#looking at the top five posts i forgot what else i even posted fic wise but . idk i cant keep track of all of em

[domjaehyun]

I posted 3,784 times in 2022

3,543 posts created (94%)

241 posts reblogged (6%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@domjaehyun

@ncteez

@neopuppy

@renjunfocus

@lustbile

I tagged 3,777 of my posts in 2022

#answered - 3,452 posts

#anon - 3,010 posts

#🧠 - 255 posts

#pola - 196 posts

#srb - 118 posts

#unknownnctizen - 85 posts

#jizz.txt - 83 posts

#soup - 81 posts

#big sad - 71 posts

#☀️ - 69 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#if you see me follow up this post with stress that it’s long then no you didn’t mind your business i’ll circle back to this vibe again

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

pussy fiend, part 2 (l.dh)

PAIRING ➢ haechan x fem!reader

GENRES & AUS ➢ smut, humor, fluff; college au, enemies to fuckbuddies to lovers, roommate au

WORD COUNT ➢ 68.9k total, in 2 parts (28.2k & 40.7k)

WARNINGS ➢ invasion of privacy, Haechan’s a sneaky little shit, cocky!Haechan, jokes about emotional manipulation, author pretends to know about stuff she doesn’t, mild dubcon

CONTENTS ➢ (mild) dubcon, bratty switches! boffum!, somnophilia, oral (receiving), allusions to a free-use kink but barely, rimming (receiving), creampie, dacryphilia, brief thigh job, praise, barely degradation but if you’re sensitive note that, some spit kink, panty sucking (?), Haechan’s a bit of a pain slut, fingering, biting

SUMMARY ➢ part two baybee!! uhhh he still likes you and is still a fiend for pussy bestie have fun :)

AUTHOR’S NOTE ➢ thank you so much for all the love on part one!! please do not get upset with me if you ignore the contents/warnings and get your feelings hurt; that is no one’s doing but yours. massive thank you to my love @ncteez for all her help with the initial idea and beta reading this monster for me :')

PART ONE FOUND HERE !!

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2,344 notes - Posted March 4, 2022

#4

SURVIVING NO NUT NOVEMBER (L.MK, L.DH)

MEMBERS. mark lee x fem!reader x lee haechan

GENRE. smut…that’s it… some humor

WORD COUNT. 28.8k (i’m not apologizing and you can’t make me)

CONTENTS. weed consumption, haechan favoritism (it’s me. what did you expect), explicit smut (slightest of dubcon, chasing kink (? y’all idk), quite a bit of edging/orgasm denial (giving), dry humping, handjobs, blowjobs, cunnilingus, finger sucking, bit of spit kink, unprotected sex, creampie, double penetration, anal, rimming (receiving), overstimulation (receiving), praise kink, some slight degradation, bratty switch!reader, bratty switch!haechan, needy switch!mark, haechan really likes calling you “puppy,” i think that’s it)

NOTES. hi :3 thank you to my love @ncteez​ (hon) for beta reading this for me! i’m on my mark & haechan monster cock agenda thank you very much :)

PLAYLIST. video games - sun // seduce - russ // pth - emanuel

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2,598 notes - Posted November 26, 2022

#3

KISS U RIGHT NOW (L.MK)

pairing. mark lee x fem!reader genre. some fluff, smut word count. 6.9k contents. kissing, breast play, fingering (receiving), oral (giving), unprotected sex

summary. in which mark just really wants to kiss you. alternative summary. five times mark wanted to kiss you and one time he actually does.

notes. happy (belated) birthday @najaemarkl !! this fic is based off the song ‘kiss u right now’ by duckwrth 🥰

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2,767 notes - Posted October 2, 2022

#2

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4,682 notes - Posted July 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

pussy fiend (l.dh)

PAIRING ➢ haechan x fem!reader

GENRES & AUS ➢ smut, humor, fluff; college au, enemies to fuckbuddies to lovers, roommate au

WORD COUNT ➢ 68.9k total, in 2 parts (28.2k & 40.7k)

WARNINGS ➢ invasion of privacy, Haechan’s a sneaky little shit, cocky!Haechan, jokes about emotional manipulation, author pretends to know about stuff she doesn’t, mild dubcon

CONTENTS ➢ (mild) dubcon, bratty switches! boffum!, somnophilia, oral (receiving), allusions to a free-use kink but barely, rimming (receiving), creampie, dacryphilia, brief thigh job, praise, barely degradation but if you’re sensitive note that, some spit kink, panty sucking (?), Haechan’s a bit of a pain slut, fingering, biting

SUMMARY ➢ uhhh he likes you and is a fiend for pussy idk bestie

AUTHOR’S NOTE ➢ long time no see! please consider sending a donation/tip if you enjoy the fic! please do not get upset with me if you ignore the contents/warnings and get your feelings hurt; that is no one’s doing but yours. if you enjoy the fic, please consider tipping me here or here!! ALSO massive thank you to my love @ncteez for all her help with the initial idea and beta reading this monster for me :')

PART TWO FOUND HERE !!

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5,052 notes - Posted February 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[birlcholtz]

Fic Questions

tagged by @the-lincyclopedia thank you!! (fun game: watch my writing get progressively less formal as the post continues. by the end it’s like what is capitalization)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

77!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

434,378 as of this week but it does go up quite regularly

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

Okay so in terms of what’s on my AO3, I have Check Please, All For the Game, Sharp Zero, HP, and Miraculous Ladybug. I also have The Forbidden LOTR and PJO Fanfiction (as in, I’ve written it, but it’s never seeing the light of day)

(technically there is a PJO fic out there that has seen the light of day but I orphaned it because I was tired of getting comments asking about when it would be updated)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

and then i met you (and the whole world changed)

for the better

Knew It Was You

come home (to you, to us)

sin bin schematics

All of these are Check Please and all of them except Knew It Was You are part of my Zimbits Airport AU!

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

I do! It’s actually a very recent thing that I’ve started not responding to literally every single comment. Mainly I respond because I love talking about my writing so I am going to seize that opportunity when it comes up

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

Oh, DEFINITELY Happy Birthday (HP). Check out that MCD tag ahah. (I say HP but what I really mean is that I write fic about Regulus Black. The Regulus Black-centric tag is my home in the HP fandom)

fun fact: this is a very short fic that I wrote when I was 15 and basically forgot about until recently, and then I reread it recently and went holy shit?? I pulled NO punches????

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the wildest one you’ve written?

Not a ton? I think a lot of the fandoms I write for don’t really mesh that well. That being said, the aforementioned orphaned PJO fic is actually a PJO/ML crossover, so there’s that

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope! Sometimes I get comments that are just.... really confusing? And a more common thing is that in my AFTG fic I’ll get comments from people who are so focused on Andreil (or the most common ships in general) to the point that like. they miss the point of what I actually wrote. Those are annoying but they’re not hate, they’re very enthusiastic, they’re just... enthusiastic about a story I’m not writing? So it’s a bit frustrating.

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

No sjflskgjhgf I struggle enough to write kissing, I think if I ever tried to write smut my brain would just shut down. I’ve managed some fade-to-blacks (which are mostly in WIPs that haven’t been posted) but they rely HEAVILY on the powers of implication

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, although I have occasionally made a brief go of it, not to post, more as an exercise for myself in a language that I’m learning. Anyway I never finish them so I’m gonna say no

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

Not really? I’ve definitely group brainstormed fics and then written them (the best example of this being Q&A (AFTG), which was the product of a truly off-the-walls group chat), but I tend to do all the actual writing myself. I think the way I write would drive a co-writer up the wall since it’s very disorganized and I don’t write stuff down because ~I know what’s gonna happen I don’t need notes~ and it would infuriate me if I was co-writing with me lmao, so I won’t inflict that on someone else

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I regularly move through ships I’m SUPER focused on, like it’s kind of a rotation. I will forever and always ship Percabeth though.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Okay so if you follow me at @birlwrites you may know this already, but i have this ‘warmups’ document that is just like, random ideas i get that i don’t necessarily want to finish but i just want to try out for a bit? and i have a rule that once a ‘warmup’ is more than 10 pages long (so 11+) then it has to be moved to its own document, just to make scrolling through the warmups doc easier. but usually, a warmup only passes 10 pages when i’m INTO it. so i have a bazillion wips i will probably never finish. i complain about this a lot. i have so many wips. i don’t need more.

