#but it depends on how this week goes I think 😅

[zuppizup]

Up-coming fics for the next week:

Sunday/Monday (life depending):

-Penultimate chapter of Purgatory

Pulling Rayla a little closer, he pressed his face against her cheek. The past few days had been draining for him, he could only imagine her emotional state. She talked to him about it at least, relaying her fears and concerns to him without much prodding. During this desperate race, it felt like the only thing of use he could do.

“How are you feeling?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, eyes briefly leaving the Nexus far in the distance. “Like I want this over.”

“It will be.” He kissed her cheek, sighing. “Soon.”

Rayla smiled sadly, her hand finding his around her middle. “It will.”

Wednesday:

-Chapter 19 of A Dark Alternative

“Not to worry.” She interrupted him, putting on a ridiculous accent. “We’ll just have to find the source of these moon opals and I can disguise myself as a human and live a carefree life, eating bread and complaining about the weather being too cold in winter and too hot in summer.”

“What was that?” He arched an eyebrow.

“My human impression,” Rayla grinned at him. “Don’t you remember it?”

“Oh, I do,” he clearly pretended to sigh, a bright smile on his face. “Which only means I am forced to-”

“No Elf Callum!” She reached for an apple in her saddle bag, holding it aloft as she teased at throwing it at him.

“You got to be Human Rayla!” Callum protested, raising a hand to shield himself.

- Snake Boi Callum fic based on the prompt I Did It For You/Necessary

Callum wandered through the dark woods, eyes moving continuously as he searched for Rayla. The strange light of this place made it difficult for him to focus. It had been too long since he’d seen her, and every second spent searching was a second without her.

It wasn’t like they had endless time together either.

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

He sighed in relief at the sound of her voice, feeling his throat close. “Rayla.” Turning, he found her standing by the tree where they’d said goodbye the last time he’d seen her.

She looked beautiful as always, her long hair loose and swaying gently in the breeze, a soft smile on her lips. Every time he saw her; she took his breath away.

“Callum,” her voice broke as she reached for him.

He embraced her, feeling the tense knot in his chest unravel as he held her in his arms. “I missed you.”

Saturday:

-Bloodythirsty II that happily works for the Sacrifice/Salvation Snake Boi Callum week prompt.

“Looking forward to going back to Katolis?” she asks, interlacing their fingers when he reaches for her hands.

“It’ll be good to see Ez,” he sighs happily, placing a kiss to her temple. “And it’ll be nice to have my actual bed for a change.”

“Your own bed?” Turning a little, she smirks at him.

“I didn’t say I’d be sleeping by myself in there,” he grins, raising his eyebrows.

“Or that you’d be sleeping,” giggling softly, she leans forward to kiss him, stopping just short at the sound of a stick breaking in the forest.

[izuochatogashipweek]

Izuochatoga ship week 2024! First time running a ship week so I’m hoping this goes over well? And that there are enough fans on here😓 I think we all know how ship weeks go— write a one shot or make some fanart for each prompt and post on each day with the tag izuochatoga ship week 2024! If anything I’m just hoping to get this polycule I little more content since it’s a favorite of mine

prompts : Day 1 (Nov3) : Crepes /Fireworks / Carnival Day 2 (Nov4) : Flowers / Mourning / Rain Day 3 (Nov5) : Angst / Healing Day 4 (Nov6) : Baking / Domestic / Movie Day 5 (Nov7) : Heroes / Villains Day 6 (Nov8) : Swap / In another life。。。 Day 7 (Nov9) : Free day!

• Any form of media is allowed as long as you use the tag! •I’ll try to reblog every post in it, depending on how big this week gets heheh😅

[el1997jk]

Hi, El! Hope you're doing good 🦋✨️

Just passing by, uh—

I was asking myself the same question, and I found it an interesting thought exercise, so: in the next five years, which ten goals would you say you've got for your fanfic writing hobbie?

It doesn't need to be ten goals you'll actually run towards in the next five years, if you ain't got smth like that in mind, but if you Had To choose ten goals, which would they be?

Hi, well, firstly, thank you so much for asking. I'm doing well. 🦋😊⭐️ How about you? How are you doing? I hope you're doing well 💗

No worries, you can pass by and ask me questions any time. 😊

You are right it is a question that is very interesting, though exercise.

My answer to your question is:

Honestly, I think that for me, coming up with those ten goals for my hobby of fanfic writing was harder than the part about it happening in the next five years 😅

My ten goals (in no particular order except for the first one)

1. Finish my two ongoing fanfics. (Hopefully, I can achieve this by the end of this year)

2. Write at least half of the ideas that I have for fanfics into full stories. (I currently have 20+ ideas, and I know that number will get bigger as time goes by)

3. Finish writing a fanfic either fully or at least halfway before I post the first chapter.

4. Get better at writing scenes that are out of my comfort zone (18+ scenes, sad scenes, fighting scenes, etc.)

5. Write for at least thirty minutes to an hour every day (or longer depending on how much time I will have throughout the day)

6. Have people submit ideas that they would like me to write for them. (I would like to try it)

7. Write down any ideas that I might have for either ongoing fanfics or future ones so I don't forget them. (Either on a piece of paper, into my phone, or voice record it)

8. Have at least somewhat of an idea for a plot that will happen in the fanfic before I start working on it so I don't get stuck. (Or start rewriting the fic from the start when I'm already halfway through)

9. Keep track of what plot points I want to have in my fanfics and write them down into a list, so the story doesn't end up all messy.

10. Have a posting schedule from Monday to Sunday for my fanfics, so whoever reads them knows on what day the next chapter will be posted. But it also helps me to stay organised and not get overwhelmed while posting. (There won't be a fanfic for every day of the week all the time, obviously. It will depend on how many fanfics I'm posting at the time)

I don't know if those goals actually fit what you have asked me, but it was really interesting to think about and come up with them nonetheless.

Thank you for such a thought-provoking question. I don’t think that I would have thought about these goals otherwise.

🦋El🦋

[wolfjackle-creates]

1000 Follower Celebration!

I'm blown away, honestly. The last time I had any notoriety in a fandom was back in, like 2007 or 2008 when I was on the Dibbuns Against Bedtime fan forums for Redwall. I was made the head of my dorm as the site started dying because I was the most active member in said dorm.

But you all? You're here because you like something I'm making? It's so wild to me. I appreciate every single one of you. Every like, every reblog, every comment. They warm me up.

I've been thinking over the last few days what I want to do. The obvious answers—prompt fills, polls to determine what I write, story snippets—I do all that with too much regularity. And I'm trying to avoid taking on more fics as I focus on the ones I've already got going.

So we're gonna do something a bit different this week.

Over the next week (From Wed 2/21 to Wed 2/28) send me the title of one of my WIPs (listed below) and I will respond with a few paragraphs. Not my usual 1.2-1.6k that I like to do for WIP Wednesday, but a few paragraphs. At the end of the week, I'll compile them all and post everything in a single post.

I won't be adding all the links like I usually do with each addition to a story until I post that final draft, but I'll tag everything with "[story name] 1000" so you can click that and follow along with the fic in some sort of order.

There are six WIPs eligible for the game! Please limit yourself to one fic per ask, but you may send in multiple asks. I will request that, for now, you limit yourself to one request per fic (aka a max of 6 requests per person). If I find that I'm able to keep up, I may waive that request in the upcoming days. But it will depend on how busy my inbox (and life) get.

