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acourtofantumbra · 2 years ago

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Where Have All the Dragons Gone?

☆ All SJM spoilers: ACOTAR, CC, and TOG ☆

It's been quite a while since I put my SJM tin foil hat... I've got the attention span of a squirrel and moved onto other things.

Anyway, over the past 3-4 months I decided to start my first true re-read of all of SJM's books while a bunch of my friends were beginning the series for the first time. This week I finished Crescent City (just in time for my insanely beautiful Fairyloot editions to show up 1/2 a year later) and plan on moving onto TOG this week... but I have so, so, so many scenes that have been bothering me that I fully skimmed over in my first reads.

This scene above from HOSAB, chapter 46, with Ariadne has been fueling my intrusive thoughts lately. On my first read of CC2 I was so distracted by that insane ending that I could probably sum up my thoughts about Ariadne as "Well, that felt like a waste of time?" But upon further review (and now having read TOG in its entirety as well)... I'm starting to feel like she might be one of the most easter egg laden chess pieces placed on the board.

Per usual, I don't really have answers as much as I have some glaring parallels that feel important... But ultimately I think our "long, lost dragons" are not so lost and have been waiting patiently to enter the chat.

Ok, let's go back to the (extended) scene from HOSAB:

“Exactly,” Flynn said, as if the Fae lord weren’t taunting a dragon. A fucking dragon. A Lower, yes, but … fuck. They weren’t true shifters, switching between humanoid and animal bodies at will. They were more like the mer, if anything. There was a biological or magical difference to explain it—Ithan vaguely remembered learning about it in school, though he’d promptly forgotten the details. It didn’t matter now, he supposed. The dragon could navigate two forms. He’d be a fool to underestimate her in this one. The dragon stared Flynn down. He gave her a charming smile back. Her chin lifted. “Ariadne.” Flynn arched a brow. “A dragon named Ariadne?” “I suppose you have a better name for me?” she shot back. “Skull-Crusher, Winged Doom, Light-Eater.” Flynn ticked them off on his fingers. She snorted, and the hint of amusement had Ithan realizing that the dragon was … beautiful. Utterly lethal and defiant, but—well, damn. From the gleam in Flynn’s eyes, Ithan could tell the Fae lord was thinking the same. Ariadne said, “Such names are for the old ones who dwell in their mountain caves and sleep the long slumber of true immortals.” “But you’re not one of them?” Ithan asked. “My kin are more … modern.” Her gaze sharpened on Flynn. “Hence Ariadne.” Flynn winked. She scowled. “How did all of you”—Declan cut in, motioning to Ariadne, her body similar to that of a Fae female’s—“fit into that tiny ring?” “We were bespelled by the Astronomer,” Sasa whispered. “He’s an ancient sorcerer—don’t let him deceive you with that feeble act. He bought us all, and shoved us into those rings to light the way when he descends into Hel. Though Ariadne got put into the ring by …” She trailed off when the dragon cut her a scathing, warning look. HOSAB, Chapter 46

It needs to be said, the difference between magical beings feels like it has only barely scraped the surface at the end of CC2 and I have not one clue how Sarah is finally gonna break all that shit down for us. But during my reread I finally got really into the Mer plot for this exact reason as well... clearly quite a bit going on there. Also... with the sprites magic not being first light-based??? Ok, back to the task at hand.

So Ariadne is identified as a dragon, which according to the front of both Crescent City books, is part of the House of Flame and Shadow. Perhaps our most controversial collection of beings in the CC world, our Slytherin house lol.

But, according to Ariadne herself, there is a difference between the kind of dragon shifter she is and a dragon that is a true immortal... and allegedly sleeping in a cave somewhere?! —> remember this. Ok, so what is a true immortal? Aren't the Vanir and fae immortal for the most part?

Well, we've been getting corrections through SJM's series that there is a difference between long-lived, which is what the fae and Vanir are, and true immortals.

Particularly in the ACOTAR series we've had Death Gods explain the difference between their true immortality aka "[they have] no death awaiting them." And suspiciously, the Bone Carver claims that his sister, the Weaver, is not only truly immortal, but she's found a way to "eat life itself" so that's remains youthful. Interesting... can think of around 6 folks allegedly able to do that in Crescent City, but I digress.

So true dragons — the ancient ones — seem to be true immortals as well. There is "no death waiting for them." Interesting considering we've had references in both TOG and CC that dragons are either no more or MIA. We actually get references at least once to dragons in each of SJM's series. Let's dig in a little more.

So TOG is our series with the most obvious inclusion of, at the very least, dragon-like creatures (we love you Abraxos) aka Wyverns. Wyverns we learn were made by the king - in a process Manon claims to not know much about... but happens in a mountain. But let's not skip ahead.

We've known since early on in TOG that dragons once existed in Erilea, but wyverns remain and are even the symbol represented on Ardalan's royal seal.

Celeana is surprised to see dragons depicted on the doors to the palace's library - because of course... libraries are at this point one of our most consistent, important, and often lost/destroyed, settings/plot points across worlds. Followed up with her feeling "a shot of lightning" about this dragon-adorned library... my spidey senses are tingling, how about you? Have dragons been associated with lightning in mythology? Yes. Yes they have.

First, what is the difference between a dragon and a wyvern? In fact lets take a look at all the varietals, some of the names might be familiar.

Who could forget the Wyrm from ACOTAR? Characters (amren) have been referred to as drakes, and I think we can argue that we've encountered a couple others from this list (perhaps sent from Hel?).

Anyway, what happened to the dragons of Erilea? It seems that they were defeated during a conflict and people largely believe them to be gone and whole societies (the mycenians) lost hope and fight once the last dragon disappeared/was killed.

But it's Maeve who gives us the clearest picture as to what happened to the dragons.

Glass is obviously significant in Throne of Glass and brings new meaning to the now destroyed glass castle, which I now assume was made from dragon glass.

But Maeve having "ensured" dragons were eradicated is particularly interesting knowing what we know about dragon fire from CC2 (we'll get to that). What this "ancient and bloody conflict" was we can guess at, but much like ACOTAR and CC we've got a wealth of wars to choose some and some we have more information about than others... anyone else suspicious about the sprite rebellion?

But Maeve mentioning Aelin's own "fire-breathing heritage" gave me pause... is she suggesting Aelin has any relation to dragons? Especially when Aelin starts to feel pangs of empathy for reasons she can't explain (a lightbulb moment in any SJM book - she uses this easter egg tactic a lot), her overwhelming sorrow while she's actively being tortured feels notable. Especially mentioning dragons "would never again been on this earth." Perhaps they can be found on another?

But Maeve destroying dragons is important because Bryce learns from Jesiba in CC2 that the strongest weapon against a Prince of Hel is in fact... dragon fire. Seems like an important tool to have in the arsenal... and why mention it if there are no dragons left anyway?

It contained an analysis of dragon fire, dating back five thousand years. It was in a language Bryce didn’t know, but a translation had been included. Jesiba had scribbled Good luck at the top.

Well, now she knew why the Astronomer kept Ariadne in a ring. Not for light—but for protection.

Among its many uses, the ancient scholar had written, dragon fire is one of the few substances proven to harm the Princes of Hel. It can burn even the Prince of the Pit’s dark hide.

Yeah, Ariadne was valuable. And if Apollion was readying his armies … Bryce had no intention of letting the dragon return to the Astronomer’s clutches. HOSAB, Chapter 50

Granted, this alludes to there being a few substances that can harm a Prince of Hel, but with the introduction of Ariadne and "the ancient ones"... dragons have just shot to the top of my personal list of "things that are probably coming for us in CC3 and beyond" especially in this fight against the Big Bads.

Granted we learned when Bryce breaks into the Dawn room at the Crystal Palace (dragon glass too???) that the warring factions of Hel united to oust the Asteri and Thanatos is only now saying he doesn't give an f about his brothers' plans... maybe we don't want to roast Apollion, but just some of his brothers? And maybe dragon fire has some ability to take down an Asteri too? Who can say?

But that brings me back to Ariadne's conversation about the difference between the kind of dragon she is an the kind of dragons that have allegedly gone missing... she doesn't say they're gone.

“Skull-Crusher, Winged Doom, Light-Eater.” Flynn ticked them off on his fingers. She snorted, and the hint of amusement had Ithan realizing that the dragon was … beautiful. Utterly lethal and defiant, but—well, damn. From the gleam in Flynn’s eyes, Ithan could tell the Fae lord was thinking the same. Ariadne said, “Such names are for the old ones who dwell in their mountain caves and sleep the long slumber of true immortals.”

Hm... sleeping in mountain caves? We've definitely had some not super subtle hints about some giant presence slumbering below mountains — in both TOG and ACOTAR. And while TOG has clearly mentioned their missing dragons... ACOTAR explicitly references dragons one time.

When Lucien gives Feyre a cloak UTM she notes Amarantha's coat of arms isn't just a dragon... but a sleeping dragon. Can I fully say I understand all the implications here? Certainly not. But it was an "oh damn" moment when I saw it. Especially considering how convinced I am that Hybern was possessed by a Valg. And if Maeve (Valg) and Princes of Hel (??) fear dragon fire... that... is an intriguing parallel.

But ok, so we've got a coat of arms with a sleeping dragon... what else has been referenced as a massive sleeping force?

Cassian wondered if his brother had ever told her what dwelled in these mountains. Most had been slain by the Illyrians, or sent fleeing to those Steppes. But the most cunning of them, the most ancient … they had found ways to hide. To emerge on moonless nights to feed. Even five centuries of training couldn’t stop the chill that skittered down his spine as Cassian surveyed the empty, quiet mountains below and wondered what slept beneath the snow...

Cassian soared toward it, unable to resist Ramiel’s ancient summons. Different—the mountain was so different from the barren, terrible presence of the lone peak in the center of Prythian. Ramiel had always felt alive, somehow. Awake and watchful....

Ramiel rose higher still, a shard of stone piercing the gray sky. Beautiful and lonely. Eternal and ageless. ACOFAS, Chapter 3

Now I'm not saying I'm 100% confident a dragon is sleeping beneath Ramiel... but I am saying I feel confident we've gotta find dragons sleeping somewhere and the planet that's retained the most magic seems like an obvious first place to look.

I also wonder how much connection there could be between lost ancient dragons and the rare thunderbird line — a CC plot point that has been breaking my brain even more the second time around (all thoughts, no real conclusions). But with the inclusion of lightning + dragons (Aelin at the library, the Great Rite, etc.)... thunderbirds are looking even more suspicious in my eyes. Even more suspicious is our dear Hunt Athalar... lightning wielder of our dreams...

Her teeth shone, her canines long enough to shred flesh. “Did Bryce Quinlan tell you what occurred when she stood in this chamber twelve years ago?” His blood turned to ice. “That’s Quinlan’s business.” That smile didn’t falter. “You do not wish to know what I saw for her, either?” “No.” He spoke from his heart. “It’s her business,” he repeated. His lightning rose within him, rallying against a foe he could not slay. The Oracle blinked, a slow bob of those thick lashes. “You remind me of that which was lost long ago,” she said quietly. “I had not realized it might ever appear again.” HOEAB, Chapter 33

That's all I got for now... stay tuned for a potential descent into madness about Thunderbirds. We'll see.

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vacantgodling · 6 months ago

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👍🏻🔪🎻 for shop asks?

thank you for asking <3

👍- What was the first piece of creative writing you ever did? How do you feel about it now?

jesus that's hard to think about. i've been writing since i was a KID kid, but i think the first writing i remember doing in an actual story kind of way is.... ummmm. either tcol or darren's story actually? i can't remember which came first because i made both when i was 12, but like, i still have the old journals where i first started writing tcol's story haha. i mean, obviously since i have these stories i really love them. it think about where it started quite often <3 (i was just reminiscing about darren's old story and where it is now yesterday actually)

🔪- How do you feel about writing fight scenes?

not my favorite thing in the world ngl--but its cuz i'm not good at creating urgency i feel like? i think the only fighting scenes i've written that i enjoyed were the ones i wrote in cage? this one specifically lol- is spoilers ig but its all up on ao3 to be read LMAO. this is from chapter 19:

A bullet whizzed by Cassidy’s cheek and the only thing that saved him was rocking hard enough to the side that he was able to tip his plastic chair over. Even that still wasn’t enough to free him and he writhed on the floor, desperate to break through the rope—harder when one of the goons approached him and others started to grab Hanzo’s despondent body. Cassidy only just barely caught sight of the purple mist swirling around his body, but suddenly it felt as though teeth were gnawing through the ropes holding back his wrist. The second they got loose enough, Cassidy ripped through them with a bellow, giving him enough leverage to grab an ankle of a charging goon and yank hard dragging the man to the floor with him. They wrestled as the purple mist continued to zip around him and then, he was yanking his ankles free. He punched his assailant in the stomach, then rolled to his feet to kick the man’s head like a soccer ball—he went limp after that. The second goon charged Cassidy, this time with a bat, and Cassidy used the advantage of his prosthetic to grab the metal bat mid-swing. He crushed the aluminum between his palm, and using it like a lasso, he yanked, dragging the man in to punch him square across the jaw and make him stagger. The man’s grip on the bat slacked and Cassidy yanked it out of his hands. He cocked his arm back and smashed the bat over the man’s head and he too dropped.

i want to get better at doing it though! so i'll keep at it.

