#possible crossover material anyone

[ao719]

Vancross

Vancross - Through the Darkness (Chapter 21)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: A group of friends embark on their final year at Vancross Institute with the hopes of making it their best year yet. When a new face with a complicated family plagued by secrets and rumors arrives on campus, new friendships are formed, a new relationship blossoms, and threatening challenges arise.  

Title inspiration: Wake Me Up - Tommee Profitt & Fleurie

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window. Thanks to @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.

A/N 2: Since this is more of a filler/check-in chapter, I made it a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #2. Fair warning, our girl Croía is not doing well 🥲

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Word count: 2468

Catch up here

•Three Weeks Ago•

Standing on the balcony of her room, Croía wiped the tears from her cheeks as she watched the last rays of the sun start to disappear behind the horizon. When she made the choice to come home, being told she was going to be forced to stay was not something she had anticipated. 

Considering the way she’d been treated growing up, Croía thought they’d be happy to be rid of her, but at dinner that night, her mother informed her that she had “more important plans” for her. When she returned to her room, she saw a few stacked boxes at the foot of her bed, and when she opened them, she found all of her belongings from her room at Vancross. She rushed to her nightstand where she’d put her phones, knowing she needed to reach out to someone, but they were gone. 

When her eyes shifted to the waves crashing against the jagged rocks below, Croía searched her muddled mind for some way out, but with no way to contact anyone and knowing there was no way for her to leave, panic clutched her heart. 

Gripping the concrete balustrade, Croía dropped to her knees and a sob escaped her as one thought crossed her mind: Liam. 

•Two Weeks Ago•

After a meeting with her mother to discuss exactly what was expected of her in the coming weeks, Croía was escorted back to her room. The meeting was one she remained completely silent throughout. In the week since being told she would be staying in Drakovia, she remembered why it was better to just keep quiet. 

After being told that she was being named heir and was being forced to take a husband of her mother’s choosing, a husband who would end up with more ruling capacity than her to ensure she couldn’t ruin their plan — a plan she still knew nothing about — Croía became something she’d never been before: defiant. When she was summoned to meet with her mother, she refused to go. Her mother then came to her and an argument ensued, but one forceful backhand across the face that knocked her to the floor was all it took to remind Croía of where she was and exactly who she was dealing with. 

Once at her room, Croía stepped inside as the two guards who’d escorted her took their positions on either side of her door. She was their new assignment. If she left her room, they followed. When she was in her room, they were stationed outside. 

When she shut the door, Croía went to her balcony and finally set free the emotions she’d been holding back for the last hour; shuddered breaths escaped her as did her tears as she leaned against the balustrade. 

At that moment, Croía couldn’t help but think of Liam, not that he was never not on her mind. She wondered what he was doing … what he was thinking. They were back on campus now. Knowing him, she was sure he had tried to reach out, but after a week of silence on her end, did he think she just chose not to return without a word? 

Was he worried? 

Was it possible he reached out to Trystan and Marguerite, and if so, were they trying to figure out what happened to her? 

If they could figure it out, would they find a way to get to her? 

What if she never saw or spoke to any of them again? 

Croía choked on another sob as she tried to take in a breath; she stood upright, wiping the tears from her cheeks only for them to be replaced by more. Her eyes then shifted to the rocks below. 

What if she was stuck here forever? 

No. She couldn’t be … she wouldn’t be. 

Nothing good could come of these plans her mother had, and Croía didn’t want to be a part of whatever they were. As she stared down at those jagged rocks, watching the waves slam against them, she knew that if all else failed … there was, at least, one way out. 

•One Week Ago•

Sitting inside the great room with her parents, Croía stared off, not paying much attention to anything they were saying. She wanted no part in the discussion they were having about the upcoming masquerade ball where her mother planned to choose a suitor for her. Why she was summoned to be there for the discussion was lost on her; she was nothing more than the pawn they were trading off to the highest bidder. She’d been diminished to nothing but an object … a duty … a plan. 

Croía had been in Drakovia for a month and she was losing all sense of herself, becoming a shell of the girl she had been before arriving. She was beginning to lose hope that she’d get out of this, and because of that, she was cold and distant, not that anyone there noticed or cared. And those who she thought would care — Alia, Liam, the other friends she’d made at school — she’d been told to forget them … just as they’d forgotten her. She was told no one had even reached out, and when she shook her head in disbelief, she was shown her phone; there were no missed calls, no messages. There was nothing. She swore her mother took pleasure in delivering those blows to her. 

Yes, Croía knew that her mother could have easily gained access to her phone and erased any truth, but there was an insecure voice in the back of her head that made her question everything, and it only got louder with each passing day. 

Was she right? 

Had they forgotten her? 

Had they come to their own conclusions of what happened and simply carried on? 

All of those thoughts and more kept filling Croía’s head, unable to get that doubt-filled voice to be quiet, and none of it was doing her state of mind any favors. 

Croía was pulled from her daze when her father stood from the sofa and excused himself; she watched him leave the room just as Lydea entered.

“Since you’re both here,” Lydea said to her mother and sister as she approached them, “we should go over some protocol for the night of the ball.”

Croía stood as she let out a breath. “I’m tired. We can do it another day,” she said as she started for the door.

“You’re here now,” Lydea bit out. “So we can do it now.” 

“Another day,” Croía repeated. 

“I wasn’t asking,” Lydea said as she darted toward her, grabbing hold of her wrist. “We will do it now.” 

Croía turned, meeting Lydea’s narrowed gaze. “The last time I checked, you’re the head of the royal guard and I’m the Crown Princess. I don’t take orders from you. You take them from me.” She yanked her wrist free from her sister’s tight grip and turned, disappearing into the hall. 

Lydea’s brows rose in surprise as she turned to her mother. 

Viktoria was smirking at the door, almost impressed by her youngest’s curt attitude. Almost. Croía had a ways to go, but something was finally starting to break inside her, and in order for it to last and for her to become a semblance of what she needed her to be, she would need to continue to push her to that edge. She lifted her cup of tea to her lips, meeting Lydea’s gaze and shrugging as she took a sip. 

•Present•

Standing on the alteration platform inside the palace boutique, Croía stared back at the floor-length mirror, focusing on the reflection of her own ice-blue eyes; she couldn’t help but notice how the light that had been in them the last several months had all but vanished. 

Croía was trying to keep her attention off the gown she wore because every time she glimpsed it in the mirror, her chest tightened, her eyes stung, and her anxiety spiked; with the ball less than a week away, she was more on edge than ever. The gown wasn’t her — black with a barely there illusion neckline and lace appliqués in shimmering gold on the bodice that led into the top of the skirt. Leave it to her mother to want to parade her around in something like this; she felt like a piece of bait. 

“We’ll have to take in the waist again, Your Highness,” the seamstress said as she rose to her feet after checking the hem. Upon hearing what sounded like a hint of worry in her tone, Croía glanced at her in the mirror, watching as she pinched the bit of loose fabric at her sides and gently pulled it against her body. 

The first time Croía tried it on was only a few days after that regretful dinner. She’d taken in the waist two weeks ago by just a small bit, but now it needed to be taken in again. 

Croía only offered a silent nod in response to the woman’s words. The seamstress offered a sad smile in return before turning to her supply table. 

When the door to the boutique opened, Croía stiffened at the sight of her mother and Lydea. She schooled her expression into impassiveness as they approached her, both taking in the details of the gown.

“A little loose, don’t you think?” Lydea asked as she pinched the loose fabric at her sister’s side. 

“I’ll be taking in the waist,” the seamstress replied. “I need to go grab some more pins. I’ll be right back.” 

As the seamstress stepped out, Croía met Lydea’s gaze in the mirror, and she knew she had to be truly losing it when she swore she could have seen a flicker of concern in her eyes. 

“It’ll do,” Viktoria said as she circled her like a vulture. “She’ll at least look presentable, yes?” 

“She’s standing right here,” Lydea gestured to her. “How do you feel about it?” 

Croía dropped her eyes to the floor, focusing on the hem of the gown in the mirror. 

“Well?” Viktoria asked as she came in front of her and crossed her arms. “You can be honest. What do you think?” 

Croía lifted her eyes to her mother’s. She knew it was a rhetorical question; she could hear the threat in her tone and see it in her body language. But if she was giving her an opening for honesty, she was going to take it. 

“I think I don’t want to do this,” Croía said just above a whisper as she held her mother’s stare. “Any of it.” 

“You’ll be securing a husband and, eventually, the crown,” Viktoria scoffed. “What’s not to want?” 

Croía softly shook her head. “I don’t want either,” her voice cracked, shattering her impassive mask.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Viktoria’s painted red lips. “Oh, darling, I hope you’re not still holding onto any hope for you and Liam.” Viktoria moved to her back, meeting her gaze in the mirror as she leaned closer to her ear. “There is nothing more painful than watching the person you love give up on you, is there?”

Croía’s lip imperceptibly trembled as she stared at her mother’s reflection through her blurring vision. 

Did he really give up? Possibly. 

Could she blame him if he had? … No. 

“He’s probably moved on from whatever insignificant thing you two had,” Viktoria said as she stepped back. “Because that’s how he sees you … insignificant. I suggest you do the same and let it go.” She turned and strode out of the room. 

Lydea stared at her sister for a moment, watching her fight to keep her composure before she turned and followed her mother. 

Once alone, Croía bowed her head as a quiet sob escaped her. 

****

That evening, Croía stood on the balcony of her room with her vacant eyes fixated on the rocks below. It would be so easy, she thought. As a fresh tear slid down her cheek, her hands curled tighter around the balustrade as she leaned forward, really taking in the drop below. 

It was beginning to feel like the only way to out. 

Maybe it was. 

A knock on her door startled Croía back, and she let out a shuddered breath as she snapped back to reality. She wiped her cheeks as she turned and stepped inside, headed for her door.

When she opened it, Lydea stood on the other side, having momentarily dismissed the two guards who were usually there. 

“What?” Croía asked tersely.

“I wanted to check on you,” Lydea said.

Croía’s brow knit before a derisive laugh bubbled out of her. “I’m sure.” 

“I’m serious.” 

“Don’t pretend to give a damn.” 

When she attempted to close the door in her face, Lydea stuck her polished boot in the threshold, and Croía pulled the door back and met her gaze. “Do you think I like seeing you like this? Do you think I find enjoyment in your misery? I don’t.” She stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. “I know this isn’t what you want. I know you don’t want the crown or this arrangement, but it’s nothing more than a game of politics.”

“My life is not a game,” Croía bit out. “And I’m not suited for this. For any of it. She doesn’t even believe I am and she never has. She’s made that perfectly clear over the years. I’m only here because I’m her last chance because there is no one else. I’m just a pawn in whatever game this is that she’s playing and I want no part of it.” 

“Croía—”

“If you meant what you said, then get me out,” Croía interrupted, and Lydea took in a breath as she stared back at her. “Please, Lydea,” she whispered in a plea as her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t … I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this. I’ve never asked you for anything before … but I’m begging you now … get me out.” 

Lydea continued to stare at her, and when Croía sensed her hesitation, she felt a spark of hope … but then she shook her head. “I can’t do that,” Lydea said. “They’re our monarchs above all else, and as their head guard, I swore an oath to them, Croía. I have a duty to uphold.” Croía deflated as she dropped her gaze; she should have known better. “I … I’m sorry.” With that, she turned and opened the door, shutting it behind her as she disappeared into the hallway. 

Croía went to her bed and laid down, curling into herself at the center. Fisting the duvet in her hand, her tears began to fall again as Liam’s face flashed through her mind. 

***************************************

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#choices crossover series #trr #the royal romance #choices trr #choices the royal romance #liam rys #prince liam rys #trr liam #liam x oc #trr liam x oc #choices liam x oc #prince liam x oc #trr fanfic #trr au #trr au fanfic #choices foreign affairs #foreign affairs #blaine hayes #tatum mendoza #choices crimes of passion #choices cop #trystan thorne #cfwc fics of the week #choicesflashfics

[zahri-melitor]

ZAHRI BIG BRAIN COMIC SUPREME. I HOPE YOU ARE DOING WELL

I am curious here--what would you chose Tim Drake's college major to be? And this assumes he finishes college, and doesn't do a 70s Dick and drop out.

There's two significant questions here: what would Tim be interested in studying, and what would he be bored by?

A general list of things I am aware Tim's interested in:-

Mechanical engineering (hello cars)

Forensics (Tim was the lead on the Wayne Corp forensics lab)

Biology (hello cloning lab)

Social work (Neon Knights, also would be handy adjacent to the Foundation)

Computer Science (He's the next most techy Bat after Barbara)

There's also the possibility that Tim would go for a general Business or Arts degree on the basis they tick the boxes to 'have a degree' and nobody would question why one of the Wayne kids got, in terms of working for the family business, and they'd be far more flexible than the mostly science and engineering list above, which has higher, more structured contact hours. If he's simply getting a degree to say he has a degree to tick that box, he could assemble the most random collection of subjects in say Arts for his own entertainment.

However, one particular science/engineering crossover that pops out at me as both relevant to Tim's superhero interests AND excusable cover in his civilian life: biomedical engineering.

It matches nicely with Drake Industries being in 'medical supplies' in terms of a cover story for why he's interested in it, should anyone ask (tribute to my parents etc etc). Wayne Enterprises/Waynecorp does materials research and biomedical work which is partly Thomas Wayne stuff and partly cover for Batman research stuff. Some of his cloning background could tap in here, equally his computing skills. It would also be a job where the amount of materials engineering involved would spill over into Tim's familiarity with alien and magical materials and metals. And if he gets an undergraduate in it, Tim's got plausible deniability for knowing a whole bunch of extra science stuff on this spectrum, but could equally work as a lab tech, or in administration for a medical business, in that he's got the background to understand the products but nobody really expects him to come back with a PhD.

It just hits a whole bunch of his interest areas pretty well, and it's got a solid civilian cover reason to go into it.

#tim drake #there's also fun like 'does Bart still have a knee replacement?' #because current knee prosthetics are probably not up to Speed Force use over time and would wear out faster #and even if Bart got everything reconstituted after going swimming in the Speed Force #Tim would still know it might be necessary again

[danse--macabre]

20 questions for writers

thank you for @jiubilant for the tag! :)

tagging anyone who'd like to do this.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Across all accounts, 33 works.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

203,958. damn!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently, just BG3. in the past I've written pieces relating to elder scrolls (mostly Morrowind), star wars, and avatar: the last airbender though.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Eyeliner Incident

seeds of darkness planted within you

To pull a heart apart strand by strand

Flowers for Zuko

Considering the Weekend

I've bolded and linked the ones here worth reading; the other two are ancient star wars ficlets that I'm not particularly fussed by.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Where possible I do! If people leave comments on older works or fandoms I've moved on from, I sometimes don't always get around to it.

