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m1ckeyb3rry · 3 months ago

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FHE JUSTIN BIEBER GIF CRYINNGGGGGG LAMAOAOAOAOAO im assuming its the sae oaeu cooking rn

LMAOSOA YOUR POST trust I take all of your ramblings as rewards your brain is fr so big all of these fire ideas >>>>> ok but the pokemon au is so good…extraordinary….exquisite….remarkable (if you’ve watched as much pokemon as i have you’ll probably get this but if not just take it at face value) the Barou sibling angst is actually my fav

LMAOO YOUR MOM AND HER BROTHER THATS SO ACCURATE

ISAGIS HAIR I feel bad for his hair and his hair alone they always weirdly slick it back or comb it up and he looks like a middle aged man

IM CRYING “I cry but because I have to deal with his shit” LMFAOOO yuki fr tweaking atp or repeatedly saying his mantra in his head trying to keep his sanity like “god never gives us more than we can handle god never gives up more than we can handle god never-“

LMAAOA NO IT MAKES SENSE my brain just grouped up the letters that way that I had to double take ok so we’ve had kaneshiro possesses Mira moment and we get canon characterization of kiyora it’s time to freaky Friday reverse you should take over kaneshiro and write bllk i fr wish Karasu actually scored more literally my exact thoughts like “ARE YOU A STRIKER???” Channeling my inner ego…..but agreed glad he still at least has SOME presence and is consistently shown active in game

Bro kurona was so random…like with epinagi and s2 you can see them sneakily trying to add him in the bg cameoing to make him feel relevant but he fr was dropped out of nowhere like wdym the one who ranked fourth in second selection who we’ve never even seen a glimpse of and didn’t do anything in u20 is suddenly good friends with Isagi and others and gets field time HUH his first appearance is quite literally in BM when he’s holding the iPad showing Isagi Kunigami new stats (yk it’s bad when I rmr this info off the top of my head) something about the wording “using religion and blindness” has me laughing so hard LMAOOOO it’s giving that one meme “I’ve got the power of god and anime on my side” except it’s god and optic neuropathy UAHSHSHA ok but on a serious note that fr would go so hard like let’s expand on his character please….id honestly love to see more of him as he was shown in the LN because nel yuki is SO diff than what he actually seems to be based off the LN but anyways…

Kunigami being the main rival makes sm sense tbh when I first read I thought he WAS going to be the main rival but no it’s Kaiser ig….wait the morally greyness of wildcard being discussed would fr be so interesting…..guys….also ness is one of my least fav characters tbh so slander him all you want LMAOO gotta agree w some dudebros he’s fr a Kaiser glazer you’re fr cooking though….we gotta get you in touch with kaneshiro asap

LMAO REAL I also (clearly) enjoy bllk quite a bit but yes many things to be improved…sometimes I think to myself if only I was an Isagi Rin or Kaiser stan I’d be having the time of my life but alas we cannot be MEDIOCRE

Wait the terminally ill route fits his character fr….where he’d be unwilling to tell his family about it because he wants to strive to be the best despite it and won’t settle for a comfy life…I can also see him getting murdered though LOL either way I’m sure it’ll be good (even though he’s dying oops)

Yeah I lowk forgot people who have such audacity exist the Tullia hate kinda insane and just generally when people comment “he’s mine [chafacter] better get away from my man” ICK imagine in the tags you just put every reader pairing possible as a jic disclaimer like “reader and Tullia talk to men so beware!”

I always found the rival characters so funny like why are you jumping me when I’m trying to get to the next city no I don’t wanna battle you rn LMAOO it’s funny in how like every version you end up teaming up and double battling the villain team somehow but the way they come and go was always so funny to me

When you first said may I thought you meant May from pokemon but now I realize…anyways love Tullia sooo glad to have her alive!!

LMAOOOO Lowk I had a subconscious thought like galvanthla interesting choice (i personally collected joltiks bc they looked cute LMFAO) Isagi the most basic of basics so an all basic team is perfect for him LOL I mean hey you gotta have an op basic pokemon somewhere right I already consider infernape relatively more niche amongst most popular pokemon too LOL

Otoya using his pokemon as chick magnets is so real LMAOO I wanna analyze the breloom yuki vibe like why does it work so well

Nagi fr got the short end of the stick omg LMAOO ofc it had to be a fire type too for once thank you reo for spoiling him HSHSH

SHSHSBD THATS TOO CUTE I bet chigiri would take sm time grooming and caring for his rapidash too (in line with what we talked about for his hair and skin LOL) sometimes I forget you make money from battling LMAOOO like yeah I just beat your pokemon up now hand me my check

REAL BUT LMAOOO the light blue team never fails for him honestly when in doubt just match the hair color I can definitely see him genuinely having an aurorus and ice types though maybe he’s like (I like them calm and cold unlike my parents) hiori running a fossil pokemon conservation wait id never thought of that that’s also so real….atp this should just be an expanded universe that exists time to world build (on that note imagine Aryu grooms and styles pokemon for coordinators and especially furfrou, I forgot exact which gen you were into pkmn until oops I’ll elaborate if you didn’t get to kalos/xyz)

LMAOOOOO i was already linking up aiku and Brock the moment you brought him in lowk that interaction set up you have is so pkmn verse coded its great

I SECOND THAT if no other inspo comes out lowk pokemon au….guys…..also Noel noa being the actual champion while reos dad just holds the title is actually such an interesting dynamic and would work so well

SHSHS sounds like you’ve got it all down still praying for your safety though all those experiences in one lifetime is crazy

HAHAHA I LOVE THE CHATTER reading the convo responses brings me just as much joy as reading ur actual fics im always down for yap sessions

- Karasu anon

LMAOOO that’s just me irl tbh like i hope that’s what you picture when you think of me 🤩 surprisingly it wasn’t in reference to the oaeu!! someone had just posted that they wished there were more otoya fics because they’ve read all of them already and i was like “just working…working hard to please you” because i am an occasional otoya writer for sure

OMG MR REMARKABLE (i forget if he had an actual name KFNSJSN my brother and i always just called him mr remarkable he’s like that elderly man who has a tv show or smth right??) and HAHA tyyyy 🥹

maybe they do it like that to distinguish him from rin or smth?? idk but it’s specifically only isagi who gets the horrendous hairdos they don’t give ANYONE else that treatment 😭 i fr feel bad for the guy even though idgaf abt him…

bllk karasu’s like “can we switch places” because a universe where otoya’s not as much of a dumbass AND he has the chance to rizz up reader is the universe for him (he def is so pressed that hollyhock karasu never made any moves LMAOOO “wdym you lost her to OTOYA” and hollyhock karasu is like “i never wanted her in the first place 🤔” so bllk karasu is like “WHAT”)

HAHAHA possessed by kaneshiro fr i felt his energy flowing through me in that moment 😭 someone needs to get me on the phone with him like idk much about soccer BUT i can definitely cook in terms of characters and plot!!

I REMEMBER WHEN KURONA FIRST SHOWED UP I HAD TO REREAD THE CHAPTER BECAUSE I THOUGHT I JUST MISSED HIS INTRODUCTION 😭 agreed there’s such a discrepancy between ln/third selection/u20 yukimiya and nel yukimiya!! especially with that rlly cool panel of him in the u20 game where they’re like “his style of soccer is street soccer 😰⁉️” and he looks gorgeous af i was looking forward to more elaboration on that!! like really showing how he plays differently compared to the other players (maybe giving him some special weapon because of that kinda like metavision) it also could’ve been a really cool point of connection between him and kaiser given that both of them kind of learned how to play soccer in unconventional ways…but alas…here we are

NO BECAUSE KUNIGAMI VS ISAGI RIVALRY COULD’VE BEEN SO GOOD it would’ve built up the hype for kuni sm more and him feel much more relevant imo!! honestly along with wanting to know what wc is all about i’ve always wanted to know noel noa’s reaction to it…like his biggest rival from the past has destroyed this child’s body and life and future in order to make a copy of him THAT’S LEGIT INSANE??? kaneshiro could’ve given us such a scrumptious kuni and noa dynamic and then he just didn’t 😭

honestly i think one of the main problems w bllk is that kaneshiro is spreading the cast too thin and making people care about too many characters but it’s impossible to effectively manage such a huge cast given the premise of the story and still have emotional impact when stuff happens to them and that also means that characters aside from the protagonist aren’t given a ton of fleshing out (this is relatively common in shounen sadly…jjk had a similar issue but almost to the next level) where by focusing on lesser characters and just giving them insane depth the story would’ve felt much stronger ☝🏻 like realistically there’s 0 reason for kurona to exist in nel when reo (as per our earlier convos) or yukimiya could’ve easily taken that role and had their characters developed much more!! kiyora could also have been replaced with yukimiya (as much as i love him) and tbh?? get sendou out of ubers and focus more on aryu (how’d he go from number 2 in scoring goals to a defensive player?? flesh him out more instead of sendou literally nobody cares abt him…hot take but only memorable u20 players were aiku sae and shidou the rest did not need to be there), get rid of tokimitsu entirely (show how his nervous personality doesn’t jive with egoism) and give zantetsu + karasu more opportunities to shine in pxg (honestly if they wanted to keep the cutthroat feel of second selection then get rid of nanase too and show how kindness doesn’t cut it in bllk where you need to be insane; that way the cast is still large but these characters aren’t fighting for a main spot they’re more naruhaya-esque) 😰 and another hot take but they should’ve saved all of the other ng11s besides sae until the world cup arc (so no kaiser and lorenzo in nel) to really build the hype and stakes of the wc because rn it’s like…ok the bllkers have already managed to beat lorenzo and the whole kaisagi rivalry is going on so the ng11s don’t feel as threatening?? whereas they could’ve been a really cool obstacle in the wc and would’ve provided a baddie of the week feel and higher stakes without it being boring or random since they’ve been so foreshadowed already with sae

i agree i rlly like the terminally ill aspect it also explains why his pokémon are willing to go along with his possessed body (they’re not able to accept that he’s gone) as well as why isagi knows so much without him being a villain…it’s also just sad to think about like he didn’t want his family to worry about him but he wanted to accomplish his goals so he just pushed forward until he literally couldn’t anymore 😭 also now i’m realizing lowkey kunigami would fit better in barou’s role (given the whole canonical wildcard thing being similar to the possession) however idc because i like barou more

yeahhh unfortunately fandom people can be a little weird to say the least and especially now that i have a decent amt of followers i know there are going to be interesting individuals in my comments so it’s not even worth it to not tag…okay but hear me out i wasn’t even thinking about this when i assigned teams (nagi got his team based on cuddly fluffy vibes and barou got his team as all dark types because of his “villain king” thing and reader was forced to have one of the same pokémon as him for the sibling theme…of barou’s team i liked houndoom the most so that’s what reader got) BUT the parallels between nagi’s starter being arcanine and reader’s being houndoom kinda go crazy?? like they both have huge fiery dogs but as per the pokédex arcanine symbolizes loyalty justice protection etc and houndoom is like death hell horror and whatnot 😭 however as we know nagi’s aura is death and reader’s character’s main theme is love (for barou, for her pokémon, etc) so narratively nagi x reader would be so good…especially if they’re each other’s “rivals” but they’re not really rivals and half of the time are helping each other out…there’s a vision here and it’s cooking imo 🤩 ALSO i’m thinking…hear me out…karasu reminds reader of barou so he becomes like her surrogate older brother while they’re searching for barou and reader is the annoying little sibling karasu never had which makes him respect yayoi more and teaches him responsibility and maturity which in turn makes yayoi finally respect him too 🤔

honestly galvantula is such a random pokémon but realistically in terms of type matchups it’s absolutely CARRYING reader against barou’s team considering dark is weak to bug 😭 honestly it’s such a cool little pokémon i think it’s so fun for her to have it on her team!! and the gyarados plot line is going to be so entertaining (basically she gets scammed into trading a freshly caught pokémon for a magikarp and shenanigans ensue) that i think the basicness is excusable

otoya constantly getting girls via his fairy type pokémon vs reader and tullia being like “ladies STAY AWAY” who wins 😭⁉️ and agreed breloom + yuki goes so hard…tbh i rlly like steelix and yuki too it works surprisingly well

no literally justice for nagi 😭 the way the government did NOT gaf abt him is crazy like they could’ve at least given him a water type (although tbf he’s meant to show how the pokémon training system takes advantage of people so it makes sense) honestly though i love his character in this au he goes through sm development and his slowburn w the reader will be legendary fr

YOU KNOWWWW chigiri’s rapidash is SPARKLING he def takes such meticulous care of all of his pokémon (same w reo) whereas nagi’s just like eh as long as they’re healthy 😄 KFNJSSB so like manshine trio will be chilling and in their downtime reo will be brushing his cinccino and chigiri will be polishing his rapidash’s hooves meanwhile nagi’s arcanine is rolling in a pile of mud somewhere having the time of its life

hiori and ice types just go so well together (even though he only has one on his team I think 😭) and agreed i can see him retiring from battling after his arc w reader and co and following his actual passion of helping endangered pokémon instead of listening to his parents (maybe karasu inspires him because he also stood up to his family [yayoi] and that gives hiori the courage to do the same)

gen six is where i left off!! i played gen seven (namely moon and a bit of ultra moon) but i didn’t like them that much so as far as i and this au are concerned the pokémon verse ended with xy/oras 🤩 omg wait aryu as a pokémon groomer slays…maybe he’s the one yuki takes his pokémon to before contests?? and perhaps the itoshi bros are mentioned in passing as gym leaders in another region…kaiser as noel noa’s apprentice who’s going to be a new e4 member like isagi (but a bitchier one who never knew barou and never directly interacts with reader) and same with bachira + kunigami (kaiser to replace noel noa, bachira to replace lavinho, kunigami to replace chris prince, and isagi to replace snuffy) there’s just so many different roles that characters can play!! the world building would be so fun

LMAOO honestly aiku trying to be the rizzler but getting cock blocked by big bros otoya and karasu is so funny to me 😭 also speaking of brock link ups since we know karasu and reader are like a sibling duo i’m imagining otoya and tullia to have that brock and croagunk dynamic where she just punches him whenever he flirts with girls because he’s so cringe it’s embarrassing 😰 speaking of tullia atm i’m think she’ll likely end up with either chigiri (since he’ll probably pull up quite frequently as a nagi companion so there’s ample time for development), isagi (since he’s a classic tullia pairing and all), or maybe even hiori?? like her and hiori really hit it off and after the main story is over instead of becoming a show/competition breeder like she planned she decides to go back to his nature preserve and help in breeding for species conservation or something 🤔 many many options fr

NO BECAUSE LISTEN THE TIK TOK AUDIOS ARE BURSTING WITH POTENTIAL FOR THE POKÉMON AU i’m getting soooo many ideas for the story now!! like the entire gyarados arc, the aegislash arc (this one goes crazy because it’s basically “reader and nagi somehow end up in a period drama for an entire arc” yet it makes perfect sense given the pokémon verse and the backstory), EVERYTHING with barou especially the final fight between the cousins (i’ve decided they’ll be cousins but as close as siblings!! so y/n’s mother is barou’s father’s sister and her houndoom is barou’s houndoom’s sister so it’s like three generations of brother/sister-esque bonds making up the story), the random evil team encounters…i’m sure you saw but i put requests on hold for a few reasons: so i can finish the ones i have, work on the oaeu, AND also start this story hopefully!! also i want to deny people from requesting for a bit so the hype is built for my 1k event whenever we reach that milestone FJDJSJSJ

LMAOOO the craziest thing is that’s not even scratching the surface unfortunately i have had many insane experiences with men i’m sure you’ll hear about more whenever they’re relevant to the convo 😭 and YESSS i love chatting w you hehe always a little rush of dopamine when i see the little “anonymous asked you a question” notification on my phone (when tumblr isn’t an OPP and actually gives the me the notifs) 🥹

#answered asks #pokémon au

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huacheng-zhu · 4 years ago

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ok so 2ha. vague spoilers ahead (important spoilers are warned but watch out)

that’s a solid 4.5/5 for me. this novel RUINED me and I loved it for it. it made me feel like very few novels (and even stories in general) did. today I’m STILL shaken over a part of it that I read two days ago, despite the happy ending. I have A Lot of thoughts (shout-out to @whateverwuxian who can testify that I couldn’t shut up about it, love you buddy!!) so I just went ahead and [gestures below]

starting with the negative so we can enjoy all the positive later. feel free to discuss but I’m extra sensitive and these are only my personal feelings so they probably won’t change anyway, so be nice please!

what I didn't like:

too many r*pe scenes. I get that the non-con """makes sense""" narratively and thematically but like. they didn't have to be explicit. at the very least not all of them. sorry but too much is too much. there are more non-con sex scenes/flashbacks than consensual sex scenes! stop! we get it! enough now!

not a fan of a 26yo falling in love with a 16yo. if cwn had initiated Anything I would’ve thrown the novel out the window. but thankfully it didn’t happen, I got invested, and nothing mutual happened until mo ran was 22, so I mostly got over it, but I’m still somewhat uncomfortable with it for very personal reasons.

