#very canon divergent since i started this back in like. season 4

[rosie-b]

Growing Fangs

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to post this here, but that future Dupain-Cheng kids fic I haven’t updated since 2022? I finally finished it 😊

You can read it on AO3 or below on Tumblr! (Links both go to the first chapter because 2-year hiatus :) the section below is just the 4th chapter though)

The next morning, Adrien and Marinette gathered the family together after breakfast and told them that they needed to have a super-important meeting.

Emma raised her eyebrows at the news. Louisa had been expecting this, because of what Tikki and Plagg had told her yesterday, but her heart started to race at the news. She wasn’t sure what the meeting would cover, how much her parents would tell her and her siblings, or whether she could convincingly fake a genuine ‘first’ reaction to hearing ‘news’ she’d already had some time to process.

Hugo tilted his head and asked the first question for her. “Maman? Why do we need a super-meeting? Is it because we met the superheroes yesterday, and now we’re super, too?”

Adrien let out a low, half-hearted laugh. “You know, you’re kind of right, Hugo. This is because of what happened yesterday. I bet you all had fun meeting Chat Noir and Ladybug, right?”

Emma nodded seriously, Louisa followed suit, and Hugo bounced up and down as he exclaimed, “Yes! That was awesome! I wish we could see them every day!”

Marinette’s lips twitched. “Again, you’re not that far off, Hugo! We have something important to tell you— and it has to be kept completely secret, okay?”

Hugo’s forehead wrinkled. “Why?” he asked, bouncing his leg up and down on the sofa in the living room where they’d gathered.

Adrien reached out and lay a calming hand on his son. “Because I lost something yesterday, and whoever found it might use what we’re going to tell you against us all if they find out about the secret. You’re all old enough that you can understand how important this is, so we’re going to trust you.”

“It’s scary to finally tell you this—though one of you might already know,” Marinette added, with a sideways look at Louisa, “—but we’re family, which means we’re all in this together. It’s more important for us to trust you and tell you the secret than keep it to ourselves any longer.”

Normally-patient Emma crossed her arms at that and burst out, “Okay, but what is the secret, then? Are you going to tell us you’ve secretly been working with the heroes this whole time, like Auntie Alya?”

Adrien and Marinette exchanged glances with each other, gripping each other’s hands tightly as they sat in the center of the group.

“Kind of,” Marinette began, and Louisa, who’d been feeling the same creeping sense of guilt from yesterday crawling back over her, interrupted before her mother could get any farther.

“They’re not working with the heroes, Emma,” she blurted out. As everyone turned to look at her, she swallowed hard and wiped her palms on her pants. “They are the heroes. That’s why Chat Noir and Ladybug came to help so fast yesterday. Papa’s Chat Noir, and Maman is Ladybug. I found out when I was six, and I never told any of you except Plagg and Tikki. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

Marinette looked skeptical at first, but then she sighed and reached out to comfort the girl sitting on her left. “It’s okay, Louisa. I wish you had told Papa and me when you’d found out, but thank you for coming clean to us now. I know that takes a lot of courage to do.”

Adrien, surprising Louisa, agreed with her mom. “Besides, the fact that you kept it a secret for this long, and didn’t tell anyone? That’s almost exactly what we’re asking all of you to do today. We need you to know that your parents are Chat Noir and Ladybug, and we need you not to tell anyone outside of this family— and Auntie Alya and Uncle Nino’s family. Alya and Nino already know, anyway, and their daughter is about Hugo’s age. I think it’s safe to tell her, too.”

Emma stared at her parents with huge eyes, peering around her sister to take in as much of them as she could while still sitting on the sofa. “Wait, you’re Paris’ favorite superheroes, and Louisa found out, but none of you ever told me or Hugo before?”

She sounded insulted and upset, and Louisa cringed, wishing she could sink into the floor. She knew she should have told Emma and her parents before! But no, she just had to keep it all one big secret!

“Sweetie, it’s not that we didn’t want to, but do you have any idea how forthcoming a small toddler can be? You used to go around telling strangers anything when you were younger, just like Hugo did. If you knew we were Ladybug and Chat Noir, there’s no knowing how many people would have found out! And a secret like that is dangerous to let out to the wrong person. I know it’s hard to believe, but please trust that we only wanted to protect you. Well, your father and I, anyway. I don’t know why your sister didn’t tell you, though I have a guess,” Marinette laughed.

Louisa leaned back and slid down the sofa until only her head and torso remained on the cushions.

“Well?” Emma demanded. She leaned over her twin with an accusing stare. “Why did you keep it to yourself, ‘Isa?”

Louisa closed her eyes. “It was stupid,” she said reluctantly. “I just wanted to have a secret, so I could feel special. Since we were younger, and everyone kept mixing us up, I didn’t feel like me, just like ‘Emma’s twin, Louisa’.”

Emma frowned. “I guess I understand that. But you could have told me later!”

“Emma,” Adrien interrupted gently. “You and Louisa can talk more about this later. But don’t be too mad at her, because this wasn’t really her secret to tell. If it had been more recent, she’d be in a lot of trouble for keeping her secret from us, but right now, I think it’s better if we forgive her and move on, okay? Your mother and I still have something important to tell you.”

“You being superheroes wasn’t it?” Hugo asked. He’d been bouncing with excitement on his end of the sofa for a long time, with his mind seemingly blown by finding out that the two coolest people in the world happened to be his parents. “I thought that was pretty impo-tent!”

“Im-por-tent,” Marinette gently corrected. “It was! You’re right, Hugo. That was a pretty big secret! But we have some news to share with you, too. Do you remember how we said we lost something yesterday?”

Emma nodded sullenly as Louisa slowly pulled herself back up to a normal sitting position.

“Well, that something was one of the Miraculous,” Marinette said. “That’s the jewelry that turns people into superheroes, like Chat Noir, or supervillains, like Hawkmoth.”

Emma, Hugo, and Louisa all cringed at the reminder of their grandfather. They’d been haunted by what he’d done for long enough that they all knew at least some of the crimes he’d committed against Paris and the rest of the world.

“So, with a Miraculous, whoever puts it on has access to a lot of power. They can use it for good or for evil,” Adrien explained. “But your mother and I have known for a long time that there is going to be another Hawkmoth in the future. We don’t know who it will be, or when they’ll get the butterfly Miraculous, but we know they’re not going to use it for good. And yesterday… yesterday, someone took the butterfly Miraculous from us.”

Hugo whimpered. “You mean there’s gonna be another supervillain? A bad guy? Are they going to hurt us?”

Adrien picked Hugo up and held him on his lap. “No, sweetie, we’re not going to let them hurt you! We’re Ladybug and Chat Noir, right? No bad guy is going to beat us, and we’ll never let them hurt our family!”

As Hugo relaxed, Emma asked, “But we are in danger, right? Because the Miraculous is lost? Can we find it and keep it safe again?”

Marinette shook her head. “We’ve already tried searching for it. But someone must already have it, because I can’t locate the Miraculous, even though I’m the Guardian, which means I should be able to find where it is.”

“Then, what can we do?” Louisa demanded, finally asking the question that had been on her mind since last night. “Tikki and Plagg told me the Miraculous is gone, but they didn’t say what happens next. So, what is it? Do we just wait for the next Hawkmoth to show up? Do we keep searching for the Miraculous?”

“Could we ask Auntie Alya to post on the Ladyblog and say whoever found the Miraculous should give it back?” Emma asked. “That’s how you normally talk to Paris, right?”

“It is,” Marinette confirmed. “But we’re afraid that posting about the lost Miraculous will inspire more people with bad intentions to look for it. We can’t risk it, but we will keep searching. We will take the Miraculous back someday.”

“And in the meantime,” Adrien said, “We need you to stay alert and help us. We’ll tell you more about the Miraculous and Tikki and Plagg and Nooroo later, and you can help search for the Miraculous. But don’t go out of your way to do that, because more than anything else, your mother and I want you to stay safe. So, now you know that a bad person might try to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir. They may also try to trick you into telling them about us, so don’t! Or if anyone wants Hawkmoth’s grandchildren to join them in some weird revenge plot, tell us about it, okay? We don’t know what the new Hawkmoth’s plan will be, but we want you to know that they’re out there and we want you to stay away from them.”

“Remember, you’ve taken self-defense classes,” Marinette said. “You know how to protect yourself against a normal person. But if you think you find anything related to Hawkmoth, tell us about it. Don’t keep it a secret from us! That way, we can help you, and we’ll take Hawkmoth down that much faster. You want the good guys to win, right?”

“Yeah!” cheered Hugo from Adrien’s lap. “Ladybug and Chat Noir always win!”

Marinette smiled. “That’s right. So, trust us as much as we trust you. I know this might seem scary,” she said, turning to look at Emma and Louisa, “but it’s nothing we can’t handle. We’re the Dupain-Chengs, and we can make it through anything together. Sounds good?”

Hugo cheered again, and even Emma and Louisa smiled. Maman was right, this was a scary situation, but Louisa trusted her and Papa, and she knew Emma did, too, even though she was upset. In the end, they were going to win. Ladybug and Chat Noir would make everything okay again, once the Miraculous was back in their hands.

That evening, Louisa talked to Emma about keeping the secret from her. She apologized, and eventually, after a lot of pleading and bargaining desserts and information about the kwamis, Emma agreed to forgive her sister for keeping the secret for so long.

“You would have told me eventually, right?” she asked as they were getting ready for bed.

Louisa paused to think. She’d been delighted by her secret at first, but then she’d been more afraid of letting her parents know about it than anything else. Now that the secret was out, she didn’t feel any less like Louisa, and she’d been itching to share the secret with someone other than the kwami for years, anyway. She’d practically let Maman know she knew yesterday by suggesting they call the heroes. Maybe Louisa had been ready to let her family in on the secret, after all.

“I think so,” she said, finally. “I wanted to after the first year. But I got used to keeping the secret a secret, you know?”

“I guess,” Emma grumbled. “Like how I got in the habit of always picking raspberry sorbet when we get ice cream, even though I like other flavors just as much?”

“Something like that,” Louisa admitted. “But, Emma? I’m really glad you know, now. I wanted to be different, but I always wanted to be your sister. And I don’t want to keep any secrets like that ever again.”

Emma tilted her head consideringly for a moment and then looked at Louisa with a small smile.

“I’m glad. I like being your sister, even when people do get our names mixed up. It’s funny, because they think they know us, but we’re the ones who know each other best. So, no more secrets?”

“No more secrets,” Louisa agreed. They shook on it and climbed into bed, Louisa taking the bottom bunk and Emma the top bunk, as usual. It had been a very big day, and they were still little, after all.

But they couldn't stay little for long. Eventually, the Dupain-Cheng children grew into the knowledge their parents had given them, as scary as it was.

At fourteen, Louisa was far from the same girl who’d spied on her parents and kept the world’s largest secret for a few years. She still didn’t like Ferris wheels, but she and her sister (and even little Hugo, who wasn’t so little anymore) had changed quite a bit since they’d found out about their parents’ secret and the missing Miraculous. They were in collège now, and they weren’t as powerless as they’d been back when the butterfly had been stolen. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Their parents had trusted Emma and Louisa with Miraculous of their own—not to be used in any fights, Miraculous-related or otherwise, unless absolutely necessary, and only to be used on patrols with their Maman or Papa’s permission—so they could help defend Paris, and more importantly, themselves, if they ever needed to. Emma got the snake Miraculous, and she always used her power wisely. Louisa trusted her to avoid abusing the ability to create time loops, and to let them all know any important secrets she found out while in a previous loop. Hugo didn’t have a Miraculous of his own yet, but as soon as he made up his mind and picked one, he’d be joining their ranks along with Zélie, Alya and Nino’s daughter, who’d been trusted with the turtle Miraculous.

As for Louisa, she was happy with the tiger Miraculous. It was similar to her Papa’s, but it also helped her stand out with its bright purple and pink colors. She found that Roaar was an encouraging friend to have, and the confidence required to wield the Miraculous reflected the way she’d changed since she was young and liked to keep secrets.

She still kept some secrets, of course, especially from the general public, but now Louisa knew she could share her knowledge without losing what made her special. People still mixed up her name with Emma’s sometimes, but other times, people would act shocked that they were related at all! No, Louisa was much more secure being herself these days, and she preferred to share her knowledge instead of hoard it when she thought her friends should know about it. Roaar helped her learn how to balance keeping some things to herself and sharing other things with the world.

Like the secret she’d just learned earlier that day on one of her patrols, for example. That, she was all too eager to share.

Pulling out her phone, Louisa called the Guardian’s number, stored within the magic of the Miraculous she was still wearing. It wasn’t long until Ladybug picked up.

“Hello?” Marinette asked. She sounded confused, but not concerned. It wasn’t often that Louisa or Emma called while on patrol, but sometimes they still called to ask about special tricks or inside knowledge about their Miraculous that only the Guardian would know.

They were getting more comfortable with their roles as Paris’ new heroes, the sidekicks to the old guard.

“Hey, Maman,” Louisa said as a smile played about her lips. “This is Mauve Tiger. I have a lead on the new Hawkmoth’s whereabouts… and I think with any luck, we should have the Miraculous back soon.”

Louisa felt pride rise in her chest as her mother exclaimed excitedly. Finally, they had a lead!

What she knew wasn’t much, but it was enough to spark hope that soon, the Dupain-Chengs troubles would be over. Roaar had gotten close enough to the butterfly Miraculous’ energy signature that she could sense it, so she let Louisa know its approximate whereabouts. Louisa had faith that her family could work together to take down the new Hawkmoth before they could cause any severe damage. Maybe they’d even take the Miraculous back without a battle!

It had taken years, but Louisa finally felt like she’d made up for the mistake she’d made by keeping her big secret from her family. She could work together with her siblings and parents to right the wrong caused by the butterfly Miraculous’ theft, and that spoke to how much they trusted each other.

And trust, as Louisa had learned, was worth much more than a secret, no matter how big or special it was. So at last, she dared to hope for a happy ending.

[galvanizedfriend]

Klaroline Fanfiction Masterlist

It's been a minute since I last updated my masterlist so I decided to go ahead and start a new one. Yokan // ▪ Multi-chapters

. The Wolf Series [I, II, III and Outtakes - Incomplete] When Caroline wakes up shackled, powerless and very far away from Mystic Falls, she knows she's in serious trouble. But when a woman named Sophie Deveraux reveals the reason why she's been kidnapped and taken to New Orleans, she realizes things are far worse than she could've ever imagined.

[The Originals rewriting where Caroline is a witch and gets pregnant with Klaus' child. Seasons 1, 2 and 3 complete, season 4 coming.]

. Vice and Virtue [6/6 - Complete] As the second son of a Duke, Klaus Mikaelson has the means and all the time in the world to indulge in every manner of wild activity with very little respect for the regiment of polite society. That is until his brother decides he's had enough of his vulgar ways and gives him an ultimatum. Caroline Forbes is a young debutante in search of true love and adventure. Except her aunt wishes for her to marry a somber Viscount who's already buried three wives. When their paths cross, they realize they might yet strike a deal that could satisfy their relatives and benefit them both.

[AH Regency!AU inspired by Bridgerton and a dozen other period novels I have been reading lately.]

. Pedulum [2/2 - Complete] This is what Klaus Mikaelson knows: death isn't the end for him. From the moment he is brought into the world to his final shuddering breath, Klaus' life is pretty much the same as everyone else's. The difference lies in what happens after he dies: he goes right back to the beginning, a child in London with the memory of dozens of lives lived before. Nothing ever really changes, including the fact that no matter how hard he tries, he can never save Caroline Forbes' life for too long.

[AH/soulmates!AU with a slight magical twist. Technically a one-shot, chapter 2 is just an alternate ending.]

. We'll Always Have New Orleans [3/15 - Incomplete] Caroline wakes up in a world where everything looks exactly the same, only nothing really is. For starters, she's no longer a vampire, and no one else in Mystic Falls has ever heard of witches, vampires or werewolves - no one except for Klaus, who woke up just as human and twice as angry about it. Their search for answers and a way out takes them all the way to New Orleans, and Caroline could never anticipate how much this crazy fake world was about to alter her reality forever.

[Canon-divergence!AU. Set right after TVD 4x18.]

. Speed Dating [3/4 - Incomplete] Klaus is having a bad month, so Caroline decides it's a great idea to drag him along to a round of Speed Dating. Other men in the room do not approve.

AH/AU fluff that was inspired by an episode of House (yes, it is fluff, I promise).

. Gasoline [2/2 - Complete] "He doesn't apologize, of course he doesn't. He doesn't care. He calls everyone love. It's not meant to mean anything. Except it did, once, and it makes Caroline's stomach churn away inside, as she feels Klaus crawling underneath her skin like he never left at all. I've still got you."

AH/Band!AU. Two years after Klaus walked out on his band - on her -, Caroline finds herself in her least favorite place on earth - New Orleans. She really did try to stay away from him, escaping an event just to keep off his radar. He finds her anyway.

. Like It's Christmas Again [2/2 - Complete] As Christmas approaches, Caroline Forbes, a New York-based event planner, is sent to a quaint small town in Virginia to organize their holiday festival. But her plans are momentarily hindered by the presence of Klaus Mikaelson, the Mayor's brother and a grumpy billionaire lacking in any holiday spirit, who's in town to close the sale of his family's manor - the charming estate she was hoping to use as a venue.

[AKA that time when I committed Christmas fic. AU/AH inspired by a Hallmark movie, I kid you not.]