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

Probably Considering the Weekend. Which makes sense given it's a Disco Elysium fic about mostly-closeted gay/bi cops in love, who will not be able to break their chains until they realise the police is a violent force of capital.

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

A lot of my ATLA pieces have lighter endings given the source material is a lot lighter. The Eyeliner Incident and Follow the Rhinestones are both fics which I think could have had worse endings - but didn't. I wanted to be optimistic in both circumstances.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Luckily, no.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not really?

I wrote exactly one piece of smut for Elder Scrolls (The Sword that Lies Between Them), which was a fairly chaste piece of lesbian smut all about two rival queens/political leaders in the 1st era circling around each other while one is about to be married off, politically, to a man she has complex, not entirely romantic feelings for. It was my first attempt at it and I think it shows.

Since then, I've tried to write smut for BG3, but it hasn't really ever materialised.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don't write these, but I do frequently think about the Elder Scrolls/BG3 crossover where my weird dwarven Elder Scrolls OC Bthemetz gets yeeted out of her universe by the nautiloid -- which, tbh, doesn't feel that out there, Mindflayers are Aberrations that originate from Far Away in at least one iteration of D&D lore.

She'd get on with them swimmingly. She's a highly traumatised 3,000 year old ex-priest + ex-revolutionary who got turned into an automaton after dying in a revolution who is 1. technically undead, 2. had her heart literally stolen for lore/plot reasons, so she is shaking hands very firmly with astarion and karlach for various reasons. She'd have the funniest rivalry with gale given she hides much of her bullshit under the appearance of being an eccentric professor, but also she hates wizards on principle.

It would be a hoot. Nobody would read it. I am not writing something no one would read <3

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, luckily enough.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've had a request for this once on a popular ATLA oneshot I made - but I don't think this was ever realised. I also had one ATLA oneshot turned into a podfic for charity.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I've attempted this, but it never materialised into anything.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

f!Kagrenac/Bthemetz from my Morrowind dwemer fanfiction. First loves whose codependent 500 year old lesbian relationship turns toxic after the discovery of a deity's remains. Breaks down with an academic feud, treason, attempts at apotheosis, and the revelation they killed each other in a past life. Despite the fact that one sends assassins after the other to kill them, they're still utterly obsessed with each other. Literally nobody else is doing it like them.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The Tragedy of Lady Noriko. This was an Ursa-centric ATLA fic that explored her familial relationships & relationship with the Avatar, and wanted to provide an 'alternate universe' Ursa who would not abandon her children - for better or worse. A Covid-19 project that ran out of steam once work picked up.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I have a few! My current favourite thing about my writing is that I think I have a very strong sense of narrative voice. I'm able to capture how different characters sound very well. I have historically (though less nowadays) been very good at poetic prose too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plots! Particularly mysteries, or plots that require lots of pieces. My writing is mostly embellished character pieces and I would like to tackle something where more happens one of these days. I also think I have issues pacing and knowing when to start/finish scenes.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I think it depends on the audience, the language, the length of dialogue, and the intent. It can sometimes be very meaningful, especially if one is trying to make a point about the importance of languages, languages as a means of bridging divides, and lack of language as something alienating, potentially, or isolating.

However I will say in a large number of circumstances I find it deeply pretentious. I was reading... a well-loved literary fiction classic by a well-loved London novellist recently, and the fact that the French dialogue was not translated drove me up the fucking wall. There is no reason not to provide translation unless you want to show off how clever you are.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

When I was nine years old I wrote a diary from the perspective of Jack Spicer from Xiaolin Showdown. I definitely didn't know what fanfiction was at that age, I just had an urge to create things using fictional characters. I didn't even use the internet back then, I remember this was back on 'the family computer' in 2003 or whatever.

If we're talking about published pieces, I put some (sigh) Eragon fanfiction up on ff.net back in 2010. I was a teenager, obviously.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

it's the Eyeliner Incident. It's a combination of interesting worldbuilding + fun characterisation + formally interesting without being overly wanky. I also wrote it in about five days, in time for my birthday (<3), and because I wrote it in such a short time, I didn't have time to resent it.

A Thesis: On Twelve Tones is close to my heart as well but I have a MUCH more mixed relationship with that in terms of pure writing quality even if I think it's one of the most significant pieces I've written in terms of developing as a writer.

#not bg3

[popjunkie42]

For the fic ask game!: 👻🎬

👻 Wildest headcanon - honestly I feel a little boring or like most of mine are taken from fic! I subscribe to all of @rosanna-writer’s important questions about our main males such as can we be SURE Tamlin didn’t strike out with other mortal huntresses in 49 years (and what happened to them…), and also how do we know Rhys never sent anyone else after his mother’s ring at the Weaver’s?

I love any theory (esp now with crossover material) about Feyre being some version of The Mother or the three Archeron sisters being goddesses or reincarnated big powers. Also the theories that each sister is tied to one of the three sacred mountains in some way (I need to find out more about Ramiel, and what if something starts stirring Under the Mountain again??).

I love ancient Tamsand history because it just seems logical for all the high lord drama and cementing the divide between those two. I think it’s possible that papa Archeron promised Koschei something for Vassa that will soon come due. Ok - maybe I do have a lot of unanswered headcanon questions…

🎬 Movie or tv adaptation with fancast - HMMMM I feel like this is dangerous territory, as I think about an ACOTAR show a lot. While I am with the fandom in wanting an animated adaptation and think a live action would be fraught with peril, I do still really, really want one. And I have also not seen a single fancast I have ever thought came close, so I need to beg off that question. Cast - brilliant unknown actors yet to be determined.

In terms of fic - these days I’m gonna say Blossoming in Winter because of the beautiful high fantasy potential! We got outfits, we got more beautiful Dawn court, we got fabulous high lord gardens AND the middle! Somebody call Peter Jackson 😅

#fic ask game

[very-bad-poetry-captain]

WIP Wednesday! (though it's Thursday... anyway)

Tagged by @appleofmyonlyeye and @ncc1701ohno thank you both💕

I'm not counting my ongoing wip Headspace in this and also I can't reveal the plot for the McSpirk Big Bang fic I'll write, but these are the star trek fics I've started typing!!

Untitled - "love is blind TV show" AU mcspirk

McCoy arrives at a nice resort on an alien planet for some much needed rest after his messy divorce, and accidentally ends up double booked with the filming of the interplanetary version of dating show "Love is blind". The contestants are all split in two by a mysterious alien and Jim, who produces the show, is more than happy to convince McCoy to join the show. There, he meets Spock while talking in the pods... spones with endgame mcspirk!

Clearing his throat, Jim shifts a bit in his seat. They’re in matching seats, something like a mix of a beanbag and an armchair. Threatening to swallow you whole. “Well, the participants aren’t split up in any traditional way, like gender or sexual orientation or anything like that. Instead we’ve got a couple of Minirians dividing everyone.” He waits for the rest of the explanation, but Jim looks finished. “And these Minirians… How are they dividing people?” Surprise colors Jim’s expression. It makes him look younger. “Interested?” He grins, leaning forwards, elbows resting on his knees. “They refuse to explain it. One half is kanschtaar and the other half is tsiirm. I’ve been trying to figure it out but I gave up, so… It’s a blind date show, you know? Like you get to talk to the other half of participants but not see them or describe appearances. So I’m assuming the Minirians can tell somehow that each half won’t be attracted to their own group.” Maybe it’s the stress of a long space flight, or the weirdness of the whole situation, but McCoy is intrigued. A dating show across species? Then he remembers. His divorce was only months ago. He’s possibly hurtling down the path of alcoholism, is already a workaholic, can’t stop twisting and turning his dad’s death in his mind and… He feels, honestly, like a failure of a person. “I don’t think I’m date material,” he mutters, sinking lower into the baggy chair. “Whatever they base it on, it can’t be that at least.” Jim rolls his eyes. “It’s a TV show,” he says. “I mean, not to dismiss anyone’s hopes of finding true love, but… You’re good-looking enough for TV if you’re worried about that.”

2. Untitled - aos x tos crossover mckirk

This is inspired by gunstreet's tos Kirk x aos McCoy (endgame tos spirk) fic called Looking for an interruption which I am only slightly obsessed with and I needed to write an aos Jim x tos McCoy version... with endgame aos mckirk

Jim returns to the mess hall to find Leonard still on his own, though he’s smiling and humming to himself. There are several people watching him warily, and Jim can’t blame them. It’s not that Bones is never happy – it’s just rare to see him looking so pleased. “How’s your coffee?” Jim asks as he sits down opposite him. “Not too bad,” he smiles, taking a small sip. “Good to know my taste buds are the same in this universe, at least.” Blinking in confusion, it takes Jim a moment to realize he’d just punched in Bones’ usual order without even asking. Leonard’s smile takes on a teasing note, and Jim’s cheeks redden at the sight. “Well,” he mumbles, coughing a little. “I should have asked.” “Old habits die hard, as they say,” Leonard waves him off with. He eyes Jim like he wants to say more, but ultimately decides against it. The teasing smile remains, though, visible around the edges of the mug. Jim’s heart beats a little too hard in his chest, and he can’t figure out why. Is he nervous? It’s just Bones. Sure, a slightly older, smiley version of him, but still. He usually has to keep careful count of Bones’ smiles, a rare treasure to be memorized. He’s irrationally jealous of his counterpart for having such easy access to them.

3. mcspirk month

So far I have four oneshots started for mcspirk month but they're all untitled so... here are two (slightly nsfw) snippets (the other two are a bit too short yet to add)

Spock and McCoy get trapped together in a shuttle for several days (they are both dating Jim)

A small voice in the back of his head reminds him that he more than tolerates Spock, but that’s on a good day. He’s having a bad day, currently, and so is Spock. Though he’d never admit it, of course. It’s probably logical to stay calm and wait for rescue, and keep your mood bright while you’re at it. If it weren’t for the clipped tone and occasional dark look, and the way he talks back rather than tell McCoy to relax, he’d believe Spock was unaffected. “We should have made Jim go down with us,” he sighs, rubbing at his cheek with a palm. “He’d make the time pass faster, if nothing else.” “It would have been against protocol to send three of the ship’s most senior officers to a planet prone to unpredictable weather, when only two were needed.” “I’m bored, Spock. To hell with protocol!” Spock turns, then, to face him properly. The shuttle doesn’t have beds installed, only emergency sleeping bags, and so they spend most of their time in the pilot and co-pilot’s seats for comfort. The view outside the windscreen is blocked by heavy rain pelting against it, the sound of it an ominous backdrop to the muted lighting from the emergency light strips just barely allowing them to see each other. In profile, Spock had appeared stoic. Now, his face bathed in shadows, he looks more thoughtful, considering. “May I assume, then, that had Jim been present, you would have spent some time engaged in sexual intercourse?” “You bet your pointed ears we would have,” McCoy grumbles back.

Jim, Spock and McCoy have to dress up according to alien culture for diplomacy reasons...

Spock, of course, takes great care with him, easily slipping the gloves on. When he lifts his gaze to Kirk, there’s something heated in them. Oh. Maybe it’s highly intimate for a half-Vulcan, too. He licks his lips, considering him. “You know, I think Bones could use some help with his, too.” “What? I know how to put on a pair of gloves, Jim.” “I believe Jim knows that, Doctor. I also believe that he wishes to see us both engage in an intimate act under Voresebian culture.” Kirk can’t help but chuckle a bit at being caught out. “Alright, you’ve seen through me. I think we can spare a moment for some fun, can’t we?”

#idk who to tag in this :o feel free to simply do it if you want to!!

[xiaq]

Long ago someone once told me that “Harry Potter is the ‘little black dress’ of [fan fic/crossover fic]”. I never really cared for HP as a story, and more (less?) so now because of the hate hole the author cannot dig herself out of. As someone still writing HP fic in the modern age, would you be able to explain the above adage? What exactly is it about HP mythos that’s so attractive for crossover fic?

Thank you for your insight.

I'm very tired so I apologize for what will likely not be a super coherent response but here we go:

I've never heard it expressed this way, but I think the sentiment is accurate. I can't answer for everyone, obviously, but the appeal of HP for me (despite JK Rowling's awfulness and the inherent problematic aspects of the material itself) is A. nostalgia and B. the HP world's ability to work as a foundation for a plethora of genres/tropes that can easily be adapted by writers while still being recognized by readers.

The A. is pretty self-explanatory. I read the first HP book when I was 12 and a new one was released pretty much every year after that. I grew up with Harry Potter and the HP fandom. I know a lot of queer folks my age have a similar attachment, and JK's terfness has actually encouraged us to write/create more fandom content as a way of reclaiming the material (I said in another post, we don't just believe in Death of the Author in this house, we believe in Murdering the Author and then rifling through her stuff to keep the good things and toss the bad). The B, which is more what you're referring to, I think, is the foundational aspect. HP is a cultural phenomenon. Most people in the US over the age of 10 at least have a basic knowledge of the world/characters, which means it's a great anchor point for people creating media. It also encompasses, or can support, a really diverse breadth and depth of genres/tropes. The world is large, which means the sandbox for transformative fans to play in is also large. And a lot of the sandbox is gestured to but unexplored in canon. The possibilities are endless. You can write a fantasy, a mystery, a romance, a sports romance, a buddy cop narrative, a kidfic, a coffee shop au, etc. and it's all, more or less, in-universe. Because the universe contains multitudes. The HP fandom is also VERY forgiving/supportive of diversions from canon within "canon" worldbuilding. It's probably the most supportive I've seen. I mean, the majority of fic I've read is proudly tagged as canon non-compliant and/or epilogue? what epilogue? Most fic falls into two camps, I think: "I love this, so I'm writing more" and "This thing has promise but you fucked it up and I'm going fix it." I feel like a good portion of HP fandom, at least today, is doing the latter. The first HP fic I wrote, and the one I'm working on now, play very fast and loose with the magical dynamics Rowling set up, completely throw out her shitty werewolf rhetoric, and are focused on trauma and creature politics--something Rowling didn't really address in any depth (and what little she did I'm ignoring). But I can do all of that while still being anchored in a familiar environment that folks feel comfortable in.

