#this game has a sequel out but I’m still gonna tag it

[fullbattleregalia]

This. Freaking. GAME. The writing, the voice acting, the visual storytelling - it was a brief clip, but it set up so much anxiety. And atmosphere. The section right after this scene was basically all puzzle solving, but I felt more anxious during it than I have in areas where I kept getting jumped by monsters and stormtroopers.

[millers-girl]

on the line

interconnected standalone/sequel-ish to bitter/sweet and fallout - a Dr. Jack Abbot (The Pitt) fanfic

pairing: Jack Abbot x f!reader

summary: Jack takes a six-week placement across the country. Four specific FaceTime calls—full of banter, longing, and everything unsaid—hold you two together until he comes home.

warnings/tags: grumpy x sunshine, age gap, long-distance relationship, mild language

word count: 5.0k

“What are you wearing?” 

You cracked one eye open, squinting against the soft glow of your bedside lamp. Jack was staring at you through the screen of your phone, propped up on your nightstand. His image was bright against the dim lighting, accenting the sharp set of his jaw and the smirk playing at his lips.

“You know what I’m wearing – we’re on FaceTime,” you mumbled into your pillow, voice thick with sleep. Your limbs felt heavy under the familiar weight of your comforter. “When are you coming back?” 

“You know when I’m coming back,” he echoed, mimicking your tone. “Why’re you asking – miss me?” His voice dropped an octave, teasing, and you saw his eyes flick down your form as you shifted to get more comfortable beneath the covers.

This had been an ongoing game for the last month – every time you talked, one of you tried to get the other to admit they missed them first. Neither of you had cracked. 

Now, that didn’t mean you didn’t miss him. Quite the opposite, actually. 

Jack had been gone for three weeks now, having been offered an intensive placement at UCLA Medical Center. You could still remember how he broke the news—quietly, nonchalantly, like he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it—and how you’d smiled widely and pushed him to take it even as something inside you fought every move.

This is UCLA, you told yourself. He has to take it; it’s an incredible opportunity. How many times does something like this come along?

But knowing it was the right decision didn’t make it easier.

Six weeks. Forty-two days. Nearly fifty sunsets without him. 

After spending almost every day together, the sudden absence had carved out a hollow space in your chest.

The first week, you felt his absence immensely. But you figured, with time, it’d get easier. 

Oh, how wrong you were.

The ache didn’t dull. It sharpened. Everything reminded you of him – how much he’d probably roll his eyes at a joke Eleni told during service, how he’d immediately get to cleaning your apartment if he saw how messy it had gotten, how he’d let you follow him around if he was back at the hospital when you were dropping dinner off for your sister. 

Luckily, technology was on your side. While he was in California, you texted him constantly – mostly one-sided updates on your day, the chaos of the kitchen, the new weird thing your landlord did. He replied in his usual charming fashion: a “K” here, a thumbs-up emoji there.

FaceTime was more his speed. Every night, your phone took up its spot on your nightstand while you curled into bed, half-asleep before he even picked up. He was usually just getting ready for his shift – brushing his teeth, dressing in his scrubs, sometimes sitting in the car with one hand on the wheel. 

“At least it’s regulating my sleep cycle,” you’d joked during one call, watching him frown in that subtle, concerned way he did.

“You love me doing night shifts,” he’d countered. “Said it keeps you on your toes, guessing.”

“Yeah, guessing how much sleep I’m gonna get that night,” you’d teased back, and he’d huffed a small laugh. 

Now here he was, two weeks from coming home, asking you what you were wearing in that low, steady voice of his that always had knots forming in your stomach.

“You already know I’m wearing one of your hundred black tees,” you mumbled, cheek sinking deeper into your pillow. 

“No panties?” he asked, a hint of a smirk at his lips as his eyes gleamed with mischief.

With minimal effort, you peeled back the duvet just enough for him to catch a glimpse of his boxers sitting low on your hips.

“You do miss me,” he grinned triumphantly, a quiet chuckle escaping him. You sighed through a small smile, eyes fluttering shut. His voice, even through the phone, grounded you. “Tell me what you did today.”

You took a moment to think, thoughts clouded by sleep and the warmth of your sheets. “Tried out a new truffle recipe,” you murmured. 

Sure enough, you peeked an eye open just in time to catch his nose wrinkle in disgust. He hated truffles.

The sight made you smile – even 3,000 miles away, Jack was still so Jack.

“Dinner rush was crazy – some show was going on at the theatre down the block so we were packed. Almost ran into one of the sommeliers rushing out of the kitchen. Nicked my finger on the bottle opener he was holding.”

“Let me see,” he said immediately, and you pulled your hand from under the covers and held it up to the camera, watching his eyes narrow. “Did someone at the Pitt take a look?”

“My sister did,” you said, brushing it off. “It’s fine – just a scrape.”

He frowned that familiar, pinched-brow frown.

“You should keep it wrapped,” he muttered. “Could get infected.” 

You mirrored his expression, this time out of something deeper – affection, mingled with longing. “I miss you medically scolding me.” 

Jack paused a beat, then offered softly, “I can still do it over the phone. That’s why they invented FaceTime.” 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true,” you giggled sleepily, burrowing deeper into your sheets. The weight of him not being there settled over you again, dense and unrelenting. 

Silence stretched for a moment before you opened your eyes again. Jack was still looking at you. “What?” you asked, your voice small.

He hesitated. “Nothing… you just look tired.”

But the way he said it—gentle, weighted—made your throat tighten. 

You didn’t just look tired.

You missed him. You missed sleeping better when he was beside you, the steady rhythm of his breathing syncing with yours as your limbs tangled together. You missed the safety, the stillness. Without him, everything felt a little bit off.

Your hand drifted across the sheets, reaching for his side of the bed – cold, untouched. Your fingers curled into the empty space as if you could will it to hold his warmth. That familiar ache bloomed in your chest again, pressing hard against your ribs, forcing you to acknowledge it.

And the way he was looking at you right now—gaze just soft enough for you to see the emotion behind it—it made the distance hard to bear. 

You wanted to ask him to come back early. Just say it. Just tell him.

But you didn’t.

He was doing something important – teaching residents, working alongside brilliant attendings, contributing to something meaningful. You couldn’t ask him to give that up. So you buried it, like always.

Instead, you asked, “Any exciting cases today?” 

Jack blinked at you, then shrugged, his voice returning to that calm, clinical cadence. “Someone said a guy came in with third-degree burns from resting his hand on the grill – didn’t realize his wife had turned it on.” 

You winced, turning your face into the pillow. “Ugh, Jack – that’s gross.” 

He chuckled softly. “Reminds me of an old army buddy who met the wrong end of a crockpot once.” 

You hummed, already drifting. “Tell me about it.” 

You tried to stay awake, but the familiar and comforting tone of his low voice began to lull you to sleep. A few minutes into the story, Jack noticed your breathing had slowed.

You looked so peaceful.

He watched for a while, the silence between you warm and heavy, filled with all the things left unsaid.

Then, in a quiet voice that barely crossed the distance, he whispered a sweet good night to you and ended the call.

Four weeks into the placement, when Jack FaceTimed you and you answered with a deep-set frown and red-rimmed eyes, he could already tell it would be one of those days. 

The hard days. The days one of you missed the other so much, it was impossible to ignore. The days your heart was three thousand miles away, tucked into the go-bag of your favorite ED attending, somewhere in a cramped locker room in Los Angeles. 

“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked, making your frown deepen. 

“Nothing,” you promised, setting the phone down on your nightstand as you began to get ready for bed. The camera angle wobbled as you moved – half of your frame disappearing, your voice muffled by distance and steam escaping from the open bathroom door behind you.

This was unusual. Whenever Jack called at this time, you were already tucked in bed, cozy and glowing, hair a little messy, a smile curling at the corners of your lips the moment you saw him. 

And, you always showered in the mornings – you said showering at night would intervene with how much time you two got to spend on FaceTime. 

Yet, here you were now – hair wet from the shower, curling at the ends as you moved about your room, distracted and quieter than usual. You pulled on a soft t-shirt, then wandered off-screen, brushing your teeth with a kind of mechanical rhythm.

Jack stayed silent, watching.

He could tell something was bothering you. 

Your hands shook as you did your skincare – too much toner on the pad, moisturizer forgotten halfway through.

“How was your day?” Jack asked slowly, treading lightly, trying to gauge how you were actually feeling.

“Fine,” you mumbled, disappearing again. The faucet turned on in the background as you washed your hands, cool water grounding your overheated nerves before you slipped into bed wit a heavy sigh. 

Jack’s voice came again, cautious, “Anything happen?” He tried to sound casual, but you weren’t in the mood for it now.

You glanced at the screen sharply. “Like what?” 

“I don’t know, just… anything good? Or… something bad?” 

Your jaw tensed as you looked past the phone, voice bitter. “A critic came in today.”

“Oh?” 

You laughed humorlessly. “I didn’t even know who she was, and I told her to fuck off.” 

Jack’s brow rose at that. “And why’d you do that?”

“Because she was being an asshole – and I didn’t recognize her and I was rushing and – and I was exhausted. I just snapped and – and it wasn’t even about her. It’s just… I’m tired. I’m so tired of pretending this isn’t hard.”  

Jack paused, his face softening, the weight of your words hanging thickly between you.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling like this?” 

You shrugged, unwilling to meet his eyes. “Because it’s not your fault,” you finally said. “And I didn’t want to make it your problem.” 

“You’re not a problem.” 

His voice was quiet, thick with the guilt settling into his stomach.

You immediately noticed the shift in his tone – soft and frayed around the edges.

“I didn’t say it to make you feel guilty,” you said, gaze now locking onto his, unwavering. 

“I know,” he replied, tiredly dragging a hand down his face, like he wanted to crawl through the screen and pull you into his arms.

“I just… I miss you.” 

There it was.

You’d finally said it.

And yet, it didn’t make you feel like you’d lost the game – at least, not in the way you thought. And, it didn’t make Jack feel like he won, either.

“I miss you every day,” you continued. “I miss you so much I don’t know where to put it anymore. It’s just there. Always. Like a weight on my chest. And every day, you – you pick up the phone and I see your face and you’re fine. Smiling… Happy. And, it’s just – just… Don’t you miss me? Like, even a little?” 

The moment you said it, you instantly regretted it. 

Jack could tell – the way your eyes squeezed shut in regret, like you wished you could pull the words right back into your chest. It broke his heart even more than hearing the desperation in your voice. 

He found himself looking away, swallowing hard. Then, finally, quietly, he said, “Of course I miss you. I miss you all the time. I just – I don’t let myself think about it too long. If I do, I can’t focus.” 

You knew he’d never say anything hurtful on purpose but the comment still stung. A sharp pang, like a bruise pressed too hard.

If he missed you so much, how come it felt like you were the only one falling apart? If he missed you so much, why didn’t it seem like he felt it?

Before you could stop yourself, the words spilled out. “Right. Got it. I’m over here crying in the walk-in fridge like a lunatic and you get to compartmentalize.” 

His eyes flinched shut, barely perceptible – but you saw it. Instantly regretted your words. And yet, you didn’t take it back.

And he didn’t push back either.

The silence grew too thick, claustrophobic.

After a beat, you shook your head, voice quieter now. “You’re running late – I should let you go. We can just… I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Your hand reached for the screen, heart already retreating.

