#ohhhh a Thought... writing it down for future use

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

fantasy au whiteboard scribbles <3

[linkedspirit-fanartfunart]

This is the most useless random writing bit but it was an idea and I had to do it. Gosh why are there so many characters though. XD

Link's Favorite Item

-

The group of Links had settled for the night, settled by a fire. Smith prodded it occasionally, ensuring it stayed bright and fed. Glider sat beside it, eyes halfway to glazing over as they watched the flickering flames. Sky seemed halfway to dozing off while Wind and Forest had started some sort of silent face making contest. While Ordon and the Spirit had left to walk around the campsite.

Rinku was working on a device of some sort, ratcheting pieces of metal together with furrowed brows. The Engineer was watching intently, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. Rinku ignored him in favor of her focus on the work.

"Say..." Hope started as he propped himself against Rinku's back. She glanced up momentarily to glare forward. Sky stifled a laugh. "What's everyone's favorite tools of the trade?" He asked, grinning. "I'll go first. Best thing to exist is the Magical Sword."

"That's boring, anything other than a sword or shield!" chimed Wind, hands moving sharp and quick.

Hope stuck his tounge out at him and he laughed. She sighed, thinking for a moment longer, "The Clock, then. ...man I miss the clocks."

Forest tilted his head, squinting, "Why are clocks important for you?"

"Oh, they stopped time for a bit. I could just do whatever until moving on. It was nice."

"Where did you get THAT?" Forest demanded.

"Monsters dropped em" Hope shrugged, "OK Rinku's turn." Forest gaped at the redirection, clearly still wanting to interrogate him about the time stopping clocks.

Rinku huffed, "Too many and too many different reasons for them to decide."

"Oh come onnnnn," Hope whined, "Pick the first one that comes to mind!"

She glanced down at what she was working on and raised the half done device. "Switch Hook."

"Oh!" The Engineer gasped, "That sounds cool."

"What's a switch hook do?" Sky asked, leaning to look.

"You switch places with what you shoot with the hook." She shrugged, "I lost my old one. I'm trying to make a new one..."

"Absolutely incredible, you must be brilliant" Hope cheered, leaning his face close to hers. Rinku's face flushed, and she shoved a hand in his face making him squawk.

Engie giggled and spoke up, "Can I count my train?"

"HA, if I can't pick my sword, you can't pick your train. We all know you're the train kid."

Engie sighed, pouting as he thought some more.

"Hyoi Pear!!" Wind offered with a grin. He signed, "I can use them to control seagulls."

Rinku snapped her attention to him with wide eyes, "Excuse me?"

"That's my thing." Hope complained lightly.

"The seagulls don't mind it too much. They're mostly there for the free food." Wind said, "Plus, who wouldn't wanna fly around like a bird."

Sky nodded sagely, and Smith shook their head quickly.

"Okay, okay, I've got it." Engineer announced, "The whip!"

Several heads turned toward Engineer with varying levels of surprise and confusion.

"...What?" He muttered awkwardly, "It's a good multi-use tool. I could attach it to wood bars some birds would hold to, and it'd fly me around. Wind's thing reminded me of it."

"Ohhhh" whispered Glider.

"I expected some sort of high-tech future gadget..." mumbled Forest with a slight pout.

"I'm the one with those." Glider said with a laugh, "My favorite is the slate. Of course."

"Yeah, you're so obsessed with the thing you won't let anybody else touch it." Rinku mumbled.

"It's important and I don't need anybody messing with the settings." They huffed.

"Favorite part of the slate then." Forest demanded, smiling.

Glider hummed, leaning backward and looking at the sky. "Bombs." He concluded.

"Bombs? Dang it! I should've gone with bombs." Hope complained.

"Endless bombs."

"You can't be serious." Smith said.

"No way!" Forest shouted.

"Oh come, on why is all your stuff so cool." Engineer grumbled.

"On Hylia, how-?" Sky whispered.

"Who’s helping me steal that thing?" Wind laughed.

Rinku shook her head, though she gave a very inquisitive look at the slate.

Glider laughed, "Still not letting any of you touch it."

"Well, excuseee us for being interested in the most interesting thing you have."

"What about you, Sky? You mentioned that your time had ancient tech, too." Glider deflected.

"Oh! Er. Well there's the Beetle."

"A bug?" Smith asked, raising a brow.

"It's like a flying machine?" He scratched his head, and gestured to show its size, "it's shaped like a beetle and it gives me a view of what it sees and can pick things up."

"Now I want to see it," Glider said with a light pout.

"Can we?" Rinku asked, tilting her head.

"I don't have it with me... I would've if I knew I was going to wind up traveling across- well. Everywhere." Sky chuckled, shrugging.

"Well, I like the Pegasus boots." Smith offered, stomping on the ground twice to showcase the boots he was wearing.

"Oh those are useful," Rinku said with a nod.

"Or- well actually maybe the fire rod..." He mumbled, eyes flickering red. Va shook his head, frowning, eyes turning green, "Actually, the roc cape was really useful... fighting a wind mage and all..... or no! No," blue overtook green with a gesture of his fist, "The power bracelet!"

"OH just pick one!" Hope huffed. Rinku reached up to flick his ear. Hope squeaked, finally leaning up off her.

"They were all useful for different things!" Smith complained, sighing. "Hmm. I guess my favorite thing as a kid was the Kinstones."

"What are those?" Forest asked.

"They're magic tokens that you could match with people, and lucky things would happen.... they were a bit of a fad," Smith said with a shrug.

"Ohhhh that sounds fun." Engie mumbled. "I like matching games."

"What about matching games?" Ordon's voice picked up. Hero's Spirit followed after and settled to float beside Sky, tilting their head.

"Hope asked us what our favorite items were." Sky explained.

"Smith got magic stones to match with other people in his time!" Engineer said.

"Oh! Sounds interesting."

"What's your favorite?" asked Forest.

"Oh, hm." Ordon muttered, brows pinched "Fishing rod?" He offered tentatively.

"What?" Hope spat, "I know you're a fluffy farm dog, but at least pick something worthy of adventuring with!"

"Fishing is just fine of a thing to like," Rinku defended with a light glare back at Hope.

"Oh no I can think of something more adventurous," Ordon mumbled, "eh....the Dominion Rod was fun?"

"What does it do?" Wind asked.

"Let me control certain statues. Mostly just walk em around." He said, "not the most generalizable tool, but fun."

"You are. So boring." Hope muttered.

"Y'all are welcome." Ordon said with a smile.

The group giggled.

"I think other than the Spirit, the only one who hasn't answered now is Forest."

"Oh! Oh..." Forest frowned, pensive as he considered. "Well."

"No pressure, really," Sky said with a light smile.

Forest crossed his arms, "No, I know it. It's the Ocarina." He said eventually. "It is the single most important tool throughout the entire time I've traveled."

Hero glanced at him, their face changing to look like Forest, then an older version of him. Then they flickered to look like a much younger Smith, and a small pink haired Rinku, and back to their self. "Ocarinas tend to be important, don't they?"

"Why do you say that?" Engineer asked, glancing at Smith and Rinku.

"Oh, they just. Keep coming up in my head." They shifted to look like Engineer, clad in green, then Sky and eventually Hope, small and pensive, "Musical instruments in general, really."

A small quiet pause settled through the space. Hope, the usual one to interrupt silence, stared at the echo of his smaller self.

"Huh." Glider eventually huffed, just to fill the space. "Actually, Hero, what about you? Out of all the things you can recall, what's your favorite item?"

The Hero shook their head to clear their mind, shifting back to normal. "Oh boy. I don't really know I- ....wait. Why did so many of you have boomerangs? They're not even useful half the time."

A flurry of noise broke out at once. Rinku snorted. Hope flailed his arms, complaining as if it was a stupid question. Engineer and Wind both laughed. Ordon mumbled something about monkeys and fairies that only Sky seemed to have paid attention to, eyes going wide. Glider just shrugged.

Ultimately, Hero never really answered the question.

[moodymisty]

“Honestly, I imagine that Traitor Primarch is Lorgar. But there's caveats I'll touch on when I get there”

I would like to add onto that and say that the biggest caveat to dating Lorgar is probably that you’ll be interacting with Kor Phaeron. You’ve written about that in some of your Lorgar fics, and I just know that despite Lorgar telling him to not talk about it (or especially, mention it around you) he would haaaaate the reader so much.

It’s almost like he’s linking up to a warp hivemind of every toxic mother/father-in-law that has ever existed. He can’t be mean to you directly, because Lorgar will find out. He can’t kill you, because Lorgar would definitely know that he did it. So he has to just sit there and watch as his son falls even deeper in love with someone who adores him and genuinely cares for him, while he’s left to sulk in the background (As he should).

Perhaps Lorgar decides to take you on a low-risk diplomatic mission of some kind. And perhaps he suggests that you should be present while he speaks to the leaders of that planet. He gives you the finest of clothing to wear, which turns out, matches his own! Except his is a bit more intricate, you surmise it’s because he’s got to be the center of attention. The cuffs of his sleeves are decorated with beadwork, golden bracelets and necklaces adorn his form, rolls of scripture hang off the side of his belt. But the thing you’re most entranced by is the beautiful veil he’s decided to wear, the fabric’s wonderful colour that’s complimented by the intricate embroidery woven into it, the embroidered script glittering in the light like stars in the night sky. You can’t parse out what it means though, so you conclude it must have some sort of religious significance.

You don’t know what it means. But you know who does? Phaeron. And he’s far more acquainted with Colchisian traditions than you are. So when his son not only arrives to a diplomatic mission with you in tow, but also wearing clothing with writing that very famously symbolises future engagement and marriage?! Ohhhh he’s beyond pissed. He’s going to have a long talk (shouting match) with Lorgar after this, wherein Lorgar will make the very solid argument that he is an adult and can choose to do whatever he wants with his life, even if that involves marrying someone that his father doesn’t approve of. (Kor Phaeron is now planning on wearing white to your wedding)

It may be a sci-fi romance to you. But to Kor Phaeron it’s a sci-fi tragedy. And to the astartes that bear witness to this situation it’s a comedy that’s been running for multiple seasons. “Hey everyone! Check out how grandpa punched a hole in the wall after being told that he can’t talk shit about our father’s spouse!”

Oh hey, you hit the button inside my mind that said LORGAR THOUGHTS DON'T TOUCH, so now I get to go apeshit.

Sorry in advance :3

Everything in this is GN!Reader apart from one use of the word 'temptress'

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I feel like given Kor Phaeron and how much he tried (and honestly succeeded) to mold Lorgar into the perfect vessel for his own ambitions, he would not take Lorgar having another voice in his ear sitting down.

At first he might 'entertain' the idea because he thinks that Lorgar will eventually grow bored and you'll get thrown to the wayside- that's he's just experimenting with the frivolity that is love and he'll get over it. But when he doesn't, when he listens to you more and more, perhaps he starts even venting to you, walking through what he needs to do next, and you're given the opportunity to plant seeds of doubt in his mind (you're just being nice and comforting him, but with Kor Phareon's mind being warped by his own delusions he cannot see something as simple as selflessness) he's not going to stand for that.

