#the fic has been bumped to M rating for this chapter

[yukipri]

The Prime Override - Chapter 70 is up!

Rex - The Prime Override, Knightfall Remix

It's here, it's time. Brace yourselves.

This Chapter: Rex gets Appo to tell him about what he and the 501st saw when the Override went live—the massacre of the Jedi Temple.

WARNINGS: SO MANY. HEED THEM. Graphic description of a massacre, including but not limited to the murders of children. Descriptions of traumatic events and their effects on the victims. Lots of temporary major and minor character death. All death is temporary/imagined. Any resemblance to real life events is coincidental/an inevitable result of the topic, and note that many fragments of this chapter were written two years ago.

This chapter is DARK, and it's also much longer than my usual chapters. We're ripping it all off at once like a bandaid, but PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

The emptiness where Appo should be vibrates—it feels scared. Not of Rex—for Rex. "You don't want to know what happened." "I might not," Rex agrees. "But I do know that whatever it is you experienced—I should have been there too." I am a part of the 501st, Rex doesn’t say, and wonders if Appo can hear. We bled together, cried together, laughed together. My blood is yours. Your pain is mine. Let me be a part of you again.

> > Read Ch 70 on AO3

Want to read ahead? Read early access chapters on my Patreon!

> Ch 71

[bearlytolerant]

Fandom: Star Wars: The Acolyte

Pairing: Qimir x fReader

Fic Rating: E

Chapter Rating: M

AO3

ONE TWO THREE FOUR

FIVE

Today—is exceptional.

Just like every day has been since you tossed your old job aside and traded it in, becoming an apothecary’s assistant. You don’t glance at the window as your feet pad against the floor. Clothes hastily thrown on, you step out of your hovel and relish in the drizzle that showers your skin. The air is cooler now, a season’s shifted, and even though there’s an argument in the street and someone bumps into you, nearly knocking you into a puddle without so much as a glance (let alone an apology), you practically skip to the apothecary. To Qimir.

You’re not what you’d consider completely free, but you’re certain this is as close as you’re going to get.

Running errands isn’t glorious but it’s far more rewarding than your last job. The clients are often pleased, though you wonder on occasion, exactly what you’ve handed off to them. Sure, this job is by no means a glamorous one but at least you’re helping people, right? If not, well that’s a potential moral dilemma you can ruminate on another day. After all, Qimir praises you for meeting his expectations and that’s enough. You’re not willing to give up what you have with Qimir. The tasks are simple enough and enjoyable even, often accompanied by his skillful cooking that he always shares, as well as his sense of humor. He’s eccentric and maybe even a little unhinged but who isn’t? Besides, he’s the first person who’s made you feel anything in years.

And you are grateful.

You are thankful.

You are.

Now, as you sweep the floors, the occasional rustling of the bristles interrupting your thoughts, you steal a glance at him. There’s a cloaked customer speaking with him but his eyes flick to you, holding your gaze for a few unnecessary beats, brows lifting and eyes wide. You’re used to this shared communication and try not to laugh at his silent longing for the interaction to be over. You mouth an encouragement before he’s back to his effortless and awkward charming behind the counter.

At some point, you realize, months into your arrangement and long after your self-exacted debt is paid, your affection’s warped into something more than thankful gratitude. Loyalty? Maybe. Or—dare you say it—trust? Somehow he’s smoothed out some of your rougher edges and you’ve grown fond of wrapping yourself up in his reminiscent laugh as you lie down at night, succumbing to sleep with a smile on your face. Somehow, you’ve grown to consider him a friend through many conversations, critiques and shared philosophies. But beyond that, simmering beneath the surface of friendship, is desire.

He’s not just boss or friend.

No. No

You want him. All of him.

Yes.

Simply put—you want to fuck him.

Here in the apothecary and outside of it.

But you also want all the little intimacies that come with it too. Holding his hand for extended lengths of time while shopping in the market or anywhere really. Combing your fingers through his hair when that dappled light of morning graces your eyelids. To be the one prompting the first smile of his day; the kind that crinkles around his eyes. Share a shower and watch the suds slink off his wet skin. Embrace him. Hold him. Be intertwined in his inner life that you don’t yet fully know.

All. Of. Him.

A smile and his hand squeezes the departing customer’s shoulder in a good-bye and the cloaked figure doesn’t even notice you as they pass, slipping through the door.

His eyes drift to you again. Lingering just the way yours does on him. Or maybe you just imagine it that way. He throws you a smirk—is it knowing? There’s no telling. As he returns to his work and you to yours, you can’t help but steal more glances here and there. He bites his bottom lip when he concentrates and no matter how many times he pushes his hair back, it always comes undone. It’s more endearing now than the first time you saw it happen. The cut of his jawline juts out with the tilt of his head and your mind wanders off into inappropriate territory.

You wonder if his stray locks would stay tucked behind his ears if he were lying flat on his back, your palm pressed against his chest.

Your hand grips the broom handle tighter.

Envisioning what that half smile he gives would look like beneath you spread out on that counter, his hand curling around the cusp of your shoulder, you forget that you should be working. Sweeping. Instead you imagine. Imagine what his moan would sound like in your ear as you demand that he wait for your commanded release, while you sink down on him. Imagine the expression he’d wear when he obeyed and you praised him for once, for being so utterly good for you. What it would be like to strip away that kindly apothecary persona and see what kind of man you could coax out of him with the stroke of your hands. The bite of your teeth. Clawing of your nails. The touch of your lips and toying of your tongue. Would he become a beggar? A worshiper? An undone, complete, mess of a man? Or would you finally bring out a different side of him? Less soft, silly, gentle, tender, sweet, but more—

“Uh, are you okay?”

His voice pulls you from your fantasies with a flurry of blinks and you flush, embarrassed to be thinking of him like that and so blatantly too. Especially as he stands in front of you, mixing another concoction so innocently. If you keep up the daydreaming, he’s certain to appear in your nightly ones again. Which would be inconvenient when you’ve been purposely avoiding dreams with an effective sleeping draught. Avoiding them ever since you let your desires get the best of you. It can’t happen like before, even if that helmeted figure is an unforgettable visage inked into your memory.

“Yeah, yeah.” You wave a hand, attempting to dissipate the cloying tension. “Just daydreaming.”

“Oh?” His lips pull into a smirk. “About me I hope?” A brow quirks and he’s teasing.

If he only knew.

You offer a half-hearted chuckle and turn away, your cheeks on fire. “You wish,” you reply, as flippant and casual as you can manage.

He chuckles as you sweep the same spot on the floor for the fourth time in a row. Stepping past you, he flips the shop sign closed as the sky grows darker. It’s that time to head home but you wouldn’t mind sweeping the same spot one hundred more times if it meant you had the whole evening with him. Brushing against your hip on his way back, he rounds the counter.

“Mm,” he hums. “I need a drink.” Your fingers still, curling around the thick broom handle as you glance at him. He’s disappeared below the counter, rattling glasses together as he pulls two out from the lower cabinet and sets them on a tray. “Join me?”

“I never say no to a drink.”

“Good. Drinks always taste better when shared with another. Wouldn’t you agree?”

No. You don’t agree. Others tend to complicate things. Even things as simple as drinks. But a drink shared with Qimir specifically, is an opportunity you’re not willing to turn down.

“Yes,” you say, and return the broom to its dusty corner of the room.

—

More than one drink in and Qimir’s fiddling with the radio. First there’s static and then a steady beat pulses out of the speaker and he’s bobbing his head while his third drink sloshes over the side of his glass.

“Oops,” he says with a grin he throws your way. ��Come here.” A crook of his finger beckons you.

Peeling yourself off the wall, his summon and smile is irresistible so you take a few steps over to him and throw back the smidge of amber liquid at the bottom of your glass and set it on the counter. “Now what.”

“Now—” He combs a hand through his sweaty locks then takes your hand. “We dance.”

“I haven’t had enough drinks for that.”

Hand clasping around your wrist tenderly, he tugs you toward himself, bangs instantly swooping right back down in front of his eyes as his fingers skim along your forearm. Your eyes fall where his fingers linger, dusting along your skin before he lifts them and snakes them around your waist. They press firmly into your back and you’re not sober enough to handle the touch casually. You’re positive you’re flushed but maybe it can be blamed on the liquor.

With his other hand, he raises his glass to your lips. “I’ll share.” He tips the rim, glass brushing against your bottom lip and liquid dribbles into your mouth. There’s a hint of cinnamon and a slight burn as you swallow the liquor and he watches you, with raised brow. “Better?”

“You tell me,” you reply with a grin as your hip bumps into his, throwing you both off beat. You also step on his feet.

“I can’t tell if the drink is hurting or helping.”

“What do you mean? Clearly my dancing is now exceptional.”

“Oh that’s what it’s called when you crush my toes? Exceptional?”

“Except-toe-nal.”

“Time to cut you off. The bad jokes are coming out.”

You snort. “So that’s where you draw the line? You can’t handle a few bad jokes?”

“Everybody has a weakness.”

You shake your head with a laugh as his hips sway back and forth, thighs brushing against yours.

“Noted.”

Between the jokes and jibes, and all around silly dance moves, laughter pours out of you freely as he spins you in his arms, twirling you all around the small space of the apothecary. You’re dizzy and you’ve been dizzy a thousand times before. But it’s been so long since you’ve allowed yourself to feel this way. Allowed yourself to have fun.

At some point he drops his glass off at the counter and entangles his hand with yours as you continue to dance through two more songs. And between the buzz of your liquor laden veins and the awful lip-syncing you both partake in, your mind drifts, relishing in the way his hand fits perfectly with yours. There’s something about the way he holds you. Close but not too close. Intimate yet slightly aloft. You can’t trust your reactions to him, unable to differentiate what’s real and what’s your own projection.

Midway through the third song, he stumbles and you go with him, landing in a heap on the floor. Pulling yourself up onto your elbows, heart thudding from dancing, or your wayward thoughts (you can’t tell which—maybe both?), the laughter dies down. You’re enraptured by him. He’s beneath you, bottom lip tucked behind his top teeth and he reaches up, fingers hesitating just before they brush your cheek. Tentatively, he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. Pulse beating through every part of your being, you slant your head, lips parting instinctively as he thumbs your temple. His eyes are searching yours and you inch closer to his lips, gaze flicking to that bottom one, aching to release it from behind his teeth with your tongue. Breath matching his, you're seized in stilled time and you want him. Need him. A hum whispers in the back of your throat as your eyes close with the thought.

That need tugs at you, fraying your resolve at the seams—

“I should go,” you say, eyes wide and yanking yourself off him, scrambling away and back to your feet.

You offer your hand to help him up too. His thumb circles your skin as he accepts your assistance and he holds your hand longer than he needs to.

“Uh, yeah. Okay.” His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he slowly releases your hand, wiping at something invisible on his cloak.

You gather up your belongings and make your way to the door. Turning back you say, “thank you. For the drinks. And the dance.”

“Of course. We should do this again sometime.”

You give a small nod before slipping outside, into the night. Briefly you back up against the side of the apothecary, catching your breath and attempting to cool off. The drizzle doesn’t dissipate the desire devouring you from the inside though. You were successful at avoiding blurred lines with Qimir, but you know when you return home, you’ll be foregoing your sleeping draught. And you’ll be dreaming of him.

[my-hot-awkward-turian-boyfriend]

Official Shakarian & Mass Effect Fanfics Master Post

all of my shakarian and mass effects fics in one post, divided into categories: one shots, chapter fics, series, gifts/giveaways

ONE SHOTS:

some things you just can't speak about

4.4k words, rated T, updated May 14th, 2024, "three short shakarian scenes: after the battle of the citadel, before the suicide mission, and after they've been reunited six months later" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/33066811

First Choice

6.8k words, rated T, "a series of moments from the first, second, and third games showcasing the growth of Garrus and Shepard's friendship and relationship" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/33245413

and for the first time i had something to lose

2.2k words, rated T, "Garrus moving through the motions of life after the war, always imagining Shepard is still there with him" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/37477735

prove that i'm me, prove that i'm yours

2k words, rated T, "Garrus questions Shepard's identity after being dead for two years, but after the events of his rescue on Omega, she promises to prove herself to him (and maybe realises she has deeper feelings)" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/38504269

we always find our way back to each other

6k words, rated T, "Shep doesn't recruit Garrus for the Saren mission, but every time she returns to the Citadel, they just so happen to bump into each other, and he's always there when she needs someone" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/38989122

tell me it's okay not to be all right

7.4k words, rated T, "Garrus dealing with losing Shep multiple times in multiple ways but never giving up on her and always being willing to follow her lead" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/40121526

the first rule of f*** club is: you do not talk about f*** club

1.2k words, rated M, the title honestly says it all; there's just no good way to summarize this fic ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/41340453

Needs Satisfied

2.5k words, rated E, "Shep takes Garrus' offer of *needing* him quite literally and they hook up in the main battery because waiting until the end of me2 is just silly when there's already so much sexual tension in the air" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/47238556

In Good Company

3.6k words, rated E, "Aria tells Shep to find someone to hookup with, and Shep decides that that probably wouldn't be such a bad idea. She wants Garrus but is under the impression Garrus doesn't want her. Until, that is, he comes across her flirting with another turian in the club. It's all uphill from there." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/49033144

caught between a rock and a hard turian

6k words, rated E, "Garrus gets hit by cloud of sex pollen and Shep is the one who needs to help with his release to get the reaction out of his system. They both think the sex is strictly situational until Shep approaches Garrus to talk with him about it after the fact. That's when they finally realise they've both been harbouring feelings for each other." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/49741477

here in the shadow of bittersweet memories

2.3k words, rated T, no dialogue, the development of Garrus' relationship with Shepard throughout the trilogy, ambiguous/open ending, inspired by the song "She Always Takes It Black" by Benjamin Francis Leftwich ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/55607125

his hand, so calloused from his pistol, softly traces hearts on my face

3k words, rated E, AU, "Garrus is Shep's target but trying to catch and capture him turns into more of a game than anything...and then the game turns into something a bit more genuine" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/56501716

i've seen how it ends and the joke's on them

4.5k words, rated E, "When Shep propositions Garrus for sex out of the blue, he decides it would be foolish to deny her (and foolish to deny the crush that's been building for some time now) but he comes to find out it was simply a misunderstanding... or was it?" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/58640272

