#it doesn't happen when i write stuff in italian

[annabthesolitarywriter]

IMPORTANT!

I've seen some of my moots post New Year Resolution lists/To-do lists so I thought I'd share mine. It contains important information my mutuals deserve to know.

I suppose you all don't remember my WIP The Lady of Ithilien.

Don't worry, it's a very small thing I've never really talked about. Enna? Eönwë? I don't know who these people are (just kidding, of course). Well, I have to announce that it will no longer be a WIP. It won't be a WIP for a long time, since I don't plan on posting new chapters until the latter part of this year and possibly even early 2026.

Much has changed since I posted chapter 3 back in April. I've created many, many, many OCs and some of them will appear in the story quite soon. As such, I need to have them completely (or semi-completely) figured out (full names, lineage, background, personality and role within the plot) BEFORE I start writing about them.

This is why answering character asks will be my main priority for early 2025 at the very least. I need to know who my characters are before I write them and make a mess. Please send as many asks as you can (even random questions), so that I can flesh them out as much as possible. Even stupid questions are okay. Seemingly stupid questions—I reckon questions are never stupid—are actually the best because they force me to think. Trust me, I do need to think 😂 it's the overthinking part that which I don't like.

I was re-reading the LOI prologue last night and I couldn't help but notice how different Ioreth's personality is if compared to how I wrote her character just two chapters later. She sort of has some of the same traits, but she's much more gentle and understanding in the prologue than she is later, and I don't think Enna "misbehaving" could trigger such a massive change in her personality if she hadn't shown signs of being a complete b*tch beforehand. Luckily for me, I haven't written much yet, so that issue could be easily solved by deleting the prologue and reposting it separately as a general introduction to Enna as a character. I have already copied the prologue in my AO3 drafts in case I decide go through with it, but I will wait a while longer before I make a decision since I'm notoriously volatile and change my mind every five seconds about everything. This example is just to show how writing instinctively and without thinking can impact things in the long run, so I definitely need to develop my characters. That's the first thing I intend to do this year.

Second, I need to finish the Tolkien OC Week one-shots that should've been done by the end of this past August. I am still working on the one-shot for Day 5 and I have changed my mind about the prompt for Day 6 at least a billion times. I have to expand the one for Day 7 and finish the one-shot for day 1 (Maiarin world-building is the stuff of nightmares).

Plus, I need to make sure that I don't further change my mind about things I've already written, which is something I unfortunately always end up doing. I change my mind all the time and it's honestly kind of debilitating at this point. I feel like I'll never finish anything and it's disheartening.

I legit can't stop coming up with newer ideas that I think are better than the old ones and replacing stuff I've already written with new scenarios. The thing is, my excitement wears off pretty quickly and I soon get even better ideas that quickly replace the new ones. It's a never-ending cycle which needs to stop ASAP.

I do plan to make some changes to the LOI chapters I've already posted. I'll edit the story before I resume posting later this year/next year. I've planned the following changes so far:

Possibly take out the prologue and reposting it separately [the reasons for this change are mentioned above]. Should that be the case, LOI will start with chapter 1. I haven't really made up my mind about this though. I kind of don't want to delete it because, in doing so, I would lose all my comments and comments are very important to me, but I suppose I could screenshot them, print them and frame them 😂

Change Eönwë's Quenya lines in what is now Chapter 2 to Valarin. I mean, the guy is basically in a coma and starts speaking in a second/third language? I know that Maiar and Valar are supposed to be more or less masters of all languages, but I think it would make much more sense if he muttered stuff in Valarin rather than Quenya. I did not think of this when I first wrote the chapter a year ago and I wasn't not yet obsessed with Turkish period dramas.

Carefully review the parts of Chapter 4 that I have already written and make major adjustments. Write new parts that make more sense considering the events that have just occurred story-wise (don't worry, I won't discard anything. The "current" chapter 4 will be pushed back in the timeline and possibly become Chapter 7 or 8.

Pay a lot more attention to grammar and spelling. I usually don't mind it when other writers make spelling mistakes, but when it happens to me...it's a whole other matter entirely. I've been learning English for a long time and the fact that I still make that kind of mistakes—mostly due to distraction—really irks me. I'm talking capitalization issues, wrong vowels and such. I know how to write correctly and I cannot stress how I roll my eyes whenever I spot misspelled words I perfectly know how to write. And it usually happens after re-reading the same paragraph four or five times.

Stop adding lore to asks I've already posted. How are people going to keep up if I keep adding more and more things? I literally posted the Eleniel/Celebrían ask on New Year's Day and I've edited the post twice already because I obviously came up with slightly different concepts and ideas. It's been two days and I have no doubt I'll come up with slightly different variations of things anytime I re-read the post. I don't think it's fair to the person who sent the ask (@lucifers-legions in this case, but it could be anyone) to keep changing things. I never do it on purpose (it's more of an impulse things), but I need to make decisions and stick to them. People should be able to read the answers to my asks without stressing over what I'm going to change. This applies to everyone sending asks (anons and mutuals alike), but it's even more important when someone is borrowing your characters for their story. So, I plan to be better and I really hope I will succeed. Also, constantly updating things is not good for me either (I forget half of the stuff and get confused, which is...not ideal)

Try and work on all the other asks I have queued. They include a second unusual OC/creator questions ask from @fishing4stars, four more from @lucifers-legions (three character asks and one fic-request), one from @dilettantefeminist, one from @jhelenivarsimae, one from @quillofspirit and two from @saurongorthaur9 (one character ask and one fic-request). I have started some of these and for others I had ideas which I momentarily abandoned/discarded. What I am trying to say is that I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN about these and that I'm working on them. I wish I could put things out more quickly, but...you know me by now. I'm slow. And I wish I wasn't.

Try and be more organized. I have a bunch of random files and notes that need to be neatly stored somewhere. My brain is a mess as it is and it doesn't need any more distractions.

Speaking of distractions...Tumblr (and social media in general) happens to be one. While I love scrolling through my feed here...it prevents me from actually writing and planning. Which is why I think it won't be surprising if I take even longer breaks from it. Despite this, I would like to keep in contact with all the awesome people I've met on here so. You can text me on Insta (I can give it to you via text on here) or you can email me if you like. Just text me and we'll talk about it. I'll still come back to Tumblr every once in a while (I'll never deactivate my account or things like that), but...I think I need to take drastic measures to stay focused and actually update my fics. I'll come back here to reply to the asks I get and to comments and texts I might get, but I don't think I'll ever be as active as I once was. Maybe I will be again one day, but I need to work on my concentration skills first (I honestly think I might have ADHD and I kind of would like to get it checked out. I've been doing some reading about it and most of the symptoms I have are a match for ADHD. It might also not be the case, but...I don't know.)

Update (sometime down the line) my masterlist, make it more pretty to look at and make a headcanon list to be kept in my files and also to be posted here. Most of my asks are buried somewhere and I need to keep them all in the same place so that I can easily find them. Not urgent, but also...quite urgent.

All in all, I would like to thank all of you for your continued support and thank you for putting up with me. ��

I understand I can be a pain and I'm sorry (I'm honestly starting to think Enna and I are the same person. She's just way more unlucky)

PS: *As a testament to my overthinking, it seems I cannot stop thinking about that darn prologue (it's been LITERAL HOURS since I first queued this post and it's been haunting me ever since). Ioreth's characterization is my main issue with it at the moment, but, on second thoughts, I suppose that the whole "personality change" issue could be attributed to her acting nice while Enna was a young child in an attempt to gain her trust and manipulate her into thinking that she was way better than her mother. That's kind of plausible. She basically gaslighted her throughout her childhood and started showing her true colors when Enna grew up and started to "rebel". Okay, that's more or less fine, I suppose.

It's just that the prologue is set in Ithilien and the first chapter is literally a year later in Minas Tirith and she's already met Mairon. Mmm...🤔

Should I add a few chapters in between showing Enna's pre-drama daily life, her lessons with the most sensible tutor in Middle-earth aka Finnas, her moving to Minas Tirith with Faramir and Elboron, introduce her two main attendants and address the differences between her life in Ithilien and in Minas Tirith? Should I also include a chapter where she meets Mairon and he starts manipulating right off the bat?

I'm literally debating whether I should rewrite the story from the start [the most complicated option what will probably cause me to abandon the fic altogether], add the extra chapters between the prologue and Chapter 1 [if that ends up happening, the prologue will go back to being Chapter 1 and the other chapters will follow accordingly], or just delete the prologue and leave everything else as it is now [the easiest option]

In any case, I doubt I'll be able to post anything before next October/November, my ultimate deadline being early to mid 2026.

IF I DON'T UPDATE BY THEN...then you're allowed to consider the story officially discontinued/abandoned.

Writing LOI requires a lot of work and hopefully finishing off the one-shots first will give me inspo and motivation to work on the story. If not, Elenwë and all my OCs will only live in my mind and in the one-shots that are already posted.

Also, all the planned fics I listed on my masterlist... probably won't happen either. Let's be realistic, I'll never ever get to them in this lifetime. I get distracted too often, I can't meet deadlines and I'm never satisfied with my own work. I am never happy about it. Perhaps I'm just not cut out for writing. Maybe I should stop writing right this instant.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of my moots for their unwavering support. I have met so many wonderful people here and, even if I stop writing, I'll always keep reading and commenting!

[tonellivision]

rule three

authors note: this is my first story, so have some grace for my terrible writing. This is not based on my life, BUT i am a camp counsellor, so this is what I got the idea from.

setting: canadian cottage country

pairing: kimi antonelli x fem!reader

warnings: flirting, angst, slow-burn, fluff, reader is canadian (this doesn't matter to the plot), very light swearing, angry confession, death threats? (it's a joke), not proofread

word count: 10.3k (my bad)

summary: y/n has three rules to survive living at camp for a summer, and they work pretty well considering she has been going back for the last 4 years. the rules are simple: have fun, do not get caught up in drama and most importantly, do not fall for someone at camp. but what happens when she meets a boy that could make her break the most important of the three.

rules were great.

my rules made sure my camp life wasn't complete crap.

my rules had made sure that my second, third and fourth summers working at camp went perfectly, and i was sure they were going to make sure i had another wonderful year.

they were very simple:

have fun

don't get involved in drama

DO NOT fall for someone at camp

– june 22nd –

i had been driving on the back roads for nearly an hour after exiting the highway, on which i had also been driving on for several hours before. now, i was surrounded by trees, my arm sat on the open window, noah kahan playing through the speaker of my crv. my car was packed full of everything i’d need for the summer, my exams had finished a couple weeks before, i had graduated a few days after that and now, I was going to my favourite place on earth. life was good. as i drove, i passed familiar mail boxes, towering maples, and gravel driveways. soon, i saw the rustic sign which displayed the camp's name in big bold letters which made me smile softly, knowing i was nearly at my home away from home.

i turned down the dirt road and drove even further into the woods. i knew there was a large lake through the trees ahead (simply because i had lived here for 4 summers), but the trees were so dense, i couldn’t see anything. rays of sunshine shone through the thick ceiling of leaves, keeping my car in the shade haphazardly.

i adored my job as a camp counsellor. if i didn’t, i wouldn’t be coming back. i adored pouring into the kids lives over the summer, bonding with them, making bracelets, swimming, sitting by the bond fire. sure, the pay was ass and my sleep schedule was never healthy but there were pros and cons to every job.

as i pulled into the main clearing, i could already see the other staff bustling about. there were a lot of returnees but i saw a few new faces. i drove passed the dining hall, shouting a few “heys” and “hellos” to my friends out the window. most were dragging suitcases and other things they had brought from home down to the cabins, a cody, carter, heather and jenna (who must have already unpacked) were playing spikeball in the field, and luke, julia and a few others were just lounging on the hammocks chatting and catching up about their school year. i drove into my parking spot, which was really just an empty bit of grass by the edge of the woods, hopped out of my car, flipped my shades in front of my eyes and opened up my trunk to begin unloading everything.

although i had tried to pack as light as possible for the almost 10 weeks i’d be here, there was still a ton of stuff. one big suitcase, a laundry basket packed full of essentials i knew i'd need, my bedding, my guitar and a few extras. i huffed and decided to begin with the suitcase. I had just started to pull the suitcase out, when a voice came from behind me, making me jump and nearly drop it.

“need a hand?” the voice said. it was heavily accented, italian probably? i wasn’t sure. i turned and was greeted with probably the most attractive boy i had ever seen in my life. he had gorgeous curls and a charming smile and these soft brown eyes and- oh no. i cut off my thoughts and i quickly recovered, hoping my face hadn’t displayed the wave of fear that i washed over me when i realised there was, in fact, someone here that may cause me to break rule three. “i’m kimi, by the way”

“oh! that would actually be fantastic. i'm y/n” i said smiling and sticking out my hand, knowing that this boy would be my downfall.

— july 1st —

we had been at camp for over a week now. we spent the first week prepping, cleaning and training for when the kids arrived, so when they arrived on the 29th we were ready. we were three days into the first actual camp week, and things had been great. i had gotten assigned the twelve-to-thirteen-year-old girls, and they were awesome. super energetic, funny, but unfortunately, not blind.

they had seen me and kimi talking and obviously began teasing as soon as they realised. i had finally managed to calm their giggles and explain that coworkers do, in fact, have to speak to each other, and it is not a sign of me wanting him to be my boyfriend, but kimi decided he was going to have a staring problem.

the first few days, his eyes would drift to me. i could feel them on me, but i managed to keep my eyes away from his. not only did my campers notice kimis eyes, but even worse, HIS campers noticed. so now i had to not only deal with nine twelve-to-thirteen-year-old girls trying to get me to admit i liked kimi, but i also had to listen to another nine pre-teen boys screeching at kimi to “use his italian rizz to seduce her” (an: this is a direct quote i experience this summer, im being so fr rn).

aside from this whole fiasco, the week had been going great. i had already bonded pretty well with my campers, we had gone tubing, swimming, played capture the flag, all the stereotypical camp activities. and of course, today was canada day, so that meant bonfire, red and white themed snacks and fireworks.

the sun was just starting to dip behind the trees when we got to the bonfire. the air smelled like woodsmoke and bug spray, and the mosquitoes were already beginning their nightly war against everyones ankles. my campers had rushed off to grab s’mores supplies and claim the best log seats, shouting over each other about who could roast their marshmallow the best. i let them go. they were good kids. loud, chaotic, a little too observant for my liking, but good.

i took a seat at one of the logs at the back. quieter, in the dark away from the fire light, more peaceful. of course, the moment i pulled out my guitar, a handful of my girls immediately perched around me like ducklings, asking for me to play different songs.

i started strumming a song i was pretty sure none of them would know but i knew the other counsellors loved. death wish love was just something soft to keep their chaos level from climbing too high. i didn’t even get through half a verse before the whispers started.

