#stick with me guys it's long but it'll be worth it

[milaswriting]

Update. — 3rd October 2024

Well, helloo. If you're following me and reading this then...you must really hate me for my lack of activity on this blog. I apologise for that. Doing a masters degree really kicks my ass, and leaves me with no time to write. But Golden has never been dead or abandoned, it's very much always at the forefront of my mind.

And, for that pure reason, I know it's a story I haven't been 1,000% happy with so the story is going through some major changes. Probably, the first is that it's being rewritten. A (somewhat) new plot written with whole new software—we're making the move to Twine.

My reasoning; I've spent over a year learning the coding which makes me want to rip my hair out. I get to have a lot more ownership over my work, the customisation options are stellar, and you guys will get to read it for free.

The reasons for rewriting has been because I want to fix the cringey writing from when the story's first demo was released. It's mostly from the earlier chapters, but then the thought of plot changes came to me and I wanted to implement those. Realistically, the majority of what's being rewritten is what I had planned for book two—so I'm just bringing that forward. I'll update the synopsis closer to the release of this rewrite.

The changes (which can be subject to change): I'm getting rid of the university idea (though you can still choose careers that are related to those degrees from the options that'll be given) (e.g., if you liked the nursing student option, then your MC can work as a nurse). I'm thinking that the MC will already know about the supernatural world to some extent—there'll still be a lot of suspense and mystery and things to unravel, that was always going to remain. And, in this rewrite, my thought is that the MC and the gang will be working at a multi-agency organisation — called The Everbrook — where the aim is to bridge the gap between humans and supernaturals. To make the world run smoothly, so to speak.

The ROs are the exact same! No changes to that—the only change is that them and the mc will somewhat know of each other already. The genre is the same. MC is still as they are, a Lehsian socialite with a pretty (yet peculiar) birthmark. The parents will have much, much less of a role, but they'll still be mentioned here and there.

This seems like a load of word vomit, but I feel like these changes will improve the story. I'm hoping that it'll make MC less of a spare part in the story, allowing them to have more autonomy in the supernatural universe, especially with their enhanced skillset.

I've done the customisation in terms of the UI layout for Twine already, and it should be mobile friendly too. With that done, I've started writing and I'm a few thousand words in. A lot of what I've written in the ChoiceScript version can still be used, but also getting back into writing a story from scratch is something I'm looking forward to.

I feel like this is a bittersweet thing because yay to a new and better story, but also the time it's going to take to get it out. I'll debate whether to release the whole ten chapters, or do a few chapters at a time, like splitting it up into chunks (releasing three chapters now, and three chapters later on).

Another reason as to why I've taken so long to mention this, other than learning code and the rewrite, is just the whole process of this being a little nerve-wracking. The whole thought of a rewrite of something I've put so much effort into is scary, but it'll be worth it.

I'll accept any questions you've got, and I'll create an FAQ regarding all of this too. But, most importantly, you're in the loop of how this is progressing. I really appreciate everyone's kind words about this story: loving the ros, re-reading it, still sticking by my writing—it means a lot. So, thank you and I hope the future of this story is what you want and more.

PLANS.

Finish introductory scenes.

Finish chapter one.

WORD COUNT.

2.2k (rewrite)

[corruptedcaps]

The Chavs and the Chav-Nots

"Look, Heidi, I know this sounds crazy, but trust me, it's going to work. The plan is solid. I take the Chav juice I invented, and bam I'm a chav for 24 hours. A full day to go undercover as the ultimate chav bitch. I'll be just like them, blending right in with those girls who make our lives hell. I know you're worried, but it's our only shot. We’ll get the dirt we need to stop them.

Here’s the thing, though, once I drink it, I won’t remember being me. I’ll be all in, completely believing I’ve always been a chav. I might not even go by the name of Jess anymore. And that means… I might come after you too. I might bully you just like they do. But you have to remember, it’s not really me.

When the 24 hours are up, I’ll be back to normal, and we’ll have everything we need. It'll be tough, but it’s worth it. We’re so close to turning the tables on them, Heidi. This is our chance. Just hold on for one day, okay? Ok here goes nothing."

"What the hell am I wearing? I must have blacked out from all the partying and stole your loser clothes. Thankfully even in these fucking shit outfit and virgin glasses I’m still a fuckin’ knockout.

I need to get out of here before someone actually sees me with you. Do you know what that would do to my rep? Being seen with someone like you? Ugh, it's disgusting just thinking about it.

Honestly, I don't even know why you even go to school. It's not like anyone actually likes you. You're just this sad, clingy little parasite, always hanging on, hoping someone will notice you. Spoiler alert, they don’t. You're invisible. You’re fuckin’ nothing, not like me.

Ugh I feel like your ugliness will rub off on me if I stick around any longer. I need some new sexier clothes. Out of the way fugly and if I see you again you’ll wish you were never born.”

"Heidi… oh my God, I’m so sorry. I remember everything. All the horrible things I said to you as Jessi… that’s what I… I mean she, calls herself. It’s like I was trapped inside my own head, watching it all happen. I felt every nasty mean thing she did. I didn’t mean any of it, I swear.

Thankfully I got a lot of juicy dirt on those evil bitches but you’re not going to like this…. I need to become Jessi again. They opened up a lot to her but I could tell they were still wary of her. I just need to spend more time with them and do what they do and gain their trust.

Thankfully Jessi bought some new clothes while she was in control. I know they are slutty and revealing but they are they perfect to fit in with them. Jessi is a perfect chav.

Of course it helped that the juice transformed my body too. I didn’t expect the big tits, the fake tan, the blonde ponytail, or the press on nails but it certainly helps sell the look. I even think some of the chavs are jealous of Jessi.

And, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was kind of… nice? I mean, not the whole ‘being a complete bitch’ part, but having them be jealous you know? Anyway I better go get changed into my ‘Jessi’ clothes. Sorry in advance.”

“I thought I told you I’d beat the shit out of you if I saw you again loser. What are you even doing at this party, it’s only for hot studs and bad bitches like us, isn’t that right girls?

This is the fuckin’ train wreck I was telling you about girls. Oh you know her? Yeah I guess she is hard to miss, like a wart on a diseased foot. God, just look at her. Honestly, Heidi, you’re a joke. I mean, who even lets you out of the house looking like that? Where’d you get those clothes? A charity shop? They’re so tragic. And that hair… yikes. Ever heard of shampoo?

She’s starting to make me gag girls. Kayla, kick this bitch out will you, I don’t want her putting me off fuckin’ Derek later. So long dork.”

"Heidi, I’m sorry… again. I know I was awful, but you have to understand, I got even more dirt on those girls. We’re so close to taking them down for good!

Did I have sex with Derek? As in Delinquent Derek the hardest guy on the estates? No… I don’t so? I mean it’s all a little blurry, Jessi was drinking a lot. I only have patches of the night but I’m sure she didn’t. He was texting my phone this morning calling me a bad bitch so I’m sure she told him off.

Oh these hoop earrings? Yeah they’re Jessi’s but I find it’s an easier transition to being her if I’m already wearing some of her stuff. Sure her body fits everything so much better but she’s likely to question everything less if she’s ready to go. Plus I kind of like the way the look on me, they’re sort of sexy don’t you think? Do you think should wear more makeup? Then again what would you know? Anyway I better go get ready for Jessi.”

"Aww, look at you, Heidi, crying like a little baby. What, did I hurt your feelings? Pathetic. You should be used to it by now. You’re so weak it makes my stomach turn.

I’ll let you in on little secret though. I know all about Jess, my loser alter ego. The more she’s transformed into me the more of her memories have slipped into my mind. The more control I’ve taken. Her smarts have let me take over the gang. They are all dumb sluts so it was easy to manipulate them into making me their leader.

But it’s a two way street. I’m sure you’ve noticed Jess has become a little bit meaner, a little bit hotter, and a little bit vainer. All thanks to yours truly. Poor little Jess thought she could control me, use me like some tool to get her way. But she didn’t realize how strong I am.

Just a few more times, and Jess won’t exist anymore. She’ll be gone, and it’ll be just me, Jessi. Forever. And you? You’ll be stuck dealing with the real me, the one who doesn’t give a fuck about you or your pathetic tears. I love being an evil chav bitch and soon Jess will too.

But don’t you go getting any ideas about telling her what I’m up to. I’ve got her dosing on juice everyday but she could still reject me and try and go cold turkey if she’s convinced, so this will be our little secret.”

"Heidi, what are you talking about? Jessi’s plan? Jessi doesn’t have a plan, she doesn’t even know about me. You’re just overreacting. I’m in control here, not Jessi. I know what I’m doing.

You’re just jealous because the juice has had some delicious side effects, like making me fuckin’ tasty. I’ve had to wear all the clothes Jessi bought because they’re the only things that now fit me. The fake tan, nails and makeup is just to compliment it all.

