#it's been a while since we've checked this inbox

[caretaker-au]

Sorry I forgot to share this with you before I go! Me and my friend who read your AU created this drawing for you all! We appreciate this labor of love you guys created and inspired us to create Our own new tale! This fan drawing is our character Finn while he is hanging out with the young Caretaker AU Asriel as new friends haha! I hope you like it!

This art is SO cute, thank you so much! Finn and Asriel look like they are cut from the same cloth. 🤍 Best of luck with your creative endeavors, stay determined!

[danieyells]

care to spoil any interesting dialogue Haku has when you reach higher affinity levels? Would love to know!

Haku's so. . .normal, it's kinda cute? Lol. But yeah I'm pretty down for that! I wanted to share one of these things but held my tongue lolol but since you're asking here're some of the ones that were more interesting or otherwise appealing to me!

I've amended this post to be all of Haku's home screen lines. Enjoy!

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Oh, finally here, huh? I'm not really ready for you yet though... Ha ha. Wait over there for me, would you?"

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Oh, looks like you've got a letter. If you don't open it soon, I might sneak a peek."

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"How's the search for clues about your curse going? Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you ever want to talk, I'm happy to listen."

"Most people in Hotarubi have something they put their heart and soul into. That doesn't really work for me though. I lose interest in things way too easily."

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you've gotten yourself mixed up in something again."

this is a very funny one to have him say when i use the sinostra casino as my home screen bg

"Haha. Don't expect too much from me. Ghouls are just glorified street magicians, really. Let's keep it light, huh?"

'glorified street magicians' is a hell of a way to describe. . .a lot of the stigmas we've got going here lmao

"Boo! Ha ha, didn't think you'd get that scared. I was just getting rid of the shadow imp that was sticking to your back... I'm kidding! There was nothing there, I promise."

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"...So, how about we take a walk? This dorm's seen better days, so it's tough work checking all the places that need repairs."

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You've adjusted to life at Darkwick pretty well, haven't you? Not that anomalies and missions are something you'd want to get used to..."

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Today doesn't really work for me... I'm going to be getting back to the dorm pretty late, so can we do tomorrow instead?"

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"...Hate to be the one to tell you this, but there's something untoward lingering behind you. Don't look! Hah, I was just kidding. It was just a little dust, see?"

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Twilight has been a lot quieter than usual today... I hope that's not a bad sign."

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Subaru's just too nice. Keeping all the eccentrics in Hotarubi in check's gotta be rough."

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Everyone here comes from different backgrounds and has different gifts. There's no reason you should feel out of place."

'we're all unique, including the most ordinary among us.' good lesson!

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Looks we're going to make it through today without any disasters. At least I hope so."

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"What are you doing out here? You shouldn't walk around at night with your guard down. Don't come crying to me if you get possessed by a fox spirit, you hear?"

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Your parents ever tell you ghosts would get you if you don't go to bed? For some reason Zenji's the only one who gets spooked when I say that..."

after the reveal that zenji is a ghost this is so funny actually I LOVE THAT ZENJI IS A GHOST WHO'S AFRAID OF GHOSTS AND THE DARK.

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"All these geniuses and their lectures are giving me heartburn. Wouldn't mind hearing the woes of someone long-suffering instead every once in a while."

(this sounds cruel but from what i can tell in Japanese he says he'd rather hear stories about hard workers/people who struggled from the bottom than prodigies. Basically he's more interested in, y'know, ordinary folks than people who're really special.)

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"That video I took of Zenji today? I'm just going to do some quick editing and post it. I don't know why he doesn't just focus on content that's more his style..."

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I saw Tohma a little while ago. Been a while since we last had a real chat. Sounds like he's got his hands full, as always."

so i initially left this one out of this post because i didn't think much of it but. . .the way Haku regards Tohma is so much more casual than Tohma regards Haku in retrospect, it seems. To Haku, Tohma's just the usual hard worker. Someone he'd actually enjoy having a conversation with. But Tohma speaks to Haku almost as if with suspicion or disdain. . .then again he speaks kind of coldly to Jin too. Maybe that's just how he is with people he kind of knows or views as more on his level. Or it's something more sinister. Who knows.

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"Mornin'. You've got a sleep mark on your face. Yeah, right there. Good to know you got a good night's rest."

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"You haven't collected all the papers that were supposed to be submitted by today's deadline yet? Who are you waiting on? Got it. I'll go get them for you."

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I don't mean to scare you, but... be careful with your right leg. Especially when you're in the main building."

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Getting cold feet when you try to jump into the deep end is just proof you're a normal human being. We're the crazy ones."

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Can't sleep? In that case, let's go for a little walk. There's actually something I want to talk to you about."

pretty high affinity to be having chats on night walks. . .i wonder what he wanted to talk about.

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Just having someone you care about at your side is all you really need... Ha ha. That was a little out of character, huh? My bad."

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Oh, you're awake. I was just about to make some tea to wake myself up. Want some?"

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"It's not very often I get to kick back like this in the middle of the day. Maybe I'll take a nap."

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"None of us wanted to become like this. Living an ordinary life, and dying an ordinary death— why go after more than that?"

He just wants to be normal. And he can't. It's kinda tragic lol

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"(Yawn) Oh, didn't see you there. Haha... Guess I've been letting my sleep debt build up. I'm going to bed."

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Being cursed really sucks, huh? You can't help but ask yourself, "Why me?" all the time, even when you know it's a question with no answer."

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"I know I'm being selfish— but sometimes, I wish you'd just forget about me..."

WHY. . .ARE YOU THE SUS ONE AND YOU FEEL BAD THAT YOU'LL BETRAY THEM? DO YOU JUST FEEL LIKE YOU'RE TOO LUCKY HAVING HAD FALLEN FOR SOMEONE NORMAL WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT NORMAL ANYMORE? DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE PC DESERVES SOMEONE NORMAL AND TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK TO A NORMAL LIFE BUT BEING WITH YOU GUARANTEES THEY WON'T? WHY DO YOU WANT THEM TO FORGET YOU. . .he's so interesting to me simply because of how much he tries to keep himself apart from his being a ghoul(and, y'know, seeing spirits and shit--) so he can try and just be any other guy. . .and he can't lol his surroundings, who and what he is, he can't go back to being normal! It's a charming way to have a boy next door sort of personality i think lol

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"I've been noticing more birds in the garden lately. Is that a bush warbler? A white-eye, maybe? A lot going on during spring in Hotarubi."

Boy knows his birbs.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Heading into another nice, warm afternoon. Maybe I should take a nap...? Oops, nearly forgot I promised Zenji I'd film him."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Must be nice being a ghost—no hayfever, and no hangovers. Spring really is the embodiment of human weakness."

How drunk did you get last night buddy. . . .

(between 8pm and 5am)

"My family home is pretty famous in our area for its cherry blossoms... When I was a kid, my friends and I used to go exploring through them at night."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"It's so humid... Days like this make me miss Frostheim..."

He's former Frostheim! Maybe that's why he and Tohma seem to have some history. There's also Jin's friend who left that Tohma helped to switch houses. . .but Haku was a second year then so would he have needed it?

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Today, I've got to go round and check the stalls for the festival Hotarubi is holding— wouldn't want any dangerous charlatans sneaking their way in."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Zenji's off roaming around somewhere again... People are more sensitive this time year, so I wish he'd just stay put..."

AGAIN, BEFORE WE LEARNED HE WAS A GHOST I READ THIS AND THOUGHT PEOPLE HE MEANT LIKE. . .SENSITIVE EMOTIONALLY TO NOISE AND ZENJI'S BIWA PLAYING. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT HE WAS WORRIED PEOPLE WOULD REALIZE ZENJI WAS THERE.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"You're not going to wear a yukata? Eh, I just thought it'd be cute to see. That's the kind of thing guys think about, don't know what else to tell you."

It reads like he's a little disappointed the girl he's into friends with isn't gonna wear something he thinks is cute lol

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"They say fall is the season of the arts, but I'm a really mediocre flute player. I'm about as uncultured as you can get."

funny thing for an ex-frostheimer to say.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"You can hear the biwa, right? He's been going for three hours now. People are going to start getting pissed off, so I'll go tell him to stop soon."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Nightfall can catch you unaware this time of year. It'll be dark soon, so let me know when you're planning to head home. I'll walk you back to the cathedral."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"It's a stunner of a night. Maybe I'll grab a drink and do a little moon gazing."

don't drink too much you're trying to quit smoking, the solution isn't to replace it with another addiction--

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"You'll catch a cold dressed like that. It's already pretty chilly out there, you know... Here, take my coat."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Winter rain really chills you to the bone. Sorry, walking through the garden must be rough for you this time of year. Come a little closer."

I'm a bit of a sucker for huddling together in the cold lol

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"It's cold again today. Now that I think of it, Subaru said he wanted to make hotpot with everyone. Guess I'll go grab some things and make it happen."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Your hands hurt because of the cold? Let me see. Oh yeah, your fingertips are all red. Here, stick them in my pockets."

Is that your flute in your pocket or are you completely unaffected by the cold

His birthday: (July 26th)

"Wait, you got me a birthday present? You're so conscientious. Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way. Thanks, I appreciate it."

Your birthday:

"Hey, come over here a sec. Here. It's nothing special, but I got you a something. Today's your birthday, right?"

why is this worded like he's asking you to come into a shady alley in secret to give you a birthday gift lmao

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. I know it's a cliché, but I hope this year's a good one for you."

