#rambler writes

[hippielittlemetalhead]

Part 3 (One of Us) of 'Never Took The Time (To Forget)' previously known as 'Hopper Adopts Steve But Make It Sad'

Part 1 (Hop fucks up), Part 2 (Pride and Prejudices: Joyce Edition)

Here's a bit more for you filthy animals 😘

Much like he's come to expect from the small soldiers these children have fashioned themselves into he's not surprised when they come pouring out of whichever of the twins' rooms they shoved themselves in like codependent sardines. He's not surprised by the looks of anger and disappointment and confusion. Claudia Henderson's kid -Dustin- looks on the edge of tears with a grim set to his mouth that reminds him of when the kid's mom is beyond words in her slow-burning fury. El and Will have matching looks of disappointed confusion.

What he's not expecting is the way Mike and the younger (usually more volatile) Sinclair are holding onto an incensed looking Lucas. Lucas who has always been the polite one when it came to addressing adults and the one to preach caution and thinking plans through. Lucas who has been quiet and withdrawn since Hop came back, spending his days at the edge of Party affairs when not helping in the rebuilding efforts around town or sitting at Max's bedside.

"What the fuck, Hopper?" The kid spits out and that seems to snap the rest of The Party into action. Will goes to join the two holding Sinclair back but Dustin starts near incoherently yelling in that screechy pitch only that kid seemed to be able to hit about bullshit cops and useless adults and to let Lucas go. "He idolized you, man! Would tell us all the time that you were 'one of the good ones' that if we ever needed anyone and he wasn't there, to find you. That you would take care of us because that's just what you did for people. Because you were good!"

"Lucas, chill out man." Mike pants though he's also glaring daggers at Hop.

This is where Joyce (god bless her) decides to step in. "Lucas, honey-" She says with her soft voice and big wet eyes and that warmth she seems to infuse into everything she touched. "It's complicated. There's some things you just don't understand and-"

"No! You two don't understand! Steve is GOOD. He's good and he cares and he takes care of everyone else and he always kept us safe." The kid seems to be losing some of his steam, pulling at his friends less and resigned to shaking in barely contained fury. "He gets hurt and he gets back up and he apologizes for taking a fall in the first place! He's just Good."

"I know he's been good to you kids and I appreciate that, I really do Lucas." Joyce says, her voice a little stronger, that steadiness returning. "Sometimes people in our lives can do bad things to others and we don't see it because we care about them and that's not always a bad thing. But we have to remember that the people who were wronged are allowed to be upset and that's normal to feel and-"

"You mean like Jonathan?" The room goes quiet. Will looks resigned but not surprised by Lucas' question but the rest of the kids look just as confused as him and Joyce. "Did you really think Steve broke his camera -in the school parking lot of all places- for the hell of it? Did you seriously never question it?"

Hop feels something twist in his gut. He had been so caught up in the search for Will and wrangling a frantic Joyce that he hadn't paid any attention to small-town squabbles like two teenagers having it out in the school parking lot, the destruction of personal property or what might have triggered it. He looks over the kids' heads to see Jonathan and his stoner buddy standing just outside his door. The friend looks confused but Jon is looking at his mom who hasn't noticed him yet like a man preparing himself for the gallows.

"Mom." Joyce's eyes snap from where they were locked on Lucas up to her oldest son. "Mom, I-"

"What are they talking about Jon?" It's quiet. Quiet and scared because everyone in the room knows that whatever secret reason Lucas (and maybe Will?) seems to be the only one to know Steve had for picking a fight isn't going to be good. Jonathan's mouth opens like he's going to say something but no words come out. "Honey, what did you do?"

"He took pictures of Steve and his friends the night Barbara Holland disappeared."

"Will?" all eyes except Lucas' (who is still glaring daggers at Hop) are on the two brothers. One scared and almost pleading the other disappointed and resolved.

"He hid in the bushes and took pictures of Steve and his friends with Nancy and Barbara. There were pictures of Barbara at the Harrington place before she died and he never told anyone. But there were also-" He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes like he can't look at his older brother who has hung his shaggy head under everyone's heavy gaze. "There were pictures of just Steve and Nancy. Alone together. In Steve's room."

There's a sharp gasp that he thinks came from Joyce but he's too busy watching the young man he's come to consider a son. His head is still lowered and his shoulders are curving in on themselves as he shakes off the hand his long-haired friend tries to place on his shoulder.

"Oh baby," Joyce's voice is wet again. A tone of horrified disappointment to it that Hop has only heard her use when talking to or about one other person. "Tell me you didn't."

"Then he-" Will clears his throat like this one is what gives him pause. "He was caught developing the pictures in the school's darkroom. All of the pictures. And he had zoomed in on Steve's window. Nancy was the center of the shot." The kid's eyes flit over to Mike (who is now turning an interesting shade of red as he glares at Jonathan) before he blushes and looks at the ground, "She uh-"

Lucas does not seem to share Will's newfound hesitance in the face of an enraged Mike Wheeler. "Most of the upperclassmen argue if she had a bra or not but they all seem to agree she didn't have a top."

"Oh my god." Everyone was frozen as Joyce began to crumble. "Oh my god." He reached out to catch her, her nails digging into his arm through his shirt sleeve as she stared unseeing at her oldest son.

