#send in asks slash comments reblogs or tags

[nochoices]

This is a Story with No Choices

Alex is an ordinary person living an ordinary life.

This day finds them sitting in the living room of their family home, playing a handheld gaming system as their younger-but-adult brother sits on the adjacent couch playing their laptop.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and there is a bowl of chips sitting by their elbow. There is a cat sleeping in the cat tree nearby. There is a blanket draped across their lap, pleasantly warm. Everything is right in the world.

It does not stay this way.

There is a ripple in the air, opposite of where your brother sits. Someone steps through, oddly pale and smooth, like he was carved out of marble, or formed from cheap plastic poured into a mass production mold. They make an odd ticking noise even when standing still. Another steps out from behind them, and another, until there are five very different people standing there.

Plastic speaks to the others in an unintelligible language. Plastic is the second closest to you- the closest is Space, who appears to be made of empty space, starlight, and the occasional glint of colorful clouds.

the third is a walking plant, half tree, half green stalks and stems. Next to that is Decay, mushrooms and rotting flesh and bugs dipping in and out of places that nothing should. The furthest away is a being that can not be seen, but is felt in impressions. It feels like boredom.

Alex's brother has noticed the disturbance, and gingerly set his laptop to the side. He's standing, although the five pay no attention to him. In the room behind him, is their parents, completely unaware, but well within shouting distance. Another younger-but-adult brother is upstairs. Alex doesn't know if he has headphones on.

The five are talking calmly amongst each other for a moment. This is Alex's time to act. What do they do?

[fandom-trash-goblin]

relevant links!

daily clicks for palestine

donate to feed refugees in rafah

spreadsheet of gofundmes to evacuate families

fundraiser for esims for gaza

orgs to donate to

if you still feel hesitant about where to donate, consider donating to Mohammed Alanqer, husband to Enas Majed and father to 4 children, one of them newborn.

As of 23/8/24, they've reached €57,305 of €58,000 goal. they're very close!!

NOW, onto other things->

HI, I go by Isaac! Welcome to fandom-trash-goblin, where i do my best to tag stuff. You'll find many, many, many fandoms here <3. Including, but not limited to SVSSS, MDZS, ORV, other Danmei, some random books i'm reading, BBC Merlin, ASOIAF, HOTD and tonnes of other fandoms that come on my dashboard, i really can't recall.

Tell me if you need something tagged, usually i tag triggering stuff like sexual abuse, rape, child abuse etc. I don't believe in censoring these words, sorry. FORMAT-> #tw (stuff to be warned for)

If you're having a not so nice day, check out #advice for a bad day. people on tumblr can be really wise sometimes. somewhere between ao3 worship and slash shipping.

Few other of my favourite tags here -> 1. #lovely stuff, #funny stuff 2. #stories 3. #fave 4. #tumblr ; #how to tumblr ; #tumblr archive 5. #internet; #firefox; #tech stuff.

Here, I should tell you that you will come across posts that preach about our lord and saviour Firefox. I am a firm believer.

I have a tendency to like, and put reblog posts in my queue, so unless you have a message declaring not to do so on your blog, you will find me in your notifications, most of which will be queued instead of immediately reblogged unless there's like a poll, or fundraiser and the like.

As a rule, I don't reblog personal posts unless they've got more than 25 notes, and if i really, really need to, I'll send an ask or a message. After 25 notes, it's free game.

Still, feel free to tell me not to browse further, and also if you want me to delete any posts, i promise to do so if it's reasonable.

I also immediately follow any/all gimmick blogs, people with interesting (fandom or otherwise) URLs, and also people who comprehensively tag everything, which is how i find blogs and posts I'd never come across otherwise.

Adding to that i follow people who have pretty tags and cool commentary!

Again, feel free to reach out to me and ask me not to, because i often don't see DNIs in a spree.

If you're here for the webweaves, check out the tag #*mine: graphics. I don't post them often, but eh.

If you're here from AO3, go to @yitzvah, it's where you'll get update if any !!!

LAYOUT: ICON Credit to @/nemfrog, on this post, and Header Credit to @/girasois, from this post

BIGOTS, RACISTS, SUPREMACISTS, XENOPHOBES, (Gender/Sex)-PHOBES really not welcome. Feel free to turn back, and especially don't tag/comment your rhetoric on posts reblogged/written by me, I WILL AND I ALREADY HAVE BLOCKED & REPORTED SEVERAL PEOPLE.

cheers, have a nice day <3

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

Whumptober Character Poll

Whumptober is almost upon us once more! 😍 I am so excited and I already have a lot of ideas!

However, because of that, I have certain prompts already assigned but I still would love all of your input on which blorbos I torture (physically, emotionally, or both) this year!

Please feel free to write a more detailed request or pairing in the comments, tags, reblogs, or send me an ask! Not all fics will have a relationship involved, but I am open to writing reader-inserts, slash fics, or OCs (with or without a canon character).

I am also always up to hear who you would like to see me write for that I maybe haven't yet so please send in those requests as well! 💖

Thank you all and I'm so excited to share my Whumptober with you! 💕

[ilovedthestars]

ok so I've had a Tumblr for like....five days now? wow that's longer than I thought.

some vague thoughts so far:

this is fun! Tumblr is shiny and I can save all the posts I want to look at later and see more stuff than I could before and also leave comments on things which is FUN

I am apparently incapable of reblogging things without tag commentary. especially cool art. I think at least half of my reblogs so far are just cool art with me rambling in the tags for a million years about how cool I think the art is. (you all should let me know if I'm doing that right lol. do I leave too many tags? is there a point at which I should make tag commentary into an actual reblog?should I be using replies, which I have NO idea what to do with lol? right now I've been sticking with tags because they seem like the safest option)

At some point I will work up the courage to make original posts but I haven’t figured out what I want to talk about yet. besides maybe rambling about fics I have written slash am writing, but I have no idea if anyone particularly cares about that. consider this an open invitation to send me asks (or reblogs or however people do this lol) about literally anything if you feel inclined, because I’m not being quiet out of shyness, mostly just because I don’t know what to talk about. But regardless I will figure it out eventually and probably be very wordy when I do :)

polls are fun! I like clicking buttons. we should all keep making polls. (the vanilla extract thing got old very fast though)

please let me know if I'm doing this whole Tumblr thing right so far lol. There is a lot about what is going on here that I don’t understand, but I am participating anyway!!

[grxvitye]

slide in and help undress from soft nfsw 1

and #10 from soft nfsw 2 w tasha :)

take it slow

[ pairing/s ✩.° ] natasha x reader blurb

[ summary ✩.° ] it's y/n's first time and natasha makes sure she's comfortable and takes her time to ease her to the pleasure

[ warning/s ✩.° ] 18+, fingering, I think that's pretty much it

[ prompt/s ✩.° ] slide in= reaction to sliding into the muse for the first time, help undress= start undressing the muse, #10= "you're the most beautiful person/girl/boy/ I've ever seen in my life

[ resources ✩.° ] to request check this → blurb requests

[ a/n ✩.° ] I changed some roles to fit it into the story better. Thanks for sending in this request anon<33, and again you do not have my permission to translate nor to repost my writing on any platform. comments, likes and reblogs are always very much appreciated<3

You let out a breath that you didn’t realise you were holding as soon as you saw the soft smile filled with adoration nat showed towards you. “It’s ok sweetheart, we’ll take it slow alright?” You nod as she starts to help you undress you shyly get out of your camisole and shorts and got conscious as you were left in your panties. “Don’t be shy my love, you’re the most beautiful girl i’ve ever seen” she breathes out, in awe of how you look. She thought you were pretty, but now she saw you, all vulnerable and shy against her, it made her heart swarm with more love for you. “How do you want to do this y/n?” she asks and you lay against the bed, already desperate for a bit of friction as you noticed you’d already soaked your panties. “P-please touch me already” you say with a whimper. “Alright, when you want me to stop just squeeze my hands alright?” she says, looking at you straight in the eye. “Mhm, I will” you hold her hand and urge her to start. “Just please do something” you say, bucking your hips onto her hand. “Oh dove, you’ve been deprived of so much haven’t you?” she mutters as she slowly teases you open with her fingers. You didn’t need much foreplay, not with how wet you already were. “Nattie, please I need your fingers” showing your pout that you knew she couldn’t resist. “Alright dove, i’m going in, just squeeze and I’ll stop anytime” you take a deep breath and as you do natasha places in one finger and groans at the tightness. “Fuck, so tight around only one finger, how are you going to take my strap, hm?” she looks at you, not expecting an answer as you stare back at her with wide eyes, fully unfamiliar with the pleasure you were getting. “Nattie please, wan more” you beg not knowing where it came from, just that it was like the perfect thing to say. “Only because you asked so politely my dove” she adds one more finger in and you gasp at the stretch. “That’s it, good girl, such a good girl, doing so well for me” she says while continually scissoring and curling her fingers in your tight heat. “Can feel you clenching around me like you don’t want me to end this dove” she smirks, knowing that your high was rapidly approaching. “Na- nattie I think am gon- gonna cum” you say with a squeal as your high interrupts you and has you convulsing around natasha’s fingers. “That’s it little one, take what you want” she urges you and works you through your orgasm. You breath deeply, still in cloud nine because of your orgasm. “Felt so good nattie, thank you” you smile with your eyes still closed. “You’re welcome my love, you look so good falling apart, I’d want to see it over and over but I’ll let you rest” before she even finished her sentence, you were already fast asleep.

🔖taglist: (slash means I can't tag you)

@yunhofingers , @razorscooteer , @maximoff-jp , @d14n4ol , @wandanatshoee, @summergeezburr, @peggycarter-steverogers, @recyclablewipes, @unexpected-character @marvelwomen-simp, @simpformarvelmenandwoman, @gdawg561

sign up for my taglist: here<3

[venhedish]

Ven’s Masterlist of SPN Fic

I write mostly pre-series and early seasons Big Feels™ Wincest fic. There’s a lot of angst and pining here, but plenty of love and devotion mixed in with the darkness.

I always deeply, deeply appreciate likes, kudos, comments, and reblogs!

Wincest Fic

Stand-Alone

Yesterday is a Ghost I Believe In ~4.1k, Teen, Pre-series, Epistolary, Multimedia, Experimental There's an old shoebox under Sam Winchester's bed. It's been there almost as long as he can remember. He doesn't look inside it very often, but when he does, he takes his time. A multimedia collection of letters, journal entries, pictures, and other ephemera from a life on the road. .

That Monster, Love ~2k, Teen, Pre-series, POV Outsider, POV John Winchester, John Finds Out, Angst “You think you’re doing your boys any favors, raisin’ ‘em like this?” .

To Cure My Lonesome Blood ~8.8k, Explicit, Pre-series, Pining Dean, Angst, Bittersweet Ending Dean’s been sick since before either of them was born. The disease is incurable, written into his blood – the same blood he shares with his brother. If he’s not careful, the fever will spread like a fire and consume them both. .

Like Sand, Like Water, Like Sunlight ~1.7k, Gen, Pre-series, Mutual Pining, Angst, Pre-Slash Sea birds circle overhead and Dean wishes he had a camera. Sam looks so young, all of twelve years old, and exhilarated. Dean wants to hold this image in the chambers of his heart, but his pulse just carries it along; time is cruel that way. .

The Space Between Sense and Memory ~4.8k, Teen, Pre-series through Season 1, 5-and-1 Things There are a hundred unwritten rules on all the acceptable ways brothers should touch each other. There are hardly any ways at all to break them. Or; five times they follow the rules and one time they don’t. .

Every Goodbye, all at Once ~900, Teen, Pre-series, Stanford Era, Pining Dean, Angst, Epistolary "Hey, It's Sam. If you're looking for my dad, you can reach him at 866-555-9352. If you're looking for me, leave a message." A series of voicemails Dean leaves at the number Sam left behind. .

Breathe You In (Choke You Down) ~6k, Explicit, Season 01, PWP, Scent Kink, Guilty Dean Winchester Once Sam was gone, Dean missed him in a way that was all-consuming, all the way down – so deep in his bones that he shook with loneliness some nights. And it was the familiar scent of his brother’s hair where it tangled warm against the pillows, his pulse beating under his skin and sending the fear of the hunt wafting off of him in waves that Dean struggled to hold onto the hardest. Dean really likes the way Sam smells..  .

Dawn is Coming (Open Your Eyes) ~5k, Explicit, Season 01, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Back Together In which Sam and Dean suffer new wounds and stitch old ones back together. There’s an awful storm, a dead monster, an injury, and a whole lot of feelings. .

You put the Magic in Me ~9.1k, Explicit, Season 02(ish), Sex Pollen, Porn with Plot, Casefic “This is the weirdest thing we’ve ever done for a case,” Dean says under his breath, leaning into Sam and scouting the crowd gathered around a dozen tables inside the little café. “Dude, relax,” Sam says back, eyebrows raising at his brother’s nervous energy. “I thought this would be, like, your thing.” He gestures vaguely to the women milling around inside. A long, vividly red banner hangs across the open french doors that lead into the space, emblazoned with the words The Oolong Tea Room Presents: Lonely Hearts Club Speed Dating! Feb 11-14th! Or; in which Sam and Dean learn a thing or two about chemistry. .

The Stars are not Wanted Now ~2k, Teen, Season 02, Episode Tag: s02e21 All Hell Breaks Loose, Angst, Death Rituals There was a body on the bed.  It had been there long enough that the slanting light of morning crept into the room like an unwelcome invader and washed the world in a dream-shade of palest blue.   But there were no dreams here; only death, only memory. The body on the bed was all that remained of Samuel Winchester, who had died in his brother’s arms the night before. .

Demi-Gods and Hungry Ghosts ~5.8k, Explicit, Season 03, Episode Tag: s03e11 Mystery Spot, Dark, Dub-con, Hurt No Comfort This dream-state of living on pause and rewind leads to some interesting avenues of thought that Sam doesn’t mean to travel, but after a certain number of unrelenting Tuesdays, they just become inevitable. If Dean dies every day—if his memories are wiped, or if they never happen at all—what could Sam get away with, if he wanted to? Could he dare to find out?  .

