#like sometimes i'll read a post and go no trust me that items just there bc it's there

[bombshellsandbluebells]

Ok because I can’t let this thought go, I need to say my piece on media analysis and fandom’s version of it really quickly:

I’ve worked as an on-set dresser, a set dresser, and in the set decoration department in other roles. I get how set dressing works. And I’m also a huge fan of media analysis and overanalyzing and drawing meaning where you find it from the text, intentional or not.

I’m all on board with finding details in the set dressing and expanding on them, but there are so many times I see posts that argue small set dec details are intentional and foreshadowing something - usually a ship going canon - when it never feels that way to me. Yes, there is thought behind every aspect of film, but that doesn’t mean that the exact placement of everything has some great meaning behind it. Sometimes the meaning is “it would make logical sense for this item to be in this space” and nothing more.

I don’t comment on these posts bc I don’t want to be overly negative or ruin anyone’s fun, but the problem I keep seeing happening in fandom spaces is that meaning that was never intentional on the creators’ part will be drawn from small details and passed around fandom as proof of foreshadowing of something that was never intended to happen. And because someone is able to find meaning in something, people believe it was an intentional set-up.

Sometimes the item is just there. Sometimes a set dresser went “yeah that looks good” and there’s nothing more to it. Sometimes the DP goes “yeah that shot looks visually good and the items in it make sense” not “every item placed in this shot is intentional”.

(Sometimes something gets stuck in a weird place and you don’t notice it until cameras are about the roll but it’s like, not worth the hassle of holding for art bc literally everyone hates holding for art, so it just lives there now.)

The problem isn’t drawing meaning from the text where you find it. That’s a great way to interact with media honestly. The problem is making the mistake of deciding it was intentional AND intentionally setting up the exact scenario you already wanted to happen. Bc honestly, until we hear it from the creator’s mouths, we don’t know always know what minor details were intentional.

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 1, Unarmed - Pt. 2

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Mild language, Bucky and Reader being Tolkien nerds, light fluff, mention of rabies (it's a super scary disease and we should all be vigilant, okay?!)

Word Count: 1.6k

Previously On...: You just had the pleasure of meeting the very handsome Bucky Barnes. Despite a little bit of awkwardness during your first encounter, you have a feeling your life is about to get a lot more interesting now that he's been introduced into it.

A/N: You know what? I said I wasn't going to do this, but I thought "fuck it!" and decided to post all of Chapter 1: Unarmed. My anxiety is too high to just sit on it. So, please enjoy Ch1. Pt2! Pts 3 & 4 to follow!

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @blackhawkfanatic

The next evening, you were making your way back to your suite after a productive, albeit exhausting, day in your lab. You were working on a crisis prediction real-time monitoring system to anticipate global threats. You were convinced it would allow the Avengers to respond to trouble faster, but perfecting the privacy algorithm had been an absolute pain in the ass, and you still hadn't gotten it quite right. Technically, you could have farmed the project off to a subordinate; hell, even a team of subordinates of a subordinate, but this was one of your pet projects and you insisted on being hands-on in its development.

You had your tablet open as you walked, chewing on your thumb and reviewing the dataset from the run of your latest algorithm model one more time. Closer, but not good enough. If you were going to convince Tony that this was a program worth implementing, especially at its projected cost, everything had to be perfect. "Damn it," you muttered to yourself.

You rounded the corner and ran smack into Bucky's chest, dropping your tablet and causing him to drop the three books he'd been holding under his remaining arm. "Oh, shit-- I'm so sorry," you uttered as you bent down to retrieve the dropped items. Bucky leaned down to assist you, but you waved him off.

"’S my fault; I've got it," you told him, piling up his books for him. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Bucky leaned up against the wall and chuckled while you stood up and handed the books back to him. "I doubt you could hurt me," he said, smiling softly. "No offense."

You let out a small laugh. "None taken." He was a super soldier, after all. Stealing a glance at book spines, you couldn't suppress the smile that crossed your face. "Lord of the Rings," you nodded appreciatively. "Have you read them before?"

Bucky looked down at the books tucked under his arm. "No, first time. I read The Hobbit back when it was first published in '37, but these didn't come out until after..." he trailed off, but you knew what he meant. After he'd been abducted and brainwashed, turned into a murderer.

You nodded in understanding. "I'm actually really excited for you," you told him. "What I wouldn't give to be able to read them again for the first time."

"You a Tolkien fan, then?" he asked you. When you nodded, he continued: "When I finish them, maybe we can talk about them sometime? Steve's not really into fantasy."

"Yeah, I'd like that," you said. "If you're interested, we could watch the movies. I'll warn you though; they're long as hell, but their masterpieces. I mean, they didn't need to turn The Hobbit into three separate films, but still, they'll blow your fucking mind."

Bucky ran his tongue over his lower lip and you couldn't help but follow the motion with your eyes. "That sounds like fun," he said, his eyes twinkling with... something. "Your place or mine?" Was he… flirting with you?

"How 'bout you finish the books first, then we'll talk logistics," you teased. "Hey, speaking of, what floor did they end up putting you on?"

"Um, this one, actually," he said, tilting his head toward a nearby door.

"No shit," you remarked, laughingly. "You must have done something to piss Rogers off, because he put you right across the hall from me."

Bucky looked down, scuffing the toe of his boot against the carpeting. "He said it was the quietest floor, thought I'd prefer that."

You pursed your lips, considering. "Yeah, that makes sense; it's just been me on this level for ages. It'll be nice to have some company for a change."

Bucky looked surprised. "Stark's kept you down here all by your lonesome? That doesn't seem very nice."

You shook your head and dismissed his concern with a wave. "Oh, no-- Tony hates that I still live down here, actually. He put in all new living quarters a few years back. Everyone migrated upstairs, but I was the only one who didn't want to move."

"Why's that?" Bucky asked, appearing genuinely interested.

"I've lived here since I graduated college," you admitted, "back when it was still just Stark Tower. When Tony relocated here from Malibu to rebrand it for the Avengers, he wanted to redo everything, which meant fancy new suites for everybody. But I love my rooms, so I asked to stay put. They've been my home for so long now and I guess I just like the stability, you know?"

Bucky nodded thoughtfully. "And Tony thinks highly enough of you that he let the blow to his ego slide?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I have enough dirt on him that he felt like he didn't have much of a choice." You snorted, not able to keep up the pretense. "No, but seriously, I know you and Tony have a complicated... history, but he's not a bad guy. Ego as tall as this Tower, yes, definitely, but he's also incredibly kind and generous. He paid for my entire college education-- undergrad, post-grad, doctorate. I owe everything I have to him."

Bucky shifted against the wall. "That is pretty generous. And he never expected anything from you in return?" He didn't say the words out loud, but the implication was there. Had you slept with Tony in exchange for your diplomas? The innuendo should have bothered you, but it had been posed to you so many times over the years, you'd stopped being offended by it. Before Pepper, Tony had had quite the  reputation, after all, and an MIT education didn’t exactly come cheap. Most people couldn’t understand why he would offer a full ride to someone who, at the time, had been a complete stranger.

"Tony appreciates talent," you clarified. "When he finds it, he cultivates it, nourishes it, does everything he can to help it grow to its fullest potential. But he does like to get a return on his investments, and my skills have helped him make a lot of money." You shrugged your shoulders with a chuckle. "I love my job, I love the work we do, I love the stupid weirdo family we've built here, so I've always considered meeting Tony to be the best thing that ever happened to me. He's kind of like my own fairy godfather."

"So, what exactly does he have you do around here?" Bucky asked. "I know Steve said you did computer stuff, but you said it was an over-simplification."

