#the premise of this fic is so ridiculous btw

[vanmarkus]

Wip Wednesday 🎄

I shared a small tidbit from this yesterday, but here's a little longer one this time 💕

Eddie was holding a bag of M&Ms in one hand while twisting garlands around the railings by the stairs with the other. They were putting up the Christmas decorations around the station during a lull and while Eddie was all for the Christmas spirit, the garlands didn't seem too keen on cooperating.

“Pass me one?” Buck walked up to him, both his arms tangled up in a big knot of Christmas lights and on the top of his head, pushing into his perfectly coiffed hair sat a frankly ridiculous hairband with a set of floppy white ears, decorated by big black blotches to resemble a dalmatian.

“What are you wearing?” Eddie frowned at the dog ear hanging down just beside his birthmark.

Buck looked up like he could see the top of his own head if he just tried hard enough. “Must’ve been left here from Halloween. Cute, right?”

"Sure."

Well, it was cute.

That still didn't explain why he felt the need to put it on, but Eddie had more important things to worry about, namely the damned garland that kept on slipping off of the railing and bunching up on the bottom.

“So, are you gonna give me one?” Buck tried again, eyeing the small bag of candy in Eddie’s hand.

“Ask nicely.” Eddie quipped, mainly just to be a little shit but as always, Buck was game.

He ducked his chin, jostling the dog ears on the top of his head and batted his eyelashes a little cartoonishly, then after an elongated whine of pretty please, he stuck his tongue out expectantly.

Eddie rolled his eyes and plopped a big green one onto Buck’s tongue. “Here.”

tags under the cut 💛

I was tagged by the lovely @jamespearce9-1-1 @daffi-990 and @malewifediaz mwuah mwuah 💛

✨and totally no pressure tagging: @spagheddiediaz @jeeyuns @ladydorian05 @disasterbuckdiaz @steadfastsaturnsrings @eowon @heartshapedvows @nmcggg @rainbow-nerdss @watchyourbuck @eddiebabygirldiaz @theotherbuckley @thewolvesof1998

[clownprince]

Mfw I have my heart set on addressing Joker's aspd in this fic but the entire field of psychology is so horrifically ableist against cluster b personality disorders there are next to no resources on what aspd recovery looks like because the general consensus is that it isn't possible

[popponn]

a room of two, in three parts. [itoshi sae x f!reader]

notes: a bday bby chose roommate!sae as bday fic so i gave her one. i too wrote this one sitting at 2 am. it was fun. little warning: a little suggestive at the end, but it's more of a wiener joke from a grade schooler more than anything as this is a romcom. there are obliviousness, pinning, allusion to your life being not the healthiest, and such as too, btw.

i.

Becoming a roommate with Itoshi Sae was honestly a freak accident more than anything.

It was like as if some gods decided they were bored and decided, “Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if we stick some failgirl with the shining beacon, the prodigal mid-fielder of Japan?” And then they pulled up everything they got so it became an unavoidable hot mess. Unavoidable enough that Sae’s money couldn’t save him before pressing the two of you with various ridiculous out-of-this-world circumstances as the final nail in the coffin.

Looking back, it was honestly a premise for an absurd comedy that should have ended up with Sae murdering you in cold blood, in the most hilarious way possible. And then, he would cover up everything with his money.

Yet, lo and behold, Itoshi Sae—stable career, not a really good reputation due to his wording to the press sometimes, your roommate for three years and counting—was laying on your lap whilst scrolling through his phone.

And like a confused poor soul you were, you merely let him as how it had always been. Your focus was away from the TV you were supposed to be watching, but like some trained pet, your hand never failed to comb Sae’s hair gently every few minutes or so. It honestly never really hit you how domestic you were with him sometimes.

“Sae,” you said as you still could feel your brain slowly blanking out.

“What?” Sae asked without putting down his phone.

(He spared you a glance, but upon finding a dumb, flat look on your face, Sae decided to just wait for what sort of shit you would soon do. Judging by the unfocused gaze you still let linger on the screen, Sae knew this had something to do with him.)

“Uh,” you answered dumbly.

“What are we?” you wanted to ask. “Are you like this with everyone?” you wanted to ask too, but it was a very dumb question that would earn you a dirty look. “Are you secretly a cat boy?” you wanted to ask, though probably risking getting a silent treatment for a week was dumb.

“What’s for dinner?” was definitely not what you want to ask.

So, in the end, you said, “Isn’t it about time for dinner?”

You looked down and found Sae taking a moment to stop scrolling without putting down his phone. Clearly just finishing checking the clock displayed on the upper corner of his screen, Sae answered, “Five minutes.”

Most the times, you would reply with a whine saying you were hungry. Then, with a mean glare that never truly meant anything, Sae would follow.

This time, you merely hummed, “Sure.”

(Sae sent you a sharp look. You did not notice as you returned your attention back to your TV.)

ii.

Despite the cocky rich guy aura Itoshi Sae exudes, honestly he wasn’t a terrible roommate. Even you dare say that during the first weeks of sharing a roof with him, he would rather pretend you did not exist whenever he was home. He was not a messy guy and just a bit occasionally unreasonable.

Who were you kidding—he was unreasonable most of the time. Pretty hard headed, pretty prideful sometimes, and would not hesitate to scar you for life with his words. It was just after he started getting softer on you that discussion was possible in the first place.

(That discussion too was followed up with several unnecessary shopping sprees prompted by Sae. According to him, it was so his money would not rot off. Sae never told you it started up as a way to say ‘thanks for taking care of the chore and my stuff when I was gone that one time’ and somehow became a routine that sat snuggly in his schedule during off seasons.)

But, even as years and seasons passed, one rule persisted.

Never disturb Itoshi Sae’s nap time.

Sadly, that rule wasn’t exactly registered in your brain—as it just pulled a 21 hours work for a deadline.

That was why, the moment you entered the bedroom, you didn’t bother to check whose bedroom you entered as you threw your body to the bed. Not knowing, your action just jolted Sae awake.

“What the fuck?” Sae muttered, sounding more than a little pissed. He glared at you sharply with voice still heavy and hoarse. “The hell you are doing here?” he continued at you, who were burying your face on his pillows.

“Wha…?” you groggily turned your head towards him with much efforts. You couldn’t really muster the strength to do much, as you used what was left to plop on your stomach and stayed in a very awkward position with half of your feet out of the bed. But, it was Sae’s voice, so you tried.

When you saw him glaring at you, you tried not to groan and cry. Though, you supposed Sae caught that desire from your expression alone, as he said, “…did you just finished the deadline?”

“Uhum,” you answered, your cheek pressing itself to Sae’s pillow. Slowly, you could recognize his smell around you. It was comforting—perhaps after years of sharing a home, you had came to associate him with it. “Gim’me five minutes… just let me gather my shit together and I will be gone… soon,” you continued, drowsy. A part of you hoped Sae would be merciful enough to agree and kick you off his bed later, because you had no energy to get your phone and set a timer or to walk to your room.

(Sae watched as you slowly drift to your dreamland. Was it some years ago or someone else, he would have kicked you as hard as he could. Yet, it was you and a part of him wanted to flick you in the forehead or pulled your cheek or simply put the tips of his fingers on your heavy eyes.)

A few seconds passed and Sae finally let out a grumpy sigh. “Just sleep,” he said as you closed your eyes. You felt the bed shift as he threw his body back to bed. You chuckled silently and dreamt of him petting you in the head.

You woke up four hours later to a note saying Sae was off on an afternoon jog.

iii.

“Honestly,” you groaned, leaning against the shopping cart with an exaggerated pout that definitely annoyed Sae. “Why should I also eat healthily? You are the high profile athlete here. I’m just some lowly roommate.”

“Because we share a fridge, stupid,” Sae said while choosing between Lettuce A and Lettuce D. Lettuce C and B laid inside the cart, fresh and green, along with the things Sae had bought. You couldn’t understand what were the differences between them—but, hey, he was the more observant one between the two of you.

“Why don’t you buy another fridge then?” you asked, unironically starting to miss the days of instant food after living with him as afterwards it was filled with whatever his strict diet allow. When Sae didn’t even bother to grace you with even a disgusted look, you continued, “Or at least let me have some fries—”

Before you could finish, Sae threw both lettuces in his hands violently towards the cart. You winced for the lettuces’ sakes as you found him send you a look that was somehow angry and flat at the same time, “I’m not gonna let you eat fries and brag while I watch.”

“Even if I buy it with my own money?” you piped up with a small voice. Sae’s face somehow got even flatter and you gave up, “…fine.”

Sae hummed as he slightly pulled the cart towards his direction, indicating for you to push it and follow him. As the two of you walked, you could hear him continuing the previous unserious conversation, “You seriously need to learn to stop complaining about this.”

“This?” you prompted.

“Eating actual foods,” Sae answered. “Your life schedule would make some coaches cry by how messy it is. At least learn to eat properly.”

“Rude!” you protested. “I know my life is not as get together as yours, but it’s honest work, you know!”

“Work harder then,” Sae bluntly chided as he gave you a glance, his steps slowing down as the two of you reached the cashier.

You didn’t bother to check why he was stopping. Knowing him, he would buy you some low sugar candies as peace offerings for the previous argument. It was a habit that the both of you carried to give each other peace offerings after whatever disagreement, despite understanding on both side of how most of them were mere debates that exist to fill in the silence. You wouldn’t complain though—getting something or doing something for each other without a word was a nice thing in life anyway.

With that in mind, you let your mind wander to what sort of small thing you could do to Sae as your ‘peace offering’, not paying any attention to what he bought.

When Sae stepped beside you, you asked, “What did you get?”

Sae hummed, “Something to shut you up.”

You raised an eyebrow at that, “Huh?”

“Well,” Sae added an afterthought. “If I don’t read things wrong, that is.”

You didn’t really got it, nonetheless you still chuckled and gave him a light shove, “Sure, sure. As if the esteemed Itoshi Sae could be wrong.”

“Don’t start,” Sae responded dryly.

You merely smiled in silence and went back to your thoughts, waiting for the line.

(What Sae bought were 3 different flavors of condoms, but this is a story for another time. Though, of course, it ends well, as it had always been between Sae and you.)

[soultek]

Late To The Party - Roronoa Zoro x Female!Reader (One Piece Live Action)

💚As it's a certain someone's birthday today!💚

A/N: I feel literally late to the party myself with this - but there we are!

