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fanaticsnail · 20 days

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Kind And Gentle

Masterlist Here

Word Count: 3,100+

Synopsis: Your shoulders and back ached with a pain you had attempted to cast aside as you went about your duties. The ache turned excruciating, your focus now being taken hostage between the gripping pain. Fortunately, the grip of two firm hands found your body and eased you through the torment.

Themes: Benn Beckman x reader, Friends to lovers, confessions of love, suggestive dialogue, massaging - reader receiving, pain, aching, yearning, small kiss, Shanks is a meanie, swearing, teasing, Beckman is a softie, Beckman is a gentleman, term of endearment "Darlin'" used - it's just what I associate him saying.

Notes: Pure self-indulgence fic, procrastinating while I should be going through my WIPs. My shoulder hurts, guys. Needed this to get out of my system and get through the pain.

Tag List: @sordidmusings @since-im-already-here @feral-artistry @writingmysanity @carrotsunshine @i-am-vita @gingernut1314 @mfreedomstuff @missbeckman @tiredemomama

Pain. White and hot, swelling and encumbering. This was what you were experiencing in the middle of your spine; just a little to the right side of your body.

The ache never eased, no matter what position you slept in, nor adjusting your posture throughout the day. It was unending, the torment which knit your muscles together and cemented them in place.

You clenched your eyes tightly shut, bracing yourself against the wooden hallway wall as you rotate your neck in a circle atop your shoulders slowly. Arching your back, you winced as the knot continued to integrate itself in a woven entanglement of painful muscle beneath your skin.

Biting back a whimper, you tried as you might to reach the cursed divot beneath your flesh, whining quietly as your fingertips barely brushed against the surface of the painful coil. The ache called to you, the burden causing a small tremor in your lips from the electric heat of the hidden wound.

Shaking your head, you huffed out a breath as you attempted to soldier on about your daily chores. Ignoring the tight ache beneath your skin with a deep grimace written on your lips, you finally gave into your pain and balanced your hands against the wooden beam atop the deck of the Red-Force.

The sea breeze hit your nose, relaxing you briefly before the pain eclipsed all your senses. Brain foggy with anguish, lips parted and panting, eyes frantic and wife: you could bear it no longer. You muted a cry, muffling it within your mouth while you tried to release the elastic coil in your back by twisting your torso.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” you curse in a soft whisper, your brows rising in a pain-riddled peak in your forehead. You moaned out in a soft whimper, praying nobody could hear your weakness as you tried to reach for the spot a second time.

The band was bordering on excruciating, your mind contemplating whether or not to seek out Hongo for medical attention due to the intensity of the pain. Just as you began to turn on your way, two strong hands clapped over your shoulders: thumbs moving in rough circles against your skin.

“I got you, Darlin’,” the gruff voice Shanks’ first mate whispered in a calming rumble, “Just tell me when I'm gettin’ close to it.”

Benn Beckman. It was always Benn Beckman. Any time any of the crew needed anything, no task too small, no feat too great: Beckman was the champion you had all grown accustomed to rely on. Leaning back into his touch, you hung your neck low to grant him greater access

“Oh-... mmmf-... -‘kay,'' you whimpered, curving your back down to expose more of your spine to him, “It's not-... Hhah-... It's not normally this-...fucking, shit-... -this bad.” A small click of his tongue snapped at you in empathy as his thumbs brushed against the coil of pain.

Although your friendship with Beckman ran deep, you had never engaged with him physically before. You respected one another, adored one another, and were as close as two crewmates could be. Two sides of a coin, twin edges of a blade, the gunpowder and the spark that lit the fuse - this was how you were described by your red-headed captain.

But as his thumbs sought out your deepest pain, all your thoughts escaped you. There was nothing else, just: Beckman, his focus and his expert touch.

“Just a touch to the right-... ahh, Becks!” you cried out as his digits flicked over the painful swell beneath your flesh. Huffing out pants of breath, you sobbed in strained relief as he continued massaging your body.

“Oh, fuck. It's there, isn't it?” he whispered, the thumb of his right hand pressed firmly against the tight knot as his left hand braced you against the side-beam of the boat, “There it is, Darlin’. I found it. There's the spot.” You arched your back within his broad hands, your arms stiffening in firm pillars against the deck as he prodded the painful peak in your back.

“Oh, that's it! Right there, that's the spot,” you mewled out, crying and gasping for him as he untangled your muscles with his rough, practiced hands. Just as he pressed his strength further against you, you winced out a strangled, “Fuck, not so rough! Be kind and gentle with me, Becks!”

“Darlin’, this is me being kind and gentle,” he bullied his thumb into your skin, stapling you to the wall of the ship by his hips and holding you steady with his hand perched on your left shoulder, “You need a bit of rough treatment. Hold still, let me coax it out of you.”

“Becks,” you whispered out his name, lulling your head back on your shoulders as he continued to pry, paw and claw the knot apart with his right hand, “Becks it hurts.”

“I know, I know,” his gruff voice reassured you, the gentle hold of his left hand against your shoulder contradicted the right hand that bruised your muscles, “It'll all be over soon. I'm nearly there, I can feel your body moving it with me. Just hold on.”

His thumb pressed an intentional swipe up, directing the pain up your back and into the peaked corner of your shoulder. His brows knit low in deep concentration, prompting him to suck in an empathetic breath in anticipation.

“Ohh… You're gonna hate me,” he whispered in your ear, kicking your feet apart with his heavy boots before anchoring his pelvis against your glutes to hold you firmer against the ship's wooden railing, “You need an elbow.”

“No, no, no! Not an elbow!” you cried, just as his right elbow drew itself against your spongy flesh, “Becks! It's-... nnmfph-... too much! Ahh! Too much!”

Attempting to break from his grip, you shook yourself away from his hands, only for your body to immediately betray you. Bent over the railing, your back immediately became unraveled by a firm grip and a strong elbow to the point that ailed you.

“Oh hush, you need it,” he barked in a soft tone, eclipsing your concern with an intentional rotation of his elbow against your shoulder, “Be a good little thing and take it.” He was moving the vines of the entanglement away from the source point, breaking it down beneath his body and flushing it out with heavy swipes.

Benn Beckman was experiencing the toughest battle he had ever had the displeasure in engaging with. He was trying to tune out how good you sounded calling out his name in pants and whines, his own empathetic huffs and groans mixing harmoniously with yours as he gripped your flesh.

“Benn Beck-...fuck-... It's right there. Right there, Becks! Don't stop!” you whimpered, your voice high and your desperation showcased in the soft pants of your breath. The release of your entangled flesh was just within Beckman's grasp, prompting him to switch back to using his fingers to expel the pressure beneath your skin.

“I got you. There ya’ go,” he confirmed again, expanding the heel of his palm against the binding presence of the last of the entanglement, “Breathe through it with me, I'm not gonna stop ‘til you're done.”

“Oh, fuck Beckman,” your eyes glazed over, your lips parting and crying out in bliss as his skillful ministrations cast out the pressure in your shoulder as a priest would cleanse unholy ground to make their sanctuary.

“Th-That’s it. Oh m-my fuck-,” you whined back into his hands, “You're so good. Your hands feel so good.” As the last of the knot fled your shoulder, a warm chuckle rumbled from behind you. Beckman's laugh brought you comfort, his softness depicted in this small moment as he held you in his arms.

His firm hands turned soft, caressing your shoulders in tender, gentle touches. He molded both of your shoulders within his palms, your body becoming jelly beneath his rough and calloused hands. You moaned softly as he maneuvered your body in a perfect arch against his chest, the rumble of his chuckle reverberating within your back to vibrate within your chest.

“Better?” he whispered in the shell of your ear, easing his body back to enable you to escape his broad cage. Instead of breaking away from his body, you relaxed into his arms, sighing out a warm breath of contentment.

“Thank you, Becks. You're bloody amazing at that,” you praised him, feeling light and free of the bonds that confined you, “Why did you offer to help me with it?”

“There was something in your face that told me you needed it,” he shrugged, huffing a small chuckle out of his nose and leant down to rumble out a whisper in your ear, “Always wanna help you, Darlin’.”

“Oh Becks, I could kiss you,” you turned in his arms, gazing through half-hooded eyelids up at him, “Can I?”

He smirked down at you, a small pink due flushing his cheeks with a subtle dust, bobbing his head in a soft nod to grant you permission. As you circled your arms over his neck and began to draw him closer to your lips, a chorus of barked laughter and an uproar of cheers echoed along the hull of the ship. Clapping hands, whistles and hoots erupted from your crew now surrounding the two of you.

“Oh, Beckman,” your captain cackled at you, his right hand clapping over his heart, “In public, big guy? And you,” he pointed his index finger at you, his wolfy grin painted in a drawn-out taunting smirk, “You sly little fox. Gettin’ the big man to take you right on the deck?”

“What?” you questioned your captain in a warning tone, floating your eyes between the rest of the crew gathered on the deck beside him. Shanks’ playful twinkle fluttered beneath his weighty eyelashes.

“Be gentle with me, Becks,” he mocked in a needy moan not too dissimilar from your own, before hardening his features and deepening his voice in a grunted, “You need a bit of rough treatment,” he commented gruffly. The color drained from your face, eyes widening and lips parting once again in bashful horrification.

“Oh right there, Becks, don't stop,” Shanks continued his performance, a small warning began to rise within Beckman's throat in a rumbled growl. Breaking out of your embrace, he grimaced at the red-head in front of him.

“Enough, Cap’n,” Beckman snarled, reaching within his pocket and pulling out his lighter with his left hand, fishing out a cigarette to follow, “Got out a knot, s’all. You know how shit they are.” Beckman ignited the end, taking a lengthy drag and exhaling a puff away from your face.

“Really? That's all?” Shanks cried out a laugh, the crew echoing his unashamed and carefree joy at the notion, “I thought I saw some hips moving together, Becks. You were letting some of your own groans out too, mewling like a wh-.”

“-Or should I relay half of the bullshit you curse out when Hongo releases the knots in your own shoulder?” Beckman smirked, his eyes daring his captain to say another embarrassing quip. After a pregnant pause, silent tension only momentary before another uproar of laughter barked out amongst the Red-Hair pirates.

“Yeah, yeah. I'm done,” Shanks waved his hand in the air, shooting you a small wink before turning to face his crew, “What say we make port, huh? Resupply with some fresh drinks, a hot meal, some good company, and a comfortable sleep on dry land?”

“Aye, sir!” the crew echoed in unison, your own confirmation falling from your lips as you began maneuvering around the first-mate to resume your duties. Just as you passed Beckman's shoulder, a firm hand shot out and gripped your forearm to hold you in place.

“Beckman?” you asked, turning to meet his eyes. You floated your own between his, hovering your attention to fixate on him completely, “Everything alright, Sir?”

“Goin’ back to ‘Sir’ again, after all that,” he murmured, barely above comprehension. Your quizzical feeling never left you, still hovering between the lenses of his glassy orbs.

“How you feeling?” he asked as he pressed down the filter end of the cigarette beneath the pad of his thumb, placing the butt-end in the small drawer attached to the hull of the ship, “I get it all out, or the ache still hangin’ in there?”

Humming in thought, you rotated your right arm and felt the ghost of your prior pain simmer down and flee from your form. The small pinch only remained behind in memory, but the small remnants of the ache threatened to return.

“It's gone for now, I think,” you uttered with a small shrug, “It'll likely begin the slow journey back up my spine in a pinch.” Beckman hummed in thought, nodding along as he checked over your body for any changes.

After a small lull, you held your ground as the atmosphere once again fell into awkwardness. You shook your head to stifle your nerves, sucking in a breath to elevate your courage.

“Can I buy you a drink or two when we get to port?” you ask him, eyes dropping to the ground and hands laced behind you, “An expression of my gratitude for you helping me out?”

