#this is EVERY fanfic writer I know

[villainsidechick]

SCREAMING!!!

My constant struggle when writing PWP

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

As if I wasn't already exhausted enough this morning...

It's been brought to my attention that people are taking my fanfics, editing them, and sharing them around. I don't have the words to describe how not okay this is. If you don't like something about my fanfic, then I'm sorry to hear that, but there are a lot of other fics out there you can read instead.

I put time and effort and care into my writing, as does every writer. To take my work without permission and change it feels like someone just punched me in the gut. Frankly it makes me not want to share my work at all and to take down all the writing I do have up, because why should I share anything with people if all they're going to do is decide it's not good enough and they're going to do what they want with it and make it "better"?

And before anyone comes at me, this is not what a transformative work does. This is not the same as fanfiction. I'm fucking exhausted from working two eleven hour shifts over the weekend so my brain is not working so someone smarter and more articulate than I am can explain why. I'm tired.

This genuinely makes me want to take down all my works and not share anything new. It's very simple, kiddos: Don't like it? Don't read it. You will miss out on some fanfics that way, just like you'll miss out on some films, or books, or TV shows. I've missed out on really good fic, novels, films, etc, for the same reason. We all do. It's a part of life. Stuff will sometimes have things in it that you don't like. Skim those parts, fast-forward those scenes, grin and bear it, or just go and read/watch something else.

Normally I would make this post unrebloggable but I worry other writers in this fandom might experience the same thing and not realize it. So people are welcome to reblog this. Anyone who's an ass on it will be blocked, no second chances.

Just. Don't do this guys. Holy shit don't do this. What the actual fuck.

[krysmcscience]

The Lamb is malicious in a funny way and the Goat is funny in a malicious way. No, I will not elaborate.

Anyway, everyone give thanks to the Lamb for interrupting what was sure to be a very boring and patronizing PSA from their grouchy cat hubby. Truly, they are doing God's work. Granted, the Lamb canonically is God now, so, uh. Mostly they're just doing their own work.

Speaking of their grouchy cat hubby, yes this is absolutely still Narilamb, Narinder is 100% into his goofy-ass spouse always no matter what and we all know it, he just wasn't expecting his brand new adopted kid to share the same single goofy-ass brain cell as the Lamb. :)

[scarapanna]

Calm before the storm [Wavering Lies!AU]

After having faced the first half of his sentence, Shadow Milk Cookie reflects on what transpired days prior. Alone with only himself, his confinements, and his thoughts.

This, unfortunately for the beast, is not bound to last for long.

clank…clank…clank

Absentmindedly, the captive beast would play around with his restraints, letting the chains keeping his wrists close to one another clash together repeatedly.

It had been a few days after his capture, he still recalled everything. The fight, the unfair odds against him, the sheer luck those crumbs had been blessed with…and his embarassing defeat.

What happened after? A good chunk of it, he didn't recall. He was down for who knows how long before waking back up in a cell similiar to the one he was currently held in.

The past week? Went by quickly, in all honesty. He remembered his multiple attempts to break out during those council meetings, back when he still had all of his power…

…back when that MAT hadn't convinced everyone to forcefully snatch it away from him.

Now? He had been sentenced to a seal. No, not like that rotten old tree..but somehow just as, if not WORSE that it. Thanks to it, he couldn't accest his power, he couldn't shapeshift NOR summor anything. He couldn't access his other-realm anymore…he just

couldn't

do

ANYTHING.

He HATED it.

The beast would look at his hands, then at his wrists..before violently yanking his whole body forward in frustration.

His magic was like a part of him, something he had since his baking. It felt just as important as lifepowder to a beast, it was part of him. A component now crudely ripped out of his dough.

Without it he felt severely impaired. So…weak. Frail. Defenseless..

He never wanted this, it was the worst kind of dreadful….

HE HATED IT

He'd yerk forward once more, at full force…but to no avail. To ensure his stay, those rotten pests had put him in chains. CHAINS! Around his legs, his neck, his wrists…the last he dreaded he most, considering those restraints served two functions.

That of keeping him here AND prohibiting his access to magic.

He felt like he was some sort of cakehound.

However, before he could thrash a third time in frustration, the beast would be alerted by some chattering outside of his cell door. At this hour? How strange…

The noise seemingly came from two or three cookies conversating…one voice was freakishly familiar.

it was HIM..

"Oh no no, I'd rather be alone this time. Thank you for the offer."

Soon, he'd hear two of the figures leave, signaled by faint footsteps growing farther and farther..

..next, someone would turn the key to his cell door, which would would creak open, bringing with it that dreaded confirmation.

He stiffened, narrowing his eyes at the figure.

That THIEF.

..___________________..

"..Shadow Milk Cookie."

The beast would look up, stiffing his posture at the one before him.

"What do you want?"

He'd bark out, irritated. Pure Vanilla knew the reason why.

"I just wanted to pay you a visit."

The ancient carefully closed the door behind him, snuffing out the noise coming from the outside all over again.

"How are you faring?"

No response.

"..hm, I see."

He'd walk closer, before searching for something inside his cape. Pure Vanilla would then find what he had been looking for after a small struggle, and would pull out something from a small pouch.

The sweet, easily recognizable smell would manage to catch his predecessor's attention. That frown remained…yet his eyes quickly locked on the unexpected "gift".

A small victory for the healer.

"I've brought some jellies with me, would you like any?"

Holding one of his hands out, he'd offer a few to the cookie of deceit…He might have been hungry, he figured.

He only recieved a glare.

"…I suppose not."

The healer would retreat his hand, putting back those few jellies in that pouch.