🎻- Where do you look when you need some inspiration?

tbh i just start rereading my own writing. its by and for me, curated to my exact tastes, so like whenever i read my old shit i get inspired to keep going and write new shit.

i also tend to look to comfort media, specifically lotr a lot or the shows/movies that i enjoy like demon slayer or ghibli or the books i've read lol

#about renjamin

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lumienn · 2 years ago

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Re-reading my own fic + reaction

Once upon a time, back when Yashahime was airing, I posted a few chapters of my sessrin fic titled 'Ice King, Icing' on AO3. I eventually ran out of steam, life got in the way (as it always does) plus I had some negative experiences within the fandom which got to me.

It's been at least a year since I last touched it, and I barely remember the plot.

So now that I've got my laptop back, it's time for a reread with fresh eyes. Let's see if it's any good!

Chapter 1:

Okay, I'm recalling the story a little now. The end result is a lot better than I thought it was at the time, I put a lot of research into everything (and I needed to, because I know nothing about 90% of the things I was writing about here). I enjoyed reading the worldbuilding just as much as I enjoyed writing and imagining it. This chapter shows glimpses of a modern world where humans and youkai coexist, and how they manage to do it.

While writing, I was worried the setting descriptions may be too much, but it feels just right to me as a reader. There's just a LOT of effort that went into this chapter and I'm glad it shows.

I feel like I should have more criticism for this chapter but somehow I don't. So here's the fun fact of the chapter instead: Rin was originally supposed to work at the cafe Kagome and Sango go to! The original draft had a more detailed description of the cafe for that reason, but I scrapped it and gave her a normal office job because it didn't feel right. I still wanted the cafe to have a personal connection to one of the characters, so I had Kohaku design it instead.

Chapter 2:

So some interesting plot points are introduced in this chapter. This story was basically based on three what ifs- what if Sesshomaru's good side came out before he met Rin? What if he didn't give Rin the choice to travel with him, and sent her away instead? And what if we still had time travel in this modern AU?

This is where the story and Sesshomaru and Rin's relationship deviates from canon. I love canon, obviously, but I was so intrigued by these questions. So Ice King, Icing was born, lol.

I also wanted Rin to roast Sess

I don't have any complaints for this chapter either. I caught a couple of grammatical errors, but shh. Also I was clearly having so much fun writing it.

Fun fact of the chapter: Kagome still has her purification powers and is still a reincarnation of Kikyo. But Inuyasha and Kikyo are inconsequential characters to each other here. Kagome is from the year 2318, and travelled 300 years in the past- to 2018- which is the year this story is set.

Chapter 3:

Another chapter where I was worried the descriptions and story of Rin's life may be too much, but it wasn't. Homegirl is out here living the life we can only dream of :')

We finally get a good chunk of Sess POV here, and the characterization is satisfactory. Again, big sigh of relief- he was SO difficult to write. I also had an evil chuckle reading Rin's flashbacks and Kaede's worries that her childhood saviors may have found her again- yes, lady, that's THE POINT. We are HERE for some hurt/comfort. Also eviler chuckling at my past self for managing to sneak in some Captain America trio references.

This reread is turning out a lot better than I expected. I'm really enjoying this a lot!

Fun fact of the chapter: The subject line of Jaken's email seems to reference the kdrama 'A Business Proposal', but Ice King Icing did it first :) (chapter posted in April 2021, drama released in 2022)

Chapter 4:

Kagome to the rescue! That's all I'll say ;)

Okay no. I shouldn't be surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this chapter, again, the whole fic is a banger. It has everything I want in a sessrin fic- not surprising, because I wrote it myself. I remember writing the balcony scene and Sesshomaru's realization and giggling to myself at how hilarious it was. Plot forcing them to spend time together by making him hide her from his father= a romcom classic that I'll never get tired of.

Fun fact of the chapter (and mild spoiler): the mystery girl that has been following Kagome will be revealed in the next chapter, along with her motives.

Conclusion:

As I said in the chapter notes, this fic isn't abandoned. I've just gone on hiatus from all my fics for a while because irl is taking up all my time and energy. I enjoyed writing this fic a lot though, and I will definitely update and try to complete it. Just not sure when.

#hanyou no yashahime #yashahime #sessrin #lume talks #my writing

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nilikhangdiwa · 2 years ago

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2022 Fic Wrap Up!

basically i will talk about every fic i've written this year, behind the scenes of them, plus some bonus stuff i've written! i'm pretty sure all of it is a3, with like. one or two outliers, if any. anyway! enjoy my rambling.

btw, all my fics are private for the time being, so you'll need an ao3 account to read them. sorry about that, bots are. shit.

I Touched a Magic Mirror and Ended Up in My Parental Figure's Favorite RPG?!

masumi isekai fic, kniroun extended universe, mentioned lancelot/gawain/arthur

basically when i was wtiting this fic it was around this time of the year, and i was like "i'm gonna finish this fic by the time classes start up again!"

SPOILER ALERT. I DID NOT.

it kept getting longer and longer. umm. i do really like it! i love kniroun a normal amount, please ask me about the extended kniroun universe always. i did love writing it a lot, even though it caused me some grief because i was like i am not splitting this into two chapters fuck off.

so, yeah! also i'm sorry to oomf, who always cries when they reread the fic because fictional britain is homophobic. ummmm. sorry. lancelot has issues. again, please feel free to talk to me about kniroun.

- - -

when the moon fell in love with the sun (all was golden in the sky)

short fics collection, lone wolves week, mostly platonic with azuhiso and azuchika thrown in

lone wolves week 2022! i ended up putting all my little drabble submissions into one fic. i think i wrote most of them the day before the actual day it was supposed to be posted? as usual, i skipped free day because i'm so bad at those.

azuma and sakuya one was cute and domestic! i like them and i always have camellia to cherry blossom on the brain (the fic by desikauwa i think) so yeah!

azuchi brainrot is azuchi because my friend super loved azuchi when they were into a3 and it rubbed off on me lol

the hisoka and sakuya one is silly because the entire fake play it's based off is actually a sakuya/homare play. nieves (hisoka) is my favorite because i love hisoka, and she's in love with zenaida (citron) to a. hm. questionable degree because i'm a sucker. liberato's (sakuya) the colead, he's cute but a menace, and he betrays vedasto (homare, lead) at the end of the second act. other actors in the play are ramil (azuma) and basilio (chikage), and all the names are based off filipino gods/names/words.

azuhiso cute and soft there's nothing much to say, tbh.

chikage & hisoka is the. most un-normal one. idk. they have me fucked up. they are also fucked up. they are traumatized in the same way but in a different way but they are family and it's. certainly a thing.

the last chikage & sakuya one is. hmm. i think it's inspired partially by another similar fic that percy timeskipped wrote + partially by the scene in act 12 (or 11?) where sakuya sees aunt yoshinaga, but don't quote me on this because i barely remember writing this tbh.

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Jun. Fucking. Hates. DRINKING PARTIES.

tasuhoma, nonokou, nocturnality

this one was for a valentine's fic exchange and i actually like nonokou a lot! i'm personally a furarei nonokou kind of guy, so getting the excuse to write it was fun! nonomiya is such a normal guy, it's fun to see him get tossed into shenanigans, whether that's the supernatural kind, or his dumbass coworker-slash-lover gets shitfaced

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utsuki chikage rates harry potter characters on how hot they are

crackfic

i have nothing to add. this is one of those fics where i basically just write down the stuff my friends say but make a3 characters say them. like the kfc crocs thing. discord servers are wild

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'cause i'm not too far, and you're my favorite place

chikaita, fluff, established relationship

this was a commission for my friend, cg! truth be told, i only really got into chikaita around like, december last year, thanks to rptwt. i'm usually an itatsumu guy, but i love all the ships!

this one turned out super cute and i'm really happy! honestly there's nothing much to say, i just think that they deserve a cute little date with no danger of anything.

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Letters in Paper Airplanes

madomika

okay so backstory on madomika. me and some friends were playing frantic fanfic earlier in the year and then ended up with this ship? so CLEARLY. _CLEARLY_. I DECIDED TO BE INSANE ABOUT IT. because i love madoka and i love mika so clearly i am insane about this.

they're just so cute and understanding and soft spoken, but they really do care about each other a lot! in general, i think mika deserves a lot!

this fic is actually the 5000th (i think. or 6000th) a3 fic on ao3! my friend also wanted to be that milestone fic but i beat her to it and it was a little petty of me ;;; sorry aud

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Love is Stored in the Car's Center Console Box

igawa & tenma, father's day

father's day fic! this one's pretty straightforward, i just adore tenma and igawa's relationship and i hope we get to see them more moving forward! i like to contrast tenma's relationship with issei vs with igawa. umm. igawa best dad.

- - -

The Ocean at Sunset

hisohoma, established relationship, dresses

this was for a pride month exchange! umm, honestly, i'm not auper sure if i captured what my giftee wanted, but i had fun writing it! i... actually i just like writing hisoka as down bad as humanly possible.

it was challenging for sure, tho! because i. am not good at writing hisoka, despite him being my fave. so i'm not sure what compelled me to write in hisoka's pov. but i think it worked out!

- - -

You've Got My Time, You are My Plans

tonoita, established relationship, breakfast

this was supposed to be for the "spoiled" prompt of rarepair week, but i finished it early, got another idea for the prompt, and then decided to just post it solo instead.

i am. coming out as a tonoita liker. they make me feel vicious. feral. it's insane. this was kickstarted because my friend likes them and i got dragged in. funny banter. but also they are exes. but also they are still in love with each other. they both hurt each other but they are both stubborn. i want them to make out.

- - -

10.

(before you went on a journey) i had something that i wanted you to hear

banri & itaru, background chikaita, nobles au

another comm for cg! this one's based off an au that i have called prestige au, where basically as a kid itaru was forced to move out and live alone in a separate manor as his noble family, and his isolation continues to adulthood causing rumors to spread. banri's his bio brother in this one.

it was tricky to write because i got used to expanding this au verse through rp, but writing it out like this was fun too!

if you're curious, you can ask me about prestige au because i love my little blorbo. my little fumkin guy.

- - -

11.

everything stays right where you left it

banmisu, first meeting, canon compliant

day 1 of rarepair week for the pairing "forgotten". um. okay, the thing is, i'm pretty sure banmisu wasn't my original plan for this. i'm fairly sure it was supposed to be some other ship actually, but things changed and i don't remember what the original ship was! also i forgot where i put the original list of ships i was gonna do so yeah.

banmisu brainrot is juju's fault btw. that's all. i think banmisu is such an interesting ship to think about. this is also partially mikael's fault i think but that's from years ago. please feed me more.

- - -

12.

Silk-Spun Threads

azutsumu, slightly more mature idk

I AM THE NUMBER ONE AZUTSUMU ADVOCATE. it's up there as one of my favorite fuyu ships, right beside tsumuhiso! i think as a pair they're super slept on so i decided that yeah. i think they're neat. i think this super hot and gorgeous and sensual person should be _down fucking horrendous_ for the chuuni mushroomhead with dirt on his face.

that is to say, please make more azutsumu food i need this

- - -

13.

How to Melt Your Gamer Boyfriend

hisoita

OKAY THIS ONE. day 3 - heat haze. the other prompt was downpour. and actually, this day was supposed to be banmado downpour where bamri shows up at fuyou while it's raining to pick madoka up from class. and i ended up not writing it because i was struggling so i settled for the good, old-fashioned itaru pov cute fluffy fic.

i love hisoita a normal amount. i think this is the only hisoita i wrote this year but 2022 was the year of hisoitas (thank you bee and quill), and ali (hisoita oomf) is definitely a major part of my brainrot

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14.

Starlight

juligawa, we ignore canon, fluff

i'm pretty sure the tumblr ppl don't know about juligawa which is super funny. i love talking about juligawa because i love seeing people like WHY ARE YOU SHIPPING JULY AND IGAWA and my answer is that it's fun.

this is the only rarepair week fic i actually finished before the week (aside from the tonoita one) and i was so excited to share it to specifically attack oomf. ryu ryukogo ceo of juligawa real! i am so attached to this funny little crackship i hope them happiness

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15.

Wheel of Suits

citoju, citron harem au

i feel like this one requires a lot of context. um. back in 2020/2021 i ended up in a discord roleplay game where basically my friend and i roleplayed citron and july respectively. and the thing is that they literally just antagonized each other the whole time and then we decided that _yeah we are ill for this ship now_ so yeah.

citron harem agenda is an entirely separate au where everyone i ship with citron is part of his bigass royal harem. this is literally everyone from tsuzuru to azuma, barring guy, plus augju. you can also ask me about this if you want. each of them has a specific like little character arc and they have fun little limk skills and everything.

okay, back to citoju. umm. so the thing is. this wasn't supposed to be the first citoju fic. but i did not have the time or energy to write a 20k fic featuring truth and betrayal and first love and separation and forgiveness and tenderness so here we are. nonetheless. i love em.

