#you can steal my identity if it means you enjoy writing

[goodluckclove]

Me when I started this Tumblr: Well this seems like a viable way to market my first self-published novel!

Me now: hey, literally every struggling writer who talks to me, can I offer an extended invitation for you to come over to my house and talk about your artistic hopes and fears, genuinely refusing to leave you alone until you practice the craft that consumes us both? Sick.

[emotionalmessss]

hope you’re well ♥️ may i request a headcanon where yan!chrollo’s partner escaped but when he confronts them (or however you write it-it’s up to you!) they are really remorseful like “i knew i shouldn’t have left” on their own volition? thank you! ♥️

A/N: ouu, I really like this idea. I can never say no to Yan!Chrollo lol. I’d be more than happy to answer, and I’ll try my best! Thank you for the request, enjoy! :) (this ended up much longer than I expected)

Warnings: yandere themes, unhealthy/forced relationship, stalking, implied kidnapping, kinda implied non-con, psychological abuse, hardcore manipulation. chrollo is a dick.

Chrollo is no saint, but he definitely has the patience of one–though only to a certain extent. With you, however, he seems to have all the fucking patience in the world. Because of Chrollo’s emotionally complex nature, I kind of feel like it’s difficult for him to form emotional attachments, especially with those outside the Troupe. Connections have never really been a priority for Chrollo, nor do they come easily to him. But, with you, it’s different. You’ve always stood out, and his relationship with you is something that he treasures deeply. In his own twisted way.

Ever since Chrollo first laid eyes on you, he’s been utterly fascinated–a reaction that probably confused him at first, considering his interests usually only involve the wellbeing of the Troupe, books, and stealing valuable objects and Nen abilities. Chrollo has utilized all his available resources to gather as much information about you as possible, spending countless hours studying every single aspect of your life. Say goodbye to your privacy because there’s no such thing when it comes to Chrollo. And sure, a few members of the Troupe probably found Chrollo’s behavior unusual, but they knew better than to question the boss.

Chrollo might be completely infatuated with you, but he’s not blind to how difficult the situation is for you–he is well aware of human nature, and even more familiar with you. In fact, he completely understands your struggles. But, does that mean he’s going to let you go? Fuck no. As far as captors go, Chrollo has been incredibly lenient with you, hoping that you’d eventually realize that there is no one else in the world that could cherish you the way he does. And when you escaped from him, you betrayed that sliver of trust he gave you.

Your escape was successful, congrats. Managing to slip past Chrollo’s defenses was a challenge in itself–and you should be proud–not everyone can outsmart the head of the Spider. But, that’s just the beginning, don’t celebrate just yet. Surely, you’ll have to deal with a fuck load of complications, like starting your life over from scratch, fending for yourself, constantly watching your back, and maybe, just maybe, going as far as adopting a completely new identity. Things couldn’t get any more complicated, could they? Oh, they can and they will. 

It wouldn’t be long before you started to doubt and question everything–your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, your choices, and most importantly, Chrollo. You might’ve thought you had the upper hand, but somehow, for some fucking reason, Chrollo always has the last laugh. Chrollo would never allow himself to show it, but he would definitely feel slightly irritated with the situation and your behavior. You actually had the audacity to run away from him? Have you forgotten who he is and what he's capable of? It’s not very often that someone would defy him, and part of him secretly applauds your pathetic–yet somewhat amusing–actions. Did you truly believe that he wouldn’t be able to find you again? 

I’d imagine that Chrollo probably saw your sudden absence as nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Annoying? Yes. Unexpected? No. Would he have expected you to be remorseful after escaping? Not entirely. Fortunately for him–and unfortunately for you–Chrollo knows you very fucking well. So well, in fact, that he’s become really good at predicting not only your next moves, but also what goes on in your head. He knew it wouldn’t take long for your mind to overwhelm you–that fresh start of yours isn’t feeling all that fresh anymore, is it? 

Chrollo wouldn’t go find you right away, no, he’d let you struggle for a bit before he made a move. The Troupe would probably question their boss’ somewhat unusual approach to the situation, but they wouldn’t push their luck–they knew better than to risk overstepping any boundaries, especially when it involves you and Chrollo. Just because his love for you is fucked up unconventional doesn’t mean he’s going to act impulsively to get you back, that's not how Chrollo operates, his methods are much more refined and efficient than that. 

But, that doesn’t mean Chrollo won’t be thinking of you. You’re always on his mind. He’d deny it, but the mental image of you–somewhere far away and stressed out, trying to move on with your life–was oddly satisfying. Some might say that’s cruel, but Chrollo sees it as conditioning. And Chrollo is a master manipulator. He may appear relatively passive on the outside, but you should never underestimate him. I feel like nothing is off-limits with Chrollo, and he’ll do anything and everything to make it impossible for you to leave him. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. So, it's really not much of a surprise that you’re remorseful about running away. That’s exactly what he planned. 

From the very beginning, Chrollo has been subtly manipulating and conditioning you, instilling doubt and dependency within you. He’d isolate you from the outside world and from the other people in your life, both physically and emotionally. He kept you by his side, never allowing you to stray too far. Even when you thought you were alone, he was watching. He gave you the illusion of freedom–a door that was occasionally left unlocked, access to his entire apartment, the opportunity to go outside, but only with him. He’d make you question the relationships you had with everyone that wasn’t him, slowly turning you against them. Do they actually care about you? Do they actually understand you like he does? Those were his ways of making sure there was nobody else you can interact with, forcing you to become dependent on him for everything.

Chrollo wouldn’t stop there. There were times when he would let his guard down, allowing you to see moments of vulnerability. He would tell you things–his past, his thoughts–enough to make you believe there was more to him than the monster you feared. When you eventually opened up to him about your own thoughts, he’d listen. He always listened so fucking carefully. He made you feel like he understood you better than anyone else ever had, or ever could.

And it all paid off in the end. For him, at least.

It’s almost been two months without Chrollo and surprisingly, it doesn’t feel as good as you thought it would. In fact, your newfound freedom feels fucking horrible. It doesn’t make sense–you should be thrilled that you’ve managed to escape after being held captive for one year. You had planned this escape for months, spending countless nights going over it again and again in your head until it was foolproof. It worked, yet you were far from satisfied.

Feeling more than a little conflicted about your state of mind, you move to sit on the couch in your living room. The old, faded piece of furniture creaks beneath your weight as you settle into the cushions. It felt cold and unfamiliar. The couch was probably older than you–faded, torn, and pilling–unlike the expensive plush one that Chrollo has. That one felt warm and familiar. Anxiously, you stir your half drank cup of coffee and take a sip, grimacing slightly. Even his fucking coffee was better than yours. 

This new life was supposed to be a fresh start, but instead, it was a constant reminder of everything you left behind. It seems that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get Chrollo out of your mind. Every little sound–footsteps, doors opening–sent you into fight or flight mode, always on edge. It felt like you were living with a shadow that was slowly closing in, but you weren’t entirely sure if you wanted to run away from it. Fear, longing, and resentment were just a few of the emotions you’ve learned to cope with, but it never got any easier. 

Part of you missed the late night, deep conversations, the way he listened intently, as if your words were the most important thing in the world. Now, your nights are restless, haunted by constant nightmares involving a certain raven haired man. Maybe it's Stockholm syndrome? There’s no way to be sure–therapy costs money, and you aren’t exactly rolling in it. Your hands tremble as you place the mug down, spilling the dark liquid all over the side table. Still trapped in your mind, you get up from the shitty couch and head towards the kitchen, moving to grab a rag to clean up the equally shitty coffee. 

A small creak from behind catches your attention, making you pause momentarily to glance over your shoulder. Like countless other times, there's nothing there. Maybe you don’t even need a psych to diagnose you, since you’re already going insane. Sighing, you grab the rag and start walking back toward the living room. 

“A bit late for coffee, is it not?” The smooth sounding voice instantly makes you freeze in place, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with a rush of emotions. There’s a certain lightness in his tone that’s not usually present–it’s almost like he’s teasing yet chiding you. Either way, you weren’t going to concern yourself with the semantics.

It feels like your body has been completely paralyzed. Yet, somehow, you manage to summon the courage to slowly turn your gaze towards the source of the voice, finding it at the front entrance of your apartment. What you see is enough to make you feel faint, your head spinning and your stomach dropping like a stone–it’s Chrollo, looming in the doorway, his large eyes focused solely on you as a soft, enigmatic smile plays on his lips. Unconsciously, a whimper escapes your lips and your mind suddenly kicks into overdrive, frantically attempting to process the overwhelming reality of what’s happening. All those conflicting thoughts from moments ago flood back into your mind.

You find yourself caught in a whirlwind of emotions, torn between the relief of finally seeing him again and the chilling fear of what this unexpected encounter might bring. You had started a new life here, a life that was simpler, quieter, more peaceful. But as you stand there, facing Chrollo and the flood of memories he brings, you can't help but question–was it truly peace? You must’ve only been standing there–stuck in your thoughts–for a few minutes, but Chrollo seems to notice your dazed state and decides to speak up again, effectively snapping you back to reality. 

“May I come in? We have so much to discuss.” Chrollo says, his voice as gentle and as reassuring as you remember. Without waiting for your response, he's already stepping across the threshold and moving into your apartment, making his way toward the living room. His approach is calm and measured. It’s almost as if he’s been in your apartment a thousand times before, and as if he has all the time in the world. Rooted to the spot, your hand trembles as you clutch the damp rag, watching as Chrollo takes your previously occupied seat on the couch.

“Chrollo?” You find yourself whispering, your voice barely more than a shaky exhale, hesitant and filled with uncertainty. Saying his name after the silence of these past months feels strange, foreign, but oddly enough, you find yourself not hating it. Chrollo doesn’t immediately respond. Instead, his gaze remains fixed on you as he sinks deeper into the couch, leaning back casually and letting his hands rest on top of his thighs. The silence stretches on, lingering too long, and a part of you believes he’s doing it on purpose. 

“You seem troubled,” Chrollo observes, his dark eyes softening a fraction. “Come, sit. Let’s talk.” He insists softly, tilting his head toward the empty spot next to him on the couch, a silent command for you to join him. Despite his calm demeanor, it’s quite clear that he won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. He won’t deny it–your little escape was mildly infuriating. But he wasn’t entirely without compassion–at least, that’s what he liked to believe.

Your chest tightens painfully at his words, each breath feeling like a struggle, as if your lungs are refusing to expand. Your vision blurs as tears gather, threatening to spill over at any moment. You’ve reached your breaking point–the emotions you’ve been painstakingly avoiding have finally surfaced. The ache of remorse gnaws at you, a torrent of regret and guilt that you've been desperately trying to suppress. You open your mouth to respond–to say something, anything at all–but find yourself choking pitifully on a sob, no words coming out. 

The tears start to fall, pouring down your cheeks as you stumble blindly toward the couch, dropping the rag on the ground and barely registering the resigned sigh that Chrollo lets out. You plop down onto the couch next to Chrollo, feeling utterly pathetic about your current state. Not even a second later, Chrollo’s arm slips behind your back and wraps securely around your waist, pulling your trembling body toward his. You don’t fight it, instead allowing your face to bury into the comforting warmth of his chest, while his hand gently cradles the back of your head.

“I’m sorry,” you repeat over and over again, your voice cracking as you sob into his chest. 

Chrollo’s quiet again, the silence only broken by your sniffles and unsteady breaths. His fingers thread soothingly through your hair, softly shushing you. “You’re okay, I’m right here,” he reassures, his voice stripped of its usual firmness, now softer, gentler, almost tender. His expression remains unreadable as he looks down at you, his eyes revealing nothing of thoughts that are undoubtedly coursing through his mind right now. Internally, however, he feels a tinge of satisfaction upon hearing your apologetic pleas. Maybe things can go back to the way they were, or maybe they'll morph into something new, something better. 

There’s another pause, a moment where he lets you compose yourself. He doesn't mention your escape, or the remorse you've shown–not just yet. In truth, Chrollo is not the least bit surprised by your emotional spiral. He knows you well enough to understand that this is not merely a reaction to his relentless pursuit and eventual discovery of your whereabouts. No, this is an entirely different kind of response, one born out of internal conflict.

If it were any other man in this position, they might have felt guilty for putting you through so much torment. But Chrollo is not ‘any other man.’ Far from it. As he watches you break down in his arms, he doesn’t feel any guilt. He doesn’t see your suffering as something he should apologize for. Why would he? For Chrollo, he sees this as a necessary consequence of the bond he’s carefully created. And he can see that you’re finally starting to understand.

During your time together, Chrollo had a way of making you question everything. Slowly but surely, he instilled a sense of doubt and dependency within you. It was never obvious. That wasn’t his style. 

He had a way of making you believe that the outside world was cruel and dangerous. Every time he caught you looking at the door, he’d remind you–without even needing to say a word–that he was the only one who could truly protect you. A raised brow and slight tilt of his head was more than enough to remind you of everything he had told you before. He was never threatening about it, he didn’t need to be. A simple look from him was all it took for you to hesitate, to second-guess walking out that door. 

