#literally got it last week but i’m already so invested

[aureatchi]

me not writing bcz of THIS DISTRACTION (look at dazai awee sjsjnsjs):

[tsukimefuku]

lollipop kiss 🍭 kusakabe atsuya

summary: your workplace crush, kusakabe, is pretty dense when it comes to romance, so you try to ease things out with a bag of lollipops.

cw: gn!reader x kusakabe, comedy, fluff, this man is completely clueless but reader isn’t making things any easier. making out and happy ending. there is a bartender very invested in the drama. a little suggestive if you squint.

wc: 1.4k

notes etc.: my contribution for the foodies and goodies challenge. i’m not tagging myself because the voices in my head haven’t reached that point yet. special thanks to @jjk-eugie for inspiring me, i had hit a slump on this (you can read their kusahigu fic that saved my life here). song (?) > sugar, sugar (the archies). I had a lot of fun writing this, hope you enjoy it too!

Here’s the thing - Kusakabe was a brilliant sorcerer. He was regarded by all of the other first grades as the strongest first grade there was.

Regarding human matters, though, he could - and frequently would - be dense like a rock.

To put it bluntly - not a door, but just as thick. 

So when it came to romance, attempts to get his attention usually fell on deaf ears. 

When you realized you had it down bad for him, you knew you were in for a ride, to say the least.

First, there were the coffee attempts. You had to call him out for a coffee around three times before he accepted it - according to him, there was no need to spend money going out for coffee when Jujutsu High provided you all with free vending machine coffee. You had to patiently explain to him that leaving the premises for a while was the actual goal.

Then, came the drink nights. These weren’t particularly hard, given he did like his alcohol, but he always invited someone else to tag along. Utahime had the good sense to stop going after realizing what you were trying to do when inviting Kusakabe out, but you weren’t as lucky with the other sorcerers.

And finally, something about the days you went out together always gnawed at you. You felt like Kusakabe was in an unreadable state of mind. He’d either stare at you when you weren’t looking - fully believing you didn’t notice it -, or be the most unbothered person in that place. Whenever you approached him trying to make a move, he would act like he had absolutely no interest in you.

It was driving you insane.

Tonight, you were both sharing a few drinks after a particularly gnarly day at work, exorcizing curse after curse after curse. It was that time of year, after all. You were a few pints of beer in already, and he had downed at least two gin tonics by then. 

“I’ve got a gift for you, Kusakabe!” you chirped.

“Really? What? Is it a special occasion?” he asked while looking at you surprised.

“No, I just saw it and I remembered you.”

You pulled a giant sack of lollipops from your bag and put it over the counter.

The bartender was looking from afar, and had taken the dynamic between you and Kusakabe as a live soap opera of sorts, one new chapter each week. Last week, you seemed particularly annoyed at the sorcerer and he didn’t notice it - as he usually wouldn’t unless you were literally screaming at him.

“Okay...” Kusakabe offered, slightly uncertain as he pulled the bag towards him. 

“This supposedly has five flavors - peach, strawberry, mango, pineapple and watermelon. Since you always have a lollipop with you, I thought it would come in handy,” you chimed in, sparing him a smile. 

“That’s... thanks,” was all he said, and for a moment you thought you saw his face and the tips of his ears take on a dusty pink tint. 

“So... let’s taste it?” 

“Hm... what?” 

His face grew redder, and you were almost sure it wasn’t your imagination. 

“The lollipops, Kusakabe. Taste the lollipops.” 

The bartender scoffed from the other side, keeping down a chuckle.

“Oh! Yeah, sure,” Kusakabe replied, pulling the bag open.

And off you two went pulling lollipop after lollipop from the bag, one of each flavor. 

After about an hour or so of chatting and candy, he pulled the only pineapple one there was inside the bag and shoved it into his mouth.

“Oh, that’s the only pineapple one,” you noted. The liquor-bought courage was finally kicking in, and you were ready to make a move. 

“Hm, really? I’m sorry, I didn’t notice,” he replied, brushing the nape of his neck with his hand.

“Oh, it’s no trouble. Perhaps I can still taste it,” you remarked, a cheeky smile pulling on your face as you edged yourself closer to him.

The bartender heard your words and stepped nearby, fairly ignoring someone that was calling from the other side of the vicinity.

This was it. All the drama and emotional investment... The pay-off was finally coming. 

“Oh, sure. Of course,” Kusakabe replied, and he signaled for the bartender, which got you and the bartender thoroughly confused, “can you get me a glass of water, please?”

It all went swiftly, much to yours and the bartender’s shock. Kusakabe got the glass of water, pulled the lollipop from his mouth, put it into the water and pushed it into your direction.

He seemed pleased with himself in finding a solution for a non-existent problem.

This man better be joking.

“Kusakabe, you moron!” You exclaimed angrily.

“What!? What happened? What did I do!?” Kusakabe asked in earnest, which just served to deepen your annoyance.

“I was asking for a kiss!” you furiously retorted.

He only registered the ‘I was asking’ part.

“Why not just ask for what you want?! Why can’t people simply ask for things directly?! I’m not a psychic!” 

The bartender’s mouth formed a silent ‘o’ before it got covered with an incredulous hand.

The plot thickens.

“God, you have no ease for subtleties! How is that possible!? Are you even human!?” you were actively yelling at Kusakabe by that point, lifting yourself up from your seat.

“And are you allergic to communicating directly what you want?!” he retorted, feeling unjustly chastised for not understanding something he had no obligation to guess in the first place.

You grunted, enraged, and began stepping away from him, towards the bar’s exit. After you left, he face-palmed, upset that somehow, things went south with you again.

Only then it dawned on Kusakabe you said you wanted to kiss him.

“Fuck, I’m an idiot,” Kusakabe muttered to himself.

“Kind of,” the bartender mindlessly replied, forgetting this wasn’t an actual soap opera on TV, but a pretty interactive show.

“Huh?” the sorcerer questioned, not sure if he heard it right.

“I mean... I can put it all on your tab and you go after... Uh... it’s fine.”

Looking at the bartender, Kusakabe inhaled deeply and nodded, grabbing the lollipops bag, shoving it inside his trench coat’s pocket, and running after you.

“Hey!” Kusakabe exclaimed when outside, seeing you a little further ahead on the street. 

You heard his voice and picked up your pace, taking a turn into a smaller, secondary street. 

“Come on, I know you heard me, slow down!” his steps came quicker, and in a second he was right beside you, while you huffed and puffed in frustration.

“Just let me go home, Atsuya! This is too humiliating. I thought you liked me, but I think I’m the moron who got it all wrong!”

He held your arm and you halted your stomping, even though you kept staring at the ground, thoroughly embarrassed.

“You... didn’t,” he stated, voice uncharacteristically faltering.

“... What?”

Kusakabe delicately turned you to look at him and cupped the side of your face with his hand. His eyes were locked to yours, and for a moment, you felt your heart fluttering in your chest. You could smell the sweet, alcoholic scent from his breath, and that was when you realized just how close he was.

“I-“ he stuttered for a moment before clearing his throat, “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Your breath got caught in its way out for a second before you replied.

“Okay.”

He closed the gap between you both, pressing your bodies together with his hand over your back, and his lips descended to yours softly, waiting for you to meet him halfway. You pressed back against him, drawing both your hands to the nape of his neck, and deepened the kiss instantly, robbing him of a gasp.

Your tongue teased the seam of his mouth, and he welcomed you in, pressing his own tongue over yours. 

Oh, you definitely tasted that pineapple lollipop.

His aftershave still lingered on his skin, and it smelled minty fresh, filling up your nostrils in an instant as your lips slid over each other.

You both parted for a moment.

“You know what?” you said with a smirk forming on your face.

“Hm, what?” he genuinely asked.

“I think the pineapple one was my favorite flavor.”  

With an amused expression, he suddenly bit your chin, planting quick pecks and kisses down your jawline and neck. 

You chuckled, asking, “since we’re out of the bar, would you like to come over to my house? I remember there were still a lot of lollipops in that bag and I don’t feel like leaving them all to you.”

With a mischievous smile on his face, he pressed a quick kiss on your lips before replying.

“Of course.”

-

Tag list: @strawberry1042 @darkfaerietails @jay220a @fattybattysblog @suguru-nugget

@senseifupa @aleigant @gigiculona @rahuratna

[coco-loco-nut]

tumblr

pairing: Oscar Piastri x Reader

summary: idek, an unedited fluffy short blurb

requests open masterlist

———————

Usually your period isn’t this bad, but your body decided to rebel against you.

“How are you feeling?” Oscar asks, handing you a mug of tea as you are curled up on the couch watching your ultimate comfort movies.

“Like shit,” you groan, ignoring the cramp you just felt.

“I can make you a warm bath, maybe light some candles,” Oscar offers, sitting beside you.

“It’s okay, there is nothing Barbie doesn’t cure. You don’t have to sit here all day with me, go ahead and do your training,” you tell Oscar, watching to watch the old Barbie movies in peace, without Oscar worrying about you. He takes your hint without being hurt about it, he’s a big boy.

Honestly, you don’t know how you ended up with Oscar, he doesn’t really look like any of the princes, and those guys are definitely your type.

When Oscar reappears a few hours later, freshly showered, he notices you scrolling on your phone, humming to the music from the movie.

“Babe, I’m going to order pizza, what do you want?” Oscar asks, opening the app on his phone.

“Hold on, I’m about to get with you,” you say, fully invested in your phone.

“What?”

“This has been the slowest burn ever, but we are finally about to get together, in like chapter 20. I hate slow burns,” you huff.

“Babe, we are already together. You married me?” Oscar says confused. You finish the last paragraph and look at him.

“It’s fan fiction, Osc. You know, on Tumblr,” you show him your phone and his eyebrows are furrowed.

“Why?” is all he can say, unsure of how to react.

“I got bored of writing,” you say, closing the app and refocusing on the movie.

“You write the fan fiction? For me?”

“Ew no. That would be weird. I write for the more popular drivers. You know, Charles, Lando, Carlos, Max, Daniel, Lewis,” you list and Oscar just stares at you. You are literally besties with Lando and Charles, but you don’t write for your own husband? He’s honestly offended.

