#I do not know when I will next seriously focus on my fanfics but I know it won’t be until January

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

What are your monsterfucking/kink related plans for the future? Personally I've got a thing for scent kink

Buddy I just wrote 363k words of fanfiction last month, plus an original novel, and I’m revising two novels as we speak while battling the flu my only plans are the rare, extreme kink called “getting enough sleep.”

(Seriously - I have no plans yet. Halloween is a year away and my next three planned Buddie fics - see my pinned post - aren’t focusing on kink.)

[beforeastorm]

The entertainment industry is not my area of expertise so I could be completely wrong... But I really do feel like Tim saying "[fanfic writers] don't have network notes. You don't have studio notes", then in the next paragraph saying "I don't really plan out endgame so much" and in the next article acknowledging "Eddie also has very complicated feelings...about his place in the world" when asked about Buddie, has a pretty straightforward (pun intended) interpretation when you splice them together:

Buck's storyline in 7x04 may be a Buddie audition or test run for the studio/network execs. (narratively and societally Buck's coming out arc is so much more than that but from the lens of the C suite? However much they say they care about messaging and inclusion we live in a capitalist hellscape: they're looking at the dollar$.)

More under the cut.

I just - I don't see the value in my fellow buddie stans venting their spleen via rage-bombing IMDb ratings or stating that they're not going to watch the show any more. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. Ultimately, it's everyone's individual choice on how they choose to react, but I have serious doubts that Network execs are going to look at a ratings/ranking/other metrics dip and go 'oh, clearly the issue is that Buck is with the wrong dude lets give him a different one.' They're more likely to say 'Tim pulled an Icarus and we need to rein it back in.' Which is bad for queer rep in general, and not just this one ship.

You want Tim to be able to march into his boss's office and sell them on Buddie? For continued focus on queer narratives? Give him the numbers to back it up - and we know the homophobes are peacing out so let's not compound it? Please?

Anyway, you don't even need to move mountains or do something wild but here's what I'm doing: - Texted all my Destiel and Merthur friends. <3 They walked so we could run, or something. - Convinced my sister to watch/stream the show (even if it's just on in the background as she does other stuff. Shout out to the best sis ever). - Leave kind (but fair) IMDb rating on the episodes, especially queer forward ones. Seriously - I see posts on Tumblr all the time with more notes than an episode has ratings. You can even write a review (and include your continued hope for Buddie) if you're feeling frisky.

[shysublimecoffee]

I prefer not to sound harsh, but Miraculous has become a fandom where I find more enjoyment in reading fanfics than watching the show. It feels like there's a lack of effort or an attempt to justify and rearrange elements, often ignoring past seasons and assuming the audience won't notice. The handling of Derision is a notable example, with more astute critics than me delving into their dissatisfaction and the evident retcons.

I didn't anticipate the show going to such lengths as portraying Gabriel as someone deserving of a statue, and it left a sour taste in my mouth to see the hero endorsing it. Adrien/ChatNoir's portrayal has become quite pitiful, with a peculiar shift where Ladybug takes on a significant role in the Agreste Saga despite her absence from that narrative. Ladybug, who isn't even part of the Agreste Saga, is the one delivering heartfelt moments. The decision to sideline Adrien and put him out of commission is disappointing. It's his story yet she the one who has to make it about her. She gets to shine along with a cool costume to boot.

There's a palpable bias from Astruc against Chloe, evident in the show's treatment of her character. Despite her being manipulated by Gabriel Agreste, the narrative blames her for becoming mayor, and the absurdity of the situation is magnified when everyone in the story goes along with it. The inclusion of a scene in Revolution where Chloe is crying is perplexing and frustrating, as it seems to perpetuate the negative and irredeemable image the show consistently paints of her. The added layer of her mother being horrid to her intensifies my annoyance, especially when sympathetic scenes are presented in a seemingly contradictory manner.

I mean you want her to be the worst but yet she has scenes like this? Why not go all the way wtf. Why give her depth only to take it away and then make her be so demonized in s5 and act like she was like this from the start. When she's been a joke

I hate to be critical, but seriously, it's hard to ignore how the Miraculous universe is just dripping with untapped potential. Five seasons in, and the movie outshines the show effortlessly. It makes you wonder about the writers' team and their approach—seems like they're just coasting on low effort for profit, and somehow, it's working, thanks to Miraculous inexplicable popularity.

The show's been beating the monster-of-the-week horse for five long seasons, lacking any creativity in crafting interesting villains. Gabriel, honestly, feels like a starter villain, and if they're going to make him the big bad, can we at least get some villains with a bit more pizzazz? You know craft creative interesting villains? KNDS, Original PPG, Totally Spies they got it so why not Miraculous. It's so damn tiring seeing the same old song and dance with Gabriel 24/7 monologuing to his wife and releasing the akuma I thought Mayura would be important but she's barely there.

It's not even an excuse kids do deserve better entertainment so why should Miraculous lower its standards. Marinette is very weird to me as the protagonist because her lovelife is more focused over everything I gauged her well enough to know about her that the rest of the secondary needs more of a spotlight to be cast on them. I like her but am I the only one who just skips when she starts the whining about Adrien and her plan to again get together it was cute at first now I fast forward to the more interesting part of the episode because it irks me i'm tired okay... what other facet of her character do the writers focus on besides her love life? I hope I don't appear to salt on her but Imma tag it just in case. I think she's in neutral treading to dislike because how can I come back from her gaslighting her boyfriends I'm sorry I can't.

You know what I'm afraid of that if Lila gonna be the next big bad they'll just recycle everything from Gabriel onto her. We'll have the same akumatizations same monster of the week formula only this time it's Lila.

I trust more in the fanfic community to come up with a better substantial plot than Miraculous could ever be. I know romance is a big part but the lore is so damn little it's season 5 are they ever going to expand more in the later seasons lol.

I'm tired from writing this long. Imma go to bed now.

[art-of-love-and-war]

Hi!!! This is the first time I've EVER requested anything, so I'm super excited to be asking you. Would it be OK if I could have headcannons with some of the ikevamp boys? If you're comfortable with it, could I have Arthur, Comte, Isaac and Leonardo with and mc who has ADHD? I completely understand if you don't, feel free to completely ignore me. Thank youuu 😊😊😊❤❤❤

Characters: Arthur Conan Doyle | Comte De Saint Germain | Isaac Newton | Leonardo Da Vinci x GN!Reader  Rating: General.  Word count: 819 words  Warning/s: Reader has ADHD, mentions of procrastination, hyperfocus, not enough focus. Author note: Hello! Sorry this took so long, I’ve had this on my mind for a very long time, and I even thought about doing Isaac’s route to write him more accurately but work has been killing me so I didn't get to open the DSM-V collecting dust in my shelf for this one :c

[୨୧] — Arthur Conan Doyle

There are quite some things he can understand about your symptoms. The main thing being procrastinating. 

Listen, he is a writer, and he is not perfect, and there are moments where inspiration poofs out and he is forced to stop with his writer's block, or sometimes he feels stuck in a sentence and decides to do everything except finish his next chapter, so he can empathize when you go through periods where you keep pushing certain activities until the last minute.

He still worries about your well-being, even if he is not a doctor anymore; he is curious about the treatment you had back at your time and home. 

He is sweet and understanding, despite having some pet peeves, he does his best to understand how it's something that is part of you and can work with support. And he wants to be that support.

Arthur also finds relatable the moments where you are stuck with your hyper-focus periods, and you happen to do your and Sebastian’s chores for the day on your own, though he is hurt by you mostly ignoring him those awful days when he wants nothing but to pamper you.

[୨୧] — Comte De Saint Germain

He is a wonderful and understanding man.

I can imagine him having a lot of pet peeves with people getting distracted too easily or drifting off and, part of loving you is the imperfections you embrace of each other and, they make you perfect for him as anyone. 

He is careful of the periods where you either procrastinate too much or hyper-focus too much to not exhaust yourself with the chores you take or by making you overwhelmed by taking care of the mansion and its inhabitants. 

He will listen to your weekly obsession without trouble. Do you want to tell him about 30 crow facts you learned? Tell him. Did you find a new way to make Sebas flick your forehead? He frowns. Do you want to tell him about your comfort fanfic you know by heart because you can’t read it anymore? He will listen.

If you fidget too much, and if you ask, he will get someone from his multiple contacts to make a “replica” of the fidget toys you used to have back at home.

[୨୧] — Isaac Newton

I have been seriously thinking of this since I got this ask because it seems too funny even if I haven't read his route: Consider, you don’t shut up.

Isaac strikes me as the type who wants to study in peace and quiet.

So maybe your relationship is quite a bumpy ride at first. 

What amazes him is your capability of telling him about 100 things that interested you in the span of a single week.

Your conversations flow at random, so he would often be working on his stuff to suddenly be whisked away by you to tell him about that one thing you found out about hedgehogs for 3 hours. 

Sometimes you are the cause of some of his frustrations. Last month you started knitting? He found some yarn with a texture you like and bought it as a gift, thinking you could make something for yourself.

He came back to find your knitted sweater half done and forgotten, and now you are learning how to bake. 

And it is an ongoing cycle, but he finds a bit of happiness in you trying new things, as you often drag him along, which means spending more time together.

Maybe your relationship is the answer to what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

[୨୧] — Leonardo Da Vinci

ADHD? 

Avoid tasks? Hyperfocus? Not enough focus? This man is a master at all those (and at dozing off)

He doesn’t mind you procrastinating, he has been avoiding to clean up his room for the last century, so he can’t complain. 

Now, if you forget or get distracted about other things, now that’s a different story. Did you feed Lumiere in the evening and forgot to tell him, and then he fed him that same day, and now you have a chubby cat? 

That’s funny, but no. 

Aside from that, he doesn’t have trouble with your condition; he is still a loving man. He always is and has been when it comes to loving you. 

And he likes your energy and how you keep him awake, in a sense, always making him try new things together, like dancing! Which he is not the best at, but he doesn’t mind trying your interests. 

If you take an interest in one of his multiple areas of expertise he’d definitely teach you and not be bothered if you happen to drop your interest in the activity, in fact, he invites you to try other things.

Beware, he is a strict teacher, so he doesn’t want your attention wandering off too often.

He enjoys…, grounding you, lets say. 

[wisekiwi123]

Parent wars: Part 1

for more info on this au look here :

https://www.tumblr.com/wisekiwi123/731555274387816448/the-parent-wars?source=share

[ Gender neutral Yuu used here and mostly platonic other then crack ship with deuce’s mom and other single parents)

(Warnings: Non that I am aware off)

{Please let me know if I make mistakes since I am knew to writing fanfics thank you in advances }

***

“I don't know what to do or what the right decision is…all want to do is make her happy”.

Deuce loved his mother. The kind beautiful woman who cared for him and raised him all by herself. He always knew that she deserved the world and that's why along with becoming an honor student he promised that if she ever found someone she truly loved he would support her no matter what. The second promise was proving itself difficult. It wasn't because they were all bad candidates oh no they were all great in their different ways. The problem was there kids Yuu, Vil and Sliver who like him wanted the best for their parents too, although that ment they where each others rivals.

The first candidate for future mom’s boyfriend was none other than his potions teacher Professor Divus Crewel his best friend Yuu’s guardian. Deuce honestly thought his teacher despite being strict was a great role model and found it cool that they shared a similar interest towards vehicles. If he had guessed when his teacher and mother became close was properly after Parents' Day since they exchanged contacts and have been friends ever since. Maybe it was the joint family road trips or the casual questions asking how she doing that would either brighten or darken his mood that made Deuce think he may have a crush on her. It was the new handmade coat and roses that he gave her on her birthday that sold Deuce the idea that he was right.

*

“You know I hear that Crewel has five puppies at his house” Ace who had elected himself as Yuu/Crewel campaign manager whispered to Deuce as they all took notes.

“Ace let him focus “ Yuu responded quietly “And it's seven puppies not five that are all too cute”.

There wasn't a moment where Yuu and Ace would not hype Crewel up recently, Deuce felt like it was wariness towards their competitors and fear of losing the contest meant losing their best friend forever.Deuce found the situation touching but annoying at the same time.

“Seven puppies? Damn Crewel must be a secret softie”

“He is also pretty cool when he is working on his cars and lets me drive them sometimes. He said he will get me one when I get my driver's license” Yuu proudly stated.

“Wow now I wish he was my dad” Ace sighed with jealousy “Hey juice if you two become siblings Crewel will properly get you your own vehicle as well!”

“ Seriously guys I appreciate the gesture but let me focused since this topic might come up in the test” Deuce muttered as he continued to take notes.Yuu nodded in agreement and left him alone, Ace remained quiet for a few minutes until a idea popped in his head.

“Hey Juice if Crewel becomes your new dad he will definitely help you study!”

“Would you also be interested in me tutoring you Mr Trappola ?” Crewel who at one point appeared in front of the trio asked with an handsome smile “ I never thought a day would come where I would find such an eager pup when it comes to studying “

“ Well you clearly haven't met Riddle- I mean Yes I love studying!” Ace corrected with a strained face. The class became silent as they waited to to see what their teacher would do next, what punishment will give the troublemakers.Despite their expectations Crewel only glanced at the trio, shook the sleeping Grim awake  then walked back towards the black board before turning around one last time

“ I will be expecting A’s in your next exam by the way” he commented as he resumed his lesson.When class finished and students began to leave Deuce saw Ace turn to him with a big grin.

