#why is tumblr weird with ao3 links suddenly why is that

[leadandblood]

BOOM. Have more spanking aftermath. Francis tries to fix it but obvsly cannot do it just like that. 800 words which idk. Is Very short for a Crozcest fic 😔 but what can i do. Frank fumbled this one. And Edward deserves a fucking medal.

fic>> A SAINT <<fic

[singukieee]

—my all time favourite bts fics (pt. 3) ᯓᡣ𐭩

consists of my personal favourite bts fics that I've read countless of times. including those from other platforms, such as Wattpad, AO3, and Patreon.

For some works that are cross-posted between tumblr and wp/ao3, I'd only link them to the latters bcs I find it easier to read and navigate the stories on those. but I also tagged all the authors I know are here and linked the rest so you can check their blogs out yourself!

I'll also separate this list into several parts simply because there's too many... So it'd be easier for you guys to navigate!

red means unfinished

blue means finished

🗯️ curator's note

(sorted by alphabetical order)

Merilia by saylilirose

"Mermaids are not real!" That's what you and Namjoon hear everywhere you go. It's funny that you're hidden in plain sight, although perhaps popping a tail in front of strangers wouldn't end well for you. That's what you've come to learn. You've also learned, to hide yourself very, very well. Until- "NO-DON'T JUMP-SHIT!" You and Namjoon are joined by others, not by choice.

🗯️ mermaids and insane drama oooh yes

Moonchild by @yoongiofmine (paid on patreon but so worth it)

Working at a coffee shop that only opened in the late hours of the night was the most exciting thing about your life, really. You never had that many friends, your love life was nonexistent, and you just couldn’t explain the feeling of not belonging that chased you no matter where you tried to find your place. It was when seven very handsome strangers came into your life that weird things started happening around you and within you. Could they be the ones to fill in what’s been missing? Or would getting involved with them and their world put you in danger?

🗯️ aaaah so good!!! so well-written, gahh plott so great, identity crisis (human or...?), werewolf drama.

My Muse by Zennnoe

I felt my lungs suddenly stop and a coldness brush onto my face, I gasped loudly clutching onto my chest. Dropping down onto my knees trying to grasp whatever air in-front of me. But I was at dance practice. So why did it feel like I was breathing underwater? I soon felt the hands of my close friends lift me up and lay me down as I try to takin in as much air as possible, for her. Soon the staff swamp me and I hear them talking about her, my other half. I soon clutched onto my stomach and I shouted loudly in so much pain, pink fluorescent patches bloom onto my skin. Yes they looked pretty. But the reason why they were there was not. As I try to reach out I grab one of my friends hands tightly and request for one thing. "My music. Pass me my music." I beg. This is the only way for me to reach her…to help her. My beloved soulmate.

My Soulmate are IDOLS by tinyeyecat

In a world where soulmates exist and people receive their soul bonds (a red string of fate, body exchange, timer tattoos…etc) when they turn 20… Wet dreams are not the norm for Amber. She should not be haunted by men she doesn't know, let alone by the world-famous boyband, Bangtan. But on the day of her birthday, Amber switches bodies with the idol on stage and finds out that the members of the boyband are her soulmates. All seven of them.

🗯️ this is one wild story... aren't all emi ree's stories so wild tho? but also well-written. (epilogue is on Patreon).

Not My Hybrids by Ghosstwriterss

When Y/n is pressured to volunteer at a hybrid rehabilitation/adoption Center, and asked to house 7 hybrids to help them become comfortable with humans and the idea of adoption, who is she to say no?

🗯️ the kind of story where mc's so freakin nice I don't think she's human. but yea it's all worth it.

One Kiss by DuraWrites

In a world where soulmate exist, where you can only know your soulmate through a dream. Confirm through a kiss and complete the bond through love-making. Han Bora just celebrated her 22nd birthday and not long she started having dreams of her soulmate. Correction. Soulmates. Already being a fan of this popular K-pop group, she immediately knew that her soul is tied to all seven of them. It was a dreadful yet thrilling thought as the realization of being the soulmate to her favourite artists hit her. But it isn't just as easy as it seems. Because she was the only one who had the dreams. So She has to prove to them she's their soulmate. And the only way to confirm that is through ONE KISS. How will an average girl find her way to that untouchable top to prove to the biggest boyband that she's their soulmate? Come along and let's dive into this crazy mess of a journey together.

🗯️ one kiss is all it takes... literally

Out of Time series by Alphathyx

🗯️ so freakin sad wtf but that is why there's an alternate ending. soo good and heart wrenching.

❶ Out of Time

A story about a girl named, Hana who has suffered a chronic condition all her life that would soon take her life one day. But with her final wish, she uses it to see BTS, but the boys decided to have more in store for her. Join Hana, and the members in a fluff filled adventure before time runs out.

❷ Out of Time: Young Forever

The alternate ending for 'Out of Time' and bonus chapters

Parfait by fullspectrumfangirl

Alpha bands are a popular entertainment schtick. Handsome, powerful, talented, they sell the fantasy of availability as much as they sell their music. After all, everyone knows a pack is incomplete if it only contains alphas. Omegas and betas dream of being a part of the balance. Unfortunately, this is more than just marketing. A band needs to function as a pack, but with only alpha members, bickering and infighting are almost unavoidable. Beta managers help, but there is another common tactic that helps the talent maintain equilibrium: house omegas, hired companions who stand in for the missing pieces. BTS is a wildly popular seven-member alpha band. They are known to be particularly kind and humble, but they are still struggling to keep house omegas for their pack. None of the prior candidates have wanted to leave, but one member has protested them all. What is the missing ingredient in their otherwise winning recipe?

🗯️ again, idk what to say but it's good! a really well-written story with great plot.

Peculiar Pack by @daydreamindollie

You’re a successful hybrid writer and psychologist, who takes in seven hybrids one stormy night after finding one of their pack stealing from your garden.

🗯️ cute T.T

Petrichor by @purpleyoonn

You had been working at Bangtan Corporation for almost two years now, and not once have you ever laid eyes on your bosses. That was, until you met them when out with some of your coworkers. Now, you almost wish you hadn’t. Almost.

🗯️ courting... yes please! and again, I love possessive mates.

Plump by koozip

Meeting Namjoon's close friends was something you've been anxious about since meeting him. You wanted them to like you. Starting off with a group chat seemed like the perfect way around your fears. You weren't sure how they'd feel about you in person. So when they fell in love with you and your lovely curves, you were taken by surprise. You soon realize that you're stuck with the seven handsome men for the long run. The chronicles of chubby y/n and her new smitten friends. Based around the group chat named 'chubbybear' that started it all.

🗯️ gosh this one's just warm and sweet, especially for fellow chubby girlies out there!

Rainy Days by Peanut_The_Sugar_Glider

Life had dealt you a rather crappy hand, but you kept on fighting, you kept on existing day by day. On a gloomy day however, you feel as if it all means nothing, as your beloved pet had past away and she always was there to cheer you up and enjoy the gloomy weather, making it less sad and depressing. Be it fate or otherwise, movement catches your attention outside. And your life is never the same after. You never will have to worry about being alone, and you find yourself enjoying the rainy weather.

🗯️ despite the title, this story feels like a warm hug.

Redamancy by strawberheecake

In which Yn met an unknown pack of hybrids living on a land she inherited. Feelings bloomed as the pack helped her weather the storm that is her greedy family.

🗯️ another neat and well-written story <3

Retribution by Babydoll_Blue

The Bangtan Boys were known around campus for being heart breakers, but when they made poor Seul-ki cry, Y/N and Mina decided it was time for retribution. Forming a plan to ruin their images, Y/N sets out to seduce them all.

🗯️ revenge gone wrong... or right? wtf am I typing, just read it guys.

Rose & Thorns by @minniepetals

A lone rose, a little broken, until Jungkook came along and the two of you saved each other, and in doing so, Jungkook showed you a world where he shared with his six other mates.

🗯️ a dramatic and warm story. I'm such a simp for soft but strong MCs like this one.

Safe House by SweetBreadFictions

In a dystopian universe where hybrids exist, the government had turned a blind eye to the mistreatment of hybrids. These persons were used, abused and treated in the most unfair ways. To escape the evil owners, hybrids make their way to the rumored district of freedom called Area 613. To help these refugee hybrids, an underground railroad had been developed by kind people. Being sympathetic to these persons, you run a safe house stop for the hybrids during their journey. As you help these hybrids, seven of them decide that your safe house might be better that any rumored district of freedom.

🗯️ I love when the relationships develop one by one so you got attached to allll of them.

Sanctuary by @softykooky

Some people are lucky enough to be born into a family that loves them. others meet their family in a coffee shop while on the run from the korean ambassador, while they’re holding a man at gunpoint and beating him to a pulp for treason against their syndicate.

🗯️ :")👍

Seven by Worldwidehandsomeyouknow

Life is boring. Same thing, day in and day out. Nothing new or exciting ever happens. I just want something, anything to happen! Well something happens alright. Seven somethings in fact

Sheltered by Gracie30102

What Namjoon thought was trouble turned out to be a blessing as he rescued a wounded kitten who would capture his packmates hearts little by little.

🗯️ s o f t.

When a vaccine leads to unexplained symptoms, the world erupts into panic. What happens when one girl finds out she is soulmates to all seven members of the largest group in the world?

Shifted by dailyJinspiration

You were property, a casualty of an archaic law, but he didn't see you that way. You're an elemental witch, leaving the country of your birth to be mated to Hoseok, the leader of a pack of brothers who were forced to come together or risk being exiled forever. They are broken, discarded and angry, they can also shift into giant feline predators in the blink of an eye. You thought you would have a simple life, try to win them over one by one, but there are bigger plans in motion and it will take every skill you possess to keep what's yours.

🗯️ defo one of my absolute faves fanfic in 2024. it's got intricate issues, steamy scenes, sassy and strong witch mc, and the guys as hybrids. writing's so neat!

Soulmate to You by OT7oramI

🗯️ another well-written soulmate story! this synopsis doesn't give justice to this freaking good story so just read it please.

Spring Day by @nunchiimagines

Becoming a part time english teacher wasn’t exactly the ideal startup you had hoped for yourself when you first moved to Seoul, South Korea. Luckily, you loved working with children and you were grateful to have found a well paying job with housing included so soon after university. Amongst your class, however, are 5 boys who seem to be constantly ostracized not only by the rest of the students but also by the other teachers and staff members. Becoming attached to you fairly quickly, you’re unintentionally tasked to be their permanent caretaker during their stay at school, even staying past the hours you were needed until they were picked up safely. However, what you didn’t expect was to catch the hearts of their seven older brothers, the leaders of a notorious and well known mafia family in Korea.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 4 | NAVI

[olderthannetfic]

I'll be the first person to talk about how AO3 is just that, an archive. How there's no algorithm. How there's no point in constantly being the "first" (most recent) work in the ship/fandom/character/etc tag. How it's NEVER rude to leave a genuinely kind comment on any work, no matter how old or how new it is. You comment 10+ after the post date? Awesome. You comment -10 minutes after the post date? Awesome.

But I'm having a hard time taking my own advice! I recently came out of a huge slump and started posting again for a longfic for a pretty popular pairing, a pretty popular fandom, and a pretty popular trope. I haven't gotten many comments/kudos yet -- which is fine, I'm just so happy to have my motivation back -- but the thing is is that I'm literally posting multiple chapters a day. (By multiple I mean two or three, so nothing TOO insane.) Now, the nature of the work is that most of the chapters are pretty short (I'm too scared to say what it is out of fear of revealing myself, but I will say it's NOT a drabble/etc collection or anything word-count based. it's more similar to something that is meant to parallel the length and format of the source material.) But I still have this weird insecurity that I'm pushing my fic on people who don't give a fuck, that people who check the tag multiple times a day are just getting annoyed and thinking "I've had enough of this guy."

