#Fic: Countercurrent

[stygiansauce]

Countercurrent

Series: cross our sticks and hope to die Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: 3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series Hermitcraft SMP Empires SMP

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: No Archive warnings apply

Relationships: Jimmy | Solidarity/TangoTek, Jimmy | Solidarity & Pearl | PearlescentMoon, Past Jimmy | Solidarity/Scott Major | Smajor1995 - Relationship

Characters: Jimmy | Solidairy, , Pearl | PearlescentMoon, TangoTek (Video Blogging RPF), Hermitcraft Ensemble

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe- Hockey, light angst, fluff, character study, Implied sexual content (Please read AO3 tags carefully)

Summary:

 She hasn’t changed much: longer hair, same smile. Eyes a bright cornflower blue, cheeks flushed from the chill. She’s as beautiful as ever.

“You look like shit,” Pearl laughs. Hands set firmly over Jimmy’s shoulders, she looks him over. There’s a skeptical pinch to her brows, a crooked lilt in her smile. She lifts her hand, gentle as always. The same hands that used to put bandaids on his knees and push him back onto the ice.

Or; Jimmy is home.

(Directly after the events of Unsportsmanlike Conduct)

Read on AO3

[wizards-and-tea]

10 and 13 for Kairi! <3

10: Favorite platonic ship with them?:

ooooo thats interesting I feel like she has a lot of really good relationships to work with-if i had to pick a favorite though it would probably be her relationship with ven! I think they have a lot in common and i think theres a lot of potential in how they interact and play off of each other. i can see them starting to get really close when kairi starts training with the wayfinder crew, maybe learning to lean on each other and grow without sora and riku

13: Favorite fic focusing on this character?:

ooooo i'm sorry i have to pick top two i can't just pick one. i really like this sunset town by littleghost it hass kairi move to twilight town after kh3 its stuck in my brain for years, i love how contemplative it is and how it shows the whole of kairis journey after kh3, she gets her happy ending after everything falls apart for her-moving to the complete opposite end of the spectrum going to angst instead of fluff is stratum by foxdreams i looooove this as a complete opposite response, really exploring how fractured her relationship with riku is and how it's been that way for a long time, detailing its sad glory without sora there to smooth things out. foxdreams has a lot of good kairi fics i really like countercurrent and chairoscuro too they do her sooooo good

[sparks-olivarpente]

being a teen before internet

I've been reading sooo many amazing byler fics, but I've been thinking about my own experience of trying to figure out my sexuality in the before-internet-time and I can't often relate to what I'm reading (not that it is a problem, but I thought I'd share my thoughts on it, since a lot of writers seems to be younger ^^) *putting on my mr Clarke costume* In most stories I've read, the characters either accept their sexuality very fast and easily (which I absolutly love reading! #healing my inner teen) or there is some over the top drama… I think there is something in between?

The current mindset that allows (maybe? I hope) young people to be ok with the idea of being gay (or being out of the norm in any way) DIDN'T EXIST back then (in the 90's for me). To accept who you were, you had to deconstruct your own thought patterns yourself, without the internet, without help… It took YEARS! It was not something you talked about either. I was lucky I was into SF and fantasy books because some of them had relationships and ideas that were out of the norm, but I don't remember reading a book with a clear gay couple before I was 20-something. In my head, the place tagged "relationship" (even heterosexual ones) was like a big emptiness with a few cliché ideas… Not enough material.

What I remember was the strong duality that was going on in me when thinking about my identity and sexuality: on a conscious level, I wanted to be open minded and accept who I was, and on another level I was dealing with half-conscious thoughts of fear, self-loathing, thinking I was abnormal etc… I was lacking the words to process it (like the word asexuality, it didn't exist so you just thought of yourself as abnormal). So if I had had the opportunity to be in a relationship as a teen, it would probably have been VERY awkward!!! most likely I would have said no and run away… I liked that one fic where Will didn't react to Mike's love declaration (or kiss? can't remember) and told him he needed time to process. I'm super grateful for the fics that show them being clueless and awkward <3

