#somewhere the word of honor fandom can go

[omgpurplefattie]

In a few weeks, I want to be able to say I called this: the next big thing in Chinese drama, following on the heels of CQL and SHL, is "A League of Nobleman" (error is part of the title), Chinese name Jun Zi Meng. One is a shady-as-hell court official, the other is a poor scholar who works at a ramen stall (really ramen, they call it lamian, which is ramen) and can cook beautifully; together they solve crime in a kind of Tang dynasty setting.

There is something almost Hannibal-tastic about that show; they solve very bizarre crimes, and the sentence "Who makes statues out of people??" was uttered verbatim. The scholar has a technique called Water Illusion that works much like Will Graham's empathy -- not really explicable, but very effective for solving crimes. There is insanely beautiful cinematography, and a haunting song-less title music.

I have seen 11 out of 29 announced episodes; they are currently airing on WeTV. I don't know if and when it will pop up on YouTube or Rakuten Viki. Also, the scholar's sidekick and co-noodle-seller is played be the actor of Lan Jingyi from CQL, and he is very funny while not at all silly.

Colour me intrigued.

[fluentmoviequoter]

Girls' Trip (Plus Tim)

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x shy!fem!reader

Summary: You and Lucy go on a road trip together, but Tim crashes your girls' weekend when the car breaks down.

Warning: just fluff, the car breaks down but Lucy + r are safe

Word Count: 1.3k+ words

Masterlist | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Picture from Pinterest (this is Tim when Lucy doesn't invite him😂)

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Tim says as he clips Kojo’s leash to his collar.

“No, you won’t,” you remind him softly. ��Lucy and I are going out of town for the weekend, remember?”

“Right,” Tim agrees skeptically. “Because you and Lucy alone for a whole weekend sounds like something you’d do.”

“Yeah, she’s picking me up in the morning.”

“Call me if you need anything, okay?” You nod, and Tim gently lifts your chin to meet your eyes. “Anything at all.”

“I will.”

Kojo licks your hand in farewell and wags his tail as he follows Tim outside. You release a breath before you walk to your room to double-check that everything you need for the weekend is in your bag.

“Good morning!’ Lucy cheers when you step outside. “This is going to be so much fun! Our first girls’ trip!”

You smile at her enthusiasm and try to fight off your building shyness. Since you started dating Tim, Lucy has become one of your closest friends, but her outgoing attitude can bring out your shy side.

“Okay, get comfortable, but not too comfortable,” Lucy says as you walk toward the car. “We’re stopping before we get far to load up on snacks. We have to get essentials.”

“Sounds good,” you reply as you buckle your seatbelt.

As Lucy reverses out of the driveway, you text Tim to let him know that you’re leaving, you love him, and you will see him and Kojo when you get back.

“Hey, since you have your phone out, you can control the music for now. Partly because we need good music for a girls’ trip, but I also don’t want to accidentally wear you out by talking the whole drive.”

“Have you had coffee already?” you ask, though you think you already know the answer.

“You and Tim both do that,” she points out. “But, yes, I needed to make sure I had the energy to get us all the way there and then make our spa appointment.”

“Thanks for planning everything,” you say before turning on a playlist with songs you and Lucy both like.

“Of course, that’s what best friends and future maids of honor are for,” Lucy answers.

After a quick stop for snacks, you get on the interstate to begin the several-hour road trip to the resort Lucy reserved for you. The trip seemed last minute to you, but you found out after she invited you that Lucy wanted to get to know you more and ran everything by Tim as she planned the weekend. Having a friend like Lucy is a big step for you, but you already love her and think she is maid of honor material. If you and Tim get there, and you aren't too shy to say yes when he asks, of course.

“Okay, so I was thinking,” Lucy begins before she trails off and looks at the gauges on the dash.

“Is everything okay?” you ask.

“Something feels weird. We have gas and the temperature is okay, but it doesn’t usually feel like this. I’m going to get off at the next exit.”

You alert her to the upcoming exit and give her directions to a nearby truck stop. Tim taught you the importance of stopping somewhere safe no matter where you are or what you’re doing, and you unconsciously follow his advice today.

“It won’t go back in drive,” Lucy laments as she fiddles with the gear shift.

“Do you want me to call Tim? We’re still pretty close,” you offer.

“He’ll kill me for this,” Lucy whispers before she says, “Please.”

You pull your phone out as Lucy turns the ignition off. Tim answers immediately, and before you finish telling him what happened, he is in his car and asking for the address of the truck stop. He tells you to stay with Lucy and in the car, for the fifteen minutes it will take him to get there, and he ends the call.

“He said he’ll be here in fifteen,” you tell Lucy.

“That means he’s bringing a shop and acting like it’s a code 3 emergency,” she muses with a smile.

“He treats most things like they are, especially if I’m involved.”

“He loves you,” Lucy says. “A ton.”

Tim’s shop pulls up beside your door, and Tim surveys the area before he gestures for you to open the door.

“Nice job picking a safe location, Lucy,” he says as he hugs you.

“Oh, that wasn’t me.”

Tim winks at you before he rounds the car to pop the hood. You watch him as Lucy tells him what happened. He looks good, you think, though he almost always does. He’s still in civvies, so when he bends over the front of the car, you don’t worry about him messing up his uniform. Lucy chuckles beside you, and you look away from Tim quickly.

“What?” you ask her.

“Nothing, you’re just staring at him. It’s cute, like Sam in Transformers.”

“Wouldn’t that make me the girl?” Tim calls.

“How did he hear that?” you murmur to Lucy.

“I’ve been dating you, my hearing improved,” he jokes as he stands. “Try it now, Lucy.”

Lucy gets in the driver’s seat and turns over the ignition. It shifts smoothly into drive before she places it back in park and thanks Tim from her seat.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” you say as he closes the hood.

“Of course. I want to follow you for a few minutes to make sure it keeps running okay. It looked like it was just the transmission fluid,” he explains.

“No!” Lucy calls, leaning over the console. “You can’t crash girls’ weekend! You get her all week; I want a turn.”

“I’m not crashing anything, Chen,” he explains, shifting into his grumpy TO voice. “I want to make sure you get to the county line, if that’s okay with you. Or do you want to break down somewhere there isn’t a well-lit truck stop?”

Lucy huffs but waves anyway. Tim kisses your head and opens the passenger door so you can join Lucy. As she pulls out, Tim follows her and stays close as you get farther from LA. Half an hour later, you get a text from Tim that he’s turning back, and you promise to call him if anything else happens. His responding text that he’ll miss your voice makes you look away from your phone like it’s him. Hopefully, he won’t manage to make you shy all weekend from several hundred miles away.

“And we’re free,” Lucy muses as she watches Tim exit in her rearview mirror. “Does he always make you that shy?”

“Usually,” you answer.

“Well, it’s a good thing you have me then. I can protect you from his vicious onslaughts of attention.”

You laugh at Lucy’s phrasing, and then you both yell together when you see a billboard for a homemade candy and ice cream store at the next exit. Despite your delay and Tim temporarily crashing your girls’ weekend, you and Lucy are already having a great time. By the end of your trip, you may have a maid of honor for a wedding you haven’t even thought about.

Bonus:

Tim walks into the bullpen and sighs. He misses you already, and the velvet box hidden in his nightstand has been on his mind more the past few days.

“You miss her,” Angela accuses when she sees him.

“Of course I do, she’s not as annoying as the rest of you,” Tim replies.

“That’s why you started dating a shy girl? So she wouldn’t talk as much as the rest of us? That’s messed up, Timothy.”

“Well, if that's how you feel,” Tim begins before pausing. “I guess I’ll ask someone else to help me plan the proposal.”

“I’m sorry,” Angela says while she reaches out to grab Tim’s sleeve. “Let me help, it will be perfect.”

“We have to one up girls’ weekend,” Tim points out.

“Trust me, we will.”

[f-t-e]

I started watching SUPERNATURAL in November 2020. I know, I know. My partner and I had been isolating alone since March. The timing felt right. I went though a wild amount of upheaval and trauma over the next year and SPN was there for me through it all. It was THE show at THE time and it kept me afloat when I needed it the most. Since November 2021 I've written just about 110,000 words of SPN fanfic, a number that seems unbelievable to me, and that too has been a real blessing to my creative life, no matter what haters say. (why didn't I write my own novels in that time? Because I have a hobby, Karen, and I love it.) And I've read about 500000x that much fanfic, which has been the biggest blessing of all. (ETA: oh right, if you want to read my fic, you can find my stuff here, I wrote a fic where Dean reads books. Lots of books.)

I know I'm a nobody in this fandom but I thought on this, our #DestielDay, I would submit my own humble rec list. I've curated this very deliberately: every fic here has just about 4000 hits or less (most under 3000) and all were published in 2020 or after. So, sort of a rec list for some lesser known and newer fics, something you maybe haven't stumbled on yet. Especially thank you to @jewishcharliebradbury, her rec lists gave me a place to start back in the day and I have tried to model the depth and quality they brought to their lists. I tried to link to everyone's tumblr, but if I missed one, let me know.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who has EVER created something for this fandom, from 2005 to 2023. I am so thankful and, honestly, honored to be among your number. You're not supposed to be cringe and say a show saved your life...but SUPERNATURAL saved me, it really did. See y'all when the movie/reboot drops, to quote Ryan Gosling in The Notebook: IT WASN'T OVER, IT STILL ISN'T OVER. And I'm glad.

-----

Finale Fix-It & S15 and Beyond

What The Moon Was Saying by Amiril (@runawaymarbles)

This is hands-down one of the coolest “Dean Rescues Cas from the Empty” fics I have ever read and the concept is brilliantly structured to mirror the literal and metaphorical things Dean needs to give up and let go to get free. Every scenario is very satisfying and they make sense, is there any better feeling? Dean is very open in this, but in a believable way that still has edges. And, oh, the reunion is so good. Plus all the family stuff. Just excellent, exactly what you want in a fic like this: lovely, well-written, smart, fulfilling, all the pieces clicking, the show but better.

Awake and Annoying by skycruise

I love the use and passage of time in this one, it has some real impact, and I love the way Dean gets into the Empty (so smart, fits just right) and what I REALLY love in this one is the way it lets Dean be really clear-eyed and honest about his relationship with Sam, both the strengths and the weaknesses. And the last line, very clever and moving inverse of one of fandom’s favorite things. 

Living the life you chose by allthismusic

THEEEEE post finale Sam Winchester-Outsider-POV this fandom needs. Sam is absolutely awesome in this, the most believable, loving, realistic mix of “I knew all along” and “I had no idea” versions of Sam, landing somewhere I think that’s really true and in character. It fills in and develops so many gaps and silences in what the show let Sam know in the absolute best way. Best Brother Sam is a weakness of mine and he really shines here, there for Dean in the best ways but also coming into his own, I love it so very much. (this author also has a very great 2022 Big Bang fic, hugely recommend that one too.)

your ear to the wound that whispers by EmandFandems (@lazarusemma)

Who doesn’t love a HANDPRINT FIC?!? And boy this is such a good one. It follows Dean and his thoughts on the handprint from the first touch all the way to fixing the finale and it simply buzzes with longing and desire, tenderness and rawness. It’s great insight in lot of ways into Dean’s journey. It’s short but fulfilling and oh that very perfect last line. (this author also has a lot of great Jupernatural content.)  

Somewhere Off in the Dark by magickastiel 

Another awesome fic that traces Dean’s shifting/growing feelings for Cas from when he shows up in his hotel rooms to a HEA fix it after canon. Dean, again, is handled so deftly in this one, his confusion and sorrow at all the times Cas is slipping away from him all the way through the things he won’t let himself know. He feels really true in this one, sharp and tender in the best Dean ways. Also it has an agonizingly romantic end, you love to end up there.

Pins and Feathers by theskywasblue (@buttherewasnogod)

This author has so many freaking good SPN fics, omg it was almost impossible to pick just one to include on this list. Go treat yourself with their entire list because there’s so much good stuff there! But this one, oh I am a sucker for a finale fix-it that lets Dean be this tender. While I LOVE fics where he just jumps right into Cas’s arms (and write them lol) I also feel like this is so true to Dean too: that “maybe I misunderstood, maybe I shouldn’t say anything, maybe he doesn’t still –” And on top of all that, it’s a “they go the beach” fic and it gets the details of it so right, sand in your toes and all. Tender, amazing slow-burn, real, hot, full of heart and longing and everything unspoken and just waiting. Very satisfying!

i loved you first by kalmialatifolia

A set of four short fics that create an entire world of feeling and emotion. These feel like little whispered stories told under the covers, very atmospheric. There’s one very sexy one, a haircutting one (so good) and they’re just intimate. All together a great set and did I mention they’re in the “Cas saves himself” genre which is mmmm an underrated treasure.

no other faith is light enough for this place by anonymous 

A fix-it fic that has a particularly unique and beautiful visual of both how and why Cas comes back. The mechanics behind it are fairly standard but the way this author creates the visual of it, the sheer emotion and force behind it and how it happens, it really stood out to me and stuck with me. It’s Dean being brave enough to really feel and the way that just blossoms – lovely, aching, full-tilt wonderful.

 no proof, one touch by TakeThisWaltz (@watchinghimrakeleaves)

One thing I absolutely cannot get enough of is fic where Cas is hiding out from Dean in heaven. It just hits. And the only thing better is Dean chasing him down and the WAY he does it in this fic, methodically and – well the method (sobs) it is so endearing and OBVIOUS and gives Dean a chance to shout in all the best ways. This one is just real sweet and kind of goofy and if they have to be in heaven, I want them to still be these same two dorks.