CHAPTER FICS:

torment me, challenge me, make me bleed

68.7k words, 10 chapters, rated E, "If Garrus had followed through with actually reapplying for spectre status. Still follows the events of me2 and me3 rather closely but with some variations. Additional/missing scenes. Altered scenes. Rearranged dialogue." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/36648406/chapters/91415290

When Planets Align

63.2k words, 11 chapters, rated E, "Shepard is brought back by Cerberus and her first mission is to track down Omega's infamous Archangel. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned. Nor can anything ever be simple." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/36485758/chapters/90981499

a memory is nothing more than a stepping stone

39.3k words, 6 chapters, rated E, "Post-me3 Shep has just woken up in a hospital to the sound of gunfire. She doesn't remember how she got there--or the turian who shows up to help her escape the men trying to track her down. Turns out she doesn't remember anything from the last nearly four years of her life..." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/41401683/chapters/103823640

A Rose By Any Other Name

40.5k words, 3 chapters, rated E, Beauty & the Beast AU, "A universe where Shep works for the Shadow Broker and is assigned a mission to look into who Archangel is and discovers far more than she ever could've imagined (or dreamed of) both about Archangel and herself" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/40879761/chapters/102442695

the path reveals itself with each step taken forward

15.8k words, 3 chapters, rated E, "A timeline of the events from a memory is nothing more than a stepping stone but from Garrus' POV instead... Experience Garrus' side and feelings from dealing with Shep having no memory of him or their relationship." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/42647103/chapters/107126943

Doubled Edged Lockdown

15.5k words, 8 chapters, rated E, "AU where Shep is sent to assassinate Archangel but everything about her plan backfires when the station goes into a lockdown and they end up being stuck together for an undisclosed amount of time" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/43114659/chapters/108350778

magnificently cursed (the fatal flaw)

40.5k words, 8 chapters, rated E, "The first contact war has just ended, and the humans and turians have agreed upon an alliance through marriage. Novella Shepard is the human volunteer, which she has no qualms about...until she meets Garrus Vakarian, whom she has a brief yet passionate affair with. Except he is not the turian volunteer.... In the end, will the alliance come to fruition, or will it turn into another disaster?" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/47581291/chapters/119918797

Mixing Work With Pleasure

17.1k words, 4 chapters, rated E, "AU where Garrus and Shep are set up on a blind date and end up really hitting it off. Turns out they're also working in the same profession, although that's not discussed until the day they realise they work for the same company. How they find out is not necessarily planned, but they're not complaining about the new experience" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/49205854/chapters/124157668

the fate of the stars

4.7k words, 22 chapters, rated T, "A collection of drabbles using tarot and appointing each major arcana to certain moments/sequences from throughout the trilogy..." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/50110447/chapters/126546565

once upon a time, the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned (checkmate)

73.1k words, 6 chapters, rated E, "A minor retelling of the series based on if Shepard and Garrus had met years before the Saren mission and how their relationship progresses over time" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/54178876/chapters/137183806

SERIES:

it'd be an awfully empty galaxy without you

22.6k words, rated E, complete, "shakarian smut after significant moments throughout the trilogy" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/series/2550892

love in the dark

10.3k words, rated E, complete, "AU canon divergence of moments Shep and Garrus get together without realising they're about to be with each other again" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/series/3031101

roleplay

6.2k words, rated E, ongoing, "Shep and Garrus in different roleplay scenarios" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/series/3548890

and then there were three...

23.1k words, rated E, complete, "Shep and Garrus inviting Adrien Victus into their sex life (and eventually relationship)" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/series/3574465

Tantalising Turians

44.2k words, rated E, originally complete but now has more to come, "Novella Shepard hooking up with just about every named turian throughout the trilogy (porn with plot)" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/series/3823585

get a room; this place has enough of them

19.9k words, rated E, complete, "Shep and Garrus hooking up in every single room of the apartment (courtesy of a comment made by Zaeed)" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/series/4206727

GIFTS/GIVEAWAYS:

fake it till we make it

13.3k words, rated T, "Shep and Garrus never got together during the actual trilogy timeline and after the war they start pretending to date for Garrus' sake but Shep quickly realises that she may not be able to pretend for long" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/40845417

Ruthless Calculus of the Heart

19.2k words, rated T, "Garrus figuring out how to become reacquainted with this new Shep, who used to be so hardcore before she died, and is now the complete opposite.... Meanwhile, Shep is trying to un-teach everything she had taught Garrus during their first mission together. Easier said than done...." ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/42488880

my one and only (i don't want you like a best friend)

14.2k words, rated M, "Shepard and Garrus start hooking up long before the aftermath of Garrus' loyalty mission (or the suicide mission, for that matter), but they still try to be discreet and keep their newfound relationship a secret from the rest of the crew" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/44735905

Cover It Up With A Kiss

3.5k words, part 1/2 of the Never Better series, rated E, "Garrus and Shep hook up during an undercover mission, which ends up leading to more than either of them ever could've anticipated (or hoped for)" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/45003325

Uncover It With A Look

3.1k words, part 2/2 of the Never Better series, rated E, "Shep and Garrus have reunion sex in the main battery after Garrus reboards the Normandy after the Menae mission in me3 (six months is a lot of time to make up for)" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/45204919

Legacy

3.1k words, rated T, "Shep and Garrus simply living a normal life and enjoying retirement after the reaper invasion" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/45427156

The Dark Side of the Moon

8.6k words, rated M, "Garrus dealing with the grief of losing Shepard (again) and not knowing how to handle it properly until getting the idea to return to the colony she's from to help them rebuild and help him feel connected to her, but never does he expect the people he'll run into there" ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/45744922

[crazylittlejester]

A warriors…meets…cia again fic???

hold up lemme just—-

😎

😳🕶️🤏

he is only ten years old jes. Devastating. (*adds it to my future a03 bedtime stories to-read later*)

it was like a four word prompt sent in by an anon that’s grown into a huge multi chapter thing because I didn’t expect it to get as long as it has and now I’m realizing I have to break it up into chapters 😭 I’ve literally been working on it for like… five months, poor Mandarin Wars Anon has had to deal with my dumb ass getting too carried away with things and I’m so grateful for their patience 😭 It’s been scrapped and completely rewritten at MINIMUM like six times now, the plot has been COMPLETELY changed, it’s been a wild ride 😭 I’m sticking it in my ‘You’re A Part Of Me’ series which has been a bit fun because i get to drag little elements from past fics in that series into this one. small enough things that someone who hasn’t read the series won’t feel like theyre missing something but people who HAVE might recognize the reference

the plot has sort of turned into a murder mystery almost… im losing my mind, genuinely, i’ve put so much time into this fic

it’s also something i’ve been struggling with the rating on for months, because while I do not write explicit things (because that is my personal preference), the themes are a bit heavy, and because of that I decided I’ll be raising the rating to M. Which has also just allowed me to add in other things unrelated to the initial reason I was worrying over the rating and not worry about thinking “is this too violent-“. A while ago I considered writing two versions of the fic because I know a lot of people who’d been following me back when I got that prompt in the first place were really really excited about it, but that’s a lot of editing and I’m not sure how many people are still that into it 😭 So i’ll probably do a poll or make a post or SOMETHING to see if people would want a T rated version, if enough people do I’ll edit the fic

to be so so clear tho: the main reason this fic is going to be rated M is because of heavy themes, heavy discussions, and trauma related to a past event, i just wanted to play it safe. since deciding i was going to rate it higher, ive allowed myself to throw in more detailed descriptions of violence and nightmares and shit like that. and the main part of the fic that made me first think i should bump the rating up is going to have like *** in the text before and after it so people can just skip that if they want, cos if I’m gonna write a fic about trauma, then i’m gonna write a fic about trauma. and this is my free therapy so 🕺🕺🕺

anyways, i don’t wanna say it because i feel like then it’s just not gonna happen, but I’m hoping and PRAYING i can post the first chapter when Mandarin Wars Anon gets back 😭 fingers fuckin crossed. AND THE FIC ACTUALLY HAS A NAME NOW, WHICH IS FUCKING CRAZY AFTER FIVE MONTHS OF JUST CALLING IT “Mandarin Wars Anon’s Fic”

also i’ve been debating letting Time just go absolutely batshit towards the end of this fic because he kinda deserves it, as a little treat, yknow?

i really hope it lives up to the expectations🧍‍♂️ ive felt a lot of pressure while working on this cos so many people have gotten excited for it and im a BIT worried its just going to absolutely suck, so if i drop it and disappear off the face of the earth for a bit its because the anxiety ate me alive

[crabsnpersimmons]

hi @uwuinhell!

i have a bit of a long answer to this, so i hope you don’t mind me replying as a post, just in case anyone else is curious

the tl;dr is: i'm planning to write a fic for this AU, but i'm happy to read your fic as well with proper credit

first thing is: i’m overjoyed by the positive response to this little AU! it’s definitely been occupying my mind as i’ve been studying (Eclipse is notably the most distracting) so i’m glad there’s an interest in such a simple premise—i was honestly hesitant to call it an AU at first by how simple an idea it is

that being said, i’ve been hinting at it a bit in some of my tags, but i am planning to write a fic for this AU it’s still in the planning and drabble stage, but there is definitely a story that i’m hoping to share. unfortunately, i am currently attempting to speedrun a 2 year program, so my time is short—and my leisure time is split between my other competing ideas and inhaling other people’s creative works to revive me after my daily readings

i will say that the AU has evolved quite a bit since my initial drawings—new designs, more background info, and a healthy dose of lore and trauma for the entire main cast—so there’s a lot i’m excited to share with you all

THAT BEING SAID, i am always eager to encourage other people’s creativity and i am so honoured that my little doodles can inspire people to be creative. so i would absolutely love to see your fic, i just ask that you:

credit me if it uses my designs and ideas; and

send me a link so i can read it, because i will read it and i will treasure it and do a silly little dance

in case anyone's curious, here are some not-too-spoilery notes about what i’m planning:

the working title is “New Do, Same You” (honestly still iffy about it—it fits the story but it doesn’t quite ring well, we’ll see if i keep it)

it’s a slice of life story about how we respond to change, dusting ourselves off and moving forward, while carrying the baggage and fragile trinkets that define us

off the top of my head, these are some relevant tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Polyamory, Hurt & Comfort, Drama, Slice of Life, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Kissing (eventually), Humour, Possessive Behaviour, Healthy and Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Inferiority Complex, Body Dysmorphia, Existential Dread, Fluff, nothing NSFW

will likely default to a T rating, but will bump up to M for heavier topics

it will definitely be more than 5 chapters long. i don’t have an estimate on how long the fic will be. it's nothing too grand but i do know it will need quite a bit of time in order to properly explore all 3 of the boys and Y/N

there will be a Y/N, and Y/N has some lore, but other than some key backstory and key areas of development, i try to keep them gender neutral and as ambiguous as possible

i’ll be sharing the updated designs and some drabbles here when i have time—as soon as i can! (a little sneak peak is actually scheduled to post sometime today!)

i’ll also admit that this is my first time planning to write such a big fic and the first time i’m considering sharing it with other fans! my writing muse is very shy, so please be patient with me

in the meantime, please accept this (admittedly outdated) doodle of the boys:

[veryace-ficrecs]

could you do some heart pirate centric fics?

of course!! []~(￣▽￣)~*

Heart Pirates Centric Fic Recs

it takes every organ by Anonymous - Rated T

It really is hilarious that any pirate crew would use a submarine, rather than a ship. Who would want to go down, instead of having room to go up? Who would rather be below water, with nowhere to stretch one's wings, than be close to the skies? Law thinks about the twines of thorns on his back, the scaled feathers on Penguin's and Shachi's. None of them can even fly anyway, so fuck it. If they can't go up, they'll just go down instead. (Or: Law, the flightless pirate captain of a flightless pirate crew in a world where most everybody has wings, through the eyes of all those who matter.)

Reliving a Nightmare by PumpkinPieTimb - Rated T

Grand Line is where the infamous Devil Fruits come from. Fruits that can grant its eater a unique ability that can either be so stupid it would make you question why it even exists, or so overpowered that you'd think the user is a god. Speaking of Devil Fruit users with overpowered abilities, did you know that some can alter time? Or, in this case, a person's age? Because Penguin sure as hell didn't. It was wild, like any other thing in the Grand Line. It was unpredictable. Unknown. Unheard of. Hence, the lack of proper response. "This can't be happening," Shachi muttered in disbelief beside him. "This-- this is a dream. I'm dreaming, right? Someone pinch me-- fuck, punch me." He laughed hysterically.

Bioluminescent Hearts by Harmonica_Smile (Rescue_Remedy) - Rated T

"No bodies?" Blackbeard fumed. Doc Q and Stronger had bounced across rocky Winner Island when that bear had gone all Sulong and knocked them out. Van Augur's range for warping wasn't that great, and was tricky over open water. He could sharpshoot the skin of a hangnail, but the bear was fast. If he'd managed to get a shot in, they could've finished the Mink off, and pulled the shitty doctor from the water, taken his heart and returned triumphant. Once the horse had woken up. *contains spoilers for chapter 1081*

Visiting Home by Nehszriah - Rated M

Law wants to go back to Flevance to run some tests on the remaining Amber Lead, though the excursion turns into another sort of thing entirely.

on grandma's baking and also grand larceny by Chockyyyy - Rated T

Law always felt most in control standing at the head of a table, a map sprawled before him to guide each person into their place. He thrived on well-oiled machines and plans that ran bump-free. These kinds of things were good stress relievers for him and carrying them out was a good stress reliever for his crew. Simple logic. Thus: here he was. “The information we need is held inside a trapped and guarded office, but there's a massive banquet occurring that night that will give us a better shot with the lowered security. Several of you will be infiltrating the party, keeping an ear out, and if needed, providing distractions. What we’re after is classified to hell and back; as long as we get out, there's no way those nobles will admit it was stolen if that means they had it in the first place.” “Dibs on the dress!” Shachi called in the silence after Law’s spiel.

