#im at the beginning of chapter 11 for reference

[sillyguyloserface]

was drawing this then i got to a certain lore point and now im just mad

[daisukoth]

So you know how i was saying that I'm hoping susie gets her own set of horrors?

Well, so far she has:

1) watched ralsei have an existental crisis and how she should stop caring about him and the other darkners

2) was having a heartfelt convo with tenna before the knight showed up and tenna got ripped to shreds

3) nearly got the snot beaten out of her by the knight

4) had to deal with her crush's abusive mother and not only likely triggering her own trauma but also be unable to help her crush

5) we find out she wasnt allowed to learn how to play an instrument

6) we find out she knows how to clean up blood?????????????????

7) felt bad about her ability to heal for like, half a chapter

8) her best friend is part of a conspiracy and is working against her (I know kris probably means no harm but like that still sucks, they clearly care about her and their friendship is really cute but they are clearly working against her and intentionally keeping that fact in the dark)

9) find the remains of a dead person, a dead person she was just talking with earlier and bonded with

10) gets told to pass a note from him to his son from beyond the grave

11) said old dead guy then tries to beat her up but for real because she tried to bring him from the dead a second time and he came back wrong (SERIOUSLY THAT WAS FUCKED MY POOR GIRL)

12) tries to heal the old man, then fcuking sees WHAT LOOKS LIKE HIS SKELETAL ANIMATED REMAINS

13) WATCHES RALSEI DISINTEGRATE THOSE REMAINS

14) Watch ralsei have another breakdown

15) something about the prophecy is fucked and shes GOING to find out even tho ralsei doesnt want her to and not even tho she doesnt want to anymore (my prediction is that shes not the monster from the prophecy, considering she looks nothing like the picture and we had a whole scene where susie talks about how she has never been picked for something before, there is a reason she can keep going "off script" she's not even part of it)

16) the knight beats her abd her friends up again! While theyre trying to make it up to the knight

17) gets laughed at by the knight

18) WITNESSES A COSMIC GOD BEYOND HER COMPREHENSION AND HAD TO FIGHT IT

19) nearly dies for real multiple times

20) OH BTW POINT 15? I WROTE THAT BEFORE GETTING TO THE END. She still gets flashbanged by that infohazard despite Ralsei's attempts. She acts like she isnt affected by it but the fact it fucked with her bad enought that she smashed it with her own hand rather than with her axe? My girl got a taste of forbidden knowledge and its fucking with her BAD (enough for her to smear the blond on ralsei's face and not even realise, dear lord, these kids are giving the vibes of a doomed sburbs session)

21) begins to hear the song from the sea the infohazard is DEFINETLY getting to her

22) has to witness sans and toriel doing... that (what? That counts as a horror! )

23) is so fucked from all that she decides to go to... wherever she lives despite how we have SEEN how she prefers to stay at kris's house

24) despite hwo kris obviously wants to follow her, because whatever conspiracy they are involved with they cant, so she doesnt even get to have the comfort of kris joining her as she goes back to wherever she lives

25) she has to go to her shitty "home" that she doesnt even refer to as home in the rain, shes gonna get soaked and cold

...

At least susie got to fight with gerson (the real one) one more time?

Man, i cant believe that i was worried that susie wouldnt get much focus

Anyway I BETTER see everyone love and appriaciate susie now, as I continue to do so

I am intrested in the weird route but i gotta marianate over susie horrors before i can digest white girl horrors i mean noelle horrors (not to be mean to noelle but you know... Love her a lot and im glad she and susie got to have a cute hang out together but I'm glad susie got a lot of time in the spotlight)

(Also noelle is so fucking rich, God. Enough noelle is intimated by susie fics I need more susie gets intimidated by noelle's fucking house fics. I remember when I was little visiting my crush's house for her birthday party and realising that she is a lot richer than I thought, that's shit is scary. Really efficient at making you feel out of place. Especially if you're susie and you get direct confirmation from your crush's mom that you're not welcome)

God susie has so many sad, defeated, stressed out, pained expressions these two chapters

This is like when I saw Battler's crying sprite in umineko and went "damn okay i guess i feel for him no" except im already attached to susie because shes susie so this hurts 10000000000000x more

Also she says dunked on as she jumps into the titans face cavity with kris, I love her

I understand why toby was so exausted from keeping susie from the world

ALSO WDYM TOBY? WDYM CHAPTER 5 IS COMING IN 2026??? I NEED TIME TO PROCESS

HELL FUCK YES. SUSIE FANS ATE SO GOOD THIS CHAPTER!! A REAL SMORGASBORD!!!

I cant believe I almost lost faith in that dog.... I knew Toby was gonna deliver in the actual game!!!! Susie is fr becoming the protagonist of the game atp.. And its completely deserved. MY GOAT! MY KING!!

edit: Yeah im also taking a long break before checking in the weird route. The one thing I saw disturbed me so bad I felt sick and needed a break. I am definitely not playing this myself. >(Also noelle is so fucking rich, God. Enough noelle is intimated by susie fics I need more susie gets intimidated by noelle's fucking house fics. I remember when I was little visiting my crush's house for her birthday party and realising that she is a lot richer than I thought, that's shit is scary. Really efficient at making you feel out of place. Especially if you're susie and you get direct confirmation from your crush's mom that you're not welcome) THIS IS SO REAL! nobody explores enough the class difference here, its very interesting to me. Like, Susie talking about how she needed to steal the game from lost and found to play, while Noelle owns so many of the games... And Noelle offering the game to her, and asking if she wants to do all the stuff she cant afford with her.. They're cute..

>This is like when I saw Battler's crying sprite in umineko and went "damn okay i guess i feel for him no" except im already attached to susie because shes susie so this hurts 10000000000000x more LOL SAME

>I understand why toby was so exausted from keeping susie from the world FMKALSMGLAGKA YEAH. I WAS TIRED OF WAITING, BUT I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW TOBY FELT, NOT EVEN BEING ABLE TO FORESHADOW ANYTHING IN THE WEB EVENTS

[lifeafterartsch00l]

🍥Sns fic recs🍅

*If you know these authors on Tumblr, please tag them! ❤️😊*

Oxigen's overrated by TheMidnightSong

I love love love “Sasuke returns to Konoha” fics. Ive probably read like 200 of them and i would love to read 200 more. I 🍽️ it up!

Shout out to the latest chapter in this sweet & spicy fic! So well paced. They are so into each other. Hot enough to fry an egg on. Nominating for a smut award 👑 (Im making it a thing).

*Still thinking about chapter*

…what were we talking about again?

“Chapters: 9/?

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto

Characters: Uzumaki Naruto, Tsunade (Naruto), Gaara (Naruto), Dai-nana-han | Team 7 Ensemble (Naruto), Uchiha Sasuke, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Haruno Sakura, Ninjas of Konohagakure, Konoha 11 Ensemble (Naruto)

Additional Tags: Post-War, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Fix-It, Ending Fix, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, POV Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke Returns to Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto is in Love with Uchiha Sasuke, Boys In Love, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Falling In Love, sasuke actually wants to become better, One-Sided Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura Needs a Hug, Eventual Smut, Post-Chapter 699 (Naruto), Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Blank Period (Naruto), Drugs Made Them Do It, Drug Use, Drunk Sex, Getting Together, After Party, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, sasuke never went to jail, Uzumaki Naruto is Bad at Feelings, naruto is actually super in love, But he doesn't know how to handle it

Summary: After the war, Kakashi, the now Sixth Hokage, sees necessary for Sasuke to continue his recovery with Naruto, and puts him in charge of this task. At first, Sasuke has no problem with the idea, but he begins to notice strange behaviors in his friend, things that make him doubt about the relationship”

Detox (20 years together series) by wedonotsow

Dark, kinky modern au. A wonderful writer, authentic-feeling experiences ❤️ Bittersweet with happy ending. 🖤🌶️ also Naruto owns a restaurant in this one and I like to imagine him like Carmie from the Bear 😂 yes chef 😉

“Chapters: 10/10

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Naruto - Relationship

Characters: Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Karin (Naruto)

Additional Tags: Drug Use, Hurt/Comfort, Rehabilitation, True Love, Rough Sex, Pain, Drug Addiction, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Recovery, Love, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Face Slapping, references to bloodplay, Anal Sex, Healthy Relationships, Angst with a Happy Ending, Shibari, Domestic Fluff

Series: Part 2 of 20 years together AU

Summary: Naruto thought that he'd experienced it all. After 20 years of enmeshed history and 10 years in a committed relationship, they had endured death, betrayal, violence, and even jail; but always inexplicably tied in solid foundation of unconditional love.

Nothing could break them. Naruto had been sure of it. That is: until Sasuke was forced into rehab for a drug addition he had been hiding. To overcome these latest demons they must confront the deepest, darkest parts of themselves. Even the stuff that really, really hurts.

Good thing they are so used to enduring pain”

Let the world burn by newtaste

I like to think this fic is like Bridgerton with teeth. Very sexy and smart with class struggle & character development. The romance is so well done 🔥💙

“Rating: Mature

Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru/Temari

Characters: Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Itachi, Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji, Sai (Naruto), Gaara (Naruto), Yamanaka Ino, Temari (Naruto), Hatake Kakashi, Deidara (Naruto), Sarutobi Konohamaru

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, Slow Burn, Yaoi, Enemies to Lovers, Inspired by Bridgerton (TV), Uchiha Sasuke-centric, Period-Typical Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, First Time, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary: Uchiha Sasuke is one of the most eligible bachelors in Konoha, looking for a successful marriage. He is an elitist, a conservative duke who hates people who do not abide by the rules of society.

Uzumaki Naruto is a rebel, a mere commoner, who plans to revolutionize the system that favours only the rich.

When they accidentally meet at the spring ball, none of them suspects their beliefs would be shaken to their core.

The story takes place sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century, in a European setting, during the industrial revolution. Slow burn”

[katiefinch637]

Lonesome Love ~ Luke TWDG x fem!reader

Chapter 1 ~ Hit So Hard

A/N:: Hii this is my first book, it’s also on wattpad under the same title (Lonesome Love~ (TWDG) Luke x fem!reader) and my account is @katiefinch637 It’s not getting much attention on there so im hoping itll do better here!! I’m used to writing on there so it’ll take me a while to get used to it on here lmk what you thinkk

WARNINGS!!!! major spoilers for TWDG season 1 and 2! Gore and character death, possible mention of sensitive topics (probably in later chapters as i don’t think theres any in this one)

CONTEXT!! y/n basically takes the place of Clementine coz i cba writing her in but other then that it loosely follows the plot of TWDG season 2 but y/n is NOT seeing up her own arm it is so stupid for so many reasons (dog bites are incredibly dirty and sealing that bacteria in with stitches when you cannot properly sterilise the wound of equipment is bound to lead to infection also A STRAIGHT NEEDLE?? yeah no thats just not gonna work and like just no it’s so so stupid just bandage it.) y/n grew up in the UK with her parents and younger sister, she moved to America and attended 'Ericsons School For Troubled Youth' from ages 11-15 and when she turned 16 she went to live with her uncle (Kenny) as she had a poor relationship with her father. Her mother had became disabled with a chronic illness from when y/n was 10. She is now 22-years-old, the niece of Kenny and former student of Lee Everett at a high school (ik lee teaches at a university but shes too young to have been at university before the outbreak) where he had been her history teacher for two years (16-18), She then went on to get an apprenticeship at a tattoo parlour just before the outbreak. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~୨୧~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Christa, talk to me."

