#it's been weeks since the chapter was released and I still haven't recovered

[vingler-mirror]

Silly text post memes I made to cope with Chapter 6

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

[missingn000]

a note about tpg's hiatus

hi everyone!! i've missed y'all <33 i want to share a quick note on tpg's hiatus, and how long it will last.

first and foremost, the tl;dr: i will not abandon tpg. the story remains incredibly important to me, and this hiatus is only that: a hiatus. i will return eventually, and while i am not exactly sure when "eventually" is, i hope to begin updating again soon.

now the long explanation. tpg's hiatus has lasted much, much longer than i expected. it wasn't until i took a break that i realized how mentally and emotionally drained i was after writing 600k+ in 2 years, along with being an engineering master's student then starting a job in aerospace. especially after writing sukuna's backstory (75k+ words in one month), my brain was utterly fried. all in all, it's been a lot.

as some of you may know, i started watching one piece in september. and i love it! it's an incredibly fun, well-written feel-good series. it's been a refreshing mental break to engage with a new series, especially since jjk canon has been so disappointing in both content and writing quality. 

if you check my ao3, you'll notice i took a break from jjk with other series in the past: namely dr. stone, sxf, and natsume yuujinchou. this is necessary for me to remain creative and explore narrative themes that i bring back to tpg when i return to it. but by the time my recent hiatus started, it had been well over a year since i engaged with any other series than jjk, and it was starting to take its toll on me. i'm almost caught up on one piece now, which means i'll be able to focus on tpg again soon.

when i return from tpg's hiatus, updates may be slower. releasing 15k+ word chapters every 2-4 weeks was incredibly mentally taxing and required much of my time and focus to constantly be on the story. it wasn't healthy, and other areas of my life were impacted negatively. it can be easy to forget that i'm a real person with real-life responsibilities writing this story in my spare time for free -- even i sometimes forgot this. 

another note on why taking a break has been so necessary is my mental health. when season 2 released and toji + satosugu was animated, the fandom exploded and tpg's readership drastically increased. while this meant an influx of amazing love and support, i also started to receive rude and hateful comments and messages.

don't get me wrong: not everyone has to like tpg. that's totally fine! but as a very sensitive person, receiving hate took a huge toll on my mental health and motivation, and i have needed time to recover from it. i've been doing better mentally lately, and have taken some measures to reduce unkind interactions. i'm working on becoming less sensitive in the meantime so i can handle it better if/when it happens again.

since i've been feeling guilty about not posting jjk content, i haven't been on tumblr quite as much, but i'm still around online on both discord and instagram. mutuals can request my priv @chiidoriii on IG, and my discord is @MissingN000 -- just shoot me a message with who you are when you request! i'll still post fic updates on both new stories as well as tpg content and previews on tumblr, so please stick around :)

thank you so much for your patience with me! i love you all so much, and truly appreciate your support. love, chi <333

[imtrashraccoon]

I got a bit busy but I haven't dropped this series! It made more sense to combine these two ideas rather than make two separate chapters I think. I have about three more planned chapters that will both serve to wrap up the final threads and also serve as an epilogue of sorts.

This chapter takes place a day after Day 18 Festival or two months and three weeks after the humans fell into the Underground.

First Day, Previous Day, & Bonus Three.

Bonus 2: Festival & Dancing Part 2

You were stirred from sleep by an incessant bouncing on the couch cushions, which was no doubt Frisk's doing. With a low grumble of annoyance, you rolled onto your back and pulled the blanket up to your chin.

"... it's too early kiddo..." you murmured.

For a brief moment all was quiet and you almost began to wonder if they'd actually decided to show mercy on you.

You were mistaken.

The sudden collision of their much smaller, but still quite solid, body with your abdomen immediately dashed away any hope of getting a few more minutes of sleep. You let out a sharp gasp of pain and your eyes shot open to their now widely grinning expression.

You scowled and before they could get away, pulled them into a crushing hug. "You little pest," you growled in a teasing way while trying to get your own revenge by tickling them.

Frisk squirmed and wiggled to get away but to no avail as your grip held firm and you rained down tickles until you were both completely out of breath from laughing so hard. Only then did you release them and collapse back onto your pillow to recover.

"Okay... So what has you so impatient for me to get up this morning?" you finally asked.

"Santa came!" they signed. After a moment though, their excited smile fell to be replaced by a confused expression. "He did come, right? Even though there's no chimney?"

