#too many bunnies not enough writing motivation

[bylightofdawn]

Alright so I have an hour and a half before bed, I need to take a shower and make some food and then...I dunno I'm still struggling with starting something new.

I have this idea for a Tseng/Reeve thing but my gut is telling me this could balloon into a 50K fic easily since there's a bunch of different relationship milemarkers I want to check off. Kinda going from them being fresh babyfaced exec and wet behind the ears Turk getting his first major assignment having to guard the Urban Development team's new genius up through the years leading to the beginning of FF7. I think it's going to require me to replay Remake though. Which...oh no.

I also have a nebulous idea of Barret/Reeve where Reeve meets the team in real life for the first time. I'm debating having Barret punch Reeve and then proclaim they are even. And Reeve being all "Fair enough, I deserve that I suppose" and then Barret proceeds to drag him out for a night of drinking and rabble rousing. Maybe drunken hookups but I also feel like that might be a little too similar to that one Barret/Reeve fic. Under his Skin or something like that. Though that was ultimately a hilarious fake-out and they didn't actually sleep together.

I also want to write a Vincent/Reeve fic but all I have is Reeve thinking Vincent perished during the standoff with Omega at the end of DoC but that's....all I got. Not sure if I want them to have a thing going or if it's going to be one of those self-recriminating "I should have said something sooner and now it's too late" and Vincent pops up eventually being alive after all.

That one is sadly the least defined idea.

[foxyyaoguai]

The antis have been all over my posts in the last few days, so I wanted to share my experiences and write a guide on how to deal with them. 

First off: Our ships and character preferences are valid, no matter how hard some people try to demonize them. We are part of fandom and allowed to post about the things we enjoy, just like everyone else. Our fanfics, fanart, video edits, photo edits, etc. are all works of love and they deserve to exist and be explored by others. 

✨ Strategies for dealing with antis ✨

Don’t engage. I have checked the bios of all the antis that left comments under my posts, and the majority of them are minors. You don’t want to talk to minors in fandom spaces!! And a conversation based on logic or reason won’t be possible either. 

Delete their comments. Tumblr, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube allow you to delete comments, DO IT!! You created something with love and hateful comments have no place underneath it. Even if the comment just makes you uncomfortable and isn’t outright hateful, it is perfectly reasonable to delete it for your own sanity.

Block generously. Not only the people who target you specifically but also anyone who engages in character- or ship-bashing. People who do that for one ship will do it for other ships too and it’s extremely bad fandom etiquette. When you see a character or ship-bashing post, block everyone who liked it and then the poster.

Report people for harassment. The rules vary by site, but especially threats of violence should be reported. Also, if someone follows you to another social media site after you’ve blocked them, that is called block evading and you should report that too. 

When you see other people getting hateful comments underneath their posts, leave a nice comment to offset some of the negativity. Your being supportive can make the difference between this person never posting again and them being motivated to keep going. People are always welcome to send me links to a post that is getting targeted by antis and I’ll like it and leave a nice comment. 🥰

Don’t let the bad comments outshine the positive ones! Every time my post gets enough traction for antis to find it, it also gets lots of lovely reactions. Many people have told me that my content and recommendations made them ship my OTP, and that is the single thing that makes me happier than anything else. Take a screenshot and look at these kinds of comments when you feel down. This is the real reason you should keep posting. 

Most hate comments are exceptionally uncreative. It helps to laugh about it, preferably with a friend. ✨ Remember, you used your energy to create something and you should be proud of it!

When you see a creator you like, but they also display obnoxious behavior towards people who like other ships, characters, or dynamics, at the very least don’t give them a platform by sharing their posts. 

Stay safe. Don’t post personal information online. 

It’s completely valid to step away from social media for some time. Private your accounts, turn off notifications, do a canon reread, read some fanfics in peace. Whatever it takes to remind you why you love the things you love. 

Bonus Tip: Watch videos of cute animals to destress. Bunnies nose-booping each other can (and will) cure anti-induced anxiety. :)

✨ Platforms sorted by least to most toxic and my advice for using them ✨

1. Discord 

Discord is great because you can join servers specifically for your favorite characters and ships. If a server doesn’t already exist, consider setting one up! Pro tip: only invite people that have positively interacted with you in the past. A small server consisting of nice people is a lot more fun than a large server consisting of members that can’t get along or are only marginally interested in the topic. 

Fandom Discord servers have clear guidelines on what you can post. As long as you follow the rules, people have no grounds for calling you out. In my experience, moderators are quick to respond to harassment.  

When you join a server and you see they heavily restrict certain types of content, it is a red flag. Proceed with caution, even if you plan to only talk about “safe” characters and ships. 

2. Tumblr

I have rarely gotten hateful comments on Tumblr, and the few times I did they were easy to delete.  

A lot of the older fandom generations use Tumblr and they are more mature and accepting of all kinds of content.

3. Twitter

Twitter makes it easy to curate your own fandom experience. You can mute words you don’t like to see on your timeline, mute and block users, and most people have their ship preferences in their bio.

4. Instagram

My Instagram posts about Jadecest get a lot of positive interaction, even more than on Twitter. There are unpleasant comments once in a while, but they are easy to delete. 

Blocking a user will delete all their comments from your posts. 

5. YouTube

People who don’t like your ship will downvote your videos and downvotes lead to the algorithm not recommending your videos. 

I have gotten a few negative comments, but they are easy to delete. 

6. Reddit 

When you post in a fandom subreddit, everyone will see the post, independent of their ship preferences. 

There are a lot of minors on Reddit. 

You can’t delete comments.

Most fandom subreddits are poorly moderated. 

7. TikTok

I have gotten the most hate comments on TikTok. They can be filtered or deleted, but antis interacting with your video by leaving hate comments will lead to the algorithm recommending your content to even more antis. It can get very ugly. 

If you post on TikTok consider turning off comments, stitches, and video replies. You can also mark your content as 18+, so it won’t get recommended to minors. (Again, antis tend to be underage.)