- - -

16.

Hollow Gods

harutsumu, first meeting, pre-canon

i really... really... like harutsumu. i think they're fun and they are _actors_, and they have so much love and passion for it that it makes me want to make them kiss. i also like to think about how fucked up godza was to like. everyone. literally everyone. even reni. no one was winning. if i could i'd love to expand harutsumu's dynamic and relationship but idk.

- - -

17.

Caravan

georgetim, lucitim, kazuhoma, kazutsumu, lumicirc

i am so insane and fucked up over georgetim you would not believe it. okay first off this was supposed to be purely kazutsumu because they're one of my fave ships to think about, but then lumicirc happened.

i hate lumicirc. because. GOD.

i'm just going to copy and paste the essay gave my friend because i am ill over them

anyway. this is fucking horrible why is tim so in love with george. why are they clown augju. george is so DUMB and a ditz and totally golden hearted and tim is more realistic and logical but at the same time he owes george his everything and he loves george so much for being there for him and giving him a family and i just. god what the fuck the pining i hate this stupid ship i feel very violence

they have me in a VISE GRIP george is such an idealist and an optimist and tim is the realist that levels him out, but even in the play you can tell that tim does care about george so much and he's the only one who stayed when nick and will both left but tim has always been by his side!! they even trained together doing circus acts when they were younger

tim can come off kind of cold but he's just like. a little blunt and i care about him a lot he's very realistic but he's not a bad guy,, he wants the circus to succeed too, just like george. they're working for the same dream. i am crying

anyway, please consider

- - -

18.

you could be my queen, i could be your dream

summer troupe, frantic fanfic, humor

after rarepair week i got into a super writing slump for like a solid 3 months, where i could barely write anything. this one was for an exchange that i signed up for a few months prior, but finishing it gave me a sense of accomplishment. like, i had to sit down and write and write _something_ and i did and i finished it and i like it!

so about the fic. it's so stupid. don't let the title fool you, it's literally just a funny little fic where summer troupe writes franfic. i had like a spreadsheet open for everything and all the pairs that went together and who everyone got i swear i'm sane.

- - -

19.

Black and Red Dress

mukuyuki, minatori, last runway, +3ghosts, major character death, hospitals

this one was a commission for ryu! minatori (minato [muku +3ghosts] and kikukawa [yuki last runway]) the world! the ship started because of just some silly roleplay we did on a whim and then we got attached. god. they are cute and tragic, best combo

i actually finished this comm the day after ryu asked for it because i went insane and speedran it. ummmm. :> yeah.

- - -

20.

Stapler Eater and Papercut Boy

bansaku, soulmate au, first meeting

comm for raina! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS THE ONLY BANSAKU FIC I WROTE THIS YEAR. actually, the entire year i was struggling to write as much as last year but you know what. i'm okay with that actually. 20 fics is still a lot. anyway.

soulmate au where the marks on your skin appear on your soulmate's skin. it's super cute and fluffy and me and raina talk about their funny little dynamic on twitter and i just love it. i love them.

- - -

bonus!

Memory Foam

citochika, non explict sex

this one's on anon actually but yeah i wrote it. i was having a time. i love citochika and the trust and love in their relationship. i love writing chikage in nsfw situations and then making it unbearably soft and tender. i'm normal. 👍

- - -

bonus!

twitter rp thread speedrun! (i'm not linking these, that's embarrassing.)

hazuki au

i want him to be happy. do you ever think about what if the org found out about mankai? yeah. fucked up. but he's my baby and i care him so much i'm sorry for traumatizing him

74 threads

ngl not all of my writing in these threads are my favorite but you know it's super fun coming up with thoughts and ideas for july to torment itaru so

sunflower july au

...... july nice guy era? i wish i'd finished it. but anyway. i think i can fix him

hafez au

i'm sorry i keep fucking up the bunny, i didn't mean it! yes i did. i think it's fun to watch chikage react to various horrible situations. i love the hurt part, but i love the comfort part. i love seeing him heal and get over his past and move forward. yes i know i gave him that horrible past but you can't just say secret mercenary spies and leave it at that a3

- - -

OKAY END. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. if you clicked any of the links i love you. hope to write more next year! :3

#a3 #lanchan talks #fic writing wrapped

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m1ckeyb3rry · 5 months ago

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I have complete faith in you I will resist Karasu for hollyhock o7

You know what’s funny I literally just passed by a tiktok explaining Nagi’s character in depth like we’ve discussed like finally?? That’s a first especially on tiktok LMAO

Bro imagine he pulls out the cops and robbers metaphor and is just towering over you the entire time defending…or when Nagi and Barou slammed their heads against each other trying to block a goal if it weren’t Barou and Nagi someone would def be getting whack-a-moled like….(and fr hot guys but at what cost….if you don’t happen to land yourself in the tabieitaken stratum or maybe Team Z you can kiss your sanity goodbye LMAO

FRR HAHAHA when they first came out I had no idea wtf they meant but now I see it LOL Everyday I get more excited for S2 it’s going to be so hype…hoping I don’t have a booked out schedule in October SHEGSH

Every now and then I think about rereading but now that you mention it I’ve gotta abstain until October LMAOOO hoping the epinagi chapters and main series chapters will tie me over

No because the younger Aiku photos >>> I’ll admit even then I’m not like the BIGGEST fan but I could see myself getting swayed at some point or another…(speaking of which they really decided to randomly drop Aiku into Barous LN LMAO I keep seeing posts about it like…did they ever acknowledge it in the main series and also the way they’re both on Ubers now is so funny)

No fr…sometimes I think considering the amount of fboy trope fics I see I’m surprised people aren’t jumping at the chance to write for Otoya and Aiku?? Like you literally have the canon example right there LMAO but who am I to tell people what to write LOL

No like?? Also Rin’s bday is in September and Nanase in January?? I’m not sure who comes first though because everything I try to think about the school system they’re set in I lose my mind but either way like ??? LMAOOO I love seeing content or fanart about PXG interactions where Karasu’s like clowning everyone I need to see more PxG interactions….him and shidou would be so funny trolling everyone and using up all the hair wax in bllk

I feel like they’ll probably sprinkle in some anime only mini moments with him?? Especially since they already decided to announce his VA surely he isn’t only talking in that one post credit epinagi scene right…I remember when they first announced his va before we heard him actually talk I was a little thrown off because I remember confusing his VA for Rin’s because they sound really similar in some roles!! I was like no way they gave him the edgelord voice LMAO but whoever the voice director is is going above and beyond the voices match the characters so well…

I’m realizing that a lot of the additional times from S1 were actually drawn out in the manga blooper/bonuses too but lately/after the third selection there have barely been any?? Hoping that means we have hope for some original scenes with tabieitaken then!!!

Maybe it’s time we come out and admit that we’re the real authors of bllk…I fear the secret’s out…HSUUDHS HAIR DOWN BAROU also never fully processed how young his sisters seem?? It’s so cute shshshsh domestic Barou truly is the man….since everyone’s getting sibling reveals I’m manifesting so hard that that means tabieita next because LET ME SEE THEIR SISTERS SHEKESODJ I bet Karasu’s older sister is so cool too ugh imagine we get crumbs of her cheering him up after being bullied or we get sweet little Karasu and his grandma moments goodbye….I feel like after that home background bait from Hiori’s LN (where he gaslit him so hard LMAO) we deserve to know the truth…cmon don’t be shy show us the Karasu household……….

I’m (im)patiently waiting to find some source material for the LNs….hopefully soon….

Also this is kinda random but the aquarium visit has never left my mind…to the point where im like please let their next day off be a group aquarium visit LMAO but it’s reminding me of how some aquariums also have like…a bird exhibit/section..? Or like a butterfly dome (or both) where you can go let butterflies and birds land on you etc imagine everyone spreads out and runs towards the sea animals and then Karasu just beelines for the winged organism dome LMAO like he is NOT leaving there the most he’ll go to is penguins maybe since they’re birds but I can see him preferring flying birds (imagine him talking with Yukimiya like why do you like one of the only birds that can’t fly??? LMFAO) maybe im projecting the bird agenda a little too hard but i mean he canonically likes hawks so…as an avid bird fan myself I’d like to think that extends a sort of affinity net over all birds (like it does with me LMAO) sooo

-Karasu anon

YAYYY omg i was literally abt to finish the next chapter last night and then we lost power 😢 the world is against hollyhock but we will prevail…supposedly we will get it back today in the evening but it’s supposed to storm AGAIN tn 😭😩 so keeping my fingers crossed that the electricity comes back and stays for good

LET’S GOOOO in my experience people on tik tok are either super educated and have great takes or they’re absolutely brain dead 😭 i feel like i encounter a LOT of dudebros in the comments sections though 😔 have you watched that one girl who’s OBSSESSED w bllk’s videos?? they always make me giggle for how ridiculous they are…atm she’s simping over lorenzo which certainly is a choice FJKDSKKS

HELP MEEE imagine aiku calls you “lil robber-chan” bruh i’d kms…or like all of their vaguely sexual soccer talk?? fine between bros but as a woman i’m raising an eyebrow if aiku says he’s “rock hard” to me at any point the way he did to isagi 😭 like erm what does you mean by that buddy 🤨⁉️ HAHA agreed omg you’d have to hope and pray you get on a team w at least one normal person who you can rely on to get the others to leave you alone (like being on a team with tabieita [mostly for karasu because lbr otoya IS the problem], yukimiya, hiori, barou, team z, or team v with nagireo just because i feel like reo wouldn’t let any nonsense slide). otherwise you’re stuck w a bunch of guys who are already lowkey crazy AND are in some weird isolation camp where they are so deprived of female connection that they start simping for chigiri 👹

young aiku is a diff man entirely…okay i also laughed at aiku just randomly pulling up in barou’s backstory??? like ig it makes sense but also the way it’s not all implied in the main series 😩 ig the author did mention that barou didn’t remember much abt aiku so that’s why?? but their friendship in ubers is so cute like that one spread of aiku dying barou’s hair for him 🥹 honestly i love ubers out of all of the nel teams they’re the only one that feels like an actual team yk?? barou + niko + aiku + aryu is such a random combo but it works so well and lorenzo is so chill despite also being a ng11 like kaiser/sae that it’s always fun to see their interactions. plus barou during the ubers games 🤤…i saw a post that barou’s arm is bigger than isagi’s leg LMAOAOA WHAT A MAN 😭

i’ve noticed people tend to HATE canon cheaters/womanizers but love writing characters to be as such?? i think it’s because turning a womanizer into someone loyal feels like you’re making them ooc whereas that trope of “fixing” a man is more plausible when you’re just returning them to their base characterization??? idk if that makes sense but i think that might be a reason for it. although i will say i have seen a lot of aiku fics he’s kinda like the toji of bllk i feel 😭 terrified for what might happen once he’s animated i fear the comments will be crazy

i do not at all understand the bllk timeline like i think it starts in november because apparently sae turns 18 during second selection?? but then i just saw a post that says apparently isagi is also 18 now?? like how long have they been in bllk KFHFKDNS i could not tell you 😭 although all of this info is also screenshots from the editable wiki so who knows how accurate it is 😔 FJSKSN but fr though i love seeing the posts where pxg is just karasu babysitting a bunch of idiots because that truly does feel like the dynamic at times 😟 like shidou rin zantetsu tokimitsu and charles all on one team…that man is working OVERTIME LMAOAOA technically shidou is older than him but let’s be real he does not act like it 💔 shidou gives me like problematic older brother that beats you up but he loves you at the same time vibes whereas karasu gives me responsible older brother who drives you to and from practice while lecturing you abt random stuff vibes HAHA i honestly wish we could see them interacting more!! karasu is part of the shidou setup along w zantetsu so they must spend time training together?? idk

THE VOICES ARE ALL SOOOOO GOOD i don’t think there’s been a single miss in the dub yet!! i agree i feel like there would’ve been no reason to hire and pay a voice actor for kurona if he wasn’t going to have a more significant role in the second season. like i said i feel like they’re going to set up a friendship between him and reo which i’m all for!! i think they would have a really cute dynamic

the secret is out everyone 😌 karasu anon and i are actually kaneshiro and nomura 🥱 i think we’ve been spot on w everything that’s come out HAHAHA like we were discussing karasu’s background and then it came out a bit in epinagi…then we were talking abt barou and now we have his ln…i sense a pattern 😦 also yes i want to see sweetheart grandson karasu + his older sister!! AND OTOYA’S SIBLINGS do they all have the same weird hair?? i’m so curious…also the background bait w karasu let me tell you i fell for that shit too 😭 got so hype that he was apparently also rich asf and i felt so bad for his sad backstory and then it turns out he was just messing around 😢

I WAS THINKING OF A BUTTERFLY DOME VISIT OMGGG WE ARE ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH!! and yes i hc karasu as a bird lover in general what w his crow aesthetic and his fav animals being hawks!! i do think he probably likes birds of prey a bit more but in general he probably just likes all birds and thinks they’re cool

#answered asks #hollyhock

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danpuff-ao3 · 2 years ago

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6 + 16 + 25 for the reader ask game

Hey there! Thanks for the asks!