Tension was only rising the more they stayed inside, just the two of them.

Usually, Shadow Milk was notorious for his chatter. It was an aspect Pure Vanilla's been told about many, many times during the week he'd spent imprisoned in the republic. Outside of council meetings the jester's behaviour would have been reported many, many times as well. Mostly by guards venting out their frustrations with him.

Now, the atmosphere was much much different. Both had fallen silent for a good while until the ancient decided to resume their one sided "discussion"

is there an--"

"Shut up."

Though it seemed Shadow Milk wanted to hear none of it.

"…just answer my question, and scram. I don't want to be interrogated by the likes of you."

The beast bared his teeth, his words oozing pure hatred and venom from each and every letter.

With his magic gone, Pure Vanilla figured anyone wold be upset. But this had to be done to ensure everyone was safe. He didn't want to risk the lives of many by letting a beast loose.

He'd sigh, turning to the ground.

"Well….I was wondering if you'd reconsider my proposal."

No response.

He'd turn to Shadow Milk's face, returning his stare.

"Do you still want to keep this incessant fighting…or would you rather settle this once and for all?"

The beast looked at him, then at his souljam, and then back to the ancient. His eyes widening as he'd repeat his words.

"….once and for all..

you…

…YOU!!!--"

After a beat of silence, Shadow Milk sent him glare. And thightly clenched his fists. Shaking in sheer fury, he'd start stomping his feet to the ground, immediately rejecting his successor's offer…just like he'd done many times prior.

"HOW DARE YOU!!"

He'd spat, violently yanking the chains holding him in place.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK I'D ACCEPT YOUR PATHETIC TRICKS? YOU…YOU TOOK MY EVERYTHING! My other-realm, MY SOULJAM!"

Pure Vanilla frowned, retreating his hand..but not faltering in front of the beast.

Deep down, he doubted Shadow Milk really regretted any of his actions. That was certain. The way he boasted and congratulated himself for his victories, how prideful it made him..deception never really left this cookie, but meaning surely did. This scene before him was…sad, dare he say even pitiful.

However, it wasn't his turn to talk just yet.

That cookie of deceit, depowered and weak, had only paused to catch his breath. In fact, he still had the energy for more crude, unfiltered jabs at his successor.

He grit his teeth, glaring at the ancient in fury.

"And still..you weren't done tormenting me, oh no no no.. You still stole the last bit of freedom I had left! All that was ME ..my POWER, MY STRENGHT!! YOU.. YOU FRAUD!!!"

The sound of his furious yelling and clattering bindings would echo around the room, yet still failed to convey the full extent of the ex-virtue's thrashing. With all of his might, he'd push himself forward twice, as if trying to yank his body right in Pure Vanilla's direction. If he wasn't binded, he'd probably lunge at him.

Pure Vanilla didn't waver, and waited as the beast tried again and again to free himself. To somehow break those chains and get back his seized freedom.

The healer observed as he gradually started to tire out, his wild yanks growing weaker and weaker…until he nearly fell over, fatigued. With his head hanging low, that cookie would tremble and pant in exhaustion. The concept of not having that revoked power, the power to break free with little to no difficulty still appeared alien to the beast. Even from an outsider perspective.

"Once I get it back….you'll wish to have crumbled in my spire."

Despite everything, Shadow Milk still kept stubborn. He forced his head up, to look back at the ancient.

"Mark.

My.

WORDS."

Right after that one final threat, he'd collapse to his knees. In silence, he only kept trembling and breathing heavily. Clearly impaired by the lack of remaining energy to yell at his successor.

The ancient's gaze would soften.

"Stop overexerting yourself, Shadow Milk. You're tired. You'll risk hurting yourself that way."

Without hesitance, Pure Vanilla would step towards the restrained beast. The space between the two of them growing smaller.

He'd glance at him, with a glimpse of sympathy in his eyes..before shaking his head to finally speak the truth. His truth.

"I'm not trying to force you into a friendship, Shadow Milk. We still have our…differences. For the time being, I believe it wouldn't work out. We both, for our own reasons, are not yet ready…. but-"

He'd look away, facing the entrance to that cell. It felt much, much more distant than when he first entered…but he wouldn't care. He was here for a reason, and that reason was to try and talk. To fully understand what caused Shadow Milk's fall. To fully understand why he was so…lost compared to when he'd last seen him.

Just what transpired after he left?

"-- if we could stop this…constant back and forth, even just for a short while then.."

He'd take another step, closing the large gap between them just a little more.

Turning around, Pure Vanilla placed one hand on the bottom of his souljam's brooch. His gaze directed towards the item for a moment…before going back to the chained beast.

"…I could show you a better way. I want to show you a better way. A way that doesn't give short-term glee and satisfaction, or a short-lived escape…but true, long-term fulfillment."

He opened his eyes.

"This is why, back in that spire, I've offered you my friendship."

He'd take another step. Determined.

"We don't have to fight forever, we don't have to clash against eachother. War, revenge…it doesn't bring true happyness."

The beast didn't respond. He didn't, in fact, even try to look at him. And only kept facing the ground troughout his entire speech. His expression? Unreadable..

..until he'd crack a smile..

"…he…ha ha…. hahahaha.. "

Before Pure Vanilla was able to question him, he'd be interrupted by a burst of laughter.

".. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!! YOU HYPOCRITE!"

Shadow Milk would lift his head back up, still on his knees, and now with the word amusement plastered on his face. He'd keep giggling uncontrollably, driven to the point of tears by the sheer hilarity of what he'd just heard.

As he'd recollect himself, the jester would manage to wipe a tear with one of his restrained hands. A newfound grin plastered on his face.

