#wip unwritten chapter 2

[rexxdjarin]

Unwritten

The Captain's Log Prequel

A Captain Rex x OC: Mari Vontas Origin Story

Chapter 2: A Beautiful Distraction

Series Summary: Mari Vontas has spent nearly twenty years of her life rising to the surface of the bustling ecumenopolis of the Republic Capital planet of Coruscant. Now, about a year into the conflict known galaxy-wide as the Clone Wars, Mari finds herself on a Civilian Rights Committee serving closely under none other than Senator Padmé Amidala. Though her passion for justice fuels her professionally, her personal life has yet to catch up. That is, until a night at the clone bar 79s changes her passion for her job, her historically rocky love life and the trajectory of her destiny forever.

Series Tags/Warnings: Rated E (18+ Only MINORS DNI), canon compliant, canon typical violence, political themes, war references, battle trauma and loss, human rights discussions and most importantly lots and lots of smut and heartstopping relationship drama and fluff.

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Pairing: Captain Rex x OC Mari Vontas Word Count: 9.5k Series Rating: Explicit (18+ only, Minors DO NOT INTERACT) Chapter Summary: The Captain speaks but his mind is in a scramble because there is no strategy for the kind of situation he's found himself in... Chapter Warnings: 18+ as usual but SFW, No Smut this time, Mature Themes, Suggestive Situations, Language, Political References, References to Canon Plot, References to Canon, Mentions of the Ethics of War, Masturbation (if you squint)

The clone barracks could be a cold and lonely place, but there were ways around that. The smart clones always found company in bars or restaurants on the many different levels of Coruscant, and they frequently ventured out when they needed a taste of the minor comfort humans should be afforded. That comfort wasn’t always explicit in nature, but with everything he heard from the solitude of his captain’s quarters, it certainly seemed like it was.

For someone so widely regarded as tactful, agile, and–by his own admission at times–brilliant, Rex felt it was pointless to crave the kind of attention he always let his men indulge in. Perhaps he was too sensible for his own good, but he didn’t see the point of getting close to someone he would inevitably disappoint in some way or another. He was a soldier, a commanding officer of an entire battalion of his brothers, whose sole duty was to lead the Republic to victory. Wanting more was something he regularly forced himself to believe he couldn’t have. It was never in the cards for him, so why waste precious time needed for rest on dreams of a life he’d never see?

But now he wanted more. 

More than a life with no future. More than an existence where duty was his only option. For so long he had buried it as deep in his soul as he could–swallowed it whole and let it sit like a heavy weight in his gut that he could pretend was just growing pains or battle wounds. Yet, when his head hit the sorry excuse for a pillow on his standard-issue bed, the desire was still there gnawing at him.

For a while, living like that was fine. He could handle physical pain without complaint, and he did what he could to endure the mental fatigue and trauma that came with fighting a war. He had been prepared for that as soon as he learned to walk. 

He had occasionally given into the need for carnal release, but he never felt truly connected to any of the women before. It had always just been another form of physical stress relief. Sex was easy, but emotions were the hard part. The Kaminoans, as a whole, didn’t seem to have them at all. Their blank expressions and monotone voices took the place of where any semblance of humanoid emotion would be, so none of the clones learned anything about feelings from them.

The Mandalorian-adjacent men and women who trained the earliest batches of clones weren’t exactly in tune with their emotions either. It wasn’t like they had time to go over things like that when they were teaching a thousand-plus cadets how to aim a blaster correctly.

Most of what clones knew of love, affection, and care came from the bond they had with each other. They had shared experiences and brotherly camaraderie that no other lifeforms in the galaxy would ever truly know. It was absolutely sacred to all of them, and they lived their entire lives by two shared truths: for their duty to victory for the Republic and for the respect and honor of their fellow brothers.

For the first eleven years of his life, that was all Rex ever knew and that had been enough. The only desire he felt was to become the leader he knew he could be–the leader he eventually proved he was in a very short time. His drive to become truly great got him through the Battle of Geonosis, where thousands of his brothers were not nearly as lucky as he was. It helped him survive dozens of battles on pure determination and grit alone. He saw promotion after promotion until he was made a captain and granted the privilege to serve alongside the boldest and most insane Jedi he’d ever seen.

All the accolades, the valor, and the glory in the galaxy couldn’t make that little feeling in his gut go away, though. He didn’t know what more he wanted or what else he could reasonably expect to have in what he could only assume would be his short life. He didn’t know what that flutter he felt deep down inside even fucking meant.

Until that night in the bar. 

That night, everything he’d kept himself from feeling sat down in his lap and offered him a kiss that tasted like the life he’d make in an alternate universe where his choice mattered. She was everything he kept himself from dreaming about night after night—a reality he craved where all the galaxy’s endless possibilities were afforded to him and life was about more than the number of battles it took for death to claim him. Rex found himself yearning for it so desperately that it made the ache in his chest bloom.

Now he knew what his gut was trying to tell him. He wanted her. Gods he wanted her. He wanted her and whatever his life might look like if she was in it, even if it was just for a rotation. If only his current reality hadn’t crept up on him in the blink of an eye and fucked everything up with the click of his comm.

He had silently cursed being called away for another battle–another insane mission of chasing a murderous, raving lunatic named Grievous around hyperspace. The look in her big, brown eyes as he left her on the platform went from curious, seductive, and clever to disappointed, hurt, and offended. If it was anyone other than himself making her feel like that, he’d probably have flattened the guy in short order.

Yet, he had to live with the fact that upsetting her for even a second was his fault. He had plenty of time to think about the disappointed look on her face as he’d spent the last week recovering from a nearly fatal shot in the chest on Saleucami. He’d been nursed back to health by a deserter named Cut, and the family he’d made for himself, which did nothing to curb Rex’s desire for a different life with someone who truly cared about him. 

Even though he had tried to put off thinking about Mari, Rex was forced to confront the convictions he’d lived his life by for the last decade in various conversations with Cut. 

Now that he was back planetside, he still couldn’t bring himself to comm her. It wasn’t his fault that he was nearly killed and unable to contact anyone for a few rotations, but if he commed her now, she probably wouldn’t even entertain answering him. Sure, she might understand if he explained everything, but he’d be surprised if she even gave him that chance. A girl like that would have plenty of other options and wouldn’t wait around her whole life for a guy that couldn’t even find time to comm her like he promised.

Someone like her deserved better than a clone. That was true regardless of if she cared or not. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, hoping that by the time he opened them again, he’d stop seeing her face in the darkness.

As he lay there in his barracks bunk, he somehow managed to convince himself that maybe it was all in his head. Maybe it didn’t even happen at all and he was hallucinating on medicinal herbs in the Lawquane’s barn the whole time.

It was 0300 hours and he’d done nothing but toss and turn since he got in bed. In part because the wound still stung, but also because he felt guilty. Even if he wanted to know her better, to be in her life, it was still going to be selfish. He would be asking a nat-born to care about someone they could lose every time he was deployed. He knew how much it hurt to constantly carry that kind of loss, and he’d never want another person to feel that weight because of him. 

He sat up in frustration and reached for his comm, her frequency channel queued up for hours now. Cut would tell him he owed it to himself to at least try to have something good, someone special who cared about him for more than just his service to the galaxy. 

He stared at the device in the darkness, waiting for the words to come to him, but before long, he was leaning back in bed, thoughts of what could’ve been that night swirling in his mind. His commlink sat forgotten on his sheets as his hands became too preoccupied imagining her touch on him to type anything.

He tugged at himself fueled by the echoes of hauntingly seductive filth she’d whispered in his ear that night. The memory of her soft hands made him feel alive, and he spilled all over his fingers picturing her gorgeous face. He’d cum so fast it was embarrassing, like an inexperienced shiny. As the haze of his high dissolved through his pulsing veins, he finally found the remedy to quiet his mind and send him to sleep in peace with the promise that tomorrow he’d comm her. Tomorrow, he’d find a way to see her again. 

–

“Hey, Rex–”

The sound of his name jolted him awake again, blinking away the sleep in his eyes to make out the silhouette of his general leaning up against the door frame. Skywalker’s habit of showing up unannounced normally wouldn’t bother him, but after the events of the last mission, he was probably the last person Rex wanted to see.

He cleared his throat, trying to shake the exhaustion from his body enough to speak. “...General… sir...” Rex silently thanked himself for remembering to clean up before he fell asleep last night.

“I knocked, but you sleep pretty deep when you’re injured.”  He took Rex’s acknowledgment of him as permission to enter and sat down casually at the desk in the corner of the room. Slowly, he lifted the memory module from a broken battle droid Rex had recovered from Grievous’ Saleucami wreckage and turned it over in his hand. The general was exceedingly gifted at everything, but especially at fixing broken things. Rex had planned on bringing the clanker’s tiny excuse for a brain to him to look over at some point anyway. “How ya feelin’, buddy? Better, I hope?”

“I’m alive. Been better, but I’ll survive,” Rex replied, reaching over to grab his datapad off his bunkside table. The notifications were flooded with a new mission log and endless messages from the Torrent boys detailing their plans. As he typed in his passcode, his half-formed message to Mari from last night was on the screen still waiting to be finished. With a sigh, he swiped it away to read through the announcement of the mission he was just assigned to. A pang of guilt knotted in his stomach all over again knowing full well he would have to push back comming her… again.

“Well, good because I’ve got us a new mission.”

Great. Rex thought, trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes in protest. The general knew him too well and laughed, clearly sensing his captain’s hesitation as he twisted a few loose wires back into place. 

“Nothing too crazy. Senator Amidala is having a gala tonight and needs us on security detail. Shouldn’t be anything to worry about, but you know the extra muscle can’t hurt.” He grinned, a hint of mischief twinkling in his blue eyes as he succeeded in getting exactly the mission he wanted. 

Anything happening with Senator Amidala practically guaranteed Skywalker would find a way to get involved, which meant Rex and the 501st boys were brought along, too. It wasn’t the worst possible mission after nearly being shot to death, but enduring the couple's antics was a more stressful task than it seemed.

Stressful because Rex knew what others could only speculate at or, more appropriately, outright refuse to admit. His Jedi General was married. He and the very high-profile senator had been together for quite some time, and although he wasn’t entirely sure how long, he figured it was long enough to warrant the utmost discretion–something that was most definitely not Skywalker’s strong suit. 

Rex had always been taught that it was against the Jedi Code to be married or in a relationship with anyone. Yet, knowing who his general was, it wasn’t a total surprise that he chose to actively ignore that rule. Rex didn’t care about their rules–or his general’s penchant for breaking them–so long as it didn’t get in the way of them completing their missions. To his credit, Skywalker tried very hard to keep things concealed, and Rex had sworn to help him keep that secret.

His general had cared about his men in a way that he never expected from a Jedi, and his wife was no different. The pair saw the 501st as an extension of their family and treated them all like the individual men they were. There weren’t accurate enough words to express how much that meant to Rex, so he figured the best thanks he could offer them was to keep their happy relationship a secret. 

“Alright. Doesn’t sound too bad. Where are we headed?” Rex questioned, assuming the gala would be held on some kind of luxury liner or retreat somewhere. 

Skywalker chuckled, snapping a few pieces of metal into place and setting the now-repaired memory module onto Rex’s desk. “That’s the best part. The gala’s at the Senate Building. We don’t even have to leave town, and you boys can have a calm night to yourselves as soon as the party ends.”

“Easy enough. I’ll go tell the boys the good news. Though, from the 500 messages I have, it seems like they already know,” he raised his datapad and scrolled through the long thread of plans Torrent Company had seemingly already solidified. 

The general shrugged and stood up, heading back toward the door. “I know. I had Ahsoka brief them all while you slept. Her idea. She figured you could use the extra rest.” 

Ah, the commander spread the word already. Rex thought. His snippy, brash, and clever little sister–even if she was technically she was older than him and would be quick to remind him of that–was as in tune with the general’s plans as one could be. Rex greatly appreciated the camaraderie that had quickly developed between them, and her involvement always made the boys behave a little better. Plus, smaller missions like this one were a great way for her to take the lead while still in training.

