#real talk i rewatched this so soon because i have Fic Ideas

[seriesxwriting]

I was rewatching season 4 of tvd and I thought of a fic idea 🤭 I’m thinking when Damon is teaching Jeremy to be a hunter at the cabin and Klaus shows up, Jeremy and Elena’s sister (the reader) is also there for like moral support or something 🤷‍♀️ But later that night after everyone’s asleep she decides to go skinny dipping in the lake and Klaus catches her…

Thank you so much for your request, I’m so sorry it took so long for me to write I’ve been immensely busy. I hope it was worth the wait <33

Just one night <3

W klaus Mikaelson

Warnings- swearing, kissing, skinny dipping?

Summary- request <3

Series- The vampire diaries (tvd)

“Y/n, get back in the house” Elena shook her head as I stepped over the doorframe. I scrunched my face up with confusion and looked around for a split second. “Get back in the house” she hissed giving me no time, pushing me by my shoulder and backing me into the house with her body. We ended up in the living room before I hurriedly pushed her hand off me.

“What the hell are you doing!” I protested blinking quickly at her. She nodded to the kitchen hinting for me to follow her there. When we landed she lifted the tap up so it was running. Diverting any vampires hearing. “Klaus is here” she whispered in a low tone. My eyes widened. A million thoughts raced through my head. “What? Surely not- whys he here?” “I don’t know” she tutted getting out her phone.

I saw her swipe onto Damon’s name and start typing too fast for me to read. “Is Damon sorting it out?” I questioned, she let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know” she replied clearly stressed out about the situation but still managing to piss me off. “They were just kinda staring at each other- then Jeremy told me to find you” she added once she saw I was getting annoyed at the little Information I was receiving.

“He has some unhealthy pull towards you- I’ve noticed it- so has Damon” she eyeballed me “of course anything Damon thinks you think” I rolled my eyes taking no notice of what she was saying. Klaus had never hurt me physically, anytime we came to a stand off he’d avoid me or try and sweet talk me into leaving. But it wasn’t anything ‘unhealthy’. “Oh don’t start y/n” she scoffed rolling her eyes at me again. “We are just looking out for you”.

“You always say that” I muttered avoiding her eye contact. “Because I’m trying to stress it” she threw her hands out but kept her voice down nonetheless. At this point I was done with the conversation and slammed my hand on the tap before walking towards the door. “Y/n!” She cried running after me. As soon as I got to the door klaus appeared in front of me having vampires ran to the door. “Hello love, thought you’d be in here” he smiled with that famous look of his.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t melt on the spot. “What are you doing here?” I narrowed my eyes at me but used a questioning tone. “Came to see how Jeremy was getting on with his training- clearly not very well” klaus laughed and looked over his left shoulder. My brother was lying in a pile of logs and Damon was helping to pull them off him. Elena gasped at the sight and I could see fear in her brown eyes. “Klaus you have to leave”.

“Oh come on, it’s just a little bit of practice on a real vampire, Damon’s hardly made it over a century- and you- are a poor excuse for a vampire” he chuckled to Elena before making eye contact with me. “You’d make a good vampire” “you need to go- you’re not making the atmosphere very nice” I folded my arms leaning against the wall. “Well I was hoping you’d invite me in for tea but I can clearly see that isn’t your plan”.

“You knew I wouldn’t!” Elena protested shaking her head frowning at him. “Yes that’s why I wasn’t talking to you sweetheart” he condescendingly answered with a flick of a side eye in her direction. “What because I’m human? You thought you’d prey on the weakest link?” I replied jerking my head back. “If you think you’re the weakest link in this delusional team then you yourself are delusional y/n” he raised an eyebrow at me becoming all serious. I swallowed nervously and felt as the butterflies fluttered about.

“Klaus!” Jeremy yelled at the top of his lungs, he was red in the face but didn’t look at all injured. His hand was clasping a wooden stake. “I’ve made him angry” klaus winked at me and then jokingly put his hands up fakely surrendering. “Okay okay- I’ll leave, see you later my love” he grinned at me before vamp running off into the woods away from the group. Damon vamp ran to the door and stood there as Elena met him half way. “Are you okay?” He asked under his breath looking into her eyes. I rolled mine and walked off into the house.

That had been the most interesting part of this trip, apart from Jeremy the odd few times sitting Damon on his ass. I loved to watch that man lose sometimes. I wondered off to my bedroom and shut myself in most of the night thinking about what happened. What klaus had said. I even thought over and over again about how he said I’d be a ‘good vampire’. I also thought of elena’s words, his ‘pull’ towards me.

It kept me up most of the night. I was a deep over thinker, always had been and I’m sure I always will be. It ate me up sometimes, now was one of them times. When eventually it got to two am I decided it was time to forget about the situation. So I dragged myself out of bed and snuck out of the cabin to go down to the water. This was one of my happy places. It was just beautiful especially at night. I sat down on the grass in my gym shorts and vest top watching the ripples. I had crocs on too but no jacket. It wasn’t cold, there was no wind either.

I decided I wanted to get into the water and couldn’t be asked to walk back and get my swimsuit. No one was around, it’s not like anyone could see me, so I stripped and ran into the water laughing to myself. I swam on my back, did some hair flicks and summersaults underwater. Before just floating on the water looking at the stars.

“I’ve been around for a thousand years but this is by far my favourite sight”. I whipped around seeing klaus standing on land just watching me swim in front of him. “Klaus!” I gasped literally jumping. “You can’t creep up on people in the pitch black” I tutted with an eye roll. “You’re such a feisty one- no one ever talks to me like that not without consequences” he chuckled still watching me though I was just standing in the water at this point covering myself “Consequences? What like how you killed my aunt?” I jerked my head back, I wasn’t usually this narky with him but that comment pissed me off.

He put his hands up and smiled “I didn’t mean to offend love” “you didn’t offend me- you pissed me off klaus”. He looked at my blank face and my arms crossed my chest. “I’m not sorry I killed you aunt- thats selfish, but my power now is mind blowing and I’d never give it up- but I’m sorry it was your aunt and I’m sorry your wrapped up in this because I don’t want to hurt you” he told me truthfully. Klaus took a seat where my clothes were he eyed them before smirking at me.

“I believe that” I nodded swiming slightly closer ignoring his flirtatious smirk. “I don’t know why- you haven’t given me a reason to trust you- all you do is fight with Elenas boys”. “Mm well I think I have- I’ve never directly hurt you, love” “it doesn’t matter klaus- you’ve caused me pain- a lot of it- but for some reason see a difference side of you sometimes- times like now, if we weren’t in the middle of a war and it would complicate anything, you might have been the guy I came up to in the bar” I told him with a smile coming to the side of the land now, he’d shuffled to get closer to me.

“Well if you ask me I’d tell you the war didn’t matter- and if you came over to me at that bar you’d never leave my side y/n, we’d rule the world together” klaus told me with no sign of a joke. His face was completely neutral. “I…” klaus looked at me stuttering, I didn’t know what to say back. “No one would ever hurt you again- no one would leave you out, you’d be under my protection we’d be untouchable together” he whispered down to me. “You said you see a different side of me- well I see a different side to you y/n, I’ve tried to ignore it but it’s so prominent”.

“I can’t be with you klaus” I shook my head, he looked away from me for a second sighing. I pulled his face back towards me and whispered “but that doesn’t mean I can’t see what it would be like to be with you for a night” I smiled softly. He returned it. Before smashing his lips on me. I might have just made the biggest mistake of my life inviting this man into the water with me. Or it could be the best night of my life. But right now I didn’t care about the consequences.

I had him all to myself.

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[phanfictioncatalogue]

Fics Written in 2023 Masterlist

Links last checked: January 24th, 2025

A Wingspan Unbelievable (ao3) - queerofcups

Summary: Phil isn't bitter. Phil is a kingmaker.

A Youtuber AU.

cat bells 2: the philling (ao3) - N_Chu4Ever

Summary: Just after rewatching the first three PINOFs, a mysterious package arrives on Dan and Phil's doorstep. Inside is a new cat costume... and Phil has a slightly terrible idea.

Charmed (ao3) - hygge

Summary: Dan doesn’t understand Valentine’s Day. That is until he’s given an anonymous card with someone’s phone number in it. It takes months of talking with this anonymous person to learn who they are, and it ends up being the person that Dan least expects.

Chips (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan struggling with the concept that all healthy couples should fight.

cleveland (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: "We're never going to Cleveland again."

Communication Is Key (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: In which au Dan and Phil are friends with benefits despite the fact that neither of them want to be friends with benefits and Dan just sucks at talking about his feelings

Dan and His Butterflies (ao3) - Raspberrysaxophone

Summary: Very basic: Dan is terribly in love with Phil (the sporty jog). So much so, that Dan joins the school's sports team to be closer to him. As Dan awkwardly stumbles around, Phil starts to take notice of him. A party takes place and who knows what a drunk Dan might do...

Danisnotadom (ao3) - Sinninghowlter

Summary: Dan's not a dom. Everyone swears up and down that he is, insists he is domming his boyfriend and is too good to take it in the ass.

Phil's not a sub. Everyone thinks he is, everyone thinks his baby is in charge. What they don't know is his hardcore boyfriend is actually a princess.

domino’s pizza (ao3) - loverpojke

Summary: dan can’t stop thinking about calling phil ‘daddy’ again, but his anxiety makes it feel impossible to communicate his desires with phil. but phil always knows when something’s up, and dan can’t bear to keep things from him.

DreamCasts Presents (ao3) - SummerFlingsAndThings (QueenJunoTheGreat)

Summary: Phil's son is obsessed with the faceless man who narrates audiobooks.

Dan's daughter is obsessed with the brightly dressed librarian in charge of the children's department.

And Dan and Phil? Well, they're a little obsessed with one another.

endings, endings, beginnings. (ao3) - commonemergency

Summary: A lot can happen in eleven years, he said, finishing his cup of coffee. Dan and Phil had lived a full life. It wasn’t always happy, but nothing can ever truly be happy, but it was finding the happiness and the light in those dark places.

When Dan finished talking, when all the words had come out, Evelyn had looked at him the same way that she looked at him back at that last session, a mix of pride and unbridled joy that Dan had grown up. He had grown up and become the person that his twenty-one year old self had been so scared of, the sixteen year old self he would have been proud of, and the twenty-five year old he almost gave up on if it hadn’t been for those around him to remind him that he was loved.

First to Listen (To Anything I Said) (ao3) - SylvesterLester

Summary: It's 2004, and Dan Howell is screwing up in school. He can't help that he's stuck in boring classes with boring people and just doesn't care. So when Phil Lester, one of the geekiest kids in school, is assigned to be his tutor, he's expecting this to just be another crappy part of his already crappy life.

But when it turns out Phil might be Dan's first real friend, his hormones threaten to screw all that up. Because that's all it is, right? Hormones?

Golden Boy (ao3) - hygge

Summary: Phil takes a drawing class in university and needs a subject for his drawing final.

I Don't Love You (ao3) - Raspberrysaxophone

Summary: Dan and Phil hate each other, but soon Dan realises that he is developing a crush on him. What will a New York business trip (where they are sharing a room xxx) do to their relationship?

I’ll be the light that you can’t make (ao3) - MANIAvinyl

Summary: There was suddenly a tightness in Phil’s chest, put there by guilt and fear, and he couldn’t find the words to respond. The gravity of Dan’s depression was creeping up on him, like a realization he didn’t want to admit.

Or; Dan is depressed and Phil cant help but feel that the sickness in his best friend is a mystery to them both. Hurt/comfort and angst

knight of wands (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Some days are just boring.

(And some aren't.)

look how far we've come now baby (ao3) - calvinahobbes

Summary: It was days later, in a hotel bed with a view of the Portugal sky, that Phil had murmured into the darkness, “But yeah. Maybe grown-up queer prom would be nice.”

Making the cut (ao3) - philsbignaturals

Summary: In which Dan is a single-dad lawyer and Phil is his barber.

morning coffee (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Dan brings Phil a coffee every morning.

Naughty! Do Not Eat (ao3) - talentisntgenius

Summary: Why Dan Had To Call an Ambulance but it's parent!DnP

Neighbourly Nook (ao3) - wednesday_ukiru

Summary: The stranger had a dimple on his cheek that appeared when he laughed.

“I’m Dan,” he said, extending his hand. Phil reached for it with extreme eagerness, their knuckles knocking together in a particularly painful way, and they both winced, but Dan immediately broke into a smile. “I don’t know why I offered you a handshake, I never know how to do them.”

Oswald (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan is an asshole, Phil goes through a tragic accident, and this somehow brings them together.

Also Phil owns a pancake restaurant.

(TW) Perfect (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: Phil is going to make TATINOF perfect-whatever it takes to get there.

rainy days at the library (ao3) - pasteldanhowells

Summary: Even on rainy days Dan winds up at the library, but it's not so bad when his company is the cute librarian.

Redemption Arc (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: classic, slightly dramatic rags to riches au

Returning home (ao3) - philsbignaturals

Summary: In which Dan returns to find a clingy Phil

Based on the selfie Dan took after returning from the European tour

Right Where You're Meant to Be (ao3) - fisshhhh

Summary: Dan just got back from being on tour for 2 and a half months.

Say The Word, Back To You (ao3) - cafephan

Summary: During their third Japan trip, Dan and Phil reflect on a notebook of things to complete together, written in 2009.

Serendipity (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan and Phil are a generic, cute suburban couple when a brief apocalypse decides to happen

SUBSCRIBE FOR COMFORT CONTENT (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Phil casually created an idea how to bring back the gaming channel, Dan stayed up too late writing a skit and now they've got to go pick up Dil's head.

To rise again, you must first acknowledge that you died.

Sunshine on the street at the parade (ao3) - ForeverJustAnEmoKidAtHeart

Summary: Dan and Phil meet at a Pride Parade.

Teacher's Pet (ao3) - SylvesterLester

Summary: Izzy's mum left when she was 11 years old, which she's fine with-really. Her and her dad are better off just the two of them, anyways...until Mr. H comes along and things start getting turned upside down.

The Boy From Manchester (ao3) - Koolhotsweetloveberries

Summary: Dan Howell wishes with all his heart that he was someone else. If he had to choose, he'd be a cool guy living in Manchester, like all his favorite YouTubers. They say 'be careful what you wish for'.

An AU inspired by Makoto Shinkai's 'Your Name'.

The Philver Scream (ao3) - UnorthodoxSavvy

Summary: While Dan's career in the FBI is taking off, Phil is left behind to pick up the pieces of his life after his brother's death. However, he finds himself plagued by strange nightmares that he can't explain. Soon, people around him start dying. Can Dan and Phil's partnership survive the mounting body count?

to let the light in (ao3) - cityofphanchester

Summary: Searching for a fresh start after a decade of dead ends in London, Dan becomes obsessed with a storytelling show on Rossendale Radio and a voice that hasn't been broadcast in years.

True Colors (ao3) - kattdan

Summary: There's some tension during lockdown. Dan's having moodswings.

Two Man Team (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: This is the story of two struggling friends who after many trials and tribulations find their way back to each other and build the life they've always dreamed of.

Or how Phil changed his life by talking to random strangers on the internet.

We balance each other out on the seesaw of life (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Phil had dragged Dan to Isle of Man after his return home from tour. The sea air would do him good (even if it gave him hobbit hair) and he could be surrounded by Phil's family (who were his family too). He hadn’t actively planned to drag him onto a seesaw on a playground but it turned out to be a precious moment all the same.

[vinsmokewife]

who is this person / chapter one

On a quest to find love on a dating website, Sanji falls head over heels for a woman with an interest in...alternative relationships that sends him down a rabbit hole of completing tasks for a seemingly sadistic mistress. But what happens when she turns out to be more than what she seems? Darkfic with themes of internalised homophobia, bad bdsm practices and lying about your identity to strangers on the internet. Please read with caution. This is NOT how BSDM should be practiced. Always practice Sane, Safe and Consensual practices boarders on being considered dead dove do not eat material read on ao3 read on ff

tags included: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers Internalized Homophobia Bottom Vinsmoke Sanji Top Roronoa Zoro Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji Bickering Sanji and Zoro are awful in this fic btw they both do terrible things Grimdark It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better Sanji is really homophobic in this fic because he's dealing with being bi jknjkn Roronoa Zoro is Bad At Feelings and deals with his feeling AWFULLY BDSM Consensual But Not Safe Or Sane Dead Dove: Do Not Eat i'm only tagging it as dead dove for safety because this is dark

authors note:

So, this is more like a personal little mission for me. I wrote a cringy fanfic called Who’s That Person when I was 13. That was ten years ago. I am about to turn 25 this year. I have been rewatching One Piece and decided I really liked the idea of Who Is This Person, but I wrote it poorly because I was 13. So, I am going to revise it. I still get comments on the sequel called Misery asking if I will ever continue it.

