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hereforbords · 2 years

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Sunday morning, rain is falling

PLEASE NOTE: this is a work of fiction, about fictional characters based on the public persona of real people, this is not about the REAL people. please do not link this to the real people associated with this work of fiction, or if you are or are in contact with a person who shares a namesake in this work of fiction, please close your tab. Not beta’d, just proofread so all mistakes are mine. :)

Getting this one out before Matty signs with the Kraken (hopefully!). It was inspired by the weather we had last weekend, and I was in a Matty mood.

Title taken from Maroon 5′s “Sunday Morning”

***

You had to work the night of Matty’s draft, but you had wished him good luck beforehand. You knew he would go in the first round (and you told him top 10 for sure; you thought he’d go top 5, but you didn’t want to set the bar too high and have him disappointed if it wasn’t as good). You knew he’d be busy when you got your first break, but when you got your lunch, you called him.

It was obvious the party was in full swing when you called; he quickly made his way away from the loud noise and once it quieted down, you asked, “Where to?”

“Seattle. Second overall. Owen beat me.” He chuckled. “You’re going to have to give me the rundown on the Pacific Northwest.”

“I can do that.” You were originally from that area. “Hey, I’m super proud of you babe. I’ll see you when I get off, and we can celebrate tomorrow, ok? I gotta get back.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m proud of you Matty. Love you.”

“Love you too sweetheart. Have a good rest of your shift.”

You were careful to not wake Matty up when you got in; you showered and climbed into bed.

In the morning, Matty’s mom made you all breakfast; Matty had some more press to do, but as soon as it was over, he took you out for the day, wanting to say thank you for all your support.

“So, Seattle?” He asked as you waited for your food at the diner. “What do I need to know?”

“It rains a lot.” You laughed. “Like, seriously, if it doesn’t rain or isn’t overcast, it’s a miracle. Winters are usually nice and mild; sometimes you get some snow, but not very often. The temperatures are comfortable and it’s really green.”

“I think I’ll like it there.”

“I think you will too.” You said.

“What was your favorite part of living there?” He asked.

“The summer and spring storms.” You said; “I spent a lot of time on my front porch.” You smiled at the memories.

“It’s probably a lot to ask, but would you like to come with me when I go there?” Matty asked.

“I would love it.” You said. “If you want me there.”

“I do.” He said. “I‘ll see if they can find me a place with a balcony so we can do some storm watching.”

“Matty, you do have to do that.”

“I want to, honey.” He said. “Besides, it’s the least I can do for you giving me all your Seatte-lite experiences.” He chuckled.

“Alright.” You said. “Oh, and you’re going to want a sweatshirt. Trust me on that one.”

Matty had made the jump to Seattle quickly; you had a few more loose ends to tie up, but you were soon joining him. The weather had been good so far, and there hadn’t been too many storms. He had gotten a place with a balcony too, and tonight, he brought you a sweatshirt, along with a glass of wine. “Hey sweetheart. How was your day?”

“Good.” You said, sliding on his sweatshirt and taking the wine. “How was yours?”

“Long.” He chuckled. “Better now that I’m out here with you.” He wrapped you in a hug.

Just then, you felt raindrops. It was supposed to have stormed all day, but most of it had skirted the area. This round was headed straight for you though. “You wanna experience your first storm on a balcony?” You grinned.

“You know I do.” He grinned, sitting on the chair and pulling you down on top of him. “I gotta see what’s so special about these.”

“Just wait.” You smiled.

By the time it was over, your glass of wine was gone, and you and Matty were both soaked to the core. “See, I told you they’re awesome.” You said, feeling like you were home again. “There’s just something about a Pacific Northwest thunderstorm.”

“That was pretty cool,” he admitted, “but I’m cold now. Can we go in and get rid of these clothes and take a warm shower together? I’d really like cuddles.”

And who were you to deny your boyfriend cuddles? “Of course we can.” You grabbed his hand.

When the next thunderstorm hit and Matty dragged you out in the rain, you could only laugh and say, “I converted you, didn’t I?”

“Quite possibly.” He grinned. “Besides, I always wanted to dance with you in the rain.”

“Ooh, are we having our The Notebook moment?” You couldn’t help but tease.

“Maybe.”

“Well, thank you. It’s perfect.”

“Not as perfect as you.” Matty said.

“Ooh, such the charmer, Mr. Beniers.” You smiled as he carefully spun you around on the balcony.

“Hey, the Sharks are coming to town tomorrow night. Is it ok if we hang out with Bords for a bit after the game?”

“Matty, you don’t even have to ask. Of course it’s ok. I’ve missed him too.” You paused. “I’ll be the responsible one too-I know the shenanigans you two can get up to.” You chuckled.

“This is why you’re my favorite and I love you.” He said, leading you inside.

Once you were fully dry and comfy on the couch, Matty said, “I’m glad it was Seattle.”

“Me too, Matty, me too.”

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emachinescat · 3 years

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Poison + Mac + Paralysis

A MacGyver Fan-Fiction

by @emachinescat @whumptober2021 day 7 - My Spidey-Sense Is Tingling (helplessness, numbness)

Summary: When Mac is dosed with an experimental poison that slowly paralyzes him, he must rely increasingly on Jack to get him to exfil before it's too late.

Whumpee: Mac

Words: 3,640

Note: I am taking a lot of creative leeway with this poison. Though it is loosely based off of an existing toxin, I’m going to cling onto that moniker of “experimental” with my (or more accurately, Mac’s) dying breath. :) Also, this is NOT a death fic, despite appearances. It is also a two-parter (sorry!), to be continued on day 29 (again, sorry!). Enjoy!

TW: paralysis, deterioration of motor functions, suffocation

Jack Dalton studied his partner from across the small clearing, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as Mac slowly opened and closed his hands. Mac’s pupils were blown wider than the midday sun trickling down through the gaps in the leaves would warrant, and he watched his fingers curl and uncurl with an expression of uncomfortable fascination.

Jack’s feet hurt from running across the uneven, rocky terrain, but he heaved himself to his feet anyway and casually made his way over to his distracted partner. Mac actually jumped when Jack’s hand came down on his shoulder. His blue eyes did a poor job of hiding the anxiety behind them, which just made the alarm bells clang louder.

Lowering himself onto the dirt beside his friend, Jack asked with a calm he didn’t feel, “Mac? How’s it goin’, bud?”

Mac cleared his throat and stowed his hands in his lap, though Jack didn’t miss the way his eyes kept twitching down, or the way his fists continued to clench and unclench even as Mac strove to turn his attention to Jack. “Good. Hopefully once Riley gets us back online, we’ll be well on our way to exfil.”

“Uh-huh.”

Mac opened his mouth as if to say something, then shook his head and looked down again.

Real fear blossomed in Jack’s chest at Mac’s uncharacteristic behavior, and he decided that the subtle, friendly approach was out. “Okay, out with it, Mac,” he ordered abruptly, his Texas twang even more pronounced since he’d spent the last four days in the heart of the Southern US on a mission to take down an up and coming domestic terrorist group that had made their base in the heart of the Appalachians.

This mission involved some truly nasty stuff – including bioweapons and chemical warfare. This band of rogue scientists-turned-domestic terrorists – they called themselves Curis, which was, according to Mac, a rough Latin translation of healthcare – had been growing steadily in numbers and power over the past few months.

Matty’s intel, Riley's hacking skills, and some good old fashioned teamwork had eventually led them to the terrorist organization’s home base – an abandoned mental hospital in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, where poverty and corruption often turned a blind eye to crime. The Appalachians were the oldest in the U.S. and though they weren’t the most imposing any longer, they were rugged and pocked with sheer drops and steep inclines and populated with black bears, cougars, and a handful of venomous snakes. And enough superstition still lingered in those mountains that tales of Bigfoot and other urban legends and eldritch horrors kept most of the population well away from remote, unmapped insane asylums entombed within the craggy rocks, gaping caves, and thickly growing trees of the ancient mountain range.