Also not the Zoro I ever expected to be writing for but I was just too inspired NOT to go for it!

100% inspired by 'Dance With Me?' by @alotofrandomfangirling. I read that fic, listened to this song and was like "Oh it's all fits nicely!" and then kinda ran with it! [BTW - you should OBVIOUSLY go and read her fic!]

Ahh... and also, for getting me through all this OPLA fangirling @alotofrandomfangirling this one is also 100% for you! 😁❤

Disclaimer: As usual, nothing except the reader character is mine (loosely based on my OG anime counterpart character Zoro!SO) I tried to keep him as close to his OPLA self as possible but I can't promise I didn't let a bit of his anime personality slip in but I have read this back so many times now I'm like 99.9% he's LA accurate!

Warnings etc: Drinking, mention of injury/scars, super mild cursing, established (secret?) relationship.

Premise: With a party happening in the port you happen to be calling in, you and the crew take the opportunity to be social. Zoro takes it as an opportunity to drink, but maybe that isn't the only reason he's going...

Words: 6325

Song Inspo: Late To The Party - Kasey Musgraves

---

By the time we get there Everybody will be drunk The chairs will be on tables And the band will be unplugged We're gonna look real good But we're gonna look real rude I'm sorry I'm not sorry that I'm Late to the party with you Let's promise when we get in That we'll try to get right out Fake a couple conversations Make the necessary rounds These kinda things just turn into Who's leaving here with who? But I just want 'em all to see me come in...

Late to the party with you Oh, who needs confetti? We're already falling into the groove And who needs a crowd When you're happy at a party for two? The world can wait 'Cause I'm never late to the party If I'm late to the party with you

---

Nothing was right. Every outfit you tried just ended up with a sighed 'No.', before being thrown in the corner. Everything else was done – hair and makeup went perfect; you were maybe even quick with those. But this... This was taking the time. Sure, you probably could throw on any old thing and get away with it - this wasn't some fancy dinner, or anything you had to look good for. Just a port with a party. But that was the point - it was a party. It was a chance to be sociable, dress up for a change. It was your thing. And you were late.

Snapping you from your thoughts with a jump, was a loud pounding on the door behind you. It was almost accompanied by a shriek, but luckily you saved yourself the embarrassment of that. Whipping around, you could feel your heart beating a million miles an hour - you didn't realise any of the crew were still here.

"Y/N! What the hell is taking you so long!?" Your eyes widened to the voice; now you were doubly glad you hadn't screamed. Opening the door ajar, you poked your head out and were faced with the unimpressed look of the crew’s resident green-haired swordsman. On second thought that was just his natural expression. You opened the door a little wider, halfway between asking a question and looking around to answer it yourself - was everyone else still here? Evidently, he wasn't done ridiculing you; "What the hell!? You're not even changed!? Even I got changed!" Your eyes focused back on him... Well, he wasn't wrong. He had changed his shirt. You indicated to the pile of clothes strewn on the floor, "Well I didn't know what to wear!" Now you were talking to Zoro, you might as well ask; "Wait, is everyone still here!?" His hands went to his pockets as he shuffled a little on his feet, eyes moving from yours, "No, but I said I wasn't leaving without you, now hurry up!" "…Hurry up!?" You folded your arms, eyes narrowed. You'd known him long enough to be able to read him pretty well, "Zoro, I bet you don’t even want to go!" He copied your crossed arm stance, "Maybe it's not my scene but if it’s a party, there’s alcohol." You couldn't help but roll your eyes, 'good lord.' Resisting shaking your head you turned your full attention back to him, glancing head to toe; "You’re going with your swords? Really?" Zoro was as defensive as you expected, "You never know what’ll happen." That seemed typically him. "Well…" You turned back to your clothes with a smile, finally deciding on something that would complement what he was wearing, "you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t take mine." "Annnnnd that’s why I’m the better swordsman." You glanced back over your shoulder to shoot him a look. Despite how nonchalantly he'd declared it, the tiny smirk on his face said everything. “I am but a humble student, you’re supposed to be better than me.” He laughed, short, more like a bark; “Humble is the word you’d use, huh!? Interesting…” You turned your body fully back to him, hands on your hips. "Why would you even think I would debate-" You cut yourself short, realising that somehow Zoro was managing to stall time even more. So much for hurrying you up. "HEY! Will you get out of here and let me change!"

Sensing he was clearly enthusiastic; you gave him 15 more minutes before you headed back out on deck. He was standing with his hands in his pockets again, ankles crossed over each other as he leaned back on the railing. Glancing you up and down he gave a single simple nod. This was Zoro, so that was a complement and you would take it. There was silence between you for a moment, but the sound of a party was in the air. It was loud, it sounded busy. Exactly the kind of thing you liked. Exactly the reason it had taken you so long to get ready in the first place. And he knew that. The man in front of you however…

Zoro walked forward a couple of steps, slowly, looking around as if on high alert. He stopped not even a foot from you, brown eyes focusing back on yours. His voice was flat, but it was a distinct tease. "You know, a lookout not on deck is no good." You could have seen it coming from a mile off, but there was something about him that made you rise to it anyway. "Looking out for what?! We’re docked! You seem to believe you’re doing a better job, and you were still here.” He indicated to himself, "First mate. Lookout is not in my official job title." He was going to drive you insane. Your breath was deep but you held back the ‘my god, how did I end up with you!?' - for both ways he could take it and neither ending up in your favour. Instead, you cleared your throat and threw your hand in the direction of the port, “Can we just go please - if you’re so eager?! You did just rush me.” Zoro shuffled on his feet a bit more before he decided to respond with, “Fine.” That did not mean that he moved very fast at all, and you shook your head slowly, following him. Apparently, the draw of alcohol wasn't even doing it tonight. You did wonder sometimes, you really did…

Once you got down the gangplank, Zoro turned immediately left. You glanced to your right; exactly where all the light and sound was coming from. God help you now... You raised your eyes to the sky; 'idiot.' Instead of saying anything, you simply reached out and took his hand. Seemed like a natural enough thing to do... He was fine with it within the confines of a room training. Touch was okay there. But in public, you couldn't be sure. Not even on a currently deserted dock. But Zoro didn't jerk away, and even when he walked far enough for his arm to pull back when you weren’t moving, he didn't drop it. Turning back to you, standing rooted in place, staring at him. Your arm stretched as far as it would go with his doing the same, hands still together. You tipped your head in the opposite direction. Once again, not a word passed your lips. His eyes moved around you to the port, but he barely acknowledged it before walking back to you, and then in step. You let him dictate the pace - still super slow.

Zoro cleared his throat, deciding that he would comment on the situation. "I knew that, I was just taking the scenic route." You declined to comment that the scenic route was about to lead Zoro off the end of the pier. There was humour in your voice, “Every route with you is the scenic route…” You wouldn't say you struck a nerve, but there was something sharp in his voice. “What are you trying to insinuate?!” You opted to just shake your head again, amusement obvious on your features; even if it was clear, you were saying something. Zoro narrowed his eyes at you, keeping them on your face to wait for you to break. Unfortunately for you, it didn't take long to start giggling. Composing yourself a little, you came up with a decent excuse. “Hey, look, I just don’t want to lose you. It’s pretty busy.”

To your earlier point, the dock around you was dead, but the direction you were heading in seemed overly crowded. Zoro, still focused on the surrounding area, was halfway through raising an eyebrow to correct you - when he realised the joke. “HA. Lose.” Again, you said nothing, maintaining innocence. If that was the conclusion he wanted to jump to - correct or otherwise. For a minute or so you thought you'd get away with it, until you found your left hip bumped by not just one, but all three of his swords - which caught across your ankle for good measure, so his timing must have been impeccable. You paused your walk for a moment, looking across to him, clearly unimpressed. Rubbing your side with your free hand. Zoro merely shrugged, voice once again level. "Sorry." His first thought had really been to muss your hair or something, but that would have meant dropping your hand, and he really didn't want to let that go. It was also the perfect excuse when his swords were between you. In honesty you thought you probably did deserve some retaliation. "Maybe you should walk on the other side of me." "Not exactly my first thought, swordsman." Maybe you would have held his hand otherwise, but this had started practically... Now it was turning more romantic. Even if the words weren't. "If you had yours that wouldn't happen." "If I had mine things would be worse - probably for me." Considering you wore yours on your left hip you probably would have had to walk on his other side... "Yeah, that’s you up against me.” (It didn’t cross your mind he would be talking about anything except sword fighting until later.) “What!? I can’t believe you’d-” What did that have to do with anything!? “Name one time you’ve ever beaten me….” You remained silent. “Exactly.” Something within you felt determined to get him back for that comment - such had your friendship always been before it had become a relationship. “You know when I said that I bet what happened with Mihawk was awful for you and I was sorry you had to go through it?” Zoro almost smirked following your train of thought, “What? Not exactly feeling that right now?” The smile you gave him in response was crooked, “Yeaaah…”

So, his only option was to one up you, “Okay, well, next time how about I just put my sword through you instead of just barely grazing you. The AUDACITY!? This time he raised a gasp from you. You turned to retaliate, but funnily enough at the exact same time you gripped his hand a little tighter - this was play fighting. “Just barely—!? You call this just barely grazing!? I damn well needed stitches! It’s going to leave a mark!” Zoro listened, body half turned into yours, but he wasn't looking at you, continuing to stare in the direction you were walking. He simply indicated to his chest; 'really!?'. You knew you had no option but to drop it then - because fair enough. But there was still a deep cut across your left shoulder blade that he had left there. Instead, you sighed gently, turning back to the lights glittering off the water, everything was getting steadily louder as you got ever closer. You smiled again, “It’s okay. I know I’m the 5th wheel here…” Zoro frowned momentarily at your math; mentally counting the crew, before he realised you were talking about his swords. He shook his head in response, lacing his fingers with yours.