Kor Phaeron is one of those 'i will use my son as a puppet to be ruler', types as he instilled Lorgar with a god complex, but he also knows that there would be a massive riot from Colchis if he ever took over. So he rules from the background, and he won't let anyone, especially someone who's becoming the figurative apple of Lorgar's eye get in the way.

Meanwhile throughout all of Kor Phaeron's internal meltdowns and scheming, Lorgar is thriving. This guy is absolutely head of heels in love, and can't spend more than a waking moment apart from you. It's not fading either, as over time you rise higher and higher in rank, closer to Lorgar, and while you may not have any official place or title, people have begun uttering the word consort.

While he has been very vocal to anyone who can listen and the Astartes underneath him, any time he tries to instill doubts they largely don't stick. Whispers of Temptress spread largely from Kor Phaeron's most steadfast loyalists, but not enough to take a significant root that he can garden.

Throughout all of this as you've implied Kor Phaeron will not shut up about this, and will constantly try to 'right' Lorgar. Get him to abandon these insane ideas. If he want's someone to just keep his bed warm then that's Lorgar's personal business, but things like marriage? The stunt he pulled on that planet? Bringing you to a diplomatic meeting, drowning you in gifts? He's going to pop a neural link during the screaming match that inevitably ensues.

But I think that most of the Word Bearers would be pretty on board with Lorgar's significant other. I think that they have faith in their sovereign picking someone who is 'worthy' of him. And it's been established that the Word Bearer Astartes interact with baseline humans a decent bit, so it's not as if they're one of the more pompous of the chapters. I mean they are, they're Astartes, but in comparison to other chapters.

So most ill will isn't necessarily coming from them. They're pleasant to be around, and you enjoy them. They seem to feel the same, at least on a surface level. (So they'll for sure defend you or your name from grandpa Kor Phaeron's absolutely unhinged schemes)

There will definitely be some who are displeased however, particularly ones close to Kor Phaeron. So perhaps you should be careful.

-- Anyways, here's a drabble. No warnings apart from Kor Phaeron being a turbodouche. Apologies I only reread this once during a communications class.

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The entire Fidelitas Lex can feel it.

The tension.

Lorgar Aurelian is on the bridge watching Colchis come closer as they dock, and Kor Phaeron stands not far away. He watches as well, and both of them sport the same neutral expression that poorly veils their true emotions underneath.

They are both furious, overwhelmingly hot faced, but don't say a single word. To each other nor anyone around them. The air between them, that Primarch aura emanating unfettered rage barely held in check, has even the servitors swaying their paths to give them a good breadth of space.

Lorgar turns to leave, and return to the fortress he calls his home. Kor Phaeron follows behind roughly ten minutes later, the only noise he makes being the whirs of his armor and a sharp cough.

Lorgar arrives at his personal writing room first, looking out the window. He knows what's coming, he can hear the footsteps; The ones that sound different from the Astartes, about seven minutes after he arrived here. He had seven minutes of time alone.

The door opens, and closes with a sharp slam. Lorgar turns his head just enough to look over his shoulder at his pater, of whom is pursing his lips and trying to find the right words. He always chooses his words carefully, particularly when speaking to his surrogate son. His mercurial nature has never changed, and part of him wonders if it was instilled in him from his creation.

"You..."

He doesn't stammer, but stops to take a breath and keep his hands firmly to his sides instead of erupting into a fury of words and insults. As much as he might desire to.

I do not know where I could've gone wrong with you-" Lorgar can think of more than a few ways. Kor Phaeron raises his shoulders with a sharp intake of breath and continues.

"But that, stunt, was inane. You bring shame to the entire L-" Lorgar interrupts him and throws his hand as if trying to brush away his words.

"You do not dare tell me I bring shame to my own Legion. I have done nothing but what I thought was right."

Kor Phaeron sharply exhales through his nose. Even since Lorgar fell in love- at least he assumes that's what Lorgar thinks this is- he's been uncontrollable. Before he could offer his advice, his guidance to help him steer his legion, his Gospel, but now he acts as if he's just that lost young boy again.

"No; You did want you wanted. If you want to toy with mortals, very well. But do not embarrass us all."

He seems to be conveniently ignoring that your good will and pleasant attitude had been very helpful in speeding along a negotiation of planetary relinquishment that had previously been at risk of falling apart at the seams. Lorgar may have a bit of a silver tongue, but he is a Primarch, and when speaking to baseline humans, sometimes another is what's needed. Then again, he can't remember a time when his pater has ever said your name, so he supposes he can't be surprised.

He remembers how perfect you'd looked, dressed in the gifts he'd given you looking like a art piece given life. When you'd smiled at him, it was like you'd set his heart ablaze. He wishes to do nothing more than to show you off to anyone who lives.

He's already doing so, and if all goes to plan, you'll be with him on his next return to Terra. It will be your first time on the jewel of the galaxy, and he's nothing but eager to show you things that only he can. Not even Kor Phaeron will stop him from marrying you, if that is what he wishes to do.

Standing fully upright Lorgar stands up to his surrogate father, not intent on being trampled like a child.

"I will do what I want in this regard. This is something I will not take your advice in."

He leaves no room for argument, and Kor Phaeron knows that if he pushes it, he'll risk tearing some of the trust he's built up. If he lets it go, he can return with another strategy at another time.

Perhaps he can go about this some other way. He won't rule out removing you from the situation if Lorgar continues to insist on tailing you like a street dog.

Lorgar knows that his father isn't done with this either, but Kor Phaeron simply gathers himself and leaves the room, passing guards in his wake.

[itsyagurlchip]

Another ROTTMNT request!!

Platonic, funny hc about the 4 brothers reacting to younger sister reader who has a gloomy/angsty personality who acts like a tragic heroin but in reality everything in her life is completely okay.

She's just a bit dramatic like leo and dee xD

☀︎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･OUr Our YEA~☀︎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

alt title; reader loves a style but does little research on it and uses pinterest as a ref

ᯓᡣ𐭩 warnings: cussing(!) cringe(!) stereotyped emos (!) crack(!)

ᯓᡣ𐭩 ngl- i feel reader w/ this one 😭😭 Thank you so much for requesting <33 btw, this is not to make fun of actual emos, you guy's aesthetic is beautiful <3 instead, this is actually written from a 2 day experience by your's truly! There is absolutely no plot in this, so if you can't follow at all I don't blame you.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 "Oh god she's blasting SleepToken again-"

kanabo; a japanese weapon similar to a spiked bat, used for offense.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!" You screamed as you slammed the door closed.

Raph stood there, stunned and confused.

"I don't get it...all Raph told her to do was to wash the dishes?" He sighed and walked away. Deeply, he was too tired for this shit and the headache he has was forming faster the more he thought about it. He needed a nap.

Meanwhile Leo and Donnie were snickering in the far corner, watching the whole ordeal go down.

"broooooo"

"That cannot be real-" Leo said, holding his gut trying not to shit on himself at the atrocity you just committed.

"Of- ha- of course it itz! I caught it on camera!" Donnie waved the evidence in the air.

The two burst into obnoxious laughter, echoing throughout the sewers.

So yea..you're a bit cringe. But who's stopping you?

You truly believed that this wasn't a phase.

And future you is looking down at you in tears.

YOU WERE ONLY ELEVEN- !

The group was fighting a tiger villian. Silly cat, he had guns. Tch, that was nothing for someone like you.

"I blast you into the abyss as dark as my soul" You said, raising your kanabo, swinging the weapon in a circular motion, aiming for your target.

"What the f-" And he got blasted. You hated how your weapon was pink...

It all started with the "pick me girl" trend.

You hated those people (despite them not even existing half the time).

So, you wanted to be different 😈

And thus, the color black was an immediate yes

Mikey, not really caring about the sudden change in his sibling's style, used you for his art inspiration! Even if you begged and begged for him to draw you with hair.

(he already sketched it, but won't tell you. he's not gonna let it go that far into your head💀)

"Turn- now pose, ohhhh! Lookin great Pink! Wooo, you got it girl!"

"The only thing I deserve to have is a dirt pit. To put myself in, not your praise."

"Oh- oh."

Looking through pinterest you found your first outfit inspo and fell in love.

While not actually having any problems, mentally or physically (from what you know), you felt like you fit into this category so well!

Your scales were black, check

You love eyeliner, check

Your siblings force you to do things that you didn't want to (chores) , check

You were all set.

All it took was a few hundred dollars from Donnie's bank and you were ready to show the world-

WHO YOU TRULY WERE 😈

"YOU'RE ALL AGAINST ME!"

"we are literally just asking you to go on this mission-"

"TO KILL ME OF COURSE! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT ME"

"okay"

They just let you sort your feelings out, poor baby.

No one actually knew when it really started

But suddenly you started to ask April for her makeup and nail polish for the first time.

And April, bless her, did so each and every time.

"Of course honeybun!"

Worst part was, you never gave it back.

"Hey, have you boys seen my makeup bag? I can't find it no where."

The boys sighed, already sick of the shenanigans, and pointed towards your room where every light was off.

Walking inside, April came in to see a singular lamp shining, with you underneath it writing inside of a black notebook.

"Hey Pink! Watcha doin sweetheart?" April nervously said, "It's pretty dark in here-"

"Writing down the names of my enemies. They need to suffer the pain I go through everyday, not only the physical- but the mental."

April wasn't really sure what you were going on about, but she spotted her makeup bag and dipped.

-

Donnie walked into your room, music blasting at goddam 3 in the morning.

"ARe yoU inSane!?!?" Donnie yelled as Ely Ottto raged over his voice.

"THIS IS THE REAL ME DONNIE! DEAL WITH ME!!!" You flipped him off, head banging as you jump up and down on the mattress. The plushies that were sitting on the bed even had black marker scribbled all over them.

This was too much damn noise! And quite frankly, very much overstimulating for this time of night for anyone to experience.

"Oh hoh hoh- no I AM NOT MISSY! YOU WILL TURN THIS MUSIC DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

"YOUR NOT MY DAD BOZO!" Like a child (*cough cough*) you blew a raspberry at him and turned the music up louder.

Donnie was twitching in anger as he disabled your speaker with a tap of a few buttons.

"I HATE YOU" You yelled, stomping towards him and pushing him out. Slamming the door, you screamed into your pillow (as if that would muffle the sound.)

Dear supreme pizza in the sky-

Oddly enough your behavior would also vary between people.

For example, you wouldn't take shit from Donnie, even if he was trying to help you, you would even go as far to make fun of him for no reason.

You would talk about your woes and suffering with April and Mikey, even when they didn't understand it half the time because it was ever on subject???

You simply just ignored Raph when he told you to do something.

And Leo, pray for his soul, would play along. Or even worse, bully you *kindly*

Leo was walking you to the park, walking with a crip like those bloxburg characters when you don't take a bath. His head was facing the concrete, set in a mock scowl, mimicking your own.

You rolled your eyes and walked faster, flipping the wig you bought.

-

Good thing it lasted for another two days, or everyone (not including Leo) would've blown their tops.

