#i promise i will try super hard to have an update soon

[soaps-mohawk]

I'm so sorry to everyone that I freaked out with the last post, I was trying so hard not to 😭 I have that like instant fear as soon as I see "we need to talk" or something in the same vein. I always think it's something bad.

This isn't bad, at least depending on how your perspective I guess.

So...I'm having thoughts about CRCB in October. I planned out posting schedules for Kyletober and CRCB and my Patreon stuff and it's going to basically be a post every day, sometimes multiple in multiple places.

That's a lot.

So, I am set on doing Kyletober since all of the fics are already written, but I was planning on continuing CRCB during October as well. But...I think I need a little break from CRCB. It's been about eight months of posting almost every single week and it's been a lot. I'm struggling with chapters right now and with work it's vastly limiting the time I have to write and focus on things and I'm kind of burning out right now.

So, what I wanted to discuss was potentially putting CRCB on hold for October while I focus on Kyletober and everything involved with that. Trying to do both is a lot and I'm not sure I can handle all of it, plus life, plus work.

I was planning on not necessarily putting CRCB on hold, but doing more of a "whenever I can/am inspired" random posting chapters kind of like I did in the beginning when I first started writing the fic, in November/December because those are very busy months and I will be dead tired from work and just general life.

I think I might still do that for November/December and possibly into the new year since there's no way the fic will be finished even if I posted every week until the end of December.

BUT

That's something I'll think about and make a decision on later.

Right now, my thought is...would you hate me if I put CRCB on pause in October? IF I do, I promise I won't end Chapter 39 on a cliffhanger. I wasn't planning on it anyway, but I promise I won't end it on a cliffhanger if I decide not to post any chapters in October.

That way if I do put it on pause, then I can not focus on it for a bit and give my brain a refresh, and I can also focus all my energy on Kyletober.

So yeah, it's going to be a lot doing both at the same time, and honestly I'm ready for a little break from CRCB. It's been going for a long time and it's a lot of words to get out in a week. I've been super stressed lately and I'm just struggling a lot trying to get through chapters.

So yeah. That's basically the dilemma here and the discussion to be had. I know y'all will tell me it's my blog and I can do whatever I want, but I would like opinions on it. Are y'all okay with me putting CRCB on hold to focus on Kyletober? Then pick it back up for probably just whenever I can chapter updates for the rest of the year? In January things will calm down and I'll have more time to relax and write and maybe get close to finishing the story. Plus I know a lot of my readers will be busy the next three months with the holidays and vacations and family and school and all of that, so you won't have to worry about getting behind and having to catch up with a bunch of chapters.

So...let me know...

[allylikethecat]

I don’t want to seem rude, but I want an update for 'you know where the city is' so badly, I can beg you on my knees, please, give me back the meaning of life 😭😭😭

Ahhhh hopefully I will have one soon! I'm so sorry that it's been literal months 😭 ironically You Know Where the City Is is my favorite fic that I'm working on - every time I go to finish the chapter something dramatic happens in the IRL Matty / Taylor universe and then I feel like I accidentally caused it and take a break from writing. The next chapter is about 75% done though and I want to make it a priority to finish ASAP! I'm so happy that even with the IRL drama / controversy with these two that people are still enjoying the fic and looking forward to the update whenever it may be!

Thank you for sending in this ask and reminding me that there are humans other than myself that care about this fic, and for reading in general! Hopefully I'll be able to make your day soon!

❤️Ally

[hwaslayer]

wildfire (cs) | one.

—spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that’s how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he’s a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn’t. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.

—pairing: asst. professor!choi san x grad student!f. reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, grad school au | fluff, angst, eventual smut

—word count: 4.2k

—warnings: cussing/mature language, this is gonna start off kinda slow but i promise it'll get spicier lol, say hello to the rest of the professors in this fic ouweeee 🤪, some general bioengineering research terms, very vague mentions of mice research work, more of a glimpse into the yunho x san x iseul dynamic

—a/n: i'm also working on wooyoung's mini series so pls check it out! the next update will prob go up soon! ily <33

"Did you figure out your rotation for this quarter?" You walk alongside Jiung as you head to the Harvey Center, where Professor Choi's lab is located. Both you and Jiung had just finished up walking around campus to get your steps in, but to also check out the classrooms for all your upcoming classes this quarter and pick up books at the bookstore. Most of your classes were in familiar buildings, while two were entirely new. 

"Yeah, I gotta meet with one more professor then I think I can send off my final decision." You nod. Jiung is holding his bag of books and yours, not wanting you to haul them around campus with how heavy they can get.

"That's good."

"Yeah, hope so." He repeats. "Are you meeting with the other professors this week just to see if you wanna rotate in any of them instead?"

"Mhm. All in one week. I guess it makes it easier on me since I don't have to wait on anyone. I can decide by end of the week."

"Are you seeing them in person?"

"Just Professor Choi and Professor Kim. Everyone else said Zoom." Jiung nods.

"Wow, Professor Kim in person?"

"I heard he really values in person meetings." You chuckle. "Which is nice? Maybe it's cause he's the department chair."

"That, too. He just seems like that kinda person, though. He's super active in all the events."

"Truth." 

"Did you like rotating in Professor Bahng's lab last quarter?"

"I did. He was really cool. People in his lab are cool, too. I just.. I don't know? I didn't have a specific project I could focus on. Felt like I'd have trouble fitting myself in there and finding something to work off of. Everyone was great though, don't get me wrong. Just didn't click for me." 

"Makes sense. You wanna be happy and feel like you can thrive somewhere."

"Yeah, exactly. Plus, after talking to Sunwoo and Belle, I think my interests lie more in Professor Choi's lab." You look down at the bags before looking at the Harvey Center ahead of you. "You know you don't have to wait for me, Jiung. You can go to the apartment if you want."

"Nah, I'll wait. I don't have shit to do anyway." You swing the front doors open and Jiung instantly plops down on a free chair near the lobby doors. "I'll be here."

"Shit, I just realized I think his office is downstairs in the basement. I don't know if I have access."

"Where's Sunwoo or Belle?" You quickly pull out your phone and try to dial Sunwoo or Belle to help you. Unlucky for you though, none of them answer.

"I guess they aren't here for the day yet. They didn't pick up." You sigh. "Why didn't I think about this early on?!"

"Relax. It's fine! Poke your head around, I'm sure someone is there to let you in." You pucker your lips in dismay, hoping it doesn't cause any issues and make you late for your meeting. You should've asked for assistance in the first place, but it kinda blew over your head when Professor Choi responded quicker than you expected.

"Welp. Let's hope I don't fuck this up already." Jiung pats your head.

"You won't." You wave to him before heading into the elevators, down to the basement level of the building. It's quiet, and you don't see many people walking around despite it being close to 10am. As you approach the door to the basement, you peek into the window to try and catch a glimpse of anyone passing by in the visible hallway. To your luck, the hallway is dead and there doesn't seem to be any moving heads in any of the nearby lab rooms. You let out a sigh and take out your phone, wondering if you should just email Professor Choi to ask for assistance.

No, maybe someone will pass by in the next 5 minutes.

Give it 5 more minutes, then panic and email.

You tippytoe and peek through the window once more, muttering small curses to yourself for being so unprepared with your meeting. Now, he's probably going to think you can't—

"Y/N?" You turn to see Professor Choi behind you with a soft smile on his face. He's dressed in a grey turtleneck, black slacks and boots— large silver square-shaped frames sitting on the bridge of his nose. He has his hands in his pockets, a heavy leather bag slung on his shoulder. You're surprised he even knows it's you; then again, who else would be peeking into the basement at this time?

"Oh my god, hi—sorry." You pause, slightly embarrassed having Professor Choi catch you looking through the door's window the way you were. "I just realized I didn't have basement access so I was trying to see if anyone was around before bothering you."

"All good. Perfect timing, hm?" He taps his badge against the reader and swings the door open. "After you." You give him a curt bow as a thank you, slowly walking into the basement hallway. San trails behind you, and he takes note of the way you're dressed. You're in some wide-leg white jeans, a cream colored vest and some black platform loafers. It's cute, really. He gives you another toothless smile when you stop in your tracks and wait for him to lead the way. Hopefully, he didn't catch your eyes when you quickly skimmed his outfit again— he was tall and he was well-built, it was very obvious with that turtleneck he had on. He smells of a woody cologne, mixed with notes of jasmine and patchouli. It's not overbearing, but it definitely makes its presence known next to you. "How's your day been?" He asks and you just nod.

"It's been alright. I just went to pick up my books at the book store, explored around campus to make sure I knew where my classes were at. There's a few buildings I haven't had class in."

"That's good. Getting prepared for the quarter well I see." 

"Trying to, at least." He chuckles as he does an abrupt turn to the right and swings a door open. You follow him into another office space, where desks are lined up amongst each other. You find a few people sitting around, typing away on their desktops. It's too bad Sunwoo or Belle wasn't around. You'd probably feel a bit less nervous seeing their faces before the meeting.

"What's up, Professor Choi!" One of his lab members calls out. San does a quick nod and throws up a wave just as he unlocks his office door and steps inside. 