In Sanguine Vita Est   ~5.2k, Explicit, Season 04, Knifeplay, Dean’s Hell Trauma, Hurt/Comfort Everything was different now. Dean was here—back from the fucking dead—but he was a stranger in his own body. Scars gone, aches from broken bones that hadn’t set right vanished back into the void as if they’d never existed at all. He’d become a stranger to the whole world. He’d become a stranger to Sam. _ Dean asks Sam to help him heal after he returns from Hell. .

All Heartless Spectres, Happiness ~5.7k, Explicit, Season 06, Episode Tag: s06e06 You Can’t Handle the Truth, POV Outsider, Angst, Soulless Sam Lisa Braeden receives an email with the subject line, "You Deserve to Know." It contains a single video file and nothing else. .

The Rungs of Me be Under You ~1.6k, Teen, Gencest, Post-Bunker, 2nd Person POV, Queerplatonic Sam and Dean, Non-Sexual Kink What they share has never been easy to define. Why should this be any different?  .

Wincest Series The Top/Bottom Discourse Series (Ongoing) [Each story is canon compliant and listed chronologically, but they can all be read as standalone works.] This series was born originally from a silly meta post I made on Tumblr as a response to some very angry top/bottom discourse I was seeing about how only Sam could truly be A Top™, or how only Dean could truly be A Top™. I personally like to kink and let kink and not drag outdated gender politics into my fandom (Dean can't be a bottom because he's too masculine? Ice cold take, bro), so I wrote a filthy little tongue-in-cheek post about all the ways I think Sam and Dean have fucked each other over the years.

 I’m Thinking About Whatever You’re Thinking About ~5.1k, Explicit, Pre-series, PWP, Bratty Sam, Exhibitionism, Fear of Discovery Sam is such a brat, sometimes. .

 Shoot to Thrill ~6.7k, Explicit, Season 02, Porn with Plot, Hustling, Getting Back Together It's just like riding a bike. .

Burn Out The Night ~4.9k, Explicit, Season 08, Porn with Plot, Car Sex, Light BDSM, Fluff What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. .

Destiel Fic

Love Made a Martyr of Me ~500, Teen, Season 05, Endverse, Past Sam/Dean, Angst Sam says yes in Detroit, and in the space of a single syllable, there's nothing left in Heaven or on Earth for Dean to love. Cas doesn't seem to care. .

The Sharp Teeth of the One You Love ~2k, Teen, Season 05, Endverse, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Pining “Quit bein’ a baby, Cas.” Dean’s hands were covered in blood, but they were steady as always while he worked to stitch Castiel back together. “I’m sorry,” Cas growled between gritted teeth. “I don’t exactly have a lot of experience feeling pain.” He hissed again when Dean slid the curved needle back through the eight-inch-long gash that ran deep and bloody down Cas’s bicep. Castiel learns something about what it means to be human. .

Wincestiel Fic

Temerate ~700, Teen, Season 05(ish), Past Sam/Dean, 2nd Person POV, First Time Your brother is sitting in the corner of the motel room. His big hands are worrying at each other; he squeezes them together, fingertips white from the pressure of his grip. He meets your eyes and his gaze is like a lightning strike. .

Dean/John Fic

Cruore ~1.1k, Mature, Pre-series, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Blood, Intrusive Thoughts Bites, Dean could deal with – claw marks and broken bones. But this- ... a bullet was a different kind of monster altogether. .

Supernatural RPF

Il Cielo in Una Stanza ~4.4k, Explicit, Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Getting Back Together, Prequel-Gate, Polyamory, Non-AU Jared Padalecki receives a present he wasn't expecting at all for his 39th birthday. . 

Other Supernatural Fic

Bad Things, Better Reasons ~2k, Explicit, Pre-series, Dean Does Sex Work, Angst, Brotherly Love. Dean does whatever it takes to keep the bills paid while John is gone. The kid waiting for him back at the motel room is all the justification he’ll ever need. .

No Was Her Name ~1.3k, Teen, Season 12, Dean/Mary, Light Angst, First Kiss Mary Winchester was alive. She was solid—made of skin and blood and bone—and she existed in the same world as Dean. It wasn’t a dream; she walked and talked and breathed. She ate, she slept, she wandered the halls of the bunker at odd hours. She was a ghost made flesh, and Dean was haunted by her presence. .

[novantinuum]

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: Teen Audiences (I have upped the rating in consideration of sensitive topics I aim to depict later on.)

Words: 6.4K~

Summary: In another world, he doesn’t have his mother’s sword or shield to hide behind when Bismuth lands her strike. The bubble pops.

Steven falls apart.

Chapter summary: In which history is written on the walls.

Some of my other fics have been showing up in the tags when I use the link post option, so I’m doing an experiment this time. Fingers crossed it shows! If you read this and enjoy, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos/comments on AO3. Thank you! <3

____

Chapter 12: Beta, Part 3

Having long since heeded Ruby’s advice to take a mental break, Steven sits criss-cross with his back pressed against the hodgepodge aquarium. If you ask him, this position is a two-in-one miracle, allowing him both an unobstructed view of the doorway, and sparing him from the deep rooted horror of the creepy dismantled plush still floating an aimless arc through the tank. He loves Peridot to death, but good golly, this latest meep morp is deeply unsettling. He shudders at the mere thought of its water-logged stuffing oozing out from the seams, and then— inhaling deep through his nose— steers his focus back to the phone clasped tightly between his fidgety fingers.

Back to the story, you doofus.

With nothing better to do for the moment and a hyperactive mind to satiate, he’s finally started to read the Unfamiliar Familiar fanfic that Connie sent him a link to a few days before. True to her words, it’s super, super good. Well written, great characterization, and best of all, the author keeps throwing in hints of future romance between Lisa and Archimicarus! Considering that, he’s almost surprised Connie likes this fic so much. She’s normally not much of a shipper. To be fair though, romance definitely isn’t the point of the story. Instead, it’s an AU focused on the mystery of the main character’s origins.

He can’t help but let out a sympathetic sigh as— in chapter 5– Lisa tries to calmly explain to her fellow Stonehearth Coven members that somehow her father, the revered founder of the coven, used to be a prince of the wicked Arcane Court. Most of her once-close friends don’t swallow the news well. As a result, Lisa is left alone to seek the truth of her father’s past, with no allies except her trusted familiar at her side. Lip quivering, he presses his thumb solid against his phone’s screen for a while, as if yearning to reach a healing hand beyond the barrier between fiction and reality and let the young witch know she’s not alone, that he sees and supports her. He makes a mental note to thank Connie profusely for sending along this really good fic, and presses on to the next chapter.

He’s halfway to the end of it when Peridot returns.

For someone who appeared super frazzled by Lapis’s terror-struck outbursts the last time she stood at his side, she sure seems fit as a fiddle now, walking with a slight bounce in her step as she crosses past the fence line and onto the property. At least, he assumes she is. He can’t help but immediately doubt this assessment when she spots him sitting against the inner wall of the barn with that piercing focus of hers and bounds through the doorway like a Gem fleeing the apocalypse.

“Steven, Steven, Steven, Steven!” she cries as she runs to his side, flapping her arms urgently.

Practically tossing his phone to the ground to free his hands for combat, he leaps to his feet so fast that his head grows woozy. His rose-thorned shield shimmers into tangible existence in front of his barred fist.

“What, what is it?” he exclaims, the pounding of his heart devolving into an untamable cacophony as all his darkest fears rear their ugly heads at once. “Is- is it Lapis? Did she leave anyways?”

“Uh, no…?”

“Or, or, or- are we under attack?!”

“Steven, I—“

“Who’s here for me this time?” he blurts, grabbing his friend’s shoulders. “Is it Homeworld? Jasper? The Diamonds? Tell meeee!” he whines, roughly shaking her.

“I- No one? It’s no one!” Peridot exclaims when her head finally stops jostling back and forth under his force, waves of confusion coloring her expression. “I’m… just happy to be back?”

His cheeks burn red as he drinks in her obvious statement and eventually catches his breath. He lets go of her. “O-oh,” he stammers, willing the shield floating before him to disappear into glimmers of light and desperately wishing he could do the same at this precise moment of existence. “Okay. Glad to see you back! Did, uh… did you find Lapis?”

She nods in confirmation, but visibly deflates a little at the reminder of her roommate. “Yeah, she’s perched in a tree in the woods. She said she wanted some ‘alone time,’” she emphasizes with air quotes.

Steven clasps his fingers together in front of him as he lets this news sink in, digits tussling without end for the most comfortable alignment. Bleeding heart that he is, he hates the idea of letting anyone be alone, especially after a revelation this jarring, but he must admit that he himself found some comfort in solitude the night his human half took for the beach, inert diamond in hand. If anything else, it was nice to retreat from all the noise, to allow himself the opportunity to form his own opinions about the situation. Perhaps it’ll be beneficial for her, too.

“That’s understandable,” he says, glancing out the barn door towards the forest his friend is taking refuge in. “She’s been through a lot.”

He squats to pick up his phone from the floorboards then, frowning as he notices a fresh crack on the glass at the corner of the screen. Knowing that— despite his desperate desires— there’s nothing he can do to fix this right now, he shoves it in his pocket and pushes against his knees to stand up. The bottom of his shirt catches on his arm as he does so, briefly exposing the unfamiliar facets of his rotated gem. Peridot’s brows nearly shoot above the upper rim of her visor.

“So,” she begins, nodding towards his stomach. “Your gem.”

With a tired sigh, he tugs his shirt back down. Boy, does he already know where this conversation is heading, and boy, is he sick of having to walk everyone through it. “Yup,” he replies, popping the ‘p’ and getting ready to deploy the exasperated eye roll.

“All this time everyone thought you were a hybrid quartz, but now you’re telling me…”

“...that I’m actually a dia—“

“...that I, Peridot, certified Kindergartener, a skilled specialist on every variety of Gem to ever exist, was wrong??”

“Hold on, what?”

She holds her hand over the diamond emblazoned on her chest as she passionately continues, wholly oblivious to Steven’s bemusement. “I was the brightest Gem of my cut back on Homeworld, and yet somehow I mistook a perfectly formed diamond for a quartz! Ah, hahahah!” Eyes glinting with what he can only describe as a borderline feral energy, she moves to clutch at the sides of her head, thick tufts of lemon yellow spilling out from between her fingers. “Oh, my stars. I’ve lost my touch!”

“Wait, who’s out of touch?” Ruby’s curious voice chimes from nearby. Overjoyed to see her again, Steven whirls to face her with a huge grin as she enters the barn and lounges against one of the support beams, propping a hand on her hip.

“I- it’s nothing important,” Peridot mutters, flushing as she smooths her hair back into place.

Immediately making note of the hint of shame dancing across her features, he nods. “Yeah, we were just chit-chatting! Hey, how’s Amethyst doing, though? You went to talk to her, right?”

Ruby huffs in frustration at the mention of the quartz Gem, grinding her boots against the floor so hard that for a second he’s genuinely concerned she might spark a fire under her very feet. “Tried to. But then she slashed her whip towards me and said I couldn’t help her, so ‘go away!’” she exclaims, throwing her arms in the air. “Can you believe it? I’m trying to provide some love and support, and she, she just- tells me to scram!”

“Aw, that’s not very nice,” he says with a frown, feeling his heart pulse in sympathy as she begins to pace back and forth across the wooden slats, grumbling under her breath.

“What’s her problem today, anyways?” Peridot asks, crossing her arms. “She’s usually much more amicable.”

Steven nibbles at the inside of his lip as he considers the concerning downward trajectory of Amethyst’s recent behavior. Sure, she can sometimes get snippy when she’s in a bad place, but this past week her outward attitude has built into a continuous problem. He himself has been on the receiving end of her acerbic words more than a few times, such as that afternoon they goaded each other into a duel at the Sky Arena, and that barbed retort she pierced him with at the fountain. Then there’s her fight with Pearl, her resulting emotional seclusion, today’s callous treatment of Peridot, Lapis, Ruby…

He desperately wishes he could pin all the blame for this on a single person, a single event, (because oh, wouldn’t that make his life so much easier), but when he tracks the evidence of her unrest it becomes blindingly clear that her problems began long before Rose’s betrayal was revealed.

“Well, beyond all the, uh… latest stuff, she’s been super insecure about Jasper,” he offers. Rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with his flip flops rhythmically clapping against his heels, he rummages his brain for the easiest way to explain the root of the situation. “Basically, Jasper took Amethyst out in a fight a week ago, and ever since that she’s been training super hard a whole lot. I think she’s desperate for a rematch, to prove she’s good enough.”

“Wait, wait, wait—“ The green Gem holds her hands out, palms open. “You’re telling me she’s got an inferiority complex about Jasper? With where she came from?” She lets out a raucous peel of laughter, holding her sides. “Oh Amethyst! That’s ridiculous! She was made way better than that clod.”

He squints at her inquisitively, crossing his arms as he tries to make sense of the interesting new conversation thread that just flowed out of her mouth. “But what do you mean, where she came from? Isn’t she from Homeworld, like you?”

Ruby freezes in place upon hearing this question, clear worry threaded through her creased browline. Her mouth bobs open as if she’s gearing up to answer his question, but amidst her hesitation— a timidness that, the more he thinks about it, is bizarrely out of place from the bold, confident Gem Steven’s gotten to know from all the other times Garnet’s unfused— Peridot beats her to the charge.

“Pfft, are you kidding? She emerged right here from Earth, and not even from its good kindergarten!”

He slams his hands against his cheeks, internally reeling from this revelation. “There’s other kindergartens?”

