#tttc time

[tealgoat]

Back in the blinding building!!!

Third time's the charm au by @wonder-of-the-stars !!!

[breaniebree]

Still not sure when it will be posted but hopefully by the end of March!

Here's a sneak peek to show you what I have planned...

Chapter One of Third Time's the Charm

The One With A Second Chance

Queen blared from the speakers as Sirius hummed along with the beat of Radio Gaga.  He smiled as James began to hum under his breath next to him, shaking his hips to the beat.  When he started to move his head and fist pump the air as he quite frankly, jammed out, Sirius stifled a laugh.  When he began to sing along, Sirius couldn’t help but smile at his friend.  He wiggled his own hips along, knocking them against James’ as they grinned widely at each other.  

By the time the second verse started, James was singing loudly and powerfully, his smooth voice echoing in the workshop around them.

“Let’s hope you never leave, old friend.  Like all good things, on you we depend.  So stick around, ‘cause we might miss you, when we grow tired, of all this visual.  You had your time, you had the power!  You’ve yet to have your finest hour, radio!  Radio!”  James sang.  

When he caught Sirius’ eye, he grabbed the wrench like a microphone and began to really sing as he clapped his hands together.  

“All we hear is radio ga ga!  Radio goo goo!  Radio ga ga!  Sing it, mate!  All we hear is radio ga ga!  Radio goo goo!  Radio ga ga!  All we hear is radio ga ga!  Radio blah blah!  Radio, what’s new?  Some-one still loves you!”  

Sirius snorted.  “Do they now?”

James shrugged.  “Well, I mean, there has to be at least one person who loves you, Padfoot.  No one I know, obviously…”

“Piss off,” Sirius said, biting back a laugh.

James reached a hand up to scratch his cheek and spread engine grease all over his face.  

Sirius shook his head.  “You’re hopeless, Prongs.”

James attempted to wipe it off, but instead only smeared it even worse.  “I don’t even understand how this shit gets everywhere!”  When he only succeeded in blackening himself more, he pouted.  “Help me!”  he whined.

Sirius chuckled and reached for a cloth, moving to stand in front of his best mate and brother to scrub his face clean.  “There.  Hopeless.”

“I’m not hopeless, I’m just not good with the whole machine thing.  That’s a wheel, right?”

“Smart arse,” Sirius said, throwing the towel at him.  “If you can’t honour the bike, get out of the workshop.”

James chuckled.  “That’s the moto-so-che bonneville harley, right?”

“I hate you.”

James grinned and passed his friend the wrench.  “Love you, too, brother.”

Marauder barked and ran in a circle around James as Lady Godiva merely lifted her head to watch the dog, looking very unimpressed with Marauder’s antics. 

They both looked up when someone came to the door and Fleamont stood there, a smile on his face.  

“Boys, getting up to trouble out here?”

“Never, Dad,” James said.

He chuckled.  “That’s what I thought.  Why don’t you come inside?  Fee and Lily have prepared a picnic for lunch.  Misha is joining us.”

“I hope Fee and the house elves made it,” Sirius said.  “If it was Evans, I might not want to risk it.”

“I heard that Sirius Black!”  Lily exclaimed, coming up behind Fleamont.  “That was one time and I was pregnant with your godson!”

“So you say,” he teased.  “I just remember you trying to poison me and Prongs forcing Moony and I to eat it.”

Lily shook her head in amusement before she moved towards Sirius to kiss his cheek.  She took James’ hand in hers.  “Well, come risk it if you dare.  Misha wants to talk to you anyway.”

James tugged on her hand to pull her up against him so that he could kiss his wife deeply.  “I love you, Lily.”

“I love you, too,” she said, grinning up at him with her heart in her eyes.

They kissed again and Sirius turned back towards his motorbike to give his friends a moment of privacy.

“I’ll meet you out there in a minute.  I just want to finish something first and you two can get the snogging out of your system in the meantime.”

“Never!”  James scoffed.  “Have you seen these lips?  They are the most perfect lips ever made!”

Lily squeezed her husband’s hand.  “The sad part is that he’s talking about his own lips.  Don’t be too long, Padfoot.”

James squeezed Sirius’ shoulder before wrapping his arm around his wife’s waist and leading her away from the bike.  Fleamont put his hand on Sirius’ shoulder.

“Don’t be too long, son.  You know Fee will want to feed you.”

Sirius nodded.  “I won’t, Monty.  Save me some of that treacle tart before Jamie eats it all.”

Fleamont chuckled.  “No promises.” 

Sirius grinned as he turned back to the bike.  He picked up the wrench, humming along to “Radio Gaga” as the music seemed to grow louder, rumbling in in his ears like the wireless was moving closer and closer to him.  Then, something flashed at his right.  He turned, his eyebrow furrowed in confusion as music blared in his ears.  He smelt her soap before he saw her and when she flashed again, covered in blood, his eyes widened.

“Zee!  What…?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice echoing as the music stopped around him.  “I tried to stop them.”

Sirius reached for her, but just as he touched her, his hand passed right through her.  Before he could contemplate the vision before him, something punched him right in the chest.  It hit him so hard that all of the breath was knocked out of him.  He felt like his chest was caved in and that every rib was broken and stabbing him somewhere different.  He gasped for breath, his eyes on Zee flashing in and out before him.

“Zee?  Zee, where are you?”  he demanded, but she flashed again and vanished before his eyes.

“Sirius?”  Euphemia asked from the doorway.  “Are you coming?”

“Fee…”  he whispered, blood bubbling at his mouth.

“Sirius?”  she called out, seeming to stare right through him.  “Darling, are you in here?”

Euphemia stepped right past him as if she couldn’t see him.  Sirius started to speak, unsuccessfully attempting to reach for her when suddenly, hands sprung out from the ground and tightly gripped him by his ankles.  He tried to shake them off, ventured to jump away, but the grip was too strong.  He reached for Euphemia again, his eyes wide before the hands around his ankles yanked.  His boots sank into the ground like quicksand and he was abruptly pulled into the earth.  The scream tore through him so loudly that it scorched his throat and Zee’s terrified face flashed before him.

“Zahira!” he cried out.  “Zahira!”

