#which is why i am back to square one. i don’t know what to write for any pmd characters in order to make a comic

[beastomato]

wanted to make a comic but words and structures escape me at the moment so instead i just sketch

plus a dusknoir i think i drew before playing special episode 5 back in january based on a papyrus meme which is honestly really fucking funny in retrospect given there’s a pmd x ut AU going on?? not very active in fandom but i’ve seen multiple crossover fanarts pop up already

[theelvishfiddler]

AN ARTIST'S GUIDE TO HANDS

No, sorry it's actually not an artist's guide to drawing hands. Those are just warmup studies (which I'll talk about in this post.)

This is a guide to Your Hands and how to take care of them when making art.

No one ever sits down and teaches artists how to take care of their hands. They didn’t even teach me this while I was in art college. This is just what I've learned myself through years of pain and scouring the internet for advice.

This is going to be a long one and geared towards illustrative traditional/digital/pen/pencil artists specifically, but artists of other mediums and crafts should take care of their hands too! Well, we all should take care of our bodies in general, but this is about hands.

(advice is below the read more)

First off I'm not a professional or anyone with actual medical advice. I'm just some guy with chronic hand pain who makes art. This advice is free for you to use or discard.

WARMUPS!

Ever sit down in the morning to draw and wonder why your art is so stiff and looks so much worse than what you were drawing last night? It's because you didn't warm up!

You know how for physical sports they all warmup and do stretches before getting into the actual sport. To prevent injuries and all that? Yeah, it's good to do that for art too.

One way to warmup is to just draw lines. Try to keep them as straight as you can. Going up and down and diagonal. Draw squares. Big squares. Small squares. Circles! You are warming up, keep it loose and relaxed! Basically just scribble away.

(examples. I usually keep going until there is no paper white left. This can double as practice for drawing straight lines without a ruler, which is a great skill to have when freehand city drawing.)

Before hopping right into drawing people you can try doing some quick gesture drawings. Line of Action has timed sessions with a large variety of clothed or nude models. I usually do the 30 min class as it has a nice balance of short and long timed poses. The point isn't to draw nice art, but to warm up. Try to get the basic form down, not the details. I find that doing a full class session can really help my drawings feel more loose and grounded in reality for the rest of the day.

Some examples I found in my folders. I suggest looking into what a line of action (not the site) is and giving it a try with some of the studies!

COOLDOWNS!

For sports it's to return your body back to your everyday baseline after a workout.

Example; you are working on a big project! A masterpiece! It's detailed and cool! You have been focusing on this for hours and drawing so intensely. But you need to stop working for the day.

A cooldown is for winding down out of the go go go mindset. Put away the big project and do a couple small doodles and sketches. You are relaxing your hand and letting it stretch out. Keep the sketches loose. Let the art happen slowly. Don't polish anything, that can happen another day. Just ease yourself out of drawing.

...

Cool! Now we get into the meat of this thing.

HAND PAIN

How to avoid it and how to manage it if you already have it.

I love you artists and creatives, I am begging you to please take care of your most important creative tools. I really don't want this to sound like scare tactics like "oooh you better do this or blah blah!" Nope. I just had to learn all this the hard way and I'm extremely passionate about it.

Take this advice or don’t ╮(ﾟ～ﾟ;)╭ I can't tell you what to do, I'm not your dad

Adjustments and Small Solutions

If you are feeling physical discomfort while drawing there are many different solutions to try! Here are some suggestions that may or may not work for you.

Hold your pencil more loosely. Stop gripping that thang so tightly!!! Relax that hand! They make these… squishy pen grip things... I think they are called Adaptive Pencil Grips or Adaptive Writing/Drawing Aids? They stop your hand from being all cramped up by making your drawing tool wider. It's going to take a bit of time to adjust to drawing with it, but it's worth it for those who hold pencils too tightly.

Don't press as heavily. For traditional art, if you find yourself pressing really hard to get darker lines try moving to a softer pencil. Most standard pencils are HB, the B pencils have softer graphite. Experiment until you find the right one for you. For Digital, adjust your pressure settings so you don't have to press as hard to get thicker lines. You should not be pressing so hard all the time, it wears out both your hand and your tablet! It takes a bit of time to adapt to pencil or pressure changes. Try doing some unimportant sketches, they don't have to be good. You are just training your hand and mind to adjust using less pressure.

Draw with your arm and not your wrist! It's small repetitive motions that cause the most strain. You probably hear this one a lot, what does it even mean? It means moving your arm with the motions of your line, and trying not to make too many tiny movements with your just your fingers or wrist. This one is hard! It takes time and conscious thought to change the habit. Tips? Work bigger. Zoom in more. Use bigger sheets of paper.

(Motions exaggerated for a clearer example)

Change the angle of your drawing surface. They make angled tablet holders, angled desks, angled desktop raisers. Experiment, find and angle that is comfortable and the one that causes the least pain. (It's also good to make sure you don't have to hold your head at an uncomfortable angle when drawing. Staring straight down or hunching over a paper flat on the table can cause pain!)

Compression Glove? Wrist brace/tensioners? Some folks use them and I've been thinking of getting one for years now. I can't give advice on this one, because I don't have experience with it. Look into it if you want!

Managing Pain

First things first.

IF YOUR HANDS START TO HURT WHILE YOU ARE DRAWING. STOP! Put the pencil/pen/paintbrush/whatever down. The art will still be there for you to continue tomorrow.

I know from experience that it's extremely hard to pull away when you are hyper focused on an art piece. It's hard to remember all sorts of basic needs like food or bathroom when hyper focused. But you Need to stop when you feel that pain. (Preferably even before the pain…)

Take Breaks! Let your hands rest when you can. Just like a machine, if you don't schedule maintenance, the machine will schedule maintenance for you. Often that means having to wait a few days for it to return to functional. Best to take a day off from heavy usage or take an occasional 30 min break throughout the day to let your hands rest.

Stretching is important! Full body stretches are good; your arms, shoulders, neck, and spine are all connected, but I'm specifically talking about HAND and wrist stretching. There are a lot of stretches and massages for carpal tunnel and arthritis out there. I find they work for hand pain in general. Move into and out of each stretch slowly. Do not push a stretch if it hurts!! Be gentle!!

I am not a qualified professional and I will not be giving out specific stretches (that is beyond my personal comfort level). There are other artists out there who have made helpful stretching info-graphics which are cool, but I will not be because i don't want to be responsible for someone accidentally hurting themself. Ask your doctor for stretches & advice or look some up on your own.

Don't feel bad about forgetting to stretch frequently! Of course it is good to do it regularly and frequently, but I would be a hypocrite if I said that I remember to stretch daily. Setting timers for stop and stretch sessions can work for some people, but also doing stretches whenever you remember is fine! If you are sitting on the toilet you can idly do some hand stretches. On the bus? Laying in bed? At the beach? Do a couple stretches! Even just once a week is better than… nonce a week.

Using Cold or Heat to treat pain. If you really overdid it, put your hands in some cold water or wrap a cloth around an ice pack and apply it to your hand. Cold works best for me, but warmth works for others. This is just pain reduction and reducing inflammation from overuse! This is not a permanent solution.

If your hand hurts a lot! Frequently! Talk to your doctor? Idk mine has never given real advice. Just gently poked my hand and told me there isn't much to be done about it :/ but there are really good doctors out there who will care and give helpful advice!

Again. IF IT HURTS TO CONTINUE DRAWING. STOP DRAWING! This is not a "no pain no gain" type situation. Drawing so much that you hurt yourself isn't noble, it's just… limiting yourself. You only get one set of hands. These things are very handy to have.

Other Advice

Things I couldn't figure out how to fit into the earlier sections.

Your other hand can't handle the strain! Lets say you hurt your drawing hand... the other hand is right there free to use for art. Right? Wrong. Your other hand can't keep up with the demand, it hasn't been trained to the same extent as your dominant hand, it does not have the built up muscle. If you want to use that hand for drawing you are going to have to use it s l o w l y and train it bit by bit over a long period of time. When I tore a tendon in my right hand I decided to just keep drawing with my left and I got Really Good at it. It only took like two months before my left hand hurt too much to move. Then I had 0 functioning hands to pull up my pants. Not fun!!

People who draw on phones. That is extremely impressive! I'm amazed by the things people can create on such a small space. But phone artists are the ones I see most frequently mentioning hand pain. please please please make sure you are taking breaks. Would a stylus work instead of using a finger?

Outside of Drawing. Sometimes it's things outside of drawing that are causing the pain. For me there are multiple sources, but I also have tiny baby hands. Holding a phone too long causes pain. The handheld mode for my Switch causes A Lot of pain. The way my hand rests while typing on my laptop hurts! Playing tense videogames for too long hurts! Find the source of your pain and make some changes. The same things will apply to most; take regular breaks, do some stretches, and find soft things to prop up or rest your arms on.

Change your Artstyle. This one is more of a last resort. You might have to change your art style if you are getting sharp pains every time you draw. I loved drawing tight clean lines and many small fancy details, but drawing like that left me in so much pain at the end of the day. In 2023 I had to take the better part of year off from illustrations just to learn how to sketch and draw more loosely. I had to learn how to be gentle. To stop gripping my pencil so tightly. Learn! Adapt! You might discover a new style that you love even more!

A lot of this stuff gets more complicated in a work setting where you have to draw fast and long in order to get paid. Things like reducing your workload can help, but that can be... financially rough. But outside of that, it’s ok to be a slow artist. Going full steam and hurting yourself is not worth it.

Aaaaaanyway, thats all folks. Today's rant brought to you by me! The guy with chronic hand pain who always forgets to stretch! The guy who got frustrated with a sketch yesterday and decided to push to keep drawing for just one more hour! The guy who woke up this morning and had to spend 2 hours massaging and stretching their hands. The guy who probably shouldn't have typed all of this out because ooww ow ouch

If your hands do hurt, it's going to be ok! You don't need to be a speed demon who draws all the time. It's ok to take your time and take frequent breaks. You are going to do great things! Just be gentle with yourself...

[luffyvace]

dunno if you do shalnark x reader fics but i can barely find any of my silly goober so here i am asking 😭🙏

its chill if you don’t, dw about it, but i was wondering if you could do one of shalnark and like a closed off reader that he tries so desperately to open up to him. make it as fluffy or angsty as you want 🙏🙏🧎 WWW

UM YES I DO?! I LOVE OUR SILLY LITTLE NOT SO RUSSIAN HACKER⁉️💗💗

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA?! Why has no one thought of this?? Hcs are popping into my head as I TYPE THIS. I’m going to make it fluffy bc I’m a sucker for it 😊 thank you for requesting anon!! :)

(btw I don’t really do fics, just hcs, but I’ll write it in a sort of fic way as possible <3)

For these I’ll do reader who’s in phantom troupe or at least knows he’s in it

the reason for you being closed of may vary, you could naturally be like that or you could be scarred with trauma

who knows?

You.

in which I let you decide why you are the way you are :)

besides the point

shalnark really does do everything to get you to open up to him

every love language, every bribery possible, even light empty threats!

nothing.

You don’t crack a bit.

first is love languages:

“N/nnn why don’t you talk to me today??”

he came over to you and snuggled up close to you

you either turn away or completely ignore him

”come on now, I’m your boyfriend! Don’t you wanna talk to me??”

you attention doesn’t move at all from what you were doing

“Your so coldhearted towards me, don’t you care about me at all? Don’t you love me?” He pouts. He knows the answer. He just wants you to show it

”I’m in a dangerous criminal organization you know? I could die any second! Won’t you care??”

you don’t bat an eye

he chooses not to sigh and give up today

he playfully starts kissing you all over your face

hugging you tighter, caressing your hair

still nothing

i feel this is another reason he likes you

your a enigma to him

he doesn’t view you as a toy though—of course not! He loves you, but your so fascinating to him, you really know how to keep a man on his toes

he can’t figure out why you are the way you are and you won’t tell him

you accept his proposal to be his s/o but won’t say you love him? Won’t cuddle or kiss? His gifts collect dust?

this man hardly knew love in his childhood and now your still deriving him of it 😗

you may or may not know that and you may or may not feel guilty about it

but as for words of affs

”_____ I love you”

”…”

”I love you, _____”

”okay?..”

”your supposed to say it back!”

”I said okay”

”say you love me too!!”

”so what’s the troupes plans?”

”stop changing the subject!”

bro is never getting that I love you 🤦‍♀️

gifts??

