#can you fucking UPDATE THE ONE THAT'S NEW

[hgfictionwriter]

Self Control: Part Thirteen - Arrival

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: After months of waiting, the moment is finally here. You and Jessie welcome your newborn daughter into the world.

Warnings: Difficult labour. Graphic birth. Language.

A/N: Thank you to everyone for sticking with me so long on this journey. And thank you to everyone who answered the poll about the baby's name weeks ago!

The final whistles blew and Jessie braced her hands on her knees as she took a moment to breathe. She looked up in disappointment at the scoreboard, but soon rallied and began high fiving her teammates.

She did her rounds around the pitch with the team to thank and greet the fans and the stadium lights shone brightly by the time she and the team started filtering into the tunnel.

She walked over to her cubby and retrieved her phone first thing. You were days away from your due date and knew to call the staff if you went into labour - they’d get Jessie off the pitch right away - still, she worried.

Two texts from you. No missed phone calls though. That was a good sign.

Jess. Contractions have started.

The midwife’s on her way. Don’t panic. My water hasn’t broken and we know this could be hours and hours. I’ll call if things escalate.

Jessie stood frozen. Her eyes were wide and her phone sat idle in her hand. She didn’t even think she was breathing.

Then, all of a sudden, she snapped back to the moment and spun on her heels in a rush to start gathering her things, inadvertently tripping over the bench and careening into Janine who was standing nearby.

“Hey!” Janine complained as she rubbed her shoulder. Jessie was already scrambling back to her cubby by the time the blonde even turned around.

“I-I’ve gotta go,” Jessie stammered as she shakily threw belongings into her backpack. She rushed towards the exit, belatedly realizing she didn’t have shoes on and cursed, running back.

“Whoa,” Janine frowned as Jessie tried to stomp into her shoes and soon haphazardly tried to guide them on with trembling hands. “Everything good?”

Jessie was short of breath as her eyes darted across the floor absently as she now palmed at her pockets.

“Where are my keys…,” she mumbled as she spun on the spot looking around wildly.

“Jess,” Janine spoke firmly as she waved in the girl’s face, belatedly drawing Jessie’s attention up to her. Janine spoke measuredly. “What’s going on?”

Jessie’s mouth was dry as she opened it to speak, nothing coming out initially. “Y/N-Y/N’s in labour.”

“Oh shit,” Janine said, her own eyes growing wide before more shock settled in. “Wait. When?!”

“I-I don’t know!” Jessie replied, voice and emotions rising. “During the game sometime?” Her words tapered as she absently fetched her phone in an attempt to check the timestamp of your message, but fumbled it onto the floor instead. “Fuck.”

“Okay, hold on,” Janine said holding up both hands. Jessie dodged around her and started tearing her bag apart looking for her keys.

“I have to go,” she said curtly.

“I will drive you,” Janine told her. “You’re…frazzled. Let me drive you home. You can reset on the drive.”

Jessie opened her mouth to speak as she tried to process the offer and the consequences of it. She found herself shaking her head before she could find the words.

“No. I - we need the car. If something goes wrong…,” she trailed off, now digging in her pockets again in vain.

Janine reached out and calmly grabbed keys off the shelf of her cubby.

“Looking for these?” She gave her a pointed look. “I’m driving you. I will drive your car and I can get a ride from one of the girls back to my place. Now let’s go.”

The blonde had Jessie by the arm as soon as she finished speaking and began calmly ushering her out of the locker room, quickly speaking to Sam and communicating the plan as she walked out. The locker room immediately erupted into a buzz of activity at the news, and Janine held up her arm to keep them at bay.

“You’ll get updates soon, I’m sure,” she called over her shoulder. “Baby Fleming will be here soon, everyone. But not too soon!”

Jessie’s heart raced and she peered over her shoulder to see the team wishing her and you luck and to call if you needed anything.

She felt jittery and like her limbs were numb as they walked briskly to her car. As she was getting in she saw Sam running out to her own car saying she’d follow so she could drive Janine back.

“Baby convoy!” Janine announced brightly as she started the car. Meanwhile, Jessie was still short of breath as she fumbled with the seatbelt.

She closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath, finally getting her seatbelt on and feeling her pulse start to even out.

“I can’t believe she didn’t call,” Jessie breathed as she pushed her head back into the headrest, palms braced on her thighs and eyes closed as she worked to steady her nerves.

Janine snickered slightly as she manoeuvred them towards the house.

“Sounds like you’re more panicked than her,” she teased, drawing a dark glare from Jessie.

“Or,” she drew out her word in emphasis, “she’s not taking this seriously enough. How can she be so nonchalant? What the fuck.”

“Get it out of your system, because you’re going to have to be calm and supportive from here on it,” Janine told her. She gave her friend a purposeful look as she drove. "And I know you - when shit gets crazy and there's chaos, you are the calm in all of that."

Jessie gave a shaky exhale before accepting with a few nods, trying to let Janine's words sink in and reassure her. She took one more steadying breath before bringing the phone up to her ear to call you.

The phone rang several times before you picked up. You'd hardly greeted her before Jessie spoke over you.

"Babe, why didn't you call me? Are you okay? Is the midwife there yet? How far apart the contractions? Are you alright?"

So much for calm.

"Jess." You spoke firmly, but patiently waiting her out and forcing a lull before continuing. "I am fine. No, Theresa's not here. Contractions are still 20 minutes apart and only lasting about 40 seconds. I talked to her though. It's just early labour. She'll come when I'm between 5 and 10 minutes, and that could be hours away."

A mixture of relief and apprehension flooded Jessie's system. You were fine. But at the same time, your contractions had started. It was time. And she wasn't there.

"Okay," she managed to say as she forced a smile and hoped it filtered into her voice as well. "I'm on my way right now. I'm probably 10 minutes away."

"Alright," you said. "Drive safe. You don't need to rush - just get here safely."

"Oh, well, Janine-"

"Oh fuck."

"What?" Jessie cut in, alarm cresting inside of her as she sat forward in her seat and her breath caught.

"Um," you said, "my water just broke."

"Oh fuck," Jessie echoed. She held out her hand to calm herself more than anything. "Okay. Okay - I'll be there right away, Y/N."

"Mmnh," she heard you grimace into the phone as a contraction hit you.

"Babe," Jessie said helplessly, leaning her elbow on her thigh and cupping her face. The line was silent and it was killing her. "How bad is it? Are you okay?"

"...Yep," you said through grit teeth. Jessie sighed in frustration.

"Baby, why didn't you call me?" She implored weakly. "I should be there right now. It's just a stupid football game. I love you and I should've been there this whole time with you."

"Mm, if it’s alright with you we can fight about this later. I’m trying to have your baby right about now," you said.

"Fuck. I'm sorry," Jessie said, her nerves immediately settling as she recentered herself. "We're only a few streets away. I'll be there soon, babe."