“Look how forgiving Crewel is! He is the perfect in every way possible so imagine what amazing boyfriend he will be”.Deuce rolled his eyes at Ace’s weirdly upbeat attitude.

“Now you are just over selling it Ace if you like crewel soo much you go out with him”

“Nyah? Did I missed something”Grim yawned “We like you , you like us , your mom and crewel like each.So the answer should be simple”

“Grim it is not my decision to make!”

Deuce began to clench his hand tightly as  Grims words freely roamed through his mind. Frustration started to boil up inside since it felt like nothing he was saying was being taken seriously by his friends.There was also a little part of him that felt guilty for staying neutral and not fully siding with them.It's not like he didn't like the idea of being Yuu’s siblings but his mother's happiness came first no matter what since his meddleing might lead to hurting her instead.But if his neutrality caused ruin to his relationship with Yuu, Ace and Grim he would not know what to do—

With a flinch Deuce returned to reality when he felt something land on his shoulder, his eyes met Yuu’s worried gazed as their hand gave his shoulder little squeeze.

“Your right its not our decision and I am sorry if it felt like i was forcing you.”Yuu apologized “Its not an excuse but your guys and crewel are the closes thing I have to a family in this world and its no secret your already like brother to me”

Ace who stood behind Yuu began to scratch his head with a sheepish look on his  face. He gave a little fake cough  while also looking towards deuce along with grim with equal worry in both their eyes eyes”

“As much as I am OFFENDED that Yuu sees you as a brother more then me”Ace joked at first “ your still like my best friend soo like it or not we stuck together no matter”

“But I said your family dude”

“BUT NOT A BROTHER SPECIFICALLYY! Now move over “

Deuce watched as Ace slipped closer bumping Yuu out of the way playfully, taking their spot and placing his arms around each one of their shoulder. The anxiety that filled Deuce heart began to spill out as he  felt his hands slowly unclench

“Even if my mom chooses some other dude..” Deuce asked meekly 

“Especially if she does! Your not getting rid of us that easily Juice “ Ace flashes his iconic crocked smirk “Also I will be retiring as Yuu and Crewel campaign manager. That was job toooo taxing” he said as he ruffled both of their hairs

Yuu scoffed and retaliated with a light nudge into his the rib while Deuce felt the corners of his lips turn up as he shoved Ace’s hand away from his head. Ace dramatically pretend to be  hurt before all three of them bursted into a fit of laughter.

“Thanks guys I really mean it”

“ Dont worry Deuce We will make sure no one else bothers you about this “ Grim promised as he hopped onto Deuces head

“Nyah I am but confused…does that mean no more sleep over at Crewel’s house?”

“We are totally still having a sleepovers at crewel house Grim so don't you worry”

“Great then since Crewel’s house has more fancy tuna that I might generously share if you ask nicely” Grim cheered as he leaped into Yuu’s arms next “ Now lets go for lunch hench-men”

“Yeah all this campaigning  made me fanished” Ace complained

“I hear they are serving deluxeminced meat culet sandwich today so we should hurry”

“We should also hit the library afterwards since someone's needs A’s on their next exam”

As the group walked towards the door laughing bantering among themselves Deuce felt this was the end for all  his problems for today. Before they all left the classroom a beautiful cheerful voice rang from behind them along   with a tall looming shadow.

“ oh yes nothing is as magnifique as a beautiful friendship Non? “  

All four of them  jumped in surprise before turning to see their senpai Rook standing  behind them with a amused look on his face. Quickly both Yuu and Ace stood in front of deuce on guard while Grim ready himself for any attacks. 

“What do you want Rook?” Yuu asked cautiously

“ Theres no needs to be frightened since I am only here to invite Monsieur spade for lunch with my dormleader  Roi Poison today “

“Oh hell nah Juice is coming to have lunch with us”

“Yeah back off”

The sudden hostile attitude towards Rook was because he was the biggest support to Vil Schoenheit whose  father was  candidate number two for future mom’s boyfriend.Deucd was also surprised by that fact as well until recently 

“Oh dear so there is no way we can talk calmly about this at all? ” Rook questioned with a sad look on his face “ how unfortunate I was ordered to bring Monsiour Spade no matter what “

“What do mean no matter what—”

Something  clanked on the ground as Rook was talking that caught Deuce’s attention.He saw a small potion bottle spill on the ground, before he knew it he was already thrown over Rook’s shoulder who then quickly ran towards a nearby window and jumped out with swift grace.As they began to fall down Deuce saw the class explode with pink smoke and along with Ace screaming some curses before his voice got muffled.

“The trickster along with monsieur heart will be fine” Rook chucked with calm look on his face as he continued to carry Deuce once they landed on the ground

“ the potion I used only froze them for 40 minutes which is enough time for you to have your chat with our gracious dorm leader!”

(part two is in the process of being written hope you all have a great day/night.)

[mistresslrigtar]

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

💖 What made you start writing?

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

Ty for the ask! I'm procrastinating from doing any actual writing so my answers below are long-winded....

🤗I'm not sure I'm the best one to give advice to new fanfic writers, since I feel like I'm just getting started myself! However, the biggest thing I've learned over the past year and have to keep reminding myself is to NOT compare my writing to anyone else. Instead, I try to focus on what I know I'm good at, use those strengths as the building blocks for my stories and write around them. What does that mean? For me, I start with the dialogue and characterization (sometimes the page only has a conversation written out, then I go back and fill in the setting, internal thoughts, actions, etc.) I also focus on just one or sometimes two things (world-building, internal conflict, showing vs telling, etc) I would like to improve upon. I find one-shots are a great way to experiment and focus on an area I would like to work on.

💖I've always loved to read, especially sci-fi/fantasy novels, and imagine what it would be like to live in those worlds. As a former stage performer, I started writing as a creative outlet (it seemed like the next best thing to performing a musical or play) and as a way to immerse myself into those worlds and characters. I'm sure I'm not the only author who puts themselves in their characters shoes.

🧐Do I research my stories? That depends on the stories. So far, I've had to do some research for two of my stories. The first is my completed work that I've talked about ad nauseum (😅🤣) I Belong to You. I had to do a bit of research on drug addiction and some other stuff... I'm talking about alt rock bands and songs, guitars, and motorcycles, I swear. Seriously, I spent HOURS listening to music until I found the right band for that story. (Good thing I like alt rock. I mean, I'm a huge Radiohead fan, so Muse was like listening to classic rock in comparison😂)

The most in-depth to date is for my current WIP Captain Link Araki.

For starters, I can't tell you the number of hours I spent researching Japanese surnames to find the right one for him. Following that, I read a lot about pirates, their habits, the crewman, jargon, what they do when their ships need repairs, what types of ships they preferred, etc. Then, after I picked a ship, I had to look up the parts of the ship, if it would have a main cabin, how many sails, etc, etc. As it was, I still got some of it wrong, but thankfully my wonderful beta (Zelmo 😉) knew enough to tell me what I needed to fix. I like to incorporate some reality into my stories, so I spent the better part of an afternoon looking up rowing terms and mechanics, and that was only for a two page scene! So, yes, I guess I do research when needed, and tend to get so sucked into studying and taking notes that little to no actual novel writing gets done that day.

So, all that being said - if you happen to read that story and notice something I got wrong or have a suggestion, feel free to tell me. 😅

And thanks if you read this rambling answer!

[fangirlingatstuff]

Ok so, there are absolutely no Ronin (Epic 2013) fanfics on this website or barley any and I would be so happy if you could write one with him and the reader flirting while fighting the boggins and having Nod be absolutely DONE with them because of it like ‘focus on the fight are we really doing this now?’, or relationship head cannons idk just tryna give ideas cause I’m obsessed with this man rn.

Heck yes I can! Slowly making my way through these, I hope you like this one, it’s a little short

Teasing

Ronin x Reader

—

Out of all the days to be fighting boggans, you weren’t really happy about this one.

It was gross, it was wet, it was muddy, and worst of all, it had started raining.

“Seriously, Ronin?” You asked as you shoved a boggan out of your way and hit another with your arrow. “Of all days to go on patrol, you picked today?!”

Ronin grunted and knocked a boggan coming towards off the branch, flipping down from the one above you. “Well, it was looking like an interesting morning,” he said, landing beside you.

You scoffed and shook your head. With a twip, you shot another arrow towards the large boggan coming up from behind Ronin. He looked behind him quickly to see the boggan fall and you smirked at him. “You’re welcome.”

Ronin smirked back at you while you jumped to the next branch, kicking your next assailant off the tree and sliding down the leaves. “You know,” Ronin called after you, “your aim has been getting better.”

“Wouldn’t you know,” you laughed. He chuckled as the two of you switched positions and you flipped a smaller bug type boggan over your shoulder before tossing Ronin his sword. “Here!”

He caught it effortlessly, “Thanks,” and slashed another boggan across the face.

“You’ve really gotta keep track of that thing,” you said as you made another quick passing tease at him before nocking and firing several arrows towards the boggans above you.

“Well it’s a little hard when I have to keep track of you flying around everywhere,” he snorted.

“Oh, didn’t know you had such a soft spot for me.”

“The softest,” the two of you smiled at each other.

“SERIOUSLY?!”

You both look up as Nod hopped from branch to branch, landing on a boggan and knocking them to the ground.

He glared at you two, “Get a room!”

The two of you raised a brow with a knowing smirk as he hopped another branch down, and the two of you followed.

“Aw Nod! Come on, we’re just having fun!”

“It’s gross!”

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud,” Ronin teased.

“I’ll stop being a stick in the mud when the two of you stop sucking face in the middle of a fight!”

“That deserves an extra two shifts.”

“WHAT?! NO! Come on, I was joking! Y/n, help me out here, will ya?”

You grinned, “Sorry, Nod. I wasn’t paying attention, I was too busy covering Ronin’s blind spot.”

“What? I don’t have a blind spot.”

“Tell that to the boggan on your right.”

“Oh damn, ugh—Y/n!”

You cackled as he checked his left only for nothing to be there. Ronin playfully shoved you, which you responded with by hitting him on his arm, all the the while Nod groaned and held his face in his hands. It was going to be a long day.

[drabbles-mc]

Photography Practice

EZ Reyes x F!Reader

Inspired by @withmyteeth​ and Day 28 of the August Prompts: polaroid pictures

Warnings: 18+, language, implied steamy things

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: Seriously though shout-out to Cricket for spoon-feeding me this entire idea. I will be weak about it for the foreseeable future. 😌

EZ Reyes Taglist: @ly--canthrope​ @noz4a2​ @queenbeered​ @sincerelyasomebody​ @thesandbeneathmytoes​ @lakamaa12​ @doritosandjellybeans​ @kelpies-shed​ @louisianalady​ @gemini0410​ @paintballkid711​ @chibsytelford​ @yourwonkywriter​ @sesamepancakes​ @buckybarneshairpullingkink​ @plentyoffandoms​ @themoonandthewicked​ @garbinge​ @bucky-iss-bae​ @enjoy-the-destruction​ @encounterthepast​ @bport76​ @rosieposie0624​ @mijop​ @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo​ @blessedboo​ @bruxasolta​ @i-love-scott-mccall​ @shadow-of-wonder​ @crowfootwrites​ @redpoodlern​ @punkgoddess-98​ @black-repunzel99​ @lexondeck​​ @fanfic-n-tabulous​​ @beardsanddetectives​​ @amorestevens​​ @littlekittymeow​​ @mijagif​​ @frattsparty​​ @winchestershiresauce​​ @beardburnsupersoldiers​​ @mveggieburger​​ @thanossexual​​ @xeniarocks​​ @choochoo284​​​ @passionatewrites​ (If you want to be added to any of my taglists, please let me know!)

EZ was already shuffling around the kitchen pulling things together for dinner when you got home. You toed off your shoes, shopping bags still hanging in the crooks of your arms as you did so. He glanced back over his shoulder, flashing you a smile in greeting. He looked at you for a moment, chuckling when he saw the bags you were carrying.

“Good day?”

You laughed, nodding as you walked over, “Yea, it was. In my defense, most of this is stuff we need. Promise,” you set the bags on the counter, “Except,” you reach in, blindly feeling around for the one box you needed, eyes lighting up when you found it, “this.”

You pulled it out and tossed it to him without warning. He laughed and shook his head as he caught it. Shifting his eyes from you down to the box in his hands, his grin turned to a look of slight confusion as he turned the box over.

“A polaroid camera!” you said excitedly, “I figured it could be fun,” you smiled.

A soft smile crossed his face, “Yea, we should bring it on our next trip,” he tossed the box back to you, “Would be nice to get some pictures with when we travel.”

You chuckled at the innocent suggestion, knowing that that wasn’t at all what you had purchased it for but you weren’t going to rain on his parade, “Yea, we could do that too.”

Confusion flickered back across his face for a moment, but before he could ask you to clarify further, the sizzling on the stove intensified and redirected his focus. You watched him for a moment longer before unpacking the bags to make some more space on the counter. When you were done, you lingered for a little longer than necessary, watching EZ get wrapped up in the task of cooking. You smiled, casually pressing a kiss to his shoulder as you walked by and made your way towards your room, polaroid camera box clutched in your hands.