Their mission was simple: Get into their base and steal the plans for their newest bioweapon, as well as any information they could snag on the organization itself. These mad scientists were a truly paranoid bunch and didn’t keep digital records of their research, clients, or future plans, so there had been no way to hack the information. Riley had still made herself invaluable from the Phoenix when it came to navigating the winding corridors of the mental facility, though.

Jack had wanted to go ahead and take the whole operation down while they were there, but Matty had ordered that under no uncertain terms were they to take this organization on by themselves. This mission was mostly reconnaissance, as most of the intel Matty had been able to procure had been … extracted from a tight-lipped lower-level member they’d lucked upon last week. Until they knew the scope of this organization and exactly how they operated, this was a grab-n-go mission only (Jack’s words, not Matty’s).

And so they’d grabbed. They’d tried to go, but one of the guards hadn’t had his radio on, and since the radio waves were how Riles had been keeping track of and helping them avoid their enemies, Mac and Jack had been caught by surprise. Still, after a few exchanged punches and some hardcore sprinting, the pair had made it back to a nearby clearing without serious injury. Jack had some bruised ribs and Mac had been knocked into an industrial shelving unit filled with beakers and jars and vials and had a sore back and a shallow cut on his arm to show for it, but otherwise, they’d made it out with their prize only a tiny bit worse for the wear.

Or so Jack had thought.

He knew Mac well enough to realize that his partner was hiding something from them, something that had him worried. Mac worried was scary enough – this was the man with the plan, the dude who exuded a natural confidence 24/7 because he was smart and resourceful enough to get himself out of pretty much any predicament. The few times Jack had seen Mac truly worried he could count on one hand, and each time had involved the direst of circumstances. And if Mac felt the need to hide whatever was scaring him, that just meant things were even worse than Jack had realized.

“C’mon, hoss,” Jack urged when Mac didn’t immediately respond. “How bad is it? What are you hiding?”

Mac’s face flushed red, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Finally, his fingers were still, but it was an unnatural stillness – Mac was always moving, always fidgeting, always working on something. To see Mac’s hands hanging almost limp from his wrists carved a great pit in his stomach, a pit that was promptly overflowed with panic as Mac finally, eyes bright with fear, answered honestly.

“I think… I think it’s bad.” His voice was barely even a whisper. “Really bad.” He turned his neck and Jack’s blood froze. There, sticking out of Mac’s neck, was a small dart, probably from a blow gun.

Jack swallowed hard, almost choking on the lump in his throat as he plucked the dart from Mac's neck and carefully pocketed it. “Okay,” he said softly, determined to keep his voice low, even, and calm. If Mac were already on the verge of panic, then Jack’s own fear would only send him spiraling. For Mac’s sake, he had to keep a level head, figure out how to fix whatever the hell was wrong with Mac, and get to exfil before night fell. “Okay,” he said again, then took a deep breath and let it out through his teeth. “What’s going on, Mac? What’s wrong with your hands?”

“It must have happened sometime during the fight or as we were running away. I didn’t even realize I’d been hit until we made it to safety, and by that time, my hands…” He trailed off. “Jack… That bioweapon they were working on, I don’t think it was only in the planning stages like we thought.”

Jack felt bile rising in his throat. All he knew about the poison was that it was an experimental paralytic. Even though he now knew with certainty the answer to his question, he couldn’t stop from asking it again, perhaps in the vain hope that it wasn’t what he thought. “Mac. What is wrong with your hands?”

Mac’s voice broke and his face was tight with fear as he answered: “I can’t feel them, Jack.” A deep, shuddering breath. “I can’t move them at all.”

***

Less than half an hour later, Mac stumbled after Jack, his arms hanging limply at his sides. He’d lost full control over them far quicker than he’d anticipated. When he’d realized that he’d been exposed to the not-quite-as-hypothetical-as-they’d-hoped paralytic agent, he’d expected it to act similarly to the poison this new toxin was being developed from, which offered a slow and horrific death via paralysis.

“So tell me,” Jack called back as he struggled through the choking sea of undergrowth, brambles, and what looked like a healthy amount of poison ivy (Mac was very thankful for their thick, protective boots). “What exactly is runnin’ through your veins right now?”

The Tennessee air was thick, muggy, and humid, and Mac felt like he was swimming rather than walking through it. Sweat poured down his face in thin rivulets that felt almost like tears. They tickled, or maybe that was just the mosquitos. Mac wanted more than anything to scrub his hand across his face, but no matter how urgently he willed his arm to move, nothing happened. His stomach twisted in a stark terror he had never felt before, and the icy claws of panic tore at his chest like a caged monster trying to escape.

He knew that Jack was just trying to make sure he knew what they were dealing with. He also knew that the Phoenix had already called in one of the leading toxicologists in the country, and that this specialist and his friends were listening in over the comms, silently analyzing everything he said, doing everything possible to prepare for Mac’s return. The more information they had, the better chance they would have of reversing the effects. Of saving his life.

Mac swallowed heavily, forcing any lingering anxiety out of his voice. He knew Jack was barely hanging on at this point, and if he showed weakness, revealed to his partner how scared he really was, then that would heighten Jack’s own worry. The guy was already under enough stress as it was. He adopted what Jack affectionately (or irritably, depending on the circumstance) coined his “Einstein voice.” This was a tone and cadence he’d learned growing up with an emotionally distant and highly logical father. He liked Riley’s term for it, Macsplaining, only slightly better.

“I didn’t get a chance to read through all the research notes,” he panted, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears. “But from what I did see, this experimental toxin is based upon curare poison.”

“Who-rah-ray?” Mac’s lips curved into a slight smile as Bozer’s voice crackled over the comms. Of course Boze was still there, listening, waiting, there. He had always been there for Mac.

“Curare,” Mac repeated. “It’s derived from resources natural to the Amazon. A powerful paralytic. It’s how many native tribes hunt for game – and a variation of the formula is used in war as well.”

“So, these scientists just took this curare poison and, what, modified it?”

“I’m not entirely sure, Riles,” Mac huffed. His foot caught on a tree root and he pitched forward into Jack’s back, his arms swinging uselessly at his sides.

“Whoa, partner,” Jack said gently, and his dark eyes were glittering when he turned to steady his friend. “Maybe we should take a quick breather.”

Mac shook his head almost frantically. Though this variation was taking longer to incapacitate than curare itself, he could already feel the tingling in his feet. He needed to press forward for as long as he could. If he was right about the poison’s properties, he’d be unable to walk on his own soon. Unable to move at all a bit after that. When his vocal cords seized up, he’d be unable to talk.

Instead, he insisted, “No, I’m fine. Let’s keep going.” He plowed ahead, pushing past Jack in his haste to do something other than sit around and wait for his body to betray him. Addressing his friends back at the Phoenix, he explained, “All I know is that they used curare as the baseline for their experiments. I’m guessing they wanted to refine it, make it more potent, or at least easier to mass produce and distribute over large populations in a less concentrated form.”

“So what happens now?” Bozer’s voice was subdued, anxious, though Mac could tell he was trying not to show it. “I mean, if the poison keeps doing its thing?”

If this new toxin behaved similarly to curare, his lungs would freeze and he would suffocate, betrayed by his own body. A shudder passed through him. No need to bring that up to his friends yet. Maybe this poison had been adapted to incapacitate without causing death. Considering the people who had developed it, that scenario was very unlikely, but Mac found himself unable to voice the grimmest of possibilities aloud. Mac forced his teeth to unclench, the roaring panic having locked his jaw in place and hedged, “Based upon how quickly the paralytic is taking effect, I could be completely paralyzed in a couple of hours.” Given Jack’s face at this sugar-coated answer, Mac was glad he’d left the worst part out for now.

