's scars.

🔥 voyage || miss_tessa carlos reyes/tk strand || 1.4k The night before Carlos goes to see his father, and the moments after.

🔥 love from the other side || @fallout-mars carlos reyes/tk strand || 2.4k “Baby, oh my god,” TK replies, the words rushing out. Barely realizing what he’s doing, he manages to abandon the cups on the table over the hospital bed, moving to his husband. He’s glad he has enough hindsight—or paramedic instincts—to go to his uninjured side, because his first response is to help steady Carlos. He’s fine on his feet, but TK does it anyway, just to feel helpful. “What are you doing up?” he asks as he leads Carlos back to his bed. “You really shouldn’t be up, baby. I thought I could leave you alone for five minutes without you walking around.” Carlos says nothing until he’s back in bed, groaning softly as he lies down. TK follows, hovering over him so he can fluff up the pillow Carlos puts his head on, and that’s when Carlos sighs.

🔥 Campbell’s Soup for the Soon-to-Be Ranger Daddy’s Soul || cyrusbreeze carlos reyes/tk strand || 3.7k Carlos reflects on the possibility of raising Jonah with TK. Ranger Campbell and his family offer a surprising amount of clarity.

🔥 We can make it out (right?) || BatThatBites mateo chavez/nancy gillian || 2.7k Nancy didn’t expect to have her hands sticky with her boyfriend’s blood. Mateo didn’t expect to be bleeding out in a warehouse fire. They both didn’t expect an asteroid to be hurtling towards Austin

🔥 looking forward to the future || @fallout-mars carlos reyes/tk strand || 1.5k Glancing over his shoulder, he looks into the empty backseat of their truck. He stretches a little, careful not to strain himself or his stitches, then gestures behind him with one hand. “You think we’ll be able to get a car seat in here?” Meeting TK’s eye, he gets a blank stare in return. “What?” “A car seat,” Carlos repeats. “It’s good we ended up with this. There’s no way we’d fit one in the Camaro. In fact, we’d be violating multiple traffic offences if we did.”

🔥 you can breathe now || @decafdino carlos reyes/tk strand || 1.7k He gets the call while he's at work, because of course he does. Of course the universe decides that something terrible is going to happen in the middle of a shift. Well, fuck the universe. That's TK's philosophy.

🔥 I can't explain what's up with me today || @neversleepuntilfive carlos reyes/tk strand || 1.3k "Hey baby, are you okay?” TK quietly asks his boyfriend, who is sitting on their couch with his head slumped against the armrest. He just came home from his long shift. Carlos doesn’t answer him immediately, contemplating if he can gather his strength and push through it so TK isn’t worried. The truth is the day was horrible. He doesn’t even know why. Carlos usually gets up with the sun. But today, he doesn't. He's feeling terrible and can't think of a reason why. There is no reason as far as he is concerned.

🔥 Not your fault but mine || Liv_lily carlos reyes/tk strand || 13k TK stood just outside the recovery room they’d wheeled Carlos into, leaning heavily against the wall. There’d been a never-ending stream of medical professionals going in and out since the surgeon had let them know that everything went well, that a full recovery could be expected with time. He squeezes shaking hands into fists and tries to control his breathing, tries to stop the weight on his chest from collapsing in. He feels shaky and nauseous, panic crawling up his spine. Deep breaths, four count in through your nose. Hold four counts. Four count out your through your mouth. He tries to match his breathing to the slow beeping of the vital signs monitor, tries to take comfort in the steady rhythm. He should go into the room.

🔥 in our reflections of one another (we will start something new) || cyrusbreeze carlos reyes/tk strand || 212k (SERIES). Four years before the events of the pilot, Carlos and TK met in a bar in New York City. Their intense one night stand resulted in more than just a lasting impression. When TK arrives in Austin, both Carlos’ and TK’s worlds are rocked to their core and the impact of their night together has ripples that will last for the rest of their lives.

🔥 I am sorry for your loss || carlando_addict carlos reyes/tk strand || 2.3k TK dies and Carlos tries to process what his future will look like without the love of his life.

🔥 Faithless Plea || lonechronicles evan buckley/eddie diaz || 8.2k “I have done everything I was supposed to and still my life has fallen apart, and been ripped to shreds. I, I don’t know how much more I have left in me. You have taken everything from me. You can not have him too. You can’t take him away from me too. Please, please, don’t take him away too. Give Buck back to me because I cannot survive this, I cannot survive anything without him.” His voice was loud, not yelling, but loud enough that if someone had come outside they’d hear a voice. “I don’t even know if I believe in you but here I am, asking, begging, praying, a faithless plea if you will, just, please. Please, for the love of everything that you stand for, bring him back to me. I don’t survive this if he doesn’t make it.”

🔥 Him || lonechronicles evan buckley/eddie diaz || 5k He’s trapped in his head. The lyrics eating at him from every corner of his being. Religion and God and the sins of loving another man, the story vivid in his mind. A man raised on faith, feeling lost and disconnected. Trying to find himself, to understand himself, while feeling like that removes him from everything he's been taught to believe in. Feeling like connecting to himself will rip him away from everything that he knows, alienates him from his family, leaves him heartbroken and alone. So he hides. Hides himself, shelves his feelings and pushes through with what he’s meant to do. There’s a path perfectly laid out for him and it’s safer to follow it. It’s easier. He loses himself but everything else in his life stays intact, and that might just be enough. At least it is for a while.

🔥 you will get a sentimental feeling when you hear voices singing || @smilingbuckley evan buckley/eddie diaz || 2k Buck mopes, has a conversation with Bobby, and goes to a charity event.

🔥 a wolf without a foot || @screamlet evan buckley/tommy kinard || 34k Tommy wants to find his way back to Buck, but he has to find a way through himself first.

🔥 They Can't Take That Away From Me || @rdng1230 evan buckley/tommy kinard || 3.5k Tommy dabs the corners of his mouth with a napkin and gets up from the table, going over to the record player. “Is it wrong that I kinda like that there’s these gaps in your musical knowledge?” Tommy sighs, slipping a record out of the sleeve and placing it on the turn table. “You teach me so much, it’s nice to be able to show you things too. Makes me feel like I’m listening to things for the first time.” Buck feels his heart swell three sizes. He still feels like Tommy’s the one instructing him most of the time. And here comes his boyfriend calling him the teacher. He has a sneaking suspicion his love for this man will never stop growing.

🔥 Shafted || @sunnywithachanceofbi sal deluca/tommy kinard || 6.1k When the 118 are called to rescue a group of employees trapped in an elevator shaft, the power goes out again mid-rescue, leading one of the crew to get hurt.

🔥 100 Days of Henren || @theclaravoyant hen wilson/karen wilson || 4k (ongoing drabble collection). A series of 118-word drabbles centred on Hen, Karen and/or both. Written for 118dailydrabbles hiatus challenge.

🔥 Frost & Found || @sunnywithachanceofbi evan buckley/tommy kinard || 13k Two years after losing his husband (Sal), Tommy magically brings a handsome snowman (Buck) to life! Through his naïveté, the snowman helps Tommy to laugh, feel and love again, as the two fall for each other just in time for the holidays...and before he melts. ☃️

🔥 proof of god in your soup || cardiacsweetheart evan buckley/eddie diaz || 13.5k “God, we’re too old for this.” “What, love confessions?” Buck asks, just to be annoying. Eddie glares at him. “Not what I meant, but sure.” Or: Buck thinks he was born to be left behind. Eddie proves him wrong.

🔥 sell your fear and leave me standing here || @redgoldblue evan buckley/tommy kinard || 12.8k Buck bakes, has sex, and goes to gay bingo. Tommy wallows, gets told off, and wallows some more. Eventually, they kiss again.

🔥 The "Tommy Writes Hotshots Fanfic" Series || @herrmannhalsteadproduction evan buckley/tommy kinard || 7.7k Tommy gets sucked into the Hotshots fandom. (It's Karen and Maddie's fault.)

🔥 Chasing Fires || @thatmexisaurusrex evan buckley/tommy kinard || 150k 24-year-old Tommy Kinard meets 19-year-old Evan Buckley as Evan tries to steal food at a grocery store. Tommy decides to let Evan crash at his place until Evan figures out what his next steps are, giving Evan the same help someone had given Tommy when he had been kicked out of his house years ago.

🔥 our secret moments in a crowded room (they've got no idea about me and you) || @speaknowbuckley evan buckley/eddie diaz || 13.3k Professional Baseball Player Eddie Diaz and Professional Football Player Evan "Buck" Buckley have been married for the past six years, not that anyone outside of their close circle of friends and family knows that. But after they're photographed together and the internet starts going wild with sleuthing and conspiracy theories about their relationship, they're forced to consider whether or not the time may be right to come out publicly.

🔥 comeback of the year || @ambernotember evan buckley/tommy kinard || 5.1k Casey distracted him with stories of baby eagles and a dispensary hostage situation while Tommy drank his whiskey and worked his way towards telling Casey what had happened with Evan.

🔥 with a little help from your (best) friend || @exhaustedpirate evan buckley/tommy kinard || 1.9k “Why aren’t you wearing pants?” (or, what happened after buck and eddie sat down the couch)

STATS: # of fics: 35 # of authors: 30 # of words read: 575k

#nova's rec lists #december !!#911 #911verse #fic recs #bucktommy #tevan #saltommy #polyfire #henren #bathena #tarlos #mancy #we really got it all folks

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knivestothroats · 10 months ago

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In The Woods Somewhere + Professional//Victim Crossover AU

@victimeyez and I like to play with our OCs together like dolls. We came up with a number of ways Tommy ends up with Fletcher but this is a "my mom sold me to one direction" type AU where Fletcher buys Tommy to basically replace Buck.

CW: long term captivity/human trafficking, withholding food (in past), physical violence, burning, dubious consent sort of, guns in places they shouldn't be

read In The Woods Somewhere here || read Professional//Victim here

Scene 1

Tommy hadn’t experienced a thunderstorm in years.

It rained sometimes when he was on his way to a client, but having lived in a basement for the last five years, he had forgotten their intensity. How loud the incessant, arrhythmic rainfall echoed down from the roof. How lightning could suddenly illuminate the whole room in a flash. How he could feel the house shake with the roar of thunder. Or maybe it was just him shaking. He felt like a dog on the fourth of July.

It was stupid, after everything he’d been through, to be afraid of the weather.

A bright flash through the window again, followed shortly by a crack of thunder that he could feel in his chest. They were getting closer together.

There’s no way Tommy could sleep. He was sitting up in his bed in his new home, knees to his chest with his arms wrapped around.

As much as he loathed Caius, he did provide comfort at times. It was twisted, but it was something. Fletcher… he wasn’t sure about. They had been more reserved so far, treating him with a sort of casual amiability. But Tommy was well aware how Fletcher reveled in inflicting pain. He just hadn’t figured out yet when and why they shed the wool to become the wolf.

Another flash. Tommy tried to brace himself, but he still jumped at the thunder.

Tommy swung his legs off the bed. He stared at the door for a second before going through into the hallway. It was still strange to not be locked in.

He walked gently down the dark hallway. He knew where Fletcher’s room was - they had pointed it out on his first day with a strict do not enter.

Tommy stood outside Fletcher’s bedroom door. He rubbed his hands over his arms.