”_____ I got you a gift!” *insert him handing you something you really love that he found out through hacking not from you*

“I don’t want it”

”liar! This is your favorite!! Just accept it ___”

“Put it on the table..”

*que shalnark dropping his shoulders with a dull look while tossing it on the table

he knows your never gonna touch it

or at least never let him see

as far as quality time that’s the one he gets away with the most

LOL

he could spend all day with you and you really wouldn’t say anything

following you around and such

the fact that you never do lets him know you do love him

eventually he figures it might be your love language

If someone in your past did this to you?

you can bet he tracked them down and gave them to feitan >:)

he didn’t tell him what they did tho he just said ‘hey here’s another victim’

now he’s not really a torture guy but we know he is somewhat apathetic himself

maybe even sadistic

either way he definitely watched this torture session

he wouldn’t want to miss out on the pain of the one(s) who hurt you

:)

he likely tells you afterwards to see your reaction

he could tell if it still traumatizes you based on that and if it is he tries extra hard to get you to open back up

if not he’s kinda back to square one..

About the light threats

he’d threaten to reveal embarrassing moments and secrets of yours if you don’t give him a kiss in the next 24 hours

the first time he did this you glared thinking he would

but after you found out it was empty you ignored all other threats

the reason you ignored the first one was you didn’t really like people anyway so you were kinda just like forget it, whatever

If you did give him the kiss- PROGRESSSSSSSSS

finally⁉️

you don’t fall for it twice after you realize it was empty though

but this means your not against it! You just prefer not to!

and now it’s confirmed you love him!!

YIPPIE

I hope you enjoyed your hcs anon! they were a bit short but i like the ending :)

THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE SHALNARK HCS RN!! (I love the gif i put of him)

[loservernon]

𐙚⊹₊⋆☆ nice guy | sim jake

𐙚 idol!jake x student!reader (she/her)

𐙚 angst no fluff, the little fight that snowballs into heartbreak

𐙚 1.6k, mentions of cheating, not proofread oops!

𐙚 note // this is my first time ever writing for a group other than nct so i hope you guys like it ^~^ i’m on a break from school, and kpop bedrot has been my best friend thus this was born!! there will most likely be a part two that’s not depressing teehee

at the second hour of this seemingly never-ending fight, jake has yet to show any sign of giving up. it’s baffling to you, who — just as much as he does — thinks you’re the one in the right. you’re sure of it, which is why you aren’t backing down so easily.

“so you’re saying it’s your job to buy a drink for every person that looks miserable at the bar?”

“i’m not saying it’s my job,” he defends, “i’m just saying i saw her sitting alone looking particularly glum and that i had the capability to do something nice for someone, so i did.”

“so you’re playing the nice guy now, huh? you can’t possibly be at fault because it was simply an act of kindness.”

“(name), don’t put it like that. i’m not trying to play at anything. i’m just telling you what i did and why i did it.”

“and i’m telling you that it was wrong, that it hurt, that it might’ve been a nice act to her, but buying another girl a drink is not nice to your girlfriend.”

jake rises from his spot on the couch. he walks a few steps until his back is facing you. his hands are set square on his hips and his head is hung low in disappointment, or defeat, or just dejection, you can’t tell.

he stays that way for a few moments; the heated tension that once shrouded the room is now replaced with an eerie silence. jake breaks it with the most bewildering conclusion possible. “i get it now. you’re jealous.”

at this, you’re caught off guard, though it only takes a few breaths for your surprise to morph into anger. you stand up as well, and jake turns around just as your anger reaches its climax.

“jealous? you think i’m jealous of a random ass girl who seemed to be down in the dumps?”

the furrow in his brow deepens at the thickness in your voice. jake’s countenance is back to a defensive state, but his tone almost assumes confusion when he queries, “if you’re not jealous of her then what’s the issue here? what reason could you possibly have–“

“it’s you, jake.” you take measured steps towards him, tears springing in your eyes from the sheer emotion leaking through your being. your body is almost shaking, pupils quivering, and fists clenching when you push forward, “you’re the issue. you think you’re such a nice guy for buying some girl a drink, when really you don’t seem to understand the insinuations of your actions.”

“what do you mean i don’t underst–“

“were you flirting with her?”

“no.”

“did you express your interest in her?”

“of course not.”

“then why would she come up to me right before we were leaving to tell me that the guy i was with was hitting on her?”

jake throws his hands up as a show of innocence and frustration, “how am i supposed to know why she lied to you?”

“did you tell her that you had a girlfriend?”

“there was no reason to.”

“are you really that dense?”

“what?”

“single guys buy drinks for girls that they’re interested in at bars. come on jake, you weren’t born yesterday. the more you try to make it seem like you were just ‘doing it to be nice,’ the more it feels like you had other intentions that you’re scared to tell me. just admit that you did something wrong, apologize for it, and never do it again.”

now it’s his turn to be caught off guard. you think he gets it, and he’ll do as you say and you guys will both hug and make up and hurry on to bed. however, it doesn’t seem that way. he’s stuck on a single part, arguably the least important part, of your whole entire spiel.

“you really think i had other intentions?”

jake’s challenging you. you know that look well, the one where he feels so severely wronged that his vision blurs and all he can think about is defending himself.

“jake…” you don’t give in to the challenge because you know it’d only fuel him.

“you think i was cheating on you? in front of you? why’s it so hard for you to believe i was just doing it from the kindness of my heart?”

“no, jake…” you try again, but it’s futile. you know from the look on his face that he’s about to say things he doesn’t mean. you know it’s going to hurt.

“fine. if you really don’t believe that my act of kindness was really just an act of kindness then i should be more mean, shouldn’t i? next time you have a group project with a guy in it, i’m not talking to you until the project’s over. you can’t have guy friends, or else i might misunderstand your intentions towards them. if you ever go up to a guy and talk to him for any reason, we’re over. and i’ll apply the same rules to myself. are you satisfied now?”

it doesn’t just hurt. it breaks you. tears are streaming down your cheeks and your heart rate speeds uncontrollably. you’re standing opposite of him, barely able to breathe, and yet he looks close to normal, save for the sternness set in his brows. it utterly shatters you to know that jake would rather break your heart knowingly than apologize for something that now seems so minor.

through hitched breaths, you force out weakly, “so by your rules, we’re over.”

at first, he doesn’t get it. the placidity with which he had regulated his face falls briefly into panic. cautiously, jake lets, “what do you mean we’re over?”

congestion has clogged your sinuses, so you hold your breath as you clarify, “you’re applying the same rules to yourself, aren’t you? earlier tonight, did you not go up to a girl and talk to her? for whatever reason?” any composure jake held on to cracks. his eyes go wide and he takes a hesitant yet desperate step towards you as you hammer in the final nail to his coffin. “you’re saying we’re over, right?”

you have jake backed into a corner. he’d fallen for his own trap, one that he’d built trying to corner you. he’d say he’s ready for it, your attack. he’d even go as far as to admit he deserves it, apologize for it, beg for it. he can’t take back what he did and he can’t take back what he said, even if he never meant to even remotely cause doubt of his loyalty to you, and even if he had sworn early on in your relationship that he would never hurt you on purpose. but even when he’s backed into a corner, defenseless and entirely at fault, you never land your final blow. instead, you retreat.

“i’m going to stay at yeji’s tonight. please don’t contact me until i reach out first.”

you turn away from him and head towards your shared bedroom. jake’s eyes have unfocused and he’s rooted rigidly in his spot. his mind tricks him into thinking that if he doesn’t move, or speak, or hear, or see anything, then this must not be his reality. for minutes it seems, jake dissociates just like this. but the sound of you packing your bag sets his nerves alight, and he’s jolted into action like the galvanization of a dead man emerging from the ground. he awakens to this reality, and the realization that he has to change it.

jake barely crosses the threshold of the door before he’s stopped at the sight of your zipping closed your suitcase. just how long were you planning on leaving for? you look up at him to catch the disbelief and hurt in his eyes. your face has been washed and you refuse to let up anymore signs of vulnerability on your end, so you look back down.

“please don’t go.”

“don’t push it.”

“i thought we agreed to never go to bed mad at each other.”

with your suitcase zipped close, you still your emotions before looking up at him. “i’m not mad at you, jaeyun.”

at the sound of his full name, jake almost dissociates again. his heart has gone completely still. “then why are you leaving?”

you make your way across the room, and he moves to block the entrance of it. you sigh. “i just want some space to rethink our relationship and what happened tonight.”

jake hangs his head low, “i’m sorry. i’m at fault.” but his head snaps back up when he hears you laugh in response, “it’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?”

he doesn’t put up a fight, for he’s done more than enough of that already. instead, he moves out of the way.

you leave.

jake wonders who’d get the apartment if you guys broke up. he wonders what he’d tell his parents who love you so, how he’d break it to layla that her favorite person in the world will never see her again. jake wonders if he could ever get used to the silence in the room that now sits heavy on his shoulders. mostly he wonders if he would ever forgive himself for being stubborn at the worst moment, and being selfish when it mattered the most.

it’s only now that jake thinks he would prefer you yelling at him any day for any reason, over the silence of your shared apartment for the rest of his life.

copyright © 2024 loservernon all rights reserved.

[jessequinones]

Writing Advice: Getting Over Writer's Block

It seems like every writer has talked about writer's block at least once, and I’m surprised, at least from what I could tell, that I haven’t spoken about this. The truth is that I don’t know how to get over writer's block, at least not regularly.

Writers' Block differs from person to person, and what helps someone might not help you. The least I can do is talk about some of the writer's blocks I go through, hoping that some of the stuff I do might benefit you.

Why am I not writing?

This is the first question I ask myself. Is it because I’m dealing with trauma and burned out? Is it because I’m creating a new story and don’t know what to put on paper? Is it because I’m distracted by a new video game? Whatever the reason, figuring out why I’m not writing is the first step. Below are some common reasons why I stopped writing and how I handled them.

I’m depressed!

A lot of my writing slumps are because I’m either depressed or dealing with trauma in a way that prevents me from writing. Some people say writing is an excellent way to deal with trauma, and for that, I agree...it just doesn’t work for me all of the time.

If I’m going through a depressive episode, I can’t write. No matter how much I want to. Instead of forcing myself to push through this, I need time to recharge and relax.

I play video games, watch shows or movies, just do something for a week or two and just recharge and deal with my depression and trauma in a healthy way. I know I haven’t written anything in two weeks and want to, but once I get myself out of this cycle, I can get back to it.

I never found that pushing through my slump and just writing for the sake of writing was helpful. If anything, whenever I try to push through my depressive episode and write, I often get mad at my writing, which only makes the situation worse.

If your body tells you to take some time off and relax, I find it best to listen. Don’t fight your body; take a holiday, relax, and do something fun. Do whatever you have to recharge; when you feel better, you can return to your writing.

I just don’t know what to put on my paper!

I get this. Whenever I start a new story, I go through this a lot. Writing is hard. Creating ideas, stories, and characters is difficult when starting at square one. I’m writing this instead of my newest book simply because I don’t know what to put in it.

Authors create many different ways and techniques to help them escape this struggle, but writing something completely different often works for me. If I don’t know how to start a story, I fill out some character bios or do some world-building. If I don’t know what to put in this chapter, I go to the next one and move on. Suppose I’m having difficulty creating a new story from scratch where I don’t know the characters, world, lore, or anything. I often make a folder and put down straightforward things. Character A, B, dragons, fighting, and just leave it like that. This way, I can trick my brain into saying I’m working on this story; I know I don’t have much, but at least I have something.

Within those folders, I also just start putting random things in every once in a while, such as Character A...happy...short...something...it’s not much. Often times, Character A ends up becoming none of those things, but by putting even the randomness of things in a folder, I tell myself, yes, I’m writing, even if it’s by small amounts, I’m still writing.

Other times, I get upset if I haven’t written anything down for a while. To mitigate this, I write something that’s not related at all to what I want to write about, like creating writing advice articles! Or I might write a stupid letter to no one or express that I’m angry in a poem. I write for the sake of writing. Sometimes, if I struggle to write a story, writing something completely different helps my brain. How does that work? I’m not sure, but all I know is that it does.

Creating a little side project, something you can jump to whenever you’re stuck with your primary goal, helps me. Honestly,it’s why I created writing articles in the first place. Sometimes, your little side projects might take over your main writing for the next month or two, and honestly, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If you need to take a break from your main writing project, you must take a break. If creating something on the side will help you with your creativity, go for it.

