#signal boost maybe if you’re feeling kind lol

[suchagallabitch]

Word Prompts Round Up!

I am in actual shock that I was able to finish my goal of writing 22 oneshots and actually posting them! I am so incredibly proud of that accomplishment even if it is a little silly. A massive thank you to all of you that continued to support me in this endeavour. Forehead kisses all around!

All 22 oneshots with links and descriptions under cut! (bonus the Taylor song they’re named after)

1. your kiss, my cheek- Mickey is pissy at Ian for only kissing his cheek instead of lips

Title: This love -1989 Word: Cheek by @sluttymickey Word Count: 1.5K Tags: Sick fic, domestic fluff Published: Mar. 30th

2. lingering question kept me up, 2 AM, who do you love?- Mickey tries to get his baby to stop crying in the middle of the night

Title: Enchanted - Speak now Word: Beloved by @whatwouldmickeydo Word Count: 2.8K Tags: Kid fic, babies, domestic  Published: Mar. 31th

3. he's got his mothers eyes- nine year old Ian spends the day with a manic Monica 

Title: Superman - Speak now Word: Acorn by @tsuga-of-mars Word Count: 4.3K Tags: pre-canon, younger version of character (non gallavich centred) Published: Apr. 2nd CW: Bipolar disorder - Mania

4. leave with my head hung, you are the only one who seems to care- Mickey’s at the club we wishes he was home with his husband instead

Title: Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince - Lover  Word: Reverent by @smokey-mickey Word count: 3.5k Tags: drinking, club, Gallagher  in-laws Published: Apr. 3rd

5. life was a willow and it bent right to your wind- Mickey and Ian get stuck on the side of the road after a branch hits their car. Chaos and bickering ensue.

Title: Willow- Folklore  Word: Branch by @messedwithmandy Word count: 5.8K Tags: bickering husbands, side of the road, stranded Published: Apr. 5th

6. you carry my groceries and now I'm always laughing- Ian and Mickey have grown so much as people. Strangely enough, their fridge is a reflection of that. 

Title: Stay Stay Stay- Red [TV] Word: Strawberries by @xninetiestrendx Word count: 2.9K Tags: food, introspection, domestic husbands  Published: Apr. 6th

7. my hands shake, i’m not usually this way- After his daughter has a panic attack, Ian makes her feel safe. 

Title: Fearless- Fearless [TV] Word: Dizzy by @iansw0rld Word count: 3.3K  Tags: Good dad Ian, kid fic Published: Apr. 8th CW: anxiety, panic attacks, throwing up 

8. long list of traitors who don’t understand- Teenage Ruby continues to be a pain in the ass to her parents. Ian however is on the receiving end instead of Mickey. 

Title: Dear John - Speak now Word: Betrayal by @tellmegoodbye Word count: 5.5K Tags: kid fic, teenagers, lack of communication   Published: Apr. 9th

9. you’re untouchable burning brighter than the sun- Ian and Mickey wake up at the Alibi the morning after their first-anniversary party. Mickey thinks Ian looks beautiful in the sunlight.

Title: Untouched- Fearless [TV] Word: Sunshine by @gardenerian Word count: 3.1K Tags: introspection, married bitches Published: Apr. 11th

10. does she mouth fuck you- a domestic day in takes a turn when baby Ruby learns a new word.

Title: Mad Woman- Folklore Word: Fuck by @squirrelfund Word count: 5.5K Tags: (baby) kid fic, domestic bitches Published: Apr. 12th

11. your heartbeat on the high line- westside era husbands get up to some misdeeds for fun. 

Title: cardigan- Folklore (cabin in candlelight version because i like that one best) Word: Thrill by @arrowflier Word count: 5.3K  Tags: idiots in love, petty crimes, westside era Published: Apr. 14th

12. never made anyone less gay- Mickey slowly blossomed into accepting his sexuality over the years. 

Title: You Need To Calm Down- Lover  Word: Blossom by @energievie Word count: 8.2K  Tags: 5+1, Mickey growing up :) Published: Apr. 15th CW: Canon-typical homophobic language, internalised homophobia, mentions of incest (Sandy & Mickey) & a dash of sexual harassment in the +1 (mainly inappropriate nonconsensual touching)

13. all eyes on you, my magician- Carl gets a magic kit. Ian somehow ends up with it when and is definitely not great at tricks. 

Title: So It Goes… - Reputation  Word: Magic by @sunoficarus Word count: 1.6K  Tags: plain silly, drabble (?)  Published: Apr. 17th

14. don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire- less than a week after Ian and Mickey’s first-anniversary party, everything seems to be going wrong. Lip and Ian try to sit down and amend things. 

Title: Safe & Sound- Hunger Games Soundtrack Word: Firewood by @squidyyy23 Word count: 7.3K Tags: introspection, post canon fix-it, brothers Published: Apr. 18th

15. it was as good as our song- five times Mickey and Ian heard their songs, one time someone heard one for them.

Title: Our Song- Taylor Swift (Debut) Word: Song by @mikhailoaleksandrmilkovich Word count: 11.8K  Tags: 5+1, domestic life, (some) kid fic Published: Apr. 20th

16. It seems like the perfect night for breakfast at midnight- Carl forgets his anniversary is coming up. He employs Ian to make him a pie but Ian doesn’t know how to make a pie. He has Ruby help him. 

Title: 22- Red [TV]  Word: Meringue by @depressedstressedlemonzest Word count: 5.8K  Tags: kid fic, plot what plot, slice of domestic life Published: Apr. 21st

17. made your mark on me, a golden tattoo- five times Mickey and Ian thought about their tattoos. One time they thought about someone else's.

Title: Dress- Reputation Word: Tattoo by @mmmichyyy Word count: 11K Tags: 5+1, s4, s6, husbands Published: Apr. 23rd

18. and you held me close- Fiona invites the whole family down to Florida to celebrate her successes. Unfortunately for the Gallagher’s, a hurricane is about to hit and they all find themselves in close quarters. 

Title: Dancing With Our Hands Tied- Reputation Word: Close by @vintagelacerosette Word count: 7.8K Tags: snowed (rained) in, stuck in a house, family  Published: Apr. 24th

19. burrowed under my skin in heart-stopping waves of hurt- Mickey is getting under Ian’s skin, he needs it to stop. Prison era angst, that’s basically it. 

Title: The Lakes- Folklore Word: Stop by @thisdivorce Word count:  6K Tags: prison era, angst, hurt/comfort Published: Apr. 26th CW: canon typical domestic violence & a pretty poorly written fight scenes (graphic ish)

20. i’m five years old, it’s getting cold, i’ve got my big coat on- The family is running late one winter morning, this only makes Mickey hate the season more.

Title: The Best Day- Fearless [TV] Word: Winter by @ianandmickeygallavich Word count:  6.5K Tags: kid fic, grumpy mickey, chaotic Published: Apr. 27th

21. this is the golden age of something good & right and real-  Liam has a school event that runs him the chance of getting a scholarship. His history seems to be a point of teasing amongst his peers

Title: States Of Grace (Acoustic)- Red [TV] Word: Gilded by @sleepyfacetoughguy Word count:  7.1K Tags: Gallaghers, family, Liam, (non gallavich centred) Published: May 2nd

22. tasting your lips is my idea of luxury- Mickey misses the way Ian tastes, aka elle tries smut for the first time

Title: King Of My Heart- Reputation Word: Delectable by @gallawitchxx Word count: 6.9K Tags: NSFW, porn without plot, porn with feelings Published: May 5th

Related: the other one-shots I wrote this month

*Note: I feel empty inside now so if you feel so inclined leave me some prompts to write! A single word, full prompt, a number between 1-175 (👀), whatever i’m always happy to write

[kpopcrockpot]

Making Out With Victon (headcanons)

NSFW mentions/language, 18+ only!

Proofed by @bfsubin, go follow her and fall in love just like I did 🥰

Seungwoo

Confidence meets passion

Seungwoo usually initiates a good makeout on a whim

You shoot him a look and it hits him like a brick, or, he’s had long day and just wants to clear his mind

Or maybe you just look extra nice that day

He’ll walk over, smiling confidently at you, and grabs your face to kiss you firmly

He’s very good at turning himself into a distraction, and you’ll abandon whatever task you were doing

The man immediately needs you straddling him, like he’ll die if you don’t

That said, he’s the most likely of the group to escalate a makeout session into something a little more...gratifying

Maybe he holds you by the hips, using your body to put pressure on himself

He loves running his hands up your back, under your shirt, while you grind on him

A little groan escapes him when you tug at his hair, but he doesn’t stop

Because he’s a really good kisser, and he knows it

He really likes it when you squeeze at his biceps, because he prides himself on his fitness and he likes knowing that you notice it too

And if you both come just from grinding? Whoops lol

You’ll just change clothes, put on a movie, and probably make out some more

Seungsik

Passionate but gentle, and is anyone surprised?

Has the softest lips, sorry I don’t make the rules

It’s cool if you straddle him or if he’s lying between your legs

But Sik’s favorite is when you rest your legs over the tops of his so that you’re sideways in his lap, comfy and warm on the couch

He can rest an arm around your waist and cup your face with his free hand

Most likely to talk in between kisses, in a soft whisper, with love in his eyes

“You’re the most beautiful.” “I love you so much.” “I’m so happy you could come over.”

He doesn’t need to mark you or tease you at all to enjoy your time together

Seungsik exists only in the moment, drinking in every detail

His hands are slow and gentle wherever they land, but usually one of them is by your face

If the kissing gets more urgent, he’ll slide a hand along your neck and into your hair, tugging so gently that it’s almost a massage

Even his tongue swiping across your lips feels like an action full of love and care

But you’re eventually overtaken by the excitement, the exhilaration of the sheer closeness, and the kiss gets more intense

Seungsik brings you back down to Earth every once in a while, sliding his thumb between your mouths and tracing your lips as he pulls away to breathe

Just watching how they’re parted for him, and being in disbelief that he can kiss them whenever he wants

Chan

Most likely to secretly be a master at making out

He knows how to kiss you just the right way to make you breathless

Once he’s comfortable with you, he gets bold about initiating

Even if you’re minding your business sitting next to him, all it takes is for him to reach over and touch your jaw to make you look at him

He closes the distance in seconds, covering your mouth with his own

If you respond positively, his hand slides to the back of your neck, pulling you in a bit more firmly

After Seungsik, he’s the most likely to not use tongue right away

There are other ways to make a kiss more intense, and he likes to build up to it

Slow, deliberate movements where he’s gauging your reaction

Firmly pressing his lips to the soft skin of your neck, tilting your chin up with the same hand on your jaw

Probably bites when he’s worked up bc he gets ahead of himself

If you suck in a sharp breath when his teeth meet your skin, he stops right away and looks at you with wide eyes

If you tell him to do it again, he smiles and does as he’s told

If kissing you dizzy is a game, then he’s winning

Sejun

We all know by now that Sejun is a hot mess, and notoriously clumsy

For this reason, he’s okay with you taking control during makeouts

He’ll let you tip him onto his back, totally gleeful to be ridden

Neck kisses neck kisses neck kisses

Doesn’t matter if it’s giving or receiving, somebody’s mouth better be on somebody’s neck

He’s definitely the one that’s most likely to get handsy right away

Fingers searching up your sides while you’re kissing, or holding your ass

Sejun can be mischievous at times, so he probably enjoys inconveniencing you with his kisses

Kissing the side of your neck while you’re working, or (more often) stealing ingredients while you’re cooking

There have been at least two occasions of something burning on the stove while you and Sejun make out on the counter nearby

RIP the cookies you were baking, but you can’t say no to Sejun and he knows it

His favorite thing is when you run your hands down his front, nails catching lightly on the fabric of his shirt

It sends tingles down his spine and just eggs him on even more

If you have to leave for work, or push him away so he can go to practice, he pouts until you promise to kiss him some more when you’re both home again

Hanse

Besides Seungwoo, Hanse is the most likely to escalate a makeout session quickly, whether intentionally or not

He’ll hold you to the kiss with a hand firm on the back of your neck, and the other on your ass or thigh

Little nips at your lower lip, squeezing any bare piece of skin he can reach

His boldness only spurs on your own, giving you the confidence to be adventurous

He shivers the first time you catch his piercing between your teeth and tug on it gently

The look Hanse gives you is dark, but his hands tighten on your waist in a clear signal: do it again.

