#and i used a line from it as the title | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

teledild0nix · 11 months

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"You've got to be so quiet," Harry murmured in that special, soft voice, only just discernible above the crackling of the fire. Draco had to lean in to hear, practically holding his breath to catch Harry's words,"You can't make hardly any noise, or we'll be found out." Harry's voice was tender with concern, sending delicious shivers down Draco's back. Then, sharply though no louder, "Don't shut your eyes. Look at me."

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Excerpt from my new fic not very fast or slow (just soft and low). 1.6k, Rated E. Draco gets bossed around; Harry gets very messy.

Get the rest of the story on Ao3!

#liddy's fic #apliddell #drarry #drarry fic rec #really puts the W in PWP #there is absolutely zero plot on display here lads #there's this song i like called bless the telephone #and i used a line from it as the title #bc this is basically phone sex that they're doing here #oh this is my floo head fic #i've had this floo head concept in my mind for a long time #and here i've finally used it!#hope to return to it again in the future

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skunkes · 8 months

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original colors

#a doodley #1. alt title was gonna just be Dracula. like. the my name is dvd normal post.#2. im still struggling soooo much to find a way to darken my fun usual line drawings to color em in like this.#like. i always end up losing what makes em fun and gorgeous and it turns into this. no 2 tone. just looks bad and messy.#3. when talon is almost too weak to fang feed he'll use the last of his energy to low energy shapeshift to look like dis #less purple hair - his original brown eyes - original ears #just a little more disarming than the usual...easier to lure someone...doesnt sap too much energy...it works !#also i think talon wld learn internet shit from al bothering him with it #i already know im gonna hate this doodle in like a week so im. sorry for how bad it is in advance. my art brain takes ages to develop.

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twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat · 2 months

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top 5 wips you’re most excited to write? :D

AH …. anon my beloved 🥺🥺🥺 tysm for giving me an excuse to talk about them!!!! i have a whole bunch but here are the ones i’m most excited for/planning to write soon :3 hopefully

TITLES ARE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION BTW but if you know where any of them are from you get a big gold star ⭐️

it’s your touch that i need

the best friend’s brother!satoru fic that i’m planning on posting next….. i’m . Unsure if i’ll have time to post it this week but :’3 i’ll get it done!!! honestly i just think bfb!toru is insanely attractive so this is mostly an outlet for that but . i have a plot mapped out kind of… the unrequited love trope is just perfect for him but it’s Me so it’ll probably be less angsty and more funny/bittersweet !!

here’s a snippet from it <3

”you’re a good kid,” he says, and his smile teeters on the edge of something apologetic. mostly, it’s pitying. ”there are lots of people out there for you.” the weight of his palm on your head is usually a comfort, but like this? it’s a specific kind of torture. he ruffles your hair, as affectionate as ever, the same as it’s always been. not a trace of any romantic intent. there are lots of people out there for you. (i know, you want to tell him, but your voice is raspy and your throat feels sort of dry. i know. but i want you.)

hunter, you were human

my neglected mer!sugu fic…… our beloved fish man….. one day. i’ll write it out. i’m having some trouble deciding the order of events + general formatting of the outline so 😭😭 i’m a bit stuck. i’ll get there though!!! this au has angst potential but it’s Me so trust that this will be fluffy and nothing else. lots of banter and cutesy moments. i have a lotttt of thoughts about this au and character/reader dynamic so….. i’m. really excited to eventually write it all out!!! i love him sm :cc

“i don’t really like freshwater.” … your eyes widen. his voice is silky, smooth, like a silver river running from the forked tip of his tongue; a melodic lilt that makes you think of the lullaby your mother used to sing you to sleep with. a long, slow moment passes you by, like the rocking of a rusty ship. silently, your tongue forms around a bundle of words, your mouth gaping like a fish out of water. staring at the merman in your bathtub. “you can talk?!”