When I talk with people in their 20's now, they seems to move throught the concepts I was struggling with super fast and more early than we were. Like, back then we were trying to move countercurrent in a heavy dark muddy collective mindset, and now it's a clear river or something (but maybe that's just me having cleared my own head XD)

Thanks for reading :)

[stygiansauce]

sauce sauce sauce i just finished countercurrent and oh my god!!!!! it's so good!!!!!

the way you characterize Jimmy is so well thought out and soooooo well executed!! his overthinking and the way him and Pearl interact and the way he thinks about Tango AHHHHHHHHH

and Pearl!!! she's finally here!!!!! wow she knows him sooo well (she totally called him out immediately just being like, "you fucked the guy you fought, didn't you?") their banter and the way they just know each other so well has my heart :)

and all of the little bits abt Jimmy and Scott's relationship, I am so curious to learn more abt that!

TANGO CALLED HIM OH MY GOD I am so ready for their date, it's gonna be amazing!!! (and maybe more Tango POV??????) (I am far more excited than I should be abt his soon-to-be crash out over Jimmy's age)

your writing is incredible and this fic was amazing!!!!! (can't wait for MoE ch5) <333

HIHIHIHIHIHIHIH GREM!!!!!!

Did you guys know Grem was my first ever tumblr moot? like yall I've been on this hell site for over ten years (I did the math recently and it was scary) and I was NEVER active until I started posting MoE. and then Grem appeared in my notifs and BOOM moots. anyways, this has been your Grem appreciation paragraph.

I'll go list mode for this one!

Thank you!! I really tried with the stream of conciousness thing and I'm very happy with how Jimmy came out! (bouncing around the highs of being with Pearl again, and the lows of the rest of the night)

PEARL!!! I love writing Pearl and I feel like I never get the chance to do it? so Sticks has a dedicated side line plot for Pearl and her goals to get back into the Prix (I have so much skating research to do aough)

I do love how she and Jimmy just get eachother. I was trying to model their dynamic off of two relationships I have in real like. one is my best friend/wife/beta reader Bea. She and I just get eachother in way no one else does, I love her with everything I have and we live about 20 hours away from eachother, separated by a boarder. The other is @bidoofenergy (tagging your ass lmao get loved idiot) because Bidoof and I share a brain???? Like we clock eachothers shit constantly and I just value what we have so much. It's really hard to find someone that has the same grooves to their brain and I wanted that dynamic to come through for Jimmy and Pearl. This love that cant be explained by shared experiences but by the sheer understanding of how the other person works. Pearl is in Jimmy's head just as much as he's in hers and that shows 100% through how they are on the ice.

OHHHHH past flower husbands yeah....So I know it looks bad!!! but Scott had his reason to go and he DOES NOT feel good about leaving Jimmy and Pearl the way he did. He's not a bad guy, Jimmy is just hurt and explaining it all wrong. There's actually an alternate timeline where Jimmy DID go with scott and they're happy together in Europe. It saves him a lot of pain in the concept of Hockey but also brings a lot of pain in other places to make up for it. (Jimmy's best timeline is the one where he ends up with Tango...)

YEAH!!! Ranchers crumbs at the end because we cant NOT have ranchers crumbs in a ranchers led au lmao

Thank youuuuuuuu I love feeding you guys it brings me so much joy to share my work

[stygiansauce]

TANGO I BEG OF YOU SPOIL THAT MAN HE NEEDS PRINCESS TREATMENT YESTERDAY!!

I’m so looking forward to the next one shot of sticks (serious ranchers drought rn)

~ :D

Hi :D!!!!

He does spoil Jimmy don't worry. I have two verions of their first date in my head and I'm TORN on what to go with. I might makes a bullet outline of both of them and have the homies pick the best one.

I'd like to apologize in advance (and gather some hype) because the Ranchers won't be together again for another like, 3 (?) oneshots. So, Countercurrent covers Jimmy and Pearl. Then I have a Tango pov oneshot planned (so excited for this), a GEM ONESHOT!!!!!!!! and a Joel oneshot (if it stops fighting me.....)

