#thought of a new detail. upset abt it

[youssefguedira]

listening to [REDACTED] is dangerous because then i start thinking about my beloved joe and nile post apocalypse fic and then i want to write it but i HAVE wips and i've TRIED writing two simultaneously before and it DOESN'T WORK but i WANT to

[masonspecialist]

I think I'm always going to be the villain in her story, and I need to accept that.

[pupyuj]

[cw: g!p liz, pregnancy, breeding kink, lactation kink]

i wasn’t meant to write anything for this bcs i was literally just sitting eating breakfast this morning when the thought of baby daddy jiwon graced my brain and i laughed at it for a second but then it got serious so now ya’ll have to indulge me bcs??? 🤤🤤 also not me saying that that one baby daddy yuj was the only time i’ll write abt pregnancy and yet here we are…

kinda long bcs i rlly loved the fluffy stuff so hehe have fun 💖

we’re all thinking about the same thing, right? your chaotic mess of a girlfriend jiwon feeling as if her whole world was turned upside down when you sit her down and give her the news in the morning where the two of you were supposed to go on a cute picnic date 😭 you can’t tell me she wouldn’t sit there for at least half an hour taking everything in, merely just staring at the wall with her mouth hanging open for so long you thought it would get stuck that way 😭😭 and ykw you were worried for a bit!! the two of you certainly didn’t plan on this happening and this was the clear result of both of you forgetting to use protection that one night where you were just eager to feel the other’s skin,, you half expected jiwon to be angry and lash out at you but no! ofc weird ass jiwon takes a deep breath before pulling you up to your feet and hugging you 🥺

she figured that the news was even harder on you since you were the one carrying the kid,, and being the amazing girlfriend she was, she prioritized your feelings over her own,, comforting you, whispering sweet nothings in your ear when you broke down in her arms not bcs you were upset abt being pregnant or anything but bcs you were just relieved that jiwon wasn’t going to abandon you 🥺🥺 and you’d still go on that picnic date with her! it would be awkward at first but best believe she’s promising to be there for you and with you every step of the way whether or not you decide to keep the baby 🥹💞

i believe in the ‘jiwon would be a wonderful soon-to-be-daddy’ agenda! due to her genuine fear of fucking shit up, she’d probably read countless parenting books 😭😭 sure she knew how to take care of a little kid or two but not a baby! let alone one that she made! she’s reading books, getting ahead of the game and researching and possibly buying all the stuff your kid needs, asking her parents for advice… jiwonie just wants to be the perfect partner and parent 🥺💕 you’d find her in the kitchen one day practicing how to make milk—as in making sure it’s the correct temperature and that it tastes good.. don’t ask her how many times she has actually finished a whole tiny bottle of baby milk 😭😭

and now to the nasty parts! ☺️ if i remember correctly i said this same thing about baby daddy yuj (🤤… sorry—) but jiwonie would sometimes find herself staring at you and thinking back to the night she got you knocked up! it would be worse with her though—unlike yujin’s massive ego showoff, she’s more… dreamy about it? 😭 like she’s really basking in every detail of that night from the stumbling-into-your-bedroom shit while giggling, practically ripping each other’s clothes off while making out, jiwon surprising you with her hidden strength when she suddenly just pushes you into the bed and quite literally gives you the best fucking of your life?? all that of that along with seeing that growing bump in your stomach and your now swollen tits heavy with milk, well… nobody can blame jiwon from getting hard on the spot!

also becomes a clingy perv 🤤🤤 obsessed with backhugging you randomly and kissing your neck bcs it makes you giggle bcs ur ticklish and she loves hearing you laugh BUT ALSO you whimper and get goosebumps all over your skin so it just… turns her on so much 🫣 loves caressing your little baby bump while she half listens to you yap about your day and half touches you all over 😳 you don’t notice what she’s doing until one of her hands is squeezing your inner thigh and the other is making its way up to your breasts,, “our kid’s very lucky.. they have the prettiest mom in the whole world.” and she’s leaving marks all over your neck and shoulder while she feels up your soaked panties… 🫣🫣

jiwon’s a love-maker so expect to be gently fucked while standing by the sink! has definitely memorized each and every spot that has you scratching her arms and curling your toes so you were just completely at her mercy the entire time! the contrast of jiwon telling you the sweetest and prettiest things in your ear while she softly fucks you into an orgasm that has you seeing white?? see, she’s all hot and sexy while fucking you but then you turn around after getting situated and you see a wet spot in the middle of her pants.. even she would laugh and cover up her red face 😭 but she can’t help it okay?! it’s totally normal for someone to cum while fucking their partner.. jiwon just happened to be so stinking cute while doing so that you can’t help but take her to bed afterwards 🤭

now as we’ve established before, jiwon’s always taking care of you and that pretty much tripled every time you wanted to do something ‘drastic’ in terms of sex!☝️ jiwon is always careful when in bed with you, only choosing positions that were safe and comfortable for you even if they weren’t for her! even if you have her rolling her eyes to the back of her head while you ride her, jiwon’s still looking out for you! whether it may be asking if you’re okay, if anything hurts, or just singing your praises to ease you 🥺🥺

jiwon’s so weak against dirty talk too?? 😭 especially when you tell her you want to make a big family with her bcs she knows that means you want her to get you pregnant over and over and yk what that does to her brain?? it almost literally shuts it down bcs she gets sooo turned on at the idea 😵‍💫 sometimes she even thinks about it when she’s cleaning up the house or at work and has to run to the bathroom bcs her fucking cock just wants to burst out of her pants 😭 baby can’t control it, she always needs you :((

ah yeah and the moment your tits start leaking?? it’s so over bcs you’d think that jiwon wouldn’t get even more obsessed with you than she already is but you’re so wrong‼️‼️ teases you and calls you ‘mommy’ a lot while licking and sucking away at your breasts.. and eye contact is a must bcs she loves the flush on your cheeks as you watched her lap all of your milk up! 🫣 and she definitely makes a joke abt being the one to drink your breastmilk if your kid ever gets tired of it but the two of you know damn well it’s not just a joke 🤭 jiwon also loves massaging your breasts to ease the tension in your shoulders and god her dick just gets so fucking hard when she feels her hands get wet w your milk 😵‍💫

in all of your years dating jiwon you never could have guessed that there was a gentlewoman in her! definitely the perfect balance of being a good mommy and a very charming daddy 🥺🥺 speaking of which, her knees turn into jelly whenever you ‘jokingly’ call her ‘daddy’ in and out of bed 🫣 she’s the cutest baby daddy ever 💕

[dreamonminecraft]

he added a lot of important info, like the “she had a 21+ year old bracelet” is so important and the fact that her friends weren’t a good influence is just sad. i do believe he saw nothing wrong with it and thought she was consenting based on body language. him saying it’s valid that she regrets what happened after thinking abt it is good because it’s true. she could always look back on it and feel stupid, but in the end of the day they both felt two different ways, or hell, even both felt the same until she decided she didn’t feel right about all of it. the dm/text receipts were a good new source of information. i think her friend group are also just awful people who made her believe that this is worse than it was. they alr hate dteam, average harry literally used her situation without her consent, and the only one who was being honest (and showed signs of being kind to drm) was her friend that drm talked with (i forgot their name). it was overall still a shitty situation, but I do believe it just got very muddy.