And that's alright! They can block and/or mute and/or filter! I've certainly felt that way before seeing fics that I'm not-so-interested in constantly being the forefront of the tag. I just scroll on, and maybe think to myself, "well good for that author for having a schedule". I'm not necessarily venting about my feelings themselves, but moreso about the nature of my feelings...I almost feel like I've become "algorithm-pilled", if that makes sense? Like I'm so hung up on this, I keep worrying people are gonna think I'm just constantly posting in order to be on top. And I'm not, and they're wrong if they think that, and again, I really don't care in the long run if people jump to such wild conclusions, but it's like...ugh. I would not have cared about this even a few months ago. I truly do not know what is wrong with me and why I'm suddenly fussing so much. Maybe it's almost a "stage fright" thing because I'm returning to the work after so long. Maybe I just need to comfortable again.

(I didn't necessarily send this for reassurance, but I am happy to have comments that gently poke fun at how much I am over-reacting ha. I'm mostly just rambling in general because I don't want to post this on my actual tumblr, which is linked to my ao3.)

--

Alas, logic and emotions rarely line up.

[the-bi-space-ace]

A Quick Cuddle - Part 4 - Crosshair

Ao3 Link

Part 1 - Wrecker - Tumblr Link & Ao3 Link

Part 2 - Tech - Tumblr Link & Ao3 Link

Part 3 - Hunter - Tumblr Link & Ao3 Link

Summary: Echo hugs Crosshair for the first time.

Words: 1330

“Okay, what’s your problem?” Crosshair asked as he leaned against the wall of their ship, arms folded and watching with half lidded eyes. They’d run into a few days off, armor stored away for the moment. Echo had been trying to busy himself with picking up since no one else seemed to want to do it. 

“I’m not the one who has a problem.” Echo grumbled, shoving a bundle of some kind of leftover food into their trash bin. Okay, Echo did have a problem, but he wasn’t going to tell Crosshair that. Why not? Because it was stupid, that’s why. See, he’d made progress with everyone else, gotten closer, allowed himself to be more affectionate with them, and now all he was missing was to bridge the gap with the last trouble maker. Crosshair wasn’t exactly touchy feely but he was still affectionate. Echo had seen him let Hunter give him pats on the back or even brief hugs with no weirdness. He often hung off of Tech just to piss the man off. Wrecker got to yank Crosshair off of the ground to hug him and their sniper barely batted an eye. So why hadn’t he even dared to do the same with Echo? They bickered well enough, most of the time verging on nasty but keeping it tame when it mattered. Being the odd man out made Echo feel like something was wrong with him. 

“If you’re going to be difficult I won’t bother asking again.” Crosshair grumbled, chewing his toothpick pensively. Echo wanted to slap him. 

“Maybe if you cared more you’d know.” He mumbled, although he made sure it was loud enough for Crosshair to hear. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Crosshair bit back, unfurling his arms. His eyes had narrowed at the accusation, glare deepening. Echo whirled on him, now frustrated enough to throw his words right in his smug face. He always knew exactly what to say to get under his skin. Maybe that was his enhancement. 

“You’re the only one who hasn’t-” Suddenly he was aware of how silly this might sound. How was he supposed to tell Crosshair the real problem? Was he meant to just say it?! If he didn’t they’d just go back and forth like this until one of them imploded. Echo huffed, pointed his scomp in the man’s direction. “You annoy me day in and day out. You pick at me and throw your stupid toothpicks at me. All of that and you’ve still not once hugged me. Why aren’t you… like that with me? You are with everyone else, why not me?” Is there something wrong with me? 

Crosshair paused as his brain caught up, blinking a few times while it processed. Then he leaned back, something almost amused crossing his features before he masked it, the energy in the room changing from nearly hostile to something more lighthearted. It always threw Echo through a loop when that happened. One second they could be biting each other’s heads off and the next he was laughing at something ridiculous Crosshair said like they were best friends. 

It was insufferable. 

“You aren’t exactly touchy feely with me either.” He shrugged, crossing his arms again, leveling a raised eyebrow at him. Rich! Echo nearly sputtered, the change abrupt and he wasn’t sure why, but found his own footing quickly so he didn’t get left behind. He couldn’t let him win. 

“Because you’re always so crotchety.” He gestured towards the other man indignantly. 

“Me?!” 

“Yes you! You walk around here all,” Echo swiped the toothpick from his mouth - perhaps against his better judgment - and shoved it between his own lips. The look on Crosshair’s face was comical. Wide eyed and caught between wanting to launch himself at Echo or laugh. He couldn’t quite tell which would win out. At least that’s where they got along best. He cleared his throat, putting on some horrible version of Crosshair’s own voice, exaggerating its hissiness. “I’m tough and mysterious and I stare at everybody like a weirdo and I steal candy from tubies.” With a flourish he yanked the toothpick out of his mouth again and flung it at Crosshair’s chest so it hit with a whack. Crosshair’s eyes followed it as it fell to the ground, mouth still agape but now a little too close to a smile to be too disgruntled. Once his mind caught up he shoved off of the wall, taking a step forward.

“Do you even know what you look like?! Just because you’re Rex’s favorite doesn’t mean you have to be mine.” Crosshair poked him in the chest.

“Then don't gawk at me like an awestruck shiny.” Echo threw back. It was a gamble but the sniper picked up the bait easily enough, rolling his eyes. 

“I’m staring at your ugly face, reg manual.” 

Echo shook his head. “You’re so full of shit.”  

Crosshair shrugged. Finally some of that smugness started to show through. The playful kind he got when he teased Wrecker about winning on missions. “If you wanted my attention so badly you should’ve just asked.” 

Oh, that’s it. 

Echo threw his arms out to the side. “Ya know what? Fuck you, I’m hugging you. You can’t stop me.” The threat was one he planned on following through with, already reaching out for him as the other man backed up, holding his hands out in front of himself as if that would stop anything.

“Don’t you dare!” Crosshair didn’t get far, pushing lightly back as Echo’s arms encircled him. Fighting didn’t last long, the other man giving in almost easily as Echo yanked him into a hug too tight to be comfortable, squeezing him around the waist. “Ugh. Gross. Disgusting.” It drew a laugh out of Echo who settled more comfortably. Crosshair groaned but let himself be cuddled, feigning disinterest as Echo rested his chin on his shoulder, being sure to dig in a little. 

“Get over it. You like it.” Echo accused. A little shrug followed by arms wrapping around him was enough of a confirmation. 

“I hate it.” Crosshair complained. 

“You’re the worst.” Echo rolled his eyes. Crosshair didn’t hug quite as tight as the others did but small things stuck out. Like how Crosshair leaned his head on Echo’s, thumb rubbing absentmindedly in the space between his shoulder blades. 

“You love me.” He could practically hear the smile in Crosshair’s voice. Echo didn’t respond more than a disgruntled grunt but he felt a chuckle vibrate Crosshair’s chest, quiet and rumbly. “Knew it.” 

“I hope you choke on a toothpick.” Echo smiled but pushed back from Crosshair so he could keep picking at him. He wanted to see when his jabs hit. Half the fun was seeing what really irritated the sniper, storing it away for future reference.

“As long as I get to see you get your kama caught in a door again before I go.” That was one time! Crosshair shoved him. He wanted to be more indignant but it bothered Crosshair more to play the nonchalance up. Instead he turned his back to keep picking up the mess that was the Marauder, shoving something crumbled and dirty into the trash bin.

“You’re just mad I topped you in the last mission.” He had to stifle a laugh at the gasp the other man let out, dramatic and over the top. 

“Did not!” Crosshair sounded indignant but Echo just kept on moving, refusing to turn around and give him any further satisfaction. Who knew all it was going to take to get over that weird in-between stage was arguing? Well, maybe he should’ve known. If there was anything guaranteed it was the prospect their sniper started an argument. 

“You’re losing your touch, shit shot.” That one was going to get him smacked. He barely dodged the one aimed at his head before ducking away and scurrying off to the cockpit, an angry stick bug hot on his heels. 

“How dare you!” 

[writingtraumaforever]

Uncontrolled Chaos: Chapter 26

Notes: I want to apologize for the wait. Those who keep up with me on tumblr already know, but for those who don't, my beloved pet hedgehog passed away earlier this week. This has put me in quite a mentally dizzying place, and sitting down to focus on writing is difficult currently. Between this and upcoming holidays, I have struggled with putting any real effort into my writing. Which sucks, and I apologize. I hope to be back to normal soon, but I do struggle with depression and anxiety. So recovering from things like death has always been hard for me since my mind's go-to is to go numb. Maybe the Sonic movie will cheer me up. Either way, I do hope to have at least a few more chapters of Uncontrolled Chaos out before the holidays as well as a new addition to the Courtship Series. Thank you to everyone who has been patient with me. Sorry if this chapter has errors or seems down. I do admittedly think my mental state likely leaked into the writing, sadly. But I won't be posting another one if I'm not happy with it, so hopefully the next will be better! Love you all!

Summary: Sonic regrets his honesty with Shads from the night before.

UC Masterpost!

Link to my AO3!

Start:

Sonic wakes up to his head throbbing and his neck feeling tense and achy. Groaning quietly at the unpleasant feelings, he rolls onto his back to open his eyes up at the ceiling. Lifting his gloved fists to rub at his eyes, he yawns heavy and sighs after as he tries to process what happened last night and why he isn’t in his room.

Right.

Rouge stayed the night.

Amy arrived and did the same.

He and Shads shared the guest room..

Him and Shads shared the guest room—

Sonic quickly sits up, eyes wide as he looks to the spot Shadow was suppose to be sleeping in beside him. It’s empty. Bed neatly made on that side only with the covers tucked under the mattress and the pillow fluffed and laying in its spot against the wall. 

Shit. They—they talked last night, didn’t they??? Sonic’s stupid exhaustion got him all honest and fuzzy and dumb and he said too much.

He told him about the inhibitor ring.

A stroke of panic settles over Sonic as his hands reach back frantically to search for it in his quills. Nowhere. He can’t feel it in its usual place nor anywhere else inside his messy bedhead. He can’t lose that, Shads can’t take it from him, he—he needs that, it’s Shadow’s! It’s his reminder that Shadow will come back! That Sonic won’t lose him—

His eyes catch a glimpse of a sparkle in the corners of them, immediately turning his head to see the inhibitor ring settled safely on the nightstand next to his side of the bed.. gleaming in the morning light pouring through the window.

Relief washes over the blue blur, reaching for it a bit shakily before curling his fingers around it. Delicate at first, and then gripping it with a vice. He closes his eyes and holds it to his chest with knitted brows as he calms his pounding heart.

There’s no reason for this to make him as upset as it did.. there’s no reason for Sonic to be so damn attached to Shadow so suddenly..

Except it’s not really sudden, is it??

Sonic has always wanted to be near Shadow. Ever since they met, Sonic has— as he was explaining to Shads just last night— felt connected to him. He’s simply never known how to express it.. especially with Shadow always acting as though Sonic is such a pain to be around..

Every time Sonic has come across Shadow, the hero stuck around. Whether it be to see how he’s doing or to banter with him or even battle.. he just-.. he wants to be around him. Any of his attention, good or bad. He’ll take what he can get.