“miss y/n, he’s staring again.” kiana whispered.

i didn’t look up. i didn’t have to. i already knew who “he” was. i could feel his gaze from across the firepit like it was physically leaning on me. perhaps that was a tad bit dramatic. but accurate.

“i’m sure he’s just zoning out,” i said, not looking up from my guitar. “there’s fire. it’s hypnotic.”

giggles. always with the giggles.

“yeah, sure, he’s zoning out into your soul,” layla sassed.

i sighed. deeply. “go toast your marshmallows before i make you clean the latrines tomorrow.”

that scattered them fast enough.

i continued quietly strumming and singing softly, hoping to seem far to busy to care about the boy across from me.

kimi was across the fire pit, sitting on a log with his boys, pretending to be engaged in whatever story one of them was telling about catching a frog or making a leaf boat, but he wasn’t slick. i could feel his eyes on me. again.

the first firework went off with a bang that made the younger campers squeal and the older ones cheer like it was a soccer game. i stopped playing, just resting the guitar on my lap, letting the kids get lost in the colours. it was quiet for a few seconds.

peaceful.

then someone sat down next to me.

i didn’t have to look to know who it was.

not peaceful.

“you’re good with them,” he said after a beat, voice low enough that only i could hear it.

i shrugged. “bribery and thinly veiled threats work wonders.”

he huffed a laugh.

“you have a pretty voice too,” he said. i felt the tips of my ears heat up.

i turned to look at him, but he wasn’t looking at me this time. he was staring straight ahead, his profile all soft angles and flickering shadows from the firelight. he looked calm. he looked—ugh. he looked good. so good.

“you're really bad at being subtle,” i muttered.

he smiled, barely. “maybe.”

we sat like that for a while. i should have moved. everything in my body said move. but i didn’t. i didn’t move away, and he didn’t either.

— july 15th —

wednesday was the counselors' first day off. a few of the kids’ parents had come up to visit for the day, taking them away from camp for little day trips and lakeside lunches, which meant one thing: blissful, precious silence. the directors took charge of the stragglers who hadn’t been picked up, and the rest of us got the green light to do whatever we wanted as long as we were back before curfew and didn’t, quote, "get arrested or start a forest fire."

so naturally, that’s how i found myself crammed into the old camp van with seven other half-sweaty, half-hyper counselors and one very worn-out air freshener dangling from the mirror. kimi was driving, which should’ve been illegal, honestly. not because he was bad at it—he was actually really good—but because there was something about him driving with one hand on the wheel, sunglasses on, window down, wind ruffling his curls, that made it really hard to remember how to form coherent thoughts.

i was in the middle seat, squished between julia and heather, trying very hard not to look at kimi in the rearview mirror. or out the window reflection. or literally anywhere near his direction. it was fine. totally fine.

carter was in shotgun when he spoke “town run? or beach first?”

“town,” jenna said immediately from the back. “we need snacks. and i need dry shampoo or i’ll actually die.”

“respectfully,” luke added next to her, “you already kind of look like a victorian ghost.”

jenna whacked him over the head with her empty gatorade bottle, and cody attempted to restrain luke, who had started trying to yank the bottle from jennas hands.

“honestly, why do we need campers when we already have you too,” i said, rolling my eyes playfully. kimi just grinned and turned the van toward the highway.

the town was tiny, one of those classic one-street, general-store-and-ice-cream kind of towns, but it was basically a major metropolitan city to us after being stuck in the woods for weeks. we pulled up to the general store called Buck n Wilsons General Store but the sign was missing the B and G so it was uck n Wilson eneral Store.

“okay, you’re with me,” julia said, dragging jenna and carter toward the toiletries aisle. cody and luke bee-lined for the cold drinks. heather disappeared without a word. wow. fantastic.

i lingered by the door, pretending to look at a rack of keychains but mostly just needing a second to reset from the body heat of the van.

“you coming, tesoro?”

i blinked. “sorry—what?”

i turned, halfway expecting i misheard him or he was talking to someone else. but no—there was kimi, holding a handbasket, giving me that stupid little smirk like he knew what he was doing.

“did you just—what?” i asked.

he tilted his head. “tesoro. you don’t know what that means?”

“should i…?.”

“it means… like… treasure, sweetheart, or something like that. i think that's the english equivalent”

i stared at him. he looked way too casual about the fact that he just casually called me sweetheart. in his native language. while standing next to a rack of beef jerky and car air fresheners. i felt my cheeks dust with colour.

“right,” i said slowly. “that’s… normal coworker talk.”

he grinned. his stupid grin. and i swear i felt my stomach do an actual backflip, which was dumb, because this wasn’t a rom-com and i wasn’t about to fall for the guy who’d just spent the last two weeks accidentally making my campers think i was secretly dating him.

we wandered down the candy aisle together. i kept my eyes very fixed on a display of sour peach rings, hoping my face would stop feeling like it was on fire. kimi noticed this too.

“you like these?” he asked, holding up the peach rings.

“julia does. she always eats any of the packs i bring back to camp.”

he raised an eyebrow. “didn’t ask that. i asked if you liked them.”

“… maybe.”

he tossed pack into my hand before i could stop him.

and yeah, maybe i did spend the next five minutes walking through the store like i was completely fine, like i wasn’t still thinking about that stupid word and the way he said it.

but i didn’t like him. i didn’t. i was not breaking rule 3.

i just needed a snack.

that’s all.

— july 23rd —

sneaking out after the campers were all asleep was a pretty common occurrence. the campers slept like the dead due to how much energy they spent throughout the day, so it was very easy thing to accomplish. were we good role models? absolutely not, but you know, we were still kids too.

i slipped out of my cabin and made my way down to the dock. the dock was my spot. it always has been. just far enough away from camp that i could breathe again, with the lake stretching out in front of me like a secret. i was already picturing myself sitting at the edge, toes dipped in the water, maybe humming a song under my breath—until i spotted someone already in my spot.

i paused, squinting.

a figure. hoodie. legs stretched out. confident posture.

of course.

i sighed, louder than i had meant to, and sure enough, he turned his head just slightly like he’d been waiting for that. even in the dark, i could feel the smirk on his face.

“you’re in my seat,” i said flatly, already considering turning back.

“oh no,” kimi said, stretching out a little more like he was making himself comfortable on purpose. “don’t tell me this whole dock belongs to you now.”

“it’s an unspoken rule,” i muttered. “everyone knows it.”

“funny,” he said. “i must’ve missed that part in training week.”

i hovered for a second, fully ready to turn and go sulk by the archery range or something, but then he said—

“wait. stay.”

i blinked. “why?”

“because i’d rather not sit out here alone like a weirdo. it’s less depressing if you’re here.”

“you are a weirdo,” i muttered, but didn’t move. he didn’t deny it—just patted the space beside him without looking at me. bold.

but i obliged. i sat next to him, letting my crocs graze the top of the water. we sat in silence. goodness, i hated it.

“so, what do you do?” i asked, breaking the silence.

“hmm?”

“like what are you going back to? after camp i mean? like school? a job?” i asked

he glanced over at me, a little grin playing on his lips. “i drive.”

i stared at him. “okay. vague.”

he shrugged. “it’s the truth.”

“like what—uber?”

he snorted. “no.”

“pizza delivery?”

“worse.”

i tilted my head. “then what?”

“formula one.”

i blinked. “like… racing? like… cars?”

kimi nodded, eyes fixed on the water like this was just some casual little hobby he was telling me about.

“formula one,” he repeated, like i didn’t hear him the first time.

i scoffed, a small smile playing on my lips. “you’re joking”

“i’m not.” he reassured me. “you can google it if you want”

“no, it’s okay, i believe you…” i said.

i mean, i knew formula one was a big deal—fast cars, european guys with accents, monaco and champagne or whatever. i wasn’t an expert or anything, but i’d heard of charles leclerc. and lewis hamilton. mostly because of cars 2 and tiktok,

i played it off though. i'm not sure why. maybe i just didn't want him to know that i knew it was a big deal.

“huh,” i said, trying to sound cool. chill. unbothered. “that’s… neat.”

he huffed a laugh. “neat?”

“i mean, it’s no camp counselor,” i said sarcastically, pulling my knees to my chest. “but sure.”

in the moonlight, i can see him smile.

we sat there for a while, the silence settling around us like an old friend. it was nice—too nice, almost. the kind of nice that made you want to close your eyes and just breathe, but that also made you wonder why the hell you felt so comfortable. he stretched beside me and let his fingers rest on mine. thank goodness for the darkness, because my cheeks were probably pink at this moment. but i didnt move my fingers. and he didn’t either.

“so,” kimi said, breaking the silence. “what about you? what’s your big plan after camp?”

i glanced over at him. “plan?”

“yeah, you’re training for something, right?”

“i’m training to be a medic,” i said, feeling the words roll off my tongue easily. “already finished half of my training, actually. graduated early. i was supposed to graduate next year, but i graduated this year.”

his eyebrow arched slightly. “graduated early?”

i shrugged, not really seeing what the big deal was. “yeah. but i don’t want to work in a hospital. that’s not my thing. i want to be an onsite medic, for places like camps, events, stuff like that.”

“not a fan of hospitals?” he asked, his voice softer now, more interested.

i shook my head. “hospitals are too… sterile? too much red tape. i’ve always liked the idea of being in the field, more hands-on. i’m already a trained lifeguard, so i know how to keep calm in high-pressure situations. but working in a hospital just feels… too boxed-in, you know?”

the quiet stretched again, but this time it felt different—comfortable. he wasn’t pushing, wasn’t trying to get too deep, but there was a warmth in his eyes like he actually cared about the answer. it was nice, but… maybe too nice. and that’s when he threw me off again.

“so,” he started, breaking the quiet. “do you have a boyfriend?”

i blinked, caught completely off guard. “what?”

“you know,” he said, leaning back a little, casually. “someone back home.”

my stomach dropped for a second, but i couldn’t let him see that. i let out a short laugh and looked away, trying to cover the sudden wave of unease. “no…why?”

“i don’t know,” he said, the smirk back in place. “just curious. you seem like someone who would have someone by now.”

i felt my face flush slightly, but i fought the heat creeping up my neck. “well, i’m not exactly looking for someone, and… people don't really pay attention to me.”

the awkward silence came back. what do you even say to follow up after that?

“so, you’re not staying in canada after the summer, then?” i asked, trying to sound casual, but something about the way i said it made my throat feel tight. it wasn’t like i wanted him to stay. it wasn’t like i was planning on visiting or something, but something about the idea of him leaving felt like it hit a little closer to home than i was willing to admit.

he paused, glancing at me sideways. “yeah. i’ve got pre-season training after summer, then the racing season starts in march.” he shrugged, his gaze drifting back to the water, the casual air about him making the words somehow sting more than i expected.

i tried to mask my disappointment with a quick, forced smile, but i wasn’t fooling anyone. least of all myself. "right," i said, staring at the ripples in the lake. "guess you’ve got a whole world to go back to."

it was stupid to feel anything about it, i told myself. i didn’t even like him. so why did it feel like a weight in my chest when i thought about him leaving?

kimi didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t say anything about it. we just sat there, side by side, both lost in our thoughts, the quiet stretching longer than before.

— july 27th —

it was dusk and the lake looked like glass, all soft purples and pinks reflecting off the water like someone had dropped a watercolor palette on the sky. today was another counsellor off day. we had a few volunteers come up to deal with the kids for the day while we took some time to ourselves. the air smelled like sunscreen and pine, and it was warm in that sticky, end-of-july kind of way where no one really bothered with towels anymore because you were just going to end up wet again anyway.

i was sitting cross-legged at the edge of the dock with heather and jenna, our legs dangling over the water, damp from earlier swimming and now slowly drying under the setting sun. we had lemonade in plastic cups and were trading gossip in low voices, like we were thirteen again at a sleepover.

“i’m just saying,” heather said, sipping dramatically, “if kimi stares at you any harder during breakfast, the table’s going to catch fire.”

“he’s not staring,” i muttered, picking at a bow on my swim top.

“he absolutely is,” jenna added. “he doesn’t even blink when you walk into the dining hall.”

“i think he just has one of those… intense faces,” i said, already hating how lame that sounded.

heather gave me a look. “babe. be serious.”

i shrugged. “it’s not like it means anything. he’s just flirty with everyone. that’s his thing.”

“right,” jenna said with a knowing smirk. “and you just happen to blush every time he talks to you because you’re allergic to compliments.”

“i’m not blushing right now,” i shot back.

“because he’s not here,” heather said.

i rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to argue—but i didn’t get the chance.

strong arms suddenly wrapped around my waist and i let out a shriek, my cup of lemonade launching into the air.

“what the—kimi!”

before i could protest any further, i was lifted completely off the dock.

“no, no, no—don’t you dare—!”

he started towards the end of the dock which made me shriek more, my arms went instinctively around his neck, holding on tight in the name of self-preservation.

“oh, now you want to be close to me?” he teased, walking us steadily toward the edge of the dock.

“you’re insane. put me down—gently.”

“i was going to,” he said innocently, “but then you started holding on like your life depended on it. can’t say i hate it.”

“you are impossible,” i hissed.

“i’ve been called worse.”

he then tried to throw me off, but this was made difficult because due to how i was clinging to him like a koala.

he huffed. and then, he didn’t throw me in.

he just… fell.

pulled us both down into the lake with one solid, dramatic step, like he couldn’t bear to let go of me either.

the water was shock-cold against the warm air, wrapping around us in a whoosh of bubbles and sunken laughter. i hadn’t realized how tightly i’d been holding onto him until we hit the water—and even then, i didn’t let go.

we hovered there under the surface, still tangled together, limbs brushing. i felt his hand steady on my back, the soft pressure of his chest against mine. he looked at me underwater, amused, and something warm stirred in my stomach.

then—light as a whisper—his mouth brushed the edge of my jaw. too soft to be on purpose. too lingering to be an accident.

i blinked at him through the water.

and then we broke the surface, gasping and laughing. i pushed my wet hair out of my face and splashed him.

“you’re ridiculous,” i said, half out of breath.