Jonathan started forward. "Mom, I-" a hand in the middle of his chest stopped him. "Will, please, I need to-"

"Just stop, man." Lucas sighs. "You started this shit, you gotta deal with it before you hurt someone else besides Steve."

"I didn't mean to hurt Steve."

Hops feels himself frozen to the spot in a way he's not used to anymore these days. His mind is working overtime picking out all of the charges that could have been pressed even against a boy of 15/16 if any of the kids in Harrington's inner circle had told an actual adult about the situation. The veritable legal hell that would have been brought down on Joyce while searching for a son legally assumed dead.

"Is that what you told yourself when you helped Nancy cheat?" And it just kept getting worse.

Joyce gives off a whimper and the kids gathered make varied sounds of shock and disgust.

"They were broken up."

"Were they? Cause everybody at school and half the town seems to all know about you and Nancy disappearing together when Steve was still calling her his girlfriend and then you all showed back up to school, Steve beat to hell again and Nancy hanging all over you. The basketball team STILL talk about it."

He's heard enough. "Alright, that's it!" He yells out over the children yelling and Joyce demanding answers and Jonathan's friend trying to say something about there being some sort of explanation. "This doesn't help us help Steve."

Lucas shakes off the loose hold Erica and Mike still had on him and crosses his arms as he rolls back his shoulders and tilts his jaw up to fix him with a glare. The kid's stance is almost arrogant but Hop can't help but notice the way he rests his weight on his off side, his shoulders back and his posture straight without his chest puffing out ridiculously like Hop is used to from teenage boys gearing for a fight.

"I think you've helped enough, Hopper." It's quiet and biting and he lets himself have a moment of grief for the childhood these kids lost, and the fact that he's almost positive Lucas didn't pick up this easy confidence from anyone else in their monster fighting club but Steve. "You and Mrs. Byers want to play nice now cause you feel guilty and that's all well and good but what happens when Steve does something else you don't agree with without explanation? Or he and Jonathan or Nancy get in another fight? When we finally get rid of Vecna and the Upside Down for good? What happens when you don't feel guilty anymore?"

"I can't make any sort of promise you lot will believe. And lord knows I'm pretty shit at keeping them anyways. I just want to be able to try."

"He mourned you, you know. When we were told you didn't make it." That weight is back in his chest. "He held himself together around us but there were- there were moments we could tell. He and El really bonded over that. Over you. Over losing you."

"I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. You didn't want to know."

"There's no way I can make you believe me. That I want to fix this."

"We want to, Hopper." Dustin butts in, placing a hand on Lucas' shoulder and limping up next to the other boy. "But from what you and Mrs. Byers were talking about... There's just a lot that makes a lot more sense and it doesn't inspire a lot of faith in either of you."

"We need to discuss this as a Party."

"Okay."

"That means letting us take care of it. Steve's one of us and you hurt him."

"I understand."

"So you and Mrs. Byers have got to wait till we say you can talk to Steve. That he's ready for it."

"Now, kids-"

"No they're right, Joyce. We fucked it up on our own and- and he trusts these little shits more than he trusts us right now. We've gotta do the same."

Joyce sighs, "Fine."

She's not happy about it and honestly neither is he. But if the last few years and his stint in a Russian gulag and the subsequent escape taught him anything it's maybe he needs to trust his people to do what they need to do.

The kids scurry back to whichever of the Twins' room they came from, led by a newly determined and involved Lucas and a furiously muttering Dustin. Jonathan and Joyce make their way to the kitchen and Hopper decides he's going to let them have that conversation in as much privacy as they can with a house as full as theirs.

Hopper sits in the living room, runs his hands through his hair that's finally growing out and pulls them down his face before resting his chin on steepled fingers. He hates sitting and waiting and relying on someone else for the next steps. But all he can think about is the sound Steve made. The look in his eyes. The pride in his voice the last time he heard him say, "My Hop."

That's it!

He stands up so fast his bad ankle protests and his knees pop. He limps to the front door, yelling out to the house that he has to go, has something to do. Calls out he has his walkie and that El needs to be ready on time. Then he's out the door.

Part 4.1

More coming soon! Hopefully! Work went from an active team of about 12 to 5, not including the managers we lost ssssooo... Yeah fun times. 🙃

So here's a tag-list, hope I didn't miss anyone. Feel free to yell at/with me in the comments or ask box. If you see your old tag in my list tell me your new one so I can fix it.

