#kaysanova's not far

[artmill-danaan]

D23. Celestial. Or as I like to call that one: Niké(y) coming down from the Heavens

Dedicated to @shadowen for her incredible fanfiction "Goddess of Victory" who completely inspired that drawing.

And also, Luca Marinelli's Roberta which, so sweet!

[andrea-lyn]

wip wednesday, where I ramble about my current list (and all have been worked on within the last ten days, so go me):

outlander old guard time traveller's kaysanova - 22k and the first scene is close to being done, but it's also over 40 pages and idk how to actually like, post this? because the first chapter alone is a fic, so ... ideas welcome

zukka big bang - goal is to finish a scene a month, and I finished scene 1 last week. so scene 2 is may, scene 3 is june, and I finish it up in july with time to spare!

zukka prince & the turtleduck, which is a take on the disney movie, and will get occasional love, but not focus until ...

the time travel zukka is done. this is getting the most love with the goal to be done soon, but there's a raven cycle piece that'll get finished first bc it's a short one

said piece is basically sarchengsy antics told through adam's pov with ronan contribution. if it gets past 2k, I'll be shocked, and will prob get done in a few weeks if I work on it, lol

then there's a come dine with me roy/jamie celebrity au thing that will also be short and sweet once I get to it

annnnd hey, there's a malex fic! it's 1500 words so far! it's a prompt I wrote in my tumblr fills and decided to make into a full fledged thing

then in terms of things I want to start:

something for zukka week - tbd?

there's a genie fic idea I have that has no attached fandom. might end up zukka, might end up something else? idk

and there's the ever-present hanahaki idea that needs a fandom, but nothing fits and I want to write it so bad, but nothing has made sense

and then, idk, but there's two cherik WIPs I abandoned and I'm just like '....but what if I come back to them'. One is probably a non-starter (princess diaries-esque au) but the other (which includes alex/darwin as secondary pairing) might have some legs

(wip word count = 66,081 ... at least I know I'm still verbose)

[astrabear]

1, 3, 5, 9 for ao3 wrapped!!!

So many! Ok, let's get to it.

How many words have you written this year? I'm going to fudge a little and go with "how many words have I published this year" because life is too short to spend time worrying about which of my WIPs I worked on in 2022. In 2023 I published 39,153 words on Ao3.

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? The Bronze Age, of course! I first got the idea for that fucker nearly two entire years ago. The brainstorming! The research! The editing and rewrites! And I think I actually said something with it, you know? About Andy, and her life, and her future. What a life like hers might look like. I haven't been writing fic all that long (just since fall 2021) and I never imagined I could pull off something like this until I actually did it. (Not just the length - it took me a while to feel like I could write Andy even in short fics, because she's so far outside human comprehension.)

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? I was kind of bummed about the level of engagement with The Bronze Age, so when I posted First Instar I tried to keep my expectations modest. Non-kaysanova fics get much less of a response, and First Instar is gen and Nile POV. But it got so much love! And several of the comments were specifically about things I'd done differently from popular fanon, which I'd been worried about getting pushback on. So that was very gratifying and affirming.

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? I pretty much only write canon-compliant Old Guard fic, which has a limited number of pairings. But in the Bronze Age I got to throw in a bit of Andy/Quynh/Lykon, and that was a ton of fun. Of course, there's very little canon characterization of Quynh and none of Lykon, and basically nothing showing how the three of them interact, so there's a lot of freedom there. I really enjoyed it and I love how it turned out.

Fic writers year in review questions

[immortal-x-mortal-tourney]

Congratulations to all battle couples who've made it this far!

Now... SEMIFINALS!

Harumichi VS Sukka

Beauyasha VS Hikaren

And simultaneously, the final of the loser's bracket (Soriku VS Kaysanova) which will also last a week!

