A Place for Writing and Magic

Writing blog of krys-love-otome. I write 18+ material occasionally, so be forewarned. She/Her. 30+ Requests: CLOSED Icon made with this Picrew Maker My Art Blog My OC-Centric Blog My Reblogs tumblr

[not-krys]

Writing Master List

Hey lovelies, welcome to my writing blog! Most of my fanfic works are double posted over onto my ao3! To check out some of my older stuff and older fandom essays, check out my dreamwidth account!

General Writing Stuff

The Basics *100 Themes Prompt List *100 Themes Filled Prompt List *Fictober Masterlist *Writing Summary 2020 *Writing Summary 2021 *Writing Summary 2022 *Writing Summary 2023 *Writing Summary 2024 *Writing Summary 2025 *OCs Apartment Complex Directory

*[Character A] x [Character B (et. al)]=Romantic and/or Sexual Relationships *[Character A] & [Character B (et. al)]=Platonic, Familial, or Acquaintances. *et al=all the rest, here meaning if I have multiple partners or characters mentioned. So, if a Character C is included in the description, basically, and so forth.

The Rating Scale *General= No romantic or sexual content to be seen or it is very minimal or in the background. Just a fun little story. *Teen= Some romantic content and heavier topics discussed that I wouldn’t feel comfortable with a general rating. At best, probably some light kissing and cuddling, and some talking of stronger content like violence or drugs. *Mature= ‘And then they made love.’ Heavier on the romance and sexual content, but not quite to the level that explicit entails. Heavy breathing, fingers brushing over body parts, undressing with the eyes, that sort of stuff. Can also indicate an uptick in violence, like lots of blood mentioned or fighting. Be sure to abide by the warnings listed. *Explicit= ‘And this is how they did it exactly, in exact detail.’ Where you can see parts bumping and parts inserting and exiting in hot, sweaty rhythms. You could also see a gruesome murder with entrails hanging out or graphic fighting happening right on screen. Always indicated with NSFW in bold right next to the title. And, like with the Mature rating, mind the tags and warnings listed. They’re not there for decoration.

*WC=Word Count

*Stories are organized first by fandom, then in alphabetical order (yes, articles a, an, and the, count for alphabetizing). Fandom OC Fics are also included under the fandom they are a part of.

*Fem!Reader vs. AFAB!Reader(Assigned Female At Birth Reader) I would like to make this distinction clear when I put these in the descriptions of my works. -Fem!Reader refers to a reader that uses she/her pronouns and aligning terms, such as woman, girl, goddess, etc. Can be interpreted as a cis-gendered individual or can be trans-sibling, that is up for interpretation. -AFAB!Reader refers to a reader that has the parts typically associated with a cis-gendered female (uterus, vagina), but may not necessarily use the terms associated with it (she/her pronouns, woman). I will add in notes if the AFAB reader is referred to by gendered terms (such as if they use or are referred to with she/her pronouns or other gendered terms). These notes will also be applied to the pregnant reader entries as not every Fem!Reader can become pregnant while an AFAB Reader might have the parts to carry, they may not use she/her pronouns or be a 'woman’. -Reader stories without gender markers can be interpreted as any gender the reader chooses. The sky’s the limit.

Fanfiction

Ikemen Prince *A Little Tired || Licht Klein x Reader || 221B Ficlet || Fictober 2022 Rating: Teen Summary: You spend a quiet night with Licht. Notes: References to self-harm but not the focus. Cuddle Fic. WC: 221 ———-

*Abandoned || Rio Ortiz & Clara Laurent (OC) || Rating: General Summary: Clara is about to be married soon, so she and Rio go to her old house to find things she wants to bring into her new life. She discovers some items that she had forgotten about. Notes: Rio and Clara Friendship focused, Nokto x Clara mentions but not the complete focus here, Rio route spoilers here, Rio being the hype-man that he is while trying to push down the unpleasantries, he doesn’t get the girl but he gets the girl ya feel me? Originally part of the 100 Themes Challenge with the prompt name being used as the title. WC: 1,879

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*Birthday Carrots || Nokto Klein x Clara Laurent (OC) || 221B Ficlet || Fictober 2023 Rating: Teen Summary: Clara is making a treat for Nokto and Licht’s birthday. Nokto tries to dissuade her from putting in a particular ingredient. Notes: Ficlet, suggestive towards the end WC: 221

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*Birthday Present || Nokto Klein x Clara Laurent (OC) || 221B Ficlet || NSFW Rating: Mature Summary: Nokto only wants one thing for his birthday. Notes: Body Worship, Focus on Cis-Female Body Parts, Implications of 'past activities of that evening.’ WC: 221 ———- *Name || Leon Dompteur & Leona Dompteur (OC) || Fictober 2022 Rating: General Summary: Leon tells his daughter the story behind her name. Notes: Spoilers for Leon’s route, Family AU, Pregnancy, a different take on the Fourth Prince WC: 1,785 ———- *No Time || Rio Ortiz & Clara Laurent (OC) || Rating: General Summary: Clara is anxious about choosing Rhodolite’s next king. Rio comes to her rescue. Notes: Fluff, unrequited crush, unrequited love WC: 1,110

Ikemen Revolution *That Could Have Gone Better || Harr Silver x Maddie Fleming (OC) || Fictober 2021 Rating: General Summary: Maddie celebrates Harr’s birthday. Notes: Fluff WC: 772 ———- *The Red Shawl || Jonah Clemence x Preg!Reader || Fictober 2022 Rating: Teen Summary: You have a new dress to wear for the Clemence Family Ball. There’s just one small problem with the dress. Notes: Pregnancy, Fluff. WC: 1,038

Ikemen Sengoku *A Second Glance || Hideyoshi Toyotomi x Preg!Reader || | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Rating: Mature Summary: In the wake of Nobunaga’s death, where do you turn when you feel you have nowhere else to go? Notes: Referenced Character Death, unplanned pregnancy, AFAB pregnant reader (referred to with she/her pronouns and other feminine leaning terms) WC: 14,070 ———- *Blankets || Mitsunari Ishida x Reader || Secret Santa 2019 Rating: General Summary: Mitsunari refuses to go to bed without you. Notes: Fluff WC: 675 ———- *Can You Hold Me? || Mitsuhide Akechi x Reader || Fictober 2025 Rating: General Summary: You ask Mitsuhide to hold you. He obliges Notes: Fluff, little morbid talk of haunting people after becoming ghosts but all in lighthearted fun WC: 555

----------- *Fine, I Give Up || Mitsuhide Akechi x Fem!Reader || Fictober 2021 Rating: Teen Summary: Mitsuhide caves under the pressure of ‘The Silent Treatment’. Notes: Fluff, Bit of Spice towards the end WC: 942 ———- *How Would That Even Work? || Mitsuhide Akechi x Preg!Reader || Fictober 2022 Rating: Mature Summary: Mitsuhide just wants you to sit in his lap and eat oranges with him. Notes: Pregnancy mentions, sensual orange eating. WC: 755 ———- *I Know You Didn’t Ask for This || Mitsunari Ishida x Houki of Jiyel (OC) || Fictober 2019 Rating: Teen Summary: Houki spends the morning being loved on by her husband. Notes: Pregnancy, Fluff. WC: 831 ———- *I Never Knew It Could Be This Way || Kennyo x Ophelia of Revaire (OC) || Fictober 2019 Rating: General Summary: Ophelia reflects on her life up to this point. Notes: Fluff WC: 996 ———- *It’ll Be Fun, Trust Me || Masamune Date x Fem!Reader || Fictober 2019 Rating: General Summary: Masamune and Reader try out a new game. It doesn’t end so well. Notes: Fluff, Light spice towards the end. WC: 639 ———- *It’s Not Like I Would Say No, Kitten || Masamune Date x AFAB Reader || NSFW Rating: Explicit Summary: Masamune finds he quite likes it when his kitten stumbles her way into confidence. Notes: AFAB reader referred to with she/her pronouns and other feminine-aligning terms, Smut, Fem!Dom, Vaginal fingering, Biting, Penetration WC: 1,968 ———- *Rub My Belly || Mitsuhide Akechi x Preg!Reader || Gift Fic 2019 Rating: Teen Summary: Mitsuhide was late coming home one day. He makes it his mission to make up for his absence. Notes: Pregnant reader (referred to with feminine-coded terms like wife and woman), Fluff, Mitsuhide being a tad bit silly. WC: 2,334 ———- *Sex Under the Sun Dress || Shingen Takeda x AFAB Reader || @voltage-vixen​’s Summer of Smut Challenge 2020 || NSFW Rating: Explicit Summary: You and Shingen decide to have a quick one in your hotel room. Notes: AFAB reader referred to with she/her pronouns and other feminine aligning terms, Smut, Sex with clothes on, cunnilingus, lap sex WC: 996 ———- *That Didn’t Stop You Before || Mitsuhide Akechi & Kyubei || Fictober 2020 Rating: General Summary: Mitsuhide was late coming home. Kyubei tells his lord about his lovely wife’s previous night of his absence. Companion piece to Rub My Belly. Notes: Pregnant Reader (referred to with feminine-coded terms like woman and wife), Fluff. WC: 895 ———- *The Experiment || Mitsunari Ishida x Houki of Jiyel (OC) || NSFW Rating: Explicit Summary: Houki decides to test just how unaware Mitsunari is when he’s in one of his reading trances. Notes: Smut, Sex for Science, Vaginal Fingering, Penetration, technically dubcon (somnophilia?) as she’s doing sexually charged acts while he’s in his reading trance. WC: 2,102 ———- *The Traveling Adventures of Mister Fox and Miss Mouse || Mitsuhide Akechi x Fem!Reader || || Part 2 || Part 3 || Rating: Teen Summary: 1880s Detective Mitsuhide Akechi is tasked with returning a rich heiress back to her home for a prospective marriage she wants no part of. Unfortunately for him, he’s about to embark on journey the likes of which he’s never experienced. Notes: American Old West AU, Traveling AU, more tags to be added WC: 4,815 ———- *You Should Always Tell The Truth || Ieyasu Tokugawa & Houki of Jiyel (OC) || Rating: Teen Summary: Ieyasu notices that Houki isn’t feeling well one day. When he tries to investigate the cause, he may have found out a little more than he anticipated. Notes: Fluff and Angst, Implications of Depression, References to poisoning and illness. WC: 1,948

Ikemen Vampire *A New Resident || Comte de Saint Germain x Preg!Reader || Fictober 2022 Rating: Mature Summary: After finding that Blanc and Rogue could do nothing to help improve your condition, Comte decides the only option left to save your baby is to offer his own blood. Notes: Blood, AFAB Reader referenced with she/her pronouns and feminine-coded terms, Pregnancy, Childbirth, Implied/References to pregnancy and birth complications, use of French and Italian when neither are languages I speak so the usage is possibly incorrect. WC: 2,157

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*Are We Happy? || Vincent van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC) || Fictober 2024 Rating: Teen and Up Summary: Abby and Vincent have found out they are expecting. Now what? Notes: Pregnancy and the symptoms that come with it, referenced vomiting, discussion of starting a family, Takes place after Vincent’s Dramatic Ending but nothing spoiler-y in this story, References to Vincent's version of the Home Sweet Home Event, Use of Dutch when it is not a language I speak so the usage might be incorrect, Not beta-read. WC: 1,417

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*Fais de Beaux Rêves || Comte de Saint Germain x Fem!Reader || Fictober 2020 Rating: Teen Summary: Comte stays with an aged reader in her final moments. Notes: Major Character Death, Aging, use of French when it is not a language I speak so some usage may be wrong. WC: 1,077 ———- *Family || Arthur Conan Doyle x Preg!Reader ||@scummy-writes​‘s Arthur Week 2021 Rating: Teen Summary: You and Arthur decide to check in on your baby. Notes: Pregnancy, Fluff, lil bit of spice towards the end WC: 934 ———-

*Family Picnic || Vincent van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC) || Spring Showers, Spring Flowers CCC 2023 Rating: General Summary: Vincent and Abby take their young son out for a day on a picnic. Notes: Family AU, fluff, pregnancy WC: 1,021

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*First Kicks || Vincent van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC) || A Series of Firsts CCC 2023 Rating: Teen and Up Summary: Abby anxiously waits at home for Vincent to return during a storm. Notes: Fluff, pregnancy, lil suggestive towards the end, implied semi-nudity, implied spoilers for Vincent’s dramatic end, not beta read WC: 1,649

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*Happy Birthday, Vincent || Vincent van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC) || NSFW Rating: Explicit Summary: Vincent wakes up hungry one morning. Notes: Face sitting, oral (cis female receiving), cum swallowing, use of Dutch when it is not a language I speak so some usage is bound to be incorrect, not beta read, inspired by Vincent’s 4th birthday cg. WC: 856

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*In Loving Memory || Theodorus van Gogh & Abigail Clarke (OC) || Rating: General Summary: Theo is helping an aged Abby finish a portrait painting Notes: Bittersweet Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Just two in-laws supporting each other in tough times; Originally a part of the 100 Themes Challenge now brought to completion WC: 945

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*I’m Borrowing Your Lap || Theodorus van Gogh x Dorothea Reid (OC) || Rating: General Summary: Theo stumbles upon Thea in the gazebo while she’s on her break. Too tired to care that she’s there, he falls asleep on her. Inspired by Theo’s Sealed with a Kiss story. Notes: Fluff WC: 1,457

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*I’ve Waited For This || Theodorus Van Gogh & Abigail Clarke (OC) || Fictober 2021 Rating: General Summary: After 100 years and a pure chance of luck, Theo finds his brother in the future. Notes: Takes cues and spoilers from Vincent’s Dramatic Ending, OC x Canon children mentions, pregnancy, use of Dutch when it is not a language I speak so probably got some usage wrong. WC: 2,702

