#the secret country: chapter 20

[theannotateddean]

“Let the Third Riddler come forth,” said the huntsman.

Ruth came forward. […]

“Who is Claudia, what is she?” said Ruth, and Patrick made a muffled snort. “Does your high court commend her?” finished Ruth, and sent Patrick a look almost as alarming as the lion’s.

The unicorn paused, flicking an ear.

“Subtle, fair, and wise is she,” it said, and although its voice had no expression as human voices do, Ted could have sworn that somewhere in its answer there was a touch of delighted malice. “But none of ours did send her.”

Chapter 20, The Secret Country

Both Ruth’s question and the unicorns’ reply are adaptations of lines from William Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act IV, Scene 2:

Who is Silvia? what is she,  That all our swains commend her?  Holy, fair and wise is she;  The heaven such grace did lend her,  That she might admired be. 

[gremlingottoosilly]

Cabin in the woods (yan!Konig x fem!Reader x yan!Horangi)

You and your friend group are definitely not a part of a typical slasher movie. Two weird guys you met at the corner store somewhere in rural Austria definitely not serial killers. You are definitely going to be saved. You are definitely not going to like being their little trophy.

TW: Yandere, Age gap(Reader in her early 20, murder husband in their late 30), Serial Killers, Mild Gore, Extreme dub-con(Bordering cnc), Blood, Horror, Kidnapping

CHAPTER 1 You meet two weird locals at the corner store in a city in the middle of Austrian woods. Your timid nature is going to be your downfall.

Come to the woods, your assholes-of-a-friend said. Come on, he said, I know that for someone like you, dwelling in some shitty forest for three or more days only to drink mediocre beer and probably have even more mediocre sex while mosquitos are biting at your vagina sounds like your worst nightmare, but! Have you considered it could be fun? 

Yeah, you have considered it. Considered it, thought about it and already decided not to engage with the idea. Spending the holiday in your own country, your own city and by your computer was far better than running around some random Austrian forest – and so you decided to kinda…ditch the idea. 

Considering what happened in the next few days, you really should have been more true to your words. 

Because you agreed to the proposition – because you don’t want to antagonize your friends, because you already feel strained from them, because they are assholes and they continue to be assholes but they are the only ones you have. Maybe you shouldn’t rot in your room, maybe you should agree to spend Spring break with them, getting drunk in the woods and maybe chasing some wild boars across the place. 

— Sorry. 

Some asshole – not the friend one, just an asshole in general, like everyone else in this fucking country that is so stuck up at being in the woods and mountains, that you are literally going to be sick – took the last remaining bottle of coke that was still left on the shelve. You were not having it because it was almost night already, the last remaining store open in the area, and you needed your sugar fix and something to mix alcohol with so you wouldn’t get drunk and stupid immediately. 

You aren’t letting go of the bottle. 

The guy doesn’t let go either. 

— Sorry, I think I got it first. 

You hate how weak your voice is. Never be the active, social one of your friends, you’re stuck being just a dumb girl who has literally everyone walking all over her. You decided to dig your heels into the ground and sent this asshole where he belongs – so, your grip on the bottle intensifies. 

— Haven’t seen you. 

He tugs the bottle back to him – and he has some arm strength, surprisingly for someone in this town. To be quite honest, you are too intimidated by his deep, annoyed voice to even consider looking at him, so you don’t know what the guy looks like. Maybe it’s an MMA champion – celebrity shop at some weird corner stores in abandoned Austrian cities too. 

— I am very sorry, but I really, really need this bottle. 

You don’t, actually. There are multiple bottles of Pepsi right here, and not like you have a very specific preference for the drink that is bad for you. You just got tired of people walking all over you, tired of your friends that constantly getting you into their shenanigans without asking for your opinion and you just want something good happening to you at least once. So, you tug the bottle back to you, and press it against your chest, hoping that whoever this man is will get the memo and get the fuck away from you until you’ll get your pepper spray. Ah, right, you forgot to bring one…well, he doesn’t have to know about that. 

— What do you need this bottle for? 

— Important reasons. Secret reasons.

The man sneered and you finally got a good look at him. And…fuck. 

Tall, broad, maybe more on the leaner side, but you can clearly see his tight muscles that form this perfect, thin type of masculinity that makes you think about greet athletes and that weird webtoon you were occasionally reading because you don’t have anything better to do with your life. You lick your lips, nervously, suddenly aware of the fact that you wear some old hoodie, battered jeans, and exactly zero makeup – you were supposed to get chased by the bears in the forest, not a meet-cute annoying strangers. 

He is Korean if little doodles on his jacket and an accent are saying the truth. You force yourself to get your gaze away from the mask that was covering more than half of his face, black glasses that obstruct the view even more, and messy black hair – the only thing about his appearance that you can actually see. 

Maybe, it’s good that you can’t see his face – you need to get out of here, preferably with a bottle of coke and some other snacks before your friends start questioning why the only person who didn’t want to go is so reluctant about leaving the store. Besides, it’s already almost closing time and you need to gather your thoughts. With a deep sigh, you push the bottle closer to you. 

But this time, he didn’t humor you with softness. He kept it close to himself and suddenly, you are very aware of how much weaker you are than him. You could put up a good fight against a mouse, maybe, a squirrel on a good day – but in this tugging match, you were no, pun intended, match for him. You look closely at his cargo jacket – the patches look official, normal, making you think about the military and what the fuck Korean soldier is doing in the small town somewhere in the rural, touristy-foresty-mountainy part of Austria. 

— Please, sir, it’s getting silly. 

— Yes, it is. Give up now. 

He has that weird calmness in his voice – a low grumble that makes you shiver, the urge to just give up your control and present him your neck like a good pet makes you want to vomit. God, it’s humiliating – you just hope that your friends won’t be here to witness your utter humiliation. 

— I really, really need this bottle. Please? 

You master your best puppy eyes, looking at him with a half-lidded gaze, hoping he has at least a somewhat working and aching heart inside of his lean, muscular chest. The dark glasses of his don’t allow you to see his face clearly, but you can feel how he slowly eyes you from head to toe, slowing down at how much your hands are trembling at the confrontation. 

In a normal situation, you would give up already. But this isn’t a normal situation – you wanted to learn how to be brave, independent, and stand up for yourself in small things, even if your friends still going to swirl you around into making dumb decisions. 

— I was the first to grab it. Why should I give it to you? 

His voice is mesmerizing – you didn’t expect something as deep from a random stranger in the corner shop and here you are, embarrassed, cheeks heated because you want to ditch your friends and look at the random guy you just met. Ah, the tragedy of meeting someone remotely attractive and closer to your age – or at least looking like it – in a mundane place so that the horny thoughts would make room inside your head. 

— Because this would cheer me up really nice, sir. 

You master even puppier eyes – and you lick your lips some more, hoping to elongate the point of how shitty your day was, and how nice it would be, just to have a bottle of coke to cheer you up. Man lets go of a grumpy noise, shaking his head. 

“Fucking tourists” he mutters – and you feel even more embarrassed immediately. If anything, he is probably a tourist too! 

— Sir? So the coke-stealer has manners after all. 

His laugh is dry, and you want to take the bottle and leave – but when you yank it closer, he doesn’t let go. If anything, he grabs it even firmer, thin plastic deforms under his touch, and the tactical gloves he is wearing are only empathizing with the vast difference between you and him. 

— I’m not a coke-stealer. I had dibs on this bottle. 

He stares at you, tilting his head to the side. You look stubborn, like an angry little kitten – and, god fucking dammit, Horangi loved cats. Always wanted to get one or two, adorable furballs that would lay on him and Konig, maybe destroy the wildlife around their house. he loved cats and never had time to take care of them because of their combined jobs – so when he looks at this stubborn little woman – little more in her posture than actual size – he feels all the desire to take a kitten home gets straight into his pants. 

He has to find Konig. Ah, and get the bottle back. 

— Dibs don’t matter if you can’t even hold it. So, the bottle is mine. 

— Sir, if anything, this bottle can’t belong to you yet. You haven’t paid for it! 

— You too. 

— But I will. 

— Just as I am. 

He chuckles, more amused than anything. You look angry, you look pissed, you munch on your lower lip nervously because you don’t want this man to walk all over you, but you also really want his – it belongs to the state, actually – coke. So, you yank it one last time, already preparing to give up and drink Pepsi as the loser woman you are. 

Instead, the bottle goes right into your hand with ease – and you fall on your back, losing the connection between your legs and the ground. You prepare to fall and crack your head on the floor, just like a wet kitten of a person you are. 

Instead, you stumble into…something. You want to say that it’s something soft, maybe a snack aisle or the pillows that are being sold in this store for some reason, but this mysterious “something” under your cheek is firm, tense and warm. 

Just like in the worst romantic comedies you ever saw, you are crushed into a broad male’s chest. Don’t mess it up with another man’s broad chest, those are actually two very different individuals and the concentration of pecks on the square meter already makes you feel uneasy. You bite your lips nervously, wanting nothing more but to disappear – you finally have the bottle in your hands and you can swiftly retreat to the cashier on the other side of the shop, but the man behind you stops you. 

— What’s going on, Tigeren? 

Ah, good. The wall of muscles behind you smells of generic male deodorant and something metallic – and has the voice of a Greek god mixed with the most stereotypical Austrian accent ever. Not like you are an expert on accents or voices or tones because you’re not sure that Greek gods would have such high and grumbling voices, but you stand not corrected, drowning in your bad decisions. 

You feel the firm hold on your shoulder gently put you away slightly, as the man comes to touch the asshole’s hand. Softly, gently, you want someone to touch you like this. You lift your gaze from the pair and…

Did you miss a Halloween party with the tough rule of wearing a mask all the time, even when you’re going out to grab some more snacks? You lower your gaze from the man who also wears a generic black mask and dark glasses, your eyes slowly go down to his pants and…

Did you miss a horse-riding party? 

— Some tourist tried to steal my coke. Nothing, Ko. 

— I’m not a tourist. 

You mumble, under your breath. You don’t want to be here – the area suddenly becomes intoxicating, you feel out of place and you want to run away as fast as possible but the only thing you can do is to just strive on, hoping that you’d at least keep your beverage with you. You take a step to the side, hoping to retreat quietly, like a ninja – but they both notice and turn to your side immediately. 

— This is a dangerous place, lady. 

The tall guy – well, they are both tall, but the second one is fucking enormous, towering over the shelves and making you feel insignificant compared to him – grumbles it gently, almost carefully. You are inclined to listen to him, taking up his words like a damned prophecy. You know this place is dangerous – it’s a forest in the mountains of Austria, of course, it is dangerous, you tried to tell your friends this, but…well, to no avail. Useless as usual. 

— I’m aware, thank you. Can I…excuse me, I will leave now. 

— With my coke. 

Korean guy snorts, the clear amusement in his voice. You don’t like the way he emphasizes the point of you stealing it from him – you both are entitled to it, if anything, he is the weird one to think that he has some special dibs for this. The bottle is already warmed up from your combined touches and you groan from the fact – now you will have to choke on the warm cola while all of your friends have fun with their dumb alcohol cocktails and ice cubes and everything you forgot to bring because you were the last one to get here. Because you were the last one they asked to join – feeling like an afterthought, you lick your lips nervously. 

— Of course. The one you wrestled out of my hold. 

— You let go of it, sir. 

— Didn’t want to make a scene with a little thing like you. 

You feel the tips of your ears burning. Oh, how you wanted to punch both of them – the tall one and the slightly less tall one, both chuckling like a pair of grannies on the porch. Like this fucking place needed more bears. 

— You should be careful around these parts. Weird things going around. 

The mountain has spoken again – weird, but all of his phrases feel more like something straight up from a horror movie. Combined with the eerie dim light of the tiny store and his mask, it sent a shiver down your spine. Gosh, you need to watch fewer horror movies and read less terrible dark romance books. You are jumpy, nervous, anxious, everything that doesn’t combine well with a forest trip. 

You take a step back and the blue eyes follow you. When did he take off his sunglasses? Why do they both need sunglasses at night? 

He looks at you and, fucks sake, you stumble into the aisle again. With a bottle of coke in your hand, which isn’t the best weapon in the world, you stumble to the cashier. 

Cold gaze follows you. Oh, how he follows you. 

You nervously bring the coke bottle to the old man behind the counter, listening to the tired German speech – you recognize the numbers, memorize the price of a single bottle, and yet…you feel the eyes glue to your back as you desperately rummage through your pockets. You swear to god that you had cash on you this exact morning – but you go through your pockets, through your backpack, and try to search for maybe some old cents and cards. 

Nothing. 

God, you feel like a failure – embarrassed that you wasted so much time trying to get this bottle only to put it back on the shelf in defeat and…

— On me. Move your ass, tourist. 

The Korean guy notches your side and you glare at him with a mix of anger and shame – he pays for the bottle, probably grinning from how well he taught this annoying as fuck tourist a lesson, and also for the few snacks he bought, probably for himself and his…friend? Boyfriend? 

You move your ass obediently, going out of the store, and your head hangs low in defeat. Your friends are smoking outside, everyone is visibly annoyed with how long it took you only to go out empty-handed. Jenny, one of your girlfriends, a tall brunette with a perfect fucking body that shouldn’t belong to someone in the real world and not 90-era comedies, looks…worried. 

You went to ask her what was wrong, but she shook her head, looking somewhere behind you. 

You stare at the ground, watching as your shriveled shadow from the single-store light swiftly being absorbed by someone’s much larger frame. You gulp, not wanting to look behind you, knowing what – or who – you might want. 

Tall guy with a…coke bottle? Well, you weren’t expecting that. He gives you the bottle and you can almost see the condescending smile on his face as his fingers linger on your hand for longer than they should be. You take the offer, not really understanding what the fuck is really going on. 

— Thank…you? 

— No problem, kleine. 

You can hear the smile in his voice and your hands are trembling. Jenny looks at you with surprise, clearly not expecting nerdy ol’ you to pull someone so…well, not nerdy and maybe old. 

— What the fuck? Who is…

— I’ll explain in the car, alright? 

— Did you drop it or something? 

— I…I think I lost my wallet. Have you seen it? 

She stops for a second, thinking. There are a few things Jenny is good at – burning the tip of her tongue with a lighter, wearing crop tops, eating men alive (unless they are the most annoying ones alive). Lying isn’t one of them – not because she is a good person, but because she would rather flip your shit upside down and make you as upset as she possibly could. 

— Chad took it. Said you’d find the nearest bus to get the fuck out of here if you’d have it. 

He…

You can’t fucking believe this. All this humiliation because her annoying boyfriend didn’t want you to ruin this little unfriendly gathering. You feel angry tears in the corners of your eyes, almost ready to sniffle like the needy thing you are. God, you’re weak and pathetic and…

The Austrian guy behind you coughs, attracting attention. 

— Ladies like you shouldn’t go out this late. Bad things might happen. 

Jenny snorted and you already wanted to close your eyes. She was clearly not having it and she had a very short temper – you take a step back, towards her, hoping to set her down. Instead, she took one look at your pleading expressions, and it made her even more annoyed. She was never good with locals. 

— We’re getting out of this dump as soon as possible, sir. Didn’t ask for your opinion though. 

He chuckles and the sound sends a shiver down your spine. 

— Just wanted to warn you. Tourists are disappearing around these parts. 

— We’re not some dumb tourists. 

— Ach? You aren’t? 

Jenny fails to hear the amusement in her voice. You tuck the Coke bottle in your arms, hoping that they would stop. 

— We’re not a bunch of dumb tourists and we will call the police if you’d proceed harassing us. 

— Just wanted to give your friend what she forgot. Keep an eye on each other, ja? 

— We will. Fuck off before I’m calling the 9-1-1, verstehen? 

You feel even more embarrassed as she storms off to the truck where Chad and everyone else is staying, not even paying you a glance – too used to your sorry ass going right after her, like a lapdog that your other friend likes to bring everywhere in her tiny pink purse. 

You sigh, feeling horrible. The guy is creepy. Tall, looming over everyone, both of them are fucking terrifying – but they paid for the coke and the Austrian one is genuinely trying to tell you something. A bit paranoid, maybe, but you see the cargo jacket he is wearing, so he is probably either a paranoid survivalist or maybe a part of the military. You like having someone worried about your safety, even in more of a scary horror movie-esque form. 

— I’m…sorry for Jenny. She isn’t always like this, we’re just tired after a long road. 

— You were driving whole day? 

— We’re, um…on a trip. You know, a little getaway in the woods. Would have been nice. 

The giant tilts his head to the side. You just noticed that his hands are twitching a little, fidgeting with the bottom part of his jacket. You find it almost cute, endearing in a way – at least he is as anxious about talking to you as you are to him. You find yourself also fidgeting on the bottle, swirling it in your hands, never understanding what you should do in a somewhat normal social situation. 

— Be careful, kleine Hase. Like I said, it’s a dangerous place for young ladies like you. 

The way he said it, calling you a young lady, made him look extremely old – and made you feel even more embarrassed and uncertain about your future. Here you are, wasting your youth on shitty road trips to Austrian woods instead of reading horror books and watching romance movies. 

— Thank you, sir. I…I’ll keep that in mind. 

— Are you two alone on the trip? 

Alright, it was a bit creepy. his cold blue gaze bores in your face, making you feel small. 

— No, Our male friends are with us. 

He humms, almost sounding amused. 

— Good. Wouldn’t want it to be too easy. 

— Sorry? 

— Wouldn’t want someone bad to hurt you so easily. 

You smile. He is nice, even if a bit creepy – you nod slightly, taking a step towards the truck, since everyone else already got in and you still have a long road to the place of your camp. 

— Thank you for the bottle, sir. 

— You are welcome. Keep yourself safe, ja? 

You nod. 

Keeping yourself safe sure does sound nice. You can do it, right? (You can’t,  but you don’t know that yet)

[luxurychristmaspudding]

FUTUREPROOF | Masterlist

joel miller x f!reader

summary: joel miller can't remember the last time he was starstruck. so it takes him by surprise to be lost for words in front of you. with his daughters begging him to at least take a picture with the hottest rockstar in town, joel gives you your first real glimmer of warmth since your move to la. what follows is an unlikely friendship, the talk of the tabloids. but what if there's truth behind the rumours? how long can a secret stay secret, and how long until you're forced to leave each other alone?

pairing: rockstar!reader x country star!joel

ratings/warnings: 18+, MDNI. joel gets both his daughters bc i'm a sap :) unspecified age gap (i guess joel is in his 40s and reader late 20s? but have at it!). check individual chapters for warnings, but there will be: drinking, swearing, pining, idiots in love, bad friends, LOTS of smut, joel miller's whore mouth, angst, drug talk, and plenty of glitz and glam.

reader has hair and is generally able bodied, but is otherwise undescribed.

an: for my real life rockstars, who i am eternally grateful to call my friends and have hold my hands. i love you.

prologue - mdb

part i - diamonds and pearls

part ii - comfortable

part iii - censor

part iv - satisfied

part v - tempt you

part vi - parachute

part vii - tourniquet

part viii - foreign language

part ix - thinkin' bout you

part x - i forgot to be your lover

extras

MEET COPILOT

-> ADIE GILMAN -> CAM ROBERTSON -> JACK ETZLER -> VIC WALKER

moodboard

*chapters may change*

follow @pudding-notifs for updates!

[ddwcaph-game]

The Narrativium Update Has Arrived!

