#Headway Review

[quinnkdev]

i wrote a short thing about OFF, and my relationship to it as its translator; thoughts ive wanted to put into words for a while.

you can read it here as well, under the cut.

wait! wait... there is more to be said about OFF than, at the time of my previous review, i had the bandwidth for. i had, temporarily, reached a point of saturation with it - you only regurgitate a game's text again and again so many times until you start getting a bit weary of it, after all - but now that the bomb has burst and the remake is public knowledge (i kept that stuff secret for 2+ years!), i have the peace of mind to really unpack this. OFF was my companion for the late end of my teen years and more or less the whole of my current adulthood. the better - maybe even the best parts of my life - were (at least in part) shaped by adoration for and dedication to this game and its story. OFF survived the beginning and end of several friendships and relationships (romantic or otherwise) throughout my life, and i project it will survive many more - if not me, as a living human being. and i hope you understand that this is a lot to put into writing. can you imagine? something you did at 16 years old, because you were bored and liked a video game; a text someone else made, passed through you like a pamphlet - outgrowing you like that, becoming larger than you may ever be? i wrestle with that feeling frequently. some would grow resentful of the object of this kind of ruminating, especially as a writer and gamedev themselves- but i can't find it in me to ever hate OFF, no matter how often i hear about it; there simply is nothing like it. OFF has created several core memories that i can flash back to. i remember the knot in my stomach at its ending. i remember that it was time to sleep, and i remember staring at the ceiling, closing my eyes, and seeing void behind them, with white bedsheet ghosts floating there. i remember the resolve to translate it. i remember: "i have to show this to decon" (a friend that i've long since stopped speaking to). i remember isaiah (friend i lost touch with, number 2) asking me to keep working on the translation because he loved the game and wanted to know what happens in zone 2. i remember a vacation in france i mostly spent on a shoddy laptop my grandmother owned, on slow (maybe dial-up) internet, tinkering in RPG maker 2003, trying to make more headway in a language i only barely knew better than the one i was translating from. i remember this more than the majority of the relationship that introduced me to the game. that's sad to consider, isn't it? can a story be more significant than a person? i was very unwell for large parts of the time i spent working on this translation. i had dark thoughts; i feared impossible and possible things both. i was depressed, and i made very real attempts to turn the world in the only window i know - my eyes - off. permanently. and maybe- that is why OFF is larger than me. because in the negative space of its conclusion, in the turning of the final switch from ON to OFF, there lies a question: "is all this despair, all this hurt, all this misery and all of this unsolvable injustice of this world worth it?" and OFF, in my opinion, says: yes. or at least, for me it did. i'm not letting go of these memories, or of these stories, or of my adoration for this game. i love it more by the day. i owe a lot to it. this isn't a funeral, it's a celebration. thank you, OFF, and thank you, mortis ghost. i would not be here, i would not be this, and i would not be me without you.

[insanescriptist]

A test of your reflexes

(Written in response to all those JL members capture Hood fics. As much fun as writing Jason is as a damsel in distress can be and vaguely cathartic/traumatic for all involved, a lot of them diminish his skills and that of the JL itself. So, I just wanna have fun with this.

So set during UtRH-ish but a couple tweaks.)

------------

Batman looked pissed.

To be fair, he always looked stoic or displeased, so it was actually much scarier to see him looking mad.

Wally was so glad he was not on the other side of that and he was allowed snacks as the data was reviewed in the emergency meeting.

And also, it was very much decisively proven that Batman did have the scariest and most capable rogues; how many others had actually gotten onto the Watchtower, in custody, escaped, hacked the Watchtower and then escaped?

There's a reason they had dusted off the Hall of Justice's meeting table and had Cyborg on the line. Along with most others who did have a secure line of communication. A Tele(scope)™ meeting.

With the zeta system having been hacked, it was considered unsafe to use until the entire system had been cleared. So he, Wonder Woman and Superman were in the Hall, looking at screens.

So far, only the team up of Braniac and Lex had done something similar and this one guy had not only done it, but done it solo?

Yeesh, and he thought Dick's beef with Deathstroke the Terminator was scary.

This Hood guy was Batman levels scary.

Wally shivered at that and the thought of, 'is he Batman-level capable as well?'

"With more thorough review, it's been discovered the camera footage on the Watchtower was manipulated," Cyborg stated. "Along with the Zeta system and it's record logs. Electrical consumption records show several extra zetas than are recorded but the log data once you dig into it is beyond salvageable. Discovering which receiving and outgoing zetas were used is going to take time and checking them individually, which will also need to be cleared of potential traps because it-"

"Hood has accomplices." Batman finished. "Accomplices I haven't had evidence for existing prior."

"Are you saying he's been running rings around Gotham's underworld and tugging your cape as a solo act?" Hal asked in derision, leaning over Green Arrow.

"I know he has backing. You don't get that sort of training from just anywhere."

"If I didn't know better, I'd assume he was a Bat," Green Lantern drawled. "Those on the Watchtower saw the domino mask, the confidence and how he moved. That's how the League moves."

"League training alone does not make a League operative."

"Suure. But it really does look like Ra's sent one to distract you in Gotham. And then when captured, he decided to fuck us all, because we still don't know how big of a information breech we're dealing with. Which can now be making it's way to Ra's al Ghul or the black market to be sold."

"To clarify," Wonder Woman interjected. "What evidence do we have that this Hood still maintains ties to Ra's al Ghul? As Batman said, League training alone does not make a League operative or else both he and Green Arrow would count too. None the less, we still need to act as if this Hood does, in order to properly defend ourselves from possible consequences. How much headway has been made on determining the scope of the breach?"

"Between the zetas and the cameras, that's plenty wide enough." Cyborg admitted. "He had access to the gamut and knows how to bury his tracks. As a temporary measure, I'm going to clone and isolate the data from all systems to another device to review at will. In order to restore system access and resume normal operations, everyone will have to re-register for zeta permissions and choose new passwords. But first, I'll be checking out all the zetas in the Watchtower with Martian Manhunter and Superman to ensure they're safe on our end."

Batman got a second call on his line. "Oracle?"

"Batman, we need someone at Arkham's. I'm sending you footage. Right now. Joker's cell from ten minutes ago."

Wally had not seen Batman move that fast in ages. Batman's frown got deeper, as he looked at cameras that they could not see.

"Hood took Joker. And then the Joker disappeared in a camera blank spot and Hood is also at large."

"Oh fuck." Wally cursed.

----

Meanwhile Jason Todd, looked at the bottle in his hand, half full of beer and half full of miniaturized Joker.

And then he shot that with the Phantom Zone Ray Gun. It was just a beer bottle after all. Disgusting contents and all.

Stirring up trouble with the Justice League would mean that he'd have to lay low for a good six months, maybe abandon the identity of Hood and the not so little crime empire he had been building. For a plan of practically impulse, it worked out well. Less so in how he wanted it to go -it wasn't the three of them, he didn't get answers or avenged- but it was something he could do now, so he did it. Because fuck the Joker for his continued breathing. Better for the world that Joker was gone.