Each time you do it, he squeezes at you harder

But the little groans escaping him are like music, so you don’t stop

He leaves finger-shaped bruises on your thighs, and they hurt in the best way

Let’s be honest, makeouts with Hanse usually end up turning into more nsfw activities

You’re a pair of chronic hedonists, chasing that good feeling together

But even if all you do is makeout, there’s still something satisfying about it

Cause Hanse is hot, and he knows how to make you feel hot, too

Byungchan

This sweet precious dude is just happy to be there

Probably likes to lay on top of you, between your legs, just for the extra closeness of it

Plus he very much enjoys being taller than you, and this position only adds to it

Most likely to giggle if you bump noses, or if your hair gets in his mouth

But his hands are steady on your waist, giving gentle squeezes

He will whine at you if you suck too harshly on his neck

But has no problem making you whine, too

Don’t let his goofy, clumsy demeanor fool you--he’s absolutely marking you up

Man’s a Scorpio after all

He gets a kick out of making it evident that you’re with him, especially if it’s a hickey in a place that will be difficult to cover up

Making out doesn’t have to end a certain way for him--he just likes being close to you

He does tend to get distracted during regular activities, though

So you’ve had to rewind a few movies to actually watch them, because Byungchan derailed Movie Night with his puppy eyes and pretty lips

He’s a loveable disaster, so you’ve inevitably been caught making out at the dorms

Neither of you will ever live it down, but oh well

Have you seen the man? It’s worth it

Subin

Subin’s brand of kissing: Little Shit meets Confident King

He’s got no problem initiating a makeout session, but he enjoys it more when you come to him first

He loves it when you put yourself in his lap, because it makes him feel like a man

More importantly, it reminds him that you want him, and he feels so lucky every time you drape yourself over him

Teases you with his lips because he knows he can get away with it

You know, moving back when you go to kiss him, smirking as you pout

And it makes you chase after his mouth with your own, which boosts his ego even more

Pulls your hair so he can get to your neck, instead of just asking you to move, because he’s  rude like that

If you get too eager in the kiss, he’d bite your lip with a smirk just to let you know he’s amused by your enthusiasm

Getting even more smug when you start shifting in his lap, because he knows you want him and that makes him feel like he’s ten feet tall

Probably the kind of guy that would take your underwear after a quickie and keep them in his pocket for the rest of the day

You’ll get them back that night, but not until after he makes you work for it

Dangling them over your head, he only hands them back to you after demanding a kiss, which you give him with a roll of the eyes as he grins smugly

[thotsforvillainrights]

~Christmas with You~

(It’s days after Christmas as usual I haven’t active or slept  properly yet but I’ve been focused on my store lol. I hadn’t been super on my writing game in a hot minute so I decided to write how your partner would treat you during the holidays. This features EVERY single villain I write for from the list located in my bio IN ORDER. Also I apologize if you don’t celebrate Christmas and this doesn’t apply to you. I hope you still had a great holiday anyway, and I love you!)

~Toga💉-She begins her present shopping early because she wants to find you something that she’s sure you’ll like! Eventually she ends up buying a ton of things, but none of them satisfy her and she’s worried you won’t like any of them even though you will. So finally she settles on making you something instead. She will stay up all night long pushing herself to put together the perfect gift for you and will literally fall apart if you don’t like it. But I’m sure she won’t have to worry about anything like that.

~Dabi🔥-Hates the holidays. He tells you they hold some pretty shitty childhood memories for him and he’s honestly all for avoiding even just the thought of Christmas, but of course he looks at you and that changes. He’s really willing to try and take part in a little holiday cheer just for you even if it’s stupid to him. Call it cheesy, but when he celebrates with you it helps take away from the old bad thoughts. It gives him a chance to replace the bad memories with good ones. So he’ll bake some shitty cookies with you, and poorly wrap presents even if he knows that you know what he got for you. Of course he’s not opposed to a mistletoe kiss or two (or three). You help put the cheer in the holiday for him.

~Overhaul🥀-Hates Christmas. It’s not the holiday, it’s just how many people are buzzing around up until that point. So he gets ALL of his shopping done early. And and all emergencies are to be handled by his men (ex: in case he forgot something on the list). The number one thing he takes super seriously is you seeing your presents. You better hope he doesn’t catch you sneaking around the tree. He will lock you in the bedroom until the day of Christmas itself before he lets you open any of them early...even on Christmas eve

~Shigaraki🤚-Literally wakes you up super early on the morning of just so you can watch a movie with him in a fluffy throw blanket with the hum of his electric heater nearby. He loves this season with you more than any other because he can use the cold weather as an excuse to cuddle with you. “Oh well you know I’m kinda small here so I don’t produce a lot of body heat. You should come closer.” Aside from that, he loves the way you celebrate. You make it up to him for not having a childhood at all. Surprisingly enough, he loves doing all the little things with you.

~Tengai🏳-Doesn’t see a point in the holidays and never really supported it before. Now don’t get me wrong, he’s no scrooge. He would rather spend his time the way he usually did around this time of the year: working at charity spots and donation centers. When you find out he spends every holiday season serving food to people less fortunate it makes your heart soar. So if you have the time to join him, then by all means please do so. Help him spread a little peace this season

~Deidoro🍺-Being someone that knows a LOT about different drinks out there, he has never in his life heard about eggnog. It throws you for a loop at first and you laugh at him as he watches you in confusion. “Wait...you’re being serious about this???” So you have to sit him down, make it for him, and let him try it. I mean, how could he be the one person to not know about this when its alcohol related? Well let’s just say that not only does it stick, but Sakaki has been downing eggnog at the Hassaikai Christmas party all night, and now he’s trying to literally eat you in the bathroom while you’re washing your face. It’s ridiculous

~Nemouto✔-This man is 100% proposing to you on Christmas night after a long date with you. For someone that talks about feelings being pointless, he sure does have a lot of love for you. He pays attention to the details and the moods around him. This time was a boost in your happiness and it signaled the perfect time for him to pop the question to you. Add in all those romantic light attractions, and the snow with the carolers etc. Its free romance that he can ride on and use to his advantage. Catch him getting on one knee in the snow after you two are leaving a light show in the city.

~Setsuno💔-Holidays are depressing to say the least. To him, Christmas and Valentines day were the worst 2 days to be alone out of any day of the year. Well WERE until you came into his life. He stares at you unwrapping presents under the tree while he sips some cocoa and he thinks about how lucky he was that you came into his life. Little moments like these help tie together the ideal that holidays aren’t so bad. Thanks to you, he no longer has to fight back tears of sadness in the dead of night as the snow falls against his window and sticks until it melts. Now he has to fight tears of joy blurring his eyes while you two lounge on the couch and try to get through a holiday movie without falling asleep on each other

~Compress🎭-Will do any and everything with you during this day. I mean he’s going to go all out for you on any day of the year, but this one is a little different. So bring in those matching Santa hats, and roll out the gingerbread house kits. Compress is down for it all. It’s not just for you, but all for the sake of letting loose for once during the year and allowing himself to relax as a civilian instead of a villain on the run. He’d rather spend time building a gingerbread house than trekking through the cold forest with the sounds of sirens in the background getting near. 

~Twice👬-This man gets a new ugly Christmas sweater like every year since 7 years ago. The only difference is now he can celebrate with you and his friends instead of celebrating with himself and his clones, alone somewhere in a storage unit. And yes: he’s the number one person to force the league into a Christmas party because he knows you’ll have fun hanging out with him and everyone else (since usually he keeps you away for protection). He’s also the most likely to make everyone engage in secret Santa with each other. Jin is also the one most likely to burn through Christmas movie marathons like it’s nothing at all to him. He runs on peppermint hot cocoa, and marshmallows so don’t challenge him at all

~Kurogiri☁️-Usually he wouldn’t think twice to celebrate it. It doesn’t bother him, but he’s not really focused on being cheerful when there’s work to be done instead. You have to be the one to help him slow down and enjoy the tiny things here and there. He’ll help you string up lights, decorations, and the tree. Believe me, he does an amazing job on it all because he doesn’t half-ass his work in any kind of way whatsoever. He’s also kinda in love with the Christmas sweater/vest combo you got for him (and he’s secretly wanting to brag about it). He’s not one for the sweets like the ribbon candy, or the candy canes but he’ll blow through holiday food that you cook or order. Most of all, he’s invested in seeing you smile 

~AFO💀-Christmas is just another excuse for him to spoil you. However, you have to step up and let him know it’s more than just gift giving that he needs to do. Where you would love some quality time with him, he’s more about giving you 1,000′s of dollars of gifts and handling work that needs to be done. But who can say no to those eyes of yours huh? (Don’t answer that. Just know he’s not one to deny you). He’s not really into the holidays but he treats it like a big important date night between the two of you. He’ll go above and beyond to ensure things runs smoothly. You’ll have to introduce him to ‘stay at home’ dates for once. If not

~Stain🔪- Isn’t down for it until you mention the tradition that some people go out and chop a real tree. For some odd reason, he’s attached to the idea of chopping a tree down. At first you thought you’d successfully got him into the Christmas spirit, but it just turns out he was eager to use a blade for big business for the first time. Either way, you shrugged it off and rode with it. And boy was that a mistake to make...You were shivering out there. Stain had you in the forest for at least an hour now while he hunted down the perfect tree. You swore to yourself that you’d be getting a fake one next year

~Muscular💪-”Celebrate Christmas? Okay, why tho?” You maybe could convince him by disguising it as a romantic time but he’s not big on romance either. You entice him with gift giving. More importantly the idea of hiding his gifts and not letting him see a single one till Christmas day. THAT is how you get him into the holiday. Be warned though, he’s mostly taking part in the other celebrations because he’s wanting those presents so badly.  

~Mustard☣-You’ll be lucky if you can get him to go Christmas shopping with him, let alone celebrate. No offense against the holiday itself but Mustard doesn’t celebrate ANY day. He doesn’t even like to celebrate his own birthday! He seems to be a bit more bitter around the holidays and the cheer isn’t helping. “C’mon don’t be a scrooooooge!” You poke at his cheek while he’s scrolling through his phone on the couch. “Y/N for the last time, kindly piss off.” He glares at you before turning his attention to his phone again. At this point you’ll either have to risk getting put under from annoying him too much, or you’ll have to find another way to convince him to loosen up. Good luck with it

~Spinner🦎-10/10 best person to spend Christmas with. He’s more into it than you are. As soon as December 1st hits, he’s putting up decorations. In fact, he put up the tree a week before Thanksgiving. The holidays remind him of when he was little and he sat in his mom’s lap while she sewed a Christmas tree quilt. Or when he and his sibling would have snowball fights in the backyard (despite his aversion to cold weather due to his quirk). Shuichi will sit down and write out a holiday movie watch list and watch a different Christmas almost every single day with you if you’d allow it. He’s the first to bake cookies, and the first to start buying gifts early. Most of all, he’s happy to spend this time with you. (Oh be prepared for those walks in the park to admire the Christmas lights)

~Katsukame🗿-Big guy is a lot more cheerful than you know, but he knows nothing about Christmas so you gotta show him all those old fashioned traditions. But please don’t tell him to deck the halls because he will pull a ‘Rappa’ move and punch holes in the hallway walls. Aside from that, he’s pretty open to Christmas cookies, and even decorating. But I have to say he draws the line at singing door to door at people’s houses because he hates to sing. He doesn’t even like to hum lol 

~Rappa👊-Hell yeah he’s gonna spend it with you! The big guy is literally sold on just about anything involving you (well as long as he doesn’t have to wear a stuffy suit for it). His excitement stems mostly from his curiosity. He never had a bad childhood but he still can’t remember much of the holidays back then. So who needs old memories when you can make new ones! At least that’s his reasoning after all lol. 

~Hawks🦅-This guy is the WORST at giving you presents. I mean his gifts are amazing, but he always slips up and tells you what they are too soon. In fact, he will buy you something and ask if you wanna see it within the next five minutes afterward. Its gotten to the point where you have to beg him almost to stop letting wanting you to open stuff. He can’t help it though! Keigo just loves spoiling you, and holidays are the exception where he can go crazy with his saved money.

~Magne🕶-She has this crazy secret collection that she finally busted out once you’ve gotten close enough to you in the relationship. Her secret collection ended up being a MASSIVE set of sweaters (specifically Christmas themed) While she’s beaming proudly about how she has a different sweater for every day in December, your jaw is almost on the floor. “Mag...don’t...don’t these cost like 50 bucks each? How long have you been collecting these?!” Anyway, you should expect an ugly Christmas sweater party with the League at least once this December 

~Tabe🍡-Forget celebrating the other stuff that comes with Christmas, you already know what he’s excited about...All that yummy yummy food!!! Oh God (if it applies) take him to your family (or friends) for Christmas and watch his face as he enters to see that table full of food. Oh man, he’s going to do his best to be respectful but on the inside he wants to destroy all of the food on that table. Oh and don’t worry about the whole baking cookies for Santa because Tabe is most likely going to eat them...and drink the milk too

~Hojo💎-He starts present shopping in late October, early November so that way he has everything he needs to get for you (which is a lot). He hides your presents at the base so you have no idea where to find them. Thanks to the base being an underground labyrinth, you’ll never see those gifts until Christmas eve (just one), and Christmas day (the rest of them). Hojo goes along with whatever you do to celebrate the holidays. He’s just perfect husband material to be honest. Not too rough around the edges, but willing to beat a man to death if his job calls for it. Who knew he’d be the most willing to celebrate the holidays with you.

~Chronostasis🔫-He will literally defy anyone that stood in the way of spending this holiday with you. That includes his own best friend/boss. Overhauls knows this, and he’s comes to respect your relationship so he purposefully doesn’t schedule Hari to work on Christmas (but he still pays him for the full day since he’s still his friend). Hari will absolutely kill anyone that got in the way of your cheer. Even if you were one of those people that believed in Christmas magic, he would support you. The world is tough, and it shows no mercy so little things like joy during the holiday meant a lot more than anyone could know in your household. He loves to see you happy so if that means celebrating with you, then he’s going to do it. Besides...he secretly likes Christmas himself

~Mimic💰-Literally loves to talk about how unnecessary it is while he’s also excited for it as well. Like he’ll talk down about decorating while he’s decorating. If you try to step between him he’s gonna tell you to: “Back off, you’re messing up my artistic flow here. Go sit on the couch. Make yourself useful and unwrap the candy cane boxes for the tree.” You can see by the way he steps back and puts his hands on his hips to admire his handy-work that he’s taken a bit of pride in things here. 

~Pops🇯🇵-The old man will take part in the celebration with you because he absolutely adores both you AND the holiday itself as well. He might mix in a few older traditions like Elf on a Shelf, and making a popcorn line to go around the tree. Most importantly you can look forward to opening one gift early as per tradition on Christmas eve. Pops is thankful every single year he gets to spend with you. 

~Giran👏-Christmas presents from him are on lock. You see he developed this tactic after brainstorming some ideas. He’s always buying you anything and everything but he realizes that it takes away from his Christmas gift pool. To combat this, he decided to cutdown on his generosity in the months of September, October, and November. That way, it’ll give him some time to get you a bunch of stuff on Christmas that you DONT already own. Or at least some stuff you don’t already need. 