their first time putting it in. it felt so unfair and I was very upset over it. it could’ve worked without going There? why. was that necessary. and it's heartbreaking for both of them, because mo ran didn't want to do it either. he wanted them to take all their time. he wanted to go step by step. all he wanted was to make sure cwn would be happy and comfortable and never hurt again in bed. for their first time that way he wanted it to be special. but it was just. taken away from them, and for what? for nothing there’s absolutely no reason for it. I get there’s the metaphorical foreshadowing of the upcoming reveal aspect (spoilers) both of them not consenting, mo ran being horrified -> the reveal that mo ran was cursed and so would’ve never wanted to treat cwn like this in the past either if he’d had control (end spoilers) but still?? and it’s never brought up again? I know they don’t get the time until the very end but hhhh. yeah I have Feelings over this

some plot twists hit good emotionally but had no point? thinking of the one about xue meng here.

there’s horny, and then there’s mo ran. it’s not a bad thing, it’s just not the kind of stuff I like reading about and book 1 and 2 are A Lot on that side so in book 2 after a while ME, THE BIGGEST ASEXUAL WHO COULDN’T CARE LESS ABOUT SEX SCENES, WAS LIKE, “oh my god have mercy please just fuck already I beg of you” and indeed they chilled a bit after that. like they were still horny but. less intensely and less all the fucking time. thank god (I still think the farm arc was hilarious to witness though, and I did love it)

kinda wish their reunion at the end was longer and more emotional but that’s just because I love that shit

(spoilers) kinda wish we got to see shi mei again before he went off doing his blind wandering doctor stuff. a talk with ranwan would’ve been very interesting. (end spoilers)

xue meng didn’t get a hug

that one thing at the end you know the one. maybe I'd be more into it if it'd been given time to be explored seriously and wasn't played off as a joke. it kinda ruined the mood of their last scene for me. (spoilers spoilers spoilers this is the end of this section if you don’t want to get spoiled) in that scene I wanted chu wanning to ride off into the sunset with mo ran, not txj. like, txj is the alternate world’s “if there had been no transmigration” version of mo ran 2.0. the whole point is that mo ran IS txj in book 1, but changes and becomes mo ran 2.0. mo ran 2.0, who by the end of the novel has already done all the redemption and deconstruction of his dubious habits. who he was as txj is long behind him. at this point txj will always be a part of who he was, but they are pretty much two 'different' people now. txj disappearing into dust after everything that happens at the end was beautiful symbolism. it meant something. to me there was no point keeping txj around after all that other than for “haha split personalities fighting over cwn’s attention uwu” THAT SAID the fact I'm not a fan of the idea doesn't mean I don't like txj. I care txj a lot and have Emotions over him, and I will definitely eventually explore this in my writing

(still spoilers) the demonic blood reveal was a bit.... deus ex machina? plus I personally would've preferred mo ran staying a regular person (end spoilers)

alright what I liked now:

the themes, both regarding the characters and the various plot elements. this novel really challenges your morals and what you think is right or wrong, what’s redeemable, what’s punishable, and how much one relies on first impressions, amongst other things. this novel is the definition of “don’t judge a book by its cover” but also “look further than the first page” in so many ways

the romance. like I don’t need to say anything there. just, the slow burn, the longing, the yearning, the romance [clutches heart]

the plot twists/reveals. I’m so glad I was barely spoiled (I was spoiled two Big things but very vaguely so I was still surprised) because pretty much all of them had me shouting “WHAT” and/or gaping and/or various “what the fuck!!!”/”holy SHIT”/“NO” reactions

the way a lot of those reveals just completely change your view on things/characters?? that’s my jam

wontons. that was the first time I cried and my first very physical reaction to an event in this novel. I literally felt like time froze. I heard my heart beating. it was painful but AMAZING.

might be nothing in the grand scheme of things but honestly, all the food! I love that mo ran is an excellent cook and can make all those delicious dishes for cwn. as someone who loves to cook for their loved ones I think it’s so lovely that he gets to do that

the character growth. for everyone, but mo ran in particular? like I just. I started off not liking mo ran very much, straight up despising him at times, and in the end I was fucking sobbing over him and cried myself to sleep only to wake up in the middle of the night to cry some more so there’s that

chu wanning? there were aspects of him that I related to heavily, and that felt both like the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known and very special because it doesn’t happen to me that often

the whole deaging arc. that was deaging done right and it had a purpose in the narrative and their relationship growth, I was “!!!!”

I LOVE how they took their time with EVERYTHING once they got together? that it spanned over several weeks? that it started with the confession, then just holding hands, then kissing, then making out, then sex, and even the sex was step by step! it said A LOT about mo ran’s character growth and it respected SO MUCH the fact that cwn is a 32yo (unrelated but (spoilers) I like to argue that yeah he’s been alive for 32 years but when you’ve been asleep and not aging physically nor growing mentally for five years in a way that makes you a 27yo. so when he calls his body “mature and old” and compares himself to shi mei I’m just. buddy your body is just three years older than shi mei’s there’s barely any difference in maturity right there. I know it’s your lack of self-worth speaking, and believe me I get it, but don’t be so hard on yourself. (end spoilers) anyway, this is an unimportant and unrelevant thought that I had during the mirror scene) who has no experience in any of these things whatsoever. he's not pushed into sex like he's going to be comfortable right off the bat and like it isn’t such a big change in a life that’s been ascetic so far. mo ran is aware of that! and when they have their first time mo ran, who’s been maybe even more horny than cwn all this time - seriously horny is that guy’s middle name, who initiated the sex, what does he say!!! "don't worry about me, tonight, I just want to make you feel good"??? mo ran?? your character development??? I appreciated that so much.

the pain. I’m still bleeding on the floor despite the happy ending but yeah. I like angst and I was not disappointed. it didn’t feel that gratuitious to me, more like, brutally honest? I don’t cry that easily but by the end I think I’d cried, what, close to ten times??

quite a few excellent quotes [lies down] “I realized - I had grown into the you in my heart”?? “hell is too cold”??? I highlighted more but those two are the ones that always come to my mind first

most of the time the flashbacks were perfectly inserted for maximum emotional damage and I respect that skill

xue zhengyong. like he’s not my favourite, my favourites are xue meng, nangong si and ye wangxi but? I just adored him so he gets a special mention

the side characters? like, I legit loved Everyone? when I cry over side characters you know it’s serious

THE CONFESSION SCENE. LIKE. HOLY SHIT MY HEART. it comes reaaally close to the vocal one (because hua cheng confesses so many times without words) at the end of tgcf for me. it was beautiful. I was so emotional. the fact that cwn can't say it no matter how much he feels it. like it's always been plain and clear just how much he loves mo ran. but he can't say the words yet and I just. the fact that mo ran gets it? that he doesn't need the words, just that squeeze of fingers, just what cwn is, at that moment, able to give him, and it doesn't mean less to him than words would? it hit home real hard

unless I think of something else, that’s about it! I can’t recommend 2ha enough, that said, I beg of you, heed the warnings. they are NOT overstated. and even if there were no warnings, take care anyways. the angst is serious, it haunts you. angst always makes me feel like my chest is being squeezed and that’s precisely the feeling I’m looking for when I choose to read angst. I have good tolerance to it, so despite not doing entirely well lately, I thought I was tough and went for it, but I’m a CLOWN. the way it’s written ruins you. this morning despite reading the hardest part of the angst on saturday evening, I still had some physical chest pain. so I recommend it with all my heart, but take care of yourselves. 2ha doesn’t fuck around.

#2ha #bee talks #i will probably tweak and add to this post over time because I probably forgot stuff #anyways I'm gonna go lie down and cry over ranwan as I think about my fic ideas #2ha review

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smallpotatoknitwear · 3 years ago

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WIP blanket update 6/05/21*

*The information in this post is outdated because I typed the whole thing up, saved it to my drafts to add links… and promptly forgot to do so 😅 I’ve actually finished the ten-stitch by now, and done work on a few others as well, including my Granny Square Quilt!

Hey, y’all! It’s been about two and a half months since I did a blanket update, but I’ve been doing a lot of work on some of them lately, trying to get as much done on the ten-stitch and granny stripe specifically before I go back to work in a week! My goal is to finish the ten-stitch before the 13th of June, but… we’ll see 😅 The reason I’ve been focusing so much on those two blankets specifically is because they’re not so transportable, so, while I am able to bring projects to work with me and work on them during breaks and downtime, I can’t exactly transport an entire, massive “worked in one piece” blanket like the ten-stitch or granny stripe with me. But smaller quilt-style or pieced afghans are a lot easier to transport, because I can throw a few balls/skeins/etc of yarn into my bag for the day and make a few pieces if I have time! Thankfully, 3/5 of the blankets on my to-make list ATM are pieced blankets—you can check out my “coming soon” blanket post to see what some of those are, but two of them are also introduced in this post!

Not pictured: Granny Square Quilt, because it’s still currently on pause, although I plan to start working on it again once I go back to work; Mitered Granny and Tilt-a-Whirl because I’ve finished them both! Stay tuned for individual posts about those two FOs!

Ten-Stitch (Knit)

As of these photos, I was about halfway through this blanket—I was around halfway through cake four, and I’m planning to use eight cakes total and then use the ninth to just finish up whatever edge I run out of the eighth cake on so that I don’t have a weird chunk missing out of it! Since I took these photos about a week ago (I’ve really been procrastinating on writing this post oops—) I’ve finished the fourth cake and have only a little left of the fifth cake! So, even if I don’t finish the blanket by 6/13 like I’d like to, I should be close and can hopefully get it done before work gets crazy again. As you can see, though, my little furry lady seems to like this blanket already! She used to sleep on it a lot before I had to move all my work back up into my room when my brother moved back into the basement, so I’m sure she’s looking forward to being able to sleep on it again when it’s finished!

Floral Beauty Throw

The last time I talked about this blanket, it was in my “coming soon” post. I decided to make a few test squares before starting the blanket itself, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use a US H or I size hook, so I made two squares with each size. The two on the left are with the H hook, and the two on the right are with the I hook. As you can see, there isn’t really much difference between them 😂 I plan to block them (the yarn has a wool content, so I’m going to have to soak rather than steam block, which makes me a little sad because steam blocking is so much easier) to make sure, but at this point I’m planning to use the I hook, and, if I can block all four to be close enough in size, I’ll probably just include the two H hook squares in the final afghan.

On the bright side, I won’t have tons of ends to weave in for this blanket, since the yarn is self-striping!

Total pieces: 4/30 (although I may do more squares depending on how my yarn gets used)

Granny Stripe Blanket

It may not look like it, but I’ve actually done a ton of work on this blanket recently! In my last WIP post, I had about 38 rows done—as of these photos, I have about 60 done! It’s officially gotten too long to double over for photos, and the width of it makes it really difficult to take top-down photos, so it’s hard to get good pictures of, but I really love how it’s turning out so far! I also love how the color pooling has been sort of bouncing from side to side the further I go! I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

Scrap Granny Triangle Quilt

I wasn’t planning on starting this blanket just yet—it’s going to be a good one for taking back to work—but I hit a point recently where I didn’t want to work on any of my WIPs so I decided to start this instead 😅 I’m really happy with how it’s going so far! I’m using scrap and leftover yarn for the triangles, and plan to do some mixing of textures in it. You can already see a bit of that here, as I’ve used some bits of fuzzy yarn, as well as some Caron Simply Soft scraps that have different textures than the worsted yarns I’ll be using for the majority of the blanket. I already know that I’ll have to pick up a few skeins to supplement my scraps, so I think I’m going to look for more of the turquoise/grey/white variegated yarn from those two triangles at the top left, as well as some different shades of purple and blue, keeping the red for more accent triangles rather than making it a main color of the blanket. There are a few things kind of bumming me out about this blanket, though—namely that I’m going to need a lot more triangles than I realized to make the blanket as big as I’d like to… and that it looks like I’m going to have to block every. single. triangle…

I’ve also tweaked the pattern slightly (check my coming soon post to see the photo pattern I’m using for reference) because I wasn’t able to neatly work the corners the way the pattern indicated they should be work, so you can see where my rows are joined in the middle of the triangle sides. I don’t mind this too much, though, and I think once the ends are woven in, and the whole thing is pieced together, they’ll be much less noticeable. Hopefully.

Total pieces: 15/225 (approx)

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crqstalite · 3 years ago

Text

Letters Home.

I made a mistake because this was originally meant to answer a prompt fill and then I forgot about it until now. So I tweaked it, but it still works I think.

I would rather not think about the fact the current majority of writing I've done for Lali and Joker is very angsty. That'll change, eventually, but it was begging to be written so here we are. It's a little shaky since I've written Joker himself maybe a grand total of three times but I'm happy enough with it.

Post-Thessia, minor (major?) character death mentioned. Lali/Joker.

"There's a new Blasto movie coming out, it doesn't look a lot better than the last one, but it'd be great to see with you when you're home again."

Her green eyes are still bright, her grin wide while she falls back on the collection of pillows decorating her bed. Her concerns then must've extended about as far as what was for dinner that evening, or tomorrow's assignment. Blasto wasn't one of her favorites, he knew that every time they'd watched one together, but she'd sat through every single one because it made him happy. Not that she didn't complain the entire time though.

It'd been a while since he'd been fifteen himself, but those concerns shouldn't have included Reapers in them.

"You must know about all the inaccuracies in the movies, huh? With the Council and stuff this has to be hilarious to you."

Joker isn't sure what feeling to name the one that's threatening to consume him while Hilary continues talking, rattling off that week's events. Teachers, classmates, her chores around the house.

The vidmail just seemed so normal. Everything had seemed perfectly fine when he'd checked in on them after they'd left Earth. Maybe that was an overstatement, nothing would've been fine but it was still manageable then. His father and his younger sister had intended to bunker down for as long as they had to, as long as they could while he'd promised them to try and get them off Tiptree. Nothing had seemed off. Nothing had seemed wrong. He thought they'd have time.

Six months later and he'd proved himself wrong. Time was in shorter and shorter supply. By the time he could turn his attention fully back to finding them nearly a week ago to do anything more about their situation, it'd been too late. He'd heard it over the extranet, part the long list of colony worlds flashing red every other hour. His blood had run cold while he'd hoped, prayed he wouldn't find his homeworld among the lost.

The galaxy felt like it stopped spinning when he did. In big, bright red letters, it'd said Tiptree, and he...it'd all felt like a bad dream then. That he'd look back and see it was some other colony out in the Traverse. Not his. It couldn't. It shouldn't have. It was so far outside of normal trade routes that it didn't make sense for the Reapers to seize it.

Yet they'd done so anyway. The last communications had gone out the day prior, and had stretched into silence since then. Where he'd be expecting a call today, instead his missed messages have remained dark. His 'tool won't connect to his father's, or Hilary's.

He almost misses when the door behind him opens, his hand missing the pause button on the video while he scrambles for it. He doesn't get a great glance over his shoulder, but it's enough for him to try and get his emotions back in check long enough to hold a conversation, "Shepard? Look, I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"You've got the wrong Shepard, actually. I think." If the voice isn't enough to convince him, then the absence of anger in it does when he turns his chair to look at her. Smaller, softer, more concerned when Citlali pauses in the doorway compared to her elder sister. His girlfriend a sight for sore eyes, at least compared to her counterpart, "Sorry for scaring you, if I did.

"You didn't. Just, thought she was making the rounds again. And holding a grudge against your commander doesn't really bode well for you, as I've found." He can't find the energy to add a genuine laugh with the quip, and while Citlali smiles, it's one of the ones that's strained, "What? I feel like Alenko's walking proof of that."

"I guess, depending on how you look at it." She furrows her brow, maybe in thought, maybe in disbelief. He still can't read her very well, though it's not as if she makes it easy. Shaking off the expression, "Do you mind if I come in? You seemed...busy."

While Hilary's vid has gone quiet, he doesn't meet her eyes. The distraction might be better than nothing, even though he'd rather spend his time alone, most likely watching the last handful of mails from the month prior, "If you want to, sure. Did you need anything?"

"No. It's just...quiet around here. Thessia's on everyone's mind and it honestly feels too constricting." The door closes behind her, "If you're worried, Kodelyn's with Liara right now. I don't think she's going to come back up here for a while."

"Oh good. That'll probably give her time to cool off." Refocus her frustration with Thessia back towards comforting, always seemed like it fixed something in her. He might've been out of line, but he hadn't been expecting for her to explode at him like that. It seemed too out of character, and he hadn't been able to accurately predict it. The longer she spent doing anything else was probably extending his lifespan. Shepard wasn't predictable, but she rarely played the stereotype of the short-fuse Commander.

"Cool off?" Citlali quirks an eyebrow, "Was she mad at...you?"

"Surprising, I know."

"Weird. What'd you do?"

"Nothing." He says habitually, then sighs, "I don't know. Rough day for obvious reasons, she wasn't doing so well and I probably didn't make it any better."

"Oh." Citlali cringes, "She wasn't too upset with you, was she?"

"Probably not with me specifically. I just ended up as collateral damage."

"Collateral -- Never mind. She'll probably apologize when she's feeling more like herself. If she ever does." Her tone wavers at that, uncertainty on the other end of it, "Are you okay, though?"

His silence answers it for her. What does he say to that? Fine, only that I found out my home might be ashes and the only family I have left might be gone?

Well, he probably could.

"Sure. Fine."

Her smile's shaky, "Are you really fine, or are you just trying to get rid of me?"

"Never, I love spending time with you. You know that."