“You askin’ me out on a date?” Beckman disguised his growing smile by arching himself away from you, loosening the tie in his hair and beginning to restyle it.

“And if I am?” you ask, still avoiding his gaze by holding your eyes firmly against the floor, “What then?”

“What then, Darlin’,'' he smirked, his eyes softening as his hands found your hips, “Is that I'd accept.” He pulled you flush with him, prompting your eyes to widen and search his gray orbs in your shock, “I wouldn't mind spending an evening with you, havin’ drinks in a quiet corner for a change.”

“It would be a nice change,” you confessed, eyes again falling soft for the first mate. He leant his hips back on the wooden railing, reaching up to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear. His index finger lingered on your chin, holding your eyes against his.

“What was it for you? To have you finally make a move after all this time?” he asked, his eyes turning playful as he looked down at you through half-hooded eyes, “The hands or the elbow?”

“I think it was the words,” you confessed with a small laugh, “Not used to having the Great Benn Beckman whisper: ‘be a good little thing and take it.’ Wouldn't mind hearing that again, if I'm being honest,” a small choked pause fell from Beckman's lips, your own question now posed to him.

“What made you accept a drink with me?” you searched his eyes quizzically, pursing your lips as you continued, “We've served together for so long, what made you consider it now?”

“Oh Darlin', I've always considered it. More than considered it,” he huffed out a chuckle, bringing your face closer to his with the curl of his index finger, “Just didn't know how much I wanted it ‘til you started sayin' my name like that.” He hovered his lips over yours, his breath still scented with the sour, smoky tang of his last cigarette as he beckoned you in.

“Wouldn't mind hearing that again, if I'm bein' honest,” he parroted your words back at you before finally claiming your lips beneath his own in a chaste kiss. The attention he gave your lips was brief, ending contact almost as soon as they touched.

He pulled away from your lips, noticing your pout and slight agitation at the hastiness the kiss ended. Chuckling, he leant over your ear and confessed his intentions further.

“Cap’n’s watchin’,” he nodded over to where Shanks’ taunting eyes and winning smile wordlessly teased you both, “Don't wanna give him more ammunition to tease you with, Darlin'. No matter how much I really wanna kiss you.”

“I owe you more,” you hummed up at him with a soft smile, tucking the loose strand of hair away from his forehead and behind his ear, “Anything I can do to repay my growing debt to you? More than a couple drinks later, a little kiss, or taking care of your duties for you today?”

“Just the promise of your company later will do for now,” he chuckled, leaning into the heel of your palm with his lips, pressing a soft kiss against your skin.

“Aye, Sir,” you smirked at him, giving his cheek two gentle taps before returning back to duty with a newfound rejuvenation. Your limbs felt lighter, your body felt freer and your head felt less foggy with the prior pain you felt.

Shanks sauntered over towards his first-mate, smirking and kicking up his feet all along the way in a playful dance. Beckman shook his head, reaching for another cigarette and lit the end. Shanks leaned his head against Beck’s shoulders, uttering not a single word as he fluttered his eyelashes, wiggled his eyebrows and clicked his tongue at the broody, larger man.

“Don’t even start,” Beckman growled under his breath. Shanks smiled wider, jolting his right index finger into Beckman’s side as he hummed up a playful mock at him.

“But you finally made a move, big man,” Shanks chuckled, nudging him with his left shoulder, “How long’s it been now? Two, maybe three years of longing, yearning and lusting from afar, hm?”

“Four,” Beckman commented gruffly, inhaling a deep breath of smoke in his mouth and holding it still behind his lips, “And I remember saying: ‘don’t even start’.”

“Alright, alright. I’m going, I’m going,” Shanks held his right hand up in defence, an extra buzz in his step at the knowledge that Beckman and you had finally allowed a small crack in the door open to engage with one another this way. A small chuckle erupted in Shanks’ voice, his own amusement adamant over his features.

“Right there Becks, don’t stop,” Shanks’ voice whined again in a needy moan, before growling out a rumbled mock of, “I’m not gonna stop ‘til you’re done,” he laughed, turning back over his shoulder, “Honestly, Beckman. Show a bit of composure, man.”

Beckman’s blush scorched scarlet on his features, prompting him to thrust the butt of his cigarette into the drawer and begin to charge at his Captain. Shanks shrieked out a giddy cry of amusement at his first-mate.

“Be kind and gentle with me, Becks!” Shanks laughed, turning tail and began running away in glee from successfully taunting his first mate. The barrelling boot heels of the first mate almost managed to catch up to the Captain immediately, but Shanks continued successfully darting away from Beckman’s disciplinary grasp.

#one piece #x reader #benn beckman #benn beckman x reader #beckman x reader #red-hair pirates #beckman #op benn beckman #op benn beckman x reader #red hair shanks

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mysterious-moonstruck-musings · 2 months

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WIP Wednesday

How is everyone doing this afternoon/evening? I know, I've been a little MIA lately. I went through a bout of writer's block... or something? I don't even know what to call it. Anway, it has finally passed. Given that, I figured it was time to give you all an update on Destiny & Deliverance. More below the cut...

As of this morning, Destiny & Deliverance is written. It's done. Did I cry? Yes, I did. Not sure if any of my eagle-eyed followers have noticed, but I added another chapter to the masterlist. Chapter 29 just got too fucking long, so I decided to make it an even 30. I think it worked out better that way.

So, to be clear, I have two chapters and the epilogue written. I still need to do editing for all three parts. I didn't want to mess up my flow by stopping to edit. Editing usually comes easier to me than writing, so it shouldn't take too long for that. This means you will get the last three parts fairly close together. I hope y'all are ready (because I'm not).

I will say the ending took a slightly different turn than I was originally planning, but I think what we have ended up with adds another positive layer to Dieter and Talia's healing journey. I just hope you all are happy with it. 👀 Now, let's get to a snippet from Chapter 29, shall we?

As Dieter was rattling off the meeting details, I continued to move around the kitchen to pull out glasses and utensils. I happened to look down at his pill organizer on the counter and realized he didn’t take his medication or supplements this morning. I sighed as I picked it up and waved it at him with a disapproving look. He grimaced as he reached for the organizer, “Lo siento, mi luz. I’ll do better, I promise. Today has been so hectic already.” “Same time, every day. Take it when your alert goes off…please.” He pulled me in for a quick kiss and thanked me for the reminder. I was starting to feel like a broken record and hated nagging him, but since he started working again, he had been slipping up on things…a lot. He never complained or got upset about it. Instead, he would often thank me, do what he needed, then go back to what he had been so focused on.

Don't come at me for that, I know it sounds ominous, but it's not. I promise. Just some minor growing pains.😏 I haven't had a chance to throw together a mood board yet, so I'm dropping a few pics here as a teaser. As always, I'd love to hear your predictions.

Tag List: @rhoorl @bitchwitch1981 @readingiskeepingmegoing @runningmom94 @for-a-longlongtime @hisandsnakes @chaoticfestninja @survivingandenduring @partyofone3413 @wannab-urs @cakipy-blog @titlee78 @poodlebae @guelyury @missladym1981 @maried01 @alokaerza @samiamproductions @misstokyo7love @themonadiaries-blog @madnessofadaydreamer @darkheartgatita @avastrasposts @weho2kcmo @harriedandharassed @tkchaos @girlofchaos @yghuibt @musings-of-a-rose @annieispunk @sarcasm-theotherwhitemeat @copperhalfcent @bunniboo0015 @indiegirlunited @babycatkitty

#dieter bravo #dieter bravo fic #dieter bravo x ofc #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #destiny & deliverance series #destiny & deliverance teaser

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daffi-990 · 4 months

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Daffi!!! I am SO intrigued by your fantasy AU snippets I've seen so far. Can I hear a little more about that one for the wip tag game? :)

Thank you so much for asking about this wip ❤️

I have the whole story outlined, I just need to find the motivation and inspiration to write it. Think half the problem is I’m scared it won’t live up to what I’ve imagined in my head, but I’ve just got to ignore that and write (which can be tricky). After Rival Firefighters, this will be my next multi chapter fic, so I’m aiming to dive into it more once rivals is done 🙂

And just for you, here’s a little something from what I have written for it that isn’t spoilery (most of what I have written for this fic is stuff at the END of the story 🙈)

Buck stands frozen as Eddie swings his sword upward into the first attacker. The body drops to the floor. Dead. Eddie doesn’t even flinch, just readies his body for another attack, for another to fall at the end of his blade.

Buck knows he should probably be taking more stock of what is happening around him, keeping his wits about him, but his eyes are glued to Eddie and the way he moves, the way he effortlessly cuts down whoever is brave enough to face him. Buck knows Eddie is a warrior, the fae had told him as much, and from what Buck had been able to squeeze out of Bobby, he’s a damn good one at that. Seeing it in action before him, Buck is mesmerised. The way Eddie moves is like a dance, a deadly one, but still beautiful. He’s felled five already, and barely looks like he’s broken a sweat.

“Buck!”

Suddenly Eddie is in front of him, dark red blood smattered across his face. How can someone look so beautiful when covered in blood? It’s not fair.

“We need to keep moving!”

Buck feels a hand circle his wrist and then he’s being pulled away from the bodies and the smell of death. He wordlessly let’s Eddie lead them, their feet moving fast in a run as they flee.

“Eddie!” Bobby’s voice calls out from somewhere ahead of them. Buck searches for the source of the voice, startling slightly as Bobby appears before him. Bobby nods to Eddie who releases his wrist and then there are hands on his face, Bobby’s worried face filling his vision.

“Are you okay? Hurt?”

Buck shakes his head. “N-no.” His throat feels dry and he swallows, trying to ease the way for his words. “I’m okay. What-what’s happening?” He doesn’t want to sound like a scared kid, but right now that’s exactly how he feels.

wip tag game list

I’m also going to use this as my Tease Tidbit Tuesday because it’s Tuesday for me and I need validation haha

No pressure tagging: @wikiangela @thewolvesof1998 @hippolotamus @spotsandsocks @jamespearce9-1-1 @watchyourbuck @devirnis @spagheddiediaz @malewifediaz @wildlife4life @eddiebabygirldiaz @elvensorceress @rainbow-nerdss @the-likesofus @theotherbuckley @try-set-me-on-fire @princessfbi @athenagranted @disasterbuckdiaz @giddyupbuck @fortheloveofbuddie @fcntasmas @hoodie-buck @honestlydarkprincess @jesuisici33 @jeeyuns @lover-of-mine @loserdiaz @ladydorian05 @callmenewbie @captain-hen @steadfastsaturnsrings @bekkachaos @nmcggg @monsterrae1 @mellaithwen and anyone else wanting to share xx

#daffi write #fantasy au #buddie wip #buddie #I will return to this au #just rivals firefighters has most of my attention atm

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sparklepocalypse · 3 months

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And now for something I haven't done in an age (mostly because of that, you know, dozen-year hiatus from being active in fandom, which ended abruptly this fall)...

It's Fic Rec Friday!! I'm going to try to do this every other Friday (if not every Friday; TBH it really depends on my brain at the end of a given work week...), and share the links to 5-ish of my favorite fics. These will likely be multifandom rec posts pretty frequently, so just a heads up there, but I'll clearly mark each fandom included and chunk the recs out that way in the posts.

Will I rec new fics? Seems likely! Will I rec old fics? Signs point to yes! Will I rec WIPs? Probably just completed fics for now, but we'll see! Will I be effusive in my praise of the fics I rec? Absolutely!

Recs after the jump to save you a scroll...

