#at least my number 3 post is something i'm genuinely really proud of

[dedicatedfollower467]

I posted 1,122 times in 2022

That's 240 more posts than 2021!

249 posts created (22%)

873 posts reblogged (78%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@icedragon19

@why-is-it-always-autumn

@nolightsinthedark

@dedicatedfollower467

@wuzzyletoastermac

I tagged 1,121 of my posts in 2022

#about me - 72 posts

#lol - 64 posts

#def is a gm - 62 posts

#motion warning - 57 posts

#def's grand webcomic re-read of 2022 - 57 posts

#video warning - 49 posts

#definitely adhd - 44 posts

#homestuck - 44 posts

#fandom - 38 posts

#def liveblogs fma manga - 38 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#it's less 'this is literally true' and more 'here are some interesting and notable cultural details about this particular time and place'

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

my favorite thing about experiencing dracula daily with everyone on tumblr is knowing that most later adaptations have turned van helsing into like. this young, heroic vampire hunter who does nothing but hunt vampires all day, and maybe even has like a whole vampire-hunting legacy in his family.

when really he's just an old dutch professor who has done so much kooky research into every possible esoteric subject that exists that he just happens to be the one person in the story who knows a little bit about vampires.

370 notes - Posted September 22, 2022

#4

[image description in alt text]

hoo boy it's been a long-ass time since I have done an attempt at digital pencil coloring. this is technically a wip of a larger piece but i'm very pleased with how it turned out so i thought i'd share it now before i ruin it

385 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

#3

[image description in alt text]

it's finished! fanart i created for @vivifrage's fic "the spider and the wyrm."

i am INCREDIBLY proud of this piece. i haven't done this art style in a really, really long time and it turned out fantastic if i do say so myself.

i have become sliiiiightly obsessed with hollow knight over the past few weeks and may or may not become a black hole of hk content for the foreseeable future.

489 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

#2

if you miss dracula daily and you're interested in reading another classic work of literature in a bit at a time, whale weekly (which is a serialized version of moby dick) just started

1,242 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

one of the things i love about ebenezer scrooge, and a christmas carol in general, is that, unlike most fictional rich people, scrooge doesn't allow himself the luxuries that he denies to others.

like. he is enormously wealthy, but does he spend his money on good food and nice things and indulgences? no. he keeps his house dark because it's cheaper to not light things, he eats gruel, he barely even makes a big enough fire to heat himself, let alone the room. he scrimps and pinches pennies everywhere he can - including in areas that other people would consider "necessities" rather than "luxuries."

the story of a christmas carol is as much about ebenezer scrooge coming to realize that his misanthropy and miserliness is making himself as miserable as it's making everyone around him, and learning to once again take joy in living in a way he hasn't allowed himself since he was a boy.

it's genuinely cruel to ebenezer scrooge to compare him to assholes like elon musk and jeff bezos.

for all that he is a terrible, terrible person, at least scrooge isn't a damn hypocrite.

3,157 notes - Posted December 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[agentravensong]

two scenes i would add to nerdy prudes must die

the thing about being autistic is that i will have no motivation to sit down and write stuff for my grad school applications all day, but then at night i'll find it in me to spend 3+ hours writing a tumblr post about my latest hyperfixation ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

this time that hyperfixation is nerdy prudes must die, a show that, despite still not being my favorite starkid hatchetfield musical, has really dug its claws into me. i'm gonna detail two scenes that i think would add to certain character arcs, give ritchie (and ruth)'s death(s) more impact, and really drive home the show's themes. don't think i need much more preamble than that, so, here we go!

1. Second Lauter family scene

A scene set between Ritchie's death and Ruth's, fitting best in the plot as is right after "Hatchet Town".

Primary purpose: Show more of Steph's character and her relationship with her father; show that the attitudes that made the teens' high school experience hell (pre-ghost!max) are reinforced by the adults

Basic outline: Steph and her dad are having a convo, prompted by the mayor, about how school is going; a kind of convo that, with how awkward it is, clearly doesn't happen often. Lauter says something half-hearted about how it's a shame her high school experience is being ruined by these events, because it was the happiest time of his life (as a contrast to the opinions our protags express in the opening number).

Steph doesn't want to talk about the murder stuff (duh) so she redirects to how her grades have genuinely improved (or at least did for a minute there) thanks to her studying with Pete, in a way that makes it clear she's genuinely proud of her improvement.

Mayor Lauter, in response, tells her that he doesn't want her hanging out with the nerds anymore, in or out of school, because it makes her a target (and also a suspect).

Steph gets upset at this dismissal; what kind of dad, she scoffs, would tell their daughter who was finally succeeding academically to stop trying? Especially when he was the one who told her to get her grades up?

And Mayor Lauter says something to the effect of, "You don't need to be a star student. I know you, Stephanie; that's never going to be you. All you need to be is good enough. Can you just do that for me?"

We have the mayor leave at this point; let's say he gets a phone call, cause that makes sense, and also is a deeply ironic reason for him to leave a family conversation considering his criticism of Steph's phone use. Steph could even point that out as a joke.

Here is where, if we have time, we give Steph a solo number. Well, it could be a solo, or it could be a duet with her dad — the kind where they're not singing to each other or aware that the other is singing, but they're basically singing their different perspectives on the same thing (in this case, their relationship). I propose the duet version because Corey deserves to get to show off his vocals more prominently in these shows.

Alternate ending if we're not doing the song: Steph can storm out, and the mayor can have an ominous line foreshadowing the drastic measures he'll be taking when we see him again.

The idea with this scene is that I want to give more weight to the whole "she's smarter than she thinks she is" angle to Steph's character. Show that she has found something through her bond with the nerds (Pete mainly) that makes her want to be more than just the "cool girl". And show that there is a part of her that wants a better relationship with her father (because if he won't believe in her, be proud of her, then who will?).

But also, we see how her dad has pigeonholed her into being that kind of airhead. All he cares about is that she stays out of trouble (which is to say, anything that would cause trouble for him). He doesn't care what she's genuinely interested in, what she aspires to; he's spent most of her teenage-hood assuming she's not interested in anything worthwhile, that she doesn't aspire to anything. He doesn't see her as a full person.

And, perhaps most importantly, him telling her not to associate with the nerds draws a direct line between him and our main antagonist, Max. Which matters for reasons that will become clearer as I discuss the second additional scene I came up with.

For the record, if I only got to add one of these scenes (NPMD is the longest of the Hatchetfield shows already, and both these scenes would have to be Act 2 additions), I'd pick this next one. So let's get to it.

2. High School Regression scene

Primary purpose: Showing how the murder(s) has/have affected the student body, and making the point that the hierarchies Max represented can't be disposed of that easily when he's still, literally and metaphorically, haunting the place.

This one would happen in between when the protags find out about Ritchie's death and when Grace informs Pete and Steph of Ruth's death. Practically, this means it would have to be set either:

A) right before Ruth goes to the BBQ Monologues rehearsal, with the scene centering around her, and leading directly into her arrival there (maybe replacing the cop convo entirely? maybe they're at the end of it)

or B) as basically a replacement for the Beanie's scene, but still leading into "If I Loved You" (and everything that comes after)

The beat-by-beat for this one is less solid in my head compared to the first scene, but the idea is that we see some of the cheerleaders and jocks going back to bullying Ruth in version A or Pete in version B (though in a less confident and malicious manner than Max did, as if their hearts aren't fully in it). Ruth or Pete gives some pushback and asks what changed to make them revert to this behavior.

I'm not sure how exactly the bullies express the "why", but in plain-speak, it's this: the students know about Ritchie (and Ruth)'s murder(s), and, maybe more importantly, the "nerdy prudes must die" that was written in Richie's blood. The message they've taken from that is that there is a killer reinforcing the social hierarchies they all abandoned when Max died. And so, with that latent threat hanging in the air, these students have decided to fall in line, in the hopes that they'll therefore be spared. Maybe, even, the murders will stop.

(you could also have one or two kids who are genuinely almost as cruel as max and are using this as an excuse to going back to being the assholes they were before, but you'd need more proper set-up for such a character i think)

Version A is pretty straightforward. I like the idea of Pete and/or Steph being there as well so it isn't just Ruth experiencing the misery (considering where things go from here)... but I know that they need to be dressed as different characters for when Ruth gets to the auditorium, so that probably isn't practical. Maybe there'd be time for Mariah to have made that quick change if Joey really stretched out his bit? But I know the change was tight even for Angela as is.

For version B, you could have the bullies find Steph and Pete at or on their way to Beanie's and be assholes to them there (because it makes sense to me that Steph and Pete would want to have their potentially incriminating conversation off high school grounds), but I think it has more thematic punch to set it in the high school.

Wherever it's set, in version B, Steph and Pete talk a bit about how the bullies' regression sucks, how things are even worse now than they were before Max died, which then leads into their conversation as it is in the actual show over whose fault this all is.

With Pete specifically, I think it'd be neat to call back to what he said to Steph way back in the show about his desire to blend in, to be invisible. That maybe, for a little bit, he liked being accepted, being important (to one person in particular), but it wasn't worth it. And with Steph, if we do have the second dad convo in this version of the show, we can maybe have her comment on how even her dad seems to believe in this bullshit social hierarchy, how they might never escape it.

