#karma land fanart

[killjoywasit]

AAAA El primer real dibujo de 2023!!! No mames , es quackity y luzu , los gays , and for the English people no it’s not Wilbur soot , los dos chicos Emos!

Y también necesito amigos de arte 

Hoy mi mamá me dijo que no solo soy salvadoreño también soy argentino!!! No mames!! Tengo sangre de argentina pero nasi de El Salvador , no mames!!!

( i need art friends)

[thechanglingchronicles]

More life series pairs I’d like to happen and why I think they could!

(This time there will be repeats and I won’t do everyone I’m incredibly biased)

If I keep doing pairings I have to be right at least once.

Martyn and Jimmy: I love them together so much!! They teamed with the south lands but based on their quiz scores they probably don’t remember (they could totally still team up with each other) I think it would be funny to watch jimmy see Martyn doing lore.

Scar and Lizzie: someone commented them in my last one. I love them together already they interacted twice in last life and it was everything to me. They’d scam everyone probably on a mountain and it would be great. Scar would call her Liz and I’d freak out every time.(<!!!)

I went and looked it was Lolli_Popples

Scott and Impulse: I want impulse to win. I think they’d be such mean girls together. If they were boogeymen they’d just be such jerks about it.

Etho and Grian: etho has to give in at some point. I love when someone makes etho a worse person it’s fun to watch. I want fanart of them for the sillies.

Cleo and Joel: they could be so silly!! Arson duo for real!! They would set fire to the whole server and laugh!!! It would be delightful to watch.

Scar and Mumbo: I have a hard time imagining mumbo teaming with a non buttercup. Karma for grian stealing mumbo in last life when he was going to team with scar!!

If Gem joined I could really see her teaming with Pearl. Also I love them!!! They are the cuties ever. It would popularize the ship, and more sapphic ships in mcyt please I’m begging.

Bonus bigger groups:

Pearl, Ren, and Joel: they are wolves and they bite you and are so pathetic. Just the absolute most pathetic ever. ever.

Cleo, Gem, Pearl, Lizzie, False: way too overpowered but it would be fun to watch!! All girl group!! Which hasn’t happened yet so!! Southlands vibes fr. They don’t trust each other and will betray each other when asked. They’d probably build a castle or something insane and it wouldn’t even be that pretty but it be insane for a death game. The team will never all have full diamonds.

[jihnari]

for that ask game! 13, 20, 24, 36 :D, 40, 65, 74!

oh god okay lol

13. What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

if you find yourself bored with what you're writing, your audience will likely also be bored reading it. write the interesting bits, cut the un-interesting bits, and everything in between should move through from interesting scene to interesting scene as quickly as possible.

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

haha. hahaha. for themes, "no one will ever love you and you have to learn to live with that". also avoidant attachment issues.

for settings, japan! but that's i write canon universe BNHA fics.

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

"you don't have to try so hard." (i do actually)

36. How do you write kissing scenes?

karma strikes again…

i largely,, don't. sex? ok. murder? great! kissing? 😬

sometimes i just say "their lips touched"/"and then they were kissing" and move on very quickly. i do have a real kiss scene i cant skip past coming up tho and as much as i want it to happen it's going to embarrass me to write.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

something from "the rot in your sympathy" lol jk, unless 👀

i feel like this has already been fulfilled by my friend who drew me a himiko/denki scene 🥰 i think more people should draw them <3

65. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project.

the overarching plot in my genshin fic only exists because i thought of a really funny joke that i needed ~50k words to tell. i am so, so excited to write that punchline. (the joke might not even land and it might take me a year or more to tell it, but every time i think about it i giggle.)

74. You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

you wouldn't.

one of my anon fics was written as a prompt fill--on behalf of a friend who had signed up for an exchange and then gotten too busy to fill the prompt themselves. i don't know what the exchange was called, i don't know who submitted the prompt, i just filled it. it's not for a fandom ive ever written for before or ever will write for again. i didn't even POST IT, my friend did, so not even my IP address would do you any good. i am the ghost in the machine.

well actually you'd ask @voiider and voiider would say "yeah that was jihn"

[1000feuille]

did the six fanarts challenge, these were suggestions from ig

[naimahtaylor]

Karma Koopa A Super Mario Bros OC in the website of Lemmy’s Land and the fanart that the people love the oc The Yoshi Koopa hybrid

[poi-bigbang]

Art Claims

(Thank you @caviezeldaily​ for this amazing banner!)