Sure, it was good work and necessary work to remove the trash from any society, the worst criminals permanently but what about those big enough to have some notoriety that were also well-deserving of death criminals? Wouldn't that be the greater good done for less effort?

If he was actually going to be dedicated to taking out the worst of humanity, small and easy pickings were small time and petty in comparison. If he was going to take someone out, it had better be someone worth it.

And without the beer. That dulls reflexes.

And living a costume lifestyle meant a constant text of his.

[msschemmenti]

girl in danger -3

part 3

a/n: sorry to anyone reading my stuff/interacting with me in anyway right now... a bitch [me] is oober-mega-colossally- depressed right now. but here is something. <3 this will be picking up in this next part.

Monday, May 5th, 2025 

Y/n really hadn’t had a busy week like this in quite a while. Dr. Kelley was not joking when she said all hands on deck for this final recital. Throughout this school year, it had become abundantly clear that this music department had something to prove to the rest of campus. After the great reviews from the Faculty showcase across campus, showcasing their stellar students seemed to be the best way Dr.Kelley could find to justify some of her more expensive splurges this year. Being the newest addition to the team Y/n hadn’t really mastered the art of politely declining Dr. Kelley’s requests yet. So she’d found her hours before, between, and sometimes even during classes full of last-minute details that the department chair couldn’t (or didn’t want to) do herself. With so much being tossed her way, Y/n practically shivered when as soon as she stepped into the music building, the office manager, Jeanette, waved her over to her desk. 

“Hi, Miss Jeanette. What’s up?” Y/n leaned against the desk, resting the box of programs she’d been hauling around on there. 

“I can see Dr. Kelley’s been running you ragged. Well, don’t worry she’s already left for the day.” Jeanette winked before turning to pull something from behind the desk. “ I just wanted to make sure you got all these little things from your mailbox. They’re starting to pile up and I wouldn’t want your secret admirer to be upset that you never got any of this.” 

Y/n’s eyes widened as the older woman slid the small basket of notes, candy, flowers, and a small stuffed animal. She leafed through the basket skeptically and looked at Jeanette. “Secret admirer? How long has all of this been up here?” 

“I say about last week. I’ve not seen you round much, so I figured I’d just hold it until I could catch you.”

“Huh,” Y/n nodded, shifting the gifts on top of her other box. “And you don’t know who’s been dropping these off?” 

“Not a clue, if they’re not here before I get in. They’ve just been sort of materializing throughout the day. Always with your name on them though.” 

“Well thanks, Miss Jeanette, let me know if anything else appears.” Y/n waved goodbye and headed for her office to drop the things off before her next class. Her first instinct for the sender would be her girlfriends because some of the candies in the basket were her favorites. And she hadn’t really shared anything like that with her colleagues. But if it’d been happening all week, surely they would’ve said something about it when she got home. But nothing had been mentioned thus far. With a shrug and the mental note to ask her partners later, Y/n dropped the items on her desk and hurried down to her next class. She didn’t normally spend too much time speeding through the halls but this particular class had been known to take the 15-minute and no-professor rule seriously. 

After her final class, only one thing stood between Y/n and home. A late-night lesson with Matt in preparation for the recital. She’d been making positive headway with both Claire and Jordan in their sessions this week and was hopeful the same could be said about Matt. She’d played a bit of tag with the guy all last week and after he basically burst into Jordan’s one-on-one session last Thursday, Y/n felt email might be the only way to set up a meeting. Matt responded saying he had no time before 7:30 pm that would work for him because he hosted lab hours until then. So Y/n agreed and shot off an email to his accompanist to see if they’d be able to join them. She never made it a habit of keeping students after 5, but if that was the only time they were available to meet– she’d suck it up and power through. And with dress rehearsal on Thursday and the recital on Friday, there wasn’t much time left in the semester anyway. 

When 6:30 hit and Y/n was elbow-deep in Music Literature final papers, her phone started buzzing somewhere under the mess that her desk had become in the short time she’d been working. Fishing it out seemed to only make it vibrate louder, but once she had it in hand she was able to read through the text thread blowing up. 

jj: please tell me you’re on your way.

emily: what jj means is can we get an eta, so we can plan for dinner?

y/n: sorry to disappoint, but i won’t be heading that way for at least another hour

jj: boo!

emily: any requests for dinner then? we’ll probably grab something on the way in again then. 

y/n: no preferences. i’ll let you know when i’m heading out.

Y/n’s eyes shifted to the time on her phone screen and caught sight of the discarded gift box on her desk. Already having decided to ask both of her girlfriends about the items, she figured now would be as good a time as any. 

y/n: also! you two haven’t been sending me gifts to work this week, have you? 

emily: gifts? what kind of gifts?

jj: who’s sending you gifts at work?

y/n: that’s what i’m trying to figure out honey. but i can see that neither of you is behind these little notes and candies. 

jj: someone is sending you notes and candy?! since when?

y/n: miss jeanette said they’ve been showing up sometime last week. 

 Before JJ or Emily could question more there was a knock at Y/n’s office door and Sam poked his head in with a wave. “Hi Sam, come on in. Matt should be here shortly.”

y/n: gotta go, we’ll talk later

“Who’s sending my girlfriend gifts at work?” JJ grumbled as she and Emily drove through the DC streets. 

“Our girlfriend. And it’s probably just some student trying to show their appreciation for her help.” Emily tried to explain logically. JJ was a hothead and it made for interesting sex but she benefited from a good reeling in from time to time. “I’m sure it’s perfectly innocent.” 

“Sure, perfectly innocent. If it was so innocent, why not just give her the gift directly?” JJ questioned. 

“I don’t know Jen, but neither does she. Plus like she said we’d talk later. For all we know, it could be some office secret Santa that she forgot about. Either way, we’ll figure it out later.” 

JJ hummed noncommittally and turned her attention away from Emily with a grumble. “It’s not even December.” 

Y/n and Sam had been sitting in her office quietly waiting for Matt to arrive. Sam ran some problem areas of the piece at the piano while Y/n continued folding programs. Just as Sam brought the piece to a close, a stilted knock echoed in the office's silence. Not even waiting for an invitation, the door swung open revealing Matt, bent over his knees in a pant. “Sorry, I’m late.” He pushed out, eyes trained on his feet as he caught his breath. 

Y/n waited for the kid to settle and shrugged, “No worries, Matt. After you catch your breath, we can get started. Sam’s already identified some problem areas that you guys have been working through.” 

Y/n turned to pack a few things away and prepare for the lesson, completely missing the straightening of Matt’s spine at the mention of the other student’s name. With his body almost completely back to normal, Matt shrugged his bag off his shoulders and moved further into the office to hover near the piano. “What are you doing here man?” Matt grumbled between clenched teeth before knocking Sam’s shoulder playfully. Sam grimaced and eyed the professor’s back wearily before chuckling and shrugging in response. He turned back to face the piano, leaving Matt to gather his music. 