Man- had to get the rest of that brainrot out. phew~

heres part 2 btw

૮₍˶• .•⑅₎ა tags: @kittykittyanon @radicallxser @oleander-nin @towomatos @thealphagirl

૮₍˶• .•⑅₎ა @ziipzeepzop-eez @wheezdostuff @spongejuice @cyb3r-st4r @nuncscioquidsitamor-14

@voidthegod

if you would like to be added, check my blog. if you would like to be added, check my blog. SEE? I SAID IT TWICE!!

[according2thelore]

ohhhhh man now you’ve got me brooding over es!sam. it never occurred to me before that among them, he would end up feeling always the square peg in a round hole. the pride and resilience and hope he carried like medals in the first seasons gave him a sense of value and esteem, and i can’t imagine how it feels to be thrown into this inevitability where none of himself remains and in fact the bits he tries to hold onto are an irritant to the quid pro quo in a way nobody will outright honestly explain to him. rather than saving himself and his brother and the world like he thought he would at the end of it all, everywhere he looks is just another form of loss. ls!boys would lap up his es brother, the eager (and adorably naive) hunter with ideas and brawn and something to prove, so much of the same flowing through the blood of all 3 of them, but imagine the grief es!sam feels walking through the cold echoing hallways of the bunker, everything just a nauseating maelstrom of weapons and lore books and charts, no john, no mary, no jess, no wives and no children, no living friends, no presence or interest in the world he always dreamed to blend into, and nobody at his side to truly understand or feel that grief with him. and on top of that the things he feels about dean, complex and ugly and heavy to hold, have somehow been tugged out of him into the open in the future and locked behind a door he has no key to and even touching the knob burns his hand - the derision/amusement of the ls!bros even if they don’t intend it as such, the constant knowing smiles like he isn’t THEM like they don’t know how it feels and how much it suffocates him ohhhh man look what you’ve done to my poor heart with these snippets

YES!!!! ANON!!! YOU GET IT!!!!

first off, your writing is gorgeous?? holy shit?? eating all of your words they are in my mouth now i am sorry

but YES

he would def feel like the odd man out (depending on the season ES!Sam is from) because the other three love the life. they find joy and purpose and meaning in the hunt in a way sam lost. the hunt is a tool. a means to an end.

i think it wouldn't take long for LS!Sam to see the bunker, with the dozens of empty rooms--the shell of a home, only echoes and blades and the collected sum total of knowledge of people long-dead--and ask the group, "is this fucking it?"

no one knows what he's talking about (ES!Dean is so excited because he gets a kickass bunker AND a garage AND an armory AND sammy forever??), but sam is shaking because there are shirts folded in some of the empty rooms' dressers. dead men who thought they'd come back, a physical reminder of every goddamn person they've lost in the endless quest for vengeance. everything sam left for.

"is this all i fucking get?" ES!Sam snaps. "an underground crypt? no wife. no kids. no job. no fucking friends? did the hunt really fucking bury us?"

and everyone goes deadly fucking silent. LS!Dean has to leave the room because it's everything he'd always feared LS!Sam thinks. sam has always needed others more than dean does (or at least, that's what dean thinks, we literally see contradictory evidence in the show but okay). LS!Dean's afraid that sam has always resented him for the way their lives ended up, for dragging sam down with him.

and ES!Dean is crushed because this is his dream. he gets to save lives. he gets to carry dad's legacy. he gets to keep sam, all the unnecessary fluff--a mission to keep them together, girls, obligations--removed. and sam is disgusted by it.

LS!Sam just stares at ES!Sam blankly. he's annoyed with him, before something smaller, something pitying, slips into the shape of his mouth. he gets up to follow LS!Dean, leaving ES!Sam to wallow in his own sick. in this moment, Sam can't even empathize with himself.

and ES!Sam is sitting in the blast radius of his own fury. no one will look him in the eye. LS!Dean looks sick before he leaves the table. no one will answer his questions. no one even tries.

LS!Sam keeps trying to say, "this is what i want, sam. i don't mind. i love what i do, and i love doing it with dean." and all sam can hear is i gave up. i couldn't get out. i'm coping. don't destroy this glass house with a hammer because it's the only home i have left.

and ES!Sam still aches. because ES!Dean is already choosing another sam. LS!Dean looks at him like he has the power to kill him. LS!Sam looks at him like he pities him, which is the deepest cut of all.

poor sam. poor sam who doesn't want to die for this. poor sam who doesn't get us, who isn't us.

LS!Dean, ironically enough, is the closest ES!Sam gets to compassion, but it always feels like blows directed at himself. yeah. it sucks, kid. it fucking blows. i wanted you to get a wife. to get out. i...i tried. i'm sorry. it's more self-recrimination than care.

but GOD! ES!Sam goes for a run and sprints until he throws up because he sees the packed strength of LS!Dean's arms, the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. he sees the easy way LS!Sam&Dean laugh with each other, the way they talk with looks alone, the naked adoration. he sees ES!Dean and aches and aches and aches and aches and aches. he needs something he doesn't have the words for, something he's terrified to name, because does that mean that he's giving up? does that mean that he's the fucked up one--perverting this easy life that they all clearly adore?

and even the joy he finds--talking with LS!Dean in the kitchen, sparring with ES!Dean in the gym, enthusing with LS!Sam over texts--there are moments. small ones. where sam realizes that the person talking to him kind of stops, content. he's already part of this system, of this unit. sometimes the pauses feel patronizing. or excited. or so full of tension that sam is already hardening in his jeans. or sad. and it's confusing, but sam is walking down the empty hallways, passing rooms of dead men and seeking out his brother, always his brother, always.

GRAH!!! lonely ES!Sam. bitter ES!Sam. joyful ES!Sam. jealous ES!Sam. possessive ES!Sam. ES!Sam choking on the things he doesn't understand--the things he can't--that have made their lives the way they are.

thank you for this ask, anon! it was beautifully written! and now i am also thinking about this! perpetual motion machine of devouring ES!Sam whole!

-lizzy

[orangeflavoryawp]

20 questions for fic writers

Ohhhh, haven't done one of these in a while. Thanks for the tag @esther-dot <3

How many works do you have on Ao3?

On Ao3? 91 But add to that, older fics on ffnet and other independent sites (oh Rolo Realm, my beloved), I think it's 102.

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

1,020,258

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Game of Thrones/ASOIAF, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Naruto, X-Men, Star Trek, Record of Lodoss War, Sailor Moon, Harry Potter and several unpublished ones

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Almost all Jonsa, lol. - From Instep to Heel - A Violence Done Most Kindly - Wool and Tallow - Shepard Sees the Sky - Hallowed

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always, but it takes me time. I used to be very secluded, still am sometimes, and it took me effort to reply to comments and build relationships and community. I don't want to lose that. It's also important to me that readers understand how meaningful even a single comment is. So yeah, every comment, I try.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Alright, so there's a lot of contenders for this one. I'm not even gonna try to list them off.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably either Interlocking or What Grows in Winter? I don't write a lot of 'happy' endings, I would say. Mostly I write endings that have either hope or closure, and that can come in a multitude of emotions, but those two fics are probably the most light-hearted of my works so I'm going with that.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Sure, but honestly, not nearly as much as I expected. I've never really gotten someone trying to get into an argument with me. It's really just those one-line trolls that mass comment on a fic out of nowhere with stuff like 'Die parasite' or whatever.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I can actually say that now, lol. It's semi-recent for me, I guess. Considering how long I've been writing, at least. At the moment it's just het smut, but who knows what the future will bring!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope. Dislike crossovers, actually.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Several, actually.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, and I don't plan to. Don't think it would work well.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

I honestly can't answer this. Like... honestly. But the two couples I've spent the most time actively writing for would be Jon/Sansa (Game of Thrones/ASOIAF) and Storm/Wolverine.(X-Men), so there's that.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

It'd be between Rocks and Shoals and Sheparding Men, but I'm more hopeful that I'd return to Rocks and Shoals. Both are Mass Effect fic.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Characterization and emotive language.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Setting and exposition, for sure. Also, paring down a scene, lol.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've thrown in a commonly known phrase or two, but I don't like it being used regularly. There's too much variance on how to show translation in fic, and I find it often breaks the pace of the piece trying to do so, anyway.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh geez, thinking back, probably Xena? Though that was unpublished. First published fandom would be X-Men.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Damn, that's hard. But I'm probably going to have to go with Reckoned from One Midnight to the Next for the way it changed my writing style going forward. Perhaps the most formative of my pieces. Close runner up would be A Violence Done Most Kindly though, since it's also pretty formative for me in how I tackle plot now, and I'm really proud of the intricacies in that one.

This was pretty fun! Tagging for those interested @theoriginalsuki @jonsaslove @amymel86 @barbex @hawkeykirsah @vorchagirl @razerathane @tlcinbflo @foofyschmoofer @goddesstiera @joufancyhuh @sailorshadzter

[justallihere]

Alli this chapter was such a nice surprise !!

Violet is a sarcastic queen "we can hold hands" she says to Liam as if the only person she wants to hold hands with is not her husband. Liam and Violet are very special to me and the way you write them is very unique. He's so protective of her but she's also very strict on her boundaries in the friendship which I love for her.

Oh so the panflet did make its rounds in this fic. Devera u sneaky bitch I know what u are (a traitor). This is a perfect opportunity to reveal some truths but because our Violet is indeed the queen of a whole ass country I doubt she's gonna do that, there's just too much at stake, but I do wish she had done something in canon. I wonder if she's gonna talk to Devera here? If she even suspects it was her?

“Be logical, riders,” Markham said as he collected the last of the leaflets. “When has Navarre ever sent a riot of only Blue dragons? I expect better from you all. More critical thinking. It will be imperative once you’re out of Basgiath and on the battlefield.” oh this is pure gold the way propaganda is discussed here is just so good. i love these conflicts.

Jack is back ?? creating chaos for sure. maybe trying to murder violet? omg imagine violet being able to see that he's a venin way earlier bc she's sees the sage way too often in her dreams and when she sees jack she goes "umm that's weird, that's suspicious" Also I've always thought Baide was sus for keeping it hidden i hope the damn dragon dies. maybe tairn can actually kill a dragon this time.

Oh Xaden is just so miserable my poor baby "I know you're awake" ohhhh u wanna talk to her so bad. Violet acknowledging they have a routine is very special to me and an improvement. As much as it hurt me them sleeping in separate beds it's very much needed bc they need to TALK I'm just waiting for the chapter in which they will fight so bad they both break and then they'll make up.

their conversations in the dark !! they need each other so badly, the weight of ruling is heavy and while xaden may try to play it off he doesn't handle it well either.

“Yes and no. Eventually you get used to it. You stop feeling the weight. You do the best you can with what you have, and you make so many horrible choices that it’s all you know, and you have to make yourself stop second-guessing. It’ll drive you mad if you don’t.” Sir what u need is therapy.