“Well, sure! There was supposed to be one in every facet. Until the rebellion put a swift end to the Diamonds’ colonization efforts, that is,” she adds quickly, adjusting her visor. “There’s Amethyst’s Prime Kindergarten in Facet Five, but there’s also the Beta Kindergarten in Facet Nine. And that piece of work is where Jasper was made… poorly!” Giggling in excitement, she rapidly shuffles her feet beneath her. The glimmer of light reflected in her eyes is bright enough to rival a distant star. “You guys have to see it!”

Steven balls up his hand at his chin, deliberating. He has to admit, after the recent emotional upheaval that he now can’t help but associate with this place, he really likes the idea of spending time somewhere other than the barn.

“Huh. Might be worth asking if she wants to check it out,” he says with a shrug. “Ruby, you in?”

The Gem in question nibbles at the corner of her lip, humming low under her breath as she considers his offer. A small bead of sweat hangs above her brow. Sporting a good natured grin, he nudges her in the side with his elbow, hoping he can cheer her up a bit.

“A little more time with your favorite Steven and Peri? Eh? Come on, you know you wanna!”

“Do it, do it!” Peridot chimes in, pumping her fists up and down.

He eagerly joins in with her rallying cry, and in no time at all they’re both circling around their friend chanting those very words. Ruby stands center with her arms crossed and her back erect, desperately trying not to break her stoic facade with a smile. It’s ultimately futile, of course. After all, no one can resist the good ol’ Universe charm forever!

“All right, fine, fine, I’ll come,” she finally acquiesces, and with a smirk, plants both her hands on her hips. “After all, someone’s gotta keep an eye on all you trouble makers!”

Now that Ruby’s officially on board, the trio ventures outside to find Amethyst, Steven and Peridot giggling as they begin to skip around the perimeter of the barn side by side, arms linked together. Brushing a few flyaway curls out of his face amidst the comforting breeze, he glances over his shoulder when they reach the first corner to make sure they’re not leaving their friend in the dust. And thankfully she’s right on their tail, but he can’t help but notice her enthusiasm seems muted. He presses his lips together in concern. Does she not want to go with them? Is he only forcing her into this? His stomach twists with guilt as he ponders this quandary further. It’s not his intention to be pushy, but maybe— between coercing Amethyst to take a break and accompany him to the barn, begging Lapis to stay, and now, nudging Ruby to come to the Kindergarten— he’s only being selfish and manipulative about all this. He thought he was bringing people together, but what if he’s wrong? What if he’s only straining relationships, tainting the already tense atmosphere, making everything worse?

(What if this is the same sort of excuse his mom Rose used to make?)

With Amethyst slashing her whip at a few old rusted cans in the clearing before them, however, there’s no time to waste drowning within what-ifs. It’s like that day he learned about Garnet’s future vision for the first time: if he lets himself get tangled up in the possibilities he’ll never truly live. He sighs under his breath, lips pursed. Of course. Garnet’s right even when she isn’t here. As much as he’d love to go crazy psychoanalyzing the impact of every solitary step he makes, at this point he’s made his choices and whatever happens, happens. It’s time to live now.

Initially, the purple Gem is rather indignant at the idea that the three of them were gossiping about her behind her back— eyes clouded with hurt— but once Peridot explains that the point of their proposed Kindergarten field trip is to check out Jasper’s no-doubt lame hole, she blinks away her bitterness and seems to eagerly climb aboard.

“Sure, why not? ‘S not like there’s anything more fun than roasting your enemies.”

“I strongly agree,” Peridot says, nodding with pride.

But before the newly expanded Shorty Squad can begin their journey, there’s something Steven really needs to address. Something that’s been troubling him all day. Nervous butterflies filling his stomach, he leans up close to his sibling-in-crime and whispers so the others don’t hear:

“Amethyst, can I talk to you for a bit before we leave?”

Her expression curdles, but thankfully, unlike in Ruby’s unfortunate account, she doesn’t make a move towards her whip to push him away. Instead, she meets him with a gaze so hardened and difficult to read that his eyes can’t help but drift away, perhaps a little intimidated by the intensity of this contact.

“Yeah, I guess,” she mutters eventually. She flicks her wrist up at the other two, gesturing for them to get a move on. “Go on ahead. We’ll catch up.”

Ruby and Peridot nod, the red Gem with a good deal more sympathy drawn on her face, (but for him or Amethyst?), and promptly set off towards the warp pad. He continues to watch until they disappear beyond the curve of the grassy hillside, both conversing comfortably. The last he hears before the warp shoots its cyan stream of light into the sky is a hooting laugh from Ruby. Despite how non-ideal this visit has been so far, he can’t help the smile stretching across his cheeks, or how his chest grows all warm and fuzzy. It’s really nice to see Peridot getting along so well with the others now. She’s made such huge strides in the past few months.

Something metallic clangs behind him. Flinching, Steven whirls around. A crumpled, abused soda can lays overturned by the side of the barn. Amethyst— arms crossed tight just under her gem and her hair more spiked and untamed than usual— glares at that poor hunk of tin as if it’s solely to blame for all of this galaxy’s problems. She moves to lean against the barn’s outer wall and peers at him expectantly, like a troubled child expecting judgement from a parental figure.

“So. You wanted to talk,” she says, tone clipped.

“I… wanted to be honest,” he mutters, threading his fingers together as he grasps for how best to word this. “Amethyst… I know you’ve been going through some hard stuff lately. I know everything that’s happened in the past few days doesn’t help. But you’ve been so inconsiderate of like, everyone here.” He swings his arm in a wide gesture towards the barn. “Peridot and Lapis didn’t deserve the way you treated them earlier.”

No response.

Steven frowns, and— a glimmer of quiet frustration bubbling deep within him, the sort he’d never admit to out loud but can’t help but harbor whenever he catches wind of small injustices that he can never seem to fix— scratches an burgeoning itch at the nape of his neck. He… oh stars, he’s going about this completely wrong, isn’t he? He’s being too confrontational. Hmm. Maybe he should try a new angle. Time for take two.

“I know you only acted that way because you’re hurting and don’t wanna think about it,” he continues, “but please, you don’t have to box your emotions away like that. I wanna help. I wanna listen.”

Slowly, gently, he moves to place a hand on her shoulder. It feels like a small victory when she doesn’t shift upon his touch.

“Believe me, you’re not alone in feeling this way.”

Again, nothing. She’s not even looking at him right now, and her jaw’s locked. Even her form feels tense under his fingers, with hard light pulsing back and forth under her illusory skin at an alarmingly unusual pace.

He sighs, gaze dropping towards the ground, towards the battered can she kicked aside earlier. “I’m worried, y’know? But... I understand if you’re not ready to talk… about Jasper, and—“

“Oh, hoh! That’s rich!” she explodes suddenly, jerking her arm away. “You seriously wanna bury your head in the sand and pretend this is just about Jasper?”

He tiptoes away from her rush of anger, eyes growing puffy. “I—“

“You wanna know how I feel, Steven? About your mom, and the whole awful mess she made? Do you really? ‘Cause I don’t have a single CLUE what I should feel anymore!”

Amethyst pauses for breath amidst her tirade, briefly locking sight with him with a glimmer of hurt reflected in her violet irises, showing that deep underneath all those twisted layers of anger and resentment she’s just another scared, abandoned Gem like him.

“Rose was everything to me, okay?” she says, throwing her palms wide for emphasis. “And all this time, I thought she was the one Crystal Gem who could be real with me. The only one who wouldn’t sugarcoat things or treat me like a baby. ‘Oh, you’re perfect the way you are, Amethyst!’” she coos in a fake, silky-sweet voice, cupping her cheeks as she openly mocks the very Gem who gave her life so he could exist. “You’re such a strong little quartz, you mean so much to me!’ Hah!”

She pauses to force a bitter laugh, clenching her hands into insufferably tight fists.

“And wasn’t that just a huge load of silt,” she spits, staring off into the rosy distance as if it were but a cruel mirage, the pain more than evident in the taut features of her face. “All along I thought she was this great, faultless person, just like you did. Except she wasn’t. She’s a liar, like everyone else. I’m worthless, just like Jasper said… and Rose knew it.”

Hesitantly, compassionately— heart breaking for the internal struggle she’s caught within, a struggle he intimately relates to—  he tries once more to reach out in comfort.

“Amethyst…”

She sniffles, wiping away the leaking fluid pooling at the corners of her eyes.

(She does not, however, brush him away this time when he wraps his arms around her torso and nestles his head against her chest.)

“Just— forget it, okay?” she says after a quiet moment’s embrace, gently stepping back from his affection. “It’s whatever. Come on, Peridot and Ruby are waiting for us. Let’s dump this joint.”

__________

Ruby quietly shuffles across the loose soil, directing her eyes as low to the ground as possible to avoid having to stare at the Beta Kindergarten’s steep cliff walls. Red sandstone, Peridot proclaims a few feet away to their newly arrived sightseers, whirling in place with her arms extended wide. We’re lucky this place hasn’t blown away. Beta, am I right?

Steven manages a soft laugh at this. Amethyst continues onward with her arms crossed, unimpressed. But Ruby herself? Well, she’s the only Gem here who can say she crossed this infamous swath of sedimentary rock at its very beginning, on the day of emergence. The others may choose to laugh about how soft and unideal the soaring sandstone cliffs are, or about the uneven exit holes and curved walls, but in her opinion it’s no laughing matter. She’s seen firsthand how deadly even a so-called ‘imperfect’ Homeworld soldier can be. Even Garnet barely escaped with her gems intact.

Nervously flexing her fingers at her side as she tries not to dwell on that tragedy, she flashes her gaze upward, daring to catch even a passing glimpse of the top of the vast canyon. In an instant her vision swims with endless pillars of rusty oranges and reds.

Everything on this planet might as well tower over her without Sapphire. The once-welcoming arms of their temple? Monolithic. The vaulted ceilings of the beach house? Her eidetic memory can’t help but remind her of her early days spent marching through Homeworld’s diamond sized hallways with the rest of her squadron, patrolling the same route for well over five hundred cycles straight. The kicker? The Diamonds never had any reason to visit the shipment sector in person, anyways. The hallways were only constructed with such high ceilings to remind any Gem passing through of their rightful place under the Authority.

Over two hundred years, she adhered to their twisted rhetoric. Two hundred years of allowing everyone and everything around her to make her feel small, like she only existed for a singular purpose. Two hundred years of ignoring the tug of dissatisfaction at the core of her gem because of the misplaced belief that orderly subjugation under the Diamonds was simply the rightful pattern of existence. Then, in a beautiful bloom of light… she caught a glimpse of true freedom. And for the five thousand seven hundred years after that, Garnet didn’t feel quite so small anymore. She felt capable, confident, satisfied. Aided by Ruby’s physical strength and Sapphire’s future vision, she finally dared to challenge Homeworld’s rhetoric. She dared to live for herself.

Sighing under her breath, Ruby touches her fingers to the place in her right palm where her missing gem is, tracing the triangular shape of its illusory facets.

There’s no use arguing; Garnet was a better Crystal Gem than she can ever hope to be on her own. And now, because Rose just had to go and manipulate all of them, there’s a strong chance she’ll never get to be Garnet with her Sapphy ever again. Which means that until further notice, she’s stuck like this: short, stubby, and woefully insecure. Hah! Figures. All those years spent fighting against Homeworld’s warped notion that Gems had stagnant purposes and couldn’t grow beyond their stations, and now it’s as if she’s been dumped back at the beginning, like the past five millennia never happened.

It’s a cruel irony.

And yet it’s no crueler than this awful place: a cradle of birth manufactured as a tool of war, a Gem’s very existence leeching the life out of this once-fertile ground. The scars on the walls tell a mournful story, and as Ruby slowly trudges after her loved ones, fingers numb and fidgety in the wake of haunted disorientation, she can’t help but wish she wasn’t present for its prologue.

“Ruby…?”

Her sight trains on one of the tilted exit holes closest to ground level, on the messy silhouette it provides. She remembers this one, in fact, Garnet watched her emerge. She was a carnelian. By Homeworld’s standards, an imperfect one. That doesn’t matter, though. None of Homeworld’s lies matter. Running on nothing but the primary orders she was incubated with, (it wasn’t her fault, it was the Diamonds’, she reminds herself with a bitter growl), that Gem still emerged to poof three fellow rebels on sight. If Garnet hadn’t been so quick to retrieve their gemstones, they might have been shattered that day. Many of the others assigned to her squadron weren’t as lucky. Inhaling shakily, Ruby pauses to trace her fingers across a raised ridge in the rough, brittle sandstone.

“Hey, Ruby!” his energetic voice calls again, snapping her out of her intense focus like a fusion splitting in half.

“Aaaah!” she cries, swinging around and pulling both fists up in defense. Her hands uncoil rapidly once she catches a glimpse of that cheery yellow star.

Aw, scrap! she chides herself, repositioning her feet solid on the ground to regain some sense of internal balance. Damned startle reflex.

Unfazed, Steven grins boyishly, skipping a few steps away from the rest of the group to join her by the cliff wall. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Amethyst and Peridot are watching now too, she realizes, her brief but audible outburst thoroughly diverting their attention from their Beta Kindergarten roast session. Their quizzical glances pin her in place, her hard-light form heating in embarrassment as she struggles to organize the flow of her emotions in a way that might make sense to anyone beyond a fellow ruby. She scrunches up her nose and considers her next words carefully, attempting to strike the proper boundary between what is and isn’t appropriate to say in front of a half-human child. Stars knows Amethyst, Pearl, and herself haven’t had a great record with that over the past few days.

“Just thinkin’ about Sapphire, mostly,” she admits, offering him a saddened shrug. “Can’t seem to stop that, even half a world away.”

“Speaking of that... Why did you run after us?” Amethyst asks in a notably less cranky manner than earlier, lightly kicking at the dirt with the toes of her booties. “You never said.”

“Y’know, I…” She pauses, pressing her hand to her chin. “I’m not sure. I spent days waiting in front of the temple door. And eventually, I guess I figured that if she’s gonna make me wait no matter what, I might as well do something with myself until then. ‘Sides, I didn’t want to be lonely,” she adds, suddenly feeling just as small and vulnerable in front of all of them as her timid voice sounds.