“Wait!” Jack’s voice rang out, startling you.

You hesitated, still refusing to meet his eyes, but something in you paused – your ribs tightened at the strain in his voice.

“I think about you all day,” he admitted. “I know I don’t say it enough, but I do. I make a list in my head of all the things to tell you when we finally talk, and then when you pick up and give me that smile, I forget how to say any of it.”

You blinked.

That wasn't what you expected at all.

Still, he kept going. “And I bought you this mug from the UCLA store, in the shape of a smiling sunny face. I keep it in my locker, drink coffee from it before the shift – and all the residents look at me like I’m crazy. But it just… it reminds me of you. Keeps me grounded. Gets me through the shift.

“And your voice notes – I save them all. I listen to one specific one whenever I miss you more than usual – the one where you called me a broody bastard and then basically told me you missed me in the same breath.” 

That cracked something open in your chest. Like air rushing into lungs that had been holding their breath too long.

Soft tears lined your eyes. Not the frustrated kind. The aching, full-hearted kind.

You stared at the screen, heart thudding in your chest, throat thick with emotion. His face was still there – steady, honest, eyes staring back at yours, so full of you. Of all the missing he hadn’t said until now.

He missed you. Of course he missed you. Maybe not in the same noisy, unraveling way you did – but in the quiet, deliberate way only Jack could. Through mugs and voice notes. Through saved recordings and mental lists. Through showing up, every night, even when words failed.

Your lip trembled as a tear ran down your cheek.

“Jack…” you breathed, the apology catching somewhere between a sob and a sigh. 

“I’m sorry,” you finally said, voice low and thick. “I didn’t mean what I said. I just – God – I feel everything right now, and I don’t know if it’s hormones or just the distance or – ” 

That four-letter word was at the tip of your tongue, but it didn’t feel right to tell him over the phone. This deserved to be told in person. He deserved that.

Jack’s face softened, almost imperceptibly, but you caught it – the way his shoulders eased like something fragile in him had finally seemed to settle.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, after a beat, he deadpanned, “It’s both. I checked the app earlier.” 

You stared, stunned. Then, your eyes warmed, the corners crinkling as a small, disbelieving, shaky smile touched your lips. “You track my cycle on your phone?” 

He shrugged, a little too casual. “Ever since the brownies incident – hell yeah.” 

That conversation changed things – in the best way. 

It made both you and Jack more intentional about the time apart. More creative, more present. FaceTimes evolved into something more sacred, more playful. You started doing virtual date nights, much to Jack’s technologically-deficient chagrin.

“I can barely work this FaceCall thing, you want me to do what now?”, to which you’d rolled your eyes and corrected, “FaceTime,” while suppressing a grin.

He’d grumbled, but you caught the way he cleared his evenings anyway – made sure he wasn’t on call any earlier than he needed to be, made sure his dinner (mediocre and suspiciously not homemade) was ready on time. Despite the mismatched time zones, you both made space. You’d end up eating hours apart, but “together” nonetheless. And that was what mattered.

Six days before Jack was set to fly home, you had another one of these date nights. 

The screen flickered to life and there he was – tousled hair you wished you could run your fingers through, half-zipped hoodie you wished you could burrow into, sitting cross-legged on a too-modern couch that definitely didn’t belong to him. He held up a plastic takeout container like it was an offering.

“Dinner, courtesy of the fine culinary skills I’ve learned from you.” 

You raised a brow. “That looks suspiciously like pad Thai.” 

He shrugged. “Maybe I cooked. Maybe the DoorDash guy and I are becoming best friends.”  

You snorted, curling deeper under your blanket as you reached for the remote. “What’d you do yesterday?” 

Jack leaned back with a groan, the kind that said his spine hated him and the previous night had been long. “This guy came in with a ridiculous chest injury. We had to work carefully around the nerve endings in his nipple and – what?” 

He paused mid-sentence, catching the grin spreading across your face.

“Should I be jealous by how excited you just got talking about someone else’s nipples?” you teased.

Jack coughed, nearly choking on his water. “Jesus. It was a very complicated procedure. We had to be extremely precise.” 

“Oh, I’m sure his nipples were deeply moved by your devotion,” you grinned.

“You’re insufferable.” 

“And you miss it.” 

“Unfortunately,” he deadpanned, mouth twitching.

You smiled, feeling that familiar warmth settle into your chest. God, you missed his face. You missed his voice, his sarcasm, the way he looked at you like you hung up the moon. 

You squinted at the screen. “Is it just me or are you getting a tan?” 

Jack glanced down at his arms. “Well, the sun does shockingly exist here. Unlike your vampire den of a kitchen.” 

“I work best when the lights are dim, and you know that!” 

He smirked. “Sure. That explains why every time you call me from there, you look like you’re in a hostage video.” 

You groaned, tossing a throw pillow off your bed. “Well, not all of us can soak up some West Coast rays while also being a nipple whisperer. Guess you’re just built different.” 

“I regret telling you anything about that case.” 

You smirked as The Bachelor theme started playing faintly from your TV. You both fell quiet for a beat, comfortable. It had become your ritual – playing the show in the background, pretending to care about the drama, when really, it was just an excuse to sit in each other’s orbit for a while. 

Midway through the episode, Jack stood up and walked off-screen and came back holding something. You squinted.

“Is that… a bobblehead? Of an avocado… surfing?” 

Jack held it up proudly toward the camera like it was fine art. “Picked it up at a roadside stand. Guy said it was hand-painted by his seven-year-old niece.” 

“It’s so ugly,” you commented, grinning anyway. “I love it!”

He just laughed, setting it on the table behind him so its little bobblehead eyes stared into your soul for the rest of the call. And, his heart grew every time he caught you staring at it.

Later, you rolled onto your side, shifting your phone as you got more comfortable. The new angle must’ve shown more of the room, because Jack leaned in, eyes narrowing.

“You changed the bedroom.”

You panned the camera, shaking your head. “Just been sleeping on your side lately,” you admitted through flushed cheeks, before cutting him off when he smirked and parted his lips to speak. “Don’t! Don’t ask me why. Just helps me sleep better.” 

He didn’t make a joke. Just stared at you with that soft, unreadable look that always made your chest feel like it was going to burst open.

“I missed this view,” he said gently. His voice was low, almost reverent. “That room. That bed. You in it.”

You fiddled with the comforter. “It misses you. The vibe’s been different, though. Less broody. No angry sighs every time the neighbor’s dog barks.” 

“That dog is a demon,” Jack said, on instinct.

“You’re just grumpy when you’re tired,” you teased.

“And you’re grumpy when I’m not there for you to stick those frozen toes under my legs to warm them up.” 

You opened your mouth to retort, paused, then nodded. “Okay, that’s true.” 

Jack laughed.

The show was long forgotten now. All that mattered was the glow of your screens, the way his eyes didn’t leave yours, the way his voice softened like it always did when the night got quieter.

“What do you miss the most?” he asked, almost shy.

You hesitated, then said, “I miss you hogging the blanket.” That made Jack laugh, but you shook your head, insisting, “I’m serious. In like a stockholm syndrome-y way – I miss that. And other stuff, like you leaving all the lights on or waking me up at the stupid hours of dawn when you get back from a shift… The little stuff.” 

Jack nodded, smiling in that slow, aching way. “You know what I miss?” 

“What?” 

“Sitting at the island, watching you test out new recipes – make a mess of the kitchen like you’re on some Food Network competition.”  

You smiled, fond and aching. “That’s the only way I cook.” 

“I know,” he said. “I miss it. Miss you.” 

You let that settle between you. Let it warm you all the way through.

 “In six days, I’m gonna be stuck to you like velcro,” you murmured.

He quirked a brow. “Is that so?” 

You nodded. “And you’re not allowed to leave again, by the way. And if you do, you’re taking me in your go-bag.” You lifted your pinky finger toward the camera. “Promise.” 

Without hesitation, Jack raised his pinky to match yours. “Promise, baby.” 

And for a moment, across the glow of two tiny screens, it almost felt like he was already home.

“Are you here yet?” you asked the second you picked up the FaceTime, barely able to contain the grin stretching across your face. The sounds of the kitchen clattered behind you, but your focus remained on the screen. On him.

Today was the day Jack was coming home and you were giddy with anticipation. 

“I am,” he replied, voice smooth, teasing, “but where are you?”

You groaned, “A last-minute catering order came in, so I had to stay late. Almost just brought the chef’s knife with me to work in the car and just sprint to Arrivals.”

Jack smirked, familiar and smug. “I don’t know how TSA would’ve taken that.” 

“But, I sent a good backup, huh?” 

Jack shifted the camera to the driver’s seat, where Robby sat, looking amused as he drove. “You’re lucky I’m easily bribable with food,” he said. “Picking him up on my day off was not part of the plan.” 

“Yeah, but you’d do it for the filet mignon these magic hands can make, right?” You wiggled your fingers at the screen, and Jack snorted.

“Oh, any day of the week,” Robby agreed, his grin cracking wider.

Jack turned the camera back to himself. He looked tired from the long travel day, but the way he looked at you—like he’d been waiting all day, or rather, six weeks, to see your face—made your chest ache.

You drank him in. Stubble. Black tee. Soft warmth creeping onto his features as he looked at you. 

“How was your flight?” you asked.

“You’re lucky I like you,” he replied, rubbing his jaw. “I just spent six hours sitting in front of a guy who kept stabbing at the screen like it wronged him personally. Kept me up the whole flight.”

From off-screen, Robby piped up, “Is that why you fell asleep on my shoulder in the first five minutes of the drive?” 

“Aww, is that true?” you cooed, and Jack immediately frowned, shaking his head. “Liar,” you accused with a knowing smile, before asking, “Are you close?”

“To your place?” You nodded. “I was gonna head home first, shower, sleep for a bit – ”

You were already shaking your head, correcting him, “No. You’re coming here first; not allowed to shower before you see me.”

Robby snorted, and Jack sighed in that over-it-but-not-really way before turning to his friend. “Can you drop me off at hers?” 

“Kinda already assumed,” Robby said, tapping the GPS. “Route’s set to her address.”

“How much longer?” you asked Robby, bouncing on your heels with impatient energy.

“Twenty-three minutes.”

You groaned, tugging off your apron. The clock on the wall ticked slowly, teasingly. “Can you be here already?” you whined at Jack, then paused as a mischievous glint sparked behind your eyes. “I’m ovulating and miss you being in my – ”

“Ohhhkay,” Robby cut in, clearly scarred and making your grin widen. Jack’s mouth twitched.

“I was going to say ‘arms.’ Sheesh, Jack, what kind of freaks do you work with?” you teased, grin widening as Jack broke into a full smile and aimed the camera at Robby, who groaned in defeat. 

“You’re gonna get me kicked out of this car, trouble,” Jack said, warmth bleeding into his voice at the nickname. Your chest squeezed, missing him.

Eleni walked into the office a moment later, waving at the screen. “Hey, Eleni,” Jack greeted.

“Hey,” she said, squinting. “Was that groaning I heard just now? You guys doing phone sex again or just emotionally scarring Robby?” 

“For the record, those things are not mutually exclusive,” Robby chimed in.

Eleni grinned, turning to you. “You heading out now?” 

You nodded. “Unless there’s something else – ”

She was already shaking her head. “Go. Get out of here. You’ve already cleaned the walk-in twice just waiting for Jack to land.” 