Would it really be better out there than here? Could you really handle Yorknew City? Surely, there were people out there much worse than him, right? People who wouldn’t think twice about taking advantage of someone like you. You could imagine it so vividly: faceless men with rough hands that wouldn’t give a shit about you, your struggles, or your pleas. They’d only see you as a pretty little thing to use. Chrollo never said it outright, but the implication was always there: he wasn’t like them. His touches, though somewhat unwelcome and borderline possessive, were never violent. 

At least with Chrollo, you knew the rules and boundaries–his rules and boundaries. And he never lied to you, not really. The world really was dangerous. There really were people out there who would hurt you. He made sure that you believed he was the best choice. And who else was there for you, really? Not your friends, the ones he slowly convinced you that they didn’t care as much as they claimed. Not your family, who couldn’t possibly understand the complexity of your situation. No, it was just Chrollo. He wasn’t the monster you wanted him to be. He was something far worse: he was everything you didn’t know you needed. And that was much more fucking terrifying.

Finally pulling himself from his thoughts, Chrollo decides that he’s made you suffer in silence for long enough. “You should not have tried to escape, [name],” he says, his voice gentle but carries a clear note of criticism and disappointment. He deliberately uses your name, refraining from the endearing nicknames he usually employs. It's a subtle punishment, a way to remind you of your mistakes. He knows exactly what kind of impact it has on you–how the distance it creates makes you feel small, like a reprimanded child. “Predictably, it didn’t end well.” His tone is soft, almost conversational.

Chrollo pauses again, his fingers suddenly halting their soothing rhythm in your hair. Abruptly, he withdraws the comforting contact, depriving you of the warmth you didn’t even realize you’d come to depend on. You can’t stop yourself from tensing in his arms, struggling to stifle a choked sob. You can’t see it–not with your teary face buried in his chest–but there’s a faint curl of his lips, a flicker of satisfaction at your reaction. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. He lets out a deep, exaggerated sigh, his hand pulling away from your scalp completely. Now it rests on the frayed backrest of the couch, lazily tracing patterns on the rough fabric. 

“Running… it doesn’t suit you.” The words are so plain, so final. It's not suggestion or opinion, but a fucking fact. It’s the way he always spoke to you, as if he knew you better than you knew yourself. “It only leads you to pain and suffering. Surely, you’ve realized that by now?” There is no anger or frustration in his voice, just that same steady, disorientating calm that makes you second-guess everything. He speaks as if this entire situation is simply an inconvenience to him, which makes it near impossible to decipher his true thoughts and feelings. 

And then, Chrollo gently but firmly tilts your head up, leaving no room for you to resist him. Not like it would do you any good. Forcing you to meet his gaze, he studies you intently, his dark eyes partially shielded by the strands of raven hair that fall across his pale face. “You’re an intelligent woman,” he murmurs, and for some reason, it felt more like he was mocking you rather than giving you a genuine compliment. “I’m certain that you can grasp the situation.” As he speaks, his grip on your face tightens significantly, hinting at the threat that lies beneath his words. It’s his little way of telling you that you should know better.  

You wince as his fingers dig into the soft flesh of your jaw, more out of surprise than pain. The pressure isn’t unbearable, but it’s enough to remind you of his control. You don’t have much faith in your ability to form a coherent sentence right now, not when your throat feels tight and your thoughts are a jumbled mess. Instead, you nod in response, hoping it’s enough. 

Chrollo’s eyes flicker with approval, and maybe a hint of amusement. It’s impossible to be sure with him. He releases your jaw as he lets out a satisfied hum of acknowledgement, now wiping away a few stray tears from your damp cheeks. The gesture should feel comforting, but instead, it leaves you feeling hollow, like being soothed after a punishment you never deserved. “Good girl.” The praise rolls off his tongue easily, but there’s no warmth in it. “You’re emotional,” he says, almost to himself. “But you’ll understand in time.”

“It’s time to go home. We’ll continue this conversation later,” He adds, reminding you that this matter is far from resolved.

[thecouchsofa]

You might be thinking, Tee, in your 2023 AO3 wrap up post, you said you wrote a ridiculous amount of HP fic this year - but what about reading? Well, thanks for asking, imaginary audience – as a matter of fact, I did indeed read a lot of Drarry fics this year. A fucking horrendous number of Drarry fics, in fact.

Below the cut are some of my favourites that were published in 2023, arranged by word count.

But first, a note: there is truly an overwhelming amount of talent in this fandom and this list only scratches the surface. These fics all gave me something that I was looking for and were my favourites for a number of different reasons. I hope you can find something new to love here (or reconnect with an old favourite), and that you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

If there’s a fic from 2023 that isn’t here but you really enjoyed, chuck it in the replies section so we can all see it!

🌸 AITA for being "obsessed" with my childhood nemesis? – @rainstormradish (4k, M) 🌸

Alrakis I [24M] attended a small boarding school in the UK. There was a boy in my year, a couple of months younger than me, and he became my nemesis after we developed an intense rivalry. My friend [25F] told me recently that our dynamic was "weird back then" and that "it’s even weirder" that I still think about him today. She argued that I talk about him all the time, but I believe the amount I talk about him is reasonable. AITA?

prongymcprongface i completely get what you mean. i had a nemesis (like a school one, separate to my other nemesis) and we had a dynamic super similar to what you are describing. having a nemesis is a very cool and normal thing dw about it. NTA

In which Draco asks the internet if he's being reasonable. Only one commenter is sympathetic. They start talking.

Read for: unique fic idea with a cool layout, humour, boys being idiots

🌻 Snug – @moonflower-rose (6k, E) 🌻

Potter can't keep his hands off himself. Draco can't look away.

Read for: Draco being Obsessed with Harry(‘s cock), Humorous Writing Style

🪻 Birds Behaving Badly – @peachpety (10k, E) 🪻

For eight years, Draco has been content living a quiet life of anonymity in Brighton, dodging pesky seagulls and enjoying the ephemeral boys of summer. And if these summer blokes just happen to resemble Harry Potter, it’s a mere coincidence—despite what his friends say.

But when a repeat one-night stand challenges him to face his desires, Draco thinks he’s finally over his years-long crush.

A seagull named Kevin thinks otherwise.

For: Unleashed!Fest 2023

Read for: hidden/mistaken identity, summer vibes, Kevin the seagull

🌸 Under the Confetti Mist – @azalealarae (12k, E) 🌸

Harry and Draco stay up late working on a Potions assignment in the poorly ventilated eighth-year common room, unaware that disinhibition is a side effect of the elixir’s vapor.

Read for: Sex Pollen, Drarry as Potions partners

🌻 Hellos, goodbyes, a thousand midnights – newskyillusion (13k, M) 🌻

The world, as Harry knew it, has ended.

At least he has a garden.

OR

Harry and Draco live through the apocalypse

For: Drarry Let’s Play Fest 2023

Read for: body horror, cosy vibes (just trust me, lol), Harry gardening, Powerful Harry, Harry and Draco relying on each other.

🪻 Amorous As This Lovely Green – @annanother-thing (14k, E) 🪻

Harry hates being a celebrity. Draco cannot find a single model that fits his vision for his latest line. They both make the debatable choice of trusting one PA extraordinaire/best friend, Pansy Parkinson.

For: Harry/Draco Career Fair 2023

Read for: Harry modelling lingerie, Hot Harry

🌸 Help! I'm a Hopeless Romantic! – @peachydreamxx (14k, M) 🌸

Draco turns from the bar, eyes latching onto Harry. He surveys him, one brow lifting, and Harry, like a deer in headlights, throws his hand up with the world’s most awkward wave. Draco just weaves out of sight, and Harry’s face burns as Ron pats him on the shoulder, then steals a chip. “He gave you a look, didn’t he?”

~ how to get over your crush

~ places that sell cake after 11pm near me

~ how to tell if someone is playing hard to get

A year in the life of Harry's shared moments, and private thoughts

For: Wheel of Drarry Mini-Exchange Secret Santa 2023

Read for: Harry’s Google Searches, Humour

🌻 Cool About It – @oflights (M, 16k) 🌻

Harry is so excited for his first date with Draco. But what follows isn't so much a date as it is an all-night odyssey including a malevolent lift, a Gringotts heist, a Sleeping Curse, a trip to the kebab shop, a lack of dancing, a Muggle drug, a rooftop pool party, a black eye and, eventually, a sunrise over a Quidditch stadium.

Read for: Humour, idiots in love, first dates

🪻 The Eighth Sin – @thehoneybeet (16k, E) 🪻

When Draco is sentenced to five years of house arrest, without magic, alone, the only person to visit him is Potter. But Draco’s beginning to doubt whether Potter is really there at all.

For: HD Wireless 2023

Read for: dreamy/sad vibes, caring Harry, a beautiful exploration of a relationship

🌸 What’s Mine is Yours – @fluxweeed (17k, E) 🌸

Harry loses something important. Malfoy helps him get it back.

Read for: smut so hot it’ll light you on fire

🌻 O Come, All Ye Faithful – toomuchplor (19k, E) 🌻

Aunt Petunia died, that was what began everything.

Or rather, Aunt Petunia was dying. In the act of dying.

In which Draco finds faith in the church, and Harry finds faith in Draco.

Read for: Vicar Draco, Harry’s Vicar Kink, Beautiful Writing, Draco’s Hard Sanctified Cock

🪻 The Boys of Summer – @saxamophone (19k, E) 🪻

It's summer, and they're spending it at a lake, far away from everything. There’s swimming and a floating dock, cracked and warm in the sun. Fizzy drinks and fireflies. Sticky strawberry ice lollies and beach towels tangled under them.

Harry’s golden skin and love for The Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac.

Draco Malfoy is doomed, but what else is new?

For: HD Wireless 2023

Read for: delicious pining, summer vibes, beautiful romance, nostalgic vibes

🌸 Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage – @goblinmatriarch (E, 21k) 🌸

Lord Draco Malfoy may be a young man spending time in Dumbledore’s summer court, but that does not mean he needs to succumb to its licentious frivolity. He carries the burden of his lineage, the shadow of rumours, and the dignity of his betrothal to a good match. He is certainly not fool enough to be distracted by the dark curls and ready grin of the court’s stableboy, who seems to have taken up with every courtier who looks his way.

For: HP Bodice Ripper Fest 2023

Read for: Historical AU done right, Draco in a codpiece, more riding euphemisms than you can count

🌻 True Love Gave To Me – @epitomereally (23k, E) 🌻

It’s the first of December, and all Draco wants to do is make Christmas lovely for Scorpius. But then Harry Potter shows up, asking him to save the world, and it turns out they’ve almost saved the world a couple of times before. One-hundred and forty-four times, to be exact.

Or: what happens after the time loop?

For: H/D Erised 2023

Read for: time loop shenanigans, cosy vibes, adorable Scorpius (and his geese)

🪻 Nothing But You On My Mind – @moonflower-rose (29k, M) 🪻

Potter has been in Australia on an internship for almost a year, and Draco cannot wait for him to get back home. They'll finally have a chance to talk about their feelings for each other. What could possibly go wrong?

Loads, as it turns out.

For: HD Wireless 2023

Read for: Angst, Draco/Ron/Hermione Friendship, idiots in love

🌸 who will receive you in love's offices – @jtimu (30k, E) 🌸

A year in the life of Draco Malfoy, increasingly derailed by Harry Potter.

In the aftermath of it all, Draco opened an antiques shop. Sort of. Mostly, though, what he did was repair work. People brought him their grandparents’ charmed silverware or a pocketwatch which was meant to show the stars at your birth but now only held the time, and he would fix them. It was quiet work, a little lonely, but for the repeated intrusions of one Harry J Potter.

Read for: brilliant deep dive into magical theory, smarty pants Draco, enemies to friends to lovers (emphasis on the middle step), poetry references by the bucketful, a version of Draco that lives rent free in my mind

🌻 Half Sick of Shadows – @starquestingfordrarry (39k, E) 🌻

Harry and Draco have been sleeping together for months, and it's fine. It's enough for Harry.

But when things finally start to feel like the more Harry's been hoping for, a strange tapestry project has him worrying he won't ever get the chance.

Or: the one with sheep, dragons, and a whole lot of weaving metaphors.

For: H/D Career Fair 2023

Read for: Alvin the ram, Harry carving wooden dildos, magical tapestries, atmospheric vibes, an artfully created world

🪻 Now I Know In Part – @dodgerkedavra (39k, E) 🪻

Harry Potter is the savior of the Wizarding World. Draco Malfoy is a reformed Death Eater turned Ministry Curse-Breaker. Five years after the War, they're brought together by another mysterious curse.

Only this time, Harry's the one who needs saving.

More specifically, he needs Draco.

They have one month to break the curse, and the clock is ticking.