I mentioned in my post detailing my initial nerdy prudes thoughts that I wished Pete and Steph had a convo that felt like Paul and Emma's convo right before "Join Us and Die". Basically, this is my attempt to give these teens that, without adding an entirely new scene just for that.

As a whole, this scene is my best attempt to Make Something of the themes and plot threads that are so well set up but get kind of lost in the last... third? of the show. Plenty of people have rightly posted that the adults are the real villains of this story. Max isn't scary just because he's one guy; he's representative of larger ideas, a larger system, perpetuated by those adults. Hierarchy, competition, and domination, treated as the natural, necessary state of the world. A system that reduces the personhood of all those ensnared in it.

Those ideas won't just disappear with his death. Max might have peaked in high school even if he lived because of the specific brand of boisterous asshole he was, but the world that instilled those ideas in him, the world beyond high school, will keep fostering and enforcing them, in its more mundane, subtle (comparatively) ways. It will keep producing more Maxs, and more Solomon Lauters.

Like, the whole "fuck clivesdale" bit is a running joke, and a funny one! But, also, I think there's something to be said about the fact that both the teens and adults are all in on this seemingly one-way rivalry, and how much focus is placed on it, in a show about *bullying*. A show about people who have arbitrary labels slapped on them as an excuse to be cruel to them.

"you're fucking losers, and we'll kill you!" isn't that far off as a sentiment from "nerdy prudes must die", is it?

and, like. their team name is the clivesdale chemists. chemists, like, nerds. it's supposed to be part of the joke, i'm pretty sure, that they're named after something nerdy, not a cool animal. if that parallel isn't intentional, then, i dunno man. it's still there either way.

(see also: the musical motif underneath the "who will pray for me" section of nerdy prudes must die also appearing as the chorus of "hatchet town". a motif that plays both when max asks ritchie who will remember him (who will remember *them*), right before enacting his ultimate "justice", and when the adults twist their memories into an excuse for a witch hunt, their own paranoid search for "justice".)

In real life, getting rid of the one asshole at the top of a rotten system doesn't fix the system. If the non-nerdy teens in this school were impressionable enough that one asshole could make them all act in line with his arbitrary beliefs, then his haunting presence (even if they don't know it's literally his ghost) should absolutely have *some* effect on them too.

And I think if you included a scene like this, it would make all that stuff in the script that's subtext, or half-developed, feel like it really was intentional, purposeful.

Does that all make sense? I hope so.

I know that actually trying to fit both of these into the show would require cutting some other stuff down for time, and it would complicate scene transitions and maybe fuck with the overall pacing. Really, this is more a thought experiment than anything else. I'm just glad to have it out of my head after it's been brewing there for multiple days, There's other stuff I'd change if I were to do a full edit of the script, sure, but these are the big things that really would've made the show click for me on the level tgwdlm does.

[further-from-maths]

28th Feb 2024, 12:24

I'm back lol sorry for dropping off the face of this blog. that's what IB does to you I guess

Some very cool things have happened since I was last here in writing. I got all five offers back, and I've accepted a firm and insurance choice to two wonderful places!!! Their creative writing departments were wonderful, and the lecturers at my firm were genuinely inspiring to listen to. To get in, I need a 6 in English, and 36 points overall. I think I can do it. My current goals/predictions are:

HL English LangLit: 6 needed for uni, and I managed it in my one mock since switching up. If I get a 5 I can still get into my insurance just fine, but I REALLY want to get into my first choice if I can.

HL Psychology: 7 is the goal. I really want a 7, and there's no excuse barring a lack of revision to not get one. My psychology department is genuinely incredible, and I've done very well in all my mocks. I really want to make them proud so I'm hoping the essays they give us are kind.

HL Global Politics: 7 suggested by the mocks so far, but I'm not the most confident in my politics abilities. I do want a 7 in it if possible though because I really like my politics teacher and also want to make him proud lmao

SL CompSci: 7 almost certain considering my mock grades thus far. I'm not worried tbh.

SL Maths Analysis: 7 PLEASE Maths is so easy to revise and it's easy points!!

AB German: 6 is probably more realistic than a 7 because too many minor slip ups can sink the grade completely, but I really want a 7 too.

Core: 2 is what I'm expecting tbh. My EE and TOK were both fine but I don't think they were WOW yk. I'm expecting a B for my EE hopefully and a B for my TOK, but if I've made my corrections well then hugely maybe I can get an A, which would give 3 points????? That's assuming my EE is in fact B-worthy which I really have no clue about.

Obviously I want to get as high as I can, but if I get a minimum of a 6 in everything, that's still more than enough with Core. I know I'm extremely likely to get a 7 in at least CompSci, so at a minimum I'm thinking I'll get 39 unless core flops?? My goal is to get over 40 though:))))

I'm terrified of making some kind of mistake that gets me disqualified. I know that's irrational but the fear is still there. My English teacher kinda spooked me by saying someone once failed their diploma because they didn't put page numbers in their EE so uh.......................... woooooooo. I'malso terrified about AI writing affeciting me. I haven't touched AI for anything I've done for school ever, but I'm nervous that the AI checker will be bad:( And what if I haven't cited something correctly?????? aaaaaaaaaaaa:(((((((((( Also as a heads up, for this exact reason, I won't be liveblogging my exams lol. I don't want to risk saying anything I'm not supposed to regarding the exams, so I'll make notes and post about them after results day or so. If I post anything during exam season, it'll probably be good-luck posts and nothing more lmao.

We've finished content in pretty much every subject now, which is exciting!! IAs are nearly done -- just waiting for final confirmation that a handful of them are ready for submission, and I've got my computer science IA to finish correcting. The end is scarily close.

Feeling terrified, but as long as I keep my head down and work hard, it'll be alright. Less than 11 weeks left. Let’s do this.

75 days until.

[muldxr]

2022 writing review 🤍

another year has come and gone! i was tagged by @neondiamond @beardyboyzx @wabadabadaba @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 18

2. Word count posted for the year: ~56k

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction

4. Pairings: Harry/Louis, with a dash of Zayn/Liam in my new fic

5. Story with the most: Kudos: greased lightnin’ [155] Bookmarks: Hill Country [54] Comment threads: Hill Country [17]

the rest is under the cut!

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): Hill Country was a creative experience from start to end. I mentioned this one a lot this year, but there's nothing major I would change about it. I will always, genuinely, enjoy re-reading it and I thank everyone who gives it a chance

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): it was a really hard year so i don't want to be negative about any of my works <3 they all have their strengths

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received: I appreciate @lululawrence for kindly reccing dark blue on her June podcast episode here! I was in awe because it is a fic that i didn't think anyone would enjoy - and she COMPARED IT to other iconic crackfics, and it's just a big honor to have this underrated gem on that list.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: lately my writing motivation has dwindled as the daylight disappeared, and i didn't have a very fun time writing in aug-oct but i'm prepared to do better in 2023

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: does Figs count? i loved the creativity that came with this style of poem and the 'scene' it sets up. i have been testing my limits with writing shorter but more impactful works this year

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: this is from after hours and i can't resist a scene where all hope is lost

“Harry, please, leave it.”

“I’ve been trying to hold onto something, to find something good out of the bad. Why don’t you?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

“You said I’ve been too quiet. You said I wasn’t helping you figure it out, but I was. And I can’t be positive about it like you are, because the answer’s fucking obvious.” He makes a sweeping gesture at himself, an absolutely broken flick of the hand. He doesn’t bother to look at Harry. “It’s my fault.”

Then Harry can’t get a word in while Louis passes him, walking into the house. He doesn’t follow, not right away. Sooner or later he’ll have to go up, work through the stubbornly silent treatment to console Louis, and come up with an easier way to separate their guilt from what they have to do. 

That, and because, when the sound of footsteps returns, Harry realizes he has the keys.  

13. How do you hope to grow next year: 1) I want to continue betaing/cheerleading, so hit me up! 2) I hope i can write another 15k+ fic! that would be great because I enjoy the chance to sit with a plot/cast of characters for longer than a few months

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc): people who tagged me in snippet games!! i don't post those very often because it's hard for me to write more than a few sentences at a time and I have a lot of scattered dialogue and incomplete scenes, but i enjoy interacting with everyone

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:  this is a deep-dish-pizza-loving household, thus after hours gave it the attention it deserves. hill country also held a lot of texan essence~ and i'm glad i poured it in there. I-80 was inspired by a roadtrip. see-see was based on 15+ years of movie-going experiences (if i figure out how, i might write a longform deaf au, emphasis on might). i think that's it? i try to be creative and pull inspiration from things, but if it turns too personal it's difficult to not want it to be 100% perfect

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: not to say this applies to everyone - but I have learned in the last 1.5 years of writing fic, it's important to take things in moderation when planning wips and committing to fests. i learned this the hard way, and it made me reevaluate my connection to writing and taking care of myself

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: it's a slow year! I am working on fics for @harryrarepairfest and @omegaharryfest due in March before I take a personal break. Then two more projects finished by November? I'm also open to writing for other fandoms 🫣

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read. @allwaswell16 @uhoh-but-yeah-alright @onlythebravest @tommokat @beelou @phd-mama @littleroverlouis @starsweredible @thedevilinmybrain and who else wants to share!

