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christhopersturniolo · 2 months

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୨ MY LITTLE SISTER ୧ matt

summary: you had some plans with your boyfriend matt for the weekend, but something unexpected happens, and you have to babysit your little sister.

notes: this is my second time ever writing a fanfic (go read my first one) and english isn't my first language, it's probably not very detailed and there might be some mistakes, but I hope you enjoy it! all ears to feedbacks, l'd love to know what you think!

warnings: cussing, fluff

୨୧

I sigh “And why can’t you take her with you?” I say taking my eyes out of the screen and looking at my mom.

“How long will it take for you to understand that your dad is on a business trip and i’m going on one as well?” She answers walking from a side to another, packing some of her things. “I can’t take her with me, even if I wanted to.”

"But mom-" I start, only to be cut off.

"No buts, Y/n.” She interrupts, her tone firm. “I’m being serious." She looks straight into my eyes "It's what I'm telling you, you'll have to stay with your sister. I won't be paying for a babysitter while you're here with your ass in the couch. You are almost 18, you can very well take care of her, it’s only for the weekend.”

“But I told you I have plans with Matt!” I exclaim, leaning my head back on the headrest of the couch in annoyance.

My mom is about to reply when we hear the sound of my 3 year old little sister's footsteps coming from her room, followed by her little giggles.

We automatically get silent about this topic. I take a deep breath, reminding myself she's not the problem, she's just a child caught up in our adult issues. Bella is not the problem.

Don't get me wrong, I do love my sister, but it's a bit overwhelming to adjust having a sibling after being the only child for years. And with my mom's age, it's unexpected, to say the least.

SKIP TIME

Today is the day that my mom is going to her ‘super important business trip’, and also the day Im supposed to have a date with Matt.

After my mother left at 7am, Bella and I found ourselves up earlier than usual. We already had breakfast, so now, we don’t really have anything to do. We go to the living room, watch some TV.

Bella sits on the couch next to me and chooses the channel. After some good ten minutes, I look at my right to check on her, and she’s completely asleep, what makes me smile.

Until I realize that I didn’t canceled my dinner with Matt.

Shit, I completely forgot to talk with Matt! Fuck!

I get up and I go over to my bedroom, getting my phone and calling him. He takes some seconds to answer the call.

“Babe? Sorry, did I wake you up?” I ask, hoping the answer would be ‘no’.

“No, No, No..” He says with his husky morning voice, he definitely just woke up. “But why are you calling this early? Is something wrong?” I could feel myself getting fucking soaked as he talks, sorry, but his voice in the morning? I can’t take it.

I take a deep breath, trying to think straight. "Um, yeah.. Actually, my mom went out for the weekend, and I have to babysit my sister.. I don't know if I'll be able to make it to the dinner we had planned tonight”

“Oh” A simple response, What does that even mean? He probably hates me now.

"I know you already made the reservation, and I was super excited, I swear," I start saying nothing with nothing, feeling guilty for ruining our plans. "But then my mom told me she had this thing and..."

Before I could finish apologizing, Matt cuts me, understanding. "No babe, that's fine. Don't worry. Maybe we can do something else? With your sister? I have stuff to do all day, but I’m free at night, maybe we can have a sleepover or something?”

I sigh in relief “Yeah sure, that sounds great, I will talk about It with Bella”

“Alright call me later sweetheart, love you, bye” He ends the call and I go back to the living room, getting back on my place.

Bella is still peaceful sleeping on the couch. Not wanting to disturb her, I cover her with a blanket, but my actions unfortunately wake her up, blinking her sleepy eyes open. A small yawn escapes her lips, and she looks at me with a drowsy smile.

"Hey, sleepyhead" I whisper, gently brushing a piece of hair from her face. "Did you have a nice nap?" Bella nods, rubbing her eyes with tiny hands. "Mhm" she murmurs, snuggling deeper into the blanket.

I think about a way to tell her that Matt is coming over before she could fall back asleep “So.. do you remember my boyfriend, Matt?" Bella blinks, her sleepy expression turning curious. "Mm-hmm" she mumbles again, nodding slowly.

“What if.. He came over to a super fun sleepover with us today?” I say trying to sound extra excited to convince her.

Bella's eyes light up with excitement at the mention of a sleepover. "Yeah!" She exclaims, her drowsiness quickly dissipating. "Matt is funny!" Her sentence makes me chuckle “Oh he is?” She nods giggling, It doesn't even look like she just woke up.

The rest of the day, she doesn’t stop talking about Matt.

“Then- Then will Matt play games with me?”

“And can we watch frozen? I think Matt will like it”

Over and over, she’s more excited than me. But I mean, I can’t blame her, It’s Matt over all.

Around 8pm, Matt rings on the doorbell. I go over to the front door, Bella follows me, getting behind my left leg. I open the door and I see my boyfriend with two bouquets of flowers, a big one, and a small one.

“Hey love” He leans for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, then he hands me the bouquet “This is for you”

A smile appears across my face, I chuckle “Thank you so much.. You really didn’t had to” I say looking at my favorite flowers.

“No that’s fine, don’t worry” Matt returns the smile, his eyes lighting up as he sees Bella peeking out shyly from behind me. "Hey, Bella" he says warmly, crouching down to her level. "I also brought these for you, little princess" he says, offering her the smaller bouquet with a gentle smile.

Bella looks at me, seeing Bella's hesitation, I give her a soft nod, silently urging her to accept the flowers from Matt. With a shy smile, Bella reaches out and takes the bouquet from him, still with one hand around my leg.

“What do we say Bella?” I place my hand on the top of her head, caressing her hair.

“Thank you Matt” She says still shy.

"You're welcome, Belly" He responds getting up, his voice gentle and kind.

Some hours after playing some board games and talking, Bella decided to go get her toys.

She returns carrying a bunch of dolls and stuffed animals, then she settles onto the carpet in front of us and places everything there. “Matt come play with me!” She says excited with some barbie’s in her small hands.

He gets up from the couch, and sits down next to Bella on the floor “Alright so what doll am I?” Bella looks around “Hmmm..” She grabs a really bad looking doll, marker-covered, and hands it to Matt. I automatically start laughing uncontrollably, Matt matches the energy.

I am just watching as they play, Bella makes Matt use a girly voice, what just makes everything ten times better for my entertainment.

After Bella got tired of playing with her toys, she made us watch frozen, it’s her favorite movie, this is probably her fifth time watching it. I sit on the left side of the couch, Matt on the middle and my sister next to him. Some 30 minutes after the movie started, Bella is already with her head on Matt’s lap, sleeping like a little angel, as Matt gently strokes her hair and she snuggles closer to him.

His eyes meet mine, seeing me watching him, he smiles “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing” With a soft smile, I rest my head on Matt's shoulder “You just look so cute taking care of kids” He chuckles and leaves a kiss on the top of my head.

୨୧

this actually sucked, i’m so bad at doing cute scenes, this def wasn’t what I had in mind lol, maybe i will delete it later.

#chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #fanfic #matt sturniolo smut #sturniolo smut #sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #sturniolo triplets x reader #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo x reader

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bassettmemes · 7 months

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YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME. XOXO, GOSSIP GIRL. ↳ a collection of sentences from the Gossip Girl (2007) series.

"I'm not a stop along the way. I'm a destination."

“Three words. Eight letters. Say it and I’m yours.”

“If you’re going to be sad, you might as well be sad in Paris.”

“Once men have tasted caviar, it baffles me how they settle for catfish.”

“Whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness didn’t know where to shop.”

“We’re sisters. You’re my family. What is you is me. There’s nothing you could ever say that would make me let go.”

“You can’t make people love you, but you can make them fear you.”

“Haven’t you heard? I’m the crazy bitch around here.”

“Here’s my advice. Have a little faith, and if that doesn’t work, have a lot of mimosas.”

“Don’t go all Notebook on me. Not now. I need you.”

“I have an idea for you: quit. Your boss is a bitch. Let’s go to lunch.”

“Destiny is for losers. It’s just a stupid excuse to wait for things to happen instead of making them happen.”

“We’re not servants to our emotions. We can control them, suppress them, stomp them out like bugs.”

“You need to be cold to be a queen.”

“Don’t let people tell you who you are. You tell them.”

“I didn’t come back for you.”

“I’ll just stay home, eat lots of gelato, and write about how true love is nothing but a myth.”

“I’d ask you how you are, but I don’t really care.”

“You know my mom: If it’s not broke, break it.”

“There’s something vibrating in your pocket, and I really hope it’s your phone.”

“I hate that stupid headband.”

“I remember everything you’ve read to me. In case you haven’t noticed I don’t really let go of things so easily.”

“I like the way I feel when he looks at me. Like I wanna believe in myself.”

“Earn the spotlight on your own merits. You’ll feel better.”

“Even if it’s the biggest kamikaze disaster of my life, it’s my disaster.”

“You are no one until you’re talked about.”

“When Prince Charming found Cinderella’s slipper, they didn’t accuse him of having a foot fetish.”

“I don’t read Gossip Girl. That’s for chicks.”

“So, actually, I’ll be living out my nightmare. Trapped in the city with only you to talk to.”

“She doesn’t know me. Nobody knows me. It’s cool. It’s fine.”

“Yeah, well, your fashion emergency was solved so I figured my work was done.”

“You can’t fight against who you are.”

“You gonna strangle him with your scarf?”

“You don’t just give up because things are hard.”

“You know it’s love when you start talking like an assassin.”

“I just want to be the person you can bring anything to.”

“Affairs with married people, threesomes — it just so happens everyone’s problems are within my area of expertise.”

“I just don’t get it. I organized everything the way she likes it. I mean, I even made sure my bowtie matched her dress.”

“Listen, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your options open. I don’t think your parents are going to be mad at you for choosing your own path. Unless… they’re related to my parents.”

“Some might call this a fustercluck. But on the Upper East Side, we call it Sunday afternoon.”

“There’s a weak link in every chain, and it’s just a matter of time before this one snaps.”

“One thing about being on the top of the world? It gives you a long, long way to fall.”

“So we should just be anonymous losers who eat lunch alone and never get invited to parties?”

“Well, keep dreaming. Maybe one day she’ll actually know your name.”

“The sound of your own voice annoying you?”

“Even you should know that jealousy clashes with L.L. Bean pants!”

“I came to tell you in person. You win.”

“The only human contact that you don’t pay for is the people in this house.”

“That’s not fair. Everyone’s topless on Valentino’s yacht.”

“You know you really put yourself on the radar tonight. Better not make that mistake again or you’ll pay for real.”

“Don’t look now, but those are the JV mean girls.”

“He gave six girls from Nightingale gonorrhea of the throat last year.”

“I wouldn’t have had to do it if it weren’t for your smear campaign against me.”

“If we wanted to have sex, we’d just go to a hotel.”

“You’ve come to my rescue enough times, let me help you for once.”

“I don’t need a guy to make me feel fulfilled, especially when he’s unavailable.”

#sentence prompts #rp meme #rp prompt #rp prompts #writing prompts #sentence starter #sentence starters #roleplay prompts #writing prompt #sentence meme #rp #gossip girl sentence starters #gossip girl ask meme #gossip girl starters #gossip girl rp starters

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cherienymphe · 4 months

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My sister has a married (separated but they’re still pretending they’re together for the kids) man over and she’s gone an fucking waited for us all to go to sleep and she’s in the living room with him. It’s the second time she’s done this.

I want to cry. I know that sounds so ducking stupid because it’s none of my business but I literally haven’t sat on my sofa for months because of when she has him over the first time. I don’t want to sit on a sofa where they probably fucked. And like, I get up at the middle of the night for cereal most nights but I literally can’t now because they’re down there.

All I wanted to do is sleep but I can’t because there’s a man in my house who I’ve only met ONCE. It’s genuinely making me want to go and sleep in a hotel. I want to leave. I was trying to be a cockblocker and I was in the kitchen for ages pretending I couldn’t sleep, and she was just there watching me, texting him and laughing. (I know that’s bad, but tbf I was thirsty)

He’s a fucking scumbag (I pretend I find him okay but reality I fucking hate him). I know I need to work on myself because this is probably jealousy or some shit. Like I know this isn’t healthy for me. It’s not like any of what I’m typing right now my sister knows. She thinks I either 1. don’t know, or 2. that i’m fine with it.

She’s 35. She hasn’t got kids or a husband and I understand he’s the first person to be obsessed with her for years, but he’s already done the kids and marriage thing for 12 years so… Is he really looking for that again? I doubt it. I just don’t like that he’s making her wait, like you’re either with your wife or you’re not.

But at the end of the day it is NONE of my business. It’s just making me feel sick right now and I was planning on having a nice sleep but I have this problem where I literally cannot fall asleep when there’s other people in my house.

I know I sound deranged but she’s my only reason for living some days and when she’s ignoring me to text him constantly it’s literally so fucking soul sucking. I should probably move out but leaving my mom and my sister together is just recipe for trouble and if I moved out my mother would literally be homeless because she can’t pay for rent on her own. I’m the youngest (20) and always wanted to travel but I’m scared of leaving because I’m scared of coming back and being alone for the rest of my life. I don’t want my family to break apart.

Anyways, my GAWD that’s long. I’ll leave this here if you want to read it. I know you’re not a therapist lol so you don’t have to reply. Just had to rant because I haven’t got anyone to talk to. Okay, I’m going to either read gothic fiction or watch Buffy to distract me 💜

Hey I don't think you're wrong to be bothered by some strange man being in your house at all hours of the night. I get that everyone's family is different, but I wasn't raised in an environment like that so I too would be bothered. Yes, she has just as much right to the space as anyone else, but it's not solely her house. You have a right to feel comfortable too.

As for your sister, you have to let her make her own decisions/mistakes. While I personally don't think it's wrong for separated couples to see other people, it's almost always a recipe for mess when no one has officially filed for divorce. Are the chances pretty great that he and his wife will reconcile and leave your sister in the dust or maybe even a dirty little secret? Yeah probably but that's her problem not yours lol. Especially since she's way old enough to not be so dumb.

As for you...babes you're 20! I understand the pressure to make sure your family is alright, but you're telling me that if you leave and live your life, your fuckass 35 y/o sister can't keep the bills paid and help your mom out? At 20 y/o, I just don't think that's your responsibility. That's supposed to come when you're older and borderline decrepit and you have to help your mom to the bathroom in her old age 😭

I won't flat out tell you what to do bc it's your life and you're the one who has to live with your decisions but if I was in your shoes...ain't no way

#asks

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utterboosheet · 1 year

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My thoughts on Ted Lasso S03E01

There are no “levels” in Breath Of the Wild.

Is Jan Maas just Dutch, or Dutch AND autistic?

