#very first fanfiction story

[magistralucis]

The Vainglory of Falling Stars [Imotekh/Orikan/Trazyn]

Then let us be as the ancient gods, gentlemen, who knew the happy way to be holy.

———

Written for @eleooooooo during the Secret Sanguinala Exchange 2024. Faced with the end of the world as they know it, Orikan and his lover Imotekh supplicate themselves before Trazyn, desperate for meaning. Another prophet sleeps beneath the Nihilakh crownworld, and the overlord holds the key to their connection... but it comes at a price, of course, there's always a price.

Deals with heavy emotional themes. Please read additional warnings.

Imotekh/Orikan/Trazyn. Necrontyr AU. Novella-length (32k words). Pre-biotransference and Lovecraftian headcanons. Extremely NSFW.

[Originally published 25/12/2024 - AO3 link here.]

[itsjaywalkers]

nothing happens

jegulus | M | 3 parts of ?

James and Regulus meet when they're kids, and it doesn't take them long to become friends. Best friends, even. And it's fine, because they're young, and love is easy and simple, and it can't be mistaken for anything else.

Then they grow. And their friendship turns into something else entirely. But it should still be fine if nothing changes, right?

If nothing happens.

[problemswithbooks]

BNHA Ch. 429

So, I guess Toga is dead, and people are losing it.

I get why people liked her--she was actually queer, being pan/bisexual. She was representation for them and that's rare in shonen manga. But here's the thing--she was bad representation at best and insulting at worst. Nor do I think she was made queer because Hori really wanted to represent a queer girl. Himiko was always the author's poorly hidden fetish--she just was. She liked girls as much as boys because Hori wanted to draw a girl touching sexually on another girl. You can see this in how he draws her and Ochako in solo pics together.

I mean, people seem to understand this when it comes to Momo and her outfit being overly sexual or that both Himiko and Hagakure's Quirks either leave them naked or they have to be naked to use them. These are excuses to draw girls in a sexual manner. Himiko being into other girls is the same thing and that's the kindest interpretation.

Given how Himiko acts and her Quirk being heavily coded sexual desire, and therefore her use of it against someone unwilling being sexual assault, it could just being playing into harmful stereotypes of predatory gays.

As a queer person myself I just found Toga insulting. She was designed to be overly sexual and give the male author a female character that he could draw being suggestive with his other female characters. When he did flesh out her character, her backstory was eventually the trope/fear of straight people, that gay people will be so overcome with their lust that they end up sexually assaulting them.

In the end Ochako accepts this part of Toga and says she'll giver her blood forever, but as much as a lot of readers took that that as some deep lesbian confession, for me it really fell flat. Hori never really gave any of the main kids time to actually learn about their villain or show how that changed their minds toward them. Shoto only works because Touya is his brother (even though he admits he barely remembers him). But Ochako goes from not thinking of Toga at all pre-first war, to one thought about her during her speech, to suddenly caring about her so much she--given how Toga's quirk is coded, is willing to essentially fulfill Toga's kink for the rest of their lives.

It's weird and it comes out of nowhere. It's made even stranger because Toga doesn't actually change or show remorse for anything she did, which included personally hunting and murdering people before she joined the LOV. None of the death and destruction she is also partially responsible for is brought up either, something that Ochako was rightfully upset about during the first war when less people and property had been destroyed. Ochako just accepts everything about her suddenly and her past serious crimes are forgotten so they can cuddle and cry.

Am I shocked Toga died--a little. I didn't think Hori would have the guts to kill off a young girl character, especially one that he clearly got a lot of joy drawing in sexy poses. But at the same time, once he killed off Shigaraki and ended Touya's story with his slow death, I'm not surprised he went the same route with Toga.

This isn't Naruto--Hori isn't really kind to characters that do something wrong, especially if they don't try and change. Enji, Bakugo, Hawks, and Aoyama all sort of got punished for what they did. Enji is the worst off, being permanently crippled, missing an arm and burned everywhere. Bakugo's hand is damaged, his heart weaker, plus he feels bad that Izuku lost his Quirk so they can't compete the same way he wanted them to. Aoyama, despite doing way less wrong and even helping his class during the forest raid, still leaves school because he doesn't feel he earned being there yet. Hawks lost his Quirk and even though him running the HPSC could be seen as good for him, Hawks always wanted a break, but now he has one of the most time consuming and stressful jobs out there.

So, if this is what characters who actively did good things and even changed and fought to be better get, what would characters who never changed and never did anything positive for anyone but their friends/themselves get?

Before the last Arc started, when so many people said the LoV were 100% going to be redeemed I had doubts and always thought it wouldn't make sense with how the story presented redemption or treated other non-LoV villains in the past. That if the main LoV did get some happy ending where they were bffs with the main cast it would clash with how other characters had been treated.