"I know, love," you said with an audible, drawn out breath. "Okay. It's over."

Jessie found herself exhaling along with you. She kept you company on the phone and soon pulled up to the front of your house.

"Call if you need anything," Janine told her as she got out of the car to give her a hug and give her the keys. "I'm serious."

"Yes, of course," Jessie said distractedly, her eyes focused on the front door and hurriedly drawing herself out of her friend's embrace to get to you. She was halfway down the walk when she turned, walking backwards still towards the door. "You're good to get home?"

"My ride's right here," Janine assured her as she pointed to Sam pulling around the corner. "You've got this! Give us updates when you can!"

"Alright," Jessie said with a series of rapid nods as she turned back around. She gave a vague wave and fumbled with the keys before opening the door. She swung it open and threw her bag down in the entryway.

"Y/N!" She called as she began to search the house.

“In here!”

Jessie spun around and jogged towards your voice. She rounded a corner to see you sitting on the couch, apparently in a fresh set of shorts, a hand on your stomach.

A rush of relief and adoration went through her just upon seeing you. She felt a calm rush over her despite everything. Now she was where she was supposed to be. No matter what happened, you were together and would navigate it all with one another.

She walked over and dropped to her knees in front of you. She hugged your middle as far as her arms would let her and peppered your face with kisses. She jostled as you chuckled and ran your fingers through her hair.

“Hi baby,” you greeted.

“Hi,” she said gently, eyes bright and almost teary as she pulled back to look up at you and take you in. She gave a slow shake of her head. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner. I-”

“Jessie. It’s okay. If I was worried or needed you to rush I would’ve called. We are perfectly okay,” you assured her, holding her gaze. “You know we could be going through this for a long time before something really happens.”

Jessie nodded reluctantly. It was true, but still.

“I just wanted to be here for you through all of it,” she went on before holding up her hands, palms out. “But, let’s move on.” You gave her a grateful look. “I’m here. And I’m not leaving your side. I’m here to do anything and everything you need while you do this incredible work to bring our baby into the world,” she said as she sat back enough to tenderly caress your taut stomach.

Just like their midwife and classes said, early labour was long and tedious. Movies and shows made it seem so sudden and fast, but in reality, at least for you, it was hours and hours of ever increasing pain.

You’d barely slept all night and she knew you were exhausted already, but things were poised to only escalate further; a cycle that would continue to close in and worsen.

As your contractions increased, she felt desperate to help, but was entirely powerless. It broke her heart to see you in so much pain, knowing it was her fault in a way and she couldn’t share the burden at all.

“Ooo,” you breathed steadily and audibly, your hands on your back and eyes closed as you walked in a slow circle in the living room, trying to walk through the pain and discomfort. Jessie trailed behind you, eyes trained on you, watching vigilantly for an opportunity to help or support.

Your steps stilled and your face screwed up in pain. You doubled over slightly, bracing your hands on your thighs and Jessie had her arm around you in a second, supporting your weight to hold you up.

“Mm,” you ground out, eyes still tightly shut and body tense as you rode out a wave of pain.

Jessie rubbed your lower back in an effort to provide some reprieve, however small. “Try not to forget to breathe,” she coached gently, not wanting to dictate things for you or discredit your efforts, but also still try to keep the coping strategies as forefront as possible to hopefully help you.

“Yes, dear,” you said tightly, your irritation not entirely veiled, as you let your head fall back. You breathed despite your complaint and she saw its effects as your body relaxed subtly.

When you’d finally rode out the contraction you went over and sat down on the yoga ball in the room with a heavy sigh and a small groan. Jessie came up behind you immediately and began massaging your back once more, earning a soft moan of appreciation as you rolled your hips back and forth.

“Oh my gosh,” you said. “She’s so low in my pelvis. It’s so much pressure.”

“That contraction was only five minutes apart. I’m going to call Theresa,” she told you as you distractedly nodded. She retrieved her phone and stood to walk a few feet away.

"Please don't go far," you beseeched as you peered over your shoulder at her retreating form. "I need you here."

Jessie turned around right away and returned to your side, placed her hand between your shoulders and began massaging your sore muscles there. "I'm right here, baby," she assured you and you immediately brought a hand up to her wrist, clinging to her and not letting go.

Jessie hung up a couple of minutes later and tucked the phone away in her pocket.

"She's on her way," she told you and you merely nodded again, eyes now trained on the ceiling in focus. "I'll go get you some more water," she went on and cracked a smile for you. "I'll be a minute tops. And I'll make sure it has lots of ice."

When she returned, you took the cup from her gratefully and Jessie knelt in front of you. Your arms came up around her shoulders right away and you leaned heavily on her, moaning and resting your head against hers. Her chest filled with warmth and she kissed your cheek.

You began to wince, another contraction coming on, your arms tightening around her. Jessie leaned up into you to better support your weight.

"Distract me," you told her, voice faintly strained. "Tell me something."

"Um, okay," she said as reached up around you to rub your back as best she could. She wracked her brain, annoyed that it was suddenly blank. Eventually she lit up as a thought popped up.

"Okay. Did you know that mangrove forests are incredibly effective at storing carbon? Up to four times more per hectare than tropical rainforests?" She asked.

You chuckled softly despite your discomfort. "You are such a nerd. I love you." Whatever moment of relief you had quickly dissipated and she felt your face fill with tension once more against her own. "Okay, that kind of worked. Tell me something else."

"Hmm. Alright. Um, in university Teagan and I were in her dorm and - I don't know how it started - but we were competing to see who could balance longer on a basketball. She couldn't even fully stand up, so I, of course, was like, 'Yeah, I can absolutely do that' - I stood up, but went flying a moment later, like feet flying right out under me, the ball shot across the room and and busted this floor lamp and, I just ricocheted off the nearby bed, arms flailing and hitting the floor. So I won - but at what cost," she finished with a short laugh.

"Oh my god," you laughed, before clutching the underside of your stomach with a heightened wince. "Oh shit - that hurts. Okay, nothing funny," you said, though a smile still lingered despite the pain.

"Oh shit," Jessie said with an apologetic smile as she caressed your stomach and kissed your head once more. Her smile shifted into a smirk. "Well, if you didn't want anything funny, you shouldn't have gotten engaged to such a jokester."

You laughed again, wincing once more and nudging her. "Oh yeah, you're a regular comic."

"Um, okay. How about this? Remember how your team invited me to that sustainability event - long before our first date. And I came and we had some drinks and we started talking about [y/favourite show]?"

"Mhmm." You nodded against her.

"And remember how I said I loved that show?"

You nodded once more, still clinging to her.

