#and also I gotta tag the posts I didn't tag when I had that big rb spree ;-;

[raidraptor-strawberry-falcon]

Son acquired! 🦀🦀🦀

[unknownati]

ii. lipstick.

THIS WITH ABBY ANDERSON METHINKSSS

a/n: thanks for all the love on my first post :) <3 also can u guys tell i rlly love lip products. pls lmk if the formatting is weird or if there's grammatical errors, i wrote this on my notes app

warnings/tags?: fluffy :P reader wears lipstick, hidden relationship, internalized homophobia?? (not really) not THAT long, lowercase intended, ow*n mention 🤢 not proofread 😜🫶🏾

___________________________________________

you weren't too popular at wlf. abby, on the other hand, was known by practically everyone. everybody assumed she was straight, especially with the fact that her and owen had dated for a while. which is exactly why nobody could know about you two.

to be honest, you didn't care, but abby did, so you went with it. you'd wait 'til you were in the comfort of your dorm to cuddle her, hold her hand, shower her with affection. did you wish that you could do it more openly? yes. but it's whatever. you still tease her anyway. tracing the dips of muscle on her arm, wiping a small bit of dirt off her face but letting your thumb linger for a bit too long, smiling at her knowingly. you knew you made her heart skip a beat. but she played it off, all for the crowd.

so when you found yourself in the comfort of her bed, cuddled up in her t-shirt, you groaned when you felt the big ball of warmth leave your arms.

"where are you going?" you muttered, rubbing your eyes at the sun peeking into the blinds.

"..gotta go, isaac called a while ago." she smiles at you, her hand reaching up to cup your cheek. you rolled your eyes. so sappy.

"so? stay with me. you barely get time with me as it is."

she sighed, her lips sealing together for a moment. "you know i can't. i'll be quick, i promise," you sat up, her hand falling from your face and back to her side.

"fine. but c'mere before you go."

abby raised a brow but leaned back over you, and you hold her face between your hands to pull her in and a kiss to her lips. her face pinks, and you press another one to her forehead. then to her cheek. then another to her forehead.

you lean back, a smile spreading across your face, then immediately falling. you forgot you had lipstick on, and there were big, red stamps of evidence strung across her face.

"what? what's wrong?" she looked panicked until you laughed, waving her on.

"nothing, go ahead."

abby shook her head, rushing to the bathroom mirror before gasping. "babe! i have to leave soon!" she groaned, grabbing a tissue and quickly soaking it with water. she tried to wipe it off her face just to find that it both barely came off, but also smeared even further across her face.

you came up behind her, watching how she struggled with the pigment spreading further across her face.

"aren't you gonna help me?" she almost sounded desperate, a laugh of disbelief stuck between her words.

you shook your head, leaning against the doorframe. "..mmm..i think you got it."

__________________________________________

the sillies 🫶🏾

[leclercsluvs]

CL16/DR3 | Already Over | smau

part 8

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7

an: i'm thinking this is only going to be like 1 more part. i have no clue what else to make happen tbh, dates/timestamps aren't important, pleas ignore them pairing: charles leclerc x fem!reader, daniel ricciardo x fem!reader

charles_leclerc

liked by pierregasly, maxverstappen1 and 3.189.461 others charles_leclerc wish we could go back in time ❤️ tagged: yourusername

danielricciardo watch it.

maxverstappen1 you're doing everything huh?

charles_leclerc ofc i am. i love her. yourbff fuck off. you had your chance and you fucked up big time. yourfriend not you doing all this AFTER she's moved on. stop fucking with her head dude. pierregasly don't listen to them mate, show her how much you love her! yoursister pierre shut the fuck up, or i will make sure you are not able to drive next weekend <3

tayslover it rubs me the wrong way that he's posting like this while she's in a relationship. also i really need her to be on top of her game when she tours with THE queen.

y/nsfclklore not you putting one above the other 🤨 swiftesversion because taytay is above everyone 💁‍♀️ softy/n/n nahhh they're literally friends??? why put them against each other

yourusername

liked by taylorswift, landonorris and 3.156.442 others yourusername had a fantastic time the first night of the eras tour! thank you to everyone who cheered loudly for me, i appreciate all the support 🥹 tagged: taylorswift

danielricciardo looked gorgeous, sad i couldn't be there tonight

yourbff girlll you're shining!! we'll meet you at the next stop!! ❤️

yourusername no way!! who's "we"?? 🤨 yourfriend don't worry it doesn't involve your stupid ex yourbff it does involve someone else tho 👀 maxverstappen1 i wonder who

y/nswrld can't wait to see you soon!

taylorswift you were amazing! glad i decided to bring you with me

yourusername thank you so much for the opportunity! <3

danielricciardo

liked by yourusername, maxverstappen1 and 4.009.877 others danielricciardo stay hydrated folks! tagged: yourusername

yourusername you really had to include that first pic? 😭

danielricciardo ofc, i gotta get the message out there yourusername blocked.

landonorris you went and didn't invite me? kinda rude

danielricciardo sorry there wasn't space on the plane 🤷 yourbff do you have a private plane? landonorris yeah, why? yourfriend then we'll invite you the next time!

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, yourbff & 4.132.806 others yourusername this has been an amazing time! thank you so much for all the love!

danielricciardo you were amazing! loved seeing you do what you love

yourusername so happy you were able to be there! ❤️ yourbff 🤮 danielricciardo you were the one to bring me? 🤨 yourbff doesn't mean you have to be this cute yourusername aww you called us cute

charles_leclerc you looked gorgeous!

nvrris.ae did she cover 'hopelessly devoted to you' every night? or just the nights daniel was there?

scfty/n every night! but she did seem to sing it with more passion and with a bigger smile on her face whenever her friends or daniel was in the crowd nvrris.ae that's really cute honestly

charles_leclerc

liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen1 & 4.283.800 others charles_leclerc i was told to wait with making this statement until the whole situation had died down a little, but going to see yourusername live in sydney, i realized i'm done waiting. i love this woman with all my heart. i will do anything to win back your trust. i would stand in the rain for hours watching you do what you love, i would quit racing, i would go through fire and ice, and of course my pr manager is fired. i am truly and incredibly sorry for what i put you through, and i understand if you are never going to fully forgive me. i miss you, and i love you. and i hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me at some point. i know you're currently in a relationship, and i'm not asking you to drop that. i just want a second chance. i want a fresh start if you think that would be possible. i hope from the bottom of my heart, that we can start over. i already told you exactly what happened over text, and i talked with everyone in the team, they are more than willing to also tell the story from their perspective. tagged: yourusername

leclrcs this is honestly the cutest little statement ever

scuderia.sf get heeer

danielricciardo watch out.

charles_leclerc i understand the two of you are in a relationship, and i'm not going to fight you, i simply just want forgiveness. i'm not interested in breaking the two of you up

yoursister are you being fr right now??? she's over you. you didn't have to make a public statement or anything at all???

charles_leclerc as i stated, i'm not expecting her to forgive me right now, right this second. i'm expecting it's going to take time, and i'm gonna giver her all the time she needs. yoursister you better sleep with one eye open.

danielricciardo

liked by yourusername, yourbff & 3.458.124 others danielricciardo cool date idea: ask your girlfriend what she wants for dinner and then buy her favorite snacks too tagged: yourusername

yourusername best date to ever exist

yourbff wow what about that time i made you a homecooked meal? yourusername you almost burned down my house??? yourbff um i thought we agreed to not bring that up yourusername no you agreed with yourself to never bring that up, i never agreed.

landonorris and i wasn't invited because???

danielricciardo i didn't know we dated? yourusername care to explain yourself? landonorris yeah care to explain yourself? danielricciardo woah hold on how many people am i dating???

mayasheart aww this is such a cute idea! hold on i'm writing it down

-

okay soooo we're nearing the end. which is good because i have absolutely no clue what else can happen. but the next part is going to happen a bit in the future, like 1 or 2 years later. i'll figure that out while writing the next and last part.

part 9

tag list: @exotic-iris13 @callsignwidow @destinyg237 @lanadelray1989

[negansfavlucille01]

CLEAN IT UP

Negan × f!reader

Warnings: Blowjob, Negan, swearing, hair pulling

Note: I have a few first in my drafts, including innocence pt.2, and I'll post it soon, I promise. If you want to be tagged in my posts, pls say so.

So boring. She thought to herself while the meeting continued.

Negan was talking about supply runs and strategies, something she didn't understand. Y/N was sitting on her chair, bored, her hands on your thighs as she struggled to listen.

It felt like forever when...

"You're dismissed." Negan said, tapping his bat at the table to make sure everyone understood. She went to stand up and walked towards the door. "Y/N, pour me a glass of water before you go."

She sighed, dragging her feet to the small table in the corner of the room where the jug of water and the glasses were. She poured some, then went back to him to hand it. Her clumsiness, of course, had to ruin everything. She tripped over her own feet and fell, the water spilling right at her boss's crotch.

He slowly looked up, then back at where the water spilled. Biting his hip, he gestured her to get up. She stood up, putting the now empty glass on the table.

"Clean it up." It took her a few moments to figure out if he was talking about the floor or his crotch. But unfortunately, he was talking about, in fact, not the floor. "Did I fuckin stutter?"

"No, sir..." She walked to the small table again and took some tissues. He patiently waited for her return. She kneeled before him, right between his thighs and hesitantly reached to mop the water off his pants.

"Cmon, girl. I don't have all day."

Pressing fully your hand on the material, Y/N could feel that Negan had a slight hard on. She looked up at him with wide eyes, but in return she just got that stupid grin looking at her. She shyly looked at the floor as she rubbed the tissue on, mopping the water, but also getting him harder.

Once the pants were almost dry she stood up and threw the tissue in the bin. Wishing for a permission to walk out, she turned to your boss, but he again gestured her to come back.

"See, darlin, you gotta do a little more for me to forget what happened. You can't just fuckin' spill water on me, can you?" She nodded, kneeling down and slowly working her hands on his belt. Seeing his hardness grow made her panties soaked. She slid his pants down, still keeping his boxers on. He looked big. Very big. And that was confirmed when she took off the boxers as well, his long member slapped again his leather jacket, right where his belly button would be. He was long and thick, the mushroomy tip swollen and red. He was a treat. Leaning in and slowly licking the tip while looking into his eyes had him groaning lowly. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her hair and slammed his hips forward, making her take him all. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she gagged but she also felt so much pleasure. He held it long enough for her to slap his thigh, desperately trying to get him to let her go. He didn't. The heat in her core made her feel like a whore for him, but everyone knew the effect he had on women.

Sucking with tears in his eyes and feeling the stings down her throat were painful, but she still wanted to make him proud. He released her, letting her take a few breaths before she got back to work, sucking hard on the tip. His groans got louder and he gripped the table. She sucked and sucked until her jaw ached, her lips became pink and she felt him twitch in her mouth. "Shit, baby. I'm cumming.."

She took him as deep as she could and lookef up at him with lust-filled eyes to watch his reaction. His head is leaned back and his mouth is dropped open as he panted. Suddenly, she felt warm ropes of cum deep down her throat, making her choke. He pulled her face away and smirked as she recovered.

"Good girl."

[moony-2001]

Lore Olympus ep. 252 critique

Before all you stans get mad I generally thought this episode was pretty okay. But maybe that’s because not a whole lot happened.

Cassandra

So going in the order of events, first up is our favorite gal Cassandra.

Gotta say, already like her loads.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about her general existence, beyond the fact that it’s stupid that Apollo is using her as a walking incognito tab. My main criticism more lies around the idea of when did Apollo even meet her? He obviously couldn’t have met her during the time skip because there were no interactions allowed between realms during that time and he was kicking it in Olympus.

We also have no indication of when he actually met her post-punishment. There’s no definitive timeline for how far we are post-time skip, but by my estimation, we can’t be more than a month past when the embargo officially lifted. Idk I can already smell the mess that is this storyline a mile away.