here’s one: it’s titled ‘interrobang doesn’t know they’re dating’, it’s basically a full outline for a chowder/tango fic and it would be SO cool if i could ever like. get around to writing it. but i am constantly swamped with writing projects, so it’s probably not gonna happen. if anyone’s interested in adopting it though i’d be down for that!! i think it’s a fun idea i just almost def won’t write it myself

15. What are your writing strengths?

SNAPPY DIALOGUE AND SNARKY INTERNAL MONOLOGUE. my writing is COMEDIC, 90% of my ideas are based on a funny snippet that popped into my head, a lot of my worldbuilding is based on ‘hey you know what would be hilarious’ (whenever i explain how larai selects a chosen one in the rainfall universe i start laughing, which is a STARK contrast to how it plays out on the page), i love writing funny stuff!!

also i think my writing sounds nice, a lot of the time i pick words/syntax based on sound and flow so there’s that too. and i have lots of ideas! i don’t struggle much with writer’s block because a) i have a lot of strategies to deal with it and b) i have a lot of ideas to help get around it/work with it

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

PHYSICAL INTIMACY LMAO, sometimes in my end notes on shippy fics you can see me complaining ‘it took me literally 4 hours to write that very brief kiss’. also sometimes the humor in my writing gets in the way a bit, i have to very consciously put it away so characters can actually have serious, genuine emotions. also i don’t like outlining and i tend not to get betas for fanfiction so like..... i do my best continuity-wise but having really tightly plotted stories is just not my focus lol. (and i do put more effort into that for original stuff, it’s just fic where i kind of go wild)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If the reader’s supposed to know what it means, then writing it in another language is iffy for me. (stuff like terms of endearment which come up a lot in fic are fine imo, you can just put a note in to translate them and your reader will prob remember)

If the pov character isn’t supposed to understand it, and it doesn’t matter if the reader understands it, then ig it’s fine? but unless you already speak the other language (and i am NOT confident in my ability to translate english into literally any other language), then i think it’s way easier to just note that a character’s speaking x language and provide tone indicators, body language cues, etc. so the reader understands as much as the pov character.

That being said there are def times when it’s used super effectively--the dialogue in spanish in cemetery boys comes to mind! that’s not fanfic but it’s still creative writing so w/e

so i guess it comes down to: does actually writing out the dialogue in the other language serve a purpose? if it doesn’t, then you’re filling up the screen with words your reader isn’t likely to understand, which i try to avoid doing

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

so the first fandom i actually *wrote* for was PJO, but i distinctly remember creating warrior cats OCs when i was little. i never actually did anything w them but i had them and my favorite was a riverclan warrior named shellstream i remember this VIVIDLY

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

oh boy. okay so this is hard because i feel like i’m continuously improving as a writer. like in the sense that my writing is getting closer and closer to really matching my own taste? my favorites tend to always be my current projects as a result. and i do really love set those ghosts alight (HP) but it feels a little like cheating to say a fic i haven’t even finished writing yet. even though it’s def not cheating, that’s just the direction my brain is taking it.

i’m gonna say and then what? (OMGCP) because i’m super proud of the prose (especially ch 2 aka the first actual prose chapter), survived by (HP) for SUCCESSFULLY WRITING AN EMOTION and making readers cry :), and Q&A (AFTG) because i’m literally the one who wrote it and yet it still makes me wheeze. those are all fics i reread occasionally, because i’m big enough to admit i enjoy rereading my old stuff! (just like. to a point. some of my old stuff i can’t look at anymore because all the mistakes stick out to me like they have spotlights shining directly on them)

this was fun!! i’m gonna do an open tag because i just started my fall semester and brain tired. i know sometimes people see open tags and assume the op didn’t really mean it but I MEAN IT, PLEASE DO THIS AND TAG ME!!!!! YES YOU READING THIS

[formless-monkeys]

What is your favorite relationship(s) in the show (romantically or platonically, doesn’t matter!)

Anon you will regret opening pandora’s box. Or not. In any case, this post is going to be very long because I’m full of love. Also, anything marked romantic does not need to be romantic for me to lose my shit over them. In no particular order, either. Just in the order I thought of them.

1. The Black-eyed trio

Characters: Otto, Sparx, and Gibson.

Type: Platonic, Romantic,

Explanation: These three are grouped together by virtue of not being obscenely powerful and serving more practical uses on the team. Also, their eyes are all the same color. Besides the poetic connections of the colors of their design, they were alone in the robot together while the other three monkeys were out training.

Sparx and Gibson’s interactions give me life, going from playful jabs to genuine fighting right back to ride-or-die is amazing. The beginning of Night Of Fear, the battles in Brothers In Arms, and a bunch of small moments throughout the series are wonderful for this.

I could write an essay about Otto and Gibson, and someone else already has, but I’ll summarize it as ADHD autism solidarity with a side of Shut The Fuck Up Gibson. They care about each other and learn to respect each other in a way that’s better for both of them. I know a real-life Gibson to my Otto and learning that she’s just pretentious and doesn’t really hate anyone, and figuring out that we’re both equally brilliant and incredibly similar has made life a million times better.

Otto and Sparx don’t have as much development as Gibson with both of them, but their jokes together and general trust is amazing. Sparx is the dumb monkey and Otto supports him in his himbo endeavors. 

These three together make an unstoppable technical team, and the only reason they probably couldn’t be a superhero team on their own is because of the raw power and fun dynamics brought by the other half of the team. 

Romantically, these three would make the DUMBEST polycule ever. There is no true mediator here. It’s three dumbasses figuring out how they could possibly share a twin-sized bed when they have the ability to just make a bigger bed. Gibson calculates the most efficient 3 monkey makeout and none of them follow the statistics. They all give Chiro equally useless and conflicting advice on homework. Trying to give them a mediator in the polycule just makes me go back to shipping polymonkeys because I literally can’t decide if Antauri or Nova go better with them.

2. Quiet trust and encouragement

Characters: Otto, Antauri

Type: Platonic, Romantic

Explanation: When Otto is being dismissed by the other monkeys, or by the show itself, Antauri is usually the first to say “that’s bullshit, Otto is wonderful”. Circus Of Ooze is a notable example, but there are little moments in other seasons as well. 

I just love the idea of the historically MOST SERIOUS and strongest monkey, sometimes even elevated to god-like status by some fanworks... paired with the monkey that has been infantilized and disrespected to no end. I personally like making Antauri have to lean on Otto, just to subvert that even further. 

Beyond spite, I ship this simply because I like their dynamic. Antauri needs someone to ground him with more tactile physical things, and Otto needs someone to share his more nebulous thoughts I can’t imagine the others listening to. I love them.

Also, I want Antauri to unlock his true dumbass potential. He has the abilities, but not the will. Be silly with Otto. I want to hear him snort-laugh.

I literally forgot all the silver monkey stuff but I got three fics about that you know I go nuts over mechanic x robot shit.

3. The monkeys and their human son.

Characters: Chiro, Antauri, Nova, Sparx, Gibson, Otto

Type: Familial

Explanation: This family gives me joy. They were forced together through astronomical means and they made the best of it. 

Everyone living in the robot is absolutely fucked up. They help each other in the darkest of times. They lift each other up when it’s light. They are a perfect team and nobody can be missing without it feeling wrong. But they can add people!

“Girl Trouble” as a concept is AMAZING to me but my secondhand embarrassment is so strong that I hate the episode. But never once is any of the monkeys resentful of Chiro. Not even Mandarin is like “wow I wish he didn’t take my place” no he’s also struck with the urge to nurture this kid to his fullest potential. Whether you see the team as a bunch of older siblings or 4 dads and a mom doesn’t really matter, they’re a family.

I mean, this also has a sprinkling of shipping all the monkeys in a really domestic way because I like seeing my optimal future in characters I like, but like literally all of these, it doesn’t need to be romantic for me to go nuts. I just think it would be fun to throw just a big monkey wedding or whatever. And funnier for Antauri to go “Chiro I’m having a baby. The baby is you” and holding up adoption papers because on the principle of Toby “Radiation” Fox I love that joke, especially when made much less weird than the original context.

I have a set of characters who is just 5 people in a polycule raising kids and living life because I really love this concept as a family.