Read for: Draco taking care of Harry, Cottagecore vibes, bucketfuls of sweetness, great smut

🌸 Nothing Gold Can Stay – @moonflower-rose (40k, E) 🌸

One summer evening, Harry Potter vanished in the middle of dinner with his friends. Four days later he came back. Sort of.

Draco Malfoy is on the case.

For: H/D Erised 2023

Read for: Alternate Universes, Married Draco/Harry, Non-Painful Angst

🌻Sharper than a Sea Serpent's Tooth – @goblinmatriarch (40k, T)

Draco expects his research trip to Crete to focus on the ecology of ward design, with perhaps some cheeky visits to the elusive sea serpents and the odd sleepy beach day. Instead, he encounters a Past he's spent over a decade trying to outrun, and a familiar scowl under glasses and a scar. Featuring just so much imagining being on a hot, sunny beach for your winter pleasure.

For: H/D Erised 2023

Read for: Magical Creatures, Greek Mythology, International Location (Crete), Atmospheric Writing

🪻 LA, Who Am I To Love You? – @epitomereally (42k, E) 🪻

Harry’s summer in LA is not going as expected. Pansy Parkinson keeps inviting him to parties in the Hollywood Hills and harassing him to finally go to the physical therapist, Blaise Zabini keeps slipping new strains of his company’s magical weed into Harry’s pockets in hopes of an endorsement, and Draco Malfoy keeps having sex with everyone but Harry.

For: HD Wireless 2023

Read for: Werewolf Harry, Incubus Draco, Acquaintances to Friends to Lovers, Interesting Location (LA)

🌸 A Pulled Down Shade – fast_brother (43k, M) 🌸

Harry does not like Draco Malfoy, not even one bit. Never did and never will. That is, until he finds himself married to him.

For: HP Soulmates Fest 2023

Read for: HUGE Grounds for Divorce vibes! Angst, Harry working through trauma, Harry fighting for Draco

🌻 The Waiting – @oknowkiss (43k, E) 🌻

It’s been almost ten years since Draco Malfoy disappeared during a routine Curse Breaker training exercise. Harry, his partner in more ways than one, is determined to figure out why. As the past resurfaces and the present fades into confusion, Harry discovers the only thing more unreliable than memory is love.

For: HD Wireless 2023

Read for: Curse Breaker Partners, Angst, Secret Relationship

🪻 The Unplottable Time Conundrum – @writcraft (45k, E) 🪻

When the past starts bleeding into the present at Grimmauld Place, an old academic article pulls Draco Malfoy out of his life of luxury. Haunted by the memory of a fleeting post-war kiss and thrust into the ghostly spaces inhabited by Unspeakable Harry Potter, Draco’s easy life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

For: H/D Erised 2023

Read for: House Magic, The Order of the Pheonix, Haunted House vibes, Drarry in their 30s

🌸 Our Objective Remains Unchanged – @citrusses (46k, E) 🌸

Harry Potter, returning member of the Oxford University Boat Club, has two goals for the spring of 2005: beat Cambridge, and beat Draco Malfoy. Perhaps not in that order.

Read for: Muggle AU, Sports AU, Competitiveness, Damn good writing

🌻 Everybody Hates a Tourist – @wolfpants (51k, E) 🌻

On a stag do in sunny Brighton with the Gryffindor lads, the last person Harry expects to run into is Draco Malfoy. After a glimpse of Malfoy’s Muggle life in Britain’s gay capital, Harry’s curiosity gets the better of him and he finds himself returning to the seaside again and again, drawn to the city, drawn to this new version of Malfoy that Harry barely recognises from school.

Meanwhile, Draco’s just trying to live his big and best queer life: working for the weekend, chasing hot men, getting lost in Brighton's nightlife, and making friends with the neighbourhood cats. Why does his former school rival and crush have to show up and spoil everything?

For: HD Wireless 2023

Read for: beautiful relationship building, Harry finding himself, Draco living his best life. I won’t lie, I’d read the back of a cereal box if wolfpants wrote it – do yourself a favour if you haven’t already

🪻 from love, obviously – bizarrestars (52k, M) 🪻

"I just mean, doing the right thing because it's right is better than doing it because…"

"What?" Draco challenges, amused. "Better to do it because it's right as opposed to doing it because it's not wrong? Please enlighten me on what the difference is."

"You're the difference," is Harry's answer.

(Or: Draco Malfoy comes up with a plan, drinks a lot of tea, and fails to fix a clock. Somewhere along the way, Harry Potter falls in love with him, which wasn't a part of the plan at all.)

Read for: Unhinged Draco, Harry being resigned to Draco’s antics, Weasley family feels, fast pacing

🌸 Terrible People – @getawayfox and @wolfpants (52k, E) 🌸

What happens when Harry and Draco end up on the same Muggle gay cruise? They certainly didn't plan for it to happen (but their friends might have). They're stuck with each other for a week, they might as well make the most of it, right?

Featuring a holiday-long game of Truth or Dare, a very ill-judged FWB proposition, decades-long pining, lots of gin, and a small pair of green swimming trunks.

Read for: Gorgeous Art , RomCom vibes, Gay Cruise, Friends with Benefits to Lovers

🌻 Nights With You – @the-sinking-ship (58k, E) 🌻

Draco is mortified when moments prior to departing for the most anticipated destination wedding of the year, he is cruelly dumped. But when he learns that Harry Potter has, at long last, split with his horrible boyfriend, Draco is certain his luck has changed. Never a man to squander an opportunity for revenge (and what would probably be a spectacular shag), Draco vows to make Potter his for the weekend.

Now all Draco has to do is convince him.

Read for: Fake dating, mild size kink, international location (Italy), mildly unhinged Draco, hot Harry

Note: This is the fic that made me set up a Doc for everything I’d read to make sure I wouldn’t lose it to the wide realm of the internet.

🪻 Rookie Moves – peu_a_peu (75k, E) 🪻

Aurors Potter and Malfoy crack the case.

Read for: Humour, Enemies to Coworkers to Lovers, Unhinged Draco

🌸 How To Train Your Malfoy – @fencer-x (93k E) 🌸

Good manners dictate that, when one’s best friend Apparates onto one’s doorstep holding the unconscious, haggard body of the schoolyard bully and begging for sanctuary, one ought to invite the two of them in for a cup of tea. Harry Potter sometimes wishes he weren’t so polite.

For: H/D Erised 2023

Read for: Dragon Animagus Draco, Harry taking care of Draco, brilliant writing, a funny as fuck premise – I wanted Draco to stay in his unhinged dragon form forever

🌻 Symptom of Your Touch – NoxNoir (115k, E) 🌻

St. Mungo's Healer Draco Malfoy is used to being pushed to his limits when providing aide to the ailing, but when an unexpected encounter with an out of character Harry Potter throws his life out of balance one night, he is forced to ask himself how far he's willing to push his own levels of discomfort to be of aid to a man in need of help that only he can provide.

Read for: Draco taking care of Harry, Pining, Unrequited love, buckets of sexual tension

🪻 Recursion – Tessa Crowley (132k, E) 🪻

A process is recursive when it defines or contains itself; e.g., the Fibonacci sequence, which determines the next number as the sum of the previous two.

But not all recursive processes are mathematical. Recursion can happen in a temporal context when, for instance, the powerful magical force that is true love drags you back in time so it can create itself, endangering the fate of the Wizarding World—not to mention the very fabric of space and time—along the way.

Read for: Canon Retelling/Divergence, time travel, Slytherin Harry, a truly insane amount of physics/magical theory/intelligence. This fic was too smart for me in the best way. If you liked Chaos Theory read this – it’s even better!

🌸 Cut From the Sky – @mallstars (150k, E) 🌸

"I'm stuck in a time loop, reliving November 2nd. This is the 111th time I've lived through today."

Draco stilled. His moody eyes, the tension in his hands where he gripped onto his umbrella, the careful mask of blankness flickering over his face — everything about him was so difficult and so very dear to Harry.

"Ah," said Draco, "and?"

Note: no rec list for this year could be considered complete without including this one.

Read for: Harry at his most loveable, a relationship story told a hundred different ways, atmospheric worldbuilding, Trans representation.

🌻 In the Blood – BiscuitBrunch (225k, E) 🌻

Harry Potter thinks Draco Malfoy is a slimy git of a defense lawyer, who couldn't care less about doing the right thing.

Draco Malfoy thinks Harry Potter is a filthy pig of an Auror, who couldn't care less about doing the right thing.

They fight, fuck, fall in love, and fight some more.

When they're on the brink of getting their shit together and starting a family, a blood curse surfaces that threatens the lives of Draco and their unborn child.

Read for: badass lawyer Draco, deep exploration of a relationship, working through trauma, slice of life, mpreg

[terapsina]

Now that the writers and actors strike is about to begin being felt (and as we wait for those greedy billion dollar companies who are refusing to negotiate fair pay and conditions to give up) here's 10 of my favorite (all around best) fully finished older series you should definitely check out if you haven't watched.

I mean it, these are the shows with continuously great writing and a satisfying endings that manage to actually deliver on their promises.

-----

1. Leverage - (containing 5 seasons, or 77 episodes) - trailer here.

Hitter, Hacker, Grifter, Thief and Mastermind. Heists and cons. Stealing from the rich and giving to their victims. They provide... leverage.

Meant for anyone who enjoys bad guys being the best good guys, who will burn down the lives of evil CEOs and then gloat in the background. Very satisfying.

Hands down the best example of a found family trope I've ever seen on screen. Barring none.

2. Killjoys - (containing 5 seasons, or 50 episodes) - trailer here.

Space Bounty Hunters. Another case of found family trope. Bisexual space princess assassin. Quippy sentient ship. Green alien goo. Evil lesbians (but like... in a good way). The warrant is all.

More seriously though, it's a story about three killjoys and the bounties they go after. Initially. And then they have to save the entire Quad from some very terrifying... stuff.

Contains one of the best friendships I've ever seen on television.

3. Orphan Black - (containing 5 seasons, or 50 episodes) - trailer here.

Found family trope but with clones.

Low level grifter sees a woman who looks exactly like her kill herself and plans to take over her identity long enough to cash out. Except then there's two other women who also look exactly like her. And apparently they're all clones and someone's killing them.

Enter a global conspiracy. Human experimentation. Lots of clone shenanigans. Some serial killings. And a few murders 💖.

4. Person of Interest - (containing 5 seasons, or 103 episodes) - trailer here.

Okay I'm beginning to see how I might have a found family trope issue.

Former CIA agent gets recruited by a reclusive billionaire computer programmer who developed a... machine that can predict acts of terror before they happen. But it also predicts 'irrelevant' acts of violence that will result in someone's death.

Unless someone interferes.

I'd really like to spoil some stuff to get you all to watch this one. But I'm going to maintain self control and just mention that early on they get a dog named Bear. Bear is a very good boy. Watch it for Bear.

Also for excellent commentary on rights of privacy, government surveillance and what does 'greater good' even mean? But mostly Bear.

5. 12 Monkeys - (containing 4 seasons, or 47 episodes) - trailer here.

The very best time travel show out there. What starts out as a confusing mess of causality basically exploding, by the end of the series all makes complete and total sense.

(when that final timey-whimey loop slid into place and revealed the entire pattern it was like a choir of angels started singing in the back of my head. It was freaking glorious).

Anyway, a man from a post apocalyptic future travels into the past to stop a plague from decimating nearly the entire world population.

He has the name of the man who released the virus and it's supposed to be a single trip. One trip. One bullet. Simple. Done.

Except then things keep escalating, and escalating until time begins eating its own tail and it might start looking like the end of the world might be a better ending than erasing all of time and space from reality.

Because when our guys screw it up, they screw it up GOOD.

And oh yeah... found family.

6. The Good Place - (containing 4 seasons, or 53 episodes) - trailer here.

A self-proclaimed Arizona dirtbag opens her eyes and finds out that she's dead and got accepted in the Good Place. Except that as soon as she arrives the Good Place starts glitching, and she really, REALLY needs to become a better person before she can be found out and kicked out to the Bad Place.

Luckily her assigned soulmate was a professor of ethics and moral philosophy.

One of the funniest, most thoughtful and clever comedies I've ever watched. Ever. The characters are delightful and by the time the final minute rolled around I had sobbed my heart out multiple times (which, as we all know, is a sign of the very best comedies out there).

As for the question of whether or not this too contains Found Fami- Yes! Obviously, yes.

7. Avatar: the Last Airbender - (containing 3 seasons, or 61 episodes) - intro here (couldn't locate the trailer but it's basically the same thing in this case).

The four nations lived in harmony. Until the Fire Nation attacked.

It's been a hundred years since the beginning of the war when two kids from the Southern Water Tribe find a boy frozen in ice and wake him up. A boy who's able to bend all four elements... though not very well.

Enter multi-nation flying road trip (thank you Appa, we love you most of all) as they try to find teachers for the Avatar and save the world.

Includes found family (shut up), amazing fight scenes, the most heartfelt and vivid characters ever, and the best example of a redemption arc actually done well.