THEN the Ranchers can have their date. so hold onto your seat babe...this is just the start.

[stygiansauce]

sauce Sauce SAUCE!!!!!!! I have to tell you I loved this so much!!!!! aghahzhhdhdjdyoure gonna kill me at this rate <3

I wanna ask what type of flack (if any at all) Tango was getting from his teammates about his massive crush on our Jimmy? because we don’t know if he tells them or not and if he didn’t tell them he’s a stronger man than me because I would’ve told them AND called Jimmy the same day he’d given the number </3

some of us (me) cannot be subtle </3

HAI BABE!!!!!! Please don't die the Ranchers haven't even had their first date yet.

SO SO SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO I love this au because I can yap about whats gonna happen ahahah!!!!!!!!!!!! Tango doesn't tell his team. This is actually a plot point (im pretty sure? lots of things are moving around rn to accommodate other character's stories) for Jimmy to ask for Tango to introduce him/talk about him. I'm gonna go a little hard with the territorial Tango theme for Sticks, there's gotta be a backstory reason for it....I'm sure I can make one.

Sticks Tango has actually been so much fun to put together because he's a lot more twisty than my normal Tango's (yall have only seen one of my Tangos, and MoE Tango is like...the biggest romantic softie ever? who like never puts himself first?). Sticks Tango is older so he knows what he wants out of life. He's just a massive caretaker and his main conflict is wanting to care for Jimmy while also respecting that he's an adult. And Jimmy is so shit at taking care of himself, they have to find a bit of a balance there.

Either way, Tango doesn't tell his team. He DOES tell his best friend, but only because the best friend clocks his shit and tells him to spill it.

[stygiansauce]

So you just made Countercurrent a part two story of your fanfiction series called "Unsportsmanlike conduct." I have to say I'm a week late on reading this butttt, hey i still read it so. Let's start with the topic of the room USC!Gem is ruthless and picking her friend USC!Jimmy like damn immediately grabbing his clothes and asking him "Who mauled you?" Damnnnn, okay. I like this two already. I have to say it's interesting how USC!Jimmy have a past like with his mother trying to make him date girls and such. Which is saddening. And the messy breakup between USC! Flower husbands. Yikes... That's gonna be something. And i find it interesting using hockey as metaphors and such. Like of course, you dummy. It was hockey team au. Of course the writer gonna make hockey metaphors for their stories. And i have to suspect that Jimmy's team felt something on him and decided to be easy on him. Like i dunno.. I'm probably shooting blind in the dark here. But oh my god. USC!Tango calling USC!Jimmy sunshine on the damn phone, damn my dude. Like sheeeshhh... You fallen harder on that older gentleman, sir jimmy. Like hey no one can't blame ya know. And honestly I'm trying my hardest not to make an reaction while riding on a public aircon bus. Given i was blushing, sweating and trying not to squeal like an highschool girl over this fanfic especially the part where USC!Tango asked USC!Jimmy for him to spell it for him aside from inviting him on a date. Anyway... I'm excited for more of your works. Keep it up...

Hello!!! Im so glad you liked it!

The whole series is called "Cross your sticks and hope to die" so if youre looking for anything on my account related to the au it'll be under au: sticks.

I fear ive missed the mark on Jimmy and Pearls moms guys. I'll have to find a new fic to explain it in, but thier mom's are best friends. So they're not blood cousins, they're extended family cousins (is this just an American thing?)

Their mom's, like most girls that grow up together and have kids together, joke (and hope a little) that their kids will date. This obviously didn't work because both pearl and Jimmy are gay. So the conflict here is that Pearl's mom, while knowing Pearl likes girls, still holds hope she'll end up with Jimmy.

Still sad! But no forcing I promise! But alas, its my fault for not explaining that. Dont worry guys I have a good fic in mind to shove the fix into.

I do love Sticks Jimmy and Pearl because they're mirrors of each other (a countercurrent ahaha) it'll be neat to watch their stories go different directions while staying in the same lake.

Anon, im so very happy you like Tango on the phone because the next installment to the series has a whole lotta Tango!!

Thanks for the ask, have the most epic gamer day!

