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royallyprincesslilly · 4 years ago

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Title: All Eyes On You {One-Shot}***

Lewis Tan x Reader

Warning: Cursing, NSFW AT ALL, SMUTTT, DO NOT READ AT WORK!!

Words: 4.1k

Summary: Hmmmm, Naaaaah! 🙃

Note: You all have Brandie, @night-of-the-living-shred to thank for this oh and Lewis’ thirst trappin’ ass.

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Mildly Interactive***

You couldn’t believe it had been three months. Three freaking months since you’d physically been able to touch him. Three months since you’d felt his fingertips graze your skin. Three months since you’d felt his lips on yours. Three months since you’d tasted the delicate mix of sea salt, vanilla, and spice, that was his skin. Three months since you’d felt his arms around you as you came awake every morning. Three months since you’d smelled him. Three months too long.

You loved that he had a career he enjoyed and took pride in. Loved that this career was finally beginning to show him the same love and attention he’d shown it for years, but that also meant you spent a lot more time without him in your bed and a lot more time being your own company and best friend, outside of the company and friends you had. It was often lonely, but you’d been together for almost two years now and had developed a working regiment that combated the loneliness.

Staring at the message exchange between you and Lewis had your belly filling with butterflies all over again.

MSG My Heart: Guess who’s coming home a whole week early?

MSG: Don’t play with me, Lewis.

MSG My Heart: I don’t play about coming home to my queen.

MSG: Oh my god. Really? Babe? When? Oh my god.

MSG My Heart: LOL. I love that you’re so excited.

MSG: You’re kidding. Do you know how long it’s been?

MSG My Heart: Three months, fourteen days, ten hours, eighteen minutes, and thirty seconds. I know just how long it’s been.

MSG: Melt my heart.

MSG My Heart: That’s not all I plan on melting.

The row of emojis was what sent you to the grave. You were practically still quivering from anticipation, and this was yesterday.

“All finished.”

You sat up and thanked Lucy, your wax lady who’d just made you a completely smooth again. When Lewis was away, you kept things tidy, but there was no need to get all extravagant. Today, you went all out, and that included a little surprise below the belt.

“Thank you, Lucy. Same card on file, please.”

“You got the full special. Does this mean boyfriend is back in town?”

You giggled. It was a shame she knew the drill. As she ran your credit card, you endured her teasing and salacious suggestions on how to properly welcome Lewis home so he wouldn’t dare think of leaving again. By the time you walked out of the salon, your face was red hot from embarrassment. As you got into your car, you ran down the to-do list you’d made at five this morning.

Hair, Eyebrow Threading, nails, feet, wax, shop.

Somehow you’d managed to get through all of the list, except the shopping part, and it wasn’t even three in the afternoon. Lewis’s flight didn’t come in until five. The plan was for him to come home, and the two of you would go to dinner, but you planned on surprising him at the airport. You were that anxious to see him.

As you were in the midst of getting ready to go to surprise him at the airport, your phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Guess who is officially in the same state as you?”

“Baby?”

“That’s right. I landed forty minutes ago.”

Your head snapped to the clock. It wasn’t even five o’clock.

“Baby, you said five.”

“I know, look, I thought it would be too but looks like even time and space wanted us to be together.”

You remembered the first time he said those words to you. They did the same thing now as they did almost two years ago—made your heart skip a beat.

“I just wanted to give you a heads up before I walked in the door,” Lewis added. That was when you heard a car door shut.

“Thank you, have a good one.”

Sensing something was going on, you perked up. As you walked to the window of your bedroom, your phone chime for the Ring went off, indicating someone had tripped the sensor.

“Lew, baby, is that--.”

“Honey, I’m home. Come to daddy.”

A scream escaped you before you dropped your phone and ran out of the bedroom.

“Slow down.”

Ignoring his warning, you barreled down the stairs and through your home. For the first time, you regretted signing the contract on this mammoth of a house. You should have stuck to your guns when Lewis said it was perfect, and you mentioned it was only going to be the two of you in a house meant for six people. His rebuttal—then we’ll fill it up with some kids. Once he said that you happily signed the contract right beside his name.

After way too long, you found him in the foyer at the front door, and that was when you picked up speed.

“Baby!”

Lewis opened his arms and waited for you to leap into them. Once you did, you wrapped your legs around his back and crashed your lips to his. It had been three months since you’d been kissed, and it was long overdue. Eagerly you dipped your tongue into his mouth, hoping to show him just how excited you were to see him. Lewis moaned then turned your body to press you onto the dark wooden door.

“I missed you so much,” you panted out in between kisses.

“I missed you more.”

Feeling as if there were too many barriers between you, you began peeling them off one by one. His jacket dropped to the floor within seconds. Then came his polo that you peeled off of him. with him bare chest, you allowed your fingers to reacquaint with his skin. Lewis must have felt the same way because the tee-shirt you wore, his tee-shirt was gone a few seconds after your nails scraped his back. Realizing you didn’t have on a bra, his eyes feasted on your flesh.

“Welcome home to me, indeed.”

You snorted and shook your head before wrapping your arms around his neck to kiss him some more. Lewis carried you through your home until he’d laid you onto the extra-large sectional couch. On lazy days this was where the two of you always ended up just cuddling, watching TV, or just chatting. Lewis pressed kiss after kiss onto your neck, collar, and chest before he rested his head in between your breasts and moaned.

“Mmmm, I missed your skin,” he muttered.

You lazily played with his midnight locks taking your time to graze his scalp with your nail tips.

“I missed your smell,” you replied, inhaling deeply, allowing the scent that was all him to envelope you.

Lewis turned his head and kissed your sternum before trailing down your belly. When he kissed your pelvis over your leggings, he moaned.

“I canceled that dinner.”

“What?”

“I know it was supposed to be a surprise, but when my mom texted me to confirm she kind of let it slip,” he admitted.

You snorted, then laughed. It echoed through the first floor of your home.

“Okay, so dinner is canceled. What’s planned in its place?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing? Baby, I’m sure everyone who was supposed to come to this dinner tonight wanted to see you. It has been months,” you stressed.

“Oh, I know it’s been months. That is why I canceled with my mom’s blessing. She even had a message for you.”

You piqued up, straining your neck so you could gaze down at him. Making eye contact without angling his head up, Lewis smirked but didn’t speak.

“What message?”

“She’s not getting any younger and would like to be able to do Tik Tok dances with her grandchild without worry about her knees.”

Your jaw dropped to which Lewis busted out laughing.

“Wait, wait. What!?”

“You heard me.” He kissed your belly again and dipped his tongue into your belly button. Moaning softly, you bit into your bottom lip.

“So you’re saying your mother not so specifically but specifically is suggesting that--.”

“—I put a baby in you? Yeah,” Lewis filled in.

Your jaw was again ajar from your state of shock.

“Wow.”

You’d always known his mother wanted grandkids, but it was always one of those once a year at family dinners passing comment. She’d graduated now. Before you knew it, Lewis had lifted you into his arms again and was now carrying you through the halls, up the stairs.

“You’re walking away from the door. What exactly are we supposed to do with the rest of the day?”

“I think I have plenty of ideas,” Lewis answered as he carried you into your bedroom.

From walking into the bedroom, he walked on into the bathroom. Once inside, Lewis plopped you onto the sink. As soon as you were seated, he began pulling off your leggings.

“What’s happening right now?”

“I’m getting you naked. I want to wash off the airplane and travel off of me before I smother myself with you, and you’re going to help me.”

“Oh, am I?” Lewis then yanked off your pants and dropped them onto the floor, leaving you in your high waisted bikini-style thong. Lewis lowly growled as he peeped peeks of your ass in the mirror behind you.

“You were ready for me to come home, you know how much I love these,” he grunted out, snapping the elastic against your skin, leaving a subtle stinging sensation that slowly dulled. Though it dulled, it awoke and intensified another sensation—arousal.

He pulled back and began working on his jeans. Once he dropped them and pulled his boxer-briefs off, your teeth once again sank into your bottom lip. Your eyes traveled along his body, taking in the sleek muscles that decorated his torso down to his well defined oblique muscles that slanted inward, tempting you with that under bellybutton tattoo. He was even more ripped than he was three months ago. He was also a lot more bruised and scraped up.

“Jeez, what have they done to you?”

