#before you ask no we're not like fluent in OCS

[ahopefulbromantic]

Because we're both too single to celebrate Valentine's Day fully, and because there are two other great saints that have their feast day on 14th February that everyone keeps forgetting about, my friend and i have our own tradition of celebrating

Cyril and Methodius' Day

If you don't know my awesome boys, they are brothers, they're often called "Apostles to the Slavs" and "co-patrons of Europe" because they set out to evangelize Slavic people and they were very cool about it. They also invented Glagolitic alphabet which later evolved into Cyrillic script (named after St. Cyril!) used to this day eg. in Russia and Ukraine.

So to celebrate Cyril and Methodius' Day each year @gal-9 and i meet to read Christian texts in Old Church Slavonic (yeah it's an actual language) and i gotta tell you it is so much fun highly recommend!

[ghostsandmirrors]

does your oc have any quirks or habits? in your opinion, what's the hardest thing to do when creating an oc? - liaxee

ORIGINAL CHARACTER QUESTIONS & HEADCANONS

under read more due to length. this is very long. oh my god. I need to stop rambling. (note: this was written after the first answer. I'm not sorry that it got even longer after that.)

does your oc have any quirks or habits? everyone does.

this is not all of them because I've probably not figured out every single quirk he could have and there's some that may not be considered quirks or habits at all (his accent is one I wouldn't consider a quirk but some might?), and I'm going to split this answer a little bit so that it's not just a wall of text. we're going to go with the ones that you'd likely notice in a casual conversation and then the ones you'd have to actually look for if you were talking to him face-to-face.

the obvious quirks and habits loud this is the most obvious one so it goes first. he is exceptionally loud the majority of the time. if he isn't loud, he's determinedly trying not to be loud. if he is, he's not paying attention to his own volume. his voice? loud. his laughter? loud. he's 6'9 and heavy from muscle, so a lot of his movements? loud.

height/size honestly, his height and size probably count as a physical quirk. he's 6'9. if you do not notice that he's huge, you have not looked at him. it's still less obvious than him being loud. despite being huge, you will hear him before you see him.

enthusiastic he's highly enthusiastic. this is partially explained in this 'more info' post, but the summary is; the world is harsh and cruel so he refuses to be and part of his refusal is being enthusiastic about things. he's enthusiastic about his friends, his family, his home, his pet, his interest in wildlife, his own successes, the successes of others even if he doesn't know them that well. the enthusiasm is definitely a cause of his loudness.

physical he has a tendancy to be very physical. not in a 'oh no, he's touchy feely' way, but in a 'liaxee just walked up to me, greeted me, and clapped me on the shoulder like I'd succeeded just by turning up' way.

a clap on the shoulder is, to liaxee, what a cup of tea is to the stereotypical english person. celebration? clap on the shoulder. sympathy? clap on the shoulder. you showed up? clap on the shoulder. there's a situation? clap on the shoulder. there isn't a situation? clap on the shoulder. anyone's nervous? clap on the shoulder! someone is next to you and telling a joke? get that shoulder ready 'cause there'll be a clap on the shoulder.

except he has enhanced strength as one of his powers so he really shouldn't be clapping people on the shoulder. he does hold back his strength, but still.

cooling things down since he has ice manipulation as his other power, he's gained a habit of cooling down drinks and other things for himself and whoever asks him to. he loves doing it. he thinks it's fun and has been known to turn glasses of water into ice by freezing them as a prank. that one he doesn't tend to do anymore, because it's not as fun for him as just cooling down his own drink.

'sey' and 'on' this is mentioned on his about but despite liaxee being fluent in english, he often uses the verrirmor (help I've forgotten how it's spelt again) words for 'yes' or 'no'. this is a quirk more than a choice, but much like his loudness, he can choose to turn it off. if he is speaking in proper english, you done fucked up. 'sey' and 'on' are a sign that he is comfortable and speaking casually. hearing liaxee say 'yes' or 'no' is not a good thing and there are people who have never heard him say either.

general outlook this may be a quirk and may not be a quirk, but his general outlook on life is definitely very obvious. I'm just linking the post again.

the less obvious quirks and habits grip his left hand has a weaker grip than his right. this is due to impact damage from using a shield; he's a part of the verrirmores army, specifically the shoreiec section of the verrirmores army. as part of that section, he carries a large shield in his left hand and any kind of melee weapon in his right while riding his pet shoreiec (giant, scaled horse that originates in the mountains of zonfer; his is named iec). for him, it's a morning star. others may use broadswords, maces, flails, or in one instance, a bloody big hammer that is precisely as unwieldy as it sounds. he prefers the control of a morning star over a flail but can admit that they're effective.

due to these reasons, his left hand is often not the hand he will use for things. if he does use his left hand to hold something, he will make sure his arm is also in use to help with it. a lot of his holding or gripping is with his right hand, including clapping people on the shoulder.

in times of stress or combat without a weapon, his right hand may curl tightly like he's trying to grip a morning star. that's usually the hand he'll throw a punch with, too, since it's in a fist anyway so he may as well use the opportunity.

posture this is probably an obvious one but feels like one no one would notice unless they actually looked for it; liaxee is never slouching. his back is straight unless he's asleep and his shoulders are often squared and tensed. since he's so physical in his activities--training people, helping the leader of the army, helping with the shoreiec when he's at home--the tenseness is probably the least noticed thing about him.

head movements he has a habit of moving his head a little when looking in a direction. an example would be that when someone walks through a door, he doesn't just move his eyes to their direction, he moves his entire head just a little bit to where he's looking when he doesn't really need to. he does not realise he's doing this. he does not know when he picked it up. he just does it.

lack of small scale fidgeting this feels significant for one of my characters because a lot of them fidget, but liaxee just doesn't fidget in small ways. if he moves, it's obvious. he doesn't play with the hem of his clothing or pick at the skin around his nails or make noises or wiggle in his seat or do anything small that keeps his hands busy. he may shift his weight while standing or cross his arms, but they're relatively big movements and they're usually fuelled by something emotionally; crossing his arms is a way for discomfort, shifting his weight is when he's uncertain in some way. he's relatively stationary if he isn't actively doing something.

---

in your opinion, what’s the hardest thing to do when creating an oc? it's a tie between figuring out their behaviours and the little things that one does and figuring out their voice and word choices. if those are easy when I'm making a character, the rest is nothing.

examples: - jesse was difficult to figure out the voice and word choice for. I had to write a page of things he might say on a daily basis just to try figure it out and I'm not convinced that it was at all accurate.

- mattie feels like she should be figured out by now and I think I had a voice for her at once point but jesus fuck, I don't know this woman. who is she.

- liaxee was very easy to figure out since his voice, word choice, and behaviours were what the rest of his existence was built around. his first appearance was as a random meme sent from the bringer's old blog (here's the start of the first thread he was a part of) and wasn't intended to ever go beyond that, but figuring out that he was friendly, enthusiastic, and would use 'friend' to casually refer to people he'd just met helped greatly in creating the liaxee that exists on this blog, who was originally built on the bringer's blog.