Jack perked up at that. “Aww, is that true?” he mocked, using your tone from earlier.

You glared at him, but before you could deny it, Eleni added, “She reorganized the grain bins, too!”

You were already grabbing your keys as Eleni ushered you toward the door. “Okay, I’ll see you when you get here,” you said to Jack. 

In a rare moment of vulnerability, he puckered his lips and blew you a kiss goodbye. You flushed, heart stuttering. 

“You’re getting soft on me, Abbot,” you teased.

“Pretty sure we’re way past that.”

The drive home was a blur; you could barely keep your concentration. Every red light felt like the universe was plotting against you; every slow pedestrian crossing the street made you want to scream. 

Your heart was hammering in your ears. You didn’t even remember pulling into the driveway, adrenaline surging. But the moment you caught sight of the front door – 

There he was.

Jack.

Standing at your front door in that familiar black tee, suitcase sitting on the porch as he fumbled with the spare key you’d given him. He was so focused on unlocking the door, he didn’t even hear your footsteps approaching.

“You know, for someone who saves lives for a living,” you called out, approaching him, “you’re really struggling with the concept of a lock.” 

Jack froze, then turned.

And then, a slow-spreading, lopsided smile that had lived on your phone screen for far too long was finally gracing you in person. 

“Well, maybe if someone didn’t have ten million locks on the door, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” he said, voice lower than usual, rougher in a way that made your stomach flip.

You crossed the distance in three strides. The key clattered onto his luggage as he let it fall.

And then you were in his arms. 

Not the thought of him. Not his voice through a screen. Not his pixelated smile or sleepy texts or pictures of his takeout. Him. Warm and solid and real.

His arms wrapped so tightly around you, it felt like he wouldn’t ever let go. And you didn’t want him to. You buried your face in his chest, breathing him in. 

“I forgot how good you smell,” you mumbled into his shirt. “Like middle seat and recycled plane air.” 

He tugged playfully at your ear, leaning back just enough for you to get a good look at him. Sun-kissed skin. Slight scruff that made your fingertips itch to trace it.

“You got more handsome. That’s annoying.” 

He raised a brow. “You’re only saying that because you’re ovulating.” 

“No,” you promised. “If I did, I would’ve already dragged you inside and ripped your clothes off – ”

He kissed you mid-sentence. Not hurried. Not desperate. Just… steady. Like he had all the time in the world, because now, he did.

When you finally pulled back, breath short, he rested his forehead against yours. “Missed you,” you said softly.

“Yeah,” he whispered, almost like it hurt. “Me too.” 

You leaned into him again, arms tightening, greedy now that you finally could be. “You’re never leaving again, right?” 

He chuckled, voice cracking just a little. “You going to chain me to the radiator?” 

You shrugged. “Tempting. I do own zip ties.” 

His laugh was full, unguarded, the sound of it seeping into your skin like sunlight. “Why don’t we save those for the bedroom, huh?” 

He leaned down again to kiss your cheek, your jaw, the corner of your mouth. And then he whispered, “Let’s go inside.” 

But neither of you moved. Not yet.

You’d waited this long.

What was one more minute in each other’s arms?

[unlimitedhearts]

I’m dreading the third game of Spiderman might kill off Harry :/ either he’s goblin (solo or probably along with daddy-o) and dies a la Hero Sacrifice. Or kept comatose and in the end with grim results the decision is to pull the plug on him. idk I feel Harry’s fate is doom and gloom. But they could have killed Harry at the end of this sequel giving a strong motivation for Norman to be the Goblin and hatred for Spider-Man…yet they didn’t. idk rambling thoughts. What do you think?

Personally i can see both options. I saw someone in the tags of my last headcanon post say that it wouldnt make sense to save him from death in this game only to kill him in the next. On some level i get that, why wait when you could do it now?

I have two worst case scenarios in my head:

Harry wakes up from his coma w amnesia a la the third Tobey Maguire movie. Hes unaware of Pete being Spider-Man and Peter, thinking hes protecting Harry, wont tell him. This may cause a rift in their friendship when Harry finds out - or if Norman ends up going goblin and dies - Spider-Man is to blame in Harrys eyes and he'll go after him then. To me this is a tired trope of Harry getting an intense hatred for Spidey and wanting to kill him over his father. It always felt out of character for me and i truly TRULY hope they dont go this route.

Harry becomes the Kobold. In the comics, Kobold is essentially Harrys way of making the Green Goblin a good guy. If he still wants to fight by Peters side, he'll find a way to do it. Kobold would make a lot of sense to me personally, as it kind of continues their dynamic from this game. Then at the end theres a heros sacrifice to be made and Harry goes for it despite Peters protests. This would be lazy to me too though because he essential already did the heros sacrifice in this game. Seems like theyd just want us to have more time with him to love him even more, just to make losing him hurt worse. I wouldn't put it past an intrepid writer to think they could make it work, but it just seems lazy to me.

Actual best case scenario for me though? Harry wakes up as the g-serum is being injected. Hes against being his dads experiment all over again so he runs and finds Peter. Hes not aware of his pseudo-retirement, he just goes straight to the place thats always been his safe haven; Peters home. He asks Peter to hide him from his dad. Tries to explain everything but hes exhausted and frantic. Peter agrees and they take him into hiding.

Norman, ever the expert deflector, doesnt see this as a failing on his part. Hes convinced spider-man had something to do with his son escaping so he puts out a hit on him. Hes ready, willing, and able to capture and kill at least one of the two spider-men it doesnt matter. We see him pardon Wilson Fisk for this job, and when Fisk cant do it, he has to. Normans going to go Goblin. I know it, i can feel it in my bones.

Miles asks Peter to get back in action and he does. Fisk, plus potentially Otto again, plus this brand new villain in town is too much for any one person to handle. Heres where i see Harry becoming a "Guy In The Chair" for Peter like Ganke is for Miles. Two Guys in the Chair helping the spider-men is definitely better than one. I could also see Harrys goblin powers start to emerge but he keeps pushing them down. Last time he gave into power it didnt end well for anyone.

In an effort to not write out the entire plot of the game as i see fit (because itd be long and there are so many moving pieces and characters and IDEK WHERE THEYRE GONNA PUT SILK IN-), i think if Harry does take on the cowl he'll be doing so against his father. I think i see Harry becoming Goblin/Kobold to fight against Norman and ultimately try to help Peter/Miles. This is where i see Harry either accidentally killing Norman or Norman killing his son (and of course, blaming Spider-Man)

There is also room, in my mind, to bring back Venom a la Lethal Protector/Agent Venom. But tbh if they do, i would much rather Venom go to Eddie Brock or Flash Thompson. But thats just the separate Venom Fangirl Entity within me.

Ultimately my hope of course is that Harry not die and they dont go down that all too tired and hackneyed trope of Harry growing to hate Peter dor whatever reason. I truly TRULY hope they dont go that route it is just SO tired and lazy. I want them to stay close and loving. Whatever route they go with will be SO MUCH MORE IMPACTFUL if Harry Osborn lives and doesnt make a full 180 on his best friend for no good reason.

[beepsparks]

Long as hell rant about the Jackbox Direct (spoilers: I kinda hate it)

Uhhhh idk. I watched the Jackbox Direct today and the nicest thing I could say about it was it wasn’t good, but hey I feel like typing up my feelings about it. Sorry if my opinions offend you or whatever idk I have way different preferences on things. Also this rant is really pessimistic sorry I just. Idk I have feelings after Pack 10 and the Naughty Pack and probably some non-official Jackbox related shit that I will not dive into

Full rant under the cut, spoilers ofc also no fandom related tags because I feel like someone’s gonna get mad at me for this

Firstly, that duration… 4 minutes is NOT a direct. In my opinion, something is considered a direct when it’s about 15 minutes in length. That was not a direct, that was a glorified trailer they could’ve just uploaded to their YouTube on any normal day. It’s even worse because they had been hyping up the “first ever Jackbox Direct!” For MONTHS beforehand only to drop a 4 minute video. That’s really scummy imo. Don’t ever get me excited for something like that only to give me a 4 minute video in which like half of it is just an elongated trailer for one of the games.

We already knew we’d be getting a pack 11, especially after the admittedly disaster that was the Naughty Pack, but speaking of which, I don’t think pack 11 is gonna do well. Full honesty. From what I’ve seen for awhile, one of the only things that might get a person to get a party pack is just for the sequel game.

Little analysis here, it kinda goes like this: Person gets party pack only for the sequel game -> plays it AND other games out of curiosity -> discovers they LIKE the new games and asks for sequels of those games -> Jackbox POSSIBLY makes sequels of those games if enough people ask -> repeat?

It’s kinda like a fair trade. Forgive me to saying this but especially considering the bad rap Jackbox has been getting since PACK 8 to be honest because of how bad most of their new games are, is anyone REALLY going to trust a pack ONLY with brand new games? It’s a bad business decision in my opinion. You want more proof? In the time the direct happened, there has been almost ZERO excitement for Pack 11, only for Trivia Murder Party 3. Sorry guys, Pack 11 is likely going to be dead on arrival.

Also just… why was there so little time spent on. ANYTHING? I’m not joking when the direct happened and I watched it live and everything happened so fast that I barely processed anything about the new games. Anyway

Getting into the games as well, although forgive my nitpicking because I am aware these games are still in their VERY early development stages:

Battle Trivia Game: I actually like this concept, although they barely described it. (Same with everything else in the trailer) Sounds interesting enough, no bad feelings towards it, probably will wait for later news on it. Seems neat, nothing more.

Social Deduction Game: Isn’t this like… just Weapons Drawn but with a slightly different method of finding eachother out? Jackbox has been a little too obsessed with social deduction games recently in my opinion as well. Also after Hypnotorious I hope this game isn’t as confusing as it (I mean I understand Hypnotorious but most STILL don’t understand how the hell to play it) again, wait for more info but right now this literally just feels like a Weapons Drawn clone. Hoping the host is good though.

Joke Writing Game: Barely an opinion to be honest. Simple concept, but not gonna lie this just feels like an excuse to cater to the little 13 year olds that like “dark humor” that’s just offensive or not funny sex jokes. One of the things I hated about Let Me Finish is that you genuinely cannot make any other joke than “haha sex and cum”. Please don’t do it again Jackbox.

Sound Effects Game: Here’s the obligatory highly experimental game! Where do I begin. Dead on arrival. Immediately on release day. I’m sorry I just feel like this game is going to have FixyText level bugs. Bugs that hinder the experience so bad the game isn’t even fun. I’m sorry but Jackbox just CANNOT seem to be able to fix their buggy games, again key example FixyText.

On another note, who is this even for?? I was talking with someone else and they brought up a very good point, if everyone is playing in the same room, and IF you’re supposed to record sounds at the same time, that’s just gonna cause overlap in noise. If you’re in a call and playing on the same device, you might have to mute your microphone which just causes inconvenience. Although keyword this is IF everyone has to record at the same time, you likely will record individually.

Adding on, I CANNOT see Twitch streamers playing this game, it’s way too risky. If Jackbox doesn’t implement an INSANE amount of moderation tools into this game, genuinely what is stopping someone from just hopping into the game and yelling slurs, or making “sound effects” that are so loud they kill everyone’s ears and completely drown out all other noise in the final round. (As they said, all sounds will come together in the final round)

I dunno. TLDR on sound effects game, I feel like it’s going to be way too buggy to even play enjoyably, and the way it works itself might be an issue. Pack 10 on release day was insanely buggy and considering I think Jackbox has been RUSHING their products, I think this will be buggy too, and to the point it will never work properly, like FixyText.