Stay by redbrickrose

This is a post S15x18 from Cas’s POV and I think it’s very true to where he would be in the moment of getting yanked out of the Empty: resigned, hesitant about what he has in front of him, still a little in shock. And then. And then. Sweet and simple and Dean gets a chance to say, say, say it. This author has a good post series AU and a lovely little spate of S15 codas, all good. And then wrote this in real-time in the week after 15x18 Despair and right before 15x19 Inherit the Earth aired (could you just sob over the possibilities?!) and then hasn’t wrote anything since and that’s a shame but, like, yeah I get it.

like a one-two punch by Muir_Wolf (@muirmarie)

Don’t you love a short fic that feels like it’s a whole novel? This goes AU after 14x20 Moriah but it is a truly delightful twist on how Chuck could’ve reacted there and it makes Dean sharp as a knife, which is one really resonant image woven through this fic. Great imagery here and so many clever solutions for the lazy plotting of S15, including simply one of my all-time favorites in any fic ever solutions to Cas’s deal (genius) and getting rid of Chuck. Brilliant like a puzzle box yet still full of so much fucking joy.

maybe i like pleasure pain by tothewillofthepeople (@kvothes)

The fact that this was written in October 2023 and is so agonizingly good fills my heart with joy and tells me Destiel will never die lol. Cas, in particular, is great in this – he’s having a hard time adjusting to being in a body and with all the fuzz of the world. I love fics where Cas struggles with coming back from the Empty and this uses a really unique approach to it: Cas facing sensory overload and not knowing how to feel but wanting it all. Lovely, hot, Dean is just right in this too.

Earlier Canon (pre S15)

Proverbs 13:12 by starlingcas (@angelcasendgame)

Many might say I am biased because Renu has beta’ed everything I have written in the SPN fandom and they can read my brain and make everything I write better. But it’s not just that. Renu has done something beautiful and delicate in this fic, which is about Dean and Cas getting trapped in a net together (forced proximity trope, yes please) and weaves a web of its own; pulling you in just as they are pulled together. This is set mostly in early S14 (before fixing the finale in the most heart-healing way) and captures that feeling so well. There’s so much that’s unsaid between them yet still conveyed and Renu absolutely nails that, along with the tender longing that was always there. This is a fic to relish.

you may tire of me (as our december sun is setting) by deludedfantasy

You know how the show just sometimes is like “uh so anyway uh then Cas…uh…left.” and it just doesn’t make one lick of sense? FINALLY FINALLY a fic where Dean says “I’ll go with you,” and then goes because he actually would do that. This is a post Tombstone fic so it is exactly where/when he WOULD go and it is tender and hesitant and aching in just all the ways it would be between the two of them at this time. It’s about needing to keep someone in sight, it’s about having another chance to say something so important, it’s slow and soft and just right for the characters in this place. I could read this one about 100 times.

the anatomy of flightless birds by cowlovely (@dollhousemary)

This fic is basically the way you feel when you get all cozy and snug underneath your favorite blanket. This is a domestic-life-in-the Bunker S9 fic where everyone behaves like they are in character and not just like they have to get Cas off screen because the writers panicked. You’ll just want to curl up in this fic and savor it the way you wrap your fingers around a hot beverage on a very cold day, there’s no better way to describe it.

virtue by JenTheSweetie

I think I’ve read this about 100 times and it still gets me everytime? It’s a five things fic about Dean and Cas hooking up and it’s all you’ve ever wished for. This is set in an amorphous S8 and it is not just agonizingly hot but also romantic and very funny. It feels really in character! Sam is hilarious, Dean is clueless but bowled over and letting himself be swept up, Cas is delighting in every second and smarter than he lets on and it ALL feels fated and lovely and sexy and just splendid. (this author only has 3 SPN fics but they are all so good and if you try sometimes, well you just might find is an absolutely brilliant deconstruction of Dean learning the differences between “needing” and “wanting.”)

Romance at the Motel 6 by shelia_amour 

This fic makes me feel like Stefon from SNL. This fic has everything: Cas and Sam pretending to be married, just the right amount of jealous Dean, Dean randomly pretending to be married to Cas, Dean realizing maybe this isn’t so fake after all, motel vibes, Cas in Dean’s clothes, Cas getting bee slippers. If you are not sold on this already, we are very different people. So good, aches just right. (set in a kind of “whenever” of canon, but I like to put it somewhere in S8.)

que sera sera by Purple_Starflower (@hauntedpearl)

The epitome of how fanfic unfolds for us all the things that COULD happen. You can’t PROVE to me Dean and Cas never snuck off to snuggle and feed Dean’s touch-starvation early in S13. I had to check when I finished because I just couldn’t believe this fic was under 4000 words because it feels so full of touch, longing, the things unspoken, and all the ways Dean was reaching, reaching, reaching. The best kind of ache, and everything by this author is lovely. 

the hard edge that you’re settling for by lesspopped (@trekkiedean)

This is some S10 Demon!Dean that made my stomach hurt and my heart ache and I absolutely loved it and I absolutely hated it and it all felt so REAL with who Demon!Dean was and could have been. There’s a TW for mildly dubious consent in this, but to me, Cas was so agonizingly true to who he was/where he was at this point in canon too. This fic is gloriously, claustrophobically intimate. I say unbearable because as a reader you know that this closeness, this intimacy, is what Dean wants/craves/deserves but can only give himself as a demon and the author does an exquisite job at getting all that across. Hurts so good! 

four of swords by sundryvillians (eurythmix) (@perenial)

Can the world ever have enough post 12x12 fic? The answer is, of course, no. Dean and Cas bake bread and in the soft space of creating something with their own hands, get so close to the words Cas said. It’s about healing and anger and making something just because you are so tired of everything breaking. If that alone isn’t enough to convince you, let me also throw in this is another one of those “possible off-screen moments in canon” that gives them something honest and tender and raw and it feels so very possible. 

Fifteen Prayers From the Faithless by koyas_cat

Short, achy, that sweet sting. A set of prayers for Cas from the beginning to the end, full of all the things Dean doesn’t let himself say outloud and just reflecting the changes in their connection over alllll the years. So good.

[mastercucco]

Hateno Boy - Part 1 - Link x Reader

The Calamity is gone, but so is Link’s purpose. He feels completely lost in post-Calamity Hyrule where everyone but him seem to have found their new place.

It certainly doesn’t help his restless nights that you, a young Hylian whom Zelda has hired as the new teacher at Hateno School, are slowly taking up more and more of his headspace with each conversation you two have.

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Pairing: Link x fem!Reader Raiting: Mature (might go up, might go down, let's see) Contains: feel-good, slow burn romance; platonic Link/Zelda; Link being an angsty retired hero Chapter Index | Read on Ao3 A/N: Very excited to write something possibly disgustingly cute. The story takes place after the events in BotW but before the beginning of TotK. All characters are adults! I hope you enjoy the story! xx

Chapter 1 - Purpose

Contains: Link being an angsty retired hero; Zelda being embarrassed by Link's inability to talk to girls (or other human beings in general) Word count: ~1,3k A/N: Please look past any weird sentences, English isn't my first language :p

A breath of warm air blows from the sea, gentle on skin and smelling of sea salt. The wind hurries over the hills of Necluda, tall grass bowing before it like waves on an emerald green ocean. Once it reaches Link sitting on top of the hills, it gently tugs on his hair and pushes his hood down.

He has been sitting there for quite some time now – so long that the tips of his ears are starting to redden from the wind, as gentle as it is. The sun that was high up when he arrived at the hills, is now hanging low over the horizon. It is soon time for him to go; Zelda asked him in the morning to stop by the school before sundown.

He is alone, as he is on most days nowadays. There isn’t much for him to do: Zelda is busy rebuilding Hateno, the recently finished village school her new pride and joy. And when she isn’t mingling with the villagers, she’s kept busy with her research at the Tech Lab. She doesn’t require an escort anymore, not after Purah hired a young researcher to assist them decipher ancient Zonai texts anyway. The man rarely leaves Zelda’s side when the two of them are together – which is often. Very often.

Link was jealous at first. After all, he is the Princess’ appointed knight, and he is the one who wields the Master Sword, and he is the one who saved Zelda’s life – not some overly excited, self-proclaimed explorer with a stupidly tall frame and an apparent distaste for wearing upper garments that hide his muscles.

Eventually, his jealousy morphed into loneliness – something he did a terrible job of hiding from Zelda. She asked him if he wanted to return to Hyrule Castle to help the Royal Guard in training new soldiers. Link said no, that he likes it here in Hateno.

“I wouldn’t mind if you go,” Zelda said, gently placing her hand on top of his, “I can see how lost you are here.”

Somehow, Zelda seeing straight through his lies and offering him kindness hurt more than her asking Link to leave in the first place. After that, Link couldn’t help but feel even more uncertain and disconnected. Everyone had seemingly moved on, everyone but him. While he still remains close with Zelda, honoring his duty, accompanying her whenever she travels outside of Hateno, even living with her, he knows deep down that she doesn’t need him anymore. The Calamity is gone, and so is his purpose.

The sun hangs low when Link arrives at Hateno School. The sky is flaring in shades of red, reminding Link of a cozy fire under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be. The school’s front doors are open, but the playground is silent and the windows are dark, all except one. It has been a while since Link last visited the school. The children adore him, which is exactly why he prefers to stay away. Their looks of admiration and curious questions make him uneasy. Ever since moving to Hateno, all he has wanted is to lay low, going as far as to hide his head-turning Champion’s tunic in the bottom of his drawer. He wanted to throw the tunic away, but Zelda wouldn’t let him.

He can already hear Zelda’s excited chattering when he reaches the open doors and quietly steps inside. Zelda is having an eager conversation with a young Hylian woman – you – whom Link doesn’t remember seeing before. He does remember Zelda telling him about a new teacher she hired a few months back, and he figures it must be you.

You notice Link arriving before Zelda does and give him a polite smile in greeting. Only when he lightly taps on Zelda’s shoulder does she stop talking and turn around.

“Oh, Link,” she smiles. “You have impeccable timing. We were just talking about you!”

Link furrows his brow. Great, just great, he thinks, already feeling the tips of his ears growing warmer.

“Only good things,” you assure with an awkward laugh. “The Princess told me you made the apple pie she brought the other day.”

Link hopes that the dim light of the oil lamps is enough to hide his red ears. He clears his throat, though not even intending to say anything.

“I don’t think you two have met before, have you?” Zelda says, giving Link an encouraging nudge.

Even after all the years spent in royal banquets practicing formal pleasantries with Hyrule’s nobility, Link still feels awkward having to introduce himself. Nonetheless, he extends his hand for a greeting. When you offer him yours, he brings it to his lips and gives your knuckles a polite kiss. Your skin feels soft and pleasant, he thinks, now horribly self-aware of just how sweaty his own palm is.

When he looks back at you, even he can pick up the awkward tension in your smile and words as you introduce yourself. He feels his whole face heat up, not really understanding what he did wrong but knowing he must have, because even Zelda has the same tension in her smile as you do.

“He is very accustomed to his formal greetings from his days at the Castle,” Zelda says with a forced smile and gives Link a look. Only then does he realize that a hand kiss, though adequate in greeting a noble woman, is not something you, a village school teacher, was expecting from a Royal Knight. He would apologize, but his mouth is dry and no words come out.

“And, well, you probably already know of Link,” Zelda breaks the uncomfortable silence after it becomes clear Link isn’t going to introduce himself.

“The Hero of Hyrule,” you say, knowingly. “We have actually met before.”

We have? Link thinks, the heat of embarrassment getting unbearable. All he wants to do is run home and hide under his bed covers for the rest of eternity. This is why he rarely leaves their home or willingly socializes with the villagers. He would cringe if he wasn’t too embarrassed to move his face muscles.

“You have?” asks Zelda out loud, her disapproving eyes boring into Link’s.

“It was years ago,” you are quick to add. “He took refuge in our family home once. I wouldn’t blame him for not remembering.”

Zelda doesn’t appear quite as understanding when she shoots another scolding look at Link, the pink in her own cheeks deepening as well. “Please,” she says as she turns back to you, “accept my apology. Link can be awfully forgetful sometimes.” She gives him a final glare that, at last, makes him drop his head. He’s not sure if dying of embarrassment is a real occurrence, but if it is, then he must be very close to leaving Hyrule for good.

“It’s quite alright, Your Highness,” you say with a slightly uneasy laugh that fails to fully mask your discomfort. “I don’t mind it, really. Like I said, it was years ago.”

There is an uncomfortable silence between the three of you. Then Zelda claps her hands, and the tension breaks like a taut rubber band. Link sighs, relieved.

“Well,” Zelda says, “now that we are done with introductions, perhaps we can show Link the curriculum we’ve been working on? I’m sure he can give us his opinion on the section about monster parts and their usage in elixirs.”

When you turn to look for something from your writing table’s drawers, Link grabs Zelda’s sleeve and gives her a pleading look. Zelda narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

“Do not even think of fleeing” she hisses in his ear before she hurries over to you to help you with a pile of scrolls close to toppling over. Link lets out a silent grunt and looks longingly at the open doors. The sun has gone down, the sky now the same shade as embers cooling down under a cooking pot – somewhere he would much prefer to be.