That doesn't mean that I think how Shigaraki, Toga, and Touya ended up in the manga was well done. I think their endings fit far better then a last minute redemption would have, but at the same time you can feel how rushed everything has been since the end of the first war arc. Hori was done with this story months if not years ago, yet he was contractually obligated to finish it. Because of that I think he left out as much as possible. As much as I think he's written some pretty obsessive stuff, particularly towards women, I can't really fully blame him cutting corners or the story being shit at the end.

We know Manga authors, particularly those that work with Jump are treated like shit. That they suffer incredibly long hours at times not even getting to go home for days. We've gotten messages for Hori saying he's sick quite a few times. On top of that, weekly story telling is not a great way to tell a cohesive narrative. Ideas probably change week to week or at least month to month and you can't go back and change the last chapter no matter how much you need or want to. Then you remember he also gave a lot of ideas to the people who made the movies, which would also change his plans for how he wanted the main story to go.

The story is bad--it has been for a while, but I think a lot of people put their hopes on their favorite characters getting a happy ending, even when there were signs that probably wasn't going to be the case. I know how much it sucks when a character you love gets a shitty ending (Stain was my fav, but he got an absolute dogshit ending) but at least, knowing what I know about the industry I can't really blame Hori the way I see some other people doing. Criticize it, sure, but saying Hori hates his readers or is horrible writer isn't true. BNHA was popular for a reason--he's great with characters and the beginning of the story had some great pacing. We'll never know, but I wouldn't be surprised if BNHA could have been amazing if Hori had been treated better and the story hadn't needed a chapter every week.

If anything BNHA has taught me how much a story suffers when authors/artists are treated like crap and forced to work past burnout.

[phoenixcatch7]

Literally all I want right now is a mdzs anime (donghua?) watching the series fic that reaches the start of the sun shot campaign PURELY so the juniors can see their kind and mischievous trophy husband Wei ying suddenly hair down tits out feeding his torturer his own fingers and proceeding to rack up the highest kill count of pretty much everyone while lwj looks ready to cry. I want them to know who the yiling patriarch is.

[immunetoneurotoxin]

ENTANGLEMENT | Part I, Chapter I

A Portal/Half Life Universe Fic from Chell's Perspective Rating: Explicit Overall Word Count: 10,730 Chapters: 1/20 Where to Read: AO3 | Google Drive | // ?UN?/KN@?#WN

SYNOPSIS

Location Unknown, Michigan, USA.  Aperture released her, set her free. That ought to have been the end of it. But cast out into a world rendered unrecognizable after a mass extinction level event, Chell is forced to fend for herself, navigating a war-torn world in the aftermath of the seven hour war that devastated the states in a bygone era.  Mere days into her newfound experience on the surface, Chell finds bizarre technology inside a Michigan radio tower, discovering that the same interdimensional forces that started the war were still around, scouring the area in search of technology from the facility she hoped to never see again — Aperture Science.  With no choice but to go back to the facility to deliver a dire warning, Chell tightropes on the cusp of two worlds, unaware of the consequences of pursuing the past and surviving an uncertain future alongside an unlikely ally.

It's finally here!! A former roleplay thread with @sarcasticgaypotato turned novel, this story follows the events of Half Life 2: Episode 2, and is an inspired continuation of the ending of Half Life: Alyx from the perspective of everyone's favorite Aperture-dwelling characters. Chell, whose mission is to protect Aperture technology from getting in the hands of the Combine, must also act as GLaDOS's protector and keep her safe. GLaDOS, on the other hand, has to figure out the complicated ways of the world from a new perspective - literally. This story is friendly to those who don't know Half-Life lore, and a treat for those who do! This story is a close-to-canon survival novel fic with ChellDOS as a major focus. Full of survival, interactive elements, complicated feelings, and a beautiful slow burn robot/human love story. <3

[persephoneflouwers]

Harry sits messily on the floor like a delicate flower lay crushed and scattered on the ground, trampled by careless feet. Yet even in his brokenness, there is beauty to be found. Like petals, Harry’s lips and pale skin blend together in a mosaic of soft pinks and red, his glassy eyes blinking slowly as he starts to realize just now Louis is standing in front of him.

DE AMORE EX TEMPORE - part ❤️/🎨

READ NOW on AO3

[trappedinafantasy37]

Today is a sad day. I have officially written the last chapter of To Be Free From the Gods. Three full notebooks in which I wrote every single chapter, and roughly 60GB of video footage for references, and now it's finally done. I actually cried while I wrote the last few paragraphs. I've been working on this since March, bridging from one single thing that I had wished was different in the base game. I honestly never really intended to post it anywhere. And when I did, I did not anticipate anyone actually liking it. Nor did I anticipate people falling in love with Daedra, and her relationship with Minthara. Already had a couple people tell me that Daedra and Minthara are on their lists of favorite ships.