Here are the remaining summaries up for claim in the POI Big Bang: 

1. Title: Carbines and Capacitors

Relationships: Gen (Joss & Cheyenne, other Team Machine friendships); background John/Joss, brief Harold/Grace and Laskey/OFC, brief unrequited Shaw/Cheyenne, mention of past Joss/Cal and Cheyenne/Irene Travers, two staged scenes that are explicitly not preludes to romance Characters: (in order of appearance) Cheyenne Bodie, Joss Carter, Mike Laskey, Lionel Fusco, John Reese, Harold Finch, Bear, The Machine, Sameen Shaw, Zoe Morgan, Patrick Simmons, Raymond Terney, Genrika Zhirova, Timothy Sloan, Root | Samantha Groves, Peter Collier, Anthony Marconi, Carl Elias, Peter Yogorov, Grace Hendricks, Andrew Monahan, Alonzo Quinn, Fermin Ordoñez, Arthur Claypool, Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster, Bronco Layne Rating: Teen Summary: A routine day for Team Machine turns into anything but when a cowboy from 1880 falls out of thin air and lands practically at Carter's feet.  Getting him well and acclimated to life in 2013 is only half the battle.  Computers are out of his line, but he does have other skills Finch can use… so the best laid schemes of Greer and Quinn are about to run into a 6'6" tank named Cheyenne Bodie. (Season 3 AU, crossover with Cheyenne, with cameos from Sugarfoot and Bronco)

(Wikipedia links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_(TV_series); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarfoot; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronco_(TV_series); Fandom wiki: https://cheyenne.fandom.com/wiki/Cheyenne_Wiki; IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047720/) Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply; References to historical atrocities, uncomfortably timely conversations, canon-typical violence, canon-typical threats of violence, crude remarks by Shaw, Cheyenne comes from a 1950s Western and speaks/thinks/acts accordingly (but as in canon, he hates racism and injustice) Art Wishlist: Open to any media, although traditional/digital might be more suitable than manips because most available images of Cheyenne are B&W--as was the show, so vids and gifs might have the same problem.  Podfic would be welcome, and the story is finished (and long!), but recording could be a challenge because Cheyenne's voice is lower than John's and because there are lots of footnotes and a few words in the Northern Cheyenne dialect, Dutch, Spanish, Sioux, Russian, and Hebrew.  Cheyenne wears a very distinctive hat (brown with silver arrowheads around the band) that could be drawn as part of a still-life banner or divider, possibly with a Colt Peacemaker and a Desert Eagle (crossed?).  Also, if you're interested in illustrating a scene, there are... rather a lot to choose from, but I think I'd go for one of Cheyenne with John, Joss, and/or Shaw.  I will happily work with any artist to find what source/reference materials are needed--I don't know where Cheyenne is available to watch outside the US, but there are at least clips posted on YouTube.

2. Title: Spare Me Relationships: Lionel Fusco/John Reese Characters: Lionel Fusco, John Reese, Lee Fusco, Harold Finch, Bear, Root, Original Characters Rating: (use AO3 system) T (for a kiss and Fusco's bad language) Summary: (<100 words) "I don't need a genius to tell me that you're lonely." Fusco invites John to join the NYPD bowling league to give John something normal and fun to do for once. But soon Fusco realizes that John isn't the only one who's lonely. Warnings: (use AO3 system) None Art Wishlist: (what media you're open to, hoping for, any ideas) Anything is fine by me! I've never had someone make art for a story of mine, so I'm easy to please! 

3. Title: Kingfishers

Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese/Grace Hendricks

Rating: M at the moment, maaaybe E by the time I’m done

Summary:

One morning, a handsome stranger walks up to Grace Hendricks in a park and introduces himself. His name is John, and he likes her paintings.

That afternoon, Grace meets a wealthy insurance executive who offers her a sizable art commission. He’s intelligent, interesting, and easy to talk to. His name is Harold.

(A different-first-meeting story, in which Harold ignored the Machine’s attempts to set him up with Grace in 2006, only to receive her number in 2012 after he and John have been working together for over a year.)

Warnings: inexplicit references to child abuse and alcoholism

Art Wishlist: Grace’s paintings and sketches, and her feelings about the art and artists she admires, are pretty important to the story. There are passages where I describe pictures and paintings she’s created, or beautiful objects of various kinds that she and Harold both admire. An illustration of any of that stuff would be amazing, or maybe a kind of Pre-Raphaelite picture of the characters. Also, kingfishers are kind of thematically/symbolically important, and very beautiful, and would make lovely art.