"Uh-huh. I'll suspend my disbelief, but only because you're sweet," She frowns at that, padding over to sit in the empty co-pilot's chair, turning it to face him, "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. You don't have to lie to me though."

"I'm not. Just dealing with...everything. All of us have our off days." The screen blinks when he turns back to it, Hilary's expression still frozen in one of amusement. His chest grows heavy again, this one was dated a day before the Reapers came through. This vidmail, the one like so many others that'd come before it, was one of the last ones he'd ever have of her.

And when he received it, he hadn't thought anything of it. He wouldn't go as far as to say he'd taken the ritual for granted, but he'd thought he'd receive another one. And another after that. He was careful to watch every one, and send back another as soon as he was able. His had gone unread.

"Fair enough." Citlali leans back, blissfully oblivious, "Long day. Maybe way too many things happened all at once."

"You could probably say that again."

"I'll refrain from repeating myself." She chuckles, "Can't wait to get back to the Citadel. The rest this crew needs is probably ticking up towards absurd."

"That bad in your professional opinion?" He asks, "I'd thought we were doing just peachy. Y'know, with the Council trying to absolve themselves of guilt and the galaxy crumbling around us."

"Thank God for night clubs." She responds, leaning back, "It just feels tenser than ever. Can't shake the feeling we're getting towards the end of whatever this is, and it's making everyone jumpy."

"Probably, yeah. Hopefully it'll be longer than a day or two when Shepard's done with Horizon. It'd be nice not running from Reaper forces day in and day out."

"Too exciting for you?"

"Everyone has their limits. just seems like there are more of them than ever lately, and they all want a piece of us." That much is true. The other half is that he wants a chance to search. Search the Citadel, search the surrounding systems. Maybe Hilary would be with the refugees, and he just hadn't found her yet. Maybe she'd lost her 'tool. They'd never been great at remembering each other's codes.

One hell of a time to forget, if she was out there, all alone and surrounded by the unknown.

Citlali turns her gaze towards the front window, then to one of the screens in front of him from what she can see, "Thessia-related matters aside, if you're willing to share, who's that?"

He hesitates, trying to find an answer while his throat tightens around his words. All he can do is send a picture of Hilary over to her screen. She halfway smiles when she receives it, one of her out in the yard during his last leave. Yellow sundress, celebrating the first day of summer, "Friend? Family? She looks just like you. Same grin and everything."

"Family. Younger sister, actually."

"Aw. Looks just like you." Citlali smiles, "What's she like?"

"Like any little sister, I guess." What was there to say? Why is he looking for adjectives to encapsulate the sister he loved, and why is it so difficult, "Smart, kind, practical joker sometimes. Occasionally gets on your nerves, but you love her too much to stay mad."

"As all siblings do. Feel like she'd be fun to have around. Guess you missed out on the curly hair gene, huh?"

"Had it when I was younger."

"Is she looking to follow in your footsteps? A pilot just like her brother?"

The lump in his throat almost doesn't let him answer her, and he plays with the bill of his hat, "Maybe. I don't think she ever really said anything about it."

"Big shoes to fill, I get it." The smile fades slightly when he doesn't follow up on it, "Where is she now?"

His voice is raspy when he tries to talk again, "I don't...really know. I don't know if she even still is."

Her face falls, furrowing her brows once she realizes, "I- Jeff..."

"Evac orders were sent out to Tiptree a couple of days ago. No news since, only that a handful made it...somewhere. Liara didn't say where." The orange lights in front of him start to swim in the water collecting in the corners of his eyes, "I don't even know if she made it offworld."

There's a flood threatening to burst behind his eyes, delicately held back for the last few days just by sheer will. Just the thought of the planet being turned into Earth, Palaven, Tuchanka...hell even what he saw of Thessia turns his stomach.

They didn't live that close to any major city, but they still would've been at risk if they sent any husks out that way. Any of the other grotesque monsters they'd seen lately.

Had she been looking for him? When it'd all happened, had he missed her call while they were in FTL? Just by a split second.

The thought of one them getting their hands on her, one of the sweetest girls in the galaxy who'd done nothing but act as a ray of sunshine in his life, it kills him to think about.

His hands are wet, he doesn't even realize until he hears Citlali's boots against the ground behind him. Her eyes are searching his face when she kneels down next to his chair, holding out her arms halfway in a silent question.

He accepts a moment later, wrapping his arms around her. She hugs him back, a quiet whisper on her lips when she returns the gesture, "I'm so sorry."

The dam breaks.

Big jade eyes that match his, a grin she lamented about every other day. The figurine he'd brought back for her, the Normandy, on her nightstand just in view.

What he'd give to see her again. Hear her voice again.

The galaxy crumbles away, tears streaming down his face.

"I love you, Jeff. I miss you."

#joker #lali/joker #oc #original character #veloker #jeff moreau

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joontier · 4 years ago

Text

4:23AM | drabble

–> Pairings: jimin x reader

–> Rating: R

–> Genre/warnings: established relationship!au; swearing; pwp basically, smut (grinding, explicit sex, exhibitionism, slight boob play, fingering, cunnilingus, oral sex – male and female receiving, cum swallowing, daddy kink, clothed sex, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms)

–> Word count: 2k

–> A/N: Happy Fathers’ Day y’all! Here’s a drabble to show some love for Daddy! Jimin~ btw, this is heavily unedited too jeezhus I just had to post this BECAUSE I FINISHED THIS JUST THIS MORNING ASFSIDFJASIF

bts m.list | navi

It’s freezing.

A shiver runs through your body, the goosepimpled skin of your legs rubbing against each other at the cold. You pull the duvet over you and the smaller person asleep beside you. Shifting your position on the bed, you turn to face your daughter, gazing at the little girl as light snores escaping her pouted lips snuggling her stuffed toy closer to her chest.

Your face crumples at the endearing sight. With a wide grin plastered on your face, you brush off a few strands of hair that had fallen across her face. She looks so much like your husband – pouty lips, round cheeks and all. As she shifts in her sleep, you see her giggle a little all the while mumbling incoherent words.

You leave your daughter be, rising from the bed and tucking your daughter under the sheets. Padding through the carpeted floor cautiously, you exit the room you’ve shared with Hanbyul for the night. As you close the door, your line of vision focuses on your husband who was currently sprawled out on the couch, back facing you as his arm is slung over the back rest and a leg dangling off the side.

There are clothes and toiletries strewn across the place, resultant of your late arrival at the hotel last night. In fact, the entire trip had been a major headache for you. If it weren’t only for Hanbyul’s excitement for her sixth birthday celebration at Tokyo Disneyland today and Jimin’s mutual enthusiasm for it, you don’t think you would have endured yesterday.

As you find Jimin’s wonderfully round ass particularly inviting, you join your husband on the couch, spooning him and looping your arms around his torso. You start planting tender kisses along his neck and across the expanse of his exposed collarbone due to the loose shirt he’s chosen to sleep in. “Mhmm…” Jimin groans against the couch, readjusting himself so he’s facing you.

Humming with delight, you let the pads of your fingers trail over his face, tracing his cheekbone down to his jawline. He’s so beautiful, even if he’s like this, half-asleep with a small grin etched on his face.

Jimin peels one eye open, blindly retrieving his phone from a nearby table and checking the time. “Baby, it’s 4:23AM. Look.” He twists the device in his palm to show you the screen, the white digits blending in with the background picture of the three of you taken during a recent holiday trip to New Zealand.

Frankly, time had never been an issue before when it came to both your private needs, but ever since Hanbyul came to your lives, you consider yourself lucky when you get at least five hours of sleep in a day. Having second thoughts, you decide that this probably wasn’t the best time for sex, so with a contented sigh, you turn your body over to the other side, letting him spoon you.

You close your eyes, letting your fatigue lull you back to sleep. Jimin pulls you closer using the arm slung over your waist until your ass meets his crotch – his rather…hard crotch. Your breath hitches.

Honestly? Fuck sleep, rest be damned.

Arching your back even more so your ass grinds against his boner, Jimin’s hands find your thighs, occasionally squeezing as they go trail irregular patterns on them. “Honey, I thought you said it was 4:23AM?”

“I know, love. But I didn’t exactly tell you stop, did I?”

Next thing you knew, you feel pillowy lips attach themselves on your neck, nipping and sucking on that sensitive spot just under your jaw. The action already has you whimpering, and Jimin takes this opportunity to let a cold hand travel under your shirt, squeezing at your breasts.

You likewise slide a hand between your bodies, grabbing at his already throbbing length underneath the confines of his sweatpants. Lust courses through your veins as you see his cock straining against the cotton of his Puma sweats, clearly wearing nothing else underneath. Ah, bless Jimin and his sleeping habits.

As you get on your knees on the floor, you adjust the faux fur rug under your knees so they won’t be too sore later. You tug on the garter of his sweatpants, Jimin lifting his hips a little so you can pull them down to his meaty thighs. Your mouth waters at the sight.

“How ‘bout we put that mouth to good use, hmm?” With one hand at the base of his shaft, he gently tap the tip of his cock on your lips, goading you to open them. “Be a good girl for daddy.”

“Yes,” you mewl, obeying in an instant. You replace his hold on his length with yours, placing kitten licks on the bulbous head. Ever so slowly, you take him in your mouth, his cock smooth yet hard and heavy on your tongue. Looking up through your eyelashes, you see your husband gazing at you intently, eyes clouded with lust.

His staring only encourages you further, taking more and more of him until he reaches the back of your throat, trying not to gag at the full feeling of your mouth enclosed on his. Jimin inhales sharply as you swallow. “Yes…fuck, baby girl, just like that.” Your pussy clenches on nothing at his words so you resort to rubbing your thighs together, hoping that the friction will help ebb your raging hormones.

It doesn’t. It never works.

You find your rhythm as you bob your head up and down his cock, swirling your tongue around his length as you do so. Jimin begins thrusting up to you as holds your hair, fingers forming a makeshift ponytail. “Shit, baby…I-“ Reaching one hand up, you take his balls into your palm and knead them sensually, making him come undone at your will. Soon enough, Jimin’s hips stutter, his cock throbbing inside your mouth.

“That’s right, swallow for me, kitten.” Rope after rope of cum travel down your throat as you comply, Jimin gently carding his fingers through your hair in praise as you milk him completely.

Jimin pulls you into his lap to kiss you feverishly, his tongue languidly moving against yours. Moaning wantonly, your hips undulate, grinding your clothed cunt against Jimin’s once-more hardening cock. “God, you’re so wet, baby. You’ve always loved sucking Daddy’s cock, don’t you?” You know he feels how drenched you are even with only the thin cloth of your boyshorts separating your sexes.

You only take your bottom lip between your teeth in approval, wanting nothing else but his cock inside you, now. Jimin coos at your evident desire, but he tells you he’s not going to fuck you until he gets to taste your pussy first.

He lays you down on the couch, tugging your underwear down, the cold air hitting your bare pussy making you shiver. Jimin’s mouth makes contact with your core, immediately assaulting you with his tongue. He slips the wet appendage through your folds and into your pussy, thrusting deeply.

Hooking his arms under your thighs, he pulls you closer to him, your cunt under constant abuse as he licks, sucks, and nips at your clit. You’re a writhing mess on the couch, cold beads of sweat starting to form on your forehead. The moment he lets a finger slip through your folds, you almost come undone, clenching all over his digits as that coil inside your stomach tightens. A fresh wave of pleasure courses through you when he adds another finger, body quaking as your orgasm hits you.

Just as you let your body fall limp on the couch, your husband places a chaste kiss on your lips, telling you that he’s not done with you just yet. Letting out a squeal in excitement, Jimin revels in your mutual eagerness, already lifting your shirt off your torso.

“No, no. Leave the shirt on.”

Swinging a leg over his lap to straddle him, you give him a reply. “Mhmm, kinky.” Jimin chortles at your comment, telling you that keeping your shirt on served another purpose, just in case your now-six-year-old daughter comes barging out of the room. You pause midway, surprised at how you totally forgot that your daughter was one door away from discovering how babies were made.

“It’s fine,” Jimin reassures you, rubbing at your thighs. He slowly guides you to bend forward for him, hands gently squeezing your waist. “It’ll be fine if you stay quiet. Can you do that for me, love?”.Placing the back of your forearms on the armrest for support, you brace yourself for Jimin’s girthy cock, ass wriggling in anticipation. As you nod your head, Jimin gets to work, grabbing hold of his cock and sliding it against your wet folds, lubricating his dick with your own essence.

“Daddy, p-please…” You’re starting to get impatient with his ministrations and before you tell him to fuck you already, Jimin plunges his cock to you in one smooth motion. You let out a loud cry at his action, eyes rolling to the back of your skull.

Your husband places a hand by your nape, bending you forward even more. This angle only allows him to sink himself deeper into your cunt so you cup a hand over your mouth, struggling to keep your moans at bay. Jimin thrusts languidly against you, each snap of his hips enough to graze the sweet spot inside.

The lewd sounds of skin slapping against skin resonates throughout the room, your cunt squelching loudly as Jimin relentlessly fucks himself into you. He bends forward in an attempt to get closer, deeper into your cunt. As he cups your clothed breasts, consecutively pinching and tweaking your hardened nipples over your…his shirt on you, Jimin maintains his pace, reveling at the sensation of your velvety walls tightly wrapped against his cock. You chase after your second orgasm, sliding a hand between your legs to play with your clit. Your elbows give in under the pleasure combined with Jimin’s weight on you. Body quaking endlessly, Jimin whispers praises by your ear, egging you to go one last time, as if to make up for the month-long drought you both had to endure.

Your husband flips you over with ease, muscles rippling as he hooks an arm over your waist, making you lie on your back. Cheeks flushed and hair a little matted with sweat, your tongue darts out to lick at your lips, delighted at the sight of your husband looking just as wrecked as you are.

Slamming into you once more, Jimin continues to toy with your clit, bringing you to another orgasm when you still haven’t properly recovered from how strong the previous one was. “Last one, baby girl. C’mon, cum one more time for daddy.” You hands find a throw pillow to hold on to for dear life, knuckles turning white as your grip tightens, just as tight as how your pussy clenches around his cock, completely milking him for all he’s got. Jimin stills as he reaches his climax, balls pressing heavily against your ass.

Your husband pulls out seconds later, breathlessly falling to your side. As you both lay there on the couch, chests heaving as you pant heavily after your climaxes. Your ears catch onto a soft thud coming from inside the room, signaling that your daughter had woken up,

“Chim, Hanbyul!”

Jumping in alarm, your husband quickly pulls his sweatpants back up just in the nick of time, while you cross your legs, pulling your shirt lower to cover the evidence of your intimacies, yours and Jimin’s cum now trailing down your thighs.

“How’s my little princess?” Jimin calls out with a smile on his face, standing to greet your daughter as Hanbyul sleepily rubs the back of her hands against her eyes. “It’s still early, darling. Why don’t you go back to sleep?” Jimin guides Hanbyul back to the room, before turning on his heel to face you. “Bath. Round 2,” your husband mouths, turning around again to lull Hanbyul back to sleep.

Despite the soreness you feel between your legs, you obey Jimin nonetheless, heading towards the bathroom with a spring on your step.

#bagtanhq #btsguild #btswritingcafe #btsgoldnet #ksmutclub #bts smut #park jimin #jimin smut #jimin x reader #bts drabbles

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mostlysignssomeportents · 4 years ago

Text

20 years a blogger

It's been twenty years, to the day, since I published my first blog-post.

I'm a blogger.

Blogging - publicly breaking down the things that seem significant, then synthesizing them in longer pieces - is the defining activity of my days.

https://boingboing.net/2001/01/13/hey-mark-made-me-a.html

Over the years, I've been lauded, threatened, sued (more than once). I've met many people who read my work and have made connections with many more whose work I wrote about. Combing through my old posts every morning is a journey through my intellectual development.

It's been almost exactly a year I left Boing Boing, after 19 years. It wasn't planned, and it wasn't fun, but it was definitely time. I still own a chunk of the business and wish them well. But after 19 years, it was time for a change.

A few weeks after I quit Boing Boing, I started a solo project. It's called Pluralistic: it's a blog that is published simultaneously on Twitter, Mastodon, Tumblr, a newsletter and the web. It's got no tracking or ads. Here's the very first edition:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/19/pluralist-19-feb-2020/

I don't often do "process posts" but this merits it. Here's how I built Pluralistic and here's how it works today, after nearly a year.

I get up at 5AM and make coffee. Then I sit down on the sofa and open a huge tab-group, and scroll through my RSS feeds using Newsblur.

I spend the next 1-2 hours winnowing through all the stuff that seems important. I have a chronic pain problem and I really shouldn't sit on the sofa for more than 10 minutes, so I use a timer and get up every 10 minutes and do one minute of physio.

After a couple hours, I'm left with 3-4 tabs that I want to write articles about that day. When I started writing Pluralistic, I had a text file on my desktop with some blank HTML I'd tinkered with to generate a layout; now I have an XML file (more on that later).

First I go through these tabs and think up metadata tags I want to use for each; I type these into the template using my text-editor (gedit), like this:

<xtags>

process, blogging, pluralistic, recursion, navel-gazing

</xtags>

Each post has its own little template. It needs an anchor tag (for this post, that's "hfbd"), a title ("20 years a blogger") and a slug ("Reflections on a lifetime of reflecting"). I fill these in for each post.