Bring Me Home

Ghost!Robin

Answer My Call

I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again)

Want to Hold On and Feel I Belong/Bad Reveal AU

Empathy!Verse

I totally forgot about the Empathy!Verse when I did my last ask game. Mostly because that has been entirely written on Tumblr and I...kinda forgot to transfer it to a Scrivener document. Ooops. 😅

Something to Feel isn't on this list because I want to dedicate my time to it today. I'm close to the end, I think, and already have one ask in my inbox about it that I totally meant to get to before now (if it's your ask, I promise I haven't forgotten you!).

Brief Story Summaries

Bring Me Home: Tim and Danny are online friends and know each other's secrets. Currently in the arc where the Young Justice and Team Phantom help Danny escape after a reveal gone wrong.

Ghost!Robin: Jason is haunted by the ghost of the Robin he used to be. Danny finds out when Jazz introduces him to Jason over a meet-the-in-laws dinner. Currently, Jason and Robin are meeting with Frostbite to learn what may have happened.

Answer My Call: Jazz is sending texts to Danny after he escaped a GIW facility and they can't talk. But it turns out Jason is the one who's actually been getting them.

Carry Your Heart: Jason and Danny meet in the Ghost Zone while Jason is dead. They become friends. But Jason runs to Desiree to wish for his life back. A wish she fulfills. Danny goes to visit him, only to find his core left behind in a lair that's in ruin.

Bad Reveal AU: Danny is living with the Waynes when he finds out they're also the Bats. He freaks out because he believes the bats are working with the government (aka the GIW). So he shoots Bruce and runs away. The bats are now trying to convince him it's safe to come home.

Empathy!Verse: Liminal!Jazz is studying in Gotham and feeling the lack of other liminals to interact with. After getting used to the undercurrent of emotion that follows all interactions with ghosts/liminals, humans just feel...flat. Then one day, she literally runs into another liminal as she's going to the library. Jason Todd. Only... he doesn't know what it means to be liminal. So Jazz is there to show him.

[yumeka-sxf]

Another exciting chapter in this ongoing arc!

Nightfall gets a chance to shine here and we can see that she's staying true to her word about not giving up on becoming Twilight's wife, via some hilarious fantasies.

She goes from wanting to die together with Twilight, to sacrificing herself for him, and then completely reneging on the idea of dying when she imagines Yor comforting him! I find it funny that she seems to view Twilight as this completely competent, stoic figure yet she also views him as someone who would turn into a sobbing baby if she were to die 😅 She even thinks that he considers her "the love of his life!" Oh Nightfall, never change (ok, would probably be good if you changed a little bit eventually).

Meanwhile, we see that Twilight seems to have met his match with Wheeler being one step ahead of him as far as spy intuition. He even manages to best Twilight in combat, though to be fair Twilight already took a beating from his scuffle with Yuri.

I thought that Twilight and Wheeler would have more of a chance to converse about "the old days" and share their current views , but that didn't get a chance to happen, at least not yet. Later maybe, depending on how long this arc becomes. And I have to wonder if the previous chapter is the last time Yuri partakes in the action of this arc or if he'll show up again.

Nightfall's extreme reaction on the last page is interesting. Is she that upset because the spy that she thought was flawless had been bested? Because his identity is about to be revealed to an enemy of WISE? Or simply because her beloved senpai was injured? Or maybe some combination of these things? Unfortunately we'll have to wait another two weeks to find out!

But geez, the aftermath of this arc is looking to be intense, not just because both Twilight and Yuri are injured, but also because Twilight's identity could be compromised now that Yuri is suspicious that the renowned spy is someone close to him and, depending on what happens with Wheeler, a mole actually getting a good look at his face. And as much as I suspect Twilight and Yuri will be able to hide their injuries from Yor, at least at this point, a part of me is hoping they don't and we get a wholesome chapter of her comforting her boys ❤ Also can't wait to see Anya's reaction when she reads Papa's and Uncle's minds (assuming one or both of them don't end up in comas after all this 😳)

It's gonna be another grueling wait for the next chapter!

[cupcakeslushie]

That has me so relieved lol. I feel like I’m the worst at fashion 😅. I spend so much time on Google and Pinterest, trying to find cute things to put our boys and April in that would match their personalities.

Leo likes jean material and anything with dark colors (obvi) and also really likes athleisure wear. Raph has pretty similar taste, but with brighter colors. Though it’s hard for him to find jean material that can stand up to his shell, so he also has a love for stretchy stuff that wont tear. Mikey and Donnie like oversized and cute styles! Really soft or fluffy stuff, but also Donnie will throw in some edgy rave outfits when he’s feeling fun. He’s also got the same three outfits for when he’s working and he’ll wear them until they’re covered in paint and oil and totally worn down. Mikey is probably the one that has the biggest and most versatile closet. He has a big problem with online, impulse shopping.

@kitty-kyte This ask has me so curious now about the undercity’s weather! Aw, and now that makes me think the Snow Day episode would go from them fighting, to them just having a good wholesome time showing Donnie how much fun snow could be. And maybe they do have a snowball fight, Leo and Mikey being way too competitive, and Raph and April and Donnie just enjoying some hot cocoa and building a snowman. OR OR OR Donnie, April and Leo make a Jupiter Jim snowman and Raph and Mikey and Cass make a Lou Jitsu snowman and they argue over which one is better and Donnie keeps switching sides because he can’t decide!

@blossomsofopossums

As for your first question! Leo witnessed some small fits during their first few encounters. He was as unnerved as he could be, but sadly chose to ignore the strange behavior in favor of letting Three struggle through them on his own 😔. Then the first time Raph, Mikey, Leo, and April run into Donnie, they can clearly see Three struggling with something they can’t. They’re really confused and don’t know what to do, but with Leo recently revealing to them that Three might be their long lost brother Donnie, Raph has already resolved himself that, Donnie would be coming home with them. Unfortunately he doesn’t really know how to handle Three in that first meeting, and so he’s a bit rough with him, making those first few days of Donnie getting used to being in the lair a manic mess. Later once they learn more, Raph and Mikey will try to talk Donnie through them and Leo will use contact. But they also kind of have to adapt their reactions depending on how bad each one is, and what they think Donnie needs to feel safe.

Question #2! Raph calls him Dad, Pop, or Old Man when he’s feeling cheeky. Mikey calls him Dad and Papa. Leo probably goes through the most names: Master Splinter, Splinter, Father, Dad. Donnie will call him Father or PApA~

Question #3 Donnie had thought he’d already been introduced to so much good food after a few weeks in the lair, but pizza was on a whole new level. Sweets might be his new weakness. But pizza is his favorite savory meal. And you just know that the boys took Donnie to Run of the Mill for his first pizza experience. They couldn’t wait to introduce him to Hueso.

Hueso on the other hand is starting to get slightly annoyed with all these traumatized boys that Raph keeps bringing in. Like he was perfectly happy adopting this huge, but well-mannered teenage turtle and his human friend. Then they come in with the small, infamous battle nexus champion and he’s a little hyper thing sometimes, but he’s pleasant enough, so okay. But THEN, they have some nerve to bring some poor, tired, stone-faced kid, who’s eyes hold much too old of a look in them. It tugs on Hueso’s heartstrings…that is it would, if he actually had them.

NOW what’s he supposed to do with this new one? He can’t just adopt them all can he?

Hueso in the kitchens, to his chefs as they cook the boys’ pizzas:

[ambrossart]

My question is a bit far-fetched😅 but well I'll still say it, if Evelyn leaves Derry for whatever reason at this moment in the story, she moves with her family to another place or maybe she moves alone to live with a relative outside from Derry or something like that, let's suppose that Evelyn leaves Derry as a possibility (which now in this age and this stage of history I think is impossible, it's just a supposition) how would her surroundings react, especially Henry, I think he would be the one who It would affect him more and what about Patricio???? and Victor??