Matt very carefully rifled through his bag for his music and tucked it against the wall across the room. Once the bag was where he wanted it, he stood next to the piano with his music open on the music stand. “I’m ready.” He announced drawing Y/n’s attention back to him so they could begin the session. Both students fumble through the song a couple of times with Matt hardly looking at the music leaving Sam to guess his way through the measures. After the first run-through, Y/n noticed Matt’s focus wandering from the music and suggested he turn to face the full-length mirror on the wall. But even then his eyes still seemed to fix on her and it was getting a little strange. She’d had students avoid eye contact, some even told her they couldn’t look at her or they’d get too nervous, but this was a first. After the third attempt, Y/n stopped them as nicely as she could think of at this time of night. 

“Well that was somethin’ , wasn’t it? Let’s pause for a second and try to figure out a solution.”

“I think I’m just nervous,” Matt mumbled cheeks reddening. 

“Right,” Y/n agreed and stood from her chair. She rested her foot on the base of the music stand and adjusted it to naturally meet Matt’s eyeline. “You’re also not watching your music, which is making it hard for Sam to follow you. Let’s try it again, this time Matt focus on the music a bit more and I’ll turn away to hopefully ease your nerves.” 

Y/n finally stopped them at 8:45. Matt was in good enough shape and she couldn’t possibly keep them there any longer. It also didn’t help that her phone had been vibrating repeatedly for the last 45 minutes. There was no doubt in her mind that JJ and Emily were behind it. “Great job guys. We’ll work so more of this during class tomorrow and then dress rehearsal before the actual show.” 

“Oh! Y’all want a piece of candy or somethin’ to tide you over on your walk to dining?” Y/n asked pushing the new box of treats to the edge of her desk in offering. Y/n watched Sam’s eyes light up a bit and he made to grab a piece from the pile.”Miss Jeanette gave all these to me today and I know I won’t eat them all.”

“No thanks! We’re good, right Sammy?” Matt answered quickly, extending his arm in front of Sam’s body. Sam stopped moving and gripped at the strap of his bag instead and mumbled. “Right.” 

Y/n eyed them curiously and made to insist but her phone buzzed yet again, this time Emily all but ordering her to start making her way home. “Okay then, suit yourselves. Well, let’s make like a tree a leave.” Y/n ushered them out of her office, locked her door, and bid them farewell before heading for home.

[bvnnicvnny]

late into the night i'm awoken by the creaking of my bedroom door,

'i must've left it ajar before falling asleep', i thought to myself. 'it must be daddy checking up on me, i'll be in trouble if he finds out i'm awake'

i pretend to still be asleep so i don't alert my "mystery intruder", but i can feel their aura—the subtle warmth of their body, the way their form blocks the airflow in the room—inching closer, tiptoeing closer to the bedframe.

seconds go by like hours. my heart pounds & i'm left hoping daddy doesn't hear it beating. i hear a light ruffling that makes me curious, but i'm facing him, so if i sneak a peek, he'll notice i'm not asleep. a few long, long seconds later, i sense a different kind of warmth, closer to me now. it's radiant & gentle glow cast towards my face, the same sensation i feel when daddy hugs me. & along with it, i... smell something. it's a vaguely familiar, almost nostalgic smell, but i don't believe i have memory of it. i once again have to keep my curious eyes from opening.

the strange warmth & smell lingers, hovering just inches from my "sleeping" face, until i feel it touching my cheek. it's warm... very warm—burning hot even, yet velvety-soft. it glides against my face, spreading it's warmth along my cheeks, my chin, my eyelids, my forehead—slowing it's movement as it passes my lips every-so-often. it's earthy smell, stronger now, assaulting my nose. it then stops on my lips one final time, & rests there for a moment that feels like eternity.

'what is this thing?... & what is daddy doing?', i wonder to myself. i go through all the thoughts in my head of what it could be, but everytime the thoughts are on the tip of my tongue—i catch another whiff of that smell, i start thinking about how soft & comfy it feels pressed against me, & my thoughts disappear.

as i lay there lost in thought, i feel the familiar sensation of daddy's fingers on my chin. he pulls down gently, as if trying to part my lips, & i play along, opening up just slightly. as daddy guides my mouth open, i feel that soft, warm thing draw closer, & into my mouth.

'is daddy trying to feed me something?', i thought. he always makes special meals just for me, & is always so happy to recieve positive reviews. 'but why give it to me while i'm "asleep"? is it actually much closer to breakfast than i thought? does he know i'm only pretending to sleep & pranking me? i'll keep pretending just in case...'

the idea of surprise "breakfast in bed" had me eagerly, but patiently, awaiting for this "breakfast" (as i've convinced myself) to make contact with my tastebuds—my heart beating faster than ever with excitement. daddy must've been excited too, because as the "breakfast" made headway into my mouth, his hands guided my chin & the back of my head further towards it. then the flavor hit.

oh goodness the flavor, so imaculate. meaty, salty, yet with a syrupy sweetness... the softness & smoothness giving it an addictive mouth-feel. the intoxicating flavor & smell had me drooling—yet i wanted to capture as much flavor as i could, so i wrapped my lips around daddy's "breakfast" to trap the growing amount of saliva filling my mouth. i also wanted to take my time savoring it, so i took caution not to bite or chew. i no longer had any sense of time—no distracting thoughts, all i could think about was this wonderful "surprise breakfast", & the graditude i had for my loving, caring daddy.

daddy glided the whole length of "breakfast" up & down my tongue, stuffing it so deep that i could feel it in my throat, making me fall in love with this feeling more & more with each pass. the pace at which it moved was staggered & uneven, as was daddy's breathing the further along things went. his soft but firm grip on my chin & the back of my head became firmer... harder as his pace quickened. i found it more difficult to breathe the way daddy was feeding me, but the flavor & the experience was too good for it to matter. besides, i was still afraid of getting in trouble for being awake, so i let it be.

i suddenly felt a jerk on my head & face—pulling me towards daddy's "breakfast" more than ever. at the same time, his "breakfast" had filled my mouth & throat more than ever... hotter than ever... stickier than ever... more flavorful than ever... & daddy held it still. i could feel it pulse, like my heart, & i could feel something coating & filling the back of my throat. i could only breathe through my nose, but even that was challenging—as my nasal was blocked by a bristly, fuzzy substance i couldn't make out. as i tried gasping for air, i gulped, which only dragged daddy's "breakfast" further in.

it took all of my willpower to hold still & wait for it to pass, as not to panic & alert daddy that i've been awake this whole time. as i lost more & more breath, my face started to get hot, my eyes welled with tears, & i began feeling faint. after a greulling amount of time—just before my consciousness faded out entirely, daddy pulled his "surprise breakfast" (which had shrunken in size) out of my mouth, & gently pet my head. i felt his presence lean over me & give me a smooch.