Violet talking about her dying before seeing her future and Xaden saying she'll live and then Violet calling him a liar … THATS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT !! and followed by her calling Aretia home and Xaden having a mini breakdown over it ? oh he's very screwed indeed but she isn't much better. i wonder when will she realize its him that's home and not Aretia the place.

also xaden suffering the consequences (violet putting herself in danger for the good of Tyrrendor) of his own actions?? we love to see it but also omg the angst !! he's just like "pls sit down don't do anything dangerous"

"We’re married. We’re supposed to be a team." she knew she had him with that, the only thing he wants more than for her to live its for them to be a team. the cant live without u line is very on brand for violet denial sorrengail to misinterpret love that !!

love the bodhi and violet crumbs !! they're family they need to interact more i also think they'd be a formidable pair against xaden just to annoy him lmao. but for now bodhi will rat her out to xaden !! he's part of the "violet and xaden should talk like rational adults" club. also they're so married bickering so so married they're disgusting actually. (him not missing the opportunity to call her beautiful, sir you are not that sneaky i see u)

xaden agreeing to go with violet on her suicide mission is very supportive partner coded gottalove that !! cant wait to see him go ballistic when shes tortured.

once again you've delivered such a good chapter thank u so much <3

My favorite thing about Violet is that she’s kind of a bitch because so am I and we deserve that representation. She loves Liam so very much but my girl likes her space

Violet and Devera talk soon-ish. I love Devera so much, I need more of her

Xaden and Violet are in their married couple era for SURE, there’s more communication from them in the coming chapters and it’s gonna hurt and it’s gonna be so good I can’t wait

“what u need is therapy” that’s what Garrick and Bodhi are for 😭😭

Listen like it’s so important to me that they follow through on the things they agreed to. They talked and they decided no more secrets and they would do everything together from now on and they took that shit SERIOUSLY!! It’s part of their married dynamic, I love them

Thank you so much for reading 🩷🩷🩷

[archivehub]

Title: Pillow Talk

Summary: Steven and Connie discuss whether or not their future will involve children.

A new short story/one-shot! I've been meaning to write this one for years now lmao. It's the second-longest short in my Jam Buds and So On collection.

If you hate external links, the short can also be found below the cut:

On the second floor of a bed and breakfast, in a near pitch-black room, two young adults laid motionless, disheveled on a too-small, full-size bed. Not a sound could be heard but the faint snoring of their large, pink-furred friend, who had, much to the pair’s apprehension, insisted upon sleeping in the same room as them.

“Would you ever want kids?” a hoarse, male voice abruptly cut through the silence.

His girlfriend, wide-eyed, glanced his way; she could barely make out his features amidst the darkness. “Where’s this coming from?” she spoke softly, nonjudgmentally, hands clasped over her own, bare chest.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I guess it just seemed kinda, uh…”—he pursed his lips—“relevant…”

“Huh? What do you …?” she trailed off, eyebrows knitting. “Oh… ohhhh…” She slapped a sweaty palm to her forehead. ”Duh.”

He snickered, playfully brushing a foot against hers beneath the covers. “So… have you ever thought about it, Connie?”

“M-maybe… I, uh …” She searched every crevice of her mind for a clear answer; time and time again, she came up completely empty. Truthfully, she had not been expecting the conversation for another few years at least. She should’ve been more prepared, she should’ve expected this. It’s Steven, after all. “Have, uh, you ever thought about it?” Of course he has!

“Y-yes… a lot, actually,” he murmured with a slight titter. Setting his eyes upon the ceiling, he elaborated, “I have almost every day for the last few years…”

“Hm…” Connie hummed. She felt her cheeks, her everything, redden; how could she not have seen this coming? “Why’s that, biscuit?”

He paused briefly, concentrating on the vague shape of the steadily spinning ceiling fan. “Well, it’s just… being on the road, I guess,” he shrugged. “It’s given me a lot of time to think about this stuff, about my future…”—he rolled over and desperately, intimately met her eyes—“about our future.”

“Y-yeah?” Connie acknowledged shakily, anxiously… excitedly? She bit her lip with anticipation.

“And, well…” he continued, “it feels like everywhere I go, I see nothing but families. Happy families. Normal families…” he stressed, “two parents ‘n’ all. It makes me think about all the stuff I missed out on as a kid… Like, what kinda person would I be today if I’d just had a normal, human family? If my mom hadn’t secretly been alien royalty?” he tearfully chuckled. “Sure, I wouldn’t be myself, but… well, that doesn’t stop me from thinking about it, y’know?”

“Oh, Steven…” she cooed as she placed a warm, tender hand upon his bare shoulder.

He placed a mellow hand atop hers. “But, uh, anyway, I guess all that is just my long way of saying… some day, Connie, I… I want to start a family with you. I-I’ve never been so sure about something in my entire life." He began running his free hand through her greasy, tangled hair. “Me and you— er, you and I,” he corrected himself, “we could be such amazing parents. Y-you could teach our kids all sorts of interesting stuff, a-and I could heal their wounds if they ever got hurt!” He felt his cheeks flush as a broad grin made its way to his lips. “A-and—best part—they wouldn’t have any magical destinies!” he chuckled. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. “They could live completely normal lives. They’d go to school, have friends their age, a-and at least one of us would always be there to cook meals for them!”

Connie felt her mouth fall ever-so-slightly agape as her pupils dilated. She had no idea how she was meant to feel; this was all so new to her. The way her boyfriend described it, the prospect of parenthood sounded so exciting. But… it also sounded like endless responsibility, something which became harder and ever-so-harder to think about as her upcoming exams slipped into her thoughts.

She supposed she had always been open to the idea of having children; she never would’ve even considered dating Steven had she not been. The very idea, though, of bringing new life into the world, of being wholly responsible for said life, had always seemed like a major commitment to her, one which she could never consider lightly.

“And, if you wanted, we could even adopt!” Steven energetically added. “I know a whole lot of people hate the idea of pregnancy; I would never put you through it if you didn’t want me to—well, if I’d even be able to put you through it, biologically ‘n’ all.” His forehead puckered, despite his best efforts to hide his restlessness. “I-I could get that tested, though: I’ve researched it! I’d just have to mail a few samples to a lab and …” he trailed off before shaking away his train of thought. “I, uh, think you get it,” he chuckled breathily, sweatily. He then pulled away from his girlfriend, maintaining eye contact as best as he possibly could. “So, uhm… w-what do you say, Connie? B-be honest with me, please.”

‘Wait for that special someone before you have kids,’ her mom would always tell her, coincidentally starting around the same time she met Steven. She had come around to him over the years, though, even going so far as to make him an ‘honorary member' of the Maheswaran family.

What her mom, what anybody else, thought, though, simply didn’t matter right now. She had to make this decision for herself, and she already knew what her heart of hearts wanted her to say…

As his girlfriend’s silence crept upon two minutes long, Steven felt the last remnants of his smile fall. “Y-you know what,” he muttered, eyebrows lowered, “j-just forget about it. We can talk about it some other time.” It took every ounce of his will to prevent his skin from glowing. “I-I’m really sorr—”

“After I get my bachelor’s at Jayhawk,” Connie abruptly interrupted, “a stable job, a house… and maybe with some help from your dad and my parents…” she diligently laid out, “then… well…” she giggled through a dimpled smile, “there should be some room in the agenda.”

Steven felt his entire body suddenly light up with emotion. His breathing hastened tenfold as he felt himself start bouncing up and down on the mattress. Grabbing his girlfriend’s shoulders, tears pricking at his eyes, he near-shouted “C-Connie, is that a 'yes'!?”

[youkaigakkou-tl]

The Hatanaka Time Travel Theory

Despite this being a thing I bring up often, I realised recently I don’t have a neat write-up about it with all the evidence in one place. (that I could simply link to people, since I had to explain it 2 separate times in the past few days) Also this would serve as the comprehensive I CALLED IT post when it does inevitably happen.

Also, with the new info in chapter 98, this was a good time as any to write this.

TLDR: I think Hatanaka (and probably Haruaki) will end up 100 years in the past somehow, when Takahashi, Yamazaki and Ibara were in school. This is supported by stuff that those 3 say, as well as something Ranmaru says; most of this is from the spin-off, yoseito, but I think this will be a future plot point in the main story.

Background info

(Not going to bring up info from chapter 98 until it gets to that part of this post)

Just to be thorough about evidence, we know Takahashi was enrolled at Hyakki about 100 years ago from chapter 29.

We also know Yamazaki and Takahashi were classmates from chapter 36 and that Ibara was their schoolmate in yoseito chapter 28. (I wonder if we’ll see this classmate who runs a haunted cafe ever?)

Yoseito chapter 28: Yamazaki

This is the single most helpful image to this theory because it clarifies that it is, in fact, main story Hatanaka. Note the hairstyle, scarf, most importantly, the bandaged arms.

His arms, which were injured during the Kyoto school trip.

Yoseito chapter 21: Ibara

Kyaaa I don’t wanna spell out the implications of this I’ll blush its too cute 😳

Just ponder on it for a moment and you’ll figure it out. Actually, it’ll end up getting spelled out at the end of this. Anyway, 2nd (actually 1st chronological) instance of someone from that class 100 years ago knowing Hatanaka. I think the Yamazaki scene is the best one to start on though, since it shows more info than this scene.

(Just for reference, this chapter dropped 3rd December 2020)

Yoseito chapter 31: Ranmaru

There he is. Mister Exposition. Guy who outright says shit and doesn’t elaborate. In any case, 3rd nail in my theory.

Small intermission. This also ties in with my other theory that “Hyakki Academy” was only started around 100 years ago, despite the principal having been teaching on his own for the past 1000 years. In this same yoseito chapter, Ranmaru talks like Douman being a “respected principal” is a relatively recent development. Also, we never get any numbers higher than “around 100 years ago” when talking in relation to the school: the other teachers have been teaching for “over 100 years” longer than the teacher trio, Takahashi & co were in school 100 years ago. The real world timeline lines up as well, Japan started using the gakuran and sailor uniforms in schools around 100 years ago. How this is relevant is, the principal said he had Ranmaru help him teach when he first started the school which, if this is true, would line up with when Takahashi & co were in school.

Main story chapter 79-80

YOU THOUGHT THIS WOULDN’T BE BROUGHT UP IN THE MAIN STORY DIDN’T YOU! After all it isn’t as explicit as it has been in yoseito. Ohhhh man this has bothered me for so long about Haruaki student arc, but IT’S ALL CONNECTED!!

These two chapters point out TWICE that Hatanaka isn’t married to Ibara, and the ending of chapter 79 is spent pointing out that Takahashi is missing. I was wondering about the point of the policeman panel before, but it’s to show that Yamazaki is missing as well.

To go to such lengths to point out that these 3 are missing… (My current theory is that without the time travel, these three… you know…)

How are these two related, I hear you ask. The entire point of these 2 chapters was to show how different the world would be if Haruaki isn’t the exact age he is, in the exact place he is now! If time travel does happen, 5000% he’s the cause of it. Aging him down inadvertently affected Hatanaka’s future, which affected the past 100 years ago and all the people from that time, which then affects the present.

(Just for reference, these chapters dropped around August 2021, so after the first appearance of this idea in yoseito.)