~Geten❄-Of course he’s number one at hiding how he feels about you. Or maybe more along the line of being a total Tsundere, but believe me he loves you. If that means celebrating this holiday with you then he’s willing to endure it. His grumpy face is getting harder and harder to hide from you. Sometimes you can just barely catch a glimpse of his content smile while you guys build a snowman together. Wanna have some real fun with him? Challenge him to a snow building competition. With his quirk at play you’ll surely lose no matter what, but isn’t it fun to see him bragging his ass off about how he ran circles around your ‘shitty snow project’? 

~Slice💋-She doesn’t hate the holiday, but she DESPISES the cold weather. A lot of her clothes are shorter and sexier by far. Summer is her number one time of the year. Besides, winter dries her skin out, and she hates being under wraps of a thick jacket etc. She can’t even wear her open toed heels!!! Besides that, she’s down for celebrating indoors if you want to. Christmas movies, hot cocoa, and a few make-out sessions are her forte. That’s the best way to do Christmas in her opinion

~Nine🌪-Bake cookies? Sure. Volunteer at shelters? Absolutely. Hang lights around the house/apartment? Yes baby, anything for you. I mean Nine is a ‘yes’ man all year round, but he’s especially willing to agree to things during this time of year. He’s completely whipped for you and there’s nothing wrong with that. He celebrates however you’d like him to do so. There is just one thing he wants to do that he suggested first and that’s either driving slowly through fancy neighborhoods to see their lights up, or going to a Christmas themed petting zoo and feeding carrots to the reindeer. Let’s say he’s a child at heart during this time of year

~Chimera🐺-Literally sees no purpose in celebrating it at all. He’ll do the stuff you want but he’s going to complain the whole way. The only thing he’s big on is saving up his cash and getting you something. The only thing that matters to him is making you happy during the entirety of your relationship (which he hopes is the rest of your lives together). The rest of the stuff he’s just grumbling and putting up with so he can see your smile. 

~Mummy🥋-Christmas? For what? Well okay then, if you say so. Really doesn’t get the point but hey, why not. He’s got nothing better to do. He’s never really celebrated it, His family never really celebrated it either so he’s a little interested in how you get down for it. His favorite thing he developed was this odd present wrapping competition with you. You should already know how good he is at wrapping things due to his quirk (I’m sure he’s shown you how good he is at binding and wrapping stuff before). Add a little competition into anything and he’s ready to do it. Baking competition, Caroling competition, Decorating competition. He’ll even challenge you to who can cuddle each other better. Whatever floats his boat I guess lol

~Gentle Criminal☕-He wants to travel during the holidays with you and he wants to vlog it all. Only if you’re okay with it of course! If you give him the ‘okay’ then he’s whisking you away somewhere overseas for a more extravagant vacation. He ends up spending so much time with you and having so much fun that he stop recording like 3 days in. His reasoning behind travelling is that snow must be so much more fun elsewhere, so of course the rest of the holidays must be as well. In all reality he just wants to make sure you have a fun Christmas. Travelling during it and experiencing different places and cultures are a fun new way to experience the holiday. 

~La Brava📸-Handy with the tech, but mostly with the camera. She amasses an entire compilation of you throughout the day and she’ll stay up all night stitching it together. The day after Christmas comes and she sits you down on the couch to watch it with her. Honestly she’s the sweetest and most dedicated partner that anyone could ask for. The way she treats you makes you thankful not just for spending Christmas with her, but for spending any day of the year with her. 

[bigskydreaming]

In a mood and I’m trying not to be, but oof. Not easy at the moment. Real life stresses are kicking my butt and I’m decidedly limited in resources for addressing that at the moment, so might as well get this off my chest, lol. Already lost the usual fifty followers or so I lose every single time I post about stuff the way I did the other day, so what’s some more, y’know?

So earlier today I tried to get my mind off things with some fic, and happened across one I hadn’t read before that promised Jason and Dick talking things out and bonding. Halfway through I sighed and went oh, this is familiar, and skipped to the bottom to check the end notes and comments to see if there was any mention of this next part, but nope. The reason for the sigh was it took me about halfway into the fic to realize that it was blatantly inspired by my post about what if Jason was missing some memories from his death/resurrection and the Pit, like specifically the ski trip they took, stuff like that. Now I’m not so egotistical as to think nobody but me has certain ideas, but its fairly easy for me to recognize when someone is basing something off a post of mine because of specific turns of phrases that I use and like, they hit ten or so bullet points from my post without missing a one. Like, there’s parallel evolution and similar ideas, and then there’s going down a check list, y’know?

And don’t get me wrong....I don’t mind people basing stuff of my posts, being inspired by them, etc. I WANT that. I’m GLAD to have that happen.

The part I mind is the way this all ties back into my interaction with fandom as a whole....and this fandom’s interaction with me. Which I don’t tend to hear NEARLY as much about as I tend to have people giving me shit about my impact on fandom....but ONLY the negative impact.

In the four years or so that I’ve been active in this fandom, I can think of only three people who have given me some kinda shout out for being the basis of one of their fics. Three people. And in that time I’ve come across literal dozens of fics that I am almost certain can trace their way back to popular posts of mine. There’s the post about Jason’s memories and the ski trip for one - this fic isn’t an isolated occurrence, I’ve found a good half a dozen or so I feel fall into the same pattern. There’s fics based off my posts about how fucked up the blame Dick got for Spyral was, with my certainty based on the fact that I know I’m the only fucking person who ever brought up various key phrases like “Bruce not having an extraction plan for Dick’s highly dangerous undercover op, leaving him stranded when Bruce got/(chose) amnesia.” I made a big deal about that in a few posts because of the fact I NEVER saw that particular element raised in any fics, and a couple months after I started including that bit regularly, I was seeing the words ‘without an extraction plan’ in every other new post Spyral fic. That’s not a coincidence.

There’s been stuff that included bits and phrasings from my post about Dick and Jason being partners who focused on helping kids who had been abused specifically....oh wait, no, my bad. The two fics I’m thinking of there lifted straight up entire lines from that post but just made it about Jason and TIM doing that instead, despite like.....the entire basis of that headcanon stemming from Dick’s juvie origin but whatever. There’s been stuff based on juvie posts of mine, stuff based on posts I’ve made about Mirage, there’s been stuff based on the post about Jason looking into why Dick was undercover as a mob enforcer and then Renegade, there’s been stuff clearly inspired by my headcanons about Jason calling Dick for advice after the Garzonas case. I could go on. There’s a fucking LOT.

I don’t try to give myself too much credit but I’m not unaware of being a loud voice in this fandom and that having an impact. And like I said, I’m not adverse to inspiring people to make their own stuff based off an idea they initially saw me present. That’s fine. People should feel free to do that. My problem is that none of this exists in a vacuum. It exists in a fandom where I regularly get people lecturing me on my presentation, people hyping up how negative I make fandom, my condescension, my anger, my hostility, etc, etc. 

But the thing I never see is any awareness whatsoever that like....dudes, I’m literally just a guy on the internet. And that goes two ways. Yeah, I have an impact on people, but they have one on me too. And I’m tired and frustrated by it being acted like this is a one way street and everyone is just helpless victims of my bullying, while meanwhile SOME OF THE EXACT SAME PEOPLE GIVING ME CRAP FOR MY NEGATIVITY are ACTIVELY adding to their own fics with stuff that I JUST posted about.

And like, I see people vagueblogging about the negativity on their dashes and its impact on fandom right after I have a Dick Grayson rant blow up and get a few hundred notes......but its acted like I DID that to fandom, that’s my negativity and mine alone when its like....y’know, if you’re not following me yourself, and this stuff is still on your dash, you uh....have to be following people who reblog my negative posts for some reason or another. And given that there are obviously reasons you follow THOSE people, maybe instead of worrying about what I’M doing all the time, you can spare a thought or two for the fact that I don’t have any power to make people reblog anything, and for whatever reason, something about my oh so negative post resonated with those people reblogging it onto your dash, which also kinda suggests it wasn’t negative in THEIR eyes, but was actually a kind of validation of thoughts or feelings they already had?

Trust me, there’s no mind control ray at work here. This mood is also brought to you by the cricket sounds that come every time I fucking BEG people to reblog and signal boost posts I make about rape/abuse fandom trends and depictions from my POV as a survivor, specifically. Like I mentioned, I LOSE followers every time I bring that stuff up. It doesn’t benefit me in any way whatsoever, in fact my notes tend to go comparatively radio silent for a good couple weeks after I go off on one of those jaunts, because idk, people don’t want THEIR mutuals and followers to think they agree with some of my oh so controversial stances?

Actually, I say idk, but I do know is the thing, because people actually go on anon and tell me they appreciate me posting stuff like this, and its like.....that....doesn’t actually make me feel good? Because I never expect any single person in particular to reblog me, but when I say crickets after I post on those topics, I mean CRICKETS. I’m lucky if I can get five reblogs on those posts in total, and those are usually all from the same people. It actually kinda sucks knowing that people agree with me and what I have to say there, but they won’t put it on their own blogs because this fandom is so fucking STEEPED in its views, they don’t want to risk their friendships or back-and-forths with certain popular fandom authors by rocking the boat.

Because meanwhile I’m making myself target practice for the people who really would like me to shut up on certain topics but are too cowardly to ever confront me directly about why they dislike what I have to say there, in the vain hope that other people might finally even just START to pass some of that on even for consideration....because I can make waves by myself just by being loud and consistent, but I can’t do shit to actually make CHANGE without other people agreeing in PUBLIC so that fandom is forced to confront the fact that no, certain opinions aren’t just one loud asshole being annoying, there’s an actual viewpoint here that people actually have in greater numbers than we realized and we DON’T have as much of a monopoly on this topic as we thought.

I have anons who give me shit accusing me of driving off certain authors by making this fandom not fun for them anymore, when like, I never even fucking INTERACTED with the authors in question. Some of the names I’m accused of driving off I don’t even KNOW. I’m called an ‘abusive survivor shaming cunt’ with zero irony or self-awareness that they’re literally doing the exact same thing because they don’t like the stance *I* take as a survivor posting about how ‘some survivors use dark fic/rape fantasy to cope’ shouldn’t be treated as a monolithic defense of such things if it leads directly into the same kind of survivor shaming other people view criticism of such fic as being in the first place.

I’ve had to unfollow mutuals because I post about how reblogging posts about purity culture is a direct fucking slap into the face to people like me whose stances on fandom culture are directly based on our own personal experiences and the intersection those have with various popular fandom takes.....like you don’t have to agree with all my takes obviously, but if you can’t see how framing a naive pursuit of ideological purity as the only possible reason people object to certain fandom trends when I’m literally standing right here saying no actually, the way these fandom trends impact me is the reason for me saying the things I say when I say “here’s how this fandom trend impacts me”.....like.....c’mon. 

And I’ve had mutuals unfollow me because despite following me because they liked my takes on social justice issues THEY care about, I just ‘post too much about what’s really just a personal issue’ and has no larger social relevance whatsoever, obviously. LOL. (Oh and this of course has nothing to do with them getting friendly with various popular authors on discord, who happen to be vocal about ‘disapproving’ of any fic criticism whatsoever. Just FYI, there’s a reason I haven’t followed anyone new or made any new mutuals in like....a year. I have my reasons for being....not quick about that).

I get condescended to constantly about not minding the tags, and then radio silence when I list literal examples of ways in which people haven’t tagged things correctly, tagged things at all, or literally used the tags in an attempt TO trigger people they just don’t like. 

And meanwhile, allllllll of this keeps happening while the general narrative is I’m this loud asshole guy with zero concern about anything but his own personal likes or dislikes and who makes fandom a negative place that’s unwelcoming in general. And with basically zero mention of all the ways in which I’ve contributed to this fandom, the amount of content I’ve made that has DIRECTLY inspired people, and the productive conversations I’ve started which have resulted in people actually changing the way they approach various characters or dynamics in fics.

Its THAT part that bugs me, specifically.

Look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now.....I’m not anyone’s victim. Negative fandom interactions are negative fandom interactions. All this complaining I’m doing here - lol, that’s all it is. I’m venting. I’m pissed off and I think its relevant to a greater fandom dynamic or tendencies a lot of people unknowingly or consciously reinforce, and so I’m just fucking SAYING it because while its not something I EXPECT this post will do much to change, if at all, I would still like it to change so any effort towards that end is still better than no effort at all...hence, my posting this rather than bottling it up so at least people have it to consider. 

If you don’t agree with it, if you don’t like that it exists at all, if it ruins your day to have to consider whether or not you or people you know or even like are active participants in what someone else is describing as y’know....fairly day-ruining in its own way? Hit that unfollow, that block, that make new text post button of your own and have your own rant about what a douchebag I am.

Literally all I’m trying to express is like.....fa*ndom’s got a lot to say about the stuff I have to say about fandom, but like....this is a two way interaction. A lot of people make a big deal about MY impact (again, JUST the negative though, lol) but I don’t ever see anyone ever addressing anyone else about hey maybe you could spare a thought or two about YOUR impact for a change as well.

I mean, what if....just maybe...what if.....a lot of my behavior or attitude has a lot to do with how people approach or talk about me BEFORE that display of attitude or certain behavior? Weirdly....I feel like maybe something that could then have a transformative effect on the kind of behavior or attitude people dislike from me....is.....them acknowledging or addressing things they might have done to prompt certain responses from me?