'i wish i could open my eyes now & give daddy a kiss too, to let him know how much he means to me...' i thought to myself. '...how much everything he does for me makes me love him more, how much his little surprises make me feel loved, how much his warmth & patience & affection make me feel safe in a world that's getting scarier & scarier... but i mustn't let him know i'm awake'

"i know you're awake, princess" daddy says.

"o.0 d-daddy? y-you knew?" i jolt upright in my bed.

"yes sweetheart. daddy knows everything. that & you're a terrible liar haha..."

"i-i'm so sorry—i didn't mean to stay up so late! i'm sor—" before i could finish, he cuts me off.

"shh... it's ok sweetheart, you know i wouldn't get mad at you for something like that. now that you're with me, nobody's gonna treat you horribly, you have my promise"

"*sniffle* thank you daddy~", i lean into him, & he embraces me. "i-i love you so much, daddy. i want to stay with you forever & ever"

"me too, princess"

"i loved that surprise breakfast you were feeding me. what was it? can i have more?", daddy pauses for a moment.

"o-oh, uh haha... sure princess, i'm so glad you enjoyed my... "surprise breakfast" haha. i'll give you more after i get back home from work, & i might even let you play that game we always play"

"yayyy~ i can't wait :3", i tackle him for another hug, nuzzling into his neck. i also feel a familiar warmth pressed against my stomach. "oooh~ is that more breakfast?", i reach down towards it, but daddy's quicker & hides it away.

"no sweetheart", he lets out a light giggle as he ruffles my hair "you gotta be patient, like a good girl"

"ehehe~ yes daddy :3"

[thekristen999]

WIP Wednesday

Still plugging along on my mythical bakery AU and making decent headway. Previous snippets here.

..

Sometimes when Eddie woke up, the darkness that had stalked him for half his life still hung around, trying to take over again. But he had skills now, and a job he loved, one that brought him joy and energy.

It wasn’t a surprise to find Buck, Hen, and Chim discussing the newest recipe for attracting their most sought out guest. Well, Eddie’s most sought out guest.

All three stood in front of the main baking station surrounded by various mixing bowls, ingredients and various flowers.

"Um, guys?" he asked.

Buck waved Eddie over. "We’re trying a few new recipes for your quest."

Eddie tried not to grimace at his choice of words, knowing the four of them were now equally invested in the endeavor.

Chim studied the arrays of apples, berries and rose pedals. "We should use more vibrant and colorful flowers. Whimsical is attracted to whimsical."

"Roses, lavender, and foxgloves, are colorful the last time I checked," Hen reminded him.

Buck shook his head. "If you’re trying to make nectar, you need to wait until I’m done with my harvest."

Buck had been trying to collect the right number of dewdrops, using the Eucalyptus they started growing in the back of the bakery, but the weather hadn’t been cooperating with them.

"Okay, let’s review," Chim said to the group. "We’re talking about unicorns, right? They don’t eat human food. They’re too pure."

Trying to find a unicorn had become a quest, a need of Eddie’s. His knowledge about them was a little concerning.

Their diets were as mystical as the creatures themselves. According to myths, they loved dewdrops from the morning grass or the petals of wildflowers, their ethereal diet contributing to their magical abilities.

"Unicorns feed on the enchanted energy of nature itself," Eddie told them.

"Exactly," Buck said. His brow furrowed in thought. "But we don’t practice magic, and we can’t enter the magical realm." He frowned. "Which means we don’t have the ability to make what they prefer to eat." 

.

tagging a few people who might enjoy or want to share.

@mellaithwen @hippolotamus @exhuastedpigeon @spotsandsocks

@dangerpronebuddie @tizniz @fleurdebeton @misshiss727

@diazsdimples @andavs @homerforsure @steadfastsaturnsrings

@ci5mates @thebestbooksaround @diazheartsbuckley

@buffaluff

[nerdieforpedro]

Those Damn Hot Dogs

Chapter One of Therapy for the Well-Adjusted

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Word Count: 1859

Warnings: Nerdie doesn’t know how the FBI works (despite watching all the crimes procedurals), one gun shot, insulting hot dogs 🌭, random book reference, a wee bit of blood, yelling & cursing

Summary: Marcus Pike was mandated to go to therapy. His journey there was very bumpy. We meet Dr. Mint and Vernon! (both OFCs)

Notes: I started this because I wanted Marcus to be a bit unhinged. Like why not? 😀

But also because I’ve had some bad experiences with therapy and some very positive ones.

Plus I enjoyed the doctor’s names way too much. I’m on my mess with puns. 😉

If you feel you need therapy or counseling, you should research the best cost effective options for you and make sure that your therapist is someone you feel comfortable with. Vibes are important in this case.

Main Masterlist/ Marcus Pike Masterlist/ AO3 Link

Marcus is talking with his therapist, Dr. Mint. He never thought he would need to see one. Not that people don’t need to see them or take their mental health seriously, they should and he does. He has to. He’s an FBI agent. Although he is in art crimes, there’s still quite a bit of shady characters, deals and crazy crap that people will do to have their art or hide how they got it.

The journey to Dr. Mint took Marcus two months from the incident to now.

The incident in question was something he never expected. Marcus Pike prided himself on being able to roll with life's punches, no matter how gut-wrenching they might be. Prior to ‘the incident’ his team were investigating possible pieces of art that were thought to have been smuggled into the country. Supposedly from California over to the East Coast. That should have been his first clue, the mention of that state. He was briefed about two consultants coming to assist since they had dealings and information of the particular ring of smugglers.

Patrick Jane and his wife Teresa Jane.

The amount of time Marcus had put into this case had been the last few months. Tracking leads, making connections, reviewing financials, flights, etc. He implored his superiors that they didn’t need their help. They’re making headway toward busting these guys without these two, especially one of them’s penchant for causing property damage and being a PR nightmare. The higher ups said that his team had enough time to find these guys and they haven’t so this case needs to be closed now. Pike didn’t understand the urgency, these were typical smugglers, not traffickers or people or drugs, but he had to back down. He would take many deep breaths and interact with them as little as possible.

Of course Patrick Jane asked to be on my team. The vest wearing, tired brown shoes having hot dog water looking bastard.

Agent Pike knew he’d have to grin and bear it. He’s a professional and a special agent. Unlike this prick, he can’t just do as he pleases. There are rules, regulations and he would like to stay gainfully employed at a job he loves. Patrick Jane nor his hot dog water loving wife Teresa will make him lose it.

The first two weeks went fine. Limited interaction, and all about the case. The third week was when they finally caught the smugglers at their warehouse. A mix of Marcus pulling up prior maps of an area outside of DC on the outskirts of the state of Virginia and Patrick seeing a pattern in pieces they were taking. The bust was running smoothly, all of them were caught except one. Marcus was chasing him and the idiot ‘not an actual agent’ Patrick decided he was somehow going to help chase the perp as well in those slippery ugly brown shoes.

It was his own fault.