- bam was harder to find the voice for but easier to figure out the behaviours and little things. it took literal years to get to the point where he had a distinct way of speaking that didn't confuse every single person that came across him because I will write out how people pronounce things to the best of my ability. oh, you want to understand brandon fuckin napier?! good luck between his lack of 'g' on '-ing' words, 't'it' instead of 'to it', inability to say 'couldn't'/'wouldn't'/'shouldn't' properly ('coul'n't'/'woul'n't'/'shoul'n't', which I also say tbh; that D just disappears), and his determination to swear. not changing him, though. yous can suffer.

- jameson may have been the easiest to figure out and I could not explain why. not a clue. I agreed to make a gay and jameson was instantly born. his voice and behaviours have not changed. where did they come from? fucked if I know. makes writing him easier, though.

[unkillable-gays]

Mexican-American!Eddie Munson

Okay so I'm becoming less in denial about being in the Steddie fandom. (I don't think I have to cop to being in the ST fandom given that I haven't watched the show since whatever year it was that s2 came out.)

Anyway I wanted to ask why Latino!Eddie Munson hasn't gained more traction? Or have I just not been able to find the content? I found several posts from people expressing excitement at the idea, but then never mentioning it again.

Is it because people think they're not allowed to use that hc bc it'd be racist because he's poor and/or because he deals? I guess I can't exactly say from every possible perspective, but from mine (Mexican-American but grew up thoroughly middle class) it seems fine? Like, it seems like you could easily weave all those elements into his story in a way that's respectful.

Anyway, in the spirit of furthering that agenda, here's some Mexican-American!Eddie hcs that I've been rolling around in my hands like marbles:

I figure he is probably, like, second generation or so? And his dad is regular not-latino white. (Hence the last name.) I'm going with what is either canon or the most widely accepted hc, that his mother died when he was elementary school-aged. I think he knew his Mexican extended family, but only barely; like, saw them every four years or so, kind of deal. Within that family, there's a large variation of levels of assimilation, Spanish language fluency, political views, etc. They are, just about, all poor/working class, though. (It's not stereotypical to acknowledge the systemic structures put in place to keep our people disenfranchised 🙂) and maybe they all live really far from Indiana? I guess I'm putting them in Texas bc that's where I am. They are all excited to see Eddie whenever the occasion rises, and they love him, for as much as that is worth, given they have really no way of knowing him at all. (This leaves open the potential for cousin ocs, if desired.)

(alternately, his mother could have completely split from her family before or soon after his birth, and his ties to that side of his family are completely severed. If we wanna be lonely and angsty about it. Maybe she did it for a good reason, though?)

(also his dad doesn't HAVE to be white, of course. There are infinite ways to be Mexican-American, and one of those ways is an asshole with a white-sounding last name.)

I don't think Eddie speaks Spanish. Even if he knows it. I think he probably understands it at a basic level, and he probably has several handfuls of slang/cuss/diminutive-type words in his vocab. (idk quite how to explain this rn bc I'm tired, but in my tex-mex community, there are certain words that even exclusive English speakers will often sub out, like the words for underwear, hair ties, boogers.) Though I think even Spanish words that are very natural to him, he'd probably keep close to his chest, because:

Being Mexican is a big part of what makes him a Freak. White people LOVE to act like there's just ~something~ weird or off-putting about us while pretending like they don't notice we're a different race than them. If we're pale, they can even pretend they have plausible deniability. Even if Eddie is white-passing, (which he doesn't have to be; it's my hc and I can picture him how I want) the Hawkinsites are obviously gonna know, and be racist dicks about it. It's true that Eddie tends to own his differences and shove them in people's faces, but I don't think he'd do that with Spanish, because it's such a loaded topic for us, and he's been cut off from it. You're either getting shamed by your relatives for not being able to keep up, or by the rest of the world for having an accent or being worse at English. Especially in the 80's, bilingual people speaking Spanish around English speakers (including their own relatives) just wasn't done. Given that Eddie's not fluent and doesn't have anyone to practice with, I don't think the linguistic difference is one that he'd build his identity around. He'd feel the loss of not having community to share that with. I think he wouldn't have confidence in what Spanish he does have, and would avoid speaking it in front of others whenever possible.

I was gonna talk about how he probably has a connection to his culture through food, at least a couple favorite childhood dishes, but I honestly don't think he'd be able to get the necessary ingredients in rural Indiana in the eighties, and, like, I can't see him making tortillas by hand on his own in the trailer, so. Maybe scratch that lol. (I think my mom actually WAS in rural Indiana briefly in the eighties, I should ask her about that.)

I do think he got exposed to your usual roaring heterosexual Mexican machismo growing up, and he is consciously rebelling against that. If we're making his dad Mexican, that'd definitely be a source of friction between them.

Also, in my, admittedly biased and limited, experience, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans are pretty into metal. It'd be cool if his connections to the metal scene outside of Hawkins extended to metalheads of color.

Okay, this one might be stereotypical. But he's loud, chaotic, goofy, and celebratory!! which is what we're like lol. 🇲🇽 Also musically inclined!!

He learned to play guitar from his family pretty young. Maybe not proficiently, but was encouraged to jam along with everyone else at parties. I do think he'd love pulling out mariachi tunes to annoy those he's closest to. Gritos are quicker and more general use than a whole song, but no less effective. (annoying) Like, I think he'd enjoy throwing in some "ay"s, tongue clicks, and rolled rs to embellish his already superfluous way of speaking. And when Gareth groans and tells him to cut it out, Eddie smugly asks him if he's gasp! Insulting his heritage? Gareth tries to tell him, "no, you're just fucking loud", but Eddie just tells him that's also part of his heritage. I think Eddie would be very willing to sing in Spanish to be funny or obnoxious, but rarely does it in other contexts. (I think he probably knows a lot of songs no one else ever hears, though.)

Actually, what if he could also play trumpet, (mariachi style) and would pull that out occasionally just to enjoy the sheer volume of it? Like, he doesn't even own one, he can just play a couple bars if one happens to be nearby. Logically I realize this doesn't make any sense, he'd have no way to maintain an embouchure, but imagine the comedic potential!?!???! Imagine the horror dawning on the faces of Steve and the Corroded Coffin boys when Robin smugly slides her horn over to Eddie, and they realize they're not backing down from the bit. Maybe once he and Robin start getting close, he can start practicing with her in secret? That could be fun. I know this boy's gotta have mad lung capacity. Aww, imagine him teaching Robin to play mariachi-style??!? 🥺

I like imagining his name is Eduardo, just cause I love Hispanic names in any context, and I like the idea of all his white friends getting confused by someone calling him Wardo or Lalo! But he could definitely still be Edward, or whatever Ed- variation y'all prefer. As I said before, there's an infinite number of ways to be Mexican-American! It's super common to give your kids anglicized names in an effort to assimilate. He might also choose to use Edward, even if it's not "actually" his name, for reason of navigating racism. Also, Spanish speakers may give him those nicknames even if his name doesn't quite correspond correctly. Really, everything is on the table here.