Nice sidestepping of the whole “Hoosier” explanation. Not like EVERYONE OUTSIDE INDIANA (and probably 1/3 of Indiana residents) could use it.

Rebecca is going to go through the whole day with Keely’s mascara staining her shirt.

I know Roy doesn’t have to run because of his knee, but in my mind he would eat a bug just to freak the fuck out of the players.

Crying fucking sucks. My nose runs more than my eyes, and all I have afterwards are the same problems plus a sinus headache, puffy red eyes, and blotchy skin.

Hannah Waddingham chewing furiously is gold. She’s SO good at physical acting.

Rupert Mannion’s interior decorator was definitely a sith.

“It’s a good rule of thumb never to ask a hippie to come in on his day off.” I’d join this man’s cult any day.

Ted immediately turns to Beard for drug knowledge.

Beard immediately provides drug knowledge.

“He’ll be forever changed, but he can drive, yeah.”

“Roy Kent, is that you?” “Get fucked!” “Yeah, that’s him!”

“Get that on Twitter” should be up there with Chekov’s Gun and “what could go wrong?” in terms of foreshadowing.

If Keeley’s eye makeup can survive 6 dry cleans, it should damn well hold up to some tears.

No shit no lie, I think a tour of the London sewer system sounds fascinating!

$30-$50 is the sweet spot for a “good” bottle of wine. Anything less, it may be drinkable, but it’s not GOOD. Anything more, you’re just paying for snobbery’s sake.

“No sudden movements near the bus driver.” I want to party with Beard. I wonder if Jane’s into threesomes.

“I really liked that Kenneth guy. He seems really plugged in, yeah?” Again, I want to party with Beard.

“That nutter told me to ask the fucking earth to help me carry some of my burden.” I may just be stoned right now, but why did this dude’s cult get shut down?

Jamie is going to be a great team captain someday.

Ted, honey, stop. Stop hurting yourself. You’re getting personal and weird. Stop letting Nate live in your head, honey.

Oof, the way Ted lost the crowd on that hard left into the Field of Dreams.

Oh, they got Twin Peaks but they didn’t get Field of Dreams? 🙄

The entire Shelley family is so dysfunctional. No wonder Nate is so fucked up. Mom has no identity or ideas of her own. She exists only to communicate Dad’s feelings.

My partner thought Nate’s new car was a Jaguar. I will give him shit about this for the entire foreseeable future for no reason other than he loves James Bond and therefore should damn well know an Aston Martin when he sees one.

Part of me really wants Roy and Keeley to get back together but another part of me wants the show to continue subverting expectations and have them get along well platonically and another part of me is just screaming for Keeley/Roy/Jamie ot3 to become canon.

I don’t know a lot about kids, but it seems improbable to me that all these kids are so goddamn wise about relationships and politics.

I’m not sure the “why am I still in London?” really crystallized in Ted’s mind until that press conference/impromptu stand up show.

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers

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afictionalwhor3 · 1 year

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Human Sully Teenagers HC

Modern human versions of Kiri, Lo'ak, and Neteyam have lived rent free in my mind since I saw ATWOW. This is probably terrible, but I had to get these thoughts out of my head. It's not proofread so lol

Warnings: None

Word Count: 864

*Disclaimer: The Na'vi are literally black so you can argue with the wall, your mom, but definitely not me*

NETEYAM:

That golden child, oldest sibling mentality would definitely transfer over.

He would be a star athlete, I see football.

He wouldn’t talk about how smart he was but you knew he got all A’s in his classes.

You would ask him for help in certain subjects and he would act disinterested, but he felt so prideful he could help you.

He drives a clutch and you loved being his passenger princess. He always looked so good while driving.

His car was one of his pride and joy’s. Regular car washes, maintenance check ups, and god forbid anyone put their feet on his dash (besides you which he allowed with lots of convincing).

His favorite artists would be like Brent Faiyaz, J.cole (and yes I’m a little biased)

Kiri would try to put him onto SZA and Summer Walker and he would try to act disinterested when really it was all over his playlist.

He didn’t party often but he knows how to have a good time.

Kush > Alcohol

Whenever the two of you went out he made sure he was 100% sober so he could keep an eye on you and get you home safe.

Jake raised both his boys to be gentlemen. He holds doors open for you, makes you walk on the inside of the sidewalk, and your favorite was when he kept his hand on the small of your back when walking through crowded places.

He would have dreads he always kept neat, exceptional skin, and would smell really good. He was a naturally neat person but being his mother’s son he would probably pay a little more attention to cleanliness than most boys his age.

He loved when you played in his hair and had tried to teach you how to retwist it.

I know that man would have the sexiest physique, never wearing a shirt when you were around which you did not mind.

He was the best cuddle buddy and he loved when you would fall asleep on him.

LO'AK:

The problem child would follow him too.

Feeling like he would never be as good as Neteyam he would act out. Definitely fall into the wrong crowd.

I love how there is this mutual fandom understanding that Lo’ak would be addicted to nic. He would also wear full Nike tech sets.

Lo’ak’s sport would probably be basketball.

His favorite rappers would be NBA Youngboy and he would be heavily into trap music.

He was smart too, but he had an act to keep up so he just never did his work.

This drove Neytiri and Jake crazy because she could see Lo’ak’s potential, and this would cause lots of fights between them.

Lo'ak is the king of cringey tik toks.

He would have a couple thousand followers but it would be enough to go to his head which made Neteyam and Kiri roll their eyes.

He would treat you like a queen though, because again his father is Jake Sully.

Lo’ak kept getting in trouble for sneaking out of the house until he told his parents it was to see you.

You tried to be a positive influence in Lo’ak’s life. Get him to focus on school and basketball a little more without being pushy and it worked. But he still had to keep up cool guy persona.

You knew he was a sap the way he would stutter occasionally around you or fall asleep with his head on your stomach while you played in his hair.

Kiri:

Kiri gives so much bisexual energy goodbye.

As she got older I feel like she would be a pothead.

She would listen to R&B and the occasional pop song.

She was always the mediator whenever Lo’ak and Neteyam got to close to physically fighting.

At school she was always Neteyam’s younger sister or Lo’ak’s older one which drove her a little nuts.

She was a little bit of a loner but Neteyam and Lo’ak made sure no one was ever rude or bullied her.

One time someone had tried once shoving Kiri into a locker.

She wasn’t even mad but she felt bad for the boy because a crowd had gathered around them which meant her brothers wouldn’t be far behind.

As she expected they pushed through the crowd and just about jumped the kid and his friends.

They were both suspended for two weeks but neither of their parents minded.

The Sully kids would lowkey run their school.

I think Kiri would be the best out of the three of them as a partner. She would be emotionally attentive enough, but also know when to leave you alone and how to communicate her own feelings.

I feel like she would wear her hair in braids mostly, goddess braids maybe.

She would gravitate towards the street style aesthetic.

She found comfort in solitude but she loved her family dearly.

When she had to escape them though she would lock her door and put her airpods in.

If the family had a pet it would be a dog, but Kiri is a cat person.

When she was little she convinced Jake to let her keep a stray kitten they found in the park (much to Neytiri’s dismay when you came home).

The cat likes no one besides Jake and Kiri and would spend most of its time on Kiri’s bed.

KIRI IS A CRYSTAL ROCK GIRLIE

Definitely would have a rock humidifier and a rock necklace.

Her secret passion is zodiacs and she would analyze her whole family.

She would give Lo'ak, Neteyam, and Tuk rock necklaces that she made that are supposed to ward off bad energy.

Tuk would wear hers, Neteyam would hang his on the back of his rearview mirror, and Lo'ak would keep it in his pocket or somewhere not visible but it would always be with him.

#neteyam fanfiction #loak fanfiction #kiri fanfiction #avatar headcanons #avatar way of water #neteyam x y/n #loak headcannons #kiri sully #loak x reader #loak imagine #loak sully #loak #neteyam sully #neteyam #neteyam x reader #kiri avatar #kiri imagine

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wisdomssdaughterr · 2 years

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Dear Lucas,

Read on Ao3 - Masterlist Link

Summary: After freeing Max from Vecna’s curse, Lucas can’t stop himself from reading Max’s letter to him.

Warnings: Just sad Max :( but the angst has a happy ending, I promise.

Dear Lucas Hey stalker,

I told myself that your letter would be the easiest to write, so I saved it for last. But now, trying to figure out how to put it all into words, I think your letter is the hardest. It’s not because I don’t know what to say. The problem, my problem, is that I have too much to say; that’s a shocker, huh? I know I don’t deserve to have you hear me out, not after pushing you away since last summer. I only did it because I didn’t want to drag you down with me, Lucas. It was never because I stopped liking you or caring about you. I pushed you away and broke up with you because I was so scared that you could see me. I was scared that if you kept looking at me, you’d see something wrong with me- something that made you hate me- and then you’d leave and I’d be all alone again. I wanted to be the one who made me lonely; it didn’t work as well as I hoped. You’re still here, even now as I write this. You and Dustin are bickering over the best pizza topping, and Steve’s told you to shut up four times now. Maybe he thinks your conversation isn’t helping me, but it kind of is. It almost feels like last spring, when we all called for a pizza delivery but couldn’t decide on something that everyone liked, so we ended up with four different pizzas and Mike had to steal money from his dad’s wallet to pay for it. You walked me home that night, remember? I do. It was so stupid and cheesy, but it started to rain and you kissed me and for just a second I thought about how maybe you and I could be different; different from my mom and dad, and different from my mom and Neil. Maybe I’m just not the kind of person who deserves different, but you are.

I thought Hawkins was going to be so shit compared to California. I thought I’d hate it here and eventually annoy my dad enough to convince him to let me move back in with him. But then you and the rest of the party followed me around those first couple of days, not so subtly stalking me. I probably should have been more upset or annoyed, but you and your stupid dorky smile made me feel like maybe Hawkins wouldn’t be the worst place in the world. Then you told me the truth, even though you didn’t have to. You didn’t even know me, but you trusted me. I never asked you why? I guess if this curse kills me I won’t get the answer, but maybe say it aloud or something, and maybe my ghost will pick it up. That’s how that works, right? I’m sure Dustin’s read a book on the afterlife. Maybe ask him how to use an Ouija Board and it’ll be like I’m still there, right? You trusted me with your secret, you let me in your little club, and I don’t think I ever said thanks. All of this, all of the good stuff that’s happened to me in this shitty, cursed town, I got because of you. I’m sorry I ruined it. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I’m just sorry. I hope you’ll forgive me, but if you don’t I won’t be mad.

You saved me, Lucas. You and the party. Please don’t blame yourselves for not being able to save me this time around. Maybe this is just how things are supposed to end. At least I got to meet you; no monster or curse can take that away from me.

I love you.

Max

Lucas gripped the piece of notebook paper tightly in his hand that it crinkled and dotted with a few rouge tears that slipped from his eyes. A shuttered breath fell from his lips before his body started to move on autopilot. He threw on a pair of shoes and the first hoodie left lying on his floor. In a bout of clumsy movements, a spinning mind, and so many words trapped on the tip of his tongue, Lucas took off on his bike down the darkened streets of Hawkins.

There were only a few instances in his life where he peddled so fast, but he didn’t want to waste another second. He managed to reach the trailer park in a record time and dropped his bike in Max Mayfield’s front yard before he sprinted up the front steps and knocked on the door like his life depended on it.

After a few agonizing moments, the door was swung open by a tired-looking Max. She rubbed her bright eyes and stared at him in a mix of surprise and confusion.

“Lucas? What-”

“I read your letter,” Lucas blurted out.

Max visibly paled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Y-You weren’t supposed to. Those were for, like, if I died. And I didn’t.”

“I know, but I just…I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know what you wrote and…” Lucas trailed off, feeling him getting choked up again. At the break in his voice and glossiness of his eyes, Max dropped her arms from her defensive stance and her whole demeanor softened. Stepping forward, Lucas wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in the crook of her neck and holding onto her like he was terrified she’d slip away from him again. “I never hated you for pushing me away. I could never hate you, Max.”

She wound her arms around his neck and squeezed her eyes closed tightly. “I was just scared,” she whispered.

“I know.”

The two kids were illuminated in the dim glow of the light post just outside Max’s trailer and bathed in the warm spring breeze as summer crept around the corner once again. That summer would be different, Lucas was determined. Their lives would be different; it had to be.

Max pulled away first, with a sniffle and a small smile on her lips that caused Lucas’s heart to beat louder inside his chest. He loved her smile; he loved to see her smiling. “You biked all the way out here just to hug me? Like a dork?” She tried to ease the heavy tension that was built up in the letter she wrote to him, and that was stuck inside Lucas’s head.

“No.” Lucas matched her small, almost hesitant smile, and shook his head. “I-I love you too.”

The playful look that glinted in Max’s eyes fell away and morphed into something between shock and disbelief. They stood close, but Lucas stepped even closer with slight hesitation. He moved slowly and a little awkwardly, giving Max enough time to step away and shut him down. Instead, she gripped the fabric of his hoodie and pulled him close before connecting their lips in a quick kiss. It was innocent and careful, like the first time they kissed at the snowball. But there was the ghost of tears in both of their eyes and their hearts bled with a certain kind of desperation to stay together, and not be alone anymore.

Max Mayfield was not alone, and even if the entire world was against Lucas Sinclair, he’d make sure she never was lonely again.

#stranger things #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #lumax #stranger things 4 #stranger things oneshot #st4 #st4 spoilers #stranger things spoilers

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letstrywritingmaybe · 5 months

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I Wish I Cared Less

Chapter 11: Plus One*

A/N: I’ve finally finished this part of the series. Thanks to those who followed me on this journey, especially if you bared through my very unpopular ending in I Only Lie When I Love You (I still loved it so it doesn’t matter, but some of yall really hated it, yikes). Anyways, I do technically have one more part to add to this verse that I may or may not get to, but for those that ship strictly CoAi (low key me) you won’t need to worry about it. I have a kaishi canon divergence planned and it’s all bad for CoAi, it’s messy (think Devour but worse). Feel free to skip it if I ever get to add it to the series. Now onto the actual last chapter of this fic!

Attempt #11: Smile

Let’s backtrack a little, about a week ago she took a test. The results are positive. She takes two more to confirm, and each time it tells her the same thing. Well shit.

She can’t be too far along, when was the last time she had her period? She cannot recall. A month? Maybe two? It can’t be three… she’s not even showing yet.

Crap, she’s been drinking. Not a lot, only a few times during dinner and only two glasses at most… wait, hold on. She’s getting her priorities messed up, she needs to tell him. Right, she should, he deserves to know right?

In case it wasn’t obvious, she didn’t tell him. She doesn’t know how to. What is she supposed to do? Say hey Honey welcome home, oh, and by the way I’m pregnant? Yeah, no. She can’t even begin to imagine what he would say.