Not Pike’s. He called in that he saw the suspect, let them know he was in pursuit and was chasing them. It was Jane that called himself trying to be some action hero popping out from a nearby alley to chase the same perp. Pike yelled at him to move, Patrick chose not to listen. His ass paid the price. Literally.

Some might have thought Marcus did it on purpose, especially if they knew the extremely sorted history between Patrick, Teresa and Marcus, but he truly did not. The suspect had pulled a gun and was trying to shoot Marcus, he dodged and shot the perp in the calf, disabling him enough for Pike to run over and clap cuffs on him. He then called for an ambulance.

Pike heard Patrick cursing as he was laying on the ground. Marcus thought maybe he just fell, but there was blood, not from the suspect. Jane was bleeding from his ass, the bullet had grazed him before hitting the suspect. Before Marcus could hold it in, and remain professional he laughed. Not a chuckle or snicker but a full, down on both knees next to the perp laugh. Which made the smuggler laugh as well. Teresa and the other agents made their way over and wondered what an agent and criminal could find so funny. Mrs. Hot Dog became hysterical that Patrick was bleeding so of course he leaned into it, shaking where he hadn’t been before.

Marcus and the suspect watched and looked at each other, “That’s some bullshit my guy.” Pike agreed. Standing up holding the suspect in front of him, he took him over to be booked and processed.

Patrick was taking his sweet time getting off the ground and Teresa was beginning to yell at Marcus, telling him that she’d have his badge for harming her Patrick.

Marcus Pike had enough. He requested to not have them in this case, asked to be reassigned, and has kept interactions to a minimum. He didn’t ask Patrick to chase a suspect. He’s a consultant. He’s not supposed to be doing it anyway!

Uncharacteristically, Marcus yelled and told Teresa to “keep her hot dog water looking man out of the way of FBI business. Had he not been here, the suspect wouldn’t have shot him. Jane needs to stay in his lane and keep all his hot dog foolishness over there.” Teresa was going to say something else, “You don’t say shit to me. You left me then, how am I supposed to know you’re going to do your damn job in the field if you didn’t even have the backbone to tell me no face to face or over the phone. You didn’t ask what actually happened! Put a bun on him to soak up his blood and hot dog water.”

Everyone was silent, even Jane.

No one expected Marcus to say anything, let alone admonishing Patrick and Teresa’s behavior. Everyone knew it was a lot but Pike had been a consummate professional during their entire time here.

Teresa was mortified and started to cry. Jane finally got up and limped over to the supervising agent who just told him to go over to the ambulance to get checked out.

No one directly addressed it, not until the Jane’s were gone and they threw a party. Marcus was invited but he declined. He’d been put out on administrative leave and was at home tuning his bass guitar. Wondering about what they said. They suggested he take some time off, cool his head and could come back after some counseling session.

Marcus had tried to go to the FBI one but it ended on a weird note. The initial meeting went well, but the small older woman asked for a hug. She said that Marcus resembled her former husband. He politely declined and told his supervisors that it wasn’t going to work with the FBI’s counselor.

Pike now had two weeks to find one he could see and clear him. His colleague Mark, suggested one that had helped him and his wife during a rough period in their marriage:

Dr. Mint of “Mint and Julep Counseling: Helping therapy go down smooth.”

The name and the tagline made Marcus chuckle and highly suspicious so he researched them, Mark vouched for the group of counselors and doctors. It’s worth a try. It had to be better than the last one.

Marcus wore his red flannel shirt, open exposing his white t-shirt underneath. Rubbing his hands on his dark wash jeans, getting the sweat off them, he opened the glass door leading into the reception area. The colors were neutral: white, tan, gold and gray. There was a friendly older gentleman at the desk who wore and striking green sweater and had bi-focals, peering at Marcus upward, maybe trying to look through the upper half of the glasses.

“Good afternoon sir, here for an appointment?”

“Yes I am. New patient for Dr. Mint. Marcus Pike. Nice to meet you sir.”

“Oh! You’re early, that’s nice. Wait there. Did you want some water? I’ll let them know you’re here. Should be finishing up with the previous patient shortly.” The gentleman informed him and Marcus took a seat on one of the black leather chairs.

He waited about ten minutes, he’d been fifteen minutes early. It was easier to find than he thought and it was in a stand alone building rather than in a strip mall. It was near a Panera and a Dunkin’s so Marcus had some landmarks for it.

Dr. Mint has sepia bangs which seems to be their natural hair color. The rest of their hair is cut close and is dyed a deep plum color. Normally Marcus might have taken a pause given that they’re also wearing a cream sweater that looks one size too big for them with black slacks and loafers, but they shake his hand and have a strong grip. Pike respects this and follows the good doctor to his office. The agent figures it can’t be worse than the last therapist. Dr. Mint is a few inches taller than Marcus but thin, willowy he might say. Something about him invokes trust, could be their sharp jaw and or that once they sit and Marcus begins talking about what happened with the two hot dogs, he sees something in their dark brown eyes that he didn’t with the other therapists. Dr. Mint didn’t think he’d lost his mind.

Pike’s luck has finally changed.

The doctor thanked Marcus for coming to see them and hoped that he would make a future appointment. They also stated that given the pressure he was under and the specific circumstances, they weren’t sure there was a right way to approach the situation.

“I mean, it is kinda funny. If you think about it, Dr. Mint.” Marcus departs their office and makes an appointment for later in the week with Vernon, the front desk gentleman. On his way out, he held the door for a woman in a cobalt dress, she thanked him and smiled. Pike felt his eyes linger on her for a few moments as she went to the desk and checked in with Vernon too. She sat down, crossing her legs at her ankles after setting her black tote back in a chair next to her. She was on her phone for a few and then pulled her bag into her lap, making herself smaller despite the waiting room being empty save for the man behind the desk.

Marcus wondered what brought her to this place, it could be anything. Her blue dress stuck out in his mind and he remembered there was a book about a woman in a blue dress, what was it called? He stopped to grab a salad and soup from Panera before heading home.

“Wait…” Marcus pulled into his parking space outside of his apartment building. “Devil in the blue dress, I think it’s by Walter Mosley. Wasn’t that a movie too? Maybe I should watch it tonight.” As tonight’s feature was decided, he set about trying to find which streaming service it would be on.

Marcus felt he made a good choice today.

Hot dog haters 🌭: @megamindsecretlair @jessthebaker @avastrasposts @jeewrites @josephquinnswhore

@bishtrouille @readingiskeepingmegoing @survivingandenduring @morallyinept @angelofsmalldeath-codeine

@soft-persephone @soft-girl-musings @rosecentaur1916 @rulexofxnines @inept-the-magnificent

Chapter Two

[unitedwestand2025]

Schumer step down

It takes strength to step down, I respect Biden for doing this and the American public needs Schumer to do so now. We need Trump and Musk to do so but they have no honor. They are just greedy. The only way to make headway is with new leadership so please do the right thing now Schumer. This is the overview of "Republican Full-Year Continuing Resolution" Review and let me know your thoughts. https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/fact-sheets/republican-full-year-continuing-resolution Please reshare this

[ordinaryschmuck]

Good things that happened today:

Watched a great episode of The Punisher today. Love moments that just treats Frank like an asshole. Him duct taping Rachel's mouth without any hesitation the second she started annoying him is the best.