[ganondorf--apologist]

(Genuinely curious to see your top five!) :3cc Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

dakjsfkljaslkfjsa;kldfj yus! All of these are hk ones lol, which are all set in the In Defiance of Time fic series, but without further ado-

Chili's Top 5 Self Recs:

In Defiance of Time (multichapter, still in progress)

No surprises here in the number one spot is absolutely, hands down, In Defiance of Time and I'm absolutely going to use this as an excuse to gush about it! It's a time travel fic where Ghost panics after they [spoiler] and makes a desperate jump anywhere into the past, landing all the way back at the very beginning of their life before the fall of Hallownest. Through their decisions and continued attempts to run from their problems they kick off a chain of events that land NKG in the role of Tragic Secondary Antagonist and Ghost in the role of Main Antagonist and Final Boss, with Hollow taking Ghost's place as the Main Protagonist after much build up alongside an ensemble protag squad. Writing it has been a lot of fun, especially the challenge of having a story with conflict and fighting and angst and death without having any villains. I love this fic and writing it so far has been one hell of a ride, which I pretty much expected after writing chapter 2 when I figured out both why Ghost went back in time and subsequently what the ending was going to be, and realized that I was not, in fact, writing a comedy, and rewrote chapter 1 accordingly. I stick by the change in direction and themes though, learning how to face your regrets and making the choice to try and become a better person even when you feel as though you're a lost cause and that such efforts would be futile is something that hits right at my heart and in a way it kinda feels like I'm writing a story for the me from a decade ago. For that remorse filled, self-loathing, suicidally depressed, asshole who wanted to be better but had no idea how or if it was even possible that I used to be, to tell them that it's not easy, shitty things and even shittier things are still going to happen and you're going to fall back on awful habits that bring that asshole part of you back to the forefront, but you'll keep trying and you'll keep learning and you'll change, you're not doomed to be like this forever. It's a message I think I'm always going to stand by.

2. Next up is Silly Little Wyrm (multichapter, still in progress)

Set in the past, Silly Little Wyrm follows PK and WL at the time when they first meet and the events leading up to them getting married and PK subsequently becoming king. A slow burn romance between two incredibly sad disaster gods with an ending that's going to be bittersweet. I love this one, I love writing these two dorks since I'm a married dork myself, and I also love angst which this story will definitely have a lot of. I'm also having a lot of fun writing their love story since I always love reading love stories where the two leads spend time in an in between state in a nebulous "idk what we are, we're very close and I love you and we kiss but neither of us are in a state to be in a relationship rn" area and I'm excited for these two to get to that point in the story (one day :'D).

3. To Be The Hollow Knight (one-shot)

This one's a Hollow character study exploring their thoughts and feelings about being The Hollow Knight. I'm definitely really proud of this one and I reread it often ^^

4. Long Will She Reign (one-shot)

Herrah fic! Herrah fic! Herrah fic! This one follows Herrah post-Battle of the Blackwyrm and her late night thoughts and her concerns and anxieties and aaaaaaaah. Love this one, absolutely love this one. I loved crafting Herrah's character for the fic series and I love exploring her as a character with deep anxieties who's fear is often mistaken for and hidden behind a stoic demeanor.

5. Three Taps (one-shot)

Lurien and Soul Master fic set post-Battle of the Blackwyrm. This one follows these two and their different reactions to grief and trauma and how they offer cover for each other so that they can go somewhere where they can better handle that trauma rather than being stuck in public.

[malinaa]

2022 WRITING REVIEW

tagged: @rosesau @ttimbradford <3

1. number of stories posted to ao3: 27 (±2 bc i updated 2 fics that i started last year) but i reached over 100 works on ao3!!!!!

2. word count posted for this year: 101,410 (technically More bc i wrote ofic but that is obviously not posted anywhere)

3. fandoms i wrote for: marvel (spider-man), dc (batman, superman), pjo, the atlas series, six of crows, the raven cycle/the dreamer trilogy, hp, and goncharov 😭

4. pairings: petermj, petergwen, percabeth, libbynico, kanej, bluesey, blue/adam, clois, gonchandrey

5. stories with the most

kudos: accidental heroism (the batman) 3,357 bookmarks: the jones-watson-parkers (spider-man) 844 but since that was posted last year it's technically accidental heroism again w 640 comment threads: yet again... the jones-watson-parkers with 133 but it is still accidental heroism with 47

6. work i'm most proud of (and why): ummmm idk actually the work im most proud of is my ofic theo and i cannot Show that to u anyway it's bc i have never rly fully revised smth like. overhauled it n all that bc i finally Understood theo's character and it was such a RUSH to work on her fr and ive produced some of my Best Writing To Date!!! for fic tho uh??!??!?!? im pretty proud of most fic ive written this year bc i have tried rly hard ok 😭 usually i can pinpoint a single fic but i think ive written consistently well ???

7. work i'm least proud of (and why): a home for two (spider-man) mostly because i did Not vibe writing it i was literally pulling teeth trying to finish it but ppl seem to like it idk

8. share of describe a favorite review you received: this comment from a fic i posted last year bc "this fic is so PRETTY, literally poem in prose form im weeping. there's such a... melancholic vibe to it. or perhaps nostalgic. just, wow." has stuck w me forEVER!! and genuinely any comment i have even received from ao3 user Fairy527...u will ALWAYS be famous 2 MEEE!!!!!!

9. a time when writing was really, really hard: uh not for fic but i was tearing my hair out writing theo partially because of the content and partially because it is quite literally Difficult to write what's perfect in your head and i haven't even written theo to my own standards ngl

10. a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: the entirety of final goodbye because. Well. who knew i would be writing goncharov fic actually who knew goncharov would even exist fr

11. a favorite excerpt of your writing: ok not to have an ego but there r a fair few bits

Here's the thing about loss: sometimes you grow up and around a person, fitting and stretching and expanding to add them to the patchwork of yourself, and when they leave, there's a scar between both bodies. One here, one gone. An open wound. It's surprising how much time you can spend with someone and still come out the other end empty-handed. (slip of reality | spider-man)

Touching her eclipses his image of Elysium. ANDDDD Annabeth faces her past self, a funhouse reflection of who she once was. Neglect and trauma have warped Young Annabeth into something smaller—into someone smaller. (the annabeth project | pjo)

The Ronan after was broken, a raven of a boy, all hollow-boned. Yearned for flight, yet trapped by a cage of his own making. (the living lynches | tdt)

The very fact of her breathing astounds him for some reason. There are working lungs, a network of veins, a beating, beautiful heart hidden inside her body. She is wonderfully, colossally alive. (a kiss without a kiss | trc)

12. how did you grow as a writer this year: oh i have learned to appreciate writing first person bc of theo <3 and writing a little longer things bc i am a serial 1-2k oneshotter and i have Exceeded that a bit

13. how do you hope to grow next year: perhaps i will Finally finish a multichapter fic jesus christ

14. who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc): seedemma <3 u made me worse as a person. also tangentially em's professor . why has that random man infiltrated my life i've never met him. anyway jack im also kithing u on the mouth btw

15. anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: none that i can point out at the top of my head ! well. except for theo 🧍🏻‍♀️ i gave her too many lysisms which is concerning considering everything wrong w her n her chronic patheticness

16. any new wisdom you can share with other writers: new wisdom??? god not rly but here is some OLD wisdom that i feel like other writers shld always listen to... read MORE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!! i swear u can taste the visceral difference btwn someone who writes and reads n someone who writes without reading n like ive read a fair few books this year and it has def seeped into my writing fr

17. any projects you're looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: working on the Novel™ n also attempting to finish all these wips i have left in the grave

18. tag some writers whose answers you'd like to read: ngl i forgot who writes fic im sorry so @bluepinstripes & @ogiroud (who won't see this until jan fr)

[hoshiyoshis]

hey babe just popping in to say ur right seeing chan say that is really concerning not just (especially) for him but for his fans as well. you do not need to diet. You are a beautiful person who deserves to eat. You deserve to eat when youre hungry and when you arent happy with urself and when its a meal time and you deserve a little treat when u feel like it. I love chan but i definitely feel like it can be harmful to talk about dieting in such a way and especially when he has so many people looking to him for inspiration and comfort. I hope hes okay but i also hope you are okay. I know how hard it can be and im so proud of you and i hope you have a nice warm meal that fills you up just right and all you have to think about is the warmth in ur belly and in ur heart. 🥰🥰🥰🤦‍♀️💖❤💜💙

this is really sweet and really means a lot, anon, i hope you know that. it's... very easy for me to get hit with self-loathing about my body, especially when i see other people say those sort of things (as u can tell from this whole thing about chan), or after a doctor's appointment where my health is perfectly fine but seeing certain numbers or words fuck with me despite the fact i'm healthy.

i'm gonna put some more thoughts under a readmore just because i tend to ramble a lot and i don't wanna put a long-ish post on anyone's dash but i have more thoughts here (but if you don't wanna read those, thank you again for your kind words <3 self love is a very long and hard journey and i have in the past and will continue to struggle with in the future. it's just a journey i gotta keep working on, and maybe one day i'll at least be able to appreciate my body for keeping me alive even if i'm not happy with it yet)

[warning for like... talks of potential eating disorders/disordered eating and fatphobia, ig? just tread with caution if any of this bothers u im sorry :( ]

like... i feel like there's always going to be a certain line you have to be careful of when you talk about dieting, btw. i don't think chan meant anything bad by what he said (he's a very genuine person from what i've seen, and there's a reason he has such a comforting presence for a lot of people, me included) and i genuinely hope that he never like... feels bad about that if he ever happens to see how it can impact people? like you said, a lot of people look to him for inspiration and comfort, and i feel safe in saying at least some of those people are going to be people under eighteen. i'm not saying it's impossible to happen to anyone under twenty or even twenty-five, but i think the weird, hard part of being a teenager can make those feelings a lot worse--or even anyone in his audience who has dealt with things like EDs or disordered eating on its own. it can be a very slippery-slope right back into those habits, especially hearing them said by someone you look to for motivation/comfort/etc.