Geez, he’s really getting how Amy felt back when she was young and had a crush on him—

Ya’know what?? That was a weird thing to think! Because Sonic definitely doesn’t have a crush on Shadow! Ugh! Gross! It’s a brother thing! Yup!

Once he’s calmed himself down, he opens his eyes to look the inhibitor ring over a moment. Mind thoughtless but yet so full at the same time. Unable to process any of it due to being a bit overwhelmed.

He tucks it back into his quills and moves to get up from the bed, sliding his socked feet into his shoes and heading towards the bedroom door.

Opening the door, his ear twitches at the sound of quietly talking and giggles from downstairs. Familiar ones. Amy’s. She must be up already. Not a shock, she’s always been a morning person. He glances down the hall to see Rouge’s room is still shut. Likely sleeping in some since they can’t really get started without Knuckles and Tails here to help anyway. Plus, bats tend to be more evening and night Mobians than morning ones. Walking down the stairs, he smells both coffee and tea as well as what he thinks is bacon.. and eggs.

His stomach growls in response, yawning again as he hops down from the bottom step and peeks into the living room to see Amy and Shadow both speaking low to one another as to not wake anyone up. Amy is all kinds of giddy about whatever Shads is talking about, Shadow smiling and seeming amused at her reaction. He also just seems so… comforted by her. In a way he hasn’t been with anyone else. He imagines she’s the most familiar thing he’s crossed in this world given Amy is kind to anyone in every world. While Shadow’s relationship with Rouge and Sonic seems drastically different in each world, his relationship with Amy seems relatively consistent.

His stomach does give an uncomfortable flip, though. The way it always does when he sees his own Shadow and Amy together.

Not jealous.

Envious.. 

Despite this, Sonic decides not to interrupt them for now, let them have some time together to decompress before things get crazy.

Instead, the hero moves into the kitchen across the hall, following his nose to find two bacon and egg omelettes hidden in the microwave. He assumes they were saved for him and Rouge, so he pulls one out and leaves the other for the bat. Closing the microwave, he then moves to grab himself some of the tea remaining in a little kettle. Amy likely made it since she’s a tea-person. Shadow is definitely the one who made the coffee. Rouge will probably finish it off when she wakes up. The few times Sonic has ran into Shadow in public places, it’s often in coffee shops. Shadow getting him and Rouge’s coffee order on his lunch break only to return to work at GUN after. 

Pouring him some tea and adding some sugar, he hops up to sit himself on the counter by the window and watch the birds flutter about and the clouds pass as he enjoys his quiet breakfast. As much as he’s hated being alone since his friends left, he has grown accustom to quiet mornings to just.. take in the new day. The sky seems pretty clear, big fluffy white clouds speckled here and there. No signs of rain. And the glass feels warm when Sonic presses his arm against it, so it’s likely a relatively toasty day. Good. Maybe Sonic can sneak a run in before they really get started on all this. Clear his head some after last night..

He wasn’t really ready to face Shads after falling apart on him like that. Having a panic attack in front of someone you just met doesn’t exactly scream ‘hero’. Wouldn’t be surprised if Shads decides Sonic is too mentally unwell and needs to sit this whole adventure out.

Hell… if Sonic was real honest with himself, he may actually agree. 

He hasn’t been doing too well for awhile. And Starfall Islands just seemed to highlight all of his baggage. But he kept a good mask on for his friends.. even if that wasn’t exactly the most healthy decision either. 

Maybe Shads was right. Maybe he should open up to them all some more so he didn’t trauma dump on the first person who hops into their dimension and asks if he’s okay.

Then again, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?? And no one has really seemed to take much notice in him being a bit more off than usual. Sure they all left him to find their own journeys or whatever, but they still considered him their hero. Their leader..

He couldn’t do anything to dampen that..

He had a duty, a title to uphold.  

So he decides then and there to be stronger. Better. The exact opposite of everything Shads has been trying to tell him. Because maybe if his friends come back and see him back to his normal, heroic and carefree self, they won’t want to leave him..

“Tea good?” 

Sonic’s eyes widen a bit as his head whips around to see Shadow standing there eyeing him. And the look on the hybrid’s face.. it’s like he can read Sonic’s mind. There’s slight disapprovement in his gaze, worry clear.. how he eyes Sonic as if he’s taking in his every thought and can read him like an open book. And maybe he can? He does know his Sonic better in his world. Perhaps he’s picked up on some of Sonic’s mannerisms.

Either way, Sonic does what he does best and puts on a smile and nods, “Yup! Really hits the spot in the morning.”

“Mm,” the hybrid hums, walking closer to pick up the coffee pot and pour more into his mug. His eyes never leave Sonic.

“…Sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” the hero replies, trying not to cringe at his choice of words considering he practically overwhelmed himself to sleep last night.

“Good,” Shadow places the coffee pot back down, lifting his mug to take a sip as he eyes Sonic, “…Are you doing alright after—“

“So Amy forcing you to tell her all the deets of your world??” Sonic interrupts, not wanting the conversation to go where he knows Shads was leading it.

Shadow doesn’t answer for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping his nose as if he’s tired or disappointed or something only to then nod and offer a tiny smile, “Yes, very much so.”

“Shame I’m missing it,” Sonic smirks as he pushes himself off the counter to place his now empty teacup and plate in the sink, “I’m sure she’s totally enthralled by your stories, though.”

“She is,” Shadow nods, seeming to try and smile but it’s not reaching his eyes, “..it’s nice having someone whose relationship with me is relatively the same.”

“I figured,” Sonic smiles understandingly, “It’s why I didn’t want to interrupt..”

“You sure it’s not because you were avoiding last night??”

Sonic’s smile disappears. Shadow’s does too.

They stare at each other a long moment, Sonic’s brows furrowing a bit at being called out and Shadow’s knitting up in concern for Sonic’s obvious avoidance..

“…I’m gonna go for a run,” Sonic eventually says, turning to leave only to feel a hand suddenly wrap around his elbow to stop him.

“Don’t,” Shadow’s voice is quiet. Pleading. “…Stop running..”

Sonic’s ears bend back at this, keeping his back to Shadow as he’s unable to meet his gaze in that moment. Scared of what he might find..

Scared of how much this Shadow knows him.. 

And all because his Sonic looked for him—

“Oh! Sonic, you’re awake!” Amy’s voice comes bright and cheery as she enters the kitchen only to pause at the obvious tension and eye the way Shadow is holding onto Sonic.

Shadow immediately lets Sonic go, frowning as he takes a step away from him. Sonic’s eyes meet Amy’s and Amy raises a brow at the two.

“..Everything okay??”

Shadow doesn’t answer. And Sonic knows he’s waiting to see what Sonic’s response is. If it’s honest.

It’s not.

“Yeah!” the hero chimes with a grin, moving to wrap an arm around her and squeeze her up against his side, “Just was about to head out for a run is all. You and Shads catch up??”

Amy eyes Sonic suspiciously but seems to let it slide for now, smiling in response as her own grin turns mischievous, “Oh yes.. we definitely did..”

Sonic blinks at that, looking at her devilishly knowing look and then to Shads who has his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, shaking his head at the pink hedgehog. 

“Do I wanna know??” Sonic asks with a nervous little chuckle.

“I think I’d rather just watch how this one plays out,” Amy teases with a wink to Shads before looking back to Sonic, “But you said you were going for a run?”

Sonic, too, let’s it slide.. not wanting even more on his mind than is already there, “Yeah! Just a quick one. Figure I’ll get it in before Rouge gets up and we get this party rolling.”

“Are Knuckles and Tails both coming back??” Amy questions with a hopeful tilt of her head.

“Yup! Gangs gonna be all back together,” Sonic grins enthusiastically to which Amy bounces on her toes excitedly.

“Oh yay yay yay! I’ve missed you all so much! We’ll get this whole thing fixed in no time with everyone together,” she assures, moving from Sonic’s grip to the counter to refill her tea.

She doesn’t see the way Sonic’s smile twitches downward just slightly at that thought..

But Shadow does.

Shadow sees right through him..

[krotecho]

"Axolotl chose you to be my trial buddy, which makes you my legally appointed chaos spouse. We're in this together, cupcake. Till Weirdmageddon do us part" Chapter 1, 'Welcome to marriage, Sucker! No refunds.' This art piece is sponsored by no one, you can buy absolutely nothing in a link that isn't in my bio. I love designing clothes, I suck as hell in that, but I love doing it. My take on a Reader's wedding attire from "Till Weirdmageddon do us part" by @selfless-solipsist, which you can read on wattpad and ao3 for sure. But go to author's socials and stuff to know that. I'm just unpaid marketing team :3 (She doesn't know I'm litteraly making my whole online footprint about her fics recently xD) I'm that one annoying sales person in the office, but in a form of a chaos goblin, that just wants to support great talent of a friend I have. Okay, so I need to bitch about my life also, so uni is hard (actually it's easy my brain makes interactions hard), my dorms are hell and I don't have friends I can physically hang out in a city I'm living currently to study. So shit fuck, my life is shitty, but hey I feel good about it. My sleep schedule is shit even with exact hours I go to sleep and wake up. I have no clue how do I manage to do that, if I'm being honest. I'm just amazing. I recently picked up my reaaaally old project. It was a way of escaping from reality when I was like twelve and my favorite pony toy didn't have a mane anymore. That last part is a lie, I had some struggles in elementary school. (And frankly I also didn't own any pony toys, ever I think) I just have trouble with making friends. Anyway, who cares about that. I came back to my old project! And that project was dogshit (Do you catch, that I swear a lot? I'm sorry and not in the same time). I was a weird kid, now you know why I didn't had much friends, and the plot was weirder than me back then. I'm working on it now to resemble something that isn't morally questionable, thirteen year old's fanfic to reality. I do a good job with that. I'm not that good with writing, be it english or polish, but anything I write now is an improvement. But, Echo, that post is about a fanart for a fanfic you like, why do you suddenly talk about your work? Because when I have time, I'm making designs for my own characters, and I'm spamming on tumblr with them. And I wanted to do a heads up. Because I'm nice like that. Also my old art dump is incoming. Beware. And as a bonus, you can have some shitty thing I tried to make in Krita, on my sketch I made in notebook, when I edited things. It's awfull, sorry bestie (I know you are reading this. I just know :3), I can't do better now

It was supposed to glow, but I can't really work with a mouse or a touchpad, after a class I have hate-love realtionship, more on the hate side. Happy christmas or something, everyone!

[zeyris-daydreams]

Isekaied?!

//short, rushed, no beta read, will do part two or elaborated version of this if more people want it. Elaborated as in smu-

Story in which a Genshin main acts odd, or in which you suddenly get isekaied.

「-------------♡-------------」

Your friend recommended Genshin to you quite a bit. You disliked it a lot, and yet gave it a try after possible weeks of asking. As annoying as it was, you found yourself actually enjoying the game: even going as far as progressing it fast, all the way to Sumeru. You found yourself drawn to some particular characters that made an appearance.

Over time you began to stumble upon writings of said characters, or rather the character you liked the most. One that you slowly felt even more drawn to, the thought of them warming your chest and cheeks.

It happened yet again, liking a fictional character. You hated that trait of yours, but it was too late by then, enjoying all sorts of media on them.

Whether it was fanart or these silly Tumblr posts, even these complex books and simple smut on ao3. It was all what you truly did in your free time, only to one day do your dailies on Genshin: realising you're short on artifacts, then you went into a domain.