With any luck, they’d make it to exfil and be on their way to a hospital before Mac’s body began its final betrayal.

***

They were forced to take a break fifteen minutes later when Mac’s legs finally stopped working. Jack caught him right before he could crash onto the mossy ground and carefully propped him against the smooth trunk of a great birch tree. Mac allowed his head to flop back against the papery bark in exhaustion as Jack carefully arranged his legs in front of him. The numbness in his body had taken residence in his soul, and Mac watched the proceedings with a detached interest.

At least he wasn’t in pain, he thought. In fact, he felt nothing at all as Jack gently jostled the limbs. His partner could have slammed his feet into the ground and Mac wouldn’t have noticed unless he had watched Jack do it. Of course, with the lack of pain came the lack of control over his extremities and the increasingly real knowledge that this paralytic was working far too quickly for his liking and that he would soon be struggling to breathe, and that his death would not be anywhere as painless as his arms and legs were now.

Jack finished with Mac’s legs and stooped over his bag, pulling out a canteen of water. “Hey, Mac,” he said quietly, like he was addressing a spooked horse. “How about we get some water in ya?”

Mac shook his head and panic lanced through the blissful nothing he’d been feeling as the familiar tingle that foretold paralysis flared through his neck muscles at the movement. He hadn’t even realized his stomach had turned into the North Sea, with great waves of sickness swirling around, until he said it. Logically, he knew he needed to stay hydrated, especially since his ability to swallow could soon be taken away from him, but the thought of drinking or eating anything summoned bile to his throat.

Before Jack could argue, Matty’s voice sizzled over the comms. She, Bozer, or Riley had been busy planning Mac’s extraction and treatment with Dr. Bonner, the toxicologist, but someone had been checking in about every ten minutes. “How’s our boy doing, Jack?”

Mac watched languidly as Jack valiantly strove to keep his face arranged into a facade of calm and failed to keep his voice steady, “He’s, uh, hangin’ in there, boss.”

Matty’s voice was firm but kind as she scolded, “I appreciate your attempt at levity, Jack, but Dr. Bonner needs a real answer. Mac?”

Mac cleared his throat and somehow managed to find his voice. “I… uh, the toxin is progressing slower than curare, but I’m beginning to suspect that’s what Curis was working toward. It’s very possible they are trying to drag out the paralysis to build fear. Maybe as a torture technique.” Certainly effective in that regard, he thought darkly.

“That’s all well and good, Mac, but she didn’t ask about the poison,” Jack reminded Mac gently, squatting down in front of his younger friend so that they were eye level. “How are you?”

“I have lost complete control over the skeletal muscles in my arms and legs,” Mac answered brusquely. “My neck is starting to weaken as well.”

“What about your chest?” With all of her hardness and training, Matty couldn’t quite keep the anxiety out of her voice. Of course Matty knew about the final stages of the poison. The toxicologist would have informed her of what to expect.

Jack, however, had heard no such thing. “Chest? Matty, what are you talking about? Mac didn’t mention anything about chest paralysis.” Jack’s voice was now tinged with panic he could no longer hide.

Mac sighed. “I didn’t want to worry you–” At Jack’s incredulous look, he added, “–more than you already were, but… If this poison behaves like curare, then the final stage is paralysis of the lungs.”

“And what does that mean, exactly?” Mac knew that Jack understood exactly what it meant, but he was clinging desperately onto any hope that he might be wrong, much like Mac himself had done earlier.

Matty, never one to hold her punches, answered, her tone clipped and scared: “It means that you need to get back on the move, Dalton. If Mac’s lungs seize up before you he can get medical help, then he will suffocate.”

“Shit,” Jack swore loudly, his dark eyes glittering as he regarded Mac, limp against the tree.

“Shit,” Matty agreed, and Mac couldn’t help but chuckle at her assessment. She pressed on: “Okay, so as you know, we’ve rerouted exfil to the smallest nearby clearing that can fit the chopper. It’s going to be a squeeze and we wouldn’t normally risk it, but we need Blondie in a hospital, stat. Still, you’ve still got about five miles to go, and it’s not exactly the easiest terrain, so let’s hustle.” Jack nodded even though he knew Matty couldn’t see him, and he grunted as he rose to his full height. He still held the canteen loosely in one hand and was about to pack it again when Matty added, “Oh, and Jack – the doctor says to get as much water into his system as you can – and Blondie, don’t you dare fight him on this. It’s only a matter of time before your throat muscles stop working, and we’re not fighting this hard to save you from this toxin just to lose you to dehydration.”

Although the mere thought of the water made Mac’s stomach clench, he tried to nod, found he couldn’t, and swallowed heavily, grateful that he could still do that, at least. “Yes, ma’am.”

Jack’s hand carefully cupped the back of his head and tilted it back, though Mac felt neither his touch nor the motion. He managed to get a few good gulps of water in him before he felt his throat muscles weaken, a strangled gurgling sound the only indication that he was choking. Jack pulled the canteen away and leaned back, guilt festering in his eyes, but he didn’t apologize. Mac knew it was because he couldn’t find the words to say, and honestly, Mac was glad.

It’s not like he would be able to respond now, anyway.

Jack lifted Mac from the ground and held him like a bride – a floppy, ragdoll of a bride – as they made their careful way toward exfil and prayed they wouldn’t be too late.

***

It was nearing dusk when they made it to the clearing, the helicopter pressed in on all sides by trees. The mosquitos had called their friends with the promise of a great meal, and Jack and Mac were covered in itchy bites that only Jack could feel.

Mac was completely limp in his arms, his body dead weight, head lolling back against the crook of Jack’s arm, face lax and pale. He hadn’t spoken for a couple of hours at least, unable to form words or use his vocal cords, but his eyes remained open. His chest still rose and fell somehow, and despite the cocktail of fear and acceptance swirling in Mac’s glassy eyes, his breathing was slow and steady, almost calm. Jack suspected that Curis had somehow managed to manipulate the poison to attack certain parts of the body first for optimal torture. He didn’t have any clue how anyone could do that, or if it were even possible, but the systematic way that Mac’s motor functions had deteriorated, leaving at last only his lungs and eyes with full range of motion, was too cruel to not be deliberate torture, he was sure of it.

It had been hours since Mac lost the ability to move the muscles in his face, but the toxin hadn’t seemed to progress any further and Jack was beginning to hope that maybe this modified version of the curare poison was only meant to incapacitate and not actually kill. It was as he laid Mac down on the waiting stretcher that he saw the slightest of shifts in Mac’s eyes, the anxiety turning to panic, and his eyes traveled down to see that Mac’s chest was jerking, spasming, as his kid desperately fought the paralysis that was now creeping into his lungs.

Jack forced himself to step back as the field medics that accompanied every exfil – sorely undertrained for something like this but welcome all the same – swarmed the stretcher. Jack’s mind was spinning, his whole body screamed at him to do something, to help, to save Mac, but there was nothing he could do, Mac was suffocating, God, please, no, he was dying, and there was nothing Jack could do.

Jack’s eyes found Mac’s face once more and his heart skipped a beat as he saw his kid was still alert, still fighting. His filmy blue eyes were fixed stolidly on Jack, and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

“I’m here, kid,” Jack called out, his voice lost in the urgent voices of the men and women trying to save Mac’s life. “I’m here.”

Mac blinked, slowly, with difficulty, and then his eyes went wide, rolling back into his head. Wet eyelashes fluttered closed, and Jack watched, helpless, paralyzed as his entire world collapsed around him.

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elusiveink · 4 years

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10 Questions Game

i was tagged by @amapofyourstars, thank you!

game: answer ten questions, ask ten more, and tag ten more people to answer!