which isn't to say i blame chan at all! from what it sounds like, this is definitely something that was pushed onto him? like, idk, i don't know so this is all speculation, but he did say that both his members (which, btw, not a huge surprise just because of how rampant fatphobia is in this industry: i don't really blame them for having that mindset tbh) and the staff sorta kept pointing out him gaining weight.

which btw... where? chan you gotta show me where baby because i cannot fucking see it at all but that's beside the point. you don't have to visibly have gained weight to feel like you've done it.

i just hate the way he said that he needs to do this 'properly' so much. like this isn't proper. eating a single meal a day and barely anything else isn't proper, and i feel like we can probably guess he'd be working out alongside this alongside the work he's already doing.

idk man i just wanna give him a kiss on the forehead and tell him that it's okay if he wants to lose weight but he should do it for himself and he should do it properly. like i've been there. it sucks. you feel like shit and i can't imagine being busy with everything he's busy with and also not eating enough. like idk im not a bee-tee-ess stan but i've read about the shit that j*min went through considering he passed out during rehearsals from barely eating (and, god, it does make me feel better to see a lot of people citing where he's not doing that anymore: i'm not a stan, but he seems like a sweetheart and i wish the best for him + his group). like, not to focus purely on chan again, but it does make me worry about him more.

how far can it go? how far will it go? i don't want to find out. i just want him and the rest of skz to stay healthy and happy, and something like this is going to stop chan (and felix, from what i've read--he also went on a strict diet at one point...? i'd have to look into it more) from being either.

[thschei]

Okay, I was going to make this post the day it happened, but I was already really distraught & felt like typing it all out would just like push me over the edge, and I still had to survive NYE fireworks. I decided to at least wait until after the 1st, but then Life Things kept happening, so I didn't get around to it until now.

My righteous anger has mostly simmered down, so but I think it'll probably still get long, so this'll be another read more post. TW for mentions of animal death, emotional abuse, and declawing

To be 100% super duper crystal clear: I am entirely against declawing; it's unethical and cruel and inhumane. This will become abundantly clear as the post goes on, but I just have seen too many pointless disc hoarse posts filled with people who gleefully, willfully misinterpret posts for any reason to harass people. I'm not going to leave myself open to people who'd send me death threats without even reading the full post. As it is, I'm turning reblogs off bc I don't want my post about my cat dying to be reblogged, but if I need to I can turn anon/asks in general off.

So. At 11PM on the 29th of Dec my cat gets hurt, we get to the vet by 12:30, and by 3AM he died. We got home by 4:30AM and none of us could sleep. We were all still awake at 10AM, and dreading the fact that it was a 3-day weekend and we'd have to face all of it trapped with our thoughts without having our normal day-to-day routines to buffer the first 3 days.

We know a lot of energy vampire type people. Liars, manipulators, people who'd come over to our house just to steal something for funsies, abusers. One of my mom's sisters was an accessory to murder. The same one stole my mom's SSN to open credit cards with. I have more examples, but my family tree bullshit could be its own post. A lot of them are in our family and there's some my mom basically has to keep in contact with due to her job.

So, it's 10AM, and my mom is dreading the 2-5 energy-draining people who consistently text her all day long, no matter what's going on or how busy she is. She can be with a patient who's actively in the process of dying, and they'll just text her "?" repeatedly when she doesn't respond.

She decides to tell these people about our cat dying the night before, in hopes that they'll give her space. Unfortunately, abusers like these people love to violate unsaid boundaries like this, so nothing less than blocking numbers/turning off her phone would work. But it's a step towards being able to say "no" that I've been trying to help her with, so we're going to be proud of her for it.

I don't want to use this person's name because as shitty as they are, they deserve privacy, so I'm going to use her initial.

V . responds . "Oh. My sister is trying to rehome her cat, maybe you can take it?"

So let's go over the timeline again. 11PM on the 29th -> 10AM on the 30th. In less than 12 hours since our cat died, V is trying to shove her sister's cat at us. Please don't try to give her the benefit of the doubt or say she was trying to help us feel better. There's not a single thing this person does that comes without ulterior motives; I've known her since 2015. She goes to strangers' funerals so she can brag about it later. She doesn't feed her own cat wet food, not because she can't afford it, but because she'd rather buy cheap dry food at the dollar store and spend the entire rest of her money on herself, like going on cruises/vacations while I petsit her cat. (And use our own wet food for her cat because it's cruel and fucked up and genuinely a detriment to a cat's health to only feed them dry food). This suggestion was nothing short of an impulsive launch at an opportunity to make her life more convenient, by finding a new home for her sister's cat, so her sister would stop complaining or asking her to take the cat.

My family has always had pets, and I'm the youngest in our house, so by the time I was born, a lot of our pets were already getting old and sick (12-15 for dogs, 20-25 for cats). The first pet that died in my lifetime was our dog Killer, when I was 4. My dad had already died, so I didn't need any lies about going to live on a farm or something. And of course it's always sad, but we've always felt like the best thing you can do to ease that pain is take in a new pet and provide them with a home. You get mutual love and happiness from each other, and day by day it gets easier. But, like, you take in that new pet after maybe a month or so. Not a fucking day.

Before continuing, for some extra context, 2 of our cats already had been from V.

The first one, Joey, she only had for a few months before becoming convinced he was peeing all over the house (hint: it was her 20 yr old cat who had chronic kidney/urinary tract problems from being fed nothing but DRY FOOD FOR 20 YRS @%^#&*^*&@#) and offering him to my mom's sister, who ended up dying a few months after that. (We don't know why or how; coroner declined performing an autopsy.)

We call V and tell her what happened, because we don't know what to do with Joey. Her reaction is like, "Oh... hmm. Huh. That's really a shame. Let me know if you find someone who can take him."

As in, "NOT IT!"

They hang up and my mom stares blankly at her phone screen. I say we should just take him home instead of leaving him in the empty apartment and stressing about finding him a new owner.

Flash forward to December of 2020. V calls my mom crying, saying that her (now ex-)husband thinks their other cat, Smokey, peed on his expensive speakers and is threatening to divorce V unless they find a new home for Smokey. V says all the local shelters are full and when she looked into people who'll temporarily house cats for owners, they charge $200 per day. She says she needs to find Smokey a new home like, now. My mom says we'll help her find someone but V is like, her husband has Smokey locked in a cat carrier and says she won't be let out until they find her a new home, that kind of now. We're like, jesus fucking christ, silently. I mute my mom's phone and say "tell her we'll take her". I'm sure she would've said that anyway, but like, instinctual response to hearing the thing about the cat carrier.

(Btw, he divorced V the next year anyway. I wanted her to be away from him, because he's so abusive and mean. But it's so fucked up that he forced her to get rid of her cat with the threat/ultimatum of divorce, only to follow through with the threat anyway. He could've just divorced her and let her keep her cat!!! She had to deal with the heartbreak of a divorce without the comfort of a cat she spent 9 years with!!! He moved out of state, but every time I think about this, I wish I could go and break his kneecaps.)

The problem to that is that Smokey . is declawed . So she has to be separate from our other cats 24/7 for her own safety. None of our cats are very aggressive or get into "real" fights with each other, but they're still cats, with sharp teeth and claws, with predator instincts, who act on those instincts when they can tell another cat is weaker, whose instinct during a fight with another cat is to swipe at their stomach to disembowel them. That's not something you want to take a chance on. So Smokey is exclusively in my mom's bedroom. Over time, we've started to let her out for 20-30 minutes at a time with supervision, but that's the extent of what we can give her without putting her in danger, and it can't be done while doing chores like taking the trash out or doing the dishes. All because V declawed her fucking cats. (Not Joey, but only because he wasn't with her for very long.)

Okay, with that context established, let's go back to V texting us on Dec 30th.

Of course, we could rehome her to someone who didn't have other pets, but she spent 9 years with V, and has now spent 4 years with us. She's a 13 year old all-grey short-hair cat with a bald patch on her belly and on her front legs and below her ears, so it'd probably take a very long time to find someone who'd pick her over a cute kitten, and even longer stuck in a shelter if they had room. And if we had chosen not to be her permanent home, we would've been keeping her at arms' length the entire time, trying not to get attached.

How would that be fair to Smokey? She deserves a life where she spends as many days possible feeling wanted and loved and safe. That's what I set out to do, and I think I've achieved it as much as I possibly could, around her being declawed. I do love her and want her. And I do keep her safe, obviously. I spend as much time as I can with her; we cuddle, we play, we watch birds, I share food with her (when it's safe for cats, obv). With V she was always hiding under the bed and never meowed, just came out to eat. With us, she never hides, purrs non-stop, and is very very vocal. She gets wet food and treats, she sits in the middle of the bed like she owns the place. She gets to be a cat.

I leave my room to go check on my mom. She relays me the text. I say . "What the fuck is wrong with her? It hasn't even been a day."

I ask, "Is V's sister's cat declawed?"