Other times, if I’m struggling, and it’s been like 1-2 weeks of not writing where I can’t seem to put anything down on paper. I write a simple word. Maybe it’s one word in the chapter I’m struggling with or one word in a character's bio. However, I’m telling myself I’m doing my best. It may be slow, but I’m doing my best, and when I’m ready, I’ll figure out more words to put down later.

I’m not good enough!

Sometimes, I get discouraged from writing when I notice others who seem to be achieving so much. My imposter syndrome often makes me hard on myself, and I believe my words are pathetic or cringe-worthy and that I should give up.

It’s challenging not to compare yourself to others, especially if you view them on a much higher pedestal than you. At times like these, I often reflect on where I came from. I kept a lot of my old writings from when I was young, and I chuckle as I try to figure out just what I was saying in those stories.

I look at the past to see how far I came along in the present, and while this doesn’t get rid of my imposter syndrome, it sometimes gets me out of it for just a moment to get me back into writing. If you can look back at your old writing and believe it’s horrible, then you know you’ve improved along your journey, and that’s great. You might be stuck now, but you’ve improved once, and you’ll do it again.

Writer's block is different for everyone, and you might experience writer's block in a way that I haven’t mentioned. If you’re struggling with this, I can give you one more piece of advice: simply chat with others. I’m a part of several writer's groups, and I enjoy talking with them or getting others to read my stories. And they could inform me what things they liked and didn’t like about my stories, and sometimes that might help me get out of my writing slump.

I engage in friendly conversations or debates. And sometimes, I chat about nothing in particular. I know we all write alone, but it’s good to know you're not alone in writing. Others are creating their stories alongside you, and cheering you on while you cheer them on is one of the greatest motivators I discovered. And I get that you might be an introvert and not want to socialise, or socialising takes a lot of energy. Many writers are introverts, so we understand the struggle of talking to others. Good writing groups won’t pick on you for not socialising. Good writing groups will encourage you to keep going. I know writing groups have their clicks and dramas, just like every online space, and talking in a place where there may be hundreds of people is scary. But if you can find a few people you click with, speak with them privately. Having a writing buddy and writing friends, even if it’s one or two, is a great way to get out of writing slumps.

That’s all I have about getting over writer's block; it’s a topic that doesn’t have a concrete answer because what works for someone might not work for you, and what does work for you one day might not work a second day. Just know it’s okay if your writing takes longer than you thought. Even professional writers struggle with this; you’re not alone. Take your time, take a breath, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you create in the future.

[newx-menfan]

NYX #4 Review

*Spoilers!* 

First…can we just appreciate how great Hellion looks on the cover….? Model contract dropping any minute, if villainy doesn’t pan out…lol 😂🤣

The issue starts with David narrating his lecture notes while tagging the side of a building in secret, while his boyfriend is asleep back at the apartment.

The statement “Generations of mutants stuck in this binary. Integrate or dominate” is especially poignant….as is the statement about mutants now being on the streets homeless, with no where to go…

The allegory definitely, I would say IS affectively used in the writing, when you look at the current displacement of refugees from certain war torn countries… Idk if the writers meant it to be seen that way…but it can definitely be read that way and I was rather impressed by this subtle statement.

We cut to David sneaking back to the apartment and then talking on the phone to the dean about mutants in NY and the possibility of mutant housing…

Alleyne is interrupted by Kamala FINALLY figuring out the identity of the Krakoan (literally EVERYONE else GUESSED this by now, Kamala, lol) and has basically zero reaction to the news… (Look how cute the Hellions HS group photo is though 🥺!)

“Telekinetic. Green energy signature, same build. Psych profile all over the place” should definitely be on a teeshirt guys… (I am 100% using it for a meme lol)

David DEFENDING Julian is kind of sweet- I definitely THINK the writers could have gone with “David is still bitter over their NXM days” and I am glad they didn’t and instead showed that David and Julian have grown up and developed a weird respect and understanding for one another… (or IS THERE ANOTHER REASON??)

Kamala keeps pressing, saying that Julian might possibly be committing small assassinations, while using the theatrics as a distraction…(Don’t know how I feel about making Hellion a killer…but DAMN, Emma would be so proud! 🥹)

Kamala figured out he’s running on a timer, and with Sophie and the Morlocks help, figured out that Julian is going to hit time square (I am not sure that’s much of a loss lol…)

Kamala thinks Julian is obsessed with her… (OH SWEETIE. 😬😂🤣) and wants her to know what he’s planning…

David has the same reaction I DO (totally making a meme of that TOO!🤣🤣)

Kamala tries to convince David to try talking with Hellion before it gets ugly, and David reminds her of his delicate position at the school (I mean…come ON David…we ALREADY know you’re going to do it 🤣🤣)

Kamala then goes and bitches about Prodigy to Sophie (oh if only Elixir was here 🤣🤣), before taking off to stop Krakellion…

Ms. Marvel runs into Krakellion chewing the scenery… (I really can’t tell if Empath is controlling him…or he’s just being this dramatic now 🤣)

Kamala figures out Sophie is working with Empath because she had a yearbook from the year after she died…(kind of wish they had done more WITH this, since it actually makes sense Sophie would want to know what she “missed out” on… but I do also wonder if it’s to hint that Manuel is controlling Kamala AS well…)

While they’re having a “heart to heart”, the Hive reminds Sophie why they’re doing this and Sophie betrays Kamala’s friendship by alerting journalists of the mutant brawl in Times Square.

Ms Marvel tries to appeal to Julian, but Julin  just calls her a “mutant traitor” and ties her up with Telekinesis- humiliating her on the news. (So pretty much how EVERY conversation goes when someone tells Julian to do anything… 😂🤣)

Krakellion ends the fight, knocking Kamala out with a telekinetic fist…which is REALLY cool! (I mean…Sophie kind of already gut punched Kamala EMOTIONALLY Julian…)

(Poor Kamala…Sophie was like the first person besides Bruno and Nakia, who truly seemed to want to be her pal 🥺)

We go back to David’s field notes, while Prodigy has decided to SPRING into action after watching Ms Marvel’s beat down on the news! (Sorry Kamala- David’s taking back his arch-nemesis!) 

David shuts down the Cuckoos with a trick he learned at Xavier’s and plans to brawl it out with Julian… (is Julian actually an Omega level? Or is he just BS-ing right now lol??) 

Prodigy knocks off Julian’s helmet in like one sweep and basically beats the shit out of Julian… (😂🤣🤣) 

The effect of the arrest is positive- Krakellion goes to prison (BOO!) and Prodigy is hailed as a mutant HERO!

Meanwhile, Sophie has taken off and Manuel is PISSED….

Review:

Obviously- this was the issue EVERYONE was waiting for! And it did NOT disappoint!

I have no criticisms. No complaints. (I mean… I always have complaints, but at least not MAJOR ones lol!) 

This really IS AN ISSUE that allows Prodigy to shine!! I was really impressed with how they handled David; it’s definitely on PAR with KYOST and DeFilippis and Weir! It’s really great to see David being an ACTUAL character and THREAT. 

I know people aren’t going to agree, but it’s also nice to see him in a story NOT revolving solely around his sexuality or getting killed- I know representation is important, but it’s nice to see writer remember there is MORE TO this character than just being brutally murdered all the time….

It was really hard to choose art scans from this issue- they were all pretty great!! 

Almost EVERY line in this book was great and hysterical! It REALLY reminded me of the old NXM days 🥹! These guys really did KNOCK this issue out of the PARK! Congrats Jackson and Collin!! 🎉🎉

I really can’t think of a time recently that I have been THIS HAPPY with a comic book…let ALONE an X-book. All I can say is- the X-office should really hold on to Kelly and Lanzing!… And thank you Tom Breevort! 

If you’re not currently reading it and an NXM fan- I would 100% recommend you try it!

Theories: 

Hellion HAS to be working with Prodigy- I LOVE David… but Hellion went down WAY TOO easy…they GOT to be cahooting!

Basically this book is now just a series of questions…..

Is Empath controlling Hellion?? Is Empath controlling Kamala or Kamala’s cousin?? Is Mojo controlling Empath?? Is Empath controlling Synch?? (Check out future solicits!)… 

How will Krakellion survive in prison without his moisturizer and hair gel and his cool guy helmet?? 🥺🥺💚

Does Hellion still love Laura? (Probably…) Will Laura at least visit him in Prison?? 

Did Kamala burn the friendship collage and bracelet she was most likely making for Sophie…? (Again, probably…)

Is anyone gonna use that yearbook to call out Anole for lying about being a Hellion?? 

Yet none of these questions will even actually matter… because I have a feeling next issue will be all about the Mojoverse!! 

[ninadove]

top 5 miraculous ships?

This one is also surprisingly hard, because Miraculous is the shipping show by excellence, and they’re all pretty compelling! That being said —

1. Feligami

Hopefully there’s no doubt about it by now. They single-handedly kicked me out of a months-long writer’s block, and ever since I’ve written paragraph over paragraph about them... with no intention to stop! 💜❤️

2. Lukadrien

With how much I talk about the Sentikids, you’d almost forget Luka was my favourite character back in season 3! Every time I write him, he and Adrien go heart-eyes over each other. It’s almost against my will at this point.

There’s so many interesting things to explore about them, from the angstiest to the sweetest. Luka feeling left out in Wishmaker only to bask in love in Migration. Adrien opening up about his Aspik trauma to someone who can understand. Luka being, to this day, the only person who figured out Chat’s identity. Two very pretty boys who are unlucky in love and terrible at getting what they want... Has anyone ever written Luka x Cat Walker? Lukatwalker? I think someone should write Lukatwalker. Don’t look at me, I have too many WIPs already!

3. Lukadrinette & Adrino

See, that’s where rankings get complicated, because where the Hell do I put Lukadrinette hmm? Hmmmmm? I love the three of them together more than I love Adrinette and Lukanette individually, but less than Lukadrien on its own. It’s a question of balance, I think.

And at the same time, Adrino. There’s just something so comforting about them. The warmth of it all! The dorky flirting in Rocketear! Nino being willing and ready to throw hands with Gabriel since the early episodes of season 1! I love Lukadrien, I love Lukadrinette, but there are universes in which my brain won’t accept any endgame other than Adrino. The Reverse is one of them — all it took was that one conversation between Adrien and Claw and BOOM!!!!! Clawdrino!!! They’re kissing as we speak. I follow the brainworms where they take me.

“But Nina!” I hear you ask, “why not get the best of both words by writing Lukadrino?” to which I reply that you are so right. I’m very curious to see where that might lead us. Unfortunately I am, as previously established, battling an army of WIPs, so the exploration will have to wait.

4. Ladynoir

For the Strikeback of it all. And the London special of it all, too! Marichat was my favourite side of the Love Square for a very long time, but recently I’ve had a craving for…

5. Adribugnoire. Or whatever it’s called.

I’m a hurt/comfort enthusiast, so this surprises absolutely no one. It’s perfect to explore Mari’s crushing responsibilities and her relationships to the people in the know (Kagami Felix Kagami Felix Nathalie Kagami Felix Plagg Bunnyx Kagami FELIX FELIX FELIX). It’s perfect to explore the Sentilore, which you know is my brand. It’s perfect because if I’m going to put a character through the angst machine, you better believe it’s going to be Adrien. It’s perfect because have you seen Bug Noire??? She’s so pretty!!! The London special spoiled me so much!!!

Special mentions:

Julerose and Marcaniel are very cute, of course. DJWiFi I think works best as a QPR, but I might be biased because Kittybella!!! I love Kittybella. Zoenette is also cute. I love Alyanette and especially Loveyalya, the pining is simply excellent. Speaking of the Loveybug AU, Loveyblanc… All these dynamics are so fun to play with, but I rarely get around to it because the Sentikids take up so much of my writing time. As they should! 💚💜❤️

And then there’s the box of ships I don’t want to be canon/endgame, but which I think bring something extremely interesting to the story. Feligami would not be as compelling as it is if it weren’t for Adrigaminette. The plot would not exist at all without Gabeminath. Cholila has so much narrative potential. I’m not rooting for them, but I enjoy what they bring to the table!

Thanks for the ask! 💜❤️

[casualsnickers]

Month of Emmet Quick Write #11

Prompt #11: Photo

Dawn is visiting the two brothers again to spend some time with Ingo while on winter break. She also brought some pictures from Hisui to flip through for a project of hers. Emmet gets invited to see a few of them and he's... mildy concerned, to say the least. Old habits really do die hard.

