#also my process isn't quicker than others

[synchodai]

just dropping by to say how much i love your jacegan fic 🥺 i want to start writing my own fic but i've tried and every time i lose interest and finish it. i love how you give us such quick updates with barely any typos and a clean structure. what's your secret? do you use any tools like ai to write so fast? thank you!

Oh wow, first of all, thank you for the compliment! Second of all, do not, and I mean DO NOT, for any purpose use chatgpt, character.ai, or any large langauge models for your writing — just don't. It won't help your writing, it won't help you as a writer, and it won't help anyone alse.

To answer the question, I guess I'm a relatively quick writer because I've been writing for years and years now outside of fanfiction, so I have a process and the habit down pat, honed from creative writing workshops and the more rigid process of academic writing. With the process I have, half the entire project is basically done even before I post the first chapter.

My approach to writing is very similar to how most people draw and make visual art. You start with a rough and vague outline and then add the details in later steps. Outlining is a learned skill. For fanfiction, most free-write their work, but if I actually intend to finish anything more than 10k+ words, I need to have a plan and know where I'm heading. I really do recommend at least learning to outline, even if you are an intuitive writer who will end up mostly ignoring it.

Here's a rundown of my "steps" with examples taken from my current fic and a project that's still in the planning stages that I may or may not write:

#1: Outline the whole project

Plot the fic chapter by chapter, centering each chapter around one major event or info reveal. You can be as vague and messy as you want for this step since you're the only one who'll get to see your outline anyway.

#2: Outline the scenes you want per chapter

You don't need to list everything that'll happen at this stage. These are the key scenes that you daydream about while listening to music or taking a walk. You can picture these scenes on vivid 4k.

#3: Write summaries of each scene

I put each chapter into a seperate document with their key scenes already there. Here's the phase where you just start telling yourself the story. Again, this isn't meant to be read and seen by anyone but you. The goal is just to know how the events are connected and will play out. This is also the part where I do most of my research.

For example, under Chapter 4 - Jace Recovers, I wrote:

Jace wakes up in Driftmark/High Tide. Body aching, barely can move. [Research here how long it takes to heal from broken arm and medieval casts.] Sees himself in the mirror for the first time and doesn't recognize himself. Has as existential crisis but because he's Jace, he channels the dread into wanting to keep fighting.

This is very short since it's a scene with no dialogue, just one character, and just one major plot point. Some of my summaries are 10x longer, especially for things like trials, small council scenes, battles, and other big events.

#4: Actually start writing the prose

Because you've done step #3, you won't be staring at a blank document and actually know how everything will play out. Without having to worry about plot consistency or inaccuracies since you've ironed that out in the previous step, you can focus on just making these things sound evocative or beautiful or punchy or comforting or angsty or whatever mood you want to communicate with your prose. The summary that was 55 words ended up being 750+ words after this step, and I breezed through it in one sitting.

#5: Plug the prose into a text-to-speech program

I don't have a beta-reader so this is basically my beta-reading step. There are plenty of free TTS apps out there and any of them will do. The goal here is to catch typos, see which lines sound clunky, repetitive, or disjointed, and make corrections accordingly. I listen to my own writing while doing chores, walking, or any other mundane task, and I find it the most enjoyble part of this process because it fills me with such a sense of accomplishment having that sort of tangibility in hearing my work.

Just to clarify, this is the process that I've tailored for my own personal needs and preferences. Every writer is different — some need to have a mood board or reference images or find summarizing their chapters removes the joy of "discovering" as they write. All those methods are perfectly valid as long as they get you to actually put words other people can read on a page. But you can't discover your own personalized method unless you actually start writing. It will be slow earnings at first, but eventually you will craft it bit by bit through trial and error.

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS REASONS WHY I WRITE SO QUICKLY

My job is not emotionally or physically draining, so I have plenty of energy for creative pursuits. If you go home exhausted, don't force yourself to churn out words. If this starts feeling like a chore and not fun, that's your signal to rest and take a break.

I write primarily on my mobile device. Because of this, I can write during downtimes and my commutes. There are some writers who have to be in front of a desk, but I recommend at least trying it on your phone just to see if it works for you.

If I don't want to write about it, then I don't. Don't ever feel like you have to write about anything if you don't want to. If there's a big battle that happens but you get bored writing action? Just tell the readers it happened in one or two sentences — no need to devote a whole scene or chapter to it if it doesn't excite you. Same with time passing and travel. You don't have to fill the page with paragraphs explaining what the characters did if you just want to get them from point A to B. If it isn't fun to write about, then your readers most likely won't have fun reading it either.

I don't care if it's not the best that I can do. Often, I do think I could have written certain things better and added more. But eh, it's fanfiction. It's a hobby. The fact that it exists and I created something is already an accomplishment and the desire to endlessly finetune gets in the way of that.

I have a community of fellow fanfic writers I can bounce ideas off of. Honestly, I got lucky with this one and just got invited to random server one day. But you can usually find discord servers with fellow fanfic writers linked in your fandom's subreddit.

I don't have twitter, instagram, tiktok, or other social media time sinks that might distract me from my hobby. This one speaks for itself. Tumblr is really the only place you can find me.

Anyway, I think that's pretty much it. I suggest starting small with a one-shot or short story, and then expanding from there. Happy writing, and remember, the goal really is to just have fun and be proud you made something with your own two hands (so absolutely NO AI).

[baeshijima]

— one more time

jing yuan has always considered himself to be a patient man, never failing to have a plan in mind and out of sight for unforeseeable circumstances. when it comes to matters involving you, however, he finds that he never has the time to think; not when he acts quicker than he can process.

CONTAINS : gn!reader, 1k wc, fluff, kissing, very much pining jing yuan

A/N : holds this man gently as i stare at him doing his idles with big wide eyes and tears rolling down my cheeks (also yes this is me using the "idk how to kiss" "then i will teach u" trope as an excuse to write a kissing jing yuan fic bc i am delusional and proud🐥)

when jing yuan was reciting his usual pep-talk as he made his way to your decided meet-up spot (which included, but was not limited to: stay calm, cool, and composed— the triple-c, if you will — and don't make a fool of yourself, jing yuan), he figured the cosy picnic (date) arrangement would go smoothly and without a hitch. you would be there bathed in the artificial sunlight, fingers threading through blades of grass and then you would turn at the rhythm of his footsteps, that signature grin of yours on full display as he would attempt to calm his thunderous heart from spilling saccharine confessions accumulated over the last few centuries.

like always.

but very much unlike now, it seems.

in place of the predicted events he'd conjured up beforehand, the words “i don't know how to kiss” welcome him instead. (he just barely catches himself before the picnic basket in his grip goes tumbling across the grass.)

“...what?”

“right?” you huff, seated on the grass with your arms supporting your weight while bathed in the artificial sunlight of the luofu. “i've lived for this long, and yet i have never kissed anyone! wait, or maybe it's because no one wants to kiss me... am i that unkissable?”

“no!” is the immediate rebuttal which springs forth to the tip of his tongue, but he just barely catches himself. he's planned thousands, probably millions, of ways in which he could confess to you, but the timing has never been quite right. that, or the times where he was about to confess were interrupted; sometimes by some last minute calls, other times where he just misses the timing, but usually by yanqing unceremoniously barging in between you.

this time isn't any different either, because it is simply not quite right. there's something — something imperceptible yet obvious in the back of his mind, giving him the go-ahead on the perfect time to bleed nothing but the pure, unadulterated adoration you've inflicted upon him.

this time isn't any different either, but his mind goes blank, a clarity he has never felt before driving his senses.

“i'll teach you.”

it's a sudden offer, one he doesn't really know where he got the confidence to offer it from, and yet something about your stunned expression and his unusually calm heart seems... right.

“...you know how to kiss?”

“i know more than you do,” he counters. a triumphant grin tugs the corners of his lips when your mouth instantly clams shut at his words.

he waits for your response with baited breath. will you agree? will you refuse his, painfully obvious, advance? oh god what should he do if you say no? play it off as a joke? tease you for considering it? walk away in shame and cry about it—?

“alright then,” you say, and he blinks once, twice. “it's not like i have anything to lose.”

...is this a dream?

apparently not, as he now finds himself seated in front of you with the artificial sunlight doing little to help fend off the heat blooming along his skin. your eyes are closed with your body leaning towards him in baited anticipation, but his gaze hones in on the clench-unclench of your fists and your stiff posture.

unable to contain himself, he chuckles, “someone's a little tense.”

“ugh, cut me some slack! you're my first, so of course i'm nervous.”

your first. he's your first. yours. he's yours.

it's almost like a mantra the way he repeats your words (as well as varying renditions of them), one which does little to keep his waning self-restraint intact.

with a sharp inhale, he cradles your chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting your head slightly to align better with his. if this were him any other day, he would have merely brushed this moment off as another one of his fantasies; an untouchable perception of what he wishes could be his.

this is not any other day, however, as jing yuan is hyper-aware of your light breaths fanning against his lips, the faint brush of his nose against yours, and your familiar scent which curls into him.

you, you, you. you are all he feels, all he can think of, even more so when he finally pushes forward into your awaiting silence and slots his lips against yours. it's a perfect fit, he thinks in what little room he allows for thought when preoccupied with your overflowing warmth and the taste of you on his tongue and the sheer euphoria which bubbles up when you hold onto him in response to his hands sliding up to cup your cheeks and holding you close.

he wonders if you can feel his centuries' worth of repressed affection from this exchange — if you can feel the desperation coursing through his veins as he leans into your touch. he already knows it's impossible though, for his love runs far too deep to be conveyed in just one singular moment.

“did you get that?” there's an ache in his heart when you part for air, but it's quickly forgotten when you blindly chase after him.

“one more time,” you whisper against his lips, his heart surging up his throat at your half-dazed eyes and tightening grip on his clothes. “i think you need to show me one more time.”

his waning self-restraint snaps.

“look at me,” he whispers back, voice hoarse with pent-up desire. his hands tilt your head up, guiding your gaze to align with his once more. before you can let a word slip through it's smothered, his lips crashing onto yours in an instant as he finds himself more determined than ever to leave you breathless with his adoration and have you focus solely on him.

if you enjoyed this, then reblogs with/or comments are greatly appreciated !! <33

[hor3nee]

do you think Leon is one of those guys who cums really quickly? Because that's my headcanon and I think so

I ACTUALLY KINDA DO??

cw: nsf/w, sex talk and stuff.

I don't think he's necessarily a one-pump-and-done dude, (like Gojo). But I do have a similar thought process, for pre-30's Leon at least. He flirts- A lot, with everybody and anything. However, I do believe the flirting doesn't often (if ever...) actually land him someone.

So he's inexperienced, which doesn't inherently mean he finishes quicker than average. But I think he does regardless. And even when he's older he's still not a super long-lasting dude. Which don't get me wrong isn't a bad thing either.

