#then the first chapter of the fic is done???
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haemey · 18 hours ago
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It's another silly one! My first multi-chapter fic to be posted as a wip, but don't worry, it's almost done. Also very slightly too late to be timely, but who cares :P
🎄🌟🎄 Sweet baby Jesus 🎄🌟🎄
G-rated, currently sitting at 10.8k, I expect it to land around 15k once done.
Relevant tags: Fluff, Bickering, Crack treated seriously, Crowley is a little shit, Aziraphale is just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing, Established relationship, an unexpected amount of feelings, Post-canon
Summary:
It's a week before Christmas, Aziraphale is stressed by an influx of customers, Crowley is actually kind of enjoying himself, and Mr Brown has a Nativity Play to organise.
Who better to play the Archangel Gabriel than Aziraphale?
Excerpt:
Aziraphale's scandalised expression spoke volumes. “No decorations? During Christmas time? My dear, what are you even saying? That would be… well, it just wouldn't do!”
Crowley just shrugged and put on a new record: A children's choir rendition of ‘The most beautiful Christmas Songs!’ Except it wasn’t a good children's choir, but instead had been recorded on an early smartphone by an oh-so-proud parent at a school event. How it had found its way onto a record was anyone’s (except Crowley’s) guess. “I mean, it's the same every year,” he said, as he went to annoy a different customer, “you just keep complaining. And what am I supposed to do then? You're putting me out of a job!”
“Oh hush.” Usually, Aziraphale would have a discussion like this in a low voice, but deep down, he hoped that their bickering might be disconcerting to humans. Unfortunately, this had not seemed to be the case so far this time of year. “You still find plenty to complain about. Yesterday it was Nina not serving mulled wine-”
“It's December and she sells drinks!”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/61688722
(The link thingy is beig weird today, but it should work)
omg it’s FAN FICTION FRIDAY
Reblog and promote a fic of yours <3
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jamingbenn · 17 hours ago
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year in review - hockey rpf on ao3
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hello!! the annual ao3 year in review had some friends and i thinking - wouldn't it be cool if we had a hockey rpf specific version of that. so i went ahead and collated the data below!!
i start with a broad overview, then dive deeper into the 3 most popular ships this year (with one bonus!)
if any images appear blurry, click on them to expand and they should become clear!
₊˚⊹♡ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁
before we jump in, some key things to highlight: - CREDIT TO: the webscraping part of my code heavily utilized the ao3 wrapped google colab code, as lovingly created by @kyucultures on twitter, as the main skeleton. i tweaked a couple of things but having it as a reference saved me a LOT of time and effort as a first time web scraper!!! thank you stranger <3 - please do NOT, under ANY circumstances, share any part of this collation on any other website. please do not screenshot or repost to twitter, tiktok, or any other public social platform. thank u!!! T_T - but do feel free to send requests to my inbox! if you want more info on a specific ship, tag, or you have a cool idea or wanna see a correlation between two variables, reach out and i should be able to take a look. if you want to take a deeper dive into a specific trope not mentioned here/chapter count/word counts/fic tags/ship tags/ratings/etc, shoot me an ask!
˚  .   ˚ .      . ✦     ˚     . ★⋆. ࿐࿔
with that all said and done... let's dive into hockey_rpf_2024_wrapped_insanity.ipynb
BIG PICTURE OVERVIEW
i scraped a total of 4266 fanfics that dated themselves as published or finished in the year 2024. of these 4000 odd fanfics, the most popular ships were:
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Note: "Minor or Background Relationship(s)" clocked in at #9 with 91 fics, but I removed it as it was always a secondary tag and added no information to the chart. I did not discern between primary ship and secondary ship(s) either!
breaking down the 5 most popular ships over the course of the year, we see:
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super interesting to see that HUGE jump for mattdrai in june/july for the stanley cup final. the general lull in the offseason is cool to see as well.
as for the most popular tags in all 2024 hockey rpf fic...
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weee like our fluff. and our established relationships. and a little H/C never hurt no one.
i got curious here about which AUs were the most popular, so i filtered down for that. note that i only regex'd for tags that specifically start with "Alternate Universe - ", so A/B/O and some other stuff won't appear here!
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idk it was cool to me.
also, here's a quick breakdown of the ratings % for works this year:
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and as for the word counts, i pulled up a box plot of the top 20 most popular ships to see how the fic length distribution differed amongst ships:
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mattdrai-ers you have some DEDICATION omg. respect
now for the ship by ship break down!!
₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .
#1 MATTDRAI
most popular ship this year. peaked in june/july with the scf. so what do u people like to write about?
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fun fun fun. i love that the scf is tagged there like yes actually she is also a main character
₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .
#2 SIDGENO
(my babies) top tags for this ship are:
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folks, we are a/b/o fiends and we cannot lie. thank you to all the selfless authors for feeding us good a/b/o fic this year. i hope to join your ranks soon.
(also: MPREG. omega sidney crosby. alpha geno. listen, the people have spoken, and like, i am listening.)
₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .
#3 NICOJACK
top tags!!
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it seems nice and cozy over there... room for one more?
₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .
BONUS: JDTZ.
i wasnt gonna plot this but @marcandreyuri asked me if i could take a look and the results are so compelling i must include it. are yall ok. do u need a hug
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top tags being h/c, angst, angst, TRADES, pining, open endings... T_T katie said its a "torture vortex" and i must concurr
₊ . ݁ ݁ . ⊹ ࣪ ˖͙͘͡★ ⊹ .
BONUS BONUS: ALPHA/BETA/OMEGA
as an a/b/o enthusiast myself i got curious as to what the most popular ships were within that tag. if you want me to take a look about this for any other tag lmk, but for a/b/o, as expected, SID GENO ON TOP BABY!:
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thats all for now!!! if you have anything else you are interested in seeing the data for, send me an ask and i'll see if i can get it to ya!
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sieveyourtea · 1 day ago
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Born Archivist AU Wrap Up Post
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Image ID below the cut. Art by @dcartcorner !
Series Summary:
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different...
...Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, is eleven years old when Mr. Bouchard comes to see him.
A massive thank you to you all. For reading, especially for commenting, and for all the support in getting this over the finish line.
If you're interested in reading or seeing more art, please check out the links below the cut. You do need an Archive account to read!
My ask box is open, I'd love to chat theories, questions, and thoughts anytime! Please don't be shy!
What to Know:
Child of Illumination is a fic series with three primary story arcs that follows John Sims from age eleven to his time as Head Archivist of Magnus Institute after being adopted by Elias Bouchard and Peter Lukas.
All three main arcs are rated T and suitable for those who can enjoy the same sort of content as in the podcasts. CW's are provided on individual chapters.
The Main Story:
Part One: Child of Illumination:
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different...
...Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, is eleven years old when Mr. Bouchard comes to see him.
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Image Id at the end. Art by @sarcasticscribbles!
Part Two: Shadow in the Hunting Grounds
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different.
Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, has lived with fathers for six years. Like for a lot of other young people, University presents a time for self-exploration, and a first occasion of being out on his own without someone...Watching quite so closely.
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Image ID at the end. Art by @sarcasticscribbles!
Part Three: Blood of the Covenant
Agnes Montague was a failure, the ritual poorly planned and even more poorly executed. But for the Ceaseless Watcher and the Avatars who have learned from this mistake--perhaps things could be different.
Jonathan Sims, John as he prefers, has spent three years working as a Lead Researcher at the Magnus Institute. For someone for whom home has had a less than solid definition, the Institute offers a chance for safe place for John to finally answer the questions that have followed him for as long as he can recall.
Being able to work alongside his father is simply an added bonus, of course.
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Image ID at the end. Art by @sarcasticscribbles!
Art:
COI wouldn't be what it is without the amazing artists who have brought it to life!
Official Scene and Summary art is by @dcartcorner who does exceptional work across the board.
Official Covers for all three main stories are by @sarcasticscribbles who's art is one of the reasons I started to engaged in fandom at all!
Official additional art of some choice scenes as done beautiful by @mxwhore who I cant thank enough for their amazing work!
Other creators who have made art related to COI include @obscuravoid, @the-awful-dread-that-leaves, @novae-viking, @basilikum7, @hemi-demi, and @moominmammaonhero1n!
Please, go and show them some love! I will post an Art-chive into the series on A03 as well to link back directly to all of the amazing work that's been made! If you've made something and don't see your name here, please let me know!
Additional Content:
Part of the fun of the series are the additional side fics. They cover a range of topics from John's interactions with various people, time spent with Peter and Elias, and the horror content that makes TMA what it is. There are all flavors, from G to E, and all can be found at the hyperlink above.
These are NOT necessary to understand the story and do NOT contain critical plot points. They're simply for fun! .
A special shoutout to @selinko for a lovely set of memes that absolutely made my day and continue to do so!
FAQ's:
The following are just some things that have come into my inbox the last couple of days in particular!
Can I make fanart of this story?
Sure! Please tag me, I'd love to see and spread the love!
Can I make other fanworks of this story?
Sure! Same as above, please tag me. I'd love to see and spread the love!
Will you be writing more?
I may do additional side pieces, but the main story is happily done. I have a total of 105 fanfics, 104 of which are Magnus if you're interested!
Can I send you questions/thoughts/songs/things that made me think about the story?
Yes, my ask box is open and there is an anonymous option. I will delete rude asks, but otherwise am happy to answer. Any spoilers, I'll put below a bar.
Image IDs:
Cover Art: A painting showing John Sims at the center, playing chess with an unknown opponent. On either side above him are Elias Bouchard, surrounded by books, and Peter Lukas, holding a stack of playing cards. Together, they hold a crown of gold and green eyes over John's head, framed by a spider-web window. At John's feet are three animals--a lion, a cobra, and penguin, looking up from a base of fire that shows Agnes Montague, Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood, and Sasha James respectively. 
First Cover: Cover Art of John giving a statement to Gertrude the portrait. He is 11-13 years old, wearing square glasses and talking to her as if she is an old friend.  
Second Cover: A family style portrait of Elias Bouchard (aged around 40), John Sims (aged seventeen to eighteen), and Peter Lukas (aged around 50) years old. 
Third Cover: John Sims and Peter Lukas are playing a round of cards. John is debating whether or not to be on this hand with chin resting in his hand. Peter is holding a 2 of diamonds and a 7 of clubs, considered the worst draw in Texas Hold 'Em. Elias Bouchard, with a faint green light around his eyes, watches from behind John's shoulder, the whole viewed over by a Portrait of Jonah Magnus with the same faint green light. 
Thank You!
Thank you all again for letting me share this story and journey with you. After one year and nineteen days of writing, I am very happy and rather proud to say the series is complete. It's my longest fanworks project by a mile and wouldn't have been possible without all of your lovely support.
With all the love in the world, Sieve signing off.
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the-loosest-moose · 15 hours ago
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Writer Goal Ask List for a New Year 🎉
Okay, I'll bite (as productive-ish procrastination)!
💖 What is your primary writing goal for this year? Finish WIPs that I had to put on hold because of health issues.
🛳 Are there any new ships you want to write for? (Platonic, romantic, or anything in between.) Just started writing for a new ship - Wolf Pack (HarlanxCyrus)
🤔 Are there any new characters you want to write about? Just the ones I recently started (new ship).
🥸 Does anyone in IRL know you write fanfic or original fiction? If not, do you plan on telling anyone this year? I think three friends know at this point. I was anxious to tell them, because I was sure I'd be laughed at.
🥵 Any plans to write steamy or spicy content this year? Always.
👻 Is there a new genre you'd like to write? I'm just starting a mystery, which is new for me.
🦄 Is there a new POV you'd like to try writing? No.
🐌 What is one of your smallest writing goals? Consider writing with an outline.
🦖 Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you'd like to return to? Long dead past for me - X-Men (Rogue/Gambit), and no, I am not sharing what I previously wrote. Painful.
🍄 Are there any fandoms you've never written for but want to try? Maybe Arcane (Jayvik, Caitvi).
🌈 What research do you plan on doing for your writing? I have to research what is involved in fighting fires and dealing with potential arson.
✨What's one area of your writing that you think needs the least amount of improvement? Dialogue.
🥕 What's one area of your writing that you think needs the most amount of improvement? Probably world building/describing characters' surroundings.
🫘 Spill the beans. What's a new project you're doing this year? The Hunt (a Wolf Pack - Cyrus/Harlan textfic). I think the characters could be fleshed out in really juicy ways (sexual and otherwise), and there's a lot of potential for hidden angst.
🥳 How are you going to celebrate when you achieve one of your writing goals? Ha, I love the idea that I will achieve a writing goal. I will experience surprise.
🎃 Do you plan on writing any seasonal fics? No.
🐾 Do you plan on writing for any fests or competitions? No. I struggle with writing when there is an external goal/deadline. NaNoWriMo was a nightmare for me.
✍️ Which stat matters most to you (if at all!): subscriptions, kudos/favorites, comments, bookmarks, word count, or hits? Probably kudos/favorites and comments. I don't want them to matter, but it is such a joy to hear that someone likes what I've done.
👾 Do you have any "bad" writing habits you want to break? Starting fics without finishing WIPs.
🤖 Are you looking to change your current writing setup? (Or establish one, if you don't have one?) I'd like to do more writing at the library or a coffee shop. Not for pretentious reasons, but because my dogs are very needy, and it's hard to focus at home sometimes. My setup at home would be great if my dogs were busy.
🦷 Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're dreading to write (but is necessary to your plot)? Share a snippet or tell us about it! "Dreading" is a strong word. I am anxious about the next chapter of my Kanthony fic (Keep Looking at Me) - I've had to take a long break, and I'm concerned about continuity/pacing.
💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it! I'm actually really excited about the first prose chapter of my Wolf Pack fic - it references a lot of childhood angst and current-day burnout, which appears to be my comfort zone.
🍕Will you be making any changes to your posting schedule (if you have one)? (Or do you want to establish a posting schedule?) Posting schedule? Never met her.
🛏 Is there a new trope you'd like to write this year? Maybe a bit of a spoiler. Mom angst/revenge (related to protecting her children).