8. Love Between Fairy and Devil - (containing 1 season, or 36 episodes) - trailer here.

This one gutted me. I'm saying this as a compliment. But it had to be said. Completely destroyed me. I just haven't been the same.

A love story between an Orchid Fairy and the leader of the Moon Tribe that starts out with her accidentally releasing him from millennia long imprisonment and then takes you through the caleidoscope of all possible human emotions (it's a body-swap comedy through the first part, then a romcom, then a dramatic romantic tale, and finally a tragic love story).

But it's such a satisfying slow burn.

And it carries this... humanity through the whole thing that makes it so visceral.

If you're a romantic who's very tired of instalove and characters dropping all their morals because 'ooh, attractive person' then you've got to watch this. Because this story does NOT take the easy road there.

(my more extensive rec for this series can be found here)

9. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - (containing 7 seasons, or 133 episodes) - fanmade trailer here (it was better than any of the official ones).

This series did so much. Introduced Ahsoka Tano, and made us love her. Gave names and faces and souls to the Clone Troopers (okay, it's the same face but you know what I mean), to a point where their endings during Order 66 destroyed me just as much as the ending of the Jedi Order. And somehow made me both love Anakin AND be a million times more angry with him.

There are some arcs in this series that might be a bit weaker. But there were some... god, there's a reason I love Clone Wars more than any other series or trilogy in this universe. And I'm not even a little ashamed to say it.

Must watch for Disaster Lineage shenanigans; for the vod'e; AND for the Jedi (who did their best okay? They always did their best 😭💔).

(and on the subject of found family... do I even need to comment)

10. Nikita - (containing 4 seasons, or 73 episodes) - trailer here.

A rogue assassin that escaped Division - covert government agency that takes recruits out of prison, fakes their deaths and then forces them to become spies and assassins - has come back to take it down. Brick by brick if she has to. With guns and explosives too when that works better.

Contains soooo many cool fight scenes. Is full of incredible characters you'll fall in love with (and hate with) very quickly. And most of all has an incredibly complex relationship of mentorship and friendship between two women that holds both great admiration and betrayal, real care and love as well as rage and hatred, forgiveness, mutual respect and an unbreakable kind of bond that so very rarely involves even one female character on TV, let alone two.

(as usual, found family tropes up the wazzoo).

-----

In conclusion. We all know there's going to be a large space between seasons of our favorite shows now (and some shows that aren't going to survive it). Let's fill that space with some excellent TV we haven't had a chance to see yet.

And direct the blame for the wait towards the right place (i.e. the studios).

[zenaidamacrouras1]

Marvel Trumps Hate - Last Day

Hello, the above gif is me. (except I am a pigeon, imagine it as a very innocent pigeon).

There is, at the time of me writing this, about 12 hours left of bidding on Marvel Trumps Hate. And there are, at the time of me writing this, wayyyy too many amazing writers of Stucky going for amazing steals. Here are some author's offering you your VERY OWN bespoke Stucky fic for under $100 USD.

(and don't forget about podbidding - splitting up auctions with a few other bidders to make them even more affordable!)

Given the dozens of hours of work that can go into a fic, honestly, these are incredible deals!

1114 – buckybarnesdeservestobehappy @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy

This auction is for a fic with any Bucky-centric ship. This includes polyamorous relationships. The length of the fic will be based on the final total, unless otherwise requested by the auction winner.

1136 – Atsadi @Atsadi

The three characters I'm most comfortable writing for are MCU Steve, Tony, and Bucky, and any combination of ships thereof (Stony, Stucky, Winteriron, Stuckony). I will write other characters, ships, and some other universes, but you'll need to check this with me first.

1153 – hkandi @hkandiu

I would like to collaborate with you for this to really explore what you would like and make it worthwhile for you! I like to write humor into my stories, even if it's just sarcasm. Thanks for reading!

1111 – merrythoughts @merrythoughts

As much as we all need and love happy and fluffy fanwork, fandom can provide us with a safe space to explore darker and ambiguous dynamics and endings. That said, I try to be respectful when dealing with any serious subject matter, and darker themes aren't thrown around casually or for shock value.

1093 – Voylitscope @voylitscope

Some of the most frequently used tags on my fics are: romance, making out, and porn with feelings. I feel like this is an accurate summary of my strengths as a fic writer. You should be able to get a good idea of my style by looking through my A03. I'm open to any rating and to nearly all tropes/AU types, etc. I am primarily a Steve/Bucky writer, but I'm happy to branch out a little for this auction.

1139 – tessabennet @tessabennet

If you want a new fic, I'm open to certain AUs based on canon divergence. Contact me so we can work out what you'd like me to write, based on your suggestions or my own. The fic will have a minimum of 10k words, but depending on what we'll work out this can likely become more.

3007 – papermacherainbow @papermacherainbow

I love writing BDSM, omegaverse, daddy/mommy kink, loss of virginity, and general smut with a side of fluff. I also enjoy playing with sexual identity crises. If you have any questions about your prompt before bidding, feel free to contact me.

4005 – sparkagrace @sparkagrace

My works are usually on the plottier/character driven sides, but I can write a more straight-forward fic if you would prefer. I am very open to you being involved in the process to make sure it’s tailored to your wants for this bid.

1178 – Ginny_Potter @hipsterdiva

I enjoy writing pre-War and wartime Stucky because I am a history nerd. I am also very meticulous about my historical accuracy so this means period typical homophobia and such.

1167 – narqueen @narkik

I am most comfortable writing explicit/NSFW fic, especially darkfic. I am comfortable writing anything under the dead dove spectrum, including: rape, dubcon, incest, age gap, HTP, mpreg, A/B/O, kidnapping, etc. That being said, angst/dark content does not have to be the focus of the work. I am also open to romantic comedy premises, and hurt/comfort or angst with a happy ending is fine.

1119 – Metalbvcky @metalbvcky

I aim to provide a Stucky-centric story of the bidder’s desired flavor. I write Steve/Bucky primarily and have continued to do so for the past four years. Many of my works are AU, specifically Modern, but I also enjoy canon (divergence!) as well as Shrunkyclunks.

1079 – ThisOneSatellite @thisonesatellite

I can do lots of plot and action, or quiet character studies, or both. Anything with a real emotional connection and resonance. Baggage can be unpacked, trauma worked through, angst conquered, or pining pined - and all of this can happen in a hail of bullets or while holding hands and sharing a bed. i also love comic relief, sarcasm, sass, and snappy comebacks. Dialogue is actually one of my strengths.

1042 – Skarabrae_stone @captaintoomanybattles

I am offering a fic of up to 5k words. A bid of over $30 will receive a fic of up to 10k words. If there's a specific trope or plot idea you'd like to discuss with me before bidding, please feel free to contact me!

1088 – dharmashark @dharmasharks

I’m up for pretty much any era and flavor of Stucky (e.g. Prewar Pining, WW2 Battle Boyfriends, Recovery, Shrinkyclinks, Shrunkyclunks, modern setting, you get the idea) and most AUs.

1087 – Cass

Will create works that contain: AU (Sports, College, Street Racing), coffee shop, Enemies to lovers, Fake relationship, Best friend’s sibling, etc.

2014 – SquadOfCats @norelationtoatticus

I am offering one Stucky fic, specially for you! Smut is welcome but not required, and I'll do anything from a PWP to a more plotty story with romance in it. My general tone/style of fic tends to be bonkers, off-the-wall, highly specific concepts, executed with a surprising amount of humor and heart.

2052 – rillils @rillils

I’ll be happy to write fluff, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, pretty much any AU, kidfics, most romantic tropes (e.g. there was only one bed, meet cute, arranged marriage, period romance, soulmates, friends to lovers, etc.), as well as smut (I’m fine with both mild and explicit sexual content).

1151 – Katie_Delaney

I write a lot of A/B/O, but happy to do non-A/B/O too. I'm open to most prompts as long as they're not on my don't like list. Please feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss before bidding.

1063 – BonkyBornes

I'm more of a character-driven writer; you can take a look at my works on my A03. I am open to writing shrinkyclinks, shrunkyclunks, modern AUs, soulmate AUs, etc. Please note that I will not write any explicit scenes.

2043 – King Of Sorrow

Most of my work is AU and tends to have some humor/comedy/crack. Also my pairings are always truly madly deeply head over heels for each other (even if they don't realize it yet). My favorite is Stucky, but happy to do BuckyxClint and BuckyxTony and even Cap Quartet.

Caveats:

1. I have a fever and may have missed you on accident. Send me a note and I'll add and "I love you, I'm sorry" as the song goes.

2. I only put auctions that were under $100 at time of writing and had Stucky as a standalone ship because I had to narrow somehow. There is a LOT OF REALLY GOOD STUFF Y'ALL.

3. The order is random

4. also my own auction is still under $100!

[merakiui]

hello!! omg your newest Rollo fic... I've been thinking about it nonstop I swear!!! I'm obsessed with all your Rollo works, you just write him so creepy and obsessive - so fitting for a man who takes everything to fanatic extremes. I particularly loved the cultish religious themes in this, so in character for him.

such a chilling premise to start. mangled wings made of bone and sinew and fake feathers?? so horrifying and gorey, more like the image of a fallen angel than anything else. and the fact that an appropriate lamb had to be searched for. perhaps the righteous one had to stalk for months to find just the perfect opportunity to lure his angel :)

the fact that the handkerchief is actually darling's... omg that stuck with me. creepy down bad despicable priest can't resist darling's scent even if it means stealing her things 👀

and the stockholm syndrome? literally tearing his angel apart and stripping her bare, just to rebirth (indoctrinate) her into the religion just like everyone else, hanging on his every word. so thoroughly broken that fingering her before a congregation is definitely Normal and a sacred holy event and not a sinful perversion (not that Rollo sees a difference between the two).

the period blood too AAA!! the first time you wrote about his fixation on it I swear you awakened something in me I didn't know existed .///. that man is an absolute fiend.

I could yap forever but!!! anyway I really really like the fic <3 Rollo simps being fed generously today

-🐌 anon (if not taken!)

🐌 anon, hello hello!!!! Omg thank you so much!! I'm so happy you enjoyed the fic!! Rollo works extremely well in contexts with religious themes. I love adding all of the symbolism,,,, I've been meaning to write a cultish fic with Mr. Rollo for quite some time now. I was having the worst cramps of my life the other day and in being doubled over in pain a thought occurred to me: what if Rollo led a group of people who worship this sort of thing??? Thus, this fic was born hehe. :D

I loved writing about the gore and brutality in shaping darling into a proper angel. Or the human equivalent of one. Immediately thrust into a position of (limited) power overseen by Rollo, put on a holy pedestal and made to be this divine creature...... AAAAAA I was actually going to compare Rollo and the cult to wolves, but I felt that was straying into The Test of Faith territory. ^^;;; in any case I love the idea of Rollo searching for the perfect lamb to sacrifice and turn into an angel. <3 poor darling who had no idea of the horrors she would soon endure at the hands of such a crazy man,,,

>:D he's a freak!!! Rollo who took all of darling's possessions (that were on her person when he stole her away) so that he can essentially rewrite her entire existence,,, of course this includes minor things like her handkerchief. I think if anything's spared from flame it's that. The rest of your identity is burned away and from the ashes comes a new title, one you never wanted or needed to begin with. All while he gets to enjoy the sweet scent of darling on his (her) handkerchief.

Rollo being obsessed with periods and period blood is so delicious to me. He's such a creep,,, proving to the congregation that you're still pure because you have your period. Maybe it even keeps him in check when he's overcome with the desire to take you for himself. I think the concept of menstruation in stories is so interesting!! When they did that in Midsommar, I was so :O Rollo being obsessed with your menstrual cycle and fertility is so real to me. Sooner or later, he's gathering some for himself to put in his morning tea....... aaaa such a freak.

Thank you again for enjoying the fic!!! ⸜(｡ ˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ I will always feed the Rollo simps because I myself am so unhealthily obsessed with him!!!

[zephyrnine]

Mother Skarso feed us i’m so hungry your prison sentence has starved me mmmmggrrrsjnn yummer yum

(seriously tho u don’t have to I hope you’re okay, Stay hydrated, fed, and take your meds pookie!)

-Leaf

thank you leaf, omg ofc here’s some personality “headcanons” since i can’t draw right now :D i’m so sorry this is a whole novel but grrr holds them in my hands and rattles them around i heart town of salem and giving personalities to the ugliest character skins you’ve ever seen in ur life /lh

•The Arsonist used to be very stoic and quiet when he first came to Salem, almost awkward in a way. What people didn’t know was that his real personality came out in the night, dousing people’s homes in gasoline happily while whistling a light tune. He’s the man who burnt down the town hall many moons ago and never got caught…Nowadays, he’s found his confidence, and has even earned the town’s trust by being their ‘Bodyguard.’ His favorite color is orange.