Forty-Two Superior Teeth by Harmonica_Smile (Rescue_Remedy) - Rated T

Law, Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin: Kids growing into their dreams on Swallow Island.

echo by MuffinsInSummer - Rated G

the clock strikes midnight - it's October 7th, Law is drunk, he doesn't plan on celebrating his birthday until he sees the treasure chest that has the fruit he's been searching for so long. The Nagi Nagi no Mi. "Hey sorry it took so long. Just in time too." "This is..." (or in which I forget Law's birthday minutes after it hits midnight AGAIN in my country and I write this to make up for it. Sorry Law.)

[vilevenom]

New chapter for "Together Burning Bright"! This one is a ~flashback~ chapter. Specifically, Hickory's birthday party, when he and JD got together the first time. This particular scene has been rotating around my brain since I wrote "Let's Be Us Again", but it didn't really fit in the main story, so now you get a +4K word fic of just that, all on its own, lol This chapter is just a touch spicy. It's gonna bump the AO3 rating to 'M', so just an fyi. Nothing is explicitly described, but it's hella obvious as to what they're doing. Enjoy!

A trolls twenty-first birthday was a special one. At least, for the yodelers it was. It was considered a coming of age celebration, and it was when trolls were encouraged to take on more responsibility within the community. It was also when the biggest birthday parties were thrown.

As the community hall was the largest indoor space in the village, it was most commonly used to host such large events, to avoid the cold of the mountain. Flowers adorned nearly every feasible surface, and tables ladened with food were pushed up against the walls. Streamers and twinkle lights hug from the ceiling, while nearly every troll in town was crammed onto the main floor, singing, dancing and carrying on in celebration.

Nearly, being the key word. One troll with teal hair and a distinct pair of green goggles stood to the side with a lazy smile, drink in hand as he watched the party carry on. John Dory had, unfortunately, missed the beginning of the party. He'd been guilted into going, even somewhat late, by the trolls who were hosting his stay in the village. They'd told him it was bad luck for the birthday troll in question for someone to willingly not attend, so he made a little fuss about it but followed along shortly behind them to the party. He'd honestly just wanted to go to bed and sleep, but a party was a party, he supposed. And as a pop troll, he'd been told many times over the years that he should love parties, much to his chagrin.

He idly sipped at his drink as he watched trolls nearly trip over themselves as they swayed across the dance floor. He did have to hand one thing to the yodelers; they made a mean fermented nectar. The cup in his hand was definitely stronger than the strange yeasty concoction the rock trolls had made him try. From said experience, he knew better than to drink too much, or too quickly. He was not keen on a repeat performance, if he was going to be honest with himself.

Truthfully, he was planning on staying just long enough for a majority of the attendees to get a little silly, before slipping back out to the house he was staying at. He'd figured, since he didn't know who the party was even for, and he'd made an appearance to appease his superstitious hosts, that no one would fault him for wanting to get some rest. He'd only managed to get into town the day before, after all.

What John Dory did not expect was for a tall troll to suddenly appear next to him, lean a hand on the wall, and tilt into John's personal space with a little smirk on his face.

~

Hickory hadn't expected anything for his birthday. His parents were long gone, his brother had disappeared on a job of some sort for who knew how long, and he was old enough now that he wasn't even living with anyone who would potentially take notice. So, he'd been more than a little surprised when his friends had offered to host a party for him at the community hall.

It seemed like everyone in town had turned out, bringing food and drink to share. They'd adorned him in a flower crown and accessories made of dried flowers, while everyone wished him a happy birthday and good luck in the coming years. The reveal of the large five tiered cake his friends had baked for him had nearly brought him to tears. He truly felt like he was the luckiest troll in the world.

"Hey, hey! Who's that?"

"Oh. That's the troll staying with us. He's a traveling pop troll. I guess he's been here before, because…"

Hickory let the voices of his friends fade into the background as they prattled on next to him. Scratch his previous thought, now he felt like the luckiest troll in the world. John Dory, the troll he had been crushing on for the last four years, who he'd thought he'd never see again, was leaning against the wall. At his party! A thrill ran up his spine, making his fur practically stand on end.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Hickory stated, pressing his half finished cup idly into the hand of one of his friends.

"What? Why? Wait…No way, Hickory. That can't possibly be the same troll."

"The one I would not stop talking to you about a couple of years ago? It most definitely is," he said with a nod, fussing with his hair and straightening out his suspenders.

"Ooo, get some, Hickory," one of his friends jeered, earning an eye roll from Hickory.

He waved as his friends started to get rowdy, quickly walking away from them while trying to keep a flush from forming on his cheeks. He hadn't seen John in nearly four years, and they had only spent a couple of months together at the time. Would he even remember? Well, Hickory reasoned, you missed one hundred percent of the shots you didn't take.

He sauntered up to John Dory and placed his hand on the wall next to the pop trolls head before leaning into his space with a smirk. "Guten abend."

John looked up at him, confusion clear on his face. Hickory felt like an idiot. He tipped himself back up to stand upright, letting out a nervous laugh. "Sorry. You don't speak german, do you?"

"Can't say that I do, no," John said, arching an eyebrow at Hickory. "Can I help you?"

Hickory cleared his throat, already feeling like this was going poorly. "I said 'good evening'," he fumbled, suddenly wishing he hadn't handed off his drink so he would at least have something to do with his hands. "I, uhh…you're alone."

John's expression went from confusion to disinterest almost immediately. "Yes. I am. And, if you don't mind, I was actually pretty okay with that situation."

Hickory bristled, wincing at the clear dismissal, but he couldn't just let John slip through his fingers like this. "We met! Before! Sorry, I'm making a mess of this," he quickly babbled, fiddling with one of the floral bracelets he'd been gifted, "I showed you around the last time you visited the village."

John stared at him for a moment, before realization slowly dawned on his face. He stood up straight from the wall, giving Hickory a cursory once over, gaping slightly. "Hickory?!"

Hickory let out a quiet breath, a wobbly little smile on his face as he gave a short nod. "That's right."

"You got tall!"

That startled a snort of laughter out of Hickory. "Ja, and older," he added, waving vaguely at the party. John looked dumbfounded for a moment, glancing around before his gaze snapped back to the yodeler.

"This is your party? Oh, man. Happy birthday!" John said, giving Hickory a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Thank you," Hickory chuckled, rubbing at the spot that John had hit. "I don't imagine my birthday is what brought you back to town?"

John laughed, shaking his head a little as he leaned back against the wall. "Nah. Not that the party isn't great! But, I just got board with the classical trolls. I kinda vaguely remembered where this place was, and I wanted to come back for another visit. Got a little lost in the mountains for a couple of days, though. I have to admit, I'm a bit exhausted and I only came to the party because I got guilt tripped." John paused as he noticed the somewhat crestfallen expression that flitted over Hickory's face, before a smile was forced back onto it.

"Well, don't let me keep you! You should not feel obligated to stay if you would rather be in bed," Hickory offered, taking a short step back from John.

"Wait, hey, no," John stood back up, reaching out to catch Hickory's wrist. He offered a soft smile to the other, nodding towards the door. "I know this is your party, but why don't we step outside. I'm tired, but I'd love to catch up with you?"

Hickory returned the smile with a genuine one of his own, giving a short nod. He pulled his wrist free of John's hold, only to take his hand properly with a quiet, "I would love that." He turned and began to lead John through the crowd, while doing his best to ignore the cat calls that followed the two of them out.

"Sorry," Hickory muttered once they were outside, his breath puffing up in a tiny cloud in front of him. "My friends can be a bit…lewd."

"Hey, no worries," John said, walking along next to Hickory as they trundled through the snow towards a couple of benches just outside the community hall, "Pop trolls have a reputation, I've been told."

"It is a ridiculous reputation to have, since you are one of the only pop trolls that has even been through town in the last two decades," Hickory scoffed, only to flush in embarrassment at the look John shot him. "I just…it's not right. To make those sort of presumptions. Do you not agree?"

"Oh, I fully agree. It's just kinda nice to have someone else share the sentiment," John admitted, a grin forming on his face. "So," he flopped down to sit on the bench once they reached it, setting his cup on the ground, "What've you been up to since I was last here?"

Hickory eagerly took the seat next to John, and the two began to talk. Once Hickory had caught John up on the relatively uneventful list of things that had occurred in the village, John began to regale Hickory with tales of his travels, which the yodeler took in eagerly. He gasped and cheered in all of the appropriate places, peppering in the odd question to get John to elaborate on details, while John sprung from his seat to enact some of the more daring acts from his time on the Neverglade Trail. After a particularly energetic performance, John fell back onto the bench next to Hickory, quiet pants leaving a trail of wispy condensation in the air behind him.

"Your life sounds fantastic," Hickory hummed, watching John catch his breath with a dopey little smile on his face.

"It's pretty great," John grinned up at Hickory from where he was half laying on the bench.

"I wish I could have adventures like that," Hickory admitted quietly, picking at one of the blooms on his bracelet.

"What's stopping you?" John pushed himself to sit up, leaning into Hickory, "It's your life. And you're old enough now. Heck, you've been old enough for a while. I was eighteen when I went out on my own."

Hickory shrugged, a sardonic little smile on his face. "My brother, mostly. Even though he's not even here right now. But, truthfully? I am not brave enough, I don't think."

"Sure you are! You just gotta put your mind to it," John said encouragingly, nudging Hickory's shoulder with his own.

"No," Hickory shook his head, "I'm a coward."

"Hey, come on. Start small, then. Baby steps. Pick something little that you're scared to do, and just do it!" John grabbed Hickory's knee and gave it a little shake. "I believe in you."

Hickory looked down at the hand on his knee for a moment, before turning his gaze up to John Dory's face. He was smiling brightly at Hickory, open and reassuring in a way very few trolls had ever been to the yodeler. He swallowed thickly, placing his hand over John's, and hoping the pop troll would blame the cold for the flush that adorned his cheeks. "Just…go for it?" he reaffirmed, licking his lips nervously as John nodded encouragingly, "Okay."

To John's credit, he only startled slightly as Hickory leaned into his space and pressed their lips together. It was chaste, and short, but that didn't stop his face from heating up.

"I'm not too young, now," Hickory murmured against John's mouth, his eyes kept shut to save himself from any unsavory expression the pop troll may be making.

"You…what?" John sounded dazed.

"I'm not too young. You told me last time that I was too young, but I'm not anymore." He lifted both hands to cup John's cheeks and press a more determined kiss to the pop trolls lips. He very nearly pulled away, until John began to reciprocate the kiss.

They broke apart from each other after a moment, their breath mingling and turning into delicate fog between them.

"This isn't because-" John began, only to be muffled by Hickory peppering a couple quick, short kisses to his lips.

"No! No, of course not. I told you, I think that is ridiculous. No. It's because I have not been able to get you out of my mind since we last met. And I feel like this, you appearing on my birthday, is nothing short of a sign from the universe for me to at least try," Hickory admitted, letting his fingers lightly trail from John's cheeks, over his shoulders and down to his hands. He finally sat back and opened his eyes to find a flustered looking John Dory sat before him. "You did encourage me to be brave, after all."

John chuckled, a lopsided grin on his face. "I suppose I did, didn't I?"

"You did," Hickory nodded, before he stood from the bench, offering a hand to John. "Come with me."

"Where to?" John asked, not hesitating in the slightest in taking Hickory's hand and standing from the bench.

"Home," Hickory stated simply, leading John through the village.

It was a relatively quick walk through town, especially as most trolls were still at Hickory's party. Hickory lead them to a small, modest house towards the edge of the village. It was adorned with the same floral trim pattern along the awnings that all of the other buildings in the village had, with a well cared for little yard, and a short wooden fence surrounding the property.

As Hickory opened the gate and began to pull John up the short path to the door, the pop troll paused, tugging back on Hickory. "Wait."

Hickory stopped, turning around quickly with a look of worry on his face. "What is it?" he asked, tone concerned.

"I think I remember you mentioning…you have a brother? Does he live here?" John asked, looking towards the door apprehensively.

"Oh," Hickory visibly relaxed, a low chuckle leaving him, "Dickory, yes. He does live here, but he is not in town right now. I'm by myself."

John gave a little nod, nerves leaving him as Hickory tugged him the rest of the way up the path and into the house. He only paused once to wipe his feet on a large mat near the front door, encouraging John to do the same, before he continued to lead the pop troll through the house. He only let go once they had entered a sparsely decorated bedroom, and the door was shut behind them.

"Nice digs," John commented idly, looking around the room briefly, before he found himself being pushed back into the door, Hickory's hands slipping under his vest to trail over his chest.

"I can think of much more interesting things than my bedroom," Hickory chuckled, pressing a kiss to John's cheek.

"Gettin' right to it then, huh?" John joked, lifting his hands to rest gently over Hickory's hips.

"Is that…not okay?" Hickory asked, shifting back slightly but not lifting his hands from John's fur. If this was the only chance he had to soak up the pop trolls presence and touch him, he was going to take advantage of every moment he could.

"Never said it wasn't. You just seem real eager," John teased, easy grin on his face.

"I have waited four years to be able to touch you," Hickory murmured, pressing in close to John while pushing the pop trolls vest from his shoulders, "You will need to forgive my eagerness."

John's grin faltered, his well practiced boy band charm guttering at Hickory's words. "You weren't kidding about that?"

"Kidding about what?" Hickory asked, distracted as he tugged the vest free and tossed it aside.

