#so I think I’ll be more motivated to finish some WIPs!

[rinhaler]

I’ve still got stuff in my queue but imma come back today lmao

[pumpkinsplots]

Writeblr Intro

Hello, writeblr! I finally caved and got tumblr, mostly because I love rambling about my wips and hearing other people ramble about theirs and all of that lovely stuff, so this seemed like a great platform to do that. With that being said, I plan on posting about my wips and ocs, as well as art related to those things, so if that interests you at all, I’d love to see you stick around. Also feel free to call me either Pumpkin or Maria, it’s entirely up to you!

About my writing

I’ve found that I really enjoy writing in a variety of genres, so hopefully at least one of my wips will tickle your fancy. Though I’d say a common thing for me is that I really like to world build, so my wips tend to be sci-fi, fantasy, or magical realism of some variety. Anything where I can put my own spin on the setting is something I’m bound to enjoy writing about.

I write in third person, usually with multiple povs, and I really enjoy character driven stories.

I often like to have a wide variety of ages in the cast, and if I had to pick a favorite trope it would be found family, so that’s usually present to some degree in my stuff.

Tonally, I always include light-hearted moments here and there, even if the wip is very bleak. It provides some levity, and I think it makes the painful stuff hit a lot harder. This is probably partially why I put some thought into each character’s sense of humor.

Most of my wips are geared towards older teens and adults, but I’ll get more into content warnings when I talk about each individually, because it really varies.

I’m one of those writers that kills off a lot of characters, so this is your warning not to get attached /j

I’m demisexual, so at least one character being on the ace spectrum is like a requirement for me at this point.

I’m a plantser, and pretty bad at staying motivated to actually finish first drafts.

About my wips

Falling Up

Falling Up is a sci-if story set in the future where Earth is a utopia where inhabitants experience little to no hardships throughout their lives. The deceased are replaced with AI created to replicate them, and everything is automated to the point where people no longer need to work to make a living. This lack of struggle results in dull, perfect lives and skewed morals. The people crave entertainment, even if it means making others suffer for it. Quasdom, a miniature man made planet initially intended to be used to separate deviants from the rest of the perfect society, is used as a catalyst for entertainment. The people of Quasdom believe that those on Earth are superior to them, and that Earth is a place where any wish can come true. This leads to the tourney, a death game between groups of ten on Quasdom, being viewed similarly to winning the lottery. The winning team gets to go to Earth, after all. Being chosen for the tourney is the luckiest thing that can happen to you. There’s no hard feelings between participants, death is completely painless, and the afterlife will welcome any participants to a better life than they previously had. There’s nothing to fear, so smile and put on a show.

A large cast and lots of character deaths

An exploration of why we get so attached to fictional characters, and how fiction can have an impact on reality

Probably going to be a trilogy

Content warnings include language, some unsettling themes, depictions of mental health issues, and generally things that are more psychological. Despite it being a death game, there’s no gore, like at all. The people on Earth may be desensitized, but they aren’t accustomed to seeing blood, so the tourney is designed with that in mind

Facade

Facade is set in a world where the living world and the spirit world coexist. Due to some actions by the main antagonist, about 20 years prior to the current story, spirits started getting aggressive and sort of going haywire. They possess any person they can, turning the individual into an uncontrollable killing machine. The best defense to this was the invention of a certain kind of mask that prevents possession, and masks quickly became widespread. Since there’s no known way to reverse spiritual possession, the only solution is to kill those that are unfortunate enough to meet that fate. A group led by an anonymous vigilante known as K9 seek to find a way to reverse possession. Many enemies are made along the way, and there are countless obstacles to face.

Its setting is based on Singapore and set in the 90s, though there are many creative liberties taken

The wip is currently pretty no plot just vibes

Themes about individuality vs equality

Content warnings include language and some sexual content

Facade: After Dark

While Facade is currently no plot just vibes, developing the characters led to me thinking of the plot for a prequel. Is it a self-indulgent novella about two of the characters I love? Yes, absolutely. In summary, it’s a romance novella about the the relationship of Leijing and Iris, and their struggles in navigating the wild world of Facade. They have vastly different upbringings and experiences, but their differences bring them together in more ways than one.

I have so much backstory for this pre-established couple and I couldn’t think of a good way to incorporate it into the main story without cutting a bunch of it, so boom it’s a prequel now

I’ve found that working on a wip that’s more low stakes and simple is really fun—I tend to get stressed about my more ambitious plots, so this wip is a great change of pace

Leijing is demisexual with little interest in anything sex related and Iris is an omnisexual sex worker, and the story explores how a world obsessed with all things sex can effect both more sex-negative and sex-positive people

Content warnings include language, explicit sexual content, and potentially triggering subject matters. This is my only wip where it’s strictly 18+!

Lights Out

Sunlight is the essence of life. Without it, the world would wither away. However, a dangerous new life form of unknown origin festers in the light. With long, elegant glimmering limbs, high intelligence, picturesque precision, and a craving for flesh, these organisms pose a major threat to humanity. But for some odd reason, these creatures refuse to step into any area where the sun doesn’t touch. Much of humanity takes to the shadows, building elaborate underground tunnels for civilizations and doing what humans do best—using their resources and ingenuity to adapt.

Has two protagonists that butt heads but start to develop a father daughter dynamic. A young adult girl who’s from the underground and unknowingly part of a cult, and an older man with one leg who’s so stubborn he’d rather fight and die than flee to the darkness

Lots of creepy cult imagery and themes about religious trauma

So much banter of course

Content warnings include language, disturbing imagery, and gore

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! Asks, comments, tag games, and messages are always appreciated, and I’d love to hear about your wips as well!

[the-golden-comet]

✨Writeblr Interview✨

Thank you for tagging me @nczaversnick , @phynewrites , @mrbexwrites , and @foyle-writes-things ! Appreciate the heck out of y’all 💛✨

Short stories, novels, or poems?

Novels for sure, to read and to write! ✨

What genre do you prefer reading?

Same ones as I write—BL Romantasies, high fantasies, low fantasies, adult fiction, Slice of Life, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Angst/Fluff/Smut 💫✨

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

Little of column A, little of column B. I think a healthy balance between the two makes for some great planned (and unplanned) adventures! 💛✨

What music do you listen to while writing?

So funny thing….I don’t listen to music when I write. But, my favorite writing white noise is gameplay of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dead by Daylight, or Friday the 13th without commentary, played at a very low volume. Something about a revving chainsaw sparks my motivation to write (or maybe it’s fear? 🤔)

Favorite books/movies?

Anything Disney +mutuals’s stories ✨

Any current WIPs?

So far finishing up YWIMC before I move on to something big….👀✨I have a lot of stories on the back-burner and am focusing on one at a time 💛

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you what would your standard outfit be?

