#otp prompts august 2023

[anthrofreshtodeath]

I think the OP just turned on the first two seasons of R&I and jotted down this list of prompts 😂

How about a little " hangouts that start to feel more and more like dates" please and thank you.

I do hope this won't be your last prompt challenge!

Sorry this is so late 🫠 but hey, I wrote something!

___

The first time they’d hung out, Jane had brought a giant bag of peanut m&ms and extra butter popcorn. Maura had called it a movie night, after all. It was early on in their friendship, and Jane had been excited when she trotted up to the front door with her snacks in one hand, and a six pack in the other. She’d hiked up her long leg to press the doorbell with her boot, and was in the middle of putting it down when Maura swung the door open.

“H-hi,” Jane said, cheeks ruddy from sheepishness as much as the crisp fall air. 

Maura had smiled, and then looked down. “Can I help you with something?”

Jane held the grocery bag with the food in it. “Thanks,” she said, “sometimes carrying stuff is still, uh, kinda hard.” She didn’t brandish her scars, but their pointed eye contact told her Maura had understood.

Maura then nodded to the beer. “I have a place in the refrigerator where you can put that,” she told Jane. “Come in.”

Jane had whistled. “Nice place you got here,” she commented as she looked up at the high vaulted ceilings and the gleaming marble countertops.

“I rent,” Maura confessed. “I just moved back to Boston… well, when we met, actually. And I am being judicious about where I would like to own. So most of the decor came with the house.”

“I woulda never guessed,” Jane said. She pointed to the fridge, stainless steel, wide, and clean. Maura affirmed. “No offense, but rich suits you.”

“None taken. I am rich,” said Maura, with palms against the fabric of the jeans on her hip. 

Jane would have spit beer out of her mouth if there’d been any. “And humble, too,” she chuckled. Both at Maura’s comment and at the fact that Maura could no longer resist the bag she brought in. Maura rummaged through it with equal parts fascination and disgust. “You good?”

Maura peered up. “Do you really eat all this during one film?”

Jane curled a brow. “No…” she elongated it. “I got it for us to share.”

“Oh!” said Maura, then her face fell. “Oh, that… that’s very sweet. I…”

“You don’t eat any of this junk, do you?” asked Jane kindly. Her eyes crinkled and her lips pursed like she was trying not to laugh.

“Not at all,” said Maura on a whoosh of relieved air. “The hydrogenated oils are-”

“Don’t.” Jane held up her hand, “ruin it for me. But, that’s good to know. What do you like to eat during… films?” she asked with no small amount of humor. But when Maura opened her mouth to answer, Jane stopped her. “No no. You know what? Don’t tell me. I’m your friend; lemme figure you out.”

Maura had blushed and said nothing. But she’d smiled and showed Jane to the living room where they’d be watching what she’d picked out.

___

Subsequent hangouts got easier. Like this one - a long week called for a late Friday night at home. Maura had purchased the townhouse on Pickney about half a year prior, and since Angela moved in not long after, it was the place Jane thought of when she conjured the word home in her mind. And, yes, it was movie night, but a newer venue also called for newer fare - namely, gourmet charcuterie from the deli a few blocks from Jane’s apartment, and a good wine from the Whole Foods in Beacon Hill. Not, y’know, a six hundred dollar bottle a-la Tommy’s FBI debacle the previous week, but something good. 

Something Jane knew Maura liked. 

Something she and Maura had drunk before. And so, balancing everything in one hand, Jane used her key to open the door, and when she heard the muffled voices of a conference call on the second floor - the governor did tend to call Maura late, much to Jane’s chagrin - she set the items on the counter and went to the cupboards to pull out the decanter. She’d peeled off all the horrid labels her mother placed under each shelf when Ian was here, and it’d felt like something she’d had to do.

Strip Maura of the stinging past, restore the present to as it was before him, so that they could move forward into the future. 

Put off by the taste of that experience, Jane pulled out the candles Maura reserved for those truly trying times: decadent spices and citrus that reminded Jane of herself. And she thought it sounded egotistical but she had enough comfort in Maura’s space to own that - she liked the house to smell like that because she belonged there, not because she wanted to mark her territory. Ian’s mountain of medical supplies had felt like the opposite. Felt like a threat. 

Tommy’s bottle of wine had felt more like fumbling in the dark. Like something he wanted and knew he couldn’t have, but had to take a shot at anyway. 

Jane’s bottle of wine, the one she poured into the decanter, and Jane’s candles, which were really Maura’s, the ones she lit to waft up to Maura, to ease her into relaxation on the way down from her call, felt like what a Friday night should be. 

Felt like a well-worn routine. 

To further the routine, she pulled a board out from a cabinet next to the oven, and arranged meats, cheeses, and dried fruits in the pattern Maura liked, the one that seemed most calming. Before Maura, Jane didn’t even know that meat could be arranged in a calming way. After Maura, Jane learned that most perceivable things could bring calm, or bring stress. She’d adapted well, considering. Went for easily identifiable, separate food groups. 

“You’re early,” Maura’s voice roused Jane from her contemplation. She was barefoot, and had changed into yoga pants and an oversized sweater, with her hair pinned up. “Oooh - figs.” She reached over as Jane worked, and their fingers brushed on her way to the fruit. “Thank god autumn is here.”

“Those are all you,” Jane teased, “I’m all about the prashut’ right here.” She lifted the paper thin meat to her mouth and dropped it in. “Things, uh, things go well on your call?” 

Maura shrugged. “The governor is an obstinate man,” she began, “but I know how to bring him down. And explain artfully that Popov is not really my problem, but his.”

“That guy is everybody’s problem,” Jane commented when she pulled a beer from the new, glass-door fridge. “If you need me to forcefully suggest retirement to him, just let me know.”

Maura laughed, bubbly and bright. When Jane returned, Maura placed a hand on her shoulder. “I trust he’d take the hint,” she said.

“I’m good at givin’ hints,” Jane joked. She caught the blush with which Maura stared down again at the spread, and it confused her. She caught the wistful glance toward the wine, aerating in the fanciful glass Jane’d poured it into, and maybe Maura was just hungry. Just tired after a long day and needing a drink to take the edge off. 

“Hmm,” was all that Maura offered in response, like an agreement but about something else.

The something else itched at Jane. “I’ll take this over to the couch,” she said, moving slow, balancing the board in her left hand and nodding toward the living area.

“I’ll bring the wine and start a fire,” said Maura. When she looked up, she smiled softly at Jane, as she often did.

This time, Jane shuddered just before she headed toward the coffee table. 

___

“I heard,” Maura breathed out when she answered the door. 

Jane stood there, still dressed for the work day, just like Maura. This was what hangouts between them sometimes devolved into now - Jane felt worn out, and felt like she looked it, too. Maura looked just as perfect as when she’d started the day, when Jane had waltzed into the foyer a much happier woman in search of her morning coffee. 

Maura had handed it to her, like Maura handed her a beer now. The clock on the microwave read 11:12 PM and she had work the next morning, but Jane wanted to get drunk. She scrunched her face in displeasure, crossed her eyes to be silly and to note her frustration. “Honestly surprised it took this long for Tommy to knock someone up,” she said. When she walked in, Maura hovered close behind. Jane felt Maura-ness all along her back. 

Maura caught Jane’s hand just as Jane went to pop the top of her beer off on the granite. “Don’t ruin my counters,” Maura warned. She took the beer back, twisted the cap, and waited. 

Jane knew what she waited for, too, so she turned around with haste, between Maura’s front and the lip of the countertop. “It’ll give ‘em character,” Jane teased.

Maura rolled her eyes. “And you don’t know that Tommy… knocked someone up,” she continued, the colloquialism familiar to her brain but foreign on her tongue. “It’s just a possibility.”

“I think it’s more likely than my pop doin’ it, at his age,” Jane grumbled. She lifted the bottle to her lips and let the Blue Moon rush down. Cold, bubbly, tangy. Perfect. 