You immediately stripped out of your work clothes and into something more comfortable. Sitting on the edge of the bed, you set about opening the box for the camera. You peeled open the package for the film, slipping it into the camera before setting it on the nightstand on EZ’s side of the bed. He was smart, you reasoned, so maybe if you left it there, and gave him a good opportunity to use it for what you’d actually purchased it for, he would take the bait.

At the end of the night, the two of you made your way to your room. You were both tired, each having had a long day for very different reasons. You slipped under the covers on your side of the bed, rolling onto your side so that you could watch EZ as he got ready for bed as well. He chuckled, not having to look at you to know that you were watching him.

He stripped down to his boxers, turning on his bedside lamp before shutting off the main light in your room. Walking back over, you saw it on his face when he realized that you put the camera on his nightstand. He lingered for a moment, like he was trying to figure out when it got there and why. He shook his head slightly, apparently deciding it was a question for another time. Pulling the covers back, he climbed into bed beside you.

You could tell by the look on his face that the gears in his mind were still turning, not that they ever really stopped. He took a deep breath, reaching forward and brushing his thumb lightly along your cheek, “You’re beautiful,” the soft smile on his face could melt anyone’s heart.

Reaching up, you set your hand over his, running your thumb along his knuckles. You were about to say something in response when he turned back over towards his nightstand. Your eyes widened just slightly, wondering if he finally put the puzzle pieces together. You were expecting him to reach and grab the camera, your heartrate picking up speed as you waited, but instead he reached just a little father and pulled the string on his bedside lamp, sending your bedroom into utter darkness. You did your best to keep your slightly exasperated sigh quiet.

“Goodnight,” he pulled you close, tucking you against his chest and letting out a deep exhale before kissing you on the top of your head, “I love you.”

You could feel the weight of his exhaustion as he wrapped you up tight against him, and you felt what little annoyance you were feeling melt out of your body as you eased into him, “I love you too.”

EZ was still fast asleep when you woke up the next morning. At some point during the night, the two of you had drifted apart the way that you usually did. He was lying flat on his back, one hand tucked behind his head, his other arm draped low on his stomach. Some of the positions that he slept in made you wonder how he didn’t have the worst back and joint pain known to man. He made it look so good though.

His lips were tugged down into a slight frown as he slept, the steady rise and fall of his exposed chest enough to make you stop in your tracks as you looked him over. He’d almost completely shed the blanket during the night—it was now just barely pulled up to his hips. The sight of him lit by the little streaks of light that were sneaking past your curtains made him look like something right out of a painting. How someone could look so beautiful just lying there doing nothing was beyond you.

The camera was lingering in your peripheral, and you thought to yourself that even if EZ couldn’t get the hint about what you wanted to use it for, you knew what you wanted to use it for. You sat up, carefully reaching over him and swiping the camera off the nightstand. Turning it on, you giggled quietly to yourself as you brought the camera up to your face, closing one eye as you looked through your end of the lens, attempting to frame it like you knew more about photography than you really did. Realistically, it was EZ sprawled out shirtless on the bed in the early morning sunlight—angles be damned it was going to look good.

Pressing down on the button, you heard the click and the following sounds of the camera slowly churning out the tiny polaroid at the bottom. Even though you couldn’t see what it looked like yet, you were already giddy, teeth gnawing at your bottom lip in anticipation as you set the developing photograph aside.

Shifting so you could get one from a different angle, you snapped another photo, only this time the flash went off. “Shit,” you cursed in a whisper while still trying not to laugh.

That one got EZ to start waking up. He grumbled something in coherent as you moved so you were straddling his hips, one hand holding your camera and the other resting on the toned muscles of his stomach. He wiped at his eyes, slowly opening them and smiling at the sight of you on top of him. One hand instinctively reached out for you, sneaking underneath the fabric of the oversized t-shirt you’d worn for pajamas the night before.

“Morning,” he half mumbled as he smiled up at you, still more asleep than he was awake.

You laughed, drumming your fingers along his stomach, “Good morning.”

You felt his muscles tense under the delicate touch. Reaching he rested his other hand over yours, “Whatcha doing?”

You gave a slight wave with the hand that was holding the camera, “Getting some photography practice in.”

He huffed out a quiet laugh, mostly awake now, “Oh yea?”

“Yea,” you flattened your hand against his stomach, running it up until you were leaning and braced against his chest, “I didn’t want to rain on your very cute parade yesterday,” you leaned in and kissed him lazily on the lips before pulling back again, “But I didn’t pick this up to take on vacations.”

“No?” his hands rested on your thighs.

You shook your head, “No. I was thinking more, something along the lines of,” you dipped down and kissed the side of his neck, “something to have on late nights when you’re away,” you kissed his jaw, “and your phone is dead so you can’t call and see it for yourself.”

His eyes had been closed as he reveled in the feeling of your lips grazing over his skin, humming in contentment. But once his brain processed what you were saying, his eyes opened again, “Oh. You mean…” he trailed off.

Pulling away, you dragged your hand back down his chest, raking your nails just enough to get a wave of shivers out of him, “Yea,” reaching over, you plucked the photos that you’d set on the nightstand. They weren’t fully developed yet, but it was enough to give him the general idea, “Something like this to keep you company?”

You could see the excitement take over his eyes at the idea. If the room had been a little quieter, you probably would’ve heard the rapid beating of his heart, too. Taking the polaroids out of your hand and setting them to the side, his hands slid up underneath your shirt again, tongue gliding across his bottom lip as his thoughts raced.

“You got more film?”

You laughed, nodding, “I think we’ll be alright.”

Before you even knew what was happening, EZ switched your positions so that you were lying on your back on the bed and he was hovering over you. He snatched the camera out of your hands, setting it aside so that he could reach and pull your shirt off over your head, and you couldn’t help but to laugh even though the heat and chills washing over your body were no laughing matter.

“I promise I’ll buy you more,” his hand ran up your thigh, a sinful grin on his face as he grabbed the camera, “but the rest of this is mine.”

Your laugh gave away how breathless you were, “You gonna tell me you’re a photographer now too, Ezekiel?”

He leaned down, kissing you on the lips before gripping your hips and pulling you farther down on the mattress, smirking as his free hand lightly traced along the thin fabric of your underwear, “Something like that.”

[gakehc]

My Sweet Enkeli: Chapter 3

"Enkeli": finnish word for "angel".

When Noah Sebastian met Nori Nurmi for the first time, he knew he wanted her more than anything. She was beautiful like an angel and dangerous like the devil.

♡ Author's note: Some smut for you naughty people because that's what we like! Please let me know your opinions, I would love to know your thoughts 🖤 if you are enjoying this fanfic please reblog so more people can read it. CHAPTER 2 HERE.

♡ Warnings: This is a work involving real people but it's 100% fiction written. Please remember that this is only for fun purposes and it doesn't reflect their real thoughts and behaviors. Don't take this work too seriously. +18 only. Smut, Female masturbation, oral sex, penetration, unprotected sex (please always use condoms!!!!)

♡ Characters: Noah Sebastian × Nori Nurmi (OFC).

♡ Words: 3.244

♡ MASTERLIST HERE.

Since the cities started to get far away from each other, the buses were changed to flights and hotel rooms. The tour is going well, everyone is having a blast, except for Nori. The moments where she is on the stage become more important to her than she ever expected because it helps her to forget the war that is going on inside her head.

Noah barely doesn't talk to her anymore. It's not that he is mad at her, he couldn't be. He is just trying his best to give her the peace she asked for. He doesn't watch her shows anymore, it's only "good morning" and "good evening" between them, nothing more.

Nori didn't know that it would be so painful to deal with Noah's absence. While her rational side is relieved that Noah is doing what she almost begged him for, her heart is showing that she misses having him around watching her close with those enchanting brown eyes. It's like they changed places: now she is the one always trying to be near him, watching him up on the stage and thinking how good it would be to lose herself completely for him.

It's late at night and everyone is sleeping or chilling in their rooms but Nori got locked out by her roommate Lara. It seems that the blonde one decided to have some fun with someone in their room and needed some privacy. It's not the first time that this happens while the band is on tour so it's not a big deal. Actually, Nori it's having some trouble sleeping. Her mind is too busy thinking about Noah Sebastian. He is all that comes to her mind when she lays her head on the pillow and closes her eyes. While trying to relax near the indoor pool in the hotel, she feels lonely. She could bother her other bandmates and sneak into their rooms but she doesn't want to; they are not the company she needs.

The phone buzz makes her come down to reality for a little bit. The bands and crew created a message group so they can share photos and anything about the tour.

Noah: Does anyone know where Jolly is?

Noah: Anyone in the mood to watch Tokyo Ghoul with me? I'm lonely 😭

Matt: Go to sleep.

Nori giggles at the messages. Seems like Jolly is the one who is there with Lara in their room and Noah doesn't have any idea that his bandmate got lucky tonight. As an irony of destiny, both of the singers are feeling alone tonight. This would be the perfect reason for Nori to knock on his door and stay with him - even though it would be to watch Tokyo Ghoul or whatever.

Nori: Jolly is safe, don't worry about him.

Noah: Good to know.

Noah is being distant even by messages, which makes Nori wonder if she made the right choice by asking him to stay away from her. She shakes her head, trying to avoid the intrusive thoughts. Of course it was the best thing to do! She is a pretty skeptical person but right now she wishes the universe could send her a sign that she should do what her heart wants and knock on that damn door. It is controversial on her part and she knows that.

Laying on the bed, Noah tries to focus on the anime that goes on the TV. It's been hard for him to stay away from the girl he is obsessed with. His body craves to be next to her, feeling her presence near him, her energy that lights every room she steps in like a ray of sun. But he needs to respect her decision to stay away from him and he is doing his best. The last thing he wants to do is to hurt her.

A knock on the door makes him a little happier. Noah really needs some company tonight, someone who he could talk with and maybe tell what's happening between him and the Finnish singer. Nicholas, his long-time best friend, didn't answer his messages so it's probably Jolly, but it doesn't make sense because he got his door keycard so wouldn't need to knock. As he opens the door, the room gets illuminated by the sun goddess herself.

"Heard you needed a buddy to watch Tokyo Ghoul" she says, a shy smile on her face.

Nori doesn't know where she took the courage from to knock on Noah's door, she just decided to do it. It's like her body started to make the decisions for her instead of her brain. Her legs just took her there without too much thinking.

"You are the last person I expected to knock on my door late at night" he answers, trying to look as chill as possible.

"May I come in?".

"Sure".

The room is not as messy as Nori thought it would be; not all boys are messy after all. There's two single beds next to each other, just like in the room she was supposed to share with Lara. The curtains are closed and there's only the light from the tv screen illuminating the place.

"You said something about Jolly" Noah tries to start a conversation.

"Yeah. He is in my room. With Lara".

"He could at least answer my messages".

"I don't think so… he sure is very busy" she smirks.

"Oh… No way!" Noah giggles.

"Yes way! Lara stole my keycard and locked me out to have some privacy with your guitar player".

"That was a smart move".

"Indeed".

"So… make yourself comfortable, I guess there's a free bed for you".

"Thanks" She tries to get comfortable in bed but it's hard when your heart is beating so fast that it's about to explode inside your chest.

Even though Tokyo Ghoul it's his favorite anime, Noah can't pay attention to the tv anymore. His eyes keep wandering to Nori while she tries to understand what's going on in the anime. The way the screen lights flashes on her face while her eyes are glued on the tv makes him open a smile. Soon, Nori notices the happiness on his face.

"What?" She asks, blushing a little.

"It's nice to have you here".

"It's nice to be here. You've been barely talking to me these days".

"You asked for it".

"I never said I didn't want to be your friend at all".

"It's really hard for me to be next to you just as a friend and nothing more".

Nori sees truth in Noah's eyes and it makes her heart ache to know that he feels this way about her. She doesn't want to make him suffer at all, just the thought of that makes her eyes water. But she understands what he is saying; she feels the same way. Her body also craves to be with him, to feel his touch all over her skin, to kiss his gorgeous lips until she's out of breath.

"It's not easy for me either, believe me" she says, her voice weak. She never spoke the truth about her feelings with Noah.

"I don't want to make you mad, I swear. I just don't like to see you being so hard on yourself. Life is made of choices, some are bad and some are really good ones. The only way to find out is to make a fucking choice".

"I just don't want to make the same mistakes again".

"What do you mean?".

She sighs as she starts to remember when she was touring around Finland with her friends from Blind Channel, a Finnish band that became very popular in the last few years.

"I've been there before. You're not the first rockstar that tries to seduce me" she says, not wanting to give more details.

"I'm sure about that. I mean, you're perfect. It would be weird if not every man in the world falls for you".

"But I let myself fall, too. And it was the worst thing I could do".

Noah can see that there's sadness in her eyes. The way she anxiously plays with the sheets while she tries to get her focus on the TV again; he touched a delicate part of her.

"I understand and respect you if you don't want to talk about this. But I want you to know that you can trust me if you need to open yourself" his voice is soft and warm as he tries to make herself comfortable around him.

"Thank you. I really appreciate that".