Very comfortable gray-knit turtleneck or hoodie, comfy pants, stylin’ shoes, and my bag of holding (numerous things. Backpack I carry around that has all my daily necessities ✨)

Create a character description of yourself:

Okay picture Link from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Got it? Okay. Make him gay. Give him some cartilage piercings. Maybe a few eye bags due to the insomnia. There you go. ✨

Oh also make him chaotic good. Because the world needs more kindness, and I will give the world more kindness. The world does not have a choice in the matter. 🌏💫✨

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Considering what I write? Absolutely not.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Depends on the character and the narrative. I like happy endings, but sometimes a character must die. 🤷‍♂️

Coffee or Tea while writing?

While I write? Water. While I wake up? Coffee. While I get ready for bed? Tea.

Slow or fast writer?

Fast writer, slow motivator. Once I get on a groove I can usually go on 5-6 hour writing binges at a time. I just have to get there first with all of my projects….🫠✨

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from?

Myself mainly, and my friends and mutuals secondly. I’ve been writing for myself since I started making fanfictions as a teenager, so I’ll never NOT make stories for myself. Gaining a supportive community on writeblr has given me an extra boost of motivation, because now I feel like I’m writing for myself AND for my friends and mutuals ✨

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

The person that somehow finds themself in harrowing situations only to stumble my way out of the problem through sheer coincidence and bullshit. Or a bard. Probably a bard. Maybe both of these things 🤔✨

Most fav book cliche:

Two dumb idiots (/positive) go on an epic quest and learn about each other in the meanwhile. (See: The Emperor’s New Groove)

Least favorite cliche:

One-trick pony characters that lack depth, or exist just to check off a box.

Favorite scene to write?

Anything involving the two main protags.

Reason for writing?

My own personal enjoyment, and to share my crazy mind with the world for entertainment and create joy and inspiration to a community of genius minds (You. I’m talking about you. Yeah, YOU. Keep writing, keep inspiring, and keep on keeping on) 💖✨

Thank you again! I’m going to tag (no pressure): @tragedycoded , @wyked-ao3 , @gioiaalbanoart , @sableglass , @words-after-midnight , @saturnine-saturneight , @marlowethelibrarian , @davycoquette , @lychhiker-writes , @glasshouses-and-stones , @aintgonnatakethis , @honeybewrites , @drchenquill , @theink-stainedfolk , @the-letterbox-archives , @ominous-feychild , @mysticstarlightduck , @finickyfelix , @autism-purgatory , @moltenwrites , @rivenantiqnerd , @thecomfywriter , @somethingclevermahogony , @authorcoledipalo , @houseplantblank , +open tag ✨

[pyat-pree]

WIP of my current Jaime illustration, I can’t motivate myself to finish it but I’m super proud of how he turned out so here it is…. (he has long hair long I think it suits him more)

I’ll post the finished version at some point, peace and love on planetos ✌️

[idontknowreallywhy]

WIP Wednesday

This isn’t what I am supposed to be writing, but it’s been… A Week and I’ve struggled to write anything at all. Only this, for some reason, and I’m not 100% content with it as it is still kind of clumsy. But… work in progress, right? And sharing does seem to motivate me to pull the words together so here we are!

Instead of the three possible things I plan to be adding to / finishing in the near future, I’ve leapt months and months ahead in a currently dormant fic because I’m fascinated by what might happen when the truth of a particular incident is revealed. So we have Scott having a panic attack and a bit of the frustration of being a whole world away from someone you’d really like to be able to comfort with more than just words… both of which could be considered personal catharsis I suppose.

*apologises to characters for inficting more angst upon them*

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

The call finally connected, voice only this time, and she could hear seabirds.

“Scott?”

“Hey.”

He sounded so deflated it knocked the breath from her lungs and she found herself straightening up and clenching her fists as her body instinctively readied itself to fight and destroy whatever it was that had hurt him.

“Hey Blue, what’s happened?”

There was silence. No, not silence. She could hear him breathing erratically against the white noise of the sea and the occasional gull squawking in the distance. His despair was almost tangible from half way around the world.

She tried an easier question:

“Where are you?”

“Volcano” it was barely more than a whisper.

“On the island?”

“Yeah… it’s… view is nice… up here. Lot of sky.”

“Sky is good.”

“Mmhmm.”

She could hear a faint gasp as if he’d suddenly remembered to breathe. Then several short panting breaths before he was clearly holding it again as there was only the sea.

“Scott… can you try a slow breath for me?”

She could hear him inhaling in through his nose and blowing out through his mouth with the faintest whistle.

“That’s it. And again.”

He obeyed and mumbled an apology.

“You don’t need to apologise. Give me another breath.”

He did. Then swore softly.

“I don’t think they trust me.”

“Who? Your brothers?”

“Yeah.” The word was little more than a squeak.

“What has given you that impression?”

He huffed the least joyful laugh a human being could ever emit.

“Not just an impression.”

“Ok... What is the evidence for your conclusion?”

“I’ve messed up so bad. I… they… they think I… that I could…”

His breathing was quiet but way too fast, a faint squeak at the end of each inhalation betrayed his losing battle with the panic.

“Slow down, Blue. Where never lark…”

“Or-ever-eagle-flew” the words came out in a rush but after a further shuddering breath he managed to get his breathing more even and apologised again.

“Stop it, you’ve done nothing to be sorry for.”

“Mmmh”

“You don’t have to tell me what’s going on. I’ll just stay here with you until you’re feeling stronger, ok? Until you can find Virgil or one of the others to… Scott?!”

The gasp she just heard was so saturated with pain she was sure he’d been physically hurt - that he’d just been stabbed or fallen somehow - and she was unable to hide the panic in her voice:

“Scott! Are you ok? Please answer me.”

“I’m ok. Sorry.” He sniffed and tried to hide it with a cough. “Just… can’t… not them. Not about… this.”

“Oh Scott…”

“They… they…” his voice faded out again. Not for the first time, Estera wholeheartedly wished she had her own Thunderbird handy as being stuck on the other side of the planet when her friend so clearly needed a hug made her want to gnaw her own arm off.

“They…” He was trying again but clearly couldn’t form the words he wanted.

“You don’t have to tell me, it’s ok, I’m here anyway. We can just sit.”

Another faked throat clearance then in a tiny voice that seemed utterly incongruous coming from a man with such a large presence:

“N-need to? Please? Nobody else…”

“Of course you can! It’s ok! It’s alright… It’s… ok. Take your time.”

He sniffed again then Estera could almost hear him counting the length of his breaths. She wracked her brain, trying to think of something, anything she could do to make this better. The smallness of his voice hurt - it was so wrong - it was as if with the same words in which he was tentatively asking for help he was also somehow apologising for taking up space in the world. She found herself recalling little Alex, red faced and full of tears, gasping and unable to verbalise his frustration until she nudged a pencil towards him and he’d snatched it up and carved “THEY PUSHD ME DOWNE” six sheets deep into her notebook. Huh. What if…

“Would typing be easier? I can stay on the line?