Platforms are more toxic the more they show your content to people outside your bubble. Discord, Tumblr, and Twitter keep your content relatively well contained to your circle of friends. Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram heavily promote your content outside your bubble, which is good, because more people are going to see it, but also bad, because it reaches more antis. 

~~~

Antis are loud and obnoxious, but it’s important to remember that they are a minority. Ship and let ship still exists, especially among the people who have been in fandom spaces for more than just a few years. Don’t be afraid to post your content and express your love for your favorite characters and ships! I, for one, would love to see your creations, and many other people would love to see them too. 

What are your experiences and strategies for dealing with antis?

[e-dubbc11]

As I read through the prompts for your sleepover, I fell over "Breathing frosty fog onto a surface and drawing in it." And I couls just imagine Brock's S/O doing this and it would make that big strong man blush 🫠❤️

My lovely Lily,

I do love writing for Rumlow so thank you for sending this in, thank you for being a part of my sleepover and thank you for being such a good and supportive friend to me. Love you lots and I hope you like it.

A Kiss Out in the Cold

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Brock Rumlow x F! Reader

Warnings: Maybe a couple of swear words, Rumlow being his normal brooding self, little jealousy, fluffy bunnies and unicorns

Word Count: 1.1K-ish

Summary: Reader is a realtor, her client is her ex. Brock thinks he has an ulterior motive

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

“He could have gone to any other realtor, ya know that right, doll?” Said Brock, he sounded angry enough to spit nails.

He was talking about your ex coming into your office earlier today, looking to buy a house. Obviously, you weren’t expecting him, of all people.

Without looking up from your paperwork, you said, “Hi there, give me one second and I’ll be riiiiiight with you.”

“Take your time, pretty eyes.” He had said.

You knew that voice but you hadn’t heard it in months.

John was your ex-boyfriend and apparently he was in the market for a new home. He had plenty of money so if you were to find him one, the commission on it would be staggering. D.C. was a very expensive area to live in so you looking at John at that moment was like looking at two life size dollar signs. Nothing more.

“D.C. is full of realtor’s, y/n and he chose your office?” He said. Even on the phone, you could tell he had a sour look on his face. “I don’t like it.”

“You are such a cynic, Rumlow. You know I’m with YOU, right? Ya big dumb animal.” You snapped into the phone.

“I still don’t like it, sweetheart.” Brock stated with bitterness in his voice.

“You’ll like it when I bring home that commission. I have the perfect house in mind for him too. I gotta go, handsome. I’ll see you at home.” You said and hung up.

He’ll get over it.

**********

You hated showing houses in the winter time. Getting in and out of the car, sometimes the homes were vacant so the heat was only on low so the pipes wouldn’t freeze, and the homes with yards didn’t look nearly as nice in the winter as they did in the spring and summer.

For the next few days, you lost count of how many houses you showed to John. He just kept finding new ones to look at, going back to previous ones, finding little things that could easily be fixed but he “wasn’t sure,” or it wasn’t the right neighborhood. Showing him house after house was exhausting.

But you just had to keep thinking about the payout you’d get.

Brock came home and found you in your comfortable clothes, your feet up and a cold towel over your eyes. It had been a long day.

“Well it looks like you had a long day, sweetheart.” Said Brock. Even with a towel over your eyes, you knew he had a slight smirk on his face.

The little lines around his amber colored eyes crinkled when he smiled. You heard Brock set his work bag down and went to the kitchen to grab a beer. You already had a glass of wine that was resting on the coffee table.

“How many houses did you show Ritchie Rich today?” He asked, sarcastically.

Without removing the cloth from your eyes, you replied, “Four.”

“How many do you have to show him before you realize he’s just tryin’ to spend as much time as he possibly can with you so he can get back in your pants?” He asked, after taking a sip of beer.

You removed the cloth from your eyes and sat bolt upright. His wild brown hair looked a lot different than it did this morning; it was slightly messy and fluffy.

“Why do you have to be so crass? How many times do I have to tell you that I’m with YOU, Brock? What do I have to do to convince you?” You asked.

Brock set his beer down, stood up and walked a few paces away from you then turned around. With his hands on his hips, he glared at you, his face was tight with anger, and the early evening sun made his eyes look a lot more golden than usual.

“I don’t like calling your office and your assistant telling me that you’re still out showing houses to captain money bags. I know what he’s trying to do and I just…I just don’t want him to take you away from me.” He said, his raspy voice low and soft.

Brock wasn’t the type to share his feelings so when he actually did, it was always a complete shock to you. It was like pulling teeth to get him to say anything about how he felt about you.

Flustered, you started to say, “You don’t wan—“

Popping up off of the couch, you slipped your shoes on and headed for the front door.

Confused, Brock asked, “Doll, what are ya doin’? You can’t go outside dressed like that, it’s freezing.”

The bitter cold stung your lungs when you stepped outside in your tank top and lounge pants. Goosebumps erupted all over your body as you walked over to the large living room window. With the frame at eye level, you expelled hot air against the cold glass, casting a fog against the window. You began to write something.

“Will you get in here?!!” He shouted.

Violently, you shook your head and continued to write. I…♥️…U. And you quickly kissed the window, leaving a perfect print of your lips against the glass.

He cracked a smile…a big one, which wasn’t easy to do. You thought you saw him mouth the word “Crazy.”

Brock flung open the front door and stuck his head out.

“Get your ass in here! What is the matter with you?!” He yelled, his warm breath visible in the dry cold winter air.

You quickly ran inside and he pulled you into his chest, trying to warm you up. He pinched your chin between his forefinger and thumb, tilted your chin up so you were looking into his eyes, and he inched his face closer until his lips gently touched yours sending flutters to your stomach and a shiver down your spine that wasn’t because of the cold.

“You’re crazy, ya know that?” He husked with a subtle smile.

“No one is gonna take me away from you, Brock. I love you.” You said, raking your fingers through his soft brown hair.

“I love you too, doll.” Whispered Brock.

He kissed you again, harder this time, his tongue tangled with yours as he pulled you in close by the waist. His body heat radiated from underneath his shirt and easily warmed you from the outside clear to your bones.

“You’re sexy when you get a little jealous, Rumlow. You’re sooooooofffftttt for meeeeee.” You taunted him with a devilish smile and a playful tone.

Brock hated being teased like that but he couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Ok, ok…very funny, sweetheart.” He said.

Your tone turned a little more serious. “Alright, I’ll stop…I can get someone else to show John houses if it REALLY bothers you.”

He shook his head and said with a wink,“Nah…go get ‘em, baby. Bring home that paycheck.”

Others that might enjoy: @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @k-marzolf @redstarsandnightmares @nutmeg17 @gijos @randomlittleimp @nekoannie-chan

If I tagged you and you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again. As always, thank you again for reading!

[mothfables]

🍉,🍏, 🍈 for the writer ask game?

🍉 Do you prefer to write short fics or long fics? Multichaptered works or single ones? Why?

shorter fics, i’d say! and i think most of my works are mulitchaptered (or planned to be), so, i guess that answers that? it’s just easier to plan and stay motivated for shorter fics than longer ones, as well as easier to keep the story how i want it to go in my head

🍏 Is there something you overuse, whether it’s a certain phrase, trope, or piece of punctuation?

i’m sure if i looked i’d find something specific, but i’m honestly not entirely sure. i know i love cuddles and fluff and that sort of thing, but i’m not sure if you could qualify any of them as overused (…yet.)

oh! i am constantly trying not to use too many commas in my work, and that’s one of the things i’m consistently editing from draft to draft, making sure there’s not too many or that they make sense

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favourite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

well, i don’t know if you’ve noticed, but….. it’s legend haha (with ravio as a close second). i dunno, something about him just- rubs my brain the right way. i just like him a lot, he’s a silly little guy who doesn’t get to be silly enough (in fics or canon, though we did get some good moments before things got serious again!)

uhhh for favourite headcanons, let’s see… anything with bunny!legend, pink haired legend, violet eyed legend is great. i love writing him as a big softy who tries hard to hide it (but who doesn’t?) he just. he cares So Much but he’s also Been Through so much, you know? he loves people, he loves his friends and his brothers and his family, but he’s also Experienced The Horrors and that’s taken a toll on him! he wants to protect the people around him from that!

also autistic legend, you will forever be true in my heart 💖

[thethirdgenesisbooks]

How to Put Words in Your Book - 5 Tips to Actually Start Writing

There is a problem among a great many writers and aspiring authors: so many of us never actually put any words into a Word document. Some writers will spend years developing a story idea. They’ll think of everything; the world-building, the characters, moving scenes, but never actually sit down to write the story.

Sometimes this comes from a lack of confidence. Writers think, “What if my story isn’t good enough?” These writers need to realize that the only thing worse than a bad story is the story that’s never written at all. For other writers, the reason why they can’t seem to actually get anything written is because while they know where the story has to go, they don’t know how to start. For still others, the problem is simply a matter of motivation.

Here are five tips to help you get your story rolling:

1 - Read the Opening of Someone Else’s Novel.

Sometimes, it can be hard to know what sorts of details to introduce first in your story. Do you start with a physical description of the character? A quote? A scene with characters in peril? Seeing how other authors started off their books can be helpful in this regard. I’d recommend reading the opening of a novel in a different genre from the one you’re writing. That way, you aren’t tempted to borrow too heavily, and can focus on putting out your own material.

2 - Listen to Music.

My wife and I developed this game that we sometimes play that utilizes her skills as a musician and mine as an author. I’ll sit or lie down on the couch with my eyes closed, and she’ll start playing an original, improvised piece of music on the piano. As I listen to the tune, I’ll start to describe a scene that the music brings to mind and tell a short story. Similarly, whenever I sit down to write one of my books, I listen to instrumental music that’s appropriate to the story I’m working on. I recommend that if you choose to use music to inspire your writing, you make sure it has no lyrics, as your writing may start to reflect the words you hear. I also recommend not using music that you associate with a particular scene. For example, when I tried writing while listening to “The Barber of Seville,” all I could see when I closed my eyes was Bugs Bunny shaving Elmer Fudd. You want music into which you can put your own meaning.

3 - If You are Spiritual, Pray or Meditate.

This piece of advice is pretty simple. If you are a spiritual or religious person, then before you write take a moment to stop and either pray or meditate. There’s a reason the Greeks thought goddesses called “muses” inspired art. The right side of the brain is associated with creativity, intuition, and spirituality. So, activate that side of your brain by doing something spiritual. Personally, when I was writing the first novel in my Third Genesis fantasy series, I prayed every time that “words would flow from my fingers to the page.” Most days, I wrote around 3,000 words in that book.

4 - When Stuck, Get Up and Walk.

