#like i'm making the pour-over | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vermillioncrown · 2 years

Text

it's ib-brain since i spent the am of last night collecting all the paintings on steam

but i keep thinking of a ib-au of wangxian

(i had a post-canon "together forever"/"forgotten portrait" fic musings from '13, but that's... another story lol)

wwx is pretty good at 'art', right? and i say 'art' because we don't get too much in canon besides his teaser sketch of lwj, the fact he was raised like a prodigious young master that should have mastered the 6 skills and 4 arts

people made up all sorts of things about wwx as the yiling laozu, yeah?

modern-ish au, college student lwj needs to attend an art gallery for an assignment. the pieces on display are all by the enigmatic yiling laozu. he's not really into the art; in fact, a lot of the pieces are off-putting to look at

ends up trapped in the gallery, the ib routine, blah blah

periodically encounters two other patrons that have been trapped as well - the obnoxious wwx, who helps him pass through obstacles with ingenuity but infuriates him in turn before lwj stalks away; the shy mo xuanyu, who flees from lwj, but whenever they need to work together he provides new insights into the pieces that they see and their environs in the cursed gallery they're in.

"oh? we're in orchestra together! granted, i'm in the winds section..."

"... i'm in the same art history course...?"

lwj - he can't recall either of them. not that it's very alarming, since he usually doesn't bother with the other sections of the orchestra (that's his brother's problem) and he actively ignores the overwhelming student body in lecture halls

"so, which one is it really?"

#redglyphs #it could be bad end horror type deal #wwx is actually the painting (yllz's only self portrait) that uses mxy to escape and inserts himself into lwj's life #or red herring wwx that's actually the real person #or extra-bad ending where lwj gives himself up #or they all stay #unlike the game since lwj is not a 9yo #the three of them don't travel together for the most part #god i am so fucking baked from bad sleep schedule #just some thoughts while I'm waiting for my pour-over #like i'm making the pour-over #upgrading my coffee game and also adding deliberateness to drinking it #so i can be more contentious about my intake #conscientious* geez my swipe type is wild #legit get withdrawals now. the addiction is real #if there are fans of ib that didn't know: there is a steam port out now - up to the 1.04 vers #puzzles have been changed and streamlined+updated sprites+music #TALK TO GARRY FEATURE MY LOVE (you can get hints and convo in all locations w your companions)#for those that don't know: ib is a jpnese psychological horror-thriller game #pixel/sprite-based + point-click-style puzzle solving gameplay #the puzzles aren't too difficult and the ambiance established by some fucking pixels is just phenomenal #comes from the mid 2010's time where freeware rpgmaker games were all the rage #ib my beloved #second beloved is off

18 notes · View notes

fandomunsexyman · 5 months

Text

SVSSS is a novel with a fandom.

[ID: A Scum Villain edit of the "missing the point" meme. A bullet arcs from velinxi art of child Shen Jiu kneeling while furiously glaring. The bullet says, "People are not entirely one thing or the other and holding them to these extremes ignores the complexities that come with their humanity." It arcs over the head of a person across from it, who ignores the bullet and exclaims: "Wow!! Shen Jiu's only crime was being mean and was wrongly hated!" End ID]

#i have so many thoughts about him but he is SO mischaracterized in a lot of fics #like just 'he would not fucking say that' on repeat #because shen jiu's entire thing is that he was CANONICALLY a terrible person #yes his backstory was sad but that doesn't make him Suddenly Good #shen qingqiu is an incredibly complex character but can y'all not pretend that his only flaw is being mean #like shen jiu failed original luo binghe in every way #as his caretaker as an adult in his life on EVERY level #'the tea had healing medicine in it!!' no it did not #shen jiu poured boiling hot tea on a child as a grown man because he was jealous. of said child.#like the entire POINT of his secret backstory was to showcase his complexity!!#and to see so much fandom stuff that's just Shen Yuan in the Opposite Direction is Hm #like he's fun to analyze but let's not pretend that he wasn't a terrible fucking person #while I'm ranting shen jiu would not casually talk about his trauma either #shen jiu's entire thing WAS appearances and even post character arc i think he'd struggle to open up to others #so like NOOOO he would not just tell someone something terrible that happened to him in his past #he'd rather die #okay rant over but this phenomenon is just SO frustrating to me #svsss #shen jiu #scum villian's self saving system #original shen qingqiu