I was very upset in the beginning that so many stand were immediately trusting biased sources (rue) who were A. Not there and B. Known to hate dream's guts because what the fuck do you think they're going to say in this situation. I don't care if she regrets whatever happened that night. She knows she made bad choices and that's fine, but it's her and her friends bad choices (underage drinking) that put her in a situation where she consented and then she changed her mind retrospectively. Leaving out details that she knows will make someone look bad and using words that do not apply just to make the situation sound worse are seriously fucked.

[rebelsafoot]

TELL ME ABOUT THE DESCENDANTS BAD KIDS AU PLEASEEEEEE I NEED NOTHING MORE IN MY LIFE

OK THIRD MOVIE TIME THE END IS NEAR!!!

So back in move one/two buddy was student president, but then kristen beat him and he/his evil preacher dad was Not happy about it, mainly bc kristen starts talking abt accepting everyone and talking about her new doubt got etc etc they just kind of hate her like they do in fh

so buddy pulls an audrey and goes full evil, starts believing in bakarath the very real rage god and is helped by porter/jace because yeah they can still be evil here, as a treat.

so fig and ayda are talking about like letting more kids come to the hero school, they bring over bucky and some other kids that i havent thought about, but bucky and kristen and just kind of eevie and dizzy. as they're bringing the kids off the island, ankarna who was awoken by buddy's whole Thing tries to escape, and that the version of hades trying to get out in this au.

so that makes fig and ayda decide to keep the barrier up for good, but then everything with buddy starts to happen, he's starting the whole rage curse thing instead of a sleeping curse, and so the bad kids go back to the island to get some magical item to stop it.

that's where they run into kipperlilly and the rat grinders. kipperlilly ends up with the item they need and they end up having to work together like in the movie. lucy is like eevie where she Really wants everyone to get along and tries to make everyone work together, but it is not going great. kipperlilly is beefing with kristen and riz and there is just Tension with everyone else. they do keep accidentally bonding while being forced to work together and kipperlilly hates it, but lucy loves it

it comes out that fig and ayda had decided to keep the barrier closed forever and everyone else is Obviously upset by this. that gives buddy the chance to curse them as well, and now everyone but fig is affected by the curse

fig ends up with her whole paladin thing with ankarna to stop the rage curse, buddy is like "Oops my bad guys," but he's really nice now and everyone forgives him. the rat grinders and the bad kids are friends by the end of it and everything works out in the end!

SO that's all of the au i've thought abt, i obv glossed over the smaller details but if anyone else is interested at All in this au please come up w ur own ideas!! and i am always happy to yap more abt it i havent even touched on fabian and riz yet

[a-soft-hornytiny]

I just did my nails and since my brain is always in the gutter and thinking about ateez I thought- what would be ateez's reaction to their significant other getting their nails done for them and who's mlt ruin them 😏

- 🍓

Reaction: Getting your nails done for them.

Requested by 🍓 anon

Genre: Fluff, Suggestive

Pairing: Ateez x reader with pretty nails (neutral)

Warnings: none

Notes: Okay this format is a bit weird and new but it works I guess haha reaction and mtl in one

I added some details about what kinda designa you would get for them but im horrible with nail designs so it’s probably bs. Hope its what you wanted hehe

Taglist: under the cut (let me know if you wanna be added)

—————————————————————-

Most

Wooyoung:

all day, all tease

“ohhhh you like me so much???” a lot of sighing

he is happy inside but he gotta do his job and annoy you

and he’s most likely to ruin them because he wants to. kinda wants to prove something. probably what an amazing lover he is xD

But he would pay for the replacement.

and because you knew that you had gotten a simple black design with his initials and some of his lines in their songs

Jongho:

he would notice immediately but wouldn’t say anything because.. idk why tbh

similar to Yeosang you would get frustrated abt it but he’d be like “yeah nah I noticed” .-.

but as he noticed it upsets you he’d be really sweet and shower you in compliments, he just has a hard time putting the gesture in context of importance

that is until he googles how much getting your nails done costs

even if its just a purple sky design like you did for him

when it comes to ruining them tho- that man is probably an absolutely beast in bed.. i assume. they wouldn’t survive for long.

Yunho:

puppy eyes, puppy design (or smth blue)

“for me?🥺 really?🥺” i CANT

takes your hands all the time to kiss your nails

cute as fuck but also kinda too much

which may ruin them

and listen: that man will be most likely be ruining them by making you grab the bedsheet to hard if you get what I mean

Mingi:

“are those for me?” you deny it at first to tease him

“oh come on they gotta beeee” whiny man

really full of himself as soon as you admit it, which is why you didn’t at first

maybe some kind of combination of a princess theme with his favourite colour… cement colour.. (i swear he is such a man)

wants to get matching nails 100%

if he ruins them, it was an accident. but since he is clumsy af it may happen xD

San:

happiest bean, so excited

why do I feel like one half of your nails would be like super serious, beautiful gold black designs and the other half is like.. san memes

like a literal mountain or the muscly cat yk

would be careful not to ruin them at first but as the time goes on he wouldn’t have the control to care haha

Yeosang:

wouldn’t notice at first and you’re kinda upset you had to say something

“Your beauty is so distracting y/n, im sorry I didnt see your nails” ironie and shade

but appreciates it, even tho he has a hard time saying it

he’d be proud that you chose a doberman design instead of a maltese one tho (yes i needa be cliche)

would he ruin them? maybe, maybe not. depends on the position👀

Seonghwa:

admires them when you don’t look

he‘s unsure if you really did it for him but as soon as he finds out he is all blushy and happy

definitely either a sakura, strawberry or star design

and he‘s to careful and tidy to ruin them

only if he’s normal hwa tho, horny hwa wouldn’t give a shit

Hongjoong:

he would adore it SO much

would go on and on about how your nails are perfect and that he feels honoured that he was the inspiration to get them done

i think for him you‘d get like a sunflower or music sheet design and he’d definitely want to get some inspired by you too

also least likely to ruin them because they are just too precious to him

Least

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Tags: @jonghoisbabie @multidreams-and-desires @little-precious-baby @yunhofingers-writes @serialee @crimsonbubble @cometoceantrenches @em--ilysm @deja-vux @kawaiiloli00 @ddeonghwva @aaaaajonghooooo @sansbun @cookies-n-joong @plonys @hijirikaww @nari-nim @yunkiwii @mingi-ivity @racheloveyunho @seongsangsgf @jhmylove @lizsvcks @yunhobabygurl @leoninadecorazones @kerra-that-one-random-fangirl @star1117-archives @cheollipop @yeosangsbiceps @euphoric-emily16 @anyamaris @shinestarhwaa @seomisaho @starillusion13 @taemdivez

—————

[rubber-glovs]

Vent post (wow a 2 in 1!!)