Somehow I got this idea in my head because Evelyn wants to move when she grows up and she has postcards in her room with places she wants to visit and she once said she wants to leave Derry.

Far-fetched or not, I absolutely love this question! I was gonna save this one for next week, but I need to answer it now; otherwise, it’s just gonna nag at me all weekend.

So let’s jump right in! (This is gonna be really scattered and unorganized because I’m just word-vomiting all my thoughts right now.)

The Bowers Gang Reacts to Evelyn Moving

tw; brief mentions of murder and suicide.

— Henry

Henry has massive abandonment issues, so congratulations, you’ve just unlocked his greatest fear.

Evelyn entered Henry’s life the day after his mom left, so he’s developed a very intense and almost childlike attachment to her.

He’s demanding and possessive, but most of all, he’s terrified of losing her, which is probably why he feels the need to test her as much as he does, but that’s a whole other discussion.

Anyway—

If Evelyn leaves, Henry’s not just losing a love interest—he’s losing his sole source of safety and comfort. He goes to her when he needs to escape all the shit he deals with at home. If she leaves, where’s he gonna go? What’s he gonna do? He’s gonna be stuck in a town that he hates, in a house that he hates, with nothing but bad memories and bad feelings. It’s a recipe for disaster.

When Evelyn tells Henry she’s leaving, his initial reaction will be utter disbelief.

Evelyn can't leave Derry. They're supposed to leave together.

Henry has been wanting to leave for years, but he's stayed in this shitty town for her.

How can she just leave without him?

And then that little voice will kick in. You know the voice. It’s his dad’s voice.

Of course she’s leaving, that voice will say. That’s what women do. They’re selfish whores who leave you.

Turns out, his dad was right yet again.

And that's when Henry’s rage will take over. He’ll lash out at Evelyn and say horrible, hateful things.

He'll probably break stuff. Stuff that holds a lot of sentimental value for Evelyn.

Will he get violent with her? Maybe. I’d like to think he wouldn’t, but in this case, there’s a fair chance he could.

Regardless, he’ll refuse to see her on her last day in Derry.

Evelyn will want to say goodbye (and she’ll feel so, so guilty and heartbroken over this whole situation), but Henry won’t let her.

Knowing Evelyn, she’ll probably write him a letter or something, and Henry will keep that letter for the rest of his life.

Even if he hates her, he'll keep it.

He’ll go to her house once it’s empty.

He'll lie down on the floor of Evelyn’s bedroom and stay there for hours.

He'll keep visiting the house until it sells and another family moves in.

And then he’ll inevitably self-destruct.

He’ll get a lot more aggressive and violent. He’ll probably start abusing alcohol or some other drug. And if he doesn’t end up in jail for killing someone (like his dad), he’ll probably end up eating a bullet at some point.

Are you guys sad yet? I’m sad.

— Patrick

With Patrick, I think it depends on where he and Evelyn are in their relationship.

If he’s already had his fun with her, he won’t even notice she’s gone. He’ll have already moved on to his next obsession.

Evelyn? Who’s Evelyn?

This is the best-case scenario. The alternative is… well honestly it’s kind of terrifying.

Evelyn and Patrick’s relationship is built upon this mutual fascination they have with each other. So if Evelyn leaves abruptly, before Patrick has fully sated his curiosity…

Well that just isn’t allowed.

See Patrick thinks he’s the center of the universe and that everyone else exists solely for his pleasure and entertainment.

He doesn’t recognize other people’s thoughts or feelings because in his mind they’re not supposed to have their own thoughts and feelings.

They’re no different than the flies he used to kill with his ruler.

Why would Evelyn think she can just… leave? Who gave her permission to do that?

So Patrick will be confused, like genuinely confused, probably the most confused he’s ever been in his life.

This doesn’t ever happen. This isn’t supposed to happen. Why is this happening?

(And why is it bothering him so much?)

He’ll probably start questioning his own reality, honestly.

When Evelyn breaks the news to Patrick, he’ll be calm… like eerily calm.

He’ll probably say something like, “Well that’s too bad, isn’t it?”

And there will be something in his tone that makes Evelyn very uncomfortable. It’ll make every hair on her body stand on end.

She’ll convince herself that she’s overreacting, of course, because in reality what’s Patrick gonna do? Kill her?

Famous last words.

On Evelyn’s last night in Derry, Patrick will sneak into her room for one last goodbye…

and Evelyn will finally meet the monster under the mask.

— Victor

I think Victor would handle this situation the best, honestly.

He’ll be sad, of course, but he’s mature enough now to know this isn’t the end of the world. People move all the time. It's a natural part of life.

And it's a good thing Evelyn's getting out of Derry. She deserves better than Derry.

He’ll probably help Evelyn pack up her things.

During this time, they’ll probably spend a lot of time reminiscing and going through all of Evelyn’s old keepsakes.

All those letters she wrote Vic? All those drawings? Yeah those are definitely coming out of storage. Victor’s mom will probably bring them over herself, and she’ll be a sobbing mess about the whole situation.

If Vic ever plans to confess, this will be the time he does it.

Maybe Evelyn will reciprocate his feelings.

Maybe she won’t.

Either way, they’ll stay in touch after Evelyn moves. Evelyn will make sure they do.

They’ll talk on the phone regularly, exchange letters, and Vic will probably send her a postcard or two (because Vic knows how happy that would make her).

Once Vic graduates high school, he’ll probably try to move closer to Evelyn, especially if she responded positively to his confession.

He’ll either try to get into the same university or one close by.

(And could you imagine if Jimmy also went to that school and the three of them had a little reunion?)

(Perfect ending! 😂)

Yeah, those two will be fine.

— Belch

I know you didn’t ask about Belch, but Evelyn leaving would seriously affect his life, too!

Evelyn helps Belch keep Henry from going off the deep end.

With her gone, Henry’s gonna start to unravel, and Belch isn’t gonna be able to hold him together on his own.

So Belch will have a choice to make: he either goes down in flames with Henry or he steps away and separates from him entirely.

For Belch’s sake, I sincerely hope he chooses the latter.

He deserves to be happy.

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hi Lena! I hope your week has been pleasant thus far!

I’m not sure if this question has already been asked yet, but what kind of characters would the ROs be in a horror movie? Like, who’s the cynical character that doesn’t believe the monster is real, the cocky guy who is all like “yeah I can beat this idiot no problem”, the “survivor” character that shows up later in the movie to help the main cast, etc.

Sorry if this question doesn’t really make any sense, feel free to ignore this is you want! 😅

Hi there, I sort of answered this question in various different ways--I'd recommend checking out the Halloween horror masterpost, which has a few different horror AUs!--but I didn't really specify what "tropes" the characters might fall into, so here goes!

Blade: I'd think he's the leader character who tries to give everyone the best chances of survival by directing them to defend themselves and makes you feel safe with his presence (you know, like the older brother who was in the military or the super strong athlete boyfriend or the hyper-competent neighbor with a mysterious set of skills or what have you), but then he has to leave the group because he stands the best chance of getting help (thus removing the comfort of his presence and rocketing up the anxiety of the film); he probably gets "killed" by the killer in a jumpscare and is knocked out and left for dead for most of the movie, then shows up all bloodied to stab the killer in the back at the last minute when the audience thought he was dead! So he survives, but he's pretty heavily injured and the rest of the group has to help him make it out

Trouble: he's full of confident bravado, like "you know what? *grabs kitchen knife* fuck this guy, I can take him! he can't get all of us!!" *immediately gets killed* or *power goes out* *in an effort to reassure the group* "don't worry guys, I'll go out there by myself to check the circuit box, nothing could go wrong!" Or he's the guy who "sacrifices" himself so the rest of the group can get away, potentially with the surprise ending of coming back with the police to arrest the killer and finding him alive after all! So he has a very low chance of survival, but he might live depending on how things shake out!