“I’ll make sure to thank her then,” Rex nodded affirmatively. “What time do you need us ready by, sir?” 

“Let’s meet at the Senate Building at 1600 hours. That’ll give you some time to get the guys together. Ahsoka and I are heading out to meet Senator Amidala now. Comm me if you need anything… but try not to need me,” Anakin smirked. With a quick salute, he walked back out into the hallway.

“Don’t worry, General. I won’t,” Rex quipped, throwing his blanket off himself and setting his feet on the floor.

“That’s why I trust you,” Anakin shouted from somewhere down the hall, already in a rush to meet up with his wife.

Rex shook his head and gathered his things, desperate for a hot shower before he had to start another day of protecting lofty senators who never saw the kind of real danger he did. His datapad sat on his bunkside table, mocking him with the reminder of the message he needed to send. Begrudgingly, he shrugged it aside and set off toward the refreshers.

Letting the steamy water roll down his back allowed him ample time to think about what he might want to say to her or how he could possibly explain himself after this long. Sending her a casual message after a week and a half would not cut it. Talking to her and hoping she would understand that he didn’t avoid her on purpose was strategically his best shot. 

However, he knew next to nothing about her. He knew her first name and what she looked like–stars, he’d never forget that face as long as he lived–but her last name, her job, where she lived, and who she hung out with were all a fucking mystery. He remembered her being at 79s with some other women, but he couldn’t pick them out of a crowd even if he tried. Suddenly, it dawned on him that she had spent a decent amount of time talking to Fives. Maybe he knew something.

He groaned in frustration, not at all excited by the prospect of having to ask Fives about women. The ARC trooper would never let him live that down. Besides, he didn’t seem thrilled that Mari had gone for his captain over him in the first place. 

It would be worth it for her. he thought, scrubbing the last bits of shampoo from his buzzed blonde hair and turning off the water. 

Rex scrambled to fit himself into his armor kit and started toward the barracks mess hall, knowing where he would find his men at this hour. The pit in his stomach was starting to growl with a hunger he’d been dealing with since his time in the medbay. All Rex had consumed for several rotations had been soup, and he’d do just about anything for a measly ration stick to change things up a bit.

The smell of what he assumed was nuna nuggets hit him as he rounded the corner, and his mouth watered. If this was how his day was going to start, he had a good feeling. Men filtered in and out of the blast doors as the lunch rush started to ramp up, and he easily spotted Kix and Jesse’s tattooed heads at a table just a few meters away. He counted five men in total and didn’t have to look to guess who they were.

“Hey, Boss!” a loud voice called across the hall. “Saved ya a seat if you want it!”

Hardcase. He knew his hyperactive brother's voice anywhere. Hardcase waved at him, quickly being elbowed to quiet down by Echo.

Rex shook his head in amusement, heading toward them and noticing that the delicious scent of nuna was steaming off a loaded silver tray at the center of the table. He was greeted by Hardcase, Echo, Fives, Jesse, and Kix as soon as he slid into the empty spot on the bench. “Thanks, boys,” Rex said, reaching for a handful of food. “Do you mind? I haven’t eaten real food in a while.”

“What? They don’t do high-class dinners in the medbay?” Jesse joked, arching an eyebrow at him and laughing, knowing damn well that Kix was too focused on saving lives to worry about cooking them 5-star meals.

“No, because if I did, you would never leave my office,” Kix quipped, taking a sip of his electrolyte-loaded beverage and chastising his gluttonous brother.

“Hey… gotta feed these muscles,” Jesse shrugged, flexing a bicep obnoxiously.

Echo snorted and rolled his eyes, shoveling in a final spoonful of his own meal. “Between you and Fives, I can’t decide who’s the bigger fucking show off,” he remarked, looking at the rest of the men at the table for agreement.

Fives sat up and folded his hands, setting them on the table and glancing around knowingly. “Actually, Echo, after the events of a week ago, I’d say someone else here has earned that title.” He raised his brows and motioned toward Rex chomping away at the head of the table. “Was one hell of a night out for you, huh Rex?”

Rex froze, a focused scowl growing as he worked his jaw in annoyance. “Actually, no. It wasn’t,” he responded, setting his food down and folding his arms. “Nothing happened. We got called away right before we could do anything.”

The boys all sighed and shook their heads in disdain. Chasing Grievous around the galaxy only to have him get away again and almost have their captain killed was not their idea of a worthwhile mission. Fives tucked one knee to his chest and scratched at his growing goatee with thoughtfulness. “You at least got her comm frequency, right? I know we were gone awhile. She was probably worried.”

Rex closed his eyes, feeling the guilt punch him in the stomach again, and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “Uh yeah. I have her info and everything, but uhm, I never got around to comming her.”

A look of pure indignation crossed Fives’ face, and he raised his voice, slamming his fist on the table. “You… had… the hottest girl in 79s… in your fucking lap… and you. Didn’t. Comm. Her?!” 

Rex grinned sheepishly, feeling the embarrassment darken his cheeks. “I know… I know… but I did get shot and was out of commission for a while.” 

Jesse coughed, unconvincingly covering his words, “Bantha shit.”

Rex shot him a look, but he knew Jesse was right. He could’ve reached out to her at any time, but he was too paralyzed by indecision to even try. His retort died on his tongue as Fives interrupted.

“You know, for such a brilliant captain, you can be a real fucking di’kut sometimes.” He took several deep breaths to settle himself, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers, and shaking his head. “I can’t believe you probably just let that fucking gorgeous woman get away. I’m so mad at you right now.”

Rex groaned and set his datapad on the table. “I still have time. I just… I want to find a way to talk to her in person and explain myself. But you talked to her, too, so… I was hoping you might actually know where to find her.”

Fives’ eyes narrowed, “Yeah go ahead, twist the vibroblade a little deeper. You wound me, you know that?” He shoved three nuggets into his mouth and chewed away his irritation, muttering his usual excuse to himself that Rex’s blonde hair was the root cause of all his troubles.

The rest of the guys at the table snickered as they watched Rex subtly point out to their most flirtatious brother that he’d won the attention of a person even Fives wanted–without trying. They all knew that bruise on Fives’ ego would take some time to heal because there was nothing he loved more than being the object of everyone’s affection. 

“All I know is her name. Mari.” Rex resisted the urge to swoon, as her name rolled off his tongue. “I don’t know anything more than that. I didn’t get the chance to ask.” All Rex could do was picture her. Every freckle on her face, every curve of her body, every blink of her eyes focused on him. 

“Cap, I don’t know what to tell you. I know less than you do. Besides, she was too focused on you to tell me anything,” Fives admitted, sipping his drink and swirling it in his cup when his signature mischievous smile flashed brightly again. “Think she might’ve known that Mikkian bartender, though. Bright green and very cheery. Made killer Phattro cocktails. Think I had like four of ‘em that night. If we go back there, I’m definitely talking to her again.”

“Her name’s Siviee, Brother. You’d remember that if you weren’t so drunk. You asked her like a hundred times,” Echo scolded, looking at Rex apologetically. “We were all kinda wasted that night, sir. I can’t remember much either and I only talked to your girl briefly.”

Rex sighed, realizing that any more research into his dream girl’s backstory would probably have to come after their mission. “Well, I guess after tonight we could head back to 79s and ask her.”

��Way ahead of you, Boss. The boys and I were already coordinating a meet-up tonight with the 212th. You can stalk her whole entire life then,” Hardcase needled, clapping Rex on the shoulder and laughing.

“I’d still comm her or something, though. You know better than to ghost, sir,” Kix pointed out, reaching around the table to gather everyone’s dirty trays. “And from what I can recall, which isn’t much, you’d be insane to miss out on her. She was a real stunner.”

Jesse scoffed and let out a weighted, lofty exhale. “Oh, you have no idea, Kix. Fives and I were biting our fists whenever she spoke two words to either of us. Every guy there would’ve worked garbage detail for a year just to have a chance with her.”

Rex sat back and smirked, quite satisfied with himself, even if he was on the verge of blowing it. She’d still chosen him, for some unknown reason. Although he was oblivious to it at the time, he had the girl everyone wanted. Coupled with the incredible kiss they shared, he felt more special than he had in a very long time. Kix was right. He had to say something.

“You could invite her out with us tonight?” Echo offered, handing Kix a tray that managed to make even garbage look neat and orderly. “Not that we know what time that will end up being.” 

“Right… I guess I’ll find a way to string words together and I will definitely let you all know as soon as the general dismisses us for the night.” Standing and sighing, Rex shifted from socially anxious to his more comfortable leadership role. He straightened his shoulders and lifted his bucket off the table to tuck it under his left arm. “For now, let’s hustle up. We’re meeting the general and commander in a few hours. We’ve got details to discuss.” He motioned for them to follow and set off toward the strategy room to prepare for a mission that should be easier than most.

–

Mood lighting in an already dimly lit and unnecessarily confusing maze of a building made for terrible surveillance on a security detail. The crimson-carpeted floors and amber halogen sconces bathed the hallways in the flattering flicker of mock candlelight. Vain senators and diplomats were always paranoid about how they looked, especially for transmissions sent out on the holonet. It was almost always smoke and mirrors, and Rex was beginning to see why Fox complained about it all the time.

Battles and strategy were simpler and the objectives were clear; defeat the Separatists by whatever means necessary. Ulterior motives and personal gain were never factored in. Everything was put on the line to help ensure a Republic victory. The Republic Senate claimed that’s what they were doing, too, but after a year of fighting this war, Rex quickly realized things seemed to get more complicated on a daily basis. He didn’t understand a lot of the political jargon or in-fighting, but sometimes it seemed like they did more to work against the best interests of the galaxy as a whole.

Rex sighed, breathing out the disdain he had for politics he was starting to pick up on from serving alongside General Kenobi. He focused his mind elsewhere, watching the guests beginning to arrive up the red carpet on the grand steps from his post inside Senator Amidala’s office.

Ornately well-dressed politicians and their entourage filed in slowly, the crowd diverging where the senators were directed toward the office and their plus-ones were ushered to a cavernous dining hall, taking their time in showing face to their equally self-important colleagues. Tall, intricate hairstyles, glittering crowns and jewelry, and the billowing fabric of larger-than-life gowns were worn by both women and men. Plastoid might not have been the most comfortable material, but somehow what these lifeforms were arriving in seemed ten times worse. Rex was thankful he could keep watch over the front entrance from the comfort of the transparisteel window.

General Skywalker sat casually on top of Senator Amidala’s desk, watching her chat with a few of her close friends. Commander Tano stood behind it with her arms behind her back and hands clasped together to retain focus. Though they looked serious and intimidating, they’d both been keeping count of the number of hideous outfits they could find, relaying to each other who to look out for on their comms. The whole squad was in on it, and their repressed giggles filled the Torrent company frequency and echoed in his helmet.

It was silly, but it got them all through the mission. If Skywalker wasn’t worried, he wasn’t either. Not really. Since they all arrived at the Senate Building, Rex had done nothing but sweat over the message he’d finally managed to send out to Mari’s comm channel. 

Hey. I know it’s been a while… but I’d like to invite you out tonight to explain myself. 79s at midnight. Hope I see you there.

That was an hour ago, and he had received nothing but radio silence.

Rex stood with his hands on the window sill, kicking himself for sending what was probably the worst message he could have ever composed. On some level, he deserved this. He should have sent her something a week ago, right before they left the atmosphere for their mission. He should have sent her something when he got back to the ship after being rescued on Saleucami. He was laid up in the medbay with Kix for three days; he should have sent her something while he was out of commission with nothing else to do. So why didn’t he? Why couldn’t he bring himself to do something he clearly wanted?

“General? Captain?” Rex’s comm lit up with Jesse’s voice.

“I’m listening,” Rex responded, turning away from his daydreaming out the window and walking over to where Ahsoka stood.