. Spin [5/5 - Complete] Since she was seven years old, Caroline Forbes has been preparing herself to become President of the United States. But before she gets to the Oval Office, she needs to win the election for senior student president at the prestigious Saint Sebastian High - which would be in the bag if only goddamn Klaus Mikaelson hadn't decided to run against her.

[AH/AU lovers-to rivals-to-lovers The Politician!AU where everyone takes school elections way more seriously than they should.]

. How Far I'd Go [2/2 - Complete for now] Set in TVD S6/TO S2. Unable to control Caroline after she turns her humanity off, Stefan reaches out to the only person he can think of for help.

[Slices of moments of Klaus in Mystic Falls while Caroline has her humanity off.] ▪ One-shots

. The Sound of Settling Klaus hates his job at Mikaelson & Sons. He hates wearing a suit. He also hates his brothers constantly butting into his life. Everything will be better once he gets his much desired transfer to the New York branch. Caroline Forbes is the owner of Mystic Café, and when Klaus accidentally wanders into her coffee shop, his whole perspective changes. [AH/Coffee Shop!AU where Klaus is a lawyer. Fluffity Fluff. Lots of Mikaelsons and some Carenzo friendship.] . The Witch Queen Caroline always knew she was different. She was keyed into her own otherness very early on. Strange things happened around the Forbes women. Her mother never really had to spell it out to her, give it a name. Caroline could always sort of feel it, and then at some point the feeling blossomed into comprehension, and comprehension hardened into fact. And with that came an altogether different kind of certainty: this was not a secret she'd be able to keep forever. One day, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, everyone would find out. And when they did, they would come for her.

. Worst Things Have Happened Klaus Mikaelson is a prince with a very dark secret that threatens to destroy his family's legacy. Caroline Forbes is a sorceress whose job is to make sure his secret remains buried. But would it hurt him to put some clothes on? [Royal!AU, with a magical twist.] . The Unexpected Grace of Falling Apart The whole incident was bound to go down as a funny anecdote to be shared among friends, a Oh, you think you've had the worst hook-up ever? Hold my beer kind of story. Provided, of course, that she never had to see him ever and could just wipe him out of her life and memory for good. Given that they live in different time zones, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

That is precisely why Caroline is livid when she emerges from the arrivals area at Richmond airport to find Douchebag, in the flesh - sunglasses indoors and all, like the proper jerk that he is - holding up a sign that readsClarisse.

[AH/AU. It's Tyler's wedding weekend and Caroline is back in Mystic Falls for the first time after the most traumatic and depressing year of her life. And it's about to get even worse as she's made to share breathing space with Klaus, The Worst Guy Ever. Except they might have to join forces to save the wedding, and to the discovery that things might not be what the seem. As Caroline teeters on the edge of a breakdown she'd been trying very hard to conceal, an unexpected savior appears to help her through the haze.]

. love, the monster's got me now [Canon compliant. Set in TVD S03E09 Homecoming.]

"Don't run," he says calmly, sounding almost bored, but with a clear warning. "I'm in the mood for a chase. Little spoiler: you can't outrun me." His eyebrows twitch up when he finally turns around to face her, lips curling into an amused grin. "Tyler's girl," he states, gesturing towards the now empty yard. "You missed out on the celebrations, I’m afraid."

[Or: the missing Klaroline scene between "There's your pretty little girlfriend, Caroline" and "There's a whole world out there waiting for you." Klaus and Caroline meet after Homecoming.]

. When It's Gone Suddenly, Caroline hates how nice the bed feels. How soft the pillows are. How smooth and cool and expensive those goddamn sheets are against her skin. She hates the giddiness in her belly, like she's a stupid schoolgirl when she's not allowed to be one anymore. She hates how right the space between Klaus' arms felt, how easily she molded against him. His lips were as full and as soft as they looked, but his hands were gentler and more reverent than they had any right to be, and Caroline hates it. Hates it, hates it, hates it. She hates that it suits her, hates that she wants it, hates that none of it is hers to keep.

[Set after TVD S04E19 Pictures of You. Caroline hears about Klaus' impending departure after a mysterious letter and decides to have some words.] . Wishing Each Sigh Might Be the Last The first time she sees him, Caroline thinks he's an angel.

[Set in 1800s New Orleans. As Caroline lies dying, she prays for God to send help or end her torment and save her soul. She thinks an angel has come for her. But he's no angel at all.] . Feel the Madness Closing In Set in TO S3. Caroline is in New Orleans when Lucien and the Ancestors make a move against the Mikaelson family - and they know exactly who to target in order to get to Klaus. Paranoia sets in, sending him to a very dark place, and Caroline finally learns the price of being loved so profoundly by a monster. . Issues When Klaus' Hollywood career takes a down turn after a nasty divorce and a viral mug shot, his manager decides his life is not yet miserable enough, bringing in a PR company famous for its high-profile damage control cases.

[AH!AU where Klaus is a problematic movie star and Caroline is a PR agent with no time for his BS.] . Urban Legend "I hate myself for saying this, but I have to agree with Little Miss Sunshine," Caroline cuts in. "This is Whitmore. Nothing ever happens here. Least of all a possession that leads to a massacre of slasher movie proportions."

"Thank you, love," Klaus returns brightly. "Very flattering to be validated by you."

"Bite me, Klaus."

"Find me later, after my shift, and we can see to it," comes the shameless rejoinder.

[Or: Caroline tries to navigate life in college having the worst roommate ever, a douchebag who cannot take a hint and a nosy journalist whom she's definitely not attracted to. Never in a million years.]

[mikkaeus]

house md hilson fic rec - medium to long fics (10k+)

Other house rec lists: short fics | episode tags | postcanon | infidelity trope (all of these are mutually exclusive apart from the infidelity one) // Edit: I added the longer postcanon fics to this reclist as well because this one got the most traction!

These are all House/Wilson unless otherwise stated. Before we get into the fics, here are some of my fave authors that have written several house fics.

fourteencandles: im literally in love with them . 10/10 writing no notes. also long fics?? hello???

ictus: this author has the range! from emotional to fluff to funny. very smooth writing. all of their fics have different vibes which was fun to read. they’re all very good. 

Transformatron: fics that are transcendent and porny, all featuring a d/s undertone or theme (wilson as the dom)

Namaste (livejournal / ff.net): Some short fics, some much longer ones. Mostly gen focussing on H&W friendship, with some fics on canon pairings. Interesting character studies and discerning prose.

In order of length. *faves, ***underrated faves

*Brain Damage by fourteencandles (8k) (Ok I know this isn’t over 10k but I wanted all of their fics on one post and it’s close enough so.) This was brilliant. Like a real episode of House, with Wilson as the unfortunate patient-of-the-week, with bonus House/Wilson. Characterisation was bang on, and the plot was original and engaging and had a satisfying conclusion. Love to see House taking care of Wilson.

Down to the Water + Bound for Home by blackmare (~10k) Aftermath of season 4. House and Wilson go on a road trip. Quiet and sad and fragile, with excellent writing. This fic appears to have been fairly well known in lj days but I don't think a lot of newer people know about it.

*A Smaller World by fourteencandles (10k) The thing between them works, if Wilson doesn't push for more. God I’m so soft. I have so many feelings!!! In love with this established relationship hilson, still a little precarious, but with Wilson adapting, and House willing to put in effort.

*What's Past by fourteencandles (10k) The guy who used to have Wilson's job comes back for a visit, and it turns out they have more in common than Wilson ever knew.

*Touch Therapy by nomad (10k) It's not that House needs the human contact. It's just that when you're sharing an apartment, these things happen sometimes. Light hearted and funny, canon divergence from when Wilson’s staying on House's couch in s2. This is pretty much the homosexual waters have started flowing in House's direction post. Excellent dialogue.

***not another medical drama series (10k) by captainharkness Retelling of season 1 with House and Wilson as an established relationship. Great slice of life stories! Ongoing. The first is H/W POV, the second is Cameron, and the third is Chase. My favourite is definitely the second one (someone else’s story). I adore seeing H/W through the ducklings’ eyes. 

Synchronicity by copperbadge (10k) Dead patients, car wrecks, drug overdoses, journalists, Comatose Charlie, and orange chicken. Must be love.

systemic by ictus (10k) Ever since Wilson moved in, House has presented with some inexplicable symptoms. Fortunately, he has a team of talented doctors to aid him with his diagnosis. Season 2 fic! This one is funny and sweet and overall a great read.

Rush Down Darkness by Starlingthefool (10k) House MD/World War Z crossover. Told mainly through interview dialogue from house’s pov. Engaging story. House/Wilson definitely takes a backseat to the plot — there’s no grand getting together or anything. That's not to say it's not about them though, because there were still lots of good moments (good in the sense that my heart hurts). More succinctly, it has the vibes of an established relationship fic., although it isn't technically one.

Defensive Strategies by Milkshake Butterfly (~10k) (lj) In which Wilson is tired of being asked out by women when he's not ready to date again, and naturally House proposes a simple solution: pretend to be together. An enjoyable read.

******Commonplace and True by celestialskiff (11k) It would be a simple story--House and Wilson meet at a medical conference, have sex, and enjoy each other's company--but nothing is ever easy, or simple. Explores Wilson's relationship with House, with women, and with himself. House and Wilson throughout the years — with the version of canon where Wilson has cheated on every wife and girlfriend with House. When I tell you I am FROTHING!!! Pining while fucking?? The way it’s never the right time?? The greed of wanting to have your cake and eat it too? (That one’s specifically for Wilson, our beloved three-wives guy.) The vibes are immaculate. The prose is elegant verging on poetic. I’m eating this fic whole and it will be on my mind always. It is THE hilson fic for me. It is criminal that this fic has been up since 2012 and it only has 200 kudos. Go read it immediately & give the author some love.

***Declarations of Independence by Namaste (ff.net, also on livejournal) (11k) House and winter, throughout the years. I really enjoyed this. Excellent writing. Copy pasting a part of a comment by bedawyn which articulates why this fic is unique better than I can: “So far, I've seen a lot of focus in the fanfic (and the eps) on the pain and the Vicodin, but very little awareness of the practical aspects of limited mobility and the emotional impact of those even apart from the pain. So this was a very nice change.”

***Rule of Three by Transformatron (11k) (House/Wilson/Foreman) Foreman sees something he shouldn't have. And, maybe, wants something he shouldn't have, too. This was well written and super hot, with fun dialogue and descriptions that do justice to the excellent writing of the show itself. Foreman is faithfully characterised in a way that made me sympathetic. Also H/W outsider perspective as a third is such a treat to read. Lower me into my grave!!!!

*Warning Signs by out_there (12k) Excerpt: House looked to the left, staring down at the open box. Wilson knew that expression on his face: House was torn between denying it all and gleefully acknowledging his schemes. Normally, his ego won out and, like a comic super villain, he'd explain all. Wilson just needed to stay quiet and wait. This fic was fantastic. I am disgustingly fond. Superb characterisation. Light hearted and funny.

The Oncologist Trap by zulu (13k) (2007) House subtly seduces Wilson. Somehow.

The Line of Thought by tevinterimperium (13k) House and Wilson pretend to be together to play a prank on the ducklings, which is an extremely plausible scenario. From the perspective of the ducklings. Set sometime after 3x15: Half-Wit.

hail mary by ictus (13k) A post-canon fix it! In the weeks since finishing the show and reading this fic there are times I forgot that this wasn’t canon. It’s such a believable (and well-researched) alternate ending that feels like an actual episode.

Son of Mine by simoneallen (14k) Sherlock is House’s long-lost kid. Usually I’m not a fan of cross-over fics but I enjoyed this one. Established relationship on the johnlock side, getting together on the hilson side.

***hearts turn red by ictus (14k) In my head this is the counterpoint to Commonplace and True. When I found it after reading that one it really was a holy shit two fucking cakes?? moment. The delicious infidelity vibes are similar, but the vibes of the writing are pretty different -- whereas the above fic has a more quiet, subdued atmosphere, this one has more snappy prose and it’s more light-hearted with funny moments as well as emotional ones. It’s not just the infidelity theme that makes me crazy about both of them though; it’s how they play on the great tragedy of House and Wilson. In the author’s own words: In a way they do feel a little bit doomed to never quite be on the same page with each other until the very end of the series and by then it's too late. Of course, in these fics, they’re rescued earlier than the end, but the wretched vibes remain. Also, I’m obsessed with this line: By Wilson’s read, House is somehow simultaneously joking and sincere: Schrödinger’s sexual advance. That is the entire fucking show.

An Inconvenient Truth by annathaema (15k) Wilson helps out Cuddy and reveals something about himself in the process. House freaks out accordingly. Also features banana-colored babies, the men's room, and Skee-Ball.

*at the rind by ShanaStoryteller (19k) An AU where Wilson experiences all the near death moments House has in the show as a series of nightmares. Set between 1.19 and 2.05, but spoilers for the whole show. Protective Wilson!! We love to see it. I also like Wilson’s characterisation here - you can very much see how not-normal he is. We love unhealthy co-dependency.

***Esopus Creek by shaycat (24k) An eighty-year-old widower by the name of Eugene Skinner ventures out one September day in upstate New York for his usual morning activity - fly fishing. His leisurely hobby is interrupted by a bickering pair nearby in the river. That chance encounter with Greg House and James Wilson changes the course of his life. Told from the perspective of the last friend the boys make on their final road trip. This was the perfect post season 8, Wilson-still-dies fic. A sad fic but not a depressing one. It’s quiet and heartwarming, in a bittersweet way. Highly recommend. It has great use of outsider POV — I’m always a sucker for it but it worked particularly well in this case to have the angst but not be drowning in it. Also I just really liked the OC.

***Howler Tone by baffledbear (25k) The calls always happen late at night, and they're extremely sporadic, with weeks, sometimes months bridging between them. They talk on the phone otherwise, of course; about patients, or dinner plans, or carpooling. Typical stuff. But the calls that always end a certain way always start a certain way. Wilson is so repressed but so attracted to House. House is taking as much as he can get while still remaining in relative safety. Together they push a platonic relationship to the absolute limits of plausible deniability. Overall totally realistic within the canon of the show — the natural step up from the gay chicken already depicted. It’s just such a perfect scenario for them! That combined with silky smooth prose, faithful characterisation and accurate dialogue makes this fic is a definite hilson favourite and also a hilson-thesis fic.

*The Open Road by Pun (25k) A fandom classic. Road trip fic set in the earlier seasons. It's good; read it.

*He Won't Tell You That He Loves You by hellshandbasket (25k) [In which Nolan pulls at the Wilson thread, and House can't stop it all from unraveling. Repression is a hell of a drug.] Early s6. Another fandom classic that is worth its salt.

no need to worry (making up your mind) by scribespirare (25k) House makes the mistake of telling his mother he can't join her for Christmas because of his new boyfriend. Somehow, this becomes Wilson's problem. Cute and fun. I put off reading fake-dating fics because I was worried about them being OOC but this one definitely wasn’t!

***Sticks and Stones by Transformatron (25k) (WIP) House has an innovative new idea for managing his chronic pain. Wilson’s not sure he approves - but when has House ever asked for permission? This is such a great concept I am climbing the walls!!! D/s with House as the sub. The story is currently still at pre-relationship stage, with House experimenting with BDSM and Wilson being unhappy with the proceedings (for some unknown reason /s). Also the writing is nice and snappy with some great figurative language that manages to incorporate medical themes impressively well. 

Fresh Feeling by justkeeptrekkin (30k) House is tricked into going on a team-building trip with his colleagues. He does far more bonding with Wilson than anyone else. Funny and well written. The team interactions are very cute.

***Tracking Time by Namaste (37k) (ff.net) A look at House and Wilson's friendship over the years and how it has changed from their meeting through the end of the first season. I don’t usually read long genfics but this one was exceptional. I like Namaste’s take on House and Wilson’s characters. And they are a very good storyteller — one thing that you don’t tend to see as much of in fanfiction is the old adage of ‘show not tell’. The writing in this fic is careful and subtle, and lets you read between the lines, making it so that no part of the 37k words is a drag to read.

*The Body Found by fourteencandles (46k) Wilson's missing. When I tell you I cried... Premium angst & hurt/comfort. Excellent dialogue with some alternating POV (House mainly, but you also get the three ducklings & Cuddy).

You Already Know How This Will End by fourteencandles (46k) What if House had gone to rehab right after/around "Merry Little Christmas"? (3.10) This fic was interesting. It’s told in a series of short vignettes with a variety of different perspectives. It’s not really a hilson fic (or a fic for any ship). It just explores the characters. I did wish for more hilson but it’s a good read (I mean, it’s fourteencandles). The one hilson scene near the end where they hire a hooker in Atlantic City lives in my head rent free. Warning that the ending is rather abrupt and I didn’t find it satisfying, but I think it works for this kind of story, in a way. Messy people and their complicated relationships, with a lot of loose ends left untied, because that’s just what life is. 

***For Every Closed Door by starlingthefool (around 50k?) (lj) Overview of the chapters (14 with 4 interludes and an epilogue) is on the author’s lj (scroll down).  House MD/Dead Like Me crossover.  I love this fic a lot! It’s canon divergence from Season 3. House gets killed in a freak accident and becomes a reaper, remaining in the mortal world to harvest souls, able to interact with people but not be recognisable to those that know him. As the author says, this is an Afterlife!Fic and therefore a deathfic. They also said it’s not depressing — which is true, because it’s more plotty than an angstfest, and there are lots of light-hearted parts, but it is definitely heartbreaking at points. I literally cried all the way through the last chapter. Happy ending though!!! Don’t worry about the cross-over aspects. I haven’t seen Dead Like Me, and as far as I can tell, it just takes the premise of the show. I’m glad I found this fic whilst trawling 2000s livejournal because it’s really a hidden gem. Great plot, dialogue, compelling OCs — the whole package! I got so emotionally invested in the story. I think there were maybe a few parts that were a little unpolished but just keep reading. It’s really worth it. 

