#haven't edited this post so hopefully it makes sense

[fluentisonus]

I've said this before but valjean's view of the bishop throughout the book gets me so bad because like. he knew him for what, a day maybe? and it absolutely had a vast & profound & positive impact on him. but then he goes on to spend the whole book comparing himself to his idealized vision of the bishop & finding himself wanting & feeling guilty and miserable about every petty or selfish thought that crosses his mind. but it's so fucked up because like we as the readers know the bishop better! we've read the whole first book and we know he came from a privileged & wealthy background, that he was a rake when he was young, it wasn't til he was in his 40s or 50s to have some sort of change of heart & become a priest (a similar age to valjean when he met him!), that he has moments that seriously shake him, that he has some dubious politics left over, that he still has moments of pettiness he has to work through on the page (his initial approach to the member of the convention, e.g.). and also he's just kind of a weird old guy (affectionate). and like this is not to criticize the bishop, I think he's a genuinely really good guy, just that while the bishop has a realistic view of himself & his past ("he described himself with a smile, an ex-sinner,"), valjean is not getting any of this except maybe like. what would be mentioned in the newspaper when the bishop died. so his whole view of him is of this one shining moment where he changed his life and he feels he doesn't live up to that. which is sad! because the bishop understood him more than he realized & wouldn't have wanted him to feel that way

[juletheghoul]

Let Me Follow (Part 7)

AN: Ooop. I haven't updated this in a year and I feel terrible, I am trying to go through all of the unfinished fics I have, and update one every week. (dream big Jules) Hopefully get through all of the things I have in my head. Hopefully it's been worth the wait! I've done my best to edit this myself, but it hasn't been beta'd. Enjoy! xo 🩷

Joel Miller x F!Reader

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader

Word Count: 4.8K

Warnings: (18+ NO MINORS) ANGST, language, age-gap (about 10-11 years, legal, reader is of age), Yearning, post-apocalyptic world, Joels injury / ptsd / nightmare

Let me know if I missed anything!

reblogs are appreciated

Masterlist Series Masterlist

He’s gone when you wake up. Both of them are, they’re gone most of the day but it makes sense. You chalk it up to Joel catching up with his brother and Ellie taking advantage of the safety of this place. You, in turn, find yourself almost haunting the house Maria and Tommy had put you up in. The time spent in the trailer, although quiet for the most part, was also wrapped up in the web of anxiety. Every second spent there was corrupted with fear of someone finding it, always the danger of infected wandering into the woods and surprising you when you’d go scavenging, and in comparison to that, this felt peaceful. 

This house gave you a chance to rest, to nap and enjoy the safety of the walls surrounding you, surrounding the town itself. Even when you got hungry, it was only a matter of making your way down the street to the cafeteria. People looked at you with curiosity, but didn’t pry, which only inspired intense gratitude. 

The whole day was a much needed respite from the worry and anxiety, until Ellie stormed into the house to find you reading an old novel on the sofa late in the evening. Anger burning on her face and it seemed strange to be so angry in a place like this. 

“What happened?” The adrenaline shoots up, the familiarity of it is so depressing, it seems your body is always ready to feel this way. 

“He’s leaving me.” She runs up the stairs and you find yourself running up after her, the door to the bedroom she’d claimed all but shut in your face before you could follow her inside. 

“Ellie? Can I come in?” You knock, hoping she’ll elaborate, “Ellie?”

“Whatever.” She calls out and you follow her inside, finding her sitting on a dusty bay window. 

“What happened?” Your heart races but you do your best to control your breathing. 

“He’s leaving me,” she sighs, picking up what looks to be someone's journal, “I heard him tell Tommy, that he has to leave me.” You frown at her. Joel hadn’t exactly been the cuddly type but he did care about Ellie, that had been obvious to you. “Maria told me something about him, something that makes sense-” 

“I wouldn’t listen to what Maria has to say about Joel, it seems to me she’s been listening to Tommy say some not-so-nice things about his brother.” Annoyance burns brightly in your gut that she’d dare poison Ellie against the man that had been keeping her safe. 

“No–I didn’t let her talk shit, I told her where to fucking go about that but–” A soft tap on the door pulls you out of the argument, Joel’s voice coming through before he opens the door. 

The familiar ‘Joel-frown’ is back in place as his gaze shifts from Ellie, to you, and back to her again.

“Listen-” He starts, but she doesn’t let him get very far.

“Why are you here?” The anger still burns on her face, but you know what’s really there. Sadness, fear, disappointment, you know because you’ve felt it all before.

“I came here to talk to you, both of you.”

“No, why are you still here? If you’re gonna ditch us then ditch us.” her eyes cast down as she speaks, looking without really seeing the journal in her hands. You see him let out a heavy sigh, resignation taking over. 

“What exactly did you hear?”

“‘I have to leave her, you have to take her’,” your eyebrows must have raised up into your hairline, Joel leaving Ellie had never crossed your mind, “You know I stuck up for you today because I thought-” She bit her lip, cutting off her own words.

“I made this decision for your own good. You’ll be way better off with Tommy, he knows the area better than I do-” He was floundering and it was as though you were listening to a stranger, his whole demeanour completely different from last night. 

“Do you give a shit about me or not?” Her voice rose, and your heart broke for her.

“Of course I do.” 

“Then what are you so afraid of? I’m not her, you know? Maria told me about Sarah-”

“Don’t.” The change in him was chilling, “Don’t say another word.” Seeing his eyes shift, the whole of him as cold as ice. 

“I’m sorry about your daughter, Joel, but I have lost people too.” And there it was. 

He’d had a daughter, and he’d lost her. This was it, the missing piece. It made so much sense, the cloud that followed him around, the loss that poisoned him to the world. It wasn’t just the terrible, awful, practically unbearable state of the world, it was his loss. 

“You have no idea what loss is.” His eyes hardened even more, and you understood why he would be upset. The loss of a child would definitely make anyone lose their minds, but Ellie wasn’t wrong. Everyone in this world knows what loss is.

“Everybody I have cared for has either died or left me. Everybody, fucking except for you!” She pushes him, her anger and hurt getting the best of her and you can’t help but move from your place on the couch to comfort her. “So don't tell me that I'd be safer with somebody else because the truth is I would just be more scared.” Your hand goes to her shoulder, letting her know you’re there for her. 

“You’re right. You aren’t my daughter, and I sure as hell ain’t your dad. Now come dawn, you and I go our separate ways-” Your hand flashes up without your permission, and cracks him clean across the face. It was too much for you to bear. 

“Enough! I am so sick and tired of this, and I am through with letting you act this way. You can’t keep living your life like this, Joel. Head down, barreling through like a juggernaut, cutting through everyone and everything, completely closed off to the world.” The hurt was sharp in your voice- “I can’t even begin to imagine how much losing your daughter must have hurt you, I wish it had never happened. I cannot take it away from you, neither of us can but we don’t deserve for you to treat us this way. Losing her doesn’t mean you can throw Ellie away.” His eyes flashed with something, a hurt so deep it was part of him, “Tomorrow, we’re going–whether it’s with you, or Tommy is up to you.” You turned from him then, gathering Ellie into your arms. You heard the door click, and then you and Ellie were alone. 

-

You spent the night with Ellie.

A soft knock sounded as you gathered the few things you had to take with you, both of you. Ellie opened the door to a very resigned Tommy standing at the door. 

“Y’all ready?” He spoke to both of you, the look on your face leaving no doubt as to whether Ellie would go alone or not.

“Yes, we’re good to go,” you reply and he nods once before leading the way out, “Come on Ellie.” You don’t look at the room across the hall, even as the outline of the door burns bright in your peripheral. That it was closed and he was probably asleep inside only filled your stomach with rocks, so you keep your eyes forward and ignore the feeling.

The morning is crisp enough to see your breath and it wreaths around your head like a halo as you all make your way towards the barn. Your anger with Joel is a simmering pot on the back burner, and that’s where it has to stay, there’s too much to focus on with Ellie to give it any attention. Tommy leads the way, bundled up with a rifle on his back and the anger you’re trying to tamp down finds its bullseye.

“How much shit did you talk about Joel, Tommy? Be honest.” He turns, his brow furrowed, “Must have been a lot, with the way Maria was eyeing him.”

“Yeah, not to mention giving me some bullshit warning about him not being who I thought he was.” Ellie chimes in, he lets out a deep sigh.

“You don’t understand, we did terrible things-“

“Yes, both of you, and you got to explain yourself. You’re letting your grievances with your brother colour the way people in this town view him. If he stays here, you’ve just made his life harder when you both did the same shit.” You round the corner, ducking into the barn to find the man you’re discussing, loading the horse's saddle with what looked to be supplies. You’re angry at him, at the cruel words he threw at Ellie, at the thought that after all of your confessions he might have let you go. It’s hard not to feel relief that he’s here though, ready to follow her, ready to follow you. 

“You came here to say goodbye or something?” Ellie’s voice is neutral, but the hurt simmers under the surface. 

“No, I came here to steal one of these horses.” He kicks at the ground, nervous.

“I woulda gave you one.” Tommy sighs, his frown still in place but now directed at Joel.

“I know. Anyway, that was thirty minutes ago, and I guess you deserve a choice. I still think you’d be better off with Tommy-“

“Let’s go.” She tosses her bag at him. Your lip curls without your permission, but you keep it to yourself.

“Okay.” He grunts out the word, but you can see he’s just as affected as you are. He turns, and speaks to Tommy while you and Ellie lead the horses out, letting them have a moment. 

“You okay?” Ellie’s eyes find yours at the sound of your words, and for a moment you see her age and it breaks your heart. Her eyes are wide, dark shadows underneath them, all of the stress and the weight of her lot in this life painted across her face, and still she smiles. 

“Fuck yeah, all good.” 

God, she’s just a kid. 

“Let’s get going.” Joel comes out, Tommy’s rifle on his back and his eyes are wild, darting between you and Ellie. His words still ring out in your ears, but so does the knowledge of his loss. It’s the Rosetta Stone, the why of all of his anger and hurt and reluctance to open up to anyone and anything coming into focus. 

There are two horses, and Ellie claims one right away, leaving you to share with Joel. He climbs up and swings his leg around, then holds out his hand to help you climb on, and wordlessly you take it. The horse is calm underneath you, for which you are grateful, even when you climb up, much less graceful than Joel and sit tucked into his back. 

The anger in you still burns bright. Too bright to say anything to him just yet, so you let it wash over you. Ignore the happy chant to have him there, to have his familiar, safe shape solid in front of you, and focus on not spooking the animal beneath you. 

Hours pass with small talk between Ellie and Joel, and silence from you. He doesn’t press, but his voice sounds lighter than it ever has with her. You let them have this conversation and bonding and you keep your mouth shut. He tests the waters though, your arms wrap around his waist, and every so often you feel him squeeze your hand or your knee. A silent olive branch, a request for connection and as much as you try to hold out and ignore him, punish him for his cruelty, you cannot help but give in. You press your lips to the little bit of skin exposed at the back of his neck. You can feel the way he melts, and part of you feels guilty for denying him for so long, but then his words come back and so does the anger. 

Ellie has gone ahead, just a little bit, close enough that he can keep an eye on her, but far enough away that he tries his luck with words. 

“It was bad wasn’t it?” He speaks over his shoulder, his words heavy with resignation.

“Real bad.”

He sighs, but says nothing else. You don’t expect an apology, and you don’t get one. It’s there though, the remorse, in his voice, threaded through the soft words and explanations he gives Ellie as the day goes by. He speaks to her of his life before, and it’s a marvel to hear him speak so much, he used to be a contractor. The shape of the word in your mouth feels familiar, one of those words adults used to say but there’s no reference for it in your memory. She is happy, that is all that matters.

When you stop to camp, it’s in a densely populated forest, eerily quiet but good enough. The land is far enough away from any QZ to be free of infected, but they aren’t the biggest worry. He sets up camp, a couple of sleeping bags all piled together.

“Sleep, both of you, I’ll take first watch.” It doesn’t take much convincing on your part, and for once, Ellie doesn’t grumble, she yawns hard enough to tremble and gets into the sleeping bag without comment. You want to give him something, a promise that you’ll discuss what you both know you need to discuss but he shakes his head when your eyes meet. “Sleep, Sunny, you need your rest.”

You nod, and sleep claims you, quick as falling.

You wake with a gasp. 

“You’re okay.” He’s sitting on a fallen log, watching the surrounding darkness. Full consciousness creeps in, and awareness calms the anxiety of whatever nightmare that had spilled over. Even the horses are calm, no immediate danger threatening, but there’s no way you’re going back to sleep. 