Two requests: please don’t make art of Harold and John that excludes Grace, and please no NSFW art.

4. [Fic previously claimed! Should not have been here! Apologies!]

5. Title: More Than Words Relationships: John Reese/Harold Finch/Grace Hendricks Characters: John Reese, Harold Finch, Grace Hendricks Rating: General Audiences Summary: John and Harold have a lot in common. They've loved. They've lost. They've done their best to help people. And now they have a matching pair of soulmarks- tattoos bearing the first words your soulmate says to you. The marks aren't what bring John and Harold together. But they might end up tearing the two of them apart. Warnings: Choose Not to Use Archive Warnings (this fic should be tagged for some of John's suicidal ideation pre-season 1 and in the fic) Art Wishlist: Looking for visual media/graphic design. Since this is a soulmate/soulmark AU, I would be very happy if someone could design the tattoos I have in mind, in their medium of choice. I am willing to collaborate, or just see what they come up with. But while that is my ideal art pairing, I am open to anything!

6. Title: Untitled Relationships: Harold/John Characters: Harold, John, Bear, Shaw, Fusco, Carter, OCs, *possibly* an appearance by Root Rating: Teen & Up Summary: When a number goes wrong and Harold is stabbed, his entire life is thrown into disarray. Seriously injured, he's left with no choice but to rely on someone else as he recovers. He chooses John (or, rather, John chooses himself) and invites John into his home and his very private life as he slowly heals from the trauma and the wounds.

What happens when he realizes he wants John to stay close? Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (additional warning for panic attacks and memories of a violent attack) Art Wishlist: I'd especially love illustrations (traditional or digital), but I'm game for anything.

7. Title: Bonds Not Broken - Maybe??? Relationships: John Reese/Harold Finch Characters: John Reese, Harold Finch, Sameen Shaw, OCs, Elias, Heralds of Valdemar characters, Rolan, Weaponmaster Hersch, King Jesse, Bear the dog, a cast of thousands Rating: Adult M/M Summary: An AU Person of Interest/Heralds of Valdemar crossover. John is not only a Herald, but the King's Own. The story begins with the death of the king, and this is John's journey to find his place in Valdemar. Warnings: Author Chooses None Art Wishlist: I like most styles of fanart except chibi. I love a good photo manip but really anything! If the artist is interested, I have an Instagram where I put pictures that helped me write this monster. The instagram is blackchaps with a Hawkeye icon, easy to find.

8. Title: Untitled (for now) Relationships: Harold Finch/Lionel Fusco, Lionel Fusco & Sameen Shaw, Harold Finch & Sameen Shaw Characters: Harold Finch, Lionel Fusco, Sameen Shaw, Bear, Leon Tao Rating: E Summary: One year after the death of Samaritan, Harold Finch returns to New York City and reunites with his old friends. Sameen Shaw and Lionel Fusco, who have believed him to be dead for the past 12 months, are not exactly eager to trust him again. As Harold handles mysterious cases on the outside of their new organization, he works to repair his relationships with both. Sameen, who doubts his commitment, will be hard to convince. Lionel, who bears deep emotional scars, will be impossible. Warnings: Canon typical violence, drug/alcohol use Art Wishlist: I’m super flexible re: medium. I’m very into the idea of space-centric or detail-centric art, as opposed to character-centric art, if that makes sense. Re: space-centric, a lot of the fic is about loneliness and puts the characters in empty, uncomfortable, or sad rooms and the vibe is very like these Edward Hopper paintings, I think. Alternatively, it’s Finch POV and he’s doing a lot of focusing on tiiiiiiny details and significant objects, and I’d love some fancypants studies or edits of those.

9. Title: Degrees of Separation Relationships: Gen (but the whole point of the story is that they’ve all been separated, so there are no relationships in action) Characters: John Reese, Harold Finch, Sameen Shaw, Root, Lionel Fusco, Bear Rating: Teen and Up (due to a limited use of common profanity) Summary: The lives of the members of Team Machine in their new identities during the first months of Samaritan’s full operation, from the separation of the team at the end of “Deus Ex Machina” through the events that take place in “Panopticon.” Warnings: Choose Not to Use Archive Warnings Art Wishlist: I am open to any medium.  It would be great if the art focused on the separation that the characters are experiencing.