“you liked it,” he grinned, swimming backward, smug and soaked.

behind us, heather and jenna were howling with laughter, someone was already yelling, “called it!” and i dove under the water, swimming to shore, hoping to hide the heat rising in my cheeks.

pretended it didn’t mean anything.

pretended it wasn’t everything.

— august 1st —

breakfast at camp was always chaotic in a familiar, comforting way—wooden benches scraping against the floor, the smell of slightly-burnt toast, kids yelling over one another about what table got pancakes first. organized chaos.

i sat at my usual table with my girls, doing my best to mediate a very passionate debate about whether ketchup belonged on eggs (it did) while keeping an eye on the one camper who always tried to sneak a third juice box.

everything was normal. or at least it should’ve been.

until i felt it again.

the staring.

i didn’t have to look. i knew. kimi’s eyes drifted across the dining hall and landed on me like i was the only person eating breakfast in a room of a hundred. and for some reason, he still hadn’t figured out how not to make it obvious.

i took a sip of my lukewarm coffee, very purposely not looking in his direction. if i didn’t look, i could pretend it wasn’t happening. that was the game. denial was key.

but of course, his campers had zero interest in subtlety.

“broooo, stop looking at her!” one of his boys, landon, shrieked loud enough for half the room to hear, voice cracking halfway through.

i didn’t flinch. didn’t blink. just nodded along as one of my girls described a dream that featured a dinosaur, her dad, and tate mcrae.

“she’s not even at our table, man, focus on your oatmeal!” jake added.

i bit down on the inside of my cheek, eyes trained firmly on the center of my table, nodding like i was still deeply invested in a camper’s retelling of her dream from last night.

“i think he’s trying to use his italian rizz again,” noah whispered—but not really whispered—like the concept of volume was optional.

adam wacked noah's hat, which was backwards, off. “his italian rizz doesn’t work when he stares through her skull, bro. she’s not, like, telekenesis or whatever that mind-reading power is.”

“do you think it works better in another language?” levi asked.

“ciao bella, you wanna share a canoe?” landon mimicked, throwing on the worst italian accent i’d ever heard in my life. the entire table burst into laughter. i heard kimi mumble something that must have been some curse word.

i pressed my lips together and absolutely did not smile. nope. not even a twitch. i was focused. ketchup-on-eggs level of focused.

“ma che cavolo…” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose like this was a daily occurrence (it was). “i’m literally not even looking,” he muttered.

“you were literally staring,” noah said, dramatically rolling his eyes.

“no i’m not!” kimi snapped, voice cracking just slightly in a way that did nothing to help his case. “ragazzi! basta! just eat your cereal!”

“bro, he’s blushing!” jake yelled.

“dude, she’s gonna notice, and then you’ll have to move back to italy from embarrassment.”

“ask her out already! you’re so slow!”

kimi groaned again, sliding down in his seat like he wanted to disappear into the floor. “dio mio…”

and then—disaster struck.

one of his campers, matthew, a thirteen-year-old with absolutely no self-preservation instinct, shout across the hall, straight at my table, specifically at the girl directly across from me, “HEY LAYLA! ASK Y/N OUT FOR KIMI, HES SCARE-” he was cut off by kimi covering his mouth with his hand but the damage was already done.

my campers paused. then all hell broke loose. and it wasn’t even just our table. the sheer volume of the commotion had gotten the attention of all the other tables.

“i told you he was staring at her yesterday during canoe check-in!” another girl howled, slapping the table. “you didn’t believe me!”

“guys, guys—ask her if she’ll go on a date with him!”

“should we write it on a napkin?? pass it over like in class?!”

“NO,” I said firmly, but of course, my face betrayed me by turning an absolutely traitorous shade of red. “guys, eat your eggs.”

i refused to look over at kimi. i didn’t have to. i felt the heat coming off of him. the entire dining hall was vibrating, and there was no escape.

“EVERYBODY SHUT UP!” Landon yelled, spinning around and ordering like a tiny general. “SHE’S RIGHT THERE! SHE MIGHT HEAR! HAVE SOME RESPECT!”

i took a deep breath. calm. cool. professional. unbothered.

my campers, the lovely girls they were, quietly whispered, trying to keep it a secret, as if the entire dining hall wasn’t jittering, “so do you like him?”

“i don’t even know what you’re talking about,” i said, taking a very casual sip of my coffee.

then i choked on it.

because from across the room, kimi finally looked up, cheeks red, muttered something in italian that sounded vaguely like a prayer, and grinned at me.

I did not like him. i had rules to keep.

— august 6th —

it was almost 2:45 a.m. when the unmistakable sound of muffled giggles and the creak of cabin floorboards yanked me from my sleep.

at first, i thought one of the girls was sneaking off to the bathroom. but then came the second sound—quick footsteps just outside the door, followed by a suspiciously soft thunk.

i sat up, immediately suspicious.

then came more whispering. another thunk. a laugh—quickly shushed.

groaning, i dragged myself out of bed, still wrapped in my favourite hoodie and matching grey sweatpants, hair a mess and eyes barely open. i shoved my feet into my crocs and stumbled to the door with every intention of scaring off whatever little monsters were giggling outside.

i yanked the door open.

bad move.

WHOOSH.

a full bucket of freezing water dumped straight on my head.

everything stopped. my breath caught in my throat. cold soaked through every layer in an instant.

my hoodie clung to my arms like wet seaweed, and my sweatpants were sagging from the water weight. i stood there, stunned, dripping, homicidal.

slowly, i looked up at the porch roof. a bucket lay upside-down near the edge.

on the path, frozen mid-step, stood alex—kimi’s personal twelve-year-old goblin of a camper—eyes wide with horror.

“oh my—,” he whispered. “it wasn’t supposed to fall—”

i stepped off the porch like a ghost straight from a horror movie.

alex let out a strangled squeak and scrambled backward.

behind him, more campers peeked from behind trees and bushes, giggling—until they saw my face.

“abort mission!” landon hissed from the shadows.

“dude. fix it.”

jake shoved kimi forward like a peace offering. “flirt with her- grovel- i don’t know!”

kimi stumbled a little, catching his balance as he stepped between me and alex. he looked like he was about to say something clever—but then his eyes landed on me.

and lingered.

i peeled off my hoodie with an angry huff, wringing it out with both hands. my t-shirt underneath was soaked too, clinging to my body like a bodysuit.

kimi blinked once. then again. his eyes dropped before he caught himself and immediately snapped his gaze up and to the side, ears going red.

“wow,” he said, clearing his throat, “that shirt is—um—very… absorbent.”

i raised an eyebrow, arms crossing over my chest automatically, which only made his jaw tighten as he visibly forced himself to keep eye contact.

“okay,” he muttered, voice pitching awkwardly. “let me fix this.”

he pulled his hoodie off in one quick motion and stepped closer, holding it out to me like an offering to an angry deity. it was still warm, soft, and smelled like smoke, pine, and whatever stupid cologne he pretended was just “soap.”

“you think a hoodie’s gonna fix this?” i said flatly, still dripping.

“well… it’s one of my favourites,” he replied, trying to smile. “only the prettiest, scariest girl at camp gets to wear it.”

i stared at him.

“that’s you,” he added quickly. “just to be clear.”

i snatched it from him and tugged it over my head, shivering slightly as the warmth sank into my skin. his fingers brushed my arm as he helped untwist the sleeve, and i hated how nice it felt. how easy he was to like when he wasn’t being an agent of chaos.

“better?” he asked with a crooked smile.

“no.” but my voice cracked slightly from the cold.

“you know,” he said, still lingering a step too close, “i could make it up to you. a muffin? maybe your own hoodie? one that hasn’t been part of a war crime?”

i sighed.

“you’re lucky i’m too tired to commit actual murder.”

he grinned. “means i’ve got a shot.”

from the bushes, one of the kids whispered, “he’s winning.”

“GO TO BED,” i barked, and they scattered.

kimi stayed a second longer, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking at me like he wanted to say something else but didn’t know how.

“you gonna be warm enough?” he asked finally.

“i’m fine.”

“you sure? you’re not gonna slip in your crocs and drown in a puddle?”

i shot him a glare over my shoulder and turned back toward my cabin.

but i didn’t give the hoodie back.

and maybe—just maybe—i didn’t totally hate how warm it was.

— august 11th —

the woods were quieter than usual.

darkness was draping itself over the trees, the moonlight shining through certain bare spots in the woods, bugs hummed everywhere and nowhere at the same time, the air heavy summer humidity that made your shirt stick to your back by the time you'd gone five steps. kimi walked beside me, talking about some gossip his mom had updated him on from back home.

we were supposed to be looking for campers, tagging the ones hiding in the woods for the big camp-wide game so they’d have to run back to base and start over. “night watchers.” sounded dramatic. for me,  it was a nice excuse to walk in the dark and pretend i wasn’t entirely aware of every time his hand brushed mine.

“i feel like we’re the villains of this game,” i said, scanning the trees. “just walking around, destroying dreams and catching kids in the act.”

“you say that like it’s not the best part,” kimi replied, his voice casual. he was twirling his flashlight in his hand like it was just an accessory, not something he was actually using. “we’re the final boss. very powerful.”

i rolled my eyes. “you and this power complex again.”

he smirked. “i’m just saying… the kids scream when they see me. that’s impact.”

“that’s trauma,” i corrected. “you’re lucky they’re not in therapy already.”

he laughed, and i glanced over at him—just a quick peek. of course, he was already looking at me. of course. his eyes crinkled a little when he smiled, and i hated that i noticed that. i also hated that i didn’t look away fast enough.

“you like being out here with me,” he said suddenly.

i blinked. “what?”

“you do,” he said, grinning wider now. “you always end up paired with me on these shifts.”

“yeah, well, the directors seem to think we work well together,” i stammered.

“mmm,” he hummed. “i’m sure that's the only reason.”

i kicked a rock off the path, face heating against my will. “don’t flatter yourself, antonelli.”

“too late,” he said with a shrug. “you like me.”

“i like not running,” i corrected. “this is the laziest job and you just happen to show up every time i’m assigned it. that’s all.”

“you’re flustered.”

“i’m not!”

he laughed, smug and just a little too close. i shoved his shoulder.

god, he was so annoying.

“you’re one to talk about flustered,” i said, straightening a little. “remember breakfast?”

that stopped him. “breakfast?”

“Oh, don’t pretend you forgot,” I said, turning to grin at him now, the confidence slowly crawling back into my voice. “You staring at me from across the dining hall like it was the most subtle thing in the world. Your campers screamed at you.”

Kimi groaned. “That was not my fault.”

“Uh-huh. Because you definitely didn’t have the world’s worst staring problem.”

“I did not have a—”

“‘Broooo, stop looking at her!’” I mimicked in my best high-pitched camper voice.

He buried his face in his hands for a second. “They’re demons.”

“‘He’s trying to use his Italian rizz again!’” I added dramatically.

He dropped his hands with a groan. “You’re evil.”

“I’m accurate.”

“You loved it.”

I opened my mouth to argue—but couldn’t. He caught that, too. Of course he did.

“See?” he said, nudging my shoulder with his. “You liked it.”

I scoffed. “Please. I had to explain what the word rizz meant to the directors.”

“I made you blush, didn’t I?”

“You made yourself blush.”

“No way,” he said. “You did first.”

I shook my head, but I could feel the color creeping into my cheeks again. I looked away.

He leaned in a little, not touching but closer now. “You're blushing right now, cara mia.”

I shoved his arm. “Stop calling me things I don’t understand!”

He just grinned. “Would you rather I translate it?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Kimi—”

“It means ‘my dear.’”

Oh.

I blinked at him, my mouth going dry. “That’s—why would you—”

“I told you,” he said, tilting his head with a faux-innocent shrug, “you like me.”

“I—” I choked on the word and shook my head fast. “You’re delusional.”

“You’re in denial.”

I sped up my pace to get away from the smugness radiating off of him, but he easily matched my steps, his grin only getting bigger.

“You so are.”

“I’m literally just here to tag campers,” I muttered. “This is my job.”

“And I’m just here for the game,” he said lightly.

I glanced sideways at him.

We both knew we were lying.

— august 21st —

i don’t know when it shifted.

maybe it was gradual—like water warming under a flame, slow enough that i didn’t notice until it was too hot to touch.

but it hit me all at once.

i was brushing sand off my legs after waterfront, still damp from swimming, and someone said his name—just in passing. a joke. something dumb about how he helped carry a canoe like it was nothing. everyone laughed. i smiled too, automatically. like muscle memory.

and then it hit me.

i like him.

not the heehee haha kind of like i had been telling myself it was. not the kind of like where you tell your friends he's hot and tease each other when he walks by. not a surface-level crush you nurse for fun during the summer and forget by september.

i actually like him.

i felt it like a wave slamming into my chest, all salt and pressure. i sat down on the edge of the dock like my knees gave out.

oh no.

i like the way he notices things. how he always grabs an extra juice box at breakfast because he knows i never get one.

i like the way his voice sounds when he says my name, even if i pretend not to notice.

i like the way he looks at me like i’m someone worth staring at.

and i hate that i like that.

because he’s leaving.

of course he’s leaving.

this is camp. summer. temporary. that’s the whole point.

and he’s not staying in canada.

he said it like it was nothing. just a fact. like saying he didn’t like olives.

i should’ve listened more closely when he said he wasn't staying.

he’s not even trying to stay.

he’s not mine.

he never was.

i pressed my hands to my face and groaned, low and quiet, like if i got the sound out of my chest it might take the feelings with it.

stupid. so stupid.

i don’t want this. i don’t want to care about someone who’s already halfway gone.

i don't want to be the girl who falls for the summer boy with the smile and the accent and the stupid curly hair.

i want to go back.

back to teasing him and pretending like none of it mattered.

back to not looking forward to night watcher shifts.

back to pretending i didn’t feel anything.

i have to kill this feeling. now.

so that’s the new plan.

i’ll avoid him. not in a dramatic, over-the-top way. just… enough. i won’t sit next to him. i won’t stay behind when he lingers after staff meetings. i won’t walk with him after curfew or laugh at his dumb one-liners or let my eyes meet his across the dining hall.

i’ll let it fade.

it has to fade.

because the alternative—

the alternative is letting myself fall harder for someone who’s already made it clear he’s not staying.

and i can’t do that.

not again. the rules were in place for a reason.

so no more late-night dock talks.

no more brush-of-the-shoulder, is-this-flirting or not moments.

no more getting soft because he says cara mia in a voice that makes my name feel different.

i’ll be fine.

i just have to forget i ever liked him in the first place.

Easy.