“Mmmh”

There was a shaky sigh and then another breath-holding pause before a text message popped up.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[dojunie]

fic progress update :3

misdial: working on the jaemin x reader prequel before getting into chapter 6 of misdial in earnest! so, techinically i’m still 'working on misdial', but not exactly a story continuation just yet... apologies for all my jeno luvrs, your time will come soon!

the lake house (njm misdial prequel, possible retitle coming): wordcount is at 27k currently (I KNOW! I KNOW! I’M SORRY!) and i’ve got about 5-7k left (...optimistically... it will probably could be more...) i must’ve written like 5k for this in the last three days alone because i’m very excited about it, so here’s to hoping the energy sticks up. i’m planning for this to be the next thing i upload!

messenger: is on baby hiatus! the outline is finished! just have to motivate myself to make the texts, LOL

courtside (itwd retitle, njm or ljn basketball au): wordcount is at 55k. this is my child, idk, i carry her around in my locket necklace like an old victorian lover, i write very sporadically for this (like 5k in one night or nothing for a month) which means she will not be coming out into the world for a while. but when i tell you this is on my mind every day. atp i’m genuinely thinking this fic might be like 80k plus

into you: indefinitely on hiatus……………… i think about her so often but im not happy with the way it flows at the moment, and i just do not have the energy rn to rework what i’ve already written (its at 9k) but i still really like the existing parts + the concept itself! its on hiatus, idk when i’ll sit down and work on it again, but i 100% plan to finish it

swimming for dummies: next on my wip roster after either i finish lake house (plus, or) misdial ch 6! currently at 32k? just need to wrap up the final scene and edit for flow and clarity before part 1 is done and potentially ready to post!

other info: looking at all these big number seems kind of ridic for how little i post, like im writing like crazy and just hoard it all instead of posting (if u do the math of the stuff above i have one hundred and twenty three thousand words of stuff in the works) but i promise you these things will be posted!!!! i luv writing. i luv dream. i am also just a perfectionist who cant upload something until it makes perfect sense + i am a serial editor, which means i have to reread + spot edit the whole fic every time i open the doc or i think i'll die. really slows the process down, unfort

anyway, i'm making this post so you don't think i've given up on some of these things!!! progress is being made, i pinky promise, but thank you all for sticking with me either way :D

[deathsmallcaps]

👻📗💭🧪💡🔮

Regarding this ask game. Thank you!!!

👻 - What is your wildest headcanon?

Okay because we both like Wolverine (this isn’t wild I just think it’s funny): back in the early 2010s when Fruit Ninja came out, he became obsessed with trying to do it in real life. So he’d get up early in the morning and ‘prepare breakfast’. The first few months it was messy, but by the end of the school year the students usually had a nicely prepared tray of fruits for breakfast. (He would sterilize his claws before doing this)

📗 - Do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? If so, what about?

I had a superpowers sci-fi story in my head since I was 13. But then I realized it was kind of built on a some beliefs I don’t have anymore. So I’m kind of in between long original projects? I did just finish a ‘short’ story and I might want to continue it. I know I want to write a sexy epilogue but idk. Right now I have a bunch of actually short story ideas that I’m just pleased I finally have the spoons to write about. Most are speculative fiction, leaning towards magical.

💭 - What inspires you and your writing?

Dreams, what I want to read, money. My farm job had be write a bunch of kids stories about the animals this past summer, and since it’s about to be the off season, she (the farmer) is going to look into getting them published. Idk if they’re that good but they’re done?

🧪 - Oh hell yeah. I just completed a project where I ‘culture-fitted’ a lot of European fairy tales into other parts of the world and drew pictures for them. I started doing that BEFORE I knew that could be kind of a dicey move (I was 16) so once I realized how much thought such a project deserved, I started extensively researching outfits, values and beliefs to make sure that if I was still going to do this, I would do it at least somewhat properly. And I think it’s made me a good writer! I have fun writing from the POV of people I’ve never been.

💡- How many WIPs do you currently have?

Over 20, if I just count all the ones in my docs and notes apps. Though some of them I’ve set aside forever and just keep around so I can look at my old writing. One of these days I’ll organize them so they’re in one big doc and they won’t take up so much space. As for WIPs in my head? Millions :’)

🔮 - Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

I have none. My motivations are a mystery to me. Since finishing my big fairy tale project and getting near the end of college I’ve felt more interest in actually writing, but that’s an external thing? I don’t know of anything that could’ve motivated me internally ugh.

[herofics]

Knight in Shining Armor

A/N: Hahaa, guess who’s going to use their whole day writing fanfiction instead of doing school stuff? Meeeeeeeee. Guess who’s also actually going to finish only one of the WIPs they’ve started? Meeee. Procrastination for the win babyyy. Geto it is, once again… non curse au I guess

It was one of those days again, not a good one, but not really a bad one either, just bland, just nothing. You had worked on your university assignments for hours last evening, and now all your motivation was gone. You felt like it was going to be another day of procrastination.

Maybe you should text Geto to see if you could go over to his place, at least that would give you something to do. The walk would help clear your head too.

“Can I come over?” you texted Geto.

“Right now?” came an answer.

“Yeah. Or is it not a good time?”

“It’s fine, I was just about to start making dinner. I’ll make enough for two :)”

“Thanks, I’ll be there soon” you messaged back.

You put on some proper clothes, instead of the stuff you wore when you were alone. Leaving the apartment in your pajama pants and a tank top didn’t really seem like a good idea. Even though Geto probably wouldn’t mind. You gathered your things, threw on a jacket and put on your shoes, before leaving for Geto’s place.

It was a nice walk, the day was cloudy, but the sun peeked out from behind the clouds every now and then. You were listening to music on your headphones while you walked, so you didn’t immediately notice the guy that was yelling at you from across the street. You finally saw him in your peripheral vision when he started to approach you. You tried to ignore him, since it never did any good to entertain these types of people. Geto’s place was around the corner, so you were just hoping he would leave you alone. When he grabbed your shoulder, you flinched and backed away, but even then you could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“What’s up sweet tits? Come on, have some fun with me” he suggested with a raspy voice.

“No-no thanks, I’m in a hurry” you said shakily, trying to walk away from him.

He grabbed you by your wrist, stopping you from leaving the situation: “I wasn’t really askin, bitch”

You tried to pull away, but he had a tight grip on you. You were looking around frantically, but there weren’t many people around and those who were, didn’t seem to care. Then you heard a smack sound, something crunching, and the grip on your wrist went away.

“You really shouldn’t grab people like that” you heard a familiar voice say from beside you to the guy that was now on the ground, holding his nose.

“Suguru?” you asked with a clear tremble in your voice.

“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Geto asked, scanning you with his eyes, making sure you were okay.

“Just a little shook up, I’ll be fine. Thank you” you muttered.

“Let’s go” Geto said, taking your hand, still glaring at the man that had dared to put his hands on you.

You were almost at Geto’s apartment, when the realization hit you. How did he know you were in trouble and where you were?

“How did you know to come help me?” you inquired.

“I was coming out of the store when I noticed you. I was just getting some groceries, because I was missing some things to make the dinner and happened to be there at the right time” he shrugged.