🪩 Do you have any "good" writing habits you want to cultivate? Honestly, I don't know that this is a good writing habit. But I trust my instincts about whether something works, and I hope I can keep having the confidence to do that. I'm sure my writing could be better, particularly with a beta reader, but I think my writing turns out the way I want/need it to this way. No one else may agree, but I'm proud I've always had that confidence.
🎉 How are you going to be kind to yourself if you don't meet your goals? I'm learning to put self-care first. It's been like crawling through broken glass to get back here - psych hospitalization, learning to walk again, you name it. I'm using DBT skills, exercising, and preemptively taking care of myself. That will happen regardless of how writing goes.
💌 Are you willing to take requests or prompts for writing? Yes, BUT. I don't think anyone would benefit. I have a really hard time writing when I *have* to - maybe it is demand avoidance, but I've really struggled with this in the past. I'm willing, but I don't have a lot of confidence in my ability to do it well. The stories seem to want to write themselves in the order/way they want to be written, so it doesn't feel like I get to choose when/what happens. That makes prompts harder for me.
Writer Goal Ask List for a New Year 🎉
These writer asks are always so fun to both ask and answer. Fanfic or original fiction writers, reblog away! These are asks based in new goals for a new year.
💖 What is your primary writing goal for this year?
🛳 Are there any new ships you want to write for? (Platonic, romantic, or anything in between.)
🤔 Are there any new characters you want to write about?
🥸 Does anyone in IRL know you write fanfic or original fiction? If not, do you plan on telling anyone this year?
🥵 Any plans to write steamy or spicy content this year?
👻 Is there a new genre you'd like to write?
🦄 Is there a new POV you'd like to try writing?
🐌 What is one of your smallest writing goals?
🦖 Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you'd like to return to?
🍄 Are there any fandoms you've never written for but want to try?
🌈 What research do you plan on doing for your writing?
✨What's one area of your writing that you think needs the least amount of improvement?
🥕 What's one area of your writing that you think needs the most amount of improvement?
🫘 Spill the beans. What's a new project you're doing this year?
🥳 How are you going to celebrate when you achieve one of your writing goals?
🎃 Do you plan on writing any seasonal fics?
🐾 Do you plan on writing for any fests or competitions?
✍️ Which stat matters most to you (if at all!): subscriptions, kudos/favorites, comments, bookmarks, word count, or hits?
👾 Do you have any "bad" writing habits you want to break?
🤖 Are you looking to change your current writing setup? (Or establish one, if you don't have one?)
🦷 Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're dreading to write (but is necessary to your plot)? Share a snippet or tell us about it!
💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it!
🍕Will you be making any changes to your posting schedule (if you have one)? (Or do you want to establish a posting schedule?)
🛏 Is there a new trope you'd like to write this year?
🪩 Do you have any "good" writing habits you want to cultivate?
🎉 How are you going to be kind to yourself if you don't meet your goals?
💌 Are you willing to take requests or prompts for writing?
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formulampreg · 1 day ago
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✨Welcome to the Formula mpreg fest✨
Welcome everyone! and welcome all kinds of mpreg!
We know and understand mpreg is not everyone's thing, so please don't hang around if you're sure you don't like and don't be rude to those that enjoy it ✨
That being said...
Welcome everyone ♥️ 
These are some tentative dates that will be put up for voting:-
Prompting: January 6 to 26
Claiming: January 27
Check in: February 21-22
Posting: March 8-9
Reveals: March 10
Links for you ♥️ 
The Collection
The prompt form
The claiming form
Further info is on the collection's dashboard but let me add it down here as well
What's mpreg? Whay counts as mpreg for the fest? Mpreg is a term used to describe situations where a man becomes pregnant, resulting in a Male Pregnancy. The fest welcomes all kinds of mpreg: cismpreg, transmpreg, intersex mpreg, a/b/o dynamics, magical pregnancies, fics that go into the carried gene variant, you could also not offer an explanation and just have the world be like that.
Prompting & Claiming FAQ
Is it necessary to submit a prompt to claim one? Do I have to claim a prompt to submit one? No! You don’t need to submit prompts in order to claim them, and you are not required to claim prompts to “be allowed” submit them.
How are claims done? Once we set up the schedule, you will be able to start claiming by pressing on the “Claim” button next to the prompt you want and then filling out the Claim Form. Please remember that If you don’t fill it, your claim will be deleted.
Can more than one person claim a prompt? No! Only one claim per prompt will be allowed. It will be on the “First come First serve” basis, and any secondary claims will be deleted. Anyone that wants to use any other media that isn't writing doesn'tneed to claim it on AO3, just please fill out the form so I can know <3
How do self-prompts work? Right before the ending of the Prompting Period we will post a bunch of “Self-Prompt” prompts. These are for people that have their own, original ideas they want to write or make art for but that they still want to share inside the Fest.
How are self-prompts claimed? The exact same way! Except more people can claim each one. You’ll be able to claim one and that will count for the three claims per person limit.
Remember friends: you can always drop out if life gets messy or if the inspiration runs away!
And now some RULES
1. All Works must include some form of mpreg - this mean that if your story has past or future "off-screen" mpreg, then it still counts! 2. Gen fic is welcomed! Not everything has to revolve around romantic and/or sexual relationships. 3. Minimum word count is 1k! Chaptered fics are, of course, allowed, you'd just have to make sure that the first chapter (or chapters) you post hits 1k words. 4. All works - especially those included sensitive topics and/or smut HAVE to be properly tagged. We will read over the fics before allowing them into the collections and we will ask you to tag properly if we detect a missing tag. 5. Ships must include at least two (2) paddock individuals. OCs or Non-paddock characters are not allowed for final ships. Y/N fics are not allowed. 6. No plagiarism allowed, no unauthorized reproduction allowed. If someone sees a prompt or a work that you suspect was copied from someone or somewhere else, please let the mods know.
RESTRICTED THEMES The only restricted themes the fest will have will be: Pedophilia, incest and underage.If you want to include an aged up character that had a kid when they were teenagers, you can. But you cannot have underage characters engaging in sexual activities in your fic.
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k0mmari · 2 days ago
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hrllo!! :)
I just want to say that i loved Locked and Loaded!!! It is such an amazing fic!! But i noticed that its tagged as bingyuan on ao3.... is this really endgame bingyuan? (nothing against it!! Its just with the fact binghe isnt born and.... yeah he just isnt born yet so im just curious on how it happens.... obviously you dont have to answer this!! Especially if by answering it you spoil the plot!!! Im just a tad perplexed) :)
Hello, and thank you so much for sending your question!
The short answer would be: Yes! Maybe! Probably!
The long answer:
It’s a bit of a complicated question to answer now since, I’ll be honest, I didn’t plan this fic as much as I should probably have done lol
When I first started writing it, I didn’t expect this first part with sy and sj to get this big, it was honestly supposed to be like, 5 chapters long, so when I was putting in the tags I put them according to this expectation. Of course, as we can see, it got a bit bigger than that! Oops!
And, as I was writing it, I contemplated a lot of times if I should change the bingyuan tag for another ship or remove it entirely; that’s actually why in the end notes of chapter 13 I even asked if it would be better to separate the ‘first act’ and ‘second act’ in different fics altogether, since it feels a bit deceptive for me to put the bingyuan tag but is been 100K+ words and, as you’ve put it, Binghe is nowhere close to even existing difhudjfid. But, since everyone said to just put it all under one fic, I did!
(Ngl I may still end up separating them and putting them under the same collection, since I’m still not sure how long it’ll be till the end of this ‘first act’)
Also also, backtracking a bit to when I said I might consider different ships, I honestly may still consider them! I’ll still answer that bingyuan is endgame for now, since it was what I planned since the beginning, and I would feel bad for the people who have been patiently waiting for that to happen, but I can’t confidently say that 100% it’s bingyuan.
Anyways, sorry for all the yapping LOL, I’ve wanted to talk about this for a while and this gave me the opportunity. Have a little binghe doodle as an apology :)
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yoonia · 3 days ago
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— Dia’s tumblr wrapped 2024 
I know it’s super late for me to share this, but just as many would say, it’s better late than never. Thank you so much for the lovely people who tagged me to do this: @beomcoups, @shadowkoo, @kingofbodyrolls ♡
2024 started off smoothly…until it didn’t. The final quarter of the year has always been a hard time for me and it wasn’t that much different this year. As you can probably notice that I’ve been mostly absent ever since the end of October and I deeply apologise for that. I also regret not planning things properly and for not keeping up with my goals this year but that only means that I'll be dragging my WIP list towards the next year.
Thank you so much for everyone who has been there for me this year, and those of you who have stuck by me despite my inconsistencies. I really appreciate your presence on my blog, whether it’s through your likes and kudos, your reblogs, your comments and replies on my contents, and the kind words you sent me through my ask box. You guys have made it worthwhile for me to be here even after all these years, and I don’t think I can thank you enough for that. Here’s to mark the end of our wild journey through 2024 and enter the new year of 2025. 
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OVERALL FIC STATS 2024
Number of fics posted: 4 (four) one-shots, 2 (two) ongoing series, 3 (three) ficlets
Number of fics revamped: 2 (two) completed fics, 2 (two) ongoing series
Number of words written: 448,057 words (dang, no wonder I felt so burned out lol)
Number of fics in progress: 32 (oh, boy…) 
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FIRST FIC OF 2024
❥ A Christmas Fix 01 & 02 —  posted Jan 31st & Feb 1st | 1,926 & 1,226 notes
My thoughts: This was…quite a journey. It’s been a while since I wrote a rom-com story and I was pleased to have been given the chance to write this idea through a collab. The final outcome wasn’t too disappointing either, since I enjoyed writing it and reading it afterwards. I’m glad everyone loved this story as well.
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MOST POPULAR FIC OF 2024
❥ The Stand-In (Revamped version) — posted Aug 13th | 4,267 notes
My thoughts: Okay, yeah…I cheated a little. But to be fair, this fic did get a lot of notes this year before and after the revamping process. I loved this story so much that I felt like it deserved a major makeover and I’m glad I managed to do it this year.
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LONGEST FIC OF 2024
❥ The Bedroom Hymns — series, ongoing, last updated Sept 9th | 50k++ words | I’m too lazy to open each chapter to count the notes I’m so sorry lol
My thoughts: I know…I know, I need to update this one again. I had to take a break from this series because this fic literally became my main focus this year that a lot of my WIPs kept getting pushed back just so I could finish more of this. I had to stop at some point to finally set free my WIPs. I have to admit that I also lost my motivation to write this due to the lack of notes and responses that I got with each update no matter how much time I spent working on it (tacky, I know…but it is what it is). I still love and enjoy writing this, so more chapters are coming. I can see this fic becoming my main focus again in 2025 until I’m done with it.
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LAST FIC OF 2024
❥ The Forsaken II: Tears of the Sea — posted Oct 24th | 712 notes
My thoughts: Holy hell…this fic. Who would’ve thought that I’d be revisiting siren!Taehyung this year after…3 years?? Thank you, whoever it was that sent this during my birthday event. I never expected to write a full fic for this to continue the original story and to answer a lot of your questions, but I’m glad I did! 
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Honorable mention: 
❥ Our Imperfections — posted Oct 30th | 92 notes
My thoughts: This was the last thing I actually released before I dipped into the void but I couldn’t count this as a fic as this was considered a ficlet or, in a more common term, a drabble.
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PERSONAL FAVOURITE FIC OF 2024
❥ Blooming Wallflowers — posted Sept 25th | 927 notes
My thoughts: I had one of those rare moments where I found myself enjoying the writing process of a story so much that things simply kept flowing until it became a full story. This one went twice the size planned (and commissioned) but I have no regrets. At all.
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Honorable mention: 
❥ Maps (revamped version) — series, completed, posted Sept 6th, 7th, & 11th | 1,4k++ notes (again, I’m too lazy to open each chapter lol)
My thoughts: I initially planned to release something else for DPR Ian’s birthday this year. But then I started revamping the graphics for his old fics instead and decided to revamp the whole series while I had the chance. This one has always been my fave work that I wrote for Christian, so diving back into this to do a makeover and give it a major upgrade felt absolutely fulfilling. 
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2024 SPECIAL EVENT
❥ 𝖙𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖋��𝖑𝖑 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆𝖉𝖊:��yoonia’s 2024 birthday bash
My thoughts: Once again, I can’t thank you guys enough for joining this small event of mine. I promise that I’ll have another event in 2025 so please stay tuned! (see you in March!) 
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Fave reads of 2024
I have to admit that I haven’t been doing a lot of fic reading this year. But I’m happy that I got to dive back into reading some fanfics during my birthday event and found some lovely gems that I truly enjoyed
The Taste of Sin by @shadowkoo
Vignette: Duty by @cybrsan
The Athlete by @beomcoups
A Lover's Redemption by @writtenwhalien
Dandelion by @shina913
The Wood by @sailoryooons
Minted by @kithtaehyung
Mr. & Mrs. Yoon by @monamipencil
On The Ropes by @raplinesmoon
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Top Ten Tracks of 2024
Loved — B.I
People — Agust D
Make You Mine — Black Violet
Gemini — Cheyenne 
Close To Me — Mamie, Eloy, Trippy Bass
HUH?! — Agust D feat. J-hope
Love — Lana Del Rey 
Reasons — COTIS 
Watch Me Burn — Michelle Morrone 
Die First — Nessa Barrett  
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GOALS FOR 2025
Write more. Tackle more WIPs each month. 
Finally finish my old abandoned WIPs (About Time, Blood Moon Rising and the Shifters Series, Chance Encounter) 
Finish writing and officially release my original stories/novel as a web-series
Try to do better with planning and scheduling and keeping up with them
Finish revamping Carousel and release the novel version on Ream
Read more. Both published books and released fics
Focus more on my personal health, mental and physical 
Start job hunting again
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I know I’m late for this, so I’m passing this over to the writers who are tagged on the list above (if you haven’t done this yet) and also tagging a few who come across my mind right now (only if you want to!): @ressjeon @lo1k-diamonds @pars-ley @minisugakoobies @inkedtae
And also tagging randomly anyone who feels inspired to create their own tumblr wrapped! 