“You’re distracted today, do you want to stop?”

“No, sorry, there’s just a lot on my mind.”

“We don’t have to have sex, we can…”

“If we don’t do it now, who knows when we can again!”

“What? Since when have we had a problem wanting sex at the same time?”

“That’s not what I mean… do you not want to… I knew it! You must be sick of me!”

“Woah, hold on. You know that’s not true, I love you Shiho. There’s something bigger going on. What’s wrong, Baby?”

“Baby… you know… how did you… I don’t know what I’m doing, Shinichi. I’m going to be awful.”

She starts sobbing, completely killing the mood and effectively sending Shinichi into a panic. This isn’t like her, suddenly bursting into tears, unable to properly explain herself.

It doesn’t help that her boyfriend isn’t exactly the best at consoling a crying woman, especially when that woman is Shiho. He doesn’t have much experience dealing with her tears.

Hold on a second… did she just say…

“Shiho? Are you… are we… Are we having a baby?”

She responds with more tears, but manages to nod. His arms are around her in an instant, holding her close squeezing her tight. He cannot contain his excitement, there’s a gigantic smile on his face. Shiho stops crying, she wasn’t expecting this to be his response.

“Shinichi?”

“We’re having a baby! You’re going to be the mother of my child! I’m going to be a dad! Shiho, I love you, I love you, I love you.”

He leaves kisses all over her face, even over her drying tears, his joy is infectious. She certainly never imagined he would be this happy.

“You’re not upset with me?”

“You just told me you’re pregnant with my child, why would I be upset?”

“I didn’t tell you right away… and I don’t know if I will be a good mom…”

He kisses the top of her head, hand moving over to rest on her still flat belly. It’s hard to believe there’s a little life living inside.

“I’m sure you were overwhelmed, I know now, that’s all that matters. And you’re going to be a terrific mom. You should worry more about me.”

“You’ll be a great father, Shinichi.”

“No, not that. You’re going to spend all your time and energy on our baby, I won’t get enough attention from you.”

“So you’re saying you’re not going to pay attention to our baby?”

“I can pay attention to both of you… there is just one in there right?”

“What, you don’t think one’s enough? You wanted twins?”

“Well, Mrs. Kudo, it’s not like you’ve told me anything…”

“Nice try, I’m still not marrying you. I thought you said you weren’t upset with me not telling you.”

“Tell me now, tell me all about our little one.”

——

Pregnancy life is stressful, but only because Shinichi is so excited. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him he’s being too overbearing, but she can’t help snapping at him when she feels he’s fussing too much.

So far, they haven’t told anyone yet. She’s still in the early stages, not even two months in. She thought Shinichi would be dying to share the news, but he seems to enjoy that the two of them have this secret the rest of the world doesn’t know about yet.

“How is my beautiful girlfriend and baby girl doing today?”

“It’s way too early to tell if it’s a boy or a girl, how are you so sure?”

“I’m going off instincts. She’s going to be a Daddy’s girl. You haven’t had any issues since you let me know about our baby.”

“That doesn’t prove anything.”

“It’s because she knows her dad is here and will take care of her and her mom, so she stopped being difficult.”

His head is pressed against her belly, speaking to their child. It must be something all parents do, she finds herself doing the same from time to time.

He raises his head up to smile at her, she gently cups his face bringing him face level. He understands her intentions, sharing a light kiss until it turns heated.

He pulls away before it gets out of hand, much to her displeasure. They haven’t had sex since he found out about the pregnancy, even though she made sure it was okay for them to do so.

She huffs out in annoyance, she gets why he’s hesitant but it’s making her very frustrated. Her libido hasn’t gone down in the slightest, though that may change as her belly gets bigger.

Shinichi wraps his arms around her, kissing the top of her head in a bid to offer comfort. It’s not the kind she wants, but she decides not to fight with him over this right now. She’s sure she can convince him later.

“So you want it to be a girl, will you be upset if we have a boy?”

“Not upset, I would love our child no matter what. I just always dreamed we would have a mini version of you running around.”

“… you dreamed of having a baby with me? Why…”

“I want it all with you, Shiho. To be married, have a child. I meant it when we laid it all out that night. I want us to be a real family, the mother of my child, my gorgeous wife.”

“I knew you only liked me for my looks… wait. A child? I’m surprised you only want one.”

“Well… I wouldn’t be upset if we had another… it’s just…”

“Just?”

“I’m not going to get all of your attention after this one is born, and I just don’t think I could compete with our baby. It took me so long to finally get you to admit you love me… Having to split it in half is already worrisome, but thirds? And I just know it’s not going to be equally divided. You’ll forget about me for our kids, like a good mother should.”

She’s taken aback by his logic, sure she knows that is what’s typically expected but… given the relationship of his parents, she would think he would be afraid of their child being neglected.

She leans in to kiss him on the cheek. He’s so close, she can’t resist stealing more kisses. Planting them all over his face, trailing down to his neck, though again he stops her before it becomes too much.

She sighs, she’s getting off track anyhow. She’s supposed to prove she won’t forget about him, not try to jump him. Though maybe if he would just let her have her way then he’ll realize she truly does love him.

“Shinichi, I love you, and yes I’m going to love our child. But, before I became a mother, I am your girlfriend and you’re my boyfriend. This baby wouldn’t be here in the first place if it wasn’t for you. I’m not going to forget to love you just because you’re the father of my child now. If anything I’m worried you’re only going to see me as a mother and never want to have sex with me again.”

“It’s not that I don’t want you, Shiho, I just…”

“I know. I get it. But it’s only going to get worse. If you won’t even touch me now, what’s going to happen when the baby’s here. I doubt I’ll want to have sex after giving birth right away. Are you going to make me wait a whole year before we have sex again?”

“I don’t think I could last a year. I can barely hold myself back now.”

“So don’t. I want you, Shinichi. So so much. I love you. I need you.”

!!!

How can he deny her when she proclaims her love for him like this? It’s such a turn on.

The fire he’s been trying to put out rises with the heat of her kisses, he takes control as he pushes her onto her back. She reaches for the buttons of his shirt, he does the same with the ones on her blouse.

Soon they’re both stripped naked, he can’t help eyeing her belly which doesn’t go unnoticed by Shiho. She lets out a frustrated sigh, thinking he’s going to stop again.

He lowers himself down to kiss her tummy, his voice is barely above a whisper as he tells their child not to panic, daddy’s not hurting mommy one bit.

He looks up to meet her widened eyes at his comment, she really shouldn’t be surprised by this. She just didn’t expect for this to turn her on more.

He lowers himself down, pushing her legs further apart to allow himself to rest comfortably between her thighs. There’s a smirk on his face as he looks up at her again.

“We should practice keeping quiet when the baby’s here. I wouldn’t want our little girl to hear how loud Mommy is when Daddy’s fucking her.”

She can feel herself growing wetter at the thought, what has this man done to her. He’s fitting right into the role and it’s driving her crazy. She can’t believe he’s making parenthood sound hot to her right now.

She’s unprepared when he sticks his tongue into her entrance, his nose bumping against her clit causing a hitch in her breath.

His fingers are gently rubbing the inside of her thighs as one travels over to find her clit, while his tongue continues to delve in deeper inside her wet cavern. She cannot contain her moan, when he swipes at her sensitive spot with his thumb then pinches it against his forefinger.

She whines when he pulls himself away, his lips are still wet with her drippings as he licks them. He reminds her to stay quiet, or else he won’t continue. She has no choice but to obey, lips pressed in a thin line, gripping onto the bed sheets as he goes back to eat her out.

Her breathing becomes labored as he builds her to the verge of orgasm, she has to bite down on her lips to keep from screaming out. A high pitched noise escapes her lips when he licks his tongue up her opening, she falls apart when she feels him suck at her swollen clit.

He’s rewarded with a rush of her juices covering his chin as well as the sheets underneath them. He wipes it off with his hand, then slowly kisses his way up her body.

Her legs wrap around his waist as his kisses reach the crook of his neck. He has to help keep her ass pressed down, reaching down to reposition their lower halves, lining himself up against her dripping core.

“Don't worry, Baby, Daddy’ll be gentle with Mommy.”

Slowly sliding himself inside her wet passage, he stops to check on her when he pushes all the way inside. Satisfied there’s no look of discomfort on her face, he starts to pull out as he sets up a steady rhythm. He opts for long shallow strokes, keeping his movements on pace instead of just hammering into her.

He’s still trying to stay mindful of the baby, but the longer he goes, the more erratic his thrusts are. Shiho’s muffled moans only encourage him to go faster, she knows he’s getting close.

He presses his face against her cheek, giving her the perfect opportunity to make him come when she whispers in his ear, “give it all to me, Daddy.”

He comes hard inside her, burying himself deep within her core. Her mischievous smile as he pulls out, is all the evidence he needs that she said that on purpose.

They’ll need to get cleaned up from the mess they made on the sheets, she seems to like the way his cum feels dripping out of her though he would rather keep it inside of her.

“So, Daddy? Someone has a pregnancy kink.”

“Took you long enough to notice, I’ve been trying to knock you up since we started dating.”

“You’re so full of it.”

“Actually, I think you’re the one full of me.”

“Kudo Shinichi, do you kiss your mother with that filthy mouth? I never knew you were such a dirty talker.”

“Daddy’s lips only belong to Mommy.”

He chuckles at her fake appalled expression, before leaning in to kiss her lips. They’re going to need to settle down or else they’ll start a round two. Not that he’s against it, now that he knows firsthand they can safely have sex while she’s pregnant.

There’s nothing holding them back now that they’ve gotten the first time out of the way. She’s just glad he won’t be weird about this anymore, there’s no way she could’ve gone without sex with him for a whole nine months.

——

“Kudo Shinichi, you are never touching me again!”

“You’re squeezing my hand a little too hard there…”

“Are you seriously! Fuck you! Oh my fucking! Fuck! This is all you’re fucking fault!”

Hours of obscenities and nearly breaking Shinichi’s hand later, their beautiful baby girl is born into this world. She’s in perfect health and already she’s the pride and joy of her parents. Even if she made her mother suffer through the worst pain of her life.

Staring at the tiny human they helped create, Shiho’s at a loss for words. She turns to look at Shinichi with tears pricking his eyes.

“What will we name her?”

“How about Ai?”

“Kudo Ai does have a nice ring to it.”

“You’re letting her have my name?”

“She’s going to be a Daddy’s girl, she’ll be upset if I didn’t give her your name.”

“You know it could be your name too.”

“Still not happening. If you’re worried I’ll be outnumbered, don’t. Our next one is going to be a Miyano.”

“I thought you forbid me from touching you.”

“You are for now… but looking at her and how perfect she is… I wouldn’t mind having another one with you.”

“I love you, Shiho.”

“I love you too, Shinichi.”

It doesn’t take that much longer for Shiho to get pregnant again. Almost two years later they’ll back to her swearing at him to never touch her again. Luckily Ai doesn’t hear her mother’s curses, her grandparents had the foresight to wait with her at home.

Soon she’ll be able to meet her baby brother, and they can be one big happy family. Even if they’re an unconventional one, since her parents aren’t married.

It doesn’t make them any less real.

Also available on ao3 <3

#CoAi #shinshi #I wish I cared less aka cynful verse part two #honey I’m a sucker when you linger series

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azurbee · 1 year

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BWAAA venting, don’t be on this post if you don’t wanna hear it

So like- life is hard, that goes without saying, but shit has really been bothering me recently.

I guess that most of my problems is because of my mother, I don’t even think I can even call her one anymore. I have always been paranoid and distant from her, whenever I was young and I did something slightly wrong she would yell at me loudly or sometimes even beat me with a wooden spoon which, I probably deserved.

It’s one of the reasons why I don’t talk to her much and why I hate expressing myself without permission. I feel like if I express myself too freely people will just start getting annoyed by me and start to hate me and even start to yell at me. I’ve developed an intense fear of being yelled at, I’m fine being yelled at when it’s just joking around but when it comes down to genuine anger I just feel like a disappointment. I feel useless and unwanted and the person who yells at me should just get rid of me so that way they can feel better. I feel like I’m not aloud to make mistakes because if I do then people will start to hate me and I’ll just be a disappointment.

I really started to hate my mother when she divorced my dad. The only explanation she gave for it was “oH i JuSt DoN’t LoVe HiM aNyMoRe”. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE SOMEONE ANYMORE AFTER WHAT, ALMOST 25 YEARS??? AND EVEN AFTER YOU STARTED A FAMILY WITH THEM FOR 16 YEARS? I hated that she did that, I hate that I’m seeing her so much more happy now, I hate that she did that to my dad. Do you even realize the shit he’s been through?? You just gave him his second divorce! I don’t know why he divorce his first wife, and I don’t think I have the right to ask but my dad is the best father I could ever ask for. Unlike my mom, he actually understands my brother and I, he does whatever he can to spend time with us.

My dad has worked so hard for everyone for his whole life, he has done so much for us AND THIS IS HOW HE’S TREATED??? Two divorces, a shitty new boss who doesn’t allow him overtime for most of the time, he has to live with my step-sister and her god awful family in their zoo of a house, which may I add, ISN’T EVEN THEIR HOUSE! IT’S MY DADS AND THEY DON’T EVEN PAY HIM RENT! OH AND THEY CHERRY ON TOP, THERES A SCREAMING BABY 24/7 AND MY SISTER AND HER SHITTY HUSBAND DON’T DO SHIT ABOUT IT!!! MY DAD EVEN SAYS HE FEELS LIKE A PRISONER IN HIS OWN HOUSE!

I hate that this is what my dad gets in return for everything he has done for us, I hate that my useless ass can’t do shit about it.

There’s also the fact that I have been getting worn down by the fact I can’t have a day to rest. During the week, I have school. When it gets to Friday and the weekend I go to my dads. When there’s a weekend I don’t got to my dads, my mom forces me to go somewhere with her. It’s been so draining, I just want a weekend to go straight to a house and actually get some rest. I’ve been so burnt out from this that I don’t have the motivation to do school work or personal work and that just adds even more stress to everything.

My mom has been losing her cool a lot more recently, especially with my dogs. I’m genuinely scared she might kill them. I love my dogs to death and I don’t know what I’ll do without them.

So much shit has been happening that I’m sure that it doesn’t matter what I think anymore. I’m just a punching bag, I’m only alive to make people feel better about themselves, my feelings don’t matter. I’m tired but I can’t sleep in the same house with a women like her. I just want this to stop.

I wanted to wait a little longer but I keep getting pushed to the edge to just end it all now and no longer have to deal with this pain.

I have no point in writing this vent, this is probably all fake. I’m just faking all of this, I’m not sad I’m just doing this for attention and I hate myself for it.