Glancing over his body, Lewis shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh, occupational hazard.”

You hopped off the sink and closed the space between you trailing your hand from his hip, over his ribs, and up to his chest. Once you reached his jaw, you gently cupped it.

“Let’s get you cleaned so I can take care of you.”

Walking behind him, you led the way to the shower, turned on the water, and allowed the moisture to rain over you. It was hard not to smirk when you heard Lewis’s guttural groan. As soon as he let it out to bounce off the tiled walls, his arms were wrapping around you, pulling you into him.

Lewis’s lips latched onto your neck and sucked. The force of that suck had you remembering everything that mouth had ever done to you. As if he remembered as well, his grip tightened as his hand roamed to your backside to cup it. It felt like he moved his hands everywhere all at once as if he couldn’t be happy with one location.

“It’s been so long, baby. I need you so much,” Lewis whispered in your ear, sending a violent shiver through you that awakened so much in you that you nearly overpowered him and took control. Almost.

Before you could, Lewis pressed you to the wall, stretching your hands out along the tile. His mouth moved from your neck to your lips to suck the air right from your lungs. The man was meant for kissing. Once he was sure you wouldn’t be able to function, you felt his knee nudge your legs apart. Within seconds you felt his hand cup your sex, making you loudly gasp.

“Do you need me as much as I need you?” Knowing you had no words to express how much you needed him, you nodded.

“Words, babygirl.”

You already saw what mood he was setting. Gathering your composure, you pushed off the wall and walked over to your bath products then lathered your bath gloves. Turning back to Lewis, you gently rubbed along his body taking care not to hurt him anywhere accidentally. As your gloved hands slowly traveled across his skin, your eyes followed where they went. The white lather of the soap was a nice contrast with his tanned and tattooed skin.

Once you made it to his back, you relished the feel of his muscles dancing underneath your fingers, showing you again just how hard he pushed his body. Seductively you swirled your finger down his spine until you made it to the top of his taunt ass. There was nothing but trust from him as your hand rubbed his derriere, a trust you’d mirrored every day since nearly the day you’d met.

After several long minutes of cleaning and teasing every inch of him, Lewis again pushed you against the shower wall. This time your abdomen and face rested against its cool surface while he pressed his body against your back and ass. Instead of speaking, Lewis kissed your jaw, brought his mouth to your ear, and bit down as he pulled the shower glove off of your hand. He knew damn well it wouldn’t fit his much larger one.

It didn’t matter if they fit perfectly to him; a few moments later, you felt his gloved hand rub against your backside.

Up—down—up—down.

Lewis released a deep groan right beside your ear. Bringing his hand up your back, he gently rubbed your skin, applying enough pressure and force to clean but not enough to give you any sort of pleasure. He was an expert tease. Once his hand made it to your shoulder, he massaged it, applying more pressure dragging a satisfying moan from your lips.

“You’re tense, love.”

“I wonder why,” you whispered.

Quickly, Lewis had you flipped around staring into your eyes. As he distracted you with his golden chestnut orbs, pulling you even more under his spell, his hand wreaked havoc on your breast. He rubbed, circled, pinched, and repeated the process. Bringing his ungloved hand to join in on the pleasure, he cupped and massaged them until he brought both hands to your throat to gently but forcefully hold you there.

His lips crashed to yours soon after. His tongue was a work of art and spelled by a sorcerer and was proving to you just how well he knew how to use it. Your moans matched his, but when you felt his gloved hand against your folds, your moans increased.

“Oh, baby.”

“I can feel that tension increasing,” Lewis taunted as he turned you, placing you under one of the two overhead shower fixtures.

Once the soap from your bodies was washed away, Lewis was carrying you once again into the bedroom. With you rested across it with your legs spread, Lewis’s head and mouth licked, nibbled, and sucked a path down your body until you felt his tongue flick across your needy bud. With the arch of your back, you gasped again.

“Fuck, baby!”

“Mmm.”

In seconds his mouth was fastened over your sex, feasting as if his last meal was right between your thighs. There was an urgency to how his tongue flicked your clit and then delved between your folds only to nibble against your labia. After a few short minutes, you were a whimpering, writhing mess. Needing something to touch, your hands raked along his head. Every time you tried to snap your thighs together, he used his strength on you prying them apart and holding them to the bed so he could do as he wished.

“Fuck Lewis, yes!”

His moans were the only reply he gave. Just as you felt yourself nearing the threshold of absolute ecstasy, he pulled away and stood at the foot of the bed. As if he had a tether from him to you, your body yanked to a half-sitting position.

“What!? What’s wrong? What’re you doing?”

Lewis didn’t answer. He just stood there licking his lips before he used his thumb to swipe at the corner of his mouth. The look in his eyes told you he had no intention of coming back to finish the job.

“Lew---,” you cautiously began watching him. He couldn’t tell you that he no longer wanted you; the uterus destroying lightsaber that Kylo Ren wished he possessed said otherwise. Biting your bottom lip, you moaned.

“Come here, baby, let me help.”

Lewis walked away to the leather armchair that was in the nearest corner to the bed. He then pulled it across the room to place it at the foot of the bed. By that time, you thought he meant for you to straddle him on it. So when Lewis sat, you began to move.

“Stop!”

Pausing, you gave him a questioning look.

“How long have I been gone?”

Crinkling your brow, you sighed. “Months.”

“How many?”

“Lewis--,” you began.

“—Y/N. be a good girl and answer me.”

Like a brat, you kissed your teeth and sighed out exaggeratedly. “Three months.”

“Have you touched yourself since I’ve been gone?”

Your eyes bugged. He knew the answer to that. Lewis’s eyes flicked to the right bedside table, where he knew you had your toys.

“Lewis, I don’t want to play this game,” you whined.

“Are you sure? Your nipples are telling a different story.”

Narrowing your eyes, you ended on an eye-roll. “Yes.”

With your answer, Lewis stroked his cock, bringing your attention to the massive erection just standing tall as if it knew there was none like it. Lewis groaned and sucked in a breath.

“Though I’ve tried not to, I’ve done this several times. I’ve lost track of how many.”

You could hear his voice speaking, but you were too focused on his actions to really allow any words to resonate. Watching his large, veiny hand stroke his need had your mouth watering. It was so damn sexy. The sighed, coupled with his moans, was enough to make fresh wetness pool between your legs.

When his hand stopped, you followed it to rest on the arm of the chair. A few seconds passed before you realized he wasn’t going to bring it back to continue. Locking eyes with him, you recognized the look.

“Show me how you’ve done it.”

You could have choked from the shock. You knew he wasn’t joking, and you knew better than to toy with him when he got like this. Bringing your hand down your body, you cupped your own sex and groaned. It was insane how wet you were.

“Show me,” Lewis said in his impossibly deep voice. It had been months since you’d heard it this clearly. Facetime sex was great, and all, but there was nothing like his voice in person.

Using your two fingers, you spread yourself so he could see. Lewis’s grunt was loud, and the jerk of his member was a substantial one. As if in a trance, your fingers found your opening and swirled around, coating themselves before circling your clit. The second you began, you had to steady yourself. You knew you wouldn’t last long with him sitting there, but you wanted to give him a good show. Your fingers sped despite your best efforts to slow them. Once your back arched, you had to pull your hand away. The action had your back arched more as you dropped your head back.

“Fuck!”

“Such a beautiful pussy baby,” Lewis huskily whispered.

Bringing your head back to resume eye contact, you took a deep breath then continued. Starting slowly, you sucked your bottom lip and focused on his eyes rather than how you were making yourself feel. Dipping two digits inside your heat, you squirmed, jutting your breasts into the air. Lewis groaned from across the room and brought his hand back to his cock. After a few strokes, he groaned and put his hand back on the arm of the chair.

“How’s it feel, baby?”

As you plunged your fingers in and out of your body, you spoke, “So good, but I want your hand. Your fingers. Your mouth.”

You gasped then brought your soaking fingers to your clit, intent on one thing. Release. Your fingers moved quickly, racing you toward your release. Lewis must have sensed it too because he was now at the edge of the chair observing.

“Come for me, Y/N!”

“Mmm, fuck Lewis, I’m gonna—gonna--.”