We, like, talk about what a transparently selfish and inconsiderate person V is. I tell my mom I'm gonna try to sleep, but then I stop in the middle of the room.

It's a balancing act to watch out for 1 declawed cat with our other cats, so it would take more mental energy to strategize life around 2 declawed cats, especially with how often I'm asked to petsit. You have to factor in how much time you can spend out petsitting (I usually spend 5 hours there at a time), time you can spend with the Have Claws group of pets (including a dog), and time you can spend with the No Claws pet.

Despite the... misconceptions about cats being detached and aloof, they want (and need) to spend time with you. They want to cuddle, they want to hang out in the same room, they want to hear your voice, they want to play, they want to snooze in the presence of someone they feel safe around; they love you. Same as with dogs.

My mom says she'll find out.

I get some sleep, then I wake up. My mom tells me that no, V's sister's cat is not declawed; she can't find anyone in the state to do it. That's why she wants to rehome the cat.

",,,, How could anyone say that without being ashamed?"

My mom shrugs. "I don't know. I told her, 'wow, we're sitting here miserable because we wish we had our cat back, and your sister wants to get rid of hers because she can't mutilate it' I don't think she liked that because she stopped texting me back."

We laughed.

Silence is telling, you know? V's 20 year old cat died last year, and my mom and I spent months hoping to god that she wouldn't get a new cat, because we didn't want her to declaw it. She swore up and down she regretted doing it to her other cats and would never do it again, but she's also a liar. So after she did get a new cat, my mom and I have checked to see if she still has claws every time we go over. So far she does... but probably because V can't find anyone to do it either.

But then it stopped being so funny when I realized it was probably only a matter of time before one or both of them crossed state lines to look for a vet who'd do it. We can't exactly steal V's cat, but if we take in her sister's cat, we can save it from happening.

I don't really have a good way to finish this. We'd rather take in a cat off the street or from a shelter than have Three cats that came from the same asshole, but if V's sister does declaw her cat, we'll feel responsible for it happening, even if we know it's not our fault.

I just wanted to post about how fucking insane it is to try to pawn off your (sibling's) cat less than 24 hours after someone's cat died. She's almost 70 and has no mental illnesses; she knows better. She's just an asshole.

[chetungwan]

Thanks for tagging me, @sew-birb!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

20! Although over half of them are drabbles written for last year's whumptober, so I feel a little guilty counting them.

2. What is your total ao3 word count?

33,622 words. I. Don't actually know if that's a big number or a small number. It's definitely not novel sized, so I guess I haven't written a book yet.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Well, 10. But four of them are from my very early works that I'm kinda embarrassed by.

4. What are your Top 5 fics by kudos?

Two Disasters, One Bomb

SCP-3906

Booth's Past - I want to qualify these last two. They were the first fics I ever posted, and they really show their age. I keep them up because I believe in the concept of an archive, and because I think that showing growth in a writer is useful. But the reason they're so far up here is not because they're good, but because they're old.

two bombs and one goes off

if at first you don't succeed, try try again

5. Do you always respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I get few enough that I can, and I like the engagement. So I respond! I like talking to people

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending

This question actually made me realize that for all I love writing angst, I seem to have a habit of ending on at least a hopeful note. But thankfully I have one that I did manage to make very despairing! Set Them Up And Knock Them Down definitely ended the opposite of hopeful.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Oh buddy, I almost exclusively write crossovers. I guess the craziest is also Set Them Up And Knock Them Down, but that's mostly because no one cares about Farscape anymore except me and a couple of my friends.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope! I am barely known.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

The closest I got to smut was a couple fade to blacks between Tim Stoker and Daniel Jacobi, which incidentally is another fun crossover of mine.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, again, I'm barely known.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Sort of? I've helped write fic with people, though it's really theirs in the end. And I've edited fic, though that's something else entirely.

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

UUUHH. It really really depends on the fic and even then it varies from moment to moment. If the ones I've written? I guess I'm proud of Tim/Jacobi.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Oof. Okay, so it's not up on AO3 anymore, but I wrote a fic for Bullets Over Broadway. The musical, not the movie. You know, the one that ran for like a week because it sucked so much. I saw it in previews with my highschool art club, and wrote the fic sentence by sentence on the bus back to the hotel. It got passed around the bus and read out loud, because we were all nerdy, horny teenagers who wanted to read about the mobster fucking the playwright.

That one was fade to black too because I genuinely cannot actually write smut.

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

A crossover with Wolf 359. I refuse to pick beyond that.

Tagging uuuuuuuuh @electricshoop @ophelia-thinks @ anyone else I know who writes fic? I can't remember who's tumblrs link to who's AO3 handles

[anguisette90]

2021 AO3 Year In Writing

tagged by: @laurabeatrix

I definitely didn't start this weeks ago when I was tagged and then not get a chance to finish it and completely forget about it until I went to check my drafts for something else. *cough* I'm also incapable of giving short answers, so I decided to do a "read more" and save any mobile users from a ridiculous amount of scrolling to get past my nonsense.

1. Number of stories posted to AO3:

7

2. Word count posted for the year:

260,927 words (though really only around 190K of that was written in 2021, a lot of it was written in 2019 or 2020 and I only got the courage to share in 2021, haha.)

3. Fandoms I wrote for:

The Dresden Files

4. Pairings:

Harry/Murphy, Harry/Lara, & (sigh) Harry/Marcone

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: 80 Floors Up (122)

Bookmarks: 80 Floors Up (21)

Comments: All's Fair(59)

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why):

Mm. I’m really pleased with how All’s Fair turned out. It’s the first story I’ve ever fully planned out and written methodically, with the knowledge that I’d be sharing it with people and so it needed to do story-y things. This is the first thing I’ve ever written that felt like I really had to work at it, but the end result is something that I feel is actually pretty well polished.

Runner-up shout out to The Detective & Miss Murphy though. I went into it with only the vaguest idea of when the Regency era even was and having precisely zero experience with either consuming or creating Regency romance books/shows/movies. I expected it to be a total disaster, and while it definitely is not the best thing ever written or even the best thing I’ve ever written, I think it’s turned out pretty well so far. Jane Austen I am not, but since @LauraBeatrix’s original inspiration for the conversation was Bridgerton, and Julia Quinn is also definitely no Jane Austen (which I know now, because I’ve read like four or five of those books at least, so thanks for that LauraB :P) I’ll take it. I also genuinely put more time and effort into research for this fic than I did for all of my college classes combined last year (8 of them? 9? A bunch) and while I’m not exactly proud of that fact, I’m not not-proud either.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

I’m tempted to say 80 Floors Up because it is the fic I have put the absolute least amount of thought or effort into – it was a silly premise that I wrote in a single weekend including editing time. But it did turn out pretty good despite being somewhat ridiculous?

I guess I Caught Fire. Every time I look at it I feel like it’s missing something, like something’s off about it, but no matter how I poke at it I’m not satisfied.

8. Share or describe a favourite review you received:

It’s been a good year for reviews. Honestly, everybody is so sweet and supportive. I started 2021 kind of on the fence about whether to continue posting things and very insecure in my own writing but people have been so nice. I have genuinely cried from comments received several times this past year.

(Not that I have a folder on my phone with screenshots of comments that I flip through when imposter syndrome gets bad or anything. I’m not desperate for validation. It’s cool.)

But my absolute favorite review? Gotta be this lovely gem from @LauraBeatrix:

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

I hit a snag in The Detective & Miss Murphy for a bit there where I had waaaaay too much planned content to fit into waaaay too few chapters, which was super difficult to work through.

I also have had a few instances (once for All’s Fair, twice for yet-unposted WIPs) where I’ve had to dwell on That Scene from midway through Battle Ground and that’s been a very different kind of difficult.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

Harry and Murphy are constantly surprising me in The Detective & Miss Murphy because they never do quite what I expect them to do. I have whole scenes planned out and then one of them just says something out of nowhere, or does something crazy. You know what I didn’t expect at the start of writing a regency romance? That my hero and heroine would have a woman tied up in the heroine’s bedroom to get information out of her. Didn’t expect that to happen. Absolutely insane. I have no control over them.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

This bit for All’s Fair keeps sticking with me and I’m fond of it: “I remembered when she’d been mine and I’d been hers. When we’d professed our love and when we'd acted on it. I remembered when I knew with all of my heart, mind, and soul that I belonged wholly and completely to her, that I would never love anyone the way I loved her. We were made for each other, in the sense that years of shared experiences and friendship had forged us into complementary shapes, worn and scarred but familiar and comfortable, fitting perfectly together.”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I have definitely gained a lot more confidence in myself. Two years ago, getting an even vaguely critical comment on something would haunt me for weeks and make me question whether or not I should continue posting. Even at the beginning of last year, I frequently questioned whether or not I should bother sharing what I wrote, if I was just being stupid and arrogant to believe that other people would want to read it, etc. I'm not saying I've magically become immune to criticism or anything, but I'm at a place where I can get a negative comment, process the feedback (if there actually is any), and move on with my life without losing sleep over it. Which is progress.

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

I want to put more of a focus on original work in 2022 than I did last year. I still expect most of what I write to be fic, but I'm starting to entertain the idea that 15 year old me might have been right after all and I should try to become a published author.