He was dragged through the mud; falling and rising like he was clawing his way to the surface, but the surface of what he didn’t know.  He swallowed the earth; dirt in his eyes, in his nose, in his mouth.  He could hear voices calling him and then there was nothing but the earth and the pain in his chest.

Pain unlike anything he’d ever felt before.  

Sharp, searing pain that made him taste his own blood.  

Pain like something was being ripped apart inside of him, something that he tried desperately to hold onto to, but no matter how hard he fought, the more it ripped and tore free.

And then there was only blackness.

~ TTTC ~

[lavend-ler]

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

damn again it's gotta be Timothy Lawrence, u know? going inside his head and writing how he would react to certain things in life and how he would embrace the world and heal is so important to me. it's always a delight to write him and his turbulent thoughts

I know I've written him far less but also I have to mention Soundwave! god, writing him is suuuuch a pleasure to go with, I swear. there's so much to his character from his own preconcieved notions abt himself and fighting with emotions that he wants to keep hidden. as well as his loyalty and his putting others and the cause before himself AH he's perfect I swear

other than that I do enjoy writing characters with very unique talking quirks! they're so fun to get right, it's almost as if the text is jumping at u hehe

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

my very next fic is a gift for my dear friend Ryz (Ryz, if ure reading this hi :3) so unfortunately I cannot spoil anything abt this for them!

my next next fic is most likely chapter 2 of Third Time's The Charm and I gotta tell u that tag I put there abt discussions of depression? this will be surely apparent in this one. exploring Norma as a character more and more had been a very interesting task. Once-ler takes a lil bit of a backseat in this fic but I want his optimistic personality to shine through here so despite Norma being the sun and Once-ler being the moon, this fic will be a reversal and it'll be very apparent in this chapter!

later on dang, the sky is the limit honestly. I love having fic plans but they always can change lol I sooo wanna write an Earthspark-verse fic for Soundwave & Starscream bc they're bffs. and I have a fic + art collab with my friend coming up! not saying anything else but it'll be SoundRod <3 and then I truly have too many ideas to count. I wanna write a new Windstream fic, a Deadceptor fic, Blurr/Smokescreen, Chromehide family (I was just thinking of them today aaaa), maybe MegOPlita and abt a thousand of SoundRod ideas. truly the sky is the limit :D

[wickawick]

got my pen back time for enrichment

[the-bitter-ocean]

In Cycles and Cessation Fanworks Masterpost

Hi everyone! This is essentially for organizational purposes so I can keep track of all the lovely creations people have made for my au that I wish to share with everyone!

If you wish to see the official masterpost for icac that has all of my art, writing and questions answered on how the Au works specifically you can go here. Both of these will be updated as time goes on in the future. You can find any work I make for this Au by looking in the #in cycles and cessation tag on tumblr! All of the links to the different fanworks will be under the cut. (FULL GAME SPOILERS + A6SE/ “2HATS” & SASASAP SPOILERS APPLY TO THIS AU) Also for clarification for the future posts instead of calling each individual section “ACTS” it will be called “ARCS”.

(ICAC Canon)

Your Heart Is A Muscle The Size Of Your Fist (art by @/basilpaste)

Stay Positive! ( art by @/eurydice-pens)

Mirabelle the Smiler (art by @/eurydice-pens)

Mirabelle (art by @/paroxysmaljune)

Lagtrain (art by @/tealgoat)

Mira Blast! (Art by @/tealgoat)

Nailed It (Art by @/tealgoat)

ICAC! Au Mirabelle Sprite Edits (Edits by @/anch0-a)

(ARC 3 SPOILERS) Be Careful, Everyone! (writing by @/kadethecat)

(ARC 3 SPOILERS) Siffrin Friend Quest ( art and writing by @/llilyrose )

(ARC 3/4 SPOILERS) When The Cycle Was Cessation (art by @/daily-odile )

(ARC 3/4 SPOILERS) Change God’s Favorite Hater (art by @/eurydice-pens)

(ARC 3/4 SPOILERS) Ur So Silly UwU (art by @/eurydice-pens)

(ARC 3/4 SPOILERS) In Cycles & Cessation Silliness (art by @/eurydice-pens)

(ARC 3/4 SPOILERS) You Are Loved! (art by @/eurydice-pens)

(ARC 3/4 SPOILERS) I Got It! (art by @/harunefrog)

(ARC 3/ACT 4 SPOILERS) Riri Hangout (Art/ screencap edits by @/ tealgoat)

(ARC 4 SPOILERS) Sus Run (writing by @/winterstorm032802)

(ARC 4 SPOILERS) You’re Incapable Of Change, Hero (art by @/eurydice-pens)

(ARC 5 SPOILERS) Siffrin Friend Quest Speedrun (art by @/sqirtle )

(ARC 5 SPOILERS) You’ll Never Be Able To Protect Anyone (art by @/pixxyofice)

(ARC 5 SPOILERS) L’ÉLU (art by @/llilyrose )

(ARC 5 SPOILERS/ A6SE SPOILERS) Mirabelle & Rewind Doodles (art by @/mobblespsycho100)

(ARC 5 SPOILERS) You Are Loved, Mirabelle! art by @/coffeeean

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) Euphrasie & Mirabelle Hug (art by @/eurydice-pens)

(A6SE SPOILERS) Riri (art by @/tealgoat)

(A6SE SPOILERS) Overture (art by @/tealgoat)

(A6SE SPOILERS) A Lost Thing, Just Like You ( art by @/eurydice-pens)

(A6SE SPOILERS) Rewind & Mira (art by @/anch0-a)

(A6SE SPOILERS) Here’s Riri! (art by @/eurydice-pens)

(A6SE SPOILERS) Two’s Company, Three’s A Crowd (art by @/curiouscomet)

(CROSSOVER AU FANWORKS)

ICAC! Au Mirabelle Meets Forgotten Vaugarde Au Mirabelle ( art by @/eurydice-pens)

(ARC 3/6 SPOILERS) You Lost An Eye Too? ( art by @/pixxyofice)