Someone had to carry, as always, so you found people to co-op with; didn't take long at all, before a person that held your favourite characters picture as an avatar showed up. And as expected they showed up with your favourite character set as active.

Wordlessly you started the domain, for now simply doing your best to get rid of the leftover resin. And once you finally came to almost a zero, the person sent you a friend invite.

'why not? Their AR is higher, maybe they could be of some help'

And oh they were. After a few days have passed they did nothing but ask if you needed help, it was unsuspicious. You could see that most high level players helped the lower level ones, ensuring the game going smooth.

And yet that embarrassed you to no end. Maybe it was simple social anxiety, or not wanting to look bad at the game, but you declined more often than accepted. And soon instead of asking, they simply sent co-op invites.

It wouldn't be weird if it wasn't them being online only at the same time as you, as if they always were online in fact. Only emotes they'd send would be of their main.

If you didn't leave Genshin for a week or so you wouldn't have realised how odd that was, looking at the chat to receive a message right away. "Thought you'd never get back on"

You didn't want to be rude, so you simply ignored it that time, only doing the bare Genshin impact player minimum, before closing the app to go and read. And what you read mostly consisted of the smut of your beloved character, grinning like an idiot to yourself with each single link you found.

Eventually it was time to let your eyes rest, and you prepared yourself for sleep as always.

Thing is, you didn't wake up in your bed like you were supposed to. The strange surrounding made your skin shiver, and when you opened your eyes, you saw them staring at you with eyes full of excitement. If that was even possible for them. It must've been a dream.

"Thought you'd never wake up!"

It must've been your brain after all the fanfics you've read. It must've been that.

"Where- it's my dream isn't it-?" Sitting up only proved to make your head ache.

"Don't get up, your head may just continue aching. Lay here. Let me take care of you"

Have.. you been isekai-ed?

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 9: The Heat

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 8 // Chapter 10 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 8 // Chapter 9 // Chapter 10 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 8 // Chapter 9 // Chapter 10 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evalin packed her satchel with methodical precision, tucking a small jar of her healing salve inside alongside a mini water bottle.

The familiar weight of the bag was grounding. A quiet reassurance.

She strapped on her boots with one hand.

The laces were still loose but it would have to do until she could get what she needed.

Her gloves concealed the burns on her hand.

A necessity for now.

She pulled her hat low, left her room, walked into the foyer—

And froze.

“Where are you heading off to?”

Evalin startled so hard she nearly tripped over her own feet.

Her fingers twitched against her collarbone, and in an instant, her satchel shimmered—vanishing from sight.

She turned sharply, heart hammering.

Ford leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

He wasn’t blocking her path, exactly. But something about his posture, the way he looked at her, made escape feel... unlikely.

Evalin floundered, her mind racing and drawing a blank at the same time.

“I—uh—“

'Think, damn it.'

She cleared her throat, forcing her voice into something resembling normal.

“I saw something flying above the cliffs earlier. Thought I'd check it out.”

Not a lie.

Not the full truth, either.

Ford studied her for a long moment, his sharp gaze flicking over her.

The silence stretched.

Evalin forced herself to hold still.

Then—

To her absolute horror—

Ford tilted his head with a harm smile.

“Would you like some company?”

Evalin’s brain short-circuited.

'Of course, he would ask that.... Godsdamn it....'

Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

“I—I mean, if you want,” she stammered, gripping the brim of her hat and tugging it lower.

“I won’t stop you…”

Her voice wavered.

'What the hell is wrong with me!? I literally face down the supernatural on the daily and I can't act normal in front of a single fucking person!?'

Evalin's eyes shifted to Ford.

“Why are things so different now? He is still the same weird old guy I met the other day, isn't he? Things haven't changed now he looks like.... you did that when you—“

Evalin’s face burned.

'Nope. No, not finishing that thought. Not going there.'

Ford, oblivious to her internal crisis, grinned.

“Perfect! I'll get ready!”

Before she could respond, he turned and strode off.

Evalin exhaled sharply, trying to collect herself.

'Okay. Okay. This is fine.'

She just needed to breathe.

She barely had a moment to recover before Ford returned—bag slung over his shoulder, red journal in hand, the long tan duster settling neatly over his frame.

The red turtleneck, fitting just right, seemed warmer, more vibrant.

His smile was bright. His energy effortless.

“Let’s head out!”

Evalin's brain promptly forgot how words worked.

'Sweet fucking stars, this is trippy as hell!'

She managed to nod.

"Right… let’s go," she mumbled, voice slightly offbeat.

Ford didn’t seem to notice.

He turned toward the door, already focused on the adventure ahead.

Evalin exhaled. Then followed.

~n~

The forest stretched wide around them, thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Leaves rustled in the lazy afternoon breeze, golden light spilling through the canopy in shifting, dappled patterns.

Twigs snapped beneath their boots as they walked.

The air was still.

Too still.

Evalin kept a steady pace ahead, focused on the path.

The climb to the cliffs wasn’t difficult, but it was winding, narrow, and required attention.

Attention she was more than happy to give it.

“Alright,” Ford said suddenly, breaking the quiet.

“You said you saw something over the cliffs. What exactly are we looking for?”

Evalin exhaled slowly, trying to keep her voice steady.

“A fiery bird making its nest near the ledge. I wanted to check it out.”

The words slipped out before she could second-guess them, her tone just a little too even.

Ford nearly tripped over a root.

“A—? A phoenix? Here?!”

Evalin chanced a glance back.

His face had completely lit up.

Gone was the careful, calculating scientist—what stood in his place was pure, unfiltered excitement.

For a second—just a second—it caught her off guard.

She had expected interest. Curiosity.

But not... whatever this was.

She turned back toward the path.

“Yeah,” she huffed, her voice so soft it was almost lost in the woods.

Ford noticed the shift in her tone.

His pace slowed, posture relaxing.

“I’ve been meaning to ask…”

Evalin stiffened, her eyes locked on the path ahead.

Ford leaned toward her slightly.

“Are you alright?”

Her breath hitched.

“I—” Her fingers twitched at her sides.

“I’m fine.”

The words came out sharper than intended.

Too quick. Too rehearsed.

Ford didn’t call her out on it, but she could feel the weight of his gaze, the way he was studying her now, trying to put the pieces together.

She sighed, shoulders slumping slightly.

“…It’s just been a lot,” she admitted, her voice quieter this time.

“I guess I’m still processing everything.”

A long silence stretched between them.

The only sound was the wind through the trees.

Ford didn’t push. He just let the quiet settle, waiting.

And maybe that’s why, after another long moment, Evalin spoke again.

“Since I came through that Portal Potty thing, things have been... jarring,” she muttered, eyes fixed firmly ahead.

“I... I'm just trying to survive out here then I get hit with some of the worst shit. The Age Eater this morning—it reminded me of... things.”

She swallowed hard as if it could shove the thoughts down.

“Not... not my favorite memories to say the least.”

Ford didn’t react.

Didn’t flinch. He just listened.

Feeling the need to fill the silence between them, she continued, tugging on her hat.

“I feel like something bad happened before I got here,” she murmured.

“Something beyond terrible. I just... don't remember.”

The words hung between them, heavy and uncertain.

Ford was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

Then—

“Memory loss can be tied to interdimensional travel. Or maybe it’s trauma. Something your mind is still protecting you from.”

Evalin’s stomach twisted.

'Never had this godsdamn issue before...'

Ford continued, his tone even.

“It seems you've been through more than most people could endure. But memory loss—whether from trauma or interdimensional travel—isn't always permanent. There are ways to work around it.”

He turned to her and smiled warmly.

“Don't worry, Evalin, we’ll figure something out.”

Something in her chest tightened.

Too much.

Too honest.

Her fingers clenched.

Her heart stammered.

She snapped.

“Why do you have to sound so cheesy?!”

Ford blinked.

Evalin immediately regretted it.

The words had just spilled out, unfiltered, too raw, too defensive, too—

A chuckle.

Not the reaction she was expecting.

She glanced up, startled, only to see Ford rubbing the back of his neck with a small, amused smile.

“I guess it was a little cheesy,” he admitted.

Evalin’s face burned.

She turned away sharply, tugging her hat lower over her eyes.

'Absolutely fucking perfect... Now I look like a fucking idiot...'

But Ford… Ford just laughed again, softer this time, as he kept walking beside her, unfazed.

And somehow, that made it worse.

~n~

The terrain grew steeper as they neared the nest, the path narrowing into a precarious ledge along the cliffside.

Above them, the phoenix perched like a living ember, its fiery plumage casting flickering light against the darkening sky.

Ford moved carefully, pressing against the rock wall for balance as he navigated the edge.

Evalin followed close behind, her steps measured, her focus sharp.

Or at least, it should have been sharp.

She was trying—not to let her thoughts wander, not to focus on the way Ford moved with renewed ease or the way the sunset framed him in gold.

Not to think about the warmth still lingering from his words earlier.

Or the memories that he seemed to bring up.

She was trying not to think at all.

Then, her foot slipped.

Evalin’s stomach lurched as her balance gave out beneath her.

Something flickered under her skin.

It felt like whatever it was, it wanted to burst out.

She hardly had time to register the feeling when a hand shot out.

Ford’s grip locked around her wrist.

“Careful!”

His voice was urgent, breathless.

His hold tightened, anchoring her, keeping her from tumbling into the open air.

For a long second, neither of them moved.

Evalin’s pulse hammered against her ribs.

Then, with a firm pull, Ford hauled her back onto solid ground.

Her legs were unsteady as she caught her breath, adrenaline buzzing through her veins.

She let out a shaky, nervous laugh, willing herself to not look as rattled as she felt.

“I-I guess I owe you one,” she managed, voice uneven.

Ford still had her hand.

His grip wasn’t tight anymore, but it was there—solid, grounding, lingering just a little too long before realization flickered across his face.

His ears turned slightly pink.

“Oh—” He cleared his throat, releasing her hand quickly.

“You don’t owe me anything.”

His voice softened, apologetic now.

“Besides, consider it payback for saving me this morning. I, uh… I’m sorry about your hand.”

Evalin flexed her fingers absently, masking her discomfort with a shrug.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I’m pretty durable. It’s gonna take more than a little fire to take me down.”

To punctuate the point, she flexed her arm dramatically.

It was supposed to be a joke.

Lighthearted. Normal.

Instead, Ford just stared at her for a beat.

Then let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.

“Noted.”

Evalin wasn’t sure why that single word made her ears feel warm.

'Wait. Was he—? Was he laughing at me!? Does he think I'm lying?! WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE IS THAT!?'

They moved forward, reaching a wider, more stable ledge where the phoenix’s nest rested.

The bird sat perched above them, regal and impossibly radiant, its feathers shifting like molten gold against the twilight sky.

Evalin felt the heat of it against her skin, a warmth that wasn’t just fire, but something older. Something familiar.

She exhaled softly, caught between awe and recognition.

It pulled at something in her chest.

Then—

“How beautiful,” Ford murmured.

Evalin’s heart stopped.

Her brain screeched to a halt.

'Wait. WHAT?!'

She turned toward him, eyes wide, every nerve in her body screaming.

Ford was still staring. Expression unreadable.

Silence.

Her chest tightened. She felt her pulse in her throat.

Then—Ford sighed, adjusting his glasses.

“I never thought I’d get to see a real phoenix up close.”

Evalin almost collapsed on the spot.

Her brain, still malfunctioning, tried to catch up.

He was talking about the phoenix.

Obviously.

'Sweet stars! What the fuck was I thinking?!'