Tallys: she has final girl energy for sure, she's the one hearing Trouble offering to go outside in the storm alone and is savvy enough to be like "mm-mm. nope. we're not doing that. not today!" She's the one who doesn't seem like she's doing much throughout the movie as all the people are getting picked off, but then you see her doing really clever things like rigging booby traps or hiding under a bed so she can stab the killer in a foot or something crazy like that. Her self-preservation instincts and cunning definitely means she's going to make it through to the end: whether she's the lone survivor or if her skills guided the group to safety after Blade and Trouble got taken out just depends on what type of movie we're watching, lol!

Shery: sadly, she has helpless victim energy where she's so terrified and unskilled that someone (like Trouble) might first die defending her, making the audience frustrated, and then she might end up dying as well! Or she might end up just hiding away somewhere, not able to contribute but not dying, either! ...But yeah, she has sweet, innocent, sacrificial lamb energy, so she might die just to show the audience how wicked the villain truly is 😭

Riel: he's the skeptic of the group, he's the one who refuses to believe that anything supernatural is going on, he's the logician who flatly says, "this can't be happening. there has to be some other explanation." I feel like those types of people generally die in horror movies, so he's probably dead, but if we're not going by horror movie rules, he's probably smart enough to outwit the killer/supernatural threat if he can break through his own disbelief and actually start scheming against it! If it's like a monster or something like that, he stands a good chance, but if it's a demon or a ghost, he's probably dead 😵

Chase: he's the comic relief, he's the one keeping the morale group high, he's the clown who seems largely unfazed by what's happening but is skilled and capable enough to help defend the group. I feel like those types stand a solid 50/50 chance in most horror movies, where if they're minor characters, they'll definitely die, but if they're major members of the cast, they end up being one of the heroes of the story because the audience is fond of and rooting for them. Given Chase's uncanny ability to survive most things life throws at him, however improbable, I think he's one of the last ones standing, kind of like in Cabin in the Woods!

Red: he's the source of information, the smart one who's providing everyone with the backstory/information/mythology of the killer/threat. The guy who's been researching local anthropology in the area and just happens to have extensive knowledge of "that one serial killer in the 80s who [insert backstory] here." He might lack the common sense or hard survival instincts of a Tallys or a Blade, but he stands a good chance of surviving so long as no one sends him off by himself! If he's caught out alone, he's 100% a goner 😔

Ayla: she has like "batshit final girl" energy, the member of the group who seems sullen and withdrawn at a party and strangers are like, "what's her deal?" and there's some backstory or implied allusion to her dark past where she survived being kidnapped by Jigsaw or her parents were killed by a serial killer or something like that, and you think it's all speculation until someone starts killing people off and she's already in the corner sticking nails in a bat or busting out the chainsaw saying grimly, "Not like this. Not again." She stands a very good chance of survival so long as her trauma doesn't make her act reckless and the killer doesn't outsmart her by digging a booby trap or something!

Briony: I feel like she either has badass final girl energy or the energy of someone who vastly underestimates her opponent, like I could see her taking charge after some of the others get taken out and is like, "Don't worry guys, I've taken tae kwon do for ten years!" and she just is like not really processing the level of depravity that is going on and just gets annihilated, or she's the one keeping the group together and like plows the killer down with a car in the chaos or something like that. If Shery causes anyone to die to protect her, though, it's definitely going to be her BFF Briony 😭

Lavinet: this is not who Lavinet is in real life, but in a horror movie AU I could definitely see her being cast as the pretty, popular, spoiled rich girl who gets gruesomely murdered first lol... realistically in her "real life" persona I definitely think she'd be a final girl, almost to the point of prioritizing her own survival over someone else's, but in horror movie trope standards I think she'd be the one making out with some random jock in the car outside before the killer pops up in the backseat and then you cut to the characters walking outside and finding the car on, idling, with the windows covered in blood 😭

Halek: he is absent/sleeps through the majority of the spooky stuff (or, like, he's the guy you see at the beginning of the movie who can't go on the trip to the haunted cabin because he has to work or some bullshit and you sort of forget he's a part of the cast but then he shows up to save the day at the end because he felt like something was off when no one was answering his text messages)! He's sort of baffled when everyone piles into his car screaming bloody murder and can't relate to their ✨ trauma ✨ but at least he saved them!

[monster-match-if]

Hi, just stumbled upon this, and it directly caught my attention. Especially Sei! But then I saw this is a route that's initially fwb and then turns into more... And thing is, I'm very uncomfortable with fwb stuff - I can't really handle it at all to be honest. Or well, at least I didn't encounter any game where I could. So I'm wondering if this is mandatory, or if it could simply transition from a "friends without benefits" to romance progressively?

Hmm I guess it's technically possible. maybe? But maybe it depends a bit on how you look at it, and how much you want to skip some (one particular) spicy scenes (that you might have wanted to skip anyway cause it a bit more dub-con sex pollen and all that), and generally how ok you are with the "benefits" while more attached to the RO, but not in a set relationship😅 In theory, you could just say no to all spice, and keep it just clandestine moonlit meetings and secret dates and kisses in the first week - there are not many anyway until then. I'm not sure if this would be enough build up? Week 2 is already starting to grow feeling, but it's still a "complicated" relationship since you have to keep it a secret and nothing "official" will be set until mid to late game. I'll have to double check my romance map and see how much sense it would make for a MC not to engage at all in the spice up until week 3 or at all. It's also not entirely a fwb route, but just an easy way to describe it, since it will be stated that nothing can come of those clandestine meetings since MC is coupled up with another on a dating show. If MC is fine with it, it becomes a fwb, right? Or is it just a "Let's see where this goes" thing? But yeah, you can keep seeing him even if you say no to the spice, just not sure how much sense it will make past week 1.

Like I said, it depends a lot on what everyone considers romance and and how far they are willing to go at certain points in it. Also, I think I mentioned this is a monster fucker story, yes? 😂 There will be skippable options, cause I imagine not everyone is into everything, but I never considered a more or just purely romantic route for Sei. I'll think on this a bit more :))

[moon-thething]

Hey, so I had an idea again. I mostly just thought of this because I was curious though.

Perhaps Kevin x Reader has where he's married to the reader? Or has of how he'd be if he were married to someone, anyway.

- Kevin Anon

Hello again Kevin anon :) sorry it took me this late to reply 😅 but I hope you like these head canons anyway :)

Romantic or platonic?: Romantic

Readers gender: gender neutral

Type: Fluff

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Kevin's proposal would be an absolute disaster. And I don't mean that in a mean type of way

He would pick to be in a saluted area, maybe like a woods. He would set up a picnic, romantic music, he even has a movie ready on his phone!

But would be stuttering ten times more than usual and he almost dropped his ring once when he was checking if it was still in his pocket

But, after all of that embarrassment he would finally get down on one knee... And say the most cringe and corny crap possible. It came from the heart though! Eh.. kinda

"Y/n." Kevin sighed, looking deeply into Y/n's eyes as he felt his hear flutter. He got down on one knee, grabbing a small black box as you gasped, your hands flying to your mouth

"I may not be the richest, but I promise to love you richer than anyone else. Will you marry me?" You stifled a laugh as tears rolled down your eyes

"Yes!"