(also possibly a bonus poll where I the mod pit my obscure fave battle couples against each other)

[energievie]

BETA READS

la petite mort (The Old Guard, Book of Nile, E, 5.4k)

I Thought I Knew You (The Old Guard, Kaysanova, M, 8.6k)

To Build A Home (The Old Guard, Kaysanova, M, 15.1k)

take me to your river (The Old Guard, Book of Nile, M, 15.3k)

le coeur ne vieillit pas (The Old Guard, Book of Nile, T, 3.9k)

One Hundred Hours (without you here) (Shameless, Gallavich, T, 5.5k)

Youth of the Nation (The Old Guard, Kaysanova, T, 2.2k)

a different kind of tension (the kind that's fun) (The Old Guard, Kaysanova, E, 10.5k)

Trich (The Old Guard, Andromaquynh, G, 4.1k)

Staying Alive (Voltron, Keith/Shiro, T, 1.8k)

Love Hurts (Shameless, Gallavich, T, <1k)

By Your Side (Shameless, Gallavich, T, <1k)

Classroom Temptation (Shameless, Gallavich, E, 3.8k)

He Is Not You (Shameless, Gallavich, E, 4.3k)

the light of you (spills through my fingers) (Honkai: Star Rail, Blade/Luocha, E, 4k)

Renaissance (original fiction, M, 2.4k)

Cat Scratch Fever (Boku No Hero Academia, DabiHawks, E, 3.8k)

The Supernatural Predicament (original fiction, T, 1.4k)

Salt in Your Heart (Harry Potter, Wolfstar, T, 3.4k)

Jealous Flowers (Better Call Saul, McWexler, NR, 4.9k)

Troubled Tulips (Better Call Saul, Lacho, M, 5k)

Treat You Better (Shameless, Gallavich, E, 11k)

A Filled Cup is Never Full (Nu: Carnival, Daster & Kuya/Tanuki, E, 3.3k)

Goodbye Max (Better Call Saul, Lalo/Gus, M, 1.7k)

a life without your light (Good Omens, Aziraphale/Crowley, T, 5k)

i need a human's touch (but you don't need me) (Nu: Carnival, Blade/Huey, E, 1.8k)

Nervous to Admit to Being Normal (Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), no ship, T, <1k)

Sea Foam (Star Trek, Kirk/Spock/Bones, NR, 7.8k)

Coming Closer (Then Running Away) (Kamen Rider Gotchard, Geryon/Mami, T, <1k)

Blue Skies; Blue Waters: Traveling Staples (Pokémon, Gen, T, ~6.6k, chapter 2)

old familiar (Nu: Carnival, Quincy & Rei, G, 3k)

I know baby, no attachment (Shameless, Gallavich, G, 2.9k - ongoing)

Mercury in Retrograde (Stray Kids, K-pop RPF, M)

Popsicle Seduction (Shameless, Gallavich, E, <1k)

Yaobikuni Holds Her Breath (Ensemble Stars!!, Gen, T, 4.7k)

wintersweet (Ensemble Stars!!, Gen, T, 2.9k)

Nacho’s Accidental Confession (Better Call Saul, Lacho, M, 3.6k)

Heaven Isn't Too Far Away (Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Entertainment RPF, Shara, M, 70k)

Where Do You Think You're Going? (Kamen Rider OOO, Ankh/Eiji, G, <1k)

at the ruined altar of desire, i offer you my heart. [chapter 1] (Our Life: Beginnings & Always, Baxter Ward/MC, E, 1.1k,)

I Dream Of You (Kamen Rider Gotchard, Spamina, M, 1.9k)

Digital Anthology Entry (Trigun, Kniveswood, G, 3k)

Cruel to You (original fiction, E, 3.3k)

Kidnapped at Christmas (Shameless, Gallavich, M, 11.6k)

The Buoyant Stag (Biohazard | Resident Evil, Leon/Chris, Leon/OC Monster, E, 3.3k)

For a While (The Hobbit x The Chronicles of Narnia, Gen, T, 2.9k)

---

[luminarai]

inspired by italians screaming at ‘food hack’ videos online and the monstrosities lurking within the freezer section of my local german discount supermarkt