“What do you mean ew? I think how you scream my name most nights contradicts that,” Oscar smirks, your face flaming.

“That’s why it would be weird. I’ve written it but it will never be published,” you admit, a little embarrassed.

“Anyway, pizza. Yes or no?” you quickly reply yes, hoping to move on from the conversation. That night, once you fall asleep, he scrolls through your account, reading the fan fictions you wrote and reblogged. It’s weird, but he enjoys your writing.

The subject isn’t brought up again until one drunken grid and WAG dinner, where Oscar drunkenly blurts it out.

“Y/n’s written fan fiction about us,” he says and all the guys look at you.

“The girls love it. Some of your antics make for great stories,” you defend yourself.

“So true, I love reading them,” Kika says, the other WAGs voice their agreement about it.

“What?” Charles is confused, but Lando, being the child he is, gets excited.

“Which one of us gets the most written about?” he asks and none of you waste a second replying.

“Charles,” the answer is in unison, causing the Monegasque to blush. None of you will admit that Lando is a close second.

Over the next week, you get random texts from them, asking which ones you wrote, but also their thoughts on different ones. Charles is appalled and flattered by the amount of smut written for him. Lando and Daniel are the opposite, they love the smut and how they’re talked up. They also told you that they got ideas from some of them, causing you to want to bleach your eyes out.

Eventually, they found out which account was yours, sent it to each other, and started spamming your inbox with requests. Lando’s tend to be about him winning a WDC, poor guy can barely win as is.

After a week of them spamming your inbox with requests, you decide to post an announcement on your account.

Dear readers,

Unfortunately my account has been outed. I know you all love my works and when I post some behind the scenes information about GPs. Sadly, my friends who work in an important role in F1 found my account and it no longer feels right to write this anymore out of respect for them.

Thank you all ❤️

↪️ user1 she knows a driver doesn’t she

↪️ user2 or an engineer

↪️ cl16racer don’t stop 😢

↪️ y/username sorry buddy, it’s time

↪️ oscarpastryy yeah, it’s a little weird now

↪️ landomorewins it doesn’t have to be!

“Wow, the guys are really torn up about it,” you laugh, Oscar’s arms around you as you cuddle on the couch. You had been thinking about stopping writing them anyway, so it was just a good excuse.

“I just wish you’d publish what you wrote about me,” Oscar kisses the side of your head.

“That’s far too dirty and intimate. It’s what I read when you are away,” you say with a blush. “You can read it if you want,” you hand him your phone. He holds the phone where you can both read it, his other hand running up and down your side absentmindedly at first but more intentionally the longer you read, until you aren’t reading anymore. That might’ve been some of your best sex.

“From now on, when you write like that when I’m away, you send it to me. Promise, Mrs Piastri?” Oscar says, kissing you.

“I promise,”

[ariesqueencobra]

what we used to be | XVl

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: Moon is throwing a party and the last person you expect to see there is there...

Warnings: dojo rivalry, swearing, underage drinking, bullying, injury

Word Count: 3k

A/N: I've been waiting for this chapter! One of my favorite Hawk moments so it was fun writing! Also a longer chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

Moon was throwing a party before the school year started. 

You walked into the party alongside your friends, but everyone stopped when you realized Cobra Kai was there. Your gaze landed briefly on Eli’s before you forced yourself to look away. 

You hadn’t seen him since the day at the restaurant. 

It pissed you off that it hurt seeing him. You missed him. 

Moving your gaze didn’t make you feel better when they landed on Aisha. You didn’t think breaking up with Eli meant throwing away the rest of Cobra Kai, but then again, you did join Miyagi-Do.

After she abruptly ended the phone call a couple of weeks ago, the tension was there as you stared at your ex-friend.

Thankfully, Moon appeared, cutting it.

“Glad you guys made it,” she grinned. “Kegs are out back, drinks are in the kitchen, and the vegan pigs in a blanket just got out of the oven,” she said. 

“You never said anything about inviting Cobra Kai,” Sam said, saying what you were all thinking.

“I figured with summer ending and school starting up, we could all stop fighting and be friends again,” she said hopefully.

“That’s wishful thinking,” Sam brushed off.

“Let’s all clear our chakras and have some fun!” Moon encouraged before she walked off.

You gazed at Demitri, hiking your shoulders up before you walked further into the house, needing to escape Eli. 

That’s how you found yourself talking with Moon. You were sitting on the other side of the room and Eli was on the couch. Even though his presence was magnetizing, your conversation with her was distracting enough.

“I swear I was a dewdrop, I was literally sitting on a blade of grass, the sun hitting on me,” she emphasized, gripping your arm. 

You were doubled over laughing at her recounting the dream she had. “I’m sorry, I’m just picturing your face on a dew drop like the Sun baby from Teletubbies,” you giggled, causing her to laugh along.

“That’s exactly how it went,” she giggled. 

In the process of you laughing, you glanced up, finding Eli talking to a girl. 

There he was, oozing with the confidence you fell in love with as he spoke to her. The bubble in your stomach unnerved you and you despised it. You weren’t supposed to be jealous but then again, you weren’t together anymore. It didn’t matter.

“Oh, great! My girlfriend’s here!” Moon beamed. “You’re gonna love her!” She tapped you on the arm before she walked over to the girl Eli was talking to. 

A breath of relief escaped you.

For the next hour or so, you spent the entire time chatting it up with Moon and her girlfriend, Piper. The couple was so cute and you enjoyed getting to talk to people outside of karate. Something that had been a while since you last did.

Unbestowent to you, Eli was watching you have the time of your life without him. 

You weren’t supposed to have moved on so easily. 

He held on to that hope that you were heartbroken, unable to let go of what you had. That’s what his mom told him after she had talked to your mom. What happened since then?

Keeping his gaze on you, he tried distractions. Whether it was a dance circle or talking with Assface, nothing was working. His eyes kept training on you.

You kept laughing, so much. What could be so captivating that you were so invested in conversing with Moon?

Eli hated it. 

He watched as Piper showed her ear piercings to you, your eyes tracing over the jewels and you began gesturing to your ear, most likely asking what kind of piercings would look good on you. 

He knew that’s what you asked because he knows you.

Then Demitri sat beside him. 

“Did you watch the new Doctor Who trailer?” He asked.

“I don’t watch nerd shit,” Eli grumbled, sipping from his cup, brushing his gaze away from his ex-best friend.

“Y’know Moffat isn’t the showrunner anymore,” Demitri continued to talk.

Eli paused. “Wait, really, since when? Is there a new doctor, what’s he like?” He grew interested, not realizing it had been a while since he’d watched his favorite shows.

“She’s badass,” Demitri smirked.

“She?” Eli grinned.

Your giggling drew his attention away and suddenly he was back to being Hawk.

“She’s moved on,” Demitri said, sighing, feeling bad for him but at the same time he was proud of you for doing so. “She’s made it obvious she doesn’t want to be with you anymore.”

“Defeat does not exist,” Eli ignored him.

“There’s that winning attitude that pushed her away in the first place,” he sighed. “Look at her, she’s grown, she’s happy, she found peace, maybe it’s time you found some too,” he patted him on the shoulder. 

“Oh yeah?” Eli smirked before he stood up, pouring his drink over Demitri’s head.

The partygoers gasped and you turned just in time to see it happen. 

“That’s what I thought, still a pussy,” he threw his empty cup at Demitri before walking off.

You caught his eyes for a moment, sending him a disappointed look before rushing off to check on Demitri. 

“Do you want to head out of here?” You asked, helping him pat dry his shirt. 

“I’m gonna get cleaned up in the bathroom,” he grumbled before walking off.

You blew out a breath, dumping the towels in the trash. You shook your head, shocked at what Eli did but could you say you were surprised? 

“I knew I was right when I said you chose Demitri over me,” Eli appeared at your side. “Now you joined Miyagi-Do?” 

“What’s it to you? We’re broken up,” you spat, wiping your hands.

“It means everything, you weren’t supposed to choose that pussy over me,” he furrowed his brows. 

“And you weren’t supposed to hurt me,” you sneered. “Guess we did things we weren’t supposed to do,” you swallowed. 

“I still stand by what I say, I would never hurt you,” he blocked your path.

“You hurt me every time you hurt Demitri,” you gritted. “What do you want Eli?” 

“You,” he answered, point blankly. “Come back where you belong, with me.” 

“Stop it,” you shook your head. “I’m better now, okay?” You crossed your arms over your chest.

His jaw clenched. “Being a traitor made you better?” 

“I don’t have to explain anything to you,” you gritted, stalking close to him. “You were the one that decided being an asshole was better,” you jabbed a finger in his chest. “You put your ego over our relationship,” you spat. 

He was irritated. “And you chose that pussy over us, many times if you don’t recall,” he inhaled. 

“Seems like I made the right choice then,” you fumed, feeling proud in the way his eyes flashed with hurt. Serves him right. Keeping your gaze locked on his, you searched desperately for a sign of your Eli, but he was gone. “I don’t even recognize you anymore,” you shook your head, a sting forming in the back of your eyes.

You went upstairs, finding the bathroom but you were curious when you couldn’t find Demitri. Deciding it best to find him after you composed yourself, you found your way back downstairs just in time to see Demitri on stage, a mic in his hand.

“Excuse me,” he said, the mic sounding off some feedback. “I’d like to make a toast,” he sounded boisterous, a contrast from his state a few moments prior. “To Eli Moskowitz,” he raised his cup in the air.

You exhaled in worry as the room questioned who that was.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Demitri laughed. “Some of you know him as Hawk,” he said, gesturing to your ex. “But underneath that crazy clown cosplay and whatever type of Manic Panic he dumps his hair in, he’s still good old Eli. My Binary Brother,” he stated.

You gulped, glancing at Eli, finding him to be angry. 

“Well, he was my binary brother. Wanna know what he is now? A real zero,” he gestured. 

The room of people erupted in soft laughter.

“Alright that’s enough Demitri,” Eli gritted.

“Don’t let that angry red hairdo fool you. He’s a big softie,” Demitri mimicked. “We watched every Harry Potter movie together. And he cried like a big baby when Dobby died,” he elaborated, imitating sobbing.