“So you don’t have some weird supernatural ability to know when I’m in trouble, and to just materialize there?” you joked.

“Not that I know of, at least, I just have excellent timing” he smiled.

“And what good timing you have, I thought I was about to get hurt” you shuddered, thinking about what could’ve happened.

“People like that should really learn to keep their hands to themselves” Geto huffed.

“Couldn’t agree more” you groaned, rubbing your wrist where the guy had grabbed you.

Geto noticed you rubbing your wrist, and it just made his blood boil. He didn’t let it show, but he was really angry at the guy that had put his hands on you. He probably would have hit him until his knuckles bled if he had a little less self-control. He didn’t like people putting their hands on someone without an invitation, but with you, he was even angrier about it than he would normally be, you were his partner after all.

You were at Geto’s door when he asked: “Are you sure you’re okay, love?”

“Like I said, just a bit shook up, and it’s not like this hasn’t happened before”

“It sucks that you have to deal with people like that” Geto groaned as he opened the door to his apartment, clearly annoyed.

“Yeah, but there’s not really anything I can do about it. Some people are just idiots” you sighed.

“Don’t I know it” he said as the two of you entered his apartment.

“Thanks for saving my butt, Suguru. I appreciate it” you said while taking off your shoes.

“Of course, love. I’ll save your ass any time you need it” he smiled that gentle, close eyed smile of his.

“Thank you” you smiled, looking at him adoringly.

“You’re welcome” he smirked and leaned in to kiss you.

You closed the distance between you and kissed him. Every time you kissed, it made your heart flutter. He just had that effect on you. You were so thankful that he was there to save your ass. Your knight in shining armor.

[toxicroyjamie]

🌀 and ⛅ please!!!! 🙏🙏🙏 I would make a blood sacrifice to read your RoyJamie fic, if that's any motivation.

THANK YOUUUU .... It so is.... I have like 39 wips and I NEVER have time to finish them but I feel like if I actually locked in on one project I could like. Actually make something idk. but yes ty <3

🌀: Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't published.

I'm literally so bad at writing summaries and I never do it, so I'll just describe one haha

It's an AU where Jamie's life veered off course in his late teens and he became a year 0/reception (or Pre-K in the US - 4-5 year olds) teacher instead of a football player. Roy is the exact same. Phoebe's in Jamie's class and Roy and Jamie hit it off when Roy's sister gets an emergency call into work and he has to go be the Volunteer Parent Helper in Jamie's classroom haha

🌤️: Post your favorite dialogue from your WIP.

This is from the same one just to keep the theme going. Keep in mind this is a work in progmess lol <3

“So,” she starts, drawing out the o sound, which immediately confirms Roy’s suspicion that she’s got vicious, nasty ulterior motives.

“What do you think of Mr. Jamie?”

Roy throws his head back and groans.

Since he came out, Rachel’s been on the fool’s errand of trying to lure him into talking about men with her.

It's like she thinks they're on fucking Sex and the fucking City, or something.

Roy is really no more eager to discuss men with his sister than he ever was to discuss women with her (or than he would be to, say, flatten his testicles in a vice-grip), and has tried several times to explain as much, but Rachel doesn’t listen to a goddamn word he says.

She reaps some sort of demented delight from his continued irritation.

Fucking little sisters.

Roy takes a hedonistically-long swig from his stemmed glass and swishes the bitter liquid around in his cheeks like a wine-tasting old-money prick.

It tastes like wine; he thinks he detects notes of grapes.

"Jamie’s fine,” Roy concedes, refusing to fall prey to her scheme. “Seems…nice.”

Rachel - undeterred - jabs him beneath the ribs with her bony index finger.

It fucking hurts. She’s inherited their mother's hawk talon fingers, long and sharp and probably strong enough to break a rodent’s neck in one go.

Roy cradles his poor, abused side and glares daggers at her across the sofa.

“Fuck off! What?”

“You know.”

He does.

“No, I don’t,” he insists, directing his attention back towards the TV.

He keeps his arms firmly glued to his sides, just in case she tries it.

Two of the dark-haired, belipfillered women who have been courting the same ugly little blond lad are yelling at each other in a restaurant booth, but Rachel was running her mouth through the entirety of the talking heads segment, so Roy's got no idea what's happened or where they are.

He growls in annoyance and moves to grab the remote off the coffee table.

The moment his sides are exposed, Rachel lunges at him, driving her talon into his vulnerable side.

Next time, Roy thinks, I’ll bite her finger clean off.

“Fucking stop!” He orders.

He slaps her hand away hard enough that she yelps.

"Are you really gonna make me say it?" She demands, cradling her hand like Roy's fucking broken it, or something. “I have to be the weirdo?”

“Yeah. Because I've got no fucking idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on, Roy. He's fucking fit.”

“Is he? Didn't notice. Can I just fucking watch our fucking show?”

“All the mummies fancy him, too,” Rachel continues, ignoring him altogether. “I mean, not me. I don't like athletic men. They're all vain and shallow.”

“Hm.”

“But all the other mummies. God, there's a mums’ groupchat—for, like, playdates, or day-drinking, or whatever—and the shit these women say about this boy—let me show you.”

She reaches for her phone on the coffee table, but Roy waves her off.

“I can imagine, thanks.”

[stealingyourbones]

Ask the writer ask game! Tagged by @gremlin-bot

1.) how many works do you have on ao3?

8!

2.) what’s your total ao3 word count?

50k!

3.) what fandoms do you write for?

Primarily DPxDC but I enjoy writing DC and I greatly enjoy writing D&D campaigns!

4.) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Falling in Love (In the Most Literal Sense)

Short DPxDC Prompts

I've Grown a Mouth So Sharp and Cruel (It's All That I Can Give To You)

What the Hell?! (UP FOR ADOPTION)

Dream of a Peaceful Slumber

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I’m simply too busy with my tumblr to respond to people on ao3. If I try to focus on more than one website at a time I’ll lose my mind 😅. I promise I Look at each and every one!

6.) what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

There’s a sander sides fic i wrote like 8 years ago that had all of the sides get slowly and very brutally murdered one by one in hella graphic detail. I was trying to experiment with descriptors and visuals at that time. Definitely that one. I don’t think it’s on ao3 but it’s somewhere on my old Wattpad account

7.) what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Definitely Falling In Love (In The Most Literal Sense) or an unpublished eldritch smut horror DeadOnMain fic that’s forever staying in WIP hell. Falling In Love first and foremost has an ending, secondly they get along and it’s cute :)

8.) do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I occasionally get questions or criticism on my tumblr but that’s either advice or someone wanting answers and that isn’t hate.

9.) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have tried my hand at smut before. Mostly smutty scenes with kinda sorta fade to black, solely because I’m terrible at painting a mental picture for the reader so it always flows terribly. I’ve written that eldritch DeadOnMain thing as I said previously, and some of Jason’s matches Malone persona OF ideas.

10.) do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one?

Somewhere in my WIPs there is a homestuck AU DPxDC fic where DP kids are the humans and DC folks (primarily the teen titans) are the trolls. Definitely that one.