(joe doesn’t speak to nile for like 2 days after this. not because he’s mad but because he almost had a heart attack in a lidl)

[krimsnkramsart]

for @fadagaski´s amazing story "Conviction" - a Joe, Nicky & Booker mission fic which is a prequel to the movie 💕

[marwankenzarisgaylittleearring]

can’t you help it, thinking of me? by GayLittleEarring, captainsthve chapters: 3/3 (now completed!) word count: 31538

summary: Joe’s life was going pretty swell. He had an education that was mostly fun, a supportive, loving friend group, even several big career opportunities in his near future. The only thing that was missing was an insufferable Italian-American baker Joe could let drive him fucking crazy. On the other hand, Joe could simply let Nicky fuck him crazy, too. 

 OR: Joe is a tired art student and Nicky di Genova Brooklyn is the most insufferable man he’s ever met. He’s hot, though.

[coffeebeannate]

Fandom: The Old Guard (Movies and Comics)

Pairing: Kaysanova

Rating: Teen and Up (T)

Summary: Joe and NIcky have a special pen. With that pen comes their memories, love, and everything in between.--Basically, a soft skin writing/calligraphy fic, so to speak.

Note: Part 2 of what I’m calling the “Nothing So” series. “Nothing So Holy” was the first fic.

[golden-aire-girl]

Where is are all the soulmate Joe x Nicky AU’s? 

The red string of fate 

The matching tattoos (Traveling together for months before they notice their shared birthmark/soul mark)

The name tattoo (Imagine a name written on your body in a langauge of your enemy?! Come on guys)

First sentence tattoo (’die heathen?’ ‘didn’t I already kill you?’ ‘stay dead, demon’ Come ooooon. If fandom insists on writing Nicky as the guiltiest Catholic to have ever existed, that’s a pretty solid reason to be guilty for the first 300 years)

The black and white gives way to color (this one particularly feels like it has a ton of opportunity because their vision flickers from color to black & white with every death)

Shared Injuries - the h/c writes itself

Shared emotions

Any and all soulmate AU’s (and recs) are welcome. 

[mother-of-hedgehogs]

I LOVE IT SO MUCH 😍😍 LOOK HOW CUTE THEY ARE!!!

RI YOU ARE AMAZING, MI AMOR 😭❤

Nicolò x Yusuf circa 1099 (Crusade Era)

(Aka Joe and Nicky as Alberto and Luca from Disney/Pixar movie "Luca")

[katesbridgerton]

Enemies to lovers 2 for kaysanova pretty please!!! I love your writing, it’s so good

Anon, thank you so much for the compliment and for enjoying what I write. I hope you like this one too. 😊

enemies to lovers prompts list: 2. “i will try to mend the scars that i created”

Nicolò could never have imagined that one of his favourite views was going to be the man he thought was his enemy for so long sleeping. All his other favourite views are connected to said person too. Not that he will ever tell him that. He already hurt Yusuf enough for a lifetime.

He can't help but wonder, though, how it would be to remove the curl that falls on Yusuf's forehead or brush his fingers against Yusuf's while they walk side by side. Maybe even touch Yusuf's lips with his own. He shakes his head, trying to dismiss the thought, then turns to the river; it's a beautiful view... not as beautiful as Yusuf.

Nicolò stands up, hiding his face behind his hands. He is cursed. The curse of falling in love with the one person he can never have.

“Are you alright?” a sleepy voice asks. When Nicolò looks at him, he has to contain a scream in the back of his throat. Yusuf is magnificent.

“Yes, I'm. I'm just scanning the territory,” he lies, the truth is that apart from loving to watch Yusuf, Nicolò is scared that he might say something while he is asleep (because of course Nicolò had to talk during his sleep).

“You can rest,” Yusuf rubs his eyes. “I think we're out of danger's way tonight.”

“I'll keep watching,” he reassures. 

Yusuf sits down, leaning his back against the tree and yawns, before focusing his pleading brown eyes on Nicolò.

