Nothing is always absolutely so.

idk why I feel compelled to share something that isn't anywhere close to being ready to post but I sometimes I can't help myself

( it's reds ofc bc wtf else do i write around here )

As far as chocolate goes I've really been into Krackels lately. Something about the texture of crispy rice chocolate bars hits the spot for me. I'm not sure what Blossom would be into? Probably dark chocolate, I can see her complaining that otherwise it's too sweet. Brick would probably mainline everything honestly. Anyone else got chocolate bar prefs?

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Firstly, thank you so much to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! If you haven't seen it yet, rb did an amazing poster for TEF to celebrate and I'm so overwhelmed T_T (Sign up for her Patreon or just read Sunshower to give her some love!!!)

Things are still happening with the KU project! Some real life stuff bubbled up in the past month that slowed things down, but things are still moving and I'm glad for it.

(No, no newsletter yet! I'll announce it here for sure though!)

In the meantime, someone on the AskFM had inquired about a reds cookie, which led to me digging through the, uh. Roughly dozen reds projects I have in the fire. (Okay it's not quite that many, but still.) And I came across this scene I wrote that I honestly don't think is going to go anywhere as far as story, but was heavy on ~~~vibes~~~ and besides that I love writing an adult Blossom who's more confident and forward, especially when it comes to my favorite buttmonkey Brick. (By the by, I think very few of y'all know this, but I do have this headcanon that Blossom temporarily becomes a smoker at some point in her adult life. It's barely hinted at in TEF.)

( Also for those curious I was very close to titling this butt-fucking, aka the slang term used for lighting a cigarette with another cigarette. Because I'm a mature adult. )

ETA: Noticed it goes from present tense to past tense so I fixed it because tense changing drives me crazy!

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At this point I assume most folks have read the most recent chapter, so this is probably good to share now!

Some background first (and I don't recall if I mentioned this in the past, but) - originally there was no party scene at all. It opened on a completely different scene, a day or two after the party (that will either get moved to another chapter or cut completely; depends on if I find an organic place to slot it in in the coming chapters). It wasn't until a reader (off the previous chapter I posted, almost two years ago) mentioned their excitement for a party scene that I realized: Oh shit. They're right. I set the stage for a party in the last chapter and it would be shitty of me not to deliver on that.

Not just shitty, but also, it wouldn't have made sense. Why spend any time talking about a party at all if the party isn't going to happen? There was room to do that, and besides, while they do involve a good amount of work and sometimes tricky navigation, I tend to like scenes with lots of people because it gives me a lot of room to play with different voices (beach chapter is probably the biggest example of this). While they can be a lot of work to write, they can also be a lot of fun in the process.

So I committed to writing a party scene as it's what the story naturally called for. And, because I'm constantly in my Reds feels, the first scene I wrote was for them.

( I was really, really in love with this idea of them sitting at a table across from each other as the clock struck midnight and a bunch of couples around them kissed while they just stared and fantasized about kissing each other. )

Anyway! Chilling in rb's stream now, at least for a bit. Also trying to figure out another old fic to port over to ao3. Maybe something from the old hub contest days.

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Mostly Brick, I guess. I'm always in a Reds moment. It's so hard to not get distracted by them when I'm writing other couples. When I was writing that last Greens fic I would hit up rb's' insta for inspo but constantly get distracted by the Reds. They take up every square inch of my mind.

There's something exceptionally vulnerable in Brick's desperation, I think. On multiple fronts - his desperate attempts to not to fall in love, to fight it, his desperate longing despite it, to cling to some semblance of control when he's far past the point of being able to. How absolutely powerless it makes him feel. I feel like there's something beautiful in that, or at least I'm very taken with it.

And, on the other hand - while this doesn't apply to TEF, at least, not to the degree that it does when I write them even just a little older - how far a cry from that desperation Blossom is with her feelings. I love a Blossom where she knows her power; I think it's something she's always aware of but is very careful of when dealing with regular people. She knows how threatening and terrifying real power can be, so she tamps it down in an effort to make others feel comfortable and safe. But in doing so she's stifling it, too - and interesting, how this puts her between Bubbles and Buttercup! I think Bubbles has no problem doing that, I don't think she even thinks of it as stifling, she merely registers internally that this is something that is an obstacle to her being able to connect with others and so she just keeps it in the trunk or the backseat, like this part of her only gets to ride in the front passenger side when it is appropriate. Whereas Buttercup is on the opposite end, like hers is always in the car with her, usually in the front seat, but hey, with a seatbelt on, and sometimes Buttercup has to brake suddenly to avoid an accident or things getting out of hand and has to reach out an arm to keep it from going through the windshield.

Blossom thinks she's doing what Bubbles is doing, but in truth, she doesn't connect the way Bubbles does with others - at least, it's not borne out of a genuine desire for connecting with them, it's something she just recognizes as necessary in order to help them. There's something more clinical about it, I think. But there's also repression going on there, of her true self. Because - and this is the way she's like Brick, to her chagrin - deep down, she does think she's better than people. Not just thinks, knows and feels. (Whether it's true or not; we're dealing strictly with her emotions here.) This part of her is always restrained. Eventually, it needs an outlet.

(I said this was mostly Brick thoughts but it turned into Blossom thoughts. Well, she deserves the attention ♥)

Like not counting TEF or the spy/assassin thing (which yes I still have plans to continue) I've got like   4   (5. jesus it's 5) other stories going on and they're all fucking reds fics there is seriously no room in my brain for anything else

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Title: Timing
Characters/Pairing: Brick; one-sided(?) Reds, Greens.
Rating: T for language.
Disclaimer: I don’t own the PpG and please do not tell CMcC I exist.
Summary: Brick’s on a roll, until he isn’t.
Notes: Follow-up to small talk. Because apparently I couldn’t let the pop-up encounter go. Expect a couple more parts. Un-beta'd.

( timing. ~2,032 words. )

Also for those of you who came looking for the spicy stuff, that's not finished yet, sorry but ♥ you for the interest!
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