"I kind of lied," Jessie admitted. She felt your grip on her change and she went on quickly. "I loved it! But I'd just overheard you gushing about it with your coworker on that call we all had a week before, so I binged it and read up on it before the event so I'd be able to talk to you about it. I was only like a season and half in by the event though - so I just read all the spoilers so we could talk at length about it. I was just so nervous and I wanted to make sure I could keep our conversation going and I'd have something interesting that you wanted to talk about!"

By the time Jessie finished your contraction had waned and you leaned back to give her a scrutinizing look that dissolved into a laugh.

"You're ridiculous. I enjoyed talking with you about so many things. Still do. Like when you talk about freakin mangroves." You smirked. "Well, since we're confessing. I did an awful lot of Googling about soccer after I met you the first time. Didn't want you to think I was completely clueless."

Jessie beamed, but it transformed into a mischievous grin a moment later. She shrugged her shoulder teasingly. "I could kinda tell."

"Hey!" You complained as you swatted playfully at her. "I'm in labour," you declared dramatically. "I'm having your baby! You're supposed to be nice to me right now."

Jessie laughed and kissed you. "You know I'd do absolutely anything for you."

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

The midwife arrived and your labour continued. More hours wore on and there were moments where exhaustion threatened Jessie as well, especially coming right off of a game last night, but she pushed it aside to focus on and tend to you. Theresa did force her to take a few breaks here and there, but as far as Jessie was concerned, you didn't really have the choice to take breaks, so neither would she.

"Oh fuck," you breathed as another contraction hit you. The last one had only ended a few short minutes ago and you'd barely had a chance to recover before another washed over you.

You had your hands clasped around the back of Jessie's neck, both of you standing as she supported you while you hung down off of her. You grimaced in pain and your body trembled despite her holding you up. Sweat beaded across your forehead and you were pale.

She held you steady as you rocked, suspended from her shoulders, trying to find any ounce of relief as you rode out the wave.

"I need to lay down," you said in a shuddering voice as the contraction ended. You were weak, struggling to stand up in her arms now and leaned heavily on her as she ushered you towards the bed. She set you gently down on the edge and grabbed a towel to dab at the sweat on your brow.

She and the midwife got you settled onto the bed, a wall of pillows behind you to help you sit up. Your chest heaved up and down as you struggled.

"There's so much pressure," you winced. "Mmh. I feel like I need to push."

"Let's check your progress," Theresa said. Your legs were spread already, the only remotely comfortable position for you right now. "9 centimeters still," she said as she drew back a gloved hand and looked to you both. "Your contractions are getting closer and closer though. You'll be able to push soon."

You groaned heavily, nearly sobbing as your head rest listless against the pillows behind you. "Jessie," you cried her name feebly and she climbed up next to you on the bed in a flash, grasping your hand and holding it tightly.

"I'm too hot," you panted, hand clutching hers and the other clutching the sheets repeatedly in visible discomfort.

"Okay, baby," Jessie said with a series of dutiful nods and went to go grab you a cold, wet cloth, but you tightened your grip on her urgently.

"No, please don't go. Don't leave me," you whined and not even able to open your eyes as you fought through the relentless pain.

"I'm right here, baby. I'm not going anywhere. I'm with you," Jessie assured you without hesitation. A strange feeling came over her at seeing you, this woman who was so stubborn and independent, brought to this point where you were unabashedly clingy and desperate. It made sense and she was happy to cater to you, but it spoke to the level of distress you were in.

She looked to Theresa and the woman waved her off immediately, silently assuring her to stay and leave the task to her.

A clipped cry fell from your lips as a new contraction hit you. You tensed up and all Jessie could do was knead your tired muscles and do her best to serve as an anchor for you in this flurry of physical agony.

Your breathing was rapid and shallow and tears pricked at the corner of your eyes. You writhed in place and Jessie could see how you ground your teeth together. She reached up with her free hand to slowly, but firmly rub the center of your chest, hoping to subtly steady your breathing.

It was torture for her to see you like this. Grimacing in increasing pain for hours on end and knowing it was going to get worse before it would get better.

Your whole relationship, her only goal was to make your life easier, softer, more comfortable. And here you were in the greatest pain of your life and it was all her fault. She felt horrible.

"Oh fuck," you eventually whimpered as the contraction seemingly faded. Theresa returned with the cold compress and Jessie took it as she moved in closer to you and pressed it to your forehead. You turned into her and whimpered further.

"You're doing so good, baby," she said as she kissed the top of your head and held a cup of ice chips up to your mouth. You chewed a couple before pushing her hand away.

"Remember how I said I can’t wait until she’s here? I changed my mind.”

Jessie spied the faintest hint of a smirk on your lips. She kissed your head again, amazed that you could find the capacity for some kind of humour during such a time.

You pushed yourself up on the bed further and grimaced again. "Oh fuck." You doubled over in pain once more, clutching your rounded stomach. "I really feel like I need to push."

"You can't just yet, sweetie," Theresa said gently.

You groaned and you tugged on Jessie's arm to pull yourself forward. She watched the movements you were telegraphing and helped you onto your hands and knees. You immediately leaned your head down onto your folded arms, your legs spread wide, belly pressing into the bed as you moaned into the contraction.

Jessie rubbed your lower back and leaned forward to kiss your shoulder. You whimpered in response as you continued to labour on all fours.

You rocked subtly back and forth for several more waves of contractions until you let out a low, muffled yell.

"Jess. Jess - I can feel her. She's moving down," you panted.

She looked to Theresa in concern and the midwife checked your progress once more.

"Okay, sweetie. It's time - you're at 10 cm. When you feel the urge, you can go ahead and push."

You let out a small whimper and straightened your arms as you breathed heavily, preparing yourself. Jessie kissed the side of your head, lips lingering.

"You've got this, my love. You're amazing. You're so strong. I'm right here with you," Jessie said, ignoring the way her own pulse quickened at the prospect of what was to come.

You panted, eyes closed and still in such pain as you awaited the opportunity to push. She leaned forward slightly to keep watch of your face as she continued to knead your back and hips. Only a few seconds passed before your features screwed up and you tensed up, starting to push.

Jessie's nerves were beginning to fray as she realized what was happening.

You moaned as you bore down. Jessie shifted her attention to your entrance, though knowing it would be too early for any signs of your daughter appearing.

"Oh fuck," you cursed. You panted and your arms began to tremble. "S-she's coming Jess. Oh my God."

Jessie found herself smiling for some reason. She looked back up to you, "You're making it happen. You're incredible."

You continued to push until the contraction waned and your body grew limp, Jessie reaching out to help support you.

"That was great, Y/N. Just like that again next time, okay? You've got this. And if you need to change positions you tell us - we're here," Theresa said and you nodded faintly.

The next contraction came and you bore down once more. When it ended, you shook your head. "I need to sit back," you said, palming around looking for Jessie's hand. She reached out quickly to grasp your hand and began guiding you back. "I want you behind me." Jessie nodded and sat back against the pillows and nestled you in between her legs and you leaned back against her chest.