11.) have you ever had a fic stolen?

No fics but I’ve been sent asks that are word for word one of my prompts. I just delete those and go on with my day. Idk I don’t have a tiktok and someone’s probably imitating me on there with my prompts so possibly????

12.) have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13.) have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes!! I’ve Grown A Mouth So Sharp And Cruel (It’s All That I Can Give To You My Dear) (eventually I’ll get around to working on it I have so much stuff going on like preparing to move and finals creeping up aUGH)

14.) what’s your all time fav ship?

Ooooo It’s a solid tie between Kon/Tim and Dave/Karkat. One is my current favorite and the other is one that’s been my favorite ship for the longest time.

15.) what’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

I have a WIP in my files that’s a DPxDC Dash/Danny fic where Dash is a bomb disposal tech and Danny just moved into Gotham. I have the entire outline written and almost a solid chapter done but I heavily doubt I’ll have the motivation to touch it again.

16.) what are your writing strengths?

I don’t think I have any, (I haven’t written a full length fic in so long I can’t really tell 😅) but I’m very good at setting tone. Idk what do y’all think?

17.) writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. 100% dialogue. It always feels clunky and unconversational whenever I read it back. I swear the second I start writing talking I forget how conversations work.

18.) thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I’d probably throw a simple word here in there of the other language if I’m writing a bilingual speaker or ask a pal to help me with translations because I only know English and I know damn well that friends are better translators than google.

19.) first fandom you wrote for?

Sander Sides! I wrote a solid 500ish prompts for that fandom and like 70k worth of fics. It was what got me into writing and for that I’m so very glad.

20.) Fav fic you’ve ever written?

Definitely my Batman mermaid au. I love it to bits and I’m so proud of the designs and I’m always kinda sad that I’m the only one as enthused about this work as I am. None the less I reread it at least every 3 months and it always makes me smile doing so.

Ooo who to tag… @chromatographic @halfagone @susiron

[mrsbsmooth]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for the tag @rebelrayne! @longbobmckenzie tagged me in the body of hers too so I’ll take it.

How many works do you have on ao3?

82 right now, but I’ve orphaned a few recently

What’s your total ao3 word count?

1,220,982. I’ve got about another 30-40k words in WIP documents right now, so almost one-amd-a-quarter million words 😨

What fandoms do you write for?

Love Island the Game, Too Hot to Handle game, Harry Potter (Dramione exclusive), Romance Club (Heaven’s Secret)

Top five fics by Kudos

Tell Me What You Want (HP)

This Time, I’m Serious

Jaded

Unhealthy

Kinktober 2022

TIL that my Harry Potter fic has overtaken TTIS even though TTIS has more hits.

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! There were a few on TTIS I missed that it would be awkward to reply to because it was so long ago, but I make a point of trying to reply to every comment.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The only sad ending I’ve ever written was the first chapter of Jaded which was originally done as a oneshot.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Welcome To Racers. They got the whole shebang. Love me a happily ever after.

Do you get hate on fics?

Not recently. I’ve had hate for my portrayals of Alex, Lucas, and Suresh. But I haven’t had any nasty anon comments in ages which is lovely.

Do you write smut?

Yeah it's kinda my thing.

Craziest crossover:

I don’t know if I’ve done many crossovers… maybe Bruno and Miri Make a Porno or All I Want for Christmas is You which is a hetero take on Red White and Royal blue?

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No but I think I would probably die of happiness.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I HAVE! All’s Fair in Casa Amor was written with my beautiful friends @i-boop-you and @crimswnred !!!!!!

All time favourite ship?

Dramione (new fave) but for LITG? Hard question because our fandom is so built around an MC. But with two canon characters? I secretly love a Bruno/Valentina. Also love Hope/Lucas. They just WORK.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

It’s gotta be Recovery. I have the whole thing planned in my head but I just have no motivation to write it at all. Other than that, I don’t see myself finishing Famous Last Words any time soon. If I was going to finish it I’d take it down and rewrite it to make it fully OF.

What are your writing strengths?

Smut probably, I’m not bad at it. I feel like my narrative pacing is alright, and my prose is decent despite it being really inconsistent.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I rely too much on dialogue. I miss all the little body language bits leading up to an important line that could take it from an ‘aww that’s sad’ to a ‘holy fuck I’m sobbing’. Luckily I have wonderful beta’s who help me with this.

But more than anything, characterisation. Forming a fully fleshed out character before I start the story. I struggle with it. I’ve always felt like I’m more of a storyteller, (a plot person) more than a deep dive into a character’s psyche kind of person. I love reading character driven stories though, but I think it’s something that comes with writing experience. I haven’t actually been writing for that long and I think I’m getting better at it, but it’s still a weak point.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I sometimes forget that people don’t like this. I LOVE it. I do try and use it sparingly though. It’s so nice to see a character conversing with someone in their native language. I try and put the English dialogue in brackets or italics unless it's rather clear what they're saying (like swearing).

First fandom you wrote in?

LITG

Favourite fic you've written?

I, like Sarah, absolutely hate this question. My fics are my children. I like some of them more than others, though (I never claimed to be the world's best mother). But I love them for different reasons.

I love Welcome to Racers because it was my first AU. I loved The Only Two Things because I got to create an entire world, an entire city for my characters (Yes I'm aware Waterford, Ireland is a real place but God, I loved that story so much). TT,IS was the first fic I started and it gave me the friends I have today and the amount of people who tell me it's S4 canon just makes my whole life. Jaded was something different. It was a challenge to myself and I'm so proud of it. Unhealthy has been the most difficult to write, but it's also pushed me the hardest in my development of characters. FLW has been so much fun because I get to dive back into my music roots, urghhhhhh. Love.

I don't care if it's narcissistic. I re-read my fics on a regular basis. They're perfectly tailored to my taste. I love doing a nice re-read and sprinkling in a few extra details with liberal use of the edit button. If there was someone who knew my fics as well as I did, they'd get something a little bit different on every read. Might just be a line or two, might be a thought or a reaction, but I love to add and tweak and tinker with them all.

Love.

tagging: @i-boop-you @crimswnred @ellegreenwxy @tammyisobsessedwith @operationnope @sparxaf @eskiix

[musicalmoritz]

On average how long does it take you to write a fic? I see you post pretty often on ao3 so I was just wondering if you had any tips to write faster? you make it seem so effortless lol/pos

I must confess, I’ve been procrastinating on finishing a fic for a few weeks now…nonetheless I do have some tips!