This was ridiculous. Going to Fletcher for comfort? Like a child waking up their parents after having a bad dream? During a thunderstorm of all things. He should just go back to -

Flash. Crack.

Tommy knocked on Fletcher’s door. He tried to listen for movement over the sound of the rain. They probably hadn’t even heard him over the din. Maybe he should knock again, or maybe he should go back -

Fletcher opened the door, wearing just a t-shirt, gym shorts, and bed head. They squinted at him in the dark.

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing out of Tommy’s mouth. “I, um. I can’t sleep and, um…”

Fletcher was silhouetted as their room lit up. The thunder followed so quickly behind, rumbling through the house, that Tommy didn’t have time to count.

Fletcher saw Tommy flinch hard, drawing his shoulders up by his ears.

“You’re scared of thunder?”

Tommy felt his face redden, in spite of himself. He should be incapable of embarrassment at this point, after all the humiliation he was put through, but he just felt childish.

“Alright, come in,” Fletcher said with a yawn, moving aside to make way. “Don’t try to kill me in my sleep.”

“Really?” Tommy asked, perking up. He took a hesitant step into the room. “Can I, um, do you mind if I share the bed?”

“Yeah I assumed that was what you were asking,” Fletcher grumbled, shutting the door behind him.

Fletcher took their side first, and Tommy took the other. He laid stiff in the bed, making sure they had a gap between them. Tommy had wondered if sharing the bed would come with a cost, putting himself in a vulnerable position within Fletcher’s grasp. But Fletcher had turned their back to him, sleeping on their side.

He was still on edge. Was sleeping beside Fletcher really better than being alone?

There was a flicker of lightning, followed by a grumble of thunder. Not as loud this time, but enough to make Tommy nervous.

Tommy turned on his side as well and carefully scooted over until his back was brushing against Fletcher’s. He held his breath, but they didn’t react.

Tommy could feel their warmth seep into him. He let out a slow breath. It was definitely better than being alone.

Fletcher had managed to tune out the storm into white noise, but they were a light sleeper, forever on edge. They opened their eyes in the darkness, listening to Tommy murmur and shift in his sleep.

Fletcher rolled over and draped their arm over Tommy’s middle.

“Shhh,” they hushed gently.

Tommy’s shirt had ridden up, and he whimpered when Fletcher made contact with his skin.

Fletcher tensed up at the noise. Tommy was definitely asleep, but that whimper was perfect. They wondered if he practiced it for his clients. It was difficult to resist the urge to wrap their arm tight around him and squeeze, trying to elicit the sound again.

Fletcher moved their hand over Tommy’s bare torso. They could feel his ribs too distinctly beneath his skin. Caius and the others probably had him skipping meals. Whether to keep up his waifish victim aesthetic, to keep him weak, to punish him, or just from neglect. Fletcher figured he would put on weight quickly here. He was going to need to, if he was going to keep up with the work Fletcher had for him to do around the lodge.

“Get up.”

Tommy gasped awake as a hand jostled him from his sleep. He looked around quickly, getting his bearings, and saw Fletcher leaning over him.

“I’m getting up, you can’t stay in my room alone,” Fletcher said.

“Oh,” Tommy rubbed his eyes. “Right. Okay. Thank you… for letting me sleep here.”

“Uh huh,” Fletcher said. “I’m making breakfast.”

“Do you want me to help?”

“Mm, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay… do you want me to make your bed?” Tommy offered, trying to show his gratitude.

“No,” Fletcher said flatly. They gestured to the door.

“Right, sorry.” Tommy hurried out of the room. “Um, would it be alright if I took a shower? Or do you want me to wait?”

“All yours, bud,” Fletcher said, closing the door shut behind them. “Just don’t take too long. You want to get the breakfast while it’s hot.”

Tommy turned the water up as hot as he could stand. It staved off the chill that seemed to linger in the lodge. He allowed himself a few moments to just stand under the stream after he had washed, but Fletcher had told him not to take long, and he didn’t want to push it.

Tommy dried and dressed quickly, scrunching his hair with the shirt he had slept in and finger-combing it out of his face. He made his way to the kitchen, which was already calling his name with rich, savory smells.

Fletcher was standing at the stove, stirring one pan with a spatula while another sizzled away next to them.

“What smells so good?” Tommy asked, trying to peer into the pans.

“Onions and bacon, mostly,” Fletcher said.

“Do you need any help?” Tommy offered.

There was a pop, pop as a pair of bagels sprung up from a two-sided toaster.

“Yeah, grab those bagels for me and add butter and cream cheese. There’s plates in that cabinet, silverware in that drawer.”

Tommy moved swiftly to do as he was told.

When he had plated them, Fletcher carried over the first pan.

“Okay, get out of my way.”

It was said lightheartedly, but Tommy still leapt back.

“Just take a seat,” Fletcher nodded to the kitchen table. “It’s ready.”

Tommy sat down and watched as Fletcher assembled the plates, but their body was blocking his view. It wasn’t until they set his breakfast down in front of him that he was able to take it in.

Scrambled eggs with multicolor peppers, strips of bacon, a sausage, and the bagel he had prepared.

He couldn’t believe how much his mouth was watering.

“It’s veggie sausage,” Fletcher said. “I only had a couple left. Oh - you want coffee?”

Tommy looked up at them wide eyed. Fletcher had told him on the first day that he could help himself to food in the kitchen, but he had been too afraid to touch their coffee maker. Even when there was a pot already made, he had been too anxious that he wasn’t supposed to take any.

“Yes, please.”

“How do you take it?” Fletcher asked, getting a mug from the shelf. It was designed to look like a can of Campbell’s tomato soup.

“A lot of sugar and cream,” Tommy said. “Please. If you don’t mind.”

Fletcher heaped two spoonfuls of sugar into the mug and then looked in the fridge.

“Mm, I just have oat milk right now.”

“Okay, that’s fine, thank you,” Tommy said, even though he had never tried it before.

Fletcher splashed some into the mug before pouring the steaming coffee on top. They gave it a stir and set it down in front of Tommy.

Tommy hadn’t touched his food. He stared at the spread before him, not quite believing it was really for him.

Fletcher settled down across the table with their matching meal and began to eat.

“I don’t know where to start,” Tommy said in a small voice.

“Eggs,” Fletcher provided.

Tommy scooped up a forkful of the scrambled eggs and took his first bite.

It wasn’t just peppers, there were onions and cheese mixed in as well. The texture was perfect - they weren't dry or runny.

“Wow,” Tommy said. He followed it with a long sip of coffee. It wasn’t as sweetened as he would have made it for himself once upon a time, but it was hot and rich and maybe the best cup he’d ever had.

He might actually start crying.

“The secret is cream cheese,” Fletcher said, gesturing to his eggs with their fork. “And to scramble it in the pan. How’s the coffee?”

“So good,” Tommy said. “Thank you.”

“Mhm.” Fletcher started to pile their eggs and bacon onto the bagel. “How often were you being fed before?”

“Um, twice a day, usually,” Tommy said. “Sometimes… less.”

Fletcher nodded. “Figured. You need to start increasing your caloric intake. I need you to do work around here and I don’t want you passing out after an hour in the garden.”

Tommy took a bite of the bagel. The layer of butter under the cream cheese felt so indulgent.

“If it means I get to eat like this every day, I am more than happy to oblige,” Tommy said.

“Well, I’m not cooking every meal for you,” Fletcher said. “But I want you to eat.”

I want you to eat.

Even if it was to work him like a dog, it was so much better than being worked like a dog on an empty stomach. Despite Fletcher’s generally cold aloofness and passing threats, despite having been the victim of their bloodlust in the past, Tommy felt oddly cared for.

He took another bite of the eggs and hoped he could get Fletcher to teach him how to cook like this.

Scene 2

Fletcher had their sleeves rolled tightly up above their elbows. On their hands they wore black disposable gloves. Tommy watched as those hands deftly sectioned the chickens into pieces, their well-sharpened knife effortlessly cutting through the flesh.

Tommy had to let his eyes drift away. He watched Fletcher’s arms instead. They tended to hide their form under layers, but every time they rolled up their sleeves, it revealed their muscle tone. Tommy wondered why they didn’t show it off - most people would. He noticed as well, as he watched, that Fletcher had some lighter lines on their skin - old scars haphazardly slashed into their arms. He imagined them getting into knife fights. He imagined them holding someone down by the throat with both hands, arms tensed, as their victim clawed at their skin to no avail.

Fletcher moved the chicken pieces into a bowl of marinade. Spice bottles were cluttering the counter around it.

Fletcher covered the bowl and set it aside. They cleaned up, discarding their gloves and disinfecting their work space.

Tommy had been tasked with washing the potatoes he and Fletcher had harvested from the garden. Fletcher had asked him to take his time, making sure each one was free of dirt in the divots, as they wouldn’t be peeling them. He was worried, when Fletcher turned to him, that they would be angry he hadn’t gotten through the whole crop, but they merely began to take from the clean pile and start cutting them into chunks.

“When you’re done with that can you go through the green beans and just make sure to snap all the stems off?” Fletcher asked.

Tommy nodded. “Sure.”

They had picked the beans together as well. It felt nice to be doing something actually productive for a change.

When they were done, Fletcher dumped the potatoes into a big pot of water but didn’t light the stove. They sighed, looking at the clock and chewed their lip a moment.

“I should’ve started this earlier. I’m already starting to get hungry,” Fletcher said. “I just want everything to be done at the same time.”

Fletcher shook their head like they were hoping the thoughts would fall into place. They took a baking sheet and returned to the chicken, laying the pieces out.

“I’m done,” Tommy said from his spot at the table with his bowl of beans. He swept the stem pieces into his hand and got up to dump them in the trash.

“Ah-ah!” Fletcher waved their hand at him, causing Tommy to stop abruptly. “Compost.”

“Right, sorry.” Tommy ducked his head.

“Just give the beans a rinse and then you’re done for now,” Fletcher said. “I’ll call you back when it’s ready.”

It was a while later when Fletcher called Tommy back into the kitchen. He was sitting out on the back deck, just feeling the sun on his skin and listening to the birds, when Fletcher opened the door and leaned out.

“I need your help,” they said.

Tommy jumped up and followed them in.

“I forgot to make fucking gravy,” Fletcher growled. “I just need you to mash the potatoes for me while I whip this up. And just shake the pan with the green beans occasionally to move them around.”

The kitchen was hot now, and Tommy quickly shrugged off his sweatshirt before taking over the potatoes. Fletcher was mixing ingredients when there was a thud above them, followed by an indiscernible shout, followed by, “Fletcherrrrr!”

“Jesus Christ,” Fletcher rolled their eyes. “Okay in like two minutes you need to take the chicken out of the oven and check it. 165. Don’t forget to shake the pan.” They rattled off instructions as they marched out of the kitchen.

Tommy kept an eye on the clock, rolling the beans in their saute oil. They looked kind of brown? He looked closer, not wanting Fletcher to come back and find them burned. Hm, no, he was pretty sure it was whatever they were being cooked in. Balsamic maybe? There were chopped onions in with it as well, and those similarly looked a little brown but not burnt.

He checked the clock again. Okay, two minutes. Tommy looked around the counter, seeing the thermometer but no oven mitts. There was one pot holder laying out, and he folded the towel hanging off the oven door to go with it.

The tray was heavily laden with the chicken, heavier than Tommy expected it to be. He tried to adjust his grip so it didn’t tip backwards, but his adjustments shifted his fingertips off the towel.