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mochiwrites · 1 day ago
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https://archiveofourown.org/works/61553284/chapters/157362532
title: oh but baby with duty comes a price
warning(s): graphic depictions of violence
chapter(s): 1/2
relationship(s): scar/grian | hotguy/ariana griande
summary:
“So,” Hotguy prompts, taking a step forward as he enters her vision. There’s a curious gleam in his eyes, one that shines against the lens of his visor as he regards her. “Any specific artist you want to look at first?” he inquires. “A painting?” Well the answer is obvious, although only to Grian. It dangles right in front of her eyes, dropping down the ceiling upon Hotguy asking his question. She’s the only one who sees it, who knows it. Hotguy wouldn’t have the slightest clue, or at least, he shouldn’t. “I do,” she answers with a pleased smile. There’s only one artist here tonight that she cares about, and that artist happens to be the main spotlight of the event. Grian didn’t exactly look into the other artists around, although she’ll probably take a look after she’s done admiring her sister’s work. Hotguy’s eyes seem to brighten at her answer, and he smiles. “Then lead the way! I’ll be happy to follow you.”
Or, while attending Pearl's art exhibit with Hotguy, Grian's night goes horribly wrong.
read on ao3 here!
REBLOGS DO MORE THAN LIKES!
FIRST FIC OF 2025 YIPPEEEEEEE :D I'm djghfjhgfjgf very excited about this fic omg. we get silly goofy sibling time, I've been dying to write skyblings in this au and the opportunity has arrived >:D and tehe, this fic will be very fun <3 (it also got away from me. Again. so I had to split it in half, whoops HDJGHFJGFHG)
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lily-fics-11 · 19 hours ago
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I Can See You: Chapter 9 (Ellie Williams, TLOU)
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I Can See You
Fic master post here
*Not beta read
Chapter 9
A night out at a party and a day l in bed with Ellie.
Word count: 3.7k
CW: *Ellie and reader are both 18*, profanities, sexual innuendo/references, drinking, mentions of weed, sexual situation that almost gets smutty
On Friday night you and Ellie text until she passes out. You can tell she was trying to stay up to talk to you because she fell asleep without saying goodnight.
In the morning, she sends you an adorable good morning text and apologizes profusely for falling asleep on you. 
You text a lot throughout the day and in the evening, you go over to Nicole’s house to eat dinner and get ready for the party. 
About a million questions are asked about your date with Ellie before you’ve even made it all the way into the house. 
Getting ready all together you eat dinner, do your hair and makeup, and help each other pick out what to wear.
Upon arriving at the party with your friends you all grab drinks. 
Ellie wasn't there yet but she must have arrived soon after because within 15 minutes of being there you feel arms wrap around your waist and you smell the familiar scent of the woodsy fragrance she wears. 
“Hello beautiful,” she whispers in your ear. You turn around in her arms to kiss her. 
“Hi pretty girl,” you smile widely, seeing the way that the nickname flusters Ellie.
When you turn back towards your friends, she smiles at them and waves. 
“It’s nice to see you guys,” Ellie says to them.
“You too!” Teresa says with excitement. Melissa gives her a smile and a nod. Nicole smirks looking at Caroline’s reaction, she is looking Ellie up and down with suspicion. 
“Do you mind if I steal her for a few minutes?” Ellie asks nervously, directing the question at everyone but glancing nervously at Caroline.
“Of course!” Teresa answers for everyone. Nicole and Melissa laugh at Caroline, who Ellie is looking at for the final verdict.
“Fine,” Caroline sighs, seeing how happy you are and how desperate Ellie is for approval.
Ellie thanks them and takes you by the hand over to her friends.
Brooke is the first to say hi, she lets go of her boyfriend Danny to give you a hug which you were not expecting.
“Uh, hi?” It comes out as a question because you weren’t expecting such a warm greeting. 
“It’s so nice to meet you!” She says that like she’s never seen you before, despite that fact you’ve been going to the same school since kindergarten. 
“It’s nice to meet you too…” You play along for Ellie’s sake. It’s not worth getting into. 
Danny shakes your hand and introduces himself.
Mark does the same, but being the player that he is he’s clearly checking you out. He pats Ellie on the back and smirks. “Nice!”
Anna and Tim who are suspicious of you study you, though they seemed surprised by how attractive you are. They probably heard that you were her tutor and expected some movie cliche. They reluctantly say hi.
“It’s nice to meet you guys,” you smile at them, praying that you’re making a good first impression. 
“So… you’re Ellie’s girlfriend.” Anna asks as if she doesn’t quite believe it.
“Yeah,” you smile, loving the sound of being called that.
“Ellie’s first girlfriend! It’s so exciting!” Brooke practically sings. She’s clearly been waiting for this moment for a long time. 
“You are not what I expected,” Mark chuckles, still checking you out. Ellie gives him a little shove, they both laugh and he rolls his eyes, begrudgingly stopping his eyes from wandering over your figure. 
“You’ve made Ellie and I better friends, we’ve bonded over having really awesome girlfriends.” Danny kisses the top of Brooke’s head. 
Looking at Ellie you reply “that’s so sweet.”
“Now I don’t have to worry about calling girls the wrong name”, Mark laughs.
“Have you actually done that?” You laugh. 
“Well I’ve done it on purpose twice, those girls were bitchy to Ellie and I wanted to piss them off. The other… I’m not sure how many times… those were all accidents. I swear!”
The whole group starts laughing, as if that is not at all true. Brooke and Danny make small talk, congratulating you on being the valedictorian and your Ivy League acceptances. Ellie told them all about it, they said she’s so proud of you. The small talk comes to a natural end after discussing your days and Ellie’s lacrosse and the weather. It went better than expected and you are very grateful for that.
With her arm around your waist Ellie gets drinks for both of you. Alcohol isn’t necessary for you to have a good time together but there’s nothing wrong with a little buzz. After making your way back over to your friends and Ellie successfully chatting with them the two of you finish your drinks and grab more. Once they are poured Ellie takes you by the hand and drags you to where people are dancing.
“I didn’t think you were much of a dancer,” you tease Ellie and she smirks. “I’m not, but I want to see you dance, baby.”
Wrapping your arms around Ellie’s neck she firmly plants her hands on your waist. Her grip is possessive, anyone that looks at the two of you will know that you are hers. It’s not a way she’s ever been with another girl. She’s never felt the way she does about you about anyone else. You begin moving to the music, Ellie watches in awe of how hot you are. 
Out of the corner of your eye you notice a lot of eyes on you. You and Ellie together is not something that anyone expected. 
People were watching when you started dancing and people watched you all night. It makes you anxious at first but eventually you finish your third drink and are having too good of a time to care. With Ellie holding you like this you could do just about anything. 
At the end of the night Ellie doesn’t want to say goodbye. Neither do you, but she’s a little more dramatic about it. The couple of drinks she had, it ended up being a few more than you, certainly aren’t helping. But her clinginess is just so damn cute. 
With her arms around your waist and her face in the crook of your neck she whines “Baby I’m going to miss you so much!”
“Me too pretty girl, how about we hang out tomorrow? It’s spring break this week so I don’t have to get any homework done.”
Ellie perks up and pulls away to look at your face. “Really?!”
“Of course, Ellie. I’m your girlfriend, so I kind of like you!” You giggle at the way her mood changed so suddenly at the thought of getting to see each other. The way her face lights up with excitement makes you want to kiss her all over it. You settle for a kiss on her nose and she giggles too.
Ellie Williams? Giggling? Maybe it’s the alcohol, maybe she’s just that down bad for you. Probably both. 
The kiss goodbye that Ellie gives is over the stop. Long, drawn out, and romantically passionate. When she pulls away from you a goofy grin is plastered across her flushed face. Is she blushing from the alcohol or from that kiss? Probably both.
Your friends are watching nearby. Caroline is over it, Nicole thinks PDA is gross, Melissa is laughing at those two, and Teresa looks like she’s watching a Nicolas Sparks movie. As for Ellie’s friends, Brooke and Danny are too busy sucking each other's faces to really notice, Mark left with a girl a while ago. The other two are actually waiting next to your friends for Ellie, surprisingly, though they are getting pretty impatient. 
Nicole’s older sister picks you and your friends up. Everyone is buzzing about Ellie. 
Back at Nicole’s house it’s hard to go to sleep, thinking about and texting, Ellie but eventually you pass out. 
The next morning you wake up to a good morning text from Ellie and she wants to pick you up from Nicole’s house so you can hang out as soon as possible. You talk her out of it so that you have time to shower and make yourself look nice for her before hanging out.
After leaving Nicole’s you go home and get ready, opting for cute but comfortable clothes since you are just hanging out around her house today. 
Once you are ready and drive over you arrive at Ellie’s in the early afternoon. You wave to Joel, who is outside mowing the lawn before Ellie lets you in. 
She grabs you by the waist and drags you in for a long kiss.
“Hello beautiful,” she smiles, admiring your face after she kisses you. 
Ellie takes you into her room and it’s even more Ellie than you expected. The space posters, the knickknacks and figurines, plus a ton of hand drawn sketches. 
“Did you make those?” You ask, pointing up at the drawings.
“The sketches? Yeah!” Ellie says as if it’s obvious. 
“You never told me you could draw!” You exclaim, playfully punching her arm. 
Ellie shrugs and blushes a little. “It’s just something I do for fun sometimes.”
A charcoal drawing of a T-Rex catches your eye, you get a little closer to it and notice the intricate details. “Ellie, this is really good. And I’m not just saying that you’re really talented.”
Looking back at Ellie her gaze is fixed on the floor. “Thanks,” she says sheepishly. That shy little look on her face melts your heart. You close the distance between the two of you and tilt her face back up to look at you with your index finger on her chin.
“You never cease to amaze me, Ellie Williams. You’re such a special girl,” you tell her softly. 
“I… but… I’m not… that special,” Ellie stutters, averting her gaze, freckled cheeks blazing red. 
“Look at me Ellie.” You firmly but gently tell her and she looks up, her eyes similar to that of a little puppy. “I think you are the most special girl in the world.”
“You are!” She replies a little defensively, as if only one of you is allowed to be, and that makes you giggle.
Ellie wraps her arms around you and kisses your forehead before nuzzling her face into your neck. “What did I do to deserve you?” She asks as if it’s some sort of philosophical question. 
“You won trivia,” you tease. 
She pulls away from you and you see that her eyes are closed. “Close your eyes!” She requests with excitement.
“Why?” You laugh. 
“Just do it.” Sighing, you close your eyes, unsure of what she is up to.
“I didn’t know the color of your eyes that day that I played trivia, but I do now.” Ellie goes on to describe your eyes in vivid detail. She starts with the color. Ellie compares your eyes to different things in nature she has noticed that remind her of you because they are the same color. 
“There is so much passion in your eyes, but also compassion and empathy. Then there’s all that determination and wisdom beyond your years. I love the way they light up when you get excited about something. Like when I get a question right on my homework? Seeing that happiness in your eyes just makes it ten times better. You look at me in a way I only dreamed of being looked at.”
It almost brings you to tears, the way she talks about your eyes and admires them as if they are a priceless work of art. Ellie places a gentle kiss on your lips when you are left speechless. After she pulls away you open your eyes to see her smiling at you.
“I’m so happy you are mine,” she whispers as if saying it too loudly would jinx it.
“Me too Els.” You smile and she blushes at the nickname. 
“You’re MY girlfriend.” Ellie says after getting distracted by looking at your face for a long moment. “That’s crazy.”
“So crazy.”
“The craziest.”
The two of you cuddle up in bed together to watch movies after deciding on Star Wars. 
At one point you pause the movie and go to the bathroom, when you come back Ellie ambushes you with a lightsaber. 
“If this was real you would be dead!” She says quite seriously, as if getting attacked with a lightsaber is something that you should be concerned about actually happening. 
“Maybe if I wasn’t unarmed, I would stand a better chance,” you tease. 
“You’re absolutely right,” she sighs and opens her closet to pull out another lightsaber. She hands it to you, and you start swinging it around, trying to get the hang of it. 
Ellie gets into a fighting stance and so do you, giggling at how cute and nerdy she is while being so serious. Ellie starts doing these crazy tricks, like this is something she practiced in her free time. If these were real lightsabers, you would be done for. 
Ellie laughs at you with so much affection. “I think sticking to tutoring is your best bet babe. You’re about as good at fighting with a lightsaber as you are at playing lacrosse.”
“That’s because I don’t have any training!” You defend yourself. 
“Then you can be my padawan. I will teach you the Jedi way.”
“Why thank you baby. Now I can protect myself from the dark side.”
Ellie wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you to her for a kiss. “I gotta take care of my girl.”
The lightsaber practice worked up quite an appetite, so you search her kitchen for a snack. She finds a box of cookie mix.
“We could make cookies,” she suggests.
“Have you ever baked anything before?” You question, feeling like she is more the type to forget to eat then to go through the effort of making something like cookies. 
Ellie shrugs. “I know how to get baked.”
“Oh I’m sure you,” you giggle. “And to be quite honest, I can’t imagine that you’re any good at baking. This type of baking.”
Ellie clutches her chest in mock offense. 
“Come on Ellie, when was the last time you baked anything in this oven?”
“Honestly? Joel and I don’t really bake. This was supposed to be for the lacrosse team bake sale but we were worried it wasn’t going to come out good so we bought something at the store instead,” Ellie admits with a sigh. 
“Since you are so kindly teaching me how to use a lightsaber I will teach you how to bake,” you kiss her cheek.
Ellie focuses on the task at hand, determined to make the best cookies you have ever tasted. “Only the best for my girl!” She keeps saying. 
Following your instructions, she is meticulous. You got the instructions from the box, but she wants to hear them from you. She says that because you are her tutor she learns things better from you then from reading it. 
After the dough is ready and put in the oven the two of you get in her bed together while the cookies bake. You sit with your arms encircling Ellie’s waist, head on her shoulder, her chin on the top of your head. Her arm is around you and she occasionally plays with your hair. 