Yoseito chapter 28 again

Now this isn’t exactly a piece of evidence, but it is a very suspicious conversation. Do you know what kind of manga and author we’re dealing with here??? This is the manga that was dropping hints about Renren in the volume 5 character profiles, 6 volumes before Renren arc.

This is the manga that had this in chapter 11, 3 volumes before it ever elaborated on it in chapter 26.

This is the manga that snuck Suzaku and Douman into chapter 47 right under our noses.

Most importantly, this is the manga that dropped this in chapter 51, volume 8.

I could go on all day. Point is you can’t take anything this manga says too lightly! It’s always “haha jk! …unless?”

Yoseito chapter 29: Principal

This counts as half an evidence, I think.

In yoseito chapter 29, the principal was about to say why he hired Hatanaka when he was cut off, and never actually answered it over the course of this 3 part mini-arc. Tamao and Mame come to the conclusion that it’s for his fighting ability, but that’s just their own conclusion. It might be one of the reasons, but it’s definitely not the whole story.

In main story chapter 71, Haruaki says he, Miki and Hatanaka were nepotism hires, and specifically the three of them. “Why Haruaki” is obvious, Miki is the shutendouji’s kid and worth keeping close, but why Hatanaka? If it was just because the principal knew him as a student, why not any other alumni from any other year?

Also, the principal and Hatanaka are close enough that he was one of 3 people at Hyakki who have seen his face before Kyoto arc (the other 2 are mouse-sensei, who’s the 2nd oldest at Hyakki after the principal, and Takahashi, who would have been troublesome to hide from, source), also Hatanaka is the principal’s right-hand man who reports to him about stuff (see chapter 57) (also see this tweet)

Hatanaka, the principal’s dog? Not any of the other teachers who have been there for 100 years? Something’s clearly up here.

It would be another story if, say, the principal already knew Hatanaka from 100 years ago, which would also explain why he trusted that Hatanaka would clean up his act and be a proper teacher when he had a track record as a delinquent.

Main story chapter 98

THIS WHOLE CHAPTER IS DRIVING ME INSANE. TANAMAI SENSEI??? YOU’RE GOING TO DROP THIS IN THE MAIN STORY????? HOLY SHIT????

FIRST OF ALL, info that was revealed in yoseito (like Yamazaki transforming to eat, the three of them being schoolmates 100 years ago) is being reiterated in the main story for people who don’t read the spin-off, and also reiterates old main story info like the 100 years ago thing, MEANING THIS INFO WILL BE RELEVANT.

We also get a more precise timeframe, 120 to 130 years ago, which could also have been deduced from knowing Takahashi is around 140 years old and presumably looked his age as a teenager.

Look at the way the quote specifically blocks the wrist. On the right hand. Where Haruaki’s bracelet would be. Also look at those sleeves. Those are Haruaki’s sleeves. I would recognise them anywhere.

Haruaki thinking “don’t know who that is” immediately after MAY AS WELL BE CONFIRMING IT

Immediately after THAT is this page. What do I even need to say.

In conclusion. This has been the Hatanaka Time Travel PSA. When this inevitably comes true I WILL be yelling I CALLED IT SUCK IT FOOLSSSS from the rooftops. Sorry for getting so aggro at the end here I’m very sleepy.

[devintrinidad]

If you could pair up Key with any of the characters in your fic in a shipping sense, including the OCs, who would it be and why?

Ooohhhhh, never thought I'd be asked a question like this!

Never thought I'd see the day *wipes tear from eye*

Anyway, given how Key is still stuck in survival mode and still contemplating on the question of whether or not she can return home, she isn't going to be at all focused on romance. Friendship maybe, but anything deeper is out of the question. However, if circumstances were to change, if her perception of what choices are available to her have become clear, I think I'll have to go with the somewhat cliche route.

My favorite fox boy, Cameron Norton.

Their banter was really funny and fun to write and read during the prologue arc. They have a good, established relationship, they certainly trust each other, and have seen each other at some of their most vulnerable moments. They know a certain extent of each others hopes and dreams (although it wouldn't hurt for more heart to hearts if they were to ever pursue a romantic relationship). Furthermore, it would probably go down a friends to lovers type of story. Perhaps Cameron would make teasing, joking comments in his emails to Key about "dating" and maybe Key responds in kind. These jokes gradually develop into something true and real when they eventually move out of emails and either meet up face to face or actually call each other.

However, while their relationship is very positive and I have feeling they would bring out the best in each other, I think it would be kind of... unhealthy to say the least. From what we have seen, Key is isolated. Very isolated. Sure, she's on amicable terms with the Housewardens and is slowly accepting the found family vibe with the custodians (but still very guarded), but that doesn't mean she's truly ready to accept new relationships. Except for Cam. He alone is the one true friend Key has at the moment of writing this. Yet, if there is a romantic relationship at this moment of the story, Key would be using Cam as a crutch and not venturing outside of her relationship with him.

I think I would do a disservice to both key and Cam in the story if I were to treat their bond as such.

So, maybe in the future after Key's arc has long since finished, but not definitely a priority at the moment.

As for canon relationships...

Again, at the moment, there isn't any need for romance. Key is still very much a member of staff and while she is basically around the students' age, there is still an inherent power imbalance that is somewhat equalized by the fact that she's only a secretary/janitor. And she's also magicless.

But... if we were to rid ourselves of such important facts... Maybe someone who's fun? Someone who's willing to bring Key out of her shell, to give her reason to think of Twisted Wonderland as her home, and to be as spontaneous and fun as she is. Who doesn't listen to rigid rules without question and creates a fun sort of chaos that will make Key laugh.

Someone like... I don't know, Floyd?

(Love me some crackships when I was younger, so I'm bringing that out here hahaha)

Wouldn't it be funny if the endgame romance (not that there will be endgame romance in Caged Birds) was Floyd and Key? How would that work... Key'd? Flokey? Ohhhh, Flokey could work heheheh

But that's hilarity.

Do you ship Key with anyone, perchance?

Thanks for the question and I hope that you have a wonderful day! :D

[willowmckinley]

From the body of the beast

Raylan sees them, blurry and gray. He realizes Harlan—Harlan who has been created from the blood of those living there—doesn’t have eyes, but sees them all the same. There are so many, and Raylan falls into only a few.

Harlan wakes up.

Two girls, late teens, huddle together in an abandoned shaft. They wrap their arms around each other, and they’re obviously scared, but Raylan can’t tell of what. They wear clothing that doesn’t make sense to Raylan, fashion that hasn’t been invented yet. Thick red travels down one’s leg into the dirt. The other sports a bloody nose. She wipes her lip with the back of her hand, and it comes away red. She lets her hand rest against the floor of the cave.

Harlan wakes up.

A man backs away, his arms are up, he keeps shaking his head in dissension. These flashbacks don’t have audio, but Raylan can read No and I’ll get you the money on his lips. Raylan can’t see what corners him, but the man’s back hits the mine wall. Red splatters up the rock where his head used to be, as the man crumples to the ground.

Harlan wakes up.

A Bennett—he has the look, the face, the same stupid grin— a bullet scratches through his shirt, spilling over the dust, and he smirks, smoking gun in hand, twirls and holsters it.

Harlan wakes up.

A woman in an old fifties house dress claws into a rubble pile. She wails, and full sobs shake her body. A cave in, Raylan suspects, and she breaks her nails in a futile attempt to dig out the rocks. She’s not like a widow in an old miner’s tale, Raylan thinks, she is the widow in an old miners’ tale. The wreckage cuts deep gashes across her palms, and Raylan sees bright red bleed out of the wound, the only color in this gray scale memory. Hazel.

Harlan wakes up.

An old memory. Raylan knows this one. Boyd pulls Raylan up the mine shaft, the two of them running from the rocks falling behind them. Blood snakes down each of their forearms, meeting at their hands, forming one drop before flying to the floor, left behind in their haste.

Harlan wakes up.

Loretta McCready stands too close to the edge of a mineshaft. A minor scrape Raylan hadn’t even guessed at now glowing red and dripping just into the black.

Harlan wakes up.

(I might also send you a bit from your omegaverse if I can fucking narrow down 500 words)

Raylan! Thank you for the ask about "The Body of the Beast"! I'd also love to answer about "The Soil in Your Belly" :D

Ohhhh, this scene. I'm glad you picked one from Harlan's point of view, because all of it was soooo fun to write. Harlan has her little blorbos (something I couldn't write in the fic, but you know know in your heart to be true).

To be honest, Harlan's scene is the second scene I wrote for this fic. I wrote the very beginning-- Harlan reaching up to grab them, pull them into the past, and them to wake up there-- and the very last. Writing all the sandwich in the middle was what took the longest. I think that's fitting, though, for Raylan's line to have been for this was always how it was going to end, and I, as author, knew it too.

This part had gone through some edits, of course, once I knew more about everyone, including Hazel-Virginia and how Raylan might feel upon seeing her. I'm happy to have included her, and I hadn't called her Virginia until her second appearance, because I thought it'd be fun for readers to have one chance to come up with the minitwist themselves, haha, just before the offical reveal.

The two girls and the man who died, they were to give more numbers to the different favorites Harlan has, while not making too many characters as we know them special. That said, I also used them to show that Harlan doesn't necessarily have a type, in that the man who borrowed money is a coward and unwise to be borrowing from those he shouldn't. The girls, from the future, show that Harlan doesn't pick from any time period either.

The blood that Raylan and Boyd spills is intended to keep them as a set, while also showing how united they were in that moment. They are but one blood, they are so close. I imagine it makes Harlan's blood magic easier to use than if they hadn't been, haha, though I also suppose she doesn't have concepts of "easy" for her to make decisions around.

Also, Loretta was fun for me as well, because Harlan has already changed the time line. Even if she does bleed into Harlan, it won't be in this way, as Raylan and Boyd have changed their futures. It's to show that Harlan has different responses to time lines than other characters, as she is a minor god, and they are not. I think it's also just to prove how lovable Loretta is. Even Harlan loved her so.