Tommy quickly pulled his hand away from the heat. Now holding the tray with one hand, it began to go sideways. Instinctively he tried to catch it, only serving to touch the hot metal again. This time, his brain - desperate to keep him from making the same mistake a third time - drew back his hands completely and the tray clattered to the floor, scattering the chicken.

Tommy’s heart leapt to his throat. He dropped to his hands and knees and picked up a piece of chicken, dropping it immediately.

It’s hot, it’s all fucking hot, he berated himself. He started using the towel to scoop up the chicken. He didn’t know what to do with it, so he piled it back onto the tray. His heart was beating so loudly in his ears he didn’t hear Fletcher’s footsteps. It wasn’t until he saw their boots that he looked up.

As if they had materialized before him, summoned by his fuck up, Fletcher stood glowering down at him. They held a bloody rag in their hand from whatever they had been dealing with upstairs.

“I’m sorry,” Tommy said. “I’ll… I’ll…” Fix it? How was he going to fix it?

Fletcher closed their eyes and dug the heel of their palm into their temple.

“Do you have any idea the amount of effort that went into this dinner?”

“I know, I’m sorry-” Tommy started again.

Fletcher cut him off. “You don’t know. I had to drive an hour and a half just to get these chickens. Every time I have to leave the lodge it’s a fucking ordeal. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but there’s not much around here. I can’t run to the grocery store without making a day of it. I can’t order fucking take out to fix this. You do know how long this took me today to put together.”

“I do, I know, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

Fletcher reached down and slammed Tommy’s head against the cabinets.

“Stop fucking saying you’re sorry! I know you’re fucking sorry! What happened?”

Tommy held his head, trying to blink his vision back after it whited out.

Fletcher crouched down on their haunches and grabbed Tommy by the front of his shirt, giving him a quick shake.

“Hey! What the fuck happened?”

“I, uh, I burned my hand…” Tommy said, keeping his eyes low. He held back another “sorry.”

“You burned your hand?” Fletcher repeated unsympathetically. “Where?”

Tommy glanced up at them and hesitantly opened up his hand to them. Fletcher grabbed his wrist with more force than necessary.

“You think this is a burn?” They snarled. “I’ll show you a fucking burn.”

Fletcher took Tommy’s hand and pressed it down against the still hot metal pan.

Tommy screamed and Fletcher allowed him to jerk his arm away. He cradled his hand to his chest, tears escaping from his eyes.

Fletcher stood again, looking down on him.

“Don’t bother getting up. You’re going to be scrubbing the floor.”

Fletcher turned around to storm off, only to see the three trainees leaning around the doorway to observe.

“The fuck are you looking at?” Fletcher snapped.

One held up their hands and made themself scarce.

“Does this mean there’s no dinner?” Another asked.

“There’s potatoes,” Fletcher grumbled. Then they suddenly turned back and dashed to the pan of green beans, taking it off the heat. They inspected the vegetables, ignoring Tommy sniffling on the ground, trying to scoop up the chicken with one hand. “Yeah, these are fine. There’s also green beans.”

Scene 3

Tommy had experienced more types of pain than he could count, but burning was usually off the table to clients. Too much deep tissue damage. It was scary to think that his hand may never be the same. And if it was to recover, it was going to do so at the slow, agonizing crawl of natural healing.

Tommy did his best not to flinch as Fletcher applied the cream to his burns. He just had to suck air between his teeth and not complain.

“How’s it feel?” Fletcher asked once they had finished wrapping the gauze.

“It stings,” Tommy said pitifully. “It feels like I’m still being burned. Do you think… do you think it’s going to be okay? Eventually?”

“Well, if you want to give me the information of that doctor you used to see, I’m sure he can give you a magic healing potion or whatever the fuck. Once I decide you’ve suffered enough.”

Tommy’s stomach flopped. He would take a burn any day of the week if it meant he never had to see Sam again.

“Please don’t take me back to him,” Tommy begged softly.

Fletcher raised an eyebrow, but said no more on the subject. They peeled off their gloves.

“Then here’s how it will go. It’ll hurt, and then it will blister, and then the blisters will pop. You have to keep it clean so it doesn’t get infected. If you find yourself unable to do simple tasks because you can’t use one of your hands, you can come find me…” Fletcher took his chin in their hand. “And beg for my help.”

Tommy slept with his hand cradled against his chest. There was a brief moment of peace when he awoke before he began to feel the throb of the burns.

He kept his arm close to his torso as he walked to the kitchen, trying to think of what he could make for himself. Surely he could manage a bowl of cereal with one hand.

The box was easy enough. Tommy got the milk from the fridge. Oh yeah - oat milk. He held the container between his arm and his side, twisting the cap off with his good hand. Looked like milk.

He thought about pouring some into a glass to try, when Fletcher walked in, carrying dirty dishes to the sink.

They glanced in Tommy’s direction, then away, saying nothing.

“I can-” it came out quiet and hoarse. Tommy cleared his throat and tried again. “I can wash those.”

“Can you?” Fletcher asked without looking back at him.

“Um, I can, well, I can try…” Tommy offered.

Fletcher turned to face him now, leaning back on the counter. “If you drop something, and it breaks,” they said, “I am not going to be happy.”

Tommy paled. “Is there - is there something else you would like me to do?”

“Not really,” Fletcher said. They walked out of the room.

Tommy wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. They hadn’t told him not to do the dishes, just not to break them. And if he misinterpreted their response as a no, and they came back to find that he hadn’t washed them, they might be angry.

His strategy for washing dishes with one hand was to lay them in the sink, scrub them there with one hand as best he could, and then move them into the stream of water.

It took longer, and was more awkward - they kept sliding around - but he was able to do it.

When Tommy found Fletcher next, they were out behind the lodge chopping wood. He watched them raise the axe over their shoulder and swing down on the log, cleaving it easily in two.

“Do you want any help?” Tommy called out, keeping his distance.

“No,” Fletcher called back, setting up the log again.

Tommy hesitated. “Is there anything you would like me to-“

“What the fuck did I just say?”

Chop.

Tommy left them alone the rest of the day. He kept to his room, trying to give Fletcher space now that they had made it clear they didn’t want him around. For a while he tried to read, but he struggled to find a comfortable way to both hold the book and flip the pages. He ended up pacing the floor, filled with anxious nerves that urged him to do something.

He had been having such a… if not good, unquestionably better time here than he’d had with Caius and the rest. This was a bad turn. It didn’t have to be like this. He just had to make it up to Fletcher somehow; get back in their good graces

He had tried to make himself useful around the house without much success. It was true that what he could do would be limited while his hand was injured. Which meant he had to rely on other skills to make himself useful.

Everyone else had gone to bed. It was just Fletcher sitting on the couch, illuminated only by the fluctuating light of the TV screen. They had a beer in one hand, resting on the arm of the couch.

Tommy approached slowly, tugging on the hem of his shirt with anxiousness. Fletcher didn’t acknowledge him, even when he was standing in front of the couch. He kept to the side enough not to block their view.

It was only when Tommy lowered himself to his knees that Fletcher said, “What?” without taking their eyes off the screen.

“I’m really sorry about the dinner,” Tommy said. His stomach rippled with anxiety.

“I know,” Fletcher said flatly. “You’ve said.”

Tommy swallowed. He hesitantly leaned in and nuzzled his cheek against Fletcher’s leg.

Fletcher finally looked down at him.

“I would like to make it up to you.”

“How’s that?”

Fletcher said it flatly. Disinterested, still annoyed. There was no flirtation nor cruel amusement in their voice.

Tommy swallowed. Was this a bad idea? Or was he not making it obvious enough? Most people would jump on him at the mere suggestion.

Tommy put a hand on Fletcher’s knee and ran in gently up their thigh. Not far, not overstepping. Just trying to give them the right idea. He looked up at them with his best wet dog expression.

“Okay,” Fletcher said.

They set their beer down on the end table and shifted their pose, spreading their legs a little more. Tommy dutifully shuffled in between.

Nothing you haven’t done before, he told himself. It’ll be better afterwards.

“Close your eyes.” Fletcher said. And once he had, “Open your mouth.”

Tommy opened his mouth, sticking his tongue out a little. He waited, listening to Fletcher shift on the couch. Probably opening their pants. A click, that must’ve been their belt buckle.

What entered his mouth was too big, too hard, too metallic.

Tommy’s eyes flew open as the barrel of the gun forced his jaw wider. He tried to pull back, but Fletcher snatched a fistful of his hair and held him in place.

Tommy whimpered that beautiful whimper, but it was more rounded, more frantic.

“Breathe through your nose,” Fletcher said.

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut and followed the order. He tried to breathe deep and slow through his nose. He tried to keep his tongue down as far as he could, to not gag and to not taste the oiled metal.

“I want you to look at me now.”

Tommy slowly opened his eyes. Fletcher was staring down at him impassively.

“Don’t try this shit with me again.”

Tommy couldn’t nod, so he did his best to make an “Uh huh” noise.

Fletcher withdrew the gun. Tommy doubled forward and hacked. His mouth was left with an awful taste.

“Don’t spit on the floor,” Fletcher said. They picked up a magazine from the cushion beside them and slid it back into the gun. “Go.”

Tommy clamored to his feet and ran off. He managed to get to his room and close the door before fully breaking down into sobs, sliding down to the floor.

He had just been trying to make things better.

Tommy cried himself to sleep. Nothing new. He had just hoped to break the habit.

He shuffled into the kitchen in the morning, and froze when he saw Fletcher sitting at the table, nursing a mug of coffee.

Tommy dropped his gaze quickly. He tried to decide quickly whether he should leave now, or grab some food and then leave.

“Hey,” Fletcher said. It was softer than Tommy expected. “Sit.”

No running now. Tommy drew out the chair across from them and sat down, still avoiding their gaze.

“I recognize… that I have been harsh,” Fletcher said.

Tommy slowly lifted his eyes towards them, trying to read their expression. Was this a trick? Was he supposed to tell them he deserved it all? Was he supposed to believe them, and be lulled into a false sense of security?

“I didn’t give you a concussion, but, you know, the head can be tricky. And your hand…” They looked for the words. “I try to - I want to keep you in working condition. Nothing that’s going to really put you out of commission for a while. So that probably won’t happen again. Not to your hands. And the gun…” Fletcher ran a hand over their face. “The gun was a lot. That was uncool of me because, you know, gun safety rules.”

Tommy’s mouth was hanging slightly ajar. Was this an apology? At least, as close as Fletcher could get to one? He had expected something closer to, I recognize I’ve been harsh, but if you behaved I wouldn’t have to do these things.

“I know how it feels to have a gun on you,” Fletcher continued. They were the one to look away now. “And I… forget, I guess. That most people aren’t used to it. Can’t shake it off.

“Look, I’m not… not gonna say it will never happen again, but it probably won’t be this bad most of the time. Plenty of days will go by without incident, I’m sure. But I am… a violent person. I have violent tendencies, and I get angry. And I’m not trying to curb these tendencies because I enjoy indulging in them. So…” They tapped their knuckles on the table and shrugged. “That’s the situation. We’re square, for now. So you don’t need to be skulking around anymore. And… nevermind, I was going to say something mean.”

Tommy shifted uncomfortably. “About last night?”

“Yeah.”

“What, I’m not your type?”

