#the last drabble here was the last in a series of drabbles i wrote throughout the challenge ending the saga in a bit of a cliffhanger lol

[hardygalwrites]

Originally posted to FFN on the 17th of July, 2017

Simply archiving a writing challenge I did back in 2016 up to 2017 and featuring my favourite writing pieces from each week of the challenge here on Tumblr :]

← Week 48 (BB) – Week 50 (Misc.) →

Cartoon: Transformers Prime / Robots in Disguise 2015

Characters: Smokescreen, Knock Out, and Bumblebee, with appearances from numerous other characters (even ones not featured in the cartoons)

Synopsis: An Autobot Elite Guard rookie, a Decepticon medic turned Autobot, and an Autobot scout turned warrior turned street cop - three very different bots with a wide range of stories to tell. And we are going to spend the next year exploring said stories through daily-written drabbles, be they angsty, humorous, gut-punching, or just plain odd! Who doesn’t love a challenge? (2016 to 2017)

—

I Stand by My Actions

Prowl and that other bot were shouting at each other now.

Tensions had already been high when the other bot accused Prowl of going against orders. The accusation surprised Smokescreen, and the sparkling was prepared to defend his guardian, but it was then Prowl had Smokescreen leave the room. Once outside, however, the sparkling pressed his audial receptor against the door and continued listening in.

Smokescreen heard Prowl slam a servo on his desk. "If you must punish me, then fine! I would do no less! But I believe that what I did was right, and I continue to stand by my actions."

Careful Who You Mess With

As Knock Out examined the patient, the latter made it clear exactly how he felt about Knock Out's position as a medic.

Eventually, the patient shoved Knock Out away, snapping, "D'you even know what you're doing, nurse?"

Before Knock Out could snarl a retort, his mentor stepped in. "Of course he does. Looks like this requires a longitudinal incision. Bring out the buzzsaws, kid."

The patient instantly backed down.

"Yeah, just remember, pal," Knock Out's mentor warned. "Your life's in our servos, and with an attitude like that, your spark's in as much danger in the medbay as it is on the battlefield."

Because Optimism Drives 'em Crazy

"Woah!" Bumblebee exclaimed. The sparkling stared up at his guardian with awe-filled optics. "That's gotta be your coolest story yet, 'Hide!"

"You may have 'Bee impressed," Sideswipe scoffed. "But I've heard too many of your stories, 'Hide. And seriously, you're way too happy for a bot who nearly lost his entire lower body."

Ironhide chuckled, downing another shot of high-grade. "Kid, there's a lotta things other bots can take from me - my home, my freedom, my slaggin' body parts... But my ability to get back up and keep on truckin' with a smile that'd drive Megatron mad? Heh, that ain't one of 'em."

But I CAN Outrun You

Despite Smokescreen's serpentine driving pattern, a plasma bolt hit him in the side, sending him flying. Smokescreen transformed and landed on his back with a crash. Before he could get up, a large servo clamped down on his chestplates and pulled him up until he was face to face with a living Decepticon sigil.

"Okay..." Smokescreen grunted as his chestplates bent under the pressure. "Maybe not my best escape. How's about we call that the warm-up round?"

Tarn laughed. "You're funny, Autobot. I might even consider a quick death if you answer our next question - where can we find Doctor Knock Out?"

The Only Way He Knows How

"I thought the end of the War also signaled the end of potentially being blown up," Knock Out grumbled as he welded the hole in his colleague's side.

Red Alert laughed shortly, then winced. "I thought you'd be happy, seeing as you were nearly rid of me."

"Happy?" Knock Out exclaimed with mock offense. "I've only just begun to tolerate you and learn your habits and integrate you into my routine. If a mine  were  to succeed in blowing you up, your absence would be felt, and I would find it incredibly inconvenient."

Red Alert raised an optic ridge and smiled a little.

No Time To Panic

Sideswipe's optics widened. "Oh. Oh, scrap. Oh, slag. That's a lot of energon."

Bumblebee quickly re-covered the wound in his abdomen, gasping. "Yeah."

"Wh- What can I do?"

"Call for backup," Bumblebee snapped.

Sideswipe jumped to it, sending a comm. message to Strongarm and Grimlock. Bumblebee instantly regretted his snapping at Sideswipe - it was clear the younger bot wasn't used to seeing this much spilt energon. But pain did tend to dull Bumblebee's patience. Actually, a lot of things were starting to dull right now...

Bumblebee groaned as his internal warning system drew attention to his rapidly depleting energon levels. "Not good..."

What Goes Around

The trip back to Cybertron was uneventful, if rather lonely. When he arrived, Smokescreen considered maybe getting in touch with the rest of the old team - it had been nice seeing Bumblebee again, and Smokescreen honestly missed (most of) them.

The ship powered down, and Smokescreen stepped out.

He found himself surrounded by a crowd of bots, each of them with their weapons drawn and aimed at him. One of them ordered him to surrender in the name of the Cybertronian Council.

"Oh, scrap..."

He should've expected this. It was too late now, though. Sighing, Smokescreen raised his servos in surrender.

[amtrak12]

HEEEEY IT'S SEASONS OF DRABBLES TIME AGAIN!!!!!

Seasons of Drabbles just opened their fall fic exchange and I'm so excited!!! 😁 I participated in their summer round and had so much fun!

Here's the link to their Dreamwidth blog for the full run down of rules and timeline, etc. Basically fandom/character nominations opened today. Drabbles will be due by November 9. All the steps in between are on their blog. Some of the rules/layout of the rules can be confusing (to me at least), so here's my own personal breakdown below.

Disclaimer: I am not a mod, and if I simplify some rules to the point of being inaccurate, then you should always default to what's listed on the Dreamwidth blog.

Note: You do not need a Dreamwidth account to participate. You only need an AO3 account.

〰

What is this exchange???

Seasons of Drabbles is a multifandom fic exchange where you will be matched with someone on a specific character. The person you write for will not necessarily be the person who writes for you. You must write a fic to receive a fic, and my own personal rule is you should also comment on the fic you receive. I can't tell you how many times I read and commented on a drabble during the summer round only to be the only person who did. Like.... someone wrote you a fic! Let them know you appreciate it!!

The rounds are short because you are intended to only write a drabble! As in exactly 100 or 200 or 300 words, depending on if you're writing a single, double, or triple drabble. You can write longer fics, if they're divided up into 100/200/300 word sections, but as someone determined to once again read 300-400 fics before the author reveals, I beg you: please don't. 😬 Use this as a real challenge and experiment with the drabble format. I promise, it's fun!

Not sure what a story that short looks like?

Here's the link to the summer round's drabbles

Here's a link to my series page. If you scroll down, I have three Ghostbusters 2016 sets of drabbles.

How does it work? The rules were confusing/seemed too involved/stressed me out 😥

It's actually easier than it seems, I promise!

Step 1: Choose which fandoms/characters you want to read or write for. Remember: you're not choosing ships, you are choosing characters. So make notes to yourself about which characters you're willing to write for vs only read. During sign up, you can specify ship preferences (amongst other things) on the fandoms you request. You cannot specify preferences for the fandoms you offer. You will have to do your best to fulfill any requests your recipient makes. So don't offer a character if there's a main ship with them that you can't stand. It's just safer that way.

Step 2: Check the taglist on AO3 -- Seasons of Drabbles uses the same list of nominations throughout the entire calendar year. So click the link and look up each of your fandoms/characters to see if they've already been nominated. If they're listed, you're golden! You don't have to do anything until sign ups on Oct 21. If they're not listed, you'll need to nominate them yourself using the "Nominate" button up at the top right.

(Sorry that mine already looks clicked on)

That will bring up the form to fill out with your nominations. You can do up to 10 fandoms and 10 characters per fandom. Start typing in the field and then wait for the AO3 results to come up to select the official tag. The mods aren't familiar with all fandoms, so we need to make this as easy as possible for them.

My example with The Sims is pictured above because YES I will be nominating Bob and Eliza Pancakes for the fall round. I think their drama would be so funny to read/write about 😂 For some reason when screencapping, the character search result disappeared, but rest assured, AO3 did recognize Eliza Pancakes as already having a character tag. 👍

If your character does not pop up with an official tag or if you are nominating original works (which is allowed!! and was very fun for me to read during the last round!), I don't know how you fill out the form. Peruse the official rules and if you can't figure it out on your own, then I suggest commenting on the Nominations post to ask the mods. (Apologies, I do not know if you need a DW account to comment. You'll have to test that out for yourself.)

Step 3: When sign ups open next Monday on Oct 21, there will be a new form to fill out. There will be a top and bottom half that look pretty identical so read all the headers closely to make sure you're filling out the correct information. You will list what fandoms/characters you want to read and which ones you want to write. There will also be an extra drop down in both sections asking what length(s) of fics you want to request/offer. "Any" is also an option, just like "any" will be an option for character. Then finally, there's a free form text box with each fandom you request (not offer) where you can list prompts, topic or ship preferences, squicks and other no go's, etc. You can leave this as vague or detailed as you want. Whichever writer gets assigned to you will use this information to write your gift.

〰

And then after that, it's just waiting for assignments 😊 When you get your assignment through AO3, you will be able to see ALL of your giftee's fandoms and prompts, not just the one you were matched on, so if something else on their list sparks your interest, feel free to write it. Some people even say they allow for crossovers between their fandoms. There really is a huge variety of fics in this exchange!

Like other exchanges, there may be calls for pinch hitters. You can also write extra gifts for people. The full list of prompts will be available to peruse, so if you have time after finishing your assigned gift, don't be afraid to check it out. 😎

I'm not going to get into the details yet about how to post your fic on AO3 so that it fills the assignment and gets added to the Seasons of Drabbles collection. I was able to quickly google for answers to the questions I had during the summer round, but you can also message me here when the time comes if you need help :)

And.... I think that's it! Like I said, I had a blast with the summer round! I wrote three drabbles, including one for a new-to-me fandom, and I had a great experience reading through everyone else's entries -- and yes, I do mean everyone's, even if I didn't know the fandom. If you want more details about that or wondering why on earth I would do such a thing, you can read my recap here.

Hope to see you as a participant! 🥰

[whirlybirbs]

                 ( this lovely gif is by @janesfoster​ from this beautiful set ! )

FROM THE VOID, WITH LOVE   |   the beginning.

summary: torn from time, you have to navigate the t.v.a. with the one person who singlehandedly ruined the entirety of nyc’s week. turns out you & him have a future-past. time is weird. loki, god of mischief (disputed) is infuriating.

listen to while reading: “movies” by weyes blood

word count: 13.4k

pairing: loki / f!reader, references to established future romance

tags: enemies to friends to lovers, soulmates, we-are-in-love-in-the-future but how did that even happen, angst & comfort, redemption arc, lots of time travel, loki (2020) spoilers

a/n: so here it is — a revist to my well-loved series i wrote forever ago about these two idiots. nothing like an athiest and a god in love. this is so fun, and this fic will serve as a foundation point for the drabbles i’ll write throughout the loki series run.

this collection is based on my already-existing drabbles about this pairing, which operates as the basis of their sacred timeline. that masterlist is here, and once more, the biggest thank you to @kostovas​ for keeping a chronological masterlist over the years — with over 90+ pieces, this pairing is such a large part of my blog and my growth as a writer.

as always, let me know what you think — tick, tock, bitches.

                  MASTERPOST   |   AO3  |    SPOTIFY

This is not how you thought your week would go.

No, this was a little much.

You started your Monday with Loki, God of Mischief, crash landing through the lab you’d been completing your summer placement at, brainwashing your boss (and the nice agent guy who watched over the glowing nuclear cube), and, finally, stealing the one thing you’d been studying for the entirety of summer 2012 for your first official research journal outside of undergrad while pursuing your doctorate.

By Thursday, Midtown had been reduced to debris, aliens were confirmed real, the Avengers were a household name, and you were desperately trying to wrangle a stir-crazy Erik Selvig off the rooftop terrace of Stark Tower in the aftermath.

“Erik, where are your pants?!”

“They were burnt.”

His eyes aren’t a milky blue anymore, so you suppose that’s a good thing — he is, however, off his metaphysical shits and you’re really trying to get him to calm down in the Stark Tower lobby when the aforementioned Avengers pull a glorified perp walk for the reporters clamoring outside.

You try not to stare — but it is a little bit hard when he stalks by.

It’s not because you’re aware of the future implications your friendship and, in turn, relationship will have on the proper flow of time. No, it’s because you’re lucky enough to say your previous encounter in the week with him left you unscathed (if not a bit traumatized), which seems to be the exact opposite case for the majority of Downtown.

As someone who knew Thor — and decently well at that — you found it difficult to see the two Gods being related at all. It’s as if one was born by the sun, and the other the moon, and while everything about Thor seemed like a thunder storm in July, his brother clearly lacked the warmth and gilded personality of his Avenging counterpart.

You suppose that, maybe, that’s the whole point.

Y’know, age-old storytelling and all that.

Swathed in the colorful team of superheroes, the infamous Loki towers over them all. His cape, emerald and tattered, follows him like a shadow and you have to fight the urge to snarl. He’s tall, a little bit like a shade, and regal in a way that’s totally different from the other Asgardian royalty you’re familiar with. He’s imposing and even when he’s muzzled, you can see the cunning flash of a smirk when he spots your manic, half-dressed boss by the lobby’s main desk.

Loki looks less sickly since you last saw him – he’s all sharp angles and split lip now, though.

It’s funny that, in about an hour’s time, everything about this moment will be different.

It’ll hold different weight, different context.

The God is smug.

Erik notices.

Annoyance bites at your nerves as Erik begins to slip into a Norwegian diatribe directed at the fallen Silvertongue. You groan, deciding right then and there that you’re exhausted beyond comprehension and that today has been all too long. You move quickly. You let out a curse as you push yourself between the now stopped group of Avengers and the angry, pants-less astrophysicist.

“Erik, c’mon, why don’t we go for a walk—”

“Yep, go ahead, pal,” Tony Stark, clearly just as exasperated as you are, chirps, “Walk it out. Half a’ New York has a bone to pick with Hot Topic over here.”

“He is a disgrace! A-A cosmic buffoon!”

You’re pressed between Tony and Erik, feeling the eyes of the God bore into your skull as you try to save him from the delirious verbal smackdown your boss was looking to serve. You can pretty much confirm that Erik definitely has a head injury. Or… You dunno, he’s always been weird. But, in the last hour you’ve heard a little bit too much about Ufology to call this Erik’s normal baseline.

You plant a hand on his tattered dress shirt, pleading quietly with a mildly horrified look at the realization that people are staring, Erik.

“Can’t we do this somewhere else?” you grit out with a sense of urgency.

It’s at that moment that you do a double take at the doors of the lobby. There’s a bustle. You note the sudden appearance of Alex Pierce – the resident member of the World Security Council who, no doubt, had a bone to pick with Stark. Judging by the tightening of Tony’s grip on the briefcase in his hands, he’s aware. The man is parading through the doors of the lobby, surrounded by agents in crisp suits.

This is a nightmare. The clowns are running the show.

Right now, you could go for a glass of wine.

And ice cream.

And maybe some more wine on top of that. It’s a whole bottle kinda day.

You blink around Erik, deciding no, no fucking way, this is so above your pay grade, before exasperately groaning, “Why don’t we go get Starbucks — you like those frappuccino things they have, right, Erik?”

At this point, you’re just desperately trying to not discredit you and Erik’s research journal with his antics being broadcast by the Newsweek and CNN cameras lurking outside alike. All in front of the World Security Council. And S.H.I.E.L.D.

…This is bad.

Meanwhile, Loki can’t help but think this is all so very curious… Midgardians are quite cute.

He’d been made aware, from eavesdropped pieces of Romanoff’s and Barton’s conversations, that the hierarchical food chain is quite complex when it comes to cosmic interferences like the one he’d so wrought upon New York. So many acronyms… S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.T.R.I.K.E. and W.S.C., he’s sure there’s probably about six more, but he’d be lying if he said he’d bothered to listen.

Loki, absentmindedly, wishes he’d maybe done this whole world domination bit 200 years sooner – certainly there wouldn’t have been much stopping him then. No Iron Men, at least.

(He doesn’t know it yet, but if he’d done this 200 years earlier, he would have never met you. Not that it matters right now. He doesn’t know the future, that’s more of his mother’s bit. Somewhere in the stars, Frigga is painfully aware of you, a fiery comet, dodging her son's orbit at this moment.

But, Scott Lang’s verified Time Heist is about to send you both careening towards one another like a boomerang. And… well. The Time-Keepers won’t be happy about this part of your story.)

“Not to interrupt—”

“Great, more suits,” Stark chirps, “Here for the case? Too bad.”

“Mr. Stark,” Pierce begins, “This is a matter of global security. We’re here for the case and… the prisoner.”

Pierce is like a vulture. You decide quickly you don’t like him.

Erik, then, sees it as his turn to verbally maul the next person in line — the words that fly from his mouth don’t make sense and you’re trying to pry him away from Pierce as Stark’s voice escalates and Thor booms out a deep: “Woah, woah woah!” as Nat tries to step up and shove off the rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents clambering for the case. It’s a shit show, an absolute mess, and you’re being jostled in the middle, trying to pluck the agents away from your summer research project with an irritated look.

And then Tony Stark drops to the floor.

Panic quickly floods the space that anger had created and the case is long since forgotten. It clatters to the floor and skids away from Tony, and, consequently, the huddle forming around him as he convulses on the pristine tiles of the lobby.

Your eyes follow the case from your spot knelt beside Tony, mirroring Loki’s exact motion – you’re both trained on the case sliding across the room and... into the hands of a man posted by the door to the stairs.

Then, you see her.

There’s no words to describe the way it makes you feel — it’s like looking into a sad, broken mirror. It’s you standing there, albeit a little older and a little wiser. This other you is frozen at the sight of the towering God to your left. Her face is set in something mournful and there’s no doubt in your mind that that’s you. You know your face. Your cheeks, your eyes, your chin.

You go rigid, mind running 99mph down the interstate of confusion. The other you… Her hair is a little different, and she has glasses settled on her face. She’s posed in a lab coat and heels, looking like she belongs. Like… Like the path you’d set out had come to fruition. All your hopes and goals, staring you right in the face.

With a broken sound, she suddenly calls out:

“Loki.”

She’s looking at him like she knows him.

Loki is… Well. He’s also confused. Not that he would readily admit it but — something else is happening. It’s clear from the chaos and the magical slide of the tesseract that someone is trying to write a different story entirely on this day.

This woman, however, is the most confusing part.

It’s rare to hear someone say his name so kindly.

So… gentle.

Loki looks at her, then behind him. His brows raise, chained hands moving to gesture at himself.

...Me?

You gawk. What the fuck.

“No, no,” calls the agent gripping the case; the voice is familiar and he moves to stop her – er, you – as she moves forward, “No, c’mon kid, don’t—”

From your spot on the floor, you blink, exchanging a look with the God of Mischief who’s currently also riding the mind-fuck train.

He realizes that’s… you. Not the current you, but you.

Curious.

You jump six feet in the air when suddenly Hulk makes his appearance — he slams the door to the stairwell open with a ferocious roar. It clocks the agent in question, sending the other-you to the floor and shattering the briefcase on its hinges.

You watch it all with wide eyes.

The cube, hot and azure and pulsing, slides back across the floor like a terribly dangerous game of air-hockey and your breath catches in your throat as it collides with the towering God’s boot adjacent to you.

Another exchange of glances between the two of you.

And then, Loki bends to snatch it up.

You yelp, spitting out an embarrassing mosh of Thor and Tony’s name at once, and launch yourself after your summer research project. Your fingertips brush the cool, smooth surface of the stone and suddenly, everything is blindingly blue.

In a blink, you tumble into a roaring, glittering, dizzying tailspin through time and space.

Your yells mingle with Loki’s as the balance of the travel is thrown off, rocketing you both across the stars in a haze of panic.

Then, black.

✶   ✶   ✶

Quiet.

A breeze tickles your nose.

…Birds?

You don’t know how long you were out for — or even where you are. All you know is that your head is pounding and, from your spot on the forest floor, you can see hints of the blue sky through broken branches when you crack open your eyes.

It’s humid. There’s a slow roll of thunder calling out somewhere over the horizon.

… Is that a fucking toucan?

It takes you a second to wade through the mental fog, but… when it clicks, you sit up straight, and you’re greeted by a crackling batton being held at your throat.

You come eye-to-eye with a man in some sort of militarized armor — and three men surround you. One has some sort of spectrometer, and the others are posed to taze the everloving soul out of you. At least… Those things look like tasers.

Your breath catches and you immediately raise your hands.

The man eyes you for a long drawn moment, then looks down at a device in his hands.

“Standard split from the timeline. Slope is stable, the branch is strong.”

You blink at the people around you. Your head is pounding.

Hoarsely, you speak up.

“I’m sorry,” you ask gently with a bit of an anxious bite, “Who the hell are you?”

The bearded man spares you a look that mingles between pity and amusement. He pointedly ignores your question. So do the others. You look around at the lot of them with a biting sense of paranoia. Were they some sort of militant police force?

What the hell is ‘TVA’?

…Who designed those jumpsuits?

“Variant identified.”

Before you can ask one of the seventeen questions floating around in your head, you’re being ushered to your feet. You comply — apologizing, even, when you accidentally stumble into one of the agents on weak knees. Your whole body hurts. Like you were stuffed into a washing machine with the spin cycle speed set to spin-me-right-round.

It’s like you were a goose and the tesseract was a Boeing 474 engine.

It had, rightfully, chewed you up and spit you out.

You have to admit Loki was sort of your last thought. Staying alive and not pissing off the armored men with jabby sticks was sort of at the top.

“Hands at your sides.”

Suddenly, there’s a strap in his hands. You stiffen.

He pauses and gives you a look that stills you completely — it means business. And it measures you up. You find, between your crippling headache and mental fatigue, you lack the capability to even possibly cop an attitude with this dude. You find, frankly, you don’t think you’d want to anyways.

You do, however, snap an angry sound out when a literal collar is strapped around your neck and you’re muscled around.

“Excuse me—”

“Reset the timeline.”

There’s a low whir, a howl, and a satisfying little sound — then, what looks like a fogged glass door materializes in front of you.

That’s… new.

You put the brakes on, digging your heels into the dirt floor of the forest, as the myriad of men begin to drag you toward this thing like it’s just a normal Thursday. But, today is not a normal Thursday and honestly, you’ve had your god damn fill of cosmic travel. If that’s even what this was. Could very well be a souped up guillotine for all you know.