"Come in." He holds the door open for you once again. "Sorry it's a bit messy. I'm all over the place with these progress reports and finalizing class details."

"No worries! Honestly doesn't look messy to me." You look around seeing a stack of papers on his desk. Otherwise, everything is neat. He's got all his awards framed up and lined along the back wall. Books on shelves near his desk. A couch off to the side wall with two small pillows. A small coffee table. A mini fridge. Two chairs for guests at his desk. It's roomy, but not super roomy.

It smells like his cologne.

"Have a seat." He pulls out one of the two chairs directly in front of his desk. You sit and place your bag down on the ground, fixing yourself as Professor Choi sets his bag down and sits at his computer chair. "Gotta apologize again, it's my first meeting of the day so I don't have everything out and ready."

"No need to apologize, I get it." You chuckle and he smiles. 

"Your CV was really impressive." He says as he's pulling up said CV. He's looked at it enough times to have a photographic memory of it, which is the first for him. Right away, he can tell you'd work well in his lab. You have a good head on your shoulders, smart. Can contribute a lot. He just knows sometimes.

"Thank you." You smile and it makes San's smile grow bigger. 

"So, why do you wanna explore those areas? Tell me a little bit more about your experience with everything. Computational analysis, mice, 2P and opto-stim-neural circuit work. All that good stuff." He sits back a bit, his full attention now on you instead of your CV on the screen. You feel your hands get a 'lil clammy the more his eyes focus on you, your lips feeling a 'lil more dry than usual. Shit, he is attractive.

"Sure!" You quickly shake off the nerves and begin to tell him about your experience and interest in bioengineering. It all started when the field was briefly introduced to you in high school, and your curiosity grew to enormous levels when you found a few schools that had the specific undergrad program available. You've talked to a few seniors about their experiences, like Sunwoo, before solidifying your decision to move forward with the major. You tell him how you took a break after graduation to get some more hands-on experiences through two internships and a full-time job, working on in-vitro mice work, computational analysis and building and maintaining 2P microscopes. Then, you realized you really wanted to get back on track and pursue your graduate studies. You tell him about your rotation in Professor Bahng's lab last quarter and how you enjoyed it, but you were having trouble figuring out how you'd fit in the lab. When you talked to Sunwoo a little more about what he's been up to in Professor Choi's lab, your interest in opto-stim peeked, having been Professor Choi's niche. 

It's a nice, easy conversation. You find that Professor Choi isn't as intimidating as you thought. He chimes in with questions every now and then, making it a smooth two-way convo.

"Ah, Professor Bahng? That's my guy right there. Learned lots from him." You chuckle.

"He's brilliant."

"He is, he really, really is." He nods. "But I totally get it, it's good to experience things in order for you to understand what you really want or how to spend your time wisely."

"Exactly." You tilt your head and look at him. "That's pretty much it for me, though. Your work is great. I'm really interested in learning more and diving deep into opto-stim. I know the basics, but haven't gotten a chance to work with it. Sunwoo's project seems to encompass a lot of that, along with the other aspects I've worked with." 

"That's right. His project has been on a roll, same thing with Belle's. I can see you working between the both of them, most of your time with Sunwoo, though. I think you'll fit the best with his, and I can see a lot of potential avenues coming out of it. He's been asking for some help, too." He chuckles. "Why don't you talk to Sunwoo and Belle a little more? Then all four of us can meet in the next couple of days to finalize project ideas and details. Should be good to start the rotation afterwards if it all goes smoothly." Your eyes light up.

"Really? I-I mean, yes. I'll do that."

"Mhm. Let me know when you're ready? Just send me an another email."

"Thank you, Professor Choi." He smiles at you.

"You're very welcome. Do you have any other questions?" You look at him, head tilting out of curiosity.

"Um, not for the project. It's something more personal, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Go for it." He leans back again and rests his clasped hands on his lap.

"Why did you pursue this field?" San is having to pause because out of all the times he's met with students, people [besides formal interviews], no one has asked him that question. No one has asked him directly— people like to assume they know him because his name is out there, but not once has anyone asked about his experience.

"Hm." He hums. "It's probably gonna sound a little cliché and everything, so don't judge me." You giggle and shake your head. "It just felt like my calling? Kinda like you." When he smiles, you find yourself captivated by his dimples. They make everything about his smile so captivating and so, so charming. "I think you might know this already, but my dad was a biology professor. He always told me to challenge myself and think outside the box, and I think the early exposure to his career definitely shaped my path. He'd share his knowledge with me and try to ask me tricky questions. Make me think about what's around me, how things can be improved. Better understood. Then, I learned about bioengineering and tried to better understand it. Open new avenues for things that haven't been studied well yet. Just took lots of risks and tried things out. Failed lots of times before getting the hang of things."

"That's amazing. Your parents must be really proud."

"I hope so." He laughs. "Thanks for asking."

"Oh, no. Thank you. I wasn't sure if I overstepped with that question."

"What? No way. You're actually the first to ask and I appreciate that."

"Oh?" Is all you manage to get out, confused as to why he would say that. Has no tried to ask about him or get to know him a little better? Maybe it was just you, but you definitely thought building good, personal connections would bring more advantages than not— first and foremost, bringing comfort and ease, especially to any new environment. Who would wanna work in an awkward, tense setting?

"I mean it." San laughs. "I appreciate it. It's nice when people take a second to view me as a human and not a robot who is constantly churning work." 

"Course." The both of you maintain eye contact for a bit and it makes you feel so, so nervous that he's just looking at you. And he kinda is just looking at you. Observing you. He finds himself admiring your look once more; the hair, your smile, your nails. Cute. He knows he shouldn't, but truthfully, he can't really help himself when a beautiful woman is in front of him in general. He is a man, and a man who enjoys eye candy. "Anyway, I know you're probably booked and busy today, so let me get going."

"You're okay. I don't have anything until the next 30 mins, don't feel the need to rush."

"No, it's okay. I should totally let you be." You stand and smile at him as you sling the strap on your shoulder and tuck your bag close. "Thank you again, Professor Choi. I'm excited for what's to come."

"Me too. It'll be great, I know it." He stands, hands in his pockets as he follows you towards the door.

"Thanks." You turn to look at him, and he's not too far from you. "See you soon.. over Zoom?" You assume that since the basics and introductions are out of the way, it'll probably be more convenient for Professor Choi to do a Zoom meeting. Lo and behold, he surprises you with a: 

"In person would be nice." He smirks a bit. He does enjoy his in person meetings; they're more productive that way.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna waste your time."

"Never." He shrugs a bit. "I mean it. It's always better to talk in person, anyway." 

"I agree." You smile at him once more, hand on his door handle. "See you soon."

"Have a good one, Y/N. Feel free to email me if anything comes up."

"Appreciate it." You give him one last look before you swing the door open and find Sunwoo just about to settle down at his desk.

"Y/N! Professor Choi! Assuming it went well and I'll get the help I've been begging for?" San laughs.

"Yeah. I asked Y/N to talk to you and Belle about potential projects and to email me once she's ready so we can all meet and finalize details."

"Good with me." 

"Good with me, too." San gives you both a small, toothless smile before walking back into his office. "So, how'd it really go?"

"Good." You approach Sunwoo's desk. "He's not as intimidating as I thought. Kinda. Really laid back, though."

"Yeah, he's super chill and easy going. Super supportive. You'll enjoy it here." He waves his phone. "Sorry I missed your call earlier."

"I forgot I didn't have access into the basement."

"How'd you get in?"

"Professor Choi saw me peeking through the basement door window." Sunwoo snorts.

"Amazing first impression." You playfully pinch his bicep.

"Hate you." You pout. "I'm nervous."

"For what, dude?" He laughs. "I promise you, it's not that bad at all. As long as you put in the work and do what you need to do, everything will play out fine."

"What if I don't get into the lab post-rotation?"

"Don't say that." Sunwoo smiles. "You'll be good. Promise. You're smart and hardworking."

"We'll see. Maybe you'll realize how much of a pain in the ass I am when we work together."

"True." You glare at him and he laughs. "Kidding. Ready for classes to start soon?"

"No."

"That's the spirit." You chuckle. "Anyway, let me know when you're free this week. We can walk around the lab while we talk about projects. Belle is usually here around the same time I am so I'm sure we can grab her whenever." You nod. At this point, Chris and Yeosang walk into the room, the two in good spirits and engaging in lively conversation right before knocking on San's door. 

"Okay. I'll text you later, then. I gotta get back to Jiung, I left him upstairs."

"I saw." He chuckles and salutes just as he diverts his attention to the data on his desktop computer.

"Hi Professor Bahng, Professor Kang." You smile at them in passing and they nod in response.

"Hey Y/N! Nice to see you around these parts." Professor Bahng says with that usual happy tone of his. Professor Kang is a little more shy, but never fails to acknowledge you with a smile or soft 'hello.' Chris presses his ear to the door before laughing and swinging the door open, greeting San as casually as they can before the door shuts.

"Whattup!" Chris plops onto San's couch while Yeosang takes the other end.

"Nothing much. Just finished my meeting with the rotation student. You know her, actually."