You ran a hand up to rub the back of your neck while you considered your answer. How best to explain your position to someone who was born before the invention of the television? "Okay," you exhaled, "so, short answer is that I'm the CTO, the Chief Technology Officer, of Stark Industries and, under that, I run the Avenger’s Technology and Innovation Department. It's sort of our take on Research and Development. I've got a lab where I'm in charge of about 450 scientists, engineers, computer programmers, analysts, et. cetera. And our entire job is coming up with cool new ways of making things easier for the Avengers. Like, new features for suits, developing useful programs, coming up with new defenses and weapons, that kind of thing. And if we've got missions that require heavy computer- or tech-work, I come along for on-site support. I'm combat-trained and good with languages, so that comes in handy in the field. There’s probably a ton of field agents that could go in my place, but for Tony, it’s a matter of trust."

Bucky let out a low, appreciative whistle. "Damn. That's impressive. You're a little intimidating, you know that?"

Laughing, you tucked your tablet under your arm. "Please. I'm about as intimidating as a hamster." You paused to think. "Maybe a hamster with rabies, but still a hamster."

A series of beeps emanated from your tablet. As you pulled it out to check the alert, Bucky moved away from the wall. "I'm so sorry-- you were heading back to your room and I've basically been holding you hostage this entire time."

"Actually," you said, silencing the notification alarm that had distracted you, "That was just a reminder I set for myself to eat. Sometimes I lose track of time in the lab and completely forget to have dinner. Are you hungry? You could join me."

Bucky pulled his head back, regarding you as though he wasn't sure if you were serious.

"Or, if you don't want to, that's cool," you said quickly once you noticed his hesitation. "I mean, you wanted a quiet floor. Annoying neighbor is probably the last--"

"I'd love to," interrupted Bucky with a grin. "I'm just surprised someone like you would want to spend time with someone like me."

"Someone like me? Hey now, for all you know, I could be an absolute trash person," you teased, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

Bucky chuckled, his eyes sparkling with a newfound warmth. "Well, I highly doubt that, but I guess I'll find out soon enough."

"Don't say I didn't warn you when you do." You cocked your head toward the door to your room. "I'm going to change out of my work clothes. While I do, how about you decide what you're in the mood for, and we'll go from there. That sound good?" Bucky nodded as you let yourself into your room. The evening had taken an unexpected turn, but you found you were looking forward to spending more time in the company of Bucky Barnes.

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

[spacebuck]

1, 3, 13 and 15!! I love all your writing BTW. Especially your newest one with Argenti messing around with Boothill’s -REDACTED-. It’s incredible 👀

1. Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

I actually really like both!! Some stories lend themselves better to one or the other. I find my attention span leads me to one-shots but I enjoy the lore and world building I can out into longer things!

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

OUAHHH this is a hard one!! Depending on the fic it can just be "see art. Stare. Blink. Fic written." and sometimes it can take a bit of nurturing. Taking my current long fic as an example, I floated the idea to another writer who loved it enough to not only support my dumb ass, but we're actually cowriting it now! I started by describing the setting and the biggest scene I had in mind, then we walked back and established the larger arcs of the setting and some core secondary characters, and how we wanted the first scene to go. Then, i sat down and wrote it. Then we came back together, once we had words on the page to look at, reassessed our plan, and have built on it from there.

Sometimes I'll literally just send them a twitter post or a meme and be like "them lol" and an hour layer we have another chapter fleshed out tho, that's always fun.

I can't wait for you to meet Nonna C. Beloved Nonna C.

13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

Oh man. Uhh. "show don't tell" I suppose? I'd rather say "Argenti's eyes gazed over" than "Argenti got bored" as an extreme example haha. I'm a big fan of purple prose and playing in the bounds of words, so that's probably the one that I keep to the most!

15. How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

It depends on the scene! I will often have an idea of how I want it to go in my head, either from talking to someone of a brainrot urge or a nice art made me think of something. Then I'll do any research I need to do (like, if I want to use a specific item or prop or position - there are free online pose libraries I love!!) and I make sure I know the mechanical aspects of it. With my schooling and sporting background I'm pretty comfortable in knowing what bodies can do in terms of positions and relative strengths, so I trust my gut in that regard. Then I just kinda. Let the brainrot take me? Kinks I like to read get shoved in a lot of the time too, what are authors if not self indulgent!

I definitely can get detailed, but it really depends on the scene. If it's supposed to be quick and hurried my writing will reflect that, skipping and stopping and starting erratically almost, but if it's supposed to be a more lovey affair I will do that, slow it down, and that lends itself to more detail. More time to wax poetic about cyborg mechanics hehehe

Regarding realism, I'm torn. I don't think it's important for fic to be too realistic - most of the time people know you're not gonna rawdog a stranger etc, but there's also a level of suspension of disbelief that plays into it. Does the character have feasibility to do these acts? Are they physically capable? Does the realism of the smut match the realism of the rest of the fic? Depending on the intent of the work, you may want to maintain a very specific tone or style and the whole story should match that imo, and that to me is more important.

Man, I yapped jdjcjdjcjd but I hope that was insightful?

Also, THANK U SO MUCH!! the brainrot OVERTOOK ME NDNCJDJXJD but also it's a v real example of what I mean with my last answer!!! It's a cyborg, people aren't gonna care about too much realism, but also I'm in stem so I couldn't not. Include certain bits hehe freakgenti rise

[purplesurveys]

1779

What was the last upsetting thing that happened to you? I got sick, again...that's two very high fevers in the short and sweet span of 1.5 months and I can almost certainly tell you it's because of work. Bright side is it's putting everything in a much clearer perspective and it'll probably be the first thing I'll raise to Trina the next time she has a check-in with me.

What was the last thing you ordered from Starbucks? I think it was their iced brown sugar blahblah espresso (why does it have to be such a mouthful?) and my favorite off their menu, the chicken barbecue sandwich.

Do you trust your doctor? I just have natural trust for all doctors in general because they're supposed to be experts at their field. It's just a matter of whether they're an asshole/condescending or not.

Do you ever question if your mother loves you? Sometimes. Last week she and dad got into an argument but made sure the rest of the household was put through hell in the most childish way you can imagine a 50 year old throwing a fit. I will never understand that about her.

Do you ever feel scared or unsafe around your dad? Not at all.

Do you have a pastor you can trust and talk to whenever you need to? Nope.

Do you have a best friend who always has your back? Yes. Just last Wednesday I had a bit of a scare because my car wouldn't start while I was stranded in the middle of BGC, and the first two people I called were Angela and Hans because I knew they'd have my back in an instant and would know how to help me. :(

What is missing in your life? Career fulfillment. I'm making good money but ugh am I miserable and getting more and more physically unwell. Two fevers in less than two months is ridiculous and I know damn well this has little to do with the flu bug that's been going around.

What color shirt are you wearing? It's white with some pink accents.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? The delivery rider assigned to me for a work-related booking.

Who is your least favorite doctor you’ve been to? I'm not even sure if they were a doctor but it was that psychologist(?) or therapist(?) or whatever the hell she was who was doing a mental health check on me as part of my college admissions. She was just very rude and seemed very judgmental from the get-go, so I said nothing about my depression because I knew she was 100% going to make it worse and more embarrassing.

Who is your least favorite nurse? I don't think I've had encounters with bad nurses.

What is your favorite type of Lunchables? Idk what those are. I mean I have a vague idea of them, but I didn't grow up with them.

What gives you migraines? My job, and every itty bitty thing about my job.

What is the worst medication side effect you’ve ever had? Not a medication, but I've always gotten horrible fevers from all my Covid vaccines and boosters.

When was the last time you remember your life being good? My horrible day-to-day at my job notwithstanding, my life is pretty fuckin sweet right now given that CM Punk has returned to WWE. Anyone here know me since 2013/14? HAHAHAHA THAT ROBYN IS BACK AND HOPEFULLY SHE'S HERE TO STAY FOR A WHILE

What makes you forgetful? Stress or trauma, I would say.

Do you block stupid, ignorant people on Facebook? I'll sometimes block actual profiles, but most of the time if I see something I don't like I either just pettily report the thing or have the post hidden from my feed.