Then I come up with a graphic for each post: I've got a giant folder of public domain clip-art, and I'm good at using all the search tools for open-licensed art: the Library of Congress, Wikimedia, Creative Commons, Flickr Commons, and, ofc, Google Image Search.

I am neither an artist nor a shooper, but I've been editing clip art since I created pixel-art versions of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood glyphs using Bannermaker for the Apple //c in 1985 and printed them out on enough fan-fold paper to form a border around my bedroom.

As I create the graphics, I pre-compose Creative Commons attribution strings to go in the post; there's two versions, one for the blog/newsletter and one for Mastodon/Twitter/Tumblr. I compose these manually.

Here's a recent one:

Blog/Newsletter:

(<i>Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QAnon_in_red_shirt_(48555421111).jpg">Marc Nozell</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC BY</a>, modified</i>)

Twitter/Masto/Tumblr:

Image: Marc Nozell (modified)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QAnon_in_red_shirt_(48555421111).jpg

CC BY

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

This is purely manual work, but I've been composing these CC attribution strings since CC launched in 2003, and they're just muscle-memory now. Reflex.

These attribution strings, as well as anything else I'll need to go from Twitter to the web (for example, the names of people whose Twitter handles I use in posts, or images I drop in, go into the text file). Here's how the post looks at this point in the composition.

<hr>

<h1>20 years a blogger</h1><xtagline>Reflections on a lifetime of reflecting.</xtagline>

See that <img> tag in there for frnklogo.jpg? I snuck that in while I was composing this in Twitter. When I locate an image on the web I want to use in a post, I save it to a dir on my desktop that syncs every 60 seconds to the /images/ dir on my webserver.

As I save it, I copy the filename to my clipboard, flip over to gedit, and type in the <img> tag, pasting the filename. I've typed <img src="https://craphound.com/images/ CTRL-V"> tens of thousands of times - muscle memory.

Once the thread is complete, I copy each tweet back into gedit, tabbing back and forth, replacing Twitter handles and hashtags with non-Twitter versions, changing the ALL CAPS EMPHASIS to the extra-character-consuming *asterisk-bracketed emphasis*.

My composition is greatly aided both 20 years' worth of mnemonic slurry of semi-remembered posts and the ability to search memex.craphound.com (the site where I've mirrored all my Boing Boing posts) easily.

A huge, searchable database of decades of thoughts really simplifies the process of synthesis.

Next I port the posts to other media. I copy the headline and paste it into a new Tumblr compose tab, then import the image and tag the post "pluralistic."

Then I paste the text of the post into Tumblr and manually select, cut, and re-paste every URL in the post (because Tumblr's automatic URL-to-clickable-link tool's been broken for 10+ months).

Next I past the whole post into a Mastodon compose field. Working by trial and error, I cut it down to <500 characters, breaking at a para-break and putting the rest on my clipboard. I post, reply, and add the next item in the thread until it's all done.

*Then* I hit publish on my Twitter thread. Composing in Twitter is the most unforgiving medium I've ever worked in. You have to keep each stanza below 280 chars. You can't save a thread as a draft, so as you edit it, you have to pray your browser doesn't crash.

And once you hit publish, you can't edit it. Forever. So you want to publish Twitter threads LAST, because the process of mirroring them to Tumblr and Mastodon reveals typos and mistakes (but there's no way to save the thread while you work!).

Now I create a draft Wordpress post on pluralistic.net, and create a custom slug for the page (today's is "two-decades"). Saving the draft generates the URL for the page, which I add to the XML file.

Once all the day's posts are done, I make sure to credit all my sources in another part of that master XML file, and then I flip to the command line and run a bunch of python scripts that do MAGIC: formatting the master file as a newsletter, a blog post, and a master thread.

Those python scripts saved my ASS. For the first two months of Pluralistic, i did all the reformatting by hand. It was a lot of search-replace (I used a checklist) and I ALWAYS screwed it up and had to debug, sometimes taking hours.

Then, out of the blue, a reader - Loren Kohnfelder - wrote to me to point out bugs in the site's RSS. He offered to help with text automation and we embarked on a month of intensive back-and-forth as he wrote a custom suite for me.

Those programs take my XML file and spit out all the files I need to publish my site, newsletter and master thread (which I pin to my profile). They've saved me more time than I can say. I probably couldn't kept this up without Loren's generous help (thank you, Loren!).

I open up the output from the scripts in gedit. I paste the blog post into the Wordpress draft and copy-paste the metadata tags into WP's "tags" field. I preview the post, tweak as necessary, and publish.

(And now I write this, I realize I forgot to mention that while I'm doing the graphics, I also create a square header image that makes a grid-collage out of the day's post images, using the Gimp's "alignment" tool)

(because I'm composing this in Twitter, it would be a LOT of work to insert that information further up in the post, where it would make sense to have it - see what I mean about an unforgiving medium?)

(While I'm on the subject: putting the "add tweet to thread" and "publish the whole thread" buttons next to each other is a cruel joke that has caused me to repeatedly publish before I was done, and deleting a thread after you publish it is a nightmare)

Now I paste the newsletter file into a new mail message, address it to my Mailman server, and create a custom subject for the day, send it, open the Mailman admin interface in a browser, and approve the message.

Now it's time to create that anthology post you can see pinned to my Mastodon and Twitter accounts. Loren's script uses a template to produce all the tweets for the day, but it's not easy to get that pre-written thread into Twitter and Mastodon.

Part of the problem is that each day's Twitter master thread has a tweet with a link to the day's Mastodon master thread ("Are you trying to wean yourself off Big Tech? Follow these threads on the #fediverse at @[email protected]. Here's today's edition: LINK").

So the first order of business is to create the Mastodon thread, pin it, copy the link to it, and paste it into the template for the Twitter thread, then create and pin the Twitter thread.

Now it's time to get ready for tomorrow. I open up the master XML template file and overwrite my daily working file with its contents. I edit the file's header with tomorrow's date, trim away any "Upcoming appearances" that have gone by, etc.

Then I compose tomorrow's retrospective links. I open tabs for this day a year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and (now) 20 years ago:

http://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/14

http://memex.craphound.com/2016/01/14

http://memex.craphound.com/2011/01/14

http://memex.craphound.com/2006/01/14

http://memex.craphound.com/2001/01/14

I go through each day, and open anything I want to republish in its own tab, then open the OP link in the next tab (finding it in the @internetarchive if necessary). Then I copy my original headline and the link to the article into tomorrow's XML file, like so:

#10yrsago Disney World’s awful Tiki Room catches fire <a href="https://thedisneyblog.com/2011/01/12/fire-reported-at-magic-kingdom-tiki-room/">https://thedisneyblog.com/2011/01/12/fire-reported-at-magic-kingdom-tiki-room/</a>

And NOW my day is done.

So, why do I do all this?

First and foremost, I do it for ME. The memex I've created by thinking about and then describing every interesting thing I've encountered is hugely important for how I understand the world. It's the raw material of every novel, article, story and speech I write.

And I do it for the causes I believe in. There's stuff in this world I want to change for the better. Explaining what I think is wrong, and how it can be improved, is the best way I know for nudging it in a direction I want to see it move.

The more people I reach, the more it moves.

When I left Boing Boing, I lost access to a freestanding way of communicating. Though I had popular Twitter and Tumblr accounts, they are at the mercy of giant companies with itchy banhammers and arbitrary moderation policies.

I'd long been a fan of the POSSE - Post Own Site, Share Everywhere - ethic, the idea that your work lives on platforms you control, but that it travels to meet your readers wherever they are.

Pluralistic posts start out as Twitter threads because that's the most constrained medium I work in, but their permalinks (each with multiple hidden messages in their slugs) are anchored to a server I control.

When my threads get popular, I make a point of appending the pluralistic.net permalink to them.

When I started blogging, 20 years ago, blogger.com had few amenities. None of the familiar utilities of today's media came with the package.

Back then, I'd manually create my headlines with <h2> tags. I'd manually create discussion links for each post on Quicktopic. I'd manually paste each post into a Yahoo Groups email. All the guff I do today to publish Pluralistic is, in some way, nothing new.

20 years in, blogging is still a curious mix of both technical, literary and graphic bodgery, with each day's work demanding the kind of technical minutuae we were told would disappear with WYSIWYG desktop publishing.

I grew up in the back-rooms of print shops where my dad and his friends published radical newspapers, laying out editions with a razor-blade and rubber cement on a light table. Today, I spend hours slicing up ASCII with a cursor.

I go through my old posts every day. I know that much - most? - of them are not for the ages. But some of them are good. Some, I think, are great. They define who I am. They're my outboard brain.

#pluralistic

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xxisxxisxxis · 4 years ago

Text

Gateway Drug | Part Eighty-Eight

Very late, I'm sorry, I just couldn't post it without tweaking things here and there because I'm a little bitch that wants to get this right. I hope everyone has had a good Christmas!!

Words: 4k

Warning(s): explicit language, mentions of drug abuse, explicit sexual situations

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LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED

"It's not a death sentence, Viv." Sharise assures me in the back of the limo.

"I've really been a lunatic, Sharise, and it's not just because people have overexaggerated about how I've been acting--it's because I've actually been fucking crazy." I state as she sips her champagne. "I have a diagnosis and new medication to prove it."

"Is it ever gonna go away?" She asks me next, furrowing her brows a little.

"Nope, but it sure as shit can get worse." I tell her. "There's two strains of it and I have the second one which is just shorter spells of mania--a.k.a being a fucking looney tune--and leaning more depressive--a.k.a staying in bed for three months straight and not wanting my husband to touch me despite just getting married."

"You're not crazy." She argues, lightly kicking at my leg with her heel. "You just have an imbalance in your brain. It's annoying, yeah, but you're not crazy."

"I just don't want Nikki to leave me over this. Nothing screams stable marriage like bipolar disorder and heroin addiction."

"Shut up, you're okay, Nikki's okay, you guys will be okay." She assures me.

I think back to what his therapist wants us to do Wednesday...I can't tell him I'm pregnant. I haven't even told Duff and he should be the first one I tell.

I feel like as soon as I tell Nikki, it really will be over.

I get nauseous, my mouth watering.

"I need air." I pull the sunroof back and stand up, try to calm down, my eyes closing and my head leaning back as we stop at a red-light.

I hear the obnoxious rumble of a motorcycle coming to a stop in the lane beside us, and groan.

"Whew!" I hear a familiar voice call. "Your old man let you outta the house?!" Robbin yells over his the noise of his bike and I look over.

"He's in rehab!" I reply.

"No shit!" He chuckles. "Whatcha doin'?!"

"Getting some air!"

"There's plenty of air over here!" He informs me. "Come get on!" He gives a grin.

"I'm good!"

"Oh, c'mon, Viv, I've only had a couple shots!"

"Couple shots of what, is the question!" I reply.

"I'm not high!" He states. "Come on!"

I look at him, considering it.

"You look too damn good to be riding around in a blacked out car where nobody can see you!" He adds and I roll my eyes. "Come get on the damn bike, Viv, a couple blocks won't kill you!"

I rub my lips together, seeing that the light is gonna turn in a minute.

"You're gonna get me in trouble!" I say, going to pull my heels off.

"Not much more than what you're already in!" He says back.

I sigh out and start to climb out of the sunroof and he puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly before he ignores the cars behind him and kicks the stand of the bike down, coming and grabbing my waist to help me down the car.

"You look like sex on ten-foot legs!" He adds and I shake my head, pushing at him playfully as we get on his motorcycle.

"Where the hell are you going?!" Sharise pokes her head out of the roof.

"I'll catch up to you in a minute!" I tell her.

"Viv--" the light turns green and Robbin doesn't waste any time with getting gone, cutting Sharise short.

I don't know if it's the loudness of the bike, mixed with the wind and Black Sabbath blaring through speakers I'm assuming he managed to beg someone to build into the Harley, or him smelling like a bar, so I know he's probably drunk and I'm focused on not getting myself killed, but I manage to get my mind off of all the bullshit that just seems to keep getting heaped on loads at a time.

We get to the Cathouse, eventually, which is where Sharise and I were headed, and Robbin comes to a stop and parks his bike and I swing my leg back over the side and put my heels back on, reaching for the strap to buckle it, but failing.

Before I can grab it, he's crouching down and putting my foot on his knee, fastening it for me before he does the other.

"Thank you." I tell him as he finishes.

"Wouldn't want you to break a nail." He replies sarcastically.

"Ha ha, smartass." I state and he chuckles, standing up, as I think back to earlier.

"What 'trouble' am I in?" I ask him.

"You think I didn't see you come running in with Duff while Nikki was OD'ing?"

"You managed to see that while you were running out of the room to get outta dodge?" I ask him, smartly.

"I helped Slash's girlfriend for a minute while they were getting you and Duff." He explains. "I got out of there before you had a caniption and killed all of us."

"I wouldn't have killed you." I argue. "Make you wish you were dead, sure, but actually kill you, no."

He smiles a little and rubs his lips together.

"So, Nikki knows about you two?"

"Yeah."

"And he still wants to work things out?"

"Yeah...no reason for him not to when he cheated on me with Vanity, first."

He just smiles and nods.

"I'm glad you two are doing that." He tells me. "I was really bummed when I heard he'd filed for divorce."

"Well, we're not outta the woods yet." I mumble and he furrows his brows.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm knocked up, Robbin." I blurt, and he looks down at me with this expression on his face of confusion and unamusement.

"That shit's not funny, Viv." He states to me.

"I'm fucking pregnant, Robbin, I'm not trying to be funny."

I snap out of it when Robbin repeats his question, "what do you mean?"

"Oh, sorry...I don't know...I forgot what I was gonna say." I say next, wishing I could actually tell him I'm pregnant.

When we get inside and get to VIP, Sharise is sitting with her arms crossed, brows raised at me when I sit down.

"What?" I ask her.

"You ditched me for a boy." She tells me, pouting.

"I didn't ditch you." I reply.

"You so ditched me."

"...Yeah, I did." I admit, smiling and she nudges me with her elbow, saying, "you better be glad he's cute or I'd be more pissed over it," and I laugh as she finishes her drink.

After a night of dancing and pretending I'm not reaping the consequences of my exponential crisis, I'm dropped off at home.

When I get inside, I see flowers on the small table in the foyer, and smile a little, seeing the little card that reads, "VIVIAN."

I pluck the paper from the vase and turn it over to read it.

See you Wednesday

—Nikki

My smile grows wider before slowly falling.

I'm not sure he'll even want to be with me after Wednesday.

I feel guilty because I know he's probably decently looking forward to getting all of this over with and starting over, yet here I come with a damn baby.

Putting the card back with the flowers and placing them on the kitchen counter, I go to my bathroom to get a shower.

Once I'm done, I'm staring at myself in the mirror, studying to see if there's any noticeable changes…

My boobs are slightly bigger, nothing too, too obvious--I guess Doc's observant.

I do look like I'm glowing a little bit, but I can blame that on starting fresh with Nikki and how happy I am because of it.

I open the bathroom drawer and pick up the little ultrasound picture I had taken.

A sick part of me has been hoping I'd miscarry by now so I wouldn't have to turn mine, Nikki's and Duff's lives into a shitshow, but I was told the baby's healthy.

I'm not sure why the hell my body refused to grow anything in it, I guess I should've looked into it after my third miscarriage in a row, but I didn't want to pry at myself. I just wanted to forget I was pregnant at all.

I regret that, now, though...I don't want to get a couple months in and BAM! no more baby, like in the beginning of '86. I should've looked into it earlier and so I could have figured out what was causing it so I couldn't let it happen anymore.

Despite us not speaking in years, I was certain my mother had, indeed, still managed to screw me over one last time. My uterus was septated and had gone unnoticed in ultrasounds for years--either by the hands of shitty technology or shitty technicians and doctors that didn't say anything about it. Apparently it was a genetic mutation that women could be born with and was a mystery in itself, but a part of me always blamed my mom.

September 1987

"Wait, wait, wait," I chuckle, Duff's lips on my neck.

Before I even realize what's happening, my back is hitting the mattress of the bed I share with Nikki while Duff's lips are tugging along the skin of my neck, coaxing a light vapor of moans from my throat while I grab at the bottom of his shirt, tugging it over his head.

Mine's next, lips pressing down my chest as his hands slide under my back to get my bra off.

My back arches to let the fabric escape, all while my hands pull at my panties, getting them down my legs before I'm kicking them off, the two of us chuckling, his lips coming back to mine while he goes for his belt buckle.

It's hard to pretend he's Nikki, like I catch my mind trying to do, because he's not as rough as Nikki is. His kiss is sweet and gentle--not weak by any means, and its still hot, but Nikki's is dominantly aggressive and attentive without even meaning to be…

"Condom," Duff says pulling his lips from mine.

"We don't have any." I tell him, catching my breath.

"...I'll see if I have some in the car."

"You can just pull out." I suggest, not wanting him to give me time to change my mind about this.

"Are you sure?" He asks me, fingertips running over my cheek.

"Yes." I grin and he slowly smiles and leans down again, kissing me.

I screw my eyes shut when he slowly pushes into me, letting out a groan under his breath while I take in a sharp breath, nails biting into his back.

"Are you okay?" He asks me, and I nod, eyes still closed.