Or maybe you’re just jealous because the Chavs have stopped bullying me entirely. In fact they kind of fear me. Maybe that’s what’s really bothering you. You liked it better when I was just plain old Jess, right? Anything to draw attention away from you.

And come on, Jessi taking over? That’s absurd. I know who I am. I’m still me. Kind. Smart. Caring. And sexy as fuck. Maybe I’m just... improving a little, that’s all. What’s wrong with that? You can’t handle the fact that I’m finally stepping out of my shell.

Honestly, Heidi, you’re starting to sound like a paranoid freak. You’re just trying to hold me back because you’re afraid of being left behind. Maybe you’re the one who needs to change, to toughen up a bit. Ever think about that? Anyway I have better places to be now.”

“Well, well, Heidi. Look at you. I didn’t think you had it in you to try and tell Jess about my plan. Gotta say, I’m impressed. Didn’t think you had a backbone. But that’s why I had the girls tie you up and bring you to me.

See, I’m so close to making sure Jess is gone for good, and I can’t let you derail my plans. You’ve always been such a little thorn in my side, but something Jess said to you made me think that maybe I could get your pushiness to work in my favour. Maybe it’s time YOU changed.

Open up, Heidi. You’re about to get a taste of what real power feels like. Just a little modified Chav juice, enough to see things my way. Thanks to Jess’ brilliant mind I’ve adapted it to make you into everything I need you to be. Come on, don’t make this harder than it has to be. It’s time for you to join the winning side.”

"You know I wasn’t sure at first that your idea of you imbedding yourself in with Jessi was such a good idea, especially because she really seemed to hate your guts but these past few days I’ve seen flashes of you and her hanging out and you’re as thick as thieves. You’re very convincing. It helps you’re started dressing like all the other Chavs too. Don’t get me wrong, you look proper fit now babes. I mean… you fit in so well with Jessi and her crew!

Speaking of which I’m so glad you’ve changed your mind about me taking the juice, you get that it’s only going to be a few times more and then it’ll be over. I wasn’t sure you’d see things my way, but now you’re being so supportive, so encouraging. It makes this whole thing feel so much easier.

And I have to admit… I do enjoy being Jessi sometimes. She’s so fuckin’ hawt and nasty. A proper slag. Oh sorry about that, she slips out out from time to time. A lot more recently. It just feels so freeing to not have to worry about anything. She’s a real bitch and gets what she wants. As she should!

Shit I was going to wait a few hours but what harm could it be to take some juice now? Thanks Heidi you’re so supportive. But you know what first? Let’s you and I get dolled up so when Jessi takes over she’s ready to go with her ‘bestie’.”

“Mmmm yesss that did it. I can feel the last of that loser is out of my system. I have to hand it to you babes, this would have taken weeks to do if I didn’t have you by my side. I always knew you had potential, but damn, you’ve become the loyal bitch I needed. Together, we’re going to run the school, no doubt about it.

Funny how Jess tried to go undercover with the chavs and what brought her down was me her better half infiltrating her world with you as my perfect hawt weapon.

And as for me… just look at me. I’m the perfect chav now. In fact I’m the fuckin’ chav Queen! Shedding that weakling Jess was the best thing I could have done. I’m everything she could never be.

But you, you’re my best creation. A slutty bestie who is unwavering loyal and a fuckin’ stunner to boot. Mmmm the trouble we are going to get up to is making me so wet.

After I dosed all the other girls with anti-chav I needed to start building a better gang anyway. They were just posers compared to us. It’s going to be so much fun converting the other nerds into chav babes and bullying our old enemies.

We’re the Chavs now and their just the chav-nots.”

[francoisl-artblog]

10 Years since Pikmin 3. It really was worth it.

I needed to make a little something about it, you know ? As a long time fan, I'm just, really happy it's a thing. I wish I could do more, but (if times allow it to me) you can count on more Pikmin fan art on my side !

Anyway, So far, I only played the demo, and it's everything I could've hoped. This and Pikmin 1 + 2 ? Guys... I've been playing Pikmin 2 again ! It's really been 10 years since I've last touched it ! It's just, so cool. Playing it again in handled mode, it's really satisfying.

Also, theses new heroes ? They're silly, I love them. Look at the customizable character she's awesome ! (I called her "Pomme." similar to that old fake leak. Why ? To stick with Mario=Olimar's name thing, since Pomme is the French name for "Apple", staying in the fruit theme like Peach. I dunno, it sounded good in my head.)

Anyway !! Will surely play this one tomorrow, I think it's safe to say it'll probably be the best one in the franchise.

Pikmin (c) Nintendo Artwork made by me.

[still-fatemeh]

Et tu, Brute?

Shirase was right.

Shirase was right. Shirase was right. Shirase was right. Shirase was right. Shirase was right. Shirase was right. He was right. He's always been right...

It... hurts to breathe. It hurts to live. It hurts to become.

I wasn't a leader, I was no king.

I was a weapon used to protect them. Just that. That's where my value ended to them. There it goes. All my worth.

Shirase, you were right. I deserve all the pain in the world, just because I want to play the role of protector for people. My power nothing but a hassle, if I wasn't this powerful, it wouldn't have been my duty to protect everyone. Then, I could've been like any other one of you. Deep in my soul, I wanted to be the trembling one in the corner, another sheep in the flock, rather than the first to step up.

But...

I don't want to be the trembling one either. I can't be. I can't let people around me suffer while I wallow in fear and self-pity.

Pity is disgusting. I want none of it.

You were right, shirase. You were right. And so was yuan.

There was a time when she wanted to steal liquor from a base near port mafia territory. I said no. Of course I fucking said no. But then she...

She held my hand and kissed me, said it'll be alright, that it was a one time thing, nothing would happen to them...

I said she could go.

It never happened again.

It was a mistake, but the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you. I... thought you guys were my friends...

It's hard to tell who has your back, from who has it long enough just to stab you in it...

Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.

It doesn't matter. It's not like I'm a person anyway. Its not like I have a heart. I don't even know who I am...

Betrayal is the only truth that sticks. It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. I...

Shirase, I'm sorry.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Derin, you once said that posting consistently in a web series is very important for the growth of audience. But how do you keep yourself motivated to create stories on schedule? Whenever I try to do it, I just lose motivation and get stressed out or bored with my project

My answer is to have a big buffer. I aim to have a buffer of at least one year's worth of chapters. That way, I can take a month or two off every now and then to avoid burnout. It is also far, far less stressful. Not having a buffer is the most stressful thing a writer can do, do not do that.

So far as long-term sticking to projects goes, there's a few skills involved here and all of them involve a lot of practice. The first thing is what I call the Shiny New Fruit problem. This is something you see pretty much every newbie writer doing -- they get a great idea for a story, they know how it's gonna start, they have a cool premise and a twist that's gonna BLOW EVERYONE'S MIND, it'll be great! They start writing! Their first chapter is cool and unique and full of promise, and they get great feedback, and they move onto the second chapter and it's also great, and...

Quite quickly, they run out of "great chapters". Most of the time, the start of your story is low hanging fruit, so far as writing goes -- it's where you get to introduce all your cool concepts and you're not weighed down by anything established yet and all the Cool Stuff That's Gonna Happen is still in the future, it's your perfect imagined version of it and not the (usually worse) version that ends up on the page. Then you run out of low hanging fruit, and it gets slower and harder, and you have to do a lot more actual work and it doesn't feel so new and exciting any more, and a newbie writer thinks, "oh, this isn't as fun, the story feels more boring to write, that part didn't come out as well as I'd hoped -- this story must be bad". And sometimes they might give up right away. Or instead they might continue... but they're distracted, because solving the issue of how to get those two guys out of prison in chapter 6 just gave them the BEST idea for a different story, it's gonna be so much better, the characters are great and they can already feel the words pouring out of them and...

So they run off to pick the low-hanging fruit for their new story, and before they know it, they have nine unfinished stories on their hard drive and not a completed story to their name.

Every writer will get distracted and enthused about new ideas for projects. This isn't a newbie problem. The newbie problem is letting them tempt you away from the viable projects you're already working on so that nothing gets done. My solution to this is very simple -- I am not allowed to write my future projects until I finish my current one. This way, all that enthusiasm for the future project is transmuted into motivation for the current one -- I can write that cool story about a bug alien who adopts and astronaut but first I have to push through the slow part of this story and get this story finished. This has always worked really well for me.

The second reason that you might lose motivation for a story you're working on is that the story is indeed bad, or at least, the version of it incubating in your mind isn't ready yet. The problem with this is that every story feels bad when you're bored or frustrated with it, and it takes a lot of practice to tell the difference between a genuine dud idea and one that your brain is lying to you about because it wants to play computer games instead. My advice on these is to push through anyway -- it almost certainly isn't a dud idea, and if it is, you'll learn way more by completing it than abandoning it.