“Yeah, we’ve got a situation down here.” A loud groan and shouting in the background rang out over the channel. “...Representative Binks, sir, calm down! Oh for the love of–Captain, Binks set his robe on fire,” Jesse grumbled, trying to hold back his laughter.

The general turned and rolled his eyes, “Alright Jess, keep it together. I’m sending Rex and Ahsoka down.” He motioned for the both of them to head down and Ahsoka groaned.

“At this point, Jar Jar’s probably the biggest security risk for us tonight,” she scoffed, elbowing Rex for his approval as they started off down the hallway together.

“He’s the biggest security risk every time he’s invited anywhere,” Rex snickered, remaining on alert as he and Ahsoka walked through crowds of glitzy gala attendees who were probably just as flammable.

“Klutz,” Ahsoka remarked, stopping at the lift and pressing the button for the ground floor. “But hey, dealing with him is still better than getting shot at, right?” She smirked at him, lightly teasing him for the ordeal he’d gone through in the last week.

“Very funny, Commander, but trust me, I think we’d fare better with the droids.” He patted both DC-17s on his hips as the lift doors opened and followed after her. Ahsoka giggled and shrugged in exasperation. “By the way, thank you for getting the boys together this morning. You can be pretty thoughtful, kid.”

“You’re welcome. Figured you could use the extra rest. Plus, I think they like it better when I’m in charge.” She nudged him with her shoulder playfully. She had been watching him all afternoon, probably sensing all his apprehension. He had a lot on his mind and he couldn’t hide anything from a Jedi Padawan so keen on honing her intuitive senses. The constant needling and back and forth with his little sister was likely because she could tell something was bothering him. “How are you feeling anyways?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as she waited for an answer that fit her suspicions. 

“Fine. The wound is healing ok. Kix is good with bacta,” Rex replied, the lift slowing to a halt as it approached the ground floor. 

Ahsoka hummed, turning toward him and cocking her head. From everything Rex read about Togrutas when Commander Tano joined their squad, he knew her montrals were hypersensitive to emotional changes and she could sense there was more to what he was feeling. 

“Rex… you know that’s not what I meant–” The doors opened to the ground floor and a rush of gray smoke filling the air interrupted their conversation.

They ran out of the lift toward where Jesse and Hardcase were attempting to subdue a panicking Jar Jar Binks. By now his robe was doused in fire-extinguishing foam and soaked in pond water from a large, splashing fountain in the center of the courtyard. 

The boys, both equally drenched, were unsuccessfully wrestling the frazzled Gungan out of the soggy red cloth and were attracting the unwanted attention of the incoming guests.

“Oh, my god,” Rex groaned, removing his bucket and scrubbing his fingers over his eyes. “Commander, calm the Gungan down, will ya?”

“Happy to,” she replied, jumping between the two brothers and resting her hands on Jar Jar’s shoulders. She used the Force to subdue his panic, and Rex bent down to pull both his men off the ground.

“Fire’s out, Boss,” Hardcase panted, cracking his neck on both sides as he settled himself on his own two feet again. Jesse stretched, resting his hand on Rex’s shoulder and catching his breath.

“Are you all done playing around now?” Rex chided, raising his hand to beckon over an attendant droid serving up drinks to arriving gala attendees. “Hey, can we get a few of those napkins over here?” The attendant droid glided over and handed all three of them a tiny, square cloth napkin to dry themselves off with.

Jesse scowled at him. “Oh, yeah this’ll work,” he grumbled sarcastically, grabbing another fistful of napkins from the droid and sopping up the water droplets collecting around his waistband. “This mission cannot end fast enough. I’m in desperate need of a drink… or three.” 

“Couldn’t agree more, Jesse. I want to be two shots deep on the dance floor so bad… and I know you’re itching to find your girlfriend, Boss,” Hardcase joked, loud enough for even Ahsoka to hear. 

Rex surveyed the mess and dispatched a maintenance droid to mop up the floor with a few taps on his commlink, noticing that Ahsoka had looked up curiously–her sharp blue eyes darting between the three brothers trying to figure out what part of the conversation she was missing.“ Not in front of the kid, trooper,” he hissed, glaring at Hardcase with a look sharp enough to kill. 

Ahsoka stood up, helping Representative Binks to his unsteady feet and smoothing the wrinkles out of her own clothes. She eyed them all suspiciously with that inquisitive ‘you’re going to tell me about this’ look that only she and Skywalker ever could use successfully on them.

“Kid? She’s older than all three of us, Captain,” Jesse argued playfully.

“By about a year I’d say,” she giggled, approaching the group of them and revealing that she’d heard their entire conversation. “Look. Let’s all head upstairs and you and Hardcase can take up the post in the dining room. Go relieve Echo and Fives. I’ll tell them they can take hallway duty. Got it?” Ahsoka offered, pointing Representative Binks away to the helpful hands of Senator Amidala’s handmaidens.

“Yes, Commander. Thank you.” Jesse and Hardcase straightened up and saluted, marching off toward the stairwell closest to their next post.

Rex groaned, ready to kill both his brothers for giving Ahsoka the ammo to pester him even more about personal problems. “Let’s hope that’s the worst of it,” Rex commented. “The sooner we can be done with this place tonight the better. I hate dealing with missions like this.”

“Not a big fan of politicians, huh? You sound like Master Kenobi. My Master doesn’t seem to mind. He’s really good friends with a couple politicians. He took this mission as a favor to Senator Amidala. They’ve been friends for a decade,” she explained matter-of-factly.

How blissfully unaware a child could be. Especially a young Jedi Padawan like her. If she couldn’t even tell what was going on between the general and Senator Amidala, then there was no way she’d understand what he was going through presently.

“Mhm. The General takes on a lot of missions for her if you haven’t noticed,” Rex muttered, heading back to the turbolift with Ahsoka in tow. “I’m sorry, Commander. I shouldn’t be complaining. This is an easy mission–I’ve just had a tough few days.”

She rested her hand on his shoulder pauldron. “Thought something was up. Figured it was best not to pry. Maybe getting back into the swing of things will just take getting used to, that’s all.” She smiled weakly, fishing around in her pocket for something quickly before pulling out a fresh ration stick. “Here. It’s supposed to be for later, but the senator gave me a couple snacks before you got here, so you can have this.”

“‘S alright, Commander. I couldn’t eat right now even if I wanted to.” Rex shrugged, refusing her offer and looking off down the hallway at the hundreds of people filling up the usually cavernous space.

“You got a hot date or something?” she joked, crossing her arms and freezing in place when Rex whipped around to scowl at her. She raised her hands in surrender, “Woah, sorry. Guess I hit a nerve. You’re awfully on edge. Are you sure you’re okay? Did something happen that I should know about?”

Even if he wanted to tell her, he couldn’t. How was he supposed to explain the concept of romantic desire to his Jedi Padawan little sister? It was way too embarrassing. He couldn’t admit to her that a woman was what had been tripping him up for a week. A really, really fucking hot woman. No, not just any woman. Mari.

He shook his discontent away when he saw the concerned look crossing her features. It wasn’t Ahsoka’s fault that she was so perceptive. It made him rethink the idea that she might just know something about Skywalker and Amidala after all, and she was just keeping it under wraps like he was. Whatever the case, he was comforted by the fact that she knew him well enough to sense that something was bothering him. 

“No, no it’s fine. I’m okay. Just have a lot on my mind. We should head back toward Senator Amidala’s office. The general will probably want us on guard outside the doors once the party starts.”

She squinted her big, blue eyes at him like she didn’t believe a word he said, but nodded her agreement. “Alright… if you say so, Blondie. I’m surprised Skyguy hasn’t commed us for an update already.” They approached the lift and she pressed the button to open the doors. “Oh, and about 79s later… when do I get invited to that?”

“When you’re an adult. Trust me, you don’t wanna go. Scraping drunken brothers off the floor is sort of an internal thing for us clones,” Rex explained, neglecting to mention all the debauchery that frequently occurred in the bar. 

Their time off was their business. Whatever the clones needed to do to blow off steam was fine by the Jedi, so long as they didn’t need to step in for any reason. It was absolutely not a place for a Jedi Padawan, and General Skywalker would probably lose it if he found out she set foot inside such an establishment. 

The lift doors slid open and they both walked inside, Ahsoka slamming the button for Senator Amidala’s floor aggressively. “Ugh… I knew you’d say that,” she groaned, folding her arms and pouting slightly. “Being a kid sucks.”

Rex smiled softly, knowing she was mostly joking, watching her roll her eyes and huff the same way his general always did when he was annoyed. They were already more alike than they realized. He wished more than anything that she wasn’t forced to grow up so fast. The clones knew that pain far better than any other lifeforms in the galaxy. If he could help it, he’d do anything he could to let her be a kid the way he and his brothers were never allowed to.

He sighed, giving her shoulder a light squeeze, “Hey, at least you get to be one.” He felt her relax and a sympathetic smile grew on her face, too.

The men of the 501st had grown very fond of their young surrogate Togruta sister in a very short amount of time. While Rex didn’t necessarily feel like he was obligated to protect her or that he was responsible for her, she was truly one of his own. He secretly hoped that someday he and the Torrent boys could be the ones to buy her, her first drink on a night out. Maker knew she worked hard enough on the battlefield to deserve her own shore leave sometimes.

“Sorry,” she apologized, understanding that childhood could be a sensitive topic for a clone. 

“Nah, it’s alright, Commander. Just don’t try to grow up too fast.” They approached their floor again, the lift doors opening mid-sentence, and Rex motioned her forward. “C’mon let’s head back to our post. We’ll have an even better view of all the ugly dresses up there anyways.” Ahsoka laughed as they made their way back down the hall. 

The floor had started to fill up and they could barely make it three steps down the hall before they were shoulder-to-shoulder with Republic senators. Drinks were flowing and conversations were so loud Rex had no choice but to put his helmet back on just to keep up communication with his squad.

“Senator Amidala sure has a lot of supporters and friends,” Ahsoka noted, keeping in stride with the captain as they pushed through the crowd and finally found their way to the office door again. The sea of people filtering in and out to mingle with other party guests was overwhelming and, logically, splitting up was their best strategy for monitoring the situation. 

“Yeah, too many. I’ll take the entryway, watching people coming in from outside. You stand inside and monitor people within the room. The general will appreciate you having his back in there.” He nodded, moving into position just outside the entryway and standing rigidly to survey the area.

Ahsoka took off inside the senator’s office and checked in with him as soon as she took up her post inside, making sure they all took note of the representative from Sector 12 wearing what could only be described as the lifeless corpse of a nightswan.

In truth, Rex was relieved to be back in his own head again. His duty gave him focus and he could mindlessly watch over the crowd while checking his datapad to see if his illustrious dream girl had even read his message to her yet. To Rex’s dismay, she hadn’t. He sighed, letting his helmet clank back into the wall. He was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way; using what he already knew about her, which wasn’t much, to investigate further.

The swell of the crowd heightened as the time approached for Senator Amidala to give a toast before they all made their way down to the banquet hall, and more and more varying species from all over the Galactic Republic made their way inside.

Even having seen so much of the galaxy, Rex felt odd and out of place in this crowd. He hardly knew anything about the world outside of being a soldier, and it made him question whether or not he would ever amount to anything else.

For all that existed in this big wide universe, Rex’s role in it felt both so important and so small at the same time. Without them fighting in this war, there might not be a Republic like this for much longer. However, these people in this lavish setting made it seem like there wasn’t a warfront at all, that the clones themselves were merely props in some elaborate story being woven through rumors every day.

It made him feel about as human as all the droids serving the crowd tonight–like a very expensive security feature that worked so well no one had to give it a second thought. He and his brothers weren’t seen or heard unless there was a problem, and on nights like tonight, there were no real risks for them to be called on to tackle. Maybe Cut was right to find his calling. At least he wouldn’t have to be surrounded by millions of people and still feel like a faceless object. 