“I’m up now. Here, give me the gun, you should get some shut-eye.” You stretch for a moment, before getting up. At this point, he knows you better than to argue, and so as much as he wants to keep watch, he gets up with a groan, and climbs into the sleeping bag still permeated with your body heat. The brief spark of warmth and comfort that was born of your new found intimacy with him, although still there, is obscured by the things you know you need to discuss, but it won’t be tonight. He knows it too, and so you keep watch, and when the morning comes, you all set out again. 

-

Days pass, and you travel in peace. The days are cold but clear, and he surprises you even more. He teaches Ellie to shoot, instructs her on how to load and reload the rifle, how to aim and even lets her keep a pistol and you can see the father so clearly in him. He notices your quiet withdrawal, and he lets you have your silence, but it doesn’t last.

Three nights into your trek, he finally breaks the silence. 

You feel him slip into the sleeping bag behind you, the night is colder than you expected and his warmth is welcome, even if your heart is still hurt. You’d found a small copse of trees, hidden enough that you could all sleep relatively calmly.

“Sunny.” It’s just above a whisper,  “How long you gonna punish me?” His breath tickles the little hairs at the back of your neck, raising goosebumps in its wake. You sigh.

“I’m not punishing you Joel.” His hand slips around your waist.

“You’re angry at me, I can feel it.” He presses his lips to the skin just below your ear, soft and sweet and your eyes close at the feel of it, you turn towards him. 

“I’m hurt,” he pulls you close enough to tangle his legs with yours, “Not just for what you said to Ellie, but for what happened to you.” You felt the clench in his jaw, felt how his body tensed. “I’m not trying to pry into your past Joel, I don’t want to open old wounds and make you relive anything, but I’ve been with the two of you long enough to see the bond. That girl-” you gestured to Ellie’s sleeping form near the horses, “-sees you as a father. You’re all she has, and you were ready to drop her.” 

“I know.” He pressed his forehead to yours, the tension going out of him like a balloon deflating. “It’s why I didn’t think I could do this, I am scared that I won’t be able to protect her, if she got hurt on my watch I couldn’t forgive myself.” All of a sudden you felt stupid, his anger and lashing out at her was a way to protect her, it didn’t excuse it, but it definitely explained it. “I don’t think she heard my whole conversation with Tommy, I was tellin’ him how scared I am.” 

“She needs you around, she needs to know you aren’t going to abandon her.” You can’t help but bring your hands to his face, comfort him. “We need you, I need you, I don’t want you to leave me behind either.” The little part of yourself that you’d been stomping down reared its head. “I’m sorry I slapped you, I shouldn’t have done that.” He shakes his head, dismissing your apology. 

“I won’t leave you behind. I meant it when I said I needed you to be patient with me.” He presses his lips to your hand, then to your lips, an apology and a promise and you clutch to it, despite the fear that permeates every aspect of the world. You don’t say anything more, trusting that when he's ready, he’ll tell you about his loss.

-

The university is a massive, rundown building, eerily quiet, without many signs of life. 

“No fireflies.” Ellie points out when you stop just in front of an overturned car.

“Probably in the middle, safer.” Joel leads the way, and the three of you continue throughout the grounds. He answers Ellie’s questions about University life, about anything and everything she can think of while you focus on your surroundings. The quiet irks you.

Monkeys roam the campus the closer you get to the building, and she’s excited to see them, you’re a little more wary but they scatter at the sound of you approaching.

“Lookit.” He points to a sign, a bright firefly symbol spray-painted onto it.

“Here we go.” She sounds a lot braver than she looks, her expression matches yours. This whole place was creepy, and your stomach roiled the closer you got to the entrance of the building. The sound of the horses' hooves clicking onto the pavement echo around you as you approach, guard houses sit unmanned just outside the door, and your stomach drops further. 

“Guard houses.” Joel voices your thoughts. 

“No guards.” You reply, and the mood sours further. “Let’s tie the horses, and continue on foot.” You gesture to a tree and they both nod in agreement. With them taken care of, you make your way inside. 

“Gun?” Ellie looks to Joel, and he nods, she takes out the pistol he’d trusted her with, his rifle at the ready and you follow close behind him, no weapon, but eyes sharp.

The inside is abandoned, but there is a mess of tables, discarded equipment and supplies left behind. 

“There were definitely doctors here.” She rifles through a stack of old gauze, gloves and other things littering the tables, pulling a list from under an empty box.

“This is a packing list,” Joel takes the list from her, “Something you make before moving.” There’s a distinct lack of dust and dirt blown in on the mess left behind you cannot help but focus on.

“Looks like they just left-” Something crashes above, movement in one of the higher floors interrupting your sentence, “maybe not all of them.” You move as one, slowly and quietly following the source of the noise, your heart races, scared of who or what you might find here. Joel leads the way, his rifle at the ready, Ellie brings up the rear, gun in her hands and pointed down like he’d taught her. The place looks more like an abandoned hospital than a school. There are carts knocked over, hospital beds and IV bags still hooked up to the poles littering the hallways. 

He counts down silently, hand just hovering over the door containing the source, and then opens it. A monkey shrieks, and seeing you jumps out the open window. You let out a heavy breath. 

“Well, at least it ain’t clickers.” Joel’s tone is as relieved as you feel. 

“Yeah, no fireflies either. Maybe in all that research they turned into fucking monkeys!” He frowns at her, there’s a disappointment heavy in the air. So much travelling, just to come up empty. There’s a giant map in the middle of the room though. You make your way over to it, there are different colour pins all leading up to one place, Salt Lake City, Utah.

“That’s where they went?” She’s staring at the map beside you. 

“All the pins lead there.” You press your finger to the spot on the map, Joel is beside you, all three of you studying it. 

“Maybe they were getting ahead of the weather? Better facilities? I don’t know.” He frowns, letting out a breath but you hear it, people talking outside the window. You shush them, gesturing to the window but they hear it now too. Your heart jackhammers in your chest, any and all peace you’d found from finding this place empty is gone. 

Quietly you all move closer and peek out the window, and see four men walking past, they hold crowbars, and baseball bats and it’s obvious they’re raiders. 

“Out the back.” Joel whispers, and then the three of you take off. Within a few tense minutes, you’re all back outside, ducking behind piled up sandbags to make sure you don’t encounter anyone. With the coast clear, you all run towards the horses. Ellie climbs up onto hers, and you climb onto the one you share with Joel while he unties them. 

“Joel!” Ellie screams, one man has followed, baseball bat high in the air but Joel turns in time and ducks out of the way, the bat swings hard, hitting the tree and shatters. Ellie holds up her arm, aiming the gun but they move too erratically. 

“Wait Ellie! You might shoot Joel–” She puts it down, he doesn’t need help, they grapple and slam against the tree but then Joel has wrapped his arm around the man's neck, and with a sickening crunch, he falls. When Joel turns, your stomach drops. 

He looks down, and the butt of the broken bat is sticking out of his lower abdomen. He takes a deep breath, and pulls it out and a wave of nausea hits you to see at least three inches of wood come out, his blood pulsing between his fingers. 

“Joel–get on the horse!” You scream out to him, seeing the others spotting you and running full speed. He struggles, but climbs up with a pained yell, swinging his leg over and managing to get in front of you. 

“Get back!” Ellie follows behind, shooting at them when they get too close, with the frosty wind whipping at your face you get away. The horses gallop across the grounds and away, your grip on Joel is iron.

You know that going so fast is only hurting him but you have to get far enough away that they won’t follow. 

“They don’t seem to be following us, I think we’re safe.” Ellie calls out behind you and you’re glad she’s keeping an eye on your back, because you cannot focus on anything other than Joel’s weakening grip on the reins. 

“Joely, baby you have to hold on, please–” He teeters, swaying like a boat in choppy waters and you feel the way he cannot hold himself up anymore. “Joel-Joel!” He topples off the horse and into a pile of snow despite your best efforts, he's so pale you can barely contain the tears that flow freely down your face. “Joel, please, please wake up, we need you to wake up.” You slap at his face, but he doesn’t stir. Ellie is off her horse and kneeling beside you, trying to aid in waking him but she’s as unsuccessful as you are. She presses his hands as well as hers to where the blood pulses out of him slowly. 

“Joel, open your eyes.” You stare at him while she speaks, pressing your hand to his face, “I can’t fucking do this without you, I don’t know where the fuck I’m going, or what the fuck I’m going to do, we need you Joel please, get up.” Tears stream down her face and it hits you then. You’ve cursed him, this is what comes from loving another person. 

There’s no time, you have to move him. 

“Let’s get him somewhere safe, Ellie, one of those houses.” You gesture to a residential area not far from where he fell. There’s no way you can carry him, instead you look for something to put him on that you can drag like a sled. You send Ellie to look, warning her to be careful and to keep her gun out and she comes back with a wide mat, almost like a big dog bed and it’s perfect. You shuffle him onto it, and tie the mat to the back of one of the horses, pulling him towards one of the houses. 

It takes so long to get him into the basement. By the time you’ve piled a stained mattress and musty blankets and laid him on it, your skin is slick with frozen sweat, your breath comes out in pants, exhausted with the effort. There had been an old towel in one of the bathrooms of the house, Ellie had grabbed it while you wrestled him to where he lay. Once settled, you ripped it up, and moved his shirt to press it to the wound, barely looking at it. You had to stop the bleeding, if he kept bleeding he’d die. 

“What are we going to do?” She watches, terrified. 

“I don’t know.” You want to comfort her, but you cannot stop swallowing the lump in your throat. You both stay quiet for a while after that, focused on his breathing. 

It’s because I love him

The thought squeezes your heart like a vice, the curse of you fills your head, overtaking every thought. This is what happens when you love another person, the black hole has taken him just like it took your parents, just like it took Johnny and there is nothing to be gained but misery and heartache. The black pit of your love is full of emptiness and all you’d done was sentence him to death. You should have just let them leave, given them your supplies and stayed in your trailer. 

Tears stream steadily down your face, hoping against hope that he’ll wake up, that the wound will close, that nothing inside had been too badly damaged. You hoped you’d wake up back in that bed in Jackson, that this was all just some horrible nightmare and that he’d be there, rubbing your back. You didn’t wake up though, and he lay there motionless while you cried, breathing shallow enough to fill your stomach with nothing but dread and nausea and regret and every other horrible thing you’ve felt since this world went to shit. 

You move the towel after a while, to see how bad the damage actually is and your body tenses, it’s angry and red and still blood pulses out, his skin shredded where the sharp wood had pierced him.

“We need to close it, we should see if we can find a needle and thread.” You speak to her, but she watches him, his eyes are open, and there is nothing but naked fear in them. He groans and grabs at your arm hard enough to bruise when you press the towel back to the wound. 

“Go.” He grits it out, at both of you. She puts her hands on yours, helping to staunch the blood. “Go, leave, take the gun.” He repeats it. 

“Shut up, shut the fuck up Joel!” She all but screams at him but he grabs her by the jacket, pulling her close. 

“You go.” He doesn’t relent, “You go. You go north, go to tommy.” He shivers, speaking the words clearly and when he pushes her back, she stumbles, staring at him in disbelief. His eyes find yours, and he repeats himself. “Leave.” He does not expect to survive, and all at once you are angry with him, angry with yourself for ever having opened your heart, angry at the world for your lot in life. His eyes find yours then, tears slowly streaming from them, the same anger burning in your chest shining out through his eyes. 

You wipe at your eyes, and rise. Leaving him there, as you make your way up the stairs, and out of the basement. 

She catches up to you in the kitchen. 

“Are we really leaving him?” 

“No. I’m looking for something to stitch him up, but if you want to go find Tommy I won’t stop you, you can shoot, and he’s taught you how to keep watch and find safe places to sleep. You can take all of the supplies–” You open cupboards, pulling them off the hinges in your haste and spilling drawers in the pursuit of something, anything to help him. 

“I’m not leaving either.” She moves, and helps you search. 

—

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[mixiury]

Always remembering you - Genshin x GN reader

Characters: Wanderer, Itto, Kaveh, Neuvillette

Summary: You have to leave for a long period of time. What do they do after it? (Basically them missing you)

A/N: I am alive!! Sorry for not posting in a while. Honestly I haven't been very motivated to write but I randomly got this idea so I hope yall like it! (I edited some parts and typos I noticed so hopefully now it is better :)

Wanderer has no need for things as transitory and insignificant as the attention of others— specially if it comes from an human being— so what makes you believe that you would be an exception?