[rainofdauwuand0w0]

"The Return of Midnight Sparkle" - a review

so uh hi, and um im doing this thing because my interest in this has me excited like pinkie pie on too much fucking cupcakes and I really wanted to share my entire whole thoughts of what I thought of the story for "the return of midnight sparkle" and I wanna sure them all here! Prolouge: a very lovely opening to see what kind of story we are getting into, it sets the tone pretty well in my opinion, shining a light on the many things, thoughts of the main character, and the reasons behind their future actions and thoughts, very much enjoying the idea of how sunset is used here Chapter 1: getting to see and hear your versions of the mane 7 in a sense like this, really set the scene for how things are a lil different or much of the same in some cases, love the setting of the table itself and it was amazing to see all the characters like this! Chapter 2: when you said that this was gonna be like an entire season condensed into writing, I was pleasantly surprised to truly feel like I just spaced out in an afternoon with treehugger to watch time pass by, each character showing different mini-friendship lessons to sunset (at least in my mind) that she may have to use later on in her life or have to take into consideration, especially with how the way it ended, it felt like the climax of a season and the culmination of all the lil lessons learned, and if the mane 7 were allowed to cuss or do talk about stuff more adult themes, I'd see it being pretty much like this, sure its your interpretation but I personally really enjoyed those interpretations! Chapter 3: ohohhoohoho yesssssssssssss, I love all of this, the way twilight and sunset interact, the way pinkie pie reacts (even in this version that you ended up on) is still funny, and it really feels like you elevated her clueless nature to a level that I relate to, just the interactions and emotions were so good, twilight by the end giving in and such, one last push, always the overdetermined gal Chapter 4: I love this, I love the factor of how midnight taunts and prods at everyone but sunset to a degree, how the feelings there are not only in twilight but also in midnight and that theme continues as she tries to coax sunset into becoming the other evil ruler with her, a show that deep down she is still just a crazed version of the same twilight Chapter 5: OHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOOHOHO I love this prison break scene, I love the tension as sunset does her things, giving something for everyone to do, and I actually giggled a little at the factor of pinkie's line when she was given her task, the sequence is beautiful, love midnight also having to try and desperately follow sunset, desperately as the inner battle of twilight and midnight happens, but then sunset going on, and ohhhh I swear some parts I imagined midnight and twlights worried overlapped, harmony between the two of them over the love of sunset shimmer, they did not want her to be hurt, and yet in the end, that was midnights downfall, a simple bit of the unexpected love sparked and stopped both minds in their tracks, long enough for sunset to be a badass and end it off epicly Chapter 6: and I gotta say with keeping it semi-spoiler free for the sneaky sneaks who didn't read the story and just tried to skip here for a summary or something, the ending, the way sunset and twilight interact, everything sunset gains and everything that happens, it's a beautiful way to close it all off for a official chapter, such a nice delicate ending, also mach 5 twilight inbound was not something I was expecting but the visual in my brain that I got from the description was an awesome one

[linksthoughtbrambles]

I would love to hear about "Be Mindful" :)

Wow, anxious, it's amazing you asked about that one, because it's a draft of an idea I had for a gift fic for you! I ended up not going with this one because I thought it would end up extremely long - like a multi-chapter fic - but I would like to write it in the future.

It's an AU in which the only initial change from BotW is that Link arrives at Hyrule Castle much earlier with his father - long before he would pull the sword - and meets Zelda right away, neither of them having any idea who the other is. It gives them a little time to develop a relationship without the sword being an issue, and changes the entire chain of events. Here's a snippet:

----

A fair number of people were in view—some soldiers on the battlements, some Sheikah, some going about daily castle business—but a glint of bright lemon-yellow drew Link’s eye to a woman taking the same path he and his father had to reach the courtyard stairs.

That bright yellow sat atop her head in the form of hair—an astoundingly long braid wrapped around the rest of it, tied back out of her face.  She clutched something to her chest—a book maybe—and she had a frown on as she watched the flagstones pass her feet.  She was walking fast, her practical clothing allowing it far better than a dress would have, but it wasn’t Sheikah clothing, nor did it look like a servant’s.  She wore Hylian trousers, soft and close to form-fitting like his, and boots (also a lot like his) with a practical shirt and bodice, with leather half-gloves.

He found her eyes downturned, as deep green as rhododendron leaves in sun-dappled thicket, and his heart—which had ceased to beat—careened into his ribcage.

She was beautiful, wasn’t she?   She-

She looked up.

Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open.

Link realized he was doing the same thing.

“Uh,” he said.

“Oh!” she said.

Her eyes stayed on his.

And his stayed on hers.

Somehow, it didn’t feel awkward to Link.

Apparently it didn’t feel awkward to the woman either.  She approached him, small step by small step, hugging her book to her chest more tightly.  “Are you new here?” she asked.

Why wouldn’t Link’s mouth close?

He tried very hard to swallow.  His mouth and throat were so dry—but he couldn’t take out his canteen and just… swig water down while she was waiting for him to answer her.  Right?  Right.  Imagine if she did that.  If he asked her what her name was, and she just… grabbed that container off her belt and started drinking from it, looking him right in the eye while she gulped and gulped and gulped and time just got longer and that WOULD get more and more awkward, with total silence except for the gulping—he wouldn’t be able to look away from it either, he’d be riveted to the spot.

Yep.  He would not drink from his canteen. That would be really off-putting and it would take way too long to answer.

Kind of like how he was taking way too long to answer—right now.

Her mouth had closed and she had kind of a worried look on her face.

“Sorry,” he said.

“S-sorry?” she said.

“Yeah.”

“For what?”

“For- for taking so long to answer you.”

She just stared at him.

“Oh!  Right!  Um.  Yes, I’m new here,” he said, turning a little red, but less red than he thought he would, so that was something.  He needed to get his inner monologue under control.

Her face started moving in an odd manner.  It turned downward and to her left a little, and that side of it scrunched up a bit.  Then that corner of her mouth started to turn up and ohhhh, she was going to laugh at him, wasn’t she?  Yeah, he deserved that-

“Eh- eh- hehehe!” she giggled.

Yeah.  Totally deserved.  He was kind of an idiot.

“I take it by the sword at your side you’ve come to enlist?” she asked.

Link’s mouth dropped open for the second time.

She… still wanted to talk to him?

“Yeah-s,” he said.  On the end of the word, he’d remembered courtly manners were a little more formal than what he’d been used to in Hateno.  He turned ever so slightly pinker than he’d already been.

It didn’t do anything to dampen the smile the woman now wore.  She turned her face upward and it accentuated the swooping shape of her nose.  “I see.  Have you some skill already?”

“Oh,” he said.  “I- yeah, I know how to use a sword,” he said.  His hand itched to come up and grip the back of his own neck or scratch the back of his head, but he resisted.  No need to act like a shy kid.  People would make enough fun of him, with how short he was.

----

[It's still in a very drafty state - but someday I hope to spruce it up and flesh it out!]

Thanks for the ask!

[computerwarrior]

((Aaaaah, oh no, that must've been so uncomfortable and awkward. They both wanted, needed, and expected different things and nobody realized it until it was too late. And, aaaaah, poor Tron. I'm glad they finally told him what the problem was! And, hee, that is just like him to go overboard to try and make things right. (That's so sweet that he writes everything down so he won't forget! Does he have a special organizing system or does he remember where everybody is written down?) Oooh, awesome! What sort of things to mark squads are there?

Oh, nice! I'm glad the tags are pretty hardy and don't fall apart unless they're messed with. And, oooh, bringing in defragmention is a great idea! (Oh! I love that description of it, I never thought of it like that! Makes sense, though, and it always takes a good while for my computers to be defragged, lol) Awesome! I'm glad they can decide what's the most important to them, rather than it be assigned or arbitrary.

Oh that's fun that he tries to claim things, but can only do so in a limited fashion. I like that only the ones that chose to join can accept his tags. Ha! That's great that even so, the tags are still tenuous and everybody has to have similar armor before they'll even think about sticking. (I'm imagining like cheap post-it notes or something, lol) I'm glad there's options to remove the tags, though now I'm thinking of a scenario where they do so in order to infiltrate the Resistance, lol. Oh good! I'm glad that those two can fix up anybody who needs it. (Though, if they capture Occupation members who then cause problems, do they give them insulting gremlin tags just to mess with them? lol)

((Aaaaah, I love that! Cute Bit stickers is such a great idea! lol, now I'm thinking about somebody being ridiculous and putting YES and NO Bit stickers on things they like and things they don't. (Ha ha, like a wrench or piece of equipment that is known for not working right or being difficult to use getting at least one NO sticker.) Chibi Gridbugs are a fun idea, too! Though, I could see some Monitors being grouchy about them, lol. Mara stickering everything is fantastic and, awwww, I love Beck carefully collecting his. Oh! Are there stickers like gold stars or something to indicate that somebody did a good job at work or with a task?))

Ooooh, that's fun that the Occupation values them so little that they usually lose their permissions when rectified. That's a great point that they're a number, not an individual. And, it makes sense that programs with use have their permissions restored. Do they sometimes change or alter the permissions to add or take some away that might be troublesome or not necessarily needed? (Like, not many programs need to run tanks, but they might've gotten the permission to do so back in the Games.)

OH MAN Tron having to shut it down is heartbreaking and intense, and it's a solid decision. I'm glad there was a way to use it in an emergency, and even more glad that he stopped it so it couldn't be abused. Because, oh man, Clu, his forces, and sympathetic programs could've put it to so much bad use. I love that he put a backdoor in, just in case they can reinstate it in the future. And, oooh, him destroying all the other facilities to make sure that it can't come back is great. Could Clu use Rinzler's code/discs to unlock it? Can the facilities/network be rebuilt by programs, or do Users have to be the ones to do it?

Oh fun! That must be pretty complicated and need a lot of knowledge to alter! Yeah, hiding seems like a much safer and easier idea, lol. And, having code-level disguises is great.

Awesome! Oooh, I love that there's so many different options for the piercings. Ohhhh, that's fun that they were weaponized, too! (They sound like such a great character!) Cool! I love that there's an element of customization, especially ways to make it more stealthy. In the case of a Basic/ISO relationship, could the bond jewelry have the ISO-detecting element? And, if so, could it also be keyed to the ISO in the relationship, so it would signal when they were close? (Like, especially if they were having to secretly meet or got separated and wouldn't know when they'd find each other again.) Can the range be altered to look further or closer? (I'm imagining like right after the purges, somebody keeps increasing the range and increasing the range, frantically looking for any ISOs at all, but eventually it covers the whole city and there's none to be found (for the time being).)

Do certain programs make the ISO-detecting jewelry? Is it something made and given by ISOs to people they trust? Do different regions/cities have different styles do it? (Like Bostrum and Arjia have very different aesthitics going on.) Could beads tied/woven into hair be an ISO-detecting item?

If the Occupation or unfriendlies figured out about the ISO-detecting piercings, could someone remotely deactivate/alter any in the vicinity in order to keep them from being used to hunt them down?

(Hmmmm, Ark probably didn't have hers on when she got captured, since she knew it was a risky mission and so that the Occupation didn't get their hands on it.)

Oh, nice! Hmmm, does that mean that program-given tags could appear in their base code to the Users? Thus, potentially leaving those comments as a source of great confusion to their actual programmer if they didn't know about programs being alive? (Oh my gosh that's amazing and sounds like they had a very good time, lol. I super love programs having vague ideas of User terms and applying them how they think they should be. Did all three coordinate their tags, or did they all have the same thought separately? lol. I love that tags can be permanently stored in the comments to protect them! In cases like that, could they be changed back to tags? Is it an easy process to store and protect them?) ((Hee, was it Dyson?))

Are big cycle celebrations common (like for the five hundreth), or have they fallen by the wayside thanks to Clu? Are there celebrations for the big cycles of his reign now instead?

Awww, thanks! <3 I love putting Ark in/through Situations so much! (And, I love that phrasing of yours!) Thanks, I'm glad you like my questions and are having fun with all of this! I'm really enjoying the discussion and worldbuilding so very much! <3 ))

((Oooh, I enjoyed reading your thoughts on program bonding! I have some questions I'd like to see your take on, if you don't mind! ^_^ Would programs who have damaged code and/or have been rectified have difficulties with bonding, or do they work around it by sharing the non-damaged/non-Occupation code? Does bonding differ between Basics and ISOs? Can programs and Users bond? Also, what would happen if one half of a bonded pair died/got rectified/became a virus? Thanks! <3 ))

Good questions!!