10. Title: If I Could Tell Him Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese; Harold Finch & Root; minor Root/Sameen Shaw; past Harold Finch/Nathan Ingram Characters: Harold Finch, John Reese, Root, Nathan Ingram (mentioned) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Summary: Harold manages to tap on the fourth wall of 4x17 “Karma” and has some thoughts about the mirroring of himself with the victim counselor vigilante Shane Edwards. He and John go on their walk with Bear, but Harold keeps what he’s feeling to himself. Years later, after all of Team Machine survives the defeat of Samaritan, Harold comes across Edwards and realizes he never talked with John about all of the emotions that number still fosters, specifically regarding Nathan. Root gives him some advice, and they all work on a happiness that encompasses the past, present, and future. Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Art Wishlist: I’m open to anything, from digital art to fanmixes and anything else, really. This is a rinch fic but it’s also basically a Harold character study (entirely from his POV and a lot of internal narrative) so any art could probably focus on him.

11. 

Title: The Mysterious Human Heart in New York Relationships: Jessica/John, Harold and Jessica, Harold and John Characters: Jessica, John, Harold, Fusco Rating: Teen Summary: Agent Jessica Reese has managed to claw her way back from Ordos after being betrayed by her partner and the CIA. Gutshot and purposeless, she spends her days haunting the hospital in New Rochelle, watching her ex, John. John has his happily ever after: got his nursing degree, married a great guy, lives in a beautiful house. Jess is glad. He should be happy with Peter.

When she bumps into the mysterious Harold Finch, who knows too much about everyone, he tells her the unpleasant truth about John's dream marriage. Jess must face up to the fact that John needs her help to find safety and happiness. Warnings: Show level violence, some medical detail as John is a nurse. Art Wishlist: I am open to any medium except audio.  

12. Title: To my God, I sacrifice Relationships: John Reese & Root, John Reese/ Kara Stanton Characters: John Reese, Root, Sameen Shaw, Hersh, Kara Stanton, Harold Finch (mentioned) Rating: Mature Summary: Former soldier and CIA agent John Reese has condemned himself to a slow death after being burned by the agency. After witnessing a strange woman answering a forgotten payphone, he suddenly finds himself entangled in a web of secrets, zealotry and violence. Warnings: Canon typical violence, canon typical torture, mentions of suicide and rape, abusive/unbalanced dynamics, alcoholism Art Wishlist: I don't have any particular requests in regards to the art, I'm curious about what will the artist choose to interpret. If I had to choose, a scene illustration or a cover would be very cool :)

If you’d like to make art for any of these fics, the sign-ups for artists are here: 

https://poi-fanworks.dreamwidth.org/27461.html

And the claim post is here: 

https://poi-fanworks.dreamwidth.org/31548.html

[texanredrose]

I'm curious about the director commentary on Burdens We Bear if there is one. If not how about Symphony of Souls?

Oh, lawd. The Burdens We Bear, how I love and hate you.

Understand, the scene that sparked the fic is close to the end. The first time it popped into my head, it made me cry (because I’m a soft-hearted binch) and I’ve worked backwards from there in my head. The problem with having a creative design like this is, I’m honestly not too interested in the beginning, even though it’s massively important for the specific scene to have the desired effect.

This is also arguably the darkest of my fics. Not just the subjects covered- I mean, when you have two characters being sold into sex slavery in the first chapter, and then their father gets his throat ripped out in front of them, you’re starting in a bleak fucking place- but the overall tone as well. Almost everyone is some flavor of hopeless. Winter and Weiss are convinced they’re in some manner of danger, Yang’s convinced she’s a monster, and Blake’s convinced that things will eventually get better but doesn’t know how to bring that about. Ruby, ball of sunshine that she is, is the only positive influence, encouraging everyone she comes across, while also being something of a catalyst to the story’s events.

It’s just a sucky universe all around, ya know? Yang’s tried to be a good person, and it’s had some terrible consequences. Ruby never asked for any of this but she also realizes that things are getting better for the world, even if they’re getting harder for her and Yang. Winter and Weiss didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to them and neither did Blake. The whole AU is constructed as this idea that there is no cosmic karma, sometimes things are terrible and there’s no way of making it better... unless you’re willing to fight tooth and nail for it, unless you’re willing to sacrifice some part of yourself in the process. And, honestly? That’s a shitty way to look at life, a bleak way, because good things should happen to good people, ya know? But reality isn’t like that.