Wrote a timeline of the tragic past of my favorite OC...I put her through the horrors, but I love her all the same.

Got through the whole day of work this time. Yay.

Found out that Dana Terrace is making her first indie project and it already looks intensely amazing. I cannot WAIT to see it.

The full Reagent Street scene from Better Man released and it all looks AMAZING.

I finished talking about one thing for The Owl House and made good headway in talking about another. I also realized I DON'T have to talk about how happy I am that the show has a Happy ending and the nitpicks I have about the timeskip, as I've said all I really needed to in previous posts and reviews. Not really breaking any ground, so I just have ONE LAST THING to talk about The Owl House before never talking about it again...That feels sad.

Good things about me:

I have decent morals.

I'm nice when I need to be.

I'm getting slightly better at controlling myself.

I have fun when I need to.

I'm smart

[danpuff-ao3]

2024 in review - recs & fics & more

Thanks for the tag @sitp-recs!

I started the year strong with a few rec lists, though I didn't do nearly as many as I have in years past. Still, I made 2 Snarry rec lists (Jealous Snape & Bottom Snape) and one non-snarry list (Valentine's themed).

Okay maybe I lied in that last one because I did have 2 big rec projects for this year: fest themed rec lists. I made a Top 5 list for every year of Snarry-a-Thon and Snarry AUctober Fest. I plan to add to them each year, and I'd also like to make similar lists for other fests, but we shall see!

I finally finished and posted Good Daddy, an addition to the Yes, Daddy series I've been talking about for years. (In fact my first podcast interview was with Snape Chat back in July 2021 and I'm pretty sure I mentioned it at the end of that episode...yikes!)

I continued my tradition of once a year posting on smile with sweet surprise, and one of the chapters I've been most excited for. Which means I get to wrap up the fic for good in 2025!

I ran HP Chan Fest again this year, and even participated with a fic called The Forbidden Fruit (part of the same 'verse as the prior year's The Virgin Bride).

Continued posting on 2 WIPs: Wasted for Love and Sugar, Honey.

I took a fandom break over summer which was helpful, and probably something I'll need to do in the future, as well. I hid all of my works and stepped away from socials. I get so in my head sometimes, and question my place in fandom, so it helps to take a breather and give myself some grace.

I ventured into the world of Snarriet, with help from my dear friend @loneamaryllis and her rec lists. I've inhaled a ton of @spicedlantern's fics because of it. This new step has given me a greater appreciation for my OTP in ways I didn't think possible, and now I have so many extra feelings about Snarry as a whole.

Because of my new love of Snarriet, I played around more with genderbending in my own writing. I wrote my own Snarriet fic called The Whispers in Your Eyes (which I love and am super proud of), a current Snarriet WIP called Hopes of the Heart (which I'm excited to continue next year), a fem!Snape fic called The First Date (which was a lot of fun and I really need to find more fem!Snape fics out there...)

PLUS a femslash Snarry fic (which I first did years ago with Take Heed, Dear Heart) called She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not for Snarry AUctober Fest. I've so wanted to participate in AUctober Fest for a while, so it's funny that when I finally did it was pretty much on a whim last minute.

(Funny story, the fic was inspired by an episode of Worst Roommate Ever and my muse took OVER) (In the episode, this lady was slowly poisoned and made sick by her so-called BFF, which inspired the "what if people were made sick by Hanahaki?)

(Oh also I edited Take Heed, Dear Heart to change Harry's name from Holly to Harriet, to fit my current preferences). (I think I also changed Hermione's name from Hercule to Herman?) (Not that anyone cares but still.)

I finished another fic that's been knocking around in my head for years: The Enemy's Bed. I've had the opening few paragraphs done for a while, but I was only able to finally make headway this year for Kinktober.

Speaking of, I also finished 2 other fics that I've had in mind for a while, these 2 part of the Love, Your Enemy series (also affectionately known as Contempt-verse). The first was Spellbound, which takes place in the immediate aftermath of Contempt. The other is Snowfall, a Christmas ficlet (first envisioned last year when I wrote the Valentine's Day ficlet, Lovestruck).

I've also been running @hprecfest with dear @coconutice22 and even participating in it myself here.

Fandom aside, I've also made strides in my personal life, between getting my home in order and also taking care of my health. I took a 2 week break from work, which was much needed. And I'll continue to prioritize myself and my wellbeing into the new year. With luck, that will benefit my fandom life, but if not...at least I'll be focused on what matters most.

Oh also I've been reading actual books for the first time in a while this year. I started off with some trashy romantacy books (which I love and are great), and now am in the middle of the Super Powereds books (for anyone interested).

Tagging whoever wants to play!

[thecouchsofa]

📚February Stats 2025 (Month in Review)🌻

Total words written: 38,522 words

No. of days written on: 13/28 days

No. of days used for editing: 4/31 days

Most productive week: February 8-14, with 19,081 words written

Most productive day: Sunday the 9th - 10,632 words written

Fics worked on: 6, including:

Something in the Orange, aka 'Angsty Azkaban Fic' (Drarry, 73k, E) - edits only

Goldrush, aka Dronarry fest (Draco/Ron/Harry, 24k, E)

Fake Gryffindor Draco (Drarry, working title, currently 4k, T)

Divinity Says, aka 'Gladiator Damen' (Damen/Laurent, 71k, E) - edits only

Sugar, We're Going Down, aka glory hole fic (Damen/Laurent, 2k, E)

Next Gen canon replacement (Scorbus, 3k of notes)

Favourite fic written this month: Goldrush has been a lot of fun (I say this any time I get to write something historical) 🤠

Longest Fic written this month: Something in the Orange

Fics posted this month: 1:

Admissions to a Lover (Damen/Laurent, 5k, E)

Thoughts: February was a good month! I got my Dronarry fest fic finished without having to stress, wrote the final half a chapter of Something in the Orange, and made good headway with edits. This week I'll focus on the final edits for Divinity Says so that I can start posting both in the last week of the month. Other goals for March are to finish writing Gryffindor Draco and then start properly planning for Wireless.

March goal: 35,000 words

⭐ Total word count for 2025 so far : 138,797 words ⭐

[blazingstaro]

Big changes on the horizon! DotS updates and more!

Happy New Year!! With a new year in front of us, there's new opportunities awaiting us all! This year I've decided to finally go for it, and chase a dream I've been running away from for years!