Hopefully, that makes sense. And if anyone wants to add to (or disagree with!) my thoughts, go for it.

#hp #harry potter #meta #fandom #transformative work

[the-indie-owl]

Finished Reading Felix Salten's "Bambi"

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK, IF YOU ARE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ONLY SEEN DISNEY'S ADAPTATION AND NOT HAVE READ THE SOURCE MATERIAL, THIS POST MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS SO PLEASE BE WARNED.

So I have recently finished reading the Original Book of Bambi after being in such a Cervine mood when re-watching the Disney films for the Past Two Months.

I felt like that when reading a Non-Fairytale Book for the very first time felt like something that I wanted to try on something new to rely on reading some books. Even after taking a brief look at The Russian version of the Source Material, it seems like something from what I knew when watching the Two-Part Movie live action adaptations that Human Ballet Animal version felt a more accurate approach than Disney's version when visiting the book.

For starters, I am not really a big fan of the Upcoming Soulless Disney Remake nor the Upcoming Garbage Horror B Movie (nor would I even want to see it) as I have been in the Bambi Fandom Two Years ago as I've seen that "Half" of the Fandom cares more about Fetishization or Crossovers in General for that Matter (*cough*, *cough*, Stephen King's Carrie, *cough*) while the Side of the Fandom are the ones who have read the Source Material and even done their own interpretations of the Other Characters (most likely the Deer characters) that never been fully adapted and were left out in the Disney universe (with the exception of Geno, Gurri, Boso, and Lana in the Comic Adaptation of "Bambi's Children").

But I really wanna talk about the Original Book version since a lot of People don't really know much about it since whenever we tend to think about "Bambi", most people would only think of the Popular Disney Version (yes, there are others that have seen Other Adaptations as I am aware that there are possibly more Bambi movies out there than both the Soviet and Disney ones).

Without any further, here are some personal plot points in the OG Book that were completely left out or missing (again, major spoilers to anyone who has never read it before);

So the Book actually has a lot more Story Plots than the Movie itself to make it more easier, simpler, and even shorter than how the book handles the story (presumably I believe that's the reason as to why that the Midquel exists for a reason as a suggestion to a "Part 2" of the story). In the meantime, both the Book and the Movie take a huge approach through a Deer's POV of Wildlife (that being Bambi himself) since both versions do teach Kids the Lessons and the Values of Life (how it can be Beautiful in both of a Dark and in a Light way) since Life can take you through many strange places around the world as you go to blend within the feels of reality.

Aside from the fact that the Disney movies has its Supporting Animal Characters, the Book has a lot more Animal Characters that haven't been fully adapted or were just left out (in terms on how that some of them might've been replaced). There's a Hare called "Friend Hare", in the Movie, it's Thumper. There is an Owl in the Book but he's just known as "Screech Owl", yet, in the film, it's "Friend Owl".

The Other Characters from the Book that we've never seen are the Magpie, The Two Jays, The Pheasant Couple, A Squirrel, ect. Did I also mention for a fact that there are actual other Deer characters that were also completely left out with the exception of a few?

The Book however explains that the Stags that we see are actually known as "The Young Princes" with Bambi's Father (which we all know him as "The Great Prince of the Forest")'s actual title is "The Old Stag" (which is more different than what Disney changes his title in the adaptations). On the other hand of the differences of being Titular Ruler of your own Animal Kingdom, while the Movie explains that being a Prince means you'd have to watch over and protect your own People, the Book however does it quite differently that being a Prince of the Forest doesn't mean that you have to be a Watcher but rather, it's something more different as the book explains to gain more wisdom as you grow.

Also, I wanted to say on how funny it is when people tend to ship Bambi/Ronno as crack, when in the book, Ronno was actually a lot older than Bambi as he was actually a Good Guy and hold no hated guts nor was a bully like how you once thought he always was (Aka, in akin on how the film portrays). However, as Bambi and Faline grew, he did challenge Bambi to see on which Buck would be the perfect mate for Faline (similar in nature on how Deer mate in RL) (but I'll get to that point later on). Ronno also had a Partner named "Karus", in which that both Ronno & Karus were actually the Young Princes in the Stag group, being very respectful towards the Animals in the Forest (including Bambi) until when Bambi grew older (again, gonna get to that part very soon).

Aside from the fact that we all know who Bambi's BFFs are in what terms that Disney tries to suggest us of a Bunny and a Skunk, Thumper and Flower were sadly never a thing in the Book as Bambi's friends were mostly Fawns around his age. However, while Friend Hare was turn into Thumper for a reason with Flower being an Original Character for the Film, Faline and Another Deer (who was her Brother), "Gobo" were actually long childhood friends of Bambi as their own Mothers actually have known in each other for a very long time. That's right, you heard Me, in the Original story, Faline had a Brother and that Brother was indeed a Very Friendful Deer (much to his sister's dismay of being more "childlike"). Gobo was actually the only Deer who was captured by the Hunter as a Fawn, but was brought and carefully raised by the Hunter as he grew up living with the Human (believing in the fact that not all Humans are bad since Half of the World that we all live in is filled and invested by Half of the Good/Bad of Humanity as our Neutrality is still running even to this day).

Now, for the Part about their own Mothers, needless to say is that Faline and Gobo's Mother is called "Aunt Ena" (suggesting that somewhere down the line that perhaps Bambi's Mother and Ena are Sisters, making both Bambi, Faline, and Gobo equally as Cousins). Granted, I'm not too sure about the "cousin" part as I am deeply aware of the fact if Salten was trying to do the whole "Blood Relation in Nature of Animals is not Illegal because Animals have No Laws unlike How We Humans have" thing, but I am assuming that Bambi's Mother and Ena are perhaps long-time friends, therefore, it wouldn't specifically make Bambi and Faline cousins if you're one of the few that's gonna think it's too much of nature with incest, but I believe that the relation between the Two Mothers is left completely unexplained in the Book (so I don't think that Bambi and Faline are truly cousins are not as some would suggest that).

On the topic of Bambi and Faline's romance, I will say in the least that like Simba/Nala from "The Lion King", it's sad that we don't get to see enough of Bambi's romance with his love interest (Faline) in the Disney films when technically the book version expands more on their relationship.

They started off as childhood friends (like in the film) but only when do the Two Fawns are in a Trio with Gobo, playing with other Fawns and even having some playful time in the woods. There were also Other Deer such as Old Nettla and even Marena were also part in their lives as they did play an important role in the story (Old Nettla is an elderly figure who doesn't deserve to have fawns of her own while Marena ended up becoming Gobo's Mate until his Death by the Hunter).

Eventually (like in the film), Bambi and Faline do see each other again when they're both Adults when Bambi starts to recognize his childhood friend while instantly being in love with her but unlike in the film, Faline was unaware of Bambi's blossomed crush on her. If Disney wants you to believe that Ronno is the Secondary Antagonist, you might want to re-think again because during Mating Season, Ronno and Karus were also in love with Faline as well as they even challenged Bambi for a duel for Faline's love just in the movie until Bambi eventually wins. Aside from what I believe was cut down from the original story is that (if I do remember correctly) was that Bambi and Faline were on their Mating Night during their Honeymoon.

So to speak on their behalf of their Romance, it was actually a lot more generically more "Lovely" rather than "Cute". Considering that Faline has been described as Playful and Childlike, there always has been a potential for Bambi and Faline to become Lovers given on how that their Chemistry was really sweet and innocent when Faline was like the special one to be friends with a Prince like Bambi as when they met again as adults, Bambi did grew fond of her as the Book clearly states that He loves Her "with all of his Heart". So you can say that in the least that their Dynamic does heavenly work as the "Childhood Friends to Lovers" trope like Christine and Raoul from Gaston Leroux's "The Phantom of The Opera".

Anyways, back on Track; I think that we seriously need to take about the Most Important Character of what Most of the Animals fear and see him as "The Devil" would none other be "Man" himself.

Given through the concept of the idea based on what Nature tends to portray Humanity through an Animal's POV, An Animaltaker is a Caring Angel Guardian. A Hunter is a Huge Threat. But what is that Man has in common with both in the Book and in the Film?

While we never get to see on what Man is truly like as a Character, he is only referred by Two Options;

A Regular Hunter whose just doing his own Hunting Job.

The Audience, in which this is what we are aware if our own Kind is the Main Villain of the Story.

The reason as to why I'd bring Man up is because the same thing cannot be said towards this Hunter from the Book (or at least, what he was originally referred to similar in the film).

In the book, Man was actually only referred to as "He" is what most of the Many Animals referred to him in the book. Only then, do "Man" and "He" whom most of the Animals call to is quite similar in how Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book" when the Animals simply refer to "Fire" as "The Red Flower".

While Man was probably one of the few Disney Villains that scared a lot of our childhoods, the He in the book was actually describe pretty neutral. Just a regular human hunter just doing his own hunting job.

What's interesting though is that while a Hunter is still the biggest threat to all of the Wildlife, he was actually the one who raised Gobo after when he found him straitened during the Winter time (yeah, compare to the One who burnt down all of the Forest by stupidity, this one on the other hand takes up a caring approach towards an Animal after he tried to shot it), as it turns out, Gobo was actually taken care of through his new life with Man. So there's like this "Conflict" between One whose raised by Humans and the Others who are shocked but are still feared/hated by Men. There's also a part where one of He's hunting Dogs is scolded by the Animals for being one of the domesticated ones to obey their own Human Master, while catching a Fox.

I think we can all agree that this would possibly be the most accurate depiction of Reality of what Half of Nature's Animals could see the Neutral Complex in Humanity whenever we Humans hunt or care for a creature. And how life is up to you to make your own decisions.

As for the plot of the Original Story itself, it's almost the same as the Disney movie, but the Source Material does take its own Nature story in an Individual way while still exploring the Harsh Reality of Nature within how an Animal's Life deals within the Animals themselves. With its many characters and more plot points, the Story is more of a re-telling of a Child's life from both Childhood and Adulthood as half of the Book tends to explore both Bambi's Childhood and Adulthood alike as well as his relationship with his own Parents (something that Disney gave his own Childhood more screen time as we only see Bambi's Adulthood half through the movie, which cuts down the Whole Last Part of his Adulthood). As both endings due have Bambi becoming a Father with the birth of his Children from Faline (Geno & Gurri).

However, the only man difference is how on what Disney is telling you what their own version of how a Great Prince of the Forest is vs. How Salten tells you truly on how being a Ruler of the Forest is like to gain Wisdom in order to gain Power while being Protector of the Forest.

In conclusion, while so far that the Many Changes within Disney's classical film compare to the Other Bunch of Disney Movies (that most of them are drawn from the Old Century Stories that Disney popularize to this day), I would say that Disney's take on Salten's Bambi is the largest of the pop culture today with Most People not knowing the Original Story (in fact, it's sad to say in the least on how that the Popular Adaptation overshadows the Source Material. With the Disney version still taking a Dark approach with a Cutsey Animal feel to it inside of a Mashup, the Book's approach on Nature is much more Accurate and More Realistic without any Adorable "Feel" behind to it.

However, aside from the fact that both Books are Good, does that mean I'll prefer the Book over the Famous Adaptation that is more familiar with? Well...Not really, tbh, in fact, while both can be flawed in their own way, they can actually be both unique in their own way.

So for the Book's Rating, I'd give it a 8/10, because it's still a Good Story compare to the Movie (which is still a Cinematic Masterpiece) IMO.

#indie text #felix salten #felix salten's bambi #bambi #disney #review #book #movie #anaylsis #book review

[sixhours]

Twenty questions for fanfic writers

Ermagerd I love talking fanfic, thanks @numinousmysteries!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

379,370

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The X-Files and The Last of Us so far!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All X-Files fics:

A Boy and His Fox

Morning Sickness

Waking Hours

Remnants

We Aren't Meant to Sleep Alone

5. Do you respond to comments?

Most of the time, even if it's just a simple "Thank you!"

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

My Umbra Reverie series, by far. 😬 No regrets!

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

A Boy and His Fox or One Day at a Time. Two different fandoms, both baby fics. I originally envisioned One Day at a Time as a TLOU variation on A Boy and His Fox--a bunch of drabbles strung together--but it turned into a more cohesive story over time.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Sure! If it serves the story, I'll write smut. I'm not big on writing porn without plot because I don't think smut is my strong suit. When I do write smut, it's pretty vanilla, nothing too kinky.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't, but I'm currently outlining a TLOU period fic that's based on Anne of Green Gables. Not quite a crossover, but boy it's fun to think about. 😆

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

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

Nope, I'd be too afraid of letting my co-authors down. 😂

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Mulder and Scully are my OTP. ❤️

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

As of right now I don't have any. I tend to start fics with a lot of preparation, outlining, and research, and I usually wait until they're mostly finished to publish them. I also tend to work on one fic at a time and focus until it's mostly done.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I strive to make my characters as true to the source material and as believable as possible. I want the reader to be able to hear the character's voice in their head as they read, or be able to imagine them in a scene like it were on screen.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Editing while I write. 🙃 It's why I'm so slooooooow.

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

I don't speak any other languages and I'm uncomfortable leaning solely on translation software, but I'm not opposed to trying if it serves the story. My headcanon for TLOU is my Joel stays pretty true to the HBO series in that he's Latino, but he doesn't speak Spanish in regular conversation (I imagine he can, but he doesn't). (Trust that I noticed Tommy's "Adios, big brother" in episode 6, but then apparently Joel says that in the game, so...? I've thought about this too much.)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files, when I was 14. Those fics are still in .txt files somewhere on my computer. Someday I'll dig them out and have a good laugh.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Total recency bias, but The Ghosts of Babylon is my favorite right now. Mostly because I love the Reader character and it was my first foray into writing for a fandom other than The X-Files and I think I pulled it off. 🥹

🏷️ No pressure tags! Tell me about your fics! @frannyzooey, @wannab-urs, @bumblepony, @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin, @march-flowerr, @wildemaven and anyone else who wants to give this a whirl.

#fanfic #writing #fandom shenanigans

[the0ldmann]

SDJ x DBD crossover

Writing below the cut.

The game "Something's Wrong with Sunny Day Jack" and the associated fandom are 18+ spaces. Minors and Ageless blogs will be blocked on sight- no second chances.

TW: Violence and mentions of death (DBD is a horror game after all...)

Another thing my brain was thinking about off n on. Maybe now that this is done, it can focus on part 2 again. That's been sitting at 2.7k words for a bit now and I'm not entirely sure how much longer it's going to end up being.

