#Well I do it for my enjoyment and another is. I don't have anything else going for me so

[othercrossee]

Life feels brighter when im rambling about stupid ass characters

[gallusrostromegalus]

I am constantly procrastinating working on my original fic by writing fanfic. Any advice for how to refocus and finish my novel?

Well. The novel probably needs a nap.

Procrastinating is a symptom that something is preventing you from doing the thing you "should" be doing. Most of the time it's an unrelated, but actually higher priority task like resting after an illness (society is fucking lying about anything else being more important) or filing your taxes (actually this one is pretty important).

...but if you're procrastinating on one creative project with another creative project, you're not procrastinating: something about the novel is off right now, the fanfic is more appealing to you.

Consider the following:

You may be writing fic because it brings you more joy than the novel. If you really want to get back to the novel, figure out what would make working on it more enjoyable. Engagement from a beta-editor? Skipping this really boring scene and coming back to it later? Adding more smut?

You may also be writing fic because it's got a lower spoon coat than the novel and you need to conserve your spoons right now. Any extra stress in your life? Moving? Toothache? Recovering from Covid? Annoying roommate? Sick family member? It's an election year? ANY of those could soak up extra spoons and make your novel too expensive for your spoons budget. Let it take a nap, and come back when you're feeling better.

You may be sharpening your artistic skills on a lower-stakes project before going back to the novel. This is pretty normal- even Michaelangelo took breaks to work on other pieces while sculpting The David, both for a change of pace and so he could try something out without fucking up the big block.

Fortunately, you're writing, so you can always try writing the challenging scene a dozen times in different docs or save the parts that were good but don't not in a spare parts bucket doc.

Or keep working on that fic, it's helping you learn on a subconscious level.

You don't love the novel right now. This is alright. This is usually temporary, and the solution is the same- put it aside and work on something else.

Maybe you are just bored of the novel. That's fine and normal, you just save all the documents to your hard drive and come back later. When the fic inevitably gets boring too, you'll come back to the novel and either go "oh hey this kicks ass!" And return to it with renewed enthusiasm.

...Or you'll come back to it and go "oh. This is actually a piece of shit" And that's okay too, because there's nothing more useless than polishing a turd, but that turd is still valuable as compost. You learned things writing it, and you can still rifle through the novel for good lines or scenes or turns of phrase and put those in your spare parts doc to ferment into The Good Shit in the back of your mind.

HOWEVER:

If you are experiencing a different phenomenon wherein you are actively distressed while writing the fic- either out of misplaced guilt, or the fic isn't actually fun you just feel compelled to do something, or absolutely every creative endeavor is stressing you out, you may be experiencing a serious mental or physical health issue and you should see your GP or a specialist ASAP. Pain is an indicator that something is wrong. Do not ignore your body's warning light.

That sounds really dramatic and hyperbolic but realizing I was not enjoying ANY creative work was the symptom that finally got me to sit down and go "huh. All these random pains, irregular sleep cycle, frequent migraines and weird bouts of vertigo aren't normal either, I should get this looked at." And it turned out I had dangerously low blood oxygen at night from undiagnosed sleep apnea. I have a CPAP machine now and it's AMAZING.

I really hope this is regular artistic shuffle and not a serious health concern, but if you're experiencing creative stress AND a bunch of other shit, it may be serious.

[pinkeoni]

Will is Going to Die by Sacrificing Himself

...and come back to life. To me, it seems pretty obvious, but I'll explain why.

Will has been characterized as someone who puts others before himself since season one, even if it means costing him his life. The entire series starts off with Will casting fireball instead of protection during their Dungeons & Dragons game, putting his character in danger for the sake of the rest of the party.

This self-sacrificial nature is echoed in season two, but two a much more extreme end, when Will instructs everyone to close the gate to stop the Mind Flayer, despite knowing that doing so will kill him.

While we don't see this same self-sacrifice from Will in seasons three and four, we do see two related characters make their own sacrifices, possibly hinting at Will's future fate.

First we have the other character named William, Billy, sacrifice himself at the end of season three in order to stop the meat flayer.

Then in season four, we have Eddie sacrifice himself while the same song that played for Will after he came back to life in season one plays in the background— "When It's Cold I'd Like to Die" by Moby.

There are also little ways that we are told/shown of Will's selfless nature, such as giving a girl his tonka truck because she was sad, or giving Mike his painting under El's name. While this trait could be seen as admirable, I think it will ultimately be his undoing.

But why would Will need to sacrifice himself?

Well, we know that despite all of this time, Will still holds a connection to Vecna, and likely to the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down himself. Putting a stop to all of these things is going to be intrinsic to Will's arc next season.

I don't know how many people know about Noah's letterboxd, but he has been rewatching the Harry Potter movies.

Perhaps for personal enjoyment, or perhaps to study for his character?

The comparisons between Will/Vecna and Harry/Voldemort have been made before, and the Duffers are derivative of other sources if anything.

I think that this could be likened to a horcrux situation. At the end of season four, we saw Vecna be totally flambéd by the older teens, and yet, he's still kicking, and Will is the one to tell us this.

If the brain dies the body dies, but also, could the brain latch on to another body in order to keep it alive? Similar to how Harry had to die so that Voldemort could be defeated, I believe Will might have to die (at least temporarily) in order to take down Vecna/MF/UD.

We know that the show is bringing back "Should I Stay or Should I Go," which is going to prompt an important question that Will needs to find the answer to, should he stay or should he go? While this could also relate to his romantic endeavors for the season, I think that the song could be alluding to Will's choice to sacrifice himself in order to save everyone else.

What I think will probably happen is this: At some point in the season, Will is going to learn what has to happen, and he is going to go off to sacrifice himself without telling anyone so no one can stop him. (I'm guessing that Will can't just off himself, there's probably a specific way that it needs to be done).

Something I realized while making this post is that Mike is always the one who figures out what needs to be done, or brings up Will's sacrifice to others. My guess is that Mike is going to find out what Will is up to, and try to stop him. Emphasis on try, because I think this death is inevitable. However, bringing the show back full circle to season one (and because ST can never keep a main character dead), he will come back to life.

[jesswritesthat]

Miya Atsumu: Ticket

Fandom: Haikyuu!! — [ Masterlist ]

Summary: ~0.8k, fluff

• You always get tickets from anyone except your MSBY neighbour, but only find out why he gets so defensive about it from his twin.

Warnings: None

>>>>——————————>

It was a familiarly incessant knock at your door, one you'd grown accustomed to when its owner had something on his mind. Your assumption was correct when you'd opened the door and he immediately started talking.

"Ya were at the game today!" It was an accusation more than anything else as he took off his shoes and made his way to your kitchen with a pout. "Why didn't ya stay? We coulda walked home together."

"I wasn't about to disrupt your fans, you were literally surrounded Miya." Bemused laughter accompanied your testimony, and though understanding, Atsumu remained talkative.

"I guess, but I woulda preferred walking with ya. Also I told ya before, don't bother buyin' tickets when yer have a MSBY neighbour alright?"

"Oh, I didn't this time. I was given them so it's fine."

There came a calculating silence, the setter quietly analysing what you'd just said but his sceptical expression gave him away.

"Given? By who?"

"Bokuto-san. He was handing them out anyway, so I received one as a consolation prize." You answered casually, a shrug accompanying it.

"Then, I lost to a consolation prize?"

"How did you lose in that scenario?"

"I am also a professional volleyball player y'know, on the same team no less, and yet ya didn't ask me for tickets!" It was laced with bitterness on his part despite the base of sarcasm which left you thinking how to play this.

You paused for a moment and skimmed the available options, Atsumu was apparently annoyed you hadn't sought him for help no matter how petty it was (as you attended their game either way).

"I wouldn't know how to repay you Atsumu, whereas Bokuto is far easier to please."

"No payment nee— what do ya mean 'please'? Ya gave him something back?"

"Yes, a sign of affection. He was satisfied with the exchange of course since I put all of my effort into it." The proudness you’d claimed such an achievement with immediately set him on edge much to your enjoyment.

"Affection? What the heck did ya do?! (Y/n), did—"

Another knock echoed, almost déjà vu of mere minutes ago when you'd opened the door except from the darker hair you were met with.

"Hi Osamu."

"Hey (Y/n), is 'Tsumu here? Whenever he doesn't answer his door he's normally at yours." The Onigiri chef inquired, head gesturing to your neighbours.

However, you hadn't the chance to answer when the aforementioned absentee appeared behind you with his forearm resting above you on the doorframe.

"You have rubbish timing 'Samu!"

"Yeah? Ya 'bout to confess or something?" Atsumu seemed ready to throttle him (flourishing blush going amiss) before you interjected.

"No, actually I was about to confess my unholy sins which earned me MSBY tickets~" You brightly replied, Osamu flicking to you and then to his pouting brother, amused.

"Ah, that why ya got jealously radiatin’ offa ya?"

“Shut yer trap, ‘m not jealous! (Y/n) can get tickets wherever they want, mine just woulda been better.” He retreated back into your apartment cussing along the way leaving you with his victorious twin.

“I appreciate you making ‘Tsumu suffer a little but I think he woulda willingly got ya some tickets if ya asked."

"Maybe, but his family are more important and it was less hassle to accept them from Bokuto with a hug as thanks." You honestly explained with sincerity lacing your voice, the two of you making light of it.

"Does ‘Tsumu know it was just a hug? No wonder he was so pissy."

“Why? It was only a ticket, I went to support him." The way you dismissed such a clear observation so effortlessly caused him to do a double take.

Had you not noticed how Atsumu would naturally radiate to your side? How he was always somewhat aware of the situations you were in and your well-being purely by observation alone. The blonde watches over those he cares about, whether they knew it or not, and he certainly kept a polite eye on you. With that taken into account it was easy to see why Atsumu had wanted to be the one to give you something that would bring you happiness.

"Ya truly don't realise?"

“Realise what?”

Osamu thought for only a moment before an ‘innocent’ smile graced him, the man grasping your hand and walking with you deeper into your apartment to Atsumu.

A quizzical glare crossed the blondes features upon noting your entwined hands and only doubled down when Osamu left you and slung and arm over his shoulder.

The tone was deadpan, as if presenting a blisteringly obvious fact for all to see.

“He wants ya to ask him for tickets from now on. No hug necessary.”

“So ya only hugged him? Man I thought I lost ma chance to tell ya I liked ya.” There was instant relief there, the man practically melting into a puddle on the floor completely unawares of what he’d just admitted.

“Wait, Atsumu you like me?”

“No! I never said that, ya must be fantasising.”

Osamu only smirked triumphantly which told you he’d planned this from the start and was more than happy to continue digging his brothers’ grave.

“Nah ya definitely said it.”

“It’s okay, we can talk—“

“If ya don’t quit pestering me, ’m gonna want more than a hug for those tickets - yer will have to let me take ya on a date instead!” There was an accusing point toward you accompanying his petty justification, leaving Osamu painfully rolling his eyes. Part of him thought his brother would smoother with it, but apparently was an awkward mess when expressing romantic feelings on the fly.

“A date? Those tickets better be front row then, that’s for sure.”

This time he smiled, the first genuine and bright smile Atsumu had worn all evening like he’d got his spark back. Almost giddy with excitement if you had to guess what he was trying to subdue.

“Only the best for ya, VIP and all.”

<——————————<<<<

[17020]

RULE OF THIRDS

high school is home for a lot of things, including jealousy and drama. My ex's misery is your enjoyment this time! this is love triangles, with the wind breaker men. warnings for manga spoilers (last blurb), drinking, ooc ume (sawrryyyy) !! tagging @kaiser1ns !!

A NIGHT OF REVELATIONS.

REN KAJI, featuring TOMA HIRAGI

ren kaji set aside his ego and pride to attend some afterparty because he knew you would be there. that meant a lot.

and at first, everything was… fine? he stepped out of his comfort zone, headphones down as he listened to the beats of the music which played over the speakers. his eyes met yours, with you linking your pinky with his.

"what? you wanna dance with me?" he questioned, his tone almost accusatory. it was what he wanted more than anything, yet he made it sound as if it was your desire. the mere thought of your skin grazing his made his heart want to burst out of his chest.

"you want me to dance to feid? no fucking way rennie, i don't dance to that. plus, you should take care of toma, he's on another planet."

sure, the song was ass, yet he still felt his heart shatter. he watched as you waltzed away, heading towards your friend group to chat. kaji turned his head to the side, only to find his upperclassmen staring back at him. his bloodshot eyes were puffy, lips pursed before he raised an almost empty bottle of god-knows-what to his lips.

great. now he has to babysit.

when he sat down next to hiragi, kaji had a bad feeling.