At some point while you wait Joel announces his departure for the rest of the afternoon, making sure to comment on how good the kitchen smells and asking you to save some for him.
When the timer goes off you have to stop Ellie from sticking her hand into the oven and pulling the tray out without an oven mitt. She was so excited to have made cookies for you that she forgot. You also have to remind her that they need to cool, and you can’t eat them right away and she is disappointed, highly anticipating your review in hopes of impressing you.
The cookies eventually cool down enough to be eaten. Ellie looks at the tray and picks out what she claims is the best cookie for you to try. 
She watches you expectantly as you take the first bite. It came out really good and you smile when you taste it, Ellie's look of anticipation turns to triumph. 
“Since you made it for me, this is the best cookie I’ve ever had?” You tell her.
“Really?!” Ellie questions. 
“Yes, really!” You giggle. “Is there anything you aren’t good at?”
“Resisting your charm and beauty. Being away from you. Paying attention to anything other than you when we are together,” Ellie starts to list her weaknesses, all jokes aside. 
You kiss her cheek and tell Ellie how cute she is.
“You are even cuter,” she smiles, holding your face in her chin 
Picking up a cookie you hold it out to her. “Going to try one of the cookies?”
“I was so excited for you to try it that I forgot,” Ellie admits. Instead of taking the cookie into her own hand she just takes a bite out of it while you hold it. A bunch of crumbs fall and she tries to catch them but they fall to the floor. 
“Oops,” her cheeks go a little red, her mouth full, but then she finishes chewing. You just giggle at how endearing she is, how impossibly adorable she can be even if she’s talking with her mouth full. 
The two of you bend down at the same time to clean up the crumbs and bump heads. You both fall over laughing, in the middle of the kitchen floor. Ellie gets up first after picking up the crumbs and throwing them out. Then she turns to help you up. Ellie pulls you off the ground and into her arms. She presses her lips to yours gently. She tastes like cookies. And also joy and happiness and magic.
Forgetting about the cookies she drags you into her room. Before you know it she is hovering over you, straddling your waist on her bed. Ellie’s hands are on either side of your head while she stares into your eyes. She does that for a moment, she admires you, before lowering her face to yours and kissing you. 
Ellie tries to take her time, be sweet and gentle, but you are impatient and she doesn’t stop you when you deepen the kiss. The two of you have been dying to do this. You’ve spent time being sweet with each other and excitement has gotten the best of you both. You grab her by the back of the neck and press her closer to you. Your teeth biting at her bottom lip before sliding your tongue over it. 
Ellie parts her lips and your tongue slides into her mouth, tasting her and savoring it. The two of you explore each other's mouths before she pulls away to start peppering kissing along your jawline and down your neck. At first she is gentle, then starts nipping and sucking, trying to find a sweet spot. When she does it elicits a moan from you, she smiles against your neck before focusing on that spot, shamelessly leaving a mark. 
Ellie is possessive, and you like that. Love it.
Her kisses trail down to your collarbone and she’s stopped from moving lower by your shirt. She paws at the hem until you lift your arms over your head so she can pull it off. You’re wearing something cute underneath… which is obviously a coincidence and not at all planned… Ellie stops to admire it, a cocky smirk on her face. 
“Wear this just for me?” She teases.
“Oh no. ‘Course not. Just happened to put it on this morning,” you giggle and Ellie playfully rolls her eyes before continuing to leave kisses on every inch of exposed skin beneath her. 
“You look good for me baby girl. All for me,” she whispers against your skin, her warm breath and possessive tone sending shivers down your spine. 
“All for you,” you tell her and she looks at you hungrily, loving the sound of those words coming out of your mouth. When you realize just how much it turns you want to feed into it.
“Ellie, I'm yours. Your girl, you girlfriend. I want you. I need you. I’ve been wanting this for so long. I’ve been… aching… for this. Since our first kiss. I’ve known since then that I had to have you.”
Ellie moans when she hears that. “Fuck pretty girl,” and she pulls your back off the bed just enough for you to take off your bra and discard it. She connects her mouth to one of your nipples and as much as your head wants to fall back in pleasure she looks too good like this not to watch. Her mouth eventually gives attention to your other nipples and then trails down your body to the waistband of your pants.
Ellie’s long fingers start to fiddle with the string on your pants, eyes meeting yours. The green in her eyes is hardly visible, her pupils blow so wide with lust. She bites her lip, asking for permission and you nod, so she slowly unties the pants. 
Once the pants are untied Ellie pulls them down, eyes taking over her legs as she does. Ellie’s mouth looks like it is about to start watering at the sight of you in just your underwear after the pants are discarded. She runs her hands up and down your bare legs before leaning in and placing gentle kisses on the sensitive skin of your inner thigh. The tenderness of Ellie’s lips on that delicate skin that makes you mumble “more.” 
That sets Ellie over the edge.
Underwear hooked on her fingers Ellie practically whips them off of you, neither of you know where they land and she dives right into you.
A/N: I didn’t know how smutty to get here guys and I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not to take it any further but I’m leaving it off here so y'all can let me know if you want more! That’s why the word count is a little lower than usual lol. Also sorry for being a liar because I said this chapter would be out before Christmas. Turns out I ended up briefly crashing out and also had trouble making decisions. I love you all and wish you all a Happy New Year❤️ 
Tags: @bready101, @st4r-b3rries, @tlou-bombshell, @stvrs13, @everegretseverything, @mikellie , @lamolaine, @0pheli4 , @soupycloud, @radioheadfan699 , @callmelola111, @hysteriawillnotsuccumb , @normalthing111 , @3isosoup, @lmaoo-spiderman, @cqliflower, @ellstronaut, @boobdrug, @liasxeatt , @that-queer-fanbase , @benthoee, @charminglilly , @ellieslittleslutt, @dinanellie, @h4by43iie, @autisticintr0vert
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streamafterlaughter · 3 days ago
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Soundtrack to Disaster
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Chapter X: The Destruction of Your Innocence
masterlist | playlist | pinboard | prev | diaries coming VERY soon
songs for this chapter: an ode by mat kerekes, the price of growing up by watsky
summary: an evening of fun with the party, and for once nothing feels too heavy... until it does.
chapter tags: none! Just a good wholesome dose of friendship on all counts… the calm before the storm, if you will.  | fic tags: angst, hurt/(eventual) comfort, (eventual) smut, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, Eddie Munson x Fem!OC!Reader, Modern AU | This fic is rated 18+ MDNI each chapter will have its own content/trigger warnings
a/n: I would consider this the end of Act I.... meaning.... well. I'm sure you can figure that out. Happy new year everyone! 🎉
DISCLAIMER: I do not consent to having my work fed to AI engines, or reposted in any way, shape, or form on other websites. Unless otherwise stated, this is the only account that features and contains this work, and any replication was done without my consent. Please let me know if you see my work elsewhere. Reblog to support the author!
taglist @children-of-the-grave @five-bi-five @kellsck @faggotinie @xplrnowornever @taccobelle @micheledawn1975 @mewchiili @dreamerjj @losingmygrasponreality @munsonburn3r | comment/message me to be added!
--
“Good morning!” Robin answers the door to her apartment with far too much pep for eight am. Your ears are still ringing from last night, and you wince at her volume. “Oh, sorry. Forgot you’re so not a morning person. Come in!” She whispers the last part, and you chuckle lightly as you cross the threshold, only for your smile to fall from your lips. Eddie is splayed on the couch, a black coffee in his hand as Steve talks at him about how important reading the instructions is. 
“Hi, Bee!” Steve greets you from the kitchen, and Eddie offers a brief wave.
“Mornin’. Sorry, I didn't know it was a party, I would’ve dressed nicer.” You’re suddenly embarrassed by your choice of outfit: A pair of bike shorts and a massive t-shirt draped over your body like a nightgown.
“Oh, shush, you look great. Especially for what we’re doing today.” Robin, clad in overalls, walks by you and into the living room, where differently sized planks of wood are spread out on the carpet, a pile of screws in a bag next to them, and the instructions booklet flattened to the first page. 
“What exactly are we doing?” Eddie asks, sitting up. “I was just told I was needed, I was never told why.” He looks at you, as if asking for help. You shrug.
“We’re putting this thing together,” Robin toes the mess of boards. “Need all hands on deck, this ain’t no IKEA furniture.” 
“Good thing, IKEA’s shit would fall apart in a week.” You kneel in front of the pieces, examining them closely. “Shouldn’t be too difficult, looks like everything we need came with it.”
“Okay, great! Steve, put on some jams. Bee, come with me for a second.” Robin offers her hand, and you stand up to follow her into her bedroom.
“What’s up?”
“Are you, like, good?”
“What?” The question confuses you.
“Like, with Eddie here. I know we didn’t tell you, it wasn’t really planned, Steve just texted him for extra help and I didn’t wanna argue because I don’t wanna be the one to have to help him move the thing when we inevitably have to.”
“Rob, it’s cool. I’m over the initial shock of Eddie being here every time I see you guys. I  know it’s been awhile, but this was a normal occurrence once.”
“Yeah, I know, it just hasn’t been for a really long time. Wanna make sure you’re okay, that’s all.”
You kiss her cheek, smiling warmly. “It’s okay, Bob. Thank you.”
With that, she leads you back into the room, where Steve and Eddie stop speaking abruptly, as if they’d been conspiring something you aren’t allowed to know.
“Okay!” Steve claps his hands together, breaking the tension. “Let’s do it, we’re losing daylight.”
“Okay, this goes here–” “No, Rob, that goes there, this goes here–” “Bee, hand me the screwdriver–” “Would you move, Ed, you’re in my light–” The four of you talk over each other for hours, screwing and hammering pieces into place, groaning when you realize something is upside down. 
“Wait, wait, shut up!” Robin eventually exclaims before standing up to admire the fruit of your labor. “We fuckin’ did it!” In front of you sits a complete, sturdy entertainment center, every piece where it belongs. You feel a burst of pride as you stand up next to your friends, resting your hands on your hips to take in the sight before you. 
“Look at us! And in a miraculous turn of events, Bee and Eddie didn’t maim each other to death!” Steve adds, elbowing Eddie in the ribs and earning himself a shove. “You know, this might be cause for a gathering.” Eddie announces, earning groans from you, Steve, and Robin. To Eddie, a gathering didn’t mean the usual party with beer and weed, loud music and the likelihood of drama. For that, you were grateful. However, it did mean a very loud, passionate game of Dungeons & Dragons with four teenage boys. The cleanup is comparable, and you don’t count on Eddie helping out. 
“Please, Rob? I promise, we’ll be out by ten. There’s just barely any room at my place, and you guys always have the good snacks.” You cock an eyebrow at Eddie, but he’s too busy pouting at Robin to notice. 
“Ugh, fine! Out by ten, no exceptions.” He opens his mouth to thank her, but Robin quickly adds, “And only if Bee will come.” She crosses her arms over her chest triumphantly, like she’s found the secret way out of the deal.  
“What? Why is this suddenly on me?” You look from her to Eddie, whose eyes are wide with his friend’s betrayal. 
“Because I know you hated those things.” She grins. You remember, consistently left out of the games in high school because you were friends with a couple cheerleaders. Instead, being forced to watch from the corner, mumbling under your breath every time one of them did something stupid, and throwing popcorn into Eddie’s hair. “Y’know what, I might actually join you. If they let me play.” You glare up at Eddie, like you’ve passed the grenade. To make you show up, he has to let you play. If he doesn’t let you play, the gathering is off. The snake eats its own tail. 
But he shrugs. “Okay, yeah.” 
You and Robin share a look of exaggerated surprise, gasping in unison like he’d dropped to one knee. “What happened to the golden rule? No Darksiders!”
Eddie throws his head back with laughter, chest heaving as he tries to compose himself. “Guys, I’ve matured a little in the past few years, would you give me some credit?”
It shifts something in your chest, hearing him say it. You forget sometimes that Steve and Robin had also been together without Eddie for a while. When he’d finally graduated, Eddie skipped town without a word to any of his friends. You’d even gotten an influx of calls and texts, friends of Eddie’s you’d only met in passing asking you if he was out in New York with you, having no idea you already hadn’t spoken in two years. 
“Okay,” You resign, remembering your brother’s plea from last night for you to be nicer to him. “Then a gathering we shall have.”
The apartment quickly becomes a playground, a mass of what you can’t exactly call children flooding through the front door, immediately taking up any available surface. The boys: Lucas, Will, Mike, and Dustin, are loud and excited, spreading out their game pieces on the kitchen table with intention. The girls, El and Max, make their way to the pantry for snacks and soda, opening every cabinet until they find what they’re looking for. You brace the tornado, still as possible until everyone is settled. 
“So,” Max sits on the empty cushion beside you, crossing her legs to rest a bowl of popcorn in her lap. “Long time, no see!” You’d always been closest to Max, even closer than you’d gotten to Dustin just by being friends with Steve and, at the time, Eddie. Max, though, seemed drawn to you specifically. Your senior year, when she was in seventh grade, she’d started wearing her hair like yours, asking you where you bought your clothes, what kind of music you liked. It was cute, really. You’d always wanted a little sister, and Max was probably the coolest thing you could have imagined.
“Hey, Maxy.” You nudge her with your shoulder. “Look at you, all grown up.” She’s flourished since the last time you saw her, which would have to have been right before you’d left for New York. “Sorry I didn’t come visit more.” 
She shrugs. “No biggie, I get it. Although, it is weird to see you two in the same room again.” You know she’s referring to Eddie, but she sends a less than subtle glance in his direction, and you follow it to find him conducting yet another Hellfire pre-campaign meeting. You indulge in watching the show for a minute, the way Eddie leans forward in his chair at the head of the table, face expressive as he alludes to the battles he’s written for his little goblins and you should probably be paying attention to what he’s saying. You hear Max giggling beside you. 
“What’s so funny?” 
“Well, despite all this time, you haven’t changed at all.”
“What are you talking about?” You raise an eyebrow at her.