“Well, I know nothing about your father’s sexual health, but given that we can assume he slept with Lydia multiple-”

Jane’s hand flew to Maura’s soft, soft lips. Had they always been this soft? It made Jane’s fingers jittery with the need to move, to touch. She pulled her hand down when Maura stopped talking. “Please, please don’t. Don’t go there.”

Maura put up her hands in surrender. “I ordered a pizza,” she offered a branch of reconciliation. 

Jane sighed. Pizza? Beer? The night, all because of Maura, seemed to be turning around. “Sounds perfect. You know, why can’t Tommy find something like-”

Uh oh. 

This time she stopped herself, not Maura. Something like this? Something easy, something heady, something in a nice home with a beautiful woman who… Jane needed to run. She’d already said too much. But, Jane was trapped.

“Like this,” Maura chanced. She moved closer. Jane’s anxiety wafted toward Maura on a noxious wave of fear and need, but, Jane watched Maura persist. She watched conviction literally light up Maura’s eyes. Increased moisture catching the light over the kitchen island, Maura would have said, but still. Maura unclasped her own hands and opened her arms, not wide out at her sides like a barrier, but palms out, close to her sides like an invitation. “Like you. And me.”

Jane nodded, and then her face crumpled. What in the hell, besides this very reason, was she doing at her friend’s house at 11 at night, drinking beer and sulking because her brother just made all of their lives so much more complicated? Didn’t women call their girlfriends to vent all about life problems as they had a nice night in at their own places, watching shitty reality tv and drinking? Didn’t they send a text saying something along the lines of “OMG my brother’s an asshole and I’m struggling and really need to talk to you about it over coffee tomorrow?” 

They certainly didn’t show up at their friend’s place close to midnight to stand in front of them, soul bare, and blurt out… feelings.

But Maura didn’t really seem interested in what women usually do with their friends either. She knew what they did. So, Jane slumped forward, into the invitation, and Maura caught her.

“I don’t think many people get to find something like this,” Maura began, wrapping her arms around Jane’s tired shoulders and pulling her even closer when Jane sighed. “Do you?”

Jane still held her beer in one hand between them, with the other clutching at the fabric of Maura’s dress between her shoulder blades. “Nah,” she answered. “I guess not.”

[zexalmonth]

Zexal Month 2023's coming up! From August 1st to the 31st, we’ll be celebrating our 7th Zexal Month! We're doing a Tarot theme!

All our prompts are based on the 23 Major Arcana! You can follow the written prompts or just draw something based on the actual arcana for the day!

For those who are with us for the first time, we have prompts with some suggestions attached to them. You can focus on characters, concepts or OCs, as long as it’s somehow Zexal related and we'll reblog it if it's tagged with #zexal month 2023. In addition to the daily prompts, we have a list of alternate prompts at the end of the list! We hope you have fun with it.

Week 1: Welcome to the Kingdom

1st: The Fool upright | Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit The king calls you all to introduce yourselves. Hello, fools! Who are you and how did you get into Zexal? 2nd: The Magician upright | Manifestation, resourcefulness, power, inspired action Duel monsters are the manifestation of the soul, so show us your favourite duel monster or card! Alternatively, show us your favourite Numbers Card! 3rd: The High Priestess upright | Intuition, sacred knowledge, the subconscious mind Music can do miraculous things to the subconscious mind. You can make something based on the soundtrack or themes/motifs you like. As a challenge, put on one of the Zexal soundtracks and try to make something before the song ends! Show it to us! 4th: The Empress upright | Femininity, beauty, nature, nurturing, abundance The empress summons you to talk about someone you truly care for. What makes your favourite character your favourite? If you have an OC, feel free to talk about them! Also, we love women, so if you want, show some female characters appreciation!

Week 2: Secrets of the Royal Court

7th- The Emperor upright | Authority, establishment, structure, a father figure All hail the barian emperors! Show us a piece about our favourite alien warlords and/or Don Thousand. You can also show us a non-barian Character as a Barian or something else Barian-related. Alternatively, an upright emperor also represents a father figure. Kazama? Faker? Tron? An OC or self-insert? Show us daddy issues something inspired by them! 8th- The Hierophant reversed | Personal beliefs, freedom, challenging the status quo The reversed hierophant means freedom and non-uniformity, so it’s dress up day! Put a Zexal character (or OC) in a new set of clothes they would/wouldn’t wear! Historically accurate clothes for Barians’ past lives? Mini skirt IV? Droite in her wrestler attire? Astral in a tutu? Just show us fashion!  9th- The Lovers upright | Love, harmony, relationships, values alignment, choices Time to spread the love! OTPs? OT3s? BROTPs? Character x Reader? Character x OC? The lovers card is all about ‘belonging’. What relationships do these characters have?    Draw us your ships, friendships or your favourite group of characters (Number’s Club, Sanyuushi, Arclights etc.) enjoying each others’ company. You can also show us the families of your favourite characters and create relatives for them if you prefer.  10th- The Chariot reversed | Self-discipline, opposition, lack of direction Sure, we have a “plot” but Zexal has lots of filler episodes and fun, zany detours! Show what sort of sports or hobbies the characters would get involved with in their spare time. 11th- Justice upright | Justice, fairness, truth, cause and effect, law Time to put a Zexal character on trial! What crimes are they charged for? What is the verdict? What is the punishment?  Feel free to get silly with this (Phoenix Wright, anyone?) or be as grim/morbid as you like. Will Vector finally pay for his transgressions? Up to you!

Week 3: Into the Woods

14th- The Hermit upright | Soul-searching, introspection, being alone, inner guidance As you are banished into the woods for your hot takes, you’re able to reflect on a long-forgotten friend. Make something based on your favourite obscure or minor character. Give those one-shot duelists some love! 15th- The Wheel of Fortune upright | Good luck, life cycles, destiny, a turning point Let’s just put your favorite characters on a game show. Can you imagine a Family Feud with Arclights vs Tenjos? Does anyone get lucky?  What sort of entertainment (outside of card games) do you think you’d see in Heartland City? 16th- Strength upright | Strength, courage, persuasion, influence, compassion Fight! Fight! Fight! In a contest of pure strength, who would win? Who do you NOT want to face in hand-to-hand combat. Who would you duel? If you want to keep yourself out of the fight, show two characters in a fight/duel! Bonus points if they haven’t canonically fought before.  17th- The Hanged Man upright | Pause, surrender, letting go, new perspectives A change of perspective! Is there any character you didn't like at the start, but ended up loving, or vice versa? Who is it and why?  Alternatively, what relationships do you wish we saw? What interactions did Zexal deprive us from? 18th- Temperance upright | Balance, moderation, patience, purpose Sometimes, your friends get on your nerves and you have to be patient with them. But it’s really hard when they’re mostly middle schoolers. How do you think characters would spend a Boys/Girls’ Night Out? What about a slumber party instead?

Week 4: Exile

21st- The Devil reversed | Releasing limiting beliefs, exploring dark thoughts, detachment Show us your villains or your favourite character(s) as a villain. Does their deck change as well? 22nd- The Tower upright | Sudden change, upheaval, chaos, revelation, awakening Show us your favourite punching bag hurting emotionally (whether from a death, tragedy, breakup or something else), in physical agony, or just having a good cry. Zexal is no stranger to angst, after all (we got how many death montages at the end of the series?).  If there are triggers or graphic themes/visuals, remember to tag them! 23rd- The Moon reversed | Release of fear, repressed emotion, inner confusion Some parts of Zexal were confusing and some plot points were forgotten. What do you wish you could have seen MORE of? Alternatively, is there something you didn’t like in Zexal? What and why? Show us what you would have preferred/thought was interesting! Explore a scenario that could have drastically altered Zexal. e.g. What if Kaito died of space cancer at the end of season 1? 24th- The Star upright | Hope, faith, purpose, renewal, spirituality Let’s change the tone of this week. Zexal is full of mythology and spirituality. Show us some of your favourite themes/lore in the show!   25th- The Sun upright | Positivity, fun, warmth, success, vitality The sun represents warm feelings as much as it represents treasure/wealth. Give your favourite character a cursed weapon or treasure. How do they react? What do they do with it? If you want a challenge, grab an image of Yuma’s room and pick a treasure/object. Draw it and/or give it a story. III definitely would love to hear you talk about it! 