“m’gonna do it tonight, kaji.”

call it foresight, or a crazy good intuition, but ren kaji knew his heart would sink this very night. “good” he hummed. it was the only thing to come out of his mouth, as he felt his stomach churn from the anxiety.

“ya sure ya don’t feel anything for her?”

“all good” he squeaked, “let me know how it goes.”

when he found you a while later, kaji was stunned. there you were, drunk out of your mind and blowing smoke out of your pretty lips, body swaying to one of fanny lu's greatest hits.

with kota. fucking. sako.

it was a night of revelations, seeing as the once grumpy blond had a tiny smile on his face, mouthing the lyrics to don juan while facing you. his stiff body was now in sync with yours, chuckles escaping your lips as you commented on how great of a dancer he was.

kaji saw you stumble, and he took that as a sign. he knew he had to care for you. that, and the fact that he also had to get you away from sako, for his own mental wellbeing. with his hand getting ahold of yours, kaji guided you to a more secluded space of the patio, patting your head and asking if you're okay.

"you should go home, yn. you've had enough to drink."

when he asked to hang with you the day after, kaji was wary. sitting down next to one another in one of cactus bakery's booths, he sighed.

"you got home safe?"

"mhm."

"you didn't dance with me."

"yeah, i didn't."

"you did with sako, though."

resting your head on his shoulder, you laughed. "fanny lu is certainly not denied to anyone! if you had chosen another song other than feid's, i certainly would've danced with you, rennie."

a small smile appeared on his face as his mind raced on about what could have been the greatest night of his life, only to come back to his senses after he realized it could have been someone else's.

"anything else happen?"

"yeah" you shrugged, "hiragi texted me this morning, said he liked me."

he froze. since when was he hiragi to you?

"…well, what'd you say?"

ren kaji thought he was going to die.

"turned him down. he's like a brother to me, and i made that abundantly clear. he took it well, so that's that! he thanked me for being so mature about it."

last night was now certainly the greatest night of kaji's life, as he realized he still has a chance.

WHEN ONE STORY CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS.

HAJIME UMEMIYA, featuring JO TOGAME

hajime umemiya was going to pop a blood vessel when he saw none other than shishitoren's second-in-command's hand holding yours, noses nearly grazing each other as he leaned down to whisper in your ear. your giggles, which were once his favorite tune, were now like nails on a chalkboard.

because it was togame who made you laugh.

his anger was indetectable, a smile plastered on his face as he observed the way in which you laughed at his jokes, how you tilted your head to the side and looked at him with those alluring eyes of yours, how you reached out to him when talking.

screw that, it was so obvious that umemiya was fucking jealous, as his eyes were squinted, his face had an expression of disgust, and one could swear that his left eyelid was trembling.

when you went to him a few days later telling him you had exchanged socials with togame, umemiya simply nodded with a smile on his face, congratulating you on how well things were going. he thought his soul was going to leave his body.

"he said he used to play street ball, and he played as a striker, and he wants to play volleyball with me! can you believe that, ume?"

"that's great, y/n! y'know i used to play street ball too, i was well-known for that back in the day, i used to play for my middle school as a striker" he grinned, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "i could teach you to play both sports if you'd like! you wouldn't have to hop onto shishitoren turf that way."

hajime umemiya was utterly adorable.

that same night you received a text.

UME !! <3 This Thursday me and my siblings are gonna play ball! You wanna join?

umemiya's t-shirt fit you like a glove.

having little attire for a match, umemiya offered to gift you one of his shirts for you to play in, and the white and baby blue stripes made you look fantastic. to him, you were an angel sent from heaven to bless his eyes, as well as the football 'field'.

after playing like total lunatics, umemiya sat down cross-legged in the middle of the park's grass, you laying down and having your head resting on his thighs.

what umemiya wanted to do in that moment was kiss you senseless.

"hey ume… can you help me with something?"

"sure thing."

"togame's sort of being a bit pushy, and i don't have any interest in him at all. can you take a picture with me so that he'll shoo?"

his eyes sparkled more than the world's most expensive diamond. he excitedly nodded, asking you to open your phone's camera as he gently moved so that he laid beside you, resting his head on your shoulder and his arm wrapped around your waist.

click!

umemiya felt like the luckiest man in the world when he found out togame had seen your story with him and had suddenly ghosted you.

GOOD PEOPLE, GOOD DEEDS.

HARUKA SAKURA, featuring YAMATO ENDO

when haruka sakura heard of a certain someone's temporary return to furin, he thought nothing of it. except for when that certain someone came waltzing up to him after seeing him interact with you a few minutes prior, a smug smile on his face.

"so, sakura! mind slippin' me her number?"

"huh?"

"yeah! that girl you were talking to before, she's totally my type."

"and why the hell would i do that?"

endo laughed as he placed his arm on sakura's shoulders, seeing how the boy in question's face turned beet red. "because, sakura, you're a good person! good people do good deeds!"

there was no way in hell haruka sakura was giving him your number. matter of fact, he didn't budge!

so why in the fuck were you giggling in front of him at pothos, telling him yamato endo was in your messages asking you out to breakfast?

sakura's eye started to twitch as he asked how he got your number, nearly spitting out his omelette rice when you told him nirei had given him your number. when you told him that endo was planning on coming to furin on saturday to meet up with you, his face became a newfound shade of red. whether it was from anger or from endo's affection towards you, he did not know.

friday came by, and to sakura's surprise…

"oh gosh, haru!"

"what's going on?"

"endo cancelled breakfast, said he couldn't make it since he's on his turf and can't come to bofurin's."

"'s a shit move to cancel last minute."

"but, tsubaki told me there's a party over at keisei street tomorrow night. wanna come with? i don't wanna go alone."

sakura's ears and cheeks were flushed as he stuttered a reply: a meek and simple 'yeah'. you smiled as you wrapped your arms around sakura, too excited to even let him react. when saturday night came around, you thought you were going to die.

yamato endo was in keisei street, grinding on another girl as he asked for her number.

your jaw dropped to the floor. to your surprise, sakura was even more enraged than you were. grabbing your wrist, he dragged you over to a bench, sitting you down and placing your head on his shoulder.

"let it out."

confused, you asked what he meant by it. he laid his head on top of yours, with you feeling how his stiff body slowly softened as he sighed.

"i said let it out. yer obviously hurt by that asshole, so let it out."

your sobs were swallowed by the blaring music, but for some reason, the sadness quickly faded away, instead being replaced with a sense of tranquility. as if you belonged there, with sakura by your side.

sakura was sure that yamato endo was a good person, doing him a favor by leaving you all to himself.

note. this is for my boyfriend. this is what you get for calling me your stinky poo. i am not a poo. the poos are your friends who tried to get with me later on. or perchance the poo has been you all along, because you did not give one shit that they liked me and you made your move. love always, your princess.

update 15/10: this is for my ex. you deserved this because you're a piece of shit who literally (allegedly) got with your best friend's (the character behind endo) girlfriend. fuck you you piece of trash.

[bluecollarmcandtf]

Construction Dog Co.

Each one of these dumb brutes belongs to me! They once had their own lives and careers, but I replaced all that with the blind obedience of a dog. My words dictate their reality, so they'll believe anything I say. That's why it seems perfectly normal for them to wait like this every morning. They'd kneel there all day if I let them, but they need to work eventually!

"Get off your knees, dogs! Hop to work! It's the only thing you're good for!" I yell it with venom, but I relish seeing my words soaking in into their minds. With just a simple command, I've convinced them all that they are animals, good only for hard work and manual labor.

The men rush to their feet, scrambling to pick up where they'd left off yesterday. I don't bother understanding the minor details of their day to day responsibilities. I have different boys programmed to manage all that crap for me. I really only bother watching them sweat their days away.

Being the supervisor can get a bit boring, especially after hearing, "Thank you, boss. I love you, boss," for like the seventh time in a day. It kind of loses it's meaning after awhile.

That's why I often use them for entertainment. Watch this!

"Hey, you two!" I call, pointing at two sweaty workers nearby, "You're in love with each other. Make out!"

Despite being hot and exhausted, the two men drop their tools and perk up. When they meet each other's eyes it's like they're seeing one another for the first time. They practically slam their bodies together in a race to each other's throat, and within seconds the two guys are lost in a world of dirt, saliva, and lust.

I do this with my men often, but who could blame me! I handpicked each one of them because they were strong and hot. If they're going to be hypnotized work slaves, then I need to enjoy how they look.

"You too aren't doing anything else but each other for the rest of the day," I command with a laugh, "Got it?"

"Yes, sir," their replies are moaned out between breaths.

A lot of my laborers were straight before they met me, but these two were creeps about it. I think I found them at the gym, hitting on girls between every set. I obviously enjoyed erasing their raunchy personalities. I find it even more enjoyable watching them grope and slobber over each other, knowing that those bodies would've never done that before I came along.

Those jagoffs are just the beginning of my day! I leave them after they've tumbled to the ground, humping each other like the dumb animals they are.

"You there!" I point to a different guy, quietly stacking blocks nearby, "Get over here and clean the floor as I walk. These Timberlands are brand new and I don't want mud on them."

"Yes, sir," the worker answers and rushes over, throwing himself to the ground before me.

I chuckle and study the poor loser in front of me. With just a few short words, I have him scrubbing a place for me to walk like I'm his king. I scoff in disbelief when I finally recognize who the guy was.

"Wait, are you that jerk from the bank?"

"Yes, sir," he admits quietly, keeping his head lowered towards his work.

"Well shit, you've come a long way! Can you believe that a week ago you were some fancy banker who tried to deny me a loan?" I give his head a little nudge with the toe of my shoe, "This is a much better place for you...uh... Robert...or was it Roger?"

"Reggie, sir," he quickly corrects me.

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore," I scowl at him, "Forget your name. You're just a construction dog, now. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Who are you?"

"I'm...I'm just a construction dog." I can tell he believes it now, too. I'm probably the only one here that knows his real name, and I'll definitely forget it within a few days.

"Good boy," I pat him on the head, "Now, you're going to stay ahead of me and keep clearing the floor for me to walk."

Reggie mumbles "Yes, sir," and crawls forward to scrub away the dirt in my immediate vicinity. Continuing on my tour, the poor guy struggles to keep up on all-fours, but a good work animal must get used to that position.

By the end of the day, my entire pack of men is sweaty and exhausted. I usually make them all work the maximum shift with no breaks, so it makes sense for them to be tired. Still, they are programmed to come and kneel before me, waiting to be dismissed. They're all a bit antsy for a rest, but I like to test their patience.

"Alright, boys. You're dismissed for the night."

With a collective groan, they climb back to their feet, marching off to the bunk house.

The bunk house is where I keep them when they aren't working. It might seem tight but each guy has enough room to sleep; although, I make them share because I don't want to purchase anymore bunk spaces. I don't really like to spend any money on them. They have access to the porta-john out back, but otherwise they aren't allowed to go anywhere else. I also only gave them the clothes they work in, so they sleep in them too.

Needless to say, it stinks in there. Between the heat, body odor, unwashed clothes, and lack of showers, they've created quite the stench. I avoid their home as much as I can, but sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me. This is the first time I've seen it in weeks.

"Come on boys, don't look so glum!" I chastise them, "Smile! Act like you're happy to see me!"

I watch as a switch goes in each of their minds. Slowly, they snap out of their foggy eyed depression, and light up. The energy of the room transforms as reassuring smiles spread across each of their manly faces.

"That's better! You boys are a tight-knit team! You love each other!" I add, "You don't mind the back-breaking work, or the smell, or anything as long as you're together."

The men become even more at ease, relaxing into the arms of their coworkers. My heart is warmed a little, seeing them getting along with each other so well. They're acting like energetic little puppies now.

I'm ready to leave them for the night. It's time for me to return to my luxury condo down the street, but before I do, I catch sight of one of my workers. An idea springs into my head.

"You, there. Come with me."

"Yes, sir," he answers, though he seems genuinely disappointed to be leaving his buddies.

I lead him outside and hose him off to remove at least some of the mud and sweat. We walk all the way to my apartment. Luckily, he's mostly dry by then so I take him inside.

"Is this going to take awhile, sir?" he asks nervously, "I'm pretty tired and my bedmate is going to sleep soon."

"Shut up and get on the bed," I command.

His mouth snaps shut and he obediently approaches my soft king bed, crawling onto it like I told him to. I sigh when I notice that the stupid oaf still tracked a lot of mud in. I'll have to make him clean it all up later.