"This okay?" She asked as she pulled you tighter against her. You nodded rapidly, turning your head against her shoulder and burrowing against her as you pulled her arm across your chest and gripped her forearm with one hand, the other hand gripping her thigh.

Another groan fell from your lips as you began to push once more, your fingers digging into Jessie's arm and leg. Jessie sat up with you to help you push.

"You're doing so good," she whispered over your grunts as she gently thumbed your shoulder.

When the contraction ended you melted into Jessie's embrace and she continued to gently caress you. She steadied her breathing as she encouraged you to try to do the same and was pleased when your chest went from rapidly rising and falling to something calmer.

"Oh, Jess. She feels so big. Oh my God," you whimpered as you burrowed your face into her further. Jessie kissed the side of your head and Theresa spoke up.

"You're having a big baby, Y/N. It's going to be a lot of work, but you are prepared, you're doing amazing, and Jessie is here with you to help you every step of the way. You're making progress."

Jessie watched as your face fell and your rolled your head against her shoulder.

"Mmh, how did someone so small put such a big baby in me?" You complained. Jessie could do nothing other than apologize, but to her surprise you managed a feeble chuckle. "She's healthy. She has to be healthy." Your face fell again and Jessie saw emotions taking over.

"She's healthy, babe. You've done an amazing job of growing and caring for her. That's all you," Jessie told you. She was going to assure you further when your hand came up behind her head and you curled inward to start pushing again, pulling her with you as you grimaced and tried to move your baby down.

This time, your groan evolved into a strained yell.

"Incredible, Y/N. She's right there, I can start to see her. You are doing so great, momma," Theresa said.

Your eyes opened and you looked back at Jessie in wonder as soon as the contraction ended.

"Do you want me to still...," Jessie trailed off, uncertainty taking her as she tried to anticipate what you wanted. You'd talked during birthing classes about her being the one to deliver your baby - with the help of Theresa, of course - but if you needed her to hold you, that's exactly what she'd do.

"Yes, yes," you answered quickly as you shifted slightly, wordlessly indicating for her to move. Jessie carefully moved out from behind you, kissing your shoulder as she went and hurriedly propping up the pillows behind you to better support you. Theresa moved aside slightly, giving Jessie an affirming nod as she positioned herself between your spread legs.

She looked at your entrance, lips still closed and the head not yet visible between pushes.

"Here, make sure she's lubricated," Theresa said as she handed the oil over to Jessie. She took it silently and began to massage your lips and perineum with the oil to help your baby move down and reduce the risk of you tearing.

She was continuing to massage you until you sat forward once more and began pushing. Jessie held your leg and you reached forward gripping her shoulder and leaning on her as you grunted.

Her eyes grew wide as suddenly a small teardrop began to form at your entrance and the first glimpses of your baby together began to appear. A rush of elation and trepidation ran through her.

"S-she has hair," Jessie told you excitedly as she looked up at you. Despite your concentration and effort, you opened your eyes to look at her and a feeble smile crossed your face before you grimaced once more and continued pushing.

"Oh my God. Y/N - you're doing it - you're moving her down. I can see more of her. You're doing so amazing," Jessie praised, tears suddenly pricking at her eyes.

"Oh God," you panted, fingers digging painfully into Jessie's shoulder. "Oh fuck, it hurts, Jess. Oh my God," you said as your lips began to slowly bulge and stretch around the burgeoning head. Jessie gently braced your entrance in support at the instruction of Theresa.

"I know, baby, but you're doing so good," Jessie coached you and you fell back, collapsing against the pillows again during a brief reprieve from the rolling onslaught of contractions. She looked down between your legs to see the baby's head had retracted completely within your tunnel again.

"Jessie," you whimpered in exhaustion and frustration.

"I know, love," she said gently as she kissed your knee and then quickly dabbed your forehead with another cold compress again.

Almost as soon as the last contraction ended, a new one started and you leaned against Jessie's shoulder again as you bore down. She watched as the head reappeared, much quicker this time and soon stretching you wider and anew. She applied more oil to your lips and supported them as they pulled tightly around the head as it crowned.

"Oh it's burns!" You cried as your lips were stretched taut around the large head of your baby.

"You're so close, Y/N," Jessie tried to sooth you. "I can see so much of her."

This time, the head didn't retract as your contraction faded. The progress remained, but that also meant that the head was lodged at your entrance, stuck in a crown and stretching you unbelievably wide. Jessie was absolutely in awe of what your body was doing and achieving right now.

During birth class, many of the partners were squeamish and tentative, but Jessie was curious and attentive. She wanted to know what to expect so she could support you as unwaveringly as possible. She wanted to be ready for this moment so she could be present and be there for you in any way you needed.

And here you were, the woman she loved most in the world, the one she wanted to spend the rest of her days with. The moment was here - you were finally delivering your baby here in your bed, the same one she was conceived in all those months ago.

Jessie massaged your thighs as you groaned in pain, legs quivering.

"I-I can't," you panted as you gave a weak shake of your head.

"You can. You're doing so incredible. You are so, so strong. I know it's hard, but you are almost there, I promise," Jessie told you as she leaned up to give you a kiss on the forehead. Your hand shot up to cup the back of her neck and hold her there. She kissed you again. "I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you for bringing our baby into the world. You are the most incredible woman. I love you so, so much."

You grunted, leaning forward and curling into yourself in another push.

To Jessie's shock and amazement, she saw your lips stretching impossibly further, the skin now white and bloodless from the tension.

"It hurts so much," you cried helplessly. "It's burning so bad."

The stretching continued until you released a scream and the head popped out with a rush of fluid. You gasped, body jolting at the momentary reprieve.

"Oh my gosh," Jessie nearly cried, hand out supporting the head of her baby and seeing her for the first time. She reached out and grabbed your hand to bring it down to the head as well. You began whimpering, tears forming in your eyes as you felt her and looked at Jessie. "She's almost here."

"One or two more good pushes and your baby will be here," Theresa said with a smile.

When it was time, Jessie saw a new level of focus cross your face and you began to push. She held her hands out, guiding her baby as a slow yell filtered up your throat as the shoulders began to stretch your entrance out.

"You're almost there," she encouraged, ignoring the way your fingers dug painfully into her shoulder.

The shoulders appeared and with a final push, Jessie caught your baby in her hands, a scream coming from you and a gasp from her.

Suddenly, a new cry filled the room. Jessie's eyes were absolutely transfixed on this small, brand new being, wriggling and crying in her hands.

"Oh my God," she breathed as she stared at her daughter. She was here. Finally here. Something that started off as a wish so many months ago was now entirely real. A permanent, physical manifestation of the love you and her had for one another; a perfect mix of herself and you. 10 fingers, 10 toes, a cute little face and a head of dark wispy hair.