Your back arched again, and your fingers sped, and within seconds you screamed out and shook from the sheer power of your release. While you were lost in your pleasure, you didn’t hear anything else but the pounding of your heart. When you felt his cock fill you to the hilt, you screamed and came again and clenched around him. Lewis growled, pinned your thighs to the bed, and plowed into you in a way that you knew you’d feel even tomorrow.

His strokes were not meant to tease you or reacquaint his body with yours. They were meant to please, meant to mark, meant to ruin you for any other separations. He wanted to erase months, show you how he alone could make you feel this way, and how only he could give you what you needed. When he shifted your body to hoist it a few inches off the bed to give you long, deep strokes, it was over. another orgasm claimed you, and your nails claimed his skin—marking him as yours as much as he marked you as his.

“Fuck, you’re so tight. I’ve missed you so much.”

With those words, Lewis pulled you up to him, so he was holding you as he was sitting back on his legs, and you were straddling him with your legs wrapped around his back. He controlled your body with ease and skill, lifting you only to drop you on his protruding heat.

“I missed you.” Your lips crashed to his and took control of this. You nibbled his lips and sucked his tongue.

It was such a beautiful mix of submission and dominance that the sheer intimacy of it had your belly fluttering.

“This won’t be long, babe, I want too much,” Lewis warned.

“Fuck me!”

Dropping you back to the bed, Lewis held your legs like a pair of scissors and began throwing pummeling thrusts into you. You were thankful you’d chosen a home that had no neighbors for miles and in the middle of plenty of greenery. As he gave you everything he had the next few minutes, you took it all.

Once you felt his move from thoughtful calculation to no order or rhythm, you knew it was a matter of seconds. Sure enough, you felt him release into you as he grunted and groaned loud enough to compete with your shrieks and shouts in between his utterance of how much he loved you. Lewis buried himself inside of you and pulled your final orgasm free.

The two of you laid there for long minutes, composing yourselves while trying to catch tour breaths. When he rolled off of you onto the bed beside you, he groaned.

“Mmm, I love you so much,” Lewis repeated.

You rolled to his side and rested your head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around you.

“I love you more, baby.”

“Although I think that was the one that did it, we have all night.”

“Did what?”

Lewis rolled on top of you and plastered his hands on your belly. “Put a baby in here.”

You couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh, so you were trying to get me pregnant?”

His smile was wide, cheesy, and completely charming.

“Do you have any objections? According to my calendar, you’re fertile.”

Lewis thrust forward, joining your bodies again. Completely shocked, you gasped.

“Lewis.”

“Mmmm, god you feel like mine. Let me give you something else that’s mine.”

“You’re serious?”

You’d talked about starting a family together before, but you’d never made a decision. It was still something sweet to think about. Lewis stroked forward, then retreated and did it again and again.

“I am, but I want you to be my wife first.”

Your heart stopped.

“Are you breathing?”

As if for emphasis, he rotated his hips, making you feel his depth and breadth completely. Clenching around him, you shivered.

“Mrs. Tan has a nice ring to it, as does wife, mother of my children.” With every word he spoke, he circled some more.

“Love of my life,” he finished before he picked up his pace making your eyes roll to the back of your head.

You knew that there would be no rest for the wicked, and it was evident Lewis was in a wicked mood.

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Tag List:

@munteanhorewrites @night-of-the-living-shred @caramara3 @chaneajoyyy @dangerouslovefanfic @sonjashuterbugjohnson @i-just-like-fanfics @areubeingserved @areubeingserved-too

#all eyes on you one shot #Lewis Tan #lewis tan fanfiction #lewis tan one shot #lewis tan x reader #lewis tan x you #lewis tan x black reader #lewis tan smut #black fanfiction

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hanadolphieron · 4 years ago

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HOGWARTS AU~

a/n- i do not support jk rowling. this is your (my beautiful, show-stopping, magnificent followers’) christmas gift and i hope she’s annoyed by the fact that a liberal pansexual and a lesbian fanfiction writer wrote a giant post centered around a universe she created ;)

another a/n- i hope all of my oomfies enjoy this, i spent an entire month writing it because i love you guys so much! you have made my year so much better!!!!!!!! big heart!

another another a/b- i started writing for ateez after i finished this, so that’s why they’re not on there. i would put them in, however i have written fifty-four of these and am a wee bit drained :)

_______________________

GRYFFINDOR~

colors; scarlet and gold

traits; bravery, daring, nerve, chivalry

element; fire

symbol; the lion

head of house; chungha

members; nayeon, chaeyoung, jisoo, yeji, ryujin, yuna, mia, sakura, yujin, heejin, chaewon, chungha, winter, somi

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HUFFLEPUFF~

colors; yellow and black

traits; hard work, dedication, loyalty, patience, fair play

element; earth

symbol; the badger

head of house; haseul

members; sana, dahyun, rosé, lia, e:u, onda, chaeyeon, chaewon, nako, wonyoung, jinsoul, haseul, chuu, yeojin, giselle, ningning

________________________

SLYTHERIN~

colors; emerald and silver

traits; ambition, leadership, self-preservation, cunning, resourcefulness

element; water

symbol; serpent

head of house; eunbi

members; jeongyeon, momo, jihyo, jennie, sihyeon, eunbi, yena, minju, yves, olivia hye

________________________

RAVENCLAW~

colors; blue and bronze

traits; intelligence, curiosity, knowledge, creativity, wit

element; air

symbol; eagle

head of house; mina

members; mina, tzuyu, lisa, chaeryeong, aisha, yiren, hyewon, hitomi, yuri, vivi, kim lip, hyunjin, choerry, karina

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PROFILES~

nayeon is a prefect, of course, she used to be the head of house but chungha succeeded her after nayeon decided to focus more on her studies

headcannon that nayeon and chungha are are lowkey besties

they don’t talk much, but they respect each other and always like to have nice chats about the school

but other than her leadership roles, nayeon is like the older sister of the gryffindor house

sort of has no idea what’s going on sometimes but tries her best because everyone asks her for advice

cries at graduation because she loves hogwarts so much

ends up working at the ministry of magic

she’s so perfect help🥺

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definitely has a hufflepuff s/o

i refuse to believe anything else

is everyone’s crush, ryujin follows in her footsteps

is the slytherin seeker, probably flusters the other seekers because she’s intimidating but so gorgeous and charismatic

sorry for projecting my love of jeongyeon but i had to

is excellent at potions and has taught the class at some point

really enjoys hogwarts and takes advantage of all the fun magic it has to offer

is always in the library finding mystery books to read

dark, gothic academia hhhhh

snuck in two kittens along with her owl because she didn’t want to choose

nobody noticed because everyone’s too scared to go into the slytherin common room

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famous for bringing a whole ass snake as a pet instead of you know, the legal pets like toads, owls, and cats

starts a dance team

except everyone’s mildly terrified to join because she looks really intimidating

when in reality the only bad thing she’s ever done is stealing sana’s cat because she wanted something to cuddle

and when sana took her cat momo dragged sana over inside to snuggle

as a first year she cried in front of her class one time for some reason that her brain has forgotten to protect her because she freaked the fck out

because she was afraid of tarnishing her scary slytherin reputation

now, she’ll have a good swig of butterbeer and wipe a tear away over how good it tastes (because finals)

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has most adorable cat, like seriously it’s almost as cute as her🥺

gets drunk on butterbeer constantly

it’s becoming a slight issue

but it’s hard for anyone to stop her, as she works part-time at the three broomsticks and will make you pay more taxes if you annoy her

acts like a slytherin sometimes

because she’s good at everything the slytherin’s do

but sana’s a true hufflepuff at heart, she’s always looking to make people smile

her pranks are always to create a good atmosphere, not to aggravate people

makes hand-made scarves for everyone at christmas

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thought she was a gryffindor her entire life

and then the sorting cat called out “slytherin” the second it touched her head

jihyo went 👁👄👁

but she ended up loving her house, and fit right in with her new friends

hates all the cats but they cling to her for spite

(she highkey actually adores them)

LOUD because she’s obsessed with quidditch

like seriously, obsessed, she will never shut up about the chudley cannons (i hope that’s their name) and will talk your ear off for hours just chatting about one game

sits in the library for peace and quiet, but sighs constantly and keeps getting glared at

couldn’t care less though, she needs deep breaths to sustain her sanity

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everyone loves her!

she’s one of those people you bring up in conversation just to compliment? because she’s so respectable and wholesome and nice and beautiful and perfect?