1. How do you come up with your characters’ names?

they usually come with the character idea or concept, for first names at least! otherwise, i’ll have a general feel, meaning, or length in mind and i’ll browse behindthename.com until i find something that fits.

2. Would your rather your current (or favorite, whatever you want) WIP be adapted into a movie or a TV series? Or something else entirely?

my current WIP (the wishing well) is a novella so i think a film would suit it best! i also really love writing film scripts too so that would be ideal for me.

3. Have you ever had to cut a character from a story because they just weren’t working?

not yet, but honestly i haven’t really ever written anything long enough to have characters to spare - this’ll be my first finished (touch wood) longer piece of writing to review, so maybe we’ll see then.

4. Is there a song that you can’t listen to without thinking about one of your WIPs?

darkhorse- emma ruth rundle

it gives me big mysterious, witchy vibes and definitely fits mattie. it’s in my WIP playlist, which hopefully i’ll upload properly soon!

5. Is there a genre you’ve never written but would love to try?

yes! rom-coms - it’s actually the genre for my side-project that i’m excited to start but also terrified to... and also am barely in the planning stages for yet.

6. How do you come up with titles?

with great difficulty, usually.

i usually stick to something obvious. “the wishing well” is so named because the victim is thrown down a well, and that’s how she goes missing, and it’s a central location in the story. “the cursebreaker”, my previous main WIP, was about a cursebreaker.

7. What would happen if your characters from one WIP were suddenly thrust into a different one of your WIPs? Would their lives be vastly different?

absolutely! mostly, due to them suddenly having/not having varying types of magic, i think. i imagine it would be a very jarring change.

8. Do you have a past story that you’d love to revisit?

there’s a few, namely “the cursebreaker” - i loved the characters but i’m nowhere near ready to tackle such a big idea yet.

9. If your novel/novella/work of fiction was published, which published author would you most like to blurb it?

probably alice oseman? she’s the only author i love atm who 1) isn’t dead and 2) whose writing kind of fits within the same demographic.

10. Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNoWriMo? Would you like to?

i haven’t, but im doing camp nanowrimo next month in three days! i’m in the middle of prepping and i’m a little bit anxious about it. i’ve set myself a lower goal of 20.000 words so we’ll see how i get on with that.

my profile is here - add me if you’d like!

this was a lot of fun! now for the next ten questions:

1. if you could ship together two (or more) characters from different wips, who would you choose and why?

2. which books have inspired your writing the most?

3. you can choose 3 popular tropes to write for the rest of your life, what are they?

4. do you have a favourite spot to write? where are you most inspired?

5. which comes first - the plot or the characters?

6. if you could make a candle inspired by one of your characters, what would it smell like?

7. do you have a favourite villain or antagonist that you’ve written? if not, that you’ve read or watched?

8. where would your OCs most like to live in the world?

9. your OCs come and visit you for a day trip around your home city/country/area. what do you all get up to?

10. have you had any art drawn of your OCs?

tagging: @abalonetea @milkyway-writes @basicjetsetter @emilyelizabethfowl @katabasiss @whatsanapocalae

#sorry if you dont want to be tagged i have a hard time remembering who does/doesnt do tag games!#so no pressure #tag games

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talesfromyamysteries · 5 years

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"Sadie” by Courtney Summers

Cover Credit: Amazon (don’t know copyright laws so hopefully I don’t get sued. Amazon, if you’re reading this, I’m a poor college student.)

Sadie by Courtney Summers available on Amazon

Book Summary (also credited to Amazon):

“A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.”

My Thoughts

Trigger Warning: Contains Child Molestation

First things first, I would highly recommend the audio version of this book.

I would not usually do that because normally I’m completely adverse to the idea of audio-books. However, Macmillan Publishers did a phenomenal job with their version. I would highly recommend giving it a listen if you can. I borrowed the audio book from my library’s OverDrive website for eBooks and audio-books and listened to it during at eight hour drive.

If audio-books are not your thing, I would still give this book a chance.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I just might. If you keep reading, this is your only warning.

The story is written through two perspectives: the podcast of West McCray following the events that lead to Sadie disappearing and Sadie’s own perspective of the events being investigated.

I wasn’t sure about this format when I read the book for the first time last year, but I had to admit it had me intrigued. Author Courtney Summers executed the style well enough that I actually enjoyed it more than I initially thought it would. As mentioned above, the audio-book for this novel is exceptional. With a full voice cast, the story is told through the podcast and Sadie’s narration.

Before any of the events within the book took place, West McCray was merely a producer for a podcast Always Out There and Sadie Hunter was just a girl with a dead sister. Courtney Summers took these characters and developed them into a story with depth and twists you can’t see from a mile away (cheesy, I know, but read or listen to the book and you’ll know).

The story begins in the fictional town of Cold Creek, Colorado. Sadie Hunter is a nineteen year old girl who was only trying to raise her thirteen year old sister Mattie Southern after their mother left. A sister bond is nothing like the bond between a mother and daughter which, unfortunately, Sadie only knows all too well.

Technically, that’s not where the story begins but background is important for this story. It really begins with the first episode of West Mccray’s podcast titled The Girls which is centered around the story of Mattie and Sadie. The title given to the podcast didn’t make sense to me at first, but is later explained in a podcast episode toward the end of the book. After you find out why, you realize no other title could’ve done as much justice for this faux podcast.

One of the many things I love about this book is that it feels so real. I don’t mean that in a positive light because this is a rather dark book, but books are even better when they feel real. I don’t really know how else to explain it, but I hope you understand what I’m getting at here.

Sadie lived a difficult life from the moment she was born. Her mother was an addict who didn’t love and nurture her the way she needed. Her maternal love came from her neighbor, May Beth Foster, but that kind of love only goes so far. Until Mattie came, it’s safe to say Sadie had almost nothing. Sadie loved her little sister Mattie more than anything else in the world.

Although it was Sadie who spent most of her time raising Mattie, she made sure Mattie knew how much their mother loved her so Mattie wouldn’t have to grow up the way Sadie did. Unfortunately, Claire Southern really did love Mattie. The book mentions multiple times that Mattie was the spitting image of her mother. Sadie is described to look exactly how Claire’s mother did whom she lost while pregnant with Sadie.

After Mattie was born, Sadie had a purpose. The world had finally given her a reason for her existence in what was once a own lonely world. Unfortunately, the world is a very cruel place.

Mattie was murdered at thirteen years old. All the love and hope Sadie had for her sister was gone in an instant. Sadie felt purposeless until she found another one. Find Mattie’s murderer.

As mentioned above, Courtney Summers tells the story of Sadie avenging her sister’s death through two perspectives.

Readers are given more information through Sadie’s own perspective as she is telling the events as they happen. They are also given a more unique story through the podcast’s investigation of the events because they tell the story through many people’s perspectives as they learn about what happened to Sadie during her search.

This would have been a story I would’ve read if it had been told only by Sadie, but Courtney Summers gave her audience a new way to interpret the story.

The podcast’s version of events is an investigative approach of Sadie and Mattie’s story as they piece together Mattie’s murder and Sadie’s disappearance. The story is told this way without Sadie’s emotions, but it includes the emotional toll their story took on everyone involved in the search for answers.

The story told by Sadie gives readers a very in-depth look inside of Sadie’s head. They learn why she makes the choices she does, but they also learn about what happened in her life and how it affected her. Sadie had a poor childhood with an unloving mother and traumatizing experiences, but she overcame that to become a tough, loving bad-ass heroine on a journey to find justice for the person she loved most in the world.

The story would not be the same without these intertwining perspectives as readers would never get the full story.

Unfortunately, events like these happen in real life. People never get both sides of the story no matter how badly they want them, but this story shows some details are better if maybe they’re not known.

All this aside, none of this stopped Courtney Summers from leaving the book without a questionable ending.