I'm finally going to launch a YouTube channel sometime this year alongside dusting off my poor old Twitch account! Right now I've got a lot to prep, but this is something I've been wanting to do for a very long time, and never thought myself prepared or good enough for it. Well, last year was all about taking big leaps and just gunning for it, so that's exactly what I'm doing

The channel will (unsurprisingly) be about games, and bringing a new method of reviewing games based on multiple factors. Throughout the next few months, I'll actually be reaching out to gaming communities and asking you all various questions to help me identify different types of gamers! I'm creating a gamer spectrum and multiple profiles to help gamers find their matches.

No more confusing numbers and biased reviews! Finally asking the most important question at the core of every game: is it fun? Visuals, style, narrative (or the lack there of) can be easily cast aside if the core of the game is just fun! That's what a game should always be at base 💖

It's a huge ambition, aiming to shake up the reviewing world, but it's something I'm passionate about! I hope it'll take off, and inspire more people to give the system a shot. I don't plan to do it forever, and eventually move on to new things or just focusing on let's-plays (which I intend to do in addition to reviews, clips from Twitch streams and the like).

This is basically gonna be my day job that I'll juggle alongside my comic, and since I won't be under time constraints or physically exhausted, it shouldn't affect my comic any!

So how's DotS:MMM going to look like going forward?

My posting schedule for DotS:MMM is going to likely be 1 page a month for the time being until I can really make headway on pages! Frankly I've been stuck on one page in particular, since I've needed to remake it entirely, and it's been bugging me for months. I believe I've gotten something down finally, so with the Holidays finally behind us, I should finally have a bit more time to work on pages. My mobile tablet setup helps so much with my art away from my computer!!

My drawing energy has been really low in past months since it was so busy, but I'm getting the itch again as I'm shaking off the holiday glaze! You guys will know I'm back in action when a page suddenly appears, hehehee!

In conclusion—

The comic won't stop anytime soon, just pages are gonna be slow for a while! I have loads of graphics to make for my new channel, and I'm also making a Live2D model to accompany. My reasons for this is simply that I don't like putting my real face on the internet, and prefer my privacy, so I'm creating a cartoon avatar that represents me— much like Saberspark has, with still images in various poses, and of course an actual live model to represent my face on both videos and livestreaming. It's a lot to learn and program, so I've got a bunch of work ahead of me!

I'll do my best to involve you guys in the future of this channel, asking questions and what you all think I should name things for the channel!! You all have been with me for so long, it only feels right, y'know?

Anyhow, thank you so much for reading!! I hope you've had a wonderful New Year, and that great things await you on the horizon!💖

[slack-wise]

Creative year in review 2024

1. I have a tradition of looking over the previous year from a creative bent. I tend to start with success/failure rates submitting to open calls. This year has been pretty kind. 15 submissions with 7 Yeses. That's a 47% success rate, which might be my best ever. Certainly compared to last year where I had a 100% failure rate! (which was unprecedented). Also in previous years I had ended up peppering these submissions, but in more recent times they have been paired back and slightly more targeted.

2. Of course submitting to open calls is only a small part of the whole spectrum. One of the biggest things I got out of the door in 2024 was XXto2, a (thick) zine I made with the super talented Tyrone Williams. We had been hatching the project for a while and were approaching publishers, despite a whiff of interest from a couple of small independent presses we ended up self-publishing the project. We launched at an event organised by the wonderful Photomafia studios (run by Joe Westley and Alex Macchiarelli). We put up a small, very haphazard exhibition and sold some zines. There are a handful left at: https://slackwise.org.uk/shop/xxto2/

3. What is quite notable this year is that I have hardly taken any photographs. I started working on a a huge project earlier in the year, but didn't make much headway. In fact I have only just sent off two rolls of film to be developed at the end of December. The only other photography I seemed to have engaged in are instant Fuji Instax images taken on the large format camera (with a Lomograflok back). I had been thinking though, when people ask and realise how expensive large format film is, I think even in my busiest periods I might only shoot 20 4x5 negatives in a single year and very often less.

4. In August our studio, studio MALARKEY hosted its first arts event since we set up shop. It was coordinated with NN Contemprary and called NNights. There were several venues around the town hosting arts events for one evening in early August. The footfall was very good and we had some curious visitors to our studio.

5. Probably the biggest thing I was involved in this year was the show we curated at studio MALARKEY called 'Apparition / Aberration / Your Mum'. This brought together 22 internaitonal artists presenting an array of work centered around themes of witchcraft, metaphysics, sacred geometry, the unknown and conjuring with a sprinkling of humour. I also showed a work in this exhibit. I was formulating the idea in June and gave myself a September deadline to take a single photograph. The image I made is a reworking of the Four of Cups Tarot card. But by far the biggest boon was contacting the artists, logistics, ordering prints, curating then mounting the show. Very proud of this one.

6. Another big thing for this year seemed to be purchasing (or gifted) artists books and zines. I don't think I have ever highlighted this in previous years, but 2024 seemed notable. I bought publications by Andreas Olesen, James Casebere, Lynn Cohen, Ariel C. Wilson, Al Palmer, Tyrone Williams (my collaborator from earlier this year), Billy & Hells (who included a lovely artists proof print), Lewis Baltz, Lauren Hubbard, Hikaru, Joe Westley and an extraordinary book called Made of concrete - 2011, from a trio of artists Sami Benhadj Djilali, Tarik Hayward and Guy Meldem (image pictured).

7. Odds and sods: I finally got a scanner (very affordably) that can cope with 8x10 negatives. I bought a 3m long pneumatic cable release (see next point). Very tangential: I got to see Melt-Banana perform live (this was on my bucket list). I mothballed my bot, Glyphbot. I built a new website for a very discerning customer, Jessica Harby. I backed a Kickstarter that is making a digital leaf shutter for large format cameras. Leaf shutters have not been manufactured since 2016.

8. What is next? I am working on a book (literally as we speak). Like most of my projects it has been delayed, was hoping to put it out this year, but it will roll into next. I have taken the final photographs for it, now comes the arduous task of layout. Hoping to publish it with a local artist friend who has a small press and is an all round mensch. In the summer as part of NNights I am hoping to open MALARKEY to use as a portrait studio. I have an old 5x7 camera (see above). Earlier this year I bought 4 film holders for it (these are quite hard to come by in the UK) plus the seller threw in 2 boxes of black and white film. I want to get sitters to take their own portraits using a very long 3m cable release I managed to pick up. I plan to take the portraits in a very narrow corner of the hoist room (a little annex to our studio). Think Irving Penn, German Expressionist cinema and this lovely old portrait by Cecil Beaton.

Err that's it!

You can peruse the 2023 review here (if you want).

[missielynne]

I feel so out of sync with the Ghosts fandom! I just don't care at all about fanwanking everyone's gender and sexual identity and even the canon romances are meh to me. And I was so meh about this Christmas episode while everyone else loved it. The possessions didn't work for me at all, and the Pete stuff...not to sound heartless, but we've already been down that exact same road with him and Laura so it didn't hit nearly as hard this time. I also don't love Jay as much as most do---he's kind of a wimp who apparently went years without standing up for Sam to his family and he's always so desperate for acceptance. Speaking of his family, yet another way I'm different from most of the ghosts fandom is that I can't STAND Bela. Like Jay, she thinks way too highly of herself and is kind of a social climber but lacks Jay's endearing qualities. Can't wait to read your review of this ep!