I plead, begging her to just say something. She hasn't said much since 'it' happened and as each week passes my worry grows.

Standing, Christa sighs and tends to the fire, low flames eat at the damp wood as it's poked and prodded by a thin stick. The soft amber glow reflecting onto her skin, she stares, blankly at the dancing blaze. 

"This'll never work."

Christa grumbles.

"Look at this, it's pathetic. The wood's too wet to burn. There's more smoke than flame. At this rate, we'll be eating this for breakfast"

She complains, referring to the mangled rodent cooking atop of the fire.

The rain patters on the soggy ground bouncing up as it hits the dirt, slowly the water begins to suffocate the fire and as the flames fade so does their hope, their hope of surviving the night, and their hope of making it to Wellington.

"Let me take over for you, sit down I'll sort it"

I suggest rolling up the sleeves of my fitted, purple jumper, crouching before the fire.

Christa steps back taking a seat on the log, smoothing her hair -coffee coloured and dull- out from her eyes, she exhales. 

"We cant stay in one place too long. It's too dangerous. We need to keep moving."

I state, jabbing at the kindling.

"All we do, all we have ever done is move. But we never seem to get anywhere"

Christa retorts. Her eyes - empty, free from any emotion and resembling that of a corpse - were halfway closed. As each day passes I begin to notice Christa's face contorting, becoming more lifeless, more gaunt, more dead. After Omid's death Christa stopped caring about almost everything, she ate less, spoke less. It was as if the day Omid died so did Christa, leaving behind her shell of a body. 

Inhaling a long, slow breath, I speak up.

"We need to find a group. People we can trust. We've been on our own for too long."

"Trust? You think we can trust someone out here?"

Christa questions as if it was an obvious fact. 

"No. Not now. Not anymore."

The quiet whistle of the wind fills the air accompanied by the faint roar of flames. The silence was comforting, a nice change from the heating discussion previously brewing. A chance to reflect. A chance to breathe. A chance to recover from the hardships that have become apart of daily living.

Christa sighs,

"I'm gonna go look for more wood you just keep the fire lit." 

I hear the faint crunches of footsteps as Christa strolls off. Once again the silence returns, nothing but the irregular rustling of leaves to fill the empty. 

Shuffling about our little 'camp' I search for anything to burn, something that wasn't drenched. I find sticks, twigs, leaves, nothing enough to create a proper fire though. Combing through my backpack I push past the spare clothes - darkened blue jeans, a blackish-grey laced vest, a knitted black cardigan and a dark-brown almost black fur-hooded coat, along with various other necessities, one being my 'ice pick'; honestly i'm still not sure if thats the correct terminology. All Molly told me when she 'lent' it me was that it's name is 'Hilda', nevertheless its very useful. Reaching in I pull out a small notebook, ripping out a few pages, chucking them, along with the small branches and dead leaves into the fire, I watched flames jump up, embers leap, spreading out in the air before falling. 

"This'll have to do"

I mumble to myself in a low, hushed voice. 

Reaching into the side pocket of my bag I shuffle my fingers around and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Sliding one from the packaging, the cigarette fits between my thin fingers with ease. Holding the end of the leaf filled cylinder over the fire i watch embers form jumping, popping and crackling as they dance on their tiny circular stage, and as the heat threatens to burn my fingertips. The smoke trailing upwards towards the stars creates a comforting sight. 

I bring my fingers up to my cracked, blood stained lips, before inhaling a long, deep, drag. The breaths grow relaxing, with every inhale follows a soft exhale of wondrous patterns. I close my eyes, breathing in the silence, drinking in the tranquility. The smoke found its way with the wind, following the path out into the melody of the rain, dancing, twirling, swaying with the breeze.

Examining the chipped red polish on my bitten nails I take another drag. 

"Jesus, are you fuckin' kidding me?"

A loud, unfamiliar voice spat.

I cough, the burning sensation of incorrectly inhaled smoke stabbing my throat. Throwing the cigarette onto the floor, crushing it with the heel of my tattered steel toed boot, I sling my backpack over my shoulder along with my bow - multiple arrows already shoved into my backpack peaking out for easy access - before following the males voice with haste. My legs carry me briskly, towards the call as i pat my person feeling my knife in the heart-shaped back pocket of my jeans; other than Hilda, my bow and my knife i have no other weapons, that sort of stuff - especially guns - are becoming almost impossible to aquire.

"Out here? Alone? In the middle of nowhere? But we haven't met anyone yet. How many people are you with?"

Another unrecognisable voice hissed.

"Hate to see someone get hurt"

The seedy male threatens.

"Now, hold on, she's setting you up."

One man cautions.

Christa stutters,

"I'm by myself."

It was then, i see Christa surrounded by a group of hostile, shady looking men, one who held a lead connecting to a large, hairy mutt, spits another threat Christa's way. The canine barking, all shouting over one another, a storm of threatening remarks drown out all other noise, no longer can i hear the deafening pound of raindrops attacking anything and everything in it's path. My heart drops to my gut. Eyes wide, my gaze darts around looking for something, anything to help Christa.

"Don't fucking lie to us!"

A man demands

Muffled voices filled my ears, dancing around my head, spitting at me. I couldn't move, my feet frozen to the ground, my words stuck at the back of my throat. The rain pours down on me, hard and fast, causing my dark locs to curl around to my face.

"You fuckin' with me?"

He demands, shoving Christa's slim frame causing her to stumble back.  

It was as if a switch had flipped, allowing me autonomy again.

I pull a shaft from the improvised 'quiver' inside my backpack, slowly, quietly and smoothly as I had been taught all those years ago. Without taking my eyes from my target, practiced fingers led the nock to the string, while my arm raised the bow to my cheek, the ice cold sting of half-frozen fingers pressing against my face. Slow, deep, even breaths as I pull the bow taut, feeling the fletching tickle my jaw as I sight the arrow.

Then nothing. No sound, no motion. No breath. My fingers simply went limp as the string slipped past them. In an instant, the engine of death twanged and went silent as the faintly whistling point found its target - the man, now stood in front of Christa, his gun raised, pointing between her eyes. 

The crack of the arrowhead penetrating the males skull sent chills, rushing like water down my spine. And as he falls limp i can't help but feel a sense of relief. 

The impact of the arrow forced the man snapping sideways, following the path lead by the foreshaft embedded deep into his brain. His body trailing a second behind, collapses with a thump into the muddy sludge.

"Run Christa!"

I scream, sprinting off hoping, preying that Christa ran in time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~୨୧~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter 2:

[apalapucian]

5, 6, 10, 11, 12 & 19 for the fic year in review pls!

hi haley thanks so much for these and im so terribly sorry for the lateness!!!

5. what ships captured your heart? jily, but no surprises there. this year i think - and i wouldn't say it captured my heart, but - what piqued my interest was prongsfoot. and i blame all the randy jily writers on my dash for that one lol.

6. what characters captured your heart? more than jily, because that's default, this year it was sirius! and regulus also.

10. what fic was the most satidfying to finish writing? egos practically wrote itself, especially the ending. that's a rare thing to happen, so i was v happy and satisfied about that. i hope it happens more in 2025.

11. what fic was the most difficult to write? for reasons both writing-related and personal-life-related, i really really trudged through the last two chapters of bad day wall. i surprised even myself when i managed to finish it.

12. what fic was the easiest to write? the entire concept for no questions asked appeared in my head slowly but surely for one of those prompt games i was sent this year. when i started writing it, it also just flowed on its own. compared to the other fics i wrote, it's more scenic and vibes-based and abrupt (much like one last), more like connected flashes of something instead of a whole laid out story, which is always the easiest to write. i really like that one. i wanna make more of it in the future.

19. share your favorite piece of dialogue.

okay so. from bad day wall, this text exchange (james is bold and lily in italics):

let's just say she doesn't like me very much

did she tell you that?

yes. in many creative ways. really creative. if it wasn't at my dignity's expense the creativity would have been awe-inspiring

ah. condolences :(

:(((( so what do i do, do you think?

if she already turned you down (many creative times), then nothing. i think you should respect that.

damn. you couldn't have drawn it out a little? don't give up, she'll come around, she just needs a little more prodding???

well just that if it were me i wouldn't want more prodding

you wouldn't change your mind? ever? if it's you.

i'm not saying i wouldn't EVER, but it just might take some time. and space. and perspective?

so much physics

such is love, i'm afraid

___

a couple of director's cut tidbits from this:

i just found it funny that lily was saying "if it were me" without knowing it's ACTUALLY her like it was so amusing to write

james suddenly punctuating properly in "you wouldn't change your mind? ever? if it's you.' was deliberate, like, in my head, when he starts typing properly, it means he's talking about something he feels serious and deeply about. and i did this in the entire fic i think, like when he got a bit more serious and solemn, he stops writing like he's making a tumblr shitpost. whch he goes back to in "so much physics", hoping for cool and unfuckwithable, but the way lily says "such is love, i'm afraid" is like, it's corny, but it's true, and she believes in it, and they're both talking about something serious and true and validating each other's feelings but also through a fucking wall and they don't know each other and they don't know it's about each other sjhfdsidfj anyway i just love this bit from BDW personally.

"time and space and perspective" is also what happens in the next chapter, when they spend some time and space apart, james trying to move on in the beginning of summer and lily trying to build a little life post-moving out, and then new perspectives when they start spending summer together in the gryffin.

also james, a pureblood, being into and knowing enough about physics, a muggle thing, to make a reference, is really hot lmao, and also a reference to completely human james. there is a draft of that chapter where lily pauses to speculate that the stranger must be muggleborn because of the physics thing, but i couldn't put it in without getting too wordy and ruining the momentum of their conversation, so i just cut it. but yeah! james and physics. hot.

sorry this got so long lol thank you and happy new year, haley!!! 💜

[up-in-space-reading]

Average Weekly Screentime - Chap 4: Study Dates and Movie Not-Dates

pairing: Jake Peralta x Amy Santiago

word count: 3546

warnings/tags: college au, texting, drunk texting, text fic (mostly, there's prose a few chaps in), bets, bisexual!jake peralta, jake peralta has adhd, parties, drinking and alcohol, sexual references, implied sexual content (nothing explicit, just suggested its going to happen/has happened), friends to lovers, swearing, mentions of cannibalism, lighthearted threats of violence (typical rosa stuff yk), fluff CW: At one point in this chapter there's a guy being a bit pushy towards Amy but its over fairly quickly and nothing bad happens.

read on ao3

Average Weekly Screentime masterlist

Story Summary: texting fic college AU with the squad! It's the beginning of the school year and while everyone else thinks it'll be the same as the previous year, Gina has a feeling things are going to be different and wagers a bet with Rosa and Charles. Told through all the various group chats everyone is in.

