#one day i'll finish this fic

[nateslehky]

happy wip wednesday homies <3

“Thank you for your help,” says Cale seriously. “I appreciate it, really.”

Nate swallows. “Okay.”

“I just–I wish you would relax sometimes.” His lips turn upward into a tentative smile. “I thought you were. I liked that you were.”

“I was,” says Nate earnestly. “This is–was–the first time I’ve felt relaxed in forever." 

Nate stares down at his calloused palms, unsure how to explain the restlessness that sneaks beneath his veins whenever he isn't actively pushing towards his goals or how he struggles with slowing down as a result. All the words he hates–useless, inadequate, pathetic—are whipping through his brain as if in a high-speed food processor, combining into a jumbled mess.  He can’t figure out a way to pick them out and present them to Cale in a way that makes any sort of sense.

Eventually, he just shrugs his shoulders and offers, "I like helping, is all.”

It's an insufficient explanation, but Cale nods as though he understands.

“I know. It’s one of my favorite things about you.”

A flush crawls its way up Nate’s neck. He wasn’t aware that Cale had favorite things about him. 

He has no idea how to respond, but Cale just continues, “I wish you’d let others help you more. That’s all I meant earlier, truly. I was stressed with hosting and everything and it came out wrong, I think.”

He drops his hand from Nate’s arm, but the warmth of it remains.

“You help me,” says Nate after a moment, voice thick. “All the time.”

[helianthus21]

excuse the bad pics as always (low quality book that's already falling apart) but i feel so validated having written this part before even reading qotd:

[jayparked]

the way i've been trying to write this jake fic for WEEKS NOW and i opened the google doc, got an idea for sunghoon and typed 1k words for a sunghoon fic instead....

[part-timewonders]

Snippet Sunday Monday

tagged by @glitterwitch1, thank you!! <3 I wish I had jonsa to post for you instead lol

tagging: anyone who wants to play along, because I think all writers need an excuse to post more of their WIPs.

here's some prideshipping that I've been working on for months... in which a magical milkshake (don't ask) sends Kaiba to Aaru months earlier than the events of DSOD.

“I’m not going to spend all day in your bed.” It takes a few seconds for Seto to realize how that sounds, and he merely hopes that he’s not blushing as red as he feels.

“You’re welcome to,” Atem says after a moment, clearly trying to hide his smile while Seto glares at him. “I have a senet board. I can teach you the rules no one in your modern world has ever gotten right. And I’ve never been defeated.”

A clear taunt. Seto wonders if he’s too easy to read, but the thrill of the challenge is irresistible.

Later, the afternoon light finds the two of them sitting on two large cushions across from each other, a low table in between with Atem’s senet board set on top, abandoned mid-game in favor of hesitant conversation and a pitcher of honeyed beer.

“A gift from my father,” Atem had explained hours ago when Seto examined the small ivory pieces curiously. “I was surprised to see it here—I suppose Set had it buried with me when he…”

“When he created your tomb?”

Atem had been surprised. “Yes. But how did you know?”

Seto had hated himself, briefly, for bringing up his dreams when he knew Atem would be curious about them, but there was still a way to come out on top here. “Teach me to play, and I’ll answer your questions.”

[feathercreates]

"Old friend... I miss you so much. I'm so sorry."

[teastainedprose]

Too Sweet - Ch. 1 (Cooper Howard x Reader)

A settler selling wares in Filly catches The Ghoul's eye. Inspired by a Tumblr post asking for an angst fic to Hozier's Too Sweet. 1,753 words | [AO3] No warnings yet, only innocent flirting. Banner from @eupheme

The first time he spots you, Cooper thinks nothing of it. Sure, you look a little less worn down compared to the usual rabble roaming Filly. Certainly scrubbed a little cleaner than most but so were the rest of your companions. The lot of you are a curiosity for sure, but he's seen plenty of attractive women over the ages and known a handful carnally. He's not the sort of man to let a pretty face distract him. No, you don't get a second glance from the ghoul as he goes about his business. 