You furrowed your brows, not recalling a memory of when that happened. 

“In the words of Eli’s hero, Steve Jobs, “I’ve got one more thing”,” Demitri continued. “Have any of you heard of sleep enuresis?” 

“Don’t,” Eli pleaded. 

Your heartbeat picked up, confusion filling you as you didn’t understand what your friend was talking about. 

“That’s the medical term of course. In the King’s English, it’s good old-fashioned bed-wetting,” Demitri said, the room erupting in laughter. “And Eli here is a pro,” he clicked his tongue, snapping at Eli. “My mom had a special air mattress for sleepovers, she called it “Eli’s waterbed”.”

Your heart dropped and you sent a worried glance at Eli, unaware of anything Demitri said. The room erupted in laughter and you wanted so much to stop it.

“Screw mercy. You’re a corpse!” Eli shoved his cup into Mitch, charging towards Demitri but Chris blocked him.

“You’re gonna have to go through me,” he said. 

“Stay out of it,” Mitch defended. 

“Hey, don’t touch him,” Robby entered.

“Or what?” Aisha taunted. 

“Guys, stop, we’re friends,” Moon stood between them.

The tension could be cut with a knife and you were about to go in and help but police sirens were heard, red and blue flashing through the windows. 

“Cops!” Someone shouted. 

Chaos ensued and you were quick to run towards Demitri but by the time you got to the stage, he was gone.

“Great,” you slapped your hands against your thighs before you booked it for an escape. You were running out of the house but through the mayhem, someone pushed you and you fell right on the lawn, pain spreading in your ankle. “Shit,” you hissed. 

“Y/N?” You heard Eli’s voice and before you could speak, he was already hoisting you up on your feet. 

You cried out in pain putting weight on your right foot, almost falling again if it wasn’t for him. 

“Woah, what the hell happened?” He asked before wrapping your arm around his neck, his arm wrapping around your waist as he helped you keep the weight off your ankle. 

“I was pushed,” you huffed, trying to book it out of there as fast as you could. 

“I parked a couple of blocks from here, I’ll drive you home,” he said now that you were a few houses down. 

“I can’t go home,” you sucked in a breath. “I left my keys in my jacket in Moon’s room and I can’t tell my dad I left them there because the cops showed up,” you hopped, keeping your bad foot in the air. 

“I’ll take the blame,” he said. 

“I wish, but my parents aren’t even there,” you stated. “They went on an anniversary getaway in Santa Barbra and won’t be home until the morning.” 

“I’ll take you to my place,” he said, making it to the car and opening the door for you, helping you inside. 

“Thanks, Eli,” you gulped, keeping your gaze ahead of you. 

The drive was silent but not awkward. 

“My dad’s working late and my mom is at her book club,” he said, unlocking the front door. 

You had your arm wrapped around his neck, limping into his house. You missed coming over, the smell of his home. That ache in your chest returned.

“Just one step at a time,” he encouraged as you hopped on each step, one hand on the railing and the other around him.

You relaxed when you made it to his bed. 

“I’ll be back,” he left you in his room, and you looked around, having not been here in a long time.

One thing you noticed was the posters of his favorite movies and video games were no longer up, replaced with different punk posters and bands. You didn’t care for the change, really, if he truly liked those things, it wasn’t a problem. 

When you noticed the photos of you and Demitri weren’t hung up anymore, your heart fell but you saw he still had your art hung up. 

The card you made for him after he got bit by the rabid dog, the hawk painting you gave him for your anniversary, and the other ones you’ve created over the years. 

“Here,” he came back into the room and sat on the bed, handing you a bag of ice. “You need to ice it before you compress it,” he explained.

“Thank you,” you took the bag from him, untying your shoe and carefully taking your sock off. “It’s swollen, right?”

He stared at the tender skin. “The ice should help, but I don’t see any bruising so I’m sure tomorrow you’ll feel better,” he reassured.

You nodded, silence consuming you again. 

He was sitting by your foot on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared forward. 

You studied him, outlining the curves of his profile. 

The arch of his nose, his long lashes, his lips, those blue eyes. 

Gulping, you turned away, your face becoming hot. “You still have my art on your wall,” you pointed out, wanting the silence to end.

He glanced at the wall, face softening. “I need to be reminded that we were good before,” he answered, slightly cold before glancing at you.

You sighed. “We were,” you chewed on your lip, shifting the ice pack on your ankle. 

“You still wear the bracelet I gave you,” he pointed, gaze on your wrist. 

You froze, glancing down at where he was looking, realizing for the first time that it was true. 

“I can’t come up with a good reason as to why,” you moved a piece of hair behind your ear. 

“Because your heart knows we belong together,” he said, staring at you.

“Eli,” you shook your head.

“No. We love each other, shouldn’t that be enough?” 

“No,” your voice cracked. “I wish it were but we’re so different now, I can’t date a bully after going through the hell that I watched you go through and what I did as well,” you glanced down.

“Kinda hypocritical to say that after what your friend did to me at the party,” his jaw ticked, turning away from you.

“That’s not fair. Should he have done it? No, but you attacked him, Eli,” you said. “Over a review,” you stated.

“Not this bullshit again,” he rolled his eyes, standing up.

“Okay, fine, I won’t talk about it,” you leaned back against his pillows, letting the ice pack rest on your ankle. “I didn’t know he’d do that,” you spoke up. “I didn’t know that happened,” your gaze softened at him.

“Yeah, now what? You think I’m a loser, don’t you?” He gulped.

“No,” you furrowed your brows. “The only thing that makes me think you’re a loser is being a bully,” you frowned, arms crossed over your chest. “And I know that’s not you.”

“This is me,” he defended. “And it sucks that the one person I care about the most can’t see that,” he spat before getting up and walking out of his room.

You called after him, feeling helpless as you were left on the bed, your ankle radiating with pain. You stayed there for what felt like forever but then Eli came back in, carrying a tray in his hands. 

“It’s been twenty minutes,” he said, setting the tray on the nightstand. 

Your gaze followed the tray and found two plates with a sandwich and some chips, two cups with some drink in it, a bottle of Ibuprofen, a wrap, and some type of topical gel. Your heart melted, from thinking he blew you off to knowing he got all this for you.

“You didn’t have to do this,” you gazed softly at him. 

“I care about you, Y/N. And I love you,” he glanced down at you, grabbing the wrap and topical gel. “I can do it if you can’t,” he handed you the gel. 

You smiled, thanking him as you took it. Taking the ice off, you wipe the water off before uncapping the gel and applying the anti-inflammatory gel on your skin. Instantly, you could feel the relief. When it came to the wrap, you were having trouble. 

“Here,” he took it from you, moving to sit at your feet.

“You don’t have to,” you declined but he placed your foot in his lap. 

“Let me help you,” he brushed you off.

You sighed as you watched him wrap your ankle. 

His touch was gentle and his movements soft. 

You couldn’t help the way your heart soared, seeing a side of Eli you missed so much. 

“Not too tight?” He asked and you shook your head. “You should eat before you take the pain medication,” he said, pulling you out of your thoughts.

You agreed, asking for help to the bathroom to wash your hands before you settled back on the bed. You watched a show while eating, something comforting in the domesticity before you grew tired.

“You don’t have to take the medication if you don’t want it,” he said, sitting next to you on the bed. 

You were resting against the headboard, your faces inches apart. “It hurts, so I do,” you passed him a grin. “Thank you, Eli,” you said, taking the medication.

“You’re welcome,” he took the bottle and glass from you. “I’m gonna sleep on the couch, but call if you need anything,” he looked at you.

You nodded, chewing on your lip.

“Eli?” You asked.

“Yeah?” He stopped from getting up, staring at you expectedly.

“I love you too,” you admitted. “Before, you said you love me and well, I wanted you-”

You couldn’t finish your sentence as his lips landed on yours. Your eyes flew closed and you sighed into the kiss, finding home again. 

His hand gently reached up to cup your face and for once, things felt like normal.

But the feeling was brief and you fell back to Earth.

“I can’t, Eli,” you licked your lips, pulling away.

He shook his head, hand still on you. “I never wanted to break up.”

“Neither did I,” you rested your forehead against him before you bid each other goodnight. 

[soscarlett1twas]

Midnight Church Bells

↳ Andrew and his brother sneak out. ↳ 2k words / also available on ao3! ↳ This fic is literally a year old lmao?? I was sorting through docs and found this finished draft, so I polished it a bit and here we are. Please forgive past me if the prose is... how we say 'shit'.

The holidays always snuck up on Andrew the same - sudden and unwelcome, but inevitable. This year, he’d been too invested in his studies, and, surprisingly, his own love life to notice much of withering leaves or decorations, but when he turned on the radio and heard those familiar jingles, he groaned in recognition. 

Really, it was none of those things (despite how much he did tire of those songs) that bittered Christmas for him. It was the fact that once the break started, his family would come calling. And despite all protests, his parents would never let him stay at college during the advent. 

“It’s time for the Lord.” His mother’s voice lifted through the phone he propped up on his dashboard. “And family,” she added after a moment. He resisted the urge to slam his head against the steering wheel, instead opting for biting his tongue. The one time his parents didn’t want him studying. 

Her saying that added to the sting of the season. And family. It seemed that this was the only time of year where that was on her mind. 

Which all led him to the same spot he was every December 24th: Sitting on his childhood bed, with whatever book he was currently reading in his hands, and classical music playing from his phone. 

Reclining into his pillow, Andrew lifted his glasses off and put them on the bedside table, a thumb folding the wings as the other worked as a bookmark. 

Yet he didn’t close his eyes. For one of those brief moments in life, he wasn’t thinking, or sleeping, or doing really anything at all. He was just there, in a limbo between sleep and consciousness, hoping that if he purposely derived himself the next day wouldn’t come as quickly.

And he stayed like that for 5 minutes. Or maybe it was 10, or maybe no time passed at all. But eventually he gave in to rest. No matter what, the morning would come and he’d rather not fall asleep during the already tedious sermons in church. So he set an alarm, put his book on the nightstand, and laid down.

He closed his eyes, and it was like he could hear the ringing already. 

Maybe he did.