I think he's willing and would like to pleasure outside just penetrative sex, long foreplay head etc are all equally fun for him and pleasurable for him to do for a partner. So it's not like sex is just.. He finishes in 5 minutes and is out. He's present and ready to keep going in other ways- Also younger Leon has a really quick refractory period. Could get it up soon after to keep going anyway.

[nopanamaman]

Do you have any advice for drawing & animating quicker or is it all practice? Perfectionism also ties a lot into my workspeed, and I've always wanted to make a comic, so I'm trying to find away around it.

Practice helps for sure! You become able to capture the shapes you want faster and learn to streamline certain aspects of your style.

But also if I had to point out other factors that helped me get faster:

Less frames per page. It's easier to make a less cramped layout look good. Yes, you will need more pages to show the same succession of events. But juggling a ton of speech bubbles and panels every time will really slow you down, especially if you suffer from perfectionism.

Less frames per animation. All my current animations are low FPS. Use references to pinpoint which keyframes to prioritise and experiment with timing to make the most out of the few drawings you have. Post production can help smoothen things out with tweening and light camera shakes.

Flow/composition over everything. Most people won't care about the anatomy or perspective being subpar if the flow is good. 90% of my animation frames look like actual shit, but I like the way they move, and that's how most people will perceive them anyways. People usually blitz through comic panels as well. As long as the art in a particular panel isn't distractingly worse than the rest of the comic, no one will care.

Storyboard. When I was making the comic page by page, I often ran into the issue of having to go back and change things because the flow ended up being weird when reading the whole thing together. Storyboards help you settle on the overall flow and composition super early on, so you won't need to redraw the same scene several times over.

Lasso fill. I saw a post on twitter about someone being shocked at how much lasso fill has sped up their colouring process. It couldn't be that good, I thought. It was that good.

[seajelllies]

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝟒 ♡︎ Stupidity runs in the family

masterlist ✎ roll call 1 ✎ roll call 2

You grumble quietly to yourself as you press gently onto your face, trying to feel for any specific areas of pain. Doesn't seem like the brick wall did much damage to you other than temporarily making you dizzy, thank god, because if you show up with lines all over your face Yuji's going to compare it to his brother's tattoos. The thought makes your eye twitch.

You place your hand on the wall in front of you, trying to balance yourself for a moment, letting out a soft sigh.

You flinch the moment you feel cold air blow on the back of your neck accompanied by a low chuckle. You instinctively whip your head around, hand about to whack whoever decided it was such a good idea to stand right up against your back but before you can process anything, your wrist is caught.

"Gotta be quicker than that, sweetheart."

Damn. You didn't even need to see his face completely to recognize the annoying purr. How a man you met for less than 10 minutes manage to cement himself into your brain so quickly, you'll never know.

"Not your sweetheart." You frown again, glancing up to meet his bored gaze. He lets go of your wrist without needing to be told to, and you take note of how little pressure he had despite being able to stop you so easily. Must have good control, that, or he assumed you weren't enough of a threat to put too much effort into stopping you.

And considering all you do is study to the point where you lack sleep, you couldn't even feel offended even if you wanted to be. You stood there awkwardly for a moment, absentmindedly rubbing your wrist with your thumb before glancing away.

"...Did you see?"

"See what?"

"Me walk into the wall."

"What wall?"

You can hear the amusement in his voice despite his borderline blank expression as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, feigning ignorance. He averts his eyes to the side and you can see the teasing glint in his eyes. You suddenly feel the urge to bash your head against the wall- on purpose this time.

"You're not funny." You mumble, turning around to continue making your way towards Yuji- well, Sukuna's dorm too. You hadn't even considered that you might bump into him on campus one of these days, and certainly not so soon.

You don't bother turning around to see if he's also following you, but you don't even have to. You catch a glimpse of his figure next to you, at a decent distance quietly without so much as glancing at you either.

You half expected him to actually start walking past you, since you assume he could probably speed walk back to his dorm faster than you could run to it- but no. Instead, he maintains the same pace as you, simply staring forward with an apathetic expression. The two of you walk in silence for a moment before he ruins the blissful silence.

"You do that often?" He asks, eyes still focused in front of him.

"What, walk into walls?" You ask, and when he lets out a low hum in response you awkwardly shrug. "Sometimes. It's not like I do it on purpose."

"I don't think anyone walks into walls on purpose." He lets out an amused scoff, shaking his head at the thought and you pretend not to notice the way the corner of his lips curl ever so slightly. It disappeared as soon as you notice.

"Wonder how good you can tutor my brother with severe brain damage." He points out, finally glancing at you out of the corner of his eyes.

"I'm almost certain someone with brain damage still has more braincells than Yuji." You snort without hesitation.

"Hm."

The walk is relatively quiet again up until you make it back to the dorms, where he finally starts to walk ahead of you because of the narrow hallways, occasionally glancing over his shoulder. If you were delusional enough you'd assume it's because he wants to make sure he isn't walking too fast.

You manage to keep your pace with him, and the two of you make it to the dorm room. The minute you walk in you're greeted to Yuji staring like he's seen a ghost, eyes glancing from his brother, to you, back to his brother and rinse and repeat.

Finally Sukuna spoke up, removing his jacket and flinging it on his bed. "What's with your face? You look stupid."

"You guys came together?" Yuji asks confused, earning a nonchalant shrug from his brother.

"So?"

"So?" Yuji repeats, completely dumbstruck.

Between him, Nobara and Megumi's reactions to Sukuna, you're starting to wonder if the dude just murders babies for fun or something. Why is it every time you interact with him people act like you're the dumb girl in a horror movie that doesn't realize she's talking to the murderer?

"Nevermind that, Yuji, are you ready? You need to make up for lost time yesterday." You shake your thoughts away, moving to take a seat next to him with a sigh. Textbook after textbook leaves your bag and you watch Yuji's face change from confusion to exhaustion- and he hasn't even read a single page yet.

"Yeah..." He replies with a dejected whine.

"Yuji, how the hell did you graduate high school?"

Barely an hour later you feel like you're losing your mind- it was easy to ramble and explain things to him the day he met you in the library, so how come he barely seemed to be paying attention in the comfort of his own room?

"Cheated on his finals." Sukuna chimed in, not even bothering to look at the two of you, scrolling on his phone mindlessly as he relaxes in the bed behind you.

"He- He what!?" You whipped your head back to look at him and then back at Yuji. "Yuji???"

Your best friend simply averts his gaze, pursing his lips while he pretends to no hear a single word you're saying. You resist the urge to whack him in the face with the textbook as you lean back in the chair, letting out an exasperated groan.

"There's no way you're making it, Yuji, I have absolutely no idea how you're going to pass anything." You regret having to tell him this, but you can't see him even making it half the year at this point.

"I thought you said you'd help me!" Yuji looked genuinely distraught at the fact that you might be giving up on him, giving you his usual puppy dog pleading frown.

"Don't- Don't give me that face." You mumble weakly, trying to remind yourself that you could be doing literally anything else right now. Like studying for your own classes. "That was when I thought you knew the basic fundamentals! How am I supposed to reteach you something we learned freshmen year?"

You give him a serious frown, and he doesn't bother pleading again. He just looks so.. sad. He really was trying his best, you knew this, but you were painfully aware that this was going to take longer than a week or two of tutoring- which was exactly how long you expected this to go on.

After an uncomfortable pause, Yuji speaks up, bouncing his leg slightly- something he does when he's a bit anxious.

"I really need to stay here, Y/N." He says seriously, a fire of determination in his eyes as he glances up at you. "Please. I'm begging you, help me."

You bite your lip with a frown, unsure. On one hand, he's your best friend, and realistically so long as it was physically possible and doesn't hurt anyone, you would do anything for him. On the other, you also need to prioritize your own goals. You're in no way failing, not even close, but you don't know how your grades will look when you stop this insane schedule you've already set for yourself.

Your thoughts are interrupted when he gets a text and he jumps out of his seat.

"Ah- The foods here, gotta go to the front to pick it up- just please. Please think about it? I'll buy you 2- no, 3 meals a day! Just think about it!" Before you can even give him an answer, he's out the door once again, and you start feeling deja vu.

You let out a frustrated sigh, the options felt like a heavy weight on your chest no matter what you choose. It really wasn't the worst thing in the world to help your friend out, and you don't want to see him having to drop out either.

Your thoughts are once again, interrupted- this time by a low, gruff voice.

"You're gonna say no, huh?"

"He's a lost cause." You reply honestly, glancing behind you, and you make eye contact with Sukuna for a second. Your eye twitched slightly, and you start wondering how long he was staring at you since that conversation.

He doesn't respond right away, he just simply maintained eye contact. After what felt like an awkward pause, he lets out a long heavy sigh.

"He's not as stupid as he seems," He starts off, to which you blinked in slight surprise. Form his demeanor you almost expected him to laugh it off, but he's surprisingly seems a bit serious. "He can do it if he puts his mind to it."

"I know that." You reply without hesitation. You've known Yuji for years now, of course you're aware that he's a hard worker. Sometimes he just gets overwhelmed, and you've seen him crumble before, the stress overtaking him.

"But I-"

"I need him to stay here." He cuts you off without care, and he sits up on the edge of his bed, leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees. He leans forward slightly, eyes not once leaving yours. "I know you have your own shit going on, but I need him to graduate with some kind of degree."

You break the eye contact, staring at the ground between the two of you in silence. When you look back up at him, you see he still hasn't looked away from you.

"Why?"

His expression contorts slightly, he almost looks disgusted but you can't tell with what exactly.

"I just need him to. He deserves a better future." He grumbles the last part so quietly, you almost miss it.

Oh. A caring older brother? Didn't look the type- let alone sound like the type. But something about how bluntly he said it resonated with you.

Damn it.

You were about to respond, before the front door opens and Yuji walks in with a big bag of food, only for Sukuna's eye to twitch, as he raises a brow.

"Why the hell did you order so much?"

"I didn't! I swear! I think they must've given me extra stuff by mistake!" He defends himself, placing 3 bags of take out on the table to which your eyes widen and you nearly start drooling.

You also forgot how hungry you were.

"Yuji- Give me the receipt." Sukuna grunts, scowling as he yanks the suspiciously long paper. It took only a moment for him to blink at the paper before he slowly let out a groan, covering his face with his hand as he drops the paper on the ground. "How... do you- You ordered 6 of the same thing."

"WHAT!?"

"PUT THE GUITAR DOWN!" Yuji shrieks, jumping from his bed to Sukuna's, back and forth while the taller male simply shakes the instrument in his hands, debating if it was actually worth it.

"That's an entire day's worth of money."

"IN MY DEFENSE, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"That's not-" Sukuna swings the guitar but he misses, to which Yuji yelps and slips off his bed and onto the ground, all while you watch just casually eating your sandwich without a care in the world, eyes following the chaos. "-a good defense."