“What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird for the past few days.”

“I'm just-” he takes a deep breath. “I will try to mend the scars that I created. I'm trying to, but I still have a lot of work to do.”

“Are you talking about me?”

Nicolò nods, switching his attention back to the river, he doesn't have the strength or courage to stare at Yusuf right now. He's caught by surprise when a hand touches one of his shoulders; he turns around. He’s now facing Yusuf. 

“I don't think I ever said it out loud, but I forgive you for everything. I hope you can forgive me too.”

Nicolò can't resist, he touches Yusuf's cheek, caressing it slowly with his thumb. 

“I have nothing to forgive you for.”

“I killed you,” he chuckles. “Many times.”

“To defend yourself, your people and your land that I was trying to steal,” Nicolò takes his hand off him, for a second he can swear he hears Yusuf whining. Maybe he's getting delusional. “I think I should go. I already caused you too much harm.”

“What about trying to mend the scars?” Yusuf asks confused.

“Maybe you'll recover faster if I'm far away,” Nicolò answers unsure.

“But I thought- I thought you were- um, never mind,” he pouts

Nicolò hates himself. Hates that he's the one responsible for Yusuf’s sad expression and eyes full of unshed tears.

“What did you think? Tell me,” he begs, even though he knows he has no right to do so. He takes one step closer, feeling Yusuf's breath against his own. “Please.”

It's written all over Yusuf's face or maybe Nicolò is reading too much into it, maybe his heart is playing a trick. It's wishful thinking, he tries to convince himself as he takes another step to close the space between their mouths. He's expecting a harsh reaction, but Yusuf deepens the kiss.

"This? Is this what you thought?" Nicolò asks.

Yusuf kisses him again. If this is a dream, Nicolò hopes he never wakes up.

[loflight501]

✨get to know me better meme✨

i was tagged by the lovely: @amiddaysun

3 ships: Kaysanova (Joe/Nicky), Kenzarelli, The Corinthian/Carl (Sandman)

first ever ship: Joe/Nicky, I'm rather new to fandom stuff

last song: It Feels Like Christmas from a Muppet's Christmas Carol

last movie: Also Glass Onion!

currently reading: Cribsheet by Emily Oster (strongly recommend all of her books)

currently watching: Ghosts

currently consuming: I had mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts for dinner (don't judge me, I currently have a meat aversion)

currently craving: Milk, potatoes, clementines (I'm pregnant and those are the least weird cravings I've had so far)

tagging: @nkp1981 @thatpratdragonlady @pigsinablanketfort @snipergirl21 @goldheartedsky

[spacewitchqueen]

Hi! Really enjoy your writing, first time popping up here to say that 😬😁 could you try with #29 of the intimacy prompts? Hope you have a nice day/weekend!

Thank you! I kept re-reading your sweet message, it made me really happy. I hope you like this 💗

A/N: I tried to mix this up a bit. I remembered a post about international settings that mentioned a couple of specific details, I tried to use those. Also, I’m not always a fan of shutting someone up with a kiss but I hope the reading here is not ‘will you shut up already?’ but rather ‘you’re upset and I’m kissing you to make you feel better’ because kaysanova is love <3 

29. Kisses when they’re mad

It’s getting late. Joe checks the time again and can’t help but frown. It’s not that he’s worried about Nicky; their current mission —gathering intel about a shady businessman by befriending his son— is not actually dangerous. Joe would go as far as to say it’s almost boring. And yet, he could also say they’re enjoying it.

Nicky is doing the shadowing. The businessman’s son is in med school and Nicky jumped at the chance to kill two birds with one stone: following their target and re-learning a thing or two. Joe had agreed to that, it gave him time to wander around the big city and visit its many museums.  

According to Nicky, the campus is like a city in itself with thousands of students. It sounds challenging, but they have tracked people in worse conditions, it shouldn’t be too hard.

Another hour goes by and still no word from Nicky. Joe checks his phone in case he accidentally had it muted but there are no missed calls or unread texts.  