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Whoa, chocolate? I didn't think you'd give them to me too. Guess I better think of something good to get you in return."

White Day: (March 14th)

"Here, for the chocolate you got me last month. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I got the ones I remember you said were good."

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"A bunch of spirits have been following you around all day, are you okay? Psych, just kidding. Seriously, I was joking, I swear."

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Looks like you've had your fair share of tricks today. I'll narrow down your options and just make it a treat, then."

Christmas: (December 25th)

"You look like you're having fun. Do you have a present for me, Little Miss Santa? Haha, I'm just kidding. Here you go. Merry Christmas."

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"...Hey, you alive? Not much point me just standing here waiting around. Guess I'll take off."

(13 affinity and above)

"I know I look like a slacker, but I do have stuff to do. Guess I'll nap till she gets back."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"Hey there, stranger. Everyone's missed you, you know. ...Even I was starting to get a little worried."

Those're the ones that're most interesting to me I think! 'u' there are some that aren't up there though, like some of the ones that show him being responsible and worrying about his teammates haha. Hope you don't mind my little commentary here and there!

A while later and I've amended this post to include all of the home screen voicelines, not just the ones that appealed to me most in that moment! Haku's interesting in how. . .normal he is. Aside from the seeing spirits and things anyway lmao. He's just a casual flirt who wants to escape the abnormality that his becoming a ghoul got him. I feel like his lines don't really reveal anything about him. . .but also 19 in particular feels. . .a little lonely? Maybe because of how he had to leave Frostheim, he doesn't really feel as connected to the Hotarubi ghouls yet, compared to how he was with Jin before? Or, if he is the spy, he feels like all of his relationships are fake. . .and man that 'I wish you'd just forget about me' line is sad but also SO SUSPICIOUS. WHO SAYS THAT IF THEY DON'T PLAN ON LEAVING YOU OR STABBING YOU IN THE BACK.

[jovieinramshackle]

Hello! ♡

I know we've never interacted before, but I just want to say that I love your work (and your ships ♡) and with the third tsum event being on EN, it got me thinking...

What do you think a Rollo tsum and a Fellow/Ernesto tsum would be like? ♡ (I was curious to know your thoughts since I know you have a selfship with Rollo and an OC x Canon with Fellow/Ernesto ♡)

Thank you! ♡

OMG HI SHEEP!!! SIUDHSD TYSMMM!!!

I have read some of your fics before (...particularly the Azul ones...) and ohhh my good they had me giggling like a schoolboy teehee. You're an excellent writer <3 I now checked and I THOUGHT I was following you......but no I forgot...gonna fix that now ❤️

I've actually been meaning to interact with you for a while ngl...but I've been shy about it heh 👉👈... so I really appreciate you coming into my inbox! If you'd like it I'd be very happy to interact more!

*SLAMS TABLE* and now...Rollo and Fox man Tsums...

Firstly, I'm ridiculously happy you're asking me that because my goal is to be the Twst Halloween Characters Expert™/silly and so far these two have become some of my top faves in the whole game (so scared to finish the newest Halloween event on JP...Skully is gonna get his hands on me too...). AHEM anyways without further ado, here's what I personally think <3

Dividers

Tsum!Rollo:

🔔 I imagine tsum!Rollo is, obviously, similar to OG Rollo. He has this dignified but strict aura to him, and you'll probably feel a little anxious around him, as if he's about to scold you for breathing wrong. 🔔 He is very particular about how clean his surroundings are, and will unpromptedly start tidying/cleaning any room he deems that needs it. He has a fondness for flowers and will check any he may find, even attending to them! 🔔 He seems like he's very well-behaved...however, he also has a big distaste for Magic and its users, particularly Malleus. If he gets angry, he will not hesitate to bonk on people's heads as "punishment" for their careless behaviour (or just... for annoying him). He's actually much more emotional than he seems, similar to his OG counterpart. 🔔 OG Rollo initially did not want to interact with tsum!Rollo, he found him ridiculous and even denied their resemblance. But after seeing tsum!Rollo's behaviour, and how similar they really are, he grew to like him and enjoy his company (mainly because he found someone who finally understands him). I imagine they had a proper farewell when the time to depart came, with big words and all (Rollo can be quite dramatic, in his own way <3). 🔔 (bonus) He pretty much only tolerates the Prefect being around him (......and me eheheh/silly) simply because of their lack of magic and since OG Rollo seemed to tolerate the Prefect fairly well in GlosMas.

Tsum!Fellow:

🦊 Tsum!Fellow would be as expected: Theatrical, enthusiastic, the kinda friendly guy to get real close to you with a big (hypothetical) smile on his face...Until you realise your wallet is missing. Oh, it seems a tiny cat tsum took it while tsum!Fellow distracted you! 🦊 Yep, tsum!Fellow comes with an extra tsum!Gidel! It seems these two can never be separated... hm, reminds me of another striking duo on campus. How curious. 🦊 Tsum!Gidel pretty much just follows tsum!Fellow around, sometimes even resting on top of his head if he's unable to keep up due to his much smaller size. Tsum!Fellow is quite the swindler, after all, you never know when a new opportunity for some cash may come! 🦊 Despite his small and stubby hands, tsum!Fellow is impressively good at sewing like his OG counterpart! He fixed up a hole in OG Gidel's clothes before OG Fellow could even grab a needle and thread! What a useful little fellow, right? (also no one knows how tsum!Gidel is able to consistently hold his hammer...) 🦊 He is...not quite fond of the students. Truthfully, they annoy him to hell and back! Especially those rich ones that act as if they don't have a care in the world...*looks at Kalim.* So unlike OG Fellow, who can mask his distaste fairly well, tsum!Fellow will not hesitate to attack anyone who starts pissing him off. 🦊 After the shock wore off, OG Fellow would see his and Gidel's tsums as one thing: an opportunity! I mean, he once tried to pass off Gidel as a stringless puppet, and now he has two toys that are ACTUALLY alive! Even better, they can dance and put on a show like he and Gidel do, talk about damn luck! And his tsum seemed to heavily agree with him... sly foxes. 🦊 But uh, it went horribly once the tsums started to get annoyed by the crowd and started attacking people <3 (by that I mean tsum!Gidel bonking on everyone as tsum!Fellow ordered him around). 🦊 Fellow realised one thing then: his tsum is similar to him not in just appearance and mannerisms, not he's too similar...including all the bitterness he carries inside of him everywhere... Well, that makes them useless. And not only that, but they ruined his whole bit that could have gone so well! Hasta la vista then, go back to where you came from! Go ruin your own cons, not his!!

tag list: @ramshacklerumble @thehollowwriter @summerspook @scint1llat3 @skriblee-ksk

@cyanide-latte @twistedwonderlandshenanigans @oya-oya-okay @viperbunnies @gimmeurmoneyagh

@twsted-void @lallopsyou (lmk/dm if you wanna be added)

[azucarmorena97]

Money Ties (Jungkook Love Story || Pt.1)

Pt.2 ||

Your parents have worked hard to get to the top and have made sure to teach you everything you need to know to be successful in this business: from tough but lucrative financial decisions, down to the right ball gown for any given banquet. A promising and extravagant future awaits you- that is, if you agree to one teensy detail...

Son of Mr.Jeon Sr. and heir to June Company, Jeon Jungkook is an immature playboy with nothing to offer a woman but good looks and a crap ton of money, and he stands to inherit much MUCH more, so long as you both enter into the arranged marriage contract that was drawn up before the pair of you were even born.

You're more than willing to try, but you're not sure you'll be able to stand each other long enough to inherit a single penny...

Series Warnings: There will be smut in the near future and I will label those chapters as such. As I say before most of my pieces- I do not endorse any themes, ideas, or behaviors in this series. This is all purely fiction/fantasy! Feel free to inbox me suggestions/ideas/what you'd like to see in this series and I'll see what I can do! Enjoy <3

"How are you feeling? Have you got everything? Check your seat, make sure you didn't leave anything behind-" Your mom rambles, not letting you get a word in. Meanwhile, you're sandwiching your phone between your ear and shoulder as you struggle to get your bag down from the overhead compartment. "Yeah, mom- you know the way questions work is, you ask one and then let the other person answer." "Ugh, Sorry- I'm just so worried...and excited! I mean, we've only been dreaming about this day since-" "Before I was born. Yeah, I know," You sigh, finally letting your suitcase drop gently onto the floor of the plain and grabbing ahold of the handle to drag it out behind you. "Hey mom, I hate to interrupt you but is dad there? I wanna go over my itinerary while I'm here, I have like no time to myself on this schedule. I kinda wanted to do some sightseeing, being as how I'm almost never in Seoul-" "Oh, no I'm sorry honey. He had to rush off to the office but he told me to tell you that he's very proud of you and that he'll be there to get you when you come back." Your face falls flat and, since no one important is there to reprimand you for it, you roll your eyes and shake your head, "Alright." "Baby, you know he really is doing his best. He's been working nonstop to make sure this agreement comes to fruition and-" "Yeah, listen mom, I gotta go okay? I love you. I'll call you tonight to let you know how the meeting went, alright?" "Oh- okay. I love you!" "Love you too, mom." Without another word, you hang up the phone. You hate to be short with her, but today's supposed to be an important day leading up to...THE important day, and you really could've used more guidance on the matter. You could've...really used your dad today.