— August 25th —

camp was quiet in the strangest way.

the kind of quiet that felt wrong. no shouting across the field, no whistles, no splashing at the waterfront, no kids trying to convince me that brushing their teeth “technically” counted as showering.

just leftover tan lines, half-zipped duffel bags, and the smell of the last campfire still hanging in the air.

cleanup week was always a little depressing, but i didn’t mind the work. scrubbing out cabins, hauling lost and found bins, folding half-destroyed t-shirts into boxes for next year, it kept my hands busy.

which was good. because my head was a mess.

i hadn’t talked to kimi in three days.

not really.

sure, there had been a few hellos, a nod here and there. but nothing real. no quiet late-night conversations or casually bumping shoulders on the path.

because i was trying not to. on purpose.

it shouldn’t have mattered anymore. the campers were gone. camp was wrapping up. in a few days, we’d all be scattered—back to cities, universities, real life. he’d be back on a plane. probably already had a suitcase half-packed.

so why did it still ache when i saw him out of the corner of my eye?

why did i still know the exact sound of his laugh from across the dining hall when the staff was eating their leftover pizza and pretending they weren’t about to cry when they left this place?

i was elbow-deep in a plastic bin of sports equipment when i felt someone behind me. not footsteps—just the weight of presence.

i didn’t turn around.

but of course.

“did i do something?”

his voice was soft. careful.

i took my time adjusting the dodgeballs, hoping maybe he’d give up.

he didn’t.

“because if i did, i want to fix it,” he added. “but i feel like you’ve been—”

he paused, searching for the word.

“—distant.”

i forced a laugh, short and hollow. “i’ve been busy.”

“right,” he said, clearly not buying it. “busy avoiding me?”

i finally looked up. he was standing just a few feet away, hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie, hair a little messy like he’d just taken off his hat. he looked… confused. and a little frustrated.

i shrugged. “it’s the end of the summer. everyone’s doing their own thing.”

“that’s not what this is,” he said, stepping closer. “come on. i know you.”

those words—i know you—they hit me right in the gut.

because he did.

i didn’t say anything. i just turned back to the bin and started aggressively re-rolling a soccer jersey that was never going to fold properly.

“you don’t even look at me anymore,” he said quietly. “did i say something wrong?”

“no.”

“then what is it?” he asked, more desperate now. “you were fine last week. and now you act like i’m… like i don’t even exist.”

i squeezed my eyes shut for a second and inhaled. big mistake. he smelled like lake water and camp laundry detergent. and that stupid cologne.

“i don’t want to do this right now,” i said, trying to keep my voice steady.

kimi stepped closer. “why not?”

“because you’re leaving,” i said sharply, finally turning to look at him, eyes hot. “okay? you’re not staying. and i don’t want to make things more complicated than they already are.”

he blinked, stunned silent for a moment.

i hadn’t meant to say it like that.

“i’m not asking you to make things complicated,” he said softly.

“no, but i made it complicated,” i shot back, trying to shove the lid on the bin. “and now i need to uncomplicate it.”

his eyes searched mine like he wanted to argue, but i didn’t let him. i grabbed the bin, hauled it to the storage closet, and didn’t look back.

i needed space. i needed logic. i needed a time machine to take me back before i let myself fall for the one person who was never going to stay. i needed to go back to when i started breaking rule 3 and slap some sense into her.

and most of all, i needed this summer to end.

before i did something stupid.

like ask him to stay.

— august 26th —

nine weeks. nine weeks of working with him. nine weeks of stupid jokes. nine weeks of our cabins pranking each other. nine weeks of him stealing my bug spray because he didn't bring any from italy. nine weeks of long talks at the fires after our campers had all gone to sleep. nine weeks of lingering touches. nine weeks of flirting. nine weeks of flustered sighs. nine weeks of teasing from campers. nine weeks of ignoring said teasing. nine weeks of the damn feelings not leaving, but not having enough willpower to distance myself from him.

i was back on the end of the dock, my toes dangling in the water, breathing in the fresh air. the lake was beautiful tonight. calm, reflecting the clear night sky. it was quiet, the only sounds coming from crickets in the woods and quiet laughter and voices from a fire across the little bay we were situated on. the other counsellors had all gone to sleep after the late night bonfire party we had to celebrate the end of the summer. i took in a deep breath, letting my hands run gently over the smooth wood of the dock. it was always bittersweet to leave camp, but this time was particularly bad.

i buried my head in my hands. gosh, i was so damn stupid. i had that feeling in my chest, like that tightness you have when you need to sob.

we only had two more days at camp until we went home. It had only been a day since our conversation. I hated ignoring kimi. i knew it bothered him. hell, it probably bothered me more. but i knew i had to detach from him before i went home. i needed to get rid of the feelings which had been bubbling up over the past nine weeks. i shouldn’t have let the feelings develop in the first place, but now, i was in a situation where every time i saw his face, the tips of my ears felt hot, i could feel the butterflies in my stomach and my heart began pounding ridiculously fast.

stolen glances, lingering touches, teasing, subtle flirting. what the hell was i thinking?

it could never work. Maybe if i had known that he was a formula one driver from the very beginning, i could have stopped myself from liking him. Why did he have to be a formula one race-car driver? and why did he have to be a damn good one too? Before him, i didn't know much about formula one, except for charles leclerc from the tiktok edits that popped up on my fyp and hamilton from cars, but he patiently and passionately explained it. I learn about the paddock, the pits, the other drivers. I knew things now. he'd be driving for mercedes this coming march, travelling around the world, probably getting with those drop dead gorgeous models who walked around the paddock.

maybe i let myself like him because at the time, i didn’t realise how impossible the situation was until it was too late.

maybe i let myself like him because i didn’t know he would be travelling for practically the entire year.

maybe i let myself like him because i thought maybe, just maybe, there's a chance this could work. but there wasn’t, and i was stupid for thinking otherwise.

i knew he was behind me before he spoke. kimi was a quiet walker, but you can’t silence the vibrations sent by your feet through a dock. i stayed silent though, not saying anything, not moving, silently praying he'd just leave.

“why are you ignoring me?” kimi’s voice cut through the silence. i breathed in softly and didn’t move, keeping my head forward, watching the moon's reflection in the still waters.

“i told you. i dont want to make things more complicated.” i said simply, trying to keep my voice steady but there was a subtle shake in the last few words. i could hear him huff in frustration before marching over and sitting next to me, letting the tips of his sandals dip in the water.

“y/n.” he said heatedly. angry? maybe. but there was something else there too. “look at me. What did i do?” he was pleading.

i looked at him. goodness, he was beautiful. everything about him made my heart beat quicker and i was forced to calm my breathing. “You did nothing, kimi. i’m fine.”

"no, somethings wrong,” he countered.

“kimi, there's nothin-” i began, but was quickly cut off.

“no, it's not nothing. suddenly you just don’t want to speak to me, look at me, or even be in the same room.” he shot back. he was angry, but i could still hear the pleading in his voice. he was hurt. i didn't want to hurt him, but i knew i couldn’t tell him why i had to.

“i don’t know, i’m just tired-” i mumbled feebly, turning away again, when i felt kimi’s hand grab mine, pulling my attention back to his face.

“no, you’re not. something else is going on. i’ve seen you tired, and you are never like this! you have never acted like this when you’re tired. i’m leaving in two days and you can’t even look at me!” he insisted. his voice had the shake mine did.

i didn’t answer and he pushed again. i could feel the tears welling in my eyes. no. i could not cry. not tonight. not over a stupid boy. even if that boy was the sweetest person in the whole world.

“y/n whats-” i got up at his words and started walking down the dock but he was faster, getting up after me and grabbing my wrist gently. “-wrong?”

“what if i don’t want to get hurt, kimi?” i snapped, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

“what do you mean?! by me? i would never hurt you-” he started, but this time i cut him off.

“you’re leaving me kimi! i mean you’re going off to be a formula one driver, and you won’t have time for me anymore, and i’ll see you with some other girl-” i caught myself. crap. i felt a few of the tears beginning to fall. i pursed my lips, looking down. i tried to pull my wrist away, but he held me firm.

“w-what are you talking ab-”

i couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“i like you, dammit! Not just a little crush! Not just one I can be teased about! I genuinely have feelings for you, and it is physically sickening how far gone i am. and now you’re going off to your mercedes drivers training, then you will g-go to formula one and i’ll never see you again, and i’ll have to watch you succeed from here, with some rich girl on your arm that won’t be me. And I hate it,” I spat, pacing back and forth at the edge of the dock.

he opens his mouth to interject but i raise a finger "I'm not done."

“i hate feeling this way. i hate you making me feel this way. i hate how you stare at me like it means something when you’re just going to leave in a few days. i hate that you’re so damn perfect and i can’t get you out of my head. i hate the way you make me laugh when i’m supposed to be mad at you, and i hate how i’ve started thinking about you at night when i know i’m not supposed to. and i hate this damn pit in my stomach because i know it’s never going to happen. you’re leaving. you’re going back to that stupid, perfect life of yours, and i’m stuck here. and it’s killing me,” i breathed in and he looked like he was about to say something but i continued.

“i’ve been ignoring it for weeks, pretending like this didn’t matter because i knew it was just gonna hurt when you left. but then you kept looking at me—looking at me like i was the only one in the world who mattered, and i started to believe it! and now i’m here, standing in front of you, and i’m trying to convince myself that it’s just some stupid crush, or maybe it’s just this summer heat that’s getting to me, but it’s not. it’s real. and it fucking terrifies me.” i stopped in my tracks, chest heaving, crying.

he opens his mouth to interject but i raise a finger "i'm not done."

i took another breath before starting my rant again. “i don’t want to fall for you. i don’t. you’re leaving, kimi. and i’ve been so stupid because i thought maybe, just maybe, i could make it through the last days of camp without really feeling anything for you. but now i do. and i can’t—i can’t—watch you walk away without feeling like i’m breaking into a million pieces. you’re everything i’ve spent the last few weeks trying not to want.”

i could see his face change, the hurt there, but there was something else too—a softness in his eyes that didn’t match the anger and frustration in my voice.

“you’re so fucking selfish, kimi,” i spat out, the words bitter on my tongue. “you come into my life like it’s just this temporary thing, like i’m some game you can play with for a few weeks, and i’m supposed to act like everything’s fine while you go back to your perfect little life and forget about me! well, i’m not fine, okay? i’m not okay. and i’m not just some passing thing for you to fixate on until the end of the summer and then leave behind.”

“i let myself actually like you,” i said, my voice cracking. “and that was so stupid, because this isn’t real. it’s just camp, and you’re just—this perfect, impossible thing that i can’t have, and i hate that i let you get under my skin. i hate that i care—”

but i didn’t finish the sentence.

because suddenly, kimi’s hands were cupping my face and his mouth was on mine and everything—every word, every fight, every glance across the dining hall—fell away like it had just been waiting for this moment to crash.

i froze for a second, mid-breath, mid-heartbeat, before my body finally caught up with what was happening and i kissed him back. hard.

it wasn’t gentle. it wasn’t soft or slow or sweet. it was weeks of tension, of looking and not touching, of biting our tongues and pretending and denying and wanting. it was angry and messy and real.

when he finally pulled away, i was breathless and stunned, his forehead pressed against mine.

“you talk too much,” he whispered.

my heart was doing backflips. i tried to glare. “you’re one to talk.”

he laughed, just a little, and didn’t move. “you’re wrong, you know.”

“about what?”

“about this being camp. about this not being real.” he pulled back to look at me fully, eyes wide and shining. “i’m not letting you go just because the summer ends.”

“kimi, you have to.”

“no, listen.” his hands dropped to my shoulders like he needed to hold onto something solid. “you said you want to be an onsite medic. come with me.”

“what?”

“formula one teams travel with medics. we need people like you. i need someone like you. i’ll talk to the team doctor, or i’ll talk to toto. or—i don’t know—i’ll fake an injury just so they have to bring you. you’re smart, you’re trained, you’re already halfway there.”

i blinked. “you want me to—what—follow you across the world?”

“if that’s what it takes.” he was rambling now, his voice shaking a little with adrenaline. “or—or we do long distance. i’ll fly you out when you want to come. i’ll come back during the break. i’ll do long-distance. i’ll come back here in the winter. i’ll quit if i have to—”

“kimi—”

“i don’t care how we make it work, i just know i want to. i want you. i’m serious. i’ll give them excuses or fake injuries or learn how to crash a car safely if it means they have to bring you to me. i want you there. or here. or wherever you want to be, as long as you let me be in it with you.”

my brain had officially short-circuited.

“be my girlfriend,” he said, without even hesitating. “please. i’m asking you now before i lose the nerve.”

i stared at him, heart racing. “you’re serious.”

“i’ve never been more serious,” he said, breathless. “and you can still say no, if that’s what you want. but i’m in. i’ve been in. since, like, week two.”

i laughed—stupid, giddy, overwhelmed laughter—and shook my head. “you’re insane.”

“only for you,” he said, grinning. “say yes.”

i didn’t answer.

i just kissed him again.

this time it was slower, my eyes fluttered shut. i felt his hands on my cheeks, his thumbs wiping the tears which had fallen down my cheeks. one of his hands moved to the back of my neck, deepening the kiss with a content sigh. the other slid down to my ass, which made me roll my eyes and move his hand up to my lower back. i could feel him smiling against my lips. my hands moved to his hair, letting my fingers tangle in his curls. i felt his tongue swipe my lower lip, almost begging for an entrance. i would have rolled my eyes again but instead i gave him what he wanted, opening my mouth just enough for him to slip his tongue into my mouth and keep kissing me. my one hand was tangled in his hair, and the other moved to slide down the front of his hoodie. i heard him hum with contentment as i kept kissing him. when we finally broke the kiss, i wrapped my arms around him and hid my face in his chest. he held me tight. i didn't even realise i was still crying, maybe from the rant, maybe the weeks of tension and yearning, but he held me tight, tracing circles on my back, his chin resting on the top of my head, occasionally pressing kisses to it, mumbling stuff in italian which i still couldn’t understand. i felt his chest rising slowly and steadily, his fingers running down the back of my sweatshirt. and we stayed like that for a while, me in his arms, slowly pulling myself together, and kimi holding me as if i would sprint into the lake if he let go.

“so, you didn’t answer my question,” he said into my hair, his voice low and warm. “can i be your boyfriend… please?”

i didn’t look up. i couldn’t. my face was still buried in his hoodie, my emotions barely under control. but i gave a small nod, a soft hum of approval vibrating in my throat.