(ARC 4/6 SPOILERS) Change God Jumpscare (art by @/pixxyofice)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) Looperz (Art by @/wonder-of-the-stars)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) The Smilers (Art by @/tealgoat)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) Timeloop Support Group Shitposts (memes by @/tealgoat)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) Family Time (art by @/startagainaprologue)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) Timeloop Support Group Memes (memes by @/pixxyofice)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) Timeloop Support Group Doodles ( art by @/pixxyofice)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) Shoulder Touch ( art by @/pixxyofice)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) OSIS! Au Isabeau Meets ICAC! Au Mirabelle In Therapy (writing by @/basilpaste)

(ARC 6 SPOILERS) ITOT! Au Odile meets ICAC! Mirabelle (art by @/tealgoat)

(A6SE SPOILERS) In Loops & Rewinds (art by @/wonder-of-the-stars)

(A6SE SPOILERS) TTTC! Au Loop meets Rewind (art by @/wonder-of-the-stars)

(FULL GAME + A6SE SPOILERS) The Love Persists Through It All (writing by @/pixxyofice )

(ARC 6 + A6SE SPOILERS) Timeloop Support Group Hug ( art by @/pixxyofice)

(ARC 6 + A6SE SPOILERS) Who is Loop? ( art by @/pixxyofice)

[tulipsys]

King and the Collector in the Human Realm, from chapter 4 of my fic Third Time's the Charm!

That catches my Tumblr up to the latest chapter of TTTC that's been uploaded :D I would've liked to get chapter 5 out this week buuut unfortunately got whisked away by the holidays lol. I'll try my best to get it out next week on wednesday instead, so stayed tuned for that as well! Chapter 5 is perhaps my favorite chapter yet!!! I can't wait to share it with you all ^^

[asukiess]

..top five books

so. I read maybe. 2 books or so in 2022, 4 in 2023, and this year I've read close to 20? anyway. that's all to say I have a limited selection to pick from because I only recently was inspired to kick those numbers up <3

Well of Loneliness. I talk about it so much. I think about it so much. there was so much that was surprising to me about this book, but also the way Radclyffe describes Stephen's emotions is sooooo incredibly visceral, and the situations are so. AUGH!!!! stephen's early life and her struggles with gender identity, her feelings of otherness, her realization of her queerness, how she always feels "too big" and too much like a man and how others comment on her body/abilities/preferences, how she feels so different from her childhood girl "friend" (I forget her name, violet?), how Roger picks on her, how Radclyffe painted a picture of being an introspective, othered child is absolutely astounding. and then!!!! literally everything else that happens to stephen!!!! AUGH the family lineage, her dating world, the way it talks about the divide of lesbians vs. gay men and how stephen and mary view being queer and UGH!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!! I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!! and it's written so gorgeously.

Bunny. I don't really need to say more than what we've discussed at length. Before my next book, I think this was legit my most annotated book. they also look like the ramblings of a mad woman. I was obsessed. I think the ideas about creativity are really, really interesting and have stuck with me. No one does the slight abject horror and magical realism like Mona!!!! 🙏🫶😵‍💫

Upstream (by Mary Oliver). I've moved this from the bookshelf to my bedside/desk. it has become somewhat of a daily devotional book to me.

For Whom the Bell Tolls (and much in the same vein, The Things They Carried). I grouped these together because I read them around the same time and they also had incredible similarities and have both stuck with me. When I read TTTC, I was constantly underlining and just annotating "FWTBT" ajddbsj. For as much as I read about Hemingway's "rugged, closed-interior" man, Robert Jordan was surprisingly open and fun to read and there was a part near the end that suddenly brought tears to my eyes. His and Anselmo's "you musn't take pleasure in the killing", the matador descriptions by Pablo's wife, the WHOLE chapter where it describes the public executions..... that was seriously an elevation on a spiritual level for me idk. insane chapter and the ideas of mob mentality etc etc.

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein. don't exactly want to delve into politics on a fandom blog, but this was an illuminating read for me, and I plan to check out her other books as well, esp the Shock Doctrine.

[iotasage]

Hello, everyone! Sorry for the radio silence, it has been quite a journey:

- I immigrated to Japan for about 8 months.

- I immigrated back home.

- I enrolled in training with TTTC! My PC isn't strong enough for TTTC, so I'm opening commissions again.

I charge $18 USD an hour. Comes with time lapse

[fuckitimrowan]

please please say things about “speaking of courage”. it was my favorite chapter in the novel, and

hi anon ABSOLUTELY this was my favourite too. we singled out this short story for my lit class, actually, and it's the reason i ended up reading tttc by myself. (which also means might've taken this ask as a reason to, like, almost analyse it... i'm so sorry.) i had that entire chapter annotated it but lost the print-out :/ BUT i still remember everything i need to. lol.

keeping this under the cut because it got too long lmao:

so. speaking of courage is objectively a fucking masterpiece. to me, it's about exactly what the real norman bowker expressed in his letter for o'brien: that sense of sudden lack of purpose. like, okay. the war's over. we survived. what's next? this? where do we go now? where do we go?

so, norman bowker goes in circles. the circle thing is pretty fantastically done. the story, the structure—it brings you back, and then away, and then all of that just to bring you back again. and then it happens, again, slightly different but it's really just the same.

it's a pleasant day. the lake is in the center of everything. there's nowhere to go and norman bowker is driving. in another world he would've been able to say this or that or would've had someone listen to this or understand that. norman bowker rolls the windows down or turns up his music and takes a turn of his dad's chevy. the world is moving around him and he keeps driving. locked away in this metal box with windows. driving.

on a broad level, that same structure just goes on the entire story. it's so beautifully done. and i believe it's literally the language lending to that too? the lake and town and weather is "smooth" and "flat" and the houses are "handsome" and these descriptors remain the same throughout.

there's this line i really like, about a sprinkler scattering water on a garden. and it's described to be doing it, like: hopelessly. round and round. it's a brief on-the-nose symbolism and i love it.

and there's another layer beneath that all, obviously. with kiowa & the silver star, and really it's the war. and just... peeling away any analysis or whatever right now, the story itself is disgusting if you imagine yourself in there. it's shit. the way it's written just. you think you're brave? could you jump in front of a bullet? could you take this? could you sit and wait? if you've had courage in the hardest of times could you have the type of courage you don't get a say in, at all? could you just be?

that line. "he knew shit. It was his specialty. the smell, in particular, but also the numerous varieties of texture and taste." maybe i'm thinking about this too vividly—but that's objectively horrifying to me. sinking in shit. objectively, you could say that "oh, it's better than facing the threat of being gunned down to death," but... let's be so fucking real. think about it: imagine yourself there.