6.) What's your absolute favorite works you read this year?

Oh goshhhh!!!!! How to narrow down my loves. I'll stick to fics that were posted this year, yeah? Otherwise we'll be here all day. (I do a lot of rereads!)

~ Compulsory Figures by LilaDiurne (@liladiurne)

I hate to do this to her, but like...Okay, my friend Lila is so very gifted and I adore all of her work, but Compulsory Figures blew my socks off. Smug, famous Severus and starstruck Harry???? The smut is stupid hot. I can't tell you the number of times I've reread this fic. It's ridiculous. It's a Muggle figure skating AU!!!!! All that elegance and grace and beauty I associate with figure skating and all the questionable hotness of Severus abusing his fame and power to seduce pretty boys?? Yes please and thank you.

~ Ghosts of Christmas by PinaNaponi (@vulnerasanenturmyprince)

My sweet Nina. She has produced so many excellent fics, but this one from Adopt-a-Prompt still stands out to me. Found family fluff plus family history angst. It's set at Spinner's End (which I'm always a sucker for) and features Eileen (who I'm also a sucker for.) Postwar recovery, set during Christmastime! Combines my love of Snarry in particular with my love of Severus himself, and how that love extends to learning more about his history and exploring more of where (and who) he came from and how it shaped him.

~ A Life Worth Remembering by Writcraft (@writcraft)

This is especially special since it's established Drarry that becomes Drapery. It's very rare that I can read Harry or Snape with others, even if it's both of them with others. I have very strange, specific feelings about my OTP, okay? But I've always loved Writ's work, and I knew they were very excited to get this work finished and posted, so I couldn't resist giving it a chance. And I'm so glad I did! (Should have known I could trust them!) It's such a unique premise, and it's de-aging the only way I like it (as in: retaining an age gap!) The exploration of each individual connection (between Harry and Draco, and Harry and Severus, and Draco and Severus), and how they all work together. The struggles they face. And how real and human they all feel. And while I've been able to read the occasional Drapery in the past, this is the first one that really made me see it. This convinced me it could be real, as more than just a bit of smut to scratch an itch. (For me personally, this is just about my weirdly specific ship feels LOL.)

~ The Lamb of Tartary by eldritcher

One of few WIPs I follow! Such a strange, dark fairytale-esque story! I still owe them a comment on chapter 2, I believe...Which means I need to reread, oh no. EYES. Eldritcher always has such unique ideas and such a unique writing style and every one of their works is stellar, but this one especially captured my mind and heart, and I'm so excited for the third and final chapter to be posted!

~ The Afterlight by perverse_idyll (@perverse-idyll)

Another of the very few WIPs I follow! Listen, PI has been my biggest writing crush for the longest time. I've been reading since The White Road, okay (still one of my top fave Snarries of all time, btw.) To get several new stories from PI this year was such a treat! Social Lubricant was such a joy, and I'm so excited to see where The Threefold Death goes, but The Afterlight has my heart. We're barely in the story at all but I already have a feeling it'll end up on my faves list one day, when all is said and done. Her characterizations of Harry and Severus are, as ever, fully on point and exactly how I like them, as is their electric dynamic. Her prose is as gorgeous as ever, and the story itself is full of the grit and humanity and passion I'm forever in love with. I could not be more jazzed about this story and I about die whenever I see an update. (Speaking of which, this is another one I owe a comment on...Oops! I'll get there soon, PI, I swear!)

16.) Were you comments coherent or mostly screaming?

Ahahahahaha. People tell me I'm more coherent than I think I am, so who knows. I make solid attempts at being coherent that I feel turn into babbling, rambling nonsense.

I think my comments for my favorites all turned out to be a good combination of both? Like "this work is so great and it blew my mind and it deserves me waxing poetic, but also my brain is melted so this is hard."

25.) Do you read on your phone or on your computer?

Prior to this year, I'd have said my Kindle! I was doing so good about reading all my fics there, but I got a bit lazy this year and have been reading on my phone instead. I think I've only read on my computer for helping check fest fics, or looking over fics for friends on Google docs. I don't like "checking" fics on my phone, it's easier for me to get in the right mindset for that on my computer.

ao3 wrapped: reader's edition

answered: 5, 9; 6, 16, 25

#asked & answered #ao3 wrapped #reader's edition

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justbelievinginmagic · 3 years ago

Text

I Need U - Chapter 1: Chase ‘em

a super-slow burn hyyh / bangtan universe au ft oc x taehyung, oc x seokjin, yoongi x jungkook, ot7 & oc being pals.

series summary: Song Nari still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. How was she here? Stuck in a world that felt more like a nightmare than reality. How did she end up here - wishing at a lookout point above the rolling sea in the dead of night besides a high school friend that she hadn’t seen or talked to in over a year? How did she end up here after all she did was chase down the seven delinquents who graffitied her car to give them a piece of her mind?

chapter summary: A traffic jam was the last thing she wanted right now - or so she thought.

warnings: implied/referenced drug and alcohol use, explicit language, Bangtan Boys are delinquents, oc is kinda angry-dumb, run mv havoc.

wordcount: 4.4K

A/N: hi this chapter has been rewritten & reposted as of June 2022. Its been a year since starting to write I Need U and I want so badly to finish it. So I started to reread it (since i did take a hiatus away from it and lost the voice of the characters). I discovered rewriting bits just to tighten up their relationships/experience/etc was really fun so here we are lol. If you have been reading I Need U for a while, major plot points will not be changing as of now - but these chapters are rewritten for more clarity. you wont be missing out on anything if you dont reread them but their relationships/personalities are a bit more fleshed out.

series’ masterlist

| → next chapter

A traffic jam doesn’t often change your life.

Traffic jams are the worst usually. That’s what Song Nari thought as she groaned out at the sight of rows and rows of red brake lights. The tunnel she was stuck in gleamed in a hue of rubies and amber light; the night sky at the end of tunnel seemed so far away. Her fingernails tapped against the side of the steering wheel with a rising tempo; each jab of her nails into the wheel dug deeper and deeper until there were a series of crescent moons in the dark worn leather.

The day had been horrible – and this traffic jam was just the cherry on top of a terrible sundae. First, it had been a surprise exam. Nari had been so focused on her mathematics exam that she hadn’t remembered her history class had an in-class essay. It was frustrating; she can still feel the flush of her cheeks and churn of her stomach at the announcement. Nari had wanted to hide or cry or throw something at a wall. She could already hear her family once she received the grade (“This grade, Nari-ah?” Disappointment that sliced her skin. “Your sister did so much better in school. You need to work harder. How else will you get into a good university?”)

A surprise exam couldn’t just be it, no, then there was work. Her part-time job at the local ramen shop was typically boring - except for today, of course. Customers seemed to just know when someone is feeling bad. One middle-aged woman criticized her for being not “cheerful enough” while taking her order. Then, they hadn’t tipped. Nari could feel the anger boiling at her bones – like she was the very ramen broth being reduced in a pot in the kitchen.

After cleaning and locking up the shop alone, you’d think life would be looking up with the closing of the day. But then, there was this. This stupid traffic jam.

A fucking traffic jam on a Thursday night.

She twisted her neck this way and that, cracking it as the radio played in crinkled, poorly transmitted sequences. This tunnel was notorious for blocking radio signals – and despite being a modern teenager, Nari’s phone had a low battery she couldn’t risk worsening using it for music. Her AUX cord dangled tantalizingly nonetheless. Cars were restless, edging closer and closer to bumpers that were barely moving.

And then, the cars began to honk.

Nari huffed out a sigh. Honking didn’t do anything; didn’t these people know that? She was only sixteen – a fresh new driver – and she knew that. The honks were a cacophony of noise, mixing unpleasantly with her shitty radio transmission. Both rising and rising in her ears until her hand shot out to turn off the radio with a thud. Her finger hurt from the force. Her head ached even more. Her other hand rose to rub at her forehead; a day’s worth of sweat and smudges of half-worn off foundation came off as she lowered her hand. Can’t this day end? The noise only grew, honks blending together into a rumble of a monster’s roar. Was there an accident or something?

Breathing roughly from her nose, Nari tried to peer around the cars in front of her, her head clanking against the glass of her driver-side door’s window. The spring-time chill clinging to the glass helped the beginning of her headache. Her eyes were hurting from the light – her contacts felt dry. All she wanted was to be home in her bed. But instead, she was here, stuck in what felt like an isolation in the universe, a time-loop of a traffic jam.

Glancing out, she couldn’t see anything around the car in front of her – too jam packed like sardines in a can. Her eyes fell shut for a moment in frustration. She could feel it building up like a pressure cooker. Her patience was running thin.

There was something else among the honking competition outside suddenly. Her eyes flashed open at the sound. It was yells, shouts, screeches. Panic struck through her – what was that? Pressing her face closer to the window, she finally caught a glance.

Teenage boys. Six of them to be exact, running throughout the cars. Weaving back and forth with crowing laughter. They were tossing things into the air. Her brows furrowed as she tried to spot what it was, eyes bugging when she realized it was food. Chips and fries. Drinks were thrown onto windshields.

One of the boys – with orange dyed hair – jumped atop a car, tossing the remains of his chips roughly at the car windshield before standing tall and proud. A friend of his with pink hair handed a take-away cup to him, his face falling into what Nari could only make out as a dazed nonchalance before he sloppily poured the remains of the drink of the windshield. He lazily dropped the cup near immediately afterwards.

Nari was shell shocked. Her mouth parted in a perfect ‘O’, and her eyes blinking once, twice. What the fuck was going on? Why – and how – were they doing this? They were going to get arrested.

Another boy – one that seemed taller and with a too eager look in his eyes – crouched down to spit his drink into one of the cars’ open windows in a large plume of sugary spray.

Quickly, her gaze moved to her car locks. Her hand shifted to flick at the toggle, making sure they were locked tight. As soon as her gaze rose back to the anarchy in front of her, she let out a scream, flinching back in her seat.

One of the boys, a teenager with shaggy hair that was also dyed a bit – was it electric green at the tips? – was pushing himself onto her car’s hood. Her old car creaked and rumbled, but he didn’t care as he leaned forward, over the windshield. His fisted hands came rushing down onto her windshield’s glass with a thud. He let out a loud “boo!”.

He wanted to spook her, and when he saw her surprised, wide-eyed face and her little jump, he was granted what he wanted. Her lips were a pout, and her dark brown eyes glistened wide with shock. He let out a laugh, hazed eyes falling shut for a moment as Nari looked on bewildered. He was high enough that everything seemed harmless yet like he was in control even as he felt the car’s metal moan beneath his weight. His smile was wide and boxy, looking chaotic and wild on his face.

While she was scared, frightened by the chaotic scene, Nari was still utterly angry. This – this – was keeping her from going home. A bunch of dickhead teenagers who wanted to cause chaos for fun while they’re high on whatever drugs they found in a back alley. There was a spark of bravery – or stupidity – in her veins at the thought. Her face quickly fell being that of a doe-eyed victim into something scrawled into a scowl. Her eyes bore into his face. His laughter was still overtaking him, shaking his form. His half-mooned, pupil-blown eyes bore tears of amusement.

When he finally got another glance at her (he was itching to see that sweet innocent look of surprise again), he didn’t expect to see the mean glare. His tongue licked at his lower lip, tasting strawberry soju that still stained his lips. He was about to throw her a smirk when she startled him. His eyes widened as he watched – and felt – her slam down heavily on her steering wheel’s horn with the palm of her hand. The noise was loud and piercing, but there was already a blur of sounds among them. Honks, cheers, curses, hoots, and hollers. The boy with green highlights in his dark hair could feel the thrum of the horn beneath his hands and knees though.

And he laughed again. It felt like a challenge in his dazed-out brain. Everything about the situation was fun and free and playful to him; after all, he felt like he was on top of the world for once in his life. How this stranger looked - her glowering glare, the cock of her brow as she continued to press down on the horn of her steering wheel – it felt like a challenge to that autonomy.

He'd show her.

Tilting his head in challenge, he simply smiled, close lipped, before he reached into the inner pocket of his white leather jacket and pulled out something. At first, she feared the worse. Eyes widening a smidge more into the near doe-eyed looked (that if he was being honest, he liked). Nari’s heart raced in her chest. What if it was a gun or something? Gun violence was rising in Korea again – enough that she carried pepper spray on her key chain and her sister had lectured her on safety. Surely, a couple of teenagers wouldn’t have a gun.