Okay, my stance on him speaking Spanish might be evolving, because I think it'd be funny if he cusses people or situations out under his breath when he's frustrated. Not to them; if he's talking shit to someone, he fully intends for them to understand it. But, like, when all his audio cables get tangled together, or when he gets told he has to go fight demons in a hell dimension, or when the cute rich white boy does something completely enticing without even realizing it. For example. 😶 But he still won't speak to people.

I don't think Wayne is Latino, just because he and Eddie already have this dynamic of coexisting on completely different wavelengths, and I think this would add to that.

Spanish lessons with Robin? There might be a non white-savior-y way to do that... Like, he teaches her more colloquial vocab and syntax, and she teaches him more formal stuff?

As he becomes more comfortable with Steve and the party, he does eventually start using Spanish around them more casually; mostly endearments and jokes. Calling Dustin, "pobrecito" when he's complaining, or "mijo" in a loving but condescending tone. (Not to be stereotypical but I LIVE for Mexican endearments; English speakers have nothing on us. And we already know Eddie is a verbally affectionate guy!)

ARGYLE. I saw a post hcing Argyle speaks fluent Spanish, which I can definitely get behind. I don't think he'd push Eddie to speak with him, but I think he'd notice when he understands things he mutters to himself, because Eddie's eyes will quickly flick over to him. So then Argyle will mutter knowing Eddie might understand him, and let Eddie respond however he chooses. That escalates to jokes just for Eddie, or digs at Eddie that the others won't risk overhearing. At first Eddie responds with huffs, chuckles, or eye rolls, but as he gets more comfortable it becomes common for him to snark back in English. Eventually, however, the teasing escalates enough that Eddie bursts out, "Oye! ¿de verdad, guey? Porque recuerdo specificamente una vez cuando tu--" Argyle just breaks down into hysterical giggles, and he never points out when Eddie has to switch back to English to continue their teasing. Sometimes he calls Eddie primo or hermano.

Eddie is delighted to be able to complain about white people and the Midwest to Argyle. Argyle is genuinely baffled as to how he's surviving. Eddie laughs and says, "only barely." Argyle's no instrumentalist, but he's thrilled to sing Mexican folk songs with Eddie, and refresh his memory of lyrics he's forgotten or gotten mixed up. (Alternately: Argyle kicks ass on the accordion, and has had one in his van this whole time.) Argyle starts bringing up whatever food that can make the drive whenever he visits, along with the good California weed.

(if anyone WANTS to talk about racial stereotypes, we can get into how Argyle is giving "token brown comedic relief character with no emotional depth whatsoever, but don't we get credit for not killing him off?!?! 😀" but...I don't wanna get angry about all that, so I usually just try not think about it, and just look at Argyle and say, "what a nice young man! 😊")

(*deep breaths* 😤 this is why we stopped watching the show...)

I do absolutely believe Nancy is the kind of white girl who would put her foot in her mouth and stumble all over her words if she tries to address matters of race/ethnicity. ("Oh, but don't you... Because, you're.... um.") But only, like, once, maybe twice. She catches on fast. Steve generally manages not to embarrass himself just by virtue of the kind of directness borne of not knowing you're supposed to be being delicate. Robin's normal and relatively cultured so she's not a problem. Jonathan knows better from hanging with Argyle, who was probably the only vato patient enough to put up with his white ass in CA.

Huge thanks if you read this, and sorry it's so rambling and inconsistent! 😅 I'd love to know what you think, if this prompted any hc's or ideas, or if I've managed to accidentally say something embarrassing lol. Sorry there wasn't really any Steddie in this; I'm not used to writing romance! And it feels like it'd be super easy to slip into Latin Lover bullshit in that context. Is that why I haven't seen more people embrace this concept? I guess that would make sense... 🤷🏻‍♀️

[cynicallystiles]

Seasons of Love: The One with the Cabin

Disclaimer: Moodboard made by me. Pictures found on Google!

Author: @cynicallystiles

Request: @itrocksmysocks​ basically requested this by making me obsessed with the triplets a year ago.

Warning: Swearing. Slight sexual content.

Notes: Chapter four is here! The whole thing still isn’t finished ahead of time like I wanted. Annnnndd I’m already falling behind schedule lol! Thanks for your patience! Please COMMENT/REBLOG if you enjoy it!

Pairing: Kallie Hayes (OC) x Mendes Triplets

Masterlist Series Masterlist

Chapter Three Chapter Five

Words: ~5.37k

"Kalliope!" The sound of her name accompanied by excessive knocking stirs her awake abruptly.

She startles and rolls off the bed onto the floor. "Ah! Jesus, fuck!" She groans and sits up, rubbing her shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" Her sister asks through the door, and Kallie can hear the amusement in her tone.

Pulling herself upright, she glances at the bed and sees Shawn's smooth, muscular back. "Fuck," she mumbles, barely holding in a laugh. "Uh...yeah! I just tripped getting out of bed!" She calls back with a little chuckle.

"It's nine right now, goober. Figured you'd want to be up in time to shower and help with breakfast," Cassie chuckles before her footsteps recede down the hallway.

Releasing a breath of air, Kallie turns back to the bed to find two brown eyes looking at her. "Jeez!" She gasps and closes her eyes to normalize her fast-beating heart. "When did you wake up?" She asks when she opens her eyes again.

"Hard to sleep with all the noise around here," Shawn teases. He rolls over and stands, allowing the sheets to slide off of his almost naked body. Kallie's eyes watch his muscles tighten as he stretches his arms above his head. "I can feel that ya know," he laughs.

She scoffs and stands to make her bed as he finds his clothes. "No, you can't," she argues with warm cheeks as she finds a loose shirt to pull over her shoulders. "I told you you weren't supposed to sleep here!" She groans and starts pushing him toward the window.

"Hey!" He protests as she gets the rope ladder. "You're the one who told me to hold you more," he reminds her and opens the window quietly.

As she secures the ladder to the window and rolls it down the side of the house, her eyebrows furrow. "No, I didn't," she denies, focused on making sure he won't injure himself.

"Yeah, Kal, ya did," he insists while hanging halfway out of the window.

Kallie shakes her head. "Well, I don't remember. Now, go! Before, anyone sees you," she giggles and places her palm flat against his forehead to push him down the ladder.

Shawn quietly enters through his front door and tries to sneak upstairs. His foot doesn't even hit the first step when a voice behind him makes him jump. "Where the hell have you been?" Turning, he sees Peter and Raul entering from the living room.

"Just went for a morning jog," he chuckles nervously.

Peter squints at his attire and crosses his arms. "You don't look like you went for a jog," he accuses suspiciously after seeing no sweat despite him wearing pants and a hoodie in hot weather.

"It was a light jog," he shrugs innocently, "didn't want to stink too much for breakfast since you two always take the hot water."