"Oh, Y/N? Yeah! She's crazy smart. Think she'll do some good work in your lab." San nods.

"So, what's the plan you wanted to talk about?"

"I need to start planning the symposium for one of the grants. It needs to happen within the next month. Was hoping you can help us, give us a few tips? Maybe do a talk?"

"Where are you planning to do it?"

"Right next door at the Acacia Center, was hoping one of the huge conference rooms would be open."

"Probably the best place to do it because they can cater for the event, too."

"Who else can we recruit to do a talk, though?" Yeosang sits back and lets out a sigh. "Jongho?"

"Try seeing if Namjoon is free, that'll definitely draw some people." They all laugh in unison knowing Namjoon's power. "And make sure you do the whole email blast with flyers everywhere. Let people pass it along."

"Yeah, okay. But, also, don't hate me." Christopher looks at San with an awkward smile. San knows though, he knows very well what he's hinting at.

"We've already talked about this. I don't care."

"I know, but still. You're one of my good friends and I'd hate to put you in an uncomfortable position."

"Well, Yunho is always gonna be there and I don't expect things to change. We're always gonna have to work together despite what happened."

"I don't know how you do it, I'm sorry." Yeosang says, slightly shaking his head as he sinks into the couch a little more. 

"I agree. You're strong, man."

"I have no choice." San laughs. "Besides, I stopped letting that consume me a long time ago. It's none of my concern anymore. As long as I can get my shit done without issues and minimal contact, I couldn't care less."

"That's real, honestly." Chris lets out a breath. "Well, I'm gonna ask him to do a talk."

"Go for it. Will probably be good for the grant, too." San sighs. He meant it when he said he stopped letting the entire thing consume him a long time ago. And he does have to interact with Yunho whether he likes it or not; it's not like he's gonna give everything up just because he can't stand some petty drama from the past. Besides, he promised Namjoon he was okay. He promised he wouldn't cause issues even though Namjoon didn't expect any. But, it did hurt. He's not gonna lie— there are days when he still questions everything and he wonders why things unfolded the way it did. 

He just knows better now, and can actually brush it off without it affecting his mood, his surroundings.

"I gotta keep going through my list of people."

"I can ask around, too." San says. "Do you want me to see if the big conference room is free?"

"Yeah, please?" Chris laughs. "They give you everything."

"No, they don't." San rolls his eyes with a chuckle. 

"Damn near." Yeosang adds.

"Any of your lab members wanna do a poster presentation?"

"Uh." San shuts his eyes in thought for a second. "Let me ask, I think Yoon might have some good data to present."

"Okay, let me know." San nods. "You guys free for lunch later?"

"12:30, maybe?" Yeosang stands and looks at his watch. "I gotta get to my next round of meetings 'till then."

"Same. Text me where to meet?" Chris stands and nods before throwing up the peace sign.

"Will do. Thanks for the tips and for looking into the room."

"I'll let you know what they say." Both Christopher and Yeosang nod just as they walk out of his office and leave him to his peace. He makes a note to send an email after his next meeting about the room and catering, knowing how hard it can be to reserve a room within a month's time frame at this campus. He'll do what he can to help Chris, though— that's one of his good friends and somebody who didn't turn their back on him after everything that's happened. Even Yeosang, Mingi, Jongho. Namjoon. Of course, everyone works great together. Everyone is civil when they need to be. But San knows if he ever needed them, they'd be there for him in a heartbeat. 

They'd be the people he could turn to without question.

When it comes time for lunch, San is barely getting out of his meeting at 12:30pm. He finds Chris, Yeosang and Mingi at the café right across the way from the Harvey Center, falling in line with them just as it grows during the lunch hour rush. They grab their food and plop down at a shaded table off to the side, greeting a few familiar faces and passing students.

"What's up?" Yunho passes, nodding at the table and giving Chris' shoulder a quick massage. Iseul follows behind, not paying the group any mind. Yeosang, Mingi and Chris share their own 'hello's,' while Yunho and San continue to play the silent treatment with each other. Yes, San will work with Yunho if he needs to. He'll be civil, he'll act like nothing ever happened. He'll act like their relationship wasn't severed after everything that went down. But, if he's out here minding his business, eating lunch with friends— he'd rather not bump into Yunho and Iseul and make any small talk. Simply just cause. He's done a lot of work to get past that and he doesn't want anything to do it with anymore.

"Anyway." Mingi says, making Chris snort.

"Anyway. Ya'll trying to hit the gym sometime tomorrow?"

"I'm down." San says, scrolling through his phone. He'll scratch some time out of his evening to hit the gym since it's been a few days  since his last gym session. At least, he plans to finalize his class schedule before end of the day today— he'll have a little more breathing room once he submits that to the department.

"No way, you're not serious!" Your voice echoes as you exit the café, laughing along with Jiung and Felix over Felix's random encounter that he was giving you details about. San diverts his attention to your group, recognizing the outfit, the voice. He sips on his drink and continues to watch the smile on your face build, the animated hand gestures you use, the way you so attentively listen to every word your friends are telling you. Oddly enough, he finds that seeing you is a good distraction. He feels a little more relaxed post-5 second Yunho and Iseul encounter, a small subtle smile creeping up on his lips when he sees you throw your head back in laughter. It's soothing.

That's probably the moment he realizes you are enticing.

And to be honest, he's not understanding why he feels a certain pull to you; it's so uncommon and so, so foreign, to him. He doesn't even think he felt this way when he first started dating Iseul. Don't get him wrong— he did love her, he did feel the usual giddiness, the honeymoon phase, all of the above. Everything progressed as naturally as it could with that time. 

But with you, he's finding a certain itch. He's not sure how to relieve himself, especially when he knows he shouldn't. He can't. 

It'll be trouble having you around, he's very aware of that. It'll be a test for him, the boundaries he creates to make sure you both don't cross that line.

He can't.

Still doesn't mean he won't.

—taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @vcutparis @chngbnwf @struggling101 @sanhwalvr @angelqueendom

[displ3azant]

CURRENTLY ASK-ABLE: - Unpleasant - Infected (Plez oversees the questions, though.)

(Before cut is In-Character.)

Hiii! Helloooo!

Hello!!!!!! Hehe, thiz iz actually super weird trying to write an intro-- give me a minute.

So, HIII!!!!!!! I'm Unpleasant! That'z not a joke, that iz literally my name. There'z no "deep reason" behind it, it iz literally just what people refer to me az. But, if that'z too weird, I do also go by Unplez or Plez for short.

Uh, pronounz? I don't really care, actually. I don't have a set gender, I've never really met a gradient who doez. That being said, since I started hanging with Infected I have been called he and she specifically a lot... so if it'z easiest for you, just roll with the crowd.

Right, so... the blog. Thatz thiz blog, haha! Well, the easy answer iz I waz super bored, Infected can suck a huge ####, and I like talking about myself! But... I kind of suck at talking in general, so I guess I'll type and answer questionz about myself.

BUT KNOW MY BOUNDARIEZ BEFORE YOU ASK QUESTIONZ! 👇👇👇

(Below cut is Out-Of-Character.)

To those who know me: Good to see you're still stickin' with me! I promise I will make an effort to make this blog much less of a dumpster fire like the last one.

And to those who are only now coming across this blog: Hello! My name is Hex. You don't have to call me "Mod Hex", or anything, just "Hex" will do. I'm the only guy running this thing here. I'll talk more about myself soon, because oversharing is what I do best.

Blog-Context

So, if it wasn't obvious enough from the intro, this is an ask/rp blog for the Unpleasant Gradient from Regretevator, but specifically in the context of the plez-centric au I have created for him. Or, well, the "AU" in question is actually just some freaky amalgamation of all my fucked up headcanons, which means...

I AM NO LONGER DOING DIRECT BLOG ASSOCIATIONS! Really sorry about that, I love my friends with all my heart but if I wanna keep consistency, I'm gonna have to "write the story" on my own. However, I do want to give full credit to my friends @sk8tr1101 and @party-noob for some major concepts involving Unpleasant, especially Audrey who already has some awesome ideas herself. Go check them both out!

MAIN TAGS:

#unpl3zansw3rz - Asks

#unpl3zrambl3z - Non-ask related posts/reblogs

#unpl3zlor3 - Plot points and similar

#ooc - Out-of-character post

OTHER TAGS (to be updated):

(nothing yet, hehe)

Blog-Owner

So hiiii, I'm Hex. If I can be bothered, out-of-character posts will either have the #ooc tag, be in purple text, or be signed off with my name. I'd prefer if you refer to me using he/it pronouns, thnx!

I'd also like you all to keep in mind I am 17 years old, therefore a minor, and even if I wasn't 17 I do not appreciate NSFW/Explicit jokes towards me, ESPECIALLY if you don't know me. It's one thing when you're my very close friends or my partner, it's another thing when you are a stranger on the internet asking me things I should not have to answer.

My other accounts are: @hexexists - my main blog, if you receive notifications from this account, please know it is just me! @hexational - my regretevator blog @geometricgiovanni - a Jeremy ask/rp blog set in the same universe as this one! Please note, however, that in the context of this blog, Unpleasant is not aware of the blog nor would he like to be.