Week 5: Court of the Dead

28th- Death upright | Endings, change, transformation, transition How’s the future for Zexal characters? Show us what you think a Zexal character (or several) are doing post-series or how they look when they grow up? 29th- Judgement upright | Judgement, rebirth, inner calling, absolution Zexal ended a long time ago but it’s time to give it a bit of new life. It’s crossover day! How would a Zexal character look/act in the world of the fandom you're into now (or vice versa)? 30th- The World upright | Completion, integration, accomplishment, travel Scenery appreciation! (Tell us what’s your favorite location in Zexal). Alternatively, show us a location where the Zexal characters you like would go on vacation or for an adventure. 31st-  The Deck Summarise your Zexal Month 2023! What did you like? What didn’t you like? Any shout-outs you want to give?  

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

Alternate prompts

As per usual, alternate prompts are meant for ANY day and you can do as many or as few alternate prompts as you like. I can’t stop you if you want to do prompt 10) thirty-one times during Zexal month. 

Holding back/recklessness

Manipulation/poor planning

Dreams/delusions

Age-swap/younger days

Insecurities 

Parallel worlds / Fused world

“But there is only one bed…”

“Can you explain why I have to bail you guys out of jail AGAIN?”

A heist!

Middle school/High school AU

Lunchtime shenanigans

Fantasy/Fairytale AU

Hygge: A very strong feeling of cosiness, of a special moment, alone or with friends, where you feel utterly content, secure, reassured, comforted, and even kinship if you’re among loved ones. 

Verschlimmbessern: To fix something but only make it worse

Backpfeifengesicht: A face badly in need of a fist.

Body Swap/Soul swap

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

As usual, feel free to do whichever prompts you like in whatever order you want. These prompts are a guideline, rather than a hard rule, and you can make art, write fanfiction, make amvs/animatics or just talk about it! Just do what you can manage! No need to do all of them if you don’t want to.

Also, we have a new mod on the team to join me and Iris. Welcome mod Fla!

We can't wait for this August to see what you share with the fandom! Please share this around and spread the Zexal love!

Love Mod Pyra

[sroloc--elbisivni]

Bunnyguard master post

July 1, 2023: in the spirit of shameless self-promotion here's a collective post for the Usagi Yojimbo/Rottmnt fusion Leosagi fic series I've been working on this year. somewhat celebratory because 1. I'm very excited to have hit the halfway mark on this project 2. my birthday is later this month and I can do a little treat for myself if I want 3. it's my first day off in ages and I can spend my time luxuriantly and frivolously. Prompts taken from Year of the OTP; titles from Richard Siken "Litany in which certain things are crossed out."

Post last updated December 22, 2023

Bunnyguard verse premise in three bullet points:

The cast of Usagi Yojimbo are embedded in the Hidden City

Draxum helped raised the turtles

Usagi gets hired as a bodyguard for Leo a month after the Krang invasion

January - "missionfic" - something other than the desperation Usagi does his best to not embarrass himself while Leo tries to do the same and fails. (the hero shifts from one foot to the other)

February - "mermaid au" - no one will ever want to sleep with you A first meeting sparks a series of increasingly dumb and desperate decisions. (the repeated image of the lover destroyed)

March - "mutual pining" - your heart, and it is painted shut We skip ahead in the timeline to the point where Usagi has decided he's going to just quietly pine forever and Leo stops for five seconds of self-examination and immediately starts planning his wedding. (the same big and little words, all spelling out desire)

April - "No, I'm not dating your brother" - There is something underneath the floorboards After a series of shenanigans, (some of) Usagi's misconceptions are corrected and Leo eventually gets a full night's sleep. (bruised and ruined, you poor sad thing)

May - "accidental pet/child acquisition" - Quit milling around the yard and come inside Usagi uses his day off to be with his family, including his son, and Leo takes a turn being the babysitter instead of the babysat. (Inside your head you hear a phone ringing.)

June - "you're not what I expected" - These terms from the lower depths After being chased by a demon, Leo and Usagi end up in the bones of both of their pasts, one after the other. (I have told you where I'm coming from, so put it together.)

July - "enemies to lovers" - recently we have had our difficulties Leo screws up, Usagi gets hurt, and they have to work together to fix it. (the moment of epiphany, in gold light)

August - "au of your choice" (free space) - close enough to see the blue rings Usagi fights a dragon and Leo has a bunch of minor problems happen all at once. (But it doesn't work, these erasures, this constant refolding of the pleats)

September - "hurt/comfort" - Are you there, sweetheart? Do you know me? An unexpected attack forces everyone involved to reexamine their circumstances. (Love always wakes the dragon and suddenly flames everywhere)

October - "identity shenanigans" - I guess I can tell you that now. Our heroes go on a date to a mob warehouse and find out things that were not exactly secrets but definitely unknown. (I walk through your dreams and invent the future)

November - "be careful what you wish for" - You want a better story. Who wouldn't? A confrontation, a choice, a number of things undone. (It should mean laughter, not poison.)

December - "forgiveness" - so maybe I wanted to give you something Our heroes reckon with their actions, and choose to try again. (I want more seats reserved for heroes. Dear Forgiveness, I saved a plate for you.)

[jaystephevents]

JaySteph Weekend

August 11-13, 2023

Official Prompts List!!

It’s no April Fool’s! Our official prompts list is here!

Friday, August 11 - Helping Bathe / Ride or Die / Book Club

Saturday, August 12 - Wearing Each Other’s Colors / Hand in Unlovable Hand / Annoying Bruce

Sunday, August 13 - Kissing for a Mission / Hair / PTSD

Please reblog to help spread the word !!

❤️💜Event Details💜❤️

❤️ You can use just one prompt per day or a combination.

💜 You can create for just one day, or two or three. (And of course, multiple works per day are allowed.) Late works are always welcome!

❤️ You may interpret the prompts as broadly or creatively as possible! Additionally, you may create for any AU, and any gender/race/orientation Jason and Steph. (We do encourage you to consider the why’s of switching a female character to male when there are so few fleshed-out canon females, but it’s not prohibited.)

💜 Almost all types of fanworks are allowed - fanfic, fanart, incorrect quotes, mood boards, play lists, edits, memes.

❤️ This is an event to create brand new fanworks that celebrate Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown as a couple - whether platonic, romantic, or NSFW. All works must be JaySteph-centric and related to one of the day’s prompts.

💜 This is a ship-friendly, censorship-free event open to all. We will have a very clear tagging system in place for all ships (including side ships) and dark content so that people can filter out what they don’t want to see from the main blog. We truly want the event to be accessible for everyone regardless of their personal tastes or triggers.

❤️ Due to JaySteph’s rarepair status, we don’t allow poly-JaySteph ships in order to keep the event’s focus exclusively on Jason and Steph’s relationship with each other. However, you are welcome to use poly relationships in side ships. DC Make It Poly Week is a great July event where you can feature all your JayStephPoly ships while spreading the JaySteph agenda love.

💜 Be sure to read the Event Rules and FAQs for all the nitty gritty details.

❤️ Work for JaySteph Weekend must be brand new, however you can combine it with any other fandom events if possible. For example, you can choose an August Year of the OTP prompt AND a JSW prompt to use in the same work, or combine a fandom Bingo fill with a JSW prompt. You can’t drop JSW work early, however, so hang onto it until our own event dates!

💜 Send us an Ask with any questions!

@dc-fandom-events @fuckyeahjaysteph

[autumnslance]

Year of the OTP - August 2023 - Snowstorm

(Whoops, fell off with this thanks to Other Writing Projects, but let's get back into the swing with 2500 words of Heavensward pre-relationship and a draft I have sat on for years and am finally reworking and yeeting out here...Original prompt list here! Something of a sequel, or at least a similar situation, to Sandstorm.)

“This seems familiar,” Aeryn said as they shoved the old door closed against the howling winds.

“In some ways,” Thancred agreed, unable to stop his teeth from chattering. “Should we worry about heretics or creatures?”

