#there needs to be more fanfic of these two fucked up little shits on ao3 and if i cant find any by god im going to start makin em

[crowsent]

takin a break from irresponsible use of my time to say that the abusive cunt never used pet names in canon but in my head he did so any mention of sweet familiarity gets distorted into sick memories of someone who literally shoved you off a cliff UwU

[bunnypeew]

Under star-lit skies - Moon/Sun x reader part 1

Okay so I started writing this cuz my obsession for Sun and Moon came back since I keep getting posts and fanart of them so here is the first part of the fanfic you can read it on Ao3 linked in my bio :3c

it was one of those days, one where you and your class had to go to a stupid location outside of town. You weren’t eager about it since you preferred being closed in the confinement of your dorm room, but an outing was necessary even for you. You got up from your bed unwillingly and started getting dressed, some sweatpants a t-shirt and a hoodie on top, was pretty easygoing and comfortable for a day out.

you weren’t sure where you were going until it came into focus, the Freddy Fazbear Pizzaplex for some reason you weren’t going to question it since your school did choose some random places all the time, not caring if it’s educational or not, but you guessed it was because of the way the pizzaplex was built, could be really interesting or maybe how the animatronics worked. You all went into the pizzaplex being greeted by some basic-looking bots holding maps

“Take a map, take a map,,

you take one and look the other way a little creeped out, you hope those poor things weren’t sentient like the bigger ones otherwise this would’ve been fucked up. The tour starts then, going around the entire pizzaplex from Gator golf to Roxy raceway, it was pleasant meeting the big animatronics in charge of entertainment. Roxy, in charge of Roxy Raceway, was a wolf animatronic with long grey hair and a puff of green in the front, while Gator Golf was attended by Monty, an alligator-like animatronic with icon star-shaped sunglasses, he was pretty cool. Then you arrived at the star of the gang Freddy Fazbear himself, he was a nice bear animatronic with a little top hat on his head and an iconic earring on his left ear. He waved at everyone with a happy smile on his face, you waved back catching his attention, noticing you he winked at you also doing finger guns, you smiled and blushed a little bit at that (blushing over an animatronic? Are you okay??)

You then arrived at your last stop, the Superstar Daycare. It was a place full of kids, also full of toys and arts&crafts stuff (of course like the name said it was a daycare) but something caught your eye, the animatronic that was attending the children, it was a jester-like robot with a sun for a head that could spin around when it wanted to

“Hello everyone! I am Sun! the daycare attendant I hope you guys had a lovely tour so far!,,

he says lively his rays on his head spinning around happily, Sun huh? (ironic isn’t it) You were fascinated by him, he was really, pretty? I guess you could call him pretty.

When you got back to your dorm you picked up your laptop right away and started doing research on Fazbear Entertainment, finding a lot of weird stuff about some lawsuits and shit like that, you didn’t care you went on to look if the pizzaplex out of town was looking for a job, you really needed one and that was a big place so maybe they did need some human personal, you were also hoping you’d get to work near or in the daycare, you wanted to know more about Sun. Thinking about that you looked up the Superstar Daycare for some more information and found yet another lawsuit about the daycare this time, you read through it.

“my son was traumatised by your stupid daycare attendant and can’t sleep with the lights off anymore, whatever that thing did to him. You should decommission it right away it is not safe for children,,

you scrunch up your nose at that, because there is no way this person was talking about Sun seemed like a nice guy! So you did more research finding out the animatronic they were talking about was not Sun, but an animatronic called Moon, he was the nap time attendant and apparently, they were two separate animatronics, which intrigued you even more.

Doing even more research you find out they were actually looking to hire someone, it didn't say in which position but you weren't one to complain about stuff like that so you wrote an email and sent it, you weren't expecting a reply right away so you decided to go to bed.

It was dark, and something was bothering you but you couldn't put your finger on it, you found yourself in a jungle gym of some sort crumbled up like a pretzel, you started moving in front of you or what you thought was in front of you, while moving you could hear some sort of music, like a soft melody getting closer and closer until it stopped, you stopped as well, looking around now trying to understand where you were.

clang.

clang.

clang.

BOOM.

You wake up in your bed full of sweat and your heart beating super fast, you get your phone from your nightstand only to see it is 2 am, you definitely can't sleep after this weird ass nightmare you just add so you decide to start scrolling through social media. Before you get the chance to do that tho you get a notification from your emails, saying that Fazbear Entertainment sent a reply to your email, accepting your application!

You get up to do a little victory dance happy for it to begin.

tomorrow is another day.

this is how they will look in the fanfic since they are separate animatronics here the one in the middle is my persona ignore them I insert myself in every fandom I go in lol!!

[nostalgicish]

My favorite tropes in klance fanfics that are never not funny (to me):

"Fighting" over little things

Lance: "I cannot believe you just said that......" Keith: "What?? I stand by what I said. Anchovies are objectively bad and are by far the worst pizza topping." Lance: "What! A pizza without anchovies is like— like a rose without petals! an ocean without waves! a night sky without stars! Keith: "Don't care. They're gross." Lance, theatrically: "You wound me!"

Then bringing the others into it

Lance: "Hunk, are you hearing this nonsense??" Hunk: "Nope, sorry bud, I'm with Keith on this one— anchovies are nasty." Lance: *clutches his chest like he's been fucking shot*

Keith getting confused by Lance's bad flirting but it ends up working on him anyways (i.e. wrong formula right answer)

Lance: "Holy shit, dude. Your hand looks super heavy. Do you want me to hold it for you? Keith, confused: "It's uh... I was— my hand? I— uhh...... yes...?"

Keith pretending he hates pet names/PDA

Lance, planting a wet kiss on Keith's cheek: "Anything for you, baby." Keith, trying really hard not to smile: "Oh my god you're so embarrassing."

Casual sibling-energy banter among the team

Lance: "Pidge is sooooo tiny. She's like. Three feet tall! So cute!" Pidge: "Lance, I swear to God. I will beat your ass." Lance: "Bring it, munchkin. We put out the mousetraps." Hunk: "Oohhh!" *high fives Lance* Pidge: "I am going to bash in your kneecaps." Keith, deadpan: "He'll just stand on the table then." Hunk: "OOHHHH" *high fives Keith* Pidge: *deep inhale* Pidge, eerily calm: "I'm gonna give you guys. a five-second head start... One..." Keith: "Uh... a head start for what?" Pidge: "Two..." Lance: "Wait, like five seconds each or...?" Pidge, gritting: "THREE..." Hunk: "Go go go gogogogogo—"

(unabashedly stole part of that from "Shut Up and Dance With Me" by wittyy_name on ao3)

Everyone knows they're in love EXCEPT them/the team placing bets on them (is it overdone? yes. is it still funny? to me?? also yes.)

Keith: "And uh... guys? There's... one more thing we need to tell you—" Lance, blurting: "WE'RE DATING." Everyone: "..." Pidge: "Fucking finally." Hunk: "Hah! Pay up, guys!" Shiro, pulling a $20 out of his wallet: "Seriously? You guys couldn't wait one more week?" Coran, whispering to Allura: "They weren't courting before??" Allura: "I'm just as confused as you are."

And like. a million other things! i love them!!

[fabbyf1]

Hi!

I’m not sure of this is how to go about this correctly.

I’m not sure what your position is on others drawing inspiration/directly from your incredible fan fiction writing but, on Ao3 there is a fic called ❤️lestappen- One shorts💙 by lestapeeen. The most recent chapter (14) is very similar to the monza chapter of long live(twwct) specifically the piggy back and proposal promise. some of the dialogue is exactly the same.

I figured you should know. If it’s a cool with you or if you knew already, sorry to be a bother.

DISCLAIMER: This post, by no means, is asking for ANYBODY to send this author mentioned (and tagged) below hate. On anon or main. I have been pretty damn clear with my feelings on the matter below. They know what they've done, and I won't stand for it. Nobody needs to make this worse by sending them death threats. With that out of the way, let's deep dive, shall we?

YOU KNOW WHAT?

First off, god bless you, bestie. God BLESS you. I want to smooch you on your incredibly wonderful forehead. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. I cannot be everywhere at once and cannot possibly read every fanfic posted to AO3, but it's not fucking cool for people to straight-up plagiarize my shit.

Secondly, I'd like to ask that if ANY of my followers come across something that looks very suspiciously similar to my fics, please let me know. You can for sure send it on anon, or send me a dm.

Now, with that being said, I clicked on this fucking fic not knowing what to think. I went into it with a pretty open mind, knowing that there are quite a few authors currently posting fics that are verrrrrrrrrrry similar to my writing style. I've gotten pretty close to calling a few of these authors out but haven't for a few reasons.

Fanfics based on the same ship, in the same canon setting, are always going to be... let's use the word "similar" here. The plot can only change so much when you're following canon events, you know? I don’t write AUs, so I’m only going off canon-inspired fics. My fics generally follow along with canon timelines and therefore, other author’s fics that follow the same timeline are going to be... similar. I get that and accept that.

Characterizations are bound to be... well, fuck it, let's use that word "similar" again. I'm gonna be pretty forgiving when someone's Max is damn near the same as my Max because one: I'm a good and forgiving person, and two: I think my characters (while totally fucking fictional) are very life-like to the real person. So, with that in mind, when I read a fic with characterizations similar to mine... I will usually give somebody grace... and accept that maybe, just possibly, they see Max Verstappen (the person) the same way I do (fictionally) and it’s a big old coincidence that our fics read so similar. You know? Does that make sense?

But with all that being said, I’m not a fucking idiot. 

And honestly? I give more grace than I should on this goddamn website. (lmfao, respectfully.) This is sadly not the first time that somebody has very much written in my likeness, and I know it won't be the last. But this is definitely the boldest version of plagiarism I've seen. I haven’t clicked on any chapter except for 14, and I heavily skimmed the first part, but let’s take a little deep dive into some of the highlights. Because I will show the receipts, bestie.

from their story:

from long live:

..... right, let's move on.

from their story:

from long live:

okay................. sure

from their story:

from long live:

If you're going to plagiarize my shit... you could at least put it in a different font, so to speak. "Hey, can I copy your homework?” “Sure, but change it up a bit.” 

Girlie pop, you stopped even trying to change it the fuck up. 

Let me be clear: I do not authorize anybody to translate, re-post or distribute my work without my written consent. This is in a disclaimer (that I will post below) in every single one of my fics. Taking MY dialogue is NOT okay. 

Direct quote from the beginning note of Long Live:  DISCLAIMER #4: This is 100% fictional, and I do not own any person, team, or sponsor referenced in this story. I mean no offense to any person(s) mentioned and characterized in this story. I am not affiliated with any part of Formula 1 or its subsections. Please do not translate, re-post, or distribute my work without my written consent. I will cry.

To sum up, writing is not easy, and it takes time and effort. Time away from my friends, my girlfriend, my family. Time away from my job and my other hobbies. Long Live is 76 thousand words and took me countless hours to write.

To have somebody so blatantly and disrespectfully post MY SHIT as their own and not even try to give me credit? To not write a note that said, “Heyyyyy go read long live, which I [clearly] really enjoyed!” or even a “Some of this dialogue was inspired by @fabbyf1” or even just a “lmfao some of this i didn’t write but the rest i did” really pisses me off.

Why did it ever have to come to this?

I am SO disappointed right now.

Happy fucking Friday, I guess.

For full transparency, here is the link to their fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55255699 and here is the link to their tumblr: @l-estappen

Here is the link to MY fic, which was posted on April 2nd, 2023, and written in Google Docs with revision history about a month before that. I have receipts out the fucking ass, my dear. https://archiveofourown.org/works/46190509/chapters/116284915

Be well.

[koukouture]

Kou's AO3 ffxiv fic rec list

I am so insane and I literally have only been reading FFXIV fanfics for like the past four or so months so here r some of my favorites

I will split it up into three categories: reader inserts, WoL OCs, and then yk fics with only the characters.

WARNING: I read lots of unsavory shit so please heed the tags in the links as I will not be going over those in this list.

*length of fics will be rounded to nearest thousand

Reader insert's

The Rise of Emperor Solus zos Galvus by amandaterasu

(Emet Selch x reader) Length: 25k Status: Complete (one shot) Review: You don't understand I think about this fic at least once a day oh my fucking LORD. 25k words just GONE in an instant I read this in like under an hour. Actually gigging and kicking my feet this shit bro liiiiiike the way this author writes Emet Selch... ouuuuughhh. I love it when a man is just so insane for his woman that he finds her in another life and immediately starts courting her. Honestly, this shit is just so good it reads almost like a historical drama in the best ways possible. Yeah it's romance (and smut) but it's also politics (kinda) and idk about you but those are my two favorite things. I now need a full length novel about Emet Selch's rise to emperor of Garlemald but yk what this shit is just as good. Bonus points for this author for introducing me to fanfic reading extensions to replace certain terms I will be using this from now on.

Tremble, Duck, & Weave by OwlEspresso

(Estinien, Aymeric, Haurchefant, Urianger x reader) Length: 31k Status: Incomplete Review: This inspired my current big project, Hellbound and yeah idk something about Ishgardian politics man. I'm gonna warn you right now a lot of these reader insert recs WILL be yandere/yandere-adjacent with a lot of unhealthy themes, general debauchery, and doves ranging from beaten to dead so uh... yeah. That aside, this is just a really fun time. Seeing everyone interact with the reader insert and all the different ways they show (or think about) their twisted affections... hnnnng it makes me a little insane okay. Also, shout out to pervert Haurchefant you will always be near and dear to my heart. We were ROBBED in the English translation

Captivate by samsaur

(Aymeric and Estinien x reader) Length: 41k Status: Incomplete Review: Remember what I said about doves ranging from being beaten up to dead? Well, the dove is definitely dead here, but it's rlly juicy because this shit really does feel like a horror story. I am not qualified to speak on it, but I think this is a great portrayal of Stockholm syndrome and the way it's written really puts you into the shoes of the reader insert and you kind of feel that hot and silent shame of being held captive like this. Also, one of my favorite niches of FFXIV fanfics is apparently villain Aymeric. Idk why but he is so good as a villain probably because he had every single reason to turn out one, and he would be a far more terrifying villain than Thordan. If Aymeric wasn't our ally during Heavensward, he would undoubtedly be a huge threat to us and this fic kinda takes that and dangles it over your head. Because, yes, Aymeric is holding the reader captive but he is also helping Alphinaud and Tataru out. It's this balancing act where we know Aymeric is capable of really fucked up things but he is still playing at the perfect image of our noble ally. You find yourself yelling at everyone else not to trust him because you, the reader and his captive, know that he is a piece of shit in this AU and I think it's glorious. Uhhh Estinien is there too ig. It's no fault on the author's part but I just don't really vibe with Estinien as a love interest. Though, his dynamic with Aymeric and the reader is extremely interesting to me. I can't say too much without spoiling all the fun, but I think in a way Aymeric has him trapped under this thumb too.

I'd Ask For Your Soul, But It's Already Mine by Dotharl

(Zenos x reader) Length: 29k Status: Incomplete Review: Guys it's fucking Zenos PLEASE read the tags on this one. Anyways I love my porn kjakjfjkjakhshjfjhk. Okay but genuinely I always say this, but Zenos is surprisingly genuine as a love interest because he doesn't put WoL up on a pedestal and just loves them for all of their worst bits and THAT is the appeal of enemies to lovers. This fic plays with that, especially with the reader insert being a Dark Knight WoL where Fray talks some sense into them and helps them recognize their self worth. I won't lie to you, this fic starts out with VERY fucked up Yandere fuckboy Zenos energy with all of the dubcon included, but I kinda don't care + it's just genuinely well written at times. The dynamic between WoL and Zenos is very nice here, bc yeah it starts out... like that and then it evolves into mutual respect when the reader realizes that Zenos would treat them well and not yk use them as a weapon. Albeit, it does go kind of quick but eh, it's like 4 chapters so I can't fault the author THAT much. Besides, not to diminish the fic, but it IS pretty clearly just kind of a pornfest and that is A-Okay with me! This shit was also last updated in like 2022 so I'm pretty sure it's abandoned.