"Thinking about me. For all that time."

Hickory paused, frowning as he tipped his head back to get a look at the almost hopeful expression on John's face. "Why would I ever joke about something like that? The time we spent together meant a great deal to me. You mean a great deal to me."

"You don't even really know me," John said with a short shake of his head.

"Then let me?"

John stared up at Hickory for a moment, taking in the flower crown that sat askew on his head and the earnest expression he wore on his face as he waited patiently for John's response. He swallowed thickly, before giving a small nod, digging his fingers more firmly into Hickory's hips and pulling him in close. "Okay."

The brilliant grin that John got in return for his consent nearly made him dizzy. He gasped as Hickory ducked his head and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, slowly sinking to his knees as he trailed kisses down John's chest and stomach. He let his head fall back and hit the door with a dull thud, groaning quietly as Hickory all but worshipped him.

As Hickory reached John's hip he paused, tilting his head back to look up at John imploringly. "Is this okay?"

John tipped his head forward, letting out a slow breath as he lifted his hands to tangle his fingers in the yodeler's hair, dislodging the flower crown and causing it to fall to the floor. "More than," he murmured, momentarily distracted as the crown rolled across the room, only to snap his attention back to Hickory with a soft hiss as the yodeler tugged at his shorts and continued his trail of kisses down.

~

"You okay?" John asked, a lopsided grin on his face. The two had eventually migrated to Hickory's bed, where John currently found himself devoid of any of his clothes, laid back in a pile of pillows with a rather flustered looking Hickory between his knees.

"Es tut mir leid," Hickory murmured, licking his lips quickly as he sat back on his heels, "To be truthful, I have never done this before."

"Seriously?" John asked, stretching his arms above his head, grinning a little as he watched Hickory's eyes trail down over his chest. "Strapping young troll like yourself? I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," Hickory said with a self depreciating little laugh, "I think you are the first troll to ever use the word 'strapping' to describe me."

"Aw," John cooed, sitting up and taking Hickory's face in his hands, "Well, I think you're real handsome." He grinned as Hickory flushed, quickly taking the opportunity to kiss the yodeler deeply. When they broke apart, while Hickory was looking a little overwhelmed, John pushed him down into the pillows, swinging his leg over the yodeler to settle in his lap. "Let me take care of you now, okay?" He preened as Hickory's hands settled on his hips, fingers digging in slightly.

"All right."

~

Hickory wondered if this was what it was like to be in paradise. The troll of his dreams was in his lap, a dark flush coloring his cheeks as he panted, looking absolutely lost in the moment as he moved above Hickory. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, reaching up to cup John's jaw. The pop troll looked momentarily startled by the sentiment, only to let out a low moan and sweep down to catch Hickory's lips in a kiss.

"You're not too bad, yourself," John teased as he pulled back, earning a light chuckle from Hickory and a roll of his hips that left John gasping.

~

John huffed as he rolled off of Hickory, flopping back into the mound of pillows next to the yodeler. He looked rather pleased with himself, while Hickory stared up at the ceiling in a daze, both trying to catch their breath.

"That was…"

"Not too bad, huh?" John chuckled, turning his head to smirk at Hickory.

The yodeler blinked, turning his head slowly to frown at John. "Not too bad? John, that was…absolut vollkommen. You were - that was incredible," Hickory stated, pushing himself up onto his elbow to lean over the pop troll. "This was the best birthday I could have ever hoped for."

John's smirk melted into a genuine smile at Hickory's earnestness, reaching up to brush his fingers through wavy orange hair. "I'm glad I could make it memorable."

"The most memorable," Hickory agreed, leaning down to press a kiss to John's lips. He shifted and squirmed amongst the pillows until he managed to maneuver himself over John, pressing in between the pop trolls knees, somehow without breaking their kiss. When he did finally pull back, John let out a low chuckle, arching an eyebrow at Hickory.

"Again?"

Hickory flushed in embarrassment, gasping quietly as John wriggled his hips. "I…only if you'd like to…?"

John snorted, lifting a leg to wrap around Hickory's hips, tugging him close as he stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. "Only if you do all the work this time."

~

When John woke up in the morning it was to an empty bed. He grunted as he felt around the covers, finding the blankets cold. He scowled as he smacked his hands over his face, groaning as he rubbed at his eyes. He should have known better. This was not the first time someone had managed to sweet talk him into bed and then fled in the morning. It was, admittedly, a bit odd that Hickory had taken him back to his house, instead of where John was staying, but perhaps there was some unspoken rule between yodelers that one simply got up and left without a fuss the morning after a fling. He had hoped Hickory would be different, but who was he kidding. He was a washed up ex-boyband member, and because he was a pop troll a lot of other trolls seemed to think he was some sort of traveling strumpet.

He sighed as he spread his arms out over the expanse of the bed, frowning as he began to notice the faint ache in his hips, and the odd way some of his fur was sticking to his skin. As soon as he got back to where he was staying, he was taking a long, hot shower. But first, he needed to get there. He let out another grunt as he rolled out of bed, wincing as he stepped on his discarded goggles. He muttered a quiet curse to himself as he picked them up, cleaning them off with a blanket, and giving them a quick inspection to find them relatively unscathed. He slipped them on his head, before hunting around for his vest and shorts.

John had managed to pull on his shorts and was trying to figure out where Hickory had tossed his vest last night, when the bedroom door began to open. He stopped short as Hickory walked in with a soft little smile on his face, carrying a tray ladened with assorted breakfast foods. Hickory froze when he noticed John standing in the middle of the room, his smile turning into a confused frown.

"Mein liebling…? Did you need to go somewhere this morning?"

John simply stared at Hickory for a long moment, his brain needing the time to register that Hickory had not, in fact, run off on him. That he had, instead, made him breakfast, and brought it to him in bed.

"I…" John began, watching as the confusion on Hickory's face slowly shifted into realization, then resigned understanding. It suddenly felt like a weight was on John's chest as he watched Hickory set the tray aside, a sad little smile on his face as he shuffled across the room to tug John's vest from beneath a few pillows that had been shoved off the bed the night before.

"Here," Hickory offered the vest to John, tucking the thumb of his free hand into the waistband of the sleep pants he was wearing, "I take it you were looking for this?"

John took the vest, but was hesitant to put it on. He held it to his chest instead, tipping his head slightly to try and catch Hickory's gaze, but the yodeler was looking anywhere but directly at him.

"Hickory, I…" John floundered, not knowing what to say to fix the hurt look on Hickory's face. He was supposed to be a lyrical wordsmith, but his mind was drawing an absolutely blank.

"It's okay, schatz," Hickory said, shaking his head and gesturing towards the door. "I understand. And I am so very happy that I could have the time with you that I did. I don't regret it. And I hope you don't, either."

John felt like he'd been sucker punched in the gut. This sweet troll, who'd confessed to thinking about him for nearly four years and had showered him with nothing but compliments and sweet nothings all night, honestly thought John would regret spending the night with him. He dropped his vest and stepped quickly across the room, cupping Hickory's cheeks so he could force the yodeler to look at him. He wanted to kick himself at finding tears in Hickory's eyes.

"No! No, no, Hickory," John brushed his thumbs against the yodelers cheeks, finding his walls quickly crumbling at the way Hickory's expression turned a little hopeful, "I'm sorry. I thought you had left. I wouldn't've…If I'd known you were making me breakfast, I…" He cursed under his breath, squeezing Hickory's cheeks gently, earning a sound of confusion from the yodeler. John cussed again, a little louder this time, before stating quickly, "Can we try this again?"

Hickory gently extracted his face from John's hold, frowning slightly. "Try what again?"

Instead of answering, John picked up the breakfast try and pushed it into Hickory's hands, before ushering the yodeler back out the door. "Here. Wait, like, a minute. Okay? Just…one minute, and then come in again."

Hickory stumbled slightly as he was pushed out the door, turning with his mouth open to speak, only to find the door shut in his face.

Meanwhile, John hurried to slip his shorts back off and toss his goggles to the side, clamoring onto the bed quickly. He arranged the bedding just so around himself, managing to flop back into the pillows and hoping it came off as somewhat alluring, just as Hickory began to open the door again.

Hickory poked his head in first, still looking confused, only for a smile to bloom on his face as John made an exaggerated yawning sound and stretched across the pillows.

"Oh! Did you make breakfast?" John asked, propping his cheek up on the palm of his hand, a coy little smile on his face as Hickory walked across the room and set the tray on the bedside table.

"Ja. I thought, after last night, you might need the energy," Hickory teased easily back, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out to pick something off the tray, but paused as John's hand landed on his wrist. He turned his head, letting out a startled little moan as John surged up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Join me?" John asked as he broke the kiss, patting at the pillow next to him.

Who was Hickory to deny such a request? He stood from the bed to slip his sleep pants off before crawling under the covers with John, a pleased little smile on his face as the pop troll draped himself over his lap.

"Now… Feed me," John all but demanded, gesturing vaguely at the breakfast tray. Hickory snorted at the demand, but obliged, snagging a berry from the tray and feeding it to John, who made a show of licking his lips and moaning lowly while he ate.

"Oh," Hickory breathed, offering John another berry, only to find his fingers being drawn into the pop trolls mouth with another self satisfied moan. He swallowed thickly as he pulled his fingers free to reach for the tray again, only to be stopped as John sat up and properly sat himself in Hickory's lap. He blinked owlishly up at the pop troll, who simply grinned down at him.

"Again?" John teased, squeezing his knees around Hickory's hips.

"Yes, please."

[inawickedlittletown]

Dragon Chosen (BuckTommy fic) - 3/5

Summary:

In a world where dragons exist and where they pick their riders, Buck doesn't expect his perfectly normal Tuesday to include a dragon and his rider, Tommy, showing up to ask for his help with an injured dragon…a dragon that has picked Buck as his rider. Buck doesn't know who captivates him more his new dragon or Tommy.

Rating: M

Words: 3.8k

Ao3

Chapter One

Chapter Two

-

Chapter Three

It wasn’t at all hard to determine how quickly Evan took to the bond. Within the first few days, he seemed to just instinctively understand how he could help Gwyn heal. Halfway through the second week, he and Tommy took the bandage off. Cyra didn’t recommend that Gwyn fly yet, but Evan took it upon himself to do some kind of physical therapy with Gwyn. 

Focusing on Gwyn getting better was the only thing that kept Tommy from jumping Evan and kissing him silly. Evan didn’t make it very easy, either. The number of times that Tommy had walked out of his room to find Evan with just a towel around his hips. It was as if he were timing leaving the bathroom perfectly to run into Tommy. Then there was the touching. Evan bumped his shoulder, grabbed his hand, slung his arm around his shoulders. He also kept staring at Tommy like he was the last slice of cake or something. Tommy only had so much self-restraint and Evan was pushing it.  

Cyra thought it was hilarious and she kept encouraging him to just go for it. Evan was either the biggest flirt and had no idea what he was doing, or he knew exactly what he was doing and Tommy thought it was the latter. 

That morning, he found Evan in the kitchen. The smell of coffee wafted his way and he paused to take Evan in. He was still in pajamas, a t-shirt that was too tight and pants that sat low on his hips. Tommy swallowed. The universe was being very unfair. 

“Good morning,” Evan called out to him, shooting him a smile. “Your coffee is just there.” 

He pointed to a cup that was still a little steamy but already had the right amounts of cream and sugar. 

“You remember how I take my coffee?” 

“Well, after the mess I made of it the first time,” Evan said, ducking his head. 

“Thank you.” 

“Eggs will be ready in a moment,” Evan said. 

They ate together like they had every morning since Evan had come to stay. Tommy had never lived with anyone before and though he’d welcomed Evan and Gwyn, Chim had tried to prepare him for the annoyance of having someone in his space. It wasn’t annoying at all to have Evan there. Evan was the perfect house guest and Tommy liked having him around, wanted him around for that matter. 

On the few days that Evan actually left the house, Tommy could even go as far as to say that he missed him. But Evan had his garden to care for and he liked going by the 118 even if he was on dragon leave. 

“I finally convinced Eddie to take over taking care of the garden,” Evan announced. “I mean, I’ll still go check on it, but he can be there to give it water and harvest things.” 

“That’s great,” Tommy said. 

Evan nodded. “I hate being away from Gwyn. Does that get better?” 

“It will,” Tommy confirmed. “How are you doing with blocking her out of your mind?” 

“Better, I think. I’ve been practicing all morning. I just…there’s some stuff I rather she didn’t know.” He blushed and looked at Tommy and then away, biting his lip.

“Stuff like what?” 

Evan blushed far too easily and Tommy loved it. He loved the way that the pink spread on his cheeks and on his neck. Maybe it went even further down, wouldn’t that be a sight. 

“Uh…I mean…like if I was doing stuff that’s a bit personal,” Evan got out, his words rushed. 

“Hmmm,” Tommy said. “You mean while you were jerking off?” 

Evan gasped. Tommy internally didn’t know why he said it outloud. He could barely look at Evan, but Evan’s eyes were trained on him and when he glanced up it was to find heat and want and hunger. 

“Tommy,” Evan said, it was almost pleading. 

Tommy got up from his chair. He was feeling warm and his palms were sweaty. Evan got up too and he reached and grabbed Tommy’s wrist. Whatever had had him unsure before, it was gone. 

“Yes,” he said. “Yes, Tommy, what do you do if you want to jerk off? If you want to touch yourself? If you want to touch someone else…if you want to fuck someone?” 

Evan stepped closer, his hand climbed up Tommy’s wrist to his elbow. Their eyes were locked together and Tommy would never be sure who moved first or who kissed who first, just that in the next moment the space between them was closed and they were kissing. It was a hungry kiss, hard and filled with want. All the tension from the last few weeks exploded in that kiss and before he knew it their tongues were sliding together and Tommy was moaning into the kiss. 

They only pulled away to get air and they were panting against each other, Evan’s lips quirking into a smirk. 