I also want to invest more time in actually learning how to be a better writer. I've listened to TED talks and interviews and things like that here and there with authors I respect, and sometimes I pick up good advice, and sometimes I think the advice isn't for me, but I want to spend more time doing that this year. Writing, like any art imo, has a large instinctive component, but that doesn't mean you can't better hone your instincts with training.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

Last spring I stumbled across a post where some total strangers were discussing wanting to see fluff of Harry/Murphy. One person in particular had a specific request, I think she said she wanted to see Harry at another Murphy family reunion? I don't remember now. Whatever it was, I had this fic that had been sitting in my drafts since 2019ish and it sounded like just what she was looking for. So even though I thought it was kind of a poorly-written fic, I posted it on AO3 and shared it here, hoping maybe one or more of these people would see it. Even if it wasn't very good, I figured not-great content is still better than no content, right?

That very particular stranger was @laurabeatrix, who did see my fic, and had a ton of kind things to say about it, and has basically not stopped saying nice things about my fics since. She is my biggest cheerleader/muse/emotional support beta reader/tinfoil hat co-conspirator/3 AM rambling thought sounding board/all-around wonderful person. I can honestly say without exaggeration that at least half of what I've written this year wouldn't have happened without her, or at least wouldn't have been posted. Also, she made art for a fic that I wrote. Art. Like for real fanart. It's been months and I'm still kind of freaking out about that because seriously how cool is that?

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

No current events from my life, though I've definitely drawn from my life experiences. There's a scene in Paper & Jewelry where Harry's watching Murphy use a step ladder to try to put baubles on the Christmas tree, which was directly inspired by my wife watching me nearly break my neck several times trying to string the lights on our tree a few years back.

Also, not sure if it counts but most of the time when I choose to set a scene in a specific place in Chicago it's because it's a place I've been and often have pictures I can reference. Several of Lara and Harry's dates in All's Fair are locations the wife and I have also visited together. Really wish we weren't living in plague times, because it's been way too long since we had a chance to get out there and I'm itching for it.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Share what you've written! I don't care what you've written. I don't care if its an obscure ship from an obscure fandom with a weirdly specific set of tags that you think only you could possibly care about. Someone wants to read it. You think it's bad? It's probably amazing, but even if it isn't, to be honest, who cares? If you liked the idea, or the dialogue, or the setting, or whatever enough to write it, someone else will like it too. It's easy to get caught up in the number of kudos, or the number of comments, but honestly, even if there's just one other person out there who reads it any enjoys it, you've still made an impact on the world, you've made that one person's day better for a few minutes (or hours, or if you write as much as I do maybe days) just by sharing your ideas, your art. Don't second-guess yourself.

And if you're writing for one of my fandoms, this goes doubly for you. Odds are if there's only one weirdo who is going to like your fic, I'm that weirdo, and I want to read it, lol (But seriously, you're better than you think. How do I know? Because I've never in my life met a writer who was as bad or worse than they thought. We all think that. It's okay. Just share anyway.)

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

Very close to finishing Detective and Miss Murphy which is both exciting and sad. I'll miss it but I'll be glad to have it wrapped up too.

After that, I've got a kind of dark post-BG longfic I'm working on, which will let me play with myths and deities, some of which we haven't had a chance to see yet in canon, and I'm both nervous and excited for that prospect. We'll see how it works out.

As always, I've got about two dozen other misc WIPs too, most of which aren't ready for me to talk about them yet, but I'm sure there' will be plenty of forthcoming fic for 2022.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

As usual I'm not directly tagging anyone because I don't do that, but if you're reading this and you would like to provide your answers, consider this me, tagging you. I'd love to read your thoughts!!

[genshin-obsessed]

hi pocket! moth here, and as promised, i'm giving you word after word after word after word....

i got cicada to type some stuff down too since he also wanted to send something to you in congratulations!! <3 <3

----moth

congratulations on 6k! you're really rad and i genuinely think that you deserve all this support and love, it's just really nice to see that you've progressed so quickly and smoothly! you've put a ton of effort into things your write, your events, everything! your interactions with your anons are just so nice, and that's all because you're an amazing person!

when i joined the genshin fandom, you were one of the first blogs that i had run into, and that's pretty neat. at first, i didn't follow you, since i wasn't really used to your writing. but as i kept on encountering your works, i eventually grew accustomed to it- and i like your writing style! v swag :)

your oc, toxin, is just- perfection. i like the whole background thing, powers, but the fic i liked the most was the one where toxin attempts to poison you. my imagination can just run wild from there, picturing out what the character did after running out to go after toxin, but for zhongli's case how he took care of you + what he did after.

you, pocket, are a wonderful person- if you receive hate, you don't deserve it! 6000 seems like a large accomplishment, and it must've felt really nice to hit that number. a great person like you deserves the world, but the world may not deserve you. your presence alone on tumblr is practically a blessing, and i'm grateful for everything that you've wrote! not only that, but you've helped me become bolder and interact off anon. i think that's pretty neat, genuinely.

i'm sure many others think the same: ilysm(/p) pocket! even if i fall out of the genshin fandom(which i most likely won't bc of XIAOOOOOOOOOOOO <3 <3 <3 <3), i'll still revisit your blog. reading over your works always makes me crack a smile, whether it's angsty or not. your ability to write is amazing, and some of your works had even inspired a few of mine!

a collab with a person like you is like a dream come true. i look forwards to future interactions, and hopefully they're all positive! i support you no matter what, and you can't change that, hehe.

-your local xiao simp,

moth.

----cicada

hello, i believe you've never interacted or heard of me before? i go by cicada online, a friend that appears on moth's blog every now and then. they told me about your 6k followers, and i think that's pretty neat. to be honest when you told moth that you'd do a collab with them i was happy they chose you, since you're a really good person. pocket, thank you so much for everything you've done for me, moth, all of us- i cannot express my gratitude towards you, and i am proud of that because i can usually express my gratitude to others within words. however, since my gratitude towards you is off the charts, i cannot form it in words. regarding the collab, i will attempt to help moth with angst, however my help might not be needed. i thank you deeply, for fueling my everyday energy to get up. reading through your works gives me so much serotonin, and i appreciate that greatly. have a good day or night, perhaps afternoon, mx. pocket.

-cicada.

----any last words before we go sleep?

moth - ily, pocket! /p

cicada - thank you, congratulations. (note: get your well deserved rest, pocket.)

----goodnight, good morning, good afternoon wherever you are ! !

ok so like i genuinely started crying at this and I don't normally get very emotional. You both left me speechless, so that's one of the reasons why I'm taking so long to respond T^T

I'll split my response here to the both of you!

its kinda long- sorry xD also can I just call yall "the bugs" cuz its just so cute ;-; your names are adorable-

Moth, you are such a sweetheart. Like I said earlier, I'm not someone who gets very emotional! But your words brought tears to my eyes (tears of joy ofc) and it took me a while to respond because every time I saw what you'd written, I'd just have this giant smile on my face. I'm really glad you chose to follow me and I'm so happy you chose to talk to me! I always try to be fun and welcoming so that people who do wanna interact can do so, but I get it, there are so many people here it can get daunting.

But I'm glad you reached out! I'm so happy to have a friend like you! Ima be honest, the first few times you sent something in off anon, I was like "o.o they forgot anon-" BUT NOW LOOK AT YOU! Thank you, I really appreciate it. I'm actually pretty self-conscious about my writing but I try to do my best and post- even though I don't like what I've written, so your words really do help me! You're the type of reader every writer wants. Seriously!!

Ah, Toxin! Yes, I've had her as an oc for such a long time and then I finally perfected her! She's been in so many fics of mine and she's finally getting the recognition she deserves!! I'm glad you enjoyed that fic, it's one of my faves! I planned to do a p2 with some other characters but held off cuz I thought people would get bored- yet here you are, sparking my will to write it again!

I still can't believe I hit 6k! Honestly, that's so many people!! and they all like me and my stuff!! it's really hard to believe- there are days I think its a dream >.< silly, I know xD actually, when I first joined tumblr, it was because of BNHA and I saw this writer who had 10k followers at the time and I just was like "that's not even possible" yet here I am- 4k away T^T

I genuinely hope Xiao keeps you here, but if you have to leave for another fandom that's ok too! I can only hope we'll meet once again there too! I think some people in life are meant to be friends and are just meant to know each other! And I'll hope you're one of them! Cuz you're one of the awesomest friends I've had and I love you as well (/p)!! <333

-

Cicada, omg haiii!! I've heard very little about you since Moth took FOREVER to tell me there's another writer hidden back there!! I'm glad I got a chance to talk to you, even if it's like this! I'm not sure how much you know about me >.< seems like a lot so I'm sorry that I don't know that much about you!

Thank you so much, you're so very sweet and I can't express how happy your words made me. For a long time now, I always wake up and wonder how I can make my friends smile or laugh, and now that's extended to this blog. To hear how happy my writing makes people brings me so much joy that even I can't express it. I know there are many people out there who have lots of things to deal with in life and to know that my writing's helping them through that fuels me to write more!

I'm so glad I can do the same for you! We may not know each other- or maybe it's mostly on my end- but I still want to make you smile! I want to make everyone who stumbles upon my blog smile as well! Life can get hard and it feels so impossible sometimes but if I can give someone the energy to go on, then I'm pretty content with my own! Thank you for reading my works and thank you for telling me this because it really did make me happy.