4. Evil Coworkers

Characters: Mandarin, Sakko

Type: Romantic, Platonic,

Explanation: Why the hell are these two, in particular, working together? SK could’ve put Mandarin with literally anybody else and he chose what on the surface appears to be the LEAST compatible person on the account that they’re both monkeys. Some bitter asshole who now looks like the epitome of toxic masculinity and this tiny pink pet who used his femininity both as an advantage and a style. They’re different but it ends up working really well for both of them because they’re different in ways that cover each other’s bases. It’s wonderful. Pink and Orange go well together. Green and Purple go well together. Mandarin and Sakko go well together. Also, they clearly trust each other. During almost the entirety of “Hidden Fortress” Sakko was presumably just chilling inside of Mandarin’s armor. Mandarin trusted him enough to have Sakko in a place where he’s able to mess with his cybernetics, and Sakko trusted Mandarin enough to go into the battlefield with him and probably get tossed around.

If they were both human and in a more modern media, then they would definitely be shipped in the straightest way you can get without actually being straight. The Straightest Gay Ship. 

5. A Witch and her Accidental Evil Coworker

Characters: Skelemandarin, Valeena.

Type: Platonic, Romantic, 

Explanation: These two have been through some shit. Skelemandy was made to serve Skeleton King only to have that purpose yanked away from him. Valeena was groomed to idolize and serve Skeleton King for nearly her entire life. They were forced together by SHEER CHANCE and they both hated it. Arguably they both died at some point. 

They both have absolutely NOBODY they can trust so let’s make them trust each other. All hilarity and sweetness comes from that. 

Their dynamic is so good that I have them on a blog for a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FANDOM and people love them with no context. 

This is the only cross-species ship I have (besides chinmay and the antauri ships but that doesn’t count), but the fact that Skelemandy isn’t actually a monkey and needs no cybernetic assistance to be human-level sentient makes it a lot less weird. Just put them on equal ground power-wise (like by nerfing Valeena’s magic) and you have the ingredients for bonding. 

They have like, no cute moments in canon, but that’s why we have fics and art. They have potential. I want them to help each other figure out who they are without their purpose. I want them to survive this horrible life together. I want them to figure out how to trust again. I want a lot but Valeena is fucking dead.

But she doesn’t have to be.

(Also Valeena is REALLY HOT and Skelemandarin is just me as a monkey)

6. Gay Dads

Characters: The Alchemist, Captain Shuggazoom

Type: Romantic, Platonic

Explanation: Oh my stars. Oh null. Oh me oh my hhougfhfakjghf. These two have the angst of Mantauri but on crack. 

They only appeared in about two episodes each and all three episodes are top tier. They call each other “Friend” multiple times in their shared episode. THEY’RE FRIENDS!!!!!!!!! The face Al makes when he realizes that Cap is visiting makes me really happy. The fact that Cap had this whole Batman Double Life thing and he shows the Alchemist BOTH OF THEM is amazing. The alchemist is a hermit living in the woods and he lets Cap into that life. 

There isn’t a lot shown, much less than everything else here. But that makes every single fanfic so much richer since they’re almost completely based on headcanons. Friends who have a mutual crush on each other but are No Homo about it? Secret boyfriends? Husbands with 6 monkey kids? An Old man and a grumpy Skeleton making it work? Literally just platonic friends? Dude, you can do whatever you want. 

The tragedy of these two losing each other to one big horrible event crushes me. It influences my every move in my creative work. I have an entire character dedicated to reuniting these two in the most astronomical and ridiculous way possible because the alchemist angered the gods but she thinks he needs some company in his eternal punishment.

I want Clayton to unlock Al’s less serious, more fun side. I want them to work together. I want them to hold hands. GHGHGHDFBG UTTHTYE CNAZSNT EBCV ASUA ER

7. The girl power duo

Characters: Nova, Jinmay

Type: Familial

Explanation: These two were my only comfort during the uncomfortable nightmare that is “The Hills Have Five”

Nova was the one who trained Jinmay, and it seems like they hang out a lot offscreen in season 4. They fulfill the early 2000′s cartoon archetypes of girl and Girl, so they’re supposed to get along. If they didn’t I probably wouldn’t like Jinmay.

Nova is a really good big sister/parental figure to Jinmay, who never had any family to speak of. 

Anyway, this entry has to be shorter because most of their bonding is in “The Hills Have Five” which is either #1 or #2 in my least favorite episode list. Not because it’s bad, but because it makes me viscerally uncomfortable. I really wish literally any other character than Jinmay was in her role in that episode. Or that the “taken to an offscreen area by an adult man while she screams” just wasn’t there. SHE’S 13!!! Nova did literally all she could to help. 

I really like that scene in questionable where Valeena kills almost the entire gang. It’s what they deserve.

Look I just really like Jinmay and I always have. She deserves a good Mom.

8. "My Second In Command”

Characters: Antauri, Mandarin

Type: Theoretical

Explanation: The fandom has really made this ship go from “literally nothing to stand on” to “integral plot point in a lot of fics”. Seriously. I have TWO screenshots that vaguely imply these two ever stood next to each other on the battlefield. This was entirely title-based and fan-made until ProjectAfectivity interviewed Ciro. Yeah he knows Antauri but only as well as the rest of the team. Anyway. Wow. This ship.

This is by far the worst breakup in history. These two, despite what Antauri says, were on equal ground at some point. According to Ciro (and fan speculation), they trained together. This (and other Mandy ship) changes wildly depending on if you think Mandarin was corrupted by the portal or not. Maybe Mandarin was once a kind leader who just crossed the wrong boundaries and paid for it. He could’ve held Antauri gently before battle. He could’ve been the monkey Antauri went to when he needed someone to talk to. He could’ve hyped the team up like Chiro does.

Or maybe, they were constantly fighting against each other in small ways. An incredibly unhealthy relationship, yes, but an interesting story. I like stories where Antauri isn’t this all-knowing pillar of stability. He’s got weaknesses. One of them may have been Mandarin.

Now that’s a good nickname from one to the other.

Imagine Antauri, in a moment of complete trust, declaring Mandarin his weakness. A sweet sentiment. They both know the other is incredibly strong, and trust that the other would never take advantage of that connection. They love each other. Until...

9. "My Closest Ally”

Characters: Otto, Mandarin

Type: Theoretical

Explanation: Okay I'm looking at the screenshot I put for this entry while also having watched Evil Ages recently. My brain is making uncomfortable connections. Combine that with the fandom and the show’s general treatment of Otto and I’m about to slam my head into a wall. I really do not like that, but I feel like there’s somebody out there who does. 

Anyway, this is Gibotto and Ottauri but with all the spice that shipping Mandarin with one of the other monkeys brings. When done well, it’s all the respecting Otto that comes with Ottauri and all the intimate partnership of Gibotto. And the Angst of Mantauri, but a lot more grounded. 

It paints a lot of stories. A story of a single point of comfort in a world Mandarin thinks is out to get him. A story of powerful validation from the one authority in Otto’s life. Of letting your guard down. Of trust, then breaking that trust.

I’d LOVE to see some things with Mandottotauri because that’s epic and cool and poggers. Don’t see a lot, though.

10.The Hets, I guess.

Characters: Jinmay, Chiro. 

Type: Romantic. Platonic. Canon.

Explanation: Look two entries on this list are polyamorous and four of them are mandarin so I have to say SOMETHING for the heteroes following me. Picked this ship over Spova because when I was a young child still suffering from comphet, I never watched the last episode of the show. I only saw up to season 3 at the most. This was the only canon ship for me. And out of all the ships, it’s the most relatable. I’m currently a teenager with black hair who looks really good in eyeliner dating a girl with pink hair who can pick me up and is unbelievably sweet. Except we’re gay and polyam. Wait a second I totally had a crush on Jinmay as a kid and now my gf is the Jinmay in this situation. Oh my god I was going to make this comparison if I did Spova too and I liked Nova.

ANYWAY

These are two LONELY kids. Chiro had bullies during school, and now he doesn’t even go to school. Jinmay hasn’t really had friends at all. Two kids with places in their universe that they aren’t too sure about, and just need someone to lean on. Their date was cute. They instantly bonded over their love of monkeys and I love that. 

The super robot is sometimes an analog for Chiro, in the first two season at least, and the way the super robot held Jinmay’s hands to keep her steady on the COB while her head flew in was SO SWEET. Chiro’s instant recognition and reaction to Jinmay’s head being thrown at the team, as well. He really loves her.