You’d be surprised what even the tiniest amount of exercise can do for you. Do you have stairs in your home? Walk up and down a few times. Do you have a stationary bike? Ride it a little. Any form of exercise, however small, can get your mind going.

5 - Act Out the Scene.

Do you know your characters well enough to know how they speak to each other, what their goals are, and what they want out of life? Then play pretend for a bit, as you might well have done when you were a child. Improvise the scene, and pretend that you are all of the characters in the scene engaged in a discussion or struggle. You may find that you’re not good at improvising their dialogue, but that’s alright. When you say it out loud, you’ll get a better idea of what’s natural conversation. You’ll also gain some insights into what the characters would or wouldn’t do, based on what they want.

These are just a few things you could try to get the creative juices flowing. All of these have worked well for me. Good luck and happy writing!

[belit0]

Hello!♡

Thank you so much for doing my request! I absolutely loved it! It probably made my day too haha! Your writing is so fun and nice to read, you're just so talented!

I'm honestly very shy about requesting things from people, because I don't want to bother them, but this definitely motivated me to share another idea of mine, which I hope you don't mind!

I'm really into the Yandere x secret Yandere trope, which I honestly don't see enough of and it's a shame! I also really loved the dynamic between Yandere Shisui and Itachi in your fic, which made me have an idea.

So basically, the reader, Shisui and Itachi all growing up together. Shisui and Itachi were always super obsessed with the reader, unaware that the reader fully knew of this and enjoyed the attention. And they were also a Yandere for the two, who just waited for the moment they finally confessed to them, so they can unapologetically keep the boys to themselves. The clan kept them away from eachother maybe as well, but nothing can really stop the two boys once they want something, haha... You can gladly make this nsfw, if you'd like, too!

I'm sorry that this is a long one and hope you don't mind me asking for a request for them again! Thank you once more for doing my previous one too! I love it!<33

(Excuse my English btw! I'm not a native speaker.♡)

- bunni anon

I really appreciate your love and interest, genuinely!

I completely understand the feeling of being a nuisance, but this blog is a safe space for everyone, and you are more than welcome anytime you want to chat or send me a request! Please don't be shy, and make yourself comfortable here!

I would have loved to make this request sooner, but life and work sucked me in. It took longer than usual, but here it is and I hope you like it!

TW: Yandere! Itachi - Yandere! Shisui - Yandere! reader Pairing: Uchiha Itachi / Uchiha Shisui / reader NSFW

You see, the Uchiha are not very good when it comes to demonstrating affection with words, yet they are great with actions. Sometimes, they have a hard time pronouncing an “I love you", but they won't hesitate to burn down cities for their loved ones, to kill as many people as necessary, to destroy lives just to prove their feelings.

They lose their head and minds for the one who dominates their heart, making it their priority for them to be happy, to have everything they need, and to lack nothing. They may not be able to verbalize it or find it difficult to formulate words to explain emotions, but in their behavior, there is no hesitation.

They know what they are doing.

Just as (Y/N) knows what she does.

In this girl's case, she has not one crazy Uchiha, but two. Both ninjas decided to take and share her as the object of their passion, to give her all their sentiments and affection, undivided attention.

The beginning of the end comes when Shisui saves her from some thieves one rainy night. The Uchiha was on guard duty, patrolling dark streets looking for suspicious activity. Police life is much simpler than working fighting ninjas from other nations, and he appreciates the solitude of the evening. Suddenly, he sees a woman walking alone, presumably trying to get home. She tries to shelter from the rain by walking under roofs, and doesn't notice when she is accosted halfway. Two thieves tried to steal her belongings and assault her, but the ninja intervenes quickly, coming out of hiding and reducing the threat in seconds.

The woman thanks him in tears, hugging him and hanging onto his neck as if it were a matter of life and death. Shisui takes a moment to appreciate her closely, and gets fascinated by her beauty. Even soaking wet and with a face swollen with tears, the girl is beautiful. He can feel the shape of her body beneath his hands as he holds her, how her curves mold to his fingers, and then, it hits him.

This girl has to be his.

He took her to the Uchiha police station where Itachi sat, waiting for his best friend to return and continue chatting. His free time between missions became a moment to spend with his cousin, unpressured by schedules, making a habit of visiting him on his night watches and keeping him company.

When Shisui enters with the attacked woman, the two share an immediate look of understanding, and realize they have found their next object of obsession. Used to not being argued with and always getting what they want, both friends worked countless times to achieve their goals.

With (Y/N), however, it was different. The girl seemed uninterested in their advances yet somehow managed to keep them wrapped around her finger.  They tried to approach and conquer her countless times, to win her heart and finally be able to possess her, but she seemed to enjoy seeing them struggle, working for it.

Soon, it became a challenge.

Such became the fixation of both Uchiha, Shisui began to miss his nightly patrols, and Itachi to skip his ANBU missions. Undeterred by their sense of responsibility, their superiors questioned them, not understanding how two shinobi of such caliber could be acting so strangely.

The two would get together to plan, try to understand, and brainstorm ways to obtain her without having to make a fuss. Sure, they could resort to kidnapping, taking and making her disappear forever, but that meant dealing with a lot of cumbersome details. Investigations, explanations to the family, tracing, covering up fingerprints, annoying things they had dealt with countless times in the past.

The puzzle lay in how she always sought them out and needed them, but never accepted their moves.

She would call and ask them to escort her home for the night, but never allowed them to come in and stay with her.

She would call and ask them to keep her company at work, but never agreed to stay with them for a drink later.

She would call them if she heard a strange noise in her place, but never let them stick around to secure the perimeter.

The girl would play with them, and it drove the two ninjas crazy. They had never met anyone who would make things so difficult, who would complicate their strategies and maneuvers, who would resist their advances like that. It made them even more desperate and obsessed, falling into the trap of needing her.

Eventually, their respective bosses had to intervene. Itachi was temporarily suspended from the ANBU for neglecting his responsibilities, and Fugaku forbade them both from approaching the woman if they wanted to continue holding their positions within the clan. Shisui was closely watched by his police colleagues, obeying direct orders from the chief.

Things got annoying and cumbersome, which only gave them more determination to achieve their goal. If people wanted to take her away from them, to get her out of their hands, there would be trouble.

Something (Y/N) enjoyed in a big way.

Knowing the two most powerful Uchiha were eating out of her hands, trying to get under her skirt, to get something from her, made her feel like the most powerful woman in the world. She could whistle, and the two would be at her feet obeying her needs, doing whatever she wanted them to do.

She abused and used this ability to the fullest, enjoying the looks of desire from both men every time she called them for something. They always hoped she would allow them to stay, to come into her bed, to be part of her life in a stable way, but (Y/N) never would.

She loved the frustration on their faces when she asked them to leave, when she told them she didn't need them anymore, and how helpless they were every single time. The girl learned to manage and have them at her beck and call, so much so they would abandon their responsibilities for her.

Yet, at some point, the Uchiha had enough, and decided to put a stop to (Y/N)'s demand. She had gained the upper hand, and it was time to turn it all around.

When she called them again, they were determined to act.

It was late, and (Y/N) was moving her chakra with the signal the three had agreed to use as a call. Both Uchiha were together, and they rushed simultaneously to the scene. The girl was in the middle of the forest and desperately called for them.

When they reached her, they were met with a heartbreaking sight.

She was on the ground, her clothes torn and crying. Anyone who analyzed the situation at first glance would say she had been attacked by someone, but something wasn't right.

Shisui rushed over to her, asking if she was all right, what had happened, demanding answers. As he pulled off his shirt to cover her, Itachi detected the lie.

There were no footsteps in the perimeter other than hers, no sign of other people. No chakra seemed to be nearby, and there were no traces of anyone, either in the trees or on the ground. (Y/N) had no scratches, no cuts, no blood on her skin, and if someone had genuinely ripped her clothes off, they would at least have marked her with their fingernails.

The other Uchiha continued to worry, hugging and holding her as if something had really happened. Itachi merely watched, and when (Y/N) stopped her theatre of lies, he spoke seriously.

"If we're going to keep suffering, you'll have to give us something in return, you know?" The man leaned his back against a tree, serenely crossing his arms over his chest. He narrowed his eyes and glared at her, waiting for a reaction.

"What the fuck, Itachi! How could you say such a thing in this situation?!" Shisui exclaimed in true anger, so mowed down by his feelings he didn't even pause to observe the staged scene.

Some seconds of silence were by, the forest completely calm, while she decided what would be her next move.

(Y/N) began to laugh, and clutched her stomach as a fit of giggles knocked the wind out of her. Itachi looked apprehensive, having caught on to her deception from the beginning, while Shisui watches her in disbelief, not understanding the scenario.

"You genuinely think someone did this to her and didn't leave a single mark on her body or the place? Look around, it's another one of her lies."

"Busted!" she continued to laugh, as if she didn't care one bit about doing such a thing. "Tachi, relax, be a little funnier next time, it's not amusing if you ruin my show from the start. All right! we're done, back to your normal activities, boys!"

Normally, both would listen to her and let her be, but this time she had gone too far. By faking a scene like that, she seemed to be asking them to execute it themselves.

"I'm fucking sick of this (Y/N)!" Shisui pounced on her, trapping her under his body while holding her wrists above her head. "You want to play with us, treat us like your faithful dogs, yet I'm fed up! If you don't give me something in return, I won't continue with this!"

"Yes, you will, even if I don't give you anything, because you love me, don't you? Both of you do. You're as much mine as I am yours, there's no way around it!" She exclaimed with a smirk, laughing in both their faces.

"All right then, time for you to prove it." Itachi moved towards her, quickly working his pants. Shisui caught the hint and readied himself likewise.

If (Y/N) didn't want to cooperate, they would have to do it the hard way.

The long-haired Uchiha knelt at her head, with each of his knees at one side of her face, facing Shisui. He pulled his cock out of his clothes and held it in front of her face.

"You're going to take it all, and let us do what we want with you, just like you've been doing what you want with us." The short-haired man exclaimed as he finished ripping the remaining clothes off of her.

"Well (Y/N), let's see what you've got." Before she could say anything else, Itachi shoved his member into her mouth, reaching the back of her throat without warning. Shisui soon followed in step, spitting his hand and rubbing it over his dick before thrusting it into her.

(Y/N) moaned as best she could from the initial pain, until her pussy produced enough lubrication to accompany the Uchiha. They both worked her holes with abandon and ferocity, drawing out their pent-up need for her.