Retcon the narrative to your heart's content in the latest update to...

Dear Diary, We Created a Plot Hole! is written as a love letter to all the kids-at-heart out there, who’d like to revisit their childhood and reimagine it as one big fantasy adventure.

If you like episodic shows and stories with a deeper overarching narrative, then this story is just for you!

🌌 【Play it here!】 🌌

~ 608,000 total wordcount (including code) ~ 99,000 additional words (including code) ~ New average playthrough of 129,000 words! (up from 115k)

14 New Secrets/Variations to Discover, 25 New Trinkets to collect, 9 New Sidequests, 4 New Achievements!

6 New Character Traits, 12 New Ancestry Passives, 2 New Phobias, 4 New Status Effects!

Revamped Heritage Passives!

Retcon the narrative and your choices with the new Narrativium Points mechanic!

Revamped Health & Intimidation Stats, Traits and EXP System!

Revamped Chapter 1 Twin Fight Scene!

Added new Sleepover Branch!

Updated bestfriend scenes!

Crush sidequests can now be declined!

You can now change what your MC calls certain characters via the diary!

Added more backstory details about MC's dad, and you can now choose his home country if MC is Half-Filipino!

Increased save slots to 20!

New and improved gender and pronoun options!

Updated diary entries!

Updated content warnings to include themes that will appear in future chapters!

Fixed missing background music!

Tons of new choices, edits, adjustments, and additional flavor text/variations/characterization details!

Roselyna is now approximately 20% more huggable!

The Trinkets & Secrets Guide has also been updated!

If you encounter any errors, or have any questions or feedback, feel free to send me an ask. The complete change log for the update is almost 400 lines long, so I hope it was worth the wait! 😊

[toxic3mmy]

Star Struck

prompt: you get a message from alex on tumblr

hai lovely peeps <3

this is gonna be a short little book type thing with a few more chapters to come

i hope you guys enjoy!

ps- ill try my best to update this series at least once a week!!!

you mindlessly scrolled through tumblr. yes it wasn’t 2015 anymore but you still used the app religiously. you had a good number of followers, too.

you posted about all the emo and alternative music you were into and not to mention the youtubers who you loved.

your number one favorite youtuber was alexis quackity. you related to him in many different ways. he made you laugh on days you weren’t doing too well. he meant a lot to you, even if you didn’t know him personally and it was all most likely just an internet personality.

still, you found yourself talking about his latest let’s talk streams or even his random tweets. you loved having a community of online mutuals that felt the same way about quackity.

____

halfway across the country, alexis sat cross-legged on the floor of his cluttered apartment, surrounded by a sea of empty takeout boxes and energy drink cans. his eyes were glued to the computer screen, the glow from the monitor reflecting off his square-rimmed glasses. his mouse hand hovered over the keyboard, poised to respond to the endless stream of comments that flooded his youtube channel. his thumbs danced across his phone, scrolling through the notifications that seemed to never end.

it had been a wild ride for alexis since he started streaming games and posting videos under the moniker 'Quackity'. the fame had come quickly, and with it, the adoration of millions of fans around the globe.

sometimes alex would take the time and look through his community of devoted fans. he would use throwaway accounts to simply be unknown for once and just see what there was out there.

his fans were so unbelievably talented. many of them were amazing artists making portraits of him or even writing songs for him. some were even exceptional writers and the fanfiction stories he’d come across were actually pretty good.

amidst the digital chaos, one fan seemed to stand out from the rest. y/n, with her username 'Y/NIsNotHere', had caught his attention with her thoughtful comments and unyielding support. He clicked on her tumblr profile, and there it was: a fan account dedicated solely to him.

her profile was a shrine to his digital persona, filled with meticulously edited gifs, screenshots from his streams, and heartfelt notes about how his content had changed her life. Alexis felt a strange mix of flattery and curiosity. he hovered over the 'send message' button, his heart racing with excitement.

what did she look like? what was her voice like? would she be as amazing as she seemed? with a deep breath, he typed out a simple hello.

granted, he was using a secret throwaway tumblr account so he didn’t expect for an immediate response. and yet, the response still came rather quickly.

Y/Nisnothere: hi! whats up?

emoboy666_: nothing much, just surfin da web. so you’re a fan of quackity?

Y/Nisnothere: yeah im definitely a huge fan. there’s just something about him you know? he’s different, he makes me feel okay

alexis’ cheeks heated up after reading the compliment. he smiled softly as he continued to message you

emoboy666_: i totally get you! it’s nice to be distracted from things

Y/Nisnothere: for sure! so tell me about yourself

emoboy666_: well, im in my early 20s.. im mexican, i love video games and art….. oh and you can just call me A

Y/Nisnothere: well im 21, im also mexican, im also really into all things artsy and nerdy and well, emo lol, and you can just call me y/n :3

emoboy666_: i’m glad we have some things in common! your blog is really cool btw, it’s like a hidden gem amongst the cyber world

Y/Nisnothere: aw thanks! that’s really sweet of you to say <3

emoboy666_: no prob (: so, what are you doing right now?

Y/Nisnothere: oh not much, trying to do homework but getting distracted by tumblr and twitter lol. and u?

emoboy666_: oh same here, what do you study?

Y/Nisnothere: i’m studying art

emoboy666_: that’s awesome! maybe you should show me some of your work sometime

Y/Nisnothere: yeah! id love to (:

emoboy666: me too (:

Y/Nisnothere: (: <3

the two of you continued to message each other practically all night. you were happy to have made a new online friend and alexis was happy to get to know one of his fans.

neither of you truly knew who was on the other end of the phone but you still really enjoyed talking to one another. it was refreshing for the two of you.

you fell asleep with thoughts of your new friend, A

[lucawrites11]

navigation post

hi, you can call me luca. i'm 20, use they/them pronouns and i am the anonymous writing the woso bits and bobs series on ao3

my asks are always open, please send me your questions, thoughts, headcanons, prompts, requests etc. (i do see them all but i will only reply to prompts/requests when i write them)

i am a lifelong newcastle united fan and currently just follow a load of woso teams while i wait for them to get out of the third tier of english football this includes but is not limited to arsenal, barcelona and man city and never includes chelsea for personal reasons. i love football tactics and stuff as well and always love to talk about it :))

(i just want to add that this is my secondary blog so if you don't see me interacting with posts and other blogs - it's because i can't)

masterlist:

leah williamson/alessia russo

make this the best dream i've ever known

complete: seven chapters

alessia invites leah over after united play arsenal for lasagne

[a hint of slow burn, first kiss, euros 2022]

i can't keep up

complete: one shot

alessia misses the uwcl qualifying penalty and breaks down

[hurt/comfort, established relationship]

maybe i should have called you first (but i was dying to get to you)

complete: six chapters

five times leah and alessia drive three hours to see each other and one time they don't need to anymore

[5+1, fluff, established relationship, acls]

you said it looked better on me than it did you

complete: one shot

leah steals alessia's clothes, alessia gets her revenge

[fluff, sharing clothes, wwc 2023]

tears are the words the heart can't say

complete: one shot

leah does her acl playing her girlfriend's team

[hurt/comfort, major character injury]

for better, for worse

complete: one shot

leah deals with endometriosis after a concussion

[hurt/comfort, fluff, established relationship]

is forever enough? (the series)

if i know what love is, it's because of you

complete: one shot

prequel: leah and alessia's chaotic proposals (can be read as a standalone)

[marriage proposals, idiots in love]

how long do you wanna be loved? (is forever enough?)

complete: twenty-nine chapters

leah and alessia's journey to expanding their little family

[ivf, pregnancy, SO MUCH FLUFF, marriage]

never knew the best was yet to come

incomplete: chapter two of thirteen

emilia russo-williamson is here, follow the first thirteen months of her life

[kid!fic, fluff, marriage]

jenni hermoso/alexia putellas

it's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday

complete: three chapters

jenni and alexia have been broken up for over a year and are living in different countries but then they have the world cup

[angst with a happy ending, fluff, suggestive, slow burn (ish)]

mapi leon/ingrid engen

i wouldn't know where to start

complete: one shot

ingrid has just opened her own tattoo studio in barcelona. mapi goes along to check it out and develops a crush

[fluff, getting together, tattoo artist au]

hei!

incomplete: chapter five of six

mapi has a crush on the pretty new midfielder on the team and ingrid has a pretty big secret

[fluff, angst with a happy ending, kid!fic, sick!fic, coffee]

ellie carpenter/daniëlle van de donk

you'll always be my favorite new year's kiss

complete: one shot

ellie and daan get together in new year's eve

[age gap relationship, first kiss]

you know what the best part of today was? i got the chance to fall in love with you all over again

one shot collection

ellie meets daan's daughter as her girlfriend after dating for almost a year

[fluff, kid!fic]

evie bronze

the missing pieces (of our souls)

one shot collection

lucy's daughter, evie bronze, is iconic in the women's football world

[lucy/ona, past lucy/keira, keira/laura, fluff, angst with a happy ending]

[waddlewaddlewaddlewaddle]

ᵤₙfₒᵣₜᵤₙₐₜₑₗy ₛₘᵢₜₜₑₙ ₍ₘₐfᵢₐ bₒₛₛ! Gₒⱼₒ ₓ ᵣₑₐdₑᵣ₎

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Summary: Life leads you to treacherous roads after deciding to enter the dangerous life you knew well not to follow.Having gojo by your side inviting you deeper and deeper into all that’s wrong in the world, inciting you to be selfish and carefree wasn’t supposed to be to your liking, so why do you shiver with adrenaline every time he decides to be the devil on your shoulder?

Contents: Mafia boss gojo x secretary reader.(civilian au ig)

-Secret crush Gojo!

-Yandere Gojo

-Physical altercation I guess.

-angst.

Gojo being an egocentric bitch! Wealthy gojo! X no nonsense reader.

Warnings: trigger warning if you’re not interested in anything mafia like drugs or violence related. The narration of this story is inspired by Latin and Asian mafia.

Wc:3k

🏷:@busyreader17 @starlight5cat @xavlyzn (I love y’all for tuning in I appreciate your comments🫶🏻🫶🏻)

Chapter 3

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Some dew drops are seen sliding down the windows of a custom Gulf Stream jet ;due to the rain as it lands on a clandestine pathway in the city of Shanghai, China.

As the wheels below the jet deploy you feel a soft warm hand tap you on shoulder waking you up out of your slumber, as you feel the jet tremble due to the landing;you gasp yourself awake due to the strange circumstances of your awakening.

-“Good morning Miss, I hope your flight with us has been lovely. I’ll leave you a cup of coffee ,a bottle of water and some ibuprofen in the case that you require them. Mr Gojo and Mr Geto are waiting for you outside the jet so you can all head to Báisè de huā villa. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll be taking my leave.-“ Said the flight attendant before taking a bow then leaving.

You wink your eyes in hopes that I’ll help you understand what the fuck she just said,since you slept too little, you were still a bit drunk from all the whiskey from a few hours ago. You popped an ibuprofen then exited the master bedroom which you don’t remember getting into. You notice that your top is now lingering a scent of a mens cologne, but you shrug the thought off and conclude that the alcohol is just messing up your senses.

As you strut through cabin corridor,you quickly spot the jet door.Which leads you to an unknown country full of posibilites or new found problems. You tip tap down the jet stairs in hopes of finding warmth in one of the 5 Ford Everest parked by the path way, but you soon notice that in front of you is your boss and his god mother standing proudly before 2 lines of 20 men , 10 on each side forming a hallway to the vehicles while respectfully bowing down to them. Out of instinct you decide to take a step back to process the power demonstration being held before your boss, you knew he was a shady man but you’ve also never thought of him like anything else but a coworker; as you take a step back you also realize you’ve stepped out barefoot and now you have an un pleasantly wet foot.

-“Fuck.”- You comment making heads turn your way as you practically announce your arrival, as their workers noticed you ;one of them ran over to you to place and umbrella over your head.

As your presence is known; Gojo swiftly turns around and looks at you with slight amusement sparking his blue orbs.

-“How shameful,I should fire you.”-He recites while walking over to you, while making some weird hand gestures tu one of his men.

-“Be my guest.”- you reply as you gather your hair up in a pony tail to look more presentable.-”Lovely weather isn’t it?”-You comment as you rub your feet together trying to fend off the cold.

He scoffs strolling over to you ,knowing he wouldn’t fire you in his wildest dreams, a few seconds after ;the assistant whom he was signing to handed him a box. He then proceeded to crouch his tall figure to the ground , it looked as if he was bowing down to you, then he took some slippers out of the box to then grab an ankle delicately to slip then on. As of you weren’t already nervous due to this unexpected action,the look of his men piercing you made you anxious.

-“I can put them on myself you know. Stand up you’ll get your suit dirty.”-You mumbled squatting down to take the slippers from his hands.

-“Don’t tell me what to do.”-He expressed looking you dead in the eyes as he snatched back the fluffy slipper from your hand putting them back on your other foot.

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

3 figures could be seen sitting down in the main dining room of the Báisè de huā villa, it is currently 2 pm and all of you just woke up from a few hours of sleep after you guys arrived from the landing site.

You were now in an impromptu business meeting as your boss explained to you your obligations as his secretary while on this very important work trip.You timidly smiled as you see how the passion for his work ( truthfully power hunger) sparked a passion in his eyes ,as he explained to you how he wanted to add Chinese territories to his reign; starting with Shanghai.

Todays meeting was very important ,here he would be meeting with a very noteworthy drug supplier that worked with very few clients due to the quality of its goods and mainly to avoid getting dragged in between gang wars, the goal for today is to be accepted to the client list and negotiate prices.

You were perfect for the job

He knew that from the moment that Geto and he started stalking you, after seeing how you built wonderful companies from zero, that you were the only one capable of fulfilling their expectations. Yes, you were young, and many people may associate that with immaturity, but your age only highlighted your strategic thinking and endless energy.

You started to supervise some work your underclass men sent you to Japan when you noticed a clothed reflection on your computer screen.

-“Do I bore you?”-The deep familiar voice questioned.

-“Sometimes.”-You snapped back in annoyance due to his stupid questions.

He frowned from your unexpected reply , your tone making him a little sad. He knew you were a woman of firm character,a quality he admired about you ,so he started to worry of what would happen if you found out about what him and geto did.

-“Are you being sincere?”-Gojo asked in a more serious tone.

-“Dead serious.”-You reply as you smile from ear to ear at his “playful” questioning.

As soon as he realized you were playing ,the stress left his shoulders , he sighed and cackled at himself due to his behavior. He barely recognized himself, the guilt is eating him alive, he needed to makeup for it fast.

-“Want to go shopping?”

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

The busy Nanjing road if full of locals and tourist.The infrastructure of the shopping districts is breathtaking , the afternoon sunset is reflecting beautifully on the buildings decorated by big led screens and beautiful compositions of glass.

In the big sum of people, Gojo and you found peace due to the fact that, to the naked eye, you were no different from any tourist. Your boss stayed close to you as he scanned the environment with his icy blue eyes; he hid his hands in his cashmere pockets as he looked down on you.

-“I have a surprise, c’mon, follow me, princess.” - Your heart skipped a beat as you heard those sweet words come out of his pink lips. For some reason unknown to you, your boss only let out those teasing words in front of you. You decided not to think much of it since you knew he had his fair share of good-looking girls behind him. You knew your place, his secretary, nothing more.

His calloused, cold hand grabbed yours as he calmly walked through the crowd; he looked ahead so calmly. You felt embarrassed for thinking anything of his nonchalant attitude. But to him, oh man. His heart was running a thousand miles per hour; the only thing he could do to hide his blushing cheeks is to look ahead. Your hand felt so warm, so soft, so small against his; that only led him to wonder what the rest of you feels like. For a woman with such a small frame, you surely had too much attitude. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t fantasize about all the ways he could tame that cheeky attitude of yours. In the end, that white-haired man decided it was better for him to stop such wild thoughts before he started having issues controlling his breathing.

When both of you arrived at the store, the sales assistant immediately recognized the tall man beside you and promptly led you to a private room. It seemed to be a private dressing room; it was composed of a luxurious cream sofa, a extravagant white wood table, and what seemed to be another small room to dress in. On top of the table was a black suede box with a red bow that screamed open me!

You look over to the grinning figure beside you for permission, and as soon as he gives you the green light, you scramble to open the mystery box, which reveals a beautiful turquoise Qi pao with tiny white flowers detailing the side of your hip. The cloth ended at mid-knee and seemed like silk; it glided beautifully under your fingertips, and the stitching was impeccable. Once the sales assistant noticed you were satisfied with the dress, she took her leave.

-“You shouldn’t have.”-You gasped.

-“Oh, but I did.”-He sweet-talked as he started getting closer to your face.-”How about you model that piece for me as a thank you.”

-“Model for you?”-you giggled.-“I’d rather pay credit.”- You say as you searched your purse.

-“Fuck.”- He mumbles under his breath as he drags one hand on his face.-“I’m starting to think you get a high from contradicting me, when will you stop playing dumb, my dear.”-he taps your forehead with his index finger as he mutters this sentence.

You grab his hand, catching him off guard.

-“I don’t know if fooling around with me is your source of entertainment for today, but please consider that it’s not normal for a man such as yourself to grab my hand and plan surprises for me and take me to foreign countries. I’m aware it’s all for business reasons, so I beg you to keep this as strictly professional as possible.”

With a swift movement; your hand still in his, he turns you around to face the mirror as he positions himself behind you, towering over you as he hugs you with the arm you're both holding hands with. You gulp at the sight of his broad shoulders contrasting your own back, at the way you're engulfing yourself with his aroma, sweating at the way he dared to rest his head on your other shoulder just to whisper…

-“What if it wasn’t for business, what if the absolute truth was that you drive me crazy.”-He groaned as he looked intently at your cute expressions through the mirror.-“The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you make me want to have some damn morals just so I can have the right to talk to someone like you.”

You shake your head as you refuse to accept the reality of the situation you're in.

-“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Gojo.”

He bit his tongue in anger and frustration; all he could do is tighten his jaw in hopes he wouldn’t say anything stupid.

-“Good, cause all that’s not the fucking case.”-He left the room after spitting that out in resentment at the way you turned down his feelings as he was a beggar. He knew it; he’s a fucking idiot for ever having hope; all he’s done on this trip is embarrass himself in front of you. Having to swallow his feelings these 2 years drove him to insanity; all he wanted was to include you in his life’s plans, why couldn’t you accept that?

Oh, he clearly knew why.

It’s because you deserve better.

You deserve a Prince Charming who will offer you peace and warmth, someone who works a 9-5, someone who has a family life to offer you, probably someone who doesn’t have to carry a gun in his waistband to protect himself from all the bad things he’s done in the past, someone not crazy enough to kill for you or even better someone who’s not masochistic enough to live with the burden of his unrequited sentiments towards you.

But in the end, he knew he was selfish; that’s how he got to where he is today. He knew damn well you deserved better, so why did he still have the irresistible urge to steal you away, to drown you in his feelings to the point where you couldn’t deny them.

He laughed, no cackled at himself outside of your dressing room; you had no idea what you had coming.

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

Three champagne glasses clicked in celebration of a newfound business project. Tonight’s meeting has been a success, even though you’ve been burning your brain cells trying to decipher what the hell happened at the boutique this afternoon. You were clearly distracted but not to the point you forgot why you were here in the first place.