What is your favorite magazine to read? I have not read one in yearsss, and the only exception is if a magazine covers BTS or one of the BTS members and does a profile feature on them. Sometimes the stories come out great and sometimes they are ass.

What is your favorite thing to order at Taco Bell? I just get the first burrito I see on the menu. I've never been familiar with their items. I'm not a Taco Bell regular because there's only like 3 of them here and all of them are too far and I'd never go out of the way just for some foreign fast food hahaha.

What was the first color you dyed your hair? Ash brown. I wanted to go all-in off the bat and tried to ask for green, but the salon was super protective of my soon-to-be-bleached virgin hair hahaha and insisted I go a mild shade first, so ash brown it was. I never did get around to dyeing my hair green.

Do you trust your parents completely? No.

Do you have someone you feel completely safe around? Sure.

What church do you go to? My family attends Sunday mass at our local parish.

Have you made a lot of mistakes? Is there anyone who would actually say no to this?

Do you take risks often? Eh, not really. I don't have a lot of safety nets in the first place, so it's smarter for me to play it safe for the most part.

Who was the last person you called on the phone? The aforementioned delivery rider.

What color is your favorite whiteboard marker? I don't use markers much.

[catboyantichrist]

HEY YOU JUST DID A MATCHUP FOR MY BLOG AND I STILL LOVE IT BECAUSE IT WAS MY FIRST REQUEST FROM A NEW PERSON ?? and i see you do om stuff too👁👁

i read through and i LOVE the mc brings their cat to the devildom i might add that to my script

ANYWAYS onto the request (ONLY IF THEYRE OPEN IF NOT YOU CAN IGNORE THIS AND TELL MY OVERENERGETIC SELF TO FRICK OFF)

might i just request some mammon fluff i'm very much in love with him

Oh my god I'd like to apologize for how late this is. There has been so much going on in my personal life, but hopefully I'll have the time and energy to post more in the future? IDK I don't want to make any promises Okok anyways, I wanted to start off with you because I promised you I'd answer your request as soon as I could and now it's 2022- SOOOO--- one, I apologize, and two I hope these make up for it! ^^

☆Just some everyday Mammon fluff☆

(any mentions of MC are GN)

-Although his brothers find Mammon's impulsivity obnoxious, you find it quite charming. Sometimes you even encourage it! As you and Mammon got closer, he frequently included you in his spontaneous plans and it's given both of you tons of happy memories to share! Mammon takes pictures on every adventure you go on and keeps them in a little photo album with the rest of his treasures. He views it as his highest valued item.

-Sometimes when you're both bored you guys make pitches for the weirdest businesses you can think of. You two will go back and forth thinking of the weirdest thing you possibly can. Mammon thinks he's beaten you with his idea of a reusable tissue, when in reality he just described a handkerchief.

-I've mentioned this in a previous post but I just can't get over the idea. Mammon would bring you little shiny objects he finds around his room and on the ground. You keep a little treasure box filled with the shiny objects he gives you. Eventually, you start doing the same thing back, giving Mammon shiny rocks, jewels, and pop tabs you find around. It's gotten so extreme that sometimes Mammon's crows will come up to you to give you shiny objects that they've found.

-Speaking of Mammon's crows, they've grown a real soft spot for you. If you're ever spending time with Mammon in his room (whether you'd be watching a movie, talking, or just scrolling on your phones) there's a good chance that his crows are going to want to join in. Mammon's crows have reached a level of trust with you that you'll often be found cuddling with both Mammon and some of his crows. Mammon frequently gets jealous over this, but the crows always win, as they just repeat what Mammon is saying until he shuts up. Oh well... group cuddles!

-Remember when I mentioned you give Mammon pop tabs? He absolutely adores it. One day Mammon found out that pop tabs can have different meanings depending on the way they break off. (just search up pop tab meanings on google) and he asked you if you knew what they meant. You nodded and handed Mammon a pop tab that symbolized kiss, and he immediately became flustered. You did end up getting that kiss in the end, so it was worth it.

I hope this was alright, I haven't played obey me in awhile and I should really get back into it :) I hope you have a good day!

[fuyunoakegata]

I hate arguments within the fandom, but I also don't like when popular posts misrepresent things and it impacts people's perception of events or the characters. [I'll do it for any character if I have the time, but it happens most often about Dick Grayson just because I know him and his comics so much better than any other characters].

Now obviously since some of these characters have been around for so many years it's possible to find conflicting panels, but I'd honestly like to call BS on this for all the boys, at least.

I'll accept that Bruce doesn't know the cost of a banana at the local market, just because he's got more important things to focus on and he does have Lucius to do the accounting and Alfred to do the household shopping, and he trusts them enough to not need to read their reports with that level of detail. I love the idea that he does know the cost of random items in far off lands because he was undercover there and did have to buy them for himself, though 🤣 And I can accept Cass not caring to pay attention to prices. Damian doesn't seem like he cares, one way or the other. And he's young enough that he shouldn't have to know. My oldest granddaughter is 12 and runs in to get basic groceries for me especially in the winter when it's harder for me to move around, and I can guarantee she has no idea what a gallon of milk costs, despite buying 2 or 3 gallons a week 🤣 It isn't her money and she didn't work for it and that's fine.

Tim wasn't always rich; originally he was just upper middle class, and he very well could have known some costs of daily items (not everyone knows the price of a banana, anyway, but does know the cost of relevant items in their daily life; heck, no matter WHAT your economic class is, if you don't personally buy the bananas or don't eat them for whatever reason, you won't know their price, especially as a teenager).

Dick did the accounting for the Teen Titans and has always made a point of not living off of Bruce's money, as much as possible. He was gone before he was even 18 in some continuities and he's actually been shown working non white collar jobs and paying his own way in all the various reboots (he'll occasionally use money Bruce has set aside, but usually not for personal use). So he definitely knows the value of a dollar; he'd know the prices of various groceries and also know if rent was overpriced in a certain area, because HE'S HAD TO FROM FAIRLY EARLY ON, and without a Lucius or Alfred to do it for him all the time. Dick's been shown doing his own laundry and cooking his own meals, so it doesn't make sense that he'd expect bananas to be $10 apiece.

And if Jason was scrounging for the means to survive after Catherine died, then he'd definitely need to learn how to make things last or how to get the most out of what he had (even if he did steal sometimes, the fact that he was trying to steal the Batmobile tires means he was going to get money for them, and he'd use that money to buy things that he either didn't want to or had difficulty stealing; stealing to survive because you're hungry and on the streets doesn't mean you steal everything). Just because he's shown with money now sometimes and is shown throwing it around at times doesn't mean he hasn't planned it out or knows where every penny goes.

If Duke helped with any of his family's grocery shopping, then yes, he'd know the prices of some things as well, but... maybe he never had to.

All joking and shit posting aside, posts like these just make me shrug or shake my head because they just don't make sense to me from what I've seen with the characters. It's not always a socioeconomic indicator if you do or don't know these prices. It definitely doesn't have to be some morality thing.

[crypticspacecat]

Coffee and Poetry 2/3 (Yan!JotaroxBlack!Femreader)

Click HERE for part 1

PART 3

All of the poems in this chapter are written by me. This is a reference to what look I wanted for y/n in this chapter (mainly hairstyle):

https://pin.it/2Sdp9rs

Also, when Jotaro reads his poem, I highly suggest you listen to this song with it as it was a huge inspiration

https://youtu.be/H_WzjiTzZBA

I'll probably post the last part either Friday night or Saturday.

Enjoy! :D

Friday

“Hey, it’s the day. Aw, you look great!” Rose compliments leaning against my door. I want to try something different, so I decide to use the extensions I bought a while back to do bubble pigtails with some slick baby hairs. I usually go to class in sweats, but I instead go for a lavender crop top with “baby girl” across the chest and light high-waist jeans that lifts my butt nicely.