leads ravenclaw so well :(

will stay up all night helping younger kids with their classes or subjects that they’re wildly interested in

makes quizlets for everything, her account lags because so many people are using it at one time

goes into the forest at night and dances as a way to relieve stress (we love an aesthetic queen)

________________________

gets into trouble so much

will risk her education to make people laugh

everyone respects her for it, even the teachers, so she never has many consequences because everyone needs some laughter in their lives

a beater for hufflepuff we love to see it

painted her bat like a badger and calls it tommy

has fallen off her broom more than once because she gets really distracted

the only class she truly focuses on is transfiguration

she loves it for some weird reason and does extra lessons with professor mcgonagall

no one questions it though, because she’s kim dahyun

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the one who comforts everyone in gryffindor

sometimes expectations to be brave and self-assured can be too much for her fellow house-mates, so chaeyoung takes the role of making them feel safe and helping them relax

the expert at caring for the cats

something about her makes them flock around her feet

they’re always swarming around her feet

one time she actually tripped over one them and broke her shin

but luckily, professor sprout (aka her best friend) helped her through it with some medicinal herbs and long conversations about plants

always wearing comfy clothes

wears a scarf in the dorms for some reason

________________________

has the prettiest owl to ever exist

and its eyes match up perfectly with hers

everyone has a headcannon that they’re actually twins

which would entail that tzuyu was born a bird but somehow turned into a human

but no one really dwells on that

caught mina when she was dancing in the forest at night

but vowed never to tell anyone

and now mina invites her to come watch and dance herself

tzuyu actually drew her one time and mina just about melted of embarrassment and pride and happiness because tzuyu? just drew a picture of her? and it makes her feel so cool and magical?

________________________

empress cat (along with hyunjin and chaeyoung)

those three have the sweetest relationship, you can always find them cooing about the cats together (while holding the cats themselves)

has an obsession with the whomping willow

always sits next to it after she managed to tame it

reads and does her studies there

is undisturbed and loves it

knows all the staircases for some reason, like has given them names and nobody knows how she’s memorized them all

but if you’re ever lost, jisoo will appear out of nowhere to help

________________________

somehow manages to make time for everything

spends most of her time in the library, but also excels at quidditch? and makes it to all of the practices? like jennie stop being so talented (but please don’t we love it)

everyone’s like what an ambitious slytherin smh

cast her patronus on the first try

and screamed because she had a snow leopard! and they’re so adorable!

probably started crying just being honest

intimidates everyone but is a huge softie

has a close-knit group of friends

reminds me of a wolf? for some reason

________________________

a master at quidditch!

plays chaser on the hufflepuff team and is the captain as well

along with those leader positions, chaeyoung is also prefect

basically, she loves to p r o t e c t

what a hufflepuff smh

laughs so much it’s worrying, you can always hear her giggling throughout the halls of hogwarts

brought a frog

does not regret it at all, she loves zucchini (the frog) with all her heart

keeps it in her jacket pocket

ribbiting noises erupt in the middle of class

________________________

a beater for gryffinor i mean what were you expecting

was the first person to join momo’s dance team

which scared even more people away (youth with you anyone?)

but lisa is still so sweet, always helping people out

smiles at every single person she passes

her cheeks hurt by the end of the day, partly because of what i just mentioned and partly because rose makes her laugh so much

chases all the cats around

they act tormented but when have cats ever been honest when they like something a human is doing for them

they need the exercise, rose feeds them too much

________________________

looks like a slytherin because of her eyes

but is a true gryffindor at heart, always being brave and kind to her friends and standing up for everyone

almost all of her friends are in gryffindor :) except for lia, who is arguably the most chaotic but stops them from doing anything too dumb

and chaeryeong, who helps more with the excitement management

yeji is a chaser on the gryffindor quidditch team (we been knew) and scores so much the point keeper (?) loses count

definitely has a cat

who snuggles with her in the common room and everyone wants to cry over how cute they both are

everyone talks about how she looks like her cat ;0

is pretty popular, although she’s still so humble

________________________

gosh this ADORABLE HUFFLEPUFF

will tackle you if you wrong her, her friends, her plants, or steal her food

got lost on her first day and missed the whole day of classes

was so embarrassed and probably cried poor jisu

but haseul to the rescue! came and comforted her, we love a supportive hufflepuff family

daydreams all the time

professor sprout (is that her name i haven’t read these books in a while) is her best friend and she eats lunch with her sometimes🥺

all the teacher’s love her

except she’s pretty quiet in class, except for her maniacal laughing at chaeryeong sometimes

her and chae are The Best Friends TM

________________________

everyone’s crush who are we kidding (fboi ryu)

a beater, always protects yeji and she loves it, always getting flustered over ryujin

even though ryu’s been doing it for years (however the winks she throws in yeji’s directions would make anyone falter)

the best in class at defense against the dark arts

got her patronus, a black bear, within a few minutes after learning the lesson

and everyone was like 👀 but honestly not that surprised, because come on it’s shin ryujin herself!

shows off her skills (in everything she attempts) all the time and everyone loves it

in general very well liked, her vibe is so comforting and realistic, and she always says the rights things

________________________

patronus = ostrich

chae was so annoyed with this honestly, i mean she’s trying to be this cool light academia ravenclaw and her patronus is an ostrich...

like really. really.

everyone laughed at her disappointing patronus, but chaeryeong didn’t care, she was actually beginning to love its uniqueness

throughout the school, chae is known for her adorably caring personality akin to a hufflepuff along with her wisdom

she helps everyone :(

friends with everyone despite being introverted

probably eats lunch with professor flitwick

she’s just too nice

her aesthetic, as i said, is light academia and she pulls it off so well

organizes all the chants at quidditch games

________________________

fred and george but one person

the gryffindor common room is in absolute chaos whenever she’s present

her laugh is contagious and can be heard all throughout the dorms, creating a beautiful sense of togetherness and happiness

keeps everyone’s faith in humanity

the loudest at al the quidditch games

teases her friends 100% of the time but will always hug and comfort them when they’re down

can make anyone smile within a few seconds

hangs out in the kitchen

terrorizes all her dormmates cats

they still sleep with her at night though, her bed is covered in cat fur

________________________

spends all of her time in the kitchens

her friends are always begging her to bring food back to the common rooms

and she normally does

in fact, she bakes pastries or cooks something for them most of the time because she’s sweet like that

ran into a painting one time and got yelled at by the person in it

it was the sole most terrifying experience in her life

she almost fell down the stairs

now, she’s actually friends with the people in the painting

and they have (maybe) forgiven her for smacking into their tea table and ruining their lunch

(which they’ve been eating for years but jiwon did not mention that)

________________________

on the quidditch team

changes positions every single year for some reason (she’s such an ace)

because she has BIG TALENT

loves being a seeker the most (obviously, because she gets all the glory and she’s a leo with a scorpio mars)

has a black cat with the exact same personality as her

one time it ate her ramen and boy was she mad

but the cat, who was named orange (despite not being orange) really liked the noodles

so jiwon convinced sihyeon to let her make feline-friendly noodles for the cat

which sihyeon agreed to

because seeing orange slurp up a bowl of noodles really makes her day

________________________

is professor mcgonagall’s child

i mean not literally, but still

eunji has been taken under her wing

in fact, she actually taught mia how to be a metamorphmagus

eunji managed to turn into a badger

which wasn’t exactly enjoyable at first, since being a badger doesn’t have many benefits other than being able to dig a hole faster than anybody you know

however, eunji used her badger form as a way to relax, because she could escape from all her problems by turning into a woodland animal and going to take a comfy nap in some flowers

her friends were ecstatic when she told them she had become a badger

e:u immediately made her morph into said animal so she could give mia a hug because fluffy

________________________

accompanies jiwon to the kitchen most days and prevents her from getting bored with her antics

these “antics” involve things like crouching on the counter next to jiwon and crunching down on carrots

to which jiwon just shakes her head and pulls the carrot right out of her mouth

loves the toads! she has a speckled one and treasures it with all her heart

steals jiwon’s pastries to feed to them

serim is also always in different places

she’s completely unpredictable, moving all around the school throughout the day

you can’t find her in the same place twice (except for the kitchens)

everyone thinks she’s part fairy because of this and her compassion

________________________

spends all her time daydreaming while looking up at the sky from the observatory

i don’t blame her, it does have an exquisite view and even sports a bunch of cushions and blankets on the floor for the sole purpose of taking naps in the sun like a cat

anyways, yoorim is lost in her head most of the time

but always takes a trip back to reality during the day, where’s spotted encouraging her friends 24/7

and laughing nonstop at them

(especially sihyeon)

because while she’s a ravenclaw, loved ones are the most important things in her life