Programs who have damage (and rectification counts as a type of damage, since it's corruption/forced alteration) have a little more difficulty than their intact contemporaries with bonding - though this depends on how deep the damage runs. You can split this into two main categories :

Core damage : what it says, their core is damaged. They'd have to share an undamaged part, and finding or isolating those could be incredibly difficult. Most Programs with core damage would use a method more like tagging their energy field with a label than actually exchanging code.

Non-core damage : finding undamaged core code? No problem. Making sure your core is compatible with the introduced bits from the partner... much more problematic. They could end up having a nasty reaction, as their internal defences read the introduced code as an attempted hack.

ISOs and Programs bond the same way, but cross-bonding between the groups is rare due to compatibility issues.

Programs and Users can tag each other's energy fields, but core-deep bonding is impossible. The Program in such a couple may willingly modify their core code to be unable to function without their User, but as a User doesn't have core code the same way (DNA is too complex to mess with) the User can't exchange it with their partner. An ISO and a User are more compatible this way, but are more likely to follow User customs than Program ones.

For a bond to break in those ways...

Death : the remaining Program would drift through almost Stray-like, barely functioning, until someone put them out of their misery or they followed their partner. It's cruel and upsetting for everyone involved, and most bonded Programs go permanently offline within a few minutes of each other.

Rectification : this is one of the few scenarios where it does not end in the Occupation's favour. If one Program is still unrectified, they can pull their other half back from it - rectification can't alter core code, though it can affect everything else, so they recognize each other and a skilled enough medic-hacker can perform the necessary operations to undo what was done to them.

Virus/corruption : ends one of two ways. Either the same as rectification, or now you have two Viruses happily bonded and gleefully corrupting everything they can get their hands on together. Toss of a coin for which result happens, although Monitors and other Security builds are more likely to join their partners in Virus-dom than the standard Program on the street.

Derezolution : while on the Legacy Grid this is effectively the same as death because Programs tend not to get re-rezzed (since the sole User is in hiding and this would be the quickest way for someone to find out where he is), on the Encom Grid Programs reactivate from backup pretty often. As long as the backup includes the bonded code/tag, it's like nothing happened. At most, there will be a shiver down the spine of the one who remains that doesn't go away until their other half reactivates. If the backup does not include the bonded code, the remaining Program is drawn to their partner's backup and they re-bond.

[joanie-writes]

Ohhhh boy! Saw that requests are open and came rushing. I'm a huge RDR2 fan and I've read so much Arthur fic but I can't get enough lol.

There's this fic I've been wanting to write but can't seem around to get to and I thought maybe I'll share my idea, of you would like to write it.

So young Arthur and reader have to pretend to be a couple in a lavish party as part of a scheme with Dutch and Hosea. Throughout the years they had been great friends and enjoyed each other's company, but there had always been some underlying tension.

While sneaking around the mansion looking for documents they almost get caught but end up kissing and getting handy as a way to fool the guard as to why they were there lurking around.

After that barrier was breached they can't seem to look at each other in the same way. Neither want to lose their friendship but this new development makes it hard for them to keep their hands to themselves.

Thanks for the request, I hope this lives up to your ideas <3

Grand Gesture

Well that certainly wasn't supposed to be apart of the job.

Young!Arthur x GN!Reader

Warnings/AN: NSFW, unsafe sex - Arthur and Reader are both in their early twenties

Word Count: 3.3k

I caught him staring at me again. It made my heart jump into my throat like usual. 

I'm not exactly sure what changed over night, but one day Arthur went from being my closest friend to somebody that made my skin feel hot whenever I was close to him, somebody that distracted me from my chores, someone who I imagined a future with before I shut my eyes for the night. I'd never really had a crush before, I only seen the rare stranger that made me turn my head every once and a while, but recently I had only turned to Arthur. 

"Hey," I heard a voice after a quick pat on my shoulder, which brought my mind back down from space, "Dutch and Hosea want to talk about some lead when we're done here." Arthur sat at the table, joining me for an exhilarating dinner of stew. 

I nodded, taking a hopefully nonchalant deep breath before I spoke, "How was hunting?" I had to physically stop myself from cringing. I loathed the awkward small talk of late, it was like our friendship had fizzled into almost nothing. I prayed that he hadn't somehow found out about my feelings towards him, I've only written about it in my journal; not daring to tell anyone.

"Went fine, two bucks and a few rabbits." Arthur said, and I responded with a simple hum. Then the familiar awkward silence settled down, joining us for the rest of dinner. With our bowls joined in the steadily growing pile, Arthur and I took to Dutch's tent to learn about whatever goose chase he was setting us on now. 

Hosea and Dutch both looked up at us as we entered, Hosea smiling and saying proudly, "Ah, my star students." The both of us smiled, looking over to Dutch as he responded, "I believe they're our star students, Hosea, I taught them just as much as you did." 

Hosea batted his hand at Dutch, "Anyways, here's the idea. I scored an few invitations to this big party in a ritzy part of town for tomorrow night." I glanced over at Arthur, more than happy to see him in some sort of proper attire. 

Arthur's brows knitted with confusion, waiting for Hosea to continue, "The four of us will go in pairs, the goal is to mingle and try to pick up some new lead, because whatever is going on in Bradford is well hidden, you two can go together. But we have to act proper and blend in, nobody can know we're degenerates, got it?" 

-

The fabric was itchy and the sleeves were sort of tight, but I don't think I ever looked that put together. Dare I say, styled to perfection. Dutch and Hosea really went all out for this party, somehow they even managed to get their slippery hands on not one, but two stagecoaches that John and Bill would drive us all seperately to town in. A wolf whistle brought my attention upwards to John in the drivers seat, causing me to laugh and give a small spin. "You clean up good!" He let out his raspy laugh.

"You do." I turned to the sound of Arthur's voice, God I hope he couldn't see my heart about to burst at my chest. Arthur looked, so handsome. His hair styled with extra care, a suit that complemented his figure perfectly, and the usual swag that carries him to tie it all together.

I stood up straighter, clasping my hands together, "So do you." I smiled shyly, giving him a subtle glance up and down. 

Dutch pushed his head out of the carriage window, his baritone voice barking out an order, "C'mon you two, quit ogling get a move on!" I want to say that I saw a blush form on Arthur's face, but I couldn't be sure due to him quickly ushering me into the coach. With a snap of the reigns we were off towards the bustling town of Bradford. 

Arthur looked around the carriage, grinning once he found a bottle of champagne under the seat. "We can't show up seeing double, Arthur, Dutch and Hosea will be pissed." I chuckled, shaking my head as he popped the cork anyway. 

"Just a few sips to calm the nerves, you know how I get around fancy folk. Besides, where'd all your fun go?" Arthur teased, taking a drink from the dark green bottle. My eyes shifted to his adam's apple bobbing up and down as he drank, pulling it together when he handed me the bottle. He cheered as I lifted the bottle to my lips, taking a swig of the bubbly liquid. 

We passed it back and forth, deciding to leave some for later, to celebrate our findings or help drown out the sound of Dutch's disappointment lecture. 

Arthur got out first, giving me a polite hand out of the stagecoach. My gaze was brought upwards to the grand manor before us. Fancy lanterns lit the way towards the door, the door surrounded by gaudy statues, two fountains, along with plenty of butlers and a few armed guards to boot. It was surely that fanciest place I had been before. Marble floors greeted us inside, royal paintings that took up half a wall, dazzling chandeliers too. Arthur and I couldn't help but look around sort of star struck for a moment, our inner street kids amazed that we were set foot in what could be a castle. 

I made eye contact with Hosea, returning his sly nod, a wordless push to get to work. Arthur tapped my hand, motioning over to a group of snooty young men that he was going to integrate into, "They look like daddy's money boys, I'll go see what I can find out." He spoke close to my ear, both to convey his message over the string quartet playing and keep his plans private. But I only noticed how is breath on my skin sent goosebumps all over me. 

Almost frantically, I looked around the noisy ballroom, trying to find somebody of importance to strike up a conversation with. An older gentleman caught my eye, mainly it was the gold ring adorning his pinky and confident look about him. I grabbed a glass of champagne and went in for the kill. 

Mr. Perry as I learned, was an easy safe to crack, I quickly learned he was a very close friends with the host of the gala. I made sure to keep Mr. Perry's glass topped up, laughing at his dry humour and leaning in a little closer for his enjoyment. It wasn't long before he began mouthing off about some business he had with the host and a few other men here, ranting on their unwillingness to compromise and all of the money he was apparently wasting. His rant became a bragging fest in no time though, and as he talked of his fortune and how easily he had gotten it my attention drifted off. But in the midst of his boasting, his hand fell causally upon my waist.

My eyes widened slightly, and in the awkwardness again, I found myself looking around the room ultimately catching Arthur shooting daggers at the man with his hold on me. My cheeks grew hot. I apologized to Mr. Perry, not bothering with an explanation as I slipped out of his hold and made my way towards Arthur. 

"Who was that fool?" Arthur grumbled when I met him, I furrowed my brow, confused but flattered by his seemingly jealous reaction. 

"That was Mr. Perry, he's close with the host, I only let him touch me to try and get details." I informed him, wondering why I had just justified perfectly reasonable actions to my friend. 

Arthur flicked another mean stare towards Mr. Perry before turning back to me, "Hm, anyway, I got word of a safe upstairs, supposed to be holding some things of value." Arthur whispered the last part of his sentence. I nodded, wordlessly looking for a way to hunt down this safe. I patted Dutch on the back as I passed him, silently signalling him to keep watch for Arthur and I. 

With Arthur on my tail, we slipped into the other room, locating the servant staircase for a much more secluded way up. What we were met with was a labyrinth of sorts. "Let's split up, try not to run into anybody, give a whistle when you find something." Arthur said, both of us sharing a nod before separating in search of this prized safe. 

Rooms filled with riches proved fruitless somehow on my search, though I did manage to snag a fancy new pocket watch. While I was searching though yet another cabinet, I heard a soft whistle from the hall. 

I walked down the hall, listening to the muffled voices and music downstairs. As I walked into the room, Arthur was just pulling open the safe handle, "You're getting good at that." I complimented, smiling and taking a few papers from inside to snoop on. Arthur chuckled, slipping a few bill stacks into his coat pocket. I leaned up against the front of the big mahogany desk, skimming the words on the pages in search of anything important. 

The sound of the door knob turning caused us to look up at each other in dread. In a matter of seconds, Arthur shut the safe, rushed over to me, took my face in his hands and kissed me so passionately it made me feel almost drunk. He even pressed himself up against me to conceal the papers. I could taste the floral of the champagne, which mingled perfectly with the intoxicating smell of the cologne he had applied. Though it was only a moment, it was hot and needy, his teeth nearly clashing with mine but at the same time it was so tender, the edge softened by his plump lips.