Not a Champion, Just a Knight by Kei_Cordelle

(Haurchefant x reader)

Length: 23k Status: Incomplete Review: This one is in kind of a weird position because this is an AU where WoL dies at the Vault instead of Haurchefant, so there isn't exactly any HaurcheWoL action to speak of. But, WoL definitely haunts the characters' actions. Bro, when I tell you, the worst part of this fic is actually Alphinaud being very NOT OKAY bc WoL is dead. He is just a baby what the fuck do you mean he watched his friend, confidant, and hero die in front of him???? Yeah sorry I love Alphinaud a normal amount. (that is my SON) Anyways, this is written in first person which is weirdly a turn off for some people? I don't get the hate tbh, because first person just opens up so many fun opportunities! You can break the fourth wall much easier and directly address the reader, and you can also have the vibe that this is a retrospective of what the character saw. The later is definitely the vibe this fic gives. It's like, if the Heavensward memoir was written from Haurche's perspective in this AU. To me, I like to think that this fic is Haurchefant telling the tale of his greatest love and regret in writing. I feel like the action scenes could use some work but they're not terrible. It's just that they're literally one to one recounting of the Heavensward trials and it's just not the best. I think there's also the issue of the cast becoming slightly bloated so it is a bit rough to account for everyone's actions during fight sequences. I really do love this fic though because I think it's really interesting to see how everyone is unraveling. Obviously, we as the WoL take on a lot of things that are almost impossible for everyone else so to see them take on the monumental burden of the hero is very interesting. How would our companions react to certain things? Since during most trials in canon we take it on alone, how does everyone else fit in? Are they all doing the mechanics correctly? All in all, solid fic and I am holding out hope for that fated final fifth chapter since the last time it was updated was back in January and it was started back in 2022 so one day I hope that this will be complete and I get to see the final mental breakdown as the squad completes Heavensward with the legacy of WoL looming over them ✨

WoL OC Inserts

Coerthan Traitor by Cascanora (@cascanora here on Tumblr)

(Zenos x OC, a bit of typical Emet Selch and Azem reincarnation messiness) Length: 190k (GOD DAMN-) Status: Ongoing Review: The author of this fic is highkey like a celebrity to me bc I gobble up their art like it's fucking Christmas morning. Imagine being God's favorite and being blessed with the ability to draw AND WRITE??? Fucking insanity bro. Also, their OC, Crow is fine as hell like one chance ma'am pleeeeeeaaaaaseeee goddddddd- Anyways onto the actual fic, I am admittedly only on the first arc which is kind of like the childhood arc ig. But I really love it so far because I've just never seen anyone really write Zenos being kind of young and vulnerable and playful? That's a lie, I think I've read like one Zenos fluff that I'll have to dig through my AO3 history to find again (bc you'd best believe none of my bookmarks are fluffly...) so I just really like the change of pace. Zenos is obviously always put in more enemies to lovers type scenarios so I kinda like this different angle because yeah maybe he was something resembling normal at one point. Obviously he's very fucked up for a reason, but he was a kid too. He didn't always go off about biting jugulars and drinking blood or something, he got fucked up. I am so far absolutely living for a lot of the political stuff bc as I've said before, romance with a side of politics (or vice versa) is my cup of tea and nobody pulls this shit off better than fanfic authors. I'm really interested to see where the political stuff goes but it's like 2am (sheesh) as I'm writing this so I will have to delve further into this fic later. Anyways can I take a moment to talk about Crow and Zenos? Because they're so fucking cute I love themmmmm. I feel like I'm coming at this as someone who has seen a lot of Cascanora's art so I see when Crow and Zenos' relationship develop into when they're adults, so seeing the early stages of it is really cool to me. I don't quite know how to explain it? But anyways I am raving about this fic bc I think it just builds them both up so well and again, I don't see Zenos written to be playful and yk act his age the way he does around Crow. They just work together so well and while at the point of the story I'm at they're definitely just friends, I think that's the beautiful thing about friends to lovers. Regardless if it's romantic or platonic love, Zenos and Crow are a package deal. Also, Emet Selch/Solus in this fic is perfect. I LOVE my geriatric old man telling stories about his past. I would go off about how I am very captivated by the whole Galvus family dynamic but I will save that for the other fics bc this review section is already super fucking long and you had BEST BELIEVE I'm scouring the internet for Galvus family fics. I lied I will talk about this a little more because this strikes an odd chord with me as someone who wrote a lot of my own longform OC x Canon growing up. I kinda shamed myself off doing that kinda stuff as I got older, but diving into FFXIV where everyone becomes fucking Shakespear with their WoLs has made me let go of my fears of being a cringefailure and embrace the OC x Canon. To see really well written and thought out OC insert stuff is very comforting to me bc I often worry abt my own OCs being shitty and not really fitting in but fics like this assure me that hey, maybe I can make cool shit and that really is the most beautiful part of fanfiction and fandom in general. Fandom is this incredible loop of finding amazing shit and thinking "wow, I wanna do that too" and it's just really rewarding.

Save the Last Dance For Me by lalahganaja

(Alphinaud x WoL OC) Length: 11k Status: Complete (yatta!!!!) Review: ALPHINAUD MY BEAUTIFUL SONNNNN AAAAAAAARRRGGHHHSJGFKJGSGKHJHJF. This fic is so delightful bc it feels like I'm cheering on my children to kiss. A'tahja is so fucking precious and her and Alphinaud just bounce off each other so well. This fic also has the other Scions making an appearance and I fucking love it so much. Found family will never NOT make me absolutely batshit insane. Like yes, Y'shtola mamma cat <3 anyways *chews on Alphinaud and A'tahja* This is just so insanely fluffy and it made me slam my desk every few minutes bc cute teenage love story!!!! How can I not!!!! Alphinaud just acts like an adult a lot of the time and gets put in a lot of adult situations, but in this fic he just gets to be a little guy. A'tahja too, obviously as the WoL she's often off doing insane shit that no teenager should ever have to do and bearing burdens that are too much for a little skrunkly such as herself. But here they just get to be silly little kiddies who are very down bad for each other and it's adorable. I think another thing I really liked was A'tahja getting more in touch with her femininity? Idk how to put. But basically she had really short hair for most of her life bc she pretended to be a boy while in poverty, so to see her be A) pampered and B) learn to take care of herself and be more girly was super cute to see. Also, I am just always really surprised whenever I remember that Alphinaud can drink lmao. Like no, you are a baby (I was the same age as Alphinaud when I started playing this game) put the beer down and go sip on a capri sun or smth. God. Kids these days...

Canon character fics (?)

and i'm your clone, your strange creation by egg(strwpup)

(Fortemps familial angst from Artoirel's pov) Length: 6k Status: Complete (oneshot) Listen to me, I love this fic beyond words, but for the sake of my mental health I will NEVER read this shit again. My daddy issues go fucking DEEP like this is utter insanity. Don't get me wrong it is beautifully written and I love complicated family dynamics- but by god this fucked me up so bad. See, I like to personally believe that Edmont was a good, albeit flawed father but his sons know that he loves them and they love him in turn. But I know deep down in my heart of hearts that it is so much more complicated than that because you know, we can't have nice things here at Square Enix. It just personally fucks me up because I too, like Artoirel in this fic, am a momma's boy at heart and I... kinda hate my dad lmao. Basically, I kin Artoirel in this fic. Oldest child who has it out for my father + hates that I'm kinda like him. He loves his mother but holds contempt for his father, perhaps unfairly but can you blame him? (yeah I'm not only describing Artoirel here...) Edmont is a less than stellar father in this fic but you can tell he loves his kids and aaaaaaaaa I'm tearing up again. The complicated family dynamics + the drama of what happened in Heavensward is just so fucking delicious bro. 10/10 this fic destroyed me in every sense of the word and I do not want to go through that emotional reckoning again. However, I will be writing Edmont as a shitty dad in my fics now. Sorry but I am always just so insane for that sweet sweet eldest child and father dynamic because it's always so disastrous. Having parents is just so strange.

mon corps, le mien; mon coeur, le tien by steelthighsvoideyes

(Aymeric x Haurchefant x Estinien with a side of angst + Haurchefant survives the Vault AU) Length: 43k Status: Incomplete Review: I also started tearing up while writing this review because Haurchefant just does that to me okay? I feel like with a lot of Ishgard trio ship fics Haurche is always kind of left out? Or, he feels a bit tacked on to the Estimeric dynamic. That, or he's just sitting there with unrequited love bc clearly this man has not suffered enough. With this fic however, it definitely feels a lot more balanced. Like yeah a majority of the fic is just Haurchefant and Estinien bonding in the hospital, but Aymeric still feels present because of their shared past and how it's constantly being brought up. (in a good way) All three of them get the spotlight so you don't really lean towards one pairing. Romance aside, I really like the Ishgard trio's established dynamic in this fic because they're just guys being dudes. Besties who were in the military together. Like, Aymeric balances the trio out, Haurchefant is the sort of boisterous youngest member and Estinien is gruff and sarcastic and the banter between the three of them just flows so naturally. It's an actual friendship dynamic that serves as a solid foundation for what will hopefully be a romantic dynamic later on. Once again, friends to lovers is so good for this reason because the foundation is already there. You appreciate them as a person and you are aware of their flaws from the get-go, so when it turns romantic you skip a lot of the awkward exploration phase and can just be comfortable with each other. Anyways as for the crying part- the Fortemps familial drama follows Haurche throughout this fic and it does make me a little, tiny bit crazy. Not gonna spoil it, but the way Haurchefant feels about his family in this fic is just so real and visceral because of course it's super complicated. Once again, I like Edmont being a good dad, but realistically, it's shades of gray. Another thing about Haurchefant that not only this fic does but a lot of other people also head canon, is that his selflessness and willing to give can be self destructive at times. Once again, not gonna spoil, but it's just super heartbreaking to read Haurchefant be almost hypocritical, telling his friends to take care of themselves only for him to almost completely disregard himself. That's kind of what he does at the Vault in the first place, like that man died knowing that he did the right thing and protected his friend and oh god I'm gonna cry again I should stop talking... (I am not even kidding when I say that I will eventually write a Haurchefant character essay...)

Unicorn's Favor by Neyasochi

(Aymeric x Haurchefant x Estinien, yet another Haurche survives the Vault AU) Length: 34k Status: Complete Review: So, this is one of those fics where I feel Haurchefant is kinda just taped onto the Estimeric dynamic, and that's fine, it's whatever, I'm here for the porn and the banter. The premise of this fic is that Haurche helps get Estinien and Aymeric together and then smutty gay things happen. And that's all well and good BUT I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE FORTEMPS BROTHERS IN THIS FIC!!! *holds them gentle* For me, the best part of this fic was Haurchefant's relationship with his family which for a change, is NOT super angsty and complicated. It's all very heartwarming to see how in this fic the brothers get along very well (contrary to canon where unfortunately we know they were never very close) and to see Haurchefant really appreciate that he's still alive and gets to be around the people he loves more. It's just super cute and fluffy and now I just need fics like this in general. Yeah whatever it's not canon that the Fortemps bros actually like each other this much BUT IDC!!!! YOU NEVER SEPERATE TRIOS!!!! Speaking of trios, the Ishgard trio dynamic in this is yk it's fine it's whatever. In this particular fic, I find it quite cute that Haurche had a crush on Aymeric as a kid, so even if they aren't all buddy buddy in this fic there's still that lingering admiration and it's cute. I also completely swear by pansexual Haurchefant bc that man does NOT discriminate. Okay enough abt the French I will talk about the Italians (Romans) now.

Far colder on the earth than in the heavens by Altimas_Bane

(Galvus family things) Length: 7k Status: Complete Review: I told you I love my familial angst. No, I'm NOT okay. It DOES make me absolutely rabid that Emet Selch as Solus couldn't help but have some hope for the sundered because of Lucius because can you fucking imagine that??? Your son who gave you a little bit of hope for the broken, shattered people who replaced your brethren dies and that is the nail in the coffin. That is what makes you fully believe that they are unworthy. It was briefly mentioned in the short story "Through his Eyes", but Emet Selch had a little bit of hope for Lucius, and he was probably distraught when his son died. This fic goes over that agonizing feeling of watching someone slowly waste away from sickness. It is slow, it is painful, and it is gut wrenching. Idk man, just read it.

Son, Father, Emperor by January Blue

(Varis reflecting on his life and especially his relationship with Zenos)

Length: 12k Status: Complete Review: Heyyyyyy do you bitches remember when I said that Varis probably loved Zenos when he was younger but eventually held contempt for the monster he created? You all probably thought I was crazy for reading them like this BUT I'M NOT!!!!! Anyways fatherly angst strikes again (I am in shambles and this fic goes onto the list of fics that I will never read again for the sake of my mental health) LISTEN TO ME AND LISTEN WELL; Varis and Zenos' relationship isn't so black and white. No I'm not defending Varis- but come on the entire Galvus family is fucking crazy man. Anyways, to quote the comment I left on this fic because I do not want to repeat and retype it myself: "Varis, in a lineage of men that are strong, born into the arena that is politics, is WEAK because he is EMOTIONAL. Solus/Emet Selch calls him emotional in the cutscene he was introduced in (unless I'm hallucinating) and that SENT me because I was forced to rethink all of the information we had been shown of Varis until then. I wrote him off as a shallow villain but I did some digging and Varis is surprisingly the most empathetic in the Galvus household and it SHOWS whenever Solus berated him in cutscenes." Varis had emotions, he had morals he had a line that he would not cross. He has been shown to be merciful (when we parlayed with him in the Ghimlyt Dark) and it's known that he at least cared for his late wife, Zenos' mother. Obviously, he would extend that to his son at one point, right? Perhaps when he was still young and unmarked by the world- right???? See, I really like this fic because it frames Varis' absence from Zenos' life as unintentional, but at the same time, it does not absolve him of the fact that he is a terrible father. I don't want to say too much because I would very much like it if YOU, my dearest reader, took as much emotional damage reading this as I did- but I digress. Varis and Zenos' relationship is not as simple as "Varis hates Zenos" there's obviously some shades of gray here. I personally believed that there's no way Varis hated Zenos because Zenos' mother died in childbirth, and clearly, other people think the same. Listen, you don't just hate your own flesh and blood, at least, not from the very beginning. It's a slow process, and I know it in my heart of hearts that Varis regretted what he let happen to Zenos This fic is just so wonderfully written and I was actually kinda bouncing around my room reading this. Once again, major daddy issues, so maybe that's why I like believing that Varis loved Zenos once upon a time. Something, something, father's love their kids until they grow a mind of their own.

And that's my list! In the future as I make my way through fanfics I have marked for later due to spoilers, I might make another one of these because I think people need to read this shit!!!!

If one of your fics is on here please send me an ask so that I might go back and edit this to tag you!

[xco-sm]

With Great Power Comes Love?

Style Fanfic (Stan x Kyle)

AU: Spiderman Stan and Fake Dating

*They are 16-17!!*

*Characters do not belong to me, they belong to Trey Parker and Matt Stone! I own the story!

*Do not publish this story anywhere else without my consent!

This is part 1 of my new fic! I hope you guys enjoy it so far and I can't wait to get chapter 1 out for you all! Any ideas and/or feedback is welcome and will be taken into consideration! I will publish this on ao3 once it is completely finished!

TW! Slurs! TW!

Prologue

Up North of Denver, Colorado, is a town called South Park and there lived a teenage boy named Stan Marsh. He has jet black, messy greasy hair and dark blue almond shaped eyes. Most would say he’s just a basic guy with a classic group of friends: Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman. As well as a typical family of four, including parents Randall and Sharon Marsh and his older sister, Shelly. 

No one would ever suspect that he was the hero that saves their small little town from the crimes that happen. The one they call Spiderman.

Like every other Spiderman in different universes, Stan was bitten by a radioactive spider. He struggled to learn his newly formed powers and adapt them to his everyday life. However, it was made much easier by his super best friend, Kyle Brofloski. 

The pair had been friends since diapers and had been glued to the hip since. Most people would say they are a bit funny… However, they both couldn’t care less about what others thought of them.

Now most Spider-Man's origin stories are all different and unique. Stan’s was definitely unique…

“Ouch! Awe sick dude,” Stan complained with pain. 

He was currently on the ground of a forest (why were they there? Don’t ask) after he ate shit from what Cartman would later call “a pathetic bitch fall.” The boy was pushing his upper body up from the ground when all of a sudden his ass felt like it was getting poked at by hundreds of mosquitos. “Fucking shit, I think a bug just bit my butt dude.”

The other boys all gave a face of disgust and instead of helping the one who fell, they simply started laughing. All except Kyle. “It was probably an ant dude, not a big deal. Now get off the floor, there could be dog shit for all we know.” Kyle walked closer to Stan in case he needed aid.

“No, you don’t get it, it actually fucking hurts dude. I think I might die or something. Can someone check?”

Everyone went completely silent at what Stan just said. It lingered on for at least three more minutes until Cartman practically yelled, “Kyle, you do it, he’s your faggy boyfriend.” Kyle simply rolled his eyes in annoyance and crouched down to where Stan was now rubbing his backside in pain. “I’m sure it’s not bad, I’ll help you get up so we can take you to your place so your mom can check it out.” 

“No! Like I think it was a spider, please check,” Stan pleaded with an obvious pout that would’ve worked if he was still 8, but he wasn’t, he was now reaching the age of 17. 

“Fine, take your pants off.”

Another silence took over the four boys, but instead of minutes going bye, seconds loomed over them. This time it was the blonde of the group to break the silence with a loud and what Kyle would say an obnoxious laugh. Cartman soon joined after spewing something about ‘how fucking gay’ Kyle was. Stan was groaning in frustration and slight pain. “You guys are so annoying Jesus.” He pinched his nose bridge and sighed. 

“No, you two are. It’s sickening hearing you guys make out all the time,” Cartman snorted out amidst his laughter. “ I really don’t want to have to see you guys have sex now, at least get a room.” Kenny nodded in agreement before opening up, “I can’t believe I’m about to witness Stan and Kyle have sex before I turn 18. Like bro that’s crazy-”

“Oh my GOD! TAKE YOUR FUCKING PANTS OFF JESUS.” yelled out an enraged Kyle.

“At least take the poor boy to dinner for Kahl,” Eric mocked, holding onto Kenny during another laughing fit. Stan rolled his eyes for what felt like the millionth time tonight and stood up and walked behind a tree. He motioned for Kyle to follow him to check out the bite and Kyle rushed over to help. 

“Sorry for yelling man, you know I’m not mad at you right?” Kyle said as he waited for the other boy to finish lowering his pants down enough to where the bite had occurred. “Yeah, I know, now check please because I swear if I die because of a stupid bug, I might as well go to hell.” Kyle shook his head and started checking.

It wasn’t unnatural for the pair to do something like this as they have always changed in front of the other. There’s even been times in sleepovers (they won’t admit they still have sleepovers, but they do) where one, typically Kyle, is taking a shower and talks to the other, typically Stan, while he’s doing his business on the toilet. It’s always been the norm for them to be this comfortable around the other, so Kyle was unfazed by practically looking at his best friend’s ass checks. 

“Well? Anything?” Stan prompted impatiently. Kyle stood up to face his friend and shook his head, “Nah man, it doesn’t seem like anything bit you to leave a mark. Maybe it was just your head fucking with you to think you got bit?”

Stan groaned and put his pants back up while walking back to the other two, and shortly after followed the red-head. “Hey guys, gotta bounce! Marj gets to have people over today!” Kenny expressed excitedly. “See you losers later!” He waved out to the group before running off to the girl’s house. Cartman started complaining about something before he said, “I am not waiting around to see you all making out again, I am out!” With that, he left the boys alone in the woods going off to God knows where. 