The third reason is burnout. Now, it's important to note that everyone is bored and frustrated with their stories sometimes. I got sick of writing space intrigue and took a month off to play Subnautica (I could afford to do this with no stress because of my massive chapter buffer), then came back when I felt like it -- that isn't burnout. I've procrastinated for weeks before because I'm up to a really complicated scene with a lot of emotional beats and new information and it's hard to write so I don't wanna -- that isn't burnout. Burnout is what you get when you don't manage these things properly for way too long and grind your brain to paste. I have a lot of tips for avoiding burnout, but they'd take a long time to explain, so all I'll say here is that learning to recognise and avoid burnout is a skill that you will gain with experience.

The fourth reason that people get bored and frustrated is that writing is a skill, and it's a lot harder to do than it looks. Writing when you're not in Full Inspiration Mode is exhausting. It's difficult. It almost always looked worse on the page than you expected; your favourite authors do so much better than this, why doesn't your work look like theirs? It's just words! You know words!

This one trips a lot of newbies up, because in Full Inspiration Mode, writing is easy. someone can have five chapters pour out of them in that mode, and then look at their page two days later and go, "huh, writing is so much harder today". then they'll call that "writer's block" (that is NOT writer's block) and decide to write again when they "feel inspired".

Do not do this. It's a trap. If you only write when you're inspired, you will not succeed as a writer. Take advantage of your periods of inspiration, obviously, but writers must learn to forge ahead without them, because they're going to get fewer and smaller as the low hanging fruit all get picked and you simply will not keep up with a schedule relying on them, whether it's a web serial update schedule or a deadline given to you by a publisher or simply the desire to have a manuscript ready to pitch to an agent before you die of old age. The world is full of people who are "writing a book" and have been doing so for thirty years with almost no progress. If you want to finish, you need to write when it's a bit tricky, when it's a bit boring, when you're not inspired at all and aren't entirely certain where things are going. Fortunately this, like everything else here, is a skill that is honed with practice.

So, yeah. That's my advice. Have a chapter buffer, the bigger the better. Make sure that your writing pace is faster than your publication pace. Avoid these quitting/stopping pitfalls. That's pretty much it.

[ace-of-clubs-and-diamonds]

Hey guys. I have a bit of an announcement to make for this blog.

I'm not posting fic here anymore.

Something kinda personal happened and it’s killed my desire to write and post fic like I’ve been doing for the past couple years. It wasn’t anything hugely bad, but it’s spooked the hell out of me nonetheless and I’m just not comfortable doing this anymore. Really though, I’ve been debating whether to stop posting fic to Tumblr for a while now. I barely get any feedback, people here are increasingly disrespectful and trigger-happy regarding anything they don’t like, and Tumblr’s whole AI scraping policy has left a bad taste in my mouth. It just doesn’t feel worth it anymore.

Now, that’s not to say I’m going to stop writing fanfic. I don’t think I’m capable of that, and I’ve got a couple multichapter WIPs that I’m really excited about. I’m not going to let what spooked me take away that joy. But I’m going to shift my attention from oneshot smutfics cross-posted to AO3 and Tumblr to more plot-heavy and character-heavy fics posted only to AO3.

This blog will primarily become an art blog. If I post something to AO3, I’ll make a post about it here and link it, but I will not post the actual fic itself. Regardless, I will forever and always be happy to chat about my fics and answer asks here.

Admittedly, it's possible that what's fueling this is just a temporary state of paranoia, and that it'll pass and I'll go back to my usual modus operandi. But I don't think so. This has been a long time coming, and I think it’s very likely that I’ll stick to this plan.

So TLDR: I’m not going to post fic to Tumblr anymore, but I’ll still post to AO3. The type of fic I’m writing will change from disconnected smut oneshots to longer fics with actual plot (and maybe some plot-relevant smut too idk). I’ll still post art and fanfic rambles to this blog, just not the fics themselves.

Thank you to everyone who’s stuck around this long and said nice things on my fic or art, and I hope you stick around for the next chapter of this blog. Thanks for reading. Love y’all 💜

[stayteezdreams]

Hooked On You: Part Two

Plot: The long awaited Saturday finally arrives, as does your date in the park with Wooyoung.

-Part One-

Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x Gn!reader

-Meet-Cute Masterlist-

Warnings: Mild cursing.

Words: 1.4k

As you walked down the park path, you had your hands shoved in your pockets as the cold air seeped through your clothes. You didn't care or notice much though, as excitement radiated through you.

Your eyes grazed over every person you saw as you kept your eyes out for a familiar figure. You weren't sure exactly where he would be, but you had gotten his text that he was here.

Over the last few days, since your first meeting with Wooyoung, you had been texting almost non-stop. But as many times as you asked what you were doing today, he refused to tell you.

Finally spotting the familiar boy, you grinned as you saw him building a very small snowman. You watched him for a moment as he shoved two sticks into the sides and giggled to himself.

Quietly, you gathered some snow in your hands and formed it into a ball. Taking aim, you held your breath as you tossed the snowball at him. As it smacked against his back, he let out a small gasp as he spun around, surprised.

His eyes darted around before landing on your grinning figure. His face turned into a wide smile as he stood up fully.

"Hey!" He yelled with fake offense, as he let out a laugh.

You giggled as he ran up to you.

"Already starting a fight?" He asked with a giggle and you shrugged.

"It's what you get for not telling me what we're doing today." You said defiantly.

He chuckled softly as he leaned in a bit before his hand quickly wrapped around your wrist. "I wanted it to be a surprise"

Your breath caught in your throat as you let him lead you along.

"Do you like ice skating?"

Your eyes shot up from his hand to his face as you felt your heart jump "Ice skating?"

He nodded as he looked over at you.

"I like it but I'm not good at it."

He chuckled, "That makes two of us."

Noticing that he was dragging you towards the more crowded part of the city park, you opened your mouth in bewilderment.

"So why are we going towards the ice-skating rink?"

He looked at you again and grinned, "Because it'll be fun?"

"Even if all we do is fall on our asses?"

He chuckled "Don't worry I'll catch you if you fall."

Ignoring the heat rising up your neck and face you squinted at him "Why do I feel like I'm going to be the one catching you?"

Wooyoung let out a giggle as his hand slipped from your wrist into your hand, as he pulled you into a light jog as you entered the ice skating area.

His heart was hammering but he wasn't sure if it was because he was holding your hand, or if he was putting himself into a possibly embarrassing situation. Either way, he was with you, and that made it all worth it, embarassment or not.

You were holding on tightly to the rink railing as tears rimmed your eyes. Laughter continued to bubble out of you as Wooyoung panted from beside you.

Letting out a soft groan he whined "Where did that guy even come from?"

You took in a breath, "My question is how did you not see him? He was huge, and he was right in front of you!"

Wooyoung let out a soft laugh as he looked over at you. Your smile was wide, and your eyes watery as another giggle bubbled out.

As embarrassing as getting knocked on his ass right in front of you was, he'd do it a thousand times if he got to see you like this.

"I was distracted!" He excused.

You gave him a bewildered stare, "By what?"

His smile softened "You"

The giggled died away as you felt your heart jolt "Me? Why?"

He nodded softly "You were smiling so much, I couldn't look away."

You felt your face grow hot as you looked away shyly, making Wooyoung only grin wider.

Leaning in closer he peered at you "You're cute when you get all shy."

Letting out a surprised scoff you shoved him softly "Shut up!"

He placed his hand on his shoulder and winced, "Ow!"

You rolled your eyes, "Oh stop it!" You laughed.

He giggled before he slid closer to you, softly bumping your shoulder with his, and motioning his head towards the food stalls, "Wanna get some hot chocolate?"

You're eyes grew a bit brighter as you nodded "Yes please"

Wooyoung grinned as he grabbed your hand again, sending a jolt through you as your heart skipped a beat. You carefully left the rink before getting your shoes back on and heading towards the hot chocolate stand.

After getting your hot chocolate you found a spot to sit where you could warm up. Wooyoung was sitting close beside you, your shoulders and legs pressed together.

You gripped your hot chocolate, letting it warm your hands. You smiled as you looked over at Wooyoung "This was fun."

He met your eyes as he smiled fondly at you. "I'm glad."

Your smile turned shy as you looked away, taking a long sip of your drink. Wooyoung watched you for a moment as a wide amused grin spread across his face. Your nose was now tipped with white cream from your drink.

Wooyoung giggled and you looked over at him. Bringing his hand up, he gently wiped it from your nose and you let out a soft giggle "Thanks."

He continued to smile at you, his eyes sparkling.

"What?" You asked softly as you wiped your face again "Is there more?"

He giggled and shook his head "No, I was just thinking."

"About what?" You asked softly.

"I'm really glad I met you." His voice was now softer, and it made your chest grow warm.

"Me too"

"And I'm really glad you agreed to go out with me"

You bit your lip as you repressed a grin "I'm really glad you asked me"

He however, did nothing to repress the bright grin on his face as he giggled shyly, making it impossible for you not to smile.

"How could I not ask you? I knew from the second we met there was something here."