You sat back into your seat, participating in idle chit-chat with the supplier. Meanwhile, your tight turquoise Qi pao emphasized your waist, the slit by your thigh earning some stolen glances from your boss as he still acted indifferent towards you after today's spectacle.

Geto could already smell what was happening between you two, but in reality, he didn’t care one bit to even ask about it. So all he could do was stand by the door, keeping watch for any potential danger.

The meeting concluded wonderfully, so you said your goodbyes to the supplier to excuse yourself to the bathroom, allowing yourself to think straight for a few minutes before returning to your chaotic reality.

As you finished washing your hands, you touched your nape with your cold hands with the hopes of cooling down your body heat. After fanning yourself a few times, you exited the bathroom.

But to your surprise, you found a familiar face in the hallway.

-“Miss! You’re Gojo’s secretary right?”-The supplier asked, waving his hands at you to come over.

-“Yes, sir, can I help you with anything?”-You answered with a grin.

-“If you’re so very kind, I’d like to know what kind of jet you both traveled here in, because I’d also like one that can hold as much cocaine as yours do.”

You chuckled at the poor guy in front of you, too drunk out of his mind to comprehend what he’s saying.

-“Sir, we didn’t bring any cocaine; the only thing the plane carried were the three people that were in the room with you.”-You smiled as you explained the situation to him.

-“Don’t try to act sly with me, young woman! Your boss just told me that he secretly brought over 400 kilos in that jet of his; he brought them to sell over here while I released some of my product to him.”

As he uttered that sentence, your heart dropped to the bottom of your stomach. This morning you were used as a drug mule, and you didn’t even notice it.

You truly thought he would respect your boundaries.

How foolish.

You start to tremble as you start to imagine what could have been if the navy or the immigration officers wanted to inspect the plane and found the three of you with all those drugs in it.

You run back to the bathroom feeling sick, thinking that by slim chance your hard-worked career was almost over. No, your precious life was over if they decided to try you for drug possession in a country as strict as China, all because of his stupid greed.

You dried your sweat as you quickly mapped out an exit back to Japan without your two business partners finding out about you knowing their dirty little secret. Now you knew you couldn’t trust them; it was idiotic of you in the first place to do so.

You quickly ran to the entrance unbeknownst to the fact that Geto was trailing after you since the moment you left the dining room. Sure, he could have prevented the supplier from telling the truth, but that would’ve been even more suspicious in your eyes, so he finally had to let the truth break free.

You signaled over one of the cars that Gojo put at your service; all you hoped for was to get your passport back from the villa and take the first flight back to your home country and maybe even treat yourself to a little crying session in the taxi.

But the moment your hand met the car door handle, a cold force pulled you back by your free hand.

-“Please, baby, let me explain.”-Gojo stated out as he felt his heart rip to shreds due to the liquid pearls forming in your eyes.-“You weren’t supposed to know; I knew we weren’t gonna get caught, so I didn’t want you to know since I knew you’d get nerv-“

A smack was heard echoing the Shanghai streets as Gojo held his red cheek after his sentenced was slapped into the air since you decided to give him a taste of what a liar like him deserved.

-“I fucking hate you!”-you yelled out while pointing a finger at him while wiping your tears with the back of your other hand.-“ I wish I never met any of you motherfuckers!”-You said as you pointed to Geto and his crew.

What surprises all of them next was your ability to get lost in the busy Shanghai streets after crossing a simple street.

Gojo didn’t hesitate to chase after you into unknown territory wishing he could turn time back, unbeknownst to himself that some threatening enemies were watching close by.

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A/n: Holy fucking shit man , i hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I hope sacrificing my spine for the time I edited this in one sitting is worth it. Any suggestions or comments let me know!! Have a good day 🥸🫶🏻💋

[redgoldsparks]

October Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Pageboy by Elliot Page

This has been on my to-read list ever since it came out, and I finally picked it up. This book is an honest, sometimes painfully honest, accounting of Elliot Page's life up until his decision to come out as trans. He grew up in Canada, the child of divorced parents, with a hostile step-mother, an emotionally manipulative father, and overworked mother who initially did not accept his queerness. He started acting in elementary school and found it a freeing creative outlet, even when he hated the overly-girly clothing the roles often forced him into. Like many people who start in the film industry very young, he was taken advantage of sexually by adults who should have kept him safe. These experiences are written about less graphically than the blistering gender dysphoria and numbing disassociation that followed Elliot from his teens into his twenties. He threw himself into movie projects and love affairs, running away from a secret that nearly ate him alive. I'm so grateful that was eventually able to come out, because it really sounds like staying in the closet might have killed him. This book is not written chronologically; chapters center on themes, projects, or relationships. I understand that choice while also wishing that more of then teen chapters had been placed earlier in the book- sometimes the way the book kept slipping backwards in time felt a time bit repetitive. But it also felt honest to the experience of someone who kept backsliding in his ability to be honest with himself, until hitting the rock bottom of mental health, when there was no other choice but to be true.

Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley

Given the square format, I thought this was going to be a picture book but when it arrived from the library it was a full color 200 page collection of all the instagram comics author Lucy Knisley ever drew about her much loved fluffy orange cat, Linney. These comics are deeply relatable for any cat owner. I'd read pretty much all of them online before but I enjoyed seeing them all again in this collection.

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold read by Lloyd James

Cazaril was once the son of a noble family, entrusted with defending a strategically important castle during one of Chalion's many wars. Then the castle was sold to the enemy, and Caz was not ransomed, but instead forced to serve as a galley slave on an enemy ship. Finally free, he walked across two countries to reach a town where he worked in his youth, and enters the stronghold wearing clothes he took off a corpse. All he wants is a lowly position, maybe in the kitchen or the stables, where he can earn a bit of bread and sleep warm at night. Instead, he is given the position of tutor to the Royesse Iselle, half-sister of the current king of Chalion. He begins the work of teaching her multiple languages, history, geography, politics, and how to tell when a man is lying to her. All of these skills and more are needed when she and her brother, the heir to Chalion's thrown, are called to court. Cazaril is required to travel with them, even though he knows that the man who betrayed him serves there as the king's high chancellor. And worse yet, he discovers that the whole royal family is under a generations-long curse. This was my second read of this book, the first one being back in 2008 so I remembered almost nothing. It's a clever and well constructed fantasy, with the twists and turns I expect and love from a Lois McMaster Bujold novel. This time around, the age gap romance (between a 20 year old and a 35 year old) made me raise my eyebrows. It fits thematically into the story but also, why.

The Ribbon Skirt by Cameron Mukwa

This is a gentle queer comic for younger readers. Ten year old Anang decides they want to make a ribbon skirt to wear to an upcoming powwow. A ribbon skirt is a piece of celebratory clothing typically worn by Anishinaabe women, and Anang isn't entirely sure what their friends or community will think about them wearing one. But the spirit world encourages Anang. The lakes, the crows, turtles, waves, and trees participate in helping Anang gather all of the supplies they need, despite some light resistance from other characters in the story. Short and sweet, this is lovely introduction to two-spirit and nonbinary identities for a kid who hasn't heard of them yet, and an affirming story for a young person who already inhabits a gender-nonconforming space!

Tokyo These Days vol 2 by Taiyo Matsumoto

Shiozawa continues to attempt to build a collection of artists for a new manga magazine. He visits old friends, writers whose talent he's loved for years. Some of them have retired from the business. Some are busier than ever. Some love the direction their work has gone since Shiozawa last saw them; others believe their work has become soulless and commercial. I love how the authors are portrayed as unique, flawed humans with human histories. They have families, disabilities, insecurities, dreams. We meet Chosaku's ex-wife and daughter on a weekend visit. Hayashi continues to struggle with her main artist, Aoki, who struggles with insomnia and flees back to his hometown. Creating manga is depicted as half a calling, half an affliction.

Death At Morning House by Maureen Johnson, read by Katherine Littrell 

This is more of a 3.5 or 3.75 but rounded up because it was queer and out of my extreme affection for Maureen Johnson's murder mysteries. This one introduces a new character, Marlowe, who gets into a spot of trouble with some accidental arson while on a date with the girl of her dreams, and then runs away to an absurd summer job on one of the thousand islands on the St Lawrence River. Marlowe joins a group of five other teens who already all know each other to serve as a tour guide for Morning House, the mansion of a rich doctor and eugenicist who summered with his seven children on the island in the 1920s- that is, until two of them died there. And the island has seen another death, more recently. Marlowe didn't show up to solve crimes, but if she wants to make it home at the end of the summer, she'll have to. Similar in tone to the Truly Devious series, this book was a very easy and fun listen. I wish the eugenics thread had either been cut, or better developed, but Marlowe is a delightful character to follow and if this book gets a sequel I will definitely listen to it.

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie 

This is an extremely sweet and delightfully illustrated sapphic romance, which only partly hinges on a misunderstanding as the main conflict. Momo is a shy college freshman, a rule follower, a hard worker who didn't date or party at all in high school. She runs into PG, seemingly mid-hookup with a friend of a friend who claimed to be too sick to come to class. After that first encounter, Momo seems to see PG everywhere, and each time with a different girl. Clearly, PG is a player and also in a completely different league than Momo. Except, when a cautious new friendship begins to develop between them, PG seems unfailing chivalrous and polite. Which is the real PG? And how much trouble will Momo get into if she lets her feelings become something more? I really enjoyed the bright color palette and confident line art.

Tokyo These Days vol 3 by Taiyo Matsumoto

I appreciated so deeply how this series represented artists wrestling with their creative practices. Some draw steadily for years, with a similar quality level of work. Others struggle with writers block, family tragedies, self esteem, rough deadlines, with falling out of love with their stories, or their editors, or the time commitment of being a full time author. This series also shows how a patient and support editor can absolutely made an artists career- or how the lack of one can destroy it. This is such a human slice-of-life story, and I liked its open but hopeful ending.

Gay the Pray Away written and read by Natalie Naudus 

Seventeen year old Valerie wishes she could pick up any book at the library without fear, wishes she could pick her own clothes, wishes she was allowed to hang out unsupervised with friends, watch movies, or just spend time on the internet. But her family is part of a very extreme Christian community which home schools their children, limits the media they are allowed to access, controls their movement, wardrobes, and social lives. Valerie is expected to join family Bible studies daily, volunteer at the Church, and marry a boy in the community shortly after her eighteenth birthday. She isn't excited about any of this- in fact, she spends much of her time daydreaming or bored nearly to tears- but what else can she do? Then she finds a queer book with a fairly nondescript cover at the library. And a new girl- a girl with short hair, a girl who wears jeans- joins the Church. Valerie is captivated. The new girl represents a window into freedom and Valerie wants as much of that freedom as she can hold. I have some critiques about how this book ended, but I'm also very aware that I am not part of its target audience. Hopefully this book will find its way into the hands of teens who need it.

Gender Studies by Ajuan Mance

A slim but insightful collection of memoir comics on the intersecting identities of being Black, queer, gender nonconforming, and a nerd. These stories are thought provoking, funny, and delightful well drawn.

Clever Girl: Jurassic Park by Hannah McGregor

McGregor turns the film Jurassic Park over in their hands, like a piece of amber, to examine it from all sides and finds a story packed with possibilities of liberatory, queer, and feminist readings. From thoughts on the monstrous feminine, reproductive control, missing mothers, and found family, this text weaves together a rich tapestry of threads. I completely understand now why this film (which I half-watched once at a distracting party, but now want to revisit) has becomes such an enduring classic. The ending note advocates for the building of networks of mutual aid and care during and after apocalypse, something I need more and more desperately in this damaged world.

House of Women by Sophie Goldstein 

Four women arrive on a jungle planet via spaceship with a mission to create a school and educate/ tame the indigenous species of beings there. Like most colonizers, they think they are doing something good by bringing the light of civilization into the supposed darkness of the wilderness. Like most colonizers, they completely fail to understand the people they have come in contact with the project ends in devastating violence. The art in this book is extremely elegant, with powerful black and white design and pattern work illustrating a believable alien world. If you've ever read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, this is story has some similarities in tone and theme but much shorter and more condensed, as necessitated by the comics format. It's not a hopeful or kind story, but I thought it was executed extremely well.

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. read by Ashraf Shirazi 

Lamya H weaves together memoir with stories from the Quran, introspection on prophets, myths, histories, and alternate readings, into a compelling whole. As a gender-nonconforming baby queer, Lamya struggled under the oppressive roles and limited options available to them in the Arab speaking country to which their parents moved for work in their childhood. But a lightning strike of realization in a Quran study class- that Maryam could also be read as a depressed lesbian- fed Lamya's imagination with new possibility. Lamya moved to the United States for college and grad school, navigating new friendships with other liberal Muslims and new prejudices against brown bodies, especially bodies wearing hijab. One compelling chapter outlines the nightmare of bureaucratic hoops that need to be jumped through to renew student and work visas; the author compares choosing to stay in the US to staying in an abusive relationship. But Lamya fell for New York City, and for the family, chosen, queer, and blood, that they collected over the years. I really appreciated this book for offering a perspective I'd never read before, and for its fierce insistence that one can absolutely be both Muslim and queer.

Vivian’s Ghost by Hal Schrieve

Holy shit, this comic. I fell head-first into this 350 page scratchy black and white comic and read it all in one wild evening. The story follows a set of very messy trans people, several literally haunted by a violent ghost from their pasts. Collin, Vivian, and Andrew orbited each other as awkward, horny trans teenagers, trying to define the edges of their own identities through sex, alcohol, long tumblr posts, and Rocky Horror shows, mostly without supportive parents. Vivian died at 17. At 26, Collin in a cam boy and weed delivery guy in NYC during the early days of the pandemic; Andrew has de-transitioned, married a man, is trying to get pregnant and has sold quotes to an anti-trans journalist writing opinion pieces about the dangers of minors transitioning. Multiple times while reading this I found myself thinking "a cis person could never have written this;" its so deeply steeped in trans longings, fears, desires, neuroses, rage, yearnings, and hope. It's not an easy or safe story; it doesn't have a fully happy ending. But I consumed it and it consumed me in return. If you are struggling to find this book available in print, it is possible to read the whole story on the author's instagram page.

Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding by Maia Kobabe and Sarah Peitzmeier read by Sarah Peitzmeier, Kieran Todd, Blair Baker, Alejandro Antonio Ruiz, Livvie Lin and Kiebpoli Calnek

I finally sat down to listen to the audiobook, which was narrated primarily by my co-author Sarah Peitzmeier along with her research partner Kieran Todd, and the wonderful cast of Blair Baker, Alejandro Antonio Ruiz, Livvie Lin and Kiebpoli Calnek. It was such a pleasure to hear these characters' voices come to life, and see how the workbook and stretching exercise pages were handled! Obviously I am very proud of the print edition which contains my illustrations; but I am so happy that the audiobook exists as well, for anyone who prefers audio (or likes to take in audio and print side by side).

Kochab by Sarah Webb

One day when out skiing, Sonya's scarf is stolen by a flying snow spirit. She chases it deep into the forest and breaks a ski after a reckless jump. Lost without supplies in the dead of winter, Sonya follows the faint trail of light and finds an impossible palace inhabited by one sleeping fire spirit, Kyra. Kyra's home was once bright, full of life and community. Now it is derelict and crumbling, under attack by the forces of ice. This is a slim story, fairy tale-like. I wanted a little more from the plot, given the book's length; but the pages are stunning. Everything from the character movement, background designs, color choices, to dynamic panel layouts impressed me. I know I'll be looking through this book again in the future when I need some visual inspiration.

Buckle Up by Lawrence Lindell

Lonnie's parents are recently divorced, and he's still getting used to splitting time between two different houses- one with his mom and older sister, one with his dad. He's still getting used to being picked up by alternating parents from school, and he's trying to hide these facts from his friends. This short, tender story uses the framing device of these car rides to show Lonnie facing some weighty conversations with his parents. The majority of the book takes place in the car and I really loved seeing how Lonnie learned to speak up for himself, to work through problems, and verbalize his emotions. Highly recommend for elementary school readers, especially ones experiencing big feelings.

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger 

Tara was "accelerated" from seventh grade straight into high school at the advice of some of her teachers, but in the first few weeks of school she feels deeply unready. The school is so big, the schedule confusing, the hallways packed, and her end-of-day English class is full of some of the rowdiest, rudest boys she's ever met. Tara would much rather stay at home playing pretend with her baby brother or go back to middle school and take the eighth grade trip to Six Flags that she had to miss. Even with her older sister, already in tenth grade, willing to lend a hand by drawing her school maps, showing her the dating reality TV show everyone is talking about, and taking her to hangouts in the park, Tara is struggling. But there's this girl. A smart, funny, interesting girl, who partners up with Tara for English assignments and laughs at her jokes. Meeting this girl might just be the one thing that makes high school worth it. I had such a fun time with this comic- it's full of whimsical daydream sequences that really show Tara's internal world. I highly recommend this, especially to anyone who felt (or feels) unready to leave childhood and enter teenagerdom.

[hpowellsmith]

New Game Announcement: Honor Bound, Crème de la Crème Series Book 4

Honor Bound is a standalone game that takes place four years after Royal Affairs, with a brand new player character.

The story so far: I started working on this game in March 2023. I'm currently writing the first draft of Chapter 4.

Chapter 1 is publicly available for everyone to play. Chapter 2 is going up on Patreon on 1st August. I also hope to post (roughly) fortnightly progress updates.

Play the public demo here!

You're a promising officer in the Teranese military, a force which has not seen major engagement in decades but which holds vast influence. Thanks to an injury, you're no longer in the field. Thanks to the circumstances of that injury, you've been quietly reassigned.

Now you're to be the bodyguard to the child of a famous scientist who is attending a wilderness boarding school for the children of the richest and most powerful figures of Teran society.

According to your mentor, it's an easy assignment. The school sits close to your own hometown, so you'll be familiar with the area; you can recover your health and get your career back on track. What could go wrong?

Bond with those around you or impress with aloof competence. Be a kind, trusted confidante to your charge, or a strict, stern caretaker. Work hard for glowing reports from your charge, your military superiors, or the Headteacher to get your life back on track - or risk it all as you uncover secrets that put you and everyone around you in peril.

Play as male, female, or non-binary; cis or trans; gay, straight, or bisexual; asexual and/or aromantic; allosexual and/or alloromantic; monogamous or polyamorous

Play a junior officer in your 20s, a mid-ranking officer in your 30s, or a senior officer in your 40s

Befriend or romance a severe military officer, a bold, easygoing outdoors expert, a determined and overworked priest, an earnest but airheaded fellow bodyguard, or the anxious, serious single parent of your charge

Shape the school life of your teenage charge: encourage her to make friends or sabotage her rivals, let her slack off or push her to achieve

Protect the school, town, and your charge from natural disasters and criminals, or use chaos to further your agendas. Build a warm community, stand apart to focus on yourself, or push tensions higher in a place where gossip is rife

Negotiate a cushy promotion, or open other doors, through heroic or devious actions. Or become such a disaster that only bandits will give you the time of day

Unearth and thwart shadowy schemes, or enact them yourself for your own ends

This tightly-knit desert boarding school is a sanctuary for artists and scientists of the future to flourish. But as danger closes in, how far will you go for your ambitions, your commanders, and your country?