@thelittleclare @jackiemonroe5512 @0body0disphoria0 @strangersteddierthings @lingeringmirth @dead-cherry-bitch @irethsune @ink777 @the-daydreamer-in-the-corner @ledleaf @pansexuality-activated @paintsplatteredandimperfect @kinryuuki @katdeerly @yikes-a-bee @altocumulustranslucidus @ohimamarigold @child-of-cthulhu @samsoble @sensationalsunburst @xxbottlecapx @y4r3luv @rocochen20 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @flustratedcas @rootbeerandmusic @vinteraltus

[lil-vibes]

this gets INFINITELY funnier when u know that Tachihara is in his double agent era 😭😭

[sialaterornever]

okay but.... awful idea but....

the reason why gegg didn't show up for the 3rd debate (lorewise) is that he had much bigger plans to deal with

namely the other person he had to share his mortal form with

gegg seems to have accumulated more than enough power over charlie, so it's only a matter of time before gegg attempts a split. sure, charlie's his presidential manager and shit, but gegg doesn't need someone to do what he can do himself

so on the day of the 3rd debate, gegg gives charlie a note to say that he won't make it, which charlie spreads. people and sad, boohoo, but its all part of the plan

while the debate goes on, gegg, on the eggxile island, makes his move. he splits from charlie successfully, gaining a body all to himself and still capable of geggtosis

however, charlie recieves the painful end of this dulled knife, as gegg takes away most, if not all of charlies memories in order to become president and eventually bring the island into geggarchy. charlie is left, quite like gegg, as a child, mentally and maybe even physically since gegg also takes at least half of charlie's body mass to create his separate form

then comes cucurucho. sent by the federation when they noticed gegg split from charlie. the bear breaks down charlie's door, down the ladder to the basement, but doesn't find charlie or gegg. until it sees the small child rooting through a chest that looks suspiciously like charlie. it goes through the motions, momentarily scares the kid before he clings onto the bear like a company mascot and babbles something that is definitely not a human language

meanwhile gegg is being gegg without the shackles of charlie slimecicle holding him down

back in the house, cucurucho just stealing the idiot child and bringing him to the federation for reasons i haven't made up yet and just turning charlie into part of the federation or some shit idk how things work

also i don't know what's happening with the jaiden-cucurucho thing so cucurucho just appearing to jaiden with smol charlie and giving her a book like "this is your brother now." before patting her on the head and saying i hope you enjoy the island and jaiden is just like "is that charlie?????" while charlie just babbles and probably says fuck he seems like a child whose first (english) word was a swear

idk man this idea just came to me like a scripture from god but if god was satan and satan absolutely despised me because of literally everything about me

i am a 100% perfectly fine slimecicle viewer. yup. do not call for help. god cannot save what he didn't create himself.

[damatris]

Winter Winds and Snowmelt is finished!

I'm so so giddy about finishing this huge project! I never could have imagined it'd be the longest fic in geraskier tag. Thank you so very much everyone who's read it! ❤️❤️❤️

If you enjoy geraskier, found family, realistic take on mental health issues, and long fics, you might be interested in checking it!

***

Jaskier wasn't exactly sure what he had expected Kaer Morhen to be like but the keep was everything and nothing like it. The place was a dichotomy. Magnificent and sad in equal measures in its derelict state. Silent but full of noise. Cold yet filled with warmth.

But most importantly, it was Geralt's home. Seeing him so relaxed, the sharpest edges rounded down with the knowledge of being safe and surrounded by his family was a beautiful sight to behold.

Jaskier wished he too would relearn what safety felt like.

Read on AO3

[presidentofthelipglossclub]

ok i love rescue bots and the fandom but we are NOT tapping into proper fic potential ok. where are the fics about heatwave and jules verne meeting in the future? where are fics about the rescue bots’ missions/lives in space? where are the fics about them on other planets or just on cybertron? where’s the fics on frankie and heatwave talking about triple changing? where’s the fics on the rescue bots meeting team prime? where’s the fics on an au of the show where heatwave accepts optimus’ offer to join his team? WHERE ARE THE FICS??

[psychologicalwarclaire]

❤️✨️💭

♥️ Favorite Line

Oh gosh it's genuinely so difficult to pick. I poured everything I had into chapters 9, 14, 18, and 20, so those ones are full lines I agonized over.

Currently if I had to choose, I'd say: "Mikey spun his luminescent links in lethargic arcs, paying no heed to their bloody tips shedding dark droplets. Or to the soft ching… ching… ching… as they skittered over stone." from chapter 20 (that whole scene, actually) was a JOY to write.

I love any use of the ticking. Or using the word 'Lollapalooza'.

✨ Favorite Comment

I love getting each and every comment, but I do have some favorites. I screenshot the ones I really like and keep them in a special folder that I might print out one day.

Obviously @purplepixel's comment/essays are some of my favorite things in the world, specifically the one on chapter 20. like_theletter 's comment on chapter 10 is also one of my favorites. But hands down, one of the best comments I have ever received was on chapter 15 by @8rook which said, "NOOO!!! HE'S DEAD!!! AND HE'S IN THE SHOWER WATER!!! AHHHHH!!!" cracks me up EVERY time I think about it.

💭 What Inspires Me

The original inspiration for 'Spider's Web With Strings Attached' was a mix between lfls by @eternalglitch, the '03 turtles in their battle arena, the Gemini Twins by @tangledinink, and @drsmer.

Without Dr. Smer urging me, drawing concept art, making a playlist, helping me decide names, characters, places, events, chapter titles, and even the title of the fic, I guarantee it would not have gotten this far.

