#my ex and I enabled each other with the stick

[kay-kay-is-kray-kray]

The worst part of Camp Vargas 2 is that it made me come to terms with the fact that Idia is just like me fr. If I were in that situation, I'd be complaining all day long, have given Vargas my second phone (one that's essentially useless but adored), and I'd be obsessed with a giant stick I randomly picked up because I actually did this in college once on a midnight walk and brought it home for a day or two.

[atmilliways]

Twister, Part 2

Hey, @starryeyedjanai, I wrote more of this. It's getting progressively hornier.

2798 words, Teen +

-

“Do you know the rules?”

Steve would take offense at that, but he’s a little drunk and kinda high and Jonathan is definitely holding the rules sideways, so whatever. He just raises his beer with a smirk and says, “Enlighten me.”

It’s a good night. A good night, even though it’s in his too-quiet, too-empty house and his ex-girlfriend is here with her current boyfriend. Between Robin’s motormouth, Eddie’s music, and Argyle’s weed, their party of six is more than up to the task of filling up the silence and the space.

And Steve’s speakers and Steve’s parents’ liquor cabinet—but, he reflects as he leans back in the loveseat and sips his beer, he always has those. 

Robin comes swaying back into the living room from her bathroom break, spots the bright primary colors of the game box, and scowls. “Oh no, not again. I refuse, the last time I played this I ended up with grass in my mouth!”

Argyle turns and blinks bloodshot eyes in her direction. “I thought you were cool with grass, little birdette.”

“Booooo,” Steve heckles, feeling light and giddy and happy and god how come he never throws parties anymore? “You barely even got a scrape. Didn’t even need a band-aid. I got injured enough to need medical attention, and I’m gonna play.”

Eddie plops down next to Steve, a little cramped but whatever, throwing an arm around his shoulders to jostle him and grinning over at Robin. “Yeah, I popped a couple stitches that day but you don’t hear me complaining!”

“That doesn’t make it sound like a good idea,” Nancy points out. She’s tucked into an armchair and trying to look serious, but a grin peeks out around the corners of her mouth. 

“I don’t have stitches anymore, jeez, Mom,” Eddie retorts, and sticks his tongue out at her. That cracks the facade, sending her into a fit of poorly stifled giggles. “The worst blow struck was to Harrington’s hypothetical progeny.”

Steve clinks his beer against Eddie’s, trying to get his attention. “Uh, what’s a ‘geny’ and why am I ‘pro’ for it? Hypothetically.”

On the other side of the table, Jonathan blinks a few times and rotates the instruction sheet one hundred and eighty degrees. “Do we all know how to play this?”

“Let’s let the birdette operate the spinner, brochachos,” Argyle suggests. “No injuries, just spinning . . . unless she spins with it, which I do not recommend. Might get dizzy.” He nods sagely at Robin, who shrugs and nods back. 

“We should do it like a tournament,” Eddie declares, eyes sparking as he rubs his hands together in his enthusiasm. “Pair off, narrow the field, winners play each other for the title.”

“I’ll get a trophy for the winner from my room!” Steve volunteers, jumping to his feet. The energy rolling off Eddie whenever he gets into something like this is infectious, addictive. Steve has been enabling it for months by hosting Hellfire campaigns in his parents’ formal, stuffy dining room, and sees no reason why tonight should be an exception. No one dulls the harsh edges of the Harrington house quite like Eddie Munson. 

He takes the stairs two at a time going both up and down, and only almost wipes out three times. The trophy he returns with is a golden plastic cup from his long gone Little League days; it's the only thing he could find without a sports ball on top.

His friends have already shifted the living room furniture out of the way and spread the game mat out across the floor. Nancy is helping Argyle braid his hair so it won’t interfere with gameplay, Eddie is crouched in front of Jonathan, coaxing him to drink some water, and Robin is grudgingly doing some warmup stretches, apparently talked into participating during Steve’s brief absence. 

“Stevie, look alive!” Eddie pops up, fishes something out of his pocket, and tosses it. 

The throw is high and fast, but Steve jumps for it on instinct. He gives a whoop when he hears plastic rattle on plastic in the trophy cup in his hand, and looks up to Eddie beaming at him, helpless not to beam back. 

“The two highest rolls play first,” Eddie explains, which Steve nods in response to even though his grasp on what that means isn’t great. Still, he knows how to roll a damn die. 

And so the tournament begins. 

-

Here’s the thing: weed and alcohol are not performance enhancing drugs. The first match-up is Eddie and Robin, and it’s not much of a contest. 

“I didn’t want to play anyway, so I’m not even mad,” Robin admits as Steve helps her up from a fall that hadn’t even been that bad—just enough to get her eliminated. “Now I can woman the spinner.”

“Don’t you mean—”

“Nope,” she interrupts, and playfully flips him off before swaying over to where Argyle has been calling out moves from the couch. 

“Her heart wasn’t in it,” Eddie sighs, putting on a mournful pout. (There’s something about this that makes Steve want to poke at his cheeks until the dimples come out, but that is the mind-altering substances talking.) “Kinda makes the victory feel hollow.” 

“She’ll probably make all the moves for harder on purpose,” Steve points out.

Eddie brightens. “You think?”

Honestly? Steve isn’t totally sure she wouldn’t go easier on Nancy, out of some sort of girl solidarity. But he says, “Sure,” and feels quite pleased with himself when Eddie slings an arm around his shoulder in enthusiasm.

“Then by all means, good sir, let us clear the battlefield for the next joust,” Eddie exclaims. “Let the games recommence!”

The next match goes on much longer than the first one. Nancy looks determined, and even Jonathan seems to have sobered up a bit, eyes somewhat clear and movements smooth. But they end up fit together like Russian nesting dolls, Jonathan’s mouth near her neck and Nancy is ticklish. And not sober either. She slips and falls in a flurry of giggles-turned-shrieks of laughter, hands flying up to make her blouse a turtleneck.

“What?” Jonathan catches her, giggles himself as he straightens up. “What’d I do?”

Steve stops paying attention because Eddie is rubbing his shoulders, like a boxer about to enter a ring. It takes up all the real estate in his brain because. . . . When was the last time Steve has even watched a boxing match? When has Eddie, with his general disdain for sports, watched a boxing match?

And also, Eddie gives great shoulder rubs, apparently.

“Okay, Stevie, you’re up next. Get in there and take him out!”

“This is bringing out an extra weird side of you,” Steve informs him. 

“Atta boy, you got this!” Eddie sends Steve stumbling towards the game mat with a light shove and a quick smack to his ass. He laughs as he goes, shaking his head and rolling his shoulders, and he feels loose. He feels good. 

Argyle is the least competitive person Steve has ever played any kind of game against, and that might be why their round takes the longest. Where Steve plays for stability, Argyle seems to be attempting to create a new art form. Somehow, it works. 

It’s not until Robin calls out, “Left hand green!” that it ends. Instead of reaching for the nearest green circle, the dude aims for the farthest corner of the mat, reaching around Steve, and . . . overbalancing. 

“Whoops,” Argyle chuckles up at the ceiling once he finishes rolling. “Sorry man, I got lost in a movement.”

Eddie hops up from where he’d been sitting on the arm of the couch, grinning like a madman. He loops an arm each around Jonathan and Steve���s necks and nearly bashes all three of their heads together. “Fuck yeah, showdown of the Hawkins boys!”

“Can I smoke again first?” Jonathan mumbles. 

“Nooo,” Nancy protests over the top of her beer, “that’d just drag it out. Just play so we can move on to Truth Or Dare, or something.”

“Seconded,” Robin says, and that’s that. The final round is on. 

-

They square off. 

For all Eddie’s big talk leading up to the first spin, the first half of the game is fairly calm. They take their hands and feet and accept their colors quietly, all focused and feeling out each others’ strategies. (Or at least, Steve is. Maybe he misses competitive sports more than he’d realized. Maybe he should join an adult league.)

Gameplay goes on for a while before Jonathan straightens with a wince. “This was fun and all, but I’ve gotta stop. My back. . . .” He gives a tiny shrug and Steve remembers getting a vague play by play of Jonathan and Nancy’s fight for their lives at the hospital, telling him in starts and stops while sitting in an ambulance in the Starcourt parking lot. 

“What happened to your back?” asks Eddie, peering up curiously through his hair. Apparently he hadn’t gotten the lowdown on that one. (Wait . . . they’d told him about Starcourt, hadn’t they?)

“Metal chair,” Steve says, at the same time as Jonathan says, “Hospital stool.” They look at each other and shrug—Steve only a little, because he doesn’t want to throw the game by taking his hands off the mat. Close enough. 

Eddie mutters something under his breath about holding out on him, which Steve thinks is unnecessary. First of all, there’s the NDAs. . . . They aren’t allowed to tell anyone, is it their fault it solidified into a habit even after Eddie was dropped into the whole alternate dimension mess? Second of all, Eddie never asked. So, like, the blame is fifty fifty here.

But Robin calls out the next move before Steve has a chance to say so, and the game is back on. Only this time, Eddie’s strategy is wildly different. 

“Left foot red,” Robin says. 

Eddie, crouched on the farthest dots of red, yellow, and blue like a frog, grins with his entire face. He leans forward on his right hand (on green, towards the center of the mat) and swings his left leg out to the red dot on the farthest corner, next to Steve.

Steve’s next move is left foot green, and he keeps it on his own side, waiting to see what his opponent has planned. (That’s why his heart rate is picking up. It has nothing to do with the almost predatory way Eddie is staring him down, making his skin prickle.)

The next call is right foot green, and Eddie’s grin widens. He makes direct eye contact with Steve—and he could move that foot from yellow to the green right next to it, but he doesn’t. Instead, in a distorted echo of the move that had brought him down the last time they’d played, he braces himself up and swings his leg out to the green spot past his own right hand.

Now he’s spread out in front of Steve, legs splayed just shy of Steve’s arm where his left hand rests on the third yellow spot and shirt riding up a little over his flexed core muscles. Feeling oddly caught, Steve finds his eyes fixed on that sliver of skin because he’s almost surprised that Eddie has muscles. Not that—Well, everyone has muscles, obviously, and it’s not like the guy has a defined six-pack or anything, but. Steve had seen Eddie’s attempts at sit-ups a few times in gym, back when they’d still been in school, so he wasn’t expecting . . . this.

“Steve, did you hear me?” Robin complains, cutting through the mild static that had taken over his ears.” Are you even listing? Earth to Steve-o.”

He blinks hard and shakes his head a little. “Uh. What?” (Seriously, what was that. He’s not usually prone to zoning out while partying, not unless he's fall-down drunk. Which he isn't, not by a long shot. So what gives?)