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*Reaching Out || Vincent van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC) || Fictober 2023 Rating: Teen Summary: Abby has worked up the courage to tell her aunt where she has been the past year, having not contacted her family at all since she went on a trip to Paris and had been assumed missing. What would her auntie have to say if her beloved niece told her that she had time-traveled to the 19th century and had stayed in a mansion full of famous historical figures that had been turned into vampires? Notes: Spoilers for Vincent’s Route ending (specifically his Dramatic Ending, but here it’s a little vague), Family AU, Fluff (lots of it towards the end), pregnancy, use of Dutch when it is not a language I speak so if any usage is wrong, just know I’m using language blogs and machine translation so some things are bound to be incorrect, not beta-read. WC: 2,599

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*Sensual Morning || Comte de Saint Germain x AFAB Reader || Fictober 2024 Rating: Mature, but just barely Summary: Comte wakes up his lover in the morning Notes: Morning After fic, References to 'previous night's activities', implications of period sex, use of French when it is not a language I speak and I used language learning website to help me along but usage might not be correct, use of Comte's real name, takes cues from Comte's Fully-Voiced Story where you spend the day with him, not beta-read WC: 568

———– *Starting the Day || Arthur Conan Doyle x Reader || 221B Ficlet Rating: Teen Summary: Arthur gets his day started with you. Notes: Fluff, little bit of spice towards the end WC: 221

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*Studentessa || Leonardo da Vinci & Abigail Clarke (OC) || Rating: General Summary: Leonardo hears Abby having trouble drawing so he steps in to help her. Notes: Fluff, art talk, sprinklings of Italian, originally the Starvation prompt from my 100 Themes WC: 1,084

Love and Deepspace *Meteor Shower || Xavier, Unnamed Classmate || Fictober 2025 Rating: Teen Summary: A classmate asks Xavier to watch the meteor shower with them Notes:  A POV shift to third person based on Xavier’s third anecdote now focusing on following him rather than MC’s first person POV narration. That being said, spoilers for Xavier’s third anecdote. Bittersweet angst, major character death WC: 2,996

Midnight Cinderella *How About You Trust Me For Once? || Nico Meier x Fem!Reader || Fictober 2020 Rating: General Summary: Nico comes to tell the Princess about his newly discovered heritage. Notes: Emotional hurt and comfort WC: 846 ———- *Reunion || Alyn Crawford x Custom MC || Unloved Character Month 2021 Rating: Teen Summary: After searching through every corner of Wysteria, Alyn finally finds the lost princess after she had disappeared into the night. Notes: Spoilers for Alyn’s Sugar Ending, References to Major Character Death (albeit a fake one), Emotional Hurt and Comfort, little bit of spice towards the end. WC: 2,165

Shall We Date: Obey Me *Bittersweet || Lucifer x Miriam (OC) || Rating: Teen Summary: Miri brings Lucifer some coffee Notes: Nightbringer-flavored Obey Me but nothing really spoilery here aside from the premise of MC being brought back to the past; based loosely on the Devilgram story in the ‘Healing Lucifer’ card and the chat Bittersweet with Lucifer in the original game; angst-flavored; emotional hurt and comfort; guess it could technically count as unrequited love? Or its unrequited love that used to be requited but isn’t right now because of Nightbringer’s timey-wimey shenanigans? Requited that becomes unrequited and then requited again? Idk. WC: 1,977

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*Everything’s Okay Now || Lucifer x Miriam (OC) || Drabble Rating: Teen Summary: Lucifer holds Miri while she sleeps Notes: OG Season 2 Ending Spoilers; References to Lucifer’s PTSD; raw, incomplete writing so not especially polished as it was written in 2 hours with a timer. WC: 822

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*Kitchen Talks || Solomon & Miriam (OC) || Fictober 2023 Rating: General Summary: Miri talks with Solomon about their current situation Notes: Nightbringer Spoilers, fluff, comfort WC: 1,050

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*Secrets in the Attic || Belphegor & Miriam (OC) || Rating: General Summary: Miri keeps hearing strange noises coming from the attic, so after successfully distracting Lucifer, she heads upstairs to investigate. Notes: OG Lesson 4 adjacent, Implied heavy depression, Belphie being a lil shit but that’s how I like him WC: 1,467

Headcanons

Ikemen Sengoku Warlords + Jealous of the Baby Warlords + Ace Spectrum Reader

Ikemen Vampire Suitors Help You Get Dressed

Original Fiction

Eternity Saga OCs *I Can’t Do This Anymore || Takashi Imeteri x Arianna || Fictober 2020 Rating: Teen Summary: Takashi and Aria narrowly escape getting captured by the angels, but in the escape, Takashi reveals something about himself that could put the two of them in more danger. Notes: Blood, injuries WC: 664

Misc OCs Will You Come Look At This? || Dani x Angie || Fictober 2020 Rating: General Summary: Dani notices something out of place on herself one morning. She asks her wife to have a look at this new development. Notes: Pregnancy, fluff, lgbtq+ relationship WC: 1,181

Other Reviews/Essays/Commentary

Ikemen Sengoku Masamune Act 2 Plot Summary

WIP Wednesday

Snippets of fics that give sneak previews of what I’m working on. Some have been seen to completion in a fic featured above, others are things I couldn’t figure out how to complete or improve, so I just posted it as is. At the end of the year in December, I’ll post between 4 and 5 of the wips that I didn’t finish that year or just an interesting one (like abandoned Fictober entries or beginning ideas that were either changed or scrapped all together) -A Second Glance Chapter 3, Version 1 [Ikemen Sengoku, Mitsuhide Akechi] -A Second Glance Chapter 3, Version 2 [Ikemen Sengoku, Hideyoshi Toyotomi] -Fais de Beaux Rêves [Ikemen Vampire. Comte de Saint Germain] -Kitten Heels [Mystic Messenger, Jumin Han] -Ophelia and Ranmaru [Ikemen Sengoku, Ophelia of Revaire (OC), Ranmaru Mori] -Baby’s First Slow Dance/Little Swimmers Across Time [Ikemen Sengoku, Nobunaga Oda] -All I Ever Wanted [Ikemen Revolution, Zero] -Let’s Make Love [Seduce Me the Otome, Erik] -Houki and Nobu Play Go [Ikemen Sengoku, Nobunaga Oda, Houki of Jiyel (OC)] -Scarves [Ikemen Sengoku, Hideyoshi Toyotomi] NSFW -Reunion [Midnight Cinderella, Alyn Crawford] -Future Daddy Shingen [Ikemen Sengoku, Shingen Takeda] -Kissings [IkeSeries OCs, Houki of Jiyel, Ophelia of Revaire, Dorothea Reid, Madeline Fleming, Abigail Clarke] -Fictober 2021, Part 1 [Ikemen Sengoku, Mitsuhude; Ikemen Vampire, Theodorus van Gogh & Abigail Clarke (OC)] -Fictober 2021, Part 2 [Ikemen Revolution, Harr Silver x Madeline Fleming (OC)] -Fictober 2021, Part 3 [Ikemen Vampire, Cinderella AU] -Houki and Nobu Play Go, Version 2.0 [Ikemen Sengoku, Nobunaga Oda, Houki of Jiyel (OC)] -Thea Patches Up Theo [Ikemen Vampire, Theodorus Van Gogh x Dorothea Reid (OC)] -Masamune Soulmates AU [Ikemen Sengoku, Masamune Date] -Mitsuhide Asks For Forgiveness [Ikemen Sengoku, Mitsuhide Akechi] -A Second Glance Chapter 4 Version 1 [Ikemen Sengoku, Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Mitsuhide Akechi] -A Second Glance Chapter 4 Version 2 [Ikemen Sengoku, Nobutaka Oda (OC), Nobukatsu Oda (OC)] -Clara and Nokto in the Library [Ikemen Prince, Nokto Klein, Clara Laurent (OC)] NSFW -Silence [IkeSeries and Obey Me OCs, Houki, Madeline Fleming, Abigail Clarke, Clara Laurent, Miri] -Fictober 2022 [Ikemen Sengoku, Mitsuhide; Ikemen Vampire, Comte de Saint Germain] -Fictober 2022, Part 2 [Ikemen Prince, Leon Dompteur] -Fictober Off Season: You Keep Me Warm [Ikemen Revolution, Lancelot Kingsley] -Fictober 2022: You Love This, Don’t You? [Samurai Love Ballad: Party, Kojuro Katakura x Reader] -Fictober 2022: Sounds More Like a You Problem [Ikemen Prince, Licht Klein & Nokto Klein] -Fictober 2022: I’m Not Alone and Neither are You [Ikemen Prince, Leon Dompteur & the Fourth Prince] -Starvation [IkeSeries OCs, Houk of Jiyel, Abigail Clarke, Madeline Fleming, Clara Laurent, Ophelia of Revaire] -Love [IkeSeries OCs and Obey Me OC, Houki of Jiyel, Ophelia of Revaire, Madeline Fleming, Dorothea Reid, Abigail Clarke, Clara Laurent, Miri] -Grey [Ikemen Vampire, William Shakespeare, Vincent Van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC)] -No Time [Ikemen Prince, Ikemen Vampire, Rio Ortiz & Clara Laurent (OC), Arthur Conan Doyle x Dorothea Reid (OC)] -Nurture [Ikemen Revolution, Harr Silver, Madeline Fleming (OC)] -Nurture [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Houki of Jiyel, Mitsunari Ishida, Ophelia of Revaire, Abigail Clarke, Theodorus van Gogh, Arthur Conan Doyle] -Father [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince, Obey Me; Houki of Jiyel (OC), Dorothea Reid (OC), Arthur Conan Doyle, Theodorus van Gogh, Abigail Clarke (OC), Vincent van Gogh, Clara Laurent (OC), Mr. Akatsuki, Miriam (OC), Lucifer] -Flowers [Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Revolution, Ikemen Prince, Abigail Clarke (OC), Vlad, Madeline Fleming (OC), Loki Genetta, Clara Laurent (OC), Silvio Ricci] -Introduction [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince, Houki of Jiyel, Nobunaga Oda, Abigail Clarke (OC), Vincent van Gogh, Clara Laurent (OC), Nokto Klein] -Are You Challenging Me? [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Obey Me; Houki of Jiye (OC)l, Nobunaga Oda, Abigail Clarke (OC), Arthur Conan Doyle, Isaac Newton, Miriam (OC), Lucifer] -Perfect Strangers [Ikemen Vampire; Comte de Saint Germain] -Abandoned [Ikemen Prince, Obey Me; Clara Laurent (OC), Rio Ortiz, Miriam (OC), Leviathan] -Nobububu 2.0 [Ikemen Sengoku, Nobunaga Oda] -Miri and Diavolo [Obey Me, Diavolo, Miriam (OC)] -Fictober 2023: It’s Alright, I’m Here Now [Ikemen Sengoku, Mitsunari Ishida x Houki of Jiyel] -Sugar and Spice and ... [Ikemen Vampire; Leonardo da Vinci, Comte de Saint Germain, Pregnant!Reader] NSFW -Spiral [Obey Me; Simeon, Miriam (OC)] -Hold My Hand [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Obey Me; Mitsunari Ishida x Houki of Jiyel (OC), Kennyo x Ophelia of Revaire (OC), Isaac Newton & Dorothea Reid (OC), Abigail Clarke (OC) & Jean D’Arc, Mammon & Miriam (OC)] -Creation [Ikemen Vampire, Obey Me; Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC), Miriam (OC), Luke, Barbatos] -Do Not Disturb [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince, Obey Me; Mitsuhide Akechi, Mitsunari Ishida x Houki of Jiyel (OC), Abigail Clarke (OC) & Theodorus van Gogh, Nokto Klein x Clara Laurent (OC), Satan & Simeon, Miriam (OC)] -Old [7KPP, Ikemen Vampire, Obey Me; Ophelia (OC), Abigail Clarke (OC) & Theodorus van Gogh, Miriam (OC) & Simeon] -Magic [Obey Me; Miriam (OC) & Asmodeus] -Can You Hear Me? [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince, Obey Me; Houki of Jiyel (OC) & Nobunaga Oda,  Abigail Clarke (OC) x Vincent van Gogh, Clara Laurent (OC) & Rio Ortiz, Miriam (OC) & Belphegor] -Eyes [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Revolution, Obey Me; Houki of Jiyel (OC) x Mitsunari Ishida, Ophelia of Revaire (OC) x Kennyo, Madeline Fleming (OC) x Harr Silver; Miriam (OC) & Satan] -Two Roads [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Obey Me; Ophelia of Revaire (OC) & Ranmaru Mori, Vincent van Gogh & Leonardo da Vinci, Miriam (OC) x Lucifer] -Tears [Ikemen Vampire, Obey Me; Abigail Clarke (OC) & Comte de Saint Germain, Miriam (OC) & Beelzebub & Belphegor] -OC Would You Rathers [Houki of Jiyel (OC), Ophelia of Revaire (OC), Dorothea Reid (OC), Abigail Clarke (OC), Madeline Fleming (OC), Clara Laurent (OC), Miriam (OC)] -Traveling Adventures of Mr Fox and Miss Mouse, The Sprinto Sessions [Ikemen Sengoku West Travel AU, Mitsuhide Akechi x Fem!Reader] -Miri Receives the Ring of Light [Obey Me, Lucifer x Miri, Solomon, Simeon] -Second Glance Part 5 [Ikemen Sengoku, Hideyoshi Toyotomi x Preg!Reader] -Deep in Thought [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince, Obey Me; Houki of Jiyel (OC) & Mitsunari Ishida, Abigail Clarke (OC) &  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Clara Laurent (OC) x Nokto Klein, Miriam (OC) & Diavolo] -Happiness [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Prince; Ophelia of Revaire (OC) x Kennyo, Clara Laurent (OC) x Nokto Klein] -Blood [Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince, Obey Me; Vincent van Gogh x Abigail Clarke (OC), Clara Laurent (OC), Rio Ortiz, Nokto Klein, Miriam (OC) x Lucifer, Obey Me Cast] -Puzzle [Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince; Dorothea Reid (OC) x Theodorus van Gogh x Arthur Conan Doyle, Abigail Clarke (OC) & Isaac Newton, Clara Laurent (OC) x Nokto Klein] -Plus [Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Prince; Houki of Jiyel (OC) & Nobunaga Oda, Dorothea Reid (OC) & Comte de Saint Germain, Clara Laurant (OC) & Rio Ortiz] -Tower [Ikemen Sengoku, Obey Me; Houki of Jiyel (OC) & Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Miriam (OC) & Lucifer & Raphael] -Tears [Ikemen Prince; Clara Laurent (OC), Nokto Klein, Sariel Noir, Rio Ortiz] -Feverish Attempts [Love and Deepspace; Xavier x Reader] -Miri Tells the Truth [Obey Me; Miriam (OC) & Satan & Belphie] -Shared Bliss [Love and Deepspace; Sylus x AFAB!Reader] NSFW

Other/Misc Things

30 Days of Fanfic Master List [A series of asks where I go over my practices about writing] 2am Ramblings [Turning Avatars into OCs, Thea and Her Husbands, MidCin Thoughts, and Various Other Things] Princess Aria’s Adventures in the AI Dungeon [Played a text based adventure generator. Chaos ensues.] Happy Fanfic Anniversary [Celebrating 20 years of writing fanfiction by posting some of my favorite passages from old fics up to the most recent (Aug 2022)] Author Interview 2020 Author Interview 2025  Krys’s Birthday Bash 2025 Otome Reviews Masterlist

Ask Box Trick or Treats -Lucifer Apologizes -Mitsuhide Plays Nurse -Masamune on the Rocks

[not-krys]

Title: In Loving Memory Rating: General-ish Fandom: Ikemen Vampire Characters: Theodorus van Gogh, Abigail Clarke (OC) Summary: Theo helps an aged Abby work on a portrait she’s making. Notes: Original Character; Bittersweet Fluff; implied/referenced character death; not explicitly noted but this take place long after Vincent’s endings in canon; references to another fic I’ve written with Theo and Abby (I’ve Waited For This) ; Originally the ‘Old’ prompt from my 100 Themes Challenge now brought to completion. And thanks again to @dodomindraws who did the lineart for the banner!