Read the whole thing below the cut.

“Dawn, these are absolutely abhorrent and you need to delete them.”

“But what’s wrong with them? They’re funny!”

Emmet sat nearby, Eelektross coiled around him as Emmet loaded that week’s dishes into the dishwasher. Emmet could practically hear the ludicrous amount of stress that rolled off of his brother’s voice as both him and his invited guest, Dawn, sat nearby in the living room.

“How were these pictures even taken in the first place? Dawn, the perspectives on these are not in first person.”

“Two of my pokémon have opposable thumbs, uncle.” 

“Why are there pictures of me in here? I don’t remember you ever taking these.”

From over the top of the couch, Dawn peered at Emmet, excitedly waving her phone around as if to beckon him over. “Uncle Emmet! Uncle Emmet!I need you to look at these pictures for me! Pretty please? I took them back in Hisui, and I want to know which ones I should get printed out!”

“Preferably none of them!” Ingo voiced. Ingo then shuddered. “Please don’t show any of these to your guardians- they would sooner have my neck.”

“What’s wrong with the pictures?” Emmet carefully set down what progress he’d made on the dishes, gently accepting Dawn’s phone as the teenager made room on the couch, eagerly snuggling in next to him as she began to flip through the pictures.

“Okay, okay! Look, look, look! Tell me which ones I should print out! I wanna put a few on my wall back home.”

“Very well.” Emmet carefully began to flip through the pictures, the first one making him do a double take. The first picture featured Dawn standing in some massive grassy field, her entire head obscured within a massive Gyarados’s mouth, saliva dripping onto her uniform. She was making a double thumbs-up gesture despite the fact that the Gyarados in question was glaring at her headless torso.

Another picture featured Dawn grinning and standing enthusiastically in front of what looked to be an active volcano pit, a massive, blurry Arcanine-like creature bearing down on top of her with all of its teeth exposed while Dawn was none the wiser, grinning as if taking a picture in front of a tourist hotspot.

Yet another picture, blurrier than the last, featured Dawn squaring up with an utterly massive Ursaring with only her bare hands in the middle of what looked to be a marsh. Another Ursaring laid a few paces away, its body twisted in an odd fashion like a pretzel.

Emmet swallowed, sparing Dawn a bewildered glance. “...I am… deeply concerned. I also have multiple questions.”

“You haven’t even seen the best ones yet!” Dawn complained, completely ignoring the fact that the context of the photos were all but missing. “Keep going through them! There’s like a bajillion of these in my photo gallery and I want to showcase only the best!”

This girl is insane. “Please define what ‘only the best’ means to you.”

Dawn looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hmm. Okay! I know! Pick the ones that surprise you the most. See, you guys are the first to see these pictures. My mom would absolutely murder me if she saw any of these but I mean- bragging rights, so- “

“None of these are ‘bragging rights’, Miss Dawn,” Ingo groaned, his head in his hands.

“I just think it’d be funny if I put up a string of these in my room and then invited my friends over and they saw.”

“A conversation piece?” Emmet questioned.

“...Yeah! That! I’m creating an energy!”

“That energy is fear and probably uneasiness,” Emmet muttered under his breath. He could see the humor in a few of them and Dawn looked to be having fun for the most part. But then, Emmet knew next to nothing about Hisui and how it was for both Dawn and Ingo, having heard nothing about the subject.

Dawn flipped over to another photo that made Emmet pale in the face. The picture was majorly zoomed out but Emmet could easily see Dawn’s blurry silhouette. She was falling head first, her arms and legs stretched out to her sides as a large Braviary darted after her, some kind of massive electrical storm moving in the background.

The next photo was surprisingly of Ingo. Both Ingo and Dawn were sitting calmly in some wooden hut, Emmet recognizing both Ingo’s Gliscor and Alakazam as they sat around a roaring fire. However, the main oddity of the photo was the fact that a massive Froslass with glowing red eyes was positioned directly outside the window with its face pressed up against the glass, reaching in one sleeved hand to quietly unlock the door; something that clearly neither of them had realized when the picture had been taken.

Yet another photo showcased Ingo way up high. So high that he was practically a smudge on the cliff he was scaling. With his bare hands. And no climbing equipment. Emmet recognized Sneasler’s form a ways above Ingo. Dawn was in the forefront facing the camera, pointing exasperatedly at Ingo while shaking her head. Some other boy- one that looked remarkably similar to Dawn- was almost losing it in the forefront with his eyes wide as he yelled something.

Dawn then tugged hard on Emmet’s sleeve. “This one’s my personal favorite.” She clicked over to a wide-shot photo where both her and Ingo were scarcely visible due to some kind of shrapnel explosion taking place between them. Emmet could just barely make out Ingo’s silhouette and signature pose- the one they used to mirror while on the Multi Line- but Dawn was at the forefront, mirroring Ingo’s pose while commanding… a Magikarp. A Magikarp whose expression conveyed an unspeakable amount of resignation and terror.

“What happened? In this photo?” 

“Path of Solitude. Magikarp.” Though Dawn was still smiling, she regarded Ingo coldly, her eyes brimming with venom as she balled her hands into fists. “His idea. To bring a Voltorb to a Splash fight.”

“And you used Self-Destruct?” Emmet blurted out incredulously. “No... Wait.” He grimaced, modeling Dawn’s same expression of irritation as he scooted a centimeter away from his brother. “That is standard Ingo behavior: tank everybody’s pokémon whenever convenient in the worst way possible. No strategy; only brute force.”

Ingo immediately went red in the face, pointedly not meeting either Dawn nor Emmet’s accusatory stares. “We are not getting into the debate about using Earthquake again-”

“It took a hundred tries for me to beat you!” Dawn retorted angrily, reaching across Emmet to grab at Ingo’s coat. “You traumatized Guppy! You made me use so many experience candies! It wasn’t even beneficial to the pokédex!”

They were optional!”

“Cruel and unusual punishment!” Dawn cried, crossing her arms. “Uncle Emmet, I need you to destroy Ingo for me. Teach him a lesson.”

Emmet immediately rolled up his sleeves. “Gladly.”

Ingo held up his hands in surrender. “Could you possibly reconsider?”

Emmet would have dropped the matter. He was a bit tired from taking care of the household chores and his pokémon hadn’t reacted in the slightest at word of a pokémon battle. But that was before Dawn had tugged on his sleeve again, a photo already preloaded, the cutesy charms on her phone jangling as she shoved her phone into Emmet’s awaiting hands.

“I have more,” she spoke slowly, her glare still trained on Ingo as she began flipping through other pictures. “There are several just like these. Uncle Ingo challenged me to a lot of solitude battles. A lot. Good thing I kept them, huh?”

[sarah-sandwich-writes]

another time, a different place (I have loved you before)

I’m intrigued 👀👀

( ☆ω☆ )

The first chapter is up even though I only have a very rough not quite 5k written so far, which is something I haven't done since my very first fic ever so like heeheehoo hope it works out, but I want to make sure I actually write it bc every time I rediscover this wip I fall in love with the premise all over again. It's gonna be a biggun tho I fear *sigh*

It's an endgame fix it fic! Featuring a fresh outta the soul stone Peter and (although he doesn't remember him) Harley. There are lots of flashbacks to Harley and Peter's time in the soul stone, but neither of them remember it, they just have strange dreams they don't quite remember and a lot of deja vu when they interact.

The MOst Fun THing for me right now is the dissonance between soul stone Harley (a joy! a delight even!) and present day Harley (what crawled up his butt and died??) and the most difficult thing about it is, due to forces outside my control (the mcu timeline) they're high schoolers 😒 which is fine I just am tired of writing high schoolers. Basically the timeline thing is specifically designed to torture me you don't even KNOW what I mean but someday you will and we'll all look back at this post and go sarah wtf why didn't you just go full au so you could age them up and not have to-- THAT"S NOT THE POINT!!

Anyway! Here's Peter being a grump, Harley being a dick, and Flash being obnoxiously attention-starved <3

MJ squints at him. “How do you guys know each other?”

Harley weighs Ned and MJ with a look. “Depends. How much do you know about your lunch buddy’s nighttime pastime?”

“Not here,” Peter snaps. Then he adds, because how could he not, “They know more than you.”

Harley tips his head and, curious, looks at Ned and MJ anew. “Huh.”

“Wait, how much does he know?” Ned demands.

“Later.” Peter looks around, but no one seems to be listening. On the other side of the room, Flash is telling anyone who will listen about his spring break plans in Norway. He pushes away his crumb covered tray and skewers a glare on Harley. “Why are you here?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, because you live in Tennessee?”

Harley pops a torn off chunk of greasy bread in his mouth and says, “I live in New York.”

“Since when?”

“Since I moved here. What’s with the interrogation? Pepper thought you’d be excited.”

“Ohh,” Ned interjects. His expression compresses into a pitying wince. “Did you know Mr. Stark, too?”

“Not h—,” A hard thump on Peter’s back interrupts his repeated warning.

“Are you still still peddling that tall tale, Penis?”

He grits his teeth and doesn't turn around. “Go away, Flash.”

Flash straddles the bench beside him and raises his voice. “Wow, the man’s dead and you’re still trying to ride his coat tails. What’s it like to be that desperate to be someone important?”

“Fuck off, Flash,” MJ says with a note of warning.

He puts up his palms and gets louder. “Honest question! I have no idea what it’s like to be a poor nothing orphan who has to make believe he’s a hero to justify the drain he is on society and his family. Well, what’s left of his family anyway.”

He was concentrating so hard on not letting his irritation show that he missed Harley getting to his feet and rounding the table. But there’s no way anyone could miss him hauling back a fist and planting it square in Flash’s mouth.

[howdoyoudothedew]

Rated: G

Pairing: Maggie/Sophie/Nate/Sterling

Word Count: ~1k

A/N: Rewatching Leverage with my mom and asked my friend which of the ideas I have spinning I should write, she said 'leverage parents' so ta-daaaa, my beloveds. This is based off the dialogue prompt "No, I'm paying" which I got from a @otp-imagines-cult post

The second the waitress puts the check down on the table and leaves, the date turns into a warzone. Honestly, Maggie’s not even surprised at this point. She is, however, rather amused. Starting Leverage, getting together with Sophie, has been good for Nate. He’s more like the man she fell in love with and married, even if he’s still broken. (He was always broken, to an extent.) It’s good for Jim, too. The change to their occasional competition keeps him more on his toes and has even loosened him, if only slightly. Which is why this is even happening.

“How can I trust that money isn’t ill-gotten gains, hm?” Jim says, raising an eyebrow. Jim, Nate, and even Sophie all have their wallets out. Maggie has her own wallet out as well, but she’s not joining in. She already knows how this one will end. While they’re distracted, she pulls out her card and places it inside the booklet for the waitress to grab when she comes back. Sophie catches her and smiles, but doesn’t put away her wallet. Maggie settles back to watch.

“Why I never!” Sophie gasps, affronted at her money even being suggested as ‘ill-gotten’. “I’ll have you know I got this money off a very rich man fair and square. I barely even had to do anything before he was handing it off to me.”

“How do we know your money wasn’t ill-gotten, hm?” Nate says, raising his own eyebrow and sitting back with his arms crossed over his chest. Jim scoffs.

“Maybe because I’m not a criminal, unlike some people,” Jim says.

“Hey!” Sophie protests again. “I am not the only criminal at this table anymore.”

“Right, because you seduced Nate to the darkside,” Jim says, voice dry.

“I’ll seduce you next,” Sophie says, despite having basically already done just that, narrowing her eyes at him.

“You know what, I’m just going to pay,” Nate says, cutting them off.

“What? No, I’m paying, you paid last time,” Sophie says and Maggie files the information away, because she had paid last time, just like she usually does. Which means Nate had gotten Hardison to sneak some of his money into her account, so he could retroactively pay for it. Which is so many more steps then needed. Also kind of annoying. She’s not exactly broke and they don’t exactly do this terribly often. She can– and will happily– pay for her datemates herself. The waitress passes by, grabbing the book absently when Maggie subtly holds it out for her. None of the others notice, thankfully, too wrapped up in their argument.

“Absolutely not,” Jim says.

“Well someone has to pay,” Sophie says.

“I’ll do it,” Nate says.