“Durendaire cleared this hamlet recently,” Aeryn said. “I remember talking to Redwald about it, so figured it was safe enough for shelter.”

Thancred nodded and stamped his feet, following her from the foyer to the cramped sitting room of the abandoned house, one of many dotted across the icy countryside after the Calamity. The farmhouse wasn’t large, nor had it seen recent upkeep from weather such as the blizzard winding up outside.

It didn’t help that Thancred was soaked up to his thighs, having slid off an embankment and onto ice thinner than it had looked while they had fought their quarry for Clan Centurio, a rogue aevis of unusual size. It was a part of Nidhogg’s emboldened brood and had been terrorizing the supply lines from Falcon’s Nest to the Convictory and Tailfeather.

The dragon was dead—but they would be too, if they didn’t get a fire going soon. The temperature was noticeably dropping.

“Been awhile since we outpaced a storm like that,” Thancred said while they did their best to shut themselves into a single room. “Not sure if I wish to be in a sandstorm instead, though.”

“This is much too cold for my Thavnairian blood,” Aeryn sniffed. A quick check showed some remnant firewood made of broken furnishings. She got the fire going, using magic to speed the process.

“You’re half-Coerthan,” Thancred replied. “Surely that affords you some acclimation.”

“I left when this place still had proper seasons,” she countered. “You have to get those boots off.” She dug into her pack for blankets or anything else to help. Despite the spellwork making it capable of carrying quite a lot without burdening the wearer, Thancred knew what a crowded mess her bag was, and shuddered.

Or maybe that was just the cold.

“Working on it,” he replied, shrugging off the winter coat he had donned for this venture. He hung it over a nearby chair that yet survived, turning it to the fireplace to help dry the fabric, his gloves left on the seat. Then he sat heavily on the large, fuzzy rug—it was ragged, but at least in this cold there probably weren’t fleas or other vilekin—and began fumbling at the buckles and laces of his boots, fingers not as nimble as usual.

“Let me help,” Aeryn said, dropping a blanket next to him as she knelt on the rug.

“I’ve got—” He growled in frustration as his fingers slipped past a buckle again. Her hands caught his, pressing his fingers between her warm palms. “Fine, I don’t have it,” he admitted, breath caught at the feeling. At least there was a feeling.

“You’re colder than I thought,” Aeryn said, frowning. She let go of his hand, and it was an effort for him to not whimper at the loss. She quickly got his boots off, and the socks beneath them, pulling the wet fabric carefully. The feel of her fingers on his legs sent more shocks through him. “Um. Your pants are soaked, too,” she said.

“Then they’ll have to go,” he replied. “I can manage that, as entertaining the idea of you further undressing me is,” Thancred joked. He couldn’t help but grin at her expected blush.

“Well, you’re not so far gone as I’d feared,” she replied dryly. But she smiled in return, relieved he had the energy for his usual teasing demeanor.

“You’re not rid of me that easily,” he said. “And you should remove your own damp layers, Aeryn.”

She nodded in response, turning away from him as she removed her coat and boots. While she did, he managed to unlace and unbutton his pants and wriggle them off, dropping them aside while keeping the blanket over his lap for her sense of modesty more than his own. At least he had smalls on; while staying with the Vath, that hadn’t been an option. He pulled his sweat-damp top off while at it.

He distantly watched her hang up their gear to dry, over random old furnishings or even carefully off the mantle. She dug through his pack, too, for anything to help with the cold. He ought to help, but mostly wanted to sit and doze by the fire. She knelt by him again, and he thought the way the firelight framed her was rather pretty. “How are you feeling, Thancred?”

“Cold and tired, and my feet still feel number than I like.”

“May I?” At his nod, she pushed up the blanket and began examining and massaging his feet and calves to stimulate circulation, her skin warm and soft against his and gods. He swallowed hard and watched as her shoulders relaxed. “I don’t think you’re in danger of frostbite, just cold—”

“Could you keep massaging just a bit longer?” he blurted. “It’s helping.” He didn’t want to try to explain how much he didn’t want to lose the sensation of another’s skin on his, the simple touch of another person. He kept his eyes down as she studied him briefly, but then she nodded and continued for a few more minutes.

It was heavenly.

“It’s still getting colder,” she noted, finally moving away to look for more fuel for the fire; there wasn’t much left in the room. “We’ll have to strip down and sleep next to each other for warmth.”

He raised a brow, surprised she had been the one to suggest such. Then again, she had been living in Coerthas for moons now and had learned from her hosts. That was what he meant to say. What slipped out was an attempted jape: “Is that how things started with Lord Haurchefant?”

Aeryn’s face reddened as she fumbled with an old, broken set of shelves. “No!” she snapped, focusing on the fallen bits of wood to carry to the fire.

“I’m sorry, I’m not thinking clearly,” Thancred said, rubbing his arms. “I know his loss is still recent and naught to joke about. I do admit to a bit of confusion, as I recall you not caring for romantic matters and yet—”

“Stop.” Her tone was sharp, her back to him as she tried to busy herself by the fire. “Please,” she added after a moment.

He frowned at her back, more irate than he perhaps should have been. Probably just the cold.

“It wasn’t like that,” she finally said so quietly that he almost missed it. “I know about the gossip, and the godsdamned songs and poems the local bards have spun up since that day in the Vault, and since my return upon Midgardsormr.”

Which was how Thancred had first heard; he wouldn’t have given such the tavern bawds credence, however, if he hadn’t also spoken to the Fortemps servants about how besotted the young lord had been with their guest, and how she was so carefully interested in return, and wasn’t it all just so terribly tragic, she had been so aggrieved…

“If I could stop all those rumors, I would,” she practically growled. “Haurchefant was…a friend. That’s…that’s all.”

Thancred peered at her. She was still turned away, staring into the fire. “You’re still a bad liar,” he pointed out.

Aeryn did turn now, to scowl at him. She looked about to say something, then blinked, her irritation turning to concern. “Hells, Thancred, you’re freezing.”

“There is a blizzard out there.”

She shook her head, finishing removing her own clothes until she was just in her band and smalls, then dove under the blanket with him. He expected back to back, but she wrapped her limbs around him and was not only warm, but the close contact with another person again left him heady.

Thancred thought for a moment. How long had it been since he had touched, and been touched, by another person so intimately? Moons, certainly, even counting his brief tryst with Hilda on his first arriving in Ishgard. That had been...different, than this; more desperation than anything, sating an immediate need for carnal contact with willing company (and that wasn’t insectoid).

All right then; how long since he had experienced an innocently friendly, intimate touch with no other expectations? He really couldn’t say, as he wrapped his arms around Aeryn in return.

“I’d…tried to reciprocate his affections,” Aeryn said after a moment. Thancred frowned. Her head rested on his shoulder, dark strands of hair tickling his cheek while her breath was warm on his collarbone when she spoke. “He was my friend, and I cared for him as such—and realized, too late, that was how it was. He wanted something else. Then everything happened and I never got—never took—the chance to clear the air with him before…everything happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Thancred said, wincing. “For how that turned out, for that loss of a friend, and for my thoughtlessness and heeding of base rumors.”

He could imagine the little thinking crease between her brows as she took a long moment to respond. “Thank you,” she said eventually, not elaborating. Then she sighed. “Not the first time I’ve made such an error. I thought I’d grown past such, knew myself better. I hate feeling like I led the man on, or used him.”

“Knowing you, I doubt that’s what happened,” Thancred said. “Still, nice to know our Warrior of Light’s yet fallible,” he teased gently, jostling her.

She whined a little. “Keep that up and I’ll kick you all night.”

“Ah, is that the danger I face?”

“Only if you listen to my sisters. Or Yda. Or Y’shtola. Or—just go to sleep.”

He chuckled, watching the fire and listening to the wind howl outside. It was as cold as the Hell of Ice outside of their little nest of blankets. So stay put and don’t examine any other reason besides staying warm as to why that seemed like a nice idea.

Thancred shut the mental door firmly there. Aeryn was a friend and colleague, and they’d both been through too much hell in recent moons. His time of isolation had affected his mind and physical reactions when he was literally freezing and she only did what was necessary to keep him in good health, despite his acting like an ass. Had their positions been reversed, he’d have done the same with no thought of anything but her safety.