I think it’d be interesting if she didn’t love him back, though. I might take a stab at writing that.

[cheekaspbrak]

Will the Wise

Summary: Will sits in the Wheeler’s basement, waiting for his supposed best friends to show up when he comes to the conclusion that no, they’re not coming...again.

Word Count: 953

Pairing: Will Byers x His loving friends

This fic was inspired by this post by @shinisfanart , which is so cute and adorable and while I did change some things in my story you should all go check it out because it will make you so happy!

Tag List: @girasol-eddie @violetreddie

Will picks at the hem of his purple “Will the Wise” costume. He doesn’t wear it often, but because it’s homemade it’s already started to come undone at the seams, one long white string getting caught on the jagged edge of his nail that had been chewed to a stub from nerves. He could vividly remember telling his mom his vision, showing her the drawing of what he wanted it to look like. She stayed up so many nights in a row after work, trying to get it just right. He would come out of his room late at night with socked feet, after some terrible nightmare and find her at the kitchen table with her old, ugly sowing machine. She’d smile at him and ask “What do you think of it so far, baby?”. He’d ask if he could try to do it himself for a little while. She’d always say “of course” and pull up a chair for him. They would laugh when he tried to emulate her work with clumsy, small hands until his eyes grew heavy again and he felt safe enough to go back to sleep.

Right now, he misses those nights more than ever before. Those nights when he’d been so filled with anticipation for the next Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Back then, they would last for hours on end and no one would complain. But right now, he is sitting in Mike Wheeler’s own basement, alone. He had finally wrangled the boys into agreeing to play with him, but now they were nowhere to be found.

He’s been waiting down there for nearly half an hour. He had set everything up perfectly, unrolled his sleeping bag, double checked that everything was set up perfectly, drawn a quick sketch on a nearby piece of paper, and then realized that no, they weren’t coming.

He jumps upon hearing a knock on the door, but his shoulders slump back down when it opens to reveal Karen Wheeler.

“Hey, honey” she says in her sweet mom voice, “Would you like a snack or something to drink?”

Will shakes his head sadly, “No thanks, Mrs. Wheeler.” This is the third time she’s offered. He feels the embarrassment burn hot on his cheeks.

She sighs and looks back over her shoulder, towards the front door, “I’m sure he’ll be here soon. He’s probably just late.”

He nods in response, but knows the truth. They had all stood him up, probably for their respective girlfriends. Maybe they forgot, or maybe they remembered and did it anyway. Karen hesitates next to the door for a few moments. Her motherly instinct is pushing her towards him, to comfort him, to apologize for her stupid son. She pushes these feelings away, like she often does, and turns to leave. As the basement door clicks shut, he looks at the board and dice he had laid out. How long had it been since they had last all gotten together? Too long. He had even tried to make it easier on Mike by planning the campaign himself, albeit it wasn’t a very good one because it was his first try. He had done everything he could to make them want to play. He feels anger bubble up in his chest, he shouldn’t have to make his friends want to hang out with him.

With hot tears burning the back of his eyes, he starts to angrily put away his game. He can’t believe he has fallen for this. He can’t believe his friends couldn’t set aside one night to spend time together. If “falling in love” means ditching the people who love and care about you, then he wants no part of it.

He shoves the sketch in his bag and heads for the sleeping bag he had laid out. As he bends over to roll it up, he hears the door suddenly open and footsteps rushing down the stairs. He stands up so fast he nearly hits his head on the table.

“BYERS!” He hears the boys shout in unison, then he sees their feet poke out from the top of the staircase.

“You’re here.” He says, barely able to contain the smile on his face, “You came.”

Mike, Dustin, and Lucas rush into the room, panting heavily. Will notices that they’re sweating and wonders what on earth they could have been doing before they got there. Mike is the first to talk, as usual.

“We came as fast as we could.”

“What happened?” Will asks, curiosity piqued at their red faces and heaving chests.

“Mike wanted to surprised you and-“ Lucas starts, instantly cut off by Mike himself.

“I planned a new campaign, I hope that’s okay.” Will nods, confused but simultaneously excited. Mike is looking at him like he did when the mind flayer possessed him, like he’s checking him for injuries or emotional distress. Will hopes that it’s not noticeable he’d been on the verge of tears moments ago.

“Why’d you plan a new campaign?”

“So we could squeeze in a few more players.” Dustin responds just as Eleven and Max come down the stairs, arms filled with sodas from the kitchen. They’re thanking Mrs. Wheeler as they close the door and their eyes turn to meet Will’s. They both wave at him excitedly, like they’re here just to see him.

“I thought you might enjoy it if we had a few more people” Mike adds sheepishly, then raises up the grocery bags Will hadn’t noticed were in his hands, “and Max insisted we pick up some snacks first.”

“If Mike would stop complaining and listen to me for five seconds he would know that I said ‘if this is really going to be a surprise we should go all out and get Will’s favorite snack, too’.”

“My favorite snack?” He questions, because his brain can’t comprehend someone actually paying enough attention to him to know what his favorite snack is.

Max sticks her hand into one of the bags Mike is holding, fishing around and pulling out a canister of Cheez Balls, “These are your favorite, right?”

Will can’t believe she actually remembered. He reaches out for them, and she pops off the lid and hands them over.

“I like your costume,” Eleven says as she passes by him with Dustin and Lucas following her towards the table. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard her compliment him. He blushes and shoves a Cheez Ball in his mouth to give his hands something to do.

“We’re a half hour late and you still haven’t set up the game?” Lucas teases, gesturing to the empty table. Mike starts to rattle off a brief summary of the campaign he had planned while Will turns to Max.

“You actually want to play this?” He asks her hesitantly. She hands him a cold sprite with a smile on her face.

“Totally. It sounds awesome.” She sounds...genuine. He stares at her for longer than he means to, analyzing her face to make sure she really wants to be here, “Mike said I can be a zoomer.”

With that, she turns back to Mike, paying close attention so she’s not completely lost when the game starts.

Will also attempts to listen to Mike as he talks and sets up the game, but he can feel tears settling onto his lower lid. He watches everyone else move around the room unloading snacks and setting up sleeping bags to prepare for a night in. A hand is on his shoulder in an instant.

“Hey, are you okay?” Mike asks him in signature Wheeler fashion. Will blinks a few times to clear away the water in his eyes. He quietly thanks whatever god might be out there for giving him such amazing friends. He doesn’t even care anymore that they stood him up before because he can’t find it in himself to be angry when they did all this for him.

“Yeah,” He grins, hands coming back to the hem of his costume, “I’m just really happy.”

Mike smiles back at him, a silent apology in his eyes for the times he had stood Will up before.

“Thank you.” Will adds, voice hardly above a whisper. He untangles his hands from the purple fabric and pulls Mike in for a tight hug.

And believe it or not, it was the single best campaign Will had ever been in. That was, until the next time, and then the time after that, and so on. Will Byers would never be heard asking for a day free of girls again because, as it turns out, they’re pretty damn awesome.

[afterglowparker]

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Pairing: Peter Parker x Vietnamese!Reader

Word Count: 1,967

Warnings: None!! It’s all fluff!! And you get to learn a bit more about the Vietnamese culture!

Summary: You share one of your favorite holidays with your boyfriend, Peter Parker.

A/N: I want to start off by saying: chúc mừng năm mới! In other words (English): happy new year! If you weren’t already aware, this past Tuesday we celebrated Vietnamese New Year/Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year. As today would technically be the third day of celebrating, it is for that reason I have decided to post today: it’s the day to celebrate with friends! I am so excited to share this piece with you, as the New Year is always one of my favorite times of the year. Additionally, I just never get to see Asian readers represented in fics! I hope you enjoy this piece!

*It is important for me to say that what I have written in this story is based off my own experiences and family traditions. Everyone celebrates the New Year in their own way; this will not be a perfect representation of all the families that celebrate this wonderful holiday!

**Also tumblr decided to try me and gave me trouble when I tried to post it the first time. It then deleted it. :’) So hopefully this still came out good.

“So this Tuesday is Tết, in other words, it’s Vietnamese New Year. It’s usually celebrated over three days, but my family just celebrates the first day. The other two are for extended family and friends, respectively, so to speak.”