Ask/RP-Boundaries

Let's start off by reiterating that I AM NOT OKAY WITH NSFW/EXPLICIT ASKS IN ANY CAPACITY! Sick of getting them, they're repetitive and annoying. Asking safe-for-work questions involving Unpleasant's anatomy is one thing, but I am not responding to ANYTHING involving genetalia.

ALSO! I am very unlikely to respond to things that is either hard to make a unique drawing for or don't progress the story (unlocking "lore" and such). I'm watching your ass, Mango, I know what you like to do (/lh). Joke asks are still okay, you don't *have* to progress story, but please keep in mind my "criteria" for answering asks when sending them. A clean inbox gives me a clear mind. I do not like notifications.

Shipping content: Shipping content is okay, but I don't care much for romance personally and so will likely not play much into it. Please don't push anything, I guess, and nothing that promotes proshipping or any kind of literally illegal pairing. If you dislike any direction taken ship-wise for this blog, then block me and move on with your day.

Roleplaying: While I'd prefer to not be in direct contact with other rp blogs, I am totally cool with roleplaying side stories and stuff, interactions and such! Please keep in mind though, Unpleasant in this is not a very social person, so you're probably not going to get the reaction you want.

Also! I think OCs are super cool and am happy to respond/interact with them as well! However,

PLEASE DON'T SEND YOUR GRADIENT OCS TO THIS ACCOUNT IF YOU WANT ME TO DRAW THEM! Please instead send them to @hexational! A lot of people were sending me their Gradient ocs to the previous Unpleasant account, and as much as I love seeing Gradient ocs and Gradient sonas, I'd love to be able to draw them, and if you are just asking an opinion on them and not an in-character ask or a genuine question involving other gradients I'd much prefer you send them to the account previously tagged!

That's pretty much all I can think of! Sorry for the long post, I just have a lot to say hehe

Lots of love, - Hex

[sugdenlovesdingle]

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! Spread the self-love 💞

Ok this is super hard because I feel like I always mention the same fics for this kind of thing so I'm going to try limit myself to the past year.

Date night (buck/tommy) Bobby and Athena spot Buck and Tommy out on a date together. A little outsider POV-ish that I wrote in an hour and my first time really writing bucktommy AND bathena. I just really want Buck's pseudo parents to "officially" give Tommy their stamp of approval. I know we've already had the scene of Bobby approving, but I want Athena too - though judging by Angela smiling in that zoom interview when Oliver was talking about Buck's relationship with Tommy, we might just get it.

Buck's bisexual speedrun (buck/tommy) taking it slow? we don't know her. Buck and Tommy both going from 0 to 60 in their relationship in .02 seconds. The bucktommy brainrot is real, people. This was based on a post (or ask i don't remember) I saw in the tag where someone said the way things were going with them, Buck would probably show up to work one day soon and be like "Oh yeah Tommy and I got married in Vegas, my name is Kinard now. How was your weekend?"

Love online (tarlos) Luisa takes matters into her own hands to fix Carlos' love life. I just really liked the idea of interfering sisters - and the last line that I basically wrote the rest of the fic around.

Undercover (tarlos) A season 4 what if...? Where Carlos' big secret is him going undercover instead of his marriage to Iris. Inspired by this gifset of Rafa in some other show (I think) playing a barman. (I wanted to link it but the link on my AO3 is dead - the OP might have deleted it or something) This is a little older but I got a comment on this a few days ago asking for more. I'd kind of abandoned it/forgotten about it but it made me dig up the file on my computer and found a half finished next chapter, so I'm going to try (not making any promises) to update it in the not too distant future.

View from the taco truck (tarlos) My season 5 countdown exchange fic - TK and Carlos' relationship through the eyes of their favourite food truck vendor. The idea has been knocking around my head for ages and I finally (eventually) decided to write it... but I'm honestly not sure about it. it "sounded" better in my head (as usual). But thank you to everyone that's read it and liked it and left kudos or a comment!!

Thanks for including me ❤ I'm a little late to the party so I think all of my fic writing mutuals have done this by now. If you haven't and want to - consider this your 'tag'!

[sassy-ahsoka-tano]

I love that skinny dipping prompt. Could you make it with 70s Elvis, maybe a hint of smut at the end. Thanks!!!!

Just Like Old Times

70s!elvis x reader | 🌺 - skinny dipping

tw: sad reader but that's it! || word count: 2.0k || rating: Pg-13

A/N: i'm baaaack!! it's been so super long since i updated but hi!! i hope all of y'all are thriving and are healthy and happy! i'm starting out slow with some blurbs (thank y'all for the requests fr!) but hopefully i will soon be able to step back into doing full-length fics as well!

~❉•────᯽────•❉~

You clutch the pillow harder and wipe a stray tear from your cheek. The moment your fingertips swipe it away, another takes its place. You ignore the sound of the creaky door opening, his footsteps on the carpet, the way the bed dips down when he sits on the edge. You squeeze your eyes shut in denial when you feel your husband’s palm stretching across your back.

“I’m sorry, baby,” his deep voice comes out raspy and strained.

You can tell that he’s been crying, too. For a moment, you feel accomplished knowing that you’ve hurt him. He should be upset; the whole argument was his fault to begin with. If he would just spend a little more time at home, if he would just settle down…

What are you saying? He’s Elvis Presley. There’s no such thing as settled down for him.

“You okay, honey? I don’t like this not talkin none,” he continues. “I can’t promise I can fix it, but what I can do is promise to listen. For real this time.”

“What good will listening do, Elvis?” You muster the energy to sit up, sniffing as you straighten.  “I’m sick of this. I can’t do it anymore. I shouldn’t have to.”

“I know baby, I know,” he replies, taking ahold of your hands. “Believe me.”

You drop your gaze down the bed, feeling your chest tighten.

“Let’s go for a walk like we used to when you first move in here. Can we do that, darlin? Please?”

Your spirit brightens at the mention of your early days together, the honeymoon phase, when you had just moved into Graceland. A smile tugs at the corner of your mouth and you remember fonder times just after your marriage. You newlyweds had taken so many walks in the backwoods of the property. You talked to Lisa Marie in your stomach as you walked, telling her about the trees and the flowers and the fireflies.

When you raise your eyes to your husband’s, you hard exterior softens immediately. His eyebrows are turned upward, his eyes glistening with tears. He has always been able to break you down so easily. You sigh and nod.

You pull on a pair of sneakers and grab a jacket, just in case. Summer is turning to fall and the Tennessee weather is unpredictable. Elvis holds out his hand but you can’t bring yourself to take it just yet. You gently push it away and descend the stairs before stepping out into the familiar night.

For the first few steps, Elvis trails behind you. You guess he’s gauging how much trouble he’s really in and trying to decide how close he can get without upsetting you. You walk with your arms crossed over your chest, the jacket hanging loosely on your shoulders. You keep your eyes trained on the ground beneath you, watching each step carefully. He must have taken your silence as a good sign, because he circles around to your side and falls in step with you. You walk in silence for a while, nothing but the sound of your feet crunching through the grass and leaves to fill the crisp night air.

“I’m just frustrated is all,” you say quietly. “I married you because I want to do everything with you, share everything with you, be with you all the time. Now…I hardly see you and, when I do, I’m not even sure you’re really there.”

You are met with silence. Again, the air is filled with the sounds of your feet trekking through the backyard. After what feels like a long while, you lift your head to the side. Elvis’ fingers are busy rubbing repetitive circles on his temple.

“I know, darlin, I know. This has been botherin you for a long time now. I jus…see, I know how to fix it but I just gotta make myself do it. I know I gotta make more time for ya. For you and Lisa. I know that but I…I jus can’t. That’s the problem.”

Your feet scuff to a stop and you turn toward your husband, exasperated.

“Why can’t you? What are you so afraid of, Elvis?”

He throws his hands up, his head rolling to the side so that he doesn’t have to face you directly.

“If I take time off, I feel like I…like no one’ll…Nah, nevermind, it’s stupid.”

“Elvis,” you step closer to him. Your palm slides onto his face, forcing his eyes down to yours. “Nothing you could ever say will sound stupid to me. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

His jaw clenches and you can tell he’s clearly thinking. He sighs and nods resolutely.

“If I take a break, I’m worried that nobody’s gonna remember me when I come back.”

Your frustrated expression softens once again and you step closer to him, brushing your thumb across his cheekbone.

“Oh Elvis…baby, they’re not gonna forget you. No one could forget you. Hell, those fans know you better than I do right now. I feel like I hardly know you anymore. They got their time with Elvis Presley. Now it’s my turn.”

He hesitates, shaking his head. His face contorts into a concerned expression, so you grip harder onto his face.

“It doesn’t have to be forever, Elvis. Just for a while. I want my husband back, even if it’s just for a bit. A vacation. I think we should take one. We could take Lisa to Disney World or go on a cruise to the Bahamas or…whatever you want.”

