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Back at it again. This took a few days BCS I've been super depressed. So warnings, this is mature content, the intent was the devil's tango. But I cannot have a good day, so I threw gender dysphoria into the play too. BCS I actively hate my characters. If u do not want to read about gender dysphoria, skip this one, no hard feelings.

(second disclaimer: Al is not transphobic. MC just starts to spiral into gender dysphoria.)

Characters from @drinkyourvillainjuice absolutely love the story and the two who work on it.

Al x ftm MC

Hunger. It's a burning feeling in your stomach, it rises up like bile and all you can do to swallow it down is feel his hot pulse against your lips. It's a desire that overcomes you, squeezing his hands and pushing him against the bed. Food has never satiated you, maybe this will.

Maybe his whimpers will fill you, the way he squirms underneath you, searching for something to hold on, to keep his cool, but no release will find him until your starving self has been released.

But a whimpering "Wait!" Freezes you up regardless. You stare at the blanket underneath, pull away just enough to release his skin from your lips. Your eyes fly over it, have you broken skin? Ripped a chunk out to help with the hunger? No, his skin is as perfect as before.

"Ben, I've never-" Al stops himself and you lean back further. Curious eyes trying to catch his glance, he's blushing, avoiding your sight. "I've never done that with another man." He quietly admits.

Your laugh rumbles from deep within. Is he terrified of you? Of the idea what you could be? You believe your laugh was rather affectionate, Al doesn't seem to agree. "Al, I'm trans." You tell him.

He turns his gaze to you, looks over your body for a few moments, eyes wide, as if he had found out a secret he was not supposed to. "Oh- I didn't know- I thought you were a-" You press your hand on his mouth.

"I am." A real man. You've been one for long enough. You don't know when you became one, when you realized you were, or when all your friends switched to your name. "I am." You repeat. Al nods and you pull your hand away, "Don't say that to any other trans person." You caution him. Your stomach growls.

"I'm sorry, I don't really know, what..." He looks you up and down, "What language to use?"

You sigh and sit back. Carefully you reach for his hand, and when he allows you to guide it, you do. He watches his hand as you bring it to your belt, "Fuck around and find out." Al nods, he places one hand steady on your hips, while the other opens your belt.

You struggle to focus. You can't, not like this. The way his hand became so sure, his tremor gone, his previous experiences suddenly relevant. He's holding you, not like prey fighting back, not with trust in you but in himself.

You grasp his wrist, stopping him from holding you like that. Your eyes sting. You've tried so hard, for so long, he believed it too. But now he knows you were playing just a game, that he has nothing to fear, that you're not what you said you were, but just another one.

"Stop holding me." You say, your voice wavers, where is the hunger? The desire? Has it really hidden once he found out? Once he showed you that you are not? "You're holding me like I'm a woman."

It's an accusation. You know, Al doesn't know better, he doesn't know what he's doing wrong, but your entire body trembles regardless. You can't bear his face, painful- pitiful. To have ever promised something you were never meant to have. Painfully obvious.

"I'm not." Your voice raises as your grip tightens around his wrist, "I'm not a woman. Stop acting like I am."

"Ben..." His voice softly starts. It feels wrong in his mouth now. He doesn't want to use that name for you anymore. He might as well just use any other name.

You pull away. His skin burns you. His body threatens you. His voice tortured you. His face pities you. You stumble off the bed and hide.

#drink your villain juice #mature #nsft #tw gender dysphoria #gender dysphoria #read with caution #mature content

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What's New In IF? Issue 2 (2024)

By Erika, Marjorie, Axel, Zach and Noi

Now Available!

Itch.io - Google Drive - Keep Reading below

EDITORIAL

We didn't grasp what it would mean to do this project…

We are so grateful about the love we received from the community since the release of the first issue of What's New in IF?

We didn't think it would reach so many people so quickly, and so positively. We're really floored by the lovely comments we received in the reblogged tags and replies and dms. It really means so much to us!

Though it is quite a bit of work, to track so many places and select the coolest stuff (especially from itch…), and we really didn't realise until now what we brought ourselves into…

But it is all worth it.