A soft patter-ing rang just outside his door, the familiar sound of footsteps on carpet blotting the silence. And just as he was about to roll over, Andrew heard his door creak open, and the silhouette of a man leaned into the room. 

“Want to go on a walk?” He whispered, twinged with a sense of boredom. 

Andrew didn’t even need to turn to know who was asking. “Give me a moment,” he sighed, and motioned to push himself off the bed. 

—

“How did you know I was awake?” Andrew asked, still pulling his overcoat over his arms. 

“Your light was on, I saw it through your door.” His brother responded, turning off their driveway onto the sidewalk. He was slightly ahead of Andrew, but slowed a bit so that they were walking together. 

A cloud of mist formed from his breath as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, pulling the coat closer to himself to save some of his last remaining body heat. A near-midnight flit wasn’t what he had planned, but he’d prefer it than trying to sleep. Besides, this may be the only quality time he could spend with his twin during the break. God knows the time they’ve spent at college has already distanced them enough. 

“So,” he huffed, searching for a topic of conversation. “How have you been?” 

“Fine. Uni’s been beating my ass though - we spent practically the entire week leading up to the holidays in the lab, just sweating over our assignments. Jesus, I’m not even a Biochem major but Chemistry is just not letting up.”

It had been years since he was in a lab, but with the track he was on, he got the stress with ‘crunch time’. “I understand. I’ve recently had to rush a project for my Literary Theory course.” 

“What do you even do in that class?” He questioned, half serious, half mocking. 

“Analyze texts, find out how the culture of the author influenced their works.” He could go on: Literary Theory was one of his favorite classes, no matter how rigorous the course was, but he knew his brother wouldn’t care to hear the details. 

Winding down their street, the two carried on talking about academia with a partial interest, not fully understanding either’s field of study but trying to be supportive anyways. Soughing wind bent branches to a static beat as they approached the neighborhood's egress. By and by they were talking about the more social aspects of their schooling: Andrew’s literature club, the parties either rarely attended, his brother’s friends.

“How has your roommate been?” Andrew asked, kicking a rock under his shoe and watching it roll along the concrete. 

“Good.” He sighed out a laugh. “He’s great, actually.”

Andrew glanced over to his brother, and if the slight warmth in his voice wasn’t enough, the red on his cheeks told him everything he needed to know. He chuckled too, and gave a soft nudge on his shoulder, making them both smile. 

In a weird way, they never needed to tell eachother about any of this stuff. Equal parts the awkwardness that surrounded telling your sibling, your twin of all people, who you were interested in and an unspoken alliance against their parents had kept them from ever openly speaking it. But Andrew knew his brother was into guys ever since they were teens, he just didn’t know if his brother had caught on to his own preferences yet.

The stone made a sharp sound as it drifted over to his brother, who promptly kicked it back to Andrew with the inside of his shoe. 

“Helios, right?” 

His brother hummed in response. 

His mind trailed to the man at his college, the one who he had desperately wanted to introduce to him, and found himself grinning at the mere thought. God, he hoped Isaac would like his brother. 

He opened his mouth, then shut it quickly. What would he even say? He trusted his brother, but to come out was something entirely different, and with Christmas just around the corner? No, he’d wait. Right after, though, he’d tell him. Andrew silently swore it to himself. 

“Honestly, I prefer the dorms to the house.” 

That snapped Andrew out of his thinking. “Really?” 

“Yeah.” He stopped abruptly, and threw his arms out in exasperation. “Isn’t it suffocating to you too?” 

Everytime he was in his room, Andrew could only remember the sleepless nights he spent hunched over and studying. The dining table was a barrage of moments he spent silent as his parents and brother fought. The living room was a danger zone, as he never wanted to catch his parents when they were disappointed in his brother, or worse, him. The whole house could burn down and the only memories that would go with it were the most futile. Worse was, even without flames, Andrew felt like he wadded through smoke every time he was in those walls.

He silently nodded his head. His brother just stared at him, as if he wanted voice confirmation. But how can one speak up against the pyre when its fumes had already scorched his vocal cords? 

After a moment, his brother kept walking, and Andrew followed. “I contemplated not coming back this winter.” He muttered.

“As did I.” Andrew responded, suddenly getting his voice back. 

“What could you possibly be avoiding?” 

A million and one answers filled his head, but none escaped him - no matter what he said, not a single one would measure up to his brother's reasons. So why even bother trying to compare? 

His twin huffed as he turned away, suddenly gaining some distance on Andrew, and he let him keep it. 

For a while, the only sound they made was their shoes against concrete sidewalks and the crunch as they occasionally had to step into snow. Andrew brought his hands up to his face, cupping them to breathe and warm himself up. Normally he kept gloves in his pockets, just in case. But, of course, he just had to forget them tonight. His fingers combed through his hair, forcing him to look straight ahead at his brother's back. Again, he bit his tongue. But wasn’t that what had gotten him into this situation, unintentionally pushing his brother away by not talking? He didn’t understand it, but only continuing the cycle wasn’t going to help anything. 

So he opened his mouth, just in time to slam right into his brother. 

He stumbled, but his brother didn’t flinch. Or even look at Andrew. His eyes remained trained to the tree line, frozen in place. 

Regaining his footing, Andrew tried again. “Dar-“

“Stop.” He whispered.

“No, D-“  

“Shut up, Andrew, just listen.” 

So he did. 

For a few seconds, he didn’t hear anything. His eyes fell where his brother’s were focused, though without his glasses, the details were fuzzy. 

Then, a distant chime hit his ear. 

More followed. 

A symphony of church bells rang, each peal like a glimmer in the air. 

Andrew knew they rang the bells at midnight every Christmas Eve, though he couldn’t remember the last time he had heard them. During mass, he could imagine it would be unbearable. But from here? The sound was quite pleasant. 

As the bells continued, the twins stood there, listening to it all. Andrew was the first to tear his eyes away from the church he couldn’t see, glancing over at his brother through the corner of his eye. It was the first good look he had gotten at him in a long time. 

Andrew hadn’t realized how short a decade was. Though in context of anything else, the last ten years of his life had dawdled. But with his brother? It was like the blink of an eye. One moment they were running and laughing, a mirror image of one another - even the Christmas’ were tolerable. Fun, even. The next, blooming into adulthood - mimics of who they used to be.

In fact, the longer he looked at him, Andrew realized just how much his brother had changed. His hair had definitely grown, locked into a short ponytail that hung low with swooping bangs, and he made the full switch to contacts some time ago. He even got taller, and next to Andrew, he was a lofty inch or two higher. Though that could also be accredited to the boots he wore. (Ashamed to say, Andrew didn’t remember when or how he got them. They certainly weren’t a gift from their parents, but did his brother even have a job to afford them?) He was more muscular, which wasn’t saying much compared to Andrew, but he was certainly leaner. The man never made a mention of continuing his secondary school athletics, but maybe he did as an extracurricular? Again, Andrew was straining to remember specifics. Though, he supposed any reason to play was now null, as originally it was a brilliant excuse to come home late without his parents accusing him of deviancy. 

But he wasn’t too alien to him. There was something still familiar to him, like flecks of gold shining through, no matter how small. After all, they began to sneak out when they were fourteen and are still doing it now. There must be something that still connected them. 

Right?

Just as he had that thought, he missed his brother's pass, and the pebble went flying into a curb. 

They walked in silence for a while longer, bells fading to the wind. Eventually they found themselves back on their driveway, and their silence became deafening as they lightened their footsteps. God knows what their parents would do if they found out they had been out so late.

They followed one another up the stairs, crossed the same hallway, and went to rooms adjoining. There was a time they shared one, but that was before they had moved. 

Andrew slipped open his door, the knob turning slowly as to mute itself. As he slipped in, he turned half-way to see his brother doing the same.

His brother looked up, catching his gaze. 

Andrew saw himself in the reflection of his eyes. They were bitter, burning with… not rage. But a violent form of disappointment. 

Andrew was the center of it. And he could smell the smoke wafting. 

[yawntutsyip]

shenanigans with the avatar kids:

warnings: cussing(?)

characters include: mostly Ao’nung and Lo’ak (mentions of Neteyam, Tsireya and Kiri)

this is my first time posting on here, ahaha 🧍‍♀️I hope you guys enjoy it. I just randomly came up with this in my head so it’s kinda random ig.

context: y’all are in high school, probably junior year.

Part two • masterlist

Getting in trouble with Ao’nung and Lo’ak:

Hey! Guys can you help me with the homework from Tuesday?” Lo’ak asked trying to get yours and Ao’nung who was sitting in front of you attention.

You both ignore him. You were busy texting Tsireya, Tsireya was ranting you about this girl in her class that she had to get partnered up with but she hates.

Ao’nung on the other hand was actually doing the work the teacher assigned because them basketball players gotta have good grades to play. (💪😨) plus his mom is scary asf.

“I know you two dumbasses can hear me, please helppppp. I’ll pay for lunch!” Lo’ak whines, again tries to get both y’all’s attention.

it’s the money he stole from Neteyam’s wallet this morning.

At this point you actually weren’t ignoring him but you were so invested in this gossip convo with Tsireya you had blocked out any surrounding sounds. (ppl with loud families would understand this lmao)

Lo’ak being fed up and tired he literally grabs his water bottle from his desk and chucks it at your head not giving a care if he hurt you or not.

With the gods on your side you lean over in time having to grab something out of your backpack and so the bottle ends up hitting Ao’nung in the back of his head.

Eyes widen you look at Lo’ak with a ‘WTF DID YOU JUST DO?!’ he’s like ‘BITCH WHAT DID I DO!?’

when you both look back at Ao’nung who looked mad asf. You immediately put your hands in surrender and point to Lo’ak

You ain’t about to feel that boy’s rath he’s evil, he got him mothers temper.

“Thanks a lot snitch- anyways this wouldn’t have happened it you guys would’ve payed attention when I was calling you. I need your guys help on Tuesday homework!”

“Lo’ak it’s literally Monday- that’s from last week…..”

“Oh…we’ll at least I’m still turning it in 😒”

“That’s your problem” Ao’nung says and grabs the water bottle and throws it back at Lo’ak which hit him in the face- like straight up smack in the forehead.