“Thanks! I wanted a bit of a change and I also did a massive online shopping haul.” I said while applying my lip gloss. Checking myself out in the mirror, I haven't felt this attractive in a while. I especially notice how the crop top makes my chest more pronounced while my jeans accentuate my hips and shows off my toned butt. I feel like a bad bitch!

“It’s about time you show your curves more! You got killer curves, flaunt it bitch! Maybe you know who will come your way.” She taunts me while I gather my things for class.

“Oh come on! I don’t think it was like that. Besides, from his energy, he just doesn’t want to be bothered.” I retorted. I grab my key before bidding my goodbyes to Rose. I head down the stairs of the apartment and make my way to campus. I wish I had told Rose about last night, but I didn’t want to alarm her. God knows she can go from 1 to 100 in milliseconds. Thinking about last night still shakes me up.

“I’m going to 7/11, do you want anything?” I asked Rose, pulling my head through my oversized hoodie. Rose shook her head and I headed out the door. I didn’t forget my pepper spray as it is getting darker. The 10-minute walk went unsurprisingly quickly as my playlist kept me energetic. The usual entrance bell rang and I was greeted by the clerk. I got my usual bag of sweet chili Doritos and sprite. I went up to the front desk and made small talk with the clerk as he checked out my items.

“It’s pretty dark out ain’t it?”

“Yeah, but sometimes you gotta satisfy those cravings.”

“Very true, but do be careful out there. Those frat boys are having a get-together tonight and you know how they get.”

“Oh trust me, I always bring my pepper spray.” I reassured him. I grabbed my things and left for my apartment. I walk up the street and hear the party despite having my earphones in.

“Loud ass motherfuckers..” I whispered to myself before hearing footsteps. I quickly turn around to see no one around. Not even a shadow. I took off my earphones just in case of an ambush. I keep walking but am now hyper-aware of my surroundings. I quicken my pace to make sure who or whatever is tailing me may give up. I come closer to my apartment and I hear a loud click like someone was taking a picture. I try to find the source of the sound, only to find nothing around me. The clicks continue as my panic sets in. I freeze in my tracks, my body won’t move and my breathing becomes shallow. I heard the footsteps come closer and I went into flight mode.

“Fuck!” I yelled and bolted to my apartment without a second thought. My shitty endurance wanted me to stop but I couldn’t. My lungs were on fire and my legs were gonna give out, but I made it. I slowly turn around to see no one behind me. Sighing in relief, I entered quietly to not wake up Rose. I silently scold myself for forgetting my pepper spray as I rest my exhausted legs on the couch.

Thinking about last night’s potential horror scene, I walk into the classroom and wave to Kakyoin.

“Hey, (y/n)! Ready for today?” Kakyoin asks with his poem out and ready. I nod with a small grin.

“Oh yeah, I did have to practice presenting it with Rose but I totally got it down. I would ask you the same, but you’re always prepared.” I joked.

“You know what I’m wondering?”

“What’s up?”

“What do you think Jotaro wrote?” Kakyoin pondered. How did I even forget he’s in this class too? To be fair, he is super quiet.

“I’m not sure, I think it’ll be interesting though.” I answered. He doesn’t seem like the emotional type, so I don’t expect anything too complex.

“You know I did ask him what he wrote, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

“You know Jotaro?” I questioned and he nods in response.

“We met through our part-time job.” He answers and speaking of the devil, here he comes. Something about him, his aura, and the way he walks. Even the way he talks (which hearing him is rare unless he's yelling at his fangirls) is ominous and almost threatening. He always stands out with his white hat and trench coat, his height didn't help him blend in much either. You can never read his face, a total mystery he is. Not too far behind him was our professor with her usual cheery self.

“Good morning! As you know, today you all will be turning in and presenting your poetry. I’m looking forward to seeing them! Who wants to go first?” She beamed. Of course, Kakyoin raises his hand. I’ve always admired his writing, he’s been a huge help in this class by helping me with more creative stories and poems.

“Great! Everyone please pay attention and keep the talking to a minimum.” The professor instructed. Kakyoin wastes no time starting on his poem.

“I have a warrior’s heart

You will not hurt me

You will never break me

My life was dark

I was weak

My demons tormented me

Not anymore

I wear my armor with pride

I’m taking my life back

and you can’t stop me

My past is behind me

and my future is bright

They will not bring me down

I will not give in to their misery

I am a warrior”

His poem rightfully earns a few claps and praises, especially from the professor. I remember Kakyoin mentioning his childhood to me while we were hanging out in my apartment the first week of school, this poem is quite fitting for him. For the next 5 minutes, a couple more students volunteered to present their poems. Some good and some pretty cringe but we all start somewhere.

“(y/n), would you like to go next?” The professor asked. I nod and walk towards the front of the classroom. I take a small breath as all eyes are on me, especially his. The intensity of his blue eyes increases my anxiety, I can never tell what’s behind those eyes. It’s quite peculiar. I already hate public speaking, he's not making this any easier on me. It's almost like he's checking out my body. Is there lust behind that glare? Does my outfit draw too much attention? I shake my head at these unnecessary thoughts. Let’s just get this over with.

“It’s been months…

Months since you brought me here and left me to die. Bare feet walking on the dirt, the blisters don’t hurt as much anymore. The wildlife looks at me with deep pity. The trees have become my only friends, their words of wisdom have kept me alive.

“You cannot change people, no matter how much you think they need to change. People change themselves”

“Though these times are difficult, they are only a short phase of life”

“Worry does not beget change”

I meditate day and night, the wind comforts me. I sometimes dance in the rain, letting the water weigh down my curls. My pen has become my weapon as I no longer long for blood. The words I write spill out of me and drown in my tears. You’ll never come back and I’m not sure that I'll be ok. Those promises you made, you never meant them.

Spring has resurrected the magnolia and the sun kisses me. I no longer cry, I keep going. I trek through the evergreens, only relying on the wisdom of the trees. I sometimes long to go back, but I came too far. The old life I knew has now ceased to exist. The wind hugs me as I know that this journey will be lonely and excruciating.

“You are loved”

“You are protected”

“You will not receive closure for every situation, but you can create it for yourself”

Silenced and unheard by others, I can finally speak my truth. A heart that has been frozen by trauma slowly melts. Once an impossible dream will now come to fruition. The love that I deserved, will find its way to me. I cry no more for you. You choose to leave me behind and behind me, you will stay.”

The room is silent for a moment before getting a few praises from classmates with his eyes still burning through me. Almost as if he's angry on my behalf.

“Wonderful poem, (y/n)! I can really feel the emotion in your piece, I’m proud of your improvement!” The professor praised. I quietly sit back down and politely listen to the other students' poems, I still feel his intense stare. At this point, I don’t think he cares to hide it. As another student finishes, the professor looks at Jotaro.

“Ah, Jotaro! Looks like you’re the last student today.” She pointed out. He slowly gets up and coolly walks to the front of the class. Every step he takes feels like it's in slow motion, his hat covering half of his face increasing his mysterious aura. Some girls look towards him with heart-shaped eyes while everyone else is waiting for class to end.

“Ready whenever you are.” The professor tells him and he grunts in response.

“The intoxicating aroma of coffee can’t compare,

Will never compare

To the scent of shea butter that arouses me

Chocolate eyes, and those plump lips begging to be kissed

Darling, why won’t you be mine?

Let me take you tonight

Let me feel every curve

Run my fingers through your curls

Hold you in my arms

Trace my fingers across your caramel skin

Feel your body on mine

Taste your brown sugar

Stay with me and I’ll keep you safe

Angel, my passion for you will never die”

The whole class falls silent and time stops. Wait a damn minute, who is he talking about? Ain’t no way in hell...

“Wonderful job Jotaro! I didn’t expect that kind of concept from you, bravo!” The professor beamed as he goes back to his seat. The class is still speechless, including me. I suddenly hear whispers.