The SA plot line

Holy fuck. I don’t exactly know what the hell Rachel is exactly trying to achieve with the SA plot line but I can tell you that the handling of it has been piss poor.

Uhhh... this is great and all except for the fact that Persephone never thought this. There is not one shred of evidence that Persephone ever liked or actually found Apollo handsome. Not even in the very early chapters. She didn't even say that he made her feel special. She said that she liked the way Hades made her feel. Hades made her feel special by grooming her but that's a whole-ass post on its own.

Even after her assault, she continued to express at minimum a clear discomfort for him in front of others and at maximum immense hatred for him when by herself or with only him. And now suddenly Rachel wants to flip the script? Why? What purpose would that serve? Why is she suddenly backpedaling on a plotline that was established within the first 25 episodes/the second day Persephone is on Olympus? The SA plotline is the longest-running and the "big bad" that has yet to be resolved. But now it only pops up when the story needs a little conflict or an extra boost to drive it forward. Plus now she wants to portray Apollo as this misunderstood ex-love interest/boyfriend with whom the audience is supposed to sympathize? It's disgusting. @genericpuff who I really need to stop tagging in these posts I'm so sorry made an excellent essay about how Rachel is burying the SA plot line that basically takes what I've said above and greatly expands it. Go read it, they made a lot of excellent points.

Melinoe

Ah yes. The mystery deity that was really Hades’ inner child/actual child all along!

So I actually had a conversation with another LO critic about how weird I thought this "inner child -> actual canonical child" pipeline was. Now, granted, I could be reading into this way too much but when I first read this, I honestly thought it was some kind of weird/unintentional representation of parents projecting their trauma onto their children.

We've seen this little ghost buddy in past chapters and a lot of people (myself included) thought that our ghost buddy was a representation of Hades' inner child. A little Hades if you will. And it was portrayed that way. We often saw our little ghost buddy/little Hades who was extremely traumatized by Hades' past experiences. The part of Hades that just can't let go despite what he may claim about "moving on" or "being better". But if this little ghost/Hades is actually their kid Melinoe, that means they saw everything that Hades went through. All his traumas, all his struggles. Everything. And now also with Persephone and her little jaunt through the mind-scape and the shit she saw. So now we have to recontextualize all of those scenes where Hades interacts with this being and tbh the scenes kind of become very ick? This is such a strange direction to take this particular storyline. Something about it just rubs me the wrong way and I don't know if it's my above complaint or something else.

But yeah. Pretty tame in comparison to some of my past posts and posts that will come. Until the next chapter and/or my next post.

[hoodharlow]

The Muffin Man

AN: one thing about me is that I'm gonna start another series on top of the ones I have started lmao 🤪🤪🤪 also, in this universe Devin Booker doesn't exist. He's going to be face claim for OC's older brother in this series <3

Requested? No

Warnings: bad flirting, mentions of cheating but it's all a big misunderstanding on Jack's end and brief mentions of solo smut

Word Count: 3.6k words

It was embarrassing at this point. At his grown age he shouldn't be having crushes, for fucks sake, he's Jack fucking Harlow. Yet here he was palms sweaty, nervous out of his mind to order his drink from the cute cafe owner in his apartment building. She moved into the building a few months ago and bought out the previous cafe owner. Personally, and this isn't because he has a thing for her, but Jack likes the drinks more from her than the previous owner. There was a more authentic vibe to them. 

Jack watched her take a tray over to a table where several older women were sitting with matching books. They all complimented her and thanked her for bringing their drinks. She smiled and went back to take orders. 

There was only one other person ahead of Jack and Urban. Just as the person was paying Urban's phone rang. 

"Shit, I gotta take this. It's the gallery, can you get my usual?" Urban asked. 

He didn't wait for Jack to respond; he just walked out to the terrace to answer. It made Jack panic more since Urban was the one who ordered for him. He just paid.

"Next." She said, motioning Jack to step up and order. 

"Uh, can I get a strawberry-banana smoothie and a tea to go, please." Jack said nervously. He glanced down at her nametag, pinned nicely on her chest, and said that it said Ynez in cursive.

"What kind of tea?" Ynez asked.

"Oh, just the hottest you have." He said, pulling out his card.

"I meant flavor wise like green, chai, ginger-orange, canela, black, earl gray, matcha–"

Someone walked up to the counter to the food display. It was Ernesto Cruz aka Ernie by everyone, forward for the Atlanta Hawks. He dropped a twenty in the tip jar then grabbed the last blueberry muffin from the display and took a bite. 

"Ernie, seriously?" Ynez frowned.

"I'm running late." Ernie said, kissing her temple. "Love you." 

“I love you too.” She rolled her eyes as he walked out of the counter. She turned back to Jack. "I'm so sorry about him. He has no home training.  any food items I can interest you?"

"Do you have more blueberry muffins?" He asked. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry he took the last one." Ynez said apologetically. 

"Oh that's fine." Jack waved her off. 

"Now I feel really bad– you know what, your smoothie and tea are on the house." She said, tapping the screen.

"What? No, here." He passed her his card. 

"On the house, don't worry about it." She shook her head. 

"Fine." He gave in

Jack slipped a twenty in the tip jar when she turned around to get food from the kitchen in the back. He sat at a small table in the back and checked his phone. He looked up Ernie Cruz on Instagram. He didn't have many posts, but he found one from a few years ago of him and Ynez at his college graduation. 'My day one' said the caption. Jack saw that Ynez was tagged and clicked on her @, but much to his dismay, she was private. He sighed and exited out of the app. He couldn’t believe she had a boyfriend and that he was an NBA player. Granted Ynez and Ernie moved into the building at the same time, but Jack never put them together. But at least he now knew he didn't have a chance and could act normal with her. 

"Hey, uh, you never told me what kind of tea you wanted." Ynez said, approaching him. 

"Just a green tea." Jack said, quietly.

"Okay coming right up." She nodded, writing on the cup. "I truly am sorry about the muffin." 

"Don't worry about it." He said, giving her his signature grin. 

Ynez felt her cheek flush, panties melt, and stomach drop seeing his smile. She pushed back her hair and pointed back. "I'm, uh, going to get your drink, um, made." 

"Thank you." He nodded. 

He pretended to stretch his back so he could watch her ass in the tight black jeans she wore. She may be taken, but that wasn't going to stop him from appreciating her body. He was just going to admire from far. 

"Look at you, telling her more than three words." Urban said, sitting across from him. "When's the wedding?"

"Shut up." Jack grumbled. "She's got a man." 

"Who?" His best friend asked curiously.

"Ernie Cruz." He said. 

"Your new neighbor?" Urban folded over laughing. He wiped fake tears. "Man, you have the worst luck.”

“What did the gallery say?” Jack asked to change the subject. 

“Everything is going smoothly and they said the opening is set for a few weeks from now." Urban explained. He had submitted some of his photographs into a photography competition. The winner would get a $5000 cash price and the gallery would exhibit the winner's art for two months. He nodded his head to Ynez. "You should ask her to come see the exhibit when it's up."

Jack gave his best friend a pointed look. "Did you not hear me when I said she has a boyfriend?"

*

Ynez was in her apartment's kitchen making some muffins for Jack Harlow. Technically it's her brother's apartment since he paid for everything, but she was on the lease. Her and Ernie were half siblings. Their dad didn't know condoms existed and got their moms pregnant at the same time. They were born days apart and their family called them the twins as a joke. Their dad ended up marrying Ernie's mom, Morgan, but he still co-parented with Ynez's mom, Gabriela, until she passed when Ynez was eight. They took her in and Ernie's mom raised her like her own. Her family never made her feel left out and she felt loved by them. When she was twelve Ernie's mom legally adopted Ynez. Since then they've been a close family. She was the one who got her into baking. She even passed down her infamous blueberry muffin recipe to Ynez. 

Speaking of blueberries, Ynez genuinely felt bad that her brother took the last blueberry muffin when Jack Harlow wanted to buy it. She set the bowl down and went to where she set the blueberries to dry, only to find her brother popping a large handful in his mouth. 

“Stop eating them, you’re not gonna leave any for the muffins.” she smacked him with the wooden spoon.

 “Dude, that shit hurted.” Ernie rubbed his arm. He grabbed another handful to piss her off. “I doubt your little boyfriend won’t care if it’s not full of blueberries.”

“Jack isn’t my boyfriend. Besides, it's the least I could do since you stole from my shop.” 

“I left a very generous tip for those overpriced muffins you sell.” her brother argued. 

Ynez turned to Kiko, their two year old doberman and pointed to her brother. “Kiko, bite him for me.” 

Kiko lifted his head from his bed and sighed dramatically before going back to sleep.

“What are you doing after you drop off your boyfriend’s muffins?” Ernie asked, buttoning his dress shirt. 

“What are you doing later? Got a date?” Ynez eyed him. 

“I’m just going out, don’t worry about it Nezzie.” he said. 

“One, don’t call me Nezzie and two, I know you have a date. Te conozco.” she said as she folded the blueberries into the batter. 

“Think what you want, Nezzie.”He pulled out his wallet and handed her one of his cards. “Get some dinner that isn’t dino nuggets and tater tots. I’ll be back before midnight. Te cuidas.” 

“Bye Ernie.” she said. 

She knew her brother was lying; he was going on a date. A few weeks since they moved to Atlanta, they ran into his ex at the store when she was finishing up her twelve hour shift at the hospital. She was surprised to see the twins in Atlanta. 

Him and Aisha, his ex and Ynez’s best friend at the time, broke up because Ernie was going to Duke to play for their men’s basketball team. Ynez and Aisha stayed in Arizona and went to ASU. Ynez studied communications while Aisha studied nursing. They drifted apart during college since they studied different things and Aisha got more involved in school. Ynez just went to her classes and baked in her free time. After she graduated, she became her brother’s assistant when he got drafted to play for the Suns. He played in Phoenix for a few years then Ernie was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. 

After Ynez and Ernie saw Aisha, Ynez reached out and in one of her days off they met up for coffee. The whole time Aisha asked about Ernie but not in the fake way other girls do when it was painfully obvious they only talked to Ynez so they could get on her good side because if she didn’t like them Ernie wouldn’t give them a second glance. Ynez could see that Aisha still had feelings for her brother and vice versa of course. 

Ernie was a mess and couldn’t believe that she was in Atlanta as if they still didn’t follow each other and he commented on her post where he congratulated her because she got her dream job. Ynez told him to just hit her up so they could catch up, but his stubborn ass didn’t want to. 

She left it alone, not wanting to end up in the middle of it if it got weird. But the last few weeks she picked up on the signs that he was talking to someone. He was pretty open with his phone and would let Ynez use it when she wanted to order food when he was in the shower or just chilling in the living room. Now he kept it at his side at all times and he even changed the passcode. She casually mentioned it to Aisha during one of their coffee hang outs,and she seemed pretty unfazed. That was when Ynez deduced that they were talking again. In addition to the exes having the same dopey grin whenever they would get the text alerts. Now all Ynez needed was confirmation that they were seeing each other. 

She scooped batter for her muffins into a muffin tray and let them back in their designated time. Ynez decided to get some dinner. She scrolled through various food delivery apps until she chose QDOBA. Was it her favorite? Not really, but she wasn’t in the mood for anything else nor was she in the mood for Ernie to lecture her on her dino nugget eating habits. Plus it was a good ten minute walk from the apartment building, so she didn’t have to uber or drive. 

By the time she finished getting ready, the muffins were ready so she prepped the tupperware container where she was going to put Jack’s muffins in while they cooled down. Ynez carefully placed them in the tupperware and wrote a note for Jack then she placed it on a small lilac envelope, taping it on top of the container lid. She wrestled Kiko into his harness and the two of them made their way to the lobby through the private elevator. 

“Good evening Miss Cruz.” Miles, the night doorman, greeted her. He was an older man in late 60s. He reminded her of her grandfather with how friendly he was. When she opened the bakery he was on his way out so she always gave him free coffee and doughnuts after his shift.