from an analysis perspective, the ending is what gets me, most of the time. it's such a traditionally happy ending, has all the good symbolism points. gets out of the car, dips his head in the river—which, you know, cleansing, rebirth, all that bullshit (ha)—he watches the fire works for the 4th of july and yeah, it's a nice scene.

and then he says it's a pretty good show. that word pretty changes the entire fucking thing! and he's been doing this throughout, hasn't he? objective comments about the weather -- it's nice -- the town -- it's clean, sanitary -- and that's all he does. he's very carefully detached from the meaning of july 4th, too. the colours of the fireworks are pretty much identical to the colours of the flares from the night kiowa died in that shit field.

in a way, norman sort of died then too. with kiowa. the stupid analysis stuff, cleansing, rebirth, whatever—all of it, but inversed. it wasn't the water, it was the goddamn waste. instead of clean it makes you feel dirty—and norman's feeling of "dirty" means so many things. the guilt of kiowa. the distance from the town, the handsome, neat town who doesn't want the dirty war stories. the general view of the vietnam war. how he's completely clung onto all that this "dirty" means because he's still stuck in the war. my favourite description(s): the place looked as if it had been hit by nerve gas.

i have so much to say about that lake too. there's a really fucking oomph factor about the lake, you know? it's the lake where his old friend died. i wish i could explain this bit properly but god, i dunno, i just feel like there's some sort of parallel between the lake and the shit field. he tastes the water too. they're both described as flat bodies of water. there's something about that scene.

the ending isn't depressing, just because that word's too harsh, but it's... not happy. the way i see it, norman's attempting to achieve what the water is meant to symbolise. cleansing, just trying to wash it off of him again. all that shit. the waste of the war, of his guilt, of—and it leaves him disconnected, because that's a part of him and the only way to get rid of it is cutting it off. he doesn't talk about it, doesn't have anyone to talk to. it's not that he doesn't want to talk about it—he desperately wants to, so much that it genuinely breaks my heart. "want to hear about the silver star i almost won?" he whispers it at one point: the more times i read that, the more i feel his quiet anguish. he shouldn't have to be so disconnected, but he is because they don't want to listen. the place could only blink and shrug.

anyway i just think there's so much to take away from this story in particular. yeah, if you analyse it in that classroom style there's the repetition, that lost quality, the idea of being unable to speak. but more importantly there's the gross reality of it -- it was a shit field and he lost his friend and no one wants to hear about it. because it's shit and that's not what we want to hear of war. because norman wasn't able to save him and where's the good ending to that? we want to hear nothing about war that is war, really.

my thoughts on this will never end btw. there is so much more i have that is unsaid. there's just so many angles to this story -- on a literal sense, as a standalone, connected to the rest of the novel,

and it isn't norman's fault he can't speak. because since this isn't a pretty story, since there isn't a moral or point to it, there's just no one who'll fucking listen.

[rurugumi]

yo no way???? did i stumble into a gold mine via your ao3 profile to your blog only to find it empty???????? is it brand spanking new and i somehow managed this timing??? i just wanted to rant about TTtC and HI,B! but now im thrown off my game tbh (not bad, just surprised!).

ANYWAYS ONTO IT AHCHJSHDNXJDJDJDJDNDJ DUDE I REALLY ENJOYED THIRD TIMES THE CHARM AND I LOVED HOW YOU MANAGED TO FIT JASON BEING AWARE OF THE FUTURE INTO HIS OLD SELF WITHOUT BEING BOTH TOO OBVIOUS OR TOO LACK THEREOF. LIKE SUBTLE ENOUGH THAT ROY IN THE MISSING SCENES JUST SAID BRO WAS LONELY. AND YOURENOT WRONG BUT IT WAS STILL FUNNY. AND I THINK it’d BE FUNNY IF ROY WAS ALSO FROM THE FUTURE WITH THE WAY YOU WORDED HIS BIT BC I THINK IF JASON AND ROY MET UP JN THE PAST THAT WOULD BE HELLA ICONIC TBF.

n-e-ways! your series had me giggling out loud tonight fr ! i hope your pillow is cold, your pores are clean, and your crops be watered!! hope you have a good night/day rurugumi :) <3

Omg hi!! I wasn't really expecting anyone here for a while but!!! Thanks!!! I'm really glad you liked my stories!!

About Roy, I kinda may have accidentally made him a time traveller too??? djksjsks like, when I was writing HI, B I wrote that line about Jason needing someone to see him for who he really is and then I was like "... did I just make Roy a time traveller? Yeah, sure I guess?? I mean why not???" And I had already planned to mention Roy and Jay being friends again in a future work in this series soo, it all worked out! But since it was a very last minute idea I've been thinking™ about why Roy didn't intervene sooner, or more directly. I was coming here to finish editing a post about that when I saw your ask, actually! So I'm going to go post that now :)) (and there may or may not be a Roy-centric drabble in my drafts... seriously, this series keeps getting away from me too easily)

Anyways, hope you have a nice day/night too, anon! c:

[dailydegurechaff]

God i love your blog so much! You made me get back into Tanya and have got me rewatching the anime and the manga, maybe the light novel too if i can get my hands on it. also the fanfics.

I saw your rec list a bit ago and was wondering if you've tried "Third Times the Charm" or "The chronicles of Tanya the fuehrer", both are on Ao3 and pretty good from what i remeber. im trying to catch back up on TCTF rn tho so cant say how its changed. And TTtC is a KonoSuba crossover, so very entertaining.

Keep up the good work! Thank you!

Thank u!!! <3 You do not know how excited it makes me to know i am dragging people back into this fandom

As for your fic recs! I recall I definitely started Tanya the Fuhrer but I cant remember how far I got into it. I think I had too many tabs open at some point and lost track of it;; I've been intending to get back to it eventually, so this is as good of an excuse as any.

As for Third Times the Charm, up to now, I've seen it on Ao3 but I never picked it up bc I haven't actually watched konosuba. Your ask got me curious tho, so I decided I would read a chapter or two... and then i got caught up in reading it. oops. Thank you for recommending it! Im enjoying it so far :)

And again, thank you for the kind words. They are great motivation to keep going!