You weren’t quite sure how this had happened in the first place. It also wasn't meant to be like you were sneaking around behind the crew’s backs, you just weren't ready to be out in the open yet. You'd both been bounty hunters; Zoro mostly worked alone but very occasionally you had worked together. Had a couple of other good bounty hunting buddies too – and the four of you were a decent team. It hadn't taken long for you to develop a crush on him - and as a swordswoman yourself you were in awe of his skills. It was something you only ever strived to get better at. You'd pushed that crush back a long time ago in favour of friendship - after all, unless you were going to team up permanently (not his thing.) there was not much point in getting serious about it. Added to that, Zoro never at all seemed interested in romance. You had been content to just keep seeing him around. That was until rumours started flying around the community that the great Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro was now a pirate himself. Had joined a crew and everything. At first you had simply laughed it off as ridiculous. That must have been some other guy calling himself 'Roronoa Zoro' because there was no way in hell the man you knew was going to do that. How wrong you were, sufficiently curious to follow the rumours along until you both ended up on the same island. And sure enough there he was - with a crew calling themselves the Straw Hats. A crew you now found yourself a part of, having practically begged him to teach you after he'd kicked your ass yet again. (Like you weren't about to miss a bounty hunting opportunity - even if it was him.) Now you were, as you had pointed out to him earlier, a humble student.

The relationship element was new. You knew you weren't sure who or what started it, but it happened and it just felt like a good natural progression. Neither of you were really pushing that relationship aspect currently. You were close for sure, and you always kept close. ALL the time. (And if anyone on the crew was suspicious, they didn't call it out.) You held hands after training... When you were alone. It never progressed much further than that. Passed a confession and the agreement that you were, indeed, a couple.

Yet here you were, Zoro was not protesting holding your hand on the way to the party. And hadn't he just been the one to link your fingers in this way? That hadn't been you.

Stepping up from the dock onto the port side you were both bathed in light. It went from just the two of you to apparently everyone else in the world who had descended on the little town. You weren’t sure where to look – there was so much to take in. The bustle of the people – of all ages – was secondary to the bright colours all around. Shops, restaurants, bars, and their patrons spilled out onto the streets – covered in bright neon decorations and constantly glittering lights. In the central square ahead of you, music played from an elevated platform; even from here neither of you could tell if it was a live band playing or simply amplified through a sound system, only that the gathering of people around it were dancing. All down either street was a collection of booths selling various foods, drinks, wears and even offering games to play, each one looking as busy as the next and all dressed in the same bright colours as the permanent stores. Happy voices called out to each other: both friends and merchant alike. It was more like a festival than a party and you wondered quietly if that was actually what you had stumbled upon. There was so much to see and do, standing up on the street you almost weren’t sure what to give your attention to first: but you knew it was going to be a fun evening. Zoro could feel the energy from the party hit you instantly; if he didn’t know any better, he would say you were vibrating – you had an entirely different buzz about you than you had 2 seconds ago walking with him down here. He could feel it all through your connected hands, see it in the way your eyes were almost sparkling (though, that could have been the reflection of the lights). This was your domain; you were as in your element here as he was with three swords.

Zoro instinctively pulled you closer - if you didn't want to lose him in the crowd this was the only way. "You know where they are?" "In case you didn't notice - which you did - I wasn't the one looking out for them!" "Right... Stay close. Don't let go." He pulled you forward, and tonight you decided you would just trust him with directions. The 'don't let go' hit different though; if he was going to drop your hand at any point it would be now - not only in a very public place, but the chance of any of the crew happening upon you at any second. You almost wondered aloud if it might have been due to him spending his time waiting for you drinking; loosening up a bit. It would have made sense, but it didn't seem like it. Zoro was going to the party for alcohol. If he had it on him back at the ship, why would he bother? Unless...

You were snapped from that thought by suddenly being pulled in another direction. Finding yourself steered towards a building labelled 'Bar.' Figures he'd be able to find that with no issue. You continued scanning the crowds; the crew must have been around, but also at this point were long gone to you. And Zoro was clearly interested in drinking, pushing the door open with the most enthusiasm you'd seen out of him all night. But he wasn't just holding your hand for the sake of holding it. He knew men. You had dressed up for this because you had a social side. If he didn't clearly indicate who you were with, you were as likely to end up in trouble as anything. Another reason to keep those swords on hand; if anyone dared try anything he was sending clear signals. In the bar the crowds were even more dense, and you moved closer to him, free hand coming across your body to touch his arm; if you were going to hold his hand any tighter it might actually hurt. Still, Zoro couldn't help his little smile. You scanned the gathering more, swallowing hard at the realisation of how many eyes were suddenly on you. Drawn not just to yourselves, but also more closely to the points of connection between you and your entwined fingers. Your gaze flicked back to him, still solely focused on leading you to the bar - if Zoro had noticed this attention, he paid it no mind. You almost envied that. You were very aware of how gorgeous he was - you weren’t blind! You were unlikely to be the first or only girl to ever have fallen for this man. You were just the lucky one that had him…. Somehow! If you were any other girl in this room, you'd be jealous, too.

After what felt like an age, you finally made it to the edge of the bar. He brought your twined fingers up to it, unlinking your hands but keeping them close, leaning forward to try to find the barkeep. At this point the aged wood was littered with empty glasses and bottles. You hoped for the sake of your partner the whole bar wasn't already dry. Without even asking you were both presented with a beer, "Ahh! What can I get the lovely young couple then, eh? First one is on the house!" Zoro was clearly irked by the descriptor - but got straight to the point, "What have you got? Bottle of your best...?" He waited for the suggestion. "Well, uh, I'll have to see, sir! I would expect most things are out by now, but I'm sure I can find something." "Okay. Then," Zoro's sigh was deep, like he was trying not to think about it being the only reason he came down here. "I'll have a bottle of whatever you have left!" He turned to you, look pointed, "Clearly, we are late to the party."

You were about to commend him on just the one - realising suddenly you were going to quickly become the 6th wheel in this relationship to alcohol - when you were interrupted by the overly loud calls of your captain. "HEEEYYY!! ZORO! Y/N!!!" You barely had time to turn before Luffy was throwing his arms around you and pulling you together in a three-way hug, "Where did you go!? We were worried about you guys!" "Ah, blame her. She takes too long!" You punched Zoro's arm playfully, but you returned your hand to resting next to his on the bar. Luffy said nothing - likely oblivious as ever; but you could bet if one person in the crew didn't care, it would be him. Luffy grinned, "Well it doesn't matter! You're both here now! Ahh you gotta try the food, it's so good!" You turned back to the busy room, watching everyone else laughing and joking together. Luffy and Zoro followed your eyeline. Zoro's hand brushed against yours for your attention before he nudged you, "Go on." "W-what about you!?" You whipped back, a little too quick to protest. Luffy looked between you. "I'll be fine here. Besides, I can keep an eye on you from the bar. That's what you want to be here for, go have fun." Fun definitely didn't seem like the word Zoro would use, but this wasn't about him. It was about you. You looked to the bottle of beer you'd been given and pushed it towards him, "Here, just in case they can't find you anything else. I think you need it more than me!" Turning to Luffy you smiled sweetly, rubbing his shoulder, "Look after him for me!" "I will do!" Luffy grinned, Zoro just shook his head. But you knew he had everything he needed right there. You let your eyes linger on his and focused on that touch for just a moment longer, before you slipped from under the arm of your captain and went to make yourself sociable with the other crew and townsfolk. Surely Usopp, Nami and Sanji were in here somewhere... Glancing back over your shoulder you watched Luffy take your place, chatting excitedly to his first mate. He had Zoro's full attention; it made your laugh to yourself. You were going to end up so many wheels back you might as well have not been in this relationship...!

You were social, it was one of your greatest strengths. It was easy to make friends. It made it easy to get information. That was how you used to do your bounty hunting. You could talk to anyone and everyone easily. You liked listening to people's life stories - hearing about all the places they were visiting. The islands you’d landed on; about what there was to do in the area, even if you never went yourself. You liked talking about the tiny East Blue island you'd grown up on. You had enough stories from sailing across the East Blue yourself. And you could twist the crews’ stories into something a little less... Pirate-y. You always enjoyed it, you always had fun. If someone asked you to dance, you would. If someone wanted to drink with you, you were down. Tonight... Tonight you realised that even in your element, you were not having fun. Not as much fun as you wanted. Not alone.

You hadn't thought about it before. Hadn't considered when you were getting ready that it would ever be the case. You expected to have a good time with the crew - your relationship and anything that might happen with it tonight was an added bonus to something you loved doing. But in the middle of the conversation, you couldn't help realising how much you didn't want to be there. At least... Not in the company of these people.

You looked back over your shoulder to the bar, and were almost surprised to see not only was Zoro alone once more (you would have put money on either Luffy dragging him along, or Luffy dragging everyone else over to him), but he was staring at you. Clearly, he wasn't going to take his eyes off you tonight. When Zoro said he was keeping an eye on you he meant it. And maybe he’d never say it out loud, but with you looking like this, that wasn’t the only reason. The two bottles besides him were finished. But whatever the bar man had managed to find him was unopened. He turned slowly to it, before wrapping his fingers around the neck and dragging it off the bar. Gesturing with it towards you, before tipping his head back towards the ship. You smiled, and suddenly it was the happiest you had felt all evening. In that moment you knew exactly where you wanted to be. And tonight, where you would rather find yourself.

He met you by the door as you politely excused yourself from the conversation, this time taking his other hand and making sure to walk on his left. The knowing smile on Zoro's face indicated he knew you were learning. A tiny piece of your felt bad, as he opened the door back into the night air - the crowd was a little thinner, but the party was still in full swing. It felt like you were bailing, you'd been late and you were leaving almost immediately. But it wasn't as if people could say you hadn't turned up. Luffy at the very least had seen both of you there. But there was something inside you that stirred in excitement at the thought of sneaking back to the Merry with a bottle...

If you had gone at a snail’s pace to get here, you practically ran back. Or you would have thought you had, considering how giggly and breathless you were, despite not having drunk at all tonight. Yet. With the bottle in his hand that was clearly going to change. Zoro removed his sword belt, propping them up against the wooden railing of the ship, before blowing out a breath and settling beside them; back up against a pillar, he stretched his legs out in front of him, placing the bottle between them. You shook your head, sitting yourself down in front of him with a grin. At least out here it was quiet, the air was cooler. Zoro closed his eyes for a moment, tipping his head back; allowing you to trace the lines of his face. His jaw and down his neck, up over his broad shoulders and down his toned arms, to his fingers. You thought for a moment about the skilful way he could un- and re-sheath his swords. How any just-so movement with his fingers would move those blades to make perfect strikes. You hadn't been present for the fight with Mihawk that had made the scar across his chest. That was a little too much to think about, but the shirt you were coordinating with tonight exposed enough of his chest for a part of it to be visible... But you still couldn't imagine Zoro losing. Even when you could imagine just how incredible the 'World’s Greatest Swordsman' was.