As West McCray wraps up the podcast with having found Mattie’s murderer but not finding Sadie herself, readers are left not actually knowing what happened to Sadie. Of course, through her perspective, we are given a very good idea of the fate Sadie meets but we are not given explicit what happens. The podcast leaves Sadie’s fate as a big question mark.

I believe Courtney Summers’ leaving what happened to Sadie as open-ended as she did gives readers a little peace. My heart is heavy for what I know probably happened, but I can have just as much hope.

Sadie deserved a lot better and so did Mattie, but with what she was given, Sadie made herself better for Mattie.

If you haven’t figured it out, I would obviously recommend reading this book. It is based on dark events that don’t really get better, but it is a very good read if you like suspense.

---

Side Note: okay, first book review is done. I wanted to get it out of the way. I read this book last year, but only just recently listened to the audio-book. The audio-book is fantastic and part of the reason I chose to review this book. Obviously, my reviews need help as do my summarizing skills. I will work on them as we go along, but as mentioned before I’m making this blog for my own sake. I want to help people find books to read as much as possible, but this is really all for myself.

Anyway, thank you.

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allylikethecat · 9 months

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hellooooo ally!! i have officially read it’s christmas (so this is gonna be a nightmare) twice lucky me!!! what a treat!!! i have so many thoughts and feelings about the fic you don’t understand how much i love the trope/concept of fic!matty not being liked or accepted by people outside the band because of his “quirks” (serious and personal mental health/ addiction issues) because it’s just so unfair. perfect angst and also very realistic???? being written off as Bad News because he experiences hardships that are more scary and extreme than most people?? so wonderfully devastating and very real.

you aren’t allowed to apologise for the fic not being finished. you’ve done it to every other ask but i’m putting my foot down. no apology please!!! releasing it in parts just builds suspense anyways i love it.

now for the clumsy partner prompts!!! thankyou sooooo much for reblogging the list i feel very blessed. i’d like to request gatty 15, 16, 17 and 18 (they are all pretty similar so you could maybe combine some in one blurb? but obviously im not telling you how to write do whatever calls to you i just feel bad for requesting so many at once😅)

as always have a lovely rest of your day and i’m really looking forward to whatever you post next!!! love ya😇🩷

Hello! Thank you so, so, so much for reading the first bit of the Christmas fic not only once but TWICE! I hope it's lived up to the hype even if it's not finished yet. Poor Fictional!Matty just wants his future in laws to like him, because he's not the same person he was when he was in his early twenties, he's worked on himself and deserves to be given a chance! Also I will not apologize for the fic not being finished by Christmas as requested even though I am sorry that I didn't finish it - it will hopefully be finished by the end of January at the latest!

Also!! thank you so much for not only suggesting the clumsy partner prompts to me, but also sending in this prompt request! I wanted to challenge myself a little bit, so I actually (I think!) managed to weave all four of them into one fill! Let me know what you think! If this wasn't what you were looking for, let me know and I will rewrite them! (If anyone else wants to send in any prompts, the list can be found HERE)

Thank you so much for reading and sending in this ask and for always just being so lovely and wonderful and supportive! I'm so sorry that it's taken me a minute to get to some of your other prompt requests as well! I hope you enjoy this one though and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! Thank you again!!

❤️Ally

15. “I’m sorry I’m so much trouble, really.”

“Shhh, stop it. You're no trouble at all, zero.”

16. Their partner sometimes feeling that their clumsy tendencies ruin everything and them, actually finding it endearing. They are sure to let their partner know they love it.

17. “Oh, I don’t want to mess it up.”

“You won’t mess it up, go on and give it a try.”

18. Makes it clear to their partner and anyone on the outside that just because they’re worried, doesn’t mean that their partner needs them or depends on them. It’s simply their partner allowing them to do the things that make them comfortable because they’re always worrying.

Matty knew he wasn’t the most coordinated person on the face of the Earth. He was always tripping over his feet, his head in the clouds as he bumped into things and other people, stumbling over curbs and spilling cups of coffee. George always had bandages in his backpack, and an extra Matty-sized shirt for when an inevitable incident occurred. His knees were permanently bruised and his palms forever scrapped. Despite George’s endless patience, and “I’ll kiss it betters” Matty wanted to die each time they were late for a meeting because Matty ate it in the parking lot.

He had been horrible at sports as a child, his limbs never seeming to want to move the way he directed them, despite not being very large he felt like he had never properly grown into his body and developed the spacial awareness and grace that George seemed to carry. He had tried yoga but just grew frustrated at the disconnect he felt from his physical form and had quickly given up, citing some bullshit about not subscribing to George’s crunchy granola agenda. They both knew he was spouting nonsense.

Thanks to Matty, they were going to be twenty minutes late to their first fully staged rehearsal for the new tour. Matty was so careful focusing on his footfalls, holding his Starbucks cup away from his body so it wouldn’t splash onto his white tee shirt. He wasn’t even wearing his airpods, he was making sure he was aware of his surroundings George until he tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. He managed to not only spill his coffee down his entire front, but bang his elbow on the cement so that it was now bleeding sluggishly. Matty sat on his ass in a puddle of coffee trying to comprehend what just happened while George looked on in mild horror.

“Are you alright?” George asked softly, voice thick with concern as he helped pull Matty to his feet, careful of his bleeding elbow, scarlet splatter bright against the white coffee stained fabric of his shirt.

“I’m fine,” Matty said, his lower lip wobbling in frustration. He wanted to pull away from George’s grasp but wasn’t sure his shaking knees would support him on his own. His elbow stung and he wanted to cry in frustration. If he couldn’t walk down the street, how was he ever supposed to handle thirty nine North American tour dates?

Today was supposed to be a good day, Matty thought hysterically, an important day, and as per usual not only were they late, it was his fault.

“Hey,” said George, tugging Matty into his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “It’s okay, you’re okay. Let’s go get you patched up, I think I have an extra shirt in my bag.”

Because of course he had an extra shirt, because he knew that Matty couldn’t be expected to walk normally like an adult without spilling something. Matty should have woken up earlier and drank his coffee at home, sitting safely at the kitchen table. George led him through the doors of the venue they were renting for rehearsal space, flashing their credentials to the security guard and following the signs in the hallway to lead him straight to the bathroom.

“I’m sorry,” said Matty, his voice wet, fuck he really was about to start crying, as George helped him sit up on the lip of the sink so that he could clean his elbow with a damp brown paper towel. “I’m sorry I’m so much trouble, really.”

“Shhh, stop it.” said George, pulling away so that he could look Matty in the eyes. “You're no trouble at all, zero.”

“But I’m always tripping over myself and ruining things,” Matty said with a sniffle.

George threw the paper towel away and pulled a box of bandages and a small tube of antibiotic ointment out of his backpack. He dabbed the ointment gently against Matty’s scraped skin with a careful kindness that made Matty’s heart hurt. He didn’t deserve George.

“It’s kind of cute,” George said quietly, after a moment, Matty swallowing a hiss of pain as the scrap stung. “Like obviously, I don’t like it when you get hurt, it makes me quite nervous actually, but you’re cute, like a baby deer discovering they have legs for the first time.”

“A baby deer?” Matty asked, raising his eyebrow amongst the pain, his eyes still wet even as he tried to force a smile.

“The cutest baby deer,” said George with a small grin, smoothing the bandage over Matty’s elbow before leaning down to press a kiss to the plaster.

Matty just snorted in response, and hopped off the counter, pretending he didn’t notice the way George was hovering at his side, ready to reach out and grab him in case something went wrong.

“Thanks,” he said, taking the offered black tee shirt from George and pulling off the now stained white one he was wearing. He pretended not to notice the way George was blatantly checking out his chest and stomach as if he didn’t see him naked on a daily basis.