I really want to talk about sfth with my friends, but they don't understand how my hyperfixations work for me. I was talking about sfth with my friend (who is currently being turned into a shark friend) and they thought I was weird because of how much I had admired them, wrote fanfics abt (characters, not rpf) and had photos of them. Like it's hard for me to talk about my interests, I constantly have to hold myself back from going insane and yapping about them so much because they don't understand. Same with my other hyperfixations. I talked about Grian with another one of my friends, and they just thought I was such a weirdo for caring so much about some blocks. It was as if they weren't even listening. It actually hurt me quite a lot. My hyperfixations control my life, I think about them all the time and everything is a reference. The fact that people think I'm weird for that, the people that I care about the most in the world, makes me so upset. I'd rather have no one to talk to about my interests than be told I'm weird again. I don't really like having no one to talk to about something that I am so invested and interested in because I make my own bubble of thoughts that I just keep to myself and wish I had someone to talk to about it.

I actually can't believe I'm going to talk about boy problems. It feels ridiculous, but this next part is about a guy. I don't want to go too deep into details about us but think of all those casual by Chappel Roan tiktoks. He loved me, and I loved him. He just didn't know I was trans. When I had the courage to come out to him, he stopped talking to me completely. We didn't have each other on any socials, so there was no communication. I tried to talk to him, try to start a conversation with him, but he'd always end it and quite literally walk away and act like a stranger. It took him a year to actually just talk to me. It felt nice but hated how I liked it. It brought back all these sweet memories we had and my love for him. I hated it. I still hate it. I hate it right now. It's the new school year/grade, and we have classes together, we are sat near each other in classes, and I really wish we weren't. In spanish/languages class, we sat together (we have a seating plan), and he moved seats away from me. He didn't sit next to a friend. He just moved away from me. I hate to admit that it hurt me. Additionally, he has so many red flags. He's a terrible person, yet I put it to the side because I love him. Saying or even typing the words "I love him" actually makes me feel so guilty. I fucking hate his guts. I hate my guts, too. I don't hate him because he started distancing himself from me. I hate him because he's such a bad person. And I hate myself for loving him anyway. It's been a whole year since the day I fell in love with him, and I wish that day never happened. I wish we just stayed friends. I wish we never sat next to each other in that fucking maths class. His name is poison to me. It burns my skin the second I hear it. It hurts my heart, and it stops besting because I know he's shitty and I know I am too. Everything I find with his name on it, I want to rip it apart. I hate that name because it's his. It's ruined so much for me because I have such a terrible problem with it. I want these feelings to go away before I rip my large intestines out like a party trick. I hate having feelings for him. He's fucking awful. I hate myself so much because I love this man. I hate it. I hate it so much. I hate everything about him that I used to love. I hate his voice, eyes, smile, laugh, hair, humour and just fucking everything. I fucking hate him. I hate myself for loving him. It's something that lives in the back of mind, and it taunts me every time I see him. I wish I never knew him. I wish he was just a classmate. I really fucking wish he was just a classmate. I hate myself.

[jugheadthelesbian]

Hi, it's me, I'm back. I'm here to make another request!! This is 2 out of 2 (or 3, I'm still undecided) and this one is for some good old fashioned angst 😻😻

Uh so for this one I was wondering if you could take that silly hospital stay from my hogwarts dr and use it to your advantage.. I can text you actual details abt what happened at the end of the ootp plot line that this falls into ofc bc idk how much of me yapping abt it you remember but it's basically about the whole department if mysteries fiasco.

Uh yeah if you need any extra details that aren't remembered from the aftermath of all that just lmk <3

-Alice 💥💥

hi lovely, it is finally done 💗 this is for alice specifically, but all my fred girlies can enjoy it

summary: alice sacrificed herself to save sirius in the end of the order of the phoenix and is put in a medically induced coma. here is fred’s reaction and inner thoughts during that time she’s in a coma. word count: 1760 words

warnings: this is angsty so mentions of violence, death, medically induced coma, hospitalization, and yeah read w caution i suppose

if u enjoy this please check my pinned post for sending requests!! i can also do deadpool and wolverine and acotar requests

“Where is she?” 

Fred’s voice is frantic as he shouts for the closest nurse at St. Mungo’s Hospital. As soon as he heard the news of Alice’s injury and her current condition from Ron, he apparated right away, not wasting any time with Floo powder or anything. He didn’t know exactly what had happened to Alice; he just knew that she had been injured in the battle and that he had to hurry. So, he apparated to the hospital in a rush, leaving Lee and George, who were with him at the time, without another word. 

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t know who you’re trying to find?” A nurse tells him, with knitted eyebrows of concern. Fred shakes his head, unable to form the correct words, unable to say Alice’s name like it might be what causes her to die. 

A hand rests on Fred’s shoulder. “Alice. Alice Newt. She was brought in here less than an hour ago, she’s injured. Badly.” George’s calm tone as he explains grounds Fred a little bit. It doesn’t save Alice, but it makes Fred feel a little less like he will die. “We’re family.” A little white lie on George’s part, but close enough. They’re her found family after all. 

Fred’s eyes wander as the nurse talks to George. His eyes land on a bleary-eyed Capella pacing in the waiting room. “Oh good,” she says, running to Fred once she sees him. “I was trying to figure out how to get in touch with you. She kept asking for you, kept begging me to get you. She was so scared,” Her eyes mist over, biting the inside of her cheek. “Our stupid, stubborn, brave girl.” 

“What… what happened?” Fred asks her, afraid to know. Afraid to know what he feels deep down. That something terrible has happened to Alice. It’s like he could feel this tear in his chest like a piece of him is missing. He knows whatever it is, it is bad. But he also knows she’s alive, he can feel that too. Capella purses her lips together, at a loss for words to explain what is happening. She grips his hand, squeezing it. 

“She was hit with the killing curse,” Capella explains, the breath catching in Fred’s throat as he listens to her. Hot tears well in his eyes, his anxiety rising. “In the arm. They had to remove it, but she will be okay.” She continues, and a little bit of the tightening grip on Fred’s heart loosens. 