Red, White & Royal Blue

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest) by @kiwiana-writes [Alex/Henry acting AU | rated E | 65.5k words] Former child star Alex meets theatre graduate Henry in a queer stage reimagining of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

This is the first fic that I ever yelled at MJ about, and there's been plenty of yelling since then. It checks all the boxes: it's an AU (my beloved!); there's a heap of drama on and offstage; there's big huge romance; there's really delightful humor. Also, you will feel the need to give their Henry a hug. The way MJ writes Alex and Henry always reaches into my brain and scratches it in the right place, and they'll absolutely be a frequent flyer in these rec lists.

Please Don't Let Me Be So Understood by @cha-melodius [Alex/Henry corporate AU | E | 20k words] Alex and Henry are colleagues who can't stand one another. They're assigned to mandatory reconciliation by their boss, but their therapist assumes it's actually couples' therapy, and well... things escalate from there.

How do I love this fic? Let me count the ways... after I crash-landed into the RWRB fandom this fall, this is one of the fics that really stood out to me when I was sort of frantically trying to digest all the M and E-rated (I know, super shocking) fic that the fandom had to offer. Sara always handles her characters with such care, regardless of the situation she throws them into, and couples' therapy that's not supposed to be couples' therapy is no different.

What Do I Know? by @three-drink-amy [Alex/Henry amnesia AU | E | 83.6k words] Alex has a serious car accident and wakes up a week later in the hospital with no memory of the past five years. He's shocked to learn that he and Henry are married, because they hate each other... right?

Put on your favorite angst pants for this one, because it's going to hurt. I absolutely had to pause and cry during this fic, but it's so, so well written that I can forgive the face leakage. And the promised happy ending absolutely delivers! Just, you know. Brace yourself because ouch.

Star Trek

How High the Moon by kyliselle [Kirk/Spock AOS AU | E | 37.7k words] After the destruction of Vulcan, Spock shielded his mind to protect it from his broken bond with T'Pring. Little did he know another bond had already formed in its place.

This is the first Star Trek (2009 Abramsverse) fic that made me absolutely feral, and I share it now with you because it's just that good. I'm a little bummed that the author hasn't claimed it on AO3 following the original archive being shut down, because I would love to yell at them on AO3 about it and know that they see the comments. But it's so good. I am a huge sucker for soulbonds, and Vulcan bonds in particular where they've got the telepathic component, and accidental Vulcan bonds in particular in particular, and this fic absolutely delivers. Angst galore, though, so just like with the previous rec, you'll need your angst pants.

Smallville

When a Strawberry is Pushed into a Mountain by Thamiris [Clark Kent/Lex Luthor | E | 33.1k words] While studying at Metropolis University, Clark takes a literature class and, with Lex's help, finds a new appreciation for poetry.

If you have an appreciation for Beat poetry, beautiful phrasing, and the DCU/Smallville, you'll love this fic. Thamiris was an incredibly talented writer who unfortunately passed away in 2007, but a group of her friends ensured that we'd have access to her writing in perpetuity by archiving it for her on AO3. This fic was one of the influences of the body calligraphy and intercrural sex fics I wrote for Kinktober 2023; just gorgeous, gorgeous prose altogether.

#fic rec friday #red white and royal blue #rwrb fic recs #multifandom fic recs #star trek fic recs #smallville fic recs #read these fics #they're so good #i can't even

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bardic-inspo · 25 days

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I’m equally intrigued in you WIPs “Dhampir Dreams” and “Memory Games” 👀✨

Thank you so much for this! 💜😊

[WIP List Ask Game]

Dhampir Dreams started as a sort of poemy stream-of-consciousness thing about Astarion being horny and thinking about how Tav's body would change if/when he got her pregnant. But because of who I am as a person, it now has a heavy helping of angst at the beginning and has turned into more of an introspective Astarion character study. I wanted to explore his thoughts on creating unlife (a vampire) vs. a new life with his love:

Astarion’s never wanted to make another vampire. In the rare moments the notion occurred to him, he shoved it to the far back shelf of his mind so as not to waste himself on an exercise in futility. What did it matter, after all, while Cazador still breathed? Still. Nothing spurs needless yearning like a choice you’re not allowed to make. More than anything, Astarion yearned to see Cazador’s blood pour. In his mind’s eye, he’d watch it pool across the floor, not unlike the way he'd seen so much clothing puddled at so many heels. The lake he’d make of Cazador would be wide enough to swallow the garments of all who’d stripped bare before him. Every sweat-soaked night Astarion found himself bound to another moldering mattress beneath someone else’s weight, rocking through the motions that left his stomach sour, he’d fill his mind with such sweet dreams as Cazador’s death. Whether Cazador would allow Astarion to drink his blood before being relieved of it varied with the fantasy. The dream changed as often as the hands on Astarion’s hips. It mattered little to him, whether Cazador’s end came with true vampirism or not. As long as he ended.

Memory Games is a multichapter WIP featuring Ascended Astarion and Vampire Bride Tav. They're having a happy time being an evil power couple together. All of that is upended when Tav is targeted by a Modify Memory spell, resetting her memories back to pre-tadpole, before she even met Astarion. Astarion has to re-romance his spouse, explain their vampirism to her in a way that doesn't deal massive psychic damage to them both (they have a telepathic/emotional link as bride/sire), and get to the bottom of who's behind the attack.

I'm mostly in the outlining phase, but I've previewed some bits of this here and over here. Here's some random dialogue dwelling in my notes:

“You were testing my reaction,” she says, shame sinking in her gut with the rise of heat to her cheeks. “No, darling,” Astarion laughs breezily, batting her accusation away as if it were a harmless fly. “but I can’t deny I am truly delighting in it.” “You did this on purpose!” “Oh please,” Astarion sighs. “Pay me just one scrap of faith, won’t you?” “I don’t know you,” Naomi hisses. “But you want to,” he purrs, drawing another step closer while Naomi falls another back. “You want to know what it would be like. To be mine. Sweet thing, you already are. Just say the word and--” Sharpness sinks into Naomi’s palm. The glass shatters in her chokehold, crystal shards pattering across the toes of her shoes.

Astarion’s smirk only swells, the points of his fangs peering past his lips. His gaze grows heady, his whisper reverent. “Mm, Our bond may be muted, my love, but I can read every delectable crime of passion written clear as day on your face.” He leans near enough, Naomi feels the breath he doesn’t need to take tickle her ear. Cool fingers come to tuck her hair behind it. She downs a shiver with a hard swallow. “Just remember,” he rasps, “it’s your choice to sleep alone.”

Her stomach swoops and settles around a hollow, vacant kind of ache as he leans away and leaves without another word.

#thank you for the ask 💜💜💜#my writing #memory games #dhampir dreams #wip ask game #astarion #ascended astarion

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magpiefngrl · 8 months

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Fic author self-rec

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

Thank you for the tag @tenthousandyearsx a few weeks ago! I wanted to wait and get a couple of my WIPs ready and posted before doing it, but I'm now back to full time work so it's unlikely I'll finish those WIPs any time soon. 😢 So, here's 5 old fics of mine that I'm fond of. It's hard to choose a favourite, so I chose rather randomly, whatever popped in my head first tbh.

They're all drarry.

The Unquiet Grave (E, 21,5k, gothic vibes)

Quote: ‘What will happen is this. You’ll drag me to a poncy restaurant one evening soon, and I’ll complain about the number of forks and the size of the portions. Then I’ll drag you to my local and you’ll complain about the wine list and the clientele. This will be a recurring theme. But every time, every single time, we’ll end up in my bed — or yours — and I’ll make you forget your own name.’

My thoughts: I reread this yesterday after years, and I ended up really enjoying it. I particularly liked the dialogue in this read. I'm pretty happy with how this fic turned out. It's got a gothic mood and fits an autumnal mood; I often rec it for Halloween.

Sometimes a man needs (E, 5.5k, Flower Shop)

Quote: Harry knew what a huge mistake the whole thing was, but he’d already fallen for Malfoy, so what harm would a few more nights do? What harm would it do to kiss Malfoy some more and inhale his intoxicating smell? What harm was it that Malfoy spent almost every evening with Harry and whispered things in the dark that he never alluded to in the day? Harry was in love and in pain, but he might as well get what he could while he could.

My thoughts: I love the magical flower shop I created here, the types of flowers I came up with, and, craft-wise, I love Harry's voice. I remember I'd struggled with this fic, starting and deleting, starting and deleting, until I got a handle on Harry's voice and then it flowed in a morning.

The Gift (E, 29,5k, Captive Prince references)

Quote: Draco’s desires — at least where Potter is concerned — are a tangle, messed up like he is. A war of contradictions: Draco wants to please Potter, and he wants to hurt him. He wants to see Potter in ecstasy, but he can’t allow himself to be the one to do it. So, he’s chosen another way, a way that gives and takes at the same time. ‘You’ve been such a good boy so far,’ Draco tells Potter and watches with pleasure his instant reaction, the blood colouring his face. ‘I think you deserve a treat for being so good. So… obedient. Which is why Adam here will give you a… gift.’

My thoughts: Used to have complicated feelings about this one. I'd hidden it for years and only revealed it a couple of months ago. Draco is a writer here and channels many of my doubts and insecurities. It's not a fic that has a wide appeal, not cute or fluffy at all, but I love my prose here and I had fun with inserting CaPri nods and writing excerpts of a magical CaPri story.

The Boy Who Died (E, 26.8k, Voldemort Wins AU)

Quote: At times he thought he noticed his own lust mirrored in Malfoy’s gaze, like when he cooked and Harry sat on the kitchen table, mouth and fingers sticky with treacle syrup or brown sugar, or when Harry left the shower in his pyjama bottoms, his hair soft like a waterfall down his bare shoulders. Harry had taken to sleeping topless; he couldn’t get used to Malfoy’s fancy pyjamas, and although Malfoy had looked extremely put out the first time, he didn’t object.

My thoughts: I'm just so fond of this one! I thought of the reincarnation plot because of wangxian and I peppered some wangxian Easter eggs in this fic, but I didn't expect to fall in love with this dystopian, Voldemort Wins 'verse. It's a bleak world but somehow this fic has become one of my comfort reads and I've reread it often since posting it.

Through the Looking Glass and What Draco Found There (E, 17.4k, Mirror of Erised alternate dimension)

Quote: Getting to know Harry was to love him: hearing him laugh at Weasley’s jokes, watching him sleep, witnessing his passionate devotion to what was right and the ardor with which he supported his friends. He had butterflies in his stomach just at the sight of him; a sentiment he attempted to hide under a mask of cool detachment, because if anyone found out, Draco would be kicked out of Slytherin for incurable soppiness.

My thoughts: I love the Mirror universe I came up with, and am proud of the treatment of the Shrieking Shack in this fic, which I haven't seen elsewhere. It's one of my works I'm most proud of. I didn't expect it'd be emotional, but I've received a bunch of comments, some of them very recently, saying it made readers cry. oops?

I'm guessing many of you have done the latest round of this author game. So, tagging everyone who hasn't done it and wants to! Would love to see the fics you rec and why xx

#tagged #drarry #five fics

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bettsfic · 1 year

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2023 WIP cleanout

a couple years ago i did a major WIP cleanout and it was very satisfying, and i've been bummed out lately so i'm doing it again to cheer myself up.

i have about 200k worth of unposted/unfinished fic, and i'd like to make a decent dent in that. when i listed out my WIPs i was surprised to find that most of them i'd written past the 50% mark and for whatever reason, the fic went an unanticipated direction. instead of fixing it, i moved on. the problem is that usually the unanticipated direction is something cool and that i want to pursue, but would make the fic longer and more complicated than i want it to be, and more work than i want to put into it. once i get enough distance from a fic, it's a lot easier to see how to get it back on track.

there are many things i set down and never think about again, but if it sticks in my head for longer than a couple months, then i know i need to come back to it eventually.

so this is my accountability thread! and i'm going to lay out the steps i took to triage these fics and get them posted, in case it helps anyone struggling with the same problem.

here are the things on my WIP cleanout list:

(Organic Chemistry isn't on this list because i'm actively working on it, albeit slowly)

Wind of the New World

Annie/Finnick, The Hunger Games (ASE epilogue)

started August 2020

this one is what inspired the cleanout, and as of yesterday it is DONE and POSTED. for the longest time it sat at about 7k when i knew it would be 10k, and i couldn't make myself write the last 3k because somehow it turned into a threesome fic with Gale and it took me a loooong time to let go of that idea. also, it required a lot of canon knowledge, which faded the longer i kept it on the backburner.

to finish it, i:

killed a few darlings (Finnick's crush on Gale)

down drafted the scenes i hadn't yet written

reread ASE while taking notes

rewatched Mockingjay 2 while taking notes

transcribed several scenes of Mockingjay 2

made a punch list of things i wanted to fix/rearrange/expand on

up drafted, dental drafted, and posted

completing it took about 15 hours across 3 days.