He may or may not have made your proposal a joke, but you'll never know

Your proposal wouldn't be anything too big, just a couple of friends and family members, nothing too special. Although Kevin does go all out, ordering decorations and food for the wedding he even paid a professional painter to paint a portrait of you to

But when the wedding is over you best believe he would cuddle you to death when you're finally in your home... Not gonna go into further detail since this is supposed to be fluff

He would be the type of husband who wakes up really early just to make you breakfast. Would make your favorite meal at least once a month

My guy works at a candy shop did you expect a Gordon Ramsay level dish? Nah, you're getting cereal for breakfast, toast if you're lucky that day

I can see him just sneaking up behind you when you're doing dishes and sneak in a dirty plate. You always catch him but it makes you smile when he thinks he managed to go unnoticed and laughs evily while running out

He wouldn't be always like that, if he wasn't tired that day from work he would do everything and let you rest. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Do the dishes, the laundry, clean the bedroom, clean the bathroom, everything that comes to mind, although he lets you cook lunch and dinner since, gonna mention it once again, he only knows how to make cereal and toast

He has a little booklet for every event since he is forgetful. He makes something special for your anniversary, and by special I mean he either takes you to a diner, a carnival or the place where he proposed to you

Same goes for your birthday, he would buy you simple gifts suck as a necklace. Or if you saw something in a store a couple of months ago he would memorise the exact object and buzz it for you

If you have a sweet tooth he would sneak candy out of his workplace at least once to twice a week. No doubt

When he has days off he would either spend the whole day with you or lock himself in your bedroom and sleep, half of the time he cuddles with you

Your marriage isn't completely a bed of roses, you do get in fights but not that often. If you two did fight it would be over something serious, not gonna list of the things but you get the idea

Now, for the apologizing it really depends on who started it

If Kevin started the fight he would apologize when he calmed down enough and when he knew you were calm enough

But if you started the fight he would lock himself in your bedroom and won't get out untill you knocked on the door and apologized. More often than not, he would accept your apology and you two would hug it out and he'll give you a peck on the lips. But if he didn't you would just leave him alone for him to calm down, he would feel guilty after a while and would leave the room and just hug you

But over all, he really loves and appreciates you, 10/10 would recommend

[dribs-and-drabbles]

15 people, 15 questions

Thanks for tagging me @colourme-feral, @wen-kexing-apologist and @thegalwhorants! I wrote this at night on Christmas Eve but then tumblr ate the post when I moved it from my drafts to my queue, so I had to write the whole thing again...

1. Are you named after anyone?

No. My parents had a difficult time deciding on a name and just eventually landed on the one they gave me.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Well that depends on what kind of crying... I teared up last Wednesday when my furniture and belongings arrived from being in storage for 17 months. Tears rolled down my cheeks and my breath hitched a few times when I watched ep 6 Last Twilight (damn you Aof!) nearly two weeks ago. But the last time I ugly sobbed was whilst watching a musical in June, but I was feeling especially emotional about my temporary living situation at the time.

3. Do you have kids?

No.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I don't play any now (but I do go to the gym) but when I was a kid I did gymnastics and then dance (although that's not a sport). I played different sports in school but only because I had to and they weren't any I really enjoyed.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Sarcasm? Who, me?! Nooooooo never.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Probably their posture or body language.

7. What's your eye colour?

To be honest I'm not sure. There's grey and bits of blue and green and even brown but I wouldn't be able to call it a colour. I used to say hazel but then I realised hazel was more brown than my eyes are so I don't really know.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Oh happy endings for sure. I mean, I'm on (this) tumblr because of the qls I watch so it should be obvious.

9. Any talents?

I can hold a handstand for 30 secs (I've also managed 1 min in the past but that was a while ago now) but that feels more like a party trick than a talent. I guess I could say dancing. Oh, maybe guessing the time usually quite accurately.

10. Where were you born?

In the UK, specifically England.

11. What are your hobbies?

Apart from going to the gym, handstanding and watching ql series? I'm currently obsessed with the clothes from the shows 😅...but I also like to go for walks, sometimes I play boardgames, and I like to read (I've been mainly reading fan fic recently though). I also think about lego a lot (and now I have my own place I might get some sets - bonsai tree my beloved) and I used to write but it's been a few years since I last wrote anything.

12. Do you have any pets?

No. I've had cats in the past and I'd like another cat at some point but not for a while.

13. How tall are you?

I'm not 🤭

14. What was your favourite subject in school?

I can't remember now but probably geography...but more geology than countries...or creative writing. There was a point where I enjoyed maths...but didn't study it beyond 16.

15. What is your dream job?

I'd actually like to be able to not work, or to only work part time. I've been lucky to have actually had my dream job and I'm very grateful for the opportunity/experience.

So that's it! I guess I should tag 15 people since that's the title of this game, so here goes: @grapejuicegay @telomeke (I know you've been tagged a few times) @respectthepetty (I know you've done it already but I wanted to tag you anyway) @celestial-sapphicss @dimplesandfierceeyes @chickenstrangers @wen-kexing-apologist (I know you've already done it as well but leaving this tag here anyway) @waitmyturtles @lurkingshan @my-rose-tinted-glasses @slayerkitty @ranchthoughts @belladonna-and-the-sweetpeas @btwinlines @starryalpacasstuff No pressure obviously. (bonus tag for @absolutebl because I like it when you answer these kinds of things using only photos /gifs)

[cy-cyborg]

So I sent you an ask before your tumblr got deleted and I’m assuming the ask got deleted too. Basically, when I was watching Nimona I thought Ballistar got his prosthetic too quickly after his amputation. But I don’t actually know how long it takes for an amputation to heal, or to build up the strength needed to use a prosthetic. Also I would have liked to see him learn to use his prosthetic instead of using it perfectly from the beginning. But I’m not an amputee. Are my impressions of this accurate?

Yeah, I'm really sorry about that (also that it took me a little while to answer this time too!), I'm pretty sure my answer was actually the next post in my queue 😅.

So I haven't seen Nimona (I really want to, but I don't currently have Netflix lol) so I can only answer generally, but the healing time is different depending on what you mean by healed. If you mean just the wound healing, that takes a few weeks, usually 2-4 weeks. If you mean able to wear a prosthetic, for leg amps, that's usually 6-8 weeks, but I think it might be shorter for arm amputees since they aren't weight bearing through their stumps. Im not 100% sure, though. To fully heal (the swelling in the stump goes down, general pain settles, etc) can take a year or more, but most people will be back to their normal lives long before that, though. As for building up strength to use the prosthetic, that's really variable. Some people take to their prosthetics REALLY quickly, others take a while. The type of amputation is a big factor, but lots of other little things go into it too. Ballistar is an above-elbow amputee right? As I understand it, those kinds of prosthetics are quite difficult to use, both due to the strength needed and due to them not being super intuitive.

In saying all this though, unless its a focal point of the story or its a very grounded/realistic setting, I'm personally pretty lenient with most sci-fi/fantasy in this regards. We definatly need more media - even fantasy and sci-fi that shows that side of being an amputee or at least puts in effort to acknowledge it, but I think stories that lean a bit more into the fantasy side of things have their place too, especially in stories like Nimona where the focus seems to be elsewhere. This isn't to say you shouldn't try to include the realistic rep where you can, but you have to find a balance between realism and the tone your story has. Some stories really would benefit from the more grounded/realistic depictions that show everything, others might only need a brief mention. It depends on the story, and it's really hard to say where Nimona lies on that spectrum without having actually seen it, but from the little I have seen, I feel like it falls on the "brief mention" side of things since it already has so much going on.