Well, he may still have made a few jokes, just to make her scoff and smile and snark back the way she usually did when he teased. He had truly missed that, and was truly sorry for causing distress by bringing up those rumors.

He merely wanted to look out for her interests and her own bruised heart. That was all.

—

He was alone. The plain was unending, empty but for the buzzing of insects and the distant roar of dragons. The wind howled, sounding like the shouts and screams of men in blue uniforms. Their ghosts sliced at his bare flesh as he ran, calling out the names of the Scions until he was hoarse while cold shadows blotted out his vision and Ultima burned through his veins as Lahabrea laughed…

—

“Thancred!” Aeryn’s voice jolted him awake. It was soon followed by the warmth of her hand on his face, checking his temperature. “Are you all right?”

“Bad dream,” he rasped, clearing his throat. “Apologies if my thrashing woke you.”

“More your clinging,” she said. She was one to talk, given how she had latched on like a barnacle. Aeryn started to remove her hand, but he caught it, holding it against his cheek, needing to keep that gentle touch, noting her scars and calluses, letting that reality ground him in time and place. “Thancred?”

“Apologies,” he said. “I simply…” Am acting a fool.

“You were alone for a while,” she said gently.

He smiled wanly, finally lifting his gaze to her. She was propped on her elbow, watching him. His eye covering had slipped off in his restless slumber; his left eye was beginning to throb from the aetherial underlay it showed, a result of the damage he had taken from the Flow before being spat into the Dravanian wilderness. He temporarily forgot the discomfort it caused as he finally looked at Aeryn with his eye uncovered. She glowed with bright aether, sparking across every ilm in shimmering blue, tracing her limbs, outlining each muscle, every scar, the well of brilliant strength within her possibly fathomless...

“The Vath are not the best company for a fleshling, unfortunately,” he admitted after too long spent staring. “I didn’t realize how lonely I had been until...well, until you all found me again.”

She pulled him close, letting him lean on her this time in a simple embrace. “You’re here,” she said quietly. “You’re all right.”

He let out a heavy sigh and listened to the steadiness of her heartbeat, breathed in the hint of her violas mixed with the tang of earlier activity sweat. “Do you ever tire of taking care of people?” he asked, only half joking.

“Sometimes,” she admitted, like it was a recent realization she was still parsing through. “But not right now.” Another pause, and a slight squeeze. “I’ve spent too long worried for all of you. Wanting to find everyone, and we still haven’t—“ She stopped.

“I’m glad you found me,” he said. “And with your good luck, it won’t be long until we find the others.” Until we find Minfilia.

He thought to wait until Aeryn was asleep again before adjusting to a more appropriate position— he was aware of exactly where her thigh was despite the innocence of their situation—but then her fingertips brushed his bare left cheek, startling him. “I just realized your bandana fell off.”

“It’s fine, didn’t mean to sleep with it on at all,” he muttered, reveling in the sensation of her fingers tracing along his cheekbone. Ever-caring, their Aeryn; she was simply helping him (again, a part of him hissed, a part he told to shut up) after so long on his own.

“No scarring; I thought you were injured?” she sounded like she wasn’t certain if she should be annoyed or not.

“Not physically, as such,” he answered. Her fingers ghosted over his eye, and there was an ever-so-slight bit of warmth and light; the only indication of magic used. He could no longer feel the shift in the aether, but he kept that annoying fact to himself.

“Aetheric damage,” she said, resting that hand on his shoulder.

“One does not traverse the Lifestream unscathed,” Thancred answered. “Even as a passenger.”

“Any pain?”

How to explain it? In the end, he simply said: “Not especially; eye strain headaches, hence keeping it covered most of the time. Nothing I can’t manage.”

“You try to manage much by yourself.”

He chuckled wryly at that. “But honestly, it’s mostly an inconvenience, I promise you.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she replied.

“I don’t doubt that you shall.”

They faded off into sleep again, and this time there were no nightmares. Tomorrow they would dig themselves out and return to Ishgard, job done, and not speak of the details. Tonight, however, was friendly warmth and comfort while the storm raged outside.

[consistentsquash]

2023 HP Slash Fic Recs (January to August)

My favorite slash fics written in 2023! Full disclosure everything is Snarry except one fic which is Sirius/Albus + Snape/Albus.

In the Margins of What We Know by Malora (January)

Snarry, 27700 words, epistolary fic

Snarry doesn't really get a lot of epistolary fic. So when I saw this one I was super excited. Love it. Really creative fic with a lot of scope/worldbuilding without a lot of words.

Magic and Botany: The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian (book excerpt) A bamboo forest is unusual compared to other forests in that its growth happens beneath the surface. The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian, in fact, could be considered one organism. There is a single root system for the entire forest. Two shoots of bamboo, seemingly distant, can be connected in ways that are not easily seen.

Check out the rest of the Snarry Adopt A Prompt Fest 2022.

  This Mirrored Perspective by @likelightinglass and zalil (February)

Snape/Harry/Tonks, 8000 words, PWP, Dirty bad hot wrong

Ok this is my OT3 and I don't really take questions. But this is my OT3 because of Likelightinglass writing An auror, a professor and a potioneer walk into a bar. This fic has a totally different vibe! It's intense, psychological, dirtybadhotwrong porn with peak self-indulgence. Definitely NSFW.

That nagging sense that he didn't deserve it.

  Night Skye by @titconao3 (March)

Snarry, 11500 words, OTP comfort food fic

Heartwarming OTP fic! It's the best Snarry comfort food fic I read this year. Good vibes, sexy high chemistry, loving/intimate feels, brilliantly characterized, beautiful settings.

“One day…” He shakes his head and looks up at Harry, his eyes like coal. “Today,” Harry says. “Today, Severus; that’s what matters.” This is how, finally, Harry gets Severus to agree.

  Coda to "Soft Touch" by @perverse-idyll (April)

Snarry, 3,300 words, Soft

Have recced before. Will rec again. Because everybody needs to read it for the soft tender vibes. Not really soft. But compared to the intense angsty fic this is a coda for, I feel like it's optimistic and soft and I just feel so happy for my OTP.

"Can a man not toss off in the privacy of his own room without being accused of sabotaging his bloody health? If you can't trust that I have a vested interest in my own recovery - "

Snape spotted Harry, and a flush raced from his collar up to his hairline, exquisitely pink beneath his unnaturally smooth skin. But although he swallowed his tirade, Snape didn't seem particularly put out by having practically shouted his masturbatory claims to the entire office.

Check out Soft Touch the perfect dysfunctional/dirtybadhotwrong massage fic which inspired this coda!

  Devotion by @danpuff-ao3 (May)

Snarry, 27000 words. Intense/dirty bad/hot/wrong.

Exactly what I want from my Snarry! Honestly Danpuff is bringing the oldschool vibes of Snarry back with a bang in their fics every single time and I am just super spoiled now. Snarry forever :D Also love to see Danpuff going into longer fics this year!

Though the worst crime of all is Potter’s. "Did you want to die?" Also The boy knows — he knows — he can take anything he wants. That bitter surrender is surrender all the same. That the force of Severus’ loathing is fed by his longing.

Pro tip - Read Contempt together with this fic. Check out other fics from Snarry-a-Thon 23

  Much Ado About Asmodeus by @ac1d6urn (June)

Snarry, 18100 words, Fluff

Fluff and crack! Really love the oldschool trope parody vibes of this fic. I actually haven't read something like this in a pretty long time. Going on my rereads! Also going on my holiday season reading list :D Also love to see Acid's insane prolific streak this year. I feel super spoiled as a reader! <3

Harry squinted against the rain and promptly attempted to expunge the phrase "Ventus Vultuosus, swish and flick when in a bind!" from his memory. Ugh. Curse you, Common Weather Weathering Spell #13! That'll be the last time I trust anything Witch Weekly puts out in fine print. (Except maybe that last fruitcake recipe.) Now that he thought about it, Auntie Annabelle's Advice Column on "Ten Ways of Bewitching and Beguiling Your Mr Right" didn't seem so reliable either, especially considering some of those later suggestions, and maybe even those in the middle too. Those were a bit wild.