"She's here, baby," she said in awe, belatedly aware of the tears streaming down her face as she very gingerly lifted your daughter and oh so carefully laid her on your chest.

You sobbed as you took her and Jessie cuddled in with you both, eyes still not leaving your little girl.

"Oh my God, she's beautiful," you said as you gently caressed her cheek as her strong cries filled the room. "Riley Fleming - we love you so much."

Jessie felt like her heart could burst as she took in every little detail about your daughter. She gave the easiest smile of her life.

"She's absolutely perfect."

A/N: This is not the conclusion of the series; however we are very close. I have two more chapters for you.

[celestie0]

hi my friends! hope you're all doing well. just wanted to come on here and share a little updates w you guys (if you're still here lol)

i guess it's been like a month n a half since i formally went on hiatus, and it's been nice! i got kinda sick for a little bit lmfaooo which was tough to manage w school, but i'm better now

although i took time away from my blog, i still delved in writing here n there. i haven't written anything for kickoff since tbh i'm in such a slump w it. but i still have big plans for stuff that happens after ch13, so hopefully i can just push through this next chapter and get to a better place. thanks so much to anyone that is still interested in the story, it means a lot to me. i know i'm so slow w updates and the story has been going on for almost a year now, but the continued support is so sweet! even though i didn't work on writing it these past one n a half months, i still really love it and plan to finish it.

i'm not sure if many people remember that i had this sort of "apocalypse" gojo x reader au about an asteroid being set to hit the earth in three days, and reader n gojo are ex lovers n the impending end of the world makes them break no-contact...yeah i finished writing the first chapter for it and i really love it so far! it's like set in new york which is really fun haha i love stories where new york is kind of its own "character" if that makes sense...it will definitely be a limited series w only 4 chapters or so, but i kinda wanna finish all 4 chapters before i start posting it bc i don't want it to be a drawn out series in terms of posting since i think it'd be best enjoyed in frequent succession if that makes sense

as for ihm, i think i wrote the most for ihm during my hiatus. i finished three chapters for it, but they are shorter chapters (around 3-4k words). i kinda realized one of my biggest reasons for burnout w my fics were the reaaaaallly long chapters...like didn't i have a 22k chapter for kickoff or sumn lol. idk i can't remember. but anyways, yeah the mindset behind the longer chapters was bc i liked each chapter to kinda have its own conflict, build up, tension then resolution in a sense. but it was exhausting to write that way tbh lol. so i think moving forward, for ihm, i will have shorter chapters. i just don't wanna think to much about things anymore, and write from my heart, bc i have a lot of things planned for ihm, and among the criticism i've received for my writing choices vs my own vision for the story, i've realized during my hiatus that the only way i can finish ihm, or any of my storeis for that matter, is if i just.........stop giving a fuck about it. lol idk if that sounds strange to say, but like, i don't want to over-edit anything. i don't want to think too much about redundancy. i don't want to flower things up or cut stuff out. i'm at the point where imma just write a first draft, check for grammarly errors, and then post it. i guess the reason i'm sharing this is because idk if this means that people may enjoy my writing less since i will admittedly be spending much less time on it than i did before, but tbh i realized i find the most joy while i'm writing, and not while i'm editing. so i want to spend as little time on the latter as possible, and if that changes the quality of my work, then so be it.

anyways, hmm as for hiatus. i guess i'm off hiatus now? i really enjoyed being off of tumblr tbh this app has a lot of questionable content at times (esp in jjk community) and it also did wonders for my studying bc i wasn't spending time doomscrolling or shit posting anymore lmfaooo. but as for writing in particular, i think i will start to post ihm again exclusively. i can't say anything about kickoff or my other projects, but i feel comfortable to start posting ihm again.

sorry, i know that i have kept my replies and ask box off for a long time. but i will open them again once i start posting chapters because i really miss interacting with you guys.

anywho, these are my updates lol i'm like not sure how many of my readers are still here or which ones have moved on but that's ok, i'm grateful to anyone n everyone. hope to see you all soon again!

[chocolate-gore]

May I interest you in this thing I’ve made?

It’s a semi complete Notion timeline where you can also filter for mentioned characters and type of doc and what not.

It’s missing dates from OL 2 and TMA but the Original & Trials parts are up to date so far - in case I edit it it’s gonna update that info. You can also add it to your Notion to use it as a template, go nuts, I hope this is at all helpful ✨

[dont @ me, I have the tysm and too much time on my commutes to uni, fuck Deutsche Bahn]

[if there happened to be docs with conflicting information in regard to the established timeline like the "Necrotising Fasciitis" one I just left them out]

[please let me know if the link works properly, I am always nervous linking stuff where no proper preview is shown]

so i was bored yesterday and (with the help of wikipedia, in-game documents and the like) ive decided to write out the entire outlast timeline. or 99% of it anyway. i severely underestimated how big it actually is, but this was very fun to do! never again tho

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Fuck Nintendo here how to emulate every FE game pre-Switch :

FE1-2 : https://www.mesen.ca/ for the NES emulator, https://www.romhacking.net/translations/6087/ FE1 EN fantranslation, https://forums.serenesforest.net/topic/97653-fe-gaiden-updated-namesfont-patch/ FE2 fantranslation It the NES, your computer can emulate it trust me

FE3-4-5 https://www.snes9x.com/ for the SNES emulator https://www.romhacking.net/games/303/, for the FE3 fantranslation (note that it use the European names) https://forums.serenesforest.net/topic/63676-fe4-translation-patch-open-beta-v7/ for the FE4 fantranslation, https://feuniverse.us/t/fe4-complete-fire-emblem-genealogy-of-the-holy-war-spanish-translation/27551 for the spanish fan translation https://forums.serenesforest.net/topic/90189-fe5-lil-manster-%E2%80%93-translation-and-quality-of-life-patch-for-thracia-776/, for the FE5 fantranslation. There is also a completed spanish version SNES9x was first released in 20th century, your computer can run it

FE6-7-8 https://mgba.io/ for the GBA emulator https://forums.serenesforest.net/topic/41095-fe6-localization-patch-v121-full-localization-with-new-features-including-support-conversation-reader/ for the FE6 fantranslation You can run mgba trust me again

FE9-10 https://dolphin-emu.org/ for the Gamecube/Wii emulator Dolphin is more demanding (but still very resonable), especially if you want to run the games on higher resolution. I recommend checking out the recommend specs and trying it out on your machine

FE11-12 Either DeSmuME or MelonDS for the DS emulator. MelonDS run better but require firmware files https://github.com/R-YaTian/DSiEnhanced_Translation_Revision/tree/main/FE12 for the FE12 fantranslation

3DS games Citra was an accidental victim of Yuzu going down so your best bet is to grab it from one of it fork, like here https://github.com/PabloMK7/citra. It require a strong computer to run it, and my experience is that it doesn't run the FE games very well. Another option is to simply hack your 3DS if you have one

For obvious reason I can't link the roms themself but they are easy to find, like on a certain subreddit that start with R

.