To everyone who has followed me through the story and kept up, thank you. There are not enough words to describe how much I love you and appreciate you. All of the feedback I have gotten has only encouraged me to do more, and I want to do more. Even though I am good at writing essays, I've never really considered myself to be much of a creative writer, nor particularly good at it. So, it makes me happy that people do like my creative writing, just as much as my analytical and argumentative stuff.

With that being said, there are still plenty of chapters left for me to publish so it's not over quite yet. Once I finish publishing TBFFTG, uploads on I Want This One will be more frequent as I will soon have the time to put more attention to it. But uploads will not be as frequent as TBFFTG, nor will I stick to a strict schedule like I used to. I want to give each chapter the proper attention and care, and will upload them when they are done. It will also be a long fic, but I don't intend on it being as long as TBFFTG (although, I never intended for that one to get as long as it did either).

I also do intend on getting over to my Shadowheart x Minthara fic. I have the framework written out for it, but only up to Act 3. I still need to finish my Shadowheart origin run before I start writing anything for it, which I might get back to within the week. I also have a small queue of stories that I do intend to get to as well so.

Love you guys!

[tiistirtipii]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FIRST KANAPHAN

[blackjackkent]

The Hellraisers - Chapter 1

Pairing: Karlach/Male Custom Tav, Tav & Wyll, Karlach & Wyll Characters: OC Male Tav (Hector Carlisle), Karlach, Wyll Rating: E (Fic), T (Chapter) Warnings: None Descriptors: Post-Game, Action/Adventure/Romance, Eventual Happy Ending Chapter Word Count: 4.5k Chapter Setting: Avernus, immediately after the end of BG3 Summary: Hector Carlisle, a Selunite monk turned adventuring warrior, follows his lover Karlach and his friend Wyll into the depths of hell after the fall of the Netherbrain. Together, they take on an even greater foe - Zariel, the Archdevil of Avernus. The Hells won't know what hit them. Chapter Summary: Hector, Karlach, and Wyll arrive in the Hells after a panicked flight from Baldur's Gate - and the weight of what they've decided to do starts to sink in.

read on ao3 | send me fic requests!

------------------------------

Hector Carlisle’s journals of the Absolutist crisis provide one of the most comprehensive summaries available to modern historians of the events leading up to what is now called the High Hall Shattering. There is not a single day for which Carlisle does not account in detail between Alturiak 10 1492 DR (when he first obtained pen and ink after the crash of the nautiloid which kidnapped him) and Uktar 24 (the night before the Netherbrain’s public attack on Baldur’s Gate’s Upper City). However, after the defeat of the Netherbrain, his own records of his activities abruptly become much more intermittent and rather staccato in nature, lacking the level of detail common to his so-called “Tadpole Chronicles.”

There are multiple theories regarding this sharp change in Carlisle’s record-keeping tendencies. Some of these theories incline towards the conspiratorial - suggesting that the monk’s disappearance into Avernus was associated with some sort of nefarious activity which he was unwilling to commit to paper. Some even go so far as to accuse him of sacrilegious behavior, though this is rendered unlikely by records of both Carlisle’s own Selunite convictions and opinions from all who knew him.

A far more probable explanation is that Carlisle’s thorough record-keeping in his pre-Shattering travels emerged from a sense of obligation. As a monk at the Silverlight Monastery, he had primarily occupied himself with transcription and scholarship of historical texts, and his training placed considerable emphasis on self-reliance and emotional reserve. As such, he considered his own journals to be necessary documentation in the same vein, and he prided himself on impartial and factual chronicling. 

His departure to Avernus with Wyll Ravengard and Karlach Cliffgate would ultimately prove no less impactful to the world at large. However, it is clear that he considered it a far more personal endeavor, as evidenced by the remarkably succinct entry from Uktar 25 1492, his first entry after his departure from the Material Plane:

Uktar 25 1492

She’s alive. She’s going to live. Thank the gods.

~ Excerpt from “Raising Hell: A History of Zariel’s Fall” by Harlow et. al., Blackstaff Academy Press

-----

"Hec, look out! On your left!"

Hector dodges to the side just in time to avoid the imp diving towards him; its claws skim the side of his head and score a painful line along his temple. Pivoting onto his heel, he spins, bringing his right fist around to slam heavily into the imp's thick torso. The evil little creature’s spine snaps and it screeches with pain. He takes no satisfaction in it, but watches with blank exhaustion as the imp falls to the rust-red dirt and is still. 

"Nice one!" Wyll calls. He withdraws his rapier from the body of another imp and points past Hector’s shoulder. "Looks like another wave coming in - off to the west." Hector follows his gaze and groans; sure enough, another band of the imps is closing in on them, surging over the horizon like a swarm of bees.

It’s been like this ever since they arrived. They’ve had no chance to orient themselves, no time to get a foothold after their panicked flight from the Material Plane. Avernus rose up to meet them like a body driving out an infection; the first wave of defenders appeared within minutes, closing on this raw strip of hellish wasteland to which they brought Karlach to save her life.