WC: 945

Also on ao3!

My Masterlist!

Theo sat by Abby's side, the pair looking at a medium-sized canvas. Abby, older now with her short hair almost completely white, held a long paintbrush towards the canvas in her small, wrinkled hands that were dotted with age spots. Theo, still as youthful as when Abby had first met him with his reddish-brown hair and familiar blue eyes that had gentled somewhat with time, watched patiently as her hand moved, graceful in the memory but a little clumsy now with age. The younger van Gogh held a palette filled with colorful paints in his lap.

"Just a little longer," Abby said, her voice cracking.

"Take your time," Theo said gently. "No need to rush."

Silence overtook the two of them, sunlight peeking through the nearby window. Where she needed it, Theo held up her elbow, keeping her arm steady as she made her short, careful strokes.

"…Talk about him, Theo." Abby asked, squinting her eyes.

"Hondje, you sure?"

"A happy memory… for me, please?"

Theo closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh. He looked up towards the ceiling, thinking for a moment.

"Back when we used to live in le Comte's mansion, he often painted outdoors. He'd taken you with him one day. By all accounts, it should have been sunny all day. But, there was a pop up shower."

"Ah, yes." Abby's eyes lit up with the memory. "Vincent had wanted to teach me about plein air painting. But then it started raining half way through what he was teaching me."

"I was just getting back from selling his work. I got caught up in it too. Soaked to the bone. I had to run all the way to the mansion after the carriage dropped me off nearby."

"So were we. We had to pack up in a hurry!" Abby laughed.

"Clearly." said Theo. "Broer had you in his arms and you had all the supplies in your lap, trying desperately to keep the canvases from getting wet when I saw you two. You looked like a couple of idiots, running in the rain."

"I don't doubt we looked very silly. Vincent kept saying I should put his painting apron over my head so I wouldn't get wet, but I was so focused on protecting the paintings, the paint hadn't even dried properly. But, both of canvases got smeared with rain water anyway, despite our best efforts. I was so upset then because I had been so proud of my painting and thought it was ruined."

"Broer just smiled," Theo said, "and gladly told everyone and anyone they were twin paintings. It was probably the first time I’d seen him genuinely proud of something that wasn’t his own artwork."

"I remember Vincent held onto those paintings for a while. I was a little embarrassed on how long he kept them, messed up as they were."

"From what I remember, Comte had them put up in the parlor after you two had left. Even had them framed and properly sealed so they’d last longer."

"That's even more embarrassing!"

Abby lowered her elbow, setting her brush down, her smile lifting the wrinkles on her face.

"Thank you, Theo. For cheering me up. For staying and putting up with me. For everything, really."

"You'd be lonely if I didn't, and Broer hated leaving you alone for long."

"…I miss him. So much."

Theo reached up to her cheek, smearing a little bit of yellow paint on it.

"When you came around, he was happier. More than I had ever seen him, I'll admit. He shined brighter than before. Blindingly so some days. He cleared looked like a man in love whenever he was around you. I was a little jealous—okay, a lot jealous—of how this little pup once scared of her own shadow that came out of nowhere had managed to capture my Broer so completely, so quickly. It was almost unfair how quickly you changed him when I couldn't over a lifetime."

"Theo…"

Theo patted her elbow again.

"Remember when I came to the house the first time? Because your aunt had sent those pictures of his paintings?"

"Yes," Abby said, "I showed you all those pictures of Vincent and me… of the kids when they were little…"

"You showed me that he had lived a good life and that's something I can't thank you enough for. I had failed in that regard, even in our second lives. You gave him something that I couldn't without even trying."

Abby sat her paintbrush to the side, reaching up with both her hands to hold Theo's face.

"Your wish allowed us to meet, Theo, so don't sell yourself so short. My happiness was thanks to you, after all. You didn't fail in anything. You did what you could for him. We both did."

"Hondje…"

Abby cleared her throat and rubbed at her eyes, refocusing on the canvas before her and trying to pointedly ignore the matching paint smear she had put on Theo’s face.

"He wouldn't want us to be sad for long anyway. He'd be worried if we were."

"Right. And you have a portrait to finish."

Abby nodded and picked up her brush again, filling it up with some light blue paint, something that was quite close to Theo’s eye color, but not an exact match. It was a blue that was more familiar to her, the one she had known and loved the most over the years. Theo lifted her elbow once again, helping her reach the soulful eyes staring back at them, his gentle smile endearingly etched into their memories now coming back to life on the canvas once again.

[not-krys]

Rating: General-ish Fandom: Ikemen Prince Characters: Clara Laurent (OC), Rio Ortiz Summary: Clara is going to be married soon, so she and Rio are gathering things from her old house she wants to take with her into her new life. She finds some old things she forgot about. Notes: Original Character; Nokto x Clara romantic relationship mentions but this is more focused on Clara and Rio’s relationship; Takes some tidbits from Rio’s route so there’s some spoilers in here for that; he doesn’t get the girl but he gets the girl ya feel me? Rio being the hype-man he is while trying to push away what he doesn’t want to be focused on, he hugs Clara at least twice here and smothers her in praise because he loves her and he’s like part puppy or something, paths not taken and whatever thematically, originally the ‘Abandoned’ prompt for Clara and Rio from my 100 Themes Challenge now brought to completion. And thanks once again to @dododrawsstuff for drawing the lineart for the banner! WC: 1879

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"I know," Clara started softly, "that I should have given these to you sooner."

Coronation day was fast approaching and Clara's wedding day wasn't far behind. Today, she and Rio were collecting some her personal affects as she was moving into the palace permanently soon, so her old home was going to be sold in a few weeks. The two had been making light conversation until Clara was digging through the closet in her room, finding some items she had long forgotten about.

She pulled out a neatly folded blue coat first. A short sword with a beagle emblem on its sheath was next. Clara squeezed her eyes shut, her back facing Rio, the two now standing on a metaphorical precipice.

"Clara? What's wrong?" Rio asked.

She stood up.

"It's feeling cruel of me to be giving them to you now, of all the times. I… I'll understand if you want to hate me."

"Hate you?" He sounded confused. "Why would I hate you?"

Clara clutched the items closer. She then slowly turned around, revealing the coat and sword in her hands. Rio froze.

"These… they were what you had with you when I found you. I washed and repaired what I could of the coat because, well… yeah. There's also a ring in a box in one of the pockets. The left one, I think."

She stood straighter, gathering her courage. She looked like the queen she was soon to become, regal and dignified in stance, her long orange dress smooth and her dark curls thoughtfully pinned up, she could have commanded the world then and there in Rio’s eyes, save for hot tears that were starting to form in her eyes that broke that image of a perfectly poised noble.

"If you want to leave after we finish here, to find out who you really are, you have my support. You'll probably need these. Sorry for not returning them sooner."

She held the coat and sword out closer to him, the beagle seal glimmering in the sunlight gleaming in the window. Rio reached out towards Clara as she crumbled. She was starting to choke on her words, no matter how much she tried to remain composed.

"Wherever you go in life, know that I appreciated our friendship far more than any words could convey. I can only hope you and your own find happi-"

Her words were cut off when cloth flopped and metal clanged unceremoniously on the floor. Rio's warm arms pulled Clara close, holding her so tight it hurt to breathe.

"…Rio, please, don't be like this."

"I'm not going anywhere. How can I leave you when you look like you're ready to fall apart?"

Clara put her hands on his chest, looking up at him through her tears.

"You have another life out there, Rio! These… those things prove it! You don't have to stay for me anymore! You don't have to be… hurt by me anymore."

"Is that really what you think? That you're hurting me? How long have you been thinking that?"

"I know you loved me! Ever since that summer day… I couldn't return your love then because of those things! And now… now… Damn it all, I'm getting married, Rio…"

Rio rubbed her back, trying his best to calm her.

"Does he make you happy?"

Clara swallowed. "Yes. More than anything. Why would that matter?"

"It matters to me. Like, a lot."

"Rio, there's a ring box in your jacket pocket! That has to matter too!"

"You still make me happier, Clara. My hearts bursts with every thought of you, remember?"

"I'm getting married! To Nokto! For real this time! And not… not to you…"

Rio smiled gently.

"So long as you're happy, that's enough for me!"

"Rio… the ring box. Please, the ring box, Rio! You cared enough about someone enough to have a ring on you the day you almost died! You could have been on your way to propose to someone that made you happy! She could be so worried about you!"

He cupped her damp cheek, rubbing away her tears. He gave her a moment to calm herself before he spoke again.

"It's been over four years, Clara." Rio said, "why hasn't anyone come forward, saying they know me yet?"

"Maybe they can't for some reason? Or they don't know you're here in Rhodolite?" she tried to reason.

"Or, someone thought they had finished me off that day and I'm considered gone-gone wherever I'm from?"

"You left someone heartbroken still!"

"And, who's to say that ring was for a marriage proposal? Maybe I was getting a gift for my mother! I could have a sister or a favorite cousin it could suit, too."

"They would have missed you too! And they would have been heartbroken too to learn you might have been dead! A-and that's not the only thing either!"

Clara pushed herself away from Rio, balling up her fists.

"The ring looks too expensive for a normal person to afford! A-and that coat has too many fine details to belong to a commoner! Even the sword is made with great craftsmanship! Hell, even when I was Belle, the stuff you knew by instinct despite your amnesia…You're not some nobody, Rio! You were important enough to have fine jewelry, clothing, and a sword on your person while traveling! You were someone important, Rio! Yet, you're staying with a nobody that isn't returning your feelings! Why?"

Rio's gaze shifted between Clara and the floor, nervously. After a moment, he focused back on her.

"You're not a nobody either, Clara, you never were, especially to me. Please understand when I say that I could never hate you, I really do mean it."

"Rio-"

"But! Let me finish. You aren't the first one to try and question me. Bossman, he looked into me too. So did Prince Nokto, even before you two got together. I don't doubt that Mr. Akatsuki also looked into me too after you nursed me back to health. You know what they found?"

Clara shook her head.

"They couldn't find anything." Rio continued. "Not even a trace of my old identity, couldn't even find my real name. Whoever wanted me to disappear did a thorough job of it. No family, no records, nothing to show I even existed. So thoroughly disappeared that it's kinda scary to think about."

Rio reached out for Clara's hand, uncurling her tightly clenched fingers.

"And, to be honest, the memories I do have from that time? They're nothing compared to the memories I've made with you. When I think of 'before', all I can feel is bitterness… pain… like some deep seated feeling is telling me to not go any further."

He squeezed her hand, his pale beach fingers intertwining with hers, the color of the earth that grew her beloved roses.

"And, maybe, that was for the better, that I don't remember much of the time from 'before'. Ever since that day you defended me in front of the townspeople, I've felt… better. Relieved. Happiness, even. Seeing you happy makes me feel happy too, no matter the form it takes. I mean it. You made me a better man, compared to the me that I can remember I was."

Looking into her pink, gem-like eyes, Rio dropped to his knee, placing his free hand over his heart.

"Even if I was someone important before, knowing I'm at least somewhat important to you as a nobody here in Rhodolite? How could I possibly think of hating you? You're my whole world. You turned my whole outlook around for the better. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Rio… I'm still getting married."

"To Prince Nokto, I know. And he makes you happy, I'm aware. I know where your heart lies. Though the times he tormented you and made you cry I won't ever forgive him for."

The last part was said quietly.

"Despite that, may I formally ask to be a part of your life still? It won't be as your husband, of course, but I'll be just as happy as your attendant. I want to see what kind of queen Rhodolite is going to have, maybe even help her out on her journey to greatness!"

"Queen consort, Rio. Royalty by marriage. And I’m still a commoner by birth. A lot of the nobles still don’t like me just for that."

"Still a queen! Just as you deserve! You’ll show those stuffy, backwards nobles what a commoner is capable of and more!"

"Don't start."

"Okay!" Rio laughed as he stood up. "But, I do mean it. I want to stay as long as long as you'll have me. You might think of yourself cruel and callous for pushing me away, but I think I'm worse, being a coward and not facing my past.”

"It's not cowardice." said Clara. "You were bleeding and almost dead when I found you that day. I'd understand not wanting to go back, given the circumstances. But I do want you to find out eventually, who you were, I mean. At least to make sure you’re not abandoning someone that cared about you and would have wanted to know you’re okay."