“I’m not using money when I don’t know from whence it came,” Jim says.

“From whence it came? Who even says stuff like that anymore?” Nate scoffs.

“I do,” Jim bristles.

“If he’s gonna talk like that, I’m definitely not letting him pay,” Sophie says.

“What does my speech have anything to do with paying?” Jim says, rounding on Sophie.

“It’s too posh for my taste.” Sophie sticks her nose in the air.

“Says our Lady Charlotte Prentiss,” Nate mutters into his coffee.

“Oh now you want to get in on it? And here I was defending you.”

Nate gives a half-laugh through his nose. “No you weren’t, you’re trying just as hard to get us to let you pay.”

“You’re right, I wasn’t. Now let me pay,” Sophie says.

“No, I’ll pay,” Nate says.

“I’m paying,” Jim says.

“Absolutely not,” Sophie and Nate say at the same time, which is apparently Jim’s breaking point.

“Fine! Maggie pays then.” Jim throws his arms up as well as he can get away with in a fancy restaurant and Maggie can barely keep in the amused noise.

“Fine,” Nate says.

“Fine,” Sophie agrees.

Apparently an expert at comedic timing, the waitress returns then with Maggie’s card. “Here you go. I hope you have a good night.”

“Thanks, you have a good night too,” Maggie tells her, ignoring the boys’ shocked looks for now as well as Sophie’s amused smile as she returns her card to her wallet. When she looks back at them, she pretends to be oblivious. She lets her eyes grow slightly wide and blinks a few times. “What?”

“You already paid,” Nate says.

“Someone had to and you three seemed busy, thanks to Sophie,” Maggie says.

“Wha-” Nate stares at her, eyes narrowed. Maggie can see the gears turn as he goes over her words, Sophie’s actions. Finally, he turns to Sophie. “You knew,” Nate accuses.

“Of course I knew, I’m not blind,” Sophie says and Maggie chuckles.

“Then why’d you even bother to argue about it?” Jim asks, clearly exasperated.

“Well I’m not just going to let you and Nate have all the fun, am I?” Sophie asks, a rhetorical question. “Now who’s leaving the tip?”

“Oh no, I am not doing this again,” Jim says. You absolutely will, Maggie thinks to herself. Likely not now, but definitely next time.

“All three of us will leave the tip, since Maggie was so kind to pay,” Nate says.

“That, I am surprisingly okay with,” Jim says.

“Why must you ruin all my fun?” Sophie pouts at Nate, digging out a few dollars from her wallet.

“I’m sure you’ll find some again soon, Soph,” Nate assures.

“And will give me a headache in the process,” Jim says, also pulling out a few dollars. Sophie smiles at him.

“You love it.” Jim declines to respond to her. But Maggie knows Sophie is right. Protest as he may, Jim loves all of them.

“Ready to head out?” Nate asks, standing from his chair. Maggie follows his lead.

“I think so,” she says. “It was lovely to see you all again.”

“It was lovely to see you, too, Maggie. I wish we could do this more often,” Sophie says, taking Maggie’s hands to squeeze. Sophie’s hands. They’re always cold, making her think of the old thing her grandmother used to tell her: cold hands, warm heart. With Sophie, Maggie finally has evidence towards it.

“There’s a Picasso showcase at the museum next week,” Maggie says.

“You’re just trying to give me an aneurysm at this point, aren’t you?” Jim grouses. Sophie pats his cheek.

“It’s our way of keeping you young.”

“It’s your way of giving me more gray hairs,” Sterling says.

“Does this mean you won’t go to the museum with us?”

“Someone has to keep you from stealing a very expensive painting,” Sterling says.

“So next week?”

“Next week,” the other three agree and they part ways in the parking lot, Sophie and Nate leaving together while Jim and Maggie leave separately.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

For make me write!!

🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮 (I love this fic and everything about it and I can’t even go into why but thank you for writing and sharing and I’m excited about part 2)

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡(The last chapter was so sweet and I’m so excited to see where Buck and Eddie’s journey is next with the wedding and future plans. And yay for good communication).

🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮 (Ah the Bobby seeing Buck’s past had me in tears I don’t think Im ready for the opposite of that)

🚨🚨🚨🚨(I went from emotional to OH NO real quick)

🩸🩸 (Eddie healing from all his trauma in this one is just *chefs kiss*)

💐(The couple of snippets I have seen, this one about May just seems so interesting! Plus I love getting to see recurring/non-main characters heads!)

HI!!! THANK YOU!

30 for 🦮 (THANKS! I am so excited to share Pt. 2)

---

 One, trying to work from home with a little kid in the house. Two, knowing that, elsewhere, Eddie is struggling considerably with missing his son. And, three, the fact that Cranberry seems to be matching Buck’s bored, cagey energy. 

Christopher is a great kid. Really, the best. But he’s still a kid. And the novelty of online school - for both student and teacher - means a lack of order and structure that leads to him inevitably seeking out Buck several times an hour. Buck has to give him a stern talk about interrupting meetings if it’s not an emergency. And no, needing a Rice Krispie Square is not an emergency. Although Buck understands the urgency. He’s been snacking on them lately, too, and they’re sort of addictive.The point is, it’s not easy sharing the same space with a kid literally all the time with no breaks. Even a kid he genuinely adores. Especially when he’s never been anyone’s primary caregiver before, other than Cranberry. 

As for Eddie, Buck knows he’s not adjusting great. They talk every single day. Often multiple times a day. He tries to put up a brave face, but he misses his son and feels badly for leaving him again. 

“It just brings back old shit,” he explains one evening over FaceTime. “Like I’m back where I started. Even if I know that’s not true.”

He’s not alone at least. Hen and Chim have both moved into Buck’s apartment temporarily, too. Which Buck thinks sounds crazy crowded. But he gets it. They both have families to protect. And with Maddie recently announcing her pregnancy, Chim is extra anxious. So, at least Eddie has company. People to look out for him at work and away from it. Because right now, there’s not a lot Buck can do for him, other than be a constant ear. 

“You’re already doing the most important thing for me,” Eddie argues when Buck expresses this. 

---

24 for ⚡(thank you!!!! I am plowing full steam ahead on this wedding hahah because I want to get past it):

---

“Shall we take a look at the bedrooms?” Gianna asks. 

“Definitely,” Eddie replies. 

She leads them down the hallway to where three white-walled bedrooms of different sizes wait to be viewed. The master has a lot of space. It’s got an odd sort of shape, longer than it is deep. But the ensuite bathroom is kind of a dream. Shower and tub. Spacious. Recently redone, so it doesn’t need any work. 

Yeah, Buck can see himself enjoying this master suite very much. And enjoying Eddie in it, too… 

The other bedrooms are good sizes too. One is almost as big as the master, minus the closet space and bathroom. 

“Chris would appreciate that,” Eddie says. 

The other is a bit tinier, but would be perfect for a, well, tinier person. 

By the end of the house tour, Buck realizes he doesn’t actually have a single major complaint. 

“What do you think?” Gianna asks. 

Eddie looks at Buck hopefully. He likes it. Buck knows he likes it. 

“I think we should talk about it,” Buck concedes. “It’s got everything we need and it’s close to family.”

---

18 for 🔮(TBH the Bobby one is sadder):

---

He doesn’t matter here. 

He retracts his hand. 

“Charlie, please,” their mother says.

Charlie huffs. “Fine. Whatever.”

The rest of the drive is silent. Bobby wipes the tears off his face, presses his cheek to the glass of the window, and stares off into space. Buck wishes he could crack open his head and look inside. He wants so desperately to understand what he’s thinking. Past and present. 

Buck wonders if Bobby has always been so hard to read. If he has always kept what’s hurting him so close to his chest. Did this start recently? With his father dying? Or before? How much agency does a kid have in their emotional reactions? Buck knew he often felt out of control at this age.

---

12 for 🚨(hahahaha sorry):

---

“Are you sure you’re okay with me taking your room, Eddie?” Hen asks when they arrive on the first day. “One of us can take the couch. Really.”

“Oh, it’s fine!” Eddie insists. “Buck and I can share. No biggie.”

Eddie hasn’t slept in his bed in weeks.

“Makes sense,” Buck adds. “Then it’s only two people per washroom. Much better shower schedule.” 

Hen raised an eyebrow at Eddie, who just offers her an awkward smile.

---

6 for 🩸(THANK YOU!):

---

“You can’t escape!” The guy shouted. Loud enough to indicate to Eddie that he had no idea how close Eddie was to him. 

“You all have to die for this to be over, you know” He continued. “It’s the only way!”

---

3 for 💐 (THANKS!):

---

“I know,” April shrugs. “Doesn’t hurt to have another set of hands, though, does it?”

There’s a confidence in her tone, like she just knows she’s so capable and good at this.

[sharada-n]

@zehecatl would have my head if I didn't post this publicly which is silly because WOW AM I RUSTY AT WRITING THESE TWO BUT UH-

Here you go babe happy birthday MWAH

-

They’ve been watching the sliver of moon visible outside their cell get smaller and smaller.

Inuyasha doesn’t act differently than he has the past week or so. He’s restless, and that’s about what Miroku is used to from him - even more so now that they’ve been captured. Always searching for something, always heading towards something. Like if he sits still, that’s the same as dying. And Miroku won’t pretend he can’t relate, because that is how it has been for him too. With the curse being a poignant reminder of time running out, Miroku doesn’t feel he has much to waste.

But if he doesn’t have time to slow down once in a while, then what is the point? If life isn’t worth living, then he might as well give up now and not inflict the next person with the same suffering that will one day consume him.

“You’re thinking too hard,” Inuyasha says. He’s frowning at him, as if Miroku’s mind wandering is a personal slight against him.

“You should try it sometime,” he tells him. And Inuyasha’s brow quirks in amused irritation.

Maybe he’s not wrong that Miroku needs to get out of his own head. But there’s not much else to do while locked in a room. They’ve tried everything to get out, but the paper seals outside are too powerful and they don’t know where the others are, which is its own kind of torture, isn’t it? That’s one thing Miroku prefers not to think about.

“The new moon will be soon,” he says instead.

It’s pretty clear from Inuyasha’s face that’s something he doesn’t want to think about either.

“Yeah…” he mumbles after a moment, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

“They might kill you,” Miroku adds. Casually, as if it hasn’t been on the forefront of both their thoughts.

“I’d like to see them try,” Inuyasha spits, fire in his eyes and it’s the same as always but also not at all similar. Miroku knows he’ll do something reckless, like he often does.

He can’t allow that to happen. If not for his own selfishness, then for the sake of the others, who probably need Inuyasha more than they need him.

The next night, the moon is gone. Techno’s hair turns black, his eyes fade from their vibrant gold to a paleish gray. It almost takes Miroku’s breath away each time he sees it. Sometimes he reaches out just to brush his fingers through Inuyasha’s hair, a touch the other man used to flinch away from but now begrudgingly allows. Miroku smiles and leans closer to him, using the cold in the cell as an excuse.

He always thought it would be fine to die.

He was raised with it, really. And it never left him, even when he struggled against it. Even when meeting them gave him hope that it didn’t need to end that way. The fear never came back the way it was there when he watched his father be swallowed into nothing.

So when Miroku hears footsteps from down the hallway, it’s easy for him to get up.

Inuyasha reaches for his wrist, barely manages to catch onto his sleeve, but Miroku pulls free. They’re both human tonight. 

“What the fuck are you-” Inuyasha doesn’t even get a chance to finish.

Miroku throws a punch at the first guy that comes on. A good one though, he manages to catch them square in the jaw. The man yelps and stumbles backward into one of his friends. His throat is grabbed immediately after, but it’s fine. They always only take one of them to entertain themselves with at night. Tonight it just has to be Miroku. It has to be.

At least the feeling of fingers leaving bruises on his skin is familiar enough.

—

“Why the fuck did you do that?” Inuyasha asks him when they’re back together. Miroku was more or less thrown into the cell again. Their captors didn’t give Inuyasha a second glance. He doubts they even noticed he’s a human tonight.

“You know you can just thank people when they protect you,” Miroku mumbles. His cheek is bruised where it presses into Inuyasha’s shoulder. So close it aches, his skin crawling with every inch that connects them. He feels too cold, yet also like he can’t stand to live without the touch.

But there’s no chance Inuyasha will let him go after that stunt. And maybe Miroku is secretly grateful for it.

“I don’t need you to protect me,” Inuyasha says.