  Promises, promises... by SerenaEW, @acydpop (July)

Snarry, 5000 words, Fluff

Aww!!! The Snarry Summer Fluff I was totally praying for and really needed! Perfect Snarry Bang opener for my reading <3 Also the art! <3

Severus was looking at him, telling him, with only a glance, to shut up before you say something utterly idiotic. The expression on Jamie's face looked nearly identical.

Check out the other fics from Snarry Bang 2023

  Brillig by eldritcher (August)

Dumbledore saying "You disgust me" to people in his life but also meaning "I disgust myself". The more he sees himself in the other person, the more disgusted he gets. Intense, intense beautiful fic. But also healing because he finally overcomes that.

He disgusts you. Ratty, bony, skulking, pleading, raging, raving, frightened of the shadows and frightened of the fog, frightened of you. "You did not save Lily!" he yells. "You did not save James!" he weeps. "You did not save me!" he whimpers, and huddles into himself and trembles as if the North Sea is in his very veins.

Also the math works out!!! Snape/Dumbledore + Sirius/Dumbledore = Snack by proxy actually.

Check out the rest of the spectacularly beautiful Frabjous which contains some of my all time favorite fics.

[sapphicblight]

it's hard to play with rules in the way - a kimchay pwp

Year of the OTP 2023 August prompt: au of your choice In which WiK breaks his own rule about not fucking groupies.

key tags: canon divergence, wikchay, thigh fucking (intercrural)

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Year of the OTP

We shall blame @cilil for this.

Throughout 2024, I shall recycle the prompts of 2023 to make sure that I write at least 1 fic a month that is entirely for my own pleasure.

Let's count this as my "personal" fics...okay?

January - Faramir x Éowyn - Continuation of this fic

February - Glorfindel x Erestor with art by @sauroff

March - Daeron x Maglor

April - Caranthir x Finrod

May - Thingol x Finwë

June - Maedhros x Fingon

July - Curuwendil

August - Haleth x Caranthir

September - Varda x Nienna

October - Fëanor x Fingolfin

November - Nerdanel x Anairë

December - Firebird

Prompts and provisory pairings under cut

Thus far, my list of potential pairings runs as follows:

Russingon

Curuwendil

Firebird

Caranthir/Finrod

Nerdanel/Anairë

Daeron/Maglor

Glorfindel/Erestor

Thingol/Finwë

Faramir/Éowyn

Haleth/Caranthir

Varda/Nienna

Fëanor/Fingolfin

These may change yet once I'm starting to pair the prompts with the pairings...We'll see how I'll feel about this...soon :D

[lnights]

At the beginning of 2023, I saw a challenge called The Year Of The OTP: 12 prompts. 12 months. One ship. I chose BC/BC because I write One Thing™️

Some are short one shots, some are multi chapters, two are pure smut 😌 links and summaries below.

January: Snow

Prompt: Snow, Rating G.

Summary:

He puffed out, smoke mingling with the steam of his hot breath as he tilted his head back, watching the softly falling snow.

February: Valentine's Day

Prompts: Valentine's Day and established relationship/long distance. Rating E.

Summary:

Their Valentine's Day plans were interrupted by bad weather. That's not going to stop them.

March: Fresh Starts

Prompt: Fresh Starts. Rating M. Angel/Demon au, sequel to Long Way Down

Summary:

The elders had always said falling was the most painful thing that could happen to an angel. As Tommi had hit the water and felt bones breaking he could only think they had been correct, pain shooting through every nerve endings and as he slowly sank he wondered how he was even still alive, being quite literally tossed from one realm of existence to another was like falling from a plane without a parachute.

April: Painting you Blue

Prompt: University AU. Rating G. 5 chapters.

Summary:

but still… he was a teacher now. What the hell had he gotten himself into? He should have never let Niko and Joonas talk him into this Or Joel is a new teacher at the same university as his boyfriends and their good friends. He is not excited.

May: Flower Moon

Prompt: Flower language. Rating G. Part of my Wolfpack AU.

Summary:

Aleksi is learning a new wolf tradition and wants to surprise his mates.

June: Can You Hear the Silence Getting Loud?

Prompts: Soulmates. Rating M. 5 chapters, part of my Soulmate AU

Summary:

For years Aleksi has been happy with his soulmates, his family long cut off. Until a relative contacting him makes him question that choice.

July: Heaven (and Hell) on Earth

Prompts: Enemies to Lovers and Coffeeshop AU. Rating M. 5 chapters. Angel/Demon AU

Summary:

There were two men running the counter as he got there, looking at him with what could almost be called suspicion. One was tall, even taller than him, and muscly, while the other was rather short with curly honey colored hair. "Welcome," the shorter of the two said, "what can we get you this evening?" "Your strongest, largest espresso," Joel said bluntly. His insomnia had decided to kick his ass that night, at least he could try to stay awake and be productive rather than be in his half awake, half asleep zombie mode that it usually sent him into. The larger man chuckled a little and got to work on the drink while the smaller rang him up; there was something about them that kept Joel's attention on them, something about the shop that begged for his attention. Maybe it was the name, Sinful Coffee.

August: Weathering the Storm

Prompt: Storm. Rating T.

Summary:

Blind Channel and their crew gets stuck at an airport in their hectic tour schedule. Joel and Niko don't handle it well.

September: Beacon in a Storm

Prompts: hurt comfort, meeting the family, flood, shifter au. Rating T.

Summary:

Olli stared through the dark window of their home, trying to not panic. The rain was getting impossibly heavier and Joel and Aleksi still weren't back; the dirt road leading to town had to be flooded by now, they could be stuck in mud or washed away if they weren't careful. "We never should have sent them by themselves." Joonas mumbled, "we should have gone with."

October: Pop Princess, Hold My Hand

Prompts: Texting, couple costumes. Rating T.

Summary:

It's Joonas' turn to pick their Halloween costumes.

November: Be Careful What You Wish For

Prompt: Be Careful What You Wish For. Rating E.

Summary:

Tommi decides to show his boyfriends a new side of him

December: Opinion on the Season

Prompt: Holidays together. Rating G. Stand alone sequel to Rumors and Opinions.

Summary:

Niko sighed and exhaled the smoke from his lungs. Holidays were always an interesting time of year. They all had a lot of family to see and it could be a tad overwhelming; seeing so many relatives in a short period, let alone all the shopping they had to do, arranging travel, arguments over who's family home they will wake up in on Christmas morning…

[rpf-bat]

THE YEAR OF NIKOLEKSI

At the beginning of 2023, I decided to participate in The Year Of The OTP: 12 prompts. 12 months. One ship. I chose Niko/Aleksi because, well, in Niko’s own words, they’re soulmates. 🤷‍♀️

I have a very bad habit of starting a writing challenge and then giving up halfway through. (Sorry, Whumptober and Whumpuary mods. 😅) But I actually completed YOTP, and I’m very proud of myself!! So, I’ve compiled all 12 fics into one masterpost:

January: DU LÜGST

Prompt: Historical AU

Word Count: 969

Summary: Vienna, Austria. 1794 A.D.

Niko has been studying abroad for a few years now, learning the art of music from a master composer. One day, he hears about a new, handsome face in town. A fellow Finn - and a fellow musician.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, 18th Century, Flirting, Pre-Relationship, Short Oneshot

🖤

February: I’M A SHIPWRECK

Prompt: Mermaid AU

Word Count: 1,378

Summary: After a lover breaks his heart, Niko decides he doesn't want to live anymore, and dives into the sea. But, a mysterious savior drags him out of the water, back to shore. Niko isn't sure what shocks him more. That someone saved his life - or that that someone isn't human.

Tags: Suicide Attempt, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Drowning, Near Death Experiences, Mouth-to-Mouth

🖤

March: TOWELS

Prompt: “Make Me.”

Word Count: 584

Summary: Aleksi is hogging all the towels in their shared hotel room, and Niko is annoyed.