You had been explaining the upcoming celebration, since Peter had been curious as to why your Mom had been baking up a storm in the kitchen when he arrived at your apartment to study for your upcoming biology test. Currently, you both were sat across from each other on your bed, textbooks and notes spread all around you, as you worked through the study guide. You were leaning against the headboard of your Queen sized bed as Peter was hunched over slightly, his legs crossed and his left elbow resting on his knee so he could support his head. He had been asking you questions for the past five minutes.

“But the Calendar says Chinese New Year?” Peter replied, confusion written across his face.

“Well, they’re celebrated on the same day. More than just the Chinese celebrate the New Year. Some people call it Lunar Year to be more inclusive of everyone celebrating. My family just prefers to call it Vietnamese New Year.”

Peter nodded along as you spoke and you could practically see the questions popping up behind his eyes in that busy mind of his.

“So why is your mom baking everything on a Saturday?”

“Well, it’s harder to get the entire family together on a Tuesday, what with work and all the cousins who are in school. It’s just easier to celebrate tomorrow. Plus, it’s Super Bowl Sunday, so the Uncles will have something to occupy themselves with.”

“That’s cool…what else does your family usually do to celebrate?”

“You certainly are inquisitive today,” you spoke with a soft smile on your lips, “I don’t know. The usual I guess. We eat food, drink, play games…the Uncles get the bros back together to be bros while all the Aunts talk about life and their kids. The cousins usually just go to a room and hangout. There’s also firecrackers. OH AND RED ENVELOPES. I don’t know how I almost forgot that, especially since that’s a pretty big thing for us. The younger kids in particular are big fans of them. ”

“Why?”

“Cuz they have money in them. In my family we receive the envelopes so long as we are going to school.”

“Oh, that’s actually really cool…” Peter trailed off. You turned the page in your textbook, thinking Peter was done with his inquiries, but as you went to ask him a question, he cut you off before you could speak. “Okay but does the envelope mean anything? Like specifically? Cuz you said red. Why can’t I get like…a blue envelope or something?”

Had anyone but Peter been asking you as many questions you might have been annoyed, but you also didn’t mind sharing about your culture.

“Well, red symbolizes good luck. The elders give the red envelopes to the younger kids as a way of wishing them well-wishes, so to speak, for the New Year. In return, we wish them well-wishes too. Y’know. They wish us a happy new year and for us to have wealth, health, good grades…We wish them a happy new year and health and happiness…stuff like that.”

“I like that.” Peter said, looking at you thoughtfully. You tapped the pen in your hand against your lips before speaking up again.

“Would you like to come with me to my Aunt’s house to celebrate the New Year with my family?”

Peter’s eyes lit up as he sat up, his back straightening from his hunched position.

“Really? You’d want me to come with?”

“Well, yeah. I was gonna ask before, but I wasn’t sure if you’d wanna go, what with it being a family event full of members of my family you’ve never met before. That can be a bit daunting. Plus my family can be overwhelming.” You finished with a laugh.

“Y/N, I would love to go with you. As long as you’re okay with that and so is your family, I want to celebrate with you! It’s part of your culture and part of who you are. And I love you. So I want to learn and be familiar with every single thing that makes you, you.”

The soft smile that had been present on your face through the duration of your conversation stretched to reach your eyes. Leaning forward, you gripped the collar of Peter’s grey pullover in your right hand, pulling him closer to place a kiss on his lips.

“Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?”

-

“Y/N, aren’t we gonna be late?” Peter questioned, looking at his phone with the hand that wasn’t wrapped around your shoulder, which showed him that it was already close to 2pm; you said the party was supposed to start then.

“Oh, no we’re fine. No one actually shows up on time. We’ll all probably be there around 3-3:30.”

“Really? That’s kinda late. Why don’t you guys just say the party is at that time then?”

“Cuz then no one would show up until like 4-4:30. It’s just the way my family is, Peter,” You glanced up at him and placed a kiss on his cheek, “don’t worry, we’re fine time-wise.”

-

True to your word, you were strolling up to your Aunt’s house, hand-in-hand, about an hour later. On your way to the door, Peter noticed a tree decorated with envelopes, which he promptly asked you to explain.

“Later, we are gonna get to choose an envelope from the tree. Just a little extra luck.”

Pausing before ringing the doorbell, you turned to speak to Peter.

“You ready to meet the rest of my obnoxious family?”

Peter smiled and brought your hand up to his lips, so he could press a kiss to your knuckles.

“Don’t worry, babe, your entire family is gonna love me,” Peter said feigning confidence, his act not as strong as he had hoped.

“You nervous?”

“Terrified.”

You squeezed his hand and leaned up on your toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Don’t worry, you’re right. They will.”

Turning back around, your rang the doorbell and soon enough, you were greeted by the face of one of your Aunts, who quickly opened the door and ushered Peter and you inside.

Immediately, Peter began to take his shoes off, remembering the unspoken rule you had in your own home, and took note of all of your family members crammed into the house. Peter remembered you mentioning you had a large family, but this was so much more than he imagined---a definite change from just May and him. You dragged Peter around the room, greeting your various family members, being sure to find your Grandma first. You bowed and gave your Grandma a hug while greeting her, as was tradition---Peter quick to follow your actions of bowing. You smiled, loving the effort he was making to be respectful and absorb the different aspects of your culture. Continuing through the room, you introduced the remaining family members to your boyfriend, who would give them an uneasy smile and try his best to make small talk. Your Aunts and cousins poked fun of him, as if he was family---they had quickly warmed up to him.

-

You had been explaining the different foods Peter pointed to, as he insisted on trying everything. So far you had worked your way through bánh hỏi, bún riêu, the pineapple buns, the egg custards, bánh bèo---at which point you explained to Peter what nước chấm was. He was not fond of the idea.

“Fish sauce?! You just pour it on top?” His nose was slightly wrinkled and you laughed.

“Trust me, it tastes really good. You don’t even think about the fact that what your eating is covered in fish sauce.”

Your family always had a widespread of food, making sure that everyone would be full and happy on the joyous occasion.

“And what’s this?”

“Uh…chicken alfredo pasta from Costco?” You laughed as Peter’s face filled with a blush, “And before you ask, the tray that my mom brought is full of cupcakes, and the tray by the end of the table is barbecue chicken.”

Peter rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh at me, I was just pointing to random things and didn’t think about it. Also everything up until this point has been Vietnamese food, so my brain was just on auto-pilot,” he picked up a piece of bread and took a bite, “and yes, I know this is bread,” his sentence slightly muffled due to the food in his mouth.

“Hey,” you said, snatching the bread from his hand, “this is NOT just bread. It’s better than that. I can’t explain it, this bread is just better than regular bread.”

Peter nodded his head as he swallowed.

“I actually understand what you mean.”

-

Peter was standing next to you, waiting for the next part of the party to happy, which you had excitedly informed his was the passing out of envelopes. As you received your first envelope, he watched you accept it with two hands and recite the words you told Peter were tradition. Much to his surprise, your Mom approached him next and handed him an envelope. Peter went to accept the envelope, only for your Mom to pull it away quickly.

“This envelope is for you,” she started, making Peter begin to sweat, “if you can properly wish me a happy new year.”

You started to laugh, as you figured your Mom would do this. She lived for moments like this! It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Peter viciously butchered the pronunciation of the saying---your entire family had heard him do so early as you tried to teach him. The tips of Peter’s ears began to burn as they turned red and he shakily said the four words.

“Ch-uc MuNG Num MuY.”

Certain letters were hit a little to hard and he added a sound here and there, but it was clear what he was trying to say and just how much effort he put into saying it. Lowering the envelope into Peter’s two awaiting hands, your Mom smiled fondly.

“Chúc Mừng Năm Mới, to you too, Peter.”

-

After the envelopes had been passed out (Peter received one from every single family member, same as you; he also had to shakily wish them all a happy new year) amongst the family, the day progressed into more fun. Your family played a couple of different games; in particular, Peter was fond of Bầu Cua, even if he wasn’t the best at it. He had won the jackpot in BINGO though, which he was very proud of. There had been a long line of firecrackers set off, which made your ears ring and Peter’s head throb due to his heightened senses, but he had enjoyed nonetheless; it was fun watching everyone rush out of the house to gather around and watch the event. Not to mention Peter got along swimmingly with your cousins, old and young. They wouldn’t say it to his face, but they also loved having him around.

You were back at Peter’s apartment now, laying on his bed and watching re-runs of your favorite show. Peter felt the smile that hadn’t left his face for the better half of the day widen, and he pressed a soft kiss to your hair. You shifted your head at the feeling, looking up at Peter.