•The Serial Killer is a charming individual, one who has many friends and a golden reputation as one of the town’s ‘Doctors’. Behind that disguise, however, is a maniac with a disturbing mind. His true identity is that of a serial killer with a bounty in the thousands, plenty of murders under his belt and no plans on stopping his bloodlust fueled sprees anytime soon. His favorite color is red.

•The Vigilante is very distrusting of a lot of people, but is naive to people who he has previous repor with. He can be fooled very easily, and a lot of people in his life have taken advantage of that. He has a wicked sharp aim and a strong sense of justice, no matter what it takes. Murder is not above him, and the gun always on his hip proves he means business to those in town who are not who they say…but he couldn’t live with himself if his suspicions were wrong. His favorite color is blue.

•The Jailor is a tired, jaded young man who inherited this job from his father. At 22, he was forced to turn his life upside down and give up on his dream of becoming an Investigator—because the town couldn’t go without a jailor. He is truly miserable nowadays, never without bags under his eyes or a flask filled with whiskey in his hands. He is very direct and tolerates little nonsense. His favorite color is lilac.

•The Consort is a shifty businesswoman, offering to distract anyone you need while you do your dirty work for the night… for a hefty fee, of course. Little do the town know, she’s no escort — but rather a Consort, a high ranking soldier in the mafia that looms over town. She is incredibly street-smart and knows how to talk her way out of situations. Despite her tough and confident attitude, deep down she has a dark want; a desire to overthrow the godfather and steal his position. Her favorite color is pink.

•The Consigliere is a lively young woman who has a knack for finding out people’s darkest secrets. She enjoys mysteries, conspiracy and webbing lies. She, too, is apart of the Mafia and is a vital part in its success. She tells the Blackmailer everything that she finds out about the people of Salem; and her favorite color is black.

•The Blackmailer is another mafioso, and the older brother of the Consigliere. He is the type of guy to never be noticed at gatherings to put it bluntly. Kind of boring and honestly mundane, he stands quietly in the corner sipping away on a drink and listening to all the secrets drunk townspeople will spill at the bar. Whenever he finds dirt on a person, he’ll write their secret in a note and send it to them to find in the morning. Whatever he blackmails them with always keeps the person targeted quiet for a day… His favorite color is grey.

[natedogx15]

Miraculous Vigilante AU aka shortly after their apparition, the presence of real life superheroes leads to various citizens of Paris becoming masked vigilantes, making things harder to the heroes.

Things get even harder when some criminals decide to become supervillains and Hawk Moth decides to support them in order to gain an edge on Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Thank you for the message!

This prompt is actually something I wanted to write about but never found the time to do since this school semester has been busy. So, thanks for giving me some extra motivation.

I really like the idea that a bunch of civilians want to become vigilantes. Mr. Damocles and The Owl made me really enjoy the idea along with my prompt of Marinette becoming a hero without a Miraculous. Plus, there are so many ways you could go about that idea.

You could have Max study the Miraculous and try to become like Iron Man using his inventions.

You could have Kim dress up in a bunch of sports equipment and try to use it to fight.

Have Chloe spend her father's money to make a superhero outfit for her and Sabrina.

There are a lot of fun ideas you could do to make heroes without a Miraculous that will cause Ladybug and Cat Noir a headache. Plus, the idea of people becoming supervillains that Hawkmoth can use is also great. It would mean that Hawkmoth would have plenty more pawns besides Chloe and Lila and have more options for people he can give a Miraculous to if he steals one from Team Miraculous. It would also let him put the Peacock in circulation early by using these disposable pawns.

I just imagine Lila wanting to get revenge against Ladybug and Cat Noir by dressing up as a villain and doing her best to mess them up during an Akuma attack from the shadows. Throwing stuff under their feet to slip them up, trying to uncover their identity by following them, and pointing an Akuma in their direction.

Or, you could have Jalil become a villain because he got too into online conspiracy theories and refuses to see reason.

[offbranddrpepsi]

Hello! I'm not sure if you do this so feel free to just ignore this request if you don't :]! Could I request a Reyna X trans! Male reader that already had his surgery but some people were mean to him saying his still a female (how would Reyna react to them, comfort reader, etc) have a great day/night!

I am always open for asks like this because I know how much comfort they can give people as well as it just feels nice to have something like this sometimes. I hope you enjoy it and will be writing it as both top and bottom surgery (though the focus will be top surgery for obvious reasons). This is not proof read as im still a bit sick and finished a book recently so rereading anything makes my brain soup so i apologize for any mistakes.

Reyna is no stranger to being different though she doesn't understand why it is such a big deal for some. As such she is as well read as she can be when it comes to queer issues, especially if they involve her partner or someone close to her. She may not be perfect but she is always willing to listen and understand. Since day one when you introduced yourself she had asked for your pronouns, a habit Gekko had gotten her into, and didn't ask any questions past that. At that point you had obvious defined hips, despite trying to hide them, and a notable bump in your chest as binders weren't perfect but she never questioned it. You called yourself a man so she did and when you came out to her you could tell the dots connecting in her brain as you spoke. If someone misgendered you she would just very bluntly correct them with a "he." then stare at them with those vibrant eyes until you folded. Reyna was like having a guard dog that, even if they disregarded your identity, made it hard for anyone to disrespect you to your face in her presence. As you two grew closer and became a pair she would get a little intrusive but well meaning. She would ask you about physical things ranging from affection to more intimate ones. How you wanted her to handle you or refer to you, if you were comfortable with her seeing you in certain clothing or ways etc. Reyna is a woman who likes to establish clear boundaries and does so with you so she can be the best girlfriend she can be while also making sure you are comfortable. If permitted she can be found at times stealing your clothes like most girlfriends would, favoring anything oversized or jackets. She never stops gushing about her partner and boyfriend, even talking about how her sister would adore you and probably see you as a brother. At the end of the day who you are at the surface doesnt matter to her as she cares more about whats under it all, appearances be damned.

Post surgery shes adorable and overbearing as you heal. She helps change bandages, drains, even helps you shower if needed. Her radiance lets her monitor your heart rate and body temp so at the first sign of any infection or inflammation shes right on top of it making you take medicine and rest. Once you're healed enough she is the first to nuzzle herself into your chest and sit in silence as she hears your heart beat, you breath, just you exist as a more full version of yourself thats hopefully happier being in your own skin. Given how supportive and loving she is she absolutely takes it HORRIBLY when people are still mean and cruel to you. She makes sure to over talk them with your pronouns and correct name, throwing compliments at you in there as well to make them feel absolutely smothered by her. Of course thats when you're there, when you arent shes snarling and threatening them in the way shes best at. Teeth bared shes asking them to repeat themselves, seeing how dedicated they are to their bigotry before tearing into them. If theres one things Reyna is good at its being scary and damn does she scare them into at least being politely silent. When it comes to comforting you shes your biggest fan already but shes admittedly a tad bad at it because she doesn't really get why they have to be like that. Before it made sense because maybe they slipped up or just weren't thinking but now that you've taken steps to masculinize yourself more she sees absolutely zero excuse. Reyna holds you against her and promises to make sure you don't have to hurt again, to weed out those that would treat you this way. She makes threats of ripping tongues out but calms herself to turn her attention to you. You're the one that was hurt by people to small minded to be accepting, being vengeful won't fix that right now. For as long as you need she is there, holding you and talking to you. She talks you into setting up a date where she introduces you to her family that accept you just as she had. She arranges shopping trips to get you more masculine clothes and even helps you donate your old binders to other trans youth. Reyna even pulls Gekko in to "help his big brother out" as theres just some things about being a man that she doesn't understand but knows having someone like him around would be helpful

[the-noted-collector]

is Eckil a fae (something of a weird character study post)

Random thought passed around the discord (among other conversation) is that Eckil is fae-coded.

I mean yeah thinking about it, 'strange uncanny human in a moth wing cloak stealing people's bones' sounds pretty much like a fae sighting to be fully honest.

But then I started thinking about it so now we have more thoughts.

The main thought is that Eckil really is just, like, two steps away from being some kind of fae, if they aren't just straight up one already. It sounds weird but I do have points so here we go, mini-essay/character study time. [Upon reflection while writing, a dehumanization warning is likely warrented for the entirety of this writing as it does highly discuss themes of detacting from humanity and explicit seperation. I will also give warnings on mentions of death/killing, mentions of military service/being gone for long periods, commentary on social expectations of the Victorian Era, potentially some discussion of tramua, and general themes of social seperation/detactment/otherness.]

Uncanny

One of the main points here is Eckil's uncanniness. I know I don't post to Tumblr often on it yet (as it comes later in Eckil's Tale then we're at, and I don't usually just post on my ocs here) but thanks to MA developments Eckil has many traits that would be considered uncanny to regular people (more canines, more diamond/rhombus like irises, nails being more akin to claws, overall just...sharper then a human should be).

While it is rooted from MA, and therefore could just be explained as typical Neathy effects of such a study, the specific way it manifests does cause Eckil to seem more akin to something like a fae/changeling or skin-stealer then what often happens when folks change from MA (often becoming more like were-creatures, from what I've seen of some friends). With the potential of further change when they hit MA 7 (and some possible changes soon from hitting 5), I feel it just becomes more likely that they really do end up looking like a fae rather then a human. How MA affects a character's humanity is...up to interpretation, but for Eckil I do think there's a point where it began to seperate them from being fully human.

Something to say on this is also that Eckil actively accepts being inhuman, too. Less a point on them being a fae specifically but it feels important to acknowledge that Eckil does enjoy these changes on a personal standpoint (how they feel on how it makes others view them is...tricky, to say the least, but that's not the point of the post).

Slight Explanation

Another point is..where we start to get into more personality stuff then simply analyzing peligin.

Eckil wants to be seperate from (human) society and it's expectations. While this...arguably isn't a point as to them being a fae, it helps explain some of their actions and feelings, especially towards societal morals and limitations for certain topics (particularly on death and art).

It also makes for a very fragile and strange line when you factor in that Eckil doesn't want to be viewed as not themself. Identity and retaining it is something very important to Eckil, so is the notion that while someone can change they are still the same person. However Eckil's view on being percieved as human is remarkably different (in that they don't care if they are seen as human or something else).

Like I said, this is far less a point for them being a fae, and far more a general explanation of some of the other things I'm gonna bring up, and why they hold some of the views they do.

Viewpoints

Things that don't really factor into either proof of humanity or fae, but feel important to acknowledge as views Eckil has regarding humanity, themself, and morality (particularly due to relevance to the conversation). This will also elaborate some on why Eckil has these viewpoints, which will include references to their past on the Surface and potentially some on their time in the army. Perhaps I'll make another post elaborating on Eckil's life, but for now the references will be as brief as they can understandably be.

• Prior mentioned apathy towards being considered human or other (general thing they picked up from being in the Neath and around humaniod/inhuman folk)

• Prior mentioned apathy/hatred for socialital expectations (this bases some in their experiences of returning from being gone for years and having almost no-one actually listen when they tried to acknowledge that they saw some fucked up things while serving, as well as in being expected to be married and start a family, tying into the next viewpoint mention) [another note here; when they DID finally begin to act different (like expected) and it didn't fall into what people thought was respectable, Eckil did experience a period of being considered bad to be around and became something of a social outcast. Part of why this is hatred, and not simply a dislike or bordering on neutrality]

• Prior mentioned fear towards being considered someone else entirely (once again, based in returning from service and being treated like a entirely different man. Many experiences and shown ideals they expressed before leaving were considered void, and they were expected to act in a entirely different manner, be someone entirely new, and start their own family almost immediately despite this and trying to process everything.)

• Obsession with the human framework, particularly a focus on bones/the notion that humans are marvelous architecture (something that began to be seen early on in the Neath, and likely rooted from Surface experience, that has slowly developed over time, coming to a full realization upon going through Godfall and seeing the Shapeling Arts in full action)

• Change is good, change should be sought, change (particularly a high amount of change) is growth and beauty (this is something that developed during their service, and came into full consideration in the Neath (not that it didn't affect their actions on the Surface, however it factors more when you can literally change your own body parts) [note; Eckil views 'change' and 'developments' as two mostly seperate concepts. Developments are nuanced and can be bad.]

• Death is beautiful (came to light in the Neath after some conversations with the boatman and self-reflection)

• Art can change and be made into new art (this came somewhere inbetween 'death is beautiful' and 'humans are architecture', can't say exactly when)

• Not a viewpoint but a trait that they have yet to acknowledge that skews their mentality around this; Eckil experiences some meshing between themself and inhuman figures (the most prominent example being the Vake during BaL) and therefore has far less qualms around inhumanity. It's due to a few things but important to note as something that happens to them, especially when mental fuckery gets involved.

Actions

Some actions Eckil often takes that could be considered fae-like (or at least something most usual people aren't likely to be doing). Of course, this is mostly of my own analysis and I will have my biases around what is and isn't fae-like; if anyone has a behavior of theirs that I haven't mentioned that they feel could be noteworthy, feel free to say so.