"Yeah." I sigh out, hands grabbing at his arms, nails biting into the tattoo on his bicep as he pulls out of me and pushes back inside, huffing out a sharp breath, his forehead against mine as I lean up and kiss him, humming as he starts thrusting into me steadily, overwhelmingly so.

Unlike Nikki, he's not ferociously aggressive for the most part. He's more so gently aggressive.

I can't contain the near squeak that emits from my throat as he continues in and out of me, my arms and legs desperate to get him as close to me as possible.

The more I show that I'm feeling good, the more comfortable he gets, and the more deliberate his movements are.

"It--" I'm cut short when he pushes against my cervix, and my eyes roll back.

He's about to pull back out but I wrap my legs around him and pull him back in as I beg, "no, no, please, right there."

He looks down at me, eager to please, looking me in the eye as he pushes against it, again, a sharp shiver shuttering up my back and I cry out, arching my back when his fingers go to my clit.

My hands dig into the sheets, gasps and whimpers leaving me as he watches me, patiently, like he's studying me in the throes of stupidity and pleasure.

I'm trying to crawl away when he grins and starts hounding at me, repeatedly hitting the spot in me that has tears pooling in my eyes from pleasure.

"Please, don't stop." I ask him, my voice weak, and he sits back on his knees, pulling me onto him, grabbing my hips, guiding quick movements into me, making my thighs tense up while he looks down at my tits and the sight of him fucking me, before his eyes catch at my hip bone.

"Do you like it?" I ask him and he runs his thumb over the "D" in my skin and looks at me before kissing me, quickening his pace again, hitting my sweet spot once more several times while I tighten around him.

"Are you gonna come?" He asks me, and I nod, not able to speak.

I push him down to the mattress and straddle him before I brace myself on his chest and start riding him.

"Fuck," he says as he watches me, probably not able to believe we're having sex.

My orgasm hits me in a wave, my head back, my hands moving over his on my waist, before he sits up and pulls my lips to his hotly, our tongues dancing as he wraps his arms around me.

In a couple more minutes, he's holding me still while thrusting up into me desperately, and I feel my brain swimming on dopamine as sweat rolls down my spine.

"I'm gonna come." He tells me, shutting his eyes and licking his lips for a second before looking down at himself going in and out of me.

"Then come." I say softly, leaning forward, kissing, licking, and biting up his neck.

Duff lets out a sharp breath, his hands pulling me down onto him while he gives one last thrust into me, warmth spreading throughout me as his cum coats my insides.

"Fuck." I whimper out, my hips flexing, at the feeling.

"How the fuck could he cheat on you?" He asks me, reeling off his sex-high, his eyes running all over my glistened skin before he's sitting up, wrapping his arms around me. "You're so fucking flawless." He adds and I smile at him, brushing the hair from his face before kissing him.

Once I get off of him and lay beside him in the bed, he's looking up at our mirrored ceiling, that's recently been replaced ever since I broke it throwing a tantrum.

"That was…" I start, realizing what I'd just done, and he looks at me, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Are you okay?" He asks me, sitting up, probably thinking I'm about to cry.

"Yes, I'm fine." I assure him. "It's just strange to have sex without being left right after." I add, remembering the more times than not that Nikki would leave to go out after we got done.

"I'm not leaving." He tells me, his hand brushing against my cheek.

"I know." I reply, closing my eyes, my face resting against the pillow as tiredness creeps up on me.

He lays back down beside me, pulling me closer to him, and comfort consumes my body…

...Right before the roaring of Nikki's Harley pulling into the driveway shatters it.

I snap up, Duff doing the same.

"Is that…?" He asks me, eyes wide.

"Shit!" I whisper yell, the two of us getting out of bed.

He nearly trips, pulling his jeans back on, and I'm pulling my silk robe on, grabbing Duff's shoes, heading for the guest bedroom closet.

Once he's hidden, having to crouch uncomfortably to fit under the shelf, I'm running back to our room, spraying a few sprays of my perfume to throw off the sex smell.

I rush to the bathroom to wet a washcloth and get Duff's cum, that's leaking down my legs now, off, just as I hear Nikki's boots stomping into our room.

I finish cleaning up as fast as possible and get back out there to see him shirtless.

"H-Hey." I nervously greet him, regretting not fixing my hair from its roused state.

He glances at me and does a double take, his eyes snaking up my exposed legs before he's looking at me.

A slick smirk falls on his lips as he says:

"Whatcha been doing?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, eyes wide.

"I know what you look like post-orgasm, Viv. There's no shame in having fun with yourself." He adds and I nearly sigh out with relief. He thinks I've been masterbating. Perfect. "Infact," he steps closer, making me step back until my back hits the wall, and he puts his hand beside my head, trapping me in, "it's really hot."

I shift uncomfortably as his other hand moves to the curve of my hip, slipping under the robe to palm at my ass cheek, and I have to force myself to hold back a moan when his hand suddenly comes down to harshly give one good smack to my flesh before rubbing over my stinging skin.

"Don't stop just because I pulled up." He tells me, motioning to the messy bed. "Keep doing your thing and I'll just observe." He grins, his hand moving to my throat. "Might even get the camera out like the good ole days."

I can't seem to make myself talk, my breathing heavy, my tongue being bit between my teeth.

We stare at each other another moment before he loses his grin and runs the thumb of his other hand across my lip.

He leans down and I let out a breath.

"Nikki," I start softly, about to pull away as best as I can but he stops me, pressing his lips to mine for a second.

Our tongues meet soon after, and he's running his hands down my back, before pulling me up to wrap my legs around his waist, causing me to let out a moan as my back's against the wall while he threads his fingers through my hair.

I snap out of it when my back hits the mattress, his hands sliding under my robe to run over my stomach, up my ribs to run over my breasts before grazing down my sides.

"Nikki." I say after a moment, the two of us catching our breath.

"Take your robe off." He ignores me, pressing a kiss to the center of my chest.

"Nikki, no." I deny him. "It wouldn't be smart for us to do that."

"Why not? You've already drawn up divorce papers or something?" He stands up, pulling away from me.

"You're drunk." I bite at him, annoyed. "And what are you doing home? You don't come back home until morning, usually."

"Tommy puked on me, I had to change shirts." He says. "Not that I owe you a fucking explanation."

"Never said you did, Nikki. It was just a question."

"No, but you're looking pissed that I'm here so that's why I am."

"I'm not pissed, can you stop assuming things?"

"Whatever, Viv." He grumbles as I stand up, too.

"Yeah, whatever, Nikki."

"Oh my God, just shut the fuck u--" he stops abruptly, and I'm confused until I see he's focused on my hip bone, that's been exposed by my robe failing me when it shifts, and I see he's focused on the "D" on my hip.

He steps closer to me, angling his head in every direction to see it clearly, even laying on the carpet and looking at it from below, the same confused expression on his face.

When he gets off the floor, he's on his knees, holding at my hips to look at it from centimeters away.

"Nikki, cut it out." I scold him, trying to move away from him but he stops me.

"Ya know, the funniest thing is happening. I haven't taken anything hallucinogenic, but I swear I see a 'D' on your hip bone." He tells me and I finally get out of his grip as he stands back up, studying my expression. "Oh, hell fucking no, you did n--I know you do not have a fucking 'D' on your fucking body."

I had one in me a few minutes ago.

"It's not a 'D', Nikki."

"I may not have graduated but I know my ABCs, Vivian, and that's a fucking 'D'!"

"It's a Roman numeral for '100'!" I say back, smartly. "To represent the least number of times you fucked Vanity while we were together, so I'll never forget!"

"We're still together, Vivian!" He screams.

"Really?! Is that why you screw groupies almost every night on the road?!"

"Because I get lonely because my wife refuses to acknowledge me without screaming my fucking head off!"

"You were screwing another woman even when I wasn't perpetually angry at you, Nikki, what the fuck are you talking about 'lonely'?!"

"You know what I mean!" He yells back. "See, I can't even come home without you starting a fucking fight!"

"Then freaking get out!" I throw my hands up.

"I am!" He shouts, getting his shirt on and grabbing the keys to his bike and heading to the door and I follow him.

"Good!" I scream back.

He leaves, slamming the door, and I exhale sharply, forcing back tears, letting out a frustrated groan before throwing one of our wedding photos at the wall.

When I start back to our room, Duff is cautiously waiting in the hallway looking at me with a sad expression.

"Don't worry about it." I assure him, kissing his cheek, before stepping back to the bedroom.

"Don't worry about it." He didn't have anything to worry about then, but look at what five months did.

I shut the door of my car, looking at the apartment Duff's now sharing with Mandy, and let out a breath.

Tucking the picture of a teeny-tiny little thing growing in me into my purse, I head up and knock on his door hesitantly, hearing Mandy call, "coming!"

She opens the door and her eyes light up when she sees me, a big grin coming to her face, a softness to her sweet eyes that makes my stomach turn with nausea.

"Hey, Viv!" She greets me, stepping aside as if it's muscle memory.

Why does she have to make this so hard on me? Why can't she be a raging bitch?

"Hey, Mandy." I reply, going inside, glancing around.

"What's up?" She asks and I rub my lips together.

"I really need to talk to you and Duff." I reply and she furrows her brows.

"Are you okay?"

"Just have a seat." I tell her.

"O-Okay…" she goes to the living room and sits down. "Duff, c'mere!" She calls as I sit across from her, nervously fumbling with my hands.

"What's u--hey, Viv." He says, smiling at me as he dries his hair with a towel.

"She said she needs to talk to us." Mandy says, her tone causing him to look at me, cautiously.

"What's wrong?" He asks and I can hear my blood pressure in my ears.

"...I just...really, really, need to tell you something important." I say as he sits down.

"Alright." He clears his throat, the two of them staring at me and I realize I'm not freaking talking to them at all.

Just looking at them like a scared puppy.

"What's going on, Viv?" He asks me.

I decide maybe speaking right away is best, opening my purse and grabbing the photo, leaning forward to hand it to him.

He takes it and Mandy both look at it where I have him/her circled in a red marker, confused…

"Is this…" Mandy starts and stops, eyes shooting up at me. "Are you pregnant, Vivian?"

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"I'm pregnant." I admit out loud.

A smile comes to their faces, which throws me off completely.

"This is good, isn't it?" Duff asks me, handing the picture back, "I mean, you and Nikki are working things out and he's sobering up...I think it's a good thing, you know?" He shrugs, his smile reaching ear to ear.

"Yeah." Mandy agrees and I have to take deep breaths to keep from crying.

"Duff, Mandy," I start, my voice cracking, "Duff," I repeat and his smile slowly, very, very, slowly fades as if he knows exactly what I'm saying before I finally say, "I'm pregnant."

#gateway drug #nikki sixx #nikki sixx x oc #nikki sixx fanfiction

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theepisceswriter · 4 years ago

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THANK YOU for such a detailed and heartfelt response 🤍

I am still in the process of writing what I think is the first chapter and I’ve also written part of another chapter that happens a few days after the first (if that makes sense) because that’s where the idea for the story came from, eeep!! I totally want you to read it and want to post it but I’m so nervous ahhh. I also feel like I suck at writing dialogue and descriptions for things and I’m critiquing myself SO MUCH! I’ve been hard at uni work for the last few months so my brain is used to essay and report writing AAAAHHHH

I ALSO cannot decide if I want it to be Gojo x Reader x Nanami because I’m a completely self indulgent HOE BAG. But I know you’ll love the Nanami aspect (espesh the little bit of future chapter I’ve written which takes place in Nanami’s apartment xxx) AAAAHHHHHH I hate anxiety

Oooo I can tell that you’re about to go to WORK on this fic just from the way you’re describing it and how passionate you are about it. I haven’t even read it yet, don’t know the title or anything except the fact that it’s a vampire AU but I already know that it’s amazing already. And I feel you on that dialogue part and breaking out of that academic writing mindset, sometimes I feel like I write my fics like an essay and my dialogue is generic, but that’s what tweaks and sites that use mood indicators like Grammarly are for ! Also, sometimes you just have to stop over analyzing and take that risk and post it like I do all the time because I don’t proofread any of my work once I’m done with it ! So much of my work on here has typos from me not proofreading to the point where I have to add it in trigger warnings 😭 you gotta just not care sometimes.

I also forgot to answer whether you should post it here or on AO3 and it really depends how you want to go about it. AO3 is a place that people go on just to read and nothing else honestly. they hardly interact with the content on their at all like the kudos to hit ratios are always wild 😭 but there is this sort of anonymity to it that can probably help with your anxiety, but if you want more of like actual interactions and feedback like asks, reboots, commentary, etc then I recommend Tumblr over AO3.

AND PUH LEASE, I need to beta read that Nanami apartment bit like IMMEDIATELY, you can’t keep teasing me with descriptions like this bestie ! And you can always do a cheesy Twilight type trope and have the reader in some type of love triangle or protective polygamous relationship with the two of them 👀👀

#come on bestie now you got me and my 10 active followers waiting in anticipation for this #I’m giving you the title of Anxious Anon from now on jsjdkdnd #Asks.#Stallion Speaks.#Anxious Anon.

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radramblog · 3 years ago

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More Inevitable Hot Takes- MTG Announcement Day edition

I only have myself to blame for this one. I forgot this was upcoming, and I went and blathered about dumb preview cards from most of a month ago anyway. Well, now I’ve got to spend two posts in one week talking about Magic cards. Woe is me?

Once a year, WoTC has a big day where they announce, like, everything for the next year’s releases. And with the picking up speed of set releases, there’s a lot there, and thereby I have a lot to talk about.

To be clear, I’ve deliberately avoided Magic Twitter and Magic Reddit for these announcements. Tis a silly pair of places.

Standard Sets 2022

In order:

Kamigawa Neon Dynasty is very concerning, as one of the people who’s a genuine big fan of the original Kamigawa block. The thing is, I like Kamigawa, with it’s spirits and artwork and samurai and the like. I like cyberpunk, with the aesthetic and the themes and the music. I’m not sure I’m going to like the two combined. We better see some fucking weird-ass spirits, and I’ll only be slightly annoyed if they’re cyber-ghosts or whatnot as long as they maintain that bomb-ass art design.

We have a new plane and a set to go with it, which is cool and nice. Urban Fantasy is a thing Ravnica already did, to be honest, but if I had to guess, Streets of New Capenna is going to be a much more low-fantasy, noir-y take on the genre. I think I saw something about Azra returning, which is cool. That one on the key art looks…very Ob Nixilis-y, though.

And then we’re going back to Dominaria and actually doing The Brother’s War, again? I think Urza block was about that arc, though the Dominaria United set might be like, before all that nonsense. They might have given details, I wouldn’t have seen them, I’m going based on someone’s TL;DR. I’m excited to finally have a Mishra card that isn’t the Time Spiral one, though I’m concerned about how they’re going to make an Urza and a Mishra that are both powerful enough for the iconic characters but not so powerful as to be dominant in the Standard they’ll be legal in.

So, so much Universes Beyond

I think the four Warhammer 40k precon decks is kind of exactly what I was hoping we were going to get for that particular crossover. Just enough to get fans happy and make some fun new cards, not enough that there’s a ridiculous influx of Tyranids into Magic’s annals. I’d be interested to see what regular Magic cards translate well into these decks, seeing as they’ll have to be 40k-ified.

I feel similarly about the Baldur’s gate Commander draft set. I remember fans of that particular D&D spinoff were frustrated with the lack of representation in AFR (I think Minsk was like the only thing they got), so now they have a whole set to work with. Ultimately, D&D is now already, and interminably a part of Magic’s multiverse, and more from those particular realms isn’t going to make anything super fucky. Also, Commander Legends was cool as hell, and this is going to be another one of those, so that’s a plus.

And…a Lord of the Rings set? Like, a full set? I’m assuming whatever got them 40K also got them rights to tabletop LOTR, seeing as Games Workshop has run the LOTR tabletop game for a while. Like with D&D, the medium-high fantasy of LOTR crosses over pretty well into Magic, so I’m not worried about that kind of cockup making things Feel Weird. I’m a little confused about the legality of the set, though, seeing as it’s in Arena, but not Standard legal, but it is Modern legal? What and why and what about Pioneer or Historic?

Secret Lairs

Few hits, few misses, though I remember seeing spoilers from a few that aren’t on this list. Presumably, the Art Series: Johannes Voss, Thomas M. Baxa, and Purrfection and Math is for Blockers were announced separately? Anyway.

Hits: The Kamigawa Ink cards look drop-dead gorgeous, holy shit. Add in the fact that I already play two of those cards and that the others are all cards I like? Might have to get that one. Math is for Blockers is a fun lineup though I don’t…really get the theme? Both Artist Series look incredible, though I’m not huge on the card lineups.

Misses: PURRFECTION would be great if it wasn’t apparently a convention exclusive and also if the art of cats were on cat cards. It’s cute as fuck, but eh. The old-format walkers are frustrating, but I’m not as against them as a lot of people are- like they’re ugly, but not worth throwing a fucking fit over. I weep for any new player staring one of these down, especially if they barely understand planeswalkers in the first place and/or haven’t seen one of these particular ones before. Also, the art is kinda just ugly.