You bit your lip, thinking about your earlier jab, and suddenly felt terrible. "Hey, Zoro..." "Mhm..." He initially kept his eyes closed and head tipped back, but when you didn't continue, he changed his position to look at you. With your eyes and expression a little guilt ridden; he couldn't help tipping his head in confusion. You took a breath, and although it seemed like you wanted to look away from him, you didn't: "What I said earlier about the Mihawk fight... You know I didn’t mean it, right?” Zoro almost chuckled - that was debatable. But he had known you was joking with him. "Y/N, you worry too much." "But I still-" "Of course, I do." It's what you wanted to hear - so he would satisfy that. You sat back on your hands with a smile, this time voice a little sweeter; "And what I said about being with you being scenic… you know I did mean it, right?” You had realised the hilarity of saying every route with him was the scenic one, and that depending on how you'd said it, how it could have been either a sarcastic tease on his sense of direction or a very smooth romantic flirt. Internally you'd kicked yourself for not realising sooner and now - despite it being obvious at the time which you were going for - you wondered which way he’d actually taken it… Zoro cracked a grin, clearly he'd noticed it too. “Oh. You mean I am the view.” Even though, by the look on his face, you knew Zoro understood you hadn’t meant it that way. Yet, you couldn't help but blush a little, “Glad we could agree.” “That would be a first…” You were compelled; you leaned forward and smacked his leg. It was likely always going to be a knee-jerk reaction to his teasing. That just made him chuckle, and he picked up the bottle again, cracking it open. "Should I get some glasses?" "Glasses?" Zoro scoffed, "Hell no. Now c'mere." He beckoned you forwards.

You couldn't help being intrigued, but as you moved to the side of him, Zoro grabbed your waist, pulling you to sit between his legs. For a minute you struggled, both shrieking and laughing, pushing against him enough that he had to physically hold you in place. You relented, giggles still rising in your chest as his arms wound around your waist. Head propped back against his chest you looked up at him. "Okay fine, you win!" "I'll just chalk yet another one up." "Ah, keep them, I'm never beating you." "Wow." He smirked again, "Did we just agree on two things? Careful, Y/N, we might be on a roll!" You nudged his face with your palm, "Hush!" Causing Zoro to grab your hand and interlink your fingers again. The movement caused his piercings to run together, making them chime softly. You focused on them dancing for a moment, unable to help yourself from reaching out and making the gold ring together again. Zoro simply shook his head at you, picking up the bottle he'd just opened (and somehow in all that hadn't spilled everywhere.) and taking a sip. "Whatever helps you amuse yourself." "One per sword?" "I'm not even answering that." "Hey, it's a valid question!" After all, you had a multitude of piercings in both your ears and didn't carry nearly that many weapons. He ignored you, holding the bottle out. You accepted it gratefully and read the label; "Any good?" "It's alcohol, even the bad stuff is good." "Yeah, no," you sighed, "that sounds like you." You took a drink and concluded that this one was indeed, pretty good. Taking another sip, he smacked the top of your thigh, "Hey! No drinking the whole bottle, I waited too long to get that one!" You almost choked, "And you won't get any if you make me spill the damn thing!" "You do that, I'll be throwing you overboard and telling the crew you elected to stay in town." "Thing is I wouldn't put it past you..." You handed the bottle back to Zoro, making yourself comfortable against his body, "I'm just saying a good boyfriend wouldn't do that." You heard Zoro huff a laugh as he lifted the bottle to his lips again, "Ah, I never promised to be one of those." "What? A good boyfriend?" "That's the one." "Well. A girl can dream." "That's all you'll be doing." You let out a laugh then, a full-blown belly laugh. "I know you're determined to ruin this, but you can't. It's not happening. This is exactly what I wanted." "Me?" But he left it there, fingers of the hand not holding the bottle finding yours again.

You sat in silence for a moment, the only sound your breathing and the back and forth of the liquid in the bottle every time he took a drink. Further back, the dull hum of the party, and the waves lapping at the side of the Merry. Inspecting the bottle once more Zoro realised it was nearly empty. Looking down at you in his arms he realised your eyes were closed. "Hey..." He tried softly, so not to wake you if you were asleep. "Mmm?" Your response let him know that even if you weren’t, you weren’t far off. "You want any more of this?" "Oh, no." You shuffled a little more, head moving to his shoulder, opening more of your body to the warmth of his, Zoro found himself pulling his legs in closer to aid you with this. "It's yours. You said it yourself; it was hard to come by. And I know it was the only reason you were going anywhere near the party." He stared at you for a moment, and then between you and the bottle. Your eyes were closed, so you didn't see his next soft smile. "Well, maybe it wasn't the only reason." You didn't respond, but he saw the smile on your face grow.

By the time he'd finished the drink you were asleep, and even when he moved himself to get a little more comfortable - careful with you still in his arms - you didn't wake. He'd have to be vigilant, glancing to his swords... Just in case anyone did think they were about to come on here and try to mess with you, or the ship. Come to think of it, where were yours...? ‘Ah forget it, I could handle it myself.’ He looked back down to you, peaceful. Pressed up against him, Zoro suddenly noticed how warm you were. How the air had a distinct chill to it the later into the night it became. (Heck, maybe it was early morning now. But there was no way of knowing - especially with none of your crewmates around.) Delicately he brushed some of your hair out of your face, before pressing his lips fleetingly to your forehead. Closing his eyes, he propped his head on top of yours, position of his body protective to your smaller form. He almost laughed to himself - when the hell did something like this happen? "Goodnight, Y/N..." * * *

It was not the scene the crew expected to return to, that was for sure. Looking between each other and trying to determine who might have had any indication that you were in any way a “thing.” Clearly, you and Zoro had been just that good at keeping it under wraps. Not that it mattered much now; nothing could have been more obvious! “What. The. Hell!?” Sanji was the first one to gain anything near composure enough to talk - although not composure in general. Nami and Usopp had to move quickly to hold him back; “I’m going to KILL that moss-head!” “Sanji! No! Wait!!”

Nami internally cursed herself for not being the first one on the ship. If she had been, she could have kept the rest of them away and would have had pretty good ammo for blackmailing you both for Berri. Ah well, no good thinking too much on that now. “I, for one, think it’s sweet.” Sanji scoffed. “Maybe she’ll lighten him up a little! God knows he needs that. Always so damn serious! And unsociable! I would welcome that change.” “Not with her though!” Sanji made another noise of discontent, making Nami sigh. As if Sanji would be fine with Zoro being with any other woman – on this crew or otherwise? She looked back to the scene; cuddled up together and sleeping soundly. It was late - maybe even early - and the air was much cooler than it had been before, rolling in from the sea. “Can one of you get a blanket? Last thing we need is either of them catching a cold!” Luffy - who had just been staring at you up until now, trying to add it all up in his head; it would explain how close you were at the bar but also… - suddenly sprang into life: “I’LL DO IT!” Nami grabbed him, clamping her hand over his mouth, “Stop yelling you idiot! You’ll wake them up!” Sanji actually thought that was a great idea - but he wasn’t exactly the person who was going to go against Nami’s wishes.

Luffy’s version of quiet was more of a shouted whisper, and he sounded out his words in their syllables for emphasis. “Sorry. I’ll get it!” Nami placed her hand against her forehead watching him walk off in big slow steps - she truly was surrounded by idiots. It was a good thing she loved them.

By the time he came back, she’d managed to successfully move Usopp and Sanji on. And once he handed her what she’d asked for, she began ushering Luffy away (which, considering him, ended up only being a few feet further back.) Rolling her eyes, Nami sighed again, unfurling the blanket, and throwing it carefully over you both. She tucked it as much as she thought she’d get away with before it woke you up and stood back admiring her handy work.

Luffy looked between you and her, “Soooo… will they be alright now?!” “I think so…” Nami turned to him, and pushed, “Now will you get out of here and give them some quiet!” “Well, what about you!?” “I’m leaving too! Honestly—!” “Okaaaaay….!!” He protested as if he wasn’t protesting and walked away.

But when Nami turned back, she almost jumped. Zoro’s eyes were open, and he was staring at her. From the expression on his face, she couldn’t tell if he was impressed or not. She decided she’d probably rather not enquire. After a little while of unnerving her on purpose, Zoro closed his eyes again. But he spoke, voice quiet. “Thanks, Nami.” She smirked, because this was her chance. He’d just left that door wide open and she wasn’t missing the opportunity. “You’re welcome. But you guys owe me!” He sighed - knew it! - this much more of discontent, “Of course.”

---

One swordsman down, two to go! 😁 💚🖤💛

[olderthannetfic]

You know since I see this constantly brought up when anyone talks about Chinese novels, especially danmei and the tropes used, and one of the asks brought this back to the forefront again.

It's great that some of you have read MXTX's works, but you do realize that you're allowed to read danmei novels from other Chinese authors. And you're also allowed to talk about them. Just because MXTX's novels have the biggest fandoms out there in the West, doesn't mean that literally every vague mention of Chinese tropes or any mention of danmei is by default and exclusively about MXTX.

I love MXTX's novels as well, I enjoy rereading them, but I've also read and am reading novels from other Chinese danmei authors. Recently I'm reading the official Priest and Meatbun translations, and it's getting ridiculous with how many people take any vague mention of a danmei novel, or even just a mention of Chinese novels and common tropes in general and with full conviction claim it must be about MXTX instead of some of the hundreds of fan translated danmei or some of the tens of officially translated novels you can find. Especially when trying to avoid spoilers by being a bit vague.

There are actually small fandoms for these other novels as well, yeah maybe there are only a few hundred or thousand fics for them instead of like 100k+ combined, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

I completely get that if you mention something that also happened in MXTX's work that most people will probably immediately point towards her works. But that doesn't mean that her works are 100% the answer just because in the West she has the biggest following. MXTX's works also have several common tropes that you can find in the works of other authors, that doesn't mean every time one of those tropes is mentioned it's about her works, or at least not JUST about her works. I think the main reason this irks me so much is because people start building a huge strawman because they've convinced themselves that it must be MXTX no matter what you say and there's just no way that it could be anything but MXTX, because they just don't read anything else. Don't get me started on show-series only people, they often don't even seem to realize that other Chinese danmei authors and stories exist period.