“Tell me you have him blocked off?” Tommy whispered. 

Evan pecked his lips. “Yes. Why do you think I’ve been trying to perfect it?” 

And then they were kissing again. Evan’s hands were in his hair and Tommy pulled him closer, pressed their bodies up and felt that toned chest he’d felt the first day he met him when they flew on Cyra. He touched Evan’s back, his hands reaching down to grope at his ass. 

Evan groaned into his neck, leaving open mouth kisses until he was back at Tommy’s lips. He rutted right into Tommy’s thigh and reached down, his hand making a slow trek between them and into Tommy’s shorts right for his cock. His first touch sent a zing of pleasure through Tommy and it really had been too long since he’d been with anyone. 

Evan’s fingers circled his girth, moaned against Tommy’s shoulder. 

“Want you to fuck me,” Evan said, voice breathy. 

Tommy didn’t waste any time. He pulled at Evan’s hand until he was out of his shorts. 

“What…Tommy, I—”

Tommy kissed him, spun Evan around and pulled his pajama pants and underwear down. Evan kicked them away, he wasted no time in leaning against the counter and pushing his ass out and oh, it really was perfect, better than Tommy could have dreamed up and he’d been dreaming it up every night. At first he just groped him a bit, slipping his dry fingers down his crack and teasing him, before he dropped to his knees behind him. 

First, he placed a soft bite to one cheek. Evan groaned. 

Tommy spread his cheeks, looked at his hole and dove right in. He could hear Evan’s cries. The way that his words were jumbled and broken up, but he said Tommy’s name and Tommy could get addicted to the sound. He could also get addicted to his taste. He reached around Evan and grasped his cock at the base, gave him a pump and felt how wet the head was. He groaned into Evan. 

“Tommy, Tommy…Tommy please,” Evan cried out. 

Tommy rubbed a finger over Evan’s hole, wet from Tommy’s saliva. As hot as it would be to just keep this in the kitchen, the lube was in his room and Tommy was going to do it right. 

“Bedroom, Evan,” he said. 

Evan whined, but Tommy stood, turned him again and kissed him. Evan groaned into the kiss, he clung to Tommy. Tommy walked them backwards out of the kitchen, but he put a pause to it at the stairs. Evan went ahead of him, bare bottom and all. Tommy wanted him and he wanted him desperately. He ran after Evan and the two of them grasped at each other at the top of the stairs, kissing and groping. Evan tugged at Tommy’s clothes and by the time they were in his room they were both nude. 

Evan dropped onto the bed at once, displaying himself and fondling his own cock with a smirk on his face. Tommy did quick work of finding the lube and dropping it next to Evan. 

“Want me to?” Evan asked. 

Tommy shook his head. “No, baby, let me. I want to get you nice and loose for me.” 

Evan made a whimpering noise. 

Tommy really couldn’t torture Evan or himself any longer. 

Evan lifted his hips up, squished a pillow under him and spread his legs out and then he touched himself some more. Tommy knocked his hand away and grabbed the lube. He was slow, but Evan urged him to go faster, to get his fingers inside him already. Tommy leaned over to kiss him and he pressed in. 

—

Buck had known that Tommy wanted him for weeks. Probably since they first met. In any other circumstance, he would have probably propositioned him on day one. Gwyn had been a factor though and how much he needed Buck mentally. It had led to Buck finally asking Tommy about keeping Gwyn out of his head and finding out how difficult it actually was to form that block between him and the dragon. 

Determination to get it right and do more than flirt with Tommy had made him learn. He regretted nothing, especially not when Tommy was finally lining himself up and pushing into him with such a gentle patience that was betrayed by the heat in his eyes and the way that he gripped at Buck’s hips. 

Having Tommy inside him when he finally bottomed out felt amazing. He felt fuller than ever, felt a little pain at the stretch, but it was nothing in comparison to the bliss on Tommy’s face or how he leaned down to kiss Buck almost gently. 

Then, he began moving and Buck just about lost it. Pleasure coursed through him.

“Evan,” Tommy said, “you feel so good. So good for me.” 

Buck drew him down into a kiss and he felt Tommy’s hand on his cock, something of a tease before he started moving his hand up and down. Buck gasped, head thrown back. Tommy started to fuck him just a little harder and Buck just about exploded. It seemed to be just what Tommy was looking for because a moment later he was cumming too. 

They were both panting, sweaty, and warm. Buck’s stomach was sticky and wet. None of it mattered, not when Tommy was tying up the condom and dropping to lay next to Buck. 

“We are doing that again,” Buck informed him. 

Tommy laughed. He kissed Buck’s bicep. “And other things.” 

“All the things,” Buck corrected. 

Despite how much he might want to, Buck knew they couldn’t stay in bed all morning. Still, they both lingered at first just cooling off, but then kissing and caressing and smiling at each other. Tommy finally declared it was time to get up almost an hour later and then he couldn’t be convinced to share the shower with Buck, though he did let Buck go first. 

When Buck left the bathroom, towel around his waist, he found Tommy out in the hall waiting in just his shorts. 

“I just want to know,” Tommy said, “how deliberate was all of this?” 

“All of what?” Buck asked. 

“You and the towel after a shower?” 

“Can’t dry off in a steamy room, Tommy,” Buck said, “but it didn’t hurt to show you what you could have.” 

Tommy grabbed him around the waist, pressing them together. He drew Buck into a deep kiss and then he slapped Buck’s ass through the towel when he pushed him away. Buck just laughed and continued into the guest room. He dressed quickly, dismantled the mental block and felt out for Gwyn. 

Gwyn was awake and eating. Buck didn’t quite like to think about the eating habits of the dragons. They were carnivores and consumed their food well cooked. Cyra was providing food for Gwyn while he still couldn’t fly, though sometimes he did walk into the woods way behind Tommy’s house where he could find critters to snack on. 

He didn’t wait for Tommy and headed out of the house. He and Tommy had cleared out the shed on the first day and Gwyn had been using it mostly at night. During the day he was mostly out on the grass and Buck was usually with him. He hated when he had to leave him there to go back to his house. At least he’d qualified for dragon rider’s leave so he could be out of work. Normally, Buck would have hated taking time off, but Gwyn had changed things. 

When he reached Gwyn, the dragon immediately turned to him, cocking his head. 

You smell like Tommy

Buck laughed. Cyra let out a snort that was her own laughter. There really would never be hiding anything from them. 

How’s your wing doing? Buck asked, deciding to ignore it. 

Doesn’t hurt.

Buck reached for Gwyn, touching his head and down his neck to his back and then to the wing. He stretched it out. There was still a tension there, Buck could practically feel it. It felt like a muscle that was a bit too tight. His hands smoothed over the wing. It was soft and delicate, but he massaged it like he’d been doing every day since he and Tommy removed the bandage. 

That feels nice. How long until I can fly?

It might be a while yet, Gwyn. We don’t want you to get hurt

He could feel his disappointment and he tried to send back reassurance. 

Buck had found that despite being quite young, Gwyn was pretty mature when it came to most things. He did have a stubborn streak, though, and an eagerness to get back to the sky. When he told Hen and Chim about that, he’d gotten stared at until Buck admitted that maybe he shared those qualities. 

Look, a while back I was injured too. My leg. Even to this day it gets a bit tight when it rains. It took a long time for me to heal up and get back to normal. I was impatient too and I pushed myself too hard. It made it worse, looking back. So, you have to go slow and listen to Cyra. She knows better than both of us.

Gwyn brushed his head against Buck and Buck sighed. He let him fold his wing back into place. When he looked up, he spotted Tommy headed their way. He blushed even just looking at him. Tommy smiled at him. 

“How’s the patient?” 

“Impatient,” Buck said. 

Tommy laughed. He made his way to where Cyra was sitting. She lowered her head so Tommy could touch her and Buck could see from Tommy’s body language that he was being teased. 

The next few weeks went along in the same way. Buck spent some time with Gwyn, he went to care for his garden because Eddie could really only be trusted to make sure everything was watered and picked, and he and Tommy spent any spare moment together. Kisses were constant, their hands were never far from each other. They didn’t discuss it, but they were practically sleeping in the same bed every night and Buck loved waking up with him. 

—

The first time that Gwyn flew again was after being told he should wait another week. Tommy had seen it coming. Cyra had warned him it might happen, she was also sure that when it did, Gwyn would be okay. And, he was. Gwyn was also exhausted and the next day Evan was almost in tears from the pain that he felt across the bond because that was just how stiff Gwyn’s wing was from his flight. 

“Maybe this will teach him something,” Tommy offered. 

Gwyn stayed in the shed, curled up and pain-ridden, but stubborn enough to still tell them that it was worth it. Cyra told them to leave the wing be. 

Leave him be. He’ll need to rest and when he wants to fly again he’ll remember this day. 

It could have been comical to see Gwyn in the shed, because he’d grown considerably in the last six weeks and he only just fit in there. In a few more weeks, Tommy didn’t think that Gwyn would fit, but in a couple of weeks he might be back in the air and maybe it wouldn’t matter. 

Tommy was preparing himself for what that would mean. If Gwyn could fly and hunt for himself, then it would mean that Evan could go back home so that Gwynn could start settling in where he would live. That was the goal and yet, Tommy didn’t want them to go. In the last few weeks Evan had been sleeping next to him every night and not just on the nights when they got each other off. He didn’t think he’d ever been that okay with someone in his bed like that before and yes it was fast, but it really felt like Evan belonged there. 

When his morose thoughts got to Cyra she tried to remind him that he’d been approved by the Dragon Rider Guild to help Evan with everything. It was why he’d been allowed to miss so much work. 

Tommy worked at Dragon Air Support. It was a part of LAFD Air Support. Tommy had known it was the right place for him. Some people thought it was redundant to have fire breathing dragons working for the fire department, but those people didn’t know that firefighters did a whole lot more than dealing with fires. 

Dragons were strong for one thing and for another, they helped with controlled fires, and getting into places that helicopters just couldn’t. Not to mention that dragons were fireproof and could fly right into flames for rescues that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Tommy kinda hoped that Evan would end up joining him at Dragon Air Support when Gwyn was full grown, but he was also aware of how close everyone at the 118 was and Buck might not want to leave them.  

With Gwyn moody and in pain, Tommy had the task of getting Evan out of the house and away from the dragon before it really affected his mood more than it already did. 

“Want to go flying with me?” Tommy asked. 

“On Cyra?” Evan looked surprised. 

Tommy grinned. “Yes. Gwyn needs to rest and he’ll be fine here on his own. We won’t go far so we can hear him, but I figure you need some distance from him.” 

“Sure.” 

Ten minutes later, Tommy was helping him climb up Cyra and once they were seated, Evan wrapped his arms around Tommy, pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Tommy turned slightly, enough to draw him into a quick kiss. Cyra surprised both of them by rising, taking a few steps and flapping her wings and pushing off the ground. Evan made a squeaking noise, but he settled against Tommy’s back. 

What? It was getting too mushy for me.

You wanted us together.

Yes. I’m happy for you, you know that. Just keep that off my back.

Fair enough. One day you’ll meet your mate, Cyra, and I won’t complain if you get mushy.

Dragons do not get mushy.

Tommy smiled to himself. He sent his joy through to Cyra and received her own happiness back. 

Cyra didn’t fly them very far. The last thing Tommy wanted was for Evan to be too far from Gwyn and not hear if the dragon was in distress. He didn’t think they needed to worry, but it was better safe than sorry. After all, despite his best efforts they hadn’t had any luck locating the witch. The Dragon Rider Guild took the whole thing very seriously. There were quite a few young dragons about the size of Gwyn who were vulnerable and even more riderless dragons who weren’t quite ready to call for their rider. 

What concerned them the most was that the witch had managed to retain some of Gwyn’s scales. Dragon scales were great for certain spells, sure, but they also could be used to track the dragon who lost them. Tommy hoped they were wrong, but the witch could try to find Gwyn. So far no one had found her and they had very little to go on. 

Cyra started descending, Evan’s arms tightened around him. She was out over the water and she glided down, dragging her feet. Evan gasped, especially when Cyra tilted to the left dropping her wing into the water. A spray of water hit them. Cyra righted herself a moment later. She didn’t come down right in the water, but landed on the sand, sending a lot of it up into the air in a cloud. Tommy ducked his face and closed his eyes. He felt Evan press his face to his back, arms still tight around him. 

Sorry. 

It’s okay. 

Most of the sand settled quickly, a lot of it landing on Cyra. When Tommy finally lifted his head, Cyra was already getting down so he and Evan could dismount. He went down first and just like the first time, he waited and caught Evan, this time pulling him right into a quick kiss that made Evan laugh. 

They were in a portion of the beach that was a bit isolated, but there were still a few people either out on the water or sunbathing on the sand. 

“I can’t believe you brought me to the beach,” Evan said. 

“I figured we could walk around a bit. Plus, Cyra wanted to come. She likes the water.” 

As soon as they had walked a few feet away from her, Cyra actually began walking into the water. Evan stopped to watch her. The waves didn’t bother her, in fact her large body mass created more waves. As soon as she had gotten far enough in, she dove into the water, popping up a while aways. 

“I didn’t know dragons liked to swim,” Evan said. 

“I don’t know about other dragons, but Cyra’s always been partial to it. She, uh, she took me into the water with her once, it was fun.” 

“How long have the two of you been together?” 

“About seven or eight years. Seems like a lot longer.” 

A nice breeze came in from the sea and they could hear Cyra splashing in the sea. Tommy could picture Gwyn there too, bigger than he was at the moment and yet a part of it because he was Evan’s and Tommy wanted Evan beside him all the time. Maybe they should talk about what they wanted from each other and for the future. 

They had walked all the way to where some dunes blocked the path and Tommy was gearing up to bring it up, when Evan went completely still. 

“Gwyn,” he said, eyes panicked in a way Tommy had never seen. 