"Thank you." Rio smiled, the tiniest bit of strain visible before it disappeared. "Now, onto more important things."

"Oh, what to do with the jacket and the sword? They are yours, so-"

"No, something more important."

He pointed towards her hair.

"I think you'll look prettier with your hair down for the wedding."

"…Huh?"

"We were talking about it before you started rooting in your closet. Rosebud pins would look cute too."

"You're still thinking about the wedding? When I was thinking how best to approach you and spare your feelings about it?"

"You're marrying another man, I've come to terms with that… mostly, but I'm refusing to not have a hand in helping you with your big day!"

"Rio…"

"Please? For me?"

"You know those sad puppy eyes don't work on me."

"Worth a try."

Clara sighed.

"But yes. You can help out with the wedding."

Now tears were in Rio's eyes despite the smile he was beaming. Like the sun shining despite the rain falling in spring.

"You mean it?"

"I mean, unless Nokto or Sariel say no, then there's nothing I can do about-!"

Rio's arms were around her once again, tighter than before.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, just need a moment to bask in how wonderful you are."

Clara huffed and patted his shoulder.

"You're my friend, Rio. I wouldn't have gotten where I am now without you. I owe you that much."

"You really are the best, you know that?"

"…You keep saying that."

"Because its true!"

Unbeknownst to the future queen, her attendant was subtly pushing the sword and jacket under the bed as he hugged her, distracting her with small talk and compliments as they got back to work, finding more pleasant memories to focus on.

When they were finished for the day, the two headed back to the palace with Clara's treasured trinkets, her favorite books, and her smile while Rio's old coat and sword, forgotten once again, was gathering dust under her bed instead of neatly tucked away in a closet, abandoned by their owner and caretaker.

[krys-loves-otome]

Late to the party, but it seems like the crisis has been averted (about staff messing up reblogs), but I will post my Bluesky in case things try to go south again, because, you know, tumblr is a functioning website, after all.

[not-krys]

Rating: General Fandom: Obey Me! Characters: Miriam (OC), Belphegor Summary: Miri has been hearing noises in the upstairs attic. With Lucifer finally distracted, Miri heads upstairs to investigate. Notes: Original Character; Inspired by Lesson 4 of the original run of Obey Me where we meet Belphie for the first time; playing with foreshadowing for later Obey Me story events (we know it’s Belphie in the attic, but Miri doesn’t); heavy implications that Belphie is deeply depressed; he is also a manipulative lil shit, but that’s how I like him, originally the ‘Can You Hear Me’ prompt for Miri and Belphie from my 100 Themes Challenge now brought to completion. And thanks once again to @dododrawsstuff for drawing the lineart for the banner! WC: 1,467

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It was beyond Miri's better judgment to be standing at the foot of the attic stairs for the third time.

She held her breath, waiting for an agonizing full minute before stepping on the first step. She looked around in all directions, breathing heavily through her fingers.

There was no sign of Lucifer, no tap to her shoulder, nor did he suddenly appear behind her saying 'Miriam' in his dangerous, disapproving tone.

She sighed in relief. So, Mammon really did mean it by Lucifer being distractable by music, specifically the TSL soundtrack. That quiz and bruised wrist from Levi was worth it, after all it took to get that vinyl record.

It still didn't mean she couldn't be cautious. Between the calls for help she kept hearing to Luke's warning to not trust demons, especially Lucifer, she needed to find out what was at the top of the attic stairs. If worse comes to worse, she could go to Diavolo about this… or maybe Simeon would help her? Or even ask Solomon?

Whatever the case, she needed to get up there before her time ran out and Lucifer found her peeking again. Who knows what he would do if he found her a third time?

"…Miriam." a voice said, making her jump.

A frantic look around only to find she was still alone on the stairwell. No Lucifer, nor were any of the other brothers around. Just herself and her shaking legs.

"Finally, no one is going to stop you." The voice continued, sounding like the one she had been hearing the last few nights, "Now's your chance to climb up. Come on, this way, Miriam."

Miri closed her eyes and swallowed hard, steeling her nerves. It was now or never!

Taking care to still be quiet, she raced upwards, finding herself on the attic landing, faced with a door. On the other side was another figure with purplish pink eyes staring at her. She felt those eyes looked somehow familiar, but she couldn't place exactly where she had seen them before. The figure slowly smiled, laid-back and lazy despite the barrier between them.

"I knew you were the one person who'd be able to find me." he said.

Miri was speechless. Luke was right in saying not to trust Lucifer and now she had proof on the matter! Her heart sped up in concern.

"Who… no, what are you doing in there?" She asked, reaching towards the door, finding it, naturally, locked.

"I'm certainly not here of my own free will. That much should be obvious."

Okay, stupid question deserved a stupid answer, she thought. Of course he wasn't in there of his free will!

"A-are you a demon? Or an angel?" She couldn't get out that she wanted to ask if he was a human as it would have made the situation much-

"Don't be ridiculous! Just the thought of being one of them is enough to send a shiver down my spine."

What he said next made her blood run cold.

"I'm a human. Just like you."

Miri gasped in horror.

"It was Lucifer." he continued, "I'm guessing you've met him already? Well, that demon is the one who locked me in here a long time ago."

He looked at her, pleading as he put his hands against his prison bars.

"I'm begging you, Miriam. You've got to get me out of here. I'm asking for your help."

"I…" Miri started, still taking in all of this new information, "how can I get you out?"

There didn't seem to be a lock she could pick (as though she knew how to do that in the first place!) nor did there seem to be any hinges she could see. The metal of the door seemed thick too. There was no way she could shoulder ram it either, as a human or as the tiny sheep she would be turning back into soon.

"Are there hinges on your side? Maybe I could find a screwdriver or maybe something in the kitchen to get the bolts out."

"Hinges? Bolts? There aren't any."

"Huh?"

"It's sealed by magic. Real powerful stuff at that. Lucifer never does anything half-way." He may have been grumbling, but there was an edge of awe to his comment.

"Then… how can I help? I don’t have any magic. Maybe I should get someone else that has magic, like Solomon or maybe Lord Diavolo could-"

"No!" The other person said firmly with the barest hint of a growl. He then cleared his throat. "Actually, you do have some magic, I think. You got pacts with Mammon and Levi, right? They're pretty dumb, but they are powerful in their own rights. I think that's the key in how you can help me out of here: make more pacts."

"More pacts?"

"Yeah. I think I remember Lucifer saying that you'd need the power of six of-- them in order to free me."

"That- that would include Lucifer himself, though!"

"Not necessarily." the figure smirked. "You heard Lucifer and Beel arguing the other day, right? About trying to see- Belphegor, was it?"

"Yeah. They said he was up in the Human Realm, like how I'm here as an exchange student."

The figure gave a short laugh that sounded like a bark.

"W-well, after you get your other pacts, that would be the last one you need? Maybe you can find some way to talk to him? Finding a demon in the Human Realm shouldn't be that difficult."

"I… suppose so."

"Look, you wanna help me out of here or not?"

"I'll help! I'll help! It's just.. A lot to take in."

"You're still an exchange student, so your time is limited here. Who knows how long Lucifer wants to keep me here. Or how long his patience will last. Or me, for that matter."

Miri shivered. "R-right."

He sighed.

"Here, I'll help you out. Your next pact? You should get Beel on your side. Asmo and Satan should be easier to convince after that. Start there."

"Beel?"

"Yeah. He's not the brightest bulb either, but he's better as your ally than your enemy. "

"R-right."

"And," he continued, "it's probably better if we kept this meeting between just the two of us. Who knows what Lucifer would do to you if he knew. Even knowing my name might be dangerous."

"Won't he catch on that something is up if I suddenly started getting pacts with all his brothers?"

"He might. But, Lucifer isn't as perfect as he wants to be. You're smart. You'll come up with some lame excuse to fool him, I'm sure. Playing to his sense of pride would be easiest. You already figured out the music trick."

"...Through Mammon."

The figure laughed again. Probably harder than was necessarily. The figure was quick to recover again, however.

"And getting the record from Levi's otaku fingers? Beating him at his own game? You'll do fine."

"H-how do you know about that?"

"It's surprisingly acoustic up here. You hear a lot of things, whether you want to or not. The House of Lamentation holds a lot of secrets, you just gotta pay attention. Ah, I think the TSL soundtrack is gonna end soon, from the sounds of it. Best get going, Miriam."

Miri stood up, clenching her fist to her chest.

"You'll get out of there soon, don't worry! Maybe after you get out, we can go back to the Human Realm together. I'm sure your family and friends are worried about you."

The figure yawned.

"Sure, sure. Get going before you're noticed." He waved her off. "Can't do any heroic rescues if you're captured too. Or worse."

Miri nodded and headed back down the stairwell, quickly (but quietly) as she could manage. The figure waited until he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore before grumbling and returning to his blanket nest.

"Stupid human… didn't even notice the truth staring her in the face." He buried himself in his pillow, cow spotted pattern blending with his dark blue hair, white bits of hair reminiscent of another brother Miri knew sticking up. "Wore myself out talking to her. Stupid, stupid human…"

The figure grumbled.

“You wouldn’t be that dumb, Lilith, would you? You’d know if it was demon that was lying to your face, right?”

He sighed and rolled over.

“She was too trusting, like you were. Too naive. Too goodhearted.”

Covering his eyes with his arm, the figure murmured.

“I miss you, Lilith. You’d make things right again, right? Put Lucifer and Diavolo in their place, get me out of here? We can see Beel again, go back to the Celestial Realm together? Be like nothing bad ever happened to you?”

He flopped to his other side, curling into himself as long, drawn out breaths echoed in his ears.

[not-krys]

Rating: General Fandom: Ikemen Vampire Characters: Leonardo da Vinci, Abigail Clarke (OC) Summary: Leonardo hears Abby is frustrated being frustrated with her art, so he decides to give her some pointers. Notes: Original character, Fluff, Definitely self-indulgent in having Leonardo going into art teacher mode, originally the Starvation prompt from my 100 Themes Challenge now brought to completion. WC: 1,084

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The sound of paper crumpling and landing softly on the floor, while a familiar sound to Leonardo, the not so familiar sound following it awoke him from his midday nap, perking his ears at the sound of muffled frustration.

His little Cara Mia, really everyone's at this point, she had been trying to draw a vase she had found in the hallway for a good hour now, each time her tries ending in with the paper rustling and torn. He was starting to get concerned as the pile beside the girl sounded larger and larger with each passing moment.

Grumbling with effort as he stood up from his napping place on the floor, Leonardo entered the sunny room and saw the rather alarming pile of paper on the floor. A head of blonde hair, Abby, took deep breaths to calm herself and hid her face in her arms folded on the table.

With the liquid grace of a cat, Leonardo picked up one of the crumpled sheets—discarded invitations and letters of Comte's, he noted—smoothing it out until he could see the many attempts at capturing the vase's likeness in front of the two of them. It reminded him of his time as a young art apprentice, ages upon ages ago. The telltale marks of a young hand trying to capture what they saw and transforming it, giving it life on a flat, unassuming surface. He smiled, caught up in his nostalgia.

After a moment, he lightly put a hand on the girl's shoulder, startling her.

"Pretty sure that Comte wouldn't care about the cost," he said, "but paper is still expensive, Cara Mia. Using the front is also a viable option, if you hate the back that much."

"It's… just frustrating," Abby said, her voice quivering. "I can't get it right."

"Get what right?"

"The drawing… it… I can't get it to look right."

"What’s the problem?"

"Everything looks so… stiff." Abby bit her lip.

"Well, it is a vase." Leonardo smiled. "Not like it's gonna suddenly jump in your lap like Lumiere would. 'Scusa."

Leonardo set the paper on the drawing board, smoothing it out as best he could without smudging the pencil. He pulled up a nearby short table to sit on. After a moment, he changed his position to her right side, so he could freely use his left hand.

"You know what I mean… You and Vincent can make any drawing look so… effortless."

"Hmm…" Leonardo gently took her hand, tiny in his, and moved it across the page, taking her arm on a journey from one end to the other.

"Have you been taught how to draw with your shoulder before?"

"N-no, I've… never had a teacher for art specifically." Abby raised an eyebrow. "It'd be easier with your hand, wouldn't it?"

"You're worried about stiffness, yeah?" Leonardo said, moving her arm in the same motion. "You're clenched up and tiny so much of the time, it reflects in your art too."

Abby watched as he guided her hand once again, making another long motion across the page.

"Try moving like this."

"But the vase..."

"Focus on loosening your arm up first. Make big marks the way you like. Your hand and wrist will thank you in the long run."

He then released her hand, settling his in his lap. She bit her lip again, but turned back to her marks, unsteady at first, shaky and uneven, but she soon got the idea.

"It feels… weird. Doing it like this."

"With a little more practice, you'll be drawing much looser before you know it."

"Will this really help?"

"Well," Leonardo chuckled, "been doing this for the better part of 500 years. Hopefully know what I'm doing at this point."

He didn't miss her ears turning pink through her hair.

"Other than just long lines, you can do circles too."

He took hold of her hand again, guiding her to make big, loose circles.

"It'll help you to get the lip of that vase right."

"…Thank you, Leonardo. For helping me."

"No need for thanks, Cara Mia," he smirked while patting her head affectionately. "We're all here to help if you need it."

"I've… it's silly, but, I've always admired people that can make art. You and Vincent especially. Yet, whenever I tried to do it myself… well, everyone thought it was a waste of time, always wanting me to do something else. Something more practical. I wasn't very good at it… but drawing… and painting made me happy, despite what everyone said."

"Then that's all that matters, if you like it, then that's enough. The drive to create, the desire to capture what you see and share it with the world, it's in all artists, no matter their skills and talents. It might need a nap once in a while, but it never really truly goes away. Capisci?"

Abby smiled and nodded, turning back to her paper, making big, swooping lines and circles. Leonardo sat back with his arms crossed, giving small pointers here and there when Abby seemed to be stumbling. Lumiere even joined and gave his own critiques, pawing at Abby's elbow when she was moving too quickly, making the girl laugh. Leonardo scratched the cat's ears and held him in his lap long into the evening hours, enjoying his time with his surprise studentessa, talking about art until his ears and lips could have fallen off but he wouldn't have noticed, glad that his little cara was happy and excited for what felt like the first time he's noticed in her time here.