________________________

joins aisha in her imagining sprees up in the observatory

but gets bored and leaves to go sneak into the slytherin common rooms because she wants to spot the giant squid

who she has made friends with from her constant trips to see it

its name is jerry, for anyone who’s wondering

the slytherins have adopted her as one of their one

and yiren takes great pride in it

because she now has a massive posse of people ready to protect her from anyone who would dare to make her sad

________________________

keeps everyone in line because she finds everyone annoying

collapses on the sofa at the end of the day

probably snores

has the best self confidence of the whole school

i mean some of it is because she wants to be a good role model, but she really just doesn’t care at this point

her owl would rip any enemies to shreds

because it is pretty fearsome, even if it’s the smallest one professor mcgonagall has ever seen

and she’s seen a lot

probably a tutor ngl

________________________

the most passionate gryffindor you’ll ever meet

sakura definitely makes a name for herself cheering at all the quidditch games

and with the fact that she won the triwizard tournament!

keeps the cup in the gyrffindor common rooms

because she sees it as something the house should be proud of, not just sakura

so sweet i can not with her

actually didn’t bring a pet and now regrets it

but she’s busy so she wouldn’t have time to care ofr it

but still

🥺cats🥺

________________________

the seventh years surrounded her on her first day because of her “must protect” energy

and the fact that her toad escaped as soon as she came through the door

which resulted in school-wide panic

they found the toad luckily

well, it actually came running back to hyewon

for some reason, it actually bit her! which made her laugh

the devious amphibian apparently had a habit for escaping, which hyewon learned about after multiple attempts from it at running away

which never worked

because hyewon would get so sad and said toad would feel bad

thus meaning it would turn around and bound back to hyewon

________________________

immediately fell in love with hogwarts once she saw the great hall

one, because it was full of food

and two, because it’s so pretty! and the starts reflect on the ceiling! and magic!

tried to bond with the sorting hat

and it most likely worked because she is choi yena and can do things like that

a social butterfly without realizing it, everyone wants to talk to her all at the same time and she is b i g s t r e s s e d

helps with homework even if she has no idea what she’s doing

it aides her in picking up the subject because no that she’s having to explain it it clicks in her mind

strategy peeps

________________________

the sorting hat knew she was a hufflepuff the minute she walked through the door

her bright energy and happy-go-lucky charm made her a friend magnet, everyone wanted to be her bestie

dances to cheer people up

is friends with all the ravenclaws and joins them in their all-nighters when they’ve discovered a new obsession

wins every single lottery/game/anything that involves chance

her nicknames is felix felicis (i hope i’m spelling that right)

racks up all the house points because the professors can’t help but praise her for everything

and she deserves it to, always running around helping others

________________________

the seeker for hufflepuff

surprised the class and left everyone open-mouthed with her quidditch skills

had no idea she was so good, but after a while begins to take a lot of pride in her talent

the sorting hat considered slytherin for chaewon, but decided against it

which may seem like an odd combination, but it wasn’t uncommon

befriends all the slytherins and has them head over heels in love with her

same with the gryffindors

in fact, chaewon doesn’t know actually know many hufflepuffs, she’s always gotten along better with the other houses

________________________

joins vivi in at night whenever she’s in the astronomy tower

has an admirable amount of ravenclaw friends and has practically become one at this point

goes in the common room all the time because she can figure out the riddles

smh their security system really isn’t that good

becomes obsessed with random subjects

has a different best class every year

comes up with her own spells

hogsmeade weekends are her favorite :(

and minju stuffs herself with butterbeer every time

eunbi’s the only person who can keep her in check

________________________

i mean all hufflepuffs are cute-

but nako really takes the cake

because no one can look at her adorable smile and not think she’s the cutest human to ever exist

drew on the walls of the hufflepuff dorms because she accidentally drank a potion yuri had been brewing

which caused her to go loopy and delirious

eunbi was summoned and forced to tuck nako into bed so she could sleep it off

lights up the room whenever she walks in

everybody swears that the candles actually brighten whenever nako appears

________________________

loves the ravenclaw tower with all her heart :(

almost fainted when she first saw it because of how pretty it was

peak house spirit

ravenclaw only wins the house cup if hitomi has a good year

because she’s just so happy to be a ravenclaw and all the teachers are like yeh hitomi yeh and give her lots of points

became a prefect the first chance she got

doens’t get anyone in trouble though

but no one takes any chances because they don’t want to disappoint her

________________________

a master at potions

spends half her time concocting liquids to do a bunch of (benevolent) things

has suspicious stains on her robes

nobody questions it

because she’s a ravenclaw, which means she will feel extremely put off at any sort of accusatory remarks and you won’t be able to understand her answer because of her big brain words

jumps 10 feet in the air if you interrupt her magic

screams too

makes you swear to never tell anyone

but it’s happened to everyone so at this point it’s just common knowledge

________________________

a beater for gryffindor and goes beast mode whenever ravenclaw is playing

because for some reason they make her eye twitch

even if she’s friends with a bunch of them

she’s still just BIG GRR

spends all of her itme in the gryffindor common room

greets everyone when they come in

is on a first-name basis with the entire school and no one knows how she can remember them all

and she’s so sweet to people? how does she deal with it

whenever she comes in the room there’s a chorus of “ahn yujin, the woman, the myth, the legend!”

________________________

thought the common room actually had badgers in it

and was extremely disappointed when she found out they didn’t

haseul felt bad seeing wonyoung’s sadness and invited her on a badger hunt

they found two

and bonded with them by feeing them food

i don’t know what badgers eat so i won’t specify

but the badgers followed the two home and now the hufflepuff house has two pet badgers

wonyoung takes great pride in that accomplishment

even more than when she (effortlessly) won the triwizard tournament in her sixth year

________________________

super into astronomy and astrology

will stare at the stars all night

has seven telescopes and has no shame

seems quiet at first, but the ravenclaw dorms are always filled with the sound of her laughter (even at 3 in the morning)

daydreams in class all the time

and is confused over everything

but still makes it through with her sweet personality

fell off a broom the first time she ever got on one

because she was so busy watching the instructor that she didn’t realize her head was tilted so far to the side that it unbalanced her and caused her to slip off her broom

________________________

snako right here wanted to play quidditch her whole life

but sadly, she wasn’t too good at it

however, yves soon realized her true talent transfiguration

seriously, she can change anything into anything

zapped lippie into a mouse one time

professor mcgonagall was not happy

just kidding she was ecstatic and gave sooyoung a detention to teach her how to perfect her skills on turning people into mice

just not jungeun

holds a grudge against the gryffindor quidditch team but won’t ever admit it

but everybody knows

but it’s okay, because sooyoung can get away with anything (and no one wants to be turned into a mouse)

________________________

famous for winning the triwizard tournament

because first of all, she didn’t even want to apply, yves and heejin had forced her to as a joke because there was no way she was going to be picked

but low and behold, she was picked

and somehow managed to win every task with pure luck

(and an ungodly amount of encouragement from chuu)

this has made everyone scared of her

which she doesn’t mind a lot of times, because it’s nice to be left alone

and she can easily filter out peole she doesn’t want in her life

but still

to people who aren’t aware of her winnings

she’s about as terrifying as a duck eating lettuce

________________________

overworked as the head of house but deals with it because she loves taking care of her fellow puffies

i miss her so much

was on the quidditch team at some point

she can’t remember when

third year maybe

her first four years went by in a blur

she was so enveloped in her studies and loved learning about magic with all her heart

100% got a job at the ministry once she finished her seventh year

there was zero question when choosing the head of house for hufflepuff

everyone immediately nominated haseul

________________________

The Scary Ravenclaw TM

no one messes with her or her posse

a beast at magic has legit something like an 8.0 GPA

everyone’s like jungeun that is hecking impossible

not for her apparently

whipped for all the hufflepuffers and is known to trudge into their common room whenever she’s grumpy

because she knows at least sixteen people will volunteer to hug her

(preferably chuu is in that group)

denies it though

like heck no i hate hugs what are you talking about

________________________

the definition of a hufflepuff

was the talk of the school the first day because of how big of an impact her positivity and cheerfulness made

she turns heads and doesn’t even notice it😔

didn’t bring a pet, surprisingly

but steals everyone else’s

no one bothers to reprimand her whenever their cat disappears and is found cuddled up next to chuu

because honestly if i was a cat that’s what i would do

her patronus is probably something like a pufferfish

which she thought was the best thing ever

because “it goes poof whenever i stop the spell!”