“Left hand green, dingus! I’ve said it like three times.”

Steve considers. There are three open green spots left, one behind him and two on the far side of the mat. Either way he gets to move his arms from between Eddie’s legs, which is . . . for the best, he thinks. Yeah. 

“Whatcha gonna do, Big Boy?” Eddie says in a low tone, too low for anyone else to hear. When Steve gapes at him, Eddie bites his bottom lip and waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Jesus Christ. Steve can feel his face starting to heat up, but he can’t back down from so brazen a challenge. 

He leans forward and plants his hand on the green spot just past Eddie’s. The move sends him leaning into Eddie’s space, leaning over Eddie a bit, and Steve feels a surge of satisfaction at the way Eddie’s throat bobs at the proximity. Because what, did he expect Steve Harrington to back down? Not fucking happening.

“Left hand blue.”

Eddie moves his hand over one spot, but the way he has to twist slightly for balance lengthens the line of his body and makes the pale sliver a little wider.

“Right foot blue.”

Steve’s right foot was already on that color; he slides it forward until it’s practically under Eddie’s ass. 

“Right hand green.”

Since Eddie can’t reach the green spot behind Steve, he’s forced to retreat to the other corner. It moves their faces further apart, and in the brief moment Eddie glances away to make sure he hits the spot without tipping over, Steve’s eyes zero in on where he’s biting his lip again and. . . . 

Oh. 

Uh-oh. 

It's as though that plush bottom lip holds all the answers—to the distraction, the faster than necessary pace of his heart, the intermittent electric prickle humming under his skin. Steve wants to be the one biting that lip, and he’s just left of sober enough that he nearly follows the impulse, swaying forward slightly without thinking before reining himself back in, eyes going wide.

He can track the exact moment Eddie looks back and notices, a flush rising on his own face and throat bobbing again. It’s not a reaction that says no or stop that, so Steve just sort of . . . lets himself keep staring.

“Right hand red.”

Steve, not sure if Robin is messing with them or if this is just what’s happening, moves his hand to the red spot next to Eddie’s hip. Eddie follows the motion with his eyes, only looking back up once Steve is still again. Is he breathing faster?

Yeah. Yes, he is, they both are. Steve wets his lips unconsciously and Eddie’s eyes follow that too, attention thoroughly captured as though Steve has cast a spell on him. And isn’t that so very . . . interesting. . . .

He thinks about the way Eddie always seems to flirt, and wonders how much of it is real. Quite a bit if how dilated his eyes are now is any indication, a thin ring of rich brown holding back a deep, drowning black. Only now, Steve is starting to realize that he has his own reservoir of want inside. For a while now, it seems, but it’s been biding its time until the right moment to make itself known—right before threatening to spill over.

This time it’s Eddie that Robin snaps at for not listening. 

And Steve who wins the game, when Eddie’s limbs finally give out a few moves later from holding himself up in such a spread-out position for so long. Eddie doesn’t seem too put out by it though, accepting Steve’s hand up and using it as an excuse to stand way too close for just friends. 

“Good game, Stevie,” he murmurs in that low, low tone again, and god but it costs Steve not to haul him close enough to feel the words against his mouth. “Looks like you get to keep that trophy after all.”

He lets go of Steve (whose palm is tingling, why is that suddenly a thing, it’s spreading up his arm and it’s going to be so difficult to act normal for the rest of the evening now) and pats him on the cheek with that same hand. Steve wants to turn and bite it, just sink his teeth right into the meat of the thumb rubbing along his cheekbone. He can guess from the spark in Eddie’s eyes that he might not mind. . . . 

But not in front of their friends. It’s not that kind of party, in spite of the music and the drinking and the drugs, and Steve doesn’t want to be rude and ignore the rest of his guests. 

Eddie’s hand drops with a devilish grin. “Alright, let’s keep this party going. I believe someone said something about Truth or Dare—what do you say, Big Boy? You in?”Steve, breathless and more than willing to find out where this rabbit hole leads, is definitely, definitely in.

[ratwars]

Hiii, so, I just read that you are an entj, yey!! What do you think about INFJ/INTJ's? Also, ypur posts are very good and your blog has a mysterious aura

Hi hello dear anon

Infj - I have only known a couple (to my knowledge, but they are more rare right?). We got along, I admired them and they were very sweet. One was my coworker and we were very complimentary to each other plus we talked more because she rarely declined when I invited her out to lunch with me or for drinks after work. She was I would say a person who put up a front at least at our job because she felt a lot of obligation to others even if it exhausted her behind closed doors, and once she realized I knew this and would appreciate her still she was way more honest and open with her inner thoughts and feelings. I honestly am a better listener and better at coming across more compassionate as well now in part because of her.

Intj - my current partner and most of my exes 💀 a few of my friends too over the years. Cat vibes tbh so I am partial to them lol. Just very cool people in general from my experience. Partners in crime 😤 (and also worst enablers) we just understand each other though often I think people introducing us thought we would not get along initially. But with everyone I have known like this it took a lot of time to build the relationship even with friendships despite the fact we were baseline cool with each other immediately.

Thank you for appreciating my blog! If you choose to stick around hopefully you continue to enjoy it 🙏💜

[ashanimus]

Ash Liveblogs MTMTE #4-#7

This is just really nice sci fi writing. I'm coming into this very cold and for all me yelling and screeching about What X or Y is the text and visual and dialogue does a really good job of communicating those things without going into he exhaustive detail I hassle out of my friends

FPFFFffFFF

Well Thats a horrifying question. Why are your hands so irreplaceable, Ratchet?? Rod just got new hands! I'm enjoying these little cultural tidbits about bodies. What can and cannot be replaced, what's considered worse than a mortal wound vs the way that exile and punishment is externalized--like Empurata. Huh.

OH OKAY THIS ONE IS ALL ABOUT BODIES I GUESS

AAAAAAAAAAAA

Huh. I'm just. Really impressed with how these artists get these characters to emote, the very very creative and interesting and compositional solutions to communicating emotions and feeling on these challenging character models

AESFHLDSAFSKJGD

ANCIENT JACKASS

TAILGATE IS EXTREMELY RIGHT TO BE MAD AT YOU.

I am living for this cool ridiculous alien mechanical biology.

Yikes. That's...that may not solve the problem of belonging for you, Tailgate. These are banners of a war thats ended...and that he's being enabled here is quite sad!

This is also fucking devastating. I was, for some reason, NOT expecting grotesque body horror in the robot comic! SILLY FUCKING BAT.

I havent enjoyed a traditional comic in a while and I really love how the medium is used to its fullest to move reveals like this along, this is delightful

Okay @fernacular I see the appeal of old man boyfriend now, this is fucking great

OH OKAY. YOU WANNA GIVE ME COOL COMIC, BODY HORROR, BITTER EXES, HEARTBREAK AND BODY PART SWAPPING AND MAKE ME FUCKING CRY OKAY

@polyhexian @fernacular FUCK YOUUUUUUUUU SCREEEECH IM CRYING IM NOT CRYING aDLFJDAJGk]'

#6

Ah yes. Whirl. Whirl is my favorite so far. And also um. Sir??? Are you actively suicidal right now??? SIR???

All of these robots, ALL OF THEM, have the personalities and socialization of brutalized wolfdogs all stuck in the back of a Volkswagon but DEAR GOD Whirl??? Everyone smacks the shit out of each other! And you out here talking like this!

HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE

aEFJADSLJGLJG

WHIRL ISNT WRONG BUT HOLY FUCK

WHIRL. HONEY. YOUR GUTS ARE ALL OVER THE FLOOR. THEY'RE ALL OVER THE

Okay even the hostage taker is confused enough to demand explanation and Rung you are so useless and also bad at improv

Whirl is a theatre kid.

I'm laughing so hard I can't fucking breathe

And now I'm crying again. I'm just. Drowning in snot over here. Okay. Okay. I am genuinely blown away how this, out of context, would be damn near illegible, but with a little context is horrifying, touching and heartbreaking. He's speared through, Rung is over here genuinely a little touched, jesus christ on a pogo stick.

Okay, not that this is ever relevant to anything and there is more transformers stuff to watch than I could finish in a month of vacation, if I was in charge of anything I'd probably pull Whirl audition sides from this scene--or at least some of them--because even just meeting the character through my friends and these early issues, one of the most compelling things about him is that really interesting tension between his sincerity, humor, gurgly dying delivery and cold intensity. It's really interesting. The artists here use a lot of composition and context and light to make whirl emote and it's such a cool artistic challenge they solve over and over again.

Although in that vein if I was doing any casting of voice stuff for a MTMTE anything I think it'd be essential to cast a bunch of weird character actors, shakespearians and people who had video game experience.

#7

Tarn is a funny name for a robot? Thats a lake?

So pretty...so horrible. What a moody, cold, image.

Huh. Brainstorm has an interesting vernacular

This comic is so insane. Like very little about this seems to pretend to be anything like the stuff that spawned it. It's a transforming toy! And now, fast forward, were talking about the Horrors in an depressing, fully grounded way from the voiceboxes of colorful robits languishing in the post-horizon of a war that destroyed their whole worlds.

Im obsessed with these colors. And the image of all these damn robits around a PYRE. It's so weirdly, awkwardly human and this all just looks so vulnerable and lost. All their weird boxy shape against the organic swirls of fire.