I'm going to use How to Train Your Dragon as an example of what I'm trying to say, just becuase I know the first movie got a lot of critisism from amputees for having hiccup literally get up and start walking the moment he woke up after loosing his leg, but I think it lands in a similar area of the spectrum I'm talking about. HTTYD is one of those movies where having the more realistic approach wouldn't have really fit with the tone or pacing, but it would have benifited from a little more than what we got. Not much though, since we kind of already got it with toothless anyway. In my opinion, all it needed was a slight tweak to that ending scene and it would have been perfect (in my opinion). Personally, I would have made Hiccup (without a prosthetic) sit on toothless's back when they went out the door for the first time. The scene plays out almost exactly the same, and you get the symbolic framing the directors wanted, while acknowledging that walking so soon after a burn amputation is not going to happen. Gobber gives Hiccup the tail, saddle and his new leg in the bundle, which allows them to keep the "That bit's my handiwork, with a little hiccup flair thrown in. Think it'll do?" line. Hiccup can instead hold the leg in his hand and say "I might make a few adjustments" - everyone laughs and then it cuts to the end scene with them all flying with the implication some time has passed the same as in the real film. It's a small tweak, but I do think that's all it really needed.

So yeah, While its great to have more realistic representation in your stories, you got to work within the tone your story has. There's no "one size fits all" way to approach it. Again though, I could be wrong about where Nimona would fall here, I know it does tackle heavy subjects in regards to trans representation and discrimination, so maybe it could have made it work. I'll probably talk more about it once I actually see the movie though!

[shrinkthisviolet]

talk shop tuesday - outside of your active WIPs, what is/are your next big fic/fics on the horizon, even if they're just outlines for now 🎤?

Oooh 👀 interesting question! This got long, so under the cut:

So ofc the Morgan and Lucy AUs are my active WIPs but…within those, there are some fics that I haven’t written but have been at least vaguely outlined.

For the main Morgan AU, these include:

1x17 and onwards fic. I haven’t decided if this will include the finale or if that’ll be its own fic, but I’ll see how the flow goes

E2 rescue fic. I’ve gone back and forth about having Morgan help rescue Jesse, but I’m more and more in favor of it as time goes on. Her dynamic with E2 Barry is so sweet to think about 🥰 (and E1 Barry being a little jealous of Morgan calling another version of Barry “like her brother”, even tho Morgan would clearly only be saying that to mess with him 😂). Plus, her potential standoffs with Zoom compel me. I’d have to rewatch the episodes to add more detail. In any case, Morgan would definitely use the telepathy link as an excuse to come, hoping she can find some way to reopen it after Jesse accidentally (not that Morgan knows it was an accident) closed it in the last fic

Jesse POV fic. This covers the events of s2 up to [episode TBD] from Jesse’s POV. So we’ll get to see her get kidnapped, her interactions with Zoom, befriending the real Jay (which didn’t happen in canon, but the medallion says that’s dumb, so it happens here)…and the telepathy link. I originally thought of taking it up to 2x16, but…since Morgan’s likely gonna be part of the E2 rescue, I’ll have to fiddle with things 😅

2x16 fic. Eliza survives this ofc, and as I’ve mentioned prior, there’s no split personality. Taking inspo from the comics for this one, and blending it with show canon: she got powers from the accelerator and the constant defibrillation made her powers unstable. She thus created the drug Sharp to dampen her powers. She’s also a WOC like the comics, unlike the show. Beyond that, the rest is TBD 😂

Morgan & Jesse roommates fic! This is the “enemies to besties/sisters” fic. Jesse shows up at Morgan’s apartment when she runs away, and though Morgan is reluctant to help because of how she and Jesse rub each other the wrong way (they’re a bit jealous of each other, seeing the other as the best version of them, etc etc), she ofc does—she can’t let Jesse wander Starling City alone, especially without powers and with Zoom possibly able to find her if he’s hellbent enough on it. Over time, they get to know each other and become close! Exact timespan is unknown rn, but depending on which episode this needs to be wrapped up by, I might artificially extend the time to at least a few weeks

2x17 fic! I’ve thought about this quite a bit :D Barry time-traveling to 1x11, being furious at Thawne and guilty that he can’t help the others…and also also, using Morgan against him 👀 Eowells is a sucky father in so many ways, but if he knows Morgan is in grave danger, he’ll do anything to stop it (after all, she can’t be his treasure if she’s dead, can she?)

s3 arc. This is…vaguely outlined. I’ll have to sit down post-s2 and really go through it, and especially as I rewatch s3, but…I’ve thought a lot about it, especially how I’m gonna rewrite Savitar and his dynamic with Morgan. I’ve been inspired quite a bit by the comics lately, especially a certain blue speedster in them…👀

For Morgan AU spin-offs, these include:

the “daddy issues AU” is starting to be outlined! I’ve written a couple snippets to get in the zone too :D the first fic just covers Barry’s placement with Eowells and meeting Morgan…and it’s delightful to write. That’ll be the only fic from Barry’s POV, I think—the others will be Morgan’s. It’ll cover s1…possibly s2 but I doubt it

CF AU s1 has been vaguely outlined, even though that’s a ways from now 😂 it’ll ofc be Barry’s POV and cover him waking up, realizing Morgan and Iris are hiding something, and trying to uncover it while hiding his own secret. Don’t worry though, everyone is ofc looped in way sooner than canon

I am ofc currently writing the first fic of a soulmates AU, which should be done this week, and although it’s just the intro fic I’ve written (pre-s1), I’ve thought about how the s1 arc will go. Specifically…how Morgan and Barry’s interactions will go 👀 I can’t say too much because of spoilers, but needless to say, there’s a big mystery at the center of s1 regarding Morgan…and she doesn’t realize it for a while

For the Lucy AU…there’s a few:

post-ESB fic, pre-ROTJ. Covers the fallout of ESB, sorta bridges it to ROTJ. This will be when Lucy gets her Jedi training, while Luke is reeling from the Vader reveal and goes off on…whatever quest he goes on (I still need to read those supplemental comics 😅). Lucy is also, ofc, reeling from Lando’s betrayal—she can’t seem to shake it, even while Leia’s able to push through it. Leia gets Lando’s reasons on some level, even if she’s hurt…but Lucy doesn’t. Something else major also happens 👀 but…spoilers!

TFA fic! Which is jumping ahead quite a bit, but…vague outline and all that. Lucy is ofc raising Rey on Jakku, and there’s some growing pains…especially since Rey, unlike canon, wants to go out into the world, because she knows her family is out there. Lucy, however, believes everyone is dead and that they’re safest here. She’s tired of fighting, tired of losing people. They clash quite a few times about this…though ultimately, when Lucy finds out Leia is alive, ofc she and Rey both go. Also in this fic, there’s no fake Poe death, so the ST trio is established from early on!

OH ALSO:

PJO x Flash AU!! How the PJO trio gets to the Arrowverse is still up in the air, but they have their show appearances (their backstory is the books’ story, not the show, though there are a couple things from s1 I’m carrying over). And ofc the central conflict, besides the general events of the show, is that the more Team Flash finds out about these kids’ past, and especially about the Prophecy, the more reluctant they are to send them back. This causes a number of fights between Barry and Percy in particular, because Percy wants to get home to Sally and also take on the Prophecy so Nico doesn’t have to. Barry meanwhile is so angry that Percy has to make the choice between protecting his loved ones and keeping himself safe. There’s also, in s3, some fun Savitar & Percy interaction that furthers these themes…👀

That’s about it as far as vaguely-outlined fics go! Probably a bit of a longer list than you were expecting 😅 but I do like to bounce around

talk shop tuesday!