Elvis closes his eyes, dropping his head down. His forehead crashes onto your chest. Your fingers tangle into his hair, gingerly brushing through the locks. You remain like that for a few moments before Elvis lifts his head. He presses a chaste kiss to the bottom of your throat and then pulls away. He sniffs and offers a small smile before holding out both of his hands. His body circles around you.

“C’mere,” he says.

“Where are we going?” you ask, even though you’re already reaching out to meet him.

“You’ll see.”

He starts to pull you along, on a path you don’t immediately recognize. You squint into the darkness but, without the generous light from the streetlamps, all you have to work off of is the beam of white light from the full moon above you. Despite the darkness surrounding you, you can still see the way your husband’s eyes sparkle. You haven’t seen that in a long time.

You stumble behind him into a small clearing. Your breath catches in your throat as you start to comprehend where you are. You giggle and bite your lip as memories flood through your mind.

“Remember this place?” he asks, stepping behind you.

“Yes, of course I do,” you reply.

You grin sheepishly as you gaze out across the small stretch of freshwater pond in front of you. The reflection of the glinting stars and the moon shimmers in the water as a gentle incoming autumn breeze blows through the air. Your arms raise automatically when you feel Elvis’ hands wind around your waist. He pulls you backward into his body and tucks his head in the crook of your neck.

“Remember what we did here?” Elvis continues in a hot breath across your skin.

Goosebumps rise on your neck and arms. You tuck your head to stop the sensation from spreading.

“Yes,” you reply through a cheeky smile, “I remember.”

His fingers start to trail down the exposed skin of your neck, intensifying the goosebumps already there. His soft touch sends shocks down your spine. He hasn’t taken the time to touch you so carefully in a very long time. He deftly lifts the jacket from your shoulders and then pulls the straps of your nightshirt down your shoulders. As the fabric falls limp on your arms, exposing your shoulders to the night air, you shiver.

“Elvis, it’s cold out here,” you mumble.

That doesn’t stop him. He moves to the hem of the shirt, his fingers dancing underneath it. He lifts it smoothly over your head. Although your entire body is shuddering, you gladly allow him to undress you. The growing fire inside your gut is countering the frigid temperature around you. Elvis’ warm lips press to the side of your neck. Your head falls to the side as the touch of his tongue warms you. Your hands respond by reaching backward to tangle in Elvis’ hair, pulling softly. He grunts in response and you close your eyes to take in all of the sensations coursing through you. While he works your neck, Elvis’ fingers are busy sliding off your pajama bottoms. Your clothes pool around your legs in a lifeless pile.

Suddenly, he’s gone. Your eyes flash open and flick back and forth as you search for your husband. It’s so dark without the street lamps that you can barely see. You squint into the dark, but, when you finally locate him, he’s rushing past you to cannonball into the water. You laugh as the wave he created splashes onto the side of the pond's bank. Elvis resurfaces with a loud yelp.

“Woo! Damn, that’s cold!” he shouts and you giggle again. “Come on, darlin! Whatcha waitin for?”

You glance down at the water and your smile fades. You turn away from the water, shaking your head.

“Elvis…”

“Nah, don’t you Elvis me. C’mon. Need somebody to warm me up, mama.”

That is an invitation you just can’t refuse. You carefully walk forward, one foot at a time, to brave the cold waters. When you dip a toe in, you gasp. It truly is frigid. You aren’t sure how Elvis is handling it all by himself.

You turn away again, tempted to go back inside and warm up. You aren’t really in the mood for this, especially after the fight you just had. But when your eyes flick back to your husband, waiting so patiently and expectantly for you, you find your body moving forward into the water.

You jump in, crashing below the surface. An electric shock swims through you when you hit the water. The memories come flooding back in the darkness. You automatically start to move your arms and legs, resurfacing as soon as possible.

“Holy shit!” you yell as soon as you pop back up. “That is so cold, oh my god.”

“I know, baby. C’mere,” Elvis says, chuckling.

His arms reach out for you again, pulling your body closer to his. You wrap your legs around his waist to hold yourself against him. You drop your arms to his shoulders and wind them around his neck to support your body. Elvis’ hands fall to your waist and hold you steady.

“There we are,” he mutters. “Now you better get real close, mama, cause I’m freezin.”

You chuckle, pulling yourself closer to him. Although your bodies are shivering together, you feel a warmth that you haven’t experienced in quite a while. Elvis brushes some wet hair from your forehead. You lean down, letting your lips tickle against his for a previous moment. You hover in the shared space and Elvis’ fingers tighten on your waist. One of his hands slides up your spine, pressing your chest against him. Your back arches in response and you release a desperate breath.

You feel the corner of his mouth quirk up in a smirk. He finally connects your lips, pressing hard against you. You melt into his touch, kissing him back fiercely. Your mouths work together, fighting for dominance. Elvis’ tongue swipes across your bottom lip and you open your mouth to let him in. You love the way his mouth tastes on yours. Your hips move forward against him and that tempting feeling in the pit of your stomach pulses through you. His fingertips glide across your skin, smoothly under the water. As his palm slides down the inside of your thigh, a breeze floats through the air. You both shudder violently, your lips detaching.

You gasp and squeeze your eyes shut, burying your head in his chest.

“I guess it was warmer last time,” he admits sheepishly.

You giggle, biting your lip. You tilt your head, brushing your lips against Elvis’ ear before you whisper.

“Take me inside, Presley.”

~❉•────᯽────•❉~

🦋 mila

[thebestpumkin]

pumkin speaks: sighh. im so sorry for diappearing (again) for so long. i've been having such a hard time with motivation for...literally everything. i'm trying to get back into the swing of things so i'm hoping to be able to get something out soon. i've honestly been trying so hard and i just...haven't been able to do much of anything for the last few months. i got burned out on everything that i enjoy, including writing. but i've been feeling better as of late (though i'm still working on some personal issues that i honestly wish i didn't need to work on). thank you to everyone who's been so patient, i promise i'll keep trying 🫶🫶

now that the more depressing part is out of the way, i thought i'd give you a little update on what i've been watching! i think last i updated y'all, i was still watching tokyo revengers? i'm all caught up with it now and it's in my list of who i write for. i also watched banana fish (totally cried) but i don't think i'm gonna write for it, lmk if y'all would like to see it and i'll rethink it fs. i'm also all caught up with wind breaker - i watched it as it was coming out. i'm thinking about writing for it, so i might update my list soon. i watched paradox live, and i think i miiight write for a few characters - tbh i wasn't a huge fan of it, esp the ending, but i fw the characters heavy. i finally watched solo leveling which i think was reallyyy good. i think i'm gonna write for sung (shocking). i also watched blue lock but being so honest, i did NOT like it i fear. so sorry to any blue lock fans out there but i was watching it for a friend and it genuinely felt like a chore...i did quite like a few characters but idk if i should write for them. ig i'll think on it some more. *edit bc i completely forgot to mention i'm currently watching one piece 💀💀 i just started alabasta arc like 2 days ago - i'm on ep 97 currently. it's so good omg. i might write for it once i feel like i have a better read on the characters so maybe look forward to that?

anyways, thank you so much for being patient! i will be trying to write soon. i'll also probably update my list over the next few days so be on the lookout fs. if y'all want, i'd be super happy to get some requests and i'm sure that would motivate me a whole lot. anyways, this is getting long so i'll sign off here. thank you for reading! happy scrolling, and have a nice day!

[andreal831]

Love all the meta's, they're the next best things to updates on your fanfictions!

My current question is, what do you think of the relationship between Davina and Elijah? And what direction would you have taken it in, if you were in charge of the originals?

First, I promise I will update soon!

Now, onto the question. I've always thought the relationship between Davina and Elijah was underrated and a little confusing.

Elijah is the first Original that Davina really meets. Even though Marcel is holding Elijah hostage thanks to Klaus, Elijah doesn't attempt to escape. He has multiple opportunities to escape but he never attempts to overpower her. Instead, he wants to talk and let her make her own decisions. Elijah always prefers diplomacy first if it can resolve their issues. This is incredibly important for Davina because no one has given her that power in her life, not even Marcel. Elijah allows her to take control of her own life by making a deal.

What I never understood about their relationship was where it went wrong. Elijah holds up to his end of the bargain and brings Davina pages of Esther's grimoire. Yes, he controls the first spell to save Hayley but then offers to let her pick the next. Elijah teams up with Marcel to protect Davina from Klaus, knowing he would do something reckless. He even feels guilty that he didn't anticipate Klaus targeting Tim. Davina takes out her anger over Tim's death on all three men. I always felt like her anger toward Elijah was a little unwarranted. At this point, he hadn't done anything against her. I think a lot of her anger at Elijah likely came from the writers wanting to create clear divides in the warring factions.

Their relationship after this clearly only gets worse, but again, a lot of it is simply Davina's anger at vampires in general as she and Elijah do not have a lot of contact. She is a teenage girl trying to find her place and being used by a lot of different people, so I don't necessarily blame either of them.