SO. With that said, this fanfic will be entirely different. No more ooc suicide attempts or just cringy sex scenes and DEFINATELY no mpreg if there’s a sequel. It will also be set in the modern world because I don’t know if I ever explained what verse Who’s This Person was written in. Probably didn’t think about it too much. Either way, I hope this is a lot better because I cringe whenever I read the original.

THIS STORY IS PRIMARY TOLD IN EITHER SANJI'S POV OR ZORO'S POV. Similarly to the original aha. But I will indicate it clearly in the story.

LOGGING ON; S POV  

The idea of online dating had seemed abhorrent to Sanji. A self-proclaimed pristine gentleman who was interested in real romance and not the one behind a screen. Online dating, among his age group, seemed to kind of be the norm. When he had his weekly meetings with Nami and Robin (his gal pals), they (although, more Nami than anything) seemed to talk a lot about their online escapades.  

It was time to consider the possibility of modernizing his dating pool. It is time he experimented a little in the modern age. It was about time that he considered trying a dating app.  

It might have sounded very boomerish but it was more a case of not knowing what to expect online but maybe that was what was so exciting. Sanji rarely had any time to date as much as he liked. Being a chef at his father's restaurant was draining, and the hours were antisocial. Too many long nights and sleeping in to catch up with much needed sleep. He longed to date as he was a romantic person but there was never enough time in the day to date. So, here he was, finishing up a profile on a swiping dating app that Nami recommended.  

It wasn’t long until after the account was live, he got a few swipes. Naturally, he swiped right on pretty much all of them. Afterall, he would give every woman a chance.  

One in particular caught his eye, however. It made him stop before he swiped. A beautiful woman with dark brown hair, big blue eyes and a very soft feminine face. She looked like a model; someone who didn’t seem real. Her name was Zoey. It was even a question of whether or not to swipe for her. She seemed like she might be a joke. Either way,  

Z: Hey. Thanks for the swipe. I hope we can talk soon. 

That was how this worked then. Huh. Easy. Quickly and with much eagerness, Sanji typed out a message in return. He was unsure if the same tactics worked online as they would in person. It was hard to gauge a reaction from not being able to see someone’s face but maybe that was the excitement. 

S: I’m here now, dear. I’d love to talk ♡. 

The annoying thing about this was the waiting game that one had to endure with these types of conversations. Nothing was instant. It wasn’t like when you chatted to someone, and you had to wait for every calculated move. It certainly wasn’t like normal dating. 

Z: Cool. What are you up to?  

Well, wasn’t it obvious? He was spending his time being lonely talking to someone he had never met online. But, besides the point. 

S: I’m talking to you, darling. Actually, I just made this profile two seconds ago. You are the first lucky lady I’ve spoken to. 

S: What are you up to? 

Z: Lucky me. 

Z: I’ve just been to the gym. It was leg day today.  

Z: So, I’m just going back to my apartment for a nice warm bath and a beer. Maybe a nap.  

Z: I’ll be honest, this is my first time on an app like this. I don’t usually do the whole dating thing normally. But I was told I needed to loosen up and live a little by some friends. 

Hmm. That was similar to him actually. Although it wasn’t so much that he was doing this because Robin and Nami encouraged him to. This was probably a good idea. Probably. Well, he was tired of his mundane life at Zeff’s restaurant anyway. 

S: I understand, dear. I’ve never made a dating profile in my life. 

S: I work at my father’s restaurant. Well, adoptive father. He practically raised me.  

S: But he’s a piece of work. I have ambitions of being a chef, but he won’t let me in the kitchen. I wait tables. It’s not what I want to be doing. If I’m not waiting tables, I’m bartending.  

S: I’m not sure if you’ve been to the Baratie?  

Z: I have heard of it. Not really been in it. It’s too expensive for my taste… I prefer a shitty rundown bar. 

S: Hmph. Baratie IS a shitty rundown restaurant in my opinion. 

S: What do you do? I’ve told you I’m a waiter. Do you have some embarrassing day job then? 

Z: I’m a personal trainer. I work at a gym.  

Z: It’s not all that exciting. 

Z: I’d pick being a waiter over being a personal trainer any day.  

She seemed…down to earth. It reminded him of talking to Nami or Robin. Conversation felt incredibly natural. As he lay there looking around his surroundings, his room in his apartment that had cooking books strewn around the room that he had been looking into but everything else seemed very tame in comparison. Things were getting rather dull and predictable which made him what to spice things up and holding back in conversations such as these were not his style at all. It was time to be more… direct. 

S: Hmmm. I don’t know… I’d kill to have a personal trainer like you ;) 

Maybe a little too cheesy. He bites his lip and hopes it lands. There’s a minute or so with no message. Because it was a little bit of a gamble, the minute in between this message and the next one seemed significantly longer than any other message and to be honest, he was beginning to think he had down something wrong but that was all until the next message came through. 

Z: Hm.  

Z: If you want to play that game, I think you make a handsome waiter…  

Z: A man like you serving my every need? I think that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do. 

And…Sanji was not expecting that kind of response and it made him sit upright in the bed. It was…bold. Suspiciously bold actually. Normally his attempts at wooing women didn’t exactly earn that kind of response. It took him a few minutes to even think of what to say but before he could type something in return, she writes again. 

Z: I have to go…run some errands.  

Z: It was nice talking to you. 

Z: I’m interested in getting to know you if you are interested in me too. I think we could have a very special relationship J 

Z: See you later, Sanji. 

Sanji almost at once replies back. The conversation is over quicker than it has begun but he doubts it will be the last. 

S: Of course. I’ll talk to you later, starshine. 

Zoey is now offline.  

Sanji let himself fall back against the bed. It was a short conversation, but it left an impact on him. What kind of special relationship was she after? He thought about what she said for a minute but then disregarded it. After all, she was merely a stranger on the internet and perhaps she was only there to fill a need of her own but... 

How does one conversation get you so invested?  

- 

He hadn’t forgotten about tonight. It may not have seemed interesting at first, but the start of the night from 6pm he had to go to work. Tonight, Zeff (his adoptive father) was working which meant that Sanji was front of house. He didn’t hate being front of house; it wasn’t a particularly hard job, but it meant he was as far away from the kitchen as possible.  

See, Sanji had so much respect and admiration for Zeff. Zeff practically raised Sanji when no one else would. Zeff stepped up as a father to Sanji when his own father (who he doesn’t know or remember) abandoned him. Sanji had absolutely nothing to his name and not a roof over his head when Zeff found him.  

So, it wasn’t as if Zeff and Sanji hated each other. There was a lot of love there but...not at work. Zeff kept Sanji as far away from the kitchen as possible, especially when he was working. If he wasn’t, he made sure Sanji wasn’t scheduled for kitchen duty. This brought a lot of frustration as Sanji wanted to be a chef and being a chef in Zeff’s restaurant seemed like the ideal choice for him but... There was a lot more to it than that.

To others, they never seemed like they got on. They are constantly bickering. Zeff telling Sanji that the reason he isn’t allowed to cook is because his cooking is shit, Sanji calling Zeff’s restaurant shitty and rundown...that kind of things. 

However, he obviously didn’t mean it because nights like to tonight, Zeff would retire early and hand Sanji the keys to the restaurant telling him he’s on lock up duty. 

Sanji didn’t mind. It was a moment of quiet for him. Once the staff were dismissed, Sanji would just do some admin out the back. Tonight was no different. However, he kept looking at his phone. Since Zoey, Sanji had managed to start conversations with other women. Some of them charming, some disinterested and some just looking for friendly conversation but none caught his eyes like Zoey did.  

Sanji was in the middle of some paperwork in the office when he heard a bang on the door. It scared the shit out of him. He nearly fell off his chair but at once the voice that shouted out made Sanji annoyed more than anything. 

“SANJI! I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! I’M HERE FOR THE FOOD IN THE KITCHEN” 

God damnit Luffy. 

Sanji almost ran from the office to the front door where, in the darkness of the night, his friend Luffy was standing with his face against the window. Sanji unlocked the door. 

“Hey! Do you want me to lose my job?” Sanji opened the door to see Luffy standing there. Luffy was one of his best friends. He actually met Luffy here; because Luffy ate Zeff out of house and home and got forced to do the dishes for a week as payment. He got to know Luffy and his antics. He admired Luffy’s carefree nature so much. Luffy merely smiled and pushed his way to the door, following him was his other friend, Nami. 

“Hey Sanji! Sorry he was so excited to be here,” Her sweet voice said throwing him a wink which at once lessoned his anger.  

“He just needs to keep his fucking voice down. I could lose my job if Zeff finds out he’s helping himself to food from the kitchen,” 

Sanji had an arrangement with Luffy. Luffy stopped turning up the Baratie and eating without paying the bill, and Sanji would let him into the kitchen on nights he’s closing up and he had free range of the food that’s going to be thrown out. Sanji disagrees with the idea that food should be thrown out like this; at least let someone who doesn’t have much eat it. 

Or at least Luffy so Zeff stops popping blood vessels whenever he comes by. 

Just as Sanji is about to close the door, a hand grabs onto the end of it and pushes it open. Sanji didn’t see that they had taken their other friend along. 

Roronoa Zoro. Sanji and Zoro were not friends. 

“Aren’t you going to let me in, shitty cook?” 

Sanji was so close to slamming the door right in his stupid moss head face and break that stupid look on his face. Zoro was built like a brick house and had a hair full of moss like hair. He just looked so stupid in Sanji’s eyes. He hated when Zoro tagged along like a stupid mossy looking dog. 

“Not with that damn attitude,” 

Although Sanji looked smaller in comparison, he had just as much strength as Zoro so he tried to push the door back only for Nami to grab his shoulder gently. 

“Come on you two. Can’t you two stop bickering for once in your life?” Immediately, because it was Nami, Sanji opened the door and let Zoro in who basically barged past him. Had Nami not been there to defuse the situation, there would have been a fight as Sanji clenched his jaw watching Zoro just barge into Zeff’s restaurant like this, the disrespect! 

“Fine. I’ve got work to do in the back. Will you PLEASE make sure Luffy doesn’t get into the good fridge? And that Mosshead keeps to a one drink minimun. He’s lucky I let him even have one,” 

They both look at Zoro, who has made his way over the beautiful looking bar off the corner. He’s in the fridge looking for a beer. God, just the look on his face makes Sanji want to punch his face. 

“Fine. Don’t worry. I’ll look after him. Just do what you need to do...please!” Nami said with that sweet voice of hers. If Nami didn’t only like girls... 

“Fine. Anything for you~!” Sanji turned to go for the back, giving Zoro one last glare before he did. Then he went back into the office and started doing the administration he was supposed to have done a while back. About 5 minutes into it, his phone buzzes. He assumes it’s going to be Nami sheepishly telling him that Luffy got into the fridge or that Zoro has opened a second beer but... 

YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FROM: Zoey. 

Quickly, Sanji opens his phone and opened the app only to read her message. 

Z: Are you awake? I just got back from the gym. 

S: Yes, yes, I’m awake. I’m just cashing up for the night 

His reply came rather quickly. He didn’t realise but he had been hoping for all day that she would message him. 

Z: Good. 

Z: I know we’ve only started talking but I like talking to you, Sanji. 

Z: There’s something about you that I really like. 

S: I’m very flattered. I enjoyed our conversation this morning too. 

Sanji continued to type away at the admin on his computer. He was half paying attention to the conversation. Normally he would have managed to get this done quicker but he would stop every now and then to speak to Zoey. The conversation was really casual until near the end, just when he was away to finish cashing up, a message caught his eye as it came from entirely out of nowhere. 

Z: So, Sanji, I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to scare you away. I really like the connection we have already, but I want to ask, what do you think about... kinkier stuff? 

- 

LOGGING ON: Z’s POV  

“Hey Zoro...” 

Zoro was barely paying attention to Luffy’s whining. Something about the good fridge being locked or something. Hell, if he knew. Luffy had currently found himself a bunch of plates of food that didn’t make the cut (but was fine otherwise) desserts, sweets and all that but he is still complaining about not being able to get into the fridge. However, it is not Luffy that is pestering this time.  

He had lost track of time since Sanji had went into the back. He had been sitting at the bar, legs on the table on his phone. Not a habit Zoro often indulged in but recently, something rather interesting happened that made it more...so. 

“Hey....Zoro!”  

It seemed that Zoro was too invested in whatever was going on and that was annoying Nami. Since this morning, when she first seen Zoro, he’d been acting a little...bizarre. He was not one to be distracted by his phone unless it was for a reason. Sometimes, Zoro even forgot he had one but as of today, Zoro has been watching his phone like an absolute hawk.  

So, Nami decided the next logical thing to do and while he wasn’t looking, Nami snatched it out of his hand. 

“Wha-”  

Zoro suddenly realised what had happened jumped to his feet and nearly tackled her, but Nami prepared herself for this and stood to the side. 

“Oooh, you finally have a girlfriend? Is that why you keep looking at your phone?” So far, Nami didn’t look at the screen. She didn’t really feel the need to right now as she kept dodging Zoro who was increasingly getting more flustered with her. 

“Nami, I swear... Give me it back or I will punch you across this room,” Zoro didn’t often threaten his friends. Not as a joke but Nami decided to push his buttons a little more as she then went to look at the phone. 

“Hey, maybe I should introduce myself as one of your best-” Nami interrupted herself as she saw the contents of his screen. It was a dating app. It was a familiar dating app. It was a dating app that Nami frequented but... she never saw Zoro on it. Maybe he had blocked her, so they didn’t match. She seen the last message... that was sent by Zoro. 

Z: So, Sanji, I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to scare you away. I really like the connection we have already, but I want to ask, what do you think about... kinkier stuff?  

Sanji? No. Zoro and Sanji hated each other. They couldn’t stand each other. Why would they be...wait... Zoro’s name wasn’t Zoro. It was Zoey. 

“Z-Zoro...what is...” 

Just then, Luffy burst through from the kitchen just as Zoro had grabbed the phone from her hand and shoved it back into his pocket as if nothing happened. Luffy looked at the two of them and frowned. 

“Hey. No fights without me! I thought Sanji would be finished by now,” 

Nami didn’t know what to say. She felt like her head was spinning. What was going on between her two friends. She looked at Luffy and then Zoro before she took a step. “Should I go check on him?”

Although he never showed it, Zoro stepped forward with every intention of stopping her, “I don’t think dartboard brows will be long. Wasn’t there another case of food you didn’t seen near the door to the back? That’s normally where they keep the good beer as well,”  

Luffy scoffed and shook his head, “You know I don’t like beer, but I guess I’ll go have a look. Thanks Zoro,” Luffy turned his heels to go back into the kitchen. That left Zoro and Nami alone again. Nami turned to look him before she started heading towards where she knew Sanji would be. That was until she heard Zoro’s voice. 

“Don’t you want to know why before you storm off and make matters worse?”  

Nami turned on her heels. She could barely look at Zoro right now. Zoro was, in clear view, catfishing Sanji on a dating website. She assumed it was because Zoro hated Sanji so much that he was going to make him miserable by doing something like this. To embarrass Sanji and humiliate him. Nami didn’t mind a bit of banter between friends. A little bit of bullying was fine, but this right here was taking it too far. 

“I don’t care what reasons you have. I understand you hate Sanji, but this is really cruel Zoro. I thought you were above this,” 

Zoro’s eyebrows knitted together as he watched her. He seemed calm enough. He sat down again, looking at her and shaking his head. 

“You think I’m doing this because I hate him? Hm. Maybe it does seem that way...doesn’t it,” There was something about the way Zoro was acting that seemed very unreadable, but Nami could only assume that was the reason. Why else would you catfish someone other than...? Now it was Nami’s turn to be confused which Zoro seen and in the most casual way, he revealed a secret leaning back with a beer in hand. 

“Did you know I’m gay, Nami?”  

Nami now fully turned to Zoro. Nami took a breath. Something like this didn’t bother her. Nami was a lesbian and was happily in a relationship with another friend of theirs, Vivi. Their friendship group was pretty diverse. There was Luffy who was asexual and aromantic. Robin and Franky, despite being in a relationship, were both bisexual. Brook was an old gay man. Usopp was bisexual as well. 

Sanji was the outlier. The one person who wasn’t like the rest of them... 