But when I'm actually writing, when I need inspiration I'll put random songs on shuffle and see what emotions they make me feel. I've gone on long drives or car rides to give me some inspiration before (I was in the mountains with my family when I got the idea for Viper and chapter 9). However, if I'm being totally honest, the best way for me to get inspiration is to lay on my floor, stare up at the ceiling fan, and let my brain do what it will. That might not work for everyone, but Floor Time™️ is an essential part of my process

[s0lar-ch3ri]

spoilers for ep 107 but im a writer guys

Gillion had expected to have his head hurt a bit when a fountain was thrown at him. What he didn't expect was (from Chip's description) the same void Chip was in when fully petrified. The same darkness Chip felt coursing through his veins from La Alma's boss. The same kind of room as the world of the Pearl, or even the mirror he was in about an hour or so ago.

Jay had expected Gillion to be able to take a small hit. After all, he had a plan, and when it came to fighting, he was a tank for being hit. What she didn't expect was her invisibility spell to be used on a now dead target. Jay's eyes widened, being the only one who was in on Gillion's plan, as she heard the crunch of bones and triton blood too sticky to have been faked by magic illusions. No my friends, this was real. Gillion Tidestrider had died...for a bit.

That was until a special figure appeared in the sky. Those tiefling horns and ever so fancy outfit pissed Chip off so badly. What did that man want now? He just lost his friend for good, was about to be captured and put into enemy hands, and now him? Chip didn't even need anything more to know this was Niklaus Hendrix.

"Well, you Riptide Pirates seem to have quite big adventures." Niklaus had landed and was standing by the rubble. He stood inspecting it. "Yep, he's really died. I didn't think he'd be that easily knocked over, but I guess one of you 3 got lucky." The 3 creatures seemed tense at his sudden arrival.

The chaingel (Chip came up with it himself, so clever) spoke up quickly after the comment. "And who might you be? A child of God too?" (Chip will never get over that he got bible baited).

"Ah, the name's Niklaus, or the Wish Doctor. Desire Daddy works too," he winked at Chip for that one (The fuck kind of fruity tension did these two devolpe? Jay will not understand men's allure to her stinky bastard co-captain). "And I am here because of a special deal I have with the Chosen One here."

"Chosen One?" the minotaur called out (Chip was daming it to hell for what he's done to Gillion).

"He didn't yell out his titles at you? Well, that's a first." He talked, still smirking as he picked up Gillion's body from the rubble.

"What are you going to do to G- our captain, LA-LA?" Queen called out. As Chip looked behind him, Gryffon was getting ready to blast the fucker to bits (that's how he would have said, Chip just knows it).

"Calm down Queen, all of you. Consider this a free favor from me, as a gift for doing what I've asked, and because I still have a plan for you 3." As they all watched, Gillion seemed to have a small glow to him (Jay swore she saw him get remoisted) and soon enough, he was coughing for air.

"Owie."

[good-beanswrites]

HI 🎬 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE AHHH It did get eaten so I'm really glad you sent it again!!

It's interesting, because this movie night could take place right before T2 begins, and act as a little celebration/preparation night. But also, I like the thought of doing it after T2 closes, since they'd have their verdicts in mind while they watched the videos...

No matter when it takes place, this round of videos would definitely be more tense, but at least some of that would be lessened by the fact everyone was involved in filming. While the first movie night was a way to break the ice and have a little fun, this event feels more solemn. It's definitely used as a pick-me-up after such an ordeal -- a way to offer tons of praise and support and understanding to their fellow prisoner before/after a time where they had to pretend to hate one another.

Haruka, Mahiru, and Amane's require some serious time afterwards to talk and recover. LMAO I love the thought of Yuno's video resulting in some cheers as well as some "yes ma'am"s 😂 But I think despite her honesty, actually seeing her in those situations would cause the prisoners to understand her much deeply that before. (And I like to think she tries to bond with Amane over having multiples of themselves in the video :D) Mmm, and having a little moment between Muu and Fuuta would be so nice here. As bad as he felt seeing her be a victim in the T1 video, now he feels bad for her for a different way -- he can relate to her situation more and knows her pain.

Ahhhhh I want everyone to meet and hang out with Shidou's family so bad ;---; Although they're still not allowed to leave the facility until the experiment is over, everyone immediately starts making plans to hang out. Mahiru asks their favorite foods so she can have him over for dinner. Haruka asks if they have any similar hobbies/games so he can play with them. Amane doesn't say anything, but listens really closely to all the conversations. And yeah, by this time Jackalope would have received too much pressure to ignore the paperwork surrounding Amane any longer. While he's at it, they make him look into Haruka and his sister as well.

I wanted to make a John joke so bad you don't even know 😭😭😭I'm definitely going to sneak some teasing in post-neoplasm because I just think that's so funny and the others would never let him live it down OMG (I saw another post about it, but maybe secretly Red thinks it's fun -- despite hating the actual name John, he's excited to actually receive a nickname after Mikoto has given so many out to others)

But no matter how serious it gets, they'd be able to dance and sing along with some of the upbeat videos! The singer themselves may encourage the others to join in, since it would take some of the heaviness off of watching themself like that. It's such a bizarre situation, but they embrace it and find a little fun where they can.

I also just realized they'd get to watch Undercover!! It's the first time they get to hear Es sing and they're very impressed, and also enjoy seeing everyone together after separate filming. The visuals are pretty basic, and I think it'd be mostly teasing one another about the uniforms or looking like a sad wet cat behind bars...