Spoilers used as an example: If I say "Shizun fucker pining after his dead Shizun." Of course people are gonna point at SVSSS first because it's a bigger fandom. Well but maybe this was about Mo Ran and Chu Wanning from Husky and his white cat Shizun instead, a smaller but still comparatively big fandom. But you have even smaller fandoms around novels with that premise. You'd actually be surprised about how many Shizun fuckers pining for their dead Shizun novels there are out there tbh. You can do the exact same thing for transmigration btw.

--

[carelessflower]

top 10 atrocious shtv plotline

let me preface by saying i do not hate shadowhunters. it camp demon fighting hot people in leather with not enough lighting and candles as regular guest stars. this list is my personal opinion, a little something something rage filled silly little rants of my favorite show and its clown moment. picture this as the inner monologue of the lead in an indie romcom who speaks in metaphors and has a letterbox account. so sit back, grab your set and stele because you will need so much iratze for your sanity.

content warning: this rant will touch upon topics such as mental health, addiction, attempted suicide and incest.

10. magnus lost his magic

magnus is magnificent in everything, so that is why this plotline disappointed me. it has so much potential and they end up doing the bare minimum. there's no way magnus fricking bane has no one to rely on when he lost his magic besides alec. no fricking way. we should have gotten magnus to work out alec's deal with asmodeus by himself. i'm also of the opinion that magnus should be the one to figure out a way to get his magic back (there are lots of good fics exploring this, i recommend you check it out) it end up in this position cause overall it a good and interesting premise and magnus outsmarting his father and using his portal (something that magnus invented) to defeat him is a good conclusion

9. heidi took over dumort and planned to dominate the shadoworld

i mean this happened in the book, but it was given way way more screen time than necessary in the show. please dont tell me a newly born vampire is suddenly a master manipulator and leader and makes every vampire bend to her will. you're trying to be serious not comedy shtv. and how about we give all of heidi screen time to flesh out clary and magnus plotline in S3B more?? or idk, give the lightwood trio A PLOTLINE this season besides being the supporting partner

8. jordan redemption arc

he's an abuser. he's an abuser. HE IS AN ABUSER. we don't need him sobbing and crying and then ‘dying’ in front of maia. i loathe how for a second i thought they gonna make maia go back together with jordan again. the only good thing come out of it is maia getting somewhat closure, and i used that term loosely

7. the owl

jace spent S3A being mind controlled by lilith, struggling, begging to be killed, being mind control again, then free. he doesn't have a single moment after all that bullshit to process because oh we need the plot to move along and another fresh trauma has arrived at the jace station. and oh remember the soul sword thing??? when there's an attempt to write the payoff of jace unintentionally killing a bunch of people? i dont know about you but the show writers sure do not. the rules and influence of lilith over jace is so confusing it is ridiculously hilarious

6. alec and jace's parabatai bond

i've already done a recap of all the wonderful moments of jace parabatai career so i will keep this really simple. picture the parabatai bond as group final assessment. alec is pulling all-nighter, groupchat urging to finish tasks on time, one on one meetings with professor for feedback, two hours finalizing and fixing the final product. jace is "why do i have to do so much" and submitting work late two hours that don't pass the plagiarize check

5. team evil (evil clary + S3B jonathan)

i would like to remind you she turns fully evil in episode 18 and is cured of it in episode 20. they build this evil plotline up through clary burning her hand, snapping at simon once and losing it at aline (who btw i believe is justified in her rage how many people sebastian/jonathan/ginger incest bread have killed) clary turning evil means she now will sexily whisper her line, wear tighter/revealing dress and stare at people with smoldering eyes. because of course, evil female characters are like that. i also need writers for that clace scene in the club when jace's on seelie drug to answer for their crime against my sanity

jonathan S3B is bad. and not even the fun kind. when you compare this character to the one in S2B, he got clear on every possible aspect i almost shed a tear. he, like evil clary, has so much potential. but the way the writing goes makes him just hilariously pathetic. yes i am in fact referring to him yelling 'YOU WILL NEVER LOVE ME' at clary and then flying away in his devil cosplay

4. merlion getting taken to the silent brothers

alec is shit for blindly following the clave's order, jace betrays his parabatai and along with izzy and clary conducts a stupid plan that can create an all-out war and involves two of the downworlder leaders in all that. also, magnus steal alec stele aka the acting head stele…because bad decision is infectious in this episode. considering how serious they’re trying to make the political aspect of the show to be, the fact that this exists. literally insane. this whole plotline is to highlight how clary is the hero who stands up for justice and morals and all of that when she the one contributing the least. she just stands around lets everyone do stuff for her and they're trying to convince us she's the hero. then she and jace fuck off to another dimension after roping people into their mess because that is what a good hero does.

that screencap. she said that surrounding by downworlders. her kendall jenner pepsi world peace era

3. alec's mental health

alec try to jump off that balcony and the only person they show having any concern over it is magnus in the next episode. oh no no, not even in that lightwood family talk in the same episode of the balcony thing, with you know, his mom and his parabatai, not a word. and the only one who says anything related to it is clary of all people. im convinced the whole alec killing off jocelyn is for alec to feel guilty and then ease him into a friendship with clary because this is no way to handle this type of story there is no way. and it is not like they say oh well, here's the end of this. because they include shots of alec pinching his hands at that hospital scene. what was the reason? has alec not had enough on his plate already? friendly reminder, iris's spell at that party caused people to project their insecurities and everyone was fighting each other. and who does alec blame? who does he fight? who he thinks is worthless of living and no one will miss? himself. do they drop this storyline faster than clace romance? yes!

2. clace

ah, instant love that makes no sense because we are supposed to believe it is the way it is. the writers keep telling us there is nothing compared to their love but doesn't show us SHIT when it comes to that. don't believe me? oh, okay, the number of dates that they have before crusty lord of the lifetime valentine morgenshit breaks the fake sibling news is that time when jace stands and watches clary get encanto and tough inappropriately by a vampire and their rendezvous with fake dad. then in S2A they mostly interact when clary is in trouble and needs jace help. clary dates the first person she knows already has feeling for her, jace goes around very around. they don't bond or try to talk or interact besides jace constantly looking sulkily at clary and simon. then 2x14 it all reveals she loves jace she desires jace no one for her but jace. and i totally forgot jace's confession via the soul sword about loving clary, not the way you would love a sister and all that. their first date as an again couple is 3x02…the love confession is ridiculous because he's saying all these things despite us literally never seeing that on screen. they bonk when clary still links with her psychopath brother, that whole scene alone should pay for my therapy. we kept being told they are in love, but we are never shown that. hey, maybe some advice. slapping romantic music over a scene will not make the scene romantic, you actually need to write it too. this relationship goes nowhere because itself and the two characters inside it doesn't change. it's always clary wants something so jace push everyone and everything under the solar system out of the way to give it to her. this wouldn't be a problem if, yk, it is only in the first season and they have character development. but let me remind you S3B they summon lilith back to earth despite magnus losing his magic to help defeat her (didn't make it to this list but a very strong honorary mention) with the worst possible plan. relying on a guy simon knew for less than the time clary and jace spent thinking through their plan. it like you are asking for him to betray you

aldetree izzy raphael and yinfen 

one of the only major plotlines izzy has. and it's this. because of course this addict seeks a provider then both fall in love and the provider becomes addict again is super duper appropriate to happen to these two. two of the poc characters who are prominent in the show. one of the few female characters. of course very splendid decisions right there. and at the end of the series izzy gets together with someone who can make her relapse again. all because this storyline that could have been cut off and replaced with something more decent. but nope! sexily blood drinking time!

tag list: @dustandducks @cityofdownwardspirals @magnus-the-maqnificent @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @wildesummerchild @cam-ryt @khaleesiofalicante @idk-i-just-really-like-tsc

[fiannalover]

Hello there. Do you like timeloops? Do you like comedy? Do you like characters getting bored to death of the timeloop and doing every random bullshit they can think of? Do you like massive omniversal crossovers? Do you like reading? Well look no further, I got the fic for you:

Introducing: The Infinite Loops

So things got Fucked in the computer keeping all realities working properly and they have been set on the good ol groundhog as a stability measure until they got fixed. Each reality has a designated Anchor, the person who is always Awake every loop, and they steadily bring forth more Loopers that like, get to remember once every 7 to 201 many loops. What with the data being A Mess, realities blur together and crossover, stuff not firmly defined by canon changes in a loop by loop basis and much more assorted chaos. So when you have an eternity of looping happen and nothing to kill the boredom, what do you do?

Hijinks, mostly.

The Infinite Loops Project is/was (?) a collaborative fic project built with the above premise. Mostly comedy focused, there is still plenty of drama and character study and the most ridiculous mid 2010s understanding of sexuality crack ships possible. Have you ever thought what would happen if the ponies ended in Warhammer? Or the Winx Club Fairies set a final stand against Dio Brando? Just about every looper min maxing their actions to back and forth? It's worth it. Please trust me.

Noteworthy compilations (that I have read):

The MLP Loops: The Big One. This kept going until MLP ended, I think, and it rode the wave of MLP popularity to the end, being the biggest compilation By Far, and definitely the one the others got started from So make use of the Pony Renaissance, will you? Btw, nightmare moon once was beat by a zebra potion, two pry bars and several metric tons of fruitcake.

Pokemon: If nothing else. Read Saphroneth's (non looping) Ash vs Tobias for an awesomely written what if for how the base Anime Ash and his base Anime Team could have beat Tobias with just a Little more information to base team building around. Do it for me. Ash does a Yu Gi Oh duel against Masaru Damon

MegaMan: this one was really Ambitious, really going deep into the setting's damage and stuff, resulting in a very unstable and fun setting. Also like 25% of this is the Sonic Loops (thanks Archie Comics!), expertly well written. Dr. Wily mails Xanatos a pipe bomb

Winx Club: For whatever universal alignment reason, this was one of the Loops that got to Kick Off and become something big. There are a lot of really interesting ships and ideas here, worth checking out, specially if you are disappointed in the franchise. Flora doxxes Cthulu.