You cover your mouth as you were wheezing trying to hold back your laugh.

Lo’ak gets up and walks to Ao’nung grabbing his backpack, opening it going through every pocket and folder looking for the homework

“I know you have it in here”

Ao’nung is like “bro wtf give me my backpack do your own work”

Then now you have them playing tug-of-war with Ao’nung’s backpack.

They ended up pulling too hard and the bag rips open with everything flying out, papers, pencils, he’s probably got like 6 water bottles in his backpack. Idfk why, ask him not me-

The teacher gets mad- yells at them to clean everything up and go to the principals room.

At this point everyone’s eyes were on you three. How awkward 🧍‍♀️

You being the good friend you help clean up everything that fell putting it back in Ao’nungs backpack.

You smirk and wave bye 👋 😘 but then they both glare and then look at each other.

uh oh.

“Teacher, (Y/N) was on her phone this time. She wasn’t even doing the assignment.- Yeah she actually was the one who threw the water bottle” they both tattled on you.

You stand there mouth wide open, astonished. flabbergasted. shocked.

them bitches got you in trouble. The audacity.

Teacher is like “this so the 5th time that this has happened. go with them.”

So here you guys are now. In the principals office while the principal is not even surprised at this point, just deeply disappointed and tired.

Last week Lo’ak actually pulled the fire alarm so he could get out of a test. (Jake beat that boy’s ass ong)

Then there was the time (like just the other day tbh.) You were already having a bad day and that one bitch knew how to press your buttons and she finally set you off once she said something about Tsireya and Kiri.

You ain’t gonna let anyone talk bad about your girls. Ao’nung and Lo’ak + Neteyam all had to pull you off the girl.

Kiri and Tsireya were low key hyping you up to beat her ass

Neteyam is like “DON’T ENCOURAGE THIS BEHAVIOR?!?”

You did a pretty decent job on her, let’s just say she stopped bothering you, Tsireya and Kiri after that.

As for Ao’nung- well surprisingly he just gets in trouble because of you and Lo’ak making him mad or smth. Quote from him : I don’t start anything

For some reason if one of you get in trouble- it’s all your faults. “Well even if it wasn’t you who did it you should’ve been there to stop him” type stuff.

Principal is like “hey y’all who did it this time”

You and Ao’nung just sit and point at Lo’ak “it was him.”

This happened countless of times so Lo’ak already knows the drill

Lo’ak is pointing at himself as well

“Yeah yeah yeah It was me.”

[thatseventiesbitch]

That ‘90s Show Part 3 - My Thoughts

Real life was real life’in this week 😅, so I’m just now able to share my thoughts re: the newest That ‘90s Show episodes.

Overall, another wonderful installment! The actors have definitely settled into their characters, and I’m invested in their storylines and relationships (beyond just Eric, Donna, and Leia). Reception to part 3 so far seems very positive. I’m going to remain hopeful it will get another season!

More thoughts beneath the cut:

It’s sort of stream of consciousness rambling, lol.

-Leia, my love. The wrestling storyline in episode 1 was funny. I loved seeing Leia’s persuasive, edgy side come out when she secured the autograph, much like back in the pilot when she got the tap from Mama. She’s really come into her own as a character this season.

-So much appreciation for the Doug Funnie and Porkchop cameos! 😆 As a child of the ‘90s, Doug was one of my favorite cartoons! And Red and Kitty’s Beanie Babies plot was… strange, lol, but funny. And it was nice to see them in cahoots. I knew Beanie Babies were going to make an appearance at some point, because they’re such a quintessentially ’90s thing. Remember how they gave away mini ones at McDonald’s for a while, and people went nuts? It was a strange time.

-Okay, the scene at the kitchen table with Red, Kitty, Leia and Donna after she broke the shower head genuinely had me cackling. And Donna gets another gold star mom award for the way she talked to Leia about it afterwards. I love how good of a mom she is. Hits me right in my feels. 🥹

-Jay and Leia… okay, probably an unpopular opinion but I just feel so lukewarm about them! 🤷🏼‍♀️ I don’t dislike them, I don’t ship them, they’re fine, I just don’t feel emotionally connected to them. Their first time didn’t elicit any big feelings or emotions from me. Their cliffhanger at the end - meh, I don’t really care if they stay together or break up. I remain more interested in seeing Leia explore other relationships - with Gwen or Nate, for instance - but she didn’t have many storylines apart from those with Jay or her family this time. Maybe it was foreshadowing to have Leia admit she expects to have a life long love like her parents do, and her friends reminding her that’s not realistic at all…

-Betsy! She reminds me of Brooke a bit and also Laurie, but mostly feels like her own character. Her relationship with Nate also reminds me of Kelso/Brooke’s relationship and Kelso/Laurie’s, in turns. She is much smarter than him but seems bemused and oddly charmed by the simple Nate, ala Brooke. And she’s manipulative, dominant, and sex-positive, ala Laurie. The scene where Nate tried to break up with her and she said no (😂) literally mirrors the Kelso and Laurie one from T70S. I definitely believed her as a Kelso, but you can tell she has intelligence her brother does not (thanks, Brooke) and seems serious about college/school in addition to having sex. A good mix of her parents, overall, and I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Jay and all the Kelso family lore we learned about this season!

-Kelso family lore: Jay and Betsy’s quibble - “Dad stayed with MY mom!” shows some underlying resentment/competition between the siblings, and also reveals that Kelso and Jackie took a 3 year break at some point (which we already kind of knew, due to their multiple remarriages) during which Kelso went back to Brooke (unclear)? Jay’s line about the time the entire Kelso family went to therapy for 20 minutes and the therapist told them they’re all afraid to love themselves was interesting, too.

-Okay, it was actually very sweet how Kitty found Isaac for Ozzie. I’ve enjoyed his arc this season: his heartbreak over Etienne, finding a queer community, his horror over being the last virgin *lol*, and now his blossoming relationship with Isaac. He seems more confident about himself and his sexuality than ever before. And his dry sense of humor always makes me laugh.

-We got to meet Gwen’s dad! I enjoyed him, his backstory, and his interactions with both Sherri and Gwen. Hoping we might see him again. Also, this shuts down the ‘Hyde is Gwen’s dad’ theories for good.

-The Jay and (Not So) Silent Bob schtick is so-so to me, but I did laugh at how they were following ‘their kids’ Ozzie and Isaac at the movies 😂.

-We got some good Eric nuggets! Starting with Eric and Donna being the same height in their wedding pictures - which I would cut my pinky finger off to see, btw. He lands his dream job working with George Lucas on Skywalker Ranch (I looked it up, and yes it’s a real place) and writing a book about the new Star Wars movies. Gets him out of the picture more permanently, but still leaves the door open for him to visit/return for a holiday episode or something. Loved Donna’s conversation with him on the phone, and imagining her helping him get settled out in California and visiting. And then Kitty’s comment about Donna drooling on his chest when they sleep - 🥹. My favorite detail yet.

-(Did anybody else think of the scene in T70S where Eric and Donna were discussing going to premarital counseling and Donna said they’d learn things about each other, like for instance what if one day she gets a high paying job in California - will he move? And then Eric is like ‘Whoa, why can’t I be the one to get the high paying job?’)

-Oh my god, I loved the ending sequence of them all in the car, dressed like the T70S characters and imitating the opening credits. Loved, loved, LOVED. When Leia put her hands on the dashboard like Donna, I think my shipper heart exploded. 🥰

-Donna and Bob’s moment on the car was very sweet (as was Bob reminiscing over Midge - this feels like confirmation that she’s passed away in-universe). I also thought it was poignant how Donna realizes (and values) both Eric and Leia’s happiness and doesn’t want to take that away, yet feels lost herself and is thus having difficulty making this decision. And then ultimately, she decides to just go back and forth between her two favorite people. 🥰

-The Clueless fantasy!!!!! Yes. So much yes. (I really enjoyed all of the ‘90s references this season)

-Wow. Sherri really is a Laurie clone (*cough* replacement *cough*). The fact that she’s done it with everyone - including the judge at Kitty’s court hearing. She’s earnest and often well meaning, but trips over her words and her relationships. Red and Kitty have so much to teach her. It’s a very parental relationship. Really makes you think about what could have been…

-This season made me such a NikNate shipper. I was kind of starting to come around to them after part 2, but their arc at the end where Nate believes in her musical talent and sells his van to buy back her guitar really got me. Nate is really winning me over, in general. #OTP: You’ll Always Be My Baby

-Ooh, that cliffhanger! Will Donna let Leia stay in Point Place now? Will she have to go to Our Lady Of Perpetual Sorrow? Will Leia forgive Jay for stealing her grandma’s keys? Stay tuned to find out! 😁

[kimi-twstheadcanons]

Falling Asleep in their Class

(Featuring Sam)

-Headcanon

Pronouns: They/them

Note: Platonic friendships here! I’m tired from all nighters for assignments and I got new classes a while ago so I thought I’d write this for fun. I literally got called out in math by my teacher for dozing off. She wasn’t mean about it tho. :)

He’s offended. Are his classes simply too boring for you? Or do you just not care about these very important lessons? Either way, he finds it very insulting that you had the audacity to show up in his classroom just to sleep and not pay attention

He’s aware that his classes are more active compared to most other classes run by Mr. Trein, so others tend to stay awake

But you? You’re usually more up and focused compared to the others. He had assumed it’s because your learning things that you wouldn’t have learned in your world. Now that you’re falling asleep, are his lessons not as exciting for you anymore?