“What?” You question, your expression matching his.

“Thank you for inviting me today, Y/N. I had a really great time.”

You placed a gentle kiss to Peter’s lips.

“Anytime. Happy New Year’s, Peter.”

[jincherie]

a day full of nothing but small tragedies... | yixing

⇒ a little piece i started last year for hybrid! yixing/lay and haven’t finished since. I don’t think I’ll be continuing it anytime soon so I may as well share!!! I think from memory it tied into the universe I made for chanyeol’s fic || 2.3k words

The day had been full of nothing but small tragedies thus far. First, you’d somehow managed to sleep through all seven of your alarms— all of which were in place in case you slept through the ones before them, of course. Second, your sibling had stayed over the night before and taken a shower before leaving in the morning— a long shower. When you’d leapt into the stream of water, rushing to make up for a solid hour of lost time, and not bothered to check the temperature you had been treated to the deluxe experience of icy cold water running straight down your back. Needless to say you had leapt back out with a scream faster than you’d managed to get in in the first place. And after that, you were out of milk, despite the fact you’d seen a whole half bottle in the fridge the night before (your sibling was getting a year-long ban from your house) which meant you could have neither your usual cereal nor coffee— and at this point you would have sold your sibling for a mocha.

Your boss hadn’t been too mad when you’d finally rocked up to work (in the end you’d decided to screw rushing and got ready in enough time that you felt better about yourself but still hurried a little). However, you had a feeling that was because a lot of the morning deliveries had been cancelled and you were only five minutes late for the first on of the morning.

Throughout most of your deliveries you managed to stay sane, despite the constant misfortune that seemed so keen to find you today. Finally a bit after midday you made it to your last delivery, smiling when you saw the address, then dropping the expression just as fast when you saw the box. What the hell did a hybrid shelter even need to order that took up a box that big? You tried lifting it a bit to gauge its weight and sputtered. What the fresh heck was in there?! You weren’t looking forward to carrying it into the store.

You arrived quickly at the Exotic Dusk Shelter and sighed before grabbing the necessities and attempting to lift the box. You managed to get it out of the truck, and decided to place it down while you locked it up. You’d thought it was a pretty wise decision, until you had to lift the box back up again. You groaned, people walking by giving you a variety of strange looks. You stared at them until they looked away, and then proceeded to shuffle carefully to the door of the shelter, grumbling the whole way.

You had never really understood struggle until you tried fitting that box through the shelter door. You would try to go to a backdoor but there weren’t any that led to the shop at the front. You pushed and pulled and cursed, wondering where that smug black cat Chen was. Usually he would be around to tease you by now and you kind of needed the interaction to vent you current frustration. You opened you mouth to call out to him, giving a strong pull at the box wedged in the doorway at the same time, when it gave way and finally popped through. You weren’t ready at all and it knocked you onto the floor, too heavy for you to shove off by yourself. What was in here?!

“CHEN!” you shrieked as you went down, groaning at the weight. You could still breathe but the positioning wasn’t exactly comfortable and you were struggling with movement. Why had the fates taken such a disliking to you on this day in particular?

You knew the cat had heard your distressed call and come to check it out when you heard loud, boisterous laughter from where you knew the door to the back rooms to be.

“Stop laughing and come help me you jerk! What is even in here?!” you cried, face flushing a little in embarrassment when he laughed harder. “Chen I swear to god I will pull—“

The hybrid with raven locks was still laughing as he scampered over and rolled the box off of you, giving you a hand up.

Glad that affair was over, you hit the smirking feline with your clipboard and cursed. “Chen you are so rude, I almost died!”

He snickered. “Yeah, but I saved you. You clutz.”

You looked at Chen, squinting as you observed the bubbly grin on his face, the bright eyes and joyful bounce in his usually sly step. “What’s got you so over the moon? Also I need you to sign here.”

Chen took the offered clipboard and pen and signed for the delivery before handing it back and bouncing happily. “That person I told you about came by today and Chanyeol got adopted! I have a really good feeling about this one, y/n!”

You squealed, letting Chen clutch your hands as you both bounced together excitedly. “Oh my god, really?! Oh I’m so glad, he deserves to have a home and someone to rely on permanently. When did this happen?!”

“They came by the other week, but finished paying and picked him up earlier this morning.” Chen purred, eyes forming crescents in his elation and sharper than human canines glinting with his wide grin.

You felt like you could float you were so happy Chanyeol had finally seemed to find a forever home. “This is great! I hope he’s happy.”

Chen nodded, seeming to calm a little but unable to rid his face of the grin. “He adores them.” He purred, nudging your ribs playfully. You grinned.

“Ah,” you started suddenly, remembering the other thing you needed to give the hybrid. “I almost forgot.”

Reaching into your satchel you pulled out three stapled booklets, holding them out to Chen whose eyes lit up in recognition. “I printed the latest Spliced updates for Sehun and Tao. I gave them a quick glance, I think things really start heating up in these ones. The next few updates are going to be hectic.”

Chen took them from your hand, gratitude shining in his eyes. “Thank you for printing them, Tao and Sehun have been bugging me nonstop about when the next updates will be out and they refuse to read anything else that doesn’t have hybrids as main characters. Believe me, I’ve tried. They’ll be over the moon to get these.” He smiled.

You returned the grin before starting as you checked your watch. A parcel was getting delivered soon and you had to be home to receive it. You explained this to Chen and he nodded, bidding you farewell and telling you to drop by again soon, a large smile still donning his face as he clutched the printed webcomic updates you’d given him. You left after waving back, affronted by a sudden downpour the second you left the shelter, getting soaked to the bone in mere moments.

Thunder cracked as you hopped into your van. Today just wasn’t your day.

 xxxxxx

By the time you got home it was late and the streets were dark, rain coming down just as heavily as it had been when you left the shelter. After being kept in traffic that was the worst possible combination of inner-city madness and wet weather traffic, you’d somehow managed to catch every single red light on the way. At this point you were above being bitter, you were simply amazed at how terrible your luck had been the whole day. It was truly incredible.

You’d even completely forgotten about your package, too focused on trying to preserve what little dryness you’d managed to create on your body during the drive home as you hurried into your home, until you got a good five steps into your kitchen. You cursed, looking balefully out the window at the unfortunate weather. The post office was where your package had most likely been sent, and that was just a little ways down the road. You didn’t want to bother driving, it was too close and honestly didn’t appeal to you at all, so with a sigh you slipped your shoes back on with a wet squelch and fumbled out the door and into the rain once more. You could console yourself with a hot chocolate from the café next to the post office.

You ordered your hot chocolate first, slipping into the warmth of the café and shivering in delight. You decided to treat yourself, purchasing two hot chocolates— you were cold and honestly you knew yourself well enough to know you would crave another afterwards anyways. Another day you might have gotten a coffee instead but you could get that at home— right now what your house lacked was hot chocolate. You even splurged a bit and got cream on top.

While your order was being made you ducked into the post office and picked up your package (it was a videogame— you had priorities) and purchased an umbrella while you were there. You didn’t actually have one and days like this reminded you of their necessity. You quickly dashed back to get your drinks with a smile to the barista before exiting just as swiftly and beginning the miserable trek up a hill to your apartment complex. There were a few buildings and shops along the way, and usually you would ignore the dark alleys in between structures in favour of rushing home and getting that hill over and done with, but this time something caught your attention. There was shuffling as you passed one of the larger alleys, the sound of scuffling and rustling behind one of the large dumpsters. Curious (it was a bad habit of yours), you leaned in and paused in your determined trek home.

You weren’t disappointed; the noise came again and this time it was followed by a small splash, and then a bang, and then a pained whimper.

You hurried closer quietly, peering around the edge of the dumpster, rain pattering heavily against your new umbrella and dripping in torrents off the side. You were startled, to say the least, at the sight of a male hybrid curled up against the wall and dumpster, shivering and soaked to the bone. His eyes were screwed shut and his ears were flattened against his head (probably to keep the water out, you reasoned), and he probably hadn’t heard you approach over the thunderous noise of the rain.