“Jojo has a crush?”

“No way bro! I thought he was asexual or somethin’”

“The actual question is, who is it about?”

“Whoever she is, I’m pretty jealous. She’s super lucky.”

The more whispers I hear, the more my brain starts to short circuit. My internal screaming is soon interrupted by my professor’s cheerful announcement.

“Before class ends for today, I have two things. One, I’m proud of all of you for giving your best effort on this assignment! Your scores should be posted by the end of next week. Also, I have a project for you all. You will be in pairs writing a play together. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to choose your own partners, your assigned partner will be on this billboard. I will talk more about this project in the next class. Have a great weekend!” She announced and everyone gets up to see the billboard. I manage to squeeze through to take a glance at my assigned partner.

“(y/n) and Jotaro Kujo”

Of fucking course.

“So Mr. Man is your partner? And he wrote a poem about you?”

“Yes, he is my partner and no Rose, that wasn’t about me. Jesus Christ!” I shoot back while washing my face. Why would it be about me? He could have anyone he wanted, it’s probably one of his fangirls. She then shakes her head and shoots me a concerned look.

“(y/n), I get it. You haven’t been yourself since the incident. Derrick is a slimy dick who lost a great person. You are beautiful, of course there will be someone crazy about you. I mean your skin is damn beautiful and it looks damn good in the sun. And your body? Chile, If I was gay, I’d be all over that ass!” Rose exclaimed while playfully slapping my butt, making me chuckle softly. Honestly, she is right about my self-esteem crashing down. Since that incident, I just didn’t feel beautiful. I couldn’t see what anyone would like about me. I believed every venomous word he spat at me when I confronted him.

“Boring”

“Fat”

“Prude”

“Ugly”

“Who would want you? Honestly, I did you a favor!”

Writing that poem put into perspective how wicked he was. I can’t let him continue to have me by the throat, I never needed that toxic energy in my life. Thank God I didn't have sex with that cretin.

“Ok, I do feel a little better, but how can I be sure the poem was about me?” I questioned.

“I think we’ll just have to wait and find out.” She replied and I nod in agreement. I don’t want to get my hopes up. I mean, Jotaro is fine as hell but I don’t know a single thing about him. Not even his favorite color. I guess it’s a good thing we are partners after all.

One week later

“Ok class, now that you all are paired up, let me explain the project. You and your partner will be creating a play with at least 5 acts. Please try to keep adult themes to a minimum. You don’t have to act out the play, but if you do you will get bonus points. The project will be due in 4 weeks so please no slacking!” The professor instructs then everyone goes over to their partner. I start to gather my things when a shadow engulfs me. I slowly look up to see Jotaro staring down at me. Holy shit, he’s huge.

“Oh, hey.” I greeted. I was met with a soft ‘hmph’ as he sits directly across from me. After a moment of awkward silence, we start to suggest ideas to each other. With both of us somewhat lacking in the coming up with plots department, it's gonna be a while until we both agree on something.

“Well, what about a plot where two characters get trapped in a haunted mansion? It’s not super original, but it can work.” He suggested.

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” I said, looking at the time. We both realize that class is almost over and Jotaro quickly pulls out his phone.

“How about we talk more about it over the weekend?” He suggested.

“Sure, where should we-”

“We can work on it at my house.”

“Oh ok, where is-”

“I’ll pick you up, here’s my number.” He bluntly stated and swapped our phones. Usually, someone being so rude would get cussed out but I’m damn near speechless. I just nod and enter my phone number. We swapped back phones and he abruptly leaves, leaving me stunned.

What just happened?

[autigoblin]

Since it is autism acceptance/awareness month I thought I would make a post of ways my autism affects me that I don't usually see people talk about :) A little warning: this post is mostly about my support needs.

Friendly reminder that everyone has different experiences with asd and different support needs so please don't be mean :)

I'm doing it under the read more thing because I think it will be really long

I feel like I should start off by saying that I have a really hard time putting my thoughts into words so I'll have full proper thoughts in my head but I just can't say them out loud/type them out in a way that makes sense so talking takes a long time for me sometimes and leads to people misunderstanding me a lot.

I can't brush my teeth unless someone stands in the bathroom with me or if I'm going out somewhere which means sometimes I'll go days without brushing my teeth.

I cannot trim my own nails.

I can't shower unless it follows a specific schedule that cannot be broken or if someone makes me or if I'm super gross and can feel how icky I am.

I don't change my socks unless someone sits down and does it with me.

I can't vacuum.

I need someone to go grocery shopping for me and buy meal items and snacks because I have a hard time getting food for full meals because I can't plan them out and get overwhelmed and sensory overloaded in grocery stores.

I need to follow recipes other wise I'll only ever make the same three things.

Something that I think would be really helpful for me would be if someone would sit down with me and help me find recipes for the entire week so we can plan out exactly what I'm going to eat all week and then they can help me make a list of everything we need for those recipes so when we go shopping we'll only buy those things so I don't get too overwhelmed.

And you're probably thinking "why can't you just do that by yourself? You just solved your own problem" but unfortunately my brain doesn't work like that and I need help with things that might seem kinda dumb or silly to people.

I need someone in the room with me while I'm cooking but they can't be around me, they have to just exist in the room at the same time as me so I can ask for help if I need it and so I stay on task.

I need help washing the dishes. I can do them if I'm told to and if someone stays in the room as me but I have a really hard time doing it alone and just won't do it if I live alone :/

Also I can wash dishes but I can't put them away it's too loud and hurts my ears a lot.

I need help doing laundry and folding it and putting it away.

I'm not sure how to word this but sometimes instead of going non verbal I can only talk with "simple" words and have a really hard time forming full sentences which allistic people get mad about for some reason >:(

Finding jobs that I can do seem near impossible at the moment but I'm still researching some positions I think would be good for me.

I can't drive and I don't think I'll ever be able to which is super inconvenient and isolating.

I can't make big decisions by myself, I need a lot of help making big choices.

I need help with finance stuff, I don't like being the only one that has control of my money it scares me. I would like to have someone I can trust that can have access to my bank account and le me access my money after talking about what I'm going to purchase and have a bit of emergency money.

Everyone always talks about their autism making them feel older than they are but I feel a lot younger than I actually am and people always think I'm younger than I am.

I have a lot more support needs than people my age that I know which makes me feel childish

I feel like everyone my age knows so many things and understands things that I don't. I feel like there's a lot of basic information/life skills that everyone my age knows by now that I don't know, I just know I'm missing them which makes me feel young too.

I can't think of anything else at the moment and this is already getting pretty long so I'm going to end it here.

Thank you for reading, please don't be mean this post is for awareness/education and is my own personal experience.

[aidanchaser]

Hello! Here are my questions for the tag you posted: 5, 23 and 32! I hope you had a nice weekend!

5. Fanfic pet peeves

I hate to be an English teacher about this but improper grammar, punctuation, and paragraph breaks KILL me in fanfic. I know fic is a space for writers to learn and grow but oh man I can't stand it. Sometimes it's not so bad and I literally just rewrite it in my head as I read but especially with dialogue if it's not punctuated properly I will nope out of it.

I also don't care much for first person, and will often nope out of a fic if it's in first person. I really couldn't tell you why. It's like a cat touching a bathtub. I open it, I see the wet, and I get out. I'll only read a first person POV if it comes highly recommended by a trusted friend.

23. Favorite trope to write

It's probably no surprise, but I love an AU. I love taking characters from one setting and putting them into a new setting with new problems.

I used to love high school AUs when I was in school but now writing a high school AU feels like going to work. Even college AUs don't appeal to me. Harry Potter AUs were this super cool blend of school AU and magical AU and I used to love sorting characters but now those have a bad taste, too, so my favorite is probably fairy tale AUs, which I've done for Percy Jackson and am working on for Ladybug.