“Hi, Miles.” she said, walking over to him. “I had a small favor to ask you.” 

“Anything, miss.” he said.

“Could you please deliver these to Jack Harlow?” she asked in a hushed voice. “Earlier he wanted some muffins and you know how Ernie is and he–”

“There’s no need to explain Miss Cruz. I’ll do it.” he nodded. 

“Thank you.” Ynez smiled as she walked out with Kiko. 

She was too busy confirming her QDOBA order that she didn’t see in front of her and ran into a very tall body. Then Kiko ran around them, trapping them with his leash. Ynez was chest to chest with none other than the muffin man, Jack. 

“Hey,” Jack said, giving her a pantymelting smile. 

“Hi,” she squeaked, not looking at him. 

Fortunately Kiko didn’t tie them tightly so Ynez was able to turn around. Jack bit back a groan when she bent forward to hold onto her dog’s harness and untangle them. 

“Sorry about that.” She apologized.

She didn’t give him a chance to answer and she sped walked away. Jack pushed back his curls confused and walked over to Miles. 

“Sup, Miles.” he greeted him. 

“Good evening Mr. Harlow.” Miles nodded. 

“Miles, I’ve been living here for almost two years, please call me Jack.” he said. 

“It’s a habit Mr–Jack.” the doorman chuckled. He bent down on his desk and handed Jack a tupperware container. “Miss Cruz wanted me to give you these.”

“Thank you.” Jack nodded. 

He had no idea who Miss Cruz was. Once inside his private elevator. He opened the container and saw six large muffins. They were the same ones from Ynez’s bakery. Then it all hit him, Ynez was Miss Cruz. Which meant she was Ernie’s wife. 

Jack cursed. Of course with his luck, he had to go and catch feelings for a married woman. His elevator opened and he walked down the hall to his apartment. The top three floors of the building were the penthouses. Each floor had two penthouses. His apartment was 512 and the one on the other end was 510. 

Once inside he set the tupperware on the table where he kept his keyes and went to get ready to go out. He had a work dinner with Drama and some other producers. He didn’t feel like going since he spent the whole day in the studio reworking what one of the new engineers did. He walked out and grabbed his keys. That was when he noticed the lilac envelope on top of the tupperware container. He opened it and read the note:

‘I’m really sorry Ernie stole the last muffin. His father didn’t teach him any manners. Hope you like these. Sincerely your neighbor from apt. 510, Ynez’

Of course she had to be his next door neighbor. 

*

Jack had a perfect view of them from where he sat. He stopped paying attention to whatever story Drama was telling. He probably heard it a hundred times beforehand. All his attention was on Ernie and the beautiful woman sitting next to him that was not his wife. He couldn’t believe he would outright cheat on Ynez like that and in public. He should have some decency and get a private room or something.

“Jack, are you paying attention?” one of the producers asked him.

“No, sorry, today was a long day.” Jack apologized. “What were you saying?” 

“I was just asking you if you wanted to go with us to this lounge a buddy of mine owns and have some drinks.” he said.

“I think I’m gonna call it a night, but thank you for the invite.” he said. 

After dinner Jack drove home. He tried sleeping but he couldn’t. Guilt was eating him alive. He still couldn’t process how or why Ernie would cheat on Ynez. The woman with Ernie was beautiful, there’s no denying it, but that shouldn’t be enough to cheat on someone. 

Sleep finally caught up to him and he fell asleep at three in the morning. He woke up around noon and was on autopilot the rest of the day. He came back from the studio that evening tired. All he wanted to do was sleep. When he got in his apartment the first thing he saw was the tupperware container. He took it as a sign to tell Ynez. He placed the muffins in a cake stand where he put all his pastries. He washed the container and made his way across the hall. 

He knocked on her door and waited. 

Seconds later, she opened the door. 

“Hi?” she smiled. Her bathrobe opened, revealing her chest to him. 

“Your, uh,” Jack gestured to her bare chest.

“Oh my fuck–I’m so sorry.'' She turned around and tied it. “One second.”

Ynez closed the door. A few minutes later she opened the door, now fully dressed in an ASU hoodie and leggings. 

“I am so sorry, I was coming out of the shower when you knocked and–”

“It’s okay, they looked good–shit, I meant, you don’t have anything to be ashamed–”

“How about we start all over, and forget I flashed you.” Ynez suggested. 

“That would be great.” Jack grinned. 

“Hi, would you like to come in?” she asked. 

“Uh, yeah.” he nodded. He followed behind her, eyeing her ass in the tight leggings. He quickly averted his gaze elsewhere and took in the penthouse. It had the same layout as his, but there was a more homey vibe to hers. Her dog came by and sniffed him then retreated back to the living room. 

“So what made you journey across the hall?” Ynez asked, pouring them some glasses of agua fresca. 

“I brought your container back.” Jack said, sliding the tupperware to her. 

“Oh thanks.” she said, taking it. She went to the other side of the kitchen and put it back in its designated stop in the cabinets. 

“Is Ernie here?” he casually asked. 

“No, he flew to Charlotte, I think, for a game. I’m not too sure. I don’t really keep up with his game schedules.” Ynez said, taking a seat across from him. 

“Oh,” he nodded. 

“Yeah,” she nodded back. 

There was an awkward silence. The only sound was Kiko’s loud snores coming from the living room. 

“I didn’t come just to drop off your container.” Jack finally said after a few minutes. “I don’t know how to say this. It’s really not my place and stuff, but I couldn't not tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Ynez furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“I saw Ernie yesterday with a woman–”

“Did she look like this?” She passed him her phone, showing him a picture of Aisha. 

“I wasn’t wearing my glasses so I couldn't make out her face, but I think it was her.”

“I fucking knew it!” she laughed. “He thought he was slick but I knew.”

Jack was now the confused one. “You knew your husband was cheating on you?”

Ynez tilted her head. “I don’t have a husband.”

“So Ernie is…”

“My half brother.” she giggled. “Wait did you think Ernie was my–ewww. God no, he's my brother.”

“And I’m the biggest idiot.” he felt his cheeks flush. 

“It’s an honest mistake. We don’t look alike.” she shrugged. 

“Well I’m glad, I didn’t ruin any marriages.” 

Ynez laughed at his comment. They changed the subject and talked for a good hour, getting to know each other, before Jack had to leave because he had an early flight to New York. Ynez wished him a safe trip and walked him out. She closed the door and let out the loudest laugh. 

She couldn’t believe Jack Harlow thought she was married to her brother. Of all conclusions he could have made. But she did find it noble of him telling her that he saw Ernie with Aisha. She’s scrolled through articles and tweets in the past saying that Jack was a kind and generous guy. She finally got to witness that. In an awkward circumstance, but that proved to her what kind of guy he was and she knew she could trust him. It made the small crush she had on him develop into a full on crush. She cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for bed. She had to be up at five in the morning to prepare everything for the cafe. She checked the time and her brother should be back at his hotel room, so she Facetimed time. 

“Que paso cabezona?” He greeted her.

“I had an interesting talk with Jack Harlow.” 

“He told you he saw me out with Aisha, didn’t he?” Ernie deadpanned. 

“Yes, but we’ll circle back to that in a second.” Ynez said. “He thought we were together.”

“What?” her brother grimaced. 

“I know.” She agreed with his reaction. 

“How the fuck did he come up with that conclusion?” he asked. 

“I guess we give off ‘siblings or fucking’ vibes. He came to drop off the tupperware and he began apologizing, saying how it wasn’t his place to say, but he couldn’t not tell me, you know. Then he went on telling me how he saw you with Aisha and was confused on why I was happy for you.”

“That explains why he was mad dogging me at Giani’s.” her brother said, scratching his beard. 

“Ooh, you took Aisha to Gianis?” she said, impressed with him. 

“All I’m gonna say is be careful. He’s a rapper after all.” Ernie said, changing the subject.

“Why would I be careful?” she asked, taken aback. 

“Because you fucking like him. And before you go on and say you don’t, remember that I’m your older brother and I know you. Have fun but don’t expect much from him. Some of my teammates know him and know of his rep. I just don’t want you to get hurt, Nezzie.”

Ynez rolled her eyes. “You were doing so good until you called me Nezzie.” She sighed. “You have nothing to worry about. It’s just a little crush that I have. In a few days it’ll go away. It’s not like he likes me too.”

Taglist: @cherryxcreme ​ ​​ @heavyhitterheaux ​ ​​ @carma-fanficaddict ​ ​​ @youngharleezy ​ ​​ @youngharleezyxo ​ @babyharleezy ​ ​​ @that-90s-girllll ​ ​​ @alinaharlow ​ ​​ @whywontyoulovemecami ​ ​​​​ @meyocoko ​ ​​ @harlowcomehome ​ ​​ @nattinatalia ​ ​​ @webinurcloset ​ ​​ @gassyandsassy1 ​ ​​ @jackharloww ​ @awhore4moree ​ @noescapricho-essentimiento ​ @a-moment-captured ​ ​ ​@neon-lights-and-glitter @purecinnamonextract

[pyromegalomaniac]

Well, I keep imagining the reader before being taken by Yandere wally to his world, had a date with someone had a crush on the reader at her house, but imagine the reader and the guy on the date kissing and going to some more spicy places TV or computer out of nowhere turned on and had Wally looking not too happy about it… What would happen?

Such a good idea, anon... I really like yandere and generally threatening Wally, so this is gonna be fun to write. >:) I will say that this'll be a gn reader, since you mentioned them as she. Just letting you know!! I also separated the story this time, since it ended up being extra long and I decided to write with my laptop this time instead of my phone!! Enjoy!!

(♡˙︶˙♡)

Eyes Glued to the Screen🍎📺

(some spicy themes ahead, reader be aware!!!)

☆°•☆°•☆°•☆

Aspen was using the bathroom, and I sat on my phone scrolling tumblr as I waited for him in our booth. The waiter had already taken our bill, and I was just waiting for my date to get back so we could go.

I decided to check up on that website about the hunt for that lost media show for updates, but no luck. When I'd first heard about it awhile ago, I was immediately enamored. The characters were so charming, and they reminded me so much of the Muppets. I really hoped they'd be able to find some of the actual show soon. So far all they'd found was some old merch and some scripts.

My favorite was a little yellow puppet with a fancy blue hairstyle that supposedly talked to the viewer, Wally Darling. He was just so classy. It was adorable!

I was just finishing putting the tags on a reblog of some fanart when Aspen walked back to our table.

"Ready to go?" He smiled.

"Yep," I replied, shoving my phone in my pocket and standing up after I hit "post".

I took his hand and we left the restaurant, stepping into the chilly evening air just as the sun was going down. We started walking down to my apartment, stopping at a little general store on the way when it started raining. It had already been drizzling, which neither of us minded, but the raindrops were big and fat now, and we didn't have an umbrella.

We tried to wait it out, but after fifteen minuets we just gave up and bought an umbrella to share.

"Dammit, I'm sorry about this," I said as we walked back to my apartment. "I looked at the weather before our date and I thought it'd be over by the time we were done. I-"

"Hey, hey," said Aspen. "You don't gotta put yourself down like that. I didn't bring an umbrella, did I?" He chuckled sweetly, and it really did make me feel better. He was such a little sweetheart.

I should get him some flowers sometime.

We got to my apartment and shed our wet coats, leaving them on hooks. The rain was really coming down now, picking up even more. I wondered vaguely if that was thunder that I heard just now.

We left our shoes on a towel by the door, and I went to go change from my jeans to my sweatpants.

"I'll be back in just a minute~" I called over my shoulder. "Go ahead and start the movie."

I disappeared into my room and undid my belt. I was just putting it away when I heard my phone vibrate on the table. I picked it up to see a text from a number I didn't recognize.

"You didn't forget me, did you?"

I shook my head, assuming it was a wrong number. I had my pants off and was folding them up when I got another text. This time, it was an image. It was hard to tell because it was so dark, but it looked like the vague shape of a face, but the eyes were easiest to make out. It was hard to miss, actually, since they seemed to be able to actually see me.