And we hope we can meet your expectations every week!

Thank you for everything!

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXEL, ZACH, AND NOI

ADDENDUM

The game mentioned as The Dice in the zine is actually called The Dice Test. Apologies to @stanwixbuster .

We misnamed the project Bladeweaver (as Dawn of Heroes), and the update only included new scenes, not the full Ch2. Apologies to @bladeweaver-if.

REWIND

BECAUSE WE MISSED SOME THINGS LAST WEEK

Femboy Dating Simulator received an update with new routes. (@kathrinesadventures)

anhedonia and SUDDEN DEATH by DOMINOCLUB were released.

EVENTS

Spotlight on: The Spring Thing

Currently in its Voting Period, the Spring Thing is a yearly Interactive Fiction festival, meant as an informal counterpart of the big IFComp in the autumn. It has been held every year since 2002.

“The Spring Thing especially welcomes diverse voices and populations traditionally under-voices and populations traditionally under-represented in gaming, including women, people of color, queer and LGBT+ folks, and blind, neuro-diverse, or disabled creators. People from all walks of life should feel encouraged to participate as players, authors, or reviewers.”

The event is sectioned into three categories: the Main Garden, for games eligible for prizes, the Back Garden, for unfinished projects or experiments, and New Game+, for remastered and updated games.

Aside from the winning “Best in Show” ribbon (and prizes), each entry can receive “Audience Awards”, customised ribbons submitted by voters.

You can play the 33 entries over on the Spring Thing website! And if you liked one very much, consider voting for it before May 11th!

According to the organiser, the votes are really split, so EVERY VOTE COUNTS!!

CONFERENCE

You can now register for the Narrascope! It is happening June 21-23, in hybrid. They've also released the schedule of talks!

ONGOING (VOTING)

Do you speak German? The annual Grand Prix has released its submissions and is looking for voters! Deadline is May 1st!

[And the Spring Thing too!]

ONGOING (SUBMITTING)

The Dialogue Jam by the @neointeractives group is open for submission until Tuesday 30th! Only Dialogue is allowed!

On Tuesday 30th, the window to submit for the Text Adventure Literacy Jam 2024 will end. The goal is to make a parser for beginner players.

Also ending at the end of the month is the Amare Games Festival 2024, which is all about love!

On the Choice of Game Forum, the Diversity Jam is running. They accept any CScript game… as long at is not in ENGLISH!

THE BITSY JAM IS BACK!!! NO DIALOGUE - 8 DAYS (sorry, we almost missed it, we're really excited for it, but space was limited)

OTHER

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is still running, with new submissions, since last week! It is happening on itch!

GAMES

NEW RELEASE

We're Women, After All (RenP’y) is a new short entry to the Art Without Blood's universe. (@catskets)

Loser (HTML) is a new short game by the DOMINO CLUB collective.

Leechcraft (Twine) is a dark-fantasy medieval game where you play a vampire healer. (@addersmire)

Mysteries of the Star Odyssey (Twine) is a sci-fi first project looking for feedback.

A Tavern at Night (RenP’y) is a cosy fantasy D&D- inspired visual novel involving campfires and tarot cards. (@qkayoostudio)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse — The Book of Hungry Names (COG) is out!

NEW RELEASE (WIP)

Geo-Terra (Twine) is a fantasy project where you will be able to play multiple races.

The Heir of Alvion Kingdom (Twine) is a fantasy game where you suddenly become the sole heir of a kingdom. Website:

Mending Yesterday (Twine) is a dark slice-of-life project with maybe a hint of horror. (@moonlightpeddler) Website:

GAMES UPDATES

Obsolete Stars (CScript) completed its 8th chapter, now available in the demo. (@obsolete-stars-if)

Alpha, Beta, Omega (Twine) has included new scenes in the demo. (@dam-peace)

An Unexpected Green Journey (CScript) is going through final general updates before submission! (@krogpile)

The Bar on the Abyss (Cscript) released Chapter 4 (@thebarontheabyss)

Daria: A Kingdom Simulator (CScript) is looking for beta readers for the last update.

Ripples of blood (CScript) now has a new route.