---

Your lungs ached from the effort of running. Looking back was not an option as you lept over a ledge, desperate to get as far away as possible from your hunter.

A shiver ran down your spine at the thought of him. The ease with which he picked up your friends and threw them onto those meat hooks terrified you. Since he was that strong, was there any use in trying to fight back?

Your brief yet panicked thoughts were interrupted as you stumbled right into a hooked comrade. They couldn't even focus on their surroundings long enough to notice your presence as they were too busy fighting off a spidery limb. Looking around for a second confirmed you had indeed escaped that technicolor brute and the coast was clear for helping. Carefully, you lifted them up and off the hook, and the limb gave up, dissolving back into the inky abyss that was supposed to be the sky.

"Thank you, I don't know if I could have held out much longer." It was Jeff that thanked you as the two of you crept off to the side. Thankfully there was a medkit by the nearby window and within seconds you had his wound patched up. At least, he was patched up as good as you could get him. Lack of medical knowledge was certainly a drawback, but you had been doing your best to pick up what you could from the others.

"We gotta look out for each other after all." Jeff nodded. It was rough out here. Who knew how many times you all had supposedly died. Plus some of the monsters lurking around these twisted playgrounds required intense teamwork to get around.

You shudder again as you hear the tell-tale windy groan that signified someone had been taken.

"We should get a move on if we wanna make it out of here."

"We can't leave the other one behind though, we have to help!"

"You know where they were hooked?" It took a second of thought, but you nodded.

"I think I can retrace my steps just fine."

"Good." The two of you started walking. "Chances are big guy's heading this way since you saved me- they all seem to have some weird supernatural sense for knowing when we've been helping each other. Coast should be clear enough for you to double back and help whoever is left off of their hook. Thank the stars he's not a camper like some of them. Better hurry though. I'll take care of that generator over there in the meantime- try to open us a way out of here."

Without another word the two of you part ways. As brief as your reunion had been, there was work to be done and dawdling would do no good for anyone. Especially for the poor girl you left when you ran for your life.

Admittedly, you being caught would have spelled the end of all of you, but you still felt a little bad about it. As skittish as you were approaching a more recently hooked comrade, you hurried along and found her quicker than you had expected. The spindly limbs hadn't even fully materialized yet before you were lifting her off the hook and dragging her away. Medkit in hand, you took a moment to use up what was left to patch her up.

"Thank you so much!" She was doing her best to whisper quietly, but she still was a little louder than planned with her enthusiasm. As you looked at her blonde hair, you seemed to recall her name was Kate.

"Gotta look out for each other, right?"

"Of course! I was working on a generator over there if you wanna come help?"

Before you could say another word she had already taken off. You tried to follow, but she was just too quick vaulting those windows and soon you were on your own. After stumbling around for a bit, lights came on in the distance in two separate spots. The three of you had started off getting one generator done before you got forcefully separated, so that meant there were only two left to start up. You hoped your hunter wouldn't be close by since he had clues elsewhere to follow.

As you crouched by a generator to start working on it, your thoughts began to wander.

It seemed odd, the whole situation. Like it was all some twisted game you were being forced to partake in. As much as you hated it, you enjoyed the fact it seemed that none of you ever truly died. You would like to think it was because something here cared- wanted to see you succeed. As time wore on, you questioned more if it just enjoyed seeing everyone get tortured over and over again.

Even the numerous killers you had to run from looked to be a little fucked up themselves. Only those more willing to kill looked like anything close to normal.

It made it difficult at times to tell who was and wasn't on your side, at least when there were new ones.

Which is why you were extra terrified of the big guy in charge of hunting you down now. He was big, wearing bright, primary colored clothing, had the bluest hair you'd ever seen, and the face paint he had on made him look kind of like a clown.

Hell, maybe he was a clown. He certainly looked like some kind of mascot or character from a kid show.

But how fucked up was he that he didn't appear to have been brutalized by the entity keeping everyone here?

You were just about done with the generator, but alas your distracting thoughts left you unaware of your surroundings and you screamed as a hand grabbed your shoulder and pulled you back. Flailing and wiggling as best you could, you just couldn't seem to shake out of his grip. Effortlessly he flung you over his shoulder, and you cursed your noodle-y limbs for being so much weaker than the average person.

Not that that kept you from trying to free yourself though. Terror and anticipation of the pain from those hooks kept you kicking for dear life. It was all you could think about.

Except that particular pain never came.

After what felt like an eternity, he threw you down onto something mildly soft and bouncy. As you laid there dazed he went over to the only entrance to this room to shut and lock it. He pulled up a chair to the bedside, sitting down, and looking like he wanted to say something. Nothing came out, and he could only nervously chew his bottom lip instead.

You stared at him. Rapidly sitting up and scooting back against the wall in an effort to get away from him, all you could bring yourself to do then was stare.

Why the hell didn't he just kill you? Wasn't that the goal set before these sickos?

"S-so..." He broke the silence, sounding almost worried. If only he was a survivor, then the worry would be believable. "I'm sorry, this is kind of awkward, isn't it."

"Understatement of the century," you spat back. He winced at the words.

"Look I... I want to protect you. That sounds weird, I know!" He tried to put his hands up in a non threatening gesture. "But if you give me a chance... You'll never have to worry about going out there again! No more weird spider-y limbs coming down from the sky, no more pain... you'd be safe here. With me. That's all I want for you."

"Why the hell should I trust you? You just tried to kill my friends!"

"First off, they're not your friends." His voice seemed a tad bit colder when talking about any of the others. "Do you know how often I watched them- all of them- throw each other under the bus when things get tough? If it meant their survival, they'd trip you into the arms of... of... one of those freaks!"

"Oh, like you're any better than the other killers we have to run from?"

He looked down at the floor.

Silence filled the room. Though you could barely see the expression on his face, you could tell you struck a nerve.

"I didn't want to... Th-that... THING threatened to hurt me if I didn't..."

He was mumbling under his breath. You almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

He suddenly looked back up and smiled.

"But that doesn't matter, as long as I have you. I struck a deal with it just so I could keep you safe, but you have to stay here with me."

"So you expect me to abandon my friends for a total stranger that I'm pretty sure wants to torture me and isn't being forward about it?"

"Sunshine I- they're not your friends. But I am! You can trust me, I swear! My name is Sunny Day Jack. See? I'm not a stranger anymore! Please believe that I just want to keep you safe."

He was leaning forward in the chair, desperation written plain as the day you craved across his features.

You eyed him wearily.

"And why do you supposedly want to protect a total stranger?"

The adoration that proceeded to bleed from him caused a shiver to run down your spine. You couldn't tell if it was sincerely cute or creepy.

"From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were special. You seemed to be the only one who could understand me. The only one who might be willing to give me a chance. You’re too good for the likes of any of them. And that thing I mentioned earlier? It gave me visions- a look into your lonely little life... I can be there for you, just like you've always wanted a friend to be. You just need to let me protect you. Please..."

You still weren't entirely convinced, but as you heard the sound of a gate alarm travel through the walls, you knew you had to run.

What if the entity in control decided to renege on its deal- assuming it even made one to begin with?

Getting skewered from below didn't sound like a fun time to you.

Jack was twisting his gloved hands together, anxious for a response. You had a gut feeling the losing side was punished, but you really did not want your friends to lose. Now was the time to act.

"Alright, I'll give you a chance."

He sprang up, scooping you up into a big hug. Your stomach dropped through the floor as you clung to him for those few seconds, not because you were scared of him, but because you could feel some weird burning sensation in your chest that hadn't been there before.

And what followed it was a pure rush of elation. This certainly wasn't something you'd normally feel in this situation, but when you started to make out the vague chanting of "Sunshine, my Sunshine, all mine" in your thoughts, the realization that he had made some sort of deal to keep you hit you harder than the Hillbilly's chainsaw.

“Thank you so much Sunshine- I promise, you won’t regret it! Now just wait here while I go deal with the others. It’ll take me no time at all, I swear!”

As he left, he locked the door behind him, leaving you all alone. Looking around, you confirmed the door was indeed the only exit.

Good thing whatever was in charge of the physics of this place was a little stupid. You took the pin out of your hair, wiggled it in what you assumed was the keyhole, and after a few seconds you heard a click. Putting the pin back in your hair, you slowly cracked open the door.

The coast was clear.

Tiptoe-ing as fast as you could out of whatever building you were in, you did your best to make it outside and broke into a sprint. You weren’t sure if you were headed towards the open gate, but you didn’t have the time to stop and think.

Pain shot through your shoulder as you ducked behind a corner and you blinked. Jack wasn’t anywhere nearby. Your shoulder wasn’t actually hurt, either.

Perhaps the Entity really did tie us together… That pain must have meant someone stabbed his shoulder to get away after getting picked up. I need to hurry up.

Luck should have it that you’d come across the open gate, with Jeff sitting on the inside. He could see you from the angle he was at from just behind the wall and waved you over. It didn’t take long for you to pick your way through the trees to get to him. The two of you proceeded to speak urgently in whispers.

“Where’s Kate?”

“She got driven off by the big guy. I won’t be able to survive if I get caught again, so I’m waiting here. Hoping if she comes through, I can take the hit for her then.”

“She is pretty good at shaking them off… Maybe she’ll come running through after losing him and we can all get out together.”

“Maybe…” Jeff contemplated while you crouched next to him. You didn’t have any way to patch up the new wound on his side, so he was stuck half-injured until you all got back to the campfire. Your hunch about Kate was right though, as she came creeping out of the bushes at a brisk pace.

“Thank God,” said Jeff as he stood up. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

As they started moving towards the exit, you remained crouching, glued to your spot. You could feel Jack’s frustration growing through your bond, as well as his desperation…

“What’s wrong?” Kate stopped Jeff and they looked back at you.

“I-I don’t know. I don’t think I should go. I have a bad feeling…”

They walked over and grabbed your arms, hoisting you up.

“Nonsense. We’re in this together, right? You’re coming with us. You don’t need to sacrifice yourself. We can talk about how you're feeling once we’re back. You know some of them have weird magic.”

“Wait I-” Your words were cut short as they dragged you towards and through the exit.

Looking back, you could see Jack stopped by the spikes at the exit, meaning he had lost this little game of cat and mouse. However, you could still feel both the hurt and anger from him. As if it wasn’t written plainly on his face.

Did he think they had doubled back to save you?

You hoped this wouldn’t bring the wrath you were feeling down on them. If there really was any part of him that cared, you’d hoped he would understand.

You’ll try to explain next time you see him. Hell, maybe you’d try to sneak off and leave him a letter. Your friends needed your help.

Maybe once they were out of this gods forsaken hell, you could come back and help him out of here too.

The ache in your chest turned dull the further you got, but never fully went away.

You weren’t sure what this meant, but you were almost positive dealing with Jack in the future was about to be a lot harder.

#minors dni #ageless blogs dni #sunny day jack #sdj #something's wrong with sunny day jack #swwsdj

[scribeoffate]

Tag Game

I was tagged by no one and simply shamelessly stole it cuz I wanted to play! <3 Tag ppl if you wish, consider yourself tagged if you want to play. Tagging with no pressure: @momentofmemory, @azraeldoesnotdispute, @spikeface, @illbeintheend, @domesticated-feral, @letthestorieslive

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

187

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

470, 949

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently: Teen Wolf In general: Yuri on Ice, La Femme Nikita, Nikita, Animorphs, Supernatural, The Slayers and whatever trips my fancy at the time

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

No Matter What Yuri on Ice, a/b/o dark fic, 845 kudos

Patience , second in the same series, 324 kudos

Mutual Affliction, fourth in above the series, 296 kudos

And I Would Do Anything for Love, YOI bad guys made them do it, 225 kudos

No Matter Where, even darker variation of No Matter What, 224 kudos

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

I do! Sometimes you become frens when you chat about fic with people. Sometimes I only have the emotional energy for an emoji, but I can't even begin to explain how happy a lil comment makes me.

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

It's a tie, but since no Teen Wolf fics make my top ten, I'll go with:

Deucalion's Progeny , a very dark Scott whump fic ft truedemon

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

Scott is the Best Dad: This series is ENTIRELY scira fluff, pack feels, Yukimura family feels and just all around everything being adorable

8. Do you get hate on fic?

I have one, that I won't share, from ages ago that has a lot of hate. It was deserved since I was trolling and the fic was really bad. 🤣

9. Do you write smut?

Yess! Someone has to be out here making sure Scott gets all of the filthy sex he deserves.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I do if I want to explore both fandoms! La Femme Nikita/Nikita crossovers are so fun to me.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Can't imagine anyone bothering. I have a v niche appeal 😅

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No one has offered, but if anyone wanted to, I'd be beyond stunned and flattered.

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

@illbeintheend and I have started several and even finished one.

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

I didn't think I had one, until Truedemon. Something about Scott/Deucalion just resonates with me.

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

I started a scileo fic a while back about Stiles finding Theo at a BDSM club with Deucalion and being realllly into watching Theo get spanked. It eventually becomes Steo, and then they both realized that they are really interested more in Scott. But Scott is busy with school all the time and couldn't possibly like them. But actually Scott would really like Stiles to spank him, please. And eventually they get there.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I can churn out a lot of mediocre fic very quickly. I have tons of ideas and am very creative. I can do a fairly decent short fic and you can feel that I love the source material and characters I write for in my fics.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Long fic with cohesive themes and plots.

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

I have a lot. Generally, unless it's obvious what the words are from context, necessary for the reader not to understand the language with the character, or making a point to explore a character's cultural roots: "Ah, yes please," Satomi said in Japanese, is the easiest way to handle it. To me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically Star Wars in a spiral bound notebook. Shared online: Animorphs.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This is hard. I'm picking this one because it was really hard to write and I just reread it. And even though it has only 32 kudos it's GOOD. Equivalent Exchange: I wrote this for the first scottuary, it's about Noshiko and Scott developing a relationship. It's about gift giving and mentorship and Noshiko's views on Scott as a leader. It's thoughtful and I think a really nice look at both of them. And imo, easily one of my most underrated fics.

#ask game #my fic #yuri on ice #victuuri #teen wolf #scott mccall #stiles stilinski #theo reaken #deucalion #truedemon #sceo #sciles #steo #kira yukimura #scira

[lakemichigans]

tlou episode 6 thoughts!!