He didn't have to say what 'here' was, you knew. You spun your hot chocolate around in your hand nervously.

"I felt it too"

His eyes widened a bit and you heard relief and excitement in his voice "You did?"

You nodded, "I had never gotten along with someone so fast or easily in so long. It felt like I had known you for years."

Wooyoung shook his head "Yes, exactly!" You giggled at his excitement, and he turned to face you fully. "It felt right! Right?"

You chuckled, "Right."

He slapped his hand on his knee softly, "I knew it. I thought maybe I was looking for something that wasn't there, but...it was, because you felt it too."

"Yeah, I felt it too."

His eyes locked with yours as you silently stared at each other. The tension that was building almost burst as Wooyoungs eyes flicked to your lips briefly. He smiled and looked down at his hands before he spoke softly.

"I don't want today to end."

"Well it isn't over yet."

He grinned as he met your eyes again "You're right. What should we do next?"

You let out a soft gasp "You mean you didn't plan something else?" You squinted playfully at him.

He closed his eyes tightly as he repressed a laugh before he spoke softly, now a bit more serious. "I wasn't sure how long you wanted to be with me."

You smiled at him gently, "I didn't plan anything else for a reason. I want to be here, so I'm yours as long as you want."

As Wooyoung grinned, and a sly look crossed his face, you somewhat regretted your word choice.

"As long as I want?" He asked slowly.

"Within reason." You said with a chuckle.

He rose a brow as he nodded, repressing a smile "Sooo-" he drew out as his mischevious smile turned more sincere "Is forever within reason?"

Your chest clenched tightly at his words, as your eyes remained locked, unmoving.

Your voice was soft, "I don't know yet."

He smiled softly at you and nodded, "How about we start with dinner then?"

You nodded, "That is a good place to start"

Gently grabbing one of your hands, Wooyoung rose, bringing you with him. His hand remained linked with yours as you walked through the park. Both of you silently hoping this was the start of forever.

Spoiler. It was.

xx End xx

Wasn't sure how to end this, but I hope you liked it! xx

Skz General Taglist: @laylasbunbunny

Series Taglist: @bubblesreplies, @halesandy, @why-am-i-sad, @sourmooonlight, @jaeheekangslover @seungminsdreamwife, @thesunsfullmoon, @ink-spilled-stars, @jisunglyricist, @marcillfll, @ultimatestayandminoronce, @cheeeseceli

[north-noire]

Hey hey.

Just wanted to say how much I love ur Hidden Hands Au🤌🤌🤌. I am craving for that sh1t. Realy great work, my (wo?)man. I am so but exited for the whole fanfic, but no pressure🙃. Wanted to ask you if you could describe the character traits of the characters a bit more. Thx. Allright dunno how to end stuff like this.

Bye bye.

lol

Hello, germanstonks! Thanks for the ask! Sorry that this ask took me SO long to answer, I really wanted to do my guys a little justice - now that especially I actually have the fic up, but I think it's worth noting how their general personalities will be in the fic with a little past context :] Check it out if you'd like, link's in my bio! (Don't worry I read your other ask, totally fine with the pronouns)

Just note that these are mostly going off from in-between Post-Bite and before Charlie dies (so like, a bit of a prequel before the fic happens). MCI kids and other few notable characters like Jen/Jennifer Emily, etc. are just as important, but they come in a little later. Okay, let's get right to it. Feel free to read at your own pace since this will be a bit of a long post for the AU.

William Afton - family man, extroverted frugal fast-talking businessman, but genuinely has a soft spot for children, especially his children, loves them a lot, would destroy the whole world for them if he had to. Can be cunning and manipulative. Post-Bite wise he tends to compensate for Evan's passing by trying his best to treat his kids nicely. Doesn't really know how to handle his emotions well, just bottles it up in the hopes it'll be okay. (it's not.) Lisa Afton - introverted businesswoman who has William as her husband. Straightforward and always cuts to the chase, can be a little sassy, doesn't like sugarcoating things. Hardworking and very career-driven, but still cares about the kids in her own way. Can come off cold sometimes.

Michael Afton - post-Bite wise, he's generally wanted to be left alone and prefers to just stay in his room. Used to be adventurous, but now he'd prefer following rules to a T and just sticks by his mom or dad more - regrets a lot about what he had done to Evan. Loves video-games and sometimes sketches in his spare time. A bit anxious and can be scared of taking risks. Quiet, careful, reserved. Has a strange fascination with the supernatural. Talks to himself a lot, but can still be sarcastic at times.

Elizabeth Afton - post-Bite wise, doesn't quite understand the loss of Evan yet, but misses him a lot. Can be manipulative, but not in a malicious sense. Can come off naive, but picks up on details easily, and stubborn if she really wants something. Can be blunt and just says what's on her mind, but she isn't a bad person, just a troubled kid but she's still nice when you get to know her. Also has a strange fascination with horror movies and horror in general. Still has quite the child-like energy, just a bit more subdued.

Evan Afton - used to be timid and afraid, prefers to be left alone to his own things. Once he dies and is left in the afterlife, however... he grows resentful towards Michael and internalizes a lot of the anger and resentment about all the things that Michael had done to him. He tends to be observant, but had become quite cynical over the years. Lets his emotions get the best of him sometimes.

Henry Emily - a neurodivergent widowed man trying his best. Post-Bite wise, he mostly laid his head low from the guilt of losing Evan. Can be distant from people, preferring to just work all by himself, he's introverted and very blunt with his words, and intimidates people/unintentionally scares them sometimes. But he has warmth for the very people close to him, especially Charlie. Can be a bit of a workaholic, much to Charlie's dismay. Is really passionate about what he does with robotics.

Charlie Emily - neurodivergent too, like her dad. post-Bite wise, she's become someone who pours out a lot of emotional support for Michael and sometimes her father. She's grown to have an interest in investigating things and keen eyes for details, and a good listener - loves playing baseball sometimes. Sometimes she tends to stretch herself out a bit too thin for her own good, though.

Hope this helps! Sorry for the long post, I really hope I explained them properly!! I write them better in actual fic form than short explanatory stuff like this, but yeah! </3

[miasmaghoul]

First time Mountain got stoned?

Anything for you Saint. ♡

Someone take my phone from me, this is SO LONG. Not smut, but I like it anyway.

Ft. they/them Zephyr!

Mountain takes in his surroundings with a slack jaw and wide eyes.

The greenhouse is massive, full to bursting with lush greenery and all manner of exotic flowers. His skin is tingling, his heart fluttering with giddy anticipation. Surrounded by life, by fresh dirt and humid air.

"Is it to your liking?" Sister Imperator asks, a gentle smirk on her lips. Mountain nods slowly, eyes flicking everywhere.

"It's beautiful," he murmurs, muffled by his mask. His fingers are itching, eager to dig into damp earth and soft roots. It's such a new feeling. After months on the road, fresh from summoning, he's felt more than a little deprived of his element. He can feel the magic in his veins.

"Your predecessor did good work. Do you think you can maintain it?"

"Yes, absolutely," he sighs, tapping claws against his thigh. He's practically vibrating.

"Very well, I will leave you to it."

"Thank you, Sister."

Mountain rushes past her in a whirlwind of loose leaves and fallen petals, breathing heavy. There's just so much. So much energy, so much life, so much potential. He has a hard time keeping his glamour in place as he hurries through the rows, touching and smelling and tasting his new charges.

"I'm going to take such good care of you all," he breathes, and every plant in the vicinity seems to sigh in relief. For the first time in months, Mountain feels a calm settle into his chest. Like he's finally at home.

He explores for a while, lets the dense, sweet air fill his lungs and soak into his bones. There are at least two dozen plants he doesn't recognize, and he wants to sketch them, to cross reference them against the thick tomes on botany he'd found in the abbey's library. To learn the intricacies of everything he was now entrusted with.

Mountain makes his way to the back of the greenhouse, to the corner that houses a series of work tables. They're all filthy, scuffed and ingrained with years worth of dirt and clay. They make him smile. He digs through the drawers on the hunt for paper and a pencil, eager to get to work.

In the bottom drawer, among a pile of gardening gloves and potting labels, Mountain spies something that seems very out of place - a small rectangular silver tin, labeled with a piece of masking tape. It reads, "for the new guy".

He picks it up and gives it a shake, listening to the contents rattle around. Mountain pops the lid and is met with a folded piece of paper. Beneath it are a cheap lighter, green plastic, and what look like thin cigarettes, like the ones Ifrit and Dew would share after a show, but they seem different somehow. Twisted at the ends instead of cut. Mountain sets the tin down and unfolds the note.

"Trust me, whoever you are, you're gonna want to try this. The plants live in the third row, behind the lilacs. Hide them from the Siblings though, they'll never leave you alone if you don't. -Pebble"

Mountain hums to himself, folding the paper and sticking it in his pocket. He picks up one of the paper rolls and slides it between his fingers, curious. He tugs off his mask and sets it on the table, raising the smokable to his nose. It's...interesting. Herbal and a little sweet. Mountain grabs a battered old stool from beneath another table and sits, resting his elbows on his knees, twirling the joint between his fingers.