“No, I didn’t know you were. Is this how you’re coming out to me? By catfishing one of my best friends? Because this is one hell of a coming out,” She breathed out.  

“No, just listen Nami,” Zoro was clearly becoming a little impatient Nami could have laughed. She really could have. Zoro and Sanji hated each other. Or at least that’s what she thought. 

“So, you’re...what... catfishing him. That’s pretty fucked up,” 

“I didn’t intend on it being him. Listen, Luffy and Usopp made the profile on my phone as a joke. When I went to delete it, I got curious and started swiping through people. Sanji’s profile appeared. I only started talking to him today. It’s...nice to talk to him without him being annoying or antagonising me. It’s like we’re friends-”  

“You know you could just talk to him too and not be a dick about it. This is a pretty extreme way of going about it. And what about that last message about kink-” 

It was at that moment that Sanji appeared through the kitchen doors looking absolutely furious with Luffy who was covered in... chocolate. The two of them stopped looking angry at each other and looked at their friend. 

“Zeff is going to be absolutely furious with me! A whole chocolate cake! Gone!” Sanji pushed Luffy who went and stood next to Zoro. Sanji looked at Nami and looked at Zoro.  

“Who told him about the case next to the door? The one that’s clearly for cakes?” 

“It’s just a cake,” Zoro replied casually, “I’m sure if Zeff lets you near the kitchen you can just make another one, waiter,” 

If Sanji wasn’t already at 100, he was now with Zoro’s little comment. Sanji was ready to storm in that kitchen, but he took a moment to compose himself. 

“I’m going to have to stay all night to replace that cake so whatever you three wanted me to do with you, I’m going to have to say no,” Sanji showed them to the door, “Now please, leave.”  

“Fiiine I had my share. I wonder if Shanks has left me anything...” Luffy said as he headed towards the door. Zoro just looked at Sanji who scowled at him then Nami looked at Sanji. She wanted to say something about Zoro. About...Zoey... 

“Sanji...”  

“Nami... Dear, I’d love you to stay but I have a cake to make and Zeff will kill me,” Sanji never got mad at her, and he wasn’t mad at her. However, this was the politest way of saying please leave.  

“Okay...” Maybe tomorrow, if he was free...she didn’t want to upset him more than he already was. She left and was left with Zoro because Luffy decided to go to Shanks house instead. It was awkward because Zoro probably knew what Nami wanted to do. They walked alongside each other and didn’t talk. 

Until Zoro broke the silence. A deep almost regretful sigh left his lips as he stopped on the street. He looked at Nami before talking. 

“I’ll delete the profile tonight. It was a stupid thing for me to do...” 

Nami nodded in agreement. “Thank you Zoro. I won’t tell him if you do that...” 

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

Firstly, THE COMMENTS ON THE TEXT CONVIS POST!!! I'M PISSING 😭😭 He's so desparate, I can see him killing another assassin and stealing his phone just to text us to unblock him

About giivng Mandy a sibling, I think Tan would consider it since he'll want her to have someone like he has Lem

Also, Mandy swearing because she accidently heard Tan swear once?

You said his look can be intimitating, even if it's soft. Imagine we look away or hide in his shoulder, so he softly grabs our face to make us look at him. 🫠🫠

Buying him lolipops to replace a cig for when he can't smoke? And they're cherry flavor? :))

Sorry I'm always asking those things but have you thought about a backstory for us and Tan? I made one but I think it sounds kinda silly so I don't know if I should send it

I know I sound like a broken record since I already said this in like 3 already. I really do enjoy being back and writing to you, I was afraid my love for him was fading away, I didn't like any ideas I wrote in my notes and was overall pretty sad. (He was still on my mind, it's as if this man made himself a cozy room in my brain and is never leaving) I got sick in january so I had to stay at home and thought I might as well rewatch the movie. So many scenes and snarky remarks of him got me thinking "oh yeah that's why I fell in love with him". So now I'm here again. I love reading your response as well as the comments. 💗💗  Sorry for the ramble I wanted to get it off my chest

(Just wanted to ask, the next time your requests will be open, would you be ok with writing a small fic, like 700 words? If no that's completly fine !! I already saved a headcanon and small drabble for next time :)) Planning on sending more text convos this weekend

Also love your atj shirt. Might have to get a custom one for my bday <3 💺 anon

— right??? 😭😭😭 omg yes!! or even having to go out and get another sim card in order to text you. he probs has a stash of miscellaneous blocked ones piled somewhere

— he so would!! he would want her to have a best friend in sibling form. he wants for her to have someone she can talk to when older. and all those sibling bonding things

— she definitely has😭😭 I believe fuck is an easy one to say?? so that might be her first

— AAARDFGH !!! YES YEA YEAH YUP YEP

— super super cute!!! and cherry!! sneaky, I like it

— you know what, I actually haven’t. I prefer civilian readers, so it’s a little difficult bc being assassin would be easier to connect. but I have a concept idea of their relationship, but not how they met. don’t be daft, nothing you’ll send would be silly. you’re more than welcome to send it in if you’re comfortable. there’s no such thing as silly around here

— I really do as well!! it’s actually fun to talk to someone about him like this rather than myself all the time😭 awh!!! im glad you’re back into him now !! (and hope you’re feeling better now) never be sorry, thank you for sharing 💓💓

— they’re still open if you want to send something in, luckily been working through my inbox pretty fast so now I have a decent enough backlog in my drafts. and yes, ofc, that’s absolutely fine angel. looking forward to the text convos!! they were real fun

— AAAAH THANK YOU!! yes yes get one!! and happy birthday in advance if it’s coming up soon, if it is send in an ask so I can wish you a HBD💓

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

not quite a liveblog but a rewatch

logan’s exhausted “what are you talking about?” is just... Such An Mood

“dont act like that was an accident” and roman looks so delighted its adorable

“you know exactly why we’re not talking about it” and i KnowTM how this Patton thing gets resolved but he sounds so, so, small here and i Want! To! Hug! Him!

is it just me or when Patton suggest talking about the movie and virgil says “sure” does his voice have a bit of distortion? my headphones are Shit and im sitting across from my grandma lol

there was definitely distortion on “show up” that i missed the first time

patton’s body language on “it’s kinda hard to explain” pushes almost into virgil-territory and yet is still, intrinsically patton and im literally never going to get over this mans FUCKING RANGE

i still dont know if i like the song

“dont say juicy in this context” how much of virgil’s dark-side-life was just desperately trying to avoid this Garbage Boy Stinkman Belongs In The Toilet

again - I KNOW THE PATTON THING. but TELL me you dont want to give him a blanket and as many cookies as he wants the boy is p e t r i f i e d

“brave, handsome, unbeatable roman!” hey yeah royalitys canon great good talk

“... or a him problem” oh did a bitch SHIVER

“that... is something joan would do” im dead on the floor

“but are they opinions that matter???” virgil gets more salty the more freaked out he is and chaboy can RELATE

“you have a strong suit?” virgil is SO FUCKING PETTY in this its bringing genuine tears of pride to mine eyes

“...maybe” again! with patton sounding small and terrified and desperately upset im going to Fling Myself Into The Fucking Sun

“one of you is enough” im SORRY i know this video is supposed to be upsetting but i cant stop laughing

“that’s what repression is???” PaTtOn I wOuLd DiE fOr YoU

“You all are not listening to Thomas” Logan STARTED this lesson with a mic drop and We Stan

“i said. figuratively.” and the fucking ORCHESTRAL TRIPLETS IN THE BACK what a score tbh

“maybe you dont” and he somehow looks like... almost prim here, like one of the fucking pta moms that use to turn up their nose at my dyed hair its a very CreativiTwinsTM expression

“..so it is okay to jump out of a moving car?” sweet precious patton who i love please let me shower you in kisses you silly, silly man

“that was amazing logan :D” logicality - also canon! no one ships polyamsanders more than patton and you can take that to the BANK

“you used to really unsettle me” how much of virgil’s dark-side-life was living constantly petrified of his “friends”

“you wouldnt wanna forget everything you’ve just learned” im gonNa CRY LOGAN I LOVE YOU

 oh god here we go

“i should no better” fuck my life tbh

thomas’s EXPRESSION

and virgil looks like he’s braced for a blow and then he sees thomas’s face and he just shrugs and sinks out

defeated and resigned

just like im resigning from this mortal FUCKING coil

*sobbing* can i just hug everyone please? can i do that??? pretty please?????

[ohworm-writes]

I posted 380 times in 2022

205 posts created (54%)

175 posts reblogged (46%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@makesuretoloveyourself

@dreamwvrld

@fangirlingcentral

@sardonic-the-writer

@ohworm-writes

I tagged 238 of my posts in 2022

Only 37% of my posts had no tags

#worm.txt - 145 posts

#worm.answ - 103 posts

#worm.rbs - 31 posts

#anon.com/🐍 - 23 posts

#1000 follower event - 14 posts

#wilcza.com/my-dear - 13 posts

#one year event - 13 posts

#1 year event - 13 posts

#navigation - 12 posts

#navi - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#if you have a different idea for the personalized little tag i do then you can dm it to me so i can have that unique tag all set for you :)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Just saw the movie about- what, 30 minutes ago? Oh. My. Gods. Above. This is the only thing I will be talking about for the next 3 weeks.

I’m already in the middle of planning a fic (read: I’m insane). HOWEVER, this being said, the fic will be posted within the next few days.

Someone has to help feed this fandom as it grows. ;-) See you soon, and remember! Don’t talk to strangers…

178 notes - Posted June 25, 2022

#4

See the full post

295 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

#3

▬ LOVERS ROCK PT. 1 ▬

Pairing: Jschlatt x Gn!Reader

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Minimal cursing

Synopsis: Fall is in full swing in you and your boyfriend’s shared home. So, that means some baking is in order, yes?

Word Count: 1.3k

Author’s Note: Miss me? Here’s a little something to give you a taste. I’m back.

See the full post

419 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

#2

This whole situation is almost ironic to me. See, a few days ago I was sitting in my room and the thought of Techno came to mind. It was random, I’ll be honest, as I haven’t thought about him since April. But anyways, I wondered, you know, “How long has it been since he uploaded?” “I wonder where he is/ what’s he doing now”.

But, most importantly: “I hope he’s okay.”

I was at a party yesterday when I got the news. We were watching some movie and I wasn’t at all paying attention to it, so I went to TikTok to pass the time. And then I saw it. Someone uploaded a video saying something along the lines of “I hope this isn’t real”.

So, I checked what happened, and there it was.

My friend came over to talk and checked his phone and then he saw it and we were just speechless. I couldn’t process it until the car ride back, where I started tearing up and then fully sobbing when I got home.

I started rewatching videos as I cried myself to sleep, and then I woke up this morning and it started all over again. And while it hasn’t stopped, I have to continue to remind myself to be strong because this goofball was my inspiration! So much of myself is taken from him and I constantly have to remind myself that “It’ll be fineeee.”

I’m not okay, but really nobody else within this fandom is right now, I know that. But we have to be strong, as much time as it’ll take.

Cancer dies with the person it takes, so even here he didn’t lose: a draw, if you will. We’ll learn to be okay, however long it’ll take. And it’ll take a lot of time, believe me, but we’ll be okay.

Everything is within his calculations.

683 notes - Posted July 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I need more people to write for The Black Phone like- I’m at the point where if nobody will do it in the next 5 seconds, I will.

There are 2 fics over the course of any website I can find for it, and I swear to the gods above I KNOW the movies doesn’t come out for another few weeks but PLEASE!

Like- we can all agree that he’s hot, right? It’s not just a small group of people, right?

You guys get it, right?

Edit: Let’s acknowledge this character was based off of John Wayne Gacy and it has been stated in interviews that this character would be a pedophile. I can’t tell you who you can’t and can simp or obsess over, but I’d like anyone reading this to take in these facts. This post was made before the film debuted and before I knew who this character was based off of, and in no way do I support or condone it. I’ve since left this fandom of sorts, and while I do find Ethan Hawke attractive, I can no longer say the same for this character.

843 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[pretty-boys-book-club]

CAT!! i just saw you in my notifs and squealed i missed you!! how are you!! how are things??

Oh my, okay, I had this WHOLE response written out but our dearest hellsite decided to delete it 😡 so, starting over…

Hi, Jay 💜💜💜💜💜 How have you been?

I’m still around, who would’ve thought?! Jokes aside, I’m alright, been resting a lot lately and feel a bit more energetic than I was in the past. Still haven’t managed to write anything, but I’m trusting that it will eventually come back to me. Been watching Bones for the first time and ugh, it gives me SO MANY fic ideas, but I just can’t manage to put them down in words. Also have rewatched CM with my sisters (we’re currently on Season 6!), I feel like this time of year is the perfect time for seeing the show once again.

Been trying to keep up with all the reboot news, but I’m not that into it, to be completely honest. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt for now, since I really look forward to seeing some of our faves once again, but I can’t quite shake the feeling that it’s too soon, too rushed. I guess we’ll have to wait until it airs.

I’m also a bit tense because elections are coming up in the country I live in, and there’s a real risk of the current bigot in chief (aka Tropical Trump) being re-elected. And that would pose a real threat to the well being of a lot of people very close to my heart, particularly my LGBTQIA+ and POC friends. There’s a chance the left candidate will win the election (I’m rooting for it so hard) but even then, the political climate is really tense and I fear we’ll see a spike in politically motivated violence until the Presidential Inauguration takes place in January 2023. Very depressing and anxiety inducing news.

Thankfully though, time has just been flying by! I’ve managed to reconnect with some old friends, started to go out some more, have dyed my hair red (you know, changing your hairstyle is the most important sign one is going through ✨something ✨), even developed a crush on one of my coworkers (let’s not talk about that, because it’ll most likely lead to NOWHERE).

Side note about the hair: I’ve wanted to do this ever since I was around 14-15, but I’ve never mustered up the courage to do it. Until a few months ago, when my therapist encouraged me to do something I’ve always wanted to do but scared me.

Anyway, on a more personal note, I’ve been busy planning an “euro trip” with two of my closest friends. I’m really proud of myself because I’m the one that has basically done all the schedule and took care of booking our flights, trains and hotels. Really looking forward to it, as well as having the almost the entire month of November to travel and disconnect from work and other daily trials. That’s what’s been driving me at the moment.

Oh, and Halloween, because it’s my favourite time of year. Even if it’s not widely celebrated around here, I love it so much. Can’t wait to start rewatching “Practical Magic” and “Hocus Pocus” until everyone in my house is sick of it. My friends are planning on going to a party at a night club on Oct 29th, so I’m trying to come up with a costume. I’m leaning towards going as Wanda in the iconic vintage Scarlet Witch costume (just because I want to be able to dress up as a character that has red/ginger hair). But still not sure.

Anyway, what about you?? I hope you’re doing fine as well!

[ransomedrogue]

I’m back... and almost caught up on the S2 rewatch! But being a completionist, I sorta had to finish a couple of S1 rewatch fics first. So... please bear with me and rewind time a bit, then soon I’ll post some S2 scenes too :P

Tales of Woe - Scenes from S1

1.20 

Jane sat alone in the empty room for awhile after Maya had left with her grandmother, finally allowing herself to feel relaxed after a long day of being worried for the girl. Maya was as safe as possible now and, just as importantly, she wasn't alone anymore.

Watching her be reunited with her grandma had been such a huge relief; Jane had felt the tension seeping out of her shoulders just knowing that the girl was with someone that would love her and take care of her.

And what about you? her mind asked, unhelpfully.

Who's going to love and take care of you?

Jane tried to brush the thought away but it had already dampened her mood. The pressure of her situation, which she'd managed to put aside while they dealt with the case, suddenly returned all at once.

She still hadn't decided what to do about the thumb drive mission Oscar had given her; hated even considering going through with it. But Jane didn't have enough intel to push back against his demands yet. That morning had been a start, when she'd followed him from the loft he'd taken her to. She needed to know more about this group she was up against before taking any action that might put Weller's life at risk.

Jane sighed, knowing what she needed to do but feeling crushed by the burden of living her double life. It was no wonder she'd felt Maya's plight so strongly. She wasn't that far removed from being completely alone; still was in many ways. She couldn't tell Kurt her secret. And she didn't trust Oscar, despite his love for her former self.

It weighed on her heavily, being beholden to people that seemed to be so powerful. But she couldn't see any way to safely avoid the missions she'd been tasked with. Not when they could easily hurt Weller at any time. So, despite all her abilities and her position within the FBI, it still felt like there wasn't any choice but to comply until she'd come up with some leverage on Oscar and his organization.