If I was in charge of The Originals, Elijah would have actually had storylines and connections that didn't revolve around Klaus. I would have loved to see Elijah play a more protective role in Davina's life, especially after Rebekah left town. Elijah was protective of Marcel as a child and we see him often wanting to save people he views as innocent (Elena, Marcel, Katerina). Elijah was initially protective of her, refusing to drink her blood when he was first released, trying to protect her from Klaus, being concerned when she disappeared. Davina's character was often used as a prop to further issues and the fact that she was a teenage girl who had lost her entire life was forgotten. I think this is partially because the show wants to age up characters so it's not creepy when they start dating super old vampires. But she was just a teenager and for the most part had no one helping her. Sure, Marcel, Vincent, and Cami would be there occasionally, but they would also abandon her for months and only pop back up when they needed something.

Elijah had a very paternal character. To me, he was the only Mikaelson that truly showed a desire to have children. It would have been nice to see him take Davina in and protect her rather than spending all of his energy on Klaus.

I hated how they often put Elijah in the position to make the hard decisions to save the Mikaelson family and Hope in the later seasons. Everyone loves to say Klaus would do anything to save Hope and will forgive his every action, including trying to kill Davina in Season 1. But as the show attempted to redeem Klaus, they still needed conflict, so they sacrificed Elijah's character. It's ironic because a lot of the things that, to me, seemed out of character for Elijah to do in Season 3 and 4 wouldn't have happened had Klaus not been so controlling of Elijah. All of this to say, if Elijah had been able to develop a better relationship with Marcel or Davina, I think he would have acted differently. Although, Elijah is pretty pragmatic and his family was running out of options.

Davina and Elijah have a lot in common and both deserved better from the writers.

Thanks for asking!

[trailshome]

Progress Update: 10/04/2023

Hello guy! Been a long time since I've done one of these or posted anything of substance (sorry) -- but I've decided I need to start doing these again. I'm hoping if I can set aside more time for TLH, Metanoia, Hollow, and a mysterious third thing, I'll be able to get updates out more frequently. So, I might have an update for you (which is good news!) but it's not chapter two (which is bad news...).

Chapter Two needs to be re-planned (but don't worry, it wasn't all scrapped!). I decided mid-way that I wasn't happy with the direction of it, and things in the game were happening too fast for my tastes. Don't worry though, I'll try to keep you guys posted as I progress through Chapter Two. I've also been juggling the idea of having a Patreon where I can post extra content and stream art and coding for my games. While I do have one made, it isn't published, and I don't want to post the link without having anything worthwhile to share. I've figured out all the details for it and will let you know what I've decided once there's a bit more to Chapter Two and Hollow.

Now then, the update!

I've essentially gone through and further fleshed out or removed some scenes that I felt hindered the story and/or prevented me from springboarding off of it properly into the chunk that needs to be written.

I know right now TLH is kinda of a 'Collection Simulator' where you can pick up a lot of things, but I promise it'll make sense later. Everything you collect, you collect for a reason and there are consequences to what you haven't taken and what you have. Chapter Two will show this and I hope you enjoy the 'little' interaction that comes from it!

I want to be super transparent and let you guys know that I haven't had a lot of time the last year for writing, and stress + depression made it hard to work on TLH. I wasn't enjoying it for a long time, but now I'm determined to really push forward because I do love TLH and I want to share it with people. I'm sorry again for how much I dropped the ball with updates and keeping you guys posted but I promise to try better from here on out.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck around so far and/or has expressed interest in my silly little game! It means the world to me and more! I hope to see you guys again soon, maybe by the end of this month (Halloween Update?!) with a small update as an apology!

Thank you and please stay safe out there! The world is wild and getting wilder!

[echodrops]

The Promises I’m Making (2024)

Sheesh, this year it was even harder than last year to make promises. In particular, I really wanted to focus on promises that wouldn't cost as much money as in prior years, so I tried to steer clear of too many promises that would cost above the basic spending amounts... But it turns out it is really hard to make resolutions if you're broke. 😂

So here's what I'm going with:

2024 Promises

1) Step down from my administrative position and return to being a full-time faculty member. I literally cannot take the clown show that is admin at my work anymore. It is actually killing me.

2) Related to this, redecorate my new office as soon as they decide where they are going to move me.

3) Apply for new jobs!! APPLY FOR NEW JOBS!!!

4) Train my replacement in the chair position well so they are super prepared to take over in fall.

5) Put a new sink/vanity in the downstairs bathroom of the Utah house.

6) Get both bedroom floors sanded in the Utah house upstairs.

7) Finally get rid of the dirt pile in front of the Utah house.

8) Take down the remains of the wooden fence posts at the Utah house.

9) Fully clean out and prepare the Utah house to be rented out to new renters. Hopefully the next people won’t sneak in a parrot that poops all over the floor… RIP…

10) Clean off my back patio/car port area so I can park my car there again.

11) Call the plumber and replace the faucets. Even if I end up having to do it myself.

12) Get the dead tree removed from the Texas house yard and call the internet company to see about the cable around the tree root.

13) Plant roses where the old ones died in front of the Texas house. 

14) Replace my CPU fan; the bearings are going out and it’s making an annoying noise.

15) Organize my documents (especially student papers)—my desktop and documents folders give me nightmares just looking at them. 

16) Related to that, lose at least 20 pounds. 2020-2023 was not kind to me and the stress eating was real.

17) Do at least one artwork to actually use that paint program I bought. 

18) Pay my credit debt down by at least $2000. I’m still paying off the hell year, but I hope I can make progress on this.

19) Buy all the Noragami volumes I am missing and do a complete re-read of Noragami now that the series is finishing up.

20) This is super nerdy, but my bro got me the FFXIV cookbook and made me promise to actually use it, so I guess I’d better at least try to make something from it.

21) Finish at least five books this year.

22) Update HaaH at least once. Please, Echo???

23) Reach the new level cap with all jobs in FFXIV!

24) Go to the graduation ceremony for my family friend.

25) Catch up with hanging up all the charms/pins I’ve gotten recently on my corkboards; these are just sitting in boxes/bags around the house. D;

26) Fully deep clean and vacuum/detail my own car at home. No more of the “It doesn’t make sense to clean it out now; the dog is just going to go back in it.” The dog is always going to go back in it. Clean it, Echo.

27) Help my parents tear out the carpet in my old childhood bedroom.

28) See at least three new species of birds. Doesn’t matter where, just three new ones!

29) Reach 3500 followers. Can I do it? You should follow me if you’re not already; I’m pretty cool. Just sayin’!

30) Cancel all the subscriptions I don’t need. There’s literally no reason to sit around letting companies passively profit off me when I don’t even really use the services/the services keep getting worse while the costs keep going up.

31) Go out on at least a day trip to take pictures with my friend. We haven’t done this in quite some time. I need to touch grass.

32) Repair the lovely one-of-kind ceramic plate that my dog broke with kintsugi. I want to try it at least once!

33) Really look hard for my passport in my house. It’s been missing for like a year and a half now, and I don’t want to have to pay for a new one.

34) Put all the small prints, postcards, and stickers I have collected in my new mini-print books. I can even use up washi tape to decorate too. (Finally, a purpose for the washi tape…)

35) Shred the million pieces of old mail I have lying around the house. I finally got the shredder so it just makes sense to use it.

36) Have more follow-through with chores. It’s not enough to wash the clothes or do the dishes if I then procrastinate on folding the clean laundry and putting the dried dishes back in the cabinets…

37) Put reminders for birthdays and major events in my phone as well as set a monthly reminder to check these promises. Maybe I’ll be able to keep more promises if I look at the list more often throughout the year!

38) Since I can’t afford to go to the salon, spa, etc. too much this year, I should at least do some self-care days at home. Will this be the year I finally manage to use all the fancy scrubs and face masks and bath salts I keep getting from people?

39) Use up one whole notebook. It doesn’t matter what goes in the notebook, but I gotta use the whole thing from cover to cover. I have so many pretty notebooks that never get used just because they’re pretty.

40) Change the burned-out lightbulbs in the recessed lighting in the Texas house ceiling. It’s like twelve feet high and the lightbulb charger stick I bought didn’t work, so I’m going to have to find someone with a ladder. Save me, handyman. Save me.

41) Build the pretty koi paper lantern my brother got me, or the Korean temple model my coworker gave me after his trip to Korea.

42) Actually use the yoga mat I bought forever ago. At least a few times, please???

43) Finish watching the Fruits Basket remake with Kacchan. I think we stopped in the second season, RIP.

44) Spend more time with coworkers—go out to lunch more often.

45) See about removing the PMI from at least one of my house loans to try to save money. I’ve been paying on these loans long enough I shouldn’t need PMI anymore.

46) Practice my German skills (or I guess other language skills?) by translating something at least once a month.

47) Get a new bookshelf. The current ones in both my office and foyer are already overflowing. @_@

48) Make more time to call people and talk on the phone. Texting is not the same. D;

49) Get the new COVID vaccine to stay healthy.

50) I will keep my promises! 

Good luck, 2024’s me!

[ros3ybabe]

Daily Check In September 15th and 16th, 2023 🎀

I was a bit stressed on Friday. And really tired. Like crying on the phone talking to my dad about how tired I was. I did not want to go to work, but I did and had a goodnight regardless. Everything worked itself out and I stopped stressing so hard. I was gonna rest before I had to go to work but my friend decided to talk my ear off for an hour about her family woes, even after I told her I wanted to rest my brain for a bit. I love helping my friends when I can but sometimes I just need a break from socializing.

there’s not much to update on but I’ll give an update regardless!