“Hold it right there, Pup. I need to have a word with you. Ace, Deuce, Grim, you three are excused.” He’d stop you before you walk out the door

Welp, you’re dead

“Pup, you’ve been falling sleep recently. You’re notes have been sloppy and you’ve been participating less than usual.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Crewel, but the Headmaster has me running around and doing jobs for him across campus. Then Grim broke something in the Octavinelle again so I had to work to fix it because I can’t afford to pay for it and-“

“Stop!” He cuts you off. You were expecting a scolding and held your head low

“The Octavinelle incident; I can understand. But you’re telling me that Crowley has been sending you out to do his jobs? That’s ridiculous! I can’t believe he’d have you do that while you’re doing so much already!” He raged

“Oh, you simply must get more sleep, pup. If you keep doing this late night routine you’ll ruin that pretty face of yours. On top of that, it’s not good for your health. Alright, here’s what we’re going to do,” He said sympathetically

You were surprised. You thought he’d be mad at you for making excuses. But instead he immediately believed you and took your side

He ended up letting you take your time to catch up on assignments and offered to help you with anything you need that may keep you up at night. He, of course, knows you have to magic. You have him as your homeroom teacher after all

He sees how hard you work and he just wants to help as much as he can since you have so much on your shoulders already

You got your sleep schedule back and now you’re doing better in class. You’re back to your normal self and that’s all he ever wanted. From now on you ask for his help more often if you know it affects you and he puts up no fuss

He won’t tell you, but he’s only doing so more than he needs to because you’re his favorite pup- erm…student

He’s actually pretty surprised. He hadn’t expected you of all people to fall asleep to his history lessons. You had seemed so invested when you got to NRC, he thought you’d at least last until next year

But then he started to realize that you dozing off wasn’t patterned like the others. While others tended to stay awake during interesting or new topics, you fell asleep all throughout and even for your favorite topics

That’s when he realized that you would even walk into the room tired and you had eye bags under your eyes. He wondered what could possibly keep you up so long or what would stress out your mind enough to keep you up

“Halt, (L/n). I’d like to have a word with you.”

You thought for sure you were dead

“Don’t think I haven’t taken notice of you dozing off. Care to explain your reasoning as to why?”

“I’m so sorry I’ve been sleeping through class this week, Mr. Trein! Headmaster Crowley gave me jobs and errands to run. He gave me time limits with those as well. Then something happened with Grim so I had to help with that. Then I had a late study session with Kalim and Jamil. But I was working late at the Mostro Lounge for some extra cash and-“

“Enough! Enough, I’ve heard enough.”

Oh, you are definitely sure you are dead

“I cannot believe the Headmaster would put so much on your shoulders! How irresponsible of him to not take into account that you aren’t like the other students and require much more time and attention?”

Huh?

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Including the extra cash. I don’t want you hanging around those Octavinelle students more than you already do. From now on if there is any issue that will halt your ability to learn please come to me. Understood?”

…well that was an unexpected response. But you nod and quietly agree nonetheless. You didn’t have the energy to retaliate so you just agreed. He excused you for the rest of the day saying he will tell explain you situation to the other classes. He also gave you more time to finish assignments for you to get more rest

He then proceeded to send Crowley a very detailed message complaining that he should stop putting so many responsibilities on you since you’ve already got so much on your plate. He also told Crowley that is he’s going to have you run around and least pay you a decent amount of money to live off of instead of having you work for at the Mostro Lounge for extra cash. He was livid to say the least

He’s mad! But slightly impressed? Out of all the rookies he teaches, your one of the ones he actually admires. You don’t have any magic, you’re not even from that world, and you have never even seen a flying broom in person your first day there so your achievements in his class were very astonishing

Even on days we’re you were least active, you never actually fell sleep, however. That was new to him

He didn’t notice anything was wrong because he was keeping his eyes on another student. He found out you had fallen asleep when your broom had drifted off and slowly bumped into him…with you sleeping on it!

Again, he’s impressed. But so mad that you thought it was appropriate for you to be slacking off!

He was prepared to yell at you to wake you up, but a closer look on your face showed that you weren’t just sleeping from boredom; you were exhausted. Like you had dark eye bags type of exhausted

That’s when he decided to shake your shoulder to wake you up. Not hard but just enough for you to feel it. If you fell asleep mid air and began drifting off, he wasn’t sure how much you could sleep through at this point. He wouldn’t be surprised if you had slept through the whole class adrift on your broom

Luckily him shaking your shoulder did the trick. You blinked and looked around, only to jump up and fall off your broom when you realized you where in front of your teacher

“(L/N)! What’s going on with you? You know how I feel about slackers!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Vargas. I didn’t get enough sleep the past few days because I’ve been catching up on assignments for other classes.”

“So you spend you time sleeping in my class instead?”

“NO NO! I don’t mean to, I promise. I’ve just been running around for the headmaster and doing side jobs for extra cash. That’s why I’ve been working late for assignments! I’ve been trying to catch up.” You explain as best you can.

Vargas pauses and thinks for a moment. You, in your mind, come to the conclusion that you are in big trouble

“Go to the nurses office. Take a nap, go to your next class after the bell, and email me when/if you have to make up your missing work outs.”

…what now?

You take a moment to process what he just said. That was nowhere near the reaction you thought you’d get. Nevertheless you follow it anyway

Unlike the others Vargas isn’t on Crowley’s butt about it but he does have some complaints. He’d appreciate if Crowley wouldn’t drive his students to exhaustion before their PE classes, that’s all

(You may or may not also secretly be his favorite but he doesn’t really think about it much)

He literally caught you taking a nap outside his shop. You weren’t working for him today or anything. He just needed to make a trip to the main building and saw that you had fallen asleep in front of his shop. He’s impressed at how you’re so comfortable around his Mystery Shop

He approaches you carefully and gently wakes you up by shaking your shoulder. It took a minute but he eventually got you to open your eyes

You jolt awake after realizing where you were and what you were doing. You felt embarrassed but also concerned as how you thought that was a good idea

Sam wasn’t stressing over it. In fact, he just giggled and helped you up from the ground. He couldn’t help but wonder why you fell asleep in such an odd area

“Hey there, Little Imp! How’d you end up sleeping out here? You must have been pretty exhausted for you to doze off under my tree here.”

“Sorry, Sam, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I guess I just dozed off thinking this was a good spot. …now I see it wasn’t.”

Sam just smiles and gently laughs it all off to show you’re not in any sort of trouble

“It’s alright, Little Imp. What made you so tired in the first place, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’ve just been running around doing a lot recently. Working at the Mostro Lounge to get extra change, helping Ace and Deuce study late, cleaning up the whole dorm, not to mention I’ve been running errands for the Headmaster for a whole week.”

Sam paused at that last bit. Everything else made sense but that last part got him thinking

“You’ve been running around for the headmaster? He doesn’t pay you?”

“He does! …just not enough to keep food on the table for more than 3 days a week. I use what he gives me to buy Grim his tuna.”

“And that’s why you’ve been working at the Mostro Lounge? Wow, that’s dedication. Let me guess; you fell asleep while waiting for me to get back so you can continue those errands he gave you?”

You nod

“Well, come with me then. I’ll get you what you need. And I’ll give you some food for you and Grim too. On the house.”

“Oh no, Sam! I can pay don’t worry about it!”

“No no, I insist. I’ll also get my friends on the other side to talk to Crowley for you. Now come on in, before it gets cold!”

Then ever since that chat Sam has been leaving small baskets of food on your door step every time you needed it. You’re not sure how he knows each time but you’re thankful nonetheless. And if you insist he allows you to work at the shop too.

You’re not sure how he did it but whatever he did got Crowley to pay you more. You’re grateful for him being such a good friend. He also allows you to fall asleep under the tree in front of his Mystery Shop any time you want

[blowmiakisscolin]

Hi hi hi! Love your writing, so I wanted to ask if you’re still planning an Epilogue for “Your Case or Mine”??? It’s one of my favorites EVER, so there are still a ton of CS fans who’d love to read it! Hope all is well <3 <3 <3

So….ive just logged into tumblr for the first time in literally 2+ years, and I’ve found a few messages like this waiting for me. I’ve no idea when you sent this, but I just want to say thank you - it warms my heart so much that people became so invested in my little ole fic.

I was talking to my bestie @resident-of-storybrooke last night, and I AM going to finish this. Next month is the 7 year anniversary of me starting YCoM, and I’m going to do my absolute best to complete it by then (it’s already about halfway written!).

In the time I’ve been away/not writing, I got married and had a little pirate baby of my own, and I’m also back at work, so I get very little downtime. BUT I am carving out 30-60 mins on an evening, a few times a week for writing, and I’m very much committed to completing this epilogue.

I’ll also be posting it on here, as well as FFnet and AO3.

Thank you for loving my labour of love so much. It honestly means the world to me that people have embraced this fic the way they have over the years ❤️❤️

[hareofhrair]

However important you think Biden winning the election is, you must surely realise that jerking off into a sock might just do more to make that happen than being annoying about it on tumblr.

Thanks for having the integrity to send this off anon, man. And I more or less agree frankly. My original post was primarily venting and mostly just intended for the people in my immediate circle as, at most, an explanation for why I was unfollowing them and breaking mutuals. I didn’t even tag it as anything but “us politics” for people who don’t want to see that shit. It wouldn’t have gone much further than that, but a sci fi author I follow and respect deeply reblogged it, and they’re pretty popular so here we are. The shit i have got in my inbox the last week you would not believe, dude.

The thing is being annoying about voting for Biden on tumblr is pretty damn ineffective for sure. Unfortunately, doomposting about how he’s no better than trump and it doesn’t make a difference who wins so we should all just give up- does work. Reblogging a million posts about how Biden is a genocidal monster and voting for him means you’re a murderous racist (and exactly zero posts about Trump’s political plans or anything hopeful or which recommends actual action beyond just *not voting*) is incredibly effective at suppressing votes here. The tumblr community is very susceptible to apathy, because we’re all depressed and broke and miserable.

Russia literally used that to their advantage in 2016- this is established, proven fact- in order to get Trump elected the first time by convincing leftist youth that the democratic candidates were just as bad so there was no point in voting (and in fact voting makes you a bad person because you’re endorsing those monsters!) So I’d prefer if people around me did not uncritically reblog that shit. It pisses me off to see it and it does no one any good.

Biden is dogshit man, I know. I’m not a democrat, I just vote that way because, generally speaking, they are the only available candidates who don’t want to make my life actively worse. That doesn’t mean I like it.

