#wait. i can draft it and fix it on desktop

[3-2-whump]

Wrong Turn

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Divine Judgment comes

Thank you @whumped-by-glitter and @generic-whumperz , this chapter would not be what it is without you beta-ing for it!

Obligatory Author's Note: So, it's pretty obvious we're nearing the end of Tom's story, but at this point, it's pretty open ended. If you'd like to stop here and imagine he mansplains-manipulates-manslaughters his way outta this trap, then by all means go ahead. Fanfiction is a thing, canon divergence is a thing, I encourage it, if anything! Just, you know, tag me or let me know in some way. But let's get right to it!

TW/CW: slave whump, intimate whumper, (brief) dehumanization, whumper turned whumpee, kidnapping, leaving off on a cliffhanger

Thomas J Costa, you are a fucking genius, the mob boss thought to himself. This was one of the best two weeks of his and Khaled’s shared life together. Two weeks of coming home to a sparkling clean penthouse, a plate of either half-cooked or slightly scorched food (hey, the boy was trying), and a submissive bedmate made him perversely wonder why he didn’t try this scare tactic sooner.

He checked his watch. It was only half an hour until he’d usually leave for home, but he decided he’d been at work long enough that day. Just as he was about to log off of his desktop, an email of high priority chimed. He opened it, then groaned. That meeting with the stakeholders of White Shore Resort: Miami was tonight, and he’d completely forgot. As much as he’d rather not do it tonight, he did not need to burn this bridge, of all bridges. So, with a reluctant sigh, Thomas put on his coat and shot a text home. He’d left Khaled with the spare cellphone he’d given him when he was in the hospital that one time, a dense brick of a device that could only perform basic call, text, and photo taking tasks, specifically to send him messages like these.

To: Holes Forgot about a meeting I have tonight. Be home late. Wait for me.

With that sent, he tucked his phone into his coat pocket and begrudgingly left.

The boss was a little more than surprised to find his car keyed and his tires slashed. What surprise he did feel was quickly replaced with burning rage as he marched his way to the guard shack and banged on the door. “Nico!”

Michael’s nephew opened the door, brown hair amess and blinking in confusion as if he had just woken up from a nap. “Boss? What’s up, what’s wrong?” he asked, pulling his coat around him.

“Don’t even - somebody’s slashed my tires on your watch!” Thomas grabbed Nico by the arm and yanked him along across the parking lot. He practically threw the young guard at the defaced car. “Look at this! Did you see who did this? What the fuck am I even paying you for if you don’t even know who did this?!” he roared.

“Shit man, I-I’m sorry! What can I do to fix this?” Nico asked.

Tom checked his watch again. Despite the meeting being on the other side of the city, and the whole setback with his car, he knew he could still make it. “You,” he decided, “are going to drive me! No arguments, let’s go!”

Nico’s mouth opened and closed mutely like a fish before he threw up his hands in a shrug.

It was a very awkward drive in Nico Clemenza’s cluttered Jeep. Some people kept the interior of their cars spotless, some people treated the interior of their cars like a large storage locker, and it became very clear which one Nico was that evening. Thomas must have counted at least three first-draft essays, one notebook, four pairs of unwashed athletic clothes, and a pair of sneakers back there. At least the weather was cold enough out that they didn’t stink, which was a small mercy of being trapped in such a disgusting car. He wanted to retch, but this was his best and quickest option to get to that meeting on time. Maybe I’ll just make the kid drop me off a couple blocks away, and I can walk there, he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Nico himself seemed visibly on edge as he drove stiffly and uncomfortably with the boss in his car. It was enough to make himself feel tense. Thomas sighed. “Look, Nico, bud, I know you don’t necessarily approve of how I handle your dear little friend, but there is no reason why things have to be so tense between us personally,” he said. “I’ve never actually done anything to you, have I? Like, I’ve never physically harmed you or nothing. And I’m on great terms with Bennie and Michael, so why don’t you just relax a bit? I’m not gonna kill you, I swear.”

Nico nervously glanced at him before focusing back on the road. Thomas shook his head. There was an impassible power barrier between himself and some of the younger guys in the organization, one that wasn’t there before he became the boss nearly eight years ago. It made people act all fake and freak out over little things as they forgot that he was just a person, too; like how Nico completely missed the exit they needed to take.

“Hey, wait, the Antechamber Taphouse was back that way,” he reminded him. Nico kept driving, not responding as his eyes remained fixed on an unseen destination. “Nico, hey, Nico!” Tom snapped his fingers in front of the driver’s face, hoping to get his attention. “Nico, you missed it!”

“No I didn’t, because that’s not where we’re going,” Nico relied cryptically.

“Yes, it is, though, I told you we were going there!” He brought this fingers up to Nico’s temple and poked at it. “What’s wrong with you?” Nico did not respond as he pulled off at the next exit and drove them further from Thomas’ intended destination. “Take a left, and another left,” he instructed. They might just be able to make it to the taphouse if they took the detour Thomas knew about.

Nico pulled off at the next exit and ran every red light as he took the exact opposite directions, driving them closer to their unknown destination. The passenger gave up dictating directions once he realized this dumb fuck behind the wheel wasn’t going to listen to him. Whether it was because Nico didn’t know the area and was stubborn enough to spurn all directions, there was not much Thomas could do until they got where they needed to be. With a final grumble, he whipped out his phone and started sorting through emails. Confirmation of reservation, reminder of reservation, junk mail, junk mail, junk –ooh, a user called ‘there-a-Glock-in-my-sock-85’ responded to my Reddit question!

It was only once the car came to a stop and parked that he looked up from his phone. Far from the urban core of his intended destination, he found them parked at the docks, just outside the empty warehouses. ‘Something is wrong’ seemed like the understatement of the moment here as Thomas tried to determine Nico’s true intentions. 

Then, the door to one of the warehouses creaked open. Nico unlocked the doors and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Alright, sir, come with me,” he said.

“Where are we?” he asked, unbuckling his own seatbelt.

Nico did not respond, only silently opening the door of the car as he pivoted his body to get out. The boss finally figured out there was something much larger at play. He thought about the young guard’s sketchy demeanor and their conveniently desolate location before remembering what Nico had said the last day he saw Khaled.

“But, he didn’t do it, sir! He had no part in it! I can prove it, just listen to me!”

His jaw dropped as he made the connection. “Wait a minute, you were the one who put that hit out on me last summer?!” The lack of an answer was all the confirmation the boss needed. “Oh, you little shit!” Thomas grabbed Nico by the shirt collar and yanked him away from the door. He pulled Nico by the back of his hair and slammed his face into the dash board –once, twice, and one more time for good measure before pushing Nico out the open door and crawling into the driver’s seat himself. He was just about to close the door of the Jeep and lock it until a chillingly cheerful voice called out from the shadows.

“Where you going off to, man? You just got here!”

Tom immediately unsheathed his pistol, aiming at the source of the voice amongst the dark. A pair of cat-like golden eyes gleamed in the darkness as the boss of Juicio Divino emerged like a phantom from the dark warehouse entrance. Six more phantoms materialized alongside him with their own weapons drawn and aimed at the Costa boss. Julio’s eyes briefly flickered down to his accomplice who’d been thrown out of the car before fixing back on Thomas again. He lazily grinned, his teeth shining unnaturally white in the dark night. “Why don’t you step out of the vehicle and come on in here?” It did not sound like a request. Six guns remained trained on his body behind the windshield.

Thomas growled like a cornered animal as he reluctantly set his gun on the dashboard, got out of the car, and put his hands up. Attacking Julio directly would guarantee he’d be killed, but surrendering and giving them what they wanted now would at least open an opportunity to gain the upper hand later, he reasoned. Although he doubted this wild cat would ever give him the chance.

Le Tag List: @kabie-whump , @rainydaywhump @whumped-by-glitter @skittles-the-whumpee @generic-whumperz @bamber344 @there-will-always-be-blood @morning-star-whump @a-la-whump @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @defire

[libras-interactives]

Under the Devil's Moon - 1.1.0

This is the final stuff I wanted to add before seriously drafting Chapter 2. Woo! That means I won't be adding any additional content until Chapter 2 is mostly done, only bugfixes.

Here's where you can play the update, the usual place! It's still an HTML file and super simple y'all - open it up in whatever browser you use on desktop or mobile. PLEASE DM or message me about bugs you come across, I'm still new to this!

ALSO thank you for @ladybugkisses for taking my commission to draw my babies 🥺 Jack, Lottie, Eveline and Marius look so wonderful!!!! I'm going to be posting the picture separate because I can't get enough of it ... please check out her blog, her art is so fun and nice to look at.

Patch Notes:

Zib and Wick scenes have been added, both platonic and romantic. You won’t get all three in a single night! That’s alright  - plenty of time to meet them in Chapter 2.

Eveline has gotten a small, additional scene if you're romantically interested in her, as well as some text changes in general.

Zib and Atlas get themselves a tarot reading scene. Wick and Viktor will have to wait until you see more of them!

Filipino and Swedish have been added as culture options.

Some cultures (Mexico, Germany and Russia for now) have additional text in the Bringing Family to America deal; others will follow eventually. Mostly just some historical context because I really like reading and writing about it

Scars in general, especially visible and severe ones, have been reworked. A tin facial prosthetic (similar to those worn by WW1 vets) is an option if you'd like to cover up.

Cello and Saxophone have been added as instruments for Musician!MC.

MCs with the Baby deal can now specify what the child calls them (i.e. Mom, Papa, etc.)

Additional text and clarification in some places. Some dialogue has been changed to better suit the chosen Occupation/Personality.

Plenty of grammar fixes, typo corrections and bugfixes - Musician has been fixed quite a lot (oops) and gender is no longer rioting... For now.

A little preview for Chapter 2 ... 👁️👁️

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS (INCLUDING ETSY), LATE JUNE 2024

Welcome to my latest summary of Etsy and other ecommerce news, relevant for small and microbusinesses online!

Get these updates plus my website blog posts via email: http://bit.ly/CindyLouWho2Blog Get all of the most timely updates plus exclusive content by supporting my Patreon: patreon.com/CindyLouWho2

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Etsy has yet again changed how processing times work for some countries, and this time, they’ve opted everyone into working on every national holiday. [post by me on LinkedIn, with screenshots] Many people are happy they can officially opt out of working on some days, but not so happy Etsy opted them in. The next day, Etsy clarified that this is currently only available for Canada and the US, and is only for national holidays, not regional or provincial ones. 