"I'M SORRY WOAH WOAH WOAH! STOP!" Yuji pleads as Sukuna stands over his menacingly, and for once you see a smile spread on his face- but it is in no way positive. It was like a predator watching its prey struggle to run when it knows it can't.

The sight makes you start to understand where everyone's fear is coming from... Sort of- If it weren't for the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

"It's only... a day, is it really that bad?" You make the mistake of speaking up, and Sukuna turns his gaze away from his brother and you start wondering if you should shove as much food as you can into your bag and make a run for it.

"Of course the person eating for free would say that." He scowls, eye twitching.

"It was an accident," You pauses, before glancing at the guitar in his arms. "I'm pretty sure if you whack him with that you'd lose even more money, and it'd be a waste."

Sukuna frowned, slowly bringing his guitar down and lightly tossing it onto his bed with a frustrated sigh, running his hand through his hair as he gently kicks Yuji's leg to let him know he can stand up.

"An accident or not, I'm the one paying for both the food and our tuition."

Yuji quickly stands up with an apologetic expression, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm really sor-"

"So this is your fault." Sukuna cuts Yuji's apology off by pointing to you.

You pause mid chew, raising a brow in confusion as you look from him and back to Yuji, then to him once again. How he came to that conclusion, you had no clue.

"How exactly is this my fault?"

"He wouldn't have ordered this much food if you weren't here." He folds his arms over his chest, looking at the various bags almost bored.

"I-" You try to deny it but he did only order food in exchange for tutoring, so essentially, you suppose the blame could be pushed onto you. Technically. But you also technically had no way of paying for this food back, so you sit there awkwardly.

"Hey, no it's my fault for not reading th-"

"So," Sukuna cuts his brother off again, effortlessly taking a few big steps closer to you. You watch as he towers over you, and he slowly leans down to your eye level, crimson eyes boring into yours. You feel something akin to fear for only a few seconds, before his lips curl into a mischievous grin "How are you going to make it up to me, sweetheart?"

You think your options over briefly- you do not have to money to pay him back since you don't have a job, you barely had enough money leftover from buying textbooks at the start of the semester. You were running out of options.

"Dude, let me pay for it." Yuji places his hand on his shoulder, pulling him back from you slightly.

"With what fucking money, Yuji?" The stress was evident in his eyes, and you could see him gritting his teeth. You think about the conversation you guys had before Yuji came in.

"I'll keep tutoring Yuji till the end of the year."

The two of them glance back at you with a confused expression, but Sukuna's quickly went back to being in its hostile natural scowl.

"How exactly does that help me?"

"I'll make sure he maintains the bare minimum at the very least," You reply quickly, eyes darting from him and then towards Yuji who looks grateful, if not a bit guilty that you're practically being forced into this decision now instead of willingly doing so. "And I'll make sure he doesn't get kicked. So that way his tuition wasn't wasted."

Sukuna is silent for a moment, before his scowl fades into a teasing grin and- that cheeky bastard wasn't actually blaming you, that was his angle all along. To figure out a way to force you to continue tutoring him- which, truthfully, was useless since you were going to continue tutoring him anyways. Something about the way he looked while admitting that he wanted Yuji to have a better future hit you harder than you expected.

"Alright then, works for me." He replies a bit too fast, which only further proves your suspicions.

You want to cut in and call him out on his calculated guilt tripping but the moment you saw Yuji's eyes light up and come to hug you from the side, thanking you despite his own guilt, you simply relaxed into the side hug. You figure it's useless, the outcome would've been the same regardless.

You try to ignore Sukuna's smug expression as you and Yuji go back to studying shortly after you eat.

"W...What? This doesn't make any sense." Yuji scratches his head, leaning over the textbook in confusion.

"It's a contradiction-"

"Isn't that a condom?" Sukuna cuts in.

"That's... That's a contraceptive-" You're appalled for a moment before you get caught off again by Sukuna.

"You're sounding real condensation right now."

"I know that one! That's like, when someone's being a know it all." Yuji beams proudly, and Sukuna and him exchange a high five as though they were completely right.

"...Condescending. The word is condescending guys... Oh my god." You lay your head down on the table in defeat.

You're starting to think stupidity might run in the family.

𝑻𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚'𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔!

︾ ...Ehe... nearly 3k words... my brain is fried (╥ᆺ╥；) Take a shot every time I use the word 'glance' or 'sigh' www

︾ I originally had a better tie in to the title, but then realized the longer I wrote the more I deviated off of my original idea for this chapter,, but I ended up liking it more. So sorry for the big walls of text qwq I will do more screenshots, I promise. Let me know if all the writing is annoying, I can try to condense it better next time ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)

︾ I apologize for weird sentences or grammar issues, I haven't written in it in years ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍! the taglist

@sweetteez @stressed-cryptid @moxiiscool @ashfrommyfire @nikkimvriee @ggizaopunkg1bson @dazaisms

[emry-stars-art]

Oooh do go on about raven neil and jean 👀 (if you’re so inclined ☺️) - @neil-jostenminyard

*chanting* raven Neil raven Neil raven Neil (and lots of Jean) (quite possibly even jeaneil) (although most of the thoughts are post-ravens lol)

So my personal thoughts about this are also mostly thanks to chats and inspiration/prompting from @jtl-fics and @greenautumnleaves so if you see any additions from them on this post it's most likely also thoughts I adore lol

Anyway this got kind of long so:

I ALSO latched onto Sakavic's statement that Neil wouldn't leave Jean in the nest bc yeah it makes sense and also ow

But just the two of them being partnered up like Riko and Kevin as is common in these aus, and then after Kevin gets out first, they have to stick together and rely on each other even MORE because Riko is pissed that Kevin is gone and probably takes it out on the next closest two idk

But in our imaginings, Renee or Andrew get Jean out quicker than in canon, again because Neil would refuse to leave Jean behind and I can only imagine he'd go so far as to trick or manipulate Jean into leaving. Maybe by being at a certain place at a certain time to get picked up, however he can make it happen. But the issue we run into is that once that's done, what the hell would Neil have left at Evermore, besides Exy that maybe he still loves deep down. But Exy's been so warped being raised on it at the nest that at that point his obsession is barely recognizable.

Kevin might recognize this, because he knew Neil in the nest. Or at least he knew the person that Neil presented himself as. But it's probably more likely that Jean recognizes this, and yeah things are super rocky and weird but Jean can barely even function without Neil. So back a fox goes to rescue their second raven's partner.

They bring Neil back to Palmetto and he and Jean are completely inseparable. Emotionally and physically. Neither of them act like, feel like, or even call themselves "touchy feely" or "clingy" people but as soon as Neil is treated for various intense and mysterious injuries, they're curled up in some hidden place for hours. Even the short time having left Neil behind made Jean almost too anxious to leave his room. Even the short time without Jean - now with more punishment for aiding Jean's escape - was enough for Neil to consider something drastic.

(side note: Andrew now has not one, not two, but three gorgeous tragic boys under his supervision and I'm sure he's handling that totally normally lmao. But it's so obvious to him that Jean and Neil have something going on that any ideas for himself aren't worth entertaining.)

So it's a little easier to ease out of various habits and thought processes because Jean and Neil are doing it together, with outside help. They fix their sleep cycles/rhythms, try a slightly more normal college diet, and most slowly lose their "win or die" mindset in practices. They're still never seen without each other - Wymack had a talk with some of the school board about their schedules and dorm arrangements for the first semester. In reality, he's not sure if he should have them go cold turkey on raven habits or if he should take it slower, but he's doing his damn best to get these boys adjusted to life outside a cult. And Neil and Jean, whether or not they actively realize it, find that step to be the one they absolutely cannot take. Why would they go through the agony of learning to live separately if they don't have to. When no one else understands them like the other, when they've already seen each other's worst so nothing else is worth keeping secret between them. Who else is Jean going to go to when having a better life makes him feel like he more deserves death or punishment and the guilt hits him so hard he can't breathe, much less sleep. Who else is Neil going to go to when he can't let go of his birthright - if he isn't good at what he does (Exy) he literally could just be shot like a lame horse - and he's not allowed to go practice Exy against a wall to the point of tearing himself apart anymore so he forces his feet away from the court to find the only person he knows he'll listen to when they say no.

Kevin, of course, is keeping a close eye on the two, whether unintentionally or on purpose is unclear. Neil still has a mouth on him, he sometimes plays mind games with the foxes like chess against himself, and most of all does not allow anyone to get too close to Jean. Jean is still quiet, having learned not only to take a punishment without resistance but also that Neil will speak first. Neil will resist so Jean doesn't have to. He's safer in Neil's shadow.

Maybe it's a phrase or warning that Neil uses and that Kevin recognizes. Maybe it's a gesture between Neil and Jean that Kevin oversees. Maybe it's just the general demeanor of the two. But whatever it is is familiar to Kevin, not in a "I remember this from them in the nest" way. He can recognize by now that Riko was not good to him, he can acknowledge it even if the rest of him hasn't caught up. He looks at Jean in Neil's shadow and remembers himself in Riko's.

As if Butcher's son Nathaniel Wesninski wasn't already scary enough on his own.

But Kevin won't allow this kind of thing on his court, and he's not good at it but he is still trying to let go of unhealthy raven ideals. If Neil is holding onto some fucked up dynamic, Kevin is going to put a stop to it.

He pulls Jean aside, a miraculous feat. He asks what Neil has done.

"Mistake" might be an understatement.

It could very easily be the longest string of words Jean has said to anyone besides Neil. Kevin doesn't know near as much French as he does in canon - Neil is the one that shares that secret defiance - so it's all clear English, Jean making sure Kevin understands every word. Kevin should never speak about Neil that way again. He knows nothing about them, he shouldn't so much as pretend to understand Neil. Neil is the only good thing that ever happened to Jean. Kevin never cared enough to bring it up in the nest, so he has no right to start caring now.

It isn't great for their already tumultuous relationship. Kevin wonders for a bit if Jean would tell Neil about it - then next practice Neil doesn't even try to work with Kevin, even after the two had made it a point as strikers to figure out how to. He ignores the other strikers entirely, falling immediately and seamlessly into perfect synch with Jean behind him, speaking hardly a word of English the whole practice. Because he knows that will make Kevin even more angry than Neil being actively hostile to his new teammates.

Kevin isn't sure what he was expecting. Chances are Jean hadn't even needed to bring it up for Neil to notice something was off.

As for Andrew, I think he could still pick up a game of truths. He'd need to offer a similar deal as he did for canon Neil, this time for Neil-and-Jean, the entity of the two of them together. I think he could ensure some cooperation by saying he won't force Jean and Neil apart from each other the way some others have muttered about doing. Even if Neil knows by now the codependence isn't healthy, neither of them are ready to give it up.