Cozy Drawing Game: They barely described this. I think it’s supposed to be that you get a bizarre request and you must make a cute drawing out of it? I like that concept, actually. And it actually seems like an opposite to the writing game they talked about, so I’m hoping in lore the hosts of that and this game are related in some way. To be honest this MIGHT be the game out of Pack 11 I’m most interested in, probably more than the trivia battle game. I dunno, nothing bad to say about this, sounds neat. I’m not TOO worried either as most of Jackbox’s drawing games are really good as well, so I wouldn’t worry about this one.

So that’s pretty much all I can think of for the WAYYYY too short descriptions of all the Pack 11 games. No seriously, couldn’t they have gone at LEAST a little more in-depth about these?? I know Jackbox releases stuff yearly but it wouldn’t have killed them to do something like “here’s some concept art and prompts you might see in the game”.

And now, we get to the final announcement of the Direct… yeah fuck it, I don’t like this. At all. Crash out warning!!!

Trivia Murder Party 3! …A YEAR AFTER TMP2 GOT A CONTENT UPDATE TO GIVE IT MORE QUESTIONS AND ON THE SAME YEAR AS YOU DON’T KNOW JACK’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY (and nitpicking, also the same year as Quiplash’s 10 year anniversary!)? stupid. So. Goddamn. Stupid.

First off, I feel like I should note that I am HEAVILY biased as full honesty, I don’t like Trivia Murder Party. I haven’t cared for it in months, it’s overrated (in my opinion), it SOMEHOW feels more repetitive than YDKJ to me, and Jackbox just kinda… I feel like Jackbox rides the TMP hype wave way too hard to the point it neglects their other series ESPECIALLY more obscure games that in my opinion are hidden gems.

PREDICTABLE location. I think EVERYONE in the fandom knew that a TMP3 would take place in a campground, glad to see Jackbox isn’t creative enough to throw us a curveball! I hoped TMP3 would take place on a cruise or something for multiple reasons. A campground is just kinda… lame?? I get Trivia Murder Party is supposed to parody those really campy horror movies but also just. I dunno. Boring.

Also nitpick but why does Redacted sound like that. What I’m HOPING is that they autotuned his voice to sing the song so it just sounds weird but I dunno. The voice feels off to me even in the ending and I don’t like it. This might just be like, Jackbox getting some dude to put on the filter because they couldn’t get Spencer Ham to voice the teaser but it threw me off as personally I’m too used to host voices (to the point that I can almost tell who’s who even with voice filters) and I don’t like it when I can tell by even the smallest detail that that MIGHT not be the same voice actor with the SAME host character. I’m hoping what actually happened is that they just used a different voice filter, I dunno, nitpick, ignore this tbh.

They didn’t do anything else aside from just announcing that they’re making a standalone game thats TMP3 (which again in my opinion is really stupid because now seemingly NO ONE wants Pack 11 as there’s no TMP3 being IN IT to excuse buying it, so this alone might kill Pack 11)

What I’m mainly upset about is just… the timing. This was a HORRIBLE time to do a new TMP3. I do not care how much people were begging for it, what I’m asking is that please understand that this feels like a stab in the heart to most YDKJ fans or even just fans of other games. This tells that Jackbox might be prioritizing what will generate the most money and attention (which I can POSSIBLY excuse the money part as they probably took a dip of sorts in profits with the amount of people I saw refunding the Naughty Pack) over deeply rooted fans.

This year is You Don’t Know Jack’s 30th anniversary, the game series that got Jackbox to where they are today. And they didn’t even breathe a mention of it. Not a single cameo, not a single reference, not even a breath of attention. That hurts. That really fucking hurts me. I don’t know about anyone else but this hurts. It’s like they shoved the people that honestly from what I’ve seen are MOST dedicated to Jackbox itself away just to ride the money wave. They’re probably going to drop like 20 sets of new TMP3 merch while all YDKJ fans get is the classic pack going on sale for 5 dollars (as if it isn’t almost always on sale for 8 dollars). And again nitpicking, Quiplash 1 specifically will probably get thrown on sale for its 10 year anniversary. Nothing more.

Again, it feels particularly sucky as well because TMP2 got an update that added what, like 100 questions last year? They couldn’t have saved those questions for the new game?? That’s just greedy!! Greedy and unnecessary!

Jackbox Games doesn’t feel indie to me anymore, it feels like a shitty corporation that would rather make rushed products that generate the most money rather than actual quality games. Maybe the YouTubers were right! Jackbox fell off after Pack 8.

What the fuck are they doing man. Don’t even get me started on Jackbox’s shitty smart TV streaming service they wanna do. Anyway I will be getting excited for Mario Kart World, Tomodachi Life Living The Dream, and the new Kirby content despite those RIDICULOUS prices. I feel like I’ve lost all hope in Jackbox.

Don’t let me be a blight on your excitement for TMP3 of course, be happy all you want, my opinions shouldn’t affect you or your enjoyment, this is all just personal opinion.

[sorbriquette]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Tagged by @hyperions-light via DMs because apparently my mentions are still broken (womp womp). Thank you muchly <3

Not sure who this has made the rounds to yet outside off who was tagged on the prior post sooooo - feel free to jump on or ignore? Or if you've already done it drop me a link so I can read it? @aeipathism @acethmatic @vicsplinters @alexandracabotswife

Also gonna gently nudge this over to the FE fandom too even though we may not be mutals I know y'all write fic so I wanna pass on the game (sorry if that's weird) @ferditheas @hubernies

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

26 — though 6 of those are unfinished WIPs (and only 2 that I plan on definitely finishing)

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

384,397 — honestly a little shocked by that I could have written like 4 books for all that word count. But oh well it’s all skill building and I enjoy reading my writing back.

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

They are ALL from Carry On and written in like 2018 so the kudos is a reflection of time and the dropping of 2 sequels since posting them, not necessarily quality or anything. In fact the top by kudos was my first one when returning to fic and in hindsight it is not super well written.

The Truth Will Set You Free, Night After Night (this one I tried to update every night for the vibes it was fun times), Catch Me If You Can (explicit - be warned), Follow Your Heart, Not Really

4) What fandoms do you write for?

Currently it’s mostly Fire Emblem because I got hooked again during my existential spiral over xmas. I wooooould like to write some more Dragon Age, but I am not an OC girly really. And I feel like DA fandom is big into OCs.

Most of my backlog is Carry On, but I analysed the text to shit and fell out of a love with it a bit.

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes - on newer fics. I should reply to comments on older fics but idk my social anxiety tells me that if I respond to someone and didn’t respond to someone who commented on that thing a year prior - that second person will hate me. Which now that I type it out is insane.

I also did stop responding some time in like 2020-2021 for some reason? I’m not sure why but I sure think I’m an asshole for it.

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None of my fics have angsty endings. Not my MO sorry.

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

All of my fics get like, half their word count again in epilogue so… they all end pretty happy.

But given the Carry On sequels and that most of my FE stuff is before the end of the war it’s probably Overdue Commitments since that is post war, getting married, etc. And thus the only one that actually takes place after all of the other shit characters have to go through in their actual canon. (Also recency bias)

8) Do you get hate on fics?

I mean one of them got book marked with this “The first chapters are perfect. The rest, not so much. Beware” which is a bit rude. But that’s my no3 by kudos as above so like… not exactly gonna keep me up at night.

9) Do you write smut?

Not often. When I do most of it doesn’t get finished and lives in my drafts. That said I recently dropped a 10k word smut fic that is probably gonna get a sequel because I got some nice comments. And I have a 25k smut fic, and an unfinished one too.

… so that’s probably actually just a yes.

10) Do you write crossovers?

No. Not against it though. I would love to do a The Locked Tomb/Dragon Age but I don’t think I have the writing style necessary to write TLT characters.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Maybe? I’ve had people offer and have said I’d be fine with it, but never actually followed up.

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No, but I’m always down if someone’s into that stuff. Used to do a lot of RP, so I do like the collaborative stuff.

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I honestly do not know. There are a lot I like but I don’t know if I could pin down an all-time fav. I’m sure I’ll wake up in a cold sweat to the obvious answer at like 3am though.

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Putting In Effort because goooood I love Marihilda as a ship. But it really didn’t get much traction and Marianne is really hard to write like emotionally/mentally because she is so self-depreciating and depressed. It is not a fun headspace to spend your time in, particularly if no one is reading it.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I like the cadence I write with I think? The “know the rules and then break them” thing. Where my punctuation isn’t technically correct but it produces a certain rhythm in the text. Honestly I don’t even know if readers notice that.

Also I think maybe character voice? But that could be mere cowardice because I will not write a character I cannot hear clearly in my head.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Brevity.

I tend to write everything blow by blow. Which can be great for fic romance. But when you need to GET THROUGH A DAMN SCENE??? Impossible. Why do I write everyone individually walking out the door? Must we put up this tent in excruciating detail?? We do not even need this scene. Send help.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I think it’s cool when people do it but I wouldn’t put it in mine because I do not know any other languages. I would maybe make an exception for latin tho because it’s sick as hell and also dead.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Artemis Fowl, on the fan website at like age 9.

Literally just went looking for it and got a massive blast from the past - but also the website doesn’t work because of a fatal MySQL error. Not that I’d expect to find my stuff there, that would have been like 15-20 years ago now.

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

It’s still a WIP but probably Affection, just an all round comforting read for me. But again I suspect that’s recency bias. Also possibly the fact that it is a WIP and I don’t like endings.

I would like to go back and tidy it up a bit though. Ferdinand von Aegir does not use conjunctions.

[whimsy-of-the-stars]

whimsy-of-the-stars: a writeblr re-re-intro!

hey guys, it’s been a minute! I’m whimsy-of-the-stars, and since my main projects have kinda shifted around, I thought it would be a good time to update my intro! ngl it’s a pretty inopportune time to do a re-intro, since I’m close to the end of one draft and planning two more… it’s just overdue!

some info about me:

I’m gonna start college in the fall majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing! :D

learning languages is a passion of mine! I’m focusing on Spanish right now but I’ve dabbled in both Esperanto and Toki Pona (yeah I’m a nerd!)

I’m a video essay enjoyer and possibly maker, eventually

fiction podcasts and actual plays slap???

I have “I want to do too many things” disease and want to try making stories in many different mediums!

ttrpgs are really cool but I have yet to play them with other people! does that stop me from trying to make games… no

elements I like to write: Found family! Chosen ones (+ the subversion of)! Big Emotion™️! Organized crime (idk why it doesn’t leave me alone)! Gay people, of course!

genres I like to write (YA and middle grade): high fantasy, low fantasy, different -punk stuff, sci fi maybe, superheroes, fairy-tale esque, romance, coming of age

I also write poetry! You can find it in this tag: whimsy of the poetry

ALSO, I did DraftDash in January 2024, which was fun but I did end up petering out halfway thru. Follow my journey in the tag draftdash!

ok, now onto wips!