It's not until your laughter catches Cooper by the ear that he starts paying attention. Jerks his head right round at the sunny sound, attention diverting from the bounty board as he watches you engage with a customer. You laugh again, a merry delight that lights your face right up while the elderly woman you're chatting with laughs along. She's made brighter for being so close to you while you've suddenly become the sun in Cooper's eyes. A brightness he has to squint at when he looks over again to drink you in. His long-dead heart decides that it's about time to do a little flip.

That's a sensation he's not keen on feeling. Cooper hums under his breath, frown settling on his worn lips. He tugs the brim of his hat lower, turning away as he tries to focus on the task at hand. No good can come of fancying any sort of infatuation on a smoothie like you. You're not the sort of creature deserving of the trouble he could bring.

Yet Cooper finds he can't quite help himself. Wasteland life is full of little pleasures and looking at you sure counts as a bit of pleasure. Why not indulge?

The rest of the day as he sits waiting for a client to show, his eyes flicker over you. Wherever you're from, it's certainly kinder to you than what most folks in the Wasteland see. You almost look as soft as some fresh-faced Vaultie, but he can see that your hands are well-worn as you exchange produce for caps. A farmer of sorts. Homesteader.

He listens with a keener ear to the gossip swirling about you and those in your group. A little settler band situated out east, closer to the mountains and closer to what manages to grow green. He picks up that your lot wanders in every few weeks with produce to sell, or trade to stock up the settlement the collective group runs. 

Idly, he wonders what horseshit sort of ideology your commune might be sunk into, but if you're looking to spread a new sort of gospel none of your ilk seem keen on sharing it here. You're a welcome addition to the economy of Filly and it's clear that many enjoy the taste of hope this band of settlers bring in with their harvest. Cooper figures that's indoctrination enough from the harsh reality the Wasteland offers up.

Cooper finds himself wandering over to Ma June's place under the pretense of stocking up on supplies. There's suspicion in her eyes as he drops his intended purchases onto the counter but that's not out of the ordinary. There's always suspicion in the looks Ma June gives him, but she'll take his caps all the same.

"Say, now what's with that group of lil' farmers hauling in their produce like that? Can't imagine those soft-lookin' sorts making their way all the way here unmolested," he drawls out. His smile is crooked as Cooper counts through his caps to pay.

"Settlers, but the well-armed sort. No point in trifling with them. Too well-liked here for their fresh food supply they haul in," Ma June pulls the caps towards her, gaze fixed on the ghoul as she mutters. "They'll trade with ya, but keep out of their business. Ya hear?"

A hum escapes Cooper as he considers this, leaning onto the counter while glancing out the dusty window towards where you stand at the stall. He casually stashes his purchases into his saddlebag while going on conversationally.  "Well- Is that so? They a regular sort of fixture here in Filly now?"

"Have been setting up that stall going on half a year now. Surprised you've yet to come across 'em. Best cherry tomatoes you'll find in the Wasteland." Ma June eases back, arms crossing over her chest as a sour look settles in place on her worn face.

Another speculative hum escapes Cooper as he digests this information before he tips his hat to Ma June and goes on his way. Which happens to lead him straight to your stall.

Once there, Cooper casually plucks up potatoes, a handful of cherry tomatoes, and okra. All of it looks as vegetables should, the sort he would have found at the grocery store before everything went to shit. 

"How much for this lot?" He sets the small bounty atop the open space on the stall. Cooper gives you his Hollywood smile that would charm the pants off of any woman in bygone days, except now his face is a leathery wreck and his teeth are yellowed with age. Most people instantly flinch away in disgust.

Not you.

You smile like the morning sun towards him as you step closer while dusting your hands off on your pants. The bit of dirt smeared on your face only seems to enhance your features in Cooper's eyes. The look you give him is almost shy once you meet his gaze, smiling warmly up to him. 