________________________

A CHASER FOR GRYFFINDOR AND EVERYONE AND THEIR DOG IS WHIPPED FOR HOW WELL SHE PLAYS QUIDDITCH

acts like she struggles with school but is actually top of her class

spends a bunch of time with her professors because she loves talking to them

such a libra smh

brought a toad

was so embarrassed at first but is now shameless

about the fact that yes, she does kiss her toad on the forehead before she leaves for school each morning

even if most of the time she keeps the toad in her pocket all day because she doesn’t want to leave it alone

________________________

head owl caretaker

spends all of her time with hagrid :(

there are multiple stains on the floor from when they’re drinking tea together and hyunjin does something that makes them both spit out their drinks in laughter

fang cleans it up though

the animals are her favorite thing

created a spell to remove fur/hair from her clothes because she gets bad allergies

steals whole loaves of bread from the kitchens

the cooks turn a blind eye

________________________

has eaten all the crackers in the kitchen in one go

no one was really mad (except for jiwon) because how could you be upset with her?

her crunchy voice is adorable, even if she’s lying and blaming it all on yeojin

does her own thing most of the time

one of those people who will memorize 1800 spells but tell no one

and then shows everything off at the perfect moment

loves watching quidditch

will go to the practices just to see people play, she’s that enamored

a HUGE fan of the chudley cannons

________________________

friends with all the hufflepuffs

stole their badgers one time because she wanted to test the theory of “hufflepuffs are good finders”

they would have found their pets

but were too scared to accuse choerry

even if they knew it was her

choerry felt bad and sneakily returned the truffle-hunters during the night

she heard chuu disgruntledly ranting to haseul about how rude it was to steal some poor defenseless badgers

she turned them invisible shortly after that for another prank

but gowon exposed her

yerim’s never forgiven her for it

________________________

the sweetest slytherin you’ll ever meet

loves to sit in the common room and stare at the water in the lake

but always gets scared by people walking in

even though she’s used to it because it happens every 10 minutes

but it’s still

ahh!

wanted to be on the quidditch team so bad when she was younger but now does not see the point she would much rather sit in the charms room and make up dumb spells with chuu

professor flitwick helps them

and always has cupcakes on handy

________________________

the mind of a slytherin and is the head prankster

no one suspects her because she looks and acts to sweet to do anything

but despite their “fair play” thing going on

hufflepuffs are the best jokers you’ll find

yeojin has started a pranking service

makes a bunch of money off it

enough to buy all 11 of her besties bags of candy at hogsmeade

(along with getting herself one because she deserves it)

oh!

and some for hufflepuff’s badgers too!

________________________

i put her in gryffindor at first because aries

but she really has the personality of a ravenclaw :)

and she definitely brought an eagle/hawk to school

convinced everyone it was an owl

i mean no one really thought it was an owl because it obviously was a different kind of bird

but

how the heck do you take away someone’s bird and prevent it from going back to them?

and where do you put it?

that was karina’s plan

she knew no one could outsmart her

the riddle thingo at the entrance to the ravenclaw dorms was very proud of her

they’re friends

________________________

the sorting hat spent five hours deciding on whether to put giselle in slytherin or hufflepuff

i’m exaggerating but you get the picture

because she values all of the things that the houses represent?!

but hufflepuff was still the best fit

loves to wander around the halls and staircases so she can discover the infinite amount of corridors and rooms inside hogwarts

she’ll never find them all

which is a little dissatisfying

but it’s still fun!

and ningning accompanies her a lot of the time, which can be incredibly distracting because neither of them end up going the direction they want to because they see something cool and go !!??

________________________

a chaser for gryffindor

although no one knows about it?

winter just never mentions it so whenever she plays there’s an uproar because that’s minjeong out there!

she loves the compliments from the outcome/ending of her accomplishments rather than the encouragement along the way

an ace at sneaking around the school

has gotten into all of the houses’ dorms

no one found out

although the fat friar did see her and lecture her on privacy

she sort of listened

by which i mean she stayed out of the hufflepuff dorms and instead wen to the ravenclaw ones

________________________

the pride of hufflepuff for her quidditch skills

she’s so good at it

no one really expected this from her, but her determination blasted away any competition

and the team needs her badly

for her quidditch skills

and her constant encouragement and cheering

giselle ended up giving her a microphone to wear during games so the whole school could hear how amazing and sweet the hufflepuff house is

smiles at everyone she walks past and the entire population of hogwarts knows her name

________________________

mcgonagall’s favorite

a role model for everyone, chungha has a posse of first years surrounding her at all times

her becoming head of house was no surprise, everyone expected her to and no one was jealous or envied her position since she did such a good job of leading gryffindor

used to be on the quidditch team as a blugder

which no one expected from sweet chungha

she was average, not a prodigy but not bad either

ended up quitting in sixth year to focus more on her studies, namely charms

________________________

in about 18 clubs

started 15 of them

for some reason she just loves the thrill of being part of a group more than others

and really enjoys having people around her

excellent at charms! it’s her best subject and professor flitwick uses her as an example all the time

she loves it

probably had to give her animal away to someone else (big sad) because she’s so busy

it was hyunjin who took it

now they’re really good friends and somi can see her cat whenever she wants to

________________________

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frankthesnek · 3 years ago

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Fic writer ask game! Tagged by @logicgunn thanks friend 😗

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

41, with many more to come!

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

335,672 words total. Logest story is Once Broken Forever Bound, shortest is Further Investigation .

3) How many fandoms have your written for and what are they?

On AO3 just the one, Stargate Atlantis. In the history of my writing six (the extra five are Naruto, One Piece, Justice League, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Prince of Tennis).

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Keep Me Warm with 203 (its also number two on my hits list, apparently its a fan favorite!)

What Makes a Friendship with 200

More Than Skin Deep with 193

How the Story Goes with 188

Because I Care with 182 (this one was a dark horse, was superised to see it so high!)

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Heck yeah! I've been trying my best to respond to almost every comment with at least a thank you of some kind. Occasionally, I skip really simple ones or ones that I honestly just don't know how to respond to, but I try to say thanks to most of them. I appreciate your viewership and feed back, and I want you to know that 💜

6) What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Oh easy, A Fractured Version! That mini series is not happy lol

7) What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Oh gosh, almost everything I do is a HEA fic.... either How the Story Goes or Marks of Joining. Those stand out as the most happy to me.

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you've written?

Nope, no crossovers. AUs yes! Crossovers nah, not really my thing.

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yup. There are several people that think What he Deserves is a rape story (it is not!) and keep telling me I'm a bad person for not tagging it as one. Really at this point I think its just the same one or maybe two people hiding behind the Anon feature but whatever. If you're that obsessed with a story I wrote, I choose to take it as a compliment

Also, got some very negative feed back on Riding Free With You. I think it was meant to be "constructive" criticism, but was basically them just saying my writting all around sucked. It stung enough that I actually deleted that comment thread from the story and is kind of the reason that one is still unfinished. Have actually considered taking it down altogether more than once so yeah.....

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Oh yeah 😏 Love me some smut! I have only just recently started doing stories without smut lol. What kind? Um, I don't know. I have a few random kink stories, mostly feel good smut I guess? HEA smut?

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of! Is that something people do? Why? Whats wrong with people?

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again not that I know of, but if someone wanted to just ask/let me know. I'm down for that!

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, and I'm not really sure how that works honestly 🤔

14) What's your all time favorite ship?

I mean McShep...duh. It pulled me from a ten year writting hiatus, its gonna take a lot for another ship to dethrone it.