She felt lonely enough when she ran away from home a few days ago, tears streaming in messy rivulets down her face, utterly spurning their attempts at comfort so she could pretend she was anything else than powerless amidst this nightmare. She never wanted to split, not at all. She begged Sapphire to give their relationship another chance, to believe in the strength of their love more than the fear of a diamond’s control, but tragically, her partner couldn’t hold up under the pressure. If one individual doesn’t wholeheartedly want to be Garnet, then Garnet cannot exist. They can’t synchronize. It’s simply the nature of fusion. And given her love’s avoidance, refusing to so much as leave her room to begin with, Ruby’s beginning to lose hope that their fusion will ever exist again. The crippling isolation that realization affords is the worst form of loneliness she can imagine.

Thus, the least she can do at the moment to mitigate these all-consuming feelings is to get off her butt, leave the temple, and ensure she’s surrounded by loved ones.

Peridot steeples her fingers together in front of her chest. “Well, what if you moved in with us?” she offers in a meek tone at first, her expression brightening as she continues to explain her idea. “The barn’s got plenty of room, and with two roommates you’d never have to feel lonely again!”

Steven’s dark irises practically sparkle. “Aww, Peridot, that’s super sweet of you to offer!”

“Wow, thanks,” she replies earnestly, puffing out her chest in a rush of personal pride. “I do try!”

“Yeah!” Ruby says with a hesitant laugh, scratching at the back of her neck. “That sounds amazing, but…”

“You should do it, Ruby!” he encourages, bouncing up and down on his sandaled feet amidst his excitement. “You should totally move in with them!”

“D’ya… d’ya really think so?”

“Yeah! It’d be like your very own vacation, but you’d only be a warp away!”

“And you’re sure you’d be fine with it? Y’know, with everything at home all…” She blows a juicy raspberry, jabbing her thumb down.

Amethyst serves her a big shrug. “I ain’t got a problem. Go crazy.”

“There’s no need to worry about me,” Steven says, smiling evenly. “I only want what’s best for you. And if you think not staying in the temple all the time would make you feel better, you should give it a try!”

Her concerned glance drops on the young half-Gem. Sure, it’s very compassionate of him, actively choosing to care so deeply for everyone’s emotional needs all the time, but home life for him hasn’t exactly been nurturing and hospitable lately. He already lost one of his pillars of stability when Garnet unfused. Pearl and Amethyst are at each other’s necks again. Sapphire hasn’t emerged from her room for days. Greg’s… doing whatever it is Greg does when he’s not hanging out with his son, probably keeping his distance from Gem business as usual. So with all that in mind, even if temporarily living apart from Sapphire is sure to be a beneficial move for her personal well-being and sanity, is now actually the proper time to consider a change in scenery? She purses her lips.

“I’ll think about it.”

Peridot lets out a sharp squeal of delight, apparently ecstatic about the prospect of possibly gaining a new roommate. Ruby can’t help but grin at this response. In truth, if she didn’t have to consider the well-being of Steven and the rest of the Crystal Gems, she’d say yes in a heartbeat. After all, she’s never gotten the opportunity to make many decisions on her own. Heck, she’s never gotten the opportunity to do much of anything on her own. Every time she’s unfused within the last five thousand years, her priorities have always been about what Sapphire would want, what Sapphire would do.

Well, what about Ruby, this time? Aren’t her desires important? What does she want?

Long term… she has no clue. But right now? She’d prefer to avoid dire reminders of old sorrows at all costs, thank you. So when Peridot declares that she’s 99.9% positive she’s found Jasper’s exit hole, Ruby declines to join them in their roast session. She never came here for sightseeing, anyways. She came here as their lookout. Just in case. She’s never trusted this awful tear in the ground one bit, and she’s not about to start now.

Running instinctively on old programming she was incubated with, she creeps deeper between the narrow mouth of the cliffs and summons her gauntlets at her side. Sure, so maybe they’re not as daunting in their size as Garnet’s, but they can still pack one heck of a punch. She’s still good at punching on her own, yeah? Hopefully? Stars, it’s been so long since she’s gone solo for more than a few measly hours.

And then, at the cliff base in front of her, she spots the most unusual exit hole she’s seen in this miserable canyon yet. For one, it’s low to the ground, like Amethyst’s. That fact alone is enough to set off alarm bells in her head. On top of that, its silhouette is almost comically wide and indistinct, not resembling any cut of Gem she’s aware of.

“Huh. That’s different,” she murmurs, pacing closer to investigate.

Maybe an off-color topaz could punch a hole as wide as this? But… no, no. That can’t be right. Hard light coursing wildly through her form, Ruby dissipates one of her gauntlets and runs the tips of her fingers across the crumbly inside surface of this hole. A few granules of sandstone break off upon her touch and clatter against the ground, and she jerks her hand away as if touching impossibly cold ice. Something about this feels... wrong. To be fair, she’s no expert kindergartener like Peridot, but she’s pretty confident the interior of exit holes should be smooth, with striated rock layers extending all the way back. Instead, this bizarre scar in the cliffs almost seems like—

“It’s dug out,” she says, eyes widening in dawning horror.

Which means they may not be alone in this rusted relic of a Kindergarten after all.

Her body suddenly feeling staticky and unbalanced amidst all this damning uncertainty, she tiptoes away from this mysterious feature, slowly at first, and then— as the fear begins to bubble up within her core like boiling water transformed under her power— transitioning into a sprint. We’re not alone, she repeats to herself in a harried mantra. Not alone. Not alone, we’re not alone, we’re—

Ruby’s foot catches on an uneven lip of stone jutting up from the ground, and she quickly plows headfirst into the coarse dirt, promptly ending her terror-stricken flight.

“Ow,” she whines as she recovers from this fall, rubbing at the side of her head. Not only is she a little dizzy, but her surroundings are made further hazy amidst the overbearing sunlight pounding indiscriminately upon the ground floor of this canyon. It’s enough disorientation to allow the jumbled code of her gem to begin to play tricks on her. For one, she swears she can hear this low, timid skittering, like thick claws rhythmically scraping against rock. Second, she’s half-convinced she can feel a surplus of physical vibrations radiating from the cliffs surrounding her. Squinting, she shields her eyes under a raised arm so she can begin to gain her bearings again. The blinding light recedes.

The red Gem gulps fearfully amidst the burning colors of the harsh sandstone landscape. “Wait, is that—“

She’s stumbled her way into a massive clearing, lined on all sides by stacked rows of holes physically dug into the sheer walls. Each opening is barred by a number of thick metal rods, stripped from the legs of the injectors that once incubated this hell in the first place. The thoughtful engineering imbued in this setup is impressive and terrifying all at once. Ignoring the tangible tug of hesitation at her core, she pushes herself back on her feet and creeps towards the closest cage to investigate further.

“Uh, you guys?” she calls loudly as she walks, the unusual curves of this canyon an undisputed blessing as they carry her message back to the others.

“Yeah?” Amethyst chimes back, her voice notably distant. Too distant.

“We’ve got, um—” her hand glides across one of the bent, rusty bars— “a bit of a problem here?”

“What?? Speak louder, we can’t hear you!”

Before she can even prepare to reply, a fur-covered monstrous creature leaps from the shadowy abyss of its prison and snaps its tusks at her. She yells, jerking her hand away from the cage and stumbling a few feet back. Her brow creases in abject confusion as she attempts to process what she’s seeing in front of her. It’s… it’s a corrupted Gem? This one’s most definitely a quartz; she recognizes the faceting, as well as the distinctive fur-covered quadrupedal shape of its corrupted form. But why on Earth is it being trapped within a cage in the middle of a defunct kindergarten instead of being placed in a bubble’s comforting stasis? The ground beneath her feet grows noticeably warmer as a rush of impassioned anger surges through her hard light form. She grinds her teeth together, flexing her fists at her side in the name of this cruel injustice. Caging isn’t part of Crystal Gem protocol for a reason!

Unfortunately, the horror show continues as her gaze passes over each and every cage in this clearing, finding scared, thrashing, corrupted Gems in almost all of them. Fluid builds up at the corner of her eyes as they scream and wail at her, riding a fresh wave of cacophony spurned by that Gem she spooked just a moment ago. How could anyone ever build such an awful place? And why?

Heavy, assured footfalls suddenly bounce across the acoustically encouraging slopes and surfaces of this ravine, magnified tenfold in their wake. Ruby gasps, wasting no time in ducking behind a tall rocky formation at the mouth of the clearing. That’s definitely not Amethyst or any of the others. It sounds too large, too bulky. She kneels low so she can still peek over the topmost layer of sandstone, a knot of dread coiling within as the footfalls continue to grow louder. Groaning, she clutches at her head. The unknown, the impenetrable shadow of the future… stars, it haunts her more than loneliness itself.

And then, the specter of her history reveals herself, making Ruby’s tangible form stutter in the sheer terror her appearance affords.

Jasper— her opponent, her nightmare, the Rebel Slayer herself— emerges from a plume of rising dust at the edge of this populous arena and enters the game.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

▶hi killian! you should really hurt some poor innocent person like the monster you are, i'd love to see that :)

CW: Dehumanization, wing whump, accidentally hurting a child, minor injury to child, blood

He didn’t want to - he didn’t, he didn’t, but the woman’s fingers wouldn’t stop poking, prodding through his wings, pulling on flight feathers until his fae-voice keened at the violation, the ache, even as his human voice whined. 

The mix of sounds was off-key, sharp note and flat. It made the woman wrinkle her nose, clicking tongue against teeth. “Come now, little thing, you bled so well earlier. Have you no tears left?”

He hated her, but he didn’t want to hurt her.

And he definitely didn’t want to hurt the little girl standing next to her, hidden nervously behind the noblelady’s skirts. A niece, or something. 

Killan might have had a niece by now. He’d never know, would he?

He didn’t want to hurt the little girl, who had done nothing but watch him, wide-eyed, as Lady Layla poked, prodded, pulled in her attempts to make him cry again, so she could show her niece a monster’s tears.

He didn’t want to hurt her.

The little girl finally found the courage to step out from Layla’s skirts, and he moved to lean forwards, obedient, well-trained.

Terrified.

But just as he leaned into the little girl’s hands, to let her run her fingers over the muzzle locking his jaw shut, the lady Layla pulled a flight feather in one quick twist-and-pull, a flash of pain, and the nameless thing jerked forwards, jaw aching as he fought to snarl, and swiped his talons at the noblelady, hoping only to make her bleed in some small way half as much as she had brought blood from him.

He had forgotten, in the moment, about the little girl. 

Her wail rose high and sharp, and the creature jerked his talons back to stare, wide-eyed, at the blood welling up along her arm where he’d cut into her, talons so sharp they slid through skin like a heated knife through new butter.

I’m sorry-

I don’t know why I reacted-

I’m sorry-

Layla’s gasp was as loud as a shot and she pulled her niece back, dropping into a crouch to check her over, eyes narrowing at the slashes across the little girl’s arm. Then she turned slowly to look at the creature. 

The cold hatred there was unmistakable, and the creature curled into himself, wings tightly curled against his back. He tried to speak through the muzzle, to apologize, but the only sound he could make was a low whine, a plea for mercy.

The flight feather she had pulled from him lay on the ground, a hint of pale, shimmering blood at the end. 

“How dare you,” The noblelady said, softly. “How dare you.” 

The girl’s cries continued as Layla led her from the creature’s small, cell-like room, and the creature’s own whimpering sobs soon filled the silence, as he curled over on himself, talons curled tight to his palms.

He hadn’t wanted to hurt her.

He never wanted to hurt anyone.

When the lord came to punish him, the creature only spread his wings on either side for the lash, and knew he deserved every muffled scream torn from his throat.

---

Tagging Killan’s crew:  @astrobly​​ @burtlederp , @finder-of-rings , @slaintetowhump , @quirkykayleetam , @whumpallday , @whumppsychology, @doveotions, @broken-horn, @moose-teeth, @whumpfigure, @spiffythespook, @oceanthesarcasamfox,  @whump-only, @just-strawberry-jam, @loopylunacy (if you would like to be added to an OC’s tag list, please send your request via an ask! Those are easier for me to keep track of and I tend to lose requests in comments, reblogs, tags, or PMs!)

[quiobiweek]

Announcing QuiObi Week 2020! AUGUST 2-8!

Guidelines

How to participate:

Follow this blog.

Post content (fan fiction, fan art, fan *works*) that focus on the romantic and/or sexual relationship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. Yes, pre-slash counts.

Fan Works can be hosted off site (such as deviant art, AO3, ff.net, etc) but must be at least linked through tumblr and tagged “quiobi week 2020″

All works must be posted through the quiobiweek tumblr. If you wish to be a member of the blog, send an ask and you’ll receive an invitation. (Some of you who have expressed an interest have already received an invite).

You do not need to be a member to submit though this blog! Submissions are open! If you are unsure of your ability to commit, or simply decide to join last minute, this may be the better option for you.

We can reblog posts for you! If you are not a member and are not comfortable submitting, then post to your own tumblr and let us know about it! tag the blog or submit a link so we know it’s there!

All works on AO3 will be put into a collection for easy finding later. :)

Looking for an excuse to create that QuiObi fanwork? This is it! Post every day, or post it all at once!

Don’t know what to create? That’s fine! Each day will come with an accompanying prompt or trope to inspire you!

Sunday: PAST

Monday: PRESENT

Tuesday: FUTURE

Wednesday: FAMILY

Thursday: ENEMIES

Friday: LOVING

Saturday: FIGHTING

Questions? Comments? The ask is open, so go right ahead!

[whitewolfandthefox]

The Call of the Wild Part 2

A/N. Here’s the second part! Thank you so much for the huge reception to Part 1, I was so happy! Here’s to hoping you like part 2!