Tommy reached out to Cyra at once. 

Cyra, we have to go. It’s Gwyn. Something’s wrong.

[dancerinthestorm]

Fic Recs: A World in a Grain of Sand Edition.

I love epic tales in which authors slowly build up their worlds and characters. I love losing myself in works slowly outgrowing canon word count to the point of forgetting to go to bed at reasonable hours. However, I am in absolute awe of writers who manage the rare feat of conjuring the same level of immersion with just a short story or even a one shot.

This totally incomplete list of my all-time favorite short(-ish) stories is a tribute to all intrepid souls out there tackling this challenge.

If you aren't familiar with the fandoms yet I still recommend diving straight in. They can be read and enjoyed totally out of context and you might just come out the other end with a new fandom obsession 😉

„Ars Poetica“ (AO3) by Rhune

Helping out around the Devil May Cry you are perfectly content to leave center stage to the devil hunters and demons of your acquaintance. Until the day Dante returns from hell, his stand-offish brother in tow. Suddenly - and quite unnervingly - you find yourself sharing your once quiet existence in the background with none other than Vergil.

One achingly perfect installment full of poetry, searing stares and everyone’s favorite moody half demon.

Devil May Cry (post DMC5). Vergil x fem!Reader. Rated E. 16k words.

+++

„Coming up Roses“ by @eupheme

The new groundskeeper at Wayne Manor is unsure what to make of stoic, unapproachable Alfred Pennyworth. At least at first...

All the yearning and suppressed feels of a 300-page Jane Austen novel condensed into two gorgeous chapters about falling in love when you least expect it. Topped off with some seriously hot smut for good measure.

The Batman. Alfred Pennyworth x fem!Reader. Rated E. 10k words.

+++

„Posterity“ by @whats-rambled-rambled

Posterity. Tenet's operators. Always just a call away to back up your field agents while they flit back and forth through time. It's dangerous work. People die. So you don't get close. Until there's Neil.

I know, I know , 7 chapters with 31k words is putting A LOT of strain on the definition of „short stories“ but I just HAD to include this one. Reading it simply broke me. Absolutely gorgeous prose, two main characters you cannot help falling in love with and a story that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Tenet. Neil x GN!Reader. Rated M. 31k words.

Pro tip: If you are not ready for a 31k word commitment yet (fair enough!) go for „The Way Down“ instead: A hauntingly beautiful 3-parter Battinson!Bruce Wayne/GN!Reader. Rated T.

+++

"Three Weeks on the Nimrodel" by @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras

Haldir is quiet. Stoic. Solitary. Not the easiest person to be around for three weeks of guard duty up a solitary mallorn tree. He knows that and has made his peace with it. Until a so far unfamiliar fellow marchwarden comes along.

Do you know this moment of utter bliss when you come home after an absolutely rotten day and are finally able to snuggle up with a fluffy blanket, your favorite hot beverage and your comfort book/band/movie? This fic is that exact feeling distilled into 3000 words. Add a good helping of pure love for the more obscure corners of Middle Earth and two absolutely charming, introvert main characters et voila: utter contentment for you to come back to again and again and again whenever that fluffy blanket is out of reach.

Still not an Elves person. But I might have to fess up to being a Haldir person one of these days. This gem surely is another nail in my coffin 😅

Lord of the Rings. Haldir x GN!Reader. Rated G. 3k words.

+++

„Pinky promises & glow stars“ (AO3) by @softlyspector

Steven bumps into Marc’s childhood best friend in a coffee shop and decides that he wants to get to know her better. Marc decides that's a terrible idea.

Quiet and sad and sweet and absolutely beautiful.

Moon Knight. Marc Spector x Reader. Not rated on AO3. Think M to be on the safe side with everything the Moon Knight boys have been through. 10k words.

+++

As always: a huge thank you to all creators for your time and your passion and your talent. You guys are absolutely incredible and make this world a better place!

Something missing you say? Please feel free to shout your own recommendations at me in the comments!

[dominimoonbeam]

The Lonely Hearts Club - 2

The coffee shop au continues!!

Oh, we're bumping the rating from M to E. Nothing has HAPPENED yet but Gavin has a lot of thoughts and just... yeah, we might as well bump it right now because I'm working on chapter 3 and this has gotten STEAMY. <3 <3

Gavin/David/Asher DAVINSHER

Fic from the start on ao3.

tags: flirting, non-magical au, getting together, lots of tension, we're getting steamy

The Lonely Hearts Club - 2

David tried not to smile when Gavin walked into his café that afternoon.

He stepped right up to the counter, oversized sweater hanging on his shoulders, showing off neck and collarbone. The sleeves hung down to his knuckles, his palm on the counter when he leaned over it and ordered today’s challenge. “Mocha cookie crumble Frappuccino with two shots of espresso, 2 pumps of raspberry, and strawberry purée.”

David screwed up his face. “Seriously?”

“It’s going to be amazing. Assuming you can make it, of course…”

“Fuck you. You know I can. What size? Don’t answer that. You’re getting a grande.”

“With almond milk,” he added, beaming.

“Of course.” He rang it up. “You’re not going to order his drink too?”

Gavin’s smile grew. “And deprive him of getting to talk to you? Never.”

David rolled his eyes at the weird joke and started working on the order. The door chimed and he cast a glance toward it, expecting to see Asher. The two had been coming in together since that rainy day a month ago. They didn’t arrive together, but they were meeting up. David was happy to see it. Asher had been a regular for a couple years but this last one he’d been… down? Off? He just hadn’t seemed happy anymore. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. His shoulders sagged and his gaze was far away.

The worst had been that rainy day when he just stood there, like he hadn’t even heard David ask if he wanted his usual. And then he’d ordered coffee! Just regular coffee. David was torn between worry about him and being peeved he was using perfectly good coffee like a damn punishment. Watching him sip and cringe grated his nerves like nothing before ever had. Why? Why was he doing that? Why hadn’t he just ordered what he liked?

David hadn’t been able to stand it and made him his usual, swapping them out.

He’d then drank Asher’s coffee. He told himself it was not to be wasteful.

But in the weeks since, Asher had become himself again. Or at least, as much of him as David knew. He seemed happy, bounding in and converging with Gavin at what had become their usual table. David wasn’t sure if they were dating or not. They were definitely flirting but it seemed limited to words and stray touches.

He hadn’t realized how much he was looking forward to seeing Asher join Gavin at the counter until he looked up and saw someone else pushing their way in.

His ex had their mouth pressed tightly and a box in their arms.

Oh shit.

His heart clenched and heat rushed his face, but he tried not to show any of it.

They marched up to the counter but instead of ordering anything, they dropped the box with a heavy thump.

Yep. That was happening.

“I told you I’d be by the get it…” David said.

“I have plans tonight and you’re not invited,” they shot back.

He nodded, accepting this. Despite all their efforts to make it look like they were dumping him this last week, he had actually been the one to initiate the breakup. They were hurt and he accepted that. If this made them feel better in any way, then he’d take it. They weren’t a bad person and he wanted the best for them, but it just hadn’t felt right. They wanted to move in together, to plan a future, and he wasn’t seeing it. He didn’t want to waste their time just because it was more comfortable to stay in than get out. It wouldn’t have been right. He steamed the milk. “Okay.”

They glared at him for a second longer before turning and marching back out, somehow slamming a whisper door behind them.

The silence after them was dramatic as hell, because Gavin was standing right there—letting that silence stretch until David glanced at him. He smiled, like he’d just walked in on something he shouldn’t have seen.

“Shut up,” David mumbled.

Gavin shook his head, still smiling. “Sorry. Sorry. But damn, you’re cold.”

David poured his drink and then handed it off to him.

Gavin took it but sidestepped back to the front counter, looking down into the box. “Is this one of those on again off again relationships?” he asked casually, sucking at the straw and eying David’s things.

David felt exposed in a way that made his skin warm and tight, but he didn’t snatch the box back just yet either… “No.”

Gavin nodded, leaning forward to see around some of those objects but not moving any, eyes widening a fraction.

What was in the box? What had he left at their place to be returned? A hoodie maybe?

“How long were you together?”

“Almost six months.” Why was he answering?

Gavin’s gaze flicked up from the box to David. “Interesting… So, you wanna join our club now?”

“What?”

“The Lonely Hearts Club.”

David rolled his eyes and grabbed the box, pulling it off the counter. It was heavier than he expected. He glanced down into it. A hoodie, some games, the headphones he’d given them for their birthday, and… His face felt like it was one fire when he shoved the box under the counter, the sex toy rolling heavy at the bottom.

Gavin’s gaze was waiting for him, that grin fucking wolfish.

“I’m not really looking to jump into another relationship right now,” he grumbled and, again, wondered why he was even answering the questions. He didn’t have to. He knew that.

Gavin sucked his drink from the straw and then swallowed a large gulp.

David narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what the other man was doing and refusing to gawk the way Asher did.

“It’s more of a friends without relationships club. So far, it’s just been sexting and flirty coffee dates… but we’re going to a club this weekend. You could join… if you were interested, of course. No strings. Nothing serious.”

David defaulted to a skeptical frown.

Gavin didn’t seem the least bit put off by it, but he didn’t press either. He grabbed one of the napkins and a pen, writing his number down. “Think about it. If you’re not into us, that’s totally okay and I promise not to bring it up again, okay? But if you are… well… if you are interested, you are currently missing out on some incredible voicemails from Asher…”

The door chimed again and this time it was Asher.

-

Gavin turned around to see Asher walk up to the counter. His black work t-shirt hugged his shoulders and his hair a perfect mess. He’d come straight from work. So far, they were still keeping their meetings to this coffee shop. It had been their way of going slow—of being friends developing benefits rather than a one-night stand.

Not that it had taken them more than a week to go from flirty texts to sexy texts to pictures and audio that couldn’t be called anything but pornographic. The first time Asher sent him an audio clip, late at night, breathy and riled up, Gavin had gone hard instantly. He’d goaded him on—wanting to hear more—telling him what he wanted him to do and then waiting breathlessly for the response—for the audio of Asher touching himself and whining. Fucking whining! The sounds he made…

Gavin’s dick twitched in his jeans just thinking about it, so he quickly pushed the memory aside. Not that Asher made it easy when he hugged him.

“The usual?” David asked just before Ash was about to order.

He grinned and nodded, pulling his wallet out. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Gavin took another sip off his drink and his thoughts strayed to the box David had under the counter… the one with a decent sized dildo rolling around at the bottom. Was it David’s? Or was the ex trying to rekindle something? By the way he’d blushed and put the box away when he saw it, Gavin had to wonder if it was David’s. He pushed away the mental images of the barista working that thing into himself. He’d let himself think about it if decided to join their little club…

When Asher had his drink, they walked over to their table, talking about their day. He’d tell Ash about inviting David to join them later. At least it was in his court now. He could decide if he was interested and they would leave it at that.

Asher’s knees bumped against his under the table. “You’ve officially been invited hiking,” he told him.

Gavin laughed, thinking he was joking and then stopped when he realized he wasn’t. “Wait. Really? Why?”

Asher laughed. “Because I was talking about you to Huxley and Damien. I told you Hux is all about hiking and camping.”

Gavin blinked. “Yeah but why me? I mean. You didn’t tell them I was an outdoorsman did you?” He grinned as soon as he said it, considering all the ways in which he could definitely consider himself an outdoorsman… He definitely didn’t hate the idea of being in the woods with Asher, maybe fucking him against a tree… “Wait, are they swingers?” That would make sense.

Asher was grinning now. “No, they definitely aren’t. I don’t know. They just want to meet you, I guess. Well, Huxley wants to meet you. Damien wants to make sure you’re not a criminal.”

“Who says I’m not?”

Asher bumped their legs together. “You don’t have to, of course. I’m just telling you, I was told to invite you.”

Gavin nodded, hooking his legs around one of Asher’s under the table. “I’m glad you’re getting back to normal with them.” And he meant it. Asher had looked so sad when he’d talked about how things used to be with his friends and how it had sort of all gone to shit during his last relationship. But those friends had still been there for him when he needed them.

Asher nodded and leaned back into his seat. “Me too.”

They were going out this weekend and Gavin was looking forward to it more than he’d looking forward to anything in a long time. But it was less and less about the atmosphere and more about getting to be there with Asher. He wanted to see him on a dance floor—wanted to see how he flirted with strangers—and how he felt pressed against him in a crowd. The plan of their little two-man club was to go out, to flirt with other people and each other, and then go home together. They were officially not looking for relationships.

“Come over,” Gavin said, surprising them both.

Asher blinked, raising one eyebrow. “What? Like scoot around the table?” He beamed, something devious glinting in his eyes. “We agreed not to fuck around at the café and if I sit next to you…”

Gavin grinned, leaning forward. “Come home with me tonight.”

Asher’s smile wavered, but something burned in his eyes. “Seriously?”

“Unless you don’t want to?”

“I do,” he said, fast enough to blush at how it came out.

Gavin slid an arm across the table to touch the back of Asher’s hand. “I want to kiss you,” he said. It was the tip of the iceberg when it came to the things he had planned for Ash, but it was also the start.

Asher had that deer in the headlights look that made Gavin’s heart pound.

“Do you know how many times I’ve come thinking about you this month?” he asked, voice low, and reveled in the way Asher swallowed, breath coming a little faster. Could he get him to make some of those sounds right here just talking?

“Really?”

Gavin huffed a laugh. How could Asher not know how hot he was? “Yes. I’m half-hard just sitting across from you.”

The door chimed when more people came into the café.

Asher bit his bottom lip, dragging his eyes over Gavin like he was considering him. Gavin waited, not for a second doubting his own appeal, or that Asher was interested, but hanging on those lips and what he’d say next. Fuck, he wanted to make him whine… “Okay,” Asher said, a confident smirk pulling at one side of his mouth. “But I should probably tell you now…”

Gavin waited that split second, holding his breath.