"Do you really think anyone would believe you? If revenge brings "nothing but emptiness" …then I wouldn't even BE here! In fact, I wasn't even doing anything wrong!"

Pure Vanilla would narrow his eyes and shake his head. No, he didn't share the same sentiment.

"You've still harmed cookies, and that brings consequences. Even with understanding, those actions aren't justified."

The ancient spoke from his heart..yet the beast didn't seem to care, as per usual.

His smile dropped a little, and he'd glare at the healer.

If anything, all he seemed interested in doing was wearing down his will. And so, he'd make another attempt to do just that.

"Deep down, I know what you are. I can tell how much fear my mere presence instills in you, it is glaringly obvious! I bet you even have.. GASP n-n-n-n-nightmares? Oh you poor, poor thing. Otherwise, why would you sentence me to this?..Justice? Safety? HA! How utterly HILARIOUS."

He'd only keep going, just as his target kept not giving him the reaction he wanted.

"This idea of friendship you have is merely a ploy to get what you want, selfishness masked as selflessness…easy-peasy! Out of everyone, do you really expect me to fall for that? pfft.. HA HA HA HA HA!!

…You truthly are pathetic."

Afterwards, the room would fall in complete and utter silence once more. Both parties stared at eachother, undoubtedly, with no victory or loss. If anything, they'd reached not a conclusion..but rather a stalemate.

Pure Vanilla took the next move.

"…very well then."

Shadow Milk would jerk back, confused.

"what?"

He'd move backwards a bit, giving the weakened beast some space before taking on a more formal demeanor.

"I'm here to tell you something else. Other cookies refused to come…so I've volunteered to do so instead."

He'd move a hand on his mouth, clearing his throat before continuing.

"Tomorrow, you will be allowed outside…that is, without magic and under supervision, to ensure no one is hurt. These are the terms decided by the council."

Having informed that cookie, his duty was done, and Pure Vanilla would turn to start walking back towards the cell door. He'd gently open it, a soft creaking echoing trough the room.

Before leaving, he looked back at Shadow Milk for one last time.

"..if you want to change your mind one day, my offer still stands."

He recieved only a scoff...and a possible warning in response.

"Tch, you're just being delusional."

Of course, he'd expect the beast to still refuse his proposal. It was, arguably, predictable…but he woudn't give up just yet.

He gave him one small smile before closing the door behind him.

"..goodnight."

[comatosebunny09]

“He would never say that.”

It’s fanfiction.

“He would never do that.”

It’s fanfiction.

“I can’t stand when people write him as—”

Fanfiction.

“Can y’all please stop mischaracterizing—”

Altogether, now: fanfiction.

[prismaticpichu]

Just a few hours ago, I received a comment on a fic that nearly brought me to tears <,333 I am dying now to pass some of that love on!!

*clears throat*

~

GET BLASTED WITH RECENT FIC RECS 💖💖💖💖

@quinhwyvar your fic Fragments is a gem!!! 😭😭😭 Every one of those chapters is packed with such raw, gut-destroying FEELS, and the way you capture such a wide spectrum of emotions is beyond masterful!!! <333 Every AU is so incredibly creative, and the shifting perspectives was such a wonderful, poetic way to show how the love is mutual!! They LOVE each other, your honor, and this fic is one of the most beautiful representations of their bond and tragedy!! As a Zack & Seph obsessor, this fic was absolutely candy to my soul!!! Ty for gifting my (and many others!) Saturdays!! 💙💙*

@dyradoodles I know you have absolutely zero idea that I adore your fic Starstruck to no end, but do know that it’s an instant x100000 to my Sunday whenever it updates!!! Your dedication to detail, characterization, pacing, and FEELS is so freakin’ admirable!! There truly are few fic authors out there as beautifully meticulous and crafty as you are, and that passion is so so so clear in every chapter!!! Zack & Seph are once again such a delight to see, and the canon divergences strike a wonderful balance between staying true to their roots while making so much sense in the process!! I truly cannot thank you enough for crafting the CC of my dreams!! 💖💖💖

@rosy-crow plz know that I was knocked to the floor in delicious, delicious PAIN after reading your gorgeous fic Binary Stars!!! Not only is the prose and rhythm absolutely stellar, but the EMOTION packed in is gut-wrenching!! <,333 You do such a phenomenal job crafting Genesis & Sephiroth’s relationship, filling it with so much depth and soul, and then proceeding to masterfully write it degrading over time ;-; ;-; The guilt and regret Sephiroth feels is beyond palpable, and so is the heart that went into this fic!! Ty for such a treasure!! 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

@yingxtkm I would wait 3,000 years to experience the FEELS of I’ll give you more than words again!!!! The emotions in this are so beyond powerful, and I’m on the verge of crying with every tear that Sephiroth sheds ;-; ;-; ;-; Every characters’ reaction to seeing him return is so beautifully done, and you do such a fantastic job making their hesitance to trust Seph both believable and heart-shredding!!! ;-; ;-; ;-; The angst is REAL, and I feel it with every poetic sentence!!! Thank you for creating such a unique, powerful, outstanding Safer!Seph fic!!!! You truly are a trailblazer of the sane!Safer gang!! (And you pulled me right on board!!!) 🪽🪽🪽

~

I’m so sorry the list is so short!!! I’ve been slacking on my reading lmaooo, so plz know that there are so many wonderful authors out there who add their own gems into this fandom!!! (looking at YOU @altocat, @errantnight, @lucky-ladybugs-lovelies, @salternateunreality2, on top of so many others!!!)