And then there’s the Universes Beyond ones. Fortnite and Street Fighter, both with new cards that will eventually have regular versions (which leads me to wonder if TWD will do the same). There’s a clear attempt here to hit the zoomers and the boomers in the community, though the former probably won’t have the money to afford the Secret Lair if they’re burning all their cash on V-Bucks. It’s…not a great look? Like I’m not opposed to cartoony art styles (the Goblins Kaboom SL looked great!) but Fortnite’s in particular looks like dogshit in my eyes and I’m not looking forward to seeing it in a Magic frame. Street Fighter I’m more excited for, because I like Street Fighter, and because they confirmed Chun-Li is going to have multikicker which is kind of perfect. Obviously we’re going to have to see the cards, but in one case I’m dreading that, and in the other I’m welcoming it.

Other Cards

We have more Challenger Decks, for Pioneer this time. The decklists are already out, and they look pretty solid! The Challenger Decks have been pretty cool previously, a really solid set of lists that only needed a bit of tweaking to be FNM-viable, but they were held back by the fact that they were often released not long before rotation. With Pioneer being a non-rotating format, this is going to be great for getting people into the format.

Another Double Masters set is…egh. It’s another thing that’s not for me, I can’t afford to whale on that shit. With shipping and conversion those packs end up ludicrously expensive in Perth, and I’m pretty sure I only got to play with one the first time. Also, this one is going to have all the collectable nonsense of 2020/21 Magic, which is going to be A Lot.

And another Jumpstart. Eh. Don’t cock the shipping on this one up and it’ll probably be okay.

Commander Collection Black is here, and the list is already out. The Green one ended up way overpriced, but at least in this case the cards are all super playable. Actually, they were for Green too, I think, but hey there’s a Deluge reprint and a flip Lilli, so. I kinda miss the Signature Spellbook series already, though.

Finally, Unfinity. Another Un-Set. Unstable was a fucking incredible set, both on a comedic level and as one of the sickest draft formats in a long time, so I’m excited to see that one followed up. On the other hand, Unsanctioned kind of landed with a dull thud. Apparently though, they got some of the folks from LRR (among others) to help write names and flavour text for this set, and I love those guys to death, so I can at least guarantee the comedy element will be present for this one.

Other stuff?

Well we have a date for the Netflix series. I have a hard time believing it’s actually happening. When I first started playing was around when rumours and announcements were still happening regarding a full-on movie, and that basically didn’t go anywhere. So it’s a little surprising to have a solid, actual time frame for Magic Story Content in Video Form. I haven’t kept with the story for a fair bit at this point (since Dominaria, tbh), so I’ve got no idea if it’s been any good, and as to whether this will be any good. Considering apparently Gideon’s in the lead, my hopes aren’t huge.

The only other thing is Pins. I like Pins. I have a bunch of them on my bag. I would like to get more Magic pins. So this is good.

And that, I think, is the sum total of it. These announcements always end up with a combination of excitement, trepidation, and dread, but I think this is leading more on the positive end of that spectrum. There’s still way too many fucking sets, but I think that is largely at Hasbro’s feet. The money machine must keep churning, after all. Maybe someday Magic and WoTC as a whole will be able to unshackle themselves from that particular constraint, but I am not holding my breath.

#ramble #mtg #hot takes

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twdmusicboxmystery · 4 years ago

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Suspicious Pictures, Articles, and Stories

Okay, some bits and pieces for you today.

Fandemic Website

So this is something I noticed a few days ago. I took some screenshots of the fandemic website and sent them to my fellow theorists. Not all of them could get to the website and they were confused as to what Fandemic is and how it works. So I just got on and took some screenshots so they could get an idea.

I took shots that explained what the event is:

And then of which actors are participating:

And I’m really glad I did that, because I noticed something by taking the screenshots that I probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.

Do you see it?

Emily’s picture is the only one that’s not a head shot (officially posed and photographed picture). It’s also the only one that’s not black and white. Her picture stands out in brilliant color besides the other.

To add to it, this shot is obviously from the preview show of S8, where she wore this pink outfit. Is it a coincidence that last week Norman posted a video from this exact same event, where she’s wearing this exact same outfit?

Hmmm.

Another mention of Beth by Angela Kang:

Thanks to @Rabia in my group for sending me this as well. Yet another article where Angela goes out of her way to mention Beth, even though the conversation and question she’s being asked is very obviously not about Beth. In fact, it’s about Connie. But she finds a way to steer the conversation toward Beth. Check it out:

I’m not at all sad that AK keeps mentioning Beth. But I am suspicious. 😉

Norman on Jimmy Kimmel

Finally, this happened a couple of weeks ago. I forgot about it and just found it in my notes. Kinda small potatoes, but when Norman was on Jimmy Kimmel a few weeks ago, we noticed that he randomly mentioned a stuffed monkey.

He was talking about driving cross-country by himself in the early days of the pandemic (from New York to L.A.). I think Jimmy made some comment about how that’s a long way to drive by yourself, and Norman said he took a stuffed monkey and talked to it.

Now, if you don’t understand the significance of the monkey symbols, read THIS POST where I explain the Tibetan theme. And also THIS ONE, where I talk about how Emily had a random monkey post during the time they were filming those missing scenes from S5. It’s something we’ve seen a lot over the years, though less as part of the show and more from the actors hinting at it outside the show.

Someone also noted that Norman said it took him three days to make the drive. That doesn’t sound terribly realistic. Especially if he drove straight through, not stopping at hotels along the way for sleep—which is exactly what he’s alleging—it means he wouldn’t have slept for three days. And if he stopped at rest stops and such to sleep each not, it would have taken him far longer than 3 days. So we kind of feel like the monkey and the mention of 3 days together are significant.

For comparison, one of my fellow theorists said she had a family member who made the same drive. In that case, there were four people in the car who took turns driving and sleeping so they didn’t have to stop. And it still took them four days. See why his story doesn’t seem realistic?

And understand, I’m not calling him a liar or saying he didn’t make the drive. He still probably did. But I think he’s tweaking it in order to drop hints. Because, you know, the actors do that.

Okay, that’s it for today. Short and sweet. Just some suspicious things to point out. Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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drivingsideways · 4 years ago

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WIP Wednesday

So @rain-hat said I should post a bit from the latest fic so she can read it (properly formatted and not in a chat window, I think??), so here’s a bit from an as yet untitled fic set post-canon verse TKEM, featuring our favourite cop-who-got-a-different-life and also orphan-who-got-a-different-life thanks to Lee Gon being a total ass.

The White Lily Orphanage isn’t a state organization, instead it’s run by the nuns from the Sisters of the St.Paul of Chartres Convent, one of the earliest established Catholic orders in the Kingdom. It’s not a large home- they have the ability to take in around twenty children at a time, though at the moment they have only half the number. The youngest right now is a three year old ball of sunshine, Jia and the oldest is the lanky fourteen year old Jihun. Hyeon-Min has been attending Mass at the church attached to the convent with eomma since- well, since he was ten.

(God sent Prince Buyeong to us, eomma had said, having found God via the kindness of a stranger, we must be grateful.

Hyeon-min had accepted her explanation then, and now, twenty years later, he doesn’t feel the need to tarnish her faith with his cynicism. He maybe agnostic about God, but he knows that the sisters are kind, that they try to do their best by their young charges, and that’s enough.

He knows enough about the world that he believes that one of its rules should be to pass on the kindness of strangers.)

He parks his bike and grabs his gym bag with the change of clothes, noting a rather beaten up looking sedan in the parking lot. Perhaps there were some potential adopters visiting today, not a very frequent occurrence.

The rates of adoptions in Corea were low, compared to the number of children who needed families. Usually, children who lost their parents were taken in by grandparents, if they were still alive, or the parents’ siblings, if they were not. The ones who ended up in the system- they were truly society’s rejects, the ones who had no one left who cared about them; a patrilineal society obsessed with bloodlines didn’t see them as anything but an inconvenience, or a shameful secret. That their own king was an orphan was not a hypocrisy; Lee Gon was king first, orphan second.

The slack with respect to the less nobly orphaned was picked up by religious or charitable trusts, and only a little by the government. The rules governing adoption were prohibitive- Seo Ryeong had told him about the circles that eomeonim and she had to run to officially take Gyeong-ah into the family. At some point, it had come down to bribery. She’d been tight-lipped and her eyes had glinted in fury, when she’d told him, though it had already been far enough in the past that Gyeong-ah no longer woke up crying from nightmares, and didn’t stuff her food down at each meal as though she didn’t know when she’d next get one, or try to take as little room as possible in their already tiny apartment.

Gyeong-ah usually accompanies him on these visits too, though she couldn’t make it today.

“LET ME SLEEP” she’d texted in all caps, “I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE FOR AT LEAST 24 HRS HYUNGNIM” .

He figured that meant she’d drop by when he wasn’t around.

Jia-ya is the first one to spot him when he enters the common room, which is where the kids are normally, at this hour. She runs toward him, almost tripping on her toes, with her hands already raised high above her head. He drops the bag on the floor and swings her up, twirling her around, while she squeals delightedly. When he lowers her, she throws her arms around his neck, placing a candy-sticky kiss on his cheek.

“Hyungnim, where were you??” she demands. “You’ve gone so long that Chia forgot you”.

Chia is her favourite toy- a rather ratty looking cloth panda.

“Sorry Jia-ya” he says, “I had a lot of work”

She pouts. “Have you got chocolate?”

“Mmmhmm” he replies, nodding, “But let’s share with everyone later, ok?”

He puts her down on the floor, and turns to the others who’ve come up, all grinning, except Jihun, who’s trying to look unconcerned, remaining where he’s seated at one of the two computers, headphones in, fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard.

“Hey everyone” he says, reaching out to ruffle a head, tweak a chin. “Ready for a game?”

They’ve got a small basketball court at the back, not professional, by any means, but enough for the kids to work out some of their energy. For soccer, and other games, Gyeong-ah and he take them to a nearby sports club. Ryeong-ah had been the one who worked out a deal with the local residents association that owned the club when she’d made Assemblywoman; it was her constituency after all, and she had cultivated her relationships at local level, as much as she had in the higher echelons. Thanks to (former) Assemblywoman Koo, the kids now had access on alternate Sundays to the club. Luckily, the Sisters of St.Paul of Chartres weren’t too strict about preserving the holiness of the Sabbath rest; as long as the kids attended Mass in the morning, the rest of the day could be spent as they wished. Today is a Sunday when they don’t have access to the sports club, so Hyeon-Min’s plans are adjusted accordingly- a game, then lunch with everyone, and then piling them all into the small van the orphanage has and taking them for ice cream, before he has to drop back at the station, just to check in on Woo Ji-hyun and Bo-Young who have the day shift today.

“Where’s Sister Lee?” he asks, and twelve-year old Su-bin pipes up “She has a visitor today” and her twin, Yun-seo adds, “He’s a handsome oppa”.

“Is he now?’ Hyeon-min grins down at her.

“Not as cool as you, hyungnim” she assures him earnestly.

“Drop the flattery” he tells her seriously, “You’re not getting an extra scoop later. Everyone go on and get changed.”

The twins and the others- Ming-yu, Jun-ho, Min-su, Seong-min, Min-ji and Eun-ji- dart off.

He picks up his bag again, heading off to the guest room to get changed, calling “Jihun-a, c’mon, let’s go” only to get a shoulder lifted in a shrug, Jihun not even bothering to look at him.

Well, he thought, that was new.

He didn’t press him, confident that Jihun would find his way out later. The problem, perhaps, was that Jihun was a few years older than the others, almost fifteen, ready for high school. The next oldest were the twins, at twelve, and the others fell between nine and eleven, except Jia, who was everybody’s darling at three.

Jihun was preparing to write the same scholarship exam that Hyeon-Min had taken all those years ago, to get into CNA. His grades at the local public school were pretty good, and he excelled especially at art- but it was a tough school to get into, given the sheer number of candidates applying, even more than when Hyeon-Min and Ryeong-ah had given the test.

Hyeon-min thought he could recognize in Jihun the same kind of hunger that he’d seen in Ryeong-ah, all those years ago. And just like all those years ago, one part of him was amazed, and proud; another was just scared for Jihun, for what the world might do to him, outside of the safety of this place. He tried to shrug the fear off- what use could it be to Jihun- and had begun helping him prepare for the test, instead.

Perhaps Jihun was upset because he hadn’t been able to come by for three weeks, although he’d spoken to him a few times on the phone and had checked in with Sister Lee as well.

When he changes into his shorts and t-shirt and comes back to check in, Jihun’s disappeared. Perhaps he’d changed his mind and decided to join the game, after all.

He’s about to duck out of the room, when Sister Lee comes in accompanied by a young man- the “handsome oppa” of Yun-seo’s description, clearly.

“Ah, Inspector Kang” she says, giving him her usual warm smile. “Good morning. You finally have a day off, I see.”

“Good morning, Sister Lee” he greets her, bowing.

She turns to the man with her.

“This is Senior Inspector Kang Hyeon-min from Busan PD” she says, and the man gives him a strangely assessing look, and bows. He’s fair, slightly shorter than Hyeon-Min, a dark eyes and a sharp nose in a square-jawed face. The glasses and the clothes- a light blue button down shirt that’s unbuttoned at the collar over khaki slacks, give him the look of a librarian on vacation. He’s probably a few years younger than Hyeon-Min.

“I’m Kim Jun-Yeong” he says, bowing toward Hyeon-Min.

“Mr.Kim teaches art at the school” she says, meaning the local public school all the kids here attend. “He came by to talk about Jihun.”

“Is something the matter?” Hyeon-min asks, immediately. “Is Jihun in trouble?”

“Nothing like that” Mr.Kim says, with a smile. “In fact, I came by to chat with Sister Lee about Jihun’s future plans. He told me that he was preparing for admission at CNA.”

Hyeon-Min nods. “I’m trying to help out” he says. “When I can.”

“Inspector Kang has been a huge support to the children here for years” Sister Lee says, giving him another warm smile. “And since he’s a CNA alumnus himself, he’s probably the best suited to help Jihun ace the exam.”

“Yes, of course”, Mr.Kim says, adding, “Jihun-a has told me a lot about you already, Senior Inspector Kang.”

“Oh” says Hyeon-Min, politely, “He’s never mentioned you to me.”

Something wry passes over Mr. Kim’s face at that, and it makes Hyeon-min feel a little silly.

“Mr. Kim is of the opinion that Jihun should perhaps try for an art school later” Sister Lee says, “And finish high school at some school less demanding than CNA, Kang-ssi”.

“Did Jihun-a say that’s what he wants to do?” Hyeon-min asks, stunned. Jihun had never mentioned it to him.

There’s an awkward silence.

“He did seem open to the idea” Mr.Kim says, sounding a little apologetic. “He started asking me about art schools and scholarships a while ago. I didn’t know then that you were already preparing him for the CNA entrance.”

‘But” says Hyeon-min, feeling like the rug had been pulled from under his feet.

Sister Lee says, thoughtfully, “Perhaps he was uncomfortable bringing it up with me or you, Kang-ssi.”

“We never forced him”, Hyeon-min feels compelled to protest.

“Jihun-a admires you a lot, Kang-ssi” Mr.Kim murmurs, “It is but natural he would want to follow in your footsteps.”

Hyeon-min looks at him and meets that calmly assessing look again.

“Did he ask you to meet Sister Lee and talk about this?”

“No” says Mr.Kim, “He didn’t. In fact, I think he was a little upset when he saw me today.”

Well, that explained earlier, Hyeon-Min realizes.

“Will you—” starts Sister Lee, nodding toward back, from where they can already here the shouts of the children.

“Yes” Hyeon-Min answers. “I’ll have a chat with him.”

“Good” she says, smiling again at him. “I’ll talk to him later as well.”

She turns to the teacher.

“Mr.Kim, I really appreciate your dropping by. It’s not often we get teachers who are so concerned with the well-being of our students.”

Mr.Kim says, quietly, “I was brought up in a home too- not as good as this one” he adds. “I know what it’s like.”

Oh.

Well, now, Hyeon-Min feels like a total piece of shit.

“Thank you, Kim-ssi” he says, and tries to infuse it with something more than stiff formality.

Mr.Kim gives him a short nod.

“I’d better head over before the fighting starts” Hyeon-min says, giving Sister Lee a smile. “I’ll see you at lunch, Sister Lee.”

They part ways, and when Hyeon-min reaches the court just in time to stop Min-ji from punching Eun-ji in the face, he sees that Jihun is there as well, but sitting on the side-lines, playing with Jia, although he’s changed into game clothes as well.

He darts a glance at Hyeon-min and then quickly looks away, flushing.

Hyeon-min jogs up to him.

“Get in” he says, clapping him on the back, “So I don’t have to keep the peace all by myself”

Jihun looks up at him, uncertain, as though he’d expected Hyeon-min to be- angry- with him.

“Jihun-a” he says, holding out a hand toward him, “ C’mon.”

Jihun takes his hand and lets himself be hauled up, and Hyeon-min even manages to get a one-armed hug in before he scampers off, suddenly cheerful.

It’s a good game, and after, as they’re all chattering at the lunch table, Gyeong-ah comes in and plonks herself down opposite the twins, and they stuff themselves to the gills before piling into the van.

Gyeong-ah’s driving, and as they pull out of the gate, Hyeon-min notices a black Hummer parked in the alley, five cars away, the glasses shaded so dark, he can’t see inside.