I don’t actually like being whiny or negative or down in general, just to be clear? If I see something I have a problem with or think could use change or improvement, I say so - but I pretty much always put an effort into expressing both WHY and HOW I think possible change could look - because I’m not generally interested in being negative for the sake of just being negative. I just....want things to be better. That’s not an obsession with purity or perfection, btw, I will NEVER understand how people think that survivors of rape and abuse (which include a lot more ‘antis’ than anyone else seems to want to acknowledge) and the like EVER expects perfection or thinks that the world will ever produce that - lol no I’m actually pretty clear that things being perfect is pointless, I’m just interested in BETTER.

But I mean, I like being goofy and silly and also analytical and contemplative and also creative and spontaneous. I like lots of things. I like lots of moods. I like producing, creating, generating, interacting, engaging, I like a million things more than I like THIS kind of mood, THIS kind of post.

But I’m just not someone who is content to sit and stew in that sort of thing when I know full well that the problem does not actually stem from something broken or flawed inside of me, because I’m also someone who does believe very strongly in periodic bouts of self-reflection and honest self-assessment.....so that I can change things about myself when and where I feel necessary. But this also has the effect of me also being VERY aware of when the problem is not internal, but actually just me having a perfectly valid reaction or emotional response to outside stimulus. Aka fandom’s interaction with me, every bit as much as my interaction with fandom.

So....posts like this. I’ll do my usual rituals, get myself back onto my preferred trains of thought soon enough on my own, because ultimately that is all I can control and just because I make posts like this doesn’t mean I ever EXPECT any specific result - or a result at all - to come from it. 

But, y’know, sue me for being hopeful.

I know. What an ass am I?

[kanzakinao]

tagged a while back by @rukinosaki ! thanks so much michelle! 🤗💖💖

why did you choose your URL?

because of her 🥺💞💕

i don’t post liar game as much anymore, but nao is still so so dear to me with her honesty and kindness and very being! still can’t believe i was lucky enough to snag her url tbh! 

any side blogs? if you have some, name them and why you have them.

i have @maelstromsbolt - which is an attempt of a side blog but i haven’t actually used it in abt two years fsdfs. i intended it to be a place where i reblog more text heavy/resource posts for myself and for fandoms i don’t rly blog abt - should probably get back to using it lol

i also have @spherehunting and @saltflakesnow, but i only really use them for testing out themes that catch my eye!

how long have you been on tumblr?

according to my archive......... since 2010 💀💀💀

do you have a queue tag?

nowadays, no! i tend to reblog in bursts now rather than putting things in a queue. back when i was more active i think i used #uniqueuesity and #q p infrequently

why did you start your blog in the first place?

got bored of gaia online and was in my pop punk bandom phase lmfao

why did you choose your current icon/pfp?

yuffie’s dffoo stickers are the cutest thing... i cleaned one up just to use em! 🥰

why did you choose your current header?

i recently changed my theme for yuffie’s dlc release! and yuffie’s magical girl introduction is just perfect!! unreal how much that brought a smile to my face tbh i love yuffie and her dramatics soooo much 💚💣✨

what’s your post with the most notes?

this one! made back when i was your local jo harvelle editor for the supernatural fandom lmao. not my most favorite edit tbh - though it’s a nice reminder of my old editing style i guess!

how many people do you follow?

78......... i know few of them are deactivated/inactive too lol... i should def clean up my follow list and follow more ppl 😅😅

have you ever made a shitpost?

nah don’t think so

how often do you use tumblr?

daily/every other day or once a week if i get caught up w work. i try to catch up to the posts i missed and tend to like posts to reblog for later!

did you ever have a fight/argument with another user? who won?

uhh i don’t think so!

how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this post’? 

signal boosting is good! i can understand why ppl may not rb them tho. it’s also important imo to fact check the post’s contents or at least search online a bit to verify that you’re not spreading any misinformation

do you like tag games? 

yea they’re fun! 😊👍

do you like ask games?

sure!!

which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous? 

prooobably some ppl in the video game fandom? not super sure lmao

do you have a crush on a mutual? 

maybe a couple friend crushes here and there but nothing past that lol

rules: choose 1 picture from your camera roll without downloading anything new to sum up your personality and then tag 5 people

i don’t rly save a lotta memes and w/e on my phone tbh but probably this one bc it best represents me w the content i reblog:

tagging: @collabels​ @lancres​ @ghostmay​ @catboydeklolynch​ @harukaozawa​ @createandconstruct​ (only if you want to! 💖💞💕)

[unproduciblesmackdown]

speaking of the play there’s so much to take in, which is code for me saying “i pretty much stare intently at jeremy but i also get distracted by what other people do, which gives me that info + an opportunity to later see new things i missed that jeremy was doing” but in this moment i’m just thinking about this one moment where i appreciate the details lmao

when squipped jenna appears and gets to the “and i’m feeling so connected to you right now / i just feel so Connected to you right now” and everyone who’s in the Network rolls their neck counterclockwise and brings their hand to the right side of their neck, where the connection is apparently Felt

mr reyes and jenna and jeremy’s squip are clearly totally in sync on this, whereas jeremy very noticeably isn’t ~properly~ synced in the same way, and there’s no thesis statement beyond that, i just like to go Ah The Layers

like, prior to this moment, jeremy’s had autonomy of his nervous system for a good minute or so, getitng all 2pg with michael to fight past the squipped cast to the mdr, all while jeremy’s squip apparently focuses its ability to control (or at least Prompt) people’s movements on the cast opposing them rather than trying to continue forcibly overriding jeremy’s control of his body, which is probably even more difficult thanks to jeremy feeling In Sync with michael in that moment

but and then jenna’s appearance means that she’s immediately entering the network being very aware of the connection and embracing it, which can probably only boost the Strength of the connection since she’s consciously feeding into it....like, is this giffed moment here showing jeremy’s squip leading the synchronicity as usual, or is jenna actually taking the lead seeing as the movements “accompany” her singing....probably it isn’t meant to have an unambiguous answer at this moment 

like natch everyone who’s squipped (besides jeremy) feels they’re benefitting from the network rn, but what with jenna being the Popular Kid who was really on her own within the group and felt her status was so conditional and tenuous, she’s bringing the most “i want to be part of this Whole Entire Group and have that connection” energy the most out of anyone, like, she’s probably nearly as pro-squip-everyone as jeremy’s squip is and is just like, really Contributing to the “force” of the network, hence jeremy goes from having that physical control of himself to being yanked back into sync, except he’s obviously lagging, with the Hand-To-Neck “feeling the connection” movement coming halfway through his roll and him just being pulled right into it so that he’s Back On Track

plus you can See how the squip's override is still imperfect - even with that potential Signal Boost from jenna interrupted jeremy’s streak of autonomous control, there’s the “issue” of jeremy’s lag, and it’s kind of only wrenching him around by certain physical points: he isn’t in the clean standing position that the others are, it’s throwing his balance off, and his Feeling The Connection move is basically a wince of pain that makes him stumble / further lose his balance

it’s neat you’ve got the horror-esque element of People Moving Unnaturally in the different ways of a) people moving in sync at all but also a lot better than they should and b) the neck roll alone is always weird and c) the fact that jeremy’s unnatural movement seems both more and less “natural”....the fact his movements aren’t as “perfect” as the others shows he’s still partly in control of himself, but that loss of control being Only partial means it shows how like, what’s happening is that this outside force is still able to grab hold of him via reaching into his nervous system and wrench him around that way, which is probably more unpleasant than everyone else just rolling with it

anyways seeing how the Sync and the physical control override betwixt jeremy and his squip is executed / evolves over the course of the entire show is endlessly Interesting and neat in a ooh yikes!! way often lol....and this is like, the one time maybe we see the squip’s override happen without perfect synchronization between jeremy and his own squip? it’s pretty messed up as this moment where he’s Outside The Network and all of a sudden thrown back in while making it clear that even while directly fighting against it it’s still inside him and can force him around whether he’s happy about it or not lol hghh and also that the strength of a networks’ internal signals increases the more people are in it, especially if people within it want to facilitate/amplify the connection rather than try to override it with your own conscious signals. and it’s just really wild how it’s sort of like, you’re seeing how the “force” of the Group Signal hits him differently than it does those who are properly synced up and already in position. reminds me of another horror thing that is a bit much to evoke but hey! what was the horror movie joe iconis keeps saying was a source of inspiration b/c i keep forgetting yet Wondering how the influence came into play

[spnfanficpond]

Survey results and responses

A couple of weeks ago, we put out a survey to get a feel for some things, and we got over a dozen responses! Thanks to everyone who responded and told us what you’re looking for! 

There were some responses that we would like to get some clarification on, and some responses that requested things we’ve already got out there. Below the cut is a rundown of some of the questions and responses, along with links to things that already exist and plans to enact some of the things you’ve suggested. 

If you responded to the survey, please read below! We need your input!

1. What things related to posting your works on Tumblr or other sites would you like to learn more about? For example, Keep Reading cuts, finding gifs, giving credit to gif and edit creators, etc.

A tutorial for adding Keep Reading to fics, both on a computer and on the app, would be helpful.

How far down should I put a keep reading?

Anything related to gifs

Best apps or sites to use for making gifs.

Finding gifs and giving credit to creators

when should I give someone credit for being a beta (for example: I bounced ideas with someone for a minute or two but they didn't technically beta read it; I can't decide between X and Y (with no context), pick one)

linking posts to blog bios

The facts on the search issues (re: links, tags, and anything else that keeps a fic from being "searchable") - I see people saying various things, so sourced facts would be nice, if possible

These are great requests, and we’ll do our best to address them in the next LiveChat Event!! There were some requests that we’ve already addressed, so here’s some links to those:

What should I be including for reader info, eg: Warnings? Word Count? Summary? Characters...? - Suggested Format for Fics

Feedback - December 2018 LiveChat Recap (Feedback and Beta Reading)

Building an audience/gaining exposure - November 2018 LiveChat Recap (Reader involvement)

There was one request for “troubleshooting”, but we’re not sure exactly what’s meant by that, so if you requested this, please send us an ask or an IM and clarify what kind of troubleshooting you’re curious about!

2.  What tags would you like to see our "#writer resources" tag broken down into? For example, grammar, publishing, etc. (Currently, we only have a couple of tags that are used consistently to tag posts that are reblogged from other blogs, like writing prompts and reference posts we think might be useful for our members. We would like to make finding information easier by refining our tags so posts about grammar aren't mixed in with posts about publishing, for example.) Please list below any tags that you think would be helpful for us to use to make these posts easier to find when you're looking for them.

Word choice/vocabulary

Grammar

Synonyms

Spelling

Punctuation

Editing

Tutorials

Challenges

Tips

Inspiration

Publishing

Plot

Characterization/character development

World building

Genre tags like romance, action, horror, etc.

Dialogue

All of these are great! We’ve got some questions about some of the others that were suggested, though. If you can send us an ask or an IM and clarify about these, we’d love to hear from you!

Writing Prompts - This tag is already in use. 

How to format - How to format what? Need some clarification on this.

Getting started - With what? Is this like inspiration or something different?

Brainstorming - What kinds of posts would be under this tag?

Comments - What kinds of posts would be under this tag?

Awards - We already have a tag for the AFA’s, so is this for something different?

We’d love your feedback on these ones we’re unsure of, so let us know!

3.  Is there anything you wish was easier to find on the blog?

Maybe a list of frequently used tags on the FAQ page so I'm not blindly trying tags when I try to search for something.

Once we get a set list of tags we’ll be using, there will be a post or page listing them with links. First step is setting up the list, which is why we asked question #2. We’re on the right track!

New pond member stories. 

By stories, do you mean fics they’ve written, or info about who they are? We post a list of new Pond members with links to their work every month. You can check them out here. If this isn’t what you’re looking for, please send us an ask with some examples!

The submit box!

Are you on desktop, mobile, or the app? Please send an IM to @mrswhozeewhatsis or @manawhaat about this so we can help you and figure out why it’s not easily accessible for you!

I wish ships and pairings were tagged so I can easily filter and find fics submitted to the pond.

This is something we’ve considered, but it’s been on the back burner while we focus on other issues. Someday, we would like to be a blog for readers, not just writers, and instituting a tagging system for fics would be part of that. Setting that up, though, will be a big project, since there are so many ships and tags to consider. How to do it without making the submit page four miles long with tag options is another hurdle. This is on our radar, but it might be a while.

I wish some things like pond members, tag list, and writing resources were easier to find on mobile./ Links are difficult to find on mobile.

The problem with the member lists is that they are pages, not posts, because pages are easier to manage than posts. Posts are slippery things that can be lost if we’re not careful, whereas pages are rooted in the blog where we can’t lose them. Sadly, the app can’t read pages, for some reason.

Another problem is that the app can’t handle a navigation block. Short of filling the bio with a ton of links, which gets very messy and hard to read, there’s no way to make these links available on the app.

That being said, if you access Tumblr via a browser app like Chrome on your phone, all of these links are available at the top of the blog! Not only are they available, the member rolls and everything you can’t see on the app are completely accessible!

Mobile friendly versions of beta and tag lists? The spreadsheets are awesome, but a little hard to read.

Spreadsheets are the only way we know to allow users to filter, which is a major part of the functionality of both lists.  If you’ve got suggestions for how to do this, we’re open to them!

4.  Is there anything you'd like to see more or less of on the blog?

More thesaurus/synonym like posts. For those that struggle to use other words for_____ and want to.

Interesting! We don’t see many posts like that out there, so this might be content we’d have to create. Perhaps we could solicit words from our members and create posts like this based on those suggestions? What do you think?

I think it would be good to expand the tags for submissions to include more info, like more specific other trigger categories, things that are typically taboo that a reader should know about, if the story is smut/angst/fluff, etc.

This was mentioned and addressed above, so we won’t repeat it all here.

I'd like to see more writing prompts.

More than just what’s in the #writing prompt tag? We’ll need more clarification on this one!