~

Ty for making this fandom bigger, brighter, and better with all y’all’s magic!!! Each of us has a unique voice and perspective to contribute, and it’s beyond a pleasure to be among such creative souls!!! Keep rocking on, FF7 freindos!!! 🗡️ 💚☄️

[arsenicflame]

steddyhands modern au inspired by this post:

(1828 words, themes of kink but nothing explicit, established blackhands & gentlebeard-centric. Happy Pride!)

Stede picks up leatherworking in the wake of his divorce. He's not exactly sure how it ended up being such an important hobby for him, only that he had always admired the intricate designs on his horse's best bridles, and with little else to do with his time, he decides to give it a go.

It's rocky going at first, but he's having fun working with his hands for the first time in his life, and there's a sense of satisfaction in seeing the design come to life as he works. With practice, his skills improve, and he learns how to make things that are truly one of a kind.

He starts off posting his pieces online, as a way to reach fellow enthusiasts, but quickly finds himself with a rather large audience. Stede’s style is unique, and, after many requests from his followers, Lucius encourages him to make some more basic pieces he can sell. It's not about making money for Stede, but another way to meet new people who share his interests- as Lucius keeps telling him, it's sad that his personal assistant is the main person he talks to these days. 

So Stede sets out on a new adventure, and has quite the time designing a new range of patterns for the market. He makes purses, belts, bracelets, and, most importantly, dog collars- all still with his unique designs embossed into them, of course. He rents a booth at his towns monthly craft fair, and very quickly finds himself with a new group of friends in the other regulars- Pete, his usual neighbour, who sells an array of wooden figures he carves, Roach, who runs a stand for his bakery, and Frenchie, who isn't actually a stallholder, but is almost always busking near his friend Wee John’s stand of knitted goods, bringing life to the market even in the pouring rain. There's also Buttons, another regular at the market. Nobody is exactly sure what he does there- he doesn't sell things, or seem to buy anything either, but rain or shine, he's there with the birds.

Stede’s been doing this a few months by the time June rolls around. As he's setting up his stand, he notices that the area is much busier than it’d normally be at this time of morning. Lucius, who got roped into helping run Stede’s stall somewhere down the line (despite his protests that this is not what personal assistant means… But hey, he got a boyfriend out of it, at least), reminds him that there's the parade today, too- not realising that Stede had no clue there was a parade today, and especially not that it was pride. Stede immediately jumps to fretting about the amount of stock he’s brought, and Lucius takes the cue to escape, saying he’ll go and grab them coffee (but really, he's off to flirt with Pete)

Lucius is still missing when Ed stumbles across the little leather stall. Stede’s just ran back to his car to fetch his last boxes of inventory, and by the time he returns, Ed’s already begun to narrow down his choices. Stede greets him, starting to tell him that they're not actually open yet, but before he gets more than a couple of words out, Ed’s exclaiming “You're a Kiwi!!!”

The two of them smile at the shared recognition, and Stede says he’ll make an exception, just for Ed, and asks him what exactly he was interested in. Ed tells him that he's looking for a collar “for his boy”, and points out the particular design he was looking at. It happens to be one of Stede’s favourites from this latest run of work, a fact he mentions to Ed. It leads them into a discussion about Stede’s craft, and Ed’s Izzy, and then everything in between. Ed’s listening intently to the things Stede’s telling him, completely drawn in by the process, and by Stede himself. He watches as Stede stamps Izzy's name into the collar, and Stede even lets him have a go at one of the stamps. 

Lucius reappears sometime in the middle of this- only to immediately retreat again, seeing Stede engrossed with Ed. He sets up camp at Pete's booth opposite, watching this man flirt intensely with his boss- and Stede flirt back just as hard. Does Stede even realise he’s doing it? Lucius had known Stede was gay since before Stede even admitted it to himself, but this is on a whole other level.

The pair stand there so long that Izzy comes to look for Ed- the two of them are manning a float on the parade with their crew, and it's past time for them to get geared up. He's already worked up, frustrated to have been left to set up everything alone, when Ed had just gone to see if he could get them both coffee. So maybe he's a bit of a prick, approaching with a brash “where the fuck have you been, Edward”, to which Stede brings the same energy, giving a bitchy “Ed! Do you know this guy?” Izzy tenses, ready to snap, but then Ed cuts in, excitedly telling Stede that this is “his Izzy!” Which confuses the hell out of Stede. 

Forgetting his earlier attitude, he asks Ed if he “really named his dog after his friend”, only to be met with confusion right back from Ed at where the hell Stede got the idea he had a dog from. Stede gestures at the bag with the collar in it, to which Ed has to tell him, “oh, no, that's for him.” Ed tells Stede that they're here to run a float for their local leather society, and while Stede is certainly shocked by what Ed’s saying, he's not finding himself… uninterested. It's simply that he’s never even considered any of this before, especially not that people would use the things that he made for this, but Ed sounds so enthusiastic about it all. He tells him about how his friends would love to see Stede’s work, about how classic leather gear is always so fucking boring- but not Stede’s stuff, no, Stede’s stuff is “fresh” and “fascinating” and unlike anything Ed’s ever seen before. 

Ed's enthusiasm is incredibly infectious, so when he invites Stede to come back to see their float, he readily agrees. It’s a concept Izzy’s less than enthusiastic about. He doesn’t really want to bring this man who’s dressed like he just walked out of a HOA board meeting to their kinky little corner of the world, but he is having a lot of fun watching Stede squirm, so decides not to raise a protest. He does demand he gets his long-overdue coffee first, though (Stede pays for it- as “compensation for him distracting Ed from his job”, he says, not giving Izzy a second to process before he's tapping his card)

By the time they return to the float, Fang, Ivan & Jim are waiting for them, all already geared up. Stede is stunned silent at the sight for about 5 seconds, before he starts actually looking at the quality of Jim’s harness, and proceeds to go off about the poor quality of the craftsmanship, about how the hardware is tacky and completely the wrong choice with this leather, how his “ten year old daughter could do a better job!!!” 