Chapter 2 - Heromania »

[miserymerci]

<- Day 10: Care

Fluffy February Day 11: Quest - The Monkey King and The Monkey

Fandom: Lego Monkie Kid

Characters: Sun Wukong, Nezha, Jade Emperor, MK

(Lots of mentions of MK but actually pops up near the end, Sunburst Duo, Harbinger of Chaos MK, Alternate universe)

Word count: 4971

Summary: (TW: mentions of execution of a child) Takes place after the Samadhi Fire was separated from Red Son. In an alternate universe, Sun Wukong is summoned by the Jade Emperor, who gives him one final task: Wukong is to kill the Harbinger of Chaos before he can lay waste to Heaven— and the rest of the universe. But this has to be a mistake. The Harbinger of Chaos is just a little kid. Wukong’s next decision would be a lot easier if he didn’t want the Harbinger dead, too. (Inspired by The Horse and the Infant animatic)

Wispy indigo reached across the sky; rich, deep, and stunningly royal amongst the full galaxy beyond it. The stars glittered and winked, as if the world’s problems were only a fleeting thing to them. The night slept along. It would have been difficult for it not to, Wukong realized, since the sky in itself seemed to be a lullaby.

He could call it a painting. It had that look after all; like it had been touched up to perfection; like the splattered stars randomly lined up right where they were supposed to be. But Wukong didn’t consider himself an artist. So, then, would it really matter if he thought the night was beautiful or not?

What a strange thing to think. He should be rewarding himself with a good night’s sleep. Instead, here he was mulling over creation. Ridiculous. 

“Wukong, I know I’ve already said this, but thank you,” came a familiar voice.

Wukong snorted to himself and turned to smile at his ex-sworn brother.

“I don’t mind the thanks– this’ll be the only time I get to see this side of you, so I’m enjoying it the best I can– but you were just about ready to go for my throat a few hours ago,” he said.

The Demon Bull King’s sincerity wavered at the tease, but he had always been an honorable opponent. He shook his head to keep the annoyance at bay and titled his broad nose up at the stars.

“This was important to me. Meeting Lady Iron Fan felt like my new beginning– if you’re going to make that face, look at me when you do it. I know you’re a hopeless romantic, simian. Hmph. As I was saying… meeting Lady Iron Fan felt like my new beginning. And now I’m here with it laying in my palms, and I don’t want to hang on too tight or cradle it too carelessly,” said the Demon Bull King. “I want to be tactical with every step I take. The possibility of losing Red Son to the Samadhi Fire… it was… not an ideal thought. I had worried you weren’t taking it as seriously as I was.”

The Mystic Mountain did have a view Wukong could appreciate (when they weren’t in the middle of sealing an inextinguishable fire). But the colorfulness of it all quickly became sorrowfully bland. Wukong frowned at the twisted feeling and eyed the Demon Bull King. He had turned away to somewhere Wukong couldn’t see.

Wukong imagined it would have been where Lady Iron Fan, their son, and the others had spread out their own camps. With the journey too far and the extraction of the Fire too exhausting, it had been a practical decision to stay the night. Even Nezha had stayed; not by any other compelling force other than being a good sport to those who couldn’t simply bounce off to heaven.

The Demon Bull King’s eyes glinted with the surrounding stars. The look on his face was soft, like an old dog born on the streets. 

Wukong remembered distant times where the young Demon Bull King had been eager to crush bones on the battlefield; where he had dreamed of only power and control; when family had been something the Demon Bull King had laughed at. 

He turned away.

“Look at you, being a sap. It’s an… interesting look on you.”

“It’s hardly something I want you getting used to,” the Demon Bull King snapped. “In the morning, we will part ways and carry on with our existences. I have respect for you tonight. But what I do tomorrow and the days after will be separate from your shenanigans.”

Wukong could say a few different things to that. ‘When did things change?’, for one. ‘I can’t understand how you feel’, for another.

“Well said.” he settled on. He picked at a furry knot that had formed on his wrist and then groaned. “It’s not like I’d find any joy being in your inner circle. You’d drive me crazy with your incompetence to boil pasta.”

The Demon Bull King huffed and then grumbled.

“Sorry, what was that?” nudged Wukong.

“It was one time!” 

Wukong’s fur bristled at the tone, but grinned knowingly. This was familiar territory. He was very good at dancing this dance. 

“You boiled it twice as long as we told you to.”

“We put in double the pasta! It should have been double the time!”

“It doesn’t work that way! If you put the pasta into boiling water at the same time–”

“No! That doesn’t make sense. If you cook a thick slice of meat and a thin slice of meat, the thicker slice is going to need more time–”

“–because the heat is spread out! It’s not touching the outside and the inside at the same time.”

The Demon Bull King snorted, glanced back at his family with clenched fists, and then shook them in Wukong’s general direction.

“It is,” he said.

“Okay, it is but the pasta is like a million thin slices of meat so–”

“–it equals one thick slice of meat.”

“It’s admirable that you’re willing to die on this hill even though you’re wrong,” said Wukong smilingly. 

“You irk me with your breathing.”

The Demon Bull King had obviously chewed more than he could swallow. He didn’t enjoy lengthy conversation to begin with, and had only prepared himself to say thank you and promptly scatter. The more Wukong went off-script, the more frustrated the Demon Bull King would become. 

That was one thing that hadn’t changed about him. Wukong hid a fond smile at the thought.

He coiled and uncoiled his tail, sighed quietly, and then said, “I think I’m getting a little tired,” even though he wasn’t.

“Me too,” agreed the Demon Bull King, even though he wasn’t. 

And that was it for the night– maybe even the rest of Wukong’s life. There would likely be no other times like this; a group of these warriors united under the stars; because the “battle” had already ended, and the rest of their lives readily laid in wait. Could he return to Flower Fruit Mountain and get fat off fruit for the rest of his life? It was what he had wanted, before. But the times had changed, and the desires had changed, and the people had changed… 

But he was alone before he could find the words.

‘And that was just it, was it?’ he thought, watching the Demon Bull King return to Lady Iron Fan’s side with certainty. Things were moving before he was ready. He couldn’t pick up the pieces and place them back like pawns. “Forever” was much too long of a time for him to protect.

The last thought twisted in his belly. It squirmed, hissed, and Wukong suddenly felt sick with anger.

“…The sun, the sun,” Wukong murmured through his clenched teeth. He took a peek at the lazing moon and lashed his tail. “You bring us colorful light. You beautify the lovely flower of our soul.” 

Wukong had believed it to be a lousy lullaby when his Master had taught him it. Tripitaka hummed it to himself first, caught the attention of a curious monkey, and sneakily recited the tune to his hyperactive pupil. Now, Wukong glanced at his sleeping form next to Ao Lie and passed quietly.

“Today we grow under the sunlight,” he mumbled, raising his hands and finding his cloud had obediently appeared at his side. Something twinkled on its surface. Maybe stars, maybe just a trick in the moonlight. He blinked the illusion away and settled into the cloud’s weightless surface.

“Tomorrow we will create a colorful world.”

The sky continued to spin.

“Wukong.”

Wukong’s eyes flung open. He shot frantically to his knees, felt the cloud disperse below him, and in the space between him and solid ground, his tail lashed out and sprung him back to his feet.

Nezha’s serious expression didn’t budge. 

“Come on,” said Wukong, “I still got it.”

“Not if you’re letting anyone sneak up on you like that in your sleep,” replied Nezha, helpfully. He gestured his spear behind Wukong, urging him to look.

Ao Lie smiled a cat-like smile behind him and waved. He looked a little pale and might have been sweating more than usual, but nothing to call for concern. Beside him, Sha Wujing sipped what was probably tea from his chipped little cup. Wukong nodded politely at them. 

On the other side of the site, the Demon Bull family had already left– no goodbyes were exchanged, only an air of respect– and Wukong’s twisting belly threatened to rear its ugly head again. The morning was still pink and yellow, young and new. It didn’t surprise Wukong that two warriors had woken up bright and early for the trek ahead.

“What’s wrong?” asked Wukong. 

Nezha glanced back at the two pilgrims, then lifted his brows. “Private business, meant to be discussed privately.”

Wukong sniffled, but Nezha’s facade left little wiggle room; the poor prince’s fingers tapped anxiously against the shaft of his spear, hidden to the untrained eye, obvious to the Great Sage. Something was brewing behind the scenes. If it had anything to do with Nezha, then it had something to do with Heaven. 

“Go ahead,” said Lie, snapping Wukong out of his thoughts. He smiled at him brightly. “We’re only waiting for the Master… err– Sannnzanggg– to wake up. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I left without saying goodbye, but it was a pleasure seeing you again, Wukong.”

“And Bajie,” added Wujing. The fins along his jaw fluttered as he took another long drink of his hot tea. “He hasn’t woken up yet.” 

Lie huffed humorously, probably thinking over the previous day. He blinked at the snoring pig and then said, “yes, well, but it’s not like he did anything but stare the entire ritual.”

Nezha narrowed his eyes expectantly at Wukong and clenched his weapon. 

“Right, then,” said Wukong, “tell the Master my goodbyes for me. ”

Briskly, Nezha turned and began to stride away from the group.

“Wow! Impatient today, huh?” called Wukong. He picked up into a jog to catch up and slipped in front of Nezha, beginning to walk backwards. “I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of the pilgrims, but I think you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Missing your holy, phoenix down-stuffed mattress in Heaven? How’re your joints? Stiff?” 

Nezha wrinkled his nose (likely in warning) before finally stopping just underneath a jutted-out slab of stone; a defect in the site’s structure, perfect for a top-secret discussion.

Wukong tilted his head. 

Usually, Nezha was straight to the point. He knew his duties and he knew how to do them, but something had shifted in the air– and Wukong’s worry shifted with it. 

“Something must really be wrong if you look so… dejected. Cheer up, Nezha! It’s not like the world is ending,” he said. 

“The universe is ending.”

“Hhhphhh… rough night?”

Nezha finally ripped his gaze from the stone behind Wukong and glared.

“Yes, actually. Can you stop being a fool for a moment? As you can probably tell, there’s a lot to say about this, and I’m trying to… find the right words.”

“Right,” said Wukong, “then let me help you out. I have a hunch that Heaven needs help from their old buddy the Monkey King to hunt a scary monster threatening to tear down the heavens. How’s that sound?” 

“It’s more than that,” insisted Nezha coldly. He hung his head, sighed, and then steeled himself. “You’re infuriating, Sun Wukong. The only reason I’m before you right now is by orders from the Emperor. I respect you for your friendship with the Great Monk, but I advise you not to test your luck.”

The dawn shimmered against Nezha’s spear as it rocked back and forth from his fidgeting. Just beyond its point, Lie hovered over Sanzang just as he had when the Great Monk was still under their protection. Old habits die hard. Wukong understood the rigid behavior of Nezha when faced with duty and pride.

“I thought I had already served the sentence Heaven gave me.”

“This isn’t a sentence. You are an ally of Heaven,” Wukong made a face at that, and Nezha continued sterner, “and that means that the Jade Emperor may summon you as he pleases. What he may do if you do not answer his call remains to be unseen.”

Now that Wukong thought about it, maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to reminisce over retired warriors. A threat to the universe simply meant another round for the Great Sage. He wouldn’t have to return to Flower Fruit Mountain just yet.

Wukong leaned back on the stone, twirled his trusty tail, then smiled.

“Fine. I’ll take the bite.”

The perfect, crisp air filled Wukong’s lungs and lingered like smoke.

“We have the enemy contained deep in the palace,” one of the guards was saying, probably someone of high-importance, but not high enough to matter, “where the Emperor will be waiting for you.”

“Seems like extra effort to bring me in if you’ve already got the guy,” said Wukong. He sniffled, caught wind of unripe peaches, and rubbed at his nose. 

Heaven never changed much. The scents were the same, the lights were the same, and even the tiniest of pests couldn’t wiggle their way through security. If anything, the number of guards out in the garden seemed to have doubled the last time he was here. 

Wukong smirked and titled his head up.

“While we have the source of the problem, the universe’s destruction has already been set into motion. The Emperor believes that our captive is our only way of discovering how to place everything back the way it was.”

The marble steps of the palace tapped under Wukong’s feet. His eyes peeked down to catch sight of any blemishes on the floor; smudges, cracks, anything out of place really; and only found his reflection.

Really? Were the floors that shiny? What overkill.

“If I’m not supposed to be finding this universe-destroying demon, then what am I supposed to be doing?”

His escort hesitated. He looked up at the heavens for assistance, fixed his helmet, and then continued with a brisk shrug, “uh, not my department. Sorry, sir. Please just follow me.”

Wukong rolled his eyes.

Heaven had plenty of secrets, but only few could really keep their mouths shut about it. Maybe he should have been more on-guard about the whole thing. This could have been a trap to imprison him, or an ambush behind the Emperor’s back. But that didn’t make sense. Nezha might be a strike to the shin, but Wukong didn’t think him to be deceitful.

The air went chilly the further down they went. Something like fog began to build, dewy on Wukong’s fur and itchy between his chest and armor. Marbled flooring twisted to stone; first neatly placed in a silly little flowered pattern, then turning chipped and askew. 

He stepped over a particularly deep hole between two old stones. For a moment, he wondered if the flash of scuttling legs in the crevice were real or just his imagination– but then the smell of mold and dust washed over him.

“What a cruel place to keep your prisoners,” said Wukong, quietly. He blinked at the rows of torches and let the raspberry hues guide his eyes. 

The guard hummed. Maybe he was still flustered about his close-fumble earlier, because he wasn’t making eye contact anymore. 

They passed through the hall. The cells enclosed them from both sides.

“Only the worst of the worst are here,” said the guard. “The ones who have tried to bring down the Jade Emperor directly receive very long sentences. Not all of them live to see the end of it.”

Wukong eyed what looked like splintered bones between some bars. Then, he smiled.