Stray

Lumine/Razor, Genshin Impact

started April 2021

this is an alternate beginning to genshin where the traveler finds Razor instead of Paimon. it stalled out at 5k because i wanted it to be rated M and i also wanted the characters to get all the way to Liyue, but both of those things were far more work than i wanted to put into it. so now it'll be rated G and end when they reach Mondstadt. i don't anticipate it will be more than 7k.

Before the Suns Rise

Anakin/Padme/Obi-Wan, Star Wars

started June 2022

this one is nearly 45k and about 95% done. i set it down because 1) i got to the threesome part and writing threesomes is hard, 2) i hadn't watched the Clone Wars or Rebels yet and so i was self-conscious about my knowledge of canon, and 3) i got distracted by Lemon.

another thing that a lot of these WIPs have in common is that they're very closely tied to canon and therefore have Plot and even though i can do Plot, i find it exhausting and a little tedious.

this is a post-Vader, alt-OWK timeline fic. in the 20+ star wars fics i've written, only 5 of them are in any way related to canon, and they're all one-shots. so this one is going to be hard.

i anticipate it'll only take 5k to finish, for a total of 50k and 14 chapters.

Patronage

Seungho/Nakyum, Painter of the Night

started October 2021

this is my Patreon AU that's over 10k already. in it, Seungho is married to Jihwa (and cheating on him with Nakyum) and i wanted to write the whole thing through to their divorce (and Seungho Getting A Real Job), but that is just. a lot. so i'm going to write only to Seungho finally giving in to his feelings for Nakyum, with the knowledge that after season 4 is finished, i may want to continue it as a series and write the latter half as i'd intended.

i'll probably only add 1-2k, for a total of 12k.

In Water Falling

Ahsoka/Rex, Star Wars

started November 2022

this was the first rexsoka fic i started working on when i finished Clone Wars. i got about 10k in, scrapped it, wrote another 15k, scrapped it, and then started focusing on Organic Chemistry. also, i just got very frustrated with it. to fix this one, i think i need to lower my expectations of it, rearrange some plot points, and write the final 2-3 scenes.

maybe 3-4k more? hopefully it'll cap out under 20k.

There & Here

Chishiya/OFC, Alice in Borderland

started February 2023

in my defense, i set this one down, like. a week ago. there's nothing i'm stalled out on; i just have to finish it.

currently 25k, hopefully only 5k more, capping out under 30k. it's 4 chapters.

things i intend to finish later:

Good Bones - this is my Emergency Fic that i'm saving for when i'm too blocked to write anything else

Bomb Time - this is a BOSAS fix-it. i definitely want to finish it, but i'm going to wait until the film comes out in November, so i don't have to reread the book to remember what's going on

#writing update #2023 wip cleanout

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cobwebcorner · 1 year

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Hi! Which Weskennedy fanfics do you recommend?

Oh boy it's been a while since I did a fic rec post. Ask and ye shall receive!

Note: I am including WIPs on this list if, and ONLY if, what is posted already has a significant chunk of Wesker and Leon interaction. This is still a rare pair after all, and a bit of a crack ship, so pickings are slim. They may or may not be abandoned so get invested at your own risk.

The Lost Mission: Black Smoke (WIP) by saltiestofqueers

yes top of the list is a WIP but there's over 100k words in it and it's got plenty of food for you!

A classic tale of boy tracks down villain to spooky castle, villain infects boy with virus, boy unexpectedly bonds with virus and gains mysterious powers that villain needs, boy and villain now have to learn to get along in their strange situation.

This is an AU that uses a lot of RE 4 and 5 beta content to great effect, including a reworked Excella who is very compelling. But you're not here for Excella, you're here for Weskennedy! And the boys have a wonderfully complex dynamic in which both men slowly come to terms with the fact the other is more than they expected. Leon is haunted yet stubborn, and Wesker is his usual calculating and pragmatic self.

The worldbuilding and atmosphere are also excellent.

Wearing White Will Make the Blood Look Pretty by Madamn_Resident

Post-RE5 Wesker tracks down Chris for revenge and accidentally winds up at Leon's apartment instead. Leon takes him in and nurses him back to health because he's just too nice for his own good.

Simultaneously a goofier yet darker take on this pairing (Wesker shreds a teddy bear at one point because A Redfield Touched It HISSSSS). This Wesker is the RE 5 incarnation with all of the camp and ham that that entails, and he bounces off a world-weary yet unfailingly kind Leon in a very fun way.

Do note that the fic ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and while there is a sequel, it is unfinished. This author also has a vampire AU which is very fun (also a WIP).

Weskennedy Crack series by Julius_Ranch

As it says on the tin, a series of very short, mostly cracky one shots with Wesker and Leon in an established relationship getting up to shenanigans. Awful puns abound.

All Work and No Play by AllHailBurnoel

I would like to direct everyone who can't wait for me to write that wesker/ada/leon threesome to this fic. It's a kinky PWP oneshot with the three, and it's not actually non-con despite how the beginning reads. I'm making note of the fact that they're doing a scene because rape fic isn't my bag, personally, and I know many of my followers aren't into it either.

for need and want by bloodpearls

This is a short, sweet(?) oneshot in an established relationship, essentially just Wesker angsting and working through his feelings as he cuddles a sleeping Leon.

In the Blue Twilight by Gawains_Green_Knight

Another established relationship. This one is half character introspection and half PWP, with very well written character interaction.

talking in your sleep by tenenbaums

For the dead by daylight fans, here's one in that universe. Consists mostly of Leon bantering with the newest killer, and Wesker being very bad at flirting. Author has also written a follow-up to it.

More Sinned Against than Sinning (WIP) by Androdamos

This is the only permutation of 'Wesker abducts Leon to get back at Chris' that I would recommend. Post-RE5 Wesker is revived by a sinister organization and then trapped into working for them. He orders Leon to be abducted ostensibly for science but really because he's bored, and the two of them unexpectedly hit it off.

They raise so much hell together and it's delightful to see. Wesker is very crafty and Leon is 1000% done with this shit. There are a lot of complicated power dynamics, stubborn heads butting against each other, and reluctant heart to hearts.

This author also has other fun short pieces for the pairing.

Something Human (WIP) by Visceral_Poison

This is a new one that hasn't gotten very far yet, but what there is so far is very good. It's one of those Leon-actually-gets-to-be-an-RPD rookie AUs, and one of the few I would recommend, because it nails Leon's rookie characterization, letting him be a little meeker and less confidant in himself without making him unrecognizable. The shadows of his future strength and stubbornness are there and it's wonderful to see him growing more confident already. Wesker is also well done, and doesn't come off as creepy or predatory despite the age gap. Neither of these two set out to seduce the other, they just keep having meet cutes and the chemistry is irresistible.

(Your mileage may vary, of course. I personally can't stand the soft bullied baby cop Leon uwu trend that's popped up lately so it's a big relief that this fic isn't that)

#weskennedy #fic recs #verb answers

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claudiajcregg · 2 months

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Tell Other People About Your WIPs

make a list of all your WIPs with a brief description of each and then people can ask you questions about them and then tag other people.

Tagged by both @onekisstotakewithme and @miabicicletta 💜💜💜 Thank you, guys <3 I don't know who to tag that hasn't been tagged already. Interested? Tag, you're it! :) (Please do know that there are no set sections. Pick whatever you want. I went the deranged route.)

I have an outdated WIP list, and many others unaccounted for. This is just a selection of stuff I could see myself posting or editing/retooling to write something new. I love talking about my WIPs, about as much as I hate being perceived because they are not remotely interesting. (I also love knowing which ones people are interested in! I have an incentive to work on them!) (Instead of snippets, part of my feedback loop is sending actual rough drafts to get a sense of whether it's worth working on more.)

Multichapters, different levels of completion.

S5 Pregnancy AU. My main WIP. Can you believe I’ve had this idea for a year… almost to the day? I’ve been stuck since November bc I don’t know how I want this one to end, beyond a birth. (As I’ve mentioned in the past, I feel like this has legs to become a fluffy universe. I have ideas! Timelines!) Gist of it: CJ gets pregnant circa Zooey's kidnapping. How does it change S5? It's less angsty than you think.

Campaign bars, aka campaign conversations sometimes happened at bars in the 1998 campaign. Fun stuff. I need to pick it right back.

What Once Was Ours or the IM AU (2021), aka IM ends with a breakup. Not a WIP. Not a UFO. A secret third thing. (“Finished” but not edited, and I’m doubtful people would be interested. Probably bc of some bittersweet ~memories~ attached to it. I mean, I shared a third of it to discord and people couldn’t care less, at least after a while. Now, better IM AUs are being posted these days; I'm not in a rush.) 33 chapters. 150k words. I do reread it every once in a while, and I cannot put it down. But its 'age' takes me aback. If things had been different, I'd have posted this in H2 2021/Q1 2022 (or even the planned Q2-3 2021). But alas.

The “Almost Ready, question mark” Category

Another SVD prompt meme claim: what if CJ has the crush first. The thing is, I tend to write her as having a relatively obvious crush on him at first until something makes her wise up. So this is just some ridiculous, post-first-meeting thoughts. Most of it was written in one sitting! It kinda fits with something in the campaign bars fic, too.

Post birth, hospital story: A couple of hours after their bb girl is born. Pure fluff. Recently reworked it to make it less wordy. Still failed, but it’s better focused now.

Many ficlets – the few I did post on Tumblr that haven’t been posted to the story I’m collecting them in, plus a couple more. I'm thinking the ice skating one, Jan 22, a few post-eps I wrote last year, etc.

Ambitious Projects I don't think are happening right away (or ever), but probably have a detailed outline somewhere

(I put this up instead of last, because the next category has faves, but it's also a long one.)

Danny is back a bit earlier on s7. Toby leaks (or tries to leak? I always wavered) the shuttle to him, as he and CJ are getting closer.

Simon lives. How does his relationship with CJ evolve post-honeymoon phase? What is it like when Danny returns?

You’ve got mail AU. This outline had two ways the climax could go. I had fun.

Epistolary collab (?) fic. Probably an X + 1 fic. The only one with nothing written; don’t rule out writing it individually at some point.

And because this is so long already (but not as long as it could be)… A few more under the cut – more "I just want to make sure I like them" and "this meme reminded me I meant to pick those back up." And they are still not all. (How do you summarize seven years of writing?? I've only posted 20-something of them, lol.)

“Almost Ready (but I feel like I want to make changes to them) (might just redo them altogether)”

Haunted by the Notion, 2007 edition. My beta Ruth suggested this when she edited the other story, and I wrote it around then. It’s another Christmas dinner at Filomena, and, eight years later, things are different. I feel like it hits expected beats, and is just missing some oomph. Maybe. (As much as I do like it, half tempted to make it 2009. Or later.)

Heaven’s here…: A interrupted proposal. I’ve written many proposals over the years, and I love toying with different ideas and setups. Danny takes the lead here, but I’ve been intrigued by the idea of having CJ do the final twist.