Funnily enough, I don't read alternate setting AUs too often? When it comes to reading I often prefer like, alternate timelines, more small changes in line with the Harry Potter Everyone Lives AU or other fun potential breaking points from canon.

32. Copy and paste your top three favorite lines/jokes/sentences you’ve ever written. What fics do they come from?

TY for this question bc it forced me to go back through the depths of my AO3 and reread some of my favorite pieces.

“You know,” she says, “I suppose I never really expected Black to be gay, but I definitely pegged Lupin.”

But the worried boy she glimpsed is long gone.

Potter quirks an eyebrow, and there’s nothing but pride and boyish joy in it. “You’ve pegged Lupin?”

Heat flushes into her cheeks and she grabs a pillow off of the bed and throws it at his head. He laughs and ducks. It lands on the door with a heavy thump and falls to the floor.

from Accidental Reindeer, a modern Jily Holiday Romcom AU

If he thinks about — if he really sits down and thinks about his relationship with Evans, whatever that is exactly — he doesn’t mind that she knows he and Remus are together. He doesn’t mind that she knows he’s gay. But it wasn’t James’ secret to share, and Sirius is so protective of his secrets.

He’s not embarrassed or ashamed; it’s the opposite, really. Sirius has, ever since he was a child, intentionally hidden all the best parts of himself. He buries a tender heart under the roar of a motorcycle. He buries his unshakeable loyalty under harsh, cutting swears. He buries his love for his friends and Remus under layers of thick skin and carefully sharpened barbs.

James, Remus, and Peter have all, in intonations ranging from tender to desperate, asked him why he’s such an arsehole all the time, and he doesn’t really have an answer. At least, not a real answer. He’s buried that truth so deeply that even he can’t reach it.

While Sirius buries all the better parts of himself and flaunts his bad habits like the final sale items in a shuttering shop, Remus displays only his very best habits on carefully dusted shelves and buries his anger, his grief, and his desire in the coldest, darkest of cellars.

from the sequel to Accidental Reindeer, a WIP about Sirius recovering from the holiday with Remus and James accidentally outing him and Remus to Lily

Maybe Regulus and Dumbledore alike did not deserve forgiveness, but love was not always about what people deserved.

from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Everyone Lives AU

[loquaciousquark]

How do you stay motivated to finish your works? I find myself struggling in keeping out of my own head when writing just short stories, and when I pass my writing to my beta readers, it doesn’t seem like I’m fixing my main problem areas, so it’s almost like writing is painful now? apologies if you may have answered something similar to this before!

Oof, anon, that's a tough one! There's a few things I'm thinking right away, but the simplest and most direct answer is that I find the majority of my reward in the actual writing process rather than the comments that come after. If that's not how you're wired, that's probably not going to do much for you, unfortunately! :(

Looking at your ask, the first thing I'm thinking of is - how explicit are you being with your betas about what you've identified as your problem areas? Are you sending it with clear requests about what you want them to address? How narrowly have you really pinned down what your problem areas are? It sounds like they're awesome cheerleaders, which I know can be great, but it also sounds like that may not be exactly like what you're looking for right now.

I do assume you trust their judgement because you trust them to review things for you; do you trust them also to provide you the kind of feedback you're looking for? If not, if you don't think they're capable of quite what you're looking for, you might want to solicit betas from other forums for those items you really want help with.

I say this because some things are going to be easier to address than others, and are easier to trust to others. Grammar checks are generally very straightforward and clear-cut, confusing passages or accidental tense/POV changes often equally so. Characterization can be harder; in those cases you need to trust the voice of the person you're sending it to. General story structure I think is the hardest, which is why I have been so divinely lucky to have @jadesabre301 reading my long pieces for so many years. She has an eye like no other for picking out unnecessary scenes, missing gaps, and weak structural bones, and more particularly she can suggest real and concrete fixes for those issues that have made the piece better every single time.

And not every pieces needs to go through that heavy combing! Sometimes I'll send her or @eponymous-rose things and ask for just a quick grammar check, and sometimes I write out a longer list of things I know need attention. I try to be as specific as possible and even mark out passages I have questions about as clearly as I can, with the exact issues I think might be present. The easier I can make it for them to analyze the things I'm struggling with, the easier it is for them to give me meaningful feedback. I've also found that the clearer I am about what I need from my betas, the easier it is to identify my problem areas to myself.

The last thing I'll mention is that it sounds like you really have a strong desire to write, and the lack of feedback is somewhat impeding your joy in that process. It might be worth it to take a step back, pinpoint what you find the most joy in during your writing process, and focus on that. I know @eponymous-rose doesn't use much betaing at all on her own fic; she likes posting immediately and doesn't get a lot out of external edits. If you find that your current betaing process isn't getting you much in the way of rewards and you also aren't changing much based on the feedback you're getting, AND it's making you feel worse in the process, it might be worth tabling it for a oneshot or two to see if you feel better without it in the short term!

Just some thoughts as I fade for the evening; I hope it's helpful!

[katedrakeohd]

My Own Favorite Dialogue and Why

Drake and Liam may be best friends in TRR canon, but for me the dysfunctional bromance that I've created between Maxwell and Drake is my favorite friendship. For this one from The Lake I loved the angsty/comedy so much I couldn't just select a small part, so I had to post all of it.

From The Lake

Out in the middle of the lake the air is still, the water smooth like glass. It's been an hour since the men cast their fishing lines, and for Maxwell an uneasiness was setting in.

"Are you sure there are fish in this lake?"

Drake looks up from the magazine he's reading, his last bite of sandwich in his hand. "Of course I'm sure. I oversaw the stocking of trout myself."

Maxwell looks down at the half empty can of low alcohol beer in his hand, resenting the lack of buzz he was feeling because of it. "I thought we would have gotten a nibble by now."

Drake shrugs, popping the last piece of his bread crust into his mouth. "You just have to be patient, Max. Sometimes they bite, sometimes they don't."

Maxwell shades his eyes with his hand and gazes off toward the Manor in the distance, it was so tiny and the shoreline seemed so far away. He tried not to imagine how deep and cold the water was beneath them, but it still gnawed at him anyway. He squeezed the backpack between his feet, its contents giving him a slight sense of reassurance.

Drake glanced down at Maxwell's backpack sitting in the belly of the boat. Since leaving the shore he's seen him take out a tube of sunscreen, a granola bar, his mobile phone to take pictures, and repack his sweater when he got too warm. Each time he set it back down there was a strange heavy thump against the wood, and so far it didn't seem to belong to any of the things he'd seen.

Drake shifted his ass on the boat seat, trying to combat the numbness he was feeling. The boat rocked slightly, causing ripples in the water, and for Maxwell to snap at him.

"Hey, man. Don't rock the boat."

Drake rolls his eyes, "Jeez, Max. Paranoid much?"

Max rolls his shoulders, trying to loosen up but he can't, "Seriously, you don't find it creepy? The whole time we've been out on the lake I haven't heard or seen a bird, you'd think there would be some ducks or geese or something."

Drake takes a deep breath and looks around, squints up at the sky, and then looks over to the mountains and trees in the distance. He listens for anything other than the sound of the water lapping at the side of the boat.

 "I suppose it is a little odd. Just yesterday there were lots of geese and ducks paddling along or flying and honking over the lake."

Maxwell lifts and bobs his fishing rod and line in the water. Looking down into the depths he's struck by how it goes from clear to pitch black so quickly. He scoffs and makes a joke, feeling uneasy as the words leave his mouth, "Maybe Gaga ate all the fish, and scared the birds away."

Drake chuckles, "Say, what now? Who or what is Gaga?"

Maxwell's eyes go wide and he looks at Drake with disbelief, "You mean you haven't heard the legend of Gargantua? The monster of Lake Valtoria?"

Drake shakes his head and opens the cooler to get another beer, "You can't be serious, Max. Not every big lake has a monster living in it."