“Ran out of mountains to use?” he asked.

The guard nervously cleared his throat.

Very little signs of life remained in this deep, forgotten prison. The spiders here would die from empty webs. The bones of past sentences were picked clean and likely crumbly to the touch. Only one other being lurked the cells, far against the corner, just before they reached the arch at the end of the hall.

A demon with bright, orange eyes grinned at him in the darkness.

Wukong slowed. He looked over long fangs and slithering hair. With a blink, he quickly caught up to his escort.

“Go in,” said the guard before Wukong could ask about the strange demon, gesturing to the entryway. He shifted his feet. He looked a little like a board; maybe a penguin; antsy and tense in the newest shift in the air. With a deep breath, he announced into the doorway, “Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven!” 

Something rumbled. Fog blew out like a breath and swayed Wukong and the guard.

Wukong frowned, gave the guard a parting glance, and entered.

Wukong enjoyed biting more than he could chew. Not only was it a fun challenge, but the risk kept his muscles used, his mind spry, and his heart young. It was like eating peppers for the spice and suffering the kick afterwards. Wukong could risk it, because Wukong always survived, and death could never claim him.

Despite that, Wukong wouldn’t say he was “getting old”. It was honestly more of being “forever young”. The Great Sage couldn’t just retire. Retiring was for old people and fighting dogs– but he supposed that if he said that, it would mean that the Jade Emperor would have to retire. And soon.

Wukong looked over the blue-purple ombre cuts that were splitting at the seams against an undefeatable entity and instinctively stepped back.

“What happened to you?” he blurted, and then promptly nipped that disrespect in the bud. “Uhhh– errr– hi.”

The cuts– Wukong noticed stars shimmering in them, almost like a galaxy– warbled and sang like a winding clock.

“Hello, Monkey,” replied the Emperor. He said it almost like he was spitting it out, but Wukong tried not to take it personally. There could have been a number of reasons right now why he was being snippy. 

The great force neared from the opposite side of the room. The fog, chilly to the bone, twisted in the space between.

“Hi,” said Wukong again. He blinked and cleared his throat. “So, what’s the problem?” 

“You are here because Heaven needs your personal experience to help get rid of our prisoner.”

“Get rid of?” echoed Wukong.

“It can’t be killed,” said the Emperor, and Wukong’s eyes gleamed, “not in the normal sense. Yet it is too destructive to be imprisoned. Our only choice is to have it eradicated. As an ‘immortal’ yourself, you would know a thing or two about finding the loopholes in such matters.”

Wukong cocked his head and considered that. Killing an immortal? Just about everyone in Heaven was immortal. He had tried once, failed, and paid the price for it. And then he went on an entire quest to learn how to not kill people. 

But this prisoner– this immortal– was immortal in a way that even Heaven couldn’t decipher it, much like how they couldn’t decipher Wukong’s layers of immortality. Except this immortal was… worse? Worse enough, at least, to not risk even the five-hundred-years-under-a-mountain punishment. 

“What have they done?” he asked.

“Their existence is what threatens the universe.”

‘That doesn’t make any sense. Can you stop beating around the bush and tell me what’s really the problem?’ Wukong wanted to say, but the Emperor was brief for a reason, answering only what Wukong asked, and leaving the unknown unknown. Wukong needed to be clever if he wanted the full story.

“Like a harbinger?” 

The Emperor tilted his chin up and said, “what an interesting choice of words. Yes, I like that. It’s a harbinger.”

“What of?”

“Chaos, I presume.”

“You don’t know?”

“I know better than you will.”

“Who sent it?”

“The Goddess Nüwa.”

That startled Wukong’s train of thought. He cringed, shook his head, and settled his hands on his hips.

“The Goddess of creation? She made humanity and now she wants to destroy it?”

“You fail to understand me, Monkey. My problem is not with Nüwa, it’s with her rebellious children. Will you lend me your aid or not?”

This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. The last thing Wukong wanted to be was a pawn for something he didn’t understand. The Master had urged him to think before he got too cocky in combat, and boy was Wukong thinking now– thinking about how much he was likely missing from this narrative. 

‘The sun, the sun’, Wukong thought.

A deep grumble started in the Emperor’s throat, almost debating with itself. Wukong perked up, interested, but tried not to show it.

“I do hope you know,” said the Emperor, “that the Harbinger threatens all life– all existence– including yours.”  

“…I doubt it,” said Wukong. He blinked– because his reply had blurted out of his mouth without much thought– before adding, “What I mean is that I can survive without food, without water, without air, and no blade can ever fatally puncture me. I can’t die; no name in The Book to change that.”

The Emperor quirked a large brow, then asked, “Do you think you’re exempt from the ‘entire universe’?” 

Oh.

Well, maybe not, since Wukong lived in this universe. But he’s always been exempt before. The thought of something Wukong had never even met ending not only everyone else’s existence, but his as well? Come on.

…right?

Granted, he shouldn’t make it all about himself. His mind wandered to the other pilgrims, who didn’t have the mercy of a long life that Wukong (thought) he had. Then, he thought of his old brothers, and found that that had only been a drop of poison for his growing doubts.

This could have been a trick. The Emperor may have just wanted to use him. Something cold traveled up Wukong’s arm– likely the cool fog catching up to him– and his mind turned to the only thing he could think straight on.

Nothing could kill Sun Wukong.

The Staff chimed and twinkled. It extended from his ear and dropped familiarly into his hand. 

“Where is it?” he asked.

The Jade Emperor’s face didn’t twitch. Part of Wukong had expected a look of triumph, or a twitch in his resolve, but that didn’t happen. The Emperor took two or three long strides (or floated, Wukong couldn’t tell), lifted his cape, and swooped it where he stood. In its fluttering wake, a cradle of leaves and moss popped out from the drab colors of this forgotten room.

Wukong, immediately, wanted to drop his weapon.

“No,” he spat, suddenly very angry, “No! Do you think this is a joke?”

“If you think I’m trying to play tricks, then I can advise you to close your eyes, count to ten, and look again.”

“You’re…,” Wukong started. He bared his teeth, taking in the Emperor’s challenging gaze before forcing his attention down toward the Harbinger. 

The little monkey in the cradle looked up. It had been sleeping innocently, and it fluttered its eyelashes at the sudden light. Now, it was blinking those honey eyes at him. 

“Hi,” it said in a tiny voice, fit for such a tiny thing.

The end of Wukong’s staff clinked against the stone floor. 

“What is going on here?” he said, ignoring the child. He could feel his fur prickling with anger at the stale scent of Flower Fruit Mountain coming from it, weak and caked with something earthy and milky, but there.

“Do not forget what I’ve told you. The Harbinger being a stone monkey shouldn’t influence the facts; it’s dangerous, Monkey, and it’ll only grow to be our enemy if you allow your feelings to complicate.”

“A stone monkey!” cried Wukong, “my stone monkey, even! Born on Mount Huaguo! You’ve stolen it!”

“A Harbinger of Chaos!” shot back the Emperor, and Wukong willed himself to stay quiet. The little monkey shivered at the whipping fog. It reached up to Wukong with little hands, but he was quick to dodge them. “I urge you to think straight, Sun Wukong. Your similarities to it may have been the reason I chose you to meet me here, but the similarities end with your ability to change. You had opportunities, Monkey, but this one is doomed from the start. There is no changing what it will become. If you cannot see that, then you are as foolish as you were underneath that mountain.”

That cold, twisting anger curdled in Wukong’s belly. He ached to give the Emperor a piece of his mind. ‘Find someone else to do this’ he wanted to say, ‘how dare you shove the duty onto me’. But a voice, little but powerful, was chanting; ‘this thing will kill you. It could kill you. You need to kill it first’.

Wukong’s mouth went dry.

The little monkey cooed. Wukong, on instinct, tilted his head at it, and found that it was staring intensely at Wukong’s tail. He flicked it nervously. The little monkey giggled at the way it twisted. 

“Mnkey,” it squealed, proudly, “mnkey!”

Wukong could feel the Emperor’s gaze on him. He was in the spotlight now, not the Harbinger, and whatever steps he took had to be perfect. What he wanted and what the Emperor wanted were quickly becoming blurred lines. Did the staff stay or go? Did he swing now or later?

“You want me to kill it?” he asked, stupidly, just to make sure.

“Yes.”

“I…” Wukong quickly tried to pull anything from his head, “I don’t know how, but if I could just have time to figure it out…”

The Emperor’s wounds warbled. Wukong watched one split further, cautiously, and he feared for a moment that he would just have to start lashing at the little thing. How cruel it would be if he had to force himself to stay here until it perished.

But then, the Emperor said, “Make haste, then. We can’t afford to waste the precious time that remains. Take the thing. Bring it wherever you’d like; the middle of nowhere, under the sea, to your mountain; find a way to get rid of it. I will have a member of my court check in on you daily.”

Daily? Eugh. How was Wukong supposed to relax when all he could look forward to was one check after another? They might as well be trapped down here for all of eternity. 

“Right,” said Wukong, looking at the monkey, “yeah, rodger that.”

The monkey– Wukong didn’t want to call the monkey ‘it’ anymore– must’ve liked something that came out of his mouth. They smiled at him with itty bitty teeth, and Wukong felt cold at the way his heart melted.

“Right,” he repeated. He sent a fleeting glance at the Emperor before removing his cape.

The air here was chilly. The monkey’s fur was raised by the goosebumps forming on their skin, so he wrapped the poor thing with his cape and brought them up to his chest. 

Something like a “thank you” mumbled from the monkey’s mouth. They tried to grasp onto Wukong’s fur, but the swaddle was too constricting, and his chest plate blocked any further attempt.

“I expect to see you soon, Monkey,” said the Emperor.

Wukong only nodded. He didn’t want to be in this foggy room anymore.

The Harbinger likely didn’t understand the conversation that had just happened. They looked too young to formulate too many words, much less distinguish between more than a couple– but sensing the tone was probably different. They were blinking at him as if spooked. Maybe they were clever enough to realize that they might have not been completely safe after all.

When Wukong left the room, the first thing he heard was a soft exhale. 

He turned and glared at the prisoner. 

“What?” he snapped, and the little monkey tensed. They cooed, as if trying to calm him down, and he pointedly ignored them.

“Nothing,” insisted the snake demon. But his voice was bubbly– giggly, almost– and he smiled toothily at Wukong. “You’re just an interesting character, Great Sage, just as I expected you to be.”

Wukong frowned. He couldn’t entertain this demon. He, too, had been a prisoner of Heaven once, but this one would likely go mad before he was freed of his misery. Wukong had gotten lucky. Wukong didn’t feel entirely lucky.

“Are you one of Nüwa’s children?” 

The demon tilted his head. There was a hint of surprise that flashed across his eyes, but it may have been more amused than anything else. He tested the weight of the shackles around his wrists. They clinked, scraped against scales, and then settled.

“Aren’t we all?” he replied. 

The Harbinger giggled. They must have thought his striking, glowing eyes were interesting. The snake demon smirked at them in return, lifting his fingers to wave them at the little thing.

Wukong, suddenly remembering that this whole story was lost to him, felt horribly like a pawn. He readjusted the child in his arms and briskly headed toward the stairs.

What would Wukong do? Was he to head back to Flower Fruit Mountain? That might be the best course of action– to regather himself from this unexpected event. Then again, he had no idea if the Harbinger had powers; like laser eyes, or fireballs. Maybe keeping them in a collapsable mountain wasn’t very smart.

“You bring us colorful light. You beautify the lovely flower of our soul,” he murmured to himself. The Harbinger pressed their head against the cool chest plate to listen. Wukong’s chest tightened. “Today we grow under the sunlight, tomorrow we will create a colorful world.”

[mysteriousanderfels]

Plotline idea for the remake of ‘Operation Javier’

What do we know about Operation Javier from the new canon? 

They were a unit this time. And judging by the number of dog tags seen in-game, they were quite a bunch. I counted 24 dog tags on his desk! (no wonder he’s mad!)

They went through something harrowing in that jungle. 

They were left to die, without honor, without mercy, only devastating power. 

Personal remarks now : 

As much as I saw many people analyze Leon’s look when he first sees Krauser—him going through confusions, realization, shock etc… I actually see something different. I see confusion and realization, yes, but I don’t see Leon’s surprise that Krauser’s alive. Which is even more demonstrated in his choice of words. He’s not surprised that Krauser's alive. He’s wondering what the hell’s he doing.

I’m sure that if anyone who would have thought someone was dead and suddenly sees them before their eyes would first say “You’re alive?” But there’s no such reaction from Leon like that. Not even a ‘What?!’ or ‘How?!’. He automatically says ‘why’. 

From this new set of evidence, I decided that it would be fun to craft the new events of Darkside Chronicles - you know, while wondering if Capcom will do something about it. Or not. I entered this fandom through an insta-lock on Chreon before even knowing what Resident Evil's really about. But as I blow my 1 year candle into this fandom in august, I wanted to say that thanks to this slow interest I developed for Krauser and Metaltango that turned into a freefall infatuation in these last months, a remake of Operation Javier is the one official content I’m wishing for on the subject of RE.

So while we wait for that to happen or not, let’s see what we can come up with for the new version of the chronicles that happened in 2002, somewhere in South America… 

***

A splinter cell inside the government with ties to Umbrella sets a trap to Krauser and his unit.

I was bound not to speak about what happened in Racoon City. But my Major Jack Krauser didn’t understand why someone like me was dropped onto his special training force on Presidential orders out of the blue. Regardless, the man took me under his wing and personally trained me. We grew close that way and that’s how I ended up telling him what happened to me that night.