*A Modest Proposal and Involuntary Commitment series by ignaz (98k) The one where House and Wilson get married so Wilson can’t testify against House in the Tritter arc.  I have an unfortunate habit of downloading fics and then forgetting to bookmark & comment once I’m done, so I don’t have anything detailed to say about this one, but it’s a classic and a favourite of mine.

Twenty Years of Stealing My Food by hwshipper (100k) A backstory taking place over twenty years, from how House and Wilson met all the way to canon. A reimagining of their fucked up, magnetic relationship, with a straightforward writing style. They get together nearly as soon as they meet and maintain a steady open relationship whilst cheating on their various girlfriends and wives throughout the years. 

[starlight-bread-blog]

What My Zutara Endgame Would Look Like

When people hear I want a Zutara endgame, the assumption is that everything will stay the same, except Zuko and Katara would kiss in that balcony instead of Katara and Aang. This is not the case. In actuality, the existing canon material would necessitate adjustments to accommodate such a divergence. I'd be remiss to demand something without explaining how to achieve it. Therefore, I must share a basic (or partial) rundown of my Zutara endgame.

(One might assume that it’s absurd to demand changes to justify a change, which is a very valid assumption I’ve pondered with myself, which is why I’ve written an analysis on the subject).

——————

The portrayal of a Zutara endgame would manifest as follows:

A\ang and Katara have been set up together since the very first season. What wouldn’t change would be the general structure and approach to writing their romantic developments, all of which will be elaborated on in their own posts.

1) In “The Headband”, for a moment, Kstara looks at A\ang with love. Additionally, she is shown to be jealous of him. These moments will be less explicit/toned down.

1½) At the end of “The Cave of Two Lovers”, Katara blushes. This will be removed. (However, it is not a must).

3) In “Boiling Rock Part 2”, Mai and Zuko have a conversation in Zuko’s prison cell before Zuko escapes. In this rewrite, Zuko would imply that once he will end the war, they could be together, which Mai would immediately reject.

2) In “The Crossroads of Destiny”, Aang emerges into the Avatar state before opening his final chakra. He’s still meditating, focusing on letting go of his attachment, is conflicted, and starting to float, but being shot down before letting go. (Additionally, he doesn’t say “Sorry, Katara”).

2½) In In “The Crossroads of Destiny”, Iroh says “perfection and power are overrated”. This will be removed.

4) In the ending of “Boiling Rock Part 2”, both Mai and Ty Lee are shown to have qualms about killing who was once their friends. Everything plays out roughly the same, except the (admittedly, iconic) line “I love Zuko More than I fear you” is replaced with a different declaration.

4½) In “The Southern Raiders”, Zuko says "You were right about what Katara needed". This will be removed. (But again, not a must).

5) In the ending of the play in “Ember Island Players”, Aang is reminded that he is yet to master the Avatar State.

6) In “Sozin’s Comet Part 2”, when the lion turtle drops Aang back on shore, Aang asks it about the Avatar State.The fact that Aang’s last chakra isn’t yet open is mentioned, and Aang sits down to meditate.

7) The show ends with A\ang and Katara having a moment realizing they are better off as friends and a small hint of a future relationship in canon that could take many forms. For the final moments of the show, everyone is on the balcony.

——————

It is important to address the changes required in order to make sure that they don’t interfere with other plot threads. Additionally,one must understand what I’m arguing for, or else my evaluation couldn’t be cogent. Only now that we're in accord, I can trurly delve into the captivating narrative of Zuko, Katara, and the untapped potential of a romantic entanglement between them.

[writer-in-theory]

Meet Me At Skull Rock — steddie.

For: @skjachukson as a part of the @steddieholidayexchange

Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Rating: T

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: N/A

Tags: childhood best friends, love confessions, first love, friends to enemies to lovers, season 4, canon divergence

Summary:

One petal he loves me, one petal he does not.

When Steve finds out that his childhood best friend is accused of murder, old feelings resurface.

Read on Ao3

One petal he loves me, one petal he loves me not. 

Steve’s little fingers shook as they plucked away at the wildflower in his hand, willing it to leave behind one solitary petal just as it had for the girl in the movie he’d watched last weekend. The loose petals gathered on his lap and in the grass around him, one errant petal clinging to his left sock. 

“Whatcha doin’?” a familiar voice called loudly directly into his ear as the person practically leaped onto Steve’s back, sending him reeling forward in his attempt to remain upright where he sat. Eddie’s hands pulled at Steve’s shoulder so he could get a better look at what had taken his best friend’s attention, face scrunching up at the sight of the blue flower in his hands. “Why’s the flower look so sad?”

His eyes drifted to the small stack of petals sitting on Steve’s knee, torn at one edge from where Steve had plucked it from the center of the flower. “Why’re you hurtin’ the flower, Stevie?”

“I’m not hurting it,” Steve huffed, setting the flower down on the ground in front of him for safekeeping. He turned around in his spot in the dirt so he could face Eddie. “I’m doing magic on it.”

“Magic?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, eyes lighting up bright at the mention of the word. “Carol said flowers tell if the person you like like feels the same way.”

“What’s the flower saying now?” Eddie asked, leaning his head forward over Steve’s shoulder to get a closer look. 

“I dunno,” Steve said with a tiny shrug. Normally he wanted to share everything with his best friend, but even now he could feel himself wanting to tuck the flower closer to his chest as if to protect it from view. “Didn’t finish the magic. Do you think it really works?”

“You can’t lie about magic, Stevie,” Eddie said back, relaxing into a spot on the ground beside him. “That’s the rules, so it’s gotta really work. Same as how Skull Rock has to stay a secret hideout.”

“I guess.” Steve sat the flower down on the first rock to make up Skull Rock, ready to put it out of his mind until he could ask Carol more about the magic behind it all. “We should get back to your Uncle Wayne’s, it’s almost sundown.”

“Aww, c’mon, we can stay five more minutes,” Eddie protested, though was already standing up and brushing the dirt off of his jeans. “Maybe we can get Uncle Wayne to order us pizza.”

“Race you back!”

“Hey, wait up, no fair!”

As they ran off toward the treeline of the woods, a flower lay left behind among the rocks, three lone petals hanging onto the center.

“He just disapp—Are you even listening, Steve? This is important!”

It had been years since Steve let himself feel anything for Eddie Munson. It was easier to pretend that the other man didn’t exist than to remember all of the fun they’d had as kids, or the night that his father had firmly and resolutely demanded an end to their friendship. For years Eddie Munson was nothing more than the outcast of Hawkins High who had at one time been Steve’s very best friend, back when his shoulders weren’t yet weighed down by the family name and the expectation of popularity. Even when the nerd pack had started to talk about him, it was easier for Steve to pretend that he didn’t know Eddie at all. 

In truth, maybe he really didn’t know Eddie, at least not now. Because Dustin and Max were there to find him and Steve didn’t have a single clue where to start looking. At one time in their lives, Steve would have been the person Eddie came to if the entire town was looking for him, but now Steve couldn’t name a single place Eddie considered safe. They had no leads except the vague mention of a dealer Eddie had once worked with.

When had they drifted so far apart that even the local dealer knew Eddie better than Steve did?

“Are you really sure Munson would go there? I mean, any guy named Reefer Rick can’t be that trustworthy,” Steve spoke up once Dustin called him out. 

“No one would check there,” Robin pointed out, already grabbing the keys to the Family Video doors. “It’s the perfect place for an accused murderer to hide.”

“He didn’t murder anyone!”

“I didn’t say he did, mini-dingus, I said he was accused of doing it. I can’t see Eddie Munson actually killing anyone.”

“No, I can’t either,” Steve sighed, following the kids as they rushed out to his car. At one time, he would have yelled at them for even daring to get near the thing, but one bad breakup and a half dozen demodogs later and it was weirder to see the car without them arguing in the backseat. “Calm down, Henderson, we’ll find him.”

Steve’s hands were tight on the steering wheel the entire ride to the lakehouse, mind racing as fast as his heartbeat despite all of his attempts to calm himself down. This was it, the inevitable meeting that he’d done his best to avoid for years. Eddie Munson needed him now and there was no hiding from it, not when the kid in the backseat of his car would be devastated by Steve doing anything but help.

Steve couldn’t say the broken bottle to his neck wasn’t deserved, given everything that had happened between him and the man holding it. He could see the fear in Eddie’s eyes that said everything—he was expecting Steve to turn him in or join the manhunt. Only a few years ago and he might’ve (though even the thought alone sent a shiver down the back of Steve’s neck), but somehow Eddie’s biggest fan had worked his way into Steve’s life and that meant that he had no choice but to stand there now ready to hear the real story about what had happened to Chrissy Cunningham in the Munson trailer.

It hurt to see Eddie so afraid, as if the man knew that the rest of the town wouldn’t accept him staying alive after the loss of their star cheerleader. Even after Robin, Dustin, and Max were able to talk him off of the ledge there was an edge of the same feral terror. It was the kind of fear that Steve knew would never completely fade even if they were able to solve this situation—the same that Steve had felt when facing down the demodogs with nothing but a baseball bat a few years earlier. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when the loneliness hit Steve full force, he’d wish that he and Eddie had more in common. He never would have wished it if the universe meant this.

“Steve should stay behind while we check out the trailer,” Robin suggested. “You know, in case anyone else finds this place before we can get back.”

“Huh?” Steve asked, finally tearing his eyes away from Eddie to face the group. “No way, Eddie can handle himself.”

“I hate to say I agree with Harrington, but Eddie can protect himself,” Eddie said. 

“The whole basketball team is out there looking for you, Eddie!” Dustin practically shouted, “you can’t fight off all of them. Steve’s good at this, trust us.”

Already Steve could feel the finality in this decision, but still he had to try to dissuade them from leaving him alone with Eddie. “I’m the only one here with a car. How do you think you’re getting over there?”

“We’re resourceful. The mini-dingus will figure it out for us,” Robin said.

Fifteen minutes later, Steve was left in the boat shed of the lake house with nothing but a baseball bat of nails and the one person he dreaded being alone with. They both sat on the ground against opposite walls of the shed, each clearly trying to avoid the inevitable conversation. Maybe Steve could last this entire time without having to face Eddie, even if it meant this uncomfortably stifling silence continued. 

“So the great Steve Harrington really is a hero,” Eddie spoke to break the silence first. “I didn’t believe Henderson when he told me.”

“I wouldn’t say hero.”

“I don’t know, the way the kids tell it you saved their lives with all your supreme righteousness.”

A sigh slipped from Steve at the bitterness that ran through Eddie’s words. He couldn’t even blame him after what had happened between them, after everything Steve had done.

“Look, man, it’s gonna be a long day if we can’t work together. We can just…pretend we didn’t know each other until today, or something.”

“You’re really great at pretending, aren’t you, Harrington?”

Steve winced, knowing deep down that he deserved the venom in Eddie’s words. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Eddie must have seen something in Steve’s face though, because he suddenly seemed to deflate. His features softened as he finally made eye contact with Steve for the first time since holding a broken bottle to his neck. “We covered interdimensional creatures and weird girls with magic powers…anything else I should know about?”

“The little nerds are great at getting themselves into trouble. Especially Henderson, you really have to watch out for him.”

“Yeah, I’m noticing that,” Eddie laughed. “What kid comes running after a guy accused of murder?”

“A kid who basically worships you. All year it’s been nothing but ‘Eddie this’ and ‘Eddie that’. It gets annoying hearing how great you are all the time,” Steve said with a laugh, hoping Eddie understood his lighthearted intentions.

“Tell me about it. I had to hear about how amazing you are every day. He said it so much he almost had me believing it.”

“Wow, that’s wild coming from you.”

“Is it?” Eddie asked. “I used to be that guy too, telling anyone who’d listen all about you.”

“Feels like forever ago,” Steve admitted. “Anything that happened before I knew about the Upside Down feels like a dream.”

“Damn. That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea. I keep thinking I’ve seen everything and somehow it keeps surprising me.”

“Even more of a reason to get out of Hawkins as soon as I can,” Eddie returned.

The silence that fell over them was less tense then, something a little closer to comfortable. 

Steve had missed talking to Eddie, even though he’d never admit it aloud to anyone. Even Robin didn’t know that they used to be friends, that he used to-

Well, that was all history anyway.

It was just when Steve started to get comfortable that voices began to sound from outside the shed. A few of them, all sounding angry and one of them that he was sure belonged to Jason Carver. Carver had been an asshole even when Steve had still been on the team, but he never once thought the guy would start an actual manhunt for someone in town. It was all too much, everything a terrible byproduct of the Upside Down refusing to leave the town of Hawkins alone.

“We have to get out of here,” Steve whispered, climbing to his feet and looking for a quick exit.

“What happened to protecting me with that?” Eddie asked in the same hushed tone, gesturing to the bat held tightly in Steve’s hands.

“I don’t want to use it if I don’t have too,” Steve answered. “Have any ideas how to get out of here?”

“The boat,” Eddie said, pulling the sheet off of it. “They can’t follow us across the lake.”

It was a decent enough idea, so Steve followed Eddie’s lead into the boat. They tried to row out of the shed as quietly as possible, if only to solidify their lead ahead of Carver and his friends before they noticed where Steve and Eddie had gone. 

Steve really thought it would work, too, until one of Carver’s friends pointed to where they were in the middle of Lover’s Lake. 

“Row faster!” Eddie screamed as the guys took off after them, having no qualms about swimming in the freezing lake in the middle of March. 

“I’m doing the best I can!” Steve shouted back, though sped up his movements until his upper arms burned. “Grab the bat!”

“What? I’m not gonna actually murder someone, Steven!”

“You will if it means not letting them murder us first!” Steve said, too stressed to feel triumphant when Eddie actually picked up the bat.

It all happened too fast for Steve to really process what happened. They got lucky most times they dealt with the Upside Down; no kids had actually gotten seriously hurt until the night Billy Hargrove was killed by the Mind Flayer. Steve had hoped that he’d never have to watch someone get killed in such a brutal way ever again, but then again the universe seemed to love proving Steve wrong time and time again. 

Patrick McKinney had been a good guy, his only fault really being that he subscribed to whatever Jason Carver said was true. He didn’t deserve to go out in such a horrific way. Every crack of his bones made Steve’s chest tighten even more as a wave of nausea built at the thought of Patrick and Chrissy suffering so much at the hands of the Upside Down. They didn’t deserve this, no one did.

He and Eddie were silent the rest of the way to shore, the only sound being that of the oars pulling through the water. 

How many more people have to get hurt before they can put an end to the Upside Down? More than once Steve had wondered if the government was wrong in choosing to keep this a secret from people. Shouldn’t the people of Hawkins deserve to know about the threat to their lives? Maybe it could have prevented this, or at least kept people from assuming Eddie was behind it all. 

One thing was certain: no one would believe that Eddie didn’t do this, after seeing Patrick’s death. 

“Hey, are you coming?” Eddie asked, the words sounding more distant than they should. “Steve, are you okay?”

That shook Steve out of it enough to notice that Eddie was already out of the boat and a few steps toward the tree-line. He looked…worried for Steve.

“I’m fine,” Steve said quickly, getting out of the boat and taking off after Eddie. “Just don’t get used to seeing that.”

“It’s what happened to Chrissy,” Eddie spoke, falling back to walk beside Steve. The moon was only a sliver, leaving them to fumble through the woods. Steve didn’t know where Eddie was leading them, but he was fine to allow someone else to take the lead for once. “One second she was fine, then she was…on the ceiling. I tried to help her but she wouldn’t wake up.”

“There was no way you could’ve stopped it,” Steve told him, though knew if Eddie was anything like him that he’d feel guilty about it for years after. “I don’t know why this is happening, but I do know we have a pretty good track record at stopping the Upside Down. We’ll figure this out and clear your name while we’re at it.”

“Since when is Steve Harrington such an optimist?���

“Since you told me to be,” Steve said before he could think about it. 

The memory was one that still sat in the front of his mind, easily reachable whenever he felt particularly down on his situation in life. They’d been kids then, still in elementary school. Eddie had just moved to Hawkins, though, to move in with his uncle after what happened to his parents. 

‘My momma said when I’m sad to always remember the sun will rise again.’

“Where are we going anyway?” Steve asked, mostly to distract himself from the fond memory. Even now, so far away from it, the thought of having lost that friendship caused an ache in his chest. 

“Skull Rock,” Eddie said, shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal. “You remember it, right?”

That bitterness threatened to come back like a sharp knife in Steve’s throat. 

‘Skull Rock can be our secret hideout! We gotta swear to never tell anyone about it, Stevie. Pinkie swear!’

“Eddie, I didn’t mean t-“

“You didn’t mean to start taking all of your conquests to my favorite place to get away? Or you didn’t mean to completely ditch your friend and pretend I didn’t exist?”

Now wasn’t the time, and yet with Skull Rock in view Steve knew there was never going to be another time like this. They were alone for the first time in years and vulnerable enough after what had happened on the lake to let everything out.

“You don’t get it,” Steve tried, though that seemed to only make the situation worse.