So, yeah, it’s a little embarrassing when you’re shouldered through and — and, yeah. You’re standing there, wincing tightly and screaming, when you realize the acoustics have changed and you’re in… a lobby?

A lobby.

There’s a man behind a desk. Someone else in the same collar as you — a… not a human. That’s… Okay. Sure. Blue skin. That’s cool. Either way, everyone is staring and now you feel like a fucking fool — so you clear your throat and place your leg down, uncurling from your standing attempt at a fetal position.

You offer a sheepish look to the staring gaggle.

“... Sorry.”

“Quiet,” sighs the man who has a grip on your shoulder, “Step forward.”

“Sorry to… y’know, keep asking questions, but,” you try your best to remain amicable as you look over your shoulder at him and the surrounding lobby, “Where the fuck am I?”

You can’t help but stare at the decor. It reminds you of… What does it remind you of? The 1960s? Mad Men? Grandma’s living room?

“Welcome to the Time Variance Authority!” comes a voice from behind the desk. It’s a man, younger, who is dressed in an outfit you’d place for a normal office job. He seems chipper enough and your terrified expression does little to dissuade his welcome, “Oh, hey, I know who you are...”

Your brows knot themselves in confusion.

However, before he can give an explanation or a directive on the paperwork being slid your way, the sound of boots on burnt-orange tile floor distracts you from the unsettlingly bright disposition of the man behind the desk. You stare, when out pops Loki on the opposite side of the room. He’s being muscled around by a woman in matching attire to your own personal guard — and he’s got a collar on, too.

Instantly, your jaw drops.

“You.”

Loki’s eyes snap to you, recognition and fear dissolving for a facade of irritation — if only for a moment — before he’s ushered forward.

“Lovely to see you again, bug,” comes the sardonic drip.

Your eyes snap to the pen on the desk in front of you.

Quickly, and with a stale expression on your face, you unceremoniously throw the pen directly at Loki’s forehead.

Thwack.

“Ow...?”

“This is all your fault,” you hiss as Casey (as his name tag reads) groans, digging into his desk for another pen so your booking papers can properly be filled out.

“You’re being childish,” Loki gripes with mild surprise at your sudden outburst; he rubs his forehead before snarling at you from across the desk, “How dare you—”

“How dare I?” you snap back, “How dare I? Me?”

“Yes, you—”

“You’re the one who got us into this mess—”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he battles back, “I don’t even know where we are!”

“That makes two of us!” you yell, only to be muscled away by the guard after he seems satisfied with the information he’s processed on your paperwork.

Loki, now, is beginning to feel a bit of guilt. Not an enormous amount. Enough, though, that it’s nagging at him. His eyes widen for a moment when he realizes you’re being whisked away to some sort of… elevator? You, his only reference point to where-you-were-before you were here. You, insignificant, but also his real only compatriot in this whole ridiculous charade.

His voice is tight with fear.

“Now hold on,” he steps forward, moving to follow, “Where are you taking her?”

You wince as you’re shoved, rather roughly, towards the door — and throw a look over your shoulder at Loki.

…Only to see him quite literally rewind through time.

What.

On.

Earth.

Your eyes snap from him to his guard to him once more — and you watch as he tries to near you again, only for the same outcome. You spy a little device in the woman’s hands. The saaaaame one your guard is holding in his left.

Oh, today was weird but it just got weirder.

“Move along—”

“Hold on—”

Ding!

The doors swing open, you’re shoved into the tiny room, and all you see as the doors close is the panicked expression of the God of Mischief.

The next ten minutes (or, so you think? Time is weird here) are a complete and total blur. You, really, can only comply to the best of your ability — and apologize profusely along the way for every inconvenience your confusion begins to cause. You can’t help your curiosity because… well, normal was thrown out the window when you were signed onto the Avenger’s science roster, it seems.

Your jumpsuit isn’t exactly comfortable, and that stack of everything-you’ve-ever-said-ever was frighteningly small when you were confronted with it, and you’re still seeing stars from that temporal aura device the shorter man urged you through. The doors part, and once more you’re faced with another room in the never-ending pantheon of a maze this place is.

A little ticket holder with TAKE A TAB stares you in the face. There’s a maze of rope, two kiosks, and televisions on the same faux-wooden walls from the other lobby. You stare up at the sea of lights on the ceiling as you step forward and toss a frightened look at a stern faced guard in the corner.

There’s another man in here, making a fit, and you watch as you move around him to take a little, orange ticket.

God, this is one weird dream.

Then, the doors behind you ding.

You’ve never been more relieved to see Loki in the short span of minutes you’ve known him.

“Nice outfit.”

He stands there as you tuck your ticket neatly into your pocket — and stares with a deadpan expression. The guard nudges him, tells him to take a ticket, and he does so without breaking eye contact from you.

Loki ignores the kid weaving his way through, only to loudly proclaim halfway through the maze of rope: “There are only three of us in here! What’s the use?”

He meets you halfway through the maze. You cross your arms. His nostrils flare as he sizes you up.

Pointedly, he speaks. “Where are we?”

“Oh, let me just pull out Google maps — oh! I can’t, because the smiling robot melted my clothes and my phone with a plasma beam. So! Sorry!” you snark as you turn on your heel and continue to weave through the maze of rope.

Loki follows, starting after you with a confused look. “This has to be a mistake—”

“Oh, you’re perceptive—”

“It’s in your best interest not to mock me, bug,” he growls.

Loki is, frankly, a little surprised when you turn on your heel and rear right up in his face. He staggers backwards, startled by your tenacity. You follow him, backing him up against the ropes.

“It’s your fault we’re here,” you bite, raising your finger and prodding him roughly in the chest, “Honestly, I shouldn’t have even tried to stop you — then, maybe, I wouldn’t be stuck here with you. So, get over your massive, miserable ego and let’s just do what we need to do to get out of here.”

Oh.

Oh, he misjudged you. You’ve got a bit of fire in your spirit.

Then, as he picks his jaw up from the floor, you turn back around and eye him haughtily.

“I also hate the color green.”

Loki’s brows twitch and you move through the ropes.

This is exhausting. This is… This is ridiculous. It has to be some cruel joke. Punishment, maybe? Is his mother at the root of this? No, no, maybe not. Why would you be here?

Frustrated and put in his place, the raven-haired God balls his hands tight and groans.

“This is a mistake! I shouldn’t even be here!”

Then, the PA chimes alive.

You jump, eyes widening.

“Hi there! You’re probably saying ‘this is a mistake, I shouldn’t even be here’—”

You turn, sharing a confused look with Loki as the televisions bloom to life.

“—Welcome to the TIme Variance Authority. I’m Miss Minutes, and it’s my job to catch you up before you stand trial for your crimes!”

Hold on… What?

“What?” you shake your head, looking panicked at the guard in the back, “Hold on, ‘stand trial for my crimes’?”

Loki moves past you, staring at the television as you loudly proclaim: “I was never even read my rights!”

The television program does little to quell your fear — in fact, it furthers the dawning realization that whatever happened with the tesseract was, in fact, worse than you initially thought. You had a basic understanding of the stone’s ability to alter space around it; and even more so, you had extensive knowledge of the subject at hand. But… concepts like this, like multiverses and time travel were all theory. Speculation. Unknowns ruminated about on lunch breaks with cohorts.

Variants, sacred timelines, and TVA, oh my.

Then, like the icing on the cake, that asshole yelling about how his dad works at Goldman-Sachs and wait until he hears about this is evaporated before you and Loki’s eyes.

You both procure your tickets at the same time, holding them in the air.

✶   ✶   ✶

As it turns out, Miss Minutes was being completely truthful about the whole ‘on trial for your crimes’ bit. The courtroom’s decor matches that of the entire TVA’s scheme — but over a single judge, beyond the pews and murals, are three heads of those supposed ‘Time-Keepers’. It’s imposing, and despite your hesitation, Loki seems keen on getting the ball rolling.

You’re both ushered up at the call of: “Next case!”

The judge, from her high spot overlooking the drab court, begins speaking as the two of you approach the bench.

“Variant L1130 and Variant X1131 — both charged with sequence violation 7-20-89,” she says, voice crystalline in the quiet room, “Approach the bench, please.”

You both share a look, then step into the small booth.

“How do you both plead?” she asks, flipping closed her notes on — apparently — your case.

“I’m sorry, there must be a misunderstanding,” you say quickly, gesturing between you and Loki, “We… We are not… Not pleading together, your honor.”

Loki leans over, waves you off. Quietly, he says: “Let me handle this.”

You glare.

Leave it to the self-proclaimed Silvertongue.

And sure enough, he tries. You’ll give him that. It’s almost impressive.

Even trying to pin it on the Avengers impresses you — because his little quip about them time traveling somehow connects all the dots in your head about that other-you… But still leaves you feeling like you’ve picked up a book half-way through and begun reading. You’ve missed a few chapters.

Then, Loki tries to… conjure magic? In the middle of the court?

You watch, mouth falling open, as the folks in the pews watch with amusement and scoff.

When the judge questions it, and Loki’s guard explains he’s trying to use his magic, you’re quick to swat his arms down. You give him the millionth unamused look of the day, in a very pull-it-together way, and tilt your head to the side.

What the hell?

Loki’s face falls. He slams his hands on the stand. You shake your head as his outburst, like clockwork, begins — and then the threats, and then the yelling, and then the guards are muscling him away as you rub your forehead and try to find out a way you can recover this absolute blunder.

“Your honor—”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry,” you say tightly as you find her gaze, “This… All of this, to Loki’s point, was a genuine mistake — our intention wasn’t to... disrupt the Sacred Timeline.”

“As reassuring as that is,” she chirps as she moves to raise her gavel after sparing the now in-custody Loki a look, “Intention does not matter, Variant. It’s the crime itself.”

You deflate.

“That being said, that court finds you both guilty and I sentence you to be reset.”

“Reset?” you ask, eyes wild with fear.

“What does that mean? ‘Reset’? Is that bad?” Loki asks, being pulled towards yet another room, “Hey! You ridiculous bureaucrats will not dictate how my story ends!”

You step down, letting the officer who had originally apprehended you lead you to an opposite door from Loki.

“It was never your story, Mr. Laufeyson — It never was.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of!”

Enter Mobius M. Mobius.

“I… I think I might. Both of them, actually.”

You don’t know it now, certainly not as you stare wild-eyed at the chaos unfolding with a creeping sense of doom, that he will become some sort of friend in this new world. But, when he steps up, file folder in hand, you’re not sure how you’ve managed to skirt yet another brush with whatever the end of this system has in store. Somehow, the mustached man with the crooked nose says the right thing.

The judge’s eyes soften when they land on him.

You watch, trying to parse through the hushed discussion but — then you’re released.

And this man waves you on with a smile.

✶   ✶   ✶

This man is kind — or, so far he is.

You aren’t exactly keen to trust him, nor is Loki from his apparent scrutiny of everything the man does and says.

And while he weaves you through the facility that has so many more rooms and elevators and doors than you can begin to understand, you’re in awe. Everything is… Complex. Intricate. Like woven-time itself.

Then… the skyline.

Loki finds himself staring at you.

You step up to the railing, face bathed in pure awe.

…It’s rather... cute.

Loki crosses his arms tightly. He grits his jaw, pulls his eyes from you and the skyline, and stares at the grey-haired man looking on at the both of you with a knowing smile.

“I thought there was no magic here.”

Mobius continues watching the two of you. There’s half a smile there.

“There isn’t.”

“It’s not real,” you breathe out, “It can’t be.”

Mobius’ hand is gentle on your shoulder. “It is. And so is the paperwork. C’mon, both of you.”

“This place is a nightmare.”

You look back at Loki, measuring his palpable disgust for the place. “...I sort of like it.”

“I figured you’d say that,” Mobius says with a wink as he pushes open the door to another set of elevators, “It’s that science brain of yours.”

You try to hide the offputting feeling that knowledge strikes you with. How does he know you? You don’t even know this man’s name. You scoff. “...Well, I like magic, too.”

“As you should,” Loki deadpans with a displeased expression, “Magic is supremely powerful.”

“Not here,” you chirp back, “God of Jazz Hands.”

Loki ignores the jab — and, like he has for the last handful of hours, lets these people parade him around. Going from one custody to another has little to no appeal. Already, the God is trying to figure out how to leave this place… But, it isn’t an easy concept to parse.

The elevator dings.

“I’m Agent Mobius, by the way.”

While Loki ignores the handshake, you take it. It’s hesitant.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Mobius says, nodding as he shakes your hand.

You’re uncomfortable. He’s the second person to act as if… as if he knows who you are.

Loki watches.

“Are you taking us somewhere to kill us?” he interjects with his skeptical glare driving a wedge between you and the grey-haired TVA agent.

“No, no,” he exhales, shaking his head, “No, we’re going somewhere to talk.”

“Talk?” you ask, shifting on your feet in front of the two men. You eye the jumbled letter on the panel of the elevator and wonder what sort of system this place uses to organize their departments. This place, the TVA, is vast. The view outside the balcony proves that much. You watch the floors zip by on the overhead panel as you speak, “Sounds ominous.”

“Talking, and killing us, then.”

“No,” Mobius tucks his hands into the pockets of his slacks, “That’s where you just were. We’re going to have a little chat about some things I’m curious about.”

“Then what?” your brows furrow. You and Loki share a look of worry.

“We’ll see.”

“I don’t like to talk,” Loki offers up, defensively.

You almost scoff.

Mobius, however, does. His amusement is clear as day. “But you do like to lie, which you just did.”

“—How long have you been here?” Loki asks quickly, derailing the introspection into his behavior like it’s second-nature.

Mobius sighs, looks at you, then the elevator floors. “I dunno know. It’s hard to say, y’know, time passes differently here in the TVA…”

“I noticed,” you mumble.

Mobius’ eyes light up.

“What does that mean?” Loki looks between the two of you.

You shrug. “Think about it, how long have we been here?”

Loki squints down at you.

“Hours? Minutes? For a place that’s keen on managing the proper flow of time, I haven’t seen one clock.”

Mobius waggles his fingers in the air as the doors slide open — and he’s smiling at you with a look that reminds you of professors you’ve had in the past. It’s a blend of pride and interest and… near affection. “Nice catch, doc.”

You snort quietly. “I’m not a doctor.”

“Not yet.”

You spin, and stare at Mobius.

“I’m sorry?”

“Don’t be,” it’s cheeky, “I’ll explain later.”

Loki distrusts this little interaction immediately. He steps between you and Mobius as the three of you enter a new floor. This place is the most crowded you’ve seen yet — and though the workers here are all fitted with the same monochromatic uniform schematics, you can understand that there are indicators for different roles. Officers, guards, office clerks, judges… A whole workforce bustling around you.

“So you’re a part of the TVA’s dedicated and courageous workforce?” Loki spits out as Mobius leads the way through the hall. His tone is mocking, and his swagger is pronounced with an annoyed slump of the shoulders.

“Yes.”

“And you were created by the Time-Keepers—”

You fall behind, brushing past agents. You eye their armor, and those batons on their belts.

“Yep.”

“—To protect the Sacred Timeline.”

“Correct.”

You speed up, matching pace with the two men as they begin to round a corner toward some sort of amphitheater. Over the door, it reads Time Theater.

Loki lets out a cynical laugh as you eye your surroundings.

“You think it’s funny?” asks Mobius, holding his two stacks of manilla folders under his arm. His eyes are curious. You try to find any maliciousness there… But you fail to see anything other than genuine wonder.

“The idea that your little club decides the fate of trillions of people across all existence at the behest of three… space lizards? Yes, it’s funny. It’s absurd.”

Mobius, at the bottom of the stairs, squints.

“What about you, doc?”

Loki’s gaze turns to you at the top of the steps. You open your mouth, close it, then exhale tightly.

“Honestly?” you say, after a beat of a moment, “I don’t know what to believe.”

Mobius rocks on his heels.

“What about coincidences? Do you believe in those?”

You puff out a haughty laugh from your nose. “I prefer synchronicities.”

“Because they’re more analytical,” Mobius probes, tilting his head, “Right?”

“It depends who you ask,” you falter down the steps as you cross your arms, “To me, coincidences are random. Synchronicities hold logistical bearings. Purpose.”

“Sort of like fate?”

“If fate was a math problem,” you grin, “Maybe.”

Mobius nods. There’s a twinkle in his eyes.

“C’mon. Both of you. Come inside.”

Loki spares you a long look — one that’s laden with mild surprise and interest. For a Midgardian, you’ve proven to be able to handle yourself rather well. Again, you certainly aren’t his first choice to be trapped in this time-maze with, but he supposes you will do. You could prove useful.

You meet his eyes for a flash of a second. You ignore it. You follow Mobius.

“For the record, this does really feel like a killing-us kind of a room.”

Loki’s right. It does. You watch Mobius move to place his belongings on a table in the center of the room with three chairs gathered around it. There’s some sort of wall that begs to operate as a screen, and once more the patterned lighting choices make the space seem eerily symmetrical. It’s large, mostly empty, and your attention is fixed to the little device on the table that reminds you of an early Macintosh monitor.

“Not big on trust, huh?”

“Trust is for children, and dogs,” Loki scowls, stalking past you and moving to the table, “There’s only one person I can trust.”

“Her?” he asks as he gestures to you in a moment of genuine questioning.

Loki falters. Mobius smirks. You frown.

“No. No, myself—”

“Sure, sure,” Mobius smiles, “Come on. Both of you, sit down.”

But, Loki isn’t finished. “If the TVA truly oversees all of time, how have I never heard of you until now?”

“‘Cause you’ve never needed to,” Mobius says as he leans and turns on the projector, “You’ve always lived within your set path.”

Loki’s tone rises sharply. “I live within whatever path I chose—”

You interject, raising a hand as you step between Loki and Mobius. Your brows are knotted tightly as you shake your head. “Hold on… But, when Variants break from the Sacred Timeline — you reset the Variant, and the timeline. So, who’s to say we haven’t met you before?”

Mobius stands up straight. Again, another sly smile.

“Y’know, doc,” Mobius pulls his chair out, and presumably one he intends to be yours, “You’re impressive.”

“Time is impressive,” you volley back, sitting down, “And finicky. And... weird. And, if I’m being completely honest here? I have a headache.”

“Understandable. And, now I’ve gotta know,” Mobius says as he takes a seat and gestures, once more for Loki to sit down beside you, “How would you reason that repeated instances of the same Variants occur?”

“...As in the same person?” you ask as you cock a brow and lean back in the cold, steel chair.

“More like the same two people.”

Oh.

Mm. There it is. You got it. Mobius sees it.

He inhales, and leans forward.

“You two are what we call Recurring Variant Anomalies,” Mobius says pointedly, “It’s rare that we find Variants that break from the Sacred Timeline twice — even rarer when it’s the same two people both times, at the same time. Causes quite the hiccup. Lots of mental math. Time stuff. It’s a lot.”

You and Loki connect gazes.

“RVA’s, or… y’know, you two,” Mobius continues as he waves between the two of you, “Are, uh… Think of it like soulmates. For whatever reason, you two are tied together in time. Variant or not. Sort of comforting, right?”

“Not at all—”

“Hardly,” Loki chirps as he crosses his arms.

“...Riiiiight,” Mobius says slowly, gaze dancing between you as he spins some sort of tuning dial on the monitor, “So… 2012… That’s… You two have just met.”

Suddenly, there’s an image on the wall. It’s conjured with delicate palettes of light building into a background, painting a picture you recognize almost immediately.

It’s the lab. It’s you, it’s Loki, it’s the Tesseract. It’s last Monday.

“What is this?” you ask, leaning forward in your chair as the projection begins to fast forward through the week, through each time you and Loki’s paths seem to cross — and in the lobby. It stops.

“Think of it as your greatest hits,” Mobius shrugs, “This tape is dedicated to you and him, and I’ve got two others here that are independent reels of your time alive.”

“This is all a load of bunkum,” Loki snaps with a scowl as sharp as a blade.

“... If looks could kill,” muses the TVA agent as he cracks open a cola can and takes a sip.

You let out a long sigh as Loki sharpens his gaze even farther. He speaks with the hissing vibrato you’ve come to know well in however long you’ve spent tied to his hip through this whole process. He’s irritated. “What do you want from us?”

“How about some cooperation to start?”

“Not my forte.”

“Speak for yourself,” you mutter, rubbing your face.

“I specialize in the pursuit of dangerous Variants,” Mobius says after another long sip. He moves through the manilla folder on top and you notice your photo there.

“Like myself?” Loki asks.

“No, no — particularly dangerous Variants. Like her, maybe,” he nods your way and you blink, “Not you, Loki, you’re a little pussycat.”

You can feel the anger rolling off the God beside you without even looking.

“I’m confused,” you say, cutting through the tension with a wave of your hand, “Why us?”

“Why you, indeed!” Mobius nods, scrubbing through time to… you’ve never seen this before. This is — well, it’s like watching a movie. A movie of someone you know.

“What is this?” Loki asks, squinting at the projection, “This never even happened. This isn’t real.”

“This,” Mobius explains, “Is what would have happened if the two of you hadn’t disrupted the Sacred Timeline. Loki, you’d be being escorted back to Asgard for imprisonment, and Doc, you’d be back to that tiny little apartment of yours — but, Loki, it’s this part that’s important.”

Suddenly, there’s a woman.

“Hello, Mother.”

Your eyes widen by a mile.

Mobius sits back and crosses his arms.

“Pause it.”

Loki’s longing look is pulled from the screen and it drifts to you; you’re standing — the recognition that burns in your gaze is hard to ignore and Loki follows your figure across the room with his eyes.

“...Who is she?” you ask after a long moment.

“That,” Mobius says as he points, “Is Lady Frigga — right, Loki?”

“It’s my mother—”

You blink back at the screen.

You know her.

Not — I mean, not like you’ve met, but you know her from your dreams. You’ve had dreams about a woman with that face, with that voice, with that kind look for years; ever since you were a child, actually. You always assumed she was your father’s mother or a distant aunt you only had the bones of a memory of. You figured your brain had made the connection, filled in the gaps. But… That’s her.

The back of your head tingles.

“You’ve seen her before,” Mobius says. It’s less of a question, more of a statement of a fact.

“That’s impossible,” scoffs Loki with a roll of the eyes.

“In my dreams,” you whisper, far-away and taking in the beauty of the woman, “I have.”

Loki’s tone is sharp like a whip when he stands. “What’s the meaning of all this? To lie to us, to craft illusions?”

“I’m just trying to understand you two.”