[stygiansauce]

Im loving sticks AU so far, it's absolutely amazing sauce! I feel like Joel's gonna figure it out before the rest of the team for some reason

-🥛

Hi milk anon!!!

Yeah I think Joel is the first person Jimmy tells outside of Pearl. They get to have a fun dynamic in this au i love it soooo much.

Thank you for reading and enjoying!!! I've missed you milk anon, but i know ill always see you when I post fic <3

[stygiansauce]

hi sauce!!! just finished your newest sticks fic and oh my godddd i just love how you write jimmy and pearls relationship. they’re sooo childhood best friends coded and you just write them so well. really just pearl in general and i remembered that shes canon in moe so i cant wait for her to be introduced in that too!! also with pearl looking for a partner, could that partner potentially be gem?? shinyduo perchance?

alsooo i sent you that ask about lizzy mcalpine a few weeks ago and i thought you’d like to know that i was listening to vortex while reading the fic and specifically reading this line:

“Around and around and around, skates draw circlet grooves into the ice. And eventually, the vortex brings them together at the center.”

which HOLY MOLY again i could say so much about your incredible writing style and what an amazing like that is but also vortex!!!! god i love that song(you totally cant tell from my url/j)

anyway can’t wait for more of this au because i’m OBSESSED and also obviously moe!!! ok byeeee

HEY HEY HAI WHATS UP I LISTEND TO VORTEX AGAIN AND WOUAHHHGGHHHHH THATS THE SONG FOR JIMMY PEARL AND SCOTT YES IT ISSSSSSSSSS.

Damn I love Lizzie McApline. shes just too good to not love aougha.

I DID consider shinyduo, I also considered Pearl and Katherine doubles. But I opted for something so much better instead. and this plan loops a character into the story in a really intresting way that I LOVE SO MUCHHHH. And this is one of the few thing's I'll keep quiet about because when it's revealed, yall are gonna lose your minds.

oh that line....I love that line so much. I don't know what possessed me to have them skate circles around eachother. A lot of Jimmy's backstory for sticks just comes out of me before I can consider the implications for his character. The whirlpool means a lot to me and I am very excited to have someone witness them doing it too. (thats a cool scene in my head)

Thank you for the kind words babe omg. I love yapping Lizzie with you, we should do it all the time actually. xoxox

[stygiansauce]

Hello hello! It's me again, it's been a while since I popped by, I did leave a comment cause ofc I had to leave a comment 'cause DUDE- PEARL AND JIMMY JUST BRING ME SO MUCH JOY!!!!!

Anyways I can't wait to see what happens with the tango one shot you mentioned for sticks and also hell yeah jimmy being pampered has to be a must by every Tango in every universe cause he's so smitten for his rancher hihi :b!!

(is that when he finds out about how old jimmy is? In his one shot? Or does that happen during the date??)

Also the fact that chapter five of MOE is fighting you so much is equally as funny as it has me concerned for you Sauce, it sounds like if it was a person you'd strangle it KKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!

I wave excitedly at you as I slowly dissipate into nothingness again 👋 👋

Hey kisses!

I saw your comment, it's so kind thank you!

YEAH the next one shot does include some themes on age gap and guilt and....Mia knows this cause I had the idea in dms lmao. Tango has some very recent backstory that I've trying to impliment now. He's such a neat character to me. like, super hot (I cant believe I wrote him so hot I have to tone it back omfg) and also ORGANIZED!!!!! He's a man who had everything planned to a T and I love that so so so so so much because Jimmy's head is such a mess he needs someone that will just be like "no, we're doing this" and let him let go AOUGH STICKS RANCHERS

...I'd like to say i'd strangle moe 5? but like at the same time thats my baby. I was just yapp with worm about the main themes of MoE and how I plan to impliment them NOW to have a big part LATER. and like, the love for her is still there. I have an exact plan for five, i know what themes i wanna cover and how I want the chapter to flow. the problem lies within my ability to find the words. they've come to me. they always do.

[stygiansauce]

Sauce my beloved!