He smiles, sighing in relief. “Oh thank Merlin,” He finally lets himself breathe properly. “So can I see her?” He asks, wanting to wrap his arms around her beautiful frame and kiss her all over. He wants to hold her forever, the concept of losing her out of his mind forever. He looks back at Capella and realizes she’s still distraught. He realizes that she wouldn’t have been upset when he first saw her if Alice was okay. Fuck. “She isn’t okay, is she?”

She shakes her head, face grim. “The doctors had to put her in a medically induced coma so her arm can heal. She won’t wake up for a while,” There’s a slight hesitation in her voice, a sob wracking her body. “There’s a chance she won’t wake up ever.” She tells him and suddenly it’s like the world has ended. He can see it, him holding Alice’s hand as she dies, never telling her all the things he hasn’t told her and delivering her euology and watching her body go into the ground. Suddenly it’s like she’s already dead, even though he knows she’s still alive. 

“Please take me to her, I need to see her. Hold her hand.” The words feel foreign on his tongue, like he isn’t the one saying them. He doesn’t remember opening his mouth to talk. Capella doesn’t say anything to him, just leads him, and Lee and George trail behind them. George puts his hand on Fred’s shoulder from behind. 

The room they’re keeping Alice in is stifling, feels like the air has been sucked out of it. Capella led him to the door but stopped outside of it. “I can’t go in and look at her, I’ll let you three be alone with her. I have some work to do, but I’ll see you out when you’re done.” Done, like he’ll be able to just leave her. Leave her to wake up at any moment without anyone. Yeah, that won’t be happening. It’s clear to him that he can’t leave her once he sees the state of the room she’s in. 

It’s completely empty, save for her cot and a tiny night stand. No record player for all the muggle records he buys her, none of her posters or pictures, no dresser for her to put the sweaters she steals from him, no bookshelves for her books, no armchairs for George and Lee to sit on to talk her ear off, nothing. It is so quiet. That’s when his eyes fall on her in the bed, looking so small in the big bed. He approaches her, tears spilling from his eyes. 

“Alice…” His voice comes out pleading, like if he says her name, she will wake up and smile her beautiful smile again and she’ll say his name the way she always does, like her pretty lips were made to say his name. Will he ever hear her voice again? He sits at her feet, her hair splayed around her head on the pillow like a halo. Her entire are is gone. She looks so sick. She has always been beautiful, but now she looks wrong. She looks so fragile. He’s never seen his strong, beautiful girl looking so weak. 

She doesn’t move at all at his voice. It was foolish of him to think she might. He’s sobbing now, any fear of looking weak gone at the realization that she really and truly might not make it. He sits there, he’s not sure for how long, thinking of the life they lived together. He remembers how she was before, when he had last seen her. He’d kissed her, told her he’d see her later, knowing she might not make it.

He should’ve said more. 

He should’ve told her to stay, that they would be fine without her. But that wasn’t true, they needed her and she never would’ve just sat by and done nothing. He should’ve gone with her. He could’ve protected her. “It isn’t your fault that this happened.” George tells him, as if he read his thoughts. 

Fred doesn’t look at George, can’t pull his eyes away from Alice’s body. He holds her hand in his. “It is. I could’ve prevented this,” He whispers, voice hoarse from sobbing. “She doesn’t look like herself.” 

George chuckles, half-heartedly. “Right? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without her little grumpy pout. I don’t think she’s ever been this quiet, even when she’s sleepy, she’s still talking.” He says, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Fred hates it. Fred wants him to shut up. Alice should be awake, telling George off. Kissing Fred. Telling him all about the battle. But she’s not.