Ultimately, this is why I have a love/hate relationship with this fic. There’s some backstory portions that haven’t been revealed yet and it really just is a tough AU. Mainly because, I do want to get to the happy ending! I want everything to be good for these characters! But things have to get really bad before that payoff!

And, and, the crazy part! Is things get better before they get worse! And then they get better again before they get worse! There are going to be times where you’re like “oh, this must be the scene that made Tex cry” and I’m here to tell you! Think again!

Good news, though, no one’s going to die. I mean... no one we care about, anyway.

The downside to having so many WIPs is not spoiling them, lol, but something I can say about The Burdens We Bear is that it draws inspiration from The Blue Sword, though it doesn’t take many story beats from it. The book itself is one of my favorites as it details a woman rediscovering her heritage in a new land, which I’m sure you’ll recognize as an emerging theme for Winter and Weiss as their story progresses. Meanwhile, Yang and Blake are counterarguments to common themes, Yang’s being “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and Blake’s being “silence means consent”, as Yang actually hates how much power she wields and Blake often doesn’t say anything when she’s reprimanding, correcting, or chastising Yang.

In the piece of fanart I had commissioned to act as The Burdens We Bear’s coverart, the four central characters are surrounded by broken shards of glass. Not only is it because they shatter the expectation of how they’re perceived, it’s because they act as distorted or broken reflections of one another at different points. Winter is focused on everyone around them while Weiss is more concerned with the two of them; Yang is angry and emotive while Blake tries to keep her cool and composure. Winter and Yang are stubborn and shoulder responsibilities while Weiss and Blake want to help but aren’t sure how. This will become more prominent through the plot’s development but will also showcase how they compliment each other as well.

[gilbirda]

Hi Gil!! If you're still doing the writing challenge... Number 20 (or 3 bc I'm undecided trash lmao) with mtnn pleasee

I think I know what you wanted to read with nº20, but I had this idea since a long time ago and I wanted an opportunity to write it. Today, I had the chance to see it come to life with this prompt.

I decided I would do both, but nº3 still is a WIP, for now. When I get some free time I’ll work on it.

Writing challenge

20) “You came back” Please don’t kill me

It was a pretty day, Neuro decided.

The sky was clear, birds were singing their hearts out, a gentle summer wind cooling his overheated skin under the sun. It was the perfect summer day where the humans decided to go out as a family and enjoy the calm and free time. Some may go to the beach to “more than just cooling down their bodies in water” Yako had said once; other may go visit relatives far into the countryside; others would simply go out in the city and enjoy the busy streets and distant human chatting.

He could heard them, of course he could. He was a demon. He was eternal and powerful, a being that existed above the filthy humans and their simple minds. Despite having lived hundreds of years, his body hadn’t changed much; same fair skin, same blond hair, same blue suit.

But Yako… She was only human, after all. She knew that, he knew that, but she still chose to pursue a dangerous career by his side, putting her life on the line on every case. On a few close calls he thought that he would lose her forever.

But she was strong, of course she was. She overcame every obstacle on her way and succeeded as a private investigator with her own strength. He stayed by her side ever since coming back from that fateful day he had to return to Hell to heal. They promised to be partners forever.

She chose him.

She chose staying by his side after all the danger he had put her through, and accepted her future as married to a demon with a determined face and strong heart. She chose to love him above all the humans that showed interest in her romantically. And she did love him the rest of her life, as she promised their wedding day, until death parted them.

[Here lies Katsuragi Yako, beloved mother and wife]

He read the words again and again, but even his superior mind couldn’t make sense of them. She was really dead. After all these years, she left him for good. She broke her promise! She couldn’t have died!

But, she was only human, after all. He knew that, she knew that. Because as years passed and her skin got wrinkles and her body started to fail her, neither wanted to acknowledge the fact that the time they had left together was coming to an end. Until one day, she went to sleep and never got up.

Why did you choose to leave me like this? he thought angrily at the offending stone in front of him.

A week had passed since she abandoned him and he had refused to come here after the funeral. The demon considered going back to Hell once again to never come back, but the idea repulsed him as much as it did sixty years ago. So he stayed on the World Above, roaming around, looking for a place void enough and empty enough, somewhere that didn’t remind him of his wife. This morning he had the realization that he couldn’t escape, that she was in his mind no matter what he did, so he came back to see her one more time. So here he was, sitting in front of her grave in a hot summer day.