It probably really throws Andrew to hear that they don't consider themselves to be an item. They're together, sure, but for a raven that doesn't always, maybe even rarely, means "in a traditional relationship". Neil and Jean definitely never offer any clarification. That's no one else's business, even if they could explain it so that a non-raven could understand. Generally I feel like if this is an andreil universe, it's an even longer, stranger, more winding road to get there than in canon.

I'm almost CERTAIN there's more Im forgetting about rn but this has been my taster on raven Neil+Jean, I hope it was at least a little bit coherent, and greenautumnleaves - I hope this comes anywhere close to your galaxy brain ideas on these two lol. Maybe I'll be back with other thoughts later who knows

[cryptidfuckery]

Alex's Guide to Being the Best Ever Client at a Hair Salon

Hi my name is Alex and I've been a hairdresser for about 6 years now. Obviously over that time I've come to learn what things clients do that make me very happy to see, so here's some tips on how to be the best ever client and make your hairdresser love you to pieces!

Also please note that this is coming from a relatively independent hair stylist. My salon does not have a receptionist or assistants, just the stylists. All tips should work across most salons though.

BOOKING AND CONSULTATIONS

When calling or otherwise directly messaging a salon or stylist to book an appointment, KNOW WHEN YOU WANT TO COME IN. If you need to check your schedule, do it before or have it open before you make the call. This will speed up the booking process exponentially!

DON'T BOOK A SMALLER COLOR RPOCESS JUST TO GET IN. If you're booking online, do not choose a color process with less time just to fit in to the stylist's schedule if you actually want a longer process. By this i mean not booking a partial highlight when you actually want a full. We will not be able to accommodate you, and will either have to leave you with the shorter process or reschedule you on another day when we would actually have the time to deliver what you want.

UNDERSTAND THEIR CANCELLATION POLICY. I know they can be annoying, but let me put it this way. When you are booking with a stylist, you're not booking a service, you're booking our TIME so we can provide the service you want. If you cancel last minute or no-show, you are costing us money that we could have made back by booking other clients. Especially on big ticket services that take hours. Cancellation policies allow us to y'know... still make rent.

YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT... BUT... Part of a stylist's job is to ask the right questions to figure out exactly what you want out of your color, style, or texture. If you don't know exactly what you want, BE READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND MAKE DECISIONS. We are trying to get on the same page as you so you will leave happy.

If you are coming in for a color that is more work than just an all over color or root touch up (aka single process), please do a tiny bit of research into what you'd like. You don't need to know EVERYTHING, but for reference showing a search for "BRUNETTE WITH HIGHLIGHTS" isn't going to narrow it down as much as a search for "DARK BRUNETTE WITH NATURAL WARM HIGHLIGHTS" would. A good stylist should be able to ask the right questions to get down to what you want, but this will make it much easier and quicker.

On that note, DEAR FUCKING LORD WE LOVE PICTURES, SHOW US PICTURES. BRING US YOUR PINTREST BOARD. SHOW US THAT TIKTOK YOU SAW. It's one sure fire way for us to physically see what you're talking about, and a good starting point to then ask qualifying questions with a reference! It doesn't mean we can 100% make it happen, but it helps us get on the same page you're on and see what you're looking to achieve.

Last but not least, research your stylists! Check what they specialize in, see if you can find any of their work posted online. Finding a stylist can sometimes be like finding a therapist, you have to find the one that's right for you (both in personality and technique). Don't feel bad about switching stylists; if your old one kicks a fuss they weren't the right one for you anyway. You deserve to be taken care of by a person you're comfortable with, and who delivers the service you want to your standards.

The hair industry is. Fucking huge. There's so many of us. You can literally call and book a consultation for a cut or color without getting it done that day. You can do that at 5 different salons before deciding. If they get weird about it just say you had a bad experience with an old stylist that you'd rather not get into. There is always options for another stylist.

BEST BEHAVIOR IN THE CHAIR

#1 thing i wish i could tell my clients without being rude: phone goes away for the haircut. Color is more lax, we don't always need your head in a specific position to apply it. Hair cutting completely relies on the position of the head, especially for the perimeter length of your hair. If you are looking down at your phone the whole time, the haircut will not come out as good. We also will be asking you to move to other positions, so we need at least some of your attention. It's also so we as hair stylists aren't having to contort our body into weirder shapes to cut your hair.

To piggyback off that, it's also because of the cape. Best client thing to do is once that cape is on you, make sure it's draped fully over the arms of the chair you're in. We'll take care of the back. The cape is there to protect you from getting hair or color on yourself, but it can't work unless you are completely covered by the cape. Including arms. (I'm looking at the fucking phone again >:( )

When you are in the sink, your nose should be pointing toward the ceiling while you are being washed. This allows us to not drench your face or neck when we are washing your hairline around your face. If your nose isn't pointing toward the ceiling, ask if you are able to readjust.

Best ever tip for in the sink: if the stylist is lifting your head up to rinse the nape of your neck, do not lift your whole neck. Crane your head forward while keeping the base of your neck secure to the sink. This will help you avoid getting water down your back. Your stylist might cup their hand at your nape, just lean back into it like you were a rag doll. We don't want to get you wet, but you gotta trust us with your head at the sink.

If you wanna get an A+ as a client, watch how they fix the chair at the sink for you to get in. The clients that put their own feet up or adjust themself to the right position (after an appointment or two with them) are my loves. my life. yes babe make yourself comfortable, you're doin my job for me.

If you are looking for extra styling past a blowdry (IE: curling iron or flat iron), let us know at the beginning of the service. This can take more time or is an extra charge, so letting us know in advance can allow us to communicate that to you or make sure we have the time to provide the service you want.

And probably my best tip/hack for all my introverted or neurodivergent people nervous about having to keep up small talk. Before or after the consultation, when they inevitably ask how you are or how your day has been, repeat after me: "I've had a really long day/week and I'm looking forward to closing my eyes, relaxing, and being pampered." This will signify that YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK other than what needs to be communicated. If they press, just say work or school has been really hard and stressing you out, so you booked this to relax and have some personal quiet time. Heavy on the relax people. Then just fuckin vibe bro.

If we ever give you our number to text, ask if we cant coffee. Ouughhghgh give us a coffe we love a fucking coffefee. Or ask your stylist what their favorite treat is. Just lil things like that. It's like an extra tip for us!

FINISHING AND PAYING

So your service is done! Make sure you check it out yourself and ask for any adjustments. Remember, you're the one leaving with your hair on your head, and will have to live with it until you return to the salon. If you need something fixed or adjusted, ask! A good stylist will prompt you.

Ask how tips are accepted. You can do it during the service or at checkout, but asking is always appreciated! Not all salons allow you to tip on card, but cash will never be turned away. Venmo is also extremely common.

I work in the USA where a 20% tip is the norm. If you can't afford that, don't worry. If you can't tip at all, don't worry. We don't know you financial situation, and we are in no place to judge that. You still deserve to get the service you want. More often than not if you talk to us about it, we will absolutely be sympathetic. If your stylist kicks a fuss about a tip they get (or don't get), drop them and find someone else.

That being said... yes we like it when you tip more than 20%. Of course we do, it's more money directly to us for doing our job. But I'll be honest with you, I will go out of my way for a kind client i get along with that tips 5% the same way I'll go out of my way for a difficult client who tips 100%.

If you like us, rebook! By having an appointment already in the system you're guaranteeing a time for you to get back in. And if you can't make it, you can cancel it or reschedule. It will help your stylist's rebooking data, which can help them within the salon depending how the business is set up. Sometimes stylists have to reach a certain percentage threshold of rebooking to move up a level of prices or get a higher percentage of commission.

Last but not least, if you're chatting with your stylist after the service, be aware of two things. 1) do they have their next client waiting for them? 2) are you their last client? If either of these are true, try not to linger. We hate having to do the "Well, I've gotta get to my next client/start cleaning up to go home." This can change as you form a deeper relationship with your stylist over the years (sometimes even a friendship!), but please remember that we are at our job.

As of right now that's all I can think of. If I come up with anything else I'll reblog and add on. And please feel free to shoot me an ask if you have a question I didn't answer here, or want to know more about something I mentioned.

But finally I will leave you with this.

Yes, the hair stylist is the expert in hair. Yes, we can give you advice about your style. But here's the thing. When you walk out of the salon door, we aren't the one's dealing with your hair day to day. Even if you don't think you know a lot about hair, YOU ARE THE EXPERT ON THE HAIR ON YOUR HEAD. YOU are the expert on what you do and don't want to look like. We're the tool to get it done. Remember that!

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Wash Day With Venom & Eddie

Pairing: Eddie Brock x Black!Reader x Venom

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: none it's very cute

Genre: fluff, I'd say a lil comedy cuz Eddie and Venom are a very unserious duo

Summary: Venom is curious about how you wash your hair

***

You check the clock on the wall as the latest episode of your current date night watch with Eddie comes to an end and let out a sigh realizing you have to get going. You stand up and stretch with Eddie and Venom turning down the volume on whatever preview Netflix is playing.

"Alright, boys I have to get going now." You say leaning down to kiss Eddie's cheek.

"WHAT?! WHY? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SPENDING THE NIGHT!" Venom stretches his head to look at you closely when you stand back up.

"I can't tonight V, I have today is wash day." You tell him petting the top of his head.

"LIKE FOR YOUR LAUNDRY?!"

"No sweetie, for my hair." You smile.

"WASH IT HERE."

"I don't have any of my hair products here Venom I can't do that." You laugh.

"USE EDDIE'S. HE HAS THAT HAIR SOAP TOO. RIGHT EDDIE?"

"No way. My hair is far too temperamental for me to just be borrowing any old shampoo. She has very specific requirements." You say.

"ISN'T IT ALL THE SAME?"

"No Venom it's not. My hair is very different than Eddie's so it requires very different care." You chuckle.

"OH. SO BRING YOUR PRODUCTS HERE. I WANT TO SEE THIS DIFFERENT CARE."

"You're surprisingly curious about this, but I'm not bringing all my hair care here that's quite a few items."

"SO WE WILL COME TO YOUR PLACE." Venom declares.

"Venom bud, I know you wanna spend every moment of every day with her but we gotta let her have her personal time ya know." Eddie steps in.

"I WANT TO SEE HOW SHE WASHES HER HAIR!" Venom glares at Eddie.

"We know but maybe that's not something she wants to show you." Eddie says.

"It's a long process V, takes like an hour and you are not exactly known for your patience." You say.

"AN HOUR?! EDDIE'S HAIR TAKES LIKE FIFTEEN MINUTES IN THE SHOWER EVERY OTHER DAY!"

"Eddie's hair gets gross and oily much quicker than mine. Washing it that often would pretty much destroy it."

"Hey! My hair does not get gross, okay?" 