You have done it again! That fic is a masterpiece. This will be incoherent as I just finished reading it, but I needed you to know how much I appreciate this piece!

Jimmy and Pearl tell us so much? “If Jimmy is a bird, Pearl is the nest”? I’m weeping. The Whirlpool and the promise of honesty in the whirlpool? Brutal honesty as only good friends will be with each other. Ahhhh

Pearl’s mother and her questions and the way Pearl is using them to break the tension and slightly divert the subject? I’m dying laughing. But also it’s such a good glimpse into their relationship.

The entire routine scene???? The way it’s been eight years and they both clearly still remember it by heart?!?! The symbolism of the only deviations being made on purpose as they make choices in the conversation? Ough. I am nibbling on that like it’s a delicious cake.

Overall just the level of in sync that Jimmy and Pearl are? Eight years separated by distance but clearly not kept away from each other. It reminds me of my relationship with my brother.

Pearl knowing Tango’s stats and looking him up in general? I don’t know why but it made me cackle. That and how Pearl just instantly clocked that Jimmy got some. She’s so happy for him! Concerned, but that’s also understandable. I also love the sprinkling of foreshadowing for Tango’s upcoming old-man guilt.

The dynamic where Scott is both Jimmy and Pearl’s ex partner????? Oh my word. Like clearly, different types of partner, but the fact that he chose his career over the both of them. Pearls guilt over introducing him to Jimmy? I just want to hug her and remind her she isn’t responsible for choices made by two consenting adults.

I’m sure more will come to me, especially when I go back and reread in a few days. But this series of oneshots is going to become a comfort reread for me, I can tell.

~ Elen (🍠)

Elen!!!!!! Oh my love, you leave the kindest messages in my ask box and I always get so excited when I see you pop in here. Thank you for your support, I am so so so greatful for you <3

I love when you call an ask incoherent because they are actually really put together thoughts. I love it so much ToT

YEAH SO. scene three was the first scene I wrote for this fic. I knew I needed them on the ice and it just, came out of me one night. It was one of those days (in the week right after conduct came out) that I was just struggling to put any words down. I was really upset about it too because I'd gone on multiple walks and had some good ideas couldnt type more than ten words the whole day. Then I got in the like, midnight-2 am tired and in a little less than an hour I spit out their whole routine. I love it so much, it came out almsot exactly how I wanted it first try (im very proud of that). There's just so much in there that I think would have fought me dynamic wise, if I wasn't so tired. This is why I write best in the morning right after my coffee kicks in, and right before bed.

The nest and the bird... So I wanted to bounce off of Keralis's "once a bird always a bird" line from conduct. and at first it felt wrong to call Pearl the nest because I didn't want her to come off as the caretaker in their relationship. They both care for eachother equally. But the most I thought about it (and double checked a book about birds to see if i was crazy) It works out well. Pearl is home, the place the bird always comes back to. But Jimmy cares for his come, maintains them, the bird keeps its nest in perfect shape. They are both susceptible to the movements of life, but they pick up the peices together.

YEAH! So Pearl does this a lot in my fics and I love her for it. She's very good at diverting attention elsewhere. She does it in sticks to give Jimmy a little breathing room. I also really wanted to bring up her mom because their relationship is a little muddy? Jimmy calls her his cousin, Tango calls her Jimmy's friend. So I needed like, kind of specifiy without explaining, their moms are best friends and they are cousins in a non-blood way. I wish I was still close to my extended-cousins like this, but alas we all grew up and went different ways. over all though, their childhood relationship is based of me and my kid cousin who is almost old enough to drink now oh my god that makes me feel so oldaouughhh

I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE ROUTINE SO BADDD ELEN!!!!! okay okay okay so YES. there are deviations in the routine that are intentional.

here, Jimmy choses to let Pearl continue with the routine, to continue dancing around the problem He stops because he needs her to understand that things are different now. He wants to talk about Scott, he wants to help Pearl heal. She isn't ready for that though. and this is why she stumbles on her landing, (catches herself because though she had Jimmy over the phone, she's had to either pick herself up or learn to correct so she doesnt fall...avoid the things that might make her fall, like a new partner).

and when they stop, it's just like a face off in a game. Neither one will back down from the problem they want to address. They decide to let it go for the moment, to fall back into their childhood comfort with eachother and just skate. Becaue skating is comforting.