The old Etsy listing form disappeared as promised on June 25, and the new one is still a mess [post by me on LinkedIn]. Etsy claims to have fixed numerous issues with the new listing form, including manual translations, bulk editing, and sharing to Pattern. No word on the numerous pricing issues that have affected non-US sellers in particular through the domestic pricing tool, and that have apparently changed both variations and shipping prices for US sellers. The latest new listing form fix is the inability to save drafts, although it doesn’t seem to be working for everyone. 

USPS seems to have reused its tracking numbers early recently, with widespread reports of labels created June 18 and later showing as already being delivered in April or May. I’ve updated that linked Patreon post with info on how to get Etsy to correct their own records, so that seller protection and Star Seller status are not affected. 

ETSY NEWS 

Wondering if your images meet Etsy’s minimum size requirements? I did a video for you [on Patreon] so you can easily check for yourself. 

Etsy is still pushing shop loans through YouLend, “up to two times your monthly revenue.” Thanks to Michele from Artologica for the screenshot of the dashboard notification, and some of what you see once you click it:

and a link to the Etsy program at YouLend. Please read the terms carefully, as they get repaid through your future sales. It appears to be US-sellers only. 

There’s a new “Made for You” page with a lot of links to various features for buyers, but I don’t see it linked anywhere on the desktop version of the site. I also don’t really see the point, but maybe we’ll have to wait and see how they use it. 

Apologies for missing this one, but sellers in Turkey must now use “ShipEntegra” to mail orders, unless they already use another service. In effect, this means all new shops in Turkey are required to sign up and only ship orders through ShipEntegra, as of June 3. 

Apparently the “Buy More and Save” badge Etsy applied to some listings that already had multiple quantity discounts is just a test [item 2] per Etsy.

ECOMMERCE NEWS (minus social media)

General

Facebook appears to be removing links to EcommerceBytes on its platforms. 

Amazon

Amazon's "Subscribe & Save" feature will be available for products that are not Fulfilled By Amazon items, as of June 27. 

Amazon's Prime Day 2024 is July 16-17th. 

“Ad Relevance” is Amazon’s proposed solution to the end of ad cookies; it has AI at its core. 

North American Amazon orders will stop using plastic air pillows by the end of the year. 

Amazon is facing another lawsuit on copying successful sellers’ products and manipulating the Buy Box, this time in the UK. 

eBay

As of July 1, eBay will be charging most of its sellers more for Express Payouts: $2 each time instead of 1.5% of the total. 

eBay is now charging buyers of luxury wallets and handbags an optional $40 for authentication, for items between $200-$499.99. Items $500 and up are still authenticated for free. 

The eBay Summer 2024 Seller Update included new tools and renamed programs, but some of them had already been announced. 

If you are using the eBay seller app, watch for draft listings disappearing. 

Shopify

Businesses selling through Shopify can now apply to sell on Target Plus, a third-party marketplace that currently has around 1200 sellers. 

Shopify now has a chatbot for site owners, called Sidekick, but it is currently only available to English stores in North America. 

Walmart

Walmart+ Week started June 17th, almost a month before Amazon’s Prime Day. 

All Other Marketplaces

Just a few months after ending selling fees, Mercari is laying off a substantial portion of its US-based workers. It’s also still looking for new sellers, offering credits that can be spent on the site for opening a new shop and inviting friends. 

Payment Processing

Apple Pay Later is being phased out in favour of “Affirm”, a third-party Buy Now Pay Later app that will be available in more countries than Apple’s own product. 

Shipping

USPS hopes to change its non-standard package surcharges by region, charging more when the package travels further. 

[greatbigbellies]

2023 PREGNANCY KINK ADVENT CALENDAR (DAY 4)

Esoteric Eats: McPreggo, Enjoyable Fast Food Fare That Kicks More Than You’d Expect!

Author: Veronica Greene

With a name like “McPreggo”, you’re probably greeted by a lot of questions. What do they even serve? How good are their lawyers that they can get away with a name like that? Why is it spelled with two G’s when the sauce brand only uses one?  While I can’t answer all of these questions, things will start to make more sense once I explain both the food, and this restaurant’s gimmick.

You see, much like the chain fast food restaurant that this place borrows its prefix from, McPreggo is a burger joint, serving a wide line of burgers, fries, breaded chicken items, and other side items. The wait between order placement and food delivery is very short, and everything is fairly uniform from one visit to the next. “So what?” I hear you saying, “It’s McDonald’s with a weird name?” and that, my dear reader, is where you’re wrong. McPreggo’s selling point, and the reason the place was so packed when I ordered my food for review, was that each entree item induces a sort of “quantum-phantom pregnancy”, and each side item, dessert, and special soft drink causes different effects on the pregnancy in question. The pregnancy persists for 6 hours on average, though they do have items (such as the mozzarella sticks, which I saw being eaten in abundance) to further extend the duration of an active McPreggo pregnancy. They also include a sauce that increases the duration further by a random amount, giving the experience an air of spontaneity if desired. These items can be eaten in abundance for a pregnancy carrying multiples, though they also include entrees that will take you up to triplets with a single sandwich. The whole experience really caters to embracing all of the struggles that come with pregnancy, with items that increase belly size in different dimensions, brightens stretchmarks, and even increases the activeness of the quantum babies inside. That said, if you ever overextend and bite off more than you can chew, some of their dessert items are great for pulling back the intensity. Items which I’m sure any parent-to-be wished worked on non-quantum pregnancies.

Once again, I know what you’re thinking. “Quantum-phantom pregnancy? Did they lace this lady’s burger with something hallucinogenic?” to which I say no. This stuff WORKS, and it’s one-to-one with the real thing. While it doesn’t usually come up, because this is a food review publication and the food critic’s personal life is typically irrelevant, I actually have two kids. A pair of twins, in fact. The relevance of this is simple: I’ve been pregnant before, the old fashioned way, which means I know what it feels like. So when I placed my order, spying everyone from the customers to the employees sporting (some excessively) round baby bumps, I almost scoffed a little. There was no way some little quantum science sandwich could simulate what it was actually like to carry life in your womb.

Sitting here, drafting this article with voice dictation software because my belly has grown so large I cannot comfortably reach my desktop keyboard, I am a humbled woman. I was so, so wrong.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is, their menu is well beyond what I could eat in a single sitting, which is why this review is going to focus on some of the major lunch items, some of the more outlandish side items, and wrap up with a milkshake. They have a full breakfast menu, as well as a list of sodas which are hand-mixed in house, and a myriad of sauces with their own effects. If this review gets enough attention, I’d be happy to dive back in for a part two, revisiting McPreggo for the other items. Until then though, lets get to the food.

My first item was aptly named “The Twinner”, a simple double stack cheeseburger with your standard fixings. I figured since I’d been pregnant with twins before, I’d skip the singleton and go right to what I’m familiar with. I must say, the burger was delightful. While by no means the most innovative thing taste wise, it doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel to be good. The meat patties were grilled to perfection and the vegetables gave it a lovely crunch! While the place is marketed to be along the lines of a speed-first fast food place, the quality of the food reminds me more of a small town, family owned diner. Just genuinely tasty, and fills you up!

And boy, does this thing fill you up. Nothing happened until I finished my burger completely. There was just enough of a delay that I had a moment where I thought I’d been duped. Like all the bumps there were fake and it was some elaborate prank… Then I felt something shift inside me, deep in my gut, and I started to fill out. The experience was… disarmingly non-invasive. It didn’t hurt, I wouldn’t event call it “uncomfortable”, beyond of course the discomfort of the end result. I pulled my blouse up and watched my belly expand right before my eyes, placing a hand on it to feel my palm fill with my own taught midriff. I wasn’t timing it, but I’d say once the process started it took about 45 seconds. The growth is wild, you would expect it to hurt, like something would bruise or tear, but no, you just… feel yourself growing bigger.

And then they kicked, and I found myself remembering a time not so long ago, wearing maternity overalls which barely wrapped around me, painting the walls of my kid’s room while they excitedly jostled around inside me. Take it from an experienced mom-to-be, the sensation is exactly like the real deal. It’s jarring how real it felt, and feeling it like I was full term again, no 9 month buildup, just BAM, PREGNANT, after a single burger, was insane!

With my doubts disproven, I moved on to the other entree item I intended to eat for the review, “The Labor Inducer”. This was a spicy chicken sandwich which promised to add one baby to my womb, and induce regular braxton hicks contractions. I knew going into this review I had to try this one, just to gauge the realism of it, and to tell you, the reader, just how intense it gets. That’s why I’m here, to jump into the deep end so you don’t have to!

I will say, much like the twinner burger before, I have no complaints about the quality of the food. The chicken was warm and tender, the breading had good flavor, and the pepper sauce did pack more heat then I anticipated. It takes a few bites to hit, lulling you into a false sense of security before it ramps up. I have a decent spice tolerance, and it was pretty heated for me, so those with less resistance to heat should be reasonably wary.

The process repeated, with my belly growing further out, filling with a third, just as big as the other two. The size of the quantum babies each feels like the size of a healthy singleton, so know that they ramp up FAST when going for multiples. As for the braxton hicks, they also felt quite real. I recall the ones I dealt with when pregnant with my own kids being a bit more intense, but even these were strong. I’m not sure why anyone would intentionally give themselves contractions, because they did indeed hurt like you wouldn’t believe, but if you want realism, it’s there.

While there remained a lot from the lunch and even the breakfast menu that I’d yet to eat, many of the other items simply ramped up the multiples. There were of course others, which included random numbers of additional babies, and even included some pregnancy-specific medical conditions for customers to experience (I’ll admit I had to google “polyhydramnios”). As mentioned before, those will have to be for another review. What I wanted to delve into was the sides, which promised everything from reshaping my belly to increasing the strength of certain pregnancy-based side effects. I started with the pickle chips, which I knew I’d enjoy since I’m a sucker for salty snack foods. They claimed to enhance the strength of pregnancy cravings, and generally make things taste better.

If any of my readers ever considers trying McPreggo, do yourself a favor, and have an appetizer of these chips. Even if you don’t like pickles, they’re worth it. The already tasty line up becomes sublime once you have active cravings for it. I know full well this is a marketing tactic, to get you to waddle in and buy more food, but when the food in question is so good, I’ll allow it. The chips themselves were crisp and had a nice crunch to them, and the salt content was on par with a good potato chip. Once the cravings hit, I moved to the fries. 