Oh well. No use in crying over spilled milk, right? You continue walking down the long terminal, a long line of people behind you in their own little worlds, having their own conversations, going on about their own lives; how interesting it would be to switch places with someone else...anyone else. Just for one day. You wonder if maybe your day would be a lot better then. You rifle through your bag with one hand while the other pulls your luggage along. "Aha," You say, pulling out your air pod case. You need to drown out any and all thoughts and distractions from the task at hand. Right now, it's just you, your anxiety about the meeting later, and "Rhiannon" by Fleetwod Mac.

When you finally get out of the terminal and into the waiting area, you give a sigh of relief; the plane ride had been long and suffocating, and now you're just glad to be breathing non-recycled air. It had been a long time since you'd flown into the Seoul airport, and it's much more extravagant than you remember; more ornate and, in the best way possible, hospitalesque. In the middle of your appreciation, you're shoved forward by someone behind you, causing your ear phones to fall out and everything. "What the fuck," You hiss, having been caught by complete surprise. You turn around and see a small crowd of people, all huddled in tight around someone, though you can't quite make the person's features out from behind the people. "Excuse you," You say loudly, hoping to get someone's attention, though you're not even sure who pushed you. "I said, excuse you!" You yell. Suddenly, everyone turns to look at you, and slowly, like parting the Red Sea down the middle, they divide to reveal the person in the midst of them.

"I'm sorry, I know my friends can get a little...rowdy," The person apologizes, though he has an annoyingly smug look on his face. He's tall, maybe 5'11" or so, with broad shoulders and a slim build (yet muscular, as you can see through his very tight turtle neck and slim fitting pants). His face is quite handsome, dark hair accentuating his features nicely. But you're still pissed off. "Well tell your 'friends' to please watch where the hell they're going. I almost fell over." "Hey I mean, no one told you to stand in the middle of one of the busiest airports in the world, staring at the ceiling like some catatonic zombie," He says, shrugging his shoulders. A few people from his group laugh in response, and he absolutely eats it up. "Excuse me?" You furrow your brows, incredulous to the arrogance in his tone. Are you missing something? You are the one who should be offended right now, right? "Alrighty, you're excused," He says before turning around. Again, the group adds in their little two cents in the form of 'oh's and laughter. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" You say, letting go of your suitcase and crossing you arms across your chest. The crowd goes dead silent, everyone darting their eyes at him. He turns around though this time, his expression is that of complete annoyance, "You're still here? Here, here's two hundred. Get yourself some new air pods or go kick rocks or whatever," He takes his wallet out of his pocket and reaches out to grab your hand. He turns it face up and slaps two bills into your palm, shooing you away immediately after. You can feel your blood practically boiling within you, and before you can really think about it, you're covering the five foot distance between you and slapping him cold on the left cheek, bills still in hand. "Don't spend it all in one place," You smirk before promptly picking up your suitcase and walking away in the direction of the front entrance. You feel sorry for any girl that might end up with that total loser.

You stare at yourself in the mirror of the hotel bathroom in the lobby. You'd spent hours getting ready; a fresh wax (leg and mustache... you've never been able to say no whenever the lady suggests it), new press-ons, fresh blowout, and a killer (yet modest) outfit. However, even with all that work, you still can't help but feel...completely ill-prepared. You bite you bottom lip, "I can do this. I can do this. I..." You quickly go to your purse on the sink counter in front of you and take out your phone, punching in your dad's number into the keypad. "Come on, come on. Pick up." It rings once, twice, three times, and then goes to voicemail. You try again, and then once more before tossing the phone aggressively back into your purse. "Dammit..." You lean forward onto the counter and let your face fall into your hands. Fuck the makeup. Fuck the blowout. You might just pass out right here and now. You notice your phone light up from inside your purse and scramble to get it; it's a text, though not from your dad. You open it and realize it's from Mr.Jeon Sr. 𝙼𝚛.𝙹𝚎𝚘𝚗: 𝚈/𝚗, 𝚠𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢; 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙹𝚎𝚘𝚗.

"Shit," You hiss, looking back up at the mirror to make sure you didn't mess anything up. Luckily, you're just as put together as you were when you stepped out of your room. You check your messages once more, just to make sure your dad hasn't tried reaching you. Radio silence. "Fuck it," You sigh, grabbing your purse and typing out your response.

𝚈/𝙽: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎, 𝚂𝚒𝚛. 𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎.

You shove your phone into your purse and then walk out of the lobby, through the front entrance, and out to the sidewalk to wait for the car. Get your game face on, Y/n. It'll be over before you know it.

Your family has money; they've spent decades building together, both metaphorically and literally. They began working odd jobs before you were even born, scraping by with whatever money they could get, and slowly, began investing in different companies and start-ups that became very successful in a rather short amount of time. Then they began doing land development, which was how they came to know the Jeon's. They developed and prepared properties for the Jeon's to build their hotels and restaurants, which only worked to stabilize your family's economical status.

The Jeon's, however, have had money for upwards of three generations. While you're not sure how exactly their empire began, what you do know is that hotel and restaurant management has greatly increased the wealth they already had, and now all they need is to secure an heir; well, more like prepare the heir they already have, as their son, Jungkook, is the sole inheritor to the entire Jeon fortune. As they say, 'No pressure'.

You're meeting the Jeon family at one of their more successful restaurants, one that received three Michelin stars within the first three years of opening. You brought some gifts with you, which your mom so thoughtfully wrapped up for you and put in a pretty gift bag; she refused to let you embarrass her by bringing such expensive gifts in whatever random plastic Target bag. You take a moment to breathe deeply, shoving your dad, mom, the plane ride, and the asshole at the airport out of your mind. This is about your future. You're gonna do great.

The restaurant is full, but you somehow easily spot the Jeons at a table at the far end of the restaurant. "Do you have a reservation?" Asks the host at the podium. "Yes, I'm with the Jeons. Ms.L/n." "Ah yes, please follow me to your party." You follow him to the far end where you'd initially seen them, "Mr. and Mrs.Jeon, your guest has arrived." "Oh, Y/n!" Mrs.Jeon says cheerfully. You bow to them, "Mr. and Mrs.Jeon, it is truly a pleasure to see the both of you again after all this time." "Please, please- take a seat," Mr.Jeon says. The host pulls out your chair for you and waits for you to sit to be able to push it in for you. "Thank you," You say, giving him a small bow as well, to which he returns the gesture. "I've taken the liberty of ordering all of our best dishes for you to try. I hope you're hungry," Mrs.Jeon says, "Please, have some tea." "Oh thank you," You say, grabbing the teapot and carefully pouring some into their cups before pouring your own. "Should I pour into this one?" You ask, motioning to the empty place next to you. Mr.Jeon sighs, "No, that's okay. You'll have to excuse my son's tardiness. He should be here shortly." "Don't worry; I'm sure he has a good reason," You reassure. They exchange a peculiar glance at each other, though you don't think much of it.

"You know, we were worried that our agreement would fall through before this day would come." "Oh?" "Yes, we thought maybe there was a chance you'd refuse and we'd end up having to put up with someone we knew nothing about. With you, we know your family, we know you come from a good home with strong morals and family values similar to ours. It's not every day that parents find in-laws they get along with so well," Mr.Jeon says, sipping on his tea. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. I'm all in. This could be something that helps all of us and I'd do anything for my parents." You feel a tinge of sadness as you think of your dad. You haven't really seen him in the last three months, what with all his meetings and clients- you're hoping this will relieve some of the stress off his shoulders.

"That's what we love to hear," Mrs.Jeon chimes in, "We did bring the contract here with us for you to sign- whenever you have the time to read over it, of course." "That sounds great," You say cheerfully. This is going surprisingly well. You're not even sure what you were so nervous about initially. "There he is," Mr.Jeon calls out, looking past you at the door way, "There's Jungkook." You turn to look behind you, squinting your eyes to try to block out some of the glare so you can get a good look at your soon-to-be-fiancé. His silhouette is oddly familiar. Of course, you've met before but it's been at least fifteen or twenty years; he couldn't possibly look the same from then 'til now. No, you recognize him from something more recent...Where is he from? It isn't until he's a good seven feet away that you realize... SHIT.

"Sorry, I'm late everyone," He says, his familiar voice ringing in your ears like a pesky mosquito- that is, if a mosquito could singlehandedly make or break your entire future. "What took you so long, son?" Mrs.Jeon asked, her eyes darting at you momentarily. "Well, I'd just flown in from Paris when some crazy bitch attacked me at the airport. Broad daylight, completely unprovoked. Can you believe it? And then I had to go to Jimin's house for- for some thing and then we all got caught up at...a different place where some...other shit went down-" "Son, please mind your language. As you can see, Ms.L/n has been waiting to meet you." You slowly look over to face Jungkook, wishing you could morph into someone else- anyone else, for only a moment so as to not have to explain to this boys parents that you slapped their son in the face with two hundred dollars.

It's as though everything is happening in slow motion; torturously absorbing every ounce of energy in your body for such a simple action as turning your head. When you finally look up at him, you see his expression turn from slight irritation, to full blown anger. "YOU." The venom in his tone is palpable. You smile sheepishly, looking from his parents, to him, to his parents, and then back to him, "H-hey, you." This is gonna be the longest dinner of your life.

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Six

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: It's still Sad hours folks, Mentions of Grief, Mild Anxiety, Some Self Deprecation / Negative Self Talk, AND THEN some Fluff, Cute Banter, Dry Humor, and the biggest warning of all: Pirate Facts (don't forget who we're talking to here)

Word Count : 3.5k

Summary : Charlotte is still processing the prior day's events and struggling to deal with her grief coupled with the fact she let a "stranger" see her upset. Unfortunately, things have to get worse before they get better, but she is well on her way to better.