"I just want you to know that I don't want to hurt you and it would kill me if I do".

Tears start to roll in Nori's face even though she tries to hold them with all her strength. She hates to look vulnerable around people, it looks like she can't control her feelings; she can't show weakness. Noah sits besides her on the small bed, his thumb trying to wipe the tear on her cheek. Feeling him touching her with so much care makes her body melt. The way he looks at her, so worried while he wishes he could protect her from everything bad that could harm her. There's a huge need inside of Nori that makes her want to kiss him, let him take her in his arms forever. She needs him more than she ever expected.

"Kiss me" the words come from her mouth like a supplication "Make me yours".

Noah's lips crash on hers intensely, he can't believe that she is finally opening herself for him. He doesn't know where to start, where to touch first. His hands desperately hold her face while she pulls his neck to bring him closer. His body makes its way to her side, getting slowly on top of her while her legs open for him to fit himself between them. She desperately takes his white shirt as he only breaks the kiss to toss the garment off. He grabs one of her thighs, digging his fingers on her skin as his lips wanders on her neck, the scent of roses mixed with some kind of spice entering through his nostrils and making his blood boil inside his veins.

The touch of Noah's big hand entering under her oversized shirt and going straight to her breasts makes Nori shiver from head to toe. He gasps as he notices that she isn't wearing any bra, smirking while he feels how big her boobs are. She leans over so she can take her shirt off, feeling his warm breath going down her chest. He holds her nipple with his teeth, carefully biting it as she giggles, her hand gripping his hair when he goes down straight to her lower belly.

His fingers quickly pull the hem of her sporty shorts, taking it off while his eyes admire the beautiful view of her body. His eyes shine like two beautiful diamonds when he sees the wet mess that waits for him. Noah buries his face between her legs with such a hurry, anxious to feel the taste of her arousal. Nori desperately takes her underwear off, tossing it around somewhere, urging to feel Noah eating her up.

"Make me cum just like you did that day" she begs.

The fire inside Nori's body gets out of control when Noah's tongue touches her right where she wanted the most. Her back arches as he savor her, her hips rocking against his warm and soft tongue. His lips sucking her clit intensely, making her feel so sensitive that she starts to moan like no one could listen. It sounds like music to his ears and it works like fuel to his engines. His forefinger easily enters her soaking wet pussy, hooking inside of her so he can find her sweet spot.

"You like it when I fuck you with my finger, don't you?" He asks with a muffled voice.

"I want more. Another one".

Noah opens a crooked smile while he puts his middle finger inside, now two fingers working on Nori's core just like she asked for. The ecstasy starts to fulfill her, making her come right into Noah's mouth as he swipes his nose around her just to feel how good she smells.

"You're being so good coming on my mouth, angel. It tastes so good" he says.

Nori likes to know that Noah is a dirty talker. She gives him a fever kiss as she pushes him on the bed, pinning him against the mattress. Her legs straddle around him as her hips grind against his crotch, her folds making the fabric of his sweatpants wet. Noah's big hands are now squeezing her butt real thigh. It's so big that he can barely hold her buttcheeks entirely. She leans over to kiss him again, still feeling the taste of her arousal in his mouth.

"Should I suck your cock now? Do you deserve it to have yourself inside my mouth?" She teases him, her voice smooth against his ear.

"I already made you cum twice, I think I deserve it".

He is almost going insane with her pussy frictioning against his crotch. Noah is so hard that he is about to explode inside his pants if he doesn't take everything off now. He is desperate to get rid of the last pieces of clothes that are holding him.

"You seem anxious, huh?" Nori smirks. Her hand goes straight to his cock as her eyes analize what she has in front of her.

It's beautiful. It's long and not too thick, perfect to fit inside her mouth without making her cheeks burn and her jaw hurt. She can feel It throbbing on her hand as she strokes him, his hips slowly moving to help the motion.

Nori giggles as she sees how torturing it is for Noah to watch her getting closer too slowly. She licks the tip of his head but just a little bit just to make him suffer some more. It's a revenge for what he made her feel, how he tortured her inside the bus a few weeks ago.

"I bet you thought about me sucking you all those times while you were watching me on stage" she says, a crooked smile on her face.

"I did, one hundred times. I love to think about my dick fucking your pretty mouth, ruining your red lipstick".

Seems that Noah is also good at teasing. Hearing those words it's enough for her. She goes down and puts all she can inside her mouth, going up and down as her hand strokes the shaft. She can hear him grunning and cursing while her mouth works on him, her soft lips brushing against his length. Noah sees that she is really good at this since she can take a lot without choking. He moves his hips furter to make his cock go deeper inside her throat, her tongue making circular moves around his head and then going down to his shaft again.

"Yeah, take this cock in your throat" he murmurs.

Nori feels proud of herself, she knows that she can make any guy go insane with her gifted mouth - she just needs to feel that this person is worth it.

"Fuck… I'm gonna cum. Come here, angel. Let me fuck your pretty pussy" he says, his chest going up and down as he tries to breathe normally.

She is straddling him again, Noah trying to be careful as he slowly enters her pussy with the tip of his cock, but Nori it's impatient. She holds his length and fits it perfectly on her entrance, taking everything inside until she feels her folds touching his crotch.

"Now you are the one who's anxious" he teases her.

"Look what you did, Noah Sebastian. You teased me hard and now you have to face the consequences".

There's a smirk on his face while Nori starts to ride him, going slow at first just to feel every inch of his cock touching the deepest part of her. Noah can't hold himself as he moves his hips further, shoving his cock even deeper that makes Nori hold a scream of pleasure. The noise of their skins lapping against each other turns her on so much that she digs her nails into Noah's tattooed chest, leaving marks all over. He woke up the beast inside of her, something so dirty and unholy that no priest could exorcize. The pace of her hips rolling on his cock gets faster, the moans uncontrollably coming from her mouth as she feels the orgasm building inside of her.

"Holy shit, Noah" she gruns.

"Your pussy feels so good, angel. You're so tight".

She definitely loves to be called an angel - more like a fallen one. The sweat starts to drop on from her forehead, the heath inside her belly announcing that she is so close to her apex, his cock getting soggy and milky.

"Please, come for me one more time" he begs her, holding himself on his elbows as he leans forward to kiss her.

"Fuck me harder, then".

Noah quickly rolls over, making Nori lay on her back. He penetrates her again and starts to pound her as fast as he can, so fast and strong that he could break her in half. She pulls him even closer, her legs wrapped around his back as he sucks her lower lip, her breath hitting against his chin while she lets out a loud moan. She likes it rough just like that. Noah finally hits her sweet spot, making her reach an intense orgasm that makes her legs shake uncontrollably, her walls clenching around him so much that he can feel its pressure on his dick. It's been so long since she felt like this for the last time.

"Fuck yes…" he gruns.

The pace doesn't slow down as Noah gets closer to his own release. Nori is loving to hear him moaning right next to her ear, it's so sexy that she could cum one more time just by hearing it.

"Fill me, baby. I need you to come inside my pussy" her voice sounds weak, almost like whispering.

"Jesus christ, Nori".

With a few deep and slow thrusts, Noah releases his load inside her core. He stays inside of her for a few seconds before pulling it off. Nori quickly gets on her hands and knees, prancing her ass up so Noah can watch his cum running down from her pussy, so deliciously warm on her folds.

"That's a pretty work of art" he says, a coy smile on his face while he is still panting "You're so pretty" his finger wandering through her smeared folds.

He leaves a loud smack on her buttcheek before Nori lays on her back again, giggling at the smooth pain. The bed is small but it's enough to fit both of them if they tuck together, the sheets are a completely wet mess. She lays her head on his chest, hearing his heart beating. It is still fast, which makes her smile.

"I think I need a bath" she says.

"Me, too" he smiles "But before we enjoy that nice bathtub, I want to feel you here with me".

"Being romantic at this point?".

"That's in my nature, I can't fight it".

"I'm not complaining at all" she makes a small pause "It's good to be in your arms".

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The More You Know

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Eighteen

A JSE Fanfic

This is an action-packed chapter, my mans. A lot happens so I'll try to be quick with the summary. Jackie tries to find help. Then, after school the next day, the gang meets up and Chase recognizes someone. But they don't have much time to think on that, as they discover something in the school... and Marvin discovers something about himself. Heheh. :) Enjoy this longer-than average chapter!

More of this AU

++++++++++++++++++++

Jackie was nervous. He told himself not to be, but he couldn’t help it. Was it weird for a sixteen-year-old to walk into a police station by himself? He couldn’t be sure, but it definitely felt like it. Luckily, this... front area... was empty. What was it called? Could this be considered a reception area? Or a waiting room? He had no idea.

God, focus! Jackie took a deep breath and tried keeping his thoughts in one place. This was important. He was taking all this evidence about the Circle to the police. Including the pictures of those weird “dark doctors” beneath the hospital, as Anti had apparently called them. The kids hadn’t been too happy when he said he was going to do that, but they agreed. He wasn’t sure why. They needed help with this. Why were they so reluctant?

He walked up to the... desk? Reception desk? Again, he wasn’t sure, but there wasn’t really anyone around to ask what he should do besides the man sitting behind the desk. Jackie took another deep breath—his heart was pounding like crazy—and walked up there. “Um... hi.”

The man looked him over. “Yeah, kid? What is it? Do you... have something to report?”

“Uh... yeah.” Jackie was holding a packet of various stuff. The memos that Schneep stole from the Circle’s hospital office, and the pictures Jackie had taken, now printed out. He put it on the desk. “I-I have—I, um—There’s—” Another deep breath. Thoughts in order, Jackie. “I think there’s some big criminal activity happening in town.”

“Hmm.” The man didn’t look convinced. “Really?”

“Yeah. I-I know it sounds crazy, but I have all the stuff here.” He slid the packet closer. “There’s... there’s a group that kidnapped one of my friends. H-he, uh, said that he just ran away, but it’s not what really happened. And I have proof! It’s all in here.”

“Proof, huh?” The man picked up the packet. Jackie tensed a bit as he opened it up and started looking through the stuff. His fingers drummed a nervous rhythm on the wood of the desk as the man flipped through it all. He tried to read his expression. It seemed... indifferent? After a minute, he put all the stuff back into the packet and put it back down on the desk. “Look, I’m sure you put a lot of work into this, but policework is very serious business. We don’t have time to laugh at your joke.”

“It’s not a joke!” Jackie said defensively. “I-it’s all real! Would I make this up? How would I make it up?!”

The man gave him a look, a tired ‘really?’ “This isn’t funny, kid.”

“No, really, I—Okay, maybe you think I typed up the memos myself, b-but what about the pictures?” Jackie challenged. “I can’t have done those myself!”

“It’s very good editing, I’ll say that, but it’s still clearly editing,” the man said. “We’ve been getting stuff like this ever since the library put Photoshop on their computers.” His expression softened slightly. “I don’t think you mean any harm, but you should really take this stuff more seriously. Or if you’ve been put up to it by friends, you should tell them to take it more seriously.”

“I am!” Jackie insisted. “It’s all real! I—My friend’s name is Marvin Jackson, he’s fourteen, y-you guys did an investigation when he disappeared from the hospital. You have to have that on record somewhere. Take this stuff to the detective o-or officers who did that!”

The man gently pushed the packet of evidence back at Jackie. “It’s very creative stuff, I’ll give you that. Put this sort of energy into your art classes at school. I’m sure your professors will appreciate it.”

Jackie slumped. There was nothing he could do, was there? Nothing that he could think of, at least. Silently, he grabbed the packet and turned around, walking back outside.

The moment he was back in his car—technically Dad’s, but who cares?—he took his beanie off his head, pressed it to his face, and screamed. He probably would’ve punched the steering wheel a couple times if he wasn’t afraid of somehow damaging it. Dad would be so upset.

This was so frustrating! He couldn’t even get past the front desk! Well, honestly, what did he expect? If he was a police officer and a teenager came into the station with a bunch of papers and pictures about some sort of conspiracy in the town, he would think it was all made up, too. Apparently his proof wasn’t real enough. But what could possibly be more real? A video? Oh yeah, next time they’re fighting demon dogs he’ll spare a moment to film it and hope that the dog didn’t bite him in two while he was trying to do that.

He could tell Dad about all this. But... would Dad believe him? He wanted to say yes—Dad had always listened to him. But he couldn’t be sure. Maybe Dad would just think it was made up too. Maybe he would think this was some way of coping with stress.

Jackie put the beanie back on his head where it belonged. He stared up at the car ceiling and sighed.

He hated it. He knew they needed help. But until they could get better proof, undeniable proof, they would be on their own.

++++++++++++++++++++

“Jackie said that the police didn’t even let him in,” Chase said. “But like... duh, you know? Of course they wouldn’t. It all looks crazy.” He closed his locker, tugging on it a couple times to be sure it was shut. Sometimes the lockers in the secondary school didn’t actually lock.

Schneep nodded in agreement. “It is rare that the adults will believe something this, ah, ‘crazy.’ Do you think Aunt Jess would, if we told her?”

“I dunno... she would if we had proof. Like, if we kept some of those weird mushrooms. But without that?” He shrugged. “Hey, you have a class with Stacy, right?”

“Ja, Algebra.”