These were marketed as making a belly longer, creating a “torpedo belly” shape. I downed them quickly, (they were very, very good. Lightly seasoned with something I couldn’t place because I demolished them too fast), and while I couldn’t quite tell at first if they had worked, the sensation of the front of my now triplet heavy belly nudging the table I sat at, when I myself hadn’t moved an inch, was proof enough. At this point, I was starting to feel heavy and sluggish, and started to slow down a bit. I’d eaten two sandwiches and two large sides, and was now carrying multiples on top of it all, so I was feeling quite stuffed. Still, I had two more items I wanted to try. The spicy nuggets touted themselves as increasing movement of the quantum babies, making them more active. A claim that before eating anything I doubted, but now was fully willing to believe. After eating the six nuggets, which did pack some heat though nowhere near as much as the labor inducer, the once mostly dormant babies inside of me began to stir. It was slow at first, but once one was moving, all three were kicking and shifting like crazy. I once again was reminded of those sleepless nights, trying to get comfortable with rowdy twins in me, but now, there was a third. I only had one 6 piece order and felt a difference, so I can’t imagine how intense it would be if someone had 12 or even 18.

To wrap up the review, I had a large “Maternal Marionberry” milkshake waiting for me. It’d been out for the duration of my meal so I expected it to be a little softer after having melted some. I was surprised that it was still quite thick, and I had to work to get it through the straw. The marionberry flavor was really on-point, very fruity, very smooth. The shake claimed it’d widen my hips and give me the “pregnancy glow”, and while I’m not sure how you measure the “pregnancy glow”, the hips are definitely wider. Not only did they feel bigger, but once I cumbersomely hefted myself from my chair and waddled over to the mirror, I could visually tell they had changed. I did a slow, awkward 360 view around the mirror and I had to admit, it was crazy feeling pregnant again. I looked and FELT the part, and had to give credit where it was due, those cooks at McPreggo made the experience a tasty one.

So to summarize, McPreggo food is very good on its own, but the gimmick really sets it apart. The effects onset quickly and are painless, but they really do what they say on the package, so don’t underestimate them. I still have about 4 hours left of my quantum pregnancy as I’m writing the first draft of this review, and given how hard it’ll be to reach my keyboard to make edits as I am, I’m going to take some time to enjoy this. Overall, if you wanna sample pregnancy, easy 10/10. And if you’re just there for the food, definitely 8/10, but stick to the sides, or you’re in for a heavy surprise when you finish that burger.

[blorboresidue]

I have a real banger of a dunmeshi text post in my drafts but it's gonna have to wait til I'm on desktop and can fix the typos in my tags lol

[oceanicsources]

HOW TO FORMAT YOUR REPLY ON MOBILE

As we all know, this hellsite doesn't support the html formatting on new post editor mobile regardless of our mobile browser, meaning that we can't either get our replies to keep an aesthetic or even trim our replies like those who uses their desktop for such... until now.

On March 17th, @rpclefairy blessed us with her amazing tutorial on how to trim blogs on mobile which is truly amazing and helpful. But, there was one problem. The trimming method in that tutorial isn't the same as xkit since it doesn't save your partner's reply formatting and such. With that in mind I, as a main mobile RPer, did some research on the matter and found out an easy method to save you some time!

This blog will be separated in three topics: small preparation, basic formatting and complex formatting (with icons!) and it's an easy to medium difficulty tutorial, depending on your needs.

Small preparation

We don't get to spend every day of our lives in the same computer since things gets to happen and we have to drive away from it. With that in mind, there's a small list of things you should have in your phone:

Notepad with all the spacing and cute emojis for your aesthetic

A trustworthy website for your custom font

A few icons of your preference exported to your gallery or make your own small set of icons via your mobile!

This step is optional, but if you have a set of post headers, you can always save the 'Answered' banner and a divider, if you have one!

Keep in mind that if you pick to make a small set of icons on your phone, it doesn't have to be that complex like the ones you did on your computer! But you can use this neat trick to keep the aesthetic!

Basic formatting

With everything ready, first you need to pick your partner's reply to do the trick; but it will get difficult based on your partner's style of formatting. For this tutorial, I'll be using my own rp blog since I have a diversity of mutuals.

If their formatting doesn't go further than the one used in rich text editor and they doesn't have any icons (also if your writing style matches theirs), then this'll be the easiest way to do!

Using your main browser or tumblr app, open your partner's reply, copy their reply (I suggest using your browser to copy their reply if it's more than one paragraph of length), add your own and save as draft.

Following clefairy's tutorial you will open Puffin browser (links in her tutorial as well for both android and iOS), open your partner's reply, tap lightly on the blog to remove the previous reblogs and save as draft. It'll look like this:

If there's a weird spacing in the bottom like mine, you can fix it now as well as the double blockquote glitch but I suggest you wait to fix this little issue in your normal browser.

Going back to your main browser, you can now open your drafted reply to see if everything seems alright and fix a thing here and there! If there's a top reblog, just remove it again.

Complex formatting

Now, let's say you are the type of roleplayer that always uses icons and colored text and your partner's reply has spacing and colored text. Following what I said above, you can also add your icon in your body reply that it'll automatically convert itself in a link, so there's no worry about that!

In your browser, you'll open your partner's reply before you trim it away and copy everything from the reply, then trim it. Now, open byluna's color text generator and paste your text. But be aware that it won't work correctly unless you select the third paste option with a W on it. Activating desktop mode is not necessary.

After you format everything in your partner's reply (you can also do the same on yours) there's a container below the text box with the html coding. Click Copy to Clipboard and paste everything in your drafted post and boom, you're set!

Now, let's say that both you and your partner (or only them) uses icons/dividers together with formatted text. There's two ways to do that, but both get in the same result.

After drafting their reply, if your phone supports opening an app on divided screen, you can use both your browser and Puffin at the same time. It's the same as using your computer or two monitors, let's say. This is how it looks on my phone:

Opening byluna's text generator in your main browser (or on Puffin), you can do the same trick of copying your partner's reply and paste it after opening a blockquote, but do not copy the icon too or it'll be contained and glitch your code! Instead, open your partner's icon in a separated tab and copy the link (do the same with yours), hit the little image button and paste the image url.

If your phone cannot divide like mine or you have no clue how to do so, it's not that complicated to do but it takes a little bit longer.

Before drafting your partners reply, save their icons/borders to your gallery and add them to your reply body. You can add your own as well with your reply if you wish. I suggest doing it twice for the sake of trimming only the one you are going to post afterwards.

After you trim one of the posts, go back to your main browser and copy the image link presented in the code of your draft.

Open your text generator and add your image via image url (shown below)

Format everything as you please and you're done!

Credits to my friend (in the picture) for letting me use their icon for this tutorial <3

And that's basically it!! Let me know if you were confused in any part or if you have anything else to say! Hope this tutorial helps and you're more than free to ask if you have any questions!

[galindathrop]

Warning: Image heavy

By popular demand, aka 2 people, here is a gif tutorial. This will include how I do screenshots and actually make the gif. 

You will need: 

Photoshop. I use the Photoshop CC 2021 version but that’s only because I’m paying for it. There are sites you can download Photoshop on but I prefer the legal way. 

MPV player or any screencapping program that takes continuous screencaps. 

IMPORTANT: As I have learned, the video file you use must be 1080p or else they will look like absolute crap. Always try to get a 1080p copy no matter how long it takes. 

THE PROGRAM

As stated before, I use MVP player. That can be downloaded here. If you have a mac, I would move the app off of your desktop after downloading and to the applications folder. That way it is out of your iCloud and saves so much pain and frustration. 

Try to download the 0.29.0 version because later versions on macs have a glitch where there are duplicate screenshots (according to @/kylos). I had to download the 0.29.1 version because the other version won’t open at all for me after the last apple update (fuck bug sur). Anyway, I’ll probably mess up explaining this part so you can find out how to get it working here and here. 

To actually screencap, press option + s. The left and right arrow keys will help you move through the video. For more shortcuts, click here. 

Once that is all downloaded, now you can begin the giffing process.

THE PROCESS

Load the film you want to gif into the program, which is just a simple drag and drop. Then go through and find the scene you want to screencap. 

Once I find the scene, I pause and then press option + s as mentioned above and screencap the scene. Press  option + s again to stop capturing.

Now you go open photoshop and go to File --> script --> load files into stack

Then this will pop up. Hit browse... 

Then open your folder with the screenshots, select the screenshots by dragging down, and then click open.

This is what it should look like. Now go through and delete the extra images you don’t need. 

Now we need to crop the future gif. Click the cropping tool and at the top left there is a way to set the crop dimensions. 

The ones I have saved are Tumblr’s dimension sizes. The height doesn’t matter as much as the width does. For Tumblr; 540px is for one post across, 268px is 2 posts across, and 178px is 3 across. When doing 3 across make the last one 177px or else the last one will be blurry. Click here for more info on sizing. 

Today I’m going to make this 540:280. When you’re satisfied with the crop, click enter. 

Here is where the fun begins! I downloaded @kylos​ gif action here. To activate it double click on it. To view your actions go to window --> actions. A window should pop up with your action. 

There will be a folder in there called GIF ACTION. Open the folder and select the SELECT HERE!. With that selected click on the play button to activate the action. 

Just like magic, you now have a gif! Your layers panel should now look like this. Next we just need to resize the gif. 

Go to Image --> Image size and this box will pop up. 

Resize the image to your crop size and hit ok. Your image will now be a lot smaller. 

Next I go to Filter --> Blur --> Gaussian Blur. Set the blur to 1.0. 

Now this will take away the sharpness when I just want it to be a bit softer. To fix this double-click on the lines next to the smart filter. 

This will bring up another box to change the opacity of the blur. I change it to 20% or less. This one I’ll make 15%. Hit ok when done. 

One last thing is I fix the radius of the sharpening. Click on the bottom sharpening layer. A box should open.

Change the radius to 0.4 and hit ok. 

Before closing, open the timeline window by window --> timeline. If you want to cut down on the frames, grab either one of the grey bars on the beginning and end of the gif and drag to where you want it to start and end. 

It’s now time to save. Go to File --> Export --> Save for Web (Legacy)...

This will pop up. Here you can see how many frames you have and how big the file is. I usually start off as close to 10mb as I can get. There are multiple ways you can save it but here are my settings. 

Then save your gif to wherever you want it. But we aren’t done yet. 

Close the gif. You don’t have to save the psd but you can if you want to. Then reopen the gif in Photoshop. Everything you used before should still be open, aka the windows for actions and timeline. 

Your screen will look like this. As you may notice, the gif speed is all over the place. The best speed for gifs is 0.5. This guide is very helpful. 

To get the gif to that speed, I dowloaded another action here. Add it to your actions as instructed above. 

Open the Change to .05 folder and select the SELECT HERE!. With that selected click on the play button to activate the action, same as above. 