I am in a weird stage with a lot of my wips, but a re-intro was overdue so I decided to do it anyway!

wips I am currently writing:

apocalypse story!

status: first draft, 24k (almost done with part 1)

the basics: mg/ya apocalyptic + queer ?coming of age? story and its sequel, except they’re both short so they’re melded into one two-part book! it’s told thru diary entries with lots of extra ephemera glued in! part 1 of 2 is ALMOST done but I’m not inspired to finish it rn! ! I’m not gonna continue with part 2 right after, though, since I still need to plan it!

summary: stressed-out eighth/grader Allison goes to her old hideout in the forest to decompress, but one thing leads to another and she can’t find her way back home. the forest is seemingly ever-expanding, ever-changing, and even when she finds her friends who’ve come to rescue her, they still have to face the actual, real life botanical apocalypse that’s becoming more and more of an issue for the outside world. can they find their way home alive and well? and if they do get home, what will their home city even look like?

extras: fun fact I started this in April 2023 for camp nano and it has taken me this long to write the next 10k words! Also the main character is a bit of a self-insert, but of the person I was in lockdown in 2020!

um. That’s it for wips I’m currently writing rn lol

wips I am “revitalizing”:

(aka taking old drafts/concepts and turning them nice and new!)

Both of these have existed in different-ish iterations for years, however I am currently in the weird process of developing both of these into all-new things from an existing groundwork! Neither of them currently have “statuses” because it’s hard to explain where exactly I am right now!

heist story!

the basics: ya fantasy heist novel (maybe eventually a trilogy?) set in a faerie world that rapidly advanced not too long ago into a dieselpunk/decopunk society rife with corruption and crime!

summary: Logical and inquisitive teen Calliope is relatively normal. Her offbeat parents, however, have raised her in a house full of strange curios and old tomes of faery stories. But only when she starts to exhibit unwieldy shadow magic, and her parents invite a prim woman she’s never met before into their home do things really start to get strange. The woman whisks Calliope away through one of the aforementioned curios to a noir hubworld where ancient faerie bloodlines and newfangled magitech collide. Why? To take part in a high-stakes heist with a surprising trio of other teens who want nothing more than to take down the crime boss who runs their town.

extras: this one’s a weird one imo. it’s one of the oldest wips that I am still working on, tho this one had a break of about 3 years!!! also I originally wrote it in hot pink comic sans XD

new superhero story!

(I am also revitalizing this one, but it’s in a way less put-together state! not much to say yet lol!) (also it’s not very new I just call it that)

it’s a ya superhero thing that features teenage (often queer) antiheroes trying to balance their heroic + civilian identities!

featuring: the shittiest entertainment/hero management company you’ve ever seen, shared trauma, gray morality, two different rock bands, and heroes that are at once government agents, influencers, and corporate concoctions!

considering making a “help me name my characters” post because i desperately have to name/rename like 3/4 of all of these characters!!!

more ideas I have bouncing around:

(lightning round!)

old ya romance wip i need to revitalize about two teens enter a competition to make a demo album and end up falling in love in the process (also they’re lesbians XD)

offbeat, ya supernatural + historical fantasy about a girl university student who is buried alive, and upon getting rescued, starts to transform into a strange underworld creature. also features a cute gravedigger :D

a musical about standardized testing (yeah lol) that’s goofy and queer and explores how seniors + juniors are so freaking stressed out all the time lol

that’s all folks! :D

[marypsue]

find the word!

I hadn't even heard of this kind of tag game until @monsterhunting tagged me! What a great idea.

The words Grace gave me are lean, stare, change, pull, and trust. I have to see if they show up in any of my WIPs, and then post the snippet they appear in if they do. This was an exercise in discovering how much I overuse certain words, so I sort of...picked a WIP for each word, and then picked the best snippet if there was more than one result. Samples under the cut!

lean

From why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday, the Steve/Nancy/Jonathan bodyswap AU:

“Great.” Robin hands him the video she’s holding, piling it on top of the stack in his hands with a careful little pat, before starting to back away. “Just – man the counter, do those rewinds, and don’t – go anywhere.” “Where do you think I’m going to go?” Jonathan asks, but Robin’s already hurrying towards the door behind the half-wall with the garish neon Family Video sign. Robin pauses just long enough to lean back around the wall and catch Jonathan’s eye. “Just don’t go anywhere!”

stare

From that same small town in each of us, the Stranger Things ageswap AU:

“You know something,” El says, her face getting scary again, and just like that, the decision’s made for Mike. “Not about Joyce,” he admits. “But my friend Dustin didn’t show up for school today. Nobody knows where he is. The last time anybody saw him was leaving this after-school science club last night.” Mike meets El’s scary stare, and adds, “And I know he doesn’t have…gifts.” Will’s voice, his eyes, are sympathetic, but his words are definitely not. “If the lab’s people shot El – maybe Dustin and Joyce were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “What – are you saying he’s dead?” “He could be,” El says, all soft, like that makes any of this better.

change

From former heroes who quit too late, the third and final part of the AU where (almost) all the Stranger Things kids have powers:

“Why did you say,” Lucas starts, cautiously, “ ‘while I’ve still got the chance’?” Mike looks up. He’s a little surprised Lucas even noticed that. He’s a little surprised Lucas has to ask. “One or more of us dead. That’s what Barbara said, right?” Lucas frowns at him. “That was if we can’t change it. It’s not guaranteed.” “Yeah. But we haven’t changed it, yet, have we? We don’t have the spy, we don’t know what’s going on with the Russians, we haven’t even been able to tell Hopper and Mrs B…and it’s already the fourth.” Mike laces his fingers together and pulls his palms apart, looking down into the basket he’s made with his hands. “We’re going to stop – whatever it is. I know. That’s what we do. It just – I just -” “It feels like you’re running out of time,” Lucas offers, and Mike shrugs. “I guess. It’s just – if the Mind Flayer really is back, or if there’s another monster, and it goes after us…” He has to swallow, hard, suddenly. Trying to breathe in this entryway is like trying to breathe soup. “El’s going to fight it. You know she is. She’s gonna be right out there in front of us, throwing the first punch.” Lucas nods. Mike pushes himself up out of the chair. Suddenly, he can’t stand the scratch of the woven fabric against the bare backs of his knees. “It just feels like I should say something, first. But she’s not making it easy. Come on, we’re gonna cook alive in here before Nancy and Jonathan get back.”

pull

From Something Borrowed, Something Blues, the sequel to Reincarnation Blues:

After a moment of apparent deliberation, one of the dryads gestured, and the branch Mabel had been trying to pull away from the woman’s face suddenly slithered away. The rest of the vegetation webbed around her started, creakily and in lurching, jerking movements like old stop-motion animation, to retreat into the soil. Two of the dryads had already gone to join their sisters trying to battle the flames. The third paused only long enough to catch Mabel’s eye and give her a long, hard stare, before hurrying off to join them. The second she was free, the woman Mabel had taken for Grenda gasped in a breath and then asked, almost demanded, “Mira?” She was looking right at Mabel. “No, sorry,” Mabel said. “Hey, how’d you get inside a tree?”

trust

From Blood Will Out, the The Lost Boys pseudo-sequel-slash-reboot fic featuring an OC sister duo and vampire girl gang because I am nothing if not Predictable:

When Edgar comes back, it is, unsurprisingly, with an implement of vampiric destruction. But the stake he holds out to Jamie is offered blunt end first. “Keep this on you at all times. Especially while you’re in Santa Carla. It might just save your life.” Jamie hesitates for a moment before taking it from his hand. It’s a beautiful piece of woodworking, unadorned, a little more than a foot long, turned and varnished so smooth and perfect that the grip sits satiny and comfortable in her hand with no risk of splintering. The end is sharpened to a point so fine she nearly pricks her finger on it. It’s surprisingly heavy in her grip, too, solid and dense. “Thanks, but -” Edgar cuts her off before she can finish the thought. “Don’t let my presence and my fearsome reputation lull you into a false sense of security. There’s still a serious undead element active in this city.” He pauses for just a moment, the only sign he’s uncertain at all, before adding, “And you can’t trust your sister.”

I'm going to tag @daddygrandpaandthebeaver, @mickeymagpie, @amethystunarmed, @enquiringangel, and @gretchensinister, and my words for you are: sharp, take, moon, pile, and dream.

[astarkey]

I was tagged a century ago by the lovely @barbienheimer to list 5 unpopular opinions from 5 fandoms! Thank you babe, and I am so so sorry it took me this long to get around to doing this! 😘💖🙏🏽

1. From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series

I know I’m gonna get dragged for this, but this has been my opinion for years ever since I stepped foot in the fdtd tumblr fandom... The Kisa and Kate war thing is just ridiculous. And bashing people for having siding with either of them and saying they’re wrong to like either of them too is ridiculous when literally they’re fictional characters and these characters ain’t that deep. Like I feel like people take it too personally when the real person to blame is the writers who wrote them that way. I love both the characters and I feel like I’m the only one in the fandom that’s playing at an even field here lol because I know that both of them aren’t good and aren’t perfect, but I’m out here having fun imagining them being best buds going on a girls road trip with Kalinda, Dakota, and Maggie :p

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Not gonna lie, ever since Dawn showed up in s5, I’ve always found her very, very annoying and never liked the plot of Buffy all-of-a-sudden having a sister.

3. Stranger Things

Definitely felt like they could’ve handled s4 better in the ending after they left Eddie in the upside down instead of just showing him dying and then flashing up “two days later.” Also, the Steve/Nancy thing they were pulling, I didn’t like it at all.

4. Kingdom Hearts

... Remember when the first game was about a boy who wanted to leave the island and travel to other worlds (disney worlds)? Yeah, that was a simple story. ‘Cause like right after that, I really felt like... that series became a cash cow for Square. Because right after that game, they came out with Chain of Memories for the Game Boy Advance and not the ps2, and then the sequel came out for the ps2, but then Birth by Sleep and Re:Coded and 358/2 Days came out for the psp and Nintendo DS, and then Dream Drop Distance for the Nintendo 3DS, KHX for mobile phones, 0.2 and KH3 for ps4, and I don’t even know what KH4 is gonna be on, but it’s like I just never liked that they wanted to have these games on consoles that nobody has?? Like it’s just something that has bugged me for 20 years, like why not keep it simple and have it on like a main console brand like playstation? Like imo, I thought that they were making up these other stories just to have them for specific consoles for like a cash grab instead of having a coherent storyline that makes sense. And with KH3, I was expecting Sora’s story to be over-over, not go back to how it was in the ending of the first game where Sora and Kairi are separated AGAIN, in order for the story to keep going. Like right when the news broke out about kh4, I was happy and excited, but I wasn’t all too thrilled because I feel like it’ll be this never-ending cycle where Sora’s story is said to end, but it will never end. I will say though that the fans that kept pushing the developers to finish kh3 and kept asking when will it be released, that wasn’t cool at all. Like they don’t know how much work the devs put into to creating a game, and for them to demand it, that wasn’t right and I felt bad for the devs.

5. Yellowjackets (SPOILERS AHEAD)

S2 was not as good as s1. I felt like everything was rushed to answer almost everything, while there’s still important things left unanswered. Natalie being the antler queen???? And then having her killed off while she was also a recovering addict was just a wrong move. She was literally the most sane character in this story, and now the most sane person is gone. I don’t even know if I wanna watch it anymore after that because she was the strongest character and my favorite, and I had high hopes for her. I was hoping s2 was all just a dream because it all felt like one big joke to me. There was no mystery, no thrill, nothing that left me hanging wanting more like s1 did where there was one mystery after the next that doesn’t reveal itself. And I also didn’t like the Misty/Walter thing, like it was cute, but it also got on my nerves idk how to explain it lmao 😂

I felt like I was rambling through this 🤣 But yeah, those are my unpopular opinions.