Who TF Is Grimlock--

[maximuswolf]

This Week in Coffee

This Week in Coffee Equipmenthttps://preview.redd.it/45f3mjdzexga1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=86130563f6ec8a958b348899feee1eb9e1027844Chemex release the ChemAer(ator)Although there has been a long, and one way, love affair between coffee and wine for at least a hundred years - I don’t think this a sommelier stick-em-up\.*As to my understanding, aerating coffee before you drink will make subtle notes more perceptible and reduce some of the bitterness and harshness.This 8-cup Chemex has small indents ("paddles") on the inside which may steadily aerate the coffee as it’s swirled within. I understand that this is similar to decanter but, personally, I am no expert on the grape.Baratza Release the Encore ESP(resso)You wait three months for a pun-based name, then two come along at once.Certainly the original Encore is a popular all-rounder, mid price, home grinder and the promise of the ESP is to allow casual home users greater control of their dialling in process.The most important change which Baratza have made is an internal gearing system which reduces down the relationship between the setting wheel and the internal distances, only once the espresso range has been reached on that dial.This should allow for closer adjustments when grinding on the finest settings while keeping big jumps for filter and pour over.The LAF Bar Pro wins Best New Product at the World of Coffee eventJoy Resolve launch a battery-powered portable grinderIndustryJadakiss launches his own line of coffee beansAll I know is that he was on the original Jenny From The Blocks, and that’s all I need to know.I’ve mentioned this before but I’m increasingly confident that this celebrity bean-list is because, generally, the margins on speciality coffee beans is very high and marketing is the key challenge for most roasters.This means that if roasters can crack the marketing problem, there are reasonable rewards on offer (driven by margins).Department of Labor Targets Two More Louisville Coffee Businesses - via Daily Coffee NewsBlack Sheep Coffee open their first location in the USI love these guys - in particular they're spearheading a renewal of Robusta coffee which is great news.HiringWatchHouse (LDN) hire the ex-head of marketing from Planet Organic as head of OpsThe Coffee Quality Institute bring in their new community liaison - Ben BicknellMiscellaneousUK Barista Championships Qualifiers in Chichester - Feb 10thIf anyone has extra expo tickets, they can donate them to coffee workers here - @getchusomegear TwitterMods, please get in touch if this goes against promotion rules, and I will happily edit out. Many people here will have been assigned multiple tickets that they can't use and I think it's tremendous to donate them to front line coffee workers.Starbucks charge a couple $4,500Last week to cash in Starbucks points at current valueIf you don't use them before the deadline, you're basically giving Starbucks money.--*Other options included (each getting progressively worse); Rose rip off, Malbec misappropriation, grape grab, Savvy B(urglary), House Raid, thevinary. Submitted February 08, 2023 at 05:56AM by withwavelets https://ift.tt/jcwXFhs via /r/Coffee

[mikeshanlon]

I love that the answer to "why didn't stewy contact kendall immediately after kendall did the thing they have always been talking about & almost did together not a whole month ago" is "because he was busy googling if it's legal to mail someone a horse's head."

no literally he's such an icon. he's like okay kendall has a history of ignoring my calls after he does some big ass stupid shit let me not be like every other bitch trying to contact him and just make sure he can't ignore me by sending a inconveniently large trojan horse to his ex-wife's apartment to be like. i know where you are. you are a fucking snake but i also love it. i've known you since we were kids this is going to make you paranoid and i want to watch you suffer and squrim a bit after everything you did. now you have to deal with these sticks.

also re: their reunion i've seen people be like this felt inadequate after everything that happened/what ken did or not in character but i disagree. i mean of course i would love more stewy screen time and i hope they don't significantly diminsh his role, but there was a lot of things to unpack this episode and i loved all of the character work esp with the roy siblings. but with kendall and stewy's reunion, first of all they saw each other like... yesterday maybe two days ago in the show time in greece lol. so it hasn't been that long and stewy is probably still annoyed at kendall for just sitting there like a sad obedient bassett hound when logan was like you can get ken's board seat. (also their scenes are always kinda short but pack a punch). and while yes their 2.01 reunion is so emotionally charged it's different circumstances and i really like how they are juxtaposed: 2.01 stewy dropped his pragmatic greed and anger to extend emotional vulnerability, tried to be there for his best friend but kendall rejected it so he's imbittered now.

so like yes i think stewy is proud that kendall stood up to his dad and that logan is like this close to having his life ruined, but there is this sense of like, dude, we could've done this together already. he doesn't want to open up emotionally and i think he's kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop like it seems to always do, that either he'll go back to logan (which i think is unlikely) or that he's going to crash and burn (very likely). stewy has been with him for a long time he knows the cyclical nature of the roy's trauma and feeling trapped that kendall is in. he's not a total ass to kendall but he's keeping his distance and shuts him down, saying he'll hear him out but he doesn't see it working, and it's like the exact blow kendall didn't want to hear, that this person who believed in their ability to take over just earlier that year and their whole lives is like. yeah idk if you can do it, and idk if we can ever work together again. ow. stewy also keeps him at this distance and doesn't indulge him by being like let's keep this short, and exasperatedly asking what kendall even wants-- he doesn't want to stay too long and become more invested/get hurt more seeing kendall be manic as fuck and he just wants a straight up answer. (again one of the things i find so interesting about stewy is that he doesn't lie or mince his words but kendall and the roys are dishonest motherfuckers and see words as "just complicated airflow" and i could really write a whole other thing about stewy being the antithesis/narrative foil to the roy family and their values).

i also think it's interesting to compare the reactions of the people kendall is closest to outside his family: naomi, rava, and stewy--and these people kind of fundamentally see him and understand him/ his family relationships more than other characters. naomi in general is kinda kendall's biggest enabler at the moment with his drugs, but she also enables his ego boost from the press conference, affirming his "i'm the man" thing that kendall desperately craves that validation from. naomi sees his fucked up relationship with his dad but i also think that a) she hasn't been around as long as rava and stewy to totally understand ken and his personality/cycles and b) she also just doesn't really.... care that much if kendall totally fucks up or whatever bc she's having fun and she hates the roy empire so whatever happens, happens lol. rava is supportive and glad he finally stood up to logan and allows him to post up in her apartment (queen u need to kick him out) but she also didn't actually watch it and doesn't believe his bullshit about "i did it for you and the kids". i think it's interesting that stewy and rava have known him the longest and have the closest relationships to him and can't help but let him in and try to help him and be roped back into roy family bullshit but also at this point keep sort of a distance because they are hurt from kendall always fucking up and hurting them in the process.

[taroholic]

Yoon Shinhye: An Anticlimactic End?

Hospital Playlist S2E2

Truth be told I didn’t know what I was expecting Seokhyung to respond with when Shinhye asked him if he’d like to meet up once in a while again, because even I knew (based on his micro-expressions around her) that his response wasn’t exactly going to be an enthusiastic “YES PLEASE!”

But for all I had speculated last week about the significance of Shinhye in Seokhyung’s journey of growth and towards “opening his heart again”, his curt answer and the subsequent implication that this was essentially the last we’d be seeing of Shinhye beyond that moment, was kind of…disappointing?

And I’ll preface this to say that my feeling of disappointment is my own fault to be honest — because Hospital Playlist has always been clear about the kind of show it is and this kind of premature conclusion is exactly the way it’s always done things.

Shinhye departs from Seokhyung’s life just as abruptly as she’d entered it. In hindsight, it seems like her character had appeared more for the benefit of the audience than for Seokhyung — to appease our curiosity and reassure us that Seokhyung has long put Shinhye past him. What the drama wanted to show us was not the process of Seokhyung moving on from Shinhye, but rather that he'd already done so — we were only finding out about it now.

What I love about Seokhyung is that he's always been honest about his feelings, with both the audience and other characters in the show. He's explained precisely how he feels for Shinhye time and time again, which is far from a love-driven desire to start things again. And his response to Shinhye (and Ikjun later on) is consistent with what he's expressed in the past.

Hospital Playlist utilizes this tool of "revealing-what's-been-there-all-along" in lieu of actual, explicit development all the time. Part of the reason can be attributed to the fact that this is a sporadically-paced slice-of-life, and the show chooses to have certain trajectories take place off-screen to make time for more significant developments. Simply put, Writer Lee Woo Jung didn't find it valuable enough to have Shinhye stick around to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Seokhyung about what went wrong in their relationship etc. to enable both individuals to move on.

And I think I like the alternate route she chose much better, despite my initial reservations.

By taking Shinhye out of the equation early on (almost like checking her off a list), Writer Lee has framed Seokhyung's healing process as largely an internal battle — something he must overcome on his own. Contrary to what I had thought before, the key to Seokhyung learning to let love in again was not going to be a 'transformative' encounter with Shinhye, but rather himself. His guilt and his broken heart, both the products of his own, self-loathing thoughts, can only be conquered by Seokhyung alone. While Shinhye's words could've helped to an extent, it's also highly probable he's already heard them before.

"Oppa, don't blame yourself."

"Oppa, I was very happy with you."

Her platitudes would not have taken away from the fact that Seokhyung knows his own inadequacies were somewhat responsible for her pain, and he is not someone who's so easily swayed by the polite reassurances of other people.

Which is why this is a journey he must embark on his own.

While it may have been beautiful for Shinhye to stay beyond the scope of a one-episode cameo and for Writer Lee to explore what a relationship between two well-meaning exes can look like, in a way that could've maturely honoured the love that had existed between them in the past, such a plotline is not in line with the story Writer Lee intends to tell through this drama.

Not to mention that what Shinhye wanted was not closure but an opportunity to rekindle their relationship again. Which makes them parting ways the only reasonable choice, since Seokhyung can't give her what she wants.

Each character serves a very limited, fixed purpose in the Hospital Playlist universe. And it seems like Shinhye's was to merely inform the audience that Seokhyung was completely over her, and is no longer a concern.

[riacte]

Unnecessary Hermit MCC Team Speculation

So according to Scott, teams are in the works, applications likely closed a few days ago, MCC 14 date is known to participants, MCC Twitter says they’re gonna steal CPK’s spotlight after wishing him a happy birthday. So we’re getting MCC 14 relatively soon. Hence I’m making my 284927391 hermit MCC team speculation.

Hermit duos:

Actually I think we’ll be seeing more duos in MCC S2.

1) Hermits and Scott have probably realized hermit duos perform way better than trios/ quartet (the only hermit duo team that didn’t get to DB is the first time False and Ren played)

2) They wanna meet new people, but they also want to play with friends. So 2+2 will be a good combo. You can meet new people while having a buddy you a stick to.

False + Cub

I don’t think any of the hermits are confirmed to join (Doc has shown interest) but I feel these two would most likely be in MCC 14?

1) False has been in every MCC since debut

2) Cub plays every other MCC, and he skipped MCC 13

3) Most important of all, they’ve both been polishing their skills through parkour and speedrunning etc. I think they’re currently the most competitive of the hermits, so I won’t be surprised at all if they pair up for a competitive team.

False + Grian

A surprisingly popular duo in post-MCC 13 team predictions. I like them as a duo, and I used to think we’ll have a bigger chance of getting False + Cub/Ren, but now I think about, the team predictions may be right.

1) False has been with Ren and Cub for their first victory, so according to ✨meta✨ she’ll be with Grian for his first victory and her third. The Hermit Winner enabler.

2) Grian is the only hermit regular who hasn’t won yet, and really really wants to win (he said he was gonna cry himself to sleep after he lost MCC 13 lol)

3) False is seen as the most competitive

So if Grian wants to win and go full competitive, and I feel Scott will likely pair him with False. Also Reddit loves this duo apparently. Another incentive.

False + Ren

Ah yes, the hermit team staple. Ex base-buddies my beloved. The duo that’s always been together. I miss them lmfao

I feel they’re gonna continue pairing up because False said she’s gonna collect all ranks with Ren? Also I feel Ren likely asks for False every time (Scott said someone asked for False back in MCC 9, we thought it was H, but apparently neither H or Fruit specified a person, so I guess it’s Ren. Makes sense because Ren’s with False literally every single time).