In conclusion:

[97-liners]

Okay first of all, im defending her because of the content of the fic amd i have personally read it, NOT because she specifically is my friend. And second of all im not asking anyone to become personal friends with authors i didnt even imply that, i mean if ur gonna read an author, looking at gheir page a bit might be helpful but thats optional, now for the last bit if you read the first four paragraphs of a fic and go "oh this isnt for me" then it ISNT for you, dont assume the rest of the fic is bad or it doesnt get better, angst is a genre that exists and it has vsrying levels, just because it isnt for you doesnt mean its disgusting or wrong especially in this context. For example, i like to read angsty fics about dealing with weight issues because of my ed but that doesnt mean its for everyone and it doesnt mean the fic is GLORIFYING anything such as "being skinny" which the fic isnt even about btw

You always go on when people have a counter arguement trying to own them like "oh well this defense train" "oh well your her friend so your biased" i have a working brain dont i ??? I can come to conclusions myself without bias, im coming to you in your asks as a fat person, not as her friend although yes i am going to defend her. If i see bullshit i call it out, if she was in the wrong i wouldve 100% told her that, i think we have talked to each other enough for you to know this about me anyway but all you ever want to do is be in the right about things and blame other people and be self righteous and im kind of sick of defending you for it to my other mutuals but this was definitely the last straw. Slandering people for fics that you personally dislike as opposed to it being ACTUALLY harmful is crossing a pretty big line and this is ridiculous

this entire ask has nothing to do with the previous rant you sent in my inbox or the original anon that was hurt and the subsequent discussions but ok

but since you’re so insistent of me reading the full fic, i did. and i still don’t see how it’s supposed to be an angst fic about overcoming bullying when the entire premise is “i was bullied for being fat, then i lost weight and got really fit and skinny, and now everybody is fawning over me”

this isn’t a “this isn’t for me” reaction, this is a “this is cruel and i feel shitty and ugly reading it” reaction.

from the start, there’s so much emphasis on the contrast between the former self and the better, more attractive and more successful current self. the current self is repeatedly emphasized to be thin and fit.

throughout the entire fic there’s continued references to how attractive both characters are and it’s almost always tied to thinness (eg hoshi’s sharp jaw and muscles)

i understand that maybe this is why you said this is angst about overcoming bullying. but if “overcoming” bullying is you losing a lot of weight and entirely changing your lifestyle and appearance, and “overcoming” is also your former bullies being envious of your success, then that’s a really fucked to message to communicate.

this isn’t a case where writing is bad and i don’t like it, the writing is okay both from a technical standpoint and from a style standpoint. but the content is actively harmful. like, sorry if you can’t see it, or if you think that it’s positive representation of the experience of being bullied. i hope you can overcome that and set healthier expectations.

[bisamwilson]

Very Normal Fic Asks: 2, 7, 19, 25

hi zainab!!! thanks for the ask <3 (from this list)

it gets a little nsfw under the cut btw

2. if you put all your fics into a crockpot, what would be the resulting soup?

okay to start i'd like to note that this is the most makcore fic question of all time. if my apartment was on fire i would grab my dog, my phone/laptop, and then my crockpot in that order.

but to answer the question itself, i think it would end up being homemade chicken noodle soup. a lot of my fics are more character focused than plot focused necessarily, and, perhaps the star wars au aside, even my sadder fics have their fluffiness to them, which makes the hearty, classic, comforting nature of chicken noodle soup work here. also it's a favorite of mine bc i'm boring and also a mom friend that way

7. Which fic would you be too afraid to orphan, lest it enact revenge?

i feel like it's either renaissance man or save a horse (ride a cowboy) because those are the two smut fics i've written with the most ridiculous premise and both of them have to make sure that i spend the rest of my life knowing that i've written and published a fic where bucky ends up fisting sam bc he sent him a photo of the statue of david's ass and another fic where they have sex on a mechanical bull. these will continue to haunt me.

19. You've been arrested for [insert crime], which fic is the prosecutor submitting as evidence?

zainab messaged me after to say that the crime should be treason, so obviously the answer is either hey princess or i slithered here from eden because bucky might as well commit treason in the first one and sam definitely commits treason against god in the second (note: sam is valid here! bucky was not, even if his motives were understandable)

25. All of your fics are featured in a nature documentary, which one goes viral for its absurd behaviour?

because i already used save a horse and renaissance man, i gotta go with stuck a feather in his hat because the premise of this fic is bucky burns mac and cheese so often he ends up seducing sam with how bad of a neighbor and a mess he is, and it's named for yankee doodle. i had so much fucking fun with that one

[goshdarnitjay]

Hi there! From the patreon here! I am LOVING these lonely heart snippets, they certainly help me get through me week. And I am super happy with how everything is going smoothly for you writing wise. Though I was wondering what is the word count for the entire fic rn? I know that you give us a word count for each chapter but I was wondering what the length is for the entire fic rn. I know that you r not finished with you STILL closing on with the major plot line lol. But I just want an estimate so I kinda know how chuncky theirs fic will probably be when finished. I think the average word count for each chapter is around 12k?

Hi! thanks for checking in! super, super glad you're enjoying the snippets! 🥰💜💚

The whole fic currently sits at 60.6k. I am horrible at estimating the length of my fics. I figured it might end up with 50k and we're already over that and I am nowhere near where I thought I'd be. I can't say how much more of it there'll end up being. When I write a longfic, I like to give myself the space to really, really work through the idea. That's why What You Owe ended up so ridiculously long (not to mention Coffee on Wednesdays... hoo boy).

I've rushed myself in the past and ended one-shots before I was ready. But that tends to disappoint and demotivate me, so I've been trying not to do that. That's why a lot of recent projects have been fairly long, even with relatively simple premises.

You're not wrong btw! the average length per chapter is between 10 and 17k atm (ch1 was a bit ridic in terms of length). I'm not trying to give myself that length as a goal; that's just how the cookie's crumbling.

SO! How long will it end up being? It's anybody's guess, tbh! Might be 80k, might be 100k, might be 120k. We'll see, I suppose! But I sincerely hope it won't be more than that... 😂💜💚 At some point, my ADHD brain tends to lose interest in the longfic and then the last 100k can be... a bit of a slog haha.

Thanks for checking in! ✌️

[facelessxchurch]

I wrote my thoughts down while reading HBL, plus some the-morning-after thoughts.

MASSIVE Spoilers for "Hell Breaks Loose" under the 'Read More'. These are spoilers for the entire book including the big twist, so read at your own peril.

Too much talk about Skulduggery. Even when he's not present he remains the focal point, I hate it.

So far Ghastly seems to be the only POV character.

Why the fuck are my Bois wearing wigs???

Honestly, no one on their right mind would send a special force with a leader that has a personal grudge against one of the people they are meant to protect. This is beyond stupid.

Speaking of beyond stupid. The notion that some rando assassin could kill Mevolent is ridiculous, he is a god amongst men. Would be nice if Landy would remember that and stop doing him dirty.

So Ghastly is crushing on the leader of the masked sisters. And Saracen is of course trying to fuck her. Only proofing my dislike of him right again.

Remember that part on the Grimoire that says one of the FO bloodlines was cut short during the war? Yeah, found the fucker.

That fight was complete bullshit.

Nice to see an FO follower making a point of herself not believing her side to be evil. But fucking hell that dialog feels forced.

Dear god's, too many people in this book like to blabber on. Also, first Skul is going on about dinosaurs and now this part about the earth's gravitational pull and ancient knowledge about this planet. This is just Landy feeling smart BC he skimmed over a few wiki articles for like five seconds. Move on with the damn story.

Huh, Mev dealing with the gate is pretty close to the fake cover I made.

Skul keeps getting praised as a genius but he keeps doing stupid stuff like running at three overpowered enemies surrounded by their soldiers without a goddamn plan

As much as I enjoyed Baron stepping in the way and beating the shit out of Skul while Nef watches, Baron and Mev abandoning him is fucking bullshit and exactly what I feared would happen :/ poor Nef just keeps getting captured

Aaaaand Skul's stupidity doomed the world

Ghastly's mother showed up.

"for a parley Mevolent will want to have Serpine back" THEN WHY DID HE LEAVE HIM IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE??? IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A FLICK OF HIS WRIST TO HAVE AN UNCONSCIOUS NEF FLOAT INTO HIS ARMS

They really do like putting bracelets on Nef

The voice. I can't believe Landy ripped off the fucking mouth of Sauron, what the fuck. Everybody knows LotR. Then again the Luke Skywalker thing was even worse. How is any of this legal?

FUCKING TIME TRAVELING VALKYRIE CAIN WE CAN'T GET EVEN ONE BOOK WITHOUT THST FUCKING STUPID WORTHLESS CUNT even more annoying was people predicting Valkyrie would travel back to war times ever since time travel became canon. Also there is a whole long-ass fic about exactly that premise.

The story just got a lot more convoluted and stupid. But now I know why this book is meant to be read after phase 2.

And let me guess, since Val is an overpowered Mary-Sue, they don't technically need Mev anymore to close the gate and she will do it instead

This feels like an unpleasant mix of exposition dump and getting lectured and I'm not here for it.

Nef is such a dramatic little shit, I love him!

Aaaaand he's dead.

Ah fucking hell, one of the only reasons I bought the book in the first place just died and I swear half the dialogue in this book is just about Ghastly's love life. Just continue the damn story and resurrect my bastard snek man >:/

Huh, nice trap from Mev. That's why I love the man <3 guess he must have known Nef was dead when he wasn't at the meeting and didn't take too kindly to it.

"kill him twice" "prime him for death" this plot makes less sense by the second. also, called Mev no longer being needed to close the portal.

Needless animal cruelty so you know the bad guys are the bad guys (this is not referring to the faceless followers btw)

Fighting literal children.

The Italian guy Valkyrie needs to talk to is randomly able to speak English.

And Skul turned into Vile. The scene seems like a parallel to Val turning 'permanently' into Darquesse in LSoDM

His entire skeleton got disintegrated yet that fucker put himself back together with shadows. Landy really made his shitty self-insert immortal, huh?

Saracen and Dexter are canon now apparently.

Baron and Mev are back, but it's not the same without Neffie :(

I call bullshit on Mev not instantly annihilating fighting 3 Dead Men at once, especially since they are weakened and tired.