Fletcher chuckled. “I was going to say when I want to take sexual advantage of you, I’ll let you know; you don’t have to initiate.”

“Right,” Tommy muttered, looking down again.

“I’m joking,” Fletcher said. “You can tell from my lighthearted expression.” They pointed at their face, purposely putting on a grumpy look. “Anyway, I’m planning my lesson for today. Might have to throw you around a bit for the demo. Nothing personal.”

“Oh,” Tommy said. “Okay, um…”

Fletcher was already up, carrying their coffee out of the room. “Get some breakfast,” they reminded him. “Three meals a day.”

~~~

hm i kind of thought our taglists would overlap more. good luck everyone.

@suspicious-whumping-egg @whumpyourdamnpears @generic-whumperz @lonesome--hunter

@whumplr-reader @theelvishcowgirl @sunshiline-writes @dont-be-gentle-please @galesgallery

@2in1whump @sparrowsage @apokolyps @whumpinggrounds

@morning-star-whump @leviiio @alexmundaythrufriday

@defire @jumpywhumpywriter @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees

@light-me-on-pyre @slighlydisturbedbeans @dislexiher @paperprinxe @desert-dyke

@just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @burtlederp @whatwasmyprevioususername @cursedandtired

@whump-only @misspelledwitch @redstainedsocks @thehopelessopus @im-just-here-for-the-whump

@thatsthewhump @aqua-blogging @utopian819 @whumpinggoodtime @pretty-face-breaker

#in the woods somewhere #itws #professional//victim #writings #original #i feel like oat milk kinda came on the scene like 5-6 years ago right?#i remember trying it for the first time at my job that i quit in 2019 #so i dont think tommy would have had oat milk #unless the boys™️ drank it #seems like something rory might do

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kirider · 8 months ago

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Your art for it is so cute, what's Kamen Rider SD? I want to get into it :D

yesss.... fall into my trap... mwhahaha >:3c (also thank you ^v^)

SD in general means Super Deformed, it's a chibi style that's not unique to Kamen Rider (Gundam also has a bunch of SD stuff, mentioning it here bc i love those models :3)

But since you're asking in relation with my art, here's the ones I made art for:

SD The Great Battle

A series of videogames that's a crossover between Kamen Rider, Gundam and Ultraman characters, all in the SD style. An original character called Fighter Roar joins the team from the second game on. They're very fun and wacky game that don't really have a coherent plot but we love them for that :3 In IV they get a giant robot (Compatible Kaiser my beloved) and in V they're cowboys. I love the cowboy outfits so much. Games one to five have english fan translations, now I need someone to translate Gaia Saver because apparently that one has the Rider Killer lore....

Kamen Rider SD: Strange!? Man Spider (or simply Kamen Rider SD OVA)

If you've been around the fandom you probably already know this one. It's a 30 minutes short where RX and the other Battle Riders (Ichigo and ZX) have to rescue RX's crush from shocker, with the help of the Mechanic Riders (V3, X and Super1). Wild Team (Stronger, Amazon and Nigo) appears for like. 3 minutes total at the end but they're my darlings and I love them. Other very important thing in this short is the Rider Carrier, a giant robot grasshopper that acts as their base and I think every version of the riders shoul have a giant grasshopper base not just the SDs u.u This short is apparently an adaptation from the Mighty Riders manga, but I haven't investigated it yet so I can't confirm that. It's also connected to a couple more SD videogames, Sortie!! Rider Machines and Run! Mighty Riders (the team names come from here as far as I can tell)

Kamen Rider SD: Hurricane Legend / Kamen Rider SD: Legend of the Stormy Age

(listen. I know the direct translation is the first one. But the second one is on the back cover so if they gave it an official english title I'm using that :P)

This is probably the one you're asking for, but I wanted to use the excuse to talk about the other two :P

I'll be honest, going in blind on this one is probably the best experience. Do not look up panels you will get spoiled. The basic plot is V3 and Riderman travel around to recruit the other Riders to defeat Shocker. I want to talk about it more but again, I had so much fun going "WHAT!?!" while reading it that I must resist- Might post more about them but will tag it as spoilers

Other SD stuff that I care less about, for completionist sake:

• there's a third SD manga (Kamen Rider SD: Roaring Laughs School) that I know nothing of (I think it's a 4koma gag manga? I'll be honest I'm not very interested in it so I haven't done much research);

• the most recent SD game is SD Shin Kamen Rider Rumble, a game for the movie, but that one seems to be simply a side scroller so again, no interest from me;

• Lost Heroes 1 and 2 technically use chibi-ish versions of Riders, Gundams and Ultramen, and are part of the Compati Hero series (the same series as The Great Battle), but they don't have SD in the title;

•there's. sooooo many sports games in the Compati Hero series. I like the Battle Dodgeball ones :3 Also speaking of Compati Hero, special mention to Super Hero Operations because that's the next one I wanna play, I get to meet Zubat, Metalder and a bunch of others there :3

#kiri.text #kamen rider sd #.....should I tag each series.#sd the great battle #kamen rider sd (ova)#kamen rider sd: legend of the stormy age #...whoops it's been two hours since i started writing this i got carried away #also anon if you get into any of this feel free to come back and talk to me about them! :D I need someone to talk about them with!!!#anon or anyone that wants of course

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drarry-reccage · 7 months ago

Text

How I Met Your Father by dracogotgame (95K, M)

tags: Crossover, Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Flashbacks

“Let me see if I understand this,” Harry said after a beat of silence. “So you’re the reason Hermione came home, you’re what made Ginny come back, you’re the one who sent Blaise back to raise his daughter and you brought Ron here.”

He had heard the stories from his friends before, but to hear Draco’s side of it... it really was astounding how many times their paths had almost crossed. Like there was something bigger at play— fate or destiny or something— not that Harry would ever admit it. Draco hardly needed another reason to make fun of him.

“When you say it like that it just sounds mad,” Draco replied dryly.

Harry chuckled. “It’s just baffling.”

Draco cocked his head enquiringly and Harry shifted closer.

“Even when you were gone, you were still such a huge part of my life. You were just there and I didn’t even know it.”

Draco grinned and nudged him. “Why do you think it took us this long to find each other?” he asked. “Why now? Why here?”

This is one of those fics I’ll always look back on with a smile. Full of clever back-and-forths, Harry’s totally relatable fear of being alone, and Draco trying to figure out why he’d bother sticking around. The whole crew’s got this great balance of humor and punch-me-in-the-gut moments that will leave warm traces of honey down your spine.

(rec by @kk1smet)

#drarry #drarry fic #2014 #draco x harry #drarry fanfiction #harry x draco #drarry fanfic #rec by kk1smet

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villain-byteniwoha · 2 months ago

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there's been "discourse" between genshin and wuwa recently (and i use the word "discourse" very lightly as there has yet to be a popular/widely accepted and viewed exchange between the two fandoms outside of barbed insults at each game's problems)

i bring this up because i have not thought about genshin for a LONG time (i have never played wuwa) but its players have brought up an interesting argument against wuwa, which i never accounted for when pondering genshin's success

because there are many, many criticisms to be had with genshin (from its use of real cultures as inspiration to the lack of quality of life upgrades) but it is still undeniably popular. if you haven't played it yourself, then you definitely know someone who did or still does

back to my point, in this (frankly tiring) discourse between the two gacha games, genshin players brought up that wuwa is like any run of the mill gacha game because it caters solely to please the player by leaning into the aesthetics and faux-parasocial-ism of its character designs i.e. the characters don't interact outside of the MC because the world revolves around the MC

and, interestingly, through this narrative choice, wuwa garnered a kind of fanbase that doesn't have an organic fan content system—AKA the shippers, the fan artists and fanfic writers, the zine and bang mods, the theory crafters, the content creators; fans who create and circulate the love

which isn't to say that there are no wuwa artists (of any kind!) because i have seen fan works doing rounds—it's just that, wuwa's players may already be satisfied with the interactions they get, through the MC's fulfillment and interactions with the game's characters

I don't want to use demeaning language like "gooner game" but that's basically genshin's argument here, which is still ironic considering genshin's large mass, and the subsequent breadth of nsfw fanmade content because of that

this dichotomy of ([apparently/allegedly] mostly male) fans who only consume vs fans who celebrate creating is the real meat of my point

because there are tons of wuwa art (though admittedly, the most popular ones that bleed into my algorithm are often on the lewd side and are mostly women) but the community isn't as coordinated to come together.

the most telling sign is probably the impact of hoyofair and/or hoyofest, as they can showcase just how enormous both the community is as well as the labor of its love

anyways, because of this niggling thought, I decided to test something, and my tool of choice is our most beloved AO3

wuwa is turning one year old next month (in May 2025), so I checked how many fanfics are currently published under the fandom tag

keep in mind, i applied no other filter so this number is the collection of fics from all the ratings, all the languages, with crossovers included, plus completed AND ongoing works

curious, i wanted to compare numbers, so i pulled up genshin's stats which i filtered from Sept 2020 (when the game was launched) to Sept 2021

like it or not, a lot of the most popular fandoms have creator type fans to thank for its success. fandom history has already dictated how amazing women are with organizing together and creating something beautiful out of love. and even back then, it was gay fanfic that bonded us

here's the top 10 relationship tags for genshin in its first year btw

idk maybe it's all insignificant to you but the difference is so, so fascinating. to me. and while i know this'll all just blow over soon enough, i thought i'd put my two cents in

even if you can't really buy anything with that, in this economy, so maybe i contributed nothing in the bigger picture lmfao

my final words for this silly long post are: popular doesn't automatically mean good, fan creations are the heart of fandoms, and oh my gosh isn't it amazing how we live in an era where communities like this can exist? fandoms and shipping and nerding out over niches are a lot more mainstream nowadays, but with that popularity comes a price.

but hey, would you rather we move two steps forward one step back than or stay stuck and stigmatized forever?

EDIT: i also want to acknowledge that genshin launched at the peak of lockdown and that there was still luck involved with its success. BUT in doing so, you have to remember that it was fans talking with one another and building its momentum that made genshin the godzilla it is today; the rise of streamers, content creators, fan challenges—community boomed!

in contrast to this, when wuwa first launched, most of its discourse surrounded comparisons to genshin (better quality of life, better movement and fight mechanics, better gacha stats, etc) which was fair! genshin is stingy as fuck!!!! but notice the difference in how genshin's community persevered because of emotional attachment to the characters and the story vs wuwa's hype (like tower of fantasy, now that i just remembered it) dying when it established itself as the friendlier game to play, but ultimately didn't flesh out characters for their potential stories so much as they were created as products to be bought

which, hey! it's gacha! it's supposed to be addicting! you're supposed to want these characters enough to be willing to spend real money for even the chance of obtaining them. but if all that's tempting your player base is the character design (aesthetics and parasocialism like i said earlier) then that's not going to run as strong or as long as genshin, I'm sorry!

have you seen the dedication this fanbase can amass? people saving for characters that may never even be playable. old fans coming back from the dead when old lore gets expanded upon. hell, ONE submission to hoyofair is enough hard work already, and there are so, so many submissions every year!

it's been a rough journey and there's no telling if it'll get better or worse from here, but it DOES make you wonder. why, just why, is genshin still getting traction when there are clearly other options that "treat its fanbase better"

i fear the difference speaks for itself

#bee.texts #genshin impact #wuwa #wuthering waves #discourse #fandom discourse #twitter #the site where nuance goes to die #fan art #fanfiction #shipping #shipping discourse #bee.analysis #long post #analysis #gacha games #game discussion #video games

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baby-alien11 · 1 year ago

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Blurb: Abigail Premiere (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

taglist (open): @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2

A/N: this was inspired by the video of some of the Scream cast going to see Abigail and support Melissa, hope you like it