FEEDBACK THREAD, INFO, & DEV DIARY | CHARACTER INTROS | PATREON DEMO | PUBLIC DEMO | BONUS PLAYABLE PROLOGUE

[scary-grace]

Enough to Go By (Chapter 20) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Your best friend vanished on the same night his family was murdered, and even though the world forgot about him, you never did. When a chance encounter brings you back into contact with Shimura Tenko, you'll do anything to make sure you don't lose him again. Keep his secrets? Sure. Aid the League of Villains? Of course. Sacrifice everything? You would - but as the battle between the League of Villains and hero society unfolds, it becomes clear that everything is far more than you or anyone else imagined it would be. (cross-posted to Ao3)

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Chapter 20

Thanks to the alliance between the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army – or more accurately, the League’s hostile takeover of the Meta Liberation army – you’ve learned a lot more than you ever wanted to about the country’s largest gang of quirk supremacists. Their ideology is roughly as awful as you thought it was, and if your quirk hadn’t shown up, they’d be treating you like shit, regardless of what Tenko or the rest of the League had to say about it. Their members, at least in the upper echelons, are uniformly upper-class, and most of them are fourth- or fifth-generation quirk-users in addition to being second- or third-generation members of the organization. In spite of the terrible things the lieutenant you killed was saying to Spinner right before your bullets tore through his aortic arch, the MLA doesn’t appear to distinguish between quirks. If you have a quirk, you’re in the club.

That means you’re in, as much as you’d rather not be. You’re treated with deference you haven’t earned, and every person you encounter seems to be trying their damnedest to forgive you for killing one of their senior members and shooting their former leader a whopping nineteen times. You try to stay away from them as much as possible, but some of them are hard to avoid – like Re-Destro, who’s constantly hovering around Tomura and who seems to think that you and he are destined to get along.

So far, he’s interpreted the dislike you can barely hide as a protectiveness over Tomura, which is part of it. The rest is something simpler. When you faced him in Deika City, he made it clear that he wanted you dead whether you were part of the League or not; even if you hadn’t been, your quirklessness would have condemned you. You try not to hold grudges, but that’s not something you’ll ever forget.

The MLA has been holding off on the presentation of Tomura as the new Grand Commander until Tomura’s able to sit up without enough pain medication to sedate a horse running through his system. The day’s arrived – sooner than anyone expected, courtesy of your quirk. Re-Destro’s insisted on providing Tomura with appropriate clothes for such a momentous occasion, and he brought his personal tailor to make it happen. Tomura wouldn’t go unless you came with him, and Re-Destro decided that since he’s the only person in the equation who’s ever worn a suit, he needs to have an opinion on the matter. So you and Re-Destro are sitting off to one side of the room, watching as Tomura’s fitted for the first suit of his life.

He’s fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable with standing for so long, but you’re getting a little fixated on the suit itself. Even halfway fitted, it looks good on him. Really good. You’re always attracted to him, no matter what he’s wearing, but this is so outside your frame of reference for him that desire hits you like a punch in the stomach. It’s not a feeling you want to have while sitting next to Re-Destro, who’s staring just as avidly at Tomura for what you fervently hope is a very different reason.

It’s a relief when he turns his attention to you, but not much of one. You’ve got your veil on, and it’s opaque enough to hide the flush in your cheeks, but you have a hard time imagining that you aren’t radiating concentrated horniness that Skeptic’s satellites could pick up from orbit. With that in mind, maybe it’s a good thing that Re-Destro’s trying to talk to you. You could use a distraction. You pull your gaze away from Tomura with an effort and turn towards the man he deposed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Say again?”

“It’s all right,” Re-Destro says. He probably thinks he sounds magnanimous. The word you’d use is condescending. “I was just asking how you’ve adjusted to the awakening of your meta ability.”

“I’ve – um, adjusted.” You really don’t want to talk about this. “Thank you for asking.”

That should be the end of it, in your opinion, but Re-Destro doesn’t let you off the hook. “Were you aware you had a latent meta ability?”

“No,” you say. “In my family, quirks are present at birth. They all had them, and I didn’t. That was it.”

The magnanimity fades. Now he looks like he’s thinking hard about something. “Was that not the answer you were hoping for?” you ask.

“It wasn’t.” Re-Destro earns the smallest sliver of your respect by owning up to it. “Quirk latency theory presents a problem for Liberation ideology.  The place of the quirkless in a world based on Liberation ideology is clear and unambiguous. If quirk latency theory is correct, then a Liberated society becomes more difficult to implement.”

Liberation ideology is so antithetical to a society most people would want to live in that it would topple if you blew on it too hard. You engage in a maneuver that you’ve been using since you were quirkless and play dumb. “How so?”

“The average age of awakening is four years old. We’ll set that as the mean of our distribution,” Re-Destro says. You’re about to get a statistics lesson, and you only feel slightly guilty for hoping that Tomura will suddenly keel over and give you a way out of it. “However, a not-insignificant number of meta abilities, like your family’s or those of heteromorphs, present at birth. Imagine them at the left side of the mean. Together these groups constitute eighty-five percent of individuals with meta abilities.”

He glances at you. You nod. “Now, if we look to the right side, we’ll see a precipitous drop,” Re-Destro continues. “Of the metahuman population, ninety percent awaken their abilities by age five. Ninety-three percent by age six. Ninety-eight percent by age seven. A tiny percentage of the population awakens their abilities in early adolescence – I believe a current UA student holds Japan’s record.”

“Midoriya.”

“Midoriya?” Tomura scoffs. “That’s not his quirk.”

It’s quiet for a second. “What do you mean?” Re-Destro asks, but Tomura ignores him, and after a long, awkward stretch of time, Re-Destro turns his attention back to you. “In any case, it’s well-known that meta abilities don’t awaken past adolescence. The categories of metahuman and human are easily defined, unless –”

“Unless quirk latency theory is correct,” you say. “If it’s correct, it means that everyone’s a potential metahuman. Nobody can be written off.”

Re-Destro nods. You can tell the idea doesn’t agree with him. “You represent an extreme outlier,” he says, “in more ways than one. It was clear from your actions during the Revival Party that you are a true believer in the Grand Commander’s vision – the first true believer, if my sources are correct.”

“They’re correct,” Tomura says, before you can say a word.

Re-Destro turns to him, clearly hoping he’ll say more, but Tomura goes back to picking at the sleeve the tailor’s just adjusted. You and Tomura are going to have a talk later about how your responsibilities as his sidekick slash girlfriend don’t include constantly running interference with the guy he overthrew, but for now, you’re still the main object of Re-Destro’s attention. “You believed you were quirkless,” he says. “What led you to devote yourself to a vision such as the Grand Commander’s?”

There’s a lot of reasons why, but all of those came later. There’s only one that really matters. “It’s his.”

Re-Destro looks surprised. Tomura looks sort of surprised, honestly. He’s stopped glaring at the tailor in favor of staring at you, looking as thrown off as you’ve seen him look in a while. He really shouldn’t be, in your opinion. You hold his gaze and watch as the same smile he wore when you were children crosses his face, the one you saw when you came up with a new twist for your games or swapped lunches with him or even just when you got out your front door first and were waiting for him on the sidewalk for the walk to school. Shigaraki Tomura or Shimura Tenko – he’s who you’re devoted to. He always has been.

You get a few more seconds of his real smile before the tailor accidentally sticks him with a needle and Tomura turns to snap at him. “Saintess,” Re-Destro says, and you glance sideways. “Since you’ll be accompanying the Grand Commander onstage, you should look the part. Some updates have been made to your costume for the sake of form and functionality.”

Functionality is fine. Form, on the other hand – “What did you do to it?”

“I want to see,” Tomura says, which practically guarantees that it’ll be here in two seconds. Re-Destro zips out of the room in his motorized wheelchair to retrieve it. You glare at Tomura, who looks back, unrepentant. “I have to wear this stupid thing. I’m not going to be the only one dressed like a clown.”

“You don’t look like a clown,” you say. “You look – um –”

Tomura’s waiting for your answer, but you really don’t want to say it in front of the tailor, and it doesn’t take Tomura long to figure that out. “Go away,” he says, and the tailor books it. Tomura looks back to you. “What?”

“You look really hot.”

Tomura coughs. “What?”

“You do.”

“You’re joking,” Tomura says. You shake your head. “You just want me to quit bitching about the suit.”

“You can bitch about the suit forever if you want. You still look really hot.”

Tomura looks flustered. You’ve never seen him look flustered before. “Don’t say weird things.”

“Saying you need to touch your sidekick is weird,” you say. Tomura’s mouth twitches. “Saying my boyfriend’s hot in a suit is normal.”

“It’s not funny. Stop saying it.”

“You don’t believe me?” you ask. Tomura’s gaze slides away from yours. Maybe you need to be a little more convincing. “Let me show you.”

You’re still kissing him when Re-Destro comes back in, and you take your time pulling away, just in case Tomura had any doubts left. Tomura’s slow to let you go. Whatever Re-Destro’s just dragged in, he can see it over your shoulder, and his eyes widen. “Damn,” he says, and you turn to look.

If there’s functionality hiding somewhere in your new costume, you can’t find it. The original was washed-out grey, shapeless without a sash, obviously thrifted and cheaply made. This one is jet-black, with a shimmering veil and a silver crown, but your biggest problem with it is the shape and structure that’s been added to the tunic. It looks tight. Really tight.

Only a guy would have designed a costume like this. You cross your arms over your chest and try to keep the acid out of your voice. “What updates did you make to the functionality?”

“The reinforcing in the tunic may look cosmetic, but it was added to accommodate Kevlar paneling,” Re-Destro says. “It will be tighter and heavier than the previous costume, but it will provide protection for the center mass – which, as I’m sure you know, is the target of choice for most competent snipers.”

Tomura is smirking. “Would it stop nineteen shots?” he asks. “That’s how many times she shot you.”

“Nineteen?” Re-Destro looks genuinely puzzled. “It’s highly unlikely that anyone would aim that many shots at Saintess. She presents a much smaller target than I do.”

That, and one well-placed shot would be enough to take you down. Tomura nods, still smirking. “What else did you do to it?”

“The veil is a special fabric that functions as a two-way mirror. Saintess can see out, but no one can see in,” Re-Destro continues. “The boots are of better quality. The crown can be armed with this –”

He holds up a silver bracelet. “And once armed, it will deliver a shock to anyone who attempts to remove it.”

“Oh,” you say. “That’s – um.”

“The modifications are defensive, for the most part,” Re-Destro says. “Aesthetically, black suits the Grand Commander much better. Would you like to try it on?”

“Try it,” Tomura says. You give him a pained look. “I’m wearing the suit.”

You get a look at yourself as you’re changing into the costume and feel your heart lurch. It’s not just that it’s tighter, heavier, that the crown on your head’s gone from barely functional to weaponizable. Maybe it’s the color. Grey was passable. Black looks scary, and it only gets worse when you put on the veil. In your old costume, you look like half a ghost with a red belt and cheap shoes. In the new one, you look like a specter, a wraith. In your old costume, you were strange, but that was it. In this one, you’re unmistakably a villain.

That’s what you are now. A villain, a murderer, aiding and abetting the leader of the nation’s criminals in destroying the world-that-is with the faint hope that you can build a better one. You look like a villain because you are a villain. The sooner you get used to that, the better.

Re-Destro looks pleased when you step out from behind the screen, but Tomura doesn’t. Tomura’s frowning. “Not black,” he says.

“Red? To match with you –”

“No,” Tomura says, and for a split second, you think he’s about to put an end to this whole stupid exercise. “White.”

Re-Destro coughs. What you’re doing is more like choking. “Are you certain?” Re-Destro asks. “White has certain associations –”

“White,” Tomura says. Re-Destro starts to hem and haw about it, and Tomura cuts him off. “Make it happen. Or she wears whatever she wants – and so do I.”

Re-Destro’s definitely not about to sacrifice Tomura in a suit just so he can make you wear black. He zips off again, and Tomura reaches for you, pulls you closer. He catches the edge of your veil and flips it back, exposing your face. “You aren’t like us,” he says. “I’m not making you dress like it.”

“Not like you? I am,” you say. “I’m a villain –”

“Killing somebody to save a friend makes you a villain? No.” Tomura shakes his head. He grimaces slightly, and you realize how long he’s been standing. You need him to sit down. “That’s not who you are. I know who you are.”

He does. Just like you’ve always known who he is, underneath the hands and the suit and any other trappings of villainy he’s tried on. Still – “Does it have to be white?”

“You want it to be black?”

“Black and white aren’t the only colors on the planet,” you say. Any color is better than black, though. You’d be fine to just go with grey again, but it sounds like that’s not what Tenko wants. “I don’t want black. Do you really want it to be white?”

“Yes.”

He doesn’t say why, and you don’t ask him, but when the two of you step out onstage in front of the gathered members of the MLA, you’re dressed in white instead of grey or black. Even the League seems startled by your new look. “You look like a bride,” Toga hisses under the cover of Re-Destro’s speech.

Spinner disagrees. “You look like a ghost.”

White is a wedding color. It also symbolizes purity – and looked at another way, it symbolizes death. If Tomura’s making a statement in making you wear white, you’ve got no idea what it is. You and the others stand still through the speech, cheer dutifully when Tomura announces the MLA’s new name, chosen by Spinner and Re-Destro, and file off the stage while the members of the newly-christened Paranormal Liberation Front cheer. Dabi hops off the stage and vanishes into the crowd, and no one stops him. You stick close to Tomura. He was on his feet through the ceremony, but he’s not good at walking with the cane he has to use, and you still haven’t figured out how to make your quirk work faster.

The doctor was watching the ceremony. You know, because he calls the instant you’re offstage. “My congratulations to you, Shigaraki. Your master will be proud when he hears what you’ve accomplished.”

“I did it without him. And without you.” Tomura’s grimacing. It’s quiet for a second. “This is the part where you tell me why I should keep taking your calls.”

“Ooh, Tomura-kun is spicy today!” Toga grins. “Tomura is right, mister – why should we listen to you? What can you do for us?”

You’re not upset about the idea of cutting the doctor out of things, but you are concerned about how Tomura’s going about it. The fact that the doctor isn’t hanging up the phone somehow makes you more nervous, not less. “I understand,” the doctor says, “but why not accept the power your master and I have already stockpiled for you before you go? We were very careful in curating a collection of abilities that would suit you, and it would be a shame to waste them.”

It’s quiet for a second. “What kind of abilities?” Tomura asks.

“Why, quirks, of course!” The doctor sounds surprised that Tomura would ask, but you don’t trust the doctor on anything, let alone his reactions over the phone. If you saw him in person, you’d have a better read on him, but you can’t. “Come to meet me. Bring Saintess with you. I’m confident we can come to an agreement.”

“Why just me?” you ask. It strikes you as weird. “The rest of the League should come, too.”

“You’ll report back to them after the meeting, of course. Some of you need to remain where you are, to consolidate your control over Shigaraki’s new subjects.”

That’s true, you suppose. You still don’t like it. Nothing good has ever happened when the League’s split up – the Deika incident should be all the proof of that you need. Tomura’s thinking along the same lines. “You should come here. You’re more mobile than we are.”

“My equipment isn’t, and if I go missing, it will be noticed. Unlike you all, Saintess and I are still undercover,” the doctor says. You’re not sure how undercover you are these days – you’ve committed crimes now, and the fact that your crimes took place in the context of hundreds of other crimes doesn’t mean that Kazuo won’t spot them if he asks the right questions. “Make your arrangements, Shigaraki. Saintess and I will be waiting.”

“What?” Tomura demands, but by the time he figures it out, the warp sludge is already spewing from your mouth and nose. The last thing you see is hands reaching towards you – Spinner’s, Toga’s. Tomura’s. His fingers brush over the back of your hand, scrabbling for purchase, and then you’re gone.

You reappear in the doctor’s lab, and you’re already in a bad mood. “He’s going to kill you for that.”

“I think he’ll change his mind,” the doctor says indulgently. You don’t think that. At all. “This isn’t simply to force compliance. I have a final test to run. How severe would you say Shigaraki’s injuries are these days?”

You’re trying to cough the taste of warp sludge out of your mouth. It takes you a second. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, how much healing does he have left to do?”

“Um –” You think it over. “The internal organ lacerations are healed. His hand isn’t healing fast. He keeps trying to use it. There’s the same problem with his leg.”

“He’s far from recovered, then.” The doctor holds a set of leads out to you. “Attach these in the proper locations. No needles this time.”

He says that, but he’s lying. After a few minutes, he draws some blood, then clamps a pulse oxygen monitor onto your finger. Next he makes you huff into a peak flow monitor, at which point you start to get annoyed again. “What are you doing?”

“Healing quirks come at a cost, typically paid by the person being healed.” The doctor puts the vials of your blood into a centrifuge and sets it spinning. “The most famous quirk of that type – Heal, possessed by UA’s Recovery Girl – depends on the stamina of the individual being healed. If that stamina is exceeded by the energy needed to heal the injuries, the person dies. That quirk couldn’t have mended Shigaraki’s injuries, even if you possessed it.”

He’s looking at you, like there’s something you’re supposed to grasp here, but your mouth tastes like warp sludge, and you’re not in the mood. “And?”

“You’re smarter than that, dear. I’ll wait.”

Healing quirks have a cost. If Tomura had paid it, he would have died. The only other person in the equation is you. “It comes from me,” you say, and the doctor nods. “I didn’t feel anything. I haven’t felt anything. If I had –”

“It may not be perceptible to you at the moment, but based on the tests I’m conducting as we speak, your body is under a level of strain that does not match your current exertion.” The doctor points out the EKG he’s been taking, which shows consistent tachycardia, and the peak flow output, which is low, and your pulse oxygen, which is also low. “My current theory is this: When you are close to Shigaraki, the strain is negligible. The farther you are from him, the harder your body has to work in order to maintain the same boost to his healing capacity. I further theorize that this effect grows more pronounced when his injuries are severe.”

“So if I was far enough away from him and he was badly hurt –”

“Your body would exhaust its own resources to maintain the healing factor, and you’d die,” the doctor says, like he’s talking about the weather. “For a quirk that can’t be switched off, this is disastrous, and it leads me to believe that there’s a third difference between your quirk and your cousin’s. La Brava’s quirk costs her nothing. It’s simply an expression of her love. But your quirk, taken to its extreme, could lead you to pay the ultimate price.”

You don’t know what to say to that. Or what to think about it. Your mind is completely blank. “In light of that,” the doctor continues, “it’s likely that love is not the only requirement for the activation of your quirk. Tell me – before you spoke the activation phrase, would you happen to have had any thought about valuing Shigaraki’s survival above your own?”

No. You didn’t, and you’re about to say that – and then you remember one desperate thought, as you were holding his hand and staring at certain doom spelled out on the screen. “Yes.”

“That’s the key, then, and why your quirk didn’t activate the first time you told a person you loved them,” the doctor says. He sounds pleased with himself. “Your quirk bestows an increased healing factor on the person you love most, whose life you place above your own. Devotion doesn’t begin to cover it.”

A device is beeping somewhere in the offing. The doctor consults it. “Shigaraki is trying to reach me. Take those leads off. I’ll bring him here shortly.”

The doctor answers the call. You can hear Tomura snarling at him through the phone, and the doctor assuring him that you’re perfectly fine. The doctor gestures for the Nomu with the warp quirk to activate it, and Tomura’s voice chokes off suddenly. He’ll be here soon. He’ll be here soon, and with what you know now about your quirk – “Sir,” you say to the doctor, and he looks at you. “Don’t tell him.”