“You’re right, I don’t get it. I don’t get how you became such a royal dick so goddamn fast. King fucking Steve suddenly remembered to be embarrassed that he was friends with the devil worshipper, huh?” Eddie was yelling now, no care for the fact that the entire town would be looking for him now, after the loss of a second teenager in his presence.

And Steve, well Steve was going to let him do it. Eddie had a nightmarish day and if yelling at him made it better, then dammit Steve could take whatever Eddie had to say to him.

“I was never embarrassed of you,” Steve said, feeling the urgency building in him to correct the mistake. “I didn’t want to stop talking to you.”

“Then what, Steve? What fucking happened? Why are you even here now?” Eddie continued to yell, his movements becoming more frantic as he began pacing in front of Skull Rock. “Don’t tell me you’re here because of Henderson. You don’t risk your entire fucking life for a friend, and you definitely don’t do it for someone you left behind. Just go, alright? I’ll tell Henderson you did a great job as my knight in shining armor, ‘kay?”

”Eddie-“

”You disappeared, Steve. You left and found people who were better for your precious reputation.”

It was like something snapped in Steve. He could feel the band around his chest release, letting everything that he’d shoved down years ago come back up to the surface.

“It wasn’t my choice, Eddie! And I don’t want to see you die for this!” Steve shouted back, stunning Eddie in place. “Is that what you wanna hear? Or that maybe I brought all those girls to Skull Rock hoping I’d have an excuse to talk to you? You don’t get it, Eddie. I’m a Harrington. My dad had expectations for me, and it wasn’t until I almost failed out of high school that he realized I’d never meet them! What else was I supposed to do when he found out th-“

Silence. Steve could feel the pressure of it all around him, making it harder to breathe. It felt like he’d just gone on a run, his chest heaving with the effort to take in one breath after the other. 

“When he found out what, Steve?”

“Don’t make me say it.”

“What did your asshole dad find out about?” Eddie wasn’t going to drop this, not after Steve let the entire secret loose.

There was no escaping from this.

Steve sighed, finding a small crack in the rocks to focus on instead of Eddie.

“I thought everyone felt that way. I was just a kid, I said it so simply because I didn’t understand that not everyone would be nice about it. My dad…even then I knew he was an asshole, but I didn’t know he could be so mad.”

“What happened, Steve?”

“You’re really gonna make me say it.”

“I have to know.” Eddie’s voice was softer now, like he could already tell what was coming.

Steve’s hands shook where they rested at his sides. He felt like his heart might beat right out of his chest at any moment, which might be a more preferable end than whatever Eddie would do when he found out.

“D’you remember that day when I started pulling off all those flower petals?”

“Yeah, you started doing it all the time. I assumed it was for Carol.”

“Carol Perkins? God no, we’re just friends,” Steve laughed, trying to ignore the hurt as his brain corrected himself to were friends. “No I…I was wishing you felt the same way, okay?”

Eddie didn’t answer. Steve stood still, staring at the rock as he braced himself for what was going to happen. But even more time passed and Eddie still wasn’t answering him.

“You gotta say something, Eddie. Anything.” Steve hated pleading with the man, but all of his nerves felt frayed and raw as he stood there in front of his old best friend, the guy he had a crush on for too long.

“What the fuck, Harrington,” Eddie said with a heavy exhale. He didn’t sound angry though, more so in shock.

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t choose t-“

“No, no, my turn to talk,” Eddie cut him off quickly. “This whole time, this whole time, King Steve Harrington has not only been gay but liked me?”

“Please don’t tell anyone. They wouldn’t g-“

“Is that why you’re suddenly friends with Buckley?”

The talk in the Starcourt bathroom was life-changing for both of them, when Robin admitted that she loved a girl in their class. It was the first time that Steve had felt like someone really understood him, that it would be okay someday, when he finally got out of Hawkins.

“How did you know?”

“We can spot each other from a mile away. I never saw you comin’, though, Steve Harrington.”

“Why do you keep saying my name like that?” Steve had imagined telling someone a thousand times over. He’d imagined telling Eddie even more than that. Each time, though, he’d never imagined a reaction like this. He had no idea what to make of it, had no clear insight into what Eddie was thinking.

“Because I’ve spent the last decade trying to tell myself I was batshit for falling for Steve Harrington, but here you are telling me this whole time you’ve felt the same somehow.” Eddie was smiling now, his voice shaking a little from the shock still lingering in him.

And that-

“You what?”

“You’re really that surprised, Harrington? Everyone at Hawkins High had some kind of feelings for you,” Eddie returned simply.

The next breath Steve took wavered as much as his hands still did, unsure of what to do next. Steve had taken many people here, and yet standing there with Eddie he suddenly forgot everything he’d once learned about being with someone romantically.

How was this possible?

“You know, this is really the worst time to find out you like me,” Steve said with a laugh. “What with the murder accusations and the supernatural…whatever the hell it is.”

“Hey, you’re the one who picked now to confess your undying love for me,” Eddie laughed back, lighter than Steve had seen him since all of this began.

“I don’t think I said it like that.”

“How about this, Harrington. You figure out a way to get me out of all this, and we’ll ride off into the sunset together.”

Steve had tried to picture his future dozens of times, each time coming up more unsure than the last. Now, though, with everything off his chest and the knowledge that Eddie feel the same way for him, he knew there was something to look forward to. 

So he stepped forward, daring himself to be braver than he’d ever been before. The kiss was quick and feather-light, but there all the same. Steve grinned at the look of pure shock and wonder on Eddie’s face when he stepped back. “You have yourself a deal, Munson.”

“Okay, we clearly missed something here.” When Steve turned, he saw Max, Dustin, and Robin standing there in front of them. Robin was grinning mischievously, like she already knew how she would pry the details out of Steve. “We said protect him, Steve, not woo him.”

[ruinedsam]

Feeling kinda obsessed over Ruby telling Sam that sure he’s mad now when it comes out that Ruby’s been working to free Lucifer and manipulating him, and that Lucifer’s going to be grateful and repay Sam for freeing him, and Ruby showing Sam her back when Dean comes in; it really reads like Ruby expected expected Sam to forgive her and this just was a temporary fight. IDK if there’s a fic but I almost wish to write one now, where Dean does not arrive/does not enter in time to see Sam, so Sam is under the impression Dean wants to hunt him down per the voicemail and now Ruby is legit the only person Sam has (as he’s not really friends with Castiel at this point and Bobby held a gun to him not long ago so as far as Sam can tell, Bobby is down with hunting Sam), so it’s either be totally alone or find a way to live with demons as his only real allies. Somehow even more yet simultaneously less toxic than canon Samruby where Ruby is no longer actively manipulating Sam but Sam is so broken by the events of season 4 that he’s willing to accept Ruby in his life as the only person he has besides the archangel wishing to wear his body like a dress (more toxic because this thing cannot possibly be healthy in the aftermath yet also less toxic because at least Ruby is not lying to Sam any more, yet her previous lies cannot be forgotten or ignored). Dean is trying to get through to his brother, but Sam a) doesn’t know for sure his brother is looking for him and b) thinks Dean wants him dead and while Lucifer would just bring him back, it would still be annoying and Sam thinks it would break him beyond repair to die at Dean’s hands. Also Lucifer and the demons working for him are working to keep Dean far, far away from Sam so that there’s no chance of brotherly reconciliation and that’s part of why Sam doesn’t know Dean’s looking for him. I think it should either follow canon relatively well or be wildly canon divergent where everything goes very very wrong for the world (so maybe this is all taking place in Croatoan!world & this fic claims that world occurred because Dean was too slow and Sam had nobody but Ruby, which isn’t my actual hc but I’ve never thought too deeply about how all that started so it doesn’t really matter) (and if this is taking place there, I’d have the last scene be something like Sam saying yes to Lucifer/Lucifer doing what he does to that world or something, and then a flash forward of five years, to 2014, where we see the opening of canon!Dean arriving like he does in that episode), but if it’s roughly canon, then Bobby and Dean do not find out literally anything about why Sam killed Lilith until they team up with Crowley or meet Brady.

Crowley is the one to tell them that no, baby bro has no idea Dean’s looking because Lucifer is ensuring none of them get close but I think Brady should be the one to reveal, as a possibly high-ranking demon since he works directly under the Horsemen and is sent by Azazel to get Sam hunting again, that Sam heard a wildly different voicemail. Ruby here heard the voicemail and knew it was the angels, passed this onto Lucifer, and this also made its way through the Lucifer loyalists, so Brady knows exactly what Sam heard. Dean, who’d been thinking Sam heard the real voicemail and just didn’t care, is both deeply relieved to know otherwise and utterly horrified to discover his brother thinks Dean planned to hunt him. Brady makes things even worse by turning to Castiel and asking, faux-shocked, if Castiel hadn’t told his pet hunters that Dean’s voicemail was changed; maybe Castiel knew the plan, maybe not, just know Brady is attempting to drive a wedge between him and Dean. This succeeds, especially when Brady gleefully says Castiel also let Sam out do the panic room, ironically saving his life (“now that I’m thinking on it, it’s funny in a way. The only reason Sam even lived that night was so he could free Lucifer. He would’ve died in that detox otherwise. And you’re working with the guy who let him go to break the seal, all while claiming you want to stop the apocalypse”). Crowley left for not even 10 minutes and returns to their alliance in shambles, Brady grinning bloody teeth all the while. Dean is understandably having a bad day, and it only gets worse as Brady muses that from what he’d heard, Dean gave his brother so much grief over trusting the wrong person, yet Dean did that too. “At least Ruby admitted what she did, your angel here was happy to leave you ignorant of what he did.” If Brady is going to die, he’s dying making rude comments and breaking up the dream team

Enjoy my rambling thoughts on how I would make Samruby after killing Lilith even worse and ultimately cause everyone else to be even worse off as well. Also, voicemail fix-it but also voicemail “make it worse,” where only Dean finds out of the changed message and they never get to talk about it so Sam always thinks he hears Dean’s real message that fateful day.

I would love to read this fic! 👀👀👀

This is so interesting to think about! I think Ruby 100% thought what she was doing was for Sam’s good and that he would eventually realize that. Ruby’s death scene is one of those SPN scenes that make me insane. Forever thinking about the way Sam twisted his face in pain as if he was the one getting stabbed. Would he have been able to kill Ruby if Dean hadn’t arrived? Would he have tried?

You said in a way it would be less toxic bc Ruby is no longer manipulating Sam, but tbh I don’t really see how she’d get Sam to stay with her instead of going off alone without any manipulation, even if he has no one else. Or at least she’d have to foster some intense codependency between her and Sam...

Also a thing to ponder about is how does Ruby stand to Lucifer wanting to possess Sam? She is incredibly loyal to Lucifer and the cause but I also think she genuinely loves Sam in her own (demon) way. I’m pretty sure she had no idea about the vessel stuff so what does she think about it? Are her loyalties split? Does she still think this is a reward for Sam? Would she turn against Lucifer for Sam? 

Yess I love Brady spilling the beans!!! What wouldn’t I give for a scene like this being canon, everyone knowing about Cas and Dean realizing he’s just as guilty about trusting the wrong person!! Also someone else reminding Dean that he was going to let Sam die in the detox!! I love Brady <333

[onthepyre]

my dear moot. so gallavich are fuckbuddies and the ian leaves and becomes an emt and then what??? how do they get back together? do they like. see each other in the couple years between because of mandy or other people or do they go no contact?? if it's no contact then why do they see each other again?? i desperately need to know. i'm invested in this au definitely more than i should be since i haven't even finished the show yet but like. it's amazing. i'm obssesed

omg hi!!!!!! thank you so so much for the question. i swear im still spinning this au around in my head ive just been so very preoccupied lately but i intend to write about that first night in the bar soon so keep an eye out for that. BUT! i will put the answer to this under a cut because it got longwinded.

so i want to start with why things fizzle out in the first place. they start up very much like canon gallavich - ian is ass over teakettle for mickey, and mickey, while definitely interested, isn't nearly as invested. things diverge from their canon characterization around the time of mick and svet's marriage. ian remains pissed, but rather than fucking off to the army, he stays - and it triggers his first major depressive episode.

and then mickey's like....... dude what the fuck is going on with you. because mickey, at this point, has bigger fucking fish to fry. instead of him being ian's main caretaker during this time it falls on the other gallaghers and mickey's just sort of around, in the periphery, and then when ian hits that manic upswing again, a LOT of the insane reckless shit he does is with or for mickey. but they never hit that deeper connection that we see gallavich develop in seasons 4/5 because they're just too fucking busy

so then ian quits work, and that's fine, but that means he and mickey dont really see much of each other anymore. they try to keep things up for a little bit, but it's just not really convenient since they aren't constantly in the same place, and so they're just kind of like, well whatever.

(they are both secretly very sad about this. but neither of them wants to come out and say that. so they just don't.)

and yeah, they do end up seeing each other a little, because ian and mandy are still friends, and she's probably so, SO tired of his bullshit, because he tells her all of these conflicting feelings he's having. she drops these stupid-obvious hints to mickey, but he's got a thick skull. so mostly she just pesters ian.

and then a little over a year goes by before the next major event - eventually they kind of put each other in the back of their minds, not really forgotten but not a main figure anymore. maybe ian gets a boyfriend, for real. but he still hasn't exactly nailed the balance of his meds, and though he doesn't experience the full spectrum anymore, there's definitely periods of time that...... aren't quite right. so he finds himself in one of those, and he gets off work and, well, that bar he used to work at is kind of close. and he kind of misses that messy thing he had going with mickey. and he drops in.

he gets more than a little tipsy at the bar, hanging around waiting for mickey to come in - and eventually he does. and ian isn't really sure how to approach this, but you know what always worked for him? starting a fight. so he does that. he calls mickey over, brings him outside, and just fucking. socks him in the face. and it does what ian wants it to! they beat the shit out of each other, take a little breather for mickey to ask what the fuck that was about, and in response, ian kisses him. they barely make it inside before their pants are off.

but ian, for the most part at least, has his life on track right now. he can't get involved in organized crime, he's a fucking emt. he has shit to be doing. his brother's a cop, even if a corrupt one. so he leaves that night, as much as it pains him, and puts it in the past. for a bit.

but FUCK! it hurts more this time. it SUCKS, suddenly, very badly. he wants nothing more than to go back again and apologize and start over, start it again the right way. and though ian loves mandy, he doesn't really trust her judgement on this specific thing. so he confides in lip. lip says, no dude, you did the right thing. don't spend more time around them than you need to. and ian takes that advice! for a little while.

another ten months goes by. it's been two years - two years! - since they had a regular thing going. and really? they're still stuck on each other. mickey very nearly reaches out a few times, but svet worries they'd be spending too much time with the gallaghers. and mickey trusts her.

thing is? yev's a clumsy kid. when he's about three, mickey turns his back for all of ten seconds and yev pulls a pot of boiling water down from the stove - and onto himself. it only really gets his arm, but it's a LOT of his arm, and naturally, mickey freaks the fuck out! and like, ive mentioned this offhand before, but he and svet are STUPID protective over their boy. like, would kill for him protective. so he calls 911. guess who shows up?

ian. of course it's ian. so they treat yev and get everything sorted out, but fuck, if watching mickey be a good dad isn't, for some fucking reason, the hottest thing ian's ever seen. and he misses him! by this point, he misses him so goddamn bad. can't get mickey out of his head. so he says, hey, you still have my number. give me a call in a couple days, let me know how yev's doing. i can come check on him, change the bandages.

and mickey calls him that night, actually. ian's like, did something happen, is yev okay? and mickey says, yeah he's fine. do you want to get dinner. and ian says yes, jesus christ, please.

and they're like, actually pretty normal from then on out. they remain ian and mickey, so of course there's ups and downs. but they're ian and mickey again.

[hbyrde36]

Self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 🖤

oh! so fun, thanks anon!

In no particular order because they are all precious to me:

Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

Vampire Eddie Munson, Vampire Hunter Steve Harrington, P.I. Robin Buckley, bad-ass gun toting Nancy Wheeler, VAMPIRE DUSTIN!, Stripper Chrissy Cunningham, and so much more.

My ‘steddie as Anita and Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake novels’ fic. I fucking love this thing. It’s SO FUN. The book series it’s pulled from start out in the 90’s (yes I’m old and I read them when they were originally published🙈) and as much as I love the idea of Vampire Hunter Steve having a beeper, I decided to bring things up to present day (along with quite a few other changes to make it my own, and to fit the steddie vibe). It’s weird and a little challenging writing a fic intermingling two different pieces of media, but I love weaving in and combing elements of each universe's lore, while still maintaining the main beats of the story. If nothing else, read this one for the dream sequences!

2. Caught in the Undertow

Post season 4, Canon Divergent – Eddie lives and Vecna has been defeated.

AKA the sad Eddie fic, or, as i used to call it in my head, 'the passively suicidal Eddie fic'. This was my first foray into the ‘giving my own issues to my blorbos’ thing, although it still seems to be in character for them, I think. Don’t worry, I spread it out between both Eddie and Steve, so they’re both a little fucked up. I loved and hated writing every word of this fic. It was so hard sometimes and I made myself cry more than once, but it was incredibly cathartic. This is the fic I go back to and read parts of more than anything else I’ve written.