[breaniebree]

Happy TTTC Day!

Thank you to the amazing @ellieoryan7447 for making me these awesome moodboards which I then made into my cover photo

Chapter One -- The One With A Second Chance

ff.net Ao3

[katrina407]

Another fumigation (2 dates before July 29th 2024

wen fine but the Staff did not say i could go back in to claim my "stuff etc

The second was Aug 13th Monday,,the time i arrived 3pm we where all locke dout am]nd a Big Wait too They also said they where going to give Pay Pal TTTC passes they did not

Now another one,,,The Ms banshee is a Problem, ( am getting so damn tired cleaning her Mess

as she eaTS GROSS in the Public stalls

The if sh does,nt Yell scream at you

She is hiding in the shower too,,She does this to little me, Well i can,t understand what she is saying half the time.

She can read But her speaking in "foreigner Language"

She does,nt care for random acts of kindess either ,,

Also i wonder if she is in there illegally,,But

She is not my problem let the Secuirty or staff handle her

You see i really (despite the stress in the Building Shelter) I liked it better in the west side I shall return i was feeling kind of sick//all that cleanign stuff THATs why i can,t eat even be back soon

[polzkadotz]

Chapter 3/4 of the Harry Potter AU | Forced Bond is up!

16k | Their second week together begins, and Neil has a hard  time acknowledging that, unfortunately, he has feelings. That sometimes needed to be dealt with. Also, their Bond comes to an end.

[hyuckbeam]

try again

things don’t seem to be going the way you’ve been wanting them to go the entire week. to make things even worse than they already are, your boyfriend (or rather ex-boyfriend) dumped you in front of the entire campus. you can’t seem to lift yourself up and try again — well, that is until he comes into your life.

pairing | college barista!jeno x college student!reader

genre | fluff, angst, college au

warnings + notes | afab!reader, a bit of cursing, ex-bf being a red flag, mentions of alcohol, roomie!ningning, that’s p much it!

wc | 5.1k words

a/n | im super duper excited to finally release this chapter of the tttc series!! personally, i just like the overall flow of this one and i hope u do too!! let me know what u think abt it :> as always, rbs, likes, and feedback are appreciated!

song recs | all 4 nothing - lauv, the loneliest time - carly rae jepsen, tfw (that feeling when) - enhypen

tttc m.list, main m.list

the first time you met him was seriously by coincidence.

your stomach had you hurling for the past few days, not to mention how sore you were from phys-ed class yesterday. you still remember asking your coach to let you off the hook for the day, but they denied your request – oh well, they were never a great teacher anyways, you think to yourself. your own boyfriend hadn't even checked up on you once to ask if you were doing alright. it’s not like you were going to burden him or anything… you just wanted a little bit of reassurance to get you through the week. was that so much to ask for?

as if all odds were finally in your favor, a light buzz from your phone snaps you out of your thoughts. you pick it up to see your boyfriend’s caller id. maybe this was it. maybe the gods finally heard your pleas to make life just a teensy bit bearable for you.

“hey, i think we should meet up for a moment. do you have time?” is the first thing he’s told you all week and for some reason, instead of the comfort you were anticipating, all you felt was sheer annoyance. not even a simple how are you? the lack of emotion he’s displayed just breaks your heart even more than it already is.

you still manage to reply, mimicking his dry tone instinctively. “yeah, where?” it's faint, but you’d be lying if you said there wasn’t a little hope in you. maybe he wants to meet in person to give you a hug, maybe a kiss? you desperately want that to be true.

“at the campus open grounds, you know, the one near that coffee shop?” he suggests through the call and you once your head despite him not even being able to see you. “okay, i’ll see you then.”

you couldn’t even believe he just asked if you knew where the open grounds were located. doesn’t he remember that’s the place he asked you out? perhaps it was an important event only to you. the thought manages to send a dry chuckle out your throat — it already didn’t seem like your little meetup with him was going to be of any help to your mood.

not much time had passed by the time you arrived at the chosen spot, setting your sights on a nearby bench to rest your feet as you waited.

a lot of people crowded the grounds today. it wasn’t usually this jam-packed, but you suppose the bright and sunny weather encouraged people to roam around outside. after all, the sky hadn’t been this pretty shade of vibrant blue in a while. you’re thankful the weather is good — at least something seems to be turning out well today.

your boyfriend arrives, albeit later than expected, even though he was the one who asked you to come out in the first place. you had been scorched by the sun’s rays for over ten minutes now, wanting nothing more than to just head back indoors.

“sorry i uh… took a while. i’ll make this short.” he states awkwardly, a bit too much considering you were dating. “i’m breaking up with you. i just fell out of love, you know that feeling, right?” your relationship was never the best, this was inevitably going to happen someday, but hearing it out loud was what did it for you.

out loud… wait. you look around to find practically everyone around you whispering to themselves, watching the scene between you and your boyfriend unfold — eating it up like it's the plot of a famous drama.

the shame, the anger, the embarrassment, you just wanted to get away from it all. the hope you gained earlier was all an illusion. your days weren’t going to get any better as the week just became like the stuff that comes out of nightmares. you utterly felt sick to the bottom of your stomach. not only did you get dumped, you got dumped in front of so many people.

without saying another word to your boyfriend — or should you say ex-boyfriend — you grab your things and take a run towards the nearest alleyway that just happened to be the one at the back of the coffee shop.

you crouch down to the floor, curling up into yourself as best as you could before finally letting emotions overtake you, just enough to calm you down. surely no one would find you here if you let out a tear or two, right?

wrong. whoever put that idea to your brain was a big dumbass (whoever being you) because a boy emerges through the shop’s backdoor and into the alleyway, presumably taking out the trash since he’s holding a familiar-looking black plastic bag. however, he quickly stops in his tracks, noticing your presence when there was usually no one else there. the alley was pretty dark after all – it gave most people the creeps but here you were, willingly occupying a small portion of the horrid area while bawling your eyes out. “um… i don’t usually do this, but do you want a cup of hot chocolate?” the guy offers, rubbing his nape sheepishly after noticing your tear-stained cheeks.

you can’t help but silently thank him for not bringing up your appearance in the conversation. you probably looked like a disheveled tomato by now, prompting you to wipe your tears with your arm to at least make yourself look presentable. “actually… yeah, that would be nice.”

you got a better look at him now that you were seated in the cafe, the warm lighting easing your nerves little by little. as expected of him, there’s a welcoming aura that surrounds his figure, a calm smile that’s sure to brighten up anyone’s day (including yours), a tiny little mole below his eye, and the shiniest hair that made you want to touch it — that probably wasn’t the most appropriate thought you’ve had all day.

what you didn’t expect was that he’d actually give that cup of hot chocolate free of charge. you didn’t even know who he was (and probably vice versa). still, it made you gain back a little bit of hope that was lost. with a soft smile now spread across your lips, you begin to ponder that maybe today could still turn out to be better for you.