He probably shouldn't. Whatever this is, he assumes it'll have some sort of effect on him. Who knows what, it's a mystery plant. He shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't.

"Fuck it," he mutters, sticking one end between his lips and flicking the lighter. He inhales deeply, and the smoke that fills his lungs is heavenly. Rich and deliciously decadent. He holds it in until he can't anymore, exhales slowly, and there's already pressure building behind his eyes.

Twenty minutes later, he's floating.

"Mount, you in here?"

The voice drifts into his ears in a pleasant buzzing drone, wrapping around the pile of oatmeal where his brain used to be.

Mountain is plastered to the floor, grinning like a loon and staring at the glass ceiling above him. Tracing the shapes of the clouds passing by. Why was the sky so blue? Was it always that blue? He's tingly everywhere. He'd taken his shoes off, wiggling his toes and giggling at the ticklish feeling of his socks against his skin.

"Mountain?" The voice calls again, and Mountain makes a noncommittal gurgling noise. Zephyr rounds the corner a minute later, and they snort out a laugh.

"You found Pebble's stash, didn't you?" They perch themselves on Mountain's abandoned stool, pulling off their mask and raising another joint to their nose. "Smells good. Is this your fist time trying it?"

Mountain tries to nod, but his head feels like it's floating away when he moves it. He's loose everywhere, but heavy. His legs either weigh a thousand pounds each or have disappeared entirely, he can't be sure which. He raises his hand, the last bit of his joint still pinched between two fingers and smoldering slowly.

"Good shit, right?" Zephyr hums, amused by the pile of ghoul on the ground. Mountain tears his gaze from a particularly puffy cloud to focus on Zephyr's face - their shining silver eyes, their sharp chin, their soft, white curls that always seem to be swaying in a non-existent breeze.

"You're pretty," he slurs, grinning. Zephyr laughs, but their smile is genuine.

"Oh yeah, you're stoned," they chuckle, moving to sit cross-legged by Mountain's side on the floor. "Looks like you still have some left too."

Mountain blinks bleary eyes and hums, bringing the paper to his lips and letting it burn to the end. He holds it in as Zephyr hums, their hand coming to rest on his chest. The pressure feels nice, and Mountain reaches up to cover their hands with his. He exhales long and slow, smoke pouring from his chapped lips. His mouth is so dry.

"You could at least share," Zephyr grumbles, but there's playfulness beneath it. Mountain watches as they lift a hand and draw smooth circles in the air - the smoke coalesces into a tight spiral, one that twists it's way around Zephyr's arm and over their tunic. It flows up and over their throat, the air ghoul directing every wisp and inhaling the cloud now surrounding them with a pleased hum in their chest.

"Wow," Mountain breathes, and it's filled with so much genuine reverence that Zephyr coughs on their exhale.

"Been a while since I indulged. How are you feeling, big guy?"

Mountain doesn't really process the words. He's caught on the rise and fall of Zephyr's chest. On the way their pale skin and soft pink lips catch the sun pouring over them. On how their hand feels pressed against his chest.

Mountain drops the papery remains he'd been gripping and reaches up to thread his fingers into Zephyr's wavy curls. They're like feathers between fingers, like the air itself, and before he knows it he's tugging the air ghoul into a kiss so deep it surprises both of them.

Zephyr hums happily, licking into Mountain's mouth and shifting to kneel over him instead. Mountain is surrounded by the sweet scent of a summer breeze, of linen and sky. It's almost as intoxicating as whatever he'd been smoking, and the glide of Zephyr's tongue against his is simply divine.

Zephyr pulls back for a breath and looks down at him with hooded eyes. Mountain thinks he's never seen something so beautiful. There's a pressure building low in his gut, pressing against his zipper and he's way too high to ignore it. But then Zephyr is straddling his hips and unbuttoning his tunic, and he doesn't have to.

"You're definitely sharing now."

[warriorstale001]

Xtra Small Update.

As most of you following me are probably aware, I have a fic on AO3 called Xtra Small or XS is it's shortened abbreviation. I started writing it when I was VERY new to the UTMV and to writing fics in general.

It's... been a while since I updated it... In fact, today marks two years since its last update... And that is a fact I'm not proud of ^^'...

(More info and explanation about why I've been taking so long to write the next chapter below, but to summarise the main point: I have not given up on XS and plan to have another chapter out soon)

Why haven't I updated it in so long? Well there's quite a few reasons really, but the main one that kept me struggling to continue writing for so long was the fact I just didn't feel proud of my writing in that fic anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still love XS and it will always be precious to me (especially kiddo Cross hehe :3), but I just couldn't help but compare myself to... Well everyone whose writing I came across, especially if they wrote babybone fics too. And when people commented on my earlier chapters in the fic I would cringe and wonder how they possibly got through them since I just kept thinking of all the 'better' fics out there.

So for a while I ignored XS and started writing other fics that I felt more proud of and that I think show how I've grown as an author, but I never planned on abandoning XS fully. Over these past 2 years I have gotten sooo many comments from people who have read the fic asking when an update is coming or just telling me that they really enjoyed the story and honestly, that's made me feel more confident in my writing. It really means a lot that despite all this time, people haven't given up that I'll continue the fic and I can't let them or myself down by just never getting around to update it. It made me slowly appreciate XS again for the fic it is. It's not perfect, but if it can bring enjoyment to a reader for even a little bit, then it makes me happy knowing 'Hey, I wrote that :3' hahs ^^

It almost took 2 years to write, but last week I finally finished writing the first draft of the next chapter of the story. It'll take time to edit, but I'm pleased to say that there will definitely be a chapter coming soon enough. Hopefully late April/beginning of May at the latest.

If you're still here two years on since I last updated, then I just want to say thanks for sticking around so long and I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger for so long. I love you guys and I really hope this next chapter will be worth it.

Thank for not giving up on me or XS!

And thanks to those who are here mainly for OSDiff for being patient too ^^!

Have a super day everyone <3!

[toujokaname]

Card shuffle / Episode 10

Author: Akira

Characters: Rinne, Mayoi, Aira, Tatsumi, Hiiro

"—Now, let the showdown begin, ALKALOID!"

← Previous ✧ Directory ✧ Next →

[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: MDM Stage

Ten minutes later. Matrix Round 1, just before the start of the "vocal ability" showdown.

Rinne: Welp, let's get on with it.

Mayoi: Y-You seem rather unenthusiastic, Rinne-onii-san.

Rinne: Hey, you've got no business calling me "Onii-san." Ah, though Ai-chan can do it, since you're gonna be my brother's wife ♪

Aira: Can't lose your temper... Can't lose your temper... This scumbag's one of us now, getting mad's just giving him what he wants—

Tatsumi: Fufu. Um, anyway... So, excluding Rinne-san, the three of us will participate in the first "vocal ability" match, is that correct?

Aira: In other words, it'll just be the official ALKALOID members...?

Rinne: Yeah. I'm the odd one out. No matter how much we rush to blend in now, the out of place feeling's gonna win out.

We haven't even practiced syncing our voices. Even if I try to fill in for what Otouto-kun usually does, it's just gonna be about matching the numbers.

I can't fully become the real Otouto-kun, so I'll always be inferior compared to the usual.

The place's also bad. We're on ES's turf, and the crowd gathered here are mostly our usual fans.

Tatsumi: Ahh, well, we did attempt some low-budget promotion to attract some audience.

Rinne: Yeah. It was a bit too late, but Akan-san worked hard for us.

Looks like there was some publicity on the internet and fans got rushed to gather at the event site.

And officially, Matrix is supposed to be a showdown between Crazy:B and ALKALOID.

Our rookie reputation ain't squat compared to the powerhouses...

So most of the crowd's just our fans.

It's meant to be "a grand event to celebrate the end of the fiscal year!" but it's not like fans of other units would really give a damn.

Aira: I guess... Especially since there's an entry fee.

Aside from our fans, the only people who'd still come to see the show would have to be either really curious or hardcore idol otaku.

Tatsumi: I see. For our fans, who constitute the majority of the audience, replacing Hiiro-san with Rinne-san as the leader would make ALKALOID seem rather phony.

Rinne: Right, right. They'd just be confused on how it got to that point.

On top of that, the differences between "your familiar songs" and the ones we'd be singing now will stand out, it's like shining a spotlight on the awkwardness.

They just won't enjoy the singing. People will find it hard to even evaluate us.

Tatsumi: The competition follows a DreamFes format, meaning the audience selects the winner through voting.

Eliminating elements that could dampen or confuse the emotions of the audience, who are at the core of the competition, seems reasonable—I can agree with that.

Rinne: That's the way it is! Man, you ALKALOID really came through on being so goody-goody.