“Why, Saintess, I’m surprised at you. Don’t you think that’s something your master should know?”

“Yes,” you say, because it is. “But it’s my quirk. I’ll tell him myself.”

“Of course,” the doctor says. Warp sludge spills into midair, falling from Tomura’s mouth, and you can see fury on his face. “In exchange, I’ll need you to prevent him from killing me.”

Right. You get between Tomura and the doctor just as the last of the warp sludge dissipates. “I’m fine,” you say to Tomura. “The doctor just wanted to talk to me about – doctor stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“How you were healing, mainly.” That’s not a lie. You leave out the part where the doctor was more interested in the mechanism of the healing than how it’s going. “Is everything okay back there?”

“Spinner and Compress are in charge until we get back,” Tomura says. He’s glaring at the doctor over your shoulder. “When are we getting back?”

“Yes. As you know, your master has been compiling quirks for you, in order to allow you to become the next him,” the doctor says. That’s news to you, but Tomura doesn’t look surprised. “Based on the Deika incident and your takeover of the Meta Liberation Army, you’ve reached the physical strength and maturity necessary to manage them. Some you’ll recognize, as they’re copies of the quirks your master possessed –”

“Why are they copies?”

“It was intended to be the originals, but your master was captured after Kamino,” the doctor says. Tomura’s shoulders tense. “No need to worry. The copies are just as good.”

“Which quirks of his do I get?” Tomura doesn’t look opposed to the idea. He doesn’t necessarily look into it, either. “I don’t want all of them.”

“We’ll go over the full list in a moment, but there are two that are particularly important,” the doctor says. “First is your master’s quirk – All For One. He currently possesses a copy. You will receive the original. Second, there is a synthetic quirk, one I’ve been working on for quite some time: Super-Regeneration.“

Something clicks into place in your head. “My quirk speeds up Tomura’s natural healing process. If the starting point of that is Super-Regeneration –”

“Then Shigaraki becomes nearly indestructible,” the doctor says. “The injuries you suffered in the takeover of the Meta Liberation Army were severe, and the recovery has been unpleasant. Imagine never taking that sort of damage again.”

Tomura is nodding, and it occurs to you that there’s another side effect. If Tomura has Super-Regeneration, if your quirk is accelerating an already-advanced healing capability, the likelihood that Tomura will take an injury that it would kill you to heal is low. “All For One, and Super-Regeneration,” Tomura says, and you try to focus. “What else?”

There’s a list. Search, a quirk stolen from a pro hero that allows the user to gather information about a person just by looking at them. Air Walk, which gives the capability of flight. Strength and speed enhancements. Something called Radio Waves, that would let Tomura disrupt electronic communications at will. With this collection of quirks, combined with Decay, Tomura would be close to omnipotent. As close as it’s possible to get.

Tomura doesn’t think so. “This isn’t enough,” he says. “All Might –”

“You aren’t facing All Might,” the doctor reminds him. “And One For All’s new wielder is nowhere near his master’s level.”

You feel like you missed something. “What’s One For All?”

The doctor looks askance at Tomura. “You didn’t tell her?”

“It didn’t come up,” Tomura snaps, but he looks guilty when he turns to you. “There’s this quirk that gets passed from person to person. It collects their physical abilities and it collects their quirks, if they have quirks. My grandma was the seventh person to have it. All Might’s the eighth. Midoriya’s the ninth.”

“Oh,” you say. “That’s why he’s – like that.”

“A pain in the ass? Yeah.” Tomura is scowling. “Sensei made that quirk ��� One For All. He wants it back.”

“That’s why you need your master’s quirk,” the doctor says. “It will allow you to take it from Midoriya Izuku and restore it to its rightful place.”

“It gets passed from person to person,” you say. You’re still a bit stuck on that one. “That means All Might picked Midoriya to follow in his footsteps. Why?”

“Your guess is as good as mine –”

“It’s because he’s stupid,” Tomura interrupts the doctor. “Throwing himself into the middle of fights he doesn’t belong in, like there’s nobody he can’t save – the same thing All Might does, except Midoriya can’t even do it – it’s pathetic. That quirk should die with him.”

“Toga will be mad,” you say, like an idiot. Tomura looks taken aback. “You said you wouldn’t destroy the stuff she likes.”

“She needs better taste,” Tomura mutters.

“It seems reclaiming One For All is the wiser course of action,” the doctor says. “You’ll fulfill your master’s dream, and grant Toga’s wish at the same time. Midoriya Izuku will be much easier for her to manage without a quirk.”

Without a quirk? “He’s quirkless?”

“So was All Might.” Tomura changes the subject while you’re still reeling from the fact that the ranks of the quirkless used to include both the Number One hero and his successor. “Those are my master’s quirks. What else do you have for me?”

“Dabi’s test of the High End Nomu was successful, and I have five in the early stages,” the doctor says, “along with many near-High Ends and others who can serve as foot soldiers. They’ll all be keyed to respond to your voice, just as Gigantomachia does. And once you have your master’s quirk, we’ll be able to produce them quickly. The process of transplanting quirks without All For One is painfully slow.”

“I knew there was a catch,” Tomura says. “How long is it going to take to give me those quirks?”

“Four months,” the doctor says.

It’s quiet for a second. “And?” Tomura says.

“And it won’t be easy. There’s a reason the process is usually conducted on corpses,” the doctor says. “You’ll spend the majority of those four months in hellish pain.”

Your stomach clenches with fear, and the thought comes into your mind, then out of your mouth, with no editing whatsoever. “It’s not worth it.”

The doctor and Tomura both turn to look at you. The doctor looks annoyed. “We’ll transplant Super-Regeneration first. That will decrease the risk of death –”

Of death? “That’s not the point,” you say. You’re not going to convince the doctor. There’s only one person here who matters. You turn to Tomura. “The point is – you were right before. You don’t need this. You can do what you need to do without it.”

“Four months is a long time. The longer we wait to act, the more likely it is that the heroes catch on,” Tomura says. “I’ll take the Nomus. Not the rest.”

“Without your master’s quirk, the Nomus are a finite resource,” the doctor says to Tomura. “I understand your hesitancy. Four months is not insignificant. Take my proposal back to discuss with the rest of your comrades. Keep in mind that nothing will happen before your injuries are fully healed. Is that agreeable to you?”

“Yes,” Tomura says, without looking at you. “My injuries should be healed in two weeks. If the League decides to accept your offer, we’ll start then. Send us back.”

He reaches for your hand, grasps it as the Nomu with the warp quirk reappears – but you pull it out of his grip at the last minute. You need to have a conversation with the doctor.

The doctor looks surprised to see you. “Is there something else we need to discuss, Saintess?”

“You’ve got procedure notes for what you do to make the Nomus. I want them.”

The doctor’s eyes narrow. “Why should I give them to you?”

“Tomura should know exactly what you’re planning to do to him before he decides,” you say. “If this could kill him –”

“It won’t kill him,” the doctor says. You open your mouth to argue and he cuts you off. “As I said. I’ll transplant Super-Regeneration first. Combine that with your quirk, and we’ll have no trouble whatsoever, assuming you’re present for the key points of the process. It should all be fine if you go along.”

“If it’s all going to be fine, then give me the procedure notes,” you say. The doctor rolls his eyes. “Why not? Do you have something to hide?”

The doctor looks offended for a second, but then his expression smooths out. “I suppose in your position I would have the same concerns. Just a moment.” He turns away and taps a screen, and somewhere further back in the recesses of the room a printer whirs to life. “I’ll include the list of quirks to be transplanted, as well as the planned designs for the Nomus. Shigaraki should know exactly what he’s gaining from this exchange.”

He vanishes into the darkness, and you cross your arms over your chest. “Do you ever turn the lights on in here?”

“You should know by now, Saintess – some deeds are best done in darkness.”

What is that supposed to mean? You wait, your nerves already jangling. Tomura’s going to be angry when you get back. You can already tell that the two of you are out of alignment on this, that your loyalty to him is going to force a clash with his plans, and somehow you don’t think that showing him whatever the doctor’s going to do to him will change his mind.

But you won’t know that until you try. And you have to try. The doctor comes back and drops a stack of papers into your arms. “Run along, Saintess,” he instructs, and beckons the Nomu forward. But then he stops, studying you. “Was the white costume your idea?”

You shake your head. “He insisted.”

“Mm.” The doctor frowns. “All For One won’t like that.”

“My costume color?” You can’t help but be a little incredulous. “All For One’s in prison. He has bigger things to worry about than what I look like.”

“Shigaraki is meant to be the next All For One,” the doctor says. He gestures at you. “This is a complication. You’re quite lucky to have a useful quirk.”

This is weird. You’ve always gotten the sense that the doctor liked you, and the change of tune makes you nervous. You fall back into conciliation, a position you’re maybe too familiar with. “If he says yes,” you say, “and I’m here while it happens, can I learn about it from you? I can’t be as useful to him as you are to All For One, but I want to be able to help as much as I can.”

It’s quiet for a second. You’re not sure if he’s taken the bait. “Of course, my dear,” the doctor says finally. His smile doesn’t seem faked, but you don’t know if you have enough data to say for sure. “You’ll be here already. I’d be remiss if I didn’t allow such a devoted servant to learn how to help her master – and with your medical background, you’ll be an apt pupil. Hurry back, now. Your master is waiting.”

Tomura’s angry with you when you get back for not going with him, just like you thought he’d be. He’s less angry when you present him with the information you collected, and explain that it’s why you stayed behind – but less angry isn’t the same thing as not angry at all. “Don’t do that again,” he says, even after you’ve reassured him. “I don’t trust him with you.”

“But I’m supposed to trust him with you?”

“That’s different.”

“No, it isn’t.” You aren’t going to let it go. “You love me. You don’t want me to be hurt or taken advantage of. You want me to be safe.”

“Of course I do –”

“That’s what I want for you,” you say. The documents feel heavy in your hands. “I want us to win. I want us to do it fast, and I want it to be decisive. But I don’t want to see him hurt you. I don’t trust him, either. Not with you.”

Tomura gives you a curious look. “Why not?”

“I can’t put my finger on it,” you admit. “The way he talks. Something about how he says things. It bothers me and I don’t know why. And when you’ve been hurt and he hasn’t helped you –”

“He’s an asshole,” Tomura agrees. “But he’s not going to screw me. That would get in the way of Sensei’s plans, and he wouldn’t do that.”

No, he wouldn’t. If the doctor sees a reflection of his loyalty in yours, he’d never jeopardize All For One’s plans for Tomura. But you don’t know if All For One’s plans for Tomura and Tomura’s plans for Tomura line up. That’s not an argument you can have today. Tenko’s been touchy in the past when you’ve directly crossed All For One – so touchy, in fact, that you haven’t brought it up since the night you refused to go along with the idea that Tenko killed his family on purpose. Things are tense enough. You can’t bring that up right now.

What you can do is make your case. “We should talk to the others. I’ll read this over so I can explain what’s in it. If you’re serious about everybody deciding together –”

“I’m serious.”

“We should have all the information when we do.” You find the nearest wall and sit down with your back to it, only to immediately get to your knees to stop Tomura from falling face-first as he tries to join you. “Hey. No. You need to rest, not sit on the floor!”

“Technically I’m lying on the floor.” Tomura waits until you’ve gotten settled again, then lifts the documents out of your lap so he can put his head there. “And I’m resting. Are you really going to make me move?”

“Yes,” you say. Tomura looks up at you. “Are you really going to give me puppy eyes?”

“If it works.” Tomura closes them, looking almost unbearably smug. “Wake me up when you’re done reading.”

“Don’t you want to read them with me?”

“I didn’t finish kindergarten. You graduated high school and did college.” Tomura yawns. “You can explain it to me. You always know how to say things right.”

It’s quiet for a little bit. Your head hurts and you’re unsettled, so unsettled that having to sit still for this feels impossible. Tomura’s good hand pulls lightly at the edge of the veil. “Take this off. I want to see.”

You don’t take it off, but you do flip the edge of it up and back over your head, out of the way. “Yes?”

“Are you mad at me?”

“You’ve never asked me that before,” you say. “Not even after you tried to kill me.”

“I didn’t want to kill you,” Tomura says, even though that’s not what you said. “I want to know. Are you mad at me?”

“No,” you say, and mean it. The relief that crossed Tomura’s face makes you want to cry.

You aren’t mad at him, but you feel like things are slipping out of control, and you can’t stop it. The more power Tomura amasses, the more moving parts there are, the more places there are for things to fall apart – and for every one you know to be wary of, there are probably three more you’d never see coming. Your quirk can save Tomura, sure, but it can’t protect him. You don’t know how to convince people, how to win them over to your side. You’re right about this. You know you’re right about it, even if you can’t explain why, but you have a bad feeling that it’s not going to make any difference at all.

You have to wake Tomura up before you’re done reading, because someone from the MLA comes along and freaks out at seeing the Grand Commander fast asleep on the floor. You trail along at Tomura’s side into the rooms they’ve set aside for him, which look like the kind of penthouse rich people live in, and get yanked onto the bed next to him as soon as he’s gotten under the covers. You finish the rest of the reading there, and then you go looking for the League, a hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach the entire time.

You start off by explaining the medical procedures the doctor’s going to put Tomura through, but nobody’s listening – they’re too interested in the list of quirks Tomura’s going to pick up as a result. Dabi’s interested in the Nomus, and in the idea that you could learn how to make them; Compress is more interested in the financial resources the doctor can cough up to support all of you. “These Liberationists are too stingy,” he says, when you ask him. “I’m tired of arguing with Skeptic every time we order in.”

Spinner snorts at that. “More money won’t hurt,” he agrees. “We need better gear, and weapons –”

“And costumes!” Twice chimes in. “How come Saintess is the only one who’s got a new look?”

He starts describing what he wants his new look to be, and Dabi starts picking on him about it. Compress looks like he’s thinking about takeout, and Spinner is scratching the League of Legends logo onto a desk with his fingernail. Your blood pressure is rising. “Did any of you hear what I said? These kind of procedures –”

“He’s got you. Nothing to worry about,” Dabi says. “I’d go through that and worse to crush the Number One hero – if I didn’t know how to do it already.”

“We know, we know. You have a super secret mission,” Toga says, to the tune of snickering from Spinner. Toga isn’t laughing. “I don’t want Izuku to get hurt. Just because I think he’s cute when he’s bloody doesn’t mean I want him to get hurt. Saintess doesn’t even like blood.”

“Who cares about that? Get to the point.”

“If I was Saintess, I’d worry too,” Toga says. You feel a surge of relief that almost makes you dizzy. “I was listening. Those quirks all sound really nice, Tomura. But you have a good quirk already – and you have all of us. You don’t need those quirks to win.”

“So you say no,” Tomura clarifies, and Toga nods. She’s sitting closest to you, on the end of Tomura’s bed, and she reaches out to squeeze your hand. You squeeze back. “That’s one against.”

“For, obviously,” Dabi says. He gives you a dirty look. “If you’re really going to walk away from that much power because your girlfriend’s scared, Shigaraki, maybe you shouldn’t be the next leader at all.”

That’s the kind of bait Tomura would have risen to back when this started. He lets it go and looks to Twice. “I think it’s nice that you’re worried,” Twice says to you, “but I’m with Dabi.”

“I’m not so sure,” Compress says. “It’s a risk, and we’d lose too much time. Our control over the Liberationists isn’t solidified. We need you here. And yet –”

You’re hopeful for a second. “That much power shouldn’t be left on the table,”

Compress says. “I vote yes. For reasons other than Dabi’s.”

That’s three in favor. “I vote no,” you say. There’s only one vote left, and it should be in favor of your position, which will force a tie. “Spinner?”

“Yes,” Spinner says without hesitating. Toga’s grip on your hand tightens almost to the point of pain, and the distraction it lends is the only reason why you don’t lose your shit instantly. “If that power’s there, you should take it. It’s not like it’ll hurt to have it.”

“It won’t hurt you,” you say, and Spinner startles at the sound of your voice. “None of you understand what this means.”

“We understand,” Dabi says. He looks warier of you than you’ve seen before. “We care more about winning than we do about Shigaraki getting an owie.”

“Don’t care about that, then. Care about what I’m going to do to you the second I figure out how this Nomu thing works.”

Dabi sneers. “That’s not very saintlike of you, is it, Saintess?”

“That’s the name you all gave me,” you say. Your body is shaking with rage. You hold still with an effort, death-gripping Toga’s hand. “Want to bet on whether it fits?”

“Hey, take it down a notch,” Twice says. He’s looking back and forth between you and Dabi and Spinner, clearly anxious. “It’s going to be fine! You’ve got your quirk now. You won’t let anything bad happen to the boss.”

He doesn’t understand. None of them understand that the bad thing is this. This is the thing you’re supposed to protect him from — people who would hurt him, people who don’t care that they’re hurting him, people who want to use him for their own twisted, selfish needs. You’re pissed at Dabi, frustrated with Twice, but both of those are misdirections. There are two people you’re angry with right now. One of them is Spinner, who acts like he cares about Tomura only to pull this bullshit. The other one is you.

“Twice, get out of my way. Or at least make a clone of her that I can torch.” Dabi’s eyes are locked on yours. “You want to do this? Fine. Let’s do it. Let’s see how good you are at –”

“No,” Tomura snaps from the bed. “Get out.”

He’s talking to Dabi. You know he’s talking to Dabi. You get up from the bed anyway and head for the door, faster than Tomura can protest, faster than anyone can stop you. The door shuts behind you before he can even say a word.

“Hey!” Toga’s voice follows you, and you glance back, startled. She’s still holding your hand. You’ve been dragging her. “Slow down, okay? I got hurt in the fight too and I don’t have a pretty girlfriend who can heal me.”

“Sorry.” You try to let go, but Toga won’t let you. “Let go. I need to be alone.”

“No.” Toga shakes her head. “I’ve never seen you get mad like that before. Nobody has. Not even Tomura-kun.”

You remember Tenko asking you, forever ago, when the last time was that you really got mad at somebody. You can’t remember being this angry as an adult. As a teenager, sure. You were never good at calming down, and that’s why you need to be alone, because you only know one way to do it. You yank your arm back from Toga, and she tightens her grip. “We’re supposed to be friends,” she says. Her sharp-toothed smile is tight and anxious. “Friends talk to each other.”

You don’t want to talk. Even thinking about your feelings is impossible sometimes. But she’s not letting go of you, and the sooner you give her what she wants, the sooner you can get away. “I’m useless,” you spit. “I can’t stop him from doing this. I can’t make all of you see that it’s wrong. I can’t make Spinner pay – I expect this shit from Dabi, but he doesn’t get to act like – if you knew –”

You’re getting incoherent. Your face is heating up behind the veil, and your eyes are starting to burn, and now that you’ve started talking, you can’t stop. “I can’t do anything even now that I have a quirk. I just have to stand here and watch and I don’t care that it’ll kill me before it kills him –”

Toga’s eyes widen. You shouldn’t have said that. It’s not the point. “I’m useless,” you say again. “Quirk or no quirk. I can’t save him. I have to save him and I don’t know how.”

“You sound like Izuku,” Toga observes, and you blink. “He has to save people too. He gets upset when he thinks he can’t, but he always finds a way. You can find a way to save Tomura-kun. You did it before.”

“No, I couldn’t.” Your voice wavers. “Not when it counted.”