Finally, three hours after Joe expected him, Nicky walks into their safehouse soaking wet, dripping from head to toe and, judging by the expression on his face, ready to murder someone.

“Nicky? What-” Joe stands up from the table and starts walking towards him but Nicky raises a hand to stop him. Joe cocks his head, he knows it’s best to let Nicky be when he’s angry. “I’m glad you’re home, what took you so long?”

“I walked.” 

Joe raises an eyebrow. “Did you get lost?”

Nicky huffs indignant. “Of course not. Even if I didn’t know Spanish, it is literally impossible to get lost in the subway, just follow the pictures. But it started raining.”

Joe just stares at Nicky, not quite understanding how the rain would make him three hours late. Nicky shrugs off his jacket, trailing water all over the linoleum floor, and grabs a dish towel to dry his hair. “The subway flooded. Trains were packed. I wanted to wait but I realized it wasn’t going to get any better and anyway, when I tried to turn around the crowd just carried me, that was sort of fun.”

“Fun?” Joe asks, uncertain if he’d misheard.

“Yeah,” Nicky sighs. “But people just kept getting in and since it made no sense to stay on the subway, I thought I’d get off and call you to come pick me up. Only when I tried to do that, I noticed my phone and my wallet were gone. I wanted to laugh, no one had pickpocketed me in nearly two centuries. Then, I pulled out my backup phone and the battery was dead.”

“Oh, Nicky!” Joe has to bite his lip to stop himself from smirking but his shoulders shaking give him away. He closes the distance between them and rests his forehead against Nicky’s. Joe is laughing openly now.

“I’m hungry, I’m cold, I was robbed and I lost the target. Do not start with me.”

Joe cups Nicky’s face and brings their lips together, playfully at first, kissing the corners of Nicky’s mouth; then softly, barely moving and finally with all the passion that they inspire in each other even after all this time. 

If anyone were to ask Joe —and sometimes even if no one does—, Joe would say Nicky’s lips taste different when he’s angry. Spicy. Joe would never make him mad on purpose but if someone else has already managed to get Nicky in a bad mood, Joe will gladly kiss it away.

[reginamillls]

43 + kaysanova

you both reach for the last umbrella in the store on a rainy day

this is going to be a prequel to this mascarade/assasins andromaquynh drabble 

Yusuf stares out at the gloomy London weather with a heavy sigh. The chilled grey skies and relentless rain made him long for home, but they had a job to do and Yusuf wasn’t going to leave when so many people needed his help.  So he allows himself a moment of melancholy.  When he’s ready to go, Yusuf gets up from one of the velvet couches in the lobby and makes his way to the door. The hotel they were staying at accommodated its guests with umbrellas free to take, which was the least they could do to apologize for being in the most dreary place Yusuf has ever had the misfortune of staying in. 