Kyle and Stan ended up back at Stan’s place after they were rudely abandoned, according to Stan, by their so-called friends. “No, you don’t get it. It was a masterpiece created by God or something dude.” Stan exclaimed. They were talking about Transformers again even though Kyle had already expressed how uninterested he was. “Like it has everything you could ever want. Bumblebee, robots turning into sweet cars, Megan Fox, and I don’t know if I mentioned but Bumblebee! You cannot not be interested in a cool ass movie like this.”

Kyle rolled his eyes while getting comfortable on Stan’s bed sighing at his friends' antics. “Look, it is a cool movie I won’t lie, but I’m just not into it like you are. Not really my thing to be honest with you.” Stan dramatically gasped at Kyle before getting up and crossing his arms. 

“But- but- Bumblebee!”

“Are you gay for Bumblebee or something?”

“Who wouldn’t be?”

Kyle’s eyebrow arched as he chuckled at his friend. “Dude, that a fucking robot. What weird shit are you on?” Stan groaned playfully and dismissed the red-head with a wave of his hand. “Whatever, I’m going to the restroom, I’ll be back.” Kyle hummed in response and went back onto his phone messaging his mom that he would be staying the night at Stan’s place. 

A couple minutes passed and Stan still hadn’t come out of the restroom, concerning Kyle. He got up and walked to the bathroom where he heard Stan yelp in fear. “Shit shit. How do I get this shit off oh my godddddd.”

Kyle’s face shows concern and he raises his hand to knock on the door, “Dude? Are you okay there?” From the outside, Kyle can hear things being dropped and what sounded like marble breaking. “Stan? What’s going on in there?”

“Um… promise not to be mad?”

“What did you do…?”

“It wasn’t me I swear! I couldn’t get it off of me! It was crazy because like someone had to have put glue on it or something. Also everything feels so much more weird like I feel taller you know? What if I’m dead and you-”

Kyle groaned and opened the restroom door to see Stan frozen still trying to pick up a broken toilet seat and a mess all over the restroom floor. Stan looked like he had been sweating from the activities going on in the restroom and almost as if he was going to start crying. Kyle got on the floor with Stan and started helping him clean the mess so it can go back to how it was before Stan’s parents got back home. 

“How did you even manage to get this stuck to your ass dude?” Kyle looked over to the blue eyed boy. He wasn’t too surprised by this, due to shit going on like this in this damn town all the time. However, it was weirder because as they had gotten older, odd stuff slowly stopped happening to them. “I don’t know if I’m honest, and now that I’m looking at it there doesn’t seem to be any glue on the seat. Ugh this is the worst.”

As Stan reached over to throw the piece of marble in the trash, he found that he couldn’t seem to let go of the piece. He shook his hand in an attempt to shake it away but found it did nothing to help him. The boy started getting scared and waved over to his friend who was putting things back to where they belong. “Dude! This is what I’m talking about. Look!”

Kyle turned and his eyes widened in surprise at the scene before him. He almost had to do a double take before putting whatever was left in his hands down. Kyle went over to where Stan was and got ahold of the marble trying to get it off Stan’s hands. “Let it go! What the hell.”

“I already tried too! I physically cannot let it go, what the hell is wrong with me.” Stan smashed his hand down to the floor and to no avail did it unstuck itself. Kyle watched his friend struggle with the toilet seat and decided to see if there was some kind of glue, he grabbed another small piece and threw it in the trash. This gave Kyle all the information he needed to know.

The red-head got closer to Stan and put his hands on the noirette’s shoulders. Stan looked up at Kyle in confusion stating, “Dude, what are you doing?” Kyle rolled his eyes and stared at Stan before speaking, “Don’t you see what’s going on? You said you got bit by something in the forest right? Now let’s say it was a spider…”

“Oh my god, I’m like Spiderman! Dude, that's awesome!” Stan waved his hands up in excitement and like magic the marble fell out of his hands. The two boys started jumping up in excitement as they shouted out all different kinds of things that only made sense for the two of them. 

“Dude! You’re just like Andrew Garfield!” Kyle spouted calming the other, with newly found powers, boy. Stan shook his head and put his arm around Kyle’s shoulder with a narrator-like voice he said, 

“No. I’m your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.”

[buggyboba]

Surrender Your Mind

Part One: The Meeting Part two [x] part three [ x ]

A/N: HI HI! This is set somewhere before Dark Water/Death In Heaven. Canon? What canon? Don’t worry about it, it’s all a ball of time whimy wibbly wobbly stuff anyway. No beta reader we die like men. Sloppy edit will come back to edit properly. This is part one of a new series! I also will be posting this to AO3, baby's first doctor who fanfic. Surrender your mind (Ao3 link)

TW For this chapter: Thought reading/hypnosis, kidnapping,  Missy is a psychopath (but she is our psychopath.) Cursing. Not much else, that I can think of. She calls you poppet (derogatory) once, pet a few times, dear once I think, and is very rude, you know Missy things. 

 Words: 2159

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You popped into the corner store, and grabbed a drink and some crisps, needing the sweet comfort of junk in this trying time. Armed with your little bag you headed towards your flat, the air pod in your ear blasting music from your favorite band, blaring out the sounds of busy London around you. 

Today had been a shit day. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The universe had given you a proverbial ‘fuck you’, and now you were one more catching yourself on the door or the wall away from fist-fighting God. You just needed a break, to get home, to calm down. 

It would be fine, you would be fine, you always were. So what if you had a setback today, tomorrow was a brand new day, and as cliché as that was, that's what your mind told itself to get through the bad day that you just had. Though deep down you worried about if the mistakes you made today at work were ultimately going to cost you. Once again you told yourself you hated that job so fuck them if they let you go, you could find another one just as easy. At least you hoped.

As you turned down the familiar street you came face to face with construction, and the sidewalk had been blocked. You stood there trying to decide your next action. Taking a few breaths You decided this was fine, everything was fine, you just had to take two streets over, it was fine. You started your walk the long way, and the heavy scent of flowers and tea hit your senses, you had almost forgotten there had been a nice little tea shop around here, it was a comforting scent, you had thought about checking it out sometime, but you just never got a chance. Maybe you would sometime this week. 

There was a nice little outside seating area, as you walked past there was a couple at the corner table and a woman sitting alone at the gate. Your eyes were drawn to her, it was unexplainable, well no it could be explained by how beautiful she was, her dark reddish brunette hair was pulled up into a perfect updo, her makeup stunning, the black liner cat eye was just sharp enough to kill a man. Her lips looked soft and were painted a beautiful crimson. She smirked and you immediately looked away, your heart racing as you walked past trying not to walk too fast, but trying not to be awkward. There was one odd thing, she looked like a Victorian governess, but it fit her, the deep plum jacket clung to her perfectly, and once again you had to force yourself to walk calmly past where she sat. Her striking blue eyes followed your every move like a cat watching a mouse. The more you tried to look away the stronger your body wanted to look at her, to meet her eyes, it was like you needed to. No that was weird, right? Just be cool.

Your heart did an odd little thing, it fluttered but also pounded like you were in danger, it was akin to the time you drank four energy drinks in a row. Your stomach was in knots, just from this woman looking at you? You managed to keep your cool as you passed the tea shop, trying your hardest not to sneak a look at the woman, whose eyes you could feel on your body still as you turned the corner. You felt your cheeks heat up as you took a moment to compose yourself. Who was she? You had never felt anything like that before, part of you yearned to poke back around the corner to talk to her, and the other part of you told you it was a bad idea. 

You forced yourself to continue walking, and a soft little smile took your lips as you thought about Her. You wondered if she frequented the tea shop, maybe you should start going to the tea shop. No that was weird, stop being weird. This wasn’t like you? Was it? Well yes and no, you had had crushes before, but they had been people you had gotten to know, or knew a little, not some random, beautiful woman at a tea shop. You wondered what she sounded like? You should go back and talk to her. 

‘No, it would be weird now.’ You told yourself. You kept yourself walking home, today had just been so bad and weird, but the good news was you saw a beautiful woman. You got to the end of the street to your home, before you felt something was off, the air changed and you got that odd feeling again, like you were in danger. There was a sudden warmth spreading and everything felt like it was happening so fast. 

The explosion from the building in front of you, flames licked from your building, something had flown from the explosion, you couldn’t focus on it because you felt arms around your waist pulling you back against a petite body, the distinct smell of some perfume that was more expensive than your flat, something sweet, and something you couldn’t explain. 

“Run.” The voice was a deep purr in your ear and long fingers were wrapped around your wrist as she was pulling you with her. You barely got your footing as she pulled you with surprising strength. 

Your mind was flooded, did your building just explode, why the fuck would it do that? What the fuck was that silver thing that flew from the explosion?

“You’re so loud.” The woman said simply, “Shut up.” she said quickly, pulling you with her faster, as she looked around like she was searching for something. 

“I didn’t say–” you tried but the look she gave you caused you to close your mouth, you hadn’t said anything. What was this woman going on about, being so loud?

“Your thoughts poppet.” she said, “I am trying to focus, so if you could just, I don’t know do as your species does and just stop thinking for a few moments,” she said sharply. 

You are left looking at her like she is insane. Thoughts? What did she mean, thoughts? It was your luck the beautiful woman you saw was absolutely bonkers. Before you could react she had moved down an alley, your body being thrown against the wall roughly, her body being pressed against yours tightly, as she hid her face against yours a bit, there was a ‘swoosh’ sound that darted past the alley. 

Your eyes widened a bit, and your breath picked up a bit as her hands held your hips against the wall, keeping you pinned for a few minutes before she pulled away like nothing had happened, she walked to the mouth of the alley looking out of it for a moment. 

“Good, come along.” She said calmly, as she motioned for you to follow her. 

“W-what?” you spoke softly, in disbelief that this woman wanted you to follow her. Your mind was still reeling from the feeling of her body against yours even if it had been so brief, she had been cold, and you could have sworn you had felt two heartbeats when her chest was pressed against yours. 

“Come,” she said, her voice had a sort of hypnotic quality, and your eyes sort of glazed for a moment, as you could hear her voice in your head, telling you to listen. You tried to pull back from it, your mind felt hazy, but her voice repeated the command. ‘Come’ and you nodded softly following after her. 

You were silent as you followed her, her hand wrapping around your wrist again as if you would wander away if she didn’t. “Where are we going?” You asked after a few moments. 

“Shh.” She hushed you quickly as she walked faster, leading you for what felt like forever. 

“No but…” You tried.

“Don’t make me shut you up.” She said, her tone held an edge of annoyance and danger. 

There was a moment where you smirked a bit, usually, you would say ‘Make me’ and usually that would lead to heavy sexual tension and playful banter, but the way she tugged your arm and glared at you told you to be silent. 

“You won’t like it if I make you shut up,” she warned. 

“Stop reading my mind…what do you even mean my thoughts are loud?” You blurted out trying to finally pull your arm away from her, but her nails dug into your wrist keeping it held. 

“How does he do this?” You heard her grumble, before she dragged you up the stairs of a Cathedral, St Paul’s. You tried to protest once more, but she yanked your arm hard and pushed you in before her. “We should be safe here….” she said allowing you a moment to gather yourself. 

You looked around the dark gloomy area, this was NOT St. Paul’s cathedral, there were giant tanks, with skeletons in them, and your body felt colder than before. 

“Oh just ignore them, they aren’t your concern….Yet.” She said walking past you with a sort of self-satisfied chuckle at what appeared to be a joke, “come.” she ordered again and your body followed, she led you through the vast halls, there were so many tanks, you tried to count them as she walked you towards a large door. 

“Ninty one….but don’t worry about that pet, you need to worry about a few other things first..that comes later…and is not for you….mostly,” she said calmly. “You may be collateral damage, but that is a risk I am willing to take.” She grinned with a short nod. 

“The fuck do you mean?” You muttered out.

“That was your flat right, the one that exploded?” she asked leading you through a door and into a large room that held some sort of control panel in the middle. 

“Yes…wh-where are we I’m sorry?” You asked looking around at the interior of where you were, it was sleek, gold, and black. There was a low humming sound that you hadn’t heard outside, and this was certainly too big to be a room. 

“We don’t have time for you to freak out…now listen dear.” she started. “They targeted you but were after me, I wonder why,” she said tapping her finger against her lower lip as she looked at you. 

“Who?” you couldn’t help but ask. 

“The assassins,” she said like it was the simplest thing, and she couldn’t believe you hadn’t figured it out. 

“Assassins blew up my flat? But they were after you? Why the fuck?” You sounded exhausted already. 

“Dunno, I suppose we will find out though….I should use you as bait…catch one, ask some questions.” she mused as she walked around the console, you were reeling still, and she really didn’t explain anything. That would become a constant, but you didn’t know that yet. 

“Why…now listen….no,” you said trying to sound firm, but took a small breath when she looked at you over the console with those eyes, you stammered and tried to regain your thoughts. “Wouldn’t they just kill me from a distance, if they were assassins I am sure they wouldn’t get close enough for you to catch…” You paused. “Who are you… wait,” you said looking at her. 

“Oh, right I suppose…The Mistress,” she said calmly watching your reaction.

“Oh…no…no thanks.” You said shaking your head. “I’m not…into…” you said lightly, trying to step back towards the door you came in.

The woman tilted her head. “You will refer to me as The Mistress.” She said firmly. “Stay,” she ordered, and your body tensed a bit. 

You shifted a bit, what exactly had you gotten yourself into? “Sure.” you voiced and looked down away from her. “Okay, yeah The Mistress…yeah…cool…” You nodded unsure. 

“And as of now, you are my companion.” She smirked a bit, you had a feeling that companion was not as nice as it sounded. 

“Your companion?” You asked softly, but she cut you off.

“I don’t care what your name is, I doubt you will be alive long enough for it to matter. I am just going to keep you until I understand why they attacked you, if their target was me, what is your place in all of this I wonder.” 

Today had been a shit day. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The universe had given you a proverbial ‘fuck you’, your flat was blown up, assassins were after you, the pretty woman from the tea shop was insane, and now you were pretty sure you were kidnapped, by someone calling themselves ‘The Mistress’. The shitty situation you had thought was bad earlier, had just turned into a different kind of situation, and all you could do was hold on for the ride. 

[multi-fandom-lunatic]

I find it kind of strange when people defend booktok so staunchly because not only do the popular books end up not being that good, them seeming like fanfiction makes me turn this question onto myself. Like, 'if I write a self insert tropey fanfiction, shouldn't I feel proud of it?" and the answer (for me) is...no, not if I have nothing to say about the world that my character is inhabiting. We've all written self-inserts at one point, I'm sure - but it's the way the writer does it that matters. When I was a young teen, I wrote that kind of fanfiction and like many other young teens in that fandom, I explored ideas about the original world that the fanfic was set in. The problem with the books we're seeing now, is that they are being written by adults who don't want to explore themes and use tropes straight with no criticism. That's boring and overdone, I'm sorry. Some of the best original works I've read online have specifically explored tropes/subverted them and looked at the political side of things.

Booktok is the enemy of creativity - which is rather ironic because writing is something very creative. It's more akin to the ao3 bar, where you choose your fandom (type of characters), include/exclude crossovers (tropes), etc (the analogy needs work but the point stands). There isn't anything wrong in reading for pleasure, but Booktokers saying that "books are not political and for pleasure" defeats the whole point of the art.

Also, I'm irked by how many of Booktok's favourites are actual fanfiction. Red White and Royal Blue was Social Network fanfiction. And people seem to consider this peak romance? In reality it's a mishmash of common tropes and a romance that can only be described as sensational. It's written for pleasure, and that's fine, but we should be allowed to criticise it for its impact on society and its writing. Two things Booktokers just don't like.

I'm so surprised when people consider writing fanfiction akin to writing original stories. For context, I write fanfiction. A lot of it. I like to indulge in it but that's all it is: an indulgence. But when I write original stories... the pressure is ON. Thinking about what x means and how it impacts y is insanely important to me. I just find it to be a disservice when Booktok authors put fanfic on part with literature. And this is not to say that important themes can't be explored in fanfiction, because they certainly can, but ultimately, fanfiction is just for shits and giggles, and literature is something very, very political. They are absolutely not similar at all, because one is self indulgent and the other is an art form that is very political, and the way that both are being merged together is going to ruin effectively both of them.

Booktok has a weird idea of what's creative. They'll have the same copy paste assassin badass vanilla white conventionally attractive FMC with a MMC that's just a rip off of the Darkling from Shadow and Bone. They consider all the Hades and Persephone retellings and the "If Beauty and the Beast was steamy and there were hunters and the dude is hot" to be the epitome of creativity, but in reality, being able to shoehorn your own books into subpar tropes is honestly kind of insulting? If someone said my books were a mashup of books x and y I would be a little taken aback. Not because x and y are nesessarily bad works but because it's as if they aren't really reading the book and seeing it in its own light. I seriously don't know how authors take readers seriously when they say shit like that. IMO it's the Booktok version of having too many sequels/live actions/remakes in film. And ultimately, it's really fucking boring.

Thanks again for the ask! Booktok, aside from being problematic is just so... boring. Maybe people will realise how shit it is and it'll die? But I wouldn't keep my hopes up.

[anime-owo-kage-san]

Thanks to this fanfic I read called A Little Bean on Ao3, I discovered a Parents!Huskerdust concept I really love.

Kinda dark but wholesome at the same time, so read below the cut at your own risk.

- The idea that Angel (as messed up as it is) gets knocked up by Valentino, but instead of being devastated, he loves the baby, and separates how he feels about Val from the baby.

Infact the baby was the last straw he needed, to lash out on Val. And Val just realized having a baby with Angel made him loose even more control of Angel. He agrees to everything Angel wants and the space he needs, to avoid getting beaten and yelled at.

Bc: I headcannon that Angel’s (Anthony’s) mom, was too afraid of her husband, and just let him do whatever he wanted to her sons, she only protects Molly, because she’s the only one who doesn’t resemble her father.

But because of that experience, Angel doesn’t give two shits that his baby is a moth. He’ll protect his flesh and blood.

- And Husk is there to assist, unintentionally becoming some sort of co-parent (this is before he and Angel start dating).