🩷 What I Ate Sept 15th -

Breakfast - bagel sandwich and a coffee

Lunch - bagel w whipped cream cheese and another coffee

Dinner - Alfredo pasta w spinach and chicken and a small salad w egg, cheese, and a little ranch dressing

Extra - morning coffee at home and not near enough water. Also some mini mint chocolate candies, like three

I was really feeling bagels. They were so good.

🩷 What I Ate Sept 16th -

Breakfast - Scrambled eggs on brioche style bread with slices of cheddar cheese

Dinner - Two bowls of spaghetti with marinara sauce and grated Parmesan cheese

Snack - macaroni cup, three cups of coffee

I just realized I didn’t take a break to eat lunch at work today. That is the first time I’ve ever forgotten to do that.

🩷 What I Accomplished Sept 15th & 16th -

Worked a total of 13.5 hours at my job

A lot of self compassion and rest

Morning skincare and night skincare routine (sept 16th)

Studied Japanese 10+ minutes each day

Reorganized my desk with my new desk supplies

I received some new acrylic desk organizers, stationery, and Japanese study books today! I bought two writing workbooks and I bought the Genki I and Genki II textbook + workbook + answer key bundle off of Amazon and I am so excited to start using them all soon! In my Japanese studying so far, I’ve memorized almost the entire hiragana chart and started keeping a physical list/anki flashcard set of hiragana vocabulary off of Duolingo and have been practicing my writing on Renshuu. Renshuu is surprisingly such a great tool for me right now, like it’s the complete reason I memorized the hiragana so fast. My plan is to start using Genki I right after I memorize (most of) the katakana. I’ve been listening to Japanese music a lot and talking out loud to myself on occasion. I’m just super excited about this language.

I think I’m quickly approaching the edge of burnout right now and I’m desperately trying to find a way to delay the burnout or stop myself from burning out altogether because I have too much on my plate to just lose myself now. Like I’m genuinely enjoying everything I do in a day but it’s tiring me out. I don’t sleep very well right now, I’m not working out, my nutrition isn’t the best, I over-consume caffeine and I’ve been neglecting my self care. I am working to regain balance because I don’t want to tire myself while trying to build the best life for myself. Todays first step was keeping my promise to do skincare and study Japanese. Tomorrow will be skincare, weekly planning, and completing my due assignments and notes. If I can rebuild trust with myself, I have a good feeling I can get back on track with my daily ideal routines. Just need to take it one step at a time.

I know my blog appears that everything is so great and girly and perfect for me but my life is not like that entirely. I do romanticize my life in the way I live it, I am the main character if my own story, but life is life and stuff happens. I don’t have the perfect body or health, I don’t have the best discipline or motivation sometimes, and yeah, my life isn’t perfect. However, I am still so grateful for the life I am currently living, a life that I never thought I’d be so content with. This blog has helped me determine the direction to go in and keeps me motivated often, and I am so at peace and proud of all that I’ve built and have had help creating for myself. Thank you to everyone who reads this. It is the little interactions, the daily notifications, the pride I get from my consistent updates that keeps me level. This is therapeutic for me in a way. Like an online diary. And I absolutely love the space it’s given me to be my true self, my most comfortable self. I am not perfect but i am happy. Happy with my progress and my journey and my community.

Sorry for the little joyful ramble. Again, I appreciate this community so much. I wouldn’t have driven my life in this path without this community.

🩷 Song of The Day - The Greatest by Sia

One of my all time favorite motivational songs. Just listen to the lyrics. Absolutely simple and amazingly powerful.

that’s all for these last two days! Will be getting more detailed in my daily accomplishments, and am working on a stationary review though I did order more so I might way until it gets here to complete the review post!

Til next time, lovelies 🩷🤍

[caterpillarinacave]

Little Update (particularly for those waiting for me to respond to something, but also in general):

Hey everyone!

So I know I have a few asks in my asks box, and some @‘s and messages I need to respond to, and I promise I will get to them! 

The asks are my top priority right now so I should get those responded to pretty soon.

I’m not having a super great time mentally or physically right now and unfortunately there’s not much I can do about either aspect.

Aside some physical health problems I’ve been getting hit pretty hard with some ramifications of trauma. In comparison my trauma and the relationship I was in was really not that bad, but unfortunately I really haven’t been able to shake it lately. I get the feeling the hyper vigilance is contributing heavily to my overall discombobulation.

I really enjoy tumblr (clearly I spend a lot of time on here) and interacting with people makes me incredibly happy.

While most people are very, very nice - and to be honest, I would say some of my best friends are on here - there have been a select few who haven’t been so kind.

I fully understand that those people are struggling more within themselves then with me, but it can be really discouraging to work hard on something in a space and be treated somewhat poorly. I know I am not perfect and understand how I may be annoying for people, but Tumblr is very much my safe space and I try very hard to be kind and helpful on here. 

Additionally, while I do love the fandom space-I’m having some trouble RWBY in particular. 

I’m very much not trying to start anything so I will spare everyone my thoughts, but in some ways I’ve fallen out of love with the show- and fallen more in love with Roman and Neo.

For years before  the Roman and Neo fandom was wondrously rich with content. When I compare the canon and the fandom, for me at least, the fandom did a better job, and it still does. In 2016 there were fics that were so good I accepted them as canon. In 2024 some of those fics, and plus a few new ones are still the best.

That being said I adore the fandom I’ve curated on here surrounding Roman and Neo. I have mutuals, followers and friends who create phenomenal fan work, have excellent ideas, and bring me back to the show and characters that was, in the fandom sense, my first love.

I would very much like to be more active on that little Roman/Neo fandom I’ve found. It’s just that taking into consideration my complex relationship with the source material I’m not sure how to do that.

In terms of TSC those of you with astute gazes have probably noticed I post a lot of WIP snippets- and not many fics. That’s due in part to all the above reasons, but also just because I really care about the content. I care very, very deeply about these characters, and I pour a lot of work into my writing. I’ve always got the feeling that once I post something I can’t redo it- I post one fic with a premise and I can’t ever rewrite it again. Posting work that’s less than perfect when there’s already a very small audience looking at my fics almost doesn’t feel like an option for me.  Trust me, I want to post more content- and very little makes me happier than talking with people about my beloved blorbos- it just involves a lot of energy and emotional.

Basically, I’m anxious, tired, lonely, scared, and so deeply invested in fictional characters it makes me screech in excitement whenever someone asks about them. So, dearest of comrades, please be patient- I promise I’m not ignoring anyone!

TLDR: Moving slowly on account of all the HorrorsTM, but I’m working on it.

[t1oui]

having a hard time working on i slam the door and i'm on my way rn because i actually dislike writing angst lol. not going to stop updating ofc but updates will be sporattic like i said, even if the first few chapters had a weekly update schedule (i updated pretty much every weekend)

anyways, i thought i'd do quick intros to all the fics i have in the works (+ a re intro to istdaiomw for anyone who doesn't know what it is)

teen and up | no archive warnings apply | multiple relationships | incomplete a jegulus-centered fic with background sirius x remus and lily x evan x barty. might (probably will) also have dorlene.

takes place during the war and follows multiple povs (so far james, regulus, and - soon - evan). basically just a what-if if regulus ran away from his family and joined james & sirius at the potters'.

you can find this fic here!

teen and up | no archive warnings apply | multiple relationships | not yet published (or written 💀)

the next wip on this list is troublemakers, which is something i've had in the back of my mind for a while now. originally it centered around lily, rose, and my oc lucy, but i recently i decided to change it so the two povs are lucy and albus's.

basically, it follows (or will follow) albus, the only slytherin in his immediate family, who feels overshadowed by his famous siblings and his friends, who two of which have just become prefects. the fic will show him reconnecting with his family and basically carving out a niche for himself (and will have scorbus)

it will also follow my oc, lucy weasley-wood. she often feels like the laughingstock of her family - like albus, overshadowed by her friends and cousins: confident lily and smart rose. this fic will show her also carving out a niche for herself and might have some romance between her and another oc of mine, a deamus child named henry :)

basically just a dual pov fic about two cousins finding themselves

teen and up | character death | multiple relationships | also unpublished & not yet written

a place called home is the name of the series rewrite i'm currently plotting and i love it sm honestly lol

this rewrite would be very headcanony and would be harry's pov. basically, in this world harry was adopted and raised by the lovegood family and is the older brother of luna. also, pandora doesn't die. xenophilius is lucius malfoy's disowned older brother so luna, harry, and draco are cousins.

the main crew in this fic would be harry, hermione, blaise, and pansy with quite a bit of draco and some luna. harry, pansy, and draco are slytherins while hermione, blaise, and luna are ravenclaws. (this fic will/would have pretty heavy ron bashing for most of it but he gets a redemption arc i promise ;-; not like we really get to see it but yknow i tried)

the focus of this fic is friendship, so no one in the main crew is dating, but the endgame ships are harry x cedric, hermione x cho, and draco x blaise. pansy... she's just there. oh yeah and nuna

there's also background percy x oliver, dean x seamus, lavender x parvati, and sirius x remus. would also have a shorter side story following percy and his friends which i'll talk about next

mature | graphic depictions of violence | m/m | not published or written

so this story was originally made as a story to accompany a place called home, but it could (and might) be published by itself. it follows the story of a slytherin percy weasley through his years at hogwarts & during the war alongside his best friends penelope clearwater, oliver wood, and marcus flint. it would show percy's side of a place called home.

though this fic originally started as purely funny "haha percy and his friends are trying to keep harry alive at school" i honestly think it will be one of if not the darkest of these wips lol. sure there will also be violence in apch and istdaiomw but this is the only fic with super graphic descriptions of any violence bc percy... let's just say bro goes through some stuff.

the title is the name of a spell made by percy that is pretty important both in this fic and in a place called home :) i won't say what it's for but it mixes two latin words meaning show/reveal and secret.