There's complete silence from the group, until Izzy, of all people, bursts into laughter at Stede’s audacity (and, the fact he was staring at Jim's tits completely unabashedly, like he hadn't even noticed them in the first place). Izzy's laughter sets Ed off as he tells the group about Stede’s misunderstanding- “you didn't say he was a person!” “I mean, he's my dog”- and soon everyone's having a friendly giggle at Stede’s mistake.

It's somewhere in the middle of the retelling that Ed remembers that this whole thing happened because he was buying Izzy a gift. After a moments fumbling, he presents Izzy with the collar-  It's a rich, deep black, embossed with a rolling pattern that resembles waves. It’s made from a firm enough leather to take the tooling, and to remind Izzy that he’s owned while he’s wearing it, yet still soft enough for long term comfort. Izzy's eyes immediately lock on to it, an unreadable expression coming over his face, and Ed turns it; first so he can really see the design and Izzy’s name embossed into it, and then so he can see the small “Ed ♥” on the inside of the collar, right over his swallow tattoo. 

“I did the heart,” Ed says to him softly, intended only for Izzy’s ears. Izzy's eyes flick up to Ed’s, and he raises his chin to give Ed the room to put it on. Ed buckles the collar around his neck almost reverently, a test of the tightness turning into a caress of Izzy's neck. It's a perfect fit.

It's as though something comes over Izzy; so twitchy and abrasive earlier, now silent, staring at Ed with a look akin to worship in his eyes. He obediently tilts his head for a kiss as Ed's fingers move to his chin- It's a sight to behold, and one that has Stede intrigued. He wants to know more about this lifestyle, and these men in particular. He wants to be the one to put that expression on Izzy's face.

The moment breaks as Ed and Izzy pull apart, and Ed calls for the crew to finish the last bits of set up. Izzy shakes himself a little before running off to bark orders again, but even still, there remains a softness to him that wasn't there before. 

Ed turns back to Stede with an apologetic smile, already obvious that he has to get going. Before he can speak, however, Stede jumps in -“My business numbers on the card in the box… I'll be around all day”- Ed’s smile turns more genuine at that, promising to stop by if he gets a moment, and that he’ll send his friend's Stede’s way- “if he wants that kind of business.” Stede says that he does, actually- that he's seen a whole new world already today, and, while he was a little taken aback at first, he can feel the passion Ed and his friends have for this life. If there's one thing that's ever mattered to Stede, it's other people's enthusiasm. Maybe he doesn't completely understand yet, but he would like to try.

One year later, Stede’s back at the market on pride weekend again, far better stocked for the crowds this time around. Lucius is finally free to spend the day flirting with Fang & Pete to his heart's content, now that Stede’s roped his own boyfriends into helping him run the stall- and into modelling the merchandise. Ed loves that part, while Izzy needs a lot more convincing, but the puppy eyes Stede & Ed weaponise against him make a very good argument.

[rotting-inkblot]

I wanna write a stalker!barry or stalker!rafe fic and i cant decide which one i want lol- do i wanna write stalker!barry following after Rafe and being my fav horny bastard creep, or do i wanna write stalker!rafe watching Sofia through cameras and tapping her phone to watch her screen activity? decisions decisions.

[mechazushi]

Insane Dad Lore (Part One) [ A Kn8 Short Story]

[Head's Up!] So this is going to hopefully be a part of a series. The plan is that I'm going to make several "Short" stories {length to be determined} That are all about this pervasive idea I have centered around the idea that Kafka went on a soul-searching journey through Germany after a series of unfortunate events. Some of this (down the road) will not line up with established canon (mainly parts pertaining to his family) and I'd just thought I would let ya'll know. I have more personal details after the fic.

♩♪♩♬ ♬♩♪♩

It's safe to say that having the ability to turn into a Kaiju is enough to make anyone interesting. But when that's the only thing you know about a guy, suddenly discovering anything unrelated seems to make him a lot more fascinating than before. Even more so when you've only known him for three weeks and you're starting a new job together. The first and most subtle discovery Reno and Iharu found about Kafka was during their third day as Defense Force officers. They had just finished a long day of training and had hit the bathhouse showers before bed

Reno had undressed the fastest and booked it for the shower counters so he could wash the spilled energy drink out of his hair. Between that and the sweaty sheen he had developed, he just felt all around uncomfortable. Kafka and Iharu had wrapped towels around their waists and casually trailed in some time shortly, engaged in quiet conversation. The two of them tossed their shower supplies onto the counter and pulled up their own squat plastic chair with Kafka sitting in between the two juniors. Kafka had to took twice as he saw just how hard Reno was scrubbing away at his hair.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

"He's fine. Someone dropped their energy drink out of a second floor window and it hit him in the head." Iharu answered for Reno as he dug out a bottle of shampoo.

"Damn, sounds like that sucked." Kafka offered some simple platitude and he dug out an old plastic gum container filled with q-tips instead.

"I... have smelled nothing... but grape powder... all day!" Reno growled in between bouts of vigorous scrubbing.

"What, you gotta problem with grape flavor?" Kafka chuffed as he wet the tips of the q-tip.

"Have you seen my hair? I don't know if it's ever..." Reno wanted to continue his tirade about what the cursed drink did to his snow blond locks, but was cut short by the sight of Kafka bringing the q-tip to his nose.