Major Krauser tried to investigate my story. I don’t know how far he got but we never spoke about it again. 

Krauser’s unit is sent to investigate and take down Javier’s cartel in South America. They quickly realize it’s more than just ‘people’ they had to deal with and no one’s prepared to face monsters of all shapes and forms and the mission quickly takes a wrong turn as it proceeds.

When learning that a high-ranked officer of the US military was fishing about and asking pesky questions, the deep state government that had ties and interests in the viral and BOWs traffic devised a trap to get rid of Krauser’s unit. We can come up with two reasons : First, they don’t want another S.TA.R.S disaster and another BOWs specially-trained unit interfering with business. Second, a high-ranked military officer sniffing about their business can quickly become bad news. That’s why these Umbrella and BOWs-affiliated government officials set up ‘Operation Javier’ to destroy Krauser and his whole unit. What they didn’t count on was that someone already familiar with BOWs is among that unit.

Krauser takes a unit of twenty four soldiers plus him and Leon. Two were sent prior to infiltrate and scope the village while the others advanced on the village from the jungle side. Through comms, they quickly understand that something wrong was going on there and make quick to join the two men in the village where they found it infested with zombies and BOWs. One of the two undercover soldiers succumbs to his wounds as they find Manuela in the church and the debacle with Manuela’s mother unfolds, only this times, it unfolds ten times the hardship (we’re in the remakes versions after all so everything’s bigger and nastier).

This first fight already results in casualties. Collecting themselves and coming to terms with what just happened, Krauser decides to take only one man for what’s coming next and chooses Leon. It doesn’t go well with some of the other men but Krauser is the leader and there was not enough space on the boat they had to take anyway. Before leaving, he tells them to regroup and wait for his signal to join him at Javier’s mansion once they locate it. Krauser has chosen Leon so that the latter can disclose everything he knew about BOWs and Umbrella - in detail this time. Leon does so on their boat ride just like in the OG and everything follows suit somewhat similarly.

Once they finally locate the mansion, Krauser sends the coordinates to his unit and that’s where shit hits the fan. The mansion is in the middle of the jungle and the battle quickly takes gargantuan proportions as Javier’s humongous form turns the fight into a shitshow of screams, explosions, kalash sprays, smoke and fire. Javier makes their chopper that joins the battle to help from the air crash around them. 

But they beat Javier and receive the news that another chopper from base was heading their way. Krauser had lost a few men by now and while assessing the damage and tending to wounds they see the aircraft supposing to extract them open fire. The artillery gets unloaded on them in the most unforgiving way and the real bloodbath begins. The effect of surprise is what it takes to slaughter the soldiers as the first to fall are those that waved in relief. Soon, it’s another cacophony of shouts filled with anger and confusion that takes place. They try to communicate that they’re US army, that there’s no danger anymore, that they’re not compromised in any fashion, they try to reach out through radios but they get no response and no ceasefire. Krauser brings the plane down with a missile at last but the damage is done, and he, Leon and Manuela are the only one standing amidst the flames. 

Krauser has to put the last man standing out of his misery and the dying soldier agonizingly tells him that this was all a trap - the intel was false from the beginning so they wouldn’t be prepared and fail, and when that didn’t happen, they finished the job themselves. They have been betrayed. Right then, Krauser slowly turns to glance at Leon.

Major Krauser threw me a glance through his alarmingly bleeding face that froze me to the core. It was like I was suddenly… a stranger. And with that a new kind of fear unlike anything I felt before gripped me.I only hoped he could see in my eyes that I didn’t know anything. 

This time around, Krauser, Leon and Manuela leave on a truck until they find another village where they mend their injuries. There, they manage to reach new contacts that come fetch them. 

In that hospital room, we looked like we just dug ourselves out of the deepest pits of hell with our bare hands. Major Krauser looked like a haunted shadow of himself. His face—his face hurt to watch. And he suffered that atrocious injury trying to save one of his men from Javier’s claws.

“When that helicopter comes, I won’t be getting in it with you.”

“What do you mean?”

Krauser’s explanation made sense as much as I hated every second of it. This operation was a disaster lined with too many casualties to be left alone. Whoever sent us on a suicide mission and opened fire on us didn’t want us to come back. The anger that boiled inside of Major Krauser at this fact was only placated by the realization that what happened was bigger than anything else. Bigger than ranks or careers or egos or feelings of discard. He needed answers. He needed the truth. And admittingly or not, revenge. He didn’t care for anything else anymore - not when the fist clenching around the bundle of dog tags was still dripping blood. What about me? Shouldn’t I disappear just as well? After all, I knew what they were capable of when taking care of the last survivors of a governmental fuck up. Krauser told me I should petition the President and Benford to investigate what happened to us. That if this didn’t go that higher up, I’d be protected given my particular status. What I read between the lines was that any type of echo about this mission in the White House or the Hill will help Krauser pluck out the perpetrators. He counted on me to let it be known. And to let it be known that I was the sole survivor. Again.

It was also my duty to take care of Manuela. Given her mutated status and ailment, I had no other choice but to trust her in the protection of governmental professionals. She’d be about the same age as Sherry. Maybe they could become friends…

“Promise me you’ll be in touch. No matter what happens.” 

Despite the gauze, the bandages and the stitches surrounding half his face, Krauser graced me with one final, albeit tired smirk and said “Can’t wait to see what you become, Rookie.”

After this, Krauser disappears, Manuela is taken by the government and Leon is placed on furlough by his handlers as they refuse to send him back to any military corps.

Jack went looking for Wesker and Leon ended up cleaning after the government through the DSO, both of them unknowingly working for the same corrupt people that betrayed them on that fateful day.

[wipbigbang]

2024 Reverse WIP Big Bang Schedule & FAQ!

Schedule

All times are by 11:59pm PST. Convert time zones.

Sign-ups Begin- June 3rd Sign-ups Close- June 30th Check In #1 - July 1st Thumbnails Due - July 22nd Fic Claims Begin – July 29th Fic Claims End – August 7th Rough Drafts Due- August 15th Posting Claims Begin- August 23rd Posting Claims Ends- September 1st Final Drafts/Fic Due- September 7th Posting Starts- September 8th

FAQ

What is the Reverse WIP Big Bang? Good question! This is a Big Bang with one goal in mind: to clean out your fanart/original art drafts folder. Any art that is of a digital or traditional means as well as fanvideos are eligible. If you’ve started word on an art/fanvid project and want an impetus to finish, maybe with a fic written in honor of it, now is your chance!

Do I need a Livejournal/Dreamwidth/AO3/etc. account to participate? No! You don’t have to have an account on anything to participate, though you will need to have somewhere to post your finished work. Having one or more accounts will help for you to follow what is going on with the bang (we crosspost to Dreamwidth and Tumblr and heavily use our Discord server at the moment), but they are not required to participate. You can always leave comments anonymously or with an opensource ID.

How many art pieces can we sign up for? We absolutely don’t mind multiple sign-ups. As this is a trial, run, however, we ask that you limit yourself to three unfinished projects that are at least 10% complete upon sign-up. We just ask that when you sign up with more than one art piece/fanvid you give each project a unique user ID (please do not use the same ID for all your art...it’s important to have different IDs for the check-ins).

Will I get emails about the bang? We do send out some emails, mostly for thumbnails and fic claims and to ensure communication between authors and artists, but please do NOT rely on getting an email to remind you of due dates. We currently do not keep an updated email list of participants, so we only send individual emails as needed rather than mass emails.

However, email is the fastest way to communicate with the mods. If you have any questions or are having trouble communicating with your artist/author, please do email us! We will do our best to respond quickly.

What do you mean by 10% done to enter? This is a WIP Big Bang, therefore we ask you to have at least 10% of your art started/drafted when you enter. It’s up to you to determine what 10% is to your project; unlike the regular WIPBB we have no hard and fast guidelines for this part.

What about art that is already posted somewhere in part? Do those qualify for the bang? It's okay if you have posted a WIP sketch or an outline of a fanvideo, we just require you to refrain from posting more until posting begins here. All we ask is that you not post any public updates to the project(s) you’re entering until September 1st. We don’t want you to lose kudos and comments and likes so don’t worry about pulling the art down, just hold off on updates for now.

Is there a minimum that needs to be met as an artist? Nope! When the art is done, that’s it! You’ve finished it and that’s the important part. If you’re a writer, however, your writing needs to be at least 750 words.

Is there anything not allowed? We ask that if you have nudity you post a link to the art on Tumblr/post it behind a cut on Dreamwidth. Other than that, anything is included, including original art.

I have a project I did a few years ago, but it needs a major revision. Is that something I could use for WIP Big Bang? The entire project has been posted, but only on one platform, and it would be redone for the Reverse WIPBB. That’s perfectly fine, as long as it’s a mostly/completely revised project when you finish it for the Reverse WIPBB.

What's the etiquette around OC-centric art? Ones that are set in a well known fandom and use several characters, but still lean a lot on original characters? Are they discouraged, or fine? Those are absolutely fine! You just need to be aware that an author may need more than just the art to incorporate the OC into the fic, if you opt to have fiction written for your art (as with WIPBB, opting in for the fic is an optional thing; if you don’t want fic for your project, skip turning in a thumbnail)

What are 'check-ins’? These are a way for us to see what you've been up to and for you to make sure you're still on track. It will give you a little nudge/reminder if you need it, but they are not compulsory. Basically a form is posted that you fill out with your user ID (unique for each art project) and a checkbox to let us know you’re still participating, plus a section for any notes for the mods.

How are the check in IDs used? They are solely for the mods organizational purposes. Each ID being for a separate art project allows us to keep all the information you submit during check-ins and for snippets in one line on our spreadsheet. You don’t have to share your check in IDs with anyone else if you don’t want to.

How much progress should authors be making between each checkpoint? (Percentage-wise from our estimated completion, I guess?) As this first round is a shortened trial run, you should try and have at least 33% - 50% done by check in #2, depending on when you signed up

What are the thumbnail requirements? Basically it should be a rough outline of the completed piece or at least enough to show the intent of your art project so a writer can decide if they want to write something for it. It can be a video clip for fanvideos or an actual piece of art for digital/traditional art/ Along with the snippets, we will send your writer the basic art info (fandom, characters involved, warnings, etc.) and your email, so the two of you can collaborate more if you would both like.

What are the rough drafts requirements? For the rough drafts, the project should be at least 75% complete. You will not have to turn them in to us, just assure us that you are at that point. Anything less is at the discretion of the mods and those authors should speak to one of the mods asap.

What is, and do I need, a beta if I’m a writer making fic for art? A beta is basically a person who goes over your work to make sure that there are no spelling/grammatical errors and they can even be of assistance in helping you with story lines, etc. It is highly recommended that a beta looks over your work before posting. If you are having trouble finding a beta, try this post.

Where can I post my fic/art? Stories and art can be posted to your own personal journal, Tumblr, ff-net, AO3, or wherever you like. For those of you with AO3 accounts, we will set up a collection that will go live on the day of the posting specifically for the Reverse WIPBB fic/art. If you don’t currently have an AO3 account but would like one, you can contact the mods for an invitation code to see if they have any available. You can also add yourself to the AO3 Invites Request queue.

What does posting look like? Do we have to post the whole thing on the day, or can we stretch it out between when posting starts and our date? For most projects, posting to AO3/FF.net/other places will be allowed to start in September (on the 1st) and you can stretch it out as many posts as you want as long as the complete art project/fic is up by your posting date (and posting dates go from September 8th to November 15th with two weeks for emergency posting). We’re only asking for a 750 word minimum work from any author who chooses art this round, as there’s only about a one month turnaround from fic claims ending to final drafts being due, but we want to work with writers to give them ample time to post the story up to their posting date if they write something longer.

Now, as for posting to the communities, you get to choose which day your link to the story and bragging rights are posted, and as I said, we have a range of dates from September 8th to November 15th with four stories posting a day for both WIPBB and Reverse WIPBB (both big bangs will use the same form to claim posting dates). If for some reason you miss your posting date, you have until November 30th to post to the community, during the two weeks of emergency posting, with a possible extension after that due to the amount of participants needing to post later. So hopefully there should be plenty of time to get a longfic up and posted to the website of your choice and our BB as well as the art project that inspired it.

How do I know when to post? Posting will be tiered; you'll each get your own posting date that you and your artist will decide on together. There will probably be four fics/art slots a day posting per day between September 8th and November 30th. The post with date claims will go up on August 23rd and you'll have to choose your date by September 1st. Posting will be for both big bangs at the same time, but posting can probably extend to December 31st if needed due to the amount of participants.

Posting has to be finished by your chosen posting date to the comm. One of the things we're hoping to do with the posted dates is to give everybody on the comm a little bragging time in the spotlight. You know, "this art project was incomplete for this long, but I finished this sucker." If you don't have time to post your bragging rights to the communities on your chosen posting date, you can queue up a post ahead of time and we can post it on the date you picked or you can email us your bragging rights and we can post by proxy for you. Either way works for us. Final versions of the fics will be due on the chosen posting date to the comm.

What am I posting to the Dreamwidth/Tumblr community if I’m posting the art elsewhere? You’ll be posting what we call bragging rights. It’s a small form you fill out and post to the community with a link to your fic (we’ll enable moderated posting to the Tumblr, Livejournal and Dreamwidth communities for members on August 8th). We will post a template for posting artwork and stories to the comm closer to the posting date.