[Here lies Katsuragi Yako, beloved mother and wife]

We still hadn’t found the Ultimate mystery, louse, he closed his eyes and put one hand above them. The sunlight was annoying. The noise was annoying. All of this was giving him a massive headache, and demons didn’t have those.

On the temporary darkness that his closed lids gave him, he saw a memory playing in black and white, people moving their lips but no sound coming from them. It was her, so many years ago, her stomach so rounded and so big that he had been surprised that she hadn’t suddenly bursted open like a piñata. She seemed happy and healthy, her face full of life and energy, a big contrast to her pained state late that night when she went into labor.

They had been on a trip to the beach to relax before the baby was due to come, the sky clear and people enjoying the nice weather in a hot summer day. Maybe that’s why he was remembering that day right then, or maybe he was just having random memories of a life with her as a coping mechanism, maybe neither. He didn’t care, he enjoyed her smiling face turned up to see him, his hand on her cheek, her lips parting to say something.

I love you, he remembered her voice more than heard it.

Neuro abruptly opened his eyes, finding the cold stone with her name engraved on it instead of the happy face of his wife.

***

“You came back,” the redhead said when his father’s face appeared from the living room door. Karma had to admit, he had never seen his father so disheveled and lifeless as he did now, one week after his mother’s funeral. Neuro had disappeared the moment it ended, but the half-demon wasn’t worried about his well being.

“Hm,” the other man grumbled not even looking at him. There was a distant look on his green eyes, like he was seeing something else than what was before him.

Karma sighed. He expected something like this. His father had always been so dependent of his mother. Since he can remember, the two of them were never apart for a long period of time and were always over the other. Until he could move out of the house he had to endure the constant newly-weds state they seemed to live in.

It wasn’t a big surprise that Neuro would be devastated once she died. Karma himself was sad, but it was natural. She was human, she wasn’t like them. He was a mix-breed but still he would outlive his mother by hundreds of years, a thought that he had come to terms with a long time ago.

“Are you staying for a while?” he tried again with his unmoving father. He had expected him to come to his house when he decided to come back to the land of the living.

“Hm,” he grunted again and walked to the window, a spot both knew his mother liked. The demon sat down and looked outside to the park next to the building.

Karma sighed again. It was going to take a while for his father to come back. His mother was the only human… no, the only being he had ever loved so deeply. Karma was sure that, in a way, he loved him too; but Yako Katsuragi was, and will always be, his partner.

Based on this fanart (I lost my mind going through the mtnn and neuyako tag but I didn’t find the original post, please help me find it to give proper credit):

[killjoywasit]

Idk I speedrunned these doodles lol , I love karmaland, make me feel like home when I was in my home country El Salvador 🇸🇻 I’m thinking of making a Spanish blog

[artistic-writer]

CS Halloweek :: Seasonal

‘Maybe’ a CS AU fanfic and fanart by itrustyoutokillme / @artistic-writer Word count: 2k-ish. Nothing too heavy. Summary: ‘Fall was her favourite time of year because of the colours.  The trees had been turning from green to a flaming burnt orange over the past two weeks, shedding the occasional leaf that would twirl to the ground, landing silently and unnoticed by everyone nearby.  Except for Emma.  Watching the fall of a leaf stopped her world, its waltz towards the wet, blackened pavement happening in slow motion and making her smile.’

Thank you to my beta @hollyethecurious <3 <3 <3 I love you so much!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emma shivered.  The sun peeked through the thinning clouds, burning its way through but still unable to put a dent in her chill.  It warmed her cheeks, but the flush across her skin was from the whip of the wind and not the sun's rays.  She grabbed her coat, pulling the edges together and fumbling with her oversized buttons, her gloved fingers struggling to push the plastic disc through its hole.

It was her day off.  Her day was a blank slate, and Emma just wanted to sit back and watch the world go by.  She did this often, parking herself on the rickety old park bench with a cup of hot chocolate dusted with cinnamon, and simply stared into the park.  It was always full of people but somehow she managed to close them out and simply be by herself in the bustle of the public eye.

Fall was her favourite time of year because of the colours.  The trees had been turning from green to a flaming burnt orange over the past two weeks, shedding the occasional leaf that would twirl to the ground, landing silently and unnoticed by everyone nearby.  Except for Emma.  Watching the fall of a leaf stopped her world, its waltz towards the wet, blackened pavement happening in slow motion and making her smile.