There’s not much to say except if they team up again, everyone saw it coming.

But also exactly because they’ve teamed up for so many times that they may decided to split for a MCC or two? That doesn’t seem to be what they’re doing though.

Ren + Cub

Honestly every time I think of this potential duo, I just see False sandwiched between them lmao. Because this a hermit trio. These two are probably False’s most frequent collaborators?? (Although there’s not much False and Ren collab this season)

Basically I somehow can’t see this happening without False. I’m sorry lmao

Grian + Cub

To a lot of people’s surprise, they haven’t teamed before. They’re probably the duo that collabs the least often on Hermitcraft so I kinda get why. Still wanna see this duo.

Grian + Ren

They’re close enough that they apparently visit each other irl. Which is very sweet. I can honestly see them as a duo, just chilling and having fun.

Hermit trios:

False + Ren + Grian/Cub. With the FRG trio happening more often in recent MCCs, FRC trio happening more often in the early, chill days. Hermit trio + S tier (aka. Lime Liches) is the most powerful version of hermit trios, and may even rival the strength of hermit duo + S tier teams.

FRG:

Honestly this seems like a feasible trio, especially when Cub skips a MCC/ plays with non hermits (MCC 7, 11, 12). There’s also the Lime Liches bias with this trio, so Scott might be more inclined to put them together?

Also if Cub skips, it means Scott will either have to make a hermit duo + solo hermit OR make a hermit trio. And Scott will probably put the solo hermit with hermit adjacent (eg. Grian with Pearl). Also pretty sure for this case, it’s gonna be False + Ren duo, Grian with hermit adjacent people just like MCC 9. That being said, MCC 9 was special because I think False and Ren specifically said they were gonna go competitive, while Grian not, so it makes sense for the split. For the current meta of competitive hermits, it might be easier for Scott to stuff the hermits together in a trio (eg. Lime Liches)??

FRC:

The last time this trio appeared was MCC 8. From that moment onwards, Cub has been in competitive teams either in a duo or solo, and had gotten to Dodgebolt in all his post-MCC 8 tourneys. So I honestly don’t know if we’ll see them together again. Maybe we’ll get something like Lime Liches.

New hermits:

I can see False-Ren-Doc as a trio for Doc’s first MCC.

1) This team appeared in CotC

2) To use Ren and Doc’s words: #ShipRendoc

3) Putting False here because I feel non hermits will be very ?!!???? at the Rendoc flirting

I can also see Iskall in a hermit trio. In particular Iskall-Grian-Ren

1) We got Team FRIC in MCC 5, so maybe something new?

2) Renskall. That’s it.

3) Everyone wants Grian-Iskall interaction, especially because they don’t collab that much this season compared to the last

But really I can see Iskall with every hermit regular. The reason I feel newcomers will be in trios not duos is that having two veterans to coach the newbie(s) is better than having one.

Hermit quartet

Genuinely don’t think this will happen if the hermits go competitive. Maybe we’ll get this for a chill MCC. Maybe not.

The hermit quartet in MCC 5 did pretty good though, but team standards have changed a lot since then. I kinda wanna see Iskall in another hermit quartet.

Others:

The famous Grian-False-Techno-Wilbur team, if you ignore the swearing thing and opposite Dodgebolt strategies. This team will have a fuckton of clout, probably comparable to MCC 13 Pink.

I actually feel this might happen because it’s highly popular and highly requested

But also 1) the swearing thing 2) Scott tends to put people who have similar attitudes (eg. hermits play with people who advocate arrow splitting) 3) they’re a powerful team. So maybe not.

Lime Liches. I seriously believe this might happen because of the very high demand and the Blue Bats bias. They got screwed over bc of parkour, many people think they deserve a redemption. They’re not too strong as a team either. It’ll be like MCC 8/9 Green.

Also the Fruit+Grian duo. I’m pretty sure this duo will happen at least once in S2. Grian famously commented he wants to team with Fruit, Fruit replied, even had an alt Twitch called “grianstanaccount”. Won’t be surprised at ALL if they ask for each other. Maybe this will happen along with LL redemption.

Hermits and H? This is to pacify the Blue Bats fandom. Also if we have hermit trio + Fruit, why not H lmao. But H said he wants to play with new people, and I think he said he wants to team with Puffy, sooo.... imagine we get sth like False Cub H Puffy. Lmao.

Hermits and Dream? I said I can’t see this happening, esp with Ren, but maybe Scott will do it for the Dreamslayer memes

Hermits and Quig? After Pete and Fruit, Quig is probably the most hermit friendly S tier. I think people said he would vibe well with the hermits. Quig is also involved in the X Life circle, which overlaps with the hermits’ circle.

Anyways. I’ve liked all Hermit teams so far, I’m sure Scott will make them fantastic as always. If you’ve reached this point, thank you for reading my pointless speculation. See you when MCC 14 teams are revealed :)

[quickspinner]

Month of Miracles Day 8 - Uncertainty

Find the prompt list here!

Hallmark Movie AU Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 (end) | Read Month of Miracles on AO3

Marinette had a lot of experience with embarrassment, and she was well aware that no matter how much she wished it, the odds of the earth opening beneath her and swallowing her up were pretty slim. In fact, at this point in her life she was pretty sure that if it ever did happen, it would be while things were going perfectly fine, just to spite her. 

So as she stood on the sidewalk outside of the library, peeling a sticky bow off her forehead (and probably a perfectly square section of her foundation with it, which she was sure would look just great), trying not to look at the very attractive rock star (former rock star?) beside her, she was annoyed but not surprised that the ground remained solid under her feet.

“Well,” Luka sighed, “I guess since Rose is paying...can I take you to lunch?”

“I, um—” Marinette began, and then shivered, grabbing her arms as the wind suddenly cut through her. 

“Here,” Luka said, and Marinette finally looked at him. He was holding her coat open for her, waiting. He was already wearing his. “Marinette?” he asked when she didn’t move immediately, and Marinette jumped.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, hastily jamming her arms into the coat. It was harder than it should have been, since she still had the big stick-on bow in her hand, and her internal screaming grew louder as Luka continued to hold the coat patiently until she finally got her hand through the cuff. She jammed the bow in her pocket as she turned towards him with a grateful, if embarrassed, smile as she began buttoning the coat. “Um, thank you, but I’m sure you have things to do, and, well Rose didn’t exactly give you notice there, so if you need to, um, go, I understand.”

Luka gave her a slow smile. “Well, since one of the things I have to do is eat lunch, I’m not going to turn down a slice of Sally’s pie on Rose’s dime. And since she kind of played us both here, I think she owes you one too. Unless you don’t like pie?” 

“I love pie,” Marinette blurted, and had to stop her hand from flying to cover her mouth. 

“Well, okay then. Let’s get some pie.” Luka gestured, and Marinette found herself walking alongside him. “Maybe some soup, too. Sally’s tomato bisque is amazing when it’s cold outside.” 

Marinette made a noise that she hoped sounded like agreement. What on earth was she doing? Didn’t this make it look like she wanted to go on a date with him? What if he thought Rose was acting on Marinette’s behalf?

A touch on her arm jolted her out of her spiral. “Are you all right?” Luka asked gently, slowing down his walk. “Look, I know Rose is...a lot. I didn’t mean to enable her pushiness, so if you’re not comfortable—”

“No!” Marinette exclaimed quickly, and then sighed. “Well...yes, a little. Not she’s a lot a little, but I’m a little. Uncomfortable, I mean. N-not that you did anything, or...um…” She clamped her teeth together and fought the urge to scream.

“It’s just that this is a little awkward, because Rose has all the subtlety of a brick to the head and now we’re both trying to pretend that we don’t know we were set up?” Luka smiled, and Marinette actually laughed a little bit despite the vivid blush she was sure was spreading over her face.

“Yeah, kinda,” she admitted, hunching her shoulders. 

Luka shrugged. “Well, we could bail on lunch, walk away and pretend none of this ever happened, and hope that we never see each other again. Buuuuut this is a pretty small town, and avoiding people here is hard, so the chances of recurring awkward are high.” 

“Good point.” Marinette winced. “Um...what are our other options?”

“Well, I’m personally a big fan of just embracing the awkward.” Luka gave her a lopsided smile that looked nothing like his posters. “So I propose that we go have lunch, no pressure and no expectations, ask all the questions we’ve been dancing around until now, and see if we can’t just power through the awkward and come out friends—or at least acquaintances that can greet each other on the street without combusting from embarrassment.”

Marinette laughed. “That...that actually sounds like a plan.” 

Luka’s lopsided smile turned into a grin, and in that moment she could see a flash of the rock star she remembered. 

It was a short walk to the café (it was a short walk just about anywhere on Main Street, really), and before she had quite recovered from that grin, Luka was holding the door open for her and waving her through. 

“Hi, Sally,” he said as he followed her into the café. “Where should we sit?”

“Anywhere you like, hon, just don’t take up the big tables,” Sally replied absently, preoccupied with something behind the counter. “Your usual?”

“Am I so predictable?” he sighed, leading Marinette to a small booth near the windows. 

“You are when it’s this cold out,” Sally laughed, looking up, and noticed his companion for the first time. “Nice to see you again Marinette! Do you need the menu?”

“I’ll have what Luka’s having, actually,” Marinette said, blushing a little as she slid into the seat across from Luka. “Now that he’s talked it up I have to try it.” 

“Sure thing, hon. Tea instead of coffee for you though?”

“Yes please,” Marinette replied quickly, shrugging out of her coat. She raised a self-conscious hand and touched the spot on her forehead where the bow had been, glancing at her reflection in the window. 

“Rose’s treating today, so make it the big bowl please,” Luka called, and got a good natured wave from Sally to indicate she’d heard him. He turned his attention back to Marinette, and she tried not to squirm.

“So,” Luka said, slipping out of his coat and stuffing it into the corner beside him. “Do you want to start?” 

“Why did you retire?” Marinette blurted, and covered her mouth. 

Luka winced. “Wow, right out of the gate.”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette backpedaled frantically. “You don’t have to answer that.”

“No, it was a fair question,” Luka sighed, sitting back and tapping his fingers lightly on the table as he thought. Marinette bit her lip, feeling terrible for asking, but also really wanting to know. 

“Sometimes you take a chance, and things don’t work out,” he said finally. “But...sometimes they do work out, and then you find out it wasn’t actually what you wanted in the first place. I love the music, I thought I loved performing, but that whole lifestyle just...didn’t work for me.” 

Marinette wasn’t sure what to say to that, and was grateful that Sally arrived just at that moment with her tea and Luka’s coffee.