Aw, thank you, I hope it's not too much! Though I specialize in angst (at least, I like to think so), I wanted to give Moth the opportunity to try! I'll do my best to make the fluffiest fluffing comfort you've ever seen!! Or uh something like that ^w^"

I really do hope that you and I can talk more so I can get to know you! Oh! And that google form- it was super adorable ^w^

-

You two are too kind and you best believe I'm saving this lil ask <3 you both very well made my entire week (along with that meme anon with those cute memes) and I'm sending you both hugs!! or cookies ^w^ whichever you prefer!

Also, it was nighttime when you sent this and now its 3am >///< i need sleep-

[namelessayakashi]

Heyyyy back with some more asks hehe! (I'm sorry but actually not really) So for the fanfic game: 1, 7, and 33?

Pshh you know I always love getting asks (especially ones with multiple thingys in them) I love doing these games. 

Okayokay so, I’m answering this on my laptop so I’m going to have to come back and like add in tags after I post it, ugh, I hate that. 

A n y w a y agskdhfsdaj

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your own writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

Okay, so depending on the fic, probably 3-4 because I’m fairly confident in my works and proud of what I write, but know there is still room for improvement in my writing skills, and some fics are definitely better than others so 3 to 4 depending on the fic. 

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

This one is hard, tbh, and I’ve been thinking about it really hard, because I don’t know. I mean, not to say I don’t struggle with any elements of writing, because I’m sure I do, I just... I genuinely can’t name one I struggle with most because I don’t know. It’s something I’ll have to pay attention to. I struggle with planning in multi-chapter stories, if that counts? I always used to jump right into them and then 3 chapters in I get stuck because I have no plan, no guide, no chapter layouts, no plot diagram, nothing. So, I used to never get multi-chap fics done. I’m getting better with that, though, and for my latest multi-chap tGoD, I’ve already begun planning properly and creating chapter layouts and plot goals & major plot points. 

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process? 

Okay this is going to be a long one so, buckle up. 

I do have one fun fact about how I write emotions, for example the anxiety and panic and paranoia in Honey & Hemlock or the anger and hurt in Together, or the sadness & pain from Keeping It Together. When writing these scenes, I tend to focus and think about how I am affected by these emotions and how I react to them and how they work with me, and that’s how I write them. For the anxiety/panic/paranoia in H&H, I thought about how I think and feel when I’m having an attack or spiraling, and I thought about the physical and mental affects I show when it’s happening and how I feel when it’s happening, then I tweaked it a bit just to fit the situation better, as obviously my attacks aren’t about getting caught for having magic. For Together & KiT, though, it was a bit different, as I used those to vent my emotions (which, vent-writing is very cathartic to me, it’s helpful for me to get out and understand my emotions), so what Arthur was feeling, was what I was feeling. I took my emotions as I was feeling them and I forced myself to put it into words as a way to process it. Same for Keeping it Together, I was grieving when I wrote it, and I was trying my damn hardest not to break down, so I wrote out how it felt and everything I wished I could say, and as Merlin cried, I cried. His thoughts, his feelings, his words about Kilgharrah, they were all my thoughts, my feelings, my words about my cub. 

A lot of the time when I write strong emotions, I want it to feel realistic and I want the reader to be able to understand how the character is feeling, and so, to do that, I do this. I think about how these strong emotions effect me (if I’ve felt them before) and I write that. Even if it’s a situation I’ve not been in (like being terrified of being murdered for practicing sorcery in Camelot lmao), I still think about how these strong emotions effect me, and I adjust it as needed to fit the scenario. 

Another thing I’d like to say about my writing process is that, I do a lot of research. Mainly for my long fics, but even sometimes on my short ones. On a fic like H&H I will spend hours upon hours researching and translating, and I put my all into writing the fic. Even short ones, I put everything I have into it. 

I am often anxious about if people will like my writing or not, because I put so much work into it, but I second guess myself frequently on whether it’s actually good or not. So, when you comment on my work with even just a short little “i liked this!’ it literally means the world to me and ilysm, because each comment I get sweeps away my insecurity bit by bit, and I’m actually a lot more confident in my work now than I was even just two months ago thanks to the kind words from my readers. 

And finally, my process changes a LOT based on the length and type of fic. A short, self-indulgent, tooth-rotting fluff fic will not be heavily researched or mulled over for weeks at a time, I’ll write that shit in one go, 2k words in 30 minutes or less, let’s go. A fic like H&H or my current longest wip tGoD, though? Months. It will take so much time and effort and research. My process changes so much. And, y’know this also depends on my motivation at the time. My process shifts at least a little for every fic I write. It’s rarely ever the same as a whole for multiple fics.

Anyway, yeah, so that was really long, um, tysm for the ask! I love answering these. 

Sorry the last one is so long, the answer got away from me a little there, and I got carried away. 

Send me a number (or a few) and I’ll answer them! 

[addictofsupernatural]

Spidey Senses (pt. 4)

Peter Parker x reader

Summary: You and your friends prepare to go to a costume party, and Peter has conflicting feelings.

Word Count: 2917

Chapter 1 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 5

Peter stayed up at night thinking about you. He couldn't explain it. You were the only one on his mind for some unexplainable reason. The hotel room was the first time in a while you two slept together, and it was different from how he remembered. It didn't feel like sleeping in the same room with a sister that he slightly remembered as a kid. It made him feel weird.

You were so warm. You had your natural smell you always had, but it smelled a lot better than he remembered. A lot more calming. He could sense your happiness at full prime, and your sad ones too. You had a lot of happy emotions earlier this day, both in the hotel room and during the fight. It was hard to describe, but spending the day with you made him feel so warm.

And you and Tony's friendship. Peter did always love your sarcastic side, and he was so proud of you for showing it to Tony. You were so awesome. He's always thought you were awesome. So why did you feel different right now?

You were weirdly a lot prettier in his mind. His spidey sense was buzzing around you. He felt happy when you laughed. The feeling was still lingering by just thinking about it. And when you had your nightmare, he felt almost in physical pain himself.

Maybe it's just your spidey senses clashing with each other. Maybe it's the puberty kicking in? It's probably nothing. He just needs to go to sleep... Anytime now...

The next morning Peter ate his breakfast in a daze. "What's wrong Peter?" Aunt May asked. You're all spaced out."

"I don't know. Just thinking."

"Uh oh." She teased as he sat down. "About what? That Liz girl?"

"No. Y/n actually." He didn't realize how misleading that came out.

"Well finally. I was wondering when you'd realize your feelings for her."

"What?! Aunt May, no! That's not what I meant at all."

"Oh." She blankly said. "Then forget everything I just said. Have a nice day at school."

Meanwhile, you woke up back in your empty apartment with no excitement. As you ate your breakfast in silence, you felt like an idiot. How could you be so rude to Tony Stark? He was being nice in his own way. What the hell is wrong with you?

Your landlord then knocked on your door, giving you a huge suitcase and telling you that it was left for you by someone named Happy. You thanked him and opened it. It was clothing. A bunch of nice, expensive looking clothing. They were weirdly your style; they weren't flashy and didn't show off any brands. There was a card as well.

Hey kid. I might've came across as a rich jerk. That's not what I meant to be. Here's a little something so you don't look homeless. You're welcome. Also, here's Happy's number. Xxx-xxx-xxxx. Don't still be mad at me. Nobody likes a petty person. And besides, you're my favorite "other kid". Keep in touch. -TS

You smiled and put on a pair of clothes, texting Happy to thank Tony and for Happy to keep you posted about Tony and him.

You then walked to Peter's, waiting on the steps as usual. You smiled when he stepped out, and to your surprise, he just began to walk straight ahead instead of saying anything. "Woah, Peter wait up. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Think so." He only gave you a glance.

"If you wanna talk, you know I'm all ears." You offered, and he took another glance at your beautiful smile, only making him more nervous.

"No, no it's okay. I'm okay."

"Oh." You quietly said. He was being so weird to you. Why wouldn't he look at you? "I didn't do anything, did I?"

"No!" He said too quickly.

"You can be honest with me Peter. I hope you know that." You only looked down, and he held his gaze to you for the first time today. "I'm really sorry if I did something. I just hope we can fix it so things won't be weird."

"What? No, I swear you don't need to worry. It's really not you. It's me. I'm... Going through puberty. Seeing things and people, uh, differently. Sorry if I'm being weird." His voice cracked on the word weird.

You giggled. "Oh. That's totally okay. I wonder if your spidey senses are out of wack from it."

"My what?"

"Your spidey senses. That's what I'm calling it. Aunt May calls it something else though, I just forgot what."

"No, you don't need to repeat what she calls it!"

You were genuinely curious. "Why not? Maybe it's a better name for us to—"

"I'm not letting you call it that!" He cut you off. Peter would be damned if you called your instinctive feelings your Peter Tingle. "I like spidey senses. It's cool and cute. Now what do you mean by it being out of wack?"

You figured if Aunt May's nickname for your sixth sense was truly that embarrassing for him then he wouldn't tell you, so you just dropped it.

"I was just wondering if your powers gets affected by puberty."

"How, how did you deal with puberty and your powers?"

"Oh, I started my period long before the spider bite. That could've been so sucky." He made a face, and you chuckled. "Right, no p word. Sorry."

"It's fine. Just don't want to think about it."

You sighed. "Me neither. I wish I had that option."

He smiled as his eyes drifted towards your clothes. "Did Mr. Stark get you those?"

You looked down at your outfit. "Yeah actually. I guess I didn't scare him off after all."