More things about the community like fic recs, nominations, maybe get-to-know pond member posts.

Since we’ve already got the Angel Fish Awards and the monthly New Members posts, which both include fic recs, we’ll need some clarification on what you’re looking for there. As for posts about getting to know individual pond members, this sounds like a great idea! We’re open to suggestions on how to choose what members get chosen!! Send us an ask with your ideas!!

I wish there were more active big fish in the pond.

Being a Big Fish is a big responsibility, and we understand that not everyone is up to it. We ask that our Big Fish be consistently kind and generous with other members, spend some time every month in the chat room so Guppies and Jellies can ask them for help, signal boost posts when asked, assist with Pond projects when requested, be involved with the Angel Fish Awards, and like/reblog fics by other Pond members. Doing all of that AND having a life outside of Tumblr can be a lot. 

Because of all of that, we don’t usually approach Jellies and ask them if they’d be interested. We wait for Jellies to come to us. It’s a big thing, and we don’t want to pressure folks. If someone is interested, they should read this post about how Big Fish are chosen, and let us know that they are interested!

5. What kinds of prizes would you like to see more of in the monthly Angel Fish raffle?

Not sure what's currently being given away.

It changes slightly every month, and we make a post with the list of prizes. The post for June hasn’t gone up, yet, so keep an eye out on the blog!

I think it would be fun to incorporate Pond members that create stuff (like that have etsy shops or stuff like that) into the raffle.

If members would like to donate things from their shops as prizes, we would welcome them! 

Hmm maybe a fic commission from a big fish? (If they’re open. Or anyone the winner might want to commission, not just big fish. Also specifically one where the writer’d still get paid in lieu of buying another physical prize lol.)

This is an interesting idea, and we’re considering it from a few different angles!

6. Are there any topics you would like to see discussed in the monthly LiveChat events?

There was only one response to this one that we need some clarification on: 

Outlining series, how to give feedback, how to make your fanfics flow

We talked about Planning vs. Pantsing back in March, so check that out, and if it doesn’t give you what you’re looking for about outlining, let us know! As for feedback, we talked about Feedback and Beta Reading in December. Your last suggestion sounds interesting, but we need maybe an example of what you’re talking about to be sure we know what you’re looking for. Send us an ask and tell us more about your flow questions!

7. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? Suggestions for improvement? Let us know here!

I love the Pond and I love the community that has been built from SPN. I feel like Big Fish are active (which they should be) and then a handful of people (category unknown, but I suspect they are Guppies) seem to be kind of active, but based on the descriptions Jellyfish seem like they should have a role as well. Could we do something with Live Chat where a Jellyfish helps answer questions or host with a BF maybe? JF should be approachable too but if we don't know them then it's hard to ask them anything and they seem just as intimidating as a BF. (BF are less intimidating to me because they interact with everyone more often actually). *shrugs* I don't know, maybe that's just me.

This is a tough one. Jelly Fish are basically Big Fish without the responsibility. (See above about Big Fish and our expectations of them.) We’ve focused on Big Fish with the LiveChats, but we aren’t against the idea of having Jelly Fish chat with us, too. (In fact, three of our events have featured Jellies.) This will take some thought to find ways to encourage Jelly Fish interaction. All suggestions are welcome!

I feel like a quarterly raffle would give more people time to vote/enter. Doing it every month feels a bit over saturated. Unrelated, but a Discord server would be nice. In my experience, those feel more open to community than a Skype chat bc there are different chats that people can interact in and it’s easier to moderate.

A quarterly raffle is totally doable, though the AFA’s will remain monthly. Would that still sound good?

Michelle has had learning Discord and setting up a server as the next thing on her to do list for three months, but just hasn’t had the time to sit down and learn (you know, when normal people are available to teach her, not the crazy hours she keeps). Kale is on Discord for other things, but is also just a beginner. We’re working on it! Discord is coming!!

If answering questions from surveys or comments or submissions in the live chat (or even interesting questions) could you post the question and answer on the blog for those that miss the chat and don’t want to/can’t scroll through it all to read everything.

You mean like the Recaps to the Monthly LiveChat Events?

I think it's great you put out these surveys. Maybe a designated suggestion option? You have the list for betas, how about a list of those that create aesthetics or art for fics?

These are awesome ideas!! Putting them on the to-do list!!

I think the Pond is really good, I just wish I knew/interacted with more people who are in it.

Tell us what would better enable you to interact, and we’ll see what we can do!

I'd suggest something to motivate people to take the time to submit to the pond? I feel like nobody hardly does it anymore, including myself, because it feels like nobody really interacts through the pond anymore.

The admins have discussed some ideas about this, but haven’t found a solution they can all agree on, yet. One admin suggested limiting Angel Fish nominations to fics that were submitted to the blog. Don’t submit, you can’t be nominated. One of the other admins hated the idea, and the third abstained. The only other suggestion has been to increase readers of the blog so writers have more incentive to submit to reach a larger audience. As mentioned above, we’re working on ideas towards that goal. What suggestions might you guys have? Another raffle for prizes? 

Just maybe add a few more big fish? If that's possible? Maybe more interaction with everyone to make them feel like a part of the pond. 

See above about adding more Big Fish. We need volunteers who are willing and able to keep up! Beyond trying to keep the chat room active, we could use some suggestions about how to increase interaction! Give us your ideas!!

That’s a lot to read, and kudos to you if you made it this far!! Thanks to everyone who responded to the survey, and we look forward to hearing more from you all!!

[suchagallabitch]

Hello stinkies, long time no see. 

a very, very long story short, I want to start writing again! except I also desperately need motivation lol (😭)

so I ask of you to send me a number 1-166 and i’ll write a silly little oneshot accordingly based on the list I have :) except I am just a little annoying and do have numbers that I can’t use: 11,61,65,77,81,82,139,144

anyway, that’s all, thanks! :) hope to be back soon with words

send me a number 1-166

[omgrachwrites]

Ocean Avenue (Bucky Barnes)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

Summary: When Darcie Baker - the daughter of a police officer -  breaks her misfit friend’s heart at 16 she regrets it everyday even  after she graduates though she knows she can’t go back and change what  happened. Everything changes when over 10 years later she meets the  gorgeous mechanic.

Warnings: little bit of fluff, angst, possible trigger warning: illness

Words: 2370

A/N: So sorry for all the angst! Also, I’m getting serious Hal Carter vibes from Bucky in this lol! I hope you guys enjoy this part and please let me know what you think! I love you all very much! xxx

Twelve years later

Bucky Barnes attempted to blink the sweat out of his eyes, cursing when instead the salty liquid dribbled down into his tear ducts, making his eyes burn incessantly. Pulling himself out from underneath the hood of the car that he was working on he rubbed the sweat out of his eyes, probably smearing grease all over his face in the process. He spotted his bottle of water on his cluttered desk and gulped a lot of it down to try and relieve himself from the blazing summer sun. The water was warm and it tasted a little dirty but it was enough, Bucky poured the rest of the water over himself, sighing in relief as he pushed his damp hair out of his face.

“Y’know,” Steve started, snickering as he leaned against the door frame, one foot crossed over the other, “you really shouldn’t do that whole routine with the water when your fan club is watching intently,” he smirked, discreetly jerking his thumb to point at the house across the street.

Bucky turned to look over at the house and sure enough Gemma – a pretty girl who was going into her final year of college – and her mom were sitting on their front porch gawking at Bucky. Though, Bucky didn’t mind, it helped to boost his ego, not that it needed much boosting if he was being honest with himself.

Both Bucky and Steve lived in New York City since they left the army but they started up their car repair shop in the suburbs just outside of the city, thinking they’d get more business. They had been right, business was booming, they were doing extremely well for themselves.

Bucky rolled his eyes at his best friend, “I think that Gemma’s mom is more into you than she is into me,” he chuckled when Steve’s eyes grew comically wide. Bucky plastered on his charming winning smile, thick dark strands falling in front of his eyes as he raised his hand in a wave at the two women, “hey there ladies!” he fought back a smirk when they visibly swooned. Bucky was used to that – even though it was extremely arrogant for him to admit it and he knew it.

Gemma took Bucky’s greeting as a signal to walk over the road to the garage, an ice cold glass of lemonade in her hand, Bucky noticed there was just one lone glass, “oh, here we go,” Bucky muttered to Steve out of the corner of his mouth. Gemma was a sweet girl but she was too full on at times.

“Bucky! Hey!” she grinned, blushing as she sauntered over, “my mom and I thought that you might be thirsty, it’s a hot day,” she handed the glass over and Bucky took a tentative sip of it, it was sweet, delicious and refreshing.

“This is really good, I’ll be sure to share it with Steve, thank you,” he teased but Gemma still looked embarrassed as she played with the ends of her ginger hair.

“There’s something that I wanted to ask you,” she paused, gnawing on her bottom lip as she collected her thoughts, “I go back to college soon and I was just wondering whether you would like to go see a movie sometime?” she asked hopefully, shrugging as her cheeks almost glowed with the intensity of her blush.

Bucky opened his mouth but no sound came out of it as his mind went blank, he didn’t think that it was a good idea but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. He sighed, looking her in the eyes, “Gemma I,” thankfully he was cut off by the bell ringing in the garage signalling that someone was waiting in the shop, “I have to go and get that.”

Steve stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder, “don’t you worry buddy, I’ll go and get it for you, you two talk,” he smirked at him as Bucky shot Steve the filthiest look that he could muster before he turned back to the young woman in front of him.

“Look, Gemma, I think that you’re really great but I don’t think the two of us going on a date is such a good idea. We’re much better off as friends don’t you think?” he put it as delicately as he could because he could see that her eyes were getting teary and the hopeful look on her face quickly turned into a disappointed one, “besides, I’m sure that there are guys in college that could make you very happy.”

“There are,” she admitted as she nodded sadly, “but none of them are you,” she chewed her lip again, “but I respect your decision, thank you for not being an asshole about it. I just wanted to ask so I’d know for sure how you felt.”

Bucky was about to apologise but he was cut off by a girlish giggle and a voice that he kind of recognised but he couldn’t place where he had heard it before.

“I’m so sorry that I didn’t recognise you Steve! You just look a lot different now compared to what you looked like back in high school,” the woman was saying. Steve let out a deep chuckle and Bucky turned to see who had accompanied Steve into the garage.

Bucky’s blood ran cold and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he realised who the woman was with Steve. He barely registered it when Gemma bade him goodbye and she walked back home. She wasn’t blonde anymore – that was the first thing that Bucky noticed – where her hair used to be golden blonde it was now a slight reddish brown. It reminded Bucky of the gorgeous vibrant colour the leaves changed to in the fall.

Her ice grey eyes were soft and full of warm laughter as she spoke to Steve. However, something changed in them when her gaze landed on Bucky, it was surprise mixed with another emotion that Bucky couldn’t quite decipher. Maybe it was regret. Her strawberry tinted lips opened just a fraction as her eyes looked Bucky up and down. They had both come a long way from hanging out secretly at the beach.

She didn’t really look much different, maybe she was even more beautiful but Bucky pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Just the memory of him putting his whole heart into kissing her when she couldn’t care less left a bitter taste in the back of his throat.

“Look who it is Buck,” Steve said somewhat nervously as he gestured at Darcie who was wearing doctor’s scrubs.

“Hey Bucky,” she smiled warmly at him, moving a lock of hair out of her face, “you’re looking well, it’s good to see you,” her voice was soft and kind but Bucky wasn’t letting her off that easy.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest, ignoring the looks of shock and hurt that flashed across her face.

“My friend came here to get spare tires and he did me a favor by putting my car in to be repaired, he said that this was the best place. It’s a red Audi,” she bit her lip nervously; “I didn’t know that this was your shop, if I did then I wouldn’t have come here.”

Bucky ignored the sting that her words gave him and he turned away from her, walking to the other side of the garage, “it’s not finished yet, I’ve been busy. You’re not my only customer you know,” he was just being petty now; he’d finished working on her car. He’d finished it a couple of days ago in fact.

He turned back to face her, scrubbing a hand through his hair, “so you’re a doctor now?” he gestured at her scrubs, “was all that sacrificed worth it?” he asked viciously, “it seems like it was; you even have a new hair colour and everything.”

“Bucky, I’m sorry, I really am sorry but what happened between us happened twelve years ago, we were just kids! Please can we just let it go?” she pleaded with him, “I know that I hurt you,” she finished quietly.

“Pah, you didn’t hurt me! I saw it coming,” he was much too proud to admit how hurt he had felt, how hurt he still was, “how’s your dear old dad by the way? Is he still an asshole?” Bucky’s smirk faltered just a little bit as Darcie’s eyes got glassy and he was in the frame of mind to apologise to her.

“Buck,” Steve started in a warning tone, Darcie smiled at him, laying a hand on his bicep.

“It’s okay Steve, you can’t pick your friends I guess,” she shrugged, “I’m surprised that you’re competent enough to run your own business Barnes. I always thought that you were a good for noth-“

“Right! Darc, I’m giving you a ride back to the hospital since you have no car,” Steve clapped his hands, effectively cutting her off; it was obvious that he was hating the conflict.

“Your car will be ready on the fourteenth of never!” Bucky childishly shouted after Darcie’s retreating back, he needed to get the last word in.

“Bucky!” came Steve’s angry reply.

It was like it was a completion to see who could hurt who the most.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

After Steve had dropped Darcie back off at the hospital she walked into the locker room to pull off her scrubs and get changed for dinner with her parents. Steve was just as sweet as he had been in high school; she made a mental note to introduce him to her friend Peggy. Darcie’s mom had called her earlier in the day to tell her that her dad was having another one of his bad days and to think twice about going over there for dinner. However, Darcie ignored this advice; she really wanted to see her dad.