"Now, you aren't going to speak or move unless I tell you too," I instruct, "But you will realize that anything I do will be exactly what you want: no matter what I do..."

He gazes back at me numbly.

"Tell me you understand."

"I understand, sir," he instantly repeats.

Tonight is going to be a long night for him. Too bad he still has to wake up early and report to work. I'm already planning on sleeping in. I don't mind keeping my workers waiting for a few hours while I rest. It's my company after all, and they're just dogs for labor...

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Peaceful property is a bl even if it's not. It's also about so many other things although not really delivering on a consistent message.

I thought about adding my thoughts to this thread but it was getting long and I started to get sidetracked so I decided to just make my own post about it and share my thoughts on it. @lurkingshan @bengiyo and @twig-tea all made good point about why this show is faltering with its own themes, and @respectthepetty made a compelling argument that the show knows what its doing.

I think no one is wrong and I land somewhere in the middle with it. As in, depending on what I choose to care about. Much like @respectthepetty, I am bias about this show. For different reasons tho. I like Tay and New a lot so I lead with that instead of my critical thinking. just as a personal aside, I tend to do this when my brain and heart don't align. I ignore when my brain tells me that the show is doing something wrong so that I can enjoy the rest. This works particularly well with QL for some reason. I am after all a person who liked Dangerous Romance even when my brain kept trying to damper my enjoyment with logic. And also sometimes I'm a hypocrite and there's no reason for why I like a show and not another. Ok, there's usually a reason but it's most often not a good one, or a rational one at least. That's just how it is.

Anyway. Because of all the excellent points made by that post I decided to fully engage my brain and I've been thinking about what this show is trying to say and I agree that unfinished business is the main thing in the ghost stories but I would have to shut off my brain completely to not see how class factors into all of it as well.

The ghosts up until now, except the chef, were all lower class and one can argue that it played a part in how they died or what happened after. I'm not including episode 7 for reasons that I will explain in a bit. Even if Ride's unfinished business was about love, the fact that he was the only rider doing deliveries in the rain, at least to me, read as he was driven by the need to make money in the first place. Even in the chef's case, the customer that Peach basically poisoned was rich and it was a part of the headlines about it and the reason for the restaurant getting shut down. Also most of the individual stories didn't get deep into these issues, case of the week usual issues, but it was always an underlying theme. Also as @twig-tea said all the parallels work even better because this disparity also exists between Home and Peach.

All this gets me to how I started this post. This is a bl even if it isn't. The choice to include the tragic bl storyline in the middle of this, in my own brain, can only be explained if I believe this is a bl. (The tragic bit was thematically consistent with this show.) Specifically a gmmtv bl. Cause ultimately they have a tendency to forsake narrative consistency if it stops serving the main romance. It's also the only way I can explain having a bl pair mirroring the other bl pair on screen. So in that way it's consistent with gmmtv. Just brush aside anything that can get in the way of the couple not having a happy ending. This is also how I explain my biggest issue with it. Pangpang. She's the shipper. She's been the shipper from basically the start.

Home basically killed her brother, why would she be the driving force in getting him forgiven? Because of my previously admitted bias, I forgave Home almost immediately. It's New and he didn't mean it, it was an accident and he wanted to call for help and do the right thing but his family interfered and.... I could come up with a lot of reasons because I want to forgive him. So everything else can be ignored. But all this obviously doesn't apply to Pang. So it can only be the bl in the not a bl show.

Now, on full brainy mode, this last episode makes no sense with everything else this show has been saying until now. They used a branded pair to ignore any class disparity between our mains, since the last ghost story didn't really parallel that, and over the forgiveness part, and jump straight into Peach has forgiven Home and will probably now become his saviour. Don't even get me started on the fact that Peach is still broke but saving the rich dude that turned his life to crap will be the most important thing right now. I wonder if gmmtv has ever ignored class disparity between a main couple and instead focused on the richer dude's drama while ignoring the struggle of the other one, all in favour of the main romance and lovey dovey moments 🤔. But I guess I'll reserve full judgement on that until the next episode.

yeah, so basically this is where I am at with this show. My two sides are fighting but come next wednesday my brain will take the back seat for 45 minutes so I can enjoy Tay and New and after that maybe I'll think about it some more.

[rafesbabyg1rl]

The Watcher ~ Part One

Part Two

Summary: Rafe Cameron x Reader, Stalker!Rafe x Pogue!Reader Reader's parents work late on Friday nights, which she spends alone. Except Reader hasn't been alone in a long time, not that she knows of at least. Rafe has watched you for years, he's very good at it. He has no plans of formally meeting you, as he's satisfied with the current arrangement. He likes it better when Reader doesn't know he's watching. But his idea of staying an anonymous stalker is ruined when reader catches him in her bedroom one Friday night. Rafe has to figure out how to fix his mistake before he loses the only thing that makes his life worth living.

Warnings: Rafe stalks reader...that's literally the entire plot. He's pretty pervy in this, I guess. Masturbation (Rafe) in front of unconscious reader, strong/vulgar language, somnophilia (I guess?), death threat(?). If I missed anything from this part that I should include in the warnings, please let me know!

Word Count: 5.9k

Author Note: My sneak peek got a few likes, so thank you if you liked it, y'all are the reason I'm finally posting this part! I'm not sure how I feel about this fic so far, I definitely have a habit of overly critiquing my own work and never being fully satisfied with it, but I'm trying to get over that. I don't have plans for this fic, it's just going in whatever direction I can think of as I write, so if you have any suggestions, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEE let me know, I'll write pretty much anything. This is my first work published on tumblr and the first thing I've written in years, so I hope it's at least readable, and maybe even a little enjoyable. If just one person enjoys this, then my mission is accomplished. Thank you, I hope you enjoy! And do NOT be shy to share feedback or give suggestions/requests. Again, thank you!

For those of you that DID read the sneak peek, a large portion of this part was included in the sneak peek, but I highly suggest reading it over in it's entirety. This draft has undergone several additional rounds of editing and I believe it is better than the version I published as a sneak peek.

CREDITS: The foundation of this fic was heavily inspired by/ based off of one of @faiszt 's bots on character ai. So, if you like this and you like character ai, I greatly suggest that you check out the bot!

One thing about humans is that we always want what we can’t have, especially when everyone else wants that same thing. It’s just something all humans do; but what happens when you already have more than you need and everything you could ever want? Well, almost everything. Rafe Cameron has more money than he could spend in his own lifetime, he can practically buy anything he wants. Except one thing, you.

At first he just thought you were pretty, but the more he saw you out in public the more and more he liked you. The way you’d talk or laugh when you were out with your friends…god, he could tell just how sweet you are. Too delicate for him to touch, like the wings of a butterfly or the petals of a flower. This is when he went from wanting you to needing you. 

See, another thing about humans is that we admire things. And, admiration can easily turn into obsession. Everyone has been obsessed with something or someone at some point in life, it’s normal. Obsessions will come and go, like a cycle. You get obsessed with something, you get over it, and you let it go until a new obsession marks the beginning of the new cycle. But things are a bit different for Rafe, he has never gotten over anything like, ever. Not once has Rafe Cameron ever let anything in his life go. When Rafe wants something, when he needs something, he will do whatever it takes to get it. And oh, how he needs you.

Rafe’s fascination, his obsession with you has been going on for years. He won’t ever admit it, but his perfectly curated collection of your personal items in his closet proves just how bad he’s been obsessing over you. The first thing he had ever stolen from you was your drink, you had been at the same party and you left your red solo cup about three-quarters full. Nobody noticed anything when he casually picked up the cup and finished the rest of your beer, purposely lining his lips with where yours had touched the cup, which was perfectly marked by the lipstick you had been wearing. After you’d leave a restaurant, he’d take the straws from your drinks. Rafe eventually worked himself up to breaking into your house and stealing your things when nobody was home. And Rafe made sure to explore every single inch of your room. All of your favorite panties? Gone. He’d take everything, your shirts, bras, whatever he liked really. You had noticed things kept disappearing from your room, but you’d just think you misplaced it–whatever it may be, or left it in a bag somewhere. Rafe had a good system. He knows exactly how much and how often he can take from you. 

Rafe knows he’s sick. He knows that it’s wrong to watch you from outside your bedroom window, that it’s wrong to follow you around in public, to purposely bump into you so you have to mutter a ‘sorry’ as you move around him. He just really, really needs you. And in Rafe’s twisted, dark, mess of a mind he believes this is the best way–the only way. He couldn’t treat you like every other girl, no, you were special. You were his and you just didn’t know it yet. Starting early on in his life, Rafe has always been neglected, always pushed into the shadow of his younger sister, Sarah. He’s been told he ruins everything, that everything he touches turns to ash. And you’re way too perfect to ruin. So, he follows you around like a creep, lurking from a distance. Of course you didn't know he’s been following you everywhere…he liked it better that way.

Rafe knew the line had already been crossed. Hell, the line had been crossed a long fucking time ago. He doesn’t care anymore, he needs you. Heaven is smelling like you; and not because you had left your scent on him, but because he had bought the same perfume as you. He needed to know what you smell like, how sweet you are…how sweet you taste. Heaven is watching your chest rise and fall as you sleep peacefully in your bed. Heaven is you.

What Rafe has been doing to you for years could be defined as worship. Rafe was worshiping you. He’s your good boy; your loyal man and he was going to take care of you; protect you, even if you don’t know it yet. You’re what he lives for; you’re all that keeps him going, the only thing he cares about. 

Since he’s been watching you for years, of course he knew your schedule. Of course he knew that on Fridays your parents work late at the local bar & grill that they own. This means you slept in your house by yourself practically every Friday night. So every Friday night, Rafe would sneak in through the back door that you always forget to lock. He just wants to check on you, he wants to see his pretty girl sleeping beautifully, he wants to know that his baby is okay. This is not a crime, it’s not a crime to care; he’s not insane, he’s just in love–if you could even call it that. How can it be wrong to protect what’s his? Oh, and god forbid anyone ever get in the way of his stalking routine, if anyone were to take you away from the inevitable path of meeting him…oh, the things he would do; whatever it takes.

One unforgettable Friday night, you fall asleep on your couch watching a rerun of one of your favorite shows. You enjoy being alone. If only you knew you haven’t been alone for a very long time. You’re woken up by sudden, loud noises coming from your bedroom, but you think maybe it’s just the cat, or maybe you didn’t shut your window. You get up from the couch and in several slow, cautious steps you tiptoe over to your room. When you enter your doorway, you’re immediately greeted by the sight of a tall and broad man standing in the center of your bedroom holding the last shirt you wore to his nose, breathing in your scent. The sight of all this makes you immediately freeze and stand motionless in your bedroom doorway, staring at him blankly. 

Rafe doesn’t startle when he realizes you’ve caught him red-handed. Instead, quite the opposite actually. He’s actually a bit amused, relieved even; if you hadn’t caught him just now, he never would’ve been able to work up the nerve to finally talk to you. He didn’t want to have to be creepy about things between you two, but he couldn’t talk to you like a normal person. It’d be too unpredictable, too unknown. Meeting you like this…he has all of the control. 

“There you are,” he grinned. “How beautiful…” The strangely offputting man gloated in your fear and it was obvious.

You take a step back from where you had been frozen. He takes a step forward. This cannot be happening, you think. Your brows furrow in hopelessness and defeat. Again, you freeze where you are standing, even more afraid to move now. 

You feel like you’ve seen the man before, which you have, plenty of times; but he was careful to never have too big of an interaction, so that you couldn’t recognize his face. You have no clue that you’ve been and always will be his.

 “W-wha…who are you? W-why are you in my house?” You try to keep your voice as strong as possible, but the way your words shake with trepidation betrays you. 

The man takes a quick step forward, slowing to a stop and putting his hands up in mock surrender as you jump back. “Woah, woah, hey…calm down, alright?”, he chuckles when he sees the utter horror and complete fright in your eyes. His tone switches into one of a little more seriousness, “I'm not here to hurt you, you don't need to be so scared...”.  If you didn’t feel like your only choice was to look him in the eyes, you might even believe him. But, you had no other option but to witness the animalistic spark in his eyes that lit up with each word he spoke. With each step he took, you took one further back—your heart dropped into your stomach at the sight of his cocky, twisted smile and the way he looked at you…like you’re a zebra grazing in your natural habitat and he’s the lion waiting to pounce and attack you in your own home. 

“I just wanted to see you," he leaned up against your dresser, taking in the look on your face. His face almost instantly drops the predatory look and adopts one of mock concern, almost convincing enough to hide his amusement. “Hey, it's okay, baby, it’s okay…”

“Please,” you beg. “If you leave I won’t call the cops. I won’t tell.”