It's been decades since he last sought companionship after all. The only reason why he asked you to accompany him is to complete the tasks Nahida assigned him. It is just easier for you to do all the hard work instead of him. Don't try to read between the lines.

Yes. Of course it was necessary to stop in the middle of Sumeru's forest to contemplate the surroundings for the past hour. It is part of his job to ensure that there are no potential dangers near the city.

Actually, the fact that the path you were taking was blocked by a tree that mysteriously collapsed in front of you due to a strong blown of wind has nothing to do with him. Why would you think he did that in the first place? You're imagining things.

The only reason he's holding your hand right now is so you don't get lost or delay him by this absurdly long new path he's chosen. Yes, it's clearly the only option you two have, so don't complain and keep walking.

But if you need a moment to rest he won't refuse. And if at any point you decide to lean your head on his shoulder, he won't push you away either. Just don't get used to this, he only allows it because he knows how fragile human bodies are and he prefers to avoid Nahida's scolding for leaving you in the middle of nowhere.

And if you still have doubts, that's right, the fact that all these things happen after not being able to talk to you all week is totally a coincidence.

Itto, on the other hand, doesn't seem to know the word discretion.

What do you mean you have another important commission to do? But didn't you just finished one yesterday? How about you join him in a beetle tournament instead? Or maybe you can spend time with the gang? Come on, he knows you can't refuse this unique opportunity!

Hmm? That you always spend time with them..? But this time is different! This time they will do something so different and so incredible that you just can't loose! Trust him. Arataki Itto always keep his word!

And it is just that it seems like the entire universe is sending you signals to spend time with him. From Itto posters that mysteriously appear on paper airplanes to his name in the alphabet soup you eat.

But if all that is not enough to convince you that it is the destiny the one putting you together, somehow you both end up meeting multiple times a day. No matter where you look, he will be there.

Do you have to collect different flowers from Inazuma for your commission? It turns out that floristry is one of his hidden talents! Do you have to give them to someone? How curious! He was just talking to that same person! Are you saying he is brothering them? Of course not! He would never do that... On purpose.

There's no point in questioning him, somehow he always has an excuse- (although it doesn't mean they make sense). It's only until you look up at the sky and see fireworks with Itto's face, his signature, and the words "I miss you" that he finally tells you the truth behind all the coincidences that has happened during the day.

However, the moment does not last long, because shortly afterwards different guards come running to capture Itto for alleged harassment and "illegal use" of fireworks without authorization. Complete defamation if you ask him.

At the end, you and Kuki have to visit him in jail and take care of all the paperwork for the damage him and the gang caused. But hey, at least that means his plan worked?

Kaveh directly doesn't seems able to function properly.

Don't get him wrong, he knows better than anyone how hard it must be for you to be so busy. After all, he has found himself in the same situation as you multiple times in the past.

It's just that he had never noticed the influence you have on his life until that moment, where instead of having breakfast together at the same place as always he finds himself eating preheated noodles from the microwave.

For the first time in a long time he's having trouble concentrating on his work, unable to finish the commission he's been putting off for the last week— not so surprisingly— the same amount of time since you traveled to Fontaine.

Because every time he looks at the paper on the desk he can't stop his hand from drawing sketches of you, his mind clouded with questions about your safety and how you are doing.

Kaveh doesn't really know how to control that feeling so he does the only thing he knows in situations like this; Overwork himself. Going from basically doing nothing all week to creating almost a month's worth of work in a few days.

Of course, it doesn't take much for his friends to notice, trying to reason with him more than once. However, if there is something to recognize from Kaveh it is his stubbornness, reassuring them that everything is completely under control.

It's only until he ends up falling asleep during a conversation with Tighnari that he decides to take action into his own hands, sending you a letter telling you about the situation because your boyfriend can barely stay awake during the day and has been living of coffee.

And despite his reproaches towards Tighnari, he can't help but feel glad the moment you return to Sumeru a few days earlier than anticipated, updating you on every little detail that happened while you were gone and sleeping for almost a full day no long after. He may thank Tighnari later.

Unlike the others, Neuvillette feels totally fine after you left.

Of course he notice your absence and perhaps your name has appeared in his mind more than three times in the day but that's all. There is no need to worry about it, Take all the time you need.

He continues with his routine as always. He is also a very busy person so he doesn't think a lot of it. He's just walking around in the same place where you met because he's taking a short break. Nothing more than that.

In fact, you might even be able to see him ordering at the same coffee shop where you had your first date, sitting at the same table he sat at back then. But that isn't related to this situation, so please continue what you are doing.

But if you notice how Fontaine has fallen into heavy rain this last month, he will just reassure you that it's completely normal. Probably is just the weather that hasn't been stable lately. Nothing to worry about. Everything is under control as it always has been.

Yet, even if he manages to fool himself, all the melusines notice the way his gaze wanders from the documents on his desk to the empty seat next to him. His eyes shining every moment he hears the door of his office open just to met with the disappointment in them when he realizes it's not you on the other side.

Because despite his attempts to distract himself, it's simply impossible when every place he goes has some memory of you. He knows you won't be away for long so why does he feel like something is missing when you're not around?

Melusines try to talk with him, even requesting help to Furina, but it doesn't seems to be an end of the countless rains that has been occurring since you left.

He will just continue denying his feelings over and over, completely oblivious of them and the attempts of others to cheer him up.

It's hard for Neuvillette to understand the reason for his the emptiness he feels, but when he sees you once again he can't help but notice the great sense of relief that comes with you, immediately asking you how you are doing and making sure you feel welcome.

Maybe with the pass of the time he will be able to come in terms with his feelings but for now all he wants to do is to spend more time with you.

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Falling Part Five | Jeon Jungkook

Summary: Jae tells Lana about the party but you get nervous, not knowing what his intentions with her might be... Pairing: Guardian Angel f!reader x Fallen Angel Jungkook Word Count: 1.5k (sorry I know it's short and horribly edited) a/n: Hey guys so I know I haven't updated this story in months and a few of you have been asking for it so I'm sorry about that. I know this is short but I wanted to put something out for you guys. I'm still stuck on figuring out what's going to happen at the party so that's why this is still a little short but hopefully I'll figure it out and post it soon! Thanks for waiting 💜 Start from the beginning

"Jimin I don't know what to do" I whine, dragging out the last word, "I've been able to avoid the headache of her going to any high school parties but of course when this tall, mysterious, intelligent guy and his friends come around she suddenly decides to go" I complain to him. 

"I mean to be honest I don't blame her. They seem like they're fun and Jae is charming and to be honest out of the lot he's definitely a lot more her speed. I feel like that's why they work so well together" he responds, trying to get me to calm down a bit which helps but I still don't know how I'm going to help her. 

"Maybe you're right. He does seem like a really nice guy and he hasn't done anything wrong. I think just the fact that this is the first guy she's actually shown interest in is making me a bit more nervous" I admit, plopping down on Lana's bed while she continues to study. 

They've known each other for a few weeks and he hasn't shown any signs of really wanting to lead her astray so that's promising. At this point though I don't really know what he does when he's around Jungkook which stresses me out at the very least knowing that Jae has messed up enough to trade his guardian angel for a fallen one. 

"Just keep a close watch and maybe then he'll show his true colors. Lana sounds like a smart girl and you'll be materializing in a few weeks right?" Jimin reminds me. "That's only if she doesn't start to stray and I'm afraid that if she goes to this party that it'll be the beginning of the end for us" I voice, letting all of my worries and doubts out. 

"Just keep praying that she'll stay strong and that she'll focus on staying on the straight and narrow" he say, making it sound easy. "I wish it was that simple" I mumble, turning my head to look at her while she picks up her phone to no doubt, text Jae back from the looks of it. 

"You've been with her since she was conceived and you know her better than anyone. Just put your faith in her and I'm sure you'll make it to materialization. You've done a great job watching over her so, don't doubt yourself" he encourages. 

"I'm sorry but I have to get going now. Let me know how everything turns out alright?" he say before ending the call. "Yes don't worry I will" I reassure him and say our goodbye right as Lana's phone starts to ring.

"Hey!" she greets excitedly, instantly letting me know who it is without even trying, accompanied by the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. 

"I miss you" he says and I instantly gag while she has the polar opposite reaction watching as her cheeks start to warm up. "I miss you too" she says softly. "I wanted to tell you the details of the party tomorrow and also I just wanted to hear your voice" he admits.  

'Could he be any cheesier?' of course Lana is eating it up though. Chances are he's gonna be her first love so I guess I'll just have to get used to this lovey dovey behavior from them. I drown their conversation out, still listening in but only enough to sense if something bad will happen but it's pretty innocent at this point thank God. 

Thinking about all this love stuff is taking me back to when I was young and falling in love with Jungkook...

Eons ago...  

"Go talk to her" Jimin says, elbowing Jungkook in the side and he groans at the contact still with his eyes fully trained on me. 

"She's probably already with someone else" he says, making excuses and tries to walk away but his friend grabs him by his shoulders and turns him around, making him face me again

"She doesn't have a bracelet yet" he points out, looking at my wrists, neither of them adorned with and sort of jewelry. "Just go talk to her" Jimin repeats, pushing on his shoulder and making him stumble, grabbing my attention. 

Jungkook and I make eye contact for a second and he smiles bashfully and I return it before going back to my conversation with a few other female angels. 

"Look he's coming over here!" one of them says once I've turned back towards the group giving the handsome angle my back making me straighten out my wings from their slouched position into a more graceful one. 

"He's probably looking at one of you guys" I say in a hushed tone, all of them having clocked the way he was looking at me, leaving me feeling insecure and pushing away the thoughts that someone as handsome as him would be interested in a lowly angel like myself. 

I hear a man clear his throat behind me and my body goes rigid praying it's not who I think it is having truly thought my friends had been teasing me. 

They all make eyes at me, wordlessly telling me to turn around but when I don't he chances speaking to me to get my attention. 

"Hello" is all he says and the smooth baritone of his voice is more heavenly than any other melody I'd ever heard. "Hi, um we've actually gotta go" one of older angels says and pushes the other girls to the side, herding them over somewhere else and my protests die in my throat once he tries his luck again. 

"I haven't seen you around here before" he says and at that I turn around to face him. My breath is taken away from seeing him up close, his features working in perfect harmony. 

"Um yeah I'm one of the new borns, I guess" I say, still unsure of how everything works around here, referring to my recently aged up status. "Oh, well it's very nice to meet you..." he trails off waiting for me to fill in the blank. "Y/n!" I say quickly, embarrassed to have left a longer gap between his question and my answer. 

"That's a beautiful name" he says, testing how my name sounds on his lips. I swear I never want anyone to address me by my name ever again unless it's by him or God. "Oh and you are?" I question, forgetting to return his interest. 

"Jungkook" he says, a name that I had never heard before but pray would be one I would utter again and again. "It's nice to meet you Jungkook" and I can see how his eyes light up and his wings slightly raise behind him, obviously happy to have heard his name from my lips as well. 

And from that moment onwards we started falling. Madly, deeply and hopelessly in love. That is, until he fell...

"JK said the party starts around 8 so I can pick you up around that time if you'd like" I hear Jae's voice say through the speaker. "Oh okay, yeah that works!" Lana says but she sounds a bit wary. 

"What's wrong?" Jae asks, clocking her change in demeanor. "It's just that my curfew is 10 so I wont be able to stay for very long and because you're the one JK's throwing the party for I wouldn't want you to have to deal with leaving early to take me home or anything" she says and he nods his head, thinking for a second. 

"What about this. Why don't we just go and hang out there for like an hour and then we'll leave and spend the rest of that time together on our own before your curfew" he suggests and she lights up at the idea. "I'd like that" she smiles shyly, a fluttery feeling in her stomach again, no doubt from the thought of spending true alone time with him for the first time.

"You sure you want to miss out on the party?" Lana questions, starting to feel guilty about it all. "The party is gonna go on all night so if I feel up to it I can always go back later on. You're the only one I really want to spend time with" he admits and again I can't help but roll my eyes. 

At least he's honest though but I really hope this night ends with a simple goodnight kiss. 'Please Jae for the love of God don't pressure Lana into losing her innocence' I offer as a silent plea. 

Lana is someone I've been entrusted to and I will do everything in my power to make sure that she stays safe. One boy is not gonna ruin this for her, she's stronger than this and I know that. I just need to keep reminding myself and stop doubting her. 

I've gotta put my faith in her just like Jimin said, and pray to God Jae's intentions are pure. Please Jungkook, don't encourage him to do this, I know it's your sole purpose to lead him astray, but please, not Lana...