Tagging (no pressure of course!): @bloodychamber, @camiladnne, @bellamuertes, @justjstuff, @blondiest, @ondinaaa, @alwaysupatnight, @lilmissuncreative, @charlottesmatthews, @chronic-ghost, @bonnielass23, @weloveachother, and anyone else who wants to do this! ❤️

[thompsborn]

Hello!!! i’m so interested in the HB2 plot! I feel like we see peter angst way more commonly than Harley—so if you ever feel up for rambling about it under a cut or a spoiler tag this is a free space to do so! He really is my blorbo and you’re my favorite fic writer so I know whatever happens it’ll be amazingly done but I’m dying for hints at more of what that’ll look like! Are we talking, like, caught in the literal crossfire or devastating hostage situation 😂

okay before i do the harley rambles i!? I’m your favorite fic writer??? my guy what the FUCK that’s so sweet but also have u read any of sarah’s fics?? oddy’s parkner fic or oddy’s parksborn fic??? ANY of the Classic Iconic parkner fics circa 2020-2021?

i’m actually very VERY slowly making a parkner fic rec list to post at some point but just. WHAT. there are So many INCREDIBLE fic writers and saying i’m your favorite is BONKERS to me but also so nice i ??? thank you??? oh my god???? ❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙

okay anyway sorry to what the ask was actually about pfkfj, HARLEY!!! i agree it’s definitely a lot easier to come across peter angst than harley angst, which most likely has to do with the fact that there is a LOT of material to draw from for peter’s character—various movies, comics, shows, timelines and universes and the games. it’s a lot easier to come up with angst for peter because there’s a lot of canon angst to choose from AND there’s so much content for him that it’s a lot easier to get a grasp on his character and create angst based on that, you know? but as a fandom we have definitely created many ideas of harley based on when he was a kid in im3 and his cameo in endgame, plus the WEB comics + ride at avengers campus, so harley angst is for sure out there but like you said it is NOT easy to come across lmao

as for the HB2 plot—i have an ask in my drafts from like a month or two ago asking for more information about hb2 and i’m gonna try to finally finish answering that and post it sometime today, so that post will definitely include some insight in what to expect from the sequel, but harley in hb2 specifically? i GOTCHU.

OKAY !!! let's do this!!

so homeward bound, as i've said before, is PETER'S story post no way home, right? but in hb2 it's peter AND HARLEY'S story post homeward bound. the first chapter is a recap of the first fic from harley's pov with a lot of extra bits thrown in, starting on the day that thanos first snapped and ending either where the first fic ends or maybe in the summer between school years. unsure as of now but one of those, for sure. so that's going to offer a lot of perspective about harley's character in homeward bound - his thought processes, how he was feeling in a lot of key moments during the first fic, things he was doing while peter wasn't around, etc etc etc.

but in hb2, after the recap in the first fic, it picks up at the start of their second year at ESU. he might still be roommates with harry. he might not be. it won't be the same room at the very least, so no matter what, there's going to be some changes, right? but also:

everything is different.

there are the small changes - not the same room, harder classes as they climb their way through the pre-reqs, potentially a different roommate, some stuff happened over summer, etc.

but also there are the BIG changes, like his dynamic with peter, and knowing that peter is spidey and now being a part of keeping that a secret due to peter not wanting anyone else to know. he also knows about the spell and he knows that peter is someone tony loved, someone that pepper and morgan and happy and rhodey knew and cared about, and none of them remember him, but they know harley.

with harley's pov comes the reintroduction of the rest of the world, basically. peter has no one, right? his old life was completely destroyed and erased, leaving no connections to the people he used to know, so he's been VERY closed off from everyone and everything.

harley, however, still knows pepper and morgan and happy and rhodey. he still talks to them on a regular basis. he has his mom and his sister. he isn't closed off in classes like peter is, actually having conversations with his classmates, even if he has no interest in befriending them. peter's pov has been very limited because his world has been completely changed. harley's has been changed too via the loss of tony and him being dead for five years while his mom and his sister had to adapt to a life without him there, but it's not been changed to the extent of peter's, you know?

harley is going to have a few struggles in hb2, some centered around peter, some not. there's going to be family stuff. there's going to be this urge to tell pepper and them about peter because he thinks that peter would benefit from having these people in his life again but also he wants to respect the fact that peter doesn't feel ready to do that.

there's going to be some conflict about the people in his life learning that he's involved with spider-man's business somehow. there's going to be people getting angry at spider-man because of it.

a lot of mental and emotional turmoil is going to come out of all this. but, in the physical sense, he's not going to be entirely safe, either. again, people are going to realize he's somehow connected to spidey. he's going to want to do whatever he can do to help peter, to the point where he's going to get a little reckless with it sometimes.

caught in the crossfire? yeah.

hostage situation? no. at least, not in hb2. not that i currently have planned. that could change, but as of my current plans, no.

hope that's enough information to build some intrigue >:)

[miyamiwu]

Super, super late reply, but I was tagged by @variabels to list 5 anime/manga recs. Thanks for the tag! (I also love Durarara and Baccano ヾ(•ω•`)o)

I’m gonna list mainly Chinese media in this list, though, because that’s what I consume more. And ha! How brave, asking an ND person like me for recs. Prepare to be bombarded by my rambling!

Starting off with the media currently featured in my header (excluding Blue Lock coz most of my mutuals already know that)...

1. The Earth is Online (danmei* novel)

* Danmei - Chinese boys love stories

The plot basically: Everyone on Earth is pulled into a death game.

A good intro to the unlimited flow* genre. Each instance is thrilling and complex. The boys love aspect is not much, as it focuses on plot, but it’s definitely not subtle. The characters are also quite diverse. Most UF novels just focus on the Chinese characters and revolve around what happens in China, but this one actually features those from other countries. I also like how the protagonist isn’t treated as the entire world’s savior. Other people around the world are also doing their part.

Where to read: An official English release is coming out in 2024. Translations will be done by luckkoi, the fan translator. As such, they've taken down their translations online. There's an alternate translation by @leonsrightlations , but only a few chapters are out right now. There are several completed translations online, but they're all edited mtl (machine translation). If you don't mind that, you can go google it. I recommend the one by Rainbow Mushroom. Their translations require a password, though, and you can find that on their Discord server.

* unlimited flow - Chinese genre of web novels where the protagonist is pulled into different instances to complete challenges which, if failed, would result in punishment or even death. It’s basically the death game genre, but instead of just one game, there are multiple.

2. Legend of Hei movie + Legend of Luo Xiaohei series sequel (donghua*)

(I downloaded this video from YouTube years ago. I can no longer find it there, so I’m reuploading it here…)

* Donghua – Chinese anime

A story about the young cat demon Xiao Hei and his quest to find a new home after humans destroyed his old one. Cute cat + cool powers + awesome fighting scenes + clean and crisp animation.

You can watch this on Netflix, but it’s not available in all countries. There’s an English and Japanese dub available, but I strongly recommend watching it in the original Chinese. (I can send you the full movie with English subtitles if you want). The series, which takes place after the movie, can be watched on YouTube. S1 of the series is more slice of life, but s2 is action-packed.

3. Low Tide in Twilight (BL manhwa)

That BL trope where the bottom has a mountainload of debt, while the top gives him a way out… except, not really, coz the male lead Taeju is partly the creditor, and he’s forcing Euihyun into a relationship with him in exchange for money.

Typical BL story with an initially toxic couple, but better. Complex characters, and a manhwa that relies more on the art to tell the story instead of the words. Also, Taeju gives off that same annoying but hot vibe as Kaiser. What more do you want?

4. Link Click (donghua)

The title (时光代理人) would be literally translated as “Time Agents.” I have no idea why the official English title is Link Click.

The plot basically: Two guys with time-related powers run a photography shop, where they accept orders from clients to dive back in time through a photo.

Funimation did this donghua so dirty by not promoting it more back when it aired in 2021. The English subs were also terrible.

Did you know that it used to rank #20 in MAL, surpassing MP 100 S2, Jujutsu Kaisen, and many other mainstream anime? Now, it’s ranked #41 on MAL, lower than before, but still pretty high for a donghua on MAL. That’s just how good it is.

Here’s a link to the blu-ray version with fansubs. Just pick the normal English track option and not English (CR).

Edit: OKAAAY, it turns out that link has the episode order all mesed up. Just ask me if you need an HD copy with good fansubs.

5. White Cat Legend 2020 (donghua)

Title (大理寺日志) would be literally translated as The Journal of Dali Court.

Another cat boy donghua! Can you tell I just love cats?

The plot: Chen Shi travels from the countryside to the big city to search for his missing brother and inadvertently ends up working at Dali court under the cat guy Li Bing.

Slice of Life + Comedy + Drama + Supernatural + Mystery + Action

Baiting you with a hot guy gif~

It's a historical show btw, so expect some references to real-life events.

The animation is also really smooth in this one! You can watch it on YouTube. Here's a link to episode 1.

Season 2 is also out! I'm yet to watch it, though. I should really do some time...

----

Tagging some mutuals to check these out, and also to list 5 recs (no pressure)~

@potato-longsocks @echarie @takeunknownroadnow @gachagon @bachirasbodyguard @blonde-batgirl @oo-mi-ru-oo @www98vikitoo @whiteapplesandblackblood

I recommend creating your own post instead of adding your recs in a reblog. My post is already pretty long. Turn this into a long thread, and we'll be a menace on the dashboard haha

[circesays]

{Alright so this AU (I’m going to call it the Cursed Toy AU and tag it as such- this started this AU, and this is the continuation of it) has affected my thoughts and now I have More Ideas so here��s another one. I’m already drafting a sequel to this one and maybe gonna put these on Ao3, so if you have any ideas or something like that, feel free to tag it in a reblog or notes or dms or anything like that :D}

{also, sorry not sorry. ;)}

The day everything truly began to go downhill was calm, at first. The inhabitants of Tumble Town were loud, going about their daily routines in the usual chaotic manner. Horses raced and whinnied, their hooves beating against the ground and kicking up pale dust. The barn animals called out as they were brushed or sheared or fed. Casual chatter and laughter rose from couples and friends and rivals as they mined gold, herded creepers, and worked on expanding another house. All of it echoed in the bowl, a cacophony of joy and teasing outrage and life.

(Of course, they couldn’t have known that it wouldn’t last.)

Jimmy watched from his office, the window still stained and dusty, despite having cleaned it several times just hours earlier. He idly twirled his wooden pen, adorned with a carved horse head, a gift from the first settlers to arrive to their new home.

Despite the laughter from below, the Sheriff had a sinking feeling in his gut. It wasn’t the familiar thrum of the God of Lore’s arrival, nor the cold pounding of anxiety that consumed him whenever he saw his eyes (not his not his not his) in the mirror or narrowly avoided snagging his the pull-string on his back.

No, this was unfamiliar. Unusual. But he had a feeling that it wasn’t anything good.

(And he knew the joy wasn’t to last, because he was cursed and abandoned and seemingly ignored by his friend. And it was so, so odd, because his friends knew his limits, and they know him, so how could they not see-?)