What are a few predictions you have for the rest of this season? Not obvious ones like Nisaac getting back together (which...yawn!) but kind of bold and unexpected ones?! Mine: Trevor is getting sucked off, Sam will discover she's pregnant and Hetty's power has something to do with time travel!

I totally get it, even though I will disagree to varying degrees on varying levels on some of those things. (Like for instance, Bela's my girl but I see where you're coming from.)

As for the episode itself...it's weird cause I DID like it...but not as a Christmas episode. It didn't feel particularly like a Christmas episode at all compared to its predecessor unless it was trying to replicate the holiday chaos of something like Home Alone or Christmas Vacation (neither of which are faves of mine. I prefer the stuff with warmer, happier endings and messages). I feel like the Christmas part of it was so on the periphery of the story that they could have made each possession be its own normal episode and the same story could have been told without it changing anything.

Like I LOVED the idea of Nancy helping Sam indirectly make headway with her mother-in-law in ways she couldn't do on her own. That was cool. But was it particularly Christmassy a la Thor the Grinch possessing Sam and learning what Christmas means? No, it was not.

And Pete possessing Jay? Entertaining and I LOVED that it gave him the opportunity to meet the ghosts "in person", but I wish they could have used the opportunity for the two to connect more rather than just turning Pete into a Hetty who's using the possession for his own gain (even though I understand the whole Laura thing and love them connecting, it was under a circumstance that could have happened any time.) I'm hoping that since the showrunners and writers know how big the Pete/Jay face to face/connection is to all of us, they're doing some sort of build up, from first trip out together to possession to...whatever comes next until they finally do talk and it's like a Very Special Episode or something.

Now I don't feel as strongly about Jay as you do, but I definitely agree with the idea that there needs to be some sort of reckoning in his and Sam's relationship where he finally just, I don't know, starts spilling out all his frustrations and says how he really feels. And I don't care if it leads to them having marriage troubles or what (if it's temporary and leads them both to actually learn something) but I hate Jay always having to get the short end of the stick and doing nothing to improve the situation. It's very frustrating.

I agree about Trevor getting sucked off. I won't be surprised if it happens because they really seem like they're setting something like that up. I hope with all my might that Sam doesn't discover she's pregnant now or at any point in the series. I really don't like this habit of showrunners feeling like every happily married couple needs to have a baby pop out of nowhere to be complete and I would like to have at least one show where that doesn't happen. (They did it in BBC Ghosts and it was a factor, IMO, why the ending was so unsatisfactory. But if it happens, I'll deal.)

Hetty's power having something to do with time travel? Interesting! Although I'm still thinking it's a phone thing. And in the Halloween episode she was going on about it showing up suddenly so maybe if she has phone powers, like there's a storm and they have no power and no way to reach anyone and then voila, in their hour of need, Hetty's power appears and she saves the day.

I also think Sas' COD is coming. Maybe something to do with food? (And possibly if that's a cause, maybe Jay's restaurant will be part of the reveal?)

And we haven't had our Stephanie episode yet so I wonder what they'll do with her and what it will take to get her sucked off? Maybe she gets to have some sort of revenge on her killer? Like he gets out of jail on parole and ends up at Woodstone somehow where she helps catch/reveal him like with Trevor and Ari but more intense?

And I wonder what else they'll do with Elias since he's coming too? Maybe there will be some talk about the Thomas and Alberta situation and we'll find out that Thomas has been chilling with his dad downstairs and...they both come up under the guise of Thomas making an apology to Alberta and...chaos ensues?

[vacantgodling]

this year was one of the first years in a long time that i TRULY committed myself to writing any and everything that i thought of and it’s been a really good feeling. so starting from this year, i wanna have a little year in review so i can look back and reminisce on how much i actually did cuz sometimes it’s hard to tell lol.

TOTAL WORDS WRITTEN (january — december 2023)

139,345 (as of 11/30 (google docs only))

i’ve written more probably, but my notes app is harder to keep track of word counts in. this total is also across all pieces of prose and poetry, though poetry isn’t a significant number lol

if this was all in one piece i’d probably have a full novel already lmao 💀

LONGEST SINGLE PIECE

paramour chapter 9 — masquerade, clocking in at 5,894 words

WIP THAT HAS MADE THE MOST HEADWAY BY THE NUMBERS

paramour is sitting pretty at 30k-ish words written overall (including me writing chapter 20 twice lol)

WIP THAT HAS MADE THE MOST HEADWAY BY THE HEART

definitely cage. i’ve had this fanfiction and wip for years and the fact that i’d finished the full outline like last year but didnt start writing it until now and how much headway ive made in such little time… i’m really proud of myself. i can’t wait to actually finish this bitch

TOP PIECES WRITTEN THIS YEAR

Worthless War -> the cherry on top, best thing i’ve written this year and probably in general for a long time.

Come To Bed -> when i lost my mind about buddy daddies earlier this year, this fic really encapsulated everything i felt about the show. i love the narration, i love how it’s fun and playful but also deep, and i remember having so much fun writing it.

Paramour Chapter 20 “Careless Whisper” -> the rewrite of chapter 20 i am UNREASONABLY obsessed with and it’s a shame i can’t post it here without giving so so so much away. i love it so much i am willing to share it with those who don’t care about spoilers lol but its smutty and emotionally charged and everything perfect about amon and hya’s fucked up mess

A Fool’s Errand -> this is in the role swap amon and hya au and tbh this au is So Fun to me. getting to be in amon’s head more often is definitely a treat and the description of the make out is PEAK

Good Feeling -> i will never be normal about hue and jihan and i think i captured their relationship esp in the early days perfectly so i’m just gonna cry about it

Ritual -> i really love this piece and giving life again to some old ocs meant a lot to me. + the smut 🤌🏾🤌🏾

Distraction -> no one knows or cares about these ocs but me and that’s okay i’ll just be feral about them on my own 😭

GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR

reach 150k words written overall

finish cage like it’s GOING to happen i will it

finish the first draft of paramour!!!

[ordinaryschmuck]

Good things that happened today:

Read the new Ultimate Black Panther and had a really badass moment where Black Panther fought Khonshu that seems like a hint of what's to come.

Made decent headway when talking about a new theme for my Owl House review

Was a slow day at work and those are ALWAYS the best days. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

Our managers were also at the store and they said that our department was PERFECT. The only complaints they had (Because I guess managers must ALWAYS list complaints) were two things that they basically pulled out of their asses that we have no real control over. So, that's good.

Good things about me:

Beard's still good on me.

I have a decent body.

I make good points in my reviews.

I can be funny when I really want to be.

I have good ideas about my OCs and stories.