The umbrellas are in a stylish vase, expensive-looking to the untrained eye but Yusuf knew a fake, and he goes to reach for the last one when his arm brushes against a stranger’s.  “My apologies,” Joe says, at the same time the man says “Scusi.”  “You’re far from home,” Joe tells the stranger in Italian with a smile, looking up to see a handsome man with striking eyes looking at him in surprise.  “What can I say, I came for the weather,” The man says with a sigh, glaring out the windows like Yusuf had been earlier. Yusuf laughs at the man’s dramatics and that makes the man smile slightly.  He takes a moment to look over at the other man. He was only slightly shorter than Yusuf himself but just as broad in the shoulders. His hair fell in soft waves that tucked behind his ears, and Yusuf took note of the distinct mole on his clean-shaven jaw.  The stranger was exactly his type.  Too bad Joe was here in this godforsaken city for business and not pleasure.  “Take the umbrella I insist,” Yusuf says as he takes the umbrella from its stand and offers it to the man, tapping the tip of it against the case of his cello beside him. “I’d hate for your instrument to get ruined before you have a chance to play.”  “That’s very kind,” The man says, and accepts the umbrella, lifting his case and adjusting its weight, holding out his hand for Yusuf. He accepts it and can feel calluses on the man’s strong fingers and Joe can imagine him sitting behind his cello in perfect concentration, his fingers dancing along the strings as his other hand holds his bow in precise strokes.  Yusuf can also imagine his hand holding something else with precise strokes.  “Joseph,” He says, giving the stranger his pseudo name for this current job. In the back of his mind, he can imagine Andromache’s frustrated sigh. “Nico,” The man replies with a sincere smile that felt private like he was genuinely pleased to learn Yusuf’s fake name. It stirred a familiar doubt in Yusuf, about what he did for a living and how that restricted him from making connections.  His life was simply too dangerous and there was no place for a handsome musician.  Nico and he make some small talk, but they’re interrupted by Big Ben ringing in the new hour, and Nico apologizes, saying he had to make it to practice. He thanks Yusuf again for the umbrella, and walks out the door, looking back briefly to wave goodbye at Yusuf.  “Who was your friend?” Andromache asks, coming into view. Yusuf had caught her at the corner of his eye a few moments earlier and he wasn’t surprised by her question. She’s giving him a curious look, her lips upturned in an amused smile, but her eyes look concerned. They’ve had this conversation before, about how their lifestyle stops them from creating relationships, and how Yusuf struggled with that.  “Just another missed opportunity,” Yusuf answers, looking back out into the drab city of London, the rain pouring more steady now.  He hopes the musician keeps his instrument dry. 

[sixth-light]

teaser from the modern marriage of (in)convenience/not-quite-Princess-Diaries Kaysanova fic, which is a thing that is happening:

The wedding had been small: Joe’s family were there, but Nicky – Joe had known this, sort of, but not thought about it too hard – wasn’t really in touch with his.

“It’s…a long story,” he said. “I’d invite my brother Marco but he lives in New York, and I don’t think he could make it.”

“You can tell me about it, when you’re ready,” Joe said, taking both of Nicky’s hands in his.

He knew some things: that Nicky had four older siblings, three of them half-siblings, that he’d grown up in Genoa, a small principality that had never been absorbed into unified Italy, that he didn’t get on with his family, for unspecified reasons that Joe didn’t have to guess very hard at. You couldn’t be queer, even in the Netherlands, even now, and not know someone with that story.

“Thank you,” Nicky said, squeezing Joe’s hands like they were a lifeline. “I will be, one day, I promise.”

“What if he’s just marrying you for your money?” Booker had asked.

“Oh, yes, my untold riches,” Joe had scoffed. His job didn’t pay that well, and his parents were a university lecturer and a businesswoman turned politician; not exactly working-class, but not exactly what you’d call marrying for money for a medical professional, either.

“You don’t have a student loan – that’s a good start,” said Nile, which was an extremely American thing to say.

“He’s not hard up for money,” Joe said. “I always have to argue to get him to split the bill. It’s definitely not that.”

“Worth thinking about,” Booker had shrugged, but ultimately conceded the point.

To be fair, Joe did know there were some things Nicky wasn’t quite telling him. It wasn’t just his insistence on paying more than his fair share of the bills. He was unconcerned about them in a way that you could only be if you’d never had to worry about it in your life. And he’d once or twice let slip a comment about the Dutch royal family that made it very clear he’d met some of them personally, and hadn’t considered it a notable occasion.

Joe’s private bet was that Nicky’s family were some sort of minor Genoese nobility who were particularly snobbish about their youngest son being gay and – as far as Joe could tell – genuinely happier working in an emergency room, dealing with people at some of the worst points in their lives, than doing…whatever it was that minor nobility did. But as far as Joe was concerned, the whole thing was a joke anyway. It didn’t matter to him who Nicky’s ancestors had been. What mattered was Nicky, who was kind, and thoughtful, and relentlessly committed to doing the right thing, including his share of the dishes. Really, what else did you need to know that someone was a keeper?