“Okay, my turn,” Luka said, leaning his elbows on the table. “Why are you here? In this town, I mean. No offense, but you kind of stick out.”

Marinette made a face. “The real reason? My mother thought I was on the verge of some kind of breakdown, so she conspired with my grandmother to guilt me into taking a vacation. As if all my problems aren’t still going to be there when I go home.” She glanced up at him, gathered her courage, and said, “Why are you here?”

“My family is here,” he said, pushing the salt shaker around on the table absently. He leaned back as Sally came to slide two bowls of soup on the table. Luka thanked her, and then looked back at Marinette. He gave that lopsided grin again at the slight pout she was aiming at him, and gave in. “So it was the logical place to come when I decided I needed to figure out what I really wanted out of life.”

Marinette raised her eyebrows. “And did you?”

Luka shrugged. “It’s a process, but...yeah, I think I’m on the right track.” He raised his eyebrows back at her. “What was stressing you out so bad at home?”

“My boss,” Marinette groaned, as they both picked up their spoons. “There’s so much she can do for me in the industry but she’s so rude and mean. The words constructive criticism seem to have no meaning for her. It’s like she expects me to read her mind and fix things without any guidance. Why did she hire me, if she hates everything I do so much?” Marinette stirred her soup listlessly, and then finally tried some. She smiled at Luka. “This is good.” His mouth was full but he aimed a wink at her in lieu of an I told you so. “So why a Christmas tree farm?” she asked.

Luka shrugged. “I don’t even really know myself. When my mom bought it I thought it was just another one of her crazy whims, and that she’d sell it again before the next season even came around. But, turns out she likes the farm, and she likes the town, and she runs a kayak rental during the summer that keeps her adventuring spirit satisfied. I still expect her to up and leave with practically no notice someday, but for now she seems happy. Make sure you try the toast on the side, by the way, it’s amazing.” He tilted his head slightly. “Why does Christmas hate you?”

Marinette had to take a moment for that one, taking her time with her next spoonful of soup. Luka didn’t press her, just went on eating his own.  “I’ve never had much luck with Christmas,” she muttered, and then felt like he deserved more of an answer than that. “Not every Christmas, some were fine, but some were...just times when I found out that people weren’t the friends I thought they were. Then last Christmas...” She hesitated, feeling foolish. “My boyfriend dumped me,” she said finally, and then blushed. “It sounds really stupid and pathetic when I say it out loud, and it’s not like he did it on Christmas or anything like that, but...” She shook her head.

“But now it’s Christmas again and you’re having a hard time separating the season from the memories?” Luka suggested. Marinette nodded. 

“My ex, he’s...kind of famous,” she admitted, “And now he’s back in the news because he’s got a new girlfriend, and there’s rumors there’s going to be an engagement announcement soon, and we work in the same industry so we’re still part of some of the same circles, and...yeah.” She shrugged and looked down, eyes suddenly stinging. “It just kind of feels like Christmas isn’t on my side this year either.”

“Hey,” Luka said, reaching across the table to catch her hand. Marinette looked up at him, startled, and he smiled. “What kind of pie do you want?” 

His hand was rough, but warm from where it had been wrapped around his coffee, and for a moment she could only stare at him. He has kind eyes, she thought. 

She hadn’t seen that on his posters, either.

“Blueberry,” she managed to say, and it wasn’t as hard to smile back at him as she thought it would be. 

Fiction Master Post | Month of Miracles

[dizzydancingdreamer]

Hiii 🥺 if i could ask, how do you outline your works in general? books, short stories, one shots? What are the differences? 🥺🥺

Hey I love this-- here's a little walk through of what I do. Bear in mind I do really heavy outlines-- lets go through it all, okay? It's not as daunting as it may seem

Click keep reading to see an extensive guide to outlining stories!

Books!

So I'm going to use the Maze Runner re-write I'm working on (no one steal my shit I will be sad)

First off, I get all my templates from Evernote they have some really great templates and they range from when you want to plan a little bit and when you want to plan a lot, here is the link !!!! I recomend highly!

I start with the basics. Title, genre, series (yes or no), premise, setting. I add a box to keep my dates (if you see, I'm not good at filling them in, thank god docs keeps a history so I can later. This isn't necessary I just think its fun-- like a scrapbook of my progress!)

I then add a story premise template-- this one's important!!! It's like the shortest summary for when you need to go back while writing and remember things quickly. I add details like slang (ex: the maze runner uses terms that are made up so I need to remember to use them when writing), the main events (inciting and conflict will do), and my main goal!

After this you can choose to add which template will work best for planning the story. Some people choose to do the characters first but I, in this case, chose story because I am drawing off a series that already exists and plan to stick relatively close to that. In any other case I might have planned characters first but it's up to you!

The templates for planning your story range from very in depth to not at all-- I'll lay them out for you and you can choose the best for you!

The least in depth (derived from screenwriting, this method offers just a brief outline of what you want to write, leaves a lot of room for movement as you write) : Story Beats

More in depth but not crazy (goes through all the main parts of your book, lets you focus closer to the details singularly as opposed to part of a whole, a happy middle) : 3-Act Structure

The most in depth, full crazy (plan every chapter, the exact way you want things to plan, note: you may do this and then get thrown a curve ball while writing but that is OK!) : Chapter Outline

Here is an example of my chapter outlines (again, people, don't steal my shit please I beg do not)

As you can see-- I do all the outlines LOL but this is the only one worth showing and it's the only one I focus on when I write. These are about as detailed as I get-- it's important to leave room for your characters to breathe. This is as much their story as it is yours-- if they're trying to do something you should let them do it. Natural flow is always best.

Next I dive into characters (again, you can do this first-- this is like cooking, there's a recipe but season things how you prefer to make it your own!)

First I start with a simple breakdown : The Character Master List

This includes main characters, antagonists, additional characters

An example below :)

After this I get wild-- I only do this with my protagonist(s) (in this case Ellie and Gally) and I go as in depth as I can. Every little thing I can think of about my characters gets written down. To write a book is to know your characters better than you know yourself. Their likes, dislikes, motivations, nervous habits, sleep schedules, every freckle and mole-- all of it. If you know your characters, you know your story. If you love your characters, you love your story.

Here is the template I use, again I strongly recommend : Character Profile / things I added

(On the templates (it's a dousy): full name, age, occupation, situation, motivation, height, build, skin tone, hair, eyes, facial description, prominent features / distinguishing marks, style of dress, mannerisms / gestures, how they perceive themself, one word used to describe themself, one paragraph, self perceived best personality trait / worst trait, self perceived best physical trait / worst trait, how they think others see them, something they would change about themself, one of voice, language / accent, fave phrases, personality, habits, ambition, greatest fear, biggest secret, how does this character get along with other characters, where they were born / grew up, important past events, family, current home, finances, occupation, education, health, religion, interests / hobbies, opinion of people in general, does the character hide their emotions from others?, person they hate most, best friends, love interests, person they go to for advice, person they feel responsible for, person character feels awkward around, person character openly admires, person character secretly admires, most important to character at the beginning / end)

See example, do not steal example (I know, redundant, but necessary)

Finally after characters I move on to world building. This is important! You need to understand the location and time so that you can write an accurate (or not) story!

Again, here is the template : Worldbuilding Basics

(On the templates: story location, time period, climate, geography, borders / what's beyond, architecture style, how do people get around, distinctive sights / sounds / smells, how many people live there, where do they live, how do they make a living, is the economy healthy, what is family life like, history of the place, the political situation, who are the leaders, the languages spoken, how do the people dress, what role does religion / superstition play, what holidays are important, what's the food like, what are the forms of entertainment, how do the younger generations differ from the old)

From here the rest is up to you, these are the things I recommend. As you can see from my screenshots, I do a lot for my planning.

Some other things you can think to incorporate are:

- General ideas (a place to keep things you need to remember while writing: themes, reoccurring motifs and metaphors, notes, scene ideas)

- Things to remember while writing (like general ideas but also not, a place to add notes about your characters, I like to write their habits here and keep it open while writing so that my characters remain somewhat consistent)

- Movie Script (For fanfiction books; I usually write my own dialogue but sometimes the movie does a good job of summing the basics, Ex: Alby goes over the basics of the glade and it made more sense to give him those lines again, can save you heartache)

Annnnnd that's all I do for books-- the outline I shared is about forty pages LOL so it's a lot but in my experience it's worth it!! Again, do what suits you always but this is what I find works.

Short Stories!

Usually my short stories are a very summed up version of the books. I do the chapter outlines and a very basic outline of the characters. In this case what I usually do is put it all in one doc-- outline and work as one.

This is the best example I can use without outing important story details. On the left you can see the headings of each chapter-- I recommend using these so you aren't stuck scrolling helplessly through long fics (trust me, after 25k words it gets insane).

Each of these, as noted above, I flesh out the basic scene set up of the chapter. It helps me keep the goal of what I want to convey so I don't trail off (I have a habit of doing that).

The final thing I recommend is SideNote-- it's a life saver.

Once enabled it allows you to write notes that you can see while writing in order to keep your story consistent. It has and will continue to come in handy!

One Shots!

I don't plan these at all LMFAO

Okay, kidding a little bit? It isn't worth showing because all it is is the basic outline of what I want to write and then I just attack it head on. One shots I usually just write and write and write and let it flow. They serve a purpose at the moment and thus are best written in the moment. My best advice here is to just let go-- you'll thank yourself for it!

I hope this helps, nonnie, and I hope whatever you write is as wonderful as you are! Thanks for trusting me enough to come for advice!!

[news4bees]

Things I do to make my ADD/ADHD slightly more manageable.

Full disclosure: everyone is different and non-neurotypical behaviors are not a copy-paste situation. What works for me might put others in the exact opposite head space and that’s okay. I just wanted to share what I’ve learned works for me over the years. I’ve been really struggling with my ADD/ADHD lately and I need to remind myself of the healthy coping mechanisms I’ve developed so I can implement them again.

1. Have a morning routine.

Working from home as a freelance editor / publishing consultant, I have a lot of autonomy over my day. Which is great… if I make the most of it. I learned a long time ago that I am most productive in the morning, so it’s important for me to get myself into the right head space as soon as possible. I set an alarm to get out of bed at 7:00am every day, I try and go on a walk around the neighborhood first thing (weather permitting—we don’t mess around with rain or snow), I eat breakfast (usually including either coffee or tea for caffeine purposes and warmth) and take my supplements, and prep for my day. It sounds super simple, but it’s really all about inertia. A body at rest will want to stay at rest. I’ve had just as many days where everything goes according to plan and I’m able to have a productive day as days where I don’t get out of bed until I have to drag myself to my service job in the afternoon. So having that morning routine and sticking to it can honestly be a night and day difference for me.