3. Times Like These

Time loop, Eddie POV

TLT was my first brain worm, my first ever fanfic, and the first thing I’d written period in a very long time. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was so intrigued by the idea and there weren’t many (any?) Eddie POV time loops on ao3 at that point so it was definitely a little bit of a “fine I’ll do it myself” moment. I was just so curious how it would play out if Eddie, the new guy who knew so little about the upside down, who got thrown into the mix and died all within a single week, were to be the one stuck in a loop. What would he think was happening to him? Would he trust the party enough to tell them? What would he do or change to try and fix things? I think I’ve improved quite a bit as a writer since I finished this, just through sheer practice, but I’m still so very proud of my first baby and think about it often.

4. Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Canon was just a crazy homebrew D&D game, sort of.

My second brain worm, this fic lived in my head for 8 months before I had written a single word of it. It all started with the idea that, 'what if all of the events from the show had just been a D&D game played by the boys in Mike’s basement?', and then I ran with it from there. It’s a work in progress and we have still have a ways to go (I’m not sure we’re even at the halfway point yet) but I love how it’s turning out. The response from readers, in comments on ao3 and tumblr, to this one has been very kind and encouraging. It makes it SO easy to work on knowing others love it as much as I do.

5. Thank God we didn’t peak in High School

Friends-with-Benefits to Lovers, Modern Au, life after high school au, no upside down

I wrote this series at the last minute for Steddie Week. Last minute, as in I didn’t even start until several days into the event. I’ve never put out so many words so fast. This fic is loosely based on my own marriage’s origin story, although our beginnings were even more dramatic than this (I felt like I had to tone it down to make it believable). This is the first project that made me realize how fun writing from prompts could be! It’s definitely not my best writing, but the story is fun and cute, a little dramatic and angsty, and as always the boys get their happy ending!

[their-destinys-writer]

Akuma Flashpoint - Chapter 4

Rated: M

Chapters: 4/?

Chapter Summary: Marinette and Alya finally get to talk.

Info: Canon compliant up to Season 3, Episode 'Ladybug'. Miracle Queen never happened. Canon divergent from that point forward, but might borrow a few details from later seasons. Very loosely inspired by DC's Flashpoint Paradox (the animated movie). Updates on the last Monday of every month.

Ao3 | Wattpad

A/N: Merry Christmas! Have a new chapter as a gift.

First | Previous | Next

The Recruit

It had been a long morning and midday, and yet Marinette still felt lost. To figure out the right thing to say for the now dreaded breakfast, she had to ask about her history with Adrien in this timeline. And it sure was… interesting. Starting with the fact that they got together when they were fourteen, instead of sixteen. Apparently, since he never fell in love with Ladybug, it opened the door for him to instantly fall for her civilian identity instead.

That was one what-if scenario she never knew she would get the answer to. Not that she had ever actually wanted to know. But it also meant Lila was Adrien’s second girlfriend, meaning she shouldn’t underestimate the importance Lila had acquired for him in this timeline.

Another awful revelation was that he was the one to break things off. According to Tikki, their communication suffered greatly after Nino passed away, and this timeline’s Marinette didn’t want to fight for the relationship, blaming herself for what happened. After that, she distanced herself from everyone, resulting in Adrien giving up in the relationship.

But every now and then, she would drunk-dial Adrien to tell him how much she cared about him and that she was glad he was alive. Among other things Tikki wouldn’t divulge. As for his relationship with Lila, that was a more recent development. Something that started between four to five months prior. And apparently, Marinette did not take it well at all, ending up at his doorstep, drunk and sobbing.

“That’s so embarrassing,” Marinette whined, dragging her hands down her face. “No wonder he’s pissed. I’m a total disaster.”

“More like cripplingly depressed,” Tikki said with a cringe.

“And borderline alcoholic,” Marinette pointed out, as she checked her phone again. “I have so many calls made to Adrien in this phone. At least three times a week. Why was I drunk three times a week?!”

“Well—”

“You know what? I don’t need to know,” Marinette intervened. “On the bright side, that gives me a few ideas of what I can say to them.”

“Really? Already?”

“It’s obvious I had a drinking problem before I got here, so what do alcoholics do when they’re finally ready to get their life back together?” Tikki shrugged. “They admit they have a problem and, somewhere along the line, they make amends. I can start by jumping to those amends. I just have to convince them that this was something I had already been thinking about for a while.”

“Oh!” Tikki said excitedly. “Simple!”

“Mhm,” Marinette nodded. “So, now that that’s settled, I just have to make sure I don’t mess it up. And in the meantime, I can try to figure out how to fix everything.”

“May I ask, how will you know when something or someone was responsible for changing everything?”

“Unfortunately, I think that’s something I’ll figure out along the way,” Marinette admitted.

“Is that why you still made a plan for tomorrow? Even though you hope to find the akuma before then?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Because I have absolutely no idea who The Genie could be, and I’m not even sure she knows I’m here. There’s a chance this might not have been part of her plan. And if that’s the case, she has no reason to suddenly show up.”

“Wouldn’t we have noticed someone walking around in blue skin, though?”

“That’s the part that I least understand.” Marinette started pacing in the small room. “Surely someone like that would’ve stood out by now. And I also don’t think she would’ve gone through all the trouble of time travel if this timeline didn’t end up benefiting her in some way. She did say something about getting her wish. Maybe Adrien not being Chat Noir triggered a better life for her.”

“That implies that she’s been here the whole time since he lost his miraculous.”

“She could have.” Marinette tapped her lip. “She was able to become somewhat invisible during our fight. Maybe she can change her appearance and make herself look normal.”

“But that would mean she could be anybody!” Tikki gasped.

“It would explain how no one has ever seen her. Or even suspected that she’s akumatized.”

“Did you ever figure out her akumatized object?”

Marinette stopped on her tracks, thinking back to that last fight. She wracked her brain, searching for a clue, but she couldn’t remember. Genie didn’t ever seem to use anything to make her wishes true, or even her movements possible. She just willed everything. Like a cartoon genie.

“I didn’t,” she sighed. “All I remember is her tacky and culturally insensitive costume, and a bright light before I woke up here. Nothing really stood out from her. It happens sometimes with willing akumas. They’re always harder to beat. But this one really takes the cake in difficulty.”

“Is that why you’re looking for a pattern?” Tikki asked.

“Exactly. Well, not necessarily a pattern, but any clue—”

Marinette’s phone vibrated. A quick look into it revealed an unknown name.

“Who’s Mrs. Boche?”

“Oh no, your work,” Tikki slowly placed her paws on her cheeks.

“Ah. I’m guessing she’s my boss?” Marinette asked, to which Tikki nodded. “That’s fine, I’ll just tell her I’m not feeling well.”

“She might chew you out for that,” the kwami warned.

Marinette let out a long sigh. It sounded like she had already used that excuse too many times. Nevertheless, if she got fired, so be it. She was hoping to not spend enough time in this reality that finances would become a problem.

“Hello?” she responded to the call.

“What happened to you today?” a woman with a demanding—and slightly intimidating—voice said from the speaker.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Boche, I’m not feeling well today,” Marinette excused herself.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I cannot keep accepting your excuses anymore,” Mrs. Boche said. “It’s the fifth time this month already. If you’re not willing to do something about it, I’m afraid I can’t keep you in our team. And you know that would mean termination. You understand that?”

Marinette gulped. She may have never worked for this person, but that tone made her feel ashamed for something she didn’t even do.

“I understand,” she responded in a small voice. “I promise not to let it happen again.”

“I’m tired of your excuses,” Mrs. Boche huffed. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t send you a letter of termination right this second.”

Marinette opened her mouth to give another plausible excuse, but immediately closed it. Considering how she had managed to balance work and being a superhero in her reality, she had a feeling her absences had nothing to do with that. This universe’s Marinette was clearly going through a lot, meaning what was really wrong was a health issue, and not a superhero one.

“I have no good reason to give, Mrs. Boche,” she responded as professionally as she could with missing context. “I clearly haven’t been well for some time, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes. The best I can do is say that I will be seeking the help I need, and that if I were to continue under your employment, I would do my best to not slip up again. However, if you understand I have exhausted my chances, I will respectfully accept your decision and wish the company the best.”

There was silence from the other side of the line. Marinette exchanged a look with Tikki, wondering if she said something she shouldn’t have. Or maybe she had already given a similar excuse in the past. But Tikki’s expression was hard to read.

“You better walk through that door tomorrow,” Mrs. Boche finally said. “I hope you feel better.”

The call ended. Marinette let out a breath, glad that if it took longer than expected, she would at least not die of starvation. However, it had the downside of cutting into the time she would need to find The Genie.

“Is she a bad boss?” she asked Tikki.

“I don’t think she is,” Tikki responded. “I think it’s more that you’re a bad employee.”

“Sounds about right,” Marinette muttered. “Ugh, this is starting to become more complicated than I expected. Now I need to catch up on anything that has to do with work. Though, it can’t be that different from the job in my reality, right?”

“You didn’t know who Mrs. Boche is,” Tikki pointed out.

Marinette let out a drawn-out groan, as she dragged her hands down her face. The miraculous, Adrien, Alya, work, it was a lot she had to figure out and come up with solutions in order to maximize her time to find The Genie. And the more things continued to pile up, the more it was starting to look like she might be stuck for several days.

“I need help, fast,” she admitted. “I can’t do this on my own. I need to find a way to convince Alya to help me as soon as possible. Does she patrol often?”

“She does,” Tikki said. “I know I said we can try to convince her, but after this morning, I don’t see her helping you very soon. She might need time before you ask her.”

“I have to try.” Marinette turned back to the corkboard, already interrupted several times from being continued. Without another word, she added Gabriel’s and Nathalie’s pictures on the upper-right corner of the board, plus the miraculouses they owned. “Any miraculous we do know who has them?”

“I know Mayura has the mouse miraculous. Hawkmoth definitely has the dragon and pig miraculous. The rest, I don’t know who has which.”

With a hum, Marinette placed the mentioned miraculous under its respective thieves. Slightly lower, she placed the rest of the drawings and added the word ‘stolen’ over them, merely to identify them as not in her possession.

“Did I ever make a proper investigation about these?” she asked, to which Tikki nodded. At least that was one thing she did right in this reality. “Okay then. That’s as much as I can do with that.” As she looked at what she had so far, her brows furrowed. “You said we lost the box. What… What happened to Master Fu?”

There was silence. Marinette turned slightly towards Tikki, only to find her looking away, eyes becoming glassy.

“No,” Marinette breathed.

“It happened two months before Nino passed,” Tikki said quietly. “He didn’t even get the chance to relinquish his guardianship before he…”

Before he died, Marinette finished internally, feeling her eyes well up once again. Her gaze turned down to the desk, mindlessly landing on Master Fu’s picture and a piece of paper with the word Deceased on it.

“Who did it?” she asked.

“The sentimonster active at the time,” Tikki explained. “Or at least, that’s what we think. There was also an akuma, and Hawkmoth and Mayura weren’t very far from him. It could have been any of them, but the sentimonster was closest.”

“Was it the same with Nino?” Tikki nodded. Marinette let out a shuddered breath as she proceeded to add Master Fu on the corkboard, close to Nino’s picture. “I really hate it here.” As she looked back at the desk, she realized there was one miraculous left. “Whatever happened to the black cat miraculous is still a mystery, right?”

Tikki nodded again. So, Marinette proceeded to place the picture of the ring isolated in its own corner, with the word Lost. Further right to it, she added pictures of Adrien and Lila, making a face of disgust as she did. Underneath their pictures she added: Untrustworthy.

“I’ve never in my life thought of Adrien as someone I can’t trust,” she said quietly. “I can’t believe I just associated that word with him. It feels so surreal.”

“But he did lose his miraculous,” Tikki reminded her.

“I know, I know.” Marinette swallowed, her stomach making a nasty lurch at the thought of him with Lila. “I think I’m going to need a break.”

“Are you okay?”

Marinette shook her head, as she sat at a nearby chaise. In fact, it seemed to be the same chaise that had been in her room at her parents’ apartment. She must’ve salvaged it from the destruction. Yet she couldn’t salvage her relationship with Adrien? The thought made her nauseous. Just imagining those nasty claws of Lila caressing his arms, it sent a cold shudder through her body.

“What’s wrong?” Tikki asked.

“I just need to remind myself that this reality will cease to exist,” Marinette whispered. “And everything that’s happened here will fade like a bad dream. All of you won’t even remember it. Please distract me, Tikki.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, um… The rest of the core team. Chloé, Kagami and Luka. Where are they?”

“Oh.” Tikki tilted her head. “Well, Chloé and Kagami are not in Paris.”

“What? Why?”

“They’re with their mothers. Chloé in New York and Kagami in Japan.”

“Why? Their mothers are awful.”

“Maybe so. But you weren’t exactly close to them to—OH! Marinette, look!”

Tikki grabbed Marinette’s cheek, pushing her to see through the window. A speck of orange was visible over the city’s rooftops. Marinette sprang to her feet, ready to transform.

“Any advice on getting her to my side quickly?”

“Just blurt out whatever you think might get her attention,” Tikki said.

Marinette looked back at the corkboard. “I think I have just the thing. Tikki, transform me!”

The light had barely finished washing through her body, when Ladybug was jumping out the window, swinging her way across the city as fast as she could. Although it was only an hour after midday, the sky was dark with heavy rain clouds. Nevertheless, Ladybug wasn’t letting the opportunity slip through her fingers.

She landed on the edge of a tall apartment building to survey the area she had seen the speck of orange. But it was like it vanished into thin air.

“Dammit,” Ladybug cussed. “Where are you? I just saw you.”

“You’re unbelievable,” a voice said behind her. Turning around, she saw the very person she had been looking for. “What part of ‘fuck you, Marinette’ do you not understand?”

“Hey, Alya. Um, Rena Rouge.” Ladybug held her hands together.

“You go looking for me one more time, and those earrings are coming off,” Rena Rouge threatened.

“I’m sorry,” Ladybug loudly said, taking Rena Rouge aback. “I’m very sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to hurt you—”

“Oh, save it,” Rena Rouge spat. “I don’t care for your pity. I just need you to stay the hell away from me. I thought that I had made myself clear.”

“Yes, and I understand that. But—”

“But nothing,” Rena Rouge growled. “You don’t get to decide what I need. Much less after the display you pulled today. Just get out of my life!”

She turned around, about to leave, so Ladybug made a last desperate attempt at retaining her.

“Nino’s alive!” Ladybug shouted. And to her relief, it had the desired effect, for Rena Rouge stopped dead on her tracks.

“What did you just say?” She turned her head to the side.

“I-In my timeline,” Ladybug continued, hoping Rena wouldn’t change her mind. “This reality, it’s not what it’s supposed to be. I’m not who you think I am, I’m not the Marinette you’ve known, I’m from a reality where Nino is alive and we won. But an akuma caused this and I need your help setting it right.”

Ladybug could see Rena’s breathing accelerated. She wondered if it was enough, or if the damage had been too much. Rena Rouge opened her mouth slightly, but no words came from it. Perhaps it was time to push her luck.

“I know you don’t have many reasons to believe me, but don’t you think I was too oblivious this morning for it to just be a hangover?” She continued. “As awful as I’m sure I’ve been in this timeline, I doubt I’d go as far as being cruel. So there would have been no reason for me to bring up Nino, unless I had no idea he passed away. And trust me, that’s something I would never forget. I know it’s hard to believe me, but please give me a chance to explain everything.”

“How can I know if you’re telling the truth?”

Ladybug pressed her lips together. “You don’t,” she said. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need you to trust me.”

“That’s not good enough,” Rena interrupted. “Unless you can provide proof, I can’t get my hopes up by your word alone. I also don’t understand why it has to be me. Seems convenient.”

“You’re the only one of my team left with a miraculous and not dating one of my enemies.”

The wind blew past them, the smell of approaching rain filling Ladybug’s nostrils as she waited for a response. When Rena Rouge turned back ahead, she said at last: “I don’t buy it.”

A mournful breath left Ladybug’s lips, just as her transformation collapsed without warning.

“SHE’S TELLING THE TRUTH!” Tikki screamed. The fox hero turned on her heels, eyes bulging out of their sockets. Marinette attempted to call her back, but was ignored by the kwami. “Please believe me. She’s not our Marinette. There’s a reality out there where I still get to see Plagg. But we need to beat the akuma for it to come back, for our lives to be out of this awful place without the ones we love. Please, I’m begging you, Rena Rouge, please help us!”

Marinette could feel her eyes well up for the hundredth time that day. After eight years as a team, she had never seen Tikki in so much anguish. She couldn’t help but reach out and hold the small goddess as she sobbed.

“Tell me everything,” the voice of Rena Rouge demanded.

* * *

The rain was falling hard against the windows of the café, as Marinette finished telling Alya everything about her arrival to this reality. She waited with bated breath, as her best friend removed her hands from her temples.

“So,” Alya said after catching her breath, “you’re saying that Chat Noir not being around as your partner derailed our entire existence?”

“Pretty much,” Marinette sighed, as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Damn,” Alya scoffed. “I would say you’re full of shit, but I had never seen Tikki vouch for you like that.”

“Yeah, I noticed how unhappy people are with me,” Marinette said quietly. “I’m sorry this timeline’s version of me made you guys go through such hard times.”

“Hmm.” Alya brought the tea to her lips, hesitant. “I mean,” she started, “I guess, to be fair, you were going through a hard time yourself, you know, having literally no one to lean on. If I had known about your parents…”

“It’s still not an excuse to act unkind,” Marinette insisted.

“Look, what matters is what’s happening now,” Alya interjected, landing the cup of tea on the table. “You said you can fix this. Now tell me how.”

“Okay, so you know how I have to defeat a villain in order to fix all the damage they made, right?”