Is there a minimum/maximum requirement for my fic? There is no strict maximum, but we do ask authors to remember that the artists are making a project that takes time to finalize and your writing should reflect that. You can do anything you like, including fanfic or original fic if it’s an original artwork, but it must be at least 750 words. We also ask that when you are in contact with the author, you work with them to see if there is anything specific they would like (i.e. if they have a certain plot idea in mind, if there are certain other characters not in the art they don’t mind being included, etc.). The fic is your work, but having ideas doesn't hurt!

What are 'fic claims'? The claims are when the thumbnails and the anonymous summaries of the art go up for writers to choose from. Writer sign-ups and fic claims are the same thing; we use one form for both things, specifically for the reverse bang, and that way the authors don’t have to sign up for an event they may not end up participating in. It is based on a 'first come, first served' basis and artists may choose up to three potential pieces of art (in case their first choice is unavailable). If there are more art pieces than writers, there will be a second round of claims wherein artists may choose a second story to work with.

As this is a trial run, we are not guaranteeing fic for all unclaimed stories, but I will try.

If an art project up for claiming is rated explicit (R, NC-17, etc.), please only claim the story if you are over 18 years of age. Some artists may be uncomfortable working with underage authors on explicit works. We do not verify ages in any way for the bang, so this is solely on the honor system.

What do I do if I have problems or concerns about my author/artist? Sometimes authors and artists do not get along and this may cause problems with working together. If this happens to b the case with you, please email the mods and we will try to do what we can so that everyone has a chance to have fun at Reverse WIP Big Bang!

If you have not heard from your author/artist in some time after trying to contact them, you can reach out to us via email and we will try to get in touch with them for you.

Can I get an extension? Community extensions may be given in the event that the majority of the authors/artists need one. They may also be given individually under certain circumstances, but this must be discussed with the mods and will only be a short extension for posting. If you are certain that you won’t be able to finish your art project in time, please let us know by July 13th.

Can I swap out an art project if my muse abandons it again? When you sign up, you give us the information on the potential art project(s) you want to create. If, say, one project isn’t working but one you didn’t sign up for is, you can switch them out while letting the mods know if you need to change a user ID you used. It is absolutely okay to switch art projects all the way up until thumbnails are due if you would like it to be considered for fic claims; otherwise, if you are not submitting the art project for a fic claim, you have until final drafts are due to swap out and finish a project. Just drop an email to the mods at wipbigbang@gmail.com with the new information (characters, fandom, etc) and if you want a new sign in ID or plan to use the same one for the art project you’re replacing it with.

Can I drop out? We have high hopes that everybody who signs up can actually finish the round and share in the joy of the reveal with us, but real life can unfortunately get in the way and we completely understand! If you feel like you just cannot finish in time and no amount of assistance from us can help you, just let us know by August 13th (if at all possible).

Is it possible to be banned? We do have a banned users list. We hope to use this to encourage participants who are having issues to communicate with the mods. We want to help you! The way the ban works is that participants, either authors and artists, will be banned for dropping out without notifying a mod. This means that anyone who has not posted or talked to a mod by the time the posting period ends will be banned. Dropping out is not in and of itself a banning offense, so please do not panic if you have to drop out! We understand that there are many reasons you may need to drop, and we want to work with you.

Bans will last one round or until the issue is resolved, whichever comes first. To resolve a ban, authors will have to finish and post the story they signed up with and artists will have to finish and post the art for the story they claimed. Three bans will result in a permanent ban from the bang.

Are we allowed to participate without joining the Discord? Absolutely! The Discord server is optional, as just another way to interact with your fellow writers and get updates on important dates. It’s not mandatory you join, however.

I was just wondering if there’s any way to enter the bang anonymously? Like would it be okay to put our work in an anonymous collection on ao3 or something? Unfortunately, I can’t think of a way for that to work. The collection that we use is moderated but it’s not anonymous, and there are the bragging posts that you post on your posting day, which you would have your username on whichever platform you use.

I was just wondering whether I'm sworn to secrecy on which art projects I'll be finishing up, or if I can shout it out to the world? No one is sworn to secrecy once they’ve signed up (aside from posting new updates to the art project that’s already up somewhere…we ask that you refrain from doing that until at least September 1st)! The Discord server is specifically for chatting with your fellow authors and artists, if you need to vent or need a boost of conficence or just want to brag, but you can also do that in other social media spaces like Tumblr or Facebook.

I have a question/concern that’s not mentioned here. If you need help, you can always contact a mod and we will do our best to make sure that you get your story/art finished. The best and fastest method of contact is through our email, wipbigbang@gmail.com.

[harmonysanreads]

i like seeing you on dash so i figured id try to send an ask for once. i hope it's not too random lol

so basically, i found your blog through other writers in the yan community but i think prior to that i read a handful of your posts through tags as well? i specifically remember seeing the interactions between you and your followers for the sumeru love hexagon au. I liked how both sides of the interactions were always enthusiastic and shared their love for this au. i haven't had the time to read everything from this au yet but ive always had it in the back of my mind (not because i love the characters per se but because i love your writing and your excitement over it). i also love your hcs/brainrots a lot and i think you have a lot of creative ideas with great potential :)

First of all, thank you so much for sending this, your words have made my day :') I usually don't respond to asks like this because I don't want them to be lost under piles of other posts, but the squeeze (positive) this delivered to my heart was too much for me to push down.

In hindsight, I get that the hexagon au is not really a ‘refined’ story compared to other aus out there but something that I did purely for fun. The enthusiastic response that I got from it back then as well as the fact that it made such a lasting impression on you — that is an incredible honor, genuinely.

The reason why I haven't posted anything about the hexagon recently though, is because I wanted to try new things and go beyond Teyvat. Also because I was worried that if I stayed within the scope of just the hexagon for a long time, I'd lose that love that makes it unique.

I've said this somewhere else I think, in the context of fandoms and these fictional worlds, our mutual love for the characters bind us. I'm not really someone super talented and this blog is very casual, but I do want to touch the heart of the readers with my silly writings, if I can. So, your message is very special to me<3

[ilynpilled]

i wish jaime’s arc was never this heavily associated with the word redemption bc every single discussion about him revolves around that word and the baggage people have with it. i know george repeatedly used it when it concerns him, but i obv do not think that means his arc is as simple as going from bad to good in a linear fashion. but it is about transformation imo. if it was just about a perspective shift/recontextualization then why would george make him lose the thing that defined him in every way and allowed him to detach himself from everything? it is also not an elaborate trick and a subversion of “redemption arcs”, that is also a reductive and cynical read of it to me. his nuances are never discussed beyond “bad guy is good guy now” or “guy is tricking u he is still stagnant.” imo his motivations evolve, his relationship with the self evolves, his relationship with abstract concepts he craves such as honor, love & knighthood evolves, he evolves: he is one of the characters that is in constant motion, he is always on a journey, he is rarely at a standstill after he leaves the dungeon in acok. it makes me so sad that nothing new is said about him atp other than fandom going in circles about this one word, especially bc i think he is at a key transitional point again right now. i think his arc is about tearing down the “brave golden knight” image in every way until you are left with nothing but harsh reality and a broken cripple. it is tearing apart facades & personas. and then it is the story of what one can make of oneself then. it is about grueling moral dilemmas and the making of choices. and then finally it is about the idea of confrontation for someone who has always been incredibly afraid of it and repeatedly chose to run away inside instead. george deliberately made it so he can no longer do that. that must lead somewhere.

[markcampbells]

In honor of International Asexuality Day today (April 6th), I wanted to put together a masterpost of all the fanfics I've written so far featuring my asexual headcanons! Hi, I'm Trai, a thirtysomething panromantic ace creator who writes for Star Trek AOS, Final Fantasy VII, and Trigun.

Star Trek AOS

I only have one official ace fic in this fandom so far, as I started writing my fics for it before I had figured out my place on the ace spectrum and utilizing it in my writing, but it will definitely play a part in future fics for my 'verse.

your hands can heal, your hands can bruise - The foundational fic for the 'verse, a developing friendship, emotional hurt/comfort fic following Jim and Bones getting to know each other (and Bones coming to accept his romantic feelings for Jim) in the academy era. Featuring pansexual Jim and biromantic demisexual Bones.

(at least out loud) i won't say i'm in love - An angsty feelings realization fic of sorts where Bones tries to cope with the inconvenient truth of physical attraction to Jim in addition to his romantic feelings.

Final Fantasy VII

a bit less broken - A Cloud & Tifa friendship fic where Tifa comforts and guides Cloud through his realization he's somewhere on the ace spectrum. This was my first official ace fic and is still very special to me!

so hold on stronger to me - A queer platonic, ace Cloud & trans Barret fic written for Romancing Barret Week, where Barret gives Cloud advice about how to fix his relationship with Tifa post-Advent Children. In the future I will be writing further fics following on from this one featuring established Cloud/Tifa and Barret as their queer platonic partner, as they raise Marlene and Denzel in Edge and have a quiet life together. 💜

and we are just breakable girls and boys - While not a super overt presence in this fic, it was written from the standpoint of established Cloud/Tifa with Cloud's asexuality being a known factor between them and something Tifa is completely okay with. Post-Advent Children, Cloud and Tifa have a heated discussion that forces Cloud to confront his anxieties about losing Tifa.

Trigun

you recognize love after the fact - A Trigun Maximum-compliant fic set during Volume 11, featuring emotional hurt/comfort between queer platonic Vash and Meryl (both of them ace!).

your pride like water in your lungs (drowns all the words it stole) - Non-sexual intimacy hurt/comfort between Vash and Wolfwood, as Vash suffers through an attack of phantom limb pain and Wolfwood offers to help him out. Written from the perspective of ace for ace Vashwood.

cooking is love made visible - A pre-canon, developing friendship Meryl & Milly fic, centered on the idea of food as a love language. Featuring asexual Meryl and Milly beginning to realize she might be an ace lesbian. This fic is going to become a multichapter in the near future!

i used to live alone before i knew you - A getting together fic featuring T4T and ace for ace Vashwood, centered on the idea of casual nudity. Wolfwood chooses to air dry after a shower; Vash has an existential crisis in asexual.

I hope everyone enjoys these fics if they give them a read! Comments and kudos are always welcome, and I have plenty more ace fics lined up for the future. 💜

[kasasagi-eye]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "kasasagi-eye "?

Okay this one is fun so here we go! Number one is pretty much set in stone, while 2 to 9 are just in the order they come to me AND are in the fandoms I've been enagged with in recent years, because I move fandoms a lot. Let's say that if I happened to be stranded somewhere with no Internet these are the fics I would like to have with me, at this moment.

desynchronization by Ontogenesis (hikaru no go, Ogata/Sei) It has: an amnesiac displaced out of time who was formerly a ghost and lots of relationship drama. I reread this pretty much every year. One of my favorite things about this is that while it is written in english, the characters' dialogues flow AS IF THEY WERE IN JAPANESE, and I can hear they actually say these senteces. Which to me is an amazing feat.

Game of Stacks by CommaSplice (GoT, multiple ships). Such a well-thought modern AU is hard to come by.

if living can be this by Lise (MDZS, songxuexiao). My fave Yi City redemption fic. Lise is one of my all time fave authors becuase of the excellent characterizaiton and dialogue; I orignally got hooked by their Steve/Loki works in Marvel fandom, which are also amazing.

This Side of Rain by Erinye (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, squarejohn). I love this one for making me see the benefits of unlinear narrative, and what has to be one of the most agonizingly equisite description of pining in fiction.

Unwilling Sleep by Telanu (this author also has other pseodonyms but I don't remember them off the bat (Petshop of Horrors, Leon/Count D) It has: an immortal character becoming mortal, and all it entails.

Listerworld by Kahvi, Roadstergal (Red Dwarf, LIster/Rimmer). One of the most unique plots I've read, befitting the uniqueness of the source material. Also, pining.

The Most Important Thing by NorthenSparrow (Supernatural, destiel). All of their destiel works are amazing but this one has amnesia, which is one of my favorite tropes so ^^

Wizardry By Consent by Sixthlight (Rivers of London, Peter/Nightingale). I love all of this author's works in the fandom, amazing writing.

Не в нашей власти by Ликующий Октаэдр. (SVSSS, bingjiu) This fic is a bit longer than my preferred fic length, which is up to 200k words and moreover still ongoing, but manages to keep the (extremely well crafted) story interesting. Amazing bingjiu interactions.

Дождь и Ветер by Eswet (Nirvana in Fire, Prince Yu/Mei Changsu). A great redemption fic for my favorite evil prince and some proper food to ease the hunger for my favorite rarepair (71 works on AO3 including two paltry attempts of my own T_T) Honorable mentions go to many fics by esama in Hikaru no Go and Harry Potter fandoms out of which I cannot pick a single one, bingjiu fics by xpityx, The Lotus Eaters by aldora 89 (Kirk/Spock). oh wait and also A bit of Fragnance by Silvercistern (now orphaned because the author got harassed by f***ing antis in a different fandom), which is a great arranged marriage AU for Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu (TGCF). And --- I MUST HIT SEND ALREADY BECAUSE I COULD GO ON FOR HOURS TRUST ME (Oh wait you also asked about my nickname, so just a short explanation - Kasasagi means magpie in Japanese and it is how my writing works - I steal the shiny bits of everything I see (and read) and put them together.)

[a-writers-blurbs]

Under The Goshinboku

Fandom: Inuyasha

Pairing: Some Inuyasha x Kagome (maybe 5 chapters) with eventual Sesshomaru & Kagome

Universe: Canon

Rating: MA

Status: Ongoing-hiatus

Where to read: FFN, Ao3, watty, dokuga

Trigger Warnings: Non-con (suggested), self harm, depression, child loss/infertility, abuse (physical & emotional), brief mention of torture, substance abuse

Story description:

It had only been two weeks. Two weeks since he reached his hand into the bone eaters well and felt the soft touch of her skin. Two weeks since she returned. And he'd be damned if he let her go again...