And she was right. It was certainly not a weapon, but the sight of it made her trickling fear roar into an anger once more. An anger that made her hands tremble, her nose scrunch. The type of anger that tempted her to jump out of her car right then and there.

He wouldn’t dare.

Quickly, with laughter tumbling from his lips again, the boy began to spray something on her car. Spray paint. Bright red spray painting spattered and dripped. A large X was drawn over her windshield, blocking part of her view.

The can must’ve been near-empty with how it sputtered and splattered about messily. He didn’t mind though, dropping it lazily off her car with a clank. Instead of standing like his friend had, he leaned closer, looking down at her through a mostly-unpainted part of her windshield. The smell of aerosol paint burned his nose pleasantly as he ran his tongue over the back of his teeth. Cocking his head, he raised his brows at her and smiled. Their eye contacted lasted a moment too long, her nose flaring with her anger.

What the actual fuck? What does she do? Did this really just happen? What could she do? Honking can’t fix any of this bullshit – he just ruined her car with paint. Nari’s mind was in a spin, fueled by her anger and bewilderment. They never taught you how to handle a teenager spray painting your windshield – while you were behind the wheel – at driving school.

His boxy smile was prideful as he watched her anger blur into wide eyed shock. He had won. Won what? He – and she – didn’t know; he just knew he felt good. It felt good to cause trouble.

The shaggy, green-tipped hair man slid off her car with little grace considering how high or drunk he must’ve been. He offered her a wink of his eye before he began to turn away to join his other delinquent friends. She then noticed the truck that was blocking the way – T-boning the traffic to a stop.

Nari never handled her anger well – never could let an argument end without her having the last word. Without much thought (except that they were retreating), the teenage girl rolled down her window. The smell of aerosol paint lingered in the air, a sharp reminder (besides the huge fucking ‘X’ on her car) of what just happened. Leaning her head out, watching as her vandal slung his arm around the shoulders of a staggering boy, one wearing a black leather jacket and had minty blue hair, she decided with how bad her day was that it couldn’t get worse.

“Fuck you,” Nari shouted at them.

The spray paint boy heard a feminine voice pierce through the horns and shouts of his friends and looked back over his shoulder. Leaning out of the car he had climbed upon and spray painted was the driver girl with the angriest scowl on her face and a middle finger brandished towards him. He laughed, letting his older friend tug him along towards the large black truck that was blocking the way.

Taehyung felt alive.

“The cops are on their way!” Another driver with their window down cried out, spurring the boys to begin to run.

Nari watched as the black truck, a new black truck with mud already on its big wheels, revved up and reeled around to being to drive off. Tires squealed as the boys ran alongside it. Some hopped up onto the open bed of the truck as it drove past. Others who were stumbling drunk ran alongside it. Nari noticed how the license plate was covered up. Someone in that group of delinquents had a brain cell it seemed. (Just one though.)

Nari was a smart girl – she studied often; she worked at her part-time job dutifully. But she was frustrated. Angry and stressed and frightened. She wanted to yell into the open air. She wanted them not to get away with it. Because she knew those fools would get away with this. It was late; they had hidden their license plate; they were driving away.

She knew it was stupid what she wanted to do – but this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for her. Nari was going to follow them. She was going to give them a piece of her mind, something!

When traffic began to move (after all, the car that had been the problem was gone), she was zooming in the direction the truck went. All Nari could focus on was finding that stupid fucking truck. Tonight.

Admittedly, she didn’t know how she found the car sitting in the dark near the train tracks. Maybe it was fate or stupid luck. But she couldn’t stop the cheer of triumph leaving her lips. Because it had taken an hour. An hour of driving about, keeping her eyes peeled for a black car in the dark of night. The entire drive only fueled her anger. Every time she saw that stupid ‘X’ covering her driving vision, all she could feel was a rush of rage. Seven idiots. They couldn’t have gone far – they hadn’t. The moment she spotted the muddy side road with the hint of tire tracks, she had to check.

Nari was sure her mother was worried sick. Her shift had ended hours ago; it was past curfew on a school night. She had heard her phone buzzing on and off all night in her backpack in her trunk until it went quiet – probably running out of battery life. At this rate, she knew she was going to be grounded, but if she was going to already by punished, she was going to succeed in her self-given mission: giving these assholes a piece of her mind.

The dark road gave way to a large clearing – with shipping containers scattered about. A warm glow shined against the matte varnish of the containers. There was a half-made camp in front of the dark black truck (that still had its license plate covered). And there were seven boys lounging about the campfire, lulling into sleepiness from fading drunkenness and/or highs.

Taehyung, sporting his ivory-white leather jacket still, had been munching on a bag of chips he’d stolen from Jungkook’s backpack. Namjoon, now wearing his baseball cap low over his pink hair, fiddled with the logs in the fire, nudging them this way and that way with a long stick. Jungkook, bundled up in a soft (and not-at-all-threatening) sweater, was resting his head on Hoseok’s lap, feet propped up on Yoongi’s lap. Yoongi – with his mint hair messy – was fiddling with his lighter, the flame bittersweetly licking his thumb’s skin with every ignition. Hoseok’s once eager face was now exhausted as he stared into the fire sleepily while Jimin with orange hair tossed rocks into the fire, lightly laughing whenever he managed to knock into Namjoon’s stick. Seokjin – the get-away driver – was going through the photos he had taken earlier that day with his new polaroid camera. Some were good; others were shit; it was difficult to take photos when they were all collectively drunk or high or even just buzzed off the energy of each other. He sighed occasionally as he dropped one into the crackling fire – watching as the flame licked away at the image of Yoongi and Hoseok’s blurred figures.

There was a comfortable cozy air around them even with the chill of the spring midnight creeping in. They almost didn’t hear the other car pull up they were so comfortable, but the bright headlights did catch Taehyung’s attention.

“Woah, woah, woah, shit,” the boy mumbled out in shock as he spotted the new figure approaching their hideaway. Even in the back light of the headlights, he recognized her. And the car in the distance – with the large ‘X’ on its windshield – yeah, he recognized that.

“Fuck!” Taehyung cursed out as he scrambled and stumbled over the broken concrete slab they were sitting on.

“Tae, what’s wrong?” Jungkook queried, brows pinching together until he followed the older boy’s gaze.

Anyone could tell she was angry. It was clear in the way her fists were curled up and the way she was stalking up to them. Fuck, without even knowing who she was, they all were quick to be careful. Especially with Taehyung’s coward-ish behavior. The group of boys moved to try to get up – Jungkook’s feet kicked against Yoongi’s hand as he moved; Jimin reached out to shake at the still hazy Hoseok. They had to run, run, run.

“Oh no way, not this time!” Nari growled out.

She was quick, running up to the group before anyone could go anywhere. Even more, she grasped Taehyung by the wrist – no way could she forget his face nor his way too shaggy hair with the green tips.

“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you, huh?” Nari bit out, struggling to keep a grasp on the squirming man.

Another man – with a baseball cap on – tugged him out of her grasp. This guy was tall, lanky even, with pink and bleached hair spilling out from the sides of his hat. Her glare shifted to him. Namjoon didn’t flinch from it, but he did let out a breath. Her eyes were burning with rage. What the hell did Taehyung do? This couldn’t be a scorned girlfriend or one night stand – Taehyung didn’t do that.

“It was just for fun; I’m so sorry,” Taehyung apologized immediately; fear flickering over his face.

“Fun?” she repeated incredulously, taking another step towards him. “You fucking spray painted my car.” Taehyung quickly scampered to hide behind Namjoon, gripping onto his forearm. Her teeth bared in her frustration as he repeated a quiet “I’m sorry” again.

It was almost funny to Namjoon. Taehyung was a delinquent. A “jail bird” even. He ran from cops, flipping them off every other day. Yet here was a teenage girl yelling at him, and he didn’t have the balls to argue back. He was raising his hands in surrender.

Where was his ego now, she wanted to ask? Where was the challenge in his eyes? This guy was so different from the bastard who spray painted her car. Nari continued to glower up at Namjoon and Taehyung.

Never, ever, did Taehyung expect her to find him. Especially with the high and alcohol out of his veins. The liquid courage of drugs and too much strawberry soju was gone and now all that was left was a tired sixteen-year old boy who didn’t want to fight. Taehyung hated fighting with a passion. He’d rather run.

“It’ll wash off,” Namjoon countered, trying to soothe Nari.

His lanky form gave off an aura – as if he was bulkier and stronger than he was; maybe, more mature. Taehyung was partially covered by him, peering over at the crazy girl who followed them. Namjoon’s brows raised up pleadingly; his hands rose up as if calming a frightened animal.

How the hell were these the same boys who made a traffic stop to cause chaos? In fact, they were all looking at her like she was the wild one. Was she in an alternate universe or something?

“You didn’t answer my question,” Nari snapped, looking over at Taehyung again. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“What do you want us to say, huh?” the mint-haired guy called from his spot. He looked oddly at peace with the situation, minus the loud yelling. He was sitting, lounging back on his forearms. “We were stupid?” he offered, as if there was nothing else to say.

“And high,” a smaller voice piped up – the orange haired boy, Jimin. He – at least – looked concerned about the situation.

“You were assholes,” she corrected. “It wasn’t just me you screwed over. You’re lucky no one else had the fucking time or balls to follow you. You’re lucky the police couldn’t be damned with tracking you done because you covered your license plate. Next time, take your “fun” and shove it up your asses. Some of us can’t afford to fix the things you fucking damage.” She pointed harshly at Taehyung. “Next time you feel like playing God, go play on the train tracks or some shit.”

They were promptly shut up by her. Namjoon and Taehyung had been in jail before – for fights and vandalism charges. Jungkook often was in fights – even if the others didn’t know. They weren’t exactly a weak group. They weren’t even particularly good kids; they caused more chaos than good-will. It was fun for them.

But never did they have someone follow after them and tell them off. Never did someone ever stand up against them so valiantly. Their mouths were open in shock. There was a bit of credit that had to be given to the mystery girl – even if she was acting crazy.

Nari let out a breath. It felt great to yell; she had wanted to yell at the top of her lungs the entire day if she was being completely honest. Her chest heaved a bit as she glared at the group of shell-shocked boys.

With adrenaline and elation still pumping through her veins, she took a step forward. Taehyung gripped Namjoon’s arm a bit. Frightened… as if she was going to harm him. Namjoon’s gaze hardened despite the internal panic racing through him. Shit, was he going to have to fight a girl? He never wanted nor had fought a girl before! He didn’t want to.

Yet all Nari did was reach down for a blanket resting on the ground, dirt tumbling from the fabric as she shook it out. The group’s glare became curious. Silence overtook them; the only noise in the air was the crackling of the fire and the hum of her engine idling.

“What are you doing?” One of the boys piped up, his voice indignant but fairly weak. She didn’t even glance at him.

Stepping up onto her car tire, she wiped at the red paint, smearing it about. Trying to haphazardly fix it. The paint had mostly dried by now, but it still smeared and smudged onto the green blanket. She worked at the paint more around the vision of the driver, but it was still futile. Her windshield looked like a murder scene, but she hoped it’d get her home safer than the ‘X’ would’ve. A few moments passed between them as she finished her work.

Hopping down from the tire, Nari tilted her head, a mimicry of how Taehyung looked at her earlier tonight as he spray-painted her car. She stalked back over to them, looking far less angry after her “revenge” and yelling fit. Lazily, she dropped the paint-covered blanket in front of them.

“There,” Nari muttered out.

There was one of the men who looked offended. His brows crinkled up in the middle of his forehead, his nose crinkling with them. She looked each one of them in the eye. While most were simply staring – still with a partially surprised look, some didn’t. The man in the soft blue sweater looked terrified with the biggest doe eyes she’s ever seen. The orange haired boy looked equally intimidated with his soft- looking eyes and plump lips pouting a bit. Another was glancing away, biting his lip. The one with mint hair stared at her with unaffected eyes. Pink hair and Spray Paint boy were still close together, staring at her in surprise.

She huffed, her hands unraveling from her fists.

“If I ever see you do this shit again, I will call the police or kick your asses or something,” she muttered out, pointing fiercely. Her threat admittedly was half-hearted. Nari wasn’t a fighter – an arguer, an angry person perhaps. But she wouldn’t harm anyone. Her hands were red with spray paint smudges; the red paint smeared onto her hoodie haphazardly.

There was an odd rush of power – probably similar to how Taehyung felt earlier in the night – doing this. Standing up for herself. But as soon as she turned away, as soon as the adrenaline began to wear off with each calming breath and step she took, things changed in her head.

Her heart raced. She just told seven guys she’d beat them up. What if they call the police on her? Her skin was burning hot in the cold night hair as she trekked back to her car. Her keys were still in the ignition, the engine rumbling low. All she did was hop in, a shaky breath leaving her as she looked on through her red tinted windshield. With headlights in their eyes, she saw the seven boys glancing between each other. Their mouths moved faintly, but with her door shut with a firm slam she couldn’t make out the words.