So the brutal truth here is that when I really want to get something written I don’t sleep LMAO. Usually I’ll stay up until 4:00 AM writing, but I haven’t been able to do that lately because I’ve been trying to prioritize a healthy sleep schedule. It’s better to start writing early so you don’t stay up half the night, that can actually make things more difficult as after a certain hour your brain will just shut off (at least that’s what happens for me)

The length it takes me to write a fic depends on the type of fic, if it’s 3-4K I can usually knock it out in a day or two, unless I’ve been putting it off. If it’s 9-12k it takes me a couple of days, though I have written fics that length in one sitting before. Again, I do crazy work between the hours of 8:00 PM and 4:00 AM. If it’s anything near 20k it usually takes me a few months, especially if I have a lot going on irl at the time. My longest fic was 52k and I pretty much wrote that through the winter. Right now I’m working on one that’s meant to end at around 15k and I already have 12k of it written, but I ramble so it might come out a bit longer

Okay now onto actual productive tips. In my experience, the best way to write a lot is literally just to spill all your thoughts onto the page. Yap like your life depends on it. If I’m writing the character experiencing something I have a lot of opinions on, I’ll spend several paragraphs just talking about that. Some of my best and longest fics come from me straight up venting into a Google Doc. It’s like a diary except no one can tell how much is the character’s pov and how much is me working out my own problems. If you think you ranted too much, you can always go back and delete some later

It’s also good to try and always be writing. One of my Mitsukou fics was written almost entirely between breaks at work. I bring my computer with me if I’m going somewhere over night. I’ll write while I’m waiting for a class to start, and in between classes- especially if I have a long break. I write a paragraph or two on the toilet sometimes. And also be thinking about the characters a lot, I’m hyperfixated on tbhk rn so these little losers are always on my mind; so when I sit down to write, I’ve already written most of the fic in my head. Share your own headcanons and analysis, people love reading that stuff. Don’t be afraid to get creative and take a few liberties, most readers are subconsciously longing for new things in their fics

Also don’t stress yourself out too much about what you post! Fanfic is best when it’s written for your own enjoyment above anyone else’s. Sometimes I get too caught up in what other people will think of my fics and forget I have total control over everything I write. If you worry too much about making your work “perfect,” you’ll never want to write. Make yourself your main target audience, it makes the process way more fun

I hope some of this helped you!! Thank you for your ask, this gave me the motivation to work on my wip. I’m also currently writing fics for every day of Aoinene Week so it’s been busy. A good fic playlist also helps, it helps you better envision the world you’re writing. Recently I’ve been basing my fics off specific music artists which gets me really invested. Happy writing :)

[sleepyowlwrites]

Hello!!! Humbly asking for a piece of your writing from any wip at all; the way you write characters makes me so happy and i miss them :')

Wishing you a wonderful day, and thank you for giving me more motivation to write, and making me realise that yes you can in fact find your love for writing again, even if you had abandoned it. Best wishes, may you feel rested soon🙏

this is an excerpt from Youth D2, written at least two years ago, because it has been a really long time since I've been able to write anything, let alone any of my original wips.

Mark wandered through the various bags and boxes laid out on the floor of Daniel’s bedroom. Some of them were crinkled like they’d been smushed together in a tight space, and some of the boxes were missing lids. He stepped over a stack of them and approached where Daniel was crouched over a very large bag with his head stuck down in it.

“What are you doing?”

Daniel whipped his head up. “Don’t sneak up on me!”

Mark shrugged, crouching beside him. “Hi, I’m here. What are you doing?”

“I’m going through the clothes I don’t need and the clothes I’ve stashed away for everyone to decide which of them might actually be accepted. Your stash is over there,” Daniel finished with a pout, pointing at a tidy stack of blue boxes.

“My stash?” Mark got up to inspect it. He removed the lid of the first box to see some printed shirts, mostly in darker neutral shades. The first one he picked up had brown and grey stripes, and only two buttons.

Daniel spoke up from back in the bag, presumably, since his voice was muffled. “I’ve tried to keep to colors that you’ll actually wear, but there is a rather nice white and aqua affair somewhere that I think would look really good on you if you’d give it a chance.”

“You know I don’t prefer when you buy me clothes,” Mark said, moving on to the next box so he could judge the mentioned shirt on fair terms.

“But I also know that you’ll wear them anyway, and I can’t help it. Buying clothes for my friends is one of my love languages.”

Mark found the shirt and ran his fingers over the fabric. It was soft, and the print was subtle. But it was blue, and bright, and Mark was unaccustomed to wearing such shades. “This is a Nyks shirt.”

Daniel sighed. “Yeah. He picked it out.”

Oh. That was different then. “Did he say anything about it?”

“He said “get it for him anyway, he might recognize that bright colors are his friends too,” and no, I’m not making that up.” Daniel met Mark’s gaze with a passive smile.

Mark chewed on the inside of his cheek while looking back at the shirt. “I like that brown one with the dots,” he said eventually.

Daniel pushed aside the bag to come over and stand next to him. Mark was always very aware of the differences between them. Today, Daniel was wearing a pale pink button-down with sky blue on the collar and cuffs. Mark was wearing a charcoal henley and the red friendship bracelet Evie had made for him. Their respective auras felt on opposite ends of the spectrum, and Savannah wasn’t even here to comment on it.

“Why do you want me to dress like you?” Mark asked.

Daniel wrapped a hand around Mark’s wrist, lightly, a typical gesture of proffered comfort for Daniel. “Not that. I want you to have good things, and I like to buy clothes. And I think you don’t have to wear darkness, especially now that you’re not stuck there.”

“I’m cool with darkness. It’s not my enemy.”

“You know what I mean.”

Mark nudged the stack of boxes with his foot. “You’re enough of a good thing by yourself, you know.”

Daniel smiled again, brighter this time. “Thank you. I am trying.”

“But also you just like to buy clothes.”

“That too.”

“You want good things for everyone.”

“I do.” Daniel slid his hand down to Mark’s, tugging on it a few times insistently. “I’ll give you good things and you’ll accept them, or I’ll get Nyks to scold you.”

“Oh no,” Mark said, mock horrified. “Not that.”

Daniel grinned. “Do you want cannolis? I’ve got a craving.”

“Okay.” Mark let Daniel lead him out of the room, still holding his hand.

Sometimes good things were a lot, and sometimes they were just shirts and cannolis. Mark could accept that, he supposed.

[stellanslashgeode]

WIP Wednesday

I am really happy with how Don't Get Captured is coming along. It's fun to indulge in this very specific kink of Enforced Intimacy, where you have this couple that would probably hit it off and fall for each other in normal circumstances, but one of them has the job to like watch over and invade the privacy of the other at all times so it makes things even more awkward. So the subject under watch tries to mess with the watcher as much as possible?

Anyway, here's a(nother) shower scene:

  Once they were alone Barriss looked off into the middle distance. “There’s leftovers if you’re hungry.” She seemed distracted.

  “Okay, thanks.” She got herself a plate and some caf and joined her at the table. But Barriss sat forlorn with her arms crossed. “Are you alright?”

  “You are my bodyguard, Ahsoka. I don’t expect you to be my confidante.”

  “Yeah,” she shrugged. “But I could be, if you need one.” Barriss gave her a searching look. “I mean, if you need one. I’ll be spending a lot of ‘quality time’ with you regardless.”

  That coaxed a smile. “Quality time?”

  “Well, yeah. I’m here for you anyway for physical security. Why not emotional support?”