Thank you to my amazing beta @riviawitch3r who checked my plot, found my spelling errors, and generally made the chapter make sense!

As always, comments, likes, and reblogs are appreciated! Come yell at me in your tags 😊 If you would like to be tagged, please send me an ask or comment! Let me know explicitly that you would like to be added though.

Series Masterlist

Words: 1.8k (little bit of a shorter one but I needed to establish some plot points. The next few chapters are longer!)

Warnings: Mentions of injury, loss of consciousness

Summary: Geralt is more seriously injured than you originally anticipated. In your desperate attempt to heal him, you access a secret that you did not know about yourself. Chaos ensues.

Chapter 2: The Transformation

“Geralt!” You cried out as you rushed towards the man crumpled on your floor. Dropping to your knees next to his prone form, you frantically reached for his neck, searching for a pulse. It was very faint and weak, slower than you liked, but it was there. His breathing was slow and laboured, his chest rising and falling as he rasped out a breath. His skin was pale and hot to touch, his cheeks flushed with fever. Shaking his arm, you tried to wake the stranger who you felt such a connection with, who was familiar to you, even though you had only met him hours earlier. Unable to wake him, you pushed him onto his back, shaking him harder. Finally, you heard the man emit a low moan as his golden irises were revealed through slitted eyes before they slid shut again, his head falling to the side.

Jumping up, you ran back to your shelves, searching briefly before finding the wanted potion and rushing back to Geralt. You pried his jaw open and poured the vial in before closing his mouth and massaging his neck to force him to swallow, tossing the vial to the side. Moving back to his side, you piled bandages onto his wounds to try to put pressure on the slashes, but they were too deep for you to make any difference. You could feel Geralt’s life force draining out from beneath your hands. Tears started running down your face as you desperately tried to think of something, anything, that you could do to stop the precious flow of lifeblood that was being lost from beneath your hands. 

A sob broke through your lips as you lowered your head, resigning yourself to the fact that you were going to lose him. You could feel the puddle of blood beneath Geralt slowly spreading and soaking into your skirts. As his blood touched your skin, you felt a tug in your core, something calling out to you. In your frantic state, you grabbed onto that feeling and let it wash over you. A wave of heat poured through you and into Geralt, draining you of your energy. As you watched, the flow of blood slowly stopped before the slashes began to scab over, flesh knitting grotesquely back together, before healing over into new scars. As the scars finished forming, you felt the whole world shift, smells becoming sharper, your vision changing, your senses becoming overwhelmed. With a flash of something running through you, the whole world tipped sideways as you felt yourself falling before the room went dark as you lost consciousness.

Awareness came back to him slowly, feeling the hard ground beneath him and the soreness that comes from being injured. Groaning, Geralt heaved himself into a sitting position before freezing at the lack of pain, scrabbling at his chest where he saw four new scars, pink against his skin. The memories of the previous night flashed through his mind, waking up to the sound of Y/N sobbing before forcing his way through the magical aura in her room. The fact that he ripped his stitches before rushing to the room he was in, losing blood and slowly succumbing to the venom that was tearing through his veins, burning him from the inside out. Waking briefly to a rush of power filling the room before feeling a wave of heat in his chest and losing the fight against the darkness a second time. 

As his senses returned and he reconciled his present with what had happened that evening, Geralt realized that he was alone in the room. Looking around, he could see the bloody bandages Y/N had cut off of him as well as the empty vial of the potion she had forced down his throat. The dagger she had dropped when she went in search of the lifesaving potion. Continuing his examination of the room, his gaze froze on the pile of fabric lying crumpled next to him. Reaching for it, a feeling of dread filled his chest as he saw that the skirt was bloody and had been clawed to shreds. What happened here? Where is Y/N?

Standing, he looked for signs of a struggle, and finding none, called for Y/N. A soft yip answered him. Frowning, Geralt looked around the room again before he saw a flash of red disappearing under the bed. Cautiously, he approached the piece of furniture, smelling that distinctive scent of herbs and magic that had first led him to her. Kneeling down, he peered under the bed and was met with the sight of two glowing yellow eyes. “Y/N?” he tried again.

Another yip answered him, stronger this time. As the realization of what had happened dawned on Geralt, he relaxed and started to chuckle. At the sound of a low whine protesting his reaction, he began to laugh outright, holding his side as his new scars protested the movement. “Come on out, little one. Let me have a look at you.”

Shuffling back so that he was seated cross legged, he waited until he heard the soft sound of fur brushing against the floor before a red fox peeked out from under the bed. The small body was shaking, as it remained half hidden underneath. Speaking in a low voice, Geralt reassured the small animal, coaxing it out from under the bed and nearer to him. His expression softening, Geralt reached one hand out to the frightened creature and spoke in a soft voice. “I know this is new and frightening, but you don’t have to be afraid. Come out from under the bed and sit with me, Y/N, and I will explain everything to you.”

Hesitantly, you took two steps towards the large man sitting on your floor. You were in shock, no idea what was going on. Waking after having lost consciousness, it took you a minute to free yourself from the cloth that had trapped you. After emerging into the room, you had glanced down to see paws and red fur and had bolted to hide underneath a chair until Geralt woke, before moving to underneath the bed.

Seeing him laugh had released some of the tension in your chest, but you were still filled with unease. Hearing him speak in such a calm manner made you think that maybe everything would be ok. “Come here,” he repeated again. Whining, you lowered yourself to the ground, ears down by the sides of your head between your paws, curling into a ball with your tail wrapped around your side. 

“Ok,” he started. Heaving a sigh, he looked at you with his soft golden eyes. “Ok, Y/N, you are a witch.” Your head shot up at this, a weird feeling coming over you. A witch?!? What does he mean? I can’t do magic! Unconsciously, you pressed your ears tighter to your skull while curling tighter into yourself, baring your teeth slightly at the idea of being a witch.

He must have seen something in your reaction to that statement, as he rushed to explain. “Some magic users have the ability to shift forms, between an animal form and a human form. You, obviously, have the form of a red fox. I know it’s scary, losing control like this. It was the same way for me when I first changed forms. The world is too big, sounds are too loud, smells too strong, it will take some time to adapt to the concept of shifting. But I will help you with this, I promise. I will help you learn how to manage your powers, teach you to control the shift between your animal and human form and perhaps we will discover your other magical powers.”

As he spoke, you slowly crept towards the man until you were just within arms reach. Moving very slowly, Geralt reached a hand out and rested it lightly on your head. At his touch, the knot in your chest loosened more, and you moved closer so that you were leaning against his thigh, his hand stroking your back. Feeling his hand running through your fur soothed the rest of the tension in your chest, allowing you to relax into Geralt’s leg, your ears coming up and your tail releasing from where it was curled around your side. Your mind was still whirling with all of this new information, but you felt safe with the man in your house, as if you had a connection. Maybe it is part of this shapeshifter thing.

Suddenly, you felt two large hands on either side of your chest and you were moving through the air. Geralt had tucked you under his arm as he stood and crossed the room to the bed. Unprepared, you scrabbled against the hands that held you, legs flailing as you tried to free yourself from the grip. You were dropped unceremoniously on top of the covers as Geralt settled himself underneath the blanket, laying on his back with an arm beneath his head. You let a low growl rumble out of your chest, ears pressed back against your head, legs spread apart, clearly not happy with the manhandling.

Raising his head to look down the bed at you, he chuckled slightly. “Such a fierce little fox,” he ground out, before patting the space next to him. “Come, little one, you will need your rest. Healing me and experiencing your first shift is an exhausting experience. Sleep, and we will work on your control in the morning.”

Cautiously, you crawled up the bed, curling into a ball on the bed a little ways away from him. Just as you were getting comfortable, you felt Geralt reach out and drag you over so that you were tucked into the side of his chest. Disgruntled at his movements, you caught his hand between your teeth, applying just the slightest amount of pressure. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to show your displeasure at the way he has been tossing you around before releasing his fingers. 

Another chuckle broke the silence. “Sleep little one, we shall talk in the morning.”

As you revelled in the feeling of kinship that came from the contact with the witcher, despite it not being where you had originally settled, you couldn’t help but sense a bond, a kinship, that you couldn’t explain. The contact with the man lying in your bed had you relaxing against him in spite of yourself, listening to his breathing even out and become deeper as he gave in to sleep. Letting your mind ponder the events that had happened the past several hours, you slowly succumbed to sleep.

Permanent taglist: @riviawitch3r @jensensjaredsandmishaslover @ayamenimthiriel @uncoolcloudyhead @secretsthathauntus @vintage-mind-young-body

Call of the Wild taglist:  @raspberrydreamclouds @queenxxxsupreme @achievementhunting-archangel @alwayshave-faith @afterthenightprevails @a-door-into-my-mind @msjjekyll @ilovetaquitosmmmm @bloo-moon-freak @theblurplegirl @bastardfruitsandbasil @mathle0matle

I wasn’t able to tag those who were bolded and struck through, sorry! I can’t figure out why I can’t search you.

[tarithenurse]

If I succeed - 1

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x fem!Reader (eventually/sorta/you’ll see) Content: Everything (for the series in general). For this chapter it’s mention of injuries, but not much else serving of a warning. A/N: Yeah, I’ve joined the bandwagon and am indulging my ever-present cravings for fantasy and all setting medieval by creating a Witcher fanfic series. You want a tag? Send an ask or reblog! I’d love comments and feedback – even if it’s corrections on language. I’m not picky as long as I know my work brings joy too.

1 – The wild Things in the Woods

…   Reader   …

Be kind to others; work hard; keep out of trouble. Those were the simple rules you had been raised to follow. The problem is, of course, when following the former inevitable leads to the latter.

Your parents would have been horrified – although your father would have also been proud – however neither of them are around to tell as they have succumbed to the winter illnesses after the ear with poor harvest just like many other in the poorer areas of the country. They had brought you to the east, onto the western slopes of the mountains, when you were less than a dozen years old to keep you safe. To keep your secret safe. You were still too young when they died, however your wits saw you through the first years, and later (without parents to arrange a match) you kept enjoying freedom as best you could while earning a living through your few years of schooling in the capital and the makeshift knowledge of medicine. That life was disrupted a moon or so ago. You had naïvely assumed everything would return to normal once the straggler recovered enough health to move on with his friend, the bard.

Staring at the familiar duo slumped against the wall of your cottage, you realize trouble will be coming for you repeatedly from now on.

“I take it the Fiery Mountains were too hot for you boys?” you sigh as you bend to shove Geralt off of Jaskier.

One grunts, the other sighs in relief, but neither has the strength to answer. Oh bother…how are you going to get the bigger of the men dragged indoors?

One problem at a time. Both are subjected to a quick examination to find the source of the (mainly but not only) dried blood or identify any broken bones that would force you to be extra careful when moving them. Despite a jagged slash across Jaskier’s abdomen and hip, the young man has gotten away with little else than bruises, and you begin to suspect that he is the one who has brought the Witcher to your door. Again. Good thing too. The silver-haired fighter is more dead than alive, and you decide to move him upon seeing the dirty torso. One by one, the men are rolled onto an old blanket and dragged in to lie on the floor before the fireplace.

Then you set to work.

…   Jaskier   …

Warm and snug in the alcove, the dark nightmares seem to evaporate as the bard slowly wakes up to the smell of food. There are flashes of memory nudging the hazy mind, comforting him with the knowledge of a trustworthy person tending to both Geralt and himself. We made it. Safe and sound, it is easy to enjoy the moment of rest, watching the flickering light of the fire caress the wooden ceiling or, when he turns the head, the figure of [Y/N] as she works by the kitchen table.

“Take’t slow, Jask,” she orders gently without once turning toward him, “the soup’s almost ready and the mead’s chilling.” Finally she turns around and he can see the grime and worry still marring the kind face. “Once you both’ve regained some strength…” she sighs, “then you can explain what’s happened.”

“Geralt?” The once melodious voice cracks, but it hardly matters at this moment.

“…not dead,” [Y/N] nods towards another alcove next to where Jaskier has been placed, “woke up long enough to curse at everything and nothing while pulling himself in there.”

The smile spreading on Jaskier’s face tugs painfully at his cheek, reminding him of the horrifying injury he had suffered before Geralt fought away the monsters. With shaking hands and the heart in the throat, he tears away the warm covers to see how bad the damage is. Thank Melitele and all the others! A poultice is keeping a pristine strip of bandage to the wound which mars the soft skin but at least the most important area is unscathed.

“Some women like men with scars.” The soft laughter accompanying the comfort is hard to miss.

Still…Geralt has plenty scars and they all adore him. ”The dream of danger?”

“Something like that.” Coming over, [Y/N] hands a bowl of steaming soup filled with the plunder of her garden. “Eat.”

The piping hot broth does wonder to soul and body, and although Jaskier still is tired he can feel the strength begin to return as he is halfway through the second serving. We made it…we’re safe.

…   Reader   …

You have struggled to lift the fever-wrecked Geralt into a sort of sitting position and he still leans heavily against you now that you balance the bowl of soup in the lap together with the nuggets of bread. Wake up, White Wolf. The first attempts prove useless and you refer to harsher methods, rubbing his sternum with your knuckles. A groan precedes the wrinkling of his thick brows. There! Finally you can see a sliver of amber beneath the lashes.

“I need you to stay awake, Geralt,” you talk sternly, coaxing his attention towards you, “eat this.”

Spoonful by spoonful, the nourishing food is accepted with only an occasional rumble in his chest as “thank you”. It is as you had expected. No one, even someone less coarse in nature, would manage actual conversation when in this condition. Wounds, breaks, and bruises are plentiful and will take time to heal – the venom, however, is what truly troubles you. The sting of the wyvern must be treated quickly lest it is to kill the unfortunate person within a fortnight. Witchers are admittedly stronger than common folks but not unkillable.

“There,” you whisper to unhearing ears, “rest now.”