"Because you wash it regularly. My point still stands what happens to you in like 3 days would take at least a month or two for my type of hair. Probably longer. That's not important. V, it takes a long while to wash."

"I CAN BE PATIENT!" Venom protests.

"I actually don't think you can." Eddie snorts.

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE?"

"No, not at all." He shakes his head.

"PLEASE LITTLE DROP, LET US COME OVER SO I CAN WATCH YOU WASH YOUR HAIR." Venom turns his attention back to you.

"If, and I do mean if, if I let you guys come to my place so you can satisfy your curiosity I don't want to hear a single complaint about how long it takes V." You point a finger at him.

"I HAVE NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT WHEN I'M WITH YOU." He offers a smile.

"That was very smooth." Eddie says with surprise.

"Also, no distracting. It already takes long enough, and I have to get it done. I mean it Venom you can't get all handsy with me when I'm in the shower."

"I CAN BEHAVE!"

"You have to. Or you'll have to leave. Once the hair washing has started I can't really just stop the process in the middle. I'm serious V."

"I WILL BE ON MY BEST BEHAVIOR. I PROMISE."

"Venom our girlfriend isn't an observational study you know you can't just watch her doing everyday tasks like that." Eddie chuckles.

"IS IT NOT NORMAL TO WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT SOMEONE YOU LOVE? I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU." Venom says to him.

"It's fine to want to know about her sure, but don't treat her regular tasks like they're something strange."

"I DON'T THINK THEY'RE STRANGE BUT THEY'RE DIFFERENT THAN YOURS AND I'M CURIOUS."

"Okay boys don't fight. I know you're being considerate Eddie and I appreciate that advocacy but Venom is an alien so I feel like this curosity is pretty standard for him and I don't really mind." You jump in before the two of them get into it like they so often do.

"I just don't want you to be uncomfortable. I know being watched while washing your hair can be weird." Eddie frowns.

"I'd probably be uncomfortable if it was anyone but Venom so I get where you're coming from." You shrug.

"I PROMISE I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE AND I WILL DO MY BEST NOT TO ACT LIKE I'M STUDYING YOU BUT CAN WE GO NOW?" Venom asks making you and Eddie laugh at his impatience.

"Fine! We'll go." Eddie rolls his eyes. Venom at this point takes over and scoops you into his arms suddenly, swinging out of Eddie's window.

"Venom we could've walked!" You shout.

"THIS IS QUICKER!" Venom insists. It's only a couple of moments before Venom opens your window and climbs inside.

"Geez you're impatient." You huff out a laugh as you take your shoes off and toss them by the door. You head into your room to grab a t-shirt and your comb before going to your bathroom with Venom tailing behind you. You get into your shower and run the warm water over your hair for several minutes. Venom gives Eddie back his body now but the alien stretches his neck enough to watch over the top of your shower.

"I cannot believe you dragged us here to watch her wash her hair." Eddie scoffs.

"Welcome back Eddie." You laugh.

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO COMPLAIN I WILL JUST TAKE THE BODY BACK. SHE SAID WE CAN ONLY STAY IF WE DON'T COMPLAIN." Venom says.

"Well technically the condition was you don't complain about how long this whole thing takes you tell Venom. You laugh as you put in your shampoo and scrub at your scalp until there's a decent lather. You rinse it thoroughly before turning the water off for the next part.

"ARE YOU DONE?" Venom asks and Eddie snorts out a laugh.

"No, not done, but the next part takes the longest and if I left the water on it would get cold before I got out of here." You explain as you run decent amounts of conditioner through your hair.

"THE NEXT PART?"

"I'm putting in conditioner and then I have to detangle my hair."

"DE...TANGLE?"

"Dude I'm sure you know that means." Eddie says.

"SURE BUT NOT WITH HAIR."

"It means the same thing regardless of the context V, my hair is very thick it gets tangled with itself after a while so I have to use a comb to get work out the knots." You explain as you start to work the comb through your hair in small sections.

"EDDIE HAS A COMB. IT'S MUCH SMALLER."

"Yeah, that's mostly a styling comb. Plus his hair is thinner. My hair would... probably break those combs." You tell him.

"DO ALL WOMEN DO THIS?"

"Well it's not a woman specific thing. Really just anyone with long hair probably has a similar process but how time consuming it is depends on a few things though, length, texture, thickness- that sort of thing. Thick coily hair, like mine, which is common for Black people takes longer than straight hair, like Eddie's when he goes to long without a haircut."

"Hey! I rock the longer hair." Eddie protests.

"Eddie you hate when your hair gets too shaggy." You laugh.

"Not always. Do you think it looks bad?"

"No but I think you don't like taking proper care of your hair when it gets too long."

"Y/N I LIKE YOUR CURLS."

"Thank you, so do I. That's why I don't mind the maintenance of spending half an hour detangling it. Plus I get to do so much with it as far as styling goes." You shrug.

"OH LIKE WHEN YOU HAD THOSE ROPE-LIKE THINGS IN YOUR HAIR."

"They're called braids Venom. I told you this before." Eddie tsks at him while you chuckle.

"BRAIDS. WILL YOU DO THEM AGAIN? YOU HAD THEM WHEN YOU AND EDDIE FIRST STARTED DATING."

"Yeah, I'm actually planning to do them tomorrow. I typically don't do them in the summer that's why it's been while." You tell him.

"HOW DO YOU DO THEM?" Venom asks.

"I can show you, tomorrow if you'd like to see how it works. It's a little hard to explain really."

"I WOULD LIKE TO SEE!" He nods excitedly. You put down the comb with a small huff, satisfied with the detangling you've done.

"Venom." Eddie sighs.

"Then if Eddie isn't busy tomorrow you guys can come by while I do my hair." You say grabbing your bodywash and washcloth. You give the conditioner a few minutes to sit in your hair by washing your body and face first.

"WHY DO IT TOMORROW AND NOT TONIGHT?" Venom asks.

"Because it takes hours and I'd be up all night if I tried to do it now. Plus I try not to use the hairdryer if I don't have to and braiding wet hair if you plan to keep the braids in is a bad idea. It needs to be dry first so I do that overnight." You wash the conditioner out of your hair careful to minimize retangling.

"SO DOING YOUR HAIR IS A TWO DAY PROCESS?"

"Only if I plan to do anything else with either day. Like if I had gotten up super early and washed my hair, let it dry throughout the day I could maybe have been doing it through the evening but- I don't like to spend a continuous twenty-four hours on my hair so, there's that." You shrug.

"WOW. EDDIE NEVER TAKES THAT LONG TO DO HIS HAIR."

"I don't have enough hair to justify taking this long." Eddie says.

"Yeah but lucky for me the day-to-day styling can be pretty minimal it's just upkeep days like this that are extensive but they aren't super frequent. At most few times a month depending on the style I have in and how busy I am. Some styles let me get away with a whole month plus." You tell him turning off the shower and opening the door. You dry off your body and wrap the t-shirt around your hair.

"YOU USE A T-SHIRT FOR YOUR HAIR AND NOT A TOWEL?" Venom tilts his head curiously at you.

"Yeah- towel fabrics can be pretty harsh on my hair so I use a t-shirt instead because, like I said earlier, it's very temperamental." You tell him going back to your bedroom once you're not trailing water. Eddie takes a seat at your desk.

"NOW WHAT?" Venom asks while you put on lotion.

"Now, I get dressed, dry my hair with this t-shirt, enough that it won't soak through my hair cover, and then have a snack before going to bed. Since I ate dinner with you guys." You tell him.

"OH. YOUR HAIR REALLY DOES TAKE A WHILE." Venom hums.

"Yeah I told you, but I'm mostly done for the night besides drying it so if you wanna head out now you can." You say with a shrug as you put on some pajamas.

"Curiosty satisfied Venom?" Eddie asks.

"WE WILL BE BACK TOMORROW." Venom announces.

"Venom I don't just sit around all day you know we might have something to do-"

"You don't have to be with me the whole day babe, it's a fairly repretative process so you can swing by for like twenty minutes just so Venom can see how it works and then you can have the rest of your day back." You say kissing Eddie lightly.

"Fine when's a good time?"

"I'll be at it most of the afternoon so, if you come before five I'll for sure have some left to show Venom." You say.

"Sounds good, I'll text you."

"Sure thing."

"Have a good night sweetheart." He says to you. "Alright Venom, since you got us here. Take us home." Eddie tells Venom.

"CAN DO!" Venom takes over from Eddie again and pulls you into a tight hug. "I AM VERY EXCITED TO SEE YOU TOMORROW LITTLE DROP!" He tells you.

"See you tomorrow my loves." You say once Venom puts you back down. He's down the hall and out your window living room very quickly and you shut the window behind them going back to your room to finish drying your hair. Even with as long as he's been here, Venom's curiosity seems to be neverending, but you'll never complain about the way he seems so interested in every single thing you do. Even something as monotonous and time consuming as doing your hair.

***

[sophieinwonderland]

your theory about proxy bypassing as it currently stands seems to anthropomorphize brain functions, which is to say it is lacking a lot of steps and explanation.

Anthropomorphize? The human brain?

Isn't the human brain inherently anthropomorphic? 🤔

But I think I get your meaning. I'm explaining in a way that makes subconscious processes sound more conscious than they are in the same way someone might describe natural selection as creatures "deciding" to grow wings or better brains or opposable thumbs. It's obviously a simplification.

I'm not a neurologist. And even if I was, I'm not sure how much insight could be drawn from our current understanding of the brain.

What we do know for certain is that plurality exists. And in these groups of plurals, there's an incredibly common phenomenon where when a headamate is fronting and starts acting for the non-fronting headmate, the fronter commonly sort of goes blank while the nonfronter gains more control, even if it feels like the fronter is still in front.

The existence of this phenomenon is without question.

So the question we're left with is why this happens?

I personally believe it has to do with keeping the organism running efficiently and cutting out the middleman, because typing would be much slower if everything you want to type has to be told to the fronter.

...

But actually, since you bring it up, there's another interesting thing about all of this that's been on my mind

Whatever mechanisms cause proxy bypassing... they didn't evolve for writing. Aside from proxying for headmates not really having much benefit at an evolutionary level, the oldest written language is only about 3000 years old.

So it's not like humans evolved specifically to let headmates write for themselves.

So the reasons we evolved in a way for proxy bypassing to work is a mystery.

If I were to speculate, I might suggest that proxy bypassing also could work for other automatic responses. Perhaps in the distant past, our ancestors relied on a sort of "combat bypassing" with more combat-oriented headmates being able to control the body during battle without actually taking front.

In that case, maybe a full switch would be too disorienting, but trying to tell the fronter what to do would cost too much reaction time in a life-or-death situation.

Allowing the combat-headmate to control their actions quicker than the fronter could react if simply relaying advice could be a survival trait.

But this is all just speculative.