Raul rolls his eyes and shoves his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "Well, I showered last night. So, there's water left to clean up before we head over," he explains casually.

"Wait," Shawn stops leaning against the railing and takes a step forward. "You never shower at night," he states in confusion.

He just shrugs. "Yeah. Kal and I got a little messy last night," he chuckles and heads back into the living room, ignoring the twitch of Shawn's eye.

The boys arrive at Kallie's just as she's setting down the final plate of food on the table. Her hair is still damp around her shoulders from the shower, barely curling as it dries. Conversation flows chaotically while the boys catch up with Cassie and her moms.

Shawn catches Kallie's eyes as she takes the last sip of her almond milk. She asks him what's up by pinching her brows together. He nods subtly toward the kitchen. Concerned, she stands up.

"I'm gonna start clearing the dirty dishes," she informs everyone as she gathers some plates.

Shawn follows suit. "I'll help," he offers.

"But, cleanup is my thing," Peter points out in confusion.

Patting his shoulder, Shawn takes the dishes he's holding around the table. "Relax, for once. I've got it covered." He disappears into the kitchen after her.

"What's going on?" She asks in a hushed tone as she leans on the counter next to the sink.

Setting the dishes in the sink, he crosses his arms and turns to her. "What exactly did you and Raul get up to last night?" He sighs.

A chuckle slips past her lips before she sees the distraught in his eyes. "We just got ice cream and went to the park," she explains with a shrug.

"And that's it?"

Kallie lets her mouth part in surprise. "Should there be something else I don't remember?" She didn't like the accusation in his tone and Shawn's increasing jealousy was starting to irritate her.

"No," he deadpans, looking out the window above the sink. "It's just that Raul said you guys got messy but you didn't have dirt or anything on you when I came over."

Kallie clicks her tongue and scrunches up her face. "Are you kidding me?" She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms as well. "We got a little childish and were fighting with the ice cream, Shawn."

"But, you-" he begins but she inhales deeply and he cuts himself off.

"I got it in his hair, but he only got it on my arms. It was easy to wash off in the sink before you came," she scoffs.

He drops his arms and steps toward her. "Sorry, I just-"

"I know what 'you just'," she sighs in disappointment. "You can't keep getting jealous every time I hang out with him. Or Peter."

Looking at his feet, he mumbles, "I know."

"I think we should pause this," she declares quietly.

He quickly looks up to meet her eyes. "What? No! I'll stop being jealous. I'll-"

"It's not about that," she lies. She could feel things getting complicated between them and she didn't want that. "We're gonna be at the cabin all summer and there won't be time for it anyway. I don't want to ruin our last summer there with the drama if we get found out."

Nodding slowly, Shawn starts to calm down a little. "That makes sense. But, what about when we go back to university? I mean, we all still live together," he points out.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet," she admits. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." As Kallie finishes her sentence, Peter wanders into the kitchen. "What's up?" She asks with a gentle smile, causing Shawn to look toward the door.

He shuffles shyly toward them, causing her to giggle. "It felt weird sitting out there not doing the dishes with you," he admits with a small grin.

"Then, come help me, Penguin. Shawn is terrible at rinsing," she teases. Shawn meets her eyes with a silent look of fading sadness as Peter sidles up close to her with an enormous grin at one of her many cute nicknames for him. He watches them bump shoulders and giggle before leaving with a sigh.

Later in the day, the boys help load Kallie's bags in the back of Shawn's Jeep before they start their trip to the lake. After hugging her moms and Cassie, they all head out of the house.

"Lemme guess...Kallie gets front seat as always," Raul teases, heading for the backseat.

Shawn nods with a cheeky grin, but Kallie also heads for the backseat. "Actually, I wanted to share the back with Peter..." She sneaks a glance at Shawn who has shock written on his face. He's worried that this 'pause' might be about more than she's letting on.

"Why though?" He clears his throat as Peter catches up to them after saying extended goodbyes to her family.

She shrugs while Raul is already riding shotgun. "This time we're learning sign language." Kallie then looks at Peter as she teases, "We've only got around two weeks left to become fluent."

His eyes flit between Shawn and her, picking up on the unsaid tension between them. He's quiet. But, he's not stupid. Peter lets his features melt into a smile that puts Kallie at ease.

"Sweet!" Peter jostles her by the shoulders excitedly before opening the door for her. With a small glance at Shawn, she gets in the backseat. "Wait...is the sign for 'cabin' this...or...this?" He asks to distract her from whatever is upsetting her. She chuckles as he slides in next to her practicing two gestures that look similar, but neither are anywhere close to meaning 'cabin'.

Clenching his jaw, Shawn slides into the driver's seat and pulls out of the driveway. The usually short two-hour drive to Muskoka was going to feel a lot longer without Kallie up front with him.

The first time that the Mendes' took Kallie to their beautiful cabin at Lake Muskoka was the December after she had first met the boys. Before she was allowed to go, their parents had to meet her parents. They ended up getting along so well that they invited her parents and her sister along as well.

After finally pulling up next to the cabin, Shawn flings off his seatbelt and races toward the door. "I gotta use the bathroom!"

Both of their parents chuckle. "We told you not to drink a whole hot chocolate before we even left Pickering, son," Manny reminds him playfully.

The adults work on unloading the bags, while the rest of the kids pile out of the vehicles. Kallie's eyes are immediately drawn to the lake nearby, covered in white. "Woah," she breathes out, a little intimidated by how big it is.

"You remembered your skates right?" Peter asks from a few steps behind her. She nods silently, not wanting to say that they all had to go out and buy new ones for this trip.

Before Peter can make more conversation, Karen calls out to them, "Lunchtime first! Then, you can skate all you want!"

"I'm starving!" Kallie declares with a giggle as she loops her arm through his. He's a bit surprised but he doesn't say anything as they walk quickly back into the house.

Peter is helping Kallie shed her coat just when Shawn comes back from the restroom. "Kallie, come sit next to me! I'll share my Oreos with you," he entices her.

"Oh, okay!" She says with a small glance at Peter. Shawn is so excited that he runs to the dining room without looking back to save their seats. Leaning toward Peter, she whispers conspiratorially, "You can sit on my other side if you want."

He nods happily and they join everyone else for a quick but filling lunch. Raul is the first to finish. He practically flings his dishes in the sink before issuing a challenge. "Last one on the ice is a loser!"

There's a brief second of silence before the sounds of chairs scraping on wood and dishes clanging overlap. Each one hurries to put their dishes in the sink and get their winter gear back on. Shawn is second out the door not long after Raul, both carrying their hockey skates by the laces.

Cassie and Kallie are neck in neck as they fly through the door in their many layers with brand new ice skates in their mittened hands. They get to the edge of the lake and make quick work of changing their footwear. Cassie throws herself onto the ice in third place, not even caring that she has no idea how to work the skates.