And there’s a chance she won’t ever be again. 

~~~~

Fred spends the whole summer there. They move a chair into Alice’s room and he brings other stuff too. Her record player, for one, and about a dozen records. He brings her a change of clothes every day he comes in, usually one of his sweaters. He reads to her, books he thinks she would like and books he knows are her favorites. He talks to her. 

The nurses know him by name, giving him updates or talking to him about the latest Quidditch matches. They don’t talk about the war. Fred tries not to think about the war and it isn’t hard as the only thing he can think about is if Alice will be okay. Some days, Lee and George come with him. Other days, her friends are there too or Ron and Harry and Hermione. But, there isn’t a day that Fred isn’t there. He wants to be there when she wakes up. 

Today feels different as soon as he walks into the hospital. The front desk nurses smile and address him by name. He walks the familiar route to Alice’s hospital room, a book tucked to his chest. When he walks in, his heart plummets. There’s a cluster of doctors around Alice’s hospital bed. “…what’s going on?” He asks cautiously. 

“Oh, good!! Fred!” Capella smiles when she sees him, the closest one to Alice and the door. “I was wondering when you would be here.” She hands him a coffee, kissing his cheek as a greeting. “It is good to see you, angel.” 

“What’s going on right now?” He repeats, squeezing her in a hug gently. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s good!! Alice, she’s ready for them to start taking her off the medicine that’s keeping her in the coma. They’re doing it right now!” She is hopeful. Fred knew today was going to be different. He sighs in relief. 

So, over the next few days, Alice is under heavy monitoring, people watching to make sure she isn’t going to slip into a nonmedical coma. Fred sits in the corner as they watch over her. Eventually, she starts to blink away, still not fully there but able to open her eyes and blink. 

It’s two weeks later when she wakes up fully. “Where… am I?” She asks Fred, who’s the only one in the room. He gasps, throwing his arms around her gently, a muttered “baby, you’re alive” whispered into her hair. He kisses her head. She shoves him away. “What the fuck are you doing?” She pulls out her IV drip in a hurry, shoving him to the floor and standing over him, wearing nothing but his huge sweater and her hospital gown. 

“Alice…” Fred whispers, cautiously. She stands over him, ready to throw punches. He stands up. “I’m sorry baby, it’s me. It’s Fred, baby. You’re safe. Please, lay back down.” He tells her, taking a step forward. Her fight is gone and he helps her back into bed. 

She sighs into his side. “I’m sorry.” She mumbles, kissing him. 

“You scared the shit out of me, love.” He kisses her back. “Never do that again. But you’re okay and I’m okay. I love you more than anything. Now, tell me why you thought that being a fucking hero was a good idea.” 

[puppersfluid8xd]

Tw: anger vent?? I mean I’m talking abt watcher so I’m rlly jus yelling abt how mad I am

I AM SO UPSET ABT WATCHER IVE JUS BEEN ABSOLUTELY SEETHING FOR THE PAST DAY.

IF THEY WANTED TO MOVE CERTAIN THINGS TO A SUBSCRIPTION SITE, IF THEY WANTED TO MOVE NEW OR OLD CONTENT TO A SUBSCRIPTION SITE, I GET THAT.

BUT EVERYTHING????

FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN "ITS TOO EXPENSIVE"

DUDE TRY KICK STARTERS

OR FUND RAISERS

TRY BUDGETING

U HAVE A PATREON??? APPARENTLY???

OR TALK TO UR FANS

BUT NO

NO

ITS JUS "GIVE US MORE MONEY PLS"

And I’m not gonna say “I was only there for Shane and Ryan!! That’s it!!” Bc yes I did like how cool everything looked, and I rlly liked seeing Steven in episodes! but I got into watcher bc of their “are u scared??” Show. I came wayyyy after Covid but that’s where I started the series. Two guys on a computer reading a common internet story n giggling. So then when I saw the episodes of r u scared in a real room I thought that was awesome! When I saw too many spirits out in sumones back yard I thought that was awesome! When I saw the basement den set for mystery files, or the set for ghost files, I thought it was awesome! But that doesn’t mean I would have stopped watching them if they took away the cool sets, or the detailed infographics, or anything like that, I would have been fine to see them go back to two guys on a computer screen giggling together.

I completely understand if they want to start big amazing projects! Everyone has sumthn they wanna do! But it doesn’t mean u should leave half of, if not most of, ur audience in the dust and act like it’s their fault. As I already said there was sooo many things they could have done and just didn’t. its rlly sad to see em go rlly

And everyone who’s acting like it’s purely Steven’s fault, that Ryan and Shane have nothing to do w this besides be forced to participate. Ur weird. “Whatever happened to Shane ‘eat the rich’ Madej” yea that sucks, did I think he believed that? Not rlly. Can I blame u? Probably not. But what we see the parts of themselves they wanna show us. That’s it. We don’t know them. They all fumbled here.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

rereading chapter 1 is so funny to me because its so blatant hes lying, and the GLASS

'please let me keep it, atleast until i understand why it was there in the first place'

and his jaw twitching

he KNEW he couldn't let her get that memory back

he sounded so worried though like 'nothing good will come from keeping it. nothing at all' like yes atleast youre self aware

THOUGH! i am fairly confused about when ty lee said that some parties wouldnt be pleased if they found out what she was doing, like i had assumed she was talking about zuko but now im thinking not? unless im missing something, because im pretty sure he knew about the memories, unless its azula shes talking about? working with her brother? or even taking her memories by order of azula without zuko knowing? but i doubt that one idk

ur fic is literally written better than most books ive read and its incredible, the foreshadowing and the details are so impressive to read

AHAHAH there are so many hints and references in the earlier chapters about reader’s identity that don’t really make sense until you know it!! i love adding things in like that because i want my stories to have rereadability?? like i want people to make new connections and interact w the story differently reading it the second time vs the first. i think it’s especially crucial to have things like that with an arc that’s built around a mystery (the true identity of “ursa”) — if you already know who she is, then it could very easily be a boring/frustrating arc to reread without those new things you can pick up on!!

ty lee was talking abt azula!! mostly because azula would be upset to hear that her ally was working w zuko…although ty lee doesn’t know who mc is, she’s not stupid and probably picked up on the fact that zuko’s hiding smth. she then (rightfully) assumed that if they were caught by azula they’d all be in trouble. it was meant to be misleading as it seems at first it would be zuko who’d be upset to know that ty lee is blocking reader’s chi, esp because ty lee is generally aligned with azula, so when it’s revealed that zuko is the one who ordered the memory blocking, it adds another layer of complication (which will be expanded upon once zuko and reader have their not-so-happy reunion)

but OMG thank you so much!! it means sm to me that you think so <3 i never thought that this would end up being such an involved fic (i originally estimated it to end up at about 60-70k words max) but it’s been so much fun to write and i really appreciate seeing how many people love it!!

[teddybeartoji]

you made me wanna rewatch (can't play) both of tlou games,,

i really loved the vibes of both games mainly, since you can only follow as the story unfolds - i have to admit that while your favorite is the second, mine was the first. i am weak to selfish people, i love selfishness, not necessarily as a default but more as a proof of pure individuality and i am obsessed with the ideas associated with individualism

so when joel made that choice against everything? against the entire world? against himself?? hell, even against ellie herself???? went a bit insane with that

i read the whole thing u just wrote, have to admit it has been a long while since i watched, so there's stuff i didn't get at first because i needed time to remember the names... anyways if i do go through and watch it i'll have to read your commentary again

side note but i love people that really like something and can talk about it in extended detail, i find it fascinating and there's always a new element i can learn

i also have to admit i didn't like abby because well.. an antagonist to the previous protagonists... and since i am the type to side with the protagonist no matter what.. (i actually some bojack analysis videos this afternoon and ig that's the only media for now that challenged that)