consider the hairpin turn

THE BELOVEDEST OF THEM ALL …… my extremely neglected best friend’s brother!kenjaku fic T_T my magnum opus even . i started writing it out a while ago but had to stop bc i can’t decide how to format it …. i think it’d be best to tell the story through a lot of flashbacks but it’s difficult to decide where to put what flashbacks in a way that doesn’t disturb the flow, yk??? but i do have everything outlined and i’m super excited to finally post it :33 someday… bfb!kenny is the actual loml i have so much lore planned for him. this fic is just a whole bunch of yearning and tension… the tiniest tiniest bit suggestive bc he truly makes me ill.

nervously, your gaze trails towards the stairs. worried, your teeth gnawing at your bottom lip. kenjaku notices. a large palm cradles your cheek; making sure your eyes stay locked onto his own. ”don't worry about him,” he soothes, a rough thumb smoothing down your skin. ”it’s just us here… just you and me. why don’t you take a deep breath for me, hm?” (you do. without thinking. as if your body was waiting for instructions, waiting to satiate this gnawing desire to impress him, make him proud. be good for him.) “now,” he exhales, in tandem with you, molecules mingling together. “do you want this?”

only in the next world

ANOTHER DEARLY BELOVED WIP that’s been rotting in my drafts for a while ….. 👉👈 i think that out of all of these fics this is the first one that i wrote the outline to?? probably even before i made this blog. it’s basically just a canon-aligned au where gojo navigates his maybe-possibly-feelings for you, a new teacher at jujutsu high!! sooo really just my attempt to write what i view as a more canon-aligned gojo and his feelings towards love :3 mostly character-centered fluff and slowburn… some office au vibes…. i’m very fond of this reader!! and i love this version of gojo so bad i really hope i can do him justice…

“they’re a softie, huh?” shoko exhales — smoke drifting past her lungs, mingling with the cold air, a stench of tobacco that makes him crinkle his nose. ”they are,” she hums, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. a dangerously knowing look. “it’s not often someone captures your attention.” gojo smiles. ”is that what it seems like?” he drawls, almost a chuckle. closing his eyes and thinking of you, the fading scent of your perfume. ”well, who knows.” (certainly not him.)

signs of affection

my sickeningly fluffy cult leader geto fic <333 bc i’m spreading the agenda that he is a puppy of a man towards his s/o. this one is just meant to be funny and sweet!! i adoreee the thought of him dating a retired sorcerer with a normal ass job so in this one the reader works at a preschool…. and they’re meant to attend some kind of event for the preschool + is offered to bring a plus one. mild chaos ensues (geto doesn’t want to be anywhere near your non-sorcerer colleagues but he also wants to support you so he’s having a bit of a crisis rn…..) i LOVE this one and i’m so excited to write it out <333333 i think this geto is the most endearing man alive.

suguru blinks, eyelashes fluttering, gleaming under the shallow light of the lamppost just behind him. illuminating the peach-dyed flush dusting his ears, those wide pupils. and his lips, glossy with something cherry-flavoured, soon to curl up into a smile — fond, fond, fond. melting into your touch, basking in your long-sought attention. if he were a cat, you’re sure he'd be purring. he places one big palm over yours, where it rests on his cheek, and he stares. silently, like you’re the only thing worth seeing; dreamy galaxies inside his eyes, all honey and star clusters, leaking adoration. a milky way of love. ”… another,” he pleads, nosing at your fingertips.