“It’s nice of you to join us,” said Ross smirking, “Even if you’re never beating the diva allegations, Healy.” Matty sighed dramatically when they finally joined the group in front of the stage, his eyes going wide as he took in his vision come to life.

“I had a little mishap in the parking lot,” he admitted sheepishly, holding out his now bandaged elbow for Ross and Adam to see.

“You’ve got to be more careful mate,” said Adam, ruffling Matty’s hair as they sat down on the sofa that had been brought into the space, and went over the stage show with Tobias.

“I want to cut the song on the roof,” Matty said quietly after a moment, when the time came in the first run through for him to put on a harness and climb up onto the roof portion of their set. The music stopped as Matty chewed on his lower lip nervously.

George blinked, that was a segment that Matty had been dead set on, and excited to perform, having chattered about the visual implications of doing so and how it furthered the story for weeks.

“What?” George asked his expression of concern and confusion mirrored on Ross and Adam’s faces as well.

“Oh, I don’t want to mess it up.” Matty said softly with a shrug, “I’m so clumsy I’ll probably fall off the roof and traumatize our fan base or something.”

“You won’t mess it up,” George assured him even if Ross and Adam looked skeptical. “Go on and give it a try.”

Matty opened his mouth as if to argue but George just shook his head. “No, go on, try it out, there is a whole team of people that are going to make sure you’re okay, and you’ll have the harness so even if you do slip, you won’t fall far.”

Matty swallowed hard but nodded, having needed the extra push from George, to disappear into the makeshift backstage.

“You sure this is a good idea?” Ross asked quietly, stepping away from his microphone to make sure Matty didn’t hear him. “I was worried about it when he was all excited about it, but now if he’s even having second thoughts...”

George shrugged, fiddling with one of the drum sticks. “I’m worried, obviously,” George said, “but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t support him, he wanted to do the song on the roof, so we should at least try the song on the roof, there are foot holes, and handles up there, plus he has a harness on to make sure even if he does fall he won’t fall far.”

“You’re a better man than me,” said Adam, “I’d have Carly wrapped in bubble wrap if she was as accident prone as Matty.”

George shrugged, smiling when he looked up and saw Matty waving from the roof, before flashing a thumbs up.

“We’re partners,” George reminded him, “and that means working together as a team.”

#allylikethecat #ask ally #keep it kind #fanfiction #matty fic #gatty #fanfic #prompt fill #prompt fills #clumsy partner prompts #clumsy partner prompt fills #clumsy partner prompt fill #thank you so much again for sending in this list #and also requesting these prompts #and all of your kind words about my writing #you're so lovely and supportive and i am so very grateful #thank you so much!

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hopesanpedro · 6 years

Text

HELLO!

WELL, HI.

In a world where everyone’s trying to find their place and struggling to live up to whatever this society expects of us, let me share with you my experiences so we can all laugh, cry, and feel a little less alone in our own crazy adventures.

And yes, I know. I’ve been MIA for so long and I haven’t posted any updates about my life. I also know that not much people are on tumblr anymore or read blogs anymore since youtube video blogging became a thing – but I can’t just leave writing behind. (Also, I don’t know much about editing videos yet but maybe I’ll try to learn that soon hehe) Tumblr is where it all started and so this is where I’d be starting again.

2018 ended with me being a little too anxious about not being able to write more so this year, I promise to be more consistent. (Now that this is posted I can no longer make excuses and I must post more often!!!)

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS ABOUT

Okay, so what can you expect from this blog site you ask? I will be writing more about the random struggles and complications life throws at me and my partner (aka jowa) as I (and sometimes we) figure out this life! Also, of course, interesting days, random happy things, and even little achievements worth celebrating! I will also be posting essays, fiction, and stories my brain sometimes come up with! Hopefully, you guys can relate so we can all go together in this roller coaster ride!

Follow me on twitter and Instagram to be updated when I post stuff! (I seldom open my twitter account, if you want frequent updates, check ig!)

At this point you’re probably questioning why you even read this post – and who the hell am I?? I am your deepest, darkest secret. JK. Here’s a rundown of who Hope San Pedro is (and a little bit about Moti aka the jowa!)

HOPE SAN PEDRO

I’m a 25 years old marketing professional who is a corporate slave by day and sometimes-full-on-tita-sometimes-events/gig-person by night. I am a middle-class citizen who pays her taxes and tries so hard to save up for the future, fighting her inner treat-yo-self demons. I like writing, music, meaningful conversations, learning new things, books, great food, the ocean, my jowa, and sleeping! I host, I write, I struggle to keep things organized, I paint, and I randomly dance badly when I’m around people I’m comfortable with. Current budget situation: basically broke

THE JOWA

Timothy (aka Moti - & Tim to me) is a 21-year-old behavioral science graduate who judges people and make sure they’re trustworthy by day and a band drummer by night. He likes the color black, cars, loud music (and Dua Lipa and Ariana Grande), studio gears, legos and puzzles, connecting with people, food, food, food, and me (a lot!!). He is family oriented, in love with Matty Healy, and enthusiastic about developing his own fashion style. Current hair situation: full on Neil Gaiman

See you soon!

#hopesanpedro #diary #life as hope knows it

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elliot-orion · 4 years

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Writeblr Re-Intro

I’ve seen quite a few people do this in the past couple weeks so i figure i probably should too considering how stinking long its been. so. hi there! I’m Elliot, and I use they/them pronouns! I’m a college kid majoring in creative writing and anthropology and regret doing both. I have a 9 year old emotional support cat, Van Gogh, who enjoys snoring, getting fur in my mouth, and chewing on my headphones. In addition to writing, I crochet amigurumis, play flight rising, bake like mad, obsess over dragons and stuffed animals, and spend way too much time thinking about superheroes.

I mostly write LGBT+ Young Adult/New Adult fiction, and recently published my first novel, “Sparks Fly.” You can see a tumblr summary of it here. “Sparks Fly” and the majority of my stories take place in the expansive Dark Heart Universe full of not so heroic Super Heroes and Super Villains with questionable but not necessarily bad morals. But I like to dabble all over and have WIPs including a horror duology, a scifi roadtrip story, and about 800 other WIPs that are going nowhere because I’m a pantser and that’s how i roll. Expect to see me name drop some characters or a story, tag it in one ask game, and then never mention it again rather frequently. I apologize in advance. The main stories you will actually see me mentioning a bunch are below the cut.

I technically have a website, and I technically have a twitter, but the former is a mess because I can’t program or remember to regularly blog and the latter i never use because social media scares me. Think there’s like 10 tweets on it and all of them are niche shitposts about my stories so... yea. I do have a Pinterest though, where you can find boards for most of my stories as well as a few of the name dropped once stories. so that’s fun. This intro is a mess.... Anyways, below the cut are some quick summaries of my main WIPs. If you want to learn more about the world that half of these are a part of (the DHU), look through this tag because my only summary series of it is way out of date.

Woodsmoke

A DHU novel. Woodsmoke is a Hero who 100% should not be going to the worst Villain in town, Stardust, for help, but fuck it he doesnt have any other option. In return for helping Woodsmoke save a whole bunch of school kids, Stardust demands Woodsmoke owes him a favor - he has to help Stardust and his gang get rid of the Director of the city’s Supers Association branch. The only probably is, the Director control everything, and Woodsmoke is utterly terrified of him. But, he owes a favor, and he’s even more afraid of what Stardust could do to civilians than he is of what the Director could do to him. When it all goes wrong, maybe its time for him to give up being a Hero and stop being Woodsmoke. Maybe it’s time to just be Vincent again, and finally heal from the damage the SA has done. This is on its fourth draft and still needs about 2 or so more (guessing here), but will hopefully be the next DHU book released (dont quote me on that im winging this)

Nightmare at the Lily Pad Inn

A DHU novel. Ben, who’s technically a Villain but really just can’t control their powers for shit and their powers are like, really scary so its bad, is on the run from their sociopathic asshole brother. They wind up at the Lily Pad Inn, a safe haven for Villains no matter what they’ve done, run by the cinnamon roll sweetheart Matty and their husband, Blue. While there, Ben meets Oliver, another not-technically-bad Super who can’t control his powers, and meets up with Morty, their best friend. Shit happens i guess idk i’ve not written a real summary for this one yet leave me alone. It’s on the first draft and its not even finished and i have no idea what the ending is because im a pantser go away.