Her hands curled into fists.

'This is so stupid!'

She shoved her thoughts down, hard.

“Y-yeah,” she blurted out, turning so fast she nearly tripped.

“It’s, uh—it’s pretty.”

She stared at the phoenix.

The warmth from the bird’s flames was nothing compared to the heat still burning in her face.

Evalin clenched her jaw, willing herself to breathe.

'Get it together, dammit.'

Meanwhile, Ford—completely unaware of the crisis he had just caused—studied the phoenix with fascinated awe, scribbling something into his journal.

Evalin, still recovering from nearly self-destructing, forced her attention on the glowing bird.

'I've done this time and time again. This is just gathering the phoenix feathers. I have to have them. There is no option.'

Her burnt hand twitched in her glove.

She pressed her lips together as she pushed her frustration down.

They stepped into the clearing, the phoenix perked up in its nest.

Its fiery plumage flared slightly, casting an ethereal glow across the rocky outcrop.

Its amber eyes locked onto them, sharp and calculating, its wings twitching as if ready to take flight at the slightest sign of danger.

Evalin stood firm. The air around them felt charged, thick with something ancient and powerful.

There was nothing tame about this creature—every flicker of its flame, every shift of its feathers, was deliberate, measured. It wasn’t afraid. It was assessing them.

Ford, sensing the phoenix’s wariness, slowed his steps.

With calm precision, he reached into his pocket, moving deliberately so as not to startle the bird.

Evalin tensed when she saw what he pulled out.

Her mouth fell open.

'A Tinder Mouse? He has a FUCKING TINDER MOUSE?!'

The ember-coated creature wriggled in Ford’s palm, its fine flint-like fur shimmering faintly in the dim light.

The phoenix’s sharp gaze snapped to the offering, its head tilting slightly—curious, calculating.

Evalin stared at Ford like he had just grown a second head.

“You just had that in your pocket?!” she hissed, struggling to keep her voice low but failing.

Ford chuckled, unbothered.

“I thought it would make a good peace offering.”

Evalin gawked at him.

“You—how—”

She cut herself off, her brain doing somersaults.

It wasn’t just that he had the Tinder Mouse.

It was that he had thought ahead.

The only reason this was working was because he knew exactly what a phoenix would respond to.

And that was unsettling.

She was used to knowing more—being ahead of the curve when it came to magical creatures.

But now Ford, this man, was keeping pace with her like it was second nature.

Her stomach did something weird and unpleasant.

Meanwhile, the phoenix remained still, watching them like it was deciding whether they were idiots or just interesting enough to tolerate.

Slowly, Ford crouched down, extending the Tinder Mouse out to the phoenix.

“It’s all right,” he murmured.

“We mean you no harm. Just thought you might like a little company.”

The phoenix hesitated—then, with a single sharp motion, it snapped its beak down, swallowing the Tinder Mouse whole.

Evalin blinked.

Ford stood up, dusting off his hands.

“Well,” he said, utterly unfazed, “I guess that worked.”

Evalin squinted at him.

Her stomach still felt weird.

She tugged her hat lower and muttered, “I was just gonna take them either way...”

The phoenix ruffled its feathers, no longer tense but still watchful.

Its predatory gaze lingered on them, less hostile now, more... curious.

Evalin exhaled, then whispered, “Now’s our chance to grab a few feathers while it’s distracted.”

Ford nodded, smiling.

“Let’s be quick.”

They moved carefully, their hands brushing against the embers of the phoenix’s plumage.

The feathers were warm—alive, almost—as if still pulsing with the bird’s fire.

When they plucked a few loose ones, the glow in their hands brightened momentarily before dimming, like a dying ember.

Evalin cradled the feathers carefully, feeling the lingering heat seep into her gloves.

“This should be enough,” Ford murmured, tucking the last feather into his bag.

“Let’s get out of here before it changes its mind.”

They slowly backed away, giving the phoenix space.

Evalin bowed her head in a quiet gesture of respect.

The phoenix, regal and unbothered, dipped its head in return.

That, she expected.

A creature like this had its own sense of honor, of ritual.

It was natural for it to acknowledge them in turn.

But then—

Evalin caught movement from the corner of her eye.

Ford.

He had bowed, too.

Evalin’s breath caught.

No hesitation. No prompting.

He had just... known.

She hadn’t explained.

She hadn’t prepped him.

She hadn’t so much as hinted at what to do.

And yet, Ford Pines had lowered his head in perfect understanding, his posture steady, his expression calm.

As if he’d done this before.

As if he belonged in the supernatural world as much as she does.

Her stomach twisted. That same strange, uneasy pull.

'Who the hell is this guy!? He just KNOWS?!'

With the feathers safely tucked away, they turned and made their descent back through the narrow path.

~n~

By the time Ford and Evalin made it down from the cliffside, night had fully settled over the forest.

The air was crisp, carrying the distant hum of crickets and rustling leaves as they walked side by side toward the Mystery Shack.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but it carried weight—something unspoken lingering between them.

Then, after a beat, Evalin cleared her throat.

“Uh… thanks for coming with me today,” she said, keeping her gaze forward.

“It was... interesting, to say the least.”

Her words were casual, but even she could hear the hesitation behind them.

Because interesting didn’t quite cover it.

Not even close.

Ford chuckled, his voice carrying easily through the quiet night.

“Interesting is one way to put it.”

He glanced over at her, the faint glow of phoenix feathers still illuminating his bag.

“But I should be thanking you. You’re the one who spotted the phoenix in the first place. That was an incredible find.”

Evalin hummed, tugging the brim of her hat lower.

“Yeah, well... I guess I’ve got an eye for these things.”

Ford smirked, something shimmering behind his eyes.

“So do I.”

She shot him a sideways glance, but he wasn’t looking at her.

His gaze was steady, fixed on the path ahead—like he was just stating a fact.

Like it was obvious.

That same knot from earlier twisted in her gut.

'Who is this guy?'

Stanford Pines—human, scientist, skeptic—had spent the day tracking a phoenix like it was just another afternoon errand.

He knew how to approach it, how to offer it a Tinder Mouse, how to bow without being told.

That wasn’t normal.

Not for a scientist.

Not for someone who was supposed to be... ordinary.

Evalin narrowed her eyes.

“Speaking of that Tinder Mouse…”

Ford turned to her, brow raised.

She folded her arms, leaning back casually.

“Since when did you just... carry one around?”

Ford chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I picked it up after you mentioned the phoenix. Figured it’d make a good peace offering.”

Evalin scoffed, her lips curling slightly at the corners.

“So that’s what you were doing when you said you were going to the bathroom.”

Ford laughed, his cheeks dusting pink.

“Well... that too.”

Evalin groaned but couldn't hide her growing smile.

“Oh, gross, Stanford.”

He grinned, waving her off.

"Hey, you asked."

For the first time all day, Evalin laughed.

It was soft, unguarded, slipping out before she even realized it.

The rest of the walk was quiet, but not uncomfortably so.

~n~

Ford and Evalin walked side by side to the Mystery Shack. The cool night air brushing against their skin.

When they approached the shack, Evalin stopped mid-step.

Her brain short-circuited.

'What fresh hell—'

The trees around the Shack were covered in paper snowflakes—haphazardly cut, some upside-down, all of them barely clinging to the branches with an absurd amount of tape.

And in the middle of it all, standing in a metal cage—

Was Stan.

Wearing a full-body Yeti costume.

Banging on the bars.

Evalin blinked.

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Soos! Come on!” Stan barked, rattling the bars.

“I’m sweatin’ like crazy in here!”

“Soos is working on it, Grunkle Stan,” Dipper called, standing off to the side with his arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

“But, uh… I don’t think he’s having much luck.”

“You’re back!” Mabel cheered, skipping over to Evalin and Ford like none of this was weird.

“Oh man, you totally missed the whole show!”

Ford slowly turned to her.

Then to the snowflakes. Then to Stan.

His voice was completely flat.

“What... am I looking at?”

Dipper let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Grunkle Stan tried to pull off a ‘Mystical Yeti Hunt’ for tourists. Spoiler alert—it did not go well.”

Mabel, beaming, gestured proudly at the mess around them.

“But I got to do the decorations!”

Evalin’s gaze swept over the crooked, clumsily-cut paper snowflakes.

She wasn’t sure if they were meant to be charming or unsettling.

“Uh-huh.”

Stan groaned dramatically from inside the cage.

“It was a brilliant idea! Fake a Yeti sighting, get the tourists all hyped up, rake in some cash—boom! Easy money!”

He huffed, crossing his arms.

“But then somebody set off the trap too early.”

Ford raised an eyebrow.

“And that somebody would be…?”

Dipper deadpanned, pointing at Stan.

“Him.”

Stan threw his hands up, exasperated.

“The head wasn’t supposed to fall off! The trap was supposed to catch the suckers paying for the thrill, not me!”

From outside the cage, Soos gave him a thumbs-up, still fiddling with the lock.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Pines! I’ll have you out in no time!”

Ford leaned slightly, voice dry as he tried to stifle a chuckle.

“Take your time, Soos. That beast might need a night in captivity.”

Stan shot him a glare, but the rest of the group laughed—Evalin included.

She covered her mouth, watching as Stan slumped dramatically in defeat.

“Alright, alright,” Stan grumbled, arms crossed.

“Yuk it up while you can.”

Evalin shook her head, still snickering.

“This is… chaotic.”

Dipper sighed, a smile playing at his lips.

“Welcome to Gravity Falls.”

Ford crossed his arms, smirking as he looked at Stan.

“Maybe next time, you should stick to something less theatrical.”

Stan scoffed.

“Oh, c’mon, Sixer! Theatrics are my thing.”

He waved a hand at himself.

“Look at this! I am the Yeti! I am the legend!”

Soos gave the lock one last, determined twist.

With a click, the door creaked open.

“Boom! Got it!”

Stan practically lunged out of the cage.

“Freedom!”

He stretched dramatically, still half in costume, looking less like a fearsome cryptid and more like a sweaty theme park mascot.

Ford chuckled, shaking his head.

“You know, for a guy who likes pretending to be a mythical creature, you sure spend a lot of time trapped in cages.”

Stan shot him a finger gun.

“What can I say? Showbiz is rough.”

The whole group laughed.

Evalin just tilted her head.

She stood slightly apart, watching them banter—the warmth of shared history passing between them like second nature.

She didn't get the joke.

But still, she smirked.

She’d only been in Gravity Falls a short time, but somehow, despite the utter chaos of it all...

This was… nice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 8 // Chapter 10 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 8 // Chapter 9 // Chapter 10 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 8 // Chapter 9 // Chapter 10 >

[beefywizard]

beeefywizard intro

WELCOME to my blog!! im not entirely well versed on tumblr or how any of it works so bear with me. 💙 you can call me beefywizard, ash or sonic 💙 i mainly post sonadow or sonic art 💙 im a lesbian/ace, 18 and will be a nursing student soon, so if posts suddenly stop become frequent thats why!! 🌊you can use my art as a banner, pfp, etc. credit isnt necessary but its highly appreciated 🌊mutual's art will be tagged #mutual's art whereas my art will be tagged #my art (very creative i know) 💙 inbox is always open for anything! i love talking to people so come yell at me! helpful links my ao3 account with sonadow works can be found here

people i will block general 💙 proshippers, any kind of phobic, truscum (transmedicalist), racist, ableist sonic specific 💙shadouge, sonouge, mephilver or maria x shadow shippers again, im 18, but dont be weird. i like posting silly hedgehog art and talking to mutuals. enjoy your stay!