2. Make a schedule for my day.

I have a terrible concept of time. I can look at a task, assume it’s going to take several hours, and abandon it before I even begin. Or I can see a gap of time in my day (such as the two hours between lunch and when I have to get ready for work) and be worried it’s too small of a window to accomplish anything so I lie around instead. By creating a schedule, literally an hour-by-hour layout of how I want my day to progress, I have a tactical roadmap for how to achieve my goals. I also make sure I schedule little breaks and time to eat, walk around, shower, etc. into my day so I don’t forget. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and I have to remind myself not to get upset if I end up deviating from the schedule for one thing or another. It’s mainly supposed to help me look at my day in a way that makes more sense to me and how my brain processes time. I fully understand that there are others that might see my hour-by-hour schedule and be completely overwhelmed—that’s fine! Find what works for you.

3. Set attainable little goals.

This one goes hand in hand with making myself a schedule. If I have a giant task I need to complete at a future date, I really struggle with conceptualizing it as something I need to get started on now. I see that future date, feel overwhelmed, try to calm myself down by thinking, “It’s okay, I have time,” and will sit on that task until the last minute when I have to scramble to get it done. It’s procrastination, yes, but it’s also not feeling too overwhelmed to act on something until there is that “go go go!” anxiety-inducing pressure to get it done. So I break it down into smaller pieces and set little goals. A 352 page manuscript I have to create an index for by March? Scary. But indexing one or two chapters a day? Much more doable. This also helps me accomplish non work-related tasks, such as calling the bank or scheduling appointments or canceling a subscription—things I would have trouble accomplishing on my own otherwise because my I have trouble differentiating between “important” and “immediate”. Goals don’t have to be solely task oriented either. Set a goal to reach out to a friend you haven’t connected with in a while; set a goal to meditate for fifteen minutes, or be intentional about doing something you love like reading or art or exercise. Personally, the more things I can check off my “to-do” list the better, so I write out everything I want to try and get done, even if I would have done it regardless.

4. Keep distractions out of reach.

This one is extremely tricky for me since I work exclusively out of my room since I moved back home. I’m always surrounded by distractions, from my phone to my bookshelves to the dozens of internet tabs I constantly have open on my laptop. I have little tricks I know work for me: keeping my phone on the charger in a different room (but close enough that I can still connect to the Bluetooth), leaving the book I’m currently reading and the journal where I write my fiction in my work bag downstairs, blocking YouTube and other distracting sites from my laptop, and making my bed each morning so I’m not tempted to crawl under the covers when I’m feeling burnt out. But knowing these things will help eliminate distractions and actually implementing these techniques are two very different things for me. As I write this, my phone is on the charger next to me, my fiction journal is within easy reach and I have corresponding document opened in another tab, none of my site-brokers are enabled, and my bed is a mess of cozy blankets—all major distractions for me that I’m blatantly ignoring. So what can I do about this? Set a new goal: move my phone and journal out of the room, close unnecessary tabs, re-engage the site blockers, and make my bed. Little things to reset my headspace and get back on track.

5. Have an accountability buddy.

While freelancing gives me a lot of personal freedoms, it also means I function as my own boss. Some people might enjoy such responsibility, but I personally really struggle when I’m not constantly checking in with someone and showing them my progress. An accountability buddy doesn’t need to function like a micro-managing boss, but they should be someone you can go to and say, “Here’s what I set out to do today and here’s what I accomplished.” Currently, I do not have a good accountability buddy (my ex was my accountability buddy when we were together during my last semester at college, but he often criticized me for only working in short sprints and needing to take a lot of breaks, so I’ve been really hesitant to trust another person in that role ever since), but my mom often lets me inform her about my goals and will share some of her’s in turn; my dad and sister on the other hand get uncharacteristically angry when I ask about goals, so I’ve learned to steer clear. Mirroring is also a common strategy for ADD/ADHDers. The visual stimulation of seeing someone else working can often be a bit of a jumpstart to my brain that says, “Okay, it’s time to do things.” In the old days, this meant I would spend hours in the library or at coffee shop doing my homework instead of my apartment because I was surrounded by others with similar tasks. Now, if I find myself needing a mirror I’ll move my operation to the kitchen table so that I’m closer to where my mom works and I can feed off her productive energy, so to speak.

6. Give myself grace.

Whenever I have an unproductive day, my first instinct is to be angry or upset at myself. What kind of person spends the entire day in bed and doesn’t get a single thing done? This would lead me down a self-deprecating path of calling myself useless and a garbage person, which is a big trigger for my depression and I can easily find myself spiraling. ADD/ADHD means my brain functions differently, but at the end of the day my brain still works. It doesn’t mean I’m stupid or lazy, and a bad day doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. My schedule and my list of goals are a template to help me focus, but if something happens that gets me off task, whether intentional or unintentional, I have to remind myself that it is not the end of the world. I have to give myself grace and forgiveness, because things happen.

I’d be really interested to hear what other strategies people have developed to manage their ADD/ADHD, especially in the midst of a pandemic that might have altered the way we approach our days. Keep being awesome!

[cartoonfangirl1218]

This is an absolutely mess of an outline of a fic that I’m never gonna write so any brave souls who want to try go ahead. But it’s basically it’s what if Ash and Doña met in a night of drunken insanity. Most of it rips off Crazy Ex Girlfriend. And I blame @just-a-random-soul-things​ for all of it. All of it. So if you want to see it (and the gifs) check out under the line.

So anyway it begins with Doña playing pool by herself in a bar. For every shot she makes in, she takes a shot. Flashback to hours earlier showing her fight with Esteban. Esteban saying she’s changed too much from what she was to a greedy selfish person and she saying he was self pitying and frozen in time which helps no one. So drunk Doña

Ash comes around (this would be pre malvago Ash so she has dark hair), totally drunk.

Taking food from Doña’s plate which is like a total berserk button for Doña whose protective of ehr food (cuz trauma) and since she’s already a bit drunk herself she pushes Ash with her pool stick. Ash grabs one from a nearby table and before you know it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itQPOuwyfHA Then the owner comes, "You're banned! Both of you are banned from here! Get out!" https://64.media.tumblr.com/6bb1c083fc65d4e4435937d84cf1de4f/tumblr_pwgowfdRM01vehswro1_r1_540.gifv (the picture is better in gif form but tumblr is being crappy so here’s link to gif)  Ash/Doña: "Me?!" 

So both irritably stumble away, still fighting. Doña gets into the carriage and Ash just tries to take over and pushes the original driver so they start fighting over the reins until they suddenly hit something. They had hit a cat. And before they know it the owner comes out. 

Doña totally freaks out and tells the owner it was some strange pirate who hit the cat, not them. Not them at all. The owner is just like, "A pirate..How is that even-" 

Ash: "Yes, I know it's unbelievable but that's why you got to believe us-her. She doesn't work well under any sort of pressure and is incapable of coming up with a believable lie to save her ass." Doña: How can I be calm under pressure? It's so bloody!

Somehow the owner believes them, and they end up going with him to the vet to make sure the cat is okay and wants to confront the carriage driver for reckless endangerment.That's when Ash realizes the little snag in their lie, that the carriage driver would say they hijack the carriage. So the only thing to do is to erase his memories.

First, she casually asks who is the carriage driver around these parts. Dona wants nothing to do with this but she has no choice because she inadvertently helped to hit the cat. Besides Ash is scary so it’s best to do what she says.

So casually engage in chit chat, find the carriage driver's name is Sergio and head to the boarding house he is staying at. They trade small, vague bits of info that dona is a merchant and Ash is studying magic....neglecting the malvago part. With some quick talking on Doña’s part, they convince the owner to let them into his room in the boarding house and are relieved to put all this behind them and never see the other again. Ash works on the amnesia spell over the sleeping Sergio and Doña is of no help as she unashamedly admires the man's extensive skin care items and writes down what she wants to buy for her store.

They’re finally in the clear, and they celebrate with the free samples a man is offering (again, this all started because they were drunk and they're still not in the best decision making mode here). The drink is suspect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNiY3t-QSso

“I'm so sad!" "I'm going to kill him!" (You can guess which is which) 

Anyway after coming off their drug trip and hungover in a surprisingly vulnerable states (they are truthful drunk. They've reached that level.) they spill everything to this total stranger. Doña tells about the flood, the starvation, the death etc. Ash gets it that the rich would never understand and the only way to survive is to be tougher than everyone else.

Ash hints at Zopilote's ruining of her life, and bits of Victor and Carla and how she left them for training. That she misses Carla so much but she had to finish her training first because it's not like she can depend on Victor to be the savior. Only magic can do that cuz in this world, power is all that matters. And thus starts the bad advice. Ash tells Dona she is being stupid in catering to the needs of Avalorans. She was on top as Magister, she should do whatever it takes to stay on top. Sabotage, manipulation, anything. And anyone who says otherwise like that pompous Chancellor is just trying to protect his job, not help her.

Doña, on the other hand, enables Ash's frustration with Victor. Saying that if he was a good husband, he'd hiked himself and Carla up to the magic lair despite the danger because that's what love is. So they're just like "Men" and then they turn to each other. Because they're drunk they think it is an absolutely brilliant idea to confront the jerk who (had a completely legitimate reason to) kicked them out of the club. It’s oddly very girl empowerment moment. 

And the owner reminds them, they are still banned.   They leave, a bit shocked that they did that and actually sort of stood up for someone other than themself. 

Anyway they don't dwell on it and go get their drink on again. Yes, their dancing is bad like this but they had fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzasG3O8lE4

Then the night ends and the sun rises and they leave to never see each other again.

Doña: This is weird but you-you remind me of when I used to have adventures with my sister. I mean sort of. She was a lot sweeter than you. So much nicer. And not as harsh. And we didn't get into carriage stealing or anything illegal or-and- okay this metaphor is falling apart. What I meant to say is that I had fun. You’re awful and attacked me but I think I get you. 

Ash:

Ash: But we’re never-

Doña: Yeah never. Never going to speak of this. I don't want to see you again. So I guess nice knowing you-you um... I didn't get your name 

Ash: It's..oh what the hell, I'm never seeing you again. Azula.

Doña: Hortensia 

And then they leave. Completely forgetting each other's names and most of the night in a hangovery blur. Some of it intentional cuz cringe that they messily told all their dirty laundry to a stranger. But the advice remained with Ash resenting Victor even more and Doña putting her manipulative powers to win. 

[philomathhh9]

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Philomath, I just took a stroll down memory lane. A very cliché thing to say, I know. It was a long stroll though; the sun set and dawned upon my path countless of times and I kept walking. Swept away in a journey of nostalgia and emotions of comfort, I soon was struck by a wave of anger and resentment.