“Why?” you ask, turning on your heel and shaking your head. It’s a bitter sort of anger that rises in your voice — and you can’t help but feel like you’re being toyed with, “There isn’t even an ‘us’. He’s a narcissistic, self-obsessed liar who thinks he was born to rule the galaxy in cheap leather—”

“—I beg your pardon—”

“Then beg!” you snap at Loki, throwing your hands at him before turning back to Mobius with a scowl, “What’s the point?”

“I’m trying to understand you,” Mobius says, “And how much you mean to him. And vice versa.”

Your gaze meets Loki’s. There is a shared irritation for this game Mobius is playing with the two of you.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Loki drawls, low and threatening, “And you’re proving such by insinuating I’d be emotionally attached to some lowly human. Midgardians are a pest. Ants to be crushed by a boot.”

You ignore the dig. You can’t really say you expected much more than that from him. It’s in character.

“Maybe I’d like to learn.��

You circle Loki, and plant your hands on the back of your own chair. You don’t sit.

“Listen, I’m not trying to make this difficult — for either of you,” the TVA agent in question leans back and looks between the two of you, “I am trying to understand what makes you both tick. Let me ask my questions, and I’ll show you why it’s so important for me to figure this out. Then, I can get you both out of here. After all, that’s what you both want, right?”

You exhale tightly.

Loki blinks. Dark lashes kiss his high cheekbones. He chews the inside of his lip, irritation bleeding into the bouncing of his leg.

“Fine.”

“Right.”

You sit down.

“Let’s start there, Loki — should you return, what are you gonna do?”

Mobius puts his head down and readies a small piece of notepaper in a flipbook. You can see the tattered, yellowing scraps of past-notes flipped behind this one. The pen has the TVA logo emblazoned on it in that same burnt orange that followed you through every hall.

Across from him, Loki tightens his jaw and straightens his posture. He then leans back, with his arms crossed, and answers.

“Finish what I started.”

“Which is?”

He wet his lips. “Claim my throne.”

Mobius nods. “You wanna be… king?”

Suddenly, there’s a sneer on the God’s lip. “I don’t want to be, I was born to be.”

Whether or not that admission was purposeful, you find your brows raising a bit in the tiniest of microexpressions. It’s surprise. The way he says it makes it seem like it’s the only right answer there is — like it’s been practiced.

“I know, but… King of what exactly?”

Loki, frustrated and clearly exhausted already with the line of questioning, scoffs.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

The veneer of irritation melts — if only a little bit.

“...Midgard.”

You roll your eyes. He notices.

“AKA… Earth…” Mobius notes as his pen moves quickly across the paper, “Alright, now you’re the King of Midgard, then what? Happily ever after? All on your own?”

“I don’t need anyone to help me fulfill my purpose.”

“Must be lonely.”

“I can assure you,” Loki snaps like a wounded dog in a trap, “I do not care.”

“But, there’s the thing — you do,” Mobius raises a finger, “That’s one thing I know about you, Loki, that you do care. That being alone does bother you. I know that — and I’m not trying to belittle you. Listen, I’m a fan. I’m just trying to understand how this big picture falls into place.”

Suddenly, the tape is being scrubbed once more. Light and picture dances on the wall adjacent to the three of you, and suddenly it’s a still image of what looks like… a library? No. No, that’s not right. It’s an older building, and Thor is there, and you’re holding a spectrometer and looking horribly out of place.

Mobius presses play.

Suddenly, a black-clad Loki falls from some sort of sparking portal.

“I have been falling! For thirty minutes!”

The visage of you on the screen yelps; hand flying over your mouth at the sudden appearance of the man you now know well. He hits the floor with a resounding thud! and looks… less imposing now, flat on the floor with wild black curls flying about. He’s swathed in a well-tailored black suit and you can’t help but think he’s the exact opposite of Thor. The God of Mischief pushes himself upwards, eyes wild with anger.

Thor, on screen, hides a chuckle at his brother’s expense.

That future-you blinks with wide eyes between the unknown man and Thor, wondering why the hell no one seems to be as off-put as you are.

“Do you just…?” you make the same sort of gesture the… — wizard? Right, let’s go with wizard — had just done in order to open the portal Loki had fallen out of with a confused look on your face, “Do that normally?”

Your voice crackles from the speakers. It’s eerie.

The wizard shrugs.

He turns to Thor then, shaking hands and gesturing once more to sling open another portal.

“I trust you can handle it from here,” he says to Thor, “Good luck.”

This portal, unlike the one Loki had fallen through, overlooks the ocean. You feel a bit like you’ve opened a book in the middle of a chapter — you’re not sure what the hell is going on and before you can ask, Loki is honing in on you like a predator at his next meal. He’s standing before you, leering with an angry look that should have probably sent you for the hills.

Instead, you pull another face.

“What is this? A wretched little pest, here to help?”

“Brother—”

“Have we met?” Loki sneers, lip curling as he hisses, “Or do you simply bear resemblance to every other disgusting worm on this planet?”

You push your glasses up again. Suddenly, you’re aware of the behavioral tango you’re locked in. It’s like a psychological game of chess. You decide to move your pawn.

“We have, actually,” you chirp with an uncanny amount of unamusement. Thor’s eye twitches behind you, “You tried to blow up my lab station…?  But, uh, I doubt you probably remember that, huh? Yeah, you were, uh, kinda busy terrorizing my boss and half the other staff on call… No, no, I get it. I’ve gotten a haircut since, so—”

“Doctor, please, ignore him—” Thor tries, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, you’re one of Selvig’s wenches then.”

That doesn’t get the rise out of you that Loki had predicted. You frown, hands in your pockets. Your body language is guarded. Loki’s lip twitches.

“That’s an awfully misogynistic thing for you to say.”

There’s a glimpse of a recoil in his eyes at that. He takes a step forward, as if to challenge you – to which Strange clears his throat. The game is stopped, if only for a moment, and Loki’s anger is redirected towards the wizard with a new-found malice.

“And you must be the second-rate sorcerer—”

Mobius pauses the tape.

You blink.

“This never happened.”

“Not to you, not yet,” Mobius says, “Had you not broken from the Sacred Timeline, yes. It happens and it happens again, and again, and again. You two meeting again is the proper flow of time. Everytime.”

“How…?”

“The TVA doesn’t only know what should happen. We know what does happen — on these tapes I’ve got both of your lives from start to finish, all according to what the Time-Keepers have willed to happen in accordance with the Sacred Timeline.”

“Do you believe this?” Loki asks you suddenly as he narrows his eyes, “This is completely and utterly ridiculous.”

“Is it?” Mobius asks, “Because, frankly, I think what is a little ridiculous is your frequent belittling of those around you. I mean, c’mon, you’re the God of Mischief. I’ve got hours worth of footage on here of you hurting others. Invading cities, killing innocent people, plucking eyeballs out. I mean that right there is a prime example. Why are you being so cruel to her? She’s done nothing to you.”

“She’s a human.”

“Is it because you think she’s pretty?” Mobius plucks at the God like he’s some sort of child, “She is — we all know it — but, c’mon, really? She’s very far from a worm… That’s just plain old mean, pal.”

You feel sheepishness prick at your cheeks. You stare ahead at the screen.

Loki growls. “Your commentary is useless.”

“Because I’m right,” Mobius battles back with a wave of his finger, “You know it. I can see it — between this, and the murder and the torture and the general atrocities? I don’t see anything mischievous about how you act, Loki.”

Loki’s lip curls.

“No, I don’t suppose you do.”

“And neither does she!” Mobius says, wagging his pen your way, “I mean, really, she’s the love of your life—”

“I am not—”

“She is no such thing—”

“No?” Mobius leans forward, “You don’t believe me?”

“No.”

It comes out of both your mouths, stressed and unamused.

So, Mobius scrubs again. This time, through a long stretch of time. There’s colors, people, space, and…

A penthouse apartment.

Suddenly, as the grey-haired man presses play, Loki’s voice fills the room. The cadence is warm and gentle. It’s unlike you’ve heard him speak before. There’s a timbre to his words that makes your heart involuntarily flutter.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

On the screen, his voice rouses you mid-chew and you blink up at the dark-haired God over the dinner the servants had brought you mere minutes ago. You swallows, knotting your brows. You can see worry on your own face.

You’re not wearing something Earthly. It doesn’t look Asgardian either. It’s black, with a deep neckline and your hair is intricately done. You can’t place where this is. It… doesn’t seem like Earth. Not New York City, for sure.

“What is it?” you ask, eyes scanning Loki’s face. The lie-smith opens his mouth but nothing comes out. Your face falls. “You’re married already, aren’t you—”

“What?” Loki blinks, nose scrunching in distaste, “No, I’m not married—”

You seem to deflate with relief. Loki would have laughed had his chest not felt like Mjolnir was resting atop it.

In his seat in the TVA, Loki squirms.

“Then what haven’t you been completely honest about?”

He stands, disregarding his dinner and folding his hands behind his back. He then begins to pace. Your eyes follow him with every step.

“I… I have never found myself in a position where I have grown to trust someone as much as yourself. You have gained my affections in a way I had never seen possible,” he offers. It’s slow. The other-you smiles at him and it spurs him to continue, “And because of this, I must apologize for behavior at times. I can be rude and crass… and yet you still sleep beside me at night.”

Oh.

“In all fairness, there is only one bed and I am not sleeping on the floor.”

On the screen, Loki laughs, quick and breathy, as he drops his head and sighs.

“But, I am… not who you think I am.”

You give him a look as you stand, abandoning your plate. “I am well aware of that much, Loki. You’re infuriatingly complex, and just when I think I have you pegged, you sock another wrench into my calculations.”

“I think I might be about to do exactly what you just said.”

“Spit it out, Loki.”

“You remember the story I told you of Jotunheim?”

“That’s… the ice planet?” your eyes fleet about as you rack your brain, “Jötunns were the frost giants, right? With blue skin and red eyes? That book you showed me had beautiful illustrations –”  

And suddenly, the pale face of the God on the screen is gone and his skin has an icy hue. Those green eyes you know faded away to fiery red orbs. Markings of a foreign kind swirled about his skin and you couldn’t help but yank your hand away. He looks just like the illustrations from the book on Asgardian history Loki had given you. You regret pulling away nearly instantly.

In your seat, you wince. You feel like you’re watching some soap opera on daytime television and… you’re invested. For fuck’s sake, you’re the lead star.

The hurt is visible on his face.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, “I should have not shown you—”

Suddenly, Loki to your left, speaks up.

His voice is rough.

“Shut it off.”

Mobius raises his hand. “Shh. This is the good part.”

You blink between Loki and the screen.

On the screen, Loki is trying to quell the growing rage in his chest. He turns and knots his fingers in fists. Curse Odin. Curse Frigga. Curse them all. He was a monster. They should have just let him die on Jotunheim as a baby.

“Loki.”

Your voice is so warm it snuffs the anger in his chest out almost immediately.

You weave around him, eyes wide with a different type of admiration – one he hasn’t seen on you before (is this love?) – as your hands reach to ghost along his now pastel cobalt cheek bones. Your fingers feel like freshly smelted metal against his skin. He loves it.

“You look like sapphires,” you breathe, “I never thought blue was your color, and yet here I am. You’re – Why do you hide it? Why keep this beautiful secret hidden?”

“I am a monster.”

“Loki, no.”

Your eyes are so full of affection he wants to cry. He drops his gaze to the floor only for you to pull it back to your own gaze again. Your fingers curl along his jaw.

“It hurts me when you say that, you know. I don’t think you’re a monster. Not before, not now. You cannot be so cruel to yourself, Loki.”

He’s silent. You speak again, your voice stern.

“You’re not a monster. You’re my husband, remember?”

Mobius pauses the Time Movie.

He’s smug. “That is love. That’s what I’m trying to figure out here. You two.”

You stare at the sight on the screen. The two of you curled close.

Loki, on the other hand, feels like crawling out of his skin.

This isn’t possible. This is — this is some cruel, cruel joke put on by the powers that be. Perhaps that punishment he considered earlier. There was no way this could possibly be true.

No, he can’t even look at you.

Anger, bitterness, and fury takes over his tone as he pushes himself back in his chair.

“I know what this place is.”

“Oh?”

“Oh, yes, it’s an illusion.”

He moves to stand and you notice Mobius’ hands twitch on the Time Twister — however, the TVA agent remains interested in Loki’s reaction and less on reprimanding the sudden movement.

“It’s a cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear,” he hisses as he stalks about. Pointing at the screen, his voice runs hoarse as he shakes off the possibilities implied by the sight of the two of you, curled into one another, in love, “My mother taught me plenty of them.”

“Your mother, right,” Mobius says, raising a finger, “That’s a great point to circle back to — y’know, since you were the one who led the Dark Elves straight to her. Why?”

The woman with the kind eyes and golden hair is back once more, but this time she’s speaking to Loki — and immediately the God in the room steps forward. His expression is marked with confusion, with fear.

“What?”

“The Dark Elves,” Mobius continues as he sips his cola, “You think you send them to Thor...—”

“—You might wanna take the stairs to the left.”

“But instead, you send them…”

“—I’ll never tell.”

Your heart stops when the dagger is run through Frigga, when she gasps, and when she crumples in a heap of gilded armor and skirts. The ache you feel in your heart is tight and sharp and vengeful.

You can see the tension rising in Loki’s posture. His breath shudders.

“Shut it off,” you snap at Mobius before Loki interjects.

“Where do you have her?” he is beginning to sound panicked, “Where is she?”

But Mobius stands, and with ill-timed nonchalance, he waves his hands as he shrugs and watches Loki.

“You lead them right to her.”

“I don’t believe you,” Loki’s voice rises as you stand, “You’re lying. It’s not true.”

“It is true. That’s the proper flow of time and it happens again and again and again because it’s supposed to. Because it has to. The TVA makes sure of it—”

“Where is she?” Loki is almost like a wild animal now, ignoring the way you completely block his attempts at nearing Mobius. He’s blinded to you completely.

“—Now, why don’t you tell me, do you enjoy hurting people?”

“—I don’t believe you,” he says as he stalks from foot to foot, “I don’t.”

“Do you enjoy killing people?” Mobius is nearly yelling now.

“I’ll kill you—” Loki snaps, as if a reflex.

“What, like you did your own mother?”

Then it all falls apart. Loki breaks for Mobius, and you’re shoved out of the way. You stagger back, catching yourself on the table as the God of Mischief unceremoniously whips the chair in the agent’s direction with a flick of his wrist. It sends the image of Frigga scattering in dancing particles of light that quickly rearrange. An image that cannot be erased.

Mobius flicks the Time Twister.

In a blink, you’re back in your chair and Loki has landed, hard, on the ground.

He hisses in pain and you press your fingers to your temple. The vertigo is brutal — only for a second — and then you resettle into the current flow of time.

“Sorry, the Time Twister loops the both of you — not the furniture.”

You ignore Mobius as he rounds back to the holoprojector in favor of offering up a worried glance Loki’s way. His gaze is far away from here. Shame and guilt have replaced his anger.

“You weren’t born to be king, Loki. You were born to cause pain and suffering and death. That’s how it is, that’s how it was, that’s how it will be.”

The agent presses a button, and the Avengers roll on into the room. They paint it all sorts of heroic colors as the Chitauri hiss in the background.

“...All so that others can achieve the best versions of themselves.”

There’s a beat of silence, and then you push to stand.

“Enough.”

It’s stern.

Mobius watches as you turn to the God on the floor and offer a tentative hand.

If you’re being honest with yourself, you don’t know why you do it. Maybe because you suddenly feel for the God — maybe because in this flash of a moment, you can see the downtrodden regret pouring from his eyes as he shakes his head from his place on the ground. He’s a fallen God; yet, so horribly human.

Loki’s eyes follow the delicate hand offered to him with genuine surprise.

He is, however, incredibly thankful. He can feel it in his heart. He will hide it, of course.

He takes your hand and you lean back, helping the tall God off the floor as the TVA agent watches. Mobius finds it curious how the two of you have natural inclination towards one another already despite strong opposition to nearly everything about one another. But, that’s fate he supposes.

And this little interaction tells him a lot about Loki, about you, and about what either of your Variants might do without the other.

Suddenly, the doors rattle open.

Loki looks down on you for a moment. You hold his gaze. Then, he nods, and you pull away from him.

“What are you doing?” comes a voice you recognize as one of the officers from before. She’s the one that had apprehended Loki — a tall, strong woman with piercing eyes.

Mobius deflates. “My job. Is it yours to interrupt?”

“We have a situation.”

“There’s always a situation,” he grumbles as he pushes off his feet and moves toward the doors. He turns back, raises a finger and gestures to the two of you, “Don’t go anywhere.”

He calls out over his shoulder again as he nears the doors.

“Take a look at those tapes. I mean — It’s all there. I’m not lying about any of it.”

Then, the doors close.

And you’re left alone with Loki, the holoprojector, and two lives worth of film.

The silence is heavy.

Finally, when you turn around from the door, you let out a long sigh and settle your attention on the God in the center of the room. He’s looking at his hands, back turned to you. The sharp angles of his face are lit with the image from the Time Movie. Golden and mournful.

Your voice is gentle. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, bug,” he snaps without even turning to look at you, “You need not busy yourself with worrying over a God.”

It’s scathing.

You scowl.

“I���m trying to be nice,” you explain as you cross your arms tightly over your jumpsuit and tug at the collar around your neck, “Or is that such a foreign concept to you?”

That earns you a calculated glare over his shoulder.

You watch, keen on measuring his reaction.

“Why?” he asks, voice hot like a knife held over a fire — it’s reactionary, “What does being ‘nice’ get you in the end, bug?”

When your face falls, however, Loki realizes that you just made a rather painful point. Your eyes go soft — and the God recoils in discomfort at the sight of pity. It makes him turn away once more and ignore the delicate frown that sweeps across your features.

Behind him, your tone is soft. “Nevermind then.”

Loki steals another glance. He watches as you begin to pace — your white sneakers follow the line in the tiles as you move back and forth across the room. His brows are twisted in a horribly curious way. He despises himself for it.

“...I am a God. Words of mortal men mean nothing to me.”

He says it like he’s trying to convince himself. You pause midstep.

“It doesn’t matter who says something,” you mumble before gesturing to the holoprojector, “Words are the oldest weapon in the book.”

“Oh, please,” Loki chirps, cocking his head to the side as he, like a snake, shows his fangs to deter a threat. His words are a desperate attempt at a stinging bite, “I don’t need your pity. You’re a pest. A soon-to-be-subjugate.”

There’s hurt, there. You can hear it in the subtle crack of his words.

“You’re the Silvertongue,” you shrug, “You’d know.”

Hm.

He’s quiet for a while longer and you trade in your pacing for settling in on the steps before the exit to the theater. Your gaze is rooted on the film sitting neatly atop Mobius’ files. There’s one there with your name on it. The canister glimmers in the light.

“...Do you believe what Agent Mobius says about me?”

It’s a quiet question.

You watch Loki.

His posture is sharp. It’s the way he asks it that betrays his intention.

You fiddle with your fingers.

“...I don’t know if I believe anything Mobius says,” you begin, tucking your knees close and leaning forward, “But, I know you’ve done terrible things.”

“You think me to be a monster.”

“Is that a joke?” you chirp as you scoff, “Please, continue to berate me, and weave along your little manifest destiny monologues about ruling my planet — and do you want me to ignore the last week? The failed attempt at leveling New York? I thought you said you didn’t want my pity.”

“Enough,” Loki hisses as he is beginning to even regret pushing you for an answer, “You’ve said your piece.”

“No,” you stress, raising a finger to signify you aren’t finished; anger settles into your words, “I haven’t. But it doesn’t matter because you’re so self-absorbed you can’t even listen to what I’m saying.”

In truth, it’s shame that’s making the God’s fingers tremble, not anger. In complete honesty, it feels easier to let you believe it’s some self-aggrandized notion and not the dawning realization that he may not be able to keep up this illusion forever. He… He never meant for it all to end up like this.

His back is still to you. He’s glad. He doesn’t want you to see the crack in his stalwart composition.

“This is ridiculous.”

His whisper bears an inkling of his frustration. You watch him.

“Yeah,” you mutter to yourself as you stand and rock on your heels, “Worst Thursday of my life.”

That earns you a scoff.

He stops his fiddling long enough to trace your figure with his eyes and realize that, yes, that woman from before in the lobby of the Avengers tower was indeed you — and from the films Mobius had shown, he can see why you would have called out to him like that. It’s clear that in this other time, in the ‘Sacred’ flow of time, the two of you weren’t meant to find one another.

It’s… laughable, almost.

By Odin’s beard — not for lack of trying, his mother and father had never been able to find him a suitable match. Thor was easier; he wasn’t so critical of companionship. Loki yearned for intellectual connection even as a young boy, and found it harder to play with kids his age. Perhaps that’s why he so readily threw himself into magic, into Frigga’s teachings. She had insisted that fate was a beautiful thing. That it was wound like ribbons of silk in the stars, falling into place with every rise and fall of the moon.

He rather liked the image.

…And if you were being truthful about seeing his mother? In your dreams?

Well, she always did seem one step ahead of everyone else.

Was this how it was written all along? Did he not have any say in how his life panned out? Was this detour a part of his ascent, or… or was it all in vain? Was he supposed to find you now? Later? Has he gone and ruined what time had set in motion for him?

Suddenly, Loki finds his heart aching for something he cannot have:

That life. The one that rolled by like a movie.

And yet — he’s angry.

It’s not possible. No, he’d never find himself falling in bed with a human. Not for life, not for love, not for… some unending thing that has supposedly transcended time. You are beneath him. Unworthy of even the simplest of his affections. Frigga was wrong.

His mother was wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

He didn’t need this clouding his intent, either. He had one goal — the same goal that has remained since falling from the Bifrost. It’s glorious purpose, a burden he’s carried since he was a boy.

Odin’s burden.

The burden of a forgotten son.

“If you don’t mind,” when he turns around, you notice that he wasn’t looking at his hands at all. Infact, he’s got a disassembled Time Twister in his hands. Confusion consumes you when you realize you have no idea how he even managed to snag that thing off Mobius — or when he could have — but… that’s mischievous, “This little talk has been lovely, but I’m not intending to stick it out.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Hardly,” Loki chirps as he takes a step forward, “I’m going to find the Tesseract and leave this place.”

You mimic his stride and step up beside him. “They’ll fry you before you even get the chance—”

“Oh, please,” the God croons with a horribly charming smirk, “Watch me, bug.”

And, just like that, he’s gone.

And you’re left alone with the tapes.

When Mobius M. Mobius returns to the Time Theater, he has to admit he’s a little surprised to find you there, sitting in a chair you’ve pulled right up the holoprojector’s screen. You’re alone. He watches you there, curled tightly in the chair with your knees to your chest, and Mobius realizes you look younger than before.