He has an idle moment of wondering what a car like that was doing in the neighbourhood but is distracted by Jia-ya climbing into his lap to tell him all about Chia’s adventures in the place she calls “Funderland” (like Wonderland, but fun, she insists).

On the way back, Gyeong-ah drives again, and this time the kids are mostly in a food coma, some of them burping softly, sprawling on the seats, so he gets a chance to talk to Jihun, settling beside him, right at the back.

“So” he says, “art school, huh?”

Jihun glances at him quickly and then away, head bent.

“Do you know which ones you’re interested in?”

Jihun looks up then.

“You’re not angry?” he asks, uncertainty writ large on his young face.

“Just surprised” Hyeon-min admits. “Why didn’t you ever tell me or Sister Lee? You know we wouldn’t have stopped you.”

He shrugs, looking away.

“Everyone’s expecting me to become the first CNA graduate from the home” he says, softly. “All these years”.

“Nobody wants you to be anything other than happy, Jihun-a” Hyeon-min contradicts him, gently. “I’m sorry if I ever gave you any other idea.”

Jihun turns to him.

“I did think I wanted that too” he says, candidly. “But then—I don’t know, hyungnim, frankly, it sounds like an awful place in other ways.”

“Who’ve you been talking to?” Hyeon-min asks, surprised, because he’d never said anything to Jihun about it other than good things about the academics, and the opportunities it would open up for him.

Jihun gives him a pitying look.

“Hyungnim” he says, “You know the internet is a thing right? Or was it not a thing when you were young?”

“Hey” he says, “I’m thirty-one, not a dinosaur.”

Jihun looks unconvinced.

“Student forums” he says, helpfully. “And even Mr.Kim—”

“Mr.Kim went to CNA?” Hyeon-min asks, surprised again.

“No” says Jihun, “But I think he knows people. He’s a teacher, right, he knows this stuff.”

“Hmm” says Hyeon-min, miffed.

Jihun eyes him again. “Are you angry I didn’t tell you, but I told Mr.Kim?”

Wow, Hyeon-min thinks, dissected by a fourteen-year old, wonderful.

“Don’t give me your backchat, Jihun-a” he says, and Jihun grins at him.

Hyeon-min diverts the talk into the art schools he’s interested in, and they spend the rest of the ride like that.

Later, before Gyeong-ah and he head off, they have a talk with Sister Lee.

Sister Lee Jeong-hui- or “Dragon Lady” as Gyeong-ah liked to call her- was a petite woman with delicate wrists, and long fingered hands that poked out of the sleeves of her habit. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she’d joined the Order, not as a young girl, but in her mid-thirties, after making a name for herself as a labour rights lawyer, working up north, in the mining communities. She’d moved to Busan when her health took a downturn- her asthma was something terrible- and she’d been shunted around the diocese until ending up at the orphanage ten years ago. She’d taken one look at the lackadaisical administration of the Orphanage- then run by Sister Pa, who was already in her seventies, taken a deep breath, and got to work. She’d transformed the place, scrounging funding wherever she could- sometimes by just persistently annoying the powers that be- and was currently in a long drawn out battle with the Bishop of the Diocese over her demand that they expand their current home to start a support home for single mothers- the people most likely to abandon their children, for lack of resources and societal stigma.

They talk about her latest efforts in that direction, after Hyeon-min tells her about his conversation with Jihun.

“Thank you Inspector Kang” she says, softly, “I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

“Of course not” he says, staunchly, though perhaps he was, a little. “Jihun’s going to be great at whatever he does.”

“Yes” she agrees, a fond smile transforming her rather grave face into loveliness. “He’s a blessed child”.

“Anyway” she says, sighing, “Perhaps it’s just as well. Even with a scholarship, funding for other expenses would have always been a tension. This way, we have some time to prepare before he goes to art school.”

Gyeong-ah says, “What did the Welfare Association say?”

When the Diocese had hummed-and-hawed about the home for women, Sister Lee had turned elsewhere.

Sister Lee makes a rather un-saintly face. “That government policy doesn’t include- and you won’t believe this, or perhaps you will- doesn’t include subsidizing and rewarding irresponsible behaviour”.

“I thought Ryeong-ah said they had a specific budget for women’s welfare” Gyeong-ah says, hotly. “They can’t deny it only to some women, can they? Plus it’s a discretionary budget.”

Sister Lee sighs. “Child, I don’t know if I have the energy to fight that battle right now. If we had someone on the Committee there- but it’s all bureaucrats who think of it as a sinecure position really…”

She shrugs, and pats Gyeong-ah’s shoulder, comforting.

“I’m not giving up, Seo-Gyeong” she says, “Not yet.”

They bid her goodbye.

As she puts on her helmet and climbs onto the bike, Gyeong-ah says, abruptly, “Sometimes I’m so angry with unnie for what she did- because she fucked up her chance to help people like Sister Lee, who really need her”.

“ Song & Kim will get her out” he says, “Right?”

“But what about after?” she argues, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Her political career is probably over.”

“It’s never over with Ryeong-ah” he reminds her, belting his own helmet, and adjusting the strap of his gym bag over his jacket.

As they drive out of the gate, he sees that the Hummer isn’t there anymore.

#wip wednesday #tkem #this entire section is full of characters #that i have no idea where they came from #they just wrote themselves in #DO NOT BLAME ME #'WRITE A ROM COM ' SHE SAID #' I WILL '#I SAID #AND THEN I DIDN'T

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mattmurdocksscars · 5 years ago

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I Can Help

So, I’ve had this posted on my Ao3 but I forgot to transfer it over here, so here’s a random Avengers fic! Reader is an engineer that works with Stark and the Avengers but when the newest member joins, they notice some things about him. Not Canon Compliant!

Warnings: Swearing?

No real pairing. If I ever write more, it’ll be Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 2052

Working with Tony Stark meant that every day was interesting. You were convinced that the man didn’t know what ordinary was but that was alright because he paid well, and you got to do what you loved. Plus, free housing! Who can say no to free room and board? Though you were not super like the others who lived in the tower, you were very smart. Graduating high school at 14 and going on to get your degree in electrical engineering at MIT. Stark was a speaker at your graduation and afterwards had offered you a job working with him on his suits.

Now 24, you had worked with him for 7 years and had been with him through the attack on New York and the Ultron incident. Boy, had you been pissed when he showed you what Ultron had done to JARVIS and had ripped him and Bruce a new one over the murderous AI. Usually a quiet and timid individual, Stark had been surprised and thoroughly chastised by you. The rest of the Avengers had watched on in amusement and Clint had high-fived you afterwards.

When the Avengers had returned from the battle of Sokovia with three new members in tow (because FUCK canon, my boy lives), you had merely shaken your head and welcomed them in. The Avengers were basically your family at this point, so the addition of the Maximoff twins and Vision was no problem to you. You did your best to help them adjust to life in New York and in the tower. You even helped create shoes that Pietro couldn’t destroy with his running and you were very proud of that.

So, when Steve and Sam approached you to let you know that another person would be coming to live in the tower, you had smiled and told them you were looking forward to it. The more the merrier, right? Except this new person was the fucking Winter Soldier. Or was. Now, you had no problem with his past. The man had been a POW for 70 fucking years. What bothered you was the way everyone else acted around him and how he reacted to them. James “Bucky” Barnes was doing his best to fit in at the tower and while some were welcoming, others were not. You hadn’t even really spoke to the man except to introduce yourself. But the thing with being a quiet person is that you observed others a lot and there were a few things you noticed about Bucky.

1- He carried an enormous amount of guilt.

2- He did not like his metal arm being touched

3- You were pretty sure his metal arm hurt him every time he used it.

So, for the first few weeks that Bucky was in the tower, you watched him both interact and avoid the others. Tony was the main one who didn’t like him and had no problem letting Bucky know it. This usually led to Steve standing up for Bucky and the two would wind up bickering while everyone else watched on. Bucky seemed to fold in on himself in these moments and it made you want to yell at the other two to get theirs heads out of their asses. Until one day, you finally had enough. You all were sitting in the common room and getting ready to order some take out for dinner. Everyone was chiming in on what they did and did not want except Bucky. He usually just got whatever Steve did, but tonight Tony seemed intent on getting him to order something for himself.

“I’m just saying, if he can’t even order for himself-“

“Shut up, Stark. He’s still working on figuring everything out. Why does it even matter to you?” There was Steve, coming to the rescue again. Bucky seemed to be slowly sliding down into his seat in an effort to make himself smaller again and your heart ached at the sight.

“Come on Manchurian Candidate, pick something out. It’s not that hard. We’ve got like every menu possible and they even have descriptions-“

“Enough!” Everyone turned to you at your shout and you swallowed down the nerves that rose in response. “You’re being an absolute dick, Tony. Knock it off. If he wants to order what Steve gets, let him do it. It’s not hurting you in any way but you pushing him is making him uncomfortable. Just fuck off, alright?” Starks mouth dropped at your mini tirade, but he rolled his eyes and walked off to place the order. The others were still staring at you in shock, especially the newest members of the team because even the Maximoffs and Vision had yet to see you lose your temper. The attention began to become to much and you suddenly stood.

“Tell Tony I’m not hungry.” Was all you muttered before you bolted from the room.

“Y/N wait!” You heard Steve call, but you were out the door before he could even think of stopping you. You had made it to the elevator when a gust of wind signaled the approach of Pietro.

“Pietro, please. I just want to go to my room. I’ve made a complete fool of myself and I just want to be alone.” You told him as you waited on the elevator, but he simply shook his head at you.

“Standing up for Barnes doesn’t make you a fool. Stark is being dick, like you said.” You couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped you at his agreement. “I know you don’t like being the center of attention, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay before you go to your room.” You looked over at him to see the concern in his eyes and gave him a small smile. Pietro and Wanda had treated you like an older sister since their arrival and it was a comfort, especially in times like these. He returned your smile and left you as the doors to the elevator opened and you headed down to your room.

Once there, you immediately went to your desk and pulled out one of your notebooks. Ever since you realized how much Bucky’s arm had bothered him, you had been secretly toying with the idea to offer to build him a new one. The notebook you currently had was filled with different ideas and sketches. The only problem was that you didn’t have the courage to offer your ideas to the man. The two of you had barely spoken and the last thing you wanted to do was freak him out. How would you even start that conversation anyway?

“Hi, I know we’ve only spoken like twice, but I watch you, a lot, and noticed that your arm was bothering you! So, I obsessively designed and sketched some ideas for a new one. Here you go!” Yeah, not happening. The problem was that once you had an idea for something, it wouldn’t leave you alone. This meant that you spent more time than you cared to admit working on ways to create a new arm for a guy you barely knew.

Settling in for what you assumed would be another long night working on your secret project, you were startled as a knock sounded from the door. With a sigh, you looked at the ceiling and debated if you even wanted to open it.

“FRIDAY, who’s at my door?”

“Mr. Barnes was at your door but is currently heading back towards the elevator.” You scrambled out of your chair and whipped your door open to look down the hall. Hearing your door, Bucky froze and stood in the hallway with his back to you.

“Did you, uh, need something James?” You asked as you stepped into the hallway. He slowly turned around but didn’t step closer to you as he eyed you. He seemed to be debating something and you quietly let him think whatever it was over. Seeming to reach a decision, he nodded and took a few steps closer to you.

“I just wanted to say thanks for earlier? You didn’t have to stand up for me, you know.” He was looking just passed you, not willing to make eye contact so you shook your head and took a step closer to him. He tensed for a moment, but relaxed when you didn’t move any closer.

“I absolutely did. Stark may be my boss, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll let him do whatever he wants. He needs to realize that the Winter Soldier and James Barnes are not one in the same. You had no control over what you did, and you beat yourself up enough. He doesn’t need to add to that burden.” Your voice had started off soft but had become strong and bold by then end. You were pleasantly surprised when his eyes locked with yours part way through and you held his gaze as if daring him to disagree. A timid smile graced his lips and you couldn’t help but to return it.

“Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. Anytime Stark starts in on you, let me know and I’ll put him in his place. Hell, I’ll call Pepper if I have to.” He laughed at this and butterflies seemed to erupt in your stomach at the sound. You found your smile widening even more in response to the sudden giddiness, but you stepped back towards your room.

“Did you need anything else, James?”

“Bucky.”

“What?”

“My friends call me Bucky.” You had thought it impossible for your smile to get any bigger, but it did and you nodded. “And, no. Just wanted to give you my thanks. I’ll leave you to your room.” He turned and headed back to the elevator and you watched him go. Worrying your lip, you wondered if now would be a good time to ask him about his arm. He was pressing the button on the elevator when you called out for him. You held up a finger to signal for him to wait and ran back into your room to grab your notebook. When you stepped back into the hallway, he had walked over so he was standing outside your door. You hesitated, before handing him the notebook. He looked down at it confused but didn’t open it.

“I’m sure you noticed that I’m usually pretty quiet and because of that, I like to observe. I’ve, uh, noticed that your arm bothers you, so I came up with some ideas for a new one or even some ways to tweak the one you have.” You told him. His eyes widened and he looked at you in complete shock. The minutes seemed to tick by as he just stood there and stared. Beginning to get nervous, you began to shift your weight from foot to foot. “I’m sorry, I probably totally overstepped your boundaries. I just figured you might not want to keep another reminder of what they did to you. And I’m sure they didn’t do the best job attaching it, so I figured it hurt you. It was just an idea; you can totally ignore it. I’m really sorry.”

You began to back track into your room and were just about to close the door when he spoke up.

“Can I think about it?” He looked so confused but hopeful in that moment and you immediately nodded.

“Of course. I just wanted to offer my designs and input. If you change your arm, it should completely be your choice. I just wanted to let you know I could help you if you wanted to.” The look on his face made you want to cry but you pushed your feelings aside. You wanted him to know how sincere you were and as he stared at you in awe, you had a feeling he did. After another moment, he nodded and stepped away from your door, notebook clutched in his hands.

“I’ll let you know. Thanks, and goodnight Y/N.” He said softly before turning and heading back down the hall for the third time.

“Goodnight Bucky,” you called after him before shutting your door. You leaned against the back of it and let out a shaky breath before grinning. Maybe you would be able to help him after all.

#avengers #eventual bucky x reader #avengers x reader

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jadetea-writing · 5 years ago

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VN Snippet #1

Little Jules Optima

(AN: Based on an earlier post)

"Oof!"

A little girl collides with Lorelei's leg—her leg won, unfortunately. She reaches down to help the kid stand up, and she's ambushed with the brightest smile she's ever seen.

"Oh my gosh! You're here!" the little girl looks at Lorelei with wonder, "Da–Father mentioned you were coming to visit, but you're really here!"

"Uh…" Lorelei looks at her girlfriend for help.

"Hey kiddo, I'm Scarlet, and this is–"

"Lorelei Linden!" the brunette cheers, "You're my favorite hero!"

Lorelei stifles a laugh at Scarlet's pout. Her girlfriend is usually the one dealing with cameras and fans, so she's accustomed to a certain level of attention.

"Yeah, that's me. I'm honored," Lorelei smiles, "What's your name?"

"I'm Juliette! But you can call me Jules!" the gi—Juliette gestures for Lorelei to lean closer, and she whispers, "I only let the people I like call me that."

"Juliette?" Scarlet suddenly perks up, "As in Juliette Optima?"

"Mhm," Juliette absentmindedly nods in Scarlet's direction, her attention focused on her idol, "Lorelei, do you want to see something cool?"

Lorelei has a silent conversation with Scarlet that ends with the redhead rolling her eyes.

"Sure, Jules, that sounds like fun," Lorelei laughs at how wide Juliette's eyes become when she uses the nickname, "It has to be quick though. We're supposed to be meeting your parents soon."

"I'll stay here, sweetie," Scarlet says, "Try not to keep the bosses waiting."

Juliette is already tugging at Lorelei's hand, "Let's go! Let's go!"

- - -

Lorelei expects Juliette's "something cool" to be a new toy or a game, or even an arts and crafts project. It's been a long time since kindergarten, but she's pretty sure that's the sort of thing kids bring for show-and-tell.

It turns out to be none of those.

Juliette is definitely an Optima. The girl can't be older than six or seven, but she's already dipping her feet into robotics.

"–and I call this one Alfred," Juliette points at a robot on treads, "Because he gets me snacks."

She types a few lines on her keyboard, and the little robot wheels away. It comes back a few minutes later holding a bag of chips in one gripper and a can of soda in the other.

Juliette looks at Lorelei expectantly, "Do you like him? He's still a little buggy sometimes and he only–"

"Alfred is very cool," Lorelei interrupts Juliette—the girl can talk, and though it's cute, most of what she's saying goes over Lorelei's head, "Is he your favorite?"

Juliette looks pleased at the compliment, but then she frowns and covers the side of her mouth to whisper, "No, but don't tell him that. He works really hard."

Juliette types on her keyboard again, and the little robot zooms away.

"Okay, I sent him home," Juliette swings her legs under her seat, "Do you want to see another?

"Sure, do you have a favorite?" Lorelei isn't usually one to spend time with children, but Juliette is quickly wriggling her way towards Lorelei's heart.

Juliette is not what Lorelei expected. She assumed the little heiress would be a typical rich kid—spoiled, sheltered, maybe even self-centered—but she's happy to find herself mistaken.

"Oooh, I dunno. I like all my bots a lot!" Juliette hums while she thinks. Lorelei knows the instant Juliette's mind is made up because the young girl bounces in excitement, "Oh! Do you want to see my newest bot?"