She had to protect Kurt. Even if it meant doing things she hated.

Jane's heart rate increased a little, just thinking about Weller. Her mind flashed back to that morning and his impromptu invitation. It had been a cute gesture at the time, but definitely unexpected. She'd even forgotten about it for most of the day, but then everything had changed with a simple question.

How's Allie?

It had been asked mostly innocently – she'd been genuinely surprised that they'd broken up. Though it was also true that Jane had sensed something she couldn't quite identify; a feeling that things had shifted. Not just because he'd asked her to come over that night to hang out while he babysat. There were also the glances he'd been trying to hide, ever since that disastrous mission when they'd been played by Rich Dotcom. She'd felt it particularly strongly that day, in the weight of his gaze as she talked to Maya and then again when they were alone together in the SUV.

But now, what had just been a casual invitation to play board games with his nephew suddenly seemed more like a date. Not a real one of course, just friends hanging out - especially since nothing could happen given the constraints of the situation. Yet Jane was still a bit nervous, and more than a little excited too, as the end of the day finally arrived.

There was just that one other thing weighing on her.

Jane fingered the thumb drive in her pocket as she internally debated whether to just forgo Oscar's mission. She hated the idea of getting something past the FBI firewall, knowing that nothing good could come of it. But the threat on Kurt's life had changed everything. The group Oscar belonged to seemed determined and ruthless; Jane had no question they would hurt Weller to make her comply.

She needed more leverage before making a stand; that was why she'd started surveilling Oscar. She already had some power over him, just from their previous relationship, plus the role he was playing as her handler. And despite being drawn to his knowledge of her former self and the comfort of his body, Jane had also realized how much pull she had with him. Especially when she'd stopped him from relinquishing his role as her handler and kept him from disappearing.

She was turning the tables on him, but it was still a work in progress. Until she had more, it was crucial that she kept Oscar and his organization happy with her missions.

Gulping down her hesitancy, Jane pulled the drive out and stuck it in the computer. The light glowed red and she stood there waiting, with her heart in her throat and guilt churning in her gut.

Of course, Kurt showed up at that moment, right while she was both betraying him and saving him with the same act. Jane forced herself to loosen up and not seem so suspicious, but still felt tense as she took him up on his invitation to board game night.

The thumb drive still wasn't done and she needed to get rid of him. Desperately, Jane searched her mind for some way to slip out of his view and managed to squeak out a line about grabbing her coat and meeting him downstairs. For a moment she thought Weller was going to call her on her odd behaviour and it felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

Getting caught and having to explain herself to him was one of her worst fears. Exposing everything she'd been keeping from him, all her little missions for Oscar. He would finally see all of her traitorous behaviour; who she really was.

But, incredibly, Weller didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong; readily agreeing before commenting on her necklace and walking away just before the drive also finished whatever it was doing.

Jane let out a lungful of air she hadn't realized she was holding and steadied herself before quickly unplugging the device. The deed was done, and she couldn't take it back now. At least she hadn't been caught in the act, and could still pray that she'd be able to fix all the damage she was doing by going along with Oscar's demands.

She exhaled a worried breath, trying to put away the rest of her nerves. The anxiety was still there but at least it was over with. And now there wasn't anything left to do but meet up with Weller.

Jane headed for the locker room, her spine now tingling with an entirely different emotion. Guilt and worry had exchanged places with hope and excitement, even though she knew that babysitting Weller's nephew with him shouldn't be laden with such anticipation.

Still, she couldn't quite keep her nerves under control; almost jumping out of her skin when she got out to the lobby and Kurt approached from behind.

"Ready?" he asked.

He had the board games in his hands and an earnest expression on his face, appearing every bit the seasoned parent.

Jane hadn't really pictured him that way before that day, though she'd also been surprised to hear that Weller couldn't see himself as a dad. He was so overly protective and caring, she'd easily imagined how doting a father he would be, as soon as she thought about it.

Even now, Jane could feel him hovering a little as they walked to the car. He was always just a bit in her her personal space, his presence there projecting both security and possessiveness. She'd never really stopped to consider how that looked to everyone else.

They'd broken up because of her. Which should make her feel bad, instead of guiltily elated.

So even if it was a child-chaperoned night of pizza and board games; she couldn't help the way his too-close presence filled her with flutters.

###

It had been a spur of the moment decision to ask Jane over for dinner and he'd never really considered that she would say yes. But now Weller was walking up to his apartment with a pounding heart, while telling himself that he had to calm the fuck down.

They were going to play some Uno attack with his nephew, that was all. Yet he'd been uncharacteristically up front about his situation with Allie when Jane had asked.

Because you wanted her to know, his mind unhelpfully supplied.

There hadn't been much reason to be so honest, other than opening up that door again. The one he'd slammed shut so quickly after she'd missed that meeting in the park.

Ever since then Jane had been different, distant in a way he'd been unable to pinpoint. Which was understandable, considering he'd been the one to put up the boundary. But there were also still moments when he thought there was something happening between them. And it was clear that everyone else did too.

Weller's hand was a little sweaty, making him fumble with his key, so Sarah was right at the door as it swung open. There was an awkward moment as her eyes landed on Jane for awhile before flicking over to look at Kurt.

"You don't usually bring anyone over," she commented.

Kurt groaned inwardly, having already anticipated that his little sister would take the opportunity to bug him mercilessly. He grumbled something about more players making game night better but still Sarah gave him an exaggerated wink.

"Of course," she replied sagely. "It's all about the games."

With that, Sarah left, but not before giving him another loaded look as she walked by. Kurt sighed and finally dared to glance at Jane, wincing a little at the impish expression she was wearing.

"So, no other hot babysitting dates?" she asked wickedly.

Weller groaned to himself, even as a flare of desire shot through him. He remembered her ribbing him about his cooking earlier that day, how good it had felt just being with her. Then he thought about the conversation he'd been about to start when they had to turn the SUV around.

For a second he felt nervous, like he'd been put on the spot. But then Jane nudged him with her shoulder and Kurt immediately relaxed at the laughter in her eyes.

As soon as they walked in, Sawyer set upon them.

"Uncle Kurt!" he hollered. "Can we have pizza?"

Weller chuckled and mouthed a 'told you' in Jane's direction.

"Sure, we can have pizza while I beat you at Uno attack."

"Yeah right! You suck at it!"

Jane laughed at Sawyer's candid assessment of Weller's skills and then continued to egg him on as Kurt dialled in the pizza order.

"Oh yeah? He said he's just been letting you win," she commented, wearing a sly grin.

"What! No way," Sawyer replied indignantly. "He really sucks. You'll see."

Weller watched the interaction with a laugh. It all felt so normal, even though he'd certainly never brought Allie along with him to babysit. But Jane was a perfect fit as always, keeping Sawyer engaged while managing to poke fun in his direction as they started to play the game.

After the pizza had been delivered and they were well into their third round of Uno attack, Kurt momentarily fell into another reality. A different dimension, an alternate life with Jane. The two of them at home, with a family.

He mentally glitched at the image, suddenly frozen in the projected memory. It just felt so right.

Of course, Jane caught him in the moment, eyeing him with a sidelong look.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Uh yeah. Everything's… perfect."

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could assess and retract them, leaving him standing there dumbly with the truth spilled between them.

But, other than the briefest of pauses, Jane took it completely in stride.

"Except you just lost another round," she commented.

Weller shook himself out of the moment and gave her a mock frown.

"I'm just getting warmed up," he asserted. "Next game you're both going down."

Sawyer rolled his eyes at his uncle and Jane burst out laughing at Kurt's exaggerated pouty expression.

Breaking into a wide smile, Weller realized it was the lightest he'd felt in a long time, despite the situation with his father. All his past trauma, all that searching - it had all been worth it. He still almost couldn't believe he'd finally found her.

And sitting there, watching her chew pizza through a spray of flying cards, Kurt again saw a glimpse of a future he'd never really considered. One with kids, family game nights, and a wife that he absolutely adored.

[seyaryminamoto]

my school works are piled up this past few weeks (graduating tingz) and i just started reading the deadlock novel it feels like i'm reading a sokkla fic every time Mcashe has a scene because they just give off the vibes skskskskksksks. BTW, what's your top5 fav scenes from the novel? PS: I'm smiling like an idiot while reading the novel ughh i hate myself

I KNOW, RIIIIIGHT?! *-* and don't hate yourself, my anon friend, I spent the whole novel smiling and laughing and losing my goddamn mind because I was having the time of my life xD enjoy this beautiful content as best you can!

I mean, frankly, Reunion already had all the Sokkla vibes I could've wanted/needed to ship these two like FedEx and I always knew I wasn't getting off this ride anytime soon. But gosh, this book... it gave me everything I wanted and MORE! Their dynamics are soooo similar to Sokkla team-up dynamics, two power couples kicking ass and taking names... oh, I just love it so much. I probably will end up reading the book a third time soon x'D

As for my favorite scenes, damn, this is tricky xD

KEYCHAIN! HE MADE HER KEYCHAIN!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! God, it's just amazing how the book explains the "vintage" look for Ashe's hoverbike the way it does, and that they literally built it together *screams!!!*, but then he gives her that keychain for her birthday present, and the implications!! THE IMPLICATIONS!!! He gave her a keychain she's held onto for TWENTY YEARS?!?!?! Ships in the OW fandom have sailed far and wide with less than breadcrumbs: we literally have been granted a boon from the GODS with all this extra context for the little things in Reunion xD

Ashe going to hell and back to save her kidnapped BFF-for-whom-she-totally-doesn't-have-feelings-yeah-yeah-sure-Jan. I love the fact that McCree is, in a way, Ashe's damsel in distress and not the other way around xD Of course, it's what you'd expect from an Ashe-centric story, but it's still an amazing sequence, all around. Gotta highlight how she loves the way he smiles like a madman when they have that shootout at the end, and how he worries so much over Ashe's injury when he took an even worse one than she did (the Sokkla vibes in that particular situation were SO STRONG! I SWEAR!).

"Jesse McCree, are you trying to make me say you're handsome?" "Am I?" ... do I need to say more. That FLIRTING. These two were on fire already and they'd only known each other for like... weeks, at this point? x'D He has no sense of moderation, he's soooo into her and doesn't hide it at all. Ashe is so busy trying to plot all the crime and Jesse's practically like a shojo heroine, "oh I can feel it, this is how my love story begins!", basically xD

Finally I pick a not-McAshe scene... to bring up the one where Ashe picks up the Viper on her last moment in Lead Rose Manor. That moment was just... POWERFUL. The feeling of epicness in that scene just overwhelmed me when I was reading it xD

The ending of the book :'D the fully formed Deadlock Gang ready for business, down to the explanation for the Est. 1976 in the logo... *sobs* the fact that so much about the character design choices in these two characters is a shoutout to the past they share is just... *gross sobbing* oh, I just love it to pieces, I'm not even sorry.

Ashe's bike race to save B.O.B. x'D that whole situation was bonkers but I looooved how fierce she was about protecting her one and only buddy while growing up (AND THAT JESSE BLUSHED WHEN SHE TAUNTED HIM WAS JUST THE CHERRY ON TOP!). I appreciated learning more about the Omnic War and its consequences, how Ashe reflects on having escaped it practically untouched in virtue of her money and societal privilege while her new friends all faced many hardships to survive. But I can't help but also love that, however uneasy others could have been about the Best Omnic Butler, Ashe was so fiercely loyal to B.O.B. that she nearly broke Julian's nose herself over his ridiculousness x'D That's HER big omnic buddy and she's not about to lose him to anyone, not her shitty parents, not a bet in a race, NOTHING! (and it's so cute that B.O.B. is just as loyal to her, too *sobs*)

Ashe grabbing McCree's arm to explain things to him on their first heist and him being all "you gonna leave that there?" and only then does she realize her hand's still on him x'D what a McCree line, and he was absolutely enjoying the attention, he doesn't even pretend otherwise.

Everything poetic McCree says or does... meanwhile Ashe's like "um yeah I don't care about poetry I want money", right until his poet soul totally smashes her square in the heart with the KEYCHAIN!!! But damn, I swear I thought McCree would hold back a lot more, and yet there he was, saying things like Calamity was brilliant and mysterious... you could practically hear B.O.B., Julian and Frankie going "I can see what's happening..." in the background xD

The conversation about what they wanted to do once they were loaded with all the cash they could possibly want. That one was a real number on my heartstrings. It ties up to what I said earlier with Ashe finally being in touch with people who are completely removed from the ridiculous social circles of her parents and her school, people who really lost a lot in the war. But where Julian and Frankie seem to look at the past a lot, I loved that Jesse is basically just thinking about the future. The fact that he says he wants to chill out in a farm and that this is what he wants in life... many, MANY, shippy wheels have turned in my head since I read that <.< maaaany...

WHEN JESSE NEARLY FALLS AND ASHE CATCHES HIM!!! UNDERRRATED AS HECK!!! The fact that he's taunting her about fear of heights, then he nearly plummets to his death because ironies are beautiful xD and Ashe pulls him back to safety only to say that she's not afraid of heights but afraid of ~FALLING~??? I mean, okay, sure, maybe I'm reading too much into that line... or maybe I'm not <.< either way, the truth is I just love how absolutely broad of interpretation that scene and that DIALOGUE are :> ehehehe.

Oh, their first encounter. The fact that it's so cute and fun, and that it's this low in the list tells you how GOOD this book was x'D "You've got an awful lot of grit for a rich girl," first words he spoke to the love of his life xD then how they talked and laughed together about the crazy stories he shared (she was crying of laughter for the first time in her life! precious girl!), and then how she sat in the car thinking about the strange feeling she was left with after meeting him... they seriously had a meetcute in prison, how can a ship get any better? xD

WHEN HE COMES BACK TO HER WHEN THEIR FIRST HEIST GOES WRONG!!! That Ashe expects him to just leave after she falls off their getaway vehicle, but Jesse saves her and goes "pfft that's just not my style", basically... *sobs* without realizing it she ends up picking up that particular philosophy of his, saving her friends no matter the cost...! Honestly, though, the fact that every time something like this happens it hits Ashe like a truck racing downhill with no brakes because she's NEVER been cared about by anyone but B.O.B. and she's completely new to friendships and bonding with people... and in the mean time, Jesse immediately is "ride or die" with her because that's how he rolls... beautiful relationship dynamics between characters who influence each other for the better are just beautiful :')

A silly one here: Jesse enjoying the good life in Lead Rose. That description of him looking like a marshmallow in the CHAISE LOUNGEEEEE!!! (the one he references in their in-game interactions *CRYING SO MANY TEARS*), was just too cute to bear x'D Ashe just jumping back into work mode... while he was just thrilled to be a marshmallow in a towel xD

... So, um, I went overboard because I love this book a little too much for my own good :> what can I say? When things I love are good, I go wild xD There's probably more scenes I loved, but these... thirteen? XD are the ones that came to mind.

I think one of my favorite things now is reexamining Reunion with all this extra context in mind. The first time I watched that cinematic I, of course, fell in love with these two outlaws because how could I not? But while subsequent rewatches revealed a lot of things I didn't pay enough attention to the first time around, the book has done even more than I could imagine possible for a short that was already as shippy as could be xD

Ooookay so, shippy ramblings about Reunion, coming up! (simply because I have to put these down SOMEWHERE XD and your ask was a good idea for that, anon!)

First off, Jesse very much staged the whole rodeo in Reunion. He sent the tip to Ashe, he wanted Echo's crate specifically. He thought they could work together, basically, despite knowing it was entirely possible that those hopes wouldn't pay off. This train, according to the wikia, was a government train, so Jesse is very much telling Ashe to give a finger to the government for all he cares, all he wants is one (1) crate.

Ergo, Jesse, for all his "nice guy bountyhunter" deal, doesn't disapprove of Deadlock's actions. If anything, he counts on them to be exactly what he needs in order to get what he wants. He practically trusts Ashe to pull off the train heist disaster perfectly and only steps up when it's time to collect Echo.

Then the wacky shoot-out happens, it's veeeery charged (the UST is so thick, I swear...), and Jesse wins. He ties up Ashe, floats her off on the payload with the rest of the gang, and he sets Echo free. He's helping her out very nicely and everything, but the context in question is... he received the recall notification thingy XD Winston called him back to Overwatch, and Jesse...

... Jesse doesn't want to go back.

Jesse says "they want me", and the displeased tone of his voice, paired with the look on his face when he says that line, speak for themselves.