Rafe cocks his head and lets out a slow breath, as if he’s disappointed in your reaction; you aren’t supposed to want him to leave. “Hey, hey…I’m not gonna hurt you. Just listen to me…you don’t wanna have to call the cops at three in the morning,” he elaborated. He’s trying to be as convincing as he can because he cannot screw this up. Even so, he still can’t help his smile that only grows at the sight of your terrified face. He shakes the smirk off, adopting a serious expression once more. “Especially when the cops won't be able to do a damn thing.” 

He continues to step closer to you with each word. He stops once his figure is looming over you, looking at you like a lion about to pounce on its prey. “You should really be more careful, sweetheart, leaving the back door open like that at this time of night, when you’re all alone…you never know who might be out there.” His voice is cold as he warns you about the dangers of the world; the dangers of himself. 

“Who are you?” You repeated. The man looks so familiar but you just couldn’t quite place his face anywhere. You just need to know what he wants; who he is. 

“That’s not important right now baby…we’re focused on you, yeah?” The man’s eyes widen, taking in every detail of your face; the only other times he’s seen you this close is when he watches you sleep. 

You could feel his breath on your face as he spoke. The look in his eyes tells you to take another step back, but when your back collides with the wall you jump; there’s nowhere left for you to go and that was exactly how he wanted it. He wanted you like this alone, afraid, and cornered. He loved your fear. The man stares at you with a predatory look although aside from the darkness and lust in his eyes, you can see something else, but…what is it?  

“W-what do you want?” You ask, keeping as calm as you can. Even though with every passing second the air gets thinner and thinner. Your stomach is in knots and your throat starts to close up. Not to mention the stinging tears in your eyes, threatening to fall at any given moment.

“Me?” he cocked an eyebrow, his eyes shamelessly roaming your body as he blew out a huff. “I just wanna have a little chat, that's all...” The unknown man takes another step towards you, invading your personal space, his tall frame towering over you as his bottom lip finds a home between his teeth. Rafe reaches up and tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. “No need to be so scared, baby...”

“T-talk about what?” You have no idea what this man who you don’t know, could possibly want to talk about with you. Why is he acting like he knows you when you’re sure you’ve never even seen him before? Why is he…admiring you? No, that couldn’t be right. The mystery man is so confusing, all his twists and turns giving you whiplash. 

“Ah, you see...” he responds, pausing to place his other hand on the wall behind you, almost trapping you in. You feel his hot breath against the sensitive skin of your face, burning you like hot steam. His breath was slow and steady. He was completely calm. He liked this. He gave you a genuine smirk, bringing his face closer to your ear. “It’s more of a proposition really…”

“What is it…?” You ask. Not out of curiosity because honestly, you’re too afraid to know. But because you figure things might, just might go better for you if you play along. He stayed silent for a moment—enjoying the look in your eyes and your erratic breathing.

“All this fear…all this trembling...” he trails off as he brings his hand up to your chin, his thumb slowly tracing the outline of your lower lip. “It's nice to finally meet you...” He chuckles and leans in so that his lips nearly touch your ear. “Will you stop shaking like that if I tell you what I want?” His thumb moves from your bottom lip and he tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear; he doesn’t want anything getting in the way of his view of your pretty face.“Hmmm?” he challenged. “Or will you still be shaking like a scared little puppy?”

“I-I don’t…” You stutter, not being able to speak or even think clearly with the way he’s glaring at you. 

“Shhhh… ” he tutted, bringing his other hand from the wall to your lower back and drawing you even closer to him—until your body was almost flush against his, his touch surprisingly warm. “You're not answering my question,” he whispers your name as he runs his fingers through your hair, it’s softer than he’d imagined. 

“Please just…” The tears were no longer threatening as they began to fall down your cheeks. “Please…” Hearing this man who you do not know, say your name, was probably the most frightening thing to happen to you yet. 

“Shhh, stop that...” he calmly commanded when he saw the tears falling from your pretty eyes. Rafe's voice was soft but stern—he hated seeing you so distressed. His hand moved from your lower back to your chin, making you look up at him. “Hey it’s okay…it’s okay baby, no need for tears. I just wanna talk to you is all." You almost believe him for a moment with how sincere the glint in his eyes appeared. But you’ve picked up on his manipulative expressions. 

“My parents will be home soon…” You vaguely remember your parents mentioning something about something and blah blah blah…they’re closing early tonight. You really hope it’s true and isn’t just a figment of your imagination; something your mind is making up so you don’t completely give up. 

A cocky smile returned to his face as he let a small huff of amusement slip past his lips. He knew your parents were working late, just like every other Friday night. "Bullshit,” he chuckled. His hand moved back to your lower back, holding you against him. “It’s just you and me, pretty girl.” He grabs your waist and within the next second, you’re on your bed and he’s hovering over you. You can feel his hot breath in your ear, you can smell him, feel the excessive heat radiating from his body. He speaks quietly now, more serious than he’s been this entire time, “Don’t ever fuckin’ lie to me again. Got it?”

His words provoke a small whimper from you. How long has he been watching you? What’s he gonna do? What does he want to talk about? Your mind is filled with questions you’re too afraid to ask. “I-I’m not lying.” He leans down, his lips almost touching yours. Rafe’s eyes are looking straight into yours, admiring the complete and utter fear your eyes possess. He doesn’t want you to be scared of him. But fuck, does he love it.

“Oh yeah?” He mumbles as he presses his face into your hair, taking in your scent. He can’t believe he’s finally this close to you. He didn’t think it’d ever happen, and if you didn’t catch him tonight, it probably wouldn’t have. It’s meant to be, he thinks. “What did I tell you about lying, hm baby? I know you’re fuckin’ lyin’ to me, so you wanna try that again?”

Before your brain could muster up some bullshit response, the sound of the front door unlocking echoes through the hall and into your bedroom. Rafe holds his breath and puts his hand over your mouth, causing your eyes to widen as he leans to the side to glance down the hallway at the front door. “Shh…”, he whispers. You weren’t lying. Your parents came home from work early and they’re about to turn the doorknob and come inside the house. Rafe looks at you, the look in his eyes beyond unsettling. “Tell the cops…tell anyone, and I’ll come back and fuckin’ kill you, okay? This is our secret. Don’t make me come back and hurt you babe, I really, really don’t wanna have to do that, alright?” 

He has to be bluffing, right? But, when you look up to meet his gaze, you can tell; you can tell he meant every single syllable that he spoke. It’s not like the cops would believe you if you said you had a stalker anyways, you’re a pogue. And cops never believe a pogue. Rafe doesn’t need a response from you, the fear in your eyes tells him all he needs to know.

 Just before you hear the front door open, Rafe smirks at you. “We’re gonna have so much fun together baby.” Reluctantly, the disturbed man leans back and takes his hands away from you. Without another word, he walks over to your bedroom window and pushes it open. Before ducking to climb out, the large man looks back at you. Your breath hitches even further if that’s even possible.

 “Goodnight puppy.” The outline of his smug grin is visible even in the darkness of your room. Just as you hear the quiet voices of your parents enter your house, the dark figure turns and exits your window. When the man is outside you sit up and rush over to shut and lock the window behind him. 

With caution, Rafe watches as your mother comes to peek her head in your bedroom. She only lingers in your doorway long enough to see your dark shape laying in bed. Covered in blankets, you pretend to sleep, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to hold a casual conversation with your mother at the moment. And the last thing you want to do is raise any alarm. Not while he’s out there–whoever he is. Hot, salty tears fall from your eyes, wetting the soft skin of your cheeks. When she shuts the door, you let out a shaky breath, finally being able to breathe.But, you keep your eyes sealed shut. At least then you can’t see if the man is still watching you from outside your window. You lie awake for hours, how are you meant to go back to sleep after whatever the hell just happened? All you can do now is wait. Is he coming back? When will he come back? Who is he? Why does he want you? There’s a million different questions and worst scenarios circling around in your head. So, you just wait, it’s all you can do. 

As you wait, the hours turn into days, days turning into a week as the next Friday approaches you; you spend your time worrying about having to be home alone again. There still had been no sign of him since your encounter last week, but you decide to stay the night at a friend’s house, not wanting to take the risk. The second Friday after you came face-to-face with your stalker, you get a friend to spend the night with you. And now, after four weeks of waiting there’s still no sign of the deranged man. Although, if you had no knowledge of him stalking you for years he clearly is good at staying hidden. As the fourth Friday approaches, you think over your options. You can go to a friend’s house or have a friend stay over, as you’ve been doing. But, you’re tired of waiting for something to happen. You’re sick of not feeling safe in your own home and of having to look over your shoulder at all times. You used to love being alone, and now it’s been weeks since you’ve spent any time to yourself. You’ve had enough. This Friday you’re not hiding, you’re done being a coward. You will not allow this creep to keep taking away everything you love; you won’t allow yourself to waste any more time worrying about that psycho. So, you stay at home by yourself. He’s not gonna show, right? He was just bluffing or on drugs or something, that’s what you convince yourself.

You pull back the fluffy comforter on your bed and climb in. You pull the covers up and completely over yourself, you used to do this as a little girl when you’d have a nightmare or you’re scared of the thunder or the monster in your closet. If the blanket could protect you when you were little it should work now…right? Well, maybe it’d still work if you had a nightmare, but logically, what is it gonna do against your stalker? But no matter how much you force yourself to believe that he’s not coming back, you still find yourself praying. You’ve never been very religious, but recently you pray to whoever will listen. 

You had bought some sleeping pills from the store a few days after you discovered your secret stalker. They helped you sleep, since your brain hasn’t once stopped thinking about him since the whole fiasco. Reaching over, you pull out the drawer of your nightstand. You grab the bottle of pills, you swallow a couple dry and set the rest on your nightstand. The pills start to kick in quite sooner than usual, must be because you took double the amount…you’re gonna need them to fall asleep tonight. Your first night alone in weeks. In just a few short minutes, you’re out cold, buried underneath an absurd amount of pillows and blankets.

Rafe spent the past few weeks feeling overwrought after what he did. He feels wrong–a feeling he’s not used to experiencing. But it’s because he knows he’s ruined any chance he might’ve had with you. Before you caught him in your bedroom, he had a chance that you could meet him regularly and think he was just a normal guy. But now, all hopes of you ever thinking he’s ‘normal’ have been abandoned. He actually feels shame and…regret for his actions? He’s been seeing less and less of you, and it’s making him angry, so fucking angry. Your schedule has been relatively the same for the past years and now you’re switching it up? You’re hiding from him; running from him just like everyone else in his life. Maybe the things his family has been saying about him for most of his life is true; maybe everything he touches does turn to ash. God, why does he ruin everything? 

You are the one thing, the only thing that Rafe did not want to ruin. You’re the one thing in his life that’s too perfect to ruin…too innocent. But, the damage has been done. He doesn't have many options left. He could leave you alone, but then he’d be weak for not sticking to his word and he can’t have you thinking he’s weak and that you have the power. He could go back, but then what would he do? There was absolutely no way in hell you’d seriously talk to him, and he didn’t want to force himself onto you. He really wanted you to need him back, you have to want it. But everything you do or say now will be out of fear, it’ll be you trying to stay alive. He wanted you to be desperate for him, not desperate to get rid of him. Either way, you’re never gonna forgive him; you’ll always hate him now. Since you’ll feel the same no matter what he does now, he decides that he just needs to see you, he needs to talk to you again. It’s been far too long since he’s been close to you. He can’t take another goddamn second without seeing his reason to live.

He hurries over to your house, parking an entire block away as usual. He makes sure no eyes are on him as he sneaks around to your backyard. Rafe tries peeking through the curtains that block your window to see if you were in bed or not, but he can’t get a good view. He needs to know if you’re home. He needs to see you. 

Rafe sneaks around to the side of your house, checking all windows and doors in the process, but he has no such luck. But he doesn’t give up yet, he’ll get in, he’ll find a way. He tries the side door that leads into your garage. He lets out a giant breath of relief when the door clicks open. Once he’s inside the garage, he takes a quick glance around to analyze his surroundings and burn every inch of your house into his memory. When he finally enters your house, he takes his time to look around. Obviously Rafe knew you were a pogue–he knew everything about you, but you never really looked or acted like one. However, the inside of your home puts your life on display, making it very clear you’re a pogue. 

You sleep soundly, only being interrupted by the occasional dream; completely unaware that your stalker is making his way down the hall and into your bedroom. Rafe opens the door quietly. Your room is dark like the rest of your house, but the moonlight shining through your thin curtains provides just enough light that he can see the outline of your sleeping body. Now that your presence has been confirmed, he feels like he can finally breathe and he lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. 