Author's Note: HEHE ANOTHER ONE. Okay really though, I know we've been having sad chapters and I want you to get to good stuff so I figured since this is the last sad chapter for a bit AND she's a little shorter than the next handful, I may as well let you have her early. We start off a bit rough, but it only gets better as you read! PROMISE.

Honest - Joseph "There's always two thoughts, One after the other, I'm alone, No, you're not."

I’ve been sitting in bed since I got home last night, recounting everything. A full-blown meltdown, Charlotte? You really couldn’t choke it back for a little longer? I have never been good at letting people in. I tend to keep everybody at arms’ reach, which is why I now have… basically, no friends.  

I don’t know how I got here; that’s a lie. I am too intense. I work too much. I care too much about my work. I could stand to relax a little more. Okay, let’s not talk ourselves into a spiral now; it’s too early in the morning. 

It’s 7 a.m., and I’ve barely slept. I force myself out of bed. I just need coffee. Stretching as I walk into my kitchen, I set up my coffee pot and lean against the counter, rubbing my eyes to rid the sleep left on them. He was so sweet about it, too. He didn’t even hesitate. Taking a deep breath , I shake my head as if that would get rid of the thoughts. 

I pour some coffee into my favorite mug, take the first sip, and feel the warmth go through my body. ‘Oh, Honey’ rings in my head. Does he just give everybody pet names?  Finding myself on my couch, my laptop sitting next to me, taunting me with the option to work. I know I should take the day off with how little sleep I got, but I would also rather stay busy. 

I could just check my emails. 

Maybe I’ll just work for a few hours.  

It couldn’t hurt to just clock in. 

I’m pushing open my laptop, frustrated because I know I’ve lost the battle with myself again. I immediately pull up my emails, seeing a handful from the last few days that I haven’t answered. 

It’s a lot of easy work, which is good because, well, I shouldn’t be working right now. I spend a while replying to everything in my inbox, including an email to my boss. I sip my coffee between emails, trying to stay focused on work but finding my mind wandering. 

I would have been fine if he didn’t acknowledge that I looked sad. I could have gotten through that situation so much better. Why did he have to notice? I pause my thoughts, realizing how insensitive they seem. You’re grieving, Charlotte. Jesus Christ, give yourself some grace. You’re GOING to be sad. He was just good at handling that. I still can’t wrap my head around how quickly he reacted. Most men I’ve met probably wouldn’t have even realized something was wrong, let alone make sure I could privately have a moment. 

My throat starts to tighten again, and my chest feels heavy; I wish I could tell her about this. She would have been so shocked to hear that I let someone help me. My eyes start to get blurry. Oh, not again. I sit there, letting the tears fall down my face. 

“Fuck,” I mutter to my empty apartment. 

I rub my eyes, probably harder than I should, before making a second cup of coffee. Breathing shakily as I pour, text him. No. You need a friend, Charlotte. I don’t even know him, aside from his business. He said to let him know if you need anything, and you do kind of need something right now. I do not, I’m fine. Then why are you still crying? 

Sitting on my couch, I grab my phone and pull up his messages. Just text him. 

I struggle to type anything out for a moment, wiping my face a few times before finally settling on something simple. 

Charlotte: hi goodmorning 

I lock my screen quickly, setting my phone next to me, face down. Why did I do that? It’ll be fine. Just let him respond.  

Back to work, I open an email from my boss; 

‘Charlotte,  Why are you working today? I thought you took the day off? Regardless, how did everything go in Portland? Did you get the paperwork handled with Caravel Tavern? I’m hoping for your sake that the owner was pleasant and just filled it out for you.  It’s an unfortunate situation that you had to go there, but much appreciated that you were able to stop by and get that taken care of.’ 

My boss and I have been working together for a while, so I’d like to think that he isn’t being disingenuous with that email, but the fact he knows the ultimate reason I went to Portland and only seemingly touched on the work part is making my stomach hurt. Does everybody think that I’m emotionless? I went there to mourn my friend, and he was worried about how my work went. I feel the tears pricking at my eyes again. This time, I don’t fight them. Setting my laptop to the side, I take a few sips of coffee, wiping my eyes in between. 

My phone vibrates beneath my leg. Is it.. Grabbing it nervously, I flip it over, letting the screen turn on. There, his name sits on my lock screen. 

Jacob: Well goodmorning, how are you feeling? 

Not great. My stomach turns reading the question over and over. Why does he care? 

Charlotte: I’ve been better, honestly. How are you?

Why did you say that? He literally saw me cry yesterday. I think he’d be more shocked if I said I was feeling great.  

Jacob: oh i’m sorry, can I do anything to help? 

No. Just tell him you need a friend, especially right now. We have worked together, I can’t do that. I’m above him, technically. Charlotte, chill out. You’re not co-workers. You can be friends with him. 

Charlotte: I don’t know. I’m just having a rough morning  and I didn’t know who else to text. 

You don’t have anybody you would text anyway. This happens when you don’t keep in touch with your friends. 

Jacob: Do you want to talk about whats wrong or I can just try to distract you?

He’s so.. Don’t tell him. 

Charlotte: I think a distraction is needed 

I’m immediately curious how he’s going to be distracting through text. He’s distracting enough in person. Charlotte. I’m sorry, but it’s no secret. 

Jacob: In that case, how much do you know about the golden age of piracy? 

Charlotte: lol I do actually know a little bit, but go on. 

Jacob: Do you?? Well then, my personal favorites are Anne Bonny and Blackbeard is an obvious choice but.. I dont even care haha hes great. 

A smile crept onto my face when I read his reply. Why is it so wholesome that one of his favorites is a woman pirate? He’s probably just saying it.

Charlotte: You like Anne Bonny?

It’s marked as read immediately, and the typing bubbles pop up almost instantly.

Jacob: She was incredible! And she never was found?? That’s insane. You have to respect it. 

Charlotte: She really was incredible. I know a little about Blackbeard but, you can tell me about him.

Charlotte: If you want obviously, you don’t have to. 

Phone in hand, I walk into my bathroom and turn the shower on before facing the mirror. My eyes are puffy, and my hair is everywhere. God, Charlotte, get it together, girl. I set my phone on the counter, leaning in to look at myself closer. Seeing how dark my under eyes are and how irritated my waterline is from rubbing at them. I look down at the counter, feeling the tears coming back. Softly shutting my eyes to force the tears out. 

“For the love of god,” I whisper to myself. 

Undressing myself and stepping into the shower, I stand with my face in the water. Feeling the warmth surrounding me, it feels safe. Once the water has completely soaked my hair, I sit on the tub floor, holding my knees close to me, letting the hot water beat against my back. You’re allowed to be sad, Charlotte. Tears freely fall down my face. I hate this. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Carefully squeezing the water out of my hair and clipping it out of my way, I pull on a comfortable sweatshirt and leggings. I quickly rub some moisturizer into my face, grab my phone, and head back to the couch. I sink back into my spot, pull my throw blanket back over me, and slouch down into the corner. 

I pull my phone out and see a handful of texts from Jacob sitting there. 

Jacob: Welllll.. Supposedly his actual name was Edward Teach .. or Thatch.. Nobody really has confirmation because Pirates didn’t always use their real surnames to not spoil the family name. 

Jacob: He obviously was the owner of Queen Anne’s Revenge, but it was originally a French Slave ship named La Concorde that he managed to capture. 

Jacob: When he died, they beheaded him and put his head on a STAKE at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay!

Jacob: Are you okay? Is this annoying?

Why do I want to cry? Well, nobody else is checking on you.  

Charlotte: No, you’re not annoying me. I showered, I should have let you know. I’m sorry. 

Rubbing my eyes until I see TV static and taking long breaths seem to be the only thing calming me down. Nobody taught me how to handle waves of grief. My stomach turns at the thought. 

Jacob: dont be sorry, its okay. 

Charlotte: Are you actually working right now.. by any chance? 

What are you doing? I don’t want to be alone right now. 

Letting out a deep breath, trying to unclench my jaw, it’s hard to relax.

Jacob: I don’t have to be. 

My hands tremble as I click on his name and promptly click on the ‘call’ button. Please pick up. 

“Hey,” he says quietly, “what’s going on?” 

“Hi,” I whisper. My throat immediately gets tight, and my lips shake.” Um,” I say, taking another long breath. 

“Oh,” he whispers, “hang on.” I can hear the music from the bar slowly fade before the click of the door shut. 

“Are you okay?” 

“No,” I whimper softly, “I can’t stop crying, and I’m nauseous, and I just don’t want to feel alone.” 

Oh, that was a lot. 

“Hey, hey, slow down,” his voice is calm. “I’ll stay on the phone with you; just take a little breath for me, okay?”

In through your nose, out through the mouth. 

“You don’t have to tell me what’s going on if you don’t want to, but I hate that you’re so upset,” his voice getting a bit softer. 

“I don’t think I can say it out loud yet,” I confess, “It’s just- I’m sorry, it’s too much, and I-”

My breathing picks up again, and I can feel my heart pounding. This was a good idea, wasn’t it? 

“Honey, it’s okay,” he says, there’s that name again. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. We can talk about anything else.” 

Breathe Charlotte. Closing my eyes, more tears fall, but my breathing slows. 