I was tying up my sweatpants when I got the third text. My curiosity got the best of me, and I opened up the audio message. There was an odd monotone voice speaking to me from... somewhere. The audio quality was... poor.

"Why... why don't you answer me? I can see you. Can't you see me anymore? Just leave him alone. Just leave him. Don't look at him... just look at me... y/n."

It was hard to hear because of the bad audio and because it was whispered, but the voice knew my name somehow. It knew me. It wasn't a wrong number. I could feel the hair rising on my neck...

I jumped almost ten feet in the air when the thunder and lightning crashed outside, stopping myself from shrieking just in time.

I blocked the number and headed outside.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Has the Doc showed him the Delorian yet?"

"Nope, but he's about to," said Aspen, scooting over. "Come sit. I got a nice blanket for us to cuddle in."

I sat next to him in the blanket, and after a while he started leaning on me, and I put my arm around him. I slid my hand down his back and casually made my way under his shirt, and he scooted closer.

Before we could get any more intimate, a roll of thunder crashed outside and a flash of lightning lit up the room in a blinding bright white.

When it was over, all the lamps we had on before were off, and the tv was too.

"Looks like the storm hit the power," I sighed. I got up to go check the tv, and Aspen pulled the blanket close to him.

"I hope it doesn't get too cold in here with the heater not working," he muttered.

I could think of one or two ways we could warm up.

As I bent down to the tv to see if I could do anything with it, it turned on again, displaying nothing but static and some loud static sounds. I tried fiddling with it, but I couldn't get that noise to turn down.

But... were those words in the static? Or was I just hearing things? I bent down as close as I could to hear, and I could've sworn I saw those same eyes that I saw in the text.

"Y/n... you see me now, don't you? Oh, good. We can see each other again."

I froze in fear at hearing that ominous voice again, this time from the tv. It was so quiet, I was certain Aspen couldn't hear.

The eyes became clearer too.

"My, my... I do think I'll just have to take you back with me. Won't that be wonderful, my dear?"

The static seemed to part like a curtain and he pulled himself through, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Let's go, sweetheart!"

The last thing I heard was Aspen's scream as I was pulled through to the other side.

☆°•☆°•☆°•☆

Ooooh, spooky, isn't it?? Ha, Wally is such a little weirdo. I love him sm!! Sorry if this took a bit of time, anon. I hope you liked it, and thanks for requesting this!! It was fun to write, and I look forward to doing more in the future!! Much love!!

ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ

[hooked-on-elvis]

Just a little wish for a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to some blogs that have brought me joy this year

🎄🎁🎄

Awwww. You're so sweet!!! You made my day. I mean it.🥹 Thank you for sharing this with me. I'm glad my blog brought some joy to you this year. So glad! I love your blog too. Very much! ♥ Wishing you the happiest Christmas and that you have an excelent 2024 ahead, dear.

🎅🏼🎄✨🩵

Since we're on the thanksgiving mood, I'd like to thank my favorite blog owners here too, some of the wonderful people I got to talk a little bit this year - or not talk in a personal level but either way, I appreciate you very dearly

I feel you are my priceless gifts this year. ♥

First, I'd like to mention @elvisanddenise. I didn't have a one-on-one talk with you yet, but I'd like you to know you were the reason I wanted to rejoin Tumblr this year in the first place. I am 28 years old now, so I've been a Tumblr addict in my teenage years (for a different reason other than Elvis) but I lost that passion long ago. I didn't even actually use to share anything. Back then I used this account purely to read some fanfics on one of my favorite TV shows characters and that was all, until I got over it a bit. My Tumblr was forgotten for many, many years. This 2023, you were the reason I found it would be fun being active here again. Before I had my Elvis account here, I already accompanied your content daily. DAILY. Your account has a special tab in my browser, which I check on every single day. I mean it. It's been almost a year and, well... I gotta thank you for all the awesome posts you share, the great Elvis pictures and accurate info you upload to your blog, dear. Many great, even rare, pictures of EP are shared on your blog like, weekly. Yours is my favorite blog on Tumblr so far. Thank you so much for sharing your love on Elvis with us. I can see how you dedicate yourself to this passion and I highly appreciate it. ♥

Now, I got mention @eptodaytommorwforever as the first friend I got to talk when I came back to being active on Tumblr this year. I appreciate how kind and sweet you've always been to me. Thank you for all your wonderful, accurate info shares on your precious blog. ♥

Recently, I got to interact a lot with @jhoneybees @lookingforrainbows and @thetaoofzoe. You're so much fun, always making me laugh with the silliest things, which are the best kind of laughter ever! You've been nothing but the sweetest human beings to me and I also love the great content you share daily on each of your blogs, the fanfics, the pictures, everything! I hope you feel how much my words are true. A big hug from this new Elvis friend of yours here. I hope you're all safe and happy. ♥

@bellanotchewrites My dear, I hope you're doing fine. You're so sweet. I'm sorry if I'm shitty in answering my DMs. I really struggle on that, don't even know why, but you've been on my mind. Keep strong, sweetie. i'm wishing you the best! I care for you. ♥

@vintageshanny Always with the best tags, thank you for remembering me this year, dear. Although I don't always manage to participate on the tags content you share with me, I always have great fun seeing all the interaction from the other friends you tag. I love your blog so much! ♥

@dreamingofep I didn't got to read many fanfics this year because I have a hard time focusing on anything recently — and I know I'm missing a lot of great content from other friends here. I hope next year I manage to read a lot more of our talented Elvis writers. Anyway, I 'd like to say your "Sinned Awakening" series is my favorite! I love Vampire Elvis. You're doing an excellent job on that series, dear! I'm loving it! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your writing gift with us. ♥

And last but not least, some of the people that are always sharing or liking my content here but much beyond that, the people I love following. You make everything better. I love interacting with you and I appreciate your shares deeply. All of you have wonderful blogs. ♥ @precious-little-scoundrel ♥ @claire-elvisgirl @nothing-but-elvis @i-r-i-n-a-a @lett-them-eatt-cake @vintagepresley @suraemoon @bigdaddyelvislover @velvetelvis @presleyenterprise @alvvaysonmymind @ccab @almightybigbrain @aliengoth3 @pinkcaddyconfessions @tupelomiss @loving-elvis @heartbrake-hotel @elvisflowerchild @peaceloveelvis @helen06dreamer @sissylittlefeather @yintoeveryonesyang ♥

I really hope I didn't forget to tag anyone I care for, I'd hate that. But if I did, I'll remember eventually so I can tag you later.

✨ THANK YOU SO MUCH, MY FRIENDS, FOR MAKING MY DAYS HAPPIER THIS YEAR.✨ I wish you all stay safe, healthy, feel loved and appreciated. I pray for you all. Wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a great holiday season. Enjoy your families and loved ones this holidays, babies. May your 2024 be filled with laughter and joy.

And thank you once again, @precious-little-scoundrel. For inspiring me after pouring so much love on many of us today. God bless you. ♥

Sincerely yours, much love,

Lally.

[godtier]

so i wasn't gonna make a separate post about this but @sapphire-weapon had a post (that i reblogged a few days ago) in which someone mentioned that they think it was a missed opportunity in RE6 for jake to not have spoken to wesker. i had a p long conversation with sirea about it and my thoughts about that sentiment, but it was also nearly 3 AM my time when that happened so i dunno if i was even articulating my thoughts properly lmao

and yes... this is technically a meta post and i know i said i was gonna do the mmx meta post first... but this one isn't gonna be nearly as long (i hope) and i gotta get the brainworms out before i die

(quick edit note: i reworded the list item below from saying he was "likely a drug addict" to "likely a recreational drug user" because i feel like that better encompasses what i'm trying to get across

(another edit note: i made another post regarding jake's usage of drugs that stemmed from this post! it's marked as mature bc of drug usage, so it won't show up in tag search. if you're interested in that, look here!)

so the idea that wesker being alive in OG RE6 would have brought an opportunity for jake's character is kinda, imo, antithetical to the purpose of jake's character in the first place.

when we meet jake, we know a few things about him, right off the bat:

he's a mercenary

he's likely a recreational drug user or at least heavy/risk-taking user

he doesn't give a fuck about anything but making money

his whole character journey is going from this selfish, money-focused dickhead to someone who actually cares about doing something good, just because it's the right thing to do. at the start, jake refuses to simply give his blood away when sherry mentions needing it for a vaccine. no, he wants a cash payout. 50 million dollery-doos for a pint of his blood. by the end, he lowers the price to a mere 50 dollars. one could argue that was symbolic and he actually didn't care if he was paid or not, but that's neither here nor there.

but why was he like this? because his childhood was shite; his mother was sickly, he had no father figure, and by 15-ish, jake had to learn how to hustle to keep food on the table. and by "hustle" i mean "do a bunch of mercenary work and killing people." and when shit went south with his little group of mercenaries (their entire group was sold out by a heel-turner), jake basically went "fuck alla y'all" and lost all sense of conviction or morals.

during the game, he expresses his bitterness for his father, wesker, pretty clearly. even though his mother still loved wesker, tried to raise jake to respect him despite never knowing him, it didn't matter to jake. he hated that guy. well, really, who doesn't?

we're not gonna talk about excella rn ok

jake's entire character arc is built up around this hatred as well as a subconscious fear of becoming his father. the fear part doesn't show up until later in the story, after he and sherry were captured by the Big Bad's organization. they were both experimented on for several months, during which jake overheard the researchers talking about his father, wesker. this gives jake a sort of "explanation" as to why he is the way he is; he takes the "nature" side of the nature vs nurture argument.

ofc sherry scolds his ass and basically tells him "grow up and take responsibility for your actions."

and here's the thing... this fear, narratively, works just fine without wesker being there.

(since this got obscenely long, pls continue below for the actual explanation lmao)

jake eventually comes to the conclusion that yeah no it's definitely up to him to not become wesker, not his genetics. he does this without wesker being there. that's the entire point of his character journey. in order for an interaction with wesker to even matter or have any sort of impact on jake's character arc, his character arc as a whole would need to change.

see, imo, wesker being there diminishes a lot of the power of that journey. in the game, he isn't there for jake to scream at, to question. all those thoughts in his head that might be circulating around, like why he left his mother, why he did what he did, etc, cannot be answered. this is not a bad thing in a character arc as this is shit that happens to people all the time. people don't always get the answers they may want from family members because those family members are dead. they have to learn to move on without those answers or they have to rely on people who knew that person to fill in the blanks. this is what jake already does in game. he has to rely on sherry, and by a smaller extent, chris, to fill in those blanks for him.

but we as players, observers of the narrative, already know the answers to some of those questions. why wesker did what he did, primarily. anything else is only pertinent to jake and him knowing those answers doesn't change anything for his character arc as it is.

if wesker was there in the game, what would that even add to jake's narrative? a scene where jake yells at his dad? asks him "why did you leave?" when wesker wasn't even aware that he had a kid in the first place? remember: wesker had no fucking idea that he had a child. there would be no reason for wesker to even believe jake in the first place. sure, there could be a scene where he goes "well i'll be damned, ig he really is my misfired chromosome," but... then what? what does that add?

you could argue that wesker could use jake, maybe try to manipulate him into doing shit for his plans, but... that wouldn't work with the way jake's characterization is mapped out. his entire characterization would have to change for this to work in a satisfying way.

jake already hates wesker without ever meeting him. he would not willingly participate in anything wesker offered to him. he already knows that wesker nearly destroyed the world multiple times and had a hand in destroying an entire city. even if jake has no moral compass at the start of the game, by the time he learns about what wesker really did, who he really was, he's already showing that he does have one, it was just dormant up until that point. he's clearly disgusted by what wesker did. what foothold would wesker have that wouldn't immediately result in it just falling flat?

given how wesker is, i could see him perhaps belittling jake, maybe saying "wow you suck for being my spawn," or something during a fight with the intent to rile him up. would that work? no, not narratively nor not in the way jake is characterized. again, jake doesn't want to be like wesker. why would insulting him and saying he's not "as good" as wesker expected him to be motivate jake or even anger him? it shouldn't, because jake doesn't want to be anything like wesker. if anything, it may annoy him, but that's kind of a lame reaction, right?