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[starboltz]

Since a new TADC teaser came out, I really wanted to do an analysis of this post by gooseworx.

To start off with, in the quick flash of new characters we see in the trailer, 3 of them are seen in the teaser image - those being the cowgirl ghost, the candy princess, and the bubble man. The only character we don't see is the frog-looking character.

While not obvious by the reflection, the round part of the ghosts head is likely a hat, as seen in the teaser on the cowgirl ghost. I am fairly sure that both of these ghosts are the same character based on the dress silhouette of the reflection, and the design of the upper body of the ghost in the teaser. (If I am wrong about the ghost's gender and/or pronouns, I will edit this post.) I find it incredibly interesting that this is the most humanistic character yet on TADC.

The next character, the candy princess, has a silhouette that is very easy to match to the reflection. The only major difference is that her gloves and upper part of her skirt are a darker pink, but that could be due to lighting. She is very likely the princess of Candy Canyon Kingdom. If not, she's definitely royalty of some sort because of her crown. I did see a few people think that she was going to be similar to a betty spaghetti toy, but now that we see her in her natural setting, it seems like her arms are more like cake pops. The rest of her body seems to be a neat amalgamation of cake and other candies.

I don't have much to say about the bubble man, other than he appears to be a customer at Spudsy's - where Jax is being forced to work for minimum wage. If you look closely, you can see Jax's reflection in the bubble man's face. His (or it's? again if I'm wrong I'll change it later) reflection counterpart is a much darker blue, which again could be lighting, but it could also mean that other customers at Spudsy's are bubble people. (Also I love how Spudsy's is a ripoff/homage of McDonald's, hopefully it'll make for some good satire of the fast food industry).

While we don't see the frog character from Gooseworx' teaser image, a lot of people theorized that it is some sort of gummy frog or reptile, which makes sense when it comes to one of the other characters announced in the teaser trailer.

The gummy gator appears to be in the Candy Canyon Kingdom, and looks to be some sort of cowboy or guide. He has a white belly similar to the frog, which is why I think they exist in the same storyline/location. Something hard to see in the trailer is that he starts fading to green from yellow around his shoulders. It's hard to tell what he's holding, but it's very possible it is reigns.

Another character from Candy Canyon Kingdom is the chocolate ooze monster, who looks similar in style to the gloink queen. I love the details of candy corn teeth and jawbreaker eyes. It's difficult to tell if this will be the big boss of Candy Canyon Kingdom, or just an obstacle for the TADC crew.

A fourth character from the Candy Canyon Kingdom is revealed in the teaser, and that is the periwinkle drawing mannequin. It seems to be the only character from the CCK that is not made of candy, which leads to some questions. In the teaser it is screaming its head off, so it's likely it is running from the chocolate ooze monster.

Going back to the cowgirl ghost, another cute little ghost appears. It doesn't really have any defining features other than its puppy-like face, but its a ghost, so it works. This is the only other character in the western ghost town story revealed in the teaser. Though the gummy gator looks like a cowboy, I think the ghosts appear in a different location from the Candy Canyon Kingdom.

The last character I haven't talked about is the tape recorder. It doesn't really look like an animate character, but if TADC has taught me anything, inanimate objects can always become animate characters. It's hard to tell what storyline it's from, but based on the lighting, it's from the western ghost town storyline. One of the most unnerving things about it is that it is one of the most realistic looking characters in the entire show.

Overall, 4 characters were revealed for the Candy Canyon Kingdom storyline, 3(ish) characters for the western ghost town storyline, and 1 character for the Spudsy's storyline. I personally don't think all of these storylines and characters will appear in the same episodes, unless the TADC crew is split up like in ep 1. The Candy Canyon Kingdom and the Spudsy's storylines definitely don't, because Jax can be seen in the wagon, along with (at least) Pomni, Gangle, and Kinger, in the large image shot of CCK in the teaser. (I have no clue what kind of gummy animal is pulling the wagon.)

I also wanted to briefly talk about the unfinished location that Caine showed in the teaser. My first thought was that it was a baseball stadium, but after further inspection the field seems a bit off to be a baseball field. Regardless it definitely is set up to be a performance space, whether it be a theatre or arena of sorts. From the design, I don't think it connects to the other locations revealed in the trailer.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my theories on this teaser! If you have any thoughts, please comment or reblog to let me know!

[gamebunny-advance]

Doodle Dump: NSR Edition

It's been a while since I've posted a doodle dump. I guess I finally grew a sense of shame and wanted to stop posting all this bad unfinished art.

But, turns out it went away again, so here they are. I'll make another dump full of OC and misc in a bit. Thoughts and notes under the cut as per usual.

1: "Peanuts". For some reason I titled the file "peanuts" but I don't know why. They don't look like any Peanuts characters I know. This was a style test for a comic I wanted to draw, but never finished. But I MIGHT finish it someday, so I haven't included it in the doodle dump.

2: "Lovefool". Something I doodled around Valentine's day, I think. Pretty sure this can go without explanation.

3: "Young Kliff Diagram". Some ideas I had for young!Kliff. Hopefully my handwriting is legible, 'cus I'm in no mood to re-write all that right now.

4-5: "Yinu & 1010 Age Swap". Self-explanatory. I don't love either of these. I think the rose pattern pants on Yinu is kinda childish still, but I don't know where else to put the pattern~ Little 1010 is kinda cute, but he's not great.

6: Hello Kitty DJSS. After the "3 Apples Tall" doodle I did a while back, I started to like the idea that DJSS is just an unabashed fan of Hello Kitty (I think there's a specific word for that, but I don't remember what it is). Tbh, if NSR (the company) did have an actual Sanrio collab, I think Eve would probably get Hello Kitty since she's their top charter, but I also think DJSS would beg to take Hello Kitty as his collab partner.

7: "GG & MM" A doodle I did around the time of the "Gigi is a spy" discussion.

[sandyca5tle]

Slime HRT - 2 Months

Hello again, it’s been two months since I started the slime hrt, so this is the first update, although it’s a pretty short one.

So, while nothing much has happened externally, I have noticed a few things, the most drastic one being that my blood now seems to have been replaced with sap. It was certainly an experience to cut myself while shaving, only to have a viscous, amber fluid leak out of my face. I figured that since the gel is being absorbed into my bloodstream, that’s getting the direct dose, so it’d make sense that that’d change first, although I am a little surprised that my thighs and shoulders didn’t change a lot since that’s where I’m applying the gel, but I guess that’s just how this stuff works. I can also confirm that my sap is sweet, kinda like maple syrup - although the exact taste is different - which is neat, and hopefully that’ll pass onto the whole of me when I get to that point.

The other big thing is how much I’m drinking now, I really have to make sure I have a water bottle filled up while I’m doing things, otherwise I get headaches from dehydration. This was kind of expected - especially compared with the sap-blood change - as the information pamphlet had been very explicit about keeping hydrated given that my body was literally becoming a kind of liquid. The headaches really suck though, especially as I tend to forget to drink regularly anyway, and I only need to forget a little to get a cracking headache. Even if I do remember to drink, high temperatures can fuck me up just as badly now, so I’m really having to watch that.

The last major thing I’ve noticed so far is that my skin has become so much smoother. Like, regular hrt had already done a decent amount, but this is a whole ‘nother level. Running my hand over my skin now kinda feels like running my hand over like a marble countertop or something, it’s very weird. On top of this, my facial and body hair has also thinned a bit more, which only adds to the new texture of my skin, which is neat as shaving sucks, but again, this kinda starting stage is as weird as it is exciting.

That’s all for this update, see you in the next one! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Posting this shortly after the first one just so i actually have one of the proper entries out and about. Don't know when I'll do the rest, especially the ones I haven't written yet, but. (Edit - Above stuff doesn't super make sense now with new start, so i figured I'd come and just add an edit to it here, so yeah) Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

First - Prev - Next

[annieqattheperipheral]

Hey, love your work. Favor to ask, do you know about nathan telling a story on a podcast about getting cut near his eye and getting told by medical staff he might have vision issues? I can't remember which podcast or interview it was and it's driving me nuts!

aww so kind of you, thanks!

My gosh i haven't thought about that injury in so long, that was a freaky one. Sorry i don't remember hearing him talk about it on a podcast but hopefully someone who sees this post remembers and can help you out!

Edit: tysm @rachlesaurusrex!! It was indeed sportsnet after hours

hmm makes sense why he got so intense that year after this started his season. doubled his points from 2016-17 (53 -> 97)

FYI for those who don't recall, Oct 13, 2017:

The vision loss was temp and returned before game end postgame media:

He was indeed cleared to play the stars

articles one two three

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2: (Un)Answered Questions & Plot Holes

This is just me going thru my S2 Musings posts & collecting all my questions/concerns/complaints, which can hopefully be addressed or fixed in S3. As much as I love IWTV, I do wonder if the writer's strike effed things up, cuz some of this just don't make sense, Rolin.

WHY was Louis hallucinating Dream!Stat?

What was Lestat up to after the Trial & the Loustat breakup!?

When does Raglan James go rogue?

WTF is even happening with the Great Conversion?

WHO tried to interview vamps that the Talamasca knows about

HOW did Loumand not know their building was crawling with Talamasca spies?

Magnus

Armand's languages

Armand's religion

Papa DPDL

Claudia's diary pages

Armand's Backstory

Alice & Kate

Louis' photos

Louis' aerophobia

No Frankenstein?

The Script/Lestat's lies during the Trial

Lestat's bruises, no Tower Scene

The London Coven

Lestat's maker/fledgling telepathy in 1x2

Where were Claudia's diaries & yellow dress?

Loumand post-Paris and pre-Dubai

Daniel's Turning

When/Why did Sam go to the Talamasca?

Wtf is Dr Fareed up to in S3?

2x1:

1: WHY was Louis hallucinating Dream!Stat?

I still wanna know if this was a figment of Lou's imagination/guilt, or a symptom/manifestation of his mental illness. Is Lou REALLY schizo, or was Daniel just being an a-hole? (AND, is there a dream!Lou who visits Lestat in the dump? XD)

2x2:

2: What was Lestat up to after the Trial & the Loustat breakup!?

Ok, so we know Roget was right--Lestat was asleep after Mardi Gras, and Santiago woke him up for the Trial--WHEN though? As soon as Lou & Claudia arrived? Or when Santiago stole her diaries? (That would've just been an approx. 5yr nap; not a decades-long torpor like the ones Les had in the books.) But was Les asleep in NOLA after the Trial? Rolin said he wanted the reunion scene to be during Katrina, but the timeline didn't fit, so he used Odette instead. Was Lestat awake for Katrina? Did he sleep right through it? When did Lestat learn about Siri?

2x3:

3: When does Raglan James go rogue?

I'm very confused about this guy. We already get his threat/easter egg that he wants to Body Snatch someone and take over the Talamasca, so he's clearly already plotting. He got Armand's OG script from Sam, so I assume he still has access to the archives & agents--so they wouldn't've kicked him out yet. (Unless he hacked their database like he hacked Dan's laptop?)

Cuz he's complaining about not being well-funded, which is weird; the Talamasca THROW MONEY at their agents. And Raglan was kicked out of the Talamasca precisely cuz he was a kleptomaniac who made a fortune stealing people's money/identity--so he's got funds.

We didn't get to see the list of questions he said the Talamasca wanted Dan to ask Louis, either. What was THAT about? But Raglan did get Dan a Talamasca-approved publisher like he promised; and the Talamasca edited out...whatever it was that they didn't want mentioned--and what were THOSE edits? What does Louis know that the Talamasca says is off-limits, and what did the final cut of the book include & omit? Does this leave the door open for Lestat to come swooping in saying "Louis" lied on him, when really it was the Talamasca?

So IDFK know what's going on with Raglan (don't even get me started on Rashid), but I'm excited to find out!

4: WTF is even happening with the Great Conversion?

OK, we got confirmation that S3 WILL do Rockstar!Lestat (thank god), but y'all STILL left the Great Conversion hanging. Louis knew this was happening in like 1x2, and we haven't learned EFF ALL about it since. Why didn't we get Lou/Dan watching TV, listening to news reports about strange killings or something? Or even them talking about seeing more baby fledglings out & about?

Cuz it kinda defeats the purpose of Lou's book pissing the vamps off, if on the one hand they're gung-ho about secrecy & staying in the shadows, and on the other hand they're Turning noob vamps left & right!? So many, that the Talamasca's getting worried!? And why aren't they going after Daniel--HE'S the vampire on TV saying vamps are real!