All she knew was that she had done what she had done. And it was time to get the hell out of here. Oddly enough, she was similar to them – running away after bold actions. Maybe that’s why there was an odd reverence in the boys’ eyes as she shifted her car into reverse and pulled out onto the dirt road to get onto the main highway.

“What the fuck was that?” Nari breathed out, elation and anxiety clashing together in a whirlwind.

Little did she know, Taehyung – staring after her car – murmured the same exact thing with a far different tone.

#i need u #bts au #hyyh au #kim taehyung fic #kim seokjin fic #taehyung x oc #seokjin x oc #bangtan universe au #yoongi x jungkook #bts hurt/comfort #bts hyyh fic #bts ff #bts fanfiction

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limitlessgojo · 3 years ago

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Blood Bound: Blackened Bond (Ch 19)

Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Graphic Depictions of Blood and Violence, Death, Gore, Japanese Mythical Folklore, No Major Character Death, Slight Horror, War

Previous Chapter: 百鬼夜行 - Hyakki Yakou

Next Chapter: Home with My Heart

Word Count: 3.96k 3.97k ish like rounds up to 4K

Tags: Kamo Noritoshi x Reader, Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader

Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, and specify if you're okay with NSFW posts or not, please mention it in the comments below ty ❤

Extra notes: Long. I suggest rereading the last chapter if you need a refresher. This is like more than twice the length of my first chapter lol.

Chapter 19: Stay With Me

You remain silent.

"No answer, hmm??" The Kitsune grinned. But deep inside she was pissed. Another technique of hers lies in knowing who you'd prefer to save and manipulating you into hesitating so that you’d lower your guard down.

You are the largest threat to them here in Kyoto after all. But you didn't trust so easily. Especially the words of a Special Grade curse who obviously has something planned.

You carefully took in a deep breath. And in less than a split second, you turned and ran towards Noritoshi, with one hand pointing behind you towards your cousin.

Your barrier activated around Hiroki while you moved to position yourself in front of Noritoshi. You whipped out your blades, ready to parry her thorns.

As soon as your feet moved from position, the magic circles flared and activated their sequence.

Both boys realized what happened after a few seconds, the Kitsune's attack and your movements were too fast for them to follow.

She had launched her thorns in your direction. You tried to block as much of them as you could, but some got through your openings.

There were too many, and it was much faster than you expected. It was hard, not fighting with a guard around you.

You numbly stared down at your open wounds, feeling the pain in a distant manner. She had cleanly pierced through your ribs. While her other large set of thorns had bounced off your barrier, protecting your cousin.

The magic circles beneath both boys disappeared, as did your warp around Hiroki.

��Y/N!!” Noritoshi stared in horror. Your back was still to him, but he could see the protruding blood-stained thorns. Time slowed down as blood gushed from your lips.

He catches you as you fall towards the ground. An insane heat spreads throughout your body. Something was very wrong.

She laughed maniacally at the scene unfolding before her. "Jujutsu Sorcerers are so weak. So easy! You all crumple at the sight of your most beloved ones in danger."

It's scary isn't it? Putting your life on the line for your comrades. Will you die today?

The Kitsune launches an attack at the both of you, but Hiroki quickly steps and defends against her. She is forced further back as Mechamaru shoots out a laser beam from a distance.

You were trying to use your reverse cursed technique, with no avail. Your hands and legs can't move. It's a temporary paralysis. So you couldn't pull out the thorns and then heal your wounds.

"Love! Talk to me! What's wrong?"

You couldn't even answer him or move your mouth. Blood continued seeping out of your wounds.

You slumped as Noritoshi gathered you in his arms. How unlucky. There were barely any curses anymore and yet this had to happen. But you had no regrets.

You looked up at Noritoshi with so much love in your eyes. But his own were filled with agony, screaming at you to hold on while blood was pouring down the side of your mouth.

Tears streamed down your face. You were happy, because you had the power to save the ones you love this time.

But you really wanted to grow old with Noritoshi. See the wrinkles line his face. Experience everything with him. You'd take him back in a heartbeat and tell him that he owned you and your heart since the day you met. That you loved him even when you thought he put on a farce to be with you.

Even if he were to love or be with another woman. Even if it pained you to think of him as a distant person in your life, being by his side was the happiest you've felt in your entire life.

He pressed his lips against yours, trying to give you more air. His hands trembling against the thorns embedded inside of you. Your blood was spilling everywhere, and he didn't want to look down to see his hands covered in red.

'There's so much blood,' he thought to himself, panicking. It was staining both of your clothes, dripping onto the pavement.

"Your reverse cursed technique! Use it!" He yelled hoarsely. In smooth movements, he ripped out the thorns one by one and applied pressure onto your wounds.

His heart plummeted as nothing happened. But he didn't lose faith. If you were paralysed, it was up to him to save your life.

Noritoshi did some quick thinking, remembering the content in the Gojo family records of Soulmates. He bit his thumb and forced his blood into your mouth.

"Drink my love, please drink it." Turns out you didn't have to do much. The blood hit your tongue, and he activated his technique on your blood.

Usually this would be impossible. Blood Manipulation only works on the user's own blood, but the power of soulmates isn't one to be taken lightly.

He read through your vitals, RBC (red blood cell), platelet, and WBC (white blood cell) count, and saw the rising blood pressure and temperature. He did his best to stabilize your vitals.

It worked. Your head cleared, and even while paralysed, you quickly managed to seal your wounds. You continued activating your reverse cursed technique, not stopping for a moment.

If it was any minute longer, you would have died. But Noritoshi worked way too fast out of desperation to keep you alive.

"Stay with me, angel. Good, your wounds are finally sealing." He leaned down and continued applying pressure onto the open punctures.

He continued to scan and manage your blood pressure, and found something. It was a foreign substance in your blood. Something like a black tar, attacking your insides and messing with your nervous system. Alongside with it was a poison slowly seeping through your blood.

"What on earth is that? Is that the technique of the Kitsune?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

But with complete hold over your blood, he was able to manipulate it into leaving your body by going outside one of your wounds.

It was so painful, more tears fell down the sides of your face, while you were still in paralysis.

"This will end soon, I promise. Hold on."

Noritoshi blocks out everything else. Completely ignoring Todo and Mechamaru who are facing the fox behind him.

As soon as the black substance was out, you finally could move, trembling and heaving out more blood.

"No, calm down. Calm down! Y/N!" He pressed you back down onto his lap as you tried to sit upright. “Love, please!”

Hiroki was fighting the Kitsune with tears running down his face, screaming bloody murder as he striked and aimed at it.

It seems as though the magic circles require a ton of cursed energy. The Kitsune doesn't seem to be activating them anymore. She was now on the defensive, not having expected reinforcements. Still, it was clear she overpowers them all.

A red symbol appeared on your right eye, a cross identical to Noritoshi’s red flowing scale mark. You bent over to the side and started puking out a blue substance mixed with your blood. Moving to kneel down on all fours, while Noritoshi held you.

“Get it all out, love, faster.” He was frantic like he’d never been before. Pressing a palm against your neck and forcing you to remove this new poison right away.

An alarming amount of blood came out of you and pooled on the concrete. Even though he knew you needed to force it out of your system, you were still losing blood fast, and it wasn’t good. Your skin slowly turns into a sickly pale shade.

Thank goodness for Noritoshi, who could help push out the poison with brute force. If you were stuck with anyone else, you'd be dead right now.

As soon as the poison is completely out, he pulls you up and away from the bubbling blue liquid on the ground. “Close your wounds. That’s enough. Anymore and you’ll lose too much blood.”

The mark on your eye disappears.

Noritoshi cradles you in his arms. Both of you were drenched in blood, the blood of the enemy and your own, but he didn't care as he held you close.

“Steady darling. Stay steady. You’re okay. You’re with me.” Tears continuously fell from his eyes. You tried to reach up, wanting to comfort him, but your arms could barely move. 'Don't cry Toshi. Please don't' You thought.

"I love you, please don't leave me alone. I can't live without you." He choked. With one hand on your wounds, Noritoshi did his best to ensure you didn’t lose any more blood. He tried to make it stay within your system, circulating properly.

You looked up at him with blood and tears running down your face. 'I love you too, Noritoshi, it's always been you. It has to be you,' you thought out loud.

You took deep breaths, grunting at the pain. The pounding headache you’ve had for a while slowly started to clear. You were now able to completely seal your wounds, trying to do it carefully to prevent scarring.

Noritoshi placed a hand over yours as you healed yourself. You turned to look at the Kitsune that was preoccupied with other sorcerers. They were going to die at this rate.

You feel light-headed and your eyes keep fluttering. It was hard to stay conscious at this point. Noritoshi slowly lifted your hand to kiss your knuckles ever so softly. “Stay with me, my heart.”

You will. If it was the last thing you’d do, you’d do anything to stay with him.

The reverse cursed technique activated and the wounds sealed tight and clean.

“I think I’m good now..." You tried to sit upright, breathing heavily. He worriedly looked over at you.

"You saved me, so I now owe you my life. Not that it's never been yours in the first place. Thank you for that Toshi," You heaved yourself up to stand, spitting out another mouthful of blood onto the ground.

“You saved MY life, darling. And what do you think you’re doing? You’re still hurt. Let’s bring you to the clinic. Come.” He beckoned you there.

"I didn't lose THAT much blood. It just looks really bad. Maybe a pint or two at most. I'll manage."

"No, you stay back. You need rest." He tried to push you to the direction of the clinic but you held fast.

Noritoshi stared into your eyes. They reflected the light of the fires behind him, making them look like glowing orbs of flame. You were his Phoenix, he realized. And he was utterly entranced by your charisma.

"I can still fight."

You knew your limits well, having trained all your life for a situation like this. Even now, your reverse cursed technique was activated in the background, simultaneously with your combat techniques.

Now that all the poison was out of your system, you only had to worry about the physical injuries.

"I don't want to lose you," Noritoshi whispered, broken.

"You won't. Because I'm much stronger than this, I promise you." You grabbed his wrist, "So stay with me. You said that just now right? I’ll stay with you, I promise."

“I can’t ever keep you down, can’t I?” He bitterly smiles to himself as he presses his forehead against yours. Eyes filled with pain, because he knew you were right. Jujutsu sorcerers always fight to surpass their limits.

“No, you can’t. But you already knew that since before, didn’t you? After all, you’re the same as I am.”

Noritoshi couldn't do anything else, but to kiss you. You returned it with just as much passion. It tasted of dirt and blood, but to both of you, it was like a breath of fresh air.

Both of your red strings slowly crept out into the open, invisible to everyone else except the two of you. The broken ropes reattached and you felt your mark burn for the first time in weeks.

But there was no time to celebrate.

"I've got this bitch to kill. Just watch the other curses in the area. I've got her."

He let out the biggest sigh you’ve ever heard. “Okay. I’ll be right here. Cleaning up the rest. Right behind you.”

Your eyes zeroed in on the Kitsune who turned to you, shocked that you had survived her poison.

She quickly pushed out another palm with the same insignia flashing in blood red. But you were faster, moving past Noritoshi's arms and in an instant, shoving both of your blades into her gut.

“Get back!” You yelled to everyone else. There was a reason as to why you were most effective when you did your missions alone.

She tried to pull away. Flames suddenly engulfed the both of you. But it didn't matter, because you've got a hold on her.

You didn't hesitate to choke her and wrap your legs around her waist.

"Fucking bitch," You spat out.

Her eyes flashed a brighter gold and the flames surrounding the both of you went even hotter. Burning the lamp posts and pavement in the vicinity. The ground warped and started flowing a bright red.

Noritoshi was forced back from the insane heat. The other curses and poor unprepared Jujutsu sorcerers closer to the both of you burst into flame and disintegrated.

You couldn't see anything at all. Just the Kitsune, and a wall of fire. You thought about the damages distantly, and automatically used your technique to fly high up in the sky with her still in your chokehold.

"We curses deserve to rule this land. Just as we did thousands of years ago during the Heian period. What makes you think you're any better than us? You pathetic Jujutsu sorcerers are slowly dying out while ignorant weak humans stay protected by their ignorance. What are you doing this for?" She hissed.

"I don't care about any of you curses," your throat closed up, anger rising at the thought of innocent sorcerers dying in the middle of combat.

"You could join us and be stronger!" She pleaded.

Fury was evident on your face. You gripped her throat tighter, your fingers wrapped in your spacial barrier to prevent you from her fire.

"Or you can shut up and die right here." You snarled.

The Kitsune saw that you were going for it. She raised her hand and the flames turned blue. If you weren’t fast enough you’d melt. This flame was far more than what you were used to handling.

What is stronger? Flame or ice?

You set Niflheim to the lowest setting you could.

"Absolute Zero."

Immediately the flames extinguished and turned to cold smoke. Ashes and steam billowed in the air, making it hard for anybody to see anything.

The Kitsune under you screamed as she slowly froze over. But she was still moving. Not enough?