• The whole bonestealing thing. That in general is something a little odd and was part of why I originally began to debate this.

• Connected to this, why they steal bones in the first place (they see it in itself as a art, that can make more art).

• Deliberate use of uncanniness, primarily for hunting or intimidation

• Remarkably casual about things most would consider unnerving or morally wrong (not entirely indicative of being fae-like and not just fucked up, but still) [note: there is some limits to this too.]

• Gets very...antsy about being expected to do something in line with society, regardless on if they would want to on a personal level

• Often simply appears at gatherings, despite being a terrible socializer and disliking encountering new people (admittedly very ????)

• Can be attracted via odd means (often by offering bone or speaking of hunting and murder)

• Despite usual bluntness, becomes very indirect about deals and vows, allowing for easy manipulation of interpretation

And with all that covered...

[momonica05]

Jack Jack - my tav for the "jack of all trades" achievement!

My urge to info dump about an oc won so now please, meet my son: Jack Jack (I don't know how to make a good blog post on tumblr, so I apologize if the images are a little too big)

JJ wasn't born a tiefling. He actually came from a family of humans, but he has no recollection of it outside of his father and grandparents, whom he hates with all his heart

At the age of 6, his father disobeyed his patron (for a good reason, but he doesn't know that, hehe). But instead of punishing his father directly, JJ was the target. He was turned into a Mephistopheles tiefling that day, and his family was horrified. He remembers the look of pure hatred and fear from his grandparents, shouting at him, saying he was now a devil. He doesn't remember his father's face, but he remembers his fingers, pointing at the door, and his husky voice "get out"

Since then, he had to live at the city of Baldur's Gate all by himself. He had some friends, partners, and even a mentor (which the dream visitor had taken form of)... but he never got back what he lost that day: love and identity

He spent a good portion of his life, mainly his adolescence, trying to "fit in". He even cut his horns off, which he regretted later down the road as he's now more confident in who he is. Beeing cursed by a devil at the age of 6, as one might imagine, was no easy feat. And aside from gaining an appearance that everyone deemed as "hellspawn", he also gained powers. Powers in which he can not control very well, but powers nonetheless (sorcerer wild magic)

After a whole life of stealing, performing, trying out magic and needing to run because uh oh you accidentally sumoned a troll in a bar! He... well, his life continued shit, but he never gave up. He had some not so trustworthy friends, but hey, as long as they're not a devil or a warlock, he's a very social guy!

Before he was captured by the mindflayers, he was actually planning on traveling around! He wanted to get all his skills worked on. Maybe study a bit more of his magic, as a wizard.... maybe becoming a bard with his musical talent... hell, maybe he'd finally accept his calling for the rogue life! The opportunities were endless!

That is until, of course, he got a tadpole in his mind... but eh, he was planning on traveling one day anyways, so why not use this as an excuse? (definitely not frightened at all haha what do you mean?)

So far, he's really enjoying his adventure! Here's what he thinks about each companion:

Lae'zel: heh, she wants to kill me! (nervously sweating and trying to do what she says because he's terrified, but also really likes her interrogation methods!)

Shadowheart: she's hiding something. She ain't fooling me...

Astarion: he's also hiding something, never EVER trust the snobs from the upper city.... unless, of course, you want their money/sleep with them. (thinks Astarion is a less hot version of him, with how similar they act. Except JJ actually has a soft spot for children and little rascals, so he'll always help them. He's more chaotic good)

Gale: i really liked him and wanted him to teach me how to do magic safely, but never mind! He just ate my magic spear, which doesn't seem very safe...

Wyll: he makes me angry with how he challenges my morals, okay? you shouldn't be nice! You're a warlock! (has a mental breakdown watching Wyll get transformed like he did and wonders if his father was a good man like Wyll all along)

Karlach: I was deadset on killing her... turns out she's not a devil! just a person like me! i really like her (wants to kill Zariel and enter rage like Karlach one day)

BONUS:

He knew damn well what he was getting into but opened the door anyways and said he was gonna write a smut about it (he's batshit insane)

Anyways... I guess that's it. That's all I have for now, I haven't progressed much into the game... sorry if his information is a little scattered around, I don't have it organized and probably didn't mention somethings (he chose his name, for example)

[karatekels]

Finally! For so long there was almost no Gus content (I remember one great post with headcanons from @terrence-silver and some lovely fanarts here and there but that's it). I can't wait to read your stories!

Since you mentioned you're waiting for asks could your write a story about reader being undercover cop trying to infiltrate Gus and his group but he finds out and decides to punish her?

Hello everyone, I've missed you! Thanks for bearing with me through the combination of life and getting shadowbanned. This request is one I had initially planned to add to Dark Desires October, but we're well past that now, so just enjoy! This is going to have a very dark second chapter and then a short epilogue, so stay tuned!

---

TW: Crime, stalking, domestic violence (referenced), assault or murder (implied, off-screen), slipping someone drugs, abduction [and it will only get worse from here]

---

In Deep Water

Chapter 1: Making Waves

You check the watch on your wrist again; it’s nearly four o’clock in the morning. The sun will be rising soon – you have to get out of here quickly.

You take one last crack at the safe, holding your breath as you try to work out the combination, your earpiece connected to a diaphragm that lets you hear the tiniest clicks from within the safe like a stethoscope. There’s a clunk, and you barely keep yourself from letting out a cry of victory as you pull open the door to the safe, your gloved hands greedily reaching in and pulling out the binders of bonds. You slip them into the bag on your back before resetting the safe and hightailing it out of there, your footsteps barely audible.

Once you’re out of the building you keep to the shadows as you make your way to the nearby docks, trying to keep your pace measured to avoid attracting unwanted attention on the off-chance somebody was awake and watching. Your target was a smaller, lesser crime family, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t dangerous.

You make it to the docks just before sunrise, joining three other men in ski masks and hoods, identical bags slung over their shoulders. Right on schedule, The Lucky Mermaid drives up, stopping right at the edge of the dock and allowing you all to quickly hop aboard, disappearing out into the open ocean – you would put some time and distance between the boat and the warehouse you had just hit before looping around and returning to shore.

You all make your way into the cabin where the captain is steering the ship, the five of you crowded in the cramped space. Everyone else towers over you – they were big, tough-looking men, far more like the stereotypical criminal than your own short, slender frame. The captain in particular can barely stand upright in the cabin, his messy brown curls hanging in his eyes as he looks down at you, slightly stooped over.

“You get ‘em?” he asks you with a sly grin. You nod, pulling off your bag and opening it to reveal its contents. Gus thumbs through the bonds, his hand briefly brushing yours as you hold the bag open for him, and your breath hitches at the contact.

“Nice work,” he praises you, clapping you on the shoulder with a large hand and giving it a squeeze. “Bit of a rush, isn’t it?” he says knowingly, his blue eyes bright. You grin at him, tugging off your ski mask and letting your hair down.

“It’s definitely more enjoyable stealing from the competition!” you agree, smiling at him before pulling your hoodie over your head. You add your mask and hoodie to the bag one of the crew holds out for you and put on your favourite blue one; the sea breeze is chilly, and you want to differentiate yourself from the shadowy figure in dark clothing that had just stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bonds.

The others add their gear to the bag, which is then stowed in the storage compartment under one of the benches, out of sight.

“Well, I think we all agree that you have more than earned a place for yourself on my crew, Y/N,” Gus tells you with a warm smile, the rest of the team murmuring their agreement, and you lift one side of your mouth in a lopsided grin.

“Of course I have,” you say with mock-arrogance. “None of you big oafs could have fit through that window!”

The others laugh good-naturedly, gradually shuffling off to find a flask to warm their bodies or a corner to rest in; the day had just begun, but your shifts were over. You stay standing next to Gus, still unaccustomed to being at sea and needing to look out on the horizon to prevent yourself from getting nauseated. You’re both quiet for awhile, not speaking until he begins to steer the boat in a wide turn, heading for Harbour Manor.

“You’re sure that I’m good enough to be on your crew?” you ask Gus hesitantly, worrying your lower lip between your teeth as you look up to him.

“Good enough?” he repeats incredulously, raising an eyebrow at you. “Sweetheart, you’re going to be my secret weapon!”

You give him a shy smile at his reassurance, and he grins at you, his eyes lingering long enough that you feel the need to repress a sudden shiver. His faith in you isn’t something to be taken lightly; he was fairly high up in Malcolm’s ever-expanding mob, having risen through the ranks over the years. For him to have taken you under his wing in just over a month was nothing short of a miracle considering his paranoia, especially when it came to women; there's a reason that you are the only girl on his crew.

One of the other members of Gus’s team had spoken to you briefly about it, once – Gus hadn’t worked with a woman since his ex-wife, Natalie, who had betrayed him and ran off with some guy (and his money) a couple of years ago. Apparently Gus had been infuriated for ages, before seeming to bottle it up suddenly one day and channel it into aggressively working his way up to the upper echelon of Malcolm’s organization. Regardless, you being accepted into his crew is no small feat.

You’d gotten the sense that maybe he was interested in you – you’d felt his eyes on you before you’d even spoken, that first day you had seen each other, before you had even done anything worth catching his eye, so presumably you were somewhat attractive to him. You’d caught him still staring as you snatched an inattentive businessman’s wallet, and initially thought that he was going to rat you out, his eyes glittering as they tracked your movements. But he hadn’t; in fact, he’d pointed the man in the wrong direction, giving you the opportunity to slip away. Your mouth had dropped open in surprise, and all he’d done was wink at you before you both moved to disappear into the crowd.

You’d gone out of your way to “accidentally” run into him again on more than one occasion, introducing yourself and making small talk, never once bringing up the circumstances of your first encounter. Then he started taking the initiative, showing up at places he knew you would be. And then, one day, he’d taken you to the shore to look at this very boat, asking if you wanted to work with him and what that entailed. It was a far more sustainable way to get by than your petty, solo thieving, and you had eagerly accepted the opportunity, both of you very obviously pleased you could spend more time together.

“Earth to Y/N!” Gus teases, pulling you out of your reminiscing. You blink a few times, looking up at him with embarrassment. “What were you just thinking about so hard, huh?” he asks with a grin.

“Oh jeez, I’m sorry!” you apologize sheepishly. “I was just thinking about…” you bite your lip nervously, trying to build up the nerve to tell him. “…about how different my life is going to be now. Because of you,” you tell him, trying to convey the depth of your gratitude in your gaze. “Thank you, Gus, for giving me a chance to make something of myself.”

For one long moment, Gus stares at you deeply, his expression unreadable. You find yourself fighting to keep still and maintain eye contact with him. Eventually he blinks, lifting one corner of his mouth in a smile.

“Yeah well, don’t let me down, alright?” he says, and you give him a mocking salute, biting your tongue to keep your face neutral.

Gus eventually pulls the boat into the marina, and the other members of the crew hop out and begin tying off the boat.

“Let’s go, Y/N – we’ll need to keep all of this in one place!” one of the crewmates calls to you from the dock, beckoning you to disembark The Lucky Mermaid and join them.

“Actually, I need to chat with Y/N for awhile longer,” Gus cuts in with a tone of finality that leaves no room for argument. He pulls the backpack off of you and tosses it to the crew. “Take hers with you, Alex.”

The man immediately obeys, throwing your bag over his other shoulder, and the three men move to shore. You turn to look up at Gus, trying not to be nervous – this is the first time you’ve been alone with him since you had first started talking, and this is definitely a more secluded location than your previous, public encounters.

“We should do something to celebrate your first successful job. Are you free for dinner tonight?” he asks, getting right to the point. You find yourself gaping at him.

“You… you want to take me to dinner?” you stammer, somewhat incredulous, and you’re sure you must be blushing like mad right about now. Gus seems to be taking in your butterflies with a good deal of amusement, giving you a charming smile. “Like a date?”

“Maybe. It could be,” he says, shrugging his big shoulders and trying to play it off casual. “I had to make sure you were good to run with us before anything else, and now I have. So how about it?”

“I… yeah,” you reply eagerly, still processing the surprising invitation. “I mean, yes, Gus, I’d love to!” you tack on, flustered, and his grin widens.

“Great! How’s Brigoli’s, 7 o’clock?”

That would give you the day to catch up on sleep, maybe get some other work done, and still have time to make yourself look presentable.

“Sounds perfect, Gus. I’ll see you tonight!” you beam at him before nimbly hopping onto the dock, heading for home.

---

The minute you get home and lock your front door behind you, you collapse back against the door, clapping a hand over your mouth. It had worked; you were in with Gus’s gang, and he wanted a more intimate relationship with you.

You desperately want to take a shower and nap, but you need to update your report before you started forgetting details. You head into your bedroom, removing the picture hanging on the wall to reveal a hole concealing a laptop and a wireless router; you leave your badge and gun tucked in the corner of the hidden area.