NOW!! I draw your attentin to the unintentional deviation that I LOVE

mmmmmmm. Staying in the NHL and playing hockey has set Jimmy on a different path from Pearl. He started skating artistically, like Pearl did. she's taught him tons of spins and jumps and that skill has paid off in the terms of hockey because he has a different skating style than the people he plays againg.

so Jimmy is like, super talented on skates basically. He can control his movement on the ice better, and often uses figure skating footwork to save himself in tight situations. It's made him more marketable to NHL teams, to have the dextairty.

here though. The hockey is leaking into his figure skating time with Pearl. This little tiny section is there to show how he's been gone for so long, that hockey is consuming bits of himself that should be pure/preserved. Hockey keeps taking from him. and though Jimmy is quick to notice it, to put himself back in line with his desires and with Pearl. It still un-syncs them. he has to consiously undo when Hockey has drilled into him.

RAH THIS SCENE

Im gonna skip ahead in the bullet list cause I yapped a little about that in an earlier ask. but YESYESYEYS SCOOOOOOTT. so scott in this au is suchhhhhh a good narrative tool. I really wanted the double life scorned Pearl thing going on?! but I also needed Jimmy to have SOME KIND of good relationship in his past. Mkaing Scott Pearl's double partner AND Jimmy's ex was just such a crazy idea on my part and I'm so proud of it. everyone really found their place in this au and I love it very much. This is not the end of the scott conversation, and as the story goes on Jimmy see's where he was the problem (sometimes) in their relationship and Pearl gets a chance to be angry about how she was left behind.

OKOAY THAT WAS A MASSIVE POST OH MY GOODNESS. I just love chatting with Elen guys. Also the chance to yap about the skating scene because im insane about it and can go WILD with the highlighter and the analysis....

Thank you Elen!! sending you so much love my dear <3

[stygiansauce]

SAUCE WITH A WHOLE SURPRISE FIC / PART TWO… AUUUGHH!!!!!! Reading it made me want to go ice skating again ngl

I’m so glad we got a follow uppp I love his and pearls relationship!! Also that messy breakup part? Woof. That is a rough ass position to be put in.. patting Jimmy on the head rn

Also TANGO GIT IN THEREEE HELL YEAH!

Might have to reread unsportsmanlike followed by this new one again….. full course meal tyvm <3 🦃

Hai Turkey!!!

Yeah....Countercurrent was a surprise to me too! I posted the wip for wip wednesday and then just had the flow to keep going. I'm not trying to force Sticks oneshots (I don't force any of my writing really...save MoE five because it keeps trying to kill me in my sleep). They're meant to be shorter "break" peices that I can use to just sling my brain into the wall and see what words fall out.

This au takes place over 4+ years, it's not done ANYTIME soon. because I know where the story ends, and where it starts and like, no where in between? The joy of this, is that once I have all the parts out to set up the story, I can come here and chat with you all and we can build the au TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!

YESYESYEYS so PLEASEEEEEEEE read them together because there are some obvious imediate ties between the two (the shampoo) and some hidden ones.....my goal is always to allude to things early so if you go back to unsportsmanlike conduct with a little bit more context about Jimmy's past and the importance of Pearl a few lines will stick out more than others.

I always love cooking for you all. please enjoy the food, know that I make it for you with love.

[stygiansauce]

I promise Im not stalking you but I just read the new fic (pt2?) and then came here to see what was said and it was published 15 minutes ago… ANYWAYS it was amazing 10000000000000 kudos to you

Omg anon ToT

I actually thought it was so funny how FAST people sunk their teeth into this one, you are the very first person to read countercurrent (im clapping!)