“What have you done today?” he asks.

“Um, I took a shower and answered some emails,” my voice still struggling to stabilize.

“You were working?” 

“I thought it would help distract me, but it sort of made everything worse,” I said, sounding defeated. 

His soft laugh is almost enough to make me smile, “Have you eaten today?” he continues the light interrogation. 

“No, I’ve only had coffee,” I tell him. 

“Why don’t you make yourself something to eat?” His tone is still very calm; he really is good at this, “Maybe sleep a little if you can.”

He’s right. I probably should eat something, at least.

“I definitely feel like I could use a nap,” I let out a sad giggle, wiping my eyes for the millionth time. 

“Do you want me to stay on the phone with you for a little bit?” 

My chest feels weird when he asks that. 

“If you don’t mind..” my voice was small, not wanting to be a pain. 

“I don’t mind one bit.” 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

I stroll into my kitchen, open the cabinets, and stare into them. 

“What should I eat?” I question out loud.

“Food is probably your best bet,” he answers dryly, and I swear I can hear the smirk on his face. 

“Incredibly helpful, thank you.” 

His giggle rings through my ears, and I can feel the tug on the corners of my mouth. His laugh is cute. Reaching into the cabinet and pulling out my bag of pretzel crisps. 

“What’s the verdict?”

“Just some pretzels,” I mumble, knowing it’s not much. But I’m also not starving. 

“Lunch of Olympians, Charlotte.” 

This time, it’s my laugh radiating through the phone. Oh. I bring my hand up to cover my mouth once I realize it. 

“That might be the first time I’ve done anything other than cry today.” 

“Happy to help, m’lady.” 

I giggle at the mild English accent that snuck out, “I think if you learn much more, you’re gonna become a pirate.” 

“That isn’t a threat to me like you probably think it is,” he says. 

“Have to start calling you Captain Jake Sparrow,” 

He clears his throat before letting out a weak “Yeah,” followed by an uncomfortable laugh. 

“Um, so,” he starts, “what’s something that you enjoy too much? Since you’re so graciously laughing about mine.” 

Working. You like other things, Charlotte. But working is the most satisfying. Baking.. Reading.. Hello? 

“I read a lot,” I blurt out, realizing I was in my head, “and I like to bake.”  My hand covers my face as I tell him because I definitely sounded like I just pulled it out of my ass. 

“Oh! I read a fair bit myself; what are you reading?” 

Fuck. Yeah, go ahead and tell him what you read. 

I scan the book on my coffee table; it’s just another contemporary romance novel. I like to alternate more non-fiction things with some romance because I’m not a robot. I have a soft spot for sweet stories. Something about effortlessly falling in love or watching two characters pine over each other for a good majority of the book before allowing themselves to act on it. 

“Uhhh…” I stammer over myself. “I don’t know if you’d know it.”  I can feel the heat rise into my cheeks as he breathes through the phone, waiting for me to elaborate. Slumping down into the corner of the couch.

“What genre?”

“It’s uh.. a contemporary romance..” I whisper quickly. Look, there’s nothing wrong with romance novels, but with how I have learned to present myself while I’m working, it feels a bit silly to admit. 

“Ooohhhhh,” he taunts. “Are you secretly a little hopeless romantic, Red?”

“I am just a girl, Jacob. You asked the question.” I giggle at the nickname and the fact he’s calling me out so quickly. Scooting myself down further, so I’m practically lying down.

“Alright, alright, fair enough,” he laughs, “I read a lot of historical things, as you can imagine. So, consider me boring.” 

“You are far from boring,” I tell him, not meaning to have it come off like it probably did.

“I think my brothers would beg to differ,” he sighs.

“I’m almost positive that’s just a sibling thing that they’re required to do,” I readjust my arm underneath my pillow, switching my phone to speaker and setting it next to me, “But also, maybe I just don’t think pirates are boring. Who’s to say?”

“Hey Jake, can I bother you?” I hear faintly in the background, “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Hang on for a second?” he asks quietly. 

“I’ll be here.” 

I close my eyes, just listening to the random sounds that pick up from his phone. God, I’m so tired. A yawn sneaks up on me, releasing a deep breath, and I can feel my body relax even more. I can feel my breathing change a bit, and my head feels heavier as I lie here. 

“Hi, I’m sorry,” he says. A small “oop” falling from my lips involuntarily. 

“Did I scare you?” he whispers this time.

“A little,” I mumble, my eyes still sewn shut, “I think I fell asleep.”

“Get some rest,” I swear I can hear the smile on his face, “we can talk later.” 

All I manage is an ‘mhm’ before I feel myself drifting back into my slumber. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

 My phone vibrates against my face, jolting me from my nap. Holy shit. Swiping away the unknown caller, tucking my arms back into my blanket, and closing my eyes. I don’t want to be awake yet. Deciding to lay there for a few more minutes before becoming a human again. 

Finally, I caved and opened my phone. Jacob’s messages were still pulled up, but I noticed new ones sitting at the bottom. 

Jacob: i hope you feel a little better when you wake up. It was really nice getting to talk to you. I mostly talk to my brothers at this point so it was refreshing

Jacob: not the you being sad part, just the rest of it obviously 

I audibly laugh at the second text. He’s so uncomfortable. 

I scroll through our messages for a moment with a small smile.  You’ve been grinning at these messages… Well, he is charming. I mean, he basically talked you down until you were relaxed enough to sleep. I can still hear his voice in my head, ‘Take a breath for me.’ The way he looked at me as he wiped the tears from my face, I don’t know what happened at that moment. I hear Cass in my head, “Stop thinking yourself out of happiness.” 

I set my phone down, quickly sat up, and grabbed my laptop from my coffee table. I opened it, pulled up my emails again, and scrolled for the email from my boss. Hitting reply, I quickly start typing;

‘Good evening,  Actually,- I may need to work remotely. After spending a few days checking in, it seems like some assistance may be required-’

Actually what? My hands are typing faster than I can coherently think, but it’s not entirely a lie; he does seem like he needs a little bit of help getting things in order, and with having to train Melody and get her certified, he’s going to be juggling a lot of things. 

‘I believe that Mr. Kiszka-’

 I giggle to myself, fully able to hear him from the first day I walked in saying, ‘Mr. Kiszka is my father.’ 

 ‘-has the capabilities to succeed, but he is still fairly new at this and is just trying to get caught up. He also has a new hire that he will be getting certified, and I will be assisting him with that process to ensure everything goes smoothly.’

Charlotte, you’re still emotional. Maybe you should just hold off on sending this. What do you mean by ‘you will be assisting him’? He’s fine! The words are flowing out from my fingertips, and I’m choosing to ignore the voices in my head this time. Okay, wow.

‘That said, I’ll be located within 30 minutes of Portland. If there are any other businesses you’d like me to check on while I’m there, please let me know. Have a great weekend,  Charlotte Rhodes’

I hit send with no second thought. 

Okay, so that was a dumb choice. You were much more assertive than you usually are, and that isn’t going to fair well. You weren’t that bad, but not giving an option for working remotely was definitely a choice. 

Shutting my laptop abruptly and setting it back on the coffee table, my heart is racing. Never done that before. Typically, I’m not someone who acts on emotions, but for some reason, today is different.

Charlotte: I knew what you meant, lol. I feel much more educated on pirates now. 

Jacob:  oh i have so much more i could tell you 

Charlotte: Well, I’m done working so.. I have time. 

Staring at our texts, I don’t know what I’m doing. My hands timidly scroll up, rereading our conversation. Why do I feel nervous? Noting that he’s been nothing but nice and helpful, my phone gently vibrates and automatically scrolls to the bottom as he replies. 

Jacob: be careful what you wish for dear

Charlotte: I’m already on board, it’s too late. 

I sink into the couch again, wondering if this is a mistake. I did kind of make an irrational decision.. Mmm… feels silly now, doesn’t it? But immediately remembering that, I promised my best friend that I would live a little. ‘It’s just a job, babe,’ plays in my head, and she’s right. It is just a job, and I’m still going to do my job, but  from Portland. Where we can talk to this nice boy, who seems like he’s just happy to have someone to talk to. But you also need to not lose your job for a-

Jacob: I hope you already have your sea legs then

Jacob: there were a million pirates in that era so we have a lot to go over

The nerves are nowhere to be seen, swallowed by my quiet laughter as I read his texts. I can only imagine how excited he probably is to talk to someone about this who isn’t going to groan or fake sleep during it. I will gladly take any distraction I can get tonight. The nice voice in my brain is just telling me, maybe we could be friends. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Chapter Five

Chapter Seven

FDOG Masterpost | Masterlist | FDOG Playlist

Reply of fill out this form to be added to the taglist

Taglist:

@gvfsstardust @myleftsock @mindastreamofcolours @dont-go-home-without-me @literal-dead-leaf

@lizzys-sunflower @mackalah @klarxtr @edgingthedarkness @writingcold

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@hollyco @anythingforjtk @woyayaofdreams @musicspeaks @wrldabomination @josh-iamyour-mama

[spicysix]

event masterlist

can you guys believe it's been a whole year since we've met Eddie Munson?! since I've fallen head over heals for that man? since i've been reading a different ST fanfic every night before bed? since i've flipped this blog Upside Down (heh) and made this little TV show my entire personality?

and since then i've done a lot! i went back into writing fanfics after 5 years of nothing, first of all. and i've met and befriended so many special people, and i've admired so many special fanworks, and we all bonded over some children and their gaggle of babysitters.

and you saw my little blog dedicated to our little blorbos and decided to stay here ♡

so because of all that, i'm kickstarting a double (and my first one ever) celebration! pop one of those below into my inbox and get me working!