-0-

the rest of your day goes better than anticipated, and you’re beginning to think that barista you met at the coffee shop is some sort of miracle worker or a lucky charm. even if he wasn’t, you sure do feel lucky you ran into him – though the situation wasn’t exactly the most ideal in hindsight. still, the thought manages to keep your spirits high all the way until you reach back to your dorm.

“ning yizhuo!” your sudden call turns two heads in the room, one being the said person, and the other being her cousin, renjun. the latter often came by and you were quite used to his presence and practically saw him as a brother.

“oh no, not the government name!” a sarcastic tone laces your roommate’s voice. truthfully, she had already heard about your breakup and was expecting you to be bawling your eyes right about now… except… you weren’t. in fact, you had a beaming smile displayed for everyone to see. weird – renjun had probably thought the exact same thing as they gave each other identical looks.

this goes completely unnoticed by you, dropping your bags before making yourself comfortable by the couch. “seriously, you guys won’t believe what happened earlier.”

“... you got dumped?” renjun voices out slowly, almost as if he’s testing the waters still.

“no! i mean yes, but that’s not what i was going to talk about.”

“why aren’t we talking about that? your ex was a douche- i can finally talk shit about him!” ningning cheers.

renjun clears his throat, “more importantly though, are you really fine?”

his words linger in your head for a bit. were you really okay? genuinely speaking, you didn’t feel much – probably because you expected your relationship to fall out eventually. both of you wanted different things and came to realize that. there was an underlying feeling of gratitude that your ex finally cut through the cracks of your bond, but you could definitely do without all the public shame though. that might continue to haunt you, but what’s done, was done.

“mhm, i’m really fine. i’ll get over him sooner or later.” you answer softly. both renjun and ningning could tell you were certain, silently agreeing within themselves to drop the topic completely. “but gosh, i probably wouldn’t have been able to make it through the day if it weren’t for that barista guy in the coffee shop.

you see renjun’s ears visibly perk up at the mention of a barista there, like he already knew who you were referring to. “do you mean the guy who works there? y’know, the one who kind of looks like a fluffy white dog and has a mole under his eye?” god, was he spot on with the description too.

“that’s him!” you gasp out, still in slight shock. you suppose renjun frequents the shop – especially since that’s where he and his girlfriend go to study. “huang renjun, are you psychic?”

that seems to bring out a snort in him, “you just knew that now?” he remarks rather playfully, “actually, his name is jeno. we’ve been friends for a pretty long while now.”

ah, so his name is jeno. you wouldn’t tell anyone, but you mayhaps ingrained that piece of information straight to your heart.

the second time you met him, you just wanted to see him one more time after.

ever since you learned about his name from renjun, he seemed to pop up in almost every conversation you engaged with. was he always this popular or were you just really ignorant to the people around you? it’s crazy how much you’ve been thinking about him ever since.

“put a finger down if you’ve gotten butterflies from a stranger!” frankly, you’re startled at the command, forgetting that you were in the middle of a ‘never have i ever’ game with your group of friends. jeno just so happened to be there too since your friend groups actually aligned well within each other. with him personally being around, you couldn’t seem to focus on anything except him. it’s the nudge ningning aims at your shoulder that gets you placing a finger down, remembering you’re still part of the game. you suppose your brief interaction with jeno does count as part of this…

this small action had the entire group cooing. it was a bit overwhelming, not knowing what to do when so many eyes were set on you. wanting to brush it off, you simply give a shy smile to the crowd, persuading them to not go any further and just continue on with the game. luckily, that’s exactly what they do and you’re met with sweet relief – finally letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in the first place.

still, your gaze shifts back at jeno. had he realized you were the person that bawled their eyes out in the back alleyway of the coffee shop? had he realized you were the one he offered a free cup of hot chocolate to? had he realized you were staring at him like he held the entire universe in his hands?

but most importantly, had you realized he was looking back at you the same way? no? maybe that’s for the best.

the air was getting too stuffy in the room for your liking, you had to excuse yourself out for some fresh air. it was already pretty dark out and you weren’t sure when your friends would finally call it a night. frankly, the breeze was much colder now (and you kind of regret not bringing a jacket out), but at the same time it was calming and quiet – a sharp contrast to the lively atmosphere held inside.

that serene silence was cut off by the faint sound of footsteps coming from the main door, jeno’s figure coming into view. what was he doing out here?

“hey… inside got too much, huh?” guess you and him share that opinion as you nod in agreement.

“a little?” your nose scrunches up at the thought. “i don’t usually mind it but it does get me swamped sometimes.”

a small hum is what comes out as a reply, the both of you opting for the comfortable silence the night bears. a few ruffling sounds are heard coming from jeno and before you could ask him what was making the noise, you felt warmth embrace you from behind. it was a jacket. not just any jacket, his jacket.

“sorry, did i startle you? it’s just, you looked cold.” truth be told, you were far from cold after his gesture. isn’t this something someone would do when they’re in a relationship? why was jeno doing this… with you?

it was then you unconsciously already had your mind made up. you weren’t going to acknowledge it yet, but you were completely over your ex.

-0-

there was absolutely no chance of you getting sleep that night, especially after the events beforehand. though you enjoyed every moment you spent with jeno, you kinda preferred having a full night’s worth of sleep right about now. it’s a good thing ningning was able to grace you with a cup of coffee as soon as you woke up — you don’t think you would have gotten out of bed otherwise.

“seriously, what’s up with you two!” ningning squints her eyes with suspicion glazed over them, trying to get some sort of answer regarding your situation with jeno.

“it’s not what you think it is.”