That, in my humble opinion, isn't the sequence of expressions you'd expect from someone who intends to return to the group where he thrived, had the time of his life and found his true calling. To me, he actually looks irritated about the recall (the sequence of expressions during that line is much better when you watch the full thing x'D), as though he REALLY doesn't want to return. He's not against Overwatch, I'm not quite saying that, otherwise he wouldn't have set Echo free and told her to go back at all... but this isn't remorse. It's not "Oh, I'm not good enough for Overwatch anymore". Nope... this is "My time with them is over and I don't plan on going back unless I have no choice", as far as I can tell.

If OW2 does bring him back into the fold and he's a perfectly chill and happy guy about it, I'll seriously be surprised. I mean, he could have set Echo free and, once his business is over, returned to Overwatch with her, he could have been in the Paris cinematic if he'd done that...

But he's not there.

Which outright says he didn't do that :> oops.

Basically, I think Jesse's reaction in Retribution (where he's markedly the most morally correct one of the bunch, and he's the former outlaw :'D) tells you his displeasure with Overwatch ran very, very deep. And someone can very easily say he felt the same way about Deadlock and that's why he left them for Overwatch... but that's conjecture. His displeasure with Blackwatch (and, in consequence, Overwatch), however, is FACT. And the previous conjecture falls flat pretty quickly considering he's perfectly fine with Ashe's train heist, even sets it up himself, from what the story suggests, so... how ~appalled~ was he over her choices and actions? Not appalled at all, if you ask me, and after you read Deadlock Rebels, you actually understand why: Jesse trusts Ashe.

From the first moment she enters the same prison block he's in, he's drawn to her. He wants to impress her, he absolutely enjoys her company and making her laugh (just as much as she enjoyed laughing at his wacky stories), and he's plain thrilled that she comes back for him when she does. Ashe manages the gang with inexperience but she's always willing to improve, and you see Jesse sticking with her through thick and thin, supporting her at the best and worst times alike, always putting his faith on her and constantly watching out for her (he protected and shielded her from attacks with his own body sooooo many times *sobs*). Ashe starts out intending to keep most profits for herself, and Jesse doesn't care much at first... but then she starts to share profit equally between their team. She works on her own bike herself, her own ride, and she plans and solves problems as best she can, to a point of even going overboard with planning too much. She's wild, reckless and takes insane risks... and this guy loves every second of it. The matter of morality regarding the actions of a criminal gang is, of course, something to think about... but as far as the book goes, Ashe mainly targets her own family, their specific brand of bullshit, and in the process she ends up helping lots of people and even saving lives that might not have been saved otherwise. I'm not going to put my hand on the fire here and say Deadlock never ever did anything absolutely wrong to people who didn't deserve it... but for a criminal gang? They're honestly the most wholesome one the OW team could have come up with, if you ask me.

So where you see Jesse is very much antagonistic with Reaper/Reyes, where he loses his temper with the guy's choices, he doesn't ever do that with Ashe. Overwatch ARE supposed to be the good guys... so how weird that Jesse McCree, reformed outlaw, ends up so disappointed with these guys when he was actually thrilled with Ashe's managing of their gang, as far as we saw. So much so that, when it came down to it, Jesse McCree, 20 years later, still counts on Ashe to give him a hand (without her full awareness) with a little operation to help out an old friend of his. Also worth pointing out: he doesn't want to fight at all, while Ashe, of course, does. Deadlock for life, is what Jesse said... and he's not Deadlock anymore, hasn't been for who knows how long. Worse yet... his tattooed arm is gone. It's like all his ties to Deadlock have been severed.

And even so, he came to Ashe and hoped she wouldn't want a shootout with him. Even when he knows she might be beyond unforgiving because of the betrayal (he has seen directly how outraged she was about a certain someone betraying her in the book...), Jesse goes back anyway and hopes it won't come to this.

THE IMPLICATIONS, MAN!!!

Carrying on: Echo is surprised that Jesse shows no intentions of going back to Overwatch. She asks him what he's going to do... and what does Jesse say?

He puts his cowboy hat back on (the symbolism in this short, I swear...), and when she asks him what he's going to do, he tells her "I've got some business to attend to."

THE MUSIC PICKS UP.

AND THEN HE CLIMBS ON THE BIKE HE BUILT WITH ASHE.

YOU GET A DELIBERATE CLOSE-UP TO THE KEYCHAIN.

THEN THE CAMERA PANS UP TO FOCUS ON THE PICTURE, TORN AND TAPED BACK TOGETHER, THAT ASHE CARRIES ON THIS BIKE, A BIKE WHICH, LET'S BE REAL, IS BASICALLY A MCASHE BABY CHOPPER/HOVERBIKE HYBRID, AND AS SHE PUTS IT LATER, IS...

HER

BIKE!!!

When Jesse says he has business to attend to, he could pick up any bike he wants (since it'd stand to reason that the other guys Ashe came in with would have bikes of their own). He could escape on horseback for all we know xD so there are lots of options... but no. He takes HERS. Right after saying he has "business to attend to".

Look, I could be wrong. I could be dead wrong. I can absolutely be digging around and going INSANE because nothing I ship EVER gets this much content.

But we literally get a guy saying he has "business" to take care of, and the cinematic focuses exclusively on elements that, even BEFORE Deadlock Rebels, all point towards Ashe?! You could easily say that taking her bike is just the final nail on the coffin, his last trolling idea to mess with his one true love... but that picture is right there. That picture, with them in their youth. The picture, btw, was bigger than just them: B.O.B.'s hand is there. The top of the picture is uneven, suggesting Ashe probably tore it to shreds in a fit of rage... and then specifically put together THEIR PART. And then she taped that to her bike's dashboard. Meaning, she carries the goddamn memory of Jesse with her EVERYWHERE SHE GOES. And she does it WILLINGLY.

Which, in turn, answers why Jesse expects MAYBE Ashe wouldn't go full-on hostile when they meet: this trolling cowboy knows exactly what he means to Ashe. He's not surprised when he sees that picture on the bike. He doesn't toss it away, which he could have, if he were saying "we are history now, forget it gurl" (and let's be honest, what a dick move that would have been @_@), he doesn't flinch after noticing and then goes "yeah, no, I'm picking another bike".

NOPE. The familiarity with which they talk, the way he hopes she'll just let him walk away, the fact that she DIDN'T change the keychain and bike in all those years and he's not even SURPRISED...

Jesse knows how much she loves him, point-blank. He's completely aware of it... and he's very much okay with it.

So much so... that I'm something of a 90% sure that the business he intends to deal with is ASHE HERSELF.

And no, I don't mean he's going to go on another shootout with her... I mean, evidently, that Jesse wants to come home. That he's tried the life of Overwatch, and he's decided to leave it behind. He's turned bountyhunter now, vigilante, pretty much... but he comes back to Ashe all the same. He's come back for the first time in who knows how long (going by Ashe's expressions and sarcasm with the "you promised you'd write" line, it miiiiiiight be they haven't seen each other since he got recruited into Blackwatch), and he expected a peaceful encounter, no less.

A good question to ask here is... what did Jesse hope would happen, if the encounter HAD been peaceful? He would've released Echo, sent her away to her business, and stayed behind anyway because he had business to deal with. Which business? :'D why... the business that would've been standing right in front of him.

There's no other, logical reason why this cinematic would put Ashe and McCree's picture into focus right when McCree says what he does to Echo. There's no other reasonable choice why McCree would turn his back on Overwatch quite so firmly. We know he had two important ties in his life: Overwatch and Deadlock. And Overwatch stole him away from Deadlock for a VERY long time. Well over half the time Deadlock has been in operations, as far as I can tell. He picked Overwatch over Deadlock once before... and now, it seems he's picking Deadlock over Overwatch instead :')

The follow-up short, Roadtrip, doesn't do anything to change my mind. The trolling jerk, Jesse McCree, hovers past Ashe's payload, where she's just... complaining, as she hovers xD going by what I know of the game and that map, the payload may just be en route to the gang's hideout, so that, I'd say, could explain why she hasn't climbed off it or escaped in any way (which she reasonably would have, if Jesse was trying to, I don't know, send her and her people to the authorities).

My point here is, however, that Jesse is headed the same way the payload is. If his destination is the same one, he'll beat it there for sure. Maybe, yes, he'll go away and drive well past the hideout... but maybe that's exactly where he intended to go.

Maybe, in the end, Reunion is about a man who's finally coming home :D

In addition, goes without saying, Ashe's rant about how everyone falls to pieces over Jesse showing his "stupid mug" (uh-huh, stupid, ANGELIC mug, we know what you really think, girl xD) ends with her saying she should have "put a bullet in him the minute he showed up".

Which begs the question of why didn't she.

Then, of course, she says she hates McCree when he drives past her while listening to some really ridiculous honky-tonky-sounding music x'D I cannot even help but imagine him deliberately picking that radio station or whatever it was just to annoy Ashe when he drove beside her, and so that she can get extra pissed when she retrieves her beloved bike, turns on the music and it's just more honky-tonky stuff x'D but anyway, the thing is she shouts after him, tells him that's her bike and says she hates him. B.O.B. wordlessly speaks for us McAshe shippers by giving Ashe the most "sure, Jan" side-eye in the history of side-eyes, and Ashe notices and is outraged enough to knock B.O.B.'s little hat right off his head again.

Again... this is renowned outlaw Elizabeth Caledonia "Calamity" Ashe, sitting on a payload, groaning about the guy she once very much had feelings for (and that doesn't even begin to cut it, if you ask me x'D) and for whom she tooooootally doesn't anymore, that picture on her bike doesn't MEAN that, OBVIOUSLYYYY!!, and so, she sits up, complains and doesn't do much of anything to get out of her current situation, right? :>

So, summing up my current understanding of EVERYTHING, thanks to Deadlock Rebels and my obsessive rewatches of Reunion + Roadtrip:

Jesse deliberately sought out Ashe so she would indirectly, unknowingly, help him set Echo free from the government's clutches.

Jesse hoped for a peaceful encounter despite knowing he might not get one.

Jesse has no intentions of returning to Overwatch but was willing to perform one final act of service for them by releasing Echo so she'd go give Winston and co. a hand.

Jesse is NOT surprised to see that Ashe: 1. Didn't change bikes at some point in the twenty years since they built it. 2. Didn't swap the ignition key for a button, the way she says she thought to do it in the novel until he gives her the keychain. 3. KEPT THE POETIC AF KEYCHAIN, despite resenting Jesse for his betrayal. 4. KEEPS A PICTURE OF THEM IN THEIR YOUNGER YEARS PASTED ON HER BIKE'S DASHBOARD.

Jesse claims he has business to deal with: he doesn't clarify said business verbally, but every shot after he says those words focuses on elements related to Ashe... and then, along with the novel's context, it's elements related to their BOND. Everything in that shot, EVERYTHING, is connected to the two of them. Elements that weren't shown before or during their shootout, and that are only introduced in that final moment when McCree is off to deal with his "business".

Ashe doesn't climb off the payload or stops it (which, going by how McCree simply pressed a button, and Ashe isn't immobilized in the least, she easily could have done it too if she had wanted to). Suggesting that, wherever the payload is heading, it isn't anywhere dangerous for Ashe and her crew, ergo, she is 100% sure McCree isn't trying to screw her over by turning her in to the authorities or so (or, at worst, she's completely confident that, even if he is going to do this, she'll be able to get out of it easily).

Jesse drives in the same direction the payload is headed. Another hint that suggests he might intend to head to the Deadlock hideout and that, whatever business he has left to deal with, it involves them.

If his intent ISN'T to go to the hideout... Jesse is still guaranteeing that Ashe will come after him by stealing her bike, the 18th birthday gift he gave her, and the picture she keeps of them. That he takes that very bike practically serves as painting a target on his back for her to hunt down, and he KNOWS IT.

In short: Jesse will have plenty of business with the Deadlock Gang in his future, and going by how pleased he seems to be when riding the bike, he's perfectly happy to handle that business on his terms, whenever he wants to handle it.

Extra tidbit: there's nothing in Deadlock Rebels about Jesse's smoking habit, something he definitely did pick up at some point while in the gang because, hahaha, he IS smoking in the picture Ashe keeps of him :> Which makes me wonder why, of all pictures Ashe chooses to keep on her bike's dashboard, she picks one where he's smoking.

Then, it makes me wonder about the fact that Jesse deliberately starts smoking when he's standing right in front of her (and then he winks at her!). He tosses that cigar after things get kind of dangerous for him because B.O.B. does something, and then... then he goes back to smoking.

RIGHT WHEN HE'S CLIMBING ON THE BIKE.

Like... seriously...

*unintelligible fangirl screaming*

I could be looking too deeply into this. I know I could be. Maybe Blizzard just wants me to go CRAZY with little symbolism and hints charged with SO MUCH MEANING that maybe don't have as much meaning as I thought it did...

... But man, I've sailed into the depths of the shippiest oceans for many ships that have gotten actual breadcrumbs from canon. I've gone wild over ships that have zero opportunity to become a thing in canon continuity. I've written a nearly 3M words story based on a ship that is just UNEXPLORED AMAZING POTENTIAL and ngl, I love exploring it myself, so I don't even begrudge canon that much for not giving it to me anymore.

But the fact is, no ship in OW, as far as I've seen, has remotely as much content, hints and strong ties as McAshe does -- at least, no ships between heroes. We had a cinematic that was CHARGED with significance, with little gestures, with even the smallest facial expressions that carried soooo much more meaning than whole episodes or even seasons in TV shows. And then? We got a novel. A full novel depicting their origins and exploring their dynamics, how tight their friendship was, and how some strong feelings were certainly brewing there, even if neither one was ready to act on them yet (as far as we saw...).

Finally... I'll say I did start working on a Sokkla Western AU ages ago because the idea I had for one was pretty amusing. Then Reunion dropped, and I said "Why would I need to finish that story anymore when the Sokkla Western AU is RIGHT HERE?!"

And that's it, I will stop rambling now because this got insanely long x'D but thank you very very much for giving me this chance to go WILD on everything I can see, within all those canon hints, with these two *-*

[weepinglevi]

whos your favorite fic writer/moots and why? Got any recommendations?

first off: pls know that if you're not listed here it doesn't mean i don't like you or your work, it simply means that i have a pea sized brain. love all of u. keep on writing. i really don't want anyone to feel bad (ask nia, i've been crying to her about it).

secondly: i'm not referring to them as my "favourite" cos i can't pick favourites, never really could. maybe that's why i'm simping for so many aot men at once ahaha.

and last but not least: this is going to be a long post so i'mma do all of us the favour and put it under the cut. i feel very soft today and have been listening to the titanic soundtrack for the better half of my day. bear with me, i'mma shower you with love. go check them out!

CHECK THE DNI TAGS ON THESE BLOGS BEFORE READING OR FOLLOWING, PLEASE!

this is in no particular order.

@kojinnie: my queen of angst. the other half of the princess-duo (i came to the conclusion that we're both princesses, we deserve to hang around in pretty dresses and have the time of our lives). especially dream me home still haunts my dreams. i love how you captured the pain and fear both of them feel. and i kind of view it as the start of our friendship, what with both of us writing about the mission to retake wall maria and you jumping into my dms after the fact. love you, kojin, and i only wish you the best.

@starrynightlys: shield-maiden claire. beautiful, talented, funny claire. i love you and i am so happy to have found you here, i really am. i know i've told you this multiple times but whenever i see you on my dash - either fighting off the floch anon or you posting memes, there's a big fat grin on my face. apart from your absolutely mesmerising presence, there's also one work in particular i always come back to: the beginning of forever. you are my source of happy levi content. when the world turns dark and i want him to be happy, i turn to this fic and to your blog in general. love you and i am dreaming of us listening to some good music in a park sometime soon!

@snkslush: luv! my first tumblr wife! this alone has gotten you a very special place in my heart ahah. i love the energy you have - whenever i see you on my dash i feel happy and it's because of how you interact with others. it's like i've known you since forever because of how easily i can talk to you. and reading your filthy thoughts about connie has set off my connie brainrot more than once ahaha.

your headcanons on how the aot boys react when their s/o tells them they want to be railed and also the follow-up still has me drooling. fucking love them. so accurate as well and i'm a slut for everyone ahha

@aotwrites: my lil sunflower. lil sis, you have no idea how happy you truly make me. i love the lil talks we have and i still remember the message you sent me when you were half-asleep, i always giggle when reading it ahah. just know that if you ever want, you can come up to me and ask me weird stuff lil sisters normally ask their bigger sisters. not that i have any good advice to give, but i have a lot of reaction pics to send!

it's very hard for me to pick out one of your fics to recommend - like i said, i have a problem with choosing favourites. but if i absolutely had to, it'd be all of the stars. cried my way through it. will cry again when i reread it. i cry a lot in general.