Read More on AO3

[koldusek]

It's been a long week. I didn't do much except play the games

[crossbackpoke-check]

yOu'Re gOiNg fOr a LiTeR? | "Habs react to Quebec Maple facts", 10.22.24

[whisperinggbreeze]

Eight hundred years ago, there was a prosperous kingdom known as Xianle.

They were famous for their riches and extravagance, but most of all, they were known for their crown prince.

The Crown Prince of Xianle was pure and beautiful beyond comprehension, and skilled in both cultivation and the arts. By the way he was described and even worshipped, one even could have believed he was a god.

And then, at only seventeen years old, he ascended to heaven and really did become a martial god. The Heavenly Emperor himself even showed an interest in him. Many believed he was the luckiest boy in the three realms.

Three years later, the kingdom of Xianle fell into ruin.

An epidemic raged through the kingdom, leaving untouched only soldiers. On top of that, a part of Xianle known as Yong'An was also locked in a civil war with the capital. Soldiers from Yong'An overpowered the weakened Xianle and took over.

The remaining residents of Xianle blamed their god, their crown prince. If he couldn't cure them or save their kingdom, was he any better than a god of misfortune?

In reality, the Crown Prince of Xianle attempted to save his kingdom and failed. He was banished for descending from heaven to help mortals, and his efforts were for naught.

Soon after his banishment, the Crown Prince of Xianle turned his back on the world. He attempted to summon the disease that had plagued his kingdom, killing his last and most devoted believer in the process.

For hundreds of years, cities and kingdoms were laid to waste by his hand. He taught the crown prince of the new Yong'An kingdom, and then brutally killed the prince's family, wiping out half of the kingdom. Many believe he also orchestrated the downfall of the kingdom of Banyue. He became one of the four heavenly calamities, becoming known as White Flower Collecting Souls as his old name was erased by time. His eerie but docile title led many to underestimate his wrath and evil until it was too late.

For the past century or two, barely anything has been heard of White Flower Collecting Souls, leaving the three realms asking two questions: where has he gone, and when and where will he strike next?

---

part of the prologue of my hualian swapped role fic! gonna do a part for hc next 👀 I am slowly but surely working out the lore and plot, and I think this fic will probably mostly follow the plot of tgcf with a couple of alterations (still unsure what to do about lang qianqiu and his backstory, but I don't want to spoil whatever I decide to do in case the fic ever gets to that point)

i had a lot of fun writing this part! ive kind of forgotten exactly how the tgcf prologue goes but I tried to base the format loosely on that (the prologue is supposed to be told from an outsider point of view; this is basically XL's legend/myth/established or popular "story")

[chiyana]

I have realized a better way of handling the plot in First Kontact after several chapters getting me too deep down the road I'm on.

-distant muffled screaming-

At this point I'll probably write a branch-off for it at some point where Tim stays on the Ark with the Kryptonians, there's a longer build-up to his meeting with the Entis, and even after he trusts them enough to stay with them until they reach the Justice League.

For now I'm just going to suffer through my brain husky-screaming in agony over in the corner and keep on with what I've got.

[an-inky-fingered-lass]

Let Me Speak: A Character Study

(A story of life, love, and hope; of sorrow, struggle, and rebuilding after loss. A story of everything a life can be, and all the ways it matters. A character study of Melinda May, and the parts of her story they didn’t tell.)

. . .

PART ONE

At the age of six years old, Melinda Qiaolian May knew two things:

One—regardless of the cheerful ribbing from her father about children and the things they would understand when they were older, she would not, at any point in her life, enjoy coffee. (This assertion stood the test of time, as it turned out, a fact Melinda maintained with righteous dignity throughout her life).

Two—she was not afraid of heights. 

There were other things she knew, of course, and things she was very much afraid of. But — there are priorities. As she grew older, Melinda liked to keep a count of all the things that didn’t scare her, and practiced leaning into the way those certainties weighed steady on her spine when shadows stretched strangely in the night. 

Continue reading on ao3.

[ashxketchum]

A Fine Day for Curry [Mayblade 2024 entry for Card, Apron, Doughnut and Secret]

Summary: Before anything else, Kai would like you to know that he's not a picky eater, he is just very particular. Rei might wholeheartedly disagree, but he's not getting off the hook so easily. [Crackfic, No plot only vibes]

Characters: Kai, Rei (Other BBA Team Members mentioned)

Word Count: 2649

Note: The idea came to me when I found out that National Curry Day in Japan is also celebrated as KaixRei day by the Japanese fandom since the first letters of their name spell curry (Ka-Re) in Japanese. I thought it was really cute and funny and wanted to post something silly featuring the two and of course, Curry. I'm usually very happy with my 'no plot only vibes' kind of writing style, but this is the first time I'm posting something like this for Beyblade without Tyson and Hilary leading the story so I'm very nervous. I don't think I did a good job with this fic and I'm sorry in advance if you read and it feels like a complete waste lol. Feel free to send in constructive criticism, I won't mind at all!