Like, I get it--AMC's obv setting up the whole Amel plotline, where he wants/NEEDS Akasha to wake up & burn all the vamps, cuz his silver cord/neural link with all his fledglings is being stretched too thin if too many vamps are connected to him; so he wants to cull the herd. The Great Conversion's the last thing Amel would want. And it makes for easy fodder for Akasha, so we can have an epic scene of her just lighting mofos on fire. But other than that, the Great Conversion hasn't made much sense since y'all first mentioned it, sorry.

5: WHO tried to interview vamps that the Talamasca knows about?

6: HOW did Loumand not know their building was crawling with Talamasca spies?

I seriously hope AMC retcons this, and says that Raglan was shielding Daniel's thoughts from Loumand, cuz that's literally the only explanation that makes sense. We know from the books that the Talamasca could block even strong vampires like Lestat from reading their thoughts, but I'm stunned that Armand wasn't scanning Daniel's brain the whole time.

7: Magnus

I hate everything AMC did with the Magnus backstory--I hope this is just a matter of Armand (1) lying his arse off, and/or (2) not knowing wtf he's talking about. Just like Dream!Stat said: HA! 😡

8: Armand's languages

What Daniel said in 1x4 about Armand's Muslim prayers sounding Crimean/Ukranian or whatever has had everyone reeling ever since. But AMC never addressed it in S2! So wtf IS Armand? He says French is his 4th and poorest language--so I'm assuming:

he was born in Delhi, spoke Sanskrit (a la Arun in Sanskrit)

(???) this 2nd language is the one I'm confused about. Either this is the Crimean/Ukranian/Russian Armand learned when he converted(?) to Islam (WHEN??); or it's some other language. In the books, Andrei knew Greek when he was kidnapped & sold to the ship captain (which makes sense cuz of Greek Orthodox Catholicism), and that's how he initially communicated with the boys in Marius' palazzo), cus his amnesia made him forget his native Russian

Amadeo learned Venetian Italian from Marius' boys, and that's what he ended up speaking the whole time he was with the Children of Satan in Santino's coven

French, which he spoke when he was transferred to Paris to lead the Children of Darkness at Les Innocents

9: Armand's religion

10: Papa DPDL

11: Claudia's diary pages

NGL, I do wonder what all the fuss was about in 1x5 when Lou refused to show Daniel the rape pages, if he was just gonna tell us what happened in 2x3 anyways. 🙄 Is it cuz he realized Dan was right about not editorializing; wanting to be as honest as possible--getting "every detail right", like he said in 2x1? Lou told Armand he wasn't gonna share the pages with Dan, he just wanted to see them again--is it cuz he forgot what had actually happened to her? Yeah, IDK what was going on there.

2x4

12: Armand's Backstory

13: Alice & Kate

We never did find out if these chicks (and Dan's daughters) were even real.

14: Louis' photos

We never did find out wtf was going on with Louis' photos (my money's still on Rashid).

2x6:

15: Louis' aerophobia

Did Louis ever get to fly a plane, is all I wanna know, AMC. For reasons.

2x7:

16: No Frankenstein?

NGL, I'm holding out hope that Armand actually did chop Claudia's head off, and just kept HELLA QUIET about it cuz he was working so hard to come off innocent as possible. TVA spinoff tell-all WHENNN?

17: The Script/Lestat's lies during the Trial

WHERE and WHEN did Lestat sleep, before he went to America?

I think this was Lestat deliberately misdirecting the coven so they wouldn't know he found TWMBK.

1908 leaves a 2-year gap, since Lestat met Louis in NOLA in the winter of 1910. So WTF was Lestat up to? The math ain't mathin!

18: Lestat's bruises, no Tower Scene

AMC, this was quite possibly your biggest L all season. If it wasn't for the eagle-eyed fans spotting Lestat's bruises, we'd have NOTHING to even begin to hint that Lestat was being forced to participate in the Trial! Why on god's green earth did y'all not focus on that more--during the Loustat reunion would've been a great time for Lestat to let Louis know he only did it cuz he HAD to!

I wouldn't be surprised if the Trial's revisited to Gotcha! us in S3, when Lestat tells the "real" story 🙄, and we get Lestat's perspective, arriving in Paris, confronting Armand, and getting the coven's ultimatum. Cuz TBF, the Trial was being told strictly from Loumand's perspectives--what Louis remembered when he was going in & out of consciousness under the coven's Mind Gift assault; and what little Armand provided (that wasn't a lie). Louis wouldn't've been in any shape to notice light bruising on Lestat's wrists with one of his eyeballs literally hemorrhaging. And Armand CERTAINLY wasn't gonna bring up Les' bruises if he's the one that put them there--he was already shaking in his boots over "Banishment."

So I think this situation can still be salvaged--YES, it'll be a cop-out, but whatever; I just wanna see it. Rolin promised us that we';d see Lestat be "humbled," but I thought we'd get something way different. It's beyond ridiculous that y'all didn't make it clearer that Lestat had been tortured; especially cuz he seemed just fine during their rehearsal--and THAT would've been the moment to show him effed up before they dolled him up for the stage.

2x8:

19: The London Coven

20: Lestat's maker/fledgling telepathy in 1x2

21: Where were Claudia's diaries & yellow dress?

We clearly see Louis stuffing Claudia's dress & diaries in a burlap sack, and we clearly see the dress perfectly preserved in Dubai. So Daniel's question still holds: "Where were all these diaries in 1973?" There's also the question of when Louis started his "archives." I have several theories (X X), but yeah, I'm confused.

22: Loumand post-Paris and pre-Dubai

AMC, the math ain't mathin!

I need a frikkin Loumand timeline, AMC, this ish don't make no sense!

23: Daniel's Turning

Like. Wtf? I can't believe y'all offscreened Armand Turning Daniel. We'd better get a proper Devil's Minion segment in S3, istg; I NEED to see the gremlin terrorizing Daniel; it's pure comedy!

24: When/Why did Sam go to the Talamasca?

Just a spare thought--was it for asylum? Out of spite against Armand? Out of boredom? Seeking attention? What?

25: Wtf is Dr Fareed up to in S3?

I just hope we'll get the reveal that he's a vampire, and that we'll see his Maker Seth for the very first time on screen--hopefully as they side against Akasha! That would be a spiiiiiicy family reunion!

[chairofchaos]

Evening friend!

You bring chaos to my life so here is a little chaos for you

2, 3, 5, 8, 19, 26

And just for fun because I know it will probably hurt me 40

Feel free to answer what you want and ignore the rest 🤍

GOOD EVENING.

Thank you for letting me bring chaos to your life, and for bringing me some in return. In your honor, I will answer all. Seemed like the most chaotic thing to do. I considered making separate posts for each question but then again that was a lot of work so just... bear with me. This is a long read, but hopefully, you will find it worth it.

2. Anything that you'd like to write but feel like you're unable to?

Yes. I am currently bouncing around multiple Greek/Roman tragedy adaptations of our beloved ACOTAR and TOG characters. I do not feel prepared to write these yet. I want to do them justice. That semester of studying tragic plays of the ancients has stuck with me.

3. How would you describe your writing style?

I don't even know how to answer this, but my best shot is this:

The vibe must be chaotic.

It must be written as fast as possible.

It should be entirely unplanned.

If it is planned, it should be entirely overwhelming and likely a bigger project than I should ever take on *cough cough* LETTERS *cough cough*

It's not a style as much as it is entirely based on my whims. And that's not always great. In fact, it's something I don't really enjoy about myself (comment on this and I will edit it out of this post so fast I SWEAR).

But I enjoy the product. I think there are at least a couple of you that do, too, so hopefully we can all enjoy that little piece of chaos together. If not, I'll just enjoy the pain I create on my own like a good little fanfic writer.

5. What's a tag you never want to use for your works even when it applies?

I don't think such a thing exists. I don't like surprises? Idk, this doesn't really make sense to me. Clearly I have no problem tagging things Dead Dove so we all know what I'm up to lol

8. How slow is a slow burn?

Somewhere between 100 and 100k words. I genuinely do not care. Depends on the medium? The pacing? A slow burn described in a poem is going to look very different than a slow burn in a fic the length of The Iliad and the Odyssey. Or Wheel of Time (that's a long series, right?). I don't care. It's all great. I love slow burns. Haven't written one because I think those characters should be enjoying each other romantically on page 1, but I LOVE reading them.

19. Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

UNANSWERED STARS YOU BEAUTIFUL HUMAN. Is this what you expect to hurt (I haven't looked ahead at the other questions I'm doing this straight through, no edits, no takebacks. Welcome to Chaos- you get two.).

Eris was no saint, either. Cauldron knew he kept his mate up some nights. But the Cauldron also knew Azriel would get out of bed in the middle of the night and take off into flight, not returning until he knew Eris would also be awake. After the first time, they would rarely talk about where Azriel went or what he did. Instead, Eris would press a mug of overly sweet coffee into his hands and they would sit together in silence on the front porch, Azriel’s head on Eris’ shoulder and their hands clasped together. - {Working Title is Coffee and Psychotherapy. THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY FLUFF YOU CAN THANK DUSK-MUSE AND NINTHCIRCLEOFPRYTHIAN}

And maybe more along the lines of what you were expecting:

Azriel found the most enjoyment in the training and teaching of others. In his time as spymaster, he regularly found time to work with young soldiers, for which many have since thanked him, crediting him with saving their lives by instructing them in his limited spare time. In the years since the war, Azriel enjoyed collecting books from all over the world. The collection he amassed was the instigator for a library to honor his mate. - Death, and All That Follows (This may or may not be a sort of extended epilogue to something I wrote recently.)

26. What would you describe as OOC?

This is possibly a wild take: I don't think I care what is out of character for characters I write. It depends on the fic, sure. But I think perspective forms our understanding of characters, and seeing them in a new light can often bring a different, even "OOC" type attitude to fics which I often enjoy. I am very much an advocate for "Don't Like, Don't Read" not only for plot points but for characterization as well. If you don't enjoy the way someone writes your favorite (or your least-favorite!) character, don't read it. The beautiful thing about being a part of a fandom is the diversity of experiences within it.

I did not read Nesta's journey the same way you did, or the way your friend did, or the way my best friend did. I brought my own perspectives, my own experiences, to my interpretation of her actions, words, and thoughts. I came out of the other side loving her, and loving the way she loves. I recognize myself in her. I know I'm not alone in that. I know that there are a great many who do not like her in the slightest.

ACOSF Nesta was presented very differently to ACOTAR Nesta. (For the purposes of this argument, we are removing the debate about The Author Herself because I simply don't care at the moment and that's a much larger topic.) I don't think that anyone's interpretation of Nesta is "wrong" or "bad" because we all bring a pair of glasses to reading, and that glass is made of our experiences. That's the filter through which you consume the work. My glasses are different from yours. That's okay.

Little tangent while we're on the topic: I don't care if your glasses are different. But if you break those glasses to use the shards of glass for the purpose of hurting other people, that's a problem. I have a problem now, and so do you. Because of the inclusion of the argument above, it needed to be said, and so here it is: Don't hurt others because of your glasses. Theirs are different. Please learn to recognize that, and that it is okay to view pieces of media differently. Tangent over.

So TLDR on OOC: I don't care. If you want to write a piece where character canonically named Bubblegum Sunshine Princess because of her (in-canon) overwhelming joy and love of the outdoors and her kingdom's candy trees is a murderous assassin filled with rage and the destructive flame of a thousand suns, go right ahead. There's a very good chance I would love to read it.

40. Write a 9-word fic.

Title: This is a Thing [REDACTED] Learned. The title will be longer than the fic itself, and that's the beauty of The Thing [REDACTED] Learned. Thanks.

A/N: (Stars. My dearest friend. You expect pain here? Now I want to prove you wrong...)

Pairing: Your OTP. Or my OCs. Or is this about my life? Or yours? Who knows. I'm not currently well lol

...........................................

Knowledge came with no promises, no love, no you.

...........................................

All the love, Stars. You're the best. <3<3<3<3<3

[raayllum]

I keep thinking about the key of Aaravos because it is rarely mentioned at all since season 2. Law of Chekov Gun says it should have a big role eventually but we still don't know what it does. What do you think it does?

Barely mentioned since S2??