"What are you...?" Reno began to question, only to suddenly choke down a sickening retch as he watched Kafka practically thread the q-tip through the septum in his nose.

"What was tha-AAH! WITCH DOCTOR!" Iharu shouted as he turned and was confronted with the same sight.

"What has gotten into the two of you?" Kafka interrogated as he swiveled to look at them, leaving the q-tip suspended in his nose.

"Y-y-y-your n-nose!" Reno stuttered, pointed finger quaking at the sight.

"Oh, this?" Kafka pointed to the unusual sight, "Old nose ring piercing." He didn't expand upon as he went back to sliding the cotton tipped instrument back and forth through the hole.

"YOU HAVE A NOSE RING?" Iharu shouted once he recovered from the shock.

"Had being the better term here. I had to drop the look if I was to land my job with the Monster Sweepers. They considered it a possible safety hazard." Kafka explained as he pulled the stick out and fiercely rubbed at his nose.

"Do you still have the ring?" Reno asked, morbid curiosity getting the better of him.

"Unfortunately, no." Kafka said with a heartbroken sigh, "Lost it down a mall bathroom sink."

"Then how do you still have the hole?" Iharu questioned, joining in on the perverse inquiries.

"From what I've heard, once it's fully healed you don't tend to lose 'em. Still gotta make sure there isn't anything stuck in there though." Kafka continued to answer as he started to look through the rest of his shower supplies.

"Do you have any others?" Reno quickly fired back.

"God, ya'll are just full of questions tonight." Kafka used to answer, hoping it would encourage them to find something else to talk about.

A short period of time passed before Iharu spoke back up as he noticed Kafka didn't answer the question, "Well... do you?"

Kafka sighed heavily before he answered, "I had almost twenty by the time I had to give them all up. Outside of my nose ring, I'm pretty sure most of the holes are completely closed up."

"TWENTY?" Now it was Reno's turn to shout incredulously.

"Wow, I hadn't pegged you as the metal head type." Iharu voiced openly.

"Are you kidding? I was more than a Metal Head." Kafka chuckled cryptically, "I was a Heavy Metal Head." He giggled eerily as he turned to Iharu and wiggled his fingers creepily, making him laugh.

"I'm sure you had a Heavy Head at least with all those piercings, Sir." Reno teased under his breath.

He wasn't nearly as quiet as he should have been with it since Kafka very clearly still heard him. Before Kafka could return fire, Iharu popped another question.

"So what type of piercings did you have?"

"Uhh, let's see..." Kafka said as he scratched his chin, " I had three rings in the right ear, three studs in the left, the nose ring, nose bridge cuff, a snake bite set, an eyebrow stud, dimple studs- got rid of those pretty quickly, a belly button..." Kafka trailed off, almost lost in thought before his eyes snapped open in shock.

"Uhh, yeah, I think that's the list. The whole list, nothing else." Kafka finished as a miniscule bead of sweat trailed down his temple.

Iharu's eyes flickered around in thought before they landed back on Kafka with confusion, "That's fourteen piercings."

"So? Fourteen is close to twenty." Kafka countered, still looking somewhat nervous.

"Then why not say fifteen? That's a lot more reasonable than saying close to twenty" Reno argued as he shrugged.

"Yeah. Saying Twenty to mean fourteen is a little misleading. There's a lot more numbers between fourteen and twenty than fifteen." Iharu supported his friend's argument as he drew out the problem on the mirror in front of them with a bar of soap.

"Are you sure you're not forgetting some?" Reno questioned as he squinted at his older friend suspiciously.

"So I miscalculated! You don't have to drag me over a bed of coals about it.'" Kafka threw his hands up on either side of his head as he got up from his seat to make it clear that was the end of it. The two of them watched as he walked out toward the hot bath in the other room and turned the corner.

"He doesn't miscalculate. I've seen that man do accurate inventory reports without even stepping into the storage room." Reno murmured as his eyes flickered back to Iharu.

"You don't think he had some... embarrassing ones, do you?" Iharu sneered scandalously right back.

"What piercing could be embarrassing?" Reno asked as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair.

"Nipple rings for starters." Iharu quietly chuckled out.

Hearing this, Reno visibly shivered, "You know, that's a good point. I feel better not knowing now."

"I don't." Iharu replied, "He's definitely got more than he's letting on and I wanna know the full extent." He rushed to catch up with Reno in scrubbing himself down before they could join the others in the on-site onsen. Finishing and getting up from their spots, they walked over to the other room to join the others in the massive bath.

"I'm serious, you can tell a lot about a person by what they would willingly get pierced. Like, who knows what Kafka was like in his twenties? What do you think would be the line he wouldn't draw back then?" Iharu continued to comment on the idea as he followed Reno out of the room.

"I get your point, but knowing him as he is now, I sincerely think he wouldn't have gotten anything below the belt." Reno challenged as his attention was focused on his friend.

"You'd be surprised-" Iharu replied before his head snapped forward to see the awkward spectacle before them.

On the way to the bath, it appeared that Kafka had been sidelined with an interaction with their Vice Captain. It wouldn't have been an unusual sight had it not been for the fact that for One) It had looked like Kafka's towel had fallen off of his waist and was now desperately clutching it in front of his privates, and Two) Soshiro Hoshina was caught in the compromising position that was kneeling right in front of where Kafka was death-gripping the towel. Aoi and Haruichi were standing off to the side witnessing the event. Aoi was as stone faced as ever, but Haruichi was clearly holding back the urge to burst into laughter.

"Whoa, whOA, WHOA! WHAT THE HELL?" Iharu shouted as he intruded onto the situation.