[post divider by @/cafekitsune]

Resting his hands on top of his knees under the table, Kai resisted the urge to push the plate placed in front of him away. He was not a picky eater, or so he liked to believe, but he was set in his preferences, never taking the chance of trying something he didn’t like. He had worked hard on developing and maintaining his taste palette and didn’t really enjoy it when it was disturbed out of the blue. But still, he was an adult so most of the time if he was served something he didn’t enjoy eating, he would gulp it all down with a passive face, compromising on his beliefs to keep up appearances.

Today, however, was different because he was under the impression that when Rei invited him over for lunch, the two would get Thai takeout as they usually did, instead he was taken by surprise when his friend served up a plate of freshly made curry and rice.

Japanese-style curry was one dish that Kai found hard to make compromises on. If it wasn’t cooked with the specific recipe that his mother followed, he would rather not go anywhere near it. When he raised his eyes from the plate and watched as Rei happily folded his apron to keep it aside before taking a seat opposite him, Kai found it hard to voice out his thoughts about the dish. Rei fixed him with an eager smile and rested his folded arms on top of the table with a nod towards the food, signalling him to go ahead and take a bite.

He swallowed a gulp, raising one hand from under the table to pick up the spoon before he changed his mind and looked at Rei with a raised eyebrow, “I assumed we would be getting takeout.”

“It’s nice to switch things up once in a while, don’t you think so?” Rei shrugged, if he was bothered by how Kai had still not taken a bite of his food, he didn’t let it show on his face.

No, was what he wanted to respond with, you should know that by now.

“Aren’t you going to join me?” Kai sent a pointed look towards the lack of a plate with food in front of Rei. It was when the latter chuckled lightly at his observation that he realised, today he would not be able to get away by just inhaling the food without tasting it and pretending he liked it.

“In a bit, I need to know what you think of the dish first,” Rei said.

“Why?”

Rei considered his question for a moment, possibly debating whether it was worth telling the truth right now or to save the explanation for later. After a while he sighed, raising one hand to rest his chin comfortably in it, he addressed Kai with an excited look in his eyes, “I’m thinking of adding a new menu on my food truck.”

“Is that feasible? For the business model, I mean,” Kai asked, letting his gaze drop back towards the curry. If it were up to him, he would rather eat a month’s worth of Rei’s baozi in one sitting over trying out the Japanese curry offered to him.

“People love buying steamed buns on their way to office or school in the morning, or while heading back home in the evening. But business slows down during the day quite a bit so I thought having a popular lunch item might help.” Rei explained, surprisingly still not annoyed that Kai was spending so much time delaying taste testing a dish clearly very important to him currently.

“That makes sense,” Kai muttered, eyeing the food in front of him with a somewhat renewed interest, “But wouldn’t Tyson be a better choice for something like this?”

Rei laughed loudly, waving his free hand dismissively, “Tyson only enjoys finding fault in Hilary’s cooking. He never judges my food harshly.”

“Max?”

“On the off chance that Max wouldn’t like the dish, he would just empty a bottle of mayo on top of it and I’d rather not watch him butcher my cooking like that.”

Kai felt defeated, he didn’t know whether telling Rei that his opinion would not be as unbiased as he assumed was the right thing to do. His chest did swell with pride, however, at the thought of being the more reliable friend within their circle.

Then he decided that since eating the curry would end up helping Rei, there was no point in trying to push the task any further. He picked up the spoon once again, and while attempting to fight off the disgust from showing on his face, he scooped up a small portion of the curry and rice. As he lifted the spoonful close to his mouth, Kai closed his eyes with the hope that not being able to see the curry would make it easier to swallow.

He had intentionally put more rice on the spoon, diluting the taste of the curry slightly but when it finally hit his senses, he was taken by surprise for a second time that day. He frowned as he chewed on the carrot piece that had landed in his bite, admitting to himself that it didn’t taste as bad as he thought it would. The sweetness of the curry wasn’t overpowering, as was the case in most Japanese roux mixes, but was a much subtle presence at first easily subdued by the rice, allowing the spicy aftertaste to flourish in all its glory making Kai conclude that the taste was actually quiet-

“Decent.”

Uncharacteristically, he ended up voicing his last thought out loud, biting his tongue in regret he sneaked a careful glance at Rei. Assuming that no chef ever wanted to hear their new dish described so blandly, Kai was expecting him to look offended or annoyed even but instead, he had the biggest smile plastered on his face, his amber eyes shining bright with accomplished pride as if he’d just won first prize at a cooking competition.

“That is a huge compliment,” Rei said, his voice now loud with excitement but still retaining the gentle, teasing tone as he added, “Considering how much you hate curry.”