Ever since Melissa unjustified firing from the Scream franchise for speaking against the genocide in Gaza, your support and love for your half fictional sister increased even more, along side her new projects, specially Abigail since she talked with you about the movie a lot (without spoilers), and when the trailer dropped your excitement for the movie was bigger

When the premiere day of Abigail arrived, some people of the cast including your dad, Matthew, Mason, Tony, Dylan, Liana, Jack and you, and since you love to coordinate your outfits with the ocassion, you chose to wear a long sleeved dress, along with black high heels, your Baby Vamp ring, a black clutch, your hair straightened, a glittery smokey eye make up and red lip gloss

Arriving at the event, none of you wanted to take the attention from the main cast, all of you went direct to the teather, and grab something to eat and drink during the movie

"I can't wait to see the movie", you smiled grabbing your popcorn and drinks, "And I really hope it makes more money than any Spyglass movie"

"Specially Scream 7", Jack mentioned

"Specially that, and I can't believe they offered me to be head of the VFX make up, like, the audacity"

"They were fools thinking you were going to accept it"

"Besides it ended good with the last one, except for the part where you die"

"So you don't care that Ethan would go around killing everyone?", Jack joked knowing your answer

"Absolutely no, Ethan defender for life, it's a Ghostface loyalty, the Ghostface princess needs her Ghostface prince"

"Kids, come on!", Matthew exclaimed from the entrance of the cinema, "We don't want to sit apart from each other"

"We're coming!", you exclaimed back, "I'm bitting my tongue just because I don't want him to block me again on insta"

"It would be like the third time"

"Yeah, and I don't want that"

Entering the cinema both of you spotted the Scream family group sitting with them in the two seats they guarded, and also Skeet with your purse who took it while you were getting the snacks; when the cast went on stage to say a few words about the movie, you filmed the entire thing and cheered the most when Melissa spoke

And at the end, it become one of your favorite scary movies and also gave it five stars in letterboxd

"I'm so fucking proud of you", you said to Melissa after the movie while hugging her, "And I love the movie, like every other project you've been"

"Having your support means a lot to me", Melissa responded, "And I can't believe you watched the entire Club de Cuervos and in spanish with english subtitles"

"I mean, you are in there, and it helped me with my spanish"

"Tell me a phrase you learned"

"Me vale madres", you said with a bit broken spanish

"Okay, let's go to meet Alisha"

"Yes, Matilda's crossover", you exclaimed since you played that character in one of your school plays and she played it in the musical adaptation

#y/n ulrich universe #jack champion #baby alien creations #jack champion x reader #jack champion scream #jack champion imagine #jack champion fluff #jack champion fanfic #jack champion x y/n #jack champion blurb #abigail movie #melissa barrera

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pocketmolly · 10 months ago

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I love how present Damian is in all of the crisis/events in dc! Like this man is not just Batman's sidekick and it shows I mean of course he won't have the same plot importance as dc trinity or whatever but this guy is shockingly relevant in almost every event (at least in the new52)

1. Dark Knights Metal

The teen titans go to the challengers mountain in Gotham and Damian somehow fucks off from his team (cannon fodder tbh) and ends up inside. There, he meets Green Arrow, Harley, Killer Croc and Nightwing and they fight their way into the (almost?) center. Damian kills dark robin and only through this do the good guys gain the knowledge that enemies can be killed by Nth metal which leads to their eventual victory. (Gotham Resistance)

2. Shadow War

This event kind of centers around Ra's Al Ghul, Talia Al Ghul and Slade after the Robin (2021) so it makes sense why Damian is a major character in it, basically Batman and Robin just kinda hop around trying to stop Talia and Slade from murdering each other. Anyway Damian has a humongous part in the conclusion where he manages to defeat the bad guy himself and Mary Sues his mother into not killing the guy who murdered Ra's. Also this event is kinda goofy where it ends in sunshine and rainbows (Slade is still alive and sets up Dark Crisis) (Ra's comes back as a ghost).

3. Dark Crisis

Dark Crisis gives Damian his little one shot where they portray him as both 12 years old and 34 years old. Anywho, Damian quickly says 'fuck you' to both Jon and Nightwing and goes on his own adventure where his team frees Justice Incarnate (which is the JL of the multiverse) and somehow unlock Dr Light's powers which she uses to stabilise the multiverse??? And don't let the team accomplishments fool you because Damian hacks into a cosmic tuning fork in an ape dimension to find the source of the Darkness??? (Please read Dark Crisis: The Dark Army, it is so good!!)

4. Lazarus Planet

Even the name of this event screams Damian... This event also starts off in Robin (2021) and is the biggest crossover Damian is at the center of. He starts off as a main antagonist where it's mostly a batfam event. Then, at the climax of the event, Damian is converted back to the hero's side when it becomes an international event. He's basically the main strategist and leader in fighting the god, King Fire Bull. There are a bunch of one-shots where heroes are struggling with new or a lack of powers which is why I say it's Damian's first big crossover event, additionally the entire batfam kind of revolves around him, being literally at his beck and call. The ending is also super sweet where Damian rallies the people of Gotham to revive Batman but he also kind of decided to kill Batman in the first place so that's not so sweet. I think this event, though not extremely well written, gives us a taste of what Damian would be like leading the JL (idk if it was plot convenience but everyone just agreed to following orders from a 15 year old) alongside Nightwing and Jon.

5. Night Terrors

In this Damian is revealed to have control over his dreams (which is crazy btw) and he goes to some monk to learn how to resist sleep? Anyway, while the other heroes are snoozing, Damian gets to team up with Deadman, Sandman and his father's unconscious body. It's the classic superhero story where he swoops in to rescue the two and they get the nightmare stone or something. Truthfully, I'm not too sure why they chose Damian specifically to play this role because I'm pretty sure any other hero would have been an okay substitute but I will never complain about Damian content.

This is just off the top of my head and I'm aware Beast World did happen but that event definitely needs its own post because I just absolutely adore it. Anyway, writers have been pushing for Damian to become a major character in DC and I really really hope he gets to be beside Nightwing and Jon when they inevitably (DC will never let them) take over.

#damian wayne #batman #dark knights metal #shadow war #dark crisis #lazarus planet #knight terrors #Jon-Dami-Dick trio save me #long yap about damian comics

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wawamouse · 3 months ago

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20 questions for fic writers :)

Not tagged specifically but it came across my dash with a 'tagging everyone' and that includes meeee! (I think I've actually done this meme before but I don't remember it exactly. And I love filling out questionnaires, so whatever lmao)

Tagging: Everyone! Everyone who see this :P

1. How many works on AO3?

165 on main… and 9 on my RPF account from high school LOL

2. Total word count on AO3?

1,254,112 wowza! Most of that word count is from 2020 onward lol.

3. Top five fics by kudos?

We Who Have The Souls - HxH - 773 kudos

The Horror Not To be Surveyed - HxH - 717

Amethyst Remembrance - HxH - 552

Suppositions - The Walking Dead - 514

Ash is Purest White - TSOMD -191

4. What fandoms do you primarily write for?

Currently: Oz

In the past: The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, X-Men (comics), Hunter x Hunter

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to now. In the past, because I used to write without really being "in" fandom or knowing anyone, I didn't realise people expected you to lol. I thought as a writer, you did your thing, someone commented if they thought it was at all worth saying anything about, and then you just went on your way like two ships passing in the night.

6. Angstiest ending?

Probably When Tomorrow Comes because the POV is tortured and beaten and dead by the end :)c I actually cried IRL when I wrote this one. Ahh, good memories! Out of my Oz fics… (squints) Dead Man Walking, maybe? Although I think it's open-ended, too, so maybe it's not that angsty. Maybe Terror Makes a Sour Meal, idk. OH. The Death of Jaime Velez. Doi.

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

You know, I write a lot of angst but there's also a ton of happy endings. I guess the happiest is probably the sweeter the sun (wedding fic) or for Oz?? It'll probably be Silver Moon's Sparkling, just because in my mind, it's basically a romcom.

8. Do you get hate?

Not on my fics (not enough readership + I am a perfect human being) but I've seen people vagueing me in fandom tags before for, idk, hyping up rarepairs and side characters too much (skill issue on their part frankly).

9. Do you write smut?

Yes :) I published my first attempt at smut (very vague frottage I think—idk, I refuse to reread it) June 2020, and have been incorrigible ever since.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not currently, but I've played around with them in the past! My first two fanfics ever were crossovers 💀Harry Potter x Twilight, I'm sad to say.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Not technically, no, but I had some fics translated and posted to another site with no link back to AO3, which is not what I thought the person was going to do when they asked me. But… Oh well…

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A couple! 6—that I know of—to Russian (TSOMD fics) and then one to Chinese (an HXH fic :))

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes… But I took myself off as an author so now it's just on their account 😂 It was from middle school and also a 4 fandom crossover event including Superwholock, soooooo…

14. All time favorite ship?

Whatever is my main hyperfixation tbh, so I'm going to say Miguel/Chico! I don't really have ults of anything in life (colors, movies, books), and that includes ships.

15. WiPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The Nineteenth Year of Chenghua, my zombie apocalypse fic based on the finale cliffhanger (why did they go so hard with it, knowing there'd be no s2???) 😔

16. Writing strengths?

Dialogue? I feel like I do a decent job/have been told I write banter and other verbal exchanges pretty well. Plot, I hope, is also becoming more of a strength, where before it was a weakness.

17. Writing weaknesses?

Description is something I'm always trying to improve—and using more *descriptive* words as well. I think I get stuck in using the same vocab over and over. Reading other works helps shake me out of that pattern a bit, but I haven't been much of a fic reader in past years (I keep stepping into small fandoms lol), and poetry can only take a guy so far… This year, I've been trying to get into audiobooks to help me listen to more sentences and learn from a wider range of examples 😂

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

My takes on this are kind of changing, but for the most part, if the characters are bilingual with part of it in English, I like making the effort of researching the non-English language and placing it in, with translations through hover text. For my TSOMD fics where the language is Chinese but my story is English, I write titles and words with no English equivalent in pinyin, i.e, du-gong, da-ren, zhihui-shi, etc, instead of blanket terming them all as Your Excellency, or whatever.

I did try a different approach with Recognition of Another when there was English and Chinese being spoken. I didn’t want to write out everything as pinyin, so for the longer sentences, I wrote it in Chinese (which is obviously gibberish to non speakers/readers) and then wrote the English in italics next to it. Still not sure about that approach… I have an Oz wip as well where it made more sense to put all the “Spanish” in Italics since there was so much of it, but there was also English I wanted to differentiate. When there is a character in the scene who doesn’t speak Spanish, I then wrote the dialogue in Spanish like for most of my fics.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter :S

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

I'm quite proud of several of the fics I've written recently for various reasons, technical and creative, buuuuut Knuckle Down at the moment, just because of how many times I've reread it myself 😂

#text #tag meme

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fea-resources · 6 months ago

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A Guide To Common Roleplay Terms

As an RP Oldie, I generally know most terms as they relate to roleplay. Sometimes I see these terms thrown around improperly, so here's an in-depth guide for those newer to the roleplaying sphere who might have some (honestly valid!) confusion over what certain terms mean that are important to both know/understand and recognize in order to co-habitate with your fellow roleplayers!

Godmodding

One of the most misunderstood terms on this list and often confused with Powerplaying. Godmodding (originating from the word "God-Mode") is essentially the act of either making your character unreasonably unbeatable or predetermining the outcome of attacks on someone else's character. In essence, imagine you're playing a video game with admin hacks which makes your character take no damage from other enemies in the game, while you have the power to damage/kill those enemies without consequence, and/or with way more power than you should normally have. This is essentially what godmodding is, but in writing instead.