・celebration begins May 27 and ends May 31 ・meaning you can send requests until the end date, but i'm a bit slow so it can take me longer than that to answer everything. be patient, please ♡ ・you can send in as many requests as you want, just please send different emojis requests in different asks! ・you don't need to be following me to participate (but if you liked it, consider following anyway? let's be friends!) ・minors and billy stans DNI

🦇 eddie's pet demobat - send me this emoji + a fic or fanwork you'd like to show some love to! make the authors/artists happy and give us readers and enjoyers something to appreciate. you can also rec your own work of course! ♡

🎸 eddie's warlock - send me this emoji + a number from 1 to 11 and i'll post a promotional piece or a snippet from a chapter of my biggest WIP: it feels like i'm going home - a eddie X reader roadtrip fic! the numbers can only be asked once each, so be fast and choose wisely!

📖 robin's russian dictionary - send me this emoji + a word, song, prompt or scenario + a character or ship and i'll write you a ficlet! ↳ here's some prompt lists to give you some ideas if you need! ↳ check out my guidelines to see who i write for ↳ if you want you can specify if you want fem! or gn! reader

🏏 steve's baseball bat - send me this emoji + a character, ship (specify if you want romantic or platonic) or gang and i'll share my favorite headcanons. or, send me the emoji + your favorite headcanons!

📸 jonathan's camera - send me this emoji + an episode (from any season) and i'll share my favorite scene. or, send me the emoji + your favorite scenes and let's talk about them!

🍄 argyle's shrooms - send me this emoji + any question you want, anything you wanna know about me or that you wanna share about yourself! let's chat, play games, and get to know each other ♡

🔫 nancy's (childsafe water)gun - send me this emoji and i'll give you my first impressions of your blog through a moodboard!

thank you so much to everyone that follows me and interacts with me or supports my fics in any way!! i love you all to the moon and back, hope to stay here for a long while to talk about our beloved ones. and here's to many more friends to come! ♡

tagging some mutuals that i adore to help me spread the word (no pressure!): @thornsnvultures @beep-beep-sherlock @sunshine-munson @chaoticgood-munson @pollenallergie @wormdebut @paranoidmunson @districtsof-treason @willowsgrl @steviesnailbat @mvnsoneddie86 @inourtownofhawkins @singledadharrington @pepsimunson @itwasallblue @taintedcigs @chrissymjstan @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @beenabutterandjelly @king-calycanthus @callingmrsbarnes @chaotic--agraphia

[thoughtseeker-the-dragon]

Hi there, this is the pinned post intro that I said I wanted to make

Edit 10/18/24: pending a more in depth revision of this intro, know that there are two of us here now. Syrup is the host and is the creature behind the posts you've been seeing, but thoughtseeker is their parogenic headmate and will sometimes post. We'll make it clear when Thoughtseeker is the one who's talking.

We want to start with our preferences for interaction, since most of you will be here checking that:

We're 18 and dislike sex. Please behave yourselves and don't be creepy to a being that still see themselves as a minor in many ways.

Everything else is on the table! Don't be the one who makes me change this.

I go by many names. On here, you can call me Thoughtseeker, as well as on Bluesky and Twitter, on the off chance you find me there. I go by Syrup (short for Syrup of the Dog) on Discord, and if you find me on a platform related to gaming, I'm likely using some variant of PotatoComputer.

As a general guide, whenever we use "we" or "us", we are referring to both myself and Thoughtseeker. If I refer to myself in the singular, I am referring to myself, and when I refer to myself by name, I will use Syrup.

Thoughtseeker is my sona, and it should be notes that while they are a mirror of myself in many ways, this intro is for the "human" behind the screen, not the dragon (reason being that there are several things about them that aren't applicable to myself).

Our pronouns are They/Them, and sometimes we go by We/Us. We aren't plural, though (we know it might be confusing, bear with us), and plural pronouns are just a fun little thing we do. We're AroAce, moderately sex-averse and don't really care about romance. Our gender is kinda wobbly at the moment, and it fluctuates between "masculine and apathetic" and "moderately dysphoric non-binary transfem" (our "trans mood" is really hard to describe accurately)

We have ADHD, as well as social anxiety and some undiagnosed autism. Needless to say, our brain is NOT normal, and we are more than fine with that.

Our hobbies are numerous, and we cycle obsessions sometimes. We're very in tune with the process, and we've taken to calling it "The Cycle™". As of writing (this will not get updated), our fixation is on Sea of Thieves and Empyrion: Galactic Survival. We have some permanent residents, though, and these are the ones we love to talk about regardless of our current Cycle stage:

Wings of Fire

Cobalt Core

Furries (although this one has caveats, like how we stay as far away from controversies as possible)

Mental Health and advocacy for it

LGBT topics

This goes without saying, but we will ramble about these topics and would love to be given the opportunity to do so.

We also have a minor fascination with plurality and the plural experience (if you couldn't tell), so if you're willing to share, we would love to hear it! (no pressure ofc)

We'll probably come back to update this at some point, but these are the major points of our personality that you should know for now. If you're curious about a specific facet of our being, send it to our inbox and we will likely answer it.

[snapesshylittlebadger]

Important Update - Stalking and more

Well, I haven't been able to work on the fanfiction or any Snape x Everhart pieces due to on going issues and those issues would be my ex-boyfriend and his stupid antics of constantly reaching out to me. I blocked his accounts and made threats about contacting the police after we started to become very annoying by begging me to take him back after he broke up with me and admitted to cheating on me for the past 8 years we've been together, sent a photo of him and the girl THEN say's he didn't cheat on me that they only talked. I am writing a whole report out and I have so many screenshots but I am not fixing to plaster this all over this account. I will speak a bit on what happened recently.

He bought some items from my Depop shop. It was a mala bead necklace ( he got me way back in 2019/2020 ) and a shirt I use to wear. I didn't know it was him until AFTER he bought two more items and sent me a message admitting that it was him. I checked the address and it wasn't one I recognized when he bought the first two items ( which now I believe it's probably his sisters house). He wanted to "smell me one last time." He did this because I refused to give him any of my shirts to keep as memory when we saw each other last. (I am supersites and I know what his mom does because of what's he's told me with his own mouth from when we were first dating in high school + he clamed to be a Satanist who's an Atheist, yeah...this came out of HIS mouth.)

He made five different Depop accounts after I blocked one after the other. I knew the accounts were him because he took one of my friends nicknames and then named his @ after one of his old Instagram account names. On top of that, the address was his grandparent's house. He even left a false review on my Depop about not getting the first two orders (Mala beads + shirt). There's been no real time to just relax thanks to him. I've been under so much stress and while this was going on, I lost a childhood friend of mine who decided to take this "opportunity" that was going on between me and my ex to ask me to hangout with him at a café that has games.

I thought he was doing this out of the kindness of his own heart but it wasn't because the next day he asked if I ever think about us dating now since we're adults now ( we dated in middle school, grade 7 despite my mom telling my ass not to ). I told him no and when I asked about his ex ( she assaulted him so last I knew, they broke up which he told me they did ) she inboxes me through his account getting angry at me saying. "if I knew he had a gf why did I go on a date with him." Mind you, he didn't say it was a date, the last time I got to talk to him was when my dad passed in 2017. We haven't hung out in such a long time either so like I said, I thought he was doing this out of the kindness of his own heart due to what was going on with me and my ex. She is a very controlling person and had been cheating on him since high school and she had beefed with me and his friends just because we kept trying to get him to break up with her due to her cheating and always putting her hand on him.

After she blocked my accounts, I blocked him number and deleted it. With all this going on, I 've also been getting rejected from jobs I've been applying to. It's been a very awful year and I miss my old job terribly. I was able to get rehired but was put back into the very position I got terminated in which was Pick. For those who don't know what happed. I had been working at ,y local Amazon warehouse for two years and four months. My original department was ShipDock until the labor shared me to Pick. Pick's rate is very different compared to ShipDock and due to that, I was terminated for it and I had to wait about 3 to 4 months before I could reapply.

I did so and because I didn't pass the Pit safety test, was terminated again and when I went in for the 2nd go around, was put in Pick again and failed the test once more. Thanks to that, I have to wait till April 15th to apply to ANY Amazon warehouse. My mental health has been horrible since that day in September when he broke up with me ( it was three days before the Hozier concert too and I sold my tickets because I was scared to go on my own due to having to sit and wait at 11 a.m. for a ride downtown, I am a women so...and no friends could make it. I regret it because I live in San Antonio, artist don't hit us up that much and I got two blessings. That being Rammstein and Melanie Martinez came to S.A ) to now.

So, that's what I've been dealing with. If you made it to the end, thank you for taking the time to read all of this b.s. You all should be seeing some art maybe this month or the next when I am not going through one of those, "what's the point" moods.

Take care.