Novella Collection

A DHU collection i guess. I’m not quite sure what else to call this because it’s made of three or so different novellas that I intend to fit together into a collection of novellas. The three novellas includes: the Empath, about Charlie who may just be the worlds most powerful empath and his partners who are very not happy with their area’s Director wanting Charlie to do something that could 100% kill him; Hell in High Heels, a historical DHU story about the Terra (Kitty), the Earth Elemental of the time, and Fer-De-Lance (Hattie), the Poison Elemental, and how they get married sorta unwillingly (thanks SA), break a shit ton of stereotypes, and help win World War 2.; and finally Wildfire, about the current day Fire Elemental and the Villain he really shouldn’t be so attracted to but 100% is and them chilling and being gay and idk this one needs a lot of work. All of these novellas have only had 1 draft and are still needing a lot of work.

And now for some not dhu stories...

The Other Beings / The Doll Maker

This is that horror duology I mentioned earlier. The Other Beings follow Nathan. He got sucked into the terrifying world of the Other Beings (well, 5 worlds actually), when he was 7 years old because of a brother he’s never quite forgiven for making him and his pseudo-sister Hazel hunt minor Beings for his whole childhood and fucking Nate up massively. He managed to leave the horror of the Other Beings for all of seven years before he was sucked back in by the Doll Maker, an Other Being with a penchant for turning pretty children and people into ball-jointed dolls. Turns out a horde of Other Beings is coming after him because of his dad which is a Bad and now he’s having to run as a human macguffin and trust me - he’s not happy about it. Only the Other Beings draft 1 has been written because it’s a dark story and with covid i have not have the mental energy to work on it more, but it’s super fun and i adore it. The Doll Maker, the second book, is solely about Doll Maker and his shit.

Paper Stars

Paper Stars is the scifi I mentioned, and just might be one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, even though its only had one draft because it’s hella depressing (literally, the mc River is seriously suicidal) and with all the shit in my life rn i haven’t had the strength to work on it more. but i adore the story. Basically, River’s life has gone to hell since his Grandpa died and the only thing making him hold on is really his alien best friend, Keio. When his depression gets even worse, he finally asks Keio to take him away from Earth and to space to escape his problems. This works, kinda, i mean he falls in love and shit (yes River falls in love with a seal furry alien, please go through the tag its great), but eventually he knows he has to face his problems and get help because this is a realistic story about depression and love doesnt cure all and you cant run from mental illness. It’s great.

That’s kinda all the main stories i mention a lot, all the others are little things i start and stop or that i write a self indulgent first draft but never intend to take it any further. all of these i fully intend to publish one day tho. So... yea. Welcome to my blog, its chaos but we have a good time.

#Intro #intro post #dhu #woodsmoke #nlpi #nightmare at the lily pad inn #wildfire #hell in high heels #paper stars #the doll maker #the empath #writelr #My writing #writeblr #amwriting

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himluv · 5 years

Text

What a rollercoaster month June was. Full of writing, editing, hiking, sudden and utterly unexpected unemployment, reading, and binge-watching uplifting television to turn off my brain.

There’s nothing that Aziraphale and Crowley can’t fix! Well, besides Armageddon, that is.

June Goals

Finish In Great Need of Ghosts

Continue short story submissions

Read one short story a week

Keep reading!

How’d I do?

Finish In Great Need of Ghosts

Sorta. It’s close. I thought it was done, sent it a couple places, but now think it still needs some tweaks. So, I don’t know. It came a super long way and I’m proud of my output on this project during the month, but the story isn’t quite there yet. Also, it’s now called A Lullaby for Mattie Barker.

Continue short story submissions

Yep. Three stories are still out. These markets all have longer average wait times, so it’ll probably be awhile before I hear anything back from them.

Read one short story a week

Yes? I read them all in like, a week. But I read four of them, so that still counts. Right?

Keep reading!

Yes. Though not as much as I would have liked. I read five titles this month, counting Transcendent: the Year’s Best Transgender Speculative Fiction, which I really read over the course of the first half of the year, but finally finished in June. I’m still two book ahead on my Goodreads Challenge, which is a pleasant surprise since I feel like I haven’t been reading nearly enough lately.

Monthly Word Count: 6,298

I should feel pretty good. My monthly goals on my whiteboard are all in black. That means they’re done. I should get a cookie or something. I also finally got that last trophy in Detroit: Become Human, so I am obviously super cool and not a nerd at all.

As for hikes, there were only two this month because of various goings on in my life as well as a trip out of town for my hiking buddy. But, we still managed to hike both Marion Lake and Cape Meares this month, which were both stunning and quite challenging. I can tell that my cardio is improving (easily done seeing as my cardio is notoriously bad) and my legs are building up muscle. I’ve also found that hiking really helps settle my mind and get me focused for the week ahead. I’m still loving these Pacific Northwest adventures.

We also spent a healthy amount of time clearing out our horribly overgrown backyard. It was nice to be out in the warm weather, but man I super-di-duper hate yard work. But, the hard part is all done now, and we can spend the month of July getting it perfected. We’re even considering building in a fire pit! Fancy.

Writing-wise this was a very straightforward month. I worked on A Lullaby for Mattie Barker pretty much exclusively, except for a couple of tumblr fanfic prompts. I wish I had more enthusiastic news about the writing process, but this story is a weird one. It’s hard to classify and I took some narrative risks with it that were relatively new to me. I don’t know if it’s successful, or if it even can be successful. But I like it. I’m proud of what it is so far. I just think there’s still something not quite right about it.

Pretty sure it’s the ending. I just don’t know how to fix it. Yet.

I did start working on a new short story, though I feel a little disingenuous saying so. This story is incredibly vague for me still. I know so little about the plot and the characters that really I’m just writing to get to know them all, and eventually I’ll have enough to shape it into something like a story. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

Oh yeah, there was a migraine in there too. And an eye appointment (I’m getting prescription sunglasses!) and a massage. Self-care and all that.

July Goals

Polish Exodus: Descent

Continue short story submissions

Read one short story a week

Finish Whale Song rough draft

Keep reading!

A little more ambitious this month, but I’m also not working right now. I have more time, even as I’m applying for jobs and catching up on housework. I ought to get as much writing work done as possible, right?

I have a couple hikes lined up for this month, three I think. But, I also have a lot of socializing this month what with a good friend’s birthday and our wedding anniversary. That’s all stuff to look forward to, though. It’s going to be a really good, really weird month.

I’ll keep saying that until it comes true.

Talk soon, Bloggarts.

The Recap – June 2019 What a rollercoaster month June was. Full of writing, editing, hiking, sudden and utterly unexpected unemployment, reading, and binge-watching uplifting television to turn off my brain.

#Blogging #Books #Editing #Fantasy Fiction #Hiking #Novellas #pnwonderland #publishing #Reading #Revision #Science Fiction #Short Stories #Submissions #workworkwork #Writing

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allylikethecat · 3 months

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it is friday (no it isnt actually but shhh) and i'm back in your ask box to scream about my horse boys once again, the best part of my days x also a warning literally none of this is in order (sorry 😞👎) or have any kind of Good punctuation so i will just be yelling at random and hoping to god it makes sense

OK SO. the partial regret from george when hes on the plane STOP IT im gonna die like. the impulsivity of buying a ticket On The Day and just doing it. he is IN LOVE and i am begging on my hands and knees for them to have a happy ending 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️ stop omg no the passport lady NO im gonna die he is so proud of his boyfriend and he loves him so much and i am Going to die. ALSO THIS SKSKKDKSMSJSJJS

God, he thought, he couldn’t wait to touch Matty again, to trace his tattoos and show him just how much he had missed him, how much he cared about him.