353 notes · View notes

genericpuff · 2 months

Text

vent post

#and before anyone who hates my shit says “yeah because you ARE a loser way to have self awareness for once”#i promise you this would be me with or without the LO fandom LMAO #anxiety is a hell of a thing #and as much as i internally guilt myself into thinking it would be better if i just shut up and hid away forever #i also know that's the trauma speaking because the adults around me always told me to shut up #and even as an adult i still encounter people who talk over me and make me feel like i'm not allowed to be outspoken #but the pen is mightier than the sword and all those years i've spent being spoken over i've been honing my penmanship #i have fun talking about the things i talk about and i don't have any less right than anyone else to do it #i am cringe and i am free #self post #vent post #altho on another note i do wanna make time this week to go find new series to read #too many of my favorites have turned to shit and it's taken its toll #i KNOW there are better comics out there that are genuinely well made #i already have a few that i'm reading that i love but i need to balance out the good with the bad more lol #i just need to take the time to go find good stuff instead of pouring so much of my attention into the bullshit that doesn't deserve my tim #i think both things can be true #i can have a lot of fun dissecting and writing about series i don't like #while also nourishing myself with good works that restore my faith in this medium #“perfectly balanced as all things should be”

272 notes · View notes

acommonanomaly · 1 year

Photo

Maglor and Maedhros, because time has not diminished my love of these two tragic boys. <3

301 notes · View notes

moonchild-in-blue · 1 month

Text

the day i learn how to play this it'll be over for you bitches (affectionate)

#he's been one of my favourite contemporary composers for well over a decade #and i just want to say that right now i am cosy in bed with my cat hooded blankie and a book #and his concert is playing softly on speakers #and it's pouring rn (i have laundry out but my nose is all snotty and disgusting so rip. tomorrow i'll take care of it #and i'm having a bit of a transcendent moment. might make myself some tea actually #anyways. the violinist that accompanies him is Federico Mecozzi and he's amazing and i wanna be like him when i grow up #ludovico einaudi #darya's mixtape #Spotify

9 notes · View notes

aurosoulart · 1 year

Video

decided to make a reel of my augmented reality artworks done over the past few months and MAN, it’s.......... suddenly hitting me just how absolutely nuts all of this is

six years ago, virtual reality was still firmly in the realm of science fiction. but now? not only is it real - but it’s possible to have a career working completely inside a virtual world where you have godlike controls over creation. (editing physics, light, gravity - and spawning things into existence on a whim? mind-mindbogglingly, this is somehow just my average workday)

I regularly spend so much time in-headset that it’s started re-wiring my brain; I think of landscapes and buildings as potential canvases for 3D digital artworks, and I sometimes struggle to differentiate virtual objects from reality. (I’ve tried to place real objects on virtual tables, and I instinctively step over/around virtual objects because of how REAL they appear and behave.)

our brains work by building a picture of reality via our sensory input, but what happens when that input is completely virtual? virtual reality is showing us that not only are our brains easily tricked, but that this is already happening even with the technology in its infancy. people using avatars with full-body tracking report ‘phantom sense’ sensations to virtual touch, heat, and cold - and haptic gloves & suits are in development that blur the lines between realities even further.

what will a world look like where we interact with cyperspace as if it was real? where you can meet with anyone, anywhere, in a virtual world you can both touch, hear, and (probably someday) smell or even taste? where job training, 3d design, therapy, education, etc. are all revolutionized by XR in the same way personal computers revolutionized them already?

what does a future look like where we don’t interact with digital media through a screen?

I don’t have the answers, but I think change is encroaching rapidly upon us all - and I think it’s gonna hit us faster than any of us can realize.

