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hanjist · 6 months ago

Text

apple cider.

content - stray kids’ jisung. gn!reader. fluff followed by angst.

warning - food mentions.

word count - 1059.

a/n - inspired by apple cider by beabadoobee. possible part two. not proof read.

“DUDE.”

you grab at jisung’s wrist as his hand hovers towards the popcorn bowl.

“i haven’t even had a single piece of popcorn yet and half of the bowl is gone because you keep shoving everything in your mouth!”

your grip tightens at jisung’s wrist harder. as he winces at your grip, he yelps in pain.

“y/n! let go! it hurts!”

as you release his hand, he pulls it away from you quickly. his wrist turned red of how hard you were prying at it. he held his wrist close, examining your actions. as he looks at you, he starts giggling as he thought it was funny how you get defensive over your snacks. the giggles evolve to the both of you laughing at leaning on each other.

“im sorry! i wont do it again. how about i get you apple cider for reparations of my actions?”

you get up from your seat on the couch, making your way to the kitchen.

“you know me too well.”

jisung follows you into the kitchen, the bowl of popcorn in his hands as he plans to refill it just for you.

as he trails behind you, he can smell the scent of you. your vanilla scented perfume mixed with your coconut shampoo, conditioner, and body wash set. of course he knows, he’s quiet literally examined every single product in your bathroom. not only that… but the scent of male cologne?! who else were you hanging with? that’s all jisung could think about. who were you with before you abruptly decided to hang out with him? he was lost in his thoughts.

“jisung?”

you wave your hand in front of hide face, confused on why he wasn’t responding to you.

“are you deaf? hello? earth to sungie!”

“…huh?”

the endearing nickname pulled him out of his own little world. the nickname you thought of for him. the one he loved.

“yeah? what is it?”

he looks at you, ears turning red out of embarrassment. how could he accidentally ignore you like that? stupid jisung!

“your cider!”

you give him his glass while holding yours. as he takes it, he thanks you. your little routine of drinking apple cider together when you’re at each other’s houses has become your thing. the automatic response from both of you is to clink your glasses then say “cheers!” as if you were drinking wine.

jisung can’t help to get lost in his mind again as he takes a sip of his cider. he suddenly blurts out,

“who else were you hanging with before me?”

you choke on your drink, then look at him.

“how did you know?!”

“i smelt it.”

“okay. first of all, weird.”

you cringe at his response but smile as you think it’s silly how he can figure stuff out just by smell.

“second, i was out on a date earlier. but it didn’t go well, so i invited you over to comfort me.”

a date? and you didn’t even tell jisung? he’s heartbroken. how many other dates have you gone on without him knowing? how could you go on a date with several other people when jisung’s right there in front of you? are you just oblivious to his feelings?

“a date? you didn’t tell me!”

“oh, was i supposed to…? i didn’t think you’d care? plus, it’s okay! i think ill just go back on tinder or something, find another person.”

jisung’s fist grip the glass a little harder, making the liquid inside splash around in the cup.

“are you okay? why is your hand shaking? do you wanna sit back down?”

“why don’t you just go on a date with me?”

he utters suddenly. your eyes go wide as you hear what he says. your body turns towards him, jaw open wide. you blink at him a few times before words come out of your mouth.

“dude, do you hear what you’re saying right now?”

“yeah…?”

he cringes at himself as his voice cracks during his response to you. fuck!

you sigh as you slap your hand on your forehead. jisung looks at you with worry, did he say something wrong? did it make you uncomfortable?

“jisung, us going on a date is just like us hanging out. im looking for someone serious.”

“who says im not being serious?”

you look up at him from your confused position. your head tilts at his words. he looks at you with a solemn expression, yet behind his eyes he looks at you with awe.

“you’re serious? you wanna go on a date… with me?”

“im very serious.”

he looks pretty serious to you.

“sungie… im not sure if this could be a could idea…”

you lean against the kitchen counter as you cross your arms. you keep eye contact with him, making sure his face doesn’t soften as if he was making a joke.

“why not? i can treat you better than any other guy ever could! you know it, i’d be a great contender.”

he wasn’t lying. everytime you guys would hang out together, you felt more drawn to him. his personality, his looks, his charm, everything. he was better than any other guy you’ve gone on dates with.

“it’s not that… i know you’re better than every other guy. it’s just…”

you hesitate with your words. how do you explain this to him, without breaking his heart.

“our friendship. what if it doesn’t work well? could we ever be friends again?”

jisung hadn’t thought of that, he wouldn’t until you guys had actually became something.

“y/n, we’ve been friends for years. should i also add how every single thing we do together is no different than what any other standard couple would do? it’s like we’re adding a label, that’s all. plus, if you had ever found someone else… would you cut me off because of the things we do together? have you ever thought of that?”

you hadn’t thought about that either. after all, you always thought it would be you and jisung in the end. you’d probably end up marrying each other if you both didn’t find someone in ten years.

though, while you were the only person looking for someone, jisung was waiting for you. he could never lay eyes on another if the one was right in front of him.

“jisung… let’s think about this. okay?”

34 notes · View notes

nolawritesfanfics-deactive · 3 years ago

Note

Hello! Can i ask for an argument hurt/comfort with Diluc, Childe and Xiao? Take your time and please take care of yourself! I love your writing a lot<3

Hello!! I love this idea sm- I’ve been wanting to write something like this for a while, so it might have turned out a little more angsty than intended 😅

(Also tysm! I’m so happy that you like my stuff and really appreciate your support!! I hope that you’re taking care yourself as well! /(T0T)/💖💖💖)

Lmk if there are any mistakes!

{..*_★} How Diluc, Childe, and Xiao fight with you + when they make you cry

Warnings: Fighting, arguing, mentions of self neglect, injury, insults

Pairings: Diluc x Gn!reader, Childe x Gn!reader, Xiao x Gn!reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Diluc is a calm and serious fighter. Once you get him fired up, he lets the fire he was cursed with take over. This happens not only on the battlefield, but also in arguments.

Diluc will make sure to keep his voice adamant and low the whole time, only showing aggression through his tone. Fights may not happen often for you two, but when they do, you can expect Diluc’s insults to hit too close to home.

But, if you start crying, a shot of anxiety will rush through his stomach, and he’ll cringe at his own mistakes. He starts having an internal panic attack, because he never, ever, meant to hurt you so badly. He really never meant to hurt you at all.

He’ll open his arms to you and understand if you need some space. But when you’re ready, let him know, and he’ll come running back to you.

The dimly lit corner of yours and Diluc’s room made you feel so empty, so alone. Crickets could be heard from the outside of the Winery, the silence that followed their chirps making you feel sick. It was late, far too late for anyone to be awake. But, you always had a hard time sleeping when Diluc wasn’t with you.

Every night for the last two weeks, Diluc would work until the early hours of the morning. No matter how many times you tried to get him to sleep, he would scoff and brush off your complaints, leaving you to fall asleep alone. You were sick of it.

You couldn’t just ignore how the sheets beside you were always cold, and how the scent of your lover was almost gone from his side of the bed. A mix of hatred and loneliness settled in the pit of your stomach as you ran a hand over where he would usually fall asleep. You hated how you missed him.

It truly was selfish, wasn’t it? He was working so hard, but you- you couldn’t do anything but watch as mounds of paperwork and missions eroded his existence into dust. And even if you were lonely without him, it hurt much more to watch him neglect himself like this.

You huffed, finally fed up. You threw the blankets off, and climbed out of bed, clenching your fists as your feet met the cold wooden floor. The floor creaked slightly with every step you took. You opened the door, and came face to face with Diluc, who was still glued to his desk signing papers.

Dark circles had accumulated under his eyelids, and a sleepy mist seemed to cloud his eyes. Stacks of paper were scattered everywhere, and a cold cup of coffee sat dejectedly at the corner of the desk. The maids were nowhere to be seen, so you assumed that they had all given up trying to get Diluc to relax, leaving him to his own devices.

As you entered the room, Diluc’s head shot up. A concerned expression replaced the focused look he previously had.

“(Y/n), what are you doing awake? You should go to sleep.” He murmured, his voice gravely from exhaustion.

“No, Diluc. I can't do this anymore. You can't do this anymore.” You pinched the bridge of your nose in irritation, only growing more aggravated at his weakened state. Couldn’t he bear to take care of himself, at least once?

“What?”

“Diluc, you’re a mess. You’ve hardly spoken to anyone today, much less me-“

“Is that what this is about?” Diluc cut you off, exhaustion and anger lacing every syllable that left his mouth. He gripped the edge of the desk, using it as a crutch to stand up. “(Y/n), I told you earlier, I don’t have time for this.”

“Listen, I’m sorry, but you need to take better care of yourself Diluc. I can't just stand by and watch you do this yourself!” You raised your voice, not caring if you were being too loud. The soft light decorating the room felt suffocating, a thin sheet of sweat now coating both of your bodies.

“Archons, why are you like this?! All I ever ask for is some peace and quiet, but you never listen because your problems are, apparently- so much more important than mine!”

Diluc’s voice was much louder than yours was, and adrenaline and stress had taken his place in the argument. He knew this too, but couldn’t hold himself back. He hadn’t let anything out for days, and he was just too exhausted to filter himself. You knew this, but everything he said still felt like razor blades against your skin.

“I need to stay on top of things, and I can’t let anyone waste my time.” Diluc closed his eyes, as silence filled the room. “Especially not you.”

His gloved hands clenched around nothing. Time was starting to kick in again, and his body started feeling heavier with every passing second. Everything he had just said was starting to register in his brain, and a sickening feeling settled in his stomach. He thought that you were alright- that he hadn’t gone too far. But, that was until a small, guttural sob erupted from your lips.

Were you really just a waste of time to him?

Diluc opened his eyes, the uneasiness in stomach morphing into terror, the feeling spreading through every crevice of his heart. He had never made you cry before. It had never gone this far.

Oh god, he thought. Oh god no- nononononono- he didn’t mean to hurt you, he—

Now, tears were starting to fill his own eyes. He wanted to sob, to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness, but he knew that wouldn’t be fair to you. Instead, he held out his hand. It was a silent offering, a mere suggestion. You had every right to refuse.

He didn’t know why, but you slowly padded into his embrace, choking out apologies. More confusion and panic filled his mind as he encased his arms around you. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s him. You felt so warm in his arms, he truly did not deserve you.