Tags: Arguing, Flirting, Nudity, Implied Sexual Content

🖤

APRIL: WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR’S EVE?

Prompt: “No, I’m Not Dating Your Brother!”

Word Count: 963

Summary: It's Christmas, and Niko is in Oulu, visiting his family. Aleksi is in a different city, but he decides to give Niko a video call, and wish him a happy holiday.

Joona can see the obvious crush Aleksi has on his brother, and decides to meddle a little.

Tags: Christmas Presents, Webcams, Fluff

🖤

MAY: MY CUTE HAMSTER

Prompt: Pet/Child Acquisition

Word Count: 546

Summary: Aleksi and Niko have been dating for about a year now. They already have Rilla, but they decide they're ready to adopt a second pet together.

Tags: Established Relationship, Short & Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff

🖤

JUNE: IT WAS HATE AT FIRST SIGHT FOR US, DARLING

Prompt: Soulmate AU

Word Count: 801

Summary: Everyone has the first words that their soulmate will ever speak to them, written on the inside of their wrist.

But, there's just one problem. The words on Aleksi's wrist are "fuck you."

Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate Identifying Marks, Enemies To Lovers, Short Oneshot

🖤

July: LET’S SEE HOW FAR WE’VE COME

Prompt: Vacation Together

Word Count: 518

Summary: Two years after their performance at Eurovision, Niko and Aleksi return to Rotterdam for a romantic vacation.

Aleksi is feeling a bit nostalgic.

Tags: Established Relationship, Vacation, Short & Sweet, Fluff

🖤

August: ENGLISH SUMMER RAIN

Prompt: Storm

Word Count: 538

Summary: Niko and Aleksi share a hotel room, the night before a festival gig. Aleksi discovers that Niko has a phobia of thunder.

Tags: Thunderstorms, Astraphobia, Sharing A Bed, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Short & Sweet

🖤

September: FIFTEEN LOVE

Prompt: Meeting The Family

Word Count: 1,374

Summary: Aleksi travels to Oulu, to meet Niko’s little sister, and cheer her on at her tennis match.

Tags: Established Relationship, Meeting The Family, Tennis, Fluff, Minor Injuries

🖤

October: PLAYING COPS & ROBBERS

Prompt: Couple’s Costume

Word Count: 1,056

Summary: On the final night of the Warrior Souls Tour, Nyamjantsan - better known as “Jaya” - from The Hu invites Niko and Aleksi to a Halloween party.

Niko really wants to wear a costume that matches Aleksi - but the DJ isn’t really sure why.

Tags: Halloween, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Jealousy, Love Confessions, Fluff

🖤

November: THE WORST WISH

Prompt: “Be Careful What You Wish For”

Word Count: 1,489

Summary: Aleksi is in love with Niko. But, Niko is in a relationship with Joonas.

When he spots a shooting star in the sky, Aleksi wishes - for one, selfish second - that Joonas would disappear, so that Niko could be his. Immediately, he regrets it. But, when Joonas gets into a terrible accident the next day, Aleksi is consumed with guilt. He can’t help but think this is all his fault.

Tags: Car Accidents, Major Character Injury, Hospitals, Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Angst With A Happy Ending, Polyamory

🖤

December: ROSES ARE DEAD, VIOLETS ARE DOOMED

Prompt: Tattoo Parlor/Flower Shop AU

Word Count: 2,242

Summary: Aleksi is on the bus, headed to his part-time job at his aunt’s flower shop, when he meets a young tattoo apprentice named Niko.

Aleksi is only sixteen, and it only takes a day for Niko to become his first crush. But, Niko appears to have his eye on someone else.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Teen Romance, First Crush, Light Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, First Kiss

[anthrofreshtodeath]

ohh man these prompts are perfect and so rizzles coded already lmao but i would like to request lap sitting please ☺️

Wow this is so late - and I have one more! But lap sitting it is for this evening.

—-

Jane pushes through the crowd of Italian bodies on her way to her aunt Anna Maria’s kitchen because her glass is empty. Normally, it’d be a bottle of beer, and normally, she wouldn’t be so jittery, so distracted as she smiles and nods at her cousins, but it’s Christmas - so she’s sipping her aunt’s signature spiked egg nog. The jitteriness, however, the nervousness, has more to do with the fact that Maura’s here, too.

And you know, things are good. Ish.

They just got done fighting over Paddy Doyle like a week ago. They’ve seen each other outside of work twice in that time. Jane hates it, honestly, the here-and-there kind of love she’s been forced to give her best friend lately. And in the deepest recesses of her heart, Jane will admit that she’s probably more than half to blame for that awkwardness. Maura may have started the yelling, but boy, does Jane know how to escalate.

It took a near-death experience to bring them back together.

And isn’t that just like Jane? But the half-hearted coffee runs and mild attempts at conversation aren’t - not loving hard is, well, hard. It is better than fighting, almost, Jane thinks as she slides between cousin Danny and the new girl he’s seeing. Maura is being… sweet. Bashful and timid, and sweet. But, well, back at square one. Almost. Square one would be Jane chewing out the new medical examiner in the cafe line, but Maura is here at her aunt Anna Maria’s house. For Christmas. Swallowed up by the throngs of Sicilians and Neapolitans as she smiles politely and sips on red wine just to listen to the deluge of Rizzoli and Mazzone stories Aunt Anna Maria regales her with. That’s something.

So, once Jane fills up on some more super sugary liquid courage, She heads over to the barstools that her mother’s sister and her best friend occupy, and takes the one next to Maura. “Know where all the bodies are buried now?” Jane snarks. It feels homey and she smiles.

Maura rubs her lips together and blushes. “You didn’t tell me your aunt also married into the Rizzoli family,” she says, having just heard of Anna Maria’s ex-husband, Frank’s cousin Ray.

“And I divorced right out, honey,” Anna Maria tells her, face soft and lips pursed, mischievous like Angela. “They make it easy to do.”

Maura only sips mulled wine and avoids Jane’s eyes at all costs. Jane dips her head and turns her glass on the subway tile counter. “We’re not all so bad, aunt Anna,” she says, this time with a smile so small it’s more noticeable in the change of her voice than the tightening of her face.

Does Maura read her contrition? Her guilt? Because Maura touches Jane’s wrist, patting it with an open palm.

“Oh I know,” Anna Maria gets up and rubs Jane’s shoulders until she can embrace her from behind. Maura snatches her hand away as soon as she thinks Anna Maria can see it. Jane sighs, and her aunt squeezes her tightly. “It’s the men, baby. I was talkin’ about the men. Who could leave you?”

“You’d be surprised!” Jane yelps, secretly pleased to be swallowed up in the embrace, to be smashed into a body that’s loved on hers as long as she’s been alive. “You’d be surprised.”

“Nonsense,” says Anna Maria just before she lets go. She uses a Bluetooth remote to turn up the Dean Martin holiday tune in the background. “Now get your ass in gear because it’s time to open presents and you know seats are limited.”

The rest of the family take the music as a cue and migrate the way her aunt is headed. Jane looks at Maura, who looks even more unsure than before.

Jane uses that and the emptiness of the kitchen as an excuse to return Maura’s affection. She swipes an open palm between Maura’s shoulder blades, the cashmere sweater creating a pleasant swish as she goes back and forth. “You ready to go out there? It’s gonna be total chaos, but a little birdie may have told me you’ve got somethin’ under the tree. Maybe a couple somethings.”

Maura’s face dances - she grins, the water in her eyes moves as a trick of the light. The green shines and Jane wants somehow to swallow it. “I do?”

“Guess you’ll have to come and see,” Jane calls from behind her shoulder. She’s left her mostly full egg nog on the counter and opened the fridge. She pulls out a beer and twists the cap off, tipping the bottle in Maura’s direction. “C’mon, doctor.”

When Maura answers, her voice is wet. Jane gets it. Her family is a lot. Jane is a lot. And crying just sort of comes with the Rizzoli territory. “I’ll be in in a bit,” Maura says. Her hands go to her lap and she clasps them together. Jane looks down at them because she always does. It’s like a homing beacon when Maura does it. “I just need…”

“A moment, I got you,” says Jane. “Well, you’ve got time, because the kids always go first. But I’ll be waitin’. Come find me.”