Hunter B-15 scowls. She moves to step forward but — Mobius stops her.

The scene unfolding before you clearly holds some sort of sentimentality.

Your father follows you closely as you begin to pedal, to push, to venture farther from his balanced grasp as you fly from the safe confines of training wheels and into the world of balance — it’s the first time you’re riding that electric blue bike he’d gotten you for your fifth birthday. It’s the brightest time in your life; before the academic pressure to keep up, before the ever increasing weight of expectations, before the denial to Cornell, before hearing the words ‘I am so proud of you’ became a rarity.

Mobius lets out a quiet sigh as the man on the tape booms with laughter and hauls you into the air.

“Great job, kid! Look at you!” he’s laughing, and Mobius notes the gentle quiver of your figure in that chair, “I’m so proud of you!”

Mobius pauses the Time Movie.

You don’t notice. You’re too busy furiously wiping away the tears, trying to regain your composure and sniff back the homesickness.

He speaks gently. “He is proud of you, y’know.”

Mobius isn’t making it easy.

You blink up at the ceiling.

Then, the grey-haired man rounds the chair and kneels.

“Look at me, doc.”

“I’m not a doctor—”

“You wanna know how I know who you are?” he asks urgently, before gesturing to the stack of paper, “And not because of this whole fiasco — I knew who you were before this.”

Oh, be still his heart. Mobius’ heartstrings tug at the sight of you, broken-hearted and alone.

“You,” he says, pressing a gentle finger to your heart, “Are one of the brightest minds to ever mark life on Earth. You are one of the ones that helps unlock the key to Time Travel. You’re — Look at me. You’re incredible. And I know that man is proud of you. I know he is.”

You swipe at your face with the back of your hand.

“Time Travel?”

“Sure puts a bit of a wrench in our lives in the TVA,” Mobius jokes, “But… Yeah, doc, Time Travel.”

Your mouth falls open. Then, you laugh. “That’s impossible.”

“It’s not,” he chirps as his hand lands on your knee, “Actually, Loki plays a — hold on.”

Mobius’ eyes snap around the room.

“Loki… Where is Loki?”

You drop your face into your hand. “I wish I could say I tried to stop him but — honestly, it was just nice to be away from him for five minutes.”

Behind the two of you, Hunter B-15’s calm demeanour snaps as she snaps her taser to life. “You let him escape?!”

You exhale and let your eyes fall shut. “I know, I know — but, he’s going for the Tesseract. I knew he wouldn’t get far.”

Mobius is busy feeling his pockets, digging through and trying to find his Time Twister but… you offer up the one tied to your own collar with a regretful look. Mobius looks at it, then you, and turns back to Hunter B-15.

“C’mon, doc.”

“No — no way,” the hunter says, “She is a liability. She’s extremely dangerous—”

You stand, and toss her the Time Twister. “Here. I step outta line, you get to — y’know. Do that weird time thing you do.”

She catches it, looks at you with a bit of shock, and then pockets the device. In one smooth motion, she’s radioed for back-up. Like clockwork, troops in the same outfit as her arrive outside the Time Theater. You slip Mobius one more apologetic look as he barks out orders to track Loki down.

“Prune on sight —”

“No! No pruning, no resetting!” he snaps, leading you back to a set of elevators, “He can still help us!”

As the doors close, you let out a sigh. “Where the Tesseract is, he’ll be. It’s his only plan.”

“How do you know?”

“He did the villain thing. Y’know, where they announce their plan before they do it.”

“...God damn debutant.”

You wave an unimpressed hand through the air as the elevator drops. Mobius snorts. He tucks his free hand into his pocket. The other holds that… scary baton. The elevator doors swing open and you follow Mobius as he begins to sweep the… storage rooms? Or, at least, that’s what you can gather from the rows and rows of shelves with marked TVA boxes. Some are glowing, some are tattered, some items catalogued are too big to fit in the boxes. You spy a set of armor, Hulk-sized and emblazoned with a red mohawk, on a back shelf in a room labeled H 1999-3000.

A man in a suit and tie carries by a box that hisses.

You flinch.

“You really don’t like him, huh?” Mobius asks, preoccupied with his search into each room but still keen on conversation.

You follow him closely. “Can you blame me?”

“Not really,” he shrugs, “But that’s not how it always is with you two. There’s, uh… a connection.”

“My fist to his face, maybe.”

“Good one.”

“Thanks.”

You reach the end of the floor and Mobius ushers you up a stairwell to an additional floor labeled Storage, but this time it’s a narrower hallway with less people milling about. It’s quiet up here.

“Really, though, you’ve gotta see something in him. I mean — you do. Later on, maybe, but it still happens.”

You wince. “I still don’t believe you.”

“Oh, you think I went and wrote a winding tale of romance, huh? All for you and the God of Mischief? Seriously, doc, you see how busy I am trying to make sure this place doesn’t implode?” Mobius chirps with a smile as he flicks on the lights to a room, peaks around some shelves, then ducks back out, “You saw your life. That was all real. Why would I fabricate the rest?”

You frown.

Mobius eyes you over his shoulder. “Did you see how it ends?”

“My life, you mean?”

He nods.

You scowl. “No — I don’t want to know that.”

Before Mobius can reply, the radio on his hip crackles to life. You recognize the voice as the woman from before, the hunter. She sounds angry. Livid. Nearly unrecognizable amidst her tirade.

“He’s in Time Theater 5.”

You and Mobius share a look, and back you go.

She isn’t wrong — Loki is still there by the time you and Agent Mobius burst through the doors. But, this time, the reel that rolls by reads END OF TAPE. You can see that it’s the one Mobius had shown you before — the one where you and him and your lives have played out. It’s been finished, alongside the one with his name on it.

Mobius slows up. You linger behind him.

Against the far wall, Loki has his head in his hands. He doesn’t look up when either of you enter — nor does he reach for the Tesseract at his feet. Instead, he pushes his hands through his hair and exhales.

“Loki?” calls Mobius, “Nowhere left to run…”

“I can’t go back, can I?” he asks suddenly, looking up and clasping his hands together. He leans on his knees, posed on the tile floor, “We can’t. Back to our timeline?”

Mobius’ gaze lingers on Loki, then moves to you. There’s sadness there.

He doesn’t need to speak for you and Loki to know the answer.

You close your eyes and shakily exhale.

Loki presses his palms to his eyes.

There’s quiet between the three of you for a while then. You move through the room, settling in the chair Mobius had claimed in the beginning. You pick up your tape, inspect it, and then remove the one labeled with you and Loki’s names, with the start and end year, from the holoprojector.

He’d watched it all through.

When you look up, he’s staring at you.

His expression is mournful.

“I don’t enjoy hurting people,” he struggles out, head shaking as if to refuse the words coming out of his mouth. He sighs, “I… don’t enjoy it. I do it because I have to, because I’ve had to.”

He holds your gaze.

“Okay,” Mobius says quietly, nearly whispering, “Explain that to me, to us.”

Loki exhales. He gestures, then, with delicate hands to himself. “Because it’s part of the illusion. It’s the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear.”

You place the film reel down carefully.

Oh.

“A desperate play for control… You do know yourself.”

Loki’s fingers rub his lips. You see now the echoes of sadness etched into his face. He sniffs, rubs his cheeks, and then drops his hands.

“A villain…”

He scoffs. He shakes his head with a cynical expression of frustration; all with himself.

Mobius frowns. “That’s not how I see it.”

You watch Loki reach for the cube. It warbles, shimmers and glitters with power — but does nothing. No puffs of smoke, no disappearing acts, no cosmic happenstance. No, Loki holds it up to the light and it simply glows.

Like an overrated paper weight.

“You try t’ use that?” Mobius asks with a smirk, lowering his baton.

“Oh, several times,” Loki nods as he turns it over in his fingers, “Even an Infinity Stone is useless here.”

He spares you a disappointed look, then tosses you the cube. Best to give you a chance to admire the very thing he’d stolen from up close before it’s, no doubt, reseized and tucked away. Maybe that Casey character will decide he’ll use it as a glorified coaster.

You catch it. Immediately you’re surprised at the weight.

You turn it over in your hands.

Loki watches.

“The TVA is formidable.”

“That’s been my experience,” Mobius replies, “But, listen, I can’t… I can’t offer the two of you salvation, but maybe I can offer the two of you something better.”

Your attention turns to Mobius.

Loki stands.

“Two fugitive Variants have been killing our minutemen.”

You push back from the chair, toss the cube in the air, and step forward.

“And you need the God of Mischief and a little scientist to help you stop them?” Loki cracks, tilting his head as he speaks.

Mobius smirks. “That’s right.”

“Why us?” you ask, for what feels like the thousandth time today.

“The Variants we’re hunting are you two.”

Loki’s eyes snap to you, and yours snap to him.

The look you share is one that, suddenly, makes sense.

[ggukkiereads]

Hewwooo!!! Do you have any fic recs where the boy is the piner one? and oblivious!oc or something like that... it's always the other way around 😣😣 thank you so much!

🌷 Hello anon! These are what I remember.. Strangely most of them are part of my #holygrailfics which I marked with a carrot 🥕 But, everything is a must read 🥰

UNREQUITED LOVE AUs - Member!Pining

💔 Most of the stories will eventually achieve redamancy. There are just few fics here where it’s unrequited all throughout

Re: Untitled @to-star-lake - Jungkook  🥕

↳ Arranged Marriage, Childhood Acquaintances, Enemies to Lovers, CEO/Executives, Angst, Smut, Fluff [4/4][

This is really one of my favorite discoveries 🥰 At that time there wasn’t much info or even comments on the fic so if you’re not as daring to try fics out, it’s easy to assume it’ll be just a regular story. But I'm glad my curiousity won because this is such a gem. It was painful and lovely unpacking all the discoveries in their relationship (or lack of) per chapter 🥰. I swear the plot “twists” per episode made the fic extra memorable.

Frost Impressions @fortunexkookie - Jungkook 🥕

↳  Teacher AU, Gamer AU, Simultaneous (One-Sided) Enemies to Lovers,  Best Friends to Lovers, Idiots to Lovers AU, Humor, Tooth-rotting Fluff, Smut, Heavy Pining, Slight Angst [one shot]

ugh this just puts a smile on my face every time I remember this. I was just thinking about this Jungkook the other day. OC is oblivious because, well, they have this E2L thing going on. Plus he didn’t exactly give a great FIRST IMPRESSION. So many AUs thrown in but author was able to squeeze it all and produce this masterpiece. It’s just a feel-good fic 🥰

Love So Shallow @jimlingss - Taehyung 🥕

↳ Best Friend AU, College AU, eventual Roommate AU, eventual Pining [3/3]

also one of the best written OCs in fic land. Please read this gem. I still gush over how their relationship developed and you’ll see how the “pining” develops too. It’s a great Love Yourself theme too!

Paper Cranes @aquaminwrites - Taehyung  🥕

↳ Slice of Life, Childhood Friends, Best Friend AU, College [one shot]

Ugh my heart ached for this Taehyung. I don’t know why I feel bad for him (I mean, it wasn’t as if he was to be pitied) but the way author wrote his story is guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings. 

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The Key to My Drawer @jjungkookislife - Taehyung  🥰

↳ Best Friend AU, Childhood Friends, Epistolary (letter form, some parts), Angst, Smut [12/12]

I was just thinking about this the other day because we’re just waiting for the last chapter/epilogue and then I saw the notif on ao3 that it got updated. What do you do when you get hold of a key to a drawer and discover unsent letters from your best friend? All addressed to you?  It’s such a creative way to tell a story and I enjoyed this very much 🥰

(please access the rest of the chapters through the author’s masterlist)

Please Be Naked @floralseokjin  - Yoongi 🥕

↳ Rebound AU, OC is Namjoon’s Ex, Namjoon is Yoongi’s ex-friend [8/8]

“you were still a little unsure why he and your ex....had bad blood.” of course we all want to tell OC why!  Seriously, this is a classic if you haven’t read this yet.  Yoongi’s just top-tier in this. Unforgettable characterization. Even if you are not into Yoongi fics, this is a must read for bts fics in general. The angst/smut is just 👌; then read the drabbles for the fluffy future

One Thing Right by hobios - Jungkook  🥕

↳   Arranged Marriage AU, Fake Marriage AU, Childhood Friends AU, Enemies to Lovers, Police Office AU, slow burn [8/8]

So I am adding this to every fic rec list because like RE: Untitled, there’s a lot of discoveries in this fic. It’s always a question why Sheriff Jeon will agree to a marriage of convenience (I mean he’s committing fraud in a way). So it’s wonderful to discover a lot things about their story since they had a falling out.

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Roses, Poetry, and Jeon @seraphimguks - Jungkook ⭐☕💌

↳ bookstore au, enemies to lovers-ish?, fluff, slight angst [one shot]

This is just so beautiful and it is like curling up by the window on a rainy day with a warm hot chocolate. I think in my review I said the shift to Jungkook’s POV is like seeing poetry in action. Must read and instantly a favorite of mine

Tinder 2.0 @tayegi - Jungkook 🥕 🔥

↳ sex app/room, Coworker, Enemies to Lovers, Crack, Smut [one shot]

This is kind of different from the rest of this list because it’s more crack and smuttier. The pining is not as intense but it’s there. Please give this a read too. 

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Fluff and Smut @jinggabitch  - Jungkook 

↳ smut, porn star JK, OC is a fluffer, one-sided pining [drabble]

Porn star JK is in love with his fluffer. - I remember reading this months ago and I found it so cute. Though it’s just a drabble, which means the story didn’t continue on, I got invested in this JK and hoped he gets what he wants.

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Bad Influence Collection @noteguk - Jungkook  ⭐🔥

↳ FWB AU, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies with Benefits, College, Bad Boy AU, Smut [4/?]

please click the link to the masterpost so you’ll access the very first story. Maybe it didn’t start out pining at first but the recent chapters we see Jungkook getting so affected over OC (it’s mutual but I feel at this point its more JK trying so hard not to show heart eyes 😍). Ugh, the joy I feel whenever this gets updated. Still ongoing but better start on this since some chapters are over 10k+ wc.

Hot Enough @soft-sarcasm - Yoongi  ⭐🔥

↳ College AU, Fuckboy AU, FWB AU, Yoongi caught feelings (kind of Unrequited AU), Smut, Angst [one shot]

I’ve read years this years ago and when I decided to officially have a blog, it took me months to find this. It’s just memorable because usually it’s the female catching feelings in a friends-with-benefits scenario. But here, OC actually rejected him (that’s the start of the story). Please read and find out what happens next. 

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First Love @jungnoir - Yoongi 

↳ bestfriend au, OC about to get married 

so this is sad at first because it’s only hours away from her wedding but read until the end 😍

Not Yet + Almost  @bratkook - Jungkook

↳ neighbor AU, kinda fake boyfriend (on the spot) to annoy OC’s Ex [2/?]

ahh this is cute. I shouldn’t be smiling at Jungkook’s pain but it was just so cute. It’s more of mutual pining though. The first drabble is more on JK’s while Almost we get to see OC’s thoughts. So, I guess in the third???

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Pining 101 @guklvr - Jungkook 

↳ hospital au, friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, humor, fluff [drabble series] 

a collection of drabbles based on pediatricsurgeon!jk dealing with his crush on generalsurgeon!reader. Read if you’re looking for something light and humorous. 

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Sidekick @bananagukkie - Jungkook 

↳  superhero au, best friend au, fluff [one shot]

You didn’t realize that your best friend was in love with you or the fact that he was Busan’s “newest” hero.

Lifting the Veil @/fortunekookie - Jungkook 😭

↳ real unrequited love/pining, friends to lovers, smut, angst [one shot] 

so yeah I guess read this first because it sure is angsty then read other fluffy fics (like Pining 101 or Frost Impressions)

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Requiem @cinnaminsvga - Jungkook 

↳ pretend confession!au, angst [drabble]

Jeon Jungkook loves you. You love someone else. He lets you say “I love you” to him, if only so that he gets to hear it once in his life. - so yeah, let’s cry about it  😭

Unveil @nijoonie - Jimin 

↳ Arranged Marriage, Childhood Friends to Lovers

angsty tones in the beginning. Jimin is such a dear 🥺

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Best of Me @/floralseokjin - Jimin

↳ Best Friend AU, OC just got heartbroken, angst

ugh just angst all over. The ending is hopeful but still sad?

Piece by Piece @underthejoon - Seokjin x Reader x Hoseok ⭐

↳ bestfriend au, fwb au, love triange, a collection of drabbles where your love life is muddied up by two men – the one you love and the one that loves you. Smut, Angst [drabble series]

if you are not into love triangles, I think this will, well not change your mind because some people strongly dislike love triangle themes, but it’ll make the LT themes bearable. The writing is just beautiful and actually I’ve reblogged this for Hobiuary Day (one day I was on Hobi lockdown just reblogging purely favorite Hoseok fics) but I haven’t written a review or reaction yet. Read and explore their relationship dynamics 😭🥰

🌷  so, I don’ recall a Namjoon fic where he’s the one pining (usually it’s the OC). 

I had a great time recalling scenes from each fic (and what made the pining so angsty) 🥰. So, please enjoy!

.

[a-lil-perspective]

70 Encouragements/Tips For The Writer:

A/N: Rules don’t exist. These are real and personal and stem from a deteriorating, exhausted Writer who is here to tell you (and herself) that you are amazing and keep going. I hope you find some encouragement within.

Your mental health comes first and foremost.

Indulge and embrace your creative writing pieces when they come (and when they don’t). Especially when they don’t.

Suffering from Writer’s Block or fluctuating hyperfixation? Me too. So is your favorite author. Welcome to the Writer’s Block Party (all my uwus if you see the pun).

Did you spend five hours on this one segment, forget the last time you ate, develop chapped lips, dry eyes, and a stiff back (time to get up and move), bang your head on the wall, laugh, cry, fidget, take your ADHD meds, deviate to watch YouTube, have an epiphany, curse in frustration and wonder why the hell you do this to yourself? Congratulations, you’re a Writer.

Embrace all the not-so-glamorous sides of writing, and accept the fact they’re going to happen time over again.

When you say “just one more line” and it’s 2:00 AM, I’ll be here to remind you to “go to sleep” (because I’m also depriving myself lol).

Actually, sleeping helps your mind feel refreshed, and it’s good for your health. If you’re struggling with a particular segment, one of the best things you can do is just put a cap on it for the time being, put in a placeholder, and get some shut eye. I know you don’t want to. But you will feel so much better and have more clarity and energy to continue when you wake. Trust me.

More often than not, those words you “just didn’t write down fast enough and now forgot” end up revealing themselves to you later in a much more profound way. Give the words time to get ready. They’re just spiffing up before coming to visit. :)

Be proud of yourself and your prose. Writing is an amazing part of who you are.

That trope has been written 1000 times before? Make it 1001.

You’ve already written this scenario? Write it again.

You’ve just written a single sentence. Now sit back for moment and think: you just wrote something brand new, never before seen. Nobody out there will ever write that sentence or formulate those thoughts the exact same way. You are a unique, mind-blowing, awe-inspiring human being.

Bask in the excitement that comes with a completed piece. Reflect on what you learned throughout and celebrate the little victories.

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback, but also understand that you might not always get it, and that is OK.

Please re-read your work. Be gentle with yourself. You had to write that very first piece to get to where you are now. Love the process.

Your personal writing success is not based off of kudos or likes or reblogs.

There is no right or wrong way to write.

There is no such thing as “good” writing.

Improvement is becoming of everyone so get comfy, strap in. The journey of a Writer is a lifelong one. Here’s to many more works ahead.

Don’t mourn the words you did or didn’t write. Celebrate the ones you will.

One day, you’ll read a piece that will blow you away—and it will be yours.

There is nothing “shameful” about reblogging your own writing works.

I promise you’ll find your “wow” piece—either in something you’ve already written, or something yet to come.

Baby. Please don’t write out of spite. You’re better than that.

You are just as valid/deserving as the next Writer. And you do belong.

If you feel sad/unworthy when sharing your works or interacting with others’, get to the root of why. Writing should be fun, rewarding, and relaxing. Not shameful, embarrassing, or a chore.

Writing (fanfiction, specifically) is labeled as “transformative works”. Self-explanatory, right? However, if you notice the transformative part begin to have a personal effect on you—a negative one—it’s time to take a step back.

Right now, I can name a single quality you possess: diligence. How do I know? Because you’re a Writer, and the two go hand-in-hand.

Got that single scene in your head but you haven’t completed or even began all the chapters preceding? Bruh. Jot that down right now. You don’t need 20k words beforehand.

Embrace your writing mood swings. The stray, sweet and condensed blurbie. The ideal, bridging drabble. The solid, substantial oneshot. The hefty, elaborate 10k word chapter. Appreciate everything in-between, and that you are capable of all of it.

Nobody remembers that extra word or typo or stray speech mark back all the way back in chapter 3. Tell the little monster in your head to go to hell.

You’re not a weirdo for making facial expressions and mulling through your dialogue aloud. You. Are. A. Writer.

It’s OK if the Readers can’t always see exactly what you envisioned in your head, or the full extent of the picture you painted. We all see colors differently.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with your writing.

In fact, challenge yourself to dabble into a new plot/trope/concept every day, even if only for a few minutes. You may discover you love writing it.

There’s no rush to finish/begin any written work. If you take your time, you will make your mark. You’re not falling behind or running late. Slow down and wait for it. :)

Three cheers for hiatus.

Listen to your body and mind, know your limits and when it’s time to take a break.

Actually take a break. :)

If you feel like you’re falling stagnant in creativity, looking to/revisiting other forms of creative media can help encourage the flow.

Ask for encouragement, and be at peace with asking.

Take shelter in fellow writers. Uplift each other always.

You are/will be someone’s favorite author. :)

You don’t have anything to prove. You have something to share.

Someone is thinking about your work right now.

Someone started a series because they drew inspiration from you.

Personal writing style can reflect a lot on the state of one’s mental health. Try to always be attentive to that of your own.

Self-validation must be cultivated early on or nothing will ever work.

Freestyle every once in a while. Write a snippet, timed, and go—without editing. Write the first thing that comes to mind and go from there. Do it all the way through the set time. When it stops, you’ll find yourself unable to. 3,800 words here we come. :)

Not everything needs an outline. :)

It is completely normal to write your story out of order.

Create guidelines for yourself. If they aren’t working, toss ‘em.

Word vomiting can help you feel better (it’s just how it sounds). By clearing all those jumbled thoughts and scattered concepts, you achieve a clearer objective. Try it sometime.