  All began when I chose to check my phone as I dressed to leave home to study for a big upcoming exam. A friend and colleague of mine had messaged me his location in Riyadh; his family recently moved there. We went back and forth and chatted about how our homes where a mere ten minute walk apart and that we could meet up once we visited our families in winter. It then hit me. “Home” was no longer that small cozy place in Saudi Arabia; the little apartment that I spent seventeen years of my life in. The place I had just called Home in front of my friend was nothing but a figment of my past - a dream I dreamt for just a little over a decade and a half. Home in the present is this place in Amman in which I currently take residence in with my sister, my lovely cat Leta, and my sweet departed cat-angel Valenta, who has been buried in our garden since May when illness rode her fate.

  I am content with the present day. I really am. However, calling my parents’ place in Saudi Home swung me back to the moments, days, months, and years of my being that I spent in innocence. I ran the Maps application and I checked every part of what used to be my life. I saw the school I spent the whole of my childhood in. I saw the park and the malls I used to go to on weekends with my mother. I saw the restaurant that my father enjoyed dining in on Fridays and I even saw the school I spent my high school years in. I then paused. Memories of my high school senior year washed up from an ocean I thought I had left behind. I spent it the way I spent the entirety of my days till then: dreaming, reading, and exploring the wonders of what life is. Curious is what I was. Not the kind of curious that is forced and involves taking a risk and leave familiar surroundings because they feel threatening and unsafe, but the type of curious that sticks to you in innocence while thriving in your provided environment- you just wonder if the outside is just as splendid.

  I wanted to become a lawyer at some point in high school and that brought me to read my personal statement that I had sent to universities in the UK for an undergraduate law degree. In front of me was a live example of what I used to be: a dreamer. Today, I believe that ignorance and innocence are synonymous from a certain perspective, despite being two very different words. The saying “Ignorance is bliss” is popular because of that very reason. Not knowing and staying in my naivete brought me happiness. Soon, the clock started to tick and the time came where being curious was not a thought to think of, but a thought to I had to execute. I had to figure out what was to become of me. My dreams of becoming a lawyer leaped away as the reality of its demanding financing settled. This marks strike one against young Philomath.

  Now, I am in the path of becoming a doctor; something I had chosen and kept as a back up plan in case the launch of my time with law failed. I know I did not choose it for the prestige of it. The human body and the world within infatuated me just as much. To reiterate, I am content with who I am and what I am doing today. It just so happened that the start of my new life as a meds student yanked my innocence away from me as I cried for and held on to it for dear life. My parents’ conditioning brought me to block away all my triggers and flaws by daydreaming and spending my time with thoughts of idealism. Now that my little daydreaming session of seventeen years had been brought to a screeching halt, I was shocked with what I found down here. As I recalled this and what followed today, I felt nothing but a strange mix of anger, resentment, disembodiment, and disbelief of what I had been and put others through. My surroundings in my first year of medicine were not only less than ideal, but straight up parasitic and gnawed at my little body day by day. The gnawing manifested physically; I lost a good fifth to fourth of my weight as depression and maladjustment took over me. Now that my bubble of idealism was popped, I was subjected to the thorns I harbored all along and had no idea what to do with them other than project them on others, both good and horrible people alike. That marked strike two for young philomath.

  Personal boundaries were alien things to me. Unfortunately, that me twinkle in the eyes of whom I know now to be a narcissistic sociopath. During the timeline in which him and I met, I was already dealing with confusion, maladjustment, and a dear friend that faced demons only I knew of. Today her and I do not really keep in touch anymore despite being mostly amicable. As far as I know, she is thriving and walking up her own path and struggle day by day and I am happy for her. Though, resentment still plagues the back of my head as she fell victim to projection of my own flaws and I sadly fell into hers. It was a lot of up, downs, lefts, and rights with her and at that time we brought horrible things out in each other. Apart from my doings, she had a phobia of abandonment and would do anything and everything to reassure herself and of course, due to my lack of boundaries, I enabled her. She was and is not a person of bad morale, but the anything and everything included a lot of jabs and stabs that mark where some scars in my soul still are today. That was strike three for you, young philomath.

  Back to the twinkly yet empty eyes of the narcissist that ended up becoming my wicked boyfriend. Like a vulture, he spent his first few weeks and months with me circling me and analyzing just how vulnerable I was and how much I had on my plate. Again, I had no boundaries; that meant that whatever he wanted, he would draw out of me. And inspite of that, nothing was ever enough for him. Everyone dear in my life at that time, I gone to the extremes for. That is: everyone but my own self. So I kept enabling him to use me, control me, and display me as an accessory. Did I project my flaws on him too? Yes. The truth is I never was, am, and will never be perfect. The difference though, was that I eventually recognized where I fell wrong with my people and took it upon myself to halt it and improve myself. Him on the other hand, emotionally abused the soul out of me until it no longer yearned to be in my body and to this very day, he victimizes himself as the ex of a horrible liar slut that harassed him for affection and ended up cheating on him. Again, horrible move on my part for both parties involved, but I will never ever dismiss the things he would do to me. He would use my insecurities as leverage and hold my emotional needs hostage until I popped and fell into an irrational reactive state. And of course, he contorted it all to make me out as the guilty. The crazy bitch. Yes of course, the crazy bitch that gave him everything she could give to him. The same crazy bitch that he gaslit, put down, and rejected when she needed him the most. What people do not know today is that when I horribly sought other than his affection as I fell into another reactive state due to constant episodic emotional rejection, I already was contemplating leaving him. The cycles of abuse became unbearable, and although I do not excuse myself for it, they finally pushed me to do something that was awfully wrong on my ex’s and the involved person’s behalf. And I cheated. The cherry on top of the icing? I do not recall the timeline it happened and suppressed it due to personal trauma. I lived my life knowing and believing that everything that happened between me and said person was at a time where him and I were not an item. Until it was brought to light by the third party that I did what I did around two weeks before I left him, the time I knew as the moments I was building myself up the courage to leave him. And that was strike four.

  Strike four marked the most ultimate of an ultimatum for me; it was either saving myself or continue down the path of self obliteration. Those two weeks before I left him were a turning point; for once I felt like I had to choose myself and my sanity before anyone else’s. I took back control of my life by ending it with him. Although initially it was amicable as we shared a group of friends, I ended up backing away more and more until I cut him off completely because he kept trying to get his sticky fingers on me and snatch me back onto his rollercoaster. Things with my friend were still going though, and with all that I already had endured she again did anything and everything to feel like I was not going to abandon her. I felt and feel for her, I really do. Just like emotional rejection and abuse pushed me to do a big mistake, her fears pushed her too. But reasons and context do not mean excuses. If I held myself accountable for everything I projected on her and him and everyone else in my life at that time, it would mean I had to hold her accountable too. And so, the journey of learning how to set boundaries and bettering myself began. She rejected it the whole time. To her, boundaries meant abandonment, and the more I set them, the more she’d do anything and everything to reassure herself I would not desert her. Until she did one last move, after which I could not bring myself to tolerate anything. At a weak point of hers, she spoke with my same ex that I had cut off to console her about my issues with me. She knew what kind of a person he is. In her vulnerable moments, he saw an opportunity to “avenge” the narcissistic injury I caused him by taking back my own control and pulled and withdrew information from her that he ended up using against me. With one big mistake, he contorted, molded, and spiced things until they tasted just right. To him, this was his big moment that he was waiting for: to end the bitch that dared dump him before he finished dumping her. One year after breaking up with him and not speaking with him at all, he used my friend’s poor judgement and vulnerability to attempt sabotaging me and my reputation. He circled me with other people and bullied me for my pronounced sexuality and supposed “manipulation and lies” and tried to convince other people to jump on an anti-me bandwagon. He even went as far as claiming that his reputation, which he ruined with his own hands, was in fact tarnished by me and the said fact that I was “psychotic” and never shut up about him and talked horrible of him to everyone I knew. All I did was confide in my so-called friends about the abuse I endured; ironically, no one turned against him the way he claimed and everyone that actually had a problem with him had nothing to do with the people I confided in. In this circle of nonsense that brought me severe trauma, barely anyone took him seriously. Reasonably so, picture viewing a couple split and move along with their own lives until one decides to dish and chase the other with some old dirt between them to convince people that the other was ruining their precious reputation. No sensible person would interfere with someone else’s problems with another. I ended up standing up for myself and further asserted my boundaries away from him by refuting responsibility for his broken reputation and stated that in fact it was his problem. I also mentioned that the circus of a show was unnecessary and that if he approached me like normal people do I would have been reacting very differently and took responsibility for my “dirt”. I ended things between him and I by pointing out the fact that it was pathetic to harass someone a year after they broke up him and it did nothing but prove his goal of claiming me as the “obsessed liar” the actual opposite. In the end, I was not the one to harass the other long after no contact with an old screw up.

  I then retained my most powerful tool: boundaries. Although I understood why my friend spoke with him, I could not help but hold her accountable that her irresponsibility with that move caused him to set off on a rampage. So I kept withdrawing from her and she could not bear it. Until one day she comes and “warns” me to “be careful of what I tell my friends because they are not the people I think they are”. The very friend that I had trusted with my life and a lot of information and mistakes on my behalf. The same friend that allowed him to grab those out of her in her vulnerable moments. I am more than sorry for everything I caused her, but this is something I would never forget. I remember trembling with anger and blocking her so that I would not blow up on her and cause her trouble and cost her a spiral. I got so angry that I became sick the next day. And ever since then, I had enough of my relationship with her. It was clear to me that we had both done too much to each other to recover from as normal friends. It had to end. After a few months of occasional angry SMS’s from her, I made it clear why I left and what I felt and that she would have to stop sending me message. She ended up acknowledging my hurt and apologized for everything she had done on her part. Everything. I remember crying with exasperation as I read her message admitting to everything; as for a good while of my life, I felt like I was the only one paying for my mistakes and trying to remedy them. The fact that someone else finally took responsibility for the damage done to me was something new and something alien. All that because I learned to set boundaries.

  I brought myself out of my stroll down memory lane. Now, I am filled with nothing but pride that I not only overcame my own demons and learned the concept of boundaries, pride that I chose to use my mistakes as a learning point and not a point of shame. I now have more power and independence than ever; although, I still have a lot to work on. My ordeal has caused me to be very reluctant with expecting anyone to assist me with any hardship and become guarded. On a note, I do not expect my ex’s last appearance to be final; that is unless he becomes knowledgeable enough to realize one more move towards me would show everyone watching his true color and that his most prized possession, his ego, would be in danger. I do hope he left things as they are and just gave up; as I am not a hostile person that enjoys attacking- even in self defense. But it became clear that staying out of his path does not stop him from staying out of mine. I feel always ready and on edge to play his exact game and use leverage against him so that he would never come near me again.