@arumiee: mars, i know we haven't talked much but our conversation about nurse!armin yesterday is still running around in my head. i can't wait to read about either armin or eren in scrubs, istg. you're so kind and happy-go-lucky, i usually feel nervous when tagging someone on a post but with you yesterday? no problem at all. you give me a sense of safety ahaha (pls don't think i'm weird, i'm actually not. or, yes, i am but in a good way). your purify me had me wanting to take a bath in holy water after reading it. preferably a bath with eren. i guess we're both headed to hell ahaha

@odmlevis: rizrizrizrizriz. i'm laughing right now because all i think of is our last conversation and it's hard to gather my thoughts whenever my mind goes to eren and reiner. or eren and jean - or jean and connie ahaha. i'll have all of them with me in the middle, pretty please.

but back to topic: your the most hurtful things they'd say to you still has my heart breaking. absolutely broken into pieces. because somehow you managed to put all of my worst fears into it. i don't know why i reread it on the regular (i do know, i'm a sucker for pain). other than that, i'm always so happy when i read your messages and when i see you out and about, making others happy with your lil "someone told me to tell you something"-thing you do so often. you're so precious, lemme smooch you.

@onyxoverride: onyx istg your blog is the place i go to if i am down bad. down bad bad. i know we rarely talk and me saying your blog is the place i take my horniness to might come off as weird but it's the truth. i even have problems with picking a favourite because goddamn they're all so good?? what is your secret? if there's a reason for me to go to hell (other than mars' purify me) it's gonna be because of ocean spit. do i have to elaborate further? eren's titan form is fucking hot and thank you for this delicious meal ahha. i am getting all flustered rn just by looking at the lil pic on top of your fic. i will see myself out now. love u onyx you are cool as hell (and i'm nervous as fuck - you're sitting at the cool kids' table in my head ahah - that's why i am so silent around u)

@1252291: and now to you. connie 2 my sasha. erwin smiths ball whore. twIN FLAME, LIGHT OF MY LIFE. buckle up cos we're in for a wild ride. i was debating whether or not to post every of your fics here, because i love all of them so much. i came up with a better idea tho: here's your masterlist. i will talk about two of your works in particular later on, but first you're gonna have to endure me violently showering you with kisses and love.

i haven't told you this before (shocking, i know) but ever since we started talking, i feel like i have a real-life friend again. i haven't had friends in a while and i am so fucking thankful to have you. i really am. i even told my therapist about you because he asked why i am so happy all of a sudden? newsflash: it's because of you.

usually, it was insomnia keeping me up at night but now it's because i am talking to you. and you have no idea how fucking great it feels to wake up in the morning and feel tired; not because some shitty thoughts kept me awake but because i was talking to a friend. i will forever love you for this. you've been there when i was at one of the darkest and loneliest stages of my life and lit up the fucking room with your personality and humour. thank you for being my light. for giving me the same feeling i have when rewatching lord of the rings. for being you. i will stop now but you know i will keep on loving you on main until i take my last breath.

now to your works. falling in love and stay forever. i think you already knew that these are the ones i hold dearest. i still think about felix and rue. i love felix and rue and my heart hurts when thinking of them. your way with words has characters coming to life and touching your heart in a way i've never experienced before. like i said, it felt like those are my friend who died. my fingers running through levi's hair, trying to make his endless pain go away. i am crying again. thank you for creating this. if you ever find the books you've written (or write a new one) i will buy a copy. or ten. have to have some to give away so i can promote your work.

i love u connie 2 my sasha. i really do.

[bittermuire]

You were fifteen, and you were magnificent.

So, I know that the people who have read my fics in the past are used to Gwynriel from me, and there will be Gwynriel very soon. But I recently rewatched GMW because Maya Hart is a brilliant character who deserved so much better. Lucaya is one of my favorite ships and since it’s midnight and I’m all up in my feels, here’s a very dramatic one-shot that frankly makes no sense. So if you’re interested, thank you for your time ;)

•

How many people could you remember so clearly?

Like a bolt of wind on a frigid January night.

How many people were so fiercely patterned into your mind? How many people were so beautiful when they were young that you wondered if maybe young people aren’t meant to be beautiful?

Lucas had always had a thing for brunettes. He’d loved one blonde and one blonde only. Funny, the way this girl at the bar looked exactly like her.

Only one of us makes your little cowboy heart go clippity-clop, she’d said.

You’re right, Miss Maya Hart, he’d never said. You’re very right.

“Maya?”

The name was more ripped from him than freely given, as his feet strayed from their path to the men’s room and brought him closer, step by step, to that tantalizingly familiar blonde.

She whipped around like he’d shouted it in her ear.

There wasn’t enough time to process her eyes, her face, her hair, her jacket and her jeans, her curled eyelashes, the sunburn on her cheeks, the glinting rings on her fingers, the scar on her upper lip--no, not nearly enough time, as he fell closer. She smiled, and it was like an unpracticed hand drawing its bow over a violin’s strings.

“Huckleberry.” Her voice was warm, a little throaty. “It’s been a while.”

He gave an awkward little chuckle. “Two years. Yep.”

She studied him with all the cynicism of someone who’d seen too many butterflies crushed beneath wheels.

“I don’t like butterflies.”

At least that was what she told them, when they’d all graduated, when he held her close in a way that was both the first and last time he did so; when they looked at each other and it was a true and real thing, not like the words they so often said.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

She huffed a laugh. Ran a hand through her hair. Stepped closer and then stepped back. “Cut the crap, Lucas. You have things to say, so say them.”

He stepped closer and she did as well. The things he wanted to say were not really the things he wanted to say. The restaurant was loud and his voice was quiet; it was okay if she was the only one who ever heard. So he said what he’d never said.

“I remember you,” he breathed shakily, one hesitant finger rising to twine in her hair. “You were terrifying. You were fifteen, and then you were eighteen, and you were magnificent.”

She smiled wryly. “I’m twenty now. I’m still gone. You remember me like a ghost, Lucas.”

“I was in love with you.”

“You never loved me,” she muttered.

I chose you, you know. And I let you slip through my fingers because I was afraid of what we’d be if you stayed.

“I loved you.”

He wanted to somehow step closer but she was already close.

“We were fifteen. Riley was your world and I was her best friend. No one loved anyone, we were just confused and nervous and had no idea how to be friends.”

“Maya—”

“And what does it matter now?”

Suddenly the restaurant came back into focus, and his hand fell once more to his side. His pretty brunette was alone at the table, but the tired, blonde beauty was all jagged edges and musty eyes, mere inches in front of him.

“When was the last time you talked to Riley?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

She reached into her pocket and fished out her phone. Heavy seconds passed as she scrolled through her messages, then found what she was looking for. “A few months ago. She texted me happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday, Maya.”

“You never sent me a text message.”

“I don’t have your number.”

She threw up her hands. “You see? You’d have held on for dear life if it was love. You’d have grabbed my hand and you wouldn’t have let go.”

“You’d rip away.”

“You’d chase me.”

“You’ve always been too fast for me to keep up.”

“That’s what you do when you love someone, Huckleberry. You run and you run until they let you catch up.”

Her eyes were silver in this light. To him, she looked like an unearthly creature, one who could not belong to this world they all had clenched in their hands.

And then she was shockingly human again as she knit her fingers together, smiled, and said, “Go back to your pretty brunette, Lucas. We have too many strings to unravel and trail back to high school. You were a momentary forever and I’m glad we were friends when you didn’t know how to love.”

She rose on her tiptoes and brushed her lips to his cheek, ever so briefly. He was stunned, unable to move as she breezed by him and sifted into the crowds like a ghost; blonde hair waving in the wind as it fled to gray in the night.

•

Well, there you have it. Lucas and Maya are both clearly very screwed up in this, but the show set them up for me to write them this way, so what can you do. Anyway, if you took the time to read, thank you! :)

[a-monsters-love]

hi! could i request a story with deku, bakugo, and todoroki in third year with y/n (so it’s like the big three but four people). y/n has a earth bending type quirk and they are all getting introduced to the first years and like them training them? tysm for considering!

Oh god I’ve had so many ideas for this since you sent this request, like I rewatched The Big Three episode like 5 times for this.

Also just as an FYI it’s cannon that Aizawa is only a freshman/first year teacher so like, our cast for the fic is in 3-A and Aizawa is still gonna be class 1-A’s teacher 😹

Beta read by: @hxwks-gf

[Master List]

(Y/N) = Your name (L/N) = Last name

The Big Four:

[Image found here]

“Why the FUCK are we doing this again?” Bakugo hissed as the four of you walked towards your old classroom.

Izuku chuckled, “Because Aizawa asked us to, we have to meet 1-B later too.” He scanned through his most recent notebook that he filled with notes on the current class 1-A. “Thanks again for recording the sports festival for me, (Y/N).”

“Of course,” You croon, watching him start to spiral, “And Katsuki, before you start whining more; Aizawa has been through enough because of us. This is literally the least we can do.” You chide. Bakugo simply responded with a huff and a unintelligible grumble.

Shoto hums in response from ahead of the group as you near the room. “Let’s just do what we were asked,” He says glancing back, his hand is on the door waiting for the rest to get in ‘formation’ and Aizawa’s cue for you to enter.

When the cue is heard the door opens and the four of you walk in, the new class 1-A gasps in your presence. You smile softly at the freshmen, excitement and nostalgia running through you. “You may already know them as the Big Four, but-“ He looks over at each of you, “They’ll introduce themselves now.”

Izuku’s face goes beat red as he stammers to introduce himself, “I-I’m Midoriya Izuku, I’m r-really excited to meet you.” He bows violently, earning a handful of chuckles from the class and from you.

Shoto, who seems to be spacing out, continues without a beat: “I’m Todoroki Shoto.” Everyone just stared, starstruck by him, but also surprised at his simple disposition.

“It’s Bakugo Katsuki,” He says pointing at himself. “I have better things to do than deal with a bunch of EXT-“ You slap your hand over his mouth hard enough for it to echo through the room.

Izuku and Shoto both drop their heads and sigh in embarrassment. However, the freshman class looked at you in horror; everyone knew Bakugo had a horrible personality, and they could see pink and purple swelling form under where your hand still sat over his mouth.

His yell was muffled under your hand, but you ignored it. “Sorry about him,” A chuckle escaped you. “Come-on, best behavior—we owe the man.” You whispered and pointed your head at your old teacher, Aizawa rolled his eyes but Bakugo relented. “I’m (L/N) (Y/N), today is gonna be a lot of fun.” You wiggled your eyebrows and the class laughed awkwardly, you could hear them all muttering among themselves.

“These four are here to talk to you about the work study program, they’ll also be in charge of your gym class for today.” Aizawa muttered while stepping into his sleeping bag.

The four of you watch him and snort a bit, “Some things never change.” Izuku laughed out, looking back at the class he started. “Okay, so, work studies. Work studies...” He hummed to himself and pulls out his notebook. You stifle a laugh and shoot Aizawa a knowing glance. “Well, whenwewerestillinclass1-Awemetthebigthree,andtheywerelikeusbutnotus.Wait,ohmanimgettingofftrack.Whatiwantedtotalkaboutwastheworkstudiesyoullbein.Youknowyoullbasicallybedoingtheherostuffwithoutbeingtheproandyoullbeshadowingherostogettheswingofthingsbeforeyourinterships.Honestly,whenwedidourswefoundourselvesinalotoftroublebecauseoftheherokil-waitimnotsupposedtotalkaboutthat.Wellicouldstartwithlearningyourquirks,imeanthebestwaytofigureouthowtohelpaherohopefulistoknowexactlywhattheycanandcantdoplusihavemynoteswhichcouldprobablyhelpifyouwantedtotakealookattrainingideasorusagesuggeationsimeaniveseenalotofdifferentquirksinmylifeandivetakennotesofallofthemforthefutureandyouguysarethefuture.”

“You fucking idiot! That’s not- WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT?” Bakugo cuts him off, throwing his hands up.

Shoto put a hand on his shoulder, “We’re friends now, calm down.” Bakugo screeches something along the lines about not being friends and you take the opportunity to scoot over towards your freshman teacher.

Aizawa’s glare froze his class while the three continued to do what they do best.

“Remember when I told you this was a bad idea?” You say leaning over, he just groans in response. “This is the part where I say I told you so.” You snicker and clap your hands loudly, “Well as fun as this is, let’s show you the difference.” You smile towards the class, “Between where you are and where you can be.” Your three classmate make unintelligible noises but oblige as they walk out of the classroom.

———

“Katsuki doesn’t remember because he was suspended but when we met our seniors while we were still class 1-A, we fought as an entire class against just 1 senior. Can anyone guess how that went?” You ask, as the four of you and the class were now dressed in your gym uniforms. The freshmen share looks between each other and no one answered. “We had our asses handed to us without landing a single blow.” That earned a collective gasp from the class.

Aizawa split the students up among the four of you. Izuku was assigned students who focused on close range attacks, Shoto was assigned long range attackers, and you and Bakugo got a split of those who can do both.

“Don’t expect us to go easy on you.” Katsuki sneers, you and Izuku chuckle and Shoto just nods in agreement.

As much as the freshmen think they have the upper hand, it was quickly evident that they in fact did not. Izuku surprised his group when he send air pressure shots at each of them. Shoto’s attacks, while not surprising, were more intricate than they’ve ever seen. You’ve barely moved an inch dodging all their attacks whilst sending stone slabs and boulders at them. Bakugo’s started by sending AP shots at his before making a loud whistle and the four of you swapped. Shoto takes Izuku’s kids, Izuku takes Katsuki’s, Katsuki takes yours and you take Shoto’s. Whines and complaints are heard but every time any of you hear one you slam the kid who complained twice as hard as the rest.

After swapping 2 more times you stop, while the four of you seemed fine the class looked on the verge of death, “What did we learn?” You ask them.

After incredulous noises are heard, groans and cries, the four of you snort in amusement.

“I told you they were idiots, you really don’t get it do you?” Bakugo hissed, and you waved a hand to let him rant. He points at three students, “You three gave (Y/N) a run for her money! When she ‘escaped’ why didn’t you run after her??” He barked out questions and pseudo complements.

“Well, Aizawa-“ One of them started.

“Do you really think in a real villain attack you can afford to just wait for orders? Or stay in some planned formation?” Shoto asked.

The class got silent and thought, “If we were really villains, you’d all be… well, dead by now.” Izuku commented and rubbed the back of his head. A few chuckles are heard from the four of you and you walk to fix the gym, with simple motions the rubble and debris caused from the training to level out.

“Wait, we could have-“

“Oh yeah! Maybe it would have worked-“

“We should try training like this-“

Conversations erupted from your juniors and the four of you split again to help them train. You forced stone platforms up for each student, and Izuku suggested a sparring match to give them an example.

You stood at a distance while Izuku and Bakugo aimed to shoot their respective bullets at you, as soon as they were about to fire you flicked two beams of stone upright to collide with their wrists. After knocking their shots off target, “Disarming your opponent can buy you time to strategize,” You slide your foot and cause the earth below Shoto to loosen and knock him on his right side. The ice he attempted to send out froze Bakugo and Izuku in place. “And use their strengths against them.”

With a shrug and a groan the lecture continues, you even caught Bakugo with a smirk while helping someone out. Aizawa watched in silence, he wouldn’t say he was surprised but he was glad to see how much the four of you had grown. Being able to see an unashamed smirk on Katsuki’s face and to hear Shoto genuinely laugh was proof enough that they had made great strides towards adulthood.

✨Bonus✨

“Are.. Are you tearing up??” Present Mic asks as he enters the gym.

Aizawa scowls and rubs his face, “I have dry eye.” He hissed, “You’ve known that for years!”

Hizashi grins ear to ear, “You must be really proud of your kids.” He teases, “I always knew you were the dad type, Shota.”

“Oh, for fucks sake..” He groans, palming his face. “I hate it here.”

“We love you too, dad!” You shout jokingly in the distance, Hizashi doubles over laughing while Aizawa’s face started to twitch.

“I didn’t know Aizawa was your dad...” Shoto mutters, earning himself face palms and laughter from you and the other students.

The world isn’t ready for the four of you, and it’s gonna be an interesting place.

[ellsey]

Agents of Shield Rewatch 7x09 As I Have Always Been

First of all, we’re not going to discuss how many times I’ve seen this episode because...welll...the number is pretty high. But this is legit my #1 favorite episode of all time. This episode is an example of this show firing on all cylinders and just at it’s absolute best. And it’s really one of the last times we get to see our family all working together, and that’s where I think this show gets its strength. 