“The thing I learned today, yes.”

Marinette winced. “Right. I need to find The Genie in this timeline and defeat her. Once I free her of her akuma, I can purify it and revert this reality she created.”

“Even if you do purify the akuma, how are you so sure the Miraculous Cure can bring back an entire reality that’s currently lost.”

“I once brought back a temple that had been lost for over a hundred years by purifying an amok,” Marinette stated. “If I can do that, I can bring back a lost reality. Which I’m sure is not a hundred percent lost. I just need to find that akuma.”

“And you said you don’t think she looks like an akuma currently,” Alya added skeptically.

“Right,” Marinette sighed. “Considering she can change an entire reality, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to assume she can also change her appearance. Otherwise, someone would’ve seen her by now.”

“Good point,” Alya muttered, before raising her voice slightly. “So, what’s the plan? If you have one.”

“I started making a board to figure out everything that’s different in this timeline and where the heroes and villains are. Obviously, I know exactly where Gabriel is, but I don’t know much about Ms. Sancoeur. And I can’t take their miraculouses yet, or The Genie will figure out I have my old memories.”

“Good call. Okay, so, that’s the villains. Does that mean you know who Chat Noir is and where to find him?”

Marinette pressed her lips. “I do. But… Ugh, I can’t trust him here,” she admitted. “I already bumped into him, and he was so hateful towards me. Well, Marinette me, at least. I think he wouldn’t believe me if I tell him everything, so right now, he’ll be staying in the dark.”

“So you know who he is!” Alya said, edging her seat. Marinette nodded. “I would love to know the identity of the coward who abandoned you.”

“If you want to know just to kick his ass, I’m afraid that information is currently off-limits.”

“Come on—”

“And like I said before,” Marinette interrupted, “whatever the reason that he’s no longer Chat Noir, I know it wasn’t his choice. He loves being Chat Noir more than anything, and I know he would never give it up unless he thought it was a matter of life or death.”

“If you say so,” Alya sighed, sitting back while drinking some more of her tea. “What about the other heroes you mentioned?”

“Well, I got you, so that is my biggest relief,” Marinette said. “I know now what happened to Carapace. What I don’t know is about his miraculous—”

“I have it,” Alya responded.

“Oh. Good then,” Marinette let out a breath of relief. “So that’s another miraculous Gabriel and Ms. Sancoeur don’t have. Anyway, the bee holder is not in France, and neither is the dragon holder. So that leaves the holder of the snake miraculous, but that was where I left off.”

“You thinking of bringing them in?”

“I’ve considered it, yes,” Marinette confirmed. “Out of the entire team, he was always the most levelheaded one. Of course, I don’t have the snake miraculous, so the bee will have to do. But I have no idea where to find him, and I don’t have his number in my phone, for some reason. So I need you to help me make contact.”

“Why me? Wait, do I know him?”

“Yes, Luka.”

“Luka?!”

“Yeah, I thought about calling Juleka or Rose, but I don’t wanna come off a bit weird, since I don’t know—”

“Waitwait, time-out.” Alya made the gesture she said. “You’re telling me, of all the people in the entire city, you choose Luka? Luka?”

“He’s basically part of the core team,” Marinette argued. “He was one of the firsts I trusted with my identity, he recognizes the importance of teamwork, has the most patience out of all the holders, and even had to wear the black cat miraculous once. I know he can do—”

“He’s in rehab,” Alya interjected.

The coffee cup landed loudly on the table. Marinette’s mouth hung open, right where she left off her sentence.

“He’s… WHAT?!”

“Ow,” Alya winced, covering one of her ears.

“What do you mean he’s in rehab?!”

“I mean,” Alya said, pointedly lowering her voice, “he decided to get clean after Juleka woke up from her coma.”

“Juleka was in a—God, why do I even question anything in this timeline.” Marinette dragged her hands down her face, attempting to get her tone several octanes lower, yet failing miserably. “This is literally my worst nightmare. And everyone else’s it seems!” Marinette grabbed at her hair. “I-I… I don’t have a team. I literally have zero core members available outside of you. I mean, unless… How long has Luka been in rehab?”

Alya blinked. “Don’t even think about it.”

“He’s our best shot.”

“He’s an addict. The last thing he needs is stress.”

“Or maybe he needs to be trusted. And a support system.”

“No, he can’t be around you,” Tikki interjected, poking out of Marinette’s purse that was sitting on the table.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Marinette groaned.

“You two have a history together,” Tikki explained.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like a big deal. He’s my ex-boyfriend in my timeline, too.”

“Wow, your timeline sounds fascinating,” Alya said, resting her chin on both her hands. “So you actually dated Luka in your timeline.”

“I—Wait, I’m confused.” Marinette said. “Tikki just said we have a history, but you’re acting like this is new information.”

“Alya doesn’t know,” Tikki cleared up.

“Know what?” Marinette and Alya said in unison, the former concerned while the latter excited.

“Before Luka went to rehab, you two had a… I think what you call a fling?”

“Okay?”

“Oooh.”

Marinette and Alya said in unison.

“It didn’t end very well,” Tikki finished, tucking back into the purse.

“Of course it didn’t,” Marinette deadpanned. “Though, to be fair, things could’ve gone better in my timeline, too.”

“What happened in your timeline?” Alya asked, sitting back while sipping her tea again.

“My secret identity is what happened,” Marinette said with a tired sigh. “Eventually, it wasn’t sustainable.”

“And yet, you’re still with Adrien in that other reality?” The reporter arched a brow.

“Things are different with Adrien,” Marinette reasoned, careful not to let slip his identity. “We found a way to make it work. But that doesn’t matter, Adrien’s not part of the plan, nor is he getting a miraculous.”

“Why not?”

Marinette shifted in her seat. “I just see no reason to bring him in. The only thing I need to do with him is make sure he doesn’t get in my way. Which I’ll be doing tomorrow.”

“Whatta you mean?” Alya pried. To which Marinette explained part of her encounter with him that morning. “So, you could be delayed in your investigation because of a potential court order.”

“Yup,” her lips made a popping sound at the last letter. “If I want to reverse this mess as quickly as possible, the last thing I need is to worry about going to jail, or something of the likes. So, I will convince him and… ugh, Lila, that I’m done and that I’ll be leaving him alone.”

“You seem to dislike Lila,” Alya said, eyes squinting.

“Let’s just say she’s very different in my timeline,” Marinette limited herself to say. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I do that tomorrow so I can focus more on finding The Genie. And to do that, I need to know everything there’s to know about this timeline.”

“Does that include…” Alya gulped, “Does that include Nino’s death?”

Marinette’s gaze lowered to the already cold cup of coffee in her hands.

“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready,” she whispered. From the corner of her eye, she saw Alya’s tea land on the small plate.

“I’ll tell you everything,” Alya said quietly. “But not here.”

Marinette slowly looked back up, finding a solemn expression on Alya’s face.

“Okay,” she agreed. “We can go to my place.”

First | Previous | Next

[rapturemctro]

3 and 4 for the s/i lore ask game for your hazbin s/i!

ANSWERED ASK GAME

Heck yes!! I have so many current thoughts about my H*zb*n S/I so I'm super happy to talk about them! A lot of what I'm about to talk about is obviously very Canon Divergent since we have no idea what the plan is for Season 2 and that's kind of where I picture my S/I getting introduced!

3. how do the other characters generally feel about your self insert? Many of the residents of the hotel are cautious and slightly suspicious of Archer at first when they join the hotel due to many of them not having pleasant interactions with Angels previously, but do eventually warm up to them and welcome Archer into their little dysfunctional found family throughout the progression of the following seasons. Many of the residents of the hotel find Archer to be a bit of a stick in the mud though with the exception of Charlie who is just excited to have more people to help support her work and ambitions and loves having a new established connection to heaven through Archer.

Outside of the hotel most sinner and overlords can't stand them, Archer has a tendency to be a hard ass and a bit of a bitch since they don't want to be taken advantage of or pushed around by hellborns so many of the sinners and overlords don't like them. Most people who meet Archer find them to be boring and a workaholic due to the fact their sole focus is keeping busy and rarely indulge in vices or fun.

Vox and Archer have a enemies to lovers dynamic where he's curious and in turn fascinated by them, but he can't stand them at first due to how much they meddle in the Vees affairs and finds loopholes in contracts to free the souls bound to the Vees. In addition to this since Archer isn't stupid and easy to manipulate like most sinners and hell borns he finds their interactions to be extremely fun and leave him even more intrigued. Also this man plays a dangerous game flirting with an angel who could easily slit his throat if they truly wanted to, it's lucky for him that they're both so secretly down bad for each other that Archer tolerates the embarrassing attempts at flirting.

4. would you be considered a main character, side character, villain, or something else? Archer would be considered a Major character the gets introduced into Season 2, I imagine that since Charlie has accidentally proven that redemption is possible and hell is more than capable of pushing back against the exterminations Emily and Sera meet with Charlie and Lucifer to establish a new peace treaty and agreement where they're allowed to establish a heavenly embassy in hell and send ambassadors to aid in developing a more solid plan towards redemption and restructure the hierarchy of hell all to help reduce the over population issues in hell and try to make up for the damages they've done in the past. Archer is a lower ranking Seraphim, and one of those heavenly ambassadors that were assigned to assist Charlie and the hotel by Emily and Sera. Archer becomes a major character helping bridge the gap between Heaven and Hell, and eventually ends up working as a point of contact of sorts between The Morningstar Royal Family, The Seven Deadly Sins, the Overlords, and Heaven due to Charlie becoming much busier with the new found responsibilities of the hotel and attempting to negotiate an open ring agreement with the over seven deadly sins to allows Sinners to move freely throughout hell, and give sinners the opportunity to be redeemed. Archer also tends to meddle in the affairs of Overlords to try and free the souls/sinners that are under their control / contracted to them and offers them refuge and a fresh start at the hotel which Charlie may or may not secretly encourage and support.

[inspotlight]

a brain dump for nini's scream verse is below the cut. spoilers are very present but this is also severely canon divergent when it comes to a plot point in the movie. i do not suggest reading this if you have not seen the movie yet. this will also spoil season three of the scream tv show.

the beth and kirby mentioned in this brain dump are specifically the beth and kirby that i write at @maskedsocio and @wylmn respectively

okay so for this verse, nini is kirby's cousin. biologically at least, but until she was 18 and met her dad officially, she didn't know. so she decided that even though her dad wasnt really up to being her dad, she wanted to know his family, bc theyre her family, too, and if he's not against her telling his family that she's his daughter, then she's gonna try to forge those relationships bc family is important to her and hers was always so small, so.

kirby, having been in atlanta, invited nini to come stay with her for a month or so that summer after senior year and nini was so excited. she'd heard about kirby before. woodsboro was a bit far from salt lake city, of course, but she'd heard the stories. she was actually a little stunned when she learned she was related to kirby reed.

so, nini is hanging around atlanta for a couple months, and she meets a girl named beth, who kirby introduces her to. they're not that close in age, there's like... a 3/4 year difference. so basically the sam/kirby age gap (which i think has been retconned a little bit bc its been a year and now theyre saying sam is 26 but she was only only like 22-24 in the last movie, but i digress)

anyway so nini and beth kinda hit it off and then after the summer, nini heads off to nyu. since her ties arent to the scream 5 kiddos im not sending her to blackmore tbh. specifically, she's enrolled at tisch and will be pursuing drama as undergrad before pursuing a cinema studies degree as a grad student. nini doesnt really think anything of beth and goes about her life.

so here's a little canon divergence: beth should def have been dead for like 4 years at this point so im converging the scream s3 timeline w/ the scream 5/6 timelines to make this all work. therefore, after nini leaves to head to school in new york, beth commits her murders, and is "killed" (i still dont believe this and had hoped they were gonna ref her in the movie but... its fine)

so basically, some more divergence, the whole time, kirby was actually beth's mentor. while she was in the fbi, she was also connecting with beth after she was fired and declared mentally unstable (because i will be going that route for these portrayals) so nini is kinda blissfully unaware of this and they write off the atlanta murders as a copycat who was just really into the stab franchise and the true crime story of woodsboro. kirby being in the fbi benefits her because she can cover up any trace of her involvement with beth and she's one of the police officers on the scene when beth is declared "dead" (she's taken to a mental hospital where she will be for a while) but kirby decides to follow nini to nyu and start enacting her own requel/spinoff bc why not??

kirby has snapped and she's ready to avenge charlie, who she kinda sees as her guardian angel. she's definitely romanticizing the guy who killed/almost killed her and in her delusional state, she has convinced herself that they were supposed to die together, but now that she's alive, she should be continuing the legacy.

nini, for her part, is blissfully ignorant about beth's murders and kirby doesn't mention it on the phone. but when the murders begin anew in nyu and kirby comes on the scene pretending to be with the fbi, nini is happy to have her cousin back in town. she gets to know the core four + friends this way and kinda worms her way into their circle. of course, they like her, but they dont necessarily trust her, and like... of course they shouldn't, that's just good logic.

but nini is just happy to hang out with some people her own age who have a connection to kirby. and kirby doesn't let nini in on her little murderous secret, so nini gets attacked at some point and "left for dead", but also kirby calls in the attack bc thats still nini and she's no jill roberts she's not gonna leave her family to bleed out and die.

kirby does survive and there's a showdown bc the kirsch family are still involved, but she frames them all for all the murder so that she doesn't get arrested or sent to a psychiatric facility of her own like beth. but she has plans... she's kinda growing her own little online group of ghostfaces around the world to start a reign of terror. meanwhile nini really has no clue but she's def be emerging as the sidney prescott of this verse when she does realize what's going on and steps up to the plate.

[xherry7816]

holy moly xherry7816 you've reached 50 likes !!!! ive been working on some gi designs for the ninja but ive been struggling to show off their individuality while still looking like their gi but i havent actually looked up reference of gi so in pretty sure that should be the first step.

ok so the au (still unnamed) taking place in a slightly canon divergent season 5 MORRO is currently after the realm crystal in his attempts to bring the PREEMINENT (?) to NINJAGO and like destroy it or whatever, solid stuff. except whats different here is that MORRO does not go and posses LLOYD as his first step because he'd struggle more as a human than if he were a ghost so he and his ghoul gang decide to get the hard stuff out the way, the ninja chasing them to put a stop to him obviously. also in this au NYA is not told by WU that she is the water ninja, instead she receives her awakening when defending one of the team from a ghost and then hes like omg :0 !#!%#!$#??

the au starts off with the mission to retrieve the realm crystal on time (before MORRO) because even if he beats them to everythinf else MORRO cant do anything without the crystal. unfortunately for them !!! MORRO is already a few steps ahead and when they reach the resting place of the FSM they find the ghost, crystal in hand. boom boom battle !! and theyre all fighting anf there are ghosts everywhere (NYA is not here bc remember KAI isnt supposed to know hes the water ninja yet) and MORRO is very clearly goig after LLOYD. wait, ok wait i need to type up my thinking process rn or else it wont make sense when i read everything back bc isnt only a spinjulistu master able to find the tomb,,,,, ermmm OK LLOYD possesion- no i cant do that to him. its an au whatever, so yeah MORRO'S in there crystal in hand going after greenie and KAI kicks in yk the brother stuff so theyr fighting anf stuff and like idk MORRO knocks KAI off his feet anf starts heading towards LLOYD again so as a last ditch effort KAI fires towards MORRO and it hits the crystal aaaa ! even thought i cant possibly imagine the crystal being so weak i can just say the power of love made him stronger bc those tight family bonds (im a sucker 4 found famiky but who isnt these days). and then its kinda like the scene in SONIC PRIME where the prism goes boom !! and theres a shockwave and it looks cool and then u see SONIC traversing through the SHATTERVERSE 4 the first time and then he ends up in NEW YOKE, except its KAI landing in the PRIME EMPIRE CITY with all his friends looking different and jazz. the whole mission is to retrive the realm crystal shards and put them back 2gether so he can get home and finish the fight with MORRO. for the og universe i kinda just imagine time stops so 4 the ninja itd look like KAI disappears for a few moments and then comes right back. as i did mention when i was vaugely describing universe 1 (PRIME EMPIRE divergent i hope im usong that word right btw) KAI doesnt stay long in that universe so just like in SONIC PRIME he will return to some universes, whether on purpose or not, to retrieve the shards

i was wondering if i should write a fanfic bc thats what most people seem 2 do but im not really good with keeping up the motivation to write, i used 2 have a miraculous ninjago crossover on ao3 (literally called miraculous bc im unoriginal) but after like 5 updates i did updates like one every 3 months and then deleted it lol so im probably jist going to let this au die when i get tired of it !!!! tbh i need to rewatch ninjago bc im forgetting all my facts (and a SONIC PRIME rewatch not that i really need to but its very good har har)

btw i hope its obvious that my username was supposed 2 be CHERRY, like my name, but i misspelt it and thought it looked cool.

should i make a tag 4 this au ??? its not really hard 2 find it since its pretty much all i post and i dont even know what 2 call it,,, ill just think abt it 4 now :D

[dropzone523]

Chapter Four: A Distant Memory

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Summary: AU/Canon Divergent~ Set around the middle-end of season 2 of Bad Batch and heading in between season 3. ~After fleeing from a mission, Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor sustain heavy damage and crash land on a remote and uncharted moon. There, they discover a girl whose completely alone and who has remarkable abilities. To their surprise, Silver forms a strong connection with the clones, especially Rex, which leads her on a journey of discovering who she really is and what her true purpose means.