#auropost #virtual reality #metaverse #augmented reality #i usually don't share my futurist ramblings here #because for a long time i thought the whole metaverse things was a fad #and i was just getting lucky with work via random companies trying to cash in on this fad #but............ i don't think it's just luck anymore #i am lucky to be an early adopter of xr #but everything else just feels like a pandoras box situation with no going back #because i've seen too much and know just how many powerful entities are pouring effort into creating this #every time i think about it too hard i'm just like holy SHIT how did i get here #my life has been turned completely upside down over the past year just because of megacorporations battling for control over the metaverse #and the pool of skilled creators in this field is so small that they're coming to ME!!!!!! of ALL PEOPLE!!!!#a random trans artist with no formal training and one million imposter syndrome #and i don't know what the moral of this story is yet #but i'm hoping it's something along the lines of 'if i can make it anyone can'#anyways that's my rant about feeling awe and wonder at technological progress and the novelty that awaits us #hold on to your hats because it's about to be one hell of a ride

75 notes · View notes

unloneliest · 5 months

Text

okay also fuck ex friend for REAL for real for misgendering me on purpose in the twitter rants about how much i suck. even though he's also not cis

#i don't dwell on this often but i looked back at my screenshots at the start of this month to remind myself i'm not imagining how bad it was #and realized it was actually worse than i remembered it. the level of treatment i experienced was worse than i remembered and i'm not #exaggerating and it makes sense that i'm still processing. start of the month was 3 yr anniversary of knowing how bad it was. ANYWAYS #jam posts #vampire pit #the only other option besides 'got misgendered on purpose' is. that he was over a year behind on what pronouns i used #and he may honestly have been self absorbed enough for that to be what happened. which also fucking SUCKS considering how much i poured int #that relationship 💀#was one of my friendships i treated like a partnership without having the internal framework or label to apply to it that it was that. but.

7 notes · View notes

amethystpath-writes · 2 years

Text

Affogato

NOT A PR0MPT- happy ending, stay tuned for the end :)

Could you write about a villian with severe anger issues, but still somehow, they've managed to come to love hero, and so has hero. Now, as they live together, villian just one days, snaps at hero for small little things. And at night, hero just storms off. Villian at this point wants to hate the hero now, and when thru hear a knock, they almost bring in their knife, and when they open the door to hero, IT TURNS OUT THAT HERO JUST WENT TO BUY VILLIAN SOME ICE CREAM AND COFFEE. CUZ THEY REMEMBERED THAT VILLIAN LOVES THESE TWO TOGETHER, SO JUST TO BRIGHTEN THEIR MOOD, THAT'S WHY HERO STORMED OFF. Cue the villian breaking down into tears as they hold their selfless hero in their arms and cry and apologise and kiss the hero and the hero just absolutely not minding it at all, cuz they are understanding enough to know that villian is going through something that is making them act like that, and they don't really mean it.

Just anything like this :")

This request is long overdue. Thank you, and all nonnies, for your patience <3 May I bestow upon you a long snippet for a long request? It’s quite nice if I do say so myself.

******

“I don’t know, Hero. I don’t know. I don’t know!” Villain snapped. “God, you keep asking me questions. Why the hell would I know how aglets are put on shoelaces? Or- or what type of plastic is supposedly safe to eat from? Or when- exactly, as you asked- sugar turns into caramel in a skillet? I don’t know, Hero!”

Hero’s lips parted halfway through Villain’s outburst. Shock took up many of her emotions, but somehow hurt triumphed them all. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said, and her voice was hardly heard. “You’ve just been gone all day; I wanted to make conversation.”

Not seeming to understand just how much damage he was already doing, Villain continued. “Yeah, well, I’m tired. It was a long day and the last thing I want is someone asking a thousand questions a minute.” He repeated, “I’m tired. I just want to sit here- here, in my goddamn chair- and watch a show. Can I please, for the love of everything in this universe, just do that?”

He sounded like an old man with nothing better to do than to wrap his lips around a cigar, while watching Casablanca for the tenth time in a week, wearing a fedora that went out of fashion seventy years ago.

“Do you have a show in mind?” Hero tried.

“No.” Without another word, Villain closed his eyes, laid his head back, and slept in his chair as he wished.