- Extra bonus: Alastor actually respects and commends both Angel and Husk’s attitude towards the ‘unborn baby’, (because, since Journey to the Light isn’t canon, I headcanon Alastor also resembles his dad more, but his mom loved him unconditionally regardless)

- When baby is born (I’m gonna say she, bc I already drew her): She gives absolutely no fucks, about Valentino, even as a clueless baby.

When Val’s in her sight, she just…. stares. Not menacingly, and fearfully, she’s just absolutely numb to his presence. Even when Val, carried her and held her in front of a mirror to show their resemblance, she only blinks without any feeling. She only starts squirming in joy, and giggles when Angel returns to the room. Or when Husk (whom she imprinted on) walks in.

Also lol:

Baby: “Pa….” *eyes instantly lights up* “Papa! Papa! Papa!”

Valentino: “Ha! Finally!” *lifts her into the air* “Yes, darling! Papa! And you’re mamacita thought, you would never call me th—“

Baby: *points behind Val* “Papa! Papa!”

Valentino: “Huh…?” *turns around and see Husk*

Husk: “Yeah, I think she’s talking about me. Give her here.” *takes the baby and walks away*

Valentino: “Are you fucking kidding me!?—OW!” *get hit in the head by a frying pan*

Angel: *holding the frying pan* “Don’t flipping swear, in front of my baby, you butthole!”

Valentino: “She’s MY baby too!”

Angel: “With the way she acts around you? I don’t think so. Your sperm, but my spawn. Get out. Let me deal with you later at work!”

Valentino: “Going! I’m going!”

Like I said, I drew my own fankid already. If anyone’s interested, I might post the art once I finish her up.

[n30nwrites]

Bring Me To Life (Prologue)

Summary: Against all odds, you've survived. Having graduated high school and moved out of your Parent's place, your sibling decides to join you for the summer, and your first stop is Santa Cruz in California, you had always wanted to live there anyways so why not now that you're experiencing freedom? One problem: This doesn't look like the 21st century, instead it looks like a scene from your favorite movie, in fact it looks exactly like your favorite movie.

How are you meant to survive in the murder capital of the world? With vampires of all things, and your sibling hates this movie.

a/n: prologue for this fanfic, this will also be on AO3 and wattpad. Preface for this, fuck Max :}

Reader: Male Reader, uses Y/N, third person.

Oc uses they/she pronouns. Will be using both, Y/n refers to them as both sibling and sister, which is okay

Fandom: The Lost Boys

Pairing(s): Michael Emerson x Reader, Paul x Reader, Dwayne x Reader, Marko x Reader, David x Reader, Sam Emerson x Nonbinary! Oc, Edgar Frog x Nonbinary! Oc, Alan Frog x Nonbinary! Oc,

It was one thing moving the United States to California by yourself, it was another thing bringing your 15-year-old sibling with you, not to live with you, but to stay just until summer was over and school was starting again, your parents believed it would help with their 'rebellious streak'. That streak being that they just don't care enough to do class work and keep staying up all night playing video games, therefore they fall asleep in class.

Nik had a firm belief in changing the radio whenever any song that they didn't like came on, and you had a firm belief that your sibling needed to shut up because you liked your music and if you had to drive without some good tunes you would probably turn into the next psycho on the news.

You two did listen to similar music, but for this trip it was specifically 80s and 90s songs that you shouted loudly, windows were rolled down because the air conditioner in your car didn't work. It was small and shitty and cost a year of pay, thankfully your parents were there to let you live rent free. One of the few things you could be thankful for.

"Do you know how to be quiet?" Your sibling groaned, their jacket wrapped around their body despite how hot it was, "Put on Hozier, or Doja, hell I'll even take Taylor Swift over this... What is this shit?"

'Cry little sister'

"I know damn well you aren't talking to me about my music taste-"

'Thou shall not fall'

"What's wrong with mine?"

Come, come to your brother

"It's literally only tiktok songs, half of them aren't even good."

'Thou shall not die'

"At least I don't say 'They sung this on Glee'"

'Unchain me, sister'

"Every hot, mentally ill, gay person went through a Glee faze."

Thou shall not fear

"I didn't"

'Love is with your brother'

"That's why I said hot."

'Thou shall not kill'

You quickly stuck your tongue out in a childish way, before looking back into the road, ignoring your sibling who mumbled and repeated your words. "Theres a reason we're heading to Santa Cruz. Found a nice place right near the beach so we can-"

"Sleep all day, and party all night. I know, you've said it hundreds of times." Nik had heard the phrase from you so many times, you had tried to show them your favorite movie, even almost tricked them into it, but they were quick to leave the room. They simply hated it because you loved it, something you were forced to accept about them.

The car ride became silent as you got closer, to fill it, Nik had turned up the radio as it switched to a different song.

"Finally some MJ." The beat of Billie Jean came in, causing you to start tapping your hands to it as your merged.

"She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene" The two of you belted the lyrics, switching over the 80s playlist to one consistently of Michael Jackson. "I said don't mind, but what do you mean, I am the one" you shook your head, "Who will dance" you turned to your sibling and sung the words to them before turning back, repeating it each time you sung, "on the floor" again "in the round?" and then turned back, "She said I am the one, who will dance on the floor in the round"

The house that you bought with a loan wasn't the biggest, at least not compared to your parents house. Two bedrooms, One master and One guest, and 1 in a half bathrooms. The half bathroom was connected to the master bedroom, which Nik tried to get but was quickly locked out. They would be staying in the guest room, while you set it up they would help. They were also supposed to attempt to find a job this summer, as their parents wanted Nik to learn some responsibility. 

"Okay, change outfits, shower if you need to! We are going to the beach!" You were excited, thrumming almost. You felt as if you belonged.

"I'm tired."

"Party all night!" You yelled, grabbing a suit case filled with your clothes. The two of you didn't have a lot. A few suitcases filled with clothes, and then a few boxes for the rooms. You didn't even have mattresses yet.

"Let's just sleep a bit." A nap did sound good, you didn't have the best sleep due to the anxiety about the drive.

"Fine, a nap! I'm setting an alarm." Nik went into your room, both of you grabbing the blankets and laying them on the floor, setting up some pillows and collapsing as soon as you could.

Instead of waking up to your alarm, you woke up to Nik shaking your shoulder, harsh rain hitting the window and the house was shaking.

"The doors are opening."

You stood up quick, running out of the bedroom to the backdoor refusing to close. You pushed against it but it quickly fell open, so you held the door. "Grab the heavy boxes." Nik followed through, pushing against the doors as lightning flashed. "It wasn't supposed to storm."

"Don't they get Hurricanes here." A siren went off, "Well-"

"Not another tornado." You groaned. You had your fair shair of them, being where your from. "We need to grab our shit, head to the basement."

The house shook again, you two grabbed your phones and chargers, rushing down into the basement that still had cobwebs. Nik almost ran upstairs at the sight of them, claiming they would rather take their chance with the tornado. You had to basically pulled them down as you two sat in the basement, the house shook as you two fell to the ground, hitting your heads.

Your eyes rolled back, your vision turns black as your body hits the ground. Your siblings hand lays against yours as their body falls onto you, and in that moment, you had gone through the impossible.

[unkur]

Just me reflecting on the past 12 months

I think that today (04.12.2024) is my one year anniversary of being a part of the DCA fandom. And holy shit, a lot has happened.

(CW: Rambling, not written with much effort, perhaps a little bit oversharing, suicidal thoughts mentioned)

I've been a fan of robots, aliens and monsters for the longest time. So one day I was scrolling through AO3, looking for some random stories, from random fandoms that I know nothing about. Because I wasn't really that big of a fan if anything at that moment. I just wanted to read about robots.

I avoided FNAF fanfictions for like a month. I was a part of the fandom back when I was like 11 years old. And I didn't wanna return. But there were quite a few stories. And I also noticed the so called "Daycare Attendant". Idk what it was, but something just had me interested in them. So I gave in.

Like with every other fic that I read, I googled what the robot looks like. My first reaction was something like "What the fuck is that? Why does it look like that?".

But something just pulled me towards them. And I fell into a rabbit hole. I hope it never ends.

Tomorrow one year ago (on the fifth), was my last day at a workplace. I was there for exactly two months and it fucked up my mental health really bad. I've had depression before working there, but this made it all just worse.

Around the same time, maybe a few weeks later, I discovered the best fanfic that I've ever read.

I decided to join the server some time later, because I needed art about the characters, and I needed some drabbles to read.

I just wanted to be a lurker, but people talked to me when I joined. So I responded. I talked and tried to make friends. I tried it for months. But making friends is just something that I'm horrible at. And it hurt. My depression got worse, but I still tried. Until I couldn't handle it anymore and went silent. Being lonely in a room full of people just hurts so much more than just being alone.

So, instead of trying to make friends out of real people, I went back to my imaginary ones. They have always been there and will always be there, as long as I want to keep them. They are my main reason for happiness. I love them. They have rolls. My two best friends are the beast and the jester (Like robots, I have liked jesters and clowns for a long time. Before I knew anything about the DCA). Then there's the king, the robot and two others that I'm not sure what they are yet (One of them might be the priestess though, or the demon?). I take up the roll of the knight.

I was doing terrible. Stopped taking care of myself. Until I realized I had to do something against it.

I read a DCA fic where they were part of a self care app. That's how I realized I could just download one of those. And it helped! It helped really really well. Not only did I take care of myself. I started to go on walks almost every single day. I explored the forest and the mountain. Went down small roads and paths I have never been on. And when I saw a bench, I sat down on and wrote. I wrote almost every day, until I finally got a job again. After six god damn months.

The book, which is my second book btw, has recently reached novel lenght!

That new work place healed my depression in a span of a few weeks. I went from suicidal thoughts every day to only occasionally a few times a week, to only once a week! The people are nice, the work is fun, its a safe place for people with mental illness, disorders, physical disabilities etc. The only downside is that I don't get paid. But at least I don't have to be scared of my life anymore, I guess that's enough.

So yeah, that's it I guess.

[infernothechaosgod]

you know it truly amazes me how you can't do practicly anything on tiktok or search the thing you like without getting absolutley shat on

Like I'm feeling a little in the mood for rottmnt angst A lil bit of that kick in the gut, and I can't go 3 minutes without one of those made in 5 minutes max videos that's just background video and text over it Saying shit like "Yall need to stop with the rottmnt angst it's getting annoying" or "the rottmnt angst artist need to chill out" or even better "The rottmnt fandom needs to stop the angst it's just a show for kids"

First off, if angst isn't your thing, you can block it or just scroll pass it OR you know what if youre feeling like a little shit you can hate read it or whatever but keep the comments TO YOURSELF

Second off I checked what the content of most of these people is And it's always goddamn always those 10 second background videos with text over it

nothing more

I dare these people to even try to draw the shape of leo's head, or write out something more than 40 words I accualy dare them. do it.

Also the same goes for shipping over there

Let's say you see a legal completly normal ship you don't like Example let's say leo x usagi or raph x mona

What you wanna do is scroll or block it

NOT make up info to make others stop shipping it, I'm sick and tired of people non stop saying that usagi or mona are adults or that their entire characters are being love intrest in the fandom's eyes Because if you look at any of the fanfic's or fan content of those Yeah it's easy to find content where there love intrest's but it is hard to find content where there ONLY love intrest

People love mona so much for the fact that she's a badass warrior who loves her planet and people they often give her more backstory focused stories that explore how she would feel depending on where the writers story will go or already went, I have never seen anyone maker her just a typical love intrest (witch honestly suprised me)

Usagi? People have more free will with his interpretation's so he has many many diffrent faces backstories, personalities but often people make him focused on something in their stories, examples being, getting back home, protecting others, getting over something, fighting in battle nexus and exploring how it would be Etc. Etc. That mixed with being a love intrest

The only times when these two can be seen as just love intrest and nothing more is in

Edit's/tiktok content where everything is short af (and even then sometimes people give em backstories and their own lore it really amazes me sometimes lmao)

short (usualy) tagged as fluff without plot fics on ao3 (witch you can litellary tag out SO easily)

Little comics/some art pices That HAVE VERY STORT LIMITS

also this might suprise you it really might but DRAWING IS HARD AND TAKES ALOT OF TIME SAME GOES FOR MAKING THE IDEA UP

And when it comes to their ages we all know there not adults, littelary where did anyone mention mona being an aduly ever, and the only times when usagi and leo accualy interact is when there in similiar if not the same ages

(in 2003 usagi and leo are close friends and Both teens, in the early comics there both adults when they first meet, even in 1987 version there both shown to be close if not the same age, the ONLY TIME where leo and usagi have very diffrent ages is in 2012 and honestly i have a little theory on why specificly that version had them be you know that but that's for another post)

Seriously what the fuck is tiktok's problem with any form of fanon content? You want the fandom to die? It aint gonna happen, you either get used to some bad stuff existing there and there and ignoring it (reporting then ignoring it if it's really bad) OR you keep quiet OR you will get banned by alot of creators after crying in their comments, then cry when you can't find something they made anymore

Tiktok man, good for daydreaming to the sounds, looking at edits and for some art trends but litellary can't let anything else exist on there or else you'll explode

(Also I bet if some of the fanon angst made it to the accual show they would deepthroat that shit right up and call it writing of ceuntry)

[mr-bisk]

Fukkkkkk I want to spoil the surprises of my fics but i don't want to ruin them for who follows me on tumblr.... I guess fuk-ich, idk how to format a post, but it cant be that hard, am I Right!?

Spoilers and HC's under the cut:

Also TW: i can't continue w/o advising: if u got a cringe allergy, ingestion might block your throat. I don't want to kill anybody(yet) so maybe skip this one.

CW: Spoilers for the chapter amouts and last chapter; Transphobes DNI lol, I made all of them Queer and I'll die on this lane; Little Vents(more than one, kinda?); Mention of Fan-Childs.

First of all: The ending. The fanwork just will get 4 chaps cuz i can't drag stuff yet. To spoil the ending, Bill will have a panic attack upon not being able to avoid feeling queer at Josh's presence, gets a hold of his mother's whisky, drunkly and pathetically call Josh to come to his house and out of pity he will attend. They end up alone in Bill's room and end up kissing. It doesn't stop Josh from going to college, much for the opposite effect as he gets scared and confused, but plans to come back to Eltingville soon with a clearer mind.

Pete HC: 🅱️ete is transmasc, stealth-trans. His parents saw it coming from a young age and are actually supportive. They help him hide away his deadname and other stuff that would direct hate towards him. His dad loves having a male son that is interested in helping him with brute shit, although he doesn't endorse his interest in horror and nerd stuff, it is the exception.(also Jer knows his deadname as they are childhood frens.)

Jerry HC('s, theres A LOT of stuff): 1st, Jerry is transfem. 2nd, PeteJer is real. 3rd: I made BillJer virtually impossible timeline-wise bc Bill assumes himself as gay a little after Jer's Egg-Hatchin', also he has the fastest but most oblivios gaydar(maybe queer-dar, idk??) and never felt attracted to Jer.(also yeah, i hold a grudge for the flood of billjer we had when eltingville blew up. Like, Frrr? the whitest, most bland ship u cold think off got popular!?! No hate if u like it, theres loads of gr8 stuff under the umbrella, I'm just not kin.)

Vent: I still love eltingville, don't see the end off the brainstorm/interest flood on the horizon yet- ....Buuuuuut I can't hold myself from feeling like I'm making a disservice to the BillJosh tag. I just begun to write again and posted it on AO3 to prevent me from quitting, and The Damn™️, I feel like my work is meh at best. I'm a perfecctionist, and there are plans of it being re-written, so if u like it, hop in the future when i got enough EXP. and writing turned into a pleasure again.

Bacc to the fanfic. There will be at least 3 more projs. after I conclude this one: A continuation where Josh comes back to Eltingville to see Bill and ends up dragging him to Boston; A PeteJer bittersweet tale with two parts in which(as it is in my brain rn, change might come) mirrors the BillJosh plot, you'll have to wait to see; And a Jane-centered story BECAUSE I 💜 HER!!1!!

I.... Okay.... Last one. The cringiest and most personal yet: There will need to be a Miracle, a fucking change of heart of me to not put Fan-Childs at some point.... yeah. Look, I myself plan of becoming a Father/Ba irl and it pours in the way i see relationships. If thats a big ass No-Hell-No! to u, Maybe do not hop into the fishing line of my fanworks, because it is a big factor in the way i view it's development.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Christmas Special - Part Two

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Twenty-Seven

A JSE Fanfic

Even with me splitting the Christmas Special in two, this part still ended up at 8300 words, so make sure you're somewhere comfortable when you start to read XD Now in possession of a time travel watch, the kids try to figure out what to do. Obviously they have to stop the monster and the weird grown-ups trying to get into the house, but how? At least the watch will help! And maybe they'll be able to learn something along the way. I really liked writing this part ^-^ Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did!

Previous Episode | More of this AU | From the Start | Read on AO3 at CrystalNinjaPhoenix

++++++++++++++++++++

“Alright. So.” Jackie paced across the floor of Chase’s bedroom. Chase had offered it up to the group so they could talk about this situation without any of the party guests overhearing them. “Some weird teenagers gave you a pocket watch that can be used to time travel. Which you used to go back in time just now, because there was some weird... snow... monster? I’m still not sure what that was.”

JJ nodded. He and Marvin had claimed the old beanbag in the corner of Chase’s room, while Chase and Schneep sat on his bed and Stacy hovered awkwardly by the door, unsure where to go. She opened up the door a little and peered out into the upstairs hallway. The sound of chatter from the party gets briefly louder and then goes quiet as she closes it again. “It all seems fine right now,” she said. “We have a bit of time, right?”

“Yeah, didn’t you go back like... fifteen minutes before that all happened?” Chase asked. 

It’s more like ten minutes, now, JJ said. He opened up the pocket watch, revealing the clock face. A slice of it had turned green. As he stared at it, the minute hand moved slightly, and the green slice shrank. The note in the watch said that I couldn’t use it again until we “caught up” to the time I used it originally. Does that make sense?

Marvin leaned over to look at the watch face. “Yeah, you can’t use it until that green part is gone. Easy enough to understand.”