“You still look at Eddie like a lovesick dog.” She rolls her eyes, and you dart yours to the floor. “Hey, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I kind of always knew you two wouldn’t be apart forever.” 
“Okay, missy, you’re gettin’ a little too big for your britches. Eddie and I are barely friends. Acquaintances by circumstance.” Even to yourself, you sound unconvincing. 
“Mhm, sure.” She teases as you turn back to watch the theatrics of the Dungeon Master, despite yourself. 
“Take a pic, Bee, it’ll last longer!” You feel your cheeks burning as Dustin cackles, followed by the groans of the gaggle of boys surrounding him. You stare straight ahead, doing your best to avoid the way Eddie’s eyes are penetrating the side of your face. 
“Dustin, shut the hell up. Upsetting Bee is almost worse than upsetting Eddie.” Mike elbows his friend in the ribs.
“It’s true, dude, you’re playing with fire.” Lucas adds, tone heeding a warning. You hear a thump under the table, followed quickly by Dustin’s cry of “Ow, you bitch!” Followed by a 20 sided die flying at Eddie’s head. Luckily, his fluffy curls soften the blow, Eddie barely even flinching. 
“Oh, you’re in for it now, Henderson.” Eddie practically growls at the boy, eyes darkening with the mischief the rest of them have grown familiar with.
“Well, well, well.” Eddie leans back in his chair, folding his hands across his chest with an aura of smugness. “Looks like you’re all out of options.” Your character is mostly unscathed, but you can’t say the same for your campaign party. All of the kids’ characters are on their last legs, Dustin’s even literally, having lost his left lower limb to a corrupted mage about twenty minutes into the game. “Any last words?”
You can tell Dustin regrets his joke from earlier, face trembling with anxiety so palpable you’d think he’d seen this type of horror in real life. “I choose to surrender.” The party only mumble in agreement 
“Roll to see if your surrender is accepted.” Eddie leans in, the grin on his face widening.
Dustin rolls a three. “Shit.”
Eddie throws his head back, a devilish cackle releasing into the air of the apartment. “Oh you poor, poor thing. Looks like your begs for mercy go unheard.” Eddie rolls the die himself, landing on eight. “Hm, seems like you’re getting off a little easy. You may leave unscathed.” Dustin squints his eyes at the older man, waiting for the catch. “All you must do is leave your strongest soldier as collateral.” He leans his elbow on the table, and Dustin follows his gaze to where you sit across from him, too distracted by the look on Eddie’s face to pay attention to what he’s saying. What the fuck is wrong with you?
“Bee?” Will’s voice snaps you back to reality. “What do you think?”
“What? Oh,” You look from Eddie, with that stupid smirk on his face, back to your teammates. “You want to sacrifice me?”
“Well, we don’t want to. Clearly you’re the reason we’re still alive here.” Dustin grumbles, fiddling with a handful of dice. “The second we give her to you, Ed, you’re gonna destroy us!”
Eddie only shrugs, giving none of his diabolical plan away to his opponents. “Only one way to find out.”
Dustin looks at you, eyebrow raised. “What do you think, Bee?”
You try to focus on the game. If you surrender, you become what Eddie likes to describe as a henchman. Your moves from here on in are only to benefit him. You’d be turning on your team, but they’d be free to walk away. If you don’t surrender, who knows what the sick and twisted Dungeon Master has up his sleeve for them?
“I guess… I will bravely sacrifice myself for your freedom.” You decide, gracefully gesturing to the younger boys. “I would be honored to die for the good of the campaign.” 
The boys look at each other, ultimately deciding to accept your sacrifice. Eddie, though, throws his head back with his in character evil laughter, swiping your game piece from the board. “And so it shall be! The mage has been sacrificed, and captured by the darkness to distract from the escape of the rest of the party.” He looks from the boys back to you, the smile on his face a little softer. “An honorable risk, indeed.”
As promised, the younglings are kicked out promptly at ten, and Eddie is nice enough to bring them all home.
“Bye, guys!” Steve gives a wave before closing and locking the door. “I am fucking exhausted.”
“Yeah, it’s really tiring work sitting on your ass eating pizza.” You snort, clearing the paper plates from the table.
“Hey, you’re one to talk. You got to play a game all night while Eddie made googly eyes at you.” 
His comment stops you in your tracks. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Oh, please, like you have no idea!” He looks at you, face contorting from amused to bewildered. “Oh, you really have no idea.”
Robin snorts behind him. “Neither of them have a clue, Stevie.”
“Can someone please explain to me what the hell you’re talking about?” You’re exhausted, and you can’t keep up with your friends’ cryptic bullshit. 
“C’mere.” Robin walks around to sit on the couch, patting the cushion next to her.
“Rob, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Relax, Steve. Bee’s gone through enough, the least we can do is tell her what we know.” You plop down beside your friend, and Steve joins you on the other side. “Bee, what do you know about Eddie coming back to Hawkins?”
You squint at Robin. “As much as you do, I thought! He came back when Chris got released. I still don’t even know where he went after he graduated. Before then, it had been years since we’d spent any time together.” 
Robin nods thoughtfully, like she’s considering your words. “Well, think about it. Why would he choose now to come back? Why would he put the effort in to hang out with us, with you?”
You shake your head, growing more frustrated by the second. “You know I don’t have the answers to any of that. All I know is that Chris told Eddie to rat on him, to save his own ass from being tormented by Hawkins PD. And I only learned that, like, yesterday.” 
Steve chimes in. “Well, at least he finally told you some of the truth.” 
“What?” You turn to face him, your voice straining. “What more is there?”
“Bee,” Robin rests a hand on your shoulder. “He broke up with Macy, he’s hanging out with us every damn day. Don’t pretend you haven’t figured out Eddie’s obsessed with you.”
This shit again. You groan, throwing your head back into the couch cushions. “This is bullshit. You’re making shit up.”
“Okay, if that’s your theory, why the hell would we do that?” Steve seems offended by the accusation.
“How should I know? You guys love to meddle, why would I be exempt from your torment?” 
“It’s hopeless, Rob. We’re gonna have to show her.” 
She shrugs. “Guess so.” She plucks her phone from the coffee table and begins scrolling. “Ah! Here it is.” She turns her phone to face you. Displayed is a picture from the Chappell show, the four of you posing in front of the stage with big, excited smiles on your faces. Well, you, Steve, and Robin are smiling. Eddie isn’t even looking at the camera, but at you. His arm is wrapped tightly around your shoulder, and he’s smiling, eyes focused on the side of your face. Robin hadn’t posted this picture, and you can now understand why. The best way to describe the look on Eddie’s face is lovesick. You feel a lurch in your throat, still examining the photo, the way you hadn’t even noticed him. 
“What am I supposed to take from this?” You try to play it off, despite the impossibility of denying what you’re looking at. “This doesn’t change anything.”
“Please, Bee. Don’t tell me you can’t feel it. You know there’s something there.” Robin is practically pleading with you. “I know he has a lot of making it up to you to do, but, what if you gave him the chance? I’m not saying you have to fall in love with him or anything,”
“Though, that would be kind of awesome!” Steve interjects.
“But, I dunno, maybe you guys could be friends again. Maybe things could start healing themselves.”
“Would it get you two off my back?” You half joke, feeling your palms sweating under the pressure. They nod eagerly. “Okay, fine. I’ll try my best to give him a chance. That doesn’t mean I believe a word of what you’re telling me, though.”
Robin and Steve high five over your head. “We’ll take it!” Robin exclaims, jumping from her seat. “And, if he ends up being a total douche bag, you have all the right to say you told us so.” She holds out her pinky to you, and you grab it with your own, sealing the deal.
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actuallysaiyan · 8 hours ago
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The First Time(Aka How Nanami Kento Lost His Virginity)Chapter Seven: Reunion
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warnings: breast play, smoking cigarettes, mentions of male masturbation, slight awkwardness from both parties pairings: Emo!Nanami Kento x Fem!Reader summary: summer is done and you return to school for the next semester. though you are a little nervous about being around Kento, he shows you that he's made some changes. and those changes are all to your benefit. a/n: SO SORRY for the literally month long delay! I so hope everyone enjoys this chapter! More to come soon, that I can promise. This series gets finished this year, I promise! also check out the soundtrack for this fic here!
taglist: @cherryblossombankai @kenpachisbrat @benkeibear
@harlekin6 @brokennerdalert @marikuchanxo @gennaray
@sugurusprettygirl @hazzelle-kento @pixelcafe-network
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Masterlist
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Summer passes by in a flash. And though everyone is sad to see it come to an end, you’re more than happy to make your way back to university. After the phone call, you and Kento tried your best to stay in contact all summer long, but it wasn’t always easy.
So when the first day of school comes around, you find yourself fussing over your looks more than usual. You had spent the last few days in your dorm, fixing up things and placing posters in the right spots. Despite your parents wanting to spend even more time with you, they had done their job helping you settle into your dorm room once more.
Then once the reality of everything dawned on you, that’s when you began to realize that you were actually going to see him again. Kento Nanami, the man who stole your heart. You wondered if maybe things would go smoothly. But on second thought, you were sure that there would be lots of awkwardness at first.
Even just thinking about the phone call made your stomach turn. It had been so sensual and sexy; truly something to remember forever. Just the sound of his voice had you going. You remember just how sticky your fingers had been as you played with yourself to the sound of his gorgeous voice.
And when he came, he had moaned so beautifully. You missed the sound of his voice. You missed his timid but cute smile. The smell of the cigarettes he smoked. You wanted to wear his hoodie and show the world that you were deeply in love with Kento.
So the first day back to class, you resolved to talk to him. You were going to make sure that you at least said one word to him.
The issue? You found yourself even more shy than before.
Both of you had clearly put a lot of thought into your looks today. You don’t think you've ever seen Kento so dressed up like this before. His blazer was properly ironed, his hair was actually out of his eyes for once and his skinny jeans didn’t have any holes in them.
You had also bought some new clothes for class. You were hoping that he would notice. It wasn’t like you to wear a dress, but this one had been just so beautiful. The long sleeves hugged your arms, which you always hated to show off. It came down to your shins. The color was such a dark black, and it only proved to make you look much more mature than you thought yourself to be.
And yet, despite the new clothes and the renewed sense of wanting to talk to one another, it just never happened. Too much talk of the syllabus and class planning and other people catching up with one another. You longingly looked at Kento from your spot across the room. You swore you caught him looking at you a few times as well, but you didn’t want to believe it.
The first few classes went by in a blur, and you held out hope that you’d talk to him. Every single second, you thought about what you’d say first. But nothing ever came up and you just couldn’t find the right time.
So as the first day of the second semester ended, you were mentally cursing yourself for being so ridiculous. How could you not just go over to him and say hi? He was just a man, not some alien from outer space trying to harvest your organs.
“Girl, you need to just go talk to him.” One of your friends said as you left the last class of the day.
You two are walking towards the dorm building. The way she could just read you so well was what made you nervous. If she could see it written all over your face, could everyone else see the same?You shrug; you’re without answers.
“He’s over there. Now go!” She shoves you in his direction.
You make your way over to him, your whole body shaking as if you were a child afraid to go down the slide. He looks up from his notebook, and there’s a soft smile on his face when he spots you. You approach him and clear your throat.
“Can I sit with you?” You inquire, pointing at the empty spot next to him on the bench.
Nanami blushes. “Y-yeah! Sure, sit down.”
You sit on the bench, watching as your friend gives you a thumbs up. Then you turn to look at Kento. He’s still writing in his notebook, but when he feels your eyes on him, he closes it.
“Hey, uhm…” you start but he interrupts you.
“You look good. I like that dress on you.”
His words turn around in your mind for a bit. Your cheeks are burning. Even though he just complimented you, you feel like all eyes are on you. You bury your face in your hands. 
“Wait, what did I say? Did I say something wrong?”
You shake your head, finally uncovering your face. You reach over and kiss his cheek, which in turn makes him blush now. You two look like a couple of kids in love.
“Thanks, Ken. You’re a gentleman.”
He shrugs his shoulders, “I’m just me.”
A comfortable silence falls on the two of you. You reach over and grab his hand, making his blush further onto the tops of his ears as well. He looks at you with such a soft and tender look in his eyes, it makes your heart skip a beat.
“I really missed you this summer,” you confess.
“I missed you too.”
Your eyes lock with his and then he’s leaning in. He cups your cheek, his thumb brushing your cheekbone. Then Kento leans in to capture your lips in a tender and loving kiss. Your breath hitches in your throat, but you melt into the kiss.
It’s almost like all the feelings you had for him were spilling out into this one kiss. When he pulls away, you’re the one chasing his lips this time. He smirks as a sudden wave of confidence washes over him over that little move.
“So,” he says as he fishes his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He places one on his lips, then one on yours. “We should go out on a date.”
You smirk as he lights up both smokes at once. “Deal. Time and place?”
“Friday night, your dorm.”
That’s all it took for you two to plan a quiet night together.
Friday night comes around and you’re more than nervous. It feels like it’s been forever since you’ve hung out with Kento. Just knowing how things will go, your heart keeps fluttering in your chest. You’ve done all you can to keep calm, but it’s proving to be almost impossible.
The knock on your door has you getting up off the sofa and rushing to the door. You smooth out your shirt and swallow hard before opening the door. Kento stands there, looking more confident than ever. He hands you the beautiful bouquet of wildflowers.
“Wildflowers for my beautiful wildflower.”
Your heart clenches in your chest. Here you were thinking you’d have to start from scratch with him, but it seems like the time you two spent apart seems to only have pushed you two even closer together. You take the flowers and invite him inside.
“I ordered take-out,” you tell him as you smell the flowers.
He comes over to you, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close. You feel the definition of muscles against your back. Kento nuzzles his face in the crook of your neck, nipping so softly.
“I’m glad we decided to do this,” he whispers. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you all summer.”
You blush and smile. “I feel the same.”
He lets you go, allowing you the chance to put the flowers in a vase. You place them near the window where they can get lots of light. Then you return to your lover, guiding him to the couch. On the coffee table is a spread of your favorite foods.
“You really planned out everything perfectly,” Kento says.