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 5 | Chap 6 | Chap 7 | Chap 8 | Chap 9 | Chap 10

authors note: Another chapter is here!!! I don't really have much to say about this chapter if I'm honest except that it was a fun one to write!! There's actually some fun little Gina and Charles moments that were very fun to write so I hope you like those too.

Thanks for reading <3

Jimmy Jabbers

[11:32am, Sunday]

Pineapples: how is everyone this fine morning??

Four Eyes: It’s far from a fine morning, it’s absolutely freezing outside Four Eyes: Also my head hurts

Pineapples: you and me both ames

Four Eyes: I was thinking of going to Sal’s for a greasy breakfast and coffee

Pineapples: great idea! Pineapples: count me in

Queen G: calm down u two Queen G: im also in Queen G: ily sal

RoRo: same

Pineapples: that u love sal?

RoRo: I’ll hit you

Mr Grapes: count me in for greasy breakfast too! Mr Grapes: gotta have the party debrief

-

Dance Squad

[11:37am, Sunday]

G-Hive: well that’s a new development

Scary: elaborate?

G-Hive: ‘ames’ G-Hive: a nickname

Scary: right Scary: is ur life THAT boring gina?

G-Hive: i will end u

Scary: i’d love to see u try

-

Amy sat up in bed with a groan, her muscles aching after the hours of dancing and the cold walk home in heels. Her head was hurting, the light peeking through her curtains just a bit too bright for comfort. She stretched and mentally went through her routine to get ready: pain killers, brush teeth, get dressed, do hair. Makeup was not going to happen today she had decided quickly, and she was sure the left-over black eyeliner hugging her lash line was sufficient to convey an illusion of effort.

She moved about her dorm going through the process of getting ready, making sure to wear some layers as a cautionary look at the weather report told her that she would need to rug up. A part of her made the rest of her feel guilty for not showering but she wanted to be ready quickly to go out, and she wasn’t ready to part with the curls Gina had crafted just yet. So to preserve them a bit longer Amy tied her hair up into a ponytail.

It wasn’t long after she’d finished tying her hair up she got a message from Jake.

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[11:58am, Sunday]

Ferris: u ready?

Cameron: Yep!

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[11:59am, Sunday]

Pineapples: whos ready??

Queen G: rosa and i are

Mr Grapes: mee!

Four Eyes: Ready

Pineapples: meet at sals? Pineapples: usual table?

Queen G: k

Mr Grapes: yep

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[12:03pm, Sunday]

Ferris: im outside ur building

Cameron: I thought we were meeting there?

Ferris: i got too excited and left early

Cameron: Haha okay, on my way out now

-

Amy put her hoodie on and zipped it up, she then quickly wrapped her scarf loosely around her neck and was about to walk out of her door when she suddenly remembered the jacket hanging over her desk chair.

Without thinking, she put it on over her hoodie and ran out the door shrugging her bag onto her shoulder. The elevator ride was quick and walking through the building Amy noticed a few others who seemed to be nursing hangovers from an eventful Saturday night.

She met up with Jake outside who seemed to give her a once over before prompting the beginning of their walk, Amy didn’t question the look he gave her and chalked it up to being hungover. They chatted about nothing in particular as they made the short walk to Sal’s.

Walking through the door they were hit with a strong gust of warm air, the heating having been turned up to accommodate for the weather outside. Rosa, Gina and Charles had already gotten there and were getting comfortable in their usual booth.

Jake called out to them as he and Amy walked through the diner towards the table, Charles turned around to greet Jake back. His face lit up when he saw the two of them and Amy thought it was nice how close Jake and Charles were.

Charles quickly turned back around in his seat and Gina raised an eyebrow at him before composing herself again. Charles shuffled down the booth so Jake and Amy could slide in, Jake sitting in the middle and Amy on the edge.

She quickly got warm in the diner and moved to take Jake’s jacket off, handing it back to him.

“Sorry, forgot to give you this earlier” She said as she handed it to him.

“Ain’t no thang” He placed it on the seat between the two of them as Amy gave him a weird look in response to him.

-

Dance Squad

[12:10pm, Sunday]

Charlese: have mercy on me Charlese: he gave her his jacket Charlese: that’s his favourite jacket

G-Hive: what does it MEAN charles

Scary: I think you know exactly what it means gina

G-Hive: but he hasnt even said anything about liking a girl G-Hive: let alone AMY G-Hive: he usually overshares about that stuff

Charlese: he definitely would’ve told me by now

Scary: you two are exhausting

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[12:11pm, Sunday]

Cameron: Rosa, Gina, and Charles are texting each other aren’t they?

Ferris: we can only assume so Ferris: so rude tbh

-

The five of them ordered their greasy breakfasts and a boat load of coffee, talking about the party and how everyone’s night went. Charles began oversharing about his evening with a girl before a round of disgusted responses got him to ease up with the details.

Gina and Rosa (primarily Gina) recapped every detail leading up to and during the argument some two random guys were having which caused them to leave. Then Jake and Amy were asked how their night went, Amy almost began blushing and felt embarrassed to answer but she didn’t know why. All she did was play beer pong with Jake and the others, then dance with Jake, then walk home with Jake, and borrowed Jake’s jacket-

Oh.

“I’m just gonna run to the bathroom” She excused herself from the table quickly while Jake recounted the beer pong game for Gina.

While in the bathroom she tried to get her head straight, convincing herself now wasn’t the time to think about these sorts of things because she was hungover and tired. For now she moved all the thoughts of her night with Jake to the back of her mind, glad that they were still talking about beer pong when she returned to the table.

After a while and checking the time Amy decided to go back to her dorm and do some reading, wanting to at least feel mildly productive today. Everyone agreed they all had things they needed to do, so they all paid and left the diner, walking back to campus in the cold.

They went their separate ways towards their dorms and Amy almost felt lonely going up the path towards her building without Jake by her side, cracking jokes and bouncing on his toes with excitement over a new would you rather question he thought of.

Once back in her dorm she sighed heavily, getting out a book, putting on some music and settling on her bed to read.

-

Dance Squad

[04:06pm, Sunday]

G-Hive: do we need a debrief orrr??

Charlese: a debrief would be fantastic

Scary: you two are way too heavily invested in our friends love lives Scary: they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do and in their own time Scary: what they tell us and what they don’t is up to them, give them some space and have some boundaries Scary: don’t be weird and don’t be creepy

Charlese: …

G-Hive: … jeez rosa G-Hive: charles call me in 10 we gotta talk

Charlese: will do!

Scary: unbelievable

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[04:19pm, Sunday]

Ferris: just asked charles if he wanted to watch a movie and he said no bc he is on the phone to GINA

Cameron: That’s so weird, what are they talking about?

Ferris: he wouldnt tell me!

Cameron: That is very unlike either of them Cameron: It’s probably nothing, don’t stress about it

Ferris: hm okay

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[06:12pm, Monday]

Pineapples: okay Pineapples: what is the message u would send to signify you were kidnapped

Mr Grapes: McDonalds is the best food ever

RoRo: the colour pink is underrated

Queen G: Beyonce is overrated

Four Eyes: Books are for nerds

Pineapples: mine is Pineapples: i love making the bed

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[07:32pm, Monday]

Ferris: really wish i had some soup yk

Cameron: My mom makes the best soups; I’m looking forward to going home for the holidays and eating as much of it as possible

Ferris: brag much! Ferris: if there is leftover ill happily accept

Cameron: Haha, with all of my brothers that’s a very big IF

Ferris: how many brothers do u have??

Cameron: Seven

Ferris: JEEEEZ Ferris: no wonder you are the way you are

Cameron: What’s that supposed to mean!?

Ferris: ur SO competitive Ferris: me too tbf

Cameron: Can’t argue with you on that one..

Ferris: i tell it like it is

Cameron: Sure you do Pineapples

Ferris: the horrors never end :(

-

[02:10pm, Tuesday]

Cameron: Are you on your way yet? Cameron: I’m at our usual table

Ferris: sorry omw Ferris: couldnt find the right notebook

-

“I said I’m not really interested right now, I’m just trying to study” Amy said for the third time to the guy sitting across the table from her, getting increasingly agitated at his persistence and praying Jake would show up soon.

Her prayers were answered when she saw Jake walk in and spot her, at first looking happy to see her before his expression changed. He could tell immediately that something was wrong and made a beeline for the table as quick as he could without running through the library.

“Jake, you’re here, hi” Amy quickly cut off the guy who just began talking again.

“Hi Ames, is everything alright?” He sat down next to Amy and was quickly looking back and forth between her and the guy who was now confused and angry at Jake’s presence.

“I was just asking her out because I think she’s pretty” The guy cut in, not letting Amy answer.

A look of understanding crossed Jake’s face.

“Well as her boyfriend I’m not sure I can support that” He put an arm around Amy’s shoulders as he said this and her eyes widened in surprise.

She hoped against everything that Jake didn’t notice the heat creep up her neck, she could hear her heartbeat in her ears as her brain was running through a million different emotions all at once.

The guy scoffed and walked away from the table, leaving Amy to sigh a breath of relief. Jake removed his arm from around her and she was disappointed at the loss of warmth and weight.

“Well he sucked” Jake commented after a few moments of silence, trying to break the tension.

Amy exhaled quickly through her nose in response.

“Yeah he did” A few more moments of silence passed as Jake got his things out of his bag, “thanks for that, I appreciate it” She continued, quieter than before.

“It’s fine” Jake shrugged it off, opening his books and laptop, spreading everything out across the table.

The two of them worked for roughly 10 minutes in comfortable silence aside from the clatter of laptop keyboards and the clicking of pens. Suddenly Jake stopped with a halt, putting down his pen and leaning down to rummage through his bag.

“I completely forgot, I brought lunch”

He pulled two sandwiches out of his bag, handing one to Amy.

“You got subs? Lunch was meant to be on me today” Amy protested with a smile, remembering their banter from the weekend.

“Next week it’s on you, then” He responded, waving a hand in dismissal.

He went to open the sub and begin eating it right there over his books and it made Amy cringe but she let him be, knowing her objections wouldn’t make a difference.

They spent a few hours at the library studying until it got dark, Jake frequently asked Amy questions about the work and she was happy to answer all of them.

She wore a small smile on her face the entire way back until she got in her dorm room and realised what she was doing. She then proceeded to scream into her pillow and flail around until she was satisfied she’d gotten her feelings out, feeling childish afterwards.

Her feelings for Jake was something she simply chose to not think about, because having feelings for Jake was complicated and Amy’s never done well with complicated that wasn’t related to school work.

There was also no way Jake liked her back, they were way too different.

-

He wished he could go one day without thinking about her. She was the most beautiful plague on his mind, half of him wanted a cure but the other half enjoyed the symptoms far too much.

His jacket smelled like her, his notebooks had her red pen marking throughout them, and his camera roll full of memes that he found just for her.