FFS, Another Northern Duke (RenP’Y) has released its final demo before commercial release.

Thicker Than (CScript) has made the last update public (@barbwritesstuff)

BREACH: Chicago War Zone (CScript) is now over 1 million words! (@breachverse)

Those Long Dead (Twine) has released the Twine port of the demo. (@aevumgames)

Midnight Market - Book 2 (Twine) has made Chapter 4 public (@night-market-if)

To be human (Twine) has released its demo! (@kinglyoverlord)

BLESS (B+F+S) (Twine) has released Chapter 7. (@mahadeoh-blog)

The Ink Stained Chessboard Test (Twine) has been moved to Twine. (@inkstainedchessboard-if)

“The In-Between” (CScript) has released a SFW version of the game.

The Ultimate Magic Student (CScript) now includes 31k more words.

We apologize if we missed an update or a release. We are but volunteers trying to find as much info as possible, but sometimes news pass through the cracks.

Please, let us know if something should have been added to the zine, and we will shout it out next week!

HIGHLIGHT ON...

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Birdland by Brendan Patrick Hennessy (Twine) @brendanpatrickhennessy

The XYZZY Award-winning interactive game about summer camp mystery, surrealism, and finding who you are. An amazing lesbian YA dramatic teenage romance. recommended by [anonymous]

31st March, midnight by Prof. Lily (RenP’y)

An a phenomenal short visual novel about the game dev experience in an up-and-coming studio and the perception of Visual Novels in the gaming industry. recommended by Kastel

Ryan Veeder's Authentic Fly Fishing by Ryan Veeder (Inform)

“I can't believe I only found this game like… 3 days ago. I just freaking love fishes and this was the most frustrating ever because you can't only fish in there. But gosh darn isn't it amazing. Like I didn't expect to get tangled in all of this…”

submitted by Eli

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserve some highlighting? Tell us about it! A old or recent game that wowed you so much you want to spam it to everyone? Tell us about it!

We'll add it to the page!

FINAL WORD

Before we end this issue, we would like to thank:

[anonymous], @elegantunknownphantom, Eli, [anonymous], Jill, Kastel, [anonymous], and (again xD) [anonymous].

Your messages left on our itch page, our Tumblr ask and submission inbox, our email (! even), and the Google Form, have been so so useful in making this issue (seriously, we wouldn't have found at least 10 games without your tips).

And we'd like to thank all of you, who liked and especially shared the issue with so many people! Thanks to you, we were able to reach new readers (who got to find new games!) and new authors (who we didn't know about before!).

Sharing is truly caring!!

See you again next week!

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXEL, ZACH, AND NOI

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 1

#if news #if whats new

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How to Grow Up

A guide on how to grow up. It was originally posted by @/friendliness but half the links were broken. So I took what links weren't broken and added other links and more things to know.

This is USA based resources

Personal

Reasons to Stay Alive – A Tumblr post of 116 reasons to stay alive by @/friendliness.

How to Get Better At Asking for Help – Website is Harvard Business Review. The article is “5 Ways to Get Better At Asking for Help” by Wayne Baker.

What to do if you Can’t Afford Therapy – Website is Psych Central and the article is by Steven Rowe.

How to Quit Smoking – “The 22 Best Ways to Quit Smoking” by Debra L. Gordon and David L. Katz M.D. from the Healthy Digest.

How to Legally Change your Name – Website is Forbes.

Wanna Learn Something New? – A Tumblr post made by @/hamletthedane with various new things to try from language learning to ballet.

Free Harvard Courses – Harvard University’s free online courses.

Getting a New Computer? – A quick and dirty comprehensive guide by WIRED on what to look for.

How to Sew – Website is Autodesk Indestructibles. The article is “How to Sew” by Jessyratfink. Having a small sewing kit (that you can pick up from nearly any craft store) is super handy and has saved my life and clothes.

What to Look For in Clothes – A YouTube video by Alyssa Beltempo titled “How to Identify High Quality vs. Poor Quality Clothing | Slow Fashion”. Here’s a WikiHow [x] if a YouTube video isn’t your style.