A rough draft is supposed to be rough.

Sometimes the words come to you quicker than others. Be patient. That is merely the construct of a Writer’s mind. You’re a beautiful enigma.

A sentence written is a story progressing.

Writing is an endurance sport. You must pace yourself and exercise it daily.

You are still a Writer even when the words aren’t on the actual page.

You’re not obligated to a writing/posting schedule.

As you progress in your journey and gain more awareness, don’t sacrifice your style. Those beginning works are what define you. Hold onto them and don’t ever let them go.

You’re the only one cringing—

Remember that sometimes words are elusive and you don’t always have control over them, and that is OK. Sometimes they write themselves. Sometimes your characters come to life and break out into dance across your page. Dance with them. You can wrangle them back when the music stops. :)

There is nothing condemning or embarrassing about asking for a beta. Allow someone to help carry the load.

Allow people to cheer you on—even if they don’t read your work.

It’s OK if your writing style isn’t someone else’s preference.

Be your biggest cheerleader. Sometimes you are all you have.

You don’t need anyone’s approval except your own.

You love that trope/concept/story you just wrote? That’s all that matters. The end.

You will never write good. You will write you. And that is good.

Above all else: remember to write for you.🤍

[kinktae]

beyond the story: bitchin’

Hi friends! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during these tough times! I really wanted to put something out there as a thank you to just how much support Bitchin’ got. You guys really are incredible. So, although this story has come to an end, I wanted to properly close the Bitchin’ chapter by giving you all a behind the scenes look at Bitchin’ and everything that went into writing it. This includes hidden easter eggs, backstories, alternative plot-lines, and a short drabble of the Bitchin’ cast 10 years after the story’s end.

Without further ado, please enjoy and thank you again for all your love. You have all of mine.

CHAPTER ONE – PARTNERS

Ah, yes, the start of this whole wild ride. I’ve always loved the whole nerd/popular person trope in fanfics, so it was only a matter of time before I tried my hand at it too. One thing I was adamant about was not making this a “popular person turns nerd hot/confident/better” fic as its kind of one of my least favorite cliches. With that in mind, and knowing that I was going to allude to TATBILB’s contract, I decided that I wanted Y/N to gain as much from the deal as Jungkook did. No blackmail, no just agreeing for the hell of it – Y/N was going to further herself and her dreams given the opportunity.

The beginning of the chapter is where the two are most separated and dissimilar throughout the whole story. It wasn’t that they were fundamentally different, it was that they approached life differently. Y/N was frustrated at how superficial Jungkook seemed, because she believes there is much more to life than just kicking your feet up and cracking jokes.

On the other hand, Jungkook didn’t understand why Y/N was so tense and on guard. To him, life was meant to enjoy and not take so seriously. Which makes sense, given that he grew up with minimal rules and minimal worries (bare minimum partners wassup !) 

“So, do we have a deal? Partners?” There was mischievous timber to his words, the kind that made you feel as if this would all later come back to bite you in the ass.

Pushing that pestering thought away, you took his hand into yours, holding his eyes as you gave it a firm shake.

“Partners.”

God, this bit. I knew from the minute I wrote it that I was writing the ending of bitchin’ along with it. I knew this was exactly how I was going to end this story, bc the word partners has multiple means right? In chapter 1, this meant business partners, but in the final chapter… it means life partners. Idk, I’m just still really happy with this writing decision :D

CHAPTER TWO – THE CONTRACT

Dearest Yara. We meet her in chapter two don’t we? Yara is completely based off of my irl best friend Yara who is a writer and who helped me A LOT with this story. She was my biggest supporter throughout figuring out this crazy plot. It was initially only about seven parts, but with her help I managed to bump it up to 10! Everybody say thank you Yaraaaa.

You were angry, that much was evident to her. Yara was sat in your shared dorm’s living room, a thick blanket engulfing her small frame. You briefly glanced towards the TV, it was tuned into MTV, the familiar music video of Every Breath You Take by The Police playing, before directing your glare back onto the copper-haired girl.

The song reference is a direct allusion to writer Yara’s fic, which is one of my favorite fics by her. She was actively writing it around the start of our friendship so it only felt right to pay respects to her. The introduction of her character felt necessary imo bc I wanted to make sure Y/N had a life outside Jungkook. Plus, I got to use the scenes between the two girls as a way to reference the music and culture scene. Yara is especially a fan of the powerful women in the music industry at the time, i.e., Madonna, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Laupner, etc.) Yara is a raging feminist and believer in sexual freedom and libery for women, we do in fact have to stan.

“How old do you think your sister is?”

“Hey, don’t sass me. For your information, Lyanna still has all her Care Bear tapes. She threw a hissy fit when my mom tried to give them away last Christmas.” Yara recalled.

Lyanna is one of writer Yara’s past pseudonyms. She always used to joke about how whenever she read it, it was confusing because there was Y/N, Yara and Lyanna, which were technically all her lolol.

FUNNY STORY ABOUT THE CONTRACT I INSERTED INTO THIS PICTURE… Twitter found it and made it into somewhat of a meme because no one knew it came from a fic rip. I was actually rly embarrassed and even wrote some posts about how much twitter scared me on my blog LMAO. but THEN weirdly enough, I actually stumbled upon a small community on twitter who actually found my fic and would TWEET ABOUT IT!!! LIKE REACTIONS TO EACH UPDATE!!! I wish I could go back in time and remember how giddy I was the first time I found a tweet about my fic. The fanfic community on twitter gave me a new love for the site (which I had previously had removed myself from because of its toxicity) and I have met so many wonderful people because of it. People even made themselves a little twitter group chat to talk about my fics, and now we are all friends! I miss posting a chapter of bitchin’ and refreshing my twitter feed as all my mutuals would post memes and live tweet their reactions. God that made me so fucking happy.

CHAPTER THREE – THE ROLLERSKATING DATE

I love the bickering in this chapter, because unlike the bickering in the first chapter, it’s actually less hostile and more playful. Y/N is slowly letting her guard down to the very persistently charming Jungkook.

“Woah. Family of six, huh? So you have siblings then.” He noted.

“Yep. Three.”

“Tell me about them.”

Looking up from where you were slipping on your second skate, you met Jungkook’s eyes, surprised to see genuine interest in them.

I actually originally had Y/N brush him off here. I was going to wait until the drunk party scene for Y/N to open up about her family and relationship with her sisters. But then I kind of thought to myself… Why? Y/N made peace with it and doesn’t hold onto those insecurities anymore. And objectively, Jungkook hasn’t proven himself to be a bad person so… I let Y/N open herself up to him.

“Then there’s the twins, Rosa and Lia.”

“Hold on. Twins? Wait… did they go to our high school?” Jungkook asked, his interest in this conversation doubled.

“Yep. They were two grades above us.” You confirmed.

“Oh shit, yeah, I remember your sisters, they were mad hot.” Jungkook let out a low whistle, before stiffening, flashing you an apologetic look. “Uh, in a totally non-meathead way.”

You offered the scared-looking boy a small smile, shaking your head.

Some of y’all notice but, Rosa and Lia are a blatant homage to my name: Roselia. ACTUALLY some form of my name can be found in every one of the rewind series fics, including upcoming ones. I’ll give a cookie to whoever can find every single mention hehe.

“I told you it was dumb.” You laughed nervously.

It wasn’t that you cared much about what Jungkook thought but you had a feeling a guy like him, who was popular and carefree, wouldn’t be able to sympathize in the way you would like him to.

“No, I’m just… surprised, that’s all.”

Jungkook certainly was surprised. You had built up quite the impression on him from the very moment you two met. It was hard to imagine that the girl who was so unapologetically herself was ever unsure or insecure.

Somehow, the idea tugged at his heart, as if he understood you more if only just a little.

From the get go, Jungkook was extremely drawn to just how confident and secure Y/N was in herself. I knew I wanted Y/N to be unapologetically sure of herself and in her abilities. Something I didn’t want, however, was for frat boy!jungkook’s only personality traits to be liking sex and being a cocky bastard (although I am a big consumer of that trope heh). Jungkook is actually canonly incredibly insecure. He lacks a real sense of self, which is why he is so desperate for Kiri back. His relationship with Kiri at that time was a big part of what he thought was himself. He has somewhat of low self esteem tbh which is why he’ll go back to a woman who treated him unfairly. That’s why he comes off the way he does in the first chapter and why Y/N thinks he has a big ego... he’s overcompensating. He finds it so endlessly fascinating that Y/N, in all her confident glory, was actually once super insecure. He admires her all the more once she opens up about her past.

“Oh, Rosa is an intern for our hometown’s newspaper but between you and me those assholes don’t even let her write. She does coffee and burger runs for men in charge. And Lia sells ice cream at the mall.”

“What about your brother?” Jungkook asked.

“He’s training to be a cop just like my dad.”

“And your mom?”

“She works at a convenience store.”

All their careers resemble people in the latest Stranger Things season (Nancy, Steve, Hopper, and Joyce). Fun Cameo there.

“What’s wrong?” You wondered, following his eyes.

“October 16th, 1985. 6:48PM.”

“Yes. That’s today’s date and time. What about it?” You pressed, growing confused.

“Remember it.” He warned.

“Why?”

“It’s when I fell in love with you.”

This iconic line I actually got from the real Jeon Jungkook himself. While Jungkook wasn’t actually in love with Y/N here, it certainly was a cute way for him to express his admiration for her.

OH HERE’S A FUN FACT: the hickey scene at the end of this chapter where JK and Y/N kiss for the first time was actually supposed to be Yara giving Y/N the hickey like the best friend she is. Ultimately I went with JK giving it for... smut purposes... ≖‿≖ 

CHAPTER FOUR – THE HALLOWEEN PARTY

The decision for Y/N to be Freddie Krueger came from me planning to be him for Halloween. And I was! JK as Glen Lantz just followed naturally. I’ve seen some great edits of him as the character. Truly chef’s kiss.

I really liked that Jungkook came over to the girl’s dorm to get ready. I didn’t want a scene where Y/N was thrown into a situation she was uncomfortable with which is how much Nerd At A Party Scene go so made sure Jungkook stayed by her side throughout the part, going out of his way to introducing her to the people he cared about.

Tae’s character came in when I realized I needed a way to actually put Y/N’s event in motion. He was the missing link and BOY did you guys eat his character right up huh. Love that for me.

Another thing, the confrontation with Kiri was so hard to write guys, I reeaaaally struggle with girl conflict. GIRLS SHOULD SUPPORT GIRLS. However, not everyone gets along in real life so I went with Kiri being more along the lines of petty rather than outwardly a cunt to Y/N. Realistically, Kiri is popular and well liked among the greek life so being unkind to someone she hardly knows wouldn’t make sense. There’s definitely tension between these two but I tried my best to steer away from the typical cat fight/revenge porn/public humiliation trope most movies seem to follow.

CHAPTER FIVE – THE FIRST TIME

Introduction to Erik!!!! It was really important to me that Y/N had a life before Jungkook. That's why I wrote in Y/N having a fiancé. She’s not opposed to love, she just has reshifted her focus. She knows what she wants and is choosing to focus on that, which why when she realizes she’s falling for Kookie she’s so hesitant to admit it because she’s fallen down that road before. Even though Jungkook treats her with respect and acknowledges the parts of her she’s most proud of, she just isn’t willing to possibly give up her passions for love. Which is why she doesn’t immediately confess to him, even once she’s sure she loves him.

“I’m serious, nerd. You’re like… um… the sun!” Jungkook marveled, eyes growing full as the realization dawned on him.

“The sun?” You laughed.

“Yeah, like… you’re this bright, beautiful thing that seems like it’s here in front of me but is really light-years away.”

Jungkook was drunk, and although you were sure he was making more sense in his head, you couldn’t help but feel your face grow hot, unsure of how to react to his drunk analogy.

“You’re the sun, Y/N. You make the world turn for you. Never orbit for anyone else.”

And suddenly, you were kissing him, for no other reason other than you wanted to and that it felt like the right thing to do.

No real commentary here. Just love this bit. It’s probably my favorite interaction between them two ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ) 

“Also… She’s, uh, currently dating Eunwoo.” You told Yara.

Your best friend blinked, silence falling over her.

“Yara?”

“Good for her.” She perked up almost forcibly. “Let her put up with his annoying ass.”

Yara could see the way your expression had turned dubious as if you didn’t believe her nonchalant act.

Yara turned up her nose defensively, “What?”

Ugh yes, some character development from Yara.... the flavor ! Yara (much like Y/N and JK) also struggles with love. She has a real fear of commitment and if far more comfortable with casual sex than relationships. She did develop actual feelings for Eunwoo, she just wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment so she cut him off. Fleed the scene if you will. Typical gemini smh my head.

"I don’t think the contract mentioned orgasms.” Jungkook smirked as you released his thumb.

“I say we let it slide.” You shrugged, leaning into him casually.

“You think?”

“Totally. Think of it as… a bonding activity.” You joked, resting your chin on his shoulder, peering up through your lashes.

“Damn, we’re really committed to this fake dating thing, huh.”

You laughed in the way that you hated, but Jungkook loved; it was loud and abrupt, but it genuine, and it was you.

“What can I say, I’m a method actor.” You sighed dramatically, causing Jungkook to grin before pressing a kiss to your nose, simply because he liked the way it always seemed to make you smile.

GOD THEY’RE SO WHIPPED FOR EACH OTHER ITS DISGUSTING!!!!!! I’m really happy I decided not to make sleeping together a big deal and I got a lot of feedback from you guys agreeing! I had a lot of fun with these two’s sex scenes knowing they could do it whenever they wanted.

CHAPTER SIX – THE STEM EVENT

I started the scene with smut BUT I wanted to point out that much of their time spent together is at Y/N dorm, Jungkook either napping, hanging out or doing work as Y/N would study like she always did. I liked the idea that Jungkook would get bored and would want attention from Y/N because she was so focused. Idk, I just wanted to write a love story about two people spending time together and figuring out how they fit in each other’s lives as opposed to some dramatic I mEeT HiM aNd mY LiFe bEcAmE cRaZy. There’s nothing wrong with that plot line, I just didn’t want that for these two dorks. I wanted Y/N to interact with JK’s scene and crowd but not give up her own which is why most days JK and her just lounged around in her dorm studying.

Also, I don’t know how the teacher/student roleplay made it into the smut, it just did, no further questions (ʃ⌣́_⌣́ƪ).

Then the event scene.

“You’re whipped, dude! Seriously.”

Jungkook felt his face go red, “Shut up, no, I’m not.”

“Hey, I’m not judging. I get it. That’s your girl.” Taehyung shrugged. Jungkook placed a hand on the fold up table in front of him, staring down at the information pamphlet you had worked so hard on.

“She’s just… so fucking driven and passionate about everything she does. Sometimes I look at her, and I’m just like… holy shit, what am I doing with a girl like her? I feel like she’s totally out of my league and being with me is holding her back but— I dunno, man. I just… really like her.” Jungkook revealed, voice growing small.

An unexpected wave of tenderness fell over the two boys, Taehyung throwing an arm over his little brother’s shoulder.

“I’m happy for you, bro.”

Jungkook didn’t know it just yet but dude was talking from the heart and, is in fact, totally whipped :’c

I loved the confrontation scene between the boys and Eunwoo because the boys standing up for Yara really did make everyone feel like a friend group, not just some character who happen to exist at the same time. It wasn’t just Y/N and Yara and one side and the boys on the other. They would all become friends, which is ideal to me. A boyfriend who likes your best friend and considers her a friend so you can all hang out??? Yes please.

Initially, irl Yara and I had noooo clue if Yara would end up with Eunwoo or not. That was actually the original goal actually. But after this chapter four, you guys made it ABUNDANTLY clear that you guys wanted to see Taeyara, despite the two never even meeting! Honestly, it wasn’t until this chapter was written that we decided for sure that Eunwoo was out of the picture for Yara. Part of me really wanted to keep Yara single, but irl Yara insisted on dick and frankly, she’s right. Bitchin’ Yara deserved a shot at love. She definitely has her own story outside of Bitchin’ and will experience a lot of growth in the future.

“God, I know. I do not miss that temper of his.” She chuckled, her words piquing your interest.

“Temper?”

“Oh, yeah. Have you seriously not experienced it yet? He’s got some gnarly anger issues. Not to mention all the lying…” Kiri paused suddenly, straightening up as she flashed you an apologetic look. “Yikes, I’m sorry. I totally should not be telling you this. I’m not trying to be that gross girl that shit talks her ex to his current girlfriend.”

Miss Kiri, Miss Kiri. She really acted up this chapter didn’t she. There was a lot of discussion about whether or not those things she said about Jungkook were true. Which was exactly what I wanted hehe. We come to find out that Kiri had definitely stretched the truth. She really is good at manipulation and understanding how people think and it’s why she is in the role that she is in. Messy queen.

CHAPTER SEVEN – THE ROOFTOP DATE

This entire chapter was inspired by High School Musical with Troy and Gabriella’s rooftop garden scenes. This was my shortest chapter and honestly, probably not my strongest. I definitely went into writing this with zero concept of what I actually wanted to happen. Usually when I write my chapters I have a 4k long outline of it beforehand that I go off of. Not this one though. I really just winged it and I tried my best to write a chapter that really showed off (dialogue wise) just how this couple bounces off each other. I do really like some of the banter they have in this chapter.

You had taken note a little wooden popsicle stick poking up from the soil of the yellow flowers. Acacias, they were marked. Pulling your knees up to your chest, you considered his words.

Yellow acacias stands the value of true friendship and can indicate a secret love! I thought that was very appropriate given these dummies' relationship.

“So, you probably know why I brought you here.”

You nodded.

“You’re proposing, right?”

“Yeah, I– oh, shut up.” He laughed, the serious mood shattering as you joined him.

Even though I knew they were going to have a semi serious talk, what with Y/N asking about what Kiri had told her, these two dufuses realistically are just too comfortable with each other to stay serious for too long.

“Hey, I said that out of frustration, I didn’t really mean it. I’m sure she’ll come crawling back soon.” You attempted to comfort him, hoping to sound sincere.

“Even if that’s true, I’m not entirely sure I want that anymore.”

“What?” You blinked. Jungkook shrugged.

“What about us?” He met your eyes, causing your breath to hitch.

“What about us?”

Jungkook stared at you for a moment, noting the way the timber in your voice had become higher pitched as if panicked.

MORE FUN FACTS LMFAO: I typically do this thing with unplanned chapters where I just go for it and write and usually it works out. But when I wrote this down I remember stopping and being like ??? WHY DID I JUST WRITE THAT ??? I don’t like deleting my writing so I had a serious think to myself about whether this was going to be the moment Jungkook confessed or not.

Canonly, I decided that Jungkook did in fact mean ‘us’ in a romantic sense, but because of the way you perceivably panicked at that possible meaning, he decided against taking the conversation in that direction, instead speaking about ‘us’ in a platonic sense. Poor kookie :(

“Stop. Listen to me, Jungkook, you’re a fucking great guy, okay? You’re charismatic and funny and care about your friends… sure, you almost ruined my event, but it was mostly to defend my best friend when Eunwoo got too pushy, right? You’re a good guy, meathead. I know I joke about your ego, but I really believe you’re capable of more than you think you are. Seriously, Kiri is so lucky to be the object of your affection.”

Jungkook watched the way the sun’s orange light kissed your face, a bittersweet feeling growing in his chest as he contemplated the object of his affection. Just a couple of months ago, he would have had no doubt about who held his heart, but as you held his stare, he found himself unsure and yet, entirely sure all the same.

“Jungkook? You okay?” You frowned, catching in the sadness in his eyes.

“Hm? Yeah, yeah. I just… realized something.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“…It doesn’t matter.” He smiled, the gesture hardly reaching his eyes.

It’s in this moment that Jungkook decides that there is no way you hold the same affection towards him that he does to you. He mistakes your words of comfort as you pushing him away. You are so kind and encouraging and Jungkook loves you so much that hearing you insist about him ending back up with Kiri hurts him so bad.

But you are still unsure about your feelings and genuinely believe that's still what Jungkook wants. You’re just being a supportive friend!! :( It isn’t until the end of this chapter when Y/N has her talk with Yara that she realizes, oh man, she’s in deep.

CHAPTER EIGHT – THE MISTAKE

BLAH. This chapter is so BLAH, you know? Having to write this chapter was SO HARD. I texted irl Yara complaining about how much I hated having to put my characters through this and that I wanted to just end the story on chapter 7 and keep them happy forever. BUT ALAS! I had planned for this to happen from the start.

You tasted like the mint of your favorite brand of toothpaste. He imagined if he had caught you any later then the mint would have been accompanied by the taste of coffee, knowing the way you rarely started a day without a cup.

God, he had missed the taste of you.

What you guys didn’t see is Jungkook spending the night with Kiri, and immediately kicking her out, freaking out as the weight of guilt washed over him. He knew he had done nothing wrong, that you weren’t his real girlfriend, and that getting back together with Kiri was exactly what he had signed up for. It was what he should’ve wanted. But it wasn't… because you were what he wanted. And that was exactly what he was going to tell you as he marched over to your apartment.

But he panicked. His mind already decided that your answer to him would be no– that you didn’t feel the same. So he kissed you. He had you in the only way he was allowed to. He was selfish and impulsive and so incredibly scared that he ended up hurting the person he loved the most.

Initially though, I had Jungkook get back together with Kiri, not that he slept with her right before sleeping with Y/N. But I decided TEEHEE let me just make everything erupt into flames. However, I didn’t realize just how angry with Jungkook you guys would get. I remember thinking DAMMIT WAS THAT TOO SCANDALOUS?? I knew I was going to have to work hard for Jungkook to redeem himself to my readers.

“She wants to get back together.” Jungkook swallowed dryly, eyes wavering between yours as if to gauge your reaction.

“…Oh.”

You shook your head.

“I mean, wow! That’s… That’s great!” You smiled, something tearing apart inside you as the words left your lips.

“Y/N–”

“Seriously! This means it worked, right? This is exactly what you wanted to happen.” You enthused, turning your head so that he couldn’t see the way your eyes had welled up.

Jungkook’s heart was pounding in his ears, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around you.

“Yeah… yeah, no, you’re right. We did it.” He replied monotonously.

GOD THIS PART IS SO UNBELIEVABLY FRUSTRATING! JUST ADMIT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER YOU MORONS! This entire situation is so convoluted because there's so much information missing and not being expressed, I seriously want to ring my own neck rereading this bit.

“Are you mad?” He called out cautiously, a heavy feeling falling onto his chest.