When Villain awoke, his mind was still in a place of dread, and the feeling intensified as he watched Hero’s small figure dart about the house as she gathered her things.

“What are you doing?” he asked, voice darker than before. Neither he, nor Hero, could tell if it was sleepiness or irritability which made his voice so low and unwelcoming, though caring little about what her lover’s voice meant, Hero responded, “Leaving.”

Her purse was already tucked into the crook of her elbow, and she had her wallet. Now to find the keys.

“You’re leaving?” Incredulous. “What the hell are you leaving for?” By the time Villain asked it, Hero had found the keys- in plain sight, on the kitchen counter- and business-walked to the front door. “Don’t forget the rest of your things! You’re going to leave me with your clothes and jewelry and all your other shi-” The door slammed shut. Villain began talking to himself instead. “Why would I ever think that she’d stay here with me? Why would I ever think she was any different from anyone else I’ve ever known? The hell is wrong with me?”

In the next hour, Villain moped around his home, drinking glasses of water, eating the crumbs out of old chip bags in the cabinet, and watching tv. It wasn’t particularly horrible; Villain just felt…off. As angry as he sounded, he wasn’t. He wasn’t angry, wasn’t sad, wasn’t much of anything other than another human who was overwhelmed and burnt out. There was no emotion- only exhaustion.

The sky outside was darkening more and more. If Villain squinted in search, he’d find a few stars shining through hazy clouds. It made him wonder, now, if Hero was ever coming home, or if this was really the end to…to them. Had he really been so horrible that she’d leave with nothing else but her wallet and keys? Maybe so.

Then again, Hero was easily saddened. She’s overreacting, Villain thought, because facing the fact that he might be the one in the wrong was preposterous.

Villain shifted in his chair and uneasily pulled his phone out of his pants pocket. He dialed Hero’s mother.

“Villain?”

“Yeah, hey.” His voice was typically more enthusiastic. Not now. “Is Hero around?”

Hero’s mother hummed. “No. No, I haven’t heard from her since this morning. Is everything okay? Are you home?”

He took a breath and closed his eyes. Yes, he was home. No, everything was not okay. Maybe Villain should have called Hero first, but then he considered a scenario in which she wouldn’t pick up the phone, and that thought infuriated him. What if he was worried? It was getting dark, and she wasn’t home. If she didn’t pick up the phone, it’d make him worry even more, and how was that fair to him?

He didn’t give thought to her answering the phone.

“Villain? You there?”

“I’m here,” Villain assured. He inhaled once again, and as he breathed out, he said, “I fell asleep earlier, and her keys were gone when I woke up. I figured she might have headed out there, but she might have just gone to Friend’s.”

“Did Hero not pick up the phone when you called?”

“I didn’t call,” Villain admitted. Then, “I had a nightmare, and I guess my mind just went to the worst place. I’m sorry. I’m- uh- I’m going to call Hero. I’ll get back to you when I know she’s alright. I’m sure everything is okay.” It was too difficult to admit he got angry, and Hero left him because of it. “Anyway, I’m going to-”

Knock, knock, knock.

“I’ll get back with you later.” Villain hung up, then scurried to the kitchen where he had immediate access to steak knives.

Soon after, Villain recognized the sound of keys rattling in the lock. But who else had keys to the house except for himself and…“Hero?”

Her face emerged into their home as the door creaked open more. “Little help?” She yelped as a bag dropped to the wooden floor. “Shoot! Oh, I hope the eggs weren’t in that one. Could you- you’re holding a knife.”

“You went grocery shopping.”

“I did. And you’re holding a knife. Should I,” Hero ventured, “go back to grocery shopping?”

“No. No, I”- Villain put the knife down- “was just shocked. We argued and then I fell asleep and then I woke up and then-”

Hero extended her free hand out to Villain. Free, as in, it held only one item, and that item was for Villain. “It’s probably half-melted by now- sorry. It’s an af…afro…afrogato? No, that means cat, doesn’t it? No, that’s gato.”

“You got me an affogato?” Villain’s brows pinched and his lips jutted out. Someone who didn’t know Villain, they would interpret his expression as anger, but Hero knew better. He was only confused.