Cooper finds that curious. He's familiar with a scowl or grimace of disgust when anyone looks him in the face, but here you are gracing him with an easy smile. A customer is a customer, he figures, and he'll do well enough. Yet, your friendliness doesn't feel like an act. Even after all these years, Cooper Howard still can clock other actors.

"Fifteen caps for the whole lot, but I'll throw in an extra sweet potato for the smile." You wink. Wink right at him as your smile grows. "They're good for ya, handsome." You add casually, the smile tugging up further into a cheeky grin. Your expression shifts. Playful. Coy. Interested.

Ain't that something? Cooper doesn't falter at the full force of your attention. He's too old and worn for that, but he sure does grin right back with a twinkle in his eye. Even an old ghoul like him can enjoy a pretty thing like you openly flirting with him.

Now that he’s heard it, Cooper decides your voice is sweet as a silver bell. The sort of soothing tone that reminds him of rain softly pelting a windowpane. It's the sort of sound that makes him wish to stay and listen for a while, tucked into the warmth that he suddenly wants you to offer up. He wants to get you talking to hear more. Wonders how he can coax you into a conversation.

That’s a fucking stupid idea. Cooper mentally shakes himself free of the passing fancy, head tilting ever so slightly as he peers down at you from the shadow of his hat. "Mhm. Ain't trying to get me hooked now are you, sweetheart?

"Something like that." 

“Well now, reckon vegetables ain’t the worst sort of vice a man can get lost in.” Cooper still can’t help himself. He lets his eyes wander right down your body before flicking back up to your face, what sort of vice he’s pondering made clear.

That flush on your cheeks blooms all the hotter as you laugh for him, the sound an utter delight when directed his way. You smile, sweet and shy now as you pluck up a hefty sweet potato to set beside the rest of his purchases. 

“Oh, well-” You start, stop with a small shake of your head as you smile all the wider. Utterly disarmed.

Cooper counts out the requested coin with a speculative hum, mirth sparking in his eyes as it seems he’s rendered you speechless. It’s down-right adorable if he’s being honest with himself. You’re a right little temptation he’d like to play with further. A dangerous thought.

Setting the coins onto the counter, he's swift in sweeping up his new bounty and stowing it all away into a pouch within his saddle bag. This close you're too bright and Cooper knows he's in trouble. Best to break away before you pull him into your orbit in full.

“You take care of yourself now, sweetheart,” Cooper drawls. He tips his hat towards you and turns away with spurs clicking. You watch him go, cheeks still flaming.

You know who he is. The Ghoul, the most famous Bounty Hunter the radiated Wastelands has to offer. You've heard all the rumors and truer tales about him all your life but nothing could prepare you for seeing him in the flesh. A dangerous sort of creature. A man who always brings his bounty in. 

You'd been watching him all day, stealing glances as you work. Now that you've seen him up close and personal? You're down-right fascinated. He’s nothing like the monster the stories painted him out to be. At least, he certainly wasn’t monstrous to you. There’s something captivating about him. Charming, even. 

You’ve seen ghouls before, of course. You know their kind as some live on the settlement with you. The majority end up shambling and ungainly, limbs no longer listening as the radiation rot wars with their regeneration abilities. A confusion that makes most of them uncoordinated and awkward in their transformed bodies, but The Ghoul? He’s got a swagger to his step that reminds you of those cowboys you’ve seen on ancient holotapes. 

He’s been lurking at the edge of your awareness all day, your head cocking in his direction to listen to the cadence of his voice as he bartered for bullets and talked business outside of the bar over yonder.

A thrill had jolted through you the moment he started to move towards your stall. The nervous energy thrumming through you had been made all the worse when you met The Ghoul’s gaze for the first time. A woman could find herself lost in such eyes and you’d certainly tripped right into them. Boldly meeting this stranger’s gaze and enjoying every second his attention was on you.