Mari hadn’t made him feel like that. She didn’t bark orders at him or act like a helpless damsel from a cushy position of power. She looked at him as a whole person, not just a copy of one. She had spoken to him like she truly cared what he had to say and made him feel like he was worthy of more. He’d give anything to feel that valued again.

For a long time, he would’ve said it was a stupid waste of time to feel much of anything. Victory was what mattered and everything else wasn’t in the cards for him in his lifetime. The last few days felt like an emotional shockwave he was just now starting to recover from. Discussing free will and choice with Cut, meeting his family, and a beautiful, incredible woman falling into his lap; all of a sudden, things Rex never thought twice about were all around him. It was hazing his resolve and clouding his focus with the tentative promise of possibilities for a life beyond war. Maybe there was more to him than he ever thought there could be. Maybe now it was safe to think about what might come next for him and all his brothers.

Just as he started to daydream about a place of his own and every last detail surrounding what and who would be in it, his comm lit up again. “Rex, you all good out there, buddy?” Skywalker’s voice echoed inside his helmet.

He pushed the fantasy from his mind and did a once over of the vast hallway, the crowd now filing into Senator Amidala’s office. “All clear, General. Just a few stragglers. Want me to head in and watch your six?” Rex questioned, already heading in. 

“Yeah get in here. Keep an eye on Snips while I’m busy,” Skywalker ordered. Rex already spotted his general leaning against the window to watch his wife’s back as she prepared her toast.

“Understood, sir. I’ll keep the Commander in line,” Rex chuckled, shaking his head at Skywalker’s blatantly obvious attachment to his wife. It was noticeable as all Sith Hells if anyone bothered to really pay attention.

“Oh, because I was doing such a bantha shit job of standing here at the back of the room,” Ahsoka drawled sarcastically, grabbing Rex’s shoulder and yanking him back from walking directly into a serving droid.

“You’re doing just fine, kid. Just consider me moral support.” Rex fell in line beside his Commander and began a half-serious scan of the room. Nothing was out of place. He couldn’t blame his general for wanting to take this mission, even if it was only so he could stare at his wife in her very revealing purple cocktail gown all evening.

Most clones revered Senator Amidala and she was a common choice of pinup girl-style poster found adorning the barracks walls in many different battalions. Not among his 501st men, though–Skywalker had put a stop to that immediately. The senator from Naboo was beautiful, compassionate, and fierce, but Rex found his stray thoughts wandering back to Mari. She was every bit as stunning as Senator Amidala was, and he couldn’t help but imagine how beautiful she would have looked in that purple gown instead. 

Rex imagined her plump, rosy lips, how soft they felt as they had enclosed around his, and how they quirked up at the corners in a suggestive, sultry smirk whenever she looked at him; her dark hair cascading in long, thick waves down her back like the blanketing depth of a midnight sky; the gentle swell of her breasts as she breathed; the dip of her tiny waist as it curved into the plush of her full thighs while she had straddled him in that booth. She was short, nearly a whole head shorter than him, but what she lacked in height she made up for in spirit. Fiery, bold, and intense like a tantalizing little vixen.

He could see her as clear as day, even now with his eyes closed as he recalled her from memory. Rex never thought he had a type, but he certainly couldn’t deny that he did now– voluptuous and beautifully soft in every place he touched, but also wickedly daring and ambitious.

He had to be more careful with that train of thought because it led to one very unbearable consequence that was making his codpiece extremely uncomfortable. He let out a heavy sigh and forced his eyes open, hoping that he could find something off-putting in this room full of people that could calm him down.

His eyes darted around the room from one ugly outfit to the next, focusing on one overly bloated Twi’lek male senator who wore a robe the most hideous shade of green Rex had ever seen. It made his stomach turn as it reminded him of the green Geonosian guts he had plastered all over his brand-new helmet by the end of the Battle of Geonosis, but it had the intended effect. His body was so revolted by the sight and his traumatic memory that every ounce of arousal rapidly receded.

Ahsoka stood beside him, scanning the left side of the room, which gave Rex the entrance and the right half of the space as Senator Amidala began her speech. While she thanked the crowd for their generous donations and for taking the time out of their busy lives to show up tonight, he only picked up on every fourth word or so, instead focusing on the office’s outer perimeter. He didn’t have to listen to the humdrum of political conversation to stay on task, content to just ignore it until he heard the one sound he never expected in a million lightyears.

Her name.

“I want to thank my incredible junior senate assistant, Miss Mariella Vontas, for helping organize this wonderful event tonight. Mari, we couldn’t have done this without you.” Senator Amidala raised her hand to gesture to someone beside her, just out of Rex’s line of sight.

He whipped off his helmet and stepped in front of Ahsoka, moving until he found a gap in the crowd that allowed him a perfect visual. He froze in place, every limb stiffening and jaw dropping open in utter shock he couldn’t contain. The sight before him simultaneously stopped his heart and made every drop of blood in his veins drain down to fill the space now swelling between his legs. 

Mari stood just a few feet to the left of Senator Amidala, raising her champagne flute and bowing her head graciously at the recognition. Tight, satin fabric in a brilliant cobalt blue hugged the curves of her body perfectly down to her mid-thigh and then flared out to leave a train of blue fabric in her wake. It was barely held up by delicate straps and a plunging neckline that caged in her breasts. Long, dark curls pooled on her bronzed shoulders and swayed behind her back as she turned to smile at her team around her, but the gaze of her brown eyes–his favorite thing about her–seemed to cut through the crowd like a dangerously sharp, seductive weapon only to meet his shocked stare.

She ripped the very breath from his lungs and he stood there, staring in hopeless longing and tuning out everything else around him. She was here. When all Rex wanted was to see her again, here she appeared before him like a gift from the Force itself. She fucking worked for his general’s secret wife, the irony of which was not lost on him.

He’d just gotten shot in the chest a week prior,  but her being here now felt more like a heart attack than that. He was so lost in his waking daydream that he didn’t even feel Ahsoka shaking him.

“Rex! Psst… Rex! Do you see something? Are you alright?” Ahsoka whispered, moving around him to follow his line of sight directly to where Mari stood.

“Hmm? What? OH! No, yeah, I’m–I’m, uh–I’m fine,” Rex stammered in a pathetic attempt to string words together. “So… so fine.” He trailed off as Senator Amidala’s speech ended, watching Mari turn around and saunter out of the door at the far end of the room. He was probably drooling, but he could not be bothered by anything in the universe enough to care.

Ahsoka looked between him and the woman a few times before the realization seemed to dawn on her. “Oh,” she said softly, covering her gasp with her hands. All the inner turmoil she had been sensing off him in waves made sense to her now. She gave him a knowing glare and smirked mischievously. “So that’s why you’ve been so off today.”

Rex just stood there gawking at the only person he’d been thinking about all day, realizing that now was his only chance. After the second raging bulge behind his codpiece died down, of course. He couldn’t embarrass himself further in front of this many people. Unless of course, she asked him to. Whatever she wanted, he’d do it. He’d do embarrassing, unspeakable, definitely unsanctioned things with, for, and to her any time she asked.

After the crowd of Senator Amidala’s colleagues had filtered out of the room, Rex let his feet mindlessly carry him to the banquet hall to take up his next post. He gripped his bucket in one hand and balled his other into a fist to keep himself from shaking as he spotted the shocking blue satin of Mari’s dress again across the room.

“Oh, Sith Hells… Commander, that’s her,” he breathed, rooted to the spot as the crowd around him dissipated to their tables. He watched as Mari enjoyed her drink, the bubbling golden liquid slipping through the lips he could still taste on his tongue. Luckily for him, Ahsoka was quick on her feet and guided him to a less conspicuous corner of the room.

“The girl from the bar that Hardcase was talking about?” Ahsoka pieced together, sneaking a glance at her over Rex’s shoulder.

“Yeah. We met at the bar before Saleucami, and I… I forgot to comm her. And now she’s fucking here. Commander, I’m awake, right?” Rex laughed nervously, now suddenly aware that he had no plan whatsoever.

Ahsoka snapped two fingers in front of his eyes. “Relax, Captain. Calm down,” she giggled. “This is funny. It's like I found your panic button.”

Rex’s jaw clenched in apprehension. He needed guidance right now and actually found himself wishing Fives were here to help him instead. “Commander, what do I do? I wasn’t expecting to find her here.”

“Rex. You’ve fought side-by-side with me through dozens of battles, faced impossible odds, survived being shot in the chest six rotations ago, and you’re falling apart because of a girl you barely know?” she teased, punching his shoulder pauldron. “C’mon, you’re better than that. Get it together and just go talk to her.”

Ahsoka was right. He could handle this. He’d gotten her attention once before, he could do it again. “Cover for me?”

“Yes, of course,” she smiled, urging him forward with a shove. Rex headed toward the table hearing his little sister grumble, “Ugh… boys,” under her breath as he left his post beside her.

When he went to sleep last night thinking of seeing Mari in person again, this was not the environment he had in mind. He was at a gross strategic disadvantage with no leverage whatsoever. He wasn’t even supposed to be leaving his post for anything short of a massive security breach. But hell, if Skywalker could bring an entire battalion to a low-risk mission at a Republic fundraising gala just to hang out with his wife, then Rex could take this chance to go after the girl of his dreams.

Luckily, the table reserved for Senator Amidala’s aides was tucked against a wall, so he could slip up to her without drawing too much attention. However, as he made his way over, all the confidence he possessed seemed to evaporate away all at once. By the time he got there and made eye contact with her, his tongue was stuck to the roof of his dry mouth and his peripheral vision had gone blurry. She was staring at him with a mixture of shock and inquisition, and only then did he realize he had nothing to say.

You kriffing di’kut. he thought to himself. What made you think this was a good idea?

--

notes: hehehe I love writing Rex's POV more than anything on earth I think. :) also keep watch over my unwritten references, oc: mari vontas and rex and mari🥺 tags for extra little bonuses and brain rot about these two and my various fics about them.

taglist coming soon. im working on a google form for it. ill let yall know when thats ready so you won't miss any updates :)

[rexxdjarin]

WIP Game

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

Thanks for the tags @lady--kenobi and @sleepingsun501 💙

You know I am notorious for writing SLOOOOW as hell. But here are my only two WIPs right now. Absolutely go ahead and ask me about either. It’ll help me stay motivated to continue writing them bbys🥰:

1. Unwritten: Chapter 2

2. Captain’s Log: Chapter 13

I’ll try to tag anyone who hasn’t been tagged already !!! @acatalystrising @ulchabhangorm 💙

WIP GAME

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

Thanks for the tag @rain-on-kamino

Oh boy. I have... a lot

Candy Girl re-write

Starlit Murder/Noir AU

King Aemond AU Part 2

King Aemond AU Part 3

Hairpin lore building

Western Siren snippets (HotD)

Western AU Kau'ra snippets

Triple Trouble

Triple Trouble OC rewrite

Vader x reader corruption fic

Just like Heaven

Honor Among Criminals rewrite/Mineshaft II

Prompts 6 and 7 Elaemond

Prompts 10 and 11 Fox'ra

“You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can’t spend the rest of mine with you.”

Wheel of Fortune chap 1

"Your taste in men is horrible" with Danny

Lingerie w/ Corrie Guard

Noir Kau'ra + Thorn prequel

Elaemond sex pollen

That's just the ones I could find I know I have more!

No pressure tags: @book-of-baba-fett @galacticgraffiti @samspenandsword @writingbylee @thefact0rygirl @purgetrooperfox @sleepingsun501 @rexxdjarin @wild-karrde @twistedstitcher27 @fett-djarin and anyone else who wants to because I feel like I missed people sdsfsh

[vestigialpersonality]

It's WIP Wednesday, so here's a bit from Chapter 2 of Troubled Skies. Currently sitting at 4k and not quite done yet, but with some luck it should be up by the end of the weekend.