[eyitzme]

ᵗᵒʳⁿ ᵖᵃᵍᵉˢ ;; ᵈʳᵈᵗ

Summary: You can tear a page out of a book for countless reasons. The book can have things you don't want to read about, things you don't want others to know, or you simply felt like ripping it out. Whatever the case is, it's impossible to act like the pages were never there. No matter what, there will always be something to prove to you that there are pages missing, and the chances are that you'll know exactly why they're missing. Or, Ace Markey thinks about moments in his life relating to his childhood best friend, Min Jeung. Word Count: 427 A/N: My laptop can only work when it's being plugged in because the battery is dead. I have to use my mom's old one for now, but the fan gets turned on the moment you open it and it bothers me. Anyway, on a note that actually relates to this, this is the first chapter of a short multi-chaptered fic I started working on after Chapter 2's final episode because I started liking imagining Min and Ace as best friends, and them being childhood best friends made it even better. They literally are that in my heart, and you can't convince me otherwise. You can just take this as an advertisement to read this on other sites because Tumblr isn't the best place to post multi-chaptered works. If you're interested in reading more, the links to where you can read it in places where it will eventually have the other chapters will be provided at the end. And don't forget your daily clicks!

the future marks a path unknown to us. pebbles poke at my feet, while thorns poke into yours. we will still walk side by side. do you remember?

The first time Ace Markey met Min Jeung was on the first day of first grade.

Ace didn't want to go to school. He had no friends there. In his first grade class, he already knew were going to be some people from kindergarten, but he didn't like any of them, and none of them liked him. Everyone else there were strangers. With so many people telling him not to trust strangers, it made it hard for him to understand why he was being put in a place with so many of them for so long.

Ace's first grade classroom had desks arranged in rows where there were two desks were pushed next to each other. They were placed randomly to help give the children an opportunity to talk to someone they might never have seen before. His desk was next to a stranger. The first thing he noticed about her was that she had really long hair, and some of it was falling over her eyes. He had immediately wondered if she had ever gone to a barbershop before and if he could introduce her to his. She always smiled when he told her his first opinions about her.

His first words to her were a simple, "Hi." He had decided that the new girl couldn't be that bad and was trying to get someone to play with at recess. He had no one else, so he might as well take advantage of what the teacher had tried to do.

The girl looked at him with really bright purple eyes. They looked so unnatural that, back then, he thought they looked weird, and it was good her hair was starting to cover them up. "Hi," she said.

"My name is Ace," he said. "What is your name?"

"Min," she said.

"Where do you come from?"

"My country?"

"No, school."

"Another town."

"You moved here? From where?" Ace had never moved before, but he saw it a lot on TV shows. His past self could never see himself leaving his home to move into another one down the street, let alone leaving the United States of America to live somewhere else entirely.

"I can show you on a map."

"What is a map?"

Min gave him a look he never saw anyone have before. She was suddenly interested in her school supplies. Now, Ace knew Min had thought he was stupid, but back then, he didn't know what he did. All he did know was that he wasn't going to be playing with anyone at recess today.

Short chapter, but that's really how they all are. Anyway, if you want to read more, you can read it on Wattpad or AO3! Please note that the rest of this work will have spoilers for Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. It's just this chapter that didn't have it. If you would rather read more on Tumblr, just ask me for the next part. I won't constantly be updating this on Tumblr though, especially with my laptop deciding it lived a long enough life, so it's up to you to keep asking for new parts. Still, if you got this far, thank you for reading!

[ika-nas]

I had a nightmare about Wally, and I managed to type it down before I forgot XD

I was avoiding Wally because he was being particularly clingy for some reason, and I wanted some alone time. I felt bad for avoiding him, I also feel like he know I’m with the others and he felt jealous. The other characters comforted me that I made the right decision and I should be away from wally for a while.

A knock came, and I could hear Wally's voice, he was creepily muttering about why are you so tall? and more stuff about questioning my existance. He suddenly cried for help, saying he doesn't want to be alone, and that made me give in, I immediately opened the door but outside was pure darkness, wally was kneeling in the ground, he was making the scary face where almost half his face can't be seen. He was like a scared cat glaring at me, but I knew he was in desperate need of help.

I felt guilty, and I lowered myself at his level, I apologized and asked him to come to me. He did, and I closed the door, the darkness was gone but it was still night. Then, the atmosphere got scary, weird humans wearing mascot costumes of the characters started to creepily play outside, you can tell they are human because they are not wearing the costumes properly, you can see their hands and skin peeking through the gaps, I can see them in my open windows roaming outside the house. Whenever I take a look outside, they are playing weird stuff, it felt like they were taunting us. The weirdest thing is that the layout of the house began to look exactly the same as my house.

All the characters who were stuck with me inside the house were scared, all of them are hiding and I thought that they can't come inside but the longer the night is, the more power they seem to have. They managed to break in on the room opposite from mine by going through the window, I closed the door, but they used a knife to slowly destroy it, I used the couch to block the door and buy more time.

I started to look for Wally, and he was suddenly small (he looked exactly like Find Mini Wally by JuDraw in Tiktok). I asked what I should do, but he doesn't know too, I took him from his hiding spot, and I went to my room. I closed the door, the windows are still open, I knew they were going to get in, but I still hid behind the mattress while holding Wally tightly. I didn't hear them break in...

Then, I felt like I was woken up by someone, but I was alone in the house, and my alarm hasn't gone off....

.

.

.

For context, I drank coffee in a new cafe last night, and it was so strong kinda mess up my sleep, and the nightmare happened. Well, it's not really a nightmare, more of a spooky dream, I wasn't scared when I woke up, just confused. Aside from the effect of the coffee I think I had that dream cause I've been busy lately and when I heard the news that the Welcome Home website was back, I took a peek, but wally was gone and the main focus is Julie (which isn't bad I love her too! I just miss my favorite boy T^T) and I heard that you can only find his crumbs which made me kinda sad plus I've been stressed lately cause of the summer heat and several schoolworks.

Anyway, the nightmare was so vivid in my mind that I immediately typed it on my cellphone. It was kinda scary but also exciting with how real the dream felt sooo I'm gonna put it here in tumblr (and maybe on AO3 later) . I'll be happy for someone to adapt the idea or turn this in a fic, please tag me or gimme a link so I can read it too. I hope you enjoyed reading! (p.s. my first language isn't English, so I'm sorry if there is some typo or details that are not clear)

[piedoesnotequalpi]

Prime numbers for the writing asks!

[Writer questions!]

[1 is neither prime nor composite!][also this was So Many Questions so I ended up just picking my favorites (of which there were still a lot)]

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

The drafting would be doable; the editing/occasional rewriting less so. I do occasionally handwrite, and it's nice to have a built-in editing phase when I transcribe the draft onto my computer (it's also nice to actually use my collection of stationery, what a concept).

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

I don't know if this is a superstition so much as an observed phenomenon, but after yet another failed novel attempt I have the fear that if I write a scene from farther along in the story (beyond a 100 word or so dialogue or description), especially if it's one I'm looking forward to writing, I will not finish the story.

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

Probably getting to share my writing with people. In high school and college when I was involved in literary magazines, I had to put a couple of my pieces under pseudonyms for various reasons and I did not enjoy that feeling; nowadays it's a little frustrating that I can't just fling google doc links for my fanfiction at people I know irl (I don't want to risk them finding my AO3 and by extension my tumblr).

On a more positive note, I wrote a short story called "Dear Abby" and submitted it to my college literary magazine as a freshman and it was unanimously accepted, everyone at the meeting loved it, and when we hosted an open mic my friends in the magazine practically demanded that I perform it (which I did). It remains one of my favorite things that I've written.

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you to write about? What is easy?

Oh god suddenly I have forgotten about every subject matter ever. I think I struggle with heavy worldbuilding, which is why so much of my writing is set in places I'm at least somewhat familiar with (or can easily research). I also tend to take settings from my life and repurpose them to work around this weakness.

Easier writing - this is a weird one, but I think gender and sexuality crises come a little easier to me than they perhaps should. Best not to think too hard about it.

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

I have multiple active WIPs right now (which I normally try to avoid, as it leads to none of them getting done), but! I will talk about the juggling AU.

Basically, I was at a juggling festival last January with my friend who is a casual Newsies fan, and we were discussing which props/skills the various newsies characters would be into. This, of course, led to me realizing that I could use this for my mini bang fic, so on the (very snowy) drive back my friend and I figured out the overarching plot. We decided early on that it would somewhat mirror the plot of Newsies since we had Davey as an outsider with a slightly different skillset from everyone else.

A piece of background lore that won't necessarily make it into the story is how Katherine got into contact poi - as a preteen/teen, she went to CTY (nerd camp, essentially), where poi are very popular. When she got to college, she (much like one of my friends) wanted to bring her poi to the juggling club, but was nervous that people wouldn't be into other circus props. Turns out, there were a couple casual poi people (poi-ple?) in the club, but also some people who made fun of poi. Katherine wasn't a huge fan of that, so when she learned about contact poi she convinced her mom to split the cost of a set of contact poi as a birthday present and learned how to juggle them. Turns out juggling poi is pretty hard, so it's made Katherine a much better juggler. I got the idea for this from a combination of my irl friend's anxiety + wanting a parallel to Katherine being taken seriously as a reporter in canon.

31. Write a short love letter to your readers.

I am still in shock that anyone wants to read my silly gay fanfiction, but! I appreciate you all so much and I have all your comments saved in a folder on Google Photos.

[tryan-a-bex]

June 7: Happy Anniversary, Dreamling! 

(Dreamling Week 2023, @mr-sadman / @arialerendeair)

Dreamling Vignettes 

(above, all of them in one series on ao3; or tumblr links below)

Dreamling fics I wrote this week!

Space Hob (based on art by @mayhemspreadingguy)

Fucking Helm Fucking (after the break; explicit, kinda, be an adult to read; thanks to @sleepsonfutons for enabling me)

Karaoke

Dreamling fics I wrote earlier but just put on ao3:

Kidnapped!

Comic/show switch (based on art by @pyrecryptid)

Other Dreamling fics:

Social Media

Nathanwonderwolf’s art

Tom, Dick and Harry

Crossovers:

Anya meets Dream

Halloween

Monsters

Come sit on my lap

Scooby-Doo

Fucking Helm Fucking

“Hob.”

“Yes, Dream?”

“Why have we not had sex yet?”

“What?!”

“We’ve been seeing each other at least weekly for three months now, and almost daily this past month. Do you not find me attractive?”

“What! No! No, Dream, you’re gorgeous! Absolutely, just. The most beautiful person!”

“Then why, Hob?”

“Well, I guess it was just…”

“Hob?”

“Okay. I was afraid that if I asked for more than you offered, you’d run away from me again.”

“I have hurt you. I apologize, Hob. I won’t run away from you again. Now can we have sex?”

“Oh my god, Dream! Just give me a minute. Yes. Yes, we can have sex, if you’re sure that’s what you want?”

“Only if it’s what you want too, Hob.”

“What I want? Oh, hell, yes! You’ve no idea how long…”

Hob’s professions of love were cut off when Dream grabbed him by the shoulders and began to kiss him.

They stumbled into the bedroom, shucking clothes while maintaining as many points of contact as possible.

“Protection!” Hob gasped, reaching for the drawer he kept his condoms in.

“I have a helm.” Dream’s voice was eerily distorted and Hob turned back towards him in surprise. He was wearing the most godawful bug-eyed leather mask, with rivets and some kind of weird bone proboscis.