Before he became totally obsessed with you and he’d see you occasionally in public, you used to just make him horny. He’d catch a glimpse of your smile or hear the softness in the way you spoke, or the innocence in your sweet laugh and his dick would be hard within seconds. And when his obsession grew and he’d watch you more frequently, sex with other girls started not doing anything for him. He needed you…he needs you. When he actually started paying attention to the way you spoke, the way you acted, he fell in love–what he thinks is love anyways. Rafe realized you’re the sweetest, most pure person he’s ever known. He didn’t think people like you really existed. His discovery led him to watch you more closely, he started taking more risks just because he needed to find your flaw. There’s no way you’re actually this perfect, it has to be an act. Now, after years of watching you he can confidently say that you really are just that perfect. Rafe needs you for more than just getting off now, he needs your comfort, he needs the kindness that radiates off of you. Which is why he’s always trying to find a way to get closer to you, he needs to absorb your sweetness. But hes really done it now; he’s fucked up big time. You hate him.

He hadn’t realized that the hate he brought upon you would tint the kindness that radiates for your being. He has to get you to let go of the hate he’s caused you, he needs you to be yourself again. He just doesn't know how, if it’s even possible.

 As you sleep soundly, his large frame towers over you as he stares down at you through the darkness. You look so peaceful, so innocent. It physically pains him to know that he’s taken away parts of your innocence. All he can do is stare at you as he mentally curses himself. He can’t wake you up and ruin your small moment of peace. It’s better if you don’t know he’s there. 

Your stalker slowly raises his hand and uses his thumb and pointer finger to pull your blanket down to your knees. Even with the blankets pulled down most of your body was hidden from him. Almost everything is left to the imagination in the loose, patterned pj pants and the oversized, long sleeve shirt that you’re wearing. He can only see a small portion of your lower stomach due to your shirt slightly riding up. And that small bit of skin is enough to trigger his memories of you. Because of course he’s seen you countless times; he’s got your body memorized.

He’s practically panting as he takes in the sight of you, imagining that you’re unclothed beneath him; his memory is sharp enough to almost see it. His cock grows to press against his jeans and his eyes trail up to your beautiful face. The ache in his needy cock starts to become unbearable. Your name slips past his lips in the form of a mumble when he starts to palm himself through his newly tightened jeans. 

Okay, Rafe has definitely jerked off to the thought of you, your smell…everything about you makes him lose whatever control he ever even had to begin with. Something he hasn’t gotten to do yet is jerk off with you right in front of him as a live viewing source, fresh for his eyes. He’s gonna be able to cross that off the bucket list soon enough; he can’t wait any longer. His hand stops its ministrations over his jeans as his head turns and he moves over to your closet, grabbing a pair of delicate, worn panties from the top of your laundry hamper. He brings the treasure up to his nose to smell you. God, he could cream his fucking pants right now. He quietly walks back over to you, taking a look at the pill bottle on your nightstand. He picks it up with his free hand, eyes quickly scanning over the label. He smirks as he sets it back down. Rafe turns his head to look back at you. His smirk grows even wider as he leans back, cocking his head as he observes you. Yeah, you’re definitely gonna be out for a while.

With his pants and boxers around his ankles, he stands over you. Your panties between his hand and his cock as his fist slowly pumps up and down his length. His other hand meticulously pulls your shirt up to reveal your chest.

“Fuckkk…” he whispers under his breath as his bottom lip is held captive between his teeth. Your perfect tits are spilling out of your bra as you lie asleep on your back. He lightly fiddles with the ends of your hair as his hand pumps over his dick repeatedly and without rhythm. He takes his time, Rafe never likes to rush this. Especially not with you.

Your subconscious mind reacts to his light touch and sounds, pulling you into a wet dream; seeing as a main side effect of the medication you took was vivid dreams. You’ve also been unusually horny lately, probably because you’d been too afraid to touch yourself when you thought you were being watched twenty-four/seven. His fingers trail up your stomach and into the valley of your breasts with feather light touch.

You stir a bit, not because you felt him, but because the dream you’ve been thrown into by your subconscious is starting to get your body all worked up. You’ve been extra horny recently and keep having sex dreams since you haven’t been able to touch yourself the past few weeks, having a stalker and all. As he leans down to lightly kiss the skin in between your boobs, a moan slips past his lips, vibrating off of your skin and interrupting the mostly silent room. The only other sound that can be heard in the quiet room is that caused by Rafe’s hand quickly moving up and down his cock; the friction caused by the soft fabric of your panties generates a quiet noise. Pre-cum leaks from his slit and seeps into the fabric of your recently worn panties. He leans back down to create a hickey on your chest and hopes that you won’t wake up from the sudden feeling, although if you did that might be even better. Shaking the selfish thought out of his head, he sucks strongly at the smooth skin between your beautiful tits. He pulls his mouth off with a pop! Leaning back to see the mark he left, he smirks knowing you’ll see it too eventually. The already rhythmless movements of his hand gets even more erratic the closer he gets to reaching his orgasm. 

The man standing above you runs his hand back down your chest and abdomen as you sleep. Completely unaware of what's happening to your physical body right now, you begin to get all wrapped up in your dream. You only ever get sex dreams when you’re so overly horny, which you’ve been the past few weeks. That combined with the sleeping medication you took, made this particular dream feel different; it felt so…real. The only dream-like part about it was that you couldn’t see the man's face for whatever reason. 

While you’re in a deep sleep, you involuntarily let out a needy whine as your active mind plays games with you. When Rafe hears you he thinks he imagined it, until he hears you do it again. He wonders if you could feel him, except he’s not even touching you right now. Realizing that's clearly not the reason, he furrows his brows in confusion. He pulls the duvet cover completely off of you to reveal the way you keep periodically squirming as your body searches for the same feeling your mind is experiencing; and the way your toes tighten up and curl as you’re tricked into thinking you feel pleasure. 

He can’t take it, not when you look like this. The man hovering over your unconscious figure lets out a lewd moan that corrupts the silence as hot strings of his cum spurt out of the pink, glistening tip of his cock and onto the pair of your panties that he's got clenched in his fist, immediately soaking into the fabric. Surprisingly, when he gets through his orgasm, he adoringly covers you back up with your blankets and leaves your house, locking the door he entered through to be sure you were safe. He got enough to satisfy him for now as he works on a plan to change the way you think of him.  He’ll be back for more of you soon enough. He has to fix this; the biggest mistake he’s ever made and the only regret he’ll ever carry. 

To be continued...

Thank you for reading! I hope this was enjoyable and not a waste of time. I spent a lot of time on this part, especially with the editing since I never really feel done with anything. If you have literally ANY feedback, questions, or suggestions, PLEASE feel free to let me know! I don't really have any solid plans for this fic so if you have any ideas I just might include them, there's not much I won't write!

I'd like to thank @faiszt for inspiring me to write this fic!

[moirindeclermont]

Day 5 of my Polin Kinktober. Prompt: cock-warming (the other prompt was DP, but apparently I can't write that one without 5k words of emotional justification, so it will come but at another time)

For now, enjoy this!

Pen was sitting on her husband lap.

That was nothing new. They discovered pretty soon in their marriage that she loved sitting on his lap and he loves having her on him all the time.

So it become an habit of their, as soon as it was possible to have her on his lap. And when they were discussing something, they would also sit like that, so they could talk and still be close.

That time though, they weren't discussing. She was simply enjoying her moment, thinking how little she knew of intimacy only just a few months prior.

"What are you thinking, my love?" He asked her, whispering in her ear, dropping the book he was reading.

She shivered, his voice so close always made her feel hot and bothered, as she answered honestly.

"I was thinking that before this - us - I loved the idea of kissing you. That's why I asked you that night."

He nodded. "I'm so glad you did."

"And after, well, I've realized that there was so much more. I guess I'm wondering if there is still more."

He smiled at her.

"Love, I can tell you that the ways people do sex an intimacy are pretty much limited only by the fantasies and the enjoyment of the people doing it. And, what I've learned, is that, with the right person, even the most basic stuff can become an emotional hurricane." He said, kissing her and caressing her back.

"Flattery will get you anywhere, husband," she whispered back, but she was pleased. Then, Colin spoke again.

"That this position we are in, for instance. As of now it's pretty basic. Not proper but not scandalous either. But..."

Oh, she was interested in this.

"We could make it more improper. I could stay inside you, not moving or doing anything really, just enjoying your warmth, until we can't physically restrain us from move."

There were only a couple of things she loved more than the feeling of him inside her, so that for her was an easy choice.

"Sure, let's try it."

She wanted to try everything with him.

He smirked at her. "My wanton wife. You are truly my match. I don't think someone else can match my appetite."

She preen at his praise, getting up to allow him to take himself out. He was only half hard.

"One day I think I'd want to stay under the desk, keeping you warm while you work."

Colin moaned.

"Come here, I want to make sure you're ready for me," he said, his voice dropping an octave as she lift her skirts up.

His fingers were quick to find her entrance. "I'll warm you up a bit, Pen, I don't want to hurt you," and Pen sat on the edge od the desk behind her, spreading her legs.

"Please, be my guest."

He used his fingers expertly, both inside her and on her pearl, until she was moaning and ready for him to take her.

Colin accompanies her to sit on him again, as he was fully hard now.

They both gasped at the sensation, Pen was having a hard time not to move, but Colin made her relax, caressing her back and making out with her, until she was comfortable again.

She melt into his embrace, as he retook the book he was reading before.

"Read for me, Colin," she asked so his voice could distract her from moving.

His voice was deep and intimate, reading slowly, until she was floating, their union the only thing keeping her anchored.

She didn't know how much they stayed like that. Sometimes she moved a bit, only for them to moan quietly, waiting for the arousal to drop. It was excruciating and sublime. She didn't believe she could relax this much.

She did fell asleep for a while, dropping her head on Colin's shoulder.

She woke up short after, Colin must have take her in his arms and move both of them on the sofa.

"Welcome back, my love," he said kissing her, the movement making their union sparkling again.

"Mmm, Colin, can you move now? I feel like I'm going to explode if you don't move."

He chuckled. "It's the same for me as well, " he answered, before starting thrusting into her.

Still, even with all the pent up arousal they both had over the hours, they could not seem to be ale to go much faster.

Colin pushed inside her until he was hard again: slow, deep thrusts that made her moan. It was like moving through a dense substance, everything highlighted and bright.

She moved as well, rotating her hips, as if she was drawing an eight with them, stimulating her core as well. She dripped her head backwards, closing her eyes as pleasure sparkled. His hands were on her hips now, making her taking him even deeper.

Her own hands went to her bosom, needing a touch there as well

"Can you take them out? I'd like to suck on your nipples as well," he murmured, his eyelids almost closed. She managed to do as asked, Colin now hungrily licking and sucking.

Their orgasms took both of them by surprise, first Pen and then Colin. She opened her mouth in a O shape, the intensity of the feeling making her tremble. Colin, right after her, trembled as well, finishing deeply into her.

She dropped on his shoulder again, as Colin was praising her andkissing her neck.

If she loved being on his lap before, after that time she could hardly do anything else for a very, very, long time.

[v-arbellanaris]

u know what actually im gonna make one last srs post abt this whole thing and then im doneeeee i swear lmfao, so all of the anons in my inbox can finally shut up and fuck off and i'll put it under a cut so i dont ~ruin your da4 hype~ the way youve fucking ruined mine i guess.

watsonian justification for this: "decisions you made 10+ years ago in another part of the country simply will not affect the current story". hey isnt the entire story behind veilguard that a guy has been working for the last 10 years to rip down the veil. like. is the whole thing not a story that started 10 years ago. do you not have access to the eluvian network now because solas stole it 10 years ago from briala. is the blight not around because of the evanuris in some way. isnt the entire magisterium something that's been in place for thousands and thousands of years. like even within the context of da, the entire story revolves around things that happened thousands of years ago that have shaped the world that our characters exist in today. we, ourselves, as real people, don't live in a world where things happening on one side of the planet do not affect anything else. and that's not even touching on the fact that we have companions from the first game showing up. at the very least decisions that affect them directly should have been factored in????

doylist justification(s) for this: #1 "we only wanted to include worldstate decisions we could develop reactivity to" so the only decisions were.... whether or not solas is romanced? for me, it's the way that when you're playing dai, the entire justification for NOT being able to romance him as anyone other than lavellan is that you can have a deep and important and complex relationship with him even if you dont romance him, the fandom is always going on & on about how important friendship!solas is and how it shouldnt be underrated but the moment his ENTIRE CHARACTER (and ours?!) gets boiled down to whether or not you had a romantic relationship with him, we're going to celebrate it??? really??? REALLY??? what in the fucking amatonormativity is this, and how is this a step BACKWARDS from dai for solas???