He does. Geralt’s head falls to the side, resting against your bosom as sleep reclaims him. Rest and recover. Maybe the herbs you added to his soup are already working – maybe it is wishful thinking – but as you linger with the White Wolf tugged against your frantically beating heart you imagine a healthier glow return to the sallow face. Unheeded, your fingers brush through the tangles of his hair not unlike the way he had caressed your own locks a sunny day last time you saw him.

You had escaped to the small clearing an hour away from your cottage. It was your favourite place to go when seeking comfort on days where sorrow over loved ones lost or if you simply needed to calm your mind. This time it was in a futile attempt to postpone the inevitable. Of course, Geralt found you as though he always knew about the place. Not a word was spoken as the kiss goodbye became a desperate attempt of imprinting his heat onto your skin, his strength deep within your core, and his kindness etched into your heart. Bittersweet. Heartbreaking. Magical. As the sun beamed down upon your naked bodies afterwards, the peace had returned. You were able to bid him farewell.

[aedifcare]

ciao !

okay so i’ve gained a lot of new followers since the last time i made a post like this so i’m just gonna update some stuff

- hi my name is ashla but you can call me that or any of my “nicknames” (ash, assla, or phoenix since that’s what i went by on my previous blog)

- i use she/her/hers pronouns

- i am 16, aka a minor. adults, please don’t feel like you have to follow me or interact with me or if i make you uncomfortable by interacting with your posts, feel free to block me. my policy on adults on this blog is that i’m fine with them following and liking, commenting, and reblogging my posts. however please dont send me messages if you are older than 22, unless its for a) sending me an ask b) if i got something on an id wrong c) if you have a question about something that i post or d) asking me to tag a certain trigger on a post

- more stuff about me being a minor, please don’t send me any nsfw posts and/or messages, if you do i will block you

- “what do you post on this blog?” mainly atla and pjo but a few other fandoms too (community, lost, vld, etc) however it isn’t a lot compared to atla and pjo

- “do you have any other blogs?” yup ! i have a star wars blog (@dykefennecshand), a marvel/dc blog (@dominothurmans), a katara blog (@katarappreciation), and a criminal minds blog (@dykellegreenaway) so feel free to interact with me on those !

- “why can i not send anonymous asks?” to put it straight, i’m sensitive and afraid i’ll get anon hate but i’m going to be able to make it anonymous once i start posting my wips

- if i post content and leave out a trigger warning, please let me know by sending an ask or messaging me. i tag the “main ones” (blood, r*pe, mentions of triggering topics, etc) but if there’s a specific one, let me know. i tag things that need trigger warnings as “tw (insert trigger)” no slashes or “tw:” just simple as that to keep it simple.

- i have a tag organization system a bit (i try at least) so here are some of them:

#ashla rambles: any original content that i post myself whether it’s me rambling or posting analysis/mets or etc, it gets tagged as ashla rambles and thats for all my blogs

#ashla is mean: i just came up with this tag this past weekend but basically it’s kind of like “hot takes” or discourse some of the time. i know that can sometimes make people uncomfortable so if it does, feel free to block it

#other: any content that doesn’t have a specific fandom so it’s just like a misc postd)

everything else is pretty self explanatory but if you’re unsure, please feel free to ask !

i’m pretty sure thats it for the most part. i’ll probably make a caard for all this info but for now, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. i really don’t bite

anyways, have a wonderful day dear ! :)

[pies-writes-and-more]

PIES’ FIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAY 2020

So I’ve never done one of these fic recommendations lists before but I really want to share some of the amazing work that I’ve read this past month! I’ve definitely read a whole ton more but I was dumb and didn’t think to like draft this list and then just keep adding to it... so I’m just attempting to go through my tags LOL please be patient with my dumbass. 

NOTE: Since I only started doing this recently, a lot of my recommendations are gonna come from a lot of my mutuals but I’m always open to hearing more about other fics!!! If you’ve got an incredible fic that you are super proud of or if you think that I should read something you’ve read, PLEASE SEND IT TO ME! I’m really big on StevexFem!Reader, BuckyxFem!Reader, WandaxFem!Reader, CarolxFem!Reader, and Stucky fics!!!

If you do end up reading these fics, please tag me if you reblog them or comment on them!! I’d love to see your guys’ reactions :) 

ANYWAYS THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE HAVE CRUSHED MY HEART WITH AMAZING FICS, RUINED MY IDEALS OF WHAT LOVE IS, AND/OR BROKEN MY HEART WITH ANGST ONLY TO REVIVE IT WITH SOME FLUFF. I love you all so very much.

PS. if these links dont work for some reason, please let me know so I can update this list because I was very distracted halfway through making this so it might not be perfect!

1.Walpurgis Night by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “In which Steven volunteers to find a long-lost princess of Starkerbürg. (Fairy Tale AU)” I have no clue why this fic is not given more goddamn attention because holy shit yall, I have never been so grasped by a fic before. If you love medieval/fairy tale type things, you will love this fic. And if you don’t, you’re gonna love it anyways because @anika-ann​ writes SO. FUCKING. WELL. 100% fluff and love.

2. Abs Aren’t Always the Answer by @its-not-captain-america​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “Steve asks Y/N what girls are interested in, trying to impress her. Several shirtless pics later it’s not working.” Y’all want hilarious shit??? What about Steve Rogers always trying to take his fucking shirt off because he has the DNA (and the body) of a stripper? JK that’s not the actual reason but this fic is so funny, I died reading the first 700 times (and the 701st time too... and every time after that). 100% hilarious.

3. Challenge Accepted...? by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader ”Steve’s never been good at quick decision-making when it came to his own safety. After one particularly horrible experience, you find a way to remind him every day to think twice the next time he’s faced with a tough choice. He is not amused.” Steven Grant Rogers you stupid dumb hoe lol. That’s all I’mma say about this fic because it speaks for itself when you read it haha. Banter is iconic in this fic. 100% hilarious.

4. A Matter of Trust by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You and Steve get to go to a mission together after a while; free drinks, partying, dressing-up nicely, stealing blueprints, the usual. You might even enjoy this as a couple.“ This time it’s Y/N that’s kindof a stupid dumb hoe but like that’s okay because when Y/N is a stupid dumb hoe, it’s not as stupid or dumb as when Steve does it. There’s a bit of a carry on between Challenge Accepted...? and this fic! So I would suggest reading that one first and then this :) 100% hilarious.

5. For a Smile by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You see him run past every morning. So you smile, because he looks like a nice person. How could he not be when he smiles back and the world stops for a while to pay respect to such beauty?” So you know how Disney movies totally screwed over some of our perspectives of how guys were gonna come and sweep us off our feet? Yeah. This fic did it too. I’m still waiting for my fairytale fucking moment like this fic but if it never happens, I’ll settle for just reading this over and over again LOL. 100% F L U F F and LOVE.

6. Grease and Pearls by @anika-ann​​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “All you know is uptown; fancy clothes, expensive cars, jewellery outshining one’s personality and exhausting dinners with family acquaintances and business partners. Your life is all planned out; one day, you’ll marry Howard Stark’s son and you’ll be the golden couple adored by press.” This 3-part series slayed me. Like honestly, I’ve never been so torn apart before. Y’all lucky that if you read it, you get to read all 3 parts right away whereas I had to sit and wait for my heart to be torn apart and then stomped on. (Jk anika i love you you know that). Super amazing thing I love about this fic: it’s got links to the dresses that Y/N wears (super cute btw) AND it’s got two different endings so you can decide!!! 100% ANGST and 100% FLUFF? At the same time??? Because of the two endings?!?!?!? NOTE: part 2 got some steamy smut in there so 18+ readers only. I had to take a cold shower after reading it like goddamn.

7. Be Alright by @kayteewritessteve​ ​| Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “Steve goes through a bad breakup, but a sweet voice and a friendly smile helps him realize he can begin again, and that he definitely should.” God this fic. I can’t with this fic. It’s based on the Dean Lewis song Be Alright, which is already one of my favourites, but this fic, ugh, Kaytee knows how to hurt you that’s for sure. It’s so pure and so wonderful. 100% SAD but like it gets better promise.

8. Cold Feet by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader

“After two months of dating, you’ve come to a conclusion as exciting as well as a bit irritating: Steve Rogers is a perfect man. He simply has no flaw.Or does he?” Mother. Fucking. Adorable. I dunno if there’s anything else to say except that anika really knows how to make me wish I was Y/N adsoifhosd. 100% F L U F F

9. Hot Chocolate by @vodkaxtonic​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “Steve gets sick and Y/N takes care of him, which involves a lot of Steve’s whining, hot chocolate and cuddles.“ Steve Rogers is a little shit who won’t just accept that he’s sick and needs to be taken care of BUT IT’S SO CUTE AND THIS FIC IS THE BEST!!!! 100% FLUFF!!

10. Home by @evanstush​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “It’s been 2 years since the last battle and it’s now Morgan’s 7th birthday, and well, Tony being Tony, he prepared a small party for her little girl, inviting everyone from the team, including you.” Hnnnggg this fic. Okay so. I love @evanstush​ with all my fucking heart because she’s always been so supportive of me and my fics. That being said I WAS NOT EXPECTING HER KIND ASS TO HURT MY HEART LIKE THIS. But again, it’s okay because it’s got fluff guys. 50% ANGST and 50% FLUFF. Well like it’s 100% both but like I have to split it haha.

11. Cocktails by @writeyourmindaway​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “ ~i really don’t know what to write i’m sorry~ DRINKS!” That’s okay, darling, I’ll write the summary you. HILARITY. WONDERFULNESS. THE WORD BLOWJOB WRITTEN SO MANY TIMES AND IT’S FUCKING GOLD. This is so funny i love it haha. This fic killed me. I should’ve seen it coming (hehe) but i didn’t lol. 100% HILARIOUS.

12. Unadulterated by @writeyourmindaway​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader No summary for this one but again, I shall do the honours haha. It’s part 2 of ‘Cocktails’ and this one is just as adorable and hilarious as the first part! Steve is a cheeky little soft boi and the flirting just makes me feel all sorts of ways <3 100% ADORABLE.

13. Water Wars by @writeyourmindaway | Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader “The team finds a new way to unwind” I love fics where you just see the team get to be normal people!!! Plus haven’t we all thought about how the Avengers would are in a water fight? Is that just me? Don’t have to fantasize about it now because @writeyourmindaway wrote it for you :D 100% FLUFF.

14. Slow Like Honey by @heli0s-writes | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “The gossip that buzzes around in the teacher’s lounge is that sweet, sensitive, divorcé Steve Rogers is hot-for-teacher. His daughter’s first-grade teacher, to be exact.” I binged this whole fucking series. 8 parts of PURE. EVERYTHING. I have never so badly wanted a happy ending in my fucking life. This is an amazing series with so much love put into it, you can tell. I really can’t explain this fic because you really need to just go read it to know how amazing it is. NOTE: Part 4, 5, and 8 have some serious love smut in there so 18+ readers only please. UGH. I love this fic so much. I will continue to keep daydreaming about it and thinking about it all the time. God I love me some Dad!Steve. 50% FLUFF and 50% ANGST (which seriously tore my heart out like I cried).

15. You Make My World Spin by @anika-ann | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “After the Battle of New York and all the mess Tony gets involved in later, Pepper believes he is in a need of an assistant slash tech genius. Enter you. While Tony is not amused by Pepper’s idea at first… he soon warms up to you.” So many insanely wonderful references in this fic, it’s hilarious. Also, Tony being a little shit LOL. Such a hilarious fic!!!! 100% AMAZINGLY HILARIOUS.

16. If You Stumble... by @anika-ann | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “If you stumble…make it part of the dance. In which you ask Steve what your date would look like if you lived the forties. He decides to show you instead. There are few flaws, holes to see through to glimpse beyond that illusion. But what life would be besides boring if everything was perfect? Perfect dress. Perfect date. Perfect gentleman…?” So my dumbass was so excited to read something that anika put out that I didn’t realize this was part 2 of a 3 part series lol I’m dumb yes I know. Anyways, this is part 1 so please don’t be like me and read the first part LOL. ANYWAYS, this was so fucking wholesome. This is definitely one that I need to read again and fully read in order (she’s got part 3 on her AO3, I believe) but ugh. I love the idea of Steve dating in this century, comparing things to how things were done in the old days ufglasodfhsd. I love it. Amazing. 100% FLUFF (I think because well my dumbass hasn’t finished but this part was fluffy :3)

17. @wxstedhexrt‘s poems | Read Them Here! | Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes I don’t think Destiny ever gave me a summary of these but (and Destiny, please correct me if I’m wrong in how you want these to be portrayed!) I believe they’re poems written throughout the whole Steve and Bucky timeline. She’s used the Winter Soldier’s words and turned them into a gorgeous set of poems. 100% My favourite thing in the whole fucking world. 

18. The Lonely Tree by @sarahwroteathing​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You have a favorite tree which you make sure to pass every day on your way to class, but one day you find you’ll have to get used to sharing it with a friendly art student.” Holy shit guys this 15 part series was so amazing. It’s 100% PURE FLUFF and PINING and gorgeous. Holy shit. Like I screamed reading the whole goddamn thing. Amazing writing by an amazing human being with some awesome humour haha.

19. @sinner-as-saint​ responding to an anon request? Amazing. | Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader Request: May I just spice up your day with the thought of best friend/roommate bucky being jealous when you bring someone home HOT. AS. FUCK. Holy shit. It’s such a short little list of things that Bucky would do but ugh. I was dying reading it. I love me some jealous Bucky smut. 100% angsty fluff? With smuttiness ;) 18+ readers please!!

20. @alloftheimaginesblog​ prompted fic | Steve Rogers x Reader (I could be wrong here but I believe the gender of the reader is never specified? But the ring is a woman’s ring so?? @alloftheimaginesblog​ pls correct me if you want!) Prompt: Finding an engagement ring in one of their drawers. So fucking fluffy I needed a cavity filled after ugh. I loved it so much it was just a gorgeous piece of writing. Steve is a little piece of poop for not hiding that ring better I mean come on, you’re telling me you couldn’t have punched a hole, put the ring there, and then cover it up with like a cabinet or something??? jk i still love you steeb. 100% fluff!