if anything, the most i could see culminating out of this would be jake standing over wesker after he's defeated again (because it's resident evil and obviously wesker can't win) and having a "wow idk what i was worried about" moment. that's it.

but he doesn't need that. having a scene like that cheapens the weight of him figuring that out himself, without wesker there as "proof."

because the point of his story, of his character arc, is that he figures that out on his own (and with the help of sherry and the events he witnesses) because he has to. he doesn't need wesker there to spoon-feed that to him. he figures that out by working with sherry, by seeing the effects of the C-Virus on everything that it infects. wesker being an abstract entity in his life is enough, because the frustration of not seeing him, not being able to put a bullet in his skull himself, fuels the rest of his journey.

this is where i think that people who make these observations or criticisms (primarily those who think that jake's character would have been improved if wesker was there) need to understand the difference between what's good for a character as a person and what's good for their arc.

interacting with wesker would be good for jake as a person, in that he would no longer need to wonder about it. the answers would be spelled out for him, and he wouldn't have to do any wondering about the what-if. he wouldn't have any doubts left that he'd need to untangle.

but in doing that, it cheapens his arc; it would do more of a disservice to it, imo, than anything else. it would make his journey more formulaic and boring.

it would also clutter up the already cluttered narrative of that game. you have him not only struggling with his heritage, struggling with the fear of becoming his father, struggling with needing to be the "savior" by giving his blood, struggling with his moral compass, but now also struggling with seeing his father for the first time in person?

it makes his arc top-heavy. in that scenario, you could easily replace him with another, completely new character who has zero ties to wesker and the story wouldn't change in any meaningful way. the reason why it works the way to does now is because wesker is already dead. it creates that internal conflict, that internal frustration, that jake has to learn how to deal with since he cannot take that frustration out on his father in-person. he has to make peace with that struggle in other ways.

now, that's not to say there aren't ways that adding wesker into the story of RE6 that don't disrupt that balance. primarily, when it comes to a potential RE6 remake, the writing team can (and hopefully will) rework aspects of the entire game to make the plot more streamlined. this could include adding wesker in and redoing jake's characterization and character arc entirely.

this would be the only way i could see it working out. if jake's entire motivation was changed, his entire backstory was tweaked, then wesker being around could probably work! an interaction between them could be made to make sense and not bog down the rest of the plot as a result.

sirea also mentioned to me in our conversation that adding wesker in to RE6 remake could actually help streamline the plot and i do agree with that. she mentioned that all of the main characters have a tie to wesker in some way, which is absolutely true. having him there would neatly tie their campaigns together in the plotline and make the game as a whole feel less disjointed and messy.

this is especially true when we consider there are 4 fuckin campaigns that all run alongside one another and intersect at random points. it gets so fucking difficult to page through and figure out when certain things happen in the plot. you'll see them happen in order in chris's campaign, for example, then you go start leon's campaign and have to start over again and try to remember what happened at the same time during chris's campaign and so on.

now imagine that not with just two campaigns but four. it gets gross quick. sure, there are parts where the characters run into each other and that helps ground a general timeline in your head, but as far as time elapsed... it's so fuckin hard u guise

there's a reason why it's so hard to summarize the plot of RE6. it's because there is just so much going on in that fucking game.

anyway, that's my rant/sort of meta analysis about why i think wesker didn't need to be in OG RE6 and probably would have made jake's entire arc stupider than it already was

[ntls-24722]

Mime DJMM!

@artastic-friend had the idea of him being a twitch streamer from the same video that brought Karaoke Kat to fruition, and since they actually do go on twitch they mentioned how there's streams that musicians do where it's all music, barely any or no talking, and then I suggested that if he were to stream he would have to exaggerate his movements a ton to bring his own personality to light. Like a mime!

So, Dj Music Mime.

Spoilers for Clone high below? It's a pretty small spoiler, but

This is a weird crossship but DJMM kinda has a chance with Wesley especially in the universe of Clone High. A robot like him wouldn't be Wesley's first rodeo. I'll call them... Gospel Music

Giant spider fritz!!

I wish there was more but I didn't have a lot of time to do it, which is a shame because there was a really cute, extra idea

Also I gotta admit making giant spider romance is a little awkward on account of the fact that Giant Spider/Planetnid (name for Oort Cloud creations) Fritz wouldn't realistically have a plastic helmet like Comet, so he's very... stiff. In the face. But I did make a hypothetical one quite a while ago

another reason why there isn't much is because ya boy is SICKNASTY‼️💯🔥🔥🔥🔥

which isnt very big news but in relation to that I also wanna say that in general this blog is gonna. slow down

I started the almost daily music man tag during April and that was when school was really slowing down/i had way more time for doodles? But school is starting up again?

I just don't want to push myself to the point of burnout and end up hating doing this? Even though I really like doing this??? But I feel awful everytime I can't get around 2 pages worth of Stuff/I make stuff that isn't all that good in my eyes?

i uhhh just wanna warn that it's gonna be slowing down since I originally wasn't making all the music man stuff daily for the tag (though it has kind of become me doing so but i wanna nip it in the bud before i hate that habit), it was just that I usually drew some Music Men almost every day and that I would be able to post them. It was a recording of an occurrence rather than a gimmick of this blog if that makes sense?

There probably is still going to be music man stuff almost everyday just, probably not 2 pages worth of it everytime

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 28/6

It's in the recs list! I'm very much looking forward to this one.

I've certainly enjoyed what I've read so far - it's been nice to get back to the story's original protagonists.

The main mood of Act 5.2 is one of anticipation. We've been getting glimpses of the kids' Grand Plan ever since the Act began, and it very much feels like it's all building up to something. If Homestuck sticks the landing, and the Act 5 finale lives up to all this hype, then this might end up my favorite part of the story so far.

Yeah it's a session tag - although a 'reading session' is a little ambiguously defined, especially when I stop posting for a few hours and return later in the day. How long a gap does it need to be before it qualifies as a new reading session?

I've just been tagging every post made in the same day as the same session. It's not a perfect solution, but it'll do.

Wow, it started in 2010? I could conceivably have been reading Paranatural in school - although I'm glad I came to it a little later, so I wasn't constantly waiting for updates.

Big red peepers. I'll admit I didn't really think of this as a reveal, but I suppose it is our first true peek behind Dave's shades.

Based on this, it's it's probably safe to assume that all the kids have eyes matching their text colors. Has Rose been blessed with the legendary mutation, Alexandria's Genesis?

A few people mentioned this Squiddles meme. I like it, it's very Trunk & The Grunks.

I've really gotta catch up on those albums at some point...

I did wonder if Bro's sword shenanigans were something to do with Dave's Quest - like, maybe he was bequeathing his anime sword to his brother, to accomplish some objective. Now that Dave has his own Quest sword, I think that interpretation is less likely.

Symbolically though, I do think it's notable that Bro's sword is intact, and Dave's is broken. It ties into how Dave sees himself as a worse version of Bro, on some level.

As far as Jack is concerned, I doubt the game intends for him to have anything to do with Dave's journey. The whole point is that he's ignoring the game's rules - so if anything, his antics might start to break the Quests.

It sounds like the style was supposed to take readers aback - although I didn't find it particularly jarring myself!

Homestuck's art style is constantly changing, with this, the Earthbound sprites, and Hero Mode, among other things. Honestly, I had just assumed that the comic's art just fluctuated depending on Hussie's mood.

I quite like the HussNasty panels, and I hope Hussie keeps experimenting with the comic's art. It sounds like this is the beginning of a more general trend, so I'm hopeful that it will continue.

Oh, so it just straight up is Excalibur.

New theory about his Quest, then. It's about worthiness, and Dave is being tasked to 'prove himself' as a hero, despite his insecurities. This ties neatly into the next set of asks below:

Anonymous asked: my headcanon (partially supported by the text, as you've seen from rose's conversation with jaspers) is that each quest is designed to help you self-improve, so that you can responsibly preside over an entire universe. whether you agree with the game about the ways you need to improve is another story.

I've speculated that the Quests are teaching the Players how to sculpt their universe. Building on from this idea, then, these asks speculate that Quests are also trying to improve the Players as people, so that the nascent universe will flourish under their care.

It's an interesting idea - although it does beg the question of why Sburb is creating such flawed Players in the first place. If it's looking for self-actualized custodians for its universe, why did it create Players like the trolls, who wanted to rule over their universe like tyrants?

I guess it's possible that a flawed Player who self-improves is actually more resilient than a flawless Player who never needed to change. The former would potentially be more resilient, capable of adapting to the changing circumstances of their universe as it grows and evolves.

I wish! That's more of an aspirational schedule, really. I should probably delink it, if it's causing confusion.

I'm not sure whether this is Karkat's canonical birthday - but if it is, I like the irony inherent in the fact that he's not even a Cancer.

Yes - although I don't blame you for forgetting, since I don't think I've referenced it since the literal first post of the liveblog!

Oh, god, messages from 2024? Is Tumblr using Trollian as a backend?

Bizarre. I assume, then, that the trickster code was cut as well. :(

If we assume that Sburb did evolve, then it makes sense that it works this way. However, if it was created by some intelligent being, then holding the Players hostage like this seems pretty malicious.

I mean, there are ways to ensure participation in the game that don't involve destroying an entire planet. No matter how clear you were about the risks, if you asked the population of Earth for volunteers, you'd be guaranteed millions of responses.

All that said, if Sburb worked this way, we'd have a very different story. I understand why Sburb works the way it does, in the context of Homestuck's themes.

Speaking of Kingdom Hearts, I'd kind of love for Sora to visit a Homestuck world. His Keyblade upgrade could be the Wrinklefucker - and he'd have to unlock Vriska as a summon, right?

Do it. I've been rereading GtN this week, and as far as I'm concerned, Alecto can't come fast enough.

It is she. The million dollar question, of course, is whether Taylor is ultimately more of a constructive or destructive character.

I mean, I have an opinion, but resurrecting The Great Taylor Hebert Debate on this blog would be an exercise in hubris.

@wickedsick asked: The typically accepted name for Girl Egbert is June, after that one time Vriska spelt John with 64 O's and Egbert said they read it as a really long "June". [...]

Oh man, imagine being trolled by Vriska was your trans awakening. How would you ever recover?

Jokes aside, I like June, It's cute. I feel like if John transitioned she'd choose another 4 letter J-name like that, or a name from one of her movies, like Dana or Janine.

Come on - I'd be shocked if Homestuck didn't end with the straight characters getting outnumbered at least twenty-to-one.

Looks fine to me, I think. I assume the website just hiccupped - wouldn't be the first time!

It blows my mind every time I remember that Undertale came out in 2015. The beginning of the Undertale Era feels like it started simultaneously six months ago, and twenty years ago.

You open the TYPHEUS web browser and direct it to what is indisputably the most amazing website ever created.

Au contraire, my friend - Typheus showed up way back in Act 1!

[ I can't send them yet because they'd tell you a lot about the aspects, but someone sent classpect headcanons for discworld characters and they're SO GOOD - C ]

Damn it, I can't wait. Just based on what I've recently learned, I am convinced Rincewind would be the Something of Light.