✍️ 📃 📚

Note: I have not watched or read YashaHime & dont plan to.

This story won't have any ties to the continuance.

Crickets chirped and the wind blew as Kagome made her way to her home that didn't feel like home. No, nothing was quite right anymore. 

Three years had passed since Narakus defeat. Three years since she was trapped in the Shikon jewel. Three years since she was tricked into returning to the future, her present.  

After graduation, her friends tried so hard to help her be happy again. She had to give them that. But they didn't understand. No one did. How could they?

During her time away, Kagome had changed. No longer the naive and trusting girl she once was, now she was simply traumatized. 

Depression was never a word she would have associated with herself, but that was the only way to describe the way she felt.

At one time she held onto hope that an older InuYasha would one day appear. But then she remembered, in her time, there were no yokai. He was gone. She would be forever doomed to live in a world without the four people she cared most about. That thought alone kept her awake at night. Sango, Shippo, Miroku, InuYasha. They were long dead in her time and she didn't even know how they'd fared.

Did Sango and Miroku ever get married? Did Shippo get his nine tails? Did InuYasha find a home? Did they miss her as they aged and passed on? 

Questions she would never get answers to plagued Kagome to no end. She didn't even know where they were buried, though she suspected it was somewhere on her shrines property. 

That was the silver lining in her mind. Her shrine, her home, had once been the burial ground of the village from five hundred years in the past. The village that grew and expanded to become the Tokyo of the new millennium. 

It was with that thought that Kagome held onto as she entered the part of the shrine that held the bone eaters well, completely unaware of the three sets of eyes following her.

_____

"She's getting worse." The cracking voice of a teenaged Sota whispered. Just because he was six years younger than his sister didn't mean he didn't understand her feelings.

He loved his sister as much as a brother could. She was his hero, brave, confident, and honorable. Seeing her this way was killing him slowly and he didn't think he could handle seeing Kagome hurt for much longer.

"I know." His mother was just as concerned, if not more. Her daughter had always been such a cheerful girl, but after her last return, something changed. 

She knew Kagome had played a hand in countless yokai deaths. That she had seen things, lived through a war and won. But she never could get her daughter to tell her just what happened in those three terrifying days. 

Kagome wasn't the same anymore. This world filled with people and technology wasn't suited for her anymore. 

"Do you think she'll go back?"

"The portal has been closed for years, Sota." That sad reality was one her daughter was faced with. For all intents and purposes, four of the people closest to her had died the day the well sealed shut. "I don't think she can ever go back."

"Jii-chan said she will go back." His mother's shocked look brought nothing more than a shrug from the teen as He looked toward the shrine that housed both the well and his sister's sorrow. "He doesn't know when it'll happen, but he's certain the old stories about the Miko and the Yokai are about Kagome & InuYasha."

It was a bittersweet feeling, but their mother knew what needed to happen. Kagome didn't belong here anymore. She would have to let her daughter go if she ever wanted her to find happiness. Perhaps destiny had been in play since the morning her baby girl was born. If so, who was she to try and stop destiny? "Then we should help her prepare."

_____

Did the well stop working, because I was afraid to go back? When the well closed and I was alone in the darkness, I was so scared and sad. 

I didn't realize that I had been in the darkness for three whole days. I made Mom, Sota, and Jii-chan as sad and scared as I was. I felt bad about that, and was so happy to be back here.

 But then the well closed and I was left alone again. 

InuYasha? 

I've been thinking this whole time about the reason I was sent to the feudal era and the reason the bone eaters well stopped working when the Shikon jewel was destroyed. 

My job in that time is done and now I must live my life in my own world. A world without you.

But, InuYasha, I need to see you again.

The feeling of the wind was the first thing she noticed. Soon hearing the chirping of birds, Kagome slowly opened her tear soaked eyes. A small gasp escaped her lips when, instead of the dirt and bones she normally saw, Kagome saw a blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. 

She momentarily wondered if she was dreaming when she felt a soft touch on her shoulder and heard the soothing tone of her mother's soft voice. "Kagome sweety, what is it?"

"Mamma." Looking at the mix of emotions on her daughter's face, she already knew what was happening even before it was said. "The well… it's, it's open again."

She could tell Kagome wanted nothing more than to jump headfirst into the past, but her fear was holding her back. Fear of what may happen if she returns. Fear of disappointing her family. Fear that InuYasha was long gone..."Jii-chan and Sota told me this would happen."

"What?" The mix of emotions suddenly vanished to be replaced by simple shock. "How did they…"

"I would have thought you had learned by now, your grandfather's stories aren't just tall tales." She couldn't help letting loose small chuckle at her daughter's expense. It was true though.

Before Kagome had been dragged into the bone eaters well, she never believed a word of her Jii-chans stories. She disregarded his gifts and laughed at his offerings. 

Eventually, after her return, she had locked herself into the shrine with the old man and told him everything that had happened in her two year journey. She apologized and begged to be taught more about shrine duties.

She had grown so much. "It's ok Kagome."

Before her daughter could speak, fast paced footsteps could be heard dashing down the stairs. "Yeah sis! We knew this was coming, we even packed some stuff for you!"

A less hyper set of footsteps came to a stop as Kagome stared in awe. "Sota? Jii-chan? How…"

"I'm the keeper of this shrines history girl!" The old man cane off rough, but Kagome could tell by the look in his eyes that he was just trying to keep himself From breaking down. This was hard for him, to say goodbye. But it was meant to be and it is what she wanted so he'd gladly take whatever pain was necessary on her behalf. "From the minute you first returned with InuYasha close behind, I knew one day you'd leave us to be the heroine of our past."

Stepping next to their grandfather, Sota, fighting his own tears, gave her a goofy grin. "InuYasha will take good care of you sis, just don't forget about us ok."

"Sota!" Falling to her knees, Kagome wrapped her arms around her younger brother and held tight. "I love you ototo. Take care of mom ok?"

With a firm nod, the thirteen year old stepped to his mother's side and began tossing several large duffel bags into the well. Her grandfather smiled broadly and hugged his granddaughter tight for the last time. "You will live long and well. There will be many trials and tribulations, but as long as you hold on to the faith you have in that boy, you'll be ok. Live well my sweet girl."

Stepping back, Kagome accepted a mysterious small trunk from him and turned back toward the well. Each step brought her closer to the dream she'd had for three years but she faltered at the last step. Glancing back over her shoulder with tears in her eyes, Kagome knew she was saying goodbye forever. "I love you all so much. Thank you for understanding." Shooting them a final smile, she clutched the black and gold trunk in her arms and jumped.

_____

It had been as much of a normal day as the white haired hanyu could get. The morning sun was beating on his back as he left Miroku and Sangos hut after sharing breakfast with the couple. Shippo followed behind in silence as he walked through the forest that had once been his prison, now dubbed his lands by the village. 

It had become a sort of ritual for them. Rise with the sun, breakfast with Sango and Miroku, then to the Goshinboku to beg before checking the bone eaters well and checking on Kaede & Rin. When they arrived at the clearing that once held the portal to the future, InuYasha didn't expect much. 

It wasn't that he'd given up hope, more like, he had come to terms with his fate. Kikyo had never loved him but he chased her around at every corner, abandoning Kagome more than once to chase the ghost of his past.

He had caused so much pain, he hurt Kagome so much that he knew this was his karma for treating her so badly. Maybe it was time he stopped coming. It's not like the Kami would answer the call of a hanyu anyway.

He had never wished to be human, but if he could have put this karma off until the next lifetime, he would gladly trade his demon blood. If only to see her one more time. 

While InuYasha lost himself in his thoughts, Shippo stood fidgeting at the foot of the well waiting. He would never admit it, but every time InuYasha reached in the well only to come up empty handed, it broke the little kits spirit. 

He missed Kagome. But he knew he couldn't take the visits anymore. Shippo would tell InuYasha that he would have to start coming alone to wait at the well as soon as he watched one last time. 

Coming back to reality, InuYasha looked at the young kitsune for a moment. He looked conflicted, like he wanted to get something off his chest. But when he finally opened his mouth to speak, his eyes grew wide and he rushed to the wells edge. 

Holding his breath and silently begging, InuYasha reached his hand into the well. Waiting. A few moments passed and nothing happened, just like every day for the last three years. 

Damning his own nose for playing tricks, InuYasha removed his hand and sighed. With a nod of his head he turned to walk away when he heard a loud thunk.

Slowly, as if afraid of what he might see, InuYasha turned back as the second thunk hit. Confusion overtook him when he saw two giant bags in front of the well. Before he could investigate, he had to back up as three more giant bags came out of the well landing at his feet. 

Terrified of false hope, he reached back into the well one last time. But this time, instead of a lonely emptiness, he felt the brush of fingertips. With one tug there, she was. 

[dzamie-oc]

Voretober 21 - Slippery

Length: 1600 words Vore type: F/M oral vore, unwilling prey, digestion Fandom: Pokemon Other info: Goodra/Buizel, casual fatal vore Summary: Goodra plays with her food. Wonder how many friends she'd have if she didn't enjoy her spot on the food chain so much.

"Alright, now watch this!" Goodra turned towards Buizel's cheer, just before he took a running leap at the slope. With energetic laughter, the weasel slid about halfway up, pivoted, and came zipping right back down towards the other two. Thanks to Goodra's thick slime, it was as though he was on ice, rather than dirt and grass. Of course, also thanks to her slime, he found himself sliding sideways, then backwards, and thoroughly out of control.

Liepard leapt smoothly over him, maintaining her streak of only having slime on her paws. Goodra, however, was not so nimble; with an "oof," she took the brunt of the flailing Pokemon to her thick, squishy gut.

After pulling himself away, Buizel grinned sheepishly up at the dragon. "Boy, that slime of yours is really something, isn't it?"

Goodra just waved a paw. "Well, there is a reason I chose a glorified hole to take you two to, with not a cliff in sight. Nice trick, though, aside from the landing!"

"Besides, I've heard Goodras are pretty strong. An accidental tackle is probably nothing to her," Liepard added. When Goodra looked for her, she found the cat in a much more controlled spin sliding from one side to the other, before coming to a stop next to the pair. Liepard lifted a paw and prodded Goodra's gut a few times. "Especially not to somewhere nice and thick like this."

Emboldened by Liepard, and likely curious himself, Buizel had a go at poking her belly. Unlike Liepard's gentle but quick jabs, he pushed in slower, as though worried his paw might sink inside. Also unlike Liepard's turn, Goodra's stomach let out a loud grumble when Buizel prodded it. Buizel froze, and even Liepard startled back; Goodra could feel her cheeks burn and tinge a darker purple.

"Ah, well, speaking of my belly, it seems to be about dinner time. It's been great playing with you two, but would you care to join me?"

Buizel grinned, taking a moment to spit out some slime that had dripped into his mouth - and no wonder, with how thoroughly he'd gotten covered from his fun sliding around. "That sounds great! What're you thinking of for food?" Next to him, Liepard nodded along.

Goodra gave them a bright smile. "I was thinking the two of you for me. For you? …not sure it matters, really."

Fear on Liepard's face, confusion on Buizel's. Goodra sat down and pressed her point. "Look, I'm a reasonable dragoness. If you don't want to be eaten, feel free to leave. You can have a couple minutes to… decide."

Liepard's expression changed from fear to one of focus, of calculating. "I wasn't hatched yesterday," she said, "what are you going to do to stop us from leaving?"

Goodra held up two fingers. "Nothing else. Dragon's honor."

The cat stepped back, blinking, then her eyes slowly moved from the predator to her surroundings: a pit with slick slime coating every exit. Her claws glowed white, and looked like they grew longer and sharper.

Buizel, in contrast, screamed and ran directly away from Goodra. About halfway up the side of the pit, he stopped ascending, no matter how much his slime-covered paws scrabbled against the slime-covered wall. Once again, he slipped back down, and a misstep sent him spinning faster, and inevitably back to where Goodra sat. Liepard had moved to a different section of the pit, leaving nothing in the way to stop him from getting lodged under Goodra's belly. He kicked and shoved, a preview of what was sure to happen INSIDE her stomach soon enough.

Another growl from her belly inspired a new jolt of energy in the smaller Pokemon, and he soon escaped… back to his original position, and already panting hard. By this point, the only way for him to get even more surrounded by her slime would be to be surrounded by her, something she knew was a certainty - and by the look on his face, he knew it, too. Still, he slowly got back up to his feet and stared back at her, though his eyes were slightly glazed over… or was that just more of her slime?

Motion out of the corner of her eye caught Goodra's attention, and she turned to see Liepard, claws glowing, in front of several new divots in the sides of the pit - notably free of the slippery coating she'd carefully applied to the rest of it. Putting it out of her mind for now, she refocused on the Buizel. "Is that a "yes," then, Buizel?"

Buizel shuddered and crumpled. He leaned his body against hers, trying to stay upright through any means possible. "Goodra. Can I… can I choose how I go?"

"Within reason. I mean, you can only do this once; I eat Pokemon pretty frequently. It seems only polite. What were you thinking of?" She saw him nearly slip at how casually she discussed her diet.

"One last trick. Up and down the slope. And when I come down, you- you-" Buizel cut himself off, unable to go further.

Goodra beamed. "Oh, sure! I think that's a new one for me, but I bet I can catch you!"