When Kallie knots her last lace, she stands up and puts her mittens back on to dust off the snow on her jeans. She hesitates at the edge, uncertain of how to get started. Her right blade almost touches the ice when she hears the door close in the distance. She looks back to realize that Peter wasn't racing with everyone else.

He takes his time to make his way to the lake while the grownups file out of the cabin behind him. They go about getting the fire pit going so they would all have somewhere to warm up in between activities.

Peter has a bag slung over his shoulder that looks a lot like the one he keeps his drawing stuff in. Kallie was going to wait for him to catch up, but Shawn skids to a stop mere inches from her.

"Let's go, Kal!" He urges and takes her hand to pull her onto the ice. "Once you get going, it'll feel easy!" She tries to protest as he pulls her further onto the ice, too far away from the bank to leap to safety.

Her skates glide along easily as Shawn skates backward, pulling her by the hands. She looks up to see Raul skating in a figure eight, while her older sister seems to be catching on fast. Raul breaks his formation to speed past and bump Shawn's shoulder.

"Hey! I'm gonna get you for that!" Without thinking, he lets go of Kallie's hands to chase after Raul.

She automatically bends over slightly to gain some kind of balance, arms outstretched in front of her in case she falls. Slowly, she pushes off one foot to slide a little faster. An excited giggle escapes her as she continues to practice this in a safe little circle.

Deciding that she's got the basics down, she stands up straight. Her arms stay poised to catch her if something bad happens but she manages to skate in a wider circle. She picks up speed and feels the cold wind whip at her face.

A little further ahead, she sees that her path is going to cross with Shawn and Raul's. The two of them were done with tag and were now racing in a circle. This makes Kallie realize very urgently that no one taught her how to stop.

Panicking, she tries to veer to the left. The tip of her skate catches a chip in the ice and sends her sprawling toward the bank of the lake. She sits up with a hiss, clutching the knee that took most of the impact.

"Kalliope!" She turns toward the sound of her name and finds Peter gliding toward her from the bank. She watches the way he tips his foot upward to use the back of his blade as a brake. He squats down beside her and looks at her knee. "Are you okay?"

She purses her lips and looks away, embarrassed about the crash and burn. "Yeah, it's just scraped," she mumbles, noticing his drawing materials scattered around his bag as if he dropped them in a hurry.

"Then, let's go again," he replies simply and stands up while holding out his hands for her. Kallie turns her head sharply toward him. "I promise I won't let go of you until you want me to."

His reassuring but crooked smile made all of her embarrassment go away. He doesn't care that she's bad at skating. It also made her happy that he would stop doing his favorite thing to teach her how to skate. So, she grabs his hands and lets him help her up.

Peter begins explaining all the "do's and dont's" of skating on lake ice. Apparently, it's different from skating rink ice. He tells her a fun fact about penguins and she laughs, bringing Shawn's attention back to her once again.

He skates over quickly and takes her hand that's not clutching Peter's forearm. "I can teach her from here! You probably want to go back to drawing anyway," he dismisses Peter.

"I don't wanna slow you down," she offers. "You play with Raul while I learn the ropes and tomorrow you can teach me hockey!" He looks at her skeptically, glancing to Peter on the other side of her who is pretending to be very interested in his skates. "Promise."

He nods. "Okay, if you're sure..." Kallie smiles in return and Shawn can't help but smile back. "Be careful, okay?"

"Always, duh," she teases before turning back to Peter. Shawn hears the conversation fade as Peter leads her around the lake. "So, penguins really build nests out of rocks?" She laughs.

He nods with a chuckle before spending the better part of two hours patiently teaching her how to skate. Once he's sure she's got it, he lets go and watches her glide ahead of him. She's so enraptured in skating that it takes a minute to realize he's not holding her hand.

Kallie immediately digs her heel into the ice and turns back. "Hey!" She crosses her arms with a pout as he skates up to her.

"What?" He laughs, "you were doing amazing!"

Her lip quivers the slightest bit and she avoids looking directly at him. "You promised you wouldn't let go," she murmurs.

"Kalliope," Peter breathes out her full name guiltily, "I'm really sorry. You were just doing so good and that's how mom and dad taught us how to ride bikes...so I figured..." he trails off with a shrug.

She sniffles and he's unsure if it's because she's sad or because of the cold. "Don't do it again," she pleads before carefully unfolding her arms to her sides.

"Promise," he instinctually replies. She raises her eyebrows at him. "For real this time." Peter grins and takes her hand tightly in his. Kallie can't help but smile as he pulls her along the edge of the lake.

"Moms! Look! I'm doing it!" She yells in excitement at her mothers. They both get up and quickly make their way to the edge of the lake with their cameras.

Proud looks cross their faces as they capture the two of them skating close together, hands tightly clutching each other. Manny and Karen come up behind them and share a knowing adult look. Cassie skates over to get in the pictures before Raul and Shawn join. Soon there's a picture of the five of them all wrapped around each other that they have framed and hanging on the living room wall of the cabin.

Kallie runs her fingers along the wooden frame of that picture in the living room, in the exact space on the wall that it's been hanging for about twelve years. She grins momentarily, the nostalgia quickly fading to sadness as the reality of it all hits her. This is probably the last summer they're gonna spend together here.

As the door creaks open and the boys clatter inside with arms full of bags and laughing, she shakes herself out of the sad mood. "I could've helped carry my stuff in, ya know!" She chuckles and moves to close the door behind them.

"That is absolutely not happening on our watch!" Shawn spouts nonsense while he struggles to keep a grip on her duffles.

She nods empathetically before taking them out of his hands with zero effort. "Seems like you need to hit the gym, Mendes," she digs at him as he automatically stands up straighter without the extra weight of her bags.

Kallie makes her way upstairs toward the bedrooms while the boys stare after her. "How is she doing that?" Shawn muses out loud and with a little envy.

"When did she get more ripped than you, bro?" Raul teases to Shawn's chagrin.

Peter interrupts as he walks backward toward the stairs. "She's always been able to carry her weight. You two have just always been too busy staring at her ass to notice." With a smirk, he spins around and jogs up the stairs, bags slung over his shoulders.

"Okay..." Shawn stretches out the word. "But, when did the runt start lifting like that?" Raul laughs out loud while he jostles Shawn's shoulders and shoves him toward the stairs.

When they were younger, the boys would share one room, the girls another, and both sets of parents had one to themselves. Since they're here by themselves, each could have their own for the whole summer. Kallie stands in the hallway debating which one to take as the boys catch up to her.

"What are you doing?" Raul questions with a chuckle. "Unpack so we can hit the lake before dark!"

She looks between the four doors and then the three boys. "Who's staying in what room, though?"

"Well, which one do you want?" Peter asks her and she quirks her brows together.

"Whichever one is left after you guys pick." She says it so simply. Like it's the most obvious thing in the world. The boys loved that about her. She always made sure they were taken care of.

"Dibs on mom and dad's old room, then!" Raul shouts before taking off toward the end of the hall.

"No fair!" Shawn shouts after him.

"I'm the oldest! Of course, it's fair!" He calls back.