You released your technique and the both of you did a free fall from the sky.

You took a leaf out of Satoru’s book and slammed her down hard on the pavement, simultaneously releasing Goldenrod with a proper activation at over 3000 volts. You've been perfecting this attack with Hiroki for weeks.

A loud crack of thunder with a flash of lightning shot out of your hands, incinerating her on the spot. Not a trace left as the curse disappeared into black smoke. The remnants of her final screams echoed in your ears.

You placed your palm against the still hot pavement and activated Niflheim to cool things down within the area. Steam fizzed out as the flames were put out.

You crouched down low on the ground to catch your breath, those last two attacks took a lot out of you and you were running low on cursed energy.

You have a lot. But it wasn't unlimited, unlike how Satoru could regulate his to an insane extent. Even now, you can feel some pain in your chest and try to heal yourself further.

You felt omnipotent. There's no other way to describe it. You say you hate fighting, but the rush of defeating a powerful opponent is like no other.

This side of you that enjoys beating down curses is rising, you couldn't stop smiling. But you felt a soft hand bring you slowly back down to earth.

"Darling?"

You looked up at him, still grinning. Ignoring the blood running down one side of your face.

"Darling."

Ah. That steady presence. The beautiful person whom you live for.

"My love, let's clear up the remaining curses. Celebrate later."

"Mmmm." You smiled at him, feeling yourself come back down.

You squeezed his hand. Noritoshi could feel your elation. It was almost electric. That ego rising up too high. Pride.

He didn't mind seeing you like this, but you tended to get overconfident in battle sometimes. Not that you didn't have any good reason not to be. This side of you was very much Gojo Satoru like, he thought to himself.

You helped clean up the remaining curses. Not much stronger ones were left. Noritoshi watched every movement of yours, staying right beside you to support you.

You staggered after seeing that your areas were clear. Noritoshi quickly wraps his arms around you, “You’re coming with me to the clinic. And I am not accepting any answer other than Yes.”

“Yes sir.” You leaned into him as he lifted you in his arms. Some of your wounds had reopened, due to your reverse cursed technique weakening. The adrenaline coursing through your body was too much that you failed to feel the pain. Which means you failed to realize that some wounds were still bleeding.

He entered the clinic and quickly put you down on one of the empty beds. One of your uncles came to check on you. Running over with an IV stand in hand. They hooked you to one of their regular Balanced Saline solutions to help with your blood loss.

Hiroki came in, battered with a bruise on one temple, but still very much alive. He was now off combat duty and on healing duty. Quickly coming over to press a hand against your chest to activate his reverse cursed technique.

Noritoshi sighed in relief, seeing your bleeding come to a halt. He winced upon feeling a sharp pain in his right arm, turning to look at the nurse that was dressing his wounds. He didn’t even notice them, being too focused on you.

He had fewer injuries than you did.

“Hemorrhagic shock sis. You scared the life outta me back there.” Hiroki groaned as he let his head fall forward.

“I would never have forgiven you if you died on me too.”

“You’re such a loser bro. I won’t die.”

“Keep talking shit like that and you might,” he pinched your side making you hiss at him.

“No fighting with the sick!” Your uncle smacked him upside his head.

“We need Hiroki! Life support emergency please!” A nurse from the other side of the ward yells. Your cousin worriedly looks down at you, “I’ve done what I can. Can you manage?”

“Yep. Go. You know how I’m fine now.”

He nods and leaves you with Noritoshi, who was still staring at you. Now with his wounds fully dressed and cleaned.

He kneels down in front of you, looking up with such a soft expression. He stayed like that for a while, feeling your vitals stabilise further. His technique was still linked to your blood somehow, which gave him a deeper sense of relief, knowing he can help you if anything else were to happen.

You felt absolutely horrible. The man had shown you time and time again that he loves you and you doubted that.

"I'm sorr-"

"Are you-"

You both spoke at the same time, eyes widening.

He motioned you to go first, but you shook your head and let him go first.

"Are you feeling okay?" He whispered.

You smiled. "I am. Just need to sleep it off. It's not the worst I've had."

He ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly distracted, before reaching over to link your right hand with his left one. "Good, good."

“Are you okay Toshi?”

“I’m fine. Hardly a dent in me today. Thanks to you.”

You gave a shy smile, quietly relieved.

“Toshi… thank you…” you whispered.

Noritoshi shakes his head, “You save me and I save you. That’s how we work. As soulmates.” He holds up your hands, marks burning brightly.

He could feel your emotions once again. It used to be this numb feeling, where you once were. But now, he can sense all the negativity in the back of your head.

Regret. A lot of sadness. Guilt. But also, a deep love for him. You never stopped loving him.

"Toshi," You started again with a bit more confidence. He looked back into your eyes, smiling and nodding.

You have to apologize. Go do it. The words were on the tip of your tongue, but somehow you were still tongue-tied.

"Noritoshi, I really owe you a proper apolo-"

"Hey," You both looked to the right to see your mom approaching you.

"Mom!"

Noritoshi jerked into a standing position, body stiff as he bowed a full 90 degree angle towards your mother.

"Ah, it's nice to meet you. I'm Kamo Noritoshi and I'm y/n's- " He froze, not knowing what to say.

You weren't dating anymore. As of now.

"Soul-"

"Boyfriend and soulmate, mom. He's my boyfriend." You smiled up at both of them.

His heart warms itself at your words. A humongous invisible weight lifts from his chest and shoulders.

She smiled and reached up to pull him into a hug. "You've made my baby girl so happy. Thank you. Call me 'Okaa-san' too."

He felt his throat tighten, "Not at all. She's been such a blessing to me. Uh- Okaa-sama."

“I need to bring my baby girl home now. Do you want to come back to the Tsuchimikado estate with us? We can oversee your recovery as well.” She offers.

Noritoshi’s eyes widened. “Ah, I’d love to. I just have to check on with my father-”

“I’ve already talked to him. A pleasant man he is, the head of the Kamo clan. More than I thought.” She had a bit of a wary expression when she said those words. Clearly still unfamiliar with Noritoshi’s family.

“If he said so, then yes please. I’d like to stay with her.”

After that, it was a blur of activity. Your mom makes sure you’re both stable enough before bundling the both of you in a car back to the estate. Noritoshi quickly shoots a text to his father to confirm things, and was actually surprised to see a jovial reply.

No doubt trying to help him patch things up with you. He closes his eyes. For now, he’ll take this as a solid win. It was working in his favor anyway for his father to so strongly support your relationship.

You squirmed uncomfortably against him, patting him to get his attention.

“Do you need anything, love?” Noritoshi nearly tosses his phone away in his haste to turn back to you. But you shook your head.

"I love you so much, Toshi. And I’m sorry for hurting you." You whispered. You were unsatisfied; it was far from a proper confession. But for now, exhaustion overcomes you. His eyes widen, but you fall asleep against him just as you see him open his mouth to reply.

He looks over the top of your head and checks your condition. You had fallen asleep. It was a miracle that you even stayed conscious for this long. Noritoshi was prepared to catch you in the middle of battle, but you held on the whole time.

Still, he was happy to hear those few words, not bothering to hide the biggest smile on his face as he tucks you into his side.

Authors notes: Guess whose form the Kitsune took on when Noritoshi looked at her as he was put under hypnosis.

Blood Bound: Table of Contents

Taglist: @lessie-oxj @rizzo-nero @whoreuc @fkngkumiko @isl3t @gojoussunglasses @onepotatostand-blog @s-t-f-u-b-i-t-c-h @sunaswife @lordguameow @track5enthusiast @nayydoesthings @a1hina @r-rose08 @cherriesanwine @felicityforyou

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bookstantrash · 4 years ago

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A/N: I can’t believe I’m staying true to my word and posting it before the year is over. My self imposed deadline was met, yey me!!

A little heads up for those who read my stuff: January will be a tricky month for me — I still have one exam left — so I don’t know if I’ll be able to post. Then there’s the acosf release, and I plan to avoid being in social media (aka tumblr, twitter) until I’ve read it at least two times lol. I’ll try to write in any spare time that I have, but I’m sorry in advance.

Now, let’s end 2020 with style!! I hope you enjoy the new chapter and wish y’all a good 2021 💜

In which she makes a friend, Part Five

Nesta woke up to soft knocking on her door.

She groaned in her pillow, wanting nothing more than to go back sleep. She was not used to waking up so early — the sun had barely risen on the sky — and she’d had a poor night of sleep, her latest nightmare still too vivid in her mind.

Nesta had a lot of those. Nightmares. Before, it was of Mandray. Of being beneath him again. Of not being able to scape. After being kidnapped by Hybern, they were about Elain. Of failing time and time again to avoid her sister being thrown into that blasted Cauldron.

Once the war had come and gone, it got worse. She’d dream of Elain in that camp, chained near the Cauldron. Would dream of Feyre failing to rescue their sister. Would dream of both of them dying while Nesta was unable to protect them. Another failure that’d hunt her through all of her miserable immortal life.

And she’d dream of him. Of his wings being broken and his screams piercing her ears, her soul. Of Hybern killing him in front of her eyes while she was held down by the evil king’s power. And once she got free, once she blasted that bastard to nothingness, she’d find herself in world without him. A world where she lived with a big nothing inside her.

Last night, however, had been different. She had been dreaming of failing Elain and Feyre again when suddenly she heard a voice. His voice, talking in that melodic and enthralling language, his voice a soft caress that eased her troubles. But as soon as she felt herself calming down, Nesta felt him go away. And so she desperately asked for him to stay with her. At least in her dreams she’d be less proud and afraid to say what she wished to. What she wished she had said to him two months ago.

Don’t go. Stay.

And in her dream he stayed. It had been so realistic that Nesta swore she could still feel his warm calloused hand against her skin, smell his scent, his voice a lover’s caress in her ears and—

She got up from the bed quickly, shaking her head. No good would come from going down that path. She willed her heart to behave and stay quiet in the cage she had locked it into. Wall after wall being risen, being toughened. Sometimes, feeling nothing was better then feeling too much or even anything at all.

Nesta heard knocking again, and quickly discarded her nightgown for the Illyrian leathers. She had struck a promise to train with Kaelin before the girl’s morning training and Nesta hated to be late.

“I’m awake, you don’t have to tear down the door Kaelin” Nesta said, opening her door and almost hitting her face in a leather clad chest.

Cassian was the one knocking on her door.

“What are you doing here?” she asked through clenched teeth.

“Good morning to you too sweetheart” he gave her a teasing grin “Last that I checked, I live here”

“One would wonder if that is true, given your long absence” she replied, knowing she had hit her mark when she saw a muscle twitching on his jaw “Where’s Kaelin?”

“Training has been rescheduled. The younglings start earlier now so those preparing for the Blood Rite can have more time on the training areas” Cassian managed to say.

“I see” Nesta was thinking about going back to sleep when the male in front of her interrupted her thoughts.

“Would you care to have breakfast with me?”

She opened her mouth to dismiss him when she caught the look on his eyes. Not angry anymore at her earlier jab, but anxious. She had never seen Cassian so unsure before, so difficult to read. It was as if his feelings were all over the place.

“It wouldn’t hurt to eat with him” she thought, recalling her dream.

“You are cooking” Nesta declared, moving past him to the kitchen.

“As you wish, your Highness” he did a mocking bow and followed her.

Nesta eyed the tall male in front of her. He cooked with expertise and seemed completely comfortable in the ambient, humming while he mixed some eggs in the frying pan.

He was so... domestic. Nesta almost smiled imagining him with a silly apron, an image so at odds with his usual scary General appearance.

“I talked with Kaelin yesterday” Cassian said after some time.

“And?” Nesta asked, raising an eyebrow

“He’s been training with you. And I was wondering....” he placed the food in front of her, clearing his throat “I was wondering if I could train you. Both of you. Kaelin is not so advanced with his training and there’s also the matter of—”

“The matter of what” she snapped

“Your powers” he fidgeted with a knife, twirling it on his hand, not scared to cut off a finger by accident “I don’t know where you were with Amren in regards to them, but it’s also important to have them in sync with any self defence moves you can learn”

“My powers are none of your concern”

It was a lie. Her classes with Amren had just grazed the surface of what she knew she could do. But she was scared of them. Of what she could do. Her powers were a wild beast that was she forced to live with, a constant reminder of the life she lost.

She hated it.

However, Cassian was right. If she truly wanted to be capable of defending herself — of defending Kaelin were her secret to be discovered — she’d have to accept his help.

“We can train after breakfast” she nonchalantly said, stabbing a piece of the scrambled eggs on her plate “I’m already changed either way”

“Brilliant” Cassian smiled, his whole face seeming to lighten up like the sky after a storm “Prepare yourself to be challenged sweetheart. I’m not one to go easy on my students”

~•~

Cassian did not lie. He didn’t go easy on her. Her whole body ached and she almost regretted her choice to not stay in the cabin, rereading one of her books.

But she had places to go.