“I- I’m so sorry, love.” He stammered. “Please, don’t apologize, I never meant to hurt you.”

“I just- I just want you to be okay, Diluc! Nothing else matters.” You cried, burying your face into his chest. Diluc held you tighter, placing soft, airy kisses on the top of your head. He rubbed circles into your back and let you sob your heart out in his embrace.

“I know, my darling, I know.” He whispered, voice breaking halfway through his sentence. “You- you were just being kind, and I took everything out on you.”

His left hand supported your waist as his right was lifted to cradle the back of your head.

“Please… forgive me.”

The atmosphere had cooled down, the suffocating feeling that the air delivered being replaced by a gentle, cool breeze. Soon enough, you and Diluc started swaying back and forth, wallowing in the unusual calmness of the winery.

You nodded against his skin, pressing a tiny kiss to his palm. The silence had resumed, the silence and swaying of your bodies lulling both you and Diluc to sleep. You continued to place soft kisses along the Darkknight hero’s neck, causing him to sigh in relief.

After a few minutes, you finally spoke up once more.

“Will you come to bed now? I’ll help you with your work in the morning.” You mumbled.

“There’s no need for that, my love….”

You shot him a glare.

“A-ah, If you insist.” A nervous chuckle leaves Diluc’s throat at your response, deciding to leave the subject alone for tonight. Diluc intertwines your fingers and leads you to the bedroom.

“Let’s get some sleep, now.” He whispers.

He opens the door, and gives you one last love-drunk smile before lying down beside you. You don’t even have time to blink before he’s out like a light, nuzzling his face into your neck.

Childe is a ruthless fighter. He will do what is needed to survive at all costs.

By the time he’s done with his enemy, they’re practically unrecognizable. But at the end of your fights, (which are very rare- Childe won’t pick a fight if there’s an easy solution.) he’s the one who is unrecognizable to you.

The words that have tumbled from his lips make him seem like a monster to you, every point he made hitting way too close to home.

Childe will act like he doesn’t care, but when he shows up the next day at your doorstep with flowers and tears rolling down his cheeks, you know that he does.

If you accept his apology, he’ll smile and wipe the tears from his face, utterly grateful that he could redeem himself. But, he’ll be extra careful with what he says for a while after. He doesn’t want to lose you.

Another day, another beginning. Another day, another night where Childe comes home half dead.

It was almost one in the morning now, and you had been waiting for him to return home. You were exhausted, but your distress managed to overpower your fatigue, making it way too hard to fall asleep. You tried to execute different techniques to calm yourself down, but none of them worked. Your mind always kept drifting back to him.

Where was he? Was he okay? How damaged would he be when he arrived? Is he still alive, or did the claws of death drag him six feet under already?

The bright kitchen lights made your head fuzzy as you paced around out of sheer worry. Your mind felt like it was a sheet of glass, little shards being chipped away every time he got hurt. Did he not understand how scared he made you every time he left?

He would always disappear at the most inconvenient times, and even though you knew he loved you, you knew that his own ego would screw him over eventually. Nights like these would always consist of fear, relief, and anger, passing through your chest as you treated the wounds on his body.

Thankfully, you had learned to treat every single one. The bruises on his arms and hips would need ice. The slashes on his stomach, which were as deep and bloody as the abyss, would need ointment and bandages, and every element used on him would have to be treated, or extracted, by a specialist.

You felt so useless having to watch as he dealt with the burdens of being a part of the Fatui. God, everything he had to do was so dangerous, but you were forbidden to help with anything except healing. The information you had to hide- no, the information that he had to hide from you- the thought of it made you sick.

You were strong, and you could handle yourself. The monsters you had beaten were strong, arguably as strong as the atrocities that Childe had to destroy daily. You hated when he felt he couldn’t confide in you because he thought you couldn’t take it. It seemed as if he didn’t trust you.

A crack of lightning interrupted your spiral, the sudden noise making you jump. Rain started beating against your windows, as the loud beating of thunder rumbled through the sky. The thunder sent vibrations through your chest, the image of your lover’s dead body flashing through your mind. A strangled gasp escaped your throat as your panic worsened.

Everything fell silent, except for the rain. Your hands were as clammy as the weather outside, and small beads of sweat were starting to form at your temples. Suddenly, the front door clicked open, and heavy breathing filled your house.

“Damnit… haah….” The familiar voice of the Harbinger registered in your brain immediately, and in seconds, your panic morphed into anger. He was dripping with water and sweat, and, as usual, he was heavily injured. His elbow was propped up against the doorframe for support. You rushed over to him to try and help him stand.

“What happened to you? Where the hell have you been?” You asked, shutting the door and frantically trying to shield him from the outside world.

“I-I’m fine, (Y/n), don’t be so uptight.” He gasped, trying to walk to the bathroom. You retracted your hands at his remark, concern washing over your features. You opted to forget about what he had said, even if it stung. Even if he was in a bad mood, he still needed treatment, and his physical state was in critical condition.

You raced ahead of him, and flung open the bathroom cabinet, scrambling to find a roll of gauze. Childe was trailing behind you, aggravation practically radiating off of him. A sharp sigh escaped his lips as he watched you panic. After the countless Ruin Guards he had to deal with, having to make you feel better was something he didn’t want to deal with.

“Do you have any idea how much it hurts when you do this?” You said, voice wavering in both sadness and anger.

“Can we not do this right now?” The harbinger replied, clinging to the wall out of exhaustion.

You turned to face him, seething with anger. The audacity of this man was beyond your belief. You backed away from him to look him in the eyes. “No, Childe. We have to.” You gestured to his wounds and the blood drying on his stomach. “Do you have any idea how much it hurts to see you do this to yourself?”

Childe groaned into his palms. He ran a hand through his hair, the aggravation boiling in his stomach was growing hotter by the second. Every word that you spoke was bound to set him off. The stress of the day was about to explode if he didn’t leave now. “Oh right- you. It’s always about you.”

“That’s not what I-“

“You have no idea what I have to deal with everyday. There are things in this world that you couldn’t even comprehend.” He glared at you, venom seeping into his words. Your heart was breaking- no, it had broken long ago. It had broken the moment he came through the door, covered in cuts. You knew he was right, but only partially. You also knew that there were things stronger than him as well, and you felt that he shouldn't have to carry that burden in solitude.

“I-I know, but that’s not something you should have to deal with alone.” You practically whimpered your retaliation. It felt like the walls were closing in on you. The tension in the air was thick and the rain and wind could be heard picking up in the background. “Just let me help you.”

Childe pushed off of the wall, staggering as the muscles in his body tensed. He looked directly at you, the fire he had held in his chest finally exploding, leaving wounds on your soul that may never heal. You can’t. You can’t help me because you’re weak. You’re useless, so just stop trying.”

A final crack of lightning resounded through the hallway as he spoke. A quiet sob tore from your throat as you stared at him through wide, watery eyes. Your hands were folded over your chest, a way to try to suppress your anguish. You yanked at your collar while frantically trying to pull yourself together.

He attacked the very thing that you hated most about yourself- the fact that you couldn’t protect him.

“F-fine then,” you responded, voice shaking with grief. “I’ll let you take care of yourself since I’m so- so useless to you.”

It seemed that Childe was surprised at his own words, since his eyes were teary as well. He hated the fact that he said that to you. He never meant it, but that didn’t make it okay for him to say such a horrible, horrible thing to the person he loved the most in this world. Childe raised his hands to his mouth as massive tears streamed down his face.

“Oh god- (Y/n), I’m so sor-“

“Just leave, Ajax.” You used his real name. You never used his real name. It was the name that he was given, the name that he hated so very much. The name that he was given before being thrown into the abyss. Childe knew then, how much he had truly messed up.

“I…I-“

“Get out.” You growled, slamming your fist against the wall. Childe nodded solemnly before slowly turning away, and heading back towards the front door. He tried thinking of places he could sleep as he wiped his tears. Maybe he would ask Zhongli for a place to stay. Perhaps the archon could offer him some advice as well.

The door finally clicked shut, and you were alone with rain once more. You sank to your knees, and sobbed your heart out. Loud, heart wrenching cries ripped from your lungs, releasing the all of pain that you had endured. By the time you calmed down, your knuckles were aching from how hard you had been gripping your clothing, and your eyes were stinging from wiping them so much.

You lazily got up, and stumbled to your bedroom. You laid down, and let your mind go blank. The next you knew, you were greeted with bright sunlight and soft blankets. You must’ve been so exhausted last night that you forgot to close your curtains. You groaned at the lights, and tried to hide under the covers again.

Then, the events from last night started flooding into your head. An empty, hollow pain dug its way into your chest, and tears started welling up in your eyes again. You let out a shaky breath as you sat up and wiped your eyes. Hurriedly, you got out of bed and went to take a shower as a distraction.

Today was the same as every other day, except everything seemed… duller. The previously sparkling sun had turned cold and pale. Every burst of color had been drained from your world leaving you cracked and hopeless. As much as you wanted that color back, you didn’t know if you could take that risk. Your pride was much more important to you than anything else, and you swore that you would never grovel for someone who didn’t deserve it.

However, your mind kept drifting back to Childe. What was he doing now? Was he in the state that you were- or had he already moved on? One question still lingered in your mind longer than the others- what were you now that your fight had happened? You snapped yourself out of your thoughts, and scolded yourself for thinking about him- since it was something you knew only made you sadder.

Fortunately, all of your questions were answered at sunset.

You were about to retreat to your room for the night when you heard a quiet knock at your door. You walked over to the door and opened it, confused. There stood Childe, who, unsurprisingly, looked far worse than you did. Tears were already gathering in his eyes as he looked up at you. He looked worried, almost terrified of what your reaction would be.

In his hands, the Harbinger held three glaze lilies. They were your favorite flower, and whenever he was away from you for a long amount of time, he would try to find glaze lilies. They reminded him of you. Their scent made him feel like he was back home, being cuddled and doted on by you.

Childe extended his hands out to you, giving you the flowers. He hung his head in shame, silently hoping that you’d forgive him. He expected you to send him away, to cry and yell at him, because you had every right to after what he had done- but instead, you embraced him, sobbing.