#2 "the world was too complicated so they wanted to simplify it for new players" that's literally the problem we're discussing. the problem we're discussing is the complexity of the world, and the solution bioware came up with for it is to simply scrap it all, and surprise surprise! not everyone is happy about it??? you are just describing the problem that the solution fails to address???

i think the most annoying part of this whole thing is the fan response to it. literallyyyy am seeing things like "no one ever complained about the worldstates not mattering in the next games before da4" which is NOT TRUE. ever since i JOINED this fandom, i've heard so many things about people complaining about leliana defaulting back to a hardened state in dai, about alistair's characterisation in dai, about cullen's repeat appearances, about your boons/decisions in dao not carrying forward in the next games. people HAVE been complaining about it, for ages, especially in dai. it is explicitly a problem in dragon age, and has been for a long, long time, and the problem has only grown the more complex the worldstate becomes. that's why they tried to address the problem here by simply scrapping it all. i've also seen things like "well if youre only interested in callback references, this dragon age game not for YOU" which not only minimises and dismisses the issues and feelings at hand here, but also reeks of self-righteous, smug superiority of I Am The Sole Correct Enjoyer. who is this game for, if not for people who love dragon age?

i'm not here for rook's story - i'm here to save the world that i've built with my own two hands over three games. i am doing that through rook as a character, yes, but i have no cause or reason to care about rook at all going into this game except for the basic fact of this is my character that i am playing - rook is a character that i expect playing the game will make me invested in and care about them. but you know what i already cared about before going into veilguard? you know what i've saved three times over already, potentially even at the cost of my own life? thedas. MY thedas. OF COURSE I WANT TO KNOW THAT IT MATTERS. in world, solas himself wants to know what changes his actions wrought. THOUSANDS OF YEARS AFTER THE FACT. why is everyone acting like fans are insane for this????

i, for one, have not complained about the game "ruining" origins or da2 or even dai. i was excited about the changes, because changes were evidently necessary. i have been fully prepared for the differences, even if i've been apprehensive or cautious about it. do you think i'm disappointed now because i hate dragon age??? where do you fucking get off saying this game is not meant for me? because i dont agree with how bioware has chosen to resolve this issue, suddenly these games are Not For Me anymore?

and you know what, i already know they're not for me. the way this series, and this fandom, treats people of colour, and characters of colour, i am made aware every single day that dragon age is not for me. these games are for the liberal white girlies and white queers living in the west. i know damn well these games have never been for me, and any insistence that it should consider me will be met with vitriol and viciousness. and guess what? i am still here.

i was sooo ready to let this go until the fandom just kept acting like ppl are idiots for being unhappy about things AT ALL in da4. its so fucking annoying to me. i'm NOT going to complain about every single little thing in da4 possible, but i'm also not going to act like bioware is going to do and is doing everything right. what is WITH this fandom and extremes of thought and behaviour. is it because you're all american??? like. i'm actually so sorry that you live in a black-and-white world with no complexities or nuances because it must be so boring and sad.

in my opinion, i would not have minded slimming down the narrative choices to a select few that they could really hone in and focus on. i feel like the dragon age keep decisions can be a bit arbitrary, and i would've loved to see like 5-6 key decisions per game, ORRRR even for your worldstate to boil down to something like whether or not you generally supported positive change or upheld the status quo per game, and then specific character decisions regarding the inquisitor to be brought in, since they're the pc that actually shows up. i do think there's likely a lot of chaff that can be cut off or simplified as a sort of "lost to the times" kind of narrative telling. but boiling down these games to three fucking choices that are ultimately just 'did u romance and like solas or nah' is fucking INSANE. why is the answer to the issue of the quantum - which has been an issue for a long time!!!!!! - to just... scrap it entirely???

edit: adding this here since i said i wouldnt make any more posts abt this topic but i rly find it laughableeeee when fans eagerly parrot bioware insisting that just because those choices dont matter in THIS game doesnt mean they'll never matter in a FUTURE game (i guess we can expect the next one in 2034?). if they already scrapped those choices for this game, and you're all still buying it (some of you??? PREORDERED it???? i thought we agreed not to do that???), why would they bother. do you think the next dragon age game wont have the same line of logic for 'we need to make it accessible for new players!!!!!' that they had for this one and for dai? how willfully stupid are you that you think I'M the stupid one here?

im happy for you guys tho! i hope the new dragon age game where theyve removed all of those complexities instead of making ANY effort to address ANY of the existing dissatisfaction around feeling like any of your game decisions mattered supports your existing brainrot so you can continue believing in a black-and-white reality. really glad theyve simplified it for you guys just like you wanted into 3 choices all about sola/vellan.

i'm going back to my own sandbox, as epler has instructed me to, so i can ~imagine~ my own thedas lmfao

[ember-owlet]

₊˚‧♱₊˚ Halloween with the Tulpar crew ₊˚♱‧₊˚.

disclaimer: jimmy will not be included in these headcanons!! i recognize that he is well-written and deeply flawed, but it is for my own comfort that i will not be creating content of him on this account. thank you for understanding, happy halloween firelights!!

dynamic: caregivers! anya, curly, daisuke, and swansea

content warning: none! just short and sweet headcanons with the crew ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Anya:

The most cautious of the crew on Halloween night. Of course she wants you to have fun but worries about the potential risks involved as she values your safety above all else.

One of her safety precations is wearing visible stickers/accessories for navigating the streets, and will never say no to holding your hand when walking side by side.

Another steadfast safety precaution that she has is to always remain in sight and to not run, even if there are others doing so.

She is extremely thorough when inspecting your Halloween candy, organizing them with you by your favorites and least favorites to ration as a special treat. Though, you are free to help yourself to a handful of sweets after working so hard to fill your bucket.

As much as she loves to watch you collect candy, she also loves to be a fun house that gives away treats to the other trick or treaters. She'll have all sorts of dye-free, non-dairy, or sugar free candy alternatives to make sure that everyone is able to feel like they could participate in the holiday festivities.

For those that don't care for candy or can't have any, she also makes little packets of coloring activities with small plastic toys.

Puts in the most effort to decorate for the holidays with warm lights being her favorite; she'll string them up alongisde the house to bring in the warmth of fall.

She'll also put up her favorite vintage decorations or small trinkets that she's collected over the years, relaying stories of how she had come to aquire each of them.

Spiced apple cider is her favorite fall drink, and was given a particularly delicious recipe from Swansea, and since then has become a favorite tradition to drink it in your matching mugs.

Anya loves horror movies, and can't think of a better way to spend the evening than being cuddled on the couch and watching her favorites. If you ask she'd be happy to recount her favorite facts throughout the film as though you had your own personal commentary track.

If Daisuke happens to be available she'd invite him over to share in their common interest of slasher films as the only ones on the crew who find enjoyment in them. Because of this you'd have quite an extensive knowledge on horror films, whether you like them or not.

There's no other Halloween song that gets the two of you into the spooky mindset quite like "This is Halloween", and will immediately sing or hum it at any given chance, no matter where you are.

Curly:

Will basically do whatever you want as long as you're spending the holiday together.

You wanna go out and trick or treat? He'll have matching costumes ready.

Want to just stay inside? He's already got a pumpkin on the counter with recipes for baked pumpkin seeds after you're done carving.

Don't want to do anything special? He's already got plans for the night to include a warm meal and a cozy autumn movie.

I have no explanation but he has a notrious fall candle that only he appreciates its smell. Everyone else begs him not to light it every year because the house reeks of spiced body spray but he loves it. Anya can feel the headache coming in seeing its putrid glassy orange color being brought into the living room.

The one to host a Halloween party with the crew, but wants to keep the drinking and rowdy behavior to a minimum when you're around, especially to be respectful of Swansea's sobriety.

Loves to listen to classic Halloween songs and does silly dances to make you giggle (The Monster Mash or Ghostbusters in particular).

Also loves to watch children's Halloween movies but makes the excuse that watching "those scary horror films" will give you nightmares and he doesn't want you keeping him up all night (but really, we all know that he just wants to watch cartoons.)

Is the best at making you feel safe during your Halloween outings, always shielding you behind him and walking head first into the haunted houses and would never leave your side as you were his responsibility.

Daisuke:

Once the two of you are out the door, get ready for a long night ahead, because neither of you are getting home until someone drops. /lh

If your goal is to fill your candy bucket to the brim he'll do his best to make sure that its done. If he thinks that the quota isn't being met fast enough he'd bring his own bucket to double up the earnings at each house.

Doesn't mind holding hands if you get scared of other costumes or if you need support going through haunted house exhibits.

Though being scared doesn't excuse you from receiving light teasing, he'll be sure to remind you that there's nothing to be afraid of, and if it gets too much then just tugging on his sleeve will be the cue to take you home.

If you both were to retire early, the two of you would make a de-tour to Anya's house to spend the rest of the night watching their favorite horror films to discuss/analyze.

Likes to dress in costumes with matching outfits! Bonus points if the costumes were somehow a joke or meme.

I am a firm believer that he wears crocs with halloween charms on them to celebrate the holiday.

Lets you keep and eat as much candy as you like, though he is quite thorough checking the wrappers for any tampering before handing your bucket back to you.

Swansea:

The least interested in doing anything outlandish or festive. If he had it his way, he'd be sitting on the couch on Halloween night, watching re-runs of his favorite TV shows and in bed before 8pm.

But alas, with you around he'd oblige on taking you out or doing whatever you like for the majority of Halloween night, as long as the two of you are back home and in bed at an appropriate time.

Never dresses in costume, but is open to wearing a festive T-Shirt that doesn't take much effort to put on.

However, when it comes to Halloween treats there's no one better at making the house smell cozy and warm. Whether its apple cider, cookies, pie, or soup, everything is insisted on being homemade.

He'd keep a bowl of dough in the fridge so you two can enjoy a small snack before or after heading out to trick or treat.

Will take a "Dad/Boss Tax" of your candy when you get home while inspecting your earnings, chuckling as you pout after watching your hard work being snacked on.

"That's just policy kiddo. I take you out, I get first pick of the treats."

[ssahotchnerr]

DBF Hotch is my weakness. Especially when it’s combined with jealousy and protectiveness.

Like you’re going out a on a date - hotch is already incredibly jealous about the whole affair.

BUT then you call him, crying, asking if he will come pick you up because the date was absolutely awful. He was such a prick to you and now you’re standing outside the restaurant, alone at night. And his protective instinct and anger at your date kicks in and he’s breaking every traffic law to get to you.

only one

it's been a while since i've written dbf!hotch and i've missed him SO MUCH thank you for requesting <3 wc; 1k cw; fem!reader, age gap, dbf/jealous/protective!aaron, aaron's a bit mean BUT doesn't last long at all, ends fluffy, some suggestiveness

all characters within this are 18+

you've been on your fair share of bad dates, but nothing compared to what you had just endured.

backhanded compliments one after the other, interruptions amidst all your sentences, snide remarks, even rude behavior towards the poor server waiting on the two of you. and to end the night, your date left you with the full responsibility of the check (you made sure to leave a generous tip too, rightfully deserved), and without a ride home.

your only solution was aaron, and you knew it wouldn't come easily; the image of his clenching jaw flashing through your mind when he heard you had a date, his disappointed and irritated 'have fun' as you left. but at this point, you didn't care. he was also the only one you wanted to speak to, the only one you needed.

"yes?" aaron's tone was neutral when he answered, not harsh but not enthusiastic either.

you opened your mouth to speak, but you simply couldn't find any words. shame and embarrassment prickled up and down your spine. your cheeks felt hot. you wanted to disappear.

"i'm getting work done. so if you have something to say, say it. don't waste my time." there it was.

you had been doing a fair job at fighting the sob that was aching within your chest, but his hard toned words finally caused the dam to shatter. your vision blurred from the multitude of tears, a string of whimpers and a sniffle leaving you.

his front dropped immediately. "tell me what happened."

"he-" hiccup. "god, it was awful. he treated me like i was an inconvenience to him. at the end he told me, it-" another hiccup. "and i, were a waste of time and-" you poured out everything, leaving aaron with a sick pit in his stomach.

his eyes squeezed shut, gripping so tightly onto his phone it could snap into two. "where are you?"

once you told him where, he hung up, not allowing you to say anything else. as much as that stung, relief filled you; at least he was coming to your rescue.

if your estimation was right - aaron was currently over thirty minutes away, maybe a bit more as result of saturday night traffic - consisting of people who were having a much more enjoyable evening than yourself.

however, he was pulling up at the restaurant within half the time, the wheels skidding to a stop as he approached. once parked, his door hastily opened, and he all but tore out of the car. his actions were hurried, enraged, and before you could blink he was at your side.