Toga gives you an odd look, asks you what you mean, but it’s too late. Your mind’s already spun off, carrying you back fifteen years – almost sixteen, now – to the wreckage of Tenko’s house.

The instant you realized what you were walking in, what was sticky and staining the bottoms of your bare feet, your heart stopped. You didn’t throw up. Throwing up would have been normal. Screaming would have been normal, and you did scream – but not yet. As soon as you realized what you were walking in, panic seized you by the throat, and you picked up the pace, feeling your stomach lurch every time you identified another piece of a person you knew. Tenko’s grandmother’s glasses. His grandfather’s wedding ring. Bloodstained strands of his mother’s hair. Hana’s favorite hair tie and Tenko’s dad’s wristwatch and Mon’s collar with its little bell, and by then you were crying so hard you could barely see. But you kept moving, banging your shins on chunks of rubble, blood staining your nightgown, looking for the person who was missing, your favorite person in the whole world. He wasn’t there. His family was there, but he wasn’t, and that was when you screamed. Tenko!

The scream brought the neighbors running, and some of them threw up. A lot of them cried. A lot of them called the cops, and then your parents came looking for you — but you were already on the move, leaving horrible bloody footprints on the sidewalk. Tenko wasn’t there at his house, which meant he was somewhere else, and you were his sidekick, his best friend. It was your job to find him.

You didn’t get far before your parents caught you, and they dragged you back into the house to clean you up and make you get dressed for school — but then they let you walk to school, and of course you went the opposite way as soon as you were out of sight. Whoever took Tenko had a head start on you, but you knew Tenko would be trying to escape, and once he did, you’d find him and the two of you could hide. You’d find him; you’d have to find him. There wasn’t another choice.

But people were looking for you — the school called your parents when you didn’t show up, and your parents called the police. You were so out of your mind that you thought they were there to help you look for Tenko when they showed up. When you realized they weren’t, you ran away from them, too. A hero caught you next, and you bit him when he picked you up, not that it helped at all. You couldn’t figure out why so many people were looking for you, when you still had a family, when you had somewhere to go home to. You were fine. They should have been looking for him.

You turned into sort of an escape artist over the next week. You snuck away at school, climbed out the window at home, even ducked a turnstile and made your way onto a train deeper into the city to look for him there. Even if Tenko couldn’t get away just yet, he had to know you were looking for him, right? He had to know you wouldn’t let somebody take him away. Even if nobody else was looking, you were going to keep looking until you found him.

You don’t remember why you stopped. You have a vague memory of your mom giving you a medication, something she said would make you feel better while you looked for Tenko, but whatever it was, it just made you tired. Tired, and slow. Even when you snuck out, which you did, you’d forget where you were going almost instantly. You don’t remember what the medication was, just that it tasted bitter on your tongue. Just that they made you keep taking it until Isuzu was old enough to walk. After that they needed you too much to drug you into compliance. After that it was too late to keep looking.

No, it wasn’t too late. You just gave up. If you hadn’t given up, if you’d kept trying, if you hadn’t let him go, none of this would have –

“Hey!” Toga shakes your shoulder, snapping you out of it. Your face is wet under your veil. Your eyes are stinging. “It counts. You got to see him again and you get to keep him, so it counts. But you have to calm down or they won’t listen to you anymore.”

She’s right about that. Showing them that you can get angry right after you’ve shown them that you’re not afraid to shoot people has given you a little unpredictability, the kind that the rest of the League already has, the kind that makes people think twice about crossing you. You’ll lose that if anybody catches you crying in the hallway over how you failed your best friend. You stick your hand under your veil and wipe your eyes, and your phone starts to buzz in your pocket. You pull it out, and when you see the caller ID, your heart sinks. It’s Kazuo.

“I have to take this,” you say to Toga, and she nods but doesn’t leave. You accept the call and put the phone to your ear. “Hey.”

“You’re inside my parameters,” Kazuo says. You close your eyes. “Illegal possession of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, voluntary manslaughter. I’ll conceal your identity as long as possible, but if they use a truth-detecting quirk or a mind-reader on me, I won’t be able to hide it.”

“I know,” you say. “Thank you, Kazuo. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“You sound unwell.”

“So do you,” you say. They must be pushing him hard. The MLA concealed the Deika incident, but you know better than to think the HPSC believes the cover-up. A hit of inspiration comes to you. “Ditch them. Join us.”

Toga elbows you sharply, but Kazuo’s already saying no. “If I go missing, they’ll turn their investigative skills on me, and on my known associates. You’ll be discovered faster than you would have otherwise.”

“It’s not about that,” you say. “They’re going to find out about me eventually anyway. It’s about you being safe.”

“You can’t save us both –”

“Fuck you,” you say sharply, and both Toga and Kazuo suck down shocked breaths. “I have to save somebody. It’s our fault that you’re in this spot, and you’ve still been helping me. Please let me help you.”

“I can’t,” Kazuo says, and you’re about to swear at him again when he follows up. “Not yet. Once things become more chaotic, maybe – but this isn’t the only reason I called. The HPSC has a spy inside your new organization.”

“Oh,” you say after a moment. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know.”

That’s something you haven’t heard Kazuo say in a while. That’s something you’ve never heard Kazuo say. “Uh –”

“I’ve asked the question, but there are thousands of potential answers. I can’t sort through them without losing consciousness.” Kazuo sounds so tired. “There are heroes among your ranks. It could be one of them. The HPSC could have recruited someone entirely unknown. There is no way for me to narrow the results without more information, and I discovered the existence of a spy only by accident. If I knew more, I would tell you.”

“I know you would,” you say. Your heart aches. “As soon as you can come to us, do it. I’ll make sure you don’t have to use your quirk again if you don’t want to.”

“You can’t –”

Saying you can isn’t going to change his mind. It won’t help you, either. “I will.”

“Hey!”

You and Toga both look up to find either Twice or one of his clones hurrying down the hall towards you. You tell Kazuo to stay safe and hang up the phone in a hurry. Twice stops once he’s close, out of breath. “The boss is losing it,” he explains. “You left and then Re-Destro showed up because he heard we were making decisions without him –”

Great. “So then Shigaraki threatened to Decay him the rest of the way and Dabi said he can’t just Decay people because his girlfriend left him – and then Compress and Spinner were trying to convince him that you aren’t actually leaving him – are you actually leaving him? Because if you are we have more problems than I thought we did.”

“She’s not leaving him,” Toga says confidently. Then she looks at you. “You aren’t, right?”

You can’t decide whether nodding or shaking your head is the appropriate response. You go with nodding, and take it as a good sign that nobody panics. “I just needed a break,” you say. “And I just talked to my contact at the HPSC. Apparently we’ve got a spy somewhere in the PLF.”

“Well, shit,” Twice says. “We gotta tell Shigaraki right now!”

He doubles himself, and both versions of him hold out their hands to help you and Toga to your feet. Then he borrows a trick from your book and sets off down the hall without letting go, pulling you along in his wake. You’ve got a few more minutes at most to work things out in your head.

But in the end, there’s not that much to work out. Kazuo said you can’t save both – him and Tomura, or you and him – and for the first time in his life, you’re going to prove him wrong. You’ll find a way for Kazuo to be safe, and for Mitsuko and Ryuhei, who only got involved in this because of you. And it doesn’t matter anymore that you couldn’t save Tomura when you both were children. You’ll just have to make up for it by saving him now.

[theannotateddean]

“‘Subtle, fair, and wise?’” demanded Ted of Patrick.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” said Patrick, gloomily.

“Hover through the fog and filthy air,” said Ted, completing the quotation.

They stared at one another, and the gaze of the lion did not stop them this time.

Chapter 20, The Secret Country

Patrick begins and Ted completes the ending lines shared by the three witches in the very first scene of Macbeth:

FIRST WITCH When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain? SECOND WITCH When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won. THIRD WITCH That will be ere the set of sun. FIRST WITCH Where the place? SECOND WITCH Upon the heath. THIRD WITCH There to meet with Macbeth. FIRST WITCH I come, Graymalkin! SECOND WITCH Paddock calls. THIRD WITCH Anon. ALL Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Rusty | S.R

Series Summary - After suffering unimaginable horrors in his three months spent in prison, Spencer Reid struggles to bounce back to his former glory. And when he almost dies at the hands of Benjamin Merva, it’s one trauma too many to bear. So Spencer ups sticks and relocates to a ranch in the middle of nowhere, leaving behind his job, his friends and his relationship.

And then he meets you, a mysterious stranger, who helps him out of a tight spot. You’re looking for a place to lay low and he’s in need of assistance. It’s a match made in heaven. Isn’t it?

You both have pasts you’d rather remained buried. But when those pasts both collide in your present, it can either tear you apart or force you close together.

You’re both just a little rusty, but practice makes perfect.

A/N - yes I’m writing a new series. No I cannot be stopped. Thank you @andiebeaword and @pinkiceee-prose my angels for coming on this ride with me.

Paring - Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader

Category - strangers to friends to lovers | angst | smut minors DNI

General warnings - past sexual abuse, past physical abuse, bad coping mechanisms, PTSD, dissociative amnesia, accidental self-harm, lying, secrets, bisexual Spencer Reid, post prison arc, smut.

Chapters under the cut.

Chapter 1 - Wanted Dead or Alive

Chapter 2 - Take Me Home, Country Roads

Chapter 3 - I Walk the Line

Chapter 4 - The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy

Chapter 5 - Gunpowder and Led

Chapter 6 - Tumbling Tumbleweeds

Chapter 7 - Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)

Chapter 8 - A Horse With No Name

Chapter 9 - A Cowboys Cowgirl

Chapter 10 - Back in the Saddle Again

Chapter 11 - All My Ex’s Live in Texas

Chapter 12 - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

Chapter 13 - Friends in Low Places

Chapter 14 - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Chapter 15 - Heavens Just a Sin Away

Chapter 16 - Take Your Memory With You

Chapter 17 - Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Chapter 18 - So Little I Wanted

Chapter 19 - So Little I Got

Chapter 20 - Fires Don’t Start Themselves

Chapter 21 - Night Riders Lament

Chapter 22 - If Tomorrow Never Comes

Chapter 23 - Only the Lonely

Chapter 24 - Bless the Broken Road

The wonderful and amazing @andiebeaword drew this for me of two of the horse you will meet in this story. They are both driving forces of the fic and I think everyone should see them.

[aurelim]

Master Post

As I have a lot of posts and am likely to add more, I figured I should create a master post for the entire blog.

Last updated: 9/26/24

DEMO 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 INTRO POST 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 FAQ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 RO INFO

As the Ocean Lures is a 16+ interactive novel about being a Merfolk. Currently, the demo has the entirety of the prologue, chapter one, and chapter two, as well as a sneak peek into chapter three!

You can find discussions of the game in general under the following tags: #As the Ocean Lures, #atol, #atol ros, #atol ro info, #atol faq and #atol prompts

DEMO ★ INTRO POST ★ FAQ ★ CHARACTER INFO

ST4RDOM is a 17+ game about going on your first world tour with your k-pop group ST4RDOM. MC is genderlocked female. Currently, the demo has the entire prologue out.

DEMO ➤ INTRO POST ➤ FAQ

Swapped is a 15+ game about swapping identities with a famous actor. Currently the outline is written, with the first episode already published as of 11/30/24!

You can find discussions of the game in general under the following tags: #swapped-if and #qna

GAME 🕸️ INTRO POST

Among the Haunted is a game created for Halloween 2023! A collaboration between Aurelia Lim and Alby Writes Fiction, the game is centered on you, a single parent, raising two kids while celebrating the spooky day your own way. The game is currently released, but may go through updates once the jams are finished!

Interactive fiction games you can expect to see in the future:

A Greek mythology IF about being a deity who has fallen out of grace with the gods. The only way they can redeem themselves is by collecting twelve items throughout Greece to prove themself worthy. Also, they have to do it all as a mortal. More updates coming soon.

A slice-of-life summer break about going to the seaside and discovering one's self. There will be six characters who will appear recurrently in the sleepy town of Seaside Point, all of whom the main character will have to leave once vacation is over. More updates soon.

A dark academia-inspired murder mystery about attending a boarding school with its secrets. There will be murder (of course) and three classmates who will assist the main character in solving the crimes. More updates soon.

A slice-of-life about letting go of a loved one when it hurts. It follows the main character and their significant other as they take one final journey across the country. Their loved one is dying and there is no cure. Experience heartache along the way, cherish the sweet moments, and perhaps learn to let go. More updates soon.

A mystery IF about discovering a message in a bottle leading to a time capsule from the Roaring '20s. With the assistance of friends, finding it will never be easier. More updates coming soon.

About Me

Asks: Feel free to ask me any questions about the games! Or if you just want to rant about the characters, that’s fine as well :)

Prompts: You can send prompts for any characters! My only rule is that there is no kinks or NSFW...for now. Speaking of...

NSFW: I hesitate on adding NSFW as I am unsure whether or not there will be explicit content. I just don’t know how to write it properly. If I have a change of heart I will update the warnings and announce it. But for now, I will keep it off-limits.

Submits: You can submit a post to this blog. If you do, I ask that it is not inappropriate!

Messages: You can submit a message to me if you think there should be x content in the game or ways to improve. Please no toxicity, however—I am a real human being after all. Please know that I will not be afraid to block and report you if it is inappropriate.

[astermath]

hi! i'd like to ask a one shot on carmen berzatto in which the reader is an italian girl her early/mid 20s who works as a waiter at the bear and is sydney's best friend. her and carmen meet through her and they start secretly dating. the rest is up to you

thank you <3

hi!! I simplified your request a little,, it's more like a blurb / headcanon thing than a oneshot because I'm working on a long chapter for my nemesis series rn lol, hope that's okay!! thank you for the request angel! ♡

pairing: carmen berzatto x fem!reader

tags: sydney being a matchmaker somehow, not so secret relationship, exactly what it says in the ask lol, normal size font below!

wc: 0.9K

let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list for further carmen berzatto related content!

+ when it comes to hiring waiters, carmen just wants someone who's experienced. someone who knows what they're doing and who can do it well. and quickly. this restaurant has to work, has to make everyone proud, and the staff has to reflect that.

+ sydney instantly thought of you as a reference. you'd worked at your family restaurant back in italy, and when you moved to chicago, had continued said occupation to support yourself in various restaurants. though none were as nice as "the bear".

+ so when your friend had called you up for an interview for a brand new restaurant with one of the most promising chefs of the country, of course you took the offer.

+ though carmen knew most waiters were usually... presentable, he didn't quite imagine you to be this fucking pretty when you showed up for the interview. he almost forgot every question he was meaning to ask when you walked through that door, all bubbly excitement and feminine flair.

+ he loved hearing you talk about your life in italy before moving to the states, your experiences working in the service industry, your passion for food and people... he almost forgot he was supposed to be conducting an interview at all, he just adored hearing you talk so much.

+ and sydney noticed too. she noticed the way he had such an easy time conversing with you, which is odd behavior for him, to say the least. she was just glad the two of you were getting along, and her friend had a chance of getting hired.

+ and of course you were hired. not only was carmy already hooked on you, but so was most of the other staff. your bright personality and quick witted comments were nice and refreshing when things got a little too stressful. plus, you worked fast and efficiently; what more could they ask for?

+ carmen’s interest in you remained. he knew it was a little wrong, since technically, yes, he is your boss. which is why he was a bit reluctant to do anything at first.

+ you were making all the first moves. giving him meaningful glances during quiet moments, helping him out with things that didn’t apply to your job position, staying later to help him close up and clean. even if it meant you’d be tired as all hell by the time you were home, at least you were spending time with him. to you, it was more than worth it.

+ and he seemed to think the same. carmen never thought the closing shift could be as fun as it was when you were there. these days he was almost fighting richie for it, claiming that it was more fitting for him anyways since it was his place after all.

+ late night shifts turned into walking you home. walking you home turned into hanging out at your apartment for a glass of wine. a glass of wine turned into kissing on the couch. kissing on the couch turned into staying the night… you’d fallen into a routine with him so easily, sometimes you forgot there was a time before carmen was in your life. it just felt so… natural. like it was always supposed to be like this.

+ and though you really liked carmen, you didn’t want to jeopardize your position at the restaurant. you’d finally found a stable, well paying job, it would be a shame if you lost it over a relationship with your superior. though sometimes, you wondered if it would be worth it. to risk it for carmen.

+ carmen agreed, and so the two of you continued to keep your relationship under wraps for the time being. it was for the better, and besides, it’s not like he talked much about his personal life to his colleagues either. well, except for sydney.

+ and boy did she have her suspicions. of course she’d find out eventually, she’s a very smart and observant person. she can figure out carmen so easily, so she’s definitely not oblivious to the sneaking glances and hidden smiles, or the way he always manages to stay behind with you at the restaurant. not even the hickey you tried so desperately to cover up with makeup slips past her radar.

+ but she doesn’t say anything, at least not for a while. she lets the two of you live out your little secret relationship, believing she doesn’t know, until she accidentally slips up about it.

+ you’re complaining about the noise in your apartment and your lack of sleep because of it, clearly frustrated, when sydney asks “why don’t you just sleep over at carmen’s again then?”

+ she doesn’t realise she’d revealed that she’s known all along, until you look at her like you just saw a ghost. you’re about to defend yourself and come up with some excuse, when behind your friend, you can see carmen standing at the bar, smiling to himself as he cleans the counter.

+ it brings you comfort to know that apparently, he doesn’t mind anyone knowing. the secrecy was more for you than for him if anything. you’re not his little secret, not at all, and that became very clear when he’d start talking sydney's ear off about you after. though she does find it annoying, she’s glad two very important people in her life have found each other and are making it work.

+ plus, it’s nice that you two always cover the closing shift.

+ though she has her doubts about what you two are actually up to alone in the restaurant past closing time.

tag list <3

@beebslebobs @thatone-brightstar  @spr3id  @deadandstill  @777iii  @magicboytrash  @wiipes @sierrahhh  @crayzmarvelfan800 @azxulaa  @astridyoo15   @rexorangecouny  @azxulaa @jointherebellion215  @wolfiealina @dogdevourer 

[winterflowersftw]

Mission Silent Elk: Chapter 1

Yuri Briar x reader

Synopsis

As Ostania is on the verge of facing its biggest possible crisis, the Secret Police appoints Yuri to investigate a very promising lead who is in close proximity to all the higher government officials including Donovan Desmond. His mission is to find out whether the opposition leader is in fact influencing the current government and to figure out if the central government is anything else other than a fraud.

Word count: 4771

Yuri Briar, age 20, is liked by many but is hated too, but mostly, feared. People did not fear HIM, though. They feared the uniform her wore and what it represented. They feared what that uniform was capable of doing to them. So whenever he used to go make any arrests, people would look at him, sometimes even stare. But mostly, they'd fear him.

It's 9:00 in the morning and Yuri is in his office, always on time and never even a minute late. All things considered, he's a great employee, not taking many leaves unless he's sick but mostly his best quality would be how seriously he takes his job. At least that is what his boss, the Captain told the higher ups upon deciding that Yuri would be given a VERY special mission.

Mission Silent Elk

These animals were very interesting to the Caption apparently, so much that he decided to name the mission on them. They will try to avoid contact with threats at all costs, but when properly provoked, they WILL gore whatever is attacking them to death with their antlers and stomp them with their feet.