Miroku laughs. “Just because you don’t need me to doesn’t mean I don’t want to.” He tries to flick Inuyasha’s forehead, but the other man catches his wrist.

“Don’t,” he says, testily. Always so on edge. Miroku chuckles again. Then Inuyasha glances at his bruised knuckles. Miroku might be delirious because he almost wishes Inuyasha would press his lips to them. Gentle, brief.

He doesn’t, of course.

But he does smile, and his forehead presses against the top of Miroku’s head, and the dawn is minutes away.

And for a moment, Miroku doesn’t care if they’ll get out of here or not.

[minijenn]

Dreamscaperers Preview

Ugh fuck fine ok this preview i from like... pretty far into the chapter but I don't care, I'm so taken with this entire exchange that I just had to share it. I have missed writing for Bill, fuck I hate this manipulative fucker so much goddammit someone please save my son from this lunatic.

---

Bill let loose a wild laugh as he shifted back into his usual, singular form. That laughter only turned louder and more teasing when he caught sight of the utterly shocked look on Steven’s face. “I-it’s you!” he exclaimed, aptly alarmed. 

“No, duh, kid, who else would it be?” Bill proudly adjusted his bowtie. “And here I thought I’d be a bit rusty after all these years, but nope! I’ve still got just as much of a knack for pulling off a few convincing Crystal Chump impressions now as I did back then, if I do say so myself.”

As confused as Steven was by that, he didn’t let that get the better of him. He knew all too well that a threat was floating right in front of him, which was why he held his arm out defensively in front of him. Unfortunately, his shield was just as stubborn about showing up as ever, even now, when he needed it most. “W-what do you want with me?” he asked, eyeing the demon nervously. 

“Aw, ease up, Rosebud!” Bill encouraged as he hovered a quick circle around Steven. “I just wanna chat! You like chatting with your friends, don’t ya?”

“Uh, yeah, with my friends,” Steven winced away from him. “But not with bad guys like you!”

“Bad guy?” Bill asked, feigning surprise. “That’s a little harsh, don’t ya think, Rosebud?”

“No, it’s not,” Steven sternly asserted. “You’re working with Gideon to help him steal the Mystery Shack! You blasted Dipper’s arm off for no reason! And you pretended to be the Gems just to trick me! All of that sounds pretty bad to me.”

“Yeesh, kid, don’t take it all so personally,” Bill shrugged, unconcerned. “I’m just messing around–that’s just what I do. Now, your mom? She got my sense of humor right off the bat. Do you think someone as ‘good’ as Quartzy would have been friends with me if I was really as ‘bad’ as you think I am?”

Steven hesitated when he heard this, unsure of what to think. “You… really were friends with my mom?” he asked, not entirely sure if he bought that. Because certainly, if it were true, the Gems would have brought Bill up at least once… right?

“Good friends,” Bill assured, and he sounded surprisingly earnest. At least as earnest as someone like him could be. “And you know, Rosebud, we could be friends too, if you’d like! I’m bound to be a much better pal for you than any of those Crystal Chumps anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Steven asked, confused. 

“Don’t act like you haven’t noticed,” Bill said, wagging his finger. “The way they treat you like you’re just some dumb kid, like they’re someone they need to babysit instead of a true, blue member of the team?”

“You mean like how you treated me while you were pretending to be them?” Steven accused, crossing his arms. 

“Well, yeah, but was I really that far off?” Bill asked. To prove his point, his flat surface began projecting more than a few moments of the Gems counting Steven out or leaving him behind. Moments that stung far more than he’d like to admit. “Face it, kid. They don’t really see you as one of them, and really, who can blame ‘em? See, most space rocks like them come outta the ground primed and ready to go into any fight, but you? You had to start from square one with those powers of yours. And I bet you still haven’t gotten the hang of them either, right?”

“Well…” Steven looked down at his feet. “I-I mean… I have healing spit and I can sometimes summon a bubble and my shield, but I-”

“But you’re still waaaaaay behind all the rest of those chumps,” Bill cut in. “Who knows, Rosebud? At the rate you’re going, you might never catch up…” 

Steven tensed at such a dreadful thought, though it certainly wasn’t one he was a stranger to. How many restless nights had he spent, wondering when his time would finally come, when he’d finally turn into the Crystal Gem he always longed to be? How long would it take for him to even come close to living up to his mother’s lofty legacy? How much would he have to struggle just to stand alongside a team he knew might never truly be a part of?

But then, as if he was reading his mind, Bill continued. “Still, it doesn’t have to be like that…”

“It… doesn’t?” Steven blinked, stirring himself out of his own worrying, racing thoughts. 

“Nope,” Bill pulled out his cane and leaned against it. “Being one of the last-remaining guardians of an entire planet is an awfully big burden, but who says it has to be your burden, Rosebud? I mean, think about it; you’re just a kid. These are the best years of your life and you deserve to enjoy them instead of always being dragged around on big, life-threatening mission, don’t you think?”

“Um… well, I mean… I never really thought about-”

“About any other options? Well, you’ve got ‘em, kid!” Bill brightly proclaimed. “Or at least you could if you let me help you out. All I’d need is a little something from you in return. So…” He held a hand out, ignoring the way Steven flinched when blue flames sparked to life over it. “What do ya say, Rosebud? Why don’t you let your new friend make all your ‘magical destiny’ woes disappear–once and for all?”

[spidereggs888]

Miguel bangs Dr Doom and the poor bastard asks for seconds

/j

Miguel & You

ACT 3 | INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

Miguel O’Hara & y/n, any gender or non gender. Very casual writing style. TW Dark humor, dangerous situations, 18+ language. Y/n are sorta attracted to Miguel (why else would you be here?) but he doesn’t know you lol

(Seriously, if you haven't read ACT 1 or ACT 2, NONE of this will make sense)

≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋

“Okay? I mean you still got your job, yeah?” your friend says.

“It’s different now! I can’t- my job’s not enough- all my savings are GONE! All those data sticks were full of nontaxable credit and now it’s probably being hocked off for rapture! What the shock am I gonna do?!”

“Wait, wait! Hang on, lemme text Bryce! He gonna know something!”

“I REALLY can’t believe that O’Hara! We talked about this! I made my case pretty simple and he agreed to a follow up meeting- and now he’s just gonna CANCEL on me?!”

“Hey it’s not his fault! He doesn’t know what you’re going through.”

You are so mad you almost tell her the truth. But his secret identity could be a bargaining chip! Yeah sure that will be stooping low but he KNOWS you are one lost payment away from house hunting, which is a horrible experience in Nueva York, especially if you’re broke.

After some sounds of computer work on her end, Speshall re-emerges.

“Hold on… okay. Bryce says Mister O’Hara is back in the Alchemax Business Bureau building.”

“Good God, tell Bryce I said thanks!”

“You better hurry, cuz people who lost their shot yesterday are trying to catch him today. I don’t know how word got out that he didn’t choose anyone as a secretary, but yeah, they are scrambling to get a hold of him. You better hurry!”

You pull out your only spare jacket (the clear plastic one that only keeps off the rain), and throw on a new scarf. You are back at square one, where you gotta compete with all the other interviewees, including Suck-up Syd who’s gonna be even more desperate this time, and Beta-Brody, who just might actually appeal to O’Hara now that he’s about to have an uninterrupted audience with the guy!

Your chances are slim, but if you stand to lose everything, why the hell dwell here?!

░▒▓スパイダーマン▓▒░

When you exit the apartment complex, you run through all of the holograms offering a better life, past all the salesmen trying to convert you to the great house of Thor, and slam your palm down on the terminal button to call the apartment valet.

"Welcome back, tenant 27," the AI apartment valet greets, “Do you want-”

“YES! Give it to me!”

Your car roars out of its hiding place as if it knows today isn’t the day to worry you with her many problems. She is bright red with flaking paint, but she is here in your time of need.

“We refueled your vehicle. Do you accept the charges-”

“BILL ME TOMORROW!”

You rush and slide across the hood, executing the perfect slide and land on your feet on the other side. The door unlatches automatically and you climb in (that almost never happens), and you slam your foot down on the gas pedal.

“I’m comin’ for you, O’Hara!”

░▒▓человек-паук▓▒░

After dodging and slipping through traffic, you arrive at the Alchemax Business Bureau parking lot. The automated parking center kiosk accepts your money this time since your mom knows how to clean her gambling money (you have yet to learn this difficult process), and you get to enter the building in a more conventional way. 

The lobby is already in chaos. People are fighting over the coffee machine for some reason, slapping and hitting each other. You turn your back on it and face the old man behind the receptionist desk. He grimaces at you.

“You don’t have anything to do with the crazy shit happening over there, right?” He asks. This was the first time he’s spoken to you in a while.

“Don’t think so. Uh, has O’Hara come through?”

“Heh. What do you think?”

You cringe at the sound of a coffee pot crashing to the floor. The receptionist opens a holoscreen and looks at you through it.

“He’s up in the temp office again.”

He discreetly brings a cup of black coffee up from behind the desk and sets it near you.

“Just pushing forward a favor.”

His eyes focus on the video call that pops up between you, and he continues, “We need custodial support in the lobby. We got some broken glass and hot coffee all over the damn place.”

≋≋≋（スパイダーマン）≋≋≋

You are on the elevator, coffee in hand with a pocket full of sugars. You decide not to drink it, you plan to give it to O’Hara (everyone else must have had this same plan, hence fighting over the pitcher of coffee.) The elevator lets someone else on. The doors open and you see the smoky eyes of Suck-Up Syd.

“Ah, you got past everyone else, I see.”

You reluctantly move over as she strides in. You notice she’s wearing a backless dress before she pulls her faux fur jacket back over her shoulders. She knows you saw, she chuckles and sighs.

“Don’t ya love this day and age?” she asks innocently.

“It could be better,” you say pleasantly.

“I just love how a woman can be herself and flaunt what she’s got…” 

She waits for a word of validation but you say nothing to her. She continues.

“I got this dress from Michael, our last boss. Remember him?”

“Ah, yeah. The guy who gave me a second chance…”

“Yeah after the whole embezzling thing! Tsk, I’m so glad you didn’t get fired, you know that? Like really, you are the nicest person in this whole wide place! It would have been so unfair of him to let you go. But he’s very generous.”

You wanna say something mean to her but you are at a crucial point in your life to have stupid Suck-Up Syd karma in the mix.

The elevator door opens and you see a guy laying face down on the floor. He’s groaning in pain. It’s the nice Indian man from yesterday.

“Oh my, what happened here?” Syd asks.

“Ah just some stuff that needed settling,” says the familiar douchey voice of Brody, who walks up from the corner while rubbing his knuckles.

“Did you beat up that guy?!” You scold.

“Well, he got in my face,” he says with a matter-of-fact tone.

“I somehow doubt that!” You scoff.

 Brody smirks and takes your coffee.

“Dude, that’s mine!” you complain.

He sips it while keeping eye-contact with you. He then immediately scrunches his face.

“Ew, you don’t add anything to your coffee?!”

“That’s very rude and gross, Broly,” Syd says with sarcasm, walking away towards the glass elevator. He hands the coffee back to you and swiftly follows her, and you reluctantly follow.

“I was just playing, Sydney, lighten up! Nice dress, by the way!”

“Thank you.”

“I mean... you flaunted it for Micheal, I bet you could do the same exact routine for O’Hara and get the job instantly! That's your in-an-out plan, right?”

“Hey, if he thinks hiring me will get him there then that’s on him, not me.”

“What are you pushing 38, going on 39 any time now? You can’t use your looks forever, tick-tock tick-tock.”

“Oh wow, says the guy who believes in that Alpha Male BS. You are aware that the same guy who coined that whole thing turned around and disproved it years later, you know that, right?”

“So it’s not true for wolves, but it’s definitely true for Man.”

“You are not even close to being a Beta…” you grumble. 

He looks back at you with a fake smile. Syd laughs.

“Oh well check this out-”

He slaps the coffee down out of your hands and it gushes all over your pants and shoes. You jump back and kick your legs.

“Dude! That BURNS! What the FUCK?!”

“You got it on my dress, you fucking animal!” Syd complains, stepping back away from the dark puddle.

“Oh you were gonna take it off to show what’s left of your body anyway! Get with the now and lighten up!”

“You are SUCH an asshole!” You yell. You start kicking him in the legs. Syd joins in, thrashing him with her stiletto. The both of you back him into the corner as he tries to guard his face. The glass doors open and the three of you stop your squabbling as y’all realize there has been an audience for the last few seconds.  