“Are you sure about that?” Chase asked. “Try anyway.”

JJ stiffened. He reached forward and tried to move the minute hand like he did before, but it was stuck.

“Chase, please be careful about what you say,” Schneep said. “The doll is still a problem.”

“O-oh yeah. Sorry.” Chase cleared his throat.

Jackie frowned. “You keep forgetting, Chase. Try to be more, uh, aware.”

“Sorry,” Chase repeated.

It’s fine, we can talk about this later, JJ said. We don’t have much time right now. In about ten minutes, that snow monster is going to be back. What WAS that, anyway?

“It looked like a regular lady, but then it suddenly exploded and ice started fucking covering everything!” Marvin said. “Whatever it is, we gotta keep it out of the house. That’s when shit all went bad. Sooo... how do we do that?”

“Can you just ask Aunt Jess to not let them in?” Schneep asked, looking at Chase.

“I can ask her, but Jackie said that if the police have a warrant then she has to let them in,” Chase said. “Right, Jackie?”

Jackie nodded. “But we do have a magic do-over time travel watch, so I guess it’s worth asking her. If it goes wrong we can travel back in time... again...” He frowned. “Assuming that it doesn’t run out of power or anything.”

All of the kids gasped in unison. “We didn’t even think of that!” Stacy said. “Omg, what if we run out of chances?!”

JJ shook his head. The guys who gave me this would’ve mentioned that.

“How can you be so sure?” Stacy asked.

Because I think it was actually Marvin and me from the future.

The others all stared at him silently.

Don’t look at me like I’m crazy! JJ said, glaring at the others. They were two teenage guys who looked a lot like each other, and one of them spoke in sign language! Not to mention the handwriting on the note looks a lot like mine!

“We can talk more about that later,” Jackie said. “We don’t have much time! We need a plan. Even if we can keep the snow monster out, what do we do next? Should we take care of it or something?”

“How do we defeat a snow monster?” Chase asked.

“With fire?” Schneep suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, seems obvious,” Stacy agreed. “We just gotta figure out how to use fire to defeat it. Marvin, can your greenlight powers make fire or heat?”

“Uhhh hm. Never thought of that.” Marvin frowned. He held out his hand, and a bit of greenlight surrounded it. It got brighter and brighter.

I can feel it getting hotter, JJ said. I think that could work!

“Okay, good, so we have a vague plan,” Jackie said, continuing to pace across the floor. “I guess we distract the snow monster so Marvin can blast it with his greenlight.”

“Uh—you might have to distract it for a while,” Marvin said. His brows were furrowed in concentration. “I’m trying real hard but it’s still heating up pretty slowly.”

“We can do that!” Chase said, nodding. “Okay so I ask Mom to keep them out, and then we rush after them to take out the snow monster.”

JJ checked the watch again. Five minutes!

“What?! No way!” Chase shot to his feet. “We gotta hurry!”

“Everyone try not to draw too much attention!” Schneep gasped, also standing up. “We do not want anyone to stop us.”

The group all left Chase’s room and rushed down the hall, gradually slowing down as they reached the stairs, which they then slowly walked down. Once they reached the ground floor they all stopped, pretending to casually hang around on the steps. Until—

There was a knock at the front door.

All the kids tensed in unison.

“One second!” Mom called, leaving the dining room and hurrying over.

The others all looked at Chase. He nodded and rushed over to Mom. The same four adults were outside. Before, he’d been so distracted by the doctor they’d seen at the hospital that he didn’t really look at the others. One was a man in a brown suit, who he remembered as the one who took out the badge. Another was a tall woman in a big blue coat that he didn’t recognize. The third one was the woman who’d exploded into snow. She looked... normal. Except for the fact that she wasn’t wearing a coat despite the blizzard outside. And her eyes were an unusually bright green.

“Oh! Hello officer,” Mom said slowly.

“What’s going on, Mom?” Chase asked, trying to sound casual.

“I don’t know, sweets.” She glanced down at Chase, then back at the group. “Is there anything we can help you with? We’re a bit busy with a party.”

The man in the brown coat pulled out a badge. “We need to search your premises, I’m afraid,” he said. “There’s a chance that there are dangerous goods inside.”

What?!” Mom gasped. “Dangerous—but I’ve—we’ve never gotten involved in anything illegal!”

Chase grabbed Mom’s hand, pulling on it for attention. “Um... Hey Mom, can I talk to you for a second? This is important.”

“Huh? Sure, just one second, Chase.”

“No, this is really important,” Chase insisted. He tried to make his eyes wide and adorable. “Please?”

Mom sighed. “Just one moment, please,” she said, half-closing the door. Chase pulled her over to the side. “What is it, Chase?” Her brows furrowed in worry. “Did you get in some sort of trouble?”

“Uh, no, it’s not that!” Chase said hurriedly. “It’s um... One of those guys h-has bothered us before. Me and my friends.” What was that doctor’s name? Dr... H-something. Hewey?

Mom’s eyes then narrowed and she glanced at the door suspiciously. “Which one?”

“Uh, the guy with the reddish coat and the dark hair. With the—th-the gray hairs.”

“What’s he been doing?”

He didn’t think he’d be asked that question. He froze up for a second. “Um... I-it’s mostly been stuff with Marvin and JJ. You know, stuff happened while Marvin was in the hospital, uh... H-he wanted to leave the hospital because some of the doctors were bothering him.”

“Did he tell you what happened?” Mom asked, eyes still narrow, her expression very serious.

“Um... not all the, uh, details,” Chase said. “Anyway, Marvin’s fine now, but I don’t think you should let these guys in the house.”

“Excuse me? Ms. Walker, ma’am?” That voice came from the man in the brown suit—the detective—on the other side of the door. “This is an important matter. Can you let us in?”

Mom looked over at the door, then back at Chase. “I don’t think I can keep them out, Chase. That man is with the police.”

“But—b-but—!” Chase’s mind scrambled for a solution. “Uh—can you ask them if they have a warrant or something?”

Mom raised an eyebrow. “Did you learn about that in school?”

“Jackie mentioned it—just ask them! If they don’t have one, they can’t come in, right?”

“I suppose...” Mom trailed off. “Here, I’ll handle this. You and your friends go upstairs, okay?”

“You really can’t let them in,” Chase emphasized.

“Chase, if they do have a warrant I’ll get in a lot of trouble for not letting them in. But you and your friends don’t have to interact with them, okay? Go upstairs.” She patted Chase’s shoulder then returned to the front door, opening it up fully. “Sorry about that.”

Chase glanced back at her, then hurried over to the base of the stairs where the others were waiting. “Up, up, up!” He gestured for them to climb up the stairs.

The group retreated halfway up the staircase, but lingered so they could still see what was happening at the front door. “Do you think it worked?” Schneep asked in a hushed voice.

“I don’t know, I tried! I said they’d been bothering us but she said that if they have a warrant she has to let them in. Kinda threw you under the bus, Marvin, said you were having troubles with the doctor guy while you were in the hospital. Is that okay?”

“Yeah that’s fine, it’s kinda true anyway,” Marvin said. He was rubbing his hands together, greenlight glowing around them. The air around his hands was getting hotter as he concentrated on building up heat to fight the snow monster. “Okay so we can’t really be seen going outside, so maybe we have to go out through an upstairs window.”

“Why do we have to go out a window?!” Stacy protested.

“Because Chase doesn’t have a back door and it’ll look weird if we go out the front door right after the guys who we said were fucking with us!”

“But we all took off our shoes! We can’t go outside without them, we might slip or get frostbite! Can’t we grab them first at least?”

“That’ll be just as weird!”

Jackie inhaled sharply. “They’re coming in!”

Indeed, while they were distracted by talking with each other, Mom had reluctantly fully opened up the front door, allowing the strangers inside. She glanced at the staircase and saw the kids hovering there. Looking worried, she gestured for them to go upstairs.

“Up!” Schneep hissed, and the group immediately turned and hurried up the stairs. “Jameson, what is the progress on your watch?”

JJ took it out and looked at the clock face, then showed it to the others. No more green. They could rewind if they wanted—

That’s when the blizzard burst in the living room.

The six of them were fairly far from it, being at the top of the staircase, but Chase, the closest to the stairs, was still pushed forward into the others by the blast of wintery winds. The cold nipped at their backs, and frost covered most of the stairs and began climbing upwards, accompanied by encroaching white flakes.

 “Do it!” Marvin shouted.

JJ quickly moved the minute hand back and pressed the button. He felt that tug on his stomach, and everything went dark.

++++++++++++++++++++

The next thing they knew, they were all sitting at the coffee table again.They all looked around to confirm that everything at Chase’s Christmas party was really the same as it had been. It was.

Jackie shook his head. “Okay, so... clearly that didn’t fully work. But I think it was a good idea, still.”

The watch was still in JJ’s hand. He showed it to the others. About a third of the clock face was green. I turned it back a little further to give us more time, he said, briefly setting the watch on the table so he could sign. I think we have twenty minutes now.

“We should go upstairs to have another conversation,” Schneep said, glancing around at the guests. Tommy and Theo, the little cousins, were staring at JJ’s watch with wide eyes, clearly curious.

Chase nodded. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Again, they all went upstairs, and again, they all gathered in Chase’s room. He sat down on his bed, but this time, everyone else stayed standing.

“So what was the problem?” Marvin asked. “Did they really have a warrant?”

Jackie made a face. “Somehow I doubt that it’s like... a real warrant? If that makes sense? Okay so we all know that those three guys who aren't snow monsters are part of the Circle, right?” The kids all nodded. It was obvious. If one of the dark doctors from the hospital was here, then those other two grown-ups had to be other people from the Circle. “We know the Circle has a lot of members, but I don’t know if it has enough people to make a real warrant. I don’t know much about how the police work, but I know that there have to be a couple different jobs involved in that process. And you’d think one of them would be like, ‘a search warrant for what?’ There’s nothing in Chase’s house, after all, and no reason to suspect there is.”

“So they do not have a real one, but clearly it must be enough to convince Aunt Jess to let them in,” Schneep summed up.

“I can’t believe those bitches are putting a snow monster in Chase’s house!” Marvin said furiously.

Stacy frowned. “I dunno if that’s what they’re doing. Did you hear what one of the guys said the first time, right before the snow monster exploded? He sounded, like, surprised that Ms. Walker pointed out there were four of them. I think the snow monster is just like... tagging along.”

That makes more sense, JJ agreed. We know the Circle is AGAINST the Anomalies, after all.

“Ohhhh.” Marvin nodded. “So it’s kinda like some sort of fairy from Granmam’s stories. She always talks about how the fey have to be invited in.”

“Or like a vampire,” Stacy agreed.

“Well if they aren’t leading the snow monster into my house on purpose, why are they here?” Chase asked.

“No good reason,” Jackie muttered. “We can figure that out after we take care of the snow monster, maybe. So what’s our new plan? Chase, do you think you can do anything to convince your mom to keep them out?”

“I dunno... I don’t think I was doing a good job, anyway,” Chase admitted. “So what else can we do? Block the door somehow? But we can’t let anyone at the party know what’s going on. I don’t want to upset them.”

Schneep nodded. “I do not, either. But I think I have an idea. Instead of waiting for them to come to us, why don’t we go outside to meet them?”

JJ raised an eyebrow. You mean... intercept them before they get to the door?

“What is that word? I-N-T-E-R...” Schneep looked confused at the word JJ spelled out.

“It means like... stop them before they reach where they’re going,” Jackie said.

“Ohhh, I thought JJ was talking about blocking a pass in basketball,” Chase said, and Stacy giggled. “Hey, don’t laugh!”

“Sorry, I just... I think it’s interesting that you know a different type of ‘intercept,’” Stacy said.

“Well, in any case, yes, we stop them before they get to the door,” Schneep continued. “We cut them off. I do not think Aunt Jess or anyone else will think it is strange if we say we want to go play in the snow or something, ja? So we get our coats and boots and go outside, and when we see the snow monster coming we attack!” Schneep punched his palm with his fist.

“That’s a great idea!” Chase said excitedly. “And while we’re waiting out there, Marvin can warm up the fire attack he’s gonna do!”

“Fuck yeah!” Marvin grinned. “It’ll keep us warm, too.”

“Alright, let’s go do this, then,” Jackie said.

The group went back downstairs again—well, Chase and Schneep stayed upstairs for a bit to grab their boots from their rooms, but then they quickly caught up with the other four. “Mom! We’re going to play outside!” Chase shouted.

“Alright, Chase!” Mom shouted back. “Be careful, it’s snowing!”

“We know!”

And with that, the kids gathered up their boots and coats and headed outside. It was indeed snowing, fat flakes falling down from the sky. There was already an inch on the ground. Should we hide around the corner of the house? JJ asked.

“That sounds like a good plan,” Schneep agreed.

The group hurried over in that direction, with Jackie in the back. When Chase glanced back at him, he was swiping his foot back and forth across the ground. “What’re you doing?” Chase asked.

“I’m covering our tracks,” Jackie explained. “I know that the snow might cover them, but just in case. This will make them harder to spot at least.”

The group walked around the corner of the house, occasionally peering out to look at the front door. Marvin rubbed his hands together, and they started emitting a green glow. “Oh shoot!” Stacy quickly stepped in front of Marvin. “Hey, Marvin, you gotta stay back until it’s time. It’s dark out right now so your greenlight really stands out.”

“Oh you’re right!” Chase gasped. He also stood in front of Marvin.

“Got it.” Marvin nodded. “I’ll just keep concentrating on this.”

It was very cold out, but eventually Marvin’s greenlight glow got hotter, keeping the group warm. Their boots were the coldest, being immersed in the snow and all. Chase was soon stomping and dancing around to keep his feet from turning into blocks of ice. Until—

“Look!” Schneep hissed. He pointed down the street, where a pair of yellow headlights drove down the street. “I think that might be them? Who else would be coming in this direction? Well, ah... I suppose it could be someone visiting the neighbors...”

JJ checked the watch, then put it away. No, I think you’re right, Schneep. It’s around the right time.

The group watched as the car pulled to the side of the road in front of Chase’s house and parked. The passenger door and backseat door opened first, and out came the doctor and the detective. The last person, the woman in the blue coat, left from the driver’s door, leaving the car running. The three of them walked up the path to Chase’s front door... not noticing the way some of the snow falling from the sky gathered together, a small flurry forming the shape of a person, eventually becoming the woman who kept exploding into a snow storm. 

“That’s the snow monster!” Chase hissed. “Marvin?”

“You guys distract the three Circle guys,” Marvin said. “I-I don’t want to hit one of them with a heatblast by accident.”

That doctor guy really hurt you! He was going to use you for blood! JJ said angrily.

“I know, but—I-I don’t know.” Marvin shook his head. “Just get them to get away from the snow monster!”

Chase nodded. “Alright. Let’s just go run out and try to get them to chase us.” And without waiting for any of the others to approve or disapprove of this plan, he ran out into the front garden, waving his hands. “Hey suckers! What’re you looking for?!”

The group of adults stopped walking. “You!” the doctor gasped. “That’s the Brody kid!”

“Yeah I am!” Chase ran towards them, blocking their way down the path. “And you’re not getting into my house!”

The three adults glanced at each other. “Get out of the way, son,” the detective said. “We just want to look for something.”

“You can’t look at anything in my house!” Chase insisted.

They seemed... unsure how to deal with this. The woman in the blue coat leaned forward and mumbled something to the two men, and they mumbled back.

After a moment, Stacy and Schneep also ran over to stand by Chase’s side. Schneep grabbed Chase’s arm and whispered, “Snowball fight?”

Chase’s eyes widened. He grinned, and bent down, scooping up some snow and patting it into a ball—which he quickly threw at the three adults. It hit the doctor square in his stupid face. He spluttered. “Why you—you little—!”

Stacy grabbed the two guys and pulled them to the side, heading towards the opposite corner of the house. Once they were over there, they all started making snowballs and throwing them. The adults all winced, holding their arms up, and after a while started walking towards the three of them. “Listen here, you hoodlums!” the woman said sternly. “You can’t keep sticking your nose in adult busine—” She quickly ducked one of the snowballs. “You clearly don’t understand the stakes here!”

“Screw you!” Chase shouted.

Meanwhile, the snow monster stood where it had been left, looking vaguely confused. After a while it took a step down the path towards the front door—

And then a beam of fiery green light blasted out from the other corner of the house, hitting it square in the chest. The snow monster turned white and immediately melted into a puddle.

The three adults spun back around. “Transformation energy!” the detective gasped. And he ran towards the other corner of the house—towards Marvin, JJ, and Jackie!

“No, wait!” Chase panicked. He bent over and grabbed more snow, throwing another snowball to get their attention. But the adults ignored him. Quickly, they disappeared around the corner of the house. 

And then Marvin screamed.

Chase bolted forward, and Schneep and Stacy were right behind him. When they reached the other side of the house, they saw Jackie punch the doctor, sending him staggering back. JJ was standing in front of Marvin, who was hiding behind him, eyes wide and fearful. “Stand aside, son,” the detective said to JJ, causing him to stiffen and step to the side even as Marvin tried to hold onto him.

“Hey! Leave him alone!” Stacy shouted.

“Yeah!” Jackie stepped in between the detective and Marvin. “I’ll punch all of you if I have to!”

“And you could then be arrested for assaulting an officer of the law,” the detective said. “What would your father think?”

“I don’t care! He’ll listen to me! You’re not taking him!”

Schneep ran forward and grabbed onto the woman’s long coat, trying to pull her back as she tried to sneak around Jackie to get to Marvin. She looked down at him in surprise, then held up her hands. “Perhaps we’re being a bit too aggressive,” she said. “You’re young Mr. Jackson, right? Please, can you come with us for a moment? We’ll let your parents know.”

Marvin shook his head, unusually quiet.

“He’s not stupid enough to fall for that!” Chase crouched down and scooped up more snow, making sure to pack it down into a hard snowball. “Especially after what you did to him last time!”