well anyways i do remember still siding with her, admiring how strong she was - and when she got close with lev?? say less good lord (i get attached to characters who are trans/have trans implications in media VERY quickly, esp when i watched tlou2 at a time where i was heavily struggling w gender (still am but repressing so it's not as bad))

overall the writing is truly impeccable, i love me some good characterization

i remember watching videos criticizing tlou2, especially its pacing - i think i agreed back then even though to me it wasn't a problem at all while i was watching. as a last info, i'll just say i havent gotten around to watch the series adaptation... i am very scared it'll disappoint and i just loved the games too much it doesn't feel necessary (even though i am the type to want to go through ALL of a media's content usually otherwise it stresses me out)

saw you were having some trouble sleeping, know that you are not alone 🥲 i feel like i'm going insane

~ ☀️

HIII SUNNYYY HIIIIII:333 I OFTEN WATCH GAMES TOO BTWW!!!!! i actually tend to always watch a playthrough as i play a game lmao,, like i'll watch it as far as i've played bc i love to see how somebody else solves the puzzles and the encounters and stuff!!!!!!!!!!

i do still really love the first one too don't get my wrong!!! i think it's fucking revolutionary like it's an incredible fucking game!!!!!!! the choice that joel makes... insane really. i absolutely love it. it does kill me just a little just knowing how much the choice he makes will bear down on ellie........

AHHH I KNOWW I KINDA JUST SPITBALLED i thought abt giving more context to some of the thoughts but i figured then it really would get a little bit too confusing with all the information lmao BUTTT I'M SO HAPPY YOU STILL DECIDED TO READ IT!!!!!! I MEANS SO MUCH ACTUALLY WAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! ILYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i definitely understand why people would be upset with abby, i think that's very very normal and i mean.. i was very upset too lmao but i've just seen so many ppl blatantly hating on her and for what she's done and i think that's the stupidest thing ever honestly. like even if you're mad and sad about joel... you should still be able to look at the whole thing from her perspective right??

like imagine if we never saw ellie's and joel's side; ofc the vaccine is one thing - joel took away even the mere POSSIBILITY of a vaccine and no matter how much ppl wanna bash on the idea of developing one, i think that hope really is something that dies last okay. i don't think the fireflies are wrong about believing in that. idk how much i personally would've been willing to do for the cause but yeah i really don't blame them. so when a mf comes in with the immune kid, only to then kill the ONE person who'd be able to make the vaccine and like a million other fireflies alongside with him..... yeah i mean that just makes him sound like a psycho doesn't it lmao

i think it is enough of a reason to go after him AND AGAIN I DO LOVE JOEL I'M BASHING HIM (lol) BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE THING FROM BOTH SIDES YK? so i really do hate when ppl don't even TRY to see it from her angle...

TLOU2 IS SOOOOOO WELL-WRITTEENNNN!!!!!!!! like so fucking well!!!!!! it hurts so much and it just keeps punching you in the face but that doesn't make it bad yk? i feel like it's all very very realistic. it's fucked up, but that's just how the world is.

AND LEVV!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOOOOVEEE HIMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! genuinely love the fact that they have a lesbian and a trans character as the main characters (and abby with her physique bc that's just not smth you see all the time either)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i absolutely fucking adored how they handled his storyline. with how abby handled it when the other seraphites called him by his deadname and all that. and when yara told the entire story and then the whole thing with the mom... ahh that really broke my heart he really is my son i love him sm:((((((

i would definitely disagree with the pacing thing actually!!!!! to me it really fit the way the story was progressing yk?? like obviously the start is slow bc ellie and dina are only getting into the city and they have nothing to worry abt other than the few infected as they're looting and tooting around. and then right after they do meet them it all starts getting faster and that too just felt very fitting. bc it was all chaotic!!!!!!!!!!!!! i felt like that kept me on my toes even more!!!!

mmm the show.... it had some cool moments. i did really like how they did the bloater scene buuuut overall it was a bit meh actually. i think for me it was too just bc i'm such a big fan of the games. like my hopes might've been too high. and i just hated that they changed so much; like the fact that they don't have spores in that??? that's such a cool detail so idk why they decided to leave it out. i do think that the actors were good though!!!!

but uh i won't be watching the second season. 1. they casted a bunch of zionists as the main ppl so yeah fuck that shit 2. they casted a little like 5'3 skinny actress as abby😐😐like be so fucking serious rn. i think her being jacked as shit is a very important part,, i think it's good to have that kind of a rep but ohh no they just casted the little twig. it's a hard no from me.

OMFG THIS TURNED INTO ANOTHER WORDVOMIT AGAIN HGSAFAGHSHAGSA DAMN ANYWAYY I HOPE I ANSWERED EVERYTHING I FEEL LIKE I'M ON A ROLL SO IT'S A BIT HARD TO ACTUALLY FOCUS LMAO BUT WAAHHH IT'S SO GOOD TO HAVE PPL TO TALK ABT TLOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MWAH MWAH MWAHH ILYY!!!!!!!

[shkika]

Having trouble with thinking of something to ask hrmm

What part of the rw lore do you find most interesting? Like..what are your thoughts on it? any twists you've thought up or any detail/s you just wanna rant abt?

The rainworld lore is painfully a lot and painfully little at the same time, like why are the pearls focused on garbage worms and what is noise milking oh my goddd

moon isnt lore on her own but her pearl readings are a massive source of it. so if i had to say my favorite thing would be iterators and the relationship they had with their colonies. the fact they can vary and the fact iterators have different opinions of their parents!! (one iterator talked abt havjng to sit through dark political times awkwardly like 🧍🤷 at some points. thats funny)

ahem I looove it a lot!! for example the way moon worded her existence is sad. the way she speaks about them is sad. like in short “ancients must not try very hard so we do that for them. at least i did” <- smth along the lines

she sounds bitter she dislikes them with a hidden passion even when she has 5 braincells left. Not to mention she calls them parasites with bad takes (sheesh). something people dont really ?? recognize enough or at all imo is that moon almost retired (ancients moving away from her city) and she was happy about it. Until it didnt work out and some stayed and she was pissed again.

now pebbles speaks with softness (as much as he has it in him) he liked them! he liked their art! their music! he liked witnessing their stupid arguments even when they were in his name (he found the citadel he shaded funny for being so angry)

he found a lot of things they did stupid but he also was impressed in other aspects! he liked them a lot to the point the last item that he keeps for comfort and keeps him together as a whole is a hymn of theirs. even when abandoned, he finds comfort in the company they used to bring him!!! how sad!!

Another part of the lore. Hm cycles.

I have no idea how they work. Youd believe at first that when you die. You get reborn. Pain!!! never escaping!!

But that cant be the case it has sooo many plotholes if thats the case.

1 artificers kids died! straight up GONE. theyre dead!! thats why shes so insane you cant tell me theyre just lost somewhere and also pups cant ascend (me when i reach spiritual enlightenment at 10). theyre straight up gone.

2. imagine u defeat the scav kind and he comes back an hour later.. nah. thjngs DIE

3 why did the ancients go crazy over killing themselves then idk!

4 suns was basically crying about how they dont know what theyll do if spearmaster dies. yeah no respawning then.

So then the cycle is being reborn into smth new. great. how does karma play in this. how do you raise it. time? do you have your old memories after u go into a new cycle?? i dont know!! no scug has ever been plagued with dreams of being smth else before. !!! how do you confirm its a thing!! idk!! how do you know you are in a samsara! i wish we got ancients talking about it. in pearls or smth.

i havent ascended with saint yet. (reached karma 10 and bonked the siblings) but i doubt they answer all of my questions

random kiki rw lore fact- did you know that the rot area - (riv gameplay) there is a room in it thats just called terror!!! it upsets me greatly. the place is so different because the rot literally eats his walls. it fucks me up sometimes even if it seems obvious