“I don’t know what you’re going through, but I can tell you’re struggling. I thought this might help brighten your night.” She smiled sweetly, then tilted the small paper cup towards Villain, reminding him that he might want to take and eat it, or else he won’t get the chance to enjoy it. “If you can help get the groceries in really quick, I can put them away so you can enjoy the ice cream.”

Speechless, Villain took bags off Hero’s arm and rushed them to the kitchen island. He stuck his affogato in the freezer, then rushed to his and Hero’s car in the driveway. “Sit down,” he called out behind him. Hero didn’t like the grocery store; it exhausted her.

After the groceries were brought in, and Villain, not Hero, tucked them all away in the fridge, freezer, and cabinets, Villain took his treat- one he didn’t feel he deserved- and sat beside Hero on the couch.

Hero curled in, toes tucked between the couch cushions, and her arm wrapped around Villain’s. “You keep shaking your head,” she said. “What’s wrong.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Villain replied, head still shaking with his lack of understanding.

She sat up, then, and looked into his eyes. “Everyone deserves love. All tonight means is that we have some things to work on. We,” she emphasized, “not just you. I shouldn’t have taken off the way I did. It wasn’t helpful to either of us.”

Maybe she was right. Still, Villain’s outburst…“You didn’t deserve that.” His eyes darted away for a moment but came back as quickly as they left. “I’m sorry, Hero.”

Nodding, Hero tucked back into her love. “I’m sorry, too. Now eat your afro-cat.”

#NOT A PR0MPT #Affogato #request fill #I got to make one of these once during my time as a barista. The guy who ordered it was quite confused by it but seemed to enjoy it anyway.#(psst...it's vanilla ice cream with hot espresso poured over it!)#Hope you don't mind the small adjustment Nonny! I had to flex my barista knowledge 💪☕#hero x villain #villain x hero #hero x villain snippet #hero x villain story #hero x villain drabble #heroes and villains #hero #villain #good hero #anger issmues >:(#The anger which villain expresses at the beginning is not good by the way. If you have a partner that treats you like this...the two of you #need to have a talk. Maybe they're struggling but that's no reason to treat someone you love so poorly. You deserve better.#That isn't to say that you can't help. Remind them when they're acting poorly and express your care. Even I'm guilty of getting grumpy with #my boyfriend and it's not fair but we work it out. I apologize and we discuss change and prevention for the future. He's also had moments.#We talk about it. Communication genuinely is key and if your partner is not willing to communicate- to solve problems- you might need to #reflect on the value of the 'relationship.'#Glad we had that talk. I love you guys <3

131 notes · View notes

tokkias · 7 months

Text

never let me engage in discourse again lest i make myself feel like i shouldn't be allowed to post my work because i don't take it "seriously" enough

#mya's mumbles #i'm struggling a lot with writing lately and i fear this may be my final straw #i always feel that my work is inadequate and that i will never be good enough #i've always been able to push through that feeling because writing is fun to me and because i have people who love my work #now i feel like the joy i get from writing isn't enough #and that i will never be taken seriously as a writer because i prioritise my fun and my happiness and my love over improving #idk it just #makes me feel like all the feelings about all the hate and the criticism i've been getting is wrong #i know in my heart it's not wrong that i'm hurting over it #because it hurts to see something you poured your heart into criticised and shat on #but now i feel like i deserve it because that's what comes with putting your work out there #i don't have thick skin i'm the Most Sensitive Person In The World #does that mean i only have the choice of suck it up or stop posting?#if i stop posting my work then i fear i will stop writing entirely #i am trapped and i can't get out

7 notes · View notes

mollypaup · 24 days

Text

what if i started making and posting art again. what then.