“I’m so- I’m so sorry my love, truly…I didn’t mean a word I said.” Childe choked out between each kiss he placed on your head. He snaked his arms around your waist, making sure to rub comforting circles into your skin. He rested his head in the crook of your neck and nuzzled into your warmth. “It will never happen again. I swear to the Archons- I promise it won’t.”

You smiled at his actions and wiped the tears from your eyes. You ran your fingers through his soft hair and kissed the spot just below his ear. “I’ll take your word for it.” You giggled, “You have to keep your promise though- I’m dead serious.” The sudden drop in your voice sent shivers up Childe’s spine, prompting him to nod frantically in response.

“Don’t worry darling, I won’t.”

And he never did.

Xiao is an aggressive fighter. His tone and demeanor completely change when a challenge is presented.

Xiao hates fighting with you, but the walls he has up around his heart makes it hard to avoid. He has a temper similar to a raging gust of wind- his anger comes out all at once, and destroys everything in its path.

No physical harm will come to you during your fights- hell, it hurts Xiao to even see you feeling anything other than joy. But, once he has an outburst of anger and the reality of what he just said finally sets in, he is horrified.

He tries to avoid you, he tries to give you space. This only makes you feel even worse, and when Xiao sees that, he finally reveals himself. When he sees how much of a mess you are, he finally breaks down and apologizes.

If you forgive him, he’ll inch closer to you, and wrap his arms around your body, crying. The wind has finally calmed down, and both of you promise to rebuild everything together.

Early morning light peeked through the windows of the Wangshu Inn. The hallways were quiet, except for the clattering of plates from Smiley Yanxiao, who had gotten up early to prepare for new customers. The chirping of birds could also be heard in the background, each squawk signaling that the world would start to wake up soon.

Most of the sky was still blanketed with stars, but the golden light painting the horizon made the night sky start to morph into a pleasant pale blue. A light, cool breeze rustled through the trees, and drifted into your room. Your curtains flew upwards in the wind, letting copious amounts of light hit your face.

A loud groan ripped from your throat, as sunlight filled your room faster than the wind did. You slapped your hands over your eyes and rolled onto your stomach. After a few minutes of trying desperately to get back to sleep, you decided that it was a lost cause. After fully awakening from your state of rest, you sat up and looked at your half empty bed.

‘So he didn’t come after all.’ You thought.

You and Xiao had plans to watch the stars on the roof last night. It was something that you used to do with him often, it was how you met in the first place. Constellations were one of your favorite things, and Xiao seemed to enjoy how you rambled on about how beautiful they were.

But lately, Xiao hadn’t been showing up to your dates. He still checked in every now and then, making sure that you were alright, but that was just about all you did anymore. Check in. You ran a hand through your hair, defeated. You knew that Xiao was busy, but he couldn’t just neglect you like this.

You loved him, and you were sure that he loved you, but the fact he was gone all the time made you question that.

He had stood you up one too many times, and you were getting tired of it. You missed being able to wrap yourself around him as you slept, and you missed how flustered he would get if you did so much as hold his hand. After all, you were dating- was it too much to ask if you could see him every now and then?

You climbed out of bed and opened your curtains, looking out over Liyue. Another soft breeze hit you, making you wonder if your beloved could see you right now. You were tempted to call out for him, to say his name, even though you weren’t in imminent danger- but you didn’t want to be any trouble for him, given the fact that he was out protecting Liyue right now.

So, you decided that today, you would forget about Xiao, and distract yourself. You were disappointed in him, but it would be silly to let that ruin your day. If you saw him, you would confront him about your troubles then. You walked over to the desk laying near your bed, and picked up your clothes, which were folded neatly on its surface.

After you pulled your clothes on, you decided to ask Yanxiao if he needed any help. Your heart ached when you thought of being alone, but you had no choice. You flung the door open, and bounded down the stairs to talk to Wangshu’s famous chef. When you made it to the Kitchen, Yanxiao smiled and gave you a list of ingredients to fetch from outside. He said that there was a big event being held at the Inn, and a lot of food and ingredients would be required.

So, you smiled back, and excitedly hurried down the steps. As the day passed, your mind kept drifting back to Xiao’s absence. You were supposed to forget about him today, but it seemed that would be impossible. You kept thinking about how stupidly unfair it was for him to keep you waiting without any warnings whatsoever. And every time you thought about it, your ears and neck would grow hot with anger.

By the end of the night, you were furious with Xiao. You wouldn’t allow yourself to be forgotten by the one who claimed they cared the most for you. What made you even angrier was that he never warned you that he wouldn’t be able to come. It made you feel like an object to him.

After the last dish had been completed, you trudged up the stairs to your room. You were just about to turn the doorknob, but the door swung open before you could get to it. There stood the Vigilant Adeptus himself, dirt and scrapes littered on his skin.

“Xiao?” You mumbled, stepping inside of your shared bedroom. “Where were you last night?” You asked, your voice lined with annoyance.

Xiao turned away and scoffed. He grit his teeth as he responded. “You mortals are far too sensitive for my liking.”

The mix of anxiety and anger in your stomach worsened at his tone. Xiao wasn’t normally like this- yes, he was mean and clueless at times, but this was completely out of the ordinary for him. Something bad must’ve happened, but both of you knew that it wasn’t alright for him to act like this. You clenched your fists as he looked at you. “What does it matter?”

“Xiao, I waited up for you. You could’ve at least told me that you weren’t going to show up.” You replied. The Yaksha was glaring daggers at you as you spoke. The pain in Xiao’s chest was worsening by the second, and the demons he had slain earlier today continued to plague his mind. Everything made him beyond irritated right now.

The look you gave him was almost as if you couldn’t recognize who he was. Your brows were furrowed, and the corners of your lips were turned downwards.

“If you’re having trouble with anything, come to me, Xiao.” You pleaded, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Though you were disappointed, you only just wanted to see him more often, not fight with him. “Please, why are you avoiding me?”

“Avoid you?” He growled. He brushed your hand off of his shoulder, and looked at you, seemingly disgusted with you. You opened your mouth to say something, but stopped when you saw how he was looking at you. His expression made your eyes fill with tears. Cold, putrid dread spread through your heart.

“L-Listen, Xiao, I-“

“Of course I would avoid you. You’re annoying. Maybe if you weren’t so clingy then I would be more inclined to tolerate you.” He hissed.

Silence filled the room. You stared at the man in front of you, absolutely shocked. You held your arm up to your eyes to wipe the tears from them, sniffling softly as sobs threatened to escape your throat. Your other arm was clawing at your chest, the pain of nails on your skin grounding you.

“What is- what is wrong with you?!” You cried, desperately gasping for air, his words practically knocking the wind out of you.

Xiao stumbled backwards, horror morphing on his face as he realized what he had said. He didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean it- He didn’t mean any of it. In his mind, the only thing he was doing was begging you not to leave him. So, as expected of a person who has no experience with emotions, he did the worst thing that someone could possibly do in that situation.

Leave.

Xiao left, a strong gust of wind blowing through the room as he dissolved into thin air, leaving you to cry yourself to sleep. Out of shame and guilt, Xiao ran away from you. He ran until his legs gave out, and and stayed away from the Inn for as long as possible.

It had been two days since your fight with Xiao, and you hadn’t heard anything from him. You had no idea if he truly meant those words, and the look of terror on his face after he said that only confused you more. You were a mess, you had barely slept at all, and the anxiety constantly boiling in your stomach kept you from eating full meals.

Xiao had checked in on you in secret, watching as your own confusion and low self esteem eroded you from the inside out. He had vented to Verr Goldet about how bad he felt, and in return, she scolded him for running away, saying that he needed to go and apologize as soon as possible. He had sworn not to go near you again, but he couldn’t stand to see you like this any longer.

On the afternoon of the third day after your fight, you heard a knock on your door. You sat up, groaning as your head pulsed with dizziness. You opened the door, only to come face to face with Xiao. As you observed him, you noticed that he didn’t seem to be doing much better than you. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, matching the ones that had appeared under your own.

Xiao let out a breath and opened his mouth to speak.

‘Don't run away, you idiot.’ He grit his teeth as he remembered what Verr said to him. ‘Don't run away.’

But no matter how hard he tried, no words came out. So, out of impulse, Xiao reached forward and pulled you into a hug. He knew that it was selfish of him to do this, but he didn’t know what to say. No words could describe how much he hated that he hurt you. A part of him wanted you to push him away, to kick him out and never speak to him again, because he knew that he deserved it- but instead, you only hugged him back.

Soft cries rose from Xiao’s throat, as he held you close to his chest. Every apology he meant to utter that day escaped him now, and every plea for your forgiveness finally reached your ears.

“I’m sorry, (Y/n)… I’m so sorry.” He whimpered. You nuzzled your face into his neck and gently stroked his hair. You leaned back and kissed his forehead. The familiar scent of almond and Qingxin flowers drifted off of him, making you lean into his touch.

“I know- I… I know.” You whispered. “But never, ever, do anything like that to me again.” Xiao nodded and linked his pinky finger with yours, giving you a genuine, teary smile.

You reached up to wipe his tears before intertwining your fingers with his. Suddenly, Xiao dragged you into your room, a soft smile playing on his lips. The door shut behind you as you sat on the bed. You quirked your head in confusion. Soon enough, you were laying on Xiao’s chest, his arms wrapped around your waist.

Xiao promised to make it up to you, no matter how many times he had to try.

#self insert #genshin x reader #genshinimpact #reader insert #x reader #diluc x you #diluc x reader #diluc x y/n #childe x reader #ajax x reader #childe x you #childe x y/n #ajax x y/n #ajax x you #xiao x y/n #xiao x you #xiao x reader #adeptus xiao #tartagalia x reader

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sadlysober · 4 years ago

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dreammate

Dream x gn!reader Summary: Tommy’s curious to know more about Dream’s personal life and ends up ‘meeting’ his s/o. Warnings: none i think.. lmk if you find any! Just fluff-ish tbh. A/N: hi i uh usually dont write so feedback is more than welcome, feel free to correct me if i made any mistakes! If cc’s are uncomfortable i’ll delete it, but that goes without saying :)

Being a content creator has it’s perks. Such as being able to meet new people, meeting people you admire and enjoyed watching way before you became a streamer yourself. Or the fact that you can just hang out with your friends and the chat and even make some money off of it. You often get invited to hang out with people on Among Us, Rust, Minecraft, you name it. One of the biggest benefits of being a content creator was being a part of the Dream SMP. You were a reacurring character and the chat loved you. Your persona would often show up in fanart, alongside Sapnap’s, George’s, Ranboo’s and the other members. There would often be speculations on you dating one of the guys on the SMP. Funny enough, they never expected it to be Dream.