Shame he left so quickly. You sigh, turning back to count out bottlecaps he’d left as you turn your attention back to work. Best not to think about it. You’re unlikely to see that legend ever again.

[lenabobina]

1989 — Deutsche Demokratische Republik (x)

[amogus-real-not-clickbait]

part 1 of a little comic / art sequence that i've been working on! :D it's part tribute, part experimenting with brushes n colors and trying new thingz :]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | ... |

and thus continues my endless quest of spreading the carrot fics like a plague! if you've seen my art floating around you probs already figured that this au holds a very special place in my heart, forever and always!!

if you haven't heard of it, it's a fic series by @crowned-ladybug called carrot soup!! it made me wish i could speak colors and i need more people to share my struggle xd

go check it out if you're into sweet voice lore and qpr level gayness and just wanna feel warm and soft and warm (hurt/comfort my beloved) <333 there are some heavier themes cos everyone's traumatized but they're working through it! be sure to check the tags and stay safe! <3

[thebibliosphere]

I don't know if I'll ever finish it, but occasionally, I am reminded that I started writing crackfic based on a dream I had after playing too much Garden Life and also reading too many Nightwing comics, and I'll open up the document and laugh myself sick at how awful a time Slade Wilson is having in my haunted flower shop AU.

He's been ripped body and soul out of his genre and into a cozy Hallmark movie with undercurrents of cosmic horror, and there's nothing he can do about it. Worst of all, the human he kidnapped is unkillable. At least by him.

---

Slade took a menacing step forward, then stopped dead in his tracks, unable to move another inch. "The fuck."

He looked down at his boots, struggling to uproot them from the dirt-strewn floor. When that failed, he gave up and took a desperate swing across the shop counter. The little witch didn't even flinch. She didn't need to. The same invisible force wrapped around his arm, holding it in place as he strained his outstretched hand toward her neck.

"What the fuck did you do?" he demanded, arm shaking as sweat began to bead down his brow.

"Me?" she asked, far too innocently, like butter wouldn't melt in that smug, annoying mouth. "Bless your heart, dearie, that's not me. That's the plot armor."

"Plot what?"

"Armor," she repeated slowly for him. "I know you're familiar with the word. I've seen that discounted Spirit Halloween ensemble you call a costume."

Slade snarled, renewing his efforts to crush her windpipe. "I know the word. What does it mean?"

"It means I'm protected. The story can't advance without me, so you're stuck with me." She smiled sweetly. "Lucky you."

"Story? What story? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"This one," she said, gesturing around them as though that explained anything. "The one we're in. The one you pulled me into. The one I can't leave until you figure out whatever the fuck you're supposed to be doing. So if you could hurry up and do that, that'd be great. I've got shit to do, and it doesn't involve holding your hand through whatever bullshit character arc crisis you're going through."

"Lady," Slade breathed out through gritted teeth, "you are fucking insane."

"Oh, sweety," she drawled, leaning across the counter and causing his arm to draw back of its own volition, not allowing him to get a hold of her throat, as she patted him condescendingly on the cheek. Clearly, whatever bullshit proximity magic she was pulling didn't apply to her ability to touch him. "You don't know the half of it."

[silverskye13]

One man brings A dragon down

[minnow-doodle-doo]

Jason and Bruce, 20 years later. Jason stops being Red Hood and becomes a nurse and a dad. (This is the ending of the Pinkies Up series, sorry spoilers lol)

[muldersfingers]

The 61st Bloodbath

An MSR/Hunger Games AU by muldersfingers

Chapters: 8/21 Word Count: 36,384/80,000 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Samantha Mulder, Walter Skinner, Haymitch Abernathy, Mags (Hunger Games), Coriolanus Snow, Cigarette Smoking Man (X-Files), Original Characters

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

Dana Scully was the 60th victor of the Hunger Games. Dana Scully was a petite redhead who, despite hailing from a promising district and having been born in an even more prestigious one, was not a favourite to win her Games. Dana Scully was a broken, distant shell of a person who probably couldn’t knock a grasshopper off its legs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On the eve of the tribute reaping for the 61st Hunger Games, the District 4 victors attend the mentor reaping.