Her eyes were bright, not a trace of her old fears in them, just a signorina chatting and drawing to her heart's content with him like she didn't have a care in the world. Leonardo liked that side of her, chuckling to himself, thinking that while he might have just created a monster in hindsight, he didn't mind it in the least, seeing that eagerness and joy was more than enough to make up for the trouble.

He also made a note to ask Comte about getting the girl a proper sketchbook. Much as he admired her resourcefulness in using the others’ discarded paper, she deserved to have something just for her, he felt. It was quick to becoming a popular past time among the populace in Paris. And if she was wanting to paint, she’d need something thicker than letter paper, after all… He could teach about mixing paints next.

[not-krys]

Writer's Q & A

Thanks for the tag, @qaanngi! This was a lot of fun to do!

Tagging the writer moots gently, if you feel so inclined to do this as well: @natimiles @william-rex @keithtopia @kissmetwicekissmedeadly @scummy-writes @rjthirsty @lorei-writes and anyone else that sees this and wants to play along, consider yourself tagged by me!

Which story would you love to finish in the upcoming year?

Maybe not completely finish (though that would be nice), but I would like to add another chapter or two to Second Glance.

Is there a new story idea you'd like to start exploring?

Over on my Writing Summary for 2025, I made mention in the unfinished fic section about making an AU about Love and Deepspace where the MC/my insert/an OC/whatever becomes of that, has dreams of their past lives and turns the stories into novels and that is an idea I'd like to develop in the future.

And thanks to the new Obey Me app, it has given me thoughts of how my OC Miri would adjust to a married life as well, especially with how Lucifer's initial chapter went, so I have some thoughts how that would play out with Miri in MC's stead.

Which character do you want to spend more time with or develop further?

All of them. Impossible to put into action, but it is what I want. Put a character in front of me and I'll see what I can do to develop them further. I can make them worse, I guarantee it.

What world or setting would you like to return to or build from scratch?

Two worlds come to mind when I think of that question and that's IkeRev's world and Obey Me's lore. Both have a lot of good ideas but the potential is squandered to keep their 'family-friendly' ratings and little cohesion to the narrative. IkeRev with themes of the horrors of war and assimilation while Obey Me has literal demons, they could stand to be a little darker than what was given to us. I've seen peeps do some amazing things with lore from both properties and, idk, I think I wanna add my own spin on things if given the chance.

Are there any genres you've been wanting to experiment with?

Action and Adventure always seems to be something fun to explore, go on a hero's journey and whatnot. I have been getting more into the mystery genre thanks to getting back into youtube playthroughs, but that seems like a complicated genre, especially if you're not that great with follow-through. Fantasy I've dipped my toes into thanks to all the romance games I play, so there is some experience in there, but I think playing around with Folklore could be fun as well.

Are there any tropes you've been wanting to experiment with?

Arranged Marriages seem like something that would be up my alley. And since I'm also a fan of Second Chance romances, why not play around with Lovers to Enemies and back again?

What aspect of your writing craft would you like to improve most next year (dialogue, pacing, structure, etc.)?

Environmental and physical descriptions. I've relied too long on fanfic and the reader knowing what the characters and the setting looks like and I think that is a detriment to my OC writing.

Which writing habit or routine would you like to strengthen?

I would like to get into the habit of writing more regularly. I also draw on an irregular basis and I would like make that more regulated as well. Maybe start with something small like one sentence per day could be doable rather than what I usually do, which is about 2k in a day and not do anything for a while.

Is there a writing challenge or competition you'd like to enter?

Fictober is what I usually enter every year and that's usually enough writing for me as I'm writing from a prompt list the entire month of October.  I never finish all 30-ish prompts because busy and tired™, but even getting at least 1 done is an accomplishment.

What's one milestone you'd love to reach (word count, publication, finishing a draft, etc.)?

I would like to finish a few drafts I've started over the years. I've actually set that challenge for myself as my New Years Resolution, to finish at least 5 drafts by the end of the year. If I can do more, even better.

What writing goal would make you feel proud to accomplish by the end of the year?

Finish at least 5 fics minimum before the year ends. Doesn't matter which ones, so long as they get done. They can be small ones, just so long as they get done.

How will you celebrate your writing progress throughout the year?

I keep a spreadsheet that helps to keep track of my WC for that year and that final amount number going up is always a joy.

Who or what inspires your writing the most right now?

Things happening while I'm playing games. I made mention of the new Obey Me app inspiring me to continue working with my OC Miri and things like that are what's been inspiring me lately.

How do you plan to keep your creativity fueled and your motivation high?

Setting small, achievable goals. To never be hard on myself if I don't live up to my expectations. And the promise of peanut butter M & Ms usually keeps my motivation high.

What's one piece of advice you want to remind yourself of when the writing gets tough?

You're creating something from nothing or from very little and that's amazing.

How do you plan to share more of your writing next year (with readers, workshops, online)?

Probably the ways I usually share it, via Discord and tumblr. I would like to post on ao3 more often this year than I did last year.

What kind of feedback or connection are you hoping to find in your writing community?

Any kind, really? I know well that it is a two-way street if I want to find meaningful connections, I need to be the one reaching out if it's something that I really want, but some days that can be hard. Opening yourself up is hard in general, but there needs to be some vulnerability and a willingness to reach out and start communicating with your community if you want to try and build something meaningful to you. At this point, any connection I get is a blessing because of my sporadic posting schedule and the subject matter I chose to explore. I write SFW OCs inspired fanfic most of the time, so I usually don't reach a lot of people because of that, but the ones that decided to stick around in spite of that, thanks for that. It really does mean a lot to me.  

Is there a collaboration you'd like to pursue with another writer or artist?

Not really. Too busy with rl stuff to spend on collaborations, as much as I would like to. I sometimes commission friends to do art for some of my fics, but that doesn't really count since I'm paying them to make art? So that kinda defeats the purpose?

What kind of advice would you like to give other writers for the next year?

Set attainable goals, even it's something super tiny you can fit into your schedule, like one sentence a day. Sentences can be one word, just as a reminder (expletives are my favorite kind of one word sentences.) And you are much more talented, smarter, funnier, braver, and much more gorgeous than generative AI can ever hope to be. Be proud of that fact.

[not-krys]

Writing Summary 2025

It's that time of year again! Time for the annual word count totals!

This year, I'm also gonna add in brief summaries of the works I did this year where it applies, both to help out in spacing, but to also direct readers to stuff they either missed the first time, or to intrigue new readers with my stuff thanks to this more concise list.

Writing Summary Of Previous Years and their Total Word Counts: 2020: 38,023 2021: 23,687 2022: 31,848 2023: 42,865 2024: 58,758

For this year's art summary, click here!

And the Masterlist here!

And, without further ado, let's crunch some numbers!

Posted works to tumblr/ao3

*Fictober 2025: Can You Hold Me? [Ikemen Sengoku--Mitsuhide Akechi x Reader]: 555

You ask Mitsuhide to hold you. He obliges.

*Fictober 2025: Meteor Shower [Love and Deepspace -- Xavier x Fem!Reader]: 2,996 A classmate of Xavier's asks him to go see a meteor shower with her. Based on Xavier's 3rd myth story but told from a different perspective. Content Warning of Major Character Death.

Total Word Count on Published Fanfics: 3,551

Published WIPs (That Were Written In or Updated In 2025)

*Deep in Thought [100 Themes Prompt for January] -Houki experiences Mitsunari's reading trance for the first time. (Link) WC: 1,085 -Abby is dragged into the music room by Mozart. (Link) WC: 905 -Clara is waited on by Nokto. (Link) WC: 679 -Miri asks Diavolo a very important question. (Link) WC: 1,124

*Happiness [100 Themes Prompt for February] -Ophelia has a dream of her past, of one of the rare times she experienced joy and wonder. (Link) WC: 549 -Nokto asks Clara if she's happy being with him. (Link) WC: 299

*Blood [100 Themes Prompt for March] -Abby and Vincent learn together that bloodlust is no joke. (Link) WC: 1,160 -Clara learns that palace life is not like how it's described in her stories. (Link) WC: 702 -Miri finds out she doesn't like RAD's suggestion box. Like, at all. (Link) WC: 653

*Puzzle [100 Themes Prompt for April] -Thea decides to test Theo and Arthur to see how long it takes them to notice that something's different about her. Content Warning for Pregnant OC. (Link) WC: 1375 -Isaac checks in on Abby after the events of the previous night, when she and Vincent found out that bloodlust is no joke. (Link) WC: 988 -Clara and Nokto are stuck together (literally) thanks to one of Clavis's schemes. Clara's not happy about it. (Link) WC: 532

*Plus [100 Themes Prompt for May] -Houki dismisses a rude maid from her service while Nobunaga watches. (Link) WC: 670 -Comte takes Thea to her first ball. (Link) WC: 436 -Rio has himself a think on Clara's wedding day. (Link) WC: 479

*Tower [100 Themes Prompt for June] -Hideyoshi finds Houki and Mitsunari buried under a mountain of books. (Link) WC: 357 -Miri and Lucifer try to save Raphael from the crumbling Babel Tower. (Link) WC: 208

*Tears [Ikemen Prince -- Clara Laurent (OC) & Nokto Klein, Sariel Noir, Rio Ortiz]: 614 Something I forgot about for like a year (it was originally for the 100 Themes Prompt of the same name back in November 2024). I wrote it in a different place than I usually do because I was testing out an alternative writing program but found this entry again, thankfully. In summary, I rewrote a scene from the game but implemented my character Clara into MC's original role. This one in particular takes place after Nokto and MC have their first major fight after Nokto almost gets himself killed via poison. Sariel brings the two of them into his office to discuss a complication in their 'engagement'.

*Feverish Attempts [Love and Deepspace -- Xavier x Fem!Reader]: 773 Another rewriting experiment, this time in the vein of Xavier's card story of the same name. In it, Reader finds that Xavier is keeping secrets from them, once again, and they're mad about it. Xavier tries to apologize.

*Fictober 2025: Miri Tells the Truth [Obey Me -- Miriam (OC) & Satan & Belphegor]: 1,113 A closer look at the events towards the end of the Nightbringer game. Miri has finished her scuffle with the Super Moon, but Lucifer hasn't woken up yet. Satan and Belphie stay with her.

*Fictober 2025: "Does This Help You?" [Love and Deepspace -- Sylus x Fem!Reader -- NSFW]: 1,320 Another writing experiment, but more in the direction of filling in the blanks of what happened between the scenes. Based on Sylus's Shared Bliss story card, Reader is hoping to help Sylus control his eye's greed when the other methods don't work. Heavy on the spice with this one.

Total Word Count on Published WIPs: 16,995

Unpublished WIPs (That Were Written or Updated in 2025)

*Early Morning Rambles about Clara and Nokto: 900 -4 AM rambles about what Nokto and Clara would be like when they find out they're having kids, specifically with the idea of twins in mind, because these thoughts usually strike me in the middle of the night for some reason. Focuses more on Nokto's feelings about the matter.

*Self-Indulgent Ramblings with Sylus: 974 -Something I worked on when my other unfinished Sylus fic was giving me trouble. Basically, it's an AU where my self-insert (might turn it into an OC if I do bring this one public, or could keep it as is, idk) has some very vivid dreams of the myth stories, so she writes them down and transforms them into novels. What she doesn't realize is that these 'dreams' are visions of her past lives that very much have happened previously. Now that one of her more popular novels is being adapted into a movie, it's caught the attention of one of her past lives' lovers, Sylus, who is still very much alive and kicking, is now looking for her.

*Girlies and their Kiddos: 3,663 -Some more ramblings involving how my OCs react to becoming parents. Houki has an almost full scene done currently about her feels when her son kicks for the first time; Thea, Abby, and Clara are more meta in nature in going through their feels on the subject. Thea's surprised because that can still happen even when the dads are vampires? How Abby has come into herself and how she feels more confident now than she was before thanks to Vincent and her children. Clara's focusing on her children being royalty and how she comes to terms with that (and a tiny scene of Nokto teasingly asking Silvio if his girls have Benitoite citizenship since they likely were conceived there) (Silvio says no and calls him gross).

*Miri and Her Married Life: 1,216 -Some of MC's words and actions rubbed me wrong in Lucifer's first chapter of the new app, so I decided to write a version of it with my OC Miri instead to cope. In summary, Lucifer is being forced into an arranged marriage and it’s up to Miri and the gang to stop the wedding!

Total Word Count on Unpublished WIPs of 2025: 6,753

Essays/Commentary/Other Writings

*Author Interview 2025: 3,177

*Miri's Relationship Chart: 2,862

*Why is Miri Crying?: 1,638

*Thoughts on Ikemen Prince's Gilbert von Obsidian: 473

*OC Brainrots #6, Seven Deadly Sins: 985

*Anon Asks July 2025: 795

*Krys's Birthday Bash 2025, 10 Years of Playing Otome Games: 15,045 Total

*Get To Know Me Better Meme: 757

*Love and Deepspace Meme: 653

*Tell Me More Meme: 1,698

*Reveal Your Soul in Four Books: 1,647

*How Similar Are You and Your OCs?: 1,468

*Favorite Line of 2025: 466

Total Word Count on Other Writings: 30,196

Total Word Count for 2025: 57,989

Got pretty close to last year's total, missing it by a mere 800-ish words, and I'm okay with that! 57.9K ain't bad at all!

For the new year, instead of the 100 Themes Challenge resuming, I'll be starting a new project that I'll make another post about in a couple of days, focusing more on finishing some of the stories that I've already began. Calling it a 'Finish it in 2026' Challenge currently.

Happy New Year, lovelies, and I hope to see all of you in the coming year!

[not-krys]

WIP Wednesday: Shared Bliss - NSFW

Last WIP Wednesday of 2025! Whoo!

I think I dropped some hints of working on something with Sylus on different places (tumblr, discord, probably other places, idk), but I never did finish it in time for Fictober, then just left it simmer for a while.