"I guess not." You nudged each other's arm to tease. "I have the check he made to you. I think you should take it. It could make him happy."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks Peter. You always have my back."

As he stared at your smile and sensed your happiness, he had that weird feeling in him again. What was it? It didn't matter. Peter was going to push away those feelings and focus on school, Liz, and Spiderman.

Later on that day you got a text from Happy, saying that Tony accepts your apology, and to fill in on what's going on once a week for him and Tony. You did, and you could tell he cared. He would sometimes tell you a little something about his day or week. He was indeed becoming a good friend.

A few months passed and you and Peter adjusted to your new superhero lives well together. You and Happy texted each other at least once a week, and gave Peter Happy's number out of request. Tony was given information Happy thought he should know, and Tony was secretly happy to be hearing about how well you and Peter were doing. It made him feel like he was protecting you two from a distance.

One day at lunch Flash came up to you and began to gross you out yet again. "Hey girl, what're you doing next Friday night?"

"I don't know. I might take an extra shift at work. Not everybody has a silver spoon down their throats." You had a hint of annoyance to your words.

"Are you saying you need someone like me to take care of you?"

"I'm saying I might have to work because I actually earn the things I get in life Flash."

"Well not when you're someone like me you doesn't really have to worry about working hard on things. It comes naturally." He leaned on the table and shoved away Peter's backpack that was a seat holder, causing you to throw him a dirty look.

"What were you going to ask me Flash?" You kept your voice calm.

"Just wanted to know if you were coming to my party next Friday. Y'know, maybe show up to see me."

"I would never go anywhere to see you Flash."

"C'mon, I'm rich, you got a nice body, let's make other people jealous. I can make some dreams come true. It's not like you don't need the money."

"You didn't even care that I existed until a few months ago." You glared at him. This was a proper asshole. Now you knew.

"That's because it was when you started wearing better clothes. Now that I know there's a hottie under all that nerd, I can get behind it."

"The answer is no. Leave me alone!" You said a little more forcefully. People were beginning to stare, and Flash's face became red. No one said no to him.

"Okay, what's it gonna take to get you there?" He leaned in and asked quietly.

"Is anyone from Mathletes gonna come?"

"Yeah. I invited Liz and she told some other people in the club to come."

"Then I'll only go if I can bring Ned and Peter."

He scoffed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Okay then. We'll be there." He sighed in relief. Nobody says no to him, and still haven't.

Your annoyed expression forced itself to a barely there smile when Peter and Ned walked to your table. "Why was Flash talking to you?" Ned asked.

"I guess we're going to a party next Friday." Peter looked confused while Ned couldn't be more happy.

"Oh my God We can be, like, cool now!"

"Why would you say yes to a party from Flash?" Peter asked.

"Liz will be there." Peter's body language changed. "It's a costume party, so you guys find yourselves something to wear."

"You say it like your not going." Peter said, slightly disappointed.

"I'll probably go to make an appearance and leave." You said as you stared at your school food.

"But it won't be the same without you." Peter frowned and shook his head.

"Peter's actually pretty true about that." Ned contently nodded.

"I just don't want to go there. That's it."

"Why are you short today?" Peter blankly asked. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." You said. You then got up and dumped your food in the trash. "I'm gonna go to the restroom. Bye."

As you quickly walked off, Mj spoke up from the other end of the table. "You two are idiots."

"What did we do?" Ned sceptically asked.

"It's what Flash did. It's obvious that he said something to make her feel like crap. When is he not a rich narcissist?" Peter shot up and quickly went after you by hearing that.

"He's an even bigger idiot." Mj said.

"Yeah, but he'll figure it out someday." Ned shrugged, getting up and going after you too.

You got to the bathroom and put a bunch of paper towels on the corner of the floor. You set your backpack on the floor and sat down. You take out your phone and send a text to Happy, not really knowing who else to talk to. You usually only text him to give each other check ups, rarely actually communicating back and forth.

You: What do you do when a rich asshole makes you feel like you're worth shit?

You stared at your phone and scoffed. Don't be stupid. He's busy. You put your head in your knees. Why do people still get to you? Liz has a ton of money. You wondered if she ever had anything to be ashamed about.

People only started looking at you once you started wearing the clothes Tony got you. Most weren't even revealing at all, they just looked expensive. This was a different feeling. You used to feel ugly and invisible. Now you just feel like a piece of meat. You couldn't tell which feeling was worse. You then heard a buzz.

Bestie: What's his name? I swear I can scare the living crap out of him.

You smiled. He did care. You then saw another message.

Bestie: Also watch your language

You giggled.

You: You didn't answer my question

Bestie: Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person. Once they realize who's actually better, you get both their pride and your better life.

Looks like you really did have a friend.

You: Thanks Happy

Bestie: You didn't answer my question

You grinned.

You: Just some guy at school

You: Doesn't matter

You: I feel better now

Bestie: Good

Bestie: And I don't care what you say, Tony's going to be hearing about this.

You: Ugh traitor

It was embarrassing, but it wasn't like Tony would actually do anything. It's not like he'd drop everything and fly out here. He's a busy man, he's got more to worry about than you being bullied.

"Y/n, are you in there?" Peter asked from the other side of the door.

"We came to see if you were okay." Ned chimed in. You got up and went outside, looking at them confused. "I had to convince Peter not to barge in. I think those two girls passing by think we're creeps now."

"Aww you guys looked like peepers for me?" You pulled them in for a group hug. "I'm fine now. Thanks though."

Ned then spoke up again. "Are you still gonna leave us at the party? Cause we totally understand if–"

"If you guys want me to go, I'll go." They both hugged you again.

After school you walked to Delmar's Deli-Grocery. "Hey Del."

"Llegas una hora antes prima. No te pago horas extras." He said, his back turned.

("You're an hour early cousin. I'm not paying you overtime." He said, his back turned.)

"Relax primo, I'm just gonna do some homework in the back before my shift."

As you did, Delmar called for you. "Prima, someone's here to see you."

"Who is it, Peter?" You asked as you walked out. You then saw Tony stare at you with an unreadable face. "Damnit."

"Why does he call you that?"

"What?"

"Primuh– whatever. Why does he call you that?"

"It's a nickname."

"What does it mean?"

"It means cousin."

"So you two are related?"

"No, we're just that close."

"Can I call you that?"

"Can you pronounce it correctly?"

"Ouch."

"So what's up Mr. Stark."

"I thought it was just Tony."

"I don't know. It's a little unprofessional."

"Do we only have a professional friendship?"

"Are we even friends?"

"You tell me. You stole Happy from me apparently."

"Aye, it's like a mom's new boyfriend trying to get her kid's trust." Delmar said in the back.

"Little loud back there Del." You said.

"Happy told me about this kid. Does he mess with you a lot?"

"He messes with Peter more."

"You didn't answer me."

"Yeah, maybe. Is that really why you came out here?"

He furrowed his brows. "Is that hard to believe?"

"Um, yeah?"

"I've seen a ton of bullies as Iron Man, and I take things like this seriously."

You let out a breathy chuckle. "Tony that's war fare and alien stuff. This is just highschool."

"So? I don't take kindly to people who mess with my friends."

You couldn't stop the smile from coming to your face. Did you really just make friends with some important middle aged men? The thought was laughable. "So, will that be all Mr. Stark?"

"You know I don't like that. Stop." You giggled. "You didn't tell Happy what was going on with you this week."

You shrugged. "I guess I'm going to a costume party next Friday. It's gonna be at the ass wipe's house."

"See, I can do something about that. Okay, I got a date with Pep in a few hours so I'll see you and Peter tomorrow."

"Wait what? Why?"

"Um, so you two can get into costume design and later fitting? Whoever that kid is will be jealous of your costume, and you get to wear a cute couple costume with Peter."

"Happy told me I should just be the bigger person." You teased.

"Yeah, and you will be by being the better dressed person." He smiled at you.

"I knew you had a crush on Peter." Delmar said at the counter. You gave him a dirty look. He glanced at his watch. "You're 2 minutes late. Hurry up."

"Alright, that's my cue." Tony said. "Nice clothes by the way."

"Thanks." You said cheerfully. "My friend gave them to me."

"Wow he had good taste. Well, see you tomorrow kid." And with that he left.

You went to the back and caught the apron Delmar harshly threw at you. He gave you an intense stare. "What?"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you take a job like this when you're hanging around billionaires?"

"I like this job. And I'm not a gold digger. He's just really persistent and there's no point of arguing."

"I should fire you for arguing with me so much." He called out.

"Keep it up and I'll stop covering some of your shifts."

"Mmh." He rolled his eyes and you contently smiled, starting work.

Later on that night you suited up, going to Peter's apartment and crawling up to his window. You opened it and crawled on the wall, closing the window. You hopped to the floor and pulled off your mask. "Peter, we need to talk. Tony just saw me today and–"

You stared face to face with a panic looking Peter in his boxers and a surprised Ned.

---

Author Note: Just so everybody knows this is my own au where Peter accidentally sent the video of you two to May and had a very interesting phone call with the both of you. I totally forgot to write this and just wrote this message after I posted this chapter. Maybe I'll make a little short of that idk.

---

Tag List:

@flawlessapollo6 @them-cute-boys @lunawndrlnd @the-greatt-perhaps @babebenhardy @sofisofi1602 @smilexcaptainx @herondalism @coni-martina @youvebeenlizzed