"get in." his hand found the small of your back, guiding you - and not very gently - towards his car, opening the passenger door for you as well. again, his urgency didn't give you the opportunity to utter a single word.

you slid into your seat, a push of air embracing you as aaron slammed your door shut. he moved around the front of the car, getting in himself. saying nothing, he began mindlessly driving the route back to your house.

the silence was tense in the air, thick as humidity on a hot summer's day. but then again, there had always been lingering tension between the two of you. and neither of you were stupid, you both knew what it was.

"well?" you finally said, both quietly and timidly.

"what?"

you exhaled heavily, wiping at your tears but failing miserably. "aren't you happy?"

your voice was defeated and a heavy sigh left him, all his anger vanishing. this wasn't a war. "sweetheart, i'm far from happy."

"and i can tell you're mad-"

"i'm furious." aaron interrupted, and you winced slightly. "but not at you." to accompany his words, his grasp on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning white and his foot pressing a bit harder on the gas. "i'm livid that prick had the audacity to treat you the way he did."

you nodded slowly, the tears on your cheeks glistening from the outside lights - cars' headlights, the street lamps passing by.

"you know you're worth it, don't you." aaron asked, but there was also no question within his words.

another sniffle escaped you, followed by a shrug.

"i mean it. if that dense fool can't see everything you have to offer, he's clearly not in his right mind. and definitely not worth your tears."

he paused. when you failed to answer, he prompted, firmly to ensure you would no other doubts. "okay?"

you nodded again. "yeah. i guess."

"and i didn't mean to snap earlier." aaron took ahold of your hand, his eyes averting from the road to look at you. "i'm was upset, to put it bluntly. i'm not very fond of sharing you, and i wish i didn't need to."

you turned slightly - still clutching onto hand - finally allowing yourself to face him. "then why haven't you asked me out?"

the forbidden question. the circumstances made it difficult, you were his best friend's daughter. he was your father's best friend.

but you were tired. aaron was tired. both of you were in desperate need of each other. when you were around aaron, the constant burn of needing him close, needing to touch him, needing to indulge in him until you forgot your own name and more, was becoming agonizing. you couldn't care less about all the holdbacks anymore. you needed him.

and aaron now, seeing your tear slicked cheeks, knowing no one else could treat you better compared to him - he's never wanted you more. no matter how wrong it was, nothing was more right.

aaron flicked on the turn signal, choosing the route that would drive you away from your home. his voice was confident, casually dominant. "the night's still young, isn't it? give me the chance to turn yours around."

[cripplecharacters]

Hi! I’m in the early stages of character development and am thinking of making a character in my story use crutches or some type of mobility aid (I have not decided a specific disability yet, or the specifics of their mobility aids, but one disability I am considering is EDS).

There is going to be action in the story that will require characters to be moving a lot, and running, and fighting, etc.

I wanted to ask if you have any tips for writing physically disabled characters in these types of situations? What are ways to make them be able to participate in the action but also be mindful of their disability?

Also, if the character fully consents to it, would it be ok for another character to pick them up and run in a dangerous situation where they need to get away fast?

Thank you!

Hello!

It would really depend on the character's disability and what mobility aids they use.

Depending on how severe theirs is, somebody with EDS may be able to run and fight with the right accommodations on their end (Braces can help with stabilizing their joints and preventing hyperextension, pain medication can help control pain/discomfort, proper first aid and care afterwards can help manage swelling/pain/further damage, etc.).

If your character isn't able to participate in the fighting at all, give them something else to do that uses their other talents! Give them an important mission or task while the others are fighting. Maybe they need to retrieve an important piece of evidence while their opponents are distracted by the fighting. Maybe there's an important code to break or a puzzle to solve in the meantime. Just don't have them be standing off to the side awkwardly -- make them as important as everyone else is.

Something I find enjoyable, especially in books, is a character using their cane in a fight in a small way. This is usually something like the character using it to trip an opponent or using it to smack somebody's shin. Depending on the type of cane they use, it may not be the most realistic, but I do enjoy it and it makes me cackle :). That being said, you do need to be careful with showing mobility aids being used as weapons.

In terms of being carried, it's really hit or miss. I've seen it done well a few times and -- more frequently -- I've seen it done in ways that still makes me physically cringe when I think about it.

If it's used to further an underlying plot such as a developing romance or friendship between the two characters, I think it can be a sweet way to show the development of trust between them and -- if it's part of a romance -- can lead to a cute scene later on.

My personal issue with it is when it comes out of the blue and is out of character for one or both parties. Most people wouldn't be comfortable with a stranger or an acquaintance picking them up and carrying them. Hell, a lot of people would even be uncomfortable with a good friend doing it. I certainly would be.

There's also the fact that carrying another human being is a hard thing to do, especially if you're running and (Caps) ESPECIALLY (End Caps) if you're running for a while. If the disabled character is rather light or small and the other character is very physically fit, maybe it can work on a physical scale but there's other things to consider here.

This is also a bit of a loaded trope for physically disabled characters. A lot of us are used to people -- particularly strangers -- violating our body autonomy. There are people that will push wheelchair users or attempt to "guide" blind people to where they want to go, reach directly over the heads of little people, touch or take mobility aids, etc. This isn't necessarily what's happening in your story, but it is something to be aware of.

If you do decide to go with this, make sure to see it through and address anything that may come from it. How does your disabled character feel about it? How has the dynamic between your characters changed -- if at all? If it hasn't changed at all, why is that? Do the characters feelings towards each other change?

I'd also consider what other options they may have. Is there another way to escape the dangerous situation? Is there somewhere they can hide? Is there a way to face the threat head-on? Is there another way they can escape without the disabled character being carried? If not, why?

The biggest thing I can say it to keep your disabled audience in mind. Who are you writing this scene for? What's the purpose of the scene? If the scene's purpose has anything to do with making the non-disabled character look good, show them to be strong/heroic/brave/etc., don't do it. Find another way.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[smehur]

Some Harry/Draco Fic Recs

There is so much great fic in this fandom, I'm struggling to keep track of everything I read and like. I already mentioned some of my early favorites here, but I have since found several more.

In no particular order:

Hermione Granger's Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by waspabi

In which Harry did not go to Hogwarts, but is instead found by a group of seventh year students led by Hermione, and recruited for the war at the ripe age of 17.

I'm not usually a fan of AUs, but this charmed me within the first few paragraphs with irresistible characterization. Harry is a little different than how I imagine him, but the premise allows for it. And the Harry/Draco romance is possibly the sweetest, softest I've seen so far. 10/10 would read again.

In Pieces by dysonrules

Harry returns to Hogwarts as the new DADA instructor, only to find his teaching efforts thwarted by a very familiar ghost.

When I got this rec myself, I wasn't sure I would like it, because, well, the summary spells it out, doesn't it? But I ended up loving it. It's incredibly sweet and tender and sad and hot. I couldn't put it down.

An Emerald In The Sky by corvuscrowned

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone. Somewhere along the way, Draco realizes he's been thinking in lines, when he should have been thinking in circles.

This story moved me like few others. It's a masterpiece of 'show, don't tell' in that elusive way I have never been able to tap in my own writing. It speaks in images, and the images capture incredibly specific, perfectly chosen details that paint years and decades of slowly fading hope. Just the thing for one who considers their own aging and mortality increasingly often.

Take You Home by lq_traintracks (lumosed_quill)

Everybody’s a little fucked up after the war, Draco especially. What starts as hate sex after a night out, eventually turns into something else, something more like comfort. And even though his friends all tell Harry he’s just being used, all Harry’s doing is making sure Draco gets home in one piece. He’s not falling helplessly in love.

From the author of one of my early favorites (Right Hand Red), a hugely enjoyable read that makes love to a post-war Draco (and his long hair in a man-bun that he fastens with his wand). I gulped this down in one sitting.

Hey, Potter by SunseticMonster

Harry returns to Hogwarts for his 8th year, determined not to let Malfoy get to him. But when the snarky teasing starts up again, Harry finds that returning the jibes with compliments has a far more interesting outcome.

I am in love with this premise. It works so well? While I wished for a bit more shipping and a bit less collateral, I still enjoyed this story immensely and went on to read almost everything the author wrote for the pairing.

An Issue of Consequence by Faith Wood

Draco has woken up in an alternate universe. Or he has woken up utterly insane. Nothing else can possibly explain why Harry Potter suddenly seems to think he's Draco's boyfriend.

The light-hearted summary belies the gravity of the plot of yet another favorite tale from the pen of my favorite author. The POV immersion is so deep that I absolutely did not see the resolution of the mystery until it was revealed, and then I was just as shocked as Draco. Fabulous stuff.

A Doll's Tale by Faith Wood

Harry/Draco, as observed by Draco's childhood doll. Please note, this doll is very self-absorbed.

This... broke me a little, lol. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing (too) heavy, angsty or dark about this story. It's as innocent as they get? But it just clicked so well with the idea I've been brewing in my own (yet to be published) writings, of Draco as this... sensitive boy hiding under the guise of confidence and cruelty. And the plot-twist, Merlin. Was it obvious? Maybe, but not to me! It struck me like a (fluffy toy) train and days later, I'm still recovering. I want to take this fic and hug it when I go to sleep.

Actually, I'm in a bit of a pickle, as my instinct is to list pretty much every single thing written by Faith Wood that I've read so far. But that would be silly, so I'll list only one more, as a treat.

Beholden by Faith Wood

Draco Malfoy might not be a killer, but it turns out he's an effective painkiller. If stopping pain was all Draco's touch did, things might not be so complicated, but either way Harry can't afford to be choosy.

I already mentioned this one in that inaugural post I linked at the very top, but: 1) it's now completed and can be safely binged on; and 2) the only thing I said about it back then is that it deals with chronic pain, which was particularly relevant at the time because I was at the peak of sciatica and could relate to poor Harry all too well. But that's just one of the many merits of this incredible story. Now that I'm feeling better, I'd praise it first and foremost for the patient exploration of the characters' inner worlds and the gradual, methodical and inexorable buildup of their feelings and convictions that eventually leads to falling in love. A masterpiece of slow burn. I plan not only to read this again, but to study it in the hopes of improving my own craft.

Tagging the authors I found on here: @dysonrules @faith2wood @corvuscrowned @lqtraintracks and also my friend @kuraiummei who helped me find some of these gems.

Thank you for enriching my life. ❤️

[lightlycareless]

Hiii 🤍

So I got this idea from one of your one-shots, the one where naoya and y/n are doing it in a mission😭

So they are secretly dating in that right ? And I thought about them in highschool AU secretly dating too🤭 And you know her siblings and friends finding out eventually, like I really wanna see naoya and y/n sneaking outttt and those stuff yk, kinda like a forbidden romance 😭

Have a good day 🤍🤍🤍 byeee!

Hellooooooooooo anon hehehe

Thank you for liking that dirty piece of mine 😏 super indulgent, of course. Glad to have it out of my system. (Edit: it said sister, wtf lol)

So anything highschool au related is like my weakness, specially if I get to write things like secretly dating aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Anyways this is a two part story!!! heheheh Didn't mean to, but after that ending, I just had to. :) I hope you enjoy it!!

warnings: none. au. highschool. Naoya is like maybe super ooc, but he adores you so. 💖 it's only expected. FLUFFFFFFF.

Happy reading!!!

Secretly dating Naoya during high school is naturally filled with clandestine meet ups here and there, made possible by you asking for permission to go the “restroom” in the middle of class, only to head up straight to the designated place of reunion: right around the corner of a distant hallway and beneath the stairs, pulled into a tight embrace as soon as you cross his sight, and subsequentially letting you know how much he missed you and how dreadful it was to be away from you for even one second!

“I missed you too!” you would exclaim, wrapping your arms around his neck and attempting to pull him down for a kiss—you always hated how he forced you to stand on your tip toes, all for his seeming enjoyment. “Lean down a bit, I can't kiss you like this!”

But Naoya would only chuckle, letting you struggle a bit more until he finally obliged, taking your lips into another quick kiss before freeing you once again, to meet up later, that is.

“See you for lunch, princess.”

“… Only if you promise to not be mean…”

Naoya laughs.