- i love the introduction of joel's interrogation tactic ("your answers better match up") being used in a relatively low stakes, chill situation. i hope this scene was a little taste of what's to come, rather than a replacement for the scene we'll see later. (also I loved that couple's dynamic!! so much was shown in so few lines of dialogue)

- ellie with the whiskey omg riley reference??

- holy shit the tension of that scene with the dog was impeccable. my heart seriously skipped a beat when the dog barked

- the reunion with tommy was even more emotional than in game, and i love that they're already living in the established jackson area! it means there are so many little references for players to notice

- "just because life stopped for you doesn't mean it has to stop for me" 😭

- when joel thought he saw sarah :((( and the fact that it happened immediately after talked about sarah and had a little panic attack from the grief. everything that's happening with ellie is bringing up so many emotions and they're all portraying it SO PERFECTLY

- i loved the scene between maria and ellie. in the game, we know maria is the one who tells her about sarah, but we never see it happen. i looooved being able to see ellie's reaction to that.

- "i'm failing in my sleep. it's all i do. it's all i've ever done." FUUUUUUCK just kill me 😭

- tommy and maria expecting a baby fits thematically and i'm very curious to see how that plays into part two / season 2. no spoilers for anyone who hasn't played it but i'm excited to see if there's some crossover between their baby and a future character

- the giraffe poster watching joel while he says he's not her dad. liar liar pants on fire! also i think it was a smart decision to not have ellie run away (it works in the game but would only be a waste of time in the show) and instead to have her say that she overheard the conversation earlier. great adaptation of existing material

- but i do think the scene where ellie and joel decide to go together felt a little rushed as a result of the aforementioned change. on one hand i like how quick it is, because they've both done all the thinking they need to do on their own, so it's only matter of saying "yes". but at the same time it felt a little blink-and-you-miss-it. it's also a very quick decision in the game, but it comes after an arduous bout of gameplay, so it doesn't feel so rushed. i'll have to chew on this one some more!

- i'm so glad they didn't make the jackson folks be the cannibals like some people were theorizing

- "you gonna shoot this thing or get it pregnant?" made me laugh so loud omg

- i'm a little disappointed we didn't get any environmental storytelling about the students at the college. the whole section being crammed into the last 20 minutes was... an interesting choice. i know most of that part of the game is just exploration & gameplay, but i feel the show had a unique chance to explore what the students went through after the outbreak that was only hinted at in notes. it had a lot to say about humanity and community and it could've been a neat parallel to jackson

- yesss that was a much more realistic injury that's still life threatening but actually possible to recover from, rather than rusty rebar fully going through his abdomen lmao

- and he got stabbed in frank's shirt 😭 and the depeche mode song plays 😭 fuck 😭

- SO EXCITED FOR RILEY!!!!!

#tlou spoilers #the last of us spoilers #the last of us hbo #such a good episode!!!!!

[ao719]

Vancross

Vancross - Hold The Ones You Love (Chapter 16)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: A group of friends embark on their final year at Vancross Institute with the hopes of making it their best year yet. When a new face with a complicated family plagued by secrets and rumors arrives on campus, new friendships are formed, a new relationship blossoms, and threatening challenges arise.  

Title inspiration: All We Have Is Now - Ross Copperman

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window. Thank you to @burnsoslow for looking over most of this and @charlotteg234 for looking over a chunk as well. Please excuse any errors.

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Croía screamed as Liam dove into her and pulled her down; they landed in the snow along the tree line. As the gunfire continued, narrowly missing and hitting the snow and trees around them, he scrambled up and quickly dragged her behind the massive trunk of a snow-covered tree.

Liam pressed his back flush up against the tree, yanked her between his legs, and tucked her head down against his rapidly rising chest, attempting to shield and safeguard her as much as possible. Rogue bullets whizzed by, landing in the snow on either side of them. A loud cracking sound caused Croía to flinch with a scream when bark from the side of the massive tree splintered from a bullet; it littered shards and scraps of wood onto them and the ground, and Liam turned and tucked his body, shifting her with him as his breaths turned ragged.

Suddenly, multiple rounds of gunfire came from another direction. When the assailant seemed to turn their attention away from them and fire in the direction the other shots came from, Liam assumed — hoped — it was the Vancross guards trying to take them down.

After several moments of alternating gunfire, the sound of the helicopter blades began to fade away as it seemed to retreat into the sky.

When the sound was near gone, Liam grabbed Croía’s face with his snow-covered gloves and lifted it to meet his gaze. His eyes darted over her as he sat forward, pushing her up with him. “A-Are you ok? Are you hurt?” his voice shook through heavy breaths. He could both see and feel her entire body trembling as she shook her head, choking back a sob. “I’ve got you,” he breathed, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. “You’re ok. We’re ok.”

They sat like that for several moments as they tried to make sense of what just happened until they could hear what sounded like snowmobiles coming down the path on the other side of the tree line they were hidden behind. They both froze, and Liam pressed himself back against the tree and squeezed her tighter against him as they drew closer.

They could hear the vehicles slow, then pause. “Prince Liam!” a deep voice shouted above the idling engines, echoing around them.

Liam let out a breath of relief, recognizing the voice of his guard. A moment later, another voice shouted for Croía — her guard. “Come on.” He stood, pulling her to stand with him; he peered around the tree as he pulled her into his side, doing a cursory check to be sure before stepping out from behind it, gripping Croía’s gloved hand in his like a vice.

Anthony and Jonas stepped out of the covered cabins of their snowmobiles and rushed toward the pair. “Are you hurt?” Anthony asked, doing a quick check over his Prince as Jonas did the same to Croía; they would do a more thorough check on them both once they got to safety.

“No,” Liam shook his head, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. “Was anyone else hurt?”

“I don’t know, sir,” Anthony replied. “We need to get you to the safe house. Now,” he commanded. “You’ll have to stay there until all threats are cleared.”

Liam nodded. “Come on,” he said, reaching for Croía.

Anthony looked at him. “Sir—”

“She stays with me,” Liam snapped in interruption.

“There’s protocol—”

“I don’t give a damn about protocol right now! She stays with me!” Liam shouted. Everything in that moment was heightened, including his need to protect her and his irritability at anyone who tried to get in his way of doing so. “Take us to one of our safe houses, I don’t care which damn one, but she does not leave my side!”

Anthony and Jonas shared a look; Jonas nodded in both understanding and permission before Anthony looked back at Liam. “Yes, sir.” They walked them back toward the cabined snowmobiles. “We can only fit two in. You ride with me,” he ordered.

Liam glanced at Croía; panic was written on her expression as she still tried to process what happened. He drew her to him and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Get in with Jonas. I’ll be right behind you.”

****

After a 10-minute ride through the woods, the two snowmobiles came through a small clearing, revealing a safe house hidden between more trees. Each of the Vancross students had been given a basic rundown of the safe house measures from their guards upon their arrival.

Jonas exited his vehicle before helping Croía out, and Liam was at her side a second later. Snow crunched beneath their boots as they walked toward the house, and she looked up at it as they approached.

It looked like an everyday small log cabin on the outside; a small, hidden mountain getaway surrounded by trees in the middle of nowhere. No one would know just by looking at the mundane exterior that it was actually a sanctum from all forms of threats and danger.

Behind that quintessential log cabin aesthetic was a steel structure backed by reinforced concrete. Underneath the average-looking front door was a heavy-duty steel skin over four-inch thick anti-ballistic material. The windows were made of level eight bulletproof glass-clad polycarbonate complete with steel shutters.

No one could get inside that cabin except those granted access.

Anthony unlocked the door and pushed it open, gesturing for Liam and Croía to go inside first.

The interior looked just as average as the exterior, keeping with the log cabin aesthetic and showing no signs of the forces protecting them between those walls. Prior to their arrival, all of the safe houses had been checked, re-checked, and stocked with basic essentials and enough food and drinks to last a day or two if need be.

“We need to get your gear off,” Jonas said to Croía.

Liam saw the look of confusion on her face when she met his gaze; he realized that she’d probably never been through anything like this, not even from precautionary training exercises. Of course those bastards wouldn’t prepare her. “They just need to check for injuries,” he explained. “They have to note any in their reports.”

“You too,” Anthony ordered.

“I’m fine,” Liam grumbled, his adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

Anthony shot him a look. “Sir,” he said sternly. Liam knew the protocol, and he didn’t have time for arguments.

Liam sighed. “Can you just get her checked out first? Please?” He wasn’t worried about himself, only her.

Anthony could see the concern in the Prince’s eyes; he knew Liam wasn’t going to budge until he knew Croía was alright, so he gestured to Jonas. Liam’s eyes remained trained on Croía as she removed her boots and jacket, followed by her snow bib, stripping down to the layers underneath.

“Long sleeve first,” Jonas said.

Liam watched as Croía peeled off her long-sleeved thermal shirt, revealing a red tank top beneath; as she did, he looked over the bare skin of her arms as Jonas did the same, searching for any sign of injury.

“Ok,” Jonas nodded. “I need you to remove your tank top and leggings now …”

Liam’s gaze flickered up to Croía’s face; she was being asked to strip down to her bra and underwear in a secluded cabin with three grown men, and despite knowing there was a reason for it and him being there, the abash was etched into her expression. Again, it was clear she’d never been prepared for anything like this.

“I’ll do it,” Liam said.

Jonas looked at him. “I can—”

“I’ll do it,” Liam snapped; he wasn’t interested in hearing what he had to say when it was clear she was uncomfortable.

Without another word, Liam stepped toward Croía and grabbed her hand, guiding her down the small hallway to the lone bedroom; when they stepped inside he shut the door. She turned toward him as he approached her, holding her gaze as he gave a nod for her to go ahead. When she pulled her tank top off and pushed the leggings down over her hips to the floor, he could see her hands shaking, still rattled by what had happened.

Liam circled her, looking over every inch of her bare skin save for what was hidden beneath the lace undergarments remaining; he noticed no signs of any injuries other than a bruise on her upper thigh, likely from how she landed when he pushed her to the ground. He knelt before her and glanced up as he gently brushed his thumb across it.

“Are you hurting anywhere?” Liam asked before doing another quick scan of her legs.

“No,” Croía’s voice cracked. He glanced up at her again, realizing that was the first word she’d spoken since everything happened. “H-How are you so calm?” Her voice came out just above a whisper.

Liam grabbed her leggings from the floor and helped her step back into them. “Because I have to be,” he said before rising to his feet.

Croía slipped her tank top over her head and pulled it down. “Have you … has this ever happened to you before?”

“Not me,” Liam shook his head. “But to my brother and father … yes. And because of it, since I was old enough to understand and know what I was doing, we had training twice a year to prepare us …” he glanced around the bedroom of the safe house “… in houses similar to this … just in case.” He looked at her again, reaching up to tuck the wisps of her hair behind her ear before brushing his hand across her cheek. “Are you alright?”

Croía closed her eyes against the warmth of his palm and the gentle concern in his voice, letting both try to calm her before she nodded. She opened her eyes to look at him again. “Are you?”

“I’m fine.” Liam wrapped his arms around her, holding her for a moment before he drew back and tenderly kissed her forehead. “Come on. Let’s get back out there so they can finish up.” The pair stepped out of the room and headed back toward their guards, both of who were looking at them expectantly. “She’s got a small bruise on her upper right thigh. Nothing else.”

“Thank you,” Jonas nodded.

“Your stuff now,” Anthony ordered.

Croía watched as Liam removed his boots before unzipping his jacket and shrugging it off, revealing the black long-sleeved thermal he had on under his snow bib. “Jesus Christ!” Anthony grumbled as he grabbed Liam’s arm. “Jonas, get me a damp rag.”

Liam looked down and saw the tear in his sleeve; he cursed under his breath as he snapped his gaze back to his guard. “I didn’t even feel it.”

“Because your damn adrenaline is in overdrive,” Anthony scoffed. “Get the shirt off.”

Liam removed his snow bib and Croía stepped around for a glimpse as he peeled the thermal off; her eyes widened when she saw his upper arm smeared in blood. “Liam …”

Anthony heard the tremble in her voice and looked over at her just as Jonas returned with the rag. “He’s going to be alright,” he assured her. He took the rag and began cleaning around the wound to get a better look at it. “It’s a graze wound, and doesn’t look too deep.”

Jonas grabbed Liam’s jacket and examined the sleeve. “Here,” he said, pointing to the tear in the black fabric.

Anthony nodded. “Let’s check the rest of you.” Liam stripped off the gray sweatpants that he had on beneath the snow bib as Anthony held the rag to his arm; he lifted his legs to check for injury, and once the guard seemed satisfied, he slipped the sweatpants back on, leaving himself shirtless. “I need to get the arm bandaged before we leave to meet the other guards back at the lodge.”

“I can clean it up,” Liam said as he took over holding the rag, and Anthony looked at him. “My arm is fine,” he said, moving it around to prove it. “The sooner you get the threat cleared, the sooner we can get the hell out of here.”

“I-I can bandage it,” Croía offered.

Anthony glanced at her, holding her gaze for a moment before he nodded. “There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom in the bedroom. Clean it well with a little soap and water, then rinse it off. I didn’t see any, but once it’s cleaned, check for any fragments and try to remove them if you can before you bandage it.” He looked back at the wound. “As I said, it doesn’t look too deep, so it’s nothing serious or life-threatening, but you want to get it cleaned and keep it covered until you can get a physician to look at it.”

“Ok,” Liam nodded.

“When I get back to the lodge, I’ll have to make calls,” Anthony said. “I need to inform Jackson so he can inform your parents and keep them up to date.”

“Please don’t freak my mom out,” Liam sighed. “Just reassure her that I’m fine.”

“We’ll do our best, sir,” Anthony nodded. “But you know Her Majesty will worry regardless until she sees you herself.”

“I’ll call your parents as well,” Jonas said to Croía. She responded by casting a knowing look in his direction, one that said they both knew that her parents wouldn’t care. “Protocol, ma’am.”

Croía nodded. “Right …”

“The cabin is stocked with the basics, enough to get you through,” Anthony said. “And you know the drill …” He pulled a phone from his pocket and set it on the counter; it was a burner so the location couldn’t be traced. “No one in or out until you hear from me. As soon as I have any information, I will let you know. Until then, you stay put.” He eyed them both, earning a nod in reply. “Get that arm cleaned up. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s clear and we can come get you.”

“Thank you,” Liam said.

“You’re sure you’re ok?” Anthony asked him one last time.

“I’m fine. Promise.”

The guard clapped Liam on the shoulder of his uninjured arm. “We’ll try and get you back to the lodge as soon as possible.”