[cyb3rspyd3r]

Since everyone addressin their problems with rashad ..

a lil while ago i had an issue with another writer , it wasn't a big problem but someone found a way to fuel the damn fire..

um its obvious who the fuel was .. at first i thought he was tryna help me because at the moment he was one of the only people who were tryna actually help me in the situation.

this was the last message i had from him before ppl got on his ass about the stuff he was causing , he also pretended to be me in the other writer's anons.. which didn't click to me that it was him at first , until i just saw the other writer's post about the situation and now it all make sense to me.. i see him causin problems to evb now and im js thinkin like um.. damn.. cs it is no fuckin reason damn near the whole miles writers block should be on yo ass rn..ts is insane 😭

and honestly the whole thing abt him "usin his mental issues as an excuse" made me squint at my screen bc like .. ohhh okayy...

back to the situation with him pretending to be me , the other writer added it all up and it makes sense to me now , only her , me , and rashad wouldve been the only ones to know abt her not accepting my apology , and the anon just happened to know abt it .. and ik the writer wasnt that dumb to js go in her own anons so it left rashad as the only person.. i don't even ask ppl stuff as an anon , i make it very known who i am

so i'm honestly pissed at that nigga rn bc i was genuinely stressed , and u js tried to make the situation fucking worse? nigga wtf mental issues gotta do with fueling a disagreement? like dpmo bruh .. bc ur mad weird for that , i trusted you , defended you , and hella other shit and ur the anon the whole time..

u got urself known by all these writers js to end up like this.. u got ya self into this.. don't even act like ppl targeting u or wtv bc u made urself the target..

and at first i didnt believe @averagegirlie when they said it was him pretending to be me , but now ts make sense , we had an argument or wtv but i appreciate you for that 💗

this whole situation just pissed me off .. bc u caused a big ass eruption in the damn miles writers group and then try to blame other shit on it .. tbh u js attention seeking , if u needa talk abt ur mental issues , problems or whatever the fuck u got goin on id recommend doing it to a person in private or going in your notes??? something that WONT cause shit?..

yall have a good day tho.. tagging ppl who have had some problems too with him (lmk if i missed anybody..)

@hiimayee @ashsostrange @tainted-liquor @breeandhermunches (MB IF U DONT WANT ME TAGGIN U BREE JS LMK)

[not-souleaterpost]

Yup, the other AMV/Edit from the iceberg, same reason for uploading it seperately. This one is less melodramatic, so if you disliked that about the last one maybe this one will get more than two likes on here lol. (Also some other thoughts and update after the break)

But first, the iceberg, if anyone is curious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf_dGJyQJOc

Anyways, yeah, actually this one had a whole backstory (kinda) around it, remember like two years ago being on a walk and listening to the song and thinking "I guess this one could work as an amv- but nah amv's are emberassing, I would never make one" - guess history is funny like that. Still wonder if people got pissed of and left the iceberg video before ever coming to the part cause I kinda shittalked amv makers, guess I had to do it, it is what it is. Still, dunno think it turned quite well for basically the first amv I ever really made (think the closest I did before was cutting the Hey Arnold intro to Uptown funk when my brother asked me as a request 7 years ago lol, that shit got lost forever and only went up to the first 20 seconds or something anyways) But yeah, if I'm already rambling, guess this will probably be my last post for some time, will try to abstaine from just posting bullshit and spaming tags on here, hopefully for good but worst case atleast like for a month and a half. Ofcourse I'll upload more substantial shit here when I have something, but I think the rush of likes and responses is too much of a drug for me and takes up too much thoughtspace when I don't get the warm reception I want lol, it's a me problem, but still, prolly better for everyone to just concentrate on the big projects, so when I'm not busy with real life, I can deliver that instead of weird inside jokes or paragraph long theories and rants in the posts of other people (those who didn't mind that - apreciate you, real MVP's) So yeah, think I went on long enough, so yeah it is what it is, we'll see, hopefully I can make some progress on the iceberg again and actually get back on the chapters for SE Post too, kinda don't wanna abandon it for this long and I got a lot of things I wanna finally put to paper, just gotta work out logistic in every sense of the world (like real life shit but also story planning, cause I have all the events, but not sure how to put them in a timeline so there are no plotholes or weird pacing, but I'll figure it out) But as allways, if I fuck up everything again, or you don't really care and wonder why I'm writting as if anybody did: Yeah...Sorry

[sp00kycrumpet]

When Our Paths Cross Again. (Part Two)

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Rating: E

Tags: Soft!Joel; pre-outbeak up till end of Season 1; no use of y/n; sometimes Ellie is the adult in the situation

Warnings: swearing; character death; spoilers (if you haven't watched the series/played the game)

Word count; 5,534 out of 22,020

Will also be posted on my AO3

Part One

After a few days, you could tell Joel was getting frustrated. In the snow, everything everywhere looked the same. You could have walked in circles and never known. He squinted at his map in the dying evening light, Ellie dozed off slumped against your side like a dead weight.

"We'll figure it out Joel. Don't worry." You offered softly, Joel sighing and giving a nod as he carefully folded the map back up.

"I think I know where we are anyway. We just gotta find the river." He lightly pinched the bridge of his nose before pushing himself to his feet. "I'm gonna keep watch, you should get some sleep. Ellie will talk your ear off again tomorrow." Before you could argue, he'd picked up his gun and moved to find a vantage point where he could sit and keep an eye on the surroundings as well as the two of you. You watched him quietly before adjusting the blanket draped around Ellie and closed your own eyes to try and sleep for a little bit. It wasn't exactly comfortable huddled up in what was basically an abandoned shed but it was shelter for now.

When you woke up the next morning, you found yourself alone. Momentarily you panicked they'd abandoned you or something had happened. Until you spotted Ellie's joke book by your feet, a note scrawled on the back page explaining they'd gone to a cabin nearby to see if it was empty or if they could get directions but would be back soon. You groaned and pushed yourself up, grabbing the granola bar Joel had left. You ate it and gathered your things, you weren't sure how long they'd been gone so you decided to go check it out for yourself. Once you had everything, you headed out into the snow - burrowing your face into the collar of the jacket. It was way too big but when it was all that was available, you couldn't exactly be picky. At least it was warm. You followed some footprints across the snow, careful to keep quiet as you picked your way across the open area. You spotted the cabin and quickly moved closer, your heart almost stopping as the door swung open to reveal Joel and Ellie heading out. Ellie stole one of the rabbits hanging by the door as they left, you could hear Joel scolding her as you approached. Suddenly Joel grabbed at his chest and took a moment to lean against a fencepost. You darted over as Ellie babbled at him.

"If you're dead, I'm fucked. We don't know where we're going without you. Joel, what's wrong?" Ellie sounded panicked as Joel tried to wave her off. You had no idea what was going on, but Joel didn't look good.

"I said I'm fine." He snapped, looking over his shoulder at Ellie.

"Hey Joel. Just breathe, okay? It'll be fine." You said softly as you reached to gently cup his face in your hands. He watched you for a moment before pulling back, saying it was just the cold air. You and Ellie exchanged glances before the three of you continue your journey, Ellie telling you about the old couple in the cabin, how the woman made them soup - which Ellie had tipped some into the empty thermos for you - and they'd given directions for where to go from here.

"So we just have to find Tommy and the Fireflies. It's easy. All we have to do is cross the river of death." She muttered, a frown twisting her face momentarily as she tried to explain what the couple had said to her and Joel. You listened to her but kept an eye on Joel the whole time, his moment back there had you concerned. You just needed a moment with him to check in without Ellie overhearing.

You walked for hours, the quiet unnerved you slightly. Conversation dwindled as everyone started to get tired. Eventually the sound of running water broke the silence, you'd finally found the river.

"The river of death… scary." Ellie muttered, staring out at the dark water.

"Don't start. It's getting dark, there's some caves across the river we can set up camp in." You nodded in agreement as Ellie muttered about stealing two rabbits as the three of you headed towards the caves.

"Come on, just a bit further and we'll stop there for the night." Joel muttered, leading the two of you over to a cave where you could set up camp for the night. He set to skinning the rabbit and preparing it to eat while you and Ellie set up a sleeping area. Ellie wandered off to find water so everyone could wash up before eating - her muttering about not wanting to eat with the image of Joel's bloody hands in her mind.

"Hey. You okay?" You asked softly, Joel pausing before shrugging a shoulder and continuing cutting the meat into chunks.

"I'm fine." He mumbled, wiping his knife on the grass when he was done. You sat beside him, looking up at him.

"Joel…" You reached to place a hand on his arm, Joel glancing at your arm before looking up at your face.

"I promise. I'm fine." You sighed softly, knowing he wasn't being completely honest, he placed his hand gently over yours though. His thumb gently tracing along yours, you studied his face for a moment as your heart fluttered in your chest. Your moment was interrupted by Ellie coming back.

"How long till dinner? I'm starving." She said as she came back and dropped to sit down, Joel quickly snatching his hand back as you looked up at her.

"Not long." He muttered, moving to put everything into his little camping pan once the fire was hot enough. You caught the way she looked at you both but was glad she didn't say anything.

After dinner, the three of you just sat around the fire as it got dark. Ellie flicking through her book of puns while you went down to the river to wash up. When you came back, she was at the entrance to the cave with her eyes on the sky.

"Look at that."

"Northern Lights." You breathed, looking up as Ellie looked at you in amazement. "C'mon." You grinned and held out a hand to Ellie, leading her around a few rocks to try and climb higher while Joel stayed by the fire.

"Aurora borealis." She muttered, the two of you standing on a high rock as you stared up at the sky in amazement. You chuckled softly.

"You know the fancy term. Do you know how it works?" Ellie shrugged a little.

"Not really, I read about it forever ago but thought it was one of those urban myth things."

"If I remember rightly… it's caused by electrically charged particles entering the Earth's atmosphere at a super high speed. I'm sure there's a proper in-depth explanation but that's all I remember." You chuckled, Ellie looking at you in awe. "I was a bit of a nerd in high school." Ellie laughed as she nudged you lightly.

"Damn. Course I get stuck in an apocalypse with a nerd." You pulled a face at her, glancing down at Joel from the vantage point. Seeing him rummaging through his bag for something. You looked back at saw Ellie looking at you.

"He's talked about you before y'know." She muttered. "I thought he was lying, someone would willingly spend time with his grumpy ass? But you're cool." You smiled softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and hugging her briefly.

"I'm gonna go check on him, you wanna stay here for a bit?" Ellie nodded, waving you off and her attention was back on the sky. You climbed down carefully and headed over to Joel as he pulled some tape from his bag. He glanced up at you as you smiled.

"You gonna tape up the leftovers?" You teased, Joel snorting softly.

"No leftovers, Ellie ate every last bit. My boots got a hole, just gonna tape it till I can find more." You nodded, holding out a hand for the tape.

"Let me help. You should relax." Joel eyed you for a moment, a declining argument on his tongue before he just relented and handed the tape over. You knelt by his feet, taping up the worn boot and making sure it was secure. You worked quietly, feeling Joel's gaze never leaving your face. Once you were satisfied, you patted his calf and handed it back.

"It'll hold for now." Joel thanked you and shoved the tape back in his bag. "I got a little something, hang on." Joel watched you curiously as you dug into your bag and fished out a little hip flask. "It's not as good as the stuff we used to sell at the restaurant but, it'll do." Uncapping it, you took a swallow of the whiskey and offered it over, Joel paused before he took it from you with a thanks. He took a sip then glanced up as he realised Ellie had climbed higher. Joel whistled to get her attention, telling her to get down. Reluctantly she did as she was told, sitting across from you both as Joel took another sip. Ellie watched him, glancing at you then back to him.

"Can I have some?" You chuckled, Joel swallowing and shaking his head.

"No."

"Just to warm up, c'mon." You nudged Joel gently.

"One sip won't hurt her." You grinned, Joel glanced at you then sighed and offered it over. Ellie practically beamed as she took it from him and took a tentative sip. Her face screwed up a little, handing it back pretty quickly.

"Yup. Still gross." You laughed loudly, taking the flask from Joel and having another sip before putting it back in your bag. You leaned back against the rocks behind you, feeling the warmth from the fire on your face as your gaze wandered back to the sky as a quiet settled over the three of you.

"So. I've been thinking, let's say we find the Fireflies, it all works. They draw my blood, put it in their fancy machines and make a cure…" Ellie started, getting both of your attentions again.

"Okay…" Joel replied, curiosity in his tone.

"Then what. What do we do?"

"There's we." He teased and you couldn't help but smile, you loved seeing the playful banter between them even if Joel tried to keep a straight face.