There were rules, unwritten and unspoken. Rules he wasn't following, but rules nonetheless. He shouldn't be here, couldn't be seen alone here. He couldn't give away that victory with so little fight. It was one thing to torment the room's occupant, to steal the warmth of another's body, but a wholly different matter to be found alone like some lovelorn child. No good would come of this. But it would be so easy to stay. He wanted to stay. To break the rules, both spoken and unspoken, and bring this cycle to an end. To take Enver by the throat as soon as the door was opened and press a knife between waiting ribs. To pick him apart bit by bit to find the source of his determination. To catalog the pieces, to preserve him forever in formaldehyde. In amber.  It would be so easy.

Pairing: Gortash/Custom Transmasc Durge

Rating: M

Warnings: Violence, Death

Extra Warnings for the overall fic: Durge be Durging (cannibalism, torture, corpse desecration, murder, assisted suicide, stalking). Misgendering. Self-harm in the name of religion.

This whole thing started as a oneshot about shaving, but apparently now that isn't going to happen until chapter 3 and its turning into a novella. Why. Why is this happening?

[nocompromise-noregrets]

unpublished fics game

Tagged by @thatonetimetraveller - thank you! <333333

I haven't many at the moment, and I am definitely not at home to the idea fairy just lately so most of these are actually longstanding WIPs that aren't quite behaving themselves and aren't being actively worked on.

Completely unwritten:

Sequel to Break You But You'll Mend, which was going to be later chapters of that story but it was doing my head in so I've chosen to end it at a convenient point and then put all the subplot stuff in a new story. In essence, Sigrid and Tilda (reborn in Valinor because Auriel (Thranduil's wife) went and gave the Valar a piece of her mind for letting Thranduil almost fade from grief though he'd defended his corner of Middle-Earth from Sauron for thousands of years alone, and demanded they send Bard back, and when he arrived he was accompanied by his daughters and his wife (Maudie)) are not happy with how unfair it is that they got to come back but any number of other people there have mortal loved ones who aren't coming back, and come up with the idea of putting their case before the Valar and persuading them to change the rules. It's going to be plotty and complicated and is therefore giving me the Fear, because I don't do either a) plot or b) complication.

The Sigrid-and-Tauriel queerplatonic companion story to My Heart Is An Empty Vessel, which I suspect at this point just plain isn't going to get written because I've run out of spoons where it's concerned. I've written little glimpses of them in EV-'verse, and various other beginnings for them, and I honestly don't think I have enough to write a proper long-form multi-chaptered fic. Which means that the full story of Elrond and co's visit to Dale from the later chapters of EV, including most of the Rivendell crew making friends with the Bardlings, is probably not going to happen, unless I manage some one-shots sometime.

A vague idea for Glorfindel Week sparked by this post about flowers spontaneously growing where Glorfindel is in Imladris, because they can't grow on his grave any more.

In progress in one way or another

Part four or whatever it is now of It's Always Been You, in which Rúmil and Orophin happen to be in Imladris not long after Legolas arrives after the Battle of the Five Armies and take issue with how the twins are treating him; they also meet young Estel, witness the aftermath of his first meeting with Arwen, and then the idea was to follow the characters up to the end of the War of the Ring (Haldir DOES NOT DIE). I am very stuck with this one, and it feels like one of the long stories I tried and failed to write 20-odd years ago - I had the idea but not enough of it to fill it out.

The twins-make-their-choice fic, of which I have about 900 words. I am really struggling with it, mostly with knowing quite what form it's going to take and how the story is going to unfold. I've been circling it for a while now and nibbling at the edges of the problem with various other fics, so I'm fairly sure it's going to happen at some point, it's just...getting there.

A canon-'verse fic for Barduil Month week 2 involving a linguistic diplomatic incident for @myeaglesong which I'm halfway through, I'm just a bit tangled up in how the incident itself will unfold, having done the setup.

Another Dancing in the Dark-'verse fic, a direct sequel to there's a joke here somewhere and it's on me, delivering a happy ending for Barduil Month week 4. I've got a bit done but I've been singularly lacking in spoons this week, for no apparent reason, and it's also from Tilda's perspective and I haven't written much from her POV before, especially not a modern teenage version so it's taking a while.

The Legolas/Haldir-in-Ithilien fic I was intending to write for My Slashy Valentine's event for Keiliss in February 2023. Also not cooperating. >.<

All I Want Is You, which is getting more and more difficult the further we get from the summer of 2020 and I forget more and more of the historical details. Another one where I think I had the idea but not enough filling. I just need to get back on with it, I think, and it'll fill itself out. Possibly need to do that May writing challenge I reblogged earlier and try and write 200 words a day, which might kick it off.

Stars and Arrows, a sort-of-originalfic based on a really glorious moodboard and concept by @mihrsuri - featuring two rather familiar-looking Oxford professors in a possibly-the-future-of-Middle-Earth-set reincarnation story with a mysterious illuminated medieval manuscript, which again probably requires more plot than I'm capable of but I'm greatly enjoying writing scenes here and there.

Two of a Kind, the long-ongoing original novel (based on a very old fic from the fandom that does not speak its name) which I am stuck on in various places. If anyone wants to read 180-odd-k of damaged ex-street-kid musician idiots in love and help me fill in the gaps, please do let me know (but please heed the tags)! I was posting it to AO3 for a bit but got out of the swing of it and now I'm totally out of the habit, though I tend to do a few one-shots here and there mostly for Writers' Month and Writers' Pride Month.

I think that's all of them. More than I expected, but still...! Do please ask me about any that catch your eye, I am in dire need of talking about them, and it might just kickstart the muses...I do need interaction to spark the ideas, it turns out, I'm not great at this in isolation.

Tagging anyone who fancies taking part in this one!

[whereonceiwasfire]

Landing Zone

Figured it was about time I finally did one of these, so hey, hi, hello, I'm Rees (a.k.a. WhereOnceIWasFire). You can find some general info about me, and a masterlist of fics in this post!

GENERAL

Any pronouns

I write fic (masterlist below the cut)

My brain has been chemically altered by: Danny Phantom and DBZ (though I typically keep Dragonball posts to my sideblog)

My DMs/inbox are open! Send me things, I'm friendly, I swear!

I'm always open to prompt requests (though I don't do crossovers). Feel free to leave me something in my ask box, and I'll get to it when I have a chance/if it sparks an idea!

FICS

(tags can be found on ao3)

Finished Fics:

Overshadowed - Long ass (140K) College AU, No One Knows, heavy angst, mystery w/ horror elements, mostly happy ending, but I also left it a bit open/ambiguous. I MIGHT write a sequel one day. Everything's Fine (And the Boss is Totally Not a Cryptid) - Outsider POV, intern gets hired at Vlad Co., shenanigans ensue. Oh so many Dracula references. H(a)unted - Weird, angsty little Ghost Hunter Danny AU. Separate Danny and Phantom. ALT ending. I have some ideas percolating to continue off the alternate ending. The Hazards of Being Hot High AF - Shippy Popular Psychology (Jazz/Dash) oneshot I found in my fics folder. Jazz visits Dash in the hospital after a football injury. Elementary, My Dear Fenton - Ecto-Implosion fic. A goofy comedy-mystery where Danny and the trio try to track down who left an anonymous gift in his locker. They get WAY too into it.

WIPs:

Not So Bitter Reunions - AU, canon divergence, badger cereal. The college reunion goes decidedly less off the rails than in canon, leading to some nefarious consequences. I'm just kind of vibing with this one. High School's a Beach - **AGIT SPOILERS** Dan's in high school. This one is so very unserious, but I think I've got a few more chapters left in me. Needs Must (When the Devil Drives) - Canon divergence. AU. Vlad and Harriet reconnect at the college reunion, but since Vlad's technically an evil spirit, he's adversely impacted by things like salt, windchimes, running water, etc. Bad News (Vlad/Harriet) shipfic. I just...I think they're neat. Bearer of Bad News - Post Phantom Planet (not AGIT compliant). Bad News fic because I have an illness and these two live in my head rent free. The GIW enlist Harriet's help in preventing Ghost King Danny from destroying the earth.

Drabbles/Ficlets:

DannyMay 2022 - I don't remember any of these being particularly good, but they do exist. I very much did not last the entire month. Drabble Dump from Tumblr asks - this is just what it sounds like. Though, in general, I'll probably start trying to post oneshots and/or collect the separate, individual Tumblr ask ficlets on this post now instead of just clumping them in a drabble dump on ao3. Monsters Don't Exist - horror vibes. AU. Vlad didn't peace out after the accident and he's keeping his enemies (Maddie and Jack) close. Jazz suspects their babysitter, Uncle Vlad, is more dangerous than everyone else in the family seems to think. Cheese Melt ficlet - Outsider POV. Dani has a parent-teacher interview. Cheese Melt ficlet #2 - Dani doesn't like the toy she got at Nasty Burger. Vlad gets her a new one. Badger cereal ficlet - No one knows AU. Danny works as a cashier and Vlad accidentally outs his supervillain indetity by infodumping to him when Danny makes idle customer-servicey smalltalk.

Unwritten/Unposted:

I'm not going to list out all my filenames and ideas, don't worry lol. But I do have a couple (*cough* couple hundred *cough*) ideas percolating or half written in my fics folder, so that is a thing. I want to jump on WIP Wednesday and such, but like. IDK. Feel free to ask/harass me about my unposted WIPs too, I am motivated by peer pressure.

[borahaerhy]

BTS While High - Headcanons

While my inbox is filled with unwritten requests and the latest chapter of my WIP is in dire need of some heavy editing, I decided the best use of my time is to write my headcanons for the members after smoking some devil's lettuce in honor of 4/20.

Happy 4/20 everybody, I hope you enjoy :)

It does get slightly horny at times, so viewer discretion is advised. Also if you want me to do anymore headcanons, just lmk, I love doing these.

Jin

Chaos

Laughing at everything that's happening

To the point he's falling over

Trying to make jokes

But he can't stop laughing long enough to actually get them out

Definitely not sitting down

He's up and moving

He's trying to make a pillow fort out of couch cushions and throw blankets

Or he needs to get everyone's attention so he can give a presentation on an idea he had 2 seconds ago and is now obviously the most genius thing he's ever come up with

Trying to go somewhere probably

"Yo, we should definitely go bowling"

or even

"Does anyone wanna go to Walmart?"

But you're not going to Walmart to go shopping or to get things

It's absolutely only to hula-hoop and chase each other around the store with children's toys

If you're in a relationship with him?

He's 100% fucking with you the most

There will be no peace

Only war

You have to be just as excited as he is

Or he will try to fight you

In a joking way obviously

But ultimately, he probably just wants you to scratch his head and play with his hair

And once you do that?

Nap time :)

Yoongi

Couch locked

Blank face, not really saying anything

If he's paying attention to whatever conversation is happening, he'd laugh if something was funny

But chances are

He's zoned out and has no idea what anyone's saying

But that's only for the first 20 minutes or so

After that

He's overcome with affection

He's just looking around at everyone

And is so overwhelmed with love

The sappy little bitch

Definitely pretending he isn't tho

But the second anyone says they need anything

He's on it

You want a snack?

He'll go find one

Would definitely cook you dinner

Need a blanket?

Done

Do you need someone to hold your hand?

There is literally nothing that will stop him from holding your hand

And that goes for anyone he cares about

But especially his significant other

If you two were dating

You could make literally any request

And as long as it was physically possible for him to do it

It's done

Especially is it involves affection

Tbh just hold his hand when he's high, that's literally all he wants

Hoseok

Honestly?