At first it was a feeling he was able to deny, but slowly the feelings crept up on him, slow enough that he hadn’t noticed until one day it hit him like a truck. The feeling made him sit down with his head in his hands, wondering how he could possibly develop a crush on one of his closest friends.

Charles had been saying since day one that Jake and Amy were meant for each other, and now Jake couldn’t believe he was actually right. If Jake ever told anyone, Charles would swoop in with the advice of a declaration of love like and happily ever after.

But Jake couldn’t do that, Amy didn’t like him back and how would they even work they’re such different people. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship.

Jake Peralta was head over heels for Amy Santiago and had no idea what to do about it.

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[07:03pm, Thursday]

Cameron: Looking at the assignments you have left and how much time, you’re 100% gonna get it all finished

Ferris: you think so???

Cameron: Absolutely!

Ferris: ur the best ames

Cameron: It’s nothing.. Cameron: You’re the one who did all the work

Ferris: im gonna have a nice relaxing winter break

Cameron: And then back to it in the new year

Ferris: dont remind me

Cameron: If it’s any consolation part of me is dreading going home

Ferris: what about the soup?

Cameron: The soup is great, the busy household with no privacy is less than great

Ferris: fair enough Ferris: feeling lucky im an only child Ferris: but my mom cant cook like urs

Cameron: You’ve never had my moms cooking?

Ferris: i dream of it Ferris: i dream of soup ames

Cameron: Of course, haha

-

[05:42pm, Saturday]

Ferris: what r ur saturday plans

Cameron: Dinner soon, then study, maybe a movie if I have time Cameron: Why?

Ferris: forget that mess Ferris: im getting take out and watching a movie Ferris: join me plleaasseeee

Cameron: Not that I don’t want to, but what about Charles?

Ferris: on a date with the girl from the party Ferris: im proud of him

Cameron: Good on him Cameron: Okay, I’ll finish this up and head over Cameron: Do you want me to bring the big fluffy blanket?

Ferris: dumb question Ferris: obviously bring it

-

[06:03pm, Saturday]

Cameron: Coming over now!

Ferris: see uuuuu

-

The Night Boys

[09:23pm, Saturday]

Deathblade: hows the date going?!

Sidewinder: AMAZING Sidewinder: we both go to the same restaurants around the city and she loves dogs Sidewinder: I think she might be the one

Deathblade: thats great charles!!! Deathblade: use protection!!

Sidewinder: WILL DO JAKEY

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[09:48pm, Saturday]

Pineapples: if u disagree when i say one of the hottest looks of all time is Patrick Swayze in dirty dancing then ur not my friend

Queen G: out of nowhere but an important message thank u jake

Pineapples: i only speak the truth

RoRo: swayze’s hot

Four Eyes: I never said he wasn’t hot, Jake, can you let it go!

Pineapples: not until i get vindication

Four Eyes: Get off your phone and watch the movie please

Pineapples: fine

-

Dance Squad

[09:56pm, Saturday]

Scary: yeah somethings going on

G-Hive: YES ROSA

-

[07:23pm, Monday]

*G-Hive started a video call* *Charlese joined the call* *Scary joined the call*

Gina: Heeeeeey

Charles: Hi Gina! Hey Rosa!

Rosa: What do you want?

Gina: I wanted to talk to the only two people who care about Jake and Amy-

Charles: Peraltiago, that’s their names combined-

Gina: Boyle! You’re ruining the fun of it!

Rosa: There shouldn’t be fun to speculating as to whether two of our friends are gonna bang

Gina: If that isn’t fun then what even is fun, Rosa?

Rosa: Knives

Charles: Just knives?

Rosa: Just knives

Gina: Ignoring that. Can you believe they were watching a movie together? Without us! I’m almost offended we didn’t get an invite

Charles: To be fair, I was on a date so I couldn’t have gone anyway

Gina: Don’t even talk to me about how you had a date on Saturday and I spent the whole night in my dorm alone

Rosa: Didn’t you get the DJ’s number from the party?

Gina: OH MY GOD! Rosa thank you for the reminder, texting him literally as soon as we’re done here!

Charles: What are we doing here exactly, Gina?

Gina: Great question Charles. We’re here because I’m bored and want to do anything other than more goddamn school work

Charles: Fair enough. Did you see Amy wearing his jacket last week?

Gina: He has a weird attachment to that thing and seemed perfectly fine giving it up to Amy for however long? He literally wears it everywhere!

Charles: Everywhere! And he just let Amy have it for at least 12 hours, that’s gotta mean something

Gina: I hate how much you get me Charles

Charles: Sorry

Rosa: Have you guys ever considered that they like each other?

Gina: Of course we have Rosa

Charles: Only ever since the two of them met

Rosa: I’m going to indulge you for a minute, and then I am leaving this conversation. Stop gasping for god sake.

Charles: Sorry

Rosa: The two of them clearly like each other, they’re both stubborn and competitive and weird. One day they’re gonna talk and figure it out, and its not up to us to interfere with whatever weird flirting friendship thing they have going on.

Charles: I might start crying

Gina: I hate to say it but me too

Rosa: Great, now I’m going. Bye.

*Scary left the video call*

Gina: Now that she’s gone, I gotta tell you what Sasha in my analytics class said today!

Charles: Dish!

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[04:05pm, Wednesday]

Cameron: You’ve been out of class for five minutes and still not given me an update regarding the assignments? Cameron: Keeping me on the edge of my seat here haha

Ferris: well ames… Ferris: idk how to break it to you

Cameron: What happened?

Ferris: I GOT A 70% Ferris: I HANDED EVERYTHING IN AND I PASSED Ferris: this semester at least

Cameron: JAKE THAT’S AMAZING Cameron: I knew you could do it!

Ferris: i wouldnt have been able to if it wasnt for u

Cameron: That’s not entirely true, you were the one who did all the work

Ferris: but u helped and encouraged me Ferris: so im thanking you Ferris: just accept it

Cameron: Fine… you’re welcome

Ferris: ur gonna hate the next bit tho Ferris: im sure u remember our stakes

Cameron: Oh no…

Ferris: if not ill refresh ur memory Ferris: amy santiago Ferris: will u go to terrys new years party with me AND match me drink for drink

Cameron: Yes, Jake Peralta, I will go to Terry’s new years party with you and match you drink for drink

Ferris: SHE SAID YES LADIES AND GENTS

Cameron: Hahaha Cameron: Tread lightly, I have a number of nieces and nephews who will gladly get me sick right before the big event if you’re not careful

Ferris: ames how DARE you threaten to betray me Ferris: and after all the work ive done

Cameron: Hahahaha

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[04:15pm, Wednesday]

Pineapples: good afternoon everyone! Pineapples: whos planning on going to terrys nye party??

Queen G: im absolutely there

Mr Grapes: it’s still a week and a half away but yeah I’ll probably be there

RoRo: idk RoRo: if I’m not doing anything else

Pineapples: @Four Eyes and ur answer?

Four Eyes: …yes I’ll be there…

Pineapples: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Pineapples: whats that sound? its the sound of victory

Four Eyes: Whatever you say, pineapples

Mr Grapes: hahaha pineapples is still funny

Queen G: cool it mr grapes

Mr Grapes: aw..

-

[03:30pm, Friday]

Four Eyes: I’m heading home for the next two weeks now. I hope you all have a great holidays!

Mr Grapes: you too amy!

-

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[03:31pm, Friday]

Ferris: wait im not gonna get to say goodbye to u?

Cameron: Sorry, I thought I’d have a chance but I ran out of time

Ferris: thats okay Ferris: have a good holiday ames :)

Cameron: You too, Jake :)

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 5 | Chap 6 | Chap 7 | Chap 8 | Chap 9 | Chap 10

authors note: And so we end it just as the holidays begin! I loved writing the dynamic between Gina, Charles, and Rosa this chapter; especially Gina and Charles! idk why but I just have this feeling that Charles and Gina would love gossiping together, and being the two really openly rooting for Amy and Jake I feel like would cause them to be a little bit closer in that way.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll try to have the next one out as soon as I can!! Thanks for reading <3

[teecupangel]

here im once again but this time really late jsdfjksdkjfsdjkf, thoughts on whats going on?

This answer is late too, ssoorrrryy

I have created the tag! Here’s the tag for all my reactions and analysis to this webtoon.

Official English translation (the free chapters anyway) here

It seems I have skipped a week so this would be for both Chapter 10 and 11.

Edward’s eyes glow blue this time around even though they glowed red/orange when he used Eagle Vision in a previous chapter. I’m gonna go on a limb and say ‘artistic freedom’ or something. I’m still going for the ‘Eagle Vision makes eyes glow gold’ because it’s me.

The infiltration mission was okay. The coin distraction though…

……………

Coin throws in AC has always been more on the side of “free money!” and used to get civilians to turn into human obstacles for guards.

Coin distraction is more of this dude’s thing:

And…

I don’t understand why they went for that route? Edward has sleeping darts. And, yeah, okay, maybe he doesn’t have it with him but that only makes me go “Why not?”. Edward had always struck me as the type to use whatever is at hand so deliberately leaving his darts and his rope dart? It feels like… it’s a character development that makes him feel dumber than he was before. Assassins used whatever tools are available in their arsenal so, not using or forgetting their tools? Looks bad on Edward’s part.

By the way, Black Flag had whistle so Edward could have whistled instead. Would it have gotten the other guards’ attention? Absolutely. But it would have been more in line with what we know of Edward’s skill sets.

(Does that mean Edward couldn’t have done the coin thing? No. He totally could. It’s just… a rock distraction would be better in my eyes because coin throwing distraction skill is such a known game mechanic of Hitman that it's pretty much a core of the games' identity by now. Maybe this was meant to be a reference to Hitman or something, but I kinda wonder if the authors forgot that coin throwing distraction is not an Assassin’s Creed thing?)

By the way, this isn’t surprising that it’s a full blast musket fire but the safer setup is to have two or three ‘groups’.

The idea is: one group fires then the other group fires while the first group fires. That way, there’s a shorter gap between firing. (This is officially called Volley Fire and it’s quite common)

Just to be clear that I’m not criticizing the authors’ decision to not use volley fire. AC games usually only have one line of musket fire too (ex: AC3) so that might have been a reference to that. Or this was created to show that the shinobis are a real danger that don’t even flinch in the line of fire.

… Or… Oda Nobunaga used volley fire so the Shimazu clan would have an idea that the moment the musket fires and they survive, they win.

.

.

.

Okay, let’s talk about Edward using a katana.

Siiggghhh, I didn’t know I was going to talk about this but here we are.

The action is pretty good.

The choice to give Edward a katana makes me go “why???”

And then there’s Edward’s actual stance when using a katana.

He uses it quite well.

But he uses it like he knows how to use a katana in general which feels weird?

Could he have learned it when he was a pirate? Sure but we never got any indication of that.

Also, his use of the katana is too different from how he uses a single sword in Black Flag. His 'idle' stances themselves are not good for katanas and you would think that Edward would use the katana like his usual sword-stance for single sword but no. He uses it like he knows how to use a katana from the very beginning.