15) What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Riding Free With You. I want to finish it and I feel bad that I haven't but... when I reread the parts posted already it just gets me down and then I don't want to write for it 😕 Maybe someday that will pass but for now it just is what it is.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Giving them happy endings! I've been told I keep them in character quite well, which I greatly appreciate because its not easy and I try really hard.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Endings, transition scenes, and proofing. Proofing is very frustrating for me because my dyslexia makes seeing errors very hard. When I first starting using a Beta it was so embarrassing to send off a story I had read a dozen times and thought was in good shape, only to get it sent back with a ton of misused/wrong words pointed out. I've learned to accept it now, but its still frustrating at times.

18) What are your thoughts on writing diolage in other languages in a fic?

As long as at some point in the a/n its explained what is being said I'm fine with it. Overall I think its okay here and there. I actually have a WIP that I shelfed because there would be a lot of non-English diolage and I can't figue out how I want to handle it.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Oh dear um... that would be 2008, Yu-Gi-Oh GX. Only mildly embarrassed to admit to that 🙄

20) What's your favorite fic you've written?

Fireflies! I love that one 🥰 Also, A Confession to Myself 😭 I actually tag my favorite stories with Author's favorite if your interested in the future!

Phew! That was a lot! But so fun ☺ I tag anyone that wants to do this! I would put the people I normally tag on here you know who you are but I feel like I've harassed you all enough for the time being 😂

#q and a #tag game #writing tag #fanfiction writer #juat some random crap #about me #i will always do these lol #i love them

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depressedoverdrawings · 4 years ago

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Can you hear the tumult of our youth?

KazeKi is the first romance I’ve ever enjoyed, or rather, that I emotionally connected with, as “enjoy” is a funny word choice for a work that made me feel so miserable. Personally, I’ve never enjoyed media that focuses on relationships and love, were they movies, TV, or literature.

But after I discovered KazeKi, I found myself drawn to it, almost involuntarily so. It was as if a spell had been cast. I suppose what superficially drew me in, at first, was the art. It had the charm of retro manga (I absolutely love retro manga/anime looks, IMO they have so much more character than most modern anime and manga), the nostalgic elegance of the idealized upper-class XIX century, and the unrelenting beauty and cuteness of all the boys.

It was mildly surreal and highly entertaining to witness the seed of so many shounen-ai visual tropes: The flower motifs, the flowery poetry, the impossibly pretty boys in dramatic embraces and breathy kisses, the aggressive frenchness of it all. Even it was shocking to me how these elements, instead of striking me as the tired, sappy tropes I saw them as, were now all genuine and beautiful, somehow. Even those silly sparkles around pretty boys seemed fitting. I realized these weren’t tropes back then, but elements of a sincere artistc vision. However, while the art was mesmerizing to me, I came to realize that what drew me in deeper, and kept me anchored to KazeKi, were the themes explored, and the character-based drama, the very stuff I had always avoided.

Without getting far too personal about it, Kaze to Ki no Uta was the first romance that struck something within me, somewhere personal. Now, I certainly have never faced trauma and pain anywhere near to what poor Gilbert and Serge face in their absurdly depressing story, but I definitely wouldn’t call myself emotionally and sexually resolved and healthy, and once upon a time I was a closeted boy in a catholic school, so I guess there’s space for a little bit of self-identification. My coping mechanism to my personal woes had always been to just bottle them up and distract myself with entertainment and art. And that was exactly what I was doing, browsing music on YouTube, when I stumbled upon the KazeKi OVA’s soundtrack.

I found myself listening to this gorgeous arrangement of a Chopin piece, and thought to myself, staring at the angelic figure looking back at me, across the screen: “Gee whilikers, that’s sure is a pretty drawing of a pretty girl”. Then, after reading the comments, I found out that was a boy. As much as the “draw a girl, call it a boy” school of drawing pretty boys makes me groan, I could still feel it, that first hook of interest, stabbing me. As the slideshow enticed me with pictures of Keiko Takemiya’s gorgeous art, I found myself enamoured by it. It was a particular drawing that made KazeKi finally snatch me: that same boy, lounging angelically on some sort of abstract architectural design; in the background, a neoclassical vase flanked by two neoclassical girls, and, above and below, this stunningly beautiful vegetation. So much care, skill, and good taste, concentrated in just one image! I’d have it as a poster, if I could. So, I googled “Kaze to Ki no Uta”, unwittingly throwing myself in a rabbit hole I could not have prepared myself for. Trying to read it was in itself a journey, but, to sum it up: I managed to read it about as well as one can, if they don’t speak japanese and have no access to the spanish and italian translations.

It had been years since I had started feeling emotionally numb. My most extreme displays of emotion came in the form of quiet, teary eyes, reserved for those rare, impactful pieces of art, and those rarer moments of despair-inducing introspection that I couldn’t manage to suppress, but even those lasted little, as I fought to recover my composure. By the end of Kaze to Ki no Uta, I was a sobbing wreck, doing my best (and failing) to contain my ugly crying. Ugly crying, for god’s sake. I was ugly crying, actually sobbing like a kid, because of an yaoi manga. Crying in the shower, even! What kind of weeb had I degenerated into? It hurt. It deeply hurt, in a way I hadn’t been made to hurt in a long, long while. KazeKi had impacted me to the point that I wasn’t just sad, I was scared too, as the waterfall of emotion opened the path for that deeper, personal darkness to come out. And it did.

Now, I admit I’d been a little bit more emotionally fragile than usual right before I read it, due to the effects of the quarantine and the previous consumption of a highly depressing piece of media: Les Amitiés Particulières, which is probably even more depressing than KazeKi as it deals with a much more grounded homophobia-induced tragedy based in real life. Somehow, it didn’t impact me as much as KazeKi, however. Also, it was definitely what influenced my personal YouTube algorithm to recommend me the KazeKi soundtrack, so I wouldn’t know of KazeKi if it weren’t for Amitiés. But even then, it felt unnatural to, well, feel so much. I hadn’t felt this invested in and attached to fictional characters ever since I was a little kid, too young to realize those people in the TV weren’t real. In the following couple of weeks, I was crying over these boys, spending whole days feeling like trash, feeling mild anxiety spikes whenever I remembered about KazeKi, having (even more) difficulty falling asleep, and utterly failing to avoid thinking about my deep-seated intimate issues, all because of these dumb, pretty anime boys. Not even my trusty prayer of “they’re not real people, stop being stupid” worked. In an attempt to stop wallowing in this shounen-ai hell, I decided to consume a whole lot of escapist media while I deliberately avoided any activity related to KazeKi, be it reading the manga, listening to the OVA’s soundtrack, looking at fanart, or even just thinking about it. It “worked” for a month or so, but now I’m back here, wallowing in KazeKi’s painful beauty again, stalking the other seven people in the western world that seem to care about KazeKi, and distilling my thoughts in this bizarre textwall, in an attempt to work it out. If you’re one of those seven people, please don’t refrain from talking to me, if you feel like it! I’ve had just one opportunity to have a conversation about KazeKi, and it was in YouTube comments, for heaven’s sake. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m this afflicted by KazeKi due to its unrelenting, merciless, cruel beauty. Everything about it is presented in this assembly of pure beauty and lost perfection, this painful nostalgia that is present in its aesthetics of an idealized Europe which lives only in its surviving art, that is present in the story which ultimately tells us of the loss of love, and is present in the fact that the whole story is a broken man’s reverie about the past. Tragedy might make me sad, but tragedy with beauty will destroy me. Bittersweetness is just so more cruel than bitterness. And it was this masterpiece of sadistic bittersweetness that permanently broke something in how I deal with my emotions. Kaze to Ki no Uta touched me deeply, to the point of leaving a permanent impression, I’m afraid. I can count in one hand the pieces of art that have punched my soul in the face like KazeKi did. I am honestly flabbergasted over the effect it had over me. At first I felt embarrassed over being emotionally obliterated by a freaking shounen-ai, but I’ve since come to the conclusion that KazeKi is a work of art, a genuine, sincere work of art, deserving of the title. Now I just hope I’m not alone in being emotionally obliterated by this freaking shounen-ai. After everything they went through, the personal fights, the shaky development of their relationship, the undeserved ostracism at Lacombrade, Auguste’s demonic persecution, the escape; how could it be that Gilbert’s life would end in such a horrible way, and that Serge would be left alone to face the full, unbearable weight of his grief! Why?! Keiko Takemiya, you’re a vile sadist. You’re a genius, too, of course. But you’re a vile sadist.