“Wait, you knew I hate curry?” Kai quickly dropped the spoon back onto the plate, pushing the dish towards Rei as he scowled at him, “Why did you make me taste it then?”

“Because-” Rei paused to shake his head, the way he pursed his lips made it obvious that he was trying to hold back a laugh before he spoke, “As I implied earlier, you are the only one I can trust when it comes to objective feedback.” He leaned forward to bring the dish closer to him, picking up the spoon Kai had dropped to serve himself a bite, gathering more curry on it than rice, unlike Kai. He let out a gasp of satisfied approval after tasting it and passed a grin in Kai’s direction, “Decent enough for you to want seconds?”

“Sorry, that privilege is reserved for my Mom’s curry alone,” Kai muttered grumpily, a little relieved to see Rei nodding in understanding. While he wasn’t happy about being manipulated into sharing his opinion on something he didn’t like, he still thought it best to let Rei know that he shouldn’t put his review on a pedestal, “You should get a second opinion. About the taste.”

“I plan to. The others should be here in a while.”

Kai rolled his eyes at the obvious set-up he had walked into, Rei laughing at his reaction only soured his mood further, “I suppose I am more surprised by the fact that you do know what I don’t like.”

“Of course I do, how long have we known each other? Don’t hurt my feelings with accusations like that,” Rei clicked his tongue as he shook his head disapprovingly, “Do you know how much trouble yours and Max’s picky eating habits have given us over the years?”

“I am not a picky eater.” Kai defended himself quickly, “I’m just particular about my likes and dislikes.”

“That is the definition of being a picky eater, Kai.” Rei chuckled, going back to take a few more bites of the curry, he did not bother to explain his own statement of accusation against Kai any further.

“What did you mean, when you said Max and I have caused problems over the years?” Not that Kai was one to give up easily, he fixed Rei with his best intimidating stare and folded his arms across his chest in a gesture to show he wouldn’t budge till he got his answer.

“You know when we used to travel extensively for tournaments and stuff,” Rei said, expecting it to be a sufficient hint but sighed when he noticed that Kai was still looking at him with confusion, “The amount of effort Hilary put into finding hotels and restaurants that would match all our tastes so we wouldn’t have reason to complain.”

Kai leaned back in his chair, relaxing his arms slightly. If he was being honest, this thought had never crossed his mind. After all, whichever hotel they stayed in or wherever they stopped by for meals after matches, the menu always had some option that he enjoyed eating, there was no reason for him to go beyond and think how that always worked out. But now when he revisited those memories, little things seemed to pop up. Like how if he ever lost a match, he never joined the others for a meal afterwards, opting to go for a long walk to clear his head instead. When he’d get back a package of his comfort food would always be waiting in his hotel room, which he had always taken for granted, but now understood was something that wouldn’t be possible without Hilary.

“We had a secret group chat too, Chief, Hilary and I.” Rei continued, his eyes softened as memories of their beyblading days probably came rushing back, but it was quickly replaced with a mischievous glint, “We still do actually, do you think it’s a coincidence that all our get-togethers and reunions always have a perfect menu to boast?”

“So the three of you have just been gossiping about our eating habits behind our backs?” Kai scoffed, the moment of guilt he’d felt about not appreciating Hilary’s efforts as a manager was immediately doused by Rei’s extended explanation.

“Can you blame us?” Rei responded in amusement, but seeing Kai refusing to take this lightly only made him laugh more.

Kai found it hard to fight back with denial because the truth was just that obvious.

If he ever had to spend time with his former teammates over a meal, he preferred to have Rei or Hilary tag along, since he’d always assumed their tastes were quite similar. Now he knew it was just because they understood his habits so well, and were being considerate towards him by accepting his invitations. That didn't leave him much to argue with so he kept quiet even as Rei looked at him expectantly, deciding to instead focus on how to get back at Rei for first, making him eat curry manipulatively and second, implying that Kai was a fussy eater.

Because he really wasn’t, he was just particular. There was a difference, even if Rei refused to acknowledge it.

After seething and brainstorming in silence for a while, just when he thought he was at a loss for ideas, the sound of the doorbell ringing loudly across the apartment reminded Kai that there was still one very good card left to play. Rei quickly got up from his seat and began to rummage through the kitchen, pulling out more plates, and turning the stove on to reheat the food.

“Kai, can you get that please?” He called out as he moved around.

Kai reluctantly got up from his seat and walked to the door, though not before he caught Rei pulling out a plate of egg sandwiches, one of Kai’s favourites, from his fridge and setting them on the table along with the pot of curry. He couldn’t tell if knowing that Rei had already prepared a backup dish for him as per his tastes made him feel happy because at least his friend knew him well, or even more annoyed because it only served to strengthen the trap he’d fallen in today. When he pressed the button on the intercom and saw Tyson, Hilary and Max wave through the tiny screen, he settled on feeling annoyed for the sake of it.

“Rei! We got doughnuts!”