[inkykeiji]

AAAAAAAA i love ur touya-nii series wtf😭 will u be writing more abt it in the future?

hi!! thank you so much for your kind words!! <3

to answers your questions (tw for stepcest, mentions of blood n torture):

1. yes i will be writing more for him in the future; in fact, i have a new touya-nii piece coming out tonight! <3 i’m just finishing up editing it today!

2. that’s a good question! well, she’d have to tell him that someone was flirting with her or attempting to flirt with her—or natsuo would’ve had to witness it and reported it back to him—since touya doesn’t go to university with them. he’d be able to sense it, the moment she slides into his car after class, that something happened, that something is wrong. she usually confides in him immediately when something is upsetting her, because he’s the best place to go for comfort, but if for whatever reason she doesn’t instantly open up to him and detail what’s bothering her, he is incredibly skilled at prying it out of her all at once or drawing it out of her slow and steady.

but it’d go pretty much the way it would go if he found out someone at school was threatening or upsetting her—in touya’s mind it might as well all be the exact same thing (especially since she’s upset, offended, and/or disgusted by the flirting as well). he’s going to beat the ever-living HELL out of whoever it is that thought they even had any sort of chance whatsoever with his little sister, and then once their skin is bruised and their mouth + eyes are bloody and their bones are broken, he’s going to hold his favourite knife to their throat—just hard enough for the blade to slice into the skin superficially, just hard enough to leave a thin, weeping line of crimson collaring their neck—and promise them that if they ever even look in lil sis’ direction again, touya’s going to slit them open from ear to ear and laugh as they choke on their own blood :)

[rookiespropeller]

im in one of those phases rn where i profoundly miss ogcp's 2010-2012 era. like, i would've loved for the game to freeze there. keep new stories + new parties going ofc, but in that same style & vibe.

which is kinda what cpl is attempting to do, and i really do love the server, but theres only so much u can achieve w a team of around 10 volunteers (only 2 of them able to work full time, soon only 1) when updates need to be pumped out left n right

i watched an old ogcp video on youtube and saw that the lights at the dance club turned a different color as enough penguins changed to wear the same color. i had genuinely forgotten that was a thing, with how long it's been and how used i am to simply... not have that feature. but ofc the memories came back to me instantly and i longed to go back in time to live it again.

i really miss small details like these. not that many ppl care abt them, but to me it makes the world come a little bit more alive. i'm probably never gonna experience those lights changing by color again & it makes me sad

edit: rambling goes on below the cut bc i wanted my the rest of my thoughts to be on the post itself, not just in the tags

ofc its not just about the lights, but u get what i mean. with a large professional team who gets paid to keep things rolling, has enough employees + ressources to work on multiple things at once... theres a lot more u can do. and unfortunately, no cpps will ever be able to have that

like even going back to comparing w cpl. cpl cant have a weekly updating newspaper, or even any newspaper at all, bc theres not enough ppl to 1) write it 2) create/find fitting artwork to go on the pages 3) code it and put it into the game and 4) repeat all these steps on a regular basis. and the newspaper is only ONE thing among so many

there are lots features that are planned & already announced. they'll all get done eventually, but the thing is that if one feature is being worked on, there's no time to work on anything else. meanwhile, the community is expecting parties & events at the same rate the ogcp team was churning them out (and i don't blame them for it, new content and parties are a big part of what keeps the game active & exciting). problem is, whenever parties need to be worked on, development of new features is halted.

& then of course you can't forget to update the hidden pins, the Penguin Style, the Furniture + Igloo catalogs, the igloo music selection, the stage plays, the ice rink turning into the stadium (and vice versa) along with a new Snow & Sports, the blog posts, the community board, etc. etc. this is just what's coming at the top of my head. most of these are already not updating as often as ogcp updated them, yet are still incredibly difficult to keep up with

& THEN between all of that, there are bugs that need to be patched. but ofc no one wants to work on bugs when they're already completely exhausted from the rest of their workload + they're not getting paid for any of it

after all of this, it's near impossible to squeeze in stuff like garden animations at the mine shack, a working puck/soccer ball at the ice rink/stadium, stage scripts with clickable chat... or even color-changing lights at the dance club.

god this makes me so upset but its literally no ones fault. theres not much anyone can do abt it & it breaks my heart

i miss club penguin.

[elekinetic]

hey i have a silly little question! i have 2k words of planning but no idea how to start translating them into actual writing and i thought i could ask you for help because you're obviously the master of scriptwriting lmao

i've written scripts before but i always struggle with trying to get my ideas onto paper in the form of coherent sentences :,) idk your scripts always turn out so gorgeously written so i thought it couldnt hurt to ask for a bit of advice <3

(i should clarify: i'm trying to start drafting a screenplay for this story i've been planning for months but i've been staring at a blank page for hours 🥲 if you have any tips on how to translate ideas into actual writing that would be super helpful)

AH you’re so sweet, i’m far from a master, but i’m happy to share the stuff i’ve learned as a third year undergrad.

so like, for me, i struggle with figuring out what to do in scenes and how to make them…useful? if that makes sense? in a good script and a good film, every scene moves the plot forward, the character arc forward, or both. (by forward i mean changes, set backs are obviously a very important part.) so when i sit down to write a new scene, i make a list of everything i want to accomplish.

i’m gonna use this scene of mine as an example. my list looked a little like this:

- primary goal: teens find out about will’s visions

- secondary goal: show how on edge mike and nancy are.

- secondary goal 2: establish the dynamics of the kids and teens working together.

ok, so how can we accomplish those goals? that second one should clearly be an argument since they get on each others nerves. and why don’t we make the argument about why the boys snuck out, bc they have to come clean abt wills visions to explain why they did. and to show that the teens hold more power in the dynamic and that the boys are struggling without their usual freedom, let’s emphasize that the boys did something dangerous the teens specifically told them not to do.

cool, so we have a general idea of what our scene is: nancy chewing the party out. but that’s just an idea. each scene is made up of a bunch of beats stitched together. here’s how i figure out what to put in a scene:

write down A) where everyone starts emotionally in the scene and B) where everyone ends emotionally in the scene. figure out what changes.

nancy is going to start annoyed and end resigned. so….she’s mildly annoyed and then decides it’s fine? that’s not particularly interesting, so how can we’re complicate it. OK, let’s make her get close to blowing up, and then see her be the bigger person and pull back. that way we’re ALSO progressing her character arc and seeing her grow from the hot-tempered girl we saw in early seasons.

i’m trying to kill as many birds with this scene as possible, so i’m ALSO going to add details about what the other characters are doing. it’s important to remember that if you’re going to have a character in the scene, you gotta do SOMETHING with them. here’s a breakdown of some of the choices i made for the other characters in the scene:

mike: very snarky, very on edge, very combative. this is bc he’s fresh off his fight with will, the party is in trouble, and they just failed to save el. i’m using this scene to highlight how upset that would make him and how that anger would affect the people around him.

will: stands up for himself. that’s the most important thing. he will not let himself be spoken over and takes responsibility, says yes, i know we shouldn’t of done this, but we did, and heres why. and we have to do it again. he’s coming into his own!

lucas: he’s defensive but he also kind of bends under the pressure and defaults to nancy. he tries to help will but it’s clear this is an unfamiliar dynamic for him.