#personal vent

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cassarilladraws · 1 year

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Watched “Passion” and I enjoyed it so much!! First off, I should say while I love the idea of a kwami swap, I was nervous for this episode. Reflekdoll showed just how atrocious a kwami swap could be done. That episode is one of my least favorite episodes in the series for a lot of reasons. So, I’m pleasantly surprised that this time around it was done well. This is just me rambling about it and I wrote this twice and had Tumblr crash before I could post so yeah how coherent is take 3? …but I wanted to get my thoughts out there. For the record, I’m someone who’s here for Adrien’s character (outside of the romance aspect) and how he grows over time. I’m also interested in the backstory and the lore of the Agrestes and the Miraculous. I love some of the side characters and can enjoy other things too of course. But as far as my main reasons for watching? Most episodes leave me with mere crumbs. But “Passion” was a FEAST. It’s up there as one of my favorite episodes. The kitchen scene was very well done. It was eerie too, seeing Gabriel act like an actual father is off putting since he rarely does so. Adrien is happy to be having breakfast with him (and not having to schedule months in advance only to be stood up as we’ve seen in the past.) However, Adrien is also afraid he’ll make one false move or say the wrong thing to make his father shut him out or get angry. Nathalie addresses this directly by calling out Gabriel on the fact that he doesn’t even know anything about his son’s breakfast preferences. I love her sass in this scene. Also, the fact that she addresses Adrien too. Adrien should be able to express what he wants and doesn’t want, but he’s too afraid to do so.

Now, it worries me a little bit because is this the show trying to make us sympathetic to Gabriel? Because I’m not. If it takes you getting Cataclysmed and fearing you may die soon to pay attention to your son… that is pathetic. Nathalie notices how sketchy his change in behavior is. If he really wanted to be a good father he would actually do it, make that his priority instead of spending his time terrorizing Paris.

Then there’s what we learned next from Emilie! EMILIE!! This is something I’ve always wondered. What would she think about all of this? Now, we know she had accepted her death. Her concern was that Adrien had a family and was taken care of. Gabriel stopped watching and got rid of these video messages. So, on top of all of the other evil crap he’s also going against his wife’s wishes. Actually, to such an extent where I’d argue when Adrien lost his mom he also lost his father. Gabriel’s distance and treating his son like a business asset for 4 seasons showed us that clearly. Let me get this straight. Emilie did not want Gabriel to do this, now as a result of him doing so both he and Nathalie are dying. In their pursuit of bringing Emilie back they have doomed Adrien to be without a family. Which is… wow. Adrien of course is pretty upset about Nathalie’s illness. He’s seen these symptoms before. It’s not the first time the show had demonstrated him realizing they are the same things he saw his mother suffer with. He is well aware of how serious this situation is. Moving on… I really love seeing interactions between Adrien and Plagg and always miss them when they aren’t there. Seeing so many little moments this episode made me happy. I love their dynamic. Although, I will say the little scene with Tikki and Plagg is strange. I know they say their holders can’t be together because they might find out their identities and I know this is set up for later episodes but, this part of the show is just hard to buy at this point. It feels like an instance of this thing is a problem because the show says it is. I’m just kind of like… yeah sure if you say so I guess? Then there’s the akuma battle which this episode just made me so happy. My gosh. Ladybug getting hit and Chat Noir carrying her through Paris was such a fun scene! The action in it was great. Loved the slide across the roof and under the bus! Chat Noir talking about the beams being “attracted” to him was funny. Gosh I love him! In the sewer, I really appreciated the moment where Adrien contemplated using the wish. Not to get too personal, but my dad has lost a lot of his mobility and is in a lot of pain. I’ve seen him go from a guy that could do whatever he want to someone who has to use a walker. He’s a strong person, he wouldn’t want you to read this and feel sorry for him, but if I had something in my hands that could take that pain away from him and make his life better OF COURSE I’d think about making that wish. I also appreciate that this was a good and natural way for Marinette to explain again that the wish has a cost. After the kwami swap it was pure JUSTICE for the mess that happened in Reflekdoll my gosh. We went from an episode of Ladynoire treating Mister Bug just… er… not great, to THIS. It was such an upgrade. Kudos to Marinette. (I know her behavior was different for other reasons too, lol poor girl has is down bad for him.) But it was just very nice. I loved seeing him figure things out and the passion (lol) with which he fought and thought out his plan. He cares deeply for Nathalie and he was rightfully angry at Monarch. His lucky charm going along with what he was already thinking to protect his identity was a nice touch.

I also appreciated that once in the room he got to go off about Monarch being a monster IN FRONT of Monarch. Adrien going off about people, especially when they can hear him, definitely one of my favorite things in the show. He should do it more. This episode also has me thinking about just how much is on Adrien. I mean I always do, because he’s what’s got me invested. But losing his Mom, his father being distant and awful, his mother figure being sick and Adrien realizing it is likely fatal. In S4 he felt worthless as a hero too on top of everything else. Once things fell apart, he had to be strong and forgiving immediately. He had to be Ladybug’s rock when it all went south. Now, he’s by her side as one of the 2 heroes (both of which are teenagers) who stand between Paris and a terrorist. Though the show hasn’t really addressed how he feels about it, I also would like to mention that his likeness is on a ring where everyone who owns one can give him commands and customize his look. That has to be at least a little off putting. I mean is likeness is still being used in ads. He’s not modeling but to many people it seems like he is. HIs image isn’t his? It wasn’t really before but now it’s just literally not even him out there. I know Adrien finds it in himself to try to look forward and see positive things in his life. But he’s been through and is currently going through a lot. One thing I hope the show does it not gloss over things. Let him be mad, sad, upset, let him GO OFF, he deserves to. Speaking of glossing over things, there’s a few conversations I’d like to see Adrien/Chat have with Ladybug especially, but I’m not holding my breath. The scene where he and Marinette were talking was a very nice moment. He was going into his usual thing. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Then he was honest “No, actually I’m not okay.” This is good. I love to see him admit it. That’s growth. Nathalie addressed the same thing earlier at breakfast. Though there is more fear there because Gabriel is a jerk, it’s a similar concept. Adrien will set aside his feelings to make someone else more comfortable, it’s nice to see him being encouraged to be honest and finding ways to not always brush aside his own pain and preferences. I know I’ve rambled a lot but I really appreciated this episode. I can be salty about this show, especially lately, but when it actually DOES focus on the things I’m begging it to focus on I am happy to give credit where it is due. The part that kills me is that we could have a lot more episodes like this. Ah well.... anyway, after all the crumbs I enjoyed the meal.

#ml spoilers #miraculous #ML season 5 spoilers #ml passion #Adrien Agreste #Chat Noir #Nathalie is not off the hook for me either #but if it's between her and Gabe getting a redemption arc #I'd choose her

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pumpkachubby · 2 years

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Buried feelings

It’s been a while since last time I posted a new episode but here we are back at it! This time we have a chapter focused in Crescente and Guester, where what was supposed to be a lesson in magic quickly turned to the unexpected.

(from now on all new chapters will be acompanied by a map showing who will be featured and where, since many people will be traveling all around Galar)

Make sure to check the Story Archive for past chapters!

I can’t say that my relationship with Guester is bad, but until now we never really had a chance to connect, we are more like acquaintances than actual friends, if it wasn’t for Koh and Petrov we probably would have never meet each other and yet, here we are, alone in a meeting room of the Obsidian Guild.

And I’m pissed off at him.

Koh asked me to help him with his current interest in magic, according to my mother he has great potential in plant-based magic (although almost every plant-type hybrid like us has it, it’s hard to master, even harder than training to use the pokemon moves of our individual species) and since I really need a distraction from my own problems I said yes without giving it much thought… and oh boy I am regretting it.

“Can you please stop that?” - I shouted, making him drop the thread he was trying to pass through his absurdly large needle, but he immediately went back to it.

“What’s wrong? I told you I lost my witch hat to that damn corviknight, so I’m trying to make a new one!”

“Where should I start…” - I said, taking off my glasses and rubbing my eyelids in frustration- “Do you see me wearing a witch hat? Don’t you think there must be a reason behind it?”

“...Fashion sense? No offense but until now you have always been wearing that boring barista outfit, if it wasn’t for your scarf you wouldn’t stand out at all…” - He replied without looking at me. It's been like this since Koh brought him earlier today. I tried to give him some basic guide on the magic he claims to be interested but all he has cared for is that stupid hat that he really, REALLY shouldn’t wear.

I took a deep breath to control my urges to strangle him with my scarf, murder is illegal after all, even if he just dragged my fashion sense in the floor. I stepped closer and tried to make…. a more direct approach.

“You know the difference between pokemon powers and magic, right?” - I asked, touching the fabric he was trying to sew ,in an act that would make Koh crawl in pain, without even properly cutting it in the proper shape of a hat.

“Aren't they basically the same?” - He replied, trying to get it away from me, but it was too late, I was already holding it tight. -“I mean, both are powers that come from within us, right?”

“Correct, but they are very different. Pokemon powers and abilities are very limited to our types, and human cannot learn to use them, but magic isn’t, you see…” - I said as I set on fire the fabric on my hand, although you would say it looked more like it was disintegrating in sparks, quickly reaching his hands, making him step back in shock - “... there are no limits on what you can learn to do with magic.”

Guester stood there in awe, now that I think about it it was probably the first time he had seen me use magic. Sure everyone had come to the coffee shop while lost ghosts gather at night but he in particular never saw me do anything practical like this. After a few seconds he finally spoke again.

“That was… SO COOL!!!” - He said jumping in excitement - “I wanna do that too!”

“You will if you are willing to listen and learn…” - I replied, walking back to my original seat. - “Honestly why aren’t you paying more attention? You show genuine interest and yet all you have done is ignore my lesson…”

“Well… because you are boring.” - He said with no hesitation, looking straight into my eyes.

“E- Excuse me???”

“Yeah, and I already know all of that plant stuff, mom taught me. Do you realize you are trying to teach about plants to a person who, quite literally, was born in a greenhouse? I learned all that before I even knew how to read…”

“I didn’t know that! Also, what do you mean I’m boring?? I’m trying my best to make it interesting!”

“Well… I wasn’t talking about the lesson when I said that…”

My scarf quickly grabbed him by the legs, holding him tight upside down mid-air. Did he not realize that I can literally destroy him in as many ways I want if I felt like it? I can’t understand him at all! But I needed to calm down, he is a precious friend of my boyfriends, and way too many people know we are both here after all.

“What the hell do you mean by that, uh?” - I said, looking at his sad upside-down face, probably just noticing how he just insulted me.

“I’m sorry I can’t help it! I always thought you were boring! You are always stuck at home, even after your mother came back and did the renovations, with the excuse of having to take care of the shop, yet you don’t really have to do much there besides a couple of very specific nights per month. You have all this power and yet you don’t want to use it! And you know what I will say it: I don’t get what Koh and Petrov see in you! They should have just been a couple and I would have been able to mo-” - He said, suddenly covering his own mouth with his hands, quickly getting flustered and it wasn’t because of his current position.

I had to sit down.

I should be angry, but deep down I agreed.

“... what?” - I asked - “Listen, I’m- I am aware I’m not the most interesting person around, but I just like the way things are, I don’t… do well with changes… and I’m the first person to notice that if I wasn’t around they probably would have ended up together sooner, I’m very aware of that and believe me I don’t know why they are with me either… I…”

“Sorry…” - He apologized, trying to rub my head but only managing to mess with my hair - “It’s just… how to say this… Petrov was my…” - His face was red as a tomato so I pulled him down, he quickly grabbed another chair and sat in front of me. - “Is there… is there any magic you have to conceal this room?”

“Done” - I said as I lifted a finger, creating the most powerful barrier I knew. There was a conversation we needed to have right here and right now. - “What’s up with Petrov?”

“I hate myself for this, I really do” - He said, clenching his fists - “But when you three got together I… was so jealous…”

“Why? Aren’t you happy with Harold?”

“I am! I trully am! I want to live my life along his side!... But, how to say this…”

“Calm down, just be direct.”

“Ok… - He replied after a few seconds in doubt, taking a deep breath - “Petrov was my first crush, I realized I liked boys because of him, you could say it was love at first sight. Back then when he was a small and slim insecure pumpkaboo, I fell hard for him, but he never corresponded with my feelings, and I’m quite sure he never even realized it…” - He declared abruptly, at the border of tears, I quickly jumped to hug him because I knew that feeling too well. - “I don’t know why! I tried really hard but he never realized it! Hell, even Rompt noticed it and he is probably the most useless when it comes to relationships and emotions, but Petrov, he just… never looked back at me in any other way than a friend, so at a certain point I decided to move on, I even had something with Rompt for a year, and while the sex was fantastic we decided it was best if we would remain as friends when Petrov came back to town and-”

“Wait wait a moment, you just dropped a lot of information I wasn't aware of… You and Rompt?”

“Yeah, he wasn’t my first boyfriend but we dated for almost a year after he and Koh broke up.”

“WAIT WHAT!??”

“Ups” - He said, stopping halfway getting up from his chair to leave the room, probably remembering he asked me to put on a barrier.

“Have everyone in this friend group had secret feelings for each other this whole time and I didn’t know anything at all?”

“Oh me and Rompt had more than feelings, Horacio should be grateful because he was so messy when we started, but I had way more experience in bed so I taught him well.” - He said so proudly you wouldn’t believe he was about to cry minutes ago - “You really need to work on your perception, don’t you know any spells to boost it or something?”

“Ok, I think you have dragged me enough already, let's keep the focus on you. So, you were jealous because Koh and I got into a relationship with him yet he was never able to see you as a potential boyfriend?”

“Exactly! And I know how messed up that is! And yet why do I feel this way?”

“Well I think it's normal, seeing someone achieve something you wanted for years and give up will always hurt a little. All you can do now is focus on your present and future. It's not like you have romantic feelings for him left, right?”

“Oh yeah, haha. Sorry for dropping such a bomb out of nowhere, it’s been a weird couple of days, I’d be lying if I said I’m not a bit resentful to Harold, I love him but he can be a bit too stubborn, including his stupid bird that steals hats… Why did it do that? It’s not even shiny!”

“That’s normal, it is a corviknight after all. Historically they have always been in good relationships with magic users so they don’t take such offenses lightly.”

“Offense?”

“Yeah! The reason why I don’t wear a witch hat is because it’s an important sign of status in our society, if you receive one it means that you are a fully matured sorcerer, it’s not just a costume, it’s quite literally a manifestation of our power and wisdom in us hybrids.”

“Like an evolution?”

“Yes, normally we don’t mind when children wear them as a costume, but when an apprentice does… you should be glad you are not part of a formal academy, you would have been expelled at best.”

“That sounds… dangerous… Sorry, I’m really sorry I really didn’t know, I mean the only witch I know is your mother and she wears it quite often.”