Godmodding generally includes things like:

Creating undodgable/unavoidable attacks without prior discussion/permission, or landing "auto-hits" without permission, especially in situations where dodging an attack would usually be reasonable or likely.

Injuring or killing another character without permission.

Playing a character who never takes hits or injuries, thwarting all the other roleplayer's attempts to fight back, even when they should realistically be getting hit.

When it comes to acts of godmodding, your mileage may vary a bit, depending on various factors.

For instance, you might write with some people who are fine with minor godmodding or acts bordering on godmodding, within certain limits.

"Sally punched Jack in the arm once" might be an acceptable level of minor godmodding/auto-hitting, but "Sally grabbed Jack by the throat then punched him in the face before flipping him onto the ground and kicking him in the spleen and then kicking him in the balls before stomping on and breaking his fingers" is guaranteed not to fly with anyone and will get you in hot water real fast.

Power-scaling is also a factor that should be taken into account. Its often easier to judge power-scaling between characters when they are canons, especially from the same series, because we already have good reference material for which characters match up to other characters, and how they match up. Power-scaling between characters of different canon series (crossovers) may take a little bit more communication, while OCs can be the most difficult to gauge and likely require more heavy communication since frequently, neither side has a solid reference point for one another.

Either way, when you engage in roleplay with characters who have clear power-scale differences, its generally understood between most good-faith roleplayers you are entering into a social contract to respect certain power imbalances, with or without direct communication about it (though direct communication is always ideal). Whether the character within the roleplay recognizes these power differences isn't relevant, so long as the roleplayer playing that character understands -- out of character -- what trouble they will be getting into if they engage in certain behaviors and are ready to accept the consequences of a beaver poking a bear.

Lets say though for instance that Sally is a muscular, decorated super-soldier war hero with the power to teleport at will. Jack's biggest accomplishments in life are bagging groceries and playing video games after work and school. For whatever reason, Jack decides to attack Sally, and Sally teleports behind him and captures Jack in a restraining choke-hold, warning him to stop picking a fight or she will hurt him. This isn't really godmodding, or at least not unacceptable or unpredictable godmodding. Any reasonable, good-faith roleplayer will recognize this as natural action and consequence between characters.

It would be unreasonable godmodding if, without discussion or agreement, Sally teleported behind Jack and decided to instantly snap his neck, instantly paralyzing him for life/hospitalizing him or killing him.

In the reverse scenario, let's say Jack attacks Sally. Sally teleports behind him and goes to put Jack in a choke-hold, but then Jack -- despite not knowing Sally has the power to teleport before this -- somehow manages to jump away and avoid Sally completely while mocking her attempts to fight back despite that he should have been caught off-guard and doesn't have super-soldier reflexes or training. Or alternatively, Jack instantly grabs and overpowers Sally and flips her onto the ground, before jumping on top of her and beating her up with rabid-fire punches to the face that "Sally could do nothing about". This would be definite godmodding as well as a breach of the social contract Jack and his roleplayer entered into by engaging with a character that is obviously more powerful than he is.

A good rule of thumb when you're not sure how far to go (and which somewhat overlaps with Powerplaying) is to write certain actions as attempts rather than guaranteed hits, whenever reasonably possible. For instance, "Sally threw a punch towards Jack's head" vs. "Sally punched Jack in the head". This allows you to state your intended action while leaving the outcome in the hands of the other roleplayer to decide. Especially when engaging without direct communication, or with new partners whose boundaries are not yet clear to you, this is the best method to use to make both sides feel respected. Likewise, putting the ball in the other person's court will indirectly inform you how likely the other person is to engage/not engage in godmodding or other bad faith etiquette, either purposefully or accidentally.

When in doubt, communication is the best route, especially if you've found your character cornered into a bad situation they're not ready to handle, or if you're dealing with another roleplayer's character who is pushing all the wrong boundaries and is about to invoke some serious consequences from your own powerful muse.

Again, whether something is counted as godmodding will depend on various factors and comfort levels of each person involved. Likewise, boundaries may differ between partners. You may see someone writing what appears to be "godmodding" or things you wouldn't tolerate in your own interactions because two other roleplayers have been writing together for 10 years and know each others' limits extremely well even when direct communication isn't happening, or they may be communicating their limits to each other in private chats you don't have access to seeing.

The limits and allowances that happen between other roleplayers, while sometimes helpful in recognizing certain patterns or clueing you in to their style of play, should not be used to automatically inform how far you are allowed to go with their characters without clear communication and understanding, especially with newer partners, because there may be other factors at play which change the rules of engagement on a case by case basis.

Expecting to be automatically be given the same level of clearance in how far you can push things with someone you've barely started writing with, compared with another roleplayer who has been writing with someone for 10 years, is running a high risk of unintentionally burning bridges, as chances are that other partner of 10 years has earned trust over time and many interactions to intrinsically know what is too far and what isn't. Engaging in the same exact manner without building that trust first is, at the very least, going to make most seasoned roleplayers wary of how many boundaries, both in-character and out-of-character, you may cross and less likely to want to engage.

Powerplaying

Often confused with godmodding, though they often overlap with each other. Powerplaying is the act of taking control of or deciding things for another person's character, most often without permission.

This can be anything from deciding what another character thinks, rather than let the person actually playing that character decide, to fully controlling another characters' actions.

For instance, let's say the player of Sally writes something to the tune of "She swiveled to face Jack, resting her hand on her hip, and she could already see how Jack's face was turning a little red, clearly thinking about how sexy she looked while doing it", without any prompting, hints, or discussion this would be Jack's reactions to her. And in fact, Jack isn't even the type of character who would like Sally, at all, but Sally's writer decided already ahead of time and on their own that Jack would find her sexy and be attracted to her, because they want to force Jack to feel a certain way about her that Jack simply wouldn't feel if left in the hands of his own writer. This would be a clear act of Powerplaying.

However, while we're on the subject, we should clarify the difference between Powerplaying and Misconceptions. Because characters are absolutely allowed to misinterpret each others' actions or reactions. For instance, let's say that Jack's face is turning red when he looks at Sally, but its not because he finds her sexy, its because he's angry at her for something. Sally then reacts with something like "She saw his face turn red as she rested a hand on her hip, raising a brow. Oh, he must be one of those. Flustered by trying to confront a sexy woman such as herself." This isn't Powerplaying (necessarily; nuance is important), this is a character's flawed, internal interpretation of a situation.

The action (Jack's face turning red) was decided by Jack's roleplayer, while the reason for his face turning red was incorrectly interpreted by Sally.

Remember, characters are allowed to think and say things that are wrong! Their writers just aren't allowed to make decisions on what the other person's character is actually feeling/doing under the hood.

Another example of Powerplaying, but with actions, would be something like "Jack continued to poke and prod until he pissed off Sally enough to swing a punch right in his face", controlling Sally's actions. Or as another example, "Sally finally got pissed off enough by Jack's antics and punched him in the face so hard that Jack instantly started crying and ran away in fear." This would be Powerplaying (and a little sprinkle of godmodding too).

Powergaming

Powergaming is a close cousin to Godmodding, but they're not a 1:1 twin of each other. Powergaming is the act of playing or creating a character with the explicit goal in mind of wanting to play a more powerful / badass character than your other, typical characters.

Powergaming in itself isn't inherently bad, but it is an easy slippery slope to fall into godmodding if the player isn't careful and very self-aware.

Some people just enjoy the powerful character archetype in general or find it relevant to have such a character for certain plot narratives, while other people want to play powerful characters with the explicit goal of abusing/bullying other characters or making them irrelevant to the plot-line in bad faith. Its usually fairly obvious which one a particular roleplayer is by their out-of-character conduct, as the second type will usually be/talk belittling of other people's characters out-of-character as well, or talk openly about how much better their character is than everyone else's. The more brazen, malicious breed of Powergamers will even openly challenge why other characters should be involved in a plot or be allowed to do things because their character can "do it better/faster/etc", actively trying to remove other characters from the narrative to replace them with their own, to the detriment of other roleplayers (when a Powergaming character becomes a Sue/Stu).

The difference between Powerplaying and Godmodding usually comes down to whether or not the roleplayer is willing to allow their character to be beaten (within reason of their power-scale), take hits, or have flaws in other areas which make up for their overwhelming level of power in a way that grants other characters in a plot some meaningful relevance.

This doesn't necessarily have to be exercised in any one particular way. For instance, if you have a Powergaming character who is a nearly-unmatched badass on the battlefield, their drawbacks don't have to be specifically combat-related. They could be the main character who handles combat scenarios, but entirely useless and a bumbling idiot in social affairs, or have no idea how to be stealthy when the plot calls for sneaking around quietly, or perhaps your plot calls for diving into the ocean and your combat badass refuses to get into the water because they have an extreme paranoia about sharks, even when everyone is telling them there are no sharks around to be afraid of.

Another good strategy for people looking to play a Powergaming character is to hold back that character when its not actually needed for them to flex their power. This can be done out-of-character, such as finding a reason to make them unavailable (yeah, they could single-handedly fist-fight Godzilla, but they're 3 towns over doing their Christmas shopping and their phone plan ran out of minutes so they're unreachable and have no idea Godzilla is there), or only have them use whatever amount of power is needed to help with resolving the plot but not completely take it over (yeah, they could single-handedly destroy Godzilla with one back-hand, but everyone else on the team seems to be handling it just fine, so why bother? You guys got this. Go team!)

Whether the reason is an OOC or an IC one, the Powergaming character should allow other characters to maintain plot relevance and give them opportunities not just to participate, but have badass moments of their own.

However, there is a balance that should be struck here. For instance, you might have Badass McSmackerson not help out in a fight when other characters don't need help and let them resolve things on their own, but when the other characters actually want their help or involvement in a plot, or maybe even want to see Badass McSmackerson Do The Badass Thing, they should still be willing to step into the plot, rather than be obnoxious about it (such as "Yeah I see you guys struggling, how pathetic. I COULD handle this whole thing by myself... but just to hold up the plot, I will sit here and just watch you all struggle instead while I gloat about how awesome I am and how you all suck.") The Powergaming character should still be willing to be a team player in whatever way is most helpful to holding the plot/interaction together without actively undermining the other participants.

OP (Overpowered)

A rather straightforward term which means exactly what it says on the tin. An OP character is just that, a character who exceeds the average power-scale for whatever series or roleplay space they are involved with.