Buizel sighed and turned away from her. Crouching on all fours, he galloped away, running along the bottom of the pit, then up the side, then finally pushing off with his hind legs. Goodra raised her brows as he slid all the way up to the top, and clamped his forepaws around a small sapling growing at the edge. A glance back to Liepard caught her standing proudly atop her own chosen escape route; if she had to forage for berries again, Goodra knew she'd regret not simply leaning forward to pin Buizel better.

But then, the weasel slipped. He reached back out for the sapling, but his paws slid off as easily as his body slid down the slimy slope. It took Goodra a second to realize what was happening, but she quickly pushed herself forward to lay on her stomach. Focusing on where Buizel was and where he was going, the dragoness opened her mouth wide right on his path, and did her best to relax her throat.

She didn't so much taste Buizel as much as she felt him stretch her gullet; by the time he'd stopped sliding, his snout was nearly in her stomach! Goodra grunted as she stood back up, and gravity alone packed away half of her catch before a single gulp sent Buizel the rest of the way into her gut. Grinning, Goodra hefted her stomach and let it fall with a satisfying bounce; Buizel was barely visible through her fat and the simple size difference between them.

With one Pokemon secure in her stomach, Goodra turned to the cat who got away. "You sure you don't want to come back down?"

Liepard gave her a stare so cold she shivered. "Promise you won't eat me and I'll consider it."

"Of course I'd eat you, that's the entire point of-" Suddenly, Goodra's belly began to swell, heavy and sloshing. She winced as Buizel managed to truly start to stretch her, but then simply shook her head, opened her mouth, and shot a stream of water into the wall - away from Liepard, to avoid mixed intentions.

Before long, her stomach was back to its normal heft, and she shoved her paws against her fat to get Buizel's attention. "It was a good shot, but I'm a Water-type, too. I'd say better luck next time, but I'm the only one who's gonna get one of those."

She smiled and patted her gut a few more times, then looked back up to Liepard. "Anyway, if you really don't want to join him, no point in me staying in here alone." Taking well-practiced steps, Goodra glided around the pit, skating on her slippery slime with growing speed, before launching herself out on the other side from the other Pokemon. "So, I doubt you'll want to hang around much longer, but would you like to meet up again sometime?"

"Are you going to try to eat me again?"

Goodra giggled. "I didn't try to eat you - you were very effective with your refusal. But yes, you can expect me to ask like that again. You just have to properly say no again, is all."

Liepard lifted the back of her paw to her chin. "Mm, probably not, then. Not at my current strength, at least."

"Ah, that's a shame. Well, goodbye then. I do hope to see you again; you had some fascinating stories to tell!"

This got a grin out of the cat. "If you do, perhaps I'll trade some more for an escape from your hunger." With that, she turned and began to walk away from the slimy pit. "Have a good night, Goodra. I'm off to find… a Bunnelby, perhaps, and be significantly ruder to them than you were to me."

Goodra smiled back, waved, and, with Buizel's fighting already barely more than a few twitches, started her trek back to her den to digest in peace.

[gravecircuit]

5AM headcanons as I slowly get back into Moral-ing

- idk how much from Narcissism the fandom accepts, but it does make me categorize Bloberta as the “prettiest” / most desired woman in moralton based on the fact that she made Putty climax with words alone.

- As goofy as that is it also re-contextualizes a lot. She is “off limits” even in infidelity because she’s the mayor’s wife.

- I also think if Dottie tried her routine on Bloberta, Dottie would end up crying wayyyyyy earlier. Bloberta’s numbness includes an immunity to gaslighting. Also there is one element that actually connects the 2 characters that I wanna draw. Here’s a different scene for now:

Dottie: Can I sit with you Bloberta so our kids can talk to each other and not us?

Bloberta: … you talk to your kids?

Dottie nervously lights a cigarette.

Dottie: I- uh, well I mean-

Bloberta puts out the cigarette by clasping the end with her bare fingers.

Bloberta: If you’re going to do that, I think you should sit somewhere else.

- Blobbie / Censordoll discourse is also interesting bc I think of it as “numb & barren” (ship name maybe?) - things kinda also come full circle. In Help: Bloberta fails to help Fran, feels like she helped Clay and marries him, Orel is born and goes on to be Fran’s main helper in her campaign against Clay, with signs made by Bloberta.

- Gay Clay vs. Bi Clay was a debate brought up in one of my streams and I said my answer keeps changing. There are “tactile” arguments for Bi Clay but they all really start to evaporate for me with the scene in honor. There is no exact science, it is just a uniquely gay anguish confessed. alsogayclayrhymes

- I think about Clay’s rise to office a lot and what exactly enabled him to do so, and I’m beginning to think he may have used his mother’s death in his campaign as he starts to pen her lost commandments into Moralton law. Much to Arthur’s dismay, which only encourages Clay to take things further.

- A newer idea but I feel like Danielle’s experience encouraging Orel might have kindled something, and if Fakey can go from coach to Principal so can Danielle.

- I think now that Bendy is reconnected with Joe, the Fakey situation will actually quickly lead to a restraining order. Since Bendy no longer has to telephone through Ms. Secondopinionson to talk to Joe, Fakey talks to Secondopinionson for updates on Bendy. I think Fakey’s mental state will decline between his ruined marriage and “mistress” cut off, but for some reason I think with Secondopinionson’s infinite patience she becomes a sort of friend + makeshift repressional since Putty’s having none of it anymore. In that circumstance I think Secondopinionson becomes comfortable speaking to him in her natural voice . I think Fakey loses his job to Danielle like above, then idk, gets part time work at Steph’s shop or something.

- The David Tuber interview mentioned that Orel goes goth but also goes atheist, and the blue heron as a symbol of his faith begins to follow him around. I think the “Nature rematch” would be Orel getting Ol’ Gunny with actual intent to kill the Heron.

- Which brings me to the tinfoil hat section. Consider this my “Season 4+”

- By this time Censordoll has a stranglehold on Moralton. With no role models and in complete nihilism Orel kills the Heron in anger. In absolute darkness Orel finds no solace, he then notices the Heron’s nest.

- I have no idea what Steven Universe / Demon Slayer script we’ll need to get to this point but I really think that if Censordoll is the “final boss” of Moralton it should end with her and Orel nurturing the blue heron egg until it hatches, roll credits.

[mylifeforawinegod]

Finally. My Actual Intro Post.

(Above photo: A building with stone arch columns and a stone railing. Engraved on it are the words 'AULT PARK'. Photo was taken by me, devoted to the gods.)

Dionysus, for freedom and identity.

Hermes, for words and wit.

Apollo, for music and truth.

This blog is entirely dedicated to content about Hellenic Polytheism. This is the term you'll see me use most often, but I use several different tags for my content about it.

I am 30. A Polytheistic Humanist. In love with humanity and nature. I find the art within sensual and sexual intimacy. I live for the intimacy of all of the arts. Seeking to give shelter and kind words in a way I hope will honor Zeus. In this space, you can call me Jack.

It should go without saying. Be a decent person. No sexists, transphobes, racists, ableists, homophobes, etc. This space is for honoring Gods and the people who worship them. Everyone else, either behave or get the block button.

I am still ironing out the tags I use for individual deities, but it is always safer to assume that the content I generate is not in reference to fandom material.

A little about me:

I am a bi/pan transguy. No bioessentialism. Bioessentialism is a very limited worldview and has no practical uses other than being exclusionary.

I am a writer, and a lot of my content centers around adult themes. I write about the sensual and sexual side of my practice very often, and I'm sure at some point, I will elaborate on why. This is not the sole content of my blog, but it is a common theme.

I also write a lot of general encouragement posts. I'd like to provide the content I wish I had seen back when I first began my practice.

My asks are always open. Don't worry if you have a question, but are afraid you will sound stupid or new. Everyone starts somewhere, and any conversation started in good faith will always, always be welcome.

I do not consider myself a reconstructionist. If this bothers you, you may not enjoy a lot of my content. I approach the Gods through the reference frame of my modern life. While a great deal of my practice is similar to many reconstructionists I know, I find a few key distinctions in the rigidity of practice that don't resonate as deeply with me. These differences will make themselves visible in some of my posts.

I am disabled. I don't talk about it much on here, except content related to the Gods and how that facet of my life interacts with my practice.

My posts are not limited to just Dionysus, Hermes, and Apollo. I love, respect, and worship all the Gods.

Poems Encouragement

More links to come soon! I'm still trying to organize.

I seek to post things that give people hope and resources. It’s easy to get lost in the throes of the internet and all its many opinions. I’d like to make a place where the weary can rest for a second.

[daemonwritesstuff]

⌨️ᶻᶻᶻ...[Jaxrel] is typing... <3 ↻ᴹᵉˢˢᵃᵍᵉ ˡᵒᵃᵈᵉᵈ ꒰Enjoy Your Life Matchup, Quasar!꒱ 🦋~* Logging Off… @fourtyfourcatss

A/N: Hello again Quasar! Words cannot describe how happy I am that you request an anime I enjoyed for over a while now, Since the fandom is kinda dead there isn’t a lot for me to crunch on but since you sent this hopefully I can also reach more people! Also if anyone wants to send in anything for akudama drive wether it’s requests, matchups, etc, I don’t care I’ll do whatever it takes to feed the dead fandom. Anyways, enjoy this matchup as much as I enjoyed your other matchups you’ve made for me. It’s always good to partner up with you again.

[ ☪︎ ִ ֶ֢࣪⋆ GENERAL HEADCANONS ]

𓆩♡𓆪 When you guys first met I think you guys instantly clicked, well… maybe not instantly but from what I can tell when I saw Courier he always seems wary of people at first, like he can’t really trust someone fully yet until he sees their true colors which is pretty much accurate of him and also very smart to as he’s an akudama.

𓆩♡𓆪 He appreciates that there’s someone like you, at least your an honest person he knows (besides swindler.) that’s another step he can take around you to know that you aren’t shady like the other akudamas, that you don’t really hide anything to make yourself look suspicious, I feel like you would have to confess to him first because I don’t feel like he’s the type of person to go and confess to you yet, UNLESS he can go first but he’ll be a little hesitant at first but when he confesses to you and you say yes he’ll be a little taken aback at first but also he’s happy but he’s obviously got gonna show it of course.

𓆩♡𓆪 He likes that your blunt, and also smart, it’s definitely what attracted him at first, he’s also glad your at least optimistic, I feel like he lost that hole a while back but with you around he will find that hope again soon, he was a bit annoyed at your pridefulness but later grows into not caring that much, I also read that people think your funny and you are! whenever you joke with him he’s not gonna laugh, no way in hell is he ever gonna laugh but I feel like you made him laugh at some point, mostly like a snort or a grin but he quickly hides it away (out of embarrassment).

[ ☪︎ ִ ֶ֢࣪⋆ HOW’S THE COUPLE DOING NOW ? ]

𓆩♡𓆪 Your honor they are doing very well, ever since they got together they have been very happy together, seriously though, I feel like since he has you he’s been doing more better, I also believe you would live in his small house (or apartment, there wasent a lot of information of what house he has.) but since you dislike unhygienic things I feel like the house would always stay clean because of you, I mean it’s always been clean but still, I can imagine just courier cooking for the both of you while there’s soft music in the backround, just one of those happy and peaceful times between two lovers.

𓆩♡𓆪 You and Courier would go for walks during the night, somewhere where people aren’t around to freak the actual hell out when they spot a Akudama, He would also like watching you draw, he would always hang them up around the house to admire when he gets back home, he even keeps a drawing with him whenever he goes out, you don’t know though so he hopes you won’t catch him, I feel like Courier would also somewhat take naps, but not a lot like you do, but he’ll indulge with you though if you want him to rest and not stay up and smoke.

[ Round-Ups: Hacker, Hoodlum. ]

[ A TERRIFYING WEAPON THAT CAN MAKE SOMEONE FALL WEAK ]

REASONING: I feel like with your personality and also your hobbies and talents it felt like one of the best options, Since your usually psychically active I feel like it would make the best option.

My other options for you would be… A bow, An Axe, or a Spear.

I should also add this but I feel like you would be in a similar situation to swindler but with a little twist, I feel like you were in some situation that didn’t even associate with you but they still made you a Akudama anyways.

— Hacker; You guys met before you became a akudama and also before you were couriers partner, he would only interact with you not with the others, he favored you more than the others, he likes spending time with you a lot! wether it be reading or writing or whatever, he was always grateful to be around you, I feel like you guys would listen to music with each other a lot.

— Hoodlum; When he met you he was a bit nervous at first I guess (?) but later on when you get to know each other more he was able to become quickly comfortable with you knowing he can trust you fully, you guys are always seen with each other or also with Brawler, he finds peace with you so much, he’s always with you so you can also protect him LMAO.

— Swindler; Yet another one! I feel like she immediately knew she can trust you, you were so honest with your information and advice, how could she not believe you? You are very trustful in her eyes, she always goes to you for a lot of advice and you always somehow help her so much?! She’s impressed! She’s always taking walks with you while you guys talk about whatever, she respects you so much I also believe she looks up to you so much, your a role model to her.

Songs I was listening to: I’m a controversy (Ado), Show (Ado), Drunk-Dazed (ENHYPEN), Non-breath oblige (Pinocchio-P), What Is Love? (TWICE), CAKE (Itzy), Anti-Romantic (TXT), Cookie (NewJeans), DJANGO (ATEEZ), Mr. Simple (Super Junior), Blood Sweat Tears (BTS), I Want That (GI-DLE), In My Dreams (Red Velvet), FAILURE GIRL (Kairikibear), Last Night Good Night (Livetune), On the Rocks(OSTER project).

[SPOTIFY]