“Don’t worry, she is a mismagius and they have a natural gift for magic. It’s fine, if I have learned something about you today is that you get carried away way too easily and hard at the same time, you really need some self-control, I don’t know what would have happened if you had told Harold about this…”

“Oh he is fine, he knows. Do you remember the day we forced you to talk about your feelings for each other? I told him all about it that same night…”

“Then why are you trying to be so secretive about it?”

“Because it would be a problem if someone overheard it in this place, don’t you think? Better be safe…” - I had to agree with him on that, while I’m sure most of the staff are trustworthy, we are still new to this environment. - “Oh, but I won’t apologize for calling you boring by the way. I may need some self-control but you need to learn how to let loose more, you can’t live without change! Life isn’t that simple, right? There are many things we can’t control, like your current weight situation.”

“Wow you really went for my throat, didn't you?”

“I can do it better. You are a spoiled brat, you have everything and yet you decide to stay in mediocrity, even when your mother quite literally pushed you out of your house to have more experiences in the outside world you haven’t gone out of the guild building for anything else than trying to find food to get back on shape, don’t you? Do yourself a favor and get out of your comfort zone for once!”

“But-”

“No buts! We are going to make you get that witch hat!”

“Wait, what?”

“You said that only mature witches get one, right? Then I think having an apprentice will help you with that!” - He declared proudly - “And who knows, maybe you will find a way to get your body back in shape.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” - Said Petrov from outside the room, opening both doors and having to kneel down a little to get inside the room.

“Woah Petrov you really have become huge!” - Reacted Guester by seeing his old friend for the first time in a couple of days- “Wait, didn’t you had a barrier?” - He asked, looking at me.

“Yeah… and it was strong enough to resist a hyper beam… did I become rusty?”

“Oh babe don’t worry about it, it wouldn’t be the first thing I break without realizing in the last couple of days after all…” - Said Petrov scratching his head - “And well, your mother did say you need to work more on your magic… Now that I think about it, weren't you supposed to study plant magic? what are you doing inside a dark room?”

“He is right! We need to be in contact with nature!” - Replied Guester, quickly grabbing me by the hips and hanging my slim body to his left shoulder - “I will have to borrow one of your boyfriends for a couple of days Petrov, I promise I will take good care of him!”

“I know you will, and if you get into trouble don’t hesitate to call me, ok?”

“Of course!” - Replied my captor, happily running away from the building and into the wild area, he didn’t let go of me until it was very late and he realized we forgot to bring any camping equipment, thankfully I knew how to improvise with magic.

I wonder how far this adventure will take me, but at least now that I’m closer to Guester I can be more positive about it, and who knows? Maybe he is right and I will find a way to cure me.

#guester the gourgeist #Crescente the gourgeist #oc story #petrov the pumpkaboo

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linklethehistorian · 1 year

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🤗

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

Oh gosh, a lot of things, really; in fact, there are so many things I could say that I’ll probably miss a few along the way as I’m writing this, and have to add to it in reblogs in the future.

For now, though, let’s see…

(Full answer under the cut for length)

1. Ignore the naysayers.

I know, I know — this advice probably sounds cliché and basic as fuck, but hear me out.

One of the most important things I ever started to learn as a writer — and still continue to do so in new and crucial ways, as time marches on and I gain more experience — was the value of not giving a shit about the naysayers.

When I was younger, I used to let the criticism of everyone — both constructive and destructive — live rent free in my head all day, every day, and obsess over making sure that my works were always as picture-perfect, innocent, and problem-free as anyone else told me they should be.

It was the biggest mistake I ever made, it made my life and my hobby a living hell, and looking back, it is the one thing I genuinely and thoroughly regret the most about any of my older works.

To explain this in better detail, here’s a little story-time for you:

When I was little, I would always have my Aunt telling me, “You shouldn’t write stories that are so dark, and [series I was writing for] isn’t meant to be so dark and ugly.” or, “It’s not healthy; there’s something wrong with you if you like writing things like this. You must enjoy things being hurt because then you get to feel good about helping and protecting them. It’s sick; you’re like those disgusting mothers who poison their kids so they can get pity and attention from it.” So, I would hesitate to write any major level of angst in my stories from that point forward.

Then, when I wrote a somewhat less “dark” story, she would tell me, for example, “No. You can’t have the Mom be in the wrong for what she did in this story. She was just looking out for her kid, and right to stop him from making friends. The kid is in the wrong and he needs to pay the consequences of his actions. Rewrite it.” So, I started re-writing it, but then quickly lost my passion and eventually abandoned it completely.

After that, I would eventually try to write a story for a different fandom — a book I loved dearly — and she told me, “Oh god, not that. That story is so stupid; you’re too old to like that, anyway.” Depressed and feeling stupid for ever even wanting to write it, I then abandoned that idea, too, before I’d even gotten past the first page.

If I tried to write multiple stories at once, swapping between them whenever I had writer’s block on the other, she would tell me, “Write one story at a time! Real authors don’t do that!” And if I complimented something in a book I read, saying that “as a writer myself, I really enjoy this”, she would quickly snap, “you’re not a real writer.” As a result, I stopped writing multiple books, even if I had the inspiration for them, and for a long time, I stopped daring to even call myself a writer.

Because I listened to someone who wanted to control and ensure that whatever I wrote would stay purely to her personal tastes, values, and interests, I let so many ideas that could have been born into the world die before they’d even taken their first breath and allowed myself to stay feeling inadequate and irrelevant. Would some of them have sucked? Would most of them have been cringe in some shape or form? Yes. I’m sure they would. But…I would rather have had those sucky, cringy books exist than to never get to see what I would have created — to never get to find the bits of good and overall interesting premises that yes, would also have come to be through each and every one of them.

I can never stress this enough, but please, new fanfic writers and even just writers in general: DON’T be like young me; don’t listen to the naysayers in your life who tell you that you shouldn’t write whatever the hell you want, however the hell you want, and whenever the hell you want. Do not let them get in your headspace over anything.

The thing you need to know about these people who tell you that what you want to write is “problematic”, “boring”, “uncreative”, or “cringe” in some way, and that you shouldn’t do it for your own good and reputation, is that they are all just like my Aunt: that is to say, they do not genuinely care about you or what is in your best interest — they are not genuinely trying to protect you or steer you on the right, most healthy path. Yes, they may claim that they do care and want the best for you, and to some extent, they may even think that they do, but at the end of the day, when push comes to shove, what they really want most is just to control you, so that they can stop you from creating content that they dislike and don’t want to have to see. Thus, rather than doing the actually healthy thing by learning to curate their own experiences in life and teach those around them that it is fundamentally okay to not share the same interests and opinions with everyone around you, they choose to guilt trip you and manipulate you into believing you are the one who is in the wrong, and who needs to be re-educated to recognize the dangerous non-conformists who may look like they are just minding their own business and hurting no one, but are definitely abusing and/or encouraging abuse to real live people and animals behind the scenes. (Because they write about the topic, so it must mean they commit or at least condone these things in real life, too, right? /sarcasm)

I promise you that these kinds of people and their moral grandstanding over things that aren’t even real in this world is far more harmful and genuinely problematic than anything fictional you could ever imagine and write or draw, and that if you went to an actual, licensed therapist and asked them their opinion on the matter, they would undoubtedly confirm that with no hesitation.

It may seem harmless on the outside to give in to one of their demands — that it’s not worth the fight, but I promise you, if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. It will keep extending further and further from one thing to the next until there is basically no longer anything you are “allowed” to write or draw that isn’t one or two universally accepted “completely healthy” pairings, in “completely healthy and happy, ideal” settings, in which nothing even remotely bad or mildly disquieting ever happens or is said — if you can even do that.

And this applies to more than just tropes, genres, characters, ships, plots, or what have you — these controlling people will exist about other things, too, and they must be ignored the same.

There will be people out there who will tell you that fanfic writing isn’t as good, fulfilling or creative as writing original works. It is bullshit — bullshit that, if not based on an intentional desire to control and manipulate your actions, is at the very least born of the incorrect and extremely biased belief that fanfic writing doesn’t count as “real writing”; ignore it, and do not feel pushed to create wholly original works if that is not what you already want for yourself and are passionate about.

There will be people out there who will give you so-called “writing advice” which tells you that you must never do a certain thing (such as using a certain phrase, perspective, or writing style) regardless of circumstance, and that if you do, that’s automatically a negative thing and makes you unprofessional and a bad or fake writer; ignore them the same. The reality is that many famous beloved authors of the world have either intentionally or unintentionally ignored certain so-called “rules” of writing and are still enjoyed and loved all the same — and sometimes even all the more because of that particular, unique, characteristic ‘style’ they created in doing so.

Constructive criticism can be great and help you grow leaps and bounds on your journey, but that’s the key thing about it; it has to be constructive, and furthermore, what may be typically considered constructive for one person may not be for another. If something is negatively effecting your headspace and making you more miserable and unhappy for having experienced it, that is not constructive — it is destructive, and you need to either find a way to make peace with it and be better for it, or cut it out of your life.

If you don’t want any criticism towards your writings, then try your best to communicate that nicely and outright to your readers; most nice communities (especially AO3) will largely accept that, and those that don’t can and should be blocked or ignored.

2. Realize that someday, you are probably going to look back at your old works and think that they are very cringe, and that that is perfectly okay. Remember how I said “ignore the naysayers”? Well, that applies to you, too; remember that you are almost always your own worst critic, and that if you let that hold you back, you will miss out on a lot of good things and experiences in life, too, as well as depriving other people of that privilege through what you could create.

If there is something you want to write, then write it; don’t sit back and overthink all of the potential negatives to doing so until you’ve talked yourself out of the idea, and it never comes to be.

Yes, it is very likely that someday all of the fics you are writing now — even the ones you love the absolute most — someday will be things you will look back on and, in some manner or form, think are “cringe”, but that is okay. It is okay even if you think it is cringe now; don’t be afraid of being ‘cringe’. Cringe culture is dead, as it rightfully should be, and you don’t need to try to resurrect it out of guilt or self-depreciation.

Not only is it a sign of growth for you as a writer to be able to look back on something and say to yourself, “wow, that’s something I would never do if I wrote this today”, but it’s also important to remember that just because something may be cringe or outdated to you and your current style, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone else to whom that very creation means the world or massively brightens their day.

Don’t delete your old works. Don’t prevent yourself from writing new ones by gaslighting yourself into believing they aren’t good or valid. Don’t hold yourself back from experimenting with new things that you may want to try just because it may turn out a disaster; that’s the only way to grow and learn. Don’t be afraid to be derivative or “uncreative” by writing something that’s just barely different from the source material, if that’s what you enjoy. Don’t be afraid to be repetitive by creating five thousand slight variations on the same story or trope; not only is that a valid thing to do, but there are also many people out there who are looking for exactly that.

All in all, just, don’t let you hold yourself back from something you genuinely want to do and will enjoy — in writing or drawing.

3. Don’t pay attention to the numbers. This can be a hard one to stick to, but it’s very important. All too often, we end up getting stuck comparing ourselves to others and the success that they have, instead of enjoying what’s right in front of us, and it’s not healthy or good — not for ourselves, and not even for others around us.

While it may be tempting to pick up the pen and try to write for a more popular series, trope, character, or pairing and rake in some of that sweet, sweet instant gratification with the big numbers, it’s important to remember that not only do those numbers not matter in the grand scheme of things, but also that nothing that is big and popular ever simply started out as being big and popular — and nothing else will ever have hope of joining that list of big and popular if you aren’t willing to take the first or another step in making it so.

That big ship you’re thinking of right now that gets all the kudos, comments, bookmarks, subscriptions, and hits that you wish your fic had? It didn’t start out that big. The most popular and successful fic of all in the biggest fandom you know? It didn’t start out as the most popular or successful; it started out just like your fic did when you first posted it, like your ship did when it first came into being by the first person to think of it.

Things can only gain traction if they have people behind them, loving them, creating for them, and engaging with them, and every person who gives up on them because they’re not popular enough is one less chance that thing had at eventually becoming popular, just as that biggest ship or fic out there needs people who love it to keep engaging with it and standing by it in order for it to remain “the most popular”.

What you love desperately needs you, and you do make a difference for it; don’t turn your back on it and end up doing something that doesn’t make you happy — or at least that makes you less happy — just because it isn’t popular or doing the numbers right now. Someday it might be. Until then, be the change you want to see in the world.

The fic that I’ve written which I love the very most and have worked on the most and the longest is also the most obscure and niche one of them all — and yet, it did gain something of an audience of its own. It is beloved by more people than I ever anticipated it would be, because I didn’t give up on it — because I made it happen and dedicated myself to continuing that, and it can only grow more popular the longer that I do.

You can make your dreams come true, one step at a time. So don’t give up.

4. Write things based on what you love, not what you hate. Obviously, this is advice that requires nuance and extra consideration based on the individual situation, but as a general rule, I feel that this is a very overlooked and yet very valuable piece of advice for all sides of a given matter.

I’m not saying that is always wrong or even completely impossible to write about something you wholly and purely hate, and still have it come out a good and positive thing to put out into the world, but the trouble with writing about something you completely despise — or for which you even just plain feel nothing but a general dislike — is that it is very, very hard to remain unbiased in doing so, and therefore highly increases the chance that you will create an extremely negative misrepresentation of that thing in some way.

If you absolutely must write about something you hate, I strongly advise that you at least tag it as a hate fic and/or (preferably and) put a disclaimer before the fic stating outright that it is such, that you hate or dislike it, and that as a result you may not be capable of accurately representing that thing in every way.

As someone who has accidentally read fics of this nature before about something that I hold very dear, I can tell you firsthand that it is not the least bit enjoyable to go into the tags of your favorite ship or character and stumble upon an untagged, self-congratulating hate fic that pats itself on the back for how ‘accurate’ it is, with no regard or warning for people who actually love or at least enjoy the character or ship.

I, for example, never wrote a fic centered purely around Paul Verlaine and his character pre-Storm Bringer because, at the time, he was the character I just loved to hate; I had nothing good to say about him as an individual, and writing a fic about only him purely for the sake of shitting on him would have been an extremely terrible use of my time and energy, and of the time of people going into the tag for his character looking for nice, or at least accurate, representations of him. Now that I have a better understanding of him and can appreciate all aspects of him — not just the negative — I am happy to write about him, but, I would never write a fic just about Fukuchi in the present moment, because in that same vain as before, I have nothing positive or interesting or wholly true to contribute about him in his tag (not to mention I’m not really particularly interested in him to begin with).

All in all, while I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t do it if you’re willing to give the proper tags and disclaimers, I promise it’s really just not worth your time or energy, when you could be spending it instead on something you love.