Opening the computer, your eyes briefly skim the report in progress. You had been investigating Malcolm’s gang for over a year now, and had been looking at Gus in particular for the past four months. After two months of recon, it was determined that you would be the best candidate to go undercover as a petty thief in the hopes of attracting his attentions and getting close.

And you had.

You’d known it was a risk, getting a dangerous, temperamental guy with a history of DV to be interested in you, but if you succeeded in your ruse and got in close, you would be privy to everything in time. And you suppose it wasn’t all acting – Augustus Travis was scum, an abusive man and a criminal through-and-through, but he was more than easy on the eyes. You allowed yourself to check him out during your time together – it would only strengthen your disguise (or so you told yourself).

You take off your shirt, retrieving the tiny camera stashed in your bra, and connect it to the laptop, placing both back in the hidden alcove and replacing the painting. The videos you had taken could back up while you took a shower, but you could never be too careful, and didn’t want to risk leaving such important evidence out unattended, even in your own home.

You hop in the shower, the hot water helping to relax your tight muscles – you found you were always tense these days, the pressure of being caught overwhelming – and try to think of a to-do list while you wash up.

You were scheduled to meet your handler later on today at a local café to give him an update. Jacob was an old friend that you'd trained at the academy with, and it had been decided that having him liaise with you would be safer than one of the more local cops – he shouldn’t be recognized. In some ways, you found interacting with Jacob more difficult with Gus. It was much harder to stay in character when you were talking to someone who actually knew the real you.

You’d check the video uploads once you were out of the shower, nap for a few hours, put together the updated report and print it out to take with you to the meeting. There are a few photographs in particular of the inside of Harbour Manor – what the team had seized in a recent heist, before you had been added to the team – that would go a long way in a criminal trial against Gus, Malcolm, and the whole group. You’d probably get back from meeting Jacob in the late afternoon, giving yourself a bit of time to unwind and prepare for your dinner with Gus.

This was going to work; you could handle playing house with the man.

You’d have to.

Gus’s POV:

Gus shows up outside your house just after noon, after having rested up a bit at the Manor. He liked keeping an eye on you, even if that was only in the form of watching your house while you slept the day away, telling himself that it was just to make sure you weren’t lying to him.

Perhaps it was a bit more than that.

He needed to be sure that you were safe, that you were coming back to him; he needed you in ways he’s not entirely comfortable with.

He hasn’t felt this way since Nat.

He thinks you might be better.

Yeah, maybe he’s being a bit overzealous – you’d only just agreed to go out with him today, after all – so what? He was devoted, committed, passionate. Women appreciated that.

The tinted windows of Alex’s car afford him the perfect view of the front of your house – he knew you would recognize his own vehicle, and he doesn’t want you knowing about the depth of his desires quite yet. You’re probably still asleep; it had been a long night. Perhaps he could slip in just to pay you a visit, just to take in the sight of you at your most vulnerable…

Your front door opens suddenly and he jumps slightly despite himself. Just where the hell did you think you were going?

You’re dressed better than you usually are when you’re looking to swipe a few wallets, and you’re on the phone with someone. He opens the app on his phone that allows him to listen in through the bug he’d planted under your mailbox – being one of Malcolm’s top guys had its perks, and after the incident with his ex-wife, he’d learned to keep track of what was his.

“ –there in about half an hour. No, not the Sea urchin Café, the Seahorse Café!” you clarify, and Gus’s jaw clenches. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing you too! Bye.”

You hang up and walk down the path to your driveway, getting into your car and driving off without a second thought. He debates following, but it would be too suspicious. Plus, he already knows where you’re going.

Scrolling through the contacts on his phone, he finds Frankie’s number. Frankie was an… associate… that worked as a waiter at the Seahorse Café. It provided him ample opportunities to eavesdrop, and it was much easier to conduct ‘business’ in broad daylight when someone on the inside was there to help set things up and keep things quiet. Gus had him stationed at the Café and Louie at Brigoli’s; he’d long since made a habit of having eyes everywhere, since he (regrettably) couldn’t be everywhere at once.

He dials the phone.

“Hey, Frankie? It’s Gus. I need a favour.”

He rattles off the request, giving him your general description and asking him to keep an eye out for you… and whoever you met with. As soon as Frankie is satisfied with his promised payment, Gus hangs up, immediately starting the engine and heading over to the Café. He needs to see this for himself.

He pulls up to the restaurant just in time to see you stand from your chair, greeting a lanky blond man with a smile and a hug that has him seeing red. Infuriated, he sends off some quick texts to Frankie, demanding he determine their relationship as soon as possible. If you were with someone else, if you had lied to his face and told him you wanted him…

He isn’t sure what he’ll do.

Over the next hour or so, Frankie sends him short updates that mostly alleviate his suspicions, though he still can’t help himself, watching your lunch through the restaurant’s windows:

They’re friends.

Old coworkers maybe.

Looks like she just brought some stuff to give him to help him out.

Gus is mostly mollified, but still jealous – he should be the one you’re doing favours for, the one you obey unquestioningly, the one you stick to like glue...

He’s so distracted by his possessive thoughts and dark desires that he misses the awkward, fumbling exchange that you and the man you were with have with Frankie before quickly moving to pay your bill and leave. But he is notified of the situation by a new text from Frankie that pulls him out of his fantasizing:

She’s a cop.

He freezes, the words initially failing to register. When they finally sink in, he’s still not buying it. There was no way. Still, he watches you leave, taking note of the other man’s license plate as he drives off, just in case, and then drives to the back of the restaurant, ordering Frankie to come give him an update face-to-face in a terse text message.

The man climbs into the passenger seat a few minutes later, closing the door behind him.

“What the fuck do you mean she’s a cop?!” Gus hisses at him, getting right to the point. Frankie immediately raises his hands in surrender.

“Look, they were wrapping up their meal and she accidentally knocked over the file folder she’d brought – they’d talked about it like it was some old records for work, and a photograph slipped out. I grabbed it to give back to her, and she completely froze – she looked terrified. I took a quick glance, and…” he hesitates, probably wishing there was more space between himself and an increasingly irate-looking Gus.

“It was the loot from the heist we did a few weeks back, in the Manor, man. If she’s not a cop, she’s at least feeding info to someone else.”

Gus’s rage pours out of him in tangible waves, but he is completely silent for a long moment.

“Get out.”

Frankie all but dives for the door’s handle, flinging himself out of the car to escape, and Gus immediately speeds off in the direction of the Manor, seething.

First Nat, now you? At least Nat had had some loyalty, in the beginning, but now you were coming in to fuck him over, and you’d been lying the whole time? After he’d worked so hard, built himself up, made something of himself? You were going to take everything he’d worked for, take him down, leave him?

No. Not this time. You’d never get the chance.

The minute he reaches Harbour Manor he’s making calls: one to a dealer, one to Louie at Brigoli’s, and one to his guy on the inside at the local car insurance company, who confirmed the car the guy you’d met with had left in as being registered to one Jacob Henson, as well as the man’s address. He jots the information down and hangs up the phone, and just looks down at the slip of paper, a hand covering his mouth.

What a fucking mess you’ve caused by doing this to him.

But it’s nothing compared to what he’s going to do to you.

He moves to the foyer at the front of the house, hollering for Alex and tossing the man his car keys back when he appears at the top of the stairs.

“You’re gonna go find someone for me,” he tells the younger man, handing him the information about Jacob. “And they’re gonna have an accident.”

---

By the time Gus is at the restaurant waiting for you, he’s calmed down somewhat, knowing that it’s necessary if he wants to execute his part of the plan. He’s in a booth that gives the table a degree of privacy but that is close enough to the front for an easy getaway, which would be needed to get you out of here.

You arrive a short time later looking lovely and innocent and he hates you; you could’ve been his partner; now it would take longer, take more work to break you in. But he would break you in with time; he’d picked up a few things since Nat, and would have you compliant and submissive and his in time.

“Hi Gus,” you greet him with a shy smile, and now that he knows it’s bullshit he wants to beat the fake expression right off your beautiful face. Instead, he grins warmly at you, eyes raking over your body poured into a tight black dress. Even if you’d faked your attraction to him, he could still fuck you, he thinks to himself, and the idea helps him stay calm. There will be time to lash out at you later.

“You clean up good, Y/N,” he leers, keeping up the act just as you are, and continues flirting with you until Louie shows up with champagne and two glasses. You look over to him questioningly, and he smiles.

“I mentioned that we were celebrating tonight,” he admits, trying to sound bashful. Louie leaves once he has taken your order and Gus slides a flute over to you, raising his to you.

“To a long and successful working relationship,” he toasts in a low, husky voice, his eyes dark as he watches you bite your lip to keep back what he presumes is a guilty smile before you raise your own glass to clink with his.

“Working relationship, huh?” you tease after a sip of your beverage, and he makes a point of looking you up and down, considering which parts of your body will look the best bloodied and battered.

“Among other things,” he adds suggestively, giving you a wink. You blush and lick your lips, and he senses that your attraction to him may not be a complete lie. That boded well for your future together; it made you even marginally closer to giving into him. That had not been the case with Nat, when he’d first met her – it had been a struggle in the beginning, getting her to accept his love. But she had... Eventually.

He refocuses on you, not wanting to waste any more thought on his traitorous bitch of an ex-wife. You’re surveying him over your champagne, the romantic lighting making your eyes flicker at him. You clearly hadn’t noticed the trace amounts of powder in the bottom of your champagne glass, and as he watches you take another sip he wonders how long it will take for the rohypnol to take effect. He’s nearly giddy at the thought.

“So, was getting me to work with you all just a ploy to get us closer together?” you ask coyly, looking over at him with a flirty smile.

“Oh, I don’t know, I think we could get a bit closer,” he purrs, pointedly sliding a little closer to you in the booth. Time to see how far you were willing to take this thing…

He can hear your soft gasp from across the table, and watches as you gather the nerve to join him, slowly moving yourself down the booth towards him. Halfway to him, your hand slips and you fall forward into his lap with a squeak.

“Oh, sorry!” you say, giggling breathlessly as you right yourself, moving to sit beside him. “That champagne went right to my head!”

“No need to apologize, sweetheart. I’m more than alright with you throwing yourself at me,” he teases, reaching over to take your cheek in his hand gently. Your eyes flutter closed at the contact, and the moment would almost be sweet if he didn’t know it was a ruse influenced by the drugs starting to take effect.

“Maybe I’m getting sick or something; this doesn’t feel right,” you mumble, looking up blearily at him. He gives you a look of mock sympathy, deciding to let you in on the scheme.

“What’s wrong?” he asks innocently. “Should I call someone for you? Maybe… Jacob?”

You tense up, your eyes wide as they try to focus on his face.

“W-What?” you ask groggily, and he gives you a mocking smile. He stretches his arms up and lays them along the back of the booth, his jacket opening just enough that you notice his gun at his hip, even in your loopy state.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he tells you, bending to speak quietly in your ear. To anyone that looked, you both appeared just like a couple out for a romantic evening. “Those drugs I had put in your glass are going to start to kick in. You’re going to come to my car with me, nice and easy, and no one gets hurt. And then we’re going to go have a talk.”

He kisses you softly, right below the ear, throws some cash down to cover the champagne – Louie had never put your food order through – and half drags, half carries you up out of the booth, reassuring everyone that you were just feeling under the weather, and sweeps you up into his arms. He’s pretty sure he hears a couple of women coo at the sweet picture the two of you make.

Perfect.

Carrying you out of Brigoli’s, he walks with you to his car, settling you in the passenger seat.

“Sleep, sweetheart,” he coos patronizingly, and you can’t even glare at him, your eyes rolling into the back of your head as the drugs really start to kick in. “You’re going to have a lot to answer for when that wears off.”

He buckles your seatbelt for you, almost tenderly, before closing your door and walking around the car to take his seat behind the wheel. As he drives you both to Harbour Manor (emptied of witnesses for the next day or so at his instruction), he looks over at you, his heart clenching with adoration for you even as his hands grip the steering wheel so hard he worries he’ll break it.

You wouldn’t be getting away from him. Not like last time. Not like Nat. You’d take the beating both of you deserved for trying to leave him, for lying to him.

And then he’d make sure you never fucked with him again.

[As you can see, I am in need of decent quality screenshots of this movie, if anyone has access to a better version than the one on YouTube and wants to help me out!]

Chapter 2 | Epilogue

[iiryebreadii]

EoW thoughts!! I wrote them as I was playing :)

It is Long so it's under a cut!