  Barriss gave her a searching expression and held eye contact for a long spell. “You’re on the payroll, however. I wouldn't want to take advantage of a power dynamic.”

  “I can be friends with someone at work.”

  She smiled. “Friends? You want to be friends with me?”

  “It would make our time together more pleasant.” She busied herself with eating to ease the tension. “And you seem alright. Friend-wise.”

  “You want our time to be pleasant? After how immature I was last week? You forgive me for that?” She looked a tad haughty, or perhaps just bemused. Ahsoka could not be sure without reaching out with the Force.

  “You were just cutting loose. I’ve done much more damage acting out. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Why thank you, Ahsoka. If you wish to be reframed as a potential friend I will try to remain focused and unattached when you need to do the work of protecting me.” She took a sip of cold caf. “I am alright, for the most part. Just… perhaps a bit embarrassed I let my juvenile rebellion get other people hurt.”

  “Just stunned. Was mom hard on you?”

  She smiled, looked away, and shook her head. “I think she knows my motivations for doing what I do.”

  “We all need to blow off steam on occasion.”

  “Don’t we ever.” She studied Ahsoka again. “It’s a pity you can’t demonstrate how you do so when you’re on duty.”

  “Maybe I can spend a weekend with you sometime?”

  She grinned. Ahsoka’s stomach did a backflip. “You’d really want to hang around after you punch out for the week?”

  “Depends on if we do become friends. If we work out, of course I would want to. I don’t have anyone else on the planet.”

  Barriss pursed her lips slightly. “Alright. We’ll see.”

  “Did your mom give you a dressing down?”

  “No. She just wanted to make sure I was okay and mentally stable.”

  “Are you?”

  That earned Ahsoka an incredulous look. “My relationship with my mother is complicated, but it’s genuine.”

  “Like the maternal version of that poem?”

  Her expression hardened. “It’s a bit more complicated, unfortunately.”

  “Alright.” She resumed eating and waited for Barriss to expand on their conversation, but she had withdrawn back into herself. Once she had finished her meal she collected up the dishes. “What’s on the schedule for today?”

  “I want to visit the provincial archives and return some of the artifacts they generously loaned to me.” She responded with a formal tone, like she had her first day together. She stood, pushed in her chair, and departed for the bedroom trusting Ahsoka to follow. “First I need a shower.”

  And follow she did, of course. She was beginning to think she would even if it was not her job. It just seemed like a natural activity already. This time Barriss shucked off her shirt and shorts without bothering with a privacy screen. She tossed them into the hamper and continued walking in the nude.

  “Well, that sates my curiosity about something.”

  “What?” She looked over her shoulder at her and Ahsoka openly admired her shoulders and the curve of her spine.

  “I was wondering if you had more diamonds I couldn’t see.”

  She turned, smiled, and crossed her arms under her breasts. “Satisfied?”

  “Y-yeah.”

  She smirked. “You want to join me? So we can be even when I find out if you have other Togruta markings I can’t see? There’s more than one shower head in here.”

  Hearing Barriss say ‘shower’ and ‘head’ in the same sentence gave her a physical reaction. “Is th-that something you do with new f-friends?”

  Barriss stepped closer, to stand right in front of her. She gently placed her hands under the lapels of Ahsoka’s faux leather jacket and eased it off her shoulders. “Yes. I used to bathe communally at the Jedi temple all the time. Are you shy?”

  “No!” Her conversation with Anakin was coming back to haunt her. That, and maintaining her bold alter ego.

  “Alright. It’s up to you.” She took two steps backward. “No pressure.”

  Ashoka shed her jacket and set it upon the nearby stool. Then unbuttoned her blouse, continuing until she stepped out of her underwear one leg at a time and added it to the top of the pile.

  Barriss looked her up and down once more. “Now we’re even.” Professionalism seeping back into the tone of her voice though she had that look of sly rebellion in her eyes from their previous trip to the nightclub. She looked down at Ahsoka’s upper arm. “Oh, no! How callous of me. I should have offered to heal your break last week. Do you want me to do so now?”

  Ahsoka’s heart rate spiked. If Barriss used her Force healing on her she might discover she was Force-sensitive as well. She wasn’t sure that’s how it worked, but she didn’t want to risk it. “Nah, it’s nearly healed up. Don’t worry about it.”

  She shrugged and turned towards the stall. “Let’s have a nice relaxing shower then, ‘friend.’”

[polkadotpatterson]

It’s not an exaggeration to say that blaseball has dramatically changed my life. I’m immensely grateful that one day I just happened to stumble across a silly little tumblr post about a silly little sports simulation, and I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t.

Through blaseball, I learned to find confidence in myself as a writer again, and more importantly, find confidence in myself as a person. It’s helped me untangle my own identity, guided me through the worst year of my life and into the best one (so far!), and given me some of my best friends and even an incredible partner who I want to spend the rest of my life with. Blaseball has brought me so much wonder and love, and I will forever be grateful for it.

I’m also not going anywhere! I have so many wips and I fully intend to finish them. Or most of them. Or some of them. You know how it is with wips. And I have more ideas on top of that, and there’s The Salt, and the zine jam… admittedly I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump lately, but I haven’t lost my motivation for writing blaseball in particular, and I truly do think I’ll still be going for years to come.

I love my community of writers and creatives, and I love my cnnmunity of moisties, and as long as people still want these communities to exist, I will be there. My DMs are always open, and I love to chat blaseball and everything else! 

It has truly been an honour and a delight being part of this cultural event with you all. We are all love blaseball, and may it live on in our hearts forever. Many teams, one league, and one shared experience we will never forget.

[spidersfanfics]

Fanfic Snippets (Homestuck)

Continuing to post my fanfic WIPs so that maybe it being out there will give me the motivation to eventually finish it. Finally start posting on my AO3 again.

Regardless, this is a Humanstuck!Cronkri College AU (kinda) fic idea that popped into my head. And then I had no idea where it was going or what the plot would be so there ya go.

“Vantas? No fucking way,” Cronus jogged over slid into the booth across from Kankri before he could even register what was going on. “What are the odds, I didn’t think you were still around.” His grin wavered as Kankri stared at him, blinking in stunned silence. “You do remember me, don’t you?”

“Cronus?” Kankri stammered out at last, “You- You’re. Wow. Hi. It has been a while.”

“Not since highschool,” Cronus nodded and leaned back against the seat of the booth with a smug smile. “I didn’t go to the reunion.”

“Neither did I,” Kankri said with a shrug.

At that moment, a waitress came by with a plate of fries and a burger. Kankri scrambled to push aside his things in order to clear some space on the table. “Does your friend need to order?” she asked, sounding bored as she glanced over at Cronus then put the food down.

“I’ll have the same as him,” Cronus said, “And a large vanilla milkshake.”

The waitress nodded politely and jotted down his order on a notepad. “Veggie burger with a side of fries and a large vanilla milkshake. Is that everything?”

“Veggie?” Cronus wrinkled his nose, “That’s right, I forgot you were vegetarian. Make that a regular cheeseburger.” He flashed her a smile with a wink, “Thanks doll.”