"Shit (Y/N), if I'd known you felt this way, we would have done it sooner."

"Eat it all, you fucking slut, don't leave anything out."

They destroyed her entrances with heavy thrusts, not letting her catch her breath. Her hands remained restrained above her head, and she could do nothing but take them both at once.

"Come on little slut, bear it like the good little girl you are, show us what you're made of."

"So good baby, it feels so good, shit."

Itachi works her mouth, making her gag with each thrust, leaving a trail of fluids around her lips. His balls crashed against her nose and knocked her out of breath for long seconds. Her eyes lost focus, and she could do no more than endure it.

Shisui was tearing apart her cunt with abandon, pumping in and out over and over again without caring how red her skin got or how much it hurt.

They both finished almost in unison, followed by the difference of a couple of seconds, filling her with their seed.

"This just became your new routine, (Y/N). I hope you enjoy it."

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Your askbox being closed explains why I couldn't send this, I just thought my computer was glitching out 😅 6, 12, and 13 maybe?

I am going to answer the questions from the Fandom Ask Game out of order for reasons that will later become apparent.

12. What's the funniest or craziest AU idea you've ever come up with

TOA - My first instinct is to mention the AU's that start out as dreams, like the Cagemates AU or the de Morgan's Law AU, but despite the full title of the Cagemates AU neither of these AU's have much humor. I suppose some of the AU's I've submitted to the shitpost channel of the Cry Corner discord would count, like

AU where the Reckless Club has an end-of-year pool party at the Tarron house, and all eight of them + Aja and Krel get turned into half-trolls when Merlin chucks a black bath bomb in the pool

Other - Well, I do have an AU where the very formatting of the fic changes when a character goes crazy. Otherwise, I'd have to go with the AU I wrote after having a dream after playing a video game (except, once again, it's depressing instead of truly funny), or my crack fics. However, the only crack that wasn't taken seriously I've written isn't explicitly AU (it was a Harry Potter fic I wrote for my German class).

13. What's a character or ship you haven't written/drawn yet but would like to some day?

TOA - Is it cheating to count book!Claire as this? Because she's a very different character from show!Claire, despite me borrowing her last name to use as show!Claire's name in AU's like my de Morgan's Law AU. If that is cheating, the first ship that comes to mind is Mary/Aja. Technically I've written about them before, but only in the background of a Claire/Darci fic. If that still counts as cheating, then I'm changing my answer to the crossover ship of Zoe/Kali Prasad from Stranger Things. It's a ship I keep requesting when I request crossovers in multifandom exchanges, but ToA fans have such a small presence there that no one has written them before.

Other - I'd like to write Thora/Daine from Khyber Shards as romantic one day. I've written them as platonic a ton, but their relationship is one that I'd be happy with either way, and I have a couple plot bunnies that'd work best with them as a romantic couple. Otherwise, I want to write about the rest of the Blades and Banners PC's, not just Orryn.

6. Show us a bit of a WIP!

Well, the main WIP that has been consuming my thoughts lately is one that I need to keep anonymous, so instead we're going to revisit a WIP that I mentioned back in August and then put aside because 1) I had the final semester of my Master's to focus on and 2) the fic is a lime. 😳 IDK how to write anything above an orange on the citrus scale.

The only reason why I'm sharing it with you is because we're both adults. While the snippet I'm sharing is still SFW, I do not want any minors looking below the cut. (This is the reason why I answered these out of order.)

There were so many papers. Just two days ago, cleaning her desk hadn’t felt like an insurmountable task. She had known it would take a while, and she hadn’t had time to fully clean it, but she didn’t feel a creeping dread when she had stared at the pile of papers before.

Slowly, because it took far too much effort to motivate her arms to move any faster, Thora picked up another piece of paper. As she crumpled it into a ball, the door began to open. Thora had just enough time to cast her mark out to realize it was Arlo before he walked in, awkwardly balancing a sandwich and a glass of water. Thora stood, walked around her desk, and sat on the edge of it while he sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

On one hand, Thora had barely eaten since lunch yesterday. While she knew that something bland would be easier on her stomach, a part of her wanted something stronger. Coffee, because maybe that would actually motivate her. That, or alcohol to drown her sorrows in, even though she didn’t deserve to wallow, not when everyone depended on her.

On the other hand, she couldn’t actually say she was hungry without lying. But to make her lover happier, she took a small bite of the sandwich before setting it down on top of the folder at the corner of her desk.

P.S. yes it's the same WIP as this one

[mdelpin]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thank you @celestialtitania for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Looks like 183, which is pretty nuts considering I remember thinking when I wrote my first fic that I'd probably never do it again. Hahaha, shows what I know.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,233,329 words and hopefully counting, but I haven't written much lately...

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've mostly written for Fairy Tail, but I wrote a few fics for Given.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All Fairy Tail

Gay Does Not Just Mean Happy

The Red Dragon

The Scarf that United Us

Good Intentions

Burst Your Bubble

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

It depends on my mood. While I love comments, sometimes I don't know what to say. I try my best to respond when I can.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm, that would have to be either I Will Keep You Safe or Winter in the Sun. I actually don't have that many, most of my fics have humor or have hopeful/happy endings.

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

Damn, I'm having trouble quantifying that... apparently I lied before. I do mostly hopeful endings. 😆 I guess I'll go with Through the Spyglass because it has a happy ending, and it makes me happy every time I read it.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, mostly on fanfiction.net, though. It was enough to make me delete all my fics on there.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've written some. It's not really my favorite genre, but I'll write it in if it fits the story.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not sure if it counts as crossovers but I've transplanted Natsu and Gray into other worlds. For example, I reimagined the first arc of Rascal Does Not Dream of a Bunny Girl Senpai with Natsu and Gray in Natsu Does Not Dream of a Stripper Senpai. The craziest is probably To Kill A Dragon where I threw in Tiamat from Dungeons and Dragons/Forgotten Realms.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, but I stopped checking years ago.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, two of my Given fics were translated.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Have I? 😆 Yes, back in 2019 I met my writing partner @oryu404 during a Fairy Tail LGBT event I was hosting. We've gone on to create many stories and AUs together. I credit them with bringing back my love for Fairy Tail. I think at last count we've written ~80 fics together?

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

My one true pairing is Natsu and Gray from Fairy Tail. No other ship comes close to what I feel for those two.

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

Oh God, I don't even want to think about WIPs but realistically probably To Save a Dragon because it requires a complete replot and rewrite and I'm not sure if I'll ever be motivated enough.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm not really sure. I think my dialogue is usually decent and I'm fairly good at planning/plotting a story. Also, maybe humor? I think I do that pretty well.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description for sure. I'm not very observant by nature, so it's hard for me to describe places well. It's a work in progress.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I actually don't mind it. English isn't my first language and AO3 has great mechanisms you can use to translate within the story without being too distracting. Although, I did do it once, and I remember people being why's Natsu speaking Spanish? It was pretty funny.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Fairy Tail

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

There are a lot of fics I've written that I love for different reasons, but I guess The Red Dragon would probably be my favorite. I think I managed to include just about everything I wanted for that one and at the end of the day, that's what makes me the happiest.

Thanks again @celestialtitania for thinking of me. It's been a hot minute since I've been on here consistently but it's nice to know I'm still remembered.

Tagging (only if they want to) @aki-natsuko @oryu404 @faery-snow

[heygerald]

Love Mummified : (The Mummy, 1999, plot bunny)

OFC x OMC, plus shenanigans with the rest of our lovable idiots.

I live! Finding motivation to write for the first time in a long time, and of course it would be for an obscure film that has nothing to do with my current blog fixation.

Catherine Irene Sinclair was fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family from New York that had never known a hard winter in their life. The Sinclair family had prominence in the state, having been rich for too many generations to count, and while Catherine ached for a life of adventure, her parents plotted to marry her to the first wealthy bachelor they could find willing to put up with her fiery spirit. For years she endured language courses and classes on etiquette only because of the bond she shared with her twin brother, Carlton. An outcast himself, Carlton spent as much of his time reading as Catherine did riding, and together they dreamed of a world away from the high walled society of the New York socialites that they were trapped in.

Yet, it was on their twenty-second birthday that Carlton announced his surprise engagement to a local debutante who was the epitome of everything he once claimed to hate. At the same time he introduced Catherine to a coworker of his; rich, charming, and precisely what her parents intended for her to marry.

Betrayed, heartbroken, and aching for something more out of her life, Catherine left New York that same night and didn't stop running until she found a place for herself in Cairo managing a local hotel and stable.

All was well until she met one particular traveler who wasn't as clueless as he looked, and though Rick O'Connell always managed to pay her back for all the trouble he brought with him, it seemed that every time he walked through her door he brought more bad luck with him then good.

Particularly one late evening when he introduced her to the silver tongued American cowboy, Louis Abbott, who truly seemed to be more trouble than he was worth. They had served together in the French Foreign Legion a decade earlier apparently, and had found one another again in the middle of an Egyptian prison by sheer luck. Though Rick only spoke highly of his friend, stories shared over laughter and wine, she didn't like him the moment she met him; pompous, flirtatious, and pig-headed he was everything she tried to avoid in a man. Particularly due to the way his lips curled into a smile every time he caught her looking and the gentle way her name fell off of his tongue whenever he teased her.

Yet, despite the feeling that the cowboy was nothing but trouble, Catherine lets the pair rope her into their trip across the desert. It's supposed to be nothing other than a sight seeing tour for the Carnahan siblings, during which Rick promises to pay her back every penny that he owes her.

Of course, Rick didn't mention the likelihood that they would end up bringing a cursed mummy back to life or that she would find herself falling head over heels for his annoyingly charismatic friend that seemed to talk more than he thought.

Then again, she wanted adventure. Surely, this was it.

Faceclaim: Jake Gyllenhaal from the Sister's Brothers (John Morris) as Louis Abbott; Haley Bennet from The Magnificent Seven (Emma Cullen) as Catherine Irene Sinclair.

[tehloserprince]

I was tagged by @santacoppelia - thank you! 🥺🧡