The pair of security guards from yesterday are standing near the elevator, both looking somewhat amused about the elevator fight, and two men are sitting on either side of the tiny desk, one of them being O’Hara and the other is your ex boss.

“Oh… uh, hi!” Syd stammers, taken aback by the present company. Brody pushes her aside and strides across the room with his hand extended.

“Hey, Mister O’Hara! The name’s Brody Tice! Nice to meet-”

“The hell are you guys doing here?” O’Hara asks.

“Hey, yeah, I didn’t get to meet you yesterday-  had some stuff come up, but I heard you were here today, so I thought-”

“Then SIT,” O’Hara demanded.

“Actually, I do better standing!” 

“Sit the hell down, Brody,” Micheal snaps, “Now’s not the time!”

[Brody mumbles something about being fine where he is.]

“Is everything okay, Micheal?” Syd asks, defaulting to an innocent tone.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Micheal says with glossed, lazy eyes. He always had this look whenever he was forced to care, “Someone formerly in our department just complained about some old history and we are trying to smooth it out.”

"Oh, this is beyond smoothing out," O'Hara said with an unsafe tone while smiling, "Yeah, this little game you have going on comes to an end today."

"What game?!" Micheal scoffs, leaning back in his chair.

“I’ve had my AI assistant cross-reference your employment history and your payment history and I did not like what she told me," O'Hara says, putting his giant paws together, "You’ve been withholding payment from your employees by not immediately updating their salary in the system after they were given a raise. And you’d neglect doing anything until they actually confront you about it, and even then, you never paid them the missing difference. And you did this, let's say, roughly eighty times in the past four years?”

Your blood boils. This man has been a parasite this whole time while you scraped by. Micheal looks back and forth at Syd and Brody, unable to keep eye contact with O'Hara.

"Wha- WHICH of you- Syd! I thought I could TRUST you!" Micheal stammers.

"What? Micheal! No! I didn't say anything about you!"

Micheal's gaze darts to Brody, but then he swivels his head to you instead.

"Was it you?!"

"Wow, you're really just gonna look for someone to blame, huh?" Brody scoffs.

"Whoever did this doesn't know who they're messing with!" Micheal says, his face red as he shakes, "I have too much as stake to be taken down by some rat!"

“It was ME!” you yell, not willing to take anything else laying down anymore, “I confirmed what happened!”

Micheal looks genuinely surprised at you yelling. Syd just blinks awkwardly and Brody grins. O’Hara is still sitting with his elbows resting on his desk, watching from behind clasped fingers.

“What on earth did you-”

“The ultimatum you gave me! You pulled me aside into the maintenance closet and made me choose between getting fired or demoted, REMEMBER?!”

“We took you into the maintenance closet because the situation was private-”

“You just didn’t want anyone with a brain noticing you were doing something illegal!”

“He was on vacation!” Syd said defensively, “You should have just waited-”

“Oh that’s SUCH bullshit! He wanted to see how long he could go without actually paying me what I was owed!” 

“It was just a fluke in the system-”

“It was no fluke, it was CALCULATED!” You snap, stepping towards her with your finger in her face, “And you should know, Syd! You fucking stood there watching like the stupid little henchman you are! You KNEW Micheal was doing something illegal and you did NOTHING to report it! And we know why! Because you KNEW if I went down, you would instantly get my position as vice head PR accountant! You were a snake from the start and always HAVE been!”

“Oh shush! You were sniveling and crying like a BABY, begging to keep the job! I may be what I am but at least I have some dignity-”

“Sydney! Let’s not push it!” Micheal warned.

“That’s fucking laughable coming from you, y’know that?” Brody says to Syd, “You are the LAST person with any dignity around here! You dropped your panties for Ashton when I told you he was head of our department! You didn’t even try to research him or anything! You just did it because you’re a whore.”

“And you!” you yell, pointing at Brody.

“Ah, let’s hear it!” He retorts.

“You are the biggest lying asshole in this whole fucking industry! How the fuck has no one laid you out yet?! All that alpha dog bullshit has gone so far up your ass, I don’t know where your sexist bullshit ends and where your goddamn shit-eating grin begins! You gotta tear people down because you aren’t strong enough to hack it with the big dogs, are ya?! ARE YA, BRODY?! Oh, look at me! I’m Brody Tice! I’m too mean and stupid to make meaningful relationships work, so I bully others to assert a false sense of dominance! And if that don’t work, I resort to telling people I was diddled in the doo doo hole by my best friend Ashton because that’s the kind of LOSER I am!”

Brody’s pride is on the line, and he was not taking too kindly to you airing out his dirty laundry in front of O’Hara. He steps up to you, his fake smile now grinding into a dangerous sneer.

“Oh, NOBODY has laid me out yet because they CAN’T!”

“You are so full of shit!”

“Go ahead and make your move, then!”

“Everyone just stop!” Syd pleads anxiously.

“You can't always get away with everything you’ve DONE!” You say coldly. Blood is rushing in your ears and you can feel your neck getting hot. Brody jabs you in the shoulder with his knuckles.

“Make your move, bitch-” 

Having seen enough, O’Hara stands up and swiftly grabs Brody by the front of his shirt. He leads the smaller man around on his toes as they come face to face. Brody’s eyes bulge.

“Wow, man! Your hands are massive-”

 O’Hara picks the whole man up and one-arm slams Brody through the tiny desk. Just *bam* throws him down TLC style. Travel-sized bottles fly everywhere.

Brody stares up at the ceiling, making a long minuscule whining sound. The desk is finished and everyone is frozen in place. 

“Quitar este loser,” he commanded, pointing down at Brody and flicking his finger at the door. The two guards grabbed Brody and lifted him out of the rubble. 

“As for you two,” he said, turning to Syd and Michael, “clean out your desks!”

“W-why?!” Syd whined

“You can't do this!” Michael begged, his grey eyes bulging, "I have been with this department for thirty years! I was here when your father ran this place!"

O'Hara clenches his jaw and fists. His eyes flash dangerously.

"--Though you do a spectacular job as CEO, WAY better than... It-It really was an honest fluke, I get very overwhelmed with all my responsibilities- please! You can’t fire me!”

He stares down Micheal, considering him a little longer. He drops his scowl and lets his hands free.

“Relax, I’m not firing you or Miss Sarcoth here,” O’Hara says with a falsely kind tone, “I mean, you really should be fired, but a guy your age doesn’t stand a chance in the private sector, so I’m moving you both to the custodial department! They’ll love you there!”

“Oh... well alright,“ Michael mutters, eyes bugged out at the giant financial nuke that missed him by inches.

“Wait, why am I being dragged down too?!” Syd whined, “there’s no proof I was even THERE!”

“There's lots of surveillance of your complacency and possible cooperation, Miss Sarcoth. Don’t even bother trying to argue your way out of this one. Now both of you, off to your new jobs! C’mon! You only get one chance!”

O'Hara gives them both a clenched smile. Syd and Micheal exchange confused stares.

“Go on before I get pissed off,” he said in a colder tone.

They scramble to gather their coats and rush out of the room. Those two jackasses who screwed with your livelihood just to make themselves laugh are now fucking off to whatever hell hole O’Hara has decided to stuff them into.

O’Hara sighs and paces away. He grumbles about idiots fucking around with their goddamn money. You clear your throat. He straightens his anti glare lenses then looks at you.

“Have a seat, since you’re here.”

You sit down where Michael was seated before. You stare this guy down because this is it! You are ready for hellfire. You are ready for searing words and possible loss of a limb or head in the conversation to come. You squint at those red eyes behind the comically large lenses. How has nobody accused him of being a vampire? Either way, you are ready to gamble it all, to hell with being cautious!

You are gonna take this vampire down.

“You are wondering why I canceled our meeting, yeah?” He asks with raised brows.

You are relieved he brought it up first.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I decided I don’t need a secretary,” he said, “turns out it’s too damn stressful and stupid. I’ve been doing just fine with my AI assistant.”

“What about all the people who wanted to work for you?”

“They have their own jobs already, it’s not like they have nothing to go back to.”

“Well I don’t,” you say, gripping the edge of your chair. He makes a curious face.

“You have a job, what do you mean-“

“I’ve been cheated, blackmailed, rejected, declined, and robbed, all because of idiots like Michael and Syd… and that idiot Brody! I’m not about to let a dismissive playboy who fires people left and right, AND moonlights as Spider-Man kick me down without a fight-“

O’Hara comes back over and sits down in his chair quickly, making you flinch, but he’s smiling.

“So you WERE awake when I saved you!”

“Yeah,” you say quietly. You are now shaking but not breaking your stare from his amused expression.

“Now you know who I am and what I do… at least only the tip of that gargantuan iceberg… so what do you want? Money? You gonna blackmail me?”

“What fucking choice do I have?” You say heatedly, “I lost everything down there in that hell hole! My data sticks, my phone, all of that was my LIFE in order, and now I either go further into debt or I get a better job that will take care of me for the rest of my life!”

O’Hara leans back into his chair, his brow furrowed as he rubs his chin.

“Don’t think for a second I’m not grateful for you saving my life! I don’t know how you knew I needed saving but you did!”

“My AI assistant Lyla informed me your location was moving down to a notorious criminal breeding ground. I thought you were one of those Black Market Demons trying to infiltrate Alchemax for drugs.”

“What?”

“I mean the descriptors fit. I guessed you were financially unstable and turning to gambling because you had a Rapture habit. But… you didn’t seem physically unwell like a Rapture user. The only other possibility was that you were being kidnapped. Since I already met you and saw it about to happen, I just couldn’t ignore it.”

You look to the floor, feeling bad about readying yourself to fight this guy.

“I knew you needed help. I'm sorry about your data sticks and all your money. I didn’t know- you do have a bank account, right? I mean, you have a job-”

“My job salary goes there, yeah, but that goes straight into automated payments since I’m on the Alchemax home-employment plan… I have the data sticks because my bank won’t accept anything considered gambling money. And I don’t have enough earnings for an offshore account… so I kept it all on the data sticks…”

He is hanging on every word now. You look up at those sad bespectacled eyes.

“Also… I just wanted some personal spending money for myself. I just wanna wear nice stuff and eat something else besides mineral bars…”

He politely watches you try not to feel sorry for yourself. You are both quiet for a little spell. You can hear the wind outside, and an automated cleaning system starts spraying the shit out of the glass elevator. It sounds like a car wash.  All that coffee on the floor is being washed away.

He sighs and looks out the windows.

“Well, I can’t say I wasn’t impressed at the decade and a half you put into PR work for Alchemax,” he finally says. You wipe away a single tear and look up at him as he pulls up your files on his neat watch. He picks out your best work with his calloused but beautiful hands, “You started running hot meals for the Alchemax elderly program at fifteen years old… went into mail room tech for a while there, occasionally doing lobby work and handling public events… not bad at all.”

"Thanks," you say modestly.

“Most of all, I really admire that you came here. I don’t know how you knew I’d be here, but you must have some great resources to pull that off. I'm impressed.” 

You smile at him weakly. He smiles back.

“What do you think about taking Micheal's old job?” 

“Wha- REALLY?!”

“Ah I’m sure you’ll do fine! Besides, I didn’t know who I was gonna pick as head of PR account and finances, anyway! So, what do you say?”

You stand up and so does he. You extend your hand and he takes it.

“Thank you for this opportunity, sir! I won’t let you down!”

“You actually don’t have a choice.”

You smile but then feel yesterday’s emotions catch up with you. The darkness with the dead bodies and freaky black market demons. Running until your legs were on fire and your lungs hurt. Being surrounded by those demons in the darkness. You dive in for a hug.

“Thank you for saving my life…” you murmur into his shirt.

“C’mon, I’m Spider-Man, it’s what I do.”

You hold your head against those mighty pecs of his. His dress shirt is so silky and soft and smells like the kind of detergent that goes hard like crack. You go ahead and wrap the other arm around him as you behold the heartbeat of a hero, something so rare in any day and age. You will never forget this sensation as he carefully pats your back.

“Ah, okay, just take it all in… I’m only allowing this once… hey, also promise me you'll keep my secret, okay?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"I'm not kidding. If you go telling people I'm Spider-Man, I'll make you clean toilets. SPECIFICALLY toilets. And only toilets."

You start to giggle. He does too.