The most normal out of all of them

This is not his first rodeo

He's very calm

It's business as usual for him

But is 100% very interested in everyone else's antics

He's listening to the jokes

He's paying attention to the one (probably Namjoon) going on about life's greatest mysteries

If someone's panicking

He's on it immediately

He'd notice quickly and try to help them in whatever way he could

Tell them that everything's gonna be okay

And that they probably just need a snack

And would immediately make them a snack

Wouldn't leave them alone until he was sure that they were okay

If you're dating

He's very chill on the outside

Especially if other people are there

But you're sitting next to him

And his hand is on your thigh

He's very subtle about it

But he's doing anything he can to drive you absolutely insane

Would 100% leave in the middle of a conversation with the guys to go find a bedroom with you

Then emerge an hour later

Hair messed up and wearing different clothes

And have absolutely no shame

Namjoon

Very casual while smoking

Carrying on in normal conversation

But when it hits him

He's gonna go quiet for a minute

Then launch into a monologue

About what?

Who knows

Could be anything

The meaning of the universe

How much he absolutely loves army's

His philosophical beliefs

If there's a whiteboard available he's ON IT

Idk what he's writing or why but he's definitely doing something

Probably to try to explain whatever he's monologuing about to everyone else

But

At some point

He's gonna say "I'm gonna go get a little snack"

And come back with a four-course meal

Like when I say munchies

I mean MUNCHIES

He's literally eating everything he can find

He's inhaling that shit

And if he's in a relationship

He'll honestly probably forget you're there while monologuing

But if you say something

Or he looks over at you

The biggest grin will spread across his face

And whatever he was talking about doesn't matter anymore in the slightest

You're the only thing that exists now

And in the most wholesome ways

He wants a hug

And will be giddy anytime you even look at him

Jimin

I mean this with the utmost respect

He's a thot

And he's extremely shameless about it

Flirting with everyone

Making everyone flustered

Prolonged eye contact

But everything is funny to him

Laughing at everything anyone says

Thinks Jin is absolutely hilarious

Falling over laughing so hard

Will fall out of his chair

There's just no way around it

But the shamelessness

You could dare him to do literally anything

And he'd do it

No exceptions

And if you're dating him?

I pray for you

He's like Hoseok in the way he'd drive you insane

But it's much less subtle

Like he's kissing your neck

And pulling you to sit in his lap

very territorial tbh

No one else should really be allowed to look at you

Like if it's just you with the guys, that's one thing

He trusts them

But if you guys went with Jin on his Walmart adventures

And someone looks at you for just a second too long

He will start making out with you in the middle of the bike section

And fully prepare to not be allowed out of his sight for more than a few minutes

Wants you on his arm at all times

Will wait outside the bathroom door for you to get done so he can show you off some more

Taehyung

Also couch locked

Probably in a baggy hoodie

Hood up

Slouched down as far as he can get into the couch

Eyelids low

Either completely zoned out or just listening to everyone else talk

Probably snacking on a bag of chips

No idea how though, because he definitely didn't get up to get them

But inevitably

He too will launch into a monologue

But unlike Namjoon

It wouldn't be about existential crises or how important the bees are

It's about how the birds are fake

They're definitely government drones

And the president?

100% a lizard

But is very easily distracted

If he's talking and someone interrupts him

He will not remember what he was saying at all

But doesn't mind

Because that topic of conversation is just as important

If there's an animal there, he's petting them

They're his new best friend, and literally no one else matters

But if you're dating him

He will not let you off the couch

His arms are around you and they're not going anywhere

If he's couch locked so are you

You're gonna watch this movie together

Or listen to your friends carry on conversation

But unless there's an emergency

Neither of you are getting up until tomorrow

Jungkook

A lot like Jin

Pure chaos

He's up and moving

Probably trying to pick fights with people

Just being an annoying little shit

Just so he can have an excuse to suplex someone

and he's laughing hysterically the whole time

Will do anything to avoid being serious

Would 100% go bowling and still somehow get a perfect score

But he's only doing trick shots

Like he's doing the absolute most

Will start dancing

No music playing?

That's fine, it's just the choreo to "That That"

And he's not particularly hungry

But if he starts eating

He's not stopping until he's comatose

And it doesn't matter what he's eating

It's the best thing he's ever eaten

And he will express this using his entire body

While dating you

He's trying to get you annoyed enough to swing on him

Just so he can pick you up and throw you over his shoulder

And you're not getting down anytime soon

In fact

The more you complain

The longer you're staying up there

But once he's calmed down

And you're eating

He's gonna feed you everything he eats

Because it's all just so good

And you have to experience it too

And after the food coma sets in

It's nap time

And there's no getting out of cuddling with him until he falls asleep

[icedteaandoldlace]

20 questions for fic writers - tagged by the fantastic @frosty-the-killer-doll ☃️🔪🪆

How many works do you have on ao3?

13.

What's your total ao3 word count?

72,472

What fandoms do you write for?

The Flash, Glee, and Gossip Girl.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Flying Free (or Free Kurt - Emma Pillsbury Style) ((Glee obvs))

Heartless (Glee)

Smoke and Mirrors (Glee)

Maybe Our Real Soulmates Were The... (Flash/Arrow)

As Frightened As You (Glee)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

It depends. Direct compliments, yes, I'll reply to say thank you. I'll also answer questions, or drop little bits of behind-the-scenes info if there's something fun attached to a detail that a reader pointed out. If the comment is simply "wow!!" or "oof" or something else that doesn't really call for a response and that I don't have anything to add to, I'll just leave it as it is.

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Toss up between two:

Heartless ends with Kurt getting hit with another wave of grief after having Finn's letterman returned to him, and while he's hugging it and sobbing, for a second it feels like Finn's hugging him back.

The Longest Distance Between Two Points Is Arm's Length ends with Cisco accidentally vibing a moment from earlier in the fic, and misunderstanding what's happening in it. If he'd had context, he would've realized he was seeing proof that his mom loves him, but instead he takes it as a painful reminder that he'll never be enough for her because he's not Dante.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Alive Again. Just two dorks playing in the rain, on the brink of falling in love.

Do you get hate on fics?

None so far.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Absolutely not.

Do you write crossovers?

Not usually, but I have a few. Maybe Our Real Soulmates Were The... is considered a crossover fic by AO3 and FFN's standards, but not by mine. My most ambitious crossover (and the one I'm most invested in) is Preppy In Pink, which is gonna be so much fun when it's ready for posting.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I certainly hope not. Doesn't look too likely, though.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Pretty sure I haven't had that happen, either. It'd be cool though.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Smoke and Mirrors started as a few lines of dialogue that @kurtbastian-land had sitting in her notes app that she didn't have a full story developed for, and posted on Tumblr for anyone who wanted to expand on it. I wrote a very dramatic continuation (the majority of chapter 1), and then @jwmelmoth gave it a happy ending (chapter 2). But then she realized we left a couple loose ends untied, so the two of us collaborated on how it should end, and wrote a few more chapters together.

What’s your all-time favorite ship to write for?

I honestly don't know. I think I have the most WIPs for Kamisco at the moment, but Barrisco and Kurtbastian are both incredibly fun as well.

What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I started a crossover AU ages ago where Kurt Hummel ends up with Eric van der Woodsen. I don't think I'll ever finish it, but I like to reread the snippets I've already written every now and then.

What are your writing strengths?

Viscerally describing emotions, setting a scene, nailing characters' voices.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Titles, titles, titles, and titles. Oh, and also titles. They HARD!! Also, I'm very bad at following my own advice to write badly and edit later. I want everything to sound pretty immediately! This is how I get stuck on the same paragraph for weeks with a whole big chunk of the fic still unwritten.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Not something I'm going to attempt a whole lot of in the near future. I have already slipped a little bit of Spanish (+1 word of French) into a couple fics, but only like a single word/phrase at a time, spoken by bilingual characters in mostly English sentences. There are also a few spots where a character says more in Spanish, but I don't write the actual dialogue, I just imply a general idea of what they're saying. I'd love to include more, but I'm not about to make a fool of myself with Google Translate—I'm sticking to very minimal Spanish until I can speak it better.

First fandom you wrote for?

First fandom I finished a fic for was Gossip Girl. As for first one I started writing a fic for, it was either Gossip Girl (not the same fic) or Boy Meets World (a still unfinished Shawngela fix-it).

Favorite fic you’ve written?

I mean, A Little Help From Your Friends is pretty hard to beat. It's got everything—humor, angst, fluff, ambiguity, movie references, ROOMMATES!! And funnily enough, I gave it a title with a little help from my friend, @daftydraw (and by "a little" I mean she suggested the whole title and I ran with it).

And tagging: @starstruckpurpledragon @fictionandmusic @orangesunsets12 @thequeenofshebasays @queer-cheer @elledelajoie

[darkpoisonouslove]

I’m a couple of days late, but if you still want to play the unwritten/unpublished ask game (I apologize in advance for how badly I’ve been keeping track of your wips), here you go :D

4. Is there anything in the fic you're unsure about including? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

5. Is there any scene you're excited about writing? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

9. Is there anything in the fic you're not so excited about writing? -Fallen Love

10. If unpublished, can you show a sneak peek of what you've written? -your choice :)

11. Is there any scene you can't wait for people to react to when reading? Why? -the series rewrite

13. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you haven't mentioned you're gonna do?

14. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you planned on doing, but now you're feeling like you're gonna scrap those ideas?

15. Do you have any unwritten scene that you think about a lot? -Smolder universe

I have been in the trenches battling sleep deprivation the last few days and I haven't had time to get to the ask game so you're just in time! (It's okay; there's like 2 WiPs that currently exist in my mind and everything else has been put on the back burner so... I've not been very good at keeping with them myself. 😅 😂)

4. Is there anything in the fic you're unsure about including? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

Honestly, this is still such a fragmented idea that everything is up in the air. Like, what is the plot? Who knows? Certainly not me. I haven't really gotten past chapter 1 and that feels like it needs more, actually, than what I already have.

5. Is there any scene you're excited about writing? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

You're not going to believe how long it took me to realize that the scenes I'm thinking of are actually from the Griffin being reluctant allies with the Company fic. So, um, you're getting bonus content, I guess, because now I need to talk about them.

Those would be Griffin and Valtor's first meeting after she's accepted to switch sides. I can just feel the tension between them. The rage that Valtor won't know whether to direct at Griffin for letting Faragonda take her away from him and then even agreeing to work with her and the rest of the clowns in the Company or at himself for not preventing this, for not preventing them from capturing her and for not killing Faragonda in the first place. And, of course, Griffin would be a mirror reflection of that.

Then there's the whatever scenes I'm going to include of other Coven members trying to take Griffin's place as Valtor's partner and Griffin being intensely jealous while Valtor is fucking done with both the Coven members and her (but mostly with the Coven members; he actually likes the fact that she's jealous; he can use this!). I am including this for the comedy AND drama. As a treat.

And the one scene that I'm most looking forward to is when Valtor will decide that "You know what? Fuck it!" It doesn't matter why she joined the Company or that she did at all since she's clearly still totally obsessed with him. They can sneak away to make out during battles, it's totally fine, exciting even! 😂 To say that Griffin's onboard would be an understatement. The Ancestral Witches and the Company are going to go out of their minds, though.

Okay, back to the breakfast fic, something that I'm really looking forward to is the talk that's mostly between Griffin and Oritel about expectations - how everyone expects the worst from Griffin no matter what and how Oritel is held to impossible standards of perfection. I feel that they are finally going to reach a place of understanding no matter how painful the journey there (and actually, the more painful, the better in my book). I can't say that I'm looking forward to having to carefully write Oritel, though. And treat him with respect on top of that? Who has heard of such ridiculous notions! XD

9. Is there anything in the fic you're not so excited about writing? -Fallen Love

You mean besides this fucking sex scene that has been stalling me for the past 3 months? I'm not ecstatic about the scenes where I'll have to deal with a lot of characters simply due to the fact that royal guards and Specialist raids exist. I've managed to circumvent that in the scenes with Erendor and the visit to CT but, god, the sequences in the Solarian palace and the Fortress of Light where the Council is seated will fucking kill me, I can already tell. Why do I have to deal with the fact that these important people will have guards protecting them at all times? This is cruelty specifically designed to torture me. I might just fuck around and find a way around those as well but I'm afraid the Specialist raid I've planned will have to happen the way it is now. Somebody save me! 😭😭😭😭😭

10. If unpublished, can you show a sneak peek of what you've written? -your choice :)

Feast your eyes on the evil itself (aka the smut part of the chapter - cause that's all I've managed to work on):

Valtor was of the same opinion. He held her so close that every movement of their chests engraved their shape into the other. Feeling her body molding itself to his and his – to hers was addictive. They had always been one in mind and magic. To become one in flesh as well would be the only sane course of action, yet, she fought him. Giving the impression that she could succeed in bringing a single shred of space between them only made him cling to her tighter – hands digging in her hips and teeth – in her lips. He wouldn’t let oxygen itself touch her. She was all his.