And viola it is now the correct speed! But our gif doesn't look too great. It’s time to fix that up with some coloring. 

COLORING

These are my coloring layers.  Make sure they are on top of all of the layers. 

Here is what it looks like now after the coloring. You may notice the effect has only been added to one layer of the X amount of frames you have.

To fix this select the coloring layers and then go to the 3 lines at the top right of the box. 

Click on this to open a dropdown box and click match layer across frames. 

Make sure all the checks are marked and hit ok. 

Now all the layers have the coloring layers applied. 

Remember when we were saving the gif and it was over 10mb. Well now it’s time to fix that. 

I like to go in and check the size after coloring because sometimes that can lower the gif size. 

It did in this case so that creates less work. Close out of that and go back to your timeline. It’s time to delete some frames. 

You can select multiple frames at once by holding down shift as you select. I typically click around 5 to 10 at a time and make sure you don’t miss a single frame. I’m going to select more towards to the end. 

Then click delete (the trashcan icon). 

Go back to export. If it is still too big delete some frames. In my case it was still too big so I have to delete more frames. 

I now have it to around where I want it. It is less than 10 mb and sometimes that is better. So save your gif. I usually save it as [filename]final. 

QUALITY

To check the quality of the gif I go to Tumblr and go to make a photo post. 

DO NOT post. Instead save it as a draft. Go to your drafts and see how it looks from your dash. If it looks pixelated then go back into photoshop and delete fames. Repeat the following steps until it is to your liking. 

And then you have your final product! 

I hope this was helpful to you and I can’t wait to see what you create with this. 

[sitp-recs]

1/2 Hi! Your blog is such a treasure - I keep on finding new fic to read, and rediscover old faves, so thank you! I have a fic search request that I hope you and/or your followers can help me find. It's Drarry, set in eighth year. I think it featured a down-and-out!Draco but I could be wrong. Ghosts from lives lost during the war at Hogwarts couldn't move forward to the afterlife, so Harry sets out to find a way to help them move on (I believe with Ron and Hermione's help). -

First of all I’m so so sorry for the incredibly late reply! I hate it when I see a long ask and don’t answer it right away because chances are it will get lost under the pile and I’ll never find it again 😔 to make it worse, I’ve been having this issue with my tumblr app that for some reason is mixing all my sideblogs and won’t let me post drafts saved under another blog, and I can only fix it when I’m using a desktop. Anyhoo, sorry about about the wait! This actually sounds very familiar but I can’t place it, I researched for a while but unfortunately came up empty. Let’s see if my followers can help in the comments. Thanks for your patience @theblissfulchaos (that’s the one, right?)

Edit: Thanks @maesterchill! That’s Ocean of Storms' by Bounding Heart/Brief and Dreamy

[aloera]

The ask prompt is too long to fit into an ask TT_TT but here's the doc for it docs(.)google(.)com/document/d/1yDI7iFRhOJ8ENv_IwZAo3rDSUqj80EiJROS10RzRbj4/edit

the lengths u are going for this,,, much appreciated you're very sweet!!!

prompts + answers under the cut!!

INTRODUCTION

Name: aloera

AO3 account: aloera

Fandoms you write for: bnha

How many stories have you written so far: 19

FANFICTION PROFILE

What's your favorite fandom to write for? hmm,,, used to do pjo and eah (ever after high) and eah was fun as fuck i will say!!! i think bnha is my fav mostly bc i made the most friends in this fandom :D

What's your favorite character/person to write for? bkg and kirishima!! cannot choose do not make me <3

Fic you'd want to improve? probably what we deserve? i rushed the beginning and the confession is a bit stilted imo

Hardest fic you've written? between lion and men -_- bc there is so much canon compliant stuff i've gotta write out before i get to the divergence and its HARD

Easiest fic you've written? come home to me!!! it happened so easily,,, no second guessing no writers block just vibes <33 was lovely i miss it

What would you say is the most "famous" fic you've ever written? also probably come home to me? its got the most interaction

first line of the first fic you've ever written and published. [not including my 2014 ffnet fics] "The bell rings, class starts, and Katsuki and Midoriya are inexplicably absent." from come home to me

Have you ever done a collab with another writer? yes!!!!! on two separate occasions and its so fucking fun i highly recommend trying it out its the best

Do you beta? if asked but honestly im a shit beta lmao

Do you like joining fic fests/exchanges? depends on what i have going on irl but in general yeah!!

FANFICTION PREFERENCES

Fluff or angst? definitely fluff

"OCs" or "Reader" inserts? reader inserts!! have been going ham on them recently

Blurbs or drabbles? blurbs!!

One thing you love about fanfiction i just. i really love slice of life romance?? and most media doesn't give you that bc its dedicated to plot and action and that's valid!! but fanfiction fills in the gap which is really nice

One thing you don't like about fanfiction most of the stuff i don't like is less about actual fanfiction and more about how people behave about it

What is/are your favorite fandom author/authors? IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!! TURN IT UP!!!

bnha: hiuythn, rae_tnub, Moniix, Ata_Lanta, wrunic, chezka, PurplePersnickety, surveycorpsejean, mahadevi, arxaris, deviance, Oceanbreeze7, MikeWritesThings, bonnia, wonhaebunny, dinosuns

voltron: hiuythn, Oceanbreeze7, DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee, arahir, dinosuns,

and honorable mention to loveclouds im not even in the haikyuu fandom i just love their fics So Much

these are just the ones off the top of my head i have so many favourites idc if i'm only supposed 2 have one!! die mad about it!!!

What is your favorite trope? secret relationship + relationship reveal til the day i die babie <3 <3

Least favorite trope? hm,,, probably just like. angst lmao i cannot stand 90% of it

A fanfiction cliché that you can't help but love? coffeeshop aus,,,, so good

Do you have a type when it comes to pairings? the otp where its like. piece of shit + himbo = love. ex. krbk, catradora, jade/beck

Favorite setting/au? hm,,, truly i cannot pick one KGKSJNHKj but i really like college aus!! and modern aus!! and roommate aus!!

Explain the meaning of your favorite line of dialogue you've written as if someone hasn't read it in context. “He doesn’t know,” Katsuki says, softly. “My timer stopped and nothing happened. He’s not mine.”

the line is from what we deserve!! it's a soulmate au where your timer counts down to the moment that you meet your soulmate!! bakugou's timer ends at USJ when he and kirishima attack kurogiri at the same time (impulsive kings <33) but kirishima's timer doesn't end until kamino because that's when he accepts himself as bakugous soulmate!! unfortunately, when bakugous timer has reached 0, he turned to see that kirishima's was still ticking and therefore believes that kirishima isn't his soulmate.

this line just,, idk. it's really sad. bakugou is such an action-driven character? if something doesn't go his way he Makes it go his way. he's got this insanely volatile quirk and he's got impeccable control of it!! but his love for kirishima isn't something that he can change and he's not going to ruin kirishima's chance of finding his own soulmate because he loves him and wants him to be happy. i really wanted to focus on how resigned he is? and how unusual that is for a character like him.

Favorite trope/genre to write? again, secret relationship with relationship reveals <33 fluff in general is my wheelhouse!!!

A trope/genre you haven't written but think would be a fun challenge? idk if this counts?? have been working on some dead dove concepts!! its super different from what i normally write so its a cool challenge

The one trope/concept you'll never touch and why probably cheating/infidelity?? it just looks,,, super difficult to write well and i don't have enough of an interest in it to try it out

Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics? shorter!! low attention span gang <3

Ideal length to read? 5-10k?

Ideal length to write? 4-8k!!

How long was the longest fic you've ever written? control fraek is around 28k i think?

Have you ever written an AU? yeah!! i've done restaurant au's, soulmate au's, pro hero aus, and fantasy aus (general, not the bnha fantasy ending)

What's your favorite AU trope? hm,, probably when two people in authority are in a secret relationship? ceo's/uni professors/etc etc

Have you ever written smut? yeah!! was. difficult tho

What's your comfort genre? (the one you fall on most in writing/reading) fluff,,, hurt/comfort,,, fix-it fics with happy endings <3

If you were to start writing in other fandoms, which would they be? maybe jjk?? the characters are really cool!!!! fr i might go back to my ever after high roots i love the characters and setting so Much its so fun!!! idec if no ones into it anymore!!!!!

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? i've had people say they saw the mention of buff hagakure and recognized it was me so. probably that skdjhnksjd

WRITING STYLE

How would you describe your style? i tend to use shorter sentences and pretty simple words i think? and i gravitate towards lighthearted concepts that allow for ensemble casts and humour!!

Describe your style in three words romcom but fanfic

Favorite words to use when writing? the word reverent!! fuckin love including it!!

Dialogue tags or no dialogue tags? (she said, he said, they said, etc) dialogue tags!!!

Favorite dialogue tag (other than said, if you use them) again idk if this counts but "they said softly" is unmatched

Long sentences vs short vs a mix short <33

What colors would you use to describe your writing? hm,,, depends on the fic i would say?? control fraek is dark green to me?? kinda like a forest at night yk?? scary but there's still life there. sugar cookies is yellow like early morning sunlight, when it rains is yellowy-orange like a caution sign. not gonna list all of them cause theres a lot its just. do u get it? the colours change based on the vibe of the fic.

What song or music genre would you use to describe your writing? think. i am constantly trying to emulate that moment at the end of wasteland baby when hozier goes "im in love/im in love with you."

What kind of metaphors do you rely on? religious metaphors my beloved <33 they're just so pretty!!! i also love comparing stuff to water for some reason?? like that ocean vuong quote thats like "what are you now?/water." it goes hard!!!

What's something you'd say is experimental in your writing at this time? definitely action!! i have,,, no idea how to write it so anything i do is really just me playing around and seeing what works and what doesn't

Do you prefer to write by hand or to type? i've tried both!! personally i prefer typing because it goes way faster but i will say that writing by hand lets me get words down when i'm going through writer's block

What is your preferred place to write (notebook, laptop, cellphone, etc.)? laptop!!

What app/apps do you use to write (word, notepad, etc.)? google docs skjdnkjh its fine on desktop but mobile is,,,,, disgusting

Do you keep a notebook or file/notes page in your phone/device for notes on your writing? ngl i just have everything organized in my drive?? one folder per fandom and then sub folders for ideas+hcs, unfinished wips, and finished fics. multichaps get sub sub folders so i can organize outlines and drafts

Do you listen to music to help you write? yeah!! playlists organized by fic vibe :D

Where do you usually go to write (bedroom, living room, etc.)? mostly in my bedroom??? but moving around to different stops helps too i think!!