And if you do write a hate fic and you don’t tag or at least give it a disclaimer, well, make sure that you at least state outright you don’t want constructive criticism, or else you shouldn’t be surprised if you end up with people who frequent those tags telling you that you’re not writing the character or ship accurately, because it will probably happen sooner or later.

5. Somewhat related to the end paragraphs of advices 1 and 4, don’t ask for constructive criticism if you don’t want it, and make it clear if you absolutely don’t. While most people — especially on AO3 — will not just submit criticism, constructive or otherwise, on a fic unless you make it absolutely clear that you actively want it, if you truly want to avoid having criticism submitted to your fic for any reason, it is best to state that you would prefer positive comments only (especially if your writing community is one that does leave criticism a lot), as it will save you a lot of trouble. Likewise, if you do want more than the usual amount of criticism, you should feel free to ask for it, but please make sure that this is truly what you want, or else you may not like what you receive.

I have encountered fic writers in the past who request, “please tell me what you honestly thought of the fic!”, only to then later delete any and all constructive criticism that their readers take the time to leave them. Please do not do this; it is a waste of time and energy not just for you, but for your commenters, as well. If you don’t want something, don’t communicate to others that you do.

6. Be as passionate as you want; don’t worry about being ‘normal’ about your interests. I know this is technically related to the third bit of advice, but seriously, what is normal is completely subjective to the individual and it is also completely overrated. Don’t sit stressing about if you act ‘normal’ or like something ‘a normal amount’; go crazy with it! Be over-ambitious about your creations and your interests! Make as much content as you want for it, spread it across all mediums if you desire! Make a music playlist that ties into it! Make a blog centered all around it! Post regular updates and exclusive content like it’s famous! I did all of this and more for one of my fics, and I’ve had the time of my life with it.

Embrace your inner overenthusiastic eccentric and have fun. That’s what hobbies and fandom are all about.

7. Be kind and supportive to yourself and others wherever you can, and mind your own business when you can’t. It’s unfortunate, but many times in life, when we get caught up in the rush of things and the height of excitement or negative emotions, we can forget to show kindness, love, and understanding to ourselves and to others. It’s important to remember to take a deep breath now and again, and consider those needs and feelings that we would otherwise ignore. The schedules we sometimes create for ourselves are amazing, and they can help us keep on track, but they aren’t the end-all, be-all to writing and being a writer; don’t obsess over them and let them run your life or expect other writers to uphold them all of the time, either. Taking breaks for your mental, emotional, and physical health is so, so important and so necessary, and it’s something we all should be able to do judgement-free from time to time when we need it.

And furthermore, remember that just as you have your own interests, so do your other fellow writers in the world; sometimes they may move on and change fandoms, or have fictional interests that you don’t like or agree with. It’s important in those times to realize that that is okay, and that they are valid. It’s important to be able to say to yourself, “it’s not my business”, respect their right to do what they love, and move on to something that is your business and that you do love, yourself. Don’t harass or insult other writers in the heat of the moment over something that isn’t your business or they didn’t ask you to negatively comment on, and if somehow you do, make sure you apologize and learn from that mistake going forward.

Fandom is a big place, and there’s room in it for us all to co-exist and thrive.

—

Send me another emoji and I’ll tell you about myself as a fic writer.

#linklethehistorian #Thoughts #my thoughts #My writing #meme #fanfic emoji ask #fanfic writing meme #ask #ask game #anon #ily anon #thanks for the ask #writing #advice

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takingback-thepenguin · 2 years

Text

Pulp Musicals Sentence Starters: The Great Moon Hoax

I’m not quite sure if anyone else has done this yet, but here is a list of sentence starters taken from Pulp Musicals episode 1: The Great Moon Hoax. Some of the lines have been edited to fit as sentence starters, and feel free to change pronouns/add names/etc as you see fit. Tw: None.

“Planet Earth needs something different.”

“He's/She’s/They’re gonna hate it, everyone knows it.”

“_____, you need to see this.”

“I have written something awesome.”

“Every time you have that notebook I know you are gonna cause a problem.”

“There are fifteen hundred newspapers in New York City.”

“The one that pays us to produce is one of many.”

“Even if there's minor variations in the way the story's told. The news is just the news and the news is getting old.”

“It will take a miracle.”

“Nothing’s gonna change that.”

“The sun doesn't revolve around the Earth.”

“Why not add a little bit of fiction?”

“Why not add a little bit of style?”

“Why not add a little bit of swagger?”

“Why not add adventure to the pile?”

“I suppose you'd write the stories.”

“You know that we have a few ideas.”

“Her/His/Their imagination's just as big as mine.”

“Your sister is incredible.”

“I'm telling you that this is not the time.”

“I promised _____.”

“It's for the best.”

“But this is good.”

“Give it a rest.”

“I am doing you a favor.”

“Our paper writes the news.”

“Save your fantasies for later.”

“Every day is a fight for survival.”

“I know that isn't news.”

“How often we lose is really quite astounding.”

“Our deadline has arrived.”

“Do you have our articles together?”

“Almost ready.”

“I’m just helping _____ fix his/her/their story on the weather.”

“Not now.”

“This is not a trick, is it?”

“Not another trick, _____.”

“Let me see your notebook.”

“Please, sir, don't.”

“I've lost track of all the times you’ve come to me with grand designs.”

“My orders are always undermined in the name of fiction.”

“Tell me, do you think that will save us from the brink?”

“That trash isn't worth the ink.”

“You're wrong!”

“You've got to open your eyes.”

“Simply being good is not enough, we must be wise.”

“Don't just wanna live, I wanna feel alive.”

“The only one not good enough is you, I've realized.”

“You're fired.”

“Everybody, back to work.”

“_____, I'm sorry.”

“Manhattan is a gorgeous sight.”

“_____, look what I have!”

“Your favorite magazine!”

“It smells like fish.”

“It doesn't smell like fish, it smells like knowledge and adventure.”

“Knowledge and adventure smell a lot like fish.”

“Did you read anything interesting?”

“I like his/her/their name.”

“Almost eighty years, and Halley's Comet has come back.”

“I'll keep an eye out.”

“He’s/She’s/They’re the man/woman/one that I adore.”

“He’s/She’s/They’re probably the greatest mind to come from England's shore.”

“There's an illustration I might hang it on the door.”

“Not sure if I like it.”

“He's/She’s/They’re our age, and he's/she’s/they’ve already accomplished so much.”

“He/She/They own(s) a telescope so large, to pinpoint every point of light until they form a pattern.”

“There’s no one more deserving of fortune and fame.”

“If I ever met him/her/them, I think that I would die.”

“_____, where's your notebook?”

“I…left it at work.”

“Did he/she/they like our story?”

“Oh no, did you get nervous again?”

“I said something this time.”

“I might have picked a bad day to finally speak up.”

“There's a million ways to get your news.”

“Everybody knows it. It's basic astronomy.”

“Very clever.”

“He/She/They fired me today.”

“The office was attentive as he/she/they dealt the final blow.”

“He/She/They tore our words to pieces.”

“_____, I'd never felt so low.”

“We can't get by on just the money from the paper stand.”

“Mom and dad did it for years. If they could, I'm sure we can.”

“I feel like I let you down.”

“What are we gonna do?” “We keep going, baby brother/sister/sibling.”

“We’re twins, _____.”

“I came out first.”

“As the elder sibling, I am telling you not to give up.”

“We are more than this.”

“How do you know?”

“What if this is it?”

“This is my life but it isn't my fate.”

“When it is calm, I can read all the stories ‘bout the folks that are doing all the things that I want to do.”

“You worked at a job that drained you entirely. And made you feel like you can't be who you are.”

“I write, and you write. And we write together.”

“It's a gift.”

“It sits on the corner of Broadway.”

“It’s time to begin. To give into imagination, see what's possible.”

“There's a place with no laws of gravity.”

“You hear it calling you.”

“It’s calling me.”

“It's been echoing in our minds since birth.”

“We will find our way there.”

“We will build a bridge across the stars, and explore the galaxy.”

“‘Cause when we look to the sky, we are looking inside.”

“I will walk to the edge of the abyss. Just to prove there is more than this.”

“Fiction is not always fantasy.”

“Unseen does not make it untrue.”

“Your truest self is waiting for you.”

“We will find our way there. Even if it feels that place is bound to remain a mystery.”

“On my head, there's a crown of constellations, spinning ‘round.”

“Yes, we will persist.”

“Imagination leads to hoping.”

“Once you hope, you start to question.”

“Soon those questions lead to trying.”

“Trying leaves a strong impression.”

“Doing often leads to knowing.”

“That's the world we want to live in.”

“That's the world that we belong to.”

“Don't be scared of the dark.”

“One word at a time, I know that we will find, a world that we know exists.”

“It’s so much more than this.”

“Shouldn't you be at the Sun?”

“That can wait.”

“The way that he/she/they treated you was wicked and unfair.”

“He'll/She’ll/They’ll hire you back in time.”

“I gathered up the pieces of your notebook.”

“I read the first few lines.”

“Can you tell me if there's more?”

“This tale took shape when we were very young.”

“Stories helped us find our place.”

“When New York seemed like outer space, we could build a world to share with friends.”

“The time has come to share it.”

“It's not an earthly exposé.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“You'll think it's strange.”

“The New York Sun sees things a certain way.”

“This requires a slightly bigger lens.”

“How big, exactly?”

“We have the happiness of making known, a recent breakthrough in the field of astronomy.”

“It’s a monument to the age in which we live.”

“It’s the biggest news that we will ever give.”

“Our companion, always there, watching us.”

“Now we know.”

“The first thing that he/she/they saw when he/she/they took stock of the surface of moon, was a field of rock.”

“This was nothing new.”

“He/She/They didn't fret.”

“Traced along the ridge of the field of grey, was a river full of water running clear as day.”

“All along the banks, he/she/they could see a spread of flowers blooming blue and red.”

“What else can you tell us?”

“What else can you tell?”

“Say, could that be a forest full of foliage and giant trees?”

“He/She/They never thought the lunar atmosphere was similar to the one that we have here.”

“The waters of Luna flowed to a sea with white sand beaches looking heavenly.”

“Oh my God, is that a pyramid?”

“Tell me the next thing you did.”

“The pyramids were crystalline precious stone. Shining like a diamond with the finest tone.”

“He/She/They glanced through the looking glass on what was once thought a barren mass.”

“He/She/They had one more thing to prove.”

“He/She/They saw something move.”

“Now we know, we’re not alone.”

“What do you mean, he/she/they saw something move?”

“Only next week, we’ll give them a peek.”

“I don't understand.”

“This isn't really an excerpt from the journal of Herschel.”

“He’s/She’s/They’re in another hemisphere.”

“I don't think he/she/they care(s) what is written here.”

“She's/He’s/They’re a big fan.”

“If this is truly a story of fiction, why use a name that is so recognizable?”

“Why don't you make up a new astronomer that is less identifiable?”

“That's the best part!”

“It will give the story weight.”

“It will become all the rage.”

“People could believe it.”

“They'll be glued to every line of text.”

“People would believe it.”

“They'll be dying to see what happens next.”

“Just like you, they’d be banging down the door to see part two.”

“I'm intrigued.”

“_____, you were sacked.”

“Even if I wanted to, I can't act.”

“I suppose that's that.”

“Print it anyway.”

“You're the editor, print it anyway.”

“Are you mad?”

“Sneak it in, it's for the best.”

“You can be the catalyst.”

“Print it and we'll do the rest.”

“_____ might be onto something.”

“Can't you see it?”

“It's your turn to flop.”

“The notebook that you're holding has part one of our story.”

“Print it word for word.”

“What if someone were to put it in ink?”

“It's sensational!”

“Sensation often thrills.”

“This is crazy!”

“Crazy pays the bills.”

“It's a lie.”

“That's true.”

“Who cares?”

“You two have the paper stand.”

“I have no back-up plan.”

“Can't you see it? My career will end!”

“I won't ever show my face again.”

“_____, leave if you want.”

“Tell me, what does the Sun have to lose?”

“The Sun could shutter any day and everybody knows it.”

“This could be a turning point.”

“Even if we blow it, things will never be the same.”

“Would you not rather go out in a flame?”

“I have to run.”

“Why are you smiling?”

“Who would believe this?”

“Everyone believed this.”

“_____, _____, is it true?”

“Yes, I'm telling you.”

“_____ sent me a copy of his/her/their notes, it’s all here.”

“Is there more?”

“Yes, there's plenty more.”

“Have no fear.”

“How'd you get the exclusive?”

“Do you know the man/woman/person?”

“He's/She’s/They’re a family friend.”

“We've been in touch since he/she/they began.”

“I wish that he/she/they were around.”

“I have never seen the Sun this way.”

“Early returns are good?”

“We'll be rich by the end of the day!”

“_____, my office.”

“Money tends to complicate things that once had no debate.”

“It's all a lie. One big lie.”

“I saw it in your notebook yesterday.”

“It's a hoax. One big hoax.”

“Your arrogance is fully on display.”

“To think that you could pull the wool over this city's eyes.”

“What you did is staggering but it is no surprise.”

“You’re a lie.”

“You’re so naive and blinded by your youth.”

“I'm not mad.”

“Wait..why aren't I mad?”

“What if this big lie became the truth?”

“I could huff and puff until your story disappears.”

“We just sold more papers than we did all of last year.”

“It's a lie. One big lie. A lie that I can live with if I try.”

“I'll be rich. I’ll be so rich.”

“I hate and love you so much I could cry.”

“I'm sorry you were fired.”

“Welcome back, you're hired.”

“The work you're doing with your sister's wonderfully inspired.”

“I have faith in you.”

“Don't try anything funny.”

“Good talk, now make me money.”

“What happened in there?”

“I think I was…complimented?”

“Welcome back, _____.”

“Manhattan was a gorgeous sight.”

“_____, there you are!”

“Let's go, we have work to do.”

“We have new adventures to accrue.”

“An empty book's in front of you. It's time to fill the pages.”

“Don't be scared of the dark. ‘Cause that is where the dreaming starts.”

“It was peculiar.”

“I've seen you before.”

“I've read about you in the papers.”

“I was told you were the one who had access to Herschel's journal.”

“It's really very exciting.”

“I would like to see it.”

“I would like to read it.”

“I would like to know how it ends.”

“Tell me how it ends.”

“I'm sorry, _____, I cannot show you the journal.”

“I won't tell a soul.”

“I just want to know where this journey goes.”

“You'd be compensated.”

“That's extremely generous of you.”

“The Sun will have exclusive rights to the stories moving forward.”

“I assure you, they're real.”

“I believe you, _____.”

“I believe.”

“I read your words this morning.”

“It made me feel something I had not felt in years. Maybe ever.”

“Perhaps in another life.”

“The journal you possess has answers to the questions the world was scared to ask.”