We sadly don't have any way of knowing what plurality was like or how it may have manifested in hunter-gatherer cultures millennia before the first written language.

And another possibility is that this mechanism isn't even for headmates, and is more for other types of non-sentient "parts" influencing the body's actions; and we're just sort of piggy-backing off of those mechanisms.

[mazeinthemiroh]

So I'm currently stuck in the airport due to weather delays (and have been for the last two hours L.O.L. 🙃). How would the members of Stray Kids handle this situation/help pass the time?

stray kids waiting for their plane

genre: general

warnings: not proofread

a/n: sorry ✈️ anon this should've been done first out of all your requests but hey-ho, here ya go

bangchan

you can't tell me this man is going to do anything other than sleep

like.... oh my plane has been delayed? okay then, wake me up in 3 hours ig...

that's so him

he's got his travel pillow wrapped around his neck already so he can pretty much fall asleep at any given point if he feels like it

so who's gonna stop him?? cos i ain't???

minho

he will go on a little walk around the airport

grabs a good ol' starbucks frappuccino and goes about his business, gazing around the shops for nothing in particular

might get some cute little gifts for his friends or his cats while he's at it

but overall he's just walking around like the model he is, probably stealing a few people's hearts in the process

like you can't tell me he won't be your airport crush if you saw him in that setting fr

changbin

gets a meal for himself because he's been waiting so long and he still isn't on the plane yet??

ain't no way he's paying for that overpriced stuff of the plane, nuh-uh

so he gets a takeaway and likely spends the rest of his time on his phone, texting someone and ranting about his delayed flight on the internet

but overall his mind is preoccupied. he keeps checking to see if it's finally time for his departure after waiting so long

hyunjin

might just whip out his sketchbook and start drawing the pretty people he sees when waiting in the seating area

either that or he's hititng th eshops

and it's not like he needs any new stuff, but he ends up buying new clothes and accessories for his trip just because he can

and honestly, i don't blame him. it's a bit of fun!

might also buy a book, for good measure

jisung

another sleeper

he's already done. like he doesn't wanna be there and is frustrated that he has to wait more time for his plane to arrive

so he might have a little snooze if he can

either that or he's popping his headphones on and walking around, seeing if there is anything that could possibly peak his interest while he waits for his plane

felix

plays game son his phone most of the time

i mean

he's got enough games on there to last him the whole day anyway so why not put them to good use!

but if he gets that bordd he might do a lil shopping spree, definitely getting some sort of croissant or other baked good to keep him going

i also see him buying little knick-knacks and gifts for people because my boy loves giving <3

seungmin

he's got a few books packed, so he might grab one and dig into it while he waits for the plane

but if the book isn't grabbing him, he might go for a walk around the airport, earphones in as he window-shops with no intention to buy anything

he is also a keen people-watcher, which is a great habit to have at the airport because there is so many different people from every walks of life. it's safe to say he's going to have fun observing people and lowkey judging them lmao

jeongin

hits all the shops

and the food hall of course

to pass the time, he wants to eat different types of food

1, because he's hungry. 2, because he's bored. but 3, he thinks that if he fills up on food that when he does get on the plane, he if more likely to fall asleep, making his plane ride ultimately more quicker. that's pretty smart tbh

[firebugseverywhere]

I filled up my own insect house last weekend. There's already been a lot going on.

It's mostly for mason bees, or, at least they are the only ones who have moved in so far. A few other insects have crawled over it. :-)

Here, the left photo shows a pile of pollen, which is the food source the mason bees provide for their eggs, later larvae and grown bee. They build cell for cell, wall for wall, and in between they put their pollen and one single egg. They do this until the straw or whatever cavity they chose to use is full. Then they build one last wall, as seen in the right photo. When the baby bees are eventually grown up, they bite their way through the wall to break free.

Now you might wonder, how does the first bee break free if it's all the way in the back of the straw? The answer is pretty cool. Male bees hatch sooner than female ones. The mother bee knows which sex their egg has, since fertilized eggs are always female and unfertilized ones are male. They purposely fertilize the eggs they're planning to put in the back and lay the unfertilized ones in the front cells. That's quite awesome if you ask me.

Now a less funny info. There are parasites in the insect house as well.

Cacoxenus indagator is a species of fruit fly and a kleptoparasite, meaning that they lay their eggs in the nests of other insects. This one lays them in mason bee nest cells specifically. There, the fly matures and in the process feeds on the pollen that mother bee collected for its own child. In a lot of instances the bee starves to death. If it manages to survive, it is weakened and might die quicker.

I contemplated and wondered what I could do to prevent this. I thought maybe I should kill the flies. They're not quick to fly away and would be easy to smoosh. Then I thought a little more. I found that that would be against my own standards.

Parasites don't choose to be parasites, in fact I doubt that they make a lot of choices all together. They have their own place in the system called eco, and each individual has its right to be.

The fact that bees are dying in high numbers isn't a fly's fault. It wouldn't make sense to punish it for something that we did.

So, I think making an insect house taught me a good lesson. It's nice how things turn out sometimes. Also, the bees are fuzzy and have crawled up my fingers a few times heeheehee

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

For the headcanons game, perhaps an AU where when Eobard goes to kidnap Eddie in s1, Barry gets to that bridge just a teeny bit quicker and saves Eddie (by Eobard kidnapping him instead)

YES. WHUMP. This is absolutely not something I really really hoped would happen when first watching the episode at the ripe age of 9. Nope. I was a completely normal child.

Ah. Remember when Eobard took a blood sample from Farooq, saying he’d love to know how he was able to steal the Flash’s speed. And that plotline went nowhere? Whelp, that would not be the case in this universe. Because of this, Eo wouldn’t need to keep Barry in Star labs which —alongside simply not having a speedster to search— will make rescue a lot more difficult. He also knows what he's doing, knows how to hack and deactivate all the trackers and tech in Barry's suit to ensure he won't be found.

This situation forces Eddie or Joe to tell Iris Barry’s the Flash (hell, Eddie may just yell “Barry!” When he’s taken and that gives it away) and she's going to be pissed. Like canon, they don't/can't report Barry as missing, and with him out of commission; Thawne doesn’t need to send Grodd, which means they can just focus on finding him. It would be even more tense for everyone because Wells/Thawne taking Barry actually makes sense which is somehow scarier than the alternative of the kidnapping being random. They’re just hoping they can find Barry before a man who hates him enough to kill his mom when he was 11— kills him too.

Meanwhile, Barry is not doing great because Thawne isn’t particularly worried about meeting his food calorie needs; just making sure he doesn’t die of starvation. Plus, Thawne isn’t keen on giving him information about, well, anything. “Why the hell am I here?" "What’s happening with my friends?" "What are you working on over there, I can’t turn my head enough to see it—" etc. These questions, of course came after empty threats, a lot of shouting, and probably the threat of a gag if he wasn’t quieter. The cherry on top, Thawne was acting weird towards him, lingering a little too close for a little too long. Rescue really couldn't come sooner.

Eobard figured out a way to replicate Farooq's powers to not just deprive Barry of his speed-- but transfer it to himself so he can run home. Luckily for him, Barry's compliance isn't needed, unluckily for him; it will take a few days to a week for Barry to be completely drained. Luckily for Barry, that gives his friends time to find him, unluckily for him... the process is extremely exhausting and painful.

Cisco doesn't even realize what was happening, just that one second, his hand was on the mannequin where Barry's suit would normally sit, and the next second-- the world had gone blue and Barry was there in front of him; tied to a chair with his eyes squinted shut and watering. He wouldn't normally trust whatever that was, but with no other leads and days flying past far too quickly; he decides to tell the team what he saw.

Two possible timelines: 1. Cisco is able to hone his powers enough to get Barry's location and they arrive just in time... or 2. just too late.

[perdvivly]

Trying to sell @ante--meridiem on BJJ

So, there are a few caveats here, and a few questions you might want to ask yourself before deciding to take advice from anybody (myself included) on which martial arts you might want to do.

Firstly, what are you hoping to get out of it? Secondly, what do you realistically have access to?

There are a bunch of different answers to the first question and they suggest different martial arts to try. You might be interested in self defence, you might be interested in discipline, you might be interested in community, you might be interested in fitness, the list goes on and on, and the truth is probably some combination thereof.

The second question also matters for obvious reasons. Bjj is great but, realistically speaking, it also attracts a certain type of personality that can make environments pretty toxic. A lot of bjj gyms are really good. The ones near you might not be so good, and that's not a reflection on the practice itself per se, but it is a realistic factor in your decision making process.

I'll start off with some things that bjj will not offer you and if you are interested in them you might want to choose a different practice.

Tradition - If you're after a long lineage of master/ sensei/ shifu/ guru whatever, you're not going to find it here. The sort of "you must call me by this title of honour" is indicitive of the sort of toxicity I mentioned earlier. I'm not a fan, my instinctive response is to say "and would my lord like me to gargle his balls while I'm at it?" and this is why I hope I'm never summoned to court. But moving on. Other people do like these sorts of relationships and find a lot of meaning in them. They are not common in bjj circles. You probably will see teachers list who they got their black belt under going back to either Helio Gracie or Mitsuyo Maeda, and this is a sign that they know what they're talking about on paper - the real sign you want to look for though is if they can actually do the things they say they can.

Quick Progression - This is a relative term. The long and the short of it is: bjj only has 5 belts (this isn't true - but for practical purposes, it's true) and you get one of them just by showing up. Belt progression is White -> Blue -> Purple -> Brown -> Black. Compare this to Taekwondo which, if I recall correctly goes White -> Yellow Stripe -> Yellow -> Green Stripe -> Green -> Blue Stripe -> Blue -> Red Stipe -> Red -> Black Stripe -> Black. So there are at least twice as many belts, and moreover you pass through them a lot quicker. The average time it takes to get a black belt in Taekwondo, or at least the time you can roughly expect to get one with consistent practice is about 3 years. The time it takes in bjj is 10 years. This lack of material reward can be disincentivising. It's not uncommon to feel like you're hitting a plateau (often, safe, and extremely well).

The whole picture of martial arts - bjj is a grappling art. And it's (in my biased opinion) the best grappling art, but it's not more than that. Realistically, if you want to Be Good At Fighting, you need to know how to strike, and how to handle strikes. Bjj will not teach you this, because it is not in its wheelhouse.

But now onto the what it will offer you and if you are interested in these things, I don't think there's another practice that does them as proficeintly.

No striking!! - A drawback if you want the full picture, yes. A massive win if you don't want brain damage.

Best by test - So, I'm well aware that this is the empiricism circle of tumblr.edu, and that was sort of the goal of the original UFC. Or the idea behind its inception was: hey, what if we just put all the fighting styles against each other in a real combat scenario with as few rules as possible? Who would actually win? And it turns out, bjj would actually win. Now, it's more complicated than that, and as the years go by there are layers of nuance that need to be added. But basically, grappling is almost certainly a majority of the picture of complete martial arts, and bjj is still the best grappling practice on offer.