You had been dating for a month before making it official and are currently nearing the 3 month mark. The two of you decided to keep it quiet for the time being and had only told Sapnap and George.

After a long and fun weekend at his home in Florida, you decided to hang out on his bed, watching some tiktoks or whatnot. Your boyfriend was sitting behind his setup, getting the game started. It wasn’t long until his laughter filled the room. Every couple of minutes he would look over his shoulder to check up on you.

Curiousity got the best of you. What was he laughing about? You opened Twitch, and ofcourse, Clay wasn’t streaming. But Tommy was. You watched as Clay’s character hit Tommy’s, accidentally killing the boy.

“Call child services! Dream has killed a child!” Quackity yelled over VC. Tommy walked back to get his stuff.

“Dream, I am not liking this attitude of yours.” You heard your boyfriend chuckle as he was walking around the map. You looked over at his monitor as Tommy’s character walked into his screen. “Dream, can I ask you something?”

“Tommy, if you want to know where babies-”

“SHUT UP BIG Q I KNOW WHERE BABIES COME FROM.” His high pitched laugh and yelling making you tune your volume down.

“Go ahead Tommy, what do you want to ask?” Clay asked calmy.

“Why I was wondering, I have met Mother Dream and Drista, do you have any more family I can talk to? Can I meet Father Dream?” Tommy was trying really hard to look as serious as possible asking Dream.

“My family isn’t here right now.” Dream stated, looking at you with a sneaky grin on his face.

“Oh, alright then, do you- do you like being alone Dream?” You can’t help but chuckle at Tommy always ending his scenteces with ‘Dream’, making it sound so personal and serious.

“I don’t mind being alone, but I’m actually not alone right now, Tommy.” Your eyes focus on the man sitting behind his setup, Tommy jumping around on the monitor behind him. “Baby, would you like to talk to Tommy?” Clay asked, looking at you.

“Dream, who did you call baby? Is there a uhh Drartner ... no uh a dreammate?” Tommy stared into his camera and his chat was going wild.

Dream laughs as he signs for you to come over. He mutes himself from the VC. “Are you sure about this?” You ask him, walking over to where he’s sitting. “I am, are you?” You nodded. He moves the chair back a bit and motions for you to sit down on his lap.

“Alright Tommy, here’s my uhh, Dreammate, be nice to them.” You had put your phone down to still be able to see Tommy’s stream. He looked so impatient, yelling to his chat.

“Wait, WAIT- guys wait.” He quickly typed into the game chat for the other players online to join your VC for some ‘action’.

Clay mutes himself again. “So Tommy is ordering some of the guys to join the VC, it’s just Tubbo, Ranboo, Callahan and Quackity, so no worries.” He hands you the headphones and you adjust them, being able to hear Tommy loud and clear.

“Alright Tommy, what’s up?” Ranboo asked, walking up to the two of you.

“DREAM, Dream can they hear me? Ranboo, Dream is introducing us to his Dreammate.” You type into the game chat that you can hear him.

“What’s a Dreammate?” Tubbo asks, joining your little group.

“Well, appearantly Dream has been keeping a secret from us-” You softly giggle.

“What’s he saying?” Your boyfriend asks, wrapping his arms around your waste.

“Hello? Hello? Are you there, Dream’s Dreammate?” Tommy’s character hits Clay’s, so you take the mouse and hit his back.

“Well hello there, Tommy.” You see the boy’s expression change from confusion to a somewhat dissapointed face.

“Oh hello, Y/N, it’s been a while” He continues hitting you and you run away from him “I actually thought Dream was gonna introduce me to his Dreammate. You got me there, real funny.” Clay put in the earbuds connected to your phone so he could listen to what Tommy was saying. “Who would want to date Dream anyways- oh, well chat, alright alright so you ALL want to -” The boy sighs, being way too hyper for the conversation.

“Tommy, I-I am dating Dream.”

“No, the prank wasn’t funny, Y/N. Dream has failed you, I expected better from him.” The bitterness in his voice is truly impressive.

“Stop killing me Tommy!” It’s your turn to thaunt him, getting out your sword and running after him.

“I think they’re serious Tommy, congrats you two!” Ranboo says, helping you kill Tommy.

“Does that mean you’ll be coming back to the SMP, Y/N? We never finished that thing we were working on.“ Tubbo asks ever so sweetly. “Thanks Ranboo and yes ofcourse Tubbo, I’ll be joining soon.”

<Callahan> poor fundy

Dream’s famous kettle laugh echoed through the room when he read the messege. “Dream, can you hear me, Dream?” Tommy asks, being able to hear Clay laugh on VC.

“Yes Tommy I can hear you.” He says, burrying his face in your neck.

“I- I have a question.” It fell silent for a bit. “WHY” Tears start rolling over your cheeks from laughter.

Once Dream catches his breath he finally comments. “Tommy you love women right?” You face your boyfriend, who is trying to keep a straight face.

Tommy looks straight in the camera. “What a dumb question, all I talk about is my love for women. Do you ever listen to me, Dream? It’s almost like you’re my boyfriend.” He made a disgusted face before cracking up again.

“Oh god” You whisper as you shake your head. Clay presses a kiss on your neck. “Well Tommy, I feel the same way about Y/N.” An ‘aw’ left your mouth before Tommy made a barfing sound.

“So are you gonna marry them?” Tommy truly does feel like an annoying brother sometimes. Your eyes scan the chat while Clay does the talking. A couple of shipnames and questions pop up between all the emotes.

“I don’t know yet, Tommy. Maybe someday.” He said, hugging you a little thighter. You softly press a kiss on his forehead.

“Alright, cringe. I have no further questions.” Tommy states. “I’m gonna go back to building my tower. Goodbye.”

“Bye Tommy.” Clay said as he left the game. “Nice talking to you!” You added, taking the headphones off. “That wasn’t half as bad huh?”

Ah, yet again the Dream SMP is trending.

#dream smp #dreamwastaken #dream #mcyt #tommyinnit #dream x reader #dream smp x reader #mcyt x reader

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quirklessidiot · 4 years ago

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Title: first meetings [ii. the small pink-haired boy] Genre: just angst, drama, romance, historical fiction Pairing: Sorcerer!Sukuna x gn!sorcerer!reader (heian era; pre-curse sukuna)

Synopsis: in which you befriend the slave boy you’re supposed to spy on.

Warnings: not canon stuff, future dark themes,, smoll manga spoilers, slavery, whipping, mentions of rape, language and violence Notes: im kinda back i guess skksks also these are pretty much random au’s of my own take of sukuna’s back story uwu, theyre arranged in no particular order and you can read them in any order. This started out as a random one shot and i couldnt get it out of my head lol ksksksks, def not canon btw but it is canon that sukuna used to be an all powerful sorcerer before he turned to the dark side or smthng.

lil dictionary: non-person- usually what they called slaves during the heian era.

masterlist [for other parts] ;; taglist

“That’s beautiful.”

Contrasting to your rather clean and prestigious appearance, the young boy was dressed in rags and had dirt painted on his face. You could tell by his uncommon red eyes that he didn’t want you here nor did he even want to be associated with you.

“...the boy is rather prideful.” your otosan recounted a few nights before, you’d usually have conversations like this since you were quite close with him and he did like to confide you with these things,“but he has spirit, he’d be good for a ward.”

“What are you doing here?” He spat, being a part of and the sole heir of your family meant you were also treated with dignity and respect, it seemed like this boy wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone, this made you grin wildly much to his disdain, “Oi, stop grinning like that. You’re creeping me the fuck out.”

“I’m Y/N.”

“And I don’t care.”

“Has anyone told you that you’ve got quite the temper?”

“Well, has anyone told you that you’re being an annoying bitch?” he bit back, five minutes into your first meeting, this strange boy seemed to want to get furthest away from you. He seemed to be rather ignorant to his overflowing cursed energy, your father was right, this boy was definitely no joke.

“That’s sad.” You pouted, “All I wanted to say was how beautiful that Kimono is.”

“I was at a store, looking for some clothes that best suited you when I saw a young boy of your age…” your otosan narrated, “Who had a rather high cursed energy, he seemed unaware with it. He works as an errand boy, I believe, he carries heavy clothes and silk… His looks are hard to miss Y/N, so I’m sure you won’t miss him...try to talk to him…”

The boy looks up to you, completely annoyed, “Well, you said it. Now fuck off, yeah?”

You chose to ignore him and just bend down to his level, you had no training for today so you might as well join the boy for a moment since you had time to kill, “You know, if you keep keeping that attitude up, you might scare the customers away.” you mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

“Yeah?” he clicked his tongue, “Looks to me that you aren’t even here to buy anything.”

“He seemed rather…” Your otosan described, “perplexed...so you might as well go in my stead…”

“Ah.” your grin doesn’t seem to fade despite his rather rough way of speaking, “You just seemed around my age so I got interested.”

“No shit, now buzz off. I got no time for kids like you.”

He talks as if he was older than you, it’s no surprise. Boys like him tend to think they know quite a lot.

“Do you wish to tell me your name now?”

He was silent for a moment.

That’s when realization dawned upon you, why he seemed perplexed around your otosan, why he thinks you were an annoying buzz, and why he couldn’t reply when you asked for his name. You feel yourself inwardly cringe at your mistake, it seems like the boy your father took interest in is a slave with no name, “Twenty.” he mumbles, shrugging nonchalantly.

“What?”

“They call me twenty.” he recounts, his voice is still rough around the edges, remaining uncensored by his identity.

“Right…” you tilt your head, “Twenty…”

“You’ve got silks to bring to the next town, boy!” a loud voice calls out, cutting you short, making the pink-haired boy put the pretty kimono down and back for display. Without even sparing you a glance or a word, he retreats to the back and you’re left squatting there alone. You watch him from behind, specifically at the bandages that peeked through his wrists.

The boy had piqued your interest to the point that you made it your weekly agenda to visit him and a-some-nights agenda to watch over him. He still ignores you and seems to be annoyed by you every time but he doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it so you just sit there.

You were also still in awe by how much raw energy he possessed, you’d ask your otosan if he knew any sorcerers with lost children because it surely seemed as if this boy wasn’t ordinary.