“then what is it?”

huh. she had a point there. just what is your relationship with lee jeno? it was a little foggy to yourself as well. the both of you never had much conversations, but when you did, they managed to send cupid arrows straight to your heart without fail. this was so much unlike your past relationship. when was the last time you ever felt this way?

“it’s just small conversations, that’s all it is.” you finally reply, words acting more like a reminder to yourself rather than an actual response to ningning’s query.

“is that really true?” your roommate frowns with a sigh, “you know, i noticed the way he looks at you. it’s different from others.”

“you’re probably mistaking his kindness for something else, ning. i doubt this’ll even lead to anything.” your statement is brief, but ningning manages to catch the light thread of hope in your words, understanding you wished it would lead to more. that’s all she needed to know. she knew better than to push you just to ease her own mind from the heapload of questions she has stored away.

“just know, whatever happens, i’ll always support you, okay?” she smiles brightly like the gentle rays of sunshine that slip through your dorm’s sill curtains. “okay.”

the third time you met him, you wished for nothing more but to remain in his company.

it’s just midday and you already feel like falling asleep. naturally, your feet bring you to the campus coffee shop, not registering the fact that jeno’s probably working his shift. in this moment, you were too sleep deprived to care.

“hi, can i get one chocolate chip frappucino-” you finally look up to see jeno’s familiar face right in front of you, recallings of the night before plaguing your thoughts and sending a surge of adrenaline in your body. suddenly, you were wide awake and could probably last the whole day with or without the coffee you were about to purchase.

“y/n, it’s nice to see you.” he greets softly, eyes scanning your features to find dark bags staining your usually lively eyes. “i think i’ll add another shot of espresso to your drink… you might need it.” he mutters out, more so to himself.

you can’t help but smile, finding his slight worry for your well-being to be endearing. “i’ll add that espresso shot then.” you chuckle, catching him off guard as he didn’t expect you to hear him.

“i’ll make sure to prepare your drink well.” he finally replies, punching in your order as you move to find a seat to occupy while you wait.

it doesn’t take long for jeno to approach your table, a drink with a swirly straw in hand. to your surprise, instead of simply dropping off the drink, he takes the seat in front of yours before setting it down. “i’m actually on my break right now but i wanted to talk to you. i hardly see you on campus after all. aside from when you visit here, that is.” it’s almost laughable at how predictable your response is to anything he does, feeling your stomach gain the now familiar fluttery sensation you always experience. when it comes to him, it seems to never get old, but none of that was the main point.

he wanted to talk to you. he went out of his way for you. he could be spending his break time elsewhere, but he’s here with you. perhaps you were overanalyzing his actions, yet you can’t stop the heat that creeps up your cheeks.

“sure, take a seat- i mean, you already did but-”

he chuckles, a slip of a smile coming into view. “your drink by the way.” he motions at the sweet drink you ordered. “i added more chocolate chips for you too.”

“spoiling me now, are we?”

“you caught me!”

talking to him just felt so natural. there was never a dull moment, and when silence would fill up the air, it was never thick and heavy, but light and freeing. you quietly sip your drink to these thoughts, occasionally wondering if this would be what it felt like if you two started dating- you’re thinking too ahead for someone who hasn’t even come to terms with their own feelings. you should just enjoy your time with him.

-0-

since then, you and jeno have grown closer to the point where you frequently talk on the phone at night. neither of your paths often crossed during the day, so these calls definitely made up for that – at least for you. through them, you’ve come to learn that jeno usually plays video games until the crack of dawn, sometimes even streaming his screen for you to watch. tonight, you decided to prepare ramen for yourself so you had something to eat while watching him.

“what flavor are you making today?” his voice is a lot huskier than it usually is during the night.

though this isn’t something new to you, there’s still that cozy feeling that almost feels domestic, and sometimes, you can’t help but squeal to yourself and kick your feet in the air. ningning even asked if you were alright because she thought you had gone crazy after hearing you from her own room.

“i think this one is cheese flavored? i’m not really sure since ning buys our groceries.”

“you should prepare me some when i come over next time. i wanna try some too.”

did he want to come over? your mind immediately fills with the idea of jeno visiting your dorm (or humble abode as ningning likes to call it). he’s seen glimpses of it as your background when you’d facetime each other, but what would he think about seeing it in person? there’s that famous saying that your home reflects your personality, after all. you don’t realize it, but you go dead silent, completely encapsulated by your imagination.

“hello? you’re still there, right?” he calls out for you, it’s much softer this time as if he’s checking up on you in case something happened.

“yeah, yeah i’m here. come over next time, then.”

he does, in fact, come over as soon as he got the chance to. honestly, he resembled an eager golden retriever exploring a new area the entire time you showed him around your dorm, having only seen it through a screen. on some occasions, he would point out a random trinket you had on display, saying it looked like you. he said the same about your potted succulent and you’re not sure how you feel about that one, but nonetheless, he seemed to be enjoying himself and that’s all that mattered. you were practically worried over nothing the other night.

“didn’t you say you were going to prepare me a little treat too?” jeno questions, finally finished with going around the dorm room.

“hm? oh, right the ramen-” you recall, immediately taking a few steps to the kitchen to prepare what you had promised him. “make yourself comfortable, i won’t take long!” it really doesn’t take much to make instant ramen, after all.

once it finishes boiling, you carefully transfer it to one of those gold-colored, aluminum pots to keep the ramen warm – making sure to add a few toppings to the dish to make it a bit more filling.

you make your way to the living room, seeing jeno on his phone by the couch. there’s that domestic feeling worming its way up on you again that has you wondering how it’d be like if jeno was your boyfriend. would he come visit over often? would you be able to visit his dorm sometime? the thought continues to remain on your mind for the entirety of jeno’s stay.

you really wanted this moment to become just as frequent as your nightly calls with him.

the most recent time you met up with him, you finally acted on what you’ve been holding in all this time.

ningning had invited you out to a party, luring you in by slipping that a certain someone was also going to be there. all jokes aside, you knew she also just wanted you to have fun, it’s been a while since you’ve gone out to a party anyways.

the event wasn’t anything fancy, your average college party hosted by one of the frats. you wore a black mini dress, one you bought but never got the chance to use until now. it fit you perfectly in all the right areas, but it took a lot of convincing from ningning’s part for you to actually buy it. you surely had to thank her now or else you wouldn’t have anything to wear for tonight.