[xochimillilili]

okokokkkk hiiii i know i dissapeared for like three maybe four months uuhhmeerrmm im berry sorry but!!

i wanted to check in and ask how you're doing !!? :3 it's been forever since we've talked but i'm sure you've seen me in your inbox lol. i hope everything is going okay for you sirrr 🩵🩵

You!!! Hii hellooo hii lmao, no need to say sorry sweetheart, it's alright to disappear for a while, though nice to see you're around still~

Oh it definitely has been a while, but that's alright, you're always real welcome in my inbox silly. And everything has been quite okayish! Currently on my spring vacation from work, and it has been quite nice, save for the fact that it is definitely hard to get myself off when I am sharing a house with multiple other people lmao

[thedroneranger]

The Drone Ranger's Be Kind Rewind ⏪ laracrofted Edition!

A rec reblog series dedicated to the fics that we love so much, we've re-read them!

@laracrofted's Rewind has landed! Amelia has been amped for this, and I was thrilled her name came into my inbox! 🖤

While we continue to churn out amazing new content, let's be kind and rewind to look at some of the OG content we love! And don't forget to reblog when you re-read! Continue to show your comfort fics and favorite creators some love. It helps keep the fresh content coming :)

Let's keep this going throughout the summer, so if you're interested in participating in the Be Kind Rewind, message me. The more, the merrier!

If you want to know when a new Rewind drops, join the tag list, and check out previous Rewinds!

fics below the cut (listed in alphabetical order by title)

and even when we're wrong in every way, we come out on the other side okay, bradley bradshaw, @gretagerwigsmuse i probably don't have anything to say about this series that hasn't already been said, but bradley and smart aleck are the blueprint, and i love the way jordan has continued to expand this universe.

bad habit, jake seresin, @seasonsbloom i'm probably going to be a broken record this entire post of i love this fic, i love it so much, but really, i love bad habit, i love bad habit so much. bad habit is one of the first jake fics i ever read and definitely the first jake series that i ever read, so i will always love her so much.

i will wait right here, bradley bradshaw, @lewmagoo i am such a sucker for a good hurt-comfort fic, and i will wait right here is the ultimate hurt-comfort fic.

i would walk 10,000 miles to you, jake seresin, @roleycoleyreccenter as i said in my original reblog, jake showing up at his love interest’s door drunk is something that can be so personal. i really do love this fic, it's so damn cute.

heat, bradley bradshaw, @clints-lucky-arrow i read this right after i saw top gun: maverick for the first, and i have never been the same since.

landslide, bradley bradshaw, @roosterbruiser i devoured this on AO3 months and months ago in like a midnight haze, unable to put it down, and it's still one of my favorite fics that millie's ever written. It's definitely on the heavier side (and long), but it's so good and so healing.

out of the blue, clear sky, jake seresin, @theharddeck i am such a sana stan so i had a hard time choosing between this and california coast in your green eyes, which i also love a whole lot. out of the blue pulled ahead because soft jake is the absolute softest in this fic. it's like a warm hug – and in the last chapter, a steaming warm hug.

steady, bradley bradshaw, @callsignvalley i re-read this like once a month, i'm so serious. it's just so good, and i love how bradley and cali (i don't know if the reader has a nickname, but cali to me) heal together.

Creator's Own

baby, i'm high octane, jake seresin somehow, i am still writing this fic like... over a year later, but baby, i'm high octane was the first tgm fic that i ever wrote and ever posted. and i am so proud of it, even if i've been working on it for a million years!

delicate, bob floyd probably one of my angstiest (but also softest) fics. i wrote this for @roosterforme's incredible love is in the air challenge in february (a huge shoutout to emily, whose work is featured on many rewind lists), and i still think about it all the time.

Tag list and friends: @petcr3 @desert-fern @Sagittarius-Lovewitch @mygyn @sweetwhispersofchaos @horseshoegirl @the-annoying-fan @dingochef @moon42flight @thecitysgraveyard @ereardon @cherrycola27 @galaxy-of-stories @taytaylala12  @malindacath @violyn20 @awildewit @potato-girl99981 @shanimallina87 @blue-aconite @djs8891 @linkpk88 @furiousladyking @daggerspare-standingby @princess76179 @jstarr86 @hecate-steps-on-me @darkheartcherry @soulmates8 @roosters-girl @dempy @roosterisdaddy36 @hangmanscoming @s-u-t @mavrellover91 @chicomonks @averyhotchner 

A kind reminder, this is a 18+ blog. While not all stories in the recommendation list are 18+, please respect boundaries and do not interact unless you are 18 years of age or older.

[felonsmojis]

Inbox check? /nf

HELLO AND HAPPY NEW YEAR ANON! this is more of a general announcement but its also related to your ask i promise X3

it has been a while and we have a new Functioning drawing tablet, and since we want everyone to keep updated since weve gotten a ton of new followers we now have a google document listing requests!

to access the document you can click the link above or the one we've added in the pinned post! please use this as a reference for your requests so that we dont get duplicate asks :D

we will make something fun for our 2000 FOLLOWER MILESTONE (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) soon hopefully, but for now we'd just like to send our love and gratitude to everyone who continues to send asks and engage with the blog, it really helps us get out of a funk when it comes to this blog in particular and its so nice to know that people are just havin fun with our art!! youre all so very kind and lovely and a huge part of why we take such long breaks (besides life happening always) is because we often lack a lot of confidence with our art, so THANK YOUUU to everyone who is super niceys about it <333

our inbox past this point wont close ever just because its fun to see whats in demand, keep in mind if we deny your request its just not gonna happen unfortunately, but its not any shade usually its because we have no connection to a specified fandom or it could be too complicated. as an addendum we are more likely to do requests on the fandom list from our carrd, which has also been updated and can be found right here or on our pinned post!

please feel free send in suggestions for a 2000 follower (!!!) special event because i dont know what there is to do with emojis in particular lol

✧ dirk :3

[gradstudentdrone]

What grief has taught me: we are more than work

I returned to work on Friday and was hit with an avalanche of emails. While I was dreading opening my inbox, after awhile, I realized two things: first, that while there are emails that require your attention, they almost always get resolved without you responding and second, there are matters that do require your attention, but aren't as urgent as they appear. This has led me to reach the following epiphanies:

Our importance within institutions (academic or otherwise) is over-stated-- institutions will continue without us, even in the face of death;

"Urgency" in academic contexts is, in many ways, misplaced.

The people at work who I (we all) should hold close are those who step up in ways that matter.

The latter, I think, is what I need to remember. Sincere emails of condolence are kind and much appreciated (more on this below). But you know who truly have your back, those who you should keep close in your inner circle? Your work friends/colleagues (frolleagues?) who make sure that when you get back from leave that they've actually reduced your work load so you won't have to deal with it, people who get how excruciatingly hard it is some days to even wake up and try go on as 'normal' (whatever that means) and tell you, after you check in to ask about a specific task, "we've got this. Don't even think about it." While I've long since understood just how corrosive institutions are, it is people who have your back that make these institutions humane because they know, as well as I do, that when the time comes when they are facing horrific shit, I will also have their backs.

What I also appreciate is sincerity. I can smell from a mile away folks who are emailing to "check in" with me, but are really trying to see whether I'm "okay" now so they can line me up to do tasks for them. Such is the uncaring nature of neoliberal capitalist institutions: people within them have been so used to seeing each other instrumentally that "check ins" are equated not with actual care and compassion, but are a way to surmise whether the person can be tasked with yet one more thing.

All of these epiphanies are making me realize, again and again (and again and again and again) what I've known: that we are more than work. That we have value beyond what we give our employers. That we matter because of who we are, not because of what we can produce.

Having these epiphanies have been monumentally helpful in guiding me to recalibrate my expectations about work and my presence: that, at the end of the day, what matters is who we love and who love us in turn, and that getting caught up again in the academic arms race of publishing, emailing, grant-applying and grant-receiving means prioritizing work over self, work over life.

One regret that I have is that even as I have tried so hard to reorient myself away from the academic arms race - documented in Academic Aunties - I relapse and forget to find an identity outside work. There have been multiple times in my life when I prioritized work over living. The one that still haunts me is opting to finish the academic term and fulfill my teaching commitments in 2013 despite receiving news that my grandma - my lola Pining - was diagnosed at 89 with pancreatic cancer. When I got the news, it was November, and I thought, foolishly in hindsight, that I would finish out the term and head back as soon as December break started, especially since the doctor's prognosis was that my grandma had a "few more months." Yet my grandma died weeks after this diagnosis which meant I wasn't able to see her one last time. Here is a blog post I wrote in her honor.

Another memory that haunts me is my assumption that my dad and I still have a lot of time together. As we prepare for his 40th day death anniversary, which my community celebrates because it signifies the deceased's transition into the afterlife, I am haunted by how much I took my dad's presence for granted. One decision I wish I could undo was in the summer of 2008. Rather than heading back to see my parents in Vancouver, I opted to stay in Toronto so I could keep studying for my PhD comprehensive exams. I had the option of writing the exam in May, which all of the professors teaching the class encouraged us to do. They were telling us not to worry, that we would all very likely pass. But because I was caught up in the academic arms race, I opted to write the exam in August so I could spend an extra two months studying. Our professors pretty much told us that we would pass, but I didn't believe them, and so spent most of the summer in the library rereading Robert Bates and James Scott. Why didn't I just write the exam in May? Why did I have to try to not just know the material but try to master it? Who was I trying to impress?

I wish I knew then how finite life was. I wish I'd decided to spend an entire summer with my dad and mom in Vancouver. I wish we had taken more family trips. I wish I had treasured evenings spent going with my family to the Richmond night market, doing day trip drives to Seattle, hanging out at home and chatting. Even though my family, like many, has had its share of turmoil, my mom, dad, brother and I - pictured above, in my high school graduation - actually like each other's company. We know each other's quirks and tendencies. There's a comfort with knowing that in our family, we can be who we are, because there is unconditional acceptance.