Peter chimes in with a laugh. "Technically, Kallie is the oldest! But, whatever!" He shrugs.

"Guess I'll take our old room," Shawn sighs, unhappy with being cheated out of the master bedroom.

As he wanders back in the direction of the stairs, Peter touches Kallie's elbow gently. "You okay?" She'd gone quiet since looking at the door to the girls' old room.

"Mhm," she takes a deep breath and zones back in on Peter's concerned look, "promise." She forces a small smile.

"You can have the room your moms used," he offers kindly. "I don't mind staying in the smallest one."

When she glances back at the door, she can't bring herself to disagree. "Thank you..." she says quietly. He nods in understanding. "I haven't been able to go in there since..."

"I know." He takes her hand and squeezes it before going to settle into his room. She stands there for a second more before heading to her moms' old room and unpacking briefly.

That room holds a lot of memories for her. For all of them really. Not all of them good ones, though. She finds her favorite swimsuit and throws it on before putting her hair in a single braid. Meeting the boys out front, she doesn't fail to notice how all of their gazes linger on the dips and curves of her body. She shakes it off and heads to the water with them in tow.

Later that night after everyone's showered and dinner was long over, she sits on the bed in her room scrolling through Pinterest for new recipes to try. A knock draws her attention to the doorway where Raul leans against it.

"Hey," she sets her phone in her lap, "need something?"

He shrugs, almost stepping into the room but hesitating. "Just wanted to make sure you're doing okay," he confesses. Kallie takes a deep breath. "We haven't been back here since senior year..."

"Yeah, I know," she deadpans and looks toward the window. She closes her eyes and sighs. "Sorry. Thank you, I'm fine."

This time, he doesn't hesitate to enter and sit at the edge of her bed. "You don't have to apologize. It's okay to not be fine." He sets his ringed hand atop her knee over the blanket.

"I know," Kallie pauses, "I know that." She sounds like she's trying to convince herself more than him. "It just feels wrong to not be fine, ya know?" She shrugs and plays with the yarn of the blanket.

He chuckles lightly. "It's also okay to be fine." She glances at him before he continues. "I know you miss her. But, you can miss her and move on. Lin wouldn't want you to be sad forever. That's not who she was," he comforts her.

"I don't wanna move on, Raul," she whimpers finally and reaches her arms out to him. He instantly brings his arms around her waist and squeezes her tight.

"That was a poor choice of words on my part," he admits into her hair. "I meant..." he pauses, struggling for the right thing to say as he rubs her back soothingly.

Kallie rubs her nose along his neck and he stills. "I know what you meant." She sniffles and pulls back from him, wiping at her wet eyes. "Thank you."

"I'm just down the hall if you need anything," he promises as he gets up. She smiles softly at him as he leans in and kisses her forehead. Sighing at the soft gesture, her eyes close in response. "Night, Kit Kat."

She fights a grin. "Night, Playboy."

Kallie lays back on her pillows as Raul leaves. She's about to turn out the lights when Shawn walks by toward his room. "Hey," she calls softly. He freezes and backtracks a few steps to be in the open doorway.

"Hey, Kal," he replies while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Her eyes flick to his chest and his lack of a shirt before reeling in her thoughts. "Everything okay?"

He heads into her room and closes the door behind him by habit. Her eyes widen and he realizes what he did. Shawn turns back to open it but she stops him. "It's okay, you can leave it closed," she chuckles.

"Right..." He makes his way over to her and sits gingerly on the bed. For a minute, they just sit in silence. It stretches on awkwardly since they haven't really talked since she asked for a 'pause' on their pact. "I'm really sor-"

"I just wanted to-" They both pause after talking over each other and giggle. "You go." She nudges his hand with hers, leaving it close by but not touching.

He nods. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted this morning," he begins timidly. "It was wrong of me to accuse you of anything and to not trust you."

"It's okay," Kallie responds automatically even though Shawn shakes his head. "No, it really is. I get the whole sibling jealousy thing. It's not as intense with my sister but I get it," she chuckles and he cracks a grin. "You're all my best friends and I don't want to cause trouble between you three..."

Shawn sighs. "Is that why you paused us?" He questions. Slowly, she nods and he closes his eyes to compose himself. "Thank god," he breathes out. When he opens his eyes, she has a confused look on her face. "I'm relieved that it's not because of me or something," he laughs.

"No!" She laughs too. "I guess I just wanted to cut it off before any complications started messing with our Musketeer dynamic." His eyebrows scrunch together, wondering what she meant by that. "Never mind," she scoffs, changing the subject, "I'm glad we cleared this up though, eh?"

He blinks a couple of times, his mind trying to find what exactly has been 'cleared up.' "So, this means..." Shawn stalls, hopefully sending the message for her to finish the sentence.

She giggles and finishes it, "That once we go back to Toronto...we can unpause." His lips pull into an elated grin, causing her cheeks to blush for no reason. "We're all gonna be really busy, but if our schedules allow...then, yes. We can unpause," she informs him.

"Yes!" He cheers before catching himself and regaining composure. Clearing his throat, he responds, "I mean, thank you. I would very much like that. And I promise to keep my jealousy in check from now on."

Kallie nods like it's an appropriate response. "As you should," she giggles.

"I'm gonna leave before you change your mind," he declares. Before he does, Shawn leans in and places his lips on hers briefly but passionately. He pulls back with a knowing look. "Just to leave you wanting more until the next time, eh," he teases as he practically sprints to the door.

She throws a pillow at him and misses. "Goodnight, you heathen!" He rolls his eyes and disappears down the hall.

After a moment, Kallie turns out her light and closes her eyes to go to sleep. She tosses and turns for a while before throwing the blankets off of her in frustration. She grabs her phone and unplugs her charger from the wall before creeping down the hallway.

Quietly, she raps her knuckles on the bedroom door a few times. A few seconds pass and she hears him call out in a whisper-yell, "It's open!" She carefully opens the door, trying not to make it creak, and peeks her head in.

"Hi." She hesitates in the doorway, looking around and then at her feet. Taking a deep breath, she tip-toes in, closing the door behind her with a light 'click.'

Peter turns his book over and lays it open in his lap when he realizes she just walked into the room she hasn't step foot in in almost four years. "Hey, Kalliope." She smiles softly as her full name leaves his lips. Kallie doesn't know why, but he's always called her by her full name. And he's the only one who does.

"I forgot to bring Copper," she admits, dragging her feet as she walks toward the bed. Silently, he flips the blankets over so she can crawl in next to him. He knows she can never sleep without her stuffed fox. The only way she can is if she can cuddle someone in his place.

Kallie quickly tosses him her charger to plug in. Then with a childlike grin, she crawls over him to settle in under the blankets. Peter looks away as the T-shirt that she's wearing lifts up, exposing her underwear slightly. He didn't want to, but he notices that they were men's boxer briefs and he has to stifle a laugh. Kallie always prefers comfort over anything else, gender norms be damned.