With instant sympathy for his soaked situation, you crouched, placing your drinks on the ground in favour of holding your umbrella up and gently placing a hand on the hybrid’s shoulder. He was startled, but you’d sort of expected it. He looked like a stray, but you couldn’t tell how long he had been that way. Beautiful feline eyes caught yours and if you’d had any question as to what kind of hybrid he was those golden orbs answered it. For a moment you were disarmed at the open way you could read his emotions just from his eyes. He was scared.

You smiled softly, trying to soothe him. A hand reached down and grabbed one of the warm drinks you’d intended on consuming. You held it out for him, trying to exude patience and convey how truly harmless you were. You held the umbrella over both of you.

“You don’t have to have it if you don’t want to, but the hot chocolates from that café are incredible and I bought two. You look like you could use something warm,” you grinned, eyes closing momentarily. “I even got cream.”

The hybrid seemed dubious but the more he searched your gaze for anything malicious, the more he seemed to come up empty. Finally he eased a little, reaching a trembling hand to take the drink from you. You beamed, shifting to adjust the package under your arm.

“I really like your eyes. Are you a cat hybrid? Do you have a name?” you asked, probably rushing into things too soon.

He sipped the hot chocolate, eyes fluttering closed for a moment before they opened again and he took a larger drink, nodding. “My name is Yixing, but my… they called me Lay.”

You tilted your head a little. “Which do you prefer?”

He seemed taken aback at your question, pausing mid-sip. “Yixing.” He mumbled.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Yixing. I’m y/n,” you smiled, finding it cute how he hid his face behind the papery cup containing his drink. “Do you… Do you have somewhere you can go? This weather isn’t very friendly.”

You caught the sadness the second it entered his eyes and knew even before he shook his head that the answer was no. Your smile was gentle as you shifted a little in your crouch to ease the pressure on your legs.

“Well, how about this then. I live a little further down the road, and I have a spare bedroom in my apartment and a ton of blankets and towels. You’re very welcome to stay the night and clean up, have a warm shower or a bath, and something to eat if you’d like. You won’t have an obligation to stay, or to leave. You can do as you wish.” You offered, a small smile on your lips. As an afterthought and in an effort to ease any worries he might have, you added, “You won’t owe me for this, nothing is expected of you if you decide to stay.”

Yixing bit his lip, hands wrapped around the hot chocolate you had given him. He looked uncertain, uneasy yet desperate to get out of the cold and wet. You kept a patient look, trying not to seem too overjoyed when he softly agreed. You couldn’t help but grin.

“Excellent!” you cheered, easing up and holding out a hand. “Come on, the sooner we get there and out of this rain the better.”

He took your offered help, standing on shaky legs and swaying. He ended up leaning against you as you walked. His tattered crimson turtleneck did nothing to protect him from the harmful weather and he shivered and quaked against your frame the whole way home.

[todisturbtheuniverse]

2018 Year End Writing Review

Even though I haven’t been posting much fic around these parts, it’s become something of an annual tradition to look back on the year’s progress, writing-wise.

The short version: I wrote 500,206 words this year, and spent about 364 hours doing it. Since I wrote 500,017 words last year, I fully expected this year to be kind of a dip year, but instead, I’ve written a million words in the last two years. That is...pretty damn neat, honestly.

The long version, if you’re interested in a load of stuff I couldn’t post here:

What I worked on:

More of that 2013 NaNo novel. The whale, as I called it in my last year-end report. It is still that. I still love it, I still hate it, I will keep chipping away at it. I did a huge re-outline of it earlier this year and began redrafting, but late in the year I largely shelved it to focus on another project that I felt was closer to being “done” (see below).

A second draft of the novella whose first draft I finished near the end of 2017. Is it still going to be a novella when it’s done? Fuck if I know. We’ll find out eventually. This is another project I stalled on and ended up shelving near the end of the year, but I’m hoping to pick it up again in 2019 and push forward.

An old romance novel concept that I’d dropped a few years back. I picked it up again, gave it a bit of a polish, a new outline, and got some chapters written. I’m planning on pushing forward with this, too, so that the next time a certain publisher sends out their open call again that I’ll be ready to submit.

Writing the recaps for our group’s first Pathfinder game, which I was a player/recordkeeper for. They were narrative recaps. They were detailed. They took a lot of time. But I’m glad to have the record.

Worldbuilding and story prep for the Pathfinder game I started running in late September. I started working on this in March, for an introductory one-shot that I ran in May, and then continued working on it throughout the summer--and beyond, of course, because even while the game is now being played, there’s a whole wide world to develop. This is my happy sandbox place, where I get to put things like villages with sod roof houses and vast cities built into an ancient forest and twisty pantheons. Sometimes I feel crushed beneath the anxiety of actually running the game--I would probably do better with a system like 5E, with less goddamn crunch--but just creating for this place is usually a joy. 

Fic. I revisited Inquisition and Mass Effect; branched into Star Wars: Rebels; and got really, really into Stardew Valley (more fic definitely to come on that front). I’ve really allowed fic to become my happy, easy place this year; it’s not something I do unless I’m really just feeling like relaxing, and that’s really nice. But I don’t necessarily post it, unless I feel it’s ready to face the world...and sometimes, I write things that just won’t see the light of day. I’m becoming more comfortable with that. Sometimes it feels like writing without a purpose, but sometimes the purpose of entertaining myself is enough, yeah?

There was a real variety in what I wrote this year. I always felt like I had something I could work on, and this list doesn’t even really encompass the random new ideas that I scribbled down during weekly prompt sprints/while on walks/shower thoughts/etc. I had a lot of options, a lot of things in various stages of creation (brainstorming, outlining, first draft, second draft, eighth draft, whatever). So even when I was stuck on one thing, I could progress on another.

But how well did I stick to the goals I set last year? Ehhh.

Last Year’s Goals

Spend a little time writing every day: This was probably the smartest of my goals. Committing myself to spend a little time--even just five minutes--writing daily leads to me writing more, overall. And I did a fair job of it, writing somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of days every month. This is the goal I did best with, and it’s one I want to keep.

No word count goal: I’m pretty sure I set this goal and forgot all about it. I crave word count goals. I love them. They feed me. I set a bunch of them, month by month. I’m not sure they’re totally nutritious, though. More about that later.

Permission to write ficlets, drabbles, and even multi-chaptered fics as I want to: I did write--and post--more fic this year than in 2017, 35,221 words to AO3 and much more that didn’t get posted. But still hardly any, compared to my previous output. There was a different category of writing that kind of sucked up the time I would usually use for polishing fic, I think: building a world/campaign for a new Pathfinder game.

Get back to These Chains: I did not. *the world’s longest sigh* I was so optimistic when I first started posting this thing. I had it pretty much fully outlined and a draft halfway written, so I figured I would have no trouble keeping up a posting schedule, but. That didn’t happen, and then the thing has languished, and given everything that happened in 2018 I just didn’t have time to get back to it. Someday. I hope.

So. What have we learned?

Well, there’s a thing I’m good at, and a thing I’m comfortable with, and a thing I like doing above all else, and that’s churning out a first draft. Working on a new thing. Spitting out words haphazardly. That’s how I, personally, wrote a million words in two years. I love it. It feeds my soul.

But something needs to change if I ever want to really finish these six hundred projects I’m juggling with increasingly frantic speed. And fuck, do I. I feel like my 2013 NaNo novel has potential, but for five years now that’s all it’s been--potential, locked up behind five additional drafts which have not been so much refined as have been entirely new drafts. I don’t like editing. It’s hard and annoying and at the end of two hours I feel like I have pretty much nothing to show for it. No nice numbers I can plug into my fancy spreadsheet. Maybe less words than I began with. Probably less words than I began with, actually.

But editing is probably hard for me because it’s not something I like to practice, so I haven’t. Not with any real dedication. And with that in mind...

Goals for 2019

Write, brainstorm, or edit a little bit every day. I’m starting off easy in January with a totally attainable goal of 5 minutes per day, which I will surely overshoot, but toward the end of last year I really fell out of the habit of writing or writing-adjacent activities, and it showed in how my word count and time spent dropped. Habits help me, so I’m going to re-establish some good habits.

Learn some different editing techniques, and practice them. In particular, I try to do everything at once when I edit, and I want to try that top down method of: one pass for worldbuilding, one pass for plot structure, one pass for character arcs, one pass for dialogue, etc., etc.

Remember to do your fun writing when you need it. There could always stand to be more fic in the world, after all.

And that’s that! Here we go into 2019. I hope all of your creative endeavors, whatever they may be, meet with much success.