"Trust me, Drake. My house sigil is a giant squid remember? I know my monster legends. How many years have you been stocking the lake, and have you ever caught any of the fish afterwards?"

"As a matter of fact, I caught a fish standing on the dock yesterday. So I know there are fish in the lake." Drake insists as he opens his beer and takes a long swallow, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Ok, well what about the lack of birds?"

Drake sets his beer down with a sigh, scrubbing his forehead with his hands and then raking them back through his hair, "So, now you think some monster is yanking ducks down into the water from underneath?"

Maxwell shrugs, "You never know. Maybe Gaga has a taste for water fowl and fish?"

"Now you're just sounding crazy, Max."

Maxwell shifts forward in his seat, causing his pack to fall forward and make another thump, Drake looks at it again and frowns. Maxwell points an indignant, angry finger at Drake. "Don't you dare call me crazy!"

"You're the one talking about lake monsters, when there's probably some logical reason to explain everything." 

Maxwell picks up his backpack again and hugs it in his lap, his hand finds the weighty item from the outside and shifts it carefully. Drake looks at him suspiciously, "Max?"

"What?" he asks, nervously.

"What's in your backpack?"

Maxwell shrugs, "You know, just the usual 'day out on the lake' sorta stuff."

Drake's eyes narrow, "Why don't I believe you?"

Maxwell hugs the backpack a little tighter to himself, he tries to avoid looking at Drake. Off in the near distance, behind Drake, there's an odd rippling splash on the surface of the lake. Maxwell gasps, trying to swallow the sudden fear constricting his throat.

"Why won't you believe me when I say there's something creepy about this lake?" Maxwell croaks out, pointing over Drake's shoulder.

Drake sighs, turning in his seat to see what Maxwell's pointing at. "I don't see anything."

"There..there was a ripple and a splash on the water. Like..like something big moved it."

When Drake turns back around Maxwell has his hand buried in the backpack, fishing for something. "Max, what are you doing?"

Maxwell's eyes are wide and he's scanning the surface of the lake for more movement. "Ssshh, Gaga will hear you."

Drake frowns with concern and then sits up straighter in the boat to look around again.

"It was probably just a big fish, Max," he says quietly. "Maybe we're finally going to catch something."

A breeze ripples the surface of the lake, and the boat tugs at its anchor line. Maxwell jumps when their fishing rods shift as well. He jerks his hand out of his bag and pulls out an antique pistol.

Drake braces his foot against the end of his fishing rod and puts his hands up and waves them back and forth frantically. He looks at Maxwell and can't believe what he's seeing, "What the Fuck?! You brought a gun on a fishing trip?! Put..that...away."

Maxwell breathes rapidly as he searches the water, swinging the antique firearm from his home's armory back and forth. "It..it was Bertrand's idea. Remember his bachelor party all those years ago, when we met up with that bear, he insisted I take it with me." 

He imitates his brother's voice as he quotes him, "No Beaumont will ever go out adventuring in the wilderness again without protection."

Drake ducks as Maxwell swings the gun back in his direction, "Seriously, Max! You know how I feel about guns. I've already been shot twice, and I'll be damned if I'll let you shoot me by accident while we're fishing."

Maxwell's hand shakes as he continues to look around nervously. Drake reaches forward with fear grinding at his stomach, he pleads with him quietly.."Max....just hand over the gun, okay? We'll pull up the anchor and just go back to shore. We don't have to fish anymore."

Nodding, Maxwell loosens his grip on the weapon as Drake wraps his hand around the barrel. Something splashes the water nearby, making Maxwell jump, causing them both to let go and drop the gun. It hits the bottom of the boat and fires. Drake screams out in pain as the bullet tears through the side of his rubber boot and lodges in the wood of the boat beside him. Water starts to trickle in, and warm blood starts to run down into his boot.

Drake yanks his boot off and pulls his foot up onto the seat and clamps his hands around his bleeding calf. "What the fuck?!" he screams, glaring at Maxwell angrily. 

Maxwell picks up the gun from the bottom of the boat and throws it overboard. "I..I'm so sorry Drake!"

Drake leans to the side, his hand shaking as he gets his pocket knife out of his back pocket. Maxwell panics and chops at Drake's wrist with his hand, causing him to drop it when Drake pries the blade free. 

"What are you doing?!" Drake barks at him with surprise and reaches for his knife again, it's now wet from the lake water pooling in the bottom of the boat.

Maxwell folds his hands over his chest, feeling embarrassment flooding his face with heat, "Oh..oh my God, I thought you were going to stab me with it, or something."

Drake grumbles as he cuts open the bottom of his bloody pant leg below the knee with the blade, "There's still time. Now either get with hauling up that fucking anchor, or calling for help before we sink goddamnit!"

Maxwell trips over the drink cooler, and soggy picnic basket as he stands up, trying to pull the anchor rope up out of the water. It won't budge, and his efforts are now causing him to rock the boat side to side dangerously. 

Drake curses to himself as he cuts a strip of denim and wraps it around his bleeding leg tightly. "Careful now, Max."

Both fishing rods teeter into the water and disappear. Drake keeps a close eye on the oars, praying they don't go next. Maxwell tries again to pull the anchor up by the rope but the nylon burns at his hands and he hisses in pain and then lets go. He stumbles back to where he was sitting and flops down heavily, wiping his sore palms on his thighs.

"I...I ca..can't. What the ..heck..did you..anchor...us to?"

Drake rinses his bloody hands in the lake, and then dries them on the sleeves of his denim shirt. "Ok then, I'll try the anchor and you try calling or texting for help."

 He cuts strips from his denim sleeves and then wraps his hands for padding. Wincing in pain he swings his leg over to straddle his seat and then reaches for the anchor rope.

Maxwell holds up his phone trying to find bars of service, "You've gotta be kidding me! Oh, wait there's a blip. I'll try sending a text to see if I can get through. Who should I try?"

Drake grunts as the rope finally starts to come up out of the water, but it was a lot heavier than it should be. Sweat bloomed on his brow and stung at his eyes, he swiped his face against his shoulder, "Preston... is standing by..in case of emergencies."

"What's his number?"

Drake rhymes off his number and grits his teeth, pulling the wet rope inch by inch into the boat. The burn in his calf muscle is intense and he wonders what ancient dirty projectile that antique pistol was loaded with. He could see Maxwell frowning down at his phone. 

"Well, did you get through?"

He shrugs, "I sent it, but don't know if it went anywhere."

Drake looks down into the water, wondering what his anchor could be tangled around to make it so heavy. He pauses to catch his breath, and feels the rope vibrate in his hands and then go still. It's almost as if something rubbed up against it and then moved on. His heart starts hammering in his chest and cold fear creeps into his gut. His throat goes dry as he takes a deep breath and drops the rope back into the water. He didn't want to see what was down there anymore. Maxwell was still trying to send panicked texts to anyone who could receive them.

"Fuck it," Drake mutters and uses his knife to cut the anchor free. 

The nylon rope floats on the surface of the water for a few seconds and then disappears into the darkness as if it were yanked. Drake jumps back with surprise and then watches, holding his breath, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. Several feet down at the deepest point that was reached by sunlight, where the clearest water went dark, an even darker shape slowly sank beneath the boat and then disappeared.

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

I've written many first time moments for Drake and (MC) Kate in various timelines and stories. But it wasn't until I started writing "What Happens in Paris.." from Kate's point of view that I found my favorite passionately charged moment between them. Feeding off the emotional evening with Drake that included Liam's second bachelor party and the never have I ever scenes, I found a way to push Drake over the edge and succumb to the mutual attraction between them.

From What Happens in Paris..

"Uh, Darling?  What do you think you're doing? You know we can't..." he says, although the look in his eyes betrays the way he really feels.

"We can't what, Drake?" I say, stepping away from the door and pressing my body up against his. He's still holding onto my hands, and now our faces are so close I can feel his breath on my cheek. 