If it were the Crazy:B guys, they'd be sticking their noses in everywhere, sometimes not even listening, making 'em not worth talking to.

Mayoi: Ahaha... Being serious is our strong suit, after all.

Aira: Let me clarify as an otaku.

It's dull to just be serious all the time, so Crazy:B really appeals to those who enjoy the chaos, you know?

It's not about which is better or worse, just different preferences.

Rinne: Yep, yep. Yet here they are, pitting these polar opposite units on equal footing, under the same rules, just to see who's better.

I'd rather not keep repeating the same point. It ain't sinking in, huh? What Matrix really boils down to.

Rinne: ...Akan-san's always been like that.

Aira: ...?

(I guess Rinne-senpai and that AkanP have history after all?)

(Maybe AkanP was the producer responsible for Rinne-senpai when he was a rookie...)

(He was pretty obscure at that time, and it's been so long that I don't remember much about it.)

(Maybe I'll dig up some old magazine issues later. I'm pretty sure there's some with Rinne-senpai's name lying around at home.)

(I-I mean, I don't even really care. So what if they knew each other before? It's not like it means anything.)

(But... I can't help but feel curious.)

Rinne: Hm? What's up, Ai-chan, staring at me like that... Gyahaha, you cheating with your brother-in-law while Otouto-kun's not around? You're pretty naughty for someone with such a cute face ♪

Aira: Can you please stop talking? People are already here, so I don't wanna hit you.

Aira: (Ughhh, I just got it wrong. Rinne-senpai is Rinne-senpai, and that fragile expression I thought I saw—must've been my imagination.)

(Rinne-senpai will always be an unpredictable, inconsiderate jerk who keeps you guessing.)

(I even felt a bit sorry for him back in summer, but there's no need to be kind to such an infuriating guy!)

Hiiro: —Now, let the showdown begin, ALKALOID!

Hehe. It's like the saying goes, "yesterday's enemy is today's friend," but in reverse. Once again, I feel the mysteries of fate that you and I will be facing off as enemies—

Aira: Hm? Eh, Hiro-kun?

Tatsumi: Wait... Is Hiiro-san the sole representative from Crazy:B's side?

Hiiro: Umu! That's exactly right! So, does that mean you guys have three representative players, excluding Nii-san?

Aira: Yeah... Mixing in Rinne-senpai would confuse the fans, so we decided to compete with just the three real ALKALOID members.

Tatsumi: Conversely, it's a strange strategy to have only the odd one out competing. Hm, what could be the reasoning behind this?

Numerically speaking, it's three against one, placing you at a considerable disadvantage.

While Hiiro-san appears to have practiced diligently, he's not yet accustomed to Crazy:B's music.

Aira: Does it mean they're throwing the first match and betting on the next?

Hiiro: You'll find out soon enough. But more importantly, we don't want to keep our audience waiting forever, so shall we get started?

—Let's have an enjoyable match ♪

[ ☆ ]

← Previous ✧ Directory ✧ Next →

[starlightshadowsworld]

Son of Saki Part 1

Aka Casey raised by Shredder now in fanfic form.

Bask in its glory.

.

"Nice work everyone" Said Leo, watching the group sparr with a proud smile. It was hard not to be proud, everyone had come a long way.

April grinned, spinning her fan. "Aw man, I'm pumped." She said with a sigh. Leo looked at her with a smirk "Oh if your still rearing to go April, I could fight you?"

April immediately shook her head, feigning a yawn. "Oh would you look at that. Maybe next time?"

Everyone laughed, grabbing their things and themselves off the floor of the dojo.

"And just in time for Space Heros!" Said Leo with a giddy smile.

He hadn't picked the dojo time when Splinter would be watching his soaps... And so he could watch Space Heroes afterwards.

That would be preposterous.

... And also very much true.

Leo wasn't fooling anybody. Raph snorted "You have fun with that, I'm gonna go jam out. You coming with Casey?"

Casey shook his head.

"Sorry man, gonna have to take a raincheck. My games coming up and dad wants me back home early. We're gonna get some practice in."

Raph nodded, sad but accepting. "Wish I could watch, seeing Casey Jones in all his glory must be a sight." He grinned.

Casey grinned back "You know it!" He patted Raphs shoulder "I wish you could come too, Red will have to cheer loud enough for all of you."

April snorted "you bet I will, and I'm gonna be extra sneaky and see if I can record the match to show you guys after."

Casey lit up and hugged her "thanks April." She hugged him back. "Your welcome, I'll try my best. It'll be a miracle if we can hear anything over your dad."

Casey smiled fondly.

His dad always cheered the loudest.

"Well better put on a show worth watching, Jones." Said Donnie. "Yeah! I'm gonna get popcorn and everything" added Mikey excitedly.

Casey grinned, bowing "Casey Jones always delivers." He declared before bidding them all goodbye and heading out through the tunnels.

Casey made sure he wasn't spotted, his vigilante stuff was stuffed into his rucksack and he his skates changed to shoes.

He looked like any other kid wandering through New York's busy streets.

Casey snuck through alleys before climbing at top a building.

He removed a tile and jumped down, landing in a crouch.

"Superhero landing!" Cheered Karai, slow clapping. Casey smiled, bowing as some foot soilders went and fixed the tile.

"Must you do this every time?" Asks Saki, sitting on a chair and watching his son with an amused expression.

Casey pouted, making Karai laugh. "But you said it was cool." Saki chuckled "it is, but we have to keep fixing that same tile."

Karai grinned, conspiratorily "so what your saying is that we need to find different ways to sneak into the building."

Saki shakes his head, with the face of a man who has had this conversation far too many times.

"Why do we even have a front door if no ones going to use it?" He sighs.

He had decorated it himself.

"Dad, if we do than we'll be spotted." Says Casey. Saki shakes his head, pointing his finger to the ceiling.

"True stealth comes when you can enter the front door without being spotted. It's the one place you don't expect an imposter to use."

Casey thought about it, it made sense. Though they all knew it wouldn't happen.

"Now, onto more important matters. Wee have a game to prepare for do we not?" Said Saki, rising to his feet.

"Yup, against the Lincoln Lions." Said Casey, Karai snorted "I've seen them, you'll be fine."

Saki nodded, their was no doubt in his mind about that. "Obviously but it pays not be prepared." His kids followed him as they descended into the basement.

Which had been fashioned into an ice rink.

Casey strapped on his skates and his gear as a bunch of footbots appeared on the ice before him.

Some of his side and some on the other.

Headed by Karai who had grabbed one of his hockey sticks.

"You ready to lose, Casey!" Said Karai with a grin, she was wicked on skates but the ice was Casey's home.

Casey grinned, taking his place. His father was the referee, watching them both with a critical eye.

"Bring it on" He declared, putting his visor down and the game began.

[amarantine-amirite]

It’s Just A Burning Memory

Sometimes, when I try to go to sleep, I have this long lost childhood memory playing in my brain on loop. I was in the car with Seger Ellis’s “Heartaches” playing on the radio. My parents went on an explosive rant containing the sentence, “What about the talk we had about privilege and responsibility?” I hadn't the foggiest idea what they were talking about.

One day, I found the following note on my IEP: Margaret doesn't cope with getting stranded

Reading that note made me realize the truth. The memory of that car ride happened a lot more recently than I thought. And I got half of it wrong.

It started when my mom's boss asked me to babysit his 3 month old infant grandson. I had other stuff to do, so I asked Julia, my lab partner from AP Chemistry, to cover for me. 

Everything was going great until I My phone rang. I just ignored it because I thought it was yet another loser pretending to be the Pondicheri traffic authority, so it went to voicemail. I picked it up after I recognized who it was. It was Julia.

“it's all good,” she said, “Yeah, I may have only gone 96 hours without any sleep, but I got the goose in the oven”

I froze. “the goose?” I interrupted.

Julia responded, “I'm running on fumes, but when your mom's boss comes back to the house for supper, it'll be worth waiting for that roast goose. Unrelated, but that baby has been awful quiet”

I hung up after that. We didn't have a goose. What if she put the baby in the oven thinking it’s a roast goose? 

In a frantic blast, I called my mom to pick me up. I called 6 times, but to no avail. When I finally got mom on the other end, she didn't get a chance to talk. It sounded like Mom was in a meeting of some kind and an upper level personnel confiscated her phone. 

In the end, I had to get a ride home with some girl in a Georgetown shirt. I wasn't worried because based on her conversation that she had about her economics final, I think she actually goes there. I understand that my parents have a rule against me getting in the car with a random teenage driver, but I wasn't worried. This person was a very sensible college student.

Or so I thought. The drive started off okay, but GG shifted into a fury unexpectedly. “Did you see that?” she barked

“see what?” I asked.

GG slender hands on the steering wheel and gestured aggressively at the road. She pointed to a powder blue Mini Cooper that had a stick figure family with a tiny mother and seven monster kids. “That guy just gave me the finger!” she hissed.

I hadn't seen anybody flip the bird. “Are you sure?” 