It was the time of the year when people dug out their musty old coats, scarves became full price once more, and nobody ever managed to hold onto a full set of gloves for longer than a week.  Emma swore she had an entire drawer full of single, lonely gloves, unmatched and abandoned by their partners.  

Emma sighed.  She pulled her beanie down over her ears and brushed at a few strands of her blonde locks from her forehead.  It took a couple of swipes because of her gloves, and frustrated, Emma pulled one of her hands free to move the offending hair.  As if karma was laughing at her, the glove fell to the floor at her feet and landed in the puddle that had formed there.

Emma grunted and doubled over, hugging her knees as she reached out for the escaped hand covering.

“You’ll lose that if you are not careful.”

Emma’s head snapped upwards, her body righting instantly and a huge lump forming in her throat.  The voice belonged to a man - a hot man - who was standing a few feet in front of her.  Emma couldn’t help it when her eyes flickered over him, wide and drinking him in hungrily.  He was wearing blue jeans and black boots, the front of his blue checkered shirt tucked behind the buckle of his brown leather belt.  The man had an oversized green knit sweater under a grey jacket, a black scarf wrapped around his neck.

Emma gulped, her mouth hanging open a little but her words stolen from her.  Usually, she would have a witty comeback for anything a stranger had to say to her, but the blue of his eyes was so deep she felt like she was drowning on dry land.  His smile was awkwardly cute, boyish and his pink lips twitched at the corners, his impossibly long eyelashes brushing his cheeks as he blinked.  A fine layer of ginger scruff littered his jawline and after he’d giving it a light scratch, he dug his hand into his pocket.

“Are you alright?” he asked shyly.  His other hand clutched a disposable coffee cup, the side of which was stained with dried coffee and the lid steaming through the drinking hole.

Emma blinked, her eyes dry from staring.  She leaned back until her back hit the curved bench and she reluctantly tore her eyes away from the stranger in front of her.  She licked her lips nervously, her mouth closing and her lips turning up into a smile as she looked at her one gloved hand in her lap.

“Yes,” She said quickly and his grin grew even wider at her nervousness.

“Are you quite sure?” the stranger prodded a little more, bending to retrieve her glove and then offering it to her with an extended arm.

Emma laughed nervously and nodded, taking the soaking wet glove from his grasp.  Her fingertips brushed over his briefly and it felt like a shock through her arm, electricity sparking her every cell.  Emma snatched her hand back and her cheeks instantly flushed hot, the chilly October air suddenly not so much of a problem.

“Killian,” He smiled again, his lips curling up to expose his teeth.

“I’m sorry?” Emma’s brow furrowed in confusion and she tilted her head to the side.

“My name,” he arched his brow at her and lifted his coffee cup to his lips, taking a silent gulp.  Emma watched the bob of his Adam’s apple and bit the inside of her mouth.  “My name is Killian.”

“Oh,” Emma smile grew wider and she looked away again.  She couldn’t stop smiling and she felt her ears wiggle under her beanie.

Killian pulled his hand from his pocket and scratched the skin behind his ear gently.  This wasn’t going the way he had imagined when he had noticed her sitting on his bench.  He came here once a week, usually on his day off, to just sit and watch the world pass him by.  Killian did it all year, all weathers, all seasons, but Fall was his favourite.  The air was crisp, the leaves rustling overhead as the wind whipped through the trees but there was the perfect amount of sunlight to warm the damp that inevitably worked its way into his bones.

Not that he minded at all.  He worked by the docks, the damp hanging heavy in the air all the time.  It very often worked its way into his joints no matter how many layers he tried to keep it at bay with.  Killian restored boats, a craft he had come to love since restoring his own vessel many years ago.  He was lucky enough to call it his profession now but on his down time, he enjoyed something a little more inland.

That was until he had arrived at the park the same time he did every week only to discover his seat taken by a phenomenal blonde haired beauty with the most striking green eyes and rosy tipped cherub cheeks.  He rocked back on his heels and took another sip of his coffee, licking his lips as he swallowed.

“You know,” he began, his words drawing her attention back to him immediately.  “It is often customary when someone gives their name to offer one in return.”

Emma laughed and slapped her hands on her thighs, pushing herself to her feet quickly and rolling her eyes.  He watched her rise into the space before him, her long, red scarf falling down over her knees.  

“Of course,” she held out her bare hand and he eyed it with a glint in his eye.  “Emma.”