Asher grinned. “I’ve got stamina for days.”

Gavin exhaled a laugh, nodding. “I can work with that.”

“And—” he started but hesitated, a flicker of something uneasy stealing the cocky attitude he’d just been leaning into. Like maybe he wasn’t sure if this was a good thing to say?

“And?” Gavin encouraged. He was pretty sure at this point, he had seen and done just about everything. Whatever Asher wasn’t sure about, he could handle.

Asher nodded to himself, like deciding to just say it. “I can… go multiple times.”

Gavin blinked. “Go?” he said and watched that mix of devious excitement and unease in Asher. Go. Multiple times? “Are you serious?”

Asher winced, shrinking in front of him, the excitement being snuffed out by the unease.

Gavin caught his wrist on the table. “How many times?”

“What?”

“How many times can you go in a session?”

Asher exhaled some relief even on his confusion, shrugging. “I don’t know. It’s not like I’ve tested it…”

Gavin felt his grin growing out of control. “Oh, we’re going to find out.” He stroked his thumb across Asher’s wrist, wanting to kiss that spot. “What’s your personal record?”

Asher blushed and Gavin thought he felt that pulse jumping under his thumb. “Four?”

Gavin groaned, shooting up from his chair with Asher’s wrist still in one hand and his drink in the other. “Let’s go, pretty. We should get started if you’re going to make it to work tomorrow…”

Asher laughed, happy to be tugged along toward the door.

Gavin tossed David a wave over the line of customers he had and was pleasantly surprised when the beautiful grump cocked his head back in acknowledgement.

[merlinrarepairfest]

Round Up 4

With Week 4 coming to a close, we're now a bit over halfway through the posting period! You can find this week's fills beneath the cut <3

Title: A Lifetime of Promises Writer: eachpeachpearplum | @eachpeachpearplume Rating: M Warnings: No archive warnings apply Medium/Word Count: fic, ~50k | Chapter 1/14 Pairing/main characters: Gwaine/Merlin/Percival, established Gwaine/Percival, past Gwaine/Merlin Up to 10 tags: Modern AU, polyamory negotiations, fluff, slow burn (for the poly ship), falling back in love, hurt/comfort

Summary:

When Gwaine bumps into his ex, Merlin, in the pub one night, he doesn't realise quite how much it's going to change his and Percival's lives.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52010989

---

Title: fade away never Writer: SlantedKnitting | @slantedknitting Rating: General Audiences Warnings: none Medium/Word Count: 1,186 words Pairing/main characters: Leon/Merlin Up to 10 tags: Regency Era, Queerplatonic Relationship, Immortal Leon, Immortal Merlin, Ballroom Dancing

Summary:

Leon and Merlin attend a ball.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51031786

---

Title: [ART] Still Yours Artist: Mischel | @magicalmischel Rating: G Warnings: none Medium/Word Count: 0 Pairing/main characters: Gwen/Morgana Up to 10 tags: Digital Art, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angel Gwen (Merlin), Hugs, Wings, Fallen Angel Morgana (Merlin), Demon Morgana (Merlin)

Summary:

Morgana/Gwen fanart for Rare Pair Fest 2023. Prompt: Angels and Demons au. They were together when they were angels. Then Morgana fell.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51384040

---

Title: The Shop at the Corner's End Writer: Cassius_theCorrupterofSouls | @twisted-shipper Rating: M Warnings: Creator chose not to use Archive warnings  Medium/Word Count: 12,456 Pairing/main characters: Morgana/Mordred  Up to 10 tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Lovers, Witchcraft, Wicca, Autumn, Halloween 

Summary:

Drawn towards a local occult shop that lies on her route to school, Morgana Pendragon takes it upon herself one Saturday afternoon in September to visit the store, hoping to purchase with her meager allowance a book or two on witchcraft, a practice she has been secretly reading up on online but has no hands-on experience with due to her father's no "nonsense" stance on all things supernatural. Entering the shop, she finds it to be as magical and sublime as her expectations, but what she doesn't expect is the confrontation she is about to have with one of its employees, a young man by the name of Mordred, who may just possess the secret to helping her realize her dreams of forging her own path and become more certain of herself in the process. Or, based on the prompt: Modern AU. Mordred works in an esoteric Wicca bookshop. Curious, Morgana visits the shop secretly because her conservative and stern father doesn't like her "unscientific, silly" hobbies. Romance, initial dislike for each other, find themselves drawn together.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51253924

---

Title: golden thread (clasped weft woven) Writer: AgapantoBlu | @agapantoblu Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Medium/Word Count: 20.766 words Pairing/main characters: Freya/Merlin; Arthur Pendragon. Up to 10 tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Freya Lives, Magic Revealed, Implied/Referenced Torture (though it’s just in dreams), Nightmares, It’s hard to live your cottagecore fantasies when destiny won’t stop banging at the door.

Summary: 

“It was so close. They barely made it out of Camelot and even then, Merlin was ready to watch her die. He'd held her and cried and screamed and begged whatever force had made him, every ounce of his magic, to please. Just not her. Not at Arthur's hand. Fate must have worried about the latter more than the first, but the waters had risen nonetheless, and the waves had washed away the blood and the wound alike. Merlin had been hit with a strange feeling of melancholy and sorrow and the weird relaxation that happens when a pull that seemed unnoticeable before suddenly stops. Just like that, Camelot didn't seem so enthralling anymore, and Arthur's actions not so easily pardoned."

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51364060

---

Title: her sorrowless salt self Writer: greenforsnow | @m-b-w Rating: T Warnings: no archive warnings apply Medium/Word Count: fic, 6k Pairing/main characters: Gwen/Morgana Up to 10 tags: Pirate Morgana, Mermaid Gwen, getting together

Summary:

Morgana looks for freedom in the ocean; she finds Gwen.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51389305

[secret-engima]

So I Did A Thing

And that thing was go a wee bit insane for the new year and update 4 fics and post 3 more! So rather than spam everyone with individual posts for each update, here's a list of em!!

A Heart Once Hardened (Hopes, One Day)

BNHA multichap set in the Feather-Light and Ember-Bright verse. Get your newest free dose of Enji and Dabi angst here >:3.

Good Luck Bead

Non-canon CfR oneshot where Nyx faceplants into the past and succeeds in not running into any Plot Important Characters for- less than five minutes.

A Fairytale (That's Full of Charm)

If anyone remembers me threatening to make a ground-up rewrite of RWBY the show- this is the first chapter of that. I have my au hammers and Plenty Of Ideas planned. :3

Made This Promise (Always I Dreamed About You)

Chapter 3 of Made This Promise/OC-insert Raven is UP! We get Qrow pov this time. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about- it's oc-insert as Raven in RWBY but with a bunch of other tropes and angsty things thrown in.

Broken (But Never to Pieces)

Latest entry in Blood of My Blood verse!! Cor-centric, Drautos-centric look at what happened with them to change things so much in this au. Finally. Second chapter is UP.

Worlds Unseen (Calling You and Me)

Horizon Zero Dawn/FFXV crossover where each chapter alternates in setting. Chapter 11 is finally up!! We're covering the Proving let's gooo.

Nothing But A Voice Within (Calls Me Home)

Chapter 4 of my Demon Slayer fixit fic! OC-centric, mind the tags, also the rating went from T to M for reasons that you can surmise from the tags probably. The chapter that bumps it to M has not yet been posted so you are in the clear for now if that is a concern.

And there we go! All my updates for this year so far. Make sure you're signed in on ao3 to view them, as all my fics are locked (thank you AI scraping and corpos)

[bloomingcockroaches]

holding my hands out to you like a starving cold orphan boy fairweather friends directors commentary Perchance I reread it again and it still drives me craaaaaaaazy

anything for you of course!! i'm so flattered that you have returned to this fic so many times 😭 i'm very proud of it!!

Fairweather Friends by bloomingcockroaches (babilonium)

Rating: Explicit

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandoms: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom - A. C. Crispin

Relationship: Hector Barbossa/Jack Sparrow

Characters: Jack Sparrow, Hector Barbossa

Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, Pre-Canon, Drunk Sex, May/December Relationship, Developing Relationship, Hook-Up, Explicit Consent

Words: 5,904

Summary: Five times Barbossa had Jack against a wall, and one time on the floor OR Five times Captains Sparrow and Barbossa crossed swords, and one time it was strictly business.

Director's Commentary

-> the little epithets at the opening of every chapter come from Everything Goes to Hell by Tom Waits, which is the song that first inspired me to start writing this fic. like most Tom Waits songs it has a very sleazy/tragicomedic kind of romance to it, which is exactly the vibe i wanted to capture in this fic. lots of tom waits songs have made their way on my sparrossa playlists over the years because this vibe in general is very apt for them.

-> the name of the clipper 20-year-old jack has spent 8 months serving on, the Daedalus, is from greek myth. Daedalus was Icarus' father and also the architect of the labyrinth that housed the minotaur.

Jack finds him leaning against the bar at the One Eyed Crow, tapping a tune against the hilt of his sword with his fingers. He is forty if he's a day, tall and wiry, his face weathered by a lifetime at sea. He wears his hair down to his shoulders, pulled back from his face, and a gold hoop in each ear. Despite the modesty of his origins and the butchery of his profession, he has an aristocratic bearing, and amid so low a den of thieves he is positively debonair. Jack approaches him with all the unearned confidence that youth and beauty can afford, with a tankard of ale in each hand.

-> i'm still very fond of this description of a younger barbossa, i think it's accurate and evocative. also a fun fact that i'm not sure if anyone picked up on is that i made barbossa twenty years jack's senior, making him exactly double his age when they first meet. going by actor's ages, in cotbp, jack is just shy of 40 and barbossa is 50. but barbossa has been dead for 10 years, meaning that he was 50 ten years ago when he marooned jack on rum runner's island. so, in reality, he is 60, but spent his last 10 years not aging at all.

i love this detail both because i love 20-year age gaps and because i'm obsessed with the impact it would have on their relationship that jack is "catching up" to barbossa in his age. they went from having a 20 year age gap to a 10 year age gap. i'm sure it rubs jack the wrong way (he's vain and terrified of death, his age is a sore and delicate subject) and amuses barbossa greatly.

"Welcome to the Caribbean, lad," he hisses in his ear, and leaves him weak kneed and bleary eyed to hold up the tavern wall on his lonesome.

-> this is one of my favorite little tidbits in this fic because it's what jack says to elizabeth on rum runner's island when she's heartbroken and disappointed in him

giving that line this particular backstory felt and feels so gross, i love it... that jack would think of meeting his own hero in that moment of their own first intimacy... [prolonged wicked cackling]

this is also a great time to point out that jack and elizabeth are exactly twenty years apart when they meet as well :^)

-> i did a lot of research into the locations for this fic and looked at a lot of 17th century maps to determine where they might bump into one another. idk if that sort of thing really matters to people, because idk the overlap of people reading sparrossa fanfiction in the 2020s and people who are familiar with 17th century colonial place names in the caribbean sea, but it helped me get a solid sense of time and place while writing and imo makes the world feel more concrete and developed.

Jack doesn't mind being on his knees, not on the worst of days, but there's an edge of victory to being on his knees here, now, in front of him. Myth and legend go a long way on the sea and among sea faring folk; there's something tantalizing about meeting the men behind them in the flesh.

-> more of the parallel between jack/barbossa and elizabeth/jack that i really liked exploring here, especially because elizabeth is smarter and more guarded than jack was at her age, and jack is just not as good a pirate as barbossa is at any age, though he's built an equivalent (if not larger) mythos for himself

"Heard you've called yourself Sparrah," he sneers, "Jack Sparrow, is it?" Jack can't take his eyes off his mouth. "Aye," he says. "What was it I heard the harbormaster call you? Horatio? Horace? Hornby?" "Hector," he growls, "and I'll thank ye not to get too familiar. Lest ye forget yourself." "God forbid we should become friendly." "God forbid."

-> i'm very pleased with how i stylized barbossa's accent in this fic, because i think we all agree that spelling someone's pronunciation out phonetically for every word is extremely annoying. i also have always held that jack named himself "sparrow" and the stupid backstory they gave him for that name in potc5 made me irrationally angry... i mean everything about that movie made me really upset but that was a highlight for sure. it felt good establishing this here! especially because jack was using his given surname, Teague, until some point between chapter 1 and 2 of this fic

The third time finds Jack skint broke, rum soaked, and lovesick, on St. Mary's Island.

-> this is the first sentence i ever wrote for this fic! chapter 3 was the first section i wrote, and probably my favorite

"Unfortunately for that funny little man what left me strung up and left for dead, I am a hard man to kill," says Jack, "to the eternal torment of those what might wish me otherwise." (...) "She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, Hector," he says at some point, between one application of his mouth and the next, "and she's gone isn't she? Took 'er just because he could." "Aye, and I'm a poor substitute I'd imagine," says Barbossa, and flips him on his belly. "No, you're just what I needed, mate," says Jack, and presses his face down into the poor excuse for a mattress, lest he think too long on his bonny lass, resting at the bottom of the sea, looking up at the underside of the waves.

-> i knew i wanted to include the backstory with beckett and the wicked wench, and i like how i did it in this chapter. subtle enough that if you didn't already know what i was referencing, it probably isn't that obvious. but very clear if you already know!

jack talks a lot about being in love with the Pearl, and i liked playing with this pillow talk in a way where barbossa could easily assume jack was talking about a woman when he was talking about her

"You make a lot of enemies, Ja - aaa - ack," says Barbossa, the vowel stretching like a cat in the sun, "'s no way to live." "Hasn't been a way to die just yet."

-> this description of how barbossa stretches out jack's name was a random snippet i wrote in a notebook somewhere many many years ago and it was so great finding a real place for it after all that time

"Insolent little chit," says Barbossa, "Alive enough to smarm means alive enough to settle your tab, which settles the first and last of my concern over the matter."