Taglist (send an ask or DM to be added or removed):

@arrthurpendragon @ocappreciationtag @raith-way @vexic929 @ironverseocs @thechaoticfanartist @goldheartedchaoticdisaster @negative-speedforce @dream-beyond-the-fantasy @starstruckpurpledragon @angst-is-love-angst-is-life

[bunny-hoodlum]

#20, 33, 34, and 35 please!!

Sorry this is late! Wanted to think about my answers more, but I forgot to even read the original questions this whole time, so I def' didn't get to think about my answers, whups. 😅

Thank you for ask, @dayseternal-blog!! 🥰

How do you approach action sequences or intense moments?

I haven't written anything action, it makes me cringe because I don't think I know what I'm doing, but I read that short sentences are best for this and I would agree. Choppy, curt sentences would give that sense of blow for blow feeling that action needs, and it would give the sense of it happening seconds of each other, or even simultaneously. I would probably look for an action scene to copy tbh, and try to write the choreography in a choppy way. Emotionally intense moments can be the same, I suppose. Idk what I do personally, I think I'm an Intuitive writer. Once I'm in the emotion of the scene or character, I just go for it and my heart beats really fast usually and it's wrenching and it's awesome and then it just exists and it feels right. (Until I reread it a month or so later. 🙈 Jk, time isn't the problem, my inconsistent headspace is. 🤭)

How do you incorporate world-building elements into your fics?

So, at this point and as you know, I'm veryyyyy comfortable writing my modern AUs as if they were based in Japan. Even though I don't think Konoha could feasibly be as big as Tokyo with the size of Hi no Kuni, I just write it as if it is. 😅 I pull from the real world to some extent, usually Uzushio is a mix of Okinawa and Taiwan, but I also have some AU where it's pretty damn impoverished, so it's going to be a mix of Macau and Haiti. Sometimes Suna is a mix of Macau and Vegas, haha. I guess Dubai and Macau would probably be more... unique. 🤔 I focus on food and architecture more than deeper things like politics and style of governance and whatnot, because my characters only experience those things passively as ordinary citizens do. Whenever I get back to Powerless, the shady secret government program plotline will actually matter more than Slice of Life stuff, so in that instance I will have to map out history, organizations and their affiliations, how secret programs are run, etc. It just depends on what my story needs. Usually backstory kind of comes to me on its own and that informs me of the world. Can't really think of anything else. 🤔 Making things familiar is the main aim every time, though. Dango to a Japanese is like sugar-cinnamon pretzels to us in the US or whatever, it's a familiar snack you can get pretty easily. That's the kind of immersion I try to keep in mind.

Are there any fic writing tips or tricks you've learning along the way that you'd like to share?

Proofread before posting. Proofread again when you wake up the next day after posting. You'll always miss something, but give yourself the first week to catch all the typos you might've missed. 😂

I guess I recommend reading your dialogue aloud? Maybe your whole fic? My inner monologue is pretty damn loud, so I like to trust my word flow is good because I'm practically reading it aloud in my head. I recommend letting characters interrupt each other. Unless perhaps both parties are really solemn about getting to the bottom of the issue or respect each other or both, that neither interrupts the other, but their emotions would be raging to speak up in the midst of all that patience. Figure out your own writing process. If outlining sucks out the fun, try writing the whole thing without guidance but be sure to analyze the story's direction with what you produce. I recommend the flashlight method for pantsers like myself, there are other methods as well, but a little organization goes a long way. I lastly recommend the "One Stop for Writers" site, their Emotion Thesaurus is such an amazing tool. When you just need to reference things quickly, it's very robust.

What do you enjoy the most about being a fic writer?

Between the community aspect and kind of being known for certain things, I think those are pretty even. I enjoy the act of creation and all that, but having something I experienced along the way and having the pride of it being mine is pretty damn cool. And the community makes that feeling even better.

[happyocelot]

The Same Sky and Moon and Stars

Happy Inukag Week!

I didn't realize it was InuKag week until now 😅

Not sure if this fits exactly with the prompts as it's more focused on Kagome's friends and family dealing with her returning to the past to be with Inuyasha, but I think it goes well with Day 1: Love Languages.

If it doesn't fit the prompts too well, please forgive me and ignore this 🙈 (Too nervous about tagging haha, what if it doesn't match the prompts well?)

I always wondered what Kagome's friends and family thought of her vanishing into the well, and how they dealt with her absence after years and years. This is my interpretation of how that might have been. I haven't seen more than a few clips of the sequel series yet and I am not too familiar with the storyline, but I saw a clip of Moroha hugging grandpa and maxing out Sota's credit card and I thought that was so cute. Please tell me what you think! :)

Summary:

"His family had gotten on well enough, knowing that his sweet, beautiful granddaughter was safe and happy in her new home, but even so, he could detect longing and anguish for her phantom presence. He knew better, though. She hadn't gone anywhere. She was right there with him, under the same blue sky."

Kagome, and the world she left behind. Post-series.

FFN / AO3

Be sure to come to Wac's at noon! Eri had told Kagome, beaming brilliantly. Then we can go to the arcade, and then we can watch a movie.

Finally.

After months and months of cram school and late nights studying, entrance exam torture and nervous breakdowns.

Finally.

They'd graduated.

Yuka would move all the way down south to Kyushu for college in a few months, and Ayumi would go straight north, north, north, right into the depths of the snowiest mountains. Eri would remain in Tokyo.

Kagome still hadn't said what she was planning to do after high school, but as her grades had somehow drastically improved three years ago soon after starting high school, Eri was certain that Kagome, too, had gotten into a prestigious institution.

She hadn't said where that was, but Eri was sure that she would spill the beans after a couple of burgers and milkshakes.

Truthfully, she was hoping that at least Kagome would stay in Tokyo with her. It would be lonely with Ayumi all the way in Aomori, and Yuka in Fukuoka. Notwithstanding her strange illnesses and absences back in the ninth grade, Kagome had been dependably the next desk over in class, sharing notes and lunches and smiles for years and years and years. Eri didn't want her to go too soon.

Noon became 12:15, and 12:15 became 12:25.

Eri ordered a heaping of fries, and Ayumi an extra-large milkshake.

Yuka had taken the liberty of ordering for Kagome the extra extra extra large burger that she liked, and tapped her foot impatiently. By 12:45, she had crinkled her brow in a blend of irritation and concern.

"You don't think she suddenly got sick again, do you?" Ayumi asked. "Hang on, I'll call her house."

She pulled out her brand-new Nokia flip that Ayumi's parents had gotten her as a graduation gift. (They would all color-coordinate their phones soon. Ayumi had insisted.)

"Yes, ojii-san, this is Ayumi. I'm calling to ask about...oh, really? He's back so suddenly? She's gone to meet him?...Well, tell her to come to Wac's soon, please, her burger is getting soggy."

She hung up, her face clearing, her brow smoothing, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"It's her delinquent boyfriend again! He's back from that three-year trip and he's gone to meet Kagome!"

Their table erupted in squeals and applause.

"So Kagome isn't in a long-distance relationship anymore!"

"Ooooh, this is way more interesting than college plans!"

"Think he's still not as good a match as Hojo-kun?"

"You think she's gonna bring him here? We need to check him out!"

"She better!"

One o'clock came and went.

Kagome still didn't come.