The woman blinked, surprised. Then the doctor recovered. He reached into his jacket and pulled out—is that a gun?! “We brought this for self-defense, but we won’t hesitate to use it if need be,” he said.

Jackie gasped. “You fucking evil monsters! They’re kids! Fuck you! Fuck you!”

The doctor aimed the gun at him—

And then JJ took out the pocket watch. They all felt a tug as things went dark.

++++++++++++++++++++

They were back at the coffee table. Chase felt tingly all over, the way you feel when you walk into a warm building after being out in the cold. Was that feeling just in his mind? Because as time was rewinded, they didn’t actually go outside yet.

Jackie looked around the room. His expression darkened with anger. “Can we... go upstairs now?”

Without any further discussion, they went upstairs to Chase’s room again. As soon as Chase closed the door, they all burst into various chatter, everyone overlapping each other. JJ whistled sharply, silencing everyone. We have fifteen minutes this time, he said. Didn’t want to be in the cold for so long. Marvin, are you okay?! I’m sorry! I didn’t want to step back!

Marvin smiled shakily. “I-I’m fine. Don’t be sorry. The doll thing made you get out of the way. Not you. A-and besides. We undid everything, didn’t we?” He looked at Jackie. “Are... you okay, Jackie? He pointed a gun at you.”

“I can’t fucking believe those guys,” Jackie muttered. “When they show up this time I’m going to punch the guy so much harder.” He growled. Then he took a few deep breaths, running his hand through his hair, and calmed down. “It wasn’t a normal gun. I think that was a tranquilizer gun? There was a big needle sticking out the front, that was probably a dart. I’m fine. And I would’ve been fine if he actually did it. Fucking bastards.”

“Did they want to get Marvin because of his greenlight powers?” Schneep asked. “Did they think he was an Anomaly?”

“Maybe,” Jackie said.

“I think it’s weird how they went right to kidnapping us,” Stacy said. “They spent the last couple months just keeping an eye on us and warning us away. Now it’s suddenly ‘grab them on sight’?”

“I think Schneep is right,” Chase agreed. “They saw Marvin’s greenlight powers and went crazy wanting to get them.”

Marvin looked down at his scarred hands, flexing his fingers.

“Well... now we have to figure out how to stop that from happening after we take care of the snow monster,” Stacy said.

“Um... a-actually.” Marvin looked up, clearing his throat. “I’m wondering if we... could... use this somehow?”

JJ started. Marvin, don’t do anything reckless!

“You have a fucking time travel watch! I-if there’s any time to be reckless, it’s this!” Marvin took a deep breath. “I was thinking... we don’t know that much about the Circle, right? We got some of their papers, but like... we don’t know anything important. Like, where else they meet up or what they want. What if... what if I went with them?”

“Have you lost your mind?!” Schneep shouted.

“But then like—like JJ can rewind time!” Marvin said quickly. “So nothing bad actually happens! I just try to figure out what they’re up to and then we go!”

There’s a limit to how far back the watch can go! JJ said. It can only go up to an hour back in time! If you take too long— He shook his head. I don’t want you to go through that again!

“None of us want that,” Jackie said firmly.

“W-well—come on guys, we have a time travel watch!” Marvin said. “W-we have to use it! I-I don’t—don’t want to—I don’t want to either, but we have to do it!”

Schneep bit his lip. “Um... It might have... a good idea, but... Marvin, you should not be the one doing this.”

Marvin blinked, confused. “Huh?”

“Yeah, what?” Chase asked, confused.

“What if one of us pretends to have the greenlight powers?” Schneep asked. “Maybe you can make it look like someone else did that big fire blast. Then when the Circle comes over to take us, we let it happen. We will not be around long enough for them to realize the truth.”

“Hm... that might work...” Stacy said slowly. “Maybe if it’s JJ he can rewind time with the watch at the first sign of danger. But they did weird stuff to Marvin’s brain, remember? And they have that dart gun. What if they use that to knock out whoever they take?”

“A tranquilizer does not work right away like in the TV shows,” Schneep said. “If it is JJ who gets taken, he just rewinds before it takes effect. Then there should be no, ah... sleepy stuff, since he goes back in time. And if it is not JJ who gets taken, he stays back here and rewinds after an hour has passed anyway, undoing the sleepy stuff for the other person they took.”

Marvin bit his lip. “Yeah, I guess... g-guess that could work.”

JJ looked at Marvin. A determined look came over his face... only to be drained away by hesitation. I shouldn’t be the one to go, he said. The doll thing, remember? They might force me to do something.

“What if two people go?” Chase asked. “They both take the watch, and then if something bad happens the other one uses it to go back.”

We don’t know if you guys can use this or if it’s just me, though.

“Well then, one person goes with you to make sure that no weird doll stuff happens!”

“Are you—a-are you guys serious?” Jackie gaped at the kids. “So many things could go wrong!”

“But so many things could go right, too!”  Marvin said.

We don’t have much time to decide on what to do! JJ said. Jackie, please! We can’t let them get Marvin, but we need more information about the Circle! Even a little bit! If we can travel through time, isn’t it worth a shot?

“Who was it who said earlier that there might be a limit to how many times you can use it?!” Jackie said, exasperated. “I think they’re right! We don’t know!”

“Wasn’t that you?” Schneep said. “Oh wait. That is the point, ja?”

The future JJ would have definitely told me if that was the case, JJ said. He explained that there was a time travel limit of an hour, he would have explained that.

“Jackie, we’re gonna do it no matter what.” Marvin folded his arms. “What’re you gonna do about it, Beanie Boy? You can’t tell our parents. And JJ has the watch, if you try telling them anyway he can rewind so you don’t. So are you gonna fucking... I dunno, make us stay inside? Again--time travel watch!” JJ quickly shoved the watch in his pocket and glared at Jackie.

“I—I—I—” Jackie threw his hands up in the air. “Fine! Fuck it! You little guys are so freaking persistent, oh my god. But if we’re doing this, we’re planning it out very carefully. Everyone sit down. We’re talking about this.”

++++++++++++++++++++

A few minutes later, the kids were all outside again, waiting for the car to appear. Marvin had his greenlight keeping them warm and ready to blast at the snow monster. Chase bounced up and down. This time it wasn’t just to keep warm. He would never say it out loud, but he was a bit... scared of what could happen. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt, of course. But they needed to know more about the Circle! He could be brave for a little bit. Just until they rewound time.

Soon, the car appeared, and the adults all got out, just like last time. And also like last time, the snow monster formed behind them. Chase took a deep breath. He bent over and scooped up a snowball, then ran out in front of them, Stacy and Schneep right behind him with snowballs of their own. “Hey! Get away from my house!” Chase shouted. And the three of them threw the snowballs and scattered.

“Hey!” The doctor was hit by all three snowballs—seemed they’d all wanted to hit him the most.

“Are you okay, Jonathan?” The detective asked.

“I’m fine! Damn.”

“You kids apologize!” The woman demanded.

In return, the three of them threw more snowballs, and the adults raised their arms to defend themselves. Just like before, they approached the three of them—and once they were far enough from the snow monster, Marvin blasted it, causing it to melt once again. “Transformation energy!” the detective gasped, whirling around. And the adults ran over towards it.

Chase, Stacy, and Schneep exchanged nervous looks, then ran after them, catching up quickly. Their ruse was in full effect. Marvin was making JJ’s hands glow with greenlight, as if he was the one who fired the blast, while his own hands were shoved in his pockets so the adults couldn’t see the way his scars glowed.

“You two!” the doctor gasped. “And—you, too!” He looked at Jackie, whose clenched fists meant he really really wanted to punch the doctor again. “You need to come with us.” The doctor started to reach for JJ—

“No, you can’t take him!” Chase stepped in front of JJ.

“Yeah, you can’t just grab someone!” Jackie added, glaring.

“Stand aside, son,” the detective said to Chase, but Chase shook his head. Stacy and Schneep walked over to either side of him.

“Perhaps we’re being a bit too aggressive,” the woman said. “You’re young Mr. Jackson, right? Please, can you come with us for a moment? We’ll let your parents know.”

JJ hesitated. He looked nervous—actually nervous, not just the show he’d planned on doing. If I go with you... will you leave the others alone? he asked. And... not bother Chase’s family? They’re all really busy right now.

“Yes, we promise we’ll leave them all alone,” the woman said. She glared at the two men. “Right?”

The doctor cleared his throat. “We promise.” The detective looked confused—maybe he didn’t speak BSL—but also nodded.

“JJ...” Marvin whispered.

It will be fine, JJ said, looking back at him. You need to stay here.

“Well you’re not going alone,” Chase said. “I’m coming with you!”

Jackie blinked. All the others also looked surprised. That wasn’t in the plan. The plan was to have Jackie go—after all, if things went bad, he was the oldest and most able to fight people off. “Um, Chase, no, you—you can’t,” Jackie stammered. “Your whole family is here.”

“It will be fine!” Chase said, and he grabbed onto JJ’s shoulder. “I-I don’t—I don’t want JJ to go alone!” He didn’t want any of them to go alone. He wanted to help! He knew he could! “JJ, let me come with you!”

JJ tensed slightly beneath Chase’s grip. Chase can come with, he said.

Schneep narrowed his eyes. “Chase, wait, this is more of the—” And then he glanced at the adults and fell quiet, looking scared.

“Chase, you can’t go,” Jackie said.

“No, I’m going!” Chase insisted. “JJ was okay with it!”

“But that was—” Stacy started to say something, but Schneep elbowed her, cutting her off.

The three adults glanced at each other. “Fine, the kid can come, too,” the detective said. “But if any of the rest of you try anything, we won’t be so nice.”

Schneep flinched, and Jackie stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder and glaring at the adults. Chase reached out and grabbed Schneep’s hand, squeezing it. “We’ll be right back,” he said quietly. “I promise.”

“B-be careful,” Schneep whispered. “Do not... get hurt.”

“We won’t.”

The woman cleared her throat. “The two of you go get in the car. I promise, you won’t be gone long.”

The moment she said that, JJ tensed and started walking. Chase hurried to follow, waving goodbye to the others. They all waved back, looking tense and nervous, with Marvin and Schneep partially hiding behind Jackie’s legs.

When Chase and JJ got to the car, they found the back door unlocked, and hopped right in. It was a... nice car. The inside was dark gray, looking almost new. But there was a smell in the air that made Chase’s nose wrinkle. What was that? It was really bad. He looked around for the source of it, but the only thing that looked any weird was a bowl of ash in the cupholder between the two front seats. He’d seen some of those around in public. Was this the smell of them?

You shouldn’t have said that, JJ said. 

“Said what?” Chase asked.

JJ just stared at him with a look of frustration. Never mind.

“No, really, what?!” Chase insisted, confused. Was JJ mad that he was coming? “Did you want Jackie to come instead? Just tell me, it’ll be fine.”

Never mind, JJ repeated, and turned away.

Before Chase could figure out what to ask next, the adults returned to the car. Chase and JJ scooted across the backseat until JJ was sitting in the leftmost seat and Chase was in the middle... right next to the detective, who he glared at. The doctor got in the passenger seat and the woman got behind the wheel. Once everyone was inside, she pulled away from the curb and started driving down the street.

They had limited time now. Only an hour, but honestly, it would be better if they went back in time much sooner. Chase grabbed onto JJ’s upper arm. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe he was nervous, or maybe he wanted to make sure JJ was alright. “W-where are we going?” he asked, trying to sound brave.

“City hall,” the woman said.

“Darlene!” the doctor gasped.

“They’re children, John, and they’re probably scared. I don’t see the harm in it.”

“You don’t know these children. They managed to get into the secret area of the hospital.”

“That sounds like it was your fault more than anything else,” the detective said. “Honestly, you shouldn’t have decided on the one with a twin brother. Clearly they’d be attached.”

The doctor rolled his eyes. Chase and JJ exchanged looks. You talk, JJ said. I don’t know if they’ll always know what I’m saying.

Chase nodded. “W-why’d you take Marvin, anyway?” he asked. “You were—you were going to hurt him! We know you were!”

The doctor looked away. Did he seem... guilty? “It... it’s the only way,” he said. “And it’s better than... Well, you don’t need to know that. We’re not going to hurt you two, we promise.”

“And? What if you’re hurting other kids?” Chase asked. “Huh? Are you?”

“Now son, I don’t see why that’s so important to you,” the detective said. 

“You—huh?!” Chase stared at him in disbelief. Of course it was important to him if kids were being hurt!

“Here, put your seatbelts on,” the detective said. “It’s an icy road, better safe than sorry.”

“Should I be insulted, Pete?” the woman muttered. “I happen to be an excellent driver.”

“Like I said, better safe than sorry.”

JJ was already putting his seatbelt on—he started as soon as the detective told him to. Chase did the same, slowly. His eyes darted around the car for any other clues. Then JJ nudged him, getting his attention, and nodded to the rearview mirror. A decoration was dangling there, a purple flower pressed flat and preserved in plastic. Huh? Chase looked back at JJ, confused. JJ sighed. Tell you later, he said.

Some time passed in silence. JJ kept glancing nervously out the window. The adults were quiet, so Chase took a deep breath and asked, “What... what are you going to do with us?”

The adults seemed reluctant to answer that, but after a while, the doctor said, “Your friend shot out that beam of green energy, right? He shouldn’t be able to do that. We’re going to see if we can make it so he can’t do that anymore.”

“You want to take away his powers?!” Chase gasped, thinking of Marvin. If Marvin’s powers came from the crystal dust in his scars, then—what would the Circle do to get rid of them?! JJ also went pale, having the same thoughts.

“This green energy is bad news,” the doctor explained. “It can be harnessed, but it shouldn’t be in your body—yours or anyone else’s. It’s been proven to mutate animals. If you’re not careful, it could really hurt you.”

“Well it’s safe now!” Chase insisted. “Why do you all care if it’s safe?!”

“It’s safe now,” the woman said. “But who knows what it can do to you if it remains unchecked?”

“Oh, and you grown-ups are the ones who can keep it checked?! Why you?! Why not the police or anyone?!”

The detective chuckled. “Well, we can’t have news of this leaking out. Imagine what people would do if they knew there was strange energy that could give you powers. Chaos would break out.”

“And we’re the ones who can control it because we’ve spent years studying it,” the woman said. “Almost ten years, in fact. That’s longer than you’ve been alive.”

“...no it isn’t,” Chase grumbled.

“Don’t sass me, mister,” the woman said sternly.

The doctor cleared his throat. “Darlene, I know you told them where we’re going, but... I think they shouldn’t know how to get there. Who knows what could happen?” He put his hand in his jacket, where the tranquilizer gun was.

JJ grabbed onto Chase’s arm with one hand. His other hand went into his own pocket, where the watch was. Waiting.

“It’s a bit much for children, isn’t it, John?” the detective asked.

The woman tilted her head. “Well... it might be... troublesome. John, if you’re sure there won’t be any side effects... You are sure, right?”

The doctor nodded. “I’m very sure.” He started to pull out the tranquilizer. “At the very least, I think it’s strange how they’re asking so many questions.”

JJ inhaled sharply. He pulled the watch out at the same moment the doctor had the gun out. “What is that?” the detective asked, and the doctor’s eyes widened as he watched JJ flip it open. The doctor aimed the gun, JJ turned back the minute handles, they pulled the trigger and pressed the button at the same time—

++++++++++++++++++++

And then JJ and Chase were back outside, standing in the snow in the front garden. “JJ!” Marvin gasped, and immediately tackled him in a hug. “Are you okay please tell me they didn’t do anything please say you’re okay I know this is time travel and shit but they didn’t try to do anything did they?!”

JJ relaxed, then smiled. We’re both okay, he reported. I rewinded time just in... time.

Marvin laughed.

Meanwhile, Chase was also on the receiving end of a hug tackle. “Do not ever do that again, Chase!” Schneep said in a shaky voice. “I-I did not like—w-we were just standing outside waiting a-and it was—it felt bad. I-I was scared...”

Chase blinked. “...sorry, Schneep.” He hugged him back.

“Seriously, Chase.” Jackie folded his arms. “It worked out this time, but in the future, don’t try to change the plan. Why’d you do that, anyway?”

Chase shook his head. “I just... I didn’t want... I thought I could help if I... if I went along, i-instead of waiting...”

“Not everything can be about you, Chase Brody,” Stacy said, also folding her arms. “You didn’t even realize what you said to JJ, did you?”

“Huh? H-he brought that up too, what—”

JJ shook his head. It’s fine, he said. Let’s forget about it. We have more important things to worry about. He checked the watch. He’d gone a whole half hour back in time. They should be coming soon. 

“What did you two find out?” Schneep asked.

Chase quickly recounted everything, finishing with “—and JJ noticed some flower thing, too, I think.”

It was an iris flower, JJ said. Like the one in the basement below school where the paper-pillar was.

Stacy blinked. “Huh? That’s... interesting. But we can talk about that later. Look!” She pointed down the street, where a familiar set of headlights was driving towards the house.

“Oh shit, everyone shut up!” Marvin whispered. He screwed his eyes shut and began concentrating on gathering heat. The others went quiet, watching the car park and the adults get out. The snow monster formed once again.

Jackie crouched down and grabbed a handful of snowballs. He tossed them across the garden, not aiming for the adults, but instead at their feet. They paused, confused, and gathered around the spot where the snowballs landed. The detective bent over to look at the splatters of snow. And while they were distracted, Marvin blasted the snow monster.

But he hadn’t gathered enough heat this time. The snow monster cried out and stumbled back, becoming something more like a half-melted snow sculpture than the human it was pretending to be. The three adults whirled around. “An Anomaly!” the detective shouted. The woman reached into her coat and pulled out a crowbar, attacking the snow monster, and the men also began attacking, with the doctor pulling out the tranquilizer gun and the detective swinging his fists wildly.

This wasn’t the plan, but it was an opportunity! “Go!” Chase whisper-shouted. The kids all ran across the garden and hurried to the front door, slipping inside while the adults battled the snow monster.

“Oh, back so quickly?” Mom said from the kitchen.