“We’ll be fine,” Liam insisted. “Go.”

Anthony and Jonas moved toward the door; they opened it and were met by a blast of cold mountain air. “Lock this,” Anthony said.  

Liam walked to the door as they shut it behind them and secured the three deadbolts before taking a step back; he heard them try to open it a moment later to no avail. It went silent for a moment until the snowmobiles flared to life and then took off, their engines fading into the woods.

When Liam turned back, he looked at Croía as he let out a breath. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

Croía’s gaze went to where he was applying pressure to his arm with the rag; she glanced away, nodding silently. “We should get your arm cleaned up.” She turned and headed down the hall toward the bedroom where Anthony said the first aid kit was located, and Liam followed her.  

The truth was that Croía was not ok, and it was beyond just trying to simply make sense of what happened that was on her mind. It’s what Liam did that bothered her most.

When they entered the bedroom, Croía headed to the bathroom. She opened cabinets, finding rolls of toilet paper in one and towels and washcloths in another; she grabbed a couple, just in case. When she opened a drawer, she found the first aid kit nestled inside.

Liam stepped inside the bathroom a moment later. “I figured the cleaning would be easier in here by the sink.”

Croía nodded, turning on the faucet and wetting one of the washcloths. She cleaned around the wound first before adding a little soap. “This might sting …”

“Yup,” Liam nodded, bracing himself. When she touched the now soapy cloth to the open wound, Croía watched Liam stiffen as he tensed his jaw with a grunt. “Shit,” he grumbled under his breath.  

Croía flinched. “I’m sorry.”

Breathing through his nose, Liam shook his head. “Not your fault.”

Croía stared at the wound as she continued to clean it, searching for those fragments Anthony had mentioned. “Does it hurt? Other than the sting, I mean?” she asked.

“Not too bad,” Liam replied, his voice less tight. “The adrenaline might still be dulling most of it, though.”

“I don’t …” Croía paused, leaning in for a closer look. “I don’t see anything in it like Anthony mentioned.”

“Well, that’s a good sign,” Liam chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. He could see the concern in her eyes as she rinsed it with clean water. “Hey …” When she looked at him, he lifted his free hand, gently gripping her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I’m ok. Really.”

Dropping his gaze, Croía nodded before gesturing to the door behind him. “I’ll bandage it out there.” Liam’s brows knitted but he didn’t ask questions before he nodded and turned, walking out.

Croía grabbed the kit and followed behind. She glanced over, watching him maneuver himself onto the bed and she joined him a moment later, setting the kit down beside her. She took another damp washcloth and cleaned around the wound again, gently patting it dry before applying some antibiotic ointment to it.

Liam studied her face, watching her intently. “Ya know, you’d make a good nurse,” he said, breaking the silence that settled between them.

A halfhearted smile tugged at the corner of Croía’s lips. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded. “Or a candy striper.” Her eyes flickered up, sparkling with amusement in the dim lighting. “You’d be an absolute smokeshow in one of those outfits,” he teased. A genuine giggle bubbled out of her despite herself, and he grinned. “There’s that smile.”

Croía held his gaze for a moment as her smile faded and she let out a breath. She placed a gauze across the length of the wound to cover it before grabbing the self-adhesive wrap and carefully bandaging his arm.

Once finished, Croía drew back to look over her work. “How’s that?”

“Good,” Liam nodded, looking down at it; he moved his arm around before looking back at her as she cleaned up the mess.

When Croía stood from the bed, Liam followed; as she placed the stuff back in the bathroom, he walked out of the bedroom, pausing to glance around; she joined him a moment later. “There’s food. Are you hungry?” he asked as he started toward the small kitchen space.

“No, thank you,” Croía replied. “I can’t eat right now.”

When Liam rifled through the cabinets to see what they had, he found a bottle of rum hidden in a far back corner. “Well, this is one way to settle any lingering nerves.” He grabbed two glasses, poured some in each, and slid her one.

Croía grabbed the glass, cupping it in both hands before bringing it to her lips, taking a small sip. When she looked at him again, she couldn’t stop the question from coming out. “Do you … do you think everyone else is ok?” Alia and the others were heavy on her mind, among other things.

Liam met her worried gaze. “I’m sure they are.” They have to be. He swallowed thickly before tossing back the drink in one gulp.

“Can you try calling Blaine or someone?” Croía asked, gesturing to the phone on the counter.

“No,” Liam shook his head. “It’s programmed to only make and receive calls to and from Anthony’s phone. He’ll let us know as soon as he knows anything, though, I promise.”

“Once they’re done with clearing the lodge?” Croía asked, and he nodded. “How long does that take?”

Liam looked at her again; he could tell she was on edge, and knowing she’d more than likely never been prepared for something like this wasn’t helping her. “It depends. The guards will split up and sweep the lodge thoroughly — probably a couple of times — and the grounds surrounding it, but they might be stalled on that front because of sundown,” he gestured to the window.

“So we … we could be here all night?”

Liam nodded. “Yeah … possibly. But we’re good. We’re safe here.”

“Who do … who do you think it was?”

“I have no idea,” Liam shrugged. “Someone who knew we were all going to be up here this weekend. They’ll try to figure that out along with who the target was, if there was one in particular, during their investigation.” He watched her nod, fixating her eyes on the glass in her hands before taking another sip. “Speaking of sundown … let’s get a fire started.”

****

Stepping into the hotel room, Eleanor leaned against the door and slipped off her high heels, letting out a sigh of relief. The Cordonian monarchs were in Madrid on a two-day diplomatic visit.

“Better?” Constantine chuckled.

Eleanor met her husband’s gaze with a knowing smile as she wiggled her toes. “Much.”

Constantine moved to the bar cart, pouring them both a drink; he turned, offering her a glass of wine. “Here, my love.”

“Thank you.” Eleanor raised it to her lips, but before she could take a sip, there was a knock on their door; they both turned and Constantine moved toward it. He opened it to see Jackson standing on the other side. “Hello, Jackson,” she smiled, but that smile quickly faltered when she took in the guard’s expression.

“Your Majesties,” Jackson bowed. “I apologize for the late intrusion …”

“What is it?” Constantine asked.

“It … it’s Prince Liam, sir.”

Eleanor felt her heart stop as she locked eyes with the head guard. “What happened?”

“There was an attack at the ski lodge.” Jackson watched Eleanor’s and Constantine’s faces pale at his words. “Liam is fine,” he quickly added. “He did receive a minor injury to his arm during the incident, but he is ok and safe.”

Constantine rubbed his hand over his mouth. “What the hell happened?”

“A helicopter … it was firing upon them from the air,” Jackson answered. Eleanor pressed her hand to her chest and Constantine took her free hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. “They don’t know who was behind it, not yet. They haven’t started the actual investigation because they’re working to sweep the lodge and grounds and clear it of any threats first. All of the students are currently at their safe houses until further notice.”

Eleanor nodded. “Was anyone severely hurt or …?” she trailed off, swallowing thickly.

“As far as I’m aware, ma’am, there’s only been a couple of reported minor injuries, Liam’s included. Nothing serious or life-threatening, though.”

Constantine looked at his watch. “It’s sundown there …”

“Yes,” Jackson nodded. “As I said, they’re clearing the lodge now and are doing as much of the grounds as they can, but they may be delayed until morning. As soon as I have more information, I will let you know.”

“We’ll leave to go to the lodge as soon as it’s safe to do so,” Constantine said. “I need you to find out about Rashad and Olivia so we know they’re both safe, and I’ll be able to have an update ready to give to the press once this gets out because we know it will.”

“I’ll call Leo and Lena so they don’t hear it somewhere else,” Eleanor said, and Constantine nodded before stepping away to call his assistant to inform him they needed to cancel the rest of their diplomatic visit due to an emergency. Eleanor looked at Jackson. “You should call Drake and Maxwell, in case it makes news there, too. I don’t want them to hear something like that from the television and worry.”

Jackson nodded and bowed. “Of course, ma’am.”

****

After starting the fire in the main area of the safe house, Liam convinced Croía to try and eat something; she mostly picked through some snacks they found, still not having much of an appetite.

Liam couldn’t help but notice how she’d been fairly quiet since her volley of questions not too long ago; he’d catch her staring off, but he’d pull her attention by talking, not wanting her to get too lost in her thoughts and worries.

A short time later, Croía walked down the hall into the bedroom to see a still shirtless Liam crouching in front of the hearth after getting the fire going in there. She sat on the edge of the bed and glanced out the window as she combed her fingers through her hair that she’d taken out of its braid; the sun was now gone, and the moonlight cast a blueish light over the glistening snow outside. She wondered if the rest of their friends were ok and if the guards had made any progress on clearing the lodge and grounds.

When she felt the bed shift, she looked over to see Liam climbing on; he bent his knees, resting his elbows atop them. “You ok?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Croía said softly.

Liam stared at her, not entirely convinced. After what happened earlier, he understood her being on edge; not as much as her, but he was too. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something more than that, however. He glanced down at his bandaged arm before looking back at her. “Thank you,” he said quietly, breaking another bout of silence. “For taking care of this for me.” He gestured to his arm. “I realized I never said it earlier.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Croia shook her head. He watched her cast her gaze downward to her hands in her lap. “That was the least I could do.”

Hearing the change in her tone, Liam’s brows furrowed. “Croía …” She looked up, meeting his gaze again. “What’s the matter?”

“What?”

Liam gave her a look before gesturing for her to come closer; she shifted further onto the bed and came in front of him, kneeling between his feet. “I know you’re probably on edge after what happened earlier … but it seems like there’s something else on your mind …”

Croía stared at him for a few silent moments. He was right; there was something else. “You dove in front of me,” she said just above a whisper, and her voice slightly broke.

Liam’s brows knitted. “Yeah …”

“Why?” Croía shook her head. “Why would you do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Liam could see how taken aback she was by the casualness of his response. “We were getting shot at, Croía. What else was I supposed to do?”

“You put yourself between me and bullets, Liam. You got hit. Not bad, but what if …” Croía trailed off for a moment. “What if it ended worse than this?” she gestured to his arm.

“Well, we don’t have to think about the what-ifs because they didn’t happen.”

“They could have,” Croía retorted.

“Even if …” Liam shook his head. “It wouldn’t matter. I’d do it again if it meant I could keep you safe.”

“Why?” Croía’s voice cracked. “Why would you put yourself at risk like that for me?”

“Again, why wouldn’t I?”

“Liam, you have too much to lose. You’re too important to your family and your friends. To your people. To … to me. And I’m … I’m just …” Croía trailed off.

“You’re what?” Liam stared at her, feeling his irritation rise because he knew what she was beginning to imply and it didn’t sit well with him.

Croía sighed as she dropped his gaze. “I’m not.”  She couldn’t understand why he would risk his life for a nobody like her, and if something had happened to him, she’d have never forgiven herself.

Liam’s jaw tensed as he stared at her. “You are to me,” he bit out, and she looked at him. “You’re important to me, Croía. And I would do what I did today again and again in a heartbeat because that’s what you do for someone you love.” He held her gaze, watching her expression as what he just said sunk in. Her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears as she let out a quiet breath.

It wasn’t exactly the way Liam intended it to come out, but with what happened earlier, he no longer wanted to wait to tell her how he felt. If he’d taken away anything from the events that day, it was that tomorrow wasn’t always promised. What if something had happened and he’d never gotten the chance to tell her at all? That was a risk he didn’t want to take.

Liam reached out and took her hand; she continued to stare at him as a tear trickled down her cheek. “I’ve wanted to tell you for weeks now, but I … I didn’t want you to feel pressured or rushed into anything because of it. But after what happened today, I need you to know … I love you, Croía.” When her breath hitched, he reached up, gently brushing the tear away. “You don’t have to say anything … I just needed—”

“I love you, too, Liam,” Croía interrupted.  

Liam’s hand stilled on her cheek as he held her gaze, and a smile curled on his lips. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Croia tearfully chuckled. “Really.”

“And not just because you think I might have saved you today?” Liam quipped.

Croía shook her head as her lip trembled and she searched his blue-eyed gaze through her blurred vision. “You saved me long before today, Liam,” her voice quivered. “I think … I think you’ve been saving me this whole time …”

The meaning behind her words and the sincerity with which she said them caused Liam’s heart to stutter. His hands went to her waist and he pulled her to him; she shifted forward, leaning against his thighs to steady herself as he tilted his head up and captured her lips in his.

“Say it again,” Liam murmured against her lips before kissing her again. He could feel her smile into the kiss, and he returned his own.

“I love you,” Croía whispered.  

Liam’s hand slid up to tangle in her hair as he kissed her anew; it was slow, deep, and all-consuming, dragging them both further into the moment. He pulled her toward him, shifting her until she was straddling his lap, and when his hands fell to the hem of her tank top, she slowly raised her arms; he drew back and met her gaze, brushing his fingers against the skin of her hips before pulling it off. He dropped the shirt to the floor and his hand curled around the back of her neck, drawing her lips back to his.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, in a swift motion and without breaking the kiss, Liam flipped Croía to her back, hovering over her. She pulled away from his lips. “Liam, your arm.”

“Arm’s fine,” Liam murmured against her jaw. Her eyes fluttered shut, and he inhaled the sensual fragrance that clung to her skin as he trailed a line of kisses down her neck.

Liam smoothed a hand over her chest, caressing her over the lace fabric of her bra before sliding his hand under her back; with an effortless flick of his fingers, he unclasped it and peeled it away from her body. He dipped his head, pulling her pebbled nipple between his lips and swirling his tongue before moving to lavish the other.

Slowly, Liam continued his descent, moving down her concave stomach until he hit the waistband of her leggings. He lifted his head, meeting her gaze in a silent question, and when she bit her lip through a smile in response, he returned his own as he sat up on his knees. Hooking his fingers onto the bands of both her leggings and the lace beneath, he pulled them off together before dropping them to the floor.

Croía stared up at Liam as his eyes scanned over her; the light from the fire flickering behind him cast the outline of his body in shades of gold. He lowered himself between her legs, hooking his arms around her; turning his head, he trailed his lips slowly across her inner thigh as she watched him in anticipation. When he met her eyes again, she could just make out the hint of the smile on his lips before he dropped his mouth down.

Still holding her gaze, Liam pressed a series of tantalizing kisses against her before his tongue flattened and his lips wrapped around her; he watched her eyes shut as her mouth fell open with a quiet moan.