#TYSM FOR INDULGING ME ANON!!!!!!#these r all very important to me #anyway im abt to spoil where the titles are from bc i cant contain myself 😔😔#it’s your touch that i need is a pinkpantheress lyric (song: just for me) bc her music is so gojocoded and ESP bfb!gojo coded…#also the lyrics are very much in tune w the fic and reader being horrendously down bad #hunter; you were human is a lyric from one of my favorite mitski songs pearl diver <333 it just feels mer!sugu coded to me!!#but the song is a lot more somber than the fic #consider the hairpin turn is ofc a line from a richard siken poem <333 bc kenny is sikencoded and this fic is VERY in tune w you are jeff #that’s the name of the poem btw. you are jeff. it’s super good go read it rn !!!#only in the next world is a quote from my belovedest video game disco elysium :3 the full quote is:#“true love is possible only in the next world — for new people. it is too late for us. wreak havoc on the middle class.”#<- which is just. insanely gojocoded #aaaand finally signs of affection is the name of a persona 4 song that i rlly like :3 im not completely sure if that should be the title #but im going w it for now <333 #anyway if you read all this pls know ily. 🫂🫂 here’s your gold star ⭐️ !!#ask tag ✩

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wistfulwatcher · 1 year

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i feel like your roman candle; misty/nat, 8k, explicit

written in response to a series of tumblr erotic prompts (since i ended up getting many more than i was expecting, i have combined the ones that fit!).

prompts used: caught masturbating, torn lace, against the wall, fingers (@igotreallyreallytiredofmyoldurl), “do that again”, hair, panting, love bites, taste, restrained, desperate, tease, on the edge, and in public (if you squint)

read here on ao3

#mistynat #misty x nat #nat x misty #otp: you should be thanking me #otp #yellowjackets fic #mine #wordles #~~#this was supposed to be a short break fic! like 2k! CLASSIC me honestly #me writing mistynat: and unstoppable force (two of the most complex characters i've ever loved)#meet an immovable object (my complete inability to write established relationship fic)#(also classic me is choosing to make my first published nat pov fic when she's in her WEIRDEST SOFTEST headspace. i sure love a challenge!)#fyi i do intend to write more prompts since i still have a good handful of mistynat ones i'm inspired by #but i'll pick at them when i need another break from this long fic #ALSO ALSO gotta scream about how happy this title makes me. tfw you're looking at the band you KNOW you wanna use #(angelfish is like. PERFECT. for softer s2 nat amiright)#and you find a line that works on two levels SO PERFECTLY like. god that's the STUFF

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sisterdivinium · 3 months

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Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Category: Gen Characters: Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun), Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun), Mother Superion (Warrior Nun), Ava Silva, Jillian Salvius, Sister Beatrice (Warrior Nun), Father Vincent (Warrior Nun), Cardinal Duretti (Warrior Nun), Adriel (Warrior Nun), Sister Camila (Warrior Nun) Additional Tags: Angst, It's all of their relationships to one another and to the halo, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

A short AU for if Mary hadn't arrived on time and Lilith managed to get the halo in 1x05.

#warrior nun #narratives and similar #i debated myself for a long time about tagging so many characters BUT they arguably DO all have an importance in this one #and i suppose my concept of angst might be a tad more tame than most people's but at least you know it's not... happy #anyway i am NOT tagging everyone here lol #i mentioned au's that stick closer to canon the other day and i suppose this qualifies. one small detail...#anyway i was dying to post this one as soon as the challenge closed #also because now i get to post The Other Thing for the valentines bingo #i'll post that on friday instead of the usual drabble so stay tuned for it #also if you're wondering about the title... the challenge was the word precious #so of course i just had the song precious by depeche mode in my head all the damn time. it's a line from it.#if god has a master plan/ that only he understands/ i hope it's your eyes he's seeing through #you can interpret why i chose that and whose pov i used as you will lol

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creatediana · 22 days

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"Wow, bitch. Who tf are you?" - a free verse poem written 12/22/2023

#the title comes from the note i immediately wrote to myself beneath the final line in my notebook #2023 #free verse #stream of consciousness #cinquains #poetry #poem #poets on tumblr #fun fact i don't remember who/what inspired this at all #i think it's more about the fantasy than any particular muse i have #men and art. you KNOW how i am about those topics 😒#gonna be liberal and tag this as #emily dickinson #since i reference her #another fun fact i also think this is the first time i've used the word butt in a poem (at least one i've shared)#i almost changed it to ass in editing. but decidedly. butt.#i've definitely used the word ass in a poem before. the only question is how many times?#how numerous are the asses of creatediana? the data has yet to be collected