"Darling…" he warns, as I flex my hands out of his grasp and undo the next button of his shirt. It's such a tease how he's already left the top button undone for me. My thumbs push the material aside and I slide my hands in. He takes a sharp breath in when I touch him, and I feel his chest rise and fall along with the rapid beating of his heart.

I pop another button out of its hole, and lean in to kiss his throat as my hands continue to explore his chest, tugging his shirt out of the waist of his pants. He hasn't stopped me yet, and I look up at the darkness in his eyes and the pained expression on his face. 

"Kiss me, Drake." I plead. "I know you want to."

Cupping my head in his hands, he tilts my chin up and leans in. I close my eyes. But instead of feeling his lips on mine he plants kisses along my jawline and I hear his voice rasp in my ear, hitching with desire, "And if I want to.. do more than kiss you?"

I gasp, bunching the fabric of his shirt in my fists as his nose traces the shell of my ear, and his stubble bristles against my cheek. "Ye -..."

But my reply is swallowed up by his mouth as it captures mine, and he presses me up against the door.

His kisses are hungry and I struggle for breath as he grabs my wrists again and pins them up above my head. His knee parts my thighs and I can feel how hard he is underneath his jeans.

When he finally releases my mouth, and presses his forehead against mine we're both panting. "Tell me.. to stop," he groans between breaths.

....

Drake is my favorite Choices character and thus he's the one I abuse and make suffer the most. 🤣 This next dialogue is from Cordonia 1885 between Drake and a hotel employee when they share a "holy/what the f*ck" moment that confounds them both.

Because of the grisly, graphic nature of this vampire fic I will just post a link and you can read it if you want. Cordonia 1885 - Chapter One

...

There are so many other favorite scenes/dialogue that this post could go on forever..LOL

Thanks @dcbbw for the tag, it's been so much fun to revisit some of my older stuff and experience it again. I look forward to next week's Monday Funday prompt.

[fellwhite]

SwitchTale

(Im not sure if that name is taken and its just a temporal name, it will be changed later)

Tws: Genocide, death

Just a heads up, this will be a long post cause i have no idea how read more works in mobile, also i do not know if someone has had this idea before so bruh, anyway here we go:

Basically, the concept is that instead of Chara being the first fallen child, Frisk will be the first one to fall instead in an underground where Asriel hasn't been born yet, effectively swapping Chara and Frisk's roles

And also Asriel is still just a child on Chara's arrival and he will help them go through the underground

This idea was based mostly on Epictale! But in this case it's on the classic undertale. Epictale by @yugogeer012

Frisk being the first one to arrive made A LOT of changes in the underground, some of them being by example:Toriel and Asgore didn't get divorced or anything, but they have been separated for decades, some monsters being more passive, while others are more aggressive, a similar yet fairly different underground with new chara-cters and more.

I still haven't figured out a lot of stuff so yeah this will have plenty of plotholes or things that make no sans-e. But anyway

Characters:

Frisk:Attack 20 Defense 25

*The first fallen human

*A rather kind and passive human child who heavily dislikes humanity and loves their monster family,while most of the time they act very nice sometimes they can lash out revealing their not-so-friendly side,their metods to achieve what they want or to do what they think is right are a bit extreme sometimes,loves puns and dominates flirting, their favorite food is charamel and chocolate

Chara: Attack 30 Defense 20

*The last fallen child

*A sassy and almost creepy human child,they hate humans but they're a bit more nice to monsters, they love chocolate,hugs and golden flowers

*Asriel is their best friend

(Chara's personality will heavily change depending on the route)

*Toriel: Everyone's favorite goat mom, she stays mostly the same but she is more protective and better trained at fighting, her fight is significantly more difficult in all routes

Asgore: The king of the underground and a big fluffy dad, his fight is a lot more difficult since he feels even more guilty and he's more desperate to end this, he wields his good ol'trident and will sometimes use a knife, he fights in genocide too. Asriel is forced to stay on the entrance to the throne room by royal guards so you have to face the king alone

Asriel: Everyone's favorite fluffy boi, he becomes Chara's best friend in just a couple days and he will help them go trough the underground

He's against murder but he will protect Chara either way and might even take a life for them

In genocide he will disappear after Toriel's death

He's 12 years old

THE GREAT PAPYRUS: Paps is a former member of the royal guard and he is a lot more serious with his job, he still won't kill you and there's also a lot less puzzles on Snowdin because of his job and instead there's a lot more royal guards in the way (mostly dogs)

He still hates his brother's puns and still has great self esteem but he is more aware of many things,he has a bit of knowledge on timelines and resets thanks to Sans but he still does not know when a load happens

Sans: The funny bone man, brother of Papyrus and another member of the royal guard (against his will) Sans is one of the characters with the most changes, he joined because of Papyrus and now has 2 Defense and 2 Attack, still 1hp, still does a lot of puns but just like Papyrus he's more serious and he will fight you once before the fight with paps to prepare you (he can't be killed in that fight as he will dodge and he will use only some simple bone attacks). He fights you on all routes in the last corridor unless you're in neutral and you didn't kill Papyrus, he is not the last genocide boss anymore, still has gaster blasters and karma but both are used only in genocide

Mk:????

Undyne: More ruthless and negative, her fights are all harder but not too much, she is even more determined than before and bleeds during genocide route, her undying form is pretty much the same but the heart in her armor is constantly changing from green, yellow and to white

You'll depend on Asriel to survive

Alphys: Our number 1 lizard nerd

Alphys is another character that's pretty different, she's more confident but she still is very shy, she's also more less kind at the start so you'll have to make her trust you first, she'll be against you for a bit in hotland but she will start to help you once Mettaton tries to kill you with the chainsaw (which by the way it's an usable item here and you get it on all routes after the Mettaton fight, it's the second most powerful weapon only behind the true knife)

Mettaton: He's literally the same, in fact he's a bit easier but has a longer fight and a couple new weapons, in genocide his NEO form can take only 7 hits but the attacks are very long and devastating. Asriel stays out of this one as it's a 1v1

Napstablook: they're a little bit more confident but still incredibly shy, their fight is easier but takes a couple more turns and you will need Asriel to help you

Muffet and Grillby: They united their places in order to have a better chance for their businesses to survive, it worked out really well but they constantly fight. Muffet is the exact same but a bit more stressed and Grillby is more talkative, Muffet offers drinks now aswell as spiders, and the same goes for Grillby

Temmies: hOI

Red: yes baby Red is here too, she appears around the CORE with 2 dog guards (which she mentions on her original fight) and she's an main boss and character

W.D:????

There's some additional characters that i added, like Captain froggit, yes their name is literally captain so their position is quite convenient, and a few more here and there

Toby isn't here, instead there's a wolf with... An smiling face? (yep that's me)

A few additional changes:

Frisk is viewed as an mostly chaotic neutral and inclined to chaotic good, but in genocide this changes ti chaotic evil

Yes Frisk is the narrator and acts somewhat similar to Chara

Both Chara and Frisk use they/them, i personally view em both as female and nonbinary respectively but i'll leave it like this to avoid discourse or anything

Napsta is nonbinary and uses they/them and he/him, prefers they tho, i left them like that since i haven't seen much discourse about Napsta's gender so bruh

Sans and Paps are ??????'? sons

Since im no Toby Papyrus can use his special attack (which is a blaster here) but he will hold back by himself in his fight

Some notes:

There's some guard campaments and the royal guard headquarters, only the campaments are accessible but you can see the hq from far away

You can ask me any doubts or anything idm

There will possibly be a comic, plenty of art, a written version or even possibly a couple playable fights in the future, but it will be a while before that happens

Odds are it will be all written but im not sure yet, references will be on an individual post

The au name is subject to change

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME DOING ANYTHING LIKE THIS SO ITS A TOTAL MESS IM SORRYYYALCKAOFKAOC