He wraps his arm around you, pulling you close. You giggle as you rest on his chest. The food is quickly forgotten in favor of sweet, but chaste kisses. The kisses that turn into something hungrier and sloppier.
“It’s finally time for me to make you feel good.” He whispers as his hands snake up your shirt.
You moan against his lips as he plays with your breasts. He tugs on your nipples perfectly, making need pool deep inside of you. He kisses you tenderly, continuing his ministrations on your chest.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs against your lips. Kento pulls away only to be able to pull the garment off your body.
With your breasts bared to him, Kento shifts on the sofa and adjusts his hardening cock in his tight jeans. He looks at you like you’re the most beautiful person he’s ever laid eyes on.
“My beautiful angel,” he moans as he cups your breasts. 
His lips trail all over the swell of your tits before he captures one of your nipples between his teeth. The look of love in his eyes has your stomach erupting with a million butterflies. You’ve never felt this way before.
“You’re so beautiful,” he groans. “Jerked off to thoughts of you all summer, baby.”
The thought of him stroking his cock to the thought of you has your panties drenched. You part your thighs a little, allowing one of his hands to slip down the front of your sweatpants. He smirks when he realizes you’re also not wearing panties.
“So wet, just for me.” He murmurs against the softness of your chest.
His fingers work you up quickly to your release. Your breath hitches in your throat as the coil in your stomach is tightening so fast. There’s so much warmth inside of you and it spreads all over as Kento rubs your clit in perfect little circles.
He stays attached to your nipple, suckling and flicking the pert bud with his tongue. The look in his eyes is intoxicating, especially since he looks at you like you’re the perfect sex goddess made just for him.
“K-Ken,” you moan. “I’m cumming.”
He doesn’t even have to say anything. He watches you as you come undone. Your cheeks warm, your lips parted as you moan his name. Your thighs are shaking from the intensity of the pleasure. And he loves the way your nipples are so hard right now.
Slowly, he helps you come down from the intense high. Kento smirks when he pulls his fingers from your pants and they are covered in your juices. Something changed within your lover, and it’s for the better.
“Told you I’d make you feel good next time we saw each other.” He says as he licks his fingers clean.
“And it was good to count down the days.”
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reblogs and comments always appreciated!
©actuallysaiyan 2025– do not repost on other platforms, copy, translate or edit my works!
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maxybabyy · 2 days ago
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happy new year friends!
to celebrate the new year, i wanted to go through some of wonderful stories i read in 2024. going through the tags and my bookmarks, i have come to the realisation that I still suck at keeping track of my favourites, so these are just the one still stuck in my head.
five (+some) full length fics
sour and delicious, secret and unrepeatable by @officialmood (maxiel)
i know this was written for that trope you hate fest, but i absolutely loved every word of it. all the tiny details, the shoe tying scene that still lives in my head, daniel preferring adynamic sex, max thinking he cannot have both. all of it is just so fucking good. I think it is such an incredible fic and such a good way to explore the maxiel dynamic.
table in the back by @janinaduszejko (galex)
i think if i could take one fic with me into 2025, it would be this one. i am more of a peripheral galex enjoyer, but this just hits ALL the right notes for me. the angst and misunderstanding is just so perfect that i can still feel the hurt in my finger tips. 10/10, will read again to keep george in miserable company.
rosetta stone by @janinaduszejko (carcar)
unlike galex, carcar does have me in a chokehold. oscar learning spanish and being called out by Fernando, dropping hints that they should move in together, only for carlos to tell him he loves him first. it's so fucking great.
everything carcar by @testarossa is also so fucking perfect, but especially make a mess, lioness is so, so good.
the entire Yours verse by @loquarocoeur (lestappen)
i still remember reading the first chapter of yours and not knowing what to think, only for it to turn into the most wonderful series. i am such a sucker for close-to-canon fics and this just done so well. i don't even know what to say, it's just sooooo fucking good, and i am in love with the dynamic between max and charles.
four espressos (and a lifetime) by @ferrarisma is another wonderful lestappen fic. i love the 'they grew up together' trope and the identity porn is just so perfect!
Cad Dad, a Dad of cats by @33max (max-centric)
max-centric fics are such a weakness of mine. cat dad max bringing the cats to races so he can make sure sassy gets her medication is so, so lovely and wonderfully written.
i have also read the first two chapters of famiglia-familie by @lsunstreakerl and i am very intrigued! gp taking in kid max is such an interesting take on it, and I cannot wait to read the rest.
four scenarios for tumblr fics omega max has a very special place in my heart and both @officialmood (post) and @lost-in-fandoms (post) have made such wonderful posts about it. i love all the different ways omega verse can be used to explore the maxiel dynamic!
girl max (my beloved) is another trope that I love, and the winter warmers posts (day one, thirteen) by @thewindowatkirkland have just been absolutely perfect!!
daniel's partner dumping him for max is also such an incredible fic by @officialmood. it's such a fun take, and daniel is wonderful as the spiteful, insecure ex who kinda, maybe also wants to fuck max now?
also the absolute masterpiece by @boxboxlewis that is max dating ricardo from melbourne while daniel, you know, is totally cool with it.
three works of my own Writing this i realised i haven't written a lot this year, here or ao3. i really hope that will change this year, but i just wanted to highlight some of the works that i had a good time working on in 2024:
cameras in the traffic lights
this was my first big html coding project, and while it was such a pain in the end (and still not perfect even now!) the process of it all was so much fun. i really liked working with the format, and the writing process of the tweets, the timelines, and the planning of it was so different to the prep-work i usually do for fics. the response to the fic has also been very overwhelming, and i am so glad so many people seemed to enjoy it.
max run club
max run club is another pet project of mine. it's such a fun world to play in, figuring out how to characterise max when we only really see him during daniel's time on social media/work out apps, the whole scanielax aspect of it. i don't know if it will ever be a full length fic, but i am not done with the series.
toothbrush fic
it's getting late, and i don't really have that much to say about this. but this was also very fun to write, and i still think if you love someone, you should offer to brush their teeth once in a while.
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mischievouslittlecreature · 13 hours ago
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Part 26: Do You Love Me
Summary: Tommy decides what to do about Mosley, and Lizzie comes home.
Word Count: 6,249
Warnings: Insecurity, a very unhappy marriage, and references to polyamory.
Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter
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Chapter 5: The Thread is Ripping
“Which one is Mosley?”
Lucy and Ada were sitting in the observation booth, overlooking the MP’s benches. Craning her head to peer down at the men, Lucy gestured with her cigarette towards where Mosley sat, his head cocked as he listened to Tommy speak. 
“That one.”
Ada leaned forward, arms resting on the banister, eyes fixing on Mosley with a keen level of scrutiny in them that reminded Lucy and awful lot of how Tommy looked at someone when he was first sizing them up. 
Bringing her cigarette back to her lips, Lucy turned her attention back to Tommy, allowing herself a moment to just enjoy watching him speak. 
“I’m really not sure about going ahead with this meeting, Lucy,” Ada told her as they went to meet Tommy out in the hall after the speakers were done.  
“I know. But Tommy wants to hear what he has to say.”
“As if a man like that could have anything good to say.”
“All the more reason to hear it, then.”
“You can’t possibly be alright with Tommy considering working with him.”
“It’s just drinks, Ada. And he’s not considering anything with Mosley yet.”
Ada’s voice lowered, eyes shifting around to make sure no one was listening. “So what is he doing, then? Because I know my brother, and as bloody infuriating as he can be sometimes, I don’t believe that he actually agrees with any of Mosley’s more recent policies.”
A group of men dressed in fine, pressed suits walked past them. Lucy eyes them warily, waiting until they had passed before speaking. 
“Burying our heads in the sand when it comes to Mosley and the growing movement behind him isn’t going to help anyone. Better to get to know if he and this new party he’s supposedly forming are an actual threat or not.”
“So you can deal with it now?”
Lucy wetted her lips. “Better to kill it while it’s young than when it’s grown formidable and strong.”
She could feel Ada still watching her while she broke their gaze to look around for Tommy.
“Why did he even ask me here?”
Lucy looked back at her, weighed in her mind if it was worth telling her or not, and decided that it was. “Because Mosley scares him.”
Shocked silence met her at that. There was a shift in Ada, as she finally started to understand what they were dealing with. “Does he scare you?”
“Yes.” She finally heard Tommy’s telltale heavy footfalls coming up behind them, turning to find him approaching hastily. 
“Sorry, got cornered by a few people. Had to make small talk. Shall we?” He gestured down the hall. 
“Tommy, you made me your political advisor,” Ada said as they walked. “And as your political advisor, it is my official advice that you don’t meet with Mr. Mosley.”
“Yes, I know.”
They made their way into a dimly lit, crowded lounge, embellished by leather seats and chairs, each circular table adorned with a small red-shaded lamp. MPs and other political figures were gathered at tables or milling about, the lounge with its bar a common place for them to gather to discuss business or other dealings. 
Mosley was already seated at a table when they arrived, a newspaper held up to his face. He lowered it at the sound of their approaching footsteps, face breaking into a beaming smile that did nothing to hide the deadness of his eyes as he stood to greet them and shake Tommy’s hand. 
“And Miss. Winters, of course, wonderful to see you again.”
She forced herself to shake his hand, skin crawling the entire time that their palms made contact. His leering gaze was respitefully pulled quickly away from her as his attention shifted towards Ada as Tommy introduced them. 
She tried to hide how she inched a little closer to Tommy before they sat down.
From an outside perspective, it may have looked like the meeting went smoothly. But as Mosley continued to speak, Lucy felt her sense of unnerving grow.
“You know, I was rather hoping we might have this meeting alone,” Mosley said, eyes never leaving Tommy’s. 
“Lucy accompanies me to most of my meetings, Mr. Mosley, and my sister is my political advisor,” Tommy explained. 
Ada spoke up, explaining that she had advised Tommy not to meet with him, and Mosley’s attention turned directly onto her. Lucy was impressed at the way Ada met his dark, empty gaze without so much as blinking. When he brought his hand down with a crash onto the table, shouting in demand that the whiskey they’d ordered only a few short minutes ago be brought out now, his gaze remained fixed pointedly on Ada. A clear telegraphing of his disapproval of her presence. An attempt at intimidation. At frightening her. 
If Ada was at all frightened by the display, she did a marvelous job hiding it. The corner of her lips turned up on one side, and she shot Lucy a look of mild amusement at the childish behavior from across the table. 
Can you believe that shit, Luce? her eyes seemed to say. Lucy managed a smirk back at her, reaching into her pocket for her cigarettes. Mosley’s gaze was turned back fully onto Tommy, but not for one second did Lucy think that he hadn’t taken note of the quiet exchange between her and Ada.
Good. Better for him to know that they thought him ridiculous rather than that they were scared of him. 
He dodged making any direct confirmations that facism was where he was moving towards politically. Instead, he gracefully turned the conversation towards, of all things, Ireland.
Lucy took a considerable gulp from her whiskey, eyes darting towards Tommy. His face remained schooled into an expression that gave away nothing, but she could tell that he was thinking of the same thing that she was:
That voice, on the other end of the telephone line. An Irish accent, explaining how there were men in Belfast who wanted him dead. Men who Michael had been allegedly cutting deals with.  
Landmines, in their own fucking garden. But who was the gardener? Who planted them? It couldn’t be Michael, he had still been on a ship or in Belfast when they were placed. So who was it, then? The men from Belfast, or someone else?
And what the fuck did Mosley know about it, if anything? Was it just a coincidence, that he brought up Ireland now, of all times? Or was it an indication of something else?
Enemies. Enemies in every fucking direction that they turned. Her skin prickled with that feeling of approaching, looming danger. Drawing nearer and nearer with every breath. 
She couldn’t say that she wasn’t relieved when Ada promptly stood, announcing that she was ready to leave. 
Mosley ignored her. “We’re looking for someone to begin a dialogue with certain elements in Belfast with whom we don’t officially have any dealings.” 
Lucy raised an eyebrow. She couldn’t help but find it a little funny how confident Mosley was that Tommy would be in any way supportive of his ideologies. And yet here he was, inviting him into his organization without seemingly even the slightest worry that Tommy would be opposed. 
It was often that she forgot that other people did not know Tommy like she did. 
Mosley did not seem dissuaded by Tommy’s gentle refusal of the offer. “It would involve a promotion.”
“Birmingham is my concern,” Tommy rose from his seat. Lucy mirrored him. “Ireland bores me.”
She and Ada couldn’t help but share a tiny smile at that. Tommy thanked Mosley for the whiskey, and led the way towards the exit. When she looked back while trailing behind him, it was to see Mosley watching them leave, a smirk pulling at one side of his lips. She turned her head sharply to face forward once more. 
“What the fuck was that about?” Ada asked once they were in an almost deserted hallway, a good distance away from Mosley and the lounge. 
“Ireland. It’s been Ireland’s day all fucking day long,” was all Tommy said in response, sidestepping her attempts to garner any more information on that subject. Instead, he started instructing her to go home and call her contacts from her time in Boston to ask about Michael. They drew aside, Tommy pacing back and forth, sounding off orders. Lucy watched him worriedly, sensing that something inside him was moments away from unraveling. 
“What are you talking about?” Ada asked, as he continued to ramble on about Mosley. 
“I’m talking about an empty chair, Ada,” Tommy’s voice was barely above a whisper. “My chair. My throne. People think that I’m gonna fall. They start behaving in a different way around you.”
“Who thinks that?” Ada had gone still.  
“They start to circle,” Tommy continued, as if he hadn’t even heard her. She shared an alarmed look with Lucy. “Who’s gonna take the throne, eh?”
“Tommy…” Lucy tried, reaching out a hand to him, hoping to pull him back from whatever dark precipice he was teetering on.  
“Linda, she wants some for Arthur…Aberama Gold…people in the north…Michael…” He seemed to only just then realize that words which he had not intended to speak had been pouring from his lips. His jaw hinged shut and he spun away, his back to her and Ada, clearing his throat while raising his cigarette to his lips. When he turned back to them, his expression was collected once more, the mask that had momentarily slipped once again firmly in place. He reissued his order for Ada to go home and make some calls. “I need to get back to Birmingham. Lucy.”  