dustin: show that he’s not as grounded as he probably should be.

steve: steve has four lines. FOUR lines, but we’re still doing something with him. he calls nance out, tells dustin to stop, but also tells the boys nancy is right. he’s very serious rn and it’s a good way to reinforce that his disagreement with nancy is not petty (never petty) and he’s always coming from a place of genuine concern.

jonathan: jonathan helps pull nancy back and dies everything he can to support her bc HES A GREAT BOYFRIEND and that was what i did with him. also expressing concern for not only wills safety, but the whole party’s. he also shows some leadership.

on that note, i also want to explore relationships in the scene:

jancy: they’re supporting each other without being asked. reinforce that this is a strong partnership, even through rocky waters

byler: will telling mike to back off and mike listening. mike being protective of will even though they’re still technically fighting.

dustin & steve: the dynamic between him and steve is shifting. steve is part of The Teens and dustin is not. steve tells him to quit it kind of sternly. this is new for them.

nancy & steve: mentioned before, steve will call nancy out but also back her up. no malice or pettiness in his heart.

the party: dustin and lucas try to cheer will up and defend themselves. they’re close.

basically you can accomplish a lot in a scene bc not every “accomplishment” has to be a massive thing. it can be as small as “dustin looks down” to show he feels chastised, which is new to him!

worst comes to worst, word vomit. Write the worst possible version of your scene ON PURPOSE and then edit from there. you just gotta get something down.

AH ok that’s all i have for now but if you have more specific questions please please please send them! I wasn’t really sure what to put here, so I just kind of word vomited. Hope this helps!

[meyhew]

seed i need you to know i have stored in my head any info i came across about your novel and whatever you want to share abt it (even just a lil detail you wrote lately) pleeeease share it i am so curious —lyde

LYDE 🥹 well firstly here are my beloveds (zahra & connor in the foreground, musa with his angel wings in the back)

the details are still very much coming to me at odd times but i can tell u that it follows zahra & connor (and musa) thru their late teens and 20s. i dont wanna spoil the plot but it's basically wrong person, wrong time then right person, tragedy strikes then right person, right time.

u can have a little bit of connor's backstory as a treat he's a rich white boy who means a lot to me <3

Athena was the first person Connor confided in when he applied to Boston University. He knew he couldn’t go directly to his parents. His mother might have understood, but there would have been no reasoning with his father. It was a fight he didn’t want to have then and there was no reason to have it; it would only be real if the university accepted Connor. 

Of course, there was no real possibility of them rejecting him. His academic record was stellar, his extracurriculars were exemplary, and his family pedigree spoke for itself. Even the essay he’d written had gotten a stamp of approval from several adults at school.

“Dad won’t be happy,” Athena had told him, though she needn’t have. Connor already knew that. 

“He never is,” he’d said. 

There was little he could do that would make Wallace Carter happy. 

But he had been living by their rules his entire life. He had gone to the schools they picked for him and practiced the sports they wanted him to and learned the instruments they thought he should play. Every aspect of his life up until now had been carefully curated by them, with little to no effort or real involvement. They thrusted all the responsibility onto Cadence.

Connor would be eighteen soon. He would move out of this house and live on his own, regardless of where he went. He wanted that decision to be his. 

So he sat his parents down in the living room and presented them with his acceptance letters—from Duke, Stanford, and five Ivy’s. All the places he had applied to, bar his safety option.  

His father read each letter thoroughly, while his mother skimmed them all. She smiled warmly as she glanced at the letterheads and then got up to hug Connor. It was an awkward maneuver because Athena sat on the arm of the chair Connor was in, but he didn’t mind.  

“I’m so proud of you,” Marion said. 

He wanted to believe her, so he did. 

Then she went back and sat on the couch. They made a nice picture of success, the four of them: husband and wife side by side, their dutiful children across the room barely an arm’s length away from one another. It was a picture of success, if success were defined as a nuclear family in wealthy New England suburbs going through the youngest’s latest accomplishments. 

“Well done, son,” said Wallace. He regarded Connor with the same satisfaction one might hold for a dog that’s finally mastered a new trick. “You’ve nearly outdone your sister.” 

Nearly. Because Connor would always fall short of besting Athena. 

Athena had applied to and been accepted to all eight Ivy Leagues. She hadn’t entertained the notion that she might not get in. She hadn’t had a safety net. Then she went on to study neuroscience at Brown. 

Connor wasn’t upset about it. It wasn’t his goal to outdo his sister. He knew she was the smarter sibling and he didn’t see why he should bend over backwards trying to prove himself when he was already secure in his intelligence. 

That didn’t stop the backhanded compliments from cutting just deep enough.

“Have you given any thought to where you might go?” Wallace asked. “Dartmouth isn’t too far and they always loved your grandfather. There’s a legacy there.” 

Yes, the legacy. Connor grew up hearing about the legions of Carter men and women who attended Dartmouth College. He’d seen countless grayscale and sepia photographs of family members past in gowns and graduation caps. 

He didn’t want his own face to be added to the pile. 

“Actually,” he started. 

Stopped. 

The weight of his father’s stare was too expectant and the words clogged his throat. 

Then his sister’s foot pressed against his shin. He realized he’d been bouncing his leg alarmingly fast. 

“They won’t be able to stop you,” Athena had said to him a week ago. “They’ll give you a hard time and bitch about it for a while, but ultimately it’s up to you. They won’t make you not go to college.” 

Athena wasn’t the kind of person who said bitch about it very often. Connor had found it strangely, immensely comforting to hear. 

He squared his shoulders. “I was actually thinking about the Boston area.” 

“Well, sure, that’s just as good. Harvard has a stellar reputation, though, of course—” 

“Not Harvard, Dad. Boston as in Boston University.” 

Wallace Carter wasn’t taken aback by much, so it was a great feat that he was rendered utterly speechless. He looked back and forth between his children, like he expected them to start laughing and say Oh, we got you good! Then he looked at his wife, who simply blinked back at him. 

Finally his dark eyes settled firmly on his son. 

“Carters lead by example,” he said. “We invest in our education, and do so by entrusting the most prestigious institutions with it. Why on earth would you possibly want to attend a mediocre school when you can enjoy all the privileges and benefits that come with a place like Dartmouth?” 

This was a precarious line he stood on. Teeter too much one way or the other and he would fall over. 

“I’ve been to places like Dartmouth,” he said carefully. “All my life, the schools I’ve been to have been miniature Dartmouths and Harvards. I want to explore something new. I want to know how other people are living their lives.” 

Some muscle ticked in Wallace’s jaw. “You are not other people. You are a Carter and you will behave as such. We have invested too much in you.” 

“Invested? You mean you’ve given us the basic necessities all parents are to provide their children with?” 

“Son, you know we have done damn well more than that.” 

Athena’s voice cut in quietly, firmly. “Dad, don’t do that. Don’t make this about you.” 

“And who else should it be about? We pay for your education but we can’t express an opinion? We can’t guide you when we see you making erroneous decisions?” 

“He got in. He’s still good enough for your prestigious institutions. Why can’t he choose the one that makes him happy.” 

“It’s not about getting in. It’s about making a commitment to what is right,” Wallace explained as though he were speaking to a child and not his grown daughter. 

To Connor he said, “The son we raised would not disappoint us like this.” 

Connor slipped. Toppled over the tightrope.

“Because I’m not the son you raised. You didn’t raise me. Candace did.” 

There it was. The thing they never talked about. The thing none of them ever wanted to talk about. The thing that was so normal for them it had always been a nonissue, except for the times kids at schools asked why they never saw Connor’s parents.