5 to 6 am 'me' time. Another story inspired by last year’s rewatch that I wrote right at the start of it (so Jan 2023?). It has five short parts with five different years of what CJ describes in the pilot as her “me time.” This is one when I think one per year would be fun, but I don’t want to repeat myself.

One bed, “sexy” edition. An AU to a sort of AU (one of the drabbles from this summer) and… it's what it says on the tin. The world does not need to read my attempts at smut. If I didn’t put it in the previous category, it’s because I am not sure that I want to post it. (All the previous attempts are locked somewhere; unfortunately, someone loves this one and noticed when I tried to do that, lol.)

First baby kick: I remember writing this while in grad school (so, late 2017? First half of 2018) but I lost it, along other fic, when my laptop had to be reset because I used Bear to write back then, but didn’t have sync across devices. I rewrote it, and I feel like it's not the same, but still. It's sweet! Includes: Danny talking to the baby, domestic fluff, and… baby kicks!

“This meme reminded me they exist and I love them, so don't be surprised if they are posted before anything in a previous category”

(Lbr, if I added something about them in this post at all, it’s because they sparked some memory.)

Mosaic broken hearts: CJ, circa S4, jealousy. Prompted by a former fandom friend, back in my productive era (first half of 2021; before that friend just ghosted me.)

I can’t believe I captured your heart (pancake breakfast, three words and eight letters). For a while there, I edited it so much but then I fell off. iirc, it was part of some morning-related prompts I saw around that I tried to fulfill in 2018? 2019? And they had like internal progression. But this one was the best of the 3-4, and I kept tweaking it.

Green light of forgiveness (IM-ish) — there are many other IM/IM-Tomorrow snippets I’ve written over the years. I’m not sure if this one makes much sense, but I liked it enough.

Distance — I recall liking this one! Might have to bump it up. CJ is in Africa, Danny is at the Farm and sulking because they left off on some sort of argument. There is some Danny-Abbey friendship goodness here. I even have a second file that is “Distance - shorter version (it’s not)”

Danny writes fiction, shows it to CJ during her pregnancy and she’s into it. Technically written. I would probably try to take another stab at it. Third time might be the charm?

San Andreo phone call/fallout from ID. I just had the idea of CJ reaching out once things calm down. This is one of those fics I’ve written a version of every year or so, but I think there was one I liked quite a bit.

Terrible taste in men — a run-in with an OC ex of CJ. It was so dumb.

Fka Impatience - actually beta’d three years ago (by that fandom friend I've mentioned twice before… actually, three times) and “done”. I just think I’d change so much about it these days. It started being something else but ended up being a CJ-Toby friendship story in which they have lunch and catch up. But I would want to rewrite most of it now, and not just because it’s from like… 2019 (but finished in 2021).

I forgot this one initially! he's passing by, rare as the comet in my sky - 2? 3? times CJ thinks she sees Danny somewhere, and one time she does. (Which tried to work in the 'I remember shunning you' line.) I even wrote some sort of sequel later! Probably useless.

I said I would post a lightning round with fics that are either also done but not ready for me to mention them, or just… not done at all. The length of this post and how much I've spent on it is embarrassing. To give a general overview: in line with the nonsense I've been mentioning, includes phone calls at the end of S7, also a few friendship-focused fics around that time, too; present-day stuff; anniversaries; Hollis fundraisers; weddings; many ficlets, introspective thoughts, a “yes day” fic that's super sweet but needs better dares, the third memoir idea (the original one!!!!) that I had three years ago… And those are mostly the ones I had preselected, lol.

If you're interested, I can screenshoot this part in the notes app if you message me!

Anyway, this is embarrassing, and the worst part is that it's not all. fml.

#tell other people about your wips #wip memes #my writing #should I even tag this with the show or the pairing?????#long post

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exhuastedpigeon · 2 months

Note

WAIT NO ONE ASKED YOU QUESTIONS!?

Okay. Every single odd number on that list.

I reblogged that post last night and fell asleep almost immediately after 😂😂! Thanks for asking Tanis!!

1. Share a song that makes you think of [fic title] Afraid of Heights by boygenius always makes me think about it hurts to hope for more. I listened to that song on repeat while writing it that no whenever I heart it I think about that fic.

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? That's like asking me for my favourite child (not that I have kids). I'm sticking with buddie fics here since I have almost 150 fics on Ao3 and that's way too many to think about.

Honestly, there ain't no turning back might be my favourite even though it isn't fully published!

Or I really love gold when you see me too.

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write? Answered here :)

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now? Uhhh too many?? I have 5 'active' wips (meaning I'm actually working on them a little bit) and like 20 other ideas. I tend to get an idea, work on it like my hair is on fire, and then when I lose the beans half the time the wip goes to collect dust.

9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written! I try to write every day, even if it's just one sentence! Here's something I updated from the NHL AU today!

Buck’s much less self destructive now, thank you team mandated therapy and a bit of heartbreak, but he still has a big personality. He’s got the kind of personality that used to land him on Don Cherry’s shit list before he was finally kicked off Hockey Night in Canada for being a racist old fuck. But, that personality of his means he’s the kind of guy who the Kings marketing team loves because he’s down for basically anything they throw at him.

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics? I tend to find a couple of songs that match the vibe I'm going for or that really inspire me and then listen to those on repeat.

13. How much planning do you do before writing? Answered here

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters? Usually song lyrics! Sometimes a title comes into my head out of nowhere, but usually I end up searching for a lyric that feels right.

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic? I learned all about the best sunrise views at the southern rim of the Grand Canyon for there ain't no turning back! It made me really want to go to see the sunrise there, even more than I already wanted to before!

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs. This is from my NHL AU! In the fic Buck is Canadian and when they go to Canada on a road trip Buck has to scope out a Tim Hortons immediately.

It would be a lie to say that as soon as they landed in Ottawa Buck went to Tim Hortons, because they landed at 11:45, only a couple of hours after a win in Buffalo. It’s been a long and cold east coast trip - they’re on the road for almost 10 days for this one and Ottawa is the third to last stop. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that the first thing Buck did when he woke up in their hotel was to jump out of bed, wake Eddie up in the bed next to him, and drag him to the Tim Hortons next to the hotel. And listen, Buck knows that objectively Timmies is just fine. It isn’t bad, it’s just not actually good either. But he’s a Canadian boy, he grew up on Timbits after practice with Maddie and hanging out in the Tim Hortons parking lots during high school, at least for the couple years he was around before moving to Kitchner to play juniors. Tim Hortons will always have a special place in his heart.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why? Yeah, it was a scene that I wrote really early in the writing process and by the time I finished the fic the scene just didn't fit the vibe. I ended up using bits of it in another fic though, so it wasn't all a waste!

23. How do you choose where to end a chapter (if you have multi-chapter works)? I try to find a natural stopping point, but typically I don't write chaptered fics. I think of my 149 on Ao3 only like 15 of them are chaptered, maybe less.

25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing? I've made myself WEEP while writing and weep again while rereading later.

27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why? I was a little nervous to share it hurts to hope for more because it was a really important fic to me (and really personal to me in some ways). I didn't want people to hate it because it felt so close to my heart.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.) I don't think I'll ever finish this fic so I'll share a bit here. When I saw on the fandom wiki that Eddie and Buck were actually probably the same age (1991/1992) I started a fic that's a snippet of each of their lives at the same time period. This is from the Eddie - 18 section.

There was a little plus sign on three separate pregnancy tests. Eddie rests his head on the bathroom counter, hunching over from where he’s sitting on the edge of the bathtub in Shannon’s bathroom. To her credit, Shannon looks like she’s holding it together more than he is. He was leaving for basic in a month and a half, she was supposed to be moving out of state for college in two. Eddie took a deep breath, then another, before looking up at Shannon again. Her eyes were red rimmed, but otherwise she looked composed. He pushed down the fear that was threatening to crawl out of his chest, up his throat, and out of his mouth and instead said, “Whatever you want to do, I’ve got your back.” “I want to keep it,” Shannon said after a beat. “Okay, then we keep it,” Eddie reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “What do we do now?” “I have no fucking idea,” Shannon half laughed, half sobbed. Eddie stood up and wrapped her in a hug, holding her to his chest.

Fan Fic Writer Asks

#Fan Fic Writer Asks #asked and answered

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waywardstation · 2 years

Text

Let’s Get You Back to Her

Ingo comes across a lost child in Gear Station’s Battle Subway during a very busy event, and makes sure she makes it back safely to her worried mother. He was not aware he would be doing the same thing again for the same girl, years later.

Surprise fic! I saved this to post after I reached a certain point in my multi-chapter fic WIP, to give some content in between. This was written using one of the first fic prompts I got, about subway bands. I used an additive prompt for Ingo meeting Dawn and her mother before Hisui, and the aftermath of after Hisui too. Thank you to these requesters for being patient, if you’re reading this, I hope you enjoy it!!

Or, read on AO3 here!

Enjoy!

————

Few things ever successfully got people to stand still amongst the bustling crowd that filled Gear Station, hurrying from place to place to get to various platforms and lines for the Battle Subway.

Subway bands were one of them.

Currently set up against one of the walls near the platforms, the group that was playing had already drawn a sizable crowd, having strategically started playing during Gear Station’s lunch hour. With all the employees taking a scheduled break for the next hour, large groups of challengers were exiting the subway lines just to be greeted with a rather loud and exciting display of music.

Naturally, people came around with curiosity, only to stop and listen.

“Hey, what’s over there?” Elesa asked, interest in her voice as she stepped out of the double line’s subway doors and onto the platform, Emmet and Ingo following behind. She had come to take the subway bosses out for a quick lunch to hang out and catch up before they returned to another shift of battles, but the sizable congestion and loud mixture of music and cheering caught her attention. “Is that one of those subway bands you two are always talking about?”

It only took a moment of listening for Emmet to voice excitement of his own, clapping his hands together with recognition.

“It is!” He stepped around Elesa and Ingo on the platform, to try and get a better look over the crowd. “A subway band got past the depot agents!”

The Battle Subway had a list of rules the public were meant to follow in order to keep the station running at its best, and one of them was ‘no subway bands’. Not because the music was found to be disruptive (all the employees quite liked it!) but because it always caused a crowd to form, and congest the walkways, which of course could lead to multiple problems.

Gear Station’s Battle Subway had not been built with live musical entertainment in mind.

Ingo and Emmet personally loved when musicians would set up and play (and this was semi-public knowledge, known mostly by employees, but some thought their personal reluctance to do anything encouraged musicians to keep coming), but some of the more attentive Depot Agents would usually come around and request they pack up, or at least play outside Gear Station’s Battle Subway, where they wouldn’t cause such a buildup of people.

Both options meant Ingo and Emmet could not hear the music from their stations, however, so they counted both alternatives as a loss.

“Let’s go see before one of the agents kicks them out!” Emmet was already making his way down the platform to join in with the rest of the crowd. “They’ve never come around when we’ve been on breaks!”

Elesa followed excitedly, but Ingo trailed behind with a bit of hesitance; he loved when the subway bands came around just as much as Emmet did, but today, he was looking for a quieter atmosphere.

A dull but persistent headache had been throbbing in the back of his skull for most of the day. It was not terribly painful, but it was persistent and distracting - only the most astute observers could see how Ingo was slightly slower to react in his subway battles today. Ingo had been looking forward to the lunch break, if only in order to escape to a quieter place with Emmet and Elesa, and perhaps purchase some pain reliever to soothe it, if they had time.

A crowd of loud people cheering and surrounding an even louder subway band was the opposite of what he wanted right now.

From the familiar tune, Ingo could make out that they were playing a version of one of Gym Leader Roxie’s most popular rock songs.

Wonderful. Blaring rock music was perfect for a headache.