OP characters and Powerplay characters are usually one and the same, and as said before, can be a real slippery slope into potential godmodding.

However, as said above, just being OP isn't a bad thing so much as how they are played and how they engage with other characters and plot-lines.

When playing canon characters, some are also just OP by design of their own series, to no fault of the roleplayer themselves, which is (and should be) commonly understood by other roleplayers within the same fandom space to be the case.

Some roleplayers choose to dial back/water down their characters to a more "manageable" level from their canon, while others choose to remain faithful to the source material, power scale and all.

Neither are particularly better or worse than the other, but both have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the preference of the writer and their partners.

Metagaming

A close cousin to Godmodding. Metagaming is the act of giving your characters knowledge that they realistically should not have.

For instance, one character might be an ancient 1,000 year old vampire, but looks like they're 30. Let's say Billy Bob, who has only ever heard vague vampire stories, but never heard of or seen proof that vampires really exist, bumps into Dracula at a bar late at night. Within five seconds of meeting for the first time, Billy Bob is not only acting suspicious of Dracula, he specifically thinks Dracula might be a supernatural monster, despite not seeing any special fangs or any reason why he should suspect as much. Dracula, reasonably, acts like Billy Bob is just some random drunk weirdo spewing nonsense to harass him, and even shows off his teeth and goes "Look, I don't have any fangs! I can't be a vampire." Despite this, Billy Bob keeps pressing that he knows Dracula is a thousand year old monster. How does he know? Well, he just does! No other reason needed! Or the reasons he knows are so convoluted they may as well not be reasons at all ("Well, I've only ever seen you outside at night, like at this bar!", never mind there are people who work night shifts, or that Billy Bob also only ever goes to the bar at night, as do hundreds of other people who he does not hold any suspicions about, and the fact that Dracula shows off his flat teeth trying to prove he's not a vampire just proves it more, of course!).

As another example, a writer might make their character behave differently as soon as they know out-of-character information that the character shouldn't know. For instance, Jane and Dan both work and adventure together. One day, Jane finds a valuable treasure she wants to keep to herself, and tells no one about this item before hiding it in a special place that, again, no one knows about. Five minutes after Jane has hidden this item, Dan immediately goes to fish it out of hiding, despite never seeing Jane hide it, not knowing about the item, or the hiding place where it was stashed, only because Dan's writer knows Jane had it.

As another example, a villain character attends an open party disguised as just another normal guest. The heroes of the plot also attend the party, and somehow -- despite never meeting this particular villain before or even knowing about them -- all of them act incredibly suspicious because they just "feel like something is off". Despite that this villain character acts completely reasonable, civil, and peaceful, the hero characters relentlessly antagonize them, and even outright attack the disguised villain, without provocation, while still declaring they are "in the right" because they somehow just intrinsically know this person is evil, when they should have no reason to even suspect as much.

Railroading

Simply put, railroading is the act of forcing a specific plot path, interaction, or result on other players, while allowing few alternative options, like a train stuck on a fixed railroad (hence the term).

Most people use railroading with negative connotations, but there is in fact a correct and incorrect way to use it.

For the "incorrect" way to use railroading, let's say that the main meat of a plot happens in a town that the characters are traveling towards, starting on a road. Ahead is the town, while there is a forest to the left, and a cave to the right. Other than the OOC desire to reach the plot, there is no immediate time-frame or hurry in the roleplay itself to reach this town. Jordan decides that the town can wait, he wants to explore the nearby area first, but Max wants to go straight to the town and cannot convince Jordan to go there immediately. Rather than the writers communicating or coming up with a side-plot to explore first, or agreeing OOCly to have Jordan go to the town to get straight to the main plot, Max decides that as soon as Jordan tries to explore the cave, there is a cave-in that completely blocks it. Jordan gives up on the cave, but wants to explore the forest. Suddenly, Max's writer decides that as soon as they try to enter the forest, a pack of wolves attacks and chases them to town, and the wolves have no relevance whatsoever to any plot-lines, they only exist to force Jordan to go to the town like Max wanted all along, even though Jordan's writer had interesting ideas they wanted to introduce involving the cave and forest, removing Jordan's agency from contributing to the roleplay and forcing them to only go along to Max's plot. No deviations are allowed, despite that there's no real reason to force them not to detour a little from the plot.

There are times when railroading is actually appropriate, or even necessary, however. Let's say for instance that Jordan and Max are trying to reach a town where a hidden doomsday clock is counting down. In 12 hours, the world will end if they don't do something about it. However, Jordan decides in the middle of this plot that he wants to go hunting for treasure in a nearby cave. The treasure he wants to look for doesn't really have anything to do with resolving the doomsday plot, nor does the cave itself, and the characters reasonably have no time for such a side quest when the fate of the world is at stake, so circumstances are set up to block Jordan from going off on an unrelated side-quest that would completely derail the primary plot.

Ideally, whenever possible, its a good idea to aim for soft railroading. For instance, Jordan and Max are traveling to a town where the primary plot-line waits for them, but the need isn't immediately dire. On the way to the town, Jordan sees a cave he wants to explore for the possibility of treasure. Rather than block Jordan from exploring the cave, he and Max go on an impromptu side-adventure. Regardless of if any treasure is or isn't found, other events still happen, and at the end of the side-adventure, it turns out that the other side of the cave exits right out into the sewers or a basement of a building within the city where the primary plot happens, neatly delivering them to their main goal. Technically, railroading still happened (making the characters conveniently arrive in the town), but while allowing some player/character agency or choice in how they got there.

Mary Sue / Gary Stu

A widely misunderstood and misused term in the roleplay community, but at its core, a "Sue" / "Stu" character is an unreasonable spotlight hog. This is a character who is explicitly designed with the goal in mind of being "Better Than Everyone Else, Not Because It Was Earned, But Because The Writer Said So".

Mary Sue / Gary Stu is frequently mischaracterized simply as a "character who doesn't have enough flaws" or "a character I find annoying". This is absolutely not what a Sue/Stu is.

A character can have very few flaws and not be a Sue/Stu, or an overwhelming number of flaws and still be a Sue/Stu.

What matters isn't what traits the character themselves has, its the way they use these traits in practice in order to steal relevance away from other characters.

For instance, Jake is a character who helps lead an organization. He has worked hard for years, earning the trust of those around him, making personal sacrifices, training himself in all the relevant skills needed to fulfill the requirements of being a leader others can depend on. Then, after years of struggle, he is finally elected to be one of the group's leaders. By contrast, Gary Stu is the new guy on the block. He hasn't really done anything for the group, he has no friends or anyone who trusts him, nor does he have any of the relevant skills needed to help run the organization he works for, nor has he made any sacrifices to get there, but in just a week, he's elevated to the same position with the same exact privileges and responsibilities as Jake has, including power over all the other lower ranking members of the organization who have been there much longer and proven themselves. Why? Well, because he just deserves to be, because he's just that awesome sheerly by existing! And everyone can just see how awesome he is! And that should be a good enough explanation!

Or as another example, Jake is a character who has trained his entire life to be a master swordsman, the best in the region he lives. He comes from a long line of swordsman, wielded a sword since he was old enough to lift one, and it took him 40 years to achieve this level of mastery, training every day for those 40 years to get to the level he's at. Gary Stu has never picked up a sword in his life, but after just one month of training, not only has he grown to be just as good as Jake, he's actually now better than him at it.

However, becoming better than another character is not the only way to become a Sue/Stu character. A character can also become a Sue/Stu by being so completely incompetent they can never be left on their own to solve problems by themselves.

Remember; a Sue/Stu isn't a "perfect character" -- they are designed to steal spotlight they don't deserve to have, rather than attention they naturally earn by being legitimately interesting and developed, no matter how they have to steal that spotlight.

Let's say that Jake, Tom, Missy, and Mary Sue are all on a journey together. It seems like, at every turn and no matter what else is happening, Sue is always in some kind of trouble that requires the other characters to come to their aid, to a ridiculous degree. Jake, Tom, and Missy start taking certain precautions in order to ensure that Sue stays out of trouble so they don't have to keep rescuing her, but it doesn't matter. Sue will always find some way to need to be rescued regardless, and none of Sue's problems can ever be resolved without being rescued. If Missy gets shot in the leg, Sue will magically find a way to get shot in the heart in the most contrived way possible and make everything about herself. If Jake decides to help Missy, and Tom decides to help Sue, Sue will find a way to make all three of them pay more attention to her than to Missy and make her own situation somehow more dire, just to get more attention than everyone else.

Again, a Mary Sue / Gary Stu isn't a "flawless" character (though they can be). The stereotype of the "flawless" Mary Sue/Gary Stu is a symptom, not the entirety of the problem.

Mary Sue / Gary Stu is someone with Main Character Syndrome dialed up to 11, where other characters only exist as vehicles to give Sue/Stu attention.

If they aren't getting the attention or adoration they want, no matter what method or traits they need to employ to hog attention (even if its negative attention!) at the expense of other characters, they will try to arbitrarily force it until they are either getting the special treatment they think they inherently deserve, including villainize anyone who is interfering with the special treatment they are "owed", or they will become so obnoxious no one wants to interact with them at all anymore.

#roleplay tips #roleplay talk #RP tips #roleplay resources #RP resources

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pumpkinhcad · 4 days ago

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i just got here but @atemoss :)

HAMMY RAMBLES ABOUT OTHERS (Always accepting).

MY OPINION ON;

Character in general: Y'know, as someone who used to write Frisk, I think Kris has the more interesting dynamic with the player. After playing Ch.4?? It is like we, the player, are stuck with Kris because we NEED Kris. We are nothing more than a bystander when Kris exercises their free will by getting rid of us and stuffing us in the cage, or in a box, or in a cupboard, for a bit. Hell, we cannot even fight back when they beat us up with a hockey stick Tom and Jerry style! And, even when we are controlling them, it is not like we have control of what is going on. All because of Kris and their promise. That is one of the many covert complexities that defines their character. Those small glimpses into who they truly are; the stories we read about a past we were not present for; how they will, sometimes, not even fully follow the choices the player makes. It is all so interesting to me. Alas, if we ever have to fight Susie because Kris and Ralsei had to betray her, I will purposefully run into the bullets lol. DR is basically about Kris and the player beefing and I love it; but I hope we get to learn more about them in the future, since it is obvious they are a person with their own thoughts and feelings we know very little about.

How they play them: Honestly, one of my favorite things about UT/DR RPers is how they incorporate the game's UI into their posts, and that is what Meep does with Kris! Their dialogue is always a choice between two options! And the option that is not chosen is usually VERY funny, like I can tell they have a lot of fun coming up with them. I also really like how Meep's Kris is just a creature, down to some mischief, just a pinch of weird little thang under that stoic exterior, if you know what I am saying. I really like it, that is what is so fun about portraying Kris (or Frisk), that you can make your own little SOUL-bound fella. Especially because Meep has DRAWN their own version of Kris as well!! Shoutout to the knight armor design, huge sucker for that one. I cannot wait to see more, legit!