[victimeyez]

Hide

Part of Professional//Victim - Now updating every Sunday!

This is a brief chapter update! I will be adding an additional update by Tuesday to make up for it - this weekend has been unexpectedly busy. Stay tuned for a little something more - maybe even....some Tommy comfort???

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well, moron, you already fucked up the plan. 

It can still be salvaged.

You need a miracle.

That’s nothing new. 

Tommy was shaken awake from a drug-induced sleep, startling him. The sound filled into his consciousness a moment later, trying to make sense of it.

-MMY YOU GODDA GET IN THE BACK WAKE UP WAKE UP GEDDIN THE FUCKENBACK-”

Sam was suddenly in the back seat with him, climbing over him.There was pressure on his wrists as Sam shoved the cuffs out of his way, nimbly unlocking his handcuffs and freeing him from his shackle to the car door. 

Lights. Through the back window, he caught it –

A cop car. 

Honestly, props to Caius for never getting pulled over before.

Sam scootched back and punched the lumpy back of the “middle seat”, popping open the secret compartment underneath. He didn’t hesitate for a second, jamming his fingers into the clothed seam around it, pulling the cushioned foam plug out of the way. It bore straight through the seat, into the hidden trunk. Sam was grabbing him, wrenching him out of his seat. 

“Tommy, baby, you gotta do this for me – go right now, okay?” Caius’s voice was eerily calm, especially next to Sam’s frantic shouting. Tommy met his eyes in the rearview mirror for just a flash, and there was a startling look of adoration there. A friend asking a favor from a friend they know will always help. 

Damn him and his moods. Constantly giving Tommy emotional whiplash trying to keep up. 

Well. physical whiplash, too–

He unbuckled himself and crawled shakily over the seat, putting his arms in–

Wait. Should I do this?

Stick to the plan. Here’s the only type of miracle I can get. 

He dove in, feeling the felted inner walls to try to understand the space. It was a hell of a tight compartment, but they’d made him try it before, he knew he could technically fit. Trying to curl in quickly was painful, moreso with Sam doing his damndest to shove him in. He pulled his legs in, and his feet were pushed through with a shove as Sam pushed the cover in. 

He was squeezed flat. Not painfully so, but it would get uncomfortable quickly. He was starting to remember this - it had been ages, he had honestly forgotten about it. He’d been obsessed with it at the beginning, too, sure this could be the key to escape. A narrow space underneath a false bottom in Caius’s trunk, a miniscule compartment they’d built in for such an occasion. It was stifling in the felted womb, the inky darkness blinding.

He heard a soft whir, and the silence suddenly became oppressive, weighing heavily on his ears. He felt the panel at his back start to vibrate slightly as the fans kicked on. Right. The compartment was made out of felt-wrapped panels. One side induced active noise cancellation into the trunk, and the other was linked to a rerouted AC line. The fan would keep air circling and prevent him from overheating in the trunk on a hot day. 

Fuck you extra, Michelle.

The car was starting to slow, but drawing it out. He could hear the soft click click click of the turn signal next to the ear pressed to the floor. 

“Put the damn concealer on, you’re all red and sweaty.” Caius’s voice now, faintly. It tickled behind his head. He mashed his ear to the embedded speaker–he’d completely forgotten about that. 

“Why did you install a speaker in the trunk?” Tommy had asked Caius when they tested it. The audio came through a microphone buried inside the steering wheel.

“Because you’re part of the team, too,” Caus had told him, one hand on his shoulder gently. 

Tommy didn’t know how to feel about that. It itched at him a little, but he feared if he scratched at it he would find some big significance hidden in that. Instead, he did not think about it, and felt nothing. 

“Just tell him you were giving me road head.” Sam was sounding more calm, pulling it together before they’d face the cop. Caius was coasting to a stop, pulling over. Tommy’s sense of direction in the trunk felt very strange as the car moved. He felt a little jolt in his stomach. 

“While I drive? How many points do you get on your license if you’re caught snogging the hog while driving?”

“I’m breaking up with you. And he’ll know something’s up if I’m all powdery.”

“Even if he notices, he’ll have already clocked that you’re gay.”

Whether Sam powdered his nose or not, the car came to a halt. 

“Are you going to be good?” Hearing Caius’s voice quiet in his ear sent a rush of panic through Tommy, but it wasn’t directed at him.

“Yeah, I’m good. Not my first rodeo and all. Just - had a moment. But I’m good.” 

They waited in silence. Minutes passed by. Tommy started to wonder if the speaker had shut off when he heard something, jamming his ear close again to hear Sam. 

“Oh shit, girlcop.”

“Police woman.”

“Shut up, you assumed it would be a guy, too.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Caius drawled.

“License, registration, and proof of insurance please.” A new voice spoke, a little more distant than Tommy’s escorts.  A woman.

A police woman. 

“Here.”

“You, too.” A brief pause, and some shuffling. 

“Alright, I’ll be right back.”

Silence while she walked away. Sam broke first. 

“What do you think she’s pulling us over for?”

Tommy tried speaking. He could hear it in his own ears, but it sounded swallowed. He worked his voice up gradually, stopping each time to listen for Caius or Sam to say something. When they didn’t, he tried saying it louder. When he tried calling out, the fan suddenly stopped. 

It spooked him silent, waiting for a minute to see if anything else happened. It didn’t, but he was surprised how warm it started to feel within just a few minutes. Whether it was punitive or just on a timer, he wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t pushing it.

“Okay, here you go. Where are you two headed?”

“Road trip, actually.”

“Where you heading to?”

“Boston. Have you ever been?”

“Yup. Like the beans, right?”

“...yes?”

“Okay, well, your tags are expired, but it looks like you paid a couple weeks ago. You haven’t put it on your license plate yet?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye out for it, but I haven’t seen it yet. I’ll have to double check. Do you need the receipt?”

“No, I found it in the system. These windows are pretty dark though, huh? With my little chart here, it looks like - maybe a little too dark. Is there a reason why that might be?”

“Yeah, it’s for my glaucoma. I have my paperwork–” There was a bit of rustling.

“-Here.”

Tommy’s neck was really starting to cramp with his head forced to the side like that. He was sweating, and it made the claustrophobia much worse. The cop logged something with whatever paperwork Michelle had rustled up for Caius, and they were sent on their merry way. 

They pulled back out,  and Tommy could hear the engine thrum as they accelerated back onto the highway. The movement was making him feel a little nauseous, and the heat wasn’t helping. Tommy sucked in some slow breaths. Was there even an air hole in this thing? He groped around the compartment with his hands until he felt a slight breeze. He tunneled a finger in – it felt like PVC piping, and was no thicker than a quarter. 