Liam leisurely worked his mouth against her, alternating between teasing flicks and fervid swirls of his tongue. He was deliberate in his pace, prolonging her release as long as he could, knowing they had all the time in the world at the moment. He pulled his mouth away, fixating his eyes on her face again as he dragged a finger through her slit, coating it in her essence before sliding it into her as his thumb circled against her.

Croía’s hips instinctively pushed against his hand. “Liam,” she whimpered.

Another breathy moan escaped Croía when Liam slowly added a second finger. And when his mouth replaced his thumb as he curled his fingers to hit that pleasure point, she gasped as her hand dove into his hair. As he brought her closer to the edge, her other hand gripped his forearm for purchase; feeling her on the brink of release, he swirled his tongue more firmly as his lips pulled her further into his mouth. A moment later, a surge of pleasure crashed over her like a wave; her grip on him tightened and her legs quivered as her back arched off the bed with a moan.

Liam slowed his ministrations, working her through her release and drawing it out; he listened as her breaths slowed, feeling her fingers softly comb through his hair as she started to relax. Several moments later, he shifted, moving up her body until they were face to face; he leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep kiss that was eagerly returned.

As he kissed her, Croía could feel the swell of him against her through the fabric of his sweatpants, and a thought crept into her mind, one she’d had on several occasions. It stirred her desire for him once again, but unlike times before, it wasn’t fading.

There was a sudden want and need for something more.

Liam drew back just enough to take a breath, dipping his head to kiss her shoulder. “Liam, I want …” She trailed off as her eyes fluttered shut when his lips grazed her neck.

“What do you want?” Liam whispered against her ear before kissing the spot just beneath it.

“You,” Croía murmured. Her eyes opened and she could feel her heart pounding. “I want you. All of you.”

Liam stilled, processing what she said before he drew back to look at her and searched her eyes. “You … you want to—” He paused when she nodded. A soft breath escaped him as he brushed his hand across her cheek. Emotions had been running high for both of them since the events earlier followed by the confessions of their true feelings and he didn’t want that to cause her to do something impetuous or worse, feel like she had to. “Croía, we don’t have to … not if you’re not ready.”

Croía leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in a soft lingering kiss. When she drew back, her eyes met his. “I’m ready. I … I want to.”

When she lifted her head from the pillow and kissed him again, Liam’s mind immediately became consumed by the thoughts he’d had for months now. A moment later, he felt her hands toying with the waistband of his sweatpants in a silent request. Between more kisses, he maneuvered to strip off the remainder of his clothes.

Once bare, Liam hovered above her, searching her eyes. His mind cleared to once again allow him to grasp the gravity of what she was saying she wanted … of what she was asking him to take from her.

Liam leaned down and captured her lips, his own heart racing now. When they parted, he brushed his nose along her cheek, feeling her nervous, shallow breaths against his lips. He drew back just enough to look at her, searching her eyes again. “Croía … are you sure?”

“Yes,” Croía whispered as she held his gaze. “I’m sure.”

Liam kissed her again, lacing the fingers of one of their hands together and pressing them against the pillow as he shifted his body, gently nudging her thighs further apart as he positioned himself between them. He drew back from her lips, and her breathing quickened when she felt him slide against her core. “If it’s too much and you need or want me to stop, you need to tell me.”

“Don’t …” Croía bit her lip and shook her head. “Don’t stop.”

Despite her eagerness to continue, Liam could tell she was nervous; she made no attempts to hide it and, truthfully, he expected it. “I’m going to go slow.” Croía closed her eyes and nodded in response. “Look at me,” he whispered before placing another tender kiss on her lips, and she did. “I’m right here, ok?”

Croía nodded again. “Ok.”

Liam lined himself up and drew back enough to gauge her expression for any sign of discomfort as he carefully began to push into her. Their gasps mingled as he urged himself further in, and his hand balled into a fist. “Fuck,” he hissed, feeling her start to envelop him.

When he went a little deeper, Croía’s eyes shut tight and her lips parted with a sharp intake of breath from the immense pressure. “Liam,” she whispered in a trembling breath.

When her body tensed and the hand laced with his squeezed, Liam’s brows rounded in concern as he abruptly paused. “Do you want me to stop?”

Croía opened her eyes. “No,” she said as she shook her head rapidly.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Croía nodded.

Liam dipped his head, brushing his lips against her cheek. “Just try to relax. I’ve got you,” he whispered. “I promise.”

Croía let out a shuddered breath, willing her body’s tension away; Liam felt her start to slightly relax beneath him. After a moment, he continued, slowly filling her inch by inch; he listened to each sound she made — every gasp and every whimper — pausing when needed. The deeper he went, the more her breaths and moans were stifled.

Croía’s free hand held onto him like an anchor, unwittingly digging crescent shapes into his skin with her fingernails as she felt herself stretch to accommodate him. With a moan, her eyes shut and her brows knitted as a wave of pleasure mixed with the discomfort.

Once buried to the hilt, Liam paused, giving her time to adjust. He hung his head and squeezed his eyes shut as his entire body tensed with a strangled groan at how tight she was; he could feel every pulse and throb of himself inside her. His brows knitted in concentration as his breath quickened, trying to stall his body’s natural instincts to move until she was ready, but it was becoming more difficult by the second.

Suddenly, Liam cursed under his breath when he felt her clench around him. “Croía,” he said through a strangled gasp, “I need to move.��  

“Please,” Croía whispered in a plea as she swallowed thickly, both wanting and needing him to.

Liam drew back to look at her. “Are you ok?”

Despite the rapid rise and fall of her chest and the sureness she felt that Liam could hear how hard her heart was pounding, Croía nodded. “Yeah.”

With a sigh of relief, Liam pulled out and rolled his hips, pushing back into her, drawing a groan from his lips. Croía’s mouth fell open with a whimpered moan mixed with a gasp; the discomfort was worse when he started to move yet bearable. “Does it hurt?” Liam asked as he stilled, his voice laced with concern.

“A little.”

At her response, Liam slightly shifted his hips; his hand smoothed down her thigh and hooked under the back of her knee, carefully lifting it to his waist as he slowly pushed back into her again. Her lips parted and he watched her expression soften with pleasure as her back bowed with a moan. “Better?”

“B-Better,” Croía stuttered through a breath.

Liam captured her lips as he started to move again; each curl of his tongue against hers was as gentle and fluid as the movement of his hips. He went slow, just as he promised, drawing out each stroke.

Croía began to relax beneath him as the discomfort started to fade, and soon, all she could feel was him. His lips went from hers to her neck, whispering kisses along her skin as their moans mingled and he continued to gently thrust into her. She hadn’t known exactly what to expect of this moment, but it was better than anything she had conjured in her mind. She was losing herself in him, unable to think of anything but how good he was making her feel.

Liam’s hand fell away from her leg and slipped beneath her to the small of her back; he pulled her hips up toward him with each slow push into her, and a pleasure-filled moan dripped from her lips from the added friction with each thrust.

When she started to move her hips with his, chasing that pleasure for herself, Liam bit his lip in gratification. “That’s it, Croía,” he hummed, carefully picking up his pace.

Croía could feel that coil tightening again; heat began to flood her body, and she felt herself hurtling toward that edge. “Liam, don’t … please don’t stop,” she mewled.

Liam was tense with control, but it slowly began to fray as he fell into a daze coaxed on by her sounds and the way she felt; he knew he was close, but so was she. He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. “Croía, I need you to let go. Let go and come for me.”

And a moment later, she did. A moan ripped from Croía’s throat followed by a mantra of gasps and whimpers; her back bowed off the bed in toe-curling corrosive pleasure as her trembling body clung to him through her second, more intense release.

Keeping his pace, Liam drew out her pleasure for as long as he could, but quickly followed her over that edge; he met his shuddering release with a gravelly groan that rumbled from deep in his chest as his entire body went taut.

Liam squeezed his hand against hers and dropped his head into the curve of her neck, choking on a moan; because of that virtue she’d kept, he could feel every contraction of her around him as he pulsated inside her, and it was unlike anything he’d felt before. “Goddammit,” he rasped.

Croía gradually loosened her grip on him, still trying to catch her breath as her trembles started to subside. A moment later, Liam lifted his head, seeing her neck and chest flushed with a thin sheen of sweat. He brushed the hair away from her neck before he leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep but slow kiss.

“I love you,” Liam whispered against her lips.

Croía closed her eyes. “I love you, too.”

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Croía whispered.

Liam drew back to meet her gaze. “Are you sure?”

Croía smiled as her hand rested on his cheek. “I’m sure.”

Despite her answer, a worry still lingered. “I didn’t … I didn’t hurt you—”

“No,” Croía interrupted as she shook her head. “You didn’t.” Liam let out a sigh of relief before kissing her again.

While they continued to come down from their high, Croía closed her eyes as a soft smile played on her lips. She’d never really envisioned exactly how her first time would be, but she certainly never expected that. Despite having always felt self-conscious about her lack of experience, at that very moment, she’d never been more glad that it hadn’t happened before because she couldn’t imagine sharing that moment with anyone else or giving herself completely to anyone but him.

****

A while later, Liam and Croía lay in bed; she was on her stomach with him on his side beside her; his head was propped up against his hand as he ran his fingers along her bare back in a featherlight touch. His palm followed the abstract pattern of his fingers in a gentle caress, stopping to smooth across the small of her back where the sheet was draped over her lace-covered lower half before gently dragging his fingers back up.

Croía couldn’t help but notice how attentive he was being; he’d always been caring toward her, but this was different. He’d helped her clean up, he brought food and water to her and made her eat and drink, then told her to lay down and relax; she hadn’t moved since. It was as if he was trying to soothe every part of her mind and body with heedfulness, soft touches, tender kisses, and continuously checking to make sure she was alright.

“You ok?” Liam whispered. He shifted his gaze to her face just as she fluttered her eyes open and nodded with a sleepy smile. “You might be sore later …”

“That’s ok,” Croía mumbled against the pillow.

A quiet laugh escaped him as he leaned down, kissing her shoulder. “You say that now.” Her eyes flickered up, looking at him through her lashes; there was a new sparkle in those icy blue depths, and his heart swelled, knowing it was just for him. He shifted onto his back and pulled her into the crook of his arm so her bare chest was pressed against his side as he wrapped his arms around her.

Despite what happened earlier at the lodge and the reason they were currently locked inside that safe house, Croía couldn’t remember ever feeling safer than she did at that moment in his arms. She nestled closer and rested her head on his chest; the soft graze of his fingers up and down the length of her spine and the steady beat of his heart lulled her to sleep.

****

Trystan’s leg bounced anxiously as he stared out the window of the plane.

While finishing up lunch earlier with Marguerite, Trystan received a call from Jonas; he called to let him know about the attack on the ski lodge. He told them Croía was unharmed and safe, currently waiting in one of the safe houses while the lodge and grounds were being cleared.

When Marguerite asked if the King and Queen had been notified, Jonas fell quiet for a moment before explaining he’d called to inform them, and that they didn’t seem at all concerned. They only asked if there were any casualties, and when he told them no, they dismissed the ordeal entirely and ended the call.

Trystan’s blood boiled.

Croía was away from home and there was an attack, and they hadn’t even asked about her. They had no intention of even going to see for themselves if she was alright, physically or emotionally.

So, Trystan decided he was going. Within an hour, he boarded a private plane that would take him to the mountains of Camp Eirene. He wanted someone to show up for her, to be there for her, to show her that they cared. And he needed to see that she was unharmed with his own two eyes.

As he settled back in his seat, attempting to get comfortable for the remainder of the long flight, Trystan couldn’t stop his mind from picking apart the response to the attack that his parents had given Jonas.

They didn’t seem concerned, which meant they hadn’t been surprised by the news. They only asked about casualties, not specifically about Croía, their own flesh and blood. And then they dismissed it as if it were nothing they should be distressed about.

Uneasiness filled Trystan to his core along with suspicions and questions he had no answers to. All he knew at that moment was that something about it wasn’t sitting well with him. Something wasn’t right, and he needed to find out what it was for Croía’s sake.

***************************************

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#the royal romance #trr #choices trr #choices the royal romance #liam rys #king liam rys #king liam #trr liam #liam x oc #trr liam x oc #king liam x oc #choices liam x oc #prince liam x oc #trr fanfic #trr fanfiction #trr fan fic #trr fan fiction #choices trr fanfic #trr au fanfic #trr au #choices trr au #cfwc fics of the week

[sexy-rex]

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it

H - Do you prefer characters from real action series or anime series

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why

F- What’s the longest you’ve been in a fandom?

Okay so, I’m going to out myself now as a potterhead lol the longest I’ve been active in a fandom is ~twelve years with Harry Potter from about 2002 until I climbed aboard the good ship Eruri (Attack on Titan) in 2014. I was then active in the AoT/SnK fandom for about five years before jumping over to the Detroit become Human fandom for two years and now I’m in The Clone Wars fandom since about 2019. My first ever fandom was Babylon 5 from around 1994 to 2002 so about eight years (which is decent, I think).

Tbh I don’t ever really leave a fandom I’ve been invested in and created content for. Even now, if I’m running low on daydream material, I’ll create silly crossovers with my fave characters from B5 or HP magically popping up in TCWs and interacting with my fave characters. Just because I’m not active active in a fandom anymore, doesn’t mean I’m not still a huge fan!

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it?

Probably not a surprise but my first OTP was in the HP fandom but it took me a while to fix on it. First I had to realise who my fave characters were but when I’d worked that out it was simple as anything for me to ship them together. It is a Gryffindor/Slytherin ship and a m|m ship but possibly not one you’d expect because it’s a bit of a rarepair: Neville and Draco. I also shipped Snape and Malfoy Snr.

Then I shipped Erwin and Levi in Attack on Titan; Connor and Gavin in Detroit become Human; and now I ship Rex with anyone in The Clone Wars lol

H - Do you prefer characters from real action series or anime series?

Considering my main fandoms over the last many years, I’d go with anime/animated/motion capture series. Although, I have briefly dipped into other ships and fandoms which were real action: Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux from the Star Wars sequels; Thranduil and Bard from the Hobbit movies. So preference for anime but open to real action!

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which ones?

Tumblr hasn’t turned me off of any fandoms but it has caused be to dislike certain ships within fandoms. Back when I first joined the AoT/SnK fandom, the ship wars were intense and it felt like you constantly needed to defend your ship against all the hate. I remember those days fondly now and can laugh about it but at the time it was full on battle mood lol.