“Subway boss coming through!” the younger twin made himself known to the crowd as he reached the outskirts, and began to move between in an effort to see the band. Elesa kept close to him as the people parted around them, like a school of minnows around a pair of sharks.

The third shark, Ingo, was much less intimidating as he instead moved around others, apologizing as he kept his own pace, apart from Emmet and Elesa’s momentum.

It was apparent why such a crowd had formed; the band was good.

Consisting of four members (all teens, most likely a group of friends), they all played perfectly in sync, skillfully and energetically. Putting on a show with theatrics that were just as good as their music, pulling dynamic poses and dramatic moves, it was clear they were in their element.

…until Emmet emerged at the front of the crowd as it parted, Elesa and Ingo behind him. His smile was bright with delight, but it seemed to have been misread as intimidating - as if he was looking to fulfill his job of maintaining the subway’s rules.

The musical momentum died down at the sight of an authority figure, especially one as prominent as the Subway Bosses, and the band stopped playing.

“…we know,” the girl in front muttered, clutching her bass guitar as the others held their instruments still; it was apparent this was not their first time down here, and therefore, not the first time a depot agent had kicked them out. But this was the first time one of the Subway Bosses themselves had approached. “We’ll uh, go outside.”

Another moment of silence as Emmet held his response, the crowd waiting with baited breath for him to send the musicians out, break up the crowd, and have everyone disperse.

“I am Emmet,” he said, his smile still bright as he took an authoritative pose, folding his hands behind his back.

“And that was one of my favorites! You play Roxie’s music verrry well! Why’d you stop? Keep playing!”

Another moment of silence as everyone took in what he said.

Keep playing?

The Subway Boss wasn’t going to stop them?

He was instead encouraging them?

The joy returned to the young musicians’ features as they understood the situation, and went back to playing their instruments with fervor, as the rest of the crowd cheered along with Emmet.

And with the return of the music and the cheering, Ingo’s headache once again intensified, having lessened with the temporary quiet of the misunderstanding.

They were quite good indeed, Ingo would give them that, but each riff of the guitar, bang of the drums, and chord of the keyboard reverberated in his ribcage, and encouraged the thrumming of his headache. Mixed together with the sea of voices and the loud ambience of the station, the pain flared up.

Ingo closed his eyes, wincing as he pressed a hand against his scalp.

It was too loud here for someone with a headache.

“Emmet,” Ingo reached across the crowd to grasp his brother’s shoulder. Even with his naturally loud speaking voice that carried well, it was barely audible over the crowd and the music - he had to speak up. “Emmet!”

Emmet momentarily paused his cheering with Elesa and the rest of the crowd, to see who had touched him. He quickly met Ingo’s strained expression with a more quizzical look.

“Yes, Ingo? Are you ok?”

“I’m…going to the vending machine; you may meet me at the turnstiles when you and Elesa are ready to depart.”

The older subway boss was already turning to leave and make his way back out of the crowd, not having made sure Emmet caught all of that.

“What? Bathroom? Alright Ingo! We’ll wait here!”

Elesa, having caught none of the conversation over the loud atmosphere, was unaware one of the twins had even left.

————

Ingo moved out of the way as a few more groups of people steadily wandered towards the sound of the band, curious.

It was still loud, but moving a bit further away from the music and the crowd had already eased the pain of his headache slightly.

He made his way to the line of vending machines that were set against the wall in the corner of the station room, searching absentmindedly for some loose change in his coat pocket.

Ingo was normally not one to drink soda - that was Emmet’s preference. However, he often made exceptions when he had headaches, as he found the caffeine usually found in certain sugary drinks was a good secondary solution to pain relievers.

Glancing back at the crowd further down the subway momentarily, Ingo pulled back his sleeve to check the time.

12:18 pm.

They definitely wouldn’t have time to pick up some pain relievers for his headache at this rate, if Elesa wanted to take them to that new and popular food truck.

Ingo sighed as he fished out a handful of pocket change. He counted the coins to make sure he had enough, before pushing the money into the machine’s slot.

The panel on the side lit up as it registered the payment, and Ingo browsed the selection of drinks available in the rows behind the glass.

Cherub-juici, Fruit-zel, Vanillyte, Ener-joltik…

That last one had been added to the stock at Emmet’s insistence. It was an energy drink that Ingo thought tasted (appropriately) like electrified tv static, but among all of the fruit juices, it was one of the only drinks that had any caffeine.

Rubbing his aching scalp under his hat, Ingo sighed and input the drink’s number into the machine. With a ding, the drink was dropped into the pickup slot, and unused change was deposited for return.

Ingo pocketed the extra change and slipped his hand into the slot to retrieve the drink. Looking over the can’s design in his hands momentarily, Ingo took note of all the joltiks and thunderbolt design that decorated the drink.

No wonder Emmet wanted to add this to the Battle Subway’s stock.

Ingo cracked the can open and took a few quick drinks, trying to get it to bypass his tastebuds entirely so that he didn’t have to taste it, but…yup, just as staticky as the last time he remembered.

Swallowing with a slight grimace, Ingo looked through the groups of people standing around, back at the crowd further down the subway. The music was still going strong, and he could spot Emmet’s white cap and Elesa’s designer jacket amongst the crowd.

Did they forget they only had an hour for lunch?

Ingo glanced down the other way; he was surprised no depot agents in charge of this section of the station had come yet to break up the crowd…perhaps they were all at lunch already.

The group of musicians had probably strategically planned the time they came to start playing, which meant they were most likely consciously trying to get around the rules. But Ingo didn’t entirely mind that.

He understood it could be a problem causing such a blockage near the platforms when the single and double lines were running, but they weren’t right now. What public traffic could it hold up, if no one over here had any trains to catch at the moment?

And from a safer distance where his headache didn’t react quite as strongly, he did quite admire the band’s musical skills. It was a nice change of pace from the same few tracks the Battle Subway repeated over their systems every single day.

Ingo took another rushed sip of his drink, but jolted with an unexpected hiccup.

He pressed his hand against his chest in surprise, hoping no one heard that over the ambience of the subway. Perhaps he should stop trying to force a carbonated drink down quickly, even if it meant he’d have to taste the awful static.

Then he heard a barely audible sniff.

Becoming acutely aware that someone was watching him, most likely having heard him hiccup, the subway boss looked over the side of his uniform’s collar, at the end of the line of vending machines.

Someone was hiding behind the large appliances, peeking out and staring at him with a look of caution in their eyes.

A child?

It wasn’t unheard of to see kids in the Battle Subway section of Gear Station, but this one seemed exceptionally young to be here.

And they seemed very unsure of their surroundings.

…were they lost?

The two stared at each other for a moment, unmoving. Ingo was still, but his mind was already shifting out of a relaxed mode into a more attentive one, despite the bothersome headache.

A lost child in a busy place such as a subway was a matter of upmost importance!

“Ah,” Ingo cleared his throat, hoping he wouldn’t hiccup again, as he turned to the child. “…hello. Are you…lost?”

The child did not respond, but instead pulled a little further behind the side of the vending machine.

“…are your parents around?” Ingo tried again. He glanced around at the people standing nearby, trying to see if anyone seemed like a worried parent looking for their child, but he saw nothing of the sort. Everyone was either on their phones, walking somewhere they clearly had to be, drawing closer to the subway band, or talking with groups of others.

Another sniff.

Ingo pulled a look of concern as he fumbled with the half-empty energy drink in his hands. Dropping the can into a nearby trash bin, he took curious steps closer, until he reached the end of the line of vending machines. Stepping around to face the child, he tried to get a better understanding of what he was dealing with, but still gave her some space.

He could see they were a little girl about six, seven years old at the most. Yellow clips decorated her blue hair, matching her skirt barely seen under her oversized sweater. A buneary plush was held tightly in her arms, and a backpack was on the ground beside her. It was clear she had been crying, from the way she wiped at her eyes.

“Do you require assistance?” Ingo asked again as he adjusted his hat by the brim, trying to extend a more general offer in case he was being too specific; he was unaware the sentence might be too formal for a child of her age.

Instead of silence, he received a stifled sob this time, as the girl backed up against the wall.

Ingo adjusted the tie around his neck nervously. He already felt awkward with kids…how do you converse with a child? And this one wouldn’t even respond to him! He knew she couldn’t entirely help it, but she wasn’t making things any easier; he couldn’t help if he didn’t know what was wrong! And this bothersome headache was slowing things further, scrambling his thoughts.

Honestly, Emmet always seemed better with the children who came through the station; he was usually the one they came up to most, asking for those complimentary lollipops and battle subway conductors badges that Gear Station liked to hand out to kids.

It had always been a bit of a secret sore spot for Ingo seeing his pockets were always much more full of these things than Emmet’s at the end of the day. The kids always seemed so sweet; why did they seem so apprehensive to approach him, as opposed to his brother? Was it Emmet’s smile that put them more at ease? Maybe kids didn’t like his frown. Or his rather tall posture. Maybe he was scaring this little girl-

“…Momma said not to talk to strangers. And to tell her if someone did.”

The small voice interrupted Ingo from his thoughts, so quiet, he almost missed it amongst the crowded bustle of the subway.

She talked!

And she had a mother! One that taught her well in the ways of safety, it seemed. He didn’t cross it out entirely, but now it seemed unlikely that this was a case of abandonment.

“Ah! Well,” Ingo started talking before he knew what he was going to say, just relieved she was now opening up. “I’m…a worker here. I’m Ingo, one of the Subway Bosses who runs this station, the Battle Subway.”

The girl’s distressed expression remained unchanged, clearly having no understanding of what his name, or the title of “Subway Boss” meant. A fresh tear ran down her face, and she wiped at it, not comforted at all.

Ingo lost the short burst of confidence he had.

“So, your mother should be alright with you talking to me.” Ingo kept going, the beginnings of a listless ramble. He glanced around again, in case he missed an obvious sign of a searching parent the first time. “Is your mother here? Do you see her anywhere, or know where she is?”

The girl hugged her buneary plush tighter, shaking her head as a silent no.

Even if she was shy about it, he finally had confirmation on what he suspected was wrong.

But the situation didn’t seem to be getting any easier for the girl; she still held her buneary plush tight in her arms, pressed up against the corner between the wall and the vending machine in an attempt to seem smaller. Like she was still wary of him.

It dawned on Ingo that perhaps him standing over her while she was backed against a wall, with how tall he was, wasn’t doing any favors. And his frown-

Ingo crouched down to stoop more to her level, and did his best to give her a smile. It barely tugged at the corners of his mouth, pathetically underwhelming compared to his brother’s famous grins, but it already made him seem severely less intimidating.

“Well, I can help you find your mother.” He offered, extending a hand out to her. “A passenger’s safety is of upmost importance, but their needs must also be attended to! Let’s get your back to her.”

Maybe it was the promises and words of consolation, showing he was someone she could trust in this loud, scary, and foreign place. Maybe it was the less intimidating posture and reassuring smile he gave her. Or maybe it was even mistaking the meaning of his outstretched arm. But whatever it was, the girl opened up to Ingo; she got up, buneary plush still clutched tightly in one arm, and hugged him as a few more fresh tears spilled down her face.

Ingo did not know what to do with this, and let her dry her tears onto him as he held still for a moment.

“It is so big and loud here!” The small girl confessed to him, her eyes wet. “I lost Momma, she might have left on the trains already!”

Ingo’s aching skull readily agreed with the loud part.

But…left already?

It sounded like she was a commuter then, using the subway for Unovan travel, not battles.

She was in the wrong half of the station then! What was she doing over here, in the battle subway?

And was she a tourist here in Nimbasa? That would explain why nothing seemed familiar to her!