She's about to cuddle into his side when she realizes that he's shirtless. Swallowing slightly, she tries not to rake her eyes over his smooth chest and the way his butterfly tattoo accentuates his bicep. You wouldn't know it when he's wearing his sweaters, but Peter stays fit.

"I can put on a shirt if it'd make you more comfortable." He snaps her out of her daze when he notices her staring.

Kallie quickly makes her eyes meet his warm caramel ones. "No, you don't have to do that," she breathes out, "I was honestly just thinking about the last time I saw you shirtless."

"Oh..." A blush crawls along his neck and up to his cheeks. "It's been a minute, eh?" He chuckles. She tips her head to the side and pulls up one shoulder in a shrug with a giggle.

With a comfortable atmosphere, she scoots closer and he lifts his arm to make more room. Kallie leans up and kisses him on his cheek, lingering a second longer than usual. He breathes in deeply, notes of cherry blossom drifting from her hair. When she pulls back she looks at him for a second before laying her head down on his chest.

He makes sure she's comfortable before pulling the blankets back up and positioning his book so that he can hold it with one hand. His other gently caresses her side and rubs circles into her back. Peter begins to read out loud even though Kallie doesn't know what the book is about. Truthfully, she never cares. She likes him reading out loud to her because of the sound of his voice mixing with his heartbeat under her ear.

Occasionally, he lifts his hand up to play with her hair or run his fingers along her scalp. She hums contently and cuddles closer when he does. He finishes his chapter and sets the book on the nightstand before turning out the light. He wraps both arms around her and settles into the pillows.

His hand finds hers in the darkness laces their fingers together. Carefully, he brings her knuckles to his lips and lets them linger there. When he's finished, he rubs her knuckles with his thumb. "Goodnight, Kalliope," he whispers, assuming she's asleep.

Kallie's head nuzzles his chest and he feels her lips brush the skin of his collarbone before pressing in for a long moment. She angles her head up to his ear and whispers back, "Goodnight, Peppermint."

Tag List: @marissje​ @mariamuses​

[selfcarecap]

Hello, my love! Seeing as you reblogged the Fanfic Ask Game, and it certainly provides some great questions, I have a few of my own to add. I hope that's okay! If your responses to the questions transpire into a much lengthier post, it's fine, by me, to break them into shorter separate posts if necessary. I hope these questions are somewhat original and entertaining and nothing you've been exposed to before. (plus, if they're too invasive or make you uncomfortable for whatever reason, I sincerely apologise and let you know that you're free to ignore them!) 1) Are you more of a storyline planner or fixate on a specific dialogue/action scene you construct your story around to? 2) Is being bilingual more of an advantage or a burden in your writing process? Also, do you plan your story in English from the get-go or translate it later on after finding the right words, phrasings, etc.? 3) What do you dread most while writing? What are you most looking forward to? Do these things also count as your strengths and weaknesses, or do they diverge, would you say? 4) What aspect of your writing do you believe needs more improvement? If there isn't, is your current writing style what you're most comfortable with, or do you still experiment/plan on experimenting? 5) What aspect of your writing process do you linger the most on – brainstorming, phrasing, editing/proofreading, formatting/design choices? 6) Would you ever consider writing an OC if it suited the story better? 7) Seeing as you often candidly include controversial topics and try to normalise awkwardness in all sorts of forms: What issues would you like to address that you haven't yet? 8) Do you take the avoidance of cliches, precise characterisation, continuity, complexity and development as a priority, both in writing and prefered reading pieces? 9) Do you focus your fanfics on character development, or are they more loosely told stories for entertainment purposes only? 10) Last question, do you focus on your word count? Like, have you established a minimum and a limit for yourself, or do you just go with what feels best? Much love, -sparkles

I hope this is no inconvenience, but I came up with one more question that I wanted to add:

Is the "voice" (thoughts, behaviour, etc.) of Y/N in your stories more based on a general relatable approach or a personal one? Like, do you write them more for the "general" audience to relate to, or for yourself? And how much of your Y/N is you?

ps: no pressure! I already thought as much, and I highly appreciate you taking your time to conjure a thorough answer!

again I'm sorry for answering like a week late kajhsedrk

1) Are you more of a storyline planner or fixate on a specific dialogue/action scene you construct your story around to? I feel like the word 'plan' just doesn't go with the way I write my fics, I don't ever intentionally write anything, I just let my brain do its thing and suddenly I have a story. and yes most of the time I definitely base the whole story around one tiny scene or line of dialogue that my brain comes up with and then I write it down and have to wait until (hopefully) my brain fills the gaps lmao.

2) Is being bilingual more of an advantage or a burden in your writing process? Also, do you plan your story in English from the get-go or translate it later on after finding the right words, phrasings, etc.? Being bilingual definitely has its perks in like.. all aspects of life, I could never deny that (not that I'd want to) but I would still say I'm more fluent in German so ig 60-70% of my first drafts are in German and even though we're both not the biggest fans of that language hajsd sometimes there are things that you can't say in English and then it's definitely annoying that I have to rewrite the whole sentence instead of just translating it when the German sentence was perfectly fine or even sounded really good but there's just no direct translation. For my writing specifically I don’t think being bilingual has a big effect on it but generally I wouldn’t change it for the world <3 (unless it’s changing the bi to a tri).

3) What do you dread most while writing? What are you most looking forward to? Do these things also count as your strengths and weaknesses, or do they diverge, would you say? I'm not a fan of writing endings? I just feel like I'm not good at them, I struggle because I want proper ending words that obviously mark the ending, but most of the time it's either an ordinary sentence or it's just too much and too dramatic and doesn't match the tone of the rest of the fic. The only endings that I enjoy writing is when it's basically the start of something new? That'll usually be a line of dialogue that tells you what the characters are going to do next (it’s usually something to do with smut) and ...yeah. akdhskj (can't even do an ending to this question lmao)

omg I thought I'd answered all the questions and posted but I just found this in my drafts lol 😭 okay next question gashdjk

4) What aspect of your writing do you believe needs more improvement? If there isn't, is your current writing style what you're most comfortable with, or do you still experiment/plan on experimenting? On one hand I would like my writing to be more poetic simply because objectively that is usually perceived as 'better' writing than writing that's kept simple. But on the other hand I don't even read the descriptive, poetic paragraphs in other writing and prefer when it's minimalist and simple so? I think I'm realising that I actually have no problem with my writing style (I mean I could definitely make simpler sentences and less informal sentences but like generally), it just annoys me that I probably couldn't write super poetically IF I wanted to. And that makes sense bc I just don't read those paragraphs in other writing so I have no good example but yeah ghsadjfkld (and again, I think it's the fact that that kind of poetic and aesthetic and full of symbolism writing usually gets more praise than simple writing (and fair enough, like I said I can't do it so I applaud anyone who can) so yeah it's like.. more for validation than personal preference lol. (but I mean I'm forever trying to improve but I don't target specific areas of my writing that I actively try to change or anything, I'm just naturally & constantly evolving <3)