Competence - I expect you'd get this from any martial art and it is not unique to bjj. But oh my god. It's so cool when people can just do the things they say they can. It feels like magic. One of the real selling points of having such a slow progression is that you don't find legitimate higher belts who are not legitimately insanely good at what they do. This is, unfortunately, something I found with Taekwondo... There are black belts who you could probably beat in a fight just by being much stronger or quicker than them. A taekwondo black belt just means a lot less than it might.

You don't have to hold back - no striking means that when you spar, it's pretty much a full on real match. You get to know, intimately, whether you would have won or lost if you were really trying - because you are really trying. This does a great job of disolving a lot of ego because, more often than not, you will lose. You're new, you're going against people who know much more than you, you're just not going to win for the first few months, and that's okay. But the feeling of, "hey, this guy just beat me, and if that was for real, I know deep down that there is nothing I could do to stop him" is a feeling that takes a while to get to grips with. If you can experience that in a safe and controlled setting, it's an experience I recommend.

This is as close to a david and goliath sport as can exist in martial arts - take this with a grain of salt. The best bjj player in the world is Gordon Ryan who is a 6'2" 110kg steroided up brick wall of a man. It turns out that being bigger and stronger is just pretty much always helpful in a combat scenario. But bjj is as close to a real reversal of that as there is in combat sports. The smaller opponent really can win in these situations! Now, I'm 6'0", strong, fairly capable, but I went to an open mat once where a 5'2" girl tapped me out what must have been 10 times in a row with barely any effort. This is where the art comes in. It doesn't matter how big or how strong someone is, if their brain can't get oxygen, they go to sleep.

Anyway, I feel like I've ranted enough here. Do bjj! Talk to me about it. If you have any other questions I'd be really happy to get into them with you.

[olderthannetfic]

Hi! So it says in your bio that you're both a filmmaker and novelist, so I'd like to ask you something. First, are you involved with the script part of filmmaking specifically, or fo you work mostly with other elements of filmmaking? Second, if you are, what are the major differences you've noticed between script writing and prose writing?

For context, I want to make comics, and I'd like to have a script to work from, but I've only occasionally dabbled in script writing. I know I could just use thumbnails and that's definitely something I want to be part of the process, but one of the reasons I want a script is so that I can have something to hopefully make my comic accessible to blind readers. I don't have the money to pay for an audiobook version to be made, so my thought process was if I make a text version of the comic, like a script, I can then make sure that at least a version of that copy is screenreader friendly.

So, do you have any advice for me?

--

I'm a film editor, or was, which definitely involves a lot of understanding of narrative, but that's different from being a screenwriter, and being a screenwriter and/or novelist is different again from writing scripts for comics.

That said, I have written scripts. The biggest difference is that if your script is intended for someone else to direct, you are asked to leave out a lot of commentary and stage direction that director-written scripts tend to have and that novels would have.

--

Dialogue is a fairly minor aspect of both novels and films—at least most good ones.

In a novel, much of the actual characterization is done in the actions characters take or in the way things are described in the narration.

In a director-written script, the writer will often include a lot of stuff that isn't put into actors' mouths to remind themselves of what the point of a given scene is. What would be narration in a novel becomes cinematography and editing choices.

As a rando writing scripts, you're not supposed to shove in that stuff because you're telling the director and other creatives how to do their job. You're just the writer: you don't get to decide those things. The script is less a finished blueprint and more a main melody line that someone else will improvise on top of.

Unfortunately, most of the ~great scripts~ people are told to look at for inspiration are by someone with more creative control (director, showrunner, creative producer) and do have a lot of interpretation already baked in. That makes them more fun for a layperson to read, but it doesn't always make them great examples of how to write commercially.

--

My impression is that a comics script is a specific thing in the pro industry, and it's not a thing that would necessarily be ready for blind readers. If you want to make an accessibility aid, I think you're looking at descriptive commentary along with any dialogue. Depending on the nature of the comic, it might be useful, or it might be pointless.

I would indeed storyboard your comic, not for future readers but to help you plan layout. The visual storytelling is a key part of any visual medium, and a good comic does more than just put the key actions on page. Where are people standing relative to each other and relative to the edge of the frame and how does this create a balanced composition or an awkward tension? Do you need the equivalent of a film insert shot and why? How is the eye being directed around the page, and does this make it easy to follow or chaotic?

What kind of comics format you're doing will matter a lot, obviously, but even in a basic 3-panel webcomic, you can control things like how close to the edge of the frame characters stand.

If you want some 101 on visual storytelling from a film perspective, one of the best regarded books is The Visual Story by Bruce Block. I personally also greatly enjoyed The Eye Is Quicker by Richard D. Pepperman. I remember the latter having more on film editing but nice storyboards and the former having a lot more visual arts-adjacent commentary on cinematography: line, color theory, negative space, etc.

--

People focus way too much on words as a crutch because they don't understand the far more important grammar of visual storytelling.

If your visual story—comic, film—cannot do 90% of its work without the words, it probably sucks.

That's my biggest piece of advice.

[huoyd]

Emotional Support Animal

Summary: After a couple of bad months following a stressful event, Wakko finds that Huey isn't recovering from his nervous state. He decides that a emotional support animal might help, and brings Huey to pick one out. Ao3 Link: [ link ] Pairings: Wakko Warner/Huey Duck Words: 2,842 A/N: A cute little fic set in my au where Huey and Wakko start dating when they're 13/14, eventually moving in together when they're older. This takes place when they're about 20/21? Please comment and reblog if you like it ! Also features art at the end that I commissioned from @starlingdrawz and coloured myself!

“Hey, duckie, ya’ ever think about gettin’ a therapy animal?”

Huey looks up from where he’s perched on the counter, his phone in his hand casually scrolling through social media as his boyfriend does the dishes. It’s not unusual for Huey to be a bit glued to Wakko’s side when the other is home. Ever since their home invasion episode had brought back some unresolved anxieties from his childhood, his anxiety had become a bit high.

He’s alright, he knows he is, but the nightmares keep him a little shaky. A little off balance.

Wakko’s comment processes, and he looks back down to his phone.

“Funny, I thought that’s what you were for.”

Wakko laughs, a quick bark of a sound as he rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, right, very funny.” He sets the last dish to the side before lifting his hand to flick water at Huey. “Quite the comedian.”

Huey lets out a squeak as water hits his face, pulling his legs up and lifting his arms up to try and block the assault. “Stop it!” He laughs, and Wakko can’t help but to smile at the sound.

As long as Huey is laughing, things can’t be that bad.

“But seriously, what do ya’ think?”

Huey settles when Wakko speaks again. Wakko used the word seriously, he knows he has to give a legitimate answer. Or at least some thought into the question.

He shrugs his shoulders, his eyes moving down into his lap, though he turns his phone screen off.

“I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it. I’m not that great with… living creatures…”

It’s not entirely true. He’s good with plants. But people and animals, they’ve never been something that he excels at.

Or at least, it’s not in his opinion. Wakko seemed to have a different one entirely.

“I think ya’d be great with an animal.” Wakko smiles at him, trying to be reassuring. "Yer great with keepin' track of things. Ya' could make yer own schedule with 'em. Feedin', groomin', that sort of stuff. An'… it might be good… fer when 'm not here."

Huey stiffens a bit at that.

It’s silly. He knows that Wakko will eventually have to start leaving him home alone again. He’s not a child, he’s an adult. Who has to go back to university in the fall, and get back to his life despite his.. troubles.

And that’s fine. He’s fine. He’ll be fine.

“Yeah, maybe.” He’s still unsure about the animal though. He knows he’d be able to take care of one, he just doesn’t think an animal would like him.

“Well, how ‘bout this, then.” Wakko sets the towel back down and instead scoops Huey up off the counter. He spins him around as he moves towards their couch and flops down onto it, Huey still in his arms. “Me an’ you go t’a pet shop t’morrow. Jus’ t’have a look ‘round. If ya’ find a lil’ guy ya’ like, we get’em, if ya’ don’t, we don’t. Simple enough, yeah?”

Simple enough, yeah.

Or at least the way Wakko says it makes it sound simple enough. Huey doubts it will actually be that simple. Not with such a sudden plan as this. But Wakko does have a way of getting Huey comfortably out of his comfort zone.

So he nods. “Yeah, okay.”

It’s not like he has to buy anything. They can just look.

The next morning comes faster than Huey expects it to, and noon even quicker. He feels like he’s in a bit of a fog waiting for noon to come; the time they decided to leave their apartment and head to the pet store.

Huey had found one the night before that’s teamed up with a local shelter. All animal adoption proceeds went directly to the shelter, which is nice.

He had also done a little research on emotional support animals, though he still doesn’t know how keen he is on the idea. It has anxiety bubbling up within him, the idea of finding a pet, adopting it, and then having it not like him.

When Wakko asks if he’s ready, though, he pulls on his sweater and grabs his phone anyway.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Well then, let’s be off.” Wakko smiles as they get to the door, opening it up and letting Huey exit before him. “After you, darlin’.”

Huey smiles at the pet name before he exits, reaching out for Wakko’s hand like a security blanket as soon as the other joins him in the hallway. He leans into them as they make their way out of their building, both for comfort and security.

The walk to the store isn’t overly long, just a few blocks from their apartment, and when they get there it’s not overly crowded. Huey is thankful for it, even as he falls further into Wakko’s side, closing himself off to the public.

It makes Wakko feel a bit sorrowful, thinking back to the happy, adventurous duck he had met as a kid. How much Huey had loved the world, and being out in it. How Wakko had to watch the constant danger he was in from his family’s adventures slowly knock him down, and now this, his traumas being thrown back at them by a man who had thought he could get a quick buck out of Scrooge?

He takes a deep breath.

The pet will be good, he thinks. Or at least a good start.

“Alright, I’m makin’ the executive decision that we’re not gettin’ a dog, but how do ya’ feel ‘bout a cat?”

Huey lets Wakko lead him towards the cats, a few kittens tussling inside the cages. It’s not unlike how Wakko and Dot used to play. The memories make him smile, but it falls away from his face quickly after.

They’re cute, but he also knows that cats can be picky about the people they like and don’t like, and he can’t help but to imagine bringing a cat home just for it to like his brother the cat whisperer better.

So he shakes his head.

“No, I don’t think so..”

Wakko walks up to the cages where the cats were playing and takes on a mock-serious tone.

"I'm sorry fellas. Thank ya' all so much fer comin' out ta' th' auditions, but we've decided ta' go in a different direction. Please, please, no tears or hard feelin's."

Huey offers another small smile before Wakko takes his hand again and leads him further into the store.