They shrugged their shoulders, not all that concerned. She and her boyfriend were all lovey-dovey. She was constantly getting piggyback rides from him and all. They had probably lost track of time after three years in a long-distance relationship.

Eri wrapped up the burger and dropped it off at the Higurashi house with a friendly, teasing note that Kagome would never read.

***

Five years had passed since high school graduation, and honestly, Ayumi was still a bit miffed at Kagome.

You would think that Kagome's best friends would be invited to her wedding. You would think that they wouldn't suddenly elope out of nowhere right after the last day of high school. Really, what were they thinking?

She'd been meaning to call for years now, hoping to give Kagome a piece of her mind. Kagome's mother had given her a phone number, but whenever Ayumi rang, there would only ever be a beep and a polite, robotic voice, telling her that the number was invalid and to please dial again.

***

"Mama, who's that?" her daughter asked one evening, pointing to a gaggle of smiling schoolgirls in Yuka's old, yellowing photo album.

"Hmm? Those are Eri-san and Ayumi-san. They settled down in Tokyo last year. You met them at that party, dear."

"No, mama, I mean this person."

Yuka rubbed her aging eyes and blinked.

Ah.

It had been decades, but something in her heart lurched even so.

"Well, that's Kagome-san. She was a good friend of mine in high school. Don't know what she's up to now. I haven't been in touch with her for years."

Every once in a while, she would call the Higurashi shrine and ask about Kagome, if she was busy, and if Eri and Ayumi were in town, if she might want to stop by at Wac's and take a selfie and a burger for nostalgia's sake.

Kagome never was home. Her mother would always sigh softly and say that Kagome was "abroad." Whichever country she was in now, the Higurashi family definitely didn't seem keen on telling her.

It was life, she supposed. You moved on.

Still, a part of her would close her eyes and drift back to sleepy, golden afternoons and biking back home, happy smiles, and rapid-fire discussions of Kagome's strange, delinquent boyfriend.

***

There used to be a girl he liked, back in high school. Higurashi, wasn't it?

She was quite beautiful, and though he had been happily married for thirty years now, her bright, smiling face crossed Hojo's mind sometimes.

She had fallen quite sick in the ninth grade. All sorts of strange illnesses. Economy class syndrome and swine flu and chicken pox and even a bite from a potentially rabid dog.

Yet through those bizarre and alarming-sounding ailments, Higurashi's face always seemed to glow. She certainly didn't have the look of a sick person. Hojo hoped that meant all the get-well cards and medicines he gave her had worked.

He'd gone to an all-boys school after that and didn't get to see her as much, but every few weeks, he would run into her on the street and she would always greet him with a nod and a smile. They'd even gone to the movies once or twice, but soon enough, Hojo could tell she never saw him as anything other than a classmate. He was dejected for a while, but soon enough recovered his good cheer, and was happy that she still enjoyed his friendship.

She'd vanished after that.

Just one day, out of the blue, he stopped seeing her around on the street. He supposed she had moved away for college and a job.

Was she doing all right now? Hojo hoped that, approaching late middle age as their generation was, that Higurashi was taking care of her fragile health.

He touched the missing button of his shirt and smiled.

It was true, he had been happily married for years and whatever romantic feelings he had for her had long since faded into the breeze. But he hoped that Higurashi would always have a bright, smiling face, wherever she was, enjoying good health long into old age.

She did say that they could be friends forever, and surely it wasn't wrong to wish his friend well.

***

Her scent faded from the house slowly and steadily.

First downstairs, then upstairs, from the kitchen and living room and eventually from the shrine grounds. Her room stopped smelling like her long, long ago.

She used to give him good ear scratches and let him lie on her chest. She filled his food bowl much more copiously than did her brother, and she was always ready with treats from the supermarket for him.

The memory of her face was fading at the edges. Buyo was getting on in years.

He'd never forget her scent, though. Fading though it was, it lingered at the well and at the foot of the huge, old tree.

Lately he would venture down there, down that well, hoping to catch a whiff of her distinctive scent. He'd always get stuck, and her brother would pull him out.

***

It didn't hurt when she wasn't at his high school graduation. It didn't even hurt when she wasn't at his wedding. Once she went into that well, she couldn't come back out.

He knew that. And he knew that nee-chan was happy over there with her new family and friends. He couldn't begrudge her happiness. It wasn't like she was walking home after school one day and vanished without a trace, in potential danger. He knew exactly where she was, on the other side of the well.

Sota knew that she loved him all the same, whether she was here in the present or in the Sengoku Jidai with his new brother-in-law.

But –

He turned to his left and caught a wrinkle on his mother's forehead, and he turned to the right and caught the slow shuffle of his grandfather's feet –

And suddenly his eyes blurred with crystal tears.

New family.

New friends.

They were all getting older and older, and she was already gone, new and ancient all at once, somewhere in the distant past, before any of them were even born.

***

The day she became a mother was the happiest day in her life.

The day she learned she was a grandmother was yet happier.

Her tears wet the earth and soaked into the roots of the Goshinboku, all the way to her daughter.

Thank you, Kagome.

***

Some of Kagome's friends were sad. Others were mad. His family had gotten on well enough, knowing that his sweet, beautiful granddaughter was safe and happy in her new home, but even so, he could detect longing and anguish for her phantom presence at the kitchen table, at the hospital, at the shrine entrance greeting visitors.

He knew better, though.

He rested his aching back against the tree and breathed deeply, sensing her peculiar power.

He wasn't worried. He didn't miss her. Why would he? She hadn't gone anywhere.

She was right there with him, under the same blue sky.

***

Kagome stilled, her palm against the tree.

A light night wind made the branches sway and rustle under the starry sky.

She could feel it.

Feel them.

Old family and new, all at once.

The tree always did have a special power.

She wrapped an arm around her sleeping husband and daughter and smiled.

[whentherewerebicycles]

If you are willing to share, I would be v curious to hear your experiences of "the fourth trimester" and your body post-birth? Honestly it is so rare to hear honest unfiltered details about the physical experience pregnancy and birth and I appreciate this blog a lot for that reason <3

hello! sorry I think you sent this ask weeks ago but I just now saw it 😅 I found recovery from birth itself to be pretty easy—I felt pretty good physically by the day after and was back to light walking two days out (recovering from my wrist surgery a week later was much more painful and uncomfortable than birth for me personally). I did have some pelvic floor + core issues for the first couple months after… the best way I can think to describe it was that sometimes when I walked around it felt like my spinal column was made of jelly and I could feel everything kinda wobbling around inside of me. I also threw my back out three or four times in those first three months and had some feelings of things Not Being Right in my lower abdomen (I suspect because my core muscles were still so loose from pregnancy). I did mean to do pelvic floor exercises but I just kept forgetting and idk now at five months out I feel kinda like my body is mostly back to normal? like I can tell my back and abs would benefit from some extra work but I also don’t feel as wobbly as I did. for me I’d say the most frustrating thing has been that I’m eating well and watching portion sizes but not dropping any more weight. I lost about 30 lbs in the first three weeks after birth but have an extra 20 still hanging on from pregnancy and the scale doesn’t budge more than .05 in either direction no matter what I do (which is SO weird because my weight used to regularly fluctuate 4-5 lbs from day to day or even from morning to night depending on where I was in my cycle or how much water I’d had that day). not really sure what’s going on there but I hope that when he goes to daycare and I can get in a little more exercise and strength training it’ll help me drop a little more weight and tune up that slight lingering wobbliness. on the whole though my body feels pretty good for being in my mid-30s and not that far removed from birth.