Rating: T, SFW

*******************************************************

“Okay so let's see if I finally got this.You mean to tell me, there is some random girl out there, living in the forest on this uncharted moon?!” Gregor asks in a surprised tone.

“uh-huh, You finally got it. And she's all by herself” Rex states.

Gregor looks at Rex with a raised brow. Slicking his hair back he chuckles

“Are you sure you didn't hit your head in that crash Rex? Cause I think you're starting to see things.”

Rex rolls his eyes dramatically as he leans up against the ship, his arms crossed over his chest “Yes Gregor, she is very real. Wolffe saw her too, you know.” Wolffe slides out from under the ship at the mention of his name. He sits up wiping his hands off “Rex is right, there is a girl and she really is all by herself out here. But why she's alone is what I'm curious about.”

Gregor looks at the ground after hearing Wolffe's remark, kicking some dirt around as he ponders over the thought of her being out here all by herself

“Well- maybe we can help her?”

Rex straightens out his broad shoulders at Gregor's comment and responds softly

“I really don't think she even wants help, she was pretty eager to get away from us.”

Gregor looked at Rex, taking in what he just said. But, before Gregor could respond, a figure in the distance caught his attention.

“Well I think you stand corrected brother, look-” Gregor gestures to the tree line and the figure emerges. It was Silver.

Rex is taken back to see Silver approaching them, he thought for sure he had seen the last of her since it had already been a couple days since their encounter. But, here she was walking up to them.

(silver's POV)

I didn't plan to come back here… to see them again. I thought that once we parted ways, that'd be it, they'd fix their ship and leave and then that would be the end of it. But..I felt drawn to them for some reason… I wanted to know more about them. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea, maybe I should just leave them alone, turn back the other way while I still can, but it's like my curiosity won't let me. So, I continued towards them, feeding into my curiosity.

(End of Silver's POV)

*****

Silver walked toward them with heavier strides, her hair and the garments of her clothing catching in the wind as she walked forwards.

Silver approached the three men and shot Rex a soft smirk “Rex, Wolffe- good to see you both again.” she said as she walked up to the two men.

Rex looks at her surprised and confused, unsure as to why she was there

“Silver, wha- what brings you over here?”

Silver smiles at him and pulls a satchel off from around her small frame and hands it to Rex. It was filled with different kinds of fresh food from the moon.

“I was thinking you all probably needed some food since you'll be stuck here until your ship is fixed, so I brought you some. Call it a truce from our last meeting.” Rex’s gold eyes widen at the kind gesture before he smiles softly at Silver.

“Well- thanks, we really appreciate it-”

“Ahem-” Gregor abruptly interrupts, causing Rex to turn to him, Gregor winks at him and flashes him a smirk “aren't you going to introduce us, brother?.”

Rex rolls his eyes, sighing heavily “uh-yeah. Silver, this is Gregor. Gregor, this is Silver.”

Gregor smirks again. “Nice to meet you Silver.”

Silver crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow to Gregor before chuckling and shaking her head. She thought the banter between the two men was quite sweet. She could sense Rex cared for Wolffe and Gregor deeply. It reminded her of her relationship that she had with her brother.

Her brother, she pauses at the deep thought of him, she didn't think about her family often. It just caused her too much pain.

Rex caught Silver's attention swerving and decided to speak up. “uh- Silver?” hearing her name roll off his tongue suddenly brought her back to reality, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Uh, s-sorry. My mind was elsewhere. I should get going, I just wanted to bring you all some food.” Silver went to walk away but Rex reached out for her hand, gently grabbing it and stopping her. Silver turns to Rex, her bright green eyes pierce into his golden ones.

Rex looks at Silver, a small smiling appearing on his face “Uh, why don't you stay a while? It's getting dark and it could be dangerous out there after dark.”

Silver looks up at him again, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

Humoring his kind gesture, she gently nodded her head in agreement as Rexs smile grew a bit more.

*****

Darkness soon falls over the moon as the 4 of them all sit around a fire and talk the night away.

“So, you three were all soldiers of the republic?” Silver asks, curiosity in her tone.

Rex looks at her nodding his head “That's right, each of us served alongside a Jedi general during the war. But- we didn't exactly see eye to eye with the empire once the war was over so, we made our choice.”

Her face changes slightly when she hears Rex's explanation, her curiosity peaking more and her respect for the three of them growing. “I honestly don't blame you Rex, I think you three are more brave deciding to turn against the empire than being soldiers and fighting a war. Not many would dare to do that to the empire..”

Rex was taken back by her statement, saying they were braver for turning on the empire than fighting a war, it spoke volumes to him, war was not something he wished anyone to experience. But, Silver's thought process when it came to the empire piqued his curiosity. What happened between her and the empire? He wondered to himself.

Gregor's voice quickly dragged Rex from his mind “so Silver, how is it you ended up on this rock all by yourself? Were you escaping the war? Or the empire?”

Silver's eyes widened at the question and Rex saw her face crease with tension, it completely caught her off guard.

While trying to think of an answer to Gregor’s abrupt question. It was obvious to Rex that Silver was conflicted with how to respond.

Silver breathed out heavily before responding “uhm..n-no. I was born here…” her shallow voice caught in her throat as she hesitated to choke out the sentence. Silver took a deep breath, trying to compose herself “I was born here. My family and my people all lived here, peacefully.”

Gregor raised an eyebrow to Silver’s reply “wait, if you were born here with your family, where are they?” Rex suddenly smacks Gregor “Ow! What the hell Rex?!”

Rex’s nose scrunched in annoyance as he shot Gregor daggered eyes for his foolish question.

“What? I was just curious-”

Wolffe followed Rex’s suit in shooting Gregor daggered eyes, implying that he should stop. Gregor looked at his brothers confused but remained silent.

Silver furrowed her brows softly at Rex,Wolffe and Gregor. Her facial expression changed before standing up and turning herself away from the three men. Her head hanging a bit lower as her voice goes quieter.

“..My family's gone Gregor, they're all gone now.”

Silver gently hugs herself before starting to walk off.

Rex leapt to his feet to go after her, “Silver wait, Gregor he-” Rex was cut off by Silver mid sentence “it's fine Rex, I just-” Silver stuttered “I just need to be alone for a moment, okay?”

Rex’s eyes felt heavy with guilt. His golden eyes fell on Silver as she walked off into the trees, alone. He turned back to his two brothers who were feeling just as conflicted as he was.

*****

After giving Silver a bit of time, she never ended up returning and Rex grew concerned for her well-being.

“We should go check on her, we owe her that much to ensure she is safe!” Rex exclaimed confidently. Wolffe and Gregor look at each other before both turning back to Rex and nodding to him in agreement.

The three men set into the trees in search of Silver. After searching for what felt like hours, Rex suddenly spotted her sitting in a forest clearing. Rex, using his comm device let Gregor and Wolffe know his whereabouts.

Rex slowly approached silver when her shy voice broke the silence.

“It wasn't that long ago you know? My family…” her voice broke and she paused.

Rex walked up to her slowly, sitting next to her and putting his hand on her shoulder gently before speaking. “What happened here Silver?”

Silver sighed deeply at Rex’s question. Her head falling low as her long dark curly hair fell over her pale complexioned face. She took a few moments to compose herself before speaking.

“I need you to understand, my people were peaceful people Rex, We kept away from the other parts of the galaxy. In Fact, the majority of the galaxy doesn't even know our moon exists.

We were a rare race. But, we kept to ourselves and we lived off the land that our home provided us. My father led the village and looked out for everyone in it. He was a kind and loving man who always put others' needs above his own. My mother, she was a beautifully compassionate soul, and my brother?”

She pauses in the middle of her statement before letting out a soft laugh at the remembrance of her brother.

” Well in all honesty, he was a lot like Gregor.”

Rex let out a low chuckle at her comparison, giving her a soft look before she continued.

“ All was well and perfect here on our little moon. That is until the empire rose to power. The day it all happened, well that day started like any other day. It was a beautiful morning out, and my family all got together to go for a walk by the cove. We were just walking along together when my father spotted a large ship in the nearby clearing. We all watched what we didn't know at the time, were Imperials and soldiers emerging from this ship.

Following their suit was a tall and terrifying man. I could feel his dark presence before he even showed himself but, The second I saw him I grew uneasy. I remember feeling my blood run cold and my breath getting hitched in my throat. He gave off such a dark presence…I can't even explain it.. I didn't understand this feeling but it scared me to death.

My father told my mother and I to head back to the village while he and my brother checked it out.”

Silver paused again, taking a deep breath as a single tear fell. Rex could tell this was difficult for her so he tried to comfort her through it as she continued to talk.

“My mother and I waited at our home for my father and brother to return. It felt like we were waiting for an eternity. And the whole village was on edge. Everything was so silent, it was deafening. That was until my father finally returned. He busted into our home frantically. He was carrying my brother who was shot multiple times.

I remember us scrambling to stop the bleeding as my brother just laid there breathing heavily and panicking. I remember sensing his fear and pain. I held my hands over his wounds as tight as I could to try and help stop the blood flow but it just wouldn't stop! There was so much blood Rex…”

Silver stopped again and looked down at her hands before she threw her face into her palms and started to sob, her body heaving heavily as Rex wrapped an arm around her back. His heart broke for her and he wondered if he should let her continue or not, but she did.

“As I held my brother's wounds and my parents scrambled to get aid for him, he leaned into me and spoke faintly. Telling me that I had to gather everyone and run. Run and don't stop. I started to cry and tell him no, we aren't leaving but he just grabbed me and said to do it. Those were his last words to me. Do it, run. I can still hear my mothers screams ringing in my head as she witnessed her eldest child pass in our own home. The home she gave us life in. My father looked at me with heavy eyes before pulling my mother away. I don't know what they were talking about but then he was Hurrying around our home, gathering things into a satchel.

Everything just fell apart so quickly and next thing I knew, my father was grabbing me and telling me we needed to go, now.

I heard my mother sobbing even harder as I was dragged away from her. I didn't even get to say goodbye before I was rushed out the back door of our home.”

Silver’s breathing slowed as she hesitated to continue, Rex rubbing small circles on her arm.

“My father hurried and dragged me through the trees. I pulled against him and screamed at him to tell me what was happening when he finally stopped at a remote spot. A waterfall cascaded down the mountain side. I had never been there before. He led me up a mountain path and brought me to a hidden cave. He dragged me inside the cave as I yelled at him and demanded he tell me what was going on, but as I was yelling at him, he just knelt in front of me, looking at me with sorrow in his eyes.

His eyes welled with tears that threatened to fall. I had never seen my father like that before, he was always so calm headed and strong. I could sense he was broken inside and I could feel his worry. I asked him calmly what was going on before he told me that I had to stay there, hidden in that cave. I remember pulling back from him and yelling at him why before he told me something that I, to this day cannot wrap my head around. He told me that I was different from all the other people in our village, That our people's history talked about how one day there would be one among us with great power. A power no one understood. But it was said that they would be a protector of our people, and if in the wrong hands could destroy everything in its wake.”

Silver paused again and took another deep breath. Her voice shaky as she continued.

“My father told me that I was that person. That he had seen it in me from a young age. Everything I feel, everything I can do that I cannot explain. It's because of this unknown power inside me. I couldn't wrap my head around what my father told me. But he said I couldn't be found by these Invaders on our moon, that I had to stay hidden for the sake of myself and our people. When he told me this I didn't say anything, I just stared at him in disbelief before nodding in agreement. I remember my father then grabbing me and wrapping me into a tight hug. He hugged me like he never had before and then he told me to stay in the cave and not to leave until he came back to get me… He told me he loved me before leaving.

That was the last time I saw my father.”

Rex looked at Silver in disbelief, he couldn't wrap his head around what she was telling him. He had worked alongside the Jedi his entire life, had seen incredible power from them, but even this confused him. Rex could feel Silver growing tense again as her breaths grew shaky.

“I waited in that cave like my father said. Waited there for many rotations…but my father never came back for me. I was too scared to leave the cave but I also knew I had to see what was happening out there. So eventually I grew the courage to leave. When I finally left the cave, the silence was deafening. There was no wild life, no sounds of anything except for the rushing water of the falls and the light breeze through the trees.

I quietly and hesitantly made my way back to my village, in hopes to find my family. But all I found was horror and carnage- my village..my beautiful home..it was all gone!”

Silver's tears became heavy again, pouring down her face uncontrollably as she thought back to the destruction she found. Reliving the pain that she fought so hard to forget about.

Silver suddenly threw herself into Rex to try and find some comfort. This action caught Rex off guard, but he knew she just needed someone to be there for her. So he pulled her into him tighter as her sobs grew heavier, her tears dropping onto his armor he wore.

Silver took a moment to feel her anguish and cry into Rex’s shoulder.

“They were all gone Rex- all of them” she muffled out between sobs. Rex gently ran his hand up and down her back to try and bring her comfort. There were no words he could say to help, all he could do was be there for this poor girl, this girl who had no one. Silver's sobs began to grow quieter and a few sniffles escaped her. She pulled herself from Rex slowly and wiped her face, composing herself before she finished.

“When I saw my village, there was nothing left.. The homes and all the surrounding area was burned to a crisp. It was once lush and thriving and now it was all charred and black. I remember fire still burned from any remaining poles that once held up my people’s homes. But nothing compared to the bodies. There were bodies..everywhere…

The bodies of the people who I once called mine. I searched through, hoping and praying that someone- anyone was still alive. But they were all gone. And I was the only one left-”

Rex looked at Silver and his heart broke for her. She had to go through all of this by herself, Grieve her family and her people all by herself.

“It took me a while, but I gathered my people and made sure to give them a proper burial, including my family.. They Are buried here..” Silver points out to the forest clearing in front of them and Rex suddenly notices the small stacks of rocks lined up in multiple rows.

His golden eyes widened and then filled with sorrow, that's why she came here tonight, to be with her family Rex thought to himself.

Rex couldn’t form any words to say to silver, he could understand her pain as he had lost countless brothers during and after the war. But Silver truly had no one left.

Rex looked back at Wolffe and Gregor, who had been standing there listening the whole time, but didn't want to interrupt. They too felt for Silver and her loss.

Too shocked to say anything, Wolffe and Gregor quietly approached Rex and Silver and sat next to them on the ground. The three men sat there comforting the lonely girl, giving her a sense of peace, so she knew she finally wasn't alone anymore.

*****

Well, now we finally know a bit more about Silver! And we got to see some connections growing🤭 I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Again, if you like the story and would like to be added to the tag list, let me know! 😊 happy reading!

Tag List: @523rdrebel @yubnubhub @sunn1es

[notebooknonbinary]

Rubs my grubby little merthur hands together. Sorry if you’ve read any of these. This list turned out a lot longer than I expected it to lol.

One of the greats, in my opinion, is And like the cycle of the year, we begin again by katherynefromphilly. You might have already read it since, like many fics in this fandom, it’s an oldie but a goodie. It’s Post-series, Arthur returns plot. The way this author handles all the necessary OCs/side characters is Chef’s kiss. The plot is awesome. And the merthur is so lovely it makes me cry. (And it has a sequel which is always a plus). Gets a bit steamy in some parts but I think they’re largely skippable.

Bumps and Bruises by platonic_boner is a sweet one shot about Arthur making an (incorrect) assumption about Merlin’s various injuries. Very good read.

Of Faith and Hope and Love by versaphile is a Magic reveal fic/canon divergent around the plot of the Secret Sharer (when gaius is kidnapped by alator).

The Lie In Which You Linger by flowersheep Arthur courts Merlin instead of Gwen in season 4. Lovely lovely fic on my reread list.

If you’ve seen Stargate (which is a pretty good sci-fi show I’d recommend it), there’s a crossover fic called the Scholar. It’s post canon (a lil canon divergence) and is more background Merthur and cracky in a funny way most of the way through, before it develops a plot that is actually very interesting. It’s a good read!

Destiny Ordered You to Die, But I Willed You to Live by ironfamjam. Arthur isn’t completely knocked out by Cornelius Sigan, so overhears the confrontation between him and Merlin. I Love fics like these sm.

If Ever, Now by Athena1919, Where Merlin decides to help Morgana with her magic in S2, and Arthur gets jealous of all the time they’re suddenly spending together. Very fun fic!

Complementarity, Entanglement and the Uncertainty of Destiny —or— A Feminist Mage in King Arthur's Court by Jenrose & procoffeinating. It’s a time travel fix it fic where Merlin reaches the end of the world w/o sign of Arthur and realizes he has to go back in time. It’s a mind boggling in a good way, this fic.

Ashes to the Wind by lilupon Arthur goes on a hunt by himself and when he gets back Merlin is being charged with sorcery. It’s a very sweet fic despite the dire setting.

Darkest Before the Dawn by RocknVaughn is a good fic for crying. Takes place during the Wicked Day. Magic reveal and a somewhat bittersweet ending. Technically it’s pre-relationship but they make it clear that it’s not platonic.