Her voice drops to a hush, "Can you keep a secret?"

"That depends," Juliette's face falls, "Do your parents know?"

The girl brightens, "Oh, yeah! I show them everything!"

"Then sure, as long as it's not hurting anybody."

Juliette shakes her head so hard Lorelei worries it's going to fly off, "Nuh uh! No way! My bots are good bots! Daddy just wants me to keep my powers a secret."

Oh. Lorelei's heart clenches. For someone so young to have powers…she hopes Juliette is part of the minority that get powers randomly. If she isn't, and her dad wants her to keep it a secret…

"Hey, Jules? Can I ask you something? "

"Sure! You can ask me lots of somethings!"

Juliette doesn't seem to notice Lorelei's concern, "How did you get your powers?"

Lorelei regrets the words the moment they leave her mouth. Juliette's entire body droops, and her face looks too somber for someone her age.

"Um. There were some bad guys who took me away," Juliette stares at the ground for a few seconds, then returns to her earlier cheer, "But my powers helped me get away and Daddy made sure the bad men went to jail."

Lorelei is only partly relieved, but at least it's not the worst case scenario. She examines Juliette, and while the little girl perked up again, Lorelei can see she brought up bad memories.

She takes a deep breath. This isn't really her thing, but…

"Hey Jules, do you want a hug?"

Juliette practically launches herself off her computer chair, but she's light enough that Lorelei can hold her pretty easily. The girl wraps her arms around Lorelei's neck and squeezes tight. After a minute, it doesn't seem like Juliette plans on letting go, so Lorelei takes a seat.

"How about I show you something cool?" Lorelei offers.

"Like what?"

"Well you see, I have this pet rock. His name is Flint…"

- - -

Weeks later, Scarlet comes back from a meeting with a glint in her eyes.

She sits in Lorelei's lap, "Hey babe, do you remember the Optima kid?"

"Jules?" Lorelei pauses her sketching, "Yeah. How's she doing?"

Scarlet bursts into laughter.

"What?" Lorelei pouts, "What's so funny?"

"It seems I've got some competition," Scarlet teases, "Jack thinks the kid has a crush on you."

Lorelei blushes, "Aw c'mon, you saw her. She's just a big fan. You've got lots of those."

"Yeah, but none of my fans want to build a robot to feed my pet rock."

"Did she really?!"

"She's been bugging Jack to bring her to work so she can give it to you," Scarlet smirks, "Should I be worried you'll fall for her fancy toys?"

Lorelei rolls her eyes, "You're not going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Never."

- - -

MANY YEARS LATER…

"I forgot I had this one saved," Lorelei shyly holds her phone out for people to see.

Dahlia tilts her head, "What are you holding?"

Lorelei smiles, "That was my pet rock. His name was–"

"Flint!" Juliette shouts excitedly.

Everyone turns to look at her curiously, Lorelei especially, "How did you…?"

Juliette laughs nervously, "I just thought that would be a punny name!"

No one buys it, but the conversation moves on—the entire thing is completely forgotten by the time Juliette has to choke down a spoonful of cinnamon.

- - -

"Yeah, our honeymoon," Andi says as she tugs her girlfriend away, "By-the-way-we-just-got-married byee!"

The (newly wed?) couple rushes out the door before anyone can respond. The surprise doesn't last long—Andi is involved, after all—and casual conversation starts up as the remaining members catch up.

A throat clears behind Lorelei, and she turns around to see Juliette holding something behind her back.

"Juliette?"

"Ha. Yeah, that's my name. Yup," the blonde shuffles in place, "But uh…if you want, you can call me Jules."

Lorelei's eyes widen. There's no way.

"Also, I've been meaning to give this to you for a while," Juliette holds out a box, "I called him Mason, but you can rename him if you want."

Lorelei accepts the gift, "Should I open it now?"

"If you want?" Juliette plays with her hair, "But I included documentation in the box if you just want instructions."

Lorelei sets the box down on a table and carefully opens it. Inside is a small robot that looks like Alfred, only the technology is several generations newer. There's a small remote and a booklet tucked inside as well.

"I…uh. I kept working on it. Whenever I got frustrated with other projects, I'd add upgrades or tweaks," Juliette shrugs, "It's still the original, in a Ship of Theseus kind of way."

Lorelei looks back and forth between Juliette and the robot. There's no room for denial, she's definitely–

"Little Jules Optima?" Lorelei says in a hushed tone, "But you–and we–you're…"

A familiar somber expression crosses Juliette's face.

"Oh, Jules," Lorelei understands—probably better than anyone else can, "Do you want a hug?"

It's a little more difficult this time around, but Lorelei manages to catch Juliette when the blonde leaps towards her.

- - -

(AN: The discussion about Juliette's powers involves one of my hcs—that powers tend to arise in stressful situations, and that Juliette got hers when she was kidnapped at a young age. Whether this is a shipfic or platonic is up to your interpretation. Juliette definitely had a crush as a kid, though.)

If you enjoyed this, you might like my other works on AO3, including my current project Revelations in the Dark—a Bat/Cat/MC rewrite of canon. I've just completed the first arc, which covers the events of S1 for both routes.

#villainous nights #juliette bat #juliette mcbatterson #juliette optima #lorelei linden #tea writing

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loquaciousquark · 5 years ago

Note

hey! love your writing and hearing about your process. you have mentioned that you need to write out a full fic first, rather than writing and posting chapter by chapter. what is your process for editing those longfics? i finished the first draft of my first longfic and the idea of editing it seems incredibly overwhelming. do you have any recommendations?

thank you kindly, anon! this is a difficult question to answer because I have no actual writing...training, I guess, is the word? I was a biomedical sciences major and I have never taken a creative writing class in my life, so I haven’t the foggiest idea if what I do breaks every Prime Tenet of Proper Writing ever, so take everything here with a grain of salt.

Because the thing is: I hate editing. HATE it, loathe it with every atom and sinew of my body. It is by far my least favorite part of the writing process, and because of that I go to great lengths to avoid it as much as humanly possible.

I’ve talked before about how I outline, I think, but basically, I outline all my long pieces heavily to get as much right on the first pass as I can so that I can not have to do major edits. Drafts, likewise, don’t really exist for me; 95% of what I write on the first pass gets published in that form with only minor changes. I strongly suspect this is an artifact of me being an architect rather than a gardener in my writing; I can’t remember the last time I scrapped a whole scene (or even a major part of a scene) because of how heavily I outline first and how strict I am with myself in sticking to that outline. Probably the vampire AU, honestly, because of Jade--but more on that later.

Here’s an example of what some of my outlining looks like:

Like, sometimes I’ll do proper numerals and such, but more often than not it’s just paragraph descriptions of the major things that should happen in each chapter, and if there’s some phrase or idea that I really want to use, I’ll just jot down a few specific phrases right there in the document.

This does a few things for me, but the biggest is that it gives me a solid bird’s-eye view of the thing I’m trying to write. If I don’t know them already, what are the themes I want to emphasize? What are the plot threads that run throughout? If I have “introduce Gilchrist the evil baker” in chapter one, this helps give me the reminders to make sure Gilchrist has appropriate follow-through in each subsequent chapter and isn’t completely forgotten by the side-plot I accidentally brought up in chapter three and loved way more than Gilchrist’s unleavened muffins.

And this is not to say that I build the entire lattice out of iron from the start so that there’s no room to grow. Even in this fic I’ve just finished, I was telling @eponymous-rose as I was working on the epilogue (which I hadn’t intended to have) that I wasn’t sure what it was going to be about, but that I could feel it was needed; and it wasn’t until I was writing the epilogue’s last few lines that I realized both why it was important regarding the overall themes of the fic as well as regarding the characters’ individual narratives, even though I hadn’t planned for it in the outline.

This process is also why I tend to write the whole fic before ever posting a single word. If I realize in chapter nine that I completely forgot Gilchrist the baker existed until I made an inadvertent reference to a crooked croissant, there’s not a darned thing I can do about it if chapters one through eight are already posted. And because I also have major personal hangups about making public mistakes, I would much prefer to write in private, fix my boo-boos before anyone else sees them, and THEN post, rather than getting a half-dozen comments wondering if this was all a secret patisserie plot all along.

The other thing I’ll add here is how important my betas are to me and how I write. I am by nature an incredibly impatient person--I’m the one shopping at 8:30pm at Hobby Lobby and then working on a spraypaint project in the backyard at midnight by phone flashlight because I refuse to wait until the next day--so this has always been a little hard for me. However, being able to give the whole fic at once to a beta and say here, this is it, and letting them read the whole thing at once--this is so invaluable to me in picking out things I’ve forgotten, scenes that didn’t translate well from my head to my page, or plot points that might be weaker than I first thought and need shoring in multiple places throughout the plot.

@jadesabre301 has been my beta for...years. Middle school? Twenty years, maybe? And by now we know enough of each other’s writing to know where the pitfalls are, how each person needs to be checked. I tend to forget side characters exist when I have a huge cast; Jade is always there to remind me they exist and to bring them back in (see Sebastian’s chapter in Ever Rise for a perfect example; that chapter didn’t exist before she told me to let him be alive again). I tend to overuse certain phrases and metaphors, and I’ll sometimes have characters repeat the same action several times in a scene without realizing (see Invicta, where I had three separate people cross their arms in less than 500 words before she called me on it).

Jade also has a marvelous ability to look at a work’s overall structure and point out which sections are strong and which sections are weak and need a little tweaking before they’re published. (Again, because I hate editing, the bones are usually sound enough that I can make these changes with only a few paragraphs or sentences here and there; and when Jade tells me to cut some line altogether I rarely save it, because if it didn’t make her cut here I know it’s not worth the saving anywhere.)

Example!

And because she also knows me very well, she is also very kind to point out the things she likes throughout her edits, which is just as invaluable a skill in an editor and I hope she realizes how important it has been to me over the years.

And because this is quickly getting much longer than I’d ever intended, I will close with the last thing that has helped me with my own editing when I’m (alas) forced to do it: I know what my problems are, if that makes sense. Not just the structural issues above, but repeating phrases and words to the point of distraction, hammering metaphors into the ground when a lighter touch would do them better service, and significantly overusing emdashes & semicolons. (Based on @eponymous-rose‘s beta/grammar check of this most recent fic, 43 of 350 or so emdashes died, and more will again when I get a chance to look over it once more.)

So when I’ve gone through it enough that I’m happy with the characterization and the plot threads and themes, as set out by the original outline I spent too much time on, then I go through and do one or two passes on word choice. To be quite honest, I do a Find search through the document for words I know I overused, then look at each usage and make sure they’re not too close to each other. Example--I did a search for “hard” on this last fic, and found I’d used it four times in the same paragraph. All in different ways--his eyes were hard, his grip hardened, he had a hard set to his shoulders, etc--but too much! So knowing the words (and issues in general) I tend towards and looking through to excise some of them specifically helps a lot in the editing I am willing to do.

SO!

To summarize: how do I edit my longfic? As little as possible!

heavy outlining prior to writing to make sure I have themes and plot threads properly established and mapped out throughout the piece

sticking closely to my outline throughout the writing process

sending only completed fics to beta so that they can read the whole thing at once and more easily pick out flaws in structure, theme, or character progression

ctrl-f words/phrases I know I most frequently overuse to cut the unnecessary ones (I’ll sometimes run the fic through something like this site to check phrase frequency for anything that might have slipped through)

and when all else fails, I set the whole thing aside for a week (again, I am impatient--longer would probably be better) and then come back and try to read it with fresh eyes

I hope this has at least been moderately helpful? Again, I’d like to emphasize that I have no idea what I’m doing, and this is hardly foolproof, but it’s worked for me so far, and hopefully at least a small part of it will be helpful to you. Thank you for asking!

#writing: other #quark replies #long post for ts #anonymous #someone tell me if i should cut this!#nm i'm just gonna cut it #how did this get so long

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nancypullen · 4 years ago

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Heatin’ Up the Kitchen

You guys. Am I the only one ready to throw in my apron and quit this job? I love to cook, I especially love to try new recipes and twists on old favorites. But something about not picking my own groceries, the fact that each day is just a repeat of the day before, and that it’s a thousand degrees here in Tennessee - well, I just don’t want to be in the kitchen. I used to cook 21 meals a week. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. A couple of months ago I started skipping breakfast (most days) so every Sunday I make a week’s worth of these cups for Mickey.

There’s a little bit of diced (cooked) potato, green onion, bacon pieces, and cheddar cheese in them. He cracks an egg into it, stirs it up, and zaps it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. He stirs it again, cooks it another 30 seconds or so and he’s got a yummy breakfast. He usually has a piece of fruit with it and declares himself full. They’re so versatile. I’ve made them with lots of veggies, different meats or no meat at all, but this is the combo the mister prefers. It’s easy for me and he’s happy. For lunch he prefers soup and sandwich or leftovers. Per his request, every week I make a pot of taco soup (seriously, who eats soup in the summer?). So breakfast and lunch are pretty quick - I slap together a sandwich for him while the soup reheats, throw everything on a plate, and he’s satisfied. Dinner is a different matter all together. I need to start doing meal prep for dinner so that we can just grab something and reheat it without having to turn on the oven or stand over a hot stove. Actually, this was my dinner tonight. It was perfect for a 96 degree day.

Vanilla yogurt, delicious plump raspberries, and a sprinkling of walnuts. It was plenty. I sauteed some chicken for Mickey and tossed it over a big salad. We’ve been eating a lot of roasted broccoli, though that requires turning on the oven. Ugh. It’s so easy and yummy. Just chop off some florets...

Why yes, those are brownies in the background - those were actually worth turning on the oven, trust me.

Anyway, toss your florets with a good drizzle of olive oil, and treat them to some salt and pepper. Then spread them on a baking sheet.

Pop them into a 400 degree oven and then mop your brow with a handy dish towel. Roast them for about 25 minutes - more if you like them softer. Toss your florets with some grated parmesan (Mickey’s favorite) or with a tablespoon of lemon zest (my favorite) and enjoy. It really is that simple. Great side for anything off the grill this summer.

If you’re willing to stand over a hot stove, at least keep the pots and pans to a minimum. This meal requires just one pot and one skillet. It’s a delicious pasta dish and if you’re a single or couple, provides plenty of leftovers which is always a win. I start by filling my pasta pot with well-salted water and bringing it to a boil. Then I heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add sliced onion and green pepper.

The herbs and spices are key in this dish. It’s full of big flavor. You can use Italian seasoning (use plenty!) or this mix that I found online. It’s easy to mix up a big batch and keep with your spices.

I use a tablespoon of that mix in this recipe. Half a tablespoon goes in with the onions and peppers, the other half goes in later. Here’s a tip. If you’re using Italian sausage, you really don’t need the extra fennel, but it doesn’t hurt. You could just use Italian seasoning and pepper it up. If you’re using ground beef or ground turkey, you’ll want the fennel in there. Either way you’ll want a little zip to it, so if you’re not using cayenne, black or white pepper to taste. Can you tell that this is one that I made up as I went along? But it’s good! Once the onion and peppers are tender, add your meat. I had Italian sausage this time. After I dumped it in I remembered that I only intended to use half because it was something like 19 ounces. Oops. We had a very meaty dish this time.

You’ll need a can of good crushed tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes to your meat and veggie mixture and stir in the remaining half tablespoon of Tuscan Spice (or whatever you decided to use).

Your water is surely boiling by now, turn the heat down on your sauce and drop your pasta into the water. I can’t stress enough how much better this is with fresh pasta. It makes a world of difference. It’s still quite yummy with any dry pasta you have handy, but fresh pasta elevates it. If you’re using fresh, it’s only going to take about two minutes to cook, If you’re using dry pasta, probably 9-11 minutes depending on the pasta you choose. Once your pasta is cooked and drained, put it back into the pot and pour the sauce over it. Toss that all together before serving. In the past, depending on the amount of liquid in the crushed tomatoes, I’ve added a splash of good chicken broth. If you want to make the sauce extra delicious, take it off the heat and stir a tablespoon of butter into it before tossing with the pasta. That’s REALLY good. Would you believe that I forgot to snap a picture after putting our dinner into pretty white bowls and giving everything a sprinkling of parsley and grated parmesan? Dang it. You’ll have to look at this photo of the leftovers being plopped into a container for the next day’s lunch.

Since this is sort of a made-up recipe anyway, tweak it to your tastes. It’s not fancy, it’s not difficult, and you probably have everything in your pantry. Ingredients you’ll need - 1 green pepper

1 yellow onion

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

pasta

ground meat - Italian sausage, ground beef, ground turkey, your call! The spice blend is up to you, whether or not you finish the sauce with butter is up to you, whether you use fresh or dry pasta,etc. Any way you go, it’s a quick dinner with big flavor. It heats up the kitchen, for sure, but you’re not in there long. Could this post be more confusing? I said I’m tired of cooking and then shared more recipes. One of the recipes is all over the place and I hardly even gave measurements. Pffft, you guys get it, right? I think I may stick to yogurt for dinner from now on. At least until October or November.

Stay cool, stay well, and remember that ice cream is a dairy and dairy builds strong bones. Fight osteoporosis with a sundae! Also, I’m a terrible life coach. Don’t listen to me. XOXO - Nancy

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