Oh, the Key's never been more relevant than in S4 my dear sweet anon (honestly may be worth doing a post just about it in that season since, somehow, I haven't yet and S6 is right around the corner)

The season I'd argue it has the least on screen relevance in S3 (it's there mostly for fun Xadian shenanigans in 3x02, and then isn't on screen at all until 3x08, in which its presence helps Callum realize he can use the moon opal necklace to hopefully help Rayla) and technically S5 due to lack of screentime, even though it looms over Callum relentlessly due to its Aaravos-dark magic-negative associations. There's a reason they use the pawn Callum intro, and that the pawn Callum intro has the Key in it at all (bc it did not Need to) in 4x04, honestly more importantly, 5x08.

In short, though:

I have 3-4 main ideas about what the cube may be / what it does. Some of these work under the assumption that Aaravos wants the cube back, but he may be totally disinterested in it, so there's some accommodation for that as well.

The Key isn't drawn to a place, but is drawn to Aaravos himself; it holds his memories (explaining how they knew his treachery) or his heart piece, and it'll help restore Aaravos to his full power

The Key holds a general quasar diamond, such as Laurelion's (if he and Aaravos aren't the same person lmao)

The Key was used to help humans develop dark magic and it doesn't do much else

The Key helps unlock the Star Nexus or to find wherever the other Startouch elves have gone, and can help Aaravos 'go home'

Honourary mentions: the Key is drawn to something in Elarion, the Key actually was a gift for Leola, the Key is also connected to deep magic (ties into the dark magic development honestly for me), etc etc.

I could also see the Key eventually being more positive - helping Callum more directly with magic or defeating Aaravos or something - but that'd largely be a subversion of the previous set up / symbolism, so if it did happen, it'd get pushed until like S7 or something. That said, I doubt it'll just have a positive subversion without serving a more negative purpose of some kind, first; it flashes a bright white light in the Pawn intro after all, and that just seems to indicate that Callum's going to play into Aaravos' hands regardless (and 'light'/white is often bad in TDP, anyway).

If you're interested in more Key of Aaravos thoughts I'd recommend checking out this tag, and these metas specifically:

Opposing Symbolism: Harrow and the Key of Aaravos (post-s4; mostly about how affectionately weird it was to use the key as a symbol in 2x08 of dark magic when Claudia's dark magic book is right there, but it makes more sense with S5 context of dark magic temptation and Aaravos)

The Key of Aaravos, a Formal Analysis (pre-s5; it's worth noting that rune placement symbolism does come into play, as 2x08 foreshadowed Callum's dark magic use in 5x08 and that it would be on Rayla's behalf)

Key to Aaravos' Heart Theory: S4 edition, S5 edition (the cube holds a quasar diamond, specifically Aaravos' chest piece)

Unlocks a Place of Great Power, an Elarion Analysis (the cube helped develop dark magic)

Rayla's weird associations with the Key of Aaravos (pre-S4 but S4 definitely added to it on god, since her associated-moon opal is what lights up the cube on the Bridge of Darkness, putting them in danger, and it's on her goddamn shoulder in her big dramatic 4x02 appearance)

[laeteria]

It seems I never posted this here, so…

You may, or may have not, stumbled across this video, but yeah… My Tumblr is kinda dead, so I thought it isn't that bad of an idea to drop this one here as well.

There are some notes in the description, so before you go attack me because I haven't added XX role to YY seiyuu, please read the description 👊😔

Some Tumblr exclusive notes under the cut ✨

Why Paradox Live?

Yeah, I know I said I was not posting about Paradox Live anymore and considering the fact that the video was posted in October 2023, it seems pretty recent. However, I have been working on this video for AGES. I think that I will end up in somewhere in 2022(?) starting this video. I was still into Paradox Live and I had dreams to introduce people to it. Too bad that I'm a procrastinator… I mean, I could have chosen IDOLiSH7 as starting point as well, but Paradox Live had a bigger cast :)

My motivation to work on it

Guys, I'm not even kidding. I was planning to use Paradox Live to (hopefully) get some people into Argopro. The project had some difficulties and I wanted to pull people into it, so I did it in a very roundabout way. After all, not a lot of Paradox Live seiyuus are in Argopro like bro what am I even doing!? When starting with the roles of Kajiwara Gakuto (Allen's VA), there were barely any solos for Haruka (his role in Argopro). I remember downloading/ripping the audio of Orthros, because that song was barely introduced. Good old times.

What did I want to achieve with this video?

Guys, I'm just a girl who really likes sharing her interests and I'm a big fan of listening to music of several music projects because I think they are nice and they are different from other music if that makes any sense + you can listen to your favourite seiyuus!!! This was a video for my close friends because I always try to get them to listen to songs or to check out projects. This was merely a tool I used, I guess. My friends love me and I love them. In the end, it wasn't even needed because I post plenty enough on my insta story.

How I made the video

Bros, let me tell you. This was one hell of a dumpster fire of making this video. I'm not kidding. If you think you you can do it, go for it. I will never do it again.

I made the video on my phone. My phone has seen better days, y'all. I first made the template in Ibispaintx and after that I went into YouCut to put the audio over it. I absolutely hated it because you couldn't delete the files if you had the videos in draft (otherwise it will get corrupted which makes sense), but it took a lot of storage. I ended up saving them seperately per character, but the pain I had to go through everytime I made a mistake was painful.

This video is like 22 minutes long, but it took me nearly 2 years to finish it ( •̥ࡇ•̥ )

A little extra for you all <3

I still have the very first version of this video, so I thought, I might as well upload it for others to check out how ewww it kinda is, lmao. It was such a rough draft, but you can't have it all, right? Here is the link (the video is still unlisted, so you won't find it online if you don't have the link).

Another extra, which are the Paradox Live edits (this is a link to my Amino post, so yeah, it's a hell hole ngl) I did 4 years ago. I wanted to use one of them as my thumbnail actually, but I decided not too because people may not be used to that and thus may consider it over the top…

[suzyq31]

Thanks for the tag @kay-elle-cee! I feel like such an imposter lately since I can't seem to bring myself to write lately, at least outside of journaling.

AO3 Username: Elastic_Heart31

1. How many works do you have on A03? 15, but 2 more are hidden for now.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 765,116

3. What fandoms do you write for? So far just Harry Potter. If I was braver I would write the Before Sunrise idea I have or attempt to write a fleabag fanfic. I'm also experimenting with more original writing.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Maybe Tomorrow

Iris

It Had To Be You

Found (though currently hidden)

In Between (also hidden 😅)

Those are all Harmony, but my top Jily fic is:

At The Beginning

5. Do you respond to comments? I try my best with my ADHD brain. I truly appreciate when people take the time to let me know their thoughts.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hmm. Not sure since some haven't ended some of them yet. Maybe Plans? Since we know what happens in canon.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably It Had To Be You with it's two part epilogue of fluff.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Sigh. Yes. One of the many reasons I've lost my enthusiasm for writing Harry and Hermione fanfics.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes, though often against my better judgement haha. I have no idea what to classify it as. Maybe I'll borrow Kelsey's word and say vanilla.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not sure.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Maybe? I've had people ask, but unsure if they are posted.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, hopefully will get back to it someday!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Hmmm I've had so many over the years. The only ones I've attempted to write though have been Harmony and Jily. They've also been consistent since childhood.

Special shout out to my teenage love of Pacey and Joey from Dawson's Creek, even though adult me thinks he deserves better and that show is terrible.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? At this point it feels like all of them 🙈

16. What are your writing strengths? No clue. I've been told I write emotion well. I've also been complimented on my ability to write children realistically.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Probably grammar and sentence structure, I still feel lost a lot of the time when it comes to all of that. I earned to write in English after learning French though it's my native language, and I see how it still impacts me. Also, I tend to be the worst with over writing and then having to edit the hell out everything!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If it makes sense in the story. I've seen it work well in a lot of literary books I've read. And one scene in particular from UaS (if you know, you know).

19. First fandom you wrote for? Harry Potter. One and only (so far).

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Hmm I'm probably proudest of Maybe Tomorrow. It's one that feels personal in ways that are hard to explain. I also think I grew a lot as a writer while working on it.

In terms of Jily, I've really enjoyed my drabbles that aren't on archive. I do hope to expand on some of them someday.

Tagging: @myst867 @annonymouslyblonde @cordovabox @nodirectionhome-ao3 @glitterwitch1

Also if you feel like joining considering yourself tagged!

[zorasthoughts]

as good as dead spoilers

this post has major spoilers for agad, don't look if you haven't read all three books

i don't know if this is the case for anyone else, but i guessed the identity of the dt killer before the big reveal in agad. before i go any further, this is not bragging, and there is a point to this post, so please have a read.

although i wasn't expecting pip to get kidnapped, i wasn't actually surprised by who it was. i'm not saying this as a brag, but i wanted to detail something that i noticed during my first read of agad, and that is actually relevant in the first book and that we will hopefully see in the show.

in agad, chapter twenty, pip looks at photos of andie's planner, and there is a paragraph mentioning the "full photo" which "showed more of andie's cluttered desk", and includes "a pale purple hairbrush" (agad, 198)

this isn't the first mention of a purple hairbrush in the book. in chapter thirteen, pip and ravi read an article from february 2012 about the dt killer, which mentions the trophies that he took, including "a lilac or light purple paddle-shaped hairbrush" (agad, 131-2)

it comes up again when pip is reading the interview transcript of billy karras in chapter fifteen. in the interview, the words "purple, light purple, lavender-ish" and "lilac" are all thrown around (agad, 161)

so when "andie's" hairbrush was mentioned in chapter twenty, and mentioned specifically as "pale purple", best believe my brain was latching on to that little detail. it seemed too coincidental to be a coincidence

after reading andie's email in chapter twenty-one, i felt pretty sure, and holly's misdirect (pip thinking that the dt killer was daniel da silva) didn't make sense in my brain, because it would have been weird for daniel to give andie a hairbrush, but andie receiving a hairbrush from her dad, less so

again, this is not bragging. in chapter twenty-seven, after jason is revealed to be the dt killer, pip makes the connection: "the purple paddle hairbrush on andie's desk [...] it had belonged to melissa denny, jason's second victim" (agad, 262) the signs were there before the reveal, other readers have also probably put this together

anyway, that was a lot of words, but there was a point to this

the photos of andie's planner come from when pip and ravi break into the bells' family home in agggtm

"on top of the make-up case was a paddle hairbrush with long blonde hairs still wound round the bristles. beside it, pip spotted a kilton grammar academic planner" (agggtm, 223)

so yeah. pip and ravi. doing a spot of b&e. in the first book of the agggtm trilogy. which has been adapted for a tv show.

all this to say, if we get the purple hairbrush in the background of pip taking photos of andie's planner, i will go INSANE.

edit: if you've read this far, would love to know if you picked up on the purple hairbrush hints in agad, and also the likelihood of it appearing in the tv show

[slutforstabbings-archive]

Clean Again

Chapter 10: SELF-INFLICTED read on AO3 | previous chapter | tumblr chapter index make sure you check AO3 for this fic's playlist and other extras!

Corey plans a big night to show Reader how much she means to him

general warnings for this fic - angst, fluff, smut (MDNI), canon-typical violence, canon-typical gore contents/warnings for this chapter - luff, angst, graphic violence, alcohol mention, male masturbation, panty sniffing, passing mention of drug addiction, passing mention of domestic violence, knife play but just barely, major spoilers for The Lobster (2015)

5,108 words

A/N: This chapter contains major spoilers for The Lobster. If you haven't seen The Lobster, I think things will still make enough sense, but see the end for a summary of the plot of the film if needed. I've kept the summary vague so hopefully even though the ending of the movie is spoiled by this chapter, you will still be enticed to go watch the movie and see how they got there. It's one of my favorites and I highly recommend it but it is Fucked Up and there is graphic animal death among many other things so be prepared, look up a list of trigger warnings, and watch something gentle and lighthearted afterwards lol

A version of this chapter has already been published on Tumblr and AO3 with the title LoveSong. It was written to fill a request from @rebel-blue but I thought it fit here perfectly. This version has been edited and added to.

@heartrot666 @wolvesandvampires @cordelium @toxicanonymity @multifandom--mess @hersweetrevenge @futurewife @yllcm @ethanhoewke dm me or reply to this post to be added to the tag list 💕

Corey parks his motorcycle on a side street instead of his usual spot by the door and lets himself into your apartment with the key you gave him. It feels weird, he’s never been in here without you before. But it’s kinda cool, he feels close to you even though you’re not around. And you wouldn’t have given him a key if he wasn’t allowed to come and go as he pleased. He’d been trying to plan something nice for over a week when he received a cryptic text from you.

He padded down his mossy wooden steps and found the key in a little box with a note from you. Just something I thought you should have, it said. As he stood at the mailbox, awestruck smile on his face, his plan for a special night solidified. Now he struggles to close the door, his hands are so full of all the stuff he needs to make tonight perfect.