“Why would I be mad?” You quipped back sharply, causing Jungkook to flinch. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“I just thought… I mean we’ve been fooling around a lot lately, so I didn’t know if—”

“If what? I had feelings for you?” You scoffed. “Please, as if I’d ever fall for you.”

And there it was— everything Jungkook already knew but had been so afraid to hear. Of course, you didn’t feel for him what he felt for you. How could he have expected anything different?

IDIOTS!!! THEY'RE BOTH IDIOTS!!! I don't know how y'all put up with this for so long. Forgive me.

CHAPTER NINE – THE BREAK

Okay I actually love this chapter. And for many reasons. Let me break down the three scenes for you guys.

Scene one: Kiri confrontation

Kiri is definitely an opposing antagonist. She is constantly working against Y/N because of their interests directly conflicting. BUT. I would argue that the biggest antagonist to this story is the inner ones – Y/N and Jungkook's lack of ability to admit their feelings constantly holding them both back from their happy ending. That being said, a confrontation scene between Y/N and Kiri was MUCH needed. While I suppose I can understand why Kiri doesn't like Y/N, that doesn't change the fact that she has been disrespectful and catty. So miss Y/N had to put Miss Kiri in her place (•̀ᴗ•́)

Scene two: Yara and Tae at the library

Fanservice. That is all. LMFAOOO y'all reallllyyy wanted it to happen and who am I to deny my people what they want. It was really fun getting to explore my side characters and develop them through interactions outside the two main characters. IRL Yara also mentioned giving bitchin’ Yara and Tae their own chapter as a joke and I was like LOL BET. I fully was going to but then I got the idea for the next scene and was like ahh ok maybe not the whole chapter.

Scene three: Meeting with Erik

So. This was a SUPER last minute decision. Like, it wasn’t until I was writing this chapter that I planned on Erik making an appearance. I saw a tweet with someone saying their bitchin theories and they mentioned Erik appearing out of nowhere and I was like,,, HOLD ON!!!! That could be kind of spicy ≖‿≖ 

I knew for a fact JK was NOT going to be forgiven in this chapter; I needed a way to lay the situation out between the two dorks without trying to seem like I was trying to sway my audience in a way that didn't make sense to the story. Y/N was rightfully angry. But she wasn't only angry about the timing of the sex. She was angry that Jungkook went back to Kiri at all and there was no way she was going to admit that. So who better to lay it all out than calculated, unbiased third party Erik. He deserved some character development after all.

I also liked the idea that Y/N had, in theory, “romantic options.” Losing Jungkook didn’t mean the end of her life. Having my female lead stand on her own was very important to me.

CHAPTER TEN – THE END

RIGHT OF THE BAT I needed Jungkook to suffer. So that whole scene where he tries to interact with his old group only for his presence to make everything awkward MMMM yes, sweet revenge on my part.

You were surprised. His hair was no longer shaggy and long like you remembered it. Instead, it had been freshly cut, looking healthy and neatly styled for the first time since you met Jungkook.

THE WAY SO MANY PEOPLE COMMENTED ON THIS LINE “but Y/N liked it long?!?”  IS SO FUNNNYyyyy. So let me clarify a thing. Jungkook had always wanted to cut his hair right. The only reason he didn’t was because Y/N told him not to. With Y/N no longer in the picture to convince him out of it, he cut his hair. That’s really all there is to it skfjsjf.

You know, I had written this part around the time I had just finished up the third ch believe it or not. And it was COMPLETELY different. I had it planned that Yara and Y/N ignored him throughout class and Yara had gone back after the bell rang to go verbally assault JK. And as the two hashed it out, only then was that when Jungkook would realize that he liked Y/N after Yara literally spelled it out for him.

“You like her, dumbass!” Was what I had written Yara saying. I really had written him in denial for ten chapters, I was a whole sociopath (╥﹏╥). But ultimately, I decided that Jungkook came to that conclusion on his own and the decision to apologize to Y/N would have been made over winter break.

“You said Kiri came over asking for you back, yet you still came over and slept with me the next day. Even though the two of you had sex the night before. Do you understand how that makes me feel?”

“I’m—”

“Like garbage!" You emphasized, the white paint of the door somehow irritating you further. "I felt like I was something you threw away and picked back up whenever you felt like getting your dick wet.”

Your chest was rising and falling rapidly, and you tried your hardest to not let your emotions get the best of you.

“Not to mention to everyone else, it looks like you cheated on me. Which makes me look like a fucking idiot." You scoffed.

Jungkook said nothing in reply, which somehow made it easier to say all you should have said that day in your room.

“It just sucks to realize that someone you once cared about sees you as nothing more than a toy. It fucking sucks.”

Man :( writing this hurt my heart. I really, really, love bitchin!y/n and writing her hurting freaking stinks. But she had to speak her mind. She deserves the chance to get everything off her chest with the way Jungkook hurt her.

Your heart and mind were in constant paradox, torn between wanting him back and wanting him to know just how much he had hurt you. Your mind ultimately won the battle, of course, but as Jungkook stood just a few inches of drywood apart pouring his heart out, it was hard to say which major organ was responsible for your next words.

The creak of the door being pushed open sent Jungkook's eyes wide, revealing your hesitant form. You had your arms crossed over your chest as if to guard the contents inside of it.

You looked like an angel underneath the bathroom's blue fluorescent lights, beautiful and lovely, a stark contrast from your next crushing sentence.

“I slept with Erik.”

Hehe. Ofc my girl Y/N had to have a rebound!!! She knows that life goes on. However, as I wrote in, she definitely regretted it. It was kind of the same situation that Jungkook was in where he pursued something just because it was familiar and a distraction and not because he really wanted it. Both Y/N and Jungkook are flawed characters but that’s okay! If anything, Y/N’s mistake of sleeping with Erik is what allows her to forgive Jungkook. Knowing first hand how complicated their entire relationship really was.

“I don’t need you… but I don’t think I want a life without you.” You finished shyly.

Your eyes were locked with his when suddenly a small noise escaped him, eyes pulling away from yours as his head moved to attempt to hide the way his eyes had grown wet.

I got this line from one of my best friends after her ex broke up with her. It made me physically sad and really sympathize with her so I quickly wrote it down into my notes app to save for later LMAOOOO. Knowing that you are your own person and life will inevitably go on after losing someone, but that your heart still wants and is pleading for the one person you can’t have. SO SAD. I’m happy I got to use this line in one of my fics.

The note Jungkook wrote Y/N,,, imagine him not being able to sleep one night over winter break so he just writes down everything he should have told Y/N while he still had the chance…. I’ll for real cry dude, he’s so cute. Also, the line about him buying you fluffy Halloween socks for Christmas went over people’s heads I think but HECK I THOUGHT THAT WAS SO FUNNY AND SWEET (because Y/N bought Christmas socks when it was Halloween teehee).

"Are you two dorks done crying?" Yara’s voice rang out suddenly, causing both of you to jump apart.

"Yara, you creep! Privacy, dude! Ever try knocking?" You sniffed, wiping at your face hurriedly.

"What? Like you were peeing with Jungkook in the bathroom? Please." She waved you off, walking back into the living room to give you two some privacy. She did say Jungkook had 15 minutes before she’d have to come back in after all. "Anyway, Tae will be over in 10 minutes for the Saved By The Bell marathon that’s on so you guys are more than welcomed to join." She called out from her newly seated position on the couch.

I included this scene with Yara because things were getting too serious for my liking ngl. Plus the idea that the four of them would all come together at the end for a much needed reunion made my happy bitchin heart soar.

Jungkook let out a laugh, his palm finding your cheek, eyes locked on your lips. You were preening for his kiss, mouth parting slightly as you anticipated it.

“Partners?”

The question took you by surprise, eyes widening at your not so pretend lover.

Idiot.

“Partners.” You smiled softly, eyes shiny and brimming with tears as he kissed you for what must have been the millionth time, but still somehow felt like the first.

UGH I LOVE THEM I REALLY DO. I was so happy with how this final scene came out :( They’re partners, they really are I miss these boneheads.

AND NOW, I PRESENT THE CANON FUTURE OF THE BITCHIN UNIVERSE...

10 YEARS LATER

Let’s be honest, Jungkook popped the question the day of graduation, he can’t imagine a life in which you wouldn’t be beside him

You said yes (shocker)

Cue Jungkook being the most wonderful partner and respecting your wish to finish your residency program before having the wedding

You absolutely kick ass at being a neonatal surgeon

Also, Jungkook started a film company! It’s small but he loves what he does and works with colleges and helps out the film majors with resources and equipment <3

SO IT'S THE DAY OF YOUR WEDDING RIGHT

Yara and your sisters are helping you get ready, with your best friend as the ever so reassuring maid of honor

And by that I mean you’re as calm as a cucumber and Yara is one wrong move away from having a stroke

“Y/N… Don’t freak out....The catering company put in two orders of shrimp instead of chicken and steak.”

“Yara, it’s okay.”

“NO ITS NOT???? THIS IS YOUR WEDDING DAY AND YOU’RE GETTING CRUSTACEANS.”

Y/N making Yara take a seat and practice some breathing exercises so she doesn’t upset the baby

Oh yeah, Yara is 10 weeks pregnant

Taehyung is the dad lol

Yara and Taehyung have been together ever since that day at the library hehe <3

They moved in together and adopted a cat and everything (sweet boy Tae wanted a dog but Yara’s afraid of dogs and Tae would do anything for that woman so Yeontan the cat it is)

Yara refuses to put a label on their relationship even after all this time, and Tae doesn’t ask for one. They’re happy and dedicated to each other and don’t feel the need to put pressure on something that’s already so perfect

Yara is actually violently in love with Tae but still scoffs when Y/N tries to bring it up

“Oh my god, you’re so in love with him”

“Huh??? you must be sick or something. Get well soon, damn :/”

Yara likes to come up with different labels for Taehyung every time she has to introduce him. Among her favorites are roommate, rent sharer, baby daddy and penis lender

Speaking of Taehyung, he’d have a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder as he tries to calm down the panicking groom to be

“JK, breathe.”

“What if she doesn’t show up? What if she doesn’t want to marry me? What if I pressured her into this and— and I’ve freaked her out and now she hates me?”

“Dude, you guys have been engaged for eight years. She’s had her opportunity to run. She’ll show up.”

Taehyung scruffing up the younger man’s hair reassuringly, which only flusters him more because DAMMIT he wants to look perfect for you and now his hair is messed up >:(

(You like him no matter what his hair looks like though)

Jungkook literally swallowing down a sob as you walk down the aisle and he lays his eyes on you for the first time

You having a dumb smile on your face the entire walk over because your husband to be is crying and you haven’t even exchanged vows yet

The entire audience going all sobby when you finally do exchange vows because they’re so beautiful and real

The ten years together has not been easy— from financial struggles as you tried to support yourself through med school, to personal conflicts when Jungkook wanted to start a family already

But you guys figured it out

You always do

He’s your person. And you are his.

Y/N’s sisters Rosa and Lia are a WRECK— even your dad is tearing up

Your family loves Jungkook and have been counting down the days until you guys married, let’s be honest

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Jungkook punching the air with a “FINALLY!” before kissing the hell out of you

The cutting of the cake inevitably turning into a food fight

The shrimp entrees turning out to be pretty damn good

Yara catching the bouquet and wagging her brows at Taehyung suggestively

Jungkook pulling you aside to take photos of you outside the venue because you look so so pretty and he loves the way you smile when he’s the one behind the camera

The party is in full session, your siblings tearing up the dance floor like the extroverts they are

You and Jungkook are sat at the head of the room, hands intertwined underneath the table as you watch a tired and painfully sober Yara swing her bare feet onto Taehyung’s lap, requesting a foot rub

Watching your pregnant best friend and her lover together, you turned towards your own, smile impossibly wide

“What?”

“Let’s have a baby.” You’d grin, so stupid happy

Jungkook’s eyes going round and immediately jumping up from his seat because god that’s all he’s ever wanted

Being tugged out the room by a giddy Jungkook, one of your heels flinging off somewhere behind you.

“What’s happening? Where are we going?!”

The two of you find yourself in a storage room somewhere on the hotel floor

“Jeon Jungkook, what the hell—“

His mouth find yourself, kissing you in a way that couldn’t at the altar

You kissed him back without questions, arms wrapping around the man you now called your husband

“I love you.” He’d sigh into your neck, his hot breath causing you to shiver

“I love you too.”

“Let’s make a baby.”

“Yeah let’s— wait, right here? Right now?!”

Jungkook merely nodding as his mouth found the exposed skin of your chest

“Meathead, we can’t just ditch our wedding to have sex!”

“Why not? We did our marital duties. Now it’s our guests' job to get embarrassingly drunk and make a fool of themselves on the dance floor. No one will even miss us.”

“Isn’t baby making what our honeymoon is for?”

“Screw that. I’ve done my waiting. Let’s start our family, nerd.”

Jungkook kissing your protests silent before you inevitably give in and let him take you right there and then, your wedding dress hung around your hips

Husband and wife coming together with shaky breaths and hushed moans as they promise the rest of their lives to each other, making every argument, struggle or moment of uncertainty leading up to now totally worth it

Walk of shame back into the party with nervous hair fixing from you and a proud grin from Jungkook

Yara figuring out exactly why you two had sneaked off to, flashing the newly weds a knowing smirk

The night of your wedding, Jungkook surprises you with a present

You unwrap it in confusion, only to see that it’s a glass frame and inside of it is the wrinkled and worn out lined paper the two of you had scribbled on many many years ago

Jungkook hangs up the contract right above your bed as per your request, smiling as he does and jumping on him the moment he puts down the hammer bc dammit it you’re too heckin excited to make love with your sentimental loser of a husband

And yes, by the next month, you are pregnant and incredibly happy

And of course, your daughter and Yara’s son grow up to be best friends, not a family holiday passing by where they aren’t told the story of the totally bitchin’ way both set of their parents got together

[ziamhaze]

My Future in Fic

Yeah, so, the 100k fic that I’ve been working on for the past six months?  The one that was going to be uploaded to AO3 last week?  Yeah, it’s accidentally getting published...

Where do I start?

I suppose with a massive thank you to anyone who’s clicked on any of my fics over these past two years.  I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again.  I never ever thought about writing as a career.  I’ve never written anything prior to my Harry Potter AU Compartment 451.  I didn’t even take an English class in undergrad or grad school.  I genuinely just had an idea for a fic I wanted to read and since no one had written it, I had to do so myself.  Since then, I’ve written every single day for 2 years.  I left my job in the entertainment industry, got accepted to one of the best creative writing programs in the world on a scholarship, and now one of my stories is being considered at Harper Collins.  Yes, the Harper Collins.  It’s the longest shot in the world, but for legal reasons I was not allowed to upload the fic version on any website prior to submission.  Even if they don’t pick it up, I’ve been advised to continue to shop it around to agents.

What I can do, however, is share the premise.

If you’ve been following my tumblr and watching my tags - I SEE YOU ALL OUT THERE - then you’ll know that this fic was meant to have Zayn with his signature undercut hairstyle and one more little thing...

Someone sent me an ask a while back about what this fic was supposed to be about.  I believe I said something about it being an adaptation fic, but not from a film/tv show/other piece of literature, from a song.  This next fic was meant to be an adaptation of the song Younger by Ruel.  Later on, it also took shape with the help of Remember by Liam and a few others that you can find here.

The miniature summary is as follows:

When his father suddenly passes, twenty-nine-year-old Liam Payne is brought back to the Sydney suburbs where he grew up.  He doesn’t plan on seeing his childhood best friend, Zayn Malik, at the burial service.  They haven’t spoken since going from brothers to strangers one fateful day fifteen years prior.  But Zayn puts an end to this when he approaches Liam after the burial, offering his condolences and asking if Liam can help his archaeological research team with photographing their newest project.  The unexpected closeness forces each man to wade through uneasy emotions.  For Liam, a mixture of grief, lost identity, and confusion over why he’s willing to interact with the one person he swore he’d never forgive.  And for Zayn, a tidal wave of anxiety that comes from finally facing a part of himself he’s always chosen to deny.  When We Were Younger is a story heavily rooted in blurred identities and exploring what loss can look like in two different scenarios: death and friendship.

For obvious reasons, their names will be changed.  Liam, to Hutton.  Zayn, to Cairo (his ethnicity will also be changed to Egyptian).  As you can see, it was meant to be my big ‘enemies to lovers’ fic.  Technically, it’s ‘best friends to enemies to lovers’, but you know.

Right, so what does this mean for me going forward?

I still have so much inspiration when it comes to writing Zayn and Liam as characters.  I don’t plan on putting a complete stop to writing them, but with my career taking this large of a turn, I do have to prioritise my time.  That said, as of now, I can’t afford to write long-form fic any longer.

Soon, I’ll be starting a PhD program where I’ll be writing another full-length novel for mass publication.  For fun, here’s a little insight on the two ideas that I’ll be pitching:

1.  Underground boxer (loosely based off Liam) falls in love with arms gang leader (loosely based off Zayn).  Throughout their love story, the latter has to outrun the psychological trauma his father (the leader of Zayn’s rival gang) still throws his way. 

2.  Cold War AU.  Paris, circa 1950/51.  Ambassador’s son (loosely based off Liam) befriends new student (loosely based off Zayn) at the international school.  Paris is a ticking time bomb; war is about to break out at literally any second.  The two clearly have feelings for each other, but can’t act on them because homosexuality in the 1950s...yikes.  When war does break out, the two are separated, and as Liam’s character goes out to find Zayn’s, he learns a secret of his that changes everything.

Whichever I don’t write for the PhD will be the novel I write following it.

In the meantime, I’m going to continue to write (and edit) like crazy.  Ever since I randomly wrote C451, there hasn't been a day that’s gone by where I haven't written something.  It may have only been a paragraph or two, but never zero.  This is how you get better.  This is the equivalent of going out and shooting free throws for 30 minutes a day.  You have to put in the work in order to get better.  I'm very lucky that I'm incredibly self-disciplined and I've been able to crank out as many stories as I have over the past 2 years.

That said, I’ll be writing shorter little oneshots.  I have several ideas that I’ve been sitting on, but haven’t ever thought to write because I HATE writing short stories.  Little ideas that don't have huge plotline/climax potential, but that I want to just see on paper, I'll probably end up writing.  If I had to guess, I'd say they'll come out to around 10-15k.  Also, sequels?  Prequels?  Haha, you never know...

I’ve also got a series called “Sleep Drabbles” that are, yes, you guessed it, a series of drabbles based around one theme: sleep.  I also have a few scenes that I want to write which are based on ziam’s kids, not actually ziam themselves.  If there’s enough demand for that, I can upload those too, but they’re quite niche, so I don’t think the general fandom would be very interested.

As far as frequency for all of this, I have no idea.  I’ve always done things at my own pace and written stories that I want to write, for myself.  That won’t ever change, so I don’t want to commit to one drabble a week or one short-length fic per month.  It takes me weeks (months for this last fic) to research and interview the necessary people to get character arcs correct/believable.  I love that part of writing, and so if I have a little story that I want to write that may only be 10k but takes me ages to put together how I want, then so be it.  I will always be around to answer asks/messages and please, continue to tag me in your writing tag posts!  But please, no prompts.

So, that’s my future with fic.

Again, I cannot say thank you enough to every single one of you.  Every single thing that people tag me in (@malik-payne , @zqua1d , @zentiment , @liamisthesun , @redyellowberry I’m looking at you), I appreciate and love!  The recommendation lists that people have put me on, THANK YOU!  It’s wild to think that I used to look to rec lists for years and now I’m on them.  @ziamfanfiction THANK YOU for always having my back with exposure!  @paynefulperiods , my beloved beta reader, THANK YOU for always encouraging me and putting up with shit first drafts.  @march-z5 , THANK YOU for always being on call for ideas and listening to me bang my head against the wall at 4 am.

Now, might fuck around and make a fake picspam for the fic that never was...

Also, all of the behind scenes pages for each of my fics are now public, so feel free to check those out here.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making this journey possible. I know people say that a lot when they gain a following of any sort, but I truly truly mean it.  You have to have talent in order to be an author, but you also have to have people who want to read your stuff.  Proof of concept is a real thing.

So thank you a million times over.

Speak soon my friends.

[falsegoodnight]

this is part two of my december fic rec! this list encompasses the fics i’ve read from the 18th to the 28th!! it’s also my birthday today which makes it even more special! i can think of no better way to spend today than spreading positivity! :)

you can find part one of this month here

✰ there’s happiness because of you by @hadestyles | NR | 1k - (so soft, tender, and beautiful!! rori’s writing amazes me always! and this was written for my birthday because they’re an angel <3)

Thursday mornings have always been their favourite.

✰ and it gets colder and colder by @hadestyles | E | 2K - (another rori fic!! once again, beautiful prose! made me feel emotional!)

Harry wants to take care of Louis. Things take a turn.

✰ make my wish come true by @soldouthaz | M | 3k - (drabble from this series) (so cute, lovely, soft, amazing!!! made my heart so happy! this is also dedicated to me which :’) sarah angel chant)

The taste of Christmas cookies fresh out of the oven and peppermint hot chocolate is still heavy on his tongue. Harry’s sweater provides some warmth and it still smells of him from before he left for his internship two weeks ago, but it’s nowhere near the feeling of his arms wrapped around him. Louis shivers despite the blankets.

✰ spirit meets the bones by @hadestyles​ | E | 3k - (i had to edit to add this because rori wrote another beautiful little fic for me :’) beautiful prose, beautiful emotions, so so so beautiful, gosh. pure poetry!)

The action shouldn’t fill his eyes with tears but it does. These small gestures mean the world to him. A steady reminder that Harry does notice all the tiny, seemingly insignificant details that make Louis him.

✰ 29 Blows by @quelquesetoiles | E | 4k - (super hot but also so cute!! love the concept of the birthday tradition in this one!!!)

For over a decade now, Harry has had his little tradition. It wouldn't be a Louis Tomlinson birthday without his best friend finding new, ingenious ways to make his life more difficult.

It's cute, it's funny, it's theirs, until Harry takes it a step too far on Louis' 29th birthday.

✰ calm me down (before i sleep) by @erodiansunflower | E | 7k - (a pwp and super hot, but also super cute??)

Prompt 24: Harry is a sex shop owner that has a crush on Louis, the shy customer who flirts with him while buying cute buttplugs, lace panties, and collars. One day, Louis asked Harry to help him put on a corset (they end up fucking in the dressing room). Things escalate quickly from there, so they start seeing each other seriously while trying other sex stuff.

✰ You’re Never Alone With a Moon This Bright by @helloamhere | T | 8k - (part one of this series) (WOW this was incredible and i am ENTRANCED! this author is an all-time favorite and idk why it took me so long to get to this series but i’m here now!! and loving it!!)