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crossbackpoke-check · 10 months

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Substance, Shadow, and Spirit [remixed, abridged] by Tao Yuanming

#liv in the replies #patrice bergeron #boston bruins #brad marchand #do you ever think about how brad marchand said that when bergy retired he would retire or are you capable of normal thought i'm not at all #please say a gratitude for both my sanity& y'all that this poem (which has been saved in my camera roll with the vague idea of using it for #??? long) & not one of the poems i had saved for carey for a really long time & remixed & everything with another poem until i found a poem #that absolutely murdered me in cold blood but there is an alternate universe where i did& then had to explain my unhinged thoughts to you.#anyway how are we feeling about bergy retirement. pspspspsp sara & luna are y'all doing okay like. the doc title for this one was #patrice the hockey player means a lot to me but patrice the person means so much more #which is why the end line of the other poem was so *%"@^)! (you love / what you are) because patrice does. like he is a whole ass good huma #& now since no one asked i need to tell you all the details about everything also y'all please clap i made an edit with NO baby pictures #although i did find one & save it & minimal genres of photo i always use in edits because they're my taste & aesthetic but anyway.#when i saved the first photo and marked it as one i wanted i accidentally wrote “how will he know they love him” which is not the line but #makes me feel feral about patrice & the rest of them all had hurtful names too but also. the third picture is literally a CELLY like brad #just scored a goal & he is clinging to bergy for dear life with that shit i saved that as “oh the agony on his face for unendurable”#& yes it is one of my cliches to have a draft day picture but in my defense the lifelong bond that patrice has/d with boston deserved to be #there even if i put in the love story & YES that picture is from the 2011 playoff right below it shared joy & pain & i couldn't tell you #when the brad marchy photo for together forever is except for the fact that i saw it & just the gut punch of oh my god the way he looks at #things men will praise you for is the stanley cup. duh. but i love the contrast of “some deed” being the stanley cup but then #bergy's choice to do noble deeds (ends up still earning praise &that's my note to his efforts outside of hockey we love a supportive captai #should also mention the first two i came up with & had the photos i knew i wanted for were the first and last one alskaldk but i KNEW i #wanted chara somewhere in the paragraph about leaving & then while i was looking found the one of bergy playing tuukka on accident & yes #i do have to make goalie jokes every time. no reprieve . no dice/no deal/no goal goalies have no rest/reprieve etc etc the one that killed #me though was looking for a patrice award pic & i wanted basically the one that i got for “how will you know any will praise you” & instead #also got the picture of patrice winning the some community hero award for charity work that he does & i love him mama & of COURSE that puck #is from bergy's 1000 game who do you think I am (if you guessed sleepy and emotional about patrice you'd be right) and ALSO please be ready #for all the patrice posts/bruins posts that have been sitting in my drafts to be released on this occasion of patrice retirement #I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT TUUKKA ALSO RETIRED THAT’S WHY HE WAS ON WISE OR SIMPLE NO REPRIEVE AND THAT LATE OR SOON WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE #CHARA BECAUSE CHARA LEFT FIRST TO GO TO THE CAPS AND THEN LEFT IN RETIRMENT HE LEFT SOON BUT NOT FOR REAL THEN LATER LEFT FOR REAL (RETIRED)

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piedoesnotequalpi · 11 days

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Katherine with a sword

That's it that's the fic

#isabel.tex #my writing #there's also some light angst and sexism ruminations but the point is katherine has a sword #newsies #newsies fanfiction #katherine plumber #jack kelly #the title is perhaps not the most fitting but listening to king (which is what the title is from) on repeat inspired the fic #so i felt obligated to use a line from it as the title y'know?