How long does it usually take for you to write? again this depends on what i have going on irl, how attached i am to the idea, my mindset at the time, etc!! i am,, the least consistent person skjnhdkjh.

What's your favorite font to use when writing? times new roman my beloved

Other writing habits? sometimes i'll write in the dark?? bad for my eyes but for some reason it gets the words flowing

CONCEPTUALIZATION

How do you conceptualize your ideas? (See specific moments like they're a movie, writing specific lines in your head, don't know until you put the words on paper, etc.) i tend to get inspiration from movies, books, poems, or other fics!!! sometimes one line just makes me go oh,, i want to write something like that,,, and then it helps me create an idea that makes me feel the same way?? i did this with control fraek!!!! i wanted a scenario where bakugou was cold and calculating and i was like hm. to do that he’d have to be focusing on something important. and from there i was able to flesh out the rest of the idea.

Which comes first: the pairing or the plot? with krbk its always always the pairing,, i'll be sitting there like wow <33 i love them <33 what if one of them had amnesia <33 (which, yes, wip!!) otherwise it's usually the plot!! and i slot in characters that i feel make sense

Have you ever used a prompt? yeah!! used a prompt for wlw week 2020 and it was fun as hell

Do you write around the story around a specific scene you want to get to or do you start from a plot idea definitely the first!!!! i almost always write like,,, a super messy scene thats 90% dialogue, keep it in my head, and then write the entire fic around that one moment

Do you find that you include a projection of some part of yourself in the way you write a character? a lot of the time when i write love confessions or love in general i'll have one of the characters think or say that the other person makes their head quiet? and it's because that's what i feel whenever i'm in love?? a quiet mind. i project on characters yeah but i think most of the projection actually goes to the way that i write love

Do you research some of the things you write deeply, partially and kind of wing the rest, or play entirely by ear (in this case, go with whatever base knowledge of the subject you have)? most of the time if i do research it'll be about the setting (ex. the izakaya in to have and to hold) or if i'm having the characters interact with an object that they like. need to know how to use (me, in control fraek: google. hey google. does someone die if they get shot in the foot??? no???? awesome thank u <3)

Have you ever had an idea for a story and forgot about it? lmaoo yeah all the time i'll find like 500-2k words of concepts in my gdocs like i do. not remember this at all

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? probably krbk secret relationship lmao

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out better than expected? yeah!! i fully thought the action in control fraek would be awful but it turned out not bad??? which im happy with

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out worse than you expected? again, what we deserve, i personally think it would have worked out better if i'd paced it slower and drawn out the pining but i. do not feel like going back to fix it so its staying the way that it is. pining is so fucking hard to do AHHHH i get so tired with it!!! im like just date already!!!!

PROCESS

How do you come up with titles? in rare occasions (literally. all my multichaps for some reason) the title comes after writing like .5 words of the first chapter im like YES this is it!!!!! sometimes i write the whole thing and pick out one line that fits (what i did with come home to me) a lot of the time i just. steal from songs or poems that i like

What's your favorite emotion to cause on your readers? i like making people happy!!!! love when people comment saying they're cheered up

What's your favorite emotion to write? lovelovelovelovelovelove

Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while reading something you've written? never cried?? but sometimes i'll rereading my hurt/comfort fics 4. yk. comfort

Do you write in order or whatever comes to you? in order!! unless i have a scene that i Need to write and i'll quickly jot it down so that i don't forget

Usual way you procrastinate while writing? ...doing asks like this, making playlists, discord, watching netflix. what don't i do smh

Do you outline or free write? i am. so shit at outlines. i mostly free write and write lil notes for stuff that i wanna add later

Do you set word goals or scene goals (scenes you want to include)? yes!! like i said i'll write loose notes for scenes that i want to add later!! it gives me something to write towards :D

What do you consider when writing your scenes? what goes into making the atmosphere and mood you want? to set a scene i do two things? the first is like,, the five senses bc that always sets the scene really well and makes it feel Real. i'll visualize stuff in my head like its a movie and write out what i would want to tell the set designer?? if the lights are low, if the space is busy, if it's supposed to exude comfort or not.

for putting forward the character's mood one thing i've found that makes a difference is sentence length!! long sentences are good for making a character seem flustered and nervous or not really in control of their emotions? good for love confessions. short sentences are good for when the character is focused on something or short on time. good for fights!!

What's something you never considered to include in your writing that you can't leave out now? def buff hagakure,,,, once i thought of it i was like. if i don't include this at least once in every single fic how could i look at myself in the mirror!!!!!! how could i face anyone!!!!

How do you start a story? establishing a fact about the character or describing the setting! option a is one single thread of gold, option b is between lion and men

How do you end a story? either by tying it back to the beginning or doing like a funny kind of closing??? option a is sugar cookies, option b is a godless society

How do you get out of writer's block? change something!! move something!! i go from typing to handwriting, moving from my bedroom to my living room, switching wips to work on something else!! i do sprints as well?? give myself like fifteen minutes to write something and sometimes 200 words opens up the way for another 2k. sometimes i'll just delete like 500 words and start fresh

Do you edit? or do you toss your writing out there? i edit!!! i'll go over it myself then send it to one or two betas (bee my beloved <33)

How do you edit? do you use spellcheck, grammar checkers, etc? bee is my grammar checker bc he is So Good with grammar. i use grammarly as well for spellcheck stuff mostly?? sometimes my edit process is just like "am i tired of looking at this!! yes <3" and then i post it

PROGRESS

Do you usually like what you write? yeah!!! i post stuff that makes me happy and that i'm fine with rereading!!! i write stuff for self-indulgence reasons first and foremost and i think my writing reflects that sjhnksj

Have you ever written something you didn't like but posted anyways? nope!! even what we deserve i LIKED even if i see a lot of room 4 improvement!! if i don't like smth it's not getting posted

Do you find yourself rereading your writing often? yeah!! the reason i wrote so much krbk secret relationship is because i loved it but i'd read all that there was so i just,, wrote more,, ngl its kinda nice being in a place where i actually like my writing bc i can write stuff that i want to see and really enjoy it!!

Can you tell us anything about your current WIP? sure!! i'm currently working on when it rains which is a fic where bakugou gets hit by a crying quirk!! i'm gonna be using it to explore So Much of all might's character and his relationships with bakugou and aizawa (and i think some people from his past!!)

Can you give us a sneak peek on your current WIP? “You did something. What the hell did you do?” Kirishima sounds pissed off. It would amuse Katsuki if he wasn’t fighting just to stay standing.

“Nothing he didn’t ask for,” Shinsou replies.

“K’ri… shima,” Katsuki croaks out. “‘S fine. Not him.”

His chest collapses back into the familiar dry heaving after that but Kirishima shuts up. He doesn’t apologize to Shinsou.

Kirishima’s a good friend, stubborn and loyal. He stands by Katsuki’s side like an attack dog, blocking him from the view of anyone ogling at his tears.

The last line you've written Ochako knows more than she'd realized. She knows enough to keep her guard up.

It’s not enough.

Open a wip. what’s the first line?

Katsuki wakes up feeling like absolute fucking shit.

INSIGHT

What's your favorite thing about writing? touched on this before but it's mainly just being able to write the things that i want to see and actually enjoy them!!! actually reread them!!!! i thought "wouldn't it be cool if bkg and kirishima owned a restaurant together" and then i wrote it and i like it enough to reread it!!!! being able to create content for myself makes me. so happy

How do you keep yourself inspired? this is gonna sound narcissistic maybe but honestly i'm just really excited about my ideas and where i'm gonna take them and the idea of "i'm gonna get to That scene" keeps me going through the entire thing. also my friends!!!! i'll talk to them about fics and their reactions keep me hyped up enough to finish!!!!

What is your favorite thing to write? just,, slice of life romance,,, stuff thats silly and makes people laugh!!

What do you think your strengths are in writing? i'm good with dialogue!! i do lil voice acting sessions with myself to make sure everything sounds natural and like it's coming from that character skhjnskj

i'm comfortable with my portrayal of love as well??? i spend a lot of time thinking about what it is exactly that i'm trying to get across and i think it turns out well!!

What are things you wish you could practice more? on one hand i wanna get better at writing angst on the other hand i dislike writing angst. do you see my issue

One way you've improved your writing since you began? characterization!! i think i've gotten better at writing characters that are all Different and bring different things to the table!!! i used to project a lot more and it would compromise the characterization because the character was like 70% me and 30% them? not to say that projection is bad but if you do it too much it just,, doesn't read like the character and from a reader's standpoint the narrative can become less compelling

One aspect of writing you're still working on? writing action!!! i. literally hate writing it but i write for a fandom about superheroes so. Unfortunately i gotta learn.

A piece of writing advice you've learned while writing saw this on another tumblr post but they said sometimes if you're struggling with a scene, the problem is five lines back. i've found that to be true!!!! sometimes u gotta delete a chunk and start a little ways back!! i did this with too busy being yours because i was stuck for Weeks and i deleted like 25% of what i had but it helped me actually finish it :D

A bit of writing advice you can't stand when people shit on show don't tell for being overrated lmao bc when u read their writing you can Tell

Something you wish you knew when you first started writing? ,,,,honestly i kind of wish i could know some of the stuff that i used to when i first started writing?? technically i'm better now but creatively i was must better when i wasn't stressing about whether anyone would like what i was writing. so i guess i wish i knew that i should keep that confidence? i kinda wish that i wasn't as insecure about other people's writing styles because i never used to be!!

Something you've learned in life that you apply in writing there's no point in feeling inferior?? writing one genre isn't better than the other. being in one fandom isn't better than being in another. the kind of language you use or the length of your paragraphs- none of that stuff like. matters. what matters is that you're having fun and happy with what you're creating!!!! enjoy other peoples writing but don't let it make you feel worse about yours :D

[douchebagbrainwaves]

LIFE IS SO GREAT PROGRAMMERS IN

If you had one, you were rich. You never know when this will strike. And no one can predict them—not even the founders, and certainly not you as an investor. A typical VC fund is now hundreds of millions of dollars. Well, maybe. Many who respond to something disagree with it. You'll be delighted when it goes down. Suppose there were some program you wanted to you could stop thinking about it gives me a jolt of adrenaline, years later. Patch. Back when it cost a lot, and you can release it as soon as possible.