But as far as I can tell, the revolution isn’t happening any time soon. I’m doing as much as I can where I am, but generally speaking the American people are uniquely complacent and apathetic and systematically depowered. Most of us are fighting just to stay housed and fed and don’t have the energy to also throw ourselves on the gears of capitalism. Those of us that do have the capacity face the incredible impersonal violence of the police state and a justice system with both political and financial incentive to strip their personhood and sell them into forced labor. Either things have to get a *lot* worse to convince people they have nothing to lose (which as someone else pointed out is a risky gamble that doesn’t always work and results in a lot of suffering regardless) or things need to get *marginally* better, enough that the people who already want change have the stability and resources to fight for it. And when you want incredibly, frustratingly marginal improvements, look no further than the democratic party!

Look, when it comes down to it, you don’t need to agree with me. But at least admit that even if it makes no difference at all, voting doesn’t hurt anything. It’s free, it takes very little effort, and it maybe gives us a slightly better chance of avoiding our country becoming a christofacist dictatorship.

If voting, at worst, makes no difference why not do it?

If voting, at worst, does nothing- why are so many people so invested in convincing you that you shouldn’t do it?

[theflagscene]

Wait! How!? When!? Where!? How is White suddenly there!? How did Tee meet White!? You can’t just play upbeat music and have the boys running around to show the passage of time and not explain how the fucking villain of the story got the most adorably innocent lil princess boyfriend on the planet!

Phee, bringing Jin on a date to the same place you and Non liked to go is just weird. I hate people who use the same ‘date’ spots for their new partners that they used with their past partners and no, this isn’t me projecting, why do you ask!? Lmao 😂 shut up it’s still tacky af

‘Friend’ the dreaded word.

What is with the ass slapping and window sex!? I mean, I get that they’re supposed to 18 year old boys, who are by definition perverted, but that was some porn level shit. Also, again, no prep. Phee wasn’t even the one blown so it’s not like they were even using spit for lube, or an already lubed condom. What is this, another ABO show? Just having the dudes slick and sliding all over one another apparently.

Ta’s got a decent ass at least, good for him.

“Did you cheat on my brother?” Nah, pretty sure they broke up when Phee saw him being raw dogged by the teacher and then told him to go die, but whatever helps you sleep at night Tan.

“Don’t fall in love with him.” Yeah, I think it’s too late for that.

Oh, mom is not looking so great. Hmm, something tells me that video isn’t real. Mom knows what’s up, it’s finally hit her, her baby’s dead. The actress did a fantastic job of a mother realizing the truth of the death of her child, it’s a startling realization that does take your legs out from under you. Your mind blanks, you can’t think about anything but the last time you saw them, the last terrible thing you said, all you can do is try not to scream. - That got a little too dark and real, sorry.

news.boc.com Cute BoC, very cute.

How long were Phee and Jin supposed to have been fucking by now? Weeks? Months? Because Jin has gotten very emotionally invested very quickly, which is appropriate for teenagers I suppose.

Two years, so they’d be in their what, second year of uni? Tan has gone full mad scientist I see.

Wait, he called to tell Tan that his mom was dead and it was her funeral that day and he just showed tf up! When his dad thought he was still in England!? Lmao, that’s fricking hilarious. I know, I know, wrong reaction to this scene but I’m weird, what can I say.

Oops, bye bye daddy. No wonder Tan is so fucking nuts! That would drive anyone insane. He literally needs Non to be alive otherwise he’s lost everything for nothing.

Is Tan his own guinea pig for his drugs!? Jesus dude, get some help.

Question, were Phee and Jin fucking during their time at university too? Or are you telling me all this ‘I love him’ crap was from one night of decent dick and a few ‘best friend dates’? Like the math ain’t mathing, establish a better timeline here for me when it comes to their relationship because in the first episode it made it seem like they were screwing around for a really long time, months at the very least. But now it seems like they fucked around a couple times in one 12 hour period, Jin decided that was enough to wanna date, caught Phee in a mood because of the fake news report and then they just… what? Kept fucking? Stopped? Jin carried a torch for him for over two years after one night together? Acted like a scorned lover for years because of a single teenaged tryst? Not to be that guy, but girl, you’re coming off a little desperate. I need a more accurate timeline!!!

“This won’t kill them.” Tan, could you try and be a tad more convincing when saying that?

That was a fantastic look from Tan to end on, ngl. Although someone needs to save baby White!

Next episode, we’re back in the present for the most part it seems. Jin somehow still trusts Phee, Fluke somehow gets the gun back and oh look, he holds White hostage, poor bb did nothing, leave him alone! And Tee clearly does know what happened to both Non and Keng as he runs up onto the roof where his uncle is to see the pair… unconscious? Dead? One of each?

I want some backstory about how White fits into all of this next time as well, that would be great. Although considering how little the timeline of events during grade 12 are fully explained, I doubt knowing more about White would make very much sense at this point.

[lurkingshan]

Step by Step Episode 11 (OF DOOM)

Warning: I really, really did not like this episode. If you’re trying to keep positive vibes you should scroll on by, friends! 

Welp. I told a few friends last week that my biggest disappointment would be if, after missing the mark on the emotional payoff of the slow burn and speed running the relationship, the show chose to break them up and do a time jump rather than staying with them in the present time and working through the conflicts they set up. And here we are! I wish I’d been wrong about where this was heading. Shouts to @waitmyturtles and @neuroticbookworm for holding me down while this show fell apart on me, I’ve been all in a tizzy about it, because I really loved it for awhile there.

This episode, yet again, felt like a disjointed mess. After last week’s cliffhanger, the idea of Pat resigning to get away from the predatory office gossip fell away within a few quick scenes. Instead the tension disappeared as the plot brought them into a bubble with only their most supportive colleagues and we swerved into a retread of the Put nonsense and a new plot about Jeng and Pat fighting to save the digital marketing team via the power of Put’s quasi-celebrity and Instagram likes. Or something. I honestly couldn’t tell you the details of what they were trying to accomplish, I was too distracted by my incredulity to pay close attention to this very sudden fake problem that they were obviously going to conquer (that, my friends, is what we call conflict with no stakes). Meanwhile, the show suddenly wants me to care about Jaab and Jen again - enough to devote a big portion of the penultimate episode’s runtime to them, what a choice - after doing fuck all with that plot for six weeks. It’s a no from me. 

It doesn’t matter anyway, because soon enough we’re time skipping again! After resolving the work challenge subplot we speed past another three months of Pat and Jeng’s relationship without addressing any of their issues, and I guess I’m supposed to be at peace with being a full nine months into their relationship with no onscreen emotional advancement? But I gotta be honest, y’all. I am not. You just don’t do this with a slow burn romance narrative. You can’t spend 80% of your runtime building to something that you have no intention of paying off, and no amount of thinking about what else this show is trying to say is going to convince me they did proper justice to the relationship. I already broke down why I didn’t think the episode 10 culmination got us there, and nothing that happened in this episode changed my opinion.

And all of this is leading to yet another time jump - two entire years this time - after the big reveal that Jeng doesn’t believe in Pat at all and literally bought his success, Evil Daddy knew it all along and waited for a choice moment to deploy the info for maximum damage while twirling his villain mustache, and Pat is finally quitting for real and dumping Jeng for good measure.

And ya know what? GOOD FOR PAT. I was completely on his side in this decision. If there’s one bright spot in this episode (other than Chot, always Chot) it’s Pat getting himself together enough to realize he deserves better than the bullshit he’s been getting from Put and Jeng and walking on out. So Jeng and Pat are now broken up, but I never got invested in their relationship in the first place, because we barely saw it, let alone got the chance to live in and feel it. I wasn’t even upset while watching this breakup scene - it left me emotionally indifferent. Which is maybe the worst thing I can say about a dramatic climax in a story.

I guess next week we’ll meet Jeng and Pat again two years in the future and get some kind of happy ending. I’m gonna stick around for the finale and cross my fingers that we get all the epilogue fluff we have definitely earned, but sadly, this show has lost me.

[aureutr]

Health update, featuring: DIAGNOSIS

I have been a chronic pain patient for a few years now. It's difficult to fully articulate how much pain changes your life, unless you are someone who has lived it or had a loved one live it.

Pain sucked away my energy and brainpower. I found myself sleeping more and more, first in naps after work then I was regularly calling out half days just to sleep. All the while, I was seeing doctor after doctor in hopes that someone would have an answer.

No one did. At first, it was almost a relief. It wasn't cancer, after all. But then the relief turned into disappointment and quickly into resignation. Labs were fine, X-ray was clear, CT was good. It should have been good news, except I still hurt all of the time and no one could tell me why.

The pain got worse. It peaked in Autumn 2022, when I finally got my first sliver of relief. Gabapentin kept the pain in control enough that I no longer had to regularly sleep half of the day, but it made me foggy. Still, it was easier to manage than the brain fog from pain, so I took it.

I still take it, and I’m on quite the high dose. It’s given me a semblance of a life back, but it’s not the answer or a cure. I still napped, I still hurt too much to even walk around a store for more than an hour or so. And, if I did, it would be my only activity for the day.

I lost my job late last year. I don’t believe it was because of the time I had to take, it was a mass layoff, but I’m certain it did not help. That, at least, ended up fine. I found a job I prefer with far better pay within a few months. And they’re, so far, understanding that I’m working through health problems.

But being unemployed was still a stressor, and I had learned that stress was integral to my pain. When I was stressed, it was worse. When I was calm, it was bearable.

I’ll skip describing another round of tests and hypotheses that went nowhere. In October 2023, my husband and I went to the Mayo Clinic or the Cleveland Clinic or John Hopkins (I am being intentionally vague here). This was our second time visiting, the first gave us absolutely nothing.

A nurse practitioner took a very quick look at me, too quick for our comfort, and declared the issue muscular. She recommended physical therapy. It seemed too simple, really. After all of that, all that money spent and time invested? It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried some exercise, but when moving makes your pain worse and worse pain zaps your energy, that’s difficult to maintain.

Still, I wasn’t going to turn my nose up at anything at this point. And it’s a damn good thing I didn’t.

The physical therapist I ended up seeing told me I had the strongest pelvic floor she’s ever seen. And that’s not a good thing. I have apparently taken literal decades worth of anxiety, depression, self-loathing, and any other negative emotion you can think of, and held them taut there, keeping my pelvic muscles almost constantly tensed.

And when you tense that much for that long, dysfunction arises.

My official diagnosis is Pelvic Floor Disorder. All of my PT has been focused on stretching, no strength training or cardio. I’m retraining my body to relax, to let go.