He goes to the kitchen and spreads all his supplies on the island. One bouquet of roses to give you and one to tear apart for the petals, a bottle of wine that he hopes is good for as much as he paid for it, a salad kit, a frozen lasagna from the take and bake section of the fancy grocery store, a big long loaf of Italian bread, a pack of tea lights, a carton of raspberry sorbet, a real vase so you can stop putting the flowers he gets you in containers you fish out of the recycling. 

Your oven groans like it’s haunted as it preheats. Corey darts around your kitchen, starting and stopping different tasks, feeling scattered. He places the wine and the sorbet in the freezer. He fills the vase with water and dissolves the plant food, but forgets to put the flowers in it. He grabs a small bowl from the cupboard, then abandons it on the counter. He pulls all the petals off a single rose, then remembers a story you told him.

“One time a roommate I had put a bottle of wine in the freezer and forgot about it. I guess because hard liquor doesn’t freeze, she thought it would be okay. But wine is way too low in alcohol content for that. It expanded when it froze and the fucking bottle exploded on me when I opened the freezer. Scared the shit out of me!” You laughed and shook your head. “Our freezer was sticky and full of broken glass the rest of the time we lived there.”

Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck. He opens the freezer apprehensively, squeezing his eyes closed in case of projectiles. The wine is still liquid and the bottle is still intact. Close call. He breathes deeply and tries to organize his thoughts. One thing at a time. The oven chimes. Lasagna first, then. He reads the instructions a third time and notices something new. TIP: it says next to a little drawing of a lightbulb. Place a cookie sheet under the lasagna pan to catch any sauce or cheese that bubbles over. He finds a cookie sheet and puts the lasagna on it, then slides the whole thing in the oven. 

The rest of his preparations go more smoothly. He follows a recipe he bookmarked last night to make garlic bread. He finds a giant mixing bowl and fills it with ice for the wine, like fancy restaurants always do it in the movies. He does his best to clean off your dining table. Usually when the two of you sit here to eat, you just shove all the shit that accumulates over the week to the side. But you know what’s on the table and Corey doesn’t, so he awkwardly stacks things instead, placing the piles all at one end so there’s room for the set up he envisions. 

He needs something to protect the table from the heat of the lasagna pan. You don’t have any kitchen towels in the drawer where you usually keep them, so he goes into your bedroom. He’s gone with you downstairs to your building's laundry room before, so he knows you have a two hamper system, but he can’t remember which is for clean and which is for dirty. He reaches into one and just pulls out whatever’s on top to do a smell test. It’s a wadded up pair of tights and it definitely came out of the dirty laundry. He just intended to sniff them for hamper identification, so he’s not sure how he winds up sitting on the edge of the bed with the crotch of the tights pressed firmly over his nose and mouth, inhaling as deeply as he did the other night to get stoned on your shotgunned smoke. The smell of you lingering on the nylon couldn’t be more beautiful. 

Since the first night he woke up in the hospital Corey has sometimes struggled to believe things are real. Everything in his life seems so much like a bad dream. Even being in your apartment, cooking you dinner, Corey felt like he was on an empty sitcom set, no cast, no crew, no studio audience. Putting on a show with nobody watching. But you, your physical body, left an imprint on these tights that proves you exist, made out of bones and electricity and meat. Gloriously alive. A unique trace of you, so rare a dog or a DNA panel could follow it back to you and only you, out of eight billion other people. The most precious substance on Earth.  

Corey's breath hitches and he pulls the tights away in surprise when he realizes his cock has gotten all the way hard. He feels like a creep, getting aroused by your stuff when you don't even know he's there, and he still hasn't gotten completely over the Pavlovian way he feels shame when he's horny. When he's with you, you distract him, so beautiful and brazen that you make it feel right. But he hasn't been able to do it alone without feeling bad about it since the night of that first kiss. He pulls his phone from his pocket. There are still several minutes left on the timer for the lasagna and almost everything else is finished.

Maybe it's okay... It's not any worse than following you around, really. He pulls his pants and his underwear down to his knees and scoots back on the bed a little. He brings the tights back over his face with one hand and wraps the other around himself. His intention as he starts slowly stroking is just to tease a little, save the rest for the main event with you after dinner. His hand doesn’t get the memo. He tries to slow down and only speeds up, tries to loosen his grip only to squeeze himself a little harder. 

He wants to resist it, but it occurs to him again that this is kind of creepy. Except now the thought doesn't feel as bad. It kinda feels good. What would happen if you came home early for some reason? What would you think, seeing him, in your apartment without your knowledge, practically eating your undergarments in his attempt to inhale the smell of your pussy, touching himself on your bed? The mental image of your face as you realize your boyfriend is a total fucking pervert is so clear, he looks over his shoulder to make sure you aren’t really there. He can imagine the shock in your eyes, the confusion, the fear. Fuck. 

Then the shame rears its head and he retreats from the thought like jerking back from a hot surface, scrambling to think of something else. He comes up with a brilliant idea. He shakes the tights out until they uncoil from the ball he’d squeezed them into and the legs hang limply, then he slides one leg over his slippery, throbbing cock. He bunches the extra length up against his pelvis, drawing himself deeper into the tights, pinching and wrapping the fabric until he’s sheathed in it like a condom. The texture is scratchy but not unpleasant. Corey leans back on one arm, propping himself up on his elbow, getting his hips into it. He brings the toe of the other leg to his face, knowing your smell lingers there too. He pants hard, and it only takes one, two, three gulping breaths for him to get there. Hot, sticky cum seeps out of the nylon.

His arm under him gives out and he lies flat on his back, the soiled tights sticking to him as he softens. He only gets a second to relax before the timer for the lasagna goes off and brings him back to earth. Corey rushes to clean himself off and shove the tights deep into the hamper he now knows is dirty laundry. He sprints through washing his hands, alarm still blaring, and finally yanks the lasagna out of the oven 3 minutes past time. It’s a little dark but it should be fine. Hopefully.

He digs a kitchen towel out of the clean hamper. He smooths it flat on the dining table and sets the lasagna in the middle. He brings in the salad and the garlic bread, trying multiple placements to see what looks best. He feels so out of his depth, but he’s determined to do a good job. He googles table setting diagrams and does the best he can with your mismatched thrift store dishes. 

He’s doing the last few steps, sprinkling rose petals in a path from your front door to the dining room with one hand, scrolling through the playlists you’ve made him with the other when he hears your car crunch the gravel outside. Corey rushes to the dining room, slipping on his sock feet and gut checking himself on one of the dining chairs. Wincing, he hides where you won’t see him from the door, and presses play on a song just as the lock turns.

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

As you stand at your front door preparing to insert your key into the lock, you hear a thump and then a very faint groan come from inside. What the fuck was that? You unlock the door as noisily as possible and swing it open very slowly. The last thing you want is to surprise an intruder. You peak inside hesitantly. It smells good. Why does it smell good? Just as you start to fear something way freakier than a simple robbery, you notice the song playing over your speakers.

Whenever I’m alone with you… You make me feel like I am whole again. Wasn’t Corey just saying he had been listening to Jack Off Jill at your suggestion? You step inside and finally see the rose petals scattering the floor and the warm glow of candle light coming from the dining room. That cheesy motherfucker, you think as butterflies fill your guts. You smile and bite your lip in spite of yourself.

“Where are you, you big sap?” You call out.

“Follow the petals!” He shouts back.

You follow the petal trail into the dining room and see him standing at the head of the dining table, beaming above all his hard work. Your mouth hangs open in shock as you take in all the details. More rose petals surround the table, on top of which you see a dozen roses in a gorgeous crystal vase, a delicious looking dinner and -

“Are those proper two course place settings?” You laugh.

“My attempt,” Corey says sheepishly.

You come around the table and grab his face in your hands. “This is so…” you trail off, opting to kiss him instead of finishing your thought. It conveys what you mean much more eloquently anyway. When you release him he pulls a chair out for you.

“Thank you, sir,” you say. His face instantly turns bright red and he clears his throat.

Corey piles salad on your plate and pours you a glass of wine. The two of you eat and try to talk through your giggles. You knew he had a romantic side, but this is something else. Somehow you feel even more giddy than when you first met him, even more like a silly middle schooler writing Mrs. Corey Carpenter all over your notebook. You watch his every movement. Could it be possible he’s becoming even more of a babe? Or is it just because you love him?

God, that’s a scary thought. You’ve been suppressing it violently every time you have it. It just seems so fast, you haven't been “official” for very long at all. But trying to shove it down the past few days has made you feel like a cartoon character on a sinking ship, plugging holes with every finger and every toe just for more to appear and the water to keep rising. He smiles at you, all long teeth and crinkled eyes, and the boat capsizes. You love him, you love him, you love him. And now that you admit it to yourself, you have to admit it to him too. 

Before you can say anything, he stands.

“Ready for dessert?” Corey asks.

“There’s dessert?”

“Of course,” he says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Stay here.” He stacks all the dinner dishes onto the cookie sheet and takes it to the kitchen. You idly wonder if he’s ever had a job as a busboy. You try to guess what desert is by the sounds you hear him making in the kitchen. Something refrigerated, or maybe frozen. That doesn’t narrow it down very much.

He returns with a bowl heaped with scoops of something the color of blood, two spoons sticking out. He sets it on the table and scoots his chair closer to yours before sitting down. You take a hesitant bite. Raspberry. It’s delicious. You devour the bowl together without speaking, just watching each other.

“Corey…” You finally break the silence. “This was really special.”

“Oh, uh... It’s nothing.” He shrugs.

“It’s a lot more than nothing. You put a lot of hard work into this and it was really cool. No one I’ve dated has ever gone out of their way for me like that before.” In the short time you’ve known him, he’s done more for you than Orin did for your entire three years together. He looks at you like you’re God. He cares if you cum. He listens.

“How is that possible?” He asks. You snort at the question.

“I thought that was just how it was.” You say, shaking your head. “Corey I… I love you.”

Before you realize what’s happening he’s out of his chair, pulling you up from yours into a tight embrace, pressing you against him like he wants to fuse your bodies together. You squeeze him back and you can’t fight the goofy smile you break into.

“I love you too,” he says back, voice strangled with emotion. He releases you just enough that he can look at your face. “I’ll never treat you like they did. I’ll never hurt you. I’ll never walk away from you, unless you tell me to leave.” You look into his eyes. He looks so intense in the candle light, lit almost like the villain in a black and white movie. To your own astonishment, you completely believe him.

“I have one more thing planned,” he says after a long pause. He leads you to the living room. You sit on the couch. Corey turns on the tv and connects his phone. You see the name of the movie he’s casting and can’t help but laugh.

“The Lobster?” You say, incredulous.

“You said it was your favorite romcom,” he says.

“That was a joke!” You say, scrunching your face to keep from dissolving into hysterics. “I do really like that movie but it’s a dark comedy. It’s not a date movie… Unless you’re on a pretty fucked up date.”

“You’re on a date with me.” He smirks at you. 

“Okay.” You laugh, pleasantly surprised by his little self-deprecating joke. You pat the couch next to you. He puts his arm around you when he sits down and you nuzzle against him as he presses play. 

“So,” you say as the end credits roll. “Do you think he did it?”

“What?” Corey asks

“Do you think he went through with blinding himself?” You turn to face him.

“Of course. He doesn’t have another option.”

“I mean, there’s no obvious second option, but he could’ve figured something else out. It’s a hard thing to do, to hurt yourself like that. Your sense of self-preservation would get in the way, force you to consider something else, right?”

“No.” He says, with startling conviction. “All other options would lead to death, or something even worse than death. They say they turn you into an animal to give you a second chance, but that’s bullshit. If you’re still yourself inside the animal, that’s a prison. A punishment. If you lose yourself, then becoming an animal is no different from dying. It’s easy to hurt yourself when prison and death are the only other options.”

“But blinding yourself in unsterile conditions with imprecise tools is so dangerous, he might just be committing suicide anyway.”

“Yeah. If he doesn’t do it, he’ll probably die. If he does do it, he might die. But if he does it, at least he tried. Wouldn’t you try?” Corey rests his forearms on his thighs and looks at you with dark, serious eyes. It doesn’t feel like you’re talking about the movie anymore. 

“I would try harder to come up with another plan. If they’re both blind, how will they accomplish anything? Why, after all the shit he’s been through, is he still so willing to hold onto the old system? He’s just gonna give up his whole rebellious thing? No. He should stay sighted and fight to change things.”