1. were you named after anyone? Michael Jordan, ha ha. No, really, my mom's a huge fan. She's followed his career ever since his UNC days. I love telling people that's how I got my name. For the record, although I have an obligatory fondness for my hometown team and a nostalgic love for the Bulls in their Jordan Era, I'm currently a Bucks fan.

2. when was the last time you cried? It's really difficult for me to cry. It's such a relief at times, tho. I cried a few weeks ago, when I realized my special needs dog was having some epilepsy-related issues. I've mostly accepted that I'll probably never see him with a grey muzzle, but I really hope we can share more time together. There are still so many things I want to show him.

3. do you have kids? Nope. Sorta did, once, but I don't really talk about that much. It was a good experience, and I still love/think about her. But my kids are all the critter variety these days ;) I enjoy hanging out with my friends' kids, but they're all growing up too quickly :/ What even is time

4. what sports do you play/have you played? I never really played anything professionally, but I liked soccer, basketball, and running when I was younger. I got into boxing and Muay Thai when I was a little older, and also did a lot of hiking. Unfortunately I'm crippled, so I'm limited in what I can/should do. I try to go on lots of walks with my pup and swim whenever I can. Sometimes I still wrap my hands and hit the bag, which is fun.

5. do you use sarcasm? No, never. (/s obvs)

6. what's the first thing you notice about people? The way they treat other people - especially the most vulnerable - and animals. Physically, eyes and smile. I'm more impressed by people who can be genuinely kind without ulterior motivation.

7. what's your eye color? Hazel.

8. scary movies or happy endings? Depends on my mood! In terms of scary films, gore feels lazy and boring to me. I need a film to get inside my head in order to be scary. But I'm a sucker for happy endings too, which is a lot of projection on my part, ha ha.

9. any talents? Err. Uh. Writing, I guess? Remembering a lot of random info? Friends are consistently surprised that I'll remember so many little details, especially if it's like ... me surprising them with something they mentioned liking at some point. Funny enough, I'll frequently forget why I walked into a room these days, but I'm glad some parts of my memory still excel! I'm also told that I'm extremely patient, if that counts as a talent.

10. where were you born? Charlotte, NC.

11. what are your hobbies? Writing, reading, watching movies and television shows (mostly with the BFF), random crafts, DIY home improvement stuff (I painted my entire house despite my health worsening over the years and I'm very proud of that), canine behavior/training, and playing video games. I don't have as much time for games, but I still enjoy it. Started a new game of Red Dead Redemption 2 this winter, and I've been spending hours just roaming the land with my horse.

12. do you have any pets? Ha, yes! I do a lot of animal rescue and have some life goals related to that, so hopefully I'll always be surrounded by critters. My beloved dog (Skippyjon) passed away in 2022 (old age and CHF). I had a cockatiel for 21 years - a birthday present when I turned 8. We basically grew up together, and the house is still way too quiet without him. I had other dogs (Smokey and Locke), and a lot of fish. In college, I had an "illegal" hamster, Kai (Kaizoku). He was fat and wonderful. I chose him because he squeezed past his siblings, sat in their food dish, and started shoving food in his mouth. King behavior tbh. I had a rat named Stevie in my late 20s. Currently, I have a deaf special needs dog (Oscar aka Ozzy), a cat that I hand-raised because she was found abandoned shortly after birth (Swayze), and a rabbit (Shasta aka Bad Bunny). At some point, I decided that all my rabbits would be named after soda brands, ha.

13. how tall are you? About 5'10".

14. favorite subject in school? Literature, Spanish, Philosophy, sometimes History, Classical Studies, Art. Anything that wasn't math, because I always struggled with that.

15. dream job? If I could make a living off of writing and spend a lot of my time doing animal rescue, I'd be content. Even if I was wealthy, I'd ultimately pursue a simple, cozy life without a lot of fanfare. I'd love to have more money to invest in animal rescue and local community welfare (kids should always have basic necessities imo). Maybe someday ...

Tagging anyone who feels like doing this! Feel free to reblog or tag me if you wanna let me know that you did it. Thanks, this was fun :3

[onlyswan]

Hiii Art!! How have you been and how's your work/studies whatever it is that you do. Good? Eh? Well mine's kinda on a dry and wet mode rn lol.

Mind if I rant here?

I have 2wk worth of exams coming up and I have no motivation to study. I honestly regret taking up the course im studying for. I mainly took it up because its lucrative and helpful in today's economy. But honestly I should have just pursued 14yo Lyfie's dream to become a nurse. It wouldve been so much more rewarding🥲🥲🥲.

Anyways despite that im just praying my gpa doesnt go down the drain, and im gulity right now because i wasted the whole day doing nothimg even though i told myself to go study. I couldnt do it. I just......well i knew what i was doing was bad but everytime i looked at my notes i felt as if i knew them all, and in the end achieved nothing. Sigh i hate myself for how repetitve this unhealthy cycle has become. Parental pressure isnt helping either. I try ranting and they say its just momentary tiredness and it would go away soon and then further guilt me into wasting time :((((.

Wow that became long. Im so sorry for litterally trauma dumping on you, especially if tou had a long day. It would be the last thing you'd wanna worry about 😂😂😂

Anyways i wanted to ask you about your writing, both as a fellow fic author and as loyal reader of yours. What inspires you to write?

(I.e set time aside to write your fics and even feel motivated to open up that document? I have so many plot bunnies, headcanons and fic ideas, but no matter how enticing, everytime i try opening up my google docs, that burst of excited energy saps away. Urgh its so frustrating!!😠)

And for your fics, we had possible teases of engagement btwn jk and oc and even f2l hopelessly pining jk and oc. So i was wondering will we ever get a confession scene 👀👀👀?

I rmbr when jk ssid somewhr in an interview where he would love to lift his partner up and kiss them and my mind went str to the in which couple lol knowing your writing and since its jk its gonna be so cute cheesy and gonna involve tears 😇.

Funny enough i also know that both oc and jk are heavy on respecting e/o be it space or privacy, and when i heard Twice MISAMO's Do Not Touch song which was about consent and it was potryaed beautifully compared to art masterpeices, it got me thinking about their initial stages of skin ship or how they got comfortable around e/o physically or even their first time. Idk im just so invested in this universe lol 😭😂

Hmmm, but thats it for now. I'll reach out to you soon!!! :D

-Lyf

hiii lyf <3 work is draining and some customers are rude but my co-workers are fun to be with so it’s alright 🥲 uni also started this week and it’s nerve wracking but also soooo exciting !! i’m just gonna need some time to adjust to this new life + schedule 😬

i’m so sorry to hear that beloved :( i’m sure with the given the circumstances that you chose what you thought would be best for you at that time and i think it’s important that you recognize that too !! 🫂 and yesyes studying is so freaking difficult especially when you don’t feel motivated >:( for me personally time management has been pretty helpful. i love schedules ^^ sometimes i do house chores first to get my brain into work mode too and i give myself little rewards during break times (which are sooo important) or after studying hehe like snacks or screen time !! please look after yourself and your health. 🥺

dw i’m mostly fine with you guys ranting about stuff like school !! because same !! but i’m just putting it out there that when it’s abt triggering stuff i have to restrain myself 🥲 i don’t reply to those because it really affects me badly mentally too :(

hmmm when it comes to inspiration to write 🤔 like i said i do love schedules hehe i open a draft every night before bed + in my notes i also save words/phrases/scenarios that pop in my mind throughout the day but couldn’t write yet :D but i don’t really get to write everyday bcs i’m too tired or nothing just comes out. sometimes i only write one sentence or one paragraph then pass out lol. on a good day i finish one scene and maybe start writing the next too !! a jungkook weverse live will always 100% give me a big rush of motivation tho 🤭

and i doooo want to explore the earlier stages of oc and jungkook’s relationship 🥹🥹🥹 i have many many plans !! but i just want them to be perfect so it might take me a while </3 this is still a long journey if y’all are up for it hehe thank you so much for being invested in our little iw universe !! 🥰 it truly means the world to me that i get to enjoy my passion like this :") ilysm lyf 🫂

[chaseyesterdays]

Mahonia and papyrus?

mahonia: what place, thing, activity inspires you most and how do you express yourself when it does?

You know, I see what you mean about these ask games being too subjective. Good lord, how the fuck do I answer this?

Basically what it comes down to for me inspiration-wise is this: I either see something done really right, or really wrong. For example: I went to a production the other night in which some of the actors sang eighties and nineties power ballads in three part harmony. Afterwards, all I wanted to do was sing, because they all blended so well together and I wanted to be a part of that myself. Similarly, I watched some of the less seasoned performers in that show really struggle to find their characters, and all I could think was "Hmm, okay, here's what I would do different and how I would execute that nuance more effectively," and down the mental rabbit hole I went.

Same thing goes for writing too - sometimes I see words woven together so beautifully it creates a visceral reaction in me and I just...desperately want to make something that beautiful or impactful myself. Sometimes I read (or see, thanks to tv and film) something so poorly constructed or just outright bad that I have to try and fix it. I don't even know if this is really answering the question or not, because I don't know if any of this is inspiration so much as it's motivation to create or correct, but that's usually what spurs me into action, so. I guess it works?

(As for what inspires fics... God only knows. Most of those things hit me like a meteor strike in the middle of the most boring fucking banal things you could imagine. If I had a dime for every time a plot bunny caught me in the shower or while I'm working my actual full time job, I...probably wouldn't need the job, to be honest.)

papyrus: if you put your 'on repeat' playlist on shuffle, what's the first song that comes up? what do you like about it/associate it with?

(Under a cut because this is insanely long and also...way more emotional than I intended to be, but I am at the mercy of shuffle here, so.)

I literally just did this and the song it picked is "The View Between Villages (Extended Version)" by Noah Kahan. And that just...fucking wrecks me, to be honest. In the best way, but whoo boy, shuffle is coming for the jugular tonight.

I discovered that song a few days ago (and honestly it's got some verses in it that are very Percy-coded), but when I listened to it for the first time, all I could see is my two best friends' hometown in the mountains. All I could feel is that...bittersweet longing for things you just can't have back. Hiraeth, I think they call it - a homesickness for a home you can never return to, or a home that never existed in the first place. Mine is in those mountains, and I hear it in the most...insane ways in that song.

So, for starters, the first time I visited my closest friend Su in her hometown (six hours away from mine), it was 2014 and all we listened to was the soundtrack for The Fault in Our Stars. M83's song "Wait" was on that soundtrack and I fucking loved it - we listened to it driving at night, when the streetlights smear against the night sky and you can only see by the backlit numbers on the dash, and it was just such an atmospheric song for those summer nights with the windows down and the mountain breeze coming in. I don't know why, but that was one of two or three songs I've come to associate with that place, and I hear them in my head every time I drive back into town.

Cut to a few years later when I'm in the same town, but hanging out with my second best friend. Aly. The one I called "sister" because "friend" never seemed to be enough. We listened to so many of the same songs, and so many memories of the things we did in that exact same place got attached to those songs as a result. They went on my playlists and I would send those playlists to her sometimes - music was such an outlet for us both, and trauma bonding drives people together in some strange, strange ways.