[bibliosexxual]

Hey guys! I’ve gotten a lot of new followers lately, so I thought I’d do a little summary of what’s been going on my blog so far this year to update you all.

I’ve been unusually prolific, so I’ve got a lot of new Sterek fics up, including some old WIPs I updated this year.

So, without further ado, here’s the masterpost, as of early May 2017. Happy reading!! And let me know if you think a post like this for my older fics would be helpful as well.

EDIT: Almost forgot, I’ve marked the most popular fics with a ❤.

*

rich!Derek first date drabble (on tumblr) ~1300 words | E

Out of necessity, Derek has fine-tuned a few simple tests for anyone he goes on a first date with.

the kid!fic (on tumblr) ~2300 words | Teen

“Do you think I’m ready for fatherhood?” Stiles asks, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He’s not freaking out about this. He’s not.

Boyd says flatly, “Stilinski, you’re twenty-one years old. You’re supposed to know how to use a condom by now.“

Stiles’ hand spasms and he accidentally squirts a huge glob of ketchup on his mound of curly fries. Fuck. He has the ideal ketchup-to-curly-fry ratio down to a science, and this is not it. “No, absolutely not what I meant. It’s just. Did you know Derek had a kid?”

❤ stress baking (on tumblr, AO3) ❤ ~1500 words | Gen

From the prompt, “You bake when you’re stressed and sometimes you give me cookies, but recently you’re giving me whole baskets each day, now I’m not complaining but are you okay?” 

❤ the flight to hawaii (drabble on tumblr) ❤ ~900 words | Teen

Jake runs a hand through his sandy blond prince-charming hair and snorts. “Please, this relationship is over when I say it is. Or do you seriously think anyone else is lining up to date you?”

For a moment Stiles is actually speechless, because how has he spent the last three months thinking this guy was attractive? How did he overlook this level of douchebaggery? Some kind of witchcraft, probably.

That’s when the guy in the row ahead of them turns around in his seat, looks Stiles straight in the eye, and says without even one hint that he’s joking, “I would date you.”

❤ the engagement (on tumblr, AO3)  ❤ 1595 words | Gen

The whole thing starts with Stiles really, really craving a meatball sub from the place across the street.

❤ the saga of the valentine’s day cucumber (on tumblr) ❤ 616 words | Teen

Drabble based on the prompt,

I JUST SERVED A CUSTOMER AND THEY WERE PURCHASING A CUCUMBER AND THEY WENT

“It’s for Valentine’s Day”

I REPLIED

“You must be lonely?”

THEY REALISED WHAT I MEANT AND NOW I’M SAT WITH A COMPLAINANT FORM IN FRONT OF ME.

❤ the nerd party, AKA the bookstore!AU (on AO3) ❤ ~4400 words | Teen

From the prompt, “We both tried to grab at the last copy of that desired book at the same time and had a tug of war.” HS!AU in which Derek is crushing hard and Stiles might not be as observant as he thinks he is.

Sterek doctors!AU (on tumblr) ~2000 words | Teen

A ficlet in which Stiles and Derek are coworkers at the hospital, Stiles accidentally (?) becomes Derek’s new roommate, and there is pining. Basically the outcome of my addiction to House, M.D.

you know you’re on my mind (WIP on AO3) 8164 words | Teen

The pen pal AU where Derek lives in California and Stiles lives in Poland. Long-distance pining, whoo!

draw me like one of your french girls (on tumblr: part 1, part 2) 3687 words | Teen

College AU + art student AU + nude modeling AU.

❤ accidentally? (on tumblr, AO3) ❤ 3683 words | Mature

Based on the prompt,

boss: “know why I called you in here?” me: “because I accidentally sent you a dick pic” boss [stops pouring 2 glasses of wine]: “accidentally?”

yup.

❤  breaking & entering (on tumblr, AO3) ❤ 4161 words | Teen

Based on the prompt, “[burglar gently wakes me] You live like this?" In which Derek Hale deserves nice things (and gets them).

prince in training (on tumblr) ~3000 words | Teen

Based on the prompt, “i grew up not knowing i was royal and now i guess i’m heir to a throne and you’re the guy who’s supposed to be teaching me how to be royal bc i suck at it and oops we made out”

❤ gorgeous beards of BHU (on tumblr, AO3) ❤ 2239 words | Teen

There are a lot of reasons Stiles is pretty sure Erica is his platonic soulmate. Her brilliant innuendos. Her epic dance moves. Her stubborn refusal to back down from things that scare her. The fact that her comic book collection is even bigger than Stiles’. And, of course, her @gorgeousbeards_of_bhu instagram account.

Or,

In which Erica posts a picture of a gorgeous mystery man to her Instagram and Stiles has to know who it is.

the roommate (on tumblr: part 1, part 2) ~1900 words | Teen

In which Stiles and Scott get a terrifying-except-not new roommate thanks to Craigslist.

❤ little spoon (on tumblr: part 1, 2; AO3) ❤ 6455 words | Teen

To save money while attending college in NYC, Stiles and Derek decide to rent one tiny apartment together. With one bed.

the blazing bombardier (on tumblr) 1670 words | Teen

Fluffy summertime meet-cute in which Stiles loves roller coasters and Derek really, really does not.

the valentine’s day showdown (on tumblr) ~4000 words | Teen

So Stiles and Erica have this competitive flirting/wooing thing going. This totally-mutually-agreed-upon-to-be-platonic competitive flirting/wooing thing. Every Valentine’s Day Eve, Erica gets him good, and every Valentine’s Day, Stiles gets her back, thoroughly.

Except this year things don’t go quite according to plan.

❤ on the bus (on AO3) ❤ 13299 words | Mature

HS!AU in which Stiles and Derek ride the bus to school together, and there are bisexual awakenings.

older!derek fic (on tumblr, AO3)   ~4000 words | Mature

Stiles likes Derek. Derek thinks he’s too old for Stiles. Meanwhile, Stiles is stubborn (and attractive).

❤ ships passing in the night (on tumblr, AO3) ❤ 1410 words | Teen

Stiles can’t say he blames Derek for quitting. Hell, this is basically the best thing to ever happen to Derek, Stiles knows that, and it’s awesome. They’d talked about their dreams, and Derek had always said he’d love to be a musician. Now his single has climbed to number eight on Billboard’s Hot 100 and his face is at the top of Stiles’ news feed every day for a week, and Stiles wouldn’t take that away from him for anything.

BUT. Just because Derek gets his dream job doesn’t mean he can just—just leave and never contact Stiles again.

Only, that’s exactly what he does.

Or, musician!Derek AU with pining.

not really casual (on tumblr, AO3) 2714 words | Teen

They meet in Biology 101. Stiles is a freshman, and he’s in this class mostly because Scott is pre-vet and Stiles signed up for all the same classes because he has no earthly idea what he wants to do, career-wise. Derek is a junior Spanish lit major taking this because he needs the gen. ed., and he’s terrible. He’s the only person in the class who’s not a freshman. He’s always a few minutes late—that’s how he ended up sitting at the table by the door with Stiles and Scott the first day—and he’s so gloomy, and he always lugs around this backpack full of Pablo Neruda books because he has a Spanish poetry class right before this one, and he takes the neatest, most meticulous class notes Stiles has ever seen. (Stiles, meanwhile, doesn’t take any notes. He takes photos of every slide with his phone as the professor talks and then spends the rest of the time goofing off quietly, doodling dumb stuff on Scott’s arm and working on five different assignments at once on his laptop.)

at the museum (on tumblr) 2452 words | Teen

Of course the first time Stiles sees Derek Hale since high school just has to be on the day he’s finally gotten Lydia from Marketing to agree to go out with him. That’s how the universe works, apparently, always giving Stiles the shittiest luck.

the hunger games AU (WIP on AO3) 7941 words | Teen

Derek shifts on his feet, says, quiet, “You must really care about him.”

“He’s my brother,” Stiles says simply. “And with his asthma, he’s—he wouldn’t have made it fifteen minutes in there. Even assuming he did, he wouldn’t kill anyone. He doesn’t have it in him.”

“And you do?” Derek asks.

Stiles stands a little straighter, looks Derek straight in the eye. “I’ll do what I have to do.” He hopes it comes out sounding more sure than he feels.

Or, in which Stiles takes Scott’s place in the arena.

***

So that’s it for this year… but the year is still young. :)