“You don’t think he tried hard enough to come up with another plan? He thought of everything. He… He probably thought of a hundred more plans than just what they showed us. He only saw one way out. He did it.” Corey leans back onto the couch, watching your face. 

You look back at him, trying to process what seems like a coded confession. What part of his past is he alluding to? Did he inflict the wounds that scarred him on himself? The thought has never occurred to you. For a long time, your working theory was that it was drug related, a deal gone wrong or something. Corey’s quiet, no frills life would make sense for a recovering addict. But he shows no hesitation to drink, and he’d never smoked pot or seen a bong before the other day, didn’t recognize the sensation of being stoned. 

So then, maybe a robbery? You could see him on either side of that equation. Being young and stupid, making a bad choice and paying the price, or at any age, having an attempt to defend his home go poorly. The other prevailing option was someone’s jealous ex. He’s never had a girlfriend, but all it would take is being in the vicinity of someone with a sufficiently jealous, sufficiently violent former partner. If an abusive asshole decided Corey was a threat... Maybe that was what he meant when he said he was cursed?

No. Self-inflicted. It echoes in your head. What had he said when you'd asked him about it? I was stabbed. Passive voice, almost no information. Your eyes burn thinking about it. Corey just looks at you. 

“Yeah…” you say hesitantly. “Maybe he did do it.” 

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

It’s the first night Corey has slept alone in days and days. After he made you dinner, he stayed the night. When he got off work the next day he popped by his apartment to get clean clothes, several outfits worth, and he hadn’t been back since. But tonight after work he came home to his little garage and the studio above it to work on his tinkering. It was a struggle to pull himself away, so many days in a row just made him want more time with you, like someone lost at sea drinking salt water when they're already dehydrated. He knows you feel the same way, quietly giving him permission to violate your three days a week rule, implicitly asking him to stay another night, and another. Eventually he had to come home. 

Some parts he’s been waiting on have finally come in, so he stays in the garage late, until he realizes he’s drifting to sleep with a soldering iron in his hand. The idea of dying in a fire caused by the iron dropping out of his hand to the wooden workbench doesn’t thrill him like it used to, so he climbs the stairs and crawls under the stained, secondhand covers on his stained, secondhand mattress. 

Like he always does when he’s in bed alone these days, he imagines he’s not. He lays there on his side and pretends he’s curled around you instead of his lumpy pillow. His descent into sleep is fitful, plagued by half-conscious dreams and hypnic jerking. 

Corey’s not himself, his body doesn’t belong to him. He’s taller, thicker, stiffer than usual. He looks down at his hands and he’s missing two fingers, not wearing his ring. I’m Michael, he realizes with awe. He’s outside Laurie and Allyson’s house, and he can hear a commotion going on inside. He turns the knob on the side door and is pleasantly surprised it’s unlocked. He’s going to kill Laurie. After all this time, the bitch is finally gonna bite it.

He steps into the foyer and Laurie isn’t there. He is. The real him. Corey that stabbed himself, bleeding out on the floor. Allyson crouches over him, wailing.

Don’t go! Please Corey, don’t go! Don’t leave me!

He wants to go to her, and he's next to her, just like that, like he teleported. I’m not going anywhere! I’m right here, I didn’t leave!

She turns to face him and screams at the top of her lungs, face contorting in terror. Except she isn’t Allyson at all. It’s you. It’s you and he’s Michael Myers, and the knife he stabbed himself with is right there on the floor, and you both spot it at the same time. You’re faster than him, rising to your feet and lunging for it, but Michael is so much bigger than you, he makes it first.

You stomp on his hand without hesitation. He’s amazed and aroused by your decisive brutality, but he can’t feel the pain at all. He wraps Michael’s massive fingers around your foot and yanks your leg from under you. You slam to the ground, your shirt soaking up dying-Corey’s blood like a sponge. He picks up the knife. You scramble backwards on your hands and feet like a crab, but the blood makes you slide and fall. In one stride, he’s standing over you. You roll away towards the front door, pulling yourself up by the handle and throwing it open. Corey-Michael follows you, desperate to break into a run to catch you as you sprint away, but unable to do more than walk with wide strides. He tries to call your name but his mouth won’t work.

The streets of Haddonfield narrow, the houses shrink and warp. The road is carpeted now and lined on either side not with homes, but with bookshelves. The library. He approaches the aisle where he first saw you, where you trapped him to ask about your sewing machine. He rounds the corner, knowing you’ll be there, that mischievous grin on your face. He raises the knife. You turn to face him and he brings the knife down. A thin red line rapidly widens on your cheek, and another across your chest. Your eyes glaze over with betrayed tears. He raises the knife and brings it down again. This time it penetrates your chest and Michael-Corey feels the tip glance off one of your ribs as the blade buries itself to the hilt.

He stabs you repeatedly, sinking in, sliding out. 10 times. 30 times. More times than he stabbed his mother. More times than he stabbed everyone else, combined. He keeps going, long after you’re dead, until the blade gets stuck in your sternum and the knife handle breaks off, and you slide from his grasp to the floor. All the books on the shelves on either side are coated with a fine mist of your blood. 

He throws the broken handle down the aisle, then sinks to his knees beside you on the ground. He cradles your head in his hands and cries. His hands with all his fingers, signet ring back on his pinky, white scar across one palm. He’s himself, survivor-Corey, hiding-from-the-police-Corey, your-loving-boyfriend-Corey. He wails your name. 

Don’t go! Please don’t leave me! I’m so sorry, please don’t go!

Corey wakes up in a cold sweat. He checks his phone. 4am. He’s been asleep less than two hours, but that's gonna have to be good enough. He tosses on a light jacket, shoves his feet into his boots and goes downstairs. In the corner of the garage is a large toolbox. He unlocks it and opens the lid. It’s full of junk, rusted nails and bent wrenches. He pinches the sides and lifts, pulling the false bottom compartment up and out, setting it on the workbench. He places his hand in the now empty box and pushes on one side. A second false bottom flips up out of the way. On the real bottom of the box is Corey’s little collection of weapons.

Pocket knives of different sizes and designs, a Buck 120 hunting knife in its leather sheath, a brass knuckle, a snub-nose .38 revolver not much different from the one Laurie shot him with, and a box of bullets. Things he’s bought or stolen or found. Things he knows it’s tempting fate for him to have, but they make him feel… Not safer, but perhaps more prepared. 

He takes out a knife and flicks it open. It’s the biggest folding blade in the box, more than an inch longer and twice as wide as the toothpick knife Corey carries every day. For a split second, he’s tempted to test the sharpness on himself. Instead, he turns to a cardboard box on the table top and stabs it. The blade glides through as if the corrugated walls of the box are nothing but air. Perfect.

He reassembles his hiding spot and tucks the knife safely into the inside pocket of his jacket.  

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

You wake to pressure on the bed, the mattress sinking beside you. You open your eyes a sliver and see a silhouette next to you, ever so slightly darker than the surrounding nothingness. You’re barely conscious but you’d know that shape anywhere.

“Corey?” You croak.

“Hey,” he whispers. “Sorry to wake you.”

“Mmm,” you reply, too sleepy for real words. You scoot away from him and pat the bed next to you.

He shifts to lie down in the space you made, and pulls you into him. He’s so warm and soft and safe, you’re already almost asleep again. He puts his hand under your chin and lifts your face.

“Don’t go back to sleep. I need to talk to you,” he says softly, and plants a gentle kiss on your lips.

“Hmmm?” You ask.

“Come on, I need you awake enough to talk to.” He slides his hand along your jaw from your chin to your ear and back, stroking your cheek with his thumb. His words move through your brain thickly, like molasses. “It’s important,” he says.

You fight hard to rouse yourself. It’s important. Corey warns you to shield your eyes, then he reaches over and turns on your bedside lamp. The amber light stimulates you enough to prop yourself up on your arm and look at him. His eyes are red with deep shadows underneath.

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” You put a concerned hand on his chest.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“What time is it?”

“4:30. There’s something I want you to have.” He reaches into his jacket and pulls something out of the interior pocket. You hold your hand out and he places it in your palm. A pocket knife.

“What..?” You start to ask.

“I want you to be able to protect yourself. You’re so important to me, I need some insurance that you’re safe. I know you’re capable, but you don’t always have a baseball bat. Promise me you’ll keep it with you and you’ll use it on anyone you have to,” he says. 

You sit up and examine the knife in your hand. The handle is made of a rich, dark wood, with something shimmery inlaid. Mother of pearl maybe. The blade has a little groove for one handed opening. You slip your thumbnail into it and pop the blade out. The edge glints in the lamp light. It’s a beautiful knife. 

“Okay. I promise.”

“I‘m serious,” he says. “Promise you’ll use it against anyone you need to. Even me.”

“Corey, I… Why would I need to use it against you?”

“You won’t. But just promise me that if you did, you would.” The prospect is ridiculous to you, but he looks dead serious.

“I promise.”

He grabs your hand, holding the still open knife, and angles it so you’re pointing it at him, the tip grazing the skin of his chest made visible by the two unbuttoned buttons of his henley shirt.

“Promise me.”

“Corey…” you protest. You try to pull away, you don’t want to hurt him by accident. But the strength of his grip stops you. Your heart races. You’re scared, but the fear is oddly arousing. “I promise.”

“That’s three times you promised.” He lets go of your hand. 

A sick impulse comes to you. Without thinking about it, you raise the knife, angling it upward so the tip presses against the soft underside of his chin instead of his chest. He breaks into a wide smile. You apply the tiniest amount of pressure and he raises his chin just a little to get away. You follow him with it, pressing it into his stubbly skin enough to make him pull away again. Then you realize what you’re doing. Horrified, you pull away and fold the blade back inside the handle.

You can’t even begin to apologize before he’s kissing you like his life depends on it.

Summary of The Lobster(2015): A man lives in a society where adults MUST be in romantic partnerships. After his wife leaves him for another man, he goes to a matchmaking resort for single people to meet. If you fail to meet a long-term partner before your stay at the hotel is over, you will be turned into the animal of your choosing. But there's a group of Loners, people who want to be single, that live on the edges of society. The man wants to be a Loner, but finds himself attracted to another Loner, which is against the rules. His partner winds up blind, and he has to decide if he wants to join her in blindness or not.

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

Open and Waiting

Chapter 3 of Open and Waiting is up on Ao3 now (NSFW link). Sorry for the delay for anyone who prefers reading it there. The last week (month? year? decade? existence?) has been rough, to say the least.

Chapter 4 is written and just needs to be edited so I should hopefully be able to post that soon. I've been aiming for a generally weekly update schedule but this is probably going to change from now on. I have the entire fic planned so I know what's happening for the rest of it. However, I've now hit the point where I'm struggling with writing parts of it and generally having an argument with the thing. I have bits and pieces written but the doc is now a collection of various lines, chunks of written parts, general thoughts and notes.

There are some really good lines that I really like that I definitely want to include but they're just lines in isolation at the moment so I have to try and figure out where they fit. I've got other sections that are written but aren't quite right yet and need to be developed further, edited or rewritten in parts.

There's even about 500 words of one particular scene that's pretty much finished and edited. It sort of just hit me in a moment and ended up being written in another keyboard mashing haze like when this fic idea first hit. The problem is that it's:

a) a new idea that I didn't have in my plan so I'm just making this monster even bigger than it already is (why do I keep doing this to myself?) b) a chunk of writing that just exists in isolation at the moment, with only a vague idea of where it fits in with the plot (what plot lmao, this is pure filth, maybe planning? order? who knows, certainly not me and I'm writing the damn thing *cries*)

The main problem is that there's nothing cohesive. Not right now anyway. They're all just bits of writing that exist in isolation and haven't been connected together in a way that makes sense. Chapter 5 is planned but I'm currently trying to cobble together bits I've got with other planning about sections that I want to include. It's going slower than first manic crazed keyboard mashing that happened when the idea for this fic latched onto my brain and refused to let go.

Damn ADHD getting in the way again. Please cooperate brain. I want to finish this fic. I have the whole thing planned out. It's just probably going to take a little longer than I've been updating so far.

Tagging everyone who's asked to be added to my little taglist so that you're at least aware of this little update. It boggles my mind that I've even got a little taglist already! I'm so ridiculously happy that people enjoy what I've been writing. It seems silly but your reactions and comments will often be the only bright moment in my day and they mean so much to me! So thank you for enjoying it and letting me know that you do <3

Taglist

@queenariesofnarnia @skywlker-sluvtt @techs-assistant @dangraccoon @iamburdened @pheesupremacy @blondie-bluue @motte-the-goblin