“you’re finally wearing it!” it seems you weren’t the only one excited to see yourself wearing the dress as your roommate’s eyes sparkle at your outfit. “here, here. i’m letting you borrow these too since they match.” she hands over a pair of black earrings made with sequins and glass beads. it looked perfect for the look.

“thanks, it isn’t too much, right?”

“not at all! plus, it’s a party. who cares what others think- what’s important is that you look good!”

this makes you let out a small laugh, she was right. she always is. “okay then, let’s go?”

“lets!” ningning takes her purse from the coffee table before linking her free arm around yours. “we should get going if we don’t want to be late.”

it’s a good thing you both left when you did since the two of you arrived just on time. the party had already started a few minutes ago with some people already wasted (they probably drank before everything even started…). it doesn’t take long for you and ningning to manage through the sea of people, finally spotting a couple of familiar faces by the corner of the room.

“hey, you two made it!” renjun beams alongside his girlfriend, a plastic red cup in hand containing who knows what. “oh y/n, jeno’s by the kitchen. he was asking where you were before you arrived.”

“oh? thanks jun, i’ll go see what’s up.” you offer him a small smile before leaving ningning’s side and trying to find where the kitchen was located. after a bit of roaming around, you eventually find the boy you’re looking for.

cheeks flushed, dazed eyes, and a lopsided expression. jeno was probably no where clear from sober by the looks of it. guess you weren’t going to drink today, especially when your friend isn’t in the right state of mind.

“jeno? renjun said you were looking for me.” you call out to him softly in hopes he could hear you through the music that’s blasting on the speaker system.

by the sound of your voice, his head quickly turns in your direction. “y/n! i’ve bween looking por you everywhere!” he immediately wraps his arms around your figure, burying his head in the crook of your neck. your cheeks have flushed now too, not from alcohol, but because of the way he’s hugging you.

you never imagined jeno to be big on skinship while under the influence – well, you’ve never dealt with a tipsy jeno in general until now, so this was truly going to be one hell of an experience.

“have you, really?” you question him, patting his hair. “i’m here now though. did you need me for something?”

you feel him nod against your shoulder, “i wanted to kiss you but you were nooowhere to be found, and then renjun gave me a drink, and then haechan started laughing, and then i started laughing-”

he was beginning to ramble off and probably won’t remember any of the things he’s telling you right now. would that also include how he just confessed he wanted to kiss you? you know jeno’s just drunk, but there’s a part of you that hopes he wouldn’t forget that. you urge him to stand up straight for a moment before letting him lean onto you for support. the best you could do was probably have him sit outside for some fresh air (and maybe a cup of water).

-0-

the two of you are now seated silently next to one another with jeno’s head resting on your shoulder, and it’s reminiscent of the first time you actually had a proper conversation with him. the night was just like this, and yet, so many things have happened already since then.

“hey, about what i said earlier…” oh, he sobers up rather quickly. “y’know, about the wanting to kiss you and all that.”

you turn to face him with a bittersweet expression, the nearby streetlamp placing a soft glow over your features and jeno wonders where that solemn look on your face is coming from. “hm? no it’s alright. i’m sure we all say things we don’t mean when we get drunk. it’s normal.”

“well no, because, i did mean it.”

“that’s okay- huh?”

“i like you, y/n.” although its dark, you know he’s staring at you, waiting for you to respond.

“i… i do too, but we just met like a month ago.” you hadn’t even come to terms with your own feelings yet. “wouldn’t we be, i don’t know, going a little too fast? maybe both of us aren’t currently in the right mind.”

“that just proves my point even more. in a mere month of us getting to knowing each other, i’ve come to learn so much about you, grown so fond of you, and… i just want to be with you. trust me, i had a lot of time to think, but if you need more time. i’ll wait for you.”

now you were conflicted. did you really need more time to understand your own emotions?it’s not like you hid your affection for the boy, instead, it was quite the contrary. people started looking for you through jeno and others asked you about jeno’s whereabouts. its as if you two were now two peas in a pod, and everyone knew. were you going to break something you cherished just because you felt like your emotions hadn’t been sorted, when in reality, have been perfectly laid out right in front of you all along?

“no. no need.” your eyes crease as you smile at him, “i know what i want, and it’s you. it’s always been you.”

he doesn’t need any more validation than this, snaking his arm around your waist before pulling you close, lips barely touching. “can i kiss you?”

“please.” you surely don’t need to tell jeno twice, wasting no time as he quickly locks your lips with his own in such a way that you’d think he’s been pining over you longer than you had originally thought. you hadn’t drank a drop the entire night, but you felt so giddy just kissing him.

jeno pulls away first, and you already feel breathless from such a short kiss. slowly, he brings a hand up to cup your cheek, thumb rubbing small, comforting circles onto your skin. “should we head back now?” honestly, you didn’t want to just yet, still unable to hide your smile from the lingering touch of his lips. still, you knew better than to stay out for too long.

“yeah, the others are probably wondering where we went.” and with that, he pulls himself off the ground, extending a hand out to help you get on your feet.

“let’s go back in… slowly, okay?” you giggle out, still wanting to cherish the moment with him.

“how could i say no to you?”

eventually, you do make it back into the party, quickly spotting your group of friends.

the sight of you both sporting puffy lips and rosy tinted cheeks, not to mention your lipstick smudged on the corner of jeno’s lips had everyone raising a brow. neither of you had noticed that because it was so dark out… um, oopsies?

ningning manages to connect all the dots together, a loud gasp erupting from her that startles the rest of the group. “OMG DON’T TELL ME! no wait actually please do confirm- PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE TOGETHER?”

you and jeno look at each other with a knowing look, feeling his hand reach out for yours before you happily reply, “yeah, we are.”

taglist | @haeravlgs, @matchahyuck, @vantxx95, @ahnneyong, @lixxbr0wnie, @legbouk, @rocarecs, @winwonies, @gfrdistance

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[thatanonwiththeoc]

Did I just start planning something for Ladrien June in the middle of Marichat May? Yes

Did I think this through before I dedicated myself and completely immersed myself into another story? No

someone please tell me to control myself