PART ONE

PART TWO - Chapter Eight

[ruvviks]

'I never meant for things to turn out like they did,' Nick mumbled, burying his face in Vitali's chest. 'Never meant for any of it to go wrong.' 'I know,' Vitali merely said back, eyes absently fixed on the wall as he ran his fingers through Nick's hair. 'I'm sorry.' 'I know.' 'I love you.' 'I know.' They both paused— Vitali hesitant, Nick optimistically expectant; but the reciprocation remained unspoken, emotions and feelings stuck in the back of Vitali's throat and the three words lingering between them like the smoke of his cigarette. He wasn't sure if he would even mean it anyway.

taglist (opt in/out)

@nistarot, @deadrlngers, @euryalex, @ordinarymaine, @mojaves;

@shellibisshe, @dickytwister, @mnwlk, @rindemption, @ncytiri;

@calenhads, @noirapocalypto, @florbelles, @radioactiveshitstorm, @strafethesesinners;

@fashionablyfyrdraaca, @radioactive-synth, @katsigian, @estevnys, @devilbrakers;

@aezyrraesh, @carlosoliveiraa, @adelaidedrubman, @fromgotham, @wardenevka;

@samuraifics

[leiascully]

Visitor & The All The Choices We've Made-verse

I don't think I've actually ever made a post of all of the Visitor-related fics, so here it is, inspired by the anon from the other day. All links are AO3 links, although all fics can also be found on my blog with a little digging.

Visitor At least he's guaranteed to see her once a year. (30K, written pre-revival, angst & PTSD to happily reunited)

Resident They have missed every other date they might have held significant - birthdays, anniversaries, days of mourning, days of celebration - but they will keep this appointment. (34K, the Scully-POV companion to Visitor)

Between A Rock And A Hard Place Tad O'Malley makes Mulder and Scully an offer they can't refuse. (12K, Visitor-compliant rewrite of My Struggle I)

Home Again Mulder and Scully investigate a mysterious murder in Philadelphia as Scully deals with her mother's failing health. (18K, Visitor-compliant rewrite of Home Again)

A Mann's World "When was the last time we had a lizard monster, anyway?" (17K, Visitor-compliant rewrite of Mulder & Scully Meet The Were-Monster)

Bonus materials (revival era):

Taurus Season Surely she could find some worthier trigger for her nostalgia than a mid-size American sedan with roughly the same design scheme as a dentist’s waiting room. (700 words, sometime during S11, a meditation on the road)

Mrs. & Mr. Spooky Spurred by an encounter with Tom Colton, Scully buys a birthday gift for Mulder. (1.5K, unrelenting fluff)

Bonus materials (pre-revival):

A Cabin In The Woods Mulder and Scully, on the run, stay for a while in a cabin in the mountains in Montana. A series of interlacing vignettes. (14K, a few months of respite and the Montana Mountain Woman)

Housewarming A walk in the woods near the unremarkable house; a fall night; a fire in the fireplace. (1.4K, what if the unremarkable house felt like the cabin?)

[transsexualelysium]

slowburn old man conclave yaoi based of the most gorgeous and tender (here i go with that word again) fanfiction written by @rodamned on ao3 hi this is an ambush i've left like two comments on your work and i'm absolutely taken by it. you write these two old men so convincly in love that it makes my heart hurt.

i was at such a loss with what to do with this colour wise because i always stop at lineart but i hope this can capture the moment even a little bit. their yearning is something else man everyone go read the series Amor Vincit Omnia RIGHT NOW

[n7punk]

i feel like i used up all my creative ideas on my novel and now when i open a word doc my brain just goes blank