OKAY these bullet points I made as I was playing, but I stopped writing things down after a while just to focus on the game. and then I got distracted and finished the entire zora section

My first surprise, I went "YOU PLAY AS LINK??" which is an utterly deranged thing to be surprised about in literally any other zelda game

Return of dedicated jump button!! parkouring time

Ganon laughing after being murderized is probably not a great sign I'll be honest

Zelda breaking out!! RUNNING FROM THE CRACKS IN REALITY!! and little golden light to guide us!! Intriguing

She's been gone a week and there have been rifts in that time already? So what link fell into wasn't a new phenomenon

Some of these villager voice lines are very very reminiscent of botw/totk, i wonder if they reused some of the sounds??

okay so the rifts are Really not new, if they been appearing for 'a long time' according to the king, stealing specifically children? and now adults, too, for whatever reason

DAD NOOOOOOO

WRIGHT AND LEFTE TOO?? WE CANT HAVE ANYTHING NICE

ooo this is clever, I was wondering why Zelda was wearing Link's cloak in the trailer, but if the people all think she's the one causing the rifts then it makes sense! She's gonna have to hide her identity (to avoid EXECUTION?? ok nintendo. good heavens). Also, generic King of Hyrule sacrificing his life to save his beloved daughter, king rhoam bosphoramus hyrule could never

TRI!! It's nice to meet you :) you are very casual about this whole execution thing, friend. They feel very inhuman, but in the fun way, like they don't quite understand human limits. like what do you mean you can't phase through these bars? i mean, that's weird, but you can have this magic stick I guess

I really enjoyed the stealth bit getting out of the dungeons! And Impa!!! IMPA!!! I love you badass old lady :') thank you for coming my escape and giving me a musty old dress. maybe taking off the crown would've helped the disguise. whatever. zelda's going through the wringer, she deserves to keep her crown if she wants

This game is very pretty :) also I just got my first piece of heart! Had to do some clever stacking on various objects to reach it, but I managed!! I really like the problem solving so far

second heart piece acquired

LINK'S HOUSE. WAAAAAAAAA I NEED TO SAVE HIM

As soon as I gained access to monster echos I started saying "go my scarab" every time I make one to fight other monsters for me

OK so after all that, I started just playing without writing things down, but I still wanna keep track of my thoughts!! I found a bunch of other heart pieces, and I REALLY like the puzzle solving in this game. The switches to more 2D platformer sections are SO fun and such a great idea, since it has way more of that classic, tightly designed puzzle stuff that zelda is so known for. At the same time, you have so many options for other ways to solve problems and think creatively, im having so much fun with it!

The wealth of options kind of makes me overthink things lol, like the first heart piece I found would have been incredibly easy to access via the water, but for some reason I didn't think that was an option, and instead spent a solid 5 minutes figuring out the right combination to stack items and get on top of something two blocks high, so I could climb the surrounding cliffs to reach the heart piece. But also, I felt so dang accomplished by the end, I wasn't even mad that there was an easier way! Plus, I used the knowledge I gained there in the future, to help me access various parts of the terrain :D

The dungeons!! I've finished the first one, and also the zora questline :) im really enjoying the return to more classic dungeon design, but like I said before, it's still open to plenty of options in solving the puzzles. The still world is very cool, I like the vibes. The fact that a ton of children have been taken there and never returned? Spooky. I'm gonna give my early-game theory now, and guess that Tri's friends come from the lost children that fell into the rifts. Idk those are the vibes rn.

The combat is fun! mostly in the way I'll send out a monster and stand back to watch them rip each other apart. the peahat is my favorite I love that thing

Also!!! Link!! Falling into the rift, but escaping with a few others? Losing his ability to speak from it? The way you meet so many other characters around the world that have met him and been touched by his life??? He's had his own whole adventure before zelda!! That's reflected in his abilities and hearts and stuff in the beginning, but still!! It's cool to see glimpses of what he was up to before saving zelda.

I'm working on the gerudo questline right now, just started the dungeon, and link(?) is here! It might be another shadow like the one from the first temple, but it would be neat to think that he's been working to help from the still world while we help in the original one :)

ANYWAY I'll make another post when I've got more to say but so far im really loving echos of wisdom!! Zelda's characterization in this is so fun, I love her :')

[thornescratch]

15 people, 15 questions

@snipertrifle tagged me in the 15 things meme, and it's been sitting in my drafts since early October and I finally finished it.

1. Are you named after anyone? Yeah, my mom told my dad's sister she would name her first girl after her, since my aunt passed away young before I was born, and then they had to find a name that worked with that name. So, my middle name is for my aunt, and my first name was a convenience of assonance accompaniment.

2. When was the last time you cried? Like, actual sustained crying, back in June when my dad died. Some occasional tearing up since then, but each time I have immediately walled it off like some kind of imaginary cask of Amontillado because I have legitimately not had the goddamn time for an emotional breakdown until recently. (Now that it's November, I finally do have the time, but my brain is all, 'Hmm. No. I think we better wait for something innocuous in public to set you off unexpectedly. Perhaps the next time you got to Costco. Gotta keep you guessing.' Some poor customer service person is going to wind up on the witness business end of that, and it is going to be super awkward for everyone.)

3. Do you have kids? No, hasn't worked out that way. I always wanted them, though; I never had any doubt that I wanted to be a parent and have kids. It does make me sad. But I have nephews and nieces and godchildren I adore, so that's something.

4. What sports do you play/have played? Swimming, diving, soccer, some track and field, and I can skate well enough to not fall on my face most of the time.

5. Do you use sarcasm? Never.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people? How we would stack up against each other if we were stuck in a situation where cannibalism of the other was the only option for survival. (But in reality, eyes and voices. Sometimes hands.)

7. What’s your eye color? Brown.

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings. I do enjoy scary movies the way God intended, by reading about them in great detail on wikipedia but rarely watching them in full.

9. Any talents? I can tie cherry stems into knots with my tongue; I think my record is like, four in one minute. I can also touch my nose with my tongue and wiggle my ears. I'm okay at writing. Apparently I have the kind of face that people ask me for directions a lot (this is a mistake.)

10. Where were you born? Maryland.

11. What are your hobbies? Reading, writing, hockey, swimming, putting together Legos with the kiddos, screaming about Star Wars, occasional amateur skeletal articulation, foraging, the kind of hiking that's actually just rambling, and baking.

12. Do you have any pets? A turtle obtained through dubious legal means who will probably outlive me, at the rate he's going.

13. How tall are you? 5'6"

14. Favorite subject in school? English, Biology, Art. Surprisingly, Latin.

15. Dream job? I mean, optimally I would receive large amounts of money and not have to work at all! I used to say fiction editor, but now I want to just read whatever I want all day without necessarily trying to make it better. As long as I'm dreaming, anyway.

No pressure for tags, but I could always stand to learn more about @milliebeeweasel, @immoveableobject, @darkisrising, @bronze-lorica, @maikaartwork, @soranokumo-is-catt, @sushiburritonoms, and @marloweseyeball, if only so I can eventually steal their identities (both online and physical).

[loudlyunladylike]

Hey there,

It's been a while hasn't it? 2 whole years is a long time to be gone, so to those of you who remember me, don't worry I'm alive and well! Or as well as I can be, and to those who don't remember or don't know me, hi there! My name is Ender, or at least that's what most people know me for.

I'm the first anon who tecnically originated the whole Unsung Falls thing, if any of you remember it, I'm also the one who kinda made the named anon things so prominent in this blog.

Now that most of you are familiar with me, you're probably wondering what happened, where I've been, the whole shee bag. Well, for starters, I'd like to apologize for just vanishing for 2 years straight, I hope I didn't freak anyone out during that time.

But explaining what happened, well, the entire thing started when I was at the peak of my hyperfixation with dsmp, I found Loudly's blog and started interacting from there, but I was starting to fall out of interest with the fandom, and when Technoblade passed away, well... I couldn't hold myself much longer in the fandom, and I started drifting away from a lot of things I used to enjoy.

Then life happened, and life is still happening, I started learning more abaut myself and dealing with a lot of personal things, specially abaut my gender identity, remember when we joked abaut Ranboo stealing our genders? Yeah, guess that wasn't much of a joke after all (this little egg finally got out of the shell 🏳️‍⚧️!). Another things is that I've been researching for my first big scale school project that I have to present untill the end of the year, so yeah, I've been busy.

But just because I've been busy dosen't mean I forgot abaut this blog, I've made incredibly good memories here, and I've met amazing people as well, specially the blog owner, you were a big inspiration and motivation to pursue my little writing streak Loudly.

And don't think I've forgotten abaut any of you Unsung Falls anons, I may not remember all of your names, but I do have many found memories with all of you, and belive me when I say that you all made an impact bigger on me than any of you will ever know.

I'm not sure if I'll be back fully or not, I might drop by every once in a while, but I'm not sure, but what I am sure is that I won't ever forget this blog or any of the people in it. I might move on from the fandom, but I'll always remember every single one of you with a smile on my face.

Besides, I'm always lurking around in this blog, even when I couldn't interact much, so don't worry, I'll still be here even if you can't see me.

I don't see this as a goodbye, I see this as a "see you around", because that's what I hope will happen son.

See you around Unsung Falls!

From a young Farlander and aspiring writer

– Ender Anon/⟒⋏⎅⟒⍀ ⏃⋏⍜⋔💜🤍

ENDER!!!! :")

OH MY GOD, OUR BELOVED HI!!! Oh I missed you, we missed you, god two years hi. This feels like the end of a season finale where a character last seen in like season one appears and the crowd goes wild.

More importantly though hi I'm glad you're doing well :") even with all those ups and downs and busyness but that's ok, we all have those. Congrats on the gender btw🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️!!! holy shit so epic!!!! And your project, and your writing!! aaa, incredible soso cool, you're doing fantastically and I'm so proud of you.

Oh I feel so emotional overwhelmed and touched by all of this lovely-ness /pos. No matter how much you come and go you've always got a place here, we haven't forgot about you either and we never will, you're awesome, see you around friend! o7

[soup-for-ghosts]

Ok here's stuff I like about AA :]

1-1

I love Larry he's very silly

An awesome intro to the game

I love the thing with the clock being 9 hours behind rather than 3 hours ahead, that was clever

Sahwit is a really good last name too

The sound effect for Payne saying objection is really silly and I love it

1-2

Absolutely excellent witnesses

I love how Redd basically says "yeah I killed Mia but I have leverage on everyone, it's impossible to get me in prison"

Mia getting killed this early is also a really horrible and simultaneously fun gut punch

1-3

My mind is blanking cause I had stuff going on while playing this one

I like how frustrated Edgeworth got with Cody

Will Powers is a super fun character

1-4

WHAT AN EXCELLENT ENDING CASE

Lotta is my favorite witness and I love her

I love the stupidly complex "kill Hammond at 23:50 then shoot two bullets into the water at 00:15 and jump in so Edgeworth will be confused" stuff

Von Karma 1 is absolutely terrifying and I hate him. Excellent villain

The parrot is also in my top favorite witnesses

Larry made an appearance too, good for him :3

I like the picture at the end

1-5

What a headache. It was really frustrating at the beginning but after the first trial it started getting really fun

Words can't describe how much I love Gant, he's the main inspiration for the antagonist in a new story I'm working on

I love how he's not even really upset when he gets caught, he's just like "oh well, I had a good run"

Also when Edgeworth gets too curious about wtf is going on and just wants the truth, that's great too

Wasn't fond of Angel at first but she grew on me and she's poggers

Same for Marshall but I don't like him as much as angel

I love that 1-4 and 1-5 both had stuff about old cases, it makes the writing feel a lot richer

Lana's design is awesome. She's got a lesbian face. Cannot elaborate.

Ema is alright too. I gave her a lotta crap but she's silly. Definitely not fair to compare her to Maya

I still think it's funny that Neil happened to look like Partitio

Gumshoe also acted very silly throughout the entire case

Meekins was neat too

I like that entire thing about Edgeworth unknowingly helping Gant with Goodman's murder by driving Goodman to the prosecutor's office

2-1

Maggey is SO silly

Another friend told me Wellington was awesome before I even got to JFA so I was super excited to encounter him. Was not disappointed

PAYNE MENTION!!!! I think Payne is silly too, by no means is he a good character but you get a good chuckle out of him. My sister and I also give him a really stupid voice when we play together

Dustin prince is a pretty good name too

I also remember thinking he looked super friendly

I love Wellington mistaking the glove for bananas

2-2

Mimi was such an awesome character, I like the stuff about her stealing her sister's identity

Mimi is so pretty

Pearl is silly and deserves a cup of hot chocolate the size of her forehead /pos

I liked the twist of Morgan wanting Maya to go to prison so she could become the next village head, it's a fun type of motivation.

I watched the opening cutscene a second time a few hours after finishing it because my sister started it and it's a very fun watch the second time

The English car thing was very fun and silly to

2-3

The tiger and lion sprites were so unnecessarily detailed in a good way

I ended up somewhat liking Moe

Max is silly, I like how he's just a country bumpkin but made a name for himself and is so confident

It's also worth noting that the friend that liked Wellington also said Max is her wife

Interesting conclusion and I almost started 2-4 but remembered I have to get up early tomorrow

nice to hear! but again, don’t force yourself to enjoy something you don’t for my sake, you can be honest with me I’ll understand

it is good to hear some of this though :]

I will note that morgan’s motives are more so related to her wanting big things for her daughter, pearl… but… you’ll understand more come aa3 ;>