Anyway, this may get super long idk I just have a lot of feelings about this ep.

The number of times Chloe must have had to film waking up in this thing is probably pretty high

Ok first things first, my very favorite thing is Sousa using that box of gloves as a pillow because having spent a good portion of my lower to mid-20s in labs I will not pretend like I haven’t considered doing that

“I was so much happier asleep” MY MOOD EVERY SINGLE DAY

94 km away...I’m going to try and keep track of these numbers

Sousa’s face at the smell of Deke’s 80′s cologne hahahaha

And now we’re in our loop #2 (but who knows the real number)

Ok, since I used to be a med tech (aka I worked in a hospital lab), I have questions about why they have so many green and blue tubes there. I mean...green tops are heparin tubes so I guess you can use those for basic chemistry tests, so that might be usable for multiple things. But those blue tops? That’s sodium citrate and the only thing I know of we used those for were coagulation tests. Which require some specific equipment. Does Jemma plan to run that many PT/PTTs?? And on what???

LOOK I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT OK

And yes I remember those anticoagulants by heart still

The repeating title card is :chef’s kiss:

Daisy very quickly realizes she’s looping

91 km now

I’m wondering if there was something cut here by the way Sousa says, “See?” to Simmons as if we are missing some part of a conversation they had

My guess would be Jemma was all “You can go rest in your bunk you know Agent Sousa” and he’s like “Nope, gotta make sure Daisy rests” and Jemma’s like “...do you though?” and Sousa’s all “Yep. She will not do it on her own. Trust me.”

Maybe there’s enough for a fic plot in there

Ok, we’re now on loop #3

Daisy also very quickly realizes that she’s waking Sousa up with her boots and is very quiet so he can get some sleep

Awwww

I kind of wish I knew what May was sensing from Daisy right about now

I love love that Robo Coulson is so over this

The way he says “This guy” KILLS ME

So Coulson knows of 87 loops, but we know in this case Daisy didn’t wake him for 2 loops this time...we’re going to be doing some mathing soon lads

Also we just covered loops #4 and #5 since the ep started

Coulson says this is loop #90 which matches up still

And loop #6 for us now

Daisy was kind of loud there but didn’t wake up Sousa sooo...idk

79 km now

I love that Daisy realizes that to solve faster she needs the entire team

This must be loop #7 because Deke now says they are 65 km from the vortex

“It’s kind of hard to access” YOU DON’T SAY

And now people know about Jemma’s implant which...FINALLY

Phlebotinum is an amazing word bless

Making yourself cough like that seems like a rough day of filming 

And directing

Deke’s face when Nana is dead though :(

Loop #8

It was sabotage!!!

But also Daisy died so we’re starting over memory-wise

Loop #9

48 km

Daisy legit forgot about her boots waking Sousa up too ha

Loop #10

And this time we wake up Coulson again

41 km

Enoch, Deke, and Jemma standing there is so freaking hilarious

Jemma is so done even though she doesn’t remember any of this hahaha

Loop #11

This is the one where we try to get Elena out and helping

Loop #12

Phlebotinum!

Sousa finally woke up on his own I guess

That smile when he says, “Reminds me of my SSR days” like

He lives for this chaos he just doesn’t want to admit it

Also look at him being a smart agent here

And let’s talk about the trust Sousa has in Daisy for a sec

He not just immediately believes her about the time loops, but he immediately understands what she is saying about what is happening. Thus he knows this isn’t really a sacrifice play because he’ll come back AND he’ll have saved her the trouble of forgetting. But also, he trusts her so implicitly that he’s willing to risk his life for her. 

It’s beautiful y’all

And poor Daisy has to add watching Sousa die to her list of traumas cool cool cool

Although that does give me writing ideas...

Loop #13

Daisy immediately pops up to ensure herself that Sousa is still there napping away and like

I legit thought this was going to be the peak Dousy moment in this episode when she stops and just watches him breathing for a bit hahaha

She does not want to leave him there either and then the way she says, “We’re making progress” then adds a kind of soft “thanks to Sousa” like

Daisy is going through some stuff here

Coulson is going through some stuff too

Clark Gregg is killllllling this

And Coulson realizes that Enoch is the problem

“Oh dear” ENOCH HAHAHAHA

Loop #14

“Why do you care?” “Because you don’t”

Ummmmm MY HEART

But Daisy is not just accepting that he’s willing to die for her, she wants to know why now

Which obviously we will circle back to in a few loops or so

See, Jemma says she has to be awake to remove them implant...I guess the difference before was that Enoch wasn’t removing it?

Idk that makes no sense

Loop #15

Send in Sousa to distract Enoch

That “Hello!!” omg Sousa no

Sousa is surprisingly bad at this

Sousa’s muffled “Sorry” KILLS ME

As does Daisy’s face

Loop #16

Appeal to Enoch’s sense of irony

Loop #17

Have Jemma countermand her previous order

Loop #18

Bring in the whole gang

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS KILLS ME

“Where’d he get all those weapons?”

Poor dead Deke

Them realizing it doesn’t matter because they’ll all come back

The way May looks like she’s relaxing

Sousa’s feet framing Daisy’s face

Legit this is amazing and I love it

Loop #19

“Actually, I can take a loop” 

WE LOVE TO SEE IT

“It all phases me, just maybe not my face”

Ummmmm sir

Your face

While lovely it definitely gives you away

The saddest thing to me about this is that Daisy can’t seem to understand why he’s always willing to help and wants to watch over her. It’s like she still doesn’t think she’s worthy of being treated like this.

“Some of my favorite people are people like you” I CRY

Whew there’s a lot to parse here. 

First of all, I think Daisy actually really likes that Sousa is seemingly not phased by anything (or at least, not super bothered by it) because her life is always going to be chaotic that’s just facts

Second, in this very short time of knowing her, Sousa definitely has her pegged. He knows that she craves other people, but is also probably a bit scared to want to be around other people. He knows she’s hopelessly stubborn, but that’s because she cares so much. And he knows that she needs someone to have her back no matter what, because she won’t have her own.

Of course, there’s also a personal element here as indicated by the next part of their conversation. 

Also of note, when Daisy is pressing with the questions, wanting to know why he’s always there for her, she’s leaning forward while he sits back. 

Now though, when the question is a bit more personal, she sits back in a very protective stance. I think she’s a little scared of what he’ll say to her question. Because she realizes that she likes him. A lot. And what if he’s just like a generally good guy and this has nothing to do with her?

But of course, it has everything to do with her as indicated by what Sousa says next. “Not for everyone. It helps if they’re fun to be around, and if they say what they mean, and if they have that super power where they can rock things around which is very impressive.”

And Daisy’s immediate response?? SHE SMILES. Like...this is what she needs and what she wants but what she’s been too afraid to go after. And here it is just falling in her lap.

Now that everything is out in the open, they are both leaning towards each other...

Also I love that she says, “That’s awfully specific” and he doesn’t shy away from her. He just agrees with her. They both know what that really means.

And they both like it

Legit here I was chanting KISS KISS KISS but I thought it was a missed moment

I am so happy I was wrong

So the new plan is to misdirect Enoch by having Sousa go in to take the implant out, but really Sousa is leading Enoch into a fight with him, Mack, May, and Elena and like what a squad

But also this was a super plan, and I wonder if Coulson was involved or if this was Daisy/Sousa original

Either option seems likely

“Next time, same thing but faster” 

Daisy is really good at following instructions y’all

Loop #20

Daisy asks for help and Sousa immediately agrees to help and THAT IS WHAT DID IT FOR DAISY JOHNSON FRIENDS

Like...I know she’s feeling under the gun for time because Coulson said same thing but faster

But also, peak romance is someone just wanting to help her no questions asked which, given her history makes complete sense

She needs a constant, someone who will be there for her no matter what

I feel like this started in some ways with Lincoln. He was just so sweet and helpful to her. And granted he had his own demons to deal with, but in the end he was willing to give up everything to save the world and Daisy herself.

But he also showed Daisy that she could expect love and support and she was worthy of that (even if she doubted it later)

So here’s this guy, who’s just smart and kind and good and clearly into her

So, knowing that this could be one of her lasts chance to do this and realizing that at any rate he’ll totally forget about it anyway, she makes a move

And like this kiss?? It’s hot y’all

You can tell Daisy just like lol Imma kiss him, but then they are both caught in this moment and go back for me

But also he definitely led for that second kiss 

“That was nice” like hahahaha amazing undersell Daisy

And then she traces his collarbone like whoa I need to fan myself for a bit

“Now we need to drop a space robot”

I can’t tell what Sousa is more confused by- that statement or the kiss itself

Imagine being Sousa though. You just got woken up by this beautiful woman who asks for you help then kisses you when you say “Sure thing.”

He’s truly living the dream

Oh also we’re 11 km from the vortex now

It turns out Enoch is the answer to all our problems

But also we have to kill him in the process :(

And then poor Simmons has a breakdown over leaving Alya presumably, but also she’s a better mom than me because after 3 years in space with one of my little super geniuses I’d be more than ready for a vacay idk

I love my kids but they are...a lot

And finally, Loop #21

I guess Daisy left Sousa to sleep for this loop

<1 km from the vortex too eek

Enoch immediately understands what is happening :(

I love that Enoch has reached the point where he feels like this entire crew is his family and would sacrifice themselves for him

Enoch didn’t feel lonely until he had friends :((

This whole thing is breaking my heart...not just Enoch in the process of dying, but Coulson actually talking about his deaths and Daisy having to try and process all this

“Yet, this is the nature of families. I have seen it countless times on countless worlds. People arrive so we celebrate, and people leave us, so we grieve. We do what we can with the time in between, but the cycle is always there. No one escapes it. Not even me.”

This really got to me. My family has changed a lot through the years. People have come and gone. Babies have been born. People have died. And nothing I do can change this cycle. Sometimes it makes me happy; sometimes it hurts. But nothing I do can change that process, and that’s not always easy for me to accept.

I think Daisy and Coulson are having a moment here too, where Daisy is telling both Coulson and Enoch that even though they are not human, that doesn’t make them any less alive to the people who love them

RIP Enoch, you were the bestest Chronicom to ever robot

And of course we get one last buzzkill with Nathaniel and Kora

Queen Kora you deserve better

Ok first some timeloop math. We saw 21 loops on screen, but loop #5 was loop #90 for Coulson. So if we figure Daisy died say...every 10-15 ish time loops and it took her 2 or 3 to wake Coulson up, we can probably add an additional 25 time loops or so. So we’re probably looking at around 130 loops roughly.

Of course this begs the question, did Daisy decide to kiss Sousa more than once? It’s possible. I kind of like to think she did. 

First of all, mad props to Joel for nailing that death scene. He was absolutely incredible. And clearly this episode rates 1000000000/10 on the Dousy scale because like...everything. The talk, the kiss, the sacrifice...amazing. I was 95% sure I was getting ending Dousy after this. This episode also gets 50000/10 on the Teamwork! scale because our team did so well and were strongest when they worked together. And of course Enoch gets a 10000000000000000/10 on the Good Chronicom scale because he legit was the bestest Chronicom that could ever not-live.

Since we’re in a timeloop and not in a particular time period, I’m going with the Dousy-est of songs, “peace” by Taylor Swift.

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Slippin’ Mickeys

Only 3 stories by Slippin’ Mickeys ended up at Gossamer, but she’s written many more stories than that. She’s also one of the few authors who posted numerous stories during the show’s original run and then again in the revival years. I’ve recced some of my favorites of her stories here, including Last Chance Falls and Currahee. Big thanks to Slippin’ Mickeys for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I would say that it does and doesn't surprise me. It surprises me that anyone would want to read something I wrote all those years ago, (only in that I was an actual teenager at the time, and had no chops at all -- I've grown a lot as a writer, and honestly have trouble reading my old stuff because I would have made much different creative decisions now). But the fanfiction that came out of the original run of the show -- from almost day one -- was so rich and varied and a lot of it so well written that I am not the least bit surprised that people want to read it today. I go back and read old favorites often, and am always thrilled to find something that's new-to-me, even if it's 27 years old.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

The first thing I think about when I think about my fandom experience are the friends I made along the way. The X-Files came up with the internet, and there was a whole new way of connecting with people that liked the things that you liked. To this day, I am good friends with many people that I met through the show back in 1997-98. When the revival came about, I dove back in, and made new, more recent friendships that are just as rich. I love the show, but I also love the people I met along the way.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

I first got into the show's online community on some random message board that I think I probably found through a Yahoo search one day in a computer lab on my university's campus. I connected with one woman from Greece named Fay that day, who invited me to join a group of women that chatted about the show after it aired on Monday nights. After the first time I hooked up with them, we talked almost daily via ICQ. Later, in the early aughts, I found the forums on Mighty Big TV/Television Without Pity, where some of the most intelligent discussion was going on. The forums were heavily moderated, and so they were always on topic, and it was just a smart, funny, great place to be.

Eventually, I started working for TWoP as both a writer and moderator (surprise! A lot of people don't know this because TWoP protected the identities of their mods so well, but I was the X-Files board mod after Jessica left!). It was my first paid writing gig and opened doors for me both professionally and personally. Two TWoP recappers were in my wedding!

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

Fanfiction opened my eyes to storytelling as a medium. I'd obviously gone to school and read books, but it opened my eyes to words to could do and be. It was a heady time. There were stories of every stripe. Short, long, canon-compliant, AU, experimental, you name it. We had such gifted writers, too. To this day, I'd almost rather read a piece of well written fanfic than a good book. Fanfic made me want to be a storyteller myself.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

It was the 'ship. God bless the ship. My first episode was Never Again, but I didn't watch again until I was sitting with my college roommate freshman year and she was like "sorry, but I have to watch The X-Files on Sunday nights." That first episode was Redux. The next week was Redux II, and by then it was all over for me. The lengths Mulder and Scully would go to for each other? And the relationship wasn't even sexual? Here were two people who loved each other. Really loved each other. Selflessly. I was SO IN.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

At first, I started reading it. This was back when you could only watch the show in reruns or on those VHS tapes that were sold in three packs that had two eps on each tape (I still have the trading cards that came with them), so after I burned through the VHS options (of which there were few), and set my VCR to tape the weekly reruns on FX, I needed MORE. I found fanfic. And in fanfic, Mulder and Scully actually like, kissed and maybe even had sex! I read everything I could get my hands on. Pretty soon, I wanted to write it myself.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Things are tough these days. It's a hard world to live in, and politics aside, it just feels like everything is falling apart around us. When I first found the show, my life was in a bit of upheaval and I dove into the fandom to distract myself. I'm doing the same thing these days. When the show ended, I left the fandom and lived without it for about 15 years. But when the revival came (and really only after finishing season 11 -- season 10 didn't do much for me), I dove back in. I have quite a few more responsibilities these days, but when I can't watch the news anymore, I log on to XF Twitter (I use my fandom account far more than my IRL account) or Tumblr and get lost for a while. And most nights find me reading or writing fanfic before bed. When the world gets better (I'm cautiously optimistic) and the show has been off the air for years and years, will I leave again? Maybe. But for now, it's once again my happy place.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

Nothing hardcore. The X-Files is my ride or die.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I do an occasional episode or movie rewatch. Not too often, but when I'm jonesing and have 45 free minutes, I'll put one on. But I'm writing fanfic again, and I get hit with inspiration at random and odd intervals, so it's safe to say I find myself thinking about Mulder and Scully probably more than is healthy.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

All the time. The old stuff, the new stuff, the good stuff. If I have five minutes and my kid is entertaining himself? I'll happy pull out an old favorite.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I'm reluctantly abstaining from this question, as I'm still active in the fandom and I know that naming favorites will hurt some feelings.

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Of The Eight Winds is probably my favorite. I've had a lot of fun writing AU's lately. It's a nice creative outlet, taking our favorite agents and plunking them in a totally different world.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

Do I! I have a whole ass queue. It's frankly irresponsible.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I was writing professionally before I had a baby, and I took years off to be a stay at home mom. Once my kiddo was finally in school full time, I started writing again. With the pandemic, that's for the most part on hold, as I just don't have the bandwidth to dedicate to professional work. Fanfic is easier to play with when you only have five minutes here or there, and it's also great exercise when it comes to plotting and prose, so I'm  sticking with fic for now. When the kiddos are all back in school, maybe I can start getting paid again.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I get a lot of prompts that I just adore. And honestly, a lot of times, I'll post a stupid picture or ridiculous prompt of my own on Twitter and get dared to write it. If the idea gets stuck in my craw, I generally have to exorcise the demon.