“Just keep an eye on him,” was all your father said as you watch the boy close up shop late at night from on top of a roof, “He might make a great sorcerer and shift the tides.”

Your otosan was not one for gambling on people but it seemed like he made a large bet on this boy.

As usual, you’re watching over him close up. It’s late and the owner of the place walks out, a pipe on his lips. Right then and there, he slaps the pink-haired teenager right at the face, “You should’ve joined the customer awhile ago in the dressing room, boy.” he growls, “It would’ve been quick…”

You feel the negative energy emit stronger than ever and your grip on your knife is tight, “Don’t get involved, Y/N.” your otosan’s warning echoes in your head, yes your otosan may have been interested in him but he was never one to dwell in human affairs, saying they were annoying and a mess to clean up.

“...It seems like the lesson a few nights ago wasn’t enough.” you snap back to reality and watch his boss stretch out a whip with its pointy ends and you feel your blood run cold.

‘Don’t get involved-’

You ignore your otosan’s words in your head and throw a stone right at a nearby sign, resulting in a booming clang, making the cat nearby yelp outloud. The pink-haired boy jumps on the spot and so does the older man at the sound.

“Ah fucking-” the older man curses, tucking the whip back in, “No food for you for three days. Know your fucking worth, non-person.”

Your grip on your nodachi lessens as you let out a sigh of relief, whatever legal terms your father must be talking about needs to be done quickly.

On the next day, you’re on your way to visit him again. Carrying the bento box that you know he’ll refuse again because of his ‘pride’ yet you stop dead on your tracks when you find his owner and an older man talking, Sukuna seems to be standing behind them, looking quite uncomfortable.

It didn’t take two and two to guess what was going on, the amount of cursed energy leaking on him was strong so you could only guess this was the man who wanted to get his way on him yesterday. Your nose crinkles in absolute disgust, “Don’t get involved-”

Once again, you ignore your otosan’s words.

“Hey!” You call out, you see his red eyes widen, “What are you doing?”

The older man frowns at your sudden appearance, “None of your business brat. Now go home-”

“I said,” You repeated, your voice dangerously low, “What are you doing to him?”

“He’s a non-person, kid.” his ‘owner’ growls, you notice his hands dangerously close to his whip, “A fucking slave in simpler terms, now get the fuck out before I beat him and you.”

“You don’t scare me.” Your eyes are narrowed, truthfully, no one ever scares you. You were the heir of your clan. It was to be expected and drilled since your curse energy manifested when you were five that fear would come last, “Now unhand the boy.”

“This bitch-”

“Now, now.” The other man smiles, cutting the pink-haired boy’s ‘owner’ off, “Maybe I can take that young child with me too. After all, they seem to be good friends. Two is better than one…”

You watch the other older man snake an arm on the young boy’s shoulder and you could feel the fear leaking out, it was harder to mask and hide now.

“Is it alright to put a little scar on’em? So that they’d know-” He gets ready to take out the whip while your fists are clenched, this would be easy. You could get away with this later, at least you’d take the boy away from this place and help him control his energy after.

Yet before you’re able to land a blow, the pink-haired boy yells at you to move as his ‘owner’ takes out a whip to whip you.

For someone who didn’t seem to like your presence, he was rather quick to defend you, having his face get hit in the process by the sharp whip. Your eyes widen in surprise, “Ah, shit… Y/N, run!” he yells but you’re staring at his very bloody face.

It would obviously leave marks like the wrists and who knows which parts since he was always covered by that very loose raggedy kimono.

You clench your fists tightly and look up from his blood features, the ‘owner’ stops on his tracks when he meets your very cold gaze, “Do you know who you just messed with?” you asked, “You really think I won’t tell my otosan that you planned to make me your prostitute?”

“Y-Y/N, jesus christ just fucking run-” he tried to stutter out, any evidence of the prideful and strong boy who tried to shoo you away was now gone.

Yet like the stubborn child you are, you ignore him and instead take out your family seal and drop it in front of them, ignoring the pink-haired boy’s plea’s and watching the two men in front of you turn white as a ghost as they see the nameplate, “My name is Ryomen Y/N.” You stated, voice loud and clear, “And you better hope that I’ll let you out here dead or me and my otosan will hunt you down for the rest of your life.”

taglist [if your name is crossed out, i cant tag you!] @shinhiromi ;; @hcn421 ;; @airybnb ;; @coldbookworm ;; @kristineyoshaii ;; @frankenstein852

@iguessimastannnow

#jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen fanfiction #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk imagines #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #sukuna x reader #jjk x reader #sukuna imagines

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dragonsareourfuture · 4 years ago

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Death Note/GN!Reader — Their Pet Peeves

⚠️Warning: mention of guns because Mello, mentions of suicide

A shorter lil scenario thing having to do with the Death Note humans’ pet peeves having to do with their s/o. It’s not too angsty, so don't worry :)

Mello

considering Mello has a pretty severe inferiority complex, he doesn’t enjoy hearing people he loves talk down on themselves — especially you. Because he truly believes you are one of the most kind and genuine people out there, it pains him to think that you don’t see in yourself what he sees in you.

That being said, your self deprecating humor is the bane of his existence, even if it is just meant as a joke. You keep insisting you don’t really mean it, so he lets it go for a while. There was, however, one day where you went way too far. You’d handed him his gun, pointed it to your head and told him to shoot, all with a smile on your face. He had to have a talk with you after that, for his well-being and especially yours.

Matt

It’s your constant need to feel involved in the Kira case for him.

Whether you’re usually like that or not, something about this case — he guesses it’s his own involvement in it — that makes you want to know what’s going on at all times and help out as much as you can. It scares him half to death. His childhood best friend is already in as deep as he can be, so the last thing he wants is to lose you too if it comes to that.

He remembers a morning when he woke up and you were nowhere to be found. He assumed you had gone to go after Kira yourself and ran to Mello in a panic. He was beyond relieved when you came home with groceries a few minutes later.

Near

You seem to get this sick pleasure out of destroying all of his towers. It drives him crazy. And yes, Near knows there are worse things for him to ridicule about you but when he spends hours on a tower made completely of dice alone only for you to knock it down, he gets a little annoyed.

And the worst part — sometimes it’s not even on purpose. This tends to be the case more so after you realize your actions truly annoy him and you stop. Unfortunately it seems to be unconsciously engrained in your brain now, and those poor towers never stand a chance when you’re walking past. Whether it’s from a little tap of your toe or you trip and literally collapse on top of it, that tower’s going down (I’m yelling timber).

Misa

Honestly, it’s when you scold her for/casually bring up her past actions and mistakes. Whether it’s involving her obsession with Light or what she got herself into because of that obsession, it hurts her when you mention it. She just feels like you don’t think she’s changed at all for the better like she’s been trying to do ever since you helped her get out of Light’s manipulative grasp.

When you accidentally went a little too hard on her regarding her reckless behavior under Kira’s influence, she ended up breaking down. You profusely apologized and held her the entire night, promising to be more aware of what you say. Whether it was only a joke or you meant to make her realize her past mistakes, you genuinely didn’t mean to hurt her.

Light

He does not particularly enjoy when you express doubts in his plans or worry about outcomes of which he already eliminated the possibility of. Well, more like he hates it. Depending on his mood, he’ll handle your doubts one of two ways:

When he’s calm, in his room, scheming — all that good stuff — Light will pull you close, kiss your knuckles and tell you how he’s planned everything out, nothing could possibly go wrong. He’ll tell you how you’re always safe with him and has he ever let you down before? But if he’s under a lot of pressure, if something unexpected or detrimental to his plans just happened, he’s much more irritable. He’ll most likely snap at you and you get the hint, leaving and waiting for him to calm down before you go to talk things out.

L does not share food. Except for that one time with Mogi and the strawberry, but that was him offering food to someone. If L does not offer you food, then you do not touch his food. It’s a strictly hands off policy and he makes sure you and everyone in the task force knows that. And really, he has no problem sharing...but when you take food without asking first, that’s what gets under his skin for sure.

Usually you’re pretty good about it because he told you that he doesn’t like it the first time you did it and, of course, you respect his boundaries. But on the occasions you forget, L will take to pouting. He does so subtlety, so that the rest of the task force rarely picks up on it unless they’re watching your interactions. He’ll give you blunt answers and refuse to explain them, order way too much food from Watari and eat it all himself to make a point, that kind of thing. When you call him out for being childish, he’ll actually stick his tongue out at you which basically just proves your point.

Matsuda

It might sound dumb, but Matsuda cannot stand when you crack your knuckles or joints, either on purpose or by accident. The sound just makes him cringe and sends a shiver down his spine, which you make a mental note of in case you ever need to annoy him.

There was this one time when you two were sitting on the couch at home and you got up to get something when all of your joints simultaneously cracked. After that, Matsuda locked himself in the bedroom for thirty minutes straight, saying he had to get that sound out of his head before he could see you again. You’re not sure if it’s all that convenient for him to be that grossed out by something as simple as joints cracking when he works as a police officer, but you don’t bring it up to him.

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minghaocouture · 4 years ago

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Title: By Moonlight Pairing: Implied Prince!Vernon (Seventeen) x (GN) Mage!Reader Prompt: CWC Valentines Event - “You’re Important too” Genre: Fluff, High Fantasy AU Warnings: Language WC: 2.3K+ Edits by: Me <3 A/N: Happy Valentines Day @elcie-chxn!! I hope you have a wonderful day, sweetie! Thankfully I wrote this all before the writing half of my brain shut down lol, so i didn’t get to edit this but I’m glad I was at least able to get it done <3 NGL i saw you liked fantasy stuff and just kinda ran with it, so I hope you enjoy!

“His Highness, Prince Vernon, requested your presence.” Those simple words seemed to send your brain into a spiral. You had been working for days on end with practically no breaks, researching and studying so that your work might possibly be seen by the mage’s collective. Sure, being an apprentice to the head mage for King Chwe wasn’t a terrible job, but getting to join the collective would completely change your lot in life. It was all you could focus on, to the point that you had potentially started neglecting your duties to the crown. So you couldn’t imagine that this was a good call.

You tore your eyes away from the documents sprawled out on your workbench, glancing back to face your teacher, Wonwoo, who stood at your door. He looked serious, as usual, but this seemed different and the look seemed to send a wave of anxiety to your gut.