They slowly make their way through, Huey passing up on a hamster, gerbil, parakeet and a fish. He’s near to calling it quits, when suddenly Wakko is leading him with a little more purpose.

He pretends to hold a clipboard, just as he had for the last several animals.

“Fer our next, and last, audition for the role of Huey’s new fluffy critter, we have: Bunnies. They will be playing the part of ‘Bunnies.’ Annnnnd begin!”

Huey’s smile returns no matter how many times Wakko makes the same joke, like the animals are auditioning for some kind of role. Though, it still doesn’t make him any more confident in picking out an animal.

He has to admit though, the bunnies are cute.

“You don’t think Babs will get jealous, do you?” He asks as he walks closer to the pen, referring to his boyfriend’s best friend.

Wakko only smirks, “Oh, she’ll get super jealous. That’s why I pointed ‘em out.”

The bunnies take notice of them as Huey gets closer, some hopping away to go play somewhere else in the pen, while a few more come up to the edge. They lean up on the side, their little paws sticking through the bars followed by their little noses.

“Aww, ain’t they cute?” Wakko comments, and Huey can’t help but to agree.

He watches as the little noses twitch as they hop along, playing with one another. He leans over the pen, only just barely able to reach out and touch one of them. The fence is too tall for him, but he’s able to graze his finger along the back of a light brown one.

“They’re soft.” Very soft. Softer than most things he’s felt. Like a little cloud under his finger tips.

“I bet they are.” Wakko leans down over the pen, trying to reach out and pet one, but they all scurry away at the sight of his large hand. But that’s fine. This is for Huey, as much as he so desperately wants to pet one.

“I think I scare ‘em.”

Huey looks back up at Wakko’s words and retracts his hand away from the cage, even as another one of the rabbits tries to nudge up into it for their own pets.

“Oh, then maybe a bunny isn’t a good idea.” He takes a step back, getting ready to move on even as his eyes linger on the small animals for just a moment more.

“No, no, we can spend more time with them. It’s jus’ ‘cause ‘m a dog, I think, but this’s fer you, not fer me, duckie.” He doesn’t want to ruin this for Hueyr. If he likes the bunnies, he should look at them a little longer, not have his decision swayed by their reaction to Wakko.

But Huey is already a bit more unsure, even as Wakko points him back over to the rabbit pen. He does want to look at them some more, though, and maybe if he were to get one it would eventually warm up to Wakko.

He steps back towards the pen, leaning over the side to try and pet one again.

“This one seems nice.” He comments in a quiet voice as the same one that had come up to him last time comes back up. It stands on its hind legs so that Huey is able to pet the top of its head a bit easier.

Wakko smiles as he watches. The one Huey was petting was one of the few that hadn’t run as soon as Wakko got near, though it still tensed as he got closer.

“Awe, lookit, Huey, they’re like yer twin.” He looks down at the little rabbit, their fur the colour of new snow, and their eyes like two bright little strawberries, just like Huey’s.

It was also small, much smaller than any of the others that had been around.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He pets it one more time, running his fingers over its soft ears before he retracts his hand. “I don’t know, Wakko…”

Though, Wakko seemingly has already made up his mind. He had already stepped away, flagging down one of the shop workers.

“S’cuse me, miss? Could my boyfriend hold one of th’ bunnies? The lil’ white one?”

The clerk, a brightly coloured tropical bird of some sort, looks up, taking stock of the situation in front of her, and smiles.

"Oh, yeah, sure, you just gotta be careful." She smiled before walking over to the pin. She leaned over, having a better reach than Huey did and easily scoops up the little bunny. “Especially with this one. She’s been known to bite. I'm surprised she's even over on this side. She doesn't usually like people. Might be fate." The clerk’s voice is cheery as she carefully transfers the bunny into Huey's arms.

At first the bunny squirms in Huey's slightly nervous hold, moving around in his arms, trying to get comfortable. It takes her a moment, but she manages to scramble her way up so that Huey is holding her to his chest, her chin resting on his shoulder.

Huey's eyes widen a bit, but he holds her securely.

Wakko watches on, smiling, falling a little more in love with his boyfriend as he does. “I think she likes ya’, honey duck.”

Huey can feel his hands shaking as the bunny nuzzles closer into his neck. He can feel something stinging the back of his eyes as this little rabbit seems to attach herself to him in an instant.

Very slowly, he adjusts her so that he can hold her with one arm, while his other hand raises to pet down her back. He takes a quivering breath as the first tear falls down his cheek, and then he tightens his hold on her, wrapping his other arm around her back as his head tilts to press it against her.

"I think I like her, too."

Huey knows that Wakko is watching. Watching him start to cry as he holds this small animal to himself. He can’t help it. Holding her like this, the warm, tiny but secure body, it just feels right. Like there’s been something missing and he just found it.

And Wakko knows it too as he watches on the sweet scene. He knows this is Huey’s pet. He can’t imagine them walking out of the store without her.

Not in a million years.

He moves towards them slowly, not wanting to startle the bunny, and wraps his arm around Huey so that it settles on his other shoulder.

“Let’s go pick’er out a pen then, huh?”

Huey sniffles, the sound small, nearly silent, but easy to pick up for Wakko’s ears.

“I’d like that.”

Later they get home, having spent more money then they had intended on the small mammal.

Wakko lugs in the pen, the food, the hay, then toys, anything and everything you would need to make sure that a rabbit lives a long, healthy life. A grocery order was on the way with some fresh veggies on the way, and Huey had been speaking about potentially setting up some garden boxes on their balcony during the car ride back.

Wakko rolls his eyes playfully as he watches Huey carry only the rabbit in.

“She’s gonna be one spoiled little bun, tha’s fer sure.”

Huey only smiles down at the carrier she’s tucked away in. “She deserves to be spoiled, just look at her.”

“I’m lookin’, I’m lookin’.” The words come out in half a laugh as he hauls the many bags up into their living room.

He starts unpacking them immediately, making sure that they can set up a nice little area for her to settle into.

Huey brings the carrier to the living room, opening it up and slowly putting his hand back into it. He doesn't want to spook her, just in case if in the short amount of time out of his arms she'd become unused to his scent again. But immediately she snuggles up to his hand and he thinks he might start crying all over again.

"Hi there." He says in a soft voice, running his fingers down her back and revelling in just how soft she is.

After a moment of her getting used to him again, he reaches in and pulls her out with gentle hands. He’s careful, possibly overly careful, but there are still a good amount of nerves running through him. He doesn’t want to hurt her. She’s so small.

Though, with a little humour, that’s probably how some people think of him.

“Welcome to your new home, little girl.” He lets her squirm for a moment before she goes back up to being tucked into his neck, and he slowly turns as if showing off the house to her.

Wakko looks up from where he’s beginning to set up the pen. He stands up, figuring that he would have time to build it in a few minutes. He wants to watch Huey get their newest family member acquainted with their home while he can.

He walks over, smiling at the two of them.

“As adorable of a name little girl is, ya’ got any ideas as t’what yer gonna name’er?” He asks, and Huey looks up at him, smiling.

“I’ve been thinking about it… her eyes remind me of strawberry lollipops… so I was thinking maybe Lolli..?” He looks up at Wakko, nervous, unsure, like he needs his opinion on the name. Like he needs to make sure it’s a good name.

“I think that’s an absolutely perfect name, love. Little Lolli, the second sweetest thing in this house. Right behind m’honey duck.” He moves his finger up towards the rabbit’s nose as he teases Huey, only for the rabbit’s teeth to bite down on the tip. “Ow! Alright, alright, the sweetest thing. M’goodness.”

He pulls his finger away, smiling as he does, and Huey can’t help but to let out a small laugh at the interaction.

“The clerk did say she likes to bite.” He comments, though he’s happy that she hasn’t bitten him yet. She’s had more than a fair chance and the closest she’s gotten was nibbling on his sweater while they walked around the pet store.

“Feisty, just like her owner.” Wakko teases again, before he leans down to kiss Huey on the bill. “I’m glad ya’ found’er, love.” He says, his voice turning soft.

Huey smiles back up at him, holding Lolli a little tighter.

“Yeah, I am too.”

[darkangel319]

WIP Questionnaire

Tagged by @faeriecinna (here) and @wintherlywords (here)

This is kind of late, but I have a ton of tags drafted and I'm slowly working through them when I find my motivation. Here's the response for my current WIP: A Tale of Frost and Flames (still a working title)

✨What was the first part of your wip that you created? ✨

It all started with a knight kneeling before his princess and promising to be her sword and to mow down any enemies that stand in her way. Now it has evolved far past just that.

✨If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?✨

Definitely a powerful instrumental intro with a touch of whimsy.

✨Who are your favorite characters you've made? Why?✨

Taliesin is certainly a favorite of mine because I wanted to create a strong morally grey character who is also a dragon. Although I'm attached to all of them, especially the ones I have yet to introduce. Rhidian because he's a himbo who just wants to be a good person and is stuck being the 3rd son of a king, so his job is to be married off to make an alliance. Despite this he wants to make his arranged marriage work.

✨What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?✨

Anything with a heavy romance element in an in-depth fantasy world. Other Media with political drama, faefolk, magic, and dragons.

✨What has been your biggest struggle with your wip? ✨

My biggest struggle has been with my pacing. Trying to find the right pace for plot points to unfold themselves. Just recently I decided that my pace was going too fast, so to slow it down I'm refocusing book one into more of a focus on where Eirallia is now/who she is rather than pushing her too quickly into evolving into the character that I imagine for her. I'm slowing it down to focus more on her character journey, but it's been a struggle to take a step back and to make that choice.

✨Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!✨

Regular animals so far. There's natural wildlife in the kingdoms. As for Melione...there are a lot of creatures in the wylds. Animalistic and not. There is another character that I have in mind (without a name yet), but she has a secondary form that's cat-like.

✨How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)✨

Horses and carriages in the human kingdoms, along with ships and other vessels. Melione is a special case where there is an abundance of magic. Some have wings and other gifts that can get them around quicker.

✨What part of your wip are you working on rn?✨

After some rough decisions, I split the draft that I had been working with into the beginning and end of book one. So right now, I am working on Eirallia's slow processing of grief while she is being overloaded with responsibilities that don't belong to her in a place where she knows that she isn't wanted.

✨What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?✨

It's my hope that my themes of adversity and overcoming will shine through and draw people in. Along with the progression of growth that all of my characters have to go through in order to find who they're meant to be when not being forced into a mold created by their parents and the society that they live in. There's a heavy theme of grief and trying to fit into a mold made for someone else. Basically, Eira's life is a mess. Her love life, her family life, everything is a mess. She's learning along the way how to be herself while processing big losses in her life.

✨ What are your hopes for your wip?✨

My hopes are pretty simple with this one: To be able to physically hold my wip in my hands.

No Pressure Tags: @fantasywriternimzy, @oodles-of-noodles, @spideronthesun, @melpomene-grey