The waitress shook her head as she left and Kankri was almost certain he caught an eyeroll.

Unable to wait for his own food to arrive, Cronus reached across the table to steal a fry off of Kankri’s plate. “At least no one tries to ruin fries by making them vegetarian,” he said.

Kankri raised an eyebrow, “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t take my food without asking. And besides, fries are already vegetables. They’re made of potatoes.”

Cronus took another fry and gestured with it as he shrugged, “Yeah but I mean like, replacing them with tofu or whatever nonsense.” He ate the fry then waved a hand at Kankri’s laptop and books. “I’m not interrupting anything am I, chief? You aren’t waiting on a study buddy or anything?”

With a heavy sigh, Kankri shut his laptop and started to pack his books back into his bag. “No, it’s fine,” he told him. It didn’t appear as if Cronus planned on leaving anytime soon. So the chances of him getting any more work done had suddenly dropped to just about zero. “I’m surprised to see you here though. Don’t tell me the band is touring its hometown for some kind of special event?”

“Ah yeah, the band,” Cronus grimaced, “We split up actually. Artistic differences, let’s say,” Cronus made air quotes with one hand and frowned. “Rufioh saw his problems as our problems. And Damara saw me as a revenge fuck.” He sighed, “That’s the last time I stick my dick in crazy.”

Kankri frowned, “I think I get the picture. And please refrained from such topics around me. Even if you are an old friend.”

Cronus chuckled, “Oh that’s right. How’s that vow of celibacy treating you?”

Heat filled Kankri’s cheeks and he reached for his burger, hoping to hide his embarrassment. “You remembered that? I sure was dramatic as a teenager, wasn’t I?”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean, chief?” Cronus’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you broke your vow? Has little Kankri Vantas been out there getting bitches? Or did Latula finally break you? She always was quite the broad, wasn’t she?”

Kankri scowled, “I’d appreciate it if you dropped it now.”

Cronus sank further into his seat, somewhat deflated by Kankri’s harsh tone. “Right, sorry, I’m only teasing.” He was remembering now. How quickly Kankri would snap at him if he pushed too far. How too many stupid jokes would invariably lead to a lecture he never bothered to actually retain.

He was also starting to remember Kankri’s kindness, whenever he’d managed to appease him. Kankri was probably the only one of his highschool classmates he could really consider a friend. The only one willing to give him a second, and third, and however many chances he needed to not be a total ass. And in return, Cronus bit his tongue whenever a flirtatious comment threatened to bubble up and did his best to refrain from pushing away his unlikely companion.

Though if he was being honest, he was having a particularly hard time keeping those comments at bay just about now. And it wasn’t just about habit. Sometime during their part, Kankri had filled out his boyish nerdy frame into a broad shouldered young man. He’d also ditched his signature red knit sweater in favor of a smart looking sweater vest that stretched tightly across his chest. A cross dangled from a chain around his neck and Cronus couldn’t quite help but wish he could follow it downwards with his gaze. Just to see what else had changed about Kankri. But alas the diner table got in his way.

“So why are you here?” Cronus said instead of anything more incriminating. “Last I heard you were off to become a lawyer in some fancy big city.”

“That didn’t pan out either,” Kankri said stiffly.

Cronus frowned, this conversation wasn’t exactly going the way he’d hoped reuniting with an old friend would. There had to be something safe they could talk about. “Well then what are you doing now?” He asked carefully.

At last Kankri cracked a smile, “Writing. I’m at Beforus Community College, studying English. I think I might want to be a teacher. Maybe write a few books while I’m at it.”

Cronus felt himself relaxing at Kankri’s answer. Slipping back into his usual, cool and casual persona. “You would be a teacher,” he laughed.

Kankri gave him an amused look. Though he let the conversation pause as Cronus’s food showed up and they had to shuffle things around once more to make room. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, once the waitress had left again.

“Just that you loved to give lectures back when I knew you,” Cronus laughed, “Going on and on about what’s proper and good and godly.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I still go to church,” Kankri protested, though it was much more good natured than his previous rebuttals. He shook his head and sighed, “Ah but look at us. I can say whatever I want but here we both are, aren’t we? Right back where we started.”

Cronus scanned Kankri up and down, “I don’t know about that, chief.” He mused, somewhat to himself. Then he let himself meet Kankri’s eyes with a genuine smile, “You seem like you’ve changed a lot.”

Kankri returned the smile. “Meanwhile, you haven’t changed one bit,” he said. And it wasn’t entirely unwarranted. There, across from him, sat Cronus Ampora. Exactly as he remembered him. A wannabe greaser in tight jeans and a white t-shirt. With slicked back hair so styled it practically shined under the fluorescent diner lights. An unlit cigarette tucked behind his ear and enough rings that his hands clicked every time he moved his fingers.

“Hey that’s hardly fair,” Cronus protested melodramatically. “I’ve changed plenty.”

“Oh really,” Kankri asked playfully as he raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you aren’t the trust fund party animal I remember anymore?”

Cronus scoffed, “As if. My parents cut me off after I had to blow half my allowance paying off damages at some tacky overpriced club in a town that was the definition of trying too hard. And mind you the place only got trashed because Rufioh and Damara got in a fight that went off the rails so really, it wasn’t even my fault.” He threw his hands up dramatically then shrugged. “Try explaining that to my pops after he saw the bill though. I’m actually staying at a motel right now.”

“Wow, you really have hit rock bottom,” Kankri said, audibly surprised.

“And you always know how to sugarcoat things,” Cronus laughed. “Anyway, I’m paying that off by working at a gas station, aka the most mind numbing job known to man. So the bright side is now I’ve got nothing but time to figure out where my life’s going from here.”

Kankri poked at his food with a thoughtful expression. “Cronus working,” he mused, “Maybe you really have changed.” He drummed his fingers against the table, weighing his options for a moment, before speaking up with a bit of a sigh. “Would you like to crash at my place instead for a little while? It’s not much but you’ll save up faster if you’re not paying for a motel room at the same time.”

Cronus’ eyes widened. “Woah, really chief? That’s way too nice of you, I couldn’t possibly impose like that.”

Kankri shrugged, “It’s no bother as long as you pull your weight with chores. And the offer only stands while you’re trying earnestly to get yourself back on your feet. If I suspect you’re slacking then I’m kicking you out. Not to be harsh.”

“You know saying that doesn’t automatically soften the blow, right?” Cronus chuckled, “But yeah, of course, man. That’s way more than I was ever expecting coming into this diner today.”

“Just don’t make me regret offering,” Kankri shrugged, “But if I have the means to help an old friend, it’s only right that I should do so.” He glanced up at the clock on the wall and gestured to Cronus’ empty plate. “Shall we ask for the bill and head out? I can show you where I’m living. Then, once I’ve cleared it with my landlord, you can start seeing about moving in.”

Cronus downed the rest of his milkshake in one gulp and nodded eagerly, “That sounds just fine by me.”