“Are we alone?”

“Are we unique in this galaxy we call home?”

“So many people have nothing to believe in.”

“Do we need something to believe in? Or simply faith that out there, there is something to believe?”

“Is that enough?”

“I don't know you, _____.”

“I don't know, but I believe.”

“Belief is priceless.”

“I hope to see you again soon.”

“You'll know where to find me.”

“If you don’t have time to wrap your head around a lunar forest or flower bed, certainly a pyramid would make you quake.”

“_____ pressed on, make no mistake.”

“All along the base of a mountain range, our hero spotted something that was truly strange.”

“Grazing in the fields of the valley below, were creatures similar to buffalo.”

“There's life on the moon, and it's quite a show.”

“No way does it end with quadrupeds.”

“What do you know, he/she/they was/were right again.”

“The creatures didn't look like men.”

“Similar to sphinx lounging on the Nile were animals combined in many styles.”

“Some wouldn't hesitate to call them monsters, as we often label things that we don't understand.”

“If you saw the way that they carried their young in their arms like humans do…the way they built fires to keep warm, like humans do…”

“If it had been you looking through that telescope, you would have said that it was beautiful.”

“Who made all the pyramids?”

“It was something that these creatures did.”

“Ending the journal entry here would be cruel.”

“You're right, it would be awful.”

“There would certainly be a riot.”

“Let's do it.”

“Is it true?”

“He's/She’s/They’re right there.”

“Is there proof?”

“My source is presently the foremost authority in the field of astronomy.”

“That's not fair.”

“I don't care.”

“Your jealousy is unbecoming.”

“Surely, you'd agree that this is a victory for our planet.”

“You're just mad it was published by me.”

“I won't lose sleep if you call it a lie.”

“There's life up upon the moon.”

“All of us have bigger fish to fry.”

“He's/She’s/They’re plotting.”

“This sunrise was so abrupt.”

“Surely someone was corrupt.”

“I barely see you.”

“Where have you been hiding?”

“Blame our boss, he/she/they keep(s) me busy.”

“_____ has been relentless.”

“I swear she/he/they has/have not slept in a week.”

“She's/He’s/They’re too busy.”

“When she's/he’s/they’re writing, she's/he’s/they’re at her/his/their peak.”

“Mom and dad would be amazed.”

“_____ even gave me a raise.”

“Could these be ‘the good old days?’”

“Oh…that's great.”

“He/She/They didn't give you a raise?”

“I'm sure it will come, _____.”

“This is your moment, too.”

“See you later?”

“When a story has a face it’s easy to believe.”

“Imagination's running at breakneck speeds.”

“Follow it and find out where it leads.”

“Once you get a look, you cannot un-see.”

“What does it mean?”

“Is it heaven, or where angels fear to tread?”

“Will we be alright?”

“Imagination's running at breakneck speeds. Follow it and find out where it leads.”

“_____, what's wrong?”

“I just went to our apartment and the whole place had been sacked.”

“The door was broken in.”

“They overturned our beds.”

“Our kitchen, oven, living room were all ripped into shreds.”

“We were robbed?”

“That's the thing…nothing was missing.”

“Get in.”

“Do you know what 'phantom pain' is?”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“It’s the best way to describe how I've felt my entire life. Something inside me was lost long ago. What, exactly, I do not know.”

“Is that why you cry?”

“I don't cry because I mourn.”

“I don't cry because I'm scared.”

“I cry because it's possible.”

“I've always felt connected to the moon.”

“She's/He’s/They’ve never spoken to me this way.”

“We both live privately, drifting and watching.”

“There are times that I feel two hundred thousand miles away.”

“Can't you see me?”

“Can't you see me reaching out?”

“Am I not one of your own?”

“We're together, but alone.”

“We would have a staring contests like we were children.”

“I would never cease to be the first to blink…until now.”

“I don't know what this means for the world.”

“I know what it means to me.”

“If something so mysterious can be solved, then perhaps my mystery seems small.”

“Maybe I'll have my answers soon.”

“My truth is out there.”

“I was afraid to begin.”

“How much nerve would it take to convert our passion to action?”

“Stand up for what you believe.”

“Act like someone from your dreams.”

“You’re not who you appear to be.”

“I wasn't trying to move any mountains.”

“I write as a way for my brain to break the Laws of Motion.”

“Here we are.”

“We've flown to the moon for the Sun.”

“Look at the skyline.”

“Each word we write sets a brick.”

“We’re building a Tower of Babel.”

“Are you with the moon at the top?”

“Would you cast us from the sky if you found out this was a lie?”

“The world spun.”

“Nothing can stop the Sun.”

“No news is bigger than the moon.”

“Oh, what a time to be alive.”

“All my fears are gone.”

“This must be how Caesar felt when he crossed the Rubicon.”

“My victory is complete.”

“They should rename Broadway. Call it _____ street.”

“A capital idea, _____.”

“I have another capital idea.”

“If you say that you want a raise again…”

“It was me who ran the first journal entry.”

“I'm more responsible for The Sun's success than anybody here.”

“_____ lucked into the story of a lifetime.”

“I can look past his/her/their...eccentricities.”

“You betrayed me.”

“As my editor, I rely on you to have my back.”

“You failed.”

“How can I reward a man/woman/person who I cannot trust?”

“That will be all, _____.”

“Yes sir.”

“Moonlight overtook the sun.”

“Thanks for helping.”

“I know that you’re busy signing autographs.”

“I’m not too busy, _____.”

“Being famous is strange.”

“It makes me miss the quiet.”

“I'm an awful liar.”

“You're better than you think.”

“I'm sorry, _____. I didn't mean it like that.”

“Is everything alright?”

“I've just got a lot on my mind.”

“Enjoy the noise while it lasts.”

“Enjoy the parade, it goes by fast.”

“Enjoy the present before it's past.”

“This will not last forever.”

“This feeling will last forever. I'll never let it stop.”

“I know what's behind me.”

“Does all of that define me?”

“I'm putting all of that behind me.”

“I will not romanticize a life spent immobilized.”

“You don't have to remind me.”

“I see the earth tilt on its axis.”

“The full force of the wind of change gets behind me.”

“The ghost of all my yesterdays stands beside me.”

“Now nothing can hide me.”

“Flying or falling I'm finally spending my time mid air.”

“I made it, and I'm not going anywhere.”

“Don't spend a second looking back.”

“You will never find me.”

“The article is ready.”

“I'll bring it next door.”

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you, _____.”

“You're a good friend.”

“The calm before the storm comes in many forms.”

“Where is _____?”

“I wish to see him/her/them immediately.”

“Uh, we're closed.”

“He/She/They isn't/aren’t in.”

“If this regards a certain series of Discoveries, I can tell you what he's/she’s/they’re gonna say.”

“Wait another day.”

“Impossible, no such journal exists.”

“How do you know that?”

“I never had such a journal.”

“I demand to know what's going on here!”

“That was insane.”

“This will destroy my credibility.”

“I will not let your penny paper press turn my labor into a fallacious mess.”

“Frankly, I'm astonished by your gall.”

“You will cease.”

“This sham will end.”

“One word from me, and I'll expose you all.”

“You're _____.”

“It is such an honor.”

“I've read every single thing you've ever written a hundred times.”

“Please, who wrote these stories?”

“Your portrait in the Edinburgh Journal of Science makes you look older.”

“I don't like it.”

“I can't believe I just said that.”

“I don't like my name being linked to a fantasy.”

“I break my back to be taken seriously.”

“Do you comprehend how hard it is to bridge the divide between scholars and skeptics, even with science on your side?”

“Here's the thing, if it was bad I wouldn't even stop to care.”

“I'd throw it in the bin.”

“Astrophysics has a certain way of thickening your skin.”

“In short, if this was slop, my worries would be gone.”

“It was good. It was exact.”

“It was clearly done by someone with the facts.”

“It was framed in technicalities with little bits of truth.”

“This author knew their history, a scientific sleuth.”

“Maybe in another life we would have got along.”

“This slander will not stand.”

“I won't laugh, then carry on.”

“I should be in another hemisphere.”

“Tell me, have you completed your star catalogue?”

“Will that include the nebulae you analyzed last year?”

“_____, you are up to date with all my latest tropes.”

“If only I had your twenty-two foot refractor telescope. The things that I would do…”

“You are really something.”

“Have I said too much?”

“_____, I apologize if my words are trite.”

“You’ve inspired my brother and I.”

“There's a little bit of you in everything we write.”

“Wait, did you say everything you write?”

“Oh shit.”

“It was you.”

“I can explain.”

“You have brains and skill and access, no it couldn't be another.”

“Stop the press.”

“I really hate to spoil all the fun.”

“I am not a character for you or anyone.”

“I've worked too hard to be a king.”

“I will not play the pawn.”

“You've had your laugh, ha ha.”

“This cannot carry on.”

“It wasn't meant to go this far, believe me.”

“I'll expose you all.”

“Forgive me!”

“Here it comes hot off the presses.”

“Oh my God, _____! What have you done?”

“_____, help me!”

“Who is that?”

“What about the pyramids?”

“What comes next?”

“They look like us. The people of the moon.”

“They walked like us. The people of the moon.”

“They had wings clear and tucked to their backs.”

“That's what _____ found up there.”

“That glowing ball up in the sky is full of life like you and I.”

“Where do we go from here?”

“We're the top, and everyone knows it.”

“_____, my friend, come in!”

“Have you seen _____?”

“I haven't seen them all morning.”

“Guess who I met right before you got here.”

“They saw how I single-handedly picked our paper up off the floor.”

“They were quite impressed to say the least.”

“The mayor is knocking at my door.”

“The leadership you've shown, to draw blood from a stone. A lesser man/woman/one would have gotten nervous.”

“Have you given thought to public service?”

“Now that you mention it…Senator _____ has a distinguished ring.”

“Why should I stop there when I've got the moon on a string?”

“What's so funny?”

“It seems the _____s aren’t the only ones spinning fictions for the New York Sun.”

“He/She/They won't commit.”

“You would be a candidate for my ticket's running mate.”

“We're the same.”

“Get this straight: we’re nothing alike.”

“Are you sure?”

“What is this I see?”

“Am I sensing guilt?”

“If the truth comes out say goodbye to what we've built.”

“We'd be disgraced.”

“You'll be at that paper stand ‘til you grow old.”

“No one hires you to write, your dreams become a cage.”

“The _____ Family story would even fill a page.”

“_____, where have you been?”

“It's been a busy morning.”

“We have a problem.”

“What was this madness?”

“I'm glad that you could attend.”

“Tell me, what's this all about.”

“Who's your other friend?”

“It's business.”

“I wanted you to hear this from me.”

“Jealousy can be a son of a bitch.”

“A bargain has been struck.”

“A fateful deal was made.”

“That's why I made the choice.”

“That's why my friends will be betrayed.”

“_____ built a telescope as a way for them to cope with their failings here on planet Earth.”

“They deceived us all.”

“It’s true…I'm guilty too.”

“They put their deceptions in pen, but that will come to an end.”

“Now you know.”

“Where's _____?”

“Who is this man/woman/person?”

“The New York Sentinel appreciates your help, _____.”

“See you around.”

“What did you tell them?”

“_____, I can explain.”

“I am alone.”

“I am destined to face this malady on my own.”

“So many people have nothing to believe in.”

“How could you do this to me?”

“Forgive me, please.”

“_____….your hands.”

“Oh my Lord.”

“_____, talk to us!”

“What is this? What is happening to me?”

“I believed you!!”

“I leave you to your own devices, _____.”

“Reveal the truth, or don't. I don't care.”

“There is only one we can believe, he’s/she’s/they’re right there.”

“I promise you.”

“No one's asking you.”

“This man/woman/person has traveled many miles just to clear the air.”

“Your journal saved our jobs.”

“You did the world a service when you built your telescope.”

“There's no telescope!”

“All of us have read and some of us have seen astonishing things that are hard to believe. But this isn't one of them.”

“This ends now.”

“What's going on?”

“We're too late.”

“It's true there is no telescope...not anymore.”

“My observatory perished in a fire.”

“How I survived, nobody knows.”

“_____, what are you doing?”

“Just a fortnight prior to the inferno I sent a journal to my friends.”

“It's true, I built a telescope at the Cape of Good Hope.”

“I pointed it at the moon.”

“I put my eye to the lens.”

“I put my findings in pen.”

“I saw what I saw.”

“Now I'm giving it to you.”

“Here's a headline: every word you read was true.”

“Wait, wait, stop!”

“He's/She’s/They’re lying!”

“How are you actually believing this?”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

“You can't do that!”

“The truth will come out one day.”

“Remind me not to piss you off.”

“That felt great!”

“We just keep shining from above.”

“Shout it out from the top of your lungs.”

“Extra, extra, read all about it.”

“Breaking news, we're breaking through.”

“This is a nightmare.”

“Without weekly discoveries we'll go broke.”

“I'll be booted from the industry.”

“Tell me, how will I go on?”

“Readers will move on.”

“You will find another journal.”

“How do I follow up people who live on the moon?”

“Publish news and fiction side by side.”

“Let the audience be your guide.”

“I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.”

“Let that be the ship that we journey on.”

“Let that be our goal.”

“Let that be our bond.”

“Let that be Polaris on every dawn.”

“The way is long, and in the end you may break and you may bend.”

“What's between and what's beyond will help you sail again.”

“Never stop searching between and beyond.”

“Let that be our faith.”

“The feeling doesn't have to end just because the moment does.”

“Where do I start?”

“Use your imagination.”

“Why didn't you expose the hoax?”

“I must have hit him on the head harder than I thought.”

“I'd do it again.”

“I lied because I believe they are onto something.”

“I recently witnessed a phenomenon that challenges what is fact and what is fiction.”

“I will find my way there.”

“I will build a bridge across the stars and explore the galaxy.”

“I knew that I would find you on the roof.”

“Why are you here?”

“I wanted to apologize.”

“I promise, from now on, no more lies.”

“I knew that you would find me on the roof.”

“You’re asking me for something I can't give.”

“For once, I let myself believe.”

“Now let me be and let me grieve.”

“It felt so close.”

“I still can't tell you how it ends.”

“I promise, from now on, you’ll have friends.”

“I am so sorry, _____.”

“You are fortunate to have your sister.”

“You will never truly be alone in this life.”

“She's/He’s/They’re the wind in my sails and a harbor in the storm.”

“I'd have crashed into the rocks long ago if it wasn't for her/him/them.”

“Spoken like a true author.”

“That kind of trust is precious, _____.”

“I don't know if I will be able to trust you [or your sister] ever again.”

“Yet in this deception, a truth was revealed.”

“There is something out there. Something exciting, something brave, something uncanny and astonishing and familiar.”

“I don't know what's happening or what's awakening inside of me.”