I just… I don’t understand why he has to have a katana for this chapter…

Dude, his usual sword is right there.

I'll believe it more if he had been trying to dual-wield his usual sword and the katana.

Although, I've seen some frames where the sword disappeared like these two...

But seriously, why make Edward use a katana when there's no prior knowledge that he knows how to use the katana?

Rule of cool?

Reeeaaalllyyy???

Putting that aside…

Shimazu Saito isn’t in the Shimazu Clan wiki so he’s most probably created specifically for this one. I do wonder what the kanjis of his name is because if his ‘Sai’ is 西, that could also be read as ‘Sei’ which might add some kind of connection to ‘Shimazu’ Sei.

Also…

This might be a POE, probably a Sword of Eden, unless that shonen-manga aura thing is some kind of artist interpretation to show how deadly he is. It looks like an odachi to me and my first idea might be the odachi that would later be known as Haja-no-Ontachi.

This would mean that the Shimazu Clan has a Sword of Eden and I feel like the Templars wouldn't use this willy-nilly so this makes me lean further to the whole 'these Shimazu enemies are rogue 'Templars' that have left the Order and the Shimazu clan for some reason'

Sidebar: I still think this could be a stealth promotion for AC Red but there's also the possibility that this was created to drum up some interest to play/replay Black Flag especially with the rumors of a Black Flag remake in the works and the rumors that they would be headed by Ubisoft Singapore that was developing Skull and Bones. If it did... this might end with Noa Kim being saved by the Assassins who tell him to relive Edward Kenway's older memories because there's 'something' hidden there and the remake will change the modern day setting to Noa Kim instead of Black Flag's Noob.

Which... I don't really support? Because (1) AC1 deserves a remake more (although I am worried that Ubisoft will fuck that up) as Black Flag still holds up well and is more accessible than AC1 and (2) Noob's modern day setting in Abstergo Entertainment was pretty fun imho and it would be funny if the remake's Abstergo Entertainment looks a lot like Ubisoft Quebec's offices.

[2ndstringloser]

Guts track predictions!!

1. all american bitch Liv has said this one is going to be more pop punk vibes and sound very similar to brutal which is verrry exciting. My wild prediction is that it might have some political messaging, olivia has been very outspoken this last year about womens rights in america so a little commentary on that from her wouldnt be too far from reality.

2. bad idea right?  Her interview with vogue mentioned a song that is about having a night with an ex partner and i just feeeel like this is probably it. the feeling of oh this is a horrible idea but we’re gonna do it anyway arent we and the emotions that come with jumping back into something for just one night

3. vampire vampire. 

4. lacy honestly this is the only one i can’t even begin to make an assumption about. it could be a romantic song or it could be something else idk this name isnt giving me a lot

5. ballad of a homeschool girl very self explanitory, i would assume its an exploration of the experiences and things she feels she missed out on by not going to normal school.

6. making the bed i think this is a play on the idiom “you made your bed now lie in it”. Olivia has talked a lot in interviews recently about owning up to past mistakes, so i predict this song would be about embracing the concequences that can come with making mistakes. 

7. logical  this will probably be a song about the internal conflict of knowing when a choice or a relationship isnt rational or logical, and that you might regret it if you do, but wanting to do so bad that you dont care if it isnt logical.

8. get him back im almost certain this will be a double entendre on “get him back” meaning getting back together with someone and “get him back” meaning get revenge. its going to be the second single so its for sure gonna be very up beat and poppy, probably not sad. if the clip of song that was in the tracklist video is actually this song then i bet itll sound a bit more like deja vu and good 4 u had a baby.

9. love is embarassing this one is gonna be so relatable i can feel it, probably going in on the idea of when you have a crush thats so strong you are literally embarrased at how much you love the person. and just the way that being in love requires so much vulnerability that you cringe every time you open up to someone. 

10. the grudge if “now i hold you like a grudge” from the tracklist video are lyrics from this song then i bet its gonna be slower and more of a ballad, i cant tell though if itll be angry sad or just sad sad 

11. pretty isnt pretty the vogue interview also mentioned a song about the expectations put on women and their apperances, so this is almost definitely the one.

12. teenage dream my brain is saying brutal reference and thats the only thing i can think of. I highly highly doubt she would end the album on a song that sounds like brutal though so its probably a lot slower and sadder. I think the purpose of the closing track referencing the opening track of her debut is to sort of close the book on this chapter of her life. these are the two albums she created as a teenager, they are very similar in branding and aesthetic and i feel like its clear olivia sees them as sister albums. I think this is her closing the door on her teen years and closing the door on this chapter of her carreer as well. 

[shoezuki]

just finished binging your Doctor sampard fic on ao3 and I’m literally screaming what do you mean Sampo doesn’t stay with Gepard I AM LITERALLY SCREAMING

on a more serious note though I genuinely LOVE your writing so much- like, I’m not very confident in my own ability to Longfic TM, so I find myself subconsciously analyzing your writing style along with others to try and improve (you’re literally one of my writing inspos!!)

I love this plot concept so so much and the way the plot progressed throughout part 1 literally had me hooked from the start (are we just going to ignore the fact that Sampo had his house blown up at the beginning 😭??) anyways as a certified whump/angst enjoyer I rate this an 11/10

-💫 anon

Anon i first saw this when i was on the bus n was barely holding my shit together n im Still losing my mind rn holy fuck thankyouuuu so muchhhhhhhh aaaaa 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😭 im . Absolutely ecstatic to inspire u in any way hotmrvaiKx dbdnd

Honestly i got NO CLUE how im still holdin up this fic like. I have never done smthin so long in the past ive abandoned fics after like. 2 chapters. Its prob the amazin reception ive gotten n the lovely comments but also im . Unabashedly obsessed w my own writing fhsldvsksv

Also ALSO YA!!! No one has mentioned on comments or anythin the beginnin of the fic i referred to w someone wanting sampo dead!!!!!! Because i promise. I have not forgotten. :)

[andsalttheearthbehindyou]

November reading wrapup

hmmm pretty good month for quantity but hit or miss for quality, i either loved or hated almost all of these. 💆🏻‍♀️

1. the lover, marguerite duras — tumblr girl classic, ur fav web weaving posts almost definitely feature a snippet of this. like woah 😭 ok very timeless very vivid and real. I did cry.

2. icebreaker, hannah grace — this is EMBARASSINGGGGGG i was going to a hockey game and was like woah let me get into this mindset... into this world… THIS BOOK WAS MISLEADING i thought itd be equal parts hockey world ice skater world equal parts romance and no.. it was nothing of the sort... this was just tooooo porny like WAY too much, even for me. AND I USED TO WRITE SM- *gunshot*

3. throne of glass, sarah j mass — does anyone have any good fantasy series recs that arent this?? like this is what years without winds of winter will do to a woman. im settling for this subpar garbage. but i am gonna keep reading it bc what else do i have, george???

4. mickey7, edward ashton — been on my tbr since rob pattinson was announced to be the lead in this in the bong joon-ho movie… i feel like with the creatives behind it thisll end up being one of those rare bones and all situations where the adaptation is wayyyyy better than the book. but idk. book itself was whatever good concept but didnt even really go anywhere. i thought that i had guessed a twist lie 3 quarters of the way thru but there was no twist literally nothing happened. therefore MID

5. blood meridian, cormac mccarthy — the only other time i had like a visceral tummy churning reaction to a book like this was when i read theons chapters in a dance with dragons 😭😭😭 anyway i like the lack of quotation marks and i also find it easier to write without them SHOOT ME

6. death valley, melissa broder — im really endeared to broder as a writer because i feel like she can only do one thing really well and shes very self aware of that.. which i respect.. also what the protag is going thru here at the start of the book is something ive also gone thru and it felt very strangely accurate and bizarre as a real person reading about a fake person going thru it. and literally within the book the protag references how writers poorly portray their characters accurately 'going thru it' (i keep saying going thru it bcoz im trying not to spoil even tho no ones gonna read my recs ALTHO this one deserves to be read i think) so that was cray and meta but umm what im trying to say is.. melissa i wanted to go to ur book signing i literally had my day cleared in my planner for u. why did u have to cancel the event.

7. indelicacy, amina cain — public announcement i guess but hey girl @noumenongirl i think you would love this one i dont know why but the whole time i was reading i was just like woah she’d love this😭 i liked it a lot

8. the penelopiad, margaret atwood — this is what circe by madeline miller wanted and tried to be but failed tremendously at.....

9. crown of midnight, sarah j mass — was better than throne of glass in the beginning actually but then they halfway thru lost me again..

10. the assassins blade, sarah j mass — im just hate reading at this point like i dont have anything else to do. Celaena youll never be daenerys girl like stop

11. elvis and me, priscilla beaulieu presley — ohhhh…. :,(((( my fav celeb memoir yet i think.....

+ bonus — im gonna add this to my december list but im like 75% of the way with fourth wing rn, good fawking heavens i wishthat grrm could trademark copyright the concept of dragons like i dont think anyone should be allowed to write about DRAGONS only him. like mini spoilers for fourth wing SORRY but WHY DO THE DRAGONS SPEAK ENGLISH, WHY DO THEY EVEN SPEAK AT ALL....cringe. but better than throne of glass at least😭 but it doesnt take much to be better than throne of glass to be fair. OK reading wrapup over.

[cheswirls]

okayyy for context, spe v30-31 [dp arc v1-2 in viz version] were my first volumes of spe ever. v32 hadn’t been released yet, and maybe there was a mini volume or so for bw arc. it was 2011 and dppt was really big bc gen 5 titles had just come out and not an incredible lot of official content for it was circulating yet.

the original run of spe had started publishing thru viz a few years prior so they were out there but gen 4 was still the main attraction at the time. i couldn’t say for sure, but i think that this, coupled with the fact that the other spe arcs after emerald aren’t as interwoven, viz started to publish the dp arc of spe as it’s own story, thus why the volume numbers start over instead of continuing after emerald arc [26-29]. for continuity’s sake (and since im reading 30+31 on the spe archive site where the volumes are lined up like the japanese order) i’ll be referring to each dp volume with its original volume number instead of the viz ones.

when v32 came out, i got it, but by that point i’d loaned my v30+31 copies to a family member in another state, and i never got those back. i also never got v33 bc viz released spe volumes so infrequently (1 or 2 a year) and by the time it came out, it had been a long time since i had read the first 2 volumes of dp arc that i no longer had (and never got back - mostly bc i kept being told it would be sent to me etc; it took until i went out there in 2017 and asked that i found they either got lost in the mail or whatever, point is all the books i loaned never made it back but i kept anticipating they would return one day, hence i never re-bought any spe volumes i’d had beforehand) so i was very out of touch and didn’t want to pick it up only to be confused.

thus, my dp journey (briefly) ended w v32. at some point over the years i read v33 through a library, but since the spe collection was incomplete (libraries liked to scatter a handful of volumes for the pokemon label w/o care for their order or series) i never read beyond that. by that point i had gotten my hands on the original run of spe and was working from v1 to v14, and then kept blazing thru w rs arc, so i was preoccupied.

when i moved for university, i remembered that i had read v33 already and got my hands on v34 instead. i don’t think i ever finished it, as i remember nothing past the chapter where the trio splits to each investigate a lake. at some point i got the chance to add another volume to my spe collection and i picked up v35 but never read it. same thing w v36. i was collecting volumes on the side over the years, but i wasn’t grabbing the volumes i’d already read, and that was the major roadblock in starting the arc again. my dp arc journey succinctly ended mid-v34.

well. at the end of last year, i somehow acquired v37 and the entire platinum arc, meaning i had all the volumes necessary to fly thru and finish. it’s taken me a bit, and i’m still missing 3 volumes, but it’s been my intention for a bit now to eventually start and finish dp/pt arcs, and right now ended up being the perfect time (: i’m reading v30 and v31 through the archive site, will go back for v33, and then beyond that, it’ll all be physical volumes. unsure yet if (like in the past / during frlg arc) i’ll take pics of physical pages or if i’ll pull the volume up on the archive site and take ss that way. i remember the very basics of the beginning, and probably key moments will come back to me when i reread, but out of the 11 volumes to go thru, more than half will be brand new. 

anyway tldr; che is starting dp arc of spe again after 10yrs !!! most of what i post abt in the readthru will be w/ introspection of having reread the sm arc recently (around a year) and considering where it fits in the timeline w/ all the context from dp/pt.