Chase shook the snow off his head. “Yeah, it’s uh... really snowing!” Indeed, in just the few minutes they’d been out there, the snow had really started to come down. Was that because of the snow monster?

“Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate?” Mom offered.

“Oooo! Yes, please!” Chase said, and the other kids all echoed his sentiment.

“I’ll help you, Ms. Walker,” Jackie offered, taking off his coat and boots and heading over to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Marvin stared out the front window. “Guys,” he whispered. “They’re fighting it off.”

The kids all crowded around. They watched as the three adults managed to defeat the snow monster, then looked around in confusion. When their attention turned towards the windows, the kids all ducked down, only to peek back up again right after. The detective was walking over to the corner of the house, where they’d been hiding earlier. Then he walked back to the other two, shaking his head. The adults seemed to have a discussion for a bit... then walked back to the car.

“...huh.” Chase blinked. “I... wonder why they did that.”

“Maybe we scared them off?” Stacy suggested.

“Maybe they are coming back with something,” Schneep whispered.

They silently watched the car drive away.

I don’t want to think about this for the rest of the night, JJ said. Can we just go back to having a fun party? If the Circle does something, we can be prepared for that. But I... I want to have a fun party. We came here for that.

Marvin looked at him. He nodded and looked at the others. “We can do stuff if they start shit again. But... for tonight, can we... have a good Christmas?”

The other three glanced at each other. And Schneep cleared his throat. “Of course we can. Right, Chase?”

“Yeah, we’ll forget about this until later,” Chase said. “Tonight is for fun!”

“Yeah!” Stacy grinned. “I want my first Christmas party to be amazing! It’s been good so far, but let’s finish it with a bang!”

JJ smiled. Thanks, guys.

“Hey little guys!” Jackie poked his head out from the kitchen. “Hot chocolate is almost ready.”

“We’re coming, Jackie!” Chase said, kicking off his boots. “Come on, guys. Let’s make this the best Christmas Eve party ever!”

And thankfully, neither the Circle nor the snow monster showed up again for the rest of the night. The kids had fun playing games, talking with Chase’s cousins, eating the desserts that Mom and the rest of the family had made and bought. Soon, the whole thing had almost slipped out of their minds. Almost. JJ was still aware of the watch in his pocket.

But he didn’t need to use it again that night. That night, things were good. And when their parents arrived to pick Marvin and JJ up, driving through the still-falling snow, the whole group hugged goodbye, and Chase gave each of them a gift bag. “Mom said to get you small gifts so like... here’s some soap, cause that’s what she suggested.” He shrugged, clearly not fully understanding it. But Marvin and JJ appreciated the gesture. Eventually, when Stacy and Jackie left too, he gave them similar gift bags.

None of the kids wanted to go to sleep that night. They wanted to stay up, having more fun with their friends. But it had been a long day. A long, mostly-fun, tiring day. So, in their individual houses, all of them quickly drifted off, heading to sleep the moment they got in bed.

...

Late that night, two teenage boys in coats stopped by the Jackson residence. One of them reached into a flower pot, brushing aside the snow, and picked up the watch. JJ had left it there, just as asked.

“Is it okay?” the one in black asked nervously. “We’re not like... fucking stranded, are we?”

The one in blue checked it over, then sighed in relief. We’re not. Do you want to head back now?

“Yeah, it’s fucking freezing. I want to go home. Or, uh...” He glanced at the house. “Home home.”

HOME home, the other repeated, chuckling. He also looked up at the house, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“What is it? Nostalgia?” the one in black asked. “Dunno why you’d have that. This whole time period kinda... sucked for you.”

I know, it did, but... there’s something about the past that you can’t help but miss, the one in blue said. There were bad things, I know, especially this spring, but... I don’t know. You can’t say you don’t sometimes think things were simpler.

“Yeah... but they’re going to get a lot more complicated, you know. I think they leave for Ireland soon? That trip opens a whole can of fucking worms.”

The one in blue nodded. But... I think it’s better, afterwards. You know?

“...yeah. I think so too.” The one in black took a deep breath. “Now let’s go. No one’s looking, and I don’t think we have to worry about random people with phones in this time period.”

That’s so fair. The one with blue messed with the watch a bit, then held his hand out to the other, who took it, squeezing it tight. A green glow surrounded their linked hands, which grew into a flash. And then they were gone.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove and I felt like some public masochism so here we are!

Edit: Holy fuck this got long, putting it under a read-more.

How many works do you have on ao3?

258 although I orphaned 100 works back in 2020.

What's your total Ao3 word count?

Why. Why would you ask me this. Why would you do this to me.

4,578,245 - although I shudder to think how much it will have gone up by the end of the year.

What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly 9-1-1, but I took a nosedive into Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves last year and still have one more fic I'm writing for it. I tend to have quick little detours into other fandoms, which I think is overall a good thing since it helps me flex my writing muscles with different characters and settings. I'm currently working on a fic that is from a show where the main characters are all constantly sassing each other and bickering, and it's pushed me into being witty and sharp with the dialogue and humor in a way that I don't think I have been in quite some time.

Top 5 Fics by Kudos:

Even Steel Blades Need Fire - that's right, a WITCHER fic. HA. You all weren't expecting that!

Leading with the Left - yeah yeah we all knew this one was coming.

Drowning in Dreams (You're My Raft) - I'm constantly surprised this little oneshot I wrote post-tsunami is so popular.

Footprints are More Easily Seen in the Snow - my first Witcher fic I ever wrote and might still actually be my favorite.

Sometimes a Hammer, Sometimes a Lockpick - another Witcher fic! I had a lot of fun with this one.

Do you respond to comments?

I do! I try to respond to every comment I get. I know not everyone can but given the anxiety I know readers have around giving comments I try to show how much every comment is appreciated by me.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I do happy endings, overall, but every once in a while I decide to be evil, so it's a tie between the two fics that are about a character dying:

The Soft Goodbye - a Timeless fic that focuses on the idea that time travel, like being in space for a long time, wreaks havoc on your body.

Full Circle - a Doctor Who fic written years ago speculating about the Doctor gifting a dying Donna her memories back so they can say goodbye.

For those of you in the 9-1-1 fandom however, since I'm sure everyone's looking at those two fics going "wait what," the fic with the angstiest ending is:

I'm Not Breathing Unless I'm Giving You CPR - spoiler alert, but I end this fic on an angsty and purposefully ambiguous note. It's up to the reader to decide what sort of ending they get.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uh. All of them, I'd say? With the exception of the two MCD fics above, I deliver happy endings. However based on reader feedback, I think I'll go with...

Your Love is an Oil Slick (It Glows Like Rainbows, It Stains My Soul) - the amount of angst in this fic, especially the Bobby and Buck relationship, seems to hit readers extra hard and so the happy ending, especially Buck's reunion with his father figure, is extra joyful and cathartic.

Do you get hate on fics?

I have once in a blue moon gotten "flames," as we used to say. Writing fanfic since I was thirteen, I don't think it's possible to fully avoid a few cranky people with nothing better to do than go around and shit on people's beds. But I've been extraordinarily lucky in the love and kindness I've gotten from my readers.

Do you write smut?

Baby, it's what I'm known for. Honestly sometimes to my chagrin - I hope people enjoy my worldbuilding, characterization, and plots as well - but overall I have a lot of fun writing smut and I love reducing people to slack-jawed water-chugging babbles.

Also someone had to bring the monsterfucking around here so by golly I'm reporting for duty.

Craziest crossover?

I don't do crossovers.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yup! Someone stole my Budde Porn Star AU and turned it into a Rooster/Hangman from TG:M fic. Someone kindly alerted me and I was able to report it to Ao3. Truly a surreal experience.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Multiple times. It's deeply flattering and I really admire translators who put in the work to take something from one language and convey the same meanings, flow, and story in another. Translation is a genuine art form, if you ask me.

Have you co-written a fic before?

Yes! A few times, all with my beloved @extasiswings. We did one Timeless fic together whispers like poetry and we had such fun that when I started my first long, plot-ty Buddie fic I Hit the Accelerator (But the Car was in Reverse) and panicked, I roped her into finishing it with me.

We also co-wrote Carbon Date Me, Excavate Me because I was in a bad writing slump and she graciously made everything better, and then A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (But Love is Undefinable) because she uno reverse'd me.

All time favorite ship?

I've been shipping for so long it's incredibly hard to pick just one, but I think given the sheer depth of my insanity, I have to say Buddie. I haven't had a ship grip me like this in... ever, actually. Honestly after being burned hard on some previous ships in my time, names redacted to protect the guilty (me), I didn't think it was possible to love a ship this much, and yet here I am.

What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I plan to finish all of my WIPs. Once I start a fic I'm committed to finishing it. I do however have a couple fic ideas that I don't think I'll ever actually write.

What are your writing strengths?

Um. Smut, apparently. I also seem to do well with fusions; that is, taking one trope or setting and fusing it with another in a sort of plot mash-up. And people seem to really like my world building.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm a hyper-sexual person who is very casual about sexual relationships and so sometimes I think as a result I have characters think with their cocks a bit too much and jump too quickly into sex, and sometimes there's more smut than plot. Run-on sentences, my beloved (and my editor's beloathed). I tend to write out-of-order and so sometimes little plot details can contradict, not be followed up on, or get lost in the shuffle.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I don't really write dialogue in another language in most of my fandoms, but in a few it's come up and I've approached it in different ways.

In Timeless, the character Garcia Flynn's first language is Croatian, so I would have him sometimes speak in it. In my dragon!Jaskier series, I was able to bastardize some of the Draconic from D&D (mixed with some Germanic root languages) for when he was cursing or communicating with his draconic family. In both cases, the other language was limited to only a line or two of dialogue, or perhaps a single word, so I wrote the dialogue in that language, and then had a translation guide at the bottom of the fic.

This tends to be my modus operandi, an exception being Xenk speaking Thayan, because I couldn't find any actual Thayan for the life of me, so I just describe how the phrase sounds or allude to him muttering something/swearing/etc. Since Ed, a former spy, also speaks Thayan, he can then inform the reader through his thought-process what the Thayan meant.

Occasionally, I will have two characters speaking in another language and simply italicize their words and have a line of description saying "they switch to French" or something similar, since I don't want readers to have to scroll up and down to understand an entire conversation.

In my original novels, however - the Horsemen quartet specifically - the characters communicate about fifty percent of the time through sign language. It's become the lingua franca, because noise alerts zombies and ASL is a silent language. In the books, I write the dialogue as I would English, and simply have the dialogue tag "she signed" instead of "she said."

As someone who speaks other languages but for whom English is their first, I'm not sure I get to really speak on how and when one should use other languages in one's predominantly-English fic in a predominantly-English-speaking fandom and online space. All I can say is that I listen to what others say in regards to what is most respectful and comfortable, and I don't have any personal preference in how a writer handles the use of secondary languages in their writing.

First fandom you wrote in?

I'm not sure which came first since they were right on top of each other, but Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Favorite fic you've written?

Well that's just mean. How dare you. I don't have one favorite fic, that's like asking me to choose a favorite child.

I will say I am particularly fond of In the Gray You are Golden. I banged it out in a day in some kind of fugue state and I do think it's one of my best works.

Someday when I am filthy rich I will commission someone to draw it as a comic, especially the reunion scene between Buck, Eddie, and Christopher.

Tagging, with no pressure:

@princessfbi @buckttommy @extasiswings @kitkatpancakestack @gracieryder (once again I typed your fucking old url like five times...)

aaaaaaand @givemeunicorns.

[skzhocomments]

In the Dark - Choi Minho SHINee Fanfic - Chapter 7 - When our lips touch

General masterlist

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

Wattpad | AO3

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8

---

Chapter 7 - When our lips touch

chapter word count: ~5.1k words

~Minho’s POV~

“Yes, baby, just like that.” I spoke, watching her bounce up and down on my dick, her round breasts moving in unison with the rest of her body, her hair doing little to nothing to cover her nipples from my sight.

She was so fucking beautiful and hot, her face contorted in pure bliss, and she was reaching her high.

“Fuck, Minho, you’re the best.” She leaned down and pressed her lips against my mouth, and I kissed her, starting to move my hips to create more momentum between us. She moaned into my mouth, then quickly moved on to sucking my neck.

“God, you’re so tight for me, baby. Why are you clenching around me so hard, hm?” I praised her, and I was so, so close to cumming.

I continued fucking my way inside of her while she became a moaning mess, and I hugged her body against mine, to keep her as close as possible.

“I love you, I love you.” I spoke, burying my dick inside her just as I cummed hard. “Flame- no, Jieun, you are so-”

~

Jieun?

I opened my eyes, shocked, looking confused around my room and feeling my pants uncomfortably wet and sticky.

A… wet dream?

Fucking hell.

I did the unthinkable again. I imagined Flame – whose body I got to know so well – as Jieun. Again.

And I dreamed about fucking her.

And I fucking ejaculated in my sleep, thinking of Jieun – Nari’s teacher.

How messed up in the head was I?

Why?

Why?

Was it because she ended up spending the night here and we drank and talked so intimately until 5 AM?

Even so, that’s not normal. It’s not appropriate to have these thoughts about her.

Fucking hell.

Looking at the clock, it was 10 AM. Late, by my standards. Nari’s been up for probably 3 hours now, but like the good child she was, she didn’t come to wake me up.

Get your shit together, Minho.

I told myself, then got up and hopped in the shower, trying to wash my sinful thoughts away. I couldn’t keep thinking of fucking Jieun when thinking about Flame. They were separate people, and it wasn’t right.

Yes. I need to stop this, before I do or say something stupid to make Jieun uncomfortable.

~

~Jieun’s POV~

Agh, what the fuck. I groaned, feeling the biggest headache throbbing right in my temples.

Opening my eyes and sitting up on the bed, I massaged the painful spots in my head and tried to stretch a bit, letting out a big yawn.

Memories from last night came flooding in, and I quickly figured out that I was still in Minho’s house and that I drank way too much, which resulted in this freaking migraine.

I didn’t have anything with me – my phone, my keys, my bag; all of these were in the living room, so I had no idea what time it was, but even without a clock, I knew that I far outstayed my welcome.

I should’ve left last night instead of drinking with Nari’s dad. It didn’t feel like such a bad idea to stay the night in the kitchen when Minho looked at me with such sparkly eyes, they made me melt; it didn’t feel like such a bad idea under the dim lights on the couch in the living room with two bottles of wine and a full glass in my hand. It didn’t feel like such a bad idea yesterday.

But today, under the daylight, it was totally inappropriate. There was no reason for me to actually stay and sleep, or drink with Nari’s dad until 5 AM and talk and talk and talk.

Why am I still here?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Getting up from the bed, I headed towards the bathroom connected to the guest room and washed my face.

Next to the sink stood a utility cart where a towel, a new toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as all sorts of skin care products, and even feminine hygiene products were placed strategically.

I haven’t noticed them yesterday when I took a shower in here, but I was grateful for them nonetheless, so I picked the toothbrush and tore its packaging, then I brushed my teeth and got rid of all the alcohol taste still present in my mouth after a night of drinking.

I grabbed my clothes from the rack and changed from Minho’s clothes, then I exited the guest room and started walking towards the living room.

Sounds of cartoons could be heard coming from it, and when I entered the room, Nari was sprawled over the floor drawing something in coloured pencils, while something was playing on the TV.

“Oh, you’re awake?” Minho spoke, and only then did I notice him on the couch, manspreading while reading something on his phone.

“Yes. Good morning.” I smiled and waved at Nari, who looked at me for a few moments.

“Good morning? Miss Park, it’s 2. Are you normally this lazy?” She asked bluntly, as children do.

2 PM?!

My mouth fell open, which didn’t go unnoticed by Minho, who quickly intervened.

“Nari, that’s not nice to say, she was tired after taking care of you the whole day.”

“Wait a minute-” I started speaking “is it really 2 PM? Oh God, why didn’t you wake me up?” I turned to Minho upset, a large frown on my face.

“Why would I? It’s Sunday. Sleep in as much as you’d like.”

“But-”

“Daddy, I’m hungryyyyy.” Nari stood up and jumped on the sofa all of a sudden, pouting.

“Oh, what should we eat?”

“I waaaaaant… pancakes!”

“For lunch?” Minho chuckled. “That’s not-”

“Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!” Nari started jumping up and down, making me laugh. She was so evidently spoiled, but not in an annoying way most children are. She was cute.

Minho rolled his eyes.

“We can’t have pancakes, because daddy can’t cook them.” He shrugged, and Nari stuck out her tongue at him, then came to me and jumped on my legs.

“Miss Park, can you make pancakes? Pleaaaaaseeeeeee.” She started pleading with me, and I just looked at Minho who watched us amused, as if he were watching a cute moment on a TV show.

“I-”

“PLEAAAASEEEE.” Nari started again, and watching her big, round eyes looking at me so hopeful, I gave in.

Those fucking eyes she got from her dad, I swear.

“Fine. Let’s make some pancakes. But as a dessert. You have to eat a real meal for lunch first.” I put my hands on my hips and waited for her approval, which she was quick to give.

She seemed happy with this outcome.

We headed towards the kitchen, and I pulled out a few ingredients we had left over from yesterday, and I cooked some chicken with mashed potatoes for the three of us and tried not to think about me still being here, even if I had no reason to be. Even if I should’ve left last night as soon as Minho got home from work.

We made small talk, and my migraine was almost gone after eating and getting hydrated properly, but the strange feeling in my chest made it hard to breathe. It felt like I was choking and in desperate need of air, that just didn’t get to my lungs. Sitting like this at the kitchen table – the three of us – brought a small sense of normality and I couldn’t help but think that from the outside, we must’ve looked like a happy family.

Inappropriate.

When we were done cleaning up after lunch, I showed Nari how to beat the eggs for the pancakes, then I let her pour in the flour and the milk, letting her mix the batter herself. I wasn’t sure if she would be ready to use the stove as well, but under my supervision, I let her pour the pancake mix in the pan from a ladle, and she seemed very excited.

“Do you like cooking?” I asked her, waiting for the pancake we just poured to harden up enough to turn it over.