Michelle, like most geniuses, was also stupid as hell. 

The AC kicked back on and it was a relief. Until it quickly turned too cold, since he had started to sweat, and quickly became clammy and uncomfortable.

They drove for a ways, and it was impossible to tell how much time passed, but long enough for the AC to turn back off, on, and off again one more time. By the time they rolled to a halt, he was dying to get out. Sam finally pulled out the foam cork that blocked his exit.

“You still alive down there?”

Tommy managed to wiggle a hand up, finding the hole and trying to wave a fist inside. Sam helped pull him through, and he was birthed back into the backseat. The doctor looked at him, sweaty and thoroughly disheveled.

“You stink.”

Tommy did not look at anything, his eyes pinched shut against the muted sunlight in the car after emerging from cave darkness.

“Yeah," he huffed.

"-Sorry.”

```

Taglist:

@suspicious-whumping-egg  @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @whumpyourdamnpears @generic-whumperz @lonesome--hunter

@whumplr-reader @theelvishcowgirl @sunshiline-writes @dont-be-gentle-please @galesgallery

@2in1whump @sparrowsage @apokolyps @whumpinggrounds

@morning-star-whump @leviiio @alexmundaythrufriday @defire @jumpywhumpywriter

@light-me-on-pyre @slightlydisturbedbeans @dislexiher @knivestothroats @paperprinxe

@watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees

Thank you all so much for reading!!!

[primadonnas-ofthegutter]

Lol I said top five you gave me seven characters lmao. Okay easier top five ainme shows..... and go.....

Easier!?!? The fuck! Babe it’s not easy. I LOVE ANIME.

I will try… I guesss… if I have to choose five. I’ll go off of some of my current watches or reoccurring favorites! *based on anime not manga! I haven’t read any of them 💜 but I tired not to share any spoilers! So be mindful if you are watching anything!!

1. One Piece

It is so good. Like 🙌🏻 Anyone who says it’s not worth the amount of episodes, then fine watch the new one coming out because it’s updated art and they made it shorter! So there ya go. SUCH A GOOD STORY 🥹

2. Apothecary Diaries

I love this show 🥹😭 the main character is so funny. But I also love how she shows royalty and those in power how life is for those less fortunate. Even if she doesn’t intend, or want to cause trouble.

3. Laid-Back Camp

I am obsessed with this show. 😭😭 It is such a feel good and calming show. I love nature and I love the cooler season so it’s perfect 😭🥹

4. Romantic Killer

Sadly a Netflix Anime but 😮 it’s so worth it. I love the main character and as a Taurus I understand her stubbornness. But I also love how she takes care of those she’s loves 🥹🥹🥹🥹

5. Signs of Affection/DanMachi

I could not pick one between these two! I really like Bell as a lead, but signs of affection has sign language which I am fluent in ASL and I loved so much!! So good 😭

* special mention:

DanDaDan

I love this show, but I also hate this show a little. Remember I have not read the manga… but I can not get past the first episode. I am current and watching and I did not let the first episode derail me but DUDE. They should have had trigger warning on that episode. 1000% and I don’t know if we needed to make a 15 year old go through that for power. Idk just felt like it went too far.

However. I liked how it related back to why turbo granny was in the tunnel and the horrors faced in the past.

I have an idea that the yoki are all going to have horrible back stories. Humans are cruel after all… but alas.

[getvalentined]

Why does the animation for Yuffie's limit break last twice as long as everyone else's? At high speed, Cloud's "Cross-Slash" takes 3 seconds, Seph's "Astral Gate" takes just shy of 4 seconds—Yuffie's "Bloodfest" takes almost 7 seconds. At high speed.

It's literally twice as long for no discernible reason.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Words Collide

[First] Prev <--> Next

[captn3]

fairly odd parents still infecting my brain have a redraw

og screenshot ^ im already working on stuff with backgrounds i dont need to make even more

[azzydoesstuff]

people on steam discussion forums when making the game takes time and the developer has a life instead of slaving away 23 hours a day for to make them free updates twice a week:

[tangledinink]

clenches fist. finally sucked it up and ordered a new ipad...

[introspectivememories]

Missing your veil inspired model Bernard au if you have any more ideas for it please share would love to hear them 🙏🏻🙏🏻

god i havent thought about this au in sooo long but i do have some hc!! (og veil!au posts here and here)

so after the Billboard Incident, tim becomes, like, obsessed, with bear and he doesn't realize it's bernard until he's on like a 2am deep dive and finds out that "bear" is just bernard's modeling name and his real name is bernard dowd

and tim's a little confused bc what the hell is bear doing modeling??? back when then were in high school, bear used to talk all the time about cooking

but also, tim's famous!!! bear's famous!!! why did he never reach out?

and then one day, tim's doing like a photoshoot to announce the new wayne collab with some up and coming modeling house and the director of the photoshoot says that he'll be working with another model

cool, whatever, at least he gets to work with a pro right? and the door opens and out comes bear with his hair artfully tousled and lips painted a pretty pink and he's wearing clothes that show off his broad shoulders and oh my god, the fucking boner is back

and as he discreetly tries to hide it, he opens his mouth to greet bear except, bear's eyes go stone cold and the grip on his coffee cup gets tighter

"what the hell is this?" bear says coldly and then he turns around to talk to his manager

"you said i wouldn't have to work with him. in fact, it was the one thing you promised me, when i signed that contract."

tim sinks back into seat stunned as bear's manager drags him off for a quick conversation. when bear comes back the shoot goes off without a hitch but bear says nothing but the bare minimum to him the whole time

tim pulls bear's manager aside to talk privately before the shoot ends

"did i do something wrong?" / "mister drake, you know i can't tell you what my client has told me in private and even if i could, i still wouldn't"

"i havent seen him since high school. i just wish i knew what he was mad about."

"mister drake, more than bernard being my most valuable client, he is also my friend. i can't and i won't tell you the reason but, you look like a good guy. and in all honesty, i think you'd be good for him. so i'll leave you with a hint: maybe it's not about what you did do, and more about what you didn't do."

"if you're his friend, why're you helping me?"

"bear's good now, he'll be great when he can move on from whatever's stopping him. i think it's you. this hurt has been festering for almost a decade and if we're being brutally honest, it's your fault. so you fix it, so that my bernard can be up there with the greats."

bear's manager turns to leave and right before he exits the door he looks back and says, "and if all else fails mister drake, just remember that apologies are usually a good place to start."

[soyhasmcaamp]

Kind of related to that one post I reposted about making OCs with anything but ai (picrew, gacha etc.) but also just me wanting to show some of the ocs I made in gacha that im actually sorta proud of (however proud I can be)

(im actually still kinda ashamed but Yolo)

A lil guy I made just as a test when I first downloaded it

A little Halloween silly I made with a prompt sheet

My attempt at an angel

Wolf furry. I like him a lot actually (made why listening to Rottweiler by tj_beastboy)

Headless weirdcore OC Idk why I made? I think it's supposed to be a tadc OC. The head is supposed to be smoke not fire or anything

And obvi a fish (furry?) oc I made just now. Bet I could make them look better if I actually fitted their proportions but I'm too lazy to do that right now.

So yeah, even if my style of making OCs is pretty clear in my opinion, ANYONE AND EVERYONE ELSE can make literally such cool shit on there. It's not cringe to make cool as fuck OCs just because you didn't draw them by hand.