Even if the two were meant to keep this a secret from the outside world, that didn't stop you from indulging in the things you always wanted to do with him, such as packing an extra box of lunch for him, obviously handmade by you, meeting up at the rooftop of whatever building was empty to have it together, and if he felt in the mood for such, feed him as well.

“Wait, before we eat, close your eyes.”

You’re no longer taken aback by requests of this nature, if anything, it excited you, so you quickly obeyed soon after. Naoya would then take hold of your hands, gently placing a box on them before asking you to open your eyes—a gasp ensued at the sight of your gift.

“No way! These are—how did you even get them?! I thought they were sold out!”

These were none other than the special edition tiramisu mochi your favorite store made just a few weeks ago. The desire to go and get a few was there, but your responsibilities at school were far more demanding, and so, you’d come to dejectedly accept the reality that you might never have them, not even a taste…

Luckily, Naoya's adoration for you (and determination to make you happy) was far bigger than anything else, literally, and with the possibilities he had… all that he needed to do was make a few phone calls and he’d soon have the happiest girlfriend in the world.

“Nothing's sold out for me” Naoya sappily admits, but to you, who was completely enamored by him at this point, was only the sweetest response yet.

“Oh, Naoya, thank you so much!!” You cry, taking him into a hug and attacking him with kisses all over his face. His cheeks become a flustering mess, and yet, does nothing to remove you. “I can't wait to try them!”

“Just be sure to eat first, though. I don't want you getting all full with mochi and then complaining you’re hungry…” he teases with a smirk.

You pout. “It was just one time!” that you wanted to recall. “But alright…”

Naoya kisses your cheek.

“Don't be upset, princess. If you want more, I'll get you more”

As long as you give him more of those sweet kisses, or more like tiramisu kisses, as they’d become known later on.

These were nothing more than just a few examples of the things you liked to do with Naoya. However, not everything would be completely enjoyable, and just as expected of life, the two were bound to eventually do things neither liked in its entirety—nothing too extreme, just… tedious by itself. Like studying.

Even then, however, Naoya always did his best to help you. Since he was the best student out of the two, he could easily provide you with the help you needed to improve your notes—if not the motivation to do so.

It was silly to think how Naoya at one point once hated doing this with you, or more like was oblivious to your actual intents when asking him for help. Back when the two were just barely staring to know each other, you'd come to him with the pretense of needing guidance with one of the many subjects you were struggling with.

And Naoya, was blunt and blind as he was with these social matters, would only limit himself to answer the follow:

“Why are you asking me? Isn’t your sister bright or something?”

It took a great deal for his friend Ranta to not slap the stubbornness out of him, instead, he managed to explain what you were truly attempting to do with these approaches. You can rest assured knowing Naoya felt like an absolute idiot after discovering this. Thankfully, now that he knows what you mean, he doesn’t let any opportunity pass. In fact, he even offers himself up for the job—even when you profusely refused.

“I don't want to study anymore…!!” You'd dramatically cry, resting your head onto your arms and down on the desk; simply continuing to whine. “I hate this!”

“Come on, princess; just a bit more and you’re done.” Naoya attempts to comfort, removing one of your hair strands covering your face. He enjoyed this silly side of you, thought it unbearably adorable… but he preferred you to be happy. By far.

“No. I don't want to; I don't care if I fail, I'm not doing this anymore! And nothing will convince me otherwise!”

“Are you sure?” He smirks, placing his arm around your waist and leaning closer to you.

“Yes!” You try your best to remain unaffected, even if deep within, you were desperately longing to bask in his touch.

“Not even a kiss?”

“Nope! Not even that!” You refuted his suggestions. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise, it won’t work!”

Well, you’d have to do better than that if you wished to stop Naoya.

“Oh, really? Not even…” Naoya then reaches for his bag to swiftly take out a small Gengar plushie. Coincidentally, the same one you saw at the mall a few days ago: the newest one Pokémon Center had released, and naturally, you’ve been dying to get. “…For this?”

You press you lips together, trying your best to control your impulses and freak out about the gift—but there’s one thing you always forget about Naoya: is that you can’t ignore his enchantments, and soon, you attempt to seize the plushie from his hands, only to once again, fail to acknowledge his impressive speed, a snarky smile on his lips as he imposes distance between the two.

“Nuh, uh, princess. You have to keep studying if you want this.”

“Just—give it to me!” you gasp, trying to reach for his arm once again, but he just keeps straying further and further away from you. In fact, he actually stands up to make it even harder for you!

But that doesn’t stop you, no, not at all, for you respond with the same energy, quick to stand up as well and throw yourself towards him in one last attempt to seize the plushie and claim what is rightfully yours!

If you hadn’t accidentally tripped over, that is, by innocently getting your feet stuck with the legs of a nearby chair and tripping onto Naoya, who instinctively grabs you and begins to worry about your wellbeing, Gengar effectively out of your mind.

Just like you—however, it was more by the fact you were embarrassed to have done such a thing, feeling nothing but stupid by allowing yourself to fall victim to such silly games, as seen in the redness of your face.

“Stop it!” you breathe, trying to free yourself from his arms, hide from his sight. But he holds you in place, fearing you were hurt. “Let me go!”

“Are you ok? Are you hurt?”

“I’m—I’m fine, just—just let me go!” you whine, and it’s a good thing that Naoya knows you so well to the point of understanding you don’t really mean to get away from him, but rather, hide your shame—which he hopes to ease by finally giving you the plushie of your desire.

“Don’t be upset, Y/N. It was just an accident.” He murmurs, kissing the top of your head, you pout.

“This was so humiliating…” you lament. “I feel like a child! Oh, I’m so undeserving of this…”

“Hmmm, if it’s worth anything, today wasn’t that bad. In fact, remember that one time when you ate chocolate ice cream and—"

“Naoya!” you gasp, he laughs.

“Alright, alright!” He cups your face, pressing your cheeks together and making you pout. “I’m just joking; trying to make you feel better, you know?”

“Doesn’t seem like it…” you frown.

“I adore all of you. Even the embarrassing parts.” Naoya leans closer to your face, rubbing his nose against yours. Your heart swoons. “So don’t torture yourself about it.”

“…I adore you too.” You confess, eager to already tell him you loved him, but only when the time was right. When he felt ready.

“Let’s take a break and get something to eat, yeah?”

 “How about ramen? I bought some packets that are supposed to be super good the other day at the market. We can just get some hot water from the cafeteria and done!”

“You know how I feel about that type of food. I’d rather take you out to an actual restaurant.” He raises an eyebrow.

“I would like to but… we need to plan these things with time so we won’t be seen” you dolefully remind him, he sighs.

“Well, nothing beats a date at school.” Naoya then jests, you chuckle.

He then cups your face once again, leaning down to kiss you tenderly.

Saying it’s a nuisance falls short to how you actually felt about this whole ordeal. About having to walk around eggshells just to go out on dates, but until both were ready to let the world known of your relationship, (or prepare for the dramatic response you know your family and friends will have to it) this will have to do.

Unless you two were to lower your guards and let someone else win you to it, hinted by the sound of a shutter coming from the door, followed by a bright flash that made you and Naoya freeze instantly, eyes wide as both slowly turned over to the entrance, loathing all of the implications this moment provided, completely petrified when realizing it was much, much worse than anything you imagined.

For standing by the door frame, stood the culprits behind it all, the last people you wanted to know of your relationship with Naoya: Gojo and Geto—the latter holding the newest bane of your existence, and the former with his mouth agape, eventually letting out a loud shriek that snapped the two out of trance.

“Wait, Satoru, Suguru—It’s not—It’s not what you think!!” You scrambled to control the situation, to no avail, for it was exactly what they thought!

The same information that had them running into the hallways and heading to God knows where, certainly not to keep this secret hidden from the world.

It was only a matter of time before the whole school knew, especially if there was a photo involved! And after that happens, you and Naoya would be forced to give out explanations to everyone that dared ask. If fate found it to be merciful on you, then the only problems you'll have will come through your friends.

If not… then it’d also be a matter of dealing with his and your family as well.

The mere thought of it sends shivers through your spine—mind scurrying to envision all kinds of scenarios possible.

“Do you think they’ll—they’ll take me out from school?” you fretted. Naoya swallows, unsure.

Guess both will have to wait and see what the future has unwittingly prepared for the two—until then, you’d prepare the speech you’ll inevitably give your parents and his in hope of defending your relationship.

…

Or at least, the possibility of remaining in contact with Naoya, if settling for the worst.

I realized that I wrote Naoya doing 1000 things for Y/N. But in my defense, Naoya is the type to give you good things and you're the type to give him good times? If that makes sense. I mean, he has a lot of money, and you're actually allowed to live a normal human life so, complementing each other!!! hahaha

Anyways, what a shocker. Who would've guessed that high school bullies Gojo and Geto were to find out you were dating Naoya first? UGH HAHHAAHHA It was only a matter of time tbh. Though I do fear for their life 💀💀💀💀💀💀

Well, since I love this concept so much be sure that I will write more about it. Or just about HS in general, agjkhasjkgas I love it 😭

Thank you so much for sending in this ask!! Can't wait to write the second part, the.... revelation and everything that will ensue. I wonder if they'll make it out of this alive? Who knows!! hehe.

Take care and hope to see you soon!!!

[wings-of-ink]

Hear ye, hear ye!

All of you who have been anxiously awaiting Chapter 4 can send a big thank you to the Microsoft mayhem that happened on Friday. Because of it, I have had two entire, unprecedented, days off of work during which all I did was write and edit chapter 4! Stuff like this never happens to me either, so I ate it up. My work computer is still super broken too, so who knows what will happen tomorrow, lol.

So, chapter 4, barring anything disastrous that I do not yet foresee – is coming very soon. Like, any day this week soon. For now, I am looking for bugs and other errors until I feel comfortable getting the update loaded. I will also be updating the warning list and some things on the itch page. I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something I wanted to do, and am having a hell of a time remembering what it was…

Anyway, if it interests you, more details below!

In going through some of the Google Error Reports, I had a couple that I either could not resolve or find.

It was reported that checking player stats in chapter 1 would not work – that it would flash only for a moment. I could not recreate this. If anyone else has seen this, please let me know.

In the end of chapter 2 where there are multiple ways to spend your time there seems to be some issues with how choices become unselectable after certain clicks and it just doesn't seem to function correctly. I have fixed the issues I have found, but could not recreate all of the instances that were reported. This section may get an overhaul in the future since I understand the coding a bit more now.

It was also reported that fonts are not changing. There is definitely a weird issue with this and it will take some time for me to sit down and hammer out. The fonts do change for me, but notably, I don't think they are switching to the correct font types. They don't even appear to be the same fonts from when I first starting this project, lol. This issue is on hold for now.

The last 2 bonus segments for the end of chapter 3 are being pushed aside for the time being. I kept finding myself feeling like I was hammering them into the chapter and it was a little exhausting. If I force it, it will be less enjoyable to read. The segments that are missing are the ones for hanging out with Zahn and Nathanael. Zahn's is easy to wiggle in elsewhere at least, but I'm not sure if Nathan's will make it in or not. We'll see, my motivation was purely for chapter 4, so now that it is ready to go, I'll have another crack at it before I drop or move them completely. They aren't super important to the story, but are just for fun (and if Oswin got his, it's only fair that Zahn gets theirs too). That last section of chapter 3 ended up way too long, so it may get adjusted later anyway.

As with any work in progress, I can't guarantee that your old saves will work. That's probably how we are going to have to roll for a bit until I really get things nice and smooth. Eventually, I will add an option to start from a later chapter and go through and make the (MANY) relevant choices to skip ahead. This may be implemented when Chapter 6 is ready to go since all the ROs will be available.

I also want to figure out how to implement named saves to make it easier for you to sort. I appreciate IFs that feature this, but I do not yet know how to do it, but I'm going to research. I like to play through with several MCs, and I'd like to offer enough info in the saves and/or Stats Menu that you can do this and easily know who you are playing as. Let me know what you would like most in the Player Stats Menu too. Note, that some options do not appear here until you choose them in the story.

Coming up…

Since Chapter 4 is down, I will soon be posting a big poll about future IFs. I've been compiling info for it here and there for a couple weeks on possible options for me to write in conjunction with God-Cursed. So, stay tuned for that in the coming days.

I will FINALLY get to my inbox in earnest as well! I will keep reaction asks paused until further notice since they take me the longest to answer. Feel free to still send in comments or quicker questions. If your question is too spoilery to answer, I will not be able to post about it.

Anyway, hope you are all doing well! I can't wait to see what you think of chapter 4. I hope you enjoy it. I'll get it out just as soon as I feel comfortable enough with it. ^_^