“Of course, thank you for the message. I’ll make myself more presentable and be right out.” You declared. Wonwoo gave you a firm nod, looking as if there was something on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to say and yet he could not get the words past his lips. So he took his leave, pulling the heavy wooden door shut behind him.

You were lucky, having your own private chambers in the palace. Those that weren’t members of the Royal family usually slept in communal rooms, with 4 or 5 people crowded inside small spaces just so that the King could renovate the former chambers into better ballrooms, or something else that could leave his guests in awe. It was disgusting.

It didn’t take you too long to get prepared to go see the Prince. You hadn’t been sleeping regularly, so you were still in your work attire, the mage robes that had been assigned to you when you first arrived as an apprentice when your magic had first revealed itself.

Pacing down the quiet halls of the palace at night was always an eerie thing. Your footsteps echoing against the stone flooring, while the halls were only lit by moonlight and the small lantern in your grasp. You don’t know how the night guards managed to travel the halls every night without fear.

As you traveled down the twisting and turning hallways, you finally stood before the door to the library. It was a grand door, one meant to show that it was a room of knowledge, with beautiful etchings carved into the wood and made to resemble the tree branches that the mahogany used to be. While beautiful, you could only imagine it being insulting to the tree that the door had once been.

Pushing these thoughts aside, you eased the door open and cringed slightly at the loud creaking of the hinges. You would need to tell one of the maids about that later, the King would be furious if he heard such a thing.

Taking a step into the library proper, you called out for the young Prince that had desired your attention.

“Your Highness? You wanted to see me?”

No answer.

Strange. Taking a few more steps, you paced towards the back of the grand library and up the tall stairs to the second flooring. The second floor housed the more...intricate books, that involved things like magic. It was a place you were quite familiar with. As you crept up the stairs you felt your heart almost leap out of your chest as a rather loud sound ripped through the room. A gasp left your lips in shock, fear coursing through your veins, before it happened again and you, foolishly, realised what it was.

“He fell asleep. Bastard called for me, and then fell asleep.” You snorted, following the now softer sounds that were without a doubt coming from the sleeping Prince.

You finally stumbled upon his table, his head resting in the pages of an open book with thick wisps of his sandy brown tresses softly falling onto the parchment and exposing the slight point to his ears. Anyone in the Kingdom could tell he was beautiful, as one of the only known instances of a human and an elf having a child.

For a moment, you debated on waking him up. You knew that he had been studying hard as his coronation ceremony would be in a mere 2 months, but this seemed a bit excessive. Falling asleep in the library was dangerous for a Prince. Though you had to admit, you were a bit jealous. The exhaustion from your long hours of studying and magic use had worn you down, and you longed for a good night’s rest. Sadly, if you wanted to impress the Collective, then you would not see a proper night’s sleep in your near future.

“Your Highness,” your voice soft as air as you reached out to gently nudge his shoulder. A grumble replaced his previous snores, the reaction pulling a small chuckle from you. “It’s rather rude to fall asleep after calling for someone.”

Seeming as if he understood the words despite his exhausted state, he slowly began pushing himself up. An ungloved hand lifted to rub his eyes in an attempt to expedite the process of waking up, though it hardly did him any good. As he adjusted to being awake once more, you took the seat across from him with a small grin etched onto your lips.

“Enjoy your nap, your Highness?”

“I would have enjoyed it more in my bed, but this will do.” He let out a rather undignified yawn, throwing his arms up to stretch the muscles in his shoulders that had tensed from his uncomfortable position. Most people would never get to see this side of the Prince, and yet, you weren’t most people.

“And how many times do I have to say it, just call me Vernon.” He grumbled, his piercing eyes fixing yours with a rather unimpressed look lingering in their gaze.

You found yourself struggling to keep a yawn suppressed, he would just worry after all, if he could tell how hard you were pushing yourself.

“I suppose you’ll just have to keep telling me, your Highness.”

“Okay, that one was just to piss me off wasn’t it?”

You grin grew wider which gave him the only response he needed. He let out yet another, al bet, smaller yawn before closing the book before him and muttering something about drool. When that task was finished his gaze returned to you.

“You didn’t come to dinner tonight.” It wasn’t a question, obviously, he knew you weren’t there. It had been a rule that the head mage and their apprentice would be allowed to dine with the Royal family one night per week. You weren’t sure why the rule was in place and it seemed rather odd, especially with the King’s temperament, to allow simple mages to dine with him. Usually at that dinner you were given much better food than if you were simply going to the kitchens to dine, so you never complained even when the atmosphere in the room was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

“I wasn’t feeling all that hungry. I was just going to grab a snack from the kitchens before bed,” Not exactly a lie, it was true that you were going to grab something from the kitchens but you weren’t planning on sleeping tonight, not when you were so close to a break through on your latest spell attempt.

“Or last week.” His eyes narrowed a bit as he watched for your reaction, examining as your eyes flickered away from him. It was as if he could read you like a book. Though that was to be expected with how long he had known you. It seemed just like yesterday you were arriving at the castle, your hands gripping tightly to your mothers skirts. She had been hired as a cook and because of that your little family was allowed shelter in the castle. It was a completely new experience for you, and was much bigger than the shack you had lived in while in the village. The stone walls seemed to climb on forever, so close to the sky that you had to crane your neck to even see the tops of them.

That was how you had met the young Prince. Your eyes had been glued to the sky, following the lines of the stone walling as you trailed behind your mother as the two of you tended to the castle’s gardens. As you had been walking, your frame rammed into none other than Prince Vernon himself.

Your mother had been beside herself with anger at you, and fear of upsetting the young Prince, but the boy laughed it off and invited you to play with him and the other royal children that had been visiting. You agreed, of course, and never looked back.

“I was working that night. Wonwoo had asked me to craft a particular potion, and I had messed it up right before dinner...so I stayed to fix it.”

A scoff left the young Prince’s lips, his eyes rolling at your lie. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest, as he fixed his gaze onto you. You had always had your suspicions that the Prince was teaching himself magic, but you weren’t too sure until you heard a familiar phase leave his lips.

“Veritas Patere.” His eyes flashed the familiar blue that you were so used to seeing in your own iris’ when performing magic. A cold rush ran through your skin, leaving gooseflesh in its wake as the spells effects began.

“Why weren’t you at dinner?” His question was spoken confidently, his tone demanding an answer despite the fact that it didn’t need to. The spell was doing the ‘demanding’ for him.

“I was studying, working on a new spell to send to the Mage’s Collective.” The truth slipped from your lips without any hesitation, a stark contrast from before. You hadn’t expected the Prince’s magic to be this strong, usually beginner mages had a much more difficult time casting truth spells of this level. Yet it seemed to be nothing to him.

“Why aren’t you taking care of yourself?”

This question caught you off guard, he had gotten the answer he wished for so why didn’t he dispel the magic? Why was this even a question in his mind when he had much more important things to think of, his coronation being one of them.

“Getting this spell working is the only thing that matters right now. If I don’t get this spell perfected by the time of your coronation, then I failed as a mage and won’t be allowed to take over Master Wonwoo’s position.” Vernon’s face twisted in confusion at this answer, his eyes still holding the faint glow of magic in them. You could tell that the spell wouldn’t last much longer as the light dimmed, he didn’t have enough energy to keep it going.

“What do you mean? I thought the position would transfer to you once I was crowned?” Of course he wouldn’t know. The collective was a secretive bunch and didn’t give their secrets out to just anyone, not even royalty. There were certain rules in place though, rules you weren’t supposed to share and yet you found the words slipping from your lips at the behest of his spell.

“When a new King or Queen gets crowned, their old head mage will be succeeded by their apprentice and they will be sent on to a different Kingdom. The only exception is if the apprentice has yet to prove themselves to the collective.” You confessed, were it not for the spell keeping your eyes connected to his, you would have looked away in shame. It was like a magnet, keeping your gaze firmly connected with his and you felt your gut sink as you watched his expression change from confusion, into one of mild understanding and frustration.

“If I don’t do something to prove myself, then you will be assigned a different mage and I will have to follow Wonwoo to his next assignment before I can try again.” As the last words left your lips, you watched the glowing blue finally dissipate from his rich brown eyes. You usually loved his eyes, and could get lost in them as the two of you chatted with one another, but now you found yourself practically shrinking beneath his gaze.

“This is too important for me to mess up, Vernon.” He was too important, and you didn’t want to get taken away from him. Thankfully, with the spell gone, you weren’t forced to reveal such a secret to the young Prince. Despite this, it almost seemed as if he could tell what you were thinking at that moment.

His hands reached across the table to grasp your own that had been resting against the wood. His calloused thumbs gently rubbed circles on the tops of your hands as he squeezed them, trying to comfort you in anyway he could. It...helped your anxiety a bit, but couldn’t stop the sense of dread you had been feeling since the announcement of his Coronation.

“Well, you’re important too.” He declared, pulling your hands closer to him. His lips ghosting over your knuckles, causing your heart to practically stop in your chest. “What do you think will happen if you get sick because you’re not taking care of yourself? You’re not just some mage to me, you know that right?”

His tone was soft, and caused a swarm of butterflies to take flight in your belly. You weren’t quite sure he was aware of the effect he had on you, but you were almost certain he could hear the rapid pounding of your heart as he firmly pressed his lips to the top of one of your hands. Pulling away he looked up at you, his gaze hooded as he was practically set aglow by the moonlight pouring from the large windows.

“So you better start taking care of yourself.”

You weren’t sure if that was a threat or not, but you would do it. After all, if he thought you were important enough to take care of...then you surely must be.

#caratwritersclub #kdiner #kdiarynet #cwcvg2021 #seventeen x reader #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #svt x reader #svt scenarios #svt imagines #vernon x reader #Vernon imagine #vernon scenarios #Vernon fluff

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pandawritespoorly · 4 years ago

Text

And: Chapter 2 - Without

Author’s Note: Thank you all so much for your patience again! I meant to have this up on Tuesday, but between school finally starting back up, and getting back into the habit of regular updates, it just didn't happen. I promise I wasn't disappearing again!

First | Last

Marinette sits up when she hears a notification from that app. She and Chat had found a messaging app that they could both use without revealing their identities, and had been using it to communicate without having to transform.

It was already hard enough to sneak away for attacks, they didn’t need to make it more complicated.