  As I now conclude writing to go study, I feel nothing but content with who I surround myself now and the person I have become. Thank you, Philomath again for living up to your name and allowing your love for learning get me out of a path of self destruction.

[sincerelyreidburke]

I know you only talked about it like, once in a post but could you please tell me more about drunk Quinn?

Yes, absolutely, anon. Drunk Quinn is an experience. Here’s the post in question where I mentioned it, and let’s expand on it.

(Ask me anything about the crickets!)

- Quinn drinks in very specific (and relatively rare) settings. Unlike his frat-bro boyfriend, he doesn’t really like getting lit up at parties on the regular. Rest assured Nando, when he does this, does it safely and in good company, but the fact remains that he’s often down to party.

- Quinn is a bit different. His idea of drinking at a kegster is having rosé out of a Solo cup with Ford. There are two places where Quinn will actually drink to the point of becoming tipsy: drama club cast parties (the closing-night ones, where they get champagne), and when he goes out with the crickets.

- First, let’s do the former, because the latter is way funnier. When Quinn is drinking at a cast party, it’s because he just finished a performance, and he had a really good time. He’s relieved that everything went well, in a place he loves, and happy. Closing nights can be magical like that. It’s this liminal space between performance craziness and the post-show “what am I supposed to do with my life now?” feeling.

- The first time Quinn gets actually tipsy is probably freshman year at the DEH cast party. They play random showtunes, and he sings along while eating the cake that has a frosting tree on it. His cheeks always get rosy when he drinks. Nando thinks it’s adorable.

- And so those are the cast parties. The far more entertaining version of Drunk Quinn comes when he and the 3 crickets, uh......... go clubbing.

- I mean specifically they go to gay bars. It starts around their sophomore year, and the reason they go is to support Rhodey’s secret undercover drag queen life to be in a fun queer space where they can also have a good time. (And yes, Touille is ace, but he’s going for the experience of hanging out with his friends and not to do Specifically Gay things. Also, he’s the designated driver.)

- Stick with me because this is funny. Quinn lets himself actually.......... become a little laid-back when he goes out with them? Those three boys are his best friends (even though he’s dating one of them). Like, he does have theatre friends, some really close ones, but when it comes down to it, the crickets are his closest friends.

- So that translates to Quinn being able to actually drink quite a bit. One time he and Rhodey go shot for shot. It’s terrifying.

- We all know that Quinn is kind of a bossy little bitch, but he tends to talk a lot more shit when he’s drunk than any other time. Drunk Quinn will spill all the unnecessary drama club tea.

- He makes Nando dance with him, even though Nando’s dancing skills are questionable at best. (He just wants the excuse to dance like a low-key thot for once in his life. Clubbing Quinn is a whole new person. Nando goes into gay panic.)

- There’s also the extremely vivid thought of Quinn making people do karaoke with him, like:

Quinn: C’mon, Remy, we can do Celine Dion! You’re Canadian, so you like her, right?

Touille: Oh, Q, I don’t really sing— (Gets physically yanked from his seat by Quinn to go up on the little stage)

- The videos of what transpires afterwards are copious.

- And on the thought of videos, Rhodey will often whip out his phone, start a Snapchat video, and say, yo, Q! Explain the plot of [x musical] to me! There are copious videos of Quinn essentially doing Drunk History in the backseat of Rhodey’s car, except it’s explaining musicals.

- So... Name That Show, based on Drunk Quinn’s explanations:

“Look... Dorothy was a little brat, okay? The Wicked Witch did nothing wrong. All she wanted was the shoes to remember her sister by... *Possibly shedding actual tears* Nessa deserved better!—”

“Umm... he broke his arm? And then he’s so socially awkward that he accidentally becomes a compulsive liar. :).”

“Well, it’s basic United States history, Ben; don’t you pay attention in class?????”

“PFF, okay, so, this bitch totally murders her secret lover and then she spends the entire rest of the show explaining why she’s obviously innocent—”

“Twelve-year-olds unionizing...... featuring vigorous tap dancing.”

“Hold on, hold on, I can do this, okay, uhh........ so they’re in France, and everybody’s life is awful....... so the main character is an ex-con, and everybody hates him because he stole bread— shut up, Sebastián, I’m thinking— and he’s traveling around trying to find a place to live, and, uh, wait, I lost my train of thought— okay, they all hate capitalism, and they try to revolt against the government, but— why are you looking at me like that?”

“I don’t fucking know, Ben; it’s just singing cats!”

- Quinn is extremely handsy when he’s drunk. To the point where Rhodey and Touille literally make him and Nando sit separate from each other, like Nando in the front and Quinn in the back, so Quinn doesn’t try any funny business when they’re on their way home from the bar.

- Nando usually carries him home. He never drinks to the point of being unable to walk on his own, but for someone who’s always graceful when sober, he stumbles more than he’d like to when he’s been drinking. It’s easier for Nando to just lift him up.

- Commence burying his face in his neck and mumbling things that might be vaguely spicy for a public place but it’s okay because Nando is the only one who hears them.

- But he usually just ends up snuggling a lot when they get in bed, even though he might think he’s up for more than that. Nando makes sure he drinks water, and Quinn clings onto him until he falls asleep.

Drunk Quinn is an experience. Thank you for enabling this information dump.

[glgaming835]

How much money is spent on gaming

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🍋 - Does your muse complain about things to you? If so, what? 🥔 - What’s the dumbest mistake you’ve made in rp?

1. These two don’t very often. Otogi might pipe up about all the shit I put him through on occasion but Aigami’s very quiet (probably because I haven’t thought of ways to put him through as much shit yet.

2. It took me a while to answer this because I needed to be in the right headspace to type this out. I’m gonna stick it under a readmore because it’s loaded with negativity. 

I feel like this question is actually referring to something silly like “I accidentally wrote the name of my character’s ex-boyfriend when answering an ask from her current boyfriend and made a really cute love declaration make it look like she was really hung up on her ex,” but I’m gonna go a little deeper. (That did happen though. In my defense, both characters’ names started with S. PS, if your rp partner makes a mistake like that and tells you that’s not the way they meant, let them change it, or take it the way it was intended. Don’t make them rp out the scene with the mistake included. That’s just really freaking mean.)

Now for the going deeper: 

My biggest mistake in rp is actually pretty recent, and it’s the reason for my three-ish month hiatus from this blog and Tumblr in general. 

It was getting involved with the Fire Emblem: Three Houses fandom. 

Now, I love Fire Emblem. It’s been my favorite video game series since Fire Emblem: Blazing Blade came out in the US in 2003. This has nothing to do with the game itself. It’s a great game. I wish I could still enjoy it.

But there are members of that fandom who are so incredibly toxic that I can no longer play the game or even discuss the game without feeling physically ill. Sadly, this is pretty common, because a lot of my friends know I’ve been known to breathe Fire Emblem and want to talk about it with me. I don’t feel like I can tell them what happened because it’s a pretty big damn can of worms. 

I feel so stupid that I let the emotional abuse I got from certain people in that fandom go on for as long as I did. I guess I was blind because I love the series so much. Well, that, and, like all good abusers, when I would catch on and ask if they wanted me to leave them alone, they would say that any negative transgressions I was feeling were in my head. No, we don’t dislike you, we want everyone to feel welcomed and have fun.

Well, that gets harder to believe when more and more people start treating you like hot garbage because the people I managed to make enemies out of were very influential. One of their friends started rping a character I played (I’m not going to name names because that might make it easier for people reading this to find out who these people are), and despite my rules saying I don’t rp with dupes because of a bad experience, they continued to interact with me on the dupe blog, saying it was all crack and it’s just for fun.

I got numerous messages from people telling me that (x) character was a copy of my version of that character made to make me feel inferior and make me abandon the character altogether. I don’t know if that was an assumption or something this mun said aloud, though based on the number of people who told me about it, I’m assuming it was the latter. 

When that didn’t make me leave, they got ahold of another friend who I was involved in a ship with. The influential mun’s character and my ship-partner’s character cheated on my character explicitly in our verse. I think I’ve said before on this blog that cheating on a muse without discussing it with the mun first is one of the worst things you can do? Well, everyone probably already knows that, unless you’re trying to make someone feel so bad that they abandon a blog. 

Surprise, surprise, each time I tried to talk to ship-mun about it, they would ignore me. They would talk to me about other things, but any message I sent about wanting to plot out how our characters could either resolve this or if they should break up was missed. Yeah, that’ll be believable maybe two times. After that, it’s blatantly dodging and you’re being a douche. 

During this time, while I was still trying to get some closure for that muse, I was on a different 3 Houses account and sent a message to another one of the influencer’s friends. They started griping about how certain muns use their muses to start shit, like the person who writes (my cheated on muse.) I hope they felt like a real fucking idiot when I sent a message saying “Well, actually, that muse is also run by me, and nothing you’re saying ever happened.”

I realized very quickly after that this particular mun wanted to run me off the site because they wanted to ship with the muse cheated on muse was in a ship with. Because multi-verse isn’t a commonly accepted thing I guess. 

About a week ago, I logged onto that account just to prove to myself that I could without throwing up, and those two are together now. Even though I told ship-mun how horrible they were and how they were spreading false rumors to make me look like a horrid person. 

Congrats, you two deserve each other. 

I know it’s on me for letting it go on as long as it did. I know it’s on me for not realizing what was going on for months. I know it’s on me for making excuses for their behavior and continuing to go on because I wanted to stay in the fandom and have fun, because the world was pretty much shut down and there wasn’t much to do to escape the world ending besides try to lose yourself in the internet, but what they did was absolutely the scummiest stuff I’ve seen in my seventeen years of rping. 

PS, I lost 23 pounds over the last two months of being involved in that fandom because I was constantly making myself sick trying to fix whatever I had done wrong that made them treat me this way. 

When I finally gave up I completely shut down, and that’s why I wasn’t here for a few months. 

I left everything as vague as possible so that no one is called out, but if, by some miracle, the people involved see this and figure out I’m talking about them:

Fuck you. Fuck you for ruining my favorite video game series. Fuck you for hurting so many people. I know two other muns who said they can’t enjoy Fire Emblem anymore either because of the shit you pulled. Fuck you for being so entitled you think you have the right to destroy someone’s reputation and chase them away from something they love because you don’t like something about them. Fuck you for being so manipulative that you can turn friends against one another. Fuck you for manipulating people with Autism (not me, another person they were shit to.) 

Fuck you. Fuck you and the people that enable you. 

Go to hell.