Tyson’s voice cracked through the speaker as he lifted the bag in his hands up towards the camera. Kai didn’t respond obviously, only pressed the button to open the door that would let them in.

“Rei? Are you there?”

Tyson asked again, making Kai roll his eyes at his actions. He could just come up and talk to Rei in person, why did he feel the need to speak through the doorbell was beyond him, Kai thought as he shook his head.

“It’s probably Kai who answered, Tyson. Let’s go.”

He saw Hilary dragging Tyson away, and the plan became quite clear in his head at that moment.

“Would it kill him to greet back once in a while-”

Tyson’s muffled complaint was completely cut off as the display went black, indicating that all three of his friends had successfully entered the building. It would take them a while to come up as Rei lived on the tenth floor, so Kai decided to saunter back to the kitchen, a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned against the door frame with the confidence of a beyblader about to land the winning strike.

“This secret group chat of yours,” Kai spoke, pausing to check if he had Rei’s attention and when his friend passed him a confused look, he continued, “Does Tyson know about it?”

Rei stopped setting up the table and looked up at Kai, eyes wide with fear and horror, “Kai, don’t.”

“Because I just think that, it’s the kind of thing he should know about.”

“Kai, please! If he throws a fit, Hilary will strangle me without a second thought, you know she’s capable of it.”

Rei's scared yet pleading voice did make him feel better about all the manipulation, and just for a second, he thought he would forgive his friend and play nice. After all, Rei did prove that he knew him better than most people, and valued his opinion more than the others, so there really was no need for Kai to exact his revenge.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of their friends and the tension on Rei's face deepened as Kai promptly turned on his heels to open the door.

"Kai, I will owe you big time if you keep this secret for me!" Rei called out in a squeaky voice from the kitchen, making Kai laugh out loud for a change.

“It’s been so long since we saw a real Tyson and Hilary fight, you know" Kai turned his head just once to smirk in triumph, "They just don’t do them like that anymore.”

As he turned the doorknob, he heard Rei shuffling behind him in the kitchen at twice the speed from before, possibly hiding any sharp objects out of Hilary's reach. He suppressed another laugh before swinging the door open. In the end, Kai decided to let Rei off the hook just this once. But there was no reason for Rei to know that, instead he would enjoy keeping him guessing about when Kai would drop the bomb for the rest of the day. When he finally came face to face with Tyson, Kai made sure that Rei could hear him as he announced loudly, “Tyson, guess what-”

- x -

[not-poignant]

hi there! i just wanted to say i love your writing sooo much, i started out reading your fandom works a few months ago (palmarosa is absolutely delectable) but after dipping my toes into your original work via underline the blue i decided to delve into it more deeply. your universe was hella intimidating ngl (2.6 million words just for the core texts of spoils & fae tales is insane and also very impressive!) but i started with falling falling stars since it appealed to me the most and i’ve read almost the whole thing in the past 4 days. it’s just THAT GOOD.

anyways i suppose i don’t really have a proper question except… in falling falling stars, augus comes across as kinda horrible. i can’t possibly wrap my head around him and gwyn being the “original main couple” or main characters i’m supposed to root for in the rest of the series. is augus really that much of a dickhead in the spoils of the spoiled as well? it seems like that fic must present an entirely different perspective on the character for it to even make sense to root for him. (i hope it wasn’t silly of me to read falling falling stars before the spoils of the spoiled!)

reading underline the blue and then meeting nate in falling falling stars was also like… whiplash. the character seems so incredibly different. is this something i should take into account when it comes to your other verses? underline the rainbow versus spoils versus fae tales i mean. are the stories and plotlines and characters completely different and there’s only internal consistency within each individual universe so to speak?

anyways, reading your author’s notes about your health is so stereotypically ao3 and makes me incredibly grateful that you still take the time to write all this for FREE for us! i wish you the best n hope you don’t take offense to my questions, i really am just curious. you’re a fantastic writer and the way you tackle these difficult subjects is often very cathartic for me to read. i sincerely appreciate everything you do n hope you have a great day whenever you’re reading this :)

Hi anon!

So Falling Falling Stars is like a role reversal of Spoils of the Spoiled. Spoils of the Spoiled actually came many years before, and in that, Efnisien was such a villain that quite a lot of people have never been able to read Falling Falling Stars, or they had to wait a long time to see if it would be worth reading.

Both stories kind of function as 'the main character is the hero of his own story.' Or 'the person who is a villain to one person is a hero to another.'

Augus does do some pretty bad things in Spoils of the Spoiled, but he shows he's capable of growth, he saves Gwyn's life, he's molested by Efnisien (unprovoked), and he's a victim of a lot of circumstances. Much like Efnisien in Falling Falling Stars, he's complicated.