Home

What’s a mortgage? – Website is realtor.com and the page is called “What is a Mortgage? Home Loan Basics Explained” by Cathie Ericson.

First Apartment Checklist – A checklist PDF. Here’s another link to a Tumblr checklist [x] 

What to Ask Landlords Before Renting? – “25 Questions To Ask a Landlord When Renting a Home” by Morgen Henderson.

What’s Renter’s Insurance? – Website is Forbes Advisor. The article is by Jason Metz and titled “How to Get Renters Insurance”.

Plant Care – A master list of how to care for plants made by @/difficults

Job

Time Management – Website is Entrepenuer and has 10 time management tips. One I personally recommend is keeping a physical calendar book on hand. I keep mine in my bag with a designated pen.

Finding the right job – Website is The Muse and it has 13 free career assessment tests.

Make a resume – Website is Resume Now. Many hirers look at your name, the middle of the page (where your experience list is) and skim the rest.

Job Interview Tips – Website is Linkedin. The article is titled “10 Job Interview Tips to Land The Career of Your Dreams” by Caren Merrick.

How to Write a Cover Letter – Website is The Writing Center. University of Winsconsin, Madison. It’s titled “Writing Cover Letters” and I can’t find the author.

Money

Couponing! – Website is Coupon Database :: Southern Savers. It has a list of mobile apps for coupons to places.

Call 211 for Help – the website leads to 211.org. It's anonymous and can help you get connected to food programs, paying bills and things like doctor appointments. Here’s a Tumblr post about it [x] by @/poessionisamyth

Groceries! – This is a Tumblr meme post, but scrolling through tags/reblogs/replies and there’s plenty of good tips. The post is by @/charlotten

What To Do if You Can’t Pay Your Bills – Website is Nolo. The article is “When You Can’t Pay Your Bills: Thiings To Know” that was updated by Amy Loftsgordon. 

Are You Paying Too Much for Your Phone Bill? – An article by Beht Beverman titled “How Much is Too Much to Pay for a Cell Phone Bill?”.

54 Ways to Save Money – Website is America Saves.

How to Do Taxes – Website is Wiki-How.

The 70/20/10 Method – Website is Business Insider. The Article is “A Beginners Guide to the 70-20–10 Budgeting Method” by Paul Kim.

Side Hustle Ideas – Website is Forbes. “30 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Extra Money In 2024” by Krista Fabregas.

Emergency

Your Rights When a Cop Pulls you Over – Website is Business Insider. Cops are allowed to lie to you, and they will, so be careful.

Hotline List – The website is DoSomething.org. Depression/Suicide, domestic abuse, child abuse and runaway/homeless/and at-risk youth hotlines.

What to Keep in Your Car – Website is MentalFloss. I live in a snowy area that gets blizzards and bad ice. I keep blankets, water and other aids in my car as well as a knife and road flare. I also own a self jumping car battery and it has saved my ass more than once. Heimlich Maneuver – A one minute video by the Mayo Clinic.

The Heimlich Maneuver on Yourself – A one minute video by The List Show TV.

What to Keep in Your Wallet – Website is PureWow. The article is by Rachel Bowie. Keep your drivers license, medical insurance card, and an emergency contact in your card. If you have a pet home alone make sure that you have a card detailing this. Free printable one here [x]

Traveling

Packing List – Website is Smarter Travel.

Traveling with Little to No Money – Website is Nomadic Matt.

How to Pack a Suitcase – Website is Real Simple. The article is by Thersa O’Rourke.

How to Apply for a Passport – Website is WikkiHow.

Making a Travel Budget – Website is Travel Made Simple. “How to Make a Travel Budget” by Ali Garland

#resources #usa based

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The devastating difference between how much time it takes to write something vs how fast people read it lol

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diversity loss this trans man is just as much of an emotionally unavailable avoidantly attached brick as any cis guy

#yes #this is me

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The first funny bitch was Cain, who straight up lied to God after killing his brother.

#certified religious posts #like we love this energy #if yall dont play the cain option like this

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So how would our Ro's deal with the classic there was only one bed scenario? (Dating)

Oh u r in for a ride.