#'again?' you might ask #and the answer is yes #i did used to make and post art #but then once like 5 years ago someone was like this is you #and showed me a post that was like 'relatable artist bad habit'#it was NOT mean and the post was funny #but it did make me go 'haha yeah :)'#then internally i was like 'i can never show anyone anything i ever put any amount of effort into ever again. due to the Fear.'#but what if i'm over it now and i did.#hi i poured my heart & soul into this could you maybe bear witness to my efforts & acknowledge me <mortifying. just set me on fire instead.#this was not a reasonable reaction btw i cannot overstate how not mean or cruel even unintentionally the interaction was it just happened #to perfectly hit something i was privately insecure about #this is also the real reason i have not changed my icon in forever. got scared about drawing :(

6 notes · View notes

datheetjoella · 1 year

Text

You Make Everything Okay

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: M Word Count: 4,925 Chapter: 1/32 Summary: Unlike most people, Haruka wasn’t very eager to meet his soulmate. Half of the reason was his inexplicable infatuation with a stranger he saw on the train every morning, the other half was the words that were imprinted on his skin; the first words his soulmate would say to him. They were… ominous.

When Haruka’s absent-mindedness got him into trouble, he had to deal with the unforeseen - but not at all unpleasant - consequences. Or, how getting involved in a car accident became the best thing that ever happened to Haruka.

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

Chapter 1: The Cruelty of Fate

With sweaty palms and jitters in his stomach, Haruka boarded his morning train. He sat down in his usual seat, which was mostly vacant at this hour, and clutched his bag to his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in the hopes of calming down his frantic heartbeat, but it was futile.

For the past two months, every morning had been like this. His skin prickled with anticipation, his eyes shifted back and forth between the two doors diagonal from where he was seated, and he tried his best to push down the flurry of feelings that overtook him from within. They never left completely, but when he reached his stop, they would dwindle and he could go on with his life at least a little.

But today, it was different. Nothing special or important was happening nor was he thrown off by a divergence in his morning routine. He’d taken his bath, grilled mackerel, left his apartment with his bag, keys and phone and caught his train on time as always. But now he was here, he felt like something was off. Somehow, the nerves and the uneasiness were even more prominent than normal. His hands were shaking like he hadn’t eaten in days and his heart was well on its way to burst through his ribcage.

Read more on AO3

#i'm sorry i'm stupid #my fic #makoharu fic #makoharu #free!#you make everything okay #after over a year and a half of working on this fic i'm so glad i can finally share it #i've poured my blood sweat and tears into this fic and i really really hope you'll like it #happy birthday makoto!!!!

39 notes · View notes

todayisafridaynight · 2 years

Text

thinkin back to the rggo story where mine saves daigo after he gets kidnapped because daigo thought kiryu was in danger and mine immediately scolds him for acting recklessly and daigo’s just ‘no one’s ever stood up to me before aside from kashiwagi’ and how that calls back to daigo’s Y0 substory where kiryu tells him only true friends will stand up to him and put him in his place and im--

#snap chats #'i'm going to be normal' WELL I WAS LYING. LIKE A LIAR. WHO LIES.#ill go in my kitchen in a sec im just. I'm Just.#*gross sobbing*#rgg really made up for Y3's Everything by giving the rggo stories and im so serious about this #people I Am Also A Part Of People complained about not being able to see mine and daigo together much and see their friendship #and.... the rggo stories..... bro theyve been fueling me for months..... im so ill......#BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH THATS WHY I GET INSANE OVER DAIGO'S Y0 SUBSTORY TOO #like daigo just wanted- NEEDED real friends who would ACTUALLY be there for him for him #not for his status or money or any of that superficial shit #it genuinely makes me happy how dedicated mine is to daigo like No Shit but it's just. *crying*#i love how mine does tell daigo when he fucks up though i love that so much #like mine's such a funny character... he's so cynical yet when he gets the chance to pour his heart out he does #he meant it when he said he didn't take sharing a cup lightly and /i/ want to eat a cup because of it #THIS IS THE SAME SUBSTORY WHERE MINE BUYS A STOCK IN EVERY TAXI COMPANY LIKE DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN #ALL OF THAT JUST TO BE ABLE TO FIND DAIGO #dear god dont get me started on the hamazaki/mine rggo story. oh my god it's THAT but 10 billion i'm going to throw up #i'm just. i HAVE to go into my kitchen or i'll end up typing another essay jesus CHRIST #LIKE AGAIN I FEEL LIKE IM NOT SAYING WHAT I WANT OR GETTING MY POINT ACROSS BUT AAAA #i just need everyone to know i AM still ill over them i just havent had time or many ideas to sit and draw/write something