She pulled open her locker door to grab her clothes and she chanced a glance at her reflection in the mirror. She released her hair from its ponytail, letting it cascade around her shoulders in messy curls. Her eyes looked more tired today because she didn’t even have the time to put just a little bit of makeup on. Also, her surprise run in with Bucky didn’t help either; she hated how good he looked.

She sighed at her reflection, pinching her cheeks to bring some colour back into her skin before slamming her locker door shut and she left the locker room.

“Home girl, is that you?” Darcie heard a yelling coming from the corridor behind her and she turned at the sound of the loud voice, grinning when she saw who it was.

“Sam, hey!” he giggled as she threw her arms around her best friend, “good to see that you made the transfer okay!”

“Yeah,” he grinned, “I’m super stoked to be working in the same hospital as you; you look great by the way. Are you going on a date?” he smirked wiggling his eyebrows and she burst out laughing at how stupid he looked.

“I’m having dinner at my parents place tonight.”

Sam’s face fell at her words and he looked a little bit regretful, “sorry honey. How is your dad?” he asked, “is he okay?”

Darcie shrugged before she replied, trying to keep the mood light, “no not really but he’s getting there,” she really hoped the words that she spoke was true.

When Darcie walked into her parent’s living room she grinned at the sight of her dad sitting in his favourite chair, the one he always used to sit in when he read to her when she was a kid and perched on his lap. He looked well; she didn’t know what her mom was talking about when she said that he was having one of his bad days.

“Hey dad!” she bent down to kiss his stubbly cheek, “you look great today, how are you feeling?” her bright smile faltered when her dad looked up at her with a blank expression.

“Who are you?”

She willed herself not to cry, she hated crying especially since her dad had gotten ill, it felt like she was always crying, “it’s me Darcie dad, your daughter.”

“But, I don’t have a daughter,” he simply said, Darcie’s mom who had been watching this interaction shot Darcie an ‘I told you so’ look.

Dinner was nice that evening, Darcie’s dad seemed quite relaxed; he was talking about his day. Ever since he had got Alzheimer’s he thought that he still worked on the police force, the doctors said that it was a good sign that he had still retained those memories. Though, he couldn’t remember his own daughter.

Everyone was happy until Darcie’s mom spoke up, “I heard that Bucky Barnes recently came back to town, started up a car repair shop and everything. Really turned himself around.”

At the mention of Bucky’s name her dad’s face soured, “he’s trouble that Bucky Barnes. People should stay away from that boy.”

Darcie’s heart lurched in her chest and she placed her fork down on the table, not feeling very hungry anymore, “you remember Bucky dad?” she asked, it was painful to know that he didn’t remember her today but he remembered Bucky.

“He’s hard to forget.”

Later on, the fire was blazing even though it was the height of summer, Darcie’s dad was sitting in his chair and she was reading to him. She was reading a passage from his favourite book, ‘A Clash of Kings,’ the book that the second season of Game of Thrones was based upon. Her dad was really enjoying it though he had forgotten that it was his favourite, he liked being read to. Darcie stopped in her reading when her dad gave her an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry that I don’t know who you are. Sometimes I forget things,” he shook his head sadly, looking down at the fluffy cream carpet.

Darcie’s bottom lip wobbled as she leaned forward and took her dad’s hands in hers and kissed his knuckles, “I know dad, its okay. I love you.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

@void-imaginations @marvelellie @theonelittleone @dreamacoholic @thesswintersoldier @harryngtonewithyourshit @iamariotgrrl

[cancerbiophd]

Hiya! I've been following you for some years and I have to say I love your science-dedicated Tumblr! I'm a biochemistry bachelor student in my last semester, and I don't know what to do next with my life. I hope you don't mind I came here for advice. I'm now on the nice period of life that I have to apply for Master's degrees, and I do not know how to format my CV for that 😑 any ideas or personal advice? Thanks a lot, keep on rocking science!

hello!!

oh aahhhh thank you! 

firstly, congrats on your final stretch of undergrad! 

secondly, come come, sit down next to me and have your beverage of choice (i’m feeling very.. ice-tea today). let’s just chat for a bit. it’s ok to feel nervous about what to do next, because it really is a big step! 

so for CVs, what you put in it is literally in the name: curriculum vitae = “the course of my life”. In the US, Canada, and some other countries, that means you put literally everyyyyything that has to do with your education and work (from college-onwards degrees, publications, posters, students mentored, memberships of societies, grants, awards, etc). I’ve seen CVs of super old and super accomplished professors that are like 50 pages long (and they have their own table of contents). However! In the UK, I think it’s limited to 2 pages. I live in the US, and am familiar with US CV’s. If you’d like to get a UK or international perspective, let me know, and I can signal boost. 

I have 2 posts talking about CVs here. 

(Just for clarification purposes, a resume is not the same thing as a CV. A resume is a 1-page tl;dr of your CV and summarizes the important aspects that are specially tailored towards whatever/whoever you’re sending it to. Here’s a nice article talking about the difference between a CV and a resume, and also has some awesome tips too.)

As for your first part about what to do with your life… you are still in the “early life” of your wikipedia page. You have time to poke around and figure things out. Get to know yourself! Do you like lab research? Or working with patients? Or science writing? Or perhaps you’re passionate about science policy and changing things in the government regarding science? Degrees in science are quite versatile; you don’t have to be stuck in a lab if you don’t want to. Here’s a (not complete at all of course) list I made of different types of jobs you can hold with a bachelors, masters, or PhD in life sciences. 

In general, I like to tell people that the best way to see if a career path is for you is to experience “a day in the life”, be it from an entry-level job, internship, volunteering, shadowing, or even in-detail conversations with an employee willing to share their experience. Sometimes careers that sound good on paper won’t necessarily mesh well with your personality/career goals in person, and vice versa. (Exhibit A: I thought I wanted to be a medical doctor my entire life, and then I volunteered at a hospital and realized I wasn’t too fond of interacting with patients. There goes that track!)

Most (if not all) universities will have some sort of Career Service/Development Program for current students and alumni. You can use it to network, get advice (eg. meeting with an alumnus in a career path you’re interested in and talking to them, or getting feedback on your CVs), and maybe even find jobs (alumni love to help other alumni). I highly recommend seeing if your university has something like that. 

Related, talking to your academic advisor/counselor is a good idea too. They can point you in the right directions, and give feedback more tailored towards your goals. They’ll also have more information on what kinds of career help your university offers. 

I was at a loss on what to do after I graduated college with my degree in microbiology too. After 5 months of searching for jobs, figuring life out, and being bummed out in general, I ended up working as a lab tech in a cancer research lab at my alma mater, and it was absolutely life-changing. It allowed me to a) figure out that I loved research and wanted to pursue a PhD, b) have the time to then study for my GREs and work on applications, c) form networks with other PIs and grad students, d) catch up on sleep/life, and e) meet my future husband lol. In short, taking a gap year (or 2.5 years in my case) between college and then grad school was just the best decision ever. I have a post where I talk about things to do during a gap year here if you’re interested. 

Hope that helped a bit! If there’s something specific you’re interested in, let me know! I’m also available on chat, so feel free to hit me up there if you’d like.  

Congrats and best of luck

[ibroughtthisonmyselfpixels]

Lyra for that blog meme?

their blog url: when she first hypothetically joined she would've been @mrfixitrigel, but she has since changed URLs - once to @msfixit, then again to @bodyrepair ("if only bodies were as easy as cars to replace").

the kind of posts they reblog: She signal boosts as many trans and disabled people in need of help or financial assistance as she can get to, though she's only rarely been able to donate herself - even during the BC when funds are high, she'd feel bad not doing it out of her own pocket. she will intersperce it with things she happens to find funny, plus pictures of real estate, well decorated bedrooms, swimming pools, things like that.

the first person they followed: what's a popular tumblr dealing with, like, real estate aesthetic? that, or maybe that one blog that snarked at the fifty shades series in the vein of reasoningwithvampires - she was on a real kick of hating that series for a while.

what kind of theme they’d have: of course, a disability-accessible one. Lorelei would recommend colors, despite not having a tumblr herself, so it'd probably be softer than she actually is.

what kind of text posts they make at 2am: "when i go to the doctors to get my boobs put in maybe i should ask them to take my heart out too. it'll hurt less when the next person dies that way. / in b4 "lol but you're already a heartless cow" i've heard it all before assholes"

[jozstankovich]

ALL THE APPRENTICE ASKS 👀👀👀

OHH DANG this is a longggg one, and I think I’m gunna split it into two posts (also bc I still need to answer the last 13 questions lol)  Some of these I decided to write little drabbles for as answers bc i’m having funnnn.  ^^

1) Your apprentice was brought along to one of themasquerades with a friend, who promptly ditched them ten minutes into it. Whathappened? How do they react?

Joss watched their friend disappear into the crowd, she said she’d only be gone for one dance, but Joss seriously doubted that.  Their friend was, well, a bit of a flirt and was already flitting from one partner to the next.  Joss rolled their eyes and moved off toward the edge of the room to wait.  So many people swirling around them in their bright costumes and masks was making them dizzy.  

Finding a relatively secluded corner, Joss plopped down unceremoniously at an empty table, resting their chin in their hands to watch the dancers on the floor.  They sighed, wishing, just a little that they had someone special to dance with.  At the sound of a throat clearing at their elbow Joss turned to see a masked figure in black, red hair spilling over his mask holding a hand out to them.  “May I have this dance?”  Joss’s eyes widened and they stared at the man’s gloved hand in front of them.  “Come on, I don’t bite.”  He flashed a roguish grin at them from under his mask.

Joss blinked, turning red to the roots of their hair, but took the man’s outstretched hand and stood.  “Uh, sure why not,” they replied, grinning bemusedly as their partner lead them out to the dance floor.

2) Does your apprentice get flustered over anything? Whatmake them flustered? Do they turn red? Stumble over words?  

Answered here ^^

3) How would your apprentice handle being so close tosomething that they desperately want, only to have it ripped away? What was it?

I thought about this one a long time, and there aren’t a lot of tangible things that Joss would want desperately. It would be more along the lines of a piece of knowledge (like who murdered Lucio) or their missing memories.  How they would handle it would involve pushing themself even harder than before to acquire what it is they want.

4) Talk about your Apprentices’ self-esteem

It’s actually pretty high.  When Joss was a kid their self-esteem was at the other end of the spectrum, mostly because of their heterochromia and just how shy they were in general, but as they grew older they began to accept themself and embrace their quirks.  Now they don’t even really give their appearance a second thought.

5) What’s one physical flaw about themselves that they hate?Do they have a reason for hating it?

“Look Uncle Les, look what I learned how to do!”  

Joss came bursting into the room, radiating excitement.  Their uncle stood, wiping his hands on a dirty cloth, and gave his full attention to the child in front of him.  “Well, let’s see it then.”

Joss held their hands in front of both eyes and when the pulled them away they grinned from ear to ear.  “Look!  Its called a glamour,” they explained with excitement.

“What’s that mean?”  Their uncle asked, confused.

“A glamour is a spell that can change any aspect of your appearance.  I can’t change my whole face or anything yet, but look at my eyes, they’re both the same now!”

Their uncle peered down at their face and frowned.  The pride in their little voice was heartbreaking.  “I liked them better before,” he said gruffly.  “They make you special.”

Joss screwed up their face and let the glamour fade.  “Tell that to the other kids,” they mumbled glancing at the ground.

“Ah what do they know!”  Their grandfather called from around the door.  Joss’s uncle ruffled their hair affectionately.  “I know its hard when you’re different from everyone else, but believe me, one day you’ll appreciate those differences.”

6) Do they have a personality shift depending upon certainpeople? Who does it change for and how so?

Somewhat yes.  Usually Joss is really kind of wrapped up in their own thoughts; quiet, reserved, and I’m loathe to say meek, it’s more like non-confrontational.  However, around Julian not only do they feed off of his flirtatious energy, but it emboldens them; gives them a confidence boost.  Joss is definitely more likely to take charge and be more open and forward around him.  

7) Talk about your apprentices’ backstory. How did they endup with the shop? What’s their relationship (or lack thereof) with theirparents? Traumatic childhood maybe?

Joss never really knew their parents.  Their mother died during childbirth and their father fell ill and passed not long after, so they were raised by their paternal grandfather and uncle.  The three of them lived on a little farm just outside of the city.  Their grandfather, who everyone knew as ‘Old Man Flynn’, farmed the land and took care of a few animals; cows, chickens, and a horse.  Their uncle Leslie was a scholar and a chemyst and herbalist.  He taught Joss about the healing properties of certain herbs and plants and in so doing influenced the type of magick they would come to specialize in.  

The shop originally belonged to Uncle Les, where he would sell his medicines and potions.  When Joss’s grandfather passed away they moved into the shop and began to operate it as partners.  When he contracted the plague he passed the ownership down to Joss because he knew he wouldn’t last much longer and he wanted to make sure they’d be taken care of when he was gone.

8) How does your apprentice express affection? Outwardly?More subtle-like?

For the most part I would say subtle.  Joss would be the type to give little gifts out of the blue; flowers or little handmade trinkets.  If a friend was upset they’d give them lots of attention and try to distract them or make them laugh.  However, if it was someone that Joss was especially close with, like Asra or Julian they’d be more outwardly affectionate with lots of physical affirmations like hugs, playing with their hair, or holding hands.  With Julian they’re extra touchy feely; gentle caresses, shoulder rubs, lots of kisses (they love kissing all his freckles), holding him while he falls asleep, etc.

9) Does your apprentice have any special abilities that youheadcanon and cannot be accurately expressed in the actual game? What are they?