“use your words, mi vida,” he murmured in my ear, his hand gently finding my chin and tilting it until i was forced to meet his eyes.

“yes, kimi,” i said, breath catching. “i would love that.”

his gaze softened. one hand moved from my chin to my cheek, brushing away a stray tear. and then—he laughed. quiet, breathy, affectionate.

“stop laughing at me!” i protested, though the corner of my mouth was already tugging into a smile.

“i’m not—” he tried to defend, still laughing, “i just didn’t expect you to be crying when i finally asked you out.”

i rolled my eyes but leaned into his touch anyway, my heart doing that fluttery thing it had no business doing.

“you know you made me break my third rule?” i said, voice barely above a whisper.

he smirked. “yeah, i heard about that one. ‘don’t fall for anyone at camp,’ right?” he stepped closer, arms sliding fully around me. “didn’t really go that well for you, huh?”

“oh, shut up,” i muttered, burying my face back into his chest to hide the smile i couldn’t stop.

maybe breaking my rules was a little okay.

© all works belong to tonellivision. please do not copy, translate or reupload to third party websites or feed my work to ai, character bots or recommend on tiktok/ twitter.

[technically-a-kiwi]

🌌TRUEST OF TRUE ULTIMATE VERSION OF Mc FUCKIN' HAD IT OF TRUEST COSMIC AU🌌

Or Cosmic AU for short

That's right ! The final version's here ✨✨✨, it doesn't mean I'll stop posting about the AU, but I'll stop writting stuff and stories and shit, well, maybe not stories but DEFINETLY world building, it's a multiversal otherworldly fourth wall breaking self aware AU so whatever. Anyways, LET'S GOOOOOO !!!!

And now, for the moment you've been waiting for !

THE LOOOOOOORE 💯💯💯💯💯

Peppino and The Noise killed eachother and are now gods

The end ✨

Characters :

Cosmic Peppino, The Chef

Cosmic Noise, The Host

Cosmic Pepperman, self absorbed drawing

The ticket stand, a face in the void

Noisette, the little star traveler

Where are the other characters you may ask ?

THEY'RE IN THE REALM OF I-DON'T-CARENESS OKAY ?!!! They're not gone, I just litterlay don't care enough to mention them anymore okay ?! If you want to do stuff with them go ahead, but I won't, I'm DONE 👹👹👹

Now, small note, the cosmic realm holds many kinds of entity, with titles as diversed as its people. Just know that C Pep and C Noise specifically are cosmic entities and the ONLY cosmic entities of the realm, and are thus not bound by laws of physics, reality, panels, chronologie, are self award, fourth wall breakers and most importantly absolutely omnipotente.

Yeah it's ridiculously overpowered and weird for silly pizza game characters, but who cares ?! This is my AU boi !

No need to develop on Peppino much, I've already made plenty of posts about him, he's quite developed as it is. An italian creation god...thing, that bakes things into existence, C Pep is either stressed out or tired or furious, and flames up like a bonfire when emotional.

Although I gotta mention, I kind of changed his perspective on mortal beings. He does have basic respect for people, he sees them a little spects sure, but he wouldn't actively undermine them. He doesn't get upset much when something happens to populations, maybe a little "oh, that's a bummer" during tragedies, but not anything much, it's not a lovey dovey amount of care like for his kids. he just sees them as... tiny insect strangers of some sort, I hope it's clear enough.

Okay, I kind of want to develop some stuff, I don't know where else I could put this in the post anyway

C Pep is quite distant with people, he can engage in conversations sure, but he doesn't let much of anybody in, you know ? (Well, most people don't let strangers in, most saine people that is, everyone in the realm is insane anyway)

But with people he's familiar with, he's quite peachy

He considers Maurice like a little brother, he loves just hanging around, messing harmlessly with him a little, or just be here for him. C Pep enjoys his company since here Maurice is more cold than a jerk, plus they can hear from eachother when it comes to the struggles of raising a child on your own (yup there is a Maurice Jr.)

Since Peppino's a chef, he's been taking Maurice under his wing and teaches him some nice recipes.

He's a slow learner but he's progressing.

As for the constellations, he tries his best as a single father. He's a little awkward, especially when he needs to react calmly (calm and Peppino are two opposite thing on the chart) but he really tries his best to show the constellations he's here for them. Pep can relate with them on some things. He really loves them cares about them deeply. The constellations care about him just as much. It's an okay family.

Also, it's kind of awkward and I feel REALLY weird to write that, but on my earlier posts I said that he makes lots of mistakes as a parent, and to illustrate that I made him yell at Cassiopea, and suggested that it happened more than once. Now, the original plan was to show that he's terrifying when enragged and that his kids are worried about his outbursts, but instead I might of suggested that C Pep is kind of an... abuser? Okay, to set things strait, it's not the case, not at all, he loves his kids and would rip the very fabric of reality to protect them and make them happy, even if he's about to lash out at them his future self would come and stop him before he could causes any harm. It's very messed up considering that C Pep is basically an overpowered god and having defenseless beings at the mercy of his outbursts and yelling just sound sick and not at ALL what I was going for. It could have been interesting if I tried a story talking about the viscious cycle of abuse and how it caries on to the victime, since Peppino is canonically a victime of household abuse with his brother verbaly harassing him, but at this point it straines a little too far from what the AU is about. maybe I'll write something about it someday, but the chances are thin.

Okay I think that's all for Cosmic Peppino

Let's develop on Cosmic Noise !

Okay, so, Cosmic Noise here is a (not so) little chaos god, he just loves to mess around, most of his actions are for the sake of his own entertainment. He's either a very, very dumb irritating little gremlin or an absolute evil mastermind, depends on his mood. His "special ability", or should I say "quirk" is that he can summon text panels you see in earlier TV shows to make the crowd react.

I didn't draw this but sometimes he can be a helping hand in stories, giving hints to the hero's journey, but he'd NEVER physically intervene in a story to help, that's just... not like him... besides if he helps it's generaly because he wants to move the plote along, not because he's nice.

You can just feel that he wants to annoy you just by the way he's moving, interacting with people, he just floats aroud you, takes all the available space, constrains you, he just wants to put you out of your confort zone, see how much he can play until he crosses the line

And sometimes he can go pretty far to see how much you can handle before you crack

As for NNS, C Noise's TV show, it's quite a strange enviroment, the studio takes a good chunk of the cosmic realm (also fun fact, C Noise's cape is a window and a portal to NNS's studio !) it doesn't have a clear schedule. The number one rule is to be as entertaining as possible. Oh, and literaly nothing makes sense and is absurde, just like The Noise

That's the only thing I drew, but there's so much more stuff he does in the show, like news broadcasting, here's a little moodboard to give you an idea

there's stuff like extreme parcours, a hide and seek game where the contestant must find him in a random area (most of the time hostile areas), dilema games where he films people having to solve a tough dilema etc... Just as long as it's exaggerated and absurde it's good.

Also, (not a) fun fact ! C Noise can see through his cameras as if they where his eyes, and his cameras are everywhere filming 24/7. He knows all the things you keep to yourself, all the awkward and dark things you did, he saw that, and can compilate all those moments into a film if he wants, so be careful with what names you call him, he might try to prove you he's far worst than just annoying.

And now, for the cosmic duo.

Cosmic Peppino and Cosmic Noise are... quite an unique duo, per say ?

Since an image speaks a thousand words, I'll just let my doodles show how their dynamic works

Part 2 | Part 3

[randomkposts]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66706330

Chapters 1/1

Fandom: Ghost trick: Phantom Detective

Warnings : No Archive Warnings Apply,

Characters: Emma (Ghost trick)

Ghost swap @fyeahghosttrick for block B, prompt 11

Ghost swap @fyeahghosttrick for block B, prompt 11, "In Rays timeline Emma learns of her husband's heart attack", by Anon.

I wonder why it doesn't gice me a nice box anymore for the A03 one?

Anyways spoilery notes about the game below here, for my notes from trying to figure out timeline

That the Minister had a heart attack in the Ray timeline, implies that his daughter was kidnapped. Of course, maybe they could have faked it. But they faked it by accident in the game timeline, so I decided against that. 

The next question is when did she get kidnapped. 

So this required some attempts at figuring out the timeline, which is hard as Sissel can travel through phone lines, and we have no idea about travel time. 

In game timeline , Kamillia left the apartment around 8pm. But Tengo likes being one step ahead, meaning Lynne's apartment could have been the first site of  death in the Ray timeline. 

Yomiel was in the apartment, in that timeline, which is a difference between Kamillia living to be captured, or getting shot. 

I'm going to chalk that up to timeline variance. Although, it could also be Ray. 

(Ray learning about how diseases work, and doing his best to swap stuff, to try to change some variables in the second timeline by getting some people sick and it working on someone. Possibly even just keeping Amilie outside too long. Or even psyching  out Beauty which gets her to change up the plan)

Wait, I suppose with timeline variants, the Justice Minister didn't have to die, and could have been visited in the hospital. But I only thought of that when I was mostly done writing this, so maybe in another story. 

Back to the timeline , The Chicken Kitchen Fiasco happened around 10PM. 

So how far is Temsik Park between the two locations?

Justice Minister found dead at 11:41.  

So if Kamillia died before 8PM, What time did they meet Yomiel at the Chicken Kitchen in Ray's Timeline? Did the abduction happen before or after? 

I'm inclined to think it happened before, as it would then give time to threaten before the execution. And the case is probably full in the restaurant. And apparently soundproof.  

I want to put the abduction between 7:30-8:25 range. That doesn't feel like an unreasonable time to go out to meet a tutor, unless it's winter. 

*The restaurant they met in is something I made up, as I couldn't think of an appropriate fictional place to meet. Cabenela likes pasta so I picked an Italian name and a kind of noodle. 

[fluffymaxsworld]

first post!! read please👇👇

before getting into it fr i want to make a few things clear!

1. i’m not english neither i’ve professionally studied english, i’m self learned, so i apologize for any mistake!

2. i’m a MINOR, i’m aware of what i write and i’ve already took the responsibility. in any case, i don’t want any minors end up like me so please DNI <33

3. it’s the first time EVER i write stuff and publish it, so i accept gladly any critique or advice as long as you don’t insult me, thanks :D

husband!leonkennedy x wifey!reader headcanons

(i wrote wifey but gender is not specified!)

i’m sorry, it’s a short post cause i’ve gotta study (i hate italian school)

sfw + mention of nsfw

• leon doesn't hesitate for a second when you ask him for something, which can be a Happy Meal or a yacht.

“babe, i was joking when i told you i wanted to live a castle!”

“whatever, i bought it, it’s yours.”

• he’s clingy, god, so much clingy. it’s even annoying, sometimes. when he’s at work, he’s gonna call at least twice a hour, checking on you or asking if you needed anything. and when he comes home expect cuddles, lots of them… and if they aren’t enough he’ll fuck you dumb till morning (so basically everyday).

• he listens to white girl music. you first discovered it when you arrived early from work and heard california girls blaring in the living room. ever since you caught him dancing to Snoop Dogg Katy Perry it's been taboo in the Kennedy household. he loves you, yeah, but don't try to remind him of what happened that night.

• [this is for my italian fellows out there] being half italian just like him was a sure great point in the relationship. you spend hours talking about how stupid americans are for putting pineapple on pizza, how much you love your origins and how attractive Monica Bellucci is (yes, she's the only woman you allow him to call attractive). plus, he LOVES talking to you in italian, especially some cheesy stuff like:

“sei così bella, sembri uscita da un film di sorrentino” (“you’re so beautiful, you look like you’re from a sorrentino’s movie”) [sorrentino is an italian film director and screenwriter]

“i tuoi occhi sono profondi e mi fanno sentire amato” (“your eyes are so deep and make me feel loved”)

• he’s a movies addicted. he forces you to watch every night a different movie. and it’s fun cause he always falls asleep in your arms before the ending.

NSFW!! MINORS DNI!

• having sex with leon kennedy is like getting a one-way ticket to heaven. he treats you gently but still roughly. he pushes your spots so well that you could come in seconds. he loves playing with your nipples, he likes to suck and pinch your sensitive buds, making you scream and moan. he's definitely dominant in bed, but he likes to be dominated, as long as you feel good about it. he likes to spank your ass, leaving a red mark that he would then lick, apologizing for leaving it. he bites your neck like a damn mosquito, so much so that one day you almost ran out of concealer. if you really want to enjoy sex just ignore him for two days, he will come to you like a lost dog and you’ll welcome him with open legs.

hope you enjoyed this short post <3 please share advices if you want!

DO NOT STEAL!! thanks<33

[aurorawest]

The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi - 5/5 stars

This book managed to rip my heart out at least 3 times. I loved it. Medieval enemies-to-lovers slow burn; very romantic. Kinda read like fanfiction at times but in a good way. 10/10 would read a follow-up love story about Arundel and Captain Wekena. If you like Captive Prince, give this one a try.

Reforged by Seth Haddon - 4/5 stars

Pretty good bodyguard romantasy. Ironically CS Pacat blurbed this one (another am-I-in-the-matrix moment). The world was interesting and I enjoyed the politics, though they're definitely not as complicated as other SFF politics I've gone feral over (see: Captive Prince, Winter's Orbit, A Memory Called Empire). I ordered the sequel after I finished this.

The Doctor's Date by Heidi Cullinan - 4/5 stars

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske - 5/5 stars

Where do I start? I love, love, LOVE A Marvellous Light. It's one of my favorite books ever. None of the rest of the books in the trilogy could live up to it, really, because it's so good. You'll notice I rated this one 5 stars though, because quite honestly I fell prey to a bit of The Academy Paying The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Its Due syndrome. I did love this book and thought it was better than A Restless Truth (which I still loved!) but part of that is, quite frankly, just due to the fact that I prefer m/m romance to f/f romance.

Anyway. This was such a good finale to the trilogy. I loved that the romance was a giant middle finger to purity cultists. I loved that one of the mains was Italian. I loved finally getting the story of what happened to the Alston twins. One thing I thought was really cool was how, viewed from the outside, you totally get why Edwin is such a loner. I really admire from a writing perspective how Marske pulled that off.

I feel like there's a lot to be said about what Marske was trying to SAY with this book, but I definitely need to reread it first before I can articulate any of it. The purity culture stuff is obvious, but the magic system too. I feel like Jack when he's almost able to connect everything in his mind into a bigger idea, but he can't quite get there.

I've got a special edition from Illumicrate coming, so I'll be rereading it when I have that.