“positive” GG replied before stepping on the accelerator and following them. She pulled out her phone, took a picture of the license plate, and then turned somewhere unexpected.

This started to freak me out. “where are we going?”

“the DMV. I got a picture of their license plate, so we're going to the DMV to run the plate and get his address”

I seemed very unsure about this. “so, we're following him home?”

“exactly.”GG replied. “He gives us the finger, we go to his house and kick his ass!”

I honestly can’t think of a worse idea. The minute we get there, it’s gonna end badly. The guy who gave us a finger could easily come to the door with a gun and shoot us. I don’t see an upside to hunting him down and harassing him because he gave us the finger.

That turn to go to the DMV ended with us getting on the highway where we got stuck in traffic. And we ran out of gas. It doesn’t take long for a car stuck in traffic with all the windows closed to turn into a sweat lodge.

I didn’t realize how screwed I was until I heard “Heartaches” come on the radio. It didn't start from the beginning, but from some random point in the song. It sounded unfocused and nostalgic, like an old guy ambling around oblivious that something is wrong with his memory. 

The song played on loop. The second time it looped, it had less instruments, more slowed down and had a despair-laden tone. 

The radio then channel-hopped to a different part of the song. It either sounds like it's screaming in pain or the melody sounds like it’s melting. The static sounds like a crackling fire.

This is not normal. Something is wrong, and not with the radio. What was on the radio began to distort because I was suffering from heat stroke from being left in a hot car. The traffic, the heat, and everything aren't going to get better, so we can only hope that they don't get worse. 

“You know it’s hot outside when what’s playing on the radio starts burning.” I snickered.

GG didn't think it was funny. Instead, she got angry and she said something completely out of left field. “that's what you get when you burn the Earth so you can go on a summer road trip where you’re locked in a car for 10 consecutive days, non-stop with no bathroom breaks. Enjoy it, bitch.”

“we need to cool the car down”

“You should’ve thought of that before you got a car.” At this point, she's just assembling words together at this point without any thought as to what they actually mean.

“I'm serious,” I responded, “We’re at the point where I could reasonably die. Can you at least go out and get a can of gas so we can at least put the AC on in the car?”

GG shrugged. “No,”

“Can we at least open the windows?” I asked. Would be better off if we could let some of the heat out.

“not if you value your life, you dumbass”

This doesn't change that I can only perceive faint snips of reality drowned out by a blurry haze, and what's visible through the fog is distorted beyond recognition. It doesn’t change that neither one of our bodies can cool off efficiently. Both of us lost our grip on reality because the car got too hot for the human body to function properly. 

I pointed to the door. “OK, then, gas can it is.”

GG finally got out of the car to get a can of gas. She walked onto the road, only to get mowed down by a truck. GG exploded all over the road like a bag of meat soup. 

I laughed. Like, shoot tea out your nose laughed. I laughed because it didn't seem real, and there was a very good possibility that I hallucinated it. She was probably just meandering timorously to the gas station. 

I waited for about an hour. She didn't come back. Maybe she really was dead after all? 

I got an idea. I'd open the door and exit the car on my own terms. If GG isn't coming back, then this car isn't going to get fueled up anytime soon, which means I'm just going to be stuck here. Besides, I have no reason to stay put. Not my car, not my problem.

I didn't walk out of the car. I stumbled. I had to hold on to the overheated metal of the car bodies so I could move without collapsing onto the road. 

Good news, the traffic was so congested that nobody had any room to run me over. Bad news, I had to stop twice; once after I clambered over the guardrail, and again after I got to the top of the hill in the green space on the other side of the road.

I stood up. I felt my blood pressure fall out of the sky like aircraft landing gear that wasn't installed correctly. I surveyed the landscape and saw hordes of ghosts in the sky, demonic reflections in the skyscrapers, and a sidewalk leading to a business park with a Bed Bath and Beyond next door to a GameStop. If I were that property manager, I would be worried about having so many meme stocks in my plaza. 

I can't remember how I got to Bed Bath and Beyond. All I remember is one minute I was walking on the sidewalk on a bridge and the next, I passed out on a piece of patio furniture. I don't know what would have happened if Julia's sister hadn't spotted me and took me home to my lab partner's parents and my mom's boss' wife giving her a long speech about responsibility while she freaked out instead of listening. They really should have given her a speech about getting enough sleep at night. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't gone for 96 hours without sleeping.

Mom still wasn't home yet. She's never been this late before. 

@apromptadaykeepstheblockaway

[andromeda3116]

Thanks for reminding me about order of the stick, i haven't read it since i was in high school. Its been so long that I've forgotten a lot of the story but i do remember it had some really interesting stuff going on. I'll have to give it a reread at some point. :)

It's definitely worth catching up on, especially now that we're finally getting to the end! It's also about to hit its 20th birthday, which is incredible! (And goes a long way towards explaining some of the early-installment weirdness and cringe -- when the first strip was drawn, I was in middle school, for chrissakes!)

It really deserves to experience a resurgence now, with the popularity of DND. The story and characterization are just amazing, and I'm in awe of the -- well, the balls of Rich Burlew, as a storyteller, to make some of the story choices he's made. Without spoiling too many things, he's had the characters doing and going through many situations that most authors would hesitate to actually commit to.

Since I've already talked about the soul splice arc, and since it's over ten years old now, that's one of them -- to have one of your Good Guys go that far down. There are several points leading up to that arc where any DM would've gone "...are you sure?" I mean, the familicide spell is so evil that it makes the demons' jaws drop in silent horror. And then to commit to it! Oh, you thought it was just about dragons and pissing off Tiamat? Hmm, what was that about Girard Draketooth...?

It's easy, as a writer (and as a DND player), to want to back away from the worst-case scenarios. To make things not be that bad. But no. What V did really was that bad. And to have written it so that it actually was completely in-character was just... man. I could go on and on about that storytelling choice, but shit.

Order of the Stick needs more fans! Just get through the first couple of books, I swear it'll be worth it!

[gege-wondering-around]

guys, i was thinking and i think someone needs to hear this.

talk to the people you wanna talk to.

if you're curious about them or wanna know them better or start to know them from nothing -> hit them up in their dm. i promise you it's worth giving it a try or you'll never know if they are who you're searching for.

and maybe it could unveil something you thought was lost within you...

and lemme give ya an example:

for those who don't know me from the start, my first posts were theories/analysis/interpretation etc. and i haven't done one of those in a very long time cause nothing came to my mind, i just stick to reblogs.

then someone came knocking at my door and i started to get to know @dontcallpanic a bit more, ask after ask. then, yesterday (i think it was yesterday) i got a dm from this sweet soul and we were chatting a bit and it came out something that really woke up that part in me again, of doing those kind of posts. (i'll post it when it's ready)

so, this is a silly, simply example of how a stranger (whom i plan to get to know better🩵) can wake you up from hibernation without even knowing it. of how a pretty soul can light back up that spark you thought was gone.

you can be the lighter and the spark. you can be the new comer or the old veteran, and both are good. both need each other cause it's just happier that way. you pour your passion which lighten up their spark, and your passions and feeling gets read by someone who understands them and you'll be happy.

and this is how the people you are curious about might be the best that could happen to you today, so go and talk to them, even if you're awkward or dont know how to start, just hit them up with...

idk, maybe why you follow them? maybe your intention to know them better if they'd be down to it too? maybe sending them one of their own post and sharing your opinion with them as a private convo?

there are many ways you can do this and i believe you can do this.

if you are curious, talk to people.

you'll find the right one for ya, but you gotta swim in the wild, vast ocean to find your species, cause there isn't any community or friendship without the hardship of building them.

I want you to meet your people, i want you to find someone who gets your feeling for your passions and hobbies and i want you to swim in the ocean to find them. you'll hit some rocks, maybe hook yourself to false baits but it'll be worth it when you'll find your buddies, i promise you.

it'd be my wildest dream to do those posts once again and get the community to hit them up with their opinions and ideas and everything in between (cause im genuinenly a curious person), it'd be my wild wild dream to be part of something and you can be part of it too.

you can find your people, you can find your freaks and beans. they are out there, you just gotta take a chance with people and i know it might be scary cause the internet is scary, the amount of cruelty and hate people have nowadays is bewildering, the way fandoms, communities etc got so weak (as someone rightfully said but i don't remember who) it's sad to see cause the new comers just see... that.

the dying light of a fandom, the hateful reblogs someone does under other's posts, the seemengly lost spark when you search your fav ship, or your new obsession, or your fav artist of the moment, or your fav actor or anything else and all you see are old posts (that makes you feel you're too late to join in) and hateful discussion that were meant to be nothing more than a chitchat within a part of the fandom (and you feel like you're wrong supporting your passion for that one thing)

but lemme tell you something.

lemme let you in on somethng, come here. come closer...

it's not dead. what you're searching for it's not dead, it just got weak and you can be one of the many little sparks that can bring back the joy of chatting and reblogging posts, of leaving playful and happy comments under other's posts about their passions.

you aren't late, you aren't in the wrong for liking it, you aren't walking in a cementary. it's more like everyone is in hibernation and you kinda have to shake'em up a bit with care, showing them your passion about that little ship, that character analysis, that little poem you wrote about your ex or about your boss being the worst. you woke'em up a bit and you keep being kind and respectfull and polite and you'll see how the fandom isn't dead, it just needed to hear the starting bell.