“What is that!?” Hob yelped.

“It is my protection.” Dream reached up and pulled it off, cradling it in his arm instead. “But I would rather not wear it, so I can continue to kiss you? Why do we need protection, Hob?”

“Oh! Ha! Yes, I suppose that’s true.” Hob held up the condom in his hand. “It’s a habit. But I guess there aren’t many STIs that can be transferred from human to cosmic entity?”

“No,” Dream confirmed. “But… perhaps this would please you?” And suddenly the helm was dildo-sized, with the apparent texture of molded silicone, the headpiece fitting comfortably into Dream’s hand.

Hob got distracted for a moment imagining those knobbly bumps pressing inside him. Then he shook his head and reached out, stroking down the length of the ugly thing once to let go of the idea, saying, “That doesn’t sound like much fun for you, though, love.”

Dream shuddered, with a breathy moan at the touch.  Then he looked at the condom in Hob’s hand and back at the helm with a considering expression.

“Perhaps this?” he suggested a moment later, and the item in his hand had become a cocksheath, the bug-eyed headpiece just the right size to cup his balls.

“I…I could work with that,” Hob stammered, as it began to dawn on him the options available when fucking an eldritch power. He tossed the condom over his shoulder, and reached out for Dream once more.

[fireflyhwufanficwriter]

(New Dr. Stone fanfic chapter on AO3!) Chapter 02: Stone Spearheads

FANFIC TITLE: "Ten Billion Time Travelers" (1,000+ words)

—

FANFIC TITLE: "Ten Billion Time Travelers" (1,000+ words)

FANFIC SUMMARY: (Eventual Senku/Kohaku.) When Kohaku leads him to her community, a surprised Senku finds out that almost all of the villagers are VERY eager to help him achieve his goals… but why do they look like they're hiding something? (Features a very confused Senku.)

FANFIC LINK: (I’ll put the AO3 link in the notes/comments :D Tumblr does weird things when I put links in posts...)

PERSONAL MESSAGE: Hello and happy reading, fellow Dr. Stone fans! ^_^

—

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 02:

“…The action seemed to bring Chrome back to reality, and after wiping his eyes with the back of his right arm, his sniffles died down, but the gaze he settled on Senku was no less jubilant.

"Senku, what's going on? And why do you look so y-"

Suddenly, the man clutched his throat in horror, his eyes bulging in shock, before he rapidly threw himself on the ground, tucking in his hands and knees in order to make himself as compact as possible.

What... what is he doing? thought Senku, absolutely baffled by the man's actions…”

---

TAGS: dr stone, ishigami senku, senku x kohaku, senhaku, kohaku, dr stone kohaku, kohasen, dr. stone, dr stone fanfic, dr. stone fanfic, dr. stone kohaku, dr stone chrome, dr. stone chrome, drstonefanfictenbilliontimetravelers

---

[hauntedsideofthemoon]

BROKEN HEART OF GOLD - chapter 1; tired soul, dying hope

i began posting this fanfic on my ao3 account but i decided to share it here too since i read a lot on tumblr as well :]

this is my first ever fanfiction and english isn't my first language so i apologize for anything confusing, feel free to ask me about it anytime <3

________________________________________________________

AO3 link

pairing: chishiya x gn!reader

format: gender-neutral original character/self-insert, they/them pronouns are used when necessary, no use of y/n or "___", feel free to picture the character however you wish!

tags: canon-typical violence, slow burn, ocs as side characters, mentions/depictions of mental health issues

word count: 3578

________________________________________________________

'Come on, you two, walk faster!'

Walking ahead of them excitedly, I tried not to bump into other people passing by. I didn’t want to waste a single second of my vacation, it was my first time visiting Shibuya!

I felt a tug in my collar, followed by my friend’s voice in an annoyed tone: 'Can’t you wait for us? Shibuya is not going to just disappear!' I finally decided to slow down, removing my earphones and now walking between my friend Mizuki and her older brother Takeshi.

'Why did you even want to come here? It’s always so crowded, there are better places to visit in Tokyo.'

'I already visited some other places in Tokyo last week, and Shibuya was next on my bucket list.'

Takeshi sighed, 'I hope you have a good time here, at least. I wish I could go to a completely different country now. Oh, but I know of a good shopping mall near the station, we could go there first.'

While heading to said shopping mall, we all heard some fireworks in the distance. I turned my head around, only to be splashed by a wave of lemonade – a minor accident caused after Mizuki got jumpscared by the fireworks.

'Oh, my god! I’m so sorry!' She said while patting my clothes in a poor attempt to prevent them from staining. 'Don’t worry about this, really. At least it wasn’t a hot drink.' I reassured her.

'There are restrooms near the station,' Takeshi said, pointing to where we were coming from. I followed his directions, asking them to wait for me outside.

Inside the restroom, I removed my jacket and placed it beside the sink. I tried using paper towels to remove the excess liquid from my clothes, but I couldn’t get rid of the yellowish stain on the hem of my shirt and my jeans. 'Aw man, I don’t want to go back just to change my clothes. Well, I think if I use my jacket, no one should be able to notice it…'

Tying my jacket around my waist, I heard loud banging coming from outside and all the lights suddenly went out. Going out and looking around in confusion, I tried searching for my friends only to be met with no one – streets previously filled to the brim with people walking in all directions were now completely empty.

Worried, I ran out shouting for Mizuki and Takeshi, but the whole area near Shibuya station was dead silent. I thought of heading back to the parking garage we had parked our car, hoping to find them soon.

Stopping at the entrance and staring into the darkness inside the garage, I called in; 'Hello? Anyone?'. No answer, only my own voice echoing inside. Walking in and carefully making my way upstairs, I noticed a weird set of lights coming from a few floors above, which did not seem to be coming from any cars.

On a pillar near the metal stairs, there was a small television showing a white screen with a black arrow pointing to the left, one of the many floors available for parking cars. Peeking inside the suspiciously empty lot, I noticed three people standing around a white round table, with a huge grid pattern painted on the ground near them.

I walked up to them in silence, having a bad feeling about this place. Before I could ask anything, I heard footsteps coming from behind me, a man that seemed to be in his late thirties walked past me and grabbed a phone from the table. All the others also had phones in their hands, so I picked up the last phone available, noticing a piece of paper that said 'One per person'. The screen turned on with the text 'FACIAL RECOGNITION IN PROGRESS. PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT.' showing up.

After 'loading', I was now looking at the phone’s home screen: two apps at the top, titled 'Game' and 'VISA', and other nameless apps at the bottom. Before I could try to open any of them, the screen suddenly turned white with a new text, along with a feminine voice that seemed to come from speakers inside the lot, though I couldn’t see any.

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED

THE GAME WILL NOW COMMENCE

[GAME]

MINESWEEPER

DIFFICULTY

SEVEN OF DIAMONDS

'Game? Did I just enter someplace I was not supposed to? Also, isn’t seven of diamonds a playing card? As far as I remember, minesweeper wasn’t a card game.' I thought to myself. The screen changed again, and the voice continued:

[RULES]

Players must walk through the board without setting off any mines.

Players have a one-minute time limit to decide which cell to step on.

Standing on a safe cell will show up the number of mines directly around that cell.

Standing on a mined cell will cause the land mine to explode.

Players can only move up to three cells forward in a straight line and are not allowed to move backward.

[CLEAR CONDITION]

Reach the end of the board within the time limit.

[GAME START]

'So, a game of minesweeper but played in real life? Doesn’t sound too bad.' I had played minesweeper a few times in the past, but I was far from being a strategist and only ever played the beginner levels.

My phone screen had changed again, now showing a grid that looked like the one painted on the floor of the parking lot. The number 20 was directly above the grid, and a countdown had started at the bottom of the screen. Ten seconds had passed since the feminine voice last spoke.

'Could there be any mines in the first row? I mean, that would be pretty unfair, even for a seven of diamonds game' the lady beside me spoke, seemingly not directed at anyone in particular. Walking forward, she was now standing on a square inside the grid. Other players did the same, each choosing a square to be on. I was the last one to move, so I walked up to the only square left, the one right in the middle.

I looked at the woman beside me, who had spoken up earlier, as she watched the countdown on her phone. The squares were pretty big, so I moved near the edge of mine to whisper to her: 'Hey, excuse me, uhm…' She didn’t look up from her phone, 'A while ago you said this is a ‘seven of diamonds’ game, could you explain to me what that means? Are there other games with titles like that?'

The lady finally looked up at me, grimacing, eyeing me from head to toe before turning her attention back to the countdown, the only sound coming from her being an annoyed scoff. Embarrassed, I simply moved back to the center of my square, looking down at my phone.

When the countdown reached zero, a 'ding' sound echoed through the lot, and the grid on the phone screen now showed five numbers corresponding to our positions on the board. From left to right, it said 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1, and the countdown was back at a one-minute mark.

'So, these numbers mean how many mines are around our cells, just like in a normal minesweeper game, right? Mine is the only one touching two mined cells…'

Before I could finish my thoughts, a guy standing on the far left side of the grid walked one square forward, looking very confident in his decision. The man directly to my right walked two squares forward, meaning he believed the cell now right behind him contained a mine. Immediately after him, the lady on my left also walked two squares forward. The feminine voice spoke up, 'Thirty seconds left'.

Looking back down at the mini-map, it made total sense that the cells to my diagonal were the ones containing mines, so the cell right in front of me should be safe. I walked up to it, and at the same time, the young man on the right corner also walked to the square in front of him.

Ten seconds left. I anxiously looked around, observing the players around me. None of them looked at each other, only paying attention to their phones, and they seemed very serious about this game. The countdown reached zero again, and another 'ding' was played, followed by a loud explosion in front of me.

The man who had been standing beside me just a minute ago was blown up .

Literally.

A real land mine exploded through the concrete floor, leaving a hole in the ground, and the body of the man – at least, what was left of him – was lying down on top of it.

Pure shock hit me. I felt my legs tremble as I fell on my butt, mouth open and eyes wide staring at the gruesome scene in front of me. I wished I could look away, but I was too frozen in fear to move my body.

The only thing that had taken me out of my trance state was the feminine voice saying 'thirty seconds left' once again. I looked up at the other players, but no one else seemed to be shocked by what had just happened near us, and they all had already chosen their new positions; The two on my left walked one square forward each, and the young man on the right walked two squares forward.

I looked down at my phone, the counter stated twenty seconds left, and the number at the top of the screen was now 19 instead of 20. Twenty seconds for me to choose which square to move to, at the risk of being blown up like that man.

'My current position on the mini-map showed the number four. The two squares beside me were sure to be mined cells… The man died on the cell diagonally right to me… So my choices are the one in front of me and the one diagonally to my left… Wait, that lady was standing on this cell just a few moments ago, wasn’t she?' 

Ten seconds left.

I didn’t want to keep trying to figure out the strategy for this game. My body was shaking, my legs felt too weak for me to stand up. I crawled as fast as I could, two squares forward, kneeling at the center of my new cell.

The counter reached zero, followed by that same 'ding' sound, but no explosions happened this time.

I wanted to look back at the body behind me, but I knew I shouldn’t. Anxiety filled me and I looked down at my phone; My cell had three bombs around it. I knew one was behind me, and the other was the one that exploded. I couldn’t think straight to guess what other cell would contain the third mine, the sound of the explosion repeating itself inside my mind, as the awful smell of blood and burnt flesh filled my lungs.