The Mun: I will admit that I first started following Meep because my brain was like "well if I want a main Kris (we have not even said a word to this person yet) I am going to pick the one that matches URLs with Lee", and I did. But, you know what, I like seeing Meep around! They like my posts whenever I make any, and the couple of times I have talked to them (which I need to do more, I know, sowwy 🥺) they are just so nice!! Very friendly, and I love bouncing crossover AU ideas with them because they are always GREAT ideas!! I hope we get to talk more soon, but I get the struggle of being on the more introverted side. It is okay, if the AU group chat happens the Dash will NOT be ready, teehee.

DO I:

RP with them: YES!! I was actually hoping to reply to Kris today, but I ended up getting busy- so hope this review is okay instead!! AU work is definitely being done, though, so there is that.

Want to RP with them: A THOUSAND TIMES YES!! The boys MUST learn Kris' spooky ways, and they must go on silly little adventures together-- AND THEY WILL MAKE A GREAT SPOOKY STACK TOGETHER!!

WHAT IS MY;

Overall Opinion: I don't follow make UT/DR peeps but, if you need a Kris (or another Kris) in your life, then I highly recommend Meep's!! Plus you get to see amazing mun art in your Dash, and you will always have a cute little someone checking your posts and liking them NO MATTER HOW LATE IT IS!! And I cannot wait to get to know them and their Kris better, because THAT IS MY KRIS NOW!! No questions asked, no ifs, no buts; I decided it as such upon our first in-Dash interaction. Also, if you ever establish Catti as a muse frfr, mmm... gimme.

#💝 •|| OUT OF CHARACTER.#🎃 •|| SOMEONE'S CALLING.#🎃 •|| SPOOKY PROMO.#atemoss #(I don't care if you just got here-- /RP BLOG REVIEW GO/!!.)#(Enjoy my ramblings; sorry if it got shorter here and there!.)

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kanene-yaaay · 9 months ago

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Silver and Silk (Tickletober - Day 2)

Kanene's notes: Uhhhhh not gonna lie, this one was very difficult to me jhgfdfgh the only other damnei I know is Tian Guan Ci Fu and I don't really feel secure enough of their personalities to write them so I am not v satisfied with this fic kjhgfrdfghjk but well! It was worth a shot, let's go! :D

Day 2- "Chase" (From Tickletober) and "Danmei Crossover" (from MXTXtober

Warnings: Some insect tickling, besides that, nothing I can think of. Ticklish!Lan Xichen. Around 2.000 words.

[~*~]

Lan Xichen answered the call. As he should, as he always did. He smiled and thanked the juniors for leading him to the place and dismissed them. It was an old house, well loved and well taken care of, but that exhaled such a powerful energy that it made Lan Shizui apprehensive as he reported his latest mission to him. As one of the most capable cultivators to deal with curses and their cleaning, he went to investigate.

Walking around it, across the nearby terrain, he couldn’t find anything related with resentful energy, no traps or alarms. The only sparks of energy came from inside of the house and so Lan Xichen began making his way to it. It didn’t really felt dangerous, but if all the cursed, strongest artifacts felt so, their work would be much easier. It always paid off to be careful and diligent.

He prepared his xiao and opened the door.

… Something was watching him.

Even with the sunny day outside, the interior of the house was cold, the prickling feeling that the thing that was in this place was plentiful aware of his existence. Sparkles of silver began splatting the further corner of the room. Taking Liebling to his lips, Lan Xichen began playing a calming song, one that talked about his intentions, about peace and about moving on, even if his heart arched a bit with each note, being exposed could be a well sharpened sword.

The feeling that the place got a little warmer wasn’t ignored as he stepped closer to the artifact, the sunlight coming from a window and illuminating what seemed to be a long string of white fabric that was adorned by multiples silver butterflies extremely similar to the ones used for communication by the Jin Sect. One of them shot quickly in his direction, barely giving him time to dodge. More and more got up from the fabric and followed the first lead and suddenly he saw himself surrounded by them from all sides.

It was not safe to draw his sword. Powerful artifact could easily connect through weapons to the yielder’s qi and, if it was not strong enough to chase it away, his core could get easily drained, only making the artifact stronger. Lan Xichen could feel how much older they were, being here much much earlier than his birth, it would be no good to make this bet.

At the same time, as much as the house was cozy, it was small and his maneuvers were being impacted. With decision, he ran back to the yard, dozens of butterflies flying right after him, throwing themselves at his face, arms, trying to reach anywhere they could touch. Twirling, jumping, contorning himself in anyway he could to not be harmed, Lan Xichen began infusing more qi to his song, the calming, reassuring song becoming more insistent, more direct.

In between the dance of white of his own robes, he didn’t realize as a part of it became astray and flew to his direction, only realizing his mistake as one end clung to his wrists, tying them up to his chest, forcing the song to end before he could .

Lan Xichen ceased his movements as the butterflies stopped mid-air. In sync, Liebling and Shuoyue began vibrating. His eyes widened as the cloth began vibrating in a slightly different tune. His breath caught. It was tempering with his weapons. He could use Liebling and, with a quick, strong push of qi and a precise enough sound he could try to cut the fabric, but if it took ahold of them, he didn’t think he would’ve time enough to even send a signal for help.

Then, all the three of them went quiet. The cold that had been clinging to his skin disappeared. The butterflies continued to fly on the same place, not attacking further. One of the ends of the cloth freed itself and turned in his direction. Lan Xichen felt strangely seen.

Perhaps it was sentient?

He didn’t had much more to lose.

“Can you understand me?”

The fabric tilted in what seemed a nod, got closer. He tried to not think too much about it wrapping on his neck and giving him a quick end. Usually, he was well attuned to intentions of artifacts and until now there hadn’t been any stronger push of vindication towards him, still, they did attack. Maybe it was well hidden.

“I apologize for trespassing into your home, it was rude of me.” True. Of course, announcing his presence would be absurd and he would do exactly the same if he were to repeat the ambushing, but he can acknowledge his lack of manners on it. Especially if it could led him to understand better the object in front of him. “I am Lan Huan, courtesy name Xichen.” The fabric tilted downwards and poked his sleeve, attention no longer held in him. Lan Xichen couldn’t say if this was a good or bad sign. Was it offended for his white robes and looking for an equal sentient path of fabric? Or was it offended?

“I came in the name of the Gusu Lan Sect, as their Sect Leader.” He felt silly explaining it. His sect was one of the Grand Four, anyone would look at his forehead ribbon, his guan and know exactly who he was and where did he came from. He had no way of knowing if this artifact was alive before his clan was even formed, however. “And I do not wish to bring harm. There were reports of a powerful force being found in this home, so I thought it was wise to investigate.”

The butterflies began circling him, flying with no hurry and fluttering their wings in the sunlight, which made him tense. However, the grip around his wrists loosened and the fabric appeared once more in front of him, bouncing twice before turning from one side to another. Lan Xichen hummed in the same tone Wangji did when there was a social cue he should step in but decided not to. Both affirming and denying, neutral enough to pass.

It seemed enough. With the corner of his eye he could see a braver butterfly getting even more closer to his side, almost behind him. As the end of the white silk shot up to into its direction, it brushed softly on his neck.

Maybe it was the adrenaline. The anticipation that has been following him all along.

Lan Xichen giggled.

And felt the silk and butterflies stop and stare directly at him, the still tingly, tickly sensation dancing all across his neck since he couldn’t even use his hands to rub it away.

Another brush. This time more purposeful, curious, deliberate scratching the soft fabric on the skin. Xichen squeaked and widened his eyes.

The butterflies got closer.

Lan Xichen ran.

Trees and blurs of colors passed in flashes of light. He kept his breath controlled as he dodged each obstacle, not wanting to overdo and feel exhausted so soon. He jumped, dodged, made sudden turns and twists in the hope of distracting them away. Huffs and puffs of snickers still spilled from his lips as the fabric still clung to him, teasing his control with prodding and soft brushes across his neck. His steps continued trying to escape, even if everytime he looked behind and saw the sea of silver following him he felt the giggles getting harder to control and the silk double its efforts to make him stumble. He snorted at a particularly bad scratching under his chin.

It was wise to keep running around the forest, not skittering too much into it, both to evade being guided to a trap or throwing himself too deep into an unknown path. There was a wide smile in his face and heat on his cheeks. Leaves crunched under his foot and branches broken in a way that would make his uncle complain about his careless steps, talking about how they continued to alert his opponent where he was going and making him repeat the lesson until it was recorded in his mind.

It was very difficult to focus on that, however, when every light tickle of that silk reminded him how bound he still was, how at each look behind the butterflies got closer and closer to him.

“Nohohoho!” An undignified snort that Nie Mingjue loved to tease him about escaped from his lips as the tickling changed to a series of poking and rubbing until there were more and more snorts mingling in his giggles. “Whyhihihihi.must you continuehehehe!?”

Soon he would be caught. There was no saving plan forming in his mind and the the butterflies naturally had an advantage, they were small, they didn’t have to dodge as much as him and, mainly, they weren’t being thoroughly distracted as he was, right now. One of them flickered its wings behind his ear and made his giggling evolve to a frantic squeak, especially as another butterfly took care of his other ear.

The white fabric gave the spot under his chin a last scribble before worming its way to his armpits and drilling, Lan Xichen squawked and stumbled and fell on the grass with an uncharacteristic ungrace. He hadn’t time to think about this, however, before all the other butterflies finally reached their target, seeming to only be fuelled by each one of his reactions. They were on his ears, his neck, even walking and fluttering their ethereal wings non stop over every line and corner of his hands, chasing the most ticklish spots like hunters and honing them with precision until each one of their movements kept sending him tiny, unbearably light and soft tickly shocks.

Lan Xichen tried to momentarily squash his face on his shoulder, lips pressed shut as squeaking yelps and crackling giggles bounced excitedly on his tongue pushing for their freedom.

The white silk, seemed much offended to no longer being able to listen to his laughter, only the smalls huffs and quiet snorts that managed to escape from him and descended to his highest ribs, pressing down and vibrating like it was fighting for its life.

Loud laughter filled the air. They held no words or sense, all giggles, snickers and squeal floating freely between the trees, and nothing more, just a single cultivator on the ground squirming and hugging himself without even realizing he was already unbound. There was a giant smile on his face as they jumped from a spot to another. Ruoye was literally vibrating in excitement! Such a lovely laughter he hand, such adorable reactions!

A few pokes on his rubs on his ribs and he would start squirming from side to side, a little squeezing on his sides and there would be funny squawks filling his laughter, some digging and scratching on his tummy and then high giggles would take over. Even his elbows! When his sleeves had show this free path of skin and a few butterflies started tickling it he began squeaking softly and running to cover his mouth. How delightful! He was almost as ticklish as his master and Ruoye couldn’t deny being impressed by it.

How could humans just go around with their lives being so ticklish? Probably the reason why this cultivator used so many layers of robes, the poor human couldn’t even walk without a gush of wind making him fall on the ground with laughter.

Ruoye got up and saw the glistering of water on the corner of his eyes and waved for tickling to stop. Then snuggled on his chest and it still shook with his last giggles. Maybe it should talk with his weapons again before they had to part their ways, acquiesce that their human was really truthful in his intentions as their promised, perhaps share a story or two about silly humans and their silly ticklishness. It could wait a bit, however., the lull of the cultivator taking deep breaths only to fall again into a quick bout of tittering even if they had stopped attacking him for some time already being fun enough to distract it for a little more.

#Fun fact!! The house wasn't really abandened. The locals simply have a really hard time seeing their owners there :D #Kanene's fic #Kanene's fanfic #mdzs tickles #mdzs tickling #Ticklish!Lan Xichen #Ticklish! Lan Huan #tickletober 2024 #tomorrow's fic isn't finished yet and after it idk how I will manage to write the rest of the days so kjhgfdfghuj let's all hope I guess #I am very excited for tomorrow tho!!! It will be great!! I have a really good feeling about that fic

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