5) What aspect of your writing process do you linger the most on – brainstorming, phrasing, editing/proofreading, formatting/design choices? Definitely NOT the latter few gshadjk, I mean finding a gif can definitely take ages but only because I try not to reuse them but I'm running out of gifs. Definitely not phrasing either loll, I try to keep it simple and ik sometimes I overcomplicate it but it is what it is and if you still get what I'm saying then I sometimes just leave the sentences like that and idc (idk why but I'm like the opposite of a perfectionist when it comes to details in my writing–which doesn't mean I don't overthink buuuut idk). I think I usually spend the most time on the first rough draft when I get the idea and suddenly I'm typing in my notes app for 3 hours trying not to forget every/anything. Then the wip usually stays in my notes for months if not years ahsgjk until one day I find it again, then I properly write it in one day/sitting, proofread a few times and then post. (at least 95% of the time)

6) Would you ever consider writing an OC if it suited the story better? I don't think so simply because I don't ever read fics with OCs instead of x reader so I wouldn't expect anyone to read an OC fic from me. That's my logic behind it I guess. But I do have a separate folder in my notes for wips that are all original characters and plots and yeah entirely non fandom related (but I do notice that all of my good male characters are kind of exactly how I write Peter too saghdjkfl).

7) Seeing as you often candidly include controversial topics and try to normalise awkwardness in all sorts of forms: What issues would you like to address that you haven't yet? Can I just say I love you? For saying it like that? I feel like no one but you notices that hajksdks. Hmmmmm I feel like there is SOMEthing... but I can't remember what it is right now. I know I have one wip where Peter is too nervous and can't get hard and realises he's not read to have sex yet (it's their first time) but also I feel like I've probably written that before. But I've definitely got more awkwardness planned lolll it usually happens naturally.

8) Do you take the avoidance of cliches, precise characterisation, continuity, complexity and development as a priority, both in writing and preferred reading pieces? Hmm that is a very good question. I guess for clichés it's kind of 50/50, I don't actively try to write cliches but as long as it's not a cliche that I personally cringe at then I won't mind having some in my writing. Also I feel like I've created my own cliché of friends to lovers because every single one of my fics ever is a friends to lovers fic I think gahsdjfk. Precise characterisation.. not really. Tbh I've created my own version of Peter Parker in my head (and my fics) and he's obviously inspired by the mcu Tom Holland Peter Parker but if I watched a film with him in it and realised that my Peter and the 'real' Peter aren't actually too similar, I don't think I would change how I write Peter unless I realise the real Peter has a trait that I like that I don't usually write about. Obviously I don't try to write the complete opposite of the film Peter but yeah idc if it sometimes seems a liiittle out of character (although I'd like to think it doesn't seem ooc anyway. But if it ever did I wouldn’t really mind). Considering most of my fics are smut I don't think the characterisation could be 'wrong' because we obviously don't know what he's like in that aspect). Continuity- I try to. But only sometimes. Complexity hmm not really ghaejskd, development? also not really hdjsjksdkjsdk. And honestly I don't have too many preferences on what I read, I could love two fics that are complete opposites. But (as I've said) I do prefer fics that keep the writing simple (I will still read a fic with intricate and detailed writing but I'll only skim it and skip to the dialogue (or smut ashjdsdhj)).

9) Do you focus your fanfics on character development, or are they more loosely told stories for entertainment purposes only? For entertainment purposes only to be honest. I think most of my fics don't really have any room for development simply because they're on the short side most of the time and not really serious. But then again, some fics that do have serious topics or are based on miscommunication or like the reader or Peter having an insecurity that they end up overcoming, then actually I guess yeah there is (some) character development.

10) Last question, do you focus on your word count? Like, have you established a minimum and a limit for yourself, or do you just go with what feels best? I would love to write longer fics because I also enjoy reading longer fics (because longer fic means you get to enjoy it for longer, simple, right?). But my fics usually end up (what I perceive as) on the shorter side and I used to get annoyed at it but I don't anymore. Because when a fic is done, a fic is done and I couldn't make it (significantly) longer if I tried to. But when I realise that a fic is longer (which for me is around 5/6k or obv longer) then I am happier and more pleased with myself than when it ends up being short. Which makes sense because it means I put in more work ig but yeah, I don’t set any minimum or limit for my word counts.

+Is the "voice" (thoughts, behaviour, etc.) of Y/N in your stories more based on a general relatable approach or a personal one? Like, do you write them more for the "general" audience to relate to, or for yourself? And how much of your Y/N is you? She's definitellyyyyy based on me. I don't necessarily write the reader with me in mind or me as a model (I can't think of a better word for Vorlage rn) but I mean... I write x reader fics and I am always the first reader of the fic yk? and obviously I want to imagine myself in her shoes and I write the fics that I write because I would enjoy what happens in them so I make the reader react how I would react. I mean not 100% of the time, I obviously try to make her somewhat universally relatable but at the same time that doesn't really exist so. I would say all my readers are similar but depending on the situation and the plot I'll make them more shy or more outgoing or more awkward or more confident depending on how Peter is acting as well and what I think would be a fun dynamic between them. But actually I feel like Peter usually has more personality than the reader?? which I don't do on purpose but since I don't have anything super specific in mind when I write the reader I guess that happens a tiny bit. And also I think I make the reader like me because I like myself? Like sure I'm insecure sometimes but never about my true personality, so I guess I have no issue making the reader like me because I'd like her and therefore believe others do too. (Not saying everyone likes me or has to like me but yeah from my perspective EYE like me so). Okay wait I feel like I could talk about this for hours shgdjk cause like she's not entirely based on me and I'm not saying I'd always react the same way or say the same thing as her, but I just don't actively try to give her a different, specific personality, I just make her (more or less, kinda) like me.

OMG OKAY that was long 😭 to make up for making you read through my nonsense rambling, here are some of my favourite quotes about writing: (some are more about the process of writing and some about reading ig but anyway–)

"You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page." - Jodi Picoult

"Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." - John Steinbeck (idk who that is) (this is funny but also so true hsgd also applicable to anything creative, not just writing)

(Ngl those are the only ones that I found rn I thought I had more ashdjk but wait lemme look)

(This is not about writing but I'm going through my notes to find quotes and I thought you might relate to this too: "To have a second language is to have a second soul")

"Write as though nobody is watching, because nobody is watching." - Neil Gaiman(?)(I wrote down "guy from masterclass ad" and at the time where I kept getting that ad on YouTube I didn't know who Neil Gaiman was but thinking back ik he was in one of those ads).(again this is funny sksj but so so true)

IM SO ANNOYED I SWEAR I HAD DOZENS OF QUOTES BUT I CANT FIND ANYMORE

There's one by George Orwell (which I can't find :( ) about like... being clear with your writing. And it applies to the way you write your asks SO WELL but I can't think of the exact quote rn 😭😭😭

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” (Again, doesn’t just apply to writing.) (or idk if that’s the exact quote tbh)