My eyes shut the moment he pressed his lips to mine, only opening when I heard the heavy wooden door creak open, which caused Arthur to pulled away. "O-oh my," The butler gasped and his face turned a bright crimson colour, he cleared his throat before speaking, "I'm afraid guests are not supposed to be upstairs." 

"Sorry pal, we didn't realize, uh we'll get going." Arthur laughed softly, looking down and pretending to fiddle with the buttons on his pants to allow me to hide the papers on my person. I was too shocked to speak, to even look at Arthur really. The breath left my lungs yet again at the feeling of his hand on my lower back, guiding us out of the door being held open by the butler. Shamefully, we were chaperoned by that same butler down the grandeur staircase, catching the attention of Dutch and Hosea immediately. The embarrassment crept up my neck, making the room feel much too hot which only worsened when Arthur took my hand in his, I suspected to keep our little act going.

Following the two older men, we went outside, awaiting John and Bill in impatient silence. Hopefully John hadn't emptied the champagne, we'd need it to drown out the uncomfortableness. 

-

It had been a few weeks since my, interaction, with Arthur. And if I thought our relationship was off before, things got a lot worse. I couldn't bare to look at him, let alone be near him. He hadn't made much an effort to speak to me either, choosing to eat alone and always going out with John. 

I was in the outskirt of camp scrubbing some laundry in the stream when I heard footsteps from behind me. "Hey." I said to Arthur, standing up and dusting myself off, he seemed like he wanted to say something, I'd never seen him look so nervous before. 

"I just uh, wanted to apologize for what I did at the party I-" 

A boost of confidence suddenly bursted through me, the adrenaline pumped as I moved closer to him and cut him off with a kiss. Some kind of switch flipped in him, the nerves were gone and in no time he took control. Arthur carefully walked me backwards, unable to pry our lips apart and letting a tree catch my back. His hands were on my face like the first time, I couldn't taste champagne but the twinge of tobacco and mint wasn't terrible at all. I moaned into the kiss, my mouth left ajar as Arthur kissed down my neck, surely leaving marks on his way. 

Arthur mumbled against my skin, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this." I smiled, keeping him close with my hands around his neck. 

"Trust me, I know the feeling." I said, making him laugh while he returned to my lips, taking the chance to deepen the kiss. My fingers tangled into the honey blonde locks, focusing on the feeling of his hands sliding down my body, squeezing and appreciating me. 

"I need you, Arthur." I pulled away to whisper to him, smirking when I noticed the bumps appear on his skin, much like he had done to me at the party. Arthur raised his brows, his thumb absentmindedly stroking my hip. 

He cleared his throat, "W-where do you want to go?" I only smiled in response, abandoning the pile of laundry as I pulled him by the hand farther out from camp.

We both looked around, making sure nobody from camp was out this far. After a quick spin to look for anything to sit on, Arthur pulled off his coat and laid it out in front of a tree. He sat himself down and beckoned me to him, the blush on his face making both of us chuckle. The passion from before was quick to return with me now straddling his lap. 

Breathless, Arthur pulled away and looked to me, "Can I take this off?" He motioned to my shirt, looking more than pleased when I nodded. I helped him pull the fabric off my arms, a gasp leaving me as he kissed down my chest, taking my nipple into his mouth. My back arched with the feeling, my hands gripping the material of his shirt. Arthur moved back up to my neck, kissing the shell of my ear while I unbuttoned his shirt like he had done mine. 

I ran my fingers over the growing patch of his chest hair, smiling before beginning to leave my own signature over his skin. "I didn't know you felt this way, I um, I was so worried something had happened to our friendship." I told Arthur honestly, taking a break from loving up on him. 

"You didn't know? I thought you had maybe realized and starting hating me for it."  Arthur admitted with a soft laugh, stroking my cheek with his thumb. 

"I could never hate you, Arthur." I said, smiling and placing my hands on his broad shoulders. 

Spoken in between kisses, Arthur laughed, "We'll see about that." His hands held me close, moving down to grab at my ass, all while moving me to feel the swell in his jeans. Shyly, I skimmed my hand down his torso, watching his eyes close while I touched him through the denim. Broken out of his sudden trance, he reached down as well, taking things a step farther as he undid his pants, his length hitting his stomach in arousal. 

A familiar heat warmed my ears, he looked so good like this. Hot and bothered, leaned up against a tree and at my disposal. I took his cock in my hand, swiping my thumb over his leaking tip. "Shit." Arthur groaned, his hips thrusting himself up into my hand. I worked him up and down, keeping eye contact until he brought me close, connecting our lips once again. Arthur hummed into the kiss, even breaking it at one point to take a deep breath. He was so hard it seemed like it hurt. I reached down to undo my own bottoms. 

"Do you want to go through with this? I don't know if I'll be able to quit you after." Arthur spoke just above a whisper. 

"That is more than fine with me," I spoke as I tossed my bottoms off to the side, straddling him properly once again before continuing, "I haven't stopped thinking about the party, I wish that butler had just turned around." We both chuckled, Arthur's grip drifting to my waist. 

"I'm sure there'll be another chance to continue what we started there." 

A breathy moan left the both of us as my hips sunk down onto his length; he filled me up perfectly. It took me a moment to adjust, same with Arthur. I watched his eyes screw shut the second he felt the warmth of me, the squeeze. "God, you're so tight," Arthur pried his eyes open, looking up at me with an already glossed over look, "can I move?"

I only nodded in response, silent until his first thrust shot a wave of pleasure over me which caused me to throw my head back and involuntarily moan out his name. The sight seemingly spurred him into continuing his pace. Once I had familiarized myself with the blissful feeling, I took some of the weight off him and began moving with Arthur, lifting myself up and down atop of him. 

With my arms kind of half wrapped around Arthur's shoulders, I tangled my fingers into his hair once again, keeping him just as close to me as he was doing with me. "O-oh, there, again." I sputtered out the jumbled sentence, whimpering out a sound of pleasure with nearly all of his upwards thrusts. 

It didn't feel like all of the time I spent wondering and wanting had led specifically to this moment, like how they would describe the climax of a crush in the stories I would borrow from Mary-Beth sometimes. It felt beautifully unique, like I had chosen the right path to get here.

My clouded mind was no match for the warmth beginning to gather inside me. A groan from Arthur brought my attention upwards again, "I ain't gonna last much longer." His cheeks were pink and a sweat began to gather at his temple. My back arched at the feeling of his cock hitting that spot once again, and again. 

"Please, Arthur ugh!" I moaned, feeling him take the lead from me completely. My hips stilled as he desperately fucked himself into me, chasing. 

The feeling was an uninhabited release of control, of doubt, and of myself. With my legs shaking, I curled inwards, my head falling to Arthur's shoulder while I slowly fell from my place of ecstasy. Jagged and uneven thrusts brought Arthur through his orgasm, I could feel the hot finish filling me to the brim. He moaned and held tightly onto my skin, my skin adorned with red fingermarks at his ease. 

Slowly, I lifted my head, smiling softly at the sight of a faintly teary eyed Arthur Morgan. "That was-" He began and then stopped, searching for a word that could explain that experience.

"Yes, it was." I said with a laugh, lifting his chin and connecting our lips again finally.

Ever the gentleman, Arthur helped clean me up, affectionately doing up my shirt and fixing my hair with great care. And how could I not do the same for him.

-

"What's this gonna be like now?" 

I looked over at Arthur, sat beside me while we overlooked the lake where the gang was holed up by. The sun was shining on us, lighting up the blue in his eyes and causing him to squint, quite adorably I might add. 

"I mean, if you want to give us a try, I would really like that." I chose my words carefully, chewing on my lip while I awaited Arthur's answer.

"Of course I want to." He smiled, taking my hand in his and squeezing. 

So, I guess I could call that crush my boyfriend now.

[eternalglitch]

Have you ever felt pressured to change small parts of the plot so it matches what people think will happen? I'm not sure if you ever said that Leo would use a scarf to hide his scars, but people kind of just assumed that would happen (i did too jsjs). I'm not asking for spoilers but, for example, have you felt the need to add a scarf so you won't "disappoint" your readers? (Also you won't disappoint no one! Your writing is amazing and disappointment is basically impossible with your work).

Haha! A very valid question.

Fanfiction is often written in live time, unless you are one of those writers that prewrites the whole thing before posting (my major respect but I could NEVER.) And often it is still just you and your work and a few nice comments and that is it. I would say that smaller fic will still inevitably be influenced by the fandom and what the author consumes in that fandom, but it's usually not very direct.

And then once in a while you have a fic such as Like Father Like Son, which is an entirely different monster. I have people writing theories and essays about it. (One I saw recently where ohhhh they are on to me. I won't tip my hand at all as to who or what it was, but I sent it very excited to a few beta readers like look!! My foreshadowing is working! Not even anyone in my server guessed this one yet!)

The short answer is yes. It has changed thanks to the readers. Some of the more major changes came to be because one of my friends (all met through writing this fic) hopped into my dms with art, or a thought, or a theory. And I liked it so much I asked to use it. April alone in Draxum's lab was thanks to @aoshimaonwards and a future Mikey line of dialogue is thanks to @jinbugs. I slipped in the phrase "all eyes on him" as a nod towards @soldrawss and her animatic in another chapter, and yeah, the scarves didn't even occur to me until all the fanart suddenly had it and I went "wait, yeah, that IS a great idea. How can I expand on that in a way that works?" If I don't like it, I just ignore it. Simple as that.

Having readers influence you is not something to be afraid of in your own work, so long as you don't steal ideas and ensure everyone participating is having fun (including yourself!). My friends tend to be the most influential, of course, but sometimes a comment or something will lead my brain down a rabbit hole and allows me to improve lfls in a way I wouldn't have spotted on my own.

It's not sad that this fic would be different if I had written it in isolation or before anyone knew about it and had a chance to influence me. It just has the fingerprints of people that also love this fic just as much as I do added next to mine.

THAT BEING SAID. The worst thing an author can do is 100% listen to their audience when they know it doesn't make sense for their own thing. I know and trust my calls on how things should go, and I stick with them, because that is what drew so many people to my work in the first place. I very clearly remember after the Battle Nexus arc a few people wrote me essays about how I was wrong, Leo should have been saved there, I was dragging the story out and ruining everything. Considering the arcs I had for Raph and Donnie that required the Weapon arc, plus all of the other aspects of it I had planned, I could clearly see how it was an important part of Like Father Like Son and just kept on going.

As the author, I already have hindsight of how the arcs and character development will go; the readers do not. That's where you do need the strength to trust yourself, and your writing, because if people are reading it and talking about it you are doing something right already.

You won't ever be able to please everyone. Some people might be disappointed with what I do down the line in Like Father Like Son. At this point, it's almost inevitable because I have so many of you reading it that there are a hundred different opinions on how it should go and only a single route I can choose. But I showed the people whose opinions I trust as highly as my own my plans and they were all so excited so if I'm wrong, and they're wrong, then I guess I'll just be wrong on my story's ending. This was a fanfic started for just me, and at the end of the day that's who I want to reread it and love every second of it (plus now all of my friends that helped support my silly little endeavors).