Louis was a monster. But sometimes, even monsters get a Christmas.

✰ Be a Good Girl For Me by @sincetheywere16and18 | E | 9k - (really hot and cute!!!)

Based on this prompt: “AU where Harry is Louis’ older brother’s best friend. He catches Louis dancing around his room in panties and blackmails him, saying that louis has to do anything he says or else he’ll tell Louis’ family that he wears girly underwear. Secretly soft for him, Harry gives him easy tasks and uses the whole thing to spend more time with Louis. Eventually, the orders begin to escalate and Harry teases Lou about his secret, making Louis shy and embarrassed. Louis loves the attention though, and forms a crush on his brother’s best friend. Lots of feminization, secret relationship, and enemies to lovers. Thank you!”

✰ it’s hard to fight naked by @loustarlight | E | 11k - (LOVED this so much!!! a big fan of enemies/flatmates to lovers especially when there’s a walk-in involved!!)

Louis leaves dirty socks on the couch, Zayn does assignments while he's high, and Harry is hopelessly crushing on his roommate.

✰ Sweet Scary Creatures by @specklelouis | M | 13k - (jurassic park au!! so cute and fun!!! loved louis’ character growth in this in particular!)

They stare into each other's eyes for a while until Louis remembers this is too intimate and looks at Harry’s hands on his thigh. It spans a big portion of his thigh and Louis has always been insecure about how thick he is, so he loves that Harry has huge, dustbin hands that hold him and makes him feel smaller, safer.

✰ hereafter (ad infinitum) by @larryent | M | 13k - (this was absolutely beautiful!! the writing was incredible, the contrast between the old timeline and new one impeccable, and the letters!!! love them!! and vampire harry is always a win!)

"A legacy is every life you’ve touched. And you’ve touched mine twice."

On the coast of San Francisco in 2024 is when Harry falls in love all over again.

✰ Believe Me When I Say You Have It All by @helloamhere | T | 20k - (part two of this series) (loved this even more than it’s predecessor. not to be dramatic, but i’d die for the louis and harry in this series. this whole world has my heart)

Harry had never faced anything in this forest that had actually succeeded in scaring him. Louis was no exception.

✰ Yours to Lose by @loulicate-recs | M | 26k - (so cute and soft and sweet!!! louis and harry were both angels and IAN <3 little cutie!!! so proud of you hanis!)

Louis always gets distracted with his mummy duty and he eventually catches Harry's attention.

✰ But It’s Useless by @thinlinez | E | 26k - (this put such a big smile on my face!! so cute and lovely!! louis was a relatable and adorable menace and harry was a smitten idiot but they both got there in the end!!)

Omega Louis would never guess that he would be trying to hack into Alpha Harry's Wifi. That is until everything changes when he tries to get to know his enemy.

✰ Stuck On You by Writewhatiwant | E | 34k - (so so sweet! loved the aspect of stickers in this fic and how louis found joy in them!! really loved how both louis and harry (especially harry) grew throughout this story and how they found peace at the end!)

Louis’ life revolves around his stickers. Harry’s life revolves around his job. The universe has decided their worlds should revolve around each other.

✰ smoke between your teeth by @soldouthaz | E | 37k - (i think everyone knows how much i adore sarah and her fics but this one just might be a new favorite! loved all the psych stuff, the pining, the rom-com worthy confession <3 brilliant!)

Louis tries to stop his addiction to cigarettes and discovers he's been addicted to Harry for much, much longer.

✰ Your Life Worth Walking on a Bright Morning by @helloamhere | T | 38k - (part three of this series) (it just keeps getting better and better <3 so comforting and consistent and beautiful!)

For all its complexity, Louis sometimes reminded himself, life could always be simplified into a series of forks in the road. Even overwhelmingly big things were survivable when you broke them down to their choice. One path or the other, left or right.

✰ On The Edge by @zanniscaramouche | E | 47k - (so crazy good!! zanni is always amazing me!! loved the ice skating, the hockey, the misunderstandings, the multi-faced and beautiful characters and relationships - all so perfect!)

Figure skating is as vital to Louis’ identity as his DNA, so when his skates go missing right before the last Olympics of his career there may be a meltdown only vanilla bath salts can fix. Well, that and the stupidly charming hockey player he met on the plane.

Harry’s too old to be the wonder kid and too young to be taken seriously in the NHL. As an alternate thrown in at the last second, he fights to prove himself on the national team at the largest sporting event known to man. Or he will, once he gets off this flight and can focus on something other than the fussy figure skater and his stunningly blue eyes.

A baggage mix-up skews both of their perfectly laid plans for gold, forcing the two to work together as the clock clicks towards the minute they’re expected to shine on centre ice.

✰ made for lovin’ you by @cuddlerlouis | E | 53k - (loved this so much!! touch depri/accidental bonds are my favorite and this was no exception!!! the characterizations, the tension, the misunderstandings, the tenderness, the fluff!!! so good!)

A quick, horny decision ruins Louis’ summer plans, but may also lead to unexpected discoveries. Featuring the road trip of dreams, misunderstandings, and a bit of fate.

✰ social cues by @outropeace | E | 56k - (so fucking good!! the slow burn in this was impeccable!!! pair it with friends with benefits, mutual pining, angst, misunderstandings... amazing <3)

To Harry, Louis was becoming as tangible and essential as music in his life. He still was a mystery but at the same time, he was one of the most real things Harry had. He just hoped he could live up to the image Louis probably had in his mind of him.

He could play the part, after all, what was published of him wasn’t as detached from reality. He didn’t think of himself as a rockstar cliche, although he couldn't deny he did sleep around, partied a lot, and did some drugs. But then again, wasn’t that what the majority of his friends back in his hometown were doing at college?

Harry wanted to impress Louis, he didn’t want to disappoint or leave his expectations unfulfilled, so he’d give him the full rockstar experience.

It was a very simple plan, what could possibly go wrong?

✰ dripping like spider milk by @raspberryoatss | E | 64k - (pip amazing me with her talent? a common occurrence. this was so wonderfully written and so well done!! loved the characterizations, the dynamic, the angst, the miscommunication, the pining, the HUMOR!!! it was all so amazing!!)

When he sees the alpha, his brown hair curling around the top of his neck and his broad back that’s filled out over the past couple of years, Louis freezes for a moment. The alpha turns around, Louis’ surprised expression mirrored on his own for a fraction of a second before he schools it into a big, yet shy grin and a wave of his huge hand. With his nostrils flared, Louis knows that he can smell him, too.

They never hired alphas, except for—

“Harry.”

✰ a taste of freedom and sweetened passion by @tomlinvelvetfics | M | 74k - (okay technically haven’t finished reading this one yet but i want to get this up early and i already know this is amazing because it’s LATE and she’s incredible!!! and, i mean, anne of green gables?? abo?? best birthday gift ever!! will be spending the day reading this in bliss <3)

“Are you mad?” he explodes, throwing his hands up, groaning. “I was so, so close to reaching my goal, and your stupid, stalking ass had to creep up on me, hm?”

Harry is trying to keep his laughter in, walking closer to him, eyes soft. He doesn’t like the way those eyes make him feel, an odd, dangerous mix of nervous and flustered, so he bends down to pick up the books, raising an eyebrow when Harry growls in protest.

“I wanted to pick them up for you,” the alpha pouts, and Louis glares at him, getting into position and lowering the pile of yellowed pages over the top of his head.

“I’m a functional human being, thank you very much,” he grits out as he begins to walk and mentally count the amount of steps he takes. One, two, three, for heaven’s sake Harry fuck off!, four, five. He doesn’t let himself be distracted as the alpha walks along with him despite the slow pace, green eyes focused on him in a way that would, in any other cases, compelled him to throw a book in the alpha’s face.

He doesn’t know why he doesn’t do it and certainly doesn’t want to think about the reason, whatever it might be.

If you read any of these lovely fics, remember to leave kudos and comment to show your appreciation!

*if i made any errors, please let me know :)

enjoy!

[just-a-poor-boy-queen]

Part 17 of Jimercury Kid series

Freddie had known this wouldn’t be easy.

These were his parents after all. They weren’t bad people; model citizens in fact, far more decent than half the folk on the street who had lived in England their entire lives. But they were products of their time; stubbornly devoted to a religion that demonised their only son’s very existence. They loved him; he knew that – what was the saying? Love the sinner but not the sin?

They loved Khaleel too, despite their reservations about the adoption. Freddie couldn’t help but smile as he watched the little boy chattering away to Jer, his little hands balled in the quilt that his grandmother was in the process of making him. She had been working on it for months; it was a beautiful shade of baby blue, embroidered with flora and tiny little birds. Every time they visited, Khaleel would excitedly watch her sew, asking every five seconds when it would be finished so he could take it home. Bomi, though far more reserved than his wife, would prop the boy on his knee and show him old photographs of his Baba when he was a child, and listen to his grandson natter away about what he had gotten up to at school that day. As far as grandparents went, they were exemplary.

But he knew it wasn’t the same. There would always be that underlying fact that Khaleel was the child of same-sex parents, a union that neither Bomi nor Jer saw as valid. They knew about Freddie and Jim – they had known from the moment they met the Irishman, call it parent’s intuition – but while they liked Jim, they would never truly see him as Freddie’s husband, or their relationship as anything but sinful. Hoping that they would ever understand was wishful thinking on Freddie’s part.

‘Have you thought any more about what we said?’

The frontman resisted the urge to roll his eyes as his father cornered him in the kitchen, having lured him in there with the excuse of putting the kettle on. ‘Not now, Papa.’

‘You’re going to have to come to a decision eventually.’ Bomi insisted. ‘The boy needs a mother.’

‘He doesn’t “need” anything.’ Freddie snapped back; eyes still focused on the stove as he willed the kettle to boil faster. ‘Khaleel is perfectly happy just the way he is. With his fathers.’

‘Stop being so stubborn. You’re putting your own selfish desires before your child. We’re only thinking of what’s best for Khaleel-’

‘No.’ Freddie whipped round, sizing up the old man like an angry dog, though being mindful to keep his voice down. ‘You’re not doing this for Khaleel. You’re doing it for yourself, to make you feel better. You’d rather I marry a woman and spend my entire life living a lie than face up to the fact that your son is a queer-’

Bomi slapped him. It wasn’t hard (at least not as hard as Bill Reid used to swing) but it took Freddie by surprise and jerked his head to the side, a small pink mark appearing on his cheek that he quickly covered with his hand. Tears filled his eyes, but he forced them back.

‘Don’t you dare use such language in this house.’ Bomi growled, voice dangerously low, finger pointed threateningly at his son’s face. ‘Your mother and I have spent years trying to overlook your behaviour, turning a blind eye to all the rumours and gossip. And this is how you repay us. You had everything going for you, a beautiful woman you could have made your wife, and you threw it all away for-’

‘For what?’ Freddie interrupted, taking his hand away from his face so he could ball it into a fist. ‘For a man who I love to every corner of the Earth? Who’s made me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life? Forgive me for refusing to live by your standards, Papa. Forgive me for being myself.’ A single tear fell from his eye, rolling to his jaw. ‘I love Jim. I will always love Jim, Papa. And if you can’t accept that, then you’ll have to get used to not being part of Khaleel’s life.’

He made a move for the kitchen door, but Bomi grabbed his arm.

‘You will not take my grandson away from me.’

Freddie scoffed, though it was far from humorous. He leaned close to his father until their noses were almost touching. ‘Watch me.’

He tore his arm from Bomi’s grip and threw the door open, being mindful to calm himself down and wipe away his tears as he entered the living room to where Khaleel was sitting with Jer.

‘Come on, darling.’ He said, avoiding his mother’s eyes as he leaned down and took the boy’s hand. ‘Terry’s waiting for us outside.’

‘But Dādī hasn’t finished my blanket.’ Khaleel whined, pulling away in an effort to get back to his grandmother.

‘Now, Khaleel.’ Freddie said firmly, giving his son a look that wasn’t to be argued with. ‘Uncle Phoebe will have your lunch ready soon.’

The child pouted but didn’t protest any further.

‘Don’t forget these.’ Jer set down her knitting needles and picked up the little box of cheese biscuits sitting on the coffee table, handing them to Freddie. ‘You’ll be back next weekend?’

Freddie felt his mouth go dry. He could see his father standing in the kitchen doorway in the corner of his eye, but he refused to look at him.

‘Goodbye, Mama.’ He replied, avoiding her question, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. ‘Say goodbye to Dādī and Dādā, Khaleel.’

It was all he could do to keep himself from bawling like a baby as Khaleel scampered over to kiss his grandmother on the cheek and waved his tiny hand at Bomi before allowing his Baba to tug him out the door.

It was only when they had arrived back at Garden Lodge and Khaleel had been herded into the dining room by Phoebe to have his lunch, that Freddie went into the garden to where Jim was pruning the roses, threw his arms around his husband and sobbed into the crook of his neck.

Oof, yeah this is angsty. I just answered an ask about Freddie's parents, and what I wrote in it coincides with your characterisation, even though this is a fictional setting.

I feel like there could've been two scenarios: One where they accepted and loved their grandchild but did not approve of how he was being raised, as you wrote here beautifully. In the second scenario, it's possible that they didn't accept the child (but were warm towards him because it is a child), since it represents what they don't approve. What I mean to say is that throughout Freddie's life he hid his sexuality from his parents even though they were aware of it. He was never blatant about it, never flaunted it in front of them, at least after he got famous. But here, he is openly raising a child with another man. This is a change in situation that may not have been received well by his parents.

But of course, the first one is as likely as the second, because this is fiction, and we can never know how someone would've reacted to something that never happened. And as I said, you've explored this subject beautifully in this fic.

Jer and Bomi were products of their time, and for them a family constituted of a mother, a father and children. Anything in exception to this is still considered wrong (for example, last year the indian government challenged the petition of a few same-sex couples in the supreme court who wanted marriage equality. The reason which they gave was that indian traditional values define a family as a biological mother, biological father and their children. Anything in violation of this structure cannot have a place in this country. This happened in 2020. Imagine it being a lot worse a century ago when Bomi and Jer were growing up in this country).

Gosh, I went off topic here, haha. But this provides a bit of context to their thinking, and the fact that they probably never accepted their son, not in his life and not after his death.

I loved this part, anon. You truly have a gift of conveying every type of emotion—anger, sadness, happiness, love. You're simply amazing💙

(More drabbles by writer anon)

[myevilmouse]

2020 Fic Year In Review

This disaster year was my second of writing fanfic for the Star Wars fandom, focused as always on my handsome Jedi and charismatic Grand Admiral.  Here’s the same thing I did last year:  basically share the idea of the fic I wanted to write and the result of what came out of that idea.

Because I don’t outline or plan, it is often as much a surprise to me as to my readers as to where the story winds up.  But I enjoy the magic that is surrendering to the muse / autonomous typing hands, so I doubt that will change anytime soon.

Context:  2020 began with the fic whining circle’s discussion of the sad dearth of blowjobs for Luke Skywalker in fandom.  We resolved to remedy this with the creation of the Luke Deserves All The Blowjobs Challenge, our 12-month mission to provide our man with 12 blowjobs, detailed lovingly for your (and his) pleasure.  We all agreed to contribute and so my first offering was:

1.    Anomaly

Idea:  In 2019, I participated in the Star Wars Rare Pairs Fic Exchange.  Shanlyrical had requested the pairing of Guri/Luke, which I’d never considered.  I didn’t get assigned that one (I got assigned Thrawn/Original Art Forger), but the idea stayed with me.  The blowjob challenge was the perfect opportunity.

Result:  A one-shot I am quite proud of, written from droid POV attempting to seduce our Jedi (who is quite difficult to seduce damn his perfect ass), full of technical and cyborgian terminology.  Since shanlyrical had put the ship in my brain, it was gifted to her.

2.  Comfortable

Idea:  Write an “old married Skywalkers” smutfic for a Valentine’s Day gift to my Luke/Mara cohorts.

Result:  A rather florid one-shot that is overstuffed with choice adjectives and bursting at the seams with love for my Jedi’s happy ever after.

3.  The Problem With Prophecy

Idea:  Write a Thrawn/Pryce fic for the Thryce Discord’s Valentine’s Day.  The prompts shifted, from “blind date” to “soulmates” or maybe vice versa as a theme.  I had already started it when the prompt changed so made them both work.

Result:  Another “how they got together fic” (of which I seem to write many for Thryce) that was a lot of fun to write, with a little contemplation about free will vs destiny in there.

4.  Proxy

Idea:  The Luke Deserves All The Blowjobs Challenge needed more fic, and no one wrote that Asajj Ventress/Luke pairing I had requested for SW rarepairs 2019… *cracks knuckles*  If you want something done, gotta do it yourself!

Result:  This was an interesting challenge.  Whilst I typically attempt to create scenarios for Luke to bang all the ladies that are SOMEWHAT realistic, I decided the only way to make this happen was to assume whatever plot was required to set this up had already occurred, so it starts *cough* right before the action, so to speak.  I also sort of low-key ship Ventress/Kenobi (what is that called?  Ventrobi?) so operated throughout with the idea that since she couldn’t have Obi-Wan, she was settling for another Jedi as a plaything.  Since I used only pronouns for Ventress in the fic, I suppose the reader could imagine any wicked woman or Nightsister or whomever on the other end of Luke’s cock, but in my brain it’s Asajj and she is a lucky woman (and Luke is a lucky man).  Anyway, it was probably one of my least popular fics this year but I still like it!

5.  Thranto 400 Works Celebration Ficlet (Ch 3:  Everything To Lose)

Idea:  @jessko-fic​  asked me to contribute to this collection to commemorate the Thrawn/Vanto ship hitting 400 works on AO3.  Me:  Slash?!?!

Result:  I don’t write slash in general because I just…don’t really enjoy it, doesn’t float my boat or melt my butter, although so often I wish that weren’t the case.  I have read a lot of Thranto thanks to Jess’s evil influence though, and thought I could tackle this ship.  I wanted to write something exactly 400 words for the 400 works thing, and the result was a little “missing scene” that I hope was true to the spirit of the collection while also slotting into Thrawn and Eli’s storyline.

6.  Creativity

Idea:  For The May The Fourth fic exchange, try to hit my giftee’s likes and stuff as many MacGyver-inspired easter eggs as possible into the story.

Result:  14 “original series” MacGyver-isms crammed into this thing, including winks and nods to names and dates, and  plenty of Luke and Mara banter to accompany the mission. One of my most researched fics this year and one of the most fun to write!  And my giftee loved it, which is the best result possible.

7.  Physical Graffiti

Idea:  Agreed to a one-on-one fic exchange with @jessko-fic​, since we never get matched in “regular” exchanges.  She requested Luke x Sabine, which tied in perfectly to my never-ending goal of Luke x All The Ladies.

Result:  A (hopefully) sexy multi-chapter that required a lot of research on timelines to get them together for this “missing scene” and Mandalorian stuff.  My septuagenarian mom has proclaimed it’s her favorite of any of my stories, so I call it a success.  O_O  Yes, she reads my fic.

8.  Strangers When We Meet

Idea:  Write a reader-insert fic for @enmudecer​.  I love setting challenges for myself, and writing a smutty reader insert was something entirely new to tackle.

Result:  I think reader inserts sometimes get a bad name but they can be a lot of fun.  I avoided the (y/n) convention because I find it pulls me out of the story, tried hard to keep it gender neutral, and hopefully everyone who reads it can feel like they just banged Luke Skywalker 😉 Also I have a long-standing goal of writing songfic, and while I didn’t do it here, at least the title is from a Bowie song that seemed appropriate.  So not just my first reader-insert, my first song-titled-fic!

9.  Infectious

Idea:  The Thryce Discord, and in particular @handsofthrawn​, had been asking/lobbying me for ages about writing a quarantine fic since the world was in lockdown.

Result:  Well, this is what I achieved this year, when I look back at what I accomplished.  My longest fic ever, and a particularly ambitious premise of getting from an awkward, miserable (and hopefully realistic) fuck-or-die scenario to a happy ever after for my evil OTP.  I unashamedly love this story and I’m so happy and grateful to the readers who loved it with me—their comments and kudos gave me life when the stress of reality made me want to curl into a defensive little ball and hide for the rest of the year.

10.  Evilmousetober 2020

Idea:  I couldn’t choose what X-tober prompts to use for my October drabbles this year, so I used whatever felt right that day.

Result:  A compilation of my tumblr drabbles from various October prompts.

11. Dis Manibus

Idea:  I am not going to write this fic.  I am not going to write this fic.  Crack and ridonc and no way is there any conceivable way it would work.  And then I wrote it.  The basic concept as my muse nagged me was to write the “nightmare comfort” trope with Luke and Pryce.  WHY?! I HAVE NO IDEA I DON’T CONTROL THIS BITCH.  Anyway, the idea wouldn’t go away.

Result:  This fic is the perfect exhibit of how I never know what the heck is going to happen when I start writing.  Everything was a surprise to me, including the Thryce element to what was SUPPOSED to be a Luke/Pryce fic.  Also I didn’t get the smut I wanted.  *curses*  But I like it anyway and it worked, timing-wise, for Halloween-y themes.

12.  Alone Time

Idea:  After swearing not to write fic for the rest of the year, @contentment-of-cats​ put out her Merry Chissmas bingo card and my ambitious ass decided to try to knock every single prompt out with a one-shot.

Result:  Thrawn jerking off in the shower and thinking verrrrrry naughty things.  I apologize for nothing.

So in 2019 I wrote 26 fics and this year only got to about 12…but fanfic is for fun, and we all needed fun this year.  I enjoyed writing for you and I hope you enjoyed reading my output.  I look forward to providing more smexy silly and strange fic for you in 2021.  <3

[kordeliiius]

Tonight I finished up this little drabble series I wrote! I didn’t feel like promoting it much until it was finished, but now that it IS finished, here you go!

Summary:

Summarization of Barbata and Aculeatus’ interactions throughout the 50 years on the Moon before the start of the series. Told from the perspective of Barbata’s written musings, with a good deal of focus on Acu’s physical and mental changes.

Warnings/notes:

The whole thing is over 4k words, but the individual chapters are pretty short, around 400-600 words each

There’s vague manga spoilers in here as well as interspersed mentions of sensitive stuff such as body image, illness/injury/death, and suggestive themes. Chapter notes will have specific CWs if necessary.

no beta we die like men

I said last time that I probably wouldn’t be writing that often, but I’ve inevitably become hooked on it, and I’ve already started something else while working on this project lol

[shadedrose01]

My Masterlist!