So Valkyrie still has the black lighting but only uses it on the goddamn floor and not on the overpowered enemy she had been fighting a minute prior

Mev losing to the necromancers AGAIN is fucking bullshit

Did Ghastly just beat Baron to death? While he himself was half dead? That too is bs

Now there are multiple timelines. The one we read about and another one where Val hooks up with the Dead Men (can't tell if she is joking or not) and one that might be the same timeline where she and Mev fight together and Mev seals the portal. Aaaaand she flicked him off before leaving. This is why no one likes you, Val.

Morning After Thoughts:

I don't think we actually know what Hopeless' discipline was. But since he was a Hidden Blade too I guess it's something similar to Tanith?

I'm still not over how we got drowned in dialogue when it came to the Dead Men, yet Mev and his nasties barely spoke, especially not to each other. I think the most interaction they had was Nef saying one line to Mev and Baron smiling when they ditched Nef.

Holy fuck, Nef was done so dirty in this. He got knocked out almost instantly, left behind, captured, poisoned and then torn apart. With each Nef scene I'm more convinced he's based on someone Landy doesn't like bc he just loved fucking up Nef.

He really enjoyed watching Mev just fucking annihilate the Sanctuary side eventho I call bullshit on some scenes like Mev not instantly killing the three very exhausted Dead Men at the end of the book and Baron managing to get beaten to death after he had essentially already won.

The part in the present fucking sucked and I call so hard bullshit on Mev losing to the necromancers again. They are like a mini cult, they would not have the numbers for that even after Mev is done with the Sanctuaries. It's probably bc Landy made Vile OP AF in this 🙄 Also, this future proves Mev right about mortals.

I'm in general VERY disappointed how Mev and his generals felt at times more like set dressing than anything else. Given the synopsis, this feels like a massive bait and switch :/ You want wartime stories? Whoops, it's Val again. Fuck you.

Btw it's really hard to root for Skul and the Dad Men bc their plan is always to just rush in and start hitting stuff. At least they got some well-deserved ass-kicking for that. Meanwhile, Mev is the only one that actually comes up with plans and successfully executes them. Once again, Mev feels more like the main character than the main characters do.

But at the same time Landy can't help himself but to make a parody of Mev, especially with this 'the voice' bullshit that made Mev just look ridiculous. Landy doesn't seem to know that a good villain can make or break the story. Just look at the recent Puss in Boots movie, the villains are so good, they are what most people are talking about.

Conclusion: This feels like a massive bait-and-switch. The synopsis promised wartime stories Mev and his generals taking a central role alongside the Dead Men. Instead, it was a mix between a romance story for Ghastly and a time travel story for Valkyrie. Also, everything gets reset in the end and what we actually read is just one of the timelines she messed up before finding a conveniently easy fix. So it's NOT a prequel story as advertised, it's an alternate timeline. So everything that happens there is non-canon bc it gets reset at the end of the book anyways. So once Val and her time travelling gets revealed (or at the latest point when Nef dies) there is no reason to be invested in this story anymore bc you can tell it's just gonna get reset anyways.

[raspbrrytea]

I couldn’t leave an ask on your other account, but!! I wanted to thank you for those tags you left on those two fics of mine shdkdkdksld because SAME 😭

My god, writing them and realizing how perfect they are?? And that they don’t exist??? Albedo and Tighnari, of all people…. *sigh*

I’m glad you enjoyed them though, despite the heartache I gave you…. 👉🏼👈🏼

To my followers, I’m gonna go on a bit of a rant out of love. If you like Genshin Impact and fanfiction, check @niicevibe out, they’re amazing! (Slight nsfw mention)

Dude I was writing those tags at 2am so I couldn’t explain at length but here is exactly what I love about your writing;

Even the premise of wondering how human Albedo is, biologically. I’ve seen a couple wrote about it for Scaramouche but not Albedo!

Your realistic inclusion of awkward moments. It makes me 20x more immersed

You write them very in-character: I literally hear their voice when reading

Your choice of dialog, it’s how people really talk! The length, the word choice, the amount of Rizz or lacktherof. Also your dialog to description ratio is golden

Your characterization of the reader- it matches perfectly with how I would respond in those situations. I have a passion for the world that isn’t related to plants but it was super easy to translate it to that so I can fit into Nari’s reader. The empathetic and generous nature of Bedo’s reader is an aspect that I see in myself and I just had to focus on it.

Your description of clothes. In most fics authors want to jump to their favorite part so they go “and suddenly the clothes were gone”, not bothering to mock how RIDICULOUSLY ELABORATE GENSHIN MAKES THEM (pain in the neck for artists) besides, it’s a part of the character’s personality!!

Listen. I almost never read long fics because in tumblr it’s easy to lose your place on a post. But the timing yours have, at a pace where it feels like it’s happening as fast as things in this world? Blessed.

Fr are you a fully published author just masquerading on here

Your transitions felt smooth, I almost never felt like things were too fast or too slow.

Your depiction!!! Of emotions on the face and natural reactions!!! I’m talking about Tignari’s blank stare as he recalls something traumatic, I’m talking about Albedo’s face slowly shifting from emotionless to any of his emotions as if you could see it bloom inside of him- I LOVED IT SO MUCH

I’m just. A sucker for soft intimate and gentle stuff. And you 10000% delivered on that

Like homeboy I couldn’t sleep for another hour from the heartache I had about these characters not being real. I don’t think fanfic has ever done that to me before. (This is a thank you, not a you cause me agony btw)

You may or may not find fan art in your inbox some time in the vague future 👉👈 Thank you so much for providing this content (FOR FREE??) you’re so talented and I appreciate you so much 💗

[that-tall-queer-bassist]

okay i have so many thoughts on this that im actually going to put them in text not tags

So I often take titles very seriously, especially if im helping a friend (like @/blocksruinedme) out, and my answer? It depends on what the fic calls for.

this is the same for summaries, i dont do summaries in only one way because that would be doing an injustice to the fic.

Each fanfiction that i post needs something different. Sometimes it needs some joking tags to prepare the reader for a lighthearted fic, sometimes it needs a chunk of prose in the summary to set the expectations for flowery descriptions, and the title is absolutely crucial to this.

Lets see some examples, shall we?

closer to another shore by remrose is a scarian fic i just finished reading (highly reccomend btw, it was very good) and its got an appropriate name! its named after a poem (i believe, which is copied/linked into the end notes) and its lowercase. The fic has a tone of heartache and hope, something serious for the most part. it's got a weight to it, and takes itself seriously, and this tone is present throughout the whole fic but also in the title! it's a good title that fits very well!!!

SUPERCRITICAL by MasqueofPlague (@masque-of-plague) is an amazing superhero/reporter fic (again, scarian) and once again, the title is very fitting! Sounds like a superhero movie, and fits the energy of it well with Grian starting out very critical of HotGuy and his superhero-ing, and really just sets up expectations nicely while also keeping to the theme.

Hello, World by cricket_toast (@toasted-cricket) is a cyberpunk au with AI Mumbo and Netrunner Grian and the title!! fits so well because computers but also the very put together serious vibes of the beginning before things... get weird ( >:3 ) and I think it matches the tone very well!

to all the ships at sea by mxMallory ( @mxmallory ) is a Smalletho (also with Clethubs <3) fic that has its setting in a lighthouse, and the title captures the energy of it well, with a palpable loneliness and longing in the first few chapters that gives way to a lighter tone once we get introduced to a bucket of seal (still love that line Mal <3)

Maybe You Like Danger by BlocksRuinedMe (@blocksruinedme) is a second person pov smalletho fic, and it captures the premise in so few words, setting you up for the contents easily, and letting it take up the space it needs to with the capitalization. It demands attention, and sets up that expectation with itself. (also one of the few second person pov fics i like, and makes me Feel very intensely) (hi vee)

and because i feel like i should give an example of a title i came up with, one of my most recent (nsfw) fics is called "You smell like... carrots." because i was inspired by that canon quote to write a (honestly kind of ridiculous) fic. But the title is goofy! It sets you up for a goofy premise, without giving you false expectations! It fits, it sets the tone, and it made me laugh (which is something i wanted from that fic).

Each fic has different needs, because each is unique. Sometimes metaphors are the way to go, sometimes a line from the fic, and sometimes its a description! (see "5+1" fics, or the name of the AU (like The Pirate Witch by me))

And that's my thoughts on titles, i hope somebody enjoyed that, or at least the mcyt fic recs XD

okay. fic writers. let's talk about titles.

i personally am of the eternal lowercase crowd except for one (1) exception...i wanna know your bias and why!

[danpuff-ao3]

6 + 16 + 25 for the reader ask game

Hey there! Thanks for the asks!

6.) What's your absolute favorite works you read this year?

Oh goshhhh!!!!! How to narrow down my loves. I'll stick to fics that were posted this year, yeah? Otherwise we'll be here all day. (I do a lot of rereads!)

~ Compulsory Figures by LilaDiurne (@liladiurne)

I hate to do this to her, but like...Okay, my friend Lila is so very gifted and I adore all of her work, but Compulsory Figures blew my socks off. Smug, famous Severus and starstruck Harry???? The smut is stupid hot. I can't tell you the number of times I've reread this fic. It's ridiculous. It's a Muggle figure skating AU!!!!! All that elegance and grace and beauty I associate with figure skating and all the questionable hotness of Severus abusing his fame and power to seduce pretty boys?? Yes please and thank you.

~ Ghosts of Christmas by PinaNaponi (@vulnerasanenturmyprince)

My sweet Nina. She has produced so many excellent fics, but this one from Adopt-a-Prompt still stands out to me. Found family fluff plus family history angst. It's set at Spinner's End (which I'm always a sucker for) and features Eileen (who I'm also a sucker for.) Postwar recovery, set during Christmastime! Combines my love of Snarry in particular with my love of Severus himself, and how that love extends to learning more about his history and exploring more of where (and who) he came from and how it shaped him.

~ A Life Worth Remembering by Writcraft (@writcraft)

This is especially special since it's established Drarry that becomes Drapery. It's very rare that I can read Harry or Snape with others, even if it's both of them with others. I have very strange, specific feelings about my OTP, okay? But I've always loved Writ's work, and I knew they were very excited to get this work finished and posted, so I couldn't resist giving it a chance. And I'm so glad I did! (Should have known I could trust them!) It's such a unique premise, and it's de-aging the only way I like it (as in: retaining an age gap!) The exploration of each individual connection (between Harry and Draco, and Harry and Severus, and Draco and Severus), and how they all work together. The struggles they face. And how real and human they all feel. And while I've been able to read the occasional Drapery in the past, this is the first one that really made me see it. This convinced me it could be real, as more than just a bit of smut to scratch an itch. (For me personally, this is just about my weirdly specific ship feels LOL.)