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candied-cae · 2 years

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I've been trying to figure out how to say it for weeks, but:

The title of the show being "Our Flag Means Death" + Lucius's Line "What if it's not a Death? What if life just begins again?" = The Revenge has always been, and will always be, a safe haven for her crew.

All those aboard are not held to the rules of their lives before, they are not pushed to fulfill expectations or assumptions or pressures from the rest of the world.

They are allowed to sing and dance and laugh and cry and create and love and be every little bit of themselves that they've ever been scared to be within her walls. When they board her deck, when they hoist her flag, when they accept their role as a member of her crew - she carries a promise.

A promise, that under her flag, their lives may begin again anew.

Her Flag Means Death, but a Death only to what was and a Beginning to what could be.

More OFMD

#The METAPHORS IN THIS SHOW-#MY FUCKING GOD THEY ARE INCREDIBLE #Idk if this is a take anyone's said before #I haven't read it #but I've been trying to figure out how to word the way that line feels to me #Like - it's so incredibly important that the title of the show is 'Our Flag Means Death'#And Lucius's line is one of the only ones that actually use the word 'Death'#And as the Flag is meant to represent the ship and it's people #If their flag means death - this is the sort of death it means #I mean - from the very beginning Stede has only ever wanted to make something good from piracy #To build a ship that's different than all the others #When another pirate's flag means Death - it means they will perform cruelty just as is expected #But Stede's ship was never meant to perform expectation #She was meant to be her own kind - and she serves as a shelter for her crew from the usual systems of abuse they otherwise face #She is their port to weather a storm #She is the Death to everything before and the Life to everything left #She is their new beginning #Our Flag Means Death #Our Flag Means Death Spoilers #ofmd #ofmd spoilers #hbo #Our Flag Means Death Analysis #Our Flag Means Death Meta #Our Flag Means Death Symbolism #Lucius Spriggs #The Revenge

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ereborne · 3 months

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Song of the Day: February 23

“Inkpot Gods” by The Amazing Devil

#song of the day #'if I don't make it back from where I've gone / just know I loved you all along'#I'm setting up my queue for a more proper recommendation tomorrow but I've been rereading 'shoulder the sky' by Night_Fury #the whole series draws from various Amazing Devil lines for titles and such #'back then I was dauntless' is my favorite reworking of the Melidaan arc I've ever seen absolutely anywhere #and the title is a line from my favorite Amazing Devil song 'The Calling' but 'Inkpot Gods' is used to stunning effect in-story #and the beautiful refrain from the end of the song is playing in my head now as I keep going into the series #today was a deeply unpleasant day: the inevitable finally happened and Duncan cut himself doing his mudlarking #we'd been trying to schedule a preventative tetanus shot but several times we've gone in for the properly scheduled shot #and found out that they didn't actually have one in stock. unspeakably frustrating #and today we ran out of time for a preventative one. I woke up #(actually I woke up for work as he was going out for his walk but I got a migraine halfway through my morning meeting--no good--#and took the rest of the day off--turns out to have been a very good thing--and went back to sleep. so I woke up the second time)#to Duncan coming back from his walk with a sliced finger and the grody plastic-and-tin swan that had done the slicing #(picture of said swan under the cut because why not. it does look neat. can't see the sharp edge in the pic though it's underneath)#and so then we called the pharmacy and got the same automated 'of course you can have a tetanus shot' as ever so we made an appointment #and we got there and they did actually have a shot in stock this time! except that they weren't able to administer it #because now he's post-exposure that's a different shot and they aren't allowed. so we had to go to the urgent care instead #all told we spent about four hours out of the house on this mission but Duncan did get his shot and some bonus antibiotic goo for the cut #and it was worth it but also bleeeeeeegh it was miserable. which is where my recommendations do come in #when I tell y'all that I spent today reading Night_Fury's fics and also looking at valiants' CoD art and it saved me #whooo I mean it. being simultaneously stressed + bored is the nightmare state for me and instead I had wonderful things in my phone

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team-mythic-beasts · 2 months

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Meetings in Tumblr, Part 1: Another Me, Another Friend

By Lucas “Luke” Reynard

(feat. @tolyys’ Luke!)