Still haven't finished it, but I think you guys would want to see at least one last hurrah before the new year starts, so I saved the Sylus smut for last, as a treat.

Raw, unedited writing featured down below the cut. Slight spoilers for Sylus's story card of the same name. This is basically a story expansion of the card, so there has been some dialogue lifting from the story itself, but this story is more focused on what happened between the scenes. Other warnings include some cunnilingus and briefly featured face sitting. Reader is also meant to be AFAB that uses she/her pronouns. Sylus also refers to her by the typical nicknames he uses in game (kitten, sweetie, etc).

Have a good remainder of the year and I'll be seeing you guys when I post my Writing Summary for 2025! Happy Holidays, everyone!

The sound of your phone buzzing startled you in the otherwise silent room. You looked over at Sylus, who had been sleeping peacefully up to that point, looked at you with one bright eye--his Aether Core eye.

"Hmm... What are you doing?"

"You're awake? I saw the Datura flowers blooming, so I thought-"

"Come here, Kitten."

Before you can react, black-red energy wrapped itself around your waist, pulling you back to the satin sheets that Sylus was resting on.

"You said you'd watch over me." he grumbled, touching his right eye. "Why are you running away?"

He was acting more differently than he had been before he fell asleep. It worried you.

"The Protocore's influence is getting stronger. I should resonate with you again--"

"And what if I told you its desire isn't what's causing trouble this time?"

The slight movement in his Adam's apple betrays Sylus's state. The Protocore's desires has spread beyond his eye. With a slight movement of his fingers, red mist drew the curtains closed, plunging the room into darkness.

He soon pulls you back into his embrace, his searing body heat overwhelming.

"Stay like this… don't move."

"But…"

"Shh." he hushes you.

You were then reminded of that feeling from the night before when the two of you had resonated. That overpowering desire to be close, to possess, to claim every part of him as my own. It was likely only a fraction of what Sylus was feeling. What he was suppressing to make sure that you were okay.

You didn't want him to suffer anymore, so, with a heavy sigh, you push his arm away and sit up. Sylus opens his eyes again and frowns.

"It's fine if you don't want me to help with my Evol. Since it wants me this time… I'll give it what it wants."

Sylus sat up.

"If I satisfy its desire," you continued. "Then you'll recover, right?"

A dangerous light flashes in his eyes. He grips your waist tighter and tilts your head up, his lips touching a spot behind your ear, trailing kisses downward.

"And, what if what it wants… is for me to completely devour you. Aren't you afraid?"

"It won't happen."

You cradle Sylus's face in both your hands, making those red eyes stare into your own. Sylus chuckled softly.

"You believe in my self-control that much?"

"It's just an Aether Core. I have one too, remember?"

"Quite well, yes."

"So, when you're with me, you don't have to control your desire. Even if that day arrives, I won't give up without a fight. I'll help you fight back."

"Help me?"

Sylus genuinely seemed to be fighting with himself. He laughed again before his grip on your waist tightens once again.

"Those are your words, not mine."

The intense heat you had felt when you had resonated hits you again, blazing from his right eye.

"Don't. Leave. Me... Help. Me."

"…I won't leave you. Do your worst, Sylus."

"Don't. Regret. Those. Words."

His mouth latches onto your neck once again, finding where he left off. The black silk dressing gown you had worn to pick the Datura flowers in the garden earlier was swatted away, falling like ink filled water off your shoulders. The thin strap of your nightgown was also pushed down, his lips following. The gun and the phone that had been on the bed are moved to the side table by wisps of black and red.

Your nails dug into his hair and his shoulder whenever his teeth found purchase, nipping and teasing your skin. Every whimper of pain from you was soothed by his tongue swirling over his mark, never leaving you hurting for long.

He soon places you on his lap, placing his teeth and his hand on your nightgown, ripping it straight down the middle.

"H-hey!"

"Naughty, Kitten." was his only response before his teeth latched onto your exposed breast, making you shudder and moan.

While he played with your nipples, your hand travelled down, leaving little scratches down his arm. They quickly healed thanks to his abilities, but the sensation still made him growl hungrily.

When your hand brushed low enough, Sylus pulled your hand away, nipping at your fingers.

"Not yet."

"But, you said to help you-"

"Not. Yet."

He continued nipping down your wrist, to your elbow, and back to where he was suckling your breast, making you gasp.  He returns your hand to his neck while his lowers on you instead, a pitiful defense of black lace between the two of you.

"This…" Sylus said, his fingers slipping easily into your underwear, touching the warm dampness.

Just as quickly, he removed his fingers, making you gasp. He ran his tongue along the tips, his right eye glowing again.

"Exquisite."

Silken sheets soon touched your back and rough palms massaged your hips and pulled your underwear down and off. Both your legs were lifted into the air, finding rest on Sylus's broad shoulders. The pillow that he had been sleeping on earlier was under your lower back now, giving Sylus more leverage.

"How… how thoughtful." you said between breaths.

"Can't have you hurting too bad when you go back to your Association, can we?"

"And here I thought I told you to… to do your wors-Hey!"

He nipped your inner thigh, making you yelp.

"Busy doing my worst, Kitten."

"You-!"

He blew on his latest bite, making you shudder.

"The worst by my standards, at least."

"Ngh, then… what's your best?"

"Well, let's find out, shall we?"

His hot breath tickled you, before you felt something wet and thick pressing and sliding against your slit.

"Ah-!"

It slid again.

"Sylus..." you moaned.

Your fingers grabbed at the sheets below you. Sylus only chuckled in response, the air of his breath tickling you again.

"Hah..."

He dragged his tongue back and forth along your clit, each stroke longer and slower than the last. Your heel dug into his back, but his hands held your hips in place, preventing them from moving further. One of your folds was now between his lips, his teeth ever so gently pressing down, his tongue caressing it with care. You shuddered.

"S-Sylus..."

"Hmm...?"

"I I-think I..."

He released your fold.

"Use your words, Kitten. I won't know unless you tell me."

"Bastard..."

Sylus laughed.

"Not the word I wanted to hear, but it'll do."

He slides his tongue inward again, flicking and teasing you until your knuckles turn white in the black sheets.

"Come for me, sweetie."

You soon see stars blinding your vision. Quick breaths and sweat wash over you in waves. Sylus only stopped when he had drank every drop of your juices.  He then removed the pillow and laid you back onto the bed.

"B-better?"  You asked limply.

His eye did seem dimmer than it was before.

"It seems satisfied, for now." Sylus reached up for your face, brushing back your damp hair.

His hand was still feverishly warm, however. You gritted your teeth and sat up, touching his forehead. He was worryingly flushed.

"You're still burning up, though."

"I *was* between your thighs just moments ago."

You bite your lip.

"Maybe… it needs more?"

"I already said it was satisfied."

"'For now,' you also said." You hold your chin. "What else could it want?"

"Rest for now, sweetie." He nuzzled your nose. "We'll think of something else later."

"…Sylus, lie down."

He raised an eyebrow but complied, resting his head on the pillow.

"What are you thinking, Kitten?"

"Doing what you just did, but I'll be doing the work."

"Kitten…Your legs are still shaking."

"Better hold onto me, then."

Your thighs surrounded Sylus's head once again. Hands pressed against the velvet headboard, you lowered yourself onto his face, his nose and mouth pressing into your vulva. He holds onto your hips once again, keeping you steady above him.

This time, his tongue stayed put, lying flat obediently. Gripping the headboard, you slide forward then back, forward and back, forward and back. Sylus takes a deep breath, inhaling your scent once again. He holds your hips steady in your rhythm, supporting you when needed.

When you came a second time, you pulled back and sat on his chest, breathing heavily.

His hands still felt feverishly warm and while his eye had dimmed more, it was still bright in the darkness of the room.

"Kitten, that's enough."

"But…"

"You're exhausting yourself. I'm not going anywhere." He rubbed your arm.

"You're still so warm…"

"I could always take a cold shower, if that'll settle your nerves."

"There's got to be something we're missing. What else could it want?"

[not-krys]

Favorite Line of 2025

Was tagged over on my OCs blog, but I thought it'd be better suited on this one as I felt it fit better here, being a writing question. (Thanks for the question anyway, @qaanngi)

I focused a little more on fandom essay writing this year (for my birthday bash otome reviews from earlier this year that took up a good chunk of months to write, goodness) but I did still manage some creative writing in between the essay writing.

For my favorite line from my posted works from this year, I'll go with a passage from one of my WIP Wednesdays this year, specifically from the Blood prompt from the 100 Themes Challenge, featuring Ikemen Vampire's Vincent and my original character Abby with a guest appearance by Isaac:

Vincent slowly nodded, looking back down at his red, chapped hands. His voice was quiet when he next spoke. “Do you… mind asking Sebas to check on Abby too, if you see him? She…” Isaac’s eyes widened again, his breath seizing in him, the red stain on Vincent looking one hundred percent more unsettling.

Taking scenes from canon and using them as writing exercises is nothing new for me (I've been doing them since at least my Mystic Messenger days), but they seemed to be more prominent this year.

I knew that when the Blood prompt came up that I wanted to do Vincent's bloodlust scene from his route, it seemed like the perfect candidate for the prompt (because what's a blood prompt without at least mentioning vampires?)

I like this passage in particular because I love Isaac's reaction to Vincent losing his sweet and sunshine-y personality, horrified with himself at what he had done. Vincent's entire shtick was how positive and happy he is all the time, not letting things get him and such... sometimes to a worrying degree. I got excited to write this scene (rewrite it really if we're splitting hairs here) because it was a breaking of that mold moment, to show that Vincent can experience human emotions like everyone else, specifically the negative ones. That he lost control of himself and Abby had to pay the price of that lapse, something that hurt Vincent deeply.

I like writing these kinds of scene for characters like Vincent (and IkeSen's Mitsunari to an extent) to remind myself that they are humans with flaws, that they are not happy and naive all the time, and that the flaws make them more interesting rather than being the bestest kindest boy all the time.

Tagging whoever wants to play along with their favorite lines from this year. Next post should be my last WIP Wednesday of 2025, then the Writing Summary will follow after that, so have fun lovelies and I'll see you all on the next round!

[not-krys]

WIP Wednesday: Miri Tells the Truth [Miri, Satan, Belphie]

Another fictober entry that I never finished mainly due to how indecisive I was where I wanted to take the story, whether I wanted it to be a full on confession of why Miri was suddenly so powerful in a short amount of time or if I just wanted to focus on the comfort aspect of this fic (the bros are worried about her but Miri is refusing to help herself), so it's left in a weird place between comfort fic and exposition, so I'm not sure what I want to do further with it. So, I decided to post it as is and maybe figure out its identity at a different time.

Raw, unedited writing down below the cut, spoilers for Nightbringer's last lesson with some of my own takes featured because I'm still a little sore about the end of Nightbringer, so I'm taking it into my own hands.

The House of Lamentation was eerily quiet these days. Voices were more hushed, steps were quieter, Levi's games were muted, and Mammon's loud boasts had been strangely silent. From an outsider's perspective, it might have been a relief to feel a breath in the normally boisterous house, but the residents didn't feel like making their regular amount of merriment.

Miri and Lucifer had faced the Super Moon together, a feat that had saved Devildom once again, bringing balance back to the realms once again, but the battle wasn't without consequences, casualties, as with any battle. All the brothers aside from Satan had already experienced the horrors of war before, knew how heavy loss could feel. And they were all worried that it was happening a second time, losing someone they loved dearly, because love drove them to protect what was most important to them.

Satan and Belphie looked at each other, facing Lucifer's bedroom door. This room was normally the quietest in the house, but now it was worryingly silent. No scratching of a quill pen, no cursed record's notes wafting through the air, not even a muttered blasphemy accompanied by the click of heels. Only the sounds of two breaths, if they strained their ears.

The brothers nodded and knocked on the door, bypassing the curse on the eldest's door.

The lights were dim, save for the fire going nearby. It served as the only light for the two occupants in the room, casting heavy shadows on their faces.

Lucifer laid on his bed, eyes closed and completely still. Bandages littered his body, the heaviest of the damage hidden by his sheets. At his side was Miri, sitting in an undoubtedly uncomfortable chair, her back curled achingly so, her tiny hands holding onto one of Lucifer's, pressing his knuckles to her forehead. Bandages also littered her hands, as well as one cutesy bandaid with puppies and rainbows adorning her cheek.

Satan, taking a breath, stepped forward and put his hand on Miri's shoulder.

"Dinner will be ready soon. Belphie and I can look after him while you eat and rest."

"Thank you, but I'd rather stay." Miri's voice cracked.

"C'mon, Miri." Satan tried again, moving her shoulder gently, but firmly. "You'll waste away if you don't eat and Beel'll worry about you. And you know how he feels about us not eating."

"It's okay, Satan." Miri stated, not looking at anything in particular, just kept holding onto Lucifer's hand. "I'd like to look after him just a little longer."

"It's been days, he's not-"

Belphie put his hand on Satan's shoulder this time, shaking his head.

"Will you eat if dinner is brought to you?" Belphie asked, watching Miri's reactions, the sorcerer slow and lethargic in her movements. "It'll be like having a party in Lucifer's room. He'd love that."

"He wouldn't." Miri's breath shook. "And, I don't know if I can."

"We can make you something simple then." Belphie continued, "Simeon or Barbatos are bound to know of something you can eat. You don't have to finish it if you don't want to."

"Asmo would be thrilled to feed you if you don't want to let Lucifer go." Satan added.

"Then Mammon would start to yell that he should be the one feeding you, being your first and all that." Belphie chuckled.

"The two would start to argue."

"Then Beel'd take over while the two of them argued it out."

"It'd end in Lucifer telling them how noisy they're being and--ah."

Miri had gone quiet, holding onto Lucifer's hand tighter.

"…What's more important is that you're eating and getting your strength back." said Belphie. "Lucifer'd be worried about you not eating too. He'd probably lecture you while stuffing your face with Barbatos's cake."

Slowly, finally, Miri raised her head. She still held tight to Lucifer's hand but at least she was looking at the other two, albeit with hollow eyes.

"Can.. Can I talk to two about something?"

"Yes!" "Of course." the two said at the same time.