Now, cut to July 2022 when Su and I drive back into town for our sister's funeral. Grief thick in the back of our throats, eyes too glazed over to really see. Some of those same songs are on my sad playlist, because they made me think of her. Made me think of all the places we'd been and things we'd done. Made me miss those things. Made me realize none of us would ever have those things again.

And then fucking Noah Kahan releases a song that's...objectively about his hometown. About the love you have for a place and the desire to just...run from it. Drive away and never look back. Feeling the hold it has on you, the tether that keeps you here, stuck between two places, suspended. "The things that I lost here, the people I knew - they got me surrounded for a mile or two. Left past the graveyard, I'm driving past ghosts; their arms are extended, my eyes start to close. The car's in reverse, I'm gripping the wheel - I'm back between villages, and everything's still." And Jesus Fucking Christ if that isn't everything I feel when I think about Aly's hometown. When I drove back through it for what I knew might be the last time, right past the house she never came home to, past the graveyard where they buried her ashes.

And here's the kicker: it sounds so much like those songs we used to listen to together. There's a huge layered vocal swell that reminds me so much of "Wait." The build from something soft into something huge and loud and impactful is both "Wait" and "All I Want". The vibe and some of the harmonies I add in over the melody line when I sing along make me think of "The Night We Met" in places - the last song I sang for her, the one that autoplayed literally right as I drove by her house for her funeral. And all of that, all of that is mirrored for me in this song.

It makes no sense. It makes perfect sense. And this is way, way more than you asked for, I know. But I've listened to this thing over and over so many times now, and every single time, it just hits me in the face with all of the above.

Will it speak to everyone that way? No, and I would never expect it to. But goddamn if it doesn't hurt just the way I need it to now, driving home alone in my car, windows down and sky night-dark and dashboard lights the only thing to guide my way.

[ajoytobeheld]

the latest from those pesky Los Camp! kids...

March 26th, 2008

Since we missed several festivities since we last wrote it seems appropriate to say happy new year and happy easter, we hope you got as many Lindt bunnies/giant kinder eggs as your heart desired. My parents buggered off to Russia for the week…so I got NOTHING. I’m still angry. And I hate all of you smug chocolate-d to the brim bastards.

OK I think I’ve recovered now so we can actually get on with filling you in on some of the Los Camp shenanigans of late. Since we last rambled several important events have occurred in the lives of Los Campesinos!

In no particular order • We released our debut album “Hold on Now Youngster” to critical acclaim from Glamour Magazine. Sadly they did not throw a free suscription into there 4 out of 5 star review. • We released “Death to Los Campesinos!,” our first “proper” single and it got to number 490 or sumin like that • We got unsuitable prefix’s before our names in a article in NME. For anyone that’s confused by that – Ellen no longer has pink hair…I still have flame hair though, so I’m not bothered. • We met Louis Walsh and Sonia off Eastenders • We made a fanzine and it was pretty. • We went to SXSW and had the best time ever. Officially. • This blog got published in NME again, so therefore Aleks and myself are published journalists. That’s sooo going on the CV.

But to start with we began the year with a jaunt around the UK, Ireland and Europe with our lovely friends the supremely talented Johnny Foreigner (for the first leg anyway) We also got supported by a cast of sometimes younger, more sprightly and infinitely more talented troupes of musicians e.g ultcult and sparky deathcap who made us in awe of them/jealous of there skillz and slightly aroused.

We also did our first live TV performance and got to hang out in a green room, the drinks AND biscuits were free and Louis Walsh told me (Ellen) I looked like Dido. He also kept making reference to me being a Russian hippie. And so far more suitable adjectives are born: “Dido lookalike Ellen and Russian hippie Aleks”.

We started out the tour of course with the Bath Moles type gig which involved some Panther Girl moonlighting from Aleks and our first experience of people knowing the words to the album before it was released (you cheeky people.) Yes, I can now tick ‘being a Panther girl for the night’ off my list of things to do before I die, a lifelong ambition of many I’m sure. Oh and we were gifted our second cherry pie of our band career…keep ‘em coming…please.

We sold out King Tut’s in Glasgow meaning we were given a free bottle of whisky, enough to motivate anyone! This was despite copies of the Stool Pigeon being readily available in the venue – the album got 1/5 (or maybe it was 2, I can’t quite remember but something tells me 2 is a bit too optimistic.) The rest of the tour seemed to also go rather swimmingly with a gig in a rehearsal room/aircraft hanger in Reading, some self indulgent drunken performing in Portsmouth which lead to some livejournal slash fan fiction about Neil and Gareth’s onstage antics.

If we were going to write some fan fiction about these two it would go something like this: “Neil shredded out a fat solo on his guitar whilst making eyes at Gareth who so totally wanted to do him, and they lolled about it before they made out on stage and it was the sexiest thing ever OMG!.” We may release a book.

During the first half of the tour, we had the best tour manager ever. And thinking of his moustache and hat still makes our little hearts swell with love…Dan WE LOVE YOU. We also gained a new merch guy who got more phone numbers from potential lovers on this tour then any of us have ever got in our tiny little lives, so if you think being a rock star gets you the bitches and the ho’s, think again. Merch guy.

We then moseyed on over to Europe where we celebrated the album release day in Amsterdam. We performed a gig (you can watch it somewhere on the www but finishing reading this blog will prob be more satisfying), and were given a bag of easter eggs which has 400 different flavours, see if you can name that many flavours of chocolate….or anything. Go on, I dare you. Which reminds me, over Easter in the paradise that is Birmingham I saw a giant bull made entirely of jelly beans. It’s like the Bullring bull only better coz it’s like edible and colourful and stuff.

Back to business though…We went to Europe and it was chic and europey, and one venue had a large “DO LOS CAMPESINOS!” sign, so obviously our band sluttiness is infamous. That was also the same gig where free condoms where handed out, so we are also some form of aphrodisiac! We played with Kula Shaker in Halden which was nostalgic, and did the Black Sessions in Paris which was a bit of a honour. Tom managed to accidentally offend Antwerp by speaking in French instead of Flemish but we also managed to offend them by being generally rubbish. We saw the beauty of the eiffel tower on a chilly day filled with the colours of the autumn leaves, we slumped against the soft cushions of the back lounge of the bus whilst watching the wonder that is the back to the future trilogy (I can’t believe you just off-handedly mentioned the back to the future thing. That fact does not deserve to be reduced to just part of a sentence, it needs it’s own paragraph or blog. It was one of the biggest achievements of tour for me…) and Aleks, Tom and myself went on Italian MTV and got asked about the music scene in Glasgow.

We also went to SXSW and drank margaritas and sold our souls for various free sunglasses and hair products (well we did) and saw Why? and Fight Like Apes and Times New Viking and they were all amazing, and we once again felt a little bit humbled. I also got to wear my straw hat which was obviously very exciting (and no it doesn’t make me look like a ginger version of Kooky Kooks Luke) and visited the Mecca of Wholefoods coz apparently the chain was established in Austin. Sadly there wasnt much in the way of celeb spotting, except did see a man who looked like Bill Bailey. Aleks saw the NERD and Harriet saw Robyn! Also I tried playing the fun game of how many people were wearing there sunglasses in a inappropriate context, I think it rounded up to 40,000. Me, Ellen and Harriet did an interview where the idea for our side project ‘Periods and Make-up’ was born. Watch. This. Space.

I also celebrated my birthday there in a lovely bar called Coyote Ugly (LIKE THE FILM) where I had to order a drink between two dancing ladies pretending to lez up. Best Birthday Eva! Also I saw bats fly out of a bat cave whilst on a dawsons creek style jetty and I think they were trying to spell out Happy birthday. But I also saw a duck being raped….I dont think that was for my birthday.

This is how excited she got. The duck rape is taking place just out of shot.

We leave you with one of the best comments we’ve eavesdropped this year so far: “I can’t tell if that person’s a tramp or trendy” Aleks and Ellen x.o.x.o

[breathplayed]

4, 6 & 8 💜

below cut to save dashboards!!

(4) what is the plot bunny you've been carrying the longest? ooouuuuhhh..... so many............ So many............ i have full fic outlines from 2017 LOL but the most viable one is a jikook au where they're both vampire hunters + jimin is Turned + jungkook swears to hunt him and be the one to kill him bc it's "what he would have wanted" some good ole lovers to enemies bullshit Once Again. every year since 2018 i've thought it'd be a fun three-part fic i could post for halloween and have never gotten around to it. lately i keep thinking it'd be good for an original novel (hello lesbians <3) but then i would have to actually worldbuild and write well which is daunting......... so back to the drawing board every time...... Maybe Some Day

(6) do you have any kind of consistent writing schedule or just hoping for the best? 💀 i always tell myself i will try to write a little bit every day, and there's been periods where that worked well enough for me, but tbh i write the best and most when i am daydreaming about a fic idea and get batshit possessed and fuel a Fixation. in those moments i am seized by insanity and sit down to write for about 4-6 hours straight in the dead of the night and manage several thousand words in one sitting. the record is 10k for DSD pt1 in like a day, and when i wrote the 90k fic that is WBIO in like 3 weeks off the high of not having any responsibilities in early lockdown (incl almost 20k in one sitting)

So kind of a mix.... When I have more free periods of the year i tell myself *trying* to stick to a schedule is good, like "ok i should go TRY to write at least a little every day, and if it doesn't work and im not feeling it today that's fine" but I can't lie, most of what I put out is the product of a feverish manic haze. Where i daydreamed too hard about a fic idea and accidentally came up with the whole plot and exact dialogue lines and need to bullet point it immediately before I forget it all. I am tormented by visions

(8) what’s your relationship with constructive criticism and feedback like? do you seek it out? how well do you take it? Constructive criticism: not exactly a fan unless I ask for it lol, just bc I think it's kinda rude to offer constructive criticism unless it's asked for? So I already automatically feel a lil cornered. I spent a year as an art major bringing paintings in for concrit sessions, I can take it, but that feels like a facilitated environment where I knew I was opening myself up to hear things so I could improve..... however, I'm not super interested in 'improving' writing beyond naturally improving by doing it.... bc it's just a hobby if that makes sense? I'm also usually super aware of how/where one of my fics is weak (example: i Know my worldbuilding and side characters and settings are not the most fleshed out, that I usually only focus on the main pairing/conflict and let everything else be a cardboard cutout, RIP) and just didn't put the work in to improve it bc I want to have Fun doing this hobby and struggling with fixing weaknesses is not super fun. Yes i am very lazy but it's ok it's fanfiction posted for free not something I'm trying to publish ukno. I'm a perfectionist in other ways! It balances out