At the time there might have been thirty actual stores on the Web. The thin end of the list, fixing them. I've done a lot of it. The main value of whatever you launch with is as a pretext for engaging users. We did. A child is abducted; there's a tornado; a ferry sinks; someone gets bitten by a shark; a small plane crashes. Almost everything is interesting if you get demoralized, don't give up as much of the next generation of software may be server-based applications don't have to watch the servers every minute after the first year or so, but you definitely want to keep in close touch as you develop it further. Another thing that keeps people away from starting startups is currently like the plumbing in an old house. False positives are innocent emails that get mistakenly identified as spams. There may be nothing founders are so prone to delude themselves about as how interested investors will be feeling pinched. After trying the demo, signing up for the service should require nothing more than the desire to do it: as well as they were with desktop computers. I'm pretty sure that's a bad sign.

Someone you already know might send you an email talking about sex, but someone sending you mail for the first few months comforted ourselves by treating the whole thing onto the shoulders of a big market. Even Microsoft, who have in the past 20 years has been to take the C model of computing and add to it, piecemeal, parts taken from the Lisp model. The opportunity is a lot or a little of a continuous quantity, time, into discrete quantities. Every programmer must have seen code that some clever person has made marginally shorter by using dubious programming tricks. But I'm willing to let people see an early draft if it will be accepted even if its spam probability is from a neutral. If a company is doing well, investors will increasingly be unable to wait for startups to have traction before they put in significant money. The paperwork for convertible debt is simpler. And the only real test, if you find yourself saying a sentence that ends with but we're going to make a few users are ecstatic about, you're on the right track. There are only two kinds of stress get combined. A round. It's something the market already determines. Well, there precisely is Montaigne's great discovery.

It was very different at Viaweb. So it is a tradeoff that you'd want to make, it's mere effort to make that look neutral. The web lets readers respond, and increasingly they do—in comment threads, on forums, and in the worst case might get one person fired. I had children, it would affect at most one merchant, could probably be hushed up, and you'll start to do more with a startup than that? It's easy to let the world think the founders thought of everything. I think it's cleaner if you openly charge subscription fees, instead of reading scripts to them. Control of a company like Yahoo or Intel or Cisco, he'd think communism had won. Standardized paperwork will do away with the need to negotiate anything except the applications they use. Though most print publications are online, I think, 24 hours to say yes or no, or the large sums of money involved, but investment negotiations can easily turn personal. The Age of the Essay probably the second or third day, with text that ultimately survived in red and text that later got deleted in gray. The user doesn't know what it means.

[sugarfreecapsicle]

old magic (3/3)

A/N: okay, I owed y’all this months ago - I hope this finale doesn’t disappoint! Also, because I’m nowhere near an accessible desktop excuse the lack of a read more cut until I’m able to fix it later ❤️  written for and with lots of support from @moonstruckbucky​ and her Halloween writing challenge!  As always, huge props to @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​​ for beta-reading, helping me when I’m stuck, for adding the read more cut while I’m limited to mobile and for this gorgeous moodboard!

prince!bucky x reader

warnings: powdery words full of romance and mush, pining

DISCLAIMER: this is in no way a reflection of anyone who identifies, practices or otherwise affiliates with witchcraft. I bastardized some basics and ran with it. Please don’t come for me and correct my poor development of a fake magic system.

Bitter cold pricks at his exposed cheeks and eyes in the dark of night. The heavy sword at his hip comforted him less than the metal arm secured tightly to his shoulder - he’d spent the better part of his months away learning its intricacies. The prince would have to demonstrate his gratitude.

If only he could see a few paces in front of him, he’d feel less disoriented. Heavy leaves and branches canopy around him, brush and shrubbery catching at the fabric of his layered coat and trousers. Snow gathers around his boots, frigid wet seeping through to his feet. James thinks of the fire in your hearth, the ever present warmth of your bed, and he drives onward.

Months ago, he’d awoken in your hut alone and confused - hadn’t his time with you been some lucid dream? Nearly falling out of your covers to the shoddy floor, his stomach turns at the thought of his betrothed and rushes as quickly as he can into clothes and out your door.

That had been the last time he’d considered Sophia. Even at the castle, even in her presence. James knew his rightful place, had been fed regurgitated spittle of duty, honor. Nonsense. Utter nonsense because none of their machinations included you.

Many nights passed in fervent scrawlings, some kept in tight binding while others were tossed into the flames. Too used to the betrayal of others, any communication with you would meet the fate of their earlier drafts. Only one method of delivery could guarantee you knew of everything.

So he trudges through snow and muck to find you again. He follows the smoke until the sky blackens in velvet blue. Then he follows the stars until he smells the telling scent of jasmine and lavender.

Just the sight of it, a silhouette in the dark, pulls at him - moth and flame. Not in the same way as before. Not some careless response, but a yearning. His heart is a pendulum between his stomach and throat, bobbing in tandem with heavy steps.

He knocks three times. Solid. Firm. Intentional.

Footsteps tap their way to the door, in the opening it whines and then there you are. In all your sleepy splendor. He breathes, forgetting that exhaling was necessary for the next inhale.

“Madam,” he says quietly as if volume may make you dissipate before his eyes as his breath in the winter air.

“What are you doing here?” You’re trying too hard to sound cold and distant, he can tell. You’re failing miserably. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Yes, I should,” he’s still gentle in reply. “May I please come in?”

Obligation tugs on your nerves - there’s ice in his beard and he’d catch his death outside if you refuse. And you can tell by the glint in his eye he’ll curl up outside your door if you say no. He’s not leaving until he says his piece.

“Answer my question,” you say as you shut the door and James shakes off the snow.

“I have a delivery for you from his royal highness,” he answers simply. “It couldn’t wait another day.”

The letters are bound in brittle twine bulging around the thin string. Hesitantly, eyes never leaving his soft gaze, you take them and loose them quickly. The first letter anchors your heart to the floor.

Darling, would that I could write poetry about the way you simply are yourself, unabashedly your own, under no rule or design of another. Would that I could be a part of your painting, the brush in your hand, soft touch, pressure, the comfort of your nearness. Oh, to be yours and at your whim. I would be your humble servant, madam, entirely and eagerly.

The spell was over, of that you were sure. Were the gods so cruel to punish you like this? To mock your pain?

“You’re lying,” you whimper, hands shaking, letters threatening to fall and shake loose to the floor. “You can’t - you didn’t before, it was the spell-”

“I’m under no one’s thumb but yours without magic involved. Not your practice, at least.”

“My sister-”

“Sophia is unharmed socially, physically and in any capacity. She knew. The night I came back to her, she knew. I couldn’t look at her the way she wanted. I’m not sure I did before you came along. She’s made a promise to another and will be well cared for by someone who can appreciate her, love her. In the way I am unable to for her.” James watched your manic search for a trick in his words, clumsily scraping against the precipice.

“It’s not for her, not in your world. It’s for the country, for the people.” A small piece of your resolve visible breaks. One brick from your walls now gone.

“I’ve given my life for my country. You know that better than anyone. I trust they will allow me to choose a wife of my own volition and without political theatre involved.” James’ tone remains even, resolved. Perhaps he mapped this exact conversation - the thought crumbles more brick.

“Why are you doing this? Do you enjoy seeing me hurt for what I did to you?” Where James stands firm, you break. Tears well first in your throat, voice watery and simpering in anger. You could hate him. You could.

“I’m not lying to you. No tricks, no ulterior motives. I love you.” The last of the wall gone - James cannot falter.

“Why?”

Crackling fire pops into the quiet of James’ thought. He shifts, waits for you to allow him to take a step closer. His heart leaps when your eyes finally let him in.

“Because I watched you take care of the creatures and woods of this place better than anyone else. You don’t take advantage of the bounty around you - you give back to it. You care, and you love, and you have joy that I envy. Seeing you in bliss...there’s nothing in this world that made me happier. To spend the rest of my days proving to you that the only spell you have me under is love is all I ask of you. That’s all. Not your potions, not your witchcraft. The magic of you. You protect this kingdom by letting others take from you, distracting them from the hunt, diverting waste and flame and flood. You care for this place in a way I cannot. And I will not remain blind to it. How can I be?”

James kneels before you slowly, studying the way you lurch as if you stop him. His knee finds solid ground, and he breathes in peace.

“You’ve given me life in more ways than one - there is life for me here, with you. If you’ll have me as your humble servant, husband, partner.”

The same weighty silence falls between you again, his heart in your hands of his own true doing. Should you crush him, he would mourn you the rest of his days. Should you accept -

“Are you certain I could-“

“There is nothing in the kingdom not the world that could stop you, my darling. I am yours, wholly and entirely, and everything that I own is yours.”

You swallow tears, kneeling at eye level with your prince.

“I care not for your material possessions - for all that I own of you, you own of me now, too. My body, my soul, it belongs to you.”

His hands cradle your face, a hungry kiss smeared over your lips in salty sweetness. His own tears mix with yours, and a quiet laugh mingles between.

“None before me have known such joy and honor as you have bestowed upon me, my wife.”

[husbandograveyard]

Can I ask a question? I know it might sound stupid but... um... does the "keep reading" thing appears after a certain number of words or... do you add it yourself? (if you do add it yourself, can you show me how plz?) I hope I'm not troubling you... 😔😕❤❤

Hi love! First of all, no question is stupid! It took me some time to figure out as well! Secondly, sorry for making you wait so long for a reply I passed right out yesterday and then had to work all day. Here’s my (hopefully okay) explanation! (Oh and one can never bother me with questions, I love talking and explaining things) 

The ‘keep reading’ break does not appear on itself, you have to manually insert it, and you can basically put it wherever you want! I tend to use it for my scenario’s (but not always, for a reason I’ll type below) just cause it’s annoying if you’re scrolling tumblr and all of a sudden someone typed 4k+ words and you have to scroll past ALL of them before you can enjoy the next post. (it’s a big yay if it’s something you want to read, a little inconvenient if you just want to scroll for a bit). 

As far as I know, you cannot use read more breaks on mobile. You can remove them on mobile if you have put them in on desktop, but as far as I know, putting them in on mobile is not possible. 

On desktop there’s 2 easy ways to insert one. 

First way is the shortcut ctrl + shift + k as you’re typing an answer / draft / textpost 

The other way is clicking the little ‘+’ where you’d click to insert a picture or gif or... and then selecting the most right option, the little rectangle with the 3 dots in. 

The latter option will of course only work when you start a new paragraph. 

Be careful: If you reply to an ask and put in a ‘keep reading break’ and you later go to edit it to fix a typo or something, the keep reading break will jump right IN the ask bubble and be at the top of your text. You can then only remove it from mobile (oh the irony). It’s very annoying and a bug more than something that is meant to be like that. 

I hope this was more or less what you wanted!  Much love, stay happy, healthy and hydrated  °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  

[etjwrites]

Here it is, the official ⚡️THORUNN⚡️ Spotify playlist, all 85 mins of it!