“It all started when I met you.”

“There they are.”

“On the roof, I knew it.”

“Allow me to introduce myself.”

“We meet at last.”

“I would have said hello. But earlier today you had a certain glow.”

“You were there.”

“I was there.”

“You must have questions.”

“I have questions.”

“I wish I had the answers.”

“I don't know what to say.”

“There's no one better to light our way.”

“I have a proposition for you.”

“I sail tonight for South America.”

“I've assembled a team to conduct an experiment that you may find extremely compelling.”

“We would be honored to have you join us.”

“‘Us’? Who is ‘us’?”

“I'm going too.”

“No more waiting at the paper stand.”

“If mom and dad were here, they'd understand.”

“I've made all the arrangements.

“Count me in.”

“Carry on.”

“Let it begin.”

“We're moving on.”

“Join the team.”

“We'll live between and beyond.”

“It's possible.”

“We are on verge of finding out what all of this means.”

“Let's go!”

“Together, we will find a world that we know exists.”

#sentence starters #sentence starter meme #sentence starter prompts #rp sentence starters #rp prompts

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flock-of-cassowaries · 4 months

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This isn’t really a Succession post, so much as a very personal reflection on my own family.

With that out of the way: I saw a post of a gif set that started with this image…

…and it made me think.

I know I’m better than my own father, but I would never ever think of confronting him with that assertion.

Because there would be no point. Because he wouldn’t acknowledge it. And it would make him angry. And when he gets angry, he sometimes gets violent, and you can’t predict it.

I did tell my mom, at one point, that I had realized there was something wrong with him; how I had, several years earlier, sought out the strangers to whom my dad had sold an unsafe house, and had warned them that the structure was unsafe. I didn’t do it anonymously, because I wanted to make sure they took it seriously.

I told my mom, because I wanted her to know how these strangers had refused to take my savings when I offered it to them; it wouldn’t have been enough yo fix the problem, but it was a few thousand dollars towards an expensive repair. And they refused it even though they had already found the problem, consulted a lawyer, and determined that it was too late to recover any money by suing my dad. They just didn’t feel right about me paying for his deception, I guess.

That’s not how my dad trained me to expect other people to be, and I wanted my mom to know; to be aware that the world outside our little nuclear-family hellscape wasn’t as scary as we’d been conditioned to believe.

And she just looked at me in horror, and made me promise to never, ever tell my dad what I’d done. She expressed that she was genuinely frightened of what he would do if he found out.

Anyway, I guess that’s why I find Ken kind of alienating as a character. He’s just… not as viscerally afraid of his terrifying father as I was of my own, and I cannot relate to him.

Roman, on the other hand - even though he is a Bad Person(tm) and makes only the feeblest attempts to ever stand up to Logan - him, I get completely. Because he is terrified of, and deeply craves, his father’s affection; and that was me, for a long time.

#personal #‘I am better than you.’#kendall’s relationship with logan #terrifying father #family dynamics

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chriswaddell · 5 months

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BLOG 7 - November 27, 2023: “BRIDGE”

This could, perhaps, be the most important note I’ve written.

Suicide isn’t what I thought it was. I hope people start to understand it more. Understand that it’s not some crazy person who’ve reached their wit’s end and has nowhere else to turn… so they decide to end it. Hell, even suicide prevention specialists tell you to reach out and talk to someone. But in my recent experience, my only experience ever with these types of issues, that’s not what’s going on.

Is this a suicide letter? One that I hope someone might find years after I’ve left the earth? I don’t know. But I do know how I feel and how I would like to better help people understand the non-end-of-the-world sense of this feeling.

If I were to take my own life today, I wonder what people would think? Thoughts about how unhappy I was or if my mental state was in what they deem a “positive place.” Maybe more selfish thoughts from them… “what did I do wrong?” ��How could I have done something different?” Or the selfish thought that my suicide is somehow selfish itself. I mean, if we’re not entitled to leave the world how we choose, what freedoms do we really have?

My own death isn’t caused by anybody, it’s because I’m tired. Pay attention to that word, because it’s easy to make your own assumptions about what “tired” could mean. I’m not depressed, at least I don’t think I am. I’m not sure what that would feel like. I’m not tired of someone’s shit not have I been pushed in a direction of thought. No, instead, I’m just tired. Tired of fighting one day after another to make ends meet. Tired of consistently thinking about those departed. Tired of worrying about what everyone thinks about me. I’m tired of trying so hard every day to be positive and one backwards comment from someone can have me in my head for days.

Suicide isn’t a cheap or easy way out. I miss my grandma, my dad, Logan and Milo. I’ll never see them again, but I can imagine someone thinking “oh, but he did this, so I guess he won’t miss me.” That’s fair, except I won’t have to deal with it. Is that cheap or easy? Maybe. But maybe I feel like I’m owed some gratitude. The gratitude of people letting go of something I would do for myself and only myself.

People will be quick to assume that any problem I have can be simply fixed and shouldn’t have led to what could or would be inevitable. My washer doesn’t work, I’m broke and the bills continue to pile up, I live a life where I believe the only way anybody likes me is if I’m doing for them, I’m losing my memory at a rapid pace and it scares the hell out of me. I worry about losing my mom, who I often feel is the only person who doesn’t expect anything out of me.

Sometimes I think the only reason I keep going now, doing this thing we call “living,” is to try to help those I love. And honestly, the list of people I feel love for is shorter than it ever has been. I want to be there for my mom as she ages and can’t take care of herself. I want to be there for Canaan and help them anyway I can to achieve their ultimate goals of making it in the film industry. I want to be there for my friends to continue to give them a platform to live out their dreams and possibly make a big splash in the wrestling industry. I want to run this wrestling company to continue to afford an opportunity to people who otherwise wouldn’t get one. I want to never put my dogs in a position to have to wonder where I went.

So, my life now is like a bridge. These feelings I have and have had… are they potholes in my journey across troubled waters or am I reaching my destination and these feelings are the land I sink my feet into permanently?

Don’t worry, I’ll continue this in part 2 sometime down my road. 🖤

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casspurrjoybell-17 · 1 year

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HEART'S FATE - CHAPTER 38

*Warning: Adult Content*

Having established that Miguel was, while shaken, otherwise unharmed by the encounter with his mother, we reconvene to discuss our plans while the children play hide and seek in the sprawling house.

As lunchtime approaches, Ambrose Thorne orders a half-dozen pizzas from a nearby restaurant and boxes now litter the room.

"Could it be true?" Martin Hunter asks, directing the question at his brother Alpha Dane Hunter. "What Elena said. Could Miguel really not be a Wolf?"

The Alpha furrows his brows and leans forward in his seat, elbows resting on his knees.

"I don't see how but I'm not a geneticist. Don't even know if genetics has anything to do with it. Mom or Dad might know more."

Martin huffs in frustration and sets his plate aside.

"I thought you had to learn all the Wolf lore and shit to be an Alpha. Don't you remember?"

Dane rubs a hand over the stubble dusting his jaw.

"To be honest, I didn't pay all that much attention in 'Wolf Sunday school,' Martin," he says.

"It seemed more useless than math. Why would I care what Stanislaus the Betrayer did, or how Curriculum got his fur back from the Fae? They were just fairy tales."

At his side, his mate, Julian Hart gently elbows him in the ribs.

"Yeah, I might have rethought that position by now, considering."

Dane shoots him a look.

"I have. But apparently absorbing and retaining a shit-ton of information is easier when you're a kid than it is when you're pushing forty. I'm working on it, considering I have two little Alphas of my own to pass it on to but like I said, I don't recall anything about Wolves having a kid who's not a Wolf."

"Even if only one parent is a Wolf, the offspring should be full-blooded Wolves," Noah comments.

"Look at Luna and Luca."

Julian grimaces.

"They might not be the best examples. They basically shouldn't exist to begin with."

Having listened in silence so far, curiosity gets the better of the Merman at last.

"Who is their mother?" Skylar ask.

Julian's brows lift.

"Martin hasn't told you?"Julian's brows lift.

Martin winces.

"It didn't come up and... I didn't know how to say it."

Julian rolls his eyes.

"Technically, I'm their mother. I carried them. It's a Fae thing."

"Ah."

Skylar laughs and settle back in his seat.

"For a moment I feared you'd say they were Elena's."

Julian narrows his bright purple eyes at me.

"You don't seem surprised. I feel like you should be more freaked out right now."

Skylar waves a hand.

"It's not so strange. The Mer-people can do the same, when needed."

At my side, Martin chokes on his drink and doubles over, coughing.

Skylar pats his mate’s back and wonder if perhaps he ought to see a doctor about his swallow reflex.

He seems to get things down the wrong pipe a lot.

When he's mostly recovered, Skylar turn his attention to Noah.

"Speaking of esoteric lore and special knowledge, how does this mystical bookstore of yours work, anyway?"

Noah blinks at his brother’s Mate.

‘Noah’s resemblance to Martin is uncanny, though Skylar would never mistake one for the other.

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," Noah asks. "Shanti tried to explain it to me as being part of a larger 'cosmic library' tied to multiple realms and the karmic journeys of souls across countless incarnations, or something, but I don't fully understand it. All I know is, if the knowledge you need at a particular moment in time is available to you, you'll find it there. The problem is recognizing it. It's seldom what you expect, and often not what you want."

"I see. Unfortunately, I fear not much information regarding my people exists outside our own libraries."

"You have libraries?" Noah asks, the keen interest in his voice eliciting a smile from his mate.

"How? I mean, surely you can't have paper books."

"Our 'paper' is made from seaweeds and other materials, not wood pulp," Skylar says. "It's quite durable."

"What about ink? How do you transfer it to the page without it just..." Noah waves a hand, "...washing away?"

With sudden understanding, the merman laughs.

"Ah, I see the problem. I'm afraid that, in all the excitement, I haven't explained properly. My people live beneath the water but not entirely in the water. The palace and many of our dwellings, places where we eat, rest, study or do anything for which the buoyancy of water is less suited than the stability of air, are dry."

Noah frowns.

"How far beneath the surface do you live?"

"Several hundred meters at most. Far enough down to be invisible from above, but not so far as to be beyond the reach of light."

"And you have dry habitations down there," he states.

Skylar nods and gestures at himself.

"This form is as natural as my other and even in the sea, the Mer-people spend about equal time in each. Legs serve us well in dry places, while our aquatic form is for travel, for dancing and for battle. All our athletic pursuits require fins."

"But how does it work?" Noah asks, his indomitable curiosity summoning another smile to my lips.

"From the sounds of it, your city is ancient and unless the merfolk had advanced technologies, I don't understand how you could have chambers of air so far below the surface."

Smiling, Skylar shrugs.

"As your brother is not a geneticist, so I am not an engineer. How do a Wolf's cells rearrange themselves when you Shift? What chemical signals trigger your transformation? What secrets lie in your DNA that let your bodies contain two forms at once?"

He shakes his head.

"You are right: Thassos is ancient and most of the structures were built in the distant past, when Athens was the nearest great city on land. Much of it is indeed submerged in water, our gardens, parks, theaters, places of worship and other localities that might draw a large crowd. But the rest, the palace and many smaller dwellings, are dry inside. I don't know how, the best I can say is 'magic.'"

Noah blinks at Skylar.

"Fair enough, I guess."

Martin laughs.

The sound is unexpectedly beautiful and as Skylar turns to look at him, he feels his heart lift.

That Martin can smile and laugh after everything that has happened over the course of the last day and a half is a small bit of magic in itself.

"Noah's always been the skeptical one," Martin says, grinning at his brother. "He's a werewolf who works in a bookshop owned by a Nagi and he's mated to a dragon but it's the physics that has him stumped."

"You really read it?" Martin asks, his expression betraying his surprise.

Noah scoffs.

"Of course. I've read all your books."

Martin clears his throat and looks away.

"I didn't know that."

Noah's smile fades and his tone softens.

"I probably should have told you," he says. "It just seemed like..." he trails off and sighs, rubbing his brow. "I don't know what it seemed like. Shit, Martin. More than Pack, we're brothers. You think you have something to be guilty for?" he adds, shaking his head.

"Forget it. Yeah, you fucked up big time but only after ten years of nobody noticing anything was wrong. You seemed fine and we were all too absorbed in our own problems to imagine you might have your own. We're all to blame. And yeah, I've read your books. I buy them as soon as they come out. They're really good."

Martin presses his knuckles to his eyes and takes a deep breath, which he releases in a laugh.

"Thank you," he says. "That actually... That means a lot. Especially since I may have written my last one."

"What do you mean?" Skylar asks, frowning at his Mate.

Martin sighs.

"The publisher wants more but with everything going on now and the timeline they gave me... I don't know if I can manage it."

"You can write at your own pace, surely," Skylar says. "You needn't rush."

Martin gives his lover a look.

"I do, if I want to afford things like a house and food," he says.

"Ah... another oversight on my part," Skylar says. "Martin, do you imagine street artists and part-time art teachers make a lot of money? Or that this amulet is the only jewel a prince would own? That sea chest in my room is full of treasure."

Martin gapes at him.

"But you live in a van."

Skylar shrugs.

"I'm a simple man and my needs are few. I only sell off a pearl or trinket now and then to get by. But in truth, you never need work again, if you don't wish to."

Martin stares at him without blinking for a moment, then shakes his head.

"The rug's been pulled from under me so many times recently, I'm just gonna stay seated."

Looping his arm around his Mate’s shoulders, Skylar pulls Martin against him and kiss the side of his head.

"If the rug you've been standing on is a magic carpet, it might still take you for a ride."

Martin leans into Skylar.

"I actually wouldn't mind seeing Thassos, someday. It sounds... beautiful."

"It is. And if I could take you there now, I would, as the answers to our predicament are likeliest found at the source. Sadly, the amulet itself prevents it."

Ambrose leans forward, rubbing his jaw.

"If you could bring Martin to Thassos, how would you do it? Wolves don't breathe water, as far as I'm aware."

"I would enchant him with my voice," Skyylar says. "Put him in a kind of... suspended animation for the journey. Then, once in Thassos, he could receive the blessing of the sea, if he chose. Although I'm honestly not sure how it would work, for a Wolf."

Ambrose frowns.

"Do you happen to have ponds or pools in your 'dry areas,' such that might serve as reflective surfaces?"

"In the temples, yes," the merman says. "Why?"

Ambrose and Noah share a glance.

"I may have an idea. Nagas are freshwater creatures, as far as I'm aware but I recall Shanti saying once that 'all water is one water' to them. It could be worth a try."

Noah sighs.

"She also said Nagas don't get involved in the affairs of others, generally speaking. But I guess it won't hurt to ask. I'll let her know we want to talk to her."

"In the meantime," Ambrose says, "I propose we go shop for some books."

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