She’d missed him. Sorely. Hopelessly. Her want came in cutting shards, each coalescing into a furious, crippling rush of magic hollowing out her bones when it couldn’t spill fast enough through her skin. It pooled behind her eyes, into the hollow of her throat, the valley between her breasts, her lower belly – everywhere. Burrowed in every cell to reach him from there when his hot breath seeped inside her, filled her, spread through her like a claim to her soul.

The flow erupting from her conquered the air itself, lured it into her every cell through her pores. Her lungs expanded with his scent; her power wrapped Valtor, too, to do the same for him, to keep him in the reach of her lips and make anything outside their bodies irrelevant.

Valtor’s laughter flooded her mouth, startling. Having forgotten the taste of it, she was forced to retreat, to gulp it down between ragged breaths to avoid drowning in it. Her skin tingled from his roaming touch, his palm trailing down her spine from between her shoulder blades and his nails in the back of her thigh. Her eyes opened to a sight she’d dreaded and craved, a sight seared in her mind from the first time she’d met him.

He was luminous with triumph, the glow surrounding him half-magic, half-pride. In her embrace he was a flame nestled to her chest – forbidden heat choosing not to burn her, allowing her caress to make her reel from the contact. In his arms she was floating, weightless, untouched by the jagged edges of the fractured metal in their feet.

She’d only ever needed her armor for the space between them, for the divide that made his victory her loss and her victory – unthinkable as much as it was a necessity. She had chosen her side, left him behind, and doing everything right meant never having to suffer his success again, nor his presence. With her place by his side forsaken, the call of his living, breathing magic had cut through her with the need to drink it in. Instead, there had been only bitterness, the knowledge that every inch she’d gained on him, he would reclaim twice as viciously next time while she’d be stranded opposite of him again, made to bear the lure of him–triumphant and dazzling–from a distance. All enjoyment she could have found in winning had been locked behind his teeth, kept from her like his lips, his kiss. She’d only had her pyrrhic victories and the knowledge that he was robbed of that much, without her. Often not even that, without him.

11. Is there any scene you can't wait for people to react to when reading? Why? -the series rewrite

I have a ton of scenes that I can't stop thinking about and wishing to see people's reactions to so, naturally, now I cannot come up with anything.

Okay, you know what I'm gonna do? Rumplestiltskin my way through this (😘) aka exploit loop holes. The scene that I am looking forward to getting people's reactions to is in the "movie" after season 5 and it's the reveal of Kalshara's motivations. She's the villain of the canonical season 7 and she used to be a fairy in Alfea - and Faragonda's roommate - until she used wild magic (that corrupts everything it touches) and turned herself into a shapeshifter. I have kept that but the reason why she did all that was because she wanted to join and become the fourth member of the Champions of Alfea:

From left to right those are Farcelia of the Wind, Ress of the Flame and Chevonne of the Water, who were summoned by the Legendarium in season 6 (which is just as nonsensical as everything else in that season).

In my rewrite they are the three strongest fairies of Alfea that ever lived. They were so powerful that they created the Wild Lands, which are full of Wild Magic. That is all kept a secret, though, because imagine the backlash Alfea would face if people learned their most famous fairies created a force that can destroy the whole Magic Dimension. Kalshara wants to be their missing Earth element and she's trying to spread Wild Magic through the rest of the Dimension. Of course, the plan includes fucking over Faragonda one more time just like in the good old days and destroying Alfea as well as CT and RF.

13. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you haven't mentioned you're gonna do?

Other than the ton of Erendor x Samara fics that haunt my dreams and may or may not see the light of day? I have stuff that I haven't announced on the blog but I feel like I've told you pretty much everything. The Scream AU, the mind sharing, the one based around the necklace from your story...

The dream-inspired fic, kind of. I have mentioned this but I have not said what exactly it is. It's another Valtor wins the war AU (If I had a nickel for every time I wrote that concept, I'd have two nickels which isn't much but it's weird that it happened twice; can you tell I was having some kind of moment in April and May (even if I myself am not sure what kind of moment it was)?) but the key thing about this one is that he's found himself another partner to take Griffin's place, someone from the Coven. And well, Griffin has to deal with those feelings as well as everything else that's going on. But whatever direction you think this is going in, you're probably wrong.

There's also one other AU. I'm not even sure what kind of AU it is exactly. The prompt that it came from was for a superhero x supervillain but I have no idea what is happening with the fic. But it's basically "Griffin goes back to Valtor (after she'd joined the Company) for the sole purpose of distracting him". And what do you know? It works! ...at least somewhat.

14. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you planned on doing, but now you're feeling like you're gonna scrap those ideas?

There was something but I really can't remember which one it was. Usually, when I don't like an idea, it's not the idea itself; it's just the execution or the direction in which it's going. In those cases I just save it to rework it later (which is about 60% of all of my ideas).

15. Do you have any unwritten scene that you think about a lot? -Smolder universe

Yes! The entirety of chapter 2 because it instantly dives into the progressing Griffin x Marion relationship. Now Marion is doing so well with moving on from the pain of Oritel's death; it's actually her mother's constant nagging that's the biggest obstacle between her and Griffin (but they are handling that as well). But this whole relationship with Griffin is so much self-exploration for her and so different from everything in her life up to now. She's kind of scared that she'll realize at some point that she is still the same old Marion and she will always be, which will inevitably pull her away from Griffin. It's not so much that she's afraid of digging herself out of the grave she's been sharing with Oritel as much as it is that she'll realize she's drowning in her grief again and isn't able to let go despite how good she feels with Griffin. I really want to get her to a place where she can be happy and not be freaking out for 2 seconds. Fortunately, Griffin is helping.

[lavendelhummel]

20 Questions about writing - another tag-game!

Now that I spend my Sunday doing the music game, why not do it again? Because  as I said before but want to say again: thank you for *all* the tags @lilolilyr ! I appreciate all of them a whole lot! But especially the ones about writing!! Because I love writing and talking about it and because I still struggle a bit to call myself writer with my cute little 125k words on ao3 and especially with so rarely finding the time to write recently :( Aaand looks like I just answered one of the questions: 

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

It’s 125418 at the moment (hoping that I’ll finally come around editing the 10k chapter next weekend, that sits on my computer for months now, that would change it quite drastically but we’ll see).

But back to the beginning: 

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

Not that many, 7. Most of my ideas still live in my head, mostly out of lack of time to write. It's a very varied mix of length though, my first work are 15 chapters of single one shots, that I posted as one story because I didn't want to take up to much space. Then I have the WiP, that is almost 80k now and not at all finished, I have most of the next chapter finished and it's again quite long. But in between being able to finish that I suddenly started posting shorter works too, one two-shot and one one-shot. And now there is also two new one shots that are a different fandom and the first thing I was able to write since I had to stop for real life stress reasons for a few months, one of them was written together with @lilolilyr, another first experience, writing together, such fun! And then there is also another oneshot collection about pregnancy, that I almost forgot, that I have plans for but tbh they are not very high on the priority list.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly The Wheel of Time (well, Siuaraine aka the fishwives) so far, but those two newer ones are Warehouse 13 (Bering&Wells) and so are many of my unwritten ideas. And I wrote about Marla and Fran from I care a lot.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Well, since there aren't that many, it's all of them expect for those two Warehouse ones.

But to be more precise: for some reason, by far, very far that one-shot collection for I care a lot with 176 kudos. I don't understand this at all, because I wouldn't rec them nor do them this way again, they are quite weird and my first fanfic steps. I definitely see that I have gotten better since then, even though it hasn't been terribly long! Still, I am very happy if people had fun reading this!! Second is the long fic with so far 7 chapters and I think, this can be explained by it having more chapters than the others but also I put a lot of work in it, so it's nice. And then the 4 chapter one shot collection with 48 kudos, then the one shot I wrote as a birthday present for @ginnyjyng and fifth the short mermaid two shot - still planning on writing a longer Mermaid AU! - with 18 kudos.

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

Yes, every single one, always so far. Even this one, though it confused me a lot:

And why? Because if someone says something to me, I answer, I react? Because comments make me over the moon happy and I want to show it? Because I love to talk to people and when someone comes to me to talk, yes I will talk! And I think I would feel impolite not to as well, if someone goes out of their way to tell me something about my writing, then I can answer that. And also! I am unfortunately still working on overcoming my shyness in commenting other peoples fics and if I do that and get a reply it makes me a) happy and b) makes it so much easier to comment again because it means I hopefully didn't annoy the person (rationally I know that other people are as happy about comments as I am but... it's not fully rational).

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't think I have any fic with an angsty ending! Life is hard enough, I want happy endings and also happy beginnings and middle parts! So no angsty endings at all, but you could call the fix-it chapter/one shot of the I care a lot- collection angsty because it deals with the not-so-happy ending of the otherwise great movie (I don't like it anymore, if anyone wants to read about it, better try the follow up chapter, that one is better). And maybe also my new warehouse13 fic, because it deals with Helenas grief and pain, but it's about healing through poetry and both have happy endings!

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

Well, all of them then? Happ-iest though... I mean both of the above mentioned because they have a happy resolve? Or rather the ones that are pure fluff, like the birthday one? Or the mermaid one, because sapphic mermaids are the happy ending I am still waiting for for my own life? Btw., even every chapter of the long WiP has its own happy ending. Oh, and I guess chapter7 was a bit angstier too and has a very happy ending! And so chapter8 starts very happy, but unfortunately still unedited in a word document...

8. Do you get hate on fic?

I wouldn't say "hate". But the very first comment I ever got wasn't very positive and I have to admit, it stung for a good while. I am mostly over it now. Well, and the one from above from "weird ass" (why?) calling me "tea snob" (weird ass is right on this one, so I guess its just truth and no hate).

9. Do you write smut?

No, but not because I don't want to or think it's bad. I enjoy reading it from other writers! But I can't do it (yet). I will allude to it though and feel more confident in that the longer I write fic in general, so maybe one day, I will. Right now, I can't.

10. Do you write crossovers?

No, it's not something that interests me. Not even in the little head-scenarios, it just doesn't happen.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. But again, my fics aren't very plentiful or popular and most very specific, so I don't think they'd be first choice to steal.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, and I can repeat it here again, my fics aren't very plentiful or popular and most very specific, so I don't think they'd be first choice to x (steal, translate, anything).

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

Woooohpppp, yes, as I mentioned already, now I have! @lilolilyr and I had fun mentally teasing poor Helena here! It was definitely very different from writing alone, different mindset, atmosphere and feeling afterwards but fun! Different kind of fun than sitting alone at my desk ;) (which is also fun if it's for fanfic). And it was quite spontaneous, we were both actually working on other fics and then interrupted those to do this. Aaand now maybe this new thing that we just thought of? What is going on?

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

I have to say Moiraine and Siuan here! I can't say yet Bering&Wells because I have only been obsessed with them for months, but it feels like an obsession that is going to stick.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

I only have one WIP that is more than an outline and a few sentences but actual posted chapters, it's Yellow. I do still plan on finishing that, the reason it hasn't been updated is that I couldn't write anything at all for a few months and am easing back into writing slowly (still dont have huge amounts of time). But I am thinking about cutting it a bit shorter than originally planned. It would still fully work in the plot and as I said each chapter has a happy end, so it would just not follow their lives as long but have a finished ending. I have 85% of the new chapter written but haven't touched it since mid-july. It is coming!