It’s just a quiet study hour in the library, and she’s alone, so she pulls out her phone.

Cat Boy: hey bug

Cat Boy: weird question

Cat Boy: do you

Cat Boy: do u think that i weigh 2 much

Little Lady: no!

Little Lady: not at all kitty

Little Lady: underneath all that armor and magic leather im pretty sure your waist is the same size as mine

Little Lady: if anything you dont weigh enough

Little Lady: im bringing snacks on patrol

Little Lady: this is non negotiable

Little Lady: text me ur favorites

Little Lady: but later. what brought this on

Cat Boy: just civilian stuff

Cat Boy: i know i’m not overweight

Cat Boy: but seeing the numbers andstuff all the time it can kind of stick in ur head you know

Cat Boy: and then u start thinking about it

Cat Boy: and it sticks around longer

Little Lady: and then it’s taken root

Cat Boy: yeah

Little Lady: then we have some weeding to do >:(

Cat Boy: :)

Cat Boy: thanks bug

Little Lady: not a problem

---

Little Lady: do i do enough

Little Lady: like

Little Lady: all of this

Little Lady: is it good enough

Little Lady: paris and the kwamis and the akumas and hakwmoth

Little Lady: shouln’t I have fixed all of this bu now

Little Lady: it’s what im here for

Little Lady: but theres sill so much wrong and i feel like im not enough right to cancel it all out

Little Lady: and i just

Little Lady: i feel so bad

Little Lady: but half the time i dont even kno what i fel bad about u kno

Little Lady: i jsut fell bad

Little Lady: abuto evryting

Little Lady: o goodenss it 3 am

Little Lady: sory

Little Lady: ignreo tihs

Cat Boy: bug

Cat Boy: breathe

Cat Boy: five things you see

Little Lady: pilwo phonoe tiki cieling um

Little Lady: blankt

Cat Boy: four things you feel

Little Lady: bed

Little Lady: pilow hair sheets

Cat Boy: three things you hear

Little Lady: cars wind and keyboadr clicks

Cat Boy: two things you smell

Little Lady: the candle i had burning and bread

Cat Boy: bread?

Little Lady: bakery nearby

Cat Boy: oh okay

Cat Boy: one thing you taste

Little Lady: cookies

Cat Boy: there we go

Little Lady: thank you

Cat Boy: no problem

Cat Boy: do u want to talk

Little Lady: later. maybe on patrol?

Little Lady: i’m tired. haven’t slept all weekend

Cat Boy: …

Cat Boy: bug it’s MONDAY

Cat Boy: wait no

Cat Boy: TUESDAY

Cat Boy: go to bed

Little Lady: goodnight kitty

Cat Boy: gn littlebug

Today 9:32 AM

Little Lady: hey! im not that much shorter than you!

Little Lady: >:(((

---

“Are you sure, Lila?” Adrien asks, a frown creasing his face. “That doesn’t sound like something Marinette would do.”

“Well I-”

“My dude’s right,” Nino agrees, “That doesn’t sound like Nette at all.”

Adrien watches Marinette brighten quietly as the rest of the class comes to her defense. They all believe Lila still, yes, he’s not going to let the liar turn them on their Everyday Ladybug. Not on his watch.

After class, the dark haired girl approaches him. She gives him a soft hug, whispering a quiet ‘thank you’.

---

“Adrien,” Marinette calls.

The blond stops, turning. “Hey, Marinette. Did you need something?”

She shakes her head, giving a small smile, holding out a paper bag. “You were gone all morning for that photoshoot. I thought you might be hungry.”

Adrien freezes, staring at her in shock.

After a moment, she cringes, looking away. “B-but um, if you aren’t-”

He shakes his head, realizing his mistake. “No! No! Thank you so much! I just- You surprised me.” He gives her a grateful smile, trying to keep himself from crying. “I- that- I wasn’t expecting this. You’re wonderful, Marinette, really.”

She blushes violently as he takes the bag, digging into the pastries with a smile.

“I don’t usually remember lunch after shoots, so…”

She stares at him in horror. “That’s it,” she declares, “I’m bringing you lunch now. Everyday. No matter what.”

“How much? I’ll pay-”

“No, Adrien, we’re friends. You don’t need to pay me. Maman is always saying how she thinks you need to eat more anyways, so my parents would probably just give you free food if you so much as glanced in the window. I’m just making their dreams come true.”

He laughs, and she takes a moment to appreciate such a carefree look on the busy model’s face.

He’s happy.

That’s good.

---

Cat Boy: u okay bug

Cat Boy: u seemed upset today

Little Lady: im fine

Little Lady: just

Little Lady: tired

Little Lady: i should probably go now class will start soon

Cat Boy: okay

Cat Boy: if you say so

Adrien tries not to let his worry for his partner show as he slips his phone into his pocket and makes his way to Bustier’s class.

The battle was easy - Ladybug didn’t even need her Lucky Charm - but Cataclysm had been a requirement for this particular fight, so he hadn’t had time afterwards to check in with his friend.

He’s never good at focusing when he’s worried.

Nino slings an arm around him as they meet up on their way to class.

“Hey dude, um, I hope you don’t mind sitting with Nette today. She’s pretty wiped out - Al’s said she said somethin’ about a big commission? I dunno’, but we figure the less high up she is, the better, so I’m takin’ her seat today so she can go ground level.”

“Oh that’s fine! Is she okay?”

Nino gestures at the girl as they enter. She’s slumped forward, making her already small form even smaller, and while her sketchbook is out, the page is blank, and her pencil isn’t anywhere to be seen. There’s a to-go cup of coffee in the corner of the desk, and her head rests on her hand, her eyes staring blankly forward, unresponsive.

Adrien winces. “Goodness.”

“Yeah…” Nino shakes his head, then heads towards the girl’s usual seat. “You take care of her, alright?”

Adrien nods, sliding into his usual seat. “Hey, Mari,” he greets softly.

She straightens, blinking a few times before turning to face him with a weak smile. “Hey.”

“You feeling alright?”

She doesn’t get a chance to respond before Ms. Bustier walks in and class starts.

The lesson feels slow. Between Marinette and Ladybug, Adrien has the urge to hug someone and tell them that they’re okay, and that they’re good.

Both girls, at this point. The look in Marinette’s eyes is the same as Ladybug’s when she’s overworking herself to avoid thinking about something. The nights when he sees her patrolling even though she isn’t scheduled and he has to transform to go talk her into resting. The fights where she throws herself at akumas less thoughtfully, more brash. The post-battle interviews where her answers are slightly delayed, her eyes endlessly tired.

So when class is finally over, Adrien puts a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her from going. Once everyone has filed out, he gives a small, worried smile.

“Are you feeling okay, Marinette?”

“I’m fine.”

“Marinette.”

She hesitates, her eyes straying from his to stare at nothing in particular. “I’m fine, Adrien, really. I’m just… just tired.”

“The coffee probably isn’t helping,” he teases.

“The coffee is my lifeblood.” She smirks, then sighs. “But I’m more than just sleep-tired.”

“Oh.”

She stands, gathering her things. “But thank you. For asking. And for caring.”

“Not a problem.” He hands her her sketchbook. “You deserve it.”

She looks at the sketchbook, then at his smile, and gives a genuine one of her own. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

---

Author’s Note: Next (and final) chapter will be up sometime next week! I'll try to post weekly one-shots until I have A Shy 'Sparrow' fully written, and then I'll put that on a regular schedule.

Thank you all so much! Have a lovely day and stay safe! 💞

First | Last

#miraculous ladybug #and #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #good friends #good partners #partners support each other #tired marinette dupain cheng #hurt/comfort #fanfic

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littlestarofthewest · 5 years ago

Note

Hi, I love your fics and wanted to know if you have some tips for someone who wants to start writing? English is not my main language and I don't know if it's worth writting on my first language and then translate/adapt to english...

Hey anon, sorry this took me so long to answer, but I just wanted to do a somewhat decent job with it. Also, thank you. I'm really honored that you consider me to be someone who can actually give valid advice. I put this under a read more because it got super long (I’m sorry if that’s not at all what you were looking for).

Important side note: While I use phrases like "this is better," everything below is my personal opinion and not some sort of universal truth. I'm not criticizing any writers. I'm sure they know what they're doing, and we're all just looking for ways to put out the best works we can.

A lot of writers use things in their stories that I try my hardest to avoid, and they still have lots of happy readers. It comes down to personal preference, and all I'm offering here are a few ideas for you to consider.

-------

Let's start with the language issue. When I started writing fanfic I thought about the same thing. I think you have to consider 3 things:

1. Do I have the time / am I willing to translate everything?I'm usually so excited about finishing a story that I want to post it right away. You won't be able to do that if you need to translate it first. Also, writing itself can already be exhausting, and you're going to have to do the same work twice with each story.

2. Is my native language interesting for others?I'm German, and since the majority of the German people I'm in fandoms with speak English, there's no need to post anything in German. If the source material is English, they will consume English fics.

If you know your language to be interesting for other people, it would make more sense to post both languages to reach a bigger audience.

3. How close is my native language to English?Again, I can give you the example of German. The two languages are very different when it comes to sentence structure and how to phrase things. So, if I were to write in German first, a translation would be quite tricky. I'd probably end up "rewriting" the story rather than translating it word for word because the English wouldn't sound so good.

In conclusion: I know it's tempting to write in your own language because it seems more natural but unless you have good reason to do it that way (as mentioned above), I'd probably try to write in English right away. That's what I ended up doing. If you want to find the best way for you, try it both ways and see what works best.

Judging from your ask, I'd say you have enough knowledge of the language to write in English, and while it might suck a little in the beginning, it gets a lot easier over time.

--------

GENERAL ADVICE

1. Write! Practice is key. Talent might be a thing, but what makes you better at something is actually doing it. You don't have to publish everything, but the fact that you wrote it will help you to get better. I cringe whenever I look at things that I wrote 6 years ago, but it's also great to see how much better I am now compared to then. If you keep at it, you'll definitely see that change at some point.

2. Don't get discouraged if there's no significant response. Even for amazing writers, it takes time to get some traction. Especially on tumblr it's tough to be seen. There are also a ton of reasons why people might not interact, like forgetfulness, blog aesthetic, laziness, shyness, etc. That doesn't mean they don't enjoy your work. I hate to say "write for yourself," but that's the mindset you need. It should be still fun for yourself, even if you don't get a lot of feedback.