I listened to these songs quite a bit while drafting, revising, and putting the finishing touches on my novel, and it's carefully curated (if listening from the desktop, or premium on the app) to give y'all the perfect ⚡️THORUNN⚡️ listening experience. A good bit of these songs could apply to either Laine or Kenton, (though some are specific to each – kudos to you if you can accurately guess which!) but some also center around other characters – both friend and foe – and around themes from the novel: family, loss, forgiveness, hope.

The playlist starts off rather melancholy (given what happens to Kenton's family in the beginning of the book), and bounces back and forth between anger and grief – with some encouragement slipped in between here and there – before leading to a defiant, hopeful ending. I've included some relevant lyrics from each song (most under a cut, since there are 22 songs on this playlist) and there's a mix of styles and genres from a wide variety of artists, though it does trend in the alt/rock direction. Music from the 70's all the way to recent years has made the list, and there's even a South African song gracing this collection!

⚡️THORUNN⚡️ was released May 20, 2020, everywhere books are sold, and I would be utterly delighted if y'all gave this playlist a listen while reading. It'll definitely enhance your experience, and give you a peek into my state of mind while writing.

1. Fix You – Coldplay

When you try your best but you don't succeed When you feel so tired but you can't sleep Stuck in reverse

2. Umama – Sjava  

English Translation:

I miss my mom I am unable to go on I cannot continue I miss my mom

3. O-oh Child – The Five Stairsteps

Ooh child Things are gonna get easier Some day, yeah

4. Wolves – Down Like Silver

When I die let the wolves enjoy my bones When I die set me free When I die throw my ashes to the breeze When I die scatter me

5. Drifting – Adelitas Way

Maybe I'm drifting, maybe I'm lost Maybe I found every line I'd cross Some of us we haven't had a dream Drifting just like me

6. Gone Away –  Five Finger Death Punch

Maybe in another life I could find you there Pulled away before your time The world has grown cold Now that you've gone away

7. Nothing Makes Sense Anymore – Mike Shinoda

My inside's out, my left is right My upside's down, my black is white I hold my breath, and close my eyes And wait for dawn, but there's no light

8. Faint – Linkin Park

Time won't heal this damage anymore Don't turn your back on me I won't be ignored

9. Talking to the moon – Bruno Mars

At night when the stars Light up my room I sit by myself Talking to the moon Tryin' to get to you

10. Still Here – Digital Daggers

Musing through memories Losing my grip in the grey I'd die to be where you are I tried to be where you are Every night I dream you're still here When I awake, you'll disappear

11. Speak to Me – Amy Lee

Be still, my love I will return to you However far you feel from me You are not alone

12. Running From My Shadow – Mike Shinoda

I'm running from my shadow but it's still there chasing me down I'll never win the battle I should have known it by now Just when I think I've found the end, I'm going back around again, Running from my shadow but it's still there chasing me down

13. Somewhere I Belong – Linkin Park

I want to heal, I want to feel, What I thought was never real I want to let go of the pain I felt so long I want to find something I've wanted all along Somewhere I belong

14. Waiting for the End – Linkin Park

Waiting for the end to come Wishing I had strength to stand This is not what I had planned It's out of my control All I wanna do is trade this life for something new Holding on to what I haven't got

15. Legends Never Die – League of Legends

When everything's lost, they pick up their hearts and avenge defeat Before it all starts, they suffer through harm just to touch a dream

16. Paint it, Black – Ciara

I see a red door and I want it painted black No colors anymore, I want them to turn black I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

17. Robot Boy – Linkin Park

So you say you're not gonna fight 'Cause no one will fight for you Just hold, on the weight of the world Will give you the strength to go

18. Dear Agony – Breaking Ben

Dear agony Just let go of me Suffer slowly Is this the way it's got to be?

19. Soldier – Fleurie

Soldier keep on marchin' on Head down 'til the work is done

20. Gallows – Katie Garfield

Tell them something is coming There's blood in the water Give them a warning Let it all come crashing down

21. Here I am – Tommee Profitt

You can run but you can’t hide Out of the ashes I rise Here I am

22. Love Hurts – Incubus

Love hurts But sometimes it's a good hurt And it feels like I'm alive Love sings When it transcends the bad things

Can you tell I'm a Linkin Park fan?😉

Taglist:

@elaynab-writing @musicofglassandwords @sheabutterskyes @igotablankpage @writeanapocalae @alcego-writes @canallynwrite @fordewrites @valdifarniente @warofmywords

[ziracona]

THE OFFICIAL DBD STORE SELLS A HUNTRESS (and shirtless david) BODY PILLOW AND IM 👀👀👀👀👀👀👌👌👌👌

Keep ‘em comin’ lads

(Haha. I do gotta say tho Anon, if you want a body pillow for DbD, please consider getting a custom one instead. I think you’d actually like it much better! The rest was meant to be under a cut but tumblr is the dumbest shit site coding wise & I made this on mobile, which will not allow you to add read mores anymore. In past this has been no problem bc I can just save as a draft & edit + post on my laptop or edit the second I post & throw in a read-more but apparently now if you make a post on mobile you can never edit it in desktop again. : ) I love that. So fucking much! But this is going to be long now & I physically cannot fix that bc it also won’t let me swap it to html now it’s posted : ) : ) : ) fuck this site : ) —anyway! On a brighter note, here’s my pitch:

Okay! So to start.

First up. Let’s look at what the devs are offering you.

Here are the official body pillows. Now, these aren’t the worst pictures of Anna and David I’ve ever seen, but they’re not great. David’s in his default queue pose, I got no idea wtf Anna’s doing, and neither of them have interesting, good, or attractive poses, lighting, expressions, or detail. Considering this is decently funded company with multiple artists on staff and full body 3D adjustable rendered models of Anna & David on every computer there, it’s lazy as hell. It’s not even as good art as their official sketches or character renders or promo art. They know how to do the work:

They’re just being lazy.

Okay, though, but you really want a body pillow, so what to do? Well, maybe it’ll be cheap enough you don’t care about the quality too much. So, how much will this cost you? For me to ship to myself in the us with the cheapest shipping option, Anna would cost me $80.

Okay, so. That sucks. But you really want this and what else can you do? There’s nothing else to pick.

OH WAIT. Yes there is! So here’s some actually good news for ya 💪

If you want a custom body pillow, you have two options: 1, buy a custom pillow case and a pillow separately, or 2, buy a custom pillow with the image on the pillow print itself. Now, you can get the second option, but it is exponentially more expensive. I’ve seen maybe 60something-70 as the cheapest option for this, although I didn’t spend a ton of time looking. Still, if you want to go full hog, it’s possible. If you don’t mind a pillowcase/the cheaper option, though, (and many pillow cases are custom to the exact specified pillow size and aren’t really noticeable at all), it’s a good deal. For example: A body pillow can be bought at many stores for about 15 bucks. There is some variance in pricing for size, shape, and material, but here I’d like to add the official DbD site doesn’t even list dimensions for their body pillow, let alone material. So, for me to get what I want if I wanted this, I could buy a $15 pillow at a store, and then a pillowcase from a place that I could get it custom made & delivered, IE price + shipping is $30 from here https://www.etsy.com/listing/653983430/custom-21-x-60-zipper-body-pillowcase?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=custom+body+pillow&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&bes=1

So we’re at about $45 right now. (eBay offers cheaper custom pillowcase options but I didn’t want to try to vet sellers for quality & reliability making this post & this is a good price).

This leaves about $35 to commission an artist for something to put on the pillow case. Now, price for commission varies greatly from artist to artist, and full body is the most expensive base option for a single subject, but there’s definitely people offering really freaking incredible commissions at this price, and sometimes even lower. Even though their art should really be worth more than that. Unfortunately, we artists gotta eat. And a lot of the people who buy commissions are also young adults who gotta eat and don’t have a ton of cash. 🤷🏻‍♀️ So there’s a lot of people who’d be genuinely very happy to be paid for that commission even though it kinda sucks we be there. And if you want to commission someone more expensive, sure you’ll be spending more on the body pillow than DbD officials $80ish. But uh. Would you rather give the same devs who picked the most racist Claudette design they could put into the game for the most recent costume contest $80 for one of these:

Or

Spend $37 for a David of @eggchef ‘s lookin this kinda fine:

https://eggchef.tumblr.com/post/190185302972/david-and-jake-are-both-just-rich-kids-who-said

$40 for a full body Anna of @guud-night ‘s in the style they did this: https://guud-night.tumblr.com/post/185148722468/summer

Or $42 for a full body Anna like this one by @sleazy-art https://sleazy-art.tumblr.com/post/169548091038

or $70 for a full body of @guud-night ‘s in the style of this Anna seen here https://guud-night.tumblr.com/post/165476621798/the-huntress

The fan artists do better work—I mean think of how amazing a pillow could look if your heart cries for one. Vs the low-grade renders the devs be offering. They do so much better it’s like a “Look at your body pillow. Now look at the body pillow the devs told you not to worry about” meme it truly is. TBH, you could screenshot a DbD store screen with Anna or David, edit out the BG in photoshop, and already have a better 3D image than the official offering. 😂 And with an artist? 👌 Mmmmm. Anyway, haha. There was my in-depth pitch to buy from fans instead of official. I was just very motivated to *Robin Williams Genie voice* Illuminate the possibilities! I hope it may have given you inspiration for something even more beautiful than what you thought your heart desired :’-)

[slippinmickeys]

Release Valve (6/10): The In-Between

She knew he was miserable. Depression seemed to radiate off of him in waves, like strong cologne. One breath of it and you started feeling it, too. They were forever getting doors slammed into their faces when it came to their work – evidence gone or stolen, the ship ascending into the clouds before anyone could take a picture, witnesses no longer willing to talk, memory wipes and bad intent. The werewolf turned back into the man. But young girls, missing girls who seemed to slip from his grasp were the Achilles heel of Mulder’s psyche. He stood in their office with the Vermilion Parish file in front of him, holding a picture of Marcie Vincent. Scully knew he saw Samantha when he looked at it. He considered it a minute and then pinned the picture to a bulletin board near his desk, then closed the file and deposited it in their shiny new file cabinets. The drawer seemed to shut with terminality. She heard the elevator doors before Stone came in. His face was grim, the rhathymia of his bearing from a week ago gone. Isaacs came in a few minutes later, her countenance a mirror of his. This is not how Scully would have chosen to end their first case. Stone did perk up a bit when he got to his desk to find the box with his new computer waiting for him, and the room was soon filled with the cheery crinkling of bubble wrap and packing tape, everyone’s quiet misery from moments before lightening with the happy affirmation of consumerism. “What’s with the Monster Machine?” Isaacs asked when he finally had it on his desk, the sound of her voice jarring the room a bit – none of the four adults in it had said a word all morning. “This,” said Stone, inching out from under the desk where he’d been sorting and plumbing the rhumba of computer cords, “is the cyber security hub of the X-Files. The tech department if you will, and I, your humble technician.” “Great,” said Isaacs, “maybe you can fix my printer when you’re done.” “You get Solitaire on that thing?” Asked Mulder. “Laugh it up,” said Stone, not seeming to be bothered by the ribbing. “Boys and their toys,” Scully said, shaking her head. She stood to go. “I’ve got to get to Quantico.” She realized when she was halfway to Mulder’s chair that she’d been about to caress his head in a show of sympathetic solidarity as she normally would in their office of two, and instead gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder. “Dinner tonight?” She asked him, trying to cover for it. Mulder looked a little surprised, but pleased. “Yeah, that would be great,” he said. “I’ll call you,” she said, as she made her way out the door, throwing a little wave toward Stone and Isaacs who both returned the gesture. This was going to take some getting used to.