Important to note I define constructive criticism as like "it would have been better if you did x instead" and a lot of times in fanfiction that's just people's personal tastes. I do consider everything readers say to me! Like someone said they didn't think the side characters served any point in "folie à trois" and it's just me inserting my faves, I Considered that opinion. There's been times I consider feedback and changed how I continued in a story, like in TLG people said they wanted more Jimin pov/motives and I said hmmm yeah that's valid I'll do more of that. In the aforementioned case for Folie, I considered it and decided (1) no, they're there for jk to see that Everyone is a lil fucked up and (2) it's my fic i can put my kpop girlies in it if i want lol. So sometimes 'concrit' is really just someone saying 'what you wrote wasn't to my personal taste' and not actually anything to do with the quality of the story/plot/style whatever itself.

Feedback overall tho, I do always want to hear from readers!!??! How a story made them feel especially. Tbh , TLDR, I think it really depends on the tone.... My relationship to it is on a case by case basis..... like I'm fine hearing that a character/plot frustrated someone, that they disagree with a character's actions, etc.... because that's Conflict in the story and I think good writing makes the reader Feel something..... it really just depends on what is being offered? if something is obviously mean spirited (which I have gotten) or offering concrit without asking like telling me "btw this would have read better if you didn't write like a possessed failed poet" i'm like ok well i have no plans on improving that. I am down to clarify any points of confusion on a scene/character/etc but I will not be improving. Lol

I hope that makes sense sorry I rambled as always. I took one of my adhd meds for the first time in weeks and now I am tachycardic and overexplaining myself worse than usual. Thank u for the ask <3

[ramblingandwritings]

Chris Redfield NSFT alphabet

My brain finally snapped and I started writing for big boy here. 18+ for filth

A = Aftercare

Chris is a simple man, just laying in bed and talking is enough for him to be happy afterwards but he's sweet enough to always  go grab a rag to help clean you up

If you don't want to stay in bed but can't move then he'll carry you to the couch or bathtub whichever is the better choice

B = Body Part

He hasn't spent years working on his arms to not love them

He's an ass man, absolute ass man. Not even ashamed of it either. In private, he almost alwayd has a hand on your ass or thighs

C = Cum

He prefers cumming inside, nothing else comes anywhere close to how good it feels to him. He presses himself in as deep as possible and holds you in place until he's finished

D = Dirty Secret

He's curious about free use, both using you whenever he pleases and you using him. He'd enjoy it if you'd just get him hard while he's busy and use him for your own pleasure

He's just not sure how to ask for it without it sounding degrading or strange

E = Experience

Not as many as you'd probably figure but enough to have an idea of what he enjoys. He's played with both men and women and has no particular preference for either

F = Favourite Positions

Cowgirl, there is something so erotic to him seeing his partner desperately bounce on his cock trying to cum

G = Goofy

Chris could not stay 100% serious if he tried. Sex is supposed to be fun so some lightheartedness is expected, his sense of humor is usually pretty dry though. It's better that way because otherwise he uses puns and dad jokes

H = Hair

He keeps himself trimmed but he's still hairy. You aren't gonna be able to talk him into fully shaving or waxing

I = Intimacy

Absolutely the sweetest partner. No matter how hard the two of you are going, he's going to be praising you to high heaven. He wants you to know how much he loves you. He's fully yours and he doesn't shy away from letting you know

J = Jack-Off

While in a relationship, he doesn't masturbate too often unless he knows he's gonna be away from home for a long time and won't be able to handle it. If he can he'll send a picture or two of him playing with himself

K = Kink

Frottage, anal, shibari, size kink and roleplay

He's a good rope bunny, mouthy but patient

L = Location

Anywhere private is fair game. Your shared bed is his personal favorite choice, close second is the shower

M = Motivation

It gets him hard to see you in one of his shirts, it's even better if you're casually bent over and he can get a peek of what's under it

N = No

Nothing dangerous, overly disgusting or public. Threesomes are off the table too, he doesn't want to share or be shared

O = Oral

Chris is the king of giving and you don't even have to ask. Giving head is it's own fun for him so please fuck his face

He knows it's hard for most people to suck him off so he doesn't expect it. If you're capable though, he'll be impressed

P = Pace

Depends entirely on the round, the mood he's in and how much hell the BSAA just put him through. Intimate slow sex is lovely but sometimes you just need to have animalistic, rough sex to work off stress

Q = Quickie

Chris is more than fine with a good quick fuck especially if that's all you have time for. They'll never be his favorite though

R = Risk

He's willing to experiment if you're curious about something, within limits

S = Stamina

Oh good lord, prepare to have your ass worn out. He can go until you're tapping out if you want it like that

T = Toy

He has some of his own from before you got together, like a few pocket pussies and cock rings. He's fine expanding the collection of toys if you'd like and he's happy to either use toys on you or let you use them on him

U = Unfair

Chris can be a tease from hell if he really wants to be, but he typically gives what he gets. If you've spent time toying with him then he'll give it back tenfold when you least expect it

V = Volume

Loud, loud, loud. God help your neighbors, they've heard too much and they keep hearing more. He mostly grunts and pants but it's not that hard to make him moan like a whore

W = Wild Card

Enjoys having his chest and back scratched, he doesn't even mind if you make him bleed

X = X-Ray

He's cut, 7 inches hard and is about wrist thick. You have to be a size queen to stay with him

Y = Yearning

About medium-high but it fluctuates due to stress levels. If he's incredibly stressed then he's more interested in smoking than sex

Z = ZZZ

Usually stays awake long enough for some good pillow talk but he fights to make sure you fall asleep before him. He's not certain why he does that but he prefers it that way

[greensaplinggrace]

do you have any darklina fic recs?

I certainly have a few! But first I want to clarify that I don’t really read fic when I’m writing it, and since I have so many fics in the works right now, I haven’t really been reading a lot of fanfiction. So this list probably won’t be as extensive as it could be.

Here are some other great fic recommendation posts, however:

DARKLINA FIC RECS by @vicioux

DARKLINA FIC RECS // part ii by @vicioux

Darklina Ruling the World Together Fic Recs by @clubofthestarlesssaint

Tumblr Ficlets

Aleksander’s First Memory by @kestrafagnor

Fivan Talk About Darklina by @jomiddlemarch

a little light in the great, big dark by @valkyrhys

Alina tells Mal she’s with Aleksander by @lorsanbitch

Darklina week day 5: intimacy & touch by @starlesscne

AO3 Fanfiction

if it ain’t me by larry_hystereks (Incomplete - 10/13 Chapters)

alina’s in her second year at Yale when she meets aleksander at one of his frat parties.

a hookup with the potential for more, only if alina wasn’t still struggling to piece herself together from last year’s breakup.

or: alina, zoya, their trust issues, and the men that fall for them

---

I’m only at about chapter 6 of this fic currently, but so far it’s one of my all time favorite Modern AUs. The characterization for Alina and Aleksander is incredibly well done, and the entire fic itself is so feminist and queer in such a refreshing way. Aleksander and Alina are bisexual as fuck, both with their own separate complex lives, and much of Alina’s own traumas and relationships are explored outside of Aleksander.

There’s some Zoyalina, with Nikolina friendship and endgame Zoyalai. There’s some mystery and some tension, but nothing too extreme, and a lot of the fic is merely an exploration in growth and overcoming one’s history and learning how to move on in healthy ways. I love it.

She Wears a Collar (With My Name) by Ceris_Malfoy (Complete)

She is immortal, and whatever lingering hints of humanity she may have once had have long been bleached from her heart.

I will grant you one wish, boy, if it is in my power to do so. What does a Shadow Smith most want?

"You," he answers.

Written for Darklina Week 2021 - Day 2: Role Reversal

---

This piece is just exquisite. This author’s writing style is one that I particularly enjoy. Their stuff is always so uniquely composed and crafted, and this one especially is a work of art. The way Darklina as a relationship is portrayed in particular is fascinating to me because it’s a role reversal but it’s still so complex. Aleksander’s character is nailed.

the bright sun was extinguish’d by athousandwinds (Complete)

Somewhere, deep in the dark forests of Ravka, a boy grows up on stories of Sankta Alina of the Wastes, the Sun-Scorched Saint.

---

This fic is just straight up magnificent. It’s so engaging and I love love love the way a role reversed Aleksander who joins the army is portrayed. He reminds me so much of Demon in the Woods Aleksander, as if he’s exactly what a grown version of that young boy would be. When I say I adore his characterization in this I’m not lying.

If I wanted any completed fic I’ve read to have a second chapter, it would be this one.

Winter in the Little Palace by redisxwing (Complete)

Written for Yuletide 2020.

Baghra and Alina's wildly different perspectives on the Darkling, and how things could have gone if nobody listened to Baghra.

Warning: Baghra is written as a harsh and arguably abusive parent, and this is darkfic about that relationship, with a side of shipping. Everything is terrible (except the parts that are pretty much okay).

Canon divergence pretty much as soon as Alina gets lessons in summoning.

This fic is likely not compatible with King of Scars (or any subsequent work).

---

As is said in the summary, this one makes Baghra a bit more extreme. If you’re a fan of Baghra, this fic probably isn’t for you. But since I’m not a fan of Baghra, I had no problems with it.

My biggest praise for this fic is in regards to the character interactions and the POVs. There’s a brilliant grasp of unique perspective and how to convey it, and that talent is carried over into the way character interactions are brought to life in the text. Also, there’s a scene where Alina gets kind of protective of the Darkling, which is one of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to Darklina.

Good Ideas by FelixRivers (Complete)

Alina Starkov had a very good idea. Aleksander Morozova would definitely agree. (or: Alina wants to go camping and Aleksander won't complain)

---

This fic is just straight up adorable and hilarious. They’re such a cute couple and Alina’s POV is great. It’s just pure fluff and humor 💕

I’m not a bad girl, but I do bad things with you by SanktaJenya - @sankta-arya (Complete)

Winter had been hard on Old Baghra and Ana Kuya was worried about her, so she decided that Alina should make the trip to her cottage on the other side of the woods to bring her some food and kvas. On her way there, Alina meets a stranger...

Darklina Red Riding Hood/Company of Wolves AU

Darklina Week, Day 4, Fairytales

---

This fic has a splendid grasp of tension and atmosphere. It’s very enchanting and dark and intriguing, and it nails those aspects with absolute precision. I love the style and the way the fairytale is incorporated into the narrative. It’s truly a masterpiece.

The Wretched by @aceofnowhere (Complete)

“We are strangers, but I want to help.” He growls at her, mocking and mistrustful. “I understand,” she said. “You think I am one of them. I certainly look like one of them. But I want to help you. Will you let me?” Prompt: fairytale. Alina saves a dragon.

---

Okay so I’ve mentioned this one before as one of my Top 5 fics of all time and I still stand by that. I can’t even describe why I love this fic so much except that the pacing is amazing and the prose is stunning and the story is beautiful. Aleksander is a dragon and Alina is a witch, and their relationship is just so...interesting and fascinating and lovely. I would literally kill for this fic. There’s such a softness to it as well. Such a tenderness. Idk, I just really love it.

Show Me Who You Are (I Want To Know) by Ceris_Malfoy (Incomplete - 12/?)

Alina takes her future in her own hands and makes her own decisions.

---

This is a great “what if Alina had stuck around after the reveal” rewrite. It doesn’t have Mal bashing and in fact still writes them as close friends, which is something I’m fond of in Darklina fics. Aleksander is allowed to be soft and Alina is allowed to be powerful, and I really enjoyed the take on their dynamics as a power couple wherein Alina is given a lot of control.