Somehow after Makoto made that first post, we all had tiny paw prints marked on our faces. Most of us got regular ones, but Mikel’s, one of Makoto’s, and mine were bright green. Curious, I took over our blog for the day to see for myself what this was all about.

And then I found… someone.

“You’re finally here! I was wondering when you’d show up.”

That guy looks almost exactly like me, but with cheeks as freckled as Mikel’s and sapphires for eyes. He also wears a lot of fur… I have never been able to put on any kind of fuzzy clothes without melting into a puddle.

How does he do it, though? Maybe it’s got something to do with that minty cyan pendant. Such an intense, cooling aura that bright jewel radiates… one that might turn my fingers to ice if I ever dared touch it.

But my mind quickly turned towards his paw print. Another victim of the A-paw-calypse, perhaps? I quickly asked how he got that mark.

“Some girl stamped it on my face. I think her name was Makoto?”

…

Ah. So that’s what happened.

After that exchange, he took me on a tour around the platform, and we shared any facts about each other that came to mind. It was then that I became certain— same first name (his is spelled with a K but it works), same birthday, same reason for traveling… this guy is the “other me” Makoto once told me about.

Speaking of Makoto, we had to bring up our designers at some point… I have nothing but the utmost respect for his. Unlike mine, this Ben guy seems to know what he’s doing; nearly seven years have passed since the day this “other me” was placed in his care, and he’s stuck to his original plans to this day! Wow, now I feel lucky to have gotten a green paw print from him.

We soon had to part ways, but he promised to visit me again soon. Before he left, he suggested I call him Prins— Apparently that’s the word for “prince” in his native language. In return, I let him refer to me as Angel.

“Yay! We’re quickly becoming good friends!”

Well, I certainly hope so, Prins.

(w/o paw prints)

#team mythic beasts #hetaveyond #hetaveyond 2007 #lucas reynard #tmb luke #aveyond x hetalia #boop #i can’t think of a good title :(#ben this is your reward for booping us exactly 8 times #i had to rewatch ep2 to make sure prins’ last line was the actual quote from the vid #how do you even draw fur #actually how do you even SHADE fur #angel & prins

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tojiswhore-aventurinesslut · 4 days

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call me a gege glazer but I wanna see the manga through to the end before I start heavily critiquing it...I've really really enjoyed it so far and I'm trusting in the process to see how everything wraps up

#where's that post about blocking people who have bad fandom takes and also about the “is it bad writing or is it just not what you wanted”#see also: i'd rather have a tragic ending that is poignant and in line with the story than a “happy” ending that doesn't make sense #and jjk has been a tragedy from the start lbr #sya says #it just irks me when people start critiquing gege's writing/story/plot when it's not even over yet....#there are a lot of things that we don't know #and while jjk has some flaws i think it's been a really amazing and compelling story overall #but i also think in order to enjoy it fully you kinda have to use your critical thinking skills.... like a lot of the themes #and recurring motifs that link things together are not necessarily spelled out. you have to pay attention. reread. research #which obviously not everyone wants to do! and that's fine! my blog title is what it is for a reason lol. but see the first tag re:#is it bad writing or just not what you wanted?

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devondespresso · 7 months

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WIP WhhhMonday Nightish

Once upon a time Devon was tagged in a wip wednesday by @eriquin and meant to do it but missed both wednesday and the weekend before remembering again. totally unrelated, Devon is working on getting their official adhd diagnosis.

i also noticed that the past snippets shared in wip-whatever posts have been purposefully the least interesting parts because i was worried about spoilers, which is dumb because that's created the unintended consequence of my tag is full of everything i don't like as much and a very different impression of what my fic is (as seen by most of these snippets being my rewritten scenes despite the actual fic being mostly new in-between scenes)

TLDR: WIP Whatever-day-it-is: But Actually For Fun This Time

The Rules

Post the file names of up to 5 of your WIPs for people to send you asks

Post a snippet of one of those WIPs

When people send you an ask with the name of one of your WIPs, write 3 lines of that WIP.