“I’m sure she’s still here, looking for you,” Ingo reassured her. If she was in the wrong section of the station, perhaps it would be best to take her to Gear Station’s services. Taking a glance at his watch, he noticed he didn’t have a lot of time to go searching with her anyways - 12:26 pm. “I can take you to a service center and make a call for your mother. Do you remember her name? What she looks like?”

The girl pulled away to express a face resembling deep thought for a few moments.

“She’s got hair the same color as mine!”

Ingo waited for more information, but none came.

Was that all she could remember?

“Ah, I see,” Ingo rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe he should take a different approach to this. “Well then, what’s your name?”

“Dawn,” the girl responded with some hesitance, as she tugged at the bottom of her skirt. She seemed hesitant to share this information, most likely from her mother instructing her not to, but she seemed to trust Ingo at this point. He appreciated the eventual cooperation with answering his questions, but he wasn’t entirely relieved to see how quickly she opened up to him.

Ingo glanced around again. How long had she been hiding here? He was glad he was seemingly the first person to approach her, if this was all it took to get her to trust a stranger.

“Alright then, Miss Dawn,” Ingo stood up again, once again overshadowing her at his full height. But this time, she didn’t shrink away. “Can you retrieve your backpack? I will escort you to a services center.”

The girl sniffed again, her eyes finally dry as she turned behind her to pick up her backpack. As she did so, Ingo quickly threw a glance back at the crowd.

Still loud, still playing music, still including Emmet and Elesa, right where he left them. They’d probably still be there by the time he finished this, as well.

He shook his head, doubting any of them would be leaving for lunch at this point. He’d have to see if Gear Station’s gift shop carried pain relievers.

As Dawn pulled her backpack straps up onto her shoulders, Ingo held a hand out to her.

“The Battle Subway might slow down around lunch, but the rest of Gear Station is very crowded this time of day. We can easily get separated. Take care not to come uncoupled from me.”

Dawn’s tiny hand grasped his own, her plush in the other.

With his passenger ready, Ingo pointed to the Battle Subway’s exit, that opened up into the rest of Gear Station. “Ready? Onward we roll!”

————

Leading the small girl through the crowd of people had been quite a challenge. Ingo had never taken into account how slow children moved, though with such short legs, he felt he should have expected it.

He was constantly slowing down for her, probably one of the only people in the station moving at a leisurely pace, with everyone else hurrying to catch various trains, too busy talking on phones or with friends to pay much attention to anything else.

But Dawn’s hand never let go of his, which he was grateful for. It would be hard to find her again in this crowd, he felt.

The drone of people, and station announcements, and general subway ambience dully irritated his headache, but the caffeine from earlier seemed to be helping, as he found himself with a clearer head than earlier.

Subtly keeping an eye out for any women with blue hair as he made his way closer to Gear Station’s service desk, he never saw what he was looking for. But he quickly explained the situation to one of the employees, and after getting a few more details out of Dawn, (Ingo discovered that indeed, she was six years old, and no father was present) they prepared an announcement to play over the subway’s PA system.

“Attention Gear Station, we have a lost girl named Dawn, who was found in the Battle Subway, and she’s looking for her mom,” one of the service center attendants announced, working with the limited information they had. “She’s six years old, has a stuffed buneary, and is wearing yellow hair clips with a pink sweater. You can find her at Gear Station’s service center near the front exit. Thank you.”

Ingo and Dawn listened to the announcement play through the station, watching people’s heads momentarily glance up from their devices and conversations upon listening.

“Thank you,” Ingo thanked the service attendant, as he then led Dawn over to a few chairs nearby to sit down. All they could do now was wait.

The girl seemed considerably more comfortable with Ingo now, seeing that he was helping her, and that there was nothing to be scared of, despite his intimidating appearance. She didn’t shy away from him, kicking her feet on the chair as she still insisted to hold his hand.

Ingo’s eyes still scanned the crowd for a possible mother, but was yet to see anyone with blue hair like Dawn’s. Amongst the scanning, his eyes fell upon the station’s clock.

12:46 pm.

His shift was starting up again soon, with a single battle scheduled right at 1pm. But the thought of leaving this girl alone before her mother came to pick her up did not sit right with him.

Ingo was a stickler for keeping a tight schedule, but this was more important, he decided. Surely, the challengers would understand.

“What’s that?”

Ingo turned his head down to Dawn, who was now pointing at something inside his coat.

His eyes followed her finger to see she was pointing at one of his inside pockets; a brightly-colored wrapper was sticking out of it, which must have been what got her attention.

“Ah!” Ingo pulled it out, to reveal a lollipop to her. “It’s candy. I hand them out to children, to promote Gear Station’s family friendly atmosphere.”

The verbose explanation sailed right over Dawn’s head, only understanding that he had a lollipop. The Subway Boss used his other hand to reach into an opposite pocket, pulling out a little pin badge, bearing the same logo that was on his hat.

“It comes with a free conductor’s badge as well. Would you like them?”

Ingo held the candy and the badge out to the girl, who took both carefully, but excitedly. She tore the wrapper off and stuck the lollipop in her mouth with a big grin, and stars in her eyes.

“Thanks, Mister Ingo!”

That seemed to be the first time Ingo recalled a child at gear station say a sentence like that with such happiness. Usually, if by some chance he did hand a badge and candy to a child, the parent usually had to coax a very scripted ‘thanks’ out of them with the famous “now, what do we say to the nice conductor?”

Again, maybe it was the frown-

“You’re welcome, Miss Dawn,” Ingo addressed the child. His frown only seemed slightly less so, but clear happiness of his own was apparent in his voice.

“Dawn!”

A voice cut through the crowd that Ingo immediately snapped his head to. With the emotion held in the single word, it unmistakably belonged to an overwhelmingly relieved mother.

A moment later; a blue-haired woman emerged from the parted crowd, tears in her eyes as she held her arms out.

“Momma!” Dawn cried as she leapt from her chair, running to her mother’s arms. Ingo simply stood from his chair to finally talk with her, but not making a move to disturb the moment.

“Where did you go?” The mother swooped Dawn up in her arms, protectively holding her close against her shoulder. “I was looking everywhere for you!”

“I heard fun music,” the child confessed, wrapping her arms around her mother’s neck. “And wanted to listen. But then a lot of people came, and I got lost!”

Ingo stiffened at this new bit of information.

Did she wander off to listen to the Subway band, only for the influx of curious people to confuse her?

Perhaps Ingo could now see another reason as to why bands should not be allowed to play in the Battle Subway. It subtly, but immediately, changed his view on letting bands sneak around the rules.

“But Mister Ingo helped me find you! He told me he’d get me back to you!”

Attention turned to Ingo as the mother’s gaze fixed on him, her daughter pointing back at him.

“Ah,” Ingo readjusted his cap by the brim. “Hello Ma’am, I presume you are the mother; I am Subway Boss Ingo, co-head of Gear Station’s Battle Subway. I found your daughter quite lost, and escorted her here to the service center.”

an arm wrapped around Ingo in a hug as Dawn’s mother stepped forward, still holding her child in the other arm. Ingo stiffened at the surprise contact - a challenger, much less a commuter, had never hugged him before.

“Thank you, sir,” the mother choked up, her voice wet with emotion again. “I was so worried!”

She pulled away from him, to make eye contact as she continued speaking.

“But yes, I am Johanna, Dawn’s mother. Honestly, I didn’t even know where to start looking! Dawn and I are from Sinnoh, but we came here for Nimbasa’s Pokémon musicals, as I participate in Pokémon contests.”

From Sinnoh! Ingo did a mental double take; he had suspected Dawn and her mother were tourists, from how unfamiliar Dawn seemed to be with the environment, but…from a different region all together? They certainly were far from home!

“Today was our last day sightseeing before heading back home, but when I went to step onto the train, Dawn was no longer by my side! And I don’t know this station at all…I didn’t even know it had a section for battling! I would have been searching and stressing for hours, if you didn’t bring her back! And who knows what could have happened in that time I was-“

For the third time, emotions seemed to creep up in her voice. Ingo could not relate to the scenario of a parent losing a child in a busy place at all (or even having a parental relationship with a child), but he was entirely empathetic.

“Well, I am glad to be of service, Ma’am!” Ingo expressed to Johanna, in an attempt to derail her current, incredibly stressful train of thought. “Happy I could help. And aside from this mishap, I do hope you found your time in Nimbasa City enjoyable!”

The gratitude was apparent in Johanna’s eyes as she smiled at him, readjusting Dawn in her arms (who was still enjoying her lollipop)

“It was,” Johanna answered him. “Nimbasa has proven its everything it’s advertised itself to be! Lots of entertaining events to participate in, a good, safe atmosphere…and you’ve done a good job advocating for the good service Nimbasa prides itself in! I would love to return and participate in another contest here sometime.”

A light flush crept up on Ingo’s face as he readjusted his coat, soaking in her casual but striking compliment. “Like I said ma’am, just happy to be of service.”

The station’s clock chimed, indicating it had reached the end of the hour, 1:00 pm.

Ingo’s shift would be starting again.

“Well, we should get going”, Johanna sighed as she turned back to Ingo from the clock. “I missed our scheduled train, so it seems I should go buy two more tickets before the last one possibly leaves for the day. Im unfamiliar with the station’s schedule…”

“Ah!” Ingo interjected, seeing another moment to be helpful. “No need Ma’am, you can simply update your tickets. Here, I’ll escort you to the proper booth…”

The Subway boss led Johanna and her daughter through the crowd of people, taking them to a booth to update their scheduled trip times on their tickets.

He could stand to be a few minutes late.

————

Johanna sat in her chair, the telephone out of focus from the corner of her eye, but almost always present in her vision.

She didn’t do much else these days, she found. Not since Dawn disappeared.

The clock on the wall ticked repetitively, methodically in the background. The day was winding down with the setting sun, another day where absolutely nothing had happened.

Her glameow paced silently but incessantly, as it did most days, leeching off of her trainer’s stress.

It had been several months since the teen disappeared, and it was a perplexing case.

Johanna had bid goodnight to her daughter as she returned to her room for the night, going to sleep. The next morning, when it had reached half-passed noon and she still had not emerged, Johanna hesitantly entered Dawn’s bedroom to check on her.

The room had been empty.

No one could figure out what happened. Where did she go? The windows were shut and locked, and with only inside locks, it showed she couldn’t have left through a window.

The front door had been locked as well, and had never been opened. She didn’t leave that way.

No signs of a forced entry were present as well, and all of Dawn’s important belongings were still in her room, including her very own Pokémon.

Frantic calls to all of Dawn’s friends confirmed she was not with them, and hadn’t been at any point in the last 24 hours.

It became crystal clear very quickly, that something very not-normal had happened. It was as alarming of a case as it was bizarre, and a surge of social media attention swarmed on it like a flock of fearow.

But Johanna didn’t want the attention, more focused on spreading the information than actually helping. In fact, she hated it. They didn’t care about her or her daughter, they just wanted a story. She wanted answers, and sometimes it felt like she was the only person actually looking for them.

Eventually, the attention died down some. Her phone stopped ringing with reporters asking for interviews, and people stopped bringing it up with her during trips to town.

All the questions had been asked, time and time again, and finally that time had passed. But when would she get answers? None of the research she was doing ever helped any.

Then people started consoling her. Expressing their condolences, and asking how she would deal with it.

The very thought mortified her, wondering how people could give up like that! Her daughter was not gone. Dawn was not dead. She knew it.

She was just lost.

And so she would spend most days waiting by the phone as she researched, hoping someone with some information would call and offer help. Hoping someone would say they found her daughter.

Hoping even Dawn herself would call, and say she was alright, and coming back home.

So when a knock came at the door, firm but hesitant, her heart leapt with hope before she mentally scolded herself.

Of course not. How could you get your hopes up?