And that explained Yuri's mission perfectly.

His target? She was someone related to the most high profile person in Ostania. The president himself. His daughter, Andrea Walter, age 19, is just about to pass out of Eden College. What makes her interesting is that she seems to have no contact with her father whatsoever. She doesn't live in the presidential house even during holidays and has apparently not made a public appearance with her father since 2 years, basically a year after he was elected.

But the most interesting piece of intel about her is that she is under suspicion of being a spy working under WISE.

The rumour does not put any question on her lineage whatsoever, because she indeed IS her father's sole heir. Their remarkably matching features are solid proof. Her brown eyes, her brown hair, and her medium tone matched exactly with her father's features. She looked very simple, nothing in her made her stand out in a crowd. And yet, she did.

Some of her peers said that she has a gaze which can see right through a person, while the others blame her higher social standing. She was very lean, with curves in all the right places. Some people even put that as the reason why she stood out.

Now why she was under suspicion of being a spy was clear as day. A piece of information had been revealed to WISE, something only a couple of people could know, and Ms. Walter was one of them.

The information was about the President and the leader of the opposition party, Mr. Donovan Desmond.

After the assassination of the First Lady, Mrs. Sarah Walters 2 years ago, it is said that Mr Desmond lives with the president. As if the real person controlling everything is still Donovan and the President is just the figurative head. The report also talked about the sudden change in the President's mannerisms, as if blaming Donovan for "influencing" him in a wrong way. It could be said that it was because of the very public assassination of his wife, but for it all to continue for 2 years very much indicated that he is indeed being manipulated. A case or a scandal that big could cause the whole country to collapse. So the media was very selectively not showing any news or footage which indicated this. Even the assassination of Mrs. Walters was passed off as a " sudden heart attack". But the people who were in the meeting where the "event" happened had spread the word and a few officials knew the truth.

Now, WISE had been given a report this controversial about Donovan about a year ago. This, among the various other reasons, forced them to commence Operation Strix with their best agent, Twilight.

"So Captain, what do you want me to do?", Yuri asked after reading the report on Andrea Walter, his voice had an obvious strain, as if not being able to believe that a fraud as big as this could even be done.

The Captain finished his smoke and gave Yuri a look. He answered, " She's going to graduate Eden in a week. That means she won't be staying in her student's lodging anymore. That will make it easier for us to spy on her. We can even find out where she stays during her holidays." The Captain paused, and pulled out a picture of her from the table's drawer and added, " A week from now they will have a graduation party after which the students shall be moving out. Now, Yuri, you need to observe her from afar. After all, it is nothing but just suspicions of being a spy. But her high status makes this rather controversial." He smoked another cigarette. While putting it out in the ash tray, he continued, " You need to observe her closely. If a situation arises that you need to make contact with her, don't hesitate. Because of your young age she most probably won't suspect you of being one of us".

As the chief concluded, Yuri felt a knot forming in his stomach. But he decided to continue rereading the report, he finally took a look at her picture the Captain had pulled up. She looked exactly as she had been described. She looked alert and intuitive. That just made Yuri suspect her even more.

He considered everything and made a lot of calculations in his mind; about the mission, about Andrea, and said, " I'll put Andrea under my surveillance for the next seven days and I'll try to make some contact during her graduation party at Eden. That would be my best shot."

"As expected from you Yuri, that's a very prudential approach." The Captain replied instantly. Yuri replied with an ingenuine smile and saluted him before leaving the room. Going back to his office along with the report and mission details, he was determined that he would find the truth regarding the matter.

He left out a sigh thinking about how draining this particular mission could be. But he knew one thing for sure, that his work was just getting started.

[thefanficslayer]

Note:I haven’t been interested in reading Ereri fanfics lately, I’ve pretty much stopped entirely.Ereri has always been a crackship for me, but it’s still strange to think that the thing that got me into reading fan-fiction in the first place is no longer a part of my life. That being said, I still have a good amount of Ereri fanfics in my library so I’ll probably finish those up and then give it up for good.

ERERI FANFIC RECOMMENDATIONS

Title:An Auspicious Star Chapters:13/13 Rating:Explicit Summary:In a world where people can wield magic, raise the dead and cast spells, Eren is on the run because of being a shifter, a rare ability coveted by many. What happens when he crosses paths with Levi, a necromancer of the infamous Ackerman line, also wanted for his magical talents?

Title:Rules of Engagement Chapters:79/79 Rating:Mature Summary:They had no say in their future mates...the treaty between their kingdoms was already set. So what's a betrothed omega to do? Anonymously invade the country of his fiancé alpha. Only problem, his identity doesn't stay a secret for long. (Slow build)

Title:Own Ending Chapters:32/32 Rating:Mature Summary:Eren couldn't comprehend what he had seen the previous night. He watched the grey-eyed man wiping the tables and couldn't understand how the man who made his coffee every day and handed it over with a snarky remark was the very same man who was destined to kill him. Eren refused to believe Levi would kill him.On top of keeping himself off the radar and keeping up with the make-believe student life, now Eren has to deal with hunters and making sure nobody dies because of his mistakes.

Title:Inside My Mind Chapters:25/25 Rating:Explicit Summary:As a punishment from his mother, Eren is forced to get a job, with Levi as his boss.Not being able to ignore the younger boy's looks, Levi tends to let his mind wander off, imagining scenarios with Eren involved. Little does he know that Eren has a very special ability ...

Title:Woven Strings Chapters:23/23 Rating:Explicit Summary:Levi is a widower and an executive chief of Smith Advertising. Eren is a rising escort doing whatever means are necessary to provide for his family. Neither realize one brief encounter is all it took and their fates were woven together like string.

Title:Intro To Data Science Chapters:20/20 Rating:Explicit Summary:"You're probably just into him for the accent."It's not that," Eren argued. "It doesn't hurt, but it's so much more than that." Mikasa rolled her eyes. "Sure."

Title:A Town Called Chaos Chapters:37/37 Rating:Explicit Summary:A cop (Levi) and a stripper (Eren) go into hiding as pretend husbands to avoid being murdered by a notorious drug cartel. Spoiler Alert: They fall in love.

Title:Élan Chapters:30/30 Rating:Mature Summary:Eren is a graduate student who, after getting out of an abusive relationship, has sworn he will never love again. He's doing an internship at the Sina Aquarium, a rescue and rehabilitation center for aquatic animals, and the only aquarium rumored to have a mermaid, determined to study the elusive creatures. He soon finds out that it's no rumor, and that the mermaid, rescued from a water amusement park where he was abused for over a decade, is just as broken as he is. However, gaining the trust of the creature who has tried (and in a few cases, succeeded) to kill any human who has ever entered his tank is not going to be easy. But it turns out that their shared pain is in fact the driving force that pulls them together, and that their bond may be more life-changing than either of them can fathom.

Title:Coffee Writers Chapters:32/32 Rating:Mature Summary:Levi is an anti-social college kid who has to keep his obsession with his OTP hidden, as well as his string of fanfictions, fanboy posters, and other nerdy things. The only place he can be free to write is at his favorite coffee shop. Life is as it has been until a chance run in with a famous fanfiction writer changes everything.

Title:Good Enough To Eat Chapters:26/26 Rating:Explicit Summary:There are two things to be known about living in Shiganshina: there's no such thing as privacy, and gossip never dies. Eren Jaeger has lived in the same small town his entire life, and has always known this to be true.He'd never felt different, and had always believed that nothing exciting would ever happen, and every day would continue to be exactly the same as always. At least, he used to, until the arrival of a mysterious man. A newcomer who seems to have an interest in the Jaeger family, and keeps his secrets close. A man who never answers questions, and has a dark history that spells trouble.As demons from the past come racing to the present, Eren finds himself drawn into an inexplicable web of myths and deceit, protected by the one person he's positive he shouldn't trust.

Title:Think Ink Chapters:28/28 Rating:Explicit Summary:Levi, an extremely popular and well respected tattoo artist, wasn't concerned with impressing people. He was apathetic, grouchy, blunt, and focused solely on getting through work so he could go home and try to sleep. But something changed that. That thing came into his life in platform heels, dripping (fake) jewels, makeup bordering drag, and every color of the rainbow and then some. That thing came in the form of an equally talented artist, named Eren.

Title:Both Sides Of The Same Coin Chapters:61/61 Rating:Explicit Summary:Eren is a werewolf, captured by humans for experiments, and wakes up in a cell that he soon realizes he's sharing with a vampire. The two work together to get out of their unpleasant prison but the price for their freedom may end up being too high. How will they cope with the consequences of the choices they have made?

Title:The Thug Chapters:35/35 Rating:Explicit Summary:Eren jeager is on an errand when he comes across a girl in the underground city who is being held captive by two men. Putting his life at risk, Eren does anything to save her, relying on nothing but his determination and unwillingness to see her hurt. As they're backed into a corner, they are suddenly saved by none other than Levi Ackerman, the strongest thug in the underground. Eren can't help but feel drawn to him, but will his feelings for this famous criminal wind up getting him hurt?

Title:Do you want fries with that Chapters:1/1 Rating:Teen and Up Summary:Eren Jaeger wants to say that it's the greasy cheeseburgers that keep him coming back, but he knows he'd be lying if he said it was anything other than that asshole working at the drive-thru window.

Title:Making Up For A Lost Lifetime Chapters:1/1 Rating:Explicit Summary:Since he was a child, Eren remembered his previous life... but no one else around him did. Armin suggests that Eren go with him to a convention dressed as one of the soldiers from his memories; that maybe this way he could find someone else who remembers the past as well.

Title:Leave Your Lover Chapters:27/27 Rating:Explicit Summary:Levi is a 30 year old divorced Chef who works at his best friend's restaurant.An ex military Sergeant, Levi lives his life according to a strict routine. One day, his strict schedule is thrown off when a mysterious cat makes it's way into his apartment from the open Balcony.When Levi hears it's owner knocking on his door, he wasn't aware that his life would be turned upside down and all because of this boy standing in his doorway with the biggest, brightest green eyes he'd ever seen and his name is Eren Jaeger.The story in which Levi doesn't know he's gay and is in denial about it until a certain bright eyed boy moves in next door and steals his heart. The only problem is... he's got a boyfriend.

Title:Love.exe Chapters:16/16 Rating:Not rated Summary:All Levi wants to do is drink tea, run his goddamn convenience store, and not have to deal with this kid who keeps coming in to leech his wifi bringing down high-end corporations.

Title:Campus and Complication Chapters:25/25 Rating:Mature Summary:"The world is not a kind place; it does not halt its cruelties simply because you are in love." the man said. Two shots rang clearly through the air; both of them hit their target dead-on." College!AU that becomes progressively less and less about college as it goes.

Title:Recon Incorporated Chapters:11/11 Rating:Explicit Summary:He was just looking for a way to pay the bills — a job that was easy, fun, and something he was into. Where could he possibly go wrong with a travel agency?Assistant!Eren Boss!Rivaille; Office AU.

Title:A forged Wedding Chapters:30/30 Rating:Mature Summary: Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game: "I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?" "I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"

Title:Effects of Venom Chapters:32/32 Rating:Explicit Summary:Ragako is a developing, culturally rich tropical country famous for all the wrong reasons. It is home to some of the planet's most uncomfortably humid weather, it is blanketed by roughly 95% rainforest which is full of dangerous animals, as well as the civil war between the military and the jungle drug lords. Eren is a young boy with aspirations of joining Ragako's military, much to his mother's displeasure. When his home town of Shiganshina is raided for supplies and he is taken hostage by the very jungle rebels he has dreamt of fighting, he's in for a world of trouble...

Title:Crosshairs Chapters:8/8 Rating:Explicit Summary:Eren Jaeger is the only son of a rich and famous doctor, Grisha Jaeger. His life should be easy and carefree but behind closed doors lie dark secrets. Levi, the world's best assassin, gets a call that labels Eren as his next target. He's confused about why he's being hired to kill a nineteen year old boy but a job's a job, until he realizes that nothing is ever that simole.

Title:Love’s A Menace Chapters:5/5 Rating:Explicit Summary:"Your favorite customer is here!" Hanji continued and damn them, Levi could practically hear their shit-eating grin. That could only mean one thing.

Title:Hey lover Chapters:32/32 Rating:Not Rated Summary:Fed up with being teased for not having a girlfriend, Eren joins a site that gives the perception of being taken. Little does he know that the sassy and crass girlfriend he asked for isn't exactly what he had in mind.

Title:1994 Chapters:26/26 Rating:Explicit Summary:Before cell phones. Before the Kardashians. Before internet porn. The year is 1994. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, poor kids from the wrong side of the tracks, have been transferred with the rest of their neighborhood to the posh, uptown Trost High (Home of the Titans). Mikasa and Armin seem to fit in well enough, but Eren isn't quite so lucky. Of course, most of this has to do with Eren's personality. When he accepts a bet to lose his virginity (and actually prove that someone likes him) by the end of the semester, it's hard for him to deny the improbability of winning. After all, the only one he seems to be talking to these days is the weirdly pretty (and just plain weird) goth working at the donut shop down the street...

Title:Blind Date Chapters:41/41 Rating:Explicit Summary:Eren is forced to go on a blind date. He didn't look forward to the awkwardness that was sure to follow when he had to break it to his date that he had to leave. He had played the whole scene in his head many times to get it right. He would be able to do this just as he had rehearsed. Sit down, tell them you are sorry to cut it short and walk out. Simple plan.But as it turned out. nothing is as simple as it first seems..

Title:An Unforgettable Face Chapters:4/4 Rating:Explicit Summary:Have we met before? I recognize your face..." Levi's brows furrow, scouring his memory as to why he knows this guy's face from somewhere."Ah, you've probably seen one of my videos!" "Hmm.YouTube?"

"No. Porn."

Title:The Curious Case Of Eren Jaeger Chapters:14/14 Rating:Mature Summary: Levi's on his first day teaching when he tries to text Hange.Eren's in the hospital when he gets Levi's text instead. It's only slightly homicidal.**Or the wrong number texting AU that nobody asked for**

Title:Haute Couture Love Chapters:27/27 Rating:Mature Summary:Eren Jaeger is sharp, determined and hard working but doesn't consider himself beautiful or good looking in the least. When he lands his dream job, working at Survey Corp Publications as the Executive Assistant to a high-end Fashion magazine's Editor-in-Chief, his life is turned Topsy-Turvy. All he wants to do is work hard to become an Editor, but his boss Levi seems keen on making his life a living hell.Levi is a notorious playboy who gets what he wants both in and out of the bedroom. As Editer-in-Chief of New York's best selling high-end Fashion Magazine, Levi is forced to work with an overly determined, hot-headed brat with a rat's nest for hair and the most incredible eyes he's ever seen and it's all because of Erwin Smith.

Title:Room 105 Chapters:18/18 Rating:Explicit Summary:Eren finally started his residency at the hospital his father reigns over. Being the new kid, he's got to deal with picking up the work no one wants to do. Namely, taking care of the patients in the Psych Ward. In his initial rounds, he meets a patient named Levi with a very... intriguing condition.

Title:Night Drive Chapters:3/3 Rating:Explicit Summary: Working as a desk clerk for Sina Enterprises isn't the most grandiose job out there, but it sure beats every other option Eren had jotted down since graduation. Troubled past behind him, Eren strives to make a name for himself by not fucking up the only good thing he has going for him. But when a certain foul-mouthed and dapper executive waltzes through the lobby doors, Eren is more than willing to set aside his "no fraternizing with the higher-ups" rule. However, the engagement ring on Levi's finger proves to be a deal breaker.It was supposed to be a one night stand, one night to get each other out of their systems, but the two of them bit off more than they could chew.

Title:Give the dog a bone(r) Chapters:6/6 Rating:Explicit Summary: Levi was just looking for man's best friend when he adopted the dog.What he got instead was man's best wingman. (or the AU where Levi's dog tries to hump Eren every time it sees him)

Title:Placing Faith Chapters:24/24 Rating:Explicit Summary:Captain Levi Rivaille is second in command of the Survey Corps, a gang that is at constant war with the Military Police who, despite saying they act on behalf of the Crown and the people, are corrupt and violent with anyone who doesn't fall in line. Even at twenty years old Levi is seen as one of the most powerful soldiers, with detached ruthlessness in his way of life. Which means that no one was expecting him to adopt a young eight year old boy named Eren, who is orphaned when the Survey Corps' battle with the Military Police level the Shiganshina District.

Title: Holding Hands In The Rain Chapters:31/31 Rating:Explicit Summary: Basically the one with thousands of words of Eren and Levi crushing like crazy on each other, and being absolutely freaking ridiculous together, and slowly falling in love against the backdrop of modern-day Vancouver.- - -Levi only realizes how much he's not paying attention to anything around him when there are shoes beside the puddle he's drawing. Looks up to find Eren standing right there in the rain, the hood on his jacket pulled back, and his hair plastered down against his head. He's just standing there, and - he's watching Levi with an expression that looks so fond it actually hurts; and Levi's just managed to get his breath back and open his mouth when Eren moves closer, and Levi loses his air all over again.

Title:A Voice From The Rubble Chapters:25/25 Rating:Explicit Summary:It all just took 30 seconds. Thirty seconds that kept replaying in my mind over and over again, the details so vivid. Thirty seconds that would change my life forever.Thirty seconds earlier we had all been safely tucked up in bed. Shiganshina Lodge was my home, my family was visiting for the holidays; it had now become our tomb.Shiganshina District had been a second home to all of us ever since I was born. I know this place. I know its beauty... I'm now learning its terror.OR: Eren's trapped in a landslide and Levi's the paramedic that finds him.

Title:Dental Care Chapters:4/4 Rating:Teen and Up Summary:As the back of the chair is lowered, Eren takes a few deep breaths. The more horizontal his position becomes, the more he begins to question his life choices - specifically the one to chew oodles of gum instead of actually brushing his teeth regularly, but also the one to not turn at his heels and walk away upon laying eyes on not-Dr. Smith, otherwise known as Dr. Ackerman. Though half of the man's face is now covered by a surgical mask, he still manages to appear fleetingly irritated as he stares down at Eren."In addition to sitting down, you'll also have to open your mouth, you know," he points out as he adjusts the overhead light.

Title:Junkyard Dogs Chapters:17/17 Rating:Explicit Summary: Autocracy — a system where one leader has absolute power — is the only government that exists in prison. Levi is the current 'Top Dog, and for years, no one has had the mind to challenge his position - at least, no one until now. Enter: Eren Jaeger, a new inmate with indefinite mentalities and obscure motives. With the power to shake Levi's throne, Eren becomes the one exception of everything.

Title:Fuck:My Life Chapters:47/47 Rating:Explicit Summary: A streak of bad luck leaves Eren desperate for cash, and desperate enough that making porn doesn't seem like such a terrible idea. He's young, he's cute, he's horny, and his favourite studio is currently hiring. It seems like fate up until he learns that his two most admired actors, whom he spent the majority of his teenage years appreciating, have recently retired.Still, he is nothing if not determined, and he sets out to see if he can persuade them to make one last movie. And then he gets to know them as people, and things start getting complicated.

Title:A Tenuous Third Space Chapters:6/6 Rating:Teen and Up Summary: In which Attack on Titan is the MMORPG they all play, and Eren meets Levi online.