[k423s]

#i feel like a lot of these comparisons (though valid) are missing a lot of information #like it feels like the comparisons are starting out uneven to begin with

wait im gonna do this first so my propo isnt washed out :3

you have to understand the intentional differences first!!! (not including part 2 bc i havent played it yet)

genshin is open world. exploration is an active part of the story telling bc its a big part of the world building. you will probably like playing genshin more if you like open world games. in contrast, hi3 is not intended to be an open world. even the maps are not intended to be as complex as genshin's. the open world is not a crucial part of the story telling. most of hi3's story plays like a visual novel with combat.

their game types effect their story. genshin has a larger cast with smaller amounts of screen time because its story is focused on a traveler who goes throughout different regions with different casts. they do not gain very relevant long-term companions throughout the story, meaning we dont get to see much of their characters arc if they arent incredibly relevant in the mandatory archon quest. the traveler, though not necessarily a self insert, has a lot more space for interpretation/tweaks by the audience. this is on purpose because we are the traveler. there is additional content for particular characters (ex: character stories, hangouts, voice lines, weapon lore, etc.) but theyre optional for a reason!!!!!!! hi3 has a smaller cast but we follow that cast throughout each of their intertwined journeys. this means we get to see all of their arcs. the additional content in hi3 is often incredibly important to the plot and cant really be missed without. fucking shit up. (ex: azure waters is incredibly important to bronyas lore bc thats our first introduction to seele. you need to read azure waters to understand the conflicts in chapters 3-4 and 10-11.) this also means that this cast tends to have a lot more attachment to them and the themes within the cast are consistent and intentional. kiana kaslana is also entirely her own character with her own obvious origins story. we dont follow kiana's perspective the entire time because she =/= the player. if you prefer story-based things rather than combat/gacha and you don't mind sci-fi you'll probably enjoy hi3 more since most of the story allows for trial battlesuits anyways which means you dont have to build your own. it also means that unless you actively intend on like. building characters,, doing abyss/q-memorial/elysian realm/battle realms etc., you dont really need to participate in the gacha. genshin's battle systems are kind of integral though bc. yk. they require you to build your own teams for archon quests and battles within them + commissions.

they were developed in different times. genshin is their market friendly child that launched in like. 2020. its UI is a lot easier to navigate and its beginning animations and models are a loooot better than some of hi3's. genshins also a lot less risky and more child friendly (which is. funny) hi3 was their gamble game. their currency systems are. complex in part bc theres so many and the early effects are not as good as genshin's. the open worlds aren't comparable bc hi3's open worlds arent intended to be comparable to open world games. hi3 characters cuss and theres a lot more references to sex in all of its affiliated media. its less child friendly. if aesthetics are a big part of enjoyment to you, you will probably enjoy genshin's more.

i get unreasonably peeved when i see people comparing hi3 and genshin even though it’s all subjective

[bbygirl-aemond]

do you have any advice for planning out the story and each chapter? im trying to plan out this fic idea i have but i don’t really know how so i thought i’d ask one of the best ao3 authors i’ve seen

oh bby i'm about to go into SO much detail that i'm sure you didn't ask for but here we go! i've spent countless hours of my life on fic planning, and it usually goes entirely unseen by y'all! i'll try to use parts of my earlier planning for stormbreak as an example so as to avoid spoilers while giving you the ability to see how the plans translate into the finished product. this will also give anyone who's interested a cool behind-the-scenes look at how some of stormbreak's chapters evolved from my earliest notes!

i organize all of my planning in google drive, and i have several distinct stages i go through that increase in detail the further along you go.

at the broadest level, i have two documents that i use for brainstorming. one of them, called "snippets," is miscellaneous little half-thoughts and snippets or late-night ideas. it includes both scenes and characterizations. it's basically little notes and reminders to myself. these snippets can usually be worked into the fic at mostly any point. this document is pretty long; about 50 pages. here are some examples of the types of things i put in this doc, including something that inspired a scene later in chapter 11:

the second brainstorming document is called "scenes." this is basically a list of every single interaction and moment that i want to happen. each line of text will represent one of the povs that will end up in stormbreak, with usually 2-3 povs per chapter. each sentence is super brief, like max 10 words, and i'll usually spit them out without regard to chronology since some scenes can be worked in anywhere.

now beginning to put things together i have the document i call "chronological events." here, the scenes are all put in a specific chronological order. i'll assign chronology to certain scenes that have chronological flexibility. and each scene will be expanded into 3-4 bullet points that get at how this scene will advance the plot (through politics, characters, or relationships). here's an example of what this looked like for the scene that became alicent's pov in chapter 12:

and for the scene that became aemond and daeron's povs later in the same chapter:

the "chronological events" document is what i reference first any time i'm going through the planning process for a new chapter. it reminds me of what i need to accomplish with the chapter.

so now let's say i've looked at this document and want to proceed to the initial outline for the chapter. i write these in documents within a folder called "short chapter outlines," and each document is titled "short chapter X outline," with X just corresponding to the number in the actual fic. this will expand the bullet points from "chronological events" into an a few actual paragraphs, and add in some extra padding that isn't strictly plot-relevant but helps to build out the scenes. this is an example of what this looked like for the scene that became aemond's pov in chapter 2:

you can also see that this doesn't always end up being fully translated into the end product. in this example, i changed the events towards the end when writing the actual chapter because it made more sense to me.

okay now we go onto the last stage of planning before i write the actual chapter: the long outline. just like with the short versions, i keep these documents in a "long chapter outlines" folder and each doc is titled "long chapter X outline." it further expands upon the short outline; i'll put the short outline on the left half of the screen to look at it while i write the long outline on the right half of the screen. this is basically me stream-of-consciousness writing the chapter. the goal is to get the entire scene hammered out, pretty much paragraph by paragraph. if there are any particular descriptions, lines of dialogue, or even brief moments that i get stuck on, i write them in shorthand and don't worry about making them pretty. here's an example of this, from the scene that became aemond's pov at the start of chapter 6:

you can see that i expanded on most of these paragraphs and polished the sentences between this and the final chapter. but also that the level of detail here is really high.

lastly, we have the actual chapter, which i write based off of this long outline. i put the long outline on the left side and the chapter itself on the right side of my screen so i can see both at once. i write all of my chapters in microsoft word because that's the format i've written stories in since i was a child and it's where my creativity works best for whatever weird reason. the chapter always stays very true to the long outline, but as you'll see if you compare the long outline above to the actual chapter 6 i do add in a bunch of extra detail. the long outline is usually between 4,000 and 5,000 words and 10-15 pages, while my chapters are pretty much upwards of 9,000 words and 20+ pages. so it about doubles in length at this step.

i do most of my editing (switching certain lines and paragraphs around) as i write this first full draft of the chapter. so when i'm proofreading, i'm only ever checking for errors and seeing if i want to replace any words or phrases with a better idea. this last step usually doesn't take me more than a hour.

from there on, you guys are familiar with the end result! as a note, the "chronological events" and "short chapter outlines" are all fully completed for this story! i prefer to finish this level of planning before even beginning to seriously write. it helps me to lay the foundation for my plot twists from the very beginning of the fic!

[ziegenkind094]

hello i saw on ur twitter that you read alot and do you have some book recommendations? im open for anything

1 The Prince of Milk by Exurb1a = if you're like me and can't read any mr. gaiman books bc his writing style bores you to death then this might be for you. really fun cosmic horror/ scifi book. there's some gore, lots of death and a character who's been battling constant suicidal thoughts with several suicide attempts under her belt, so pls be careful

2 The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly = it's about the dark and twisted nature of fairytales, plays during WW 2 and covers difficult topics like loss and death. There's also some murdering and sick experimentation going on, like sewing a human's head on an animal's body etc.

3 Prosper's Demon by K. J. Parker = quick and fun read with an interesting take on exorcism and demon handling. loved the main character's interactions with the demons and how he solved his problems in the book lol

4 Afterlove by Tanya Byrne = sweet book about girls falling in love and then unapologetically staying in love for the rest of the book. srsly, they're so sweet :')

5 All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman = YA about teenagers killing each other in a blood tournament with an intersting magic system. pretty dark, lots of blood and injuries, actual death and, of course, feelings. funniest straight bait i've seen in a while, promising gay romance (not confirmed yet but it's hinted at and I hope we'll see it come true in the sequel). it's a bit of a pynch situation, just with more murder :)

6 The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern = it was recommended to me as a love letter to literature and it really didn't disappoint. one of my favorite books I've read this year. also gay with lovely characters and a stunning world, but has unfortunately one-dimensional and flat villains. it's literally about being gay and liking books (didn't like the pop culture references at the beginning but thankfully that stops after a few chapters)

7 Bunny by Mona Awad = AHHHHHHHH I LOVED IT SO MUCH. really, really, REALLY fucked up. I srsly don't recommend it if you don't like horror and gore and murder. feral women becoming even more feral, committing some actual atrocities most dark academia books don't dare to mention. the main character is bi. the book even made me tear up at the end bc of how it handles the topic of loneliness and despair

8 If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio = you probably witnessed me losing my mind over this book on twitter when i live-tweeted my reading journey. nothing has changed, i still think about this book daily. it's one of the books i'm gonna draw fanart for once i'm done with all of my exams. i can't put into words how much i love it, it makes up like 60% of my personality by now. oliver and james are the bitches i will still cry about in 30 years. the book has one of my favorite endings of all time tbh

9 The Secret History by Tonna Tartt = We've all read it. It's one of my favorites

10 Piranesi by Susanna Clark = it's one of those books you shouldn't know ANYTHING about when going itt, which makes it hard to recommend bc I refuse to say anything about it. If you like dark academia then maybe give it a try. I loved it a lot. it's weird but has a very special place in my heart. pls don't look up th plot. pls don't. srly

11 Wicker King by Kayla Ancrum = it has a really interestng fantasy concept i wish we would've seen more of. it's about two best friends becoming more and more obsessed with each other while losing themselves in their.... uh.. "game". really felt for them and their desperation to stay together

12 Horseman by Chhristina Henry = a dark retelling of the legend of sleepy hollow with a trans main character who i ADORE and still think about daily. again, lots of death and gruesome, gory scenes. really cool concept. have i mentioned that i love the main character? bc i really love him

13 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro = if you're interested in scifi that's not a grand and overwhelming space opera than pls give this book a try. it's about AI and the appreciation of life, how do deal with sickness and destiny and loss without losing hope Hope these help a bit. idk why but i prefer reading about unhinged and sad characters in summer. makes me feel good somehow <3 sorry if these are too depressig for you!