“Emma,” he repeated her name back to her but the way it sounded in his accent made her shiver.  He took her hand, gripping her palm that fit perfectly in his.  “Nice to meet you, Emma.”

Their hands lingered together, bouncing up and down as they greeted each other.  For a second, Killian felt his skin being to burn in hers and the previously scalding coffee cup turned cold in his other hand in comparison.  He slipped his hand from hers, dragging his fingers across hers slowly.

“You too, Killian,” Emma mirrored his smile.

There was a moment when it was just them.  The world became brighter, the edges blurring into a faint orange glow around them, the air around them smelling of Fall, and the clouds above them reflected in the puddles the only movement they could see.  Killian scratched behind his ear again, a sweet smirk playing across his lips as they managed to stare into each other's eyes and say nothing and everything all at once.

Reality jolted them back together when a cyclist whizzed behind them, his elbow bumping into Killian’s back and making his entire body lunge towards Emma’s.  There was a split second between Killian stepping forward awkwardly, Emma wrapped her arms around him to steady his stumble and his coffee lid popping off and the lukewarm liquid spilling down Emma’s black coat.

“Oh bloody hell,” Killian mumbled into her neck, his stubble tangling with the golden tresses that rested over her shoulders as he pulled himself out of her embrace.  “I am so sorry,” he apologised, hands hovering above the coffee on her jacket, right above her breast.

“It’s okay,” Emma held her hands up and let out the gasped she had been holding.  

“I’ll pay for your dry cleaning,” Killian offered quickly, his fingers flexing over her coat, unsure whether he should brush off the droplets of coffee before they stained and risk publicly molesting someone he had just met.

“It’s okay,” Emma laughed a little, repeating her earlier words.  Finally, Emma broke the tension between them, skimming her hands over the spill and wishing Killian had got their first.

He clenched his jaw, shooting a glance along the line of trees to where the cyclist was growing smaller and smaller in the distance.  He shook his head and his hand flew to the back of his neck, scratching the hair there, his face flushing red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.  Without a second thought, Killian hooked his hand around her elbow and began to guide her along the row of trees.

“Let me buy you a new coat,” Killian offered, tossing his half-empty coffee mug into the trash can beside them.  “It’s the least I can do.”

Emma shook her head vehemently.  “Absolutely not,” she said as she followed him obediently, not even sure as to where they were going.  Emma had let her guard down inexplicably, falling in line beside him as they strolled along the row of gently swaying auburn trees.

“Well let me do something, love,” Killian pleaded with a chuckle.  “I feel bad.”

They stopped and turned to face each other, the glow in Emma’s eyes causing Killian to narrow his eyes at her.  Even though he had just met her, he felt like he had known her forever.  Maybe in another life they had crossed paths.  Maybe in another life he had managed to avoid spilling his coffee down her.

“What?” He grinned at her.  Emma pressed her hands to his chest and slid her fingertips across the knitted fabric of his sweater, instantly warming her uncovered hand against the plush material.  Killian watched her hands, skimming over his heart that took off in his chest at her touch.

“You can stop sitting on my bench,” Emma smirked, giving him a wink and looking back to where they had just been standing.

Killian frowned again, one eyebrow jumping up on his face.  A smile crept across his lips and he pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth.  “Your bench?” he teased.

Emma nodded.  “I see you sitting on it all the time, you know when I come here to forget the world.”

“So you’re stalking me now?” Killian grinned ear to ear,  the shine in his blue eyes catching the sunlight.  Emma bowed her head and hid her face, her forehead almost touching the back of her hands that were still pressed to his chest.  “I knew it.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it,” Emma joked, flexing her fingers against the hard planes of his chest.  A few tiny black hairs poked out from his neckline and Emma felt a tingle in her stomach at seeing what was underneath.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be so devilishly handsome,” Killian purred and Emma felt the skin over her entire body pull tight and prickle with heat.  “Why don’t you ever sit with me?” Killian asked her softly, brushing the outside of her elbows with his thumbs.

Emma shrugged, tossing her head back so she was looking back up into his ocean deep eyes.  She noticed a tiny scar on the side of his face and wondered how he had come to mar his beautifully handsome face.  Maybe one day she would ask him.

“Maybe one day I will,” Emma smiled sweetly.  “Maybe one day we can sit and forget the world together.”

Killian smiled softly and gave her elbows a gentle squeeze.  “Maybe I’d like that.”