Thank you reading!!! I'm very happy you liked it. and uh, a lot of people stalk the tumblr/ao3 it's cool if you join them XD

[stygiansauce]

OH MY GOODNESS SAUCE you have done it again! The relationships in Counter current??? I love the Pearl/Jimmy friendship they r so sweet to me and of course jimmy and his old man!! I can’t wait to see more tango pov and his perspective on their relationship. I love that although it feels lighter and more easy going than MOE you still manage to pull together so many cool and intriguing ideas in your writing!!! Thanks for always keeping us fed!! lol

- love crow

HI CROW!! Guy's i've spent the first three hours of my desk time today answering comments and asks. I cannot say thank you enouh for all the love WOWOWOOWOWOW I LOVE YOU ALL

Jimmy's old man gets a whole fic about old man guilt. Am I struggling with the guilt? YEA but that's because I don't reallllyyyyy understand feeling guilty about liking someone? not yet at least, I will be bothering Bidoof, the creator of perfect old man guilt Tango.

THANK YOUUU sticks really is a fluff au...eventually. But there is just no way I can't pull in themes and ideas. It's sports au summer!!!! It's all about learning how you are more than your body and about how it's okay to leave something you love if it's hurting you.

themes are big gamers, I have pots on the stove. I love keeping you fed crow, thank you for reaching out again <3

[stygiansauce]

Happy birthday to MoE Tango I’ve actually just melted into my bed and onto the floor, your writing is always beautiful to read, thank you for sharing <3

What website / app do you use to write btw? I know the usual weapon of choice for authors is Google Docs but I don’t recognise yours as that! (Unless you have a different font set lol) 🦃

Turkey! hello hello!

Happy birthday MoE Tango ToT. I love him so so so so so much, like my little southern guy who is practically an OC at this point--I realize we are in a heavy time of pining in MoE right now, but I have sooooooooo much fluff planned. I needed to give yall a little taste of that joy to come for ranchers. Thank you for your kind words, I WILL cry (I have...) I'm very grateful you read and enjoy my work <3

I use twoooo guys at the moment. Google docs mostly, my font changes per au. so MoE is normally in Georgia font (today's TaE wip was not? idk I didn't check I was too excited to share) sticks is written in Spectral because it's cleaner to look at. I feel like when I've writing action scenes/Hockey games, the movement is easier to follow when there's more spacing to see the words. My brain works funny yall, blame the wires crossing. Superhero au is currently written in Georgia but that's because I haven't written anything new in there since I started sticks, and therefore haven't changed the font yet.

I did TRY to write MoE in spectral but it fucked with my brain heavy. MoE only flows in Georgia font. The only time I change it is to edit, and if I do that I tend to do it in Times new roman because that's my academic brain mode font and it helps me notice more beta-leaning edits. (Edits not revision!)

The other sight that Kit has me trying out is called Ellipsus. It's free and has zero ai attached, save for the spell check you can turn off if you wanna. I use that for my cannon-verse fic (Teknition union my beloved) and Dealing Despair. This is mostly because I love changing the theme and having a color for each au. The day I figure out how to do this for docs, it's soooo joe-ver. MoE is such a baby pink au and Sticks is my blue/green king. (or orange? idk sticks tastes like an orange au in concept, but that also might be the flavor of the titles rn. like if I say countercurrent, thats an orange word. but if im like, cross our sticks-- that's blue/green. mmmm sitting on this.)

I don't hate Ellipsus, I actually like it a lot! but when it comes to beta reading, I really prefer google docs. It's much more collaborative and the way I set up my beta documents is super specific? I like to ask for specific things and then I use a color code system to mark stuff off as I read and edit. THEN the beta's roll in and do comments and highlights of their favorite bits. I just can't get that experience with another writing service (that I know of). It will admit though, my google does not have much space left and I might end making a whole new account just for my fics to hang out.

I DO use word, but only for my final final final final drafts. This is because i'm spending my summer learning how to format books to an industry standard and it's much easier to format fics when I have a document version to copy and paste off of. Kit has said she want's to bind MoE for me (aha not if I do it first kitkat) and it will save her a lot of time if I put the whole thing in a word doc for her. So every time I finish a fic, i put it in the word collection for if I decide I like it enough to bind one day.