[fuckmatpat]

If matpat touches turning red he better not make a joke about Mr Enter saying it needed references to 9/11

hell hell hell hell hell hell hell hell hell

i bet he will but i hope he doesn't he better just shut up about turning read and never talk abt it to begin with

but unfortunatley he doesn't know when to shut him damn mouth

though i think if he was going to, he missed his chance. [if im reading this graph correctly.] I've heard him talk about using google trends to see what's popular in the youtube sphere. that's how he decides what to write and post.

poppy playtime is more popular right now so it makes sens ethat's what he'd post and why that got to #1 on trending. especially due to chapter two just recently coming out.

[up-in-space-reading]

Average Weekly Screentime - Chap 6: Vodka Cran and a Countdown

pairing: Jake Peralta x Amy Santiago

word count: 4002

warnings/tags: college au, texting, drunk texting, text fic (mostly, there's prose a few chaps in), bets, bisexual!jake peralta, jake peralta has adhd, parties, drinking and alcohol, sexual references, implied sexual content (nothing explicit, just suggested its going to happen/has happened), friends to lovers, swearing, mentions of cannibalism, lighthearted threats of violence (typical rosa stuff yk), fluff

read on ao3

Average Weekly Screentime masterlist

Story Summary: texting fic college AU with the squad! It's the beginning of the school year and while everyone else thinks it'll be the same as the previous year, Gina has a feeling things are going to be different and wagers a bet with Rosa and Charles. Told through all the various group chats everyone is in.

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 5 | Chap 6 | Chap 7 | Chap 8 | Chap 9 | Chap 10

authors note: here we are with the NYE chapter finally! its a huge 4000 words so I hope you appreciate it and i'm getting started on the next chap as we speak.

hope you enjoy!! <3

Skipping School Is(n’t) Cool

[11:26am, Sunday]

Cameron: Feeling like a real life barbie doll right now

Ferris: explain???

Cameron: Gina took pity on me and has come over to help me find an outfit for tonight

Ferris: ah yep Ferris: thatll do it

Cameron: I have tried on at least 13 different tops Cameron: Gina said she’s determined to have me looking 10 times better than I usually do apparently

Ferris: i think u look great as u are Ferris: dont need to change a thing Ferris: dont let gina push u around too much

Cameron: Thanks Jake. I won’t :)

-

[2:36pm, Sunday]

Ferris: havent heard from u in a while and thought id make sure gina didnt destroy your will to live

Cameron: I am being attacked with curlers

Ferris: uh oh

Cameron: Rosa is here too now, the party playlist has been put on and Gina is about to start her makeup

Ferris: didnt you say she was over at yours tho???

Cameron: She showed up with a duffel bag

Ferris: haha of course

Cameron: It’s nice though, I won’t complain about getting to spend time with them, it might even be a little bit fun Cameron: I’m actually excited to see how my hair will turn out

Ferris: draft message: im excited to see you Ferris: if gina has done it then youll look great!

Cameron: Gotta go, Gina is wondering who I’m messaging

Ferris: byeee ames

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[09:32pm, Sunday]

Four Eyes: Me, Rosa, and Gina leaving my dorm in about 10 minutes. Will we be meeting you guys there or will we go together?

Pineapples: charles and i on the way Pineapples: will see u there!!

Four Eyes: See you there!!

-

Dance Squad

[09:33pm, Sunday]

G-Hive: amy looks fantastic G-Hive: too covered up but compromises were made

Charlese: Gina you’re not allowed to meddle!

G-Hive: i didnt meddle!!

Scary: technically it wasn’t meddling, she was ‘helping a friend’

Charlese: ugh FINE

G-Hive: youll change your attitude when they kiss at midnight

Charlese: you can’t guarantee that

G-Hive: i cant G-Hive: but i will anyway

Scary: I don’t think one ‘makeover’ is gonna make them wanna kiss each other

G-Hive: you have no sense of romance

Scary: something I pride myself on

Charlese: gtg Jake is giving me weird looks

-

Amy could tell Gina was up to something when she kept trying to give Amy a specific amount of drinks before they left and on uber ride to the party. She just kept refusing and was grateful when Rosa eventually intervened and got Gina to stop, joining in the pre-drinks with Gina. Amy wasn’t embarrassed to tell them her and Jake had made a bet but he hadn’t mentioned it so she didn’t want to either, it was their secret. She just hoped Jake hadn’t gotten started before the party otherwise the catch up was going to be rough.

For this year Terry and his friends had hired out an entire bar, apparently having thought of the idea after they spent three whole days cleaning the house after last year’s party. Amy could hear the music pumping from the venue before she could even see it, seeing a few girls walking towards the bar in short dresses and suddenly feeling underdressed.

Although, she took small comfort in the fact that Rosa had gone for a similar outfit template to her – dark jeans and a nice top. Gina had done her makeup which didn’t look much different to how Amy usually does it except a little darker around her eyes and a bolder lip colour, explaining that it was a special occasion and special occasions called for something extra. Amy’s hair had been styled in loose, voluminous curls, they bounced around when she moved her head and it made Amy feel glamorous.

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[09:58pm, Sunday]

Four Eyes: @Pineapples Where are you guys? We’re almost there

Pineapples: we’ve secured a table in the back corner Pineapples: get here quick tho these people are vultures

Four Eyes: Be there ASAP!

-

Jake spotted Amy immediately from across the bar, even through all the people moving around he saw her. She looked as beautiful as ever and he hoped Charles didn’t hear the little sigh he let slip upon seeing her. He then quickly looked at Charles’ drink on the table before Amy noticed him staring at her.

The three girls arrived at the table looking put out at the journey from the door to the table through the sea of people but seemed pleased to finally be there nonetheless. Amy gave Jake a wide smile and it made him feel all warm inside despite the cool temperature outside.

“What’s the poison tonight?” Amy joked to Jake as slid into the circular booth next to him.

“Nothing yet, what do you want?” He asked back.

Amy’s eyebrows raised slightly in surprise at the question before she collected herself and answered him with a simple ‘surprise me’.

Jake nudged to Charles to get up and the two of them went up to the bar to get drinks for everyone. They came back with their hands full of drinks, Jake had settled on getting him and Amy a vodka-cranberry each. He hadn’t wanted to get a drink she wouldn’t like and it was way too early in the night yet for shots.

Thank you’s and your welcome’s were exchanged as Jake and Charles sat back down, once they were seated Gina then raised her glass in the air.

“Happy new year losers!”

A chorus of ‘happy new year’ responded while they all clinked their glasses together in celebration. They spent a while sitting down and chatting over the loud music, laughing at dumb jokes and taking the chance to fully relax. Every so often someone would go up to get a new drink and make the offer to the table, by the time 11:00pm rolled around Jake and Amy were three drinks in.

-

Amy felt like going up and dancing, any other situation and she probably would already be on the dance floor but she was sandwiched into the booth by Jake and Charles on one side, and Gina and Rosa on the other.

Rosa then got up to get another drink from the bar and offered to the table, of which Jake gladly accepted after pointing out Amy had finished her third drink. Jake didn’t let Amy hear what the next drink was going to be, opting to text Rosa the order instead and taking great joy in her eye roll.

-

Bi Besties

[11:05pm, Sunday]

El Baboso: 2 vodka cran El Baboso: 5 tequila shots

-

He handed her some cash to cover the cost and she was off through the bar, Gina following behind her to assist and get another drink for herself. Not long after Rosa and Gina left, Charles spotted Genevieve and all but ran away from them. Amy couldn’t blame him, and she wasn’t too mad about being left alone with Jake. She couldn’t help but nod along to the music while talking to Jake and was keen to down the next drink and have a dance, and Jake seemed to read her mind.

“Wanna dance after this drink?” He asked, leaning a little bit closer to her to ask.

“Definitely!” Amy responded with a smile, her heart thundering at Jake being close enough for her to smell his cologne.

A few minutes later Rosa and Gina returned with a tray of drinks, Amy’s eyes going wide at the line of shots.

“I did get one for Charles but he’s gone so who would care for a second?” Jake asked.

“Mine!” Gina yelled as she picked up two of the full shot glasses and placed them on the table in front of her, claiming her prize before anyone else did – although, there were no arguments from anyone else at her claim.

The four of them clinked the shot glasses together and downed them, Amy was able to hold back gagging but her face still screwed up in disgust.

“Sorry Ames, I had to do at least one shot” He laughed, and Amy joined in.

“That’s fine, it is your prize after all” She waved one hand in dismissal while the other picked up her drink to have a sip.

After the shots Gina had dragged Rosa to the dance floor so now it truly was just Jake and Amy left, and she couldn’t be happier. She loved all of her friends but anytime she got to spend time with Jake was a highlight of her day, and she wouldn’t rather ring in the new year with anyone else.

“C’mon, lets go dance!” Jake was already standing up and held out his hand for Amy to take.

She took some last quick sips of her drink before abandoning it, knowing she won’t be returning to it, then slid out of the booth and took Jake’s hand. He led them through groups of people to a clear spot on the dance floor, Amy stayed close and held his hand tight the whole time. She had expected him to let go once they had made it to the dance floor but he didn’t, instead holding their hands up in the air as an invitation for her to spin underneath. Once she had realised what his intentions were she spun, causing both of them to giggle. He still didn’t let go after that, and neither did Amy.

They continued to dance until suddenly there was an announcement over the speaker that it was nearing midnight, everyone had started to shuffle around and pile towards to the DJ booth to start the countdown. The screen behind the DJ booth then showed a large countdown clock – 30 second until midnight.

For the first time since getting up, Jake let go of Amy’s hand and her heart dropped slightly. But they both stood next to each other, sides pressing against one another as they looked at the big countdown clock. With 15 seconds left until midnight Amy grabbed Jake’s hand in a moment of confidence, happy he didn’t pull away.

Jake and Amy, along with the whole bar, counted down the final ten seconds until midnight. The place erupted in cheers as it hit midnight, cries of happy new year and confetti surrounded them. Couples littered across the bar were kissing, some a small peck and others taking the opportunity to start an intense make out session.