Oh also, this book was the embodiment of all that one tumblr post -

The Guncle by Steven Rowley - 5/5 stars

I saw this in bookstores for years before I finally gave in and bought it. The blurb makes it sound insufferable and twee. Ignore the blurb. This was such a good book about grief and learning how to live again after terrible loss.

I Like Me Better by Robby Weber - 4/5 stars

At last I can stop getting the Lauv song stuck in my head whenever I set eyes on this book (it's stuck in my head as I type this). Pretty standard-issue YA, but it was cute and had a good message.

The Stagsblood King by Gideon E Wood - 4/5 stars

Another book about moving on from grief! This is the second book in a trilogy. When I was trying to determine if I wanted to read on beyond book 1, I scoured the internet for information about what happens in books 2 and 3. Eventually I decided, hell, I enjoyed book 1 well enough, even if what I want to happen in the rest of the trilogy doesn't happen, they're worth reading. SO, to that end, I will tell anyone looking for info that Tel gets romantically involved with a new man in this one, which, eh. I still want him to somehow end up with Vared. It was still quite good though.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune - DNF at pg 82

So funnily, we were at the bookstore the day I was about to start reading this, and my wife pointed out Ravensong (also by Klune) to me and said, "Do you have this one?" I made a face and said, "That's an older one of his books and I'm wary of his early work after that horrible Verania series. I don't think I've ever read an author as hit or miss as TJ Klune."

I wrote the above when I was 60 pages in and now I have officially DNFed this. Listen. You know how in Thor: Love and Thunder, Taika Waititi was clearly given free rein to do whatever he wanted, so all of his worst impulses made it to the final cut unchecked? Yeah. That's what this book is like.

Here's my Storygraph review: I see Klune is officially Too Big To Edit now. This book has exactly the same problem that his awful Verania series had—a joke that's funny at first but quickly grows tiresome when it's repeated five times per page. The emphasis on Victor's asexuality was also weird and read like Klune was just super proud of himself for writing an ace character.

Lion's Legacy by LC Rosen - 4.25/5 stars

Queer, YA Indiana Jones, but less #problematic. This book had some eerie similarities to my own archaeology adventure novel(s), which made me wonder half-seriously if I somehow know Lev Rosen? Anyway, I feared this would be very heavy-handed and not nuanced on archaeology's ethical dilemmas, since it's YA and also the current culture is to view said dilemmas as completely black and white with no nuance, but I was pleasantly surprised. It manages to examine that, queerness, and daddy issues, plus has time to be a genuinely fun and exciting adventure story. Highly recommend.

Too White to be Coloured, Too Coloured to be Black by Ismail Lagardien - 4/5 stars

I picked up this memoir in a bookstore at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg as research for Six Places to Fall in Love, since Percy is coloured. A pretty brutal read, but good, and definitely good research. The author was a photographer and journalist through the most violent years of apartheid.

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson - 5/5 stars

Two nonfiction books in a row?? This is the second book by Erik Larson I've read, the first being the excellent The Devil in the White City. I'm not, in general, all that interested in WWII when it comes to military history, but this book is about the day to day lives of Churchill and the people surrounding him (with brief stops to visit FDR and high-ranking Nazis sprinkled throughout). This is a very, very good book, and I recommend reading it if only as a reminder of the resilience and bravery of ordinary people under terrifying circumstances.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh - 5/5 stars

Holy shit. Holy shit is this book good. Imagine the love child of Lost, Person of Interest, and Battlestar Galactica, but queer and with multiverse shenanigans thrown in.

I need everyone to read this book. Now. Yesterday. Get to it.

[when-the-elevator-regrets]

HERE'S AN OFFICIAL DISCORD SERVER!

Not necessary but appreciated robux donation.-Scott_screech

!Warning!:Content might involve vulgar language/swearing,slight dark humour,romance,inappropriate jokes/adult humour,self harm,depression and mental issues illnesses. thank you and stay safe,I wouldn't ever want any on my followers uncomfortable around here so mind the warning(appreciated: if you have an illness and I show it in the wrong way in some of the content please tell me!)

Hello welcome this is short information for now what is happening around in the au and how it looks like and the sexualities,heights,age of each characters+ships and friendships,feel free to ask for the further information,yes here will be more stuff when I will get time to write all...for now answering questions will be easier to me so go ahead! Feel free to ask anything you want or need to know!!-little reminder here,this account is made by only one person so the updates might be more rare cuz I don't have so much time on daily..I still will try do as much as I can

⬇️to read(it took too much place of swiping)

Ships:

Infectedparty-infected x poob

Partybeetle-pest x poob

Wallmark-wallter x mark

Spive-split x bive

Friendships:

Birthday duo-poob and fleshy

Weird trio-pest,inf and poob

Family-lampert,wallter and mark

Scapro duo-prototype and scag

Apartament time-infected and unpleasant

Ball duo-poob and gregoriah

Light wall-lampert and wallter

Wooden light-lampert and mark

Scenelight-lampert and inf

Wood bros-mark and jim

Fun trio- split,poob and inf AND A LOT MORE!

If anyone have ocs ship also welcome then it will change.

Sexualities+genders,heights and age(reminder some are canon and some not):

🎁Poob-asexual,pansexual(non-binary)|5'6 with hat 5'10+at his early 20's| {Polish}

🪲Pest-gay and demisexual(intersex uses he/him,it)|6 feet +at his mid 20's| {Japanese}

💡Lampert-asexual and omnisexual(male)|5'8+19| {Swedish}

🪵Mark-gay(male)|5'9(6'1 with robotic legs instead stand)+at his mid 40's| {Texan}

🪻Jimmy/Jim-bisexual(male)|5'9+at his early 40's| {texan and From Finland}

🧱Wallter-bisexual(genderfluid)|10 feet+at his mid 40's| {British(england) and Greek}

🍌Split-lesbian(female)|5'8 all fours, 7feet normally+early 30's| {Spanish}

☎️Bive-lesbian and asexual(female)|5'9+early 30's| {Austrian}

🟢Gregoriah-gay(trans man,ftm)|5'7+early 20's| {Australian}

💉Drretro-pansexual+demiromantic(female)|normal form 5'7 other form 6 feet+at her early 50's| {Brazilian}

🎂Fleshcousin-unknown+aroace(no identify gender but goes by he/it mostly)|5'8+no age(adult tho)|{no country-depends who he copies}

🛸Gnarpy-straight+aroace(male)|5'7+18| {Gnarpian(planet Gars)}

👾Infected-bisexual(male)|5'9+at his early 20's| {American,New Yorker}

🤖Prototype-pansexual(male)|6'1 feet+no age|{no country}

🐱Jermbo-straight(male)|5'8+21| {meow meow}

🪨Mr-straight+asexual(rock. He/it/little sh#t)|rock form 3 feet,other form 6'3feet+at his mid 40's|{French}

🐛pilby-pansexual(non-binary)|4'2+at their late 50's|(I want to keep that they are old. I like the old fashioned thingy with pilby){Dane(Denmark)}

🔴Reddy-straight(male)|7'6+no age| {no country}

🪣Spud-demiromantic+bisexual(male)|5'10 at his late 30's|{Norwegian}

🦠Unpleasant-straight(male)|5'10+at his mid 30's|{American, Alaskan}

☂️Mach-lesbian(female)|6'10 no hat,with hat 9'5(canon)+at her late 30's|{Canadian}

Folly-aroace(female)|9'5+at her late 40's|{Russian}

Melanie-omnisexual(demigirl)|6feet/with ears 6'3+at her early 30's|{icelandic}

Mozelle-pansexual(princess..female)|4'5 feet+unknown age/doesn't age|{Irish+hellish(yk..)}

(bonus cuz why not)

🍦Crem-pansexual(demiboy)|5'11+at his late 20's|{Italian}

🙂Enphoso-aromantic+bisexual(trans man,ftm)|6'5+at his early 40's|{German}

📌Emerson-omnisexual+asexual(male)|5'10+at his early 30's|{Kiwi(New Zealand}

👑Jeremy-bisexual(male)|normal form 12 feet,other form 7'3+at his mid 30's|{British}

🏕️Sarah-straight(female)|5'9+at her late 30's|{Australian}

🧽Swibbledib-pansexual(gender fluid)|5'10+at his mid 20's|{Portuguese}

📼Scag-bisexual(trans woman,mtf)|5'5+at her early 50's|{no country}

💻Williamplayz57/william-straight(male)|normal form 3'2,other form 6 feet+no age|{American, Floridian}

🦉Sab-straight(male)|5'11 feet+at his early 40's|{Greek}

🕳️Scary mike/mike-questionable(intersex,any pronouns)|6'2+no age|{Nepali}

🪓Glevil-asexual+bisexual(male)|5'10+at his late 40's|{American,New Mexico}

clover-gay(demiboy)|6'3 feet normal form,other form 7 feet+at his late 30's|{Scottish}

Döug-straight(intersex/any)|14 feet normal form,5 feet other form+at it's mid 50's|{German}

OCS.

Tag-no comfirmed Sexuality|5'3 feet+no age information and country|

zAyee-Lesbian|10'5 feet+no age or country information| !both belong to @b4nd4g3-d0ct0r !

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW...IT TOOK ME ALMOST 2 HOURS. THANKS FOR READIN(still editing)

THANKS FOR SUPPORT

!!SOON COMING MORE STUFF(WILL COME/SHOW UP IN LATER STUFF OR WILL BE WRITTEN HERE)!!⬇️

1.Okay for sure here will be a lot of happy wallmark posts,so if here any wallmark happiness needers,enjoy!they are switches and wallter is the malewife...wallter really likes cooking and taking care of others

Mark tries to be as helpful as he can but mark is a clumsy type of guy but very nice,tho sometimes stubborn so is wallter!enjoy-they did have a divorce before but they decided to give it another try and then remarried so yeah,they are a happy married gay couple!!!.

2.Yes the au have a story,kind of a lore and all but I just want to say that in this au most of things are happy(maybe.) and here are not a lot problems(no promises)...except with Mr and unpleasant still is unpleasant,I will write the story one day eventually when I will get time-each cast member of wter have their own backstories and secrets.

3.|pest doesn't really like infected In fact,poob is dating infected and pest but pest and infected are not dating cuz they quite hate each other but after all everything is fine in their relationships,they all agreed on this and are fine with it|,|spive,it just split x bive,bive is still very paranoid but with split she calms down a bit and split tries to help her out with stuff and they love each other very much|,|wallmark,as I said they had a divorce but they remarried,for Lampert and themselves and now they are happy with each other,they still prefer their building materials but they realized it's not such a big of a deal so they ignore what they prefer here|

4. Mark and Jim are siblings,glevil is their cousin|Mark and Jim are very close to each other and would die for one another,Jim really helped mark after divorce and with the remarry plan which worked out|

5.Ocs are still welcomed!Just tell me information about them and if I have rights to add them to the au,I will let on your own answer questions for your oc since I don't want to be rude here and say something incorrect

6.some npcs Live together and here I will give some

Wallter+Mark+jimmy

Poob+pest

Infected+unpleasant+Lampert(tho lampert spends most of his time in rokea)

split+bive

Mach+pilby

Mike+glevil

Mr+enphoso

Crem+Emerson+gregoriah

Jeremy+clover+döug

7.not everything is here from canon and it's more fanon...I try to keep each npcs personalities but also a bit changes,I made this au to a bit make it up to me but I also made this like that to keep important details and not change too much!

8(out of info) you can use my designs for anything you want,ship art and etc but I would be grateful if you tag me when u do

9.yes,wallter and folly are rather close to each other and sometimes consider each other literally bff's,folly isn't as negative and life-threatening to wallter compared to others,wallter is half oblivious to that folly have threaten a lot people and even hurted them...but wallter still helps folly to control herself anyhow.

[alneedssleep]

I heard someone complain how MCU Peter doesn't have the typical dead uncle backstory and it got me thinking...

See, the mcu and the comics are inherently different on a story telling level because of the differences between movies and comics as a medium, so changes obviously have to be made. With that in mind, I think Peter not having that backstory actually works in his favour. See, in this story, Peter isn't just a typical vigilante - he's a much bigger deal as he works with the avengers and is at some of this universe's largest scale fights. He still retains that more down to earth vibe by being more of a daily occurrences sort of hero unlike the avengers who deal mostly with big threats, but its different. Different in a way I like since, in this world, Peter would have grown up around heroes. The avengers assembled when he was still very little and that changed the world he grew up in. Of course he'd be more ready to do what he does when he has people he grew up around and looked up to doing the same thing.

Also, he still retains that whole "with great power comes great responsibility" thing, just less explicitly. when Tony asks about why he does what he does, he says he has these powers so he has to. In the comics, he has his powers but doesn't do anything at first which is fitting with him being an intentionally relatable character with more normal problems as well as being a hero since the average person isn't going to have an easy time stepping up like that, but, for the universe, I think him choosing to go out without being forced makes more sense. I also think it gives Peter a certain air of maturity so that, even with him being relatively inexperienced at the beginning, it is countered by that maturity.

in the comics, he was 15 and, amongst all the other batshit insane stuff that happens in the comics, that doesn't feel weird. but, when put amongst a group of heroes, all of whom are so much older, It feels like it balances the playing field in a way.

This isn't to argue that MCU Spiderman is the best Spiderman. Honestly, I don't know which version I'd argue for (even if this universe's irondad and spiderson is absolutely my guilty pleasure) but, in the context of this universe, I like this change a lot. Peter obviously still lost his uncle (he's not Italian but his aunt is so that much is obvious) but, yeah, now it just doesn't have as much of a focus. Also, as an added point, Spiderman has been around 60 years, so changing up his origin feels sorta refreshing.

(Just a quick note that I'm writing this at 4am and am very tired, so sorry if something doesn't quite make sense)

[artsygremlin291]

Moon Lady lore. NOW.

Signed, Jamie

Ah, yes, the Moon Lady! The silly shadow that won't seem to leave poor Olly alone.. I'll try to tell you as much as I can without spoiling too much!

Here's some fun facts :)

The Moon Lady is an oc shared between me and @inkybenjamin. She was originally created by him, and will be more fleshed out once I get to writing the AU again!

Moon, as suggested by her name, is the daughter of the Eternal Moon, the main threat of the AU. She's one of the many enemies Mario and Allie, and their friends, will encounter in their quest to save the world.

"Moon" is not her name, not her TRUE name at least, that's just what everyone calls her and what she calls herself to be "super mysterious". Her real name will be revealed by Olly later!