Joss stood at the bar, nursing their drink and wondering how much longer a break the rowdy patrons would let them have.  A plump middle-aged woman with a very red face called out over the crowd for them to hurry it up. Apparently not much longer at all.  Joss rolled their eyes and grinned into their mug as they raised one finger above their head in a one-more-minute signal.  The crowd whooped and cheered as they chugged down the rest of their ale before grabbing their bow and fiddle and returning to the floor.

The woman who’d hollered at them caught their arm to whisper a request in their ear.  Joss grinned and nodded to the woman, quickly re-tuning their instrument before jumping into the upbeat song. They’d played it once already that night, but the crowd was so drunk they didn’t seem to care; many of them singing along loudly.

Joss was beginning to feel a little tipsy as well, but no one noticed when a note or two was off and soon the entire room was dancing and singing.  As they played faster and faster, Joss felt a heady rush; their fingers dancing over the strings while the bow in their hand took on a life of its own.  They spun in a circle as they played, their feet moving swiftly in time with the tempo, and when the song ended with a quavering drawn out note the room burst into a cacophony of drunken cheers.  Joss only took half a moment to catch their breath before jumping up on the table to start their next song.

Julian shook his head, grinning fondly at them from across the room.  Their eyes met for a brief moment and Joss’s responding smile lit up their face, making his heart beat faster.  It never failed to amuse him that despite Joss’s modest temperament, get a few drinks in them and stick their fiddle in their hand and they became the center of attention without a second thought.  

10) What does their living space look like? Is the shopmessy or clean?

The shop is meticulously organized.  The living quarters upstairs, not so much.  It’s not dirty, just messy.  Joss tends to leave clothes out and about and books scattered around everywhere.  Also, they do hate doing the dishes on a molecular level.

11) Talk about how your apprentice deals with emotions. Boththe ones they like to feel, and what they don’t like to feel.

Joss is pretty private with their emotions, preferring to deal with the unpleasant ones alone.  Especially sadness.  Joss will do just about anything to keep from being seen crying.  Happier emotions are more noticeable.  They often will wear a smile they can’t get rid, have a little extra pep to their step, and tend to hum or sing under their breath.

12) What happens when your apprentice feels upset?

Joss prefers to lock themself away, or go out for long solitary walks to cool off.  That usually works, but if they’re still mad after that, they tend to say things they don’t mean and end up feeling guilty for it.  Joss’s temper doesn’t run hot, so it takes a while for them to snap, but when they do it can be explosive.

13) What’s your apprentice like when sad? Do they get reallydepressed? Have they ever hurt themselves out of sadness?

When sad, they prefer to be alone to cry it out, but Joss isn’t prone to depression, and has never harmed themself because of it.  However, if they do find themself sad for long periods of time they usually push themself to keep busy in an attempt to distract themself from the pain and work through it.

14) A small hand-mirror has been sold to your apprentice.When they look into it, it shows their greatest fear come to life – conscious orsubconscious. What is it and how does your apprentice react?  

Taking a different route home from the docks Joss passed a series of drab shop fronts off the beaten path.  Sunlight glinted off something in one of the windows, catching their eye and bringing them to a halt to take a closer look. Their curiosity piqued, Joss decided to enter the dim shop for a second.  Inside, bookshelves lined the walls, stocked with leather bound tomes of every size and age, and the glass encased counters held all sorts of nick knacks of questionable authenticity.  As Joss leaned over the glass to get a closer look a withered crone appeared from behind a faded curtain in the back.  “Ahhh see something that catches your interest?” she croaked, planting bony hands on hips.

“Uh, no,” Joss squeaked, straightening quickly.  The shopkeeper chuckled at their reaction.  “I know who you are, and I doubt you’ll find anything of much interest to you in there,” she murmured mysteriously.  Joss raised an eyebrow, but the woman didn’t elaborate.  Instead she beckoned for them to follow her as she slipped back behind the curtain.  Joss followed hesitantly, but the back room held a far different aura.  

“Now these, these are magicakal items more suited to a witch of your caliber.“  Joss opened their mouth to object, but the crone silenced them with an absent wave of her spotted hand before displaying several trinkets -  nazars, and totems by the look of them.  As she spoke Joss’s eyes wandered, stopping on an ornate, if tarnished silver hand mirror.  The shopkeeper followed their gaze, trailing off mid-sentence and swooping in to offer the mirror to Joss.  

“What does it do?” Joss asked, running their fingers over the etched surface.

“There are larger more powerful magic mirrors out there, but this one, alas, can only show one thing.”  The old woman paused for dramatic effect.  “This mirror shows you your deepest, darkest fear.”

Joss turned the mirror over, a strange compulsion gripping them, and stared into their reflection with wide eyes.  For a long moment nothing happened; only their two coloured eyes staring back at them.  Then the mirror’s surface began to darken and Joss found they couldn’t look away.  Images flashed before them, each one worse than the last, tearing at their heart.  An angry mob, a gallows under a cloud darkened sky, Nadia’s stoney face looking down from on high with a distraught Portia at her side, guards leading in a prisoner in shackles, Julian’s frightened face searching for them in the crowd as the hangman coils the rope around his neck.  Their eyes meet and his lips move, I’m sorry.  

Joss squeezed their eyes shut, shoving the mirror back at the crone with trembling hands before they could see any more.  They’d already seen how it would end too many times in their nightmares.  “I’m sorry, I- I have to go.”  Joss mumbled incoherently as they half ran for the door, feeling suddenly claustrophobic in the cramped, dark back room, their heart hammering in their chest.  The shopkeeper watched them go with an unreadable expression on her face as she absent-mindedly stroked the edge of the mirror with a gnarled finger.

[stennnn06]

Sanvers or someone drags Kara for a night out to cheer her up after losing her job, end up in a gay club and there's more than a few women hitting on her, one coming off particularly hard and Kara is flustered. In comes her savior in the form of one Lena Luthor a la Kate (Dates, can't remember her surname lol) and Kara is even more flustered. What happens next is up to you~

This was fun!!! Thanks for sending this, I hope it gives you all a bit of a fun jolt. [Not Canon in terms of timeline - Lena/Kara are more like ep 2/3 status, even though Kara is fired from her job. Maggie knows Kara is Supergirl. Carry on…]

Off the Record - on AO3 or under the cut!

Off the Record

The music is so loud she can practically see it pulsing, and for once, she’s fairly confident it isn’t just because of her enhanced senses. Kara can’t pinpoint exactly why she let Alex and Maggie drag her to a club on an unassuming Thursday evening, but being recently unemployed, and fresh out of other ideas, she agrees to a spontaneous night on the town. It’s a rare combination when Supergirl isn’t being beckoned and CatCo isn’t calling, the former suspiciously quiet, the latter a sad new normal after Kara’s most recent transgression.

She doesn’t want to say she was fired, but Snapper made it clear. Kara prefers to think of it as crusading for justice, but her empty desk begs to differ.

“Why did you bring me here again?” Kara all but shouts into Alex’s ear, as her sister pulls her by the hand through the dense throng of gyrating bodies and cool glances. It’s a far cry from their usual quiet, unassuming alien bar, and definitely an interesting pick for her sister, who is more about pool halls and beer. 

“Because you need to live a little! You’ve been sulking around and frankly, it’s making me depressed. You need some fun!” Alex nods at Maggie, holding up 3 fingers, signaling the number of drinks, and grinning at Kara. “Besides, it’s the only bar in town where you won’t get obnoxiously hit on by every man within two feet of you.”

Kara looks around, and it hits her, then, that the crowd is two things – very female, and very, very gorgeous. She gulps.

A gay bar shouldn’t surprise her, and it doesn’t, not really. But it brings with it a whole new set of issues. Namely, issues that come with lip bites and lingering stares that make Kara’s cheeks flush and the room spin. Just surveying the crowd, she accidentally makes eye contact with quite a few women, each one more suggestive than the last, and she finds herself looking away forcefully. She’s embarrassed to be caught gawking, but finds herself pleasantly amused. 

Definitely amused.

She isn’t uncomfortable. In fact, it’s kind of – thrilling. It feels good, and she feels the familiar warmth creep into her chest that she usually only associates with the looks she receives from one other person. A person she is refusing to think about right now, because it isn’t a crush. It’s not. Her relationship with Lena Luthor is strictly professional, with perhaps a tendency towards personal as of recently, but nothing beyond casual friendship. It isn’t Kara’s fault that Lena is stunning, and captivating and brilliant—

“Are you okay?” Alex cuts in, her head tilted in curious thought.

“G–great! Good. Yes this is exactly what I need!” Kara agrees, pulling herself from her thoughts and stumbling forward into an empty booth, pulling Alex along with her.

“First round, on me!” Maggie cheerfully calls out, smiling as she delivers the goods. “Sorry Kara, I know it won’t do much for you, but it’s got a tropical umbrella.” She rolls her eyes good naturedly as Kara grins. The tropical fruity drinks make her happy, if for nothing else than they remind her of sunshine and taste like juice.

Kara grabs for it enthusiastically. “I came prepared!” she announces, producing a small unlabeled bottle from her purse. The alien alcohol came from their corner bar, a little gift from M’gann after Kara gave her the best version of puppy dog eyes she could muster. Alex purses her lips and rolls her eyes, but Maggie holds out her hand for a high-five.

“Nice! Cheers then!”

They clink their glasses and everything feels better than it has in weeks.

It doesn’t take long for Kara to get targeted, much to Maggie and Alex’s endless amusement. A surprise drink lands on the table in front of Kara, and the waitress smiles, winks, and points across the bar to a lovely brunette who is smiling kindly. She raises her glass and Kara blushes, trying desperately to figure out where she knows her from.

“I–I don’t know her?” Kara whispers to Alex frantically. “Why would she buy me a drink?”

“It isn’t because she knows you, Kara. It’s because she wants to know you.” Alex laughs and shakes her head. “Sometimes you really are a useless alien.”

“Wants to–OH…” Kara realizes quickly what’s happening, and bites back the smile creeping across her face. She’s flattered, really, but has no idea how to respond.

“Relax, you don’t have to do anything. It was a nice gesture. Drink up.” Maggie assures her and Kara exhales in relief. She swallows her drink with a mixture of pride and a little boost to her ego, before settling back into the booth comfortably. She isn’t going to strike up a conversation with a random stranger – not yet. But maybe…

Her eyes wander and trail across the crowd periodically, as if she’s searching for something in particular. Subconsciously, she is, but she can’t be sure of what exactly. Not until her eyes land firmly on a familiar face that flashes through quickly, before turning away.

“What is she doing here?” Kara almost spits out her drink as she continues to stare across the room. She’d just spent the better part of an hour struggling to determine if her eyes were playing a cruel joke on her, or if a certain attractive CEO was actually in the same bar they were in. Could this really be happening?

Her eyes are not deceiving her. Lena Luthor is absolutely in the bar, because Kara knows she’d recognize the profile of that face anywhere. But who is she with?

Kara is squinting hard, now, on the verge of using her X-ray vision if necessary, when she hears Alex respond to the question she forgot asking out loud.

“Who?”

“Lena Luthor!” Maggie interrupts, following Kara’s stare before Kara can reply. Maggie and Alex exchange knowing looks, before grinning conspiratorially.

“You should go say hi to her!” Maggie nudges Kara. “You guys are friends, or something, right?”

“Don’t encourage her!” Alex glares at Maggie in a half mocking tone, but Kara feels she’s somewhat serious. Still, Maggie’s eyes sparkle as she winks in Kara’s direction, like she knows something Kara doesn’t.

“I mean, I wouldn’t call us friends, exactly, more like… acquaintances? Work…friends? I’ve interviewed her a few times, and she likes my writing, but that’s all…” Kara trails off, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She knows it’s a joke, but could she really go over to Lena? Were they at that level? She couldn’t deny the thought did sound appealing. But what would she even say?

Starting a conversation with Lena suddenly becomes much more daunting without the guise of work to fall back on. Kara slumps in her seat at the realization that losing her job means losing her direct line of access, and therefore, direct line of excuses, to go see Lena.

“Relax, Kara. You’re bulletproof.” Maggie grins, sipping her drink before putting it back down. “Besides, I hear her bark is worse than her bite.”

“And how do you know that?” Alex asks incredulously, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

“A high profile person like that who comes with a lot of baggage? Good old detective work, my friend,” Maggie shrugs, sipping her drink, “I hear things.”

“You’re a gossip hound, is what you are.” Alex rolls her eyes and scans the room, settling on the topic in question. “Her dress probably costs more than my apartment.”

“Both of our apartments, actually,” Maggie chimes in. “Girl’s got taste, that’s for sure.”

Kara is growing increasingly more anxious, her eyes shifting from her own table to Lena’s and back every so often. She’s trying hard to be subtle, but that is hardly one of her strong suits. Lena’s hand lands on the thigh of her counterpart and Kara feels a random surge of protective energy. She gets up abruptly, knocking the table with her hip and almost breaking it in the process.

“Woah, easy there, where’s the fire?” Alex holds out her hands to steady everything before looking at Kara for an explanation.

“I–More drinks! Who wants another round?” Kara fumbles an excuse and doesn’t wait for the response, already darting through the crowd angling for a closer look.

Kara doesn’t even see it coming. Call it ignorance, call it selective attention, call it naive. But she certainly doesn’t expect to be intercepted while crossing the bar by a nameless, but intriguing stranger.

“Has anyone told you that you look an awful lot like Supergirl?” An attractive redhead sidles up to Kara’s side, smiling innocently.

Kara looks around before she realizes that she is indeed the object of conversation.

“Really?” Kara crinkles her nose in mock surprise, feigning ignorance and acting like it’s the most preposterous claim in the world. “You’re too kind! No, no, I can’t say I’ve gotten that before.”