It has been amazing.

At the time of writing, I’ve been going to sessions for about six weeks. Already, I am eager to walk our dogs every day. I’ve gone out on my own or with friends to move.

The pain is not gone. But it is so much less that my pain clinic doctor is discussing reducing my gabapentin in a couple of months. And with decreased pain comes decreased brain fog.

Decreased brain fog means not only an improvement in my professional work, but space for fandom. I’ve written more than I’ve shared, lots of short private stuff for friends, but I haven’t had enough organized thought to re-approach the stories I put on hold.

I can’t promise anything, of course, but I hope that can change soon. I’ve been dabbling in Distant Echoes again, and it’s fun to be back in that world.

I’m not well. But I’m better. I’m so, so much better.

[priestfrommidnightmass]

new potential love interest reveal for anyone invested in my personal life for some reason. bc some are

okay SO. there’s this other guy i work withhhh of course and i’ve had a bigggg crush on him from the literal first moment i met him because god he’s sooooo fucking cute UGH. (the first time i saw him at the training me and my bestie gave each other a Look and were texting each other under the table like Oh my god did you just fall in love with him too. we have been jokingly fighting over him for MONTHS 😭) however it was like. never that serious it was just a fun thing for my friends and i to joke abt all the time and i haven’t felt the need to talk abt him for a variety of reasons bc 1. i was clearly BUSY with my other situationship hell and 2. me and him literally Never talked. like we talked comically little it was almost a bit that we’d never had a full conversation he would give me his stuff and then leave the second i got there so it wasn’t like we were super close by any means lmfao. and of course 3. he just HAD to have a girlfriend because why wouldn’t he. why WOULDN’T HE. they always do. but me and my friend were like okay soon we have to gauge how serious it is like what’s the deal is it serious is it like a canada girlfriend or what. so i finally brought it up with him this past friday and he talked abt her a bit and showed me pics of them and she was verrryyyy pretty and they’d been together for like two years which whatever that’s fine cool now i know right. NO! that’s not the end.

first of all him and i have already been talking a bit more than usual (maybe a few full conversations at this point!) but even better we were actually teaching together this week which means we’ll get to spend a bunchhhh of time together (also me and situationship are separated which helps too bc. out of sight out of mind) and he was like i’m so excited to finally be able to work closely with you and talk to you and whatever which is fun i was super looking forward to it. but anyway context there had been a wedding at our week on friday and so on monday my other coworker was like God I feel sooo bad for him we keep talking abt the wedding and stuff it’s probably making him feel worse and i was like. hey wdym. wdym. and they were like oh he just went through a really rough breakup and he’s kind of unwell abt it. and listen this person is Not the most reliable source whatsoever so i was hesitant to believe it because he had literally been raving abt her less than three days prior bro like WHAT DO YOU MEAN!!! so i casually bring her up (he’d mentioned that they might’ve been going to an event at our work together in a few weeks and i asked if he was still planning on that) and he was like oh yeah me and girlfriend unfortunately broke up it’s kind of a mess right now. and i was like oh my god i’m so sorry i had no idea i feel bad for bringing it up and he was like no it’s okay it’s fine i should’ve seen it coming. it’s kinda funny i totally switched up the gender roles and *i* was the one begging her for an explanation and to try and stay and fix the relationship and she was the one who ghosted me LOL! (.) BUT THERE’S ONE MORE KEY DETAIL. he’s leaving in LESS THAN A WEEK ACROSS THE COUNTRY because he’s getting his fucking PHD from a nice ass school (i fucking know dude) i always knew this but he’s leaving like much much sooner than expected. but anyway he is like. insanely attractive and charming and smart and it’s like 😭 why are you doing this to me. he’s so tall and he has the nicest hands if anyone i’ve ever seen and he’s sooo sweet to me and he’s always nerding out abt the smart ass shit he’s studying and it’s soooo charming dude you have no idea he’s so fun to talk to and be around. he is insanely out of my league like i think we all have got to be a little in love with him but for some reason the last few days i’ve been deluding myself into thinking there’s any chance something could happen and yknow what? i will absolutely try my luck he’s literally gonna be gone in a week i will totally make a rebound offer bc he keeps asking to hang out soon and shit. the pieces are falling into place let me finally have this universe. LET ME INNN

[project-sekai-facts]

I wanted to share my thoughts on what the next focus events could be for arc enders, while also asking you what you think is going to happen if you haven’t already

L/n: I’m honestly at a loss as to what the next event has in store for us. I definitely think it’s an Ichika focus (though I’ve seen people speculate it’s Shiho), but I’m not sure what they could do. Maybe enter a recording label to increase their audience? (Haven’t read Get Over It. yet so maybe I’m missing a part of the puzzle)

VBS: most likely a Toya event, I want to see him get mad. Like full blown anger from him. He was absolutely livid in Light Up the Fire as seen from his card, so I just want him to absolutely go apeshit. Worst part is that he doesn’t have the best relationship with adult figures so the parallels with his father are there. Maybe they’ll also try to reunite with Kotaro etc? VBS has a lot on its plate after the truth bomb regarding Nagi, that’s for sure

WxS: I mean. I’m pretty sure we all know it’s indirectly confirmed to be a Rui event. And this one is most definitely addressing the disbanding of the unit. Since he’s the one most worried about it, I think it makes sense he started the arc with Farewell at the Curtain Call and now gets to end it with a conclusion that will affect the group one way or another

N25: also somewhat obvious we’re getting a Mafuyu event from the teaser, this one is surely going to address what’s on all of our minds: is she going to run away? Our Escape for Survival has definitely set me on edge so I can’t wait to see how the story plays out

Oh yeah I’ve been thinking so hard about the arc enders the past few weeks so here goes nothing

L/n: They actually got signed at the end of Get Over It. It was right at the end of chapter 8 though, so I reckon the event will be taking the first steps as pros, especially considering this was their main goal up until this point. Like how at the end of Re-tie Friendship MMJ decided to change course, and then STEP by STEP was about them actually leaving.

VBS: Toya definitely. You can work it out by MV distribution. I think this will be a getting the band back together sort of story, considering that all the side characters left in LUTF and BAD DOGS interact with the side characters more. In his last event, Toya became good friends with Souma, and considering how Taiga crushed Arata’s ambition using Souma, I wouldn’t be surprised if those two were in it a lot. I hope Kotaro gets a good resolution too after his breakdown in LUTF.

WxS: Okay I have actually spoken about this one but I’ll do it again because I’m very invested in the current WxS arc. I originally thought this would be an Emu event mainly because WxS really needs to shuffle their event order but considering we now know it will be an arc ender no way it’s not Rui. At the end of Canary in a Quagmire he says that he thinks he’s worked out a way for them to all pursue their dreams together, which. The fact that Tsukasa and Nene want to go abroad and Emu wants to stay home already kinda messes with that concept sorry Rui. WxS is very special to him because he’s never had close friends before and doesn’t want to lose it (he literally refers to it as his home in Island Panic) and I think this event will be a bittersweet slaps in the face of reality that they can’t just stay together forever. 👍 also I really want him to spill that Asahi invited him to join ArcLand (aw yeah conflict)

N25: The fucking puppet from her first event man. The puppet triggered Mafuyu in Captive Marionette because she saw herself in it - everything in her life was puppeteered by her mother. And the curtain closing? I’m not sure if she’ll actually run away, but I think she’s going to confront her mother herself. I think Mafuyu is finally more ready to confront that her mother is the problem and is controlling her every move and I want to see her at least try to break free of it.

[peachdues]

Spread love to fanfic writers! I am curious about your answers to these questions!

Name a fic you loved writing the most. Name a fic that others loved but you didn’t care for as much. Name a fic you had the most fun writing. Name a fic that you are the most proud of. Name a fic that you wish had gotten more recognition. Name your happiest/saddest/most comedic fics!

Ahhh thank you, my love!!

Name a fic you loved writing the most

In what will surprise absolutely no one, I have to go with Phantasmagoria and In the Netherwood. Both for different reasons. I put a piece of my soul into Phantasmagoria, and really explored my own grief through Reader’s eyes.

In the Netherwood, on the other hand, has been such a joy to write because I get to combine my favorite anime with my favorite genre — fantasy. I’ve loved getting to develop the world of Netherwood and figure out where and how to fit these characters into the setting. I’ve spent the last week or so developing more lore/history of the Netherwood that will be important for Part IV, so I’m excited for you all to see it play out!

Name a fic that others loved but you didn’t care for as much

Idk if I really have one? I get invested in all my works to a degree. I would probably say my most horny works are probably the ones that I’m least attached to — meaning the ones that are pure smut and no plot.

Right now, TGW is causing me a lot of grief even though I know people are excited for it. I’m just worried I’ve overhyped it so I’m hesitant to publish it if that makes sense?? But I still care for it .

Name a fic you had the most fun writing.

Easily a tie between Tell Me to Stop and Netherwood. TMTS was such a fun distraction during bar prep (literally wrote it during the most boring lectures) and I loved writing the angst. Netherwood, though it’s stressed me out, has been a blast, too. Y’all have NO idea how hard it was to not spoil the end of Part III. I’ve already accidentally spoiled one of the plot points in part IV for someone (Leigh I SWORE I TOLD YOU IM SORRY) so I’m having to be EXTRA careful, now!

As for which one I’m having the most fun currently writing — once more, with feeling

Name a fic that you are most proud of.

Netherwood takes the cake again. Mainly because I’ve been really adamant about taking my time with it, so each part I publish is what I consider to be its best version. It’s why won’t rush Part IV!

Name a fic you wish had gotten more recognition.

Probably Seasons in Love. I’ve said it a thousand times lmao, but I wish non-smutty work got as much love as smut. I’ve had so many people saying I don’t know how to write fluff and I’m like !!! It’s right there!!! Even the love confession itself isn’t angsty — it’s comedy!!

Name your happiest/saddest/most comedic fics

Happiest — Bundle of Joy (the OG Sanemi fic!! The one that started it all!!)

Saddest — probably the Wreckage one shot or maybe Phantasmagoria (even though it has a happy ending!)

Most comedic — Seasons in Love