TK will not share a bed. They will absolutely sleep on the ground. Maybe a couch. But they must keep an eye on ur safety.

Sammy is in the bed cuddling you regardless of the beds. u got two beds? wrong, youll share one.

Alia is down to cuddle and sleep together for sure. she will be the big or little spoon.

Sascha will kick u to the ground the second you try to sleep in the same bed, saying youll ruin his beauty sleep (which he doesnt need, hes already beautiful), but u cannot disturb him.

Kate is down, she sleeps so heavy. she might actually lay on top of you, or pull u on top of herself.

Mikhail... who says that you two will get any sleep? wink wonk

Gigi feels really bad for having to share a bed, since she runs cold and she thinks youll wake up from it. and she technically doesnt need sleep, so she can stay awake.

#ask #tk #sammy #alia #sascha #kate #mikhail #gigi #obsolete stars #obsolete stars if

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Hellooooooo! Worry not pookie, for I am heeereee with interaction and stuff. Literally just started the demo but I have no patience or self control, so I need to tell you that I loved the whole start and character creation part, very funny words. Also spent a good amount of time just reading thru the stats and settings (which were just as funny as the start, truly hilarious af) and bro...idk what "the dogs" are but I turned them on. I probably wasn't supposed to yet but that will not stop me 🤷🏾‍♀️ I'm hoping for either death by hellhounds or maybe being overrun by a horde of puppies but I'm also open to everything else. Okay, I'll keep reading now! Thank u for your hard work 💞🤧✊🏾

oh yeah, the dogs appear starting from chapter 5? 6? uhm,,, they do be there. on standard/skipping routes i have turned them off so like,,, u r in a ride.

thanks so much for the interaction, i eat them up absolutely delicious.

#asks #dogs

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yall stop being afraid of sending me asks, or submit stuff, or @ me, or anything, really anything. yall can interact with me. please. it brings me so much joy being interacted with.

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Content Update

20th April 2024

You haven’t forgotten about me, have you? Well… I’ve done did it. Are you excited? I actually really am for this update. It took so long and I really wanted the chapter to drop as a whole and not break it up, because… well I feel like it would’ve been rude to leave yall on like any cliffhanger this chapter.

So what can you do?

meet a woman. absolutely crazy.

learn about unforeseen possibilities

choose a weapon

use a weapon

if u try really hard, u can die

talk about feelings

and wtf are we gonna do now???

Battleplan for the next chapter:

I will probably do the set up this month, that can be it’s own update, since there will be stuff happening

I think it could be done within a month, no problem

and the second half of the chapter will take time

the main paths of the next chapter could be their own chapters, so depending on how expansive I make them, could be another month or two.

I’m honestly extremely excited for the next chapter

and terrified.

Feel free to check out my tumblr for more personal ramblings and spoilerish snippets I occasionally drop. Or join our discord, we’re not many people, but I would love to be more people and talk about the game a whole bunch more.

As always, thank you for being here, and have a good time.

Stas for nerds under the cut

Total added words: 19637 Total added read time: 1 hour 15min Average words per play: ~ 10k Average read time per play: ~ 40 min

#reblog for the morning crew

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Content Update

20th April 2024

You haven’t forgotten about me, have you? Well… I’ve done did it. Are you excited? I actually really am for this update. It took so long and I really wanted the chapter to drop as a whole and not break it up, because… well I feel like it would’ve been rude to leave yall on like any cliffhanger this chapter.

So what can you do?

meet a woman. absolutely crazy.

learn about unforeseen possibilities

choose a weapon

use a weapon

if u try really hard, u can die

talk about feelings

and wtf are we gonna do now???

Battleplan for the next chapter:

I will probably do the set up this month, that can be it’s own update, since there will be stuff happening

I think it could be done within a month, no problem

and the second half of the chapter will take time

the main paths of the next chapter could be their own chapters, so depending on how expansive I make them, could be another month or two.

I’m honestly extremely excited for the next chapter

and terrified.

Feel free to check out my tumblr for more personal ramblings and spoilerish snippets I occasionally drop. Or join our discord, we’re not many people, but I would love to be more people and talk about the game a whole bunch more.