"hey guys, weird but true, here's my thoughts" and you pour everything down and i bet, i BET someone is gonna love it, you'll wake'em up and they'll be like 'finally someone with that pretty spark and those deep dives into ---' and i promise you, i swear on my name, you'll get yourself a small audience and you'll feel happy about sharing your thoughts while other will he eager to read them. then maybe they'll reblog it and comment on it, and you'll build a small connection with them, then maybe, one day a few months later, you'll wake up to a dm. or you'll the one sending it.

'hey, i think you're pretty cool and i like what you write, wanna chat a bit?'

and you'll find your people.

you will find them.

be kind, polite, respectfull in sharing your thoughts and you'll slowly build something with your strangers, then mutuals, then dm buddies, and maybe you'll end up with a friend sending you pic of their home made bread cause they care for you to the point they make bread for ya even if you cant eat it, but they know you'll love it and they'll eat for you.

nothing is dead, kiddo. you gotta dig up the fish from the bottom of the ocean but i promise you, they just need a little light to follow to come back and show you how to build a comfy aquarium with'em.

you'll find your people kiddo, you just gotta be curious about them.

and if you are one of those who just like to read and are eager to know more, you'll still be part of it. people will notice you, i promise you i notice those few beans of mine that likes many of my reblogs and i treasure them dearly. you'll be welcome too buddy, everyone is.

search for you freaks and beans, kiddo, you'll find them in the wild, vast and scary ocean. you'll wake up that feeling of belonging into a community and your spark will be treasured while you'll wake back up theirs. (which was never gone to begin with, they just needed to feel at home between a bunch of strangers calling each other darling and sweetheart while talking about two gay dudes)

find them kiddo, find them...

i believe you can.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi Clan!

How are you?

1) I read the FNAC 2 request you made for me, and I loooooved it!

Your fanfics are ALWAYS worth the wait. :3

2) Also yay! DRA and SDRA2 requests are back! So happy! :D

I would like to request a DRA one, which is Ayame x Male Reader, where she trains him after noticing he doesn’t exercice at all. At first he doesn’t want to, because he finds it boring and having trouble getting muscular, but she tells him it’s important, especially for males his age, and after a bit of convincing, and due to the fact they are stuck in the Academy during the killing game, he accepts, and he gets trained by Ayame. He slowly enjoys training with her, as he slowly gets muscular and thus a friendship is formed, with also Akane since she gives them water after training and talks with the two, happy they became friends.

Do you accept my request?

3) By the way, what are your thoughts on Jojo?

Hi! Ty for the patience and happy birthday!

...........

"[Y/n]! You should come exercise with me! It'll be fun!"

"Ah..thank you, Ayame. But..I'd have to decline."

As much as you hated to reject the Ultimate Track Star's offer, exercise was honestly the last thing on your mind, especially since you and everyone else got stuck in this killing game with no way out.

And besides, you've somewhat given up trying to get fit altogether. Even before any of this ever happened, you hit the gym a few times and quickly discovered that getting muscular was no easy task.

You didn't know how other guys your age stuck to their routines and turned out buff and strong in seemingly no time....while all you ever felt at the end of a long workout was fatigued and wheezing for air.

And you were convinced you must be doing something wrong, so you got bored of it quickly and stopped.

Maybe you're simply not built for this kind of stuff.

It didn't help that your talent wasn't exactly the most sportsy, either, as you're the "Ultimate Gamer" who would rather sit somewhere quiet and play on your device to escape the stresses of the world.

Of course, it's won you tournaments and enough recognition to get into this academy...but it winded up being a horrible, horrible curse disguised as a blessing.

Two people were already dead, and everyone's growing more and more distrustful of each other...

So when Ayame approached you the day after the first trial, you were surprised she even wanted to hang around you.

It made you wonder if she forgot that it was a guy who killed one of the girls, even if it wasn't his intention to.

Who's to say that won't happen again?

Not that you could ever resort to something like murder over a stupid "motive", but...shouldn't she be at least a little bit cautious of you?

Nope. She wasn't afraid in the slightest.

You could see the frown forming on her face, and you quickly averted your gaze.

"Look, i-it's not that I don't want to be fit and healthy, it's just..it gets boring after a while, I guess. And if I don't see any changes, I think I'm doing something wrong." Your shoulders slumped in defeat, seeing her expression not change one bit.

Sighing, you closed your eyes and prepared for the chastising that was sure to follow. "...if you're gonna yell at me, then get it over with-"

"Why would I ever do something that's not gonna motivate you?" She crouched down beside you, a sympathetic look to her eyes. "It's important for males at your age to get their daily exercise, so I'm glad you at least tried to stick with it. But maybe all you need is your own personal trainer!"

"...and that would be..?"

"Me!" She grinned. "We'll train all day, every day until we get out of here. Before you know it, exercise won't be "boring" anymore!"

You blinked in surprise, looking back up at her. She seemed so confident and hopeful, although you remained hesitant. "Are you sure that's a good idea? To hang out with me after what happened with Mitch and-"

"She wasn't even his intended target. Just a bad case of "wrong place, wrong time". But I never liked Mitch even before that...I was honestly ready to punch his lights out after he called you a "wimp"." She huffed, cracking her knuckles. "Trust me, if it wasn't against Monokuma's rules I would have-"

"Wait, that was directed at me?" You did a double-take. "I thought he was saying that to Yuki or Teruya..they don't look all that fit either."

Suddenly Ayame looked embarrassed.

"O-Oh, yeah uh....sorry.."

"It's fine..I just...if you're absolutely sure about helping me work out-"

"It's no problem! Really." She reassured, slapping her palm against your back. "Since we're trapped in this stupid academy anyways, we might as well build up some muscle! Whatdya say about putting down that console and coming with me?"

After giving it a little more thought, you finally agreed to go with her, putting your gaming device back into your bag before standing up. "Sure-"

"YES!! Let's jog to the training room to start off!"

"Huh?! But you're the Ultimate---aaaaand she's gone.." You sighed in defeat, watching her race (and definitely not jog) out of the room and leave you in the dust.

Somehow she seemed more excited for this than you.

'Welp, no backing out now..I better get going..'

......

"Whew! That was fun!"

"Yeah..and so was the last workout we did five hours ago."

Although you were damn-near breathless from the intense workout routine Ayame taught you, you gained a sense of accomplishment.

Now you were finally feeling the results.

It seems your efforts were paying off, as you've gotten stronger--being able to lift things and help out with investigations throughout the school with little to no trouble.

You even got compliments from some of your classmates, and it made you feel proud that you stuck with this and didn't allow yourself to get "bored".

You did, however, attempt to find loopholes where you could still play your video games while also training...such as running on the treadmill whilst trying to beat your current high score.

But Ayame would always insist you put it away or tried music instead.

She acted like a strict coach, though you began to value her as a good friend, who was looking out for your best interests.

As you both sat down on one of the benches, wiping away your sweat with a spare towel, you smiled. "I'm surprised the nighttime bell hasn't rung yet..I feel like we've been here all day."

"Yeah, but once we rest our bodies we can get up bright and early and do it all over again!" She beamed. "Or....at least until we get the next "motive", but still we should stay on top of it!"

After nodding in agreement, you heard the door to the training room open, seeing Akane step in. She smiled warmly, balancing two water bottles in her hands as well as extra towels.

Had it been anybody else--besides maybe Yuki--you would've been concerned that something bad just happened, though this was simply the Ultimate Maid engaging in her talent. You could absolutely trust her, especially since she befriended Ayame, too.

You stood up to greet her, thanking her for the drinks before sitting back down. "Oh of course!" She joined you on the bench wrapping a small towel around the back of your sweaty neck. "It's so sweet seeing you two becoming great friends."

"For sure. We've become great workout buddies." You chuckled, taking a sip and sighing at the cool and refreshing taste. "Heck, I might be strong enough to pick up Kakeru one day!"

The girls shared a small giggle at the mental image of you lifting up the strong yet shy lawyer with just a single hand, barely breaking a sweat.

Although it was merely a joke and you wouldn't actually try to pick up anyone, you could feel your confidence practically glowing as you continued chatting with the pair.

When you first came here, you were just that awkward gamer kid standing in the corner, not paying much attention to the trials and longing to get fit for the good of your health...to seemingly no avail.

Yet it's in this same place, where uncertain death could be waiting around every corner, where you discovered a new version of yourself--someone better.

And you owe it all to Ayame for being your number one motivator.