“Can you tell her we’re going to meet up at lunch to talk about stuff some more? I gotta hurry.” His Home Ec class—ugh, boring—was on the other side of the school from his locker.

“Of course.” Schneep nodded. “I will go too now. Good luck.”

Two class periods later, the whole gang, minus Jackie, were sitting in the cafeteria, at the same table where they’d all met last time. “Have you guys ever actually seen any of the upper years in the cafeteria at the same time as all the rest of us?” Marvin asked, not even saying hi to the others as they sat down. “Do they have a completely different lunch period than the rest of us?”

“How would you even tell if someone was in the upper years?” Stacy asked.

“I dunno. They’d be really tall. Or if they’re a guy they’d have a beard or something. Or if they’re a girl they’d have—ow!” Marvin was interrupted by JJ shoving him. “What? It’s a fact! I don’t care about that anyway.”

Stacy cleared her throat, looking like she regretted asking that question. “Anyway. What do you guys wanna talk about?”

Chase leaned forward a little and lowered his voice. “Are you guys being... bothered by any of the teachers?”

The guidance counselor keeps trying to talk to us, JJ says. Which I guess makes sense, she knows about what happened at the hospital. But... I don’t like how pushy she’s being.

“Sorry, what was that word?” Stacy asked.

“He said the guidance counselor is being pushy,” Chase translated. “I mean, she seems really pushy anyway. What’s she doing, uh, specifically?”

“Oh, she keeps telling us we can visit her office anytime,” Marvin said. “And especially after school, she keeps talking about how she’s always available after school.”

Schneep coughed. “I would not trust that.”

“Oh no, we don’t,” Marvin agreed.

“Personally, I swear I keep seeing Mrs. Karter around,” Chase said. “Which is weird, cause I’m not even in her class! Why would she want to talk to me?”

“My English teacher is being weird, too,” Stacy said. “Her name is Ms. Leigh. She keeps asking to talk to me after class and asking if there’s anything wrong. I’m always like, ‘I’m doing good, right?’ and she’s like ‘yeah but if you need anything.’”

“I would not trust that either,” Schneep muttered. “It is sad, actually. I think teachers should be trusted. They can be... h-helpful. If you talk to them.” There was a strange stammer in his voice that made Chase lean a bit closer to him. “But I think in this case, they may all be a part of that... Circle group. The same is probably true for my History teacher. I do not like how he keeps staring at me. I suppose it could just be because I am the new student from out of country, but I think it is not. It feels... different.”

“Yeah,” Chase agreed. “I think a couple teachers that I don’t know have been looking at me.” He glanced around the cafeteria. “See, look, by the door leading outside.” He pointed as subtly as he could. The others all glanced, with varying degrees of subtleness, in that direction. A tall teacher was turned toward them. Which was strange because that meant he was standing perpendicular to the wall, instead of leaning back against it like most people did. But he looked away quickly. “He was totally staring at us.”

“They’re not gonna do anything, though, right?” Marvin asked. “None of them, I mean. We’re almost always around other kids, they wouldn’t do anything with other kids around. These Circle guys seem like they wanna keep this all secret. So we’re probably safe as long as we’re not alone with any of the teachers who’ve been acting weird.”

Do you think Jackie has noticed any of this? JJ asked.

“We can always ask him,” Stacy said. “Do you guys know what classes he has? Or where they are?”

Silence. Well, not complete silence, because this was a noisy cafeteria, but silence at the table. “I mean... we always just kinda call him or message him if we need to talk,” Chase said.

“Now that we are thinking about it, it seems like a bad idea to have just one way to reach Jackie,” Schneep said. 

We can try to find him after school, JJ suggested. I know that a lot of the higher-year classes are sort of... there. He waved vaguely in a direction. You know, near all the music and theatre rooms, and the auditorium.

“The east end of school,” Stacy said.

“Oh, really? North, south, east, and west are hard for us,” Marvin said, and JJ nodded.

“North, south, east, west.” Stacy pointed in each of the cardinal directions. “Never Eat Soggy Waffles.”

“No, I know about that, but it doesn’t really help when you don’t know which is which.” Marvin laughed. “Y’know, when we were in primary school, some of the guys started joking that the, uh... I don’t remember the word, the uh... acronym for the directions was Never Eat Susie Ward. She was a girl in our class. I think she was okay with it? I’m not sure though. I wouldn’t have been okay with it.”

“Oh, I know Susie,” Stacy said. “Yeah, she’d probably be cool with that. She’s funny.”

“Anyway, do you guys wanna meet up after classes around that part of the school?” Chase asked. “How about at the auditorium entrance? We can see if we can find Jackie on our own.”

Which auditorium entrance? JJ asked.

“There’s more than one?”

Alright, so the general entrance, got it. JJ nodded. Yeah, we can do that, right Marvin?

“Mm-hmm.” Marvin nodded. “Dad had to leave early for work this morning so we biked to school. We can go home anytime we want and just say that the ride was really long. But they still might start calling you, JJ.”

That’s fine.

“I can do that, too,” Stacy said. “I always have to wait a bit after school anyway cause my parents pick up Roxy first.”

“And I’ll just message Mom that we’re hanging out for a bit,” Chase said. “Okay, it’s all settled. We’ll do that.”

And so, after school, the whole group found themselves standing by the entrance to the auditorium. Chase pulled open one of the heavy double doors and looked into the dark, empty room. Rows of seats and a stage. They had assemblies here all the time. And school plays and other performances, but Chase had only been to one of those once, and he’d fallen asleep basically immediately. “There are really other ways in here?”

Of course, how do you think the actors get on stage without anyone noticing? JJ asked.

“I... don’t know. I never really thought about it.” Chase closed the doors. “Well. Where d’you think Jackie would be?”

“Does he have any music or theatre classes?” Stacy asked.

“Maybe music,” Schneep guessed. “He really likes music, he listens to it all the time.”

“He kinda seemed more like an art kid to me,” Marvin said. “Oh, he likes taking pictures with his camera, maybe he has a photography class? Huh. But the art and film and photography classes are all the way over there.” He waved vaguely to the left.

“The north,” Stacy said.

“Yeah, the north part of school. And we’re already down here.”

“We should just check the music rooms really fast, then,” Schneep said. “Perhaps he is down there. And if he is not, we can check the art area of the school. And if we do not find him, we probably missed him, in which case we just have Chase call him on his handy and ask him about his classes.”

JJ suddenly coughed violently. Stacy looked at Schneep in shock. Chase felt his face getting red. Marvin looked at the rest of them, confused. “Uh... you mean my cell phone?” Chase asked.

“Oh. Does that nickname not translate?” Schneep looked at the others. “Why are you all acting like that?”

“That’s, um... not what that means,” Stacy said carefully.

“What does it mean?”

“I-I don’t know, but it’s not—not that,” Chase said, choking back laughter. “L-look, let’s just get started. The longer we wait, the less likely it is that Jackie’s still at school.”

They started walking down the hallway that led around the side of the auditorium. It was a long hallway. Mostly empty. Chase’s eyes drifted along the brick walls. There weren’t a lot of lockers here, or even a lot of doors. It was mostly blank, decorated with plaques of names and pictures of a bunch of students. ‘Awards for Excellence in Music 2004’... ‘Acapella Choir 2005’... ‘Orchestra 2006’... wait a second. He stopped walking. “Oh my god.”

“Hmm? What?” Schneep stopped too, followed shortly by the rest of the group. “What is it?”

“That!” Chase pointed at the picture he noticed on the wall.

The others all clustered around him. “The Band picture from last year?” Stacy said. “What about it?”

“No, it’s not just—look at that guy!” Chase walked up closer, tapping the glass covering the picture. Specifically, tapping one specific person in the photo. “That guy behind the drums! He looks like—i-isn’t that—”

JJ gasped. He grabbed Marvin’s arm and shook it, but Marvin didn’t respond, staring at the person Chase pointed at with mouth open in surprise. It took Stacy and Schneep a few seconds to catch up. Then they both gasped in turn. “That boy... looks like... Anti,” Schneep said haltingly.

“He does, doesn’t he?!” Chase nodded fast. The others gathered around him, all staring at the boy in the picture. The details weren’t exact. Obviously, this guy was a solid person, not some mostly-shadow Anomaly. He didn’t have Anti’s weird green eyes or neck wound, and he looked a lot more... how to explain it? Put-together. His hair was neat and he lacked the slight stubble Anti had. But the face... the face was clearly identical to Anti.

“I don’t understand,” Marvin muttered, brows drawing closer together. “Who is this guy? Why the fuck does he look like Anti?”

Maybe Anti looks like him, JJ suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you mean like... Anti copied his look after this guy?” Stacy guessed. “Can he do that?”

“If he’s a weird shadow guy, I don’t see why he can’t,” Chase said.

“Oh! What are you guys doing down here?” The kids turned in unison and saw Jackie walking down the hall towards them, throwing his backpack over his shoulders. “What’re you guys looking at?”

“We were trying to find you,” Marvin said. “Because we realized that we don’t actually know where you go after school and if there’s ever an emergency where we need to meet up right after we don’t know how to find you if you don’t have your phone.”

“Really? Well, I’m not usually in this part of the building, I’m just here cause Fengge asked for help moving his cello from the orchestra room.” Jackie stopped next to the group and looked at the photo on the wall. “Did you guys... are you interested in joining Band? Is that why you’re staring?”

“Mein Gott, you have not seen Anti!” Schneep gasped.

“Right! He’s never seen him from the front!” Chase nodded quickly in agreement, then turned to Jackie. “Look!” He pointed at the boy behind the drums again. “That guy looks just like Anti.”

“Just without the glowing eyes or bleeding neck or any of the shadowy bits,” Marvin said.

Jackie stared at the photograph. He squinted, then drew back, looking at the others in confusion. “You mean Jack McLoughlin?”

Do you know that guy? JJ asked.

“Kinda. Vaguely. He was in the year ahead of me. When I started, uh... going by Jackie last year, a few people said I wanted to be like him and said it was creepy.” Jackie shook his head. “But I didn’t. Really. I just liked ‘Jackie.’ Um, luckily Jack himself was cool with it, even though I don’t think he really understood... Anyway. Anti looks like Jack?”

“He looks a lot like him,” Stacy confirmed.

“Basically the exact same,” Chase added.

“Can we talk to this Jack?” Schneep asked. “Can you introduce us? O-or at least talk to him by yourself?”

“Uh... no.” Jackie rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. “He... moved away, I think. His family was Irish, so I think... they went back to Ireland? At the beginning of summer? I dunno. We weren’t really that close. I could ask around, I guess. Someone’s gotta know. Do you guys think he’d know something about all this stuff?”

“He has to,” Marvin insisted. “It can’t be a coincidence that he looks like Anti!”

“No, I agree, if you guys say he looks like him, there has to be a reason.” Jackie bit his lip, thinking. There was a moment of silence—and in that silence, they heard footsteps. In unison, everyone looked to the side... and saw Gina, that pushy guidance counselor, walking down the hallway towards them, eyes fixed on a clipboard in her hands as she walked. “Shit,” Jackie said under his breath. “We have to get out of here before she sees us!” His head swiveled around. “There!” He rushed for the nearest door, the kids following him as quickly and quietly as possible. “Locked?!”

“The doors don’t lock after school!” Stacy whisper-shouted.

Gina is getting closer. They were a big group of kids in the middle of an empty hallway, if she looked up, they were done for.

JJ shoved past Jackie. He took something out of his pocket and fiddled with the doorknob. And then he turned it—and it opened. He hurried inside, and the others followed, closing the door behind them.

Nobody said anything. They listened for Gina’s footsteps, hearing them approach. Closer... closer... right outside... and then going past. Only once they faded from sight did Jackie let out a breath of relief. “Sorry, I-I know that was weird,” he mumbled. “It’s just... she’s been... talking to me a lot lately. I don’t like... she feels sketchy.”

“She’s been bothering us, too!” Marvin said. “We think she’s part of this Circle group.”

“Oh good.” Jackie smiled. “I mean, not good, obviously. But I’m glad to know we’re all on the same page. I didn’t make you all hide in a locked room out of nowhere.”

“Where are we, anyway?” Chase looked around. He’d never been in this room in the school before. There wasn’t much in it. Other than some wires and heavy-looking boxes, there was only a spiral staircase leading upwards into the ceiling and downwards into the floor.

This is the access to the sound booth for the auditorium! JJ said.

“Wait, what? How do you know that?”

JJ beamed. I’m on the stage crew! You know, the people who help set up the school plays? They move the sets and do the lights and stuff.

“Oh, really?! Wow.” Stacy grinned. “That’s so cool! Are you gonna be in the plays too?”

JJ’s smile fell, and he shook his head. No. Even though I’m in Theatre, I can’t really... say the lines that actors have to say. But I’m happy to help in any way, so I volunteered for the crew.

“So that’s how you unlocked the door,” Jackie muttered. “You have a key? I thought you picked the lock or something.”

I would have if we had to.

Jackie sighed. “Of course.”

“Uh, JJ, I have a question,” Marvin said. And he pointed at the spiral staircase. “You’ve said that the stairs go up to the sound booth, but... what do they go down to?”

JJ stared at the downward stairs. The others stared, too. The spiral went down into darkness. I don’t know, JJ signed slowly. It... doesn’t usually go down.