Miri looked down and away, biting her chapped lip.

"It's… about what we were going to talk about… before me and Lucifer went to try and neutralize the Super Moon."

"About where all your sudden power came from?" Belphie asked.

Miri nodded. "Solomon wanted me to keep it a secret, but… things being the way they are now… I feel like all of you should have the right to know. In case something else happens."

"Whatever it is, know that you'll always be one of us," said Satan.

"You're family, and nothing you say is going to change that." Belphie added. "Just be honest with us."

For a brief moment, there was light in Miri's eyes once again, and her lips cracked the tiniest of smiles. Then, she took in a breath, squeezing Lucifer's hand for courage.

"Do you remember… when I came home one day in tears and couldn't be consoled for a while? Acting like I hadn't seen you guys in a long time?"

"Yeah," Satan said, "you wouldn't let go of Asmo or Lucifer for hours."

"I know it sounds impossible," Miri continued, "but… I had actually time-travelled. Back to when everyone had first fallen."

Satan and Belphie froze.

"Everyone was new to Devildom… Satan, you were very angry in the beginning, it kinda scared me."

"Yes, I was…"

"A-and, Belphie! It was like déjà vu of when we first met… when you found out I was a human…"

Belphie looked away, pointedly not looking at Miri as memories of their first meeting surfaced to his mind.

"How did you time travel in the first place?" Satan asked, "As powerful as you were then, you didn't have that kind of ability before."

Miri looked down at Lucifer's hand.

"I was transported… by this being calling themselves 'Nightbringer.'

"Nightbringer?" said Belphie.

"Mhmm. I never saw them face to face, but I would often hear their voice when I was in the past… Anyway, if I wanted to get back to my original time with all of you, I needed to reforge my pacts with all of you, so that I could have enough power to get back home."

"That would make sense," Satan nodded, "you're basically doubling the power you already had from us, which would in turn make you that much more powerful."

"And then you came back to this timeline, double the firepower." said Belphie. "And double the firepower meant that your powers were going to go haywire again, like they did before."

Miri glanced at the ring on her left hand and clenched her fist.

"I don't think the Ring of Light could contain them anymore, thus why it started lashing out on its own, like when Simeon was in danger during the SF Trials."

"It even gave you the ability to reverse Simeon's transformation." Satan said.

"All thanks to a doubling of your base power." said Belphie. "You really are the most powerful sorcerer of all time."

Miri frowned, still looking at her ring, pressed her hand against Lucifer's.

"Ever since the fight with the Super Moon, I don't feel as overwhelmed with power anymore."

"Maybe the fight helped to get rid of your excess magic?" Satan asked.

"Maybe..."

"We likely won't know what those crystals were until they're finished analyzing them." said Belphie.

[not-krys]

WIP Wednesday: Feverish Attempts

The first Love and Deepspace fic that I started writing, but never actually finished. Was inspired by the card by the same name and, I guess, I was just frustrated with Xavier at the time, so I decided to work out my feels via fic, and that's what this fic is.

Raw, unedited writing down below. Since it's based on Feverish Attempts card, quite a bit of the dialogue was lifted from the story. It was more an exercise on description than anything. Xavier is sweet, if a bit silly sometimes.

It really was frustrating the way Xavier always managed to worm his way back into your good graces. His quiet demeanor, his presence always seeming a few steps away. If it wasn’t for his gentle taps against your hand, you’d forget he was even there sometimes.

And, he knew that you were mad at him. Thanks to the Goodwill Hunter’s Associations Visit to the psychiatric hospital that you were attending on your own (Xavier had said he was busy and wouldn’t be able to attend with you), you saw what Xavier was actually doing. Keeping secrets, once again. Secrets that pertained to you, also once again, and you were left out of the loop, also also once again. Even had Jeremiah helping him, before he was supposed to ‘go on vacation’.

At least the two of them had the courtesy to look guilty once caught. All you could do was smile at them, and say that you would see them later at the flower shop. Or at least you would see Xavier later, as Jeremiah was going on vacation (or whatever it was he was actually doing, who knows at this point, certainly not you).

Now, you were alone with Xavier in Jeremiah’s flower shop, trimming and watering the various plants for sale. The two of you hadn’t spoken since you left the hospital, a heavy rain cloud hanging over the two of you worked silently. Xavier stayed nearby, frequently looking in your direction, but you refused to look at him. He kept a respectable distance but, despite his eternally calm face, his tennis shoes were shuffling against the floor faster than they usually did.

Tap.

A finger touched your pinkie, a small grain of soil rubbing against it.

You turned your head the other way, refusing to acknowledge Xavier’s pleas for attention.

Tap-tap.

He wasn’t one to give up, however.

Tap-tap-tap.

Then again, neither were you. You kept your head turned, choosing to focus on this brightly colored orchid that was proving difficult.

A pause. A breath. And then-

“There’s a kitten at the door. It looks lost.”

Of course, you would turn your head for a lost kitten, but when you looked at the door, there was nothing there, not even a stray whisker on the wind.

“My bad, it ran off. It’s mother was nearby.”

You pouted and turned back to your orchid, clipping off another dry leaf.

“Are you… still thinking about what happened earlier?”

“...No, not really.”

You turned now to the counter, taking out a spray bottle and a cleaning rag. Xavier still followed you.

“...The ID was fake. We needed it to get our “friend” released. As for my name… I’m Xavier. I always will be.”

He seemed to be catching on to why you were upset, but you still refused to look at him.

“The “friend” you saw at the psychiatric hospital was a former member of the Backtrackers. They’ve been on Earth for far too long. All of us chose our own paths. As for him, EVER placed their bets on him, but he defected while holding onto classified intel. Now, he’s a thorn in their side. He… had vanished for a while. We thought he was dead. But… by the time we found him, he… had already gone insane. EVER had caught wind of it, so Jeremiah is moving him to a safe place now. Just in case.”

“...I see.”

“I hid this from you because these sorts of matters shouldn’t interfere with your life.”

He hooks a finger with yours, setting aside the cleaning rag.

“...Are you mad at me?”

You sighed.

“No, I’m just tired. I haven’t had a chance to rest since this morning.”

“You’re still upset, though.”

Xavier leans in closer, placing his hand over yours.

“… Since you’re so sure, tell me why I’m upset, then.”

He rubs his fingers over yours gently.

“I dealt with dangerous things without telling you. And after you found out, I still tried to hide it.”

“Then, what you going to do now to make up for it?”

He paused, as if he really had to think about the answer.

“I’ll redeem myself and keep you up to date… 24/7?”

Finally, you turned to face him, placing both hands on his cheeks and pinched them.

“Actually, I just want to know more about you. Even if it’s to protect me, I feel lonely each time you keep secrets from me. Like you don’t trust me with the truth. And I don’t like that feeling, Xavier. We’re partners, remember? And partners rely on each other, right?”

“..So, you want me to tell you everything?”

[krys-loves-otome]

WIP Wednesday/Thursday/Whenever

Was tagged by @qaanngi and while I already posted my first WIP Wednesday for my End of the Year (posted here on my writing blog @not-krys) I think I'm gonna give a little spoiler for what I'm thinking of starting in the new year. And it has to do with WIPs, so it counts!

Basically, I burned out a little when I did my Otome Reviews for my birthday celebration this year and put the WIP Wednesdays there on hold because of it. During that time, I did a little reflecting and had a thought that I had a lot of writing WIPs sitting, some I still have some interest in.

So, to help ease up on the burnout, I had a thought to buckle down and actually finish some of those older writing WIPs. Maybe pick around ten of them and post one every month save for October (as that's when I'm working on Fictober stuff) and December (because I work on year end stuff then)

No promises on it actually becoming a thing if burnout strikes again, but there are some WIPs I have that are so close to being done that I'm basically nitpicking at this point, or I just like the idea and want to revisit the idea.

To help me pick which WIPs I want work on, I've been making a spreadsheet and marking the ones that at least tickle my fancy in continuing further (marked here with the pink cells):

(This sheet has over 100 WIPs listed on it btw, this screenie is only the iceburg tip)

I've also added in sections about what's stopping me from continuing the WIP further as well as ideas on how I could continue it if I really wanted to. Trying to be as helpful to future me in the process as I can.

Once I finish the spreadsheet, I'm going to go through it again and pick out the ones I'm most interested in continuing and make a list from there.

If folks are interested in the full writing WIP list, I can be persuaded to put it into a google doc and post it publicly.

Tagging the moots if they are interested in posting their WIPs as well (not limited to writing moots either, all the creative moots can participate!)

[not-krys]

WIP Wednesday: Tears [Clara x Nokto, Sariel, Rio]

Happy first WIP Wednesday of December!

This one was originally part of the Tears WIP Wednesdays entry back in November last year and I had been experimenting in a different writing program at the time and had forgotten I had written it, only to find it again when I was going through some files on my computer. I have added to it since it's original creation from last year, but still not where I would consider it in a finished state, so I figured I'd post it now as like a 'better late than never' sort of entry.

Raw, somewhat unedited writing that I never finished. The scene focuses on a section of Nokto's route where he and MC just had their first major fight and now they're called back into Sariel's office to discuss a complication that has come up about their 'engagement'. A lot of the dialogue is lifted from the original scene, but I have taken some liberties like changing out the MC for my original character Clara and added in more scene-chewing details.

Sariel sighed, carefully observing the pair standing before his desk. At first, they refused to look at each other when they had entered the room, a common sight in their early relationship, but something was different this time. He had heard rumors from the maids that Prince Nokto had been spending nights in Clara’s room, something he would have scolded the prince for in the past, especially since it was Belle he was spending time with. However, with the convenient lie of them being engaged created to keep Clara’s identity safe, he pretended to look the other way for her sake.

Ever since Nokto had returned from his last mission and had slowly recovered, however, Clara had looked distraught.

With daylight streaming through the curtains of his office, he could see the red-rimmed circles around her normally bright pink eyes. For his part, Nokto just shrugged nonchalantly, trying his best to ignore the woman beside him, but it was obvious he barely took his eyes off her. His cheek was suspiciously bruised too, loosely in the shape of a hand. Rio was staring at it as well, frowning deeply. Sariel turned to Clara.

“I’m sure you have been unable to forget the incident in which Prince Nokto introduced you to those Benitoitian merchants as his fiancee, right?” he said to her. “I’m afraid the matter has become more complicated, and there’s a need to make the story appear more credible.”

None of the men missed the blink of pain that passed in Clara’s eyes.

“As such,” Sariel continued, “I think it would be best if we hold as least one fake engagement party.”

Nokto huffed in fake amusement, plastering on a smug smile.

“You think?” said the prince. “Damn, this is getting to be too much trouble. Maybe we should just get married for real.”

Clara’s hand minutely twitched, Sariel taking note at its size and how it seemed to fit into the mark on Nokto’s cheek. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Clara, with a glare just as dangerous as Nokto’s grin, directed her gaze at the taller prince.

“Why, would that suit you?”

“Sure, I’d be fine with it. I’m pretty taken with you already.”

Sariel looked between the two of them, wondered what happened between the two of them, but it was probably best if he didn’t interfere.

“Prince Nokto, I’m afraid I can’t allow that to happen!” Rio spoke up, standing dutifully at Clara’s side.

“Dog,” said Sariel curtly, “I told you to remain silent. Do not complicate the matter further.”

Clara ignored them, scowling at Nokto.

“Oh, wait,” said Nokto, putting a hand under his chin in thought, “if we get married, that’ll ruin my plan to seduce you into naming me the king.”

Clara gritted her teeth.

“Right,” Nokto continued. “Belle is forbidden from having further contact with whichever prince she chooses as the next king. That last clause that Jin added… It does make things more complicated. Hmm… Do I want Clara or the throne more?”

Clara huffed.

“Well, don’t worry, your highness, I’m not going to marry you OR name you the next king, so you’re not getting either!”

“Ahh, how can you be so cold after all those long nights we’ve spent together?”

Clara clenched her fist.

“What does me reading books to you like you’re five have to do with anything?!”

Sariel cleared his throat, loudly, and stepped between them before Rio could, clearly ready to tear the prince to shreds then and there.

“Clearly, this matter requires further consideration.” he said sharply, having enough of their quarreling. “Think things over for today. You’re dismissed.”

[kikyozoldyck]

fan fic authors be like yes i know this will flop however i simply have too much love for this character and my very niche headcanons for them. and i think that is so fuckin sexy of us

[tedsprestonesq]

new game: how many hits/reads/whatever does your least popular fic have? mine has 16

[not-krys]

It's that time again!

Happy Almost End of 2025! It's that time once again where I post some WIPs that I didn't finish this year but still love them. Here's the schedule for this year!

December 3rd: Clara's Tears Prompt. I had forgotten to post this with the original Tears entries because I had written in a different writing program, but I moved it back to my original one and updated it a little bit, but not enough to where I would call it finished. The basics of it are that Sariel is calling Clara and Nokto into his office to tell them a complication in their 'engagement' has come up.

December 10th: Feverish Attempts (Xavier x Fem!Reader). A little bit of rant fic based on Xavier's story card Feverish Attempts. Xavier was caught keeping secrets once again, upsetting the reader. He tries to apologize.

December 17th: Miri & Satan & Belphie Fictober that I never finished. Still have a few thoughts and feels about the ending of Nightbringer, so I decided to write about them in fic form. Lucifer is still out of commission thanks to Miri's fight with the Super Moon and she's worried about him. Satan and Belphie keep her company.

December 24th: Sylus smoot. Another Fictober that I didn't finish. Based on Sylus's story card Shared Bliss, Reader tries to satiate Sylus's greedy eye, but the tamer options weren't working. Happy Holidays, everyone!

December 31st: Year End Summary and Favorite Lines of the Year

Thanks for the good times and I hope to see everyone in the new year!

[not-krys]

Prompt: #16 – I Will Never Forget This Fandom: Love and Deepspace General: Teen Characters: Xavier, Classmate (can be taken as a reader stand-in but is never referred to as such because of the POV limitations, Classmate is referred to by she/her pronouns, however) Summary: A classmate asks Xavier to go see the meteor shower with her. Notes: A POV shift to third person based on Xavier’s third anecdote now focusing on following him rather than MC’s first person POV narration. That being said, spoilers for Xavier’s third anecdote. Bittersweet angst, major character death WC: 2,996

Also on ao3! My masterlist!