OKAY THAT WAS A LOT! sorry, I yap. this is one of the thing's I haven't talked about in a moment so it's nice to be like ahhh here's my process lmao. thank you turkey, I really like when you pop into the box to ask questions. you've been a real light recently Joining all my favorite anons <3

[stygiansauce]

sauce my friend (am i allowed to call you any of that?) my love (all platonic :D)

i was on vacation for what felt like almost the entirety of june (two different trips both roughly a week long) and i fear ive been slacking on bothering you !!!

i saw the second sticks fic and i absolutely adore it ! i cant remember if i've properly commented on unsportsmanlike conduct (i think when that dropped was the last time i sent an ask) but i loved it, you never fail with writing insane sexual tension and raunchy ranchers :D

with countercurrent, it felt like a reminder that even in this universe of rivalry and uppercuts, the ranchers are still ranching and down bad and goofy at their core... tango's call at the end especially,,, and jimmy running to take it privately made me smile so much :D i also love how you further explained jimmy's background with the fic !!! im also always amazed at how ur exposition feels natural, as well as the dialogue between pearl and jimmy. their friendship was so blatant and heartwarming and i loved it so much !!!

ive seen ur posts about struggling with MOE and i wanted to give some words of encouragement, even if im not much of a writer. i love all your work, and MOE is such a wonderful fic so i wish you all the luck in tackling chapter 5!!! i fear ive been slacking as a saucefan, but ive wanted to illustrate so much of your writing but i can only pick and choose so many scenes... i was struggling with my MOE fanart because i wanted to make it as wonderful as i could, to do MOE justice. so from one creative to another, we can get thru this :DDD sending much love <33

HARU! my friend! (yes babe, we're friends), my love! my sweet and amazing daaarling!

GOSH this is so sweet of you, thank you for taking the time to write this out to me. It really means the world hearing how much yall like my work, it makes me more excited to share it with you all and proud that my love letter has earned your hearts too. I hope your vacation of enjoyable and restful Haru! I would kill for a vacay right now but alas I will let pet sitting my my vacay /silly.

There is no such thing as slacking! I'm grateful for you even if you're feeling quiet. The appreciation I get on my is astounding. I am always grateful for the readers that are loud about expressing their liking of my funny stories, but I'm also grateful to those that lurk. simple Kudos, or even just reading and quietly leaving after. I still got to share my art and in the end that's the whole goal of putting out fanfic! So it's okay Haru <3 I see you in my notifs I know you're still near by.

Thank you for loving sticks! I have no idea how I write the tension the way I do. I've been asked before how I do it and I just...stare at it? Till it does the thing? so it makes me happy that you all like it! I'm having a lot of fun with Sticks honestly. Playing with new dynamics and picking up characters I don't normally write for. It's also been a great way to meet new people and get closer with my friends, every day is exciting to live right now and I cannot say thank you enough for offering me that.

I will tackle MoE 5. I'm gonna do it and it's be great. I'm getting better with perfectionism (Spelling errors in IN my fic lmao omg) but to me, making the product something I'm happy with isn't really perfectionism. I want to be proud of 5 before she comes out, and I know you're all waiting so patiently so I will promise that it will be MoE standard (even or better than chapter four). There's some pressure yeah, but I know none of you hold it against me to take my time and make something we'll all love. It's funny, I was just telling Kit how I fear y'all would kill someone if I ever got a hate comment. <3

For YOU Haru, take your time too. Thank you for working on art for MoE, that alone makes me feel so proud and so loved. You could draw me a stick figure and it would do MoE justice so long as it's something you're proud to have made. This whole, fanfic and tumblr thing we're doing here is an exercise in loving things (for me at least). I want to love my writing again. I want to love my free time and my hobbies. I want to love researching funny topics, and reading, and interacting online. I do now. So make what makes you happy, something you love even if its imperfect, even if you think someone might not like it. I promise you I'll like it, because I like you <3 I am sending love right back at you babe. RAH this community ToT you guys make me soft. I have never cried more in my life than I do now (good tears!)

everyone go drink water and sleep good. I love y'all, freaking nerds /aff.