40 notes · View notes

kscribbs · 7 months

Note

For the fanfic asks: 😅, 😈, 🤡, 🍦, 💖 and 🤲🏼 (plz 🥹)

TYSM for the Qs, Dani! 🥰

What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

Soooo many, omg. I've been writing since I was around twelve/thirteen? And some of those early works -- oof. 😅 Up until a few years ago my first ever fic was still available to read on ff.net. It was... charmingly bad.

The original draft of ML has its moments too, I'll admit. Things that I am SO glad I changed/re-structured.

Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

Mayyybbeeee. >:) I knew what I was doing when I went straight from the scrying cliffhanger into a twelve year time-skip. I was a little worried about it being TOO jarring, in all honesty. Twelve years is a long time, after all. But hopefully that isn't the case!

There are a few scenes coming up in ML that I think may fall into this category, also.

What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

(Excerpt from the lil' Christmassy one shot I mentioned a while back. Set several months prior to the events of ML):

What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

The Forgiven is pretty sweet! But ofc, the themes are somewhat... intense. Same goes for ML. I think the latter takes the cake in terms of sweetness, however. Given the romantic tones, later on. Not to mention all the familial fluff! Something something Winter/Jack/Blaise hug on the steps of Frost Manor... (There is an overabundance of hugs, which makes me, personally, very happy!)

What made you start writing?

Honestly? A desire to escape reality. I know that sounds a bit gloomy, but it's the truth. Whenever life got just a little too stressful/intense my natural inclination was to withdraw to the written word/the multiple fantasy worlds existing inside my head. I found it therapeutic! And continue to do so.

Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

For the longest time I couldn't decide which snip to include. Two stood out to me, and in the end I just said "fuck it, I'll post both", lmao. I dunno when I'm going to be able to get the next chapter of ML up (soon, hopefully, but life happens!) and I've been looking for an opportunity to share some write-y stuff. I think it's safe to say that I've plumbed the depths of that opportunity here -- apologies! 😂

(Lengthy -- and ever-so-slightly spoiler-y -- excerpts from ML under the cut!)

‘Is that really necessary, lady?’

‘Every detail counts, Council Member Cupid. Even that which might seem negligible on the face of it can lead to deeper truths. In any case, when you opened the door, Dr. Miller, there was no one there?’

‘No. No one.’

‘You didn’t even see a silhouette? A retreating shadow?’

‘…I’m sorry, no.’

‘No matter. How heavy would you say the footsteps were?’

Lucy frowned. She’d never thought of that before.

‘Fairly heavy,’ she answered, after several seconds. ‘Heavier than Jack’s, now that I think about it.’

‘Oh, well, thank you,’ Jack said, sounding rather flattered. ‘My secret is jazz-ice-size. Like jazzercise, but on skates. Very trimming.’

Ms Delaney noted this down. (The footsteps thing, not the “jazz-ice-size”). ‘You then stepped out into the corridor, and saw… what, exactly?’

Lucy described the detonator, the explosion, the retreat into what she now knew to be her mindscape. Coming to and finding the tunnel all-but collapsed.

‘Hm. And you were trapped there… how long, would you say? Before your brother — Charlie, is it? Yes, Charlie — came to your aid?’

Lucy’s knee was bouncing anxiously now, her palms clammy inside her gloves. She could feel her heart-rate beginning to climb, as she was plunged back into the darkness and claustrophobia of that night. Into the feeling of complete hopelessness, and the stomach-turning reality that she might die like that — frightened and in pain, struggling for breath. Somehow the memory still had the capacity to wound her, even after all these years, its remnants buried in the folds of her mind like broken glass beneath a shallow layer of earth.

‘F— ahem. Four hours, I think.’

Beside her, Scott released a slow breath. Lucy didn’t dare look at him, or any of the other Council Members. She disliked the sympathy and guilt mentions of the attack tended to garner. People suffered far worse, after all.