Once again thank you 🎬!! These were so amazing and big brained 👏 I really appreciate you taking the time to write them out and send (twice ;-;), and I know a lot of others have enjoyed reading them as well!

[thespineoftherighteous]

not sure if this even counts as a hot take, but I find that a lot of AFTG AUs just don't work (not all, I'm mostly talking about, like, coffee shop AUs and that kind of thing). I find that they take heavy liberties in making Neil's backstory functional enough that he'll survive the fic, and it ends up taking away a lot of what makes him work with Andrew. Andrew is so important because he's the first person he lets watch his back after having to watch his own for so long. So much of Neil's arc his him learning how to be a real person. He latches onto Andrew because he doesn't shy away from Neil's more severe traumas. Neil knows that Andrew is one of the few people that can handle everything he throws at him.

There are a ton more examples, but I feel like you get my point. I think you should be able to play with canon and Neil's backstory, but I also think this is the root cause of Neil being reduced to an uwu boy in a lot of fics. Without his backstory to ground him, we don't get to see the parts of him that are sharp and dangerous that get smoothed out by the end of AFTG.

This is a clusterfuck. I'm not against AUs, I actually like a lot of them (especially Raven!Neil, which probably makes me a hypocrite), but I don't like when the trope takes away from who Neil is as a character. I probably could have just said that.

hello hello! firstly I just want to say that I don't actually have too much experience with aftg fics (probably for this reason if I'm tbh) but I'd agree with you based on a lot of the other fan content that I've seen.

I think Nora's characters are some of the hardest fictional people that I've ever come across to get right when writing and although I believe that the whole point of fan content is that you can do whatever the hell you want and that it's meant to serve the author alone, I totally understand why it gets distracting. Neil in particular seems to get really reconstructed and smoothened out sometimes, to the point where he feels like a completely different person and I personally try to avoid stuff like that.

so yeah with such complex characters I think they're hard to get right in fics even if you keep them in the aftg universe, so it's even harder if you put them in an au where they don't even have their wild ass backgrounds to explain why they're Like That.

but to each their own! everyone has their own things that appeal to them from the books so I think, for a lot of people, as long as those elements are there in the fics, the rest doesn't bother them. it really grates on me too to see Neil softened up to fit into situations/environments that would be ooc for book!Neil but if others enjoy it, hey.

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 4: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

The winning option of yesterday's poll was that the adventurer should offer the Well Creature some bread and soup ….

"Completely unsure how to even begin to interact with the strange creature from the well, The Adventurer recalls reading in a book once that 'food is a universal language', or uh.. something like that.. thus, some hearty soup and bread would surely bridge any communication barriers... probably. He serves the little cannister of broth cold, straight from his bag just dumped into a wooden bowl, mostly because he's far too nervous to try and start a fire with someone watching.. hopefully they won't mind the food not being warmed..

After gently placing a single bread roll next to the soup, he steps back, gesturing towards the meal with an uncertain smile. The creature pauses, sniffs around, then promptly disappears back into the darkness. Just as The Adventurer begins to sulk over his apparent rejection, something stirs behind him... With a rush of creaking and plopping noises, the creature resurfaces, revealing it's massive serpent-like body as it hoists itself over the crumbled stone of the well's edge with it's many arms. It cracks open it's mighty jaw just far enough for a tiny blue tongue to slither out, then politely slurps at the soup, delicate enough not to spill any.

Stumbling backwards in shock, The Adventurer simply sits there staring the entire time whilst the creature happily (and rather quickly) enjoys their meal... Seemingly appreciative of his kind offerings, another strange slinking arm creeps up from the depths of the well, daintily opening a velvet sack with it's claws and laying out a small assortment of items onto the grass. Still a bit shaken, but also never one to turn down a free gift, The Adventurer senses that the creature intends for him to take any single item of his choosing... but, which one?"

[hippielittlemetalhead]

So... I lied about getting a full fix-it to This → Part 1. Y'all get parts focusing on different characters for now as Hop traverses his guilt trip. I won't say it gets worse before it gets better but... kinda in places? I promise it's a happy ending though!!

What do you want from me I'm stressed and depressed and I like making my blorbos suffer (a.k.a projecting my trauma instead of doing the healthy shit my shrink tells me to)

You've been warned... But I do hope you like it.

So here we have Part 2 (Pride and Prejudices: Joyce Edition)

He goes to Joyce about it first. Thinks about her gentle herding of the trio that has become the Hopper-Byers brood. Thinks about how she put everything he was feeling about Mike and El and their giggling and the fucking door into words that kept him from looking like an imbecile (if he'd have ever used them instead of fucking it up 'winging it'). Thinks about the way her voice stays soft and kind of quiet even when she's spitting in his face about listening to her (and every time she's been right) and how that's translated to talking down government goons and wrangling the army of children that seems to get bigger each time they have to fight interdimensional terrors. So he goes to Joyce about what Murray said, the noise Steve made with That Look in his eyes and his bandages peeking out from under a shirt that looks like one of the Henleys he's been missing since coming 'back from the dead' and they dug out his clothes from storage. (El wouldn't let her throw anything out, not until she was ready to say goodbye. Thank whatever god[s] there may be she never needed to)

He doesn't expect Joyce to make a face like he suggested inviting Owens to family dinner. He doesn't expect the scoff and eye roll as her shoulders tense and her hands flex at her sides like she's about to let loose her (honestly really attractive) righteous fury. About the Harrington kid.