~ The Lamb of Tartary by eldritcher

One of few WIPs I follow! Such a strange, dark fairytale-esque story! I still owe them a comment on chapter 2, I believe...Which means I need to reread, oh no. EYES. Eldritcher always has such unique ideas and such a unique writing style and every one of their works is stellar, but this one especially captured my mind and heart, and I'm so excited for the third and final chapter to be posted!

~ The Afterlight by perverse_idyll (@perverse-idyll)

Another of the very few WIPs I follow! Listen, PI has been my biggest writing crush for the longest time. I've been reading since The White Road, okay (still one of my top fave Snarries of all time, btw.) To get several new stories from PI this year was such a treat! Social Lubricant was such a joy, and I'm so excited to see where The Threefold Death goes, but The Afterlight has my heart. We're barely in the story at all but I already have a feeling it'll end up on my faves list one day, when all is said and done. Her characterizations of Harry and Severus are, as ever, fully on point and exactly how I like them, as is their electric dynamic. Her prose is as gorgeous as ever, and the story itself is full of the grit and humanity and passion I'm forever in love with. I could not be more jazzed about this story and I about die whenever I see an update. (Speaking of which, this is another one I owe a comment on...Oops! I'll get there soon, PI, I swear!)

16.) Were you comments coherent or mostly screaming?

Ahahahahaha. People tell me I'm more coherent than I think I am, so who knows. I make solid attempts at being coherent that I feel turn into babbling, rambling nonsense.

I think my comments for my favorites all turned out to be a good combination of both? Like "this work is so great and it blew my mind and it deserves me waxing poetic, but also my brain is melted so this is hard."

25.) Do you read on your phone or on your computer?

Prior to this year, I'd have said my Kindle! I was doing so good about reading all my fics there, but I got a bit lazy this year and have been reading on my phone instead. I think I've only read on my computer for helping check fest fics, or looking over fics for friends on Google docs. I don't like "checking" fics on my phone, it's easier for me to get in the right mindset for that on my computer.

ao3 wrapped: reader's edition

answered: 5, 9; 6, 16, 25

[eirenical]

I am dying to know about all of your guardian wips 👀👀👀

[In response to this post.]

(And anyone else who would like to ask about a WiP, please do! ^_^)

I AM SO GLAD SOMEONE ASKED ME ABOUT THESE.  ^__________^

OK, getting these out of the way first, because they are no longer WiPs...

cheng jie KNOWS: This is the fic that became This is Not a Shovel Talk.  ^_^  This is the fic set right after Zhao Yunlan loses his sight and Shen Wei brings him to Dr. Cheng.  Set in a much broader universe (the universe tag is “college shen wei fic”) where Dr. Cheng and Shen Wei were good friends in college, and she had taken bb!Shen Wei, fresh-faced from Dixing (and millenia underground OTZ) under her wing and he imprinted on her like a baby duckling.  ^_^

FEET: I’m sure anyone who’s been following me for a hot second recognizes what this must be.  ;D  It’s the fic that became The Inherent Intimacy of Walking Barefoot Around Someone Else's Home... which is NOT a foot fetish fic, no matter how much Zhao Yunlan thought it might be.  XD  It’s about the INTIMACY.  The YEARNING.  FINDING HOME IN EACH OTHER.  It’s about the DOMESTICITY OF IT ALL, OK?  ...also a ridiculously hot picture of a barefoot Zhu Yilong looking like an absolute thirst trap, BUT WHO’S COUNTING.  XD  (...you’re welcome.  ^_^)  All fic notes and posts can be found under the tag “the foot fic,” because I’m just original that way.  ;D

And now on to the actual WiPs! ^_^

...but behind a cut because this is getting long.

buried and stabbed bookjoyworm: OK, so this one actually... may be self-explanatory.  XD  I reblogged this writing meme yesterday, and bookjoyworm was RIGHT THERE with this suggestion: “trapped under something and stabbed/impaled for weilan.”  (I’m still taking prompts for this writing meme, BTW, if anyone is interested.  ^_^)  And my mind IMMEDIATELY latched on to the idea of some kind of a car accident or cave in where Shen Wei got everyone else out, but was then crushed under the debris/trapped in the crushed car himself.  And he’s half out of it because a piece of debris is literally pierced through his body and he’s slowly suffocating, and he’s the other half out of it because he’s flashing back to the millenia he spent trapped and buried alive and his brain just kind of shut down in panic.  Of course, they’re eventually going to get him out and he’s going to be fine, but HE IS NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME, IN THE MEANTIME.  And I know this is weilan, but I’m on a Shen Wei and Da Qing kick atm, so there is also going to be a little bit of “even as rotund as he is, Da Qing can squeeze through the debris and reach Shen Wei and helps act as a lifeline when Zhao Yunlan has to stop talking because he’s going hoarse.”  ^_^

Shen Wei college fic 01: ...exactly what it says on the box?  ;D  This is the first snippet of what will eventually become the larger universe from “This is Not a Shovel Talk.”  Takes place the first day of orientation with Cheng Xingyan taking a bb!faced Shen Wei under her wing. First bit is actually posted here, if you’d like to read it.  ^_^  Labeled “01″ because I see this being a series of shorter fic, much like the “Care and Training of a Former Megalomaniac” series.  ^_^

Mirror Mirror (x this short film that Z1L did with Li Bingbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48K8Q7JyrNU): Oh, I am EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE.  I am... currently in the process of taking a lot of it apart and rewriting it, but I’m still very excited.  ^_^  First of all, I recommend watching the YouTube link.  It’s a short film (~6 minutes); it’s set in the year 2084 on the Moon.  But here is the gist of it: a woman (LBB) has come to see an art installation of multiple mirrors.  The exhibit is about to close, but the curator (Z1L) keeps it open for her, conversing with her as she looks at the mirrors, but eventually becoming too overcome with emotion to continue talking.  She eventually follows the exhibit around to the stairs that lead up to the office and confronts the curator.  It turns out they have a history.  By the end, you get the definite feeling that there is a reconciliation (...and maybe more?) in their future.

So of course, I IMMEDIATELY went... omg... what a GREAT concept for a Guardian reincarnation story.  *_*  So, the basic premise is that drama canon pretty much went as drama canon goes.  Some 30-40 years later, Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are reincarnated.  Shen Wei doesn’t remember anything at first, but he’s haunted by his image in the mirror, convinced that the boy he sees in his reflection isn’t him, but is instead someone else.  (Spoiler: Because it is.  Two guess as to who and the first one doesn’t count. ;D)

He has... a rough go of it.  He starts pursuing art as a way to try to purge the half-memories and images that haunt him, eventually fleeing for the isolation of this installation on the moon, because he can’t handle the oppressive concern of everyone around him for his sanity.

Zhao Yunlan, OTOH, was orphaned as a child, but found and adopted very quickly by Da Qing and Zhang Shi.  I don’t think he remembers his former life, at all, but most of the major players are there; it’s only been 30-40 years and even the humans could still be alive by then.  He’s been following Shen Wei’s art for a while, fascinated by the young brilliant recluse, some nagging sensation of familiarity telling him that this person is special, and more importantly, special to HIM.  He eventually saves up the money to go to the Moon and see the mirror installation.  (By this point, Shen Wei has his memory back and he is absolutely floored that Zhao Yunlan just... waltzed into his exhibit like that, and he doesn’t even know how to begin to process it.)  The rest of the fic follows the short film canon, only this time it’s Zhao Yunlan seeing Shen Wei and just... KNOWING.  And then they live happily ever after.  ^_^

[violetfaust]

Maybe Crowley isn’t Raphael...but Aziraphale is?

(Probably this has been hashed out a million times but I haven’t seen it yet.)

Inspired by this post (which is very smart and does not say this at all).

Because Raphael, as the fourth in the pop culture boy band of archangels, is pretty conspicuously missing from Good Omens. And after all, if Az’s name was spelled in typical angel fashion, it would be AziRaphael.

And while we don’t see a lot of angelic or demonic healing in the show, Az does immediately (instinctively?) heal Anathema’s broken wrist and he does Lazurate the dead dove after Warlock’s party. (A switch from the book, btw, in which it’s Crowley who revives the dove.) Is Crowley’s “Oh Lord, heal this bike” a little dig at Az’s tendency to heal or fix things?

I’ve always liked the headcanon that Az was originally a cherub(im?) demoted to principality because of his dereliction of duty in allowing a certain serpent to tempt the humans in Eden (the Bible says that the angels placed with flaming swords to the East of Eden were cherubim). To me it explains a lot about both his constant anxiety about setting a foot wrong and the disdain that the other angels, especially the archangels, seem to have for him. Is liking human food and culture SO terrible when other angels enjoy aspects of it as well? (”Yes, I like the clothes,” says Gabriel.)

But what if that were Az’s second demotion? 

One of the few things we know about Aziraphale pre-Garden is that he fought in the Great War(tm) between the angels and the fallen, and that Neil Gaiman believes he was a platoon leader in that war. Suppose that you are an angel either created to or having a wish to heal, and instead the celestial bureaucracy told you to fight and to make others fight. Even if you were good at it, wouldn’t you hate it? Might that not enrage the other archangels so they kick you literally downstairs--but not all the way. Just to the middle ground, to give you a chance to redeem yourself. And then former Raphael, to their minds, failed for a second time.

This also adds an additional sting to Uriel’s contemptuous “You really think Upstairs will take your call? You’re ridiculous.” It’s not just a measly principality trying to get through, but someone who’s been TWICE...reprimanded.

There are a lot of in-story, character-based reasons why I’ve never been onboard with the Crowley-as-Raphael headcanon (although I’ve read some amazing fics with that premise), but it’s also based on mythology: Raphael was supposed to have many interactions as an angel with humans throughout history, which is obviously impossible for Crowley, who had fallen before humanity was created. But works out perfectly for Aziraphale (although why humans couldn’t get his name right will, alas, remain a sticking point...).