“What?” Chase blinked, not sure if he’d interpreted those signs correctly. “What do you mean ‘it doesn’t usually go down?’”

They don’t usually go down! JJ repeated the same thing, looking annoyed. I thought they started on this floor!

Schneep slowly crept closer to the stairs and crouched on the ground. “Oh. Look.” He pointed at a small metal handle on the carpeted floor. Marvin walked over and, after a second, grabbed the handle and pulled. A section of the floor moved, sliding into place, covering the opening where the spiral stairs went below the floor. “Aha! Secret trapdoor. I am betting they keep it covered up most of the time.”

Marvin slid the trapdoor open again, once more revealing the darkness. “Okay yeah, but JJ, nobody told you stage crew guys about this trapdoor, right?” He looked at JJ, who shook his head. “Yeah, I thought so, or you would’ve told me, you told me everything about your stage stuff. So, uh, what’s down there, then?”

“Hmm.” Chase walked over and peered down the stairs. It was really hard to see what was down there. “Do any of you guys have flashlights?”

“Wait, we’re really checking it out?” Stacy asked. “Aren’t you guys afraid that someone will come in and see what we’re doing?”

“I mean, kinda,” Chase said. “But like... we know that some of the teachers and staff in the school are part of this Circle group, right? And so far, the places the Circle’s been have had secret meeting spots. This could lead to another one of those spots. Shouldn’t we check it out?”

“Chase is right,” Schneep agreed, walking over to the stairs as well. “We should check it, at least. It is suspicious that the teacher supervisor for the stage crew did not say anything about the trapdoor. Just to keep the kids from messing with it, at least.”

Jackie glanced back at the closed door. Then slowly nodded. “Alright. We can check it out really quick.”

Stacy relaxed slightly, glad that the closest thing to an adult in here was giving them permission. “Okay. Really quick.” She walked over to the stairs as well, followed by Jackie. “Omg, that’s dark.”

JJ reached into his pocket and took out his phone. It had an attached flashlight, which he turned on and shone into the darkness. It lit up the continuing spiraling steps, but didn’t do much for the rest of the room. He leaned closer and—

Oops.

The phone slipped from his hands, bouncing off the edge of one of the stairs and sliding down into the darkness. Its flashlight beam shone up from a floor somewhere down below. JJ straightened, signing a word sharply.

“It’s fine, JJ, we’ll just go get it,” Marvin said.

“All of us?” Stacy asked.

“I mean, not if we don’t wanna,” Chase said. “It’ll only take a couple of us to go get the phone and check out what’s down there. Anyone else can go home if they want.”

“No, we are all sticking together,” Schneep insisted.

“Okay, okay.” Stacy nodded slowly. “Wh-who’s going first, then?”

A moment of silence. Then Jackie sighed again. “I got it, guys,” he said, getting onto the staircase. “Anyone who wants to follow me can follow. Okay? I’m going now.” And he started descending. Chase hurried to follow, joined by the twins, then Schneep, then Stacy.

There was a railing around the edge of the stairs. All of them found themselves grabbing it tightly. A safety net in case they missed a step in the darkness. The stairs went down for a while, but not too long. Jackie soon reached a concrete floor and quickly stepped out of the way so the kids could file down. JJ quickly ran for the light given off by his phone flashlight and grabbed it, scooping it up. Schneep looked back up at the half-circle of light that was the trapdoor they’d come down. “I think that is... three meters above? Very standard for ceiling height.”

“JJ, can you shine that light around?” Stacy asked.

JJ nodded and did just that, slowly moving it around them. The walls are lined with pipes and vent ducts. Behind the group is a wall. In front of them extends a short hallway that ends in a four-way intersection. He handed the phone to Marvin and signed, I was wondering if this could be another way to get to the auditorium’s orchestra pit, but it doesn’t look like it.

“The auditorium’s what?” Stacy asked.

“Orchestra pit,” Jackie translated. “You know, that hole in front of the stage where all the musicians sit. They cover it up when it’s not being used. Anyway, I agree. This looks too... industrial.”

“Maybe it is for maintenance?” Schneep suggested. “Schools need maintenance like all other buildings. Perhaps this is where the heating is.” He pointed up at the vents.

“Didn’t know the school has heating,” Chase muttered. “Doesn’t feel like it.”

“I know, it gets so fucking cold in the winter,” Marvin agreed. “Wish they let us wear our coats over our uniforms. But this is fine, heheh.” He pulled his cape around himself like some sort of vampire. “So IIIII have an edge.”

“Should we go down the hallway?” Stacy asked.

Jackie hesitated. “Carefully,” he said. “We’re gonna run at the first sign of trouble, okay?” The others all nodded. “Great.” He did an awkward over-the-shoulder reach to take his phone from his backpack side pocket. Then he turned on the flashlight. Always good to have an additional light source. “Let’s go.”

The group clustered together as they walked down the hallway. When they reached the intersection, the front and right branches both eventually ended, one in a doorway and one in a ladder. The left branch kept going until it reached a T-intersection. Without even saying anything, they took the left hall. They were quiet, but the hallway wasn’t. There were low rumbling sounds, joined by the occasional rattle. It was clearly from the pipes and the vents. But despite the sounds, they didn’t move at all. The sounds unnerved the whole group at first. But as they walked down the hallway, they slowly got used to it. This was just the normal noise of an industrial place like this.

But there was something that wasn’t normal, too.

“Do you guys hear... rustling?” Marvin asked, breaking the silence as the group reached another  four-way intersection.

“Rustling?” Chase asked.

“Yeah. Like leaves.”

The group paused, all listening. “I do not hear anything,” Schneep said.

“Me neither,” Stacy added.

“Well... maybe?” Jackie frowned. “Where’s it coming from, Marvin?”

“Uhhh...” Marvin paused. “Well, it sounded like it was around here. But it’s gone now. Maybe it went... that way?” He pointed down the right branch of the intersection. That hallway continued as normal until it turned a left corner at the end. Meanwhile, the left and forward halls ended in ladders. “Should we follow it?”

“I-I mean... we’re looking for weird stuff, right?” Stacy said. “That’s... what we do.”

“If you wanna go back upstairs you can,” Chase said.

“I’m not scared!”

“I didn’t say you were.”

“You were implying it.”

I think we should follow the sound, JJ interrupted. Stacy’s right. It’s strange, and we’re looking for strange things.

“Yeah!” Chase nodded.

Jackie nodded back. “Alright. Let’s go. And remember, we’re being careful and running if there’s anything dangerous.”

“We remember, you said that five fucking minutes ago.” Marvin started walking down the right hallway, and Jackie hurried to get in front of him as the rest of the group followed. “Oh, uh, don’t mean that to be mean. Sorry, Beanie Boy.”

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry,” Jackie said, giving a little laugh.

This was a longer hallway than the others. The corner approached slowly. And, as they got closer, they all heard it. ‘Rustling’ was a pretty good way to describe it, but it wasn’t like how leaves rustle in the wind. It was... more solid than that. And there were other sounds, too. Like... crinkling?

Slowly, they turned the corner. Jackie first, who then stopped after a few steps. Eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. Pure shock and confusion. The kids followed, and saw what caused that.

One of the vents on the ceiling had a cover that was hanging from a hinge. And trailing from it was... a... creature of some kind. Its shape reminded Chase of a caterpillar, with its lumpy segments and little legs. But it wasn’t made out of... whatever insects were made out of. It was made of paper. Not giant pieces of folded paper, like one big origami thing. But a bunch of crumpled and torn regular-sized pieces of paper. Mostly white, though there was also some color in there, paler shades of blue, green, pink, yellow, purple. And all of it had writing on it, printed or in pencil. The crumpled paper was packed together, loose enough to cause that rustling sound when the caterpillar moved but tight enough that it was a solid mass without cracks to see through. The creature was currently turned away, its ‘head’ area pressed to the ground like it was sniffing around.

“Holy shit,” Marvin whispered.

Instantly, the caterpillar raised its head. With a loud crumpling, rustling sound, it twisted around to look at the group—and “look at” really was the best way to describe it. In the middle of the head were two folded—what were they called? Chase had heard them called “cootie catchers” back in America, but he’d mostly heard them called fortune tellers here. Those things that girls folded up and held in both hands, the four-sectioned paper things that could open in two directions. There were two of those on the caterpillar face, clear “eyes.”

The group froze. “What... is it?” Stacy whispered.

“Monster,” Chase said.

“Or, as those memos called them, an Anomaly,” Schneep muttered.

“Okay, what do we do?” Stacy hissed.

The fortune-teller-eyes opened up, the vertical line splitting as they stretched sideways. Inside each was a glowing green orb. The caterpillar bunched up, and—

“Run!” Jackie shouted, turning and shoving the others behind him. They all broke into a dead sprint.

The caterpillar pounced, sections spreading out wider, barely missing Jackie. The rustling grew louder, almost sounding like a hiss, as it hurried after the group. It was big, three feet tall with all legs on the ground and two feet taller when it raised its head like a snake. Those crumpled-paper legs churned against the floor, more like wheels than actual legs. It was gaining on them.

“Which way did we come from?!” Marvin gasped.

“This way!” Stacy shouted, turning left.

With no time to doubt her, the guys followed. The caterpillar was gaining on them, but turning the corner made it skid on the floor, scrambling to make the tight turn that they could. Only seconds later, though, it was gaining on them again. The group sped up, Chase grabbing Schneep by the hand when he started to lag behind, Jackie keeping up the rear.

They reached a T-intersection, and Stacy took the right branch instead of the forward one. Once again, they all followed, and once again, the caterpillar had to course-correct. They were coming up on another four-way, and Stacy turned right again— “There!” Chase shouted, pointing. The spiral staircase!

“Keep going!” Jackie shouted, glancing over his shoulder. The caterpillar was skidding on the turn again. It hit a corner of the walls and the paper of its body spread out, splashing against the impact. But it quickly recovered and kept running. It was even faster than before! It was closing the ground behind them!

“W-we cannot... go up the stairs!” Schneep gasped. “It will... take too long, a-and it will...” He stopped, breathing hard.

He was right. The stairs were their only way out by not, with the caterpillar right behind them blocking the rest of the hallway, but it would take so long to climb them. The monster would surely catch up!

“Just keep going!” Jackie yelled. “Go! Go!”

The group sped up, pushing themselves to run down the hallway. The stairs were forty feet away—thirty—twenty—

Jackie yelled. The kids stopped and looked back to see the caterpillar had caught up to him, knocking him down. Its crumpled paper body was on top of him, the pieces of paper slowly wrapping around his legs as he tried to get to his feet again—

“Fuck off!” Marvin shouted, running forward and reaching out—

A dull BOOM! echoed through the enclosed space. A wave of green light shot out, away from Marvin, and hit the caterpillar, pushing it a few feet down the hall. Jackie scrambled to his feet. Some torn pieces of paper clung to his jeans. 

“What the heck?!” Stacy gasped.

Marvin?! JJ signed, stunned.

“Did you do that?” Schneep asked.

Marvin blinked. He looked down at his hands. The pale white scars on his palms and fingers were now faintly glowing, pale green in color.

“Guys, keep going!” Jackie shouted. He grabbed Marvin by the arm and pulled him down the hall, catching up with the rest of the group. Behind him, the caterpillar was recovering.

“Hang on!” Marvin shouted, pulling his arm free. “I-I think I can—” He held up his hands. A translucent green wall appeared in the middle of the hallway, like a pane of stained glass. The caterpillar lunged forward but smushed against the new wall. It was completely cut off from the others. “Ha!” Marvin grinned.

Cool! JJ said excitedly.

“Very cool, can we get out now?!” Chase yelled.

“Right.” Jackie nodded. “Go! Up the stairs!”

The kids ran for the spiral staircase, Stacy in the lead, then JJ, Chase and Schneep, and Jackie, once again pulling Marvin after him. They reached it quickly and stormed up the steps, going in circles towards the faint light.

They burst out into the sound booth access room, quickly filling the small space. Jackie spun around and slid the trapdoor back into place, blocking off the downstairs. “Out!” he hissed. JJ opened the door and everyone ran forward.

The group spilled into the hallway, Jackie slamming the door closed behind them. They stopped. All breathing heavily in various degrees of exhaustion. Every single one of them was listening for the rustling and crumpling of a paper-made creature. But there was nothing.

“That was... insane,” Chase said. He laughed. He couldn’t help it. “That was insane! What was that?”

“A... paper worm?” Jackie said.

“Looked more like a caterpillar to me,” Stacy said.

“A paper caterpillar, then.”

“Paperpillar,” Marvin said. Then he grinned. “Paperpillar, paperpillar, paperpillar.” He giggled. “Okay, but, guys, did you see? Did you see that?! What I did back there?!” He waved his arms, causing his cape to flap. “I did—I did magic!”

“How did you do that?” Schneep asked, stunned.

“I don’t know! JJ, did you see?!”

I saw! JJ was grinning back, bouncing on his feet. Did you think about it and it happened?

“Yeah! Yeah, that’s exactly what happened! Ooo, I wonder if I can—oh!” Marvin held one hand out. A ball made of green light formed in his hand, a fist-sized globe. It looked more solid than pure light, but not quite as solid as an actual item. “I just think about it, and it fucking happens! That’s so cool!”