What's the story behind your pen name?

Bad Blood had just aired and I was obsessed with it. I wanted to pay homage to it, so took Mulder's "who slipped him the mickey?" quote and ran with it. Do I regret that? Sometimes.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My husband knows and is supportive. He's a working writer, so he supports my endeavors, though I know he wishes I were doing something I could monetize. But it makes me happy, and ultimately: happy wife, happy life and all that jazz.

The friends of mine that I've made through the fandom all know and are super supportive.

As for the rest, well... I have a nom de plume on purpose!

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

All my newest work is on AO3. My old stuff can be found on various archives. Like the truth... it's out there.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

I'd leave it with: we're a blessed fandom. The show we stan (even with the real stinkers, there's always something to love) keeps giving, the fellow fans are all some of the smartest, sweetest, and most dedicated people out there... we've been blessed for 25 years, and I don't see that stopping any time soon.

(Posted by Lilydale on August 11, 2020)

[binickandros]

Hey I know it was a few days ago you said this but I'm coming into your asks to also complain about how much they sidelined Nick in the Stand. I legitimately don't understand the creative choice to focus on Harold as the main character and sideline Nick and the other, bigger characters. Yes Owen Teague is a fantastic actor, he was amazing, but the decision was presumably made long before his casting. Why was this the Harold Lauder show whereas Nick was barely in it, I... don't understand :(

Stand ranting anon again: I just wanted to add that I would be fine with the amount of screen time Harold got, if all the other characters got the same amount, like if it was a 20 episode season and we could get a whole episode of Nick backstory, of Frannie etc. We only even saw Frannie pre-plague through the fence whilst Harold was creeping on her, which is really... Not Great. So yeah I just feel like it was bizarre they used their limited time in the way they did, very confused.

Listen, nonny, LISTEN: I may never be over this injustice. I am a CANCER, we hold GRUDGES, and you can consider this one fuckin well HELD. Uh this gets long sooo...

I watched the 94 miniseries when it aired and of course immediately loved Nick. Shortly after that I read the book for the first time and loved Nick even more (Larry is 2nd, then prob Fran, then Stu), and over the years I’ve rewatched the mini-series and re-read the book and I was always like “man, I’d love to see an adaptation of this without network TV limitations, just like dark and creepy and atmospheric, but with the good guys winning the day” as they do.

So fast forward to 2011 or whenever and there are tentative announcements of a movie. Eh, not great, nowhere near enough time. Then!! A limited series!! Which is just a miniseries made fancy.

My dumb ass: more time in Shoyo!! Maybe Rita AND Nadine!! More time with Fran and her dad!! Etc etc

Welp I guess I got one of those things, but at what cost!! A whole entire Lucy, and uh...p much everything else I might have wanted.

I was talking about this with someone else (you know who you are but don’t wanna tag you in case you, like me, avoid the mortifying ordeal of being known at all cost) and we were both like “okay what EXACTLY about our culture right now made the adapters here (including King’s own son, Owen) think that a story about good v. evil somehow needed to focus on the red pill incel????”

Like they obviously had some idea about making the story more diverse, but because of the way they then used those characters, it felt like performative with no substance.

Ralph Brentner is now a Native woman?? Love it!! She’s also a glorified extra until the last few episodes?? Oh pls fuck off.

Larry is Black?? Great! A Black main character!! Except of course he’s NOT because HAROLD IS.

Nick’s now Latino! Buuuut played by a hearing actor. Which actually only matters in principle because we’re going to try to sweep our bullshit decision-making under the rug by hardly having him on camera. Won’t show up till episode 3, gone by episode 6, in one 2-minute scene in episode 5. Good job, guys! *high fives all around the writers’ room*

I’d honestly like to see someone with way more time on their hands do a screen time comparison between Nick and Harold, or Harold and literally every other character on this show. They opened with Harold, he was in every episode in a major way, he got a CLOSING MONOLOGUE and MONTAGE of his LIFE, while Nick just blew up and then was mentioned a few times and that was it.

I mean I guess they attempted something meaningful by having him...looking at that picture or postcard before the bomb? Which was like someone on a boat, so was maybe his mom, or reminded him of his mom? But how the hell were we to know that, bc we got the piece of exposition about his mom from FLAGG in ONE SCENE, and we’d never seen that picture before, nor do we have any idea of the significance of “Silencio,” which was written on the picture and was the title of the episode. It was literally not meaningful AT ALL bc we as the audience didn’t know a goddamn thing about it, and it was “blink and you miss it.”

I thought 9 hours would give us more time for backstory. That’s what I was looking forward to. Like Fran burying her dad was sad bc duh he’s her DAD and he’s DEAD, but it’s so much more meaningful when you’ve seen them bonding. Even the 94 miniseries, which had to cut some stuff for time, showed us how close they were, and the scene of her stitching his shroud was heartbreaking.

How did Stu, a 45-year-old man (tho that’s James Marsden’s age and I think they mean for Stu to be younger), come to fall in love w Frannie, a 20ish-year-old girl?? Who knows! He saw her on the road and thought she was cute and I guess that was that. She’s a college student from Maine and he works in a calculator factory (or something idr) in East Texas and there’s a huge age difference, so what do they have in common? Ah fuck it who cares let’s see what Harold’s doing.

I just honestly would like to know the thought process here. I think. Let’s be real. This is what happens when your main creative team is nerdy white boys. They identify with Harold: he’s an “outsider,” he’s “misunderstood,” if only people hadn’t been so mean to him!

An adaptation created by 2 white dudes. A writers’ room with all white dudes, except ONE woman who, for all we know, was just there, again, as tokenism. This is what happens when white men create for themselves without any real input from women, POC, or members of the LGBT community. Because the “gay rep” on this show is a whole other rant.......

Anyway, nonny, I’m writing a Nick fic rn that will hopefully see the light of day soon, and it’s literally. All Nick. And an OC bc Nick deserves love too!! And no Julie does not count. I’m not saying that just as shameless self promotion, but also to show that I was so incensed by this bullshit adaptation that I’ve now written 35k words and they JUST LEFT SHOYO, all while starting school doing something I’ve never even dipped my toe into before, so it’s fairly intense work.

Justice for Nick Andros. He deserved better from the source material, and somehow an adaptation made in 2020 (when we should all know better) made it So. Much. Worse.

[faejilly]

I was tagged by @la-muerta​ & @facialteeth​ & @thedivinemissema​ for the WIP/Title Game

rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and i’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!

AND THEN  by @shadoedseptmbr​ @msviolacea​ & @ravenclawnerd​ for the “stories you want to write... but for some reason haven’t yet”

so this will be a mish-mash of both? The WIPs will mostly have blurbs in this case (to fit the second meme) but you are still welcome to ask follow-up questions, if you’d like ;) Assuming you make it through the list, it is uh. Not Short.

Anyone who would like to play with their WIPs, please consider yourself tagged in either or both of these. :D

Misc Fic Folder:

“untitled document” - where I’m working on fictober fills so I have word-counts for my GYWO tracker. I am not working on these because Brains Are Dumb and also Going Back To Work Is Exhausting

I made a file called “YULETIDE!” which has nothing in it but I’m determined to finish this year so that is definitely technically a thing in the Unending WIP List of Doom worth mentioning. (Tho obviously that’s all I could say even if I had started, because anonymous.)

“coda-fics, rewatch!” -yes, that exclamation mark is important! it’s to keep me motivated! (it didn’t work). Much like untitled, this is for putting stuff so I can do word count tracking even if I don’t know what I’m doing. Currently I think it just says “MARYSE” because I was working on my SH 1x6 coda-fic and then got distracted and haven’t typed anything up yet. (Yay notebooks? Boo notebooks? Not even sure at this point.)

WNIP (works not in progress) Folder:

“TOG” - I had one vivid mental image of how Nicky & Joe met (blood-stained evil smiles?) but then no idea for a follow-up story and also the fandom is insane and I’m not sure I want to deal with all of *gestures vaguely* all that

“Shan Xia Notes” -for a TTRPG that never quite got off the ground; she was a semi-tragic selkie who was still in love with the evil queen/lady who stole her skin and I got to play her for like one session and she was surprisingly chaotic neutral, which wasn’t at all what I���d been expecting. But the game never really got off the ground, so I never had enough info to really delve into writing backstory fic

“post-Kruschev” -Kruschev’s List was the last episode of Scarecrow & Mrs King, and I was debating writing an epilogue in place of the s5 we never got, to try and tie up some loose ends, but the fandom’s three old-ladies in trench coats and I never quite worked up the gumption to get it anywhere

“Code Realize warm as silk sequel” -there is literally nothing in this file except “SEX! Only a little angst” because I wanted to write some “we can’t actually touch each other” smut but never actually did. 🤷‍♀️

BioWare (also all Not-In-Progress Anymore)

“seb/adelaide”, “Theia” & “DAI Erana” -these WIP folders were cannibalized for ficlets for the last few times I did fictober, and while originally I had ideas for longer epilogues for all three of them, at this point I don’t think any of the remaining bits could support a story any longer.

”whispers in the dark” -Maia Ryder never really got much fic at all; the cancellation of any further Andromeda stuff was really disheartening, and at this point I’d have to play the game again, and I don’t think I’m gonna manage that any time soon

”TSP” -a Mass Effect 3 Shepard AU collab project that kind of went off the rails, and our mutual brains/lives never quite seem to line up so we can try and rebuild it ”Ngaio & Tane” -my one truly ruthless Shepard (Alliance background, who romanced Traynor) whose father Tane Shepard was, I think, in PsyOps, and I wanted to figure out their complicated relationship but never really did know where I was going with it

”JE Zu & Yaling” -so I’ve rambled about my Tragic Sagacious Zu Romance Thoughts regarding Jade Empire more than once (#Icy Yaling should have most of it) but apparently I want to yell about it more than I want to actually write it? Whoops.

”CI sequel: 5 times fic?” -Cruel Intentions is a kinkmeme fill that I started and then it sat for like five years before I actually finished it, and I liked the ending, but it does leave a giant fucking question mark in terms of how those people got from there to where they are after the game, and I kind of wanted to write a proper h/c fic rather than just... leaving them wallowing in all that trauma?

But I didn’t. I don’t even remember for sure how I wanted to frame the 5/1 of it all, besides it being something sad about allowing people to see you or touch you in some way. (Prayers maybe, since I think there was definitely some Sebastian & Fenris & faith stuff going on in there.)

“candles” -Merribela prompt fill that I never was happy with? Not sure what I might do with it at this point, so it’s just sitting there all sad and lonely and neglected-like.

Shadowhunters

pt1: WIP LIST ONLY

“Persuasion” -so I keep trying to write Persuasion AUs in many fandoms because it’s my favorite Austen, but I think I like it too much, I have no real solid concept of how I’d transform it, and if I don’t have anything else to say about different characters within that framework, I have no push to actually write anything? Also this SH version of it suffered from MASSIVE scope creep when I started outlining and it got too big for me to handle so I like, killed it twice? Whoops. This one is really probably never gonna happen.

“oosdt sequel” -I wanted to write more about the Forest That Eats People and Magnus & Alec as Guardians Between Worlds, and also some background Magnus’ Found Family & Lightwood Family Feels (maybe some clizzy?) and I left a Madzie plot-thread dangling from the first one on purpose even but I think this one had too many ideas and not enough focus so it’s sort of sprawling all over a doc with a lot of “???” in it

“procedural-ish” -this was originally going to be a sex-farce. and then it turned more serious. and then maybe kind of copaganda which was uncomfortable in terms of the Everything That Is The News in 2020, and then maybe it was more a Mafia AU and at that point I had self-inflicted tone whiplash and I wished the voices in my head were a little more forthcoming about their plans so I stopped before I brained myself on my computer monitor in frustration.

“I had rather a rose than live forever” -I started a reverse!verse Malec (Shadowhunter!Magnus, High Warlock!Alec) for bingo last year, and I couldn’t quite get it together in time, so I made a moodboard inspired by the bits I’d started instead. I may see if one of my prompts from Bingo this year help me finish it?

“fall fright fest (practical magic  au)” -exactly what it says on the tin! almost exactly a year old & neglected! IDEK ANYMORE (I talked about this one with the WIP meme last time tho: here)

“priest!kink theology?” -I thought it was gonna be smut? I like priest!kink. I have made other people like it and yell at me even! But then I kept diverging into demon!Magnus thinking about Priest!Alec’s faith and as usual, IDEK ANYMORE *laughs*

(If they’re remotely canon-adjacent or divergent, a bunch of these are in here because I need to rewatch the show to get the pacing/timing/tone right and I haven’t, and I don’t know why, because I enjoy the show, but BRAINS! Are Dumb! So I guess that’s it?)

“I do” -I have tried to write this damnable Malec arranged marriage fic like six different times. I have signed up for fic exchanges and bangs with it, I have rewritten massive sections, trying to change tone or structure or POV or whatever, and it basically comes down to they like each other too fast and I keep not gutting it enough to get back to a useful pace, but by the time I realized that I was on take six and kind of sick of it. I may get back to it eventually

“wing!fic” -canon divergent in early s1, trying to deal with the consequences of Simon’s kidnapping as the Truly Serious Event that it should have been. It uh. Got heavier than I expected with those consequences (considering it was originally just supposed to be Alec’s wings flirting with Magnus) and also see above re: rewatching for pacing.

“2x20 aftermath/date night/pandemonium porn“ -yes that is the actual wip title. It used to be “spite fic” because I was originally inspired by fighting against a lot of fic!Alec characterization that was clearly based more on the books and ATG syndrome than the Alec in the show, which is the Alec I know and like and want to read about. BUT, pacing and etc. again, I think. Also I have somehow entirely lost my knack for writing porn, which makes it difficult to finish something originally intended to be smut!fic. Or even teasing almost!smut.

“rubbish heap” -so this is about three different fics that I realized complemented each other really well so they’re now all in the same file as I try to turn them into the sequel of “with an if in its soul”. It includes amnesia, parabatai lore shenanigans, a s3 rewrite, and some truly awful Owl adjustments that make me wince in horrified authorly delight and pain. BUT, as with the other ones in this file, the scope is large and I normally write short-fic and I kind of just threw up my hands in exasperation. I may have to break it back up into the three different fics instead, if I ever actually want to write it. Them? But also I need to take better notes on s3 to make sure I have what I need in here.

SH Pt 2: Started posting or not yet in hiatus because it’s actually almost ready to be a thing in the real world! maybe!?

“kisses (firsts)” -I actually started publishing this one, a “series of firsts” that was supposed to be kind of relationship milestones and kind of an excuse for smut, and then there wasn’t that much smut and I lost momentum and also dear lords & ladies the timeline is stupid, wtf. I may not ever add to this one, tbqh. It doesn’t stop in a terrible place, and they’re all ficlets so they stand alone all right.

“clizzy epilogue” -this is blank atm, it’s more a reminder for me to keep poking away at my “girls who can’t breathe air, only fire” collection BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY GET TO THE CLIZZY AT SOME POINT

"mer!alec" -pts 2-4 of a series, but apparently having an actual plan gets in the way of me *writing* the thing, and I haven't managed to throw the half an outline far enough away from my brain to be able to write again. Or something like that.

"ibhww" -if broken hearts were whole is a soulmate fic I started a million years ago, and purposefully set aside to finish some other WIPs because I thought they'd be quick, and now it's just buried under two and a half years of regret and shame so it's hard to get back to it

"iafy" -i am for you is a delightful & frothy semi-epistolary fluff piece that also just lost momentum because Life & 2020 & etc. It's far and away the most popular thing I've ever posted on AO3, which also makes me feel weird sometimes, and I feel like the fact that there's no grand conclusion planned, just a bit more fluff and settling in, might end up being disappointing? Basically, it's the first time I think I've psyched myself out about reader expectations, and until I get over that I'm going to have trouble finishing the last couple chapters. (There really are probably only two more chapters though. IT’S SO CLOSE, I wish I could just... write it. And yet?)

“fake-hating” -I do not like fake dating as a trope that much, I just do not get it, but I love outside POVs and arranged marriages and there’s this delighful tumblr post about how they wished there was more fic about people who were together but had to pretend they werent’, and uh. This may be that? Eventually? I’m not exhausted by my failure to finish it yet, so it’s still in the regular folder rather than the hiatus folder, even though nothing’s been posted for it.

AND I THINK THAT’S IT?

Not as terrible as it could be, but still. MANY WORDS THAT MAY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. Posting the equivalent of one’s old ratty sketchbook is always a weird feeling. :D