Plus it has a gacha game where you can use your gems to pull for characters, so that's a cool way to satisfy your gambling addiction.

[batwynn]

Just a heads up, I might remove my Accidental MerDer comic from Webtoon due to a few extremely persistent people being complete assholes who forget that some of us don’t have teams of people who work on the comic, and who are disabled/chronically ill and can’t keep up pace with the bullshit ‘Webtoon schedule’ because it’s unhealthy for even able bodied people.

It’s truly wild to me, also, that I have almost 4K people who bookmarked and are reading it, and yet virtually no Patreons or kofis from that group at all. These people are complaining that I don’t update fast enough�� for a comic… they get for fucking free.

I genuinely hate what has happened to webcomics.

[wetthandss]

i have never and will never use rails and minecarts in minecraft because they are just so inefficient and expensive for such little gain. theyre incredibly slow unless you use a rare and expensive material thats difficult to find and much more so get in large amounts to make a small number of powered rails that you have to place pretty close to one another if you want to reach an actually useful speed, and if youre making a rail system that small whats the point you can just walk or run there. there are no other relevant blocks for rails except detectors. no bumpers or launchers or stations or anything, very little utility outside of complicated redstone machines for furnace, hopper and chest minecarts that most players arent concerned with. i think theyre a horribly underdeveloped feature but also one that has SO MUCH potential. here's what i would do to make this feature better and how i actually would use it if it was that way.

i would remove the need for powered rails to go at any useful speed. you could travel in the minecart at the speed you can with a powered rail in the game now just by holding the direction you wanna go. powered rails are still there, and you can use them to go even faster if you want. they're like a speed upgrade rather than a necessity for travel. secondly, you dont have to keep holding down the button to keep moving, the minecart wont lose speed as it goes unless it hits a powered rail, where it will decrease in speed similarly to how it does in the base game, but only down to normal speed and not to a snail pace or complete stop. if you push a minecart (without being in it) it will slow down quickly to a stop, because itd be pretty annoying watching it run away on you if you accidentally push it. but also that already happens when you have to place powered rails down every 10 blocks and if the minecart touches them it just runs away on you. in my ideal update, to push a minecart down a track without losing speed, you can either get in it and get out of it when you reach speed, or you can use a powered rail to get it going. ADDITIONALLY, powered rails just act like normal rails when inactive instead of stopping entirely. if you want a rail that automatically stops the minecart, keep reading cause i have a replacement for this usage.

i would allow diagonal rails to exist, including on slopes. this is something i wish for other blocks that connect to each other in minecraft too, like fences, walls, iron bars etc. the zigzagging pattern is very ugly in most use cases and requires you to use double the materials. this would also be useful for setting up proper train stations where a train can be pulled to the side of the track either to let another train pass or to be filled with passengers/items.

i would allow multiple rails to connect to one another, letting you have multiple paths. a redstone activated directional rail could control which path you go on while in a minecart, while the default is just continuing straight.

I would add rail signals with an associate redstone connected rail that can decide when a minecart is allowed to pass or be stopped, or set a precise timer that counts down before making a redstone signal. you can set it to repeat or to only start its timer when receiving a redstone signal. would this remove the need for other forms of redstone timers? yes because i think its such a simple thing that requires incredibly complicated setups to do precisely that are frankly unnecessary to the average player and would allow them to make redstone more useful to them without having to spend nearly as much time and energy fine tuning multiple different complicated timer setups. you can still use the complicated timers if you want. no one is stopping you. anyways, this would let you automate trains a lot easier or automate a round trip rail system with consistent schedules, or to send a minecart back to you after sending it away.

Minecarts will have an updated model with a clear front side and a back side. you can flip directions whenever you want if youre riding in it, its mostly just an aesthetic change, but ive run into situations where if i stop a minecart on an inactive powered rail and activate it again, it will start going back in the direction it came from rather than continuing forwards and that is REALLY ANNOYING. i get that thats useful for sending a minecart back and forth but my bumpers would solve that issue while the clear front/back side fixes the one i mentioned above at the same time, as well as just making it more predictable and visually clear.

I would also aesthetically change the chest minecart cause i think it looks really ugly, i would prefer the chest minecart to show the minecart filled up with the sprites of the items that are inside it. i think that would be way cuter than just having a big wooden chest inside a metal minecart.

finally have actual linkages to tie minecarts together. it can just be a lead idc.

maybe a minecart that can be filled with rails that it automatically places as it goes? idk about this one

another maybe is that detector rails could be configured to only activate one-way.

a third maybe is having "lazy rails" that let the minecart travel at the speeds that they do now, so people who would inevitably complain about these changes ruining their finetuned overly-complex redstone rail machines could have something to use.

And finally i would have a bumper rail that can bounce back a minecart at half its speed, or its full speed with no loss if powered with redstone.

so i would definitely use rails and minecarts WAY more if these features were in place, they would be actually efficient for long and short distance travel, more versatile and less rigid in how you can actually place them, you can use redstone and train linkages to create more complicated railway setups if you want, it would all LOOK better, and it could actually be useful for putting in mineshafts. as it stands now, you have to put powered rails all over the place (a full chest minecart can only move 16 blocks per single powered rail boost! and it will slow down heavily before reaching the next too), fill up your stupid looking chest minecart and push it down where you then have to have a big redstone setup to automatically send the cart back, timed with a redstone timer (either a massive repeater one or a smarter comparator/observer one) so that the cart has time to unload into the hopper below it before being sent off again where it can make its way back to you.

in my update, you can fill the (good looking) chest minecart and use a single powered rail to push it where it will continue to the end (slowly, but at a far more consistent and as a baseline FASTER pace) where it will reach a detector rail connected to a rail signal which will start its timer, stopping the minecart. the cart will unload into the hopper, the timer will finish, sending the minecart into a powered bumper rail on the end where it will flip directions and be sent back, it will pass through the rail signal (because the detector block is on the other side) as if it were a normal rail, and come all the way back to me.

[figofswords]

anybody remember the stephanie brown essay I was working on under a research grant fully last summer? yeah it’s not done yet it super needs to be done and I’ve been avoiding working on it for weeks. someone tell me to just do it already