"Okay fine, whatever. You. You can do anything you want. Where are you going, what are you doing?" Joel paused as he thought about it.

"Never been an option. Maybe, an old farmhouse. Some land. A ranch." You looked over at him, you could imagine him doing that. Maybe he'd let you stay with him, pick up where you left off all those years ago.

"Cool. What kind?" Ellie's voice broke your thought bubble.

"Sheep. I would raise sheep. They're quiet, do what they're told." Joel perked one eyebrow slightly, a dig at Ellie again as you laughed.

"Yeah, yeah okay. So just you and a bunch of sheep. Romantic." Ellie glanced at you, you just glanced at your hands.

"What about you? Were you gonna go?" Joel asked, Ellie taking a moment to pick through her thoughts.

"It's probably cause I grew up in the QZ, behind you is the ocean, ahead of you there's a wall. Where else to look but up? I've read everything I could in the school library. Neil Armstrong. Buzz Aldrin. Jim Lovell. You know who my favourite is?"

"Sally Ride." Joel answered without missing a beat, you nodded a little.

"Sally. Fucking. Ride. Best astronaut name ever." Ellie grinned, her eyes on the sky.

"I used to want to be a teacher… maybe I'll find a settlement somewhere. See if they'll have room for a teacher. Domestic bliss sounds nice honestly." Ellie smiled a little, disappearing into her thoughts for a moment. "You good?" You asked, nudging her foot with yours gently. Ellie looked up, studying the two of you for a moment.

"It'll work right? The vaccine." Her voice suddenly sounded so small, nervous.

"It's a little late to start wonderin'." Joel muttered, folding his arms over his chest as he glanced at you then back to Ellie. She pursed her lips a little.

"I tried. With sam." You blinked, watching her.

"Tried what?" You asked gently, leaning forward slightly as her voice sounded so soft.

"I knew he was infected. And I tried to rub some blood into his bite. I know, I know. Stupid but I wanted to save him." You reached out and took one of her hands in your own, gently rubbing your thumb over her knuckles.

"Ellie… I'm sorry." You said softly, Ellie wrinkling her nose like she was on the verge of tears but refused to let them fall.

"I reckon its a lot more complicated than that. Marlene, she's a lot of things but she's no fool. If she says they can do it, they can do it." Joel said, determination in his voice. You nodded a little.

"There's gotta be something to it if they are so determined to get you there and make this cure Ellie. I've heard so many stories about Fireflies but, I've seen their scientific knowledge is strong. They managed to recreate the cancer drugs that helped save Sam. They can do this too." Ellie nodded, squeezing your hand tightly. You smiled at her, shuffling over to hug her against your side. She leaned into you, her cheek against your shoulder.

"You wanna take first watch or second?" She asked Joel after a moment. Joel rolled his shoulders.

"I'll do both. Get some sleep, dream of sheep ranches on the moon."

"Joel…" You said softly, he just shook his head and adjusted how he was sat. You knew he was determined to be the protector. Maybe his moment earlier in the day had shaken him more than he would care to admit.

Eventually you both dozed off, only for you to wake a few hours later when the fire died down. A shiver woke you and you realised your blanket had slipped off. You sat up to find it in the dim light, glancing over to see Joel had fallen asleep. You chuckled to yourself and silently got up, carefully draping your blanket over him as he slept. You couldn't help but admire him for a moment. Even in a shitty world with an impossible task on his hands, the fates had somehow led you back to each other. It seemed so childish to dwell on it but you couldn't help it. You'd fallen hard for Joel so long ago, it was the last time you'd felt good. Being with him in a tiny coffee shop, squeezing into a tiny booth side by side, his hand holding yours as he laughed and told you some silly thing Sarah had done that day. It was so long ago but still so vivid in your mind. You carefully pried his gun from his sleeping hand and draped it over your shoulder, moving to do a quick check around the perimeter before taking a spot by the entrance. You yawned quietly, your hand covering your mouth. You were tired but determined to keep a lookout. There'd been no sign of anyone around here for a while, no tracks other than your own so you weren't too worried. Hearing a noise behind you, you spun around and saw Ellie heading over, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She glanced at Joel and shook her head.

"He's such a stubborn old man." She whispered to you, pulling her hat on her head with a smile. You nodded, leaning against the rocks beside you.

"He just cares. Joel's never been great with expressing himself. Must be a man thing." You joked, Ellie muffling her laugh into her gloves. You glanced over at him, hearing him stir and mutter.

"He does that a lot. Sometimes it's just noises but sometimes he talks." The corners of her mouth tugged downward slightly, you nodded a little.

"Stress can do that. We don't know what Joel went through before he met us." Ellie nodded, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's been rough but… I am glad I bumped into you both. Got me out of Kathleen's insanity and finding more joy in things." Ellie smiled at you.

"Nerd." She teased but still smiled as she kicked at a stone. You knew she meant well and was clearly happy for more company. "I saw you two earlier. Holding hands." You felt your cheeks flush a little, clearing your throat.

"I was just making sure he was okay after earlier. Besides I hold your hand a lot too." Ellie opened her mouth to say something else but just nodded a little.

"That was scary. What was that?" She asked, her eyes on Joel. You shrugged a little.

"Could be exhaustion. Could be a panic attack. Could genuinely have been the cold. But we'll look after him between us, okay?" You smiled at her, Ellie nodding before glancing at you.

"Can I have the big gun? Joel never lets me hold it." You snorted softly, Ellie was always so quick to change subjects. But you didn't mind.

"Okay but if he asks, I suggested it so he doesn't nag you." She beamed at you as you carefully draped the strap over her small shoulders and showed her how to hold it properly and use the aim.

The two of you kept watch as the sun rose, taking it in turns to check the surrounding areas. You excused yourself to find somewhere to pee once it was light enough to see around yourself properly. Ellie saluting with a grin before you went.

As you came back, you could hear voices. Joel had woken up in a bit of a panic after realising he'd fallen asleep and his gun was gone.

"Wake me up next time." He scolded as he held out a hand for the gun. Ellie handed it over reluctantly.

"But Joel she was…" She paused as she gestured towards you then sighed. "Yes sir." You fastened your jacket back around yourself as you watched Joel.

"C'mon Joel. You need to sleep sometimes as well, I'm not going to just let you do everything yourself. I know that's what you're used to but, you have me here now okay?" You nodded, Joel watching you for a moment before he just nodded.

"We'll have the last of the soup for breakfast then move out." You and Ellie exchanged glances, she rolled her eyes at his grumpy mood and trudged back inside to pack her things away while you helped get the fire started again. Ellie went to get more wood as you looked at him.

"She's a good kid Joel. She means well." Joel grunted in response as you placed a hand on his arm. "I know it's not easy. But have a little faith in her, okay? Between the three of us, we'll be fine." You smiled at him, reaching to gently brush some dirt from his cheek. His eyes flickered to your hand before back to your face, studying you quietly. You pulled away after a moment, not wanting to make him uncomfortable as you finally got the fire started and moved to pack your things away. Completely aware of Joel's eyes watching your every movement, you smiled to yourself as you finished and used your bag as a seat while you poured the small amount of soup into the camping pan to warm up and share out between you. You glanced up, your eyes meeting Joel's over the fire. Something flickered in his eyes, your heart fluttering as those old feelings bubbled back to the surface and almost past your lips. Stopped by Ellie's return, Joel hiding back behind the emotional walls he'd built around himself almost immediately.

The three of you followed the path Joel had mapped out after the couple had pointed it out, Ellie interjecting the silence with questions or her admission she didn't know how to whistle - prompting you to playfully tease her as you whistled a few songs and tried to teach her how to do it. Unsuccessful but it killed time, you could see Joel relax a little, clearly amused by your interactions. After a few hours you came to a dam, one used to conduct electricity if it worked properly.

"Damn." Ellie said, breaking the quiet and making you laugh out loud. She looked proud of herself as she turned to Joel. "So that made electricity?" Joel glanced her out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't ask me, I don't have a clue." Ellie groaned, throwing her hands up as she carried on walking.

"You coulda made something up, I would have believed you." You snorted softly, nudging Joel lightly with a smile as you passed him. "What about you? Do you know?" You shook your head.

"I don't know. Witchcraft?" You teased, laughing as Ellie just huffed about neither of you being helpful. You glanced back, catching a hint of a smile on Joel's face that warmed your heart. You got closer to the goal, pausing by the river - Ellie insisting on calling it the river of death again as the three of you hid behind a small mound for a moment to look for any signs of life. Joel fired off a shot to see if there was any response.

"For the river of death, it's pretty quiet." She muttered, Joel shaking his head before the three of you headed out into the open land. You were so close now, you only hoped you'd find Tommy and he would help you get Ellie to the Fireflies. The peace was broken by a rumble, Joel instinctively reaching out an arm to put you and Ellie behind him. Your hand instinctively went to your gun as people on horses surrounded you, your heart hammered in your chest as Joel spoke with them. A man ordered you and Ellie to step away and separate. Joel hesitated before telling you to do as they said, that it would be fine. You nodded, squeezing Ellie's hand before stepping away. You looked around at the group, their faces all hidden and guns trained on all three of you. You didn't escape Kathleen or the hoard of infected to be shot dead by some wannabe bandits. Joel tried to reason with them as a man stepped forward with a dog, the apparent leader explaining how she was trained to sniff out infection and how she'd rip any of you apart if she smelt it. Fear crawled up your spine as you thought about Ellie's immunity and the bite hidden on her arm. She may be immune but maybe the infection just lay dormant in her system. The dog sniffed at Joel then moved to you, sniffing at you before growling and heading to Ellie. Your eyes glued to the girl as she glanced at you then the dog. With your hands up, there was no chance of snatching up your gun and protecting her. You held your breath as the dog sniffed at Ellie before welcoming her with a lick to her fingers, Ellie giggling at the feeling before crouching down to pet the dog confidently. You exhaled slowly, glancing at Joel before looking back at the man that spoke. A woman came through a small opening in the group, eyeing Joel as she asked his name. There was something in her eyes as he gave his answer, she turned to the man beside her and said something in his ear. Reluctantly he called everyone to lower their weapons, making a few of them double up so Joel could ride a horse then you and Ellie could ride another. You sat her in front of you, your hands holding the reins and keeping her close.

"That was close." You whispered in her ear once you all got moving.

"Yeah but we don't know what happens now. She seemed to know Joel. Did you see her reaction to him?" You hummed in agreement.

"I got you. Don't worry." You muttered, Ellie leaning back into you in agreement.

The ride was pretty quiet, Ellie unnaturally quiet as she took in her surroundings and took note of everything going on. She was young but experience had made her wise beyond her years at times. You almost envied her sometimes. You were taken to a huge gate, the woman who'd spoken got someone to open it and you were led inside. To a whole town hidden behind these enormous walls. You breathed out, in awe of this little wonderland sprawling before you. Houses, shops, restaurants and all sorts. Kids playing in the snow, families walking around, friends chatting and enjoying the day. It was like a haven that the virus hadn't managed to get to. People were working together, existing peacefully and content with their little home here.

"This is incredible." You muttered, feeling eyes on the three of you as you rode through town. Ellie nodded quietly, the group pausing momentarily.

"Tommy!!" Joel suddenly yelled out, a man a few feet away on some scaffolding stiffening before turning and spotting Joel. Joel slid off of his horse as Tommy came over instantly, the two brothers embracing tightly. Joel laughing a little as tears shone in his eyes at the joy of finally seeing his brother. The men looked at each other before embracing again. Ellie glanced over her shoulder at you as you smiled softly.

"We found him. Side quest complete." You muttered to her before sliding off of the horse from behind her. Joel glanced over as he heard the snow crunch, Tommy following his gaze before he laughed.

"No fucking way." You grinned as you approached.

"Funny, that's exactly what I said when I first saw Joel a few weeks back." You laughed and wrapped the man up in a tight hug. Tommy shook his head as he patted your back, pulling away after a moment.