-> i chose this insult specifically because it refers to a defiant/brash young girl, and i like the idea of barbossa talking down to jack in that specifically gendered way, both because of his "womanly airs" and his youth ("womanly airs" here used in the specific historical context)

"Charming company you are," says Jack. "Not one that's bein' forced upon ye," says Hector. He sounds tired; weary in a way Jack never would have expected of him. He bites his tongue against the feeling in his chest that might resemble worry, but not before a shade of it runs past his lips. "I heard about the Cobra, mate, I'm sorry," he says, looking out into the common room at anything that isn't his tablemate. He'd planned on returning the courtesy paid to him on St. Mary's and avoid mention of Hector's misfortune almost entirely, but his mouth had run on ahead of him before he could catch it. "Spare me your pity." "Wouldn't worry about that, Hector, you don't even have my sympathy," he says as the barmaid drops off his ale and his stew (which he doesn't fail to notice is mostly broth) before running off again. "Found myself with business in the neighborhood, is all."

-> another piece of tPoF lore that i was happy to include here. again, vaguely enough that it could mean nothing to you, but if you know you know! i really love the juxtaposition of both these men coming to find one another when they had lost their ships and their captaincy.

being a ship's captain in potc-verse is very far removed from any historical reality in that every captain owns his own ship, mans his own crew, etc. but it's a huge part of every captain's identity in each case, and it's clearly established in the series lore. i liked exploring how these two would show up for one another at their lowest points. because of course barbossa did very pointedly go looking for jack after he lost the wench. i also like that jack is trying very hard to offer him the kind of support that he was offered just a few short years ago and he fails.

Lean times don't suit Barbossa, if only that Jack doesn't care for how he wears them. There is a troubling hunger to him now that speaks less to his frame and more to his soul. The edge of cruelty he'd always had in him had sharpened in a way Jack felt would make it much more difficult to skirt around.

-> idk if i have anything to add here i'm just very fond of this characterization. overall it was very fun and rewarding to write about barbossa from the perspective of a man hopelessly in love with him because, well, that's an easy frame of mind to enter

"I'm headed to Aruba after this," says Jack between mouthfuls, "t'go see a man about a horse. Or else... por darle gato por liebre. To put it another way. Could do with some time in the West Indies as it were, after all that on the Cantabrique." He glances over at Barbossa to give him the chance to ask the polite question. He doesn't. "I've been near Spain," Jack says anyway. Then, after a moment, "met a witch there, actually." Barbossa doesn't look too interested about the witch. Which is his loss anyway, because there had been plenty interesting about her. For a long while Jack talks and Hector doesn't. He talks about having found passage to Madagascar, and then to Clew Bay, before sailing to the Mediterranean. He's met a mermaid since they last spoke, the second he's run into and the more pleasant of the two. Met a princess as well, who was more pleasant than the mermaid but less interesting than her prince. You'll never guess where the witch came into all that.

-> just highlighting this because i was serious before, i did a lot of geographic research for this fic. also polyglot jack sparrow forever!!!

He lays in her bed as the night deepens around them with her curled into his side, his fingers in her pale hair. He thinks that it is good to be back at something that comes so easily to him. Jack doesn't care to be reminded of the things that don't, and this little excursion had been an amalgam of them.

-> as mentioned previously, i really like exploring jack's sense of personal failure here, of wanting to be there for someone he cares deeply about and not being able to do that

generally, the tension of jack's emotional investment in his relationship with barbossa vs. barbossa's investment in his relationship with jack, and the very clear upset of balance there, is something i find really interesting and sad to explore.

gibbs says in cotbp that jack plays things a bit closer to the chest now and that lifelong hurt from barbossa's betrayal is what really shapes my own understanding of jack as a character and of who he was before cotbp

He is only a few dozen steps up from shore when he sees former Captain Hector Barbossa leaning against exactly the building he's heading towards, under the wood placard that reads Jansen & Sons. His wide brimmed hat casts his face in shadow, and there's an edge to his smile that makes Jack feel like he's walking into something. Whatever it is, there's something not unlike a friend in the middle of it, which in a shrewder man would have raised suspicion and which in Jack Sparrow melts suspicion away.

-> and there he is again!!! letting his deeply held affections erase his self preservation instinct. another jack/barbossa elizabeth/jack parallel :3

Barbossa wears his nails long, which Jack's had little reason to notice until now, when they rake over his skin as his hands pin him down, lift him up, turn him over. There are scratches all over his thighs, his back, his shoulders, and four long bloodied trails over each of his hips where he was most ardently pulled forward. Himself he's not one for biting or scratching but he can't play the tease. He's too eager for it, too hungry to reciprocate, too lost in the ardor of coming together after so long apart and so long a stint of rough seas. If the intentionality of it had been suggested in the past this was it boiling over. It's near midday when they fall into bed together and past dusk when finally they roll apart, tired and content.

-> is it uncouth to mention this sort of thing in your director's commentary? idk and idc. the image of those eight long scratches dug into jack's hips is another random snippet that i've had somewhere in my head for many years, and it was once again a treat to find a home for it here.

barbossa isn't the only member of the Pearl's undead crew who wears his nails long, i think most if not all of them do (have you seen the clip of Lee Arenberg talking about how proud he is of the nails that he grew out au naturale? 🥰) but it's always made sense to me that barbossa kept his nails long before and after the curse. it's a very ~gentleman of fortune~ well bred foppish dandy thing to do.

Jack wakes up to the early morning sun coming through the open window; sober, well rested, and alone. He feels a fool for doing a double take around the room to make certain that he is. What might have been a pleasant soreness under nobler circumstances gnaws at him instead. The scratches on his body have turned to raised white lines and begun to scab over where they broke through his skin. He gets up and crosses the room, where he turns the little mirror above the water basin to look at the damn mess that's been made of his neck. His skin blooms in rings of blue and pink, some teeth marks pressed into the meat of his shoulder too deep and too angry to be mistaken for a wench's affection. His throat hurts. His back aches. He feels well worn in a way that makes him feel too much like a fishwife, kissed silly and left to languish at port. He gets dressed, pulls his collar up as high as he can get it, and makes his way downstairs. He chastises himself over a plate of rubbery eggs for his attachments, and gets on the first ship that can carry him off Nassau and out onto open waters.

-> i personally find this to be a very successful gut-punch after a good amount of build up. it made me sad to write and makes me sad to reread. would that our dear jack was in love with a better man.

i think after a lot of coming and going that jack convinces himself suits his fancy, it becomes very clear to him very quickly that it could be different, but it won't be.

i actually think that the 2 years he spent captaining the pearl with barbossa as his first mate were some of the happiest of his life because of that consistency.

All said, Jack's in the middle of a rather trying day, filled more so with avoiding people and things he doesn't want to cross paths with than with finding the one man whose path he has plans to cross. It's just past dusk when he stumbles out of the Rusted Sextant (where he'd stopped only briefly and only to ask for directions) and across the street towards The Broken Spyglass, a tavern on the North side of the island run by a Moroccan gentleman named Souhail who Jack is reasonably certain won't tell anyone what don't need telling that he's stopped by.

-> every single bar, brothel, or other such establishment named in this fic was named by my dear friend @grosskelly who i bothered repeatedly to provide me such things and who knocked it outta the park every time i harassed them for suggestions

"As ye like, but there's something else I've got that you'll want me to share." Then, very quickly, to outrun the onset of his wolfish expression, "Somethin' entirely unique and as yet unheard of."

-> of all the jack dialogue in this fic, both inner and outer, this is the line that i can hear most clearly in his voice, where i think i captured a specific cadence and affect that could've been in the original trilogy

this was SO FUN TO DO!!!!! i really hope some of it was interesting. thank you for your ask and for liking my fic :,)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, May 19

Wesley takes a deep breath and leans down to kiss Cordy, putting his hands behind his back. Cordy puts a hand on his shoulder and tries to kiss him. They bump noses and juggle awkwardly. Wesley waves his hands around in the air beside Cordy. Cordy tries to wrap her arms around his back to pull him (unsuccessfully) closer. They maneuver around a bit more, then pull back to look at each other, breaking apart. Cordy looks to the side and wipes her mouth. They try again but with about as much success.

~~Graduation Day Part 2~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Midnight Oil by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

MedWhump May 2024 Day 18: Internal Injuries by MadeInGold (Spike x Riley, T)

Staying In (Tis But a Scratch) by Passion4Spike (Buffy/Spike, G)

Do the Math by oveliagirlhaditright (Buffy x Angel, not rated - worksafe)

Midnight Oil by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Night Shift by Harlow Turner (Buffy x Spike, R)

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Boring Stuff: Halloween - Chapter 1 by missfiggy (Buffy/Angel, M)

Truth and Consequences, Ch. 15 by JamesMFan (Buffy/Spike, R)

In Any Life, Ch. 13 by Spikelover4ever (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Her Villanelle, Ch. 2 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Afterburn: In The Dark, Ch. 11 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

A Ripple In Time, Ch. 34 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Exquisite Chaos: Part 1 by yellowb, JayeMaru, bewildered, DeamonQueen, ClowniestLivEver, VoronaFiernan - Ch. 5 by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

See You Yesterday, Ch. 1 by all choseny (Buffy/Spike, R)

Sons and Daughters of Sineya, Ch. 28 by dogbertcarroll (Chronicles of Narnia crossover, Scoobies, FR18)

The Magic of Sunnydale, Ch. 7 by Buffyworldbuilder (Harry Potter crossover, FR15)

Ready for it? by Lilacsandorangeblossoms (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

To All We Guard, Ch. 15 by simmony (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Lightning in a Bottle by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Cherish the day, Ch. 1 by Lilacsandorangeblossoms (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Make Me Feel, Ch. 1 by Claire (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Perfect Clarity, Ch. 26 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

A poster and a fic rec by allchoseny (Buffy/Spike, probably worksafe - mild nudity)

oedipus rex by fox-toothed (Connor, worksafe)

Buffy Summers in the graveyard wearing her fluffy jacket by lady-october (worksafe)

Spike sketch by alessandra-estrella (worksafe)

Meme: xander has a horrible effect on buffy by ribbed-vault-heart (Buffy, Xander, Giles, worksafe)

Gifset: hold the girl by slayer-pride-parade (Buffy & Dawn, worksafe)

Drawing: teeny tiny willow by mistyintherivers (worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Nightmares, S01E10 by ravenya003

Rewatcher's diary: Season 2, episodes 19 to 22 by jonaskoelker

“The Harvest”; The Earth is Doomed. What are Your Thoughts on Season 1, Episode 2? by Big-Restaurant-2766

[Recs & In Search Of]

Art rec: banners and icons by javajunkie247 recced by teragramm

Cute fanfic about Spike turning into a cat recced by melaniemoth13

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[Fandom Discussions]

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Why in s7 after Buffy found out that Spike went and got a soul did she not... by nicnacsnonsense

The fact Faith clearly is expecting to meet Buffy when she arrives in Sunnydale in Season 3... by coraniaid

[Cordelia and Spike should have been besties!] by aphony-cree, vulpinesaint

new fuffy headcanon just dropped by annieofhearts, fictiongods

So in btvs, like in other horror media, the line between death and violence and sex... by finalgirl1984

buffy's s7 line where she says she'd sacrifice dawn... by luxaii

Kendra... is haunting the narrative for the rest of the show by thechosenthree

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Angel ended 20 years ago - via macXros

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[ao3feed-sambucky]

Another Natasha

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/Dp85jky by Writer_Lethogica BuckyQuest's Sam and Bucky agree to take care of a kid for a day or so as Brunnhilde sorts out the child's living situation. EXCERPT: "There’s a child,” said Becca, stopping in her tracks at the front of the living room, “Did you two have a child when we were gone?” Riley bumped into Becca, staring excitedly at little Natasha. “When were you going to tell us we were going to have a baby sister?” exclaimed Riley. “What? No. We didn’t – that’s not how either of us having a baby would work. We didn’t have a random child overnight. She’s four,” said Bucky. “Could have been an extraterrestrial biology thing. We don’t know all the alien species,” said Becca with a shrug. “And she’s staying here for a day. Maybe a few,” said Sam, “We’re fostering her as they figure out her living situation. Natasha – these are our kids, Becca and Riley. Becca and Riley, this is Natasha.” Words: 2789, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 11 of Bucky Quest, Part 6 of TFATWS Anniversary 2024 Fics Fandoms: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes, Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Original Children of James "Bucky" Barnes and Sam Wilson, Original Skrull Characters (Marvel) Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson Additional Tags: no beta we die like men, Kid Fic, POV Sam Wilson (Marvel), Established Relationship, Bucky Barnes Takes Care of Sam Wilson, Bittersweet, Light Angst, Domestic Fluff, Sam Wilson Has Feelings About Natasha Romanoff's Death read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/Dp85jky

[andy-skull]

It baffles me that despite being a nobody in the fanfiction world I still have to deal with plagiarism!

For completely unrelated reasons, I found myself in wattpad and just out of curiosity I searched for "Sylki". I roamed through the works until I bumped into a summary that was SO VERY FAMILIAR. WHY? BECAUSE I WROTE IT. It was my story, my fic, but posted by someone else on that site! under a different title and even with art by @murdermuffinloki I had to make an account on wattpad just to check the fic and while the thief "credited" me in the summary, they said it was an "adaptation" while in fact was just a re-post of my fic. It was the same, word by word!

That fic barely got 60 kudos in English and 23 in the Spanish version, and this person got 82 stars in it!!! LIKE HOW??

Crazy thing is my fic is M-rated and got its rating around chapter 8 when things started getting spicy, and this person clearly couldn't stand that, for unknown reasons, but they cut the spicy part and claimed the story was finished when in fact it was chapter 8 out of 10. It was in chapter 9 where the story got a sex scene, not explicit obviously but the fic was rated M, so you get they had sex just not the details.

Anyway, I messaged this person and if I don't get an answer I'll have to report the story.

This is the second time in my life that a story of mine has been reposted.