As always, thank you for being here, and have a good time.

Stas for nerds under the cut

Total added words: 19637 Total added read time: 1 hour 15min Average words per play: ~ 10k Average read time per play: ~ 40 min

#obsolete stars if #obsolete stars #if game #choice #choice game #if #content update #update

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I couldn't sleep soooo... More @drinkyourvillainjuice ff. The pairing, as always is simple

M!Wil x Tmasc MC

This one I call "going monkey mode". I would also like to know how everyone else reacts to monkey mode.

You're not sure when you let your guard down enough to do this. But your eyes fly over Wil's face and before you can consider otherwise, you're extending your hand to his, "May I?" Your voice quiet to match the atmosphere.

He gives you a look up and down, but gives you his hand anyway, waiting for whatever you have in store. And today's sale is nothing else but the most instinctual care someone can give and receive.

You take his hand into yours, gently go over the back of his hand, to his fingers and eventually his fingernails. You bring it up closer, feel over the nail bed underneath the chipped nail polish. His cuticles pushed back and cut, well taken care of. You then turn his hand, brushing over and checking each fold. Before you let your thumb glide towards Wil's wrist, feeling and listening to his heartbeat.

Warm and steady. Alive.

Eyes flying over his arms, stopping every now and then to feel over patches of skin, further up until you reach his neck. You reach for his chin, stopping just before, waiting for his approval. When Wil nods, you gently move him by the chin to look away from you. You turn to inspect his neck, his ears, the beginning of his hairline.

"You know..." You whisper, "Many consider a species to be civilized if they take care of their elderly and disabled." Your hands brush over his hair, you're looking for split ends. "Primates do this all the time. This is similar to what their grooming process looks like- It's a medical check up."

You brush over a small mole, not raised, small, symmetrical, and solid color. "And we do this all the time, verbally checking up on friends, parents looking after their children, and coddling when sick." His skin is smooth, no bumps or lumps to look at for more than a moment before moving on.

"It's why the touch of others feels so comforting at times." Your fingers find his lips, "It's a primal desire to be seen and taken care of." He uses chapstick, you note to yourself. "We haven't evolved past that point yet, and I don't think we ever should."

You finish your nonprofessional check up with a last look over his face. He blinks a few times, taking in what you said. Wil whispers back, "So you just went monkey on me?"

You groan and lean back, but you can't hide a small laugh. "Yes, I went monkey on you." Wil's eyes light up with amusement, "So what's your diagnosis, doctor?"

You close your eyes and hum audibly. "That depends on how you feel." You answer. "I could give you another check up if you want more personal attention."

"How could I ever say no to monkey mode?" Wil chuckles.

You nod, all wisely, before reaching out for his hand, "Then I must continue, as you, my patient, are very clearly not satisfied with my services yet."

#drink your villain juice #wil #i love wil so much #i could go monkey on all my friends constantly

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Also btw, we r reasonably close to getting the update done. I only need 8 scenes. 5 of them are gonna be pretty short, but I haven't thought about them yet so I keep putting them off. Another one I have already planned, but it's long and I'm a bit lazy. One is gonna be very emotionally draining, since it involves TK and emotions, and like them, I keep avoiding thinking about it for too long. And the last one I'm considering if I'll even keep it, BCS I honestly just wanted another option and don't know if I can make it actually interesting to read.

It's actually pretty damn close. Then only error hunting and like, grammar/spelling mistakes getting taken care of.

I'm not gonna make promises, but it should be this month absolutely.

#mini update #obsolete stars if #obsolete stars

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Y'all are lucky, my friend convinced me to allow MC to spread rumors about Mikhail being pregnant.

This update will be so funny.

#spoiler ish #having fun

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*achieve death

hihihi

#spoiler #writing

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being a writer is just thinking that anything and everything is great writing material. people watching while you wait for your bus? writing material. experiencing something that's gonna scar you for life? writing material. getting chased by chickens and running for your life? writing material.

#as someone who struggles to sleep #and has constant nightmares #they'll all get repurposed into my writing