There’s something to be said for the way Aleksander is written in the scenes where he must be honest and earnest with Alina. I really enjoy the way they both come to equal ground, and I’m even more fond of the way Alina is allowed to grow darker without losing her light. She also engages a lot with quite a few other characters, developing tons of friendships and alliances on her own that help strengthen her as an individual character.

on this bridge between starshine and clay by @rhea-imagined (Complete)

"His breath narrows for a moment, his fist clenched tight before he forces himself to loosen it. She is his only opportunity for salvation, but vulnerability is not a cape he wears easily. “In those days, there was less prejudice against Shadow Summoners. But everyone fears the dark, in one way or another.” He does not look at her as he waits for the penny to drop, half-hoping it stays suspended in the air."

In which Alexander comes clean to Alina and tells her about his true identity in hopes that this will help convince her to take down the Fold.

A rewrite of the fountain scene in episode four, with a good!Darkling that is trying to make amends.

---

This is my all-time favorite good!Aleksander AU. He’s kept in character despite the major changes made to his motivations, and Alina is given a lot more agency in her own story. It’s the first fic in what might become a series, but it can stand alone beautifully.

I love how Aleksander and Alina’s relationship is allowed to grow tense without breaking, and how it’s a clear sign of change but not abandonment. I love how both characters are able to think for themselves and become self-aware and are given the chance to think critically. I love the character interaction so much because it’s honest and fresh and engaging. Everything from the smallest action to the most off-hand thought is in character and meaningful and incorporated with an amazing style of writing. It’s a very refreshing piece, and the writing only makes it that much better.

Bunnies of a Feather Stitch Together by Ill_Ratte (Complete)

"Just as Alina called to the light, gathering and twisting it into a ball in her hands, the door swung open.

Kirigan blacked out the door frame. His appearance enough would have surprised Alina, but there was something clutched in his arm, something dark and floppy. It almost looked like the stuffed toys that had been passed around to the younger Orphans." - Alina and The Darkling bond over a love of soft things

---

Soft stuffed animal shenanigans. Bits of trans!Aleksander, which I’m very fond of, as well as just a lot of fluff with a bit of something bittersweet and sad in a good way.

Half Lie by Ill_Ratte (Complete)

"Baghra always talked of the demon that had stolen her daughter." Or, Alina learns the hard way that the Darkling isn't the only one who deals in half-truths

---

This one is trans!Aleksander, and it handles it in a very interesting way. It’s quite sad, and deals a lot with Baghra & Aleksander’s relationship through Alina’s POV. I want to give a warning for transphobia, because it does center around that a lot as the premise, but it really is worth the read if that isn’t a trigger for you. This is one of my favorite trans!Aleksander fics, and the way it handles emotion and grief and pain is quite extraordinary.

The CEO and Helioseismologist by mrthology (Complete)

Aleksander Morozova doesn't get sick. He's the CEO of one of the most successful companies in the world, one that he had built from the ground up with blood, sweat, and tears. He exercised daily (usually), maintained a healthy diet, and kept himself fit.

He wasn’t sick.

Too bad no one believed him. And too bad Genya decided to call Ivan to take him home before also calling Alina to take care of him.

Maybe, just maybe, being sick wasn't so bad. Especially not when he has such a wonderful girlfriend.

---

Both of the fics in this series are great, but I love this one in particular because I’m an absolute sucker for hurt/comfort. Anyone who’s been on my blog for a while knows that it’s my all time favorite trope to read, and this fic fits the hurt/comfort trope to a T in the best of ways. It’s very tender and in character, and Aleksander and Alina are so soft with each other. It’s adorable and really makes you feel for Aleksander, and the caretaking is done perfectly.

All the different layers of dark (thousand little suns) by Anuna (Complete)

One month after the Winter Fete, Aleksander returns to the Little Palace, and Alina has been missing him.

Or

Episode five canon divergence in which Alina had never left Os Alta.

---

This one is soft emotional hurt/comfort smut. They’re both so open and vulnerable with each other, and it’s so beautiful to read. I love the writing style and the emotion in this one. It makes my heart ache in the best way.

An Honourable Man by liviy695 (Complete)

A reimagining of the scene after the winter fete. Alina catches a glimpse of a caring Darkling after he returns from integrating the Conductor. Plus, no Baghra interference.

---

This one is what it says on the tin, in that Baghra doesn’t interfere and they’re allowed to talk after the Darkling interrogates the Conductor. But more than that, it’s a great imagining of how a scene where Aleksander reveals Marie’s death would have gone. There’s a sort of quiet to it that I appreciate, with grief and solemnity weighed against care and vulnerability.

I see the real you (even if you don’t, I do) by Anonymous (Incomplete - 8/?)

A series of questionable decisions lead Alina to meet the Black General a bit earlier. Butterfly effect ensues.

---

I’ve only read half so far (I hadn’t realized it had updated!! 👀👀) but I’m already in love with this fic. Alina’s dialogue and perspective is perfect, her relationship with Mal and the other cartographers is great, and I really enjoy how much personality she has. Aleksander is so smitten, but more than that, his characterization is soft but not weak. It feels almost as if he’s swept up by Alina, instead of the other way around, and I quite like that.

Of parenting by Anuna (Complete)

Alina finds out how her husband handled yet another parenting situation.

---

This is pure adorable Darklina parenting fluff and I live for it. Yet it doesn’t lack depth and in fact explored Alina and Aleksander’s relationship with parenting quite well.

i have a longing by LRCee - @ladylyannastark (Complete)

“So, Alina Starkov, risk-taker, how did you end up being editing’s newest wunderkind?”

Alina Starkov is rising in the publishing world. Singlehandedly responsible for editing (see: rewriting) the hottest book of the year, she lands a coveted spot at Morovoz Publishers. It's the position she's always wanted, at the biggest publishing house in the country. Life is perfect. That crush on her boss though, that's gotta go.

---

OKAY! I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH!! Let me tell you, as someone who is not too fond of Boss/Employee dynamics, I was very wary going into this fic. But boy did it deliver in a way that was perfect for me.

The relationship that develops between Aleksander and Alina is complex but healthy, and it never feels as if there’s too much of a power imbalance or anything that would make Alina feel forced or unhappy. The tension lies purely in how she fears others will perceive her, and not in how unhealthy her relationship with Aleksander is. For somebody who’s often attracted to unhealthy ships, I have to say that my favorite fics are usually ones that don’t have that type of dynamic between the characters. This fic delivers on that.

Also, Aleksander’s POV surrounding his struggle with his Russian heritage and his feelings for Alina is amazing, and has some of the best writing and characterization I’ve seen.

You receive: an evil demon; I receive: human souls by @aceofnowhere (Complete)

The next morning while she tried to tell herself it was a dream, that of course there wasn’t a fucking demon in her house, she found a note taped to her fridge.

“You might eat this shit,” it had written, “but I would like some fucking souls please.”

Darkling Week Prompt 7: free choice. Alina has a demon in her house.

This is absolute crack, and I have no idea what the fuck is wrong with me.

---

May I just say that this is the most fun I’ve ever had when reading a fic. It’s interesting with a bit of mystery, and Aleksander as a little shit of a demon is hilarious. Alina in this fic is great too. It’s such a unique take on her POV, especially when you reread it after knowing the ending. 10000/10, this fic is brilliant in every way and I love it.

I had been lost to you, Sunlight by BrytteMystere (Complete)

A Girl became a Woman, became a Sankta, became a Goddess.

Or: An Immortal Alina calls upon merzost to reunite with the Prince of Shadows she lost long ago. She may have lost herself in the process.

But then again, maybe time and endless wars did that instead.

---

You really just have to read this one to get it. It is utterly haunting and fascinating in the best of ways. The writing style is strange and novel and fits so well with the story being told. The composition of the fic as a whole is genius.

I Look Inside Myself (And See My Heart Is Black) by Ceris_Malfoy (Complete)

"When is a monster not a monster? Why, when you love it, of course."

Written for Darklina Week 2021 - Day 6: Favorite Quote • King & Queen • Monster

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Once more, this author comes through with an absolutely breathtaking writing style and story. The imagery is elegant yet brutal, simultaneously horrifying and glorious. There’s a certain way these stories are written, like fairytales, where the beautiful becomes the macabre and becomes ever more stunning because of it. It’s very dark but in a good way - an almost bewitching way.

Afterlife by @aceofnowhere (Complete)

“You are asking me to leave?”

“Not asking, shadow,” she said. “Telling. Time to get unlost, loser.”

Day 3 Darklina Week prompt: Modern AU (I mean, barely)

Alina expels ghosts from purgatory.

---

@aceofnowhere once again bringing the best of the paranormal to the Grishaverse. Literally everything you write is amazing idk why I’m even pointing out individual fics when I could just rec your whole page. But anyways!! This is fun and interesting and Alina is a badass. Aleksander is, of course, compelling and dark and kind of a little shit, and it’s all incorporated seamlessly into an existential paranormal narrative.

Once Upon a Shooting Star by Ceris_Malfoy (Complete)

"But most of all, she was drawn to a vast darkness that reached out above all of them, a void so hungry for companionship that she knew she could fulfill."

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Let. Alina. Be. Feral!! Anyways, I clearly have a type when it comes to storytelling, and it’s whatever the fuck this person has got going on. Feral!Star!Alina is literally the light of my life. Her interactions with not only other people but the world in general are so well done, but my favorite parts about this fic are the numerous ways her relationship with Aleksander is described and depicted.

I love the dark and light imagery, especially with how it’s portrayed as them filling in the gaps of each other’s lives and supporting each other instead of trying to block each other out. There’s such clear passion and joy and love and devotion between them. The central focus of this fic is on her and Aleksander’s relationship, the interplay between them and their powers and the way her light fills his loneliness, the passing of adoration and trust and reliance between them. It’s very beautiful and I love it.

A Blaze of Light by Keira_63 (Complete)

They discover the Sun Summoner in the burnt-out remains of the Shu laboratory in which she has spent the last seven years of her life.

Or, the Darkling finds himself with a Sun Summoner whose greatest wish is to burn Shu Han to the ground. He is happy to oblige her.

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👀👀 Badass Alina and Badass Aleksander. The ultimate power couple, and Alina burning a path through Shu Han before they both burn a path through the world together. The darkness and rage in this one are handled very well, and the way that rage turns to coldness and then resolve is done so well. This fic is very cathartic and also very furious, and reading it is certainly a trip down emotion lane.

One more for the Road by Rist (Complete)

He returns to the war room shaken, and finds an Alina that cannot leave without at least having tried.

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This one hurts so much but its soooo gooood!!! Very smutty but also very tender and very bittersweet. Sad and soft all at once. I just... love the way Alina and Aleksander are written so much, and Alina’s complicated feelings for him are explored in such detail and depth. This one is truly worth the read.