Amy looked at Jake as the clock struck, yelling out happy new year and wanting to be the one who kissed him but she couldn’t strike up the courage. She also didn’t want to kiss him for the first time in a crowded bar where her shoes stuck to the floor and they were surrounded by strangers.

So she compromised on giving him a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck and she could feel him hesitate for a moment before his arms made their way around her waist and pulled her against him tightly.

Amy could smell his cologne and shampoo, it was intoxicating and made her head spin for a moment as she indulged in taking a deep breath of him. Her back burned where his hands were placed, fingers splayed out and holding her against him.

Once the cheers started to die down and the music play loudly Amy pulled away, knowing she let the hug go one for too long but tucking away the knowledge that Jake didn’t pull away either. She slid her hands to his shoulders and pulled back to look at him directly, not realising how close their faces were until it was too late.

The two of them stood there for a few moments, the rest of the world melted away as Amy searched Jake’s face for... something. Jake was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read, a look she hadn’t seen on him before. She thought she imagined it when she noticed Jake’s eyes flick down to look at her lips for just a moment.

“Happy new year, Jake” Her voice was laced with longing, speaking to be barely audible over all the background noise.

“Happy new year, Ames” He responded breathlessly, and Amy could only wonder as to why.

This time it was Jake who pulled back, stepping away from Amy and reducing all contact except for holding onto her hand once more and starting to dance. Amy easily followed along and fell in time with Jake and the music once more, acting as if their weirdly intimate moment hadn’t just happened.

Amy isn’t sure how long they spend dancing until her phone goes off, and she can tell it’s a group chat based on the face Jake makes at the same time she gets the notification.

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[01:42am, Monday]

RoRo: gina sitting on the sidewalk, we’re getting an uber back RoRo: whos in?

Mr Grapes: Don’t worry about me! Will be with Genevieve

RoRo: barf

Pineapples: count amy and i in Pineapples: heading out now

-

Both Amy and Jake had quickly checked their messages at the same time and nodded in agreement pretty quickly at the suggestion of going home, as much fun as Amy had been having, she was getting tired. The alcohol making her head feel heavy and her legs getting tired from the dancing.

Jake kept a hold on Amy’s hand as they pushed their way out of the bar, people becoming a lot less kind and considerate now that they’d had a good amount of time to drink too much. But much to Amy’s disappointment he dropped it as soon as they reached the door, but even Amy couldn’t rationalise there was much need for it once on the street.

After a quick look both ways they spotted Rosa and Gina a few feet away from the bar entry. Rosa leaning against a building scrolling on her phone, and Gina was sat on the ground with her legs crossed and back leaning against the same building as Rosa.

“Jake! Amy! You’re coming with us?” Gina asked happily upon seeing the two of them approach.

“Of course Geen!” Jake responded, immediately matching her energy, “what are you doin’ down there?” He asked standing in front of her.

“Well I’d blame you for the shots you ordered but it was probably the round after that” There was a slight slur to her words and Amy had to hold back a giggle.

“Ah, makes sense” He held out a hand intending to help her up off the ground but instead she slapped it, giving him a high five that made Jake laugh.

Amy leaned on the building next to Rosa, tilting her head back against it and closing her eyes for a few moments. She took the time to breathe in the cool fresh air after having been in the stuffy bar for a few hours.

The uber arrives a few minutes later and the four of them pile in. Jake sat in the passenger seat while Amy was sandwiched between Rosa and Gina in the backseat, the car ride back was relatively quiet, Jake made conversation with the driver while Gina struggled to keep her eyes open while leaning her head against the window. Amy is quiet as she picks at her nails, too many thoughts of Jake swirling around in her head, a head that was not sober enough to deal with it all properly.

They reached campus and climbed out of the car back into the cold, which was now unwelcome after having sat in a warm car long enough to get accustomed to the temperature. Amy shivered as she climbed out and the four of them began the walk to their dorms.

“I’m gonna make sure Gina gets back safe” Rosa said before grabbing Gina by the shoulders and pointing her in the direction of her building.

“Okay, keep us updated. Goodnight guys” Jake calls out as Rosa and Gina walk off together.

“Goodnight!” Amy quickly called out after Jake.

Gina yells back a giggly goodbye while Rosa just raises a hand over her shoulder in their direction, barely sparing them another glance. Amy and Jake continue their walk together in comfortable silence, although Amy can’t help but feel an unexplainable tension has settled over them now.

Amy can’t help but think about their moment at midnight, she wanted to kiss him like everyone else around them, but Jake just wasn’t that kind of guy. If he wanted to be with her, he would’ve made it obvious by now. The more she mulls over the situation, the more upset it makes her; wanting to be with a man who doesn’t want her back, it’s positively heartbreaking.

It isn’t much longer before they reach the spot her and Jake have to split up to go to their respective buildings and Amy can’t decide whether she’s sad to say goodbye to him or relieved to no longer have to be around him.

“So, uh, did you have fun tonight?” Jake asked nervously, shoving his hands into his pockets and shifting back and forth on his feet.

“I did yeah, more fun than I expected. Thanks to you- and everyone else” Amy had to quickly add the last section, feeling embarrassed at her near slip up.

“That’s good, I’m glad. Well um, I gotta go-“ He pointed over his shoulder with a thumb in the direction of his building.

“Yeah of course, me too” Amy nervously tucked her hair behind her ears, needing something to do with her hands.

There was a beat of silence that stretched on almost slightly too long to be comfortable before Jake finally spoke.

“Goodnight Ames” he said quietly, voice laced with sincerity.

“Goodnight Jake” Amy returned easily, as if saying goodnight to Jake is something she’s been doing her whole life – as easy as breathing.

He gave her a small smile before turning around and walking away from her, leaving Amy standing on the path for a few moments just watching him walk away with his hands in his pockets. Finally, a shiver going through her body prompted her to quickly move towards her building, ready to climb under three blankets and defrost.

When she finally reached her dorm upon closing the door she let out a long sigh, trying to process how the night had gone. She moved around the room getting ready for bed, taking off her makeup and putting on her pyjamas and thinking about how late it was.

As she climbed into bed she thought about hugging Jake at midnight, how she had spent most of the evening holding his hand and how she would do anything to be near his warmth again. She practically falls against her pillow, lying on her side staring at her nightstand with her phone sitting there silently.

In a moment of weakness – and perhaps exhaustion – she opens her phone, the screen bright in her dark room. She navigates to her and Jake’s messages and reads through some of them, staring at the last few messages they exchanged before they had left for the night out.

Reading his messages from earlier in the day, he said Amy looks good just as she is – and Amy would blame the alcohol on the tears shed at these simple words, her heart aching.

-

Jake is frustrated beyond belief, he feels like an idiot, like a scared idiot. Too cowardly to even tell a girl he likes her. But it’s not just a girl, its Amy – she’s everything.

When he slams his dorm door shut he feels a bit guilty about how the noise echoes, knowing he woke at least a few people up with the force. He rubs his hands over his face and groans in frustration, before walking over to his bed and kicking the leg of it with enough force to make him curse at the pain shooting up through his toe.

The pain subsides after a few minutes but he still doesn’t feel any better, he’s angry at himself and angry at the world for everything. He’s angry that he’s just had a fun night out with his closest friends and now hates himself.

He doesn’t know what to do, other than angrily get ready for bed, leaving his clothes strewn on the floor for future-Jake to deal with. He doesn’t know how he can even manage seeing Amy again, but he knows he won’t survive without her.

-

Dance Squad

[02:35pm, Monday]

G-Hive: 5 mins be ready

Scary: for what?

Charlese: Post-NYE briefing??

G-Hive: just be ready!

-

[02:40pm, Monday]

G-Hive started an audio call Charlese joined the audio call Scary joined the audio call

Gina: Okay bitches, lets discuss

Charles: I barely saw you guys after I found Genevieve – she’s here by the way, filled her in on all the deets

Gina: Perfect, so we saw them a few times after you left

Rosa: They didn’t kiss, end of discussion. Can I go now?

Gina: What do you mean they didn’t kiss! Rosa you’re ruining the fun of this

Rosa: Oh no, I’m heartbroken

Gina: The sarcasm is not appreciated

Charles: So they didn’t kiss, how do you know this for sure?

Rosa: Fiiiiine. I know they didn’t kiss because the four of us took an uber together back to campus and believe me, they were not acting like two people who had kissed each other

Gina: Goddamn it! When did Jake become such a loser

Charles: I think that’s a bit far-

Gina: No it isn’t! Rosa, how do you even know for sure? What if they kissed but then felt awkward because Amy is awkward?

Charles: That’s a strong possibility, they’re my friends but I wouldn’t put it past them to make it awkward

Rosa: They just need to bone and get it over with

Gina: No sense of romance as per usual. Well we can find out whether or not they kissed

Charles: By asking them? Won’t that make them feel weird

Gina: No Charles, its very easy – we just ask one of them, probably Jake, whether he and Amy have spoken today

Rosa: That’s actually not a bad idea to get an answer

Gina: Rosa approved method!

Charles: Alright then, who’s gonna do it?

Rosa: Not it

Gina: I’ll do it and get back to you- actually stay on call, Charles I can update you about Sasha while we wait for Jake to answer

Charles: Oh absolutely!

-

DDC

[02:50pm, Monday]

G: have u talked to amy today??

Jacob: yeah why??

G: no reason

-

Charles: -why she wouldn’t just tell Matt is so weird-

Gina: Jake responded! He has talked to her today

Rosa: Firstly, Sasha needs to get her shit together, seriously. Secondly, that means Jake and Amy didn’t kiss. For the love of god can I go now?

Gina: Yes yes, bye Rosa

Charles: Bye Rosa!

Gina: Sasha’s honestly losing it-

-

Jimmy Jabbers

[03:36pm, Tuesday]

Four Eyes: Everyone ready for classes tomorrow?

Pineapples: i was trying to enjoy the last of my no class time :(

Four Eyes: It’s important to be prepared!

RoRo: i’m always ready for anything

Queen G: ill be winging it as per usual Queen G: and ill be slaying it as per usual

Four Eyes: Look on the bright side, we’re halfway now Four Eyes: Almost there!

Pineapples: still got the whole second half tho

Four Eyes: You’re gonna be fine, as long as you keep the momentum from last semester

Pineapples: idk ames Pineapples: holidays changed me

Four Eyes: Uh huh I’m sure they did

-

Dance Squad

[03:42pm, Tuesday]

G-Hive: god can they get a room G-Hive: im gonna barf

Scary: not even two days ago you were trying to hook them up

G-Hive: and i stand by that G-Hive: i just dont want them being gross in the gc

Charlese: I think it’s cute!

Scary: gross

G-Hive: gross

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 5 | Chap 6 | Chap 7 | Chap 8 | Chap 9 | Chap 10

authors note: As always thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Your kudos and comments keep me going and motivated so thanks to everyone who's given kudos and commented, i love you all <3 I'll have the next chap out as soon as I can but as usual no promises since christmas is coming up and i've got many plans on (unfortunately), but i'll try my hardest!