Characters aren't black and white, anon, they have nuance. Someone can do something bad to one person, but still be wonderful to another. Efnisien is actually a great example of this. We're rooting for him. The people who know the people who hurt, might want him dead. Both of those things are true and both of things can be valid. I find that a really interesting grey area to write within! But Augus is very much in that area as well.

Falling Falling Stars and Efnisien's journey would never exist if it wasn't for Augus saving Gwyn's life in Spoils of the Spoiled. In a way, Efnisien - though he'll never realise it - is indebted to Augus for his actions in helping and galvanising Gwyn into the emancipation case that got him away from his abusive family (which very much included Efnisien at the time). And Augus was hurt and threatened by Efnisien for it, more than once.

It's funny reading this though, and I think a few other readers might feel that way. Your feelings about Augus and Gwyn and not being able to 'wrap your head around' them as the good guys / protagonists in the rest of the series is actually how everyone felt about Efnisien.

Like, literally. You're just...on the other end of something everyone else has felt for the character you like.

So we know it's possible, because we all went through it re: learning to care for this version of Efnisien lol.

I will say canon Efnisien in the Fae Tales canon is literally an irredeemable monster, capable of no compassion, who glories in defilement, degradation and torture. He's really not comparable to his human counterpart.

is augus really that much of a dickhead in the spoils of the spoiled as well?

I mean no. Otherwise no one would read the story. He has his dickhead moments, especially in the beginning, just like Efnisien had his dickhead moments in the beginning when he was thinking of torturing Gary and animals and children and other people.

reading underline the blue and then meeting nate in falling falling stars was also like… whiplash. the character seems so incredibly different. is this something i should take into account when it comes to your other verses?

Yes, absolutely.

are the stories and plotlines and characters completely different and there’s only internal consistency within each individual universe so to speak?

It sounds like this might be the first time you've encountered the concept of an Alternative Universe! An Alternative Universe in fandom tends to keep the characters (generally) and changes everything or some other things around them as a way of exploring new scenarios, but also seeing how those scenarios impact the characters.

For example Falling Falling Stars and Spoils of the Spoiled both explored 'what if these characters were human' 'what if they didn't have magical healing' 'what if Gwyn managed to get away from his family.' The characters preserve some aspects of themselves, but not others, as a result.

It's logical that if you take a character that's one thing, and put them in a world where their job, their friends, even their partners change, then aspects of their personality will change! And then the challenge (and fun for us as readers and writers) is to see where they're the same, why they're the same, and where they're different, and why they're different.

What's cathartic about AUs (alternate universes) is we often still get to hit very meaningful moments over and over again in different ways - for example Augus and Gwyn falling in love, or Efnisien making a connection with Gary, or Efnisien starting out very abrasive and hostile and becoming softer and more caring over time etc. The themes are similar, but there's different reasons for these big moments to be happening, and so they happen in different ways, with different dialogue etc.

Meanwhile Nate, as an example, is someone in FFS who we only ever see as an outsider. We don't know how soft he is with Janusz at home. Or with his friends. We only see him in response to a trigger (PTSD), and see him in a very limited way. Of course he will be different when we see a story from his perspective! He's not going to see himself the way someone who hardly knows him and has never seen him vulnerable sees him. Even without him being an omega etc. in Underline the Blue, how Nate lives his life and sees himself has nothing to do with Efnisien. Efnisien has seen maybe 0.00000001% of his entire life and personality (I don't know how numbers work, but trust me, we can't get an accurate read through 'Efnisien the unreliable narrator'), Nate's the one who has to live it. In that sense, it's easier to trust Nate and his loved ones re: what he's really like, than Efnisien.

Likewise, it's easier to trust Augus and Gwyn over what Augus is really like, than Efnisien. And it's easier for us to trust Efnisien and Arden and Kadek over what Efnisien's really like, instead of Augus' perspective, or even Gwyn's.

Efnisien in the Fae Tales canon is only ever an outsider. In fact he's dead by like chapter 15 of Game Theory. Which is good, because he's awful and incapable of being redeemed in any way. He's a torturer in The Wildness Within. Obviously that's quite different to who we end up with, in Falling Falling Stars, and we only end up with him because of Augus and Gwyn's journey in Spoils of the Spoiled. (If you'd read Spoils first anon, trust me, you'd be asking yourself 'I don't know how I could ever want to read a story about Efnisien he seems so awful' instead lol - but I like...the journey, and the challenge, to see if I can guide a reader through someone's inner universe so they can trust a character's growth, even if they don't like them in the beginning).

Anyway, degrees of separation impact how we see the people around us. We as readers are extremely separate from Nate in FFS because Efnisien is. So...yeah, he feels different when we get a story from his perspective! The whiplash is real. Because he becomes a developed character, and not just a 'bad impression' in Efnisien's insecure, sensitive mind. That's the same with Spoils and Falling Falling Stars, we never see Augus' perspective in FFS, we never see Efnisien's in Spoils. That matters.

Sometimes seeing the character's perspective changes everything! I hope that helps :D