You chuckled and managed to sit up, pulling Frisk with you so they were sitting on your lap. "Well... You're right about the chimney part, so we decided to help Mr. Claus out this year since he wasn't able to drop off your presents in person."

You hoped your explanation wouldn't confuse them further but what else were you supposed to say? Right now would be a bad time to break the news that Santa Claus wasn't real and while you didn't want to lie to them, you also knew the importance of childlike wonder. It couldn't hurt to keep that hope alive for at least one more day, right?

Frisk seemed to consider your words for a moment before they smiled again and nodded slowly. "That makes sense... I suppose he can't come down here anyways because then he would be trapped and no one would receive presents."

You stroked their head in an affectionate way and smiled as well. "I guess that's one way of looking at things, but it's alright. Even if things aren't the same this year, we love you and we still want you to be able to be happy, okay?"

They wrapped their arms around your neck in a fierce hug that actually caught you off guard. You embraced them though and slowly rocked their body back and forth.

The brothers came downstairs eventually, although you could tell Sans seemed like he hadn't completely woken up yet. Papyrus was somehow the opposite and looked the very picture of perfect, like one those cliché "Just woke up like this" Instagram posts. You honestly envied him but weren't about to voice your complaints out loud, as he totally would take satisfaction in holding it over your head.

Once everyone was gathered together, Frisk opened their presents. While they seemed excited to receive the sketchbook and coloured pencils, you were surprised to see how much they liked the Mettaton action figure. They were grateful for each of their presents, but you could tell what the winning gift had been and it wasn't even a close contest.

A little later while Frisk was checking out the books they'd received, you helped Papyrus in the kitchen with making breakfast. It made you happy that Frisk had liked what you had managed to get them and while things were different this year, overall they seemed happy, which was what you'd been most worried about.

"got a question for ya, Rihanna."

You glanced over to find Sans leaning against the archway between the kitchen and living room. "Sure, what's up?" you asked.

"frisk mentioned a guy named santa claus earlier. so, who is he exactly?"

Papyrus seemed to perk up at the question and stopped what he was doing. Turning to you, he inquired, "Does He Seriously Just Enter Your Home Without Asking Under The Pretense Of Leaving Gifts?"

You chuckled and responded in a lower voice than before so Frisk would be less likely to accidentally overhear. "Well, that's how it traditionally works. The truth is it's just a fun thing someone made up for the kids to make this time of year magical or something."

"Right, I Cannot Imagine Not Having Magic, Let Alone Not Growing Up Surrounded By It, That Must Be Unbearable," Papyrus mused. "My Previous Question Still Stands Though. Why Do Humans Trust A Stranger Like That Around Their Children?"

"Most people don't," you answered flatly. "Besides, Santa Claus doesn't actually exist, it's just a guy in a costume pretending to be him. Most Santa's are set up in malls so you can get pictures with them anyways."

"so he's made up?" Sans asked in a tone that sounded like he didn't fully believe you.

You couldn't help the grin that formed at his question. If you didn't know better, both brothers actually seemed rather concerned and while you could understand why, it was still pretty amusing that they were so unnerved by a harmless tradition.

"Yes, Santa Claus is made up. In fact, the whole tradition of a man that gives presents to children was based on an actual person named Saint Nicholas who gave money to people in need. While Santa has roots in many cultures, usually by different names, the concept is pretty much the same across the board."

Sans made a low humming sound and tapped his clavicle thoughtfully. "huh, that's quite different than what we thought..." he muttered.

You tilted your head questioningly and glanced between the brothers. "What did you think Santa Claus was then?"

"i dunno, like a celebrity or a ruler of some sort?" Sans rubbed the back of his skull awkwardly and frowned. "look, 's not much you can really gain from the random junk you find in the dump with his stupid face on it, okay?"

You giggled at his obvious embarrassment and shook your head. "No, no, it's okay! Anyone would find my culture's fascination with him strange and you've probably only seen a glimpse into the level of our obsession."

Papyrus chuckled and placed a hand on your shoulder. "Your Kind Have Some Strange Traditions But I Suppose We Do As Well. In Fact When We First Put Up The Lights Outside, We Did Not Even Know They Were Christmas Lights Until Much Later. We Just Thought They Looked Cool So We Have Left Them Up Ever Since."

Sans nodded in agreement. "too much effort to take 'em all down anyways..." he muttered.

"Fair enough, most would probably agree with you, but then there are crazy people who decorate their entire home and yards with lights. I couldn't even begin to understand how they can stand doing so."