Good Fortune, another one by platonic_boner. Arthur makes Merlin a lord. I love this fic v much. It’s sweet and funny. (Platonic_boner has actually written quite a few merthur fics and I didn’t realize that until I was putting together this list)

For Arthur, (the author has orphaned the work). Canon era, Merlin finds out about his immortality. Another one for crying. Also, ya know TW for suicidal thoughts and attempt

…

(Also IK you asked for Merthur fics but if there are two non-merthur fics that I could recommend…it would be These Ghosts Might Be Mine by PeaceHeather. which I could argue is pre-relationship, considering the amount of devotion merthur have for each other is around or surpassing canon. Also it’s time travel which I adore. The other one is a series on ff net that was my favorite fic series when the show was still running. It’s outright Het than ghosts is, but the romantic relationships are all background and tbh the plot more than makes up for it. It’s a series rewrite series, and the first one is called A Question of Motives by Alaia Skyhawk (it’s a series rewrite started at season 3 but they went back and wrote prequel fics for S1&2 and also precanon). Even tho Merthur aren’t together in this one, the care and love and characterization the author put into them and the Knights and their own original stuff makes it worth a read anyway.)

mutuals what are you favorite merthur fics 🧍🏼‍♂️ (canon universe pls)

[arielmagicesi]

I’m a fiend for nadja/laszlo fics, so if there are any recs out there please please share people, I’m horny for their love

!!!!!!!!!! you came to the right place!!!! I'm a WWDITS fic connoisseur and I LOVE Nadja and Laszlo! I have all the fic recs for you!

First of all, if you want fic recs in general, I have my old masterlist: https://arielmagicesi.tumblr.com/post/669578331556020224/wwdits-fic-recs-masterlist It hasn't been updated since, like, January, so it's missing a lot of more recent faves, but it's got a lot of good content.

In general, if you want good Nadja content, read fics by AO3 users fangingout, nea9, astervenus, and Lesbian_in_leather.

For more specific Nadja/Laszlo fic recs:

Two of my favorites that cover a long stretch of Nadja's life in general but spend lots of time on the romance of Nadja and Laszlo: Blessed with beauty and rage (M) by nea9 and history books forgot about us (not rated) by NotVeryLikely. Mind the warnings on the second one; it has a happy ending and everything with Laszlo and Nadja is wonderful, but it includes some dark parts from Nadja's past. If you read any fics from this fandom, read these two (and How to Be Goth at Panera Bread, but that's unrelated to this list lol).

Makeup sex after the Witches episode: Apologize Like You Mean It (E) by DarklyGleaming or The Curious Incident of the Goat in the Nighttime (M) by Cousin Shelley or Imitations of a Masterpiece (E) by StarryEyedDaydreamer

Their first meeting: From the Moment I First Saw You (G) by Lesbian_in_leather. Also covered in the two long fics above

Gonna rec my fic here, and through the wild rushes a voice sweetly cried (T) by arielmagicesi, which is about how Laszlo recovered from his father's emotional neglect through his love for Nadja, and also about how he's a monsterfucker lol

Them exploring gender and being trans together: laughing away through my feeble disguise (T) by spacemanrhys or my reflection still in your eyes (T) by astervenus or Very Best of Friends (T) by fivevotesdown or a grace that nobility could only ever aspire towards (T) by Flores_De_Junio

Adorable fluff: A Night to Forget (G) by fangingout or They Will Find Me In Your Arms (T) by Ellienerd14 or Keep Her Warm (G) by Lesbian_in_leather or Undressed (E) by Whatshewrote or Look Away (G) by an orphan account or A Long Time (G) by Wr4tttttthh

Post season 3 angst: Read A Letter (G) by fangingout if you want Nadja being sad alone, or Salt (M) by nea9 if you want a bittersweet reunion. Also i can close the door on us (but the room still exists) (M) by materialslug, As the Fire Burns Down (G) by Lesbian_in_leather, Four corners (T) by nea9 (covers all the characters in different chapters), or 12 a.m., victoria line (M) by astervenus

Post season 3 angst leading to adorable fluff: you were a storm and I a sail (M) by arielmagicesi (that's me)

Sex-filled reunions after season 3: Salt (M) by nea9 fulfills this, as well as my fic now my only wish is that our plots may interwine (E) by arielmagicesi. My fic Vampire Vignettes (E) by arielmagicesi also has a long section where Laszlo and Nadja have a sexually charged reunion argument thing, but the fic's about all the characters

AUs: A Familiar Foxtrot (M) by Whatwewrote which is an AU where Nadja is a vampire and Laszlo is her familiar, or Fine Things (T) by fangingout which is a snippet of an AU where they are the characters in Our Flag Means Death

Canon-divergent AU: The Master (M) by nea9 is a long story that diverges strongly after season 3 and heavily deals with Nadja's character, including her love with Laszlo

Nadja and Laszlo having sex with other people too: so ambitious for a juvenile (M) by ghostoftonantzin is a crossover with the book My Uncle Oswald, which I haven't read but I have vague familiarity with, and it's fairly easy to get the gist even if you don't know it. Room at the Back (E) by nightcarbird is about a threesome with Nandor at the start of season 4. she had a chassis like an xjs (a skull like a high priestess) (E) by ghostoftonantzin is about Laszlo and Nadja prepping Jenna for an orgy via a threesome.

This one's more about Guillermo, but it's his perspective of Laszlo and Nadja being cute: What a Way to Spend the Evening (G) by Lesbian_in_leather

Finally, two requisite kinky sex PWPs: Show Me How to Touch You (M) by SluttyAsexual, which is about what happens when Nadja wore the Cloak of Duplication to become Nandor, and picture of hedonism (E) by spiritwife, which is about Nadja treating Laszlo to a feeder kink scene

And there are a handful of others that I either haven't read or that just weren't for me, but you can definitely find them by sorting through the tag. You'll find a lot of fics where they're only a background/side pairing, but also some fun ones where they're the main pairing! But you can be guaranteed that all the fics recced above are very good, with the first two at the beginning being EXTREMELY EXTREMELY amazing.

Anyway!!! I'm always happy to help with fic recs for this fandom lol! Especially Nadja-related. Thank you for the ask and giving me an excuse to send love to all these fic authors!!!

[cowboycakes]

Do You Get My Letters

✥ Pairing: Levi x fem!Reader, somewhat Reiner x fem!Reader

✥ Themes: Fluff, angst, sadness, big ass plot twist

✥ Warnings: Female bodied reader (she/her pronouns,) Pregnancy and birth (nothing gory.) Mentions of death, violence, and threats. Manipulation.

✥ Synopsis: You are carrying Reiner's baby when he betrays Paradis. Levi decides to step in.

✥ Word Count: 2.2k

(there is a part two up to this fic, but i've decided i'm going to rewrite the ending at some point.)

Anon's Request: Hi! I saw your requests are open so here I want to give my little scenario a try! 🕳🤸🏽‍♀️ I thought abt this last night, I’m currently rewatching AOT after 6 yrs and yet to finish season 4, so sorry if I’m wrong abt timelines/the plot? My request is the reader was with child with Reiner, but b4 reader told him, he betrayed and exposed his mission. Levi stepped in to help reader. And btw, I just finished watching ep 3 of season 4, so maybe Eren telling reiner abt his child and he regrets leaving the reader? And reiner jealous at the fact Levi is most likely considered his child’s father at that point. I can’t come up with an ending, so I’ll leave it up to you if you do take in my request. If this isn’t your type of writing I totally understand!

Note: This story is canon divergent. It is set in season 4, but in a universe where Reiner is not revealed as a traitor/the armored titan until a few months before season 4 takes place, as the reader was having relations with him until then and did not know his secret. I’m sorry if that change bothers you, I just wanted to write this as sort of its own story. This story contains season 4 spoilers! It also has nothing to do with the canon ending of AOT.

---

Dear Reiner,

I hope this letter somehow gets to you, I don’t quite know where to start.

In a perfect world, I would be so happy to tell you this. You’d be ecstatic too, I think. And before you try to second guess me: I’m sure by now, don’t worry.

I’m pregnant.

I guess we weren’t careful enough before you left. I feel like an idiot. And lost. But I’m not hopeless. I know myself, I can make it work somehow. With or without you.

I’m still in shock about you. How could someone so close hide so much? You’re a talented spy I suppose, a great asset to Marley. You made me trust you with my entire life. You made me love every false thing about you. And this is the rude awakening I get in return.

I’ll raise our child to value honesty and kindness, all in spite of you.

Sincerely,

Reader

---

The paper was damp with tears after you lifted your pen for a final time. You wished you could just keep the whole thing a secret: go make a quiet life for yourself somewhere else. It wouldn’t be right. Not after all of the dishonesty that man had spewed to you over the past few years. You had to tell him.

The door to the office room you’d settled in to write the letter creaks open. It’s Levi. He looks at your puffy eyes somberly, sympathetic. He was the first person you had told about the entire situation. Not because you were close, just because you needed help.

You fold your letter and stick it into a sturdy envelope. Levi takes it in his hand.

“That piece of shit doesn’t deserve a thing from you. Not a letter. Certainly not tears,” Levi says, using a clean handkerchief to wipe a stray drop from your cheek, “but I am proud of you.”

You take the handkerchief from him, feeling more tears stream down your face.

“Proud? I’m a fucking idiot,” you say through your sobs.

“Don’t even try to pull that self pity shit with me. Things happen sometimes. And you’re strong enough to commit to getting through it,” he responds.

You stand up, pushing your chair out. You look at him as you dry your face off again.

“I’m alone. How the hell am I supposed to do this shit alone?”

“You are not alone,” Levi replies. You’re shocked when he pulls you into a hug. “I’m going to help.”

You had never seen this side of him before. You look at him as you pull away slowly, tears still welled in your eyes.

“Are you sure? That's a big burden, Levi. None of this has to involve you.”

“Not the biggest burden I’ve ever taken on,” he shrugs. “There’s a lot of death around here, Y/N. Everyone is going to be happy about the little bit of life you’re giving us.”

You chuckle. He’s cynical, but he’s right.

He licks the envelope as he walks toward the door.

“Want me to run you a hot bath or something? Is that the type of shit pregnant people need?” he asks.

You laugh, a little harder than normal. It felt so relieving to laugh.

“Sure, Captain,” you respond softly.

---

Dear Reader,

I received your letter before the battle in Marley. I actually got to hand it to Reiner myself. He knows everything now. He broke down in front of me after reading it, going on about how much he regrets everything. How he wishes he could change things and be there for you. He begged me to kill him right there.

The world will eventually not have suffering like what you are going through now.

Eren Jaeger

---

Your jaw had dropped reading it. He begged me to kill him.

You hand the letter Levi had just delivered back to him. He reads it with a furrowed brow.

“Do you think…” you begin, your voice shaky, “do you think I could send another letter?”

Levi purses his lips, “Possibly. I can ask Jaeger. But right now, you need to bring your blood pressure back down.”

You were over seven months along now. You had found out about your pregnancy late, after being in denial for four whole months. Hange insisted on checking you out after you’d thrown up every morning for a week.

Levi had since gone on a parenting book reading spree; he made you read several of them too. He knew just about everything you needed to do to make a healthy baby: what to eat, what not to eat, how to exercise, when to go to the doctor, etc. It was really sweet how much he cared. You knew it gave him hope, something to fight for, something to come home to.

You were terrified when he left for Marley. You kissed him for the first time when he returned. Just about everyone you knew had to fight. You wished you could be out there fighting with them like you were supposed to. Maybe you could have made a difference.

Levi takes your hand, squeezing it to bring you out of your thoughts.

“What can I do?” he asks.

“Get me a glass of wine,” you grumble.

“Absolutely not.”

---

Dear Reiner,

Reader does not know I’m sending this. So keep it that way, or I’ll kill your sorry ass. Or maybe not, you’d probably enjoy that. In that case I’ll get creative.

How does it feel? Being a fucking deadbeat? Is it everything you’d thought it’d be and more? Fucking her and leaving her with nothing, like she belongs in a whorehouse. Reminds me of what happened to my mother. Pieces of shit like you came in and sent her to her death, leaving her kid behind to starve.

I wasn’t about to let her suffer like my mother did. But you were. I’m glad your choices haunt you, Reiner. You fucking deserve it.

I’ll be there for the both of them from now on, doing everything you were never capable of. She’s due any day now, I’m sure she’ll try to write to you.

Levi

---

You feel your first contraction while napping on the couch with Levi. You were settled in between his legs, your back leaning up against his chest. He had his hands on your stomach; he loved to feel the baby kick and tell them some of the happier stories in his memories.

The two of you had grown so close over the past few months. You slept together every night now. You didn’t want to leave each other’s sides if you didn’t have to. Levi would cuddle and massage you any time your pregnant body was ailing you.

You had fantasized with him about life after the war. He wanted to be a husband, a father, to live peacefully in the countryside. And he wanted more than anything for you to join him.

The first contraction wasn’t painful enough for you to make much more than a grunting noise, but Levi woke up the second he felt your stomach contort a bit. He was on very high alert these days.

“Holy… shit…is that what I think it is?” Levi whispers, “Don’t answer. I’m getting Hange.”

He crawls out from behind you and sprints out of the room.

The pain worsens and becomes much more frequent while he’s out looking for Hange. You stand up eventually after getting the urge to walk around - and your water breaks. You start panicking, unsure of how dilated you were and how much time you had left before pushing. You really wished you’d done more than just skimmed through those birthing books right about now.

Levi and Hange eventually come sprinting back into the room with a wheelchair and cold rags to find you whimpering in pain on the couch, trying your best to control your breathing.

You’re rushed down the halls to the Scout’s infirmary, where Levi had made sure the perfect room was set up for you - and it had been that way for two months.

The next hour goes by in a blur. Hange knew the biology of how to deliver the baby, and Levi knew how to coach you. He helped you hold your legs back when you pushed, and helped you count out your breathing. Hange attended to everything that might have made Levi faint, like checking your dilation and making sure the baby was coming out at the right angle. You got lucky having these two by your side.

Through all of your efforts, you finally hear a cry. You look up to see Levi holding your tiny new baby as Hange wiped them clean. He was smiling, way bigger than you’d ever seen him smile before, with tears in his eyes.

“Here,” he says softly, handing her to you.

You cradle her on your bare skin. “She’s so perfect, Levi! Look how sweet she is!” you coo.

“What are you going to call her?” he asks, stroking your hair as you gleam down at your baby.

“I was thinking,” you smile, “Kuchel.”

Levi lets out small gasp. Tears start streaming down his face, his efforts to stifle them failing.

“Really? I think that’s,” he wipes his eyes, “a wonderful name.”

—-

Dear Reiner,

She’s finally here! Oh my god, she’s precious. Levi and Hange helped to deliver her. Labor went smoothly. Levi started to cry when he saw her for the first time. She really is just that perfect. We are calling her Kuchel, after Levi’s mother. He cried when I told him that, too (don’t tell him I’m sharing those crying details.) I've decided to give her Levi’s last name as well.

Levi set up the perfect nursery for us.

If you really did feel guilty for leaving - don’t be. I’m happy.

She has your eyes.

Sincerely,

Reader

—-

Dear Reiner,

Kuchel said her first word today. Of course it wasn’t mama, she’s such a daddy’s girl. She started crawling awhile ago, we are now working on standing up on our own. She has all of this blonde curly hair, too. She’s growing up so fast.

Reader

—-

Dear Reiner,

Levi proposed a few days ago. It was so perfect. We found a nice house with room for a farm that will be perfect for a family.

I can only wonder how you’re doing, now that the war is over.

Are you even alive?

Reader

—-

Dear Reiner,

I’m expecting again. Levi is beyond excited. I am too, of course. Kuchel started school this year. She is such a smart kid.

I still wonder about you. After all these years.

Reader

—-

Message after message, word after word. No response. You had decided he must be dead. The devastation after the war would argue that he was.

That is, until you found yourself rummaging through one of Levi’s desk drawers, looking for baby Isabel’s lost pacifier.

You felt the bottom of the drawer shift. A false bottom?

You pry at it until it comes open.

Letters.

Dozens of opened letters. With Marleyan postage stamps.

You pull out the first bundle you see. They’re all from you. Unopened. Unsent. You set them aside, your jaw quivering.

You pull out the second bundle and gasp.

—-

Dear Reader,

Eren showed me your letter. I am terribly sorry. Let me fix this, somehow. You can come to live with me in Marley. I will take care of you. Please.

I’m not just a traitor, a liar, a farce. Everything between us was real. I can explain everything. Just trust me.

Love,

Reiner

—

Dear Reader,

Do you get my letters?

I’ve only heard rumors about our new baby girl. I wish I could see her. Just once. For a second. Do you have a camera? I know they’re hard to come by in Paradis. I can send one.

I’d do anything to change this. You know I would.

Love,

Reiner

—-

To Levi,

You son of a bitch. I know exactly what you’re doing. You think this is protecting her, but it’s not. Just let her talk to me. She would listen, she would understand. You said yourself that she writes. You manipulative, sick bastard. That is MY child. She will never be yours. No matter what you brainwash her to believe, your dirty Ackerman blood does not run through her veins. She deserves to know. You are the farce, Levi.

Reiner

—-

There were dozens more. All opened. All from Reiner.

You sink down to the floor, tears spilling from your eyes.

You are the farce, Levi.

But, why? He was just protecting you, right?

The office door opens. You jump, shoving the letters back into the drawer.

“Mommy, why are you crying?” Kuchel asks.

You take a deep breath, staring down at the letters, thinking about everything that could have been.

“Are you happy here, Kuchel?”

“Yes!” she chirps, “Every day!”

“Then it’s nothing, baby. Mommy just got hurt. She’s better now.”

Your daughter giggles and skips out of the room, leaving you to hide away the rest of the letters.

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I REALLY HOPE I understood your request, Anon! I actually had a lot of fun writing this. It isn't something I would normally think to write, but I'm so glad you shared this idea! Sorry for the sad ending, I love playing w people's emotions ;)

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