DONT TALK TO ME IM GONNA DIE. ALLY PLEEEAAASE LET HIM SHOW HIM HOW MUCH HE CARES PLEPSLSPLSL DONT MAKE MATTY LASH OUT actually no do what you want itll be a masterpiece either way. but pls let them be happy i'll pay u with a horse shaped cake of ur favourite flavour pslpslpslsllspspps. also george being so bitchy about the old lady bumping into him LMFAO this guy he's so in love that it's circled back around into Rage

He wasn’t going to leave Dirty Hit early or at all. He was going to come back home at the end of the summer and all was going to be perfect.

ally...... miss angst queen...... miss sad queen...... if u make this be a lie i WILL be dying..... pls no omg im literally obsessed like YES it IS going to be perfect!!!!!!!!!!

OKAY. i think. possibly. that that is it. id write 202993199274 words about every letter of every chapter, though, so maaaaybe not, but i'll stop here to free you from my unpunctuated screaming, enjoy ur day queen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHH Oh my gosh this ask is FANTASTIC thank you SO MUCH for not only reading but taking the time to send it omg I always smile so much when I see your name in my inbox!

Now the big question is though: Is Fictional!George in LOVE or does Fictional!George like to be in control... and is he upset that Fictional!Matty is reacting / doing things he didn't account for or plan for...

And on that same thought does he like Fictional!Matty because of who he is as an individual... or the idea of him and what he represents for Fictional!George in the industry (and then also it helps he hot...)

LOL listen about the lady... he's full of a lot of emotions, he's rushing to try and win Fictional!Matty back and he's clearly injured and she just walked into him! So rude... (we all know Fictional!George can have a temper...)

ON THAT NOTE I am very happy with how this entire fic is shaping to wrap up and I hope that you enjoy it as well! I don't know if it's the ending that everyone is *hoping for* but I think it feels true to the characters I've written and I think it will give everyone the closure they're hoping for (hopefully...)

Thank you SO MUCH for reading and sending me this ask and just being all around wonderful! I hope you have the very BEST birthday and a wonderful weekend!

❤️Ally

P.S. It is very much Friday in my timezone still lol it's not even dark out yet!

#allylikethecat #ask ally #keep it kind #fanfiction #matty fic #gatty #fanfic #equestrian au #all the king's horses #atkh #im so excited for the final two updates #part of me is like WHAT IF I JIST POSTED THEM NOW #but then im like ally chill lol

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allylikethecat · 3 months

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loved the duckling updates! But will you eventually continue the Taylor and Matty update pretty please❤️❤️❤️

AHHH thank you so much for sending me this ask!! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the new chapter of Ducklings! I had a lot of fun working on it, even if I started to second guess it after I posted it lol Things are starting to look up for Fictional!Matty though! I promise!!

I'm still not entirely sure when or if I'm going to update YKWTCI though and for that I'm extremely sorry. I know that despite all the controversy between those two people are still interested in their fictional counterparts. I just feel icky every time I try to work on it 😞 Hopefully I'll get over that eventually but at the moment it's on an infinite hold, which I am very sorry for! I am so grateful for the continued interest and support though!! I hope you are having a wonderful Friday, and that you are having a wonderful rest of your weekend!

❤️Ally

#allylikethecat #ask ally #keep it kind #fanfiction #gatty #matty fic #fanfic #make way for ducklings #mpreg #mwfd #ducklings #thank you for reading!!#and for this ask!#im sorry for not having a better answer about ykwtci

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allylikethecat · 4 months

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hi! im new to your blog and discovered you through your Matty/Taylor fake dating fic and I just loved it. I hope you update it soon because the fic is perfect. I'm fairly new to caring about Matty (and by extension Matty/Taylor) because TTPD made me so fascinated by how messy they seemed. TTPD got me to read fanfic about them which previously only happened with Haylor (my beloved) and Tayvis. I think Matty has joined my list of Taylor's muses that I actually am interested in.

Following from that, do you have any recommendations for the 1975 songs? I'm not sure where to start.

Also, very excited to see Fictional!George meet Fictional!Taylor.

Hello and welcome! Thank you so much for reading 😊 I'm so happy to hear that you're enjoying You Know Where the City Is! Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure when or if I'm going to be updating YKWTCI again. I've been having a lot of complicated feelings about Taylor lately and am currently not a huge fan of hers anymore- more power to the people that are, and I think she's incredibly talented, she's just not really for me anymore at the moment. I'm not saying inspiration won't strike and that I won't update it again, I just don't really have any kind of time line for it at the moment.

I also feel like I need to add a disclaimer that I really, really, really dislike Kelce and have for a very, very long time. (He's a fucking glorified oversized wide receiver and should not be part of the tight end conversations because he doesn't play the position fully- you will not be changing my mind on this I have the stats to back me up. Gronk is the greatest tight end of all time because he PLAYED THE POSITION FULLY and also Kelce only has success when runs the routes that are literally referred to as GRONK ROUTES because they where created for / popularized BY GRONK) I am a sports girlie at heart, I love football, and I hate the Chiefs so much.

In terms of The 1975 songs - WOW this feels like being asked to pick my favorite child lol I'd say start with their first self titled album and then move through the discography in chronological order. That's how I did it back in the dark ages (I didn't have a choice their self titled album was their only album when I started listening to them lol) BUT in terms of my favorites at this particular moment - it's always changing:

The 1975 - The City, Robbers, Menswear, Me, You

ILIWYS - Change of Heart, The Ballad of Me and my Brain, Lostmyhead, The Sound

A Brief Inquiry - Sincerity Is Scary, Love It If We Made It, It's Not Living, Inside Your Mind

Notes on a Conditional Form (Justice for Notes) - People, Frail State of Mind, The Birthday party, Road Kill, Me & You Together Song, I Think There's Something You Should Know, Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy), Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied, Guys

Being Funny In a Foreign Language - Happiness, Part of the Band, All I Need to Hear, About You, When We Are Together

Honorable mention because they're not technically on the albums: Medicine and Milk

Thank you SO MUCH for reading and for sending this ask my way! I hope you have a chance to check out some of my other fics and that you enjoy them as well. I also apologize if this isn't the answer you're looking for, and hopefully I will eventually get back to YKWTCI. If you ever want to chat about the boys, don't hesitate to reach out, they are one of my favorite topics of discussion lol I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday and that you have a fantastic rest of your week!

❤️Ally

#allylikethecat #ask ally #keep it kind #matty fic #fanfiction #gatty #fanfic #you know where the city is #ykwtci #fake dating au #lol people that know me irl and people that have been following me for a while can vouch for how fired up i get during sports season lol #i got like heated typing this i have very strong anti chiefs opinions #i fully think the superbowl was rigged in their favor #the reffing was a joke #absolutely unrelated to taylor though i do love matty and the 1975 #i was lucky enough to see them a few times on the satvb tour and it was absolutely incredible #they played You for the first time at one of the shows i went to and i was so shocked #i couldn't believe it was really happening my friend was like bruised from how hard i was clinging to her lol #also im sorry about the taylor thing #its been something ive been really sad about in all honesty #she was such a big part of my life for so long and i kind of feel like i out grew her?#idk i got drunk and cried about it lol but like shes a celebrity she doesn't care what i think she's gonna be fine #and as long as she makes YOU happy that's what matters

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