As the sun steadily made its way toward the horizon, time progressed as usual. The inhabitants met at the saloon in the evening to relax and play games. The stables were locked up for the night, the animals settled in their stalls. Jimmy sat at his usual seat, listening to the eager ramblings of a new settler, a young woman gesturing wildly as she described the designs for her new forge setup.

He fiddled with the empty glass in front of him, happily nodding along and offering ideas.

(Jimmy had quickly stopped feeling hungry or thirsty, when he’d finally turned fully. He could no longer sleep, or blink, or bleed. He turned to glue and potions instead of bandages and bread.)

In the corner of the room, a group playing poker created a ruckus as one of the players cheered jubilantly, the rest groaning or playfully punching their arm.

(And the feeling spiked.)

The Sheriff sat up straight, immediately on edge. The blacksmith frowned, her amber eyes shooting to scan the room for any threats. Within only a few moments, the saloon was on high alert, people peering out windows and climbing into the rafters with practiced ease to aim out of the higher vantage points.

(Because the entire town respected their Sheriff, trusted him. He was entwined with the magic of their home and the lives of his people. He’d never let them down, not even when an intruder changed him.)

An elderly stablehand was the first to break the stillness. “There’s a boy running over from the barnyard.”

Sure enough, a brunette, no older than 16, burst into the room, huffing and panting, his hands on his dusty jeans as he tried to recover as fast as possible. “Trouble- in- the- stables!” he gasped, pointing shakingly back out the door. “Come quick! They’re- the horses-”

The Sheriff strode over and gave him a glass of water, which he drank as quickly as possible without making himself sick.

“I was just going in to double check the water supply for the morning. The horses are restless- I’m not sure- they’re-” he stumbled over his words and paused, frustrated, before trying again. “The horses are turning into plastic. I can’t make it stop.”

(Little did they know that it was just the beginning.)

As days went by, more problems arose. The Sheriff ran himself ragged, not needing sleep or rest. The horses were fully plastic within a few days, their flanks smooth and dull. They could no longer run quickly or even keep at a solid trot, their joints having too much friction.

(Their steeds lived, fueled by the very magic infecting them. But it came with a heavy toll.)

(Within a week, Tumble Town lost their main method of transportation.)

The houses were next, the walls changing and morphing. Instead of wood streaked with yellow and scarlet dust, they were pale mints and sunshine yellows and pastel pinks, completely untouched by the surroundings.

(One cowboy tried to brighten the situation, jokingly complaining that the aesthetic was lost, that that darned god was completely destroying their nice, dirty, chaotic-energy town.)

(Another grimaced, because their precious home was built completely by hand, taking days of cutting wood and painting walls. Now their house looked like every other house in the town, a two-bit dollhouse with no love put into its creation.)

Anything alive in the town began to shift quickly after. Fur and wool and down turned to fluff and stuffing, the entire barn becoming a plushie overnight. Every pet was still, the faint pit pat of a stuffed heart keeping them alive.

(The Sheriff carefully adjusted Deputies Flick and Norman in their beds, the fire in his heart raging, because not even their companions or their food was spared.)

Everything came to its breaking point the very next morning. Jimmy lifted his dull eyes from the letters he’d been writing.

(Pleading for aide, for help, for mercy. The trash can was overflowing with imperfect drafts, because nothing could quite convey the message of “you’ve ruined my life and my people’s lives and my home and you’re fools and traitors and why are you ignoring me” kindly.)

Since Tumble Town’s founding, the Sheriff would begin his day earlier than every other inhabitant. Every morning, Jimmy would listen to the noise of his town waking up, from the laughter of parents bringing their children to the stables for the ride to school, to the whinnies of horses and the crowing of roosters.

(Even as their home changed around them, from loud and chaotic and alive to plastic and plush and dull, the people of Tumble Town began their mornings with noise, because it was a constant that held them together.)

This morning, the town was silent. The roosters could no longer croak. The horses slept, unable to move.

The townspeople didn’t emerge from their homes.

(The Sheriff felt true fear, a bolt of white-cold terror down his spine.)

He took off, scrambling down the steps and to the houses nearby, his once-shining golden badge (now cheap plastic, tarnished by the magic that cursed him and cursed his home) left on his desk.

Movement caught his eye, the Sheriff rapidly spinning on his heel. The brunette, the young boy from the stables, stumbled towards him. Jimmy barely managed to reach him before he fell.

“Heya, Sheriff,” he croaked. His skin was wooden, and his eyes were fading to paint even as he spoke. “Guess I’m the last one left. Ma’ and Mum were already frozen.”

Jimmy couldn’t speak, his horror causing his throat to tighten and his words to catch (the string, the string, the string-).

“Hey, Uncle Jimmy?”

(That nickname, given fondly, because this little scrap of a brunette was the first child in Tumble Town, the honorary leader of the stables-)

(On his desk, a wooden horse pen left a trail of ink on an unfinished letter.)

“Give them hell for us, would’ja?”

(And the boy smiled, his eyes dulling.)

Jimmy scrambled to place his head to his heart, unable to feel a pulse because his neck was made of wood-

(The steady thump of another plush heart was the only thing keeping the Sheriff grounded.)

Jimmy had never wished he could cry more.

(Around him, Tumble Town gave a final wisp of a sigh as his home and his people and his friends turned into toys.)

[phoebe-delia]

Self Rec Tag

My lovely friend @kittycargo tagged me in this lil challenge!! Thank you Kate. You're a gem as always.

I'm gonna tag @wolfpants, @aqua-myosotis, @sugareey-makes-stuff, @thehoneybeet, @phdmama and anyone else who wants to hop in!

Do you ever reread your stuff and go “aww I love this and I’m glad I wrote it!”

Yes, sometimes I do! Sometimes the imposter syndrome is nice and quiet and I can actually enjoy my own work.

"this is me trying" (12k, T)

Contains: Driving, mental health stuff, self-care struggles, getting together, fluff.

Yes yes yes, I know I talk about this fic aaallll the time on self-rec lists. But it's just. It's my favorite thing I've written. It's probably the only fic that doesn't make me cringe to read at all.

Just Between Us (13k, T)

Contains: Accidental bonding, They Were Roomates, dancing, auror partners.

Y'know why I'm 'so glad I wrote' this? Because it was such a pain in the ass; mostly due to my own internal pressures/complications. Many of my friends can attest to the fact that writing this fic was like pulling teeth. I am so fucking glad it's done. And I'm proud of it.

Goodnight, and Have a Pleasant Tomorrow (1.4k, T)

Contains: SNL AU (still Magical tho), fluff, humor, no angst, jokes, Weekend Update.

Listen. I am so fucking proud of this one. It was a lot of work but it was so fun. (It was hard because I was writing actual Weekend Update jokes based on real news articles. Because I'm extra.)

Deliquesce (2.7k, T)

Contains: Fluff, getting together, first kiss, Boggarts, and fixing the castle.

This was the very first Drarry fic I ever wrote (Ch. 1 is; the sequel was later). I am so glad it exists because it brought me here.

Little Red (series) (M, 6.6k)

Contains: Murder and violence, Ambiguous/Open Ending. Please check the tags/warnings, and if anyone has questions/wants spoilers I am happy to help! (If it helps at all, I personally don't think it's that bad, and I am a very Soft person. But obviously, that's just me.)

I am so glad I didn't let this idea be just another entry on my list. I am so glad I went outside of my comfort zone to explore this.

Just Dance (455 words, T)

Contains: Fluff, humor, and geeking out over the game 'Just Dance.'

Listen. When I got this as an anon prompt for my Hanukkah series last year, I about lost my shit. I could not believe someone asked me to write this because I did not know anyone else could possibly be interested in reading this. I wrote it at a time when I was super into the game again, for the first time since I was a kid, and I was shocked. So anon, if you're out there...please know I hope both sides of your pillow are cold and you never hit another red light and there's no delivery fee when you order food.

Eight Drarry Nights (2021) and Eight Drarry Nights (2022)

Contains: Jewish Harry Potter, Judaism, Hannukkah, and some fics that have nothing to do with religion or holidays. Check the tags for more specifics; a couple fics have angst but most are fluff.

And last but not least, I am so fucking proud of this series. There's already some lovely representation of Jewish!Harry out there, but it is an honor to get to contribute some of my own.

[star-scrambled]

OKAY!! Recollecting my thoughts is SO HARD RIGHT NOW cause the limited information that’s here is doing NUMBERS on my theories oh my GOD!!

So! I’m about to share the most notable content in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Mad Libs book, the only new book release that entails any kind of spoilers! (NOTE: IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE MINOR SPOILERS OF ANY KIND DON’T READ AHEAD. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE SPOILER TAGS LISTED BELOW FILTERED ID RECOMMEND YOU DO SO.)

To clear the air a little for those who want some clarity on how major these spoilers are: You won’t find ANY unexpected surprises. It doesn’t go into any detail about events assumed to happen a lot later in the film, such as Sonic running on the ocean, Robotnik’s huge robot, the tornado (not the plane but the actual one), etc. All the hype, high-stakes content is completely unmentioned. HOWEVER, you will find a lot of small spoilers vaguely describing some background information on Tails and Knuckles, amongst other potential plot points and details. It’s also important to note that, like the first movie’s Mad Libs book, some of this potentially isn’t addressed or occurs in the film! Still, if you’re highly sensitive to spoilers, I would recommend not proceeding, but if you’re cool with some new details, feel free to stick around!

I’m gonna summarize as best as possible and save some of the content that’s. REALLY itching my theory brain for last! Yippee! HERE WE GO:

- Knuckles IS the last of his race

- Knuckles’ destiny is to protect the Master Emerald, an ancient relic of his clan

- He’s been training since birth lol what a badass

- Knuckles’ abilities are listed off, which don’t include gliding, so I’m lead to believe it’s been retconned

- Ozzie the dog is potentially still at home with Sonic

- Tails is LITERALLY THE COOLEST. We obviously can’t assume he does all this, but according to this book he has the potential to invent things such as a device that can communicate with people in other dimensions, a contraption that scans a person to find out if they’re an ally or enemy, a tool that can translate Russian, etc.!

- Stobotnik page. Not as juicy as Stone’s diary thing from the 1st Mad Libs, nor does it include any new information, but it’s what it sounds like. It acknowledges Robotnik’s fake “Stone” from the end of the first film, “because clearly Robotnik couldn’t *verb* without him.”

- Tails owns the Tornado! Though it’s not referred to by name

- Wasn’t there a set leak tweet discussing dog sleds or something? Cause there’s a mention of it here that seems familiar

- Sonic and Tails go to a Tavern, as seen in the first trailer

- Mentions of a dance-off?? It’s super ambiguous, but I’ll share the most interesting details. One point mentions creating holograms, so this probably doesn’t apply to Tom and Maddie at the wedding. There’s also a mention of “having a dispute with a friend or a/an *noun*”

- Prior to meeting Sonic, Tails had heard stories about him! Tails idolized him and was excited to finally meet his idol when he found Sonic, expressing that he wants to be just like him when he grows up 🥺

- Sonic’s really excited about making a new friend!! He’s really flattered by Tails’ idolization, and thus agrees to take him under his wing 😭💖

- Also, the text mentions Sonic being glad to find a friend “his own age”. The assumption is that Tails is (obviously) still fairly younger than him, and by that he just meant hanging out with another kid and not adults all the time

- No new juicy info about ring portals, but I love the increased emphasis on it in the sequel that numerous sources such as this one are hinting at!!