< ~ - . - ~ >

That evening, Papyrus approached you in the kitchen and you couldn't help but notice that something was different about him. He seemed kind of excited, but not in a teasing or smarmy way, and he was holding something behind his back.

"What's this about?" you asked.

With more flourish than was necessary, he produced a decent sized package wrapped in simple brown paper and tied together with twine. You could feel your heart skip a beat and while you didn't want to assume this was a present considering the occasion, your mind couldn't seem to come with any other explanation.

"I Was Thinking Of You Recently And So I Got You Something To Show My Appreciation," Papyrus explained as he handed the package to you.

You blinked in surprise and for a moment just looked at the present, scarcely able to believe this was happening. You hadn't expected for him to get you anything but you really shouldn't have been as surprised that he had. Coming from the guy that would jump at the chance to spoil you if it wouldn't make other people suspicious, and if you had let him, this gesture should've been obvious.

Upon opening, the package contained something knitted from incredibly soft red yarn. You quickly realized it was actually a shawl with a fringe and, by the texture, seemed to be made from a similar material to Papyrus' scarf.

"Is this...?"

He nodded, "Yes, It Is, Precious. I Remembered How Much You Seemed To Like My Scarf So I Got You Something Similar." He couldn't seem to be able to stop the wide grin that crept across his skull and in a slightly snarky tone added, "Maybe With This You Will Refrain From Stealing It Again, Hm?"

You felt your cheeks grow rather warm from embarrassment and looked away. "It was one time! Besides, I did give it back when you noticed..."

He chuckled and cupped your cheeks with both of his hands, guiding your gaze back to his own. "I Know, I Am Only Teasing You..." he purred softly.

"This is really nice though... Thank you, Paps." You frowned slightly and glanced down at the shawl. "I just... I feel bad I didn't get you anything in return..."

"Hey." When you looked up at him again, he smiled in such a genuine way, that it almost made your heart melt. "I Know You Were Not Able To And I Never Expected Anything Like This From You. I Only Got You Something Because I Wanted To And Just Having You By My Side Is Enough To Make Me Happy."

"Still," you pouted, "I wish I could've."

A moment later though, you got a bit of a cheeky idea. "Hey... There is one thing I could give you..."

Papyrus seemed to catch on rather quickly. Maybe it was your tone of voice or maybe it was the slight smirk you had when you said it. Either way, he bent down slightly to be more on your eye level and gave you a bit of a curious look.

"Oh? And What Is That?" he asked.

"It's a sort of human Christmas tradition..." Rather than explain and ruin the moment, you decided to just go for it, despite the lack of mistletoe. Catching him by surprise, you wrapped your arms around his spinal column and kissed him.

He almost melted into your embrace and barely hesitated to hug you back. You released him after a minute but couldn't exactly pull away when he continued holding onto you. He pressed his skull against your forehead seemingly content in the moment.

"I Like Your Traditions, Precious," he purred in your ear.

You grinned in satisfaction, "I hoped you would..."

He held you close for a little while longer before he seemed to get an idea. His hold loosened on you except for his right hand which he moved to just behind your left shoulder.

"Remember A Few Days Ago When You Asked If I Would Teach You How To Dance?" he asked.

Your eyes widened and you nodded. "Yes, are you saying you want to right now?"

He grinned, "If You Would Like To."

"I would," you agreed. "But a fair warning, I probably will end up stepping on your toes a bunch as I've literally never done this before."

"Do Not Worry About That, You Could Not Hurt Me If You Tried."

Papyrus directed you to wrap your left arm over his right and rest your hand near his shoulder. He then clasped your right hand with his left and raised your joined hands up to about your own eye level.

There wasn't any music to really sync your movements to, but that didn't bother you in the slightest and you slowly swayed back and forth together. Once you'd become a bit more comfortable, Papyrus guided you into a basic step.

He moved to his left and brought his feet together before repeating, bringing you along with his movements. Then, he repeated the process but to his right this time.

It was much simpler than you'd originally pictured and actually pretty fun. You were pleasantly surprised that you didn't make an absolute fool of yourself. While he didn't admit to it, you suspected Papyrus was somehow purposely guiding you in such a way to prevent you from stepping on his toes like you'd fully expected to. He moved with such confidence though that you didn't mind in the slightest.

You quickly lost yourself in the moment and found yourself only able to focus on his face. Here was the toughest and also the strongest man you'd ever met, and yet he moved with the grace of an experienced gymnast or athlete. It was so contradictory and yet made complete sense for him as a person.

He was just that cool.