Moon has a fascination with puppets, I imagine she likes to make dolls in her free time. (quality varies depending on who the doll is of)

Moon canonically has ADHD!

Moon has an assortment of nicknames for everyone she encounters, ranging from "Best Friend" for King Olly, to "Red Italian and Annoying Detective" for.. well, you probably know.

Moon and the Lumas treat each other like the plague. If they do happen to be in the same room, they always have SOMETHING to argue about.

The Eternal Sun, Eternal Moon, Eternal Void, Eternal Star, and the Lumas are the only beings she cannot by ANY means puppeteer. Everybody else is free game though.

She acts very childish, but she knows when to get serious. (<- NOT A COPING MECHANISM. NOT AT ALL. NOOOOOPE.)

In addition to the nicknames, the Leader is known as "Babysitter", the Cult Members are "friends", and of course, the Eternal Moon is "mom".

Despite being so childish, she's a shockingly good listener and understands what people say. (<- NOT LORE IMPORTANT. NOPE. TOTALLY.)

Benjamin has said "if she wasn't a scary cult child she would be an ipad kid /silly"

Moon doesn't understand the concept of food. She doesn't need it! She can accidently starve the people she catches and doesn't really understand why they feel so sick later.

Okay. Now we're getting to the lore.

Moon met Olly while exploring the Origami Kingdom. Forces of the Red Moon Monastery had targeted him because of his connection to Dark Magic, something directly split off from the Eternal Moon's power. Being able to hide herself in shadows, Moon was sent to retrieve the Origami King.

Olly initially didn't see her as much of a threat... Creepy? Sure. Weird? Absolutely. Not a threat though. Just a weird kid that somehow got into his castle and into his bedroom without the Legion noticing, he didn't think much of it since Olivia had done the same thing on multiple occasions. Besides, he's the Origami King! He can handle ANY threat that comes near him! (<- spoiler alert, he can't.)

Being an excited goofball, Moon got VERY distracted, and immediately wanted to play with him. The Cult just.. didn't entertain her the way she wanted anymore, and the Leader just seemed bothered by her presence unless she was asked to do something. Olly isn't exactly.. playful, but he managed to bond with her over something that piqued her interest, what he's best at: Origami!

It was slow and calming, something Moon wasn't used too, and that made Olly very interesting to her. The Leader was BORING with how slow they took things, and it was always WORK.. He wasn't at all energetic like Moon was, and yet, he still had fun. It wasn't just boring work stuff, it was something he genuinely enjoyed and had fun with, and it was interesting that he could create shapes and animals from just one piece of paper! He spent maybe an hour or two teaching Moon origami before she remembered her mission.

Olly was led outside by Moon, as she told him that Princess Peach needed to talk with him. Well, that's a red flag, why couldn't she just come to the castle? As much as his brain was screaming at him that something bad was about to happen, he continued to remind himself of his own power and how he could "handle anything". He's a king, it's his job. Even if this was a waste of time, he'd be fine.. right?

yeah. no. Moon has a plethora of abilities. She can induce drowsiness by tapping someone's forehead, move and fuse with shadows, an unbroken communication with her mother... uhhh....

mind control.

that wasn't fun. that wasn't fun at all. Moon returned to the Cult Members waiting outside for her with Olly by her side, and they saw how much she enjoyed his company on the way back to the monastery. This resulted in them speaking with the Leader, and they decided to scratch the original plans for Olly and give him a NEW purpose: being Moon's playmate! It kept her from annoying them while they were working, and kept her entertained. Everyone was happy!

Well, except for Olly. Moon finds him more entertaining when he's conscious, since he isn't just a brainwashed puppet blindly following orders. His reactions and feelings are genuine, and he still does make an effort to keep her entertained, whether that be because he genuinely cares or just to save his skin. Think of them like King and the Collector from The Owl House! Olly wants to escape and get to his friends, help the heroes and everything, and Moon doesn't really realize how BIG and BAD her mom really is. She still puppeteers him if she thinks it's necessary.. he'd feel better if he wasn't thinking so hard and feeling all those stressful emotions anyway, right? She's just helping! And if he calms down, that gives them more time to play!

...

Now if only his sister was as cooperative as him.

[eyesontheskyline]

🍄

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Here are three Hotchniss headcanons since I can't write one in enough detail without starting to actually write fanfiction:

Listening to her speak other languages makes him a little bit feral for reasons he's never been able to identify. She knows this, and does it on purpose sometimes to mess with him. Spanish or Italian especially, because she's so fluent, and French has baggage. Like, they'll just be in public somewhere, buying groceries or whatever, and she'll start telling herself the pros and cons of the thing she's considering buying in Italian, and he turns into a heart-eyes-on-fire emoji.

He spots silver at her roots - she's redone them by the next day, and he doesn't mention it. But then another time, he catches her looking super closely at them in the mirror, and when lockdown happens and they're taking the opportunity to clear out the house a bit, he holds up her box of her hair dye and he's like "There's no time like the present, right?" and as soon as she can get to a salon she gets a cute pixie cut and grows out the dye and they both fucking love it.

He never, ever raises his voice to her, even if it means he has to shut down entirely to keep himself in check. At first, she interprets this as him going cold, and she'll try and bait him to fight with her. She does raise her voice, and then she feels stupid and exposed when it seems like he just doesn't react. She gets all the way to thinking they're over and shoving all her stuff from her drawer into her bag. He silently takes it all back out and folds it back into the drawer, and she stands there and watches him, then he tells her about his dad, and she gets it.

[bluelolblue]

Lost Memories

Note: I've been writing this all day. First crossover I created Steven Grant x Santino D'Antonio, so it's Moon Knight and John Wick crossover. Also, I took some canon show dialogs for a start, switched Layla with Santino lmao and then wrote some original stuff that didn't happen.

Enjoy these two being confused.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“What? I thought we said Friday? Today.” 

Friday was today, right?

“Right. Welcome to Sunday,” his date replied sarcastically.

“Come on, no. I think Friday still comes after Thursday, doesn't it?” Steven tried again, this time with a little joke.

“It doesn't change the fact that today is Sunday, which means lose my number. Cheers.” And she hung up before Steven could get any more words out.

Unsuccessful date. Well… it wasn't even a date at this point. He just ended up eating a steak alone, and he was a vegan. Too much has been happening lately, might as well get a steak.

Steven returned back home after a while, confused and humiliated, eating his box of chocolate that was supposed to be for the date. He gave a few sprinkles to his fish, Gus, too. 

“If you're Gus, I'm the bloody Queen of Sheba,” he said, turning to walk away from the fish tank when a few pieces of chocolate fell on the floor.

Steven sighed, crouching down to pick them up when he noticed something weird on the floor. He pulled the rag away, dragging a little table to the spot where the rag was over the outlined corners on the floor. He looked up seeing that one of the wooden tiles was a bit out of place. 

“What is this about?”

He climbed on the wobbly table, examining the wooden tile and realizing that he could move it away, revealing an old phone and a key in the hole.

Later, Steven sat by the table, having his reading glasses on, checking out the old flip phone and seeing missed calls from… Santino? And so many missed calls from him. Just when he was about to press the call button, Santino was calling again.

Steven flinched, standing up and tossing his glasses on the table in disbelief, thinking if he should answer it. And he decided to answer.

“Yeah?” He asked quietly.

“Oh, my God, you're alive.” Came from the other side of the line, a hint of Italian accent that Steven caught.

“Yeah, alright,” Steven replied nervously.

“That's it? I've been texting and calling you for months. You couldn't give me any sign that you were okay? I thought something happened to you. Where are you? Where've you been?” 

“Uh…” Steven wasn't sure what to say, he didn't even know this Santino that was calling him for months. 

“Hello? You…” Santino paused to sigh.

“Sorry, I just found this phone in my flat, and I'm just trying to figure out whose it is,” Steven explained.

“What is with this accent?” Santino asked, clearly sounding confused.

“What?”

“What is happening right now?” 

“Sorry, who do you think I am?” Steven asked, trying to look for more information.

“What do you mean, who? What's wrong with you, Marc?” Santino was getting frustrated, hanging up on Steven.

“What did you just call me? Who is this?” Steven paused, “Why did you call me Marc? Hello?” And he realized Santino hung up.

Steven could feel his panic raising, again being called Marc, this was getting stranger by the day. 

“No, no, no. Come on, come on,” Steven murmured as he tried calling back but Santino wasn't picking up. Great. Just what he needed, adding more confusion to this day.

He needed rest, he needed time to think about everything. So, he gave it time, not looking at that damn phone, pacing around his apartment, trying not to think about it.

It was getting late when the phone rang once again.

“Why didn't you answer-” Steven started but got cut off.

“I want to see you tomorrow. There are still papers you have to sign,” Santino said.

“Papers? What- what papers?” 

Santino sighed deeply before answering, “What you wanted. After everything, you told me that we needed to move on.”

“What? Are we married?” 

“I don't know what's wrong with you,” Santino muttered to himself but Steven could still hear him. “Yes, but obviously you have other plans-”

“Okay, listen. I really don't know what's happening. I thought it was Friday, I was supposed to have a date only to find out it's bloody Sunday, and now I find this phone with hundreds of missed calls from you, and I don't even know you and all this is just too much for one bloody day,” Steven explained, he sounded like he was about to break down. This day was indeed stressful and this was not making it any easier.

“Okay, okay, relax,” Santino changed his tone of voice, not wanting to upset him even more. 

“No, I can't relax. Who is this Marc, and what does he have to do with me? I'm Steven Grant!”

Santino chuckled faintly, trying to hide that laugh that escaped him. “I'm sorry… alright, Steven Grant, I think I know what's going on.” 

“Yeah, you do? Or you're just having a laugh?” Steven asked, a bit offended.

“Tell me where you live now, we can talk this out in person,” Santino suggested.

Steven was a bit hesitant, telling his address to a stranger. But Santino apparently wasn't a stranger. So, he agreed, giving him his address. 

“Marc- Steven. I'm just worried about you. I hope we'll both know everything tomorrow.”

“Right, yeah,” Steven murmured. 

This night was restless, almost the same as his previous nights, barely any sleep, again his one leg chained to the bed. He was overthinking, his whole life was turned upside down in such a short time. Perhaps tomorrow he will have his answers.

The other day, when he was returning back home after his work, he noticed a nicely dressed man, standing near the entrance for Steven's apartment.

“Santino?” Steven asked, glancing at him and actually admiring his look. He looked like a gentleman compared to him.

“Ah, you put me through a lot to get here,” Santino complained, however having a smile on his face. 

“I'm sorry,” Steven apologized, opening the door for him and guiding him to his apartment.

His apartment. Steven forgot how messy it was, but Santino seemed to immediately get interested in Gus. 

“You have a fish? Does it have a name?” Santino asked, standing in front of the fish tank, admiring the little goldfish.

“Gus. That's his name,” Steven replied, surprised by Santino's curiosity. 

Santino hummed in response, glancing around until saw the bed with the chain. “Are you living with someone else?” 

“No, no. This is my mom's flat.” 

“Okay, so you're talking with her again?” 

That was a bit of an odd question, of course Steven was talking with her almost every day, so he just hummed in response. He watched how Santino noticed a book, but not just any book.

“Marceline Desbordes-Valmore?” Santino turned to look at Steven, nodding in amusement. 

“She's my favorite poet.” 

“No, she's my favorite poet.” 

Steven looked at him in confusion, “That's mental.” 

Santino smiled a little, walking over the table with more books. “So you're learning French and hieroglyphics?” 

Steven joined him, “Yeah, well… that's not that impressive, really. It's not like hieroglyphics are a whole language. It's more like a-”

“Like an alphabet,” Santino cut him off. 

Steven blinked but liked the way Santino knew exactly what he was going to say.

“Yeah, and… well, you still have to know ancient Egyptian to read it.”

Santino nodded and hummed but was unable to hold back a chuckle. 

“Sorry, I didn't mean that in a weird way-”

“No, you can stop acting now, Marc,” Santino said after managing to control his laugh. 

“I'm not acting.”

“Right. I thought you were in danger and using an accent to keep yourself safe, but… now I'm not so sure.” Santino walked over to a bag, getting out the papers. “Let's just get this over with. You sent these papers but you never signed them.” Santino handed him the papers waiting as Steven got his reading glasses out of his pocket. It was divorce papers.

“I would never divorce you.”

Santino seemed flattered for a moment. He wished it was true, he wished these papers weren't right here. 

“You're saying this now… after everything.” 

Steven could hear the pain in his voice saying that, so he meant it. “I… I don't know what's happening, I'm sorry.” He felt bad because Santino did come all the way over here only to be even more confused.

Santino swallowed, fidgeting his pinky ring, “I don't know either. I thought you'd want to sign these papers so it's all over.”

“I don't want to,” Steven said softly. “I'm not Marc, but I wouldn't divorce you.” 

“You are Marc.” This time Santino sounded more desperate, trying to get Steven to understand. He pulled out a small picture from his wallet of them two at the beach. “This is you, we are married. Do you need more proof?”

Steven hated how he couldn't remember this, how Santino was trying so hard to convince him and it seemed like Santino was right. That really was him.

“I'm sorry, I don't remember this.” Steven was trying, maybe he saw the beach somewhere, but nothing was adding up. Nothing was making sense.

Santino put the pictures away, looking disappointed. “Maybe I should just leave then.”

“No, please. We can talk about this. I'd lIke to hear more, maybe I'll find out more about Marc that way.” That got Santino's attention, thinking about his options.

“Fine. I guess we can talk some more about this. I just… I want you to remember.” Santino looked at him, making eye contact and Steven sighed, looking away in embarrassment.

“I know. I'll try to, for you.”

They needed some more time to process all this and it was a good decision for Santino to stay. Besides, Steven seemed really sweet, maybe he wasn't Marc, but Santino liked him. Spending more time with him will maybe help him understand the whole situation.

[amypihcs]

Hello! As late as usual and a bit more frozen than usual! Let's see today's story!

Holmes just wants to do his scrapbooking! He doesn't want a case now! Leave him ALONE!

heyheyhey! This is playing DIRTY!

Holmes being quite a bit vain (and this we already knew) and also very very kind. Lol, the comment of not being seen for weeks! Mrs Hudson only sees him on an almost daily basis because she's FAMILY and adopted him! And worries if he doesn't eat his dinner. Well, what's the MATTER with this lodger?