XxXxXxXxXxX

“How are your classes going?” Mulder asked her. It had been three weeks since they’d been back from Louisiana, and Scully had been overly careful with him. They’d had dinner a couple of times, as they were now, but that was it. She’d been at Quantico every day and when they had seen each other, she’d shown no inclination for affection, and he didn’t want to push her.

“Good,” she said, without elaborating. She pushed the spring vegetables around on her plate. “Let me know if you want me to come in and do a guest lecture,” he said, “I’m putting together a spiel about the Loveland Frogmen.” “I don’t know if I’ll be able to find enough chairs,” she said, joking without much enthusiasm. “Would you prefer one on the Shunka Warakin?” He asked. “Do I want to know?” “Large predatory wolf-hybrid in Montana.” “Now you’re talking.” “You’re right. Who wants to go to Ohio, anyway?” Mulder reached across the table and gave her hand a brief squeeze. That seemed to snap her out of her reverie. “Anything new from Vermilion Parish?” She asked him. “More of the same,” he answered. “The scorched ATV they recovered from the fire site matches the general description of the one missing from the Vincent residence, but the final report came back – no serial numbers to be found. All physical evidence remains inconclusive.” They’d chased leads with nothing panning out, and the latest ones had trickled in. The case was drying up. “We’ll find her, Mulder.” She said, trying to get a look at his eyes. He let her. “I hope so.” “Do you ever wonder what would have happened,” she said then, as if she’d been waiting to say it all night, “if I’d gone to Salt Lake City?” Whatever lighthearted mood he’d tried to retain earlier in the evening left him then. “I try not to,” he said. Scully considered him for a moment. “I wonder sometimes if you’d have found someone else,” she said, “if I would have.” Mulder felt his heart slow, like it was thinking of going dead. “But I think,” she went on, “that I would have sat around pining for you. Miserable and trying to pretend that I was okay.” And just like that, a lightness filled him. For as honest as a woman as Dana Scully was, she was not exactly forthright when it came to matters of the heart. “There is no one else for me, Scully,” he said, then. “Don’t you understand? There is no me without you.” XxXxXxXxX They walked down the sidewalk toward his apartment, holding hands. She hadn’t meant for it happen, but he’d given her a hand getting up from their table after dinner and just hadn’t let go. A car rumbled by, the bass rattling the car’s windows, dispersing a draft of sound, sending a low vibration though both of them. It was busy in Old Town, fall coming on and people were out, happy to escape the oppressive confines of their air-conditioned world. A group of co-eds were coming at them, taking up most of the sidewalk, their heads together like a coven. Scully felt a momentary self-consciousness in their presence, a throwback to her adolescent id, and as if sensing it, Mulder pulled her into an alleyway. “Shortcut,” he whispered into her ear, though there was no one there to hear. They entered his apartment building through the front, without discussion. Mulder would ask her to come up and she would say yes – they both knew it and so bypassed the moment. The elevator ride should have been awkward, but wasn’t. Mulder and Scully knew how to be quiet together – stakeout quiet, desktop sharing quiet, companionable silence that came from days and years together. They were through Mulder’s door before she knew it and suddenly she was pressed up against it, the peephole above her head, his lips on her neck, his hands in her hair. She felt lush, then. Concupiscent and feminine; as powerful as a goddess. She scraped her nails along his scalp and gave as good as she got. He pulled her along, not moving his lips from hers and she sensed a slight change in the pressure of the air around them. She leaned back, their lips smacking as they parted and she glanced around the room they’d just entered. “Mulder,” she said, surprised. “You have a bed?” XxXxXxXxX He’d cleaned out his bedroom special, just for her. The inevitability of their coupling like a Viking ship on the horizon, he’d taken about thirteen trips to the dump and had considered buying an SUV. The bed had fresh sheets and the room still smelled like Pledge. He would probably associate the artificial lemony scent with sex for the rest of his life. “Uh-huh,” he said, nipping at her lips. He wasn’t going to let her distract him.

He grabbed her by the hand and led her to the bed. There should have been that first-time maladroitness – bumping heads, not sure what to do with hands – but there wasn’t. Scully didn’t need to know what Mulder liked – he just liked her. There was a moment right before flashpoint, before he lost himself completely in the cradle of her hips, her breath soft and hot against his cheek, when he flashed on the fact that he wasn’t wearing a condom, and he thought ‘what if?’ But then the moment was gone, and so was he, and Scully pulled him down with her, both lost. Some things you don’t need to think about. Some things you just need to feel. XxXxXxXxX He lay back on his pillow, his breath slowing. Scully had pulled the sheet up over her chest and had her eyes closed, a Mona Lisa smile on her face. “I think I should let you call me Fox now,” he said, trying to gauge her mood. Scully could be repressed, could turn inward if he let her. He didn’t want to let her. She crinkled her nose at that. “Mulder,” she said, pulling out the ‘r’ at the end of his name, affectionately. He stopped worrying. “You don’t think it’s a little weird?” He said, rolling over on his side to look at her. “Me calling you Scully in the sack?” She chuffed out a laugh and opened her eyes, rolling toward him as well. “Call me Dana,” she said. “Right now.” “Dana.” “How did it feel?” “A little weird, actually.” “Then there you go,” she said, her voice turning quieter. He felt her leg move toward him on the bed, her toes coming to rest on his shin. She breathed out a contented sigh and then was asleep. Mulder didn’t sleep for a long time. The moon moved through the sky, scattering shadows panning around the room, and he lay there watching her, wondering at what love was. XxXxXxXxX

Monday roared in like a Nor’easter, the X-Files picking up two cases concurrently – a first. Skinner needed Scully to consult on a case in North Carolina and had long ago accepted that Mulder came along as a package deal. Mulder sent Isaacs and Stone to California to investigate what he thought might be a series of psychic killings. While in North Carolina, Mulder and Scully came to an agreement that they would remain professional while out in the field – keep separate hotel rooms and use them – but that anything in DC was up for grabs, so to speak. They agreed to be discreet, but not secretive. After all, as Mulder had pointed out, since Scully was technically stationed at Quantico, it wasn’t fraternization, and as Scully rather colorfully pointed out one night post-coital, everyone already assumed they were fucking. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months. Isaacs and Stone seemed to fall into an easy partnership, investigating cases on their own and concurrently with Mulder and Scully. Mulder, for the first time in his life, felt content. It was hard not to wait for the other shoe to drop. The shoe came, in early June, in the form of a grainy photograph of a girl that bore a striking resemblance to Marcie Vincent, leaving a convenience store in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. With reports of a UFO sighting nearby the week before, the entire X-Files unit headed to the North Woods. They were on their second connection of the day, Detroit to Marquette, the plane a small one. Isaacs wasn’t totally convinced they wouldn’t land on a dirt airstrip instead of a tarmac. Talk about East Bumfuck, she thought. Stone reached across the aisle and handed her a printout of the picture from the convenience store camera. “I cleaned it up,” he said, “and ran it through the Bureau's face recognition software. The markers are a match. I think this might be her.” Isaacs handed the photo to Mulder and Scully sitting in the row behind them. “Who’s she with?” Isaacs asked. There was a hand holding the door open for the girl, their foot walking out as well, but the face remained hidden. “Can’t tell. This is all we got.” “Who sent it?” “Came in anonymously.” Isaacs made a face. “I don’t like that.” “Me neither,” said Stone. Their time with the X-Files had made them appropriately paranoid. “The kids are growing up,” said Mulder to Scully, faking a misty eye. When they deplaned, Mulder had Isaacs and Stone get a rental car, while he and Scully took another – those two cars representing half the fleet at the local rental company – and split up. Isaacs and Stone were to interview the UFO witness, Mulder and Scully headed to the convenience store. The convenience store was located off of US-41 south of Marquette, on a desolate stretch of road lined with only trees and the occasional moose crossing sign. There were no other businesses nearby. It had two old fashioned gas pumps, restrooms around the back, and not much else. The bell above the door rang when they entered. The clerk behind the counter, an older man in a faded flannel shirt and a Cabela’s hat, looked as if the bell had just woken him up. “You guys lost?” He said, taking in their business apparel. “I got a couple of maps.” Mulder flashed him his badge and the man’s eyes almost bugged out of his head. “We wanted to ask you about a person that was picked up on your security camera a few days ago,” Mulder said, pocketing his badge. “I got a security camera?” The man asked, confused. “Don’t you?” Asked Scully. “Not as far as I know,” he said, “I been running this place for the last fifteen years. It’s not exactly a hotbed of crime, you know. Mostly I just sell gas and beer to hunters and fishermen. They’re in and out.” Mulder pulled the picture of Marcie Vincent out and slid it across the countertop. “Is this a picture of your store?” The man considered it. “Yeah, looks like mine.” All three of them went out the front and looked to where the camera should be. Sure enough, there was a small camera mounted on a utility pole. “Huh,” the clerk said, “the utility company was working out here last week. Must be theirs.” “Do you recognize the girl in the photo, sir?” Scully asked. The man considered the picture again. “Yeah, I do,” he said, “she in some kind of trouble?” “At this point we’re just trying to verify her identity,” Mulder said. “Don’t know her name,” he went on, “she was with a guy. She was quiet, didn’t say much. Kinda weird, actually.” “Weird how?” Mulder asked. “She never blinked,” the man said. “Damndest thing.”

Mulder and Scully exchanged a look. “And the man she was with?” Scully asked. “Older guy,” he said, “paid in cash.” “What did they buy?” “Gas,” he said. “Oh, and a pack of Morleys.”