“Yeah.” She made to follow him, as he was already moving with quick steps down the hall. 
“Lucy–” Ada grabbed at her arm, alarm clear in her voice. Lucy turned half back towards her, taking in the worried look in her wide eyes and reached out to squeeze her arm. 
“I’ve got him. Don’t worry.”
Ada’s lips pressed together, and while the concern still shimmered in her eyes, her shoulders relaxed a little. With a nod, she let Lucy go. 
She had to jog a little to catch up with Tommy, his steps more hurried than usual. Stupid short legs, she mentally cursed, shooting them a glower before quickening her pace. 
“Tommy…” she tried to get his attention, but he didn’t acknowledge her, and she decided not to try again until after they were out of the office and in the car, pulling out onto the street to start the trek back to Birmingham. 
“No one is taking anything,” she said finally, definitively. “I won’t let them.” When he didn’t respond, she looked over at him. Distress and paranoia was still etched onto his face, his eyes shifting around as if searching for unseen enemies. “Tommy?”   
“They’re all coming at us, Lucy.”
“Michael is a problem,” she acknowledged. “And so are the people up north. But I think Linda really just wants to get away. She’d sooner take Arthur back into the country than try to have him take your position. And you know that Arthur would never agree to usurping you. Aberama’s loyalty is guaranteed so long as we continue to support Bonnie’s boxing career.” She reached out to smooth a hand over the back of his head. “We’re alright. It’s mostly Michael and Mosley that we need to worry about now.” She watched his throat work as he swallowed, and she dropped her hand to instead rest on his forearm. “And, if any of the others do try to betray us, I’ll just kill them.”
He let out a small snort, looking over at her fondly. She was turned almost entirely with her side pressed against the leather seats of the car, body jostling slightly as they bounced along the uneven cobblestones. She cupped his cheek momentarily, a reassuring smile tugging at her lips. Some of the frantic paranoia had gone out in his eyes, and she relaxed at the knowledge that she’d managed to calm him down at least somewhat. He leaned into her touch, quickly turning his head to press a kiss to the center of her palm before returning his eyes back to the road. 
“What would I do without you, eh?” he asked. She pressed herself to his side, the physical contact doing wonders to calm both of them. And there in the safety of the shell of the car, she didn’t need to worry about anyone spotting them. Her head came to nestle against his shoulder, the material of his coat soft against her cheek. 
“Tell me what you’re thinking in regards to Mosley,” she requested. Tommy sighed, eyes remaining on the road while she rubbed a hand up and down his chest. 
“I don’t think he’s going to stop trying to get me to join his new party.”
“You’re not a fascist.” 
“Some in the family would say otherwise.” 
“Then they’d be wrong.” 
Tommy gave her a little peck on the side of the head for that. “I think he may be one of the worst people I’ve ever met.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “And we’ve known some bad ones over the years.”
Keeping one hand on the wheel, he trailed the other through her hair. Being careful, as he always was, not to pull on any of the strands. “I have an idea. But it’s dangerous. And I’ll need to talk to Younger…”
She gave him a knowing look. “You want to do to Mosley and the fascists what you’ve been doing to Jessie and the communists.” 
“Yes.” 
“You think that you can stomach pretending to be one of them?”
“If it means stopping him.”
She nodded. Mosley was a monster creeping in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. Someone had to stop him. Might as well be them. They were probably some of the best equipped for the job, anyway.  
“You would be alright with it?” Tommy asked, and she smiled a little to herself at how he always sought out her opinion on things. 
“I’m happy with anything that wipes that smug look off his face.” Closing her eyes, she tilted her head to press a kiss to his neck. “You have my support. Always.”
“Thanks, love.” His hand dropped from stroking through her hair to wrap around her shoulders. “Have you managed to dig up anything on this Captain Swing yet?”
“Not much. Her real name is Laura McKee. She really is a commander in the IRA. That’s all our friends in Belfast have been able to find out, so far. I told them to keep digging.”
“Right.” 
They rode in silence for a stretch of time. 
“Are Lizzie and Ruby still coming home today?” she asked.
“Far as I know.”
“Maybe…she’ll be better now that she’s had some time away and gotten things out of her system.” 
“Yeah. Maybe.” He sounded about as optimistic as someone who had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Lucy gave him a gentle pat in sympathy. His thumb rubbed back and forth against her upper arm where it was clasped. “Thank you for helping me with everything.”
“Of course. It’s what I’m here for.”
He pressed a kiss to her hair, and together they both turned their eyes to the dark road sprawling out in front of them.  
∗ ∗ ∗
When they arrived home, Tommy took all but three steps into the house, and was promptly collided into by Ruby when she came dashing into the entryway to throw herself into his arms. 
“Daddy!”
“Hello, my girl,” he hoisted her up so that her weight rested against one of his hips. Just the feel of her in his arms was enough to have the ache of missing her lessening. “How are you, eh? Did you have a good time at Uncle Arthur’s?”
She nodded, long dark hair swinging with her movements. “I baked brownies with Auntie Linda.”
“You did?”
“Hey kiddo,” Lucy stretched up on her toes to place a kiss to Ruby’s cheek after handing her coat off to Frances.
“Hi, Lucy!” Ruby beamed at her, and Tommy felt his heart swell. There was a time, he knew, that Lucy had been afraid that Ruby would hate her, given her complicated relationship with her mother. He couldn’t have been more grateful that wasn’t the case. He was pretty sure his sweet girl was incapable of hating anyone. 
Amazing; how something containing such kindness and purity could ever have come from him.      
The click of heels on the floor was his only warning to another figure approaching before Lizzie rounded the corner. Her head was held high, dress swishing around her ankles, hair styled meticulously in dark waves around her face. She did not smile when she saw him. 
Quiet stretched on between them all. Finally, he forced himself to awkwardly clear his throat. 
“Lizzie.”
“Tommy.” She said his name as if speaking the word was like swiping a razor along the inside of her throat. 
Swallowing, he set Ruby down on the floor, bending so that he was at her level. “Ruby, why don’t you take Lucy to the kitchens and show her what Aunt Linda taught you, eh?”
“Yeah! Okay!” She tottered two steps forward to latch eagerly onto Lucy’s hand and begin pulling her along. Lucy shot him a puzzled look, eyes darting between him and Lizzie. Clearly wondering what he intended on saying in her absence. 
Don’t worry, he pushed the thought to her gently. Something clicked behind Lucy’s eyes as she realized what this was all about. She raised an eyebrow, giving him a look.
Don’t be too hard on her.
I won’t. Promise.
She looked only half convinced, but let Ruby tug her away without complaint. Tommy waited until he could no longer hear the clatter of Ruby’s shoes on the floorboards before speaking.  
“Where’s Charlie?”
“In the library, finishing up his homework.” Lizzie took a step towards him. “Tommy, listen–”
“He overheard.”
She froze. “What?”
“He overheard what you said about Lucy to Polly and Linda. And then he got mad, and repeated it to her.”
Her lips parted, eyes widening. A look of mild horror settled on her features, and the sight of it brought Tommy an odd sense of relief. That was confirmation that she hadn’t been purposefully whispering poison into his children’s ears, then.
“Oh…” Lizzie said, throat flexing as she swallowed. “What did he say?” 
“He said that she’s just my whore. That everybody hates her.” The words tasted metallic as he released them, just hearing them again making him momentarily furious with her. But he breathed in deep through his nose and forced himself to remain calm. 
Lizzie looked away, down at the floor. “Shit. I’m sorry, Tommy. He was never meant to hear that.” She shifted from foot to foot, not really meeting his eyes. “At least it wasn’t that bad…”
“Not that bad!? He made Lucy cry!” 
Lizzie said nothing to that, still staring down at her shoes. Tommy shook his head, fishing into his pocket for his cigarettes. 
Wait.
He’d just swiped one across his lips when her words clicked, his face snapping up to bore his eyes into her.
“Fucking hell, what else have you said about her for that to be considered not bad!?”
Lizzie still wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Are things between her and Charlie…?” she trailed off, pointedly not answering his question. 
Tommy studied her a moment more, lighter clicking to raise the flame to his cigarette before answering. “They’re fine. I managed to smooth things over. He was just having a tantrum; he didn’t really mean any of it. And he’s apologized.”
“Good.” The plain relief on Lizzie’s face had him considering her. For all her faults, she had always been understanding and respectful of just how much his children meant to Lucy. 
“You should never have said those things about her.” He took a long drag of his cigarette. “You need to apologize too.”
Her lips pressed together. “I’m sorry that he overheard that, Tommy, really. But…”
“But what?”
“But I’m not sorry for what I said.”  
His fingers tightened around his cigarette. “Why not?”
Her jaw clenched, chin raising. “Because it’s the truth, that’s why. Everybody despises her, Tommy. You don’t hear how they talk about her when they know you’re not listening. She’s nothing but your whore. Your mistress–”
“Don’t you dare talk about her like that–”
“I will talk about her anyway that I fucking please. I’ll do it out of the children’s earshot, but I won’t swallow my opinions just because it might hurt her feelings.”
“She hasn’t even done anything to you!”
“She’s fucking my husband!” Lizzie burst out. “She’s fucking my husband when she knows I’m not alright with it. You may have decided that she can do no wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that she has chosen, over and over, for years, to hurt me by staying with you. I think that I ought to be allowed to be upset about that, and to say whatever I like about it when in the company of my friends and family.” 
“Lizzie–”
“I have let you two carry on as you have! I’ve let you do that, Tommy! Even though it kills me. I have…tried to be at least cordial with her. I know that I don’t always succeed, and I am sorry for that. And I am sorry that Charlie overheard. I’d never intend to turn the kids against her. But I have feelings, Tommy! I have to get them out somewhere. Better with Polly and Linda, rather than to her face.”
“Doesn’t seem to fucking work though, does it? All the hateful things that you say always get back to her eventually.”
“You know what? Fuck you, Tommy.” He saw some of the ice-cold contempt that had been blazing in her eyes when she left for Arthur’s days ago ignite once more. “I don’t want to hear it,” she started for the door to one of the sitting rooms. 
“Oi! We aren’t fucking finished here,” he moved to follow her, and she rounded on him.
“What more do you want!? I said I’ll fucking apologize! Now leave me the fuck alone! It’s the least you could do.”
“Why the hell did you come back then if you didn’t want to be around us, eh!?”
“Because your daughter kept asking for you,” she sneered furiously. “And I knew that sooner or later, you’d drag us back here anyway to have her close.” She took a step nearer to him. In her heels, she was taller than him, if only by an inch or two. “I didn’t come back because I’m no longer upset. Or because I forgive either of you. I don’t. I never will.”
“Forgive us for what, Lizzie!? For sticking to the agreement that the three of us made which you then decided to change your mind about?”
Her throat convulsed, and for just a moment, her eyes seemed to glimmer tearily. “We could have had an actual chance at being happy,” her voice suddenly dropped to a desolate whisper. “If she wasn’t here.”
He wanted to shake her. How could she not understand? He couldn’t be happy without Lucy.
“If you really believe that, then you don’t know me at all.”
Her bottom lip trembled, cracks beginning to form in the hatred molding to her face, giving way to heartbreak. 
Before he could say anything more, she whirled on her heel and stormed out the door.
∗ ∗ ∗
Lizzie found Lucy sitting alone, head propped up on one hand while she considered the chess board before her. She was playing herself, Lizzie could see. Moving both the black and white pieces around the board. Trouble was curled in her lap, asleep. 
She hadn’t really spoken to Lucy since she and Tommy had arrived home. The kids had monopolized their attention for most of the evening; Ruby in particular was eager to play with Lucy and her father after going so long without seeing them. Lizzie had been fine with leaving them to it. In all honesty, she could use the break after having to manage Ruby mostly on her own. And after their conversation about what Charlie said to Lucy, she would rather have not been in the same room as Tommy anyway. 
He’d retreated into his office to take care of some business after they’d put the kids to bed, leaving her and Lucy to their own devices. 
Taking a tentative step forward, she forced herself to open her mouth. 
“Lucy?”
The redhead looked up, and Lizzie could see the wariness that immediately entered her face upon catching sight of her. It was a look that she saw crossing Lucy’s face more and more whenever they interacted. 
Lizzie supposed she couldn’t entirely blame her for that. 
She gestured to the chess board. “Do you…want someone to play with?”
Lucy blinked, that wariness still not quite leaving her face. “Sure.” She started to move the pieces back into their starting positions on the board while Lizzie took the seat across from her, examining the little carved pieces of black and white wood. Lucy had whittled and painted each one herself, along with the board. 
Once all the pieces were set up, she took hold of one of the white pawns on her side of the board, sliding it forward. 
“I’m sorry,” she finally forced herself to say the words when they were about halfway through the game. Most of her white pieces had been swept from the board by Lucy’s black ones. Not surprising. She had never taken to chess all that well. Usually, Lucy went easy on her. 
She felt Lucy’s large green eyes jerk upwards to stare into her face. 
“For what Charlie said. I didn’t…he wasn’t supposed to overhear that.”
Lucy looked back down at the board. She had one arm crossed over her chest, hand folded against the opposite bicep. Like she was holding an imaginary shield between them. “I figured.”
Lizzie nodded. At least Lucy’s opinion of her hadn’t sunk that low, then. “Still, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Lucy kept her eyes focused on the pieces, moving her queen to take one of Lizzie’s bishops. “It worked itself all out. I’m sorry that Tommy got on your case about it.”
“He’s just protecting you.” She hated herself for being unable to wholly mask the bitterness that underlaid her words. A guilty look crossed Lucy’s face, her head dipping slightly and her shoulders drawing in as if bracing for a slap. On her next move, she pulled one of her bishops back, leaving her rook open for Lizzie to take with one of her knights. 
She wondered if Lucy had let her take the piece on purpose. 
“How were things at Arthur’s?” Lucy asked, clearly eager to change the subject. Lizzie hesitated. There were a lot of things that Linda had told her in confidence that she was not eager to share. Everyone knew that anything that was told to Lucy would make its way back to Tommy.