“Whoa,” Chase gasped, in awe. “That’s weird.”

Marvin’s smile slowly faded. “Y-yeah. It’s weird.” The globe abruptly disappeared. “But, um, i-it’s cool! I can—I can do anything now!”

“You cannot do anything,” Schneep said. “You can... make things. Out of light. Green light.” He gasped. “Oh! Greenlight! Is this its power?”

“I... it... has to be,” Jackie said slowly. “But, uh... you can’t have always been able to do this. Why can you do it now?”

“Maybe... I mean, I don’t wanna bring up something if it’s bad, but... maybe something happened at the hospital?” Stacy suggested.

Marvin thought about it. “I mean... they didn’t really... do anything to me. I-I was... asleep... or kinda half-asleep... for a long time. And then you guys showed up before they could feed my blood to the Fissure. So... nothing really happened.”

That’s not true, JJ said. Marvin, you almost fell in that hole, didn’t you? And your hands got all scraped up? Maybe something happened then?

“Maybe. But what?”

“Oh!” Schneep’s eyes lit up. “I bet that when you scratched all your blood up, you got some of those weird crystals in the cuts. That happens all the time, things get in cuts when they happen, it is why people always say to clean them before putting on bandages. But we did not do that. I think there are tiny crystal bits, tiny tiny, too tiny to see, that got in your hands.”

“And we know that the crystals can channel the greenlight,” Jackie said, slowly nodding his head. “And blood makes it more powerful. So... combining those two things gave you... some control over greenlight?”

“Whoa.” Marvin looked down at his hands. “I have crystals in my scars?”

“No, they are like... crystal particles,” Schneep said. “You would need a microscope to see them.”

JJ, smiling, grabbed Marvin by the arm and shook him gently. This is great! he said. You have magic now! Or superpowers! That’s amazing! That’s so cool!

“Hah... yeah, it is cool.” Marvin smiled at him. Then he glanced back at the others. “Even if it is a little... weird.”

Chase shifted on his feet. He felt... bad. Did he do something? He glanced around at the others, but no one was looking at him. “W-well, uh... what do we do about the paperpillar, then?” he asked. “Do you think it’ll come up into the school?”

“I dunno, I haven’t heard about anything weird happening,” Stacy said slowly. “It’s pretty big. If it was gonna do something, it probably would’ve by now.”

“We should finish the school week,” Schneep said. “That way we can pay attention to the school, see if there is anything strange happening. And we can meet up to talk about what we noticed on Friday.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Jackie said. “I know it sounds weird, but I don’t think the paperpillar is... bad? Not the way, like, the water monster was. It was kinda chilling down there until it saw us. As long as nobody finds it, I think it’ll be fine. And I don’t think people go down into that... school basement area... a lot.”

“Well, maybe the Circle guys do, but fuck them.” Marvin shrugged. “If they get eaten by a paperpillar, it’s their fault.”

“I don’t think it wants to eat people,” Jackie said.

“What was it doing to you, then?” Chase asked.

“I dunno, just... wrapping around me? It didn’t hurt.” Jackie shook his head. “Whatever. I’m sure you guys need to get home soon. We shouldn’t have taken so long after school. My dad’s gonna need the car when I get home, I’d hate to make him wait.”

They all agreed that yes, going home was probably the best thing to do. As he and Schneep started walking back down the hallway, Chase glanced once more at the Band photo on the wall.

He hadn’t forgotten about that. They needed to figure out what that was all about. But the monster under the school probably needed more immediate attention. So, another time. Another time.

A shadow lingered on the wall long after everyone had disappeared. It moved a bit, passing over the Band photo, pausing as it did. Like it was looking at the picture, too. And then it slipped down the wall and through the door that led to the spiral staircase.

[orchideous-nox]

🕯️,🥤,🧃,🍄,🍬,❄️,🏜️,🍅,🐝 and 🎨 for the writers truth or dare ask game < 3

it's 12:20am lets see if I can get through these by 1am lets goooo oh my god this is so many okay

🕯️- on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

Like a 3, maybe a 4. The only part of editing I enjoy is that its the last step in the writing process and then I get to upload the fic, I just find it boring and lowkey stressful and 1 typo always makes it's way into the fic no matter what I do

🥤 - recommend an author or fanfic you love

okay I can't just keep saying Alex (but also yes I can, go check out heartnipnops on ao3) and I recently read "I adored you Madly, Extravagantly, Absurdly" by MiriamMT which I devoured like way too quickly so I'll go with that!

🧃 - share some personal lore you never posted about before

*gasp* KATIE LORE?! Okay eerrrmmm trying to think about what I have or haven't posted. I have a degree in Film Studies, I wrote my dissertation on representations of masculinity in Hollywood films of the 1990s with a focus on Robin Williams in Jumanji, Mrs Doubtfire and Good Will Hunting! That was a lot of fun to write and I can occasionally get pretentious about films from time to time. I am always down to talk films with people though

🍄 - share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

okay love this, I don't usually keep track of my hc's and don't want to revert back to my usual bottom barty and evan collects teeth bullshit.

It seems to have made it into my fics' canon that Barty’s phone screen is always smashed or cracked but I think Evan’s is pristine like he has a fucking bumper phone case incase he drops it, with a screen protector and if it gets the slightest scratch he gets frustrated and buys a new screen protector.

🍬 - post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

Again, I don't want to just say bottom Barty again but that is a hill I'll die on. I think a fair amount of my opinions are relatively popular, or at least aren't unpopular.

Okay so I came back to this and I have nothing. Scouse Barty. Not an opinion, I'm here for it though.

❄️ - what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best

i shouldn't say too much about this but my lovely friend who sent me this ask, Alex, has a future fic on his masterlist that we have discussed extensively of like a stalkery and murdery Rosekiller fic that I'm very obsessed with and he knows this and I'm very excited for it because its all I could want in a Rosekiller fic. This also makes it sound like I only have 1 friend because I just talk about Alex.......oh well

🏜️ - what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Oh my god Alex just ask me to suck your dick next time 😒 but seriously I love when people pick out quotes that they like or certain aspects of the fic such as loving the ship dynamic or my writing style.

🍅 - give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

I withdraw the dick sucking joke, me and my inflated ego hate you.

I think there are times I need to learn to be more concise. I don't have to give a whole life story in a smut fic and some brevity might do me some good if I can learn how to say more in less words.

🐝 - tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

Oh my god seriously 🙄

Okay so my biggest support is @futurequibblerjournalist aka Alex who I have been continuously hyping up and roasting in the answers to the questions he asked me. He knows he's my biggest supporter and, like a wanker, wants me to inflate his ego.

I could say that Alex has correct opinions (because we share a lot of them) or that he's a great writer but I've already said that like twice in this post. But above all Alex is just one of the best people I know, over the last 5 months we've talked like every day extensively and on good days or bad days he has been a light for me like a sparkly fucking bitch I hate him and myself so much I'm going to throw up now brb

🎨 - link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

I'm resisting temptation to make this about Alex and his stupid fucking Cowboy Rosekiller art based on my Cowboy Rosekiller fic 🖕

Actually no, we're making this an Alex-fest because fuck you.

i love it. I love everything about it.

But I'm also going to include one that isn't from my fic

This art by @julesart04 revolutionised my love for Barty and inspired a movement for Barty’s whorish waist on my page

Okay it's 1:10am and I'm pretty sure Alex is about to declare me as a stalker and block me ✌️

[polarisbibliotheque]

Writing Advice - Answering an Ask part 1

Hey everyone!! I recently got a super cute, beautiful and heartwarming ask requesting writing advices/how to beat writers block.

I wrote the answer on a doc and it has 3 pages, so I'm gonna be posting it in different parts - do forgive and AMAZING ANON WHO ASKED ME I HOPE YOU SEE THIS, IT'S PART OF YOUR ANSWER xD

Seriously, I've been sitting on this answer for a week now thinking how I'm gonna make it shorter >.<

So, without further ado, for the first part of the answer, I wanna tell a little bit about my writing journey - how I got from "not writing at all" to where I am now.

Because people think that you have a gift and words just flow like ambrosia in the cups of the gods - but I've actually started writing some pretty cringe stuff when I was 10 years old to get to a more poetic sort-of writing during my 29s currently.

THEREFORE, a little bit on how I got from cringy to still cringy but sometimes good writing ;)

I started by telling made-up stories to my sister when she couldn’t sleep and to my cousins during sleepovers because, I don’t know, they seemed to like my stupid little stories when I was 7 years old – or even younger. Sometimes I wrote some things, sometimes I didn't. But I was telling stories!

When I was 13, I discovered the magic world of fanfiction, and I wrote and published a HORRID thing on a fanfic website in my country, based on the band McFly that me and my sister adored back then (the gods have graced me with the power of deleting it and I thank immensely to that).

It was the first time I wrote AND published something to an audience outside of my friends/family.

After that, I kept on writing, and I moved to creating my own stories. When I was 14, I wrote a fanfic with the same band, but really the main theme was that I was an archeologist living in Egypt who researched on Atlantis and ended up finding the lost city. Somehow, I was allowed to climb the pyramids as well - because, you know, I ADORE Tomb Raider, and if Lara Croft could do it, so could I.

Told ya there would be some pretty cringy stuff in here, huh? xD

When I turned 15, I was bullied non-stop at school and so creating stories became my way to escape reality and have some fun with the people I wanted to meet in my life. I started carrying a notebook everywhere with me – it was my writing notebook. I had so many stories, and I never finished any of them (and good heavens, they are THE MOST cringy stuff, I’m glad they will NEVER see the light of day).

But I use the writing notebook thing to this day - whenever I'm travelling and internet isn't granted, I have somewhere to write.

I finished my FIRST novel when I was 16!! I was SO HAPPY about it!! It took me a year and a half writing it: a young adult book, kinda like Twilight (it was THE thing back then), with a secret society based on Arthurian Legend because I was a sucker for everything King Arthur (still am).

I can’t BEAR to read the first page of it nowadays, because c’mon. It was 15-year-old depressive me being bitter about everything and post-Twilight frenzy. The universe and worldbuilding has one HELL of a potential, but oh LORDS, it IS painful to read. I was a teen after all… But I finished a novel! If I haven’t done it, I wouldn’t be writing the way I’m writing today!

When I got into Law School, things got a little slow. I couldn't focus too much on writing and my social life improved a lot. I started tweaking my Arthurian story, but nothing too defined - I kept on writing lots of WIPs, though.

Around my 20’s, while I was close to graduating Law School, I started writing again… Supernatural fanfiction. With the SOLE PURPOSE of self-indulging, because I couldn’t find A SINGLE fanfiction that I could self-insert and love Dean Winchester while kicking some demon ass (sorry, I couldn’t resist the Nico inside me).

That led me to writing a 4-part Supernatural fanfiction that, honestly, for the next 6 years, it was the thing that made my heart soar while I was slaving away at a job I hated.

While I was overworking my ass off, I started writing (brace yourselves...) BTS fanfiction. I got into the band and some people from the website I wrote my Supernatural fanfic embraced me and kinda put me in the group and into the BTS world.

I was on the path of a burnout, so that became my escape - the girls from the website were so nice and we had many MANY writing projects of short stories. Throughout the years, I think I wrote around 25 or 30 stories, 40 pages max, to publish on this website and just have fun.

It started nice, but as time went by and I started moving out of the rom-com clichés (which are nice, don't get me wrong, we all love 'em) and became more existential and philosophic with a lot of metaphorical things while writing - and people stopped reading my work. I started to think I was bad, no one wanted to read because I lacked quality in my writing, or just my stories weren't so appealing as I thought. So I lost my will to write and slowly went back to my personal original stories.

When I hit 25 years old, I got fired and had a full burnout. I got really sick and my life literally stopped for the last 5 years - it has been hard, but that gave me time to sit back on my computer and recover ALL the books and stories I never finished writing.

I am NOT joking, I just counted all of them, and I have 65 DIFFERENT unfinished stories sitting on my Word folder right now on my computer. I also have a txt file I keep some “ideas that might be interesting to work on” and those have around 12 different full ideas of stories I might never write as well.

Upon hitting 27, I went back to writing niche fanfiction I didn't think anyone would want to read, so I published it here. I thought no one would want to read Devil May Cry fanfiction written by a woman who clearly worries more about the internal turmoil of characters rather than if what I'm writing is cute/rom-com like.

I opted for a more adult approach - given Dante and Vergil are adult men with lots of traumas, and I thought "hey, I don't have to write teenage things anymore, I can actually write how two adults would have difficult conversations and relationships in this fucked up world of ours" and that made a HUGE difference to my writing.

and once again thank the gods I found my people who like to read this sort of stuff :)

For quite a while, I was worried if what I was writing was consumable - you know, if the romance was that kind of tacky romantic thing to sweep you of your feet with perfect characters who don't exist, if people only have good times and are always laughing and having fun, if people enjoy touching each other 24/7 and being romantic and all that sugar coated stuff, if what I'm writing is politically correct, if it hasn't any subjects that are triggering or "wrong" in any sort of capacity... And that stiffed me. I lost my will to write and I stopped enjoying it, because I couldn't get my ideas out anymore.