Maybe he should have asked when the kids weren't home. Before El quietly told them the bullying wasn't as bad as it was in California but some people still made fun of how she spoke and how all of her friends were boys (and just as quietly asked they not do anything. Asked that they let her and The Party handle it until they couldn't). Before Will came home sulking about something idiotic Mike said or did or something the kid missed (though lately the latest Wheeler mistake is followed by bashful mention of the Emerson kid doing something specifically to make Will feel better in the moment). Before Jonathan came home from 'job hunting' or 'volunteering at the school's relief center' reeking of weed and his long-haired friend in tow (less than usual but still enough to make Joyce feel guilty for missing it for so long, for making the boy grow up so fast that he spends his days out of his mind instead of the weekend bender like when they were kids). Before The Party had come by with what homework the school was still giving out and talking over each other about all the latest small-town gossip a teenager can get their hands on (Eddie's name has been cleared but he's still laid up at the hospital. Susan Mayfield has been noticeably absent according to every nosy housewife in Hawkins considering her daughter is in a coma. The Hagans, Carvers, Perkins and a handful of other 'well to do' families have skipped town taking most of the sports population with them. Steve has been letting people displaced by the damage crash at the Harrington mansion. Steve has kept up hours at Family Video somehow and is a regular volunteer at the various relief centers in town. Steve has been giving all of them rides and may have told Dustin he's thinking of trading in the Beemer for a bigger vehicle for all the kids and people he chauffeurs about. Steve keeps a room empty and waiting for when Max wakes up before her mother makes an appearance. Steve. Steve. Steve.)

He doesn't expect the way she spits his name like she's talking about Dick and Margaret under the bleachers over a smoke before the yard teacher catches them. The rant about bullies and broken cameras and trashed kitchens and dead monsters in her fridge. The crack in her voice when she crosses her arms to stop their shaking as she lays sin upon sin at this boy's feet.

And maybe before that would have been enough.

He doesn't expect the stone in his stomach or the burning in his chest as he looks the woman he loves in the eye and says "So I guess we should tell Nancy to break up with Jonathan before he pulls a Lonnie, huh?" It's a low blow. He knows from the hurt anger on her face and on the purse of her lips. He knows that's why he said it. "That kid is lucky to be alive let alone walking and have we ever even thanked him for keeping the fucking kids alive each time they pull their dumb shit when the world goes to hell? Does that sound like anything his folks would have ever done for us? Hell for their own fucking kid they practically signed over to ME of all people?"

He's shaking now too and Joyce has her hands fluttering between them like she wants to reach out. To touch, comfort. Pull him close and tell him to take a breath.

"He called me 'His Hop', Joyce" He barely has enough breath on him to squeeze the words past his tight throat. "Called me His Hop and watched Ellie and the kids when I just couldn't and you were at work. I don't think I've seen his folks in town since the mall was opened and all the donors had that big party. Don't think I've spoken to them since '83 and they made me the kid's guardian when they aren't around cause they didn't want to fly down for a government sized concussion."

By now he knows El and Will are peeking around the corner, their eyes wide and worried. Jonathan has his door cracked and Angus (is that the hippie's name? He can't remember) is whispering something about heavy auras. Joyce is staring somewhere off in the distance, wringing her hands and biting her lips like she's facing an interdimensional portal shaped problem.

"The kids are planning to have one of their games in a few days." Her voice is brittle in a way he's not used to anymore. Not since she pulled her youngest out of hell and faced down a demon clawing through her walls. "He always drives them over and- and disappears until they need to head home. I can make sure he stays for dinner. Like the rest of the kids. I know Claudia has been having him over so I- I can get some recipes from her that he likes."

Something in his shoulders shakes loose and he reaches out to pull her practically shaking from into his chest.

"I don't know what to say to him Hop. He's not Mike and he's not like either of my boys. In my head he's just always been..."

"Dick and Margaret's brat." He sighs out and rests his cheek on the top of her head as she nods and presses herself in closer.

He's aware of eyes on them. Confused and worried and judgemental and he'll pay that piper next. These kids taught him how to be a dad again once, they can do it again, right?

Part 3

@thelittleclare @jackiemonroe5512 @0body0disphoria0 @strangersteddierthings @lingeringmirth

If I missed you in the tag list I'm sorry I tried 🙃🫡 Tell me what you think? 🫣🥲

[lil-vibes]

Now that the translations are out I gotta say that IF this is trully how it ends for him, I'm disappointed. Like I was never under the illusion that Gojo would've survived till the end of the manga but this just feels so... off? So underwhelming, almost? Like, it feels incomplete and granted, Gege has killed characters that, arguably, weren't finished with their arcs (Nobara, Nanami) before but even if we take that into consideration this one still feels so wrong to me.