21. Laser Tag by @stargazingfangirl18​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You play laser tag with your boyfriend Steve and his best friend Bucky. Since you’re just a plain ole civilian, you gotta use what non-Avenger skills you have to avoid losing. Hint: those skills involve Steve and kissing.” Iconic. Everything. Wonderful. There is nothing I love more than Steve Rogers being a little sucker for making out with his girlfriend even when there’s a competition. 100% fluff!!!!

22. Under the Rainbow, Draga mea by @binkysteebnpewter​ | Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader I don’t think there’s an official summary ( @binkysteebnpewter​ pls correct me if I’m wrong) but my summary is this: GAYNESS <3 I love me some wlw content so when I saw this pop up on my dash, I couldn’t NOT read. It’s soooo good. This is a Social Media AU and the amount of meme usage in there I- it’s fucking wonderful. It’s still in progress though so you guys will have to pine after this relationship with me. I FUCKING LOVE IT. 100% GAY LOVE <3

23. A Fic in which Peggy Carter plays wingwoman because these two idiots are in love with each other but they can’t see it so our Queen needs to throw it at them by @1she1hulk1​ (please note I made this title by myself because I don’t think there was a title LOL @1she1hulk1​ lmk if you want me to change this xD) | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “the plot is bacially you and Steve go to see Peggy and she tells Steve to finally make his move” Peggy Carter is a fucking Queen and she knows that Steve is falling for you, because he just won’t stop fucking talking about you LOL. Anyways, this is a super cute fic!!!! Please go give it some love because this human being who wrote it doesn’t think she’s a good writer?????? Crazy. 100% FLUFF!!!!

OTHER FICS THAT DESERVE MENTIONING!!!!

So because this is my first recommendation list on this site, I know I’m definitely missing some amazing fics that I’ve read but never saved (I’m a terrible person I know). So I’m just gonna add them in this list here because they deserve love and attention too!

@wxstedhexrt​‘s poetry. Period. End of story lol. JK. So the ones that I’ve read that are on Destiny’s tumblr aren’t all fandom related (besides the one that I posted above) but they’re still really amazing. I’ve never felt so captured by poems before (mostly because i’m stupid and don’t understand a lot of poetry). Ugh anyways I love her poems so much so please go check them out! CLICK HERE FOR BEAUTY <3

Alright so I know a lot of you guys know @kayteewritessteve​ but if you don’t, she’s this super amazing writer with INCREDIBLE series. (CLICK HERE TO SEE HER FULL MASTERLIST). But one of my most favourite series by her, and one of my favourite series of all time, is: If Only You Knew “You arrive home one day to find a wedding invite for two of your best friends from high school. You knew this day was going to come eventually, but even with that said, you weren’t prepared to return home. At least not after 7 years of avoiding Buckhannon, West Virginia. Or rather, avoiding him; your ex-best friend and the secret love of your life. But maybe it was finally time to face your past, to face him and everything else that happened on that horrible night.”  This 18 (plus an Epilogue) part series will literally have you screaming at your screen being like WHY YALL CANT JUST TELL EACH OTHER HOW YALL FEEL?!?!?!?! 75% angst (because Kaytee likes to hurt us) and 25% fluff BUT the fluff is SOOOOO worth it so it’s like 100% angst and 200% fluff (i was never a mathlete). NOW since, we’re on the topic of Kaytee’s writing, I’d also like to mention: Love and War  “In a harsh medieval world, you set out on a perilous quest that will lead you onto a forbidden land. A land ruled and controlled by a ruthless Warlord King, one who does not look favourably upon trespassers of any kind, and punishes all with an iron fist. You may not know exactly where this quest will end, but what you do know is you will forever be altered by it. And that knowledge alone is what truly terrifies you the most.” so I read this while Kaytee was writing it about a year ago and holllyyyyyy shit. Okay. So. Listen. Fantasy? Check. Romance? Check. Amazing writing? Well it’s Kaytee so yea obviously check. I want to list more things but I don’t want to give it away! This is a 15 part series (plus an Epilogue and Outro) but it goes by so quickly once you’re stuck and waiting for more!!!! 

[itwillbeall-dwight]

what happens in metropolis

david tapp & dwight fairfield; canon-typical violence; saw timeline!dwight; panic attack tw; 3481 words

a/n: did you think i was gonna write things that made sense? HA thats very funny. anyways i hc dwight is from the saw timeline. why? because i like dwight and i like saw ok, shut up. i also want some dad tapp content and if i have to make it myself then i WILL.

i’ve got a couple more fics that are almost done, i promise im not dead. as always, drabble reqs are open, so if you liked this for some reason, get into my askbox ya dingus.

likes < reblogs, any comments in the tags are appreciated

ao3 mirror in the reblogs!

Preview: The leader gave a weak smile, moreso to comfort himself than anything else, it seemed, wincing as he rolled his shoulder. “OK… what now?” “We’ve gotta that off you. Did she… explain the rules?” “I… no, but I-I think I’ve got it.” Dwight started to shuffle where he was curled up, trying to get to his feet, but he was still somewhat shaky, like a newborn fawn, leaning on the wall of scrap as well as Tapp for support. He inhaled, and exhaled, breath still short. “There were… boxes, I think the key is in there.” Of course, that made the most sense, it seemed. “Right. You start heading to one of those, and I’ll-”

From across the yard, a generator powered on, and from where they sat, the clock started counting down. 

Waking up by the campfire was like waking up from a bad hangover. There was a thump in his head and the taste of iron in the back of his throat, as he shielded his eyes from the distant light of fire. As he stirred, the little company residing by the flames paid him mind, checking on his condition, asking who he was with a pity in his eyes that he didn’t quite understand. But he told them regardless - he was David Tapp, a detective from the Metropolitan PD (former, though they didn’t need to know that, not yet), and, as far as he remembered, he was investigating the Jigsaw murders.

 They didn’t know much, about the fog and forest that surrounded them, but the redheaded Meg told him what they knew, introducing him around the camp at the few people that were there - some of them were in a ‘trial’, she’d said, while also adding she’d explain that later, as well - trying to make him feel as at ease as he could be in the situation they were in. He sat down on a log as she went off to talk to the girl in the beanie again, taking his hat off and rubbing the back of his neck, looking down at the dull police badge that hung around his neck, almost mocking him at a false sense of status.

 “I, um- hey.”

A voice next to him made him look up, meeting the eyes of a man in glasses, fiddling with his tie. The leader of the group, Meg had said. Dwight was his name. Tapp forced a small smile. “Uh… hey.”

“Do you, um…” He seemed oddly nervous, avoiding eye contact and simply moving a hand to gesture to the seat next to the detective. “Do you mind i-if I-”

He silently moved aside, letting the younger man sit down, oddly tense and awkwardly keeping his eyes on the fire in front of them, or maybe to the conversation quickly growing heated between the beanie girl and the tall brutish young man just across from the campfire. Tapp followed his eyes, leaning forward with his elbows on his legs-

“I-I know who you are.”

The phrase was somewhat unnerving, coming from the man in the glasses now staring very intently at him as his head almost snapped back to look at him. The detective hesitated for a moment. “Y… yeah?”

“...That sounded… really bad- god, I-I’m sorry, I just- I- argh, dammit-”

“No, no, you’re good, kid.”

He inhaled, and exhaled, wringing his hands as if to calm himself down. “You’re… Detective David Tapp, aren’t you? You were investigating the Jigsaw murders. I-I saw your… your memorial, on TV.”

A breath caught in his throat, if only for a moment, as he tried not to think about the thought of a send off when he still was still alive, in… some capacity. “I… see.”

There was an empty silence after that revelation, with Dwight still keeping his eyes on the man as he swallowed, seeming to try and wrap his head around the idea that someone had watched him live and die. “You did an a-amazing job, if it… means anything.”

He sighed, sitting up, his voice lower, as if not to alert the others - better not to spread the secret too far… at least, not yet. “Did they catch the bastard?”

He paused. “I… yeah. They caught one of them, I-I think. Kind of. He, uh… died.”

There was a quiet growl from the man. Of course there had to be more than one. For a moment, he thought back to the doctor he was tailing - just who else was involved in those twisted games of playing god? And if not him, who was it?

They didn’t speak much more on it, after that, as the trial had concluded and a hand slapped down on his shoulder, introductions moving swiftly on and leaving the young man who knew too much about him with his mouth hanging open. 

 Despite their first meeting, Dwight was a capable leader, Tapp soon learned. He was a kind man, sacrificial to a point, nowhere near as much of a coward as he’d initially thought, as he watched him push his friends over to take a slash from a machete or a pair of mangled claws. He made plans, gave orders - no matter the weak disposition it was given in, one that felt like paper in a strong breeze - and protected those who he called his friends, no matter the teasing and harsh words thrown his way by a select few. He was a man trying to prove himself, either to those around him or…

 Tapp had learned what trials were, soon enough, guided by Claudette as they tried to evade the Trapper, a large, tall man, armed with a machete and bear traps, as if he was hunting down small game in the forest… in a way, that was almost accurate. That trial, while stressful, soon passed in success, and while the whole situation was still unbelievable, he soon found himself oddly adapting to the new world in the fog that he found himself in - get in, try not to die, repair generators, and leave. It didn’t take long for him to take the initiative and start giving input on plans of attack, earning a joking comment from the old gambler of the group that maybe he was better made for the leadership position than who was currently in employ. He tried to ignore that, for Dwight’s sake. 

 This should have been no different. Though this was his first time in the Autohaven Wreckers, loud annoyed groaning from Nea when the fog cleared was enough to make him think that this wasn’t going to be easy. After catching sight of Laurie and Dwight, the four of them split off, aiming to find generator’s around the wrecker’s yard, for efficiency’s sake. One was already powered by the time he spotted a pair of blinking lights… but between the trees, something else caught his eyes. A box, not like anything he’d seen previously, steel casing rusted, though untouched. But the box, while interesting in its own right, wasn’t what made him approach the damn thing.

 It was the monochromatic ventriloquist dummy sat on top. 

 Seeing that bastard puppet was enough to make him approach slowly, staring at the box it sat upon - it was like seeing an old friend, but one you’d want to snap the neck of. And it stared back, almost mocking him. His stomach turned. Had Gordon followed him? That had to be who this was, right? Tapp gritted his teeth, wanting to punch the damn thing off of its torture throne, but knowing that would probably alert… someone to where he was, someone he didn’t want to know. So he forced himself to tear away, fists clenched. It was like wading through water as he crouched down by a nearby generator, pulling at levers and twisting at cogs to make it sigh and whir… though that puppet never stopped looking at him. And he never stopped looking back, until-

 A loud scream made him duck behind the generator for a moment, wincing at the grinding of metal against a scrap wall, and the begging, the pleading… no one had ever reacted like that before. The curiosity was enough to make him look around the mechanical device to catch a glance of the Jigsaw killer.

He recognized her movements, and the way she carried herself almost right away, and the way he kicked himself would have made him double over. Of course Amanda was involved - the bastard broke her down, and rebuilt her in his own design. And now, she was just as much of a prisoner as he was, stuck in the fog with nothing to do but suffer at the hands of her fate. Though she took hers with pride, it seemed. She enjoyed the hunt, the chase and the kill. Was she too far gone to be saved from that which she thought had first saved her? He couldn’t entirely say. 

 The philosophical waxing had to be paused, though, as quiet, panicked whimpers made him stop, hands hovering over the generator he was about to resume repairing. He listened to the strained, weakened breathing, almost holding his own to listen. It was just in front of him, where the attack had failed. Slowly standing to his feet, the detective did what he did best - keeping his posture low as to not be spotted by the pig-headed woman, he went to investigate.

 It was Dwight, hidden behind a wall with his back pressed against it, and he was in a bad way, holding onto the space around in his collarbone, blood staining his palms as he tried to muffle his panicked That wasn’t what originally drew the detective’s attention, however, as a familiar helmet was strapped to his head, almost entirely covering his face. He felt his stomach drop.

“...Fairfield-” He kept his voice quiet, but it still startled the nervous man, who only started to panic more, it seemed. He put a hand on Dwight’s shoulder, and god, was he shaking under his grip. “Right, right, just breathe, kid.” 

Tired eyes look up at him from inside the helmet, strained and shallow breaths from hyperventilation making his chest move up and down at a worrying pace. He couldn’t say anything, he only held Tapp’s arm in place to keep him there.

“C’mon, you got this, in and out.”

Dwight soon followed instructions, taking as much care as he could to breathe, though he hiccupped and stuttered from tears every so often.

“Yeah… there you go. That’s it.” It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Tapp gave the man a gentle nod, digging into his belt for a couple of medical supplies he’d scraped together earlier in the trial. “Let’s get you up and at ‘em, yeah?”

 He calmed down enough to start panic rambling, and the way he switched from one extreme to another was almost welcome, as Tapp gently wrapped the bandaged over the deep cut from the hidden blade. Dwight spoke of before the fog, when he was alone in his shitty apartment with nothing but two birds to keep him company, barely earning enough to afford to live, but surviving by the skin of his teeth every month when the rent was due. He’d hardly slept before, but murders on your doorstep didn’t make it any better, especially since they were targeting the average man, just like him. And after an accident he conveniently skipped around, his paranoia only got worse.

“I-I saw one, once.” He stuttered, voice almost echoing through the trap on his head, as Tapp tied off the gauze.

“A murder?”

“A trap. In the open. A-and no one could do anything about it, I saw it on my way to work. The girl, she was- I… god, they just-”

“Fuckin’ Christ…”

“Yeah… yeah, that. Exactly that.” The leader gave a weak smile, moreso to comfort himself than anything else, it seemed, wincing as he rolled his shoulder. “OK… what now?”