“Things aren’t good between him and Linda,” she finally settled on saying. 
“What’s she upset about now?”
Lizzie worried at her bottom lip. “Everything, really. Truth be told, going there wasn’t much of an improvement from being here.” She should have gone to Polly or Ada’s instead. But she had been afraid that both of them would try to talk her out of any ruminations she had about divorce. Linda, at the very least, had understood her feelings on that front. “Only difference was that I wasn’t the one doing the arguing.”
“Mm.” Lucy made a sound of sympathy, taking one of Lizzie’s knights with her remaining rook. “I am glad that you’re home.”
“You don’t have to lie.”
Lucy cocked her head. “I’m not. Look…I didn’t miss any of the fighting, but…the house feels empty without you and Ruby in it.” 
“We may not be here for very long.”
That wariness that had mostly melted away from Lucy’s face while they played returned. “What do you mean?”
Lizzie plucked up the little white envelope that she had set down in her lap while they played. She turned it over twice in her hands, examining her own looping handwriting of Tommy’s name scrawled in black ink on the back of it. Holding it between two fingers, like she would a cigarette, she held it out to Lucy. 
“Will you give him this for me?”
Lucy eyed the envelope as if Lizzie had just held out a hand grenade to her. She supposed in a way, that she had. She took it with her pale, lightly freckled fingers, handling the envelope gingerly while she examined it. 
“What…?”
“Linda and I talked a lot. We thought that writing down everything that we need to say would be better than actually trying to say it. She’s written one to Arthur. Well…technically I think that she’s written two. She hadn’t decided which one to give to him yet when I left.”
Lucy turned the envelope over in her hands, brows furrowed. “Lizzie, what’s in this letter?”
 She picked up one of the black rooks she’d taken, rolling it between her fingers. “Just make sure that he gets it, yeah?”
She could feel Lucy’s deep green gaze on her, could imagine the way that the irises shifted a little from side to side as they tried to decipher what was going on inside her head. “Okay.”
“Thank you.”
Lucy nodded, slipping the envelope into the inner pocket of her suit jacket. Lizzie brought her bishop sliding across the board.
“Check.”
“I can send him to you tonight, if you’d like,” Lucy offered. Lizzie could only bring herself to look at her face for a fraction of a second before she had to look back at the chess pieces again. Anything to not have to stare at that sad, guilty look emblazoned across Lucy’s face. She shook her head. 
“I doubt he’s going to want to spend the night with me after he reads what’s in that letter.” 
Truth be told, a lot of the enjoyment from sleeping with Tommy had long since faded away. Physically, it was still good–the man was nothing if not very talented at what he did–but it was hard to ever fully enjoy herself when she knew that he would rather be with her. Lizzie could feel it, the disconnect between them a living, ever present thing in the spaces between them. Even when he was with her, in the most intimate of positions two people could be in, he wasn’t really with her. He always left all the important parts of himself in the other room, with Lucy.  
If only the little red head in front of her wasn’t around…
She shook the thought away. That wasn’t what she wanted. Not really. For all her faults, at least Lucy tried. Certainly more than Tommy ever did. It was her, who more often than not kept Lizzie company on nights like this one. When Tommy was too enthralled with his work to be bothered to pay her any mind.
In a way, it only made Lizzie more angry with her. It would have been so much easier to hate her if she had been cruel and unapologetic in her actions. 
For a time, at the beginning of her marriage to Tommy, Lizzie had hated her. She had hated her so bloody much, she nearly choked on it. But over time the feeling had…not quite faded, but scabbed over. It was hard to maintain hatred like that for so long. Especially when the person it was directed towards went out of her way to be so bloody nice and accommodating so much of the time. 
Sometimes it still returned, the scab ripping off for fresh blood and agony to flow forth. And with it, the poison inside her leaked out, boiling over to spill from her lips in the form of vile curses and words. Things she may have meant in the moment, but not later. Not after she’d gotten a leash back on the jealousy that raged in her heart. 
In those moments when the venom flowed forth, the looks that Lucy would give her, like that of a kicked animal, only served to make Lizzie hate her even more. Because how dare she make her feel guilty for hurting her? When she was the one who had hurt Lizzie first by stealing her husband. 
But can you really steal what was already yours? What was given freely? How could she say that Lucy had stolen Tommy from her, when he had never even been hers to begin with?
Her fury was directed at Tommy too, often even more so. She suspected that was by design, on his part. His attempt to shield Lucy from her wrath and the hurtful jabs that came with it as much as possible. Yet another expression of his oh so precious, undying love for her.  
Once she’d gotten it all out, the anger and resentment would scab over once more. It was in those moments that she grew as close as she could to accepting the arrangement between herself, her husband, and his lover. She and Lucy could even be considered something close to being friends.
And then they’d go through the entire cycle again. 
She wondered if the scab would ever fully heal. She hoped that someday it would.
What she would give, to be at peace with her life and her choices. To be content.
But she knew that a part of her, no matter how small, would always resent Lucy.   
“Do you mind if I also read it?” Lucy asked, drawing her from her thoughts. She’d moved her knight to counter Lizzie’s check on the chessboard. 
“That’s fine.” She knew it would likely make no difference what she wanted; Tommy would tell her its contents either way.
She moved one of her pawns a space up. 
Lucy moved her knight again. “Check.”
Lizzie moved her king, even though she could already see where the game was heading.
“You’re really thinking of leaving for good?”
She kept her gaze fixed on the chessboard, not wanting to meet Lucy’s analyzing eyes. “It depends on what he says about what’s in my letter.” 
There was a long pause, and she found herself wishing that Lucy would just move her queen and put an end to the whole bloody game.
“Lizzie, maybe if you just give things some time…it’s a madhouse right now, with the crash and Michael coming back…”
“I’ve been giving things time since the fucking wedding, Lucy. And he still hasn’t–” she bit down hard on the words before she could say them. He still hasn’t changed.
Lucy stared at her sadly. “You’re still hoping that someday he’ll choose you over me?”
“Just play your bloody turn, Lucy.”
She hesitated, and then slid the black queen across the board. “Checkmate.” Her hand retracted, going to fidget with the other in her lap. Trouble roused at the cease in being pet, raising her head with a questioning meow. “Do you want to play again?”
“No,” Lizzie rose from her chair. Divorce or not, she doubted she would have to wait long to be free of them. She had watched these past few years as Tommy slipped further and further out onto a precipice, his mind almost fully lost to his own ambition. And when he finally went over the edge, he’d take Lucy right along with him. She truly believed that he wouldn’t be alive within two years’ time.  
It startled her, a little, how the thought brought with it no sorrow or grief, but simply a feeling of deep, potent relief.  
“I think I’m just going to go to bed.”
That infuriating guilt was shining in Lucy’s eyes again. She had to bite down on her tongue to keep from lashing out at the sight of it. Despite everything, she had meant what she said to Tommy about trying to be cordial with Lucy. 
 “Lizzie, you know that if you ever wanted to, the three of us could…” Lucy trailed off, biting her lip. Not needing to finish the sentence for Lizzie to know what she was referring to. 
They’d made it clear that the offer was always open, if she wanted to share a bed with both of them again, rather than just Tommy. And she understood that, in a somewhat stunted way, Lucy’s offer was an attempt at comfort; at maybe even consolidation, for the situation that they’d found themselves in.  
“Not tonight, Lucy.”
She saw a flicker of disappointment cross Lucy’s features, but she merely nodded, clearly having expected the answer, not pushing it any further. “Goodnight, then.”
“Goodnight.”
She just got to the door before Lucy called for her again. “Lizzie.” She was still sitting at the chessboard, one hand trailing her fingertips across the golden rings she was wearing on the other hand she had resting on Trouble’s patchy black and orange fur. Her red-painted bottom lip was caught between her teeth. “Is there anything that I can do?”
Yes: Leave. And never come back. “No.” 
“But maybe–”
“Lucy,” she cut her off before she could say anymore, gesturing to the board. “Even when you go easy on me, it’s you who always wins.”
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marigold-hills · 2 days ago
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Today is a year since I’ve posted my very first Wolfstar fic! I can’t believe it’s already been that. This year has been so wonderful and I’m so thankful for having decided to write it on the whim - the friendships I’ve made in this fandom alone ❤️
(it was the first time I wrote smut as well, and that, too had been exciting.)
if you fancy giving it a read, here’s a little snippet:
“I’ll take care of you,” Remus whispered into his ear, breaking the kiss, “let me,” and Sirius went boneless. “You’ve done so good for me, and it’s my turn now. Will you let me?”
“Gods. Yes. Anything. Please.”
“What would you like, sweetheart?” Remus kissed down his face, across his jaw, licked the place where it merged into neck.
Sirius shuddered at the endearment. “Your name.”
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relicunth · 18 hours ago
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You into some jayvik fanfiction??
Then have I got the post for you. Arcane twt is beating my ass because the people on that app are so convinced of their own takes that I had to take a step back and realize I have free will and are allowed to like my own thoughts on these characters. I have written some fics that maybe you'll like:)
Holding on to you: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61570234/chapters/157406545 Modern AU - college students. Viktor and Jayce meet in Zaun as kids but after having the best day of their lives, they get separated by enforcers. Years later, they reunite after Viktor talks Jayce off of the roof of his apartment building. They rekindle their friendship, try to be each other's safe space, but both have since gone through hardships that impacted them significantly. Read along as they reconnect, share their pain and ultimately fall in love. Angsty, hurt with a lot of comfort. They do fun stuff a lot, too, so I feel like there's some lightheartedness in there too. I have posted up to chapter 6, but have written up until chapter 10 already and will post over the next few days!
Survivor's guilt and a talisman: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61098436 Takes place after the ending of Arcane. Jayce and Viktor survive their ordeal, but not without their struggles. Viktor cannot seem to get over what he has done. Luckily, Jayce is there to pick up the pieces. I mostly wrote this when I first finished the show because I could not accept the fact that they died (still can't). This was my first time writing these characters, so it was also partly an exploration of their characters. I just think it's a disservice to Viktor's character to just have him live on and go about his business without any guilt. This one is also angsty and has hurt and comfort. And a happy-ish ending. It's kinda open-ended but you'll get what I mean when you read it.
A Christmas to remember: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61467895 Takes place during the S1 timeskip, before it all goes downhill. Jayce loves Christmas, Viktor is ambivalent to it at best. Jayce is determined to make their first Christmas as a couple memorable. Viktor is intrigued to see what he has in store. I wanted to write a stupid, silly, tooth-rotting Christmas fic because I wasn't looking forward to the holidays myself lol. It's just them being in love, nothing more.
I have so many fanfiction ideas, it's insane how much I love these two and how they inspired me to start writing again. I just find it difficult to get the ao3 algorithm on my side, so I'm promoting my own work, as egotistical as that sounds. But if you have nothing better to do, maybe check them out!:)
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twirlymarimo · 3 days ago
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twirlymarimo's 2024 year-end zosan fic rec!
after a full orbit around the sun reading zosan fanfics, i decided to make a list of recommendations bringing light to these beautiful pieces of work, whether it made my heart hurt, made me laugh, or just simply hooked to the story. enjoy reading!
☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★
i would give you my heart, i think by fairv it's not finished but the first chapter is an absolute banger. multiple angsty trope in one - canonical character death, pining, miscommunication, friends to lovers, secret dating, what more could you ask for. i constantly find my self thinking about this story and i wish i was patient enough to wait for the finished work. this one deserves a lot more kudos!
homesick by summerofspock another mystery banger from summer! the vibe is twin peaks meets teen wolf and the premise is angsty but fluff is sprinkled here and there to keep our hearts stable.
insiduous by riotoftime and aevv the dynamic duo of the century that brought us tin lover is back with a new world to take over our minds with every update. their synchronized writing style reads like a book, just take a look at the world building in this one. the story is starting to pick up just like the intense dynamic between our two faves.
a heavy heart to carry by inkinmyheart i realized none of the first recs are finished, my bad but this one is! i typically avoid vampire aus because trauma from reading twilight but the concept here is interesting! i always enjoy ptsd sanji and the build up to the ending/reveal was satisfying.
the proposal by brunetta6 a well-written adaptation of the rom-com classic, the proposal. the accurate description of hokkaido brought me back down memory lane when i visited in 2023. hilarious dialogues with a tiny slice of angst makes a perfect pick-me-up read in the winter time.
lost myself when i caught sight of you by thecrownofclowns the sigh i let out after reading this. so hauntingly beautiful, like one of the fics that made me believe zosan is canon lol if this was a song, it would be a house in nebraska by our queen ethel cain
the knight shift by strawhatbougie inspired by THAT photo that circulated the internet, the author brought justice to what the audience wants - sanji in white fishnet leggings.
the mummy by greenyogurtelephant i love movie adaptations as you can see lol i read this on my e-reader in the summer and it was so hilarious, entertaining, and truly fits the essence of zosan. i would suggest to watch the actual movie either before or after reading the fic.
loose ends of the night by veto_power_over_clocks if you like pain like me, the first 4 chapters are all about miscommunication and wanting to smack both of these guys' heads and screaming at them the entire time. zoro POV too which is so rare these days but author delivered!
this post has been deleted. by evils if you love social media au but need it in a written format, this one is for you! a mix of comedy, fluff, and a slice of angst thru miscommunication.
seagrain by fruityumbrella ever thought about what would happen if sanji and zoro find out they've both done the one thing that make up their very core? "you know what, hell yeah," author fruityumbrella said.
thank you for reading if you made it this far! i have way more fics that i liked this year but i only got my account a couple of months ago so i couldn't track the ones i read earlier in the year. i also tried to feature ones that are not from well-known authors but i still had to give credit where it's due ;) thank you to all zosan writers for keeping my mental health stable (or maybe not for adding to my delusions about these two) <3
if you liked any of the fics above, please don't forget to give kudos, comment and bookmark! writers work so hard to give us amazing stories and they take so much time out of their schedules to do so.
if you're interested in more of my fic recs, you can check out my ao3 bookmarks here.
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