Obviously I wanted Gojo to win and obviously everyone knew that he wasn't going to (historically, he has always lost something so important whenever he 'wins' a battle that it renders his victory almost meaningless) but killing him off screen, even with all of the explanations, when he was straight up folding Sukuna's shit for like 10 chapters straight just feels cheap and Sukuna's victory actually feels undeserved to me bc of it.

He was on the defence most of the fight. He pulled out every single thing he could from Megumi's CT and STILL got his ass handed to him multiple times. Im gonna be real, despite me making fun of his ✨fraud-core✨ chapters, I like Sukuna. I like him a lot as a character and as an antagonist and so I want to see his victory actually mean something, or be hard won since this was a fight between THE pillars of the jujutsu world. Perhaps if he killed Gojo with his own CT it would have felt more right ? Maybe..

Besides all of that, what happens now? What could possibly be done against Sukuna now that The Strongest is out of the picture? Kashimo, and let it be known that i love him dearly, will be folded in probably 2 chapters max. Yuta (<3), Yuuji, Maki, Hakari and his domain will not be enough.

Like sometimes I feel like people just either forget or don't grasp the sheer depth of the power gap between Gojo and EVERYONE else. It's just so insanely large that after defeating him, Sukuna is trully unstoppable. And if Gege pulls some shit and has him defeated regardless, then that will just be bad writing and Gege, for all I curse him on the daily, isn't a bad writer.

Truth be told, whenever a chapter ended before, I wasn't all that scared that Gojo was done for solely because the manga would have ended. Like, in universe, if Gojo goes down then it's a wrap for everyone else pretty much immediately (like mans got sealed and not even 10minutes later everything went to hell in that godforsaken train station) so now that this has happened I trully wonder where this will go from here?

[tathrin]

Six Sentence Sunday

Tagged by @sallysavestheday thank you!

From the Modernized LotR Zombie AU story that has completely eaten my brain (haha yes I know what I wrote there) lately:

They look at once alike, those two strange ageless creatures, and yet so different that it drives home to Boromir as nothing has before that elves are merely people, no more or less than any other.

Glorfindel's face has gone marble-pale in the firelit darkness, the strange light of his luminous eyes shuttered for once behind his lids, and he stands like a monument carved from some pearlescent stone that mortal hands have never shaped, only a few strands of golden hair moving around his still face from where they have been torn free of his tight crown of braids.

Legolas by contrast looks more woodsy than ever, standing like a sapling bent in the wind with his head bowed against Glorfindel's chest and his spindly hands clutching like brambles at the arms that hold him up against the weight of his sorrows. His thin brown face is bent so low that it is nearly hidden by the shadows the pyre throws across him, only the faint glimmer of his tears in the starlight hinting at the shape of his narrow features. His braids are looser, bundled softly at the back of his neck, and the gold of his soft dandelion hair is paler and plainer than the glimmer of Glorfidel's inhumanly aureous locks.

The firelight that dances upon both their heads gleams like raw gold in the darkness, however.

Tagging @bifuriouswaterbender @babybat98 @storytellingdreamer and anybody else who’s working on something they want to share!

[pizza-feverdream]

i do love me some experimenting with colors and shading techniques while also playing dress up with your oc's with funny poses and outfits you found on pinterest

(refs i used) (plus the color palette)(if the colors look different it's because when i upload my art to google photos it wildly messes them up)(and i do my best to correct them but they still may be different)

[palukoo]

💖🧐⏳if you'd like!!

thank you so much for the ask :) i always end up making my answers so long so its under a cut

💖 What made you start writing?

so this one is basically impossible for me to answer. the first story i remember writing/trying to write was when i was 6 years old, and i think it was just bc i had ideas i thought were cool! the first fanfic i remember writing was when i was in like 5th grade and i remember i would do some writing and then my friends basically being like oh would you write this and i would handwrite fic during class or lunch or recess or whatever and give it to them, and at that point i was also constantly writing parts of original works, and then it just all spiraled! so at this point it's literally like. why wouldn't i write, what would that be like?

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

oh my god yes. it's awful. i mean, okay, it really really depends on the fic but there tends to be at least one detail i get really hung up on and spend hours researching, which honestly more often than not doesn't end up in the final product? i mean, long time followers, embarrassingly, may remember the agent carter roller derby au which i did research on the history of roller derby to try to make it actually reflect the state of the sport, in some way, in the 1940s. its extremely inconsistent though, even internally. like, for the cats that walk alone, i read the whole play of the women and the short story i named it after and read a little about reno divorces but i did not in fact even rewatch the film before posting it (i did watch it after posting and go oh so i got the timeline a little off but the title works out so much better than i originally intended??) probably the most gratuitous example is the amy fic, because i literally would have well over twenty tabs open in like congress.gov to try to incorporate bills/legislative debate that would actually be somewhat accurate for the early 2000s, and i also did a ton of research on like electoral maps and various theories and whatnot. more of that actually probably shows up in the second, currently unfinished and unpublished part which isn't exactly abandoned but its been a hot minute, because since that's post canon it involves a lot more of me making shit up and often drawing inspiration from actual real bills from corresponding or close to corresponding legislative sessions and modified numbers from elections. which was always :/ bc like. neither early 2000s politics nor tww ideas of politics are really things i agree with but i was like really committed to a degree of real world and canon accuracy. more recent examples for things that are unfinished and unpublished would be like doing research on the climates and demographics of various parishes and towns in louisiana, trying to find a map of railroads in 1940s arizona, reading about the state of maternal medicine specifically with regards to childbirth in the 1940s, and trying to find real postcards sold in melbourne, australia in the 1940s. the first i'm probably never gonna actually really write the fic associated with it and the last three i basically ended up getting vaguer in the writing to avoid specifics. typing this out is fascinating bc damn i've done some specific research abt the 1940s...

⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?

okay this depends so fucking much. i mean like, in 2020 when i was starting the amy fic, i wrote so fast. like its long as hell so it took me a long time but i would write like 5k in a day some days and i wrote that whole thing at a velocity that i had never done before and never have since. some things i also agonize over more than others i guess? my kiradax body swap au was a wip that i rewrote multiple times over the course of multiple years, but the final version probably didn't actually take that long? idk. the cats that walk alone is the most recent thing i have published and i made the file for it in mid june and published it in early september, but i think i had it mostly done sitting in my docs for a while. my current high focus wip is one i've been working on since november, but its also multi-chapter and shaping up to be longer than anticipated... i'm gonna say the answer varies but tends towards several months, but at a very uneven pace within that. ultimately, i also have the adhd thing of like, if i don't finish a project within a certain amount of time/at a certain level of hyperfixation, it usually will die, and that timing tends to max out within a year, give or take a few months.

[s0lar-ch3ri]

im on a bit of an oliver craze as you might guess, lemme do a ramble!

first off, yes, the angst of ollie remeeting chip and seeing hes dead is juicy, but consider: ollie doesnt understand death. he sees chip, and doesnt think anything of the paleness of his skin or the veins more visible on his skin, the lifeless look in his eyes. "oh, the black sea must have been hell! i knew youd be fine, the riptide pirates always make it through!" hed tell them as hed hug chip, not questioning why the man who normally was warmer then most people from his magic tattoos was now feeling colder then ever. nobody has the courage to tell oliver the truth, his mom doing everything in her power to keep the two further and further apart. ollie cant tell why, and maybe another argument happens. (im writing this part as a lil mini fic dw, lemme just ginish this) chip, kind of literally, cant find himself able to tell him, jay would rather not worry him more then he must have been, even gillion doesnt say a word.

okay now the fic part (basically ollie and his mom argue and its like the first time all over again)

"What is so wrong? Explain it then mom, why is it so bad to tell my friends, who by the way, could have DIED down there, that I missed them?" Oliver was tired of being so clueless to all this, just being the innocent small child needing protection from the 'evil' world. Hell, he was for a while a fully grown adult! Ollie felt the tears stinging his face, and it made him remember what it was like on the Albatross, the waves hitting him slightly either from being too close to Marshal John's escape boat or being close to Gillion's magic. That's why they stung.

"I am trying to protect you Oliver! I haven't had you long and, and I don't want to lose you again! Just trust me, I'm doing what's best for you as your mother."

"WHEN NOBODY WANTS TO TELL ME SHIT, IT'S HARD TO FUCKING TRUST YOU, ISN'T IT?!"

"Oliver Teach! If you want to use that language, then use it in the room, your grounded!" Already, Ollie felt regret for his words, yet the bitter taste poisoned his tongue and filled his body as he climbed the stairs. He saw a glimpse of Erza walking out of her room before he closed the door to their room.

It didn't help that there was the flag of the Albatross in here and had the whole pirate feel. Grabbing a pillow, Ollie screamed more words that'd he get a talking to from his captains if they heard him. After a bit, Oliver put the pillow back on the bed, and looked out on the look out installed into the house for him to use. Furiously wiping away tears wanting to come back, he saw the night sky, and it of course happened to be a full moon. It was as though Lunadeyis wanted him to go see Gillion and Jay and Chip, and with a breathe in, he followed the idea.

With careful scaling which reminded him of Edison Kingdom (he'd have to tell Leon about this for sure), he managed to get down safely. As Oliver ran, he had thoughts juggle softly through his head. Maybe he should have used the window for a less scary experience, maybe he should have locked the door, maybe he should have listened to his mother.

They didn't fully register, not until Oliver had snuck onto the ship. Not before Ollie had climbed up the rope on the slide and onto the main deck. Not while he used tricks he'd seen Chip use to the best of his ability so Alphonze wouldn't be alerted (if that was possible). Only after Ollie had ran below and hopped into Gillion's old barrel did it hit him; it was like the first time all over again, except this time he knew what ship he ended up on, he knew he'd be safe, he knew he'd see his sea family if they left in the middle of the night.

Then the footsteps came. And they got closer. And closer. And Ollie wanted to tell them he's here and ready to rejoin them. He didn't want to be left behind, but maybe the fear of missing his mom all over held him back. Maybe he really was terrified and didn't want to stop being treated like a clueless kid. Maybe he was scared for what would happen if they found him and took him back to his mom all over again.

Of course, a figure opened the barrel, looking more exhausted then when he first saw him.

"Ollie?"

okay i was gonna add the comparison one to this but ill just put it in a reblog lol