“Yes?” Johanna cracked opened the door, to see a surprisingly familiar man. His face looked older and weathered, weary but not absent of compassion. The coat he wore, and the hat on his head; both were tattered and shredded, but they were familiar all the same. However, a foreign article of clothing, a loose tunic, replaced his dress shirt and tie she remembered.

But the Battle Subway emblem on his hat is what explicitly sparked her memory. It was the same emblem Dawn had on that pin she had received,back when they left Nimbasa city.

Dawn had loved that pin.

Almost a decade ago. He was the man who helped find Dawn in the bustling Nimbasa subway.

What was this man doing all the way here, in Sinnoh? And why was he so disheveled?

“Ah, hello Ma’am,” The man started, before being cut off.

“Mom?”

Johanna’s heart skipped several beats at that sweet, sweet voice. The voice she would not let fade from her head, and held onto. The hope she had locked away so tightly a second ago leapt from its cage, overwhelming the previous confusion she felt at seeing Ingo.

Surely-

Johanna quickly opened the door to see her daughter standing next to the man. She was pressed into his side, holding his hand tightly. She was dressed strangely, in clothes she had never seen before - a handkerchief around her head and a red scarf were the first things she noticed, before taking note of the blue uniform and strange shoes. She looked just as disheveled as the Subway Boss, a tiredness in her features. Tears were already beginning to spill from her eyes.

Johanna barely had time to register that what she was seeing was reality, and not a cruel trick of the mind, or a vivid dream, when her daughter rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her tightly. Johanna heaved a sob and returned the hug, holding her daughter close.

She was tangible, and she was here.

Dawn openly sobbed into her mother’s embrace, standing in the doorway of her home. She had returned back home.

Johanna looked up at Ingo through tear-obscured vision. The man who had made sure her daughter was safely returned to her all those years ago, at Gear Station.

He made sure she was safely brought home, back to her once again, didn’t he?

He helped Dawn get back to her when she was lost, when he himself had been even more lost.

He had felt like he brought her back terribly late, the moment he saw how much accumulated worry had sunken into her features when she initially cracked the door open.

But all of that washed away when she laid eyes on her daughter beside him, the girl he had not initially remembered, but come to care for all the same.

“Thank you,” the weeping mother choked out as she pulled Ingo close to join in on the hug, holding her daughter tightly in her other arm. “Thank you.”

————

Check out this amazing fanart for the fic by @justawipp !

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alvivaarts · 4 months

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🌪

This is an answer for the prompt: 🌩️ Share something funny/cracky from your WIP. Other prompts are listed below. Please send them to my ask box!

Edit; this looked like a lightning bolt on desktop I’m so sorry 💀 ---------- An unposted excerpt from Not A Lot, Just Forever (A Serrenedy Week oneshot series and collection of mostly-sexy-epilogues for Simulation Swarm)

Maybe they got a little too into it, because they’re definitely drunk. A whirlwind of swaying and scattering claws, barely muffled snorts and scrabbling grasps at walls is not a hard thing to hear as they come stumbling down the hall together. In fact, the vague shadow of them can probably be seen from the candlelit hallway- tails intertwined and arms about each other's shoulders- as Jill snatches the bottle of sake from Leon's hand as he manages a semi-hushed protest.

"Heyyyy, Jill!"

"Shhh! Shut up!"

They stumble right past Luis and Leon's shared door before Leon seems to skid to a halt, much to Jill's seeming amusement.

"What? Pf- what?"

"I forgot the door."

She giggles. Which prompts Leon, haplessly, to fall into a fit of giggles that goes all echoey as he haphazardly snags the bottle back for another drink.

"Where're you gon' go?"

"I dunno. Where's our husbands?"

"...Do- what if it's the wrong floor?" She starts, but she sounds more amused than anything in her conspiratory whisper. "Oh my god!"

"Oh my god-"

They don’t have time to argue -or are they arguing? More laughing at what massive idiots they are- before one of the doors slides open. For all of two seconds, Leon’s worried that somebody’s gonna be pissed off that they’re being too loud. He’s hardly even sure where it’s coming from, but a familiar voice cuts sharp and hushed through the otherwise still of the hallway.

“Oye, borrachos!”

He and Jill whip around in tandem, so fast they only narrowly miss knocking their heads together. Luis is standing there in the doorway with one of the weird cigarettes glowing a lovely amber between his fingers. He clearly looks amused, taking in the sight of them standing there with a dubious grin.

They’re both hot messes. Hell, it has Leon a little sheepish. His kimono- it’s like, a layer and a half (they’re supposed to be blending in or something), some kinda half loincloth underwear going on under what, to him, feels like the world’s comfiest pink and purple floral bathrobe. Kimono. It’s not a bathrobe, it's a kimono, and the only reason it’s still on his body is the black cord around his waist. Jill’s in much a similar boat. She’d insisted on not having the super long, six layered one, so she’d ended up in a yellow men’s kimono not unlike his own.

She totally hadn’t had any nip slips or anything, no way.

Luis stands there like he’d been keeping an eye on them out the bedroom window and he already knows the answer to the question he’s asking.

“You two drank too much, didn’t you?” Thankfully, Luis doesn’t sound mad (which is great, because that means his plan is gonna work pretty well), simply humorous, enjoying watching their shitty little scramble down the hall. Still, he offers a nod with his chin. “Carlos is down the hall.”

Jill immediately breaks into a genuine snort, and she goes teetering, leaning back against him as Leon clings on and tries not to look too embarrassed. But his face does, flushed or not, light up like Christmas.

“No!” Leon chimes instantly, as if he’s forgotten he’s still holding their almost empty bottle.

---------- Other prompts: 🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing... ❄️Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing. 🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP. 🌧️Share something angsty from your WIP. 🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP. 💧 Share something romantic/hot from your WIP, or just something sweet if it's gen. ☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it? 🌪️Sum up a WIP with a few fic tropes/Ao3 tags.

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quiet-nocturne · 5 months

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answer your 30 questions please and thank you!!!

WOO. HERE WE GO, YA'LL:

ao3 wrapped [writers edition]

How many words have you written this year? Published? 22,685. Unpublished? A loooooot ahaha.

How many works did you publish this year? Currently, 3. Hoping to have 4-5 by christmas though. 👀

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? definitely cause i'm lovesick. That thing was a labor of love. My first fanfic baby in a loooong time.

What work of yours has the most hits? currently cause i'm lovesick (I ain't even ashamed), which is at 735 hits. But it's kind of biased, considering I only came back to fic writing in like october.

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? nothing in particular - I'm just happy to have any engagement!

Favorite title you used honestly, no favorite as of yet. All the titles I've used come from song lyrics that are super royai coded/important to me, so I like them all. That answer could definitely change in the future though!

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? most recently, taylor swift (hopeless, breathless, burning slow), but also banks (cause i'm lovesick and you're all that matters to me anyway - she's SO GOOD for angsty love songs). Lyrics are so, so important to me. I have a ~300 song royai playlist (which I'm going to slim down and post here at some point) that I listen to constantly, lol, and a huge notes file on my phone filled with potential song lyric titles. I have a music degree and it's literally so important to my writing process aajsaksjljasjl.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Royai. lol. That's not going to change any time soon. The extreme hyperfixation is REAL.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? Again royai. They're the best. My babies. 💖

What work was the quickest to write? Surprising, chapter 2 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow. started it last night and i'm already nearly done the first draft. That thing flew out of me, especially considering chapter 1 was much more of a journey lol.

What work took you the longest to write? definitely chapter 1 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow. it wasn't the writing that was the issue - it was the editing. I really dragged my feet on it, and could have had that thing out like 2 weeks ago. 🤦‍♀️

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year? oh god. my wip's currently include: - chapter 2 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow - sequel to cause i'm lovesick (I ain't even ashamed) - a christmas fic - angsty, hurt/comfort, character exploration, ishval restoration multi-chaptered fic (I'm REALLY excited to work on this!!! yay angst) - roy and riza returning to her old father's house post-cannon and STUFF HAPPENS, fluff, hurt/comfort, etc (also really excited for this one! i've been daydreaming about it for MONTHS. Even just thinking about this fic feels like sinking into a warm bath. That's the vibes I want it to give) - ANOTHER post-promised day fic, because I'm a broken record, but this time more humorous/cute. - aaaand yet another post-promised day fic, but one where Riza REALLY ISN'T DOING WELL/almost dies like a million times at the hospital and roy is sad (!!!). - briggs angst/sick fic - does that make sense? no? it will. Yeah. yeahhh. That list is only going to get bigger. 🤷‍♀️ Some of these will also, shockingly, not have smut lol.

What’s your longest work of the year? So far, ch. 1 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow at a whopping 9, 792 words. It really ran away from me.

What’s your shortest work of the year? mmm, you're all that matters to me anyway at 5,954 words. apparently I can't write anything below 5k lol. 🤷‍♀️

What WIP are you taking into next year with you? Oof, I mean probably most of what I had listed above. I aim to have some of it done - but it's already December 7th, so yeah.

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? Smut. lol.

Your favorite character to write this year? Surprisingly, Roy. I almost find him easier to write than Riza. Normally I don't enjoy writing from the male perspective. But Roy Mustang is just 🔥. I was so surprised lol.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? No one, as of yet. But we'll see what I say once I start working more on the multi chaptered fics. 😬

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? More Royai, maybe with a dash of Roy/Maes. Maybe I'll try a bit of Ed/Winry? Who knows!

Which work of yours have you reread the most? chapter 1 of hopeless, breathless, burning slow. I am so fucking sick of it ahaha helppp.

How many kudos in total did you get this year? Currently at 142! You are all so sweet. 😭

Which work has the most comments? I think cause i'm lovesick at the moment!

Did you do any collaborative works this year? nope! Definitely something I'd consider doing in the future though!

Did you write any gifts this year? maybe! 👀 we shall see

Did you receive any gifts this year? nope!

What’s your most common category? ...Smut. lol. 🤷‍♀️

What do you listen to while writing? ahhhh I love talking about music with my ships! like I said, my ridiculously huge royai playlist. also all of my top songs on spotify were from it, which includes: 1. Say Yes to Heaven - Lana Del Ray (i've got my eye on you / i've got my mind on you) 2. Work Song - Hozier (no grave could hold my body down / i'll crawl home to her) 3. I Wanna Be Yours - Artic Monkeys (secrets i have held in my heart / are harder to hide then i thought / maybe i just wanna be yours) 4. Night We Met - Lord Horan feat. Pheobe Bridges (i had all and then most of you / some and now none of you / take me back to the night we met / i don't know what i'm supposed to do / haunted by the ghost of you) - that ishval restoration fic is definitely going to use a lyric from this song SOMEWHERE Honorable mentions: Die First - Nessa Barrett (someone dies or someone gets hurt / but if one of us dies / i hope i die first) Ya'aburnee - Halsey (i'll never know / if there's danger in confession / or it's memory that presses / like a blade against my throat / another word and i could choke / but what's worst? / tellin' you my feelings / or to die without revealing / that you got inside my head / and set a fire there instead?) Dress - Taylor Swift (there is an indentation in the shape of you / made your mark on me, a golden tattoo / all of this silence and patience / pining and anticipation / my hands are shaking from holding back from you) 10000/10, would play at royai's wedding.

Favorite work you wrote this year? cause i'm lovesick. Again, it was my baby. I loved writing it so much.

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? mmmm, probably: "She'd planned to stay angry at Mustang for longer, but then he'd surprised her by sauntering into her apartment basically the second his train had arrived, eyes blazing with desire as he collected her in his warm embrace, murmuring you have no idea how much I've been craving to taste you against the soft skin of her throat." (I tried to find one that was mostly sfw lol).

Biggest surprise while writing this year? Just being able to write, in general! It's been so much fun. 💖

#bless you i love answering asks #💕#ask #answered #writing #ilyanairvine #answered asks #royai #royai fanfic #royai fanfiction #my fics #my stuff

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