All the other players had moved again, and I was shocked at how calm they looked. I wanted to ask something to the young man to the right since he looked nicer than the lady and the other guy, but he had walked forward three squares, too far away for me to reach him without shouting.

I crawled forward two squares, now moving beside that lady again, 'I should try to talk to her again' , but I couldn’t speak; I felt a knot in my throat, preventing my voice from coming out. I must have looked pathetic at that moment, kneeling in fear, shaking, and holding back tears.

I began crawling forward again, thinking if I could keep moving three squares forward I would be able to get out of this game faster. The woman beside me spoke up for the first time, shouting at me to go back, 'Oi, walking forward three cells is too risky! Do you want to die like that man?' I didn’t look at her, only sat down back where I was.

When the countdown finished this time, the lady walked forward twice immediately after hearing the 'ding' sound. 'Did she know where all the mines were?'

I wanted to trust her, believing that the cell in front of me would contain a mine. I was finally back at my feet, walking forward twice again, the remaining players moved at the same time. All four of us were now standing in the same row. The new numbers shown after the signal were 2 - 4 - 4 - [ ] - 2.

'Tsk, that stupid man died too early. We don’t have anyone to show the numbers on the fourth line. We will have to keep guessing.'

'She has been guessing this whole time? And yet she remains so calm, taking such a risk of stepping on a land mine and dying, just like that man?' I was shocked at her statement. But unfortunately, she was right. Trying to analyze the mini-map on my phone, I guessed the first two and last two cells had mines, due to the two 'number two' shown. But some cells behind us had no numbers because no one stepped on them before, so my guess could be wrong. With this, I couldn’t be sure of any mines around me except for the one probably behind me. 'I think I’ll just keep trusting that lady’s judgment and follow her steps beside her'.

All players had now moved two squares forward, and I followed them. With only ten seconds remaining, the guy to my left walked one more square forward, with a smug look on his face, 'He’s too confident in his choices.'

The counter reached zero. A 'ding' and another explosion were heard. That smug guy was now dead as well. His body lying down near the hole formed on the ground, his arms spread over the square to his right, a blue wristband covered in bright red blood.

The sound scared me again and I pressed my hands to my ears, shaking in fear. I looked over at the woman, waiting for her to make a move that I could follow, and our eyes met; She was staring at me with that same expression at the beginning of the game. I hated it, I felt like a weak scaredy-cat, I could stay right here and wait for whatever punishment was prepared for players who didn’t move during the time limit for each round. I had never been this terrified before.

The woman took her eyes off me and walked forward again. The young man to my right had been waving his hands up in the air for some reason, and when I looked up I realized he was trying to get my attention since I was still covering my ears. Lowering my hands and looking directly into his face, I could hear him say in a calm voice: 'Hey, this must be your first game. I know how you feel, I was the same during my first game. But please, don’t give up now. We are all here trying to survive, and you should too, live on for those who couldn’t.'

His words almost made me release the tears I had been holding back all this time. Live on for those who couldn’t? Does he mean the two other men who died near us? Can my survival really mean anything to anyone, especially to these people I had never seen before?

I didn’t know what to say, but he just finished his sentence with a kind smile and walked forward without waiting for me to reply. I wanted to clean off the tears forming in the corners of my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt, but as soon as my hand came near my face I noticed my sleeve had been splattered with dried blood. It smelled awful, and it reminded me of the explosion noises again.

I finally decided to move forward, I wanted to finish this cruel game as soon as possible. Or maybe I was just pretending to be strong while waiting to die to a land mine as well. I still wanted to follow the lady beside me, she looked smart and much better than me at minesweeper. All of us walked forward two squares, standing on the same row once again. Our new positions in the mini-map were all numbered two, but this time none of the cells around us – except for me and the woman beside me – were unopened. We all would have to guess.

'Should we all move forward two squares again? That is already the second-to-last row. We had been moving two squares for a while now and we have been safe, this could keep working until the end.' I suggested in a low voice, I hadn’t said anything since that knot formed in my throat like what, five minutes ago? I hadn’t lifted my face off my phone, observing what I now realized was a mine count at the top of the screen, showing the number 18.

Silence. I was sure this lady was bothered enough that I had been following her, and the man only looked at me with an unknowing expression, like he didn’t know how to play minesweeper and had been relying on luck this whole time.

Both of them decided to move only one square forward. They didn’t want to follow my advice. Still, they remained completely calm, and they seemed more experienced than me at this; both of them had implied before that there were more 'games' like this, so maybe there was a pattern to them that they already knew about. If that was the case, I wasn’t going to trust myself, being a complete beginner to this kind of thing.

I moved forward only one square as well.

A 'ding'.

And an explosion, much louder than the two previous ones.

The reason for that loud sound was that two explosions happened at the same time. I saw debris flying from both corners of my eyes. Clutching to my heart, I didn’t know if I wanted to look at either of them now. I knew they were dead. The lady who had looked so serious and confident since the start of this game, and the young man who was probably counting on his luck and tried to reassure me in a moment of anxiety.

Both of them, dead next to me.

Tears were finally running down my face. I didn’t know any of them, why was I crying over the death of four people I never knew?

Stupid me. They were still real, brutal deaths that happened very close to me. This wasn’t anything like seeing people die in horror movies. I didn’t rely on those fictional characters to survive, and I couldn’t feel the foul odor from their dead bodies. This was different. Reality was different, and it was much worse.

I walked forward two squares, now standing on the last row of this board. Or better said, crouching down. I left the phone on the floor in front of me and hugged my knees, sobbing uncontrollably, though I didn't know why I was crying so hard. I was sure I was going to die like them, I didn’t trust myself for this.

The counter reached zero one last time, and I embraced myself, waiting for a land mine to take my life away, just like it did to those people. I heard that 'ding' again, but nothing else happened. I barely moved up my head, looking at the phone screen through the tears in front of my eyes. The first thing I noticed was the mine count, now showing the number 16. Below that number, the grid was now complete – it showed all the cells on the board and their respective numbers and bomb markers.

I picked up my phone to look at it closer, and something made me feel sick to my stomach: Following the lines that lady and that young man were, if they had walked forward two squares as I suggested before, they would have landed on safe cells.

My guess had been correct. If they had believed me, the three of us would have survived.

I was crying again, when the screen changed one last time, and that feminine voice echoed through the empty lot:

[GAME CLEAR]

CONGRATULATIONS

TO THE SURVIVORS OF THE GAME, WE WILL NOW SUPPLY YOU WITH A VISA

Seven symbols appeared on the screen, shaped like the diamond suit from card games. I had no idea what this meant, but I think the game was over now. So I could finally leave?

Once it hit me, I ran . Going down the metal stairs as fast as I could, the few lights in the building went out and I almost tripped on my feet multiple times. I ran down to the entrance floor of the parking garage and, right where I first came in, a white round table that wasn’t there before now stood in my way, with a single card placed on top of it – a seven of diamonds. Just in case this had any meaning, I shoved the card inside the back pocket of my jeans and left.

I put my earphones back in, trying to calm myself down with some music. It was dark outside. No lights coming from any of the buildings nearby, only the moon and the stars shining up in the night sky.

[miscelunaaa]

spin cycle 3 | jjk

pairing: jungkook x female reader

genre: drabble series, slow burn, idiots to lovers, fluff, lil bit of angst, eventual smut

summary: This random guy has started doing laundry at your favorite laundromat each week (at the same time as you, no less!) and to be honest, it’s going to be a problem. You’re just not sure how yet.

rating: 18+ for eventual smut

word count: 499 ☠️

warnings: Reader is a mess. Jungkook is swoon-worthy. Lightly invasive acts of domesticity I guess but like … I don’t think it’s weird? Husbeard did. Reader did too, but only for a moment. (I've already gotten an ask about this lmao so it's going in the warnings). Also, swearing. Referral to menstrual periods as “bloodbaths” but no actual depiction of blood.

notes: Hello! idk if any of y’all have been paying attention to the absolute bullshit mess with tumblr’s tagging issues but WHEW it’s looking gnarly out here as a writer trying to find readers. I haven’t really come down on a side as to what to do yet. I thought I was going hate posting on tumblr but plot twist, I kind of like it a lot. For now, at least for this series, I’m going to continue to cross post. However, I strongly encourage the readers of any and all fanfics get ao3 accounts so that you can start reading there. A lot of writers are just posting their front matter (warnings, etc) here and then linking to their work. This is probably how I’ll move forward with other projects. Stay tuned.

There are a lot of perks to an ao3 account, most notable among them that you can subscribe to works and writers and get emails for when chapters or works are posted. Ao3 is also pretty dedicated to protecting the rights of its writers and maintaining a safe environment (edit: insofar as it doesn’t tolerate writer harassment, though it lacks a block feature). It’s where I started reading. You should absolutely get on with making an account if you haven’t already. Should this blog for whatever reason disappear off the face of the internet, my work will still be found on ao3 and I will still be found in various places through my carrd.

Hopefully this is all just a whole lot of worry for nothing but, in this day and age, it’s always hard to tell. Stay safe and warm!

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Even with the two inches of sudden snow turning to slush beneath your feet, you still trudge to the laundromat to do your laundry. This week, it’s usual your dark load, mostly jeans, leggings, socks, and cotton underwear.

Truth be told, you’re on your last pair of comfy undies. And your last pair of leggings. You’re wearing both as you walk thought the door. Your period is starting soon and you have to ready the troops for the bloody battle to come.

Somehow, your laundry friend has already beat you to the laundromat. He’s got his stylus in hand, and he’s drawing something on his tablet as usual. He looks up when he hears the door open, and he gives you that same little smile he has been giving you, before letting his face fall back to his tablet screen. The stick of a sucker is poking out from between his lips.

You’ve continued to smile back over the past few weeks, still compelled by his huge brown eyes and handsome, shy smile to be cordial in return. You can’t help it. The smiles have become routine. You can’t just stop now.

As you load your chosen machine with your clothes, you make the mistake of checking your watch for the time. 2:37 am. That explains why he beat you here. You’re late.

Your whole week has been like this. You woke up late on Monday, and it’s been like you’re a half an hour behind every day since. Late to things you’ve never been late to. Meetings, classes, your bedtimes, and now your regular laundry time.

You catch yourself sighing as you sit back down, and inwardly swear. Out of the corner of your eye, you see that he looks up. With dismay, you note that his gaze doesn’t linger.

You open up your laptop and rub your eyes before jumping back into you weekly essay.

Suddenly, you open your eyes, and blinking, realize that you’re still in the fluorescent light of the laundromat. Your head was on your keyboard, if the infinite stream of “ffffffff” in your document is to be believed. Fuck, what time is it??

You groan when you see that it’s 5:14 am. You’ve just lost two and a half hours, so now you’re going to be three hours late for everything. “fffffffff” is right. You haven’t even finished your laundry.

As you rub the sleep from your eyes, however, you see that you’ve got a pile of neatly folded clothing next to you at the table. Yours, actually, each garment folded and stacked atop the last with care. To your vague horror, even your underwear is folded, discretely placed between pairs of matched socks.

On top of the stack is a piece of candy. A strawberry Chupa Chup. On the wrapper, there’s a little smiley face drawn in permanent marker.

You look around the laundromat, but your heart sinks to see that it’s empty. Your laundry friend is no where to be seen.

Thank you for reading! Find me in various places at my carrd :)

© miscelunaaa 2021. My work is only found on this blog and under my ao3 pseud. Do not, under any circumstances, copy or repost my work. Thank you.

Posted: 1.3.2022. Updated: 4.2.2022 (front matter clean up.)