Ah, the landlady is anxious, how to find any fault in it! And who wouldn't be calmed by staring into Holmes' eyes? lol. Bet that Watson speaks also for personal experience (when he has nightmares), for exemple.

Now remember, EVEN THE TINIEST DETAIL!

This smells a lot of Mafia, tbh. And usually there is fire when there's smoke. mmmhn we'll see. What about the food? Watson stop glaring

W-why printing? (also guess that printing means not writing in cursive?) This is an actually weird way of communication. Well, the idea of concealing the handwriting is good, tbh but again, WHY. Also, short messages and apparently the lodger seems very cautious. How did he look? this lodger, i mean...

Oh this smells SO MUCH of mafia...

Well, you MUST enter the room in the morning? can't do otherwise!

WATSON STOP GLARING! Looks after himself? WEIRD.

AH! Something to observe, finally!

H: He has a beard... but he can't have smoked these! Watson, even with your pretty modest mustache it wouldn't be possible! It would be singed, and it would be such a pity... W: Holmes, stop staring at my mouth, you'll have your kisses. Later H: Alright, alright, spoilsport.

The landlady goes away, Holmes gets his kisses and then back to the analysis!

This lodger might not be the bearded man who took the keys! It's an idea. But WHY?

WELL, we can always look in the AGONY COLUMNS! scrapbooking for win! I love how Granada Holmes has his whole little art attack project with the agony columns! He's cute!

AND THEY FIND THE MESSAGES! yahoo! Maybe in the following day's gazette....

THE MANTLEPIECE POSE! YES! only, Holmes should be happier, but it's alright! Holmes is feeling very satisfied of himself and HEY! CLIENT? What? Hey, they kidnapped her husband... and then let him go? He's shoked? oh damn!

Nice, time to see this guy! Ah you say you can give us a hiding place? NICE! we'll be there!

Uuuuh! Here's the house of the last ad on the paper! Ah, is the hideout ready? yay

W-what? Oke, the substitution, but... WITH A WOMAN? WOW. And such a woman to impress HOLMES! Stuff to meditate on!

Oh, come on, Watson! I have made a cute deduction! Well, probably she's entangled or well, she and her man are entangled in a matter of life or death! -vibing holmes noises-

-Holmes is vibing HARDER- While he tells Watson that it's of course l'art pour l'art! (This passage sounds soooo early case! later Watson would know already!)

Evening and they're at the landlady's again! -i'll be very italian now-

A CODE A CODE A CODE! Eh, Holmes! You should practice your italian a bit more! 'Attenta' means a lot of stuff, as you are freaking out she is understanding (Also the proof that us Italian women as so cool that we even manage to impress Sherlock Holmes uwu) Meanwhile, Holmes sclerandone (sardinian way of speaking) and Watson proposing a cipher and in fact...

AAAAH! You remember your italian at last! HEY! more messages!

Holmes going 'WTF's happening now?', freaking out a bit more but no Watson, stay with me! (Yes, Holmes 'pericolo' means 'danger', glad you remember your lessons) We're going to investigate now!

And we'll see their discoveries in the next story!

Vibing a lot with the last part in italian! yes!

[sweetchildcloud]

Welcome Tenshi(Angel)✧⁺⸜(●′▾‵●)⸝⁺✧

/ᐠ. ｡.ᐟ\ᵐᵉᵒʷˎˊ˗ Welcome to my humble writing/art blog, i will start by saying this: I'm Italian. My English isn't horrible but, it isn't the best either. I am bound to make mistakes and there will be misunderstandings but, I am learning! If you are bothered by anything I might say please do tell me right away! Most of the times that happens I do not mean it! So I'm sorry in advance if I say something bad! i'm a writer as an hobby so my work will not be the best but i will hope it will entertain you!( ๑‾̀◡‾́)✨ I'm an adult, if you're uncomfortable with that you're free to ignore me. I'm also sorry if I make anyone uncomfortable by asking their age. I don't want any misunderstanding to happen. So, if you're an adult we can chill whatever it's fine. If you're a minor I will most likely not talk to you unless you need help with mental problems. I'm happy to help with that.٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و "By "misunderstandings" I mean people thinking I have bad intentions when I ask "what's your age" to someone. Unfortunately because of my lack of knowledge in English, (since it isn't my first language) people in the past thought I was something I'm not. It made me disgusted and very hurt. I just want to relax and not worry about problems like that again. I'm just trying to make friends not start drama. Thank you. ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀) i go by Von mostly but i have many other nickames too such as Hoen,Momoko and Minty you can choose wichever you like. i have adhd,autism and neurodivergent. (｡- .•) i'm emo (kinda still doesn't have the clothing but ehh i will) pansexual and gender fluid (ฅ́˘ฅ̀)

ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ .｡✧･ﾟ:* ~♡ (｡>﹏<)

i mostly wrote about Gojo (what a surpise uh?)(ugh,shut up not now)(ok angel *winks*)(*rolls eyes*) *ahem* as i was saying i mostly write about Gojo but i'm starting to love Choso too and many other jjk characters. wanna check out my more dark themes? check out: @rabbidbunwy (this account is jjk runt,writing and really REALLY dark themes,so minors DNI) —ฅ/ᐠ. ̫ .ᐟ\ฅ — Request: My jjk master list: My Hazbin Hotel master list: fic challenge list: Daddy!au masterlist: Cowboy bebop masterlist:

HSR[honkai star rail] masterlist

check them out!:

one piece blog

i'm into fluff,comfort,drama,NSFW,SFW,gore,blood,angst and vent so my writing isn't for everyone (lol). ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝) i love making suffer anime characters in my writing,especially Gojo,just for fun or own entertainment.( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ i'm into furry,cute stuff such as Sanrio characters and similar taste,urban legend,japanese lore,cartoons,cryptids and videogames. so if you dont like any of that stop following me and/or harassing me in my dm,it's not cool and i will block you ( ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ ) i'm dealing with depressin,anxiety and many problems in my life so if you see me not replying and/or writing a lot of angst/vent i'm just probably venting. ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)

but as i said i hope you will have a wonderful time here (♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈)

ଘ(´•×•)⊃━☆.•° ✿ °•.

[nishikiliker]

as someone thinking of getting into writing fic (and who admires you very much), do you have any advice?

aw thank you, sure!

- i'm not the greatest at writing prose or setting, but once i sort of said "whatever i'm writing for fun it doesn't matter" it was a lot easier to write stuff

- if i'm stuck on a part of a scene i'll just skim past it in a paragraph or two and briefly describe what happened so i can move onto the next part

- years before i started writing, i'd sometimes attempt to write something before giving up, and what i'd do was write a sort of detailed skeleton of what was meant to happen before filling it in. this just complicated things in my adhd brain needlessly and blocked the natural flow of my thoughts

- same with writing scenes i was excited about in advance. it's better to let the scenes you're hyped about motivate you to keep going until you get there, especially since things might change as you write and then all of a sudden you find yourself not knowing how to transition from point A to point B

- i've been told plenty of times i'm good at writing dialogue, and that's also what i find easiest and i'm most comfortable with it, so i just let myself write it how i want and don't worry about it too much, i find when i do that it carries the story naturally (tldr play to your strengths)

- review!!!! re-read it a lot!!! even if it's not with the intention of editing, when you're returning to keep writing you should re-read what you've written in that chapter every time, it gets you back into the flow of the scene AND every time you read you'll catch things here and there that could sound better

- DON'T FALL INTO THE TRAP WHERE PEOPLE GET WORRIED ABOUT REPEATING NAMES/PROPER NOUNS. i'm talking like, changing "caesar looked at joseph" to "the italian looked at the englishman". it may sound repetitive to you when you're writing, but the alternative is unnecessary and honestly feels clunkier and annoying and its a very 'fanfiction' trope. the ONLY time i think things like that are necessary are when you want to emphasise those parts of the character because of the scene - for example, if joseph and caesar are talking about their nationalities, "the italian looked at the englishman" would be perfect. if you want to subtly remind the readers of a difference in height, "caesar looked up at the taller man" works. only swap out their names if it's absolutely necessary OR if you really think you've said their names too many times in one paragraph!

- honestly and i'm not joking, THE MOST important thing is to have fun because if you're not it won't flow naturally, and you'll procrastinate a ton (or maybe i'm just that way because or autism/adhd, but chances are if you're asking about fanfic on tumblr you are too). find a way to write that YOU enjoy and have fun with it!!!!

now go... BE FREE

[wrongcaitlyn]

I'm sure you've mentioned this before in previous chapters, and I just don't remember, but Will doesn't speak Greek, right?? So does that mean that Apollo never taught him, or was his greek just not good enough to teach him? 😭😭 (ignoring the fact that Apollo had neither the mentality nor the will to teach his son a foreign language at the time)

Orrr, I feel like it's very possible that Apollo just isn't very fluent in Greek anymore bc he doesn't have anyone to talk to. Also, bc he hasn't actually been in Greece in years but like idk

This is probably such a stupid question, but I was just thinking about how Nico's first language is Italian and how overtime he might lose one of the little things that connect him to Bianca 😭😭

Then ofc, my mind drifted to Apollo and about him being fluent in Greek- IDK MAN ANYWAYS I THINK I RAMBLED ENOUGH HAVE A GOOD DAY‼️🫶🫶

ahshhd omg i love this question!! i don’t think ive ever talked about it so the short answer is that no, will doesn’t know greek, he only knows a high school level spanish in this au😭

i actually imagine that apollo didn’t grow up in greece, but in the us (specifically la/hollywood)

his mom probably tried to teach it to him (bc leto is the literal best) but with everything else that he had going on, he just didn’t have the time to ever learn it - his dad always focused more on all of his other hobbies/jobs and his schedule was overloaded enough as it was

but i do imagine that in those years when raising will, he tried to learn it again, just to get in touch with his roots. this is also probably when he first read like the iliad and the odyssey bc i doubt that he read it when he was younger (once again, schedule overload) and generally just tried to learn more abt his heritage and stuff, bc his dad never really brought it up to him

he had been to greece a few times, once for the olympics and a few times for concerts, but he was never really around much to sight see (which, if you noticed, is why i had him going to tourist attractions with nico in athens, when most of the time he tends to stay in the venue or the hotel or tour bus to avoid attention/paparazzi)

but back to the main question - apollo didn’t try to teach will greek bc he was just barely learning it himself, but im sure he’d definitely want will to learn it one day - especially when he would see leo fluent in spanish and nico fluent in italian and thinking how it would be nice to connect will to his culture as well

as for nico, i promise he definitely holds on to italian as a connection to bianca - the last remaining one, too. i think that sometimes he gets scared that he’s abt to forget it, or sometimes his mind will blank on a word and he’ll be terrified (which, tbf, happens in all languages, im bilingual (or trilingual if u count my ap french class which i don’t😭) and forgetting words happens no matter how much u practice) - and so he’ll just talk to himself in italian a bit

i ALSO imagine that whenever he’s talking solely to chiara, they speak in italian. he probably was very excited to hire her for the tour when finding out she was also from italy, and they’re able to sort of keep that going even when traveling the world!

i think by this point, apollo is nearly fluent in greek, but like, the textbook sort of knowing a language. like, he’s memorized all the vocab and grammar and stuff but he’d be a bit clueless in an actual conversation. him attempting to practice his greek in athens would def be hilarious and now i’m sort of upset i didn’t write that💀💀

thank u for the askshkdjs i absolutely love rambling abt apollo and nico likeee ahdksj. so many things i hadn’t even thought abt!!

oh ALSO. ONE OF MY FAV HC’S ABT NICO is that he absolutely loves studying languages. despite being dyslexic, he picks the speaking and understanding part of languages up super easily

so i’m just imagining nico and apollo on the tour bus learning new languages together and nico picking up greek as well so they’ll sometimes try to have conversations in that as well just to practice

they both definitely have duolingo downloaded and are constantly trying to beat each other on the leaderboards

[captainsparklefingers]

27, 40, 45 for the meme!

27: What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

I really enjoy the early stages of writing. You know, the idea phase where everything is sort of nebulous and it's all one big idea floating around. Trying to take that and shape that into a story, find the thread there, I like that a lot. I also enjoy doing the research for the things I write, even if that research doesn't end up in the story proper, because hey, it's fun to learn things! The things I've been reading about trying to do research for the spider sibs fic...there is so little we're taught about the Italian campaigns in WW2, did you know that WW1 style trench warfare continued there as part of Anzio? And that's just stuff for like bits of one chapter! It's fun!!

Funny enough, I think that my least favorite part is connected to that, which is figuring out the specifics of a plot, especially when there's parts I know I want to happen and parts I know need to happen and I need to get from point a to b. For 'Conspiracy of Ravens' I went in knowing I wanted a story about Keyleth having a baby, and there were a few concrete scenes and ideas in my head when I started that. I wanted her to have a talk with Gilmore, I wanted to do things with her and Derrig and her and her father, and I wanted to juxtapose her experience with what Vex would be going through around the same time in Whitestone.

Sometimes not being able to get those connecting bits together is what keeps me from working on something. For example, I've had two ideas for two different CR fics I'd like to explore one day: an Iron Shepards reverse au (Caleb/Molly/Beau get taken instead of Yasha/Fjord/Jester), and a what if scenario involving Vax, the water Ashari trial, and Rumblecusp (aka Vax gets shunted off and spends 20+ years an amnesiac on Rumblecusp like Vilya). There are scenes and ideas I can see so clear in my head...but them getting to them, and figuring out what comes after? Trying to restructure an entire campaign based on those scenes? Kill me now.

40: if someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

I would kill/die to get any sort of fanart from Conspiracy of Ravens of the twins, Shaun and Simon. I have a giant stream of consciousness note doc about them and what they look like, them growing up, how they'd fit into campaign 3 if they actually existed... I have dnd beyond sheets for them...I love my Vaxleth fanbabies and seeing anything of them, either as babies or as kids or adults, solo, with their mom... I'd eat that up.

There's also a scene in Unhappy Families that I think I'd like to see something of someday. Without spoiling much, let's just say it's Molly filling one of Adam's three requirements for heaven.

45: do you want to break your reader's hearts or make them laugh?

Both? Both is good. I think I lean a bit towards heartbreak more, though, because comedy is HARD. Good comedy is ESPECIALLY hard, and getting a balance of that in a story is tricky and I don't think I've got a handle on it yet. But moments of levity in a sea of heavy? I want to work towards that. And heartbreak can take a lot of different shapes, you know? I don't want people to just feel sad, I want them to feel complicated things. I don't know if I'm good enough for that or if I ever will be, but it's something to strive for.