Being quite honest, I'm not a person who had an easy, beautiful life. I had many things happen to me that made me understand Vergil on a soul level (and I think that's why I'm so comfortable writing him, as much as I hate that man), because I'm wary of people and my trust issues make me keep everyone at bay. I can only put my feelings safely out on my writing and my music, and I wasn't being able to.

So I tossed everything out of the window and started writing unhinged stuff. And oh, that made me feel SO good! I always smile a lot when re-reading my Cyberpunk-style story and a character called Abby tattoos on the ass of a corporate man that he is hers bitch, and when a "fallen angel" from my vampiric story smiles creepily and tells everyone she's got the most unhinged vampire on a leash and tells him to just kill everyone in the room for sheer revenge.

Not the best, politically correct stuff. Very wrong, by the way. But I had so much fun writing them, and it has so much character building behind these actions, it makes me feel nice :)

Out of all the 65 WIPs on my computer, I have around 5 that I think are really worth it for a full novel and so. They are:

My Arthurian Legend based novels. I outlined a series, I made character sheets, I planned and planned and planned... Since I'm 15, I've been thinking about it. Someday, who knows, this story will see the light of day.

My Cyberpunk-style novel. Halfway through it and every time I go "oh this is too heavy, I can't write this" I just toss the thought out of the window and go for it. Quite unhinged, very existential and grim, everyone is depressed and traumatized, but I love it :)

The Angel-Vampire stuff. Or, as I call it sometimes, the trip of an angel-like being going through the 7 deadly sins until finally falling for good, all aided by the most unhinged vampire in town. It's more like a villain origin story than anything else.

The Tea Shop thing. Oh, this one has been on my mind since 2018 and only now I've found some plot I like for it. Creation (yes, humanized form of creation) runs a tea shop and everything is fine until a woman enters and she has no Universe inside her eyes - and that is something to be afraid of. Doesn't make sense? Oh, yes, indeed. I'm going crazy with the concepts on this one, thanks to Neil Gaiman and The Sandman.

The rockstar guardian angel one. That's it. It's literally what the premise says: a woman has a dead rockstar as a guardian angel - and they couldn't be more opposite of each other. It doesn't help she's investigating his death and can talk to ghosts.

And my original vampire story, which I just call Nathan and Kathleen. I started this one when I was 16 or 17, so the writing is VERY cringy. I had just seen The Witcher 2 gameplay and, by then, I had never seen anything like it. As it's expected, I'm re-writing the 150 pages of unfinished work I already have.

Will this stop me from writing the other WIPs whenever I want to? Nah. I’ll keep on writing. Even if they are bad or horribly cringy.

Why am I blabbering about ALL this???

Because the most important stuff you can do is write.

You see, I didn't start out writing the way I do today - and I have so many stories, with so many pages, that I like so much, but I read it nowadays and I see I need to re-work them. And that's how you evolve! That's how you get better! By refining your abilities!

This is something I learned with the rockstars I love so much. None of them started out by playing perfectly - most of them had to sit down, listen and learn their instruments on their own. They got a LOT of things wrong to start getting something very simple right. And the more they play, the more they train, the more they refine, the better they become.

The same goes to writing - so, keep on writing! Everything you can, as much as you can, don’t feel bad about starting something new and never finishing another one, and don’t feel like you need to put out a masterpiece every time you sit to write.

Sometimes you just need to… Write.

[minniepetals]

i’ve read lots of fics. from the very emm unorganised storyline, to perfecto storyline. or the messed up vocabulary/grammars to the most AI-like vocab and grammar fics. or the fluffiest fics to the most disgusting/ disturbing fics - i’ve read it all throughout my reading fanfics journey-

and i must say that cmar is really quiet the disturbing one- no hate though seriously, i just read all the genre and appreciate the story as it’s the art of literature in language and story. i love literature btw and right now pursuing my degree in this field.

thus im here just to share my two cents, that cmar is really quiet near to the masterpiece. why quiet near? because i have to wait till this piece of story finish- to comprehend the whole storyline and the ending. eheks- not doing research don worry, i just here learning to analyse since i have class that i learned how to analyse a poem/ stories etc. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ something akin to review ?? yes. and my prof said that to be a great writer you have to get feedback from readers- and i love you, ergo you know what i mean right ;)

what is disturbing? the character development. mc’s character quiet disturbing as she’s been through a lot of abusive past. also she lives is criminal environment, dark and vicious, thus i understand why she’s act like how she is. also, i like it how she stands up for herself even though she’s broken. she’s really strong for that even though i might say it’s 50-50 she’s strong yet she’s broke - so that’s a whole lot of a person could endure but she had it all.

what is more, the antagonists characters, her father, leehyun, karl, kihyun, etc- lots of them, like really lots- and honestly? i can’t keep track on them, and confused between these characters and their bad deeds. and i am so so sorry that sometimes i keep skipping some parts,thereby after awhile i go back and re read it again to understand the plot better-

sometimes i feel like, the focus on throwback were too much?? but somehow i feels like it’s necessary because the flashback will justify the current action why the characters do that. right?? but is there any other way to write it so that the readers don’t feel like to skip the part?? i’ve been meaning to ask that - welp it can be a question in my next class . :3

for the boys (our tannies) there’s not much i can say though, because there’s not much exposure on them for these few chapters- thus, im hoping in future chapters maybe?? well that’s up to you ;)

overall, i really hope that you take this as a compliment im so sorry if i misled or something but i am really said this as a compliment. because, i had this one assessment and i really tried hard to write something that out of my comfort zone. i was trying to write something like this for my assessment but my prof said that i don’t quiet reach there yet- thus i just opted to write something small and sad and not quiet like this, a bit shame on me but still got an A so yeah- ㅋㅋ

thereby, i really speak highly of you writing cmar. because it’s really fun reading it !! btw thanks for the update on new chapter <3

take care and stay healthy ❤️

asdfghjkl thank you for using your pursuit for literature and looking at my work through an analytical standpoint lmao. it's honestly so great to hear insight from the perspective of a reader. one thing i'd definitely like to note on is your point on the antagonists. i completely understand with just skipping over a few things when it comes to them, which is honestly fine lmao, i tend to do that when i'm ready other stuff as well. i'm not sure how i can write it in a way where you wouldn't feel like skipping through some stuff to be honest. y/n's traumas are highlighted through these antagonists and i guess when it comes to cmar, it just isn't your typical romantic fanfiction stuff. whereas many fics focuses on their y/n and the character they're writing the fanfic based on, or they just mainly focus on the boys in general, cmar's focus is on y/n and her trauma.

i guess you can say in a way, it's less fanfiction and more story-like, since there are insights into these antagonists, as well as y/n and her people, her reapers, instead of the main focus being on mending the relationship between y/n and the boys.

i do see that i definitely should incorporate more moments with the boys. next chapter focuses on one of the guys so you'll get that there.

all in all, i enjoy writing cmar so much, as difficult as it is, and having this part of the work (your analysis) is really nice and refreshing, so thank you for that 💛

[digitalsatyr23]

My Writeblr 2023 in Retrospect

This year feels like a weird blur. Like a lot happened, but looking back, I keep feeling like there are these huge blank spots. The only way I can really chart my course is through my writing, as well as what I uploaded here. While I became more active again near the end of 2022, the vast majority of the stuff I've done for my blog took place during this year. Unfortunately, not all the writing I did this year could be uploaded (private comms, group projects, NSFW content), and there were many dry spells here (especially recently) because of this.

What I'm Proud Of: This was the first year that I seriously did things like writing commissions. Like sure, I had done one for a friend and that worked out okay, but doing that with a friend you're familiar with is waaaaay different than working with people you don't know, especially since you gotta come up with rules and a general framework. Had some highs, had some lows, but I still feel happy I was able to scrape by on my writing alone. Like it was still rough because as basically everyone who lived through the same year can attest, 2023 was like "what if everything was more expensive for no goddamn reason" and that mean anything that was already hard was like... Way harder. Many a nights I had to ration out my food and eat like once a day to ensure I had a meal awaiting me the next day. So being able to not go hungry due to being able to write was pretty great, all things considered. I also made a lot of good writeblr friends on here. There's a pretty chill community on this site, and I'm glad that I get to be a small part of it. Hopefully my stuff will continue to be well-received going forward!

What I Regret: I think my biggest regret - aside from the major dryspells in creativity and motivation - has to be the fanfiction. Like it's no secret to me that the OoT fanfic I was writing between projects was like way more popular than my originals. And hey, that's totally cool. But it's also because of that that when I had to switch back to other projects, or just focus on surviving, I kept thinking to myself "Damn, I really dropped the ball with that one. I had a good thing going and then I just sorta walked away." I feel bad about that. Believe it or not, I do plan to return to it, but there's also another project that's been waiting for me to return to, so now that I've just about finished with this really huge commission, I need to give that project some love first. So the tl;dr is that I do plan to finish the OoT fanfic eventually, it's just not something I can get back to this very moment. If I have any updates for it, I'll let you guys know!

Stories/Chapters I Wrote This Year: 25

My 2023 Word Count: 261,933

I'm specifically counting short stories, novelettes, novellas, or chapters that are part of a larger but incomplete project (any story with multiple chapters that is complete would just be 1 in this case). Like I wrote a crapload of lore for my Arachnia setting buuuut if I had to sift through all that and include it here, I'd be here a long time... In any case, I just wanted to reflect on this year, partly so I could try and remember things, and partly so I could come to terms with both my proud moments and regrets. I feel like 2024 is gonna be the "me picking up the pieces" year or something, but I feel that I owe it to myself to keep moving forward and make things that I love. With luck, hopefully you'll love what I make too. Take care, everyone, and happy New Year!!

[ppg-villains-defense-lawyer]

PPG Fanfic: Sins Of My Youth

Chapter 16: The Things We Love Most...

Rating: T

Genre: Drama/Angst/Friendship

Characters: Ace, Snake, Lil Arturo, Big Billy, Bubbles, Blossom, Buttercup, Him, Sedusa

Pairings: Past Ace/Sedusa, Past Ace/Snake, but not the focus

Story Summary: The gang, now in their early 20's, have moved up in the world. Now with their own apartment, jobs, and (mostly) law-abiding lifestyle, you might even say they're redeemed. But, not all is as it seems.

As Ace grows to resent his boring, minimum-wage life and his grudge against those who put him there increases, he makes a decision that could change his and his friends' lives forever.

Chapter Summary: Bubbles and Buttercup discover Mitch Mitchelson is missing. Meanwhile, Ace and Snake are confronted by Macho, and Mojo plots his next move. 

Link to FFN

Link to AO3

Short Snippet down below:

"A-Ace and Snake left us?" Billy asked, his eyes starting to water.

"No, of course they didn't man," Arturo assured Billy, patting him on the shoulder. His eyes narrowed at his father. "They didn't."

"Look at the facts Mijo," his father said. "They clearly have something they're hiding. You saw those red splatters on their clothes when they came back from robbing that house. Those were blood stains if I ever saw them."

"I…" Arturo trailed off. He had a bad feeling when he saw the state Ace and Snake came back in, and when they got evasive with the questions he and his father asked them, he knew something bad happened.

"There's probably a good explanation for it," he said. "Seriously Papi, you don't know them like I do. Ace is like the big brother I never had, and Snake is the most loyal guy I've ever met. They wouldn't ditch us. Besides," Arturo walked over to the small coat closet right by the door where they were keeping the money. "If they were really gonna leave, wouldn't they have taken the rest of the money with them-"

He paused when he saw that the closet was empty.

"It's… gone."

[onekisstotakewithme]

Fell asleep last night before I sent these. Changed a couple you got already, though 🥰 - Fanfic emoji writer asks -📗 💭🚦 💎

📗 Do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? If so, what about?

*Ainsley Hayes voice* oh, only since I was two.

I don't know what I'd want to write about - it kind of changes lately depending on my hyperfixation du jour (when I was strongly hyperfixated on MASH, I started a book about two soldiers falling in love in Korea. when i was into stranger things, I started a book that was like what if the love triangle was poly and spooky things went down in maine. you get the picture.)

Actually, what I'd want to write about is anything historical fiction or urban fantasy. Probably either a romance or involving a romance? Idk, you've seen the kind of stuff I write fic-wise! My biggest red flag is coming up with fic ideas that would probably make better OG work.

💭 What inspires you and your writing?

Just about anything. Shit, I was watching Behind the Attraction the other week, and literally went 'oh I should include the Hall of Presidents' in Pres!CJ! But no, seriously, it's just about anything.

🚦What sort of endings do you prefer to write: ambiguous, bad, happily ever after, etc.?

I do like happily ever afters... though sometimes ambiguous endings are more fun (see here: Caretakers, which is an ambiguous ending only in that we know what happens next in CANON.) But I'm also a big proponent of bittersweet endings. Just something about things finally going well... but at what cost? And finally, finally, i really just won't write bad endings because I'm a soft b.

💎 Do you often write about a relationship or focus on an individual?

Uhhhhh I like writing pieces that focus on characters in relationships. Like the relationship may not be the focal point of the piece (or it may be! it depends!) but it does still happen within the story. For example, Pres! is a story about CJ, indisputably, but her relationship with Danny is a big part OF the story and informs some of what happens!

Thank you Elena! 🥰🥺