‘Give-give or take,’ she added, when the silence stretched on. ‘It’s all a bit of a blur now. Charlie just had this… sense, that something was wrong. And when he tried to call and I didn’t answer, he came looking. Took me to the hospital. I was fine.’

The image of her brother’s panic-stricken face swam, unbidden, to the forefront of her mind. Having managed to dislodge the worst of the wreckage he’d eventually shimmied his way through a narrow ingress to the place where Lucy’d lain — half-conscious and terrified.

‘Shh, it’s all right,’ he’d murmured, pulling her to his chest, one hand questing through her hair for the source of the blood she hadn’t felt trickling down the side of her face. ‘I’ve got you. You’re safe now, Squirt. I won’t let anything happen to you…’

Only then had Lucy allowed herself a moment of frailty, collapsing against him in a fit of muffled sobs. Which had turned to panicked gasps, which had turned to—

She cleared her throat, banishing the memory hastily.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack’s long fingers twitch in her direction, and for the briefest of moments she thought he intended to take her hand beneath the table. …But no. He curled them into a tight fist at his side.

---

The room was dim, the muted glow of early morning falling across the walls like a running watercolour.

‘Look sharp, Frost,' Melusine whispered, dropping a copy of the New York Times onto his lap. ‘The two of you made the front page.’

After some difficulty Jack succeeded in freeing his arm (which was now decidedly numb) from where it had been wedged between Lucy and the sofa cushions, taking enormous care not to jostle her too much. Her hair — still a little curly from the humidity of the tunnel — slipped over her face, the light from Widener's Orb threading through it like pale fingers.

Doing his utmost to appear unmoved as she nestled further into his chest, and not at all like he was turning to slush on the inside, he picked up the newspaper, straightening it with a flourish. Sure enough, there, on the cover, was what looked like a bystander’s photograph of the spectacle in Times Square.

Jack grimaced, his gaze moving from the fifteen-foot wall of ice, to the ten-or-more car pile-up, to the startled faces of his and Lucy’s likenesses, and back again.

He swore under his breath.

‘It’s not the only one, I’m afraid,’ said Melusine, leaning forward to turn the page. ‘There’s a special feature. Look.’

He was greeted by two images: One of the mangled subway car, twisted and smouldering where it lay lengthways across the tracks, and a close-up of he and Lucy running hand-in-hand through the urgent press of commuters/NYPD officers, Lucy shooting a jet of scarlet light (an immobilising jinx, it looked like) over her shoulder.

“Senseless Social Media Stunt or Signs of the Supernatural? You Decide,” the headline read, in large, spidery typography.

“Do sorcerers live among us? How about superheroes? Or, indeed, supervillains? The answer might surprise you!

"Yesterday afternoon Manhattanites bore witness to a rather unusual -- and highly destructive -- chain of events, involving a nameless man (40s?) and woman (30s?), as well as a mysterious cloaked individual, who were captured from multiple angles using what appear to be magical wands/staffs (yes, really!) to wreak havoc in Bryant Park Station on W 42nd. As well as summoning ice and snow from thin air in the middle of Times Square! Elsa who?"

‘Shit,’ Jack said softly, rubbing his chin. ‘That’s… definitely not ideal.’

‘Mm.’

‘...They might’ve at least captured my good side.'

‘Is that really the thing to be focusing on right now, Jack? You don't think there might be more pressing issues at hand?'

#thanks again for the Qs!! ☺️☺️#anyone reading pls feel free to send more in! Although ofc no pressure!#I know it often takes me awhile to answer (I'm sorry!) but they are rather a lot of fun to do :D #(in this case the delay was bc the first snip was much longer and needed significant editing #and then I realised tht it contained a HUGE spoiler and cut it in half lol #so I needn't have poured over it for so long but AH WELL)#writing #ask box games #ML #Miller's Law #tsc #the Santa Clause #Jack Frost #Lucy Miller #adult!Lucy Miller #out of context those excerpts are going to make v little sense but I kind of like that 😂

3 notes · View notes