- GUN (Guardian Units of Nations) is established!! Otherwise nothing too significant, but it’s cool! Then again, there could be game references I’m missing in this, so feel free to hmu for more info if ur itching for it!

- Knuckles training sequence page is here. Nothing major, not really interesting or telling of anything at all, but could hint to a scene like this in the film?

Okay. That’s most of the major stuff outta the way! Time to get into some things that made me audibly freak out in the store LMFAO

- AHHHHHHH AHAHAHHAHA IM SO HAPPY THE THEORIES THAT LONGCLAW AND THE ECHIDNA ARE ALIVE IN THE PRESENT DAY ARE FINALLY DEBUNKED!!!!!!! STUFF WENT DOWN BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM SO HAPPY YIPPEE THIS MAKES PERFECT SENSE ITS ALL COMING TOGETHERRRRR

- Some more context is included for Sonic stopping that crime at the beginning of the first trailer! My theory about him sneaking out of the house at night to do that is CORRECT YIPPEE! Same goes for Tom being the more strict parent in comparison to Maddie, who wants him to understand that Sonic can handle himself. I ABSOLUTELY believe this is going to lead to Maddie suggesting Tom talks to him father-son style, which cues the fishing scene the next morning!

- MY SONIC MONTAGE SCENE PREDICTION IS ALSO CORRECT?? He’s gonna do a BUNCH of fun stuff during the day, and then at night he’s unwinding with a movie (and popcorn ofc lol)! BUT what matters here is that it will SPECIFICALLY be an action/superhero movie!! And THAT ADDS TO MY PREDICTION PERFECTLY!! I’m praying we get a minute with Sonic just. Watching the film and longing for that life of helping others and being a “true hero”. I want the main character of what he’s watching to say a line that sticks with him throughout the rest of the movie’s events, a quote that at first benefits the hero image Sonic is striving for, but slowly twists into something that encourages TOO MUCH sacrifice on Sonic’s part for his family along with black-and-white thinking when it comes to him wanting to beat “the bad guys”, including Knuckles, who he’ll learn that doesn’t apply to.

And so we’ve reached it. The Power of Family page.

- Longclaw is mentioned, but not in any new information or appearances! Just a recall of her sending Sonic to Earth through a ring portal to protect him (the sentence goes on as “protect him from the *plural noun*” which could obviously go for the Echidna or generally other “war lords” out to get him)

- Sonic puts Tails on the same familial level as Tom and Maddie!!!!!!!!!!

- Vague references to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles’ team up ensues!

- So that’s all REALLY CUTE and telling of the message this movie’s gonna deliver, right? Yes! But. There’s one part that I had to read over multiple times before it’s implications hit me and my angsty theory heart like a truck.

- “In fact, when Sonic saved *first name* from danger, he began to understand that family can be more than the *plural noun* that you live and *verb* with. A family includes any *noun* that you would do anything to protect.”

- Now, at first you might think this could be referring to Tails, and I would do the same! It makes complete sense and, hey, I’d be surprised if this didn’t happen between the two of them. But, upon further inspection...this could apply to not just him?

- This sentence comes directly after this one: “But then he met Tom and Maddie Wachowski and a young two-tailed fox from his home planet, and guess what? Sonic didn’t feel so lonely anymore.” He already mentioned Tails’ impact on him, so where’s the sense in him having a different realization straight after?

- So what if he’s talking about Knuckles.

I want to keep going from there but my brains going to erupt if I proceed any further. What if he’s talking about saving Knuckles. He probably isn’t but like What If He Is. Knuckles teaming up with Sonic and Tails is ALREADY vaguely mentioned at the end of this same page, like I said before, so if he’s not a part of the prior message than why is he referenced suddenly. What if he’s talking abo

[mintywolf]

AO3 Tag Game Thing

Tagged by @astoriacolumnstaircase. Thank you!

How many fandoms have you written for?

Ever? I mean my first ever was a Sound of Music sequel that I wrote in kindergarten. But if you mean like posted online, five. Chronologically: Phantom of the Opera, BloodRayne, Final Fantasy X, Fire Emblem Fates, and Critical Role. On AO3 right now though I only have FE and CR because some of those were before I came to AO3 and I also have a(n admittedly bad) habit of destroying old or unfinished works that I don’t think I’m going to come back to. :\ (RIP The Heretic’s Daughter, you just never found your audience.)

What’s your favorite fic on your Ao3?

The one I’m most excited about is A Long Road Home, although it’s a comic that I’m crossposting to there from tumblr. Definitely the one that’s taking the highest level of dedication and the one with upcoming plot developments that I’m most eager to get to!! I’ve been really happy about how kindly it’s been received by the fandom and how many people seem to be enjoying it. I am too.

Although I’ve kind of moved on from the fandom I’m still pretty proud of Nohrian Lullaby, because it’s a complete novel (with illustrations!). While it stands on its own it was however the first part of a planned trilogy but now that I’ve gotten into Critical Role I think I’d have a hard time going back to it, haha. It was Fire Emblem’s voice cast that led me to CR but now that I’ve gotten to know them all I feel like I’d have a hard time approaching e.g. King Garon and Queen Mikoto with the solemnity they have in the game knowing now what Travis and Marisha are like at the table. XD

Have you posted elsewhere? If yes, which of those fics is your favorite?  

I’m most proud of Guardian (another comic) because that was a huge undertaking and in order to do it I had to forcibly overcome the SEVERE executive dysfunction that had been hindering me for my entire life. (Absolutely trashed my school performance and for some reason none of the adults around me seemed to think that this might be a symptom of a larger problem? I was just repeatedly told “But you’re smart! You just need to work harder!” and could not figure out why I just couldn’t.) But when I started working on that and was kind of floundering at the beginning having a hard time keeping up with it, I told myself that if I wanted to see it exist in the world, then I had to be the one to create it, and basically brute-forced myself out of a lifetime habit of destructive procrastination. I taught myself to break a huge task (200+ page comic) into smaller tasks (one page at a time) and set a schedule to make that workable (day one sketch, day two lineart, and so on). And now I sincerely don’t allow myself to procrastinate anymore. If I’m given a task to do I know to get it done ASAP before it starts to seem unconquerably huge and that is honestly as much as an accomplishment as the comic itself. It’s still a struggle but it has improved the quality of my life by a lot. (Still have not received diagnosis or treatment for whatever is causing the executive dysfunction! But at least I’ve managed to wrestle that beast to the ground and am continuing to hold it there.)

How many bookmarks do you have on AO3?

I only recently figured out what they are for, haha, so 6.

How many unread comments do you have?

None! See the above procrastination thing. I have already replied to them all. :)

Any subscriptions?

About as many as the bookmarks. Currently I’m most looking forward to updates from Consequences of a Bleeding Heart and The Madness from the Salt. :D

Any favorite tags?  

Laudna & Imogen Temult, Laudna/Imogen Temult, and within those I tend to comb through for AUs with an interesting premise. (Judging by my bookmarks my definition of “interesting” seems to trend towards “vampires” haha.)

I don’t know if she’s still active on tumblr but I’m gonna tag @auronlu bc she has had a very respectable fic writing career! (Feel free to ignore this, however.)

[pertinax--loculos]

First Line Tag

I was tagged by @ashen-crest -- thank you so much! ^_^

The rules state: share the first sentence of your last ten stories. If you haven’t written ten stories, share as many first sentences as you have.

So this is fun, because I’m a non-linear writer, so we may have to dive into the archives to find actual first lines. (Spoiler: this was a fun ol’ time. :D) Also, because I have an acute inability to perceive the singular in the word ‘line’, odds are there’s gonna be a few of these where they’re, y’know... lines. Fuck it, we ball.

Not sure who has and hasn’t done this, so randomly picking some people (absolutely no pressure if you don’t like tag games or whatever!): @oh-no-another-idea ​, @indecentpause ​, @kaatiba ​, @kaiusvnoir ​, @idreamonpaper ​, @albatris ​ and @isherwoodj ​!!

Hokay, here we go:

Absent That Night:

Latrell stared at the blank space on the wall, incensed.

ATN2 (sequel to Absent That Night):

This was not the first time Latrell had found a body in the middle of his crime scene.

It was the first time he didn't personally know the victim. So. That was novel.

CASCADE

“So you are aware what the conditions of this agreement are, Mister Johns?”

Jay leaned back in his chair, the chains binding his wrists and ankles clanking. “I’ve been given the pitch, yeah.”

Forgotten Fates

I’m gonna die because of a fucking dretter.

It’s hard to parse what’s happened in the past ten minutes or so. I just know that it’s happened, it’s happened fast, and it’s happened because I didn’t trust my instincts enough to believe what they were telling me about that message.

___RISK IT

Calden Bray was a tricky motherfucker, but fortunately I knew how to handle him.

Out of Containment (OOC)

In his dreams, he’s still there.

He walks down winding corridors that have nothing to distinguish them from the rest. Windowless, with repeating patterns on the carpet and featureless beige walls, there’s no way to tell which direction he’s going. Some latent sense of direction convinces him that they twist and turn, but there’s rarely proper corners. Intersections are even rarer.

Abandon All Hope (aka scifi horror idea)

Maddie woke to screaming alarms.

Nightmare scenario. Literally enough that it took her a few moments to realise that she wasn’t dreaming, that this was actually happening, that she was waking to red flashing lights and mechanical wailing filling her head.

Hindsight

Sometimes I wonder if it would've made more sense to get a prosthesis.

In the Shadows of Stars (now we’re really getting to older stuff, my lord)

The profile that Zayra had compiled narrowed the options down to two places.

They were both bars, both on the seedy side, both fairly well known as the establishment to go to if someone wanted to procure something that wasn’t strictly legal. They were also about as far apart from each other as they could possibly be whilst both remaining on the same planet; one in the towering structure that made up the East Dock, one hidden in the sprawl of the West Dock. And no matter how hard she tried, Zayra could not be in two places at once.

aaaaand Hellbent (lordy 0.o)

"What's the matter Lukas? You're not scared, are you?"

"No," Raleigh lied.

[rainydaze-rhys]

I’m gonna throw questions: 1, 5,6and 8 your way

Idk uhhhhhhh lets go specifically borderlands for fandom related stuff

1. The character everyone gets wrong

Does it count if “everyone” is the writers because if so, everyone in bl3 was wrong except for Ellie and maybe Sir Hammerlock. Otherwise I think probably people fully didn’t appreciate Sasha from TftBL (because of the Jack brainrot) and she deserves better. Also Lilith. Because of the Jack brainrot. And so on.

5. Worst discord server and why

Lovingly, discord was absolutely not a thing when I was in the blands fandom. It was me and my buds on Tumblr and occasionally skype. I have no idea what discord servers there may be out there and I never will!

6. Which ship fans are the most annoying

Rhys/Jack. Wait do you think that because this has the words in it that it’ll show up in the tag? I might have a heart attack if someone who’s still out here in the year 2023 looking for “rhack” sees this post. I might throw up. Anyway I used to be one of these people and I stand by it: we were the most annoying fuckers on tumblr.

8. Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Handsome Jack is not in his fucking thirties. At no point in the games was Handsome Jack a man in his fucking thirties. He had an ADULT DAUGHTER in the Pre-Sequel. He’s AT LEAST 50 and people who think he’s younger than that are cowards and fools.