"C'mon, let's go get you three fed."

The restaurant was lovely. Reminiscent of a log cabin in it's decor and wooden walls, it had a warm atmosphere and the smell of food made your stomach growl instantly. You followed Tommy and the woman from earlier - after introducing her as Maria - to a table, she asked one of the girls working there to get food for the three of you.

"How do we pay for this?" You asked suddenly, Tommy chuckling.

"Call it a welcome gift." He grinned as he sat back in his seat. You nodded a little, glancing around. It felt surreal to be in a restaurant with Joel and Tommy Miller, like the world hadn't changed. Except it was Ellie between you and Joel instead of Sarah. Tommy explained to Maria about how you had met him and Joel, working every shift ever and constantly looking after them like they were royalty.

"Man I lost track of how many freebies you'd sneak us or how you'd use your staff discount when no one was lookin'." You grinned and shrugged.

"You guys became some of my best friends! How could I not treat you well?" You grinned, Tommy just giving a playful smirk - choosing to omit the details of you and Joel going on dates or the cupcakes you made. When the food came, silence fell over the table as you all ate like starving prisoners. It was so nice to have a home cooked meal, which Ellie exclaimed - Joel scolding her to mind her manners. Ellie looked up and over your shoulder, seemingly spotting someone as she yelled out to them.

"She's was just curious. Kids around here don't look or talk like you." Maria said softly. Ellie just shrugged.

"Maybe I'll teach em." She bit back, you could see Joel was rubbing off on her - instantly defensive when she felt on edge. You nudged her under the table with your foot, she glanced at you with a 'what?' expression before turning back to Maria. "And I want my gun back."

"They also aren't armed." Maria answered softly. Tommy cleared his throat a little.

"Y'know I think y'all got off a little on the wrong foot." He said, glancing between the three of you.

"She was gonna have her guys kill us." Ellie scowled, you swallowed and said her name softly to try and get her to calm down.

"We gotta be real careful about who we let in this place. But it's all bark, we just wanna scare off those who might try us is all." Tommy explained, hoping to keep the peace. You nodded in understanding as you put your fork down for now, sipping your tea.

"Well you got a couple of ninty year olds out there shitting themselves."

"Ellie." Joel scolded.

"They said you leave dead bodies around." You sighed softly, pinching the bridge of your nose after shooting Maria and apologetic look, Joel constantly trying to keep the peace.

"Those are the people who tried us." Maria answered, still calm and level as always.

"A bad reputation doesn't mean you're bad." Tommy added.

"Not always at least." Maria interjected, shooting a look at Joel that had you feeling irritated now. You put your cup down and fixed her with a look, opening your mouth to say something when Joel stepped in.

"Ma'am. We're grateful for your hospital and all, but it'd be nice to have a moment here just for family." Joel replied, you exhaled slowly as you swallowed back the comment on the tip of your tongue, Tommy shifting in his seat as he slid his hand into Maria's.

"Well. Maria is family actually." He replied as you spotted the small wedding band on her finger.

"Oh shit. Congrats." Ellie said, Joel just staring at his brother with an unreadable expression on his face. You congratulated them as well before Ellie stared at Joel.

"Joel. Say congrats." She hissed, Joel frowning for a moment before nodding once.

"Congrats." The couple shared a look before Tommy forced a smile.

"How about a tour?" He suggested to break the tension, you nodded in agreement as you pushed your empty plate aside.

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you." You said softly, wiping your mouth before leaning back in your seat. Ellie glanced at you while Joel still stared at Tommy with that unreadable expression still on his face. You exhaled slowly, excusing yourself to use the bathroom before you left. It felt weird. This little safe space, the relaxed atmosphere of everyone around you, how Joel had gone from emotionally ecstatic at finding Tommy to cold and unreadable so fast. You took a moment in the bathroom to splash some water on your face and have a second to yourself before rejoining the table. You stacked the empty plates together and tided the table out of habit, glancing up when you felt eyes on you.

"Old habits really do die hard, huh?" Tommy teased with a laugh as you chuckled and realised what you'd done.

"When you worked in the food industry as long as I did, you can't not do the little things to make other servers' jobs easier." The little joke seemed to ease the tension slightly as everyone gathered their things and headed out. Tommy and Maria showed you around, pointing out the different buildings and how they kept everything running. The dam helped give them power and hot water. Your eyes lit up at the mention, the dream of a hot shower had almost died months ago when the hot water had been shut off in the city. They explained how everything worked as you walked towards a little holding, Ellie's face lighting up when a flock of sheep trotted past in a field beside you.

"Hey look Joel!" She grinned over her shoulder at him, imitating the noises the sheep made as they ran past. Maria led you to the stables, introducing Ellie to the newest horse, Shimmer. She cooed over the horse as Joel and Tommy stood back, you glanced over at them - your gaze lingering on Joel to check in before looking back at Ellie. Maria suggested she show you and Ellie around a little more so the men could catch up. Tommy agreed and led Joel away.

"Ellie, best behaviour." He warned, glancing at you. "You'll be okay?" You waved a hand, smiling at him.

"I think we'll be fine. Go." Joel nodded, watching you before turning to follow Tommy. Maria had a questioning look on her face once you turned your attention back to her but she never said anything, instead showed you both around a little more. Introducing you both to the stable hands, showing you the pigs and a little fat barn cat that was lounging on a haybale. After walking around for a while, Maria offered to take you both back to hers for a tea and a shower. You agreed, Ellie shooting you a look before just shrugging and following you both.

(Part Three)

[boasamishipper]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by the lovely @doodledrawreblogs - thanks cy!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 104 (it will be 105 after my yuletide fic is posted)

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 1,296,866

3. What fandoms do you write for? i've written fic for legend of korra, milo murphy's law, the dragon prince, star wars, ted lasso, top gun / top gun: maverick, 9-1-1 lone star, what we do in the shadows (tv), a league of their own (tv), mission: impossible, our flag means death, perry mason hbo, and night court.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

when i see your face (top gun, icemav, 1.4k) - 5018 kudos

Moving In Slow Motion (top gun, icemav, 7.5k) - 3044 kudos

Make A Wrong One Right (top gun, icemav, 18.8k) - 2313 kudos

baby, baby, i'd get down on my knees for you (top gun, icemav, 18k, cowritten with @academicgangster) - 2290 kudos

Word on the Street (top gun, icemav, outsider pov, 3.8k) - 1991 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments? yes! if you are kind enough to read one of my fics and leave a comment, i always do my best to reply, even if it's just a string of heart emojis.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? probably Like Attracts Like - it's a companion piece to my legend of korra mash au sometimes you hear the bullet, and ends with zhu li (the radar of the story) getting word of varrick's plane going down a la henry blake in abyssinia, henry. truthfully, i'm not a big writer of angsty endings. angsty beginnings and middles, definitely, but i prefer all my fics to have a happy ending.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? see basically all of my fics have happy endings, but i think the happiest ending i've written goes to the end of I Know I'm Home, my robisanya au where sam matched with dani on bantr and not rebecca. in the final chapter, all the loose ends get tied up: richmond wins the premier league, roy and keeley get married, and sam and dani have the 'i'm going to marry you someday' talk. nothing but sweetness all around.

8. Do you get hate on fics? the only hate i've ever gotten on a fic was for one of my star wars sequel trilogy rewrites, and that was from some reylos who didn't like the anti-reylo things i was saying on my star wars sideblog, so... nah.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? i do and i have definitely gotten better at it over the years (though i still have a Long way to go lmao). i've only published m/m, but i've written some f/m smut (as you will see when i publish my degas/paris fic next year 😏)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? indeed i do. craziest (or at least most ambitious) has gotta be there's a raging fire in my heart tonight, my top gun/mcu crossover. (craziest crossover i've ever come up with is the night court / perry mason hbo crossover that @saltyfilmmajor and @bornforastorm have been enabling me to write)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? no thankfully

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes! when i see your face has been translated into korean and chinese, Lead Me On (To The Other Side) has been translated into korean, and (I Love You) A Bushel and A Pallet and Moving In Slow Motion have both been translated into chinese.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? yes, i wrote baby, baby, i'd get down on my knees for you with @academicgangster and wrote Austin Alone with @lilalbatross

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? i'm picking three for how they have influenced me and my writing: boasami, finnrey, and icemav.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? there are So Many of these....my google drive is essentially a graveyard of unfinished wips

16. What are your writing strengths? dialogue for sure. i've also been told my characterization is great and i have good comedic timing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? action scenes and smut

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i've done this before - usually i run it through google translate and then check other translation sites to be sure it's as accurate as possible. i've included the to-english translations in some fics (namely my top gun ones where i've written ice speaking russian) but mostly leave out the to-english translations these days. usually when my characters speak a different language you can pick up what they're saying from context.

19. First fandom you wrote for? the first fandom i wrote for was (i think) icarly, but the first fandom i published fic for was legend of korra.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? varies depending on the mood i'm in (and also i have written a Lot of fic so it is difficult to choose lmao). right now i'd say Word on the Street - i'm still really proud of how that one came together.

tagging @icemankazansky @lookforanewangle @lilalbatross @hacash @saltyfilmmajor @bornforastorm @maverickcalf @academicgangster and anyone else who wants to do this :)

[stinger-shot]

Yey! Silly vent because I feel like shit!

Read under the cut if you want the juicy ass details

So basically, I gotta let this shit out.. its fucking me up a bit rn.

I met this dude around the start of 2021 on tiktok AND HE WAS SO TALENTED AND FUNNY but he always said he wasn't. Anyway time skip a lil..

We started getting into a few arguments near the middle of 2022. And they where just small disagreements then they gradually got worse and worse every time it happend. And it especially got bad when I made another friend on tiktok who loved doing art related things and drew my old persona back then.

And HE WAS NOT HAVING IT and he said quite alot of bad things to me. Did I stay friends with him? Yes I did. Did I also block the nice guy just trying to be my friend? Yes. I blocked them out of fear of loosing my best friend.

And near the end of 2022 we started dating because things had gotten a better.

Oh how I was so wrong. Everything just went downhill when he left high-school. He always needed attention. He got mad at me because I couldn't set an alarm BECAUSE he was up at 10am and I was up near 1pm. So I forced myself to do so mutch bullshit for him. Like draw him art as an apology and it drained me do badly I could hardly do my own personal art.

I didn't even have personal art at this point. Every time I fixated on something it was what he was fixating on because he'd get mad at me and argue with me if I wasn't.

But everything was calm when it was around April in 2023 and we where finally getting along like an actul couple because of a game called final fantasy. We where obsessed with it for months! And then around June or July I re discovered transformers.

I have never felt as happy in a fandom since 2019! Like holy shit the fandom is so sweet.

But I kept it a secret from him he still doesn't know. Then at some point I made this tumblr to get my stupid little urges out and now look at where I'm at. I haven't been this happy in a LONG while.

And just st the start of 2024 my ex got into an argument with one of his friends and I offered to talk to them. so he agreed and I spoke to them.

Im so fucking glad I did.

Because without their help I'd still be fucking miserable. They gave me the confidence to dump that bitches ass and I honestly feel like a weight has been taken off. Because it honestly felt like a chore every day of my life just talking to him.

And my other friend on discord had helped me out to. Including you silly fuckers on discord/tumblr. If your even reading this... if you are why are you still reading this?

But anyway. I just needed this off my chest. Because it does hurt a little spite how good i feel but I just have an off feeling. I haven't put down everything that happend while I was with my ex and some things might be in the wrong order or time but at least I'm forgetting it?

Just. I love the transformers fandom so mutch mutch really helped me pull through...

Fuck I'm ranting. Uh. Bye!

Also a big thank you to Avery and rex for helping me feel better (rex I've only known you for a little bit but jesus christ I fucking laugh my ass off because of you) jesus I'm sappy as fuck. (and avery your so fucking cool. You helped me alot.) And belyyvolks (I've had alot of fun messing around about ironhide XD) I'm not tagging because I don't want alot of attention on this post.