"Just toilets, all day and all night! I'm serious. I know we are laughing but I'm dead serious. No estoy bromeando! Comprendes?"

"Si comprendes," you manage to muffle out.

"Good, good... Okay get off me. Please.”

You smile and let him go. He gives you an awkward smile and rubs the side of his massive neck. 

"So... seeing as I'm removing Micheal and pretty much any and all staff members who conspired with him, you’ll need to hire your own assisting staff. You have anyone in mind?”

≋≋≋（蜘蛛侠）≋≋≋

“I’m going to lunch!” You call out as you leave your glass paneled office. 

“You want me to go ahead and send out this mass email, dear?” Your mother says from behind her grand desk.

“You let Speshall look at it, right?”

“It’s wordy but I’m sure it’s fine,” Speshall says from her office area. She returns to her phone, “Oh they eloped?! To where?!”

Your new staff has it's own habits but they are much better than the unjust monsters running things before. You walk onto the elevator (the only one since the other two are STILL broken), and the nice Indian man from weeks ago joins you.

"How's life, Arjuna?" You ask.

"Ah, in-laws are staying over for a month."

"Oh? Is that bad?"

"Not really. Let's say I just might jump out a window," he says, slyly.

"Well I know a few custodians perfect for the job!" you blurt out. The both of you crack up laughing. You fortunately don't have to ever see Micheal, Syd, and Brody on a daily basis since O'Hara sent them off to clean in the Alchemax Museum of Tech, but that hasn't stopped you or your friends from making them the butt of all your jokes.

You walk out into the lobby of the Alchemax Business Bureau, where you see your red Maglev Nova outside waiting in the rain. 

“All fueled up, boss!” Says the old receptionist behind the counter. He’s drinking his coffee in peace.

“Thanks, Stan!” You say.

You walk outside to your car. The paint job was redone and all her internal issues gone as she hums cleanly, awaiting your arrival. You open the door to get in.

"HEY!"

You look over the Nova. You see O'Hara across the street.

“Miguel! Hey!” 

“Hey! We doin’ this?”

“Yeah! I got some coupons for double thick enchiladas! Two for the price of one!”

“Ay, you and those coupons! I told you, I’m buying! Woah-“

He steps back as a truck flies past him. It drives right through a puddle, drenching the man. He stands there all stunned; his jacket was folded on his arm and his dress shirt soaked.

He gapes at you and you realize you are staring at the wet shirt clinging to his chiseled body. 

“We- we can stop by the dry cleaners on the way," you stammer as you politely look away.

๋࣭ ⭑🕸 fin 🕸๋࣭ ⭑

Thank you for reading.

[corellianhounds]

Thanks for The tag buddy!

(And soon I will answer it, 'cause I need to organize my ideas :)

But, The Clone Action Movie Pitch actually got me.

I'm all ears 👀

YESSSS I’m so happy, I was hoping somebody asked about this one! This idea came to me two weeks ago and I’m STOKED (And also I am defo ready to see what you have cooking 👏)

So basically the thought started with the beginning to a familiar action movie setup of a group of guys having to reunite after over a decade because somebody has been coming after the members of their former squad and killing them off one by one, and now they have to get back together for one last job to find out why and put a stop to it. Despite the fact I started writing this with the express purpose of using all sorts of action movie tropes for the formula, there’s still new and fun twists on how they happen because we’ve set it within the world of Star Wars. It’s a good old fashioned action movie, babyyyyy!

It’s also all original characters, which I know may not be some people’s thing, but it means that this is unconstrained by most of canon, in terms of timeline consistency or connections to other properties’ stories. I have plenty of canonical Star Wars elements, but I wanted this to be a case of “Hey do you like Star Wars and don’t want to do any homework to understand what’s happening? Do you like action movies? Come on in!”

—

Taking place ~16 years after the end of the Clone Wars, the story opens with fifteen-year-old Rio and his father living simply in a city on an Outer Rim planet. Most people didn’t know what the clones looked like beyond their armor, and that— along with its owners— was phased out a long time ago. Rio doesn’t know much about his father’s past beyond his own life, but it doesn’t come up in conversation much and Rio doesn’t know of a life any different than the one they’ve always had.

There’s some suspicious activity and murmurings around town, us following Rio through what a normal day should be for him, but as the day draws to a close things start to get more suspicious. His dad, normally a genial and easygoing guy, is strangely quiet and serious, and there’s a moment Rio catches him having some furtive conversation over a comm in the hall; when his dad realizes he’s there he snaps at him to go back to bed.

When Rio’s noticeably caught off guard by his dad’s tone, his dad visibly softens and his shoulders slump, and he goes to him, gently pulling him in to press his forehead to his son’s as he apologizes, asking him more civilly to go upstairs. Rio reluctantly does as he’s told; though his dad outwardly seems much more like his calm self, there’s still something tense about him.

The next day it’s clear there is something going on, the kid seeing people closing up shops, arguments happening in the square, a squad of troopers questioning and harassing people. Rio’s nearly caught up in trouble with the troopers himself before his dad appears out of nowhere and intervenes, making quick work of them before telling him to stay calm and follow his lead, the two of them swiftly making a beeline for their home.

His dad tells him to pack a bag of necessities only, says they’re leaving and they won’t be coming back. Rio, understandably alarmed, desperately follows his dad around the house asking questions, asking what’s going on in town as his dad yanks cords from electrical panels in the walls and burns the databanks on his machines, and the kid’s alarm only heightens as he sees his dad pull burner comms, armor and gear, tools and equipment and weapons he’s never even seen before from hidden compartments all around the house.

His dad hated guns.

When Rio finally stops him and demands to know what’s going on, refusing to budge another inch until he has answers, his father sighs, visibly pained by the anger and distrust on his son’s face.

He takes Rio by the shoulders, gentle despite all that’s happened. “Do you trust me?”

Rio looks doubtful. “… Is the person you are still my father?”

“Yes,” his dad says without a moment of hesitation. “Yes, Rio.”

Rio wavers for a moment, but right now all he sees are the earnest, honest eyes of his dad, and he realizes… Yes. He does trust him.

“… Okay,” Rio says, beginning to help pack gear into a duffel bag. “Let’s go.”

—

The kid doesn’t ask any more questions as they head out of town on foot, not even when gunfire starts up several blocks behind them and people start panicking in the streets. They’re at the edge of town when they hear the first explosion and Rio sees his dad’s resolve harden to determination. An old friend of theirs takes them by speeder outside of town; Rio still doesn’t ask questions when his dad leads him to a ship that’s been hidden and well-maintained for over a decade, and eventually the two of them set out to escape off-planet.

They wait in a remote location for other ships and transports to arrive. Rio sees a number beings exit the ramps; there’s a Pantoran woman in a trench coat with a satchel over one shoulder. A mountain of a man in a motley assortment of layers follows her, wearing a visor and partial face mask, accompanied by a droid. Another pilot lands and immediately hops out from the cockpit, sliding down the ladder as a second man follows. The first looks like a stunt racer, dressed in speederbike leathers and boots. The second man looks like a regular lineman, though with a rifle slung across his and a mask covering his features. The pilot unbuckles the strap of his helmet as he joins them, and something about it looks familiar to Rio.

A real, honest-to-gods Mandalorian appears from behind Rio and his dad from the outcropping they’d met at, either having been there the whole time or somehow managing to creep up on them without notice.

The group convenes in a loose circle, and his father removes his hood.

“Lark,” he says, nodding to the woman. “Gentlemen,” he says to the men. “It’s been a while.”

They all look at each other, noticeably glancing at the kid before he puts a hand on his shoulder and says “Rio. My son.”

Slowly, one by one, all of them remove their helmets and masks, and Rio can’t help but look around the circle in astonishment.

Each man there, every one among them for no discernible reason why or how, shares his father’s face.

WIP Ask Game

[daintyduck99]

'tis the damn season (write this down)

For your consideration: some JatP Christmas fics

Summaries included below, check AO3 tags for more information

where the lovelight gleams by @bananakarenina

Julie Molina, one of the biggest popstars on the planet, is spending the month of December in New York City to promote her new Christmas album and a huge Christmas Eve concert at Madison Square Garden. Her team has hired her a personal driver for the whole month--Reggie Peters. Julie's struggling with losing her creativity and passion, while Reggie is struggling with just trying to make rent in the big city; he hasn't been really creative in years. Can the two of them find their way back to music before Christmas comes? What else will they find along the way? (Love. Obviously the answer is love.)

you could call me 'babe' for the weekend by @locketletters

“Look, there's no way my parents are going to buy the fact that you’re my boyfriend.” Luke crosses his arms, brows furrowing, “What’s that supposed to mean?” in which luke goes home with alex for he holidays as a pretend boyfriend, and leaves with him as a real one.

Not Found Under the Tree by @breakaway71

There's only one thing Julie wants for Christmas.

Haunted Holidays by @invisibleraven

JatP Advent ficlets 2023!

Our Luxury (A Love Like Stars) by @psyduckappears, @daintyduck99

“So, I bought a ring,” Luke says, casual in the way that usually Reggie would realize is nowhere near casual and much closer to freaking out, but he’s a little busy choking to death on his lunch.

not the last unknown by @bananakarenina

It's Christmas Eve, and the Molina family goes to church. This year they have a couple tagalongs.

Joy To The World by @wishfulstargazer

"Christmas in LA is free of snow, but not of spirit. In fact, between the lit up palm trees, the shop displays everywhere, Feliz Navidad playing on every radio station, and a host of Christmas music and decorations all over Los Feliz high school, Christmas is pretty much unavoidable. It all grates on her nerves. Christmas without Rose Molina is unthinkable. Almost as unthinkable as music without Rose Molina." Can a well meaning trio of ghost boys bring back Julie's Christmas spirit and help her reclaim her music?

From the Heart by @breakaway71

Reggie gives Julie a gift, but she is not the only one to have some feelings about it.

Hallelujah, Everybody Say Cheese (Merry Christmas From The Family) by @a-tomb-with-a-view

Reggie sighs and turns in Luke’s arms to face him. Luke leans forward to kiss Reggie’s nose, his smile playful even if his eyes are huge and full of concern. God but Reggie loves him. “I’m not going home for Christmas,” he admits eventually. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but… but not that.” Luke frowns, and kisses Reggie’s forehead instead this time, having to lean up on tiptoes to do so. “Why don’t you come over to ours?”

Phantom Carols by @invisibleraven

Fills for the JatP Advent Event 2022!

Kiss Me Under the Missile Toad by @wr0temyway0ut

“Woah, little dude,” Willie says as he lowers Carlos to his feet. “You gotta be careful up there. What were you even doing?” Carlos gives Willie a proud grin and thrusts something into their hands. “I’m hanging the missile toads!”

why do i care how much it may storm (i’ve got my love to keep me warm) by @tillstarscollided

There is something special about nighttime snowfall, how it’s quiet and almost eerie with only the lights from the porch to show it, but how that also means you can watch it collect and sparkle in a controlled section of light instead of being blinded by the sun reflecting off the entire landscape of white. There had been snow on the ground already, slowly melting, but this new batch was evening it out, covering up the mud and sludge with a new blank canvas that Reggie really wanted to just go and mess up with snowmen and snow angels, as the ones he had already made disappeared, but it was 1 am and he should be cuddling in bed with his partners, and he has bad impulse control but not that bad of impulse control. or: Reggie’s partners bring him to New York to see the snow, and he hasn’t stopped staring since.

a lonely boy on christmas by @nuandia

Alex doesn’t really think twice. He takes the tangerines and a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water out of his shopping bag and offers them to him. The boy looks up, startled. His face guarded, his posture tense before he blinks at Alex and then relaxes. He smiles a tentative smile and slowly reaches for the offered groceries. But his eyes are sparkling, making the breath in Alex’s throat catch.  Or, everybody's lonely on Christmas Eve. Or well, maybe not.

Of Hearts Borrowed And Blue by @daintyduck99

“Some vacation,” Julie mutters, shedding the duvet and reaching for the coffee maker.  She still doesn’t know why everyone was so convinced that a change of scenery would do her good—it’s not like Julie can outrun Christmas. Caleb apparently also forgot to mention that everyone in this town is obsessed with the holiday, which isn’t all that different from the current atmosphere at Molina Family Photography.  If anything, Julie’s even more of a grinch here that she would be back home, because she stuffed all of her grief into a battered suitcase, and she can’t just pull it out for every single stranger trying to get her into the Christmas spirit.