Title:An Unlikely Alliance Chapters:51/51 Rating:Explicit Summary: When Scouting Legions main trading partner, Wall Maria, is experiencing economic strain from constant attacks by the neighboring kingdom Titan, the leaders of the two nations come to an agreement: Scouting Legion will provide military protection in exchange for land and financial aid for the still growing nation.Their new alliance will be sealed with the union of King Jaegar's son Eren to the Scouting legions strongest soldier, Lance Corporal Levi. But how will the cold, impassive soldier warm to his new husband, who is far from the weak, spoiled princess he was expecting?

Title:The Strange and the Usual Chapters:35/35 Rating:Explicit Summary: When Eren finds himself stuck in what is essentially a halfway house for supernaturally inclined misfits, there's no stopping the veritable shopping list of events that leave him pushed closer and closer to ex-exorcist, Levi. But when is it ever that simple?

Title:Snow and Silence Chapters:21/21 Rating:Explicit Summary: When reclusive Eren Yeager finds a half-frozen stranger on his front porch, he has no idea how much the encounter will come to change his life. And yet, even as his fascination grows, so do the mysteries around the enigmatic man. Who exactly is Levi, and can Eren trust him?

Title:Wanderlust Chapters:35/35 Rating:Explicit Summary: Wanderlust (noun); a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.Eren Jeager has been stuck in the same town all his life, from birth to college, and he is afraid that he will never get out. Then something of a miracle occurs; he stumbles across an ad for an all-expense paid trip to France as a travel partner. He expects it to be a prank, he doesn't expect to find himself flying to a foreign country with a grumpy (though very attractive) man with piercing grey eyes.

Title:Help me stand Chapters:26/26 Rating:Mature Summary:Eren's best childhood friend and high school boyfriend, Armin, dies in a car accident in which Eren had been the one at the wheel. Unable to keep from blaming himself, life itself becomes agonizing for Eren and he turns to the more negative side of coping mechanisms. Eventually, he meets a college student named Levi who seems like he has it all figured out, just to discover that they have more in common than he thought. Modern!AU. Also, Levi has a motorcycle because it was definitely necessary.

Title:Come in with the Rain Chapters:20/20 Rating:Mature Summary: Levi attends work one day and does not expect the incessant chatter and noise that seems to have transfigured the other teachers into gossiping old women. However Levi isn't so sure that the obnoxious noise wasn't called for when he meets the subject of the entire English base's - except for perhaps Jean, but the kid had a stick up his ass anyway - affections. Dammit did he have bright eyes.

Title:The Little Titan Café Chapters:22/22 Rating:Teen and Up Summary: Just another cliche AU in which Eren works as a barista in his mother’s café, specializing in latte art. And then there’s Levi, who’s not exactly your typical patron, because, well, he’s blunt and rude (which Eren supposes isn’t that much different from regular customers) but mostly he just confuses Eren’s poor little homosexual heart.

Title:Dark Side Of The Moon Chapters:35/35 Rating:Explicit Summary:I reach for the doorknob, but Mom stops me with a quick, “Eren! What have I said about answering the door when you aren’t expecting anyone?” I step aside, and she peers through the peephole. Whatever she sees on the other side makes her suck in a breath.

Title:Louder Than Words Chapters:57/57 Rating:Explicit Summary: My boyfriend, Eren Jaeger, disappeared ten days before his seventeenth birthday.Six months later, he was found again, completely intact save for his mental and emotional scars. Oh, and the fact that he would never be able to speak again.And so, we all started to rebuild from the debris that had been left in the destruction of our lives.

Title:To One in Paradise Chapters:26/26 Rating:Explicit Summary: Eren is the most talented painter to be born in Shinganshina which has caught the attention of the Fae who reside in their realm nearby. However, Eren is also the only boy to ever be born in the village with emerald green eyes. His mother and sister have spent the past 17 years hiding him away from the Fae who love all things beautiful. Then one fateful day he is spotted by the worst Fae of all...King Levi.

Title:Shut Up and Dance Chapters:10/10 Rating:Teen and Up Summary: Eren probably should have thought about the fact that he's a terrible dancer before agreeing to dance with Mikasa at her wedding in place of their deceased father. Luckily, Levi is the king of the ballroom and Eren is the king of persistence. Unluckily, Eren can't stop blushing long enough to actually learn how to not step on his dancing partner's feet.---Eren also had been harboring a huge crush on the man for three years, but he had learned to treat it as one of those unfortunate things in life that you have no control over.Like, oh, I got a papercut. Oh, someone scratched my car in the parking lot. Oh, I’m in love with Levi Ackerman.

Title:Witch’s Vein and Bloodstains Chapters:17/17 Rating:Teen and Up Summary: In a land of sentient forests and unpredictable magic, it is never wise to venture far without a witch.The Survey Corps is in dire need of a replacement after a tragic accident took Ilse's life in a quest gone horribly wrong. Eren might not be what anyone expected, but he has raw talent and curious allure that even Captain Levi can’t deny. When circumstances conspire to pit the squad against the same adversary that took Ilse barely a year ago, will they be able to handle the challenge a second time round?

Title:Do You Love Me? Chapters:34/34 Rating:Mature Summary: A cliche AU in which Levi goes to a college in France for a semester and Eren wants to tell him he loves him but can't seem to.Rated M for blowjobs and fricklefrack.

Title:Black Swan Chapters:9/9 Rating:Explicit Summary: 24-year-old Eren Yeager has risen as one of the best choreographers of his time. He's known by friends and clients as one of the most passionate people they have ever met. Scared of allowing the world to see his true vulnerable self, he chooses to stand behind the scenes and allow for others to display that passion in his place.Enter 33-year-old famous dancer Levi Ackerman. Well known in the industry for his immense talent as well as his less-than-friendly attitude. Despite his reservations, Eren agrees to work with Levi as his choreographer. Little does the younger man know that this decision will change everything that he ever thought he knew about the world, and most importantly, himself.

Title:Art Of War Chapters:11/11 Rating:Explicit Summary: Noisy neighbors, nursling dinosaurs, satanic box cutters, shitty convenience store management, the word 'fuck', hereditary (but not really) homosexuality, beer and ramen, pennies, truckstops, strippers, closets, semi-public defacing, rings, house parties, "recreational" drug use, accidental rendezvous, toxic stew (don't eat the stew), nice abs, housewives--batteries not included, over-educational movie sessions, copious domesticity, kittens named after landlords, a shit joke at participating locations, and many, many happy endings.A modern AU in which Eren moves into the apartment directly above Levi's.

Title:Lists Chapters:16/16 Rating:Explicit Summary: The story of Levi ("Why bother trying to make friends when you can learn to control people instead?") and Eren ("Because you can control people better when they think that they're your friends. They don't even know they're being manipulated.") coping with social interaction at college in their own different ways.

Title:Trust Chapters:12/12 Rating:Explicit Summary: Private Investigator detective Levi Ackerman never expected to meet an alpha male he could trust completely, but then a bumbling, green-eyed mailman entered his life. Now he has to choose between keeping his solitary life and possibly risking his freedom and independence for a shot at something special and unusual for him. Yaoi, AU Omegaverse. See notes for further details.

Title:Demons and Darkness Chapters:37/37 Rating:Explicit Summary: Levi is a scout, and protects his village day and night from feral yokai, demon like creatures who feast on human flesh. When the chieftan of his village is killed by the beasts, Levi's father takes over, putting him next in line to lead his people. All Levi wants to do is watch over Mitras with his blade, fighting along side his teacher, who he has been in love with all his life. When he discovers that Erwin is getting married, he heads off into the woods alone to drink and slay demons, trying to forget. He never expects to summon from the darkness a yokai of his own.After a few minutes everything went quiet, and then his yokai was before him, magnificent, covered in splashes of red. My yokai? He wore a maniacal grin, the joy of taking a life that deserved to be taken. Levi knew that joy, had worn that expression so much he could feel the ghost of it on his face. Then, the yokai spoke. "You were so damn slow, I thought I'd never meet you." Levi felt his mouth gape open. Yokai couldn't speak. They were like animals, beasts without souls."Who are you? What are you?" That smile grew predatory, eyes slitting deviously. "I'm Eren, and I'm yours."

Title:No Such Thing As Fate Chapters:14/14 Rating:Explicit Summary: “You forgot,” he said, with a tone of sudden clarity. “Ah. So that’s why you called me captain.”Reincarnation AU in which Eren and Levi never established a relationship in that other life. (background pairings: Erwin x Marie, Armin with past feelings for Annie)

Title:Summer, Sweat, and Sausages Chapters:10/10 Rating:Explicit Summary: Eren lazes around during the summer after his first year of college, wondering what he is doing with his life, going to school for a major he doesn't even enjoy and trying to outshine his perfect stepsister Mikasa. He's also oddly turned on by his stepsister’s revisiting uncle Levi, who Eren doesn't remember at all. They piss each other off a lot, then grow an odd bond of companionship—then Eren realizes Levi was shunned by his family some odd years back for coming out as gay, and for some reason, Eren's budding curiosity gets the better of him. Tensions run high, pants slide off, and Eren sweats from more than just the summer heat when he gains an abnormal craving for Levi’s "sausage." Humor and drama ensue and so does an absurd amount of smut. Outside of sex, feelings are also involved—and they soon crash hard into the ground.

Title:Crash Chapters:34/34 Rating:Explicit Summary: "If the wings are moving faster than the fuselage, don't trust it." Fixed-wing pilots and helicopter pilots do not see eye to eye. Particularly when said heli-pilot is a self-entitled, rich "weekend warrior" that apparently has no regard for airmanship.However, when Eren is involved in an aircraft accident, his path crosses with the man he can't stand in a way that will have him indebted. That man intends to cash in on that debt...with interest.Follow Eren through his professional and personal hardships following the accident, and how he learns that with time and patience, one can overcome anything.

Title:Chasing Summer Chapters:26/26 Rating:Explicit Summary: Two more weeks left before Levi Ackerman graduates from high school and leaves the small town of Shiganshina. He can't wait for the moment that he can finally put that dreadful town behind him. But when a Grisha Jaeger becomes the new family doctor, bringing along his ill son that breathes new life into the town he desperately wants to escape, will Levi find a reason to stay?

Title:Steered Straight Chapters:21/21 Rating:Explicit Summary: Levi is a military Captain with the US Marine Corps in charge of a very small, elite reconnaissance force responsible for surveying enemy territory before the military formally makes its move. Eren is a rebellious trouble maker who shuffles in and out of lock-up until his twenty-first birthday when the judge offers him a choice between military service or prison time. Little does he know that his decision, and the unapproachable captain he's stuck with, will change his life.

Title:Augenfresser Chapters:26/26 Rating:Explicit Summary:Monsters did not like to hide under beds, as his father had told him. No; he found the monster hiding in his closet.

Title:Fallen Star Chapters:11/11 Rating:Mature Summary: Detective Levi Ackerman had his life in order; a steady job he enjoyed, a close circle of friends, and a spitfire little sister who was all the family he could ever want or need. His world was a simple one until ballet prodigy Eren Jaeger stumbled into it.Someone like Eren didn't belong in his world. Now he wasn't sure how he would live without him.

Title:king of carrot flowers Chapters:13/13 Rating:Mature Summary: It's a Sunday. He's washing his favorite mug and trying not to pay too much attention to the funeral that's going on across the street.---(Levi lives across the street from a cemetery and Eren's father has recently passed away.)

Title:Rebellious Nobodies Chapters:35/35 Rating:Explicit Summary: "They had a gun to my head now, but I could hardly feel it. I was watching his face, watching the tears as they flowed, and all I could feel was bliss because I knew that this was what love was. As they prepared to pull the trigger, and his dark eyes widened, I smiled and mouthed the words to him as clear as day: I love you." When naive, oblivious first-year Eren Jaeger gets drunk at a frat party, he finds himself thrown unceremoniously into the world of Levi Ackerman--the elusive, mysterious senior with a sexual aura unlike anything Eren has ever experienced. His mind is ravaged with desires for him, until he is practically consumed by his image, even as he becomes aware of the fact that he knows close to nothing about Levi Ackerman. They find themselves drawn to each other, as much as the world seems to tell them that they shouldn't be together.Then Eren meets Mikasa, Levi's seemingly perfect cousin. She tries to warn him about Levi, telling Eren that he has a dark past and a twisted future. Only when Eren finds himself dragged down into Levi's underworld, riddled with hidden skeletons and blood-stained hands, does he understand--but by then, it is too late.

Title:Stowaway Chapters:7/7 Rating:Explicit Summary: Levi is the Captain of The Captain's Killer, the most dreaded pirate ship in all the Caribbean, which hunts its bounty with ruthless efficiency. For years Captain Levi has dodged the Navy's most decorated Commander, Erwin, and his attempts at sinking Levi's ship and coercing him into sailing under the Navy's banner. It seems that Levi will continue sailing the seas as he pleases, answering to no one but the mood of the winds, until a stowaway with a few secrets of his own ends up on his ship and throws everything in disarray.

Title:The Red Long Johns Chapters:8/8 Rating:Mature Summary: It’s the week of the yearly Trust Initiative Teen Action Network (T.I.T.A.N.) retreat but this year Levi is left out in the cold when Hanji breaks her leg. To make things worse, Principal Smith gets a replacement chaperone—the new, very green English teacher Eren Jaeger. Levi and Eren butt heads over every little thing from professional to personal. Despite all of this, Levi finds himself distracted by the red long johns the fashion-challenged Eren wears under all of his winter gear and just how to get into them…

Title:Lend me your ear Chapters:4/4 Rating:Explicit Summary: Eren's not a vindictive person. Really, he's not. In fact, he considers himself a big supporter of doing the right thing, fighting the good fight (literally, if need be); basically, he's a big proponent of justice.Sitting here with Jean's credit card clutched in his hand, Eren's sure this is just the beginning of a long and prosperous road full of justice.

Title:Neither Tarnished Nor afraid Chapters:19/19 Rating:Explicit Summary:Levi is a rare thing; a man of honour in a city eternally selling its soul. They gave him a gun and a badge, and he walks the cruel and indifferent streets of Southport doing what he can for the forgotten ideal of justice. Someone else in Southport has an interest in justice as well, and he leaves a bloody trail of corpses in his wake as he tears through the city's underworld. Levi's duty is to hunt him down, whether he is an avenging angel, a monster, or something slightly more complicated than either.

Title:Half light Chapters:22/22 Rating:Not yet rated Summary:He wouldn't say that they're friends, really. They're not quite just acquaintances either; the more he thinks about it, Eren's not sure how to describe their relationship. They sort of... tolerate each other, in different ways.But yeah, the more he thinks about it (and he does think about it quite often), Eren thinks that he'd like for them to be friends.(AU where Eren tries to figure out what you do when friendly feelings turn into something more.)

Title:Federkleid Chapters:32/32 Rating: Explicit Summary: The Wings of Freedom is an agency that rehabilitates children the world has given up on, showing them what it's like to lead a normal life, and Levi is its strongest member. It's here he meets Eren, his most difficult case yet. The 17 year old boy is terrified of his own shadow, and has retreated into his own world of darkness and fear, too afraid to come out. However, Levi will give him a reason to leave that world, and show him that it's okay to trust and love again. The road ahead is winding and painful for both of them, for reasons neither of them could have guessed.

Title:Not The Monster You Wished For Chapters:50/50 Rating:Mature Summary:Eren never thought he needed group therapy. Eren never wanted group therapy. Even getting him into physical therapy was tough. But now, one car accident and two worried friends later, Eren finds himself thrust into the world of group therapy for people like him. People with PTSD, the wounded veterans. Little did he know that this group would be made up of the people who haunt him in his nightmares. Including, but not limited to, the man who he blames for the loss of his lower leg. The man who led him into battle. Corporal Levi.

Title:Kissing Booth Chapters:2/2 Rating:Teen and Up Summary:Eren’s soccer team hosts a kissing booth at the Spring Carnival to raise money for charity. What will he do when he’s unexpectedly forced to work a shift with Levi, team captain and his secret crush?Steamy kisses up ahead.

Title:A Warm Breath Chapters:12/12 Rating:Mature Summary:“You’re a human child, aren’t you. You mustn't touch me then, or I’ll disappear." One summer when visiting his Uncle Erwin out in the countryside, Eren befriends a mysterious masked man who lives in the forest. They promise to meet every summer from then on.In other words, a story told through summers, year by year, of Eren being a (cute) brat, Levi dealing with said brat, and all the fluff, awkwardness, and strange feelings that come with growing up, despite the limitations placed on their interactions. Inspired by Hotarubi no Mori e.

Title:Keep it down Chapters:1/1 Rating:Explicit Summary:The first time it happened, Eren was sleeping.The second time it happened, Eren was skyping. The third time it happened, Eren was ill. The fourth time it happened, Eren was feeling more than a little stressed. The fifth time it happened... well...Or, the story of how Eren learns the name of the guy living above him because of the awkward loud sex he has.

Title:Be good for me Chapters:1/1 Rating:Explicit Summary: Eren reaches up and grabs the wrist that’s connected to the hand fisting its fingers into his hair. Squeezes until that grip loosens and eventually releases completely. He drops it, meeting Levi’s hazy gaze as he opens his mouth, “Be good.” Levi’s fingers twist in the bed sheets.

Title:Misread Chapters:22/22 Rating:Explicit Summary:After watching his father brutally murder his mother, barely escaping with his life, Eren Jaeger moved from one foster house to another, never really finding a place to call home. Now that he is grown, he lives with Mikasa and Armin in a dilapidated old house, but all is not well. The loss of his mother at his father's hands, along with the brutal treatment he received for his sexuality, as well as repeated failures in all aspects of his life have left him hollow and broken. Though he had tried before to end his life and failed, with a fistful of pills and the knowledge that his friends are gone for the weekend, Eren was sure that this time he would succeed. At the last moment he hesitated. His only regrets would be leaving Mikasa and Armin behind, and never confessing his feelings to the owner of the bookstore he works at. After realizing he had nothing to lose, he decided to tell Levi how he feels before ridding the world of himself for good. Even if Levi rejects him, it doesn't matter.What's he gonna do? Kill himself?

Title:Freedom of the Press Chapters:39/39 Rating:Explicit Summary: Eren is just an ordinary college student, wondering how long he can put off his art projects and if it's possible to live off of only ramen and mac 'n cheese. Oh, and if his medical alert bracelet is really necessary, because honestly, it shouldn't be. His part time jobs as a barista and a photographer for a major newspaper help pay the bills, but when he gets assigned the task of photographing the upcoming professional soccer match, he can't believe his luck. He has been given permission to legally stalk his idol, center forward for the Scouts, Levi Ackerman! Levi Ackerman is a famous soccer player, and the object of millions of girls' and guys' wet dreams. For Levi, the life of a celebrity is nothing to complain about. He can walk into any bar and leave with his choice of men to take home. And with a sexual appetite that can rival that of a porn star, this is a benefit of stardom he takes full advantage of.The only problem is, it's hard to keep secrets when constantly under a spotlight. What the world doesn't know is that he's gay, and he's determined to keep it that way. Levi struggles to keep his deep, dark secret out of the public knowledge, but a certain green-eyed brat is making that exceptionally difficult.

All these fan-fictions can be read at https:/archiveofourown.org/users/ but you can also immediately be taken to the page by clicking on the underlined title of the fan fiction.

Here is the link to my old account: https://www.tumblr.com/sparklebuttzz/655385067894489088/ereri-fanfic-recommendations