“I will,” Maura promises.

It’s the most freely they’ve spoken to each other in weeks.

—-

A whole ten minutes later, Maura shuffles out of the kitchen and into the filled living room. Jane notices only because cousin Danny, on the floor with the children, says pretty loudly, “hey Maura, you made it!”

And when Jane turns, she sees the realization in Maura’s dropped open lips - slight but obvious to her. And in her gaze, which scans the entire room to see that the seats are all taken - both furniture and floor. And in the way she twists the ring on her right hand, because she would be the only one standing.

Jane nods her head so that Maura will come close, intent on giving up her chair. But Danny cuts in again. “Sit with Janie! She’s too skinny for that damn chair anyway.”

Jane gulps. The armchair is big. She’s tall but it eats up her frame. She’d snatched it when she could just so she’d have a place to watch the cousins’ kids rip open wrapping paper, not because it was the most prudent for her size. She’s about to stand up anyway, but, well, Maura shrugs.

Her cute shoulders do this cute upward tilt and Jane can’t help but shrug back. No one else has noticed them. Not even cousin Danny is looking anymore, because his nephew Rudy just got a giant Transformers play set, to the excitement of the rest of the people in the room.

While the Rizzolis and Mazzones whoop and holler, Maura stands in front of Jane.

They lock eyes. Maura brings her hands up to the collar of her oversized captain’s sweater and runs her teeth over her lower lip. Jane rubs one hand down the length of the jeans on her thigh and moves the other to her side, the beer still in it. Maura’s sweater is cream, and hers is navy, but otherwise they’re kind of matching.

Jane takes it as a sign and nods.

Maura visibly softens; her shoulders round and all rigidity leaves her body. She doesn’t even contemplate making Jane move over so that they both uncomfortably share the cushion, but instead she crawls into Jane’s lap and uses the armrest as support for her back.

No more distance, cordiality. Jane wants to cry. Instead, she just leans forward until her head knocks against Maura’s chest, and the softness there supports her. She sighs, closes her eyes, and Maura snakes an arm behind Jane’s back to hold her head close. “Hi,” Maura whispers into the top of Jane’s head, into the crown of her hair.

“Hngh,” groans Jane in reply, gulping in breaths of air tinged with Maura’s perfume. Formalities can fly out the window. Formalities can go fuck themselves. She’s waited days, weeks for this. For Maura, as Jane knew her before Paddy got shot.

Jane knows that’s not quite right, that this is still the Maura of after, but it’s ok because Maura loves her again. In the right way. The good way. In a way Jane refuses to fuck up again. And if they blur the lines of friendship, if they blow them up, so what?

“You’re missing the overstimulating robot toys,” Maura says against Jane’s hair. She chuckles when Jane shakes her head like an obstinate child. “They very much seem like something you’d like.”

“I got everything I need, right here,” Jane asserts. She thanks the universe that Maura is content to stay and hold her, to do all the watching for the both of them

[phlebaswrites]

Phlebas Fandom Year in Review (2023)

Continuing on from the Fandom Year in Review that I did last year, this was me in 2023.

The Basics

New stories: 91 Word Count: 189,395 Events: 12 Event stories: 73

Fandom Event Breakdown

2023 Year of the OTP: 12 stories Izuna Week 2023: 7 stories Three Sentence Ficathon 2023 : 3 stories Tobirama Week 2023: 7 stories Kisame Birthday Bash 2023: 3 stories MerMay 2023: 3 stories Prompts for Pride 2023: 13 stories Naruto RarePair Week 2023: 7 stories Otsutsuki Week: 1 story Tales Under the Lamplight: 2 stories Hashirama Week 2023: 8 stories MadaTobi Week 2023: 7 stories

Fandom & Top 5 Ship Breakdown

Naruto: 90 stories Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara: 16 Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna: 12 Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Izuna: 10 Senju Hashirama/Uchiha Madara: 7 Senju Hashirama/Uchiha Madara/Uzumaki Mito: 5

Inception (2010): 1 story Gen

(All of the statistics here are taken from AO3 - I don’t keep a personal count.)

The snippets in the images above were taken from the following stories:

January: Staking a Claim (On Your Heart) February: Riding the Waves March: Playing With Pups April: Suigetsu Sees Sai (Really Sees Him) May: Summer and Sunshine June: Fabulous Females July: The Only Living Boy in Konoha August: The Past (Is Always With You) September: Dango and the Divine October: A Heart (Full of You) November: Seeing Yourself in My Eyes December: Wielding a Weapon

[kitweewoos]

have a drink with me (one last time)

Summary:

Will lost Crockett a long time ago, and his dying wish is to see his husband one last time, and their sons help make it happen.

Ship: Will Halstead/Crockett Marcel

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: Major Character Warning

Words: 3,993

Chapter: 1/1

Written for the August prompt of @yearoftheotpevent ​

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Time Travel

Established Relationship

Grief/Mourning

Angst

I'm Sorry

Character Death

Married Couple

Year of the OTP Prompt Event 2023

[read it now on ao3]

[jaystephevents]

JaySteph Weekend 2023

Voting for prompts is now OPEN!

Click here to vote for event prompts!

Please only vote ONCE. We want a fair ballot so as many creators as possible are inspired by the prompts.

Vote on Prompts: March 25-31

Official Prompts Drop: April 1

JaySteph Weekend: August 11-13

Please reblog to help spread the word!

💜❤️General Event Info❤️💜

❤️ This is an event to create brand new fanworks that celebrate Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown as a couple - whether platonic, romantic, or NSFW. All works must be JaySteph-centric and related to one of the day’s prompts.

💜 Almost all types of fanworks are allowed - fanfic, fanart, incorrect quotes, mood boards, play lists, edits, memes.

❤️ This is a ship-friendly, censorship-free event open to all. We will have a very clear tagging system in place for all ships (including side ships) and dark content so that people can filter out what they don’t want to see from the main blog. We truly want the event to be accessible for everyone regardless of their personal tastes or triggers.

💜 Due to JaySteph’s rarepair status, we don’t allow poly-JaySteph ships in order to keep the event’s focus exclusively on Jason and Steph’s relationship with each other. However, you are welcome to use poly relationships in side ships. DC Make It Poly Week is a great July event where you can feature all your JayStephPoly ships while spreading the JaySteph agenda love.

❤️ Be sure to read the Event Rules and FAQs for all the nitty gritty details. Send us an Ask with any questions!

💜 You may interpret the prompts as broadly or creatively as possible! Additionally, you may create for any AU, and any gender/race/orientation Jason and Steph. (We do encourage you to consider the why’s of switching a female character to male when there are so few fleshed-out canon females, but it’s not prohibited.)

❤️ Work for JaySteph Weekend must be brand new, however you can combine it with any other fandom events if possible. For example, you can choose an August Year of the OTP prompt AND a JSW prompt to use in the same work, or combine a fandom Bingo fill with a JSW prompt. You can’t drop JSW work early, however, so hang onto it until our own event dates!

💜 You can create for just one or two days of the event or all three, and late works are always welcome!

@dc-fandom-events @fuckyeahjaysteph

[autumnslance]

Year of the OTP - October 2023 - Vampire/Werewolf AU

(OK, technically an August prompt, but-October! And my Dark Fairy Tale AU! There's Lightning and sorta kinda Couples Costumes, if we want to get particular. The original prompt list is here.)

On a Dark and Stormy Night...

When your human brother's been enthralled by your girlfriend's evil vampiric ancestor, what's a Big Bad Wolfcred to do but duke it out in age-old battle? Red Riding Aeryn's in charge of getting brother out--they just have to outpace a minion or two!

But all's well that ends well! ...Or is it? I suppose we'll find out next Halloween!

Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf

The Lost Gentleman and the Vampire

[hkandiu]

I'm writing a chapter a month this year for Kakashi/Iruka (Naruto) as part of the @yearoftheotpevent! Rated T, chapter notes will share the prompt, canon or AU, any trigger warnings, and word count is at the start of the chapter.

Chapter eight for August is up!