~

so yeah, this is a basic idea of the bigger things i have in the works right now. as for things on the smaller side, i'm actively working on developing a sequel to my oneshot if you stayed as well as working on an evan pov muggle au with rosekiller & jegulus. might post more on those later :)

[melobin]

soo as i promised a little life update !! it’s a little long so i’ll put it under the read more 💖

this year hasn’t started off the best for me .. i started off the year having not slept for two weeks, i didn’t sleep for another two weeks after that, even now im struggling with my sleep but i think its slowly getting better !! around a month ago my nan passed away quite suddenly and it hit me quite hard, my other nan only passed away last march and i had another family member pass away in november so grief has been quite strong in my family for the past year. ive been trying to cope but i guess sometimes it can be a little harder?

i got quite sick three weeks ago and i still haven’t fully recovered, I’ve had quite a bad case of tonsillitis and that has just been absolutely vile. it’s still been bothering me these past few days but slowly I’ve been recovering !!

the most intense life event i’ve had lately is the fact i dropped out of uni on monday .. it’s been something i’ve been thinking about for over a year now and i finally done it. i guess mentally i just can’t cope anymore? it’s been incredibly stressful and difficult and i just couldn’t do it. i’m trying to not be hard on myself for it and i know that my reasoning for it is completely valid and i done what’s best for me so im trying my hardest !!! ive been resting more and ive had a lot of support. i guess whilst thinking everything through over the week i realised i done it at the right time before things got too overwhelming for me, i know how easily i can slip in and out of depressive episodes and im trying super super hard to slowly come out of it and hopefully it’ll be gone soon !!!

i love you all and i’m so thankful for you all of the support and patience i’ve had from you all recently 🥹 i promise to start being more active and start posting more fics again soon! 💞💓 remember melo always loves you 💓

[kotaka-kun]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

saw @middleearthpixie doing this and I wanted to do it too :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

249 works

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

380,279 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Most recently I’ve been writing for Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies, but according to my AO3 dashboard, I’ve posted fics for just under 40 fandoms and naming them all seems excessive... That being said, my top five are Lord of the Rings, Phantom, MCU (mostly Captain America), Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Harry Potter. 

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. thank you for the food (ATLA, zukka, Fluff, Domestic Bliss, Modern AU) 2. Simple Happiness (ATLA, zukka, Fluff, Living Together, Modern AU) 3. Bucky has a belly kink, but Steve doesn’t mind in the least (MCU, stucky, ABO, Belly Kink, Pregnancy Kink) 4. Surprise (MCU, stucky, ABO, mpreg, Birth, Twins) 5. New Colors (One Piece, zosan, Fluff, Color Blindness, Gifts)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do try, though I know I’ve missed a few over the years... but I do love and treasure every single comment I get!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I’d have to say that it’s probably a tie between The Worst Thing (MCU, Steve/Bucky, omegaverse, infertility, miscarriage) and overboard (LOTR, Frodo/Sam, trauma, depression, suicide attempt)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Hard to say, since aside from the two mentioned above, I write mostly fluffy happy endings... 

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Thankfully, no. But maybe that just means I need to write more divisive fics? 

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

I do write smut, and it’s probably mostly -- if not all -- omegaverse tbh... 

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

I love love love writing crossovers! I think they’re fun and silly and a good time all around. Don’t know if I have one that’s significantly crazier than the rest, but I think i read the hobbit (in 1937 when it first came out) is one of my favorites to think about. I’ve got a soft spot for ws!Bucky is all. Putting him in Middle Earth and adding him to the Fellowship was just for funsies :)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A reader translated New Colors into Chinese, which was super neat!

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

Absolutely, 100% -- in the sense of collaboratively plotting out and writing a story, as well as taking turns in an improvised narrative style RP, and also something in between where the premise of a fic was agreed upon and each of us had characters to write, RP style. 

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don’t think I can pick a singular ship to label as my favorite... I’d call Zoro/Sanji my OTP, but only because they were the first ship I got involved in fandom for -- I haven’t read a fic of them in years. I’m reading almost exclusively Erik/Christine fics right now, but I’ve come across Erik/Raoul fics that have made me fall in love with them, as well as Erik/Raoul/Christine fics that are so so good... I guess in terms of longevity and my ability to always come back to them, Steve/Bucky has been a solid ship for me? 

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Gonna go with Zoro’s Promise, since it’s the only multichapter fic I never bothered to move from FF dot net to AO3. It’s literally been ten years since I updated it lmao

16. What are your writing strengths?

On one hand, I guess my ADHD-fueled hyperfixation that allows me to write fic after fic could be considered a strength...?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

On the other hand, as soon as my ADHD-fueled hyperfixation loses its vice grip on me, I lose all motivation to write. Especially if I’ve already written out the scenes that I had in my head, I become incapable of filling in the gaps and making it a cohesive fic... I honestly don’t think I have very good writing hygiene even after taking classes on being better about being a hobby writer oops 

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I personally tend to avoid writing in another language, because I think it’s hard to do well. Sometimes it takes you out of the fic because you have to copy-paste it into Google Translate to figure out what they’re saying, sometimes it takes you out of the fic because you speak the language and the author evidently doesn’t and they used Google Translate. 

19. First fandom you wrote for?

First fandom I wrote fic for and then posted would be One Piece... but in actuality, I’ve been writing fanfiction from long before I knew that’s what it was called. I was probably in second or third grade when I wrote self-insert Peter Pan fics. Also Shrek fics. I don’t have the notebooks I wrote them in anymore, but I have a very vivid memory of writing them.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

This is maybe the hardest question of all to answer, because while I like a lot of my fics, I don’t know that there’s one that I could call my favorite. My current WIP stranger than you dreamt it (PotO, Erik/Christine, ABO) is one I’m excited to keep working on because, well, omegaverse. But also time and time again (LOTR, Frodo/Sam, Time Travel, Fix-it) was one of the first multi chapter fics I’ve actually finished, so in that regard I’m rather proud of it. I liked the time-travel-y premise of it as well. And even though what comes after (HP, Snape/Harry, Time Travel, Fix-it) is still technically a WIP, I’m still pleased with how it’s coming along... though it’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated it oops

tagging... you! 🫵 if you're an author, i'm tagging u! i want to know about what you write!!!

[gorgosim]

Hey guys! I miss y'all 🥺❤️ I know I haven't been posting a lot lately, but if you're curious as to why, read below the cut. If not, I hope to be much more consistent very soon!

So just to start this off, life has been extremely crazy for me. In a good way, and a bad way. Let's get the bad out of the way first, without going into too much detail!

I've been dealing with a very repulsive individual at work who, for some odd reason, my boss and director refuse to deal with in a legal, or morally correct manner. So because of this, I have been very protective of my colleagues and stepping in whenever they need me to act as a barrier, for lack of a better word.

I bailed one of my now ex-bestfriends out of jail in early October. After doing that and her living with one of my other friends, we started to notice how much of a pathological liar and manipulator she is. She was spreading rumors at work, threatening people, etc. Long story short, we cut her off shortly after she finally paid me back. October was just a very rough month for me, as I hate being and feeling betrayed.

Now for the good stuff!

I got promoted a couple of months ago at my job, to an assistant manager! I'm a lot busier than before and my schedule is all over the place, especially because of the holiday season. However, I'm super glad that my work ethic was seen and I was given the opportunity and trust, to help run a bakery.

I was lucky enough to FINALLY get approved for an apartment officially as of last week! I'm moving in late this month. I've been looking for something that I could afford, and really looking for anything to become available (Apartments are very slim pickings where I'm at.. and expensive) for years. On top of this, one of my best friends of an entire decade and also fellow simmer @citruswhim is moving across the country to be my roommate in said apartment. 😭 I'm very excited and grateful that my life is finally heading upwards and everything that I've worked so hard for, is starting to pay off.

I'm hoping to post again consistently very soon! I miss my sims and I promised to myself that I would finish the collector's legacy challenge this year, or at least finish it for now until more collectibles are added. I also just miss this community a lot and interacting with all of you. ❤️I'll try to keep you all updated, but I'm sure I'll be back sooner than what I'm expecting.