“Yes! It’s so fun!” She jumped, and Minho chuckled seeing her. He then looked right in my eyes and smiled so brightly, my heart skipped a beat.

Inappropriate.

I decided that no longer looking at him was the logical solution, otherwise who knows what this stupid heart of mine would make me do next?

~

“Miss Park, can you stay for dinner too?”

“Nari, I’m sure she has a lot to do at home as well. She already played with you a lot today, didn’t she?” Minho petted her hair.

We finished eating the pancakes and cleaning up about one hour earlier, after which Nari wanted us to paint together, and I couldn’t say no.

“But I want us to make food again.” She pouted, small tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

“We will do it again another time, okay?” I smiled and tried to stop Nari from starting to cry.

“Besides, we have to visit grandma and will eat with her anyway, did you forget?” Minho continued, noticing Nari’s dejected face. At the mention of her grandma, however, her eyes lit up.

“Okay…” She nodded.

“You should go get changed, grandma is waiting for us.” Minho instructed her, and Nari nodded, then left.

“So, should we drop you home?” Minho turned his attention to me.

“If you’re going to the hospital… is it alright if I come with you? I could visit my grandmother as well…” I pondered.

“Why not?” Minho smiled. “Listen, Jieun, about yesterday…”

“Hm?”

“Thank you so much for taking care of Nari, and for today as well. She looked like she had a lot of fun with you, and I’m truly grateful.”

“Oh, no worries. You don’t have to thank me for anything. I had fun as well.”

I returned his smile, then we continued talking until Nari came back from her room.

~

“Hey grandma.” I opened the door to her hospital room and stuck my head in, a large grin on my face. “I brought you some pancakes!”

“Oh, Jieun!” She smiled and urged me to come in the room. She was sitting on the bed, watching TV.

“Is this a new drama?” I asked, pointing out to the show while sitting down next to her bed in the visitor’s chair.

“Yes, it’s so captivating! Uhm, Jieun?”

“Yes?” I looked at her after placing the pancakes on her food tray.

“Didn’t you go home yesterday?” She tilted her head confused, looking at my clothes.

Oh, fucking hell, I didn’t think she would notice.

“Uhm… I did.” I lied, and grandma saw right through me. She raised me, after all.

“Silly girl, did you meet someone? When were you going to tell me?”

“It’s nothing like that, it’s just-”

“MISS PARK!!!” The door flew open, and Nari ran inside, jumping right on my lap.

“Oh, my! Who should you be, little princess?” My grandmother smiled brightly, admiring Nari’s long hair and large eyes.

“My name is Choi Nari, I’m 8 and I like painting.”

“Is that so? What a cute girl you are!” Grandma cooed. “Would you like some pancakes?”

“Are these the pancakes we made together, Miss Park?” Nari asked innocently, and Grandma threw me a sharp look I knew I couldn’t ignore for long, moment when Minho entered the room as well.

“Nari, I told you so many times to stop running away- Jieun?” He saw me, then he rubbed his forehead. “I’m so sorry for this, she did it again.”

“But I knew Miss Park was going to be in this room and I forgot to hug her goodbye!” Nari whined.

“There, there, you hugged me.” I chuckled.

“We are truly sorry for intruding on the time with your granddaughter. My name is Choi Minho, and this is my daughter, Nari.” Minho bowed to my grandmother, and she waved her hand around.

“The more the merrier! Look how lively this place became! Now, young man, you’d better explain why my granddaughter didn’t go home last night.” Grandma smiled, but it was one of those smiles that made you cower in fear, which Minho caught on quickly.

“Grandma, I told you it wasn’t like that! Minho had to work and asked me to take care of Nari, who’s one of my students!” I explained quickly, but grandma was still sceptical, and looked slightly disappointed.

“Is that so?” She replied unconvinced, but still dropped it.

Minho excused himself and grabbed Nari from my lap, and I dreaded being alone with grandma, because I just knew she was going to start asking questions.

“Who is he?” She started as soon as Minho left the room. “He’s so handsome! Where did you meet him, at school? When have you began dating?”

“Oh my God!” I whined. “It’s NOT like that!!! For the millionth time! He’s just Nari’s dad, that’s all!”

“Is he single?” Grandma nudged my elbow.

“I see you’re feeling well today. Well enough to annoy your granddaughter.” I spat out, and both of us started laughing.

“His daughter is so cute! I remember when you were that age! You were cuter, though!”

“You only say that because we are related.” I chuckled.

“And because you’re my precious baby.” Grandma smiled fondly. “These pancakes are really good.”

“Thank you! It’s your recipe, but they don’t taste as good as yours. You should hurry up and get better so you can cook for me.” I pouted.

“It’s the universal recipe, dear, and they taste the same. But how come you want to live with this old hag? You should start making plans to live with that handsome lad! What was his name again, Minho?”

“Grandma… what will I do with you?” I sighed and shook my head.

“But even if you end up adopting another woman’s child, I still want some grandbabies from you!” She ignored me completely and kept living her fantasy.

“Oh my, do you have a fever?” I pouted. “You’re only spewing bullsh -OUCH!” I shouted, after grandma hit my hand with her fork.

“Don’t talk like that!” She scolded me, and I chuckled. “Should I wash your mouth with soap?”

“So, you could hear me!” I spat out, and grandma threw me a look.

“Is it that wrong for me to want you to raise a baby?”

“Okay, okay. You want grandbabies? You better focus on getting healthy so you can take care of them!” I laughed, and grandma smiled.

~

On Wednesday, just as I dropped Nari off to her Art School, a notification on my phone caught my eye.

In the Dark – 1 new request

---

CHARISMA – personal form

THINGS I ENJOY: Flame!!! I am so so sorry for Saturday, something unexpected came up and I couldn’t come meet you. Also, I know this is super short notice, and I wouldn’t blame you if you wouldn’t be able to make it in 2 hours from now (though I wish you would!). Unfortunately, we will no longer be able to meet on Saturdays, but I’d like to see you Mon-Fri 6:45-7:45 if you have time and want to as well, of course. Let me know.

THINGS I DON’T WANT TO DO: just the usual

CONDOM / NO CONDOM: no condom

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: -

---

Reading his form felt like a weight got lifted off my shoulders. He had something urgent to take care of, that’s why he cancelled on Saturday.

But still… he wants us to meet every day?

Wow.

Thinking of it, Charisma’s been spending thousands on me in the past month since we’ve started seeing each other.

How much money does this dude have?

Life must be good for him.

Easier than mine, at least.

---

FLAME – personal form

THINGS I ENJOY: No problem, Charisma. It’s quite ironic actually, something ended up coming up on my side as well so we probably wouldn’t have been able to meet anyway. So funny! I’d love to see you every day, I’m free during that time, so you can book anytime on short notice, and I’ll be there. <3

THINGS I DON’T WANT TO DO: -

CONDOM / NO CONDOM: no condom

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: I know it’s cold outside, and I can technically wear turtlenecks only, and don’t get me wrong, I love it when you kiss my neck, I’m going crazy for it, but still could you maybe be a bit more… careful when it comes to leaving marks on my neck and chest?

---

After sending the form, I went home and took a long shower, then I used the perfume I usually put on whenever I meet Charisma, making sure to put it on my ankles as well, just in case my legs end up on his shoulders. Of course, a different one from the perfume I use on a day-to-day basis, just to minimize the chances of someone ever recognising it.

Well, the perfume consideration was not exactly aimed towards Charisma, since it was impossible for me to know someone like him in real life. People that afford spending thousands on a prostitute in a single month are not people that usually frequent the social circles I can be part of.

Minho seems to have some money, though. I thought, remembering the place he lives in with Nari, and his profession.

But still, I doubt he has that much money, otherwise why would he have chosen a public school for Nari? Even after the bullying scandal, he would’ve definitely sent her to a better, expensive private school, or even hire teachers to homeschool her.

Whatever, how much money Minho makes is none of my business.

I put on some lacy lingerie and warm clothes on top, thinking that I’d rather dress a bit more appropriately for the weather outside, since the wind was getting colder and colder, while still maintaining a sexy element that would be fun to touch and imagine.

I reached the building and entered the room like I usually do, and I took off all my clothes, keeping on the red lingerie and waiting on the bed until Charisma got here.

It’s only been a week and a half since I last saw him, but it felt like a lifetime ago, and I was growing more impatient by the minute.

For some reason unknown to me, my heart began picking up the pace and I felt… nervous.

Why would I, though? He’s just a man that pays me, and there’s nothing between us…

Speaking of, I haven’t been thinking about Charisma at all while spending time with Minho… of course, leaving aside their similarities which were… a bit uncanny.

Wait.

Did I seriously think that spending time with Minho took my mind off Charisma?

Jieun, don’t be fucking stupid, please.

Minho is just Nari’s dad. I can’t possibly say I enjoyed drinking wine with him at 3AM on a Saturday to the point of forgetting about the other man that makes my heart skip.

Wait – did I just think of Charisma as ‘the other man’?

Something is definitely wrong with me.

He’s just a faceless man that pays me for sex.

I shook my head, wanting to let go of all these useless thoughts, when the click of the door signalled me that Charisma finally got here, so I stood up and headed towards the middle of the room to wait for him, like always.

~

~Minho’s POV~

After a week and a half, I was finally meeting Flame again.

I missed her.

Perhaps it was weird to say so, since I didn’t know who she was, but you can’t control your feelings, can you?

I was surprised to see a response form from her so quickly, and even more so that she accepted to meet me on such short notice.

Reading her form carefully, my heart first skipped a beat at ‘I’d love to see you every day.’

Of course, this could just be her being excited to get a bigger paycheck for the time being, but still, I wanted to believe that this was not necessarily the case, and she was genuinely excited as well.

Then, reading further down, reaching the Special Requirements column, I almost let out a laugh.

--

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: I know it’s cold outside, and I can technically wear turtlenecks only, and don’t get me wrong, I love it when you kiss my neck, I’m going crazy for it, but still could you maybe be a bit more… careful when it comes to leaving marks on my neck and chest?

--

Damn, she’s cute. I smiled, and to any outsider, I must’ve looked crazy, grinning to myself like that.

So, she doesn’t mind marks anywhere else, hm?

Her phrasing was funny. What type of person was Flame, anyway?

My mind wandered off to the hickeys on Jieun’s body, and I chuckled to myself again, before thinking that remembering those spots on Nari’s teacher was not appropriate and that I should stop thinking about her already.

Anyways, I accepted Flame’s form as well and went home to shower. Thankfully, Ye-Jun and Jinki offered to take Nari from her art classes and watch her until 20:00 from Mon-Fri until this album is out, and I can go back to my usual working hours.

Right now, I head to work directly after dropping her off at school in the morning, and then I finish at 18:20 – which is 20 minutes too late for me to be the one who picks her up from the art school.

On Monday and Tuesday, I headed to Jinki’s place directly after work to grab Nari home, but both she and Jiho were so whiny they only got to spend 30 minutes together, that Ye-Jun suggested I just come by and take Nari before the girls have to head to bed – at 7:45-8.

This means that I now have almost 2 hours for myself from the minute I leave work until I go to Jinki’s to take Nari back home – so why not book Flame for those times? A good lay is not only a nice workout, but also a stress relief after such busy days.

Why not?

~

Reaching the building and the room assigned for today’s meeting, I entered the hallway as usual, and breathed in a few times before opening the main room’s door.

Darkness surrounded me, just as it did so many times before, and the sweet smell in the air invaded my nostrils, making me almost dizzy. Flame was wearing the same perfume as she usually did, and I couldn’t wait to see – well, actually, to touch – her clothes today to see what she decided to wear.

In the middle of the room, there she was, waiting for me.

She reached her hands to cup my cheeks and ‘kissed’ me, just like last time, her thumbs firmly on my lips to make sure I wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

I was so far from that, though. I wanted to grab her hands away and kiss her and put my tongue down her throat so badly, and these urges were getting stronger and stronger each time I would meet her.

What’s bad is they were this strong when Jieun spent the night, and-

Why am I thinking about her again?

I moved my hands on Flame’s body and, reaching her sides, I let out a “Hmmm” unconsciously, then I slightly chuckled.

She.was.just.in.her.lingerie.

She never waited for me like this before. Did she do it because we only had one hour to spend together?

What colour was it? Her favourite, red? Or maybe something else? Black? I bet it would look good either way.

Feeling her up, the lingerie was made of lace, and I could only imagine how beautifully it hugged her body.

But what need was there for it? I unclasped her bra and felt her tits with my hands, and Flame chuckled lowly as well.

It felt like she was asking me Did you miss me that much? mockingly, and she was right. I fucking missed her and I missed fucking her.

She followed through and helped me out of my clothes, and then we made our way towards the bed. I laid her down and pressed a kiss between her breasts, and then I moved downwards, taking down her lace panties and kissing her pussy slowly.

She moaned sweetly, just as she always does whenever I touch her. Damn, did she like it that much?

After eating her out for a bit, though, she pressed her hand on my head, making me stop, and pushed me away.

Huh?

I was confused, but she was quick to guide me on my back, and she attached her mouth to my crotch instantly, deep throating me at once. She took me by surprise for sure, her mouth working flawlessly on my length while one of her hands massaged my balls, and it was so difficult to not bust right then.

Still, it was like she was reading my mind, for not even one minute later, her legs straddled me, and she let herself fall down my dick, taking me in fully. She firstly moved slow, pressing her body against mine and kissing my neck, as my hands moved to her butt, squeezing it.

After getting used to me, she sat up, her movements on top of me quicker, and she started bouncing up and down my length. I felt her every move, and I wanted to feel her body too, so I let my hands roam on her until I reached her breasts, and then – I got another déjà vu feeling.

This felt just like my dream, only this time I wasn’t able to see anything; I was left imagining how Flame looked on top of me, and my mind was filled with Jieun from my dream bouncing on me, and her perfectly rounded breasts, and how she rolled her head back and the way her face contorted in pleasure, and I could only imagine that Flame looked exactly the same, and I don’t know what overcame me, but I stood up, still inside her, and grabbed her face, and I kissed her, but it wasn’t enough, so I kissed her again, and again, and again, and fuck, was she sweet. Her tongue against mine felt just right, her lips were perfect, and the way her moans got lost in my mouth as I began thrusting into her made me simply lose it all, and I never came so hard.

~

I am insane. I shook my head, my hands on the wheel.

I was parked a few meters away from the bus stop where I met Jieun dressed as Flame so many nights ago.

I needed to know if it was her. I was going crazy.

Of course, she wasn’t wearing anything I could see this time, but if she happened to come to this same bus stop an hour after meeting me…

… then Flame was Jieun.

And that meant I just kissed Jieun during the best sex I’ve ever had my entire life.

It was crazy. I was definitely crazy.

But I needed to know. Badly.

I must’ve had a couple loose screws up there, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted Flame to be Jieun. 

Thinking about it, it was not impossible for them to be the same person. Too many coincidences were piling up, and dreaming about Jieun when she slept over felt like a slap in the face telling me to wake up to reality and stop being blind. That late hour in the same neighbourhood, her clothes that night at the bus stop, her perfume – the same one that Flame used today, all the hickeys she had everywhere and Flame asking me to be more careful around her neck so as to not leave as many marks… it started getting easier to accept that I might’ve been the one to have caused them on Jieun’s body as well, even though it was insane to think I’ve been fucking Nari’s teacher for so many weeks straight without knowing it.

I needed to know if that was the case, so I called Jinki and let him know I was going to be a bit late today, and I waited…

and waited…

and waited… 

And before I knew it, more than 2 hours had passed, and Jieun never came to the bus stop, nor did any other girl at least resembling her.

I let out a sigh.

Why did I feel… slightly disappointed?

---

MEETING REVIEW FORM by Charisma

Rate Flame from 1 to 5 (lowest to highest): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Were all your special requirements fulfilled? (Leave empty if not applicable): I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, and I’m sorry for confusing you and kissing you. I just… I don’t know what came over me. The only thing I know is that I want to do it again.

What did you enjoy? -

What should be improved? -

Would you like to tip Flame? (Any amount you write will automatically be deducted from your Card after submitting this form. Leave empty if you don’t wish to tip your host): 300$

Thank you for using our service!

---

MEETING REVIEW FORM by Flame

Rate the interaction with the customer from 1 to 5 (lowest to highest): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Did the customer fulfil your special requirements? -

Tip received – 300$: I was honestly taken by surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise, and damn, does your mouth fit on mine so well. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow either. We have two more days this week, don’t we? Stay healthy.

---

~Jieun’s POV~

What… did just happen?

I opened my eyes in surprise, as Charisma’s lips fell on top of mine in a fevered kiss.

Our first.

We continued having sex and the time to go eventually came; after all, an hour passes by quickly, especially when you’re having a good time.

I left the building sometime later and ordered a Taxi like I usually do, even if it wasn’t that late and I could’ve still caught the bus. However, walking towards the bus stop and waiting in the cold felt unnecessary now that Charisma wanted to meet me daily, which meant I had a lot of money on top of what was needed for my grandmother’s hospital bills, so why not take advantage of it while it lasts and go back home in the comfort of a warm car?

But still, my heart didn’t halt for even a moment, even long after getting home and slipping under the covers in bed. Ever since his lips touched mine, my ribcage became a ground for fireworks, and my chest felt too tight to contain my heart, that was beating so fast, it felt like I ran a marathon.

It was ironic, really. I had sex with Charisma so many times, we slept next to each other even, but still, this…  I couldn't believe it, and I caught myself touching my lips with my fingertips again and again, as if to check if the feeling is still there, if it truly happened. This kiss felt more intimate than everything else we’ve been doing,

It felt real.

He kissed me.

His lips were on mine – multiple times, and I couldn’t forget the way they felt. It felt like my mouth no longer belonged to me, and now that I was alone, something was missing from on top of my lips.

I wanted to get that feeling back so badly, so reading his form and seeing that he felt the same brought so many butterflies to my stomach, I wasn’t even sure if I’ve ever felt this way before.

---

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8