"This isn't what it looks like!" A very red-faced Kafka called out from his place against a side wall.

He had braced a hand against the painted brick wall to support himself from falling over. If anyone other than Reno had any previous knowledge as to what Kafka was hiding inside himself, they would have noticed the spidery cracks spreading out from his hand-print on the wall. A distracted Hoshina whipped his head around to view the intruders behind him.

"Oi! Reno, Iharu, did you know Comedy Relief here has a tattoo?" Hoshina declared as he jabbed his thumb at it, pivoting to the side a little to show it off better.

"I wasn't ready to talk about it just yet!" Kafka squeakily snarled through gritted teeth, not trusting himself to move.

"I don't see why not? It's a beautiful piece." Hoshina countered as he turned back to look at it some more.

"He's not going to get kicked out for that, is he?" Reno asked as he quickly moved over to where everyone was standing.

Getting closer, the two of them got a better look at what their Vice Captain was looking at. What initially looked to be an ornately decorated Oni Mask tattoo became more and more interesting the longer they looked at it. The first notable thing was the horns. Instead of being curved, they pointed straight out and had stair-stepped protruding lines running from their points all the way down. The eyes looked like complicated stained glass windows and its mouth had a wooden door and crumbling pillars acting as its tusks and teeth. Its ears had church bells for earrings and arch-buttresses protruding out over its rounded cheeks, decorated with tiny gargoyles.

"Oh, please. A large portion of the JAKDF is powered by rebels. We would be alienating over half of our strongest members if we didn't allow a little self expression." Hoshina assured as he tiled his head side to side, still staring at the art on Kafka's upper thigh, "Did you ever say where you got this done? I'd love to meet the artist."

"I, uh, got it while on a backpacking trip through Germany. I chatted up this girl I met at a rock concert and managed to sweet talk myself into a discounted piece." Kafka answered as he pursed his lips.

"Huh." Hoshina mused, "Out of the question to ask you to remember her name, I take it?"

"Definitely. She made me delete her number after she caught me flirting with her brother." Kafka answered as his eyes flickered briefly of shame from the memory.

While they talked, Iharu had saddled up to Aoi and Haruichi to inquire what was going on.

"What the hell happened?" Iharu started as he crossed his arms casually.

"So I saw Kafka walk out from the showers, yeah?" Haruichi whispered as he fought back a bout of giggles, "And I thought, "Hey, lets haze the Creepy Shinomiya Fanboy a little." I just wanted to steal his towel and snap it at him! I genuinely didn't know that the Vice Captain would walk in at the same time!" He shoulders continued to shake as the look in his eyes went a little crazed.

"And I don't think anyone would have expected the old guy to have a tattoo, nor the fact that Hoshina seems very interested in body art." Aoi noted in an even tone.

"Such a shame. I've felt inspired lately and I like the work done here." Hoshina smirked as a hand came up to the cheeks of the oni mask design and pinched them together a few times, "It's quite the expressive work."

Kafka's body immediately tensed at the sensation and caused more subtle cracks to appear on the wall. His entire face and chest flushed to an even deeper shade of red. Reno felt his heart sunk into his stomach out of surprise at the sight. Iharu's jaw dropped and Haruichi had to turn away before he completely lost control of his face.

"Well, make sure to be safe out there then." Hoshina sighed as he rose up from his knees, "I'd hate to see such a wonderful work of art get ruined." He turned on his heels and walked back out of the bathhouse automated doors.

"Take care." He concluded as he walked away, lazily waving goodbye.

Kafka had to take several deep breaths before the atmosphere returned to the room. Haruichi finally let out the roaring laughter he had been holding in the entire time, falling to his knees and flopping onto his side while holding his ribs. Aoi just shook his head.

"She caught you flirting with her brother?" Haruchi practically screeched as he tried to suck in some air into his abused lungs.

"Cut me some slack! He worked at a completely different tattoo shop!" Kafka shouted back as he tried to regain some semblance of control over himself.

"Why were you at another tattoo shop?" Aoi questioned with a cynical look.

"Probably getting another piercing." Iharu answered for him, "So, which one was it? The nose ring, the half dozen ear piercings, or the nipple studs?" He sarcastically prodded which added on another year to Haruichi's laughing fit.

"It... was actually... the tongue piercing." Kafka gritted out as he pulled the towel back around his waist.

Iharu and Reno immediately looked each other in the eye, pointed at the other and shouted "Fifteen!"

"Excuse me?" Aoi inquired bewilderedly.

"We'll explain later." Reno offered to tide him over.

"And with that ordeal over with, I'm just going to skip the bath and just take a very long, very cold shower." Kafka groaned as he walked away from everyone.

As Iharu and Reno moved over to help Haruichi regain the concept of a regular breathing cycle, the two of them wondered if that was going to be the last they were ever going to hear about this trip through Germany. Nothing could have prepared the Third Division for how much another man's adventure through loss, heartbreak, and consequences would envelop their lives.

♩♪♩♬ ♬♩♪♩

OH! Before I forget: I drew this a long time ago for this particular fic actually. Just pretend that it has hyper-realistic shading like what you would find on grayscale tattoos and a shit-ton more details. (German churches are fucking insane looking) And yeah, Surprise! It's based on German Church Architecture.

♩♪♩♬ ♬♩♪♩

Okay, not to ruin the fun vibes I tried to set up here, but I've gotta talk about a few things. Mainly my future as a writer. (God, I'm already making this sound worse than it is) Less important stuff out of the way first.