As I enter the academic year, I will endeavour to remember that what I value is my family, my friends, my community. That email doesn't need to be sent. That paper can wait. That meeting can really be an email. Don't waste my fucking time. Because the time we have left is so limited.

[rockbottomhq]

hey angels! we hope you're all having a wonderful start to your weekend so far. the two of us just wanted to drop in for a brief second to address a few additions and changes to our rules that we've been chatting about. nothing big is happening, we just wanted to expand on two existing rules and add some clarity that should set us up for a smoother experience regarding hiatuses and activity checks.

previous rule: hiatuses are two weeks max by default. life happens though, so please get in contact if you need to extend yours. new rule: hiatuses are two weeks max by default. life happens though, so please get in contact if you need to extend yours. all hiatuses will be marked on the masterlist and kept track of on our group wide stats page. before inquiring on whether or not a role is open, please check both pages to make sure the role isn't currently saved. we will not be answering any anonymous inquiries about the status of a hiatus that doesn't belong to one of your own muses.

the reason for this change is due to an influx of messages we've gotten regarding member hiatuses and why certain members, while on hiatus, have not been included in activity checks. we understand that the bandom realm is small right now, so certain roles are more sought after and coveted than others, but we appreciate patience when it comes to trying to secure a role that you might be extremely interested in playing.

previous rule: five days without posting on your main blog gets you a warning, seven days gets you the boot.  new rule: five days without posting on your main blog gets you a warning, seven days gets you the boot (with the opportunity to post until midnight on the seventh day to be marked safe from losing your role). activity checks are done at moderator discretion. there is no set schedule for activity checks. we will not be honoring reservations for roles that are inactive but have not been posted yet on the main. in other words, you must wait until we post a proper unfollow for a role before attempting to claim them.

this change goes hand in hand with the previous change. we have always included the full 7th day as an opportunity to post to keep your role before it's opened, since we don't think it's fair, for example, for an activity check to be posted at 8pm on the 6th day of inactivity and then a certain role be reopened the next day in the morning or afternoon. life gets busy and we like to give the benefit of the doubt rather than immediately reopen a role the second it hits the next day.

because we've never fully clarified this, we've gotten a few messages from people trying to reserve faces or certain roles before we post that they're officially inactive. again, we understand a certain urgency to secure roles within a really small community, but we are striving to create a fair, comfortable environment and this is a big part of that.

finally, we'd like to ask you guys to turn off the anonymous option within your inboxes for the time being. a lot of you received weird messages with the letter A as the only content and we just want to clarify that that message did not come from click bites or us as a precursor to any kind of gossip game.

we're unsure of where it could have originated from and we'd much rather err on the side of caution and cut off the ability for it to turn into anything weirder than it already is. we'll let you guys turn the option back on sometime in the near future, but definitely want to get ahead of it now to preserve the environment we've all fostered together so far.

that's all for now! once you've gotten this far, please toss a like towards this post so we know you've read it. as always, thank you for being such a lovely group to run. we couldn't be happier to be here with y'all.

[intriq]

Hi! it’s me Dawn :] i’d like to request.. maybe a reader and Cass fic, maybe they both work together and for a while they’re split up during a mission because things go south and no comms are working so they’re both scared for the other because they think they’re dead and they find eachother again and maybe one of them is covered in blood and they think they’re injured but it’s not their blood and they have a nice little moment when they meet up again and maybe they say how stupid it was when they got split up. (I don’t know ideas lol.)

heehehehe you got it pookie [this person is one of my beta readers btw yall!!!]

this has been in my inbox for a month now and i just finally finished it so like.. woooo

‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎┍━☽【❖】☾━┑

“This mission will be quick” they’d said. “It’ll be easy” they’d said.

But yet not even an hour into this mission you and Cass had been separated. Make matters worse, comms had stopped working half way into the mission. Rendered as nothing but useless pieces of technology, which meant you couldn't even check in on Cass.

After clearing the last room you are in, you cross the threshold into another where you meet Cass again. She's silent, back turned to you. But she does turn when you take another step forward, having been able to sense your presence. Fuck, it's almost as if she had eyes on the back of her head with just how easily she's always been able to detect your presence.

Cass is covered in blood when she turns to look at you, and it causes you alarm. Rushing forward, trying to look for any injuries underneath it all. But you find none, not a single one.

"Not mine." Cass speaks, watching your frantic and worried expression. She thinks it's amusing how you immediately assume that all this blood on her is even hers. She'd be dead if it were.

"Jesus, Cass. Don't go running off like that." You practically sigh with relief, shoulders sagging when you are convinced that the blood is, indeed, not her own.

"Why? You were being.. Slow."

"Cass, comms have not worked once since we've stepped foot in here. And you go off on your own, we get separated. In enemy territory."

"I can see how that may sound.. Bad."

"BAD? JUST BAD?" You throw your hands in the air, frantic and exasperated at just how Cass was calm at the revelation you shared. "Cass the first thing I see when I finally find you again after being separated from you for the past thirty minutes is you covered in blood! And you say it just 'sounds bad'?"

Cass turns away from you, beginning to spout about how she found the thing you were sent to look for. Gods, you think.

Cass is going to give you gray hairs at a young age. You're convinced of it.

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[coldercreation]

Hi hi! I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing! It's been a while since we've heard from you :)

Hello!!<3

The most hugest apologies for completely dropping off of the face of the planet for a bit!! I definitely should've checked my inbox here sooner, sorry all you lovely people who have left me the loveliest messages, I appreciate you so much! I'm okayy I promise, I feel bad for making yous worry- you're too sweet fr 🥺😭

I really am doing okay though! Been focusing on my health situation (which is great when it's 'focusing' as in self-care, but not so great when I'm unable to stop being anxious about it lmao). But yuh, I've fully embraced self-care and been spoiling myself every day. It's been kinda sweet... :( and such small effort! Been vibing with the end of summer and now looking forward to the cozy season a lot too!

But... Haven't been writing at all awh hahah! Howeverrr as always, these lads and stories are on my mind all the time, so I know I'll be back to writing whenever the right sort of inspiration will come around again. :) Interestingly I have been very content not writing this time around?? Usually I feel very frustrated and guilty if I don't write, but I think this break has been a good one. Maybe I was getting a bit fatigued? Not sure. I mean, I wasn't updating that much at all, but behind the scenes I was constantly putting on this pressure on myself to write and it stressed me out when I wasn't able to match that.

So yeah, the break has felt very... fresh? Think I'll take it one day at a time and see what happens. I know it's boring to wait on the readers side, but hopefully the old updates can bring some joy and entertainment in the meanwhile hahah<3

I really hope you have been well, anon and everyone else who has written to me or is reading this! I'm feeling so optimistic and light despite all the slowly but surely improving health stuffs, and I have this funny buzzy excitement in me when I think about the future??? How neat! :D xx

[probadbatch]

Feel free to ignore this - it's just some uncharacteristically melancholy musings about the past that I needed to get out of my head. Everything's fine, don't worry.

I've been going through my archive from the early days of this blog and just. So many people have deactivated since the season one days. I know some of them remade and are active now but more are just gone. I feel like I'm seeing ghosts.

If you're new here - things are better now but they were pretty ugly in the beginning. This blog really only exists because I got so damn frustrated with the negativity and fighting and I needed to channel that into something a little more positive. A lot's changed since then. Friends deactivated, bullies moved on, but I'm stubborn so I'm still here.

It was weird coming into this fandom at first. I've been on tumblr since 2011 and to say I've seen its ugly side is an understatement. This blog is relatively small for me but I have another that... well, let's just say I get hate mail there on the daily. Coming into the SW community here was the ugliest I've ever seen tumblr. I won't call the whole fanbase toxic but there were definitely a few people who were and unfortunately they were organized and extremely loud about it. They tried to drag everyone into their war and if you tried to stay out of things, that made you a target.

A few of them are still around. They've moved on to other things but every once in a while I break my own cardinal rules and check in on a few of their blogs. They don't seem any happier than they did back then. I'm sad for them. It looks like such a miserable way to be. The fans who stayed definitely seem happier than any of the bullies ever did.

I wonder about the fans who didn't stay. I like to think they just found somewhere more pleasant to be and they're living good happy lives now and don't give much thought to the old days. But I don't know. And with how bad the bullying got back then, I worry.

If anyone I don't know about remade and is reading this - please don't feel like you have to tell me. If you're happy and safe, that's all I care about and if your privacy is how you've managed that, I'm okay with not knowing. But I think about you - even if we didn't know each other back then. I think about all the fans who've disappeared. I hope you're doing well.

I don't know what I'm trying to say. I guess partly I just wanted to say goodbye to everyone who left before I could tell them. I guess I also wanted to say that bullies might win battles but they don't win wars. We've lost good people but the fandom is still here, still going strong.

This blog is for anyone who's ever had someone else try to tell them how to experience fandom or to stay out of it entirely. People who would say that are miserable and the only thing misery loves is company - so much so that it will go to great lengths to create more. Pity those who would rather spread their misery than accept joy.

I don't care who you are or how you identify or what your politics are or what you ship or how long you've been in fandom or what someone else thinks you've done. If you ever need someone to talk to, my inbox is always open for you. I promise you aren't bothering me.

I'm tired of seeing deactivated blogs.