Hello everyone! Here's a list of every fic I've ever written! Most of these are Parkner (Harley Keener/Peter Parker) but there is a few scattered ones in there that aren't. Either way, I hope you enjoy! :D

Last updated on 03/29/2020

Multi chapter fics

New Beginnings- Harley is a foster kid who feels like he'll never belong. Peter proves him wrong. Unfinished, 18 out of 22 chapters written.

And a new one coming soonish ;)

Febufluff

Link to the entire series Here!

Day 1: Crushes and Cuddles- Avengers movie night with parkner mixed in.

Day 2: Rememberance- Rainy day shenanigans.

Day 3: Date Night Differences- A date night mission for Spider-Man and Iron Lad.

Day 4: Love Story- Nerdy Peter runs into Jock Harley in the hallways.

Day 5: Play It Again- Harley meets Peter at a party, based off of "Play It Again" by Luke Bryan.

Day 6: Lullabies of Love- Parent Parkner with their son, Jax.

Day 7: Jet Lag- Parkner hugging at the airport.

Day 8: Truth or Dare (Yes, I Double Dare You)- Harley finding out about Peter crush through Truth or Dare, with a smidge of Thompsborn mixed in.

Day 9: Sick Boy- Parent Parkner part 2, featuring sick Jax. A sort of sequel to Lullabies of Love.

Day 10: Tony the Teddy- Peter loses a teddy bear that means a lot to him. NOT PARKNER.

Day 11: The Horrible, Terrible, No Good Turned Very Good Day- Peter promposes when Harley is having a bad day, tears of happiness ensue.

Day 12: Hey There Delilah- Peter misses Harley, based off of "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's.

Day 13: La Vie en Rose- The Batchelor, but with parkner, because why not?

Day 14: Ace of Hearts- Asexual Peter worrying about Valentine's Day.

Day 15: Be Mine?- Peter and Harley tell each other how they feel through conversation candy.

Day 16: Teddy Bear Blues- Harley is grieving due to the one year anniversary of his mom's death, Peter helps.

Day 17: I'll Tell You All About It (When I See You Again)- Harley surprises Peter by coming home early, a sequel to Hey There Delilah.

Day 18: Summer Night Bliss- Peter and Harley go on a drive, and Peter tells him how he feels.

Day 19: Sunflower- Harley waits up when Peter is late to come home after his patrol.

Day 20: Burning Hope- Tony goes to take care of a child at the edge of the border. A part of my Devil's Backbone series. NOT PARKNER.

Day 21: My First Kiss- Peter and Harley have their first kiss.

Tumblr Prompts/Asks

Link to the entire series Here!

Date Plus Two- Peter goes on a blind double date with Betty and Ned.

I'll Never Leave You, I Promise- Peter has a nightmare, and Harley soothes him.

Gone, But Not Forgotten- Peter comes back from the snap broken, having lost everything. Harley tries to put him back together. Unfinished, and will most likely never be finished, sorry :/

Everything Feels So Right with You in my Arms- Morning cuddles, a drabble.

If The World Was Ending (You'd Come Over, Right?)- Peter runs away from his problems, and ends up getting kidnapped.

Honey Lavender- Harley doesnt tell anybody about his relationship with Peter. Peter finds out the hard way.

Irondad Cliche Bingo

Baby Fever- Tony rocks some babies to soothe his anxiety, and meets a set of twins. NOT PARKNER! Peter and Harley are twins, please don't ship them together in this context, thank you :)

Miscellaneous

Confessional Illness- A Parkner sickfic.

Seventeen- Harley worries about Peter after Tony's death, a drabble.

Bad Little Boy- Peter and Harley sneak away from a party together, a drabble based around the cover of "Bad Little Boy" from Adventure Time.

Complicated- Harley acts different around his friends and becomes a bully, Peter doesnt stand for it anymore. A two parter.

Piece By Piece- The affects of his dad's abandonment throughout Harley's life, aka 25k words of Harley's daddy issues with Irondad and Parkner mixed in.

Take Me To Church- Prince Peter Stark meets up with a mysterious stranger at the border. Also a part of my Devil's Backbone series. Mind the Tags!!

I'll Love You (Till the Day that I Die)- Harley gets bit by a zombie, and lives out his last day with his love, aka a zombie apocalypse AU with Parkner. Mind the Tags!!

Shaderose's Unfinished Work/Ideas- Exactly what it says on the tin, all of my unfinished works and ideas in one place!

Every Rose Has It's Thorn- a Flower Shop Thompsborn (Flash Thompson/Harry Osborn) fanfic I wrote for @spidey-lad birthday!

This will continue to be updated as I continue to write. Thank you to everyone who has already read these fics, and to those who will read them in the future. I love you all! ☺❤💞

[disdaidal]

For the Shipper Questions: 2, 4, 20 and 25

2. Talk about three of the most important ships throughout your life.

1) Uruha/Aoi (the GazettE) - Somewhere between 2017-2010, I used to read and write jrock rps on LJ - and I actually did that for quite a few jrock bands then. Aoiha however became my biggest OTP and an obsession, so I wrote it for quite a bit (well, I shipped Aoi with others too, but yeah.) I also made some really good online friends around that time. In fact I met my now ex-gf while we were both writing Aoiha fiction and we started roleplaying them together as well. Then last year I actually traveled to another country to finally meet another friend of mine whom I also became friends with during this jrock era.

So an important ship? Hell yes. I’d also like to mention Die/Shinya (Dir en grey) as well because I think that was literally the first non-oc ship that I ever wrote for.

2) KieferLou - Ah yes, these two gentlemen. After seeing them together in “Young Guns” & “Young Guns II”, as well as “Renegades” (after learning they’d acted together there too), I really couldn’t help myself. I remember how obsessed with them I was and how I was so desperate to find so many movies with them as I possibly could. And ended up watching some pretty horrid shit, too (yes, Lou, I’m looking at you). I also remember finding an old Yahoo! group for their ship and a fanzine, and I felt blessed when the admin of that group still responded to me! Sadly though, I could never get my hands on this particular zine but I was still thankful that I even got a response to begin with.

I did write a couple of pieces of fanfiction for them back in the day as well. One was a series of drabbles which I actually posted to my LJ and another was some smutty piece that I never got to finish (who knows, maybe some day I will :)).

I also have a tag in my blog called the “gayest action movie ever”, which is specifically reserved for Renegades. >XD

3) Harringrove - While I have only been into this ship/fandom for a few months now, it has already made such a huge impact on me. I’ve been more active in this fandom than I’ve been on in any fandom for years now, have already talked to quite a few people here on Tumblr and on a Discord group as well. I even started writing a couple of fics for this ship (I still have that one pending prompt too, I intend to finish it very much, thank you). And I’ve been actively rp:ing this ship since October and we’re still very much excited for it.

This ship/fandom has really helped me cope through this tough autumn and winter, especially after my nearly whole last year was filled with depression and and fatigue. And no, corona wasn’t helping with that at all. So I’m really glad to be part of this fandom now. :=))

4. What’s your current NOTP? I’m not sure if I currently have any NOTPs really, I usually try to avoid unpleasant ships with my best ability.

But if I had to choose some -  and absolutely no ship bashing here, you do you <3 -, I’m not a huge fan of Billy/Nancy. I just don’t see any real chemistry between Billy and Nance, I’m sorry.

And in The 100... okay, so the main reason why I even started watching the show is that there was so much hype around Clexa (Clarke/Lexa) at the time. And well umm... I may be the villain for saying this but I actually didn’t like their relationship. I understand why people ship them (it’s a lesbian canon after all) but there was just too much... nope for me in their relationship.

I also don’t care much for Becho (Bellamy/Echo) or Memori (Murphy/Emori) either. I don’t hate them but I don’t care about them either.

20. Talk about a ship you feel alone in shipping. As you know, my dear friend, I feel so lonely in shipping Morgan/Erkki. Who doesn’t love a good Norwegian crime story, in which a bank robber kidnaps a schizophrenic patient and then takes them into the cabin in the woods so that the two of them could spend some romantic time together? I mean, what’s not to love there?

There were also a couple of ships back in my jrock era that I felt very much alone in shipping. I wrote and published a couple of fanfictions for them too, but yeah.

25. Have you ever shipped a pairing before you even started watching the show/movie simply because of gifs and graphics or similar? Like I said I pretty much started to watch The 100 for Clexa, though I ended up not shipping them after all. I’ve also seen a lot of gifs of the movie The Old Guard and so far I’ve liked what I’ve seen (gotta watch that movie sometime). And I do have a memory of shipping Carlos/Jill even before I even watched any lets plays for Resident Evil 3 Remake. So naturally, I bought the game even though it was expensive and have already played it through 3 times.

But yeah, umm... Usually I only get invested in ships after watching something for some time. I’m not that easily influenced into things in general cause it takes me time to warm up to them (and this applies to most things in my life, so xD).

40 questions - Meme for Shippers

[my-nameless-bliss]

Creator Tag Meme - 2020

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Thanks so much to @yourbuttervoicedbeau and @redwineandqueer for tagging me! 

I know this is a cop-out, but I’m late to the game, so everyone I know has been tagged like, 5 or 6 times already? So If you’re reading this and you want to do this, I am officially tagging you! If you’ve already done this 3 times and want to go another round, I am tagging you as well! In 2020 we love and promote our work! 💜💜💜

I wrote more in 2020 than I’ve written in a very, very long time, so this was a surprisingly difficult choice. I can’t remember the last time I even put out more than 5 fics in one year! But here are my top 5 of 2020:

5. Such Great Heights

Obviously this year was a nightmare, but I had a particularly difficult time over the summer, and there were a few months where I didn’t write a single word. Finishing and posting this fic finally pulled me out of that really rough time, so it will always have a special place in my heart as the symbol of getting through it. Shoutout to @increasinglyembarrassed for convincing me it was worth finishing.

4. Looking for Light on the Floor

Alexis is so much fun to write! She’s perfect! She’s a miracle! I’m particularly happy that this fic helped people realize the very unusual connection canon gave us between Patrick and Alexis (those are my favorite comments!). This fic encouraged me to write some Alexis-centric content, coming in 2021!

3. durch ein winziges wort

I love all of my Stevie & Patrick fics, but this one in particular really makes me proud. I came up with the idea, planned it, wrote it, and posted it all within about 2 weeks, which is unheard of for me. This made me feel like I’m actually capable of making my ideas happen.

2. like you know what it means

As someone who never says something once when I could say it 100 times with slightly different wording, writing drabbles for the first time was both challenging, and incredibly beneficial to my writing, overall. I love how these turned out, I’m shocked that other people stuck with them for an entire month, and I’m a better writer for having done this.

1. Every Breath That Comes Before

It’s not cheating to put an entire series, because this series started as a (messy, ill-conceived, overly-long) oneshot. I started this one in January, and went through so many phases of hating and abandoning it throughout the year. I always thought, ‘wouldn’t it be Poetic if I could make this good and post it before the end of the year’? And I’m absolutely stunned that I managed to do just that. This series was truly worth the effort, and it means the world to me.

💜💜💜

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Fav fics

So as I’m approaching being two decades old soon (😱😱), I decided to look back at all the fics I have written in the past year or so. Yes, it’s a bit of a shameless self promotion but who cares 🤗

Utmost favorites: Love Potion Extravaganza https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/181955720067/love-potion-extravaganza-ch-1

Winner’s Curse https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/182344754787/winners-curse-prologue What a surprise, my two long fics are at the top of the list as favorites. Love Potion Extravaganza especially as it’s complete and it features some of my favorite things, ships, musicals, and the utter insanity that comes with love potion gone wrong. And although I have not finished Winner’s Curse, it’s certainly one I enjoy doing by taking any and all Disney characters and incorporating them into my huge cast and of course, trying to dive into the darker themes implied in the Descendants franchise. Funniest: Kiss meme Estenaomi almost kiss https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/184257194637/you-basically-asked-for-it-and-i-couldnt-resist#notes

Campechana Conditioning https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/178679085792/campechana-conditioning

Alonso’s Legen-Wait for it-Dary Dating Rules https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/186657814897/alonsos-legen-wait-for-it-dary-dating-rules Love Potion Extravaganza I already wrote why Love Potion is such a joy above. Love comedy of Errors and all that. Kiss me Estenaomi was fun because well young Esteban and Naomi bantering is always fun to write specially as it leads to ridiculous nicknames and a passionate kiss. Campechana was taken mainly from a Big Bang Theory episode because it’s just too perfect to not imagine Esteban and Doña trying to condition each other. Alonso’s Legen etc etc. was taken from How I met your mother if one cannot tell from the title and just as Barney Stinson, Alonso doling out his awful advice to an land-clueless Marzel was too good to pass up.

Angst/Hurt/Comfort: Deserve https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/184295644377/deserve

Disconnect & Still Here https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/611748633146163200/disconnect & https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/190788257312/still-here

Tete a Tete in a Jail Cell https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/189553140372/tête-à-tête-in-a-jail-cell

Song of the Sirenas drabble https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/183673052607/song-of-the-sirenas-drabble

Starved https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/175733451452/starved?is_related_post=1

Broken Pieces https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/181464010247/broken-pieces

No room for weakness https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/174697101917/no-room-for-weakness Deserve is top because I really gave Esteban the angst in that one. I really enjoyed putting Esteban in one of his first low points throughout his life and with no comfort in sight. Disconnect & Still Here are kind of two sides of the same coin in the breakdown of the Delgado marriage with Ash’s being about of all the trials of motherhood and her jealousy of Victor and Carla’s bond while Victor’s is his realization that his wife is dead, and he is a single dad and dealing with that fallout. Tete a Tete was an emotional Carla piece since we haveN’t heard one word from her since The Magic Within special and I wanted to explore the isolation of the jail cell, the heartbreak over her father and her utter wretchedness with some hope coming in the form of the Captain of the Guard. Song of the Sirenas drabble was just a small piece on what Mateo’s reaction might have been like at the thought of Elena dead after the battle with Shuriki. Starved was my first piece with darker themes since it alludes to her life in poverty so I’m proud of that one. Broken Pieces is another emotional hurt comfort from Elena’s POV in the aftermath of Rise of the Sorceress and dealing with the heartbreak of her Mamí’s crown being broken, symbolizing all the danger she is in now that Shuriki’s back. Finally No room for weakness is another Esteban angst because Esteban always brings on the angst and emotional repression but luckily Elena’s there to pick him up.  

Heartwarming and/or Romance: Mistletoe https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/189843988472/mistletoe

Saying Goodbye https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/189558947892/saying-goodbye?is_related_post=1

Reunion https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/189252050212/reunion

Intrinsic https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/187971072332/intrinsic

Safe in his eyes https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/186678480327/safe-in-his-eyes

Kiss meme Gababel kiss on the fingertips https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/184397938137/im-kinda-late-on-sending-this-but-if-youre-ever#notes

Kiss meme Estoma kiss over the wrist https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/184233727497/i-looooove-your-drabbles-rachel-okay-so-how

Estoma drabble https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/190476170997/little-estoma-idea

Mood Swings https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/187648741932/mood-swings?is_related_post=1

Three’s a crowd https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/179313607297/ch-1-threes-a-crowd

This is my son https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/182500372627/this-is-my-son EoA Appreciation Week: Gabe Melee https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/186979963112/eoa-appreciation-week-day-2-melee

Coffee Run  https://cartoonfangirl1218.tumblr.com/post/174694324052/coffee-run

Mistletoe is pure unadulterated Eleteo Christmas fluff and one of my best of the Eleteo confesses their feelings stories, I think. Honestly it was just overall a joy to write so I love looking back on it. Saying Goodbye, I was just so proud of this one because it was the first Estenaomi story that popped into my head without the help of prompt. I have some difficulties thinking up scenarios for them for some reason but this one flowed so easily, imagining how young Esteban would be after Naomi’s departure in The Last Laugh. Reunion was just a little fic based on what of the sweetest slow burn romance songs, “This is not my idea” from the Swan Princess. Intrinsic is another Eleteo one and its a fav because it just... I wanted to explore Mateo’s feelings after Elena almost died in Naomi knows best and just give name to the bond that they share. Safe in his eyes explores the same idea with Elena working through her new nightmares of being sacrificed and Mateo, the ever faithful is there to hold her close. Gababel is so fun and sweet to write and it was scarily easy to write Isabel being flustered (way too much experience in the easily flustered department) and of course, the first blush of crush love and having a mature Isabel interact with Gabe. Estoma kiss meme was a departure from the usual frenemy bantering to what I imagine was their initial partnership where they were reserved and feeling each other before unleashing their true personalities. The Estoma drabble started as a drabble but turned into a full length fic-let of what I imagined as a clandestine affair to hate to comfort to frenemies to potential friends which never comes to fruition because Esteban ran off with Ash. Mood Swings was initially inspired by a Kim Possible episode of the same name but evolved into one of my only heartwarming Delgados fic centering around Carla’s birth.Three’s a Crowd was one of my few attempts at Naomi POV which I think I did serviceable job and it was fun to go with a classic love triangle hijinks with suspicious Naomi, scheming Carla and clueless, arrogant Alonso. This is my son is one of the only YJ fics I’ve written down and so I love it because I wanted to include Rocket more into the team and Team dynamics and all that. I don’t write many Gabe POV fics so this one, I’m proud of, especially for giving Gabe a chance to shine in beating up a malvago and never giving up even when stabbed. Finally Coffee Run, a Goldenvibe fic because I wanted them to have a little more closure before the Legends of Tomorrow series started up.

[orangeflavoryawp]

Author Interview

Tagged by @riptidemonzarc, and dude, thank you for thinking of me for this.  It really made me think about my 12+ years of work, lol.

Name: orangeflavor

Fandoms: Hoooo boy here we go.  Just counting ones I’ve written for, instead of ones I also read, my biggest contributions have been to Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Naruto, but also X-Men, Star Trek, Lodoss War, Sailor Moon and Harry Potter years ago.

Where You Post: Ao3, FFnet, and here

Most Popular One-Shot: By kudos, it’s ‘The Warmth of Wolves’ (Jonsa, Game of Thrones) but by hits and bookmarks, it’s ‘Teeth’ (Jonsa, Game of Thrones)

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Oh, across the board it’s ‘Wool and Tallow’ (Jonsa, Game of Thrones)

Favorite Story You Wrote: Oof, okay, uh, this is gonna be hard, so I’m going to give you favorites for different categories - 

My favorite one-shot is probably ‘Reckoned from One Midnight to the Next’ (Kaidan-centric/Shenko, Mass Effect), which is weird, because Kaidan isn’t even in my top five characters to write in ME, but it just worked so well in this story to get into his perspective.  ‘Reckoned’ is a poetic-prose study of grief following Shepard’s death over Alchera.  I fucking loved exploring that style, and I got to really delve into the daily difficulties of learning to live after loss.  It’s just... god if you read anything of mine, please, read that.

Favorite multi-chapter (though I have very few anyway, hahaah) would be between ‘Rocks and Shoals’ (Kolyat/Oriana, Mass Effect) and ‘Moiety’ (Gen/multi-ship, Mass Effect).  Rocks and Shoals is just so emotionally exhausting to write, it really digs deep, and it’s the slowest of the slow burns I’ve ever attempted to write.  The poor thing has been sitting untouched for too long, but it might be the dearest fic I’ve written.  It’s taken so much out of me, and it’s challenged me so much, and it’s got probably my favorite ship in the verse (and the closest thing to OCs I’ve written in fanfic).  Kolyat and Oriana are my precious little shits, and it’s been an honor to share their story.

Moiety is just super fucking fun to write, lol.  It’s a 100-word drabble series, which is great for training yourself to write economically - to say everything you want to say, in the most powerful way you can say it, in as few words as you can say it with.  It’s got some gut-punches in there alright, and it’s been a great exercise to keep my descriptions tight and my themes focused.  It’s also got that poetic feel to it for a lot of chapters, and I write original poetry, so that probably has something to do with it being a fave.

On the whole though, my favorite collection of stories for any one single fandom would have to be my Jonsa fics for Game of Thrones.  Maybe that’s because they’re my most recent and so my style is as evolved as it can be for the moment, and I’ve honed my skills well enough throughout the years to be able to say that about these stories.  But also.... I’ve never written for any one ship quite this much before.  And I mean never.  I’ve been so inspired recently, and I’ve become quite proud of my work actually.  I enjoy these fics.  I get so much out of writing for Jonsa, and sharing in this fandom.  This is the best of me yet. 

Story You Were Nervous to Post: Oh def my first explicit smut piece ‘Teeth’.  But it had an amazing reception, and I’ve since had the courage to post more smut, so this ended up being a great experience, honestly!

How You Choose Your Titles: I don’t usually choose a title until I’ve written most, if not all, of the story, and that’s largely because I don’t always know the exact theme I’m exploring until I’ve gotten through enough of it.  Then I choose a specific word or image that works as a symbol in the piece, something that can represent the theme on a whole, in a pinprick focus kind of way.  I don’t like general or abstract titles usually.  I need something concrete, often tangible.  I need something that you feel like you could turn over in your hand and go ‘hmm’ about.  If that makes sense???

Do You Outline: AHAHHAHAHAHBDJBFJSLAknvdkngnn

Fuck no, I’m a disaster writer.  We write by the seat of our pants and die like men.

Complete: 82 stories, almost entirely one-shots

In Progress: 7, though 2 of those are 100-word drabble series and 2 more are longer drabble series, and they’ll probably always be WIP as I’ll add to them when the inspiration strikes.

2 more are on indefinite hiatus until I find the drive to finish them (possibly never).

And the last one is ‘Rocks and Shoals’ which will always be slow going but best believe that baby’s crossing the finish line at some point, even if it takes years.

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: A Season 7/8 AU and fix-it multi-chapter for Jonsa, Game of Thrones - quite possibly my greatest challenge yet, my albatross and my tour de force all at once.  Halfway through and fucking loving it.

Also, I haven’t started it yet, but I’ve had an idea for Hunger Games kicking around my head for the better part of three years and by damn am I going to write it one day.  Perhaps I’m just building toward it.

Do You Accept Prompts: Yes, but no guarantees I can fulfill them.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: Previously mentioned AU Jonsa fic.  Let me tell you.  LET ME TELL YOU.  I can’t even articulate the depth of my excitement for this fic.  I’ll be blasting it for days once I finish it.  You won’t be able to escape.  I will smother you all with this fic, I’m telling you right now.  Be prepared.

Tagging @ladyalice101, @tacitwhisky, @sailorshadzter, @amymel86, @theoriginalsuki, @missfaber, @szajnie, @kadaransmuggler, @goddesstiera, @joufancyhuh and any others who want to do this!