Anything involving this Story Line will not be posted to Ao3, yet. I am going to wait until I feel like I have written enough about this and come up with a satisfying conclusion before I shove all this into a multi-chaptered one-off fic over on xXMechanicalDuchessXx at Ao3. That way, it can all be read at one time. I get its part of the culture on Ao3 that you're supposed to be patient and wait for your faves to upload their newest chapter when they feel like it, but that ain't me. So much so, that it'a become a problem for something else.

The other problem is that I've had a few things on my mind. Recently, I posted a smut fic here and onto Ao3 that... well, I wouldn't say it didn't do well, but I'm used to a much warmer reception to when I post my writing. To be fair, it was a smut fic and I recognize that to some it isn't their cup of tea, not to mention that it was about a less recognized pairing. (Which makes no fucking sense to me, it was fucking IhaReno, their shit should be treated way more popular.) But for a few days, it didn't gain any traction on either platform... like, at all. And for a moment I was kind of upset. Like, considered never posting smut here ever again upset. Which, looking back now, might have been an overreaction.

That being said...

YA'LL NEED TO FUCKIN' THANK MY BESTIE @iceclew FOR THE SHIT SHE DOES FOR ME. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE FACT THAT I SPECIFICALLY WAITED FOR HER REVIEW TO COME OUT BEFORE I TALKED ABOUT THIS SHIT, WE WOULD BE HAVING AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW.

(it also helped that I just now saw Ao3 Offical's post here talking about some sort of updating error that was posted around Valentine's day, which was the day I posted... that healed me a little as well.)

Needless to say, I feel like I should update everyone on the status of some WIP's that I've been wanting to work on, and thanks to some soul searching during those days I was patiently awaiting the review, I can now fully explain.

To start with, There were three fics on my mind. This one, another IhaReno fic with a twist, and a KafHoshi fic that has been in an indefinite working hiatus since probably last year. With the somewhat lackluster reception of my latest fic, I had briefly considered that I might have lost my touch with how I write characters. I have been complimented on it and have continued to pride myself with accurate retelling of their characterizations.

My Achille's heel when it comes to doing this, is Reno. Every time I put pen to paper about this man, (Or, I guess I should say fingers-to-keyboard) I can never tell if I'm doing him justice. I find it incredibly hard to strike a good balance of being a cool, collected, and calm-natured soldier with the occasional outbursts of explosive emotions he's prone too when he's in situations he's not sure of himself in. This current fic you have undoubtedly read will be exploring a take I have on Kafka I'm not sure many people would agree with. Not only that, most of it will be featuring this take through the third person perspective of either Iharu, Reno, or both. Needless to say, my faith in myself was briefly shaken. Thank you again Ice for restoring that.

TL:DR, I will be continuing this fic, I shall just give no fucks about it.

The IhaReno fic follows a similar problem. It's A fic written entirely from Reno's point of view, meaning I have to write that story from the standpoint of his internal monologue. Which, as I have just stated, I still don't have the best grasp of the man. The First Person POV I have no problem with, I've worked with it before. Still, that particular fic is probably not going to see daylight for a while yet, but thats where you lot come into play. I would greatly appreciate any helpful commentary on THIS line of fics specifically surrounding how I could write Reno better. This isn't a ploy for compliments, I GENUINELY feel like I can't write him well enough.

This fic will also be doing double duty as well when it comes to the final and biggest matter at hand, the KafHoshi fic. I had gone into that fic thinking it would just take me a couple months, not suddenly devolving into requiring almost Eight full chapters, which is something I had no previous experience with. I have since learned that I do have the capacity to write that much, I just haven't gotten there yet. That is something I have to work for, an entirely alien feeling for me. ( Not in the sense that I've never had to work for something, but that this is the first time I've ever had the desire to.)

It didn't help that I've been wanting to post all "Eight" (HOPEFULLY it stays to eight) chapters all at once, so as to avoid the possible emotional guilt that would haunt all my days should I have became burnt out on the story and not update it for years at a time. However, to accomplish this task, I was restraining myself from posting every other paragraph because I was desperate for the energy I could gain from all the possible praise and comments I could get from doing so. As an alternative, I hope that from working on this fic and posting the chapters piecemeal, I could built the mental fortitude necessary to bring myself to continue what I'm is sure to be My Personal Odyssey.

I'm sure most of you are going to skip this part, but screw you I feel better now.

[nightzspring]

i think it's a crime that we only have 71 tamsand works in ao3 when they have so much potential

[qcomicsy]

I have the controversial opinion that maybe, just maybe we stop wanting to go after people with pitchforks for getting characters wrong and not reading the comics inviting them to easy and accessible ways of and making our own content with comic accurate representation

people might feel less anxious about starting comics and misinformation won't spread as easily

[actualaster]

Fandom has an unhealthy obsession with length.

Seriously, I'm gonna need fandom to start being as passionate and appreciative of shortform fic and non-essay comments as you are of novel fics and essay comments.

Rave about one-shots that are 10k or less, go fuckin' wild talking about the mastery it takes to write a true drabble (exactly 100 words) well, fawn over the skill needed to tell a complete story in few words.

Talk about how a "love it!" comment is the highlight of your day instead of just praising long comments that go into detail on things.

If you can't do any of that, learn to. It's a skill issue and you need to drastically improve yours. Learn to appreciate the shortform and to express that appreciation just as enthusiastically as you appreciate the longform.

[youchangedmedestiel]

I need help from fic writers. Especially long fic writers. I need advice.

How do you write a long fic? What's your process compared to writing short ones? (More questions in the tags below).

[schrodingersjigsaw]

Good god guys. please. I need more house/reader fanfics bLease…

[mangoes-machinery]

thinking about stobotnik... why r they like that.