#ask game #Ty Vani <3

[grundyscribbling]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?  184

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

1,324,851

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

Tolkien. The Silmarillion. Buffy (mostly crossovers). Hunger Games. (Used to do HP, but these days the author does not spark joy.)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Sun Also Rises

Picking Up the Pieces

The Unspoken Rule

Bring Out Your Dead

By Dawn's Early Light

5. Do you respond to comments? 

Yes! Sometimes very belatedly, but I try to get to all of them.

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

Not sure. Define angsty?

Maybe The Deep Breath Before The Plunge? (Dangled the possibility of a happy ending in front of Maeglin just before the Nirnaeth...)

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

??

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Not really. (Don't take it as a challenge. There's a delete button on comments for a reason.) Though some people appear to have read completely different source material than I did...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

I'm more noted for fade to black than smut. 

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

I have been known to on occasion... 🤣

Probably my still unfinished Buffy/BSG cross. I really oughta get back to that sometime.

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

A couple times, usually for SWG challenges.

13. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Celebrían/Elrond (The entire Daughters of Celebrían 'verse started because I thought they deserved better and so did Joyce Summers.)

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

Given enough time I will finish them all! ...except maybe Out of the Blue and The Long Road Home, which I lost the outlines/notes/WIP files for when my hard drive died back in the late aughts.

15. What are your writing strengths? 

I'm always thinking on stories if I have nothing else to do.

16. What are your writing weaknesses? 

Actually writing them down.

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

If used sparingly it can be effective.  (Keeping this one, @spiced-wine-fic as it's on the nose.)

18. First fandom you wrote for? 

HP.

19.  Favourite fic you’ve written?

I like them all.

Trying to tag folks I haven't seen already tagged... @joyfullynervouscreator @sallysavestheday @jaz-the-bard @edgeoflight @hhimring @elesianne @starspray and anyone else who would like to play.

#20 questions

[islemeadow]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by the lovely @suspendingtime - thank you, this was so much fun! 🥰

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Only two so far! But they are quite massive and there will be at least two more in order to finish the entire "ABCD-series of Kanthony and their offspring", as I call it. All of it is written already, but I'm a bit neurotic and want to hone them into perfection before releasing anything, so therefore the "one chapter a week" publishing pace...

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

151,977

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Bridgerton. The first fanfic I ever wrote was for Game of Thrones, several years ago, but it kind of blew out of proportion and I never finished it, so therefore did not publish it either. Maybe I will, one day...

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Like I said earlier, I only have two works published of my gigantic series so far! The first one is finished but the second one is not and has been out for only a couple of weeks, so here we are:

Aspire - Kanthony's continuation story (365)

Burn - Edmund Bridgerton II's story (35)

Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story

Dare - Lily Bridgerton's story

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

Yes - obviously. I have to quote @suspendingtime on this one, because they phrased it so well:

"Why... I sort of have a need? Idk, when I see a comment it's hard to just leave it hanging there and not to reply. Like irl if someone looked at something I made and verbally commented on it... and I just stared back blankly not saying anything. 😐 This is how it feels to me on the receiving end at least haha. And my replies saying various forms of 'Thank you!' is probably quite repetitive, but hey ho."

And every time I say "thank you", I really mean it. I'm honestly so tremendously grateful for every comment I have ever got, I did not even think anyone would care about my scribblings...! 🙏

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

Well, I'm trying to write very bridgertonesque happy endings, but I guess "Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story" will be the angstiest one as a whole.

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

Again, happy endings are what I strive for, but perhaps "Dare - Lily Bridgerton's story" since it'll be the last one of the entire series and you've got to end on a high note!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

So far no, fortunately.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do, although that too has not YET been published! But there will be some, soooon... And what kind? I try to be as true as possible to the source material of my fics, in other words the Bridgerton TV-series, so I guess I have kind of gone with that smut-wise. So I would describe it in the same manner as the intimate scenes in the series. It's not pornography, but neither is it a "rom com fade out and cut to the next morning" immediately when two people collapse on a bed, so you'll definitely know what's going on between the characters even though it's not described in super explicit detail.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not yet, at least. Normally I'm not a huge fan of crossovers, but I'm still open for it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not!! Not that I'm aware of. I don't really understand why anyone would steal something that is already out there for free?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not. Apart from English, which is not my mother tongue, I speak Swedish and Finnish, plus very little German and Spanish, but it would feel strange to write fanfiction in any other language than English, I think.

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

No, but it could be fun if we're on the same page! (stupid writer pun intended)

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

Clearly and undoubtedly Kate & Anthony, since they have inspired me to write approximately a thousand pages of fanfic... 😅 But I'm in general a very passionate shipper and I'll get a lot more interested in a series or a novel if there's a couple whose (possible) story I fall in love with and begin to root for. Last ones I got mildly obsessed with were Bonnet and Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death.

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

It has to be the Game of Thrones one I mentioned earlier. Somehow I got blown away by the character of the wildling woman Karsi who was VERY briefly part of season 5 (and is not even in the books), so I began to write an entire background story for her and how she became the chieftain of her clan, but never got to the (sad canon-compliant) ending of it all.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Um... I guess I'm very productive at least, haha. If I get into a nice flow I can write for hours and hours. Dialogue comes very easy and usually I only plan a little ahead, like what the premise of a scene is, but most of the time it feels like the characters surprise myself as well and take it somewhere more or less unexpected - but better.

That probably describes my writing in general, it doesn't feel like I actively have to imagine these stories happening, rather simply document everything that pours out of my mind onto my laptop. If I don't get to write I get peevish, as if suffering from withdrawals...

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably sometimes forgetting to describe the setting around the character/s, or at least that is something I have to often remind myself of and maybe add on later. For example describing how a specific room or someone's clothes look (maybe fanfic is quite forgiving in this sense, since everyone already knows e.g. what Aubrey Hall or Bridgerton House looks like).

Another thing I seem to forget is the fact that the sun can't always be shining, although if you look at the Bridgerton TV-series is actually does, EXCEPT for when something dramatic is happening, then it's POURING. So, perhaps that's just being true to the source material, as with the smut...? 😅

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

Well, the languages I know aren't especially useful considering a Bridgerton fic, unless I one day come up with some Swedish prince or princess etc, but Kanthony's children are in fact speaking Hindi in my series. Being raised as bilingual myself I definitely wanted that for them too and I thought that Kate would want it as well, but unfortunately I'm solely relying on translation websites and would love it if someone who actually knows Hindi would check the text...!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Unpublished: Game of Thrones, but actually published: Bridgerton.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Tough question...! But I have to say... The previously mentioned "Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story". And not because it's the angstiest one, but because I kind of feel like I can't even take credit for the story of Miles and his love interest to work out so well. I had planned an entirely different thing for Miles, a lot more boring one, but in the middle of "Burn - Edmund Bridgerton's story" I had this huge epiphany when one of the characters went rogue on me and I sat there writing and suddenly had to pause like "ah, damn... You're in love with Miles, aren't you, you poor thing?" and then I gladly went on with that, because it simply made so much sense.

You'll see soon what I'm talking about, I think we're still a few chapters away from that when I have only four chapters of "Burn" published at the moment...!

__________________________________________________

I tried to find some writers who had not been tagged to this yet, so please ignore this if you already have replied to these questions earlier or if you just don't want to, which is perfectly alright! ❤️ But I'm sending this onwards to: @fitrahgolden , @silverhallow and @waterlilyrose

#20 questions for fic writers #tag game #fanfic writing #fanfiction #bridgerton fanfiction #kanthony fanfic

[fictionadventurer]

AU asks, for all eleven of the AUs you mentioned in your tags (including the Blackberry Bushes one because why not!), mix and match for whichever one you like: 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24

2. Summarize this au in 5 sentences.

Psmith Star Wars AU: Mike Jackson is a cadet at an Outer Rim Imperial Academy whose dreams of flying an X-Wing for the Empire shatter when he learns of the Empire's atrocities. When his brother defects to the Rebellion, Mike and some of his fellow cadets decide to leave the Academy and join the rebel cause. The boys are nearly captured during their escape attempt, but they're saved by Mike's eccentric roommate, Psmith, who turns out to be a former Jedi youngling who's been hiding from the Empire. After they make their escape, Mike and his fellow cadets have to decide whether they can trust this sly, arrogant boy with these unnatural powers, and they need to find a way to find and help the Rebellion.

5. What is something you kept the same?

Lord Peter Wimsey Telepath AU: I've kept the setting and situations as close to the originals as possible. It's still 1930s England. Harriet's still accused of murdering her lover. Lord Peter's still an aristocrat. The only difference is that various superpowers are a known and accepted part of society, and Peter's ability to literally know Harriet's thoughts adds a whole new and more difficult dimension to the power imbalance between them.

9. Is there a scene you wish you could've included, but couldn't? Why?

Sherlock Holmes Pushing Daisies Crossover AU: I wish I could have figured out what the actual mystery was for the first snippet I wrote for this AU. Unfortunately, my mystery-writing skills don't extend that far.

10. Is there a character you wish you could've included, but couldn't? Why?

Queen's Thief AU of Psmith: It would be really fun to have Queen's Thief versions of Billy Windsor and Bat Jarvis, but I can't think of a great way to fit them into the story that I've outlined--as I've laid it out, Psmith takes Attolia's throne mostly through his cunning and convenient connections.

11. Is there any relationship that's different in this au than in the source material?

Supergirl "Kara raised by the Kents" AU: Since Kara's actually raised by the Kents in this AU, she's got a much deeper and more complicated relationship with them. Her relationship with Martha is rocky, because she sees Martha as competition for her role as Kal's primary caretaker. Taking care of Kal is the only purpose Kara has left in life, and it takes a lot for her to let other people into that relationship.

13. Write a lil snippet set in this verse.

From Powers and Prejudice:

"Lizzie, Jane's on TV!" Lydia shouted. Lizzie rushed into the living room, where her sisters were gathered around the set. Headlines blared BREAKING NEWS beneath live footage of a supervillain attack downtown. The Blur was already on the scene, speeding innocent victims away from danger. The Archer--outside of Pemberley--was even lending a hand. And among them in pink spandex was unmistakably-- "Jane?" Lizzie shouted. "What's she doing there?" Mom was so excited that sparks crackled around her hair. "She did so well the other night that I couldn't let the Blur fight this one alone. It was my duty to send Jane to help." Lizzie was horrified. That had been a skirmish, easily dealt with. This was turning into a battle. One of the criminals had some type of fire manipulation ability, and flames filled most of the screen. To see Jane among that-- "Are you nuts?" Lizzie shouted. "She could die out there!" Lydia rolled her eyes. "What are you so worried about? It's not like she can get hurt." Not externally. Jane's skin was invulnerable, and there was nothing that could overpower her strength. But her respiratory system was as delicate as anyone's, and there was a lot of smoke out there. Jane acquitted herself well, but eventually, Lizzie's fears were realized. Just as the last of the criminals was neutralized, Jane collapsed to the pavement. The Blur, in bright blue, was at her side in an instant. He checked over Jane and gathered her into his arms, a look of panic on his masked face. In less than a second, they disappeared from the scene. While her mother and sisters exclaimed over the scene--did you see the way he looked at her?--Lizzie headed toward the door. Mom asked, "Lizzie, where are you going?" "I don't know if you noticed, but your daughter is injured. I'm going to help her. "She's in the care of one of Netherfield's Defenders! She's perfectly safe." "I'll believe that when I see it." Kitty, fretful, said, "The Blur's so fast. They're miles away by now. Hidden away in his secret headquarters." Lizzie shrugged. "Then I'll find his secret headquarters." Ignoring their protests, she went out the door.

17. What important events have you 'translated' from canon to make sense into this au, if any?

Milo Murphy's Law Star Wars AU: Murphy's Law makes a lot of sense as an out-of-control connection to the Force. And I've turned Diogee into a droid (DO-G) because there don't seem to be many dogs in Star Wars.

18. Is there any theme or motif in this au that isn't in the original work?

Politically-realistic Princess Diaries 2 AU: There's a much stronger exploration of the theme of duty vs. love, because we have multiple characters who have dealt with this conflict. There's also a thread exploring religion, because Mia's priest uncle is a prominent character.

20. Share THREE headcanons! But about different characters.

American Hallmark Royal Romances:

The princess of California was a candidate for an arranged marriage with the crown prince of Maine until a Spunky Commoner came along and stole his heart. She was actually rather hurt by this, until it sparked her own romance story.

The Spunky Commoner met the crown prince of Maine while working on some artistic endeavor for his family. She was rather baffled by this whole royalty thing, until her relationship with the prince provided some cultural background.

Sam, the crown prince of Texas, is a bit ashamed of his nation and especially the over-the-top Texas-ness of his father. He's an excellent code-switcher, and has a bit of trouble straddling the cultural expectations of Texas and the outside world.

21. What makes you most excited about this fic?

Lord Peter Wimsey Star Wars AU: What's there not to get excited about? The Scarlet-Pimpernel-ness of Peter as a double agent within the Empire! The drama of Peter dealing with Force-visions of the future. Force-sensitive Dowager Duchess. Peter having Thrawn as both an art-and-culture buddy and an increasingly-suspicious-of-him nemesis. He's just such a fun character to throw into the structure of this universe.

24. Ramble about something you haven't gotten to talk about yet.

Blackberry Bushes Superhero AU: It says to ramble, so I'll ramble. First off, I feel guilty even claiming this an an AU, since this was really your idea and I just added some stuff to it. But it's such a fun concept and it comes to mind as an AU quite a bit because there are so many fun ways this story warps the typical superhero plots. The Superman character marries a former villain who has good reason to fear him and be suspicious of his fellow heroes. The former supervillain dictatorship is undergoing reform, and it's a legitimate thing, and we get to see the politics of that and see the ruler's children growing up in this system. Delclis' father used to be one of the great heroes, but his memory is tarnished because of the collateral damage his extreme powers caused, and now Declis has to deal with getting the same powers. Antavia's plotline of walking away from the throne become her walking away from her superpowers and inadvertently leading to the creation of her best friend's most dangerous nemeses. They're stories you couldn't come up with under the usual superhero tropes, but combining it with this very different type of story creates new and interesting angles that wouldn't ordinarily come to mind, and that's so fun.

#answered asks #adventures in writing #powers and prejudice #blackberry bushes superhero au #lord peter wimsey star wars au #psmith star wars au #milo murphy's law star wars au #i think those are the only aus that have their own tags #i'll just leave the rest be to avoid clogging the tags of the actual works