“We’ve gotta that off you. Did she… explain the rules?”

“I… no, but I-I think I’ve got it.” Dwight started to shuffle where he was curled up, trying to get to his feet, but he was still somewhat shaky, like a newborn fawn, leaning on the wall of scrap as well as Tapp for support. He inhaled, and exhaled, breath still short. “There were… boxes, I think the key is in there.”

Of course, that made the most sense, it seemed. “Right. You start heading to one of those, and I’ll-”

 From across the yard, a generator powered on, and from where they sat, the clock started counting down. 

 That only started to send Dwight off again, eyes growing wide with fear as he looked back to the detective, who seemed equally as stunned. It seemed like she’d been busy, workshopping her craft.

As the leader started to buckle under his own weight again, Tapp grabbed onto his arm - not too hard, but just firm enough to keep him in place - and began looking around between trees for that bastard puppet that he’d seen earlier in the trial. As he tried to keep them both out of sight, he heard the stifled breathing behind him, as the leader tried to calm himself down while the two leaned around a tree, watching the Pig chase after the determined blonde in the blue shirt. He reached to grip onto Tapp’s shoulders, knuckles going white from the force, palms sweaty. Tapp put a hand on top of one, and gently tapped at it for a silent comfort. Once the killer was well distracted, he led Dwight to the first box. No luck.

 A second box, on the same side of the junkyard.  A quarter of the time gone. Nothing.

 Box three, on a hill besides the dingy old shack. Half time. Nothing.

 Now with only one box left, the leader was growing more frantic. Tapp held onto his wrist as he pulled him around the killer shack, pressing his back against the wall, his own heartbeat in his ears matching the beeping from the helmet. He looked back to the younger survivor.

“It’s just up ahead. Go.”

“She k-knows I’m- I-I’ll die, I’m going t-to-”

“I’ll cover you. Go, grab your life.” He was firm in his demand. But still, the leader didn’t move. He repeated, raising his voice a little. “Go!”

Dwight followed that order, practically stumbling over himself to leap to the box and shove his hands into it, wincing as his hands dug into needles and thorns on the inside that he couldn’t see.

And while the detective’s eye followed him, he noticed someone else following him as well, concealed in the grass, ready to pounce. He gritted his teeth, silently asking her to forgive him someday for what he was about to do (and what he had already done), before reaching down by the entrance to the old shack and grabbing a handful of pebbles. Tapp weighed these in his hand for a moment, before tossing them in her direction.

Bullseye. He heard her squeal from the hit, before growling and standing to her feet, turning in the detective’s direction, where he made no attempt to hide himself, ready to throw another rock should she choose to ignore him. “...Fancy meeting you here.”

“Could say the same to you.”

“I hadn’t realised I wasn’t the only pig that they’d let out of the slaughterhouse. I would have thrown a party for your arrival, Detective.”

The bite of her words was venomous, purposely crafted to throw him off, but he did not let it show. He still looked her in the eyes and stood his ground, until he could smell the rotting pig head she wore. “Would have appreciated it a lot more than this, Ms. Young.”

“Tell me, Detective,” Now Amanda, she was a woman of wearier disposition, broken from circumstances, but this new woman, a woman made of a pig? She thrived in the violence and the fear. That much he deducted, from the way she looked up at him, and though it was hard to see her eyes, he could almost see the fire in them. “Are you sure this is the game you want to play?”

For a moment, Tapp’s eyes fell behind her head, where Dwight had taken his hands out of the box, dripping with blood and sweat and shaking from fatigue and stress, before looking back to her. “It isn’t a game I haven’t played before. I can dance.”

 He tried to lead her some distance away from the puppet-adorned box where they leader still struggled, but the Pig was no fool, catching him by surprise in an open area with a knife to the gut, pinning him to the floor in his surprise with a wrist blade to his neck, threatening to slice it open a second time. The detective gritted his teeth, both from the pain and the strain of pushing her arm away, until he was just able to push her off of him, scrambling to his feet and blocking the entrance to the shack with the palette at the door. He took the time she was taking to break the obstacle to leave the shack, with no choice to run closer to the trap box, closer to Dwight, to a small collection of scrap metal walls, formed with another wooden palette and a window frame, which he quickly vaulted over to avoid a failed swipe.

 “Dwight!” He looked back as he ran the killer around a long wall connecting to the window, still seeing the leader digging through the box, loud beeping ever imminent. “Dwight, come on!”

The timer was so close to flatlining, and Dwight wasn’t doing too hot, panicking as he tried to find some solace in the cold metal expanse in front of him.

Tapp quickly slammed the palette down onto the killer’s head, hearing her squeal as he stood there, breath catching in his throat. “Dwight!”

He pulled his hand out of the box with a key in hand, quickly unlocking the mechanism and ripping the trap off of his head as it snapped open, surely to be his end if he’d messed up just once more. Breathing heavily, he felt along his face, blood gathering on his fingers from where the rusted teeth had dug into his cheeks, among the cuts and bruises from rummaging through the boxes to find his life. 

The detective was almost so caught up in himself that he didn’t hear the growl and the sound of the palette breaking behind him, the adrenaline kicking in to push him forward into a sprint, taking hold of Dwight again and pulling him along as the Pig gathered herself, and got back on their trail. “C’mon, time to go.”

 They were lucky to make it just in time, a failed swipe from the killer catching at their back as they ran into the fog where she couldn’t chase them. Tapp looked down, finally letting go of the younger man and placing a hand on his shoulder. “You OK?”

A breathless laugh escaped him, as he looked up to Tapp. “I- I- you- we- ...I’m alive. I’m alive!”

The detective smiled, about to say something before he was cut off from a tight hug, the younger survivor happily crying into his chest, getting snot all over the front of his vest. Tapp’s hands hovered for a moment, not entirely sure how to react, before he finally decided to just pat his back. 

“Thank you, thank you so much, thank you-”

“Hey, slow down, catch a breath.” He couldn’t help but laugh a little, though it was a lot more awkward than the few times he’d had to comfort lost kids who came into the station. Still, Dwight appreciated it regardless.

 “Well, you guys seem just fine and dandy.”

Dwight pulled himself away suddenly, looking up as he pushed up his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, as Laurie finally joined them in escaping the trial, sheepishly stepping away. “I… yeah.”

She gave the two of them a look, almost fond. “Nea said she knew where the hatch was, and while I wanted to stay to see her out here, I’m almost glad I didn’t. You’d never hear the end of it.”

“Wouldn’t put it past her.” Tapp chipped in, as the young woman nodded, flipping the flashlight she’d brought with her between two hands.

 The three of them returned to the campfire, Dwight and Laurie sharing a small conversation, taking care to almost dote on his face wounds from the trap he’d barely escaped from, while Tapp listened along. Dwight had almost recovered from the ordeal, though his voice still shook, and it made him think. They knew each other… or at least, he knew of the detective, of the traps, of the killings. How intimately was still up to debate, but the way he reacted in the trial told him that it was something that had deeply disturbed him. And while he’d never been much of a leader himself, but Dwight looked up to him, in the way a student did a teacher - protection, and guidance. Was it because of his attachment to the case? He didn’t deserve the title, or the treatment (he’d still failed, on the larger scale, of Dwight’s account of the public execution trap was to be believed), but if one person still believed in him despite his failures… then he had to get out, if only for that. 

 He needed to catch the Jigsaw killer, or whatever was left of them as a collective. For the sake of people just like Dwight.

[theloccent]

It’s Sunday again (funny how weeks keep passing?) which means its time to show our love to our friends who create some of the wonderful works that we get to enjoy!

You can do this by:

Kudos

A short comment  like “I loved this”

A more detailed comment like “X really made me smile”

Send an anon ask to an author like “what inspired you to do X?”

Send an anon ask to a commenter who makes your day

Recommend a fic by reblogging this post and adding the rec or by making your own post and tagging it #LoccentSupportiveSunday

Here are a few fics to check out!

a little less conversation (a little more action please)  by Macremae [Newt/Hermann | Rated E]

A few weeks into their capture and interrogation-slash-expert and totally planned out infliction of psychological warfare on the PPDC’s crack team of specialists (interns), the Precursors decide that the charade of Pretending to Be Newt Geiszler is a) too morally, spiritually, mentally, and vocally exhausting to continue, and b) just honestly destroying their vibe. In their laser-focused efforts to regroup and break out and enact Plan B, which is definitely a thing that exists, they get a little lax with security measures. Leave some room for error. It’s understandable.

Their first mistake is allowing the reopening of Newt and Hermann’s Drift link.

Hermann is given access to both Newton’s mind, and a relative play-by-play of his activities during the last ten years. He expected a lot of boredom. He did not expect it to result, apparently, in a great deal of vivid, wildly graphic sexual fantasies. One which, in particular, seems oddly relevant to their situation at hand. Useful, even. It might actually work.

Their second mistake is significantly overestimating Hermann’s remaining dignity at this point.

I've Got My Love (To Keep Me Warm)  by  thedeadparrot [Nate/Jake | Rated T]

Nate and Jake get sent on a mission to the old Anchorage shatterdome. It turns out Alaska is cold. 

Big Questions by ProblemWithTrouble [Newt/Hermann | Rated G]

Hermann messed up answering a pretty big question and now he wants to make it right.

 “The answers are built into the very fabric of the universe, foundational in their importance. My love for you is like those questions. For me the answer to why I love you is too large to comprehend, too intrinsic to the way of the universe I take it for granted.”

Tell Me Why (I Look Back And I Wanna Cry) by  CasGetYourShotgun  [Gen | Rated G]

Amara Namani doesn't have many memories of her birth parents or adoptive father. But she does have her siblings.

[riverdale-events]

Are you ready to come Home for the Holidale, fandom?! Home for the Holidale - an all ship, all character inclusive event - will run from December 8th - January 1st. We have 5 holiday film themes to pique your every holiday or winter related fandom desire. Don’t forget to tag #riverdaleevents in your first 5 tags!

While You Were Sleuthing: For all your romantic comedy needs!

Jingle Jangle All the Way: Make it a family affair!

The Daymare Before Christmas: What’s the holiday season without a little fantasy, horror, or magic?

Mallmark Hall of Fame: Did somebody say Hallmark drama? (They did. It’s us.)

The Miracle on Elm Street: Ye Olde Classic Christmas/holiday faire! 

Each theme is for an overarching holiday movie genre which is very broad. Any concept, idea, AU, or specific prompt, at any rating, that is applicable to a theme is accepted! You may double up (or more) on themes in your content, just let us know which theme it is for. If you have any questions on if your piece applies, and if so for which theme, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Remember!: Make sure to 1. tag your content on tumblr with #riverdaleevents - exactly as written, no spaces 2. indicate which theme your content is for 3. add your event fics to the HOME FOR THE HOLIDALE collection on AO3. 4. send us an ask if we miss reblogging your content

Find out everything you need to know about this event in our FAQ below the cut! If you’ve got clarification questions, just ask us!

WHAT CHARACTERS AND SHIPS ARE APPLICABLE?

We will be accepting content for ANY Riverdale character or ship (including OCs)!

Solo, original character, reader insert, het, slash, and ot3s are all welcome!

WHAT KIND OF CREATIVE CONTENT CAN BE SUBMITTED?

Fanfic (oneshots, drabbles, or multi-chapters), Graphics, Gifsets, Fanart, Aesthetics, Fanvids, Edits, Playlists, Fic recs, etc

If it’s created content, you can submit it!

If your piece is a multichapter fic, you don’t have to complete it before the event ends. It is eligible as long as you start posting it during the event window. Make sure to keep tagging us on your chapter update posts!

M and E rated content is welcome for every theme!

HOW DOES WORK GET SUBMITTED FOR THIS EVENT?

To submit work, please tag us with #riverdaleevents in the first 5 tags of your work AND at @riverdale-events​ on your piece. Tumblr tags have been very unreliable so both will help ensure we find your work. We will reblog every submission here at Riverdale-Events over the course of the event. If we miss reblogging your content, send us an ask!

Be sure to indicate which theme/prompt your content is for. You can put it in your tags or on your piece, just let us know so we can reblog appropriately.

We also have an AO3 collection. AO3 has a really great tutorial on how to post to a collection! Check it out for in-depth instructions. The easiest way to join is to go straight to the HOME FOR THE HOLIDALE collection on AO3, and click the “Post to Collection” button. That will take you to a screen to upload your fic as normal! That button fills out the specific collection for you, so you know your work is going to the right place. Your fic will still show up under your works, and you will be listed as the author of your story.

THERE ARE MULTIPLE FANDOM EVENTS GOING, CAN I INCLUDE IT IN ALL OF THEM?

Absolutely! We support all fandom events! If there is another fandom event, such as a Secret Santa, running at the same time as this one, and your content is applicable, feel free to submit it/include it in all of those available! Make sure you tag ALL applicable event tags in the first 5 tags of your post.

WHEN CAN I SUBMIT CONTENT UNTIL? WHEN IS THE MASTERLIST RELEASE DATE?

We will continue to reblog and accept Home for the Holidale content through JANUARY 1st (with overflow until we post our masterlist).

We will post our masterlist on January 3rd.

If you have content that you’re almost done with and need more time, please contact us and let us know. We will do our best to accommodate.

Posts applicable to the event, like chapter updates, will continue to be reblogged after the event wraps. However, they will not be added to the masterlist.

SHIP, TRIGGER WARNINGS, AND OTHER TAGS:

Every piece of content we reblog will be appropriately tagged with ship (in the format of character x character) and individual character tags. When you post your piece, make sure to use the correct ship tag so that we can reblog appropriately.

If there is a trigger in your content, make sure to tag appropriately on your tumblr post and/or Ao3 post.

Other tags: #fanfic  #gif  #fanart  #edit  #fanvid #fic rec #fanmix

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to send us an ask, or reach out in direct messages to any of us running this event! Cat - @bettycooper Cyd - @bluevelvetvideo Sarah - @theheavycrown