Art in the banner and at the end by @dododrawsstuff and me. She did the lineart and I did the coloring (banner lists my art blog @krys-does-art-stuff )!

------

"Xavier!"

A voice called out to him in the distance. Xavier looked beyond the "bodyguards", seeing the classmate that he often noticed was looking at him from afar.

Her staring never really bothered him, it was his normal level of interaction with his fellow classmates. Matter of fact, it wasn't very often that anyone called out his name like that. Not that he really blamed his classmates for his distance—he wasn't particularly social and he was usually surrounded by his 'bodyguards' whenever he came or left the school grounds. As a result, he didn't really remember any of his classmates' names, only identifying them by at least one physical trait or something that could be easily discerned about them by what they had on their person, like one classmate liked keychains, and another that really liked spicy foods because he could always distinctly smell chili oil and hot pepper flakes on their person whenever they walked by.

The girl that was calling to him, the one that stared at him a lot, he didn't know her name either nor did she have any really distinguishing features aside from the staring, so he was curious why she was suddenly calling out to him. Maybe he forgot something in the classroom and was returning it? He could still feel his bag at his side and his wooden sword on his back.

Or, maybe, just maybe, she could sense that he was feeling frustrated? He was being escorted off the school grounds like a prisoner off to his execution, so maybe she noticed that in her staring escapades? She was pretty bold, to call out to him while he was surrounded. Even braver now because she was approaching him. Thankfully, his 'bodyguards' stepped aside for her, but they were all giving her the stink eye.

"U-umm..." she was at a loss for words, as if she hadn't planned for this moment to happen. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

"Uh, sorry, I know that you were about to leave, but the teacher wanted to see you and he said it was urgent!"

Without elaborating further, she took hold of his hand and pulled him out of his circle of bodyguards, guiding him across the schoolyard... in the opposite direction of their classroom. Her speed increased when she seemed to realize this herself, breaking out in a full tilt run.

Xavier tightens his grip when he hears footsteps behind them. Many of them, in fact.

"They're catching up." he said.

He pulled ahead of her and gripped her hand firmly as they ran, turning into a round tower and found an empty auditorium. The lights were off, not a soul around. The only sounds were their rapid breaths as Xavier held his classmate against the wall, shielding her from the door's view.

When a few tense moments pass, Xavier pulls away from his classmate and pulls out a seat for her, her face still flushed in the dim evening light from the windows. Xavier sat on the nearby table, making himself unconsciously taller than his classmate.

"Why did you help me?" he asked.

She looked away from, likely still trying to process what she had just done.

Finally, she spoke.

"Y-you appeared to be upset, so I thought you wanted to be free."

Xavier tilted his head.

"How did you know I was upset?"

"W-well, we're classmates, aren't we?" she said, "It's normal for me to be able to read your expressions!"

No one else had come forward about his expressions, however. Just her, in this very moment.

"You learned by sneaking glances at me during class?"

"T-There's a reason for that!"

His classmate started, clearly not expecting to be called out on her behavior. Xavier didn't mean it to accuse her of anything, he was more curious than anything. What made him so special to the point of staring at him, aside from the usual reasons?

"It's just… I wanted to ask… No, I mean, I wanted to invite you to watch the meteor shower at Skymirror Flat… with me."

He'd heard about the upcoming meteor shower in their Astronomy class, it was a once in a century occurrence, a normalized event for the people of Philos, who will experience many more centuries than average, so long as the planet has life energy. Seemed like a strange thing to ask.

"Besides, a once-in-a-century thing… There won't be a next time!" She continued.

"It's just another hundred years." said Xavier, confused.

"For you, maybe! But for me…"

"Huh?"

Before she could explain further, she backpedaled. "I-It's nothing. You'll… Do you want to go or not? It'll be pretty, I’m sure!"

Well, it was a simple enough request, and she had helped him escape briefly from his 'bodyguards'.

However, as much as he wanted to go with her, at the very least to thank her, there was a small problem. Several of them, in fact.

"I can't." Xavier said finally.

"Oh," she looked defeated, "Is it because of those… people?"

Xavier nods, also disappointed. He soon felt a small poke at the corner of his mouth.

"It's okay, you don't have to be upset over it. I can go on my own. I can bring your wish with me when I do."

"I don't have one."

"You don't?"

Xavier shakes his head.

"Then.. How about I make a wish for you? Is that okay?"

She stands up from her chair and clasps her hands, closing her eyes tightly.

"I wish that Xavier is forever free to do what he wants!"

Xavier is stunned.

"And… what about you? What's your wish?"

She quiets for a moment.

"I wish… I want to be healthy. But wishing on a star for that seems silly, doesn't it?"

Xavier tilts his head once again, but this time, he felt a tiny smile gracing his lips. He holds out his hand, feeling the familiar warmth of his Evol activating, a bright ball of light emanating from his palm. His classmate opened her eyes, staring at the light that glowed in the dark room.

"This shooting star will carry your wish for you, since you're carrying mine, after all."

His classmate smiled at him, her eyes seemingly brighter than the glowing orb in his hand.

-------

In the few weeks that followed, Xavier and his classmate grew closer. On the surface, it appeared that nothing had changed between the two of them. Xavier was still surrounded by 'bodyguards' whenever he leaves the premises and he doesn't have any interactions outside of school with his other classmates, but his classmate, the one that used to stare at him, now she would wave to him when he leaves, saying apologizes if she bumped into one of his 'guards', yet still wished him a good evening. When they are in the classroom, it wasn't a rare occurrence for him to poke her back and share one of his earbuds with her. They often passed notes to each other behind their teachers' backs, and shared one stolen evening in the rain when she had forgotten her umbrella.

One week remained before the once-in-a-century meteor shower.

One very unfortunate week.

Xavier and his classmate were in the infirmary, his classmate on the plastic cot, covered in a thin blanket and Xavier's sweater.

When his classmate finally woke up, she guilty turned away from Xavier. He wasn't having that, choosing to shake her medicine bottle, loudly. He was angry, to say the least.

He set the bottle down with a loud clack.

"How long were you going to hide this from me, if you didn't faint in class today?"

His classmate was quiet. Xavier softened his tone.

"Don't pretend to be asleep. I know you're awake."

Finally, she turned back around and sat up. Her face had regained some color, thankfully.

"Where do I start…"

She started to mumble to herself, trying to figure out how to explain it to him, but it soon turned into an incomprehensible mush that he could barely understand. Soon, he looked at her medicine bottle, figuring that was a good place to start.

"What's… Protocore Syndrome?"

His classmate bit her lip.

"It's not well researched yet, but what is known about it, is that it's a rare illness. A terminal one, that makes my heart weaker and weaker over time."

"Is there no cure?"

His classmate puts her hand over her heart, clenching her fist.

"There is, but we need a special kind of Protocore."

"What kind?"

"Research says there is a Protocore that can cure any illness, but it's very, very rare, and very hard to find. Philos is so big, it'd take ages to find it."

She reaches out for his hand.

"But don't worry, Xavier. Studies are still ongoing and maybe a miracle will happen! Maybe another protocore will be discovered and maybe I'll be cured soon!"

Her touch was cold against his hand. She looked thinner over the short time Xavier had known her and even now, her breaths were short. The sunset from the window didn't do her complexion any favors either.

Finally, Xavier squeezes her hand.

"Let's watch the meteor shower together."

------

Xavier was the first to arrive at Skymirror Salt Flat, his eyes watchful for a certain classmate to appear. The flats were free of people, not another soul in site in the darkness. No one else seemed too excited about the upcoming meteor shower, save for two people.

Soon, he heard splashing in the shallow water that barely reached his ankles. He turned to see that his classmate had arrived, wearing a cute bunny sweater and carrying a warm blanket and travel bag with her. She was trying her best to hurry to him, but she was stumbling in her haste. Xavier closed the distance with ease, grabbing her hand and guiding her to the nearby trestle bridge.

Once they were settled, Xavier took a closer look at her. She had dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept recently.

She looked around, worried. Ah, he knew what she was looking for.

"You don't have to check. They're not here."

"Really? You got rid of them?"

"Yes."

He gave her a tiny, vague smile.

"Why are you thinking of others when you were the one who requested I watch the meteor shower with you?"

"Well-!"

Before she can finish her thought, a flash of light flew across the sky.

"It's starting!"

Xavier and his classmate look up towards the sky as the dark, inky night sky is illuminated with various colors and clusters of light appearing and disappearing one after the other. His classmate quickly clasps her hands and closes her eyes tightly, desperate in her prayers. Xavier also clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, his expression turning somber.

After a few moments, the pair open their eyes, seeing the other in the same pose.

"What did you wish for?"

Xavier shakes his head.

"Sorry, can't tell you, else it might not come true."

His classmate pouted cutely. "Meanie."

Xavier chuckled quietly and turns back to the sky, the remnants of the meteor shower streaking across the sky. The two of them sat on the bridge until the sky started turning lilac. Soon, they stood up, Xavier giving her a hand.

"Ah, before you go, I have something to give you…" she started digging around in her bag, soon pulling out a sword tassel with two star charms attached to it. She held it up for him to see. Xavier is shocked, taking it into his hand.

"Did you make this yourself?" The charms seemed very her and the braided cord he'd never seen with those colors before. There was definitely a handmade quality to it that he couldn't deny.

"Yeah, I did. I know it's sort of ugly as I kind of rushed it, but-"

"It looks good."

He slid his wooden sword off his back, holding it in his hands.

"Can you help me put it on?"

She nodded eagerly with a smile, her hands shaking with excitement. They both made sure it was securely tied, Xavier soon hearing the little clinks as the two charms bumped into each other behind him when he returned his sword to his back.

The pair quieted, looking back at the salt flats one more time. Like when they first met, his classmate was taking his hand once again, intended to leave, but Xavier refused to move.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

This time, it was Xavier staring at her, his gaze full of sad longing.

"…Can I hug you?" he asks softly.

"Huh?"

"Can I hug you?" he asked a second time, quieter this time, and enclosed the distance between them.

Xavier leans down and pulls her into his arms in one smooth motion. His classmate, caught off guard, soon is putting her arms around him, pulling him in tight.

"Thank you," he whispered, "My wish came true."

"Xavier…"

"Next time there's a meteor shower, let's visit this place again."

"…Okay."

The two of them stood like that for a few more moments, as the sun started peaking over the horizon, enveloping the pair in a warm glow.

-----

He needed to hurry. His heart was racing in his ears, his breaths pounding in his chest. He needed to hurry!

One month had passed after the meteor shower. Xavier had been searching for the protocore his classmate had told him about. And he had paid a hefty price to get it.

He was covered in cuts and bruises, there were splotches of blood on his clothes and on his face, and the red ring around his neck choked him as he ran, but he cared little for that. He just needed to reach the salt flats again. He knew she would be there.

His phone, full of read texts and voice messages but no responses, hadn't rang in a few days.

Her worried 'Where are you?'s and 'I miss you's echoed in his head after having listening to them on repeat for the last few weeks. He knew that she had entered the hospital after their meteor shower date, and hadn't been out since then. How her voice grew weaker with each message left behind. How she tearfully told him that she suspected her days were numbered based on how the nurses looked at her. How much she wanted to see him again soon. Even a slipped 'I love you' escaped her once, that one he replayed the most.

He hurried as fast as he could, racing along the salt crunching under his boots, splashing the shallow pools as he ran, clutching the protocore in his hand.

Then, he arrived at the trestle bridge, the one they had sat on exactly one month before. And, there she sat, looking so tiny, pale, and fragile, even the slight breeze might steal her away.

Xavier steeled himself and raced towards her, the familiar click clack of his sword charms matching his steps.

When he reaches her, she looks at him, shocked. She strains out her arm to touch his face. Her hands, now spindly, were like ice, when she caresses his cheeks. Xavier holds out the small glowing protocore to her, out of breath. The glow from his neck, blood red, shown in her hollowed eyes. Xavier hated that red light reflecting off her.

"Here, I found it. This protocore can save you."

She looked like she was ready to cry.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I think… you're too late, Xavier."

She tried to put her hand on his neck, but he pulls her hand away. His other hand, holding onto the protocore, turned white with how tightly he was gripping it.

"You promised we would watch the meteor shower again."

"And I want to, so so much. I want to see another one with so bad… but we have our own destinies. Some things can't be forced. Even if we hurried, we won’t..."

She had tears in her eyes, but she still reached for him, poking him in his mouth's corner.

"Don't be sad, Xavier. I've treasured the time we've spent together. It's the happiest I've ever been in my life. I will never forget it."

Her remaining strength seemed to be leaving her as she sat back down on the trestle bridge. Xavier followed her down, sitting beside her and put his arm around her, leaning her against his shoulder. The protocore slipped out of his hand, falling to the ground, forgotten.

"If I wasn't sick, would you watch the stars with me?" she asked.

"Yes."

Xavier tightened his grip.

"Not just the stars though," he continued. "I'd show you the mountains and the rivers, the sun and the moon. We'd see them all together."

"Okay, but not the mountains. Hiking is a lot of work…"

"I can carry you on my back. So long as we do it together, I don't mind what we do."

"A-all right, since you insist. I'll just… have to… agree."

She struggled to raise her head, looking out at the dark night sky.

"It's a shame… there's no stars tonight…"

"There's at least one star."

When she lowers head, he holds out his hand, his palm glowing. It seemed brighter than the first time he'd done it, brighter than when they had first met in that dark auditorium.

His classmate closed her eyes.

"I wish… to meet you in the next life… I wonder if that will come true."

"…It will."

He grasps her hand, his little star seeping into her, giving her some of his warmth.

She didn't open her eyes again after that, slumping against him as if she had fallen asleep. Yet, when he tried calling her name, she didn't respond, never waking under his shaking.

He pulled her close one last time, and kissed her cheek.

"No matter how many times it takes, no matter where you are… we'll meet again. I will find you."