(Optional) Post the lines you wrote.

You can send multiple requests especially since this is going on through the weekend!

The WIPs

we're doing bulleted chapter titles to share from since that was my favorite and genuinely most productive format I've used. Feel free to ask for as many as you want, I plan on working on this basically all week

Karen Wheeler POV Bonus Chapter (Prologue kinda? side story in the same universe?? Bonus chapter set after season 1 and way before ch 1)

Steve, are you okay? Are you okay, Steve? (ch 9)

What's this? The consequences of my actions? (Is that a motherfucking Lovejoy reference?) (ch 10)

Kidnapping? no. surprise adoption. (lol get taken care of BITCH) (ch 11)

NEXT CHAPTER BC IDK HOW TO TRANSITION (ch 12) (a very tentative title for the next chapter to be written)

The Snippet

here is my favorite and most recent scene I've written, which takes place before they junkyard where Steve and Dustin are at the grocery store to get that ungodly amount of raw meat they have to toss around (also i've split chapters up a bit in the name of structure so the third chapter is now called "Mommy Issues Central". Lemme know any goofy vine reference ideas you guys have or if it should stay like that) (fear not, Get Yo Fucking Dog Bitch lives on still as chapter 4)

___

They turned down the next aisle, lining the edges of the cart with some other pasta-related shit that he could still probably use. They heard someone coming over from the next aisle and before he could turn the cart around Mrs Wheeler pulled up.

"Oh, Steve ...and Dustin. What're you boys up to?"

He took a short breath to work their story into something without Mike, but Dustin beat him to it.

"He's teaching me stuff."

He was imitating the tone Steve used but still way too vague. Mrs Wheeler held up a smile, her brows slightly lifted.

"Y'know, like cooking-" Steve said, throwing in a little gesture to the cart.

"And cars, changing oil and things. Y'know just.. dad stuff."

Dustin's part convinced her, Mrs Wheeler's expression softening into a real smile.

"Well I won't keep you long,"

She nodded off to the side to talk to Steve one-on-one.

Great.

“Are you and Nancy okay?”

“Wh- we’re- Why? Did she say something?”

“No, no, she’s just been… closed off, lately. And I drove her to school the other day, she didn’t say why.”

“Sh- yeah, that- that’s on me. Sorry.”

“Did you break up?”

“No no, definitely not. We’re kinda… we’re working on it. I’m going to try and make it better, after y’know..” he gestured to Dustin behind him.

“Right.” she smiled again, “Let Nancy know she can talk to me about any of this? Please? I tell her but- I don't know, maybe it’d be different coming from you.”

He held up a smile for her.

“Yeah, sure. Mind if we..” he jutted a thumb towards the end of the aisle.

“Yes, go ahead.”

He gave her a short wave and turned back to Dustin, who studied random shit in the aisle like Steve would believe his sudden fascination with olive oil outweighed childish curiosity.

“Steve-”

He turned back around, seeing Mrs Wheeler coming back up to him and whispering again.

“I know I’m not your mother, but you can talk to me, too. Both of you, okay?”

He kept the smile in place and nodded again, and she finally went back to her cart.

Dustin “Definitely-Not-Eavesdropping” Henderson followed him out of the aisle, thankfully waiting until they were out of earshot to ask.

“What's going on with you and Nancy?”

“Thought we had ‘much bigger problems than my love life’?”

He pulled up to the deli, stopping to pretend to look at the options.

“We’re not dropping everything for it but we can still talk.” he groaned.

“I’ll tell you later, kay? Not exactly the best place to talk.''

___