3. Have a healthy attitude towards your work.It's absolutely okay to love your own stuff, and if you enjoy it, feel free to show it. Still accept if not everybody else likes it, though.

BUT… don't hate on your work. A lot of writers are a little unsure about themselves, and that's okay, but if you say things like "this is garbage" about your own fics, you shouldn't be surprised if people don't read it. Why would they, if even you don't like it? So, don't put yourself down. Putting words on paper out of nothing is hard work, and every fic is worth at least the time and effort you put into it.

4. Read! My English improved a great deal just by reading. You'll pick up vocabulary and ways of phrasing things without even trying too hard. Read with variety. Fanfic is great, and it's a good idea to see what's out there, but fic writers are still a certain kind of writer. Mix it up with published books (even if it's hard to find LGBTQ+ content), preferably with different genres you're interested in.

5. Mingle. It's hard to put yourself out there, but don't be shy to promote yourself a little. If you feel like doing that, offer to take requests. Check out other writers. One great way to find readers is actually to interact with other writers. We can all need the support, and you might end up picking up some good advice.

Be respectful, though. I've seen people leave comments just to go like, "Hey, you wanna read my stuff, too?" Not nice. If you interact in a friendly manner, there's a good chance they'll check you out anyway. No need to pressure them.

6. Make an effort. I learned that one early on, when someone commented on one of my first fics that they "almost didn't read it because of the way it was formatted." It kinda sucks when you finally have something to post and then need to "waste time" with that stuff, but it's just as important as the story itself.

You don't have editors who will fix every little thing but try to do the basics yourself.- correct your punctuation- try avoiding walls of text- make enough paragraphs (when different people speak etc.)- check for major spelling errors

7. Consider advice / ignore haters. When someone gives you advice (if you asked for it or not), consider it. It's not smart to reject it right away, but you also don't have to do what others tell you. Pick out what works best for you. If someone's rude, kick them out of your life and don't waste a second on them. It's not on you to teach them to be polite.

8. Be mindful of your readers. It's their job to construct a safe atmosphere for themselves online, but you can do a great deal to help them. If you post on AO3, tag your stuff!! I hate to give away spoilers, but a lot of readers will feel better reading your stuff if they know that you look out for them.

On tumblr, use the right tags. Don't tag every character and ship in the universe. People will hate you (for a good reason). Go with what's actually in your story. Mentioning the basics in your post might be an option, too. (I give a quick overview on top of each story, but many writers don't. That's personal preference.)

And due to recent events, a plea from myself. Please consider all genders, sexualities etc. when you post. Tag your male/gn/female/trans reader inserts, tag your ships, tag major triggers, etc. You can't know every dislike of every person, but you have a bit of responsibility here, so please make an effort.

9. Write first - edit later. I'm shitty at this myself, but it's still great advice. A good way to avoid writer's block is just to put down the words, no matter what. It sounds like garbage? It doesn't matter. Did you use the same verb three times in one paragraph? Fix it later. No idea how that sentence should go? Add [character is doing some great action move to defeat the villain] and move on. Fill it in later.

Neil Gaiman said: "There is no first draft worse than a blank page."

You can always change and fix what's already there, but you can't work with nothing.

10. Take writing breaks. You don't have to crap out 2k of words a day to be a writer. In fact, letting your mind rest can be a great way to gain motivation and inspiration. Do something you love and don't hate yourself if the words don't come right away. They'll be back.

----------

SPECIFIC WRITING ADVICE

There's one golden rule: You want your readers to be so enthralled by the story that they forget that they're reading it.

These are some things that I picked up and still look out for to get exactly that effect. If you do that or not is totally up to you, though.

1. Use paragraphs when another person speaks. Although pretty much every advice blog tells you this, I still see stories that don't do that, and it's super confusing for readers.

NO:Arthur stands up and comes your way. "Are you sure?" You put your arms around him and nod. "Of course."

YES:Arthur stands up and comes your way.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

You put your arms around him and nod. "Of course."

There are a few ways to do this, but the important part is that your readers know who's talking at all times. The second they have to ask and maybe reread to find who says what, they're thrown out of the story.

2. Don't be afraid of "said" and "asked." I know there are these great lists of other words, but there are a time and place. Imagine yourself in conversation. Do you switch between sighing, whispering, growling and shouting with each sentence? Most of the time, people just say things. Use said and pepper in other words when it matters. Also, people tend to read over said. When you switch each sentence, they'll notice which breaks the golden rule.

3. Read out loud. If a sentence is weird, that might help you distinguish what doesn't work. If you notice a point that makes you reread or pause for a moment, chances are your reader will too.

This is also a great way to find weird dialogue. Actually speak the words, and you might notice that nobody talks that way. It's also great to find "the voice" of a character. Read it in their voice and dialect (nobody has to know if you suck at it), and you'll see if that's something they would actually say.

4. Only use epithets if they are absolutely necessary or convey an important fact!!! (This one is a real pet peeve for me because it's so dominant in fic)

NO:The Blonde leaned over, holding out his hand. You shook it, and were taken aback by the older man's shining blue eyes. The cowboy had a voice that made your skin prickle when he finally talked to you.

This is bad for a few reasons:a) You have to come up with all those epithets and oftentimes, they're not very good. b) It can be confusing because it might seem as if you're talking about more than one person. c) Your readers will focus on each new epithet, which breaks the golden rule.

It can be great to introduce a character as the tall, handsome stranger, but as soon as you know how they're called (and you should try to get there fast), for the love of God, use the name. It might sound repetitive to you since you're the one writing it, but readers usually read over names.

If you have to use a workaround, stick to one. The same person is always "the stranger," the next one is "the loudmouth," etc. That way, you can have multiple unknown characters without confusing your readers.

The only!! other reason to use an epithet is to emphasize a particular fact.

YES:"It hurt Arthur to leave John behind, but he wants his brother to be safe."

You could just write "he wants him to be safe," but in this case, "his brother" isn't only a replacement but is supposed to show that Arthur thinks of John as a brother and not just a friend. It actually means something and might even convey information your reader didn't have up until this point. It works well in dialogue, too.

"I need to go with them," you tell Karen, "and try my best to keep tall, dark, and handsome out of trouble."

Karen looks over to John and rolls her eyes. "Good luck."

Of course, the reader character knows John's name, but using the epithet here gives a little insight into how they think about John and that they're comfortable sharing that information with Karen.

5. Check your punctuation. Nobody's gonna kill you if you forget a comma, but try to get it right as well as you can, especially with dialogue. Those are a few rules that aren't hard to understand, and it's especially important if your native language does them differently.

English:"Would you just shut up," says Arthur, giving Micah a mean stare. "One more word, and I'll have to shoot you."

German:"Würdest du mal die Klappe halten", sagt Arthur mit einem bösen Blick zu Micah. "Noch ein Wort und ich werde dich erschießen müssen."

In German, you put the comma after " while you put it inside " " in English. It's a subtle difference, but it threw me a lot when I started writing in English. And if I notice, then readers might notice which again breaks the golden rule.

Besides, we're trying to make some effort, right? Let your story look pretty and professional. You can google a lot of useful guides about comma rules, dashes, and correct punctuation in dialogue.

6. Passive voice can be avoided. Or better said, avoid passive voice. I'm not saying, don't use it at all, since some very common phrases use passive voice, but try not to overdo it.

In most cases, there's always a better way to phrase a sentence, and active voice usually has more dynamic and drives your story in a way that passive voice can't.

7. Adverbs. Most writing advice blogs will tell you to avoid them like the plague. When I first started writing, I was a little on the fence with that advice, but by now, I agree with all my heart. Again, not saying that you can't have a single adverb in your story, but on many occasions, there's a better alternative.

NO:With his heart beating rapidly, Arthur moves quickly around the wagon, pulling out his gun. He fires back, shouting angrily at his attackers, "You gonna pay for this!"

YES:With his heart almost beating out of his chest, Arthur darts around the wagon, pulling out his gun. He fires back at his attackers, his anger sounding like a lion's roar in his voice. "You gonna pay for this!"

I'm not saying that version B is THE best way to write this, but I dare say it's way better than version A. Maybe that's because I'm not a native speaker, but it hurts my head if I have to read 3 words ending in -ly in one tiny paragraph.

A lot of writers very much abuse adverbs in their dialogue tags, which can make things repetitive and takes away the opportunity to put better information there. BUT, there's definitely a time and place for adverbs.

"He speaks quietly to her" is NOT the same as "he whispers to her," and that's the hill I'm going to die on.

8. Strong verbs. I suck at this myself, but this is where you should actually look for long lists of "other words for." This might be especially helpful when you have the above mentioned adverb problem (e.g., dashes, darts > goes quickly).

Still, don't overdo it. You might find words that sound fancy, but chances are that even native speakers might have no idea what you're saying.

9. Past or present tenseWhen writing in German, I often used past tense, but somehow I'm more comfortable with present tense in English.

From what I gathered over the years, most fic readers don't care either way; the only important thing is: pick one, stick to it! It's a widespread mistake a lot of writers make that they somehow switch tenses while writing. It happened to me a lot in the beginning and still does to this day. So be warned ;D

10. What POV should I use?

Again, google is your friend. There are a few different POVs you can use, some of them are very common in fic while others seem to be less popular (like 1st person as in "I do this, I do that"). There are 3 rules that I find important.

a) Don't switch inside of the story. Decide which one you want and stick to it. It's very confusing to switch at some point.

b) After you picked one, look out for the traps. If you write from one character's POV, they can't know things unless somebody tells them about it or they were present for the event. It's easy to suddenly have a character know something because YOU know it. Make sure it makes sense within the story.

c) Don't switch mid-sentence or mid-paragraph. I've seen this a lot lately in reader fics. You have 2k of story from the reader's POV, and then when they interact with the character, the author suddenly ventures into the feelings and inner thoughts of the character. That's confusing, especially if it happens without any marker or break in the text.

Don't switch just because it's convenient. If you want to give them both a voice, do it from the start. And if you do, switch where it makes sense, e.g. every other chapter, in the middle of the chapter with a visible break, etc.

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That's all I can think of for now. I hope it helps you in any way, and feel free to talk about it with me whenever you want. I can ALWAYS talk about writing.

Good fortune with your writing!!!

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