“You’re late”

“I’m not late Esmée” Nesta stated, grabbing an apron by the tent’ side and moving to one of the tables “I’m exactly on time”

“You’re thirty seconds late. That’s enough to lose the boiling point for a healing potion and make it a poison instead” Esmée, the chief healer of Windhaven huffed “If I say you’re late then you’re late.”

Nesta only dipped her head and started to work. Esmée might come out as a grump and mean female, but she was only serious about her work, a work which left her with no time for idle talk or sugarcoated pleasantries.

Nesta liked her just fine.

Kaelin had been the one to present her to the healers. Once her period was over and it was safe for her to leave the cabin without someone noticing the change in her scent, Kaelin had taken Nesta in a tour through Windhaven. Nesta did not know anything else except the area around Cassian’s cabin, which included a solitary trail to the forest and the outskirts of the village.

Kaelin appeared to know everyone they passed by. The younglings — who were yet too young to train — happily waved at her when they passed, as did some females who were working. On the other hand, it was different with the males. They eyed Kaelin with distaste and something akin to betrayal in their eyes. Nesta had yet to ask Kaelin why. Was it because she was walking with Nesta, an outsider who not only was High Fae but also the sister in law of their High Lord? She had tucked the information inside herself, analysing everything and everyone they met.

And it was when they were nearing the end of the tour that they had come upon the healers tent. Nesta recalled helping them in the war, bringing buckets of water, doing bandages for the wounded and holding the most serious ones down while they were patched up. She had felt like she had a purpose back then. Like she was not a burden.

She tried not think how it also helped her take her mind off the fearless Illyrian who leaded the troops, leaving only dead bodies with whoever met his blade.

Esmée had remembered her, as did some of the other females that worked alongside her. They had not eyed Nesta with pity or distaste, something she was used to in Velaris. No, they simply gave her a nod of recognition and went back to work, mixing herbs, cutting straps of bandages and tending to patients.

“Are you going to help or will you stay all day there?” Esmée had snapped “If you want to, grab an apron and come here. We need more jambu to be ground so that fella over there can stop whining”

Kaelin had come still beside Nesta, fearing she had been insulted by the healers harsh words. But she simply grabbed an apron and rolled her dress’ sleeves.

“Which one is jambu?”

And from that day onwards Nesta began to help the healers in any way she could, going after her training with Kaelin in the morning and coming back in the late afternoon. Kaelin always walked her back, stopping at the tent after her training.

“It’s not safe for females to wander alone” the young girl had informed Nesta “Specially when it starts to get dark”

Nesta knew better than to dismiss Kaelin’s words. She knew what males were capable of doing to those they thought inferior to them.

“Charming as ever, don’t you agree?” Jacira said, appearing beside Nesta.

“Lovely” she mumbled back, the corners of her lips almost raising in a smile.

Jacira was one of the least shy healers around Nesta. She had beautiful dark green eyes, which contrasted with her dark raven hair and dark brown skin. She also had a very sharp and curious mind, and was teaching Nesta all she knew about what being a healer was like.

Nesta liked to think she had found another friend in Jacira.

“I see the General has come back”

“Really? I didn’t notice” Nesta replied, busying herself with her task.

“He had been gone longer than usual this time for the inspection” Jacira whispered “Word says it’s because some serious trouble has risen in other camps, specially Ironcrest”

Jacira was also a shameless gossiper. In the two weeks Nesta had started to work with her, she knew practically everything about anyone that lived in Windhaven. She said to herself that no harm would come to listen to Jacira’s blabbering. She was simply gathering information as to not stay in the dark.

It was not gossip. It was only intelligence material about the Illyrians in Windhaven.

“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” Cassian had not spoken a word about it with her.

“I don’t know. I only know that the camp lords are whispering between them, and seem to be anxious about the Blood Rite.” she got closer to Nesta “In my opinion, they want it to arrive fast so any feuds can be resolved there”

For the Blood Rite was not only the chance for the Illyrians to prove their worth as a warrior, but a bloodbath. An event that allowed matters to be resolved without the laws of the war camps binding them.

“More work and less talk ladies” Esmée hissed at them “Those tonics won’t be done by themselves”

“Yes, m’am” Jacira replied, batting her eyelashes innocently, making Nesta snort. That girl had no fear of danger.

They kept to their work, Jacira talking when she thought Esmée was not looking, Nesta saying something now and then. The time she spent among the healers was precious to her. It brought a sense of normality back to her life. Even the wild beast inside her gave her a time out, seeming to purr whenever she dedicated herself to chopping herbs and making tonics or healing potions, the scent of all the ingredients calming her.

But the thought that something was amiss among the Illyrians bothered her. It was something that stayed on her mind all day.

Nesta was quieter than usual at dinner — she caught Cassian glancing worriedly at her when he thought she was not looking — the gears inside her head turning and going through every possible outcome.

She went to sleep still thinking about it, and came to a conclusion.

Something bad was coming.

And she would get Cassian to tell her whatever it was.

•

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#sarah j maas #sjmass #sjm fandom #sjm fanfic #nesta archeron #cassian #cassian x nesta #nessian

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spockandawe · 4 years ago

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What are your favorite chinese webnovels? What are some of the differences youve noticed between cnovels and other types of novels?

That second question is really, REALLY interesting, and I really want to answer it well, and I am REALLY sure I’m going to do a bad job of answering it, so let me just noodle about that first question for a minute while I try to think XD

I went through some of my TOP-top favorite novels in more detail yesterday, but generally speaking, mxtx and meatbun are both at the top of the pack. They’re really good at writing compelling main characters and balancing piles of angst with plenty of humor and pulling everything together into a very satisfying ending (which is something I don’t alwaysssss see, even in some of the novels I really like). After them, The Disabled Tyrant’s Pet Palm Fish (transmigration, ancient chinese prince falls in love with pet fish) and Golden Stage (ancient chinese gay arranged marriage between bitter enemies(?)) are two novels that I love a lot, which both have very cute romances and go a bit lighter on the main character suffering front, and which I broadly recommend to anyone who’s interested in the genre. They didn’t end stick the landing QUITE as hard as an svsss or tgcf, but they still were very nice.

Then, let me see. I’m trying to remember which books I’ve read in the last year, and am doing a terrible job, haha. I will say that a book I enjoyed for like... eighty percent of it and then the ending let me down terribly was The Dreamer In The Spring Boudoir (modern day career woman transmigrates into barely-fantasy ancient china novel as the disliked primary wife of a nobleman), which is also the only straight webnovel I’ve read so far. The main character and romance were delightful, but that ending... haha, wow, I felt betrayed. But I did like the first half very much!! I’m idly contemplating a deliberately-partial reread. Then I’m currently like two chapters away from catching up with the current translation of The Wife Is First (ancient chinese prince lives out time travel fixit fic, determined to treat his spouse better this time around). I’m also catching up on Heroic Death System (transmigration, across MANY universes, where the goal is to die heroically in each one, and also maybeeeee to find his boyfriend in each one. this shit gets fucking bananas. in one of them, he emotionally seduces his boyfriend while he’s a dolphin. in another one, he’s a sentient mushroom. i’m in the middle of a section titled ‘I Am An Evil Pen’. yes, like a writing utensil type of pen. this is the weirdest book I’ve read so far). Oh, and Thousand Autumns (righteous sect leader gets sabotaged and loses a fight, wakes up blind and amnesiac, demonic sect leader is like ‘lol i bet i can turn him evil’ and accidentally catches feelings along the way).

What else... I’m keeping up with (but behind on) some others. First, there’s How To Survive As A Villain (modern terminally ill CEO transmigrates into stallion novel, wakes up as villain, accidentally seduces hero). Then, we’ve got Transmigrating Into The Body Of The Heartthrob’s Cannon Fodder Childhood Friend (only modern webnovel I’ve read, young man transmigrates into beginning of gratuitous whump book, back in high school, and is determined to protect the protagonist from all the canonical suffering). Then there’s Pulling Together A Villain Reformation Strategy (guy transmigrates into story as the hero’s childhood friend who will eventually become his enemy and get killed, successfully acts out his part and dies, completely fails to realize he’s broken his friend’s heart in the process... and then wakes up in another character’s body). And then there’s The Villain’s White Lotus Halo (a transmigrator keeps bouncing from universe to universe as a cannon fodder villain, who gets like half a line before being killed. he tries to purchase an upgrade package so he can be a COOL villain instead, but accidentally gets sold a ‘white lotus halo’ package instead, so that no matter what he does, everyone is just DEEPLY moved by his appearance and is positive he did nothing wrong). All of those are EXTREMELY delightful. You may notice a running transmigration theme, which....... yeah, I think there are a TON of delightful stories in the webnovel scene that deal with this genre, which seem so rare in English language media.

Which makes a good transition point to what’s different about the cnovel scene! I’ve seen hardly any transmigration stories in English, and I’ve got a couple go-to examples for when I’m trying to explain it, but like. Only a couple. Which is such a shame! Like, there’s the default idea of ‘I was reading this book and then I woke up inside the book!!’ but it’s clearly such an established genre that people are playing with it in all kinds of interesting ways, like in The Villain’s White Lotus Halo or Heroic Death System setups. It’s kind of wild to me, because it seems like such a gimme for a nice easy story structure? Whatever kind of world you want to present, there’s no need to introduce it to the reader from the ground up, or find a good way to hook them in. Either the main character read the book in question and can explain the premise and why we should care in pov, or the main character is new to the universe too, and trying to find their own footing. I enjoy it a lot! I’ve sampled transmigration books that didn’t grab me, but I’ve sampled way more that did.

And then, the one semi-technical answer I thought of to this question was the way that these novels tend to handle pov. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule that regular novels are restricted to one pov, or that pov can only change at hard breaks in the story, but if I saw a bog-standard american novel glide from pov to pov the way these novels regularly do, I would tend to wonder if it was sloppiness or a mistake, or I would grump to myself about how I don’t like omniscient third person pov. And I still don’t know exactly what I think about this, or why it’s different in here, but I’m pretty sure I like it a lot, especially for stories where the romance tends to play a large part :V

I used to read a lot of Books About Writing, and read plenty of stuff about why you don’t DO this, but.... I like it! In dtppf, Jing-wang can’t talk, and when Li Yu is a fish, he can’t talk, and drifting from one of their perspectives to the other gives me lots of useful information about how they’re both feeling. Could that be conveyed through restricted pov? Maybe! But I’m typesetting the svsss extras right now, and I’m in the bing-ge vs bing-mei section, and we get a few brief flashes of bing-ge’s thoughts, and it’s so NICE. It’s information I would not have otherwise received, because Shen Qingqiu sure wasn’t going to notice it. But early in the story, that pov was withheld from me, which also made sense (or hua cheng’s pov was withheld from me FOREVER, which makes me so sad ;u;). There don’t seem to be any hard and fast rules, which makes me really nervous about writing fic and trying to match the style, but I do like it a lot!

And I’m definitely not able to articulate this in the way that I would like to, or speak with any real authority (I’m not that widely read in the cnovel scene, and i’m not very genre-adventurous in english), but there’s something about the role that the romances play in these stories that’s different from what I’m used to expecting, and it’s VERY tasty to me. I only rarely read romance novels, because I’m not often interested in the romance as a primary plot driver, but the romances in these books play a more substantial role than I’m used to expecting. And I’m into it! It’s a balance closer to what I’d expect from, like, a shippy longform fanfic. Which covers a lot of ground and is NOT a precise measure, but there’s more emotional weight given to the romance than I would expect, but without the romance carrying ALL of the emotional weight, and it strikes a perfect balance for me in a way I’m not used to encountering. Now, some of this could definitely be due to me not finding the right authors, or right subgenres, or whatever. But in the genres I inhabit, it’s a subtle difference, but one I find compelling.

Oh, one last thing. The cultural differences, duh :P I’m only familiar with things like, say, ancient chinese court etiquette through a lens of fan-translated novels like these, and I didn’t grow up steeped in the culture in a way I’m used to the trappings of something like medieval european courts. But there’s a distinct flavor to the social dynamics of these novels, from the formal levels down to the casual, and I know it’s super intricate and detailed and that authors play with differing degrees of historical accuracy vs fictional fun, and I wish I was better equipped to speak to the nature of any of this. But I find it really compelling! I recognize that it’s only new to ME because I didn’t seek out chinese media before now. And, the point that I originally wanted to get to before I got super distracted: the flirting. The flirting and teasing are a very different flavor from what I would expect in most english language media, and I love it, even if I can’t speak to how much of that is purely cultural, and how much of it is like... the conventions of How Fiction Is Written varying by culture, if that makes sense. I adore seeing what flirting and affection and indulgence and attentiveness look like in different settings, and these books, with their heavy romantic focus, absolutely deliver.

#spock replies #long post/#i've read more novels than i thought :p #i thought it wasn't many #but then more kept occurring to me #i've only read a few that i don't recommend period but i've read a lot of good ones #Anonymous

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