In my head I have so many and the thought of giving some of them up hurts but realistically I won't write them all. I'll have to see which ones I'll be able to pursue.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I can bring a flow into the emotions I try to describe, that they feel kind of natural? And I can't be too trope-y or fake, same as I can't lie in real life, so I'd think my writing should be rather authentic? This is a difficult question, but what I can definitely say is that writing makes me feel very good. It's a very special mindset and calmness that it brings, like a little candle that gets lit inside of me.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue, I'd say. Not that my dialogue is particularly bad, but initiating it instead of describing the protagonists inner world is sometimes a problem. But I am working on it and I feel like my writing is only getting better. I mean after the involuntary break I am a bit rigid and have to get back into practice but in general there is progress.

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

The thing is that there are some things I am used to saying in one language and others in another. Before I committed to fanfic I mostly wrote melodramatic poems in Frallemand (because let’s be honest, Freutsch klingt scheiße), maybe 80% French (because that’s what I mostly use in my head for some reason) and 20% German (because that is after all what I grew up with and spent the bigger part of my life with). So, yes, I love using that! But it had to fit the character and the story, have a reason. And I often find it doesn‘t go very naturally in some fics. In my head it makes sense to use multiple languages but in my head lots of things make sense that could be hard to follow on page. The question is what is the character‘s relationship with this language and words in general? Who are they talking to, do they understand? What about the POV is it in the mixed languages too? 

Are it words or whole sections? I don’t like just using cliché words in that language and the whole rest in English, no one (me?) talks like that. 

So far when I have used another language than English, it was in a way that it got explained during the next few sentences by the characters anyway, so it felt like a flow and not interrupted by translation.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

It was I care a lot. I had been trough a bad few months mentally and was starting to do better, and when I watched that film (and loved it) suddendly I started having ideas and it felt like a fog had finally be lifted. I hadn’t been able to access my creative side for a few years at that point because of stress, and it felt so good. So I tried to never give it up again (obviously I had to take breaks again but I didn’t forget about it like before).

And when I read more interviews with Rosamund Pike because of I care a lot I found out about The Wheel of Time and read the books and got into that. 

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

My favorite is the least popular. It is a bit of nonsense but so fun and I like the ambiance. Dreaming of waves. The first chapter is serious and actually canon compliant and the second a bit cracky. A bit of siuaraine mermaid fic when I couldn’t write a whole long AU (which I still want to do but we will see when). And now I also like the most recent one I posted, it’s about Helena discovering my favorite poet and so probably as self indulgent as the mermaid one. I got very little feedback on both, especially the last one, so if someone has thoughts, I’d love to discuss them! 

Thank you again, so much for tagging me @lilolilyr! I am tagging @lakeofsilverpike and @trollocks-in-my-bollocks. Sorry to both of you, if this feels spammy, I think it is kind of fun and you said you didn't mind spamming. I am curious to know about your feelings on writing, but only do it if you want to! I will stop doing these again now, this took me three days and will spent my time rather on actual fic writing and not writing about writing ;)

[vampires-oxymorons]

ufrently have Choir as a WIP and five short unwritten stories (all tma yeah)

1. sasha dead, tim and jon sad

2. sounds of brutal metal chair murder (bye bye elias)

3. art=horror, but everything is fine

4. s4 jon ran out of shits to give about humanity

5. extinction!jon + time travel and jonmartim (moderately long)

if u didnt know the Choir is going to be really chonky, maybe 45 chapters.

[rexxdjarin]

MARI GETS TO SEE HIM NAKED LIKE THIS ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THIS HAPPENS

[missameliep]

Ten Songs, Ten People

Thanks for tagging me @jerzwriter ☺️

Rules: list ten songs, then tag ten people to pass the game on to! (bonus points if it's from a wip/character playlist!)

The first five are from two different WIP playlists (3 from A Bookshop AU! I don't know if I'll ever finish writing but I love daydreaming about, and 2 from my Second Chances series playlist because I'm trying to edit the next chapters and maybe this will inspire me), and the others are just songs from a playlist I've been listening at work today.

1. Toothpaste kisses - The Maccabees

2. A shop with books in - The Bookshop Band

3. Longing to Belong - Eddie Vedder

4. Ask - The Smiths

The next songs are under the cut

5. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

6. Paint it, black - Rolling Stones

7. Mr. Brightside - The Killers

8. Ghosts - Muse

9. Don't go away - Oasis

10. Stuck in a moment you can't get out of - U2

Tagging a few of you (let's pretend there's ten names there and you guys feel free to ignore it) : @princess-geek @lorirwritesfanfic @noesapphic @aallotarenunelma @lilyoffandoms @peonierose @storyofmychoices and whoever feels like playing the game

[alamogirl80]

WIP game

WIP game

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

Tagged by @indira-korr and @marbled-polecat  Thanks guys!

1. Chapter 17 and 18 of “And I’ll Follow the Light in You”

2. Unwritten Fox/Vos idea

3. ART - Dragon Wooley and SharkMer Slash

4. ART - Fox and Quinlan

5. ART - Echo and Fives  - Fives Lives art idea

6. ART - various smutty arts that I have not decided who they are yet.

@blackkatmagic @cacodaemonia @mock-speed @frostbitebakery @deadstarsrisingsblog @bladelei

[kudzucataclysm]

This or That: Writer Edition!!!

tas tagged by the amazing @vacantgodling :3 i tag...whoever sees this 👁️👁️ no really. dewit

historical or futuristic

FUTURISTIC 100%. historical shit can be…very boring to me, usually cuz its all very repetitive? And to me its usually way too grounded in established reality and focuses a ton on aesthetic. like history is pretty much done, but the future is absolutely unwritten and unknown to for me its more interesting to speculate abt (pushes my ww1 horror story and 1200s zombie apocalypse story under the bed)

2. the opening chapter or closing chapter

opening, cuz its easier and more exciting to figure out while the closing chapter tends to beeee hard to figure out and kinda sad for me? cuz its over dfvfv like its the END. and u gotta figure out a satisfying wrap up for all these characters and plotlines and all that, which is a monumental task in and of itself (to me) EVEN THOUGH. i agree, working backwards can often hepl tremendously in working out how everything goes (i say this cuz i actually know the ending of my wip Typhoon Landing, so its easier to map out in a way)

3. light & fluffy or dark & gritty

dark and gritty ig? although it can be overdone in a way, where theres next to no levity and people bask in its grittiness. light and fluffy however can be boring and bleh, i'll take dark and gritty over that any day

4. animal companion or found family

found family for sure. i rarely have signifigant animal companions in my story cuz…well, theyre pets. the only one i can think of rn is EFJ, Dez's eventual cat who can TALK, but even then she doesn't get much attention story wise. she's just someone Dez can talk to and take care of v-v but yeh all my stories tend to have a semblance of found family huehue

5. horror or romance

HORRORRRRR cuz i don't have the patience for romance ig lol. i also don't really care for it :p way less interesting to me than horror

6. hard or soft magic system

it depends? i prefer hard magic typically but in the case of certain settings like Discworld, the soft magic system is extremely interesting and feels natural to the world and stories! but for stories like FMA, the hard 'magic' system being built around chemistry and math is like WHHOOAA and its super cool and neat to me. so…either is fine!! if i find it interesting and that it fits in the world it resides in

…actually u know what im gonna be a hater for a sec. one magic system that i absolutely fucking abhor is the H/P system like what the actual fuck. it makes genuinely no sense like evidently u had wizards disappearing their own shit in the 1300s but if ONE FUCKING KID does a self defense on a malevolent entity that will CONSUME HIS FUCKING SOUL ALONG WITH OTHERS, u go to wizard court and yur banned from magic 5evar. the ghosts of dead students haunt the halls of britain wizard school wtf what happened there. the whole blood quantity race thing with wizards who think humans are below them cuz they cant do magic yet they dont even know how dishwashers work (lets not even get into it how the very author is like 'yeah non-magic ppl are lame and stupid lol'). the full blown racism where other supernatural creatures and people are discriminated against like yur a wizard with lycanthropy?? yur a giant? fuck you kill yourself no youre not allowed to learn magic. the teachers and ministry despite knowing the threat that the ghost thingies pose (THEYRE ON SCHOOL FUCKING GROUNDS?? KIDS WILL BE SOUL SUCKED) and like theres TERRORISTS RUNNING AROUND and nobody teaches these kids self defense spells. on TOP of that, they STILL HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL LMAOOO like that is so fucking funny to me, genuinely. like FUCK THOSE WIZARD KIDS FR LOL anyway im done

7. standalone or series

series cuz for the life of me i cant have short or self-contained stories. i grow too attached to characters and the world and it has to be drawn out to its full potential sorry not sorry

8. one project at a time or always juggling two+

im hyperfocusing on SE rn but i have like 15+ stories on the backburner rn rip to everyone who liked those specifically and havent seen em since

9. one award winner or one best seller

uuuh i dunno? i dont think either of these things will happen for me cuz my works are uh…weird? but i think a bestseller would be kinda cool maybe…

10. fantasy or sci-fi

sci-fi!!!! i love to blend both genres tho so rules can be bent more- and i generally do hate how many sci-fi fans these days are all ''REALISM!! ACKTCHUALLY THIS WOULDNT HAPPEN BECUZ-'' idc its fake. i love earlier sci-fi stories where its just crazy bullshit. cowboys on alien planets. sword and planet, with barbarians and knights with super futuristic technology. Alien planet where the ocean itself is the alien intelligence. FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE WHERE DRUGS PRODUCED BY MOUNTAIN SIZED WORMS IS THE BASIS FOR INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL; THE DRUGS ALSO GIVE YOU THE ABILITY TO PERCIEVE SPACE AND TIME OUTSIDE OF REALITY. fucking shit like godzilla where an iguana was exposed to radiation and turned into a massive monster who terrorizes cities. like bring that shit back like thats my heroine. i want WEIRD SHIT!!!

11. character or setting description

character description cuz its simply easier vv' descriptions in general are hard for me

12. first or final draft

ive never even completed a draft please no talk to me-

13. love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

FUCK LOVE TRIANGLES FR i hate that shit with a passion dont even get me started. i dont even give af abt romance in stories anyway so i'd rather have no arcs goddamn >:/

14. constant sandstorm or rainstorm

constant rainstorm plz, forever :3

[fireofjudgement]

are you going to write more for high and low?

Yes yes yes!!

"New Territory" will have at least 2 more chapters, and if that's not your cup of tea, I will definitely write more fics and headcanons for high&low, too. I'm currently in a slump tbh, and I don't really feel inspired by any of my wips, unwritten ideas, or requests in my inbox, so it might take a while but it will definitely happen.

[kirkypet]

🎶, ⛔, 👀, 🤭 for the fic asks! :))

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

I sure do! The first fic I ever wrote was inspired by a song, and I tend to keep up the ‘song titles as fic/chapter titles’ thing. I’ve got a playlist for every fandom and it’s full of 1) songs that inspired a fic 2) songs that remind me of things I haven’t written yet and 3) songs that vaguely remind of the fandom. I haven’t written anything in a month and a half so I’m not in the zone right now, but I do listen to that chapter’s song on a loop while I’m writing

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

I started a His Dark Materials / Fury Road mashup where a witch ended up in the wasteland and met a young Joe Moore, but it was too angsty for me to get through. Idea free to a good home!

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

I’m halfway through an American Gods High School AU which is pretty much plotted in my head I just need to write the damn thing. As yet unwritten and only existing as a bedtime story to self is Ain’t Got No Body, where Laura is revived by the coin as a ghost rather than a zombie. I also would love to write a BBC Ghosts fic where they watch American Gods

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

1) Try and get into your character’s heads, figure out what they’re thinking. This may mean constructing elaborate backstories that never get written down, but it’ll make it more real for the parts you do include.

AND 2) If it’s fun for you to write, chances are it’ll be fun for folks to read.