“Oh, it’s true, and I bet you’d look wonderful in that outfit.” The stranger says, inching slightly closer and resting a hand on Kara’s arm. “You look like you work out, in any case.”

Kara isn’t sure how to respond, and what’s worse, she’s completely lost sight of Lena. She sighs, her shoulders slumping, as she turns back to the girl in front of her.

“I—That’s so nice–” Kara begins, her eyes still dancing around hoping to catch a glimpse of Lena, “But really, I don’t…”

“Kara?”

Kara’s head snaps to attention at the sound, because the throaty voice cuts through every sense, every nerve, every pulse and wraps itself around her, pulling her away from reality. She knows that voice. She’s memorized that voice. It’s kind, but confident, yet at the same time, there’s the smallest hesitation, as if waiting for an invitation.

Somehow – and Kara still isn’t totally convinced it’s real – when Kara turns around, she’s hit by Lena’s intense green eyes that are suddenly peering at her in that certain way she has. The kind of way that somehow seems to smirk without any help from her lips. They’re the kind of eyes that invite you in immediately, and you have to accept, because how could you ever turn down a look like that?

“L-Lena? What are you doing here!” Kara yells, mostly out of surprise, but also out of genuine, unbridled panic. Her heart skips more beats than she’s sure is physically possible.

Lena Luthor. Here, in the flesh. And oh, Rao. She is certainly not all business. Kara gives a not-so-subtle once over, her eyes raking over a sleek form fitting dress with a plunging neckline, which Lena catches with a smirk.

“I suppose I could ask you the same,” Lena grins, winking, before looking between the two women as if sizing up the situation. She cocks an eyebrow and clenches her jaw briefly before speaking. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Kara notices a look in Lena’s eye. It’s strangely territorial and almost – jealous? No, it can’t be. Jealous of what?

And yet…

“Oh, I– no. No you aren’t!” Kara insists, looking apologetically at the other woman. “She isn’t!” she explains to no one in particular, as if trying to defend her desire for Lena to stay with them when really she has no idea what she wants or what she’s doing.

Thankfully, Kara’s former companion, who still doesn’t have a name, takes the hint.

“I was actually just leaving,” she explains, gathering her drink and moving to make room for Lena. “Enjoy your night!” she offers, before departing, leaving Kara bewildered, but somehow relieved.

“Well, Ms. Danvers, I have to admit, you’re not quite who I expected to run into tonight…not that I’m complaining,” Lena slides into an empty booth and reaches her arm out to insist she’s serious, smiling genuinely at Kara as her fingers brush along her forearm, “Although, if I’m intruding, please, tell me…you seem to be quite a regular here.”

“A regular? Me? Pshh Lena–” Kara giggles nervously, painfully aware of how ridiculous she sounds, but also unable to form a coherent thought at the moment. She slides next to Lena, their thighs just barely touching, sending a shock through Kara’s system like she’s never experienced. For a second, she thinks she almost used a super power she didn’t know she had.

What is even happening to me?

“No? I suppose that’s presumptuous of me. I noticed you earlier, and was going to send over a drink, but realized I was beaten to the punch.” Lena sounds wickedly amused, if not slightly annoyed.

“No! No not at all! I’m– This is my first time here. I’m actually just with my sister and her girlfriend. They’re..somewhere…” Kara gestures, making a vague attempt to find them, but giving up midway through in order to focus back on Lena. Her skin is hot from where Lena’s fingers merely grazed, and she stares at her arm briefly before coming back to her senses. “How are you?”

Lena leans back casually, angling toward Kara with her arm gracefully draping over the back of the booth. She stirs her drink slowly, her fingers tangling elegantly over the red straw. She stares at Kara with gentle amusement, like she’s thinking about her favorite joke and is just on the verge of telling it. Her hair is pulled back, and even though Kara loves her hair down – yes, she’s thought about it once or twice – the smooth lines of her neck draw Kara’s eyes in immediately. She unconsciously licks her lips, as she tries hard to listen to Lena’s response, but instead, she just falls deeper into the trap of focusing on how perfect the black dress Lena is wearing fits around her body and the way her jawline seems to cut through the darkness with piercing perfection.

“Busy as always, no rest for the wicked I’m afraid. Though you haven’t been around conducting many interviews lately. I’m starting to think CatCo has lost interest in me.” Lena flashes a teasing look of hurt, before smiling.

“How could anyone lose interest in you?” Kara finds herself saying, before realizing exactly how it sounds. She clears her throat. “I mean, I– I think you’re more than just material for interviews.”

That isn’t much better, but Lena doesn’t seem to mind. She simply leans forward, her eyes never leaving Kara’s, her lips forming a pleased pout, and everything about it draws Kara in. She really wants to explain the real reason she’s at the bar tonight – licking her wounds from being fired – but she’s enjoying basking in Lena’s admiration for a few more brief moments.

They eventually settle into a more comfortable conversation once Kara slowly relaxes enough to ask Lena more about work, getting lost in the way her eyes light up with passion when discussing scientific concepts that are beyond anyone else’s ability to rationalize.

“I’m sorry – I don’t mean to bore you with all that,” Lena finishes, waving her hand as if to throw away her own words. “I’d much rather hear about you.”

“Oh, I’m not nearly as interesting. Your work is fascinating, Lena. Consider me very impressed.”

“Well, if I can impress Kara Danvers, it looks like there’s hope for me yet.” Lena teases, sipping the last of her drink with a satisfied smile.

“Sorry, were you here with someone? I don’t mean to keep you…” Kara explains, remembering for the first time that Lena wasn’t alone an hour ago. The thought makes her heart drop.

Lena shrugs it off casually. “My night has taken a pleasing turn. I’m fine if you are.”

“I’m fine as well,” Kara parrots, keeping up with Lena’s cool bravado, even though her heart is pounding out of her chest. The only way she’s able to mimic Lena’s calm exterior is because she hears the satisfying hum of a rushed heartbeat coming from next to her, and it gives her the satisfaction of knowing that Lena Luthor is just as nervous.

“Well, that’s almost good enough. Can I buy you another drink?” Lena asks, already signaling the waitress with a simple lift of her eyebrow and a small flick of her wrist. It’s smooth and controlled, and so elegantly poised, that Kara’s jaw hangs slightly in awe. “What’ll you have?”

Kara’s feeling bold, and she licks her lips in response. “Whatever you’re having.”

“Putting your fate in my hands? That’s awfully daring, Ms. Danvers.”

“I somehow trust your judgement, Ms. Luthor.”

The liquid goes smoothly down her throat, and immediately warms her insides, enough to catch up with the rest of her limbs. Her limbs that feel positively on fire every time Lena so much as looks at her. To be fair, the two have had lunch meetings, and a few short casual conversations, but this just feels different. Charged. Fueled with tension, but the kind that comes with other intentions. Kara isn’t sure if it’s Lena’s usual charm, or if there’s something more to it tonight, but whatever is happening, she’s sure about one thing: she doesn’t want it to stop.

“So tell me, Kara, what exactly are you looking for?” Lena casually leans her head against her hand, biting her lip at the suggestion.

“Oh, I’m not really–” Kara begins, stopping herself mid-sentence. She doesn’t want to deflect the weighted question, which tells her a lot about what she wants. More specifically, what she might want from Lena. Instead, she pivots her response. “I think…. I’ll know it when I find it.”

“Interesting. Well that’s usually how it works, isn’t it? The best things come when you least expect it.” Lena’s eyes catch the light just right, as she narrows her gaze to focus on Kara, her lips curled in a contemplative smirk.

“Or where you least expect it. I’m learning that.” Kara agrees, maintaining their eye contact, feeling the space between them growing hot and electric, vibrating with a pleasant intensity.

“Dance with me?” Lena asks suddenly, and it’s said in such a way that Kara thinks there might be more to it than just standing around swaying to music. Kara looks to the crowded dance floor, then back to Lena’s patient, sparkling eyes. She smiles and nods, taking Lena’s waiting hand.

Lena pulls her gently through the crowd, nestling them in their own space where they tuck into each other almost immediately in order to keep everyone else from crossing their paths. Lena’s arms drape around Kara’s neck easily, as if they always belonged there, and Kara reaches for Lena’s hips, emboldened by the way the darkness seems to hide all her inhibitions.

It brings her back to the first time she held Lena. Granted, it was as Supergirl, when circumstances forced them together and Kara had to pull her from danger. Lena fit perfectly in her arms then, too, but this is something else. This makes her limbs quiver and shake, and her entire body come alive, buzzing with adrenaline as if she’s under a permanent sun lamp.

The music pumps loudly, but Kara doesn’t hear it anymore, her focus shifting entirely to the way Lena’s hips rock against hers, and the way her warm breath cascades against her neck as she leans in desperately closer.

Kara’s hands roam across the smooth, soft skin of Lena’s exposed back, before wandering dangerously lower, testing how far she can get away with before being called out. Lena’s lips ghost from Kara’s ear, across her jaw, before hesitating right at the corner of her mouth. They lock eyes in a heated, silent exchange, before both leaning in, their lips coming together and finding a perfect rhythm within seconds.

Across the room, a five dollar bill is exchanged from one hand to the next. “I didn’t think she’d have the guts, but looks like your sister has more game than I thought.” Maggie nudges Alex, grinning from ear to ear.

“Okay, gross. Just for that you owe me double.” Alex shakes her head, laughing, wrapping her arm around Maggie’s waist.

Lena’s lips are soft, and hot, and Kara feels like she’s using every ounce of super strength just to keep upright while trying desperately for more, more, more. She’s hardly aware of the crowd anymore, she’s only conscious of Lena’s hands roaming along her back, and her teeth nipping at her lower lip, and the small grins in between kisses that make Kara’s entire body erupt. Her tongue slides slowly over Lena’s lips, eliciting a soft moan before she lets Kara deepen their kiss immediately.

Kara has no idea how long they stay like this, ensnared in each other, Lena’s hands weaving through her hair, Kara’s hands pulling tightly on Lena’s back to prevent any space from getting between them. Lena eventually pulls back softly, surveying Kara’s face for a reaction. Did I read this right? Her eyes seem to beg, and Kara can’t help but smile.

“What are you doing after this?” Kara blurts out nervously, her lips still tingling from Lena’s mouth on hers. She adjusts her glasses, but still forces herself to look into Lena’s eyes.

“Well, Kara, that depends,” Lena leans in close, her hot breath trailing over Kara’s neck and into her ear, causing her to shiver. “Is this off the record?”

“Of course” Kara breathes. Her knees are weak, and it’s a peculiar feeling, all things considered.

Lena seems satisfied with that answer, nodding quickly before folding her hand in to Kara’s, her fingers filling the empty gaps perfectly. “My place or yours?”

[suchagallabitch]

CH2: I Used to Scream Ferociously

….“I also found this” Lip handed over a small red dog stuffed animal. It wasn’t in terrible condition, Ian could tell Lip had washed the poor thing before he gifted it to him. Despite the fact the thing was a little dingy looking and floppy, Ian couldn’t help but smile at the memory it brought.

He was still working at Kash and Grab. If Ian recalled it right, it was around Valentine's day, Linda had bought a few stuffed animals. They didn’t end up selling and Ian decided to swipe the dog for his little sibling instead of throwing it away as requested. This was around the time Mickey started working there. Ian remembered as he held the stuffed animal in his grasp with a smirk. “Looks like you” He said simply, shoving it back into Ian’s chest.

“You can toss ‘em if you want” Lip shrugged watching Ian’s fingers stroking the dog's fur. “Or give it to Ruby, she might like it”. Ian looked up at that, a small genuine smile falling upon his lips.

It finally clicked to Ian why his older brother had gone through the effort of saving all the old items. He wanted Ian to have something to pass onto his daughter. Like all the Gallagher’s did to their kids before.

Read Ch1 Here

[bigskydreaming]

someothermonstra replied to your post:

Anyone remember that show Flash Forward from a few...

This feels like something that would work best for a visual medium but like specifically comics/graphic novel

I could see that, yeah. I was thinking along the lines of an anthology style of story-telling rather than a single, over-arching plot anyway, so that fits there too....like a graphic novel collection of smaller, slice of life stories. 

One of the biggest hurdles for a premise like this IMO is that a lot of ppl would view it as a way to push a ‘everybody has problems, nobody’s life is perfect uwu’ angle, which....no shit. LOL. That shouldn’t be the point. Really, I’m not sure that it’s the kind of premise where there SHOULD be a point. 

Like the opportunity is there for some writers to take that premise and use it to tell stories where people with varying types of privilege experience the reality that their privilege is exactly that, privilege, and they have no clue what life is really like for other people. BUT coming from the wrong creative team, that could completely miss the mark and fall into the trap of treating marginalized experiences as a ‘teaching moment’ or ‘educational tool’ for the benefit of more privileged characters/readers, which...they’re not. And shouldn’t be. Ever. So I’m not entirely sure how you’d go about telling that kind of story without being appropriative with it, which is Reason Number 1 why its not a story for me to write.

BUT at the same time, the way I was picturing it, the potential is also built in there for that premise to be used for stories where like, characters in shitty, hopeless situations get a window to experience life through the eyes of someone who’s been where they are, faced the same experiences and made it through to something better. Something more tangible than just being TOLD ‘it gets better’. Or perhaps their POV-swap gives them some kind of idea, or resource, or even a potential ally (when swapped back) for changing their situation that they might not have had before. Or for other characters/stories, the experience could simply be about making a connection with someone.

Like I said, idk. Just something I’d been musing on a lot lately so thought I’d put it out there because who knows. Maybe someone else might want to take it and run with it if they have a better feel for how to navigate these potential issues than I do.

The more I think about it though, I think you’re right about a comic book style approach. Like, if someone or multiple someones made a webcomic anthology of stories like this, I would totally read and signal boost the hell out of it.