I knew that a happy ending wasn’t going to happen. The horrible ending was a pretty early spoiler, really. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t stop myself from reading on anyway, and I couldn’t stop myself from having an inkling of illogical hope. Even if my logical self knew a happy ending wasn’t gonna happen, it couldn’t prepare me for just how tragically their love would end, and how awful it all would feel, once I knew their full story.

It’s all the more bitter because of how close Serge came to saving him, too. Having escaped together to a place where they could’ve built the nearest thing to a normal life a gay couple could have, back then. But in the end, not even Serge’s love could mend Gilbert’s mutilated soul. Those boys deserved so much better, especially Serge. Serge, you sweet angel! You were created to suffer.

KazeKi really is a masterpiece in how it explores its extremely heavy themes and the minds of its characters, and how it flawlessly meshes that with perfect art. There are many moments in KazeKi that haunt me: Serge letting that bird go, Serge’s vision of Gilbert at the Lacombrade grounds, Gilbert running into the carriage, angel wings behind him; Serge laying alone on the bed in Room 17. I cannot look at those pages without tearing up and feeling this horrible feeling in my heart, and this feeling is literal: My heart actually feels heavy and constricted when I think about it, it can’t be healthy. Up until now, I thought “cri evrytiem” was just a meme. KazeKi has woken me up to the fact that bottling up one’s own personal issues will inevitably end with them exploding out, leading to something much, much worse. I am scared by the prospect of facing my personal issues. To me, they are horribly strong, and seem incredibly hard to solve, if they’re even solvable at all. I’m horrified by the prospect of facing them, working to solve them. I’m so scared, that simply thinking about it, right now, gives me this awful weight in my chest, and makes me want to cry, again. But I know now that I have no choice in this matter, as the only alternative is that abyss I dare not speak of, and one cannot return from. Melodramatic? Yes. But I did just read Kaze to Ki no Uta.

Thank you for getting this far, whoever you are.

I’m forever haunted by Serge’s words to his long-gone Gilbert, right at the beginning:

“Gilbert Cocteau, you were the greatest flower to ever bloom in my life. In the faraway dreams of youth, you were a bright red flame, blazing so fiercely… You were the wind that stirred my branches. Can you hear the poem of the wind and trees? Can you hear the tumult of our youth? Oh, there must be others who so remember their own days of youth…”

#kaze to ki no uta #the poem of the wind and trees #rant #shounen ai

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lupizora · 4 years ago

Text

Show Me How Life Could Be

This is my extremely late gift for Jenny (@/froochette) for the @knbsecretsanta . I haven't written for this pairing or concept before and wanted to challenge myself with it. Well, the joke's on me that (once) again the fic went out of hand. This feels more platonic than romantic to me, but I'll let you guys be the judge.

Hope you like it anyway! ��

P.S. Of course, I'd make it about basketball in one way or another, what are you talking about?

Genre: Humour

Pairing: (platonic) MidoMura

Rating: G

Word Count: 4,191

Summary: Midorima only wanted to do his job properly. Not get into a fight with their most loyal customer and have his life decisions questioned by everyone. Even if maybe, deep down, he was regretting some of them.

Humans show their true colors when faced with someone weaker than themselves.

Midorima Shintarou hadn’t considered himself weak in any regard. On the contrary, he had lived most of his life in moderate privilege: well-off parents, good grades, and boundless athletic ability. This didn’t stop him from always striving with his own two hands for the best humanly possible outcome though. Thus, above all, he fancied himself as a humble person. Acquaintances--friends, depending on who one asked--would often disagree with that statement. But Midorima wanted to believe he had never been as condescending as some of his customers.

The coffee shop he worked part-time was a small cozy place. Located next to the university’s library and lacking any big brand name attached to its identity, it exclusively attracted students who wanted a break from studying or to spend some time between classes. The relaxed pace and the versatile schedule were the biggest reasons Midorima had applied for the position--even if the pay wasn’t anything stellar. As an undergraduate medical student, he didn’t have a lot of free time but he couldn’t impose on his parents forever either. They were already paying for his tuition and half of his rent. It was only fair of him to handle the rest and his day-to-day expenses to the best of his abilities.

For the most part, work was uneventful. Except for the moments when Midorima had to wonder if it was indeed worth the trouble. From demanding customers to people skipping the line and making a fuss over nothing to his personal worst nightmare: customers that seemed to have lost their ability to read written instructions and signs. The redundancy of having to explain simple things annoyed him to no end, as well as the fact they were distracting him from his duties for these trivial issues. Instead of wallowing in despair, Midorima had settled for the next best thing: seething in rage silently. With no other outlet to alleviate this frustration, he’d often picture himself offering retribution to such customers. For example, jumping over the counter to land a solid dropkick to their chest, or throwing the tips jar to their head as they were about to leave. He could make that shot easily from behind the counter and none would be the wiser. The perks of being a former shooting guard known for his ridiculous three-pointers--distance was irrelevant.

Not all customers were irredeemable fools though. Some regulars could be considered at least tolerable, like one Murasakibara Atsushi. The only reason Midorima knew the guy’s name was because of Takao’s snooping. His old teammate/friend kept tabs for all the regulars, more so if they had been involved with high school basketball. Apparently, Murasakibara had been a formidable center in some powerhouse team. It baffled Midorima how such a player had escaped his attention during the championships he had participated in. It shouldn’t have been hard to recognize someone who loomed over the general public like some giant out of an old wive’s tale.

No one seemed to know what Murasakibara was majoring in, but it allowed him to visit the coffee shop every other day. After trying the entire dessert menu in the span of two weeks, he settled on a particular combo. It didn’t matter when he decided to appear, he’d always order the same thing. It saved Midorima a lot of time for which he was somewhat grateful; even if this person’s consumption of sugar worried him as a future medical professional, and cleaning the table after him could become quite a hassle.

Midorima valued rules and order. As painfully hard as it might be to accept, not everyone felt the same way. He was just a glorified waiter in a low-end establishment. He’d do his job, regardless if it was aggravating or not. Keeping his temper in check when faced with personal offenses included, but sometimes there was a limit for even the most patient individuals.

The first term’s midterms had just ended the previous day. Most students seized the opportunity to catch up with their friends over a cup of coffee and some sweets on the side. Suffice to say, the shop was relatively crowded for a regular Wednesday.

Midorima was on cash register duty. Passing all his classes should had left him in a good mood. His horoscope was a bit cloudy that morning though, placing Cancer in 5th place. Nothing too worrisome but he didn’t want to test his luck with handling beverages. So he pushed the responsibility to Takao--who, accustomed to his quirks, only mildly complained--and settled for taking the customer’s orders. Most of the shift went without any incident, but one thing was certain.

Oha Asa was never wrong about his fate.

Midorima didn’t notice the bell chime of the front door above the ruckus of voices. Neither the footsteps approaching heavily. It wasn’t until the lights overhead were partly obscured that he realized Murasakibara had arrived.

With a glance to ascertain the customer’s identity, Midorima began inputting his order. “Would it be the usual?” he asked.

“Actually,” Murasakibara said. “Muro-chin is going to order this time.”

Midorima’s fingers froze and looked once again, properly this time.

There was another student next to his regular customer. He was slightly shorter than Midorima; dark-haired with several locks of hair falling over his left eye. While he appeared like a polite individual, there was too much-concealed amusement in that eye for Midorima’s liking.

“My name is Himuro Tatsuya,” he said with a wave. “I’m sorry if I’m breaking your routine or something. Atsushi wasn’t really planning on coming today--”

“Because today is no good,” Murasakibara muttered under his breath.

“--I kinda dragged him along because I didn’t know where is this. You see, I’ve heard so many good things about this place, I had to see it for myself.”

Takao was wheezing in the back, the coffee machine’s whirling barely overshadowing his laughter.

Midorima ignored him. “What would you like to order then, sir?”

“Nothing extravagant. Just black coffee,” Himuro said. “I am curious about the desserts you have though. They look delicious, but it's hard to choose. Is there something you’d suggest I try?”

On most days, Midorima would stare blankly at such questions until someone came to rescue him from the embarrassment. Instead, this time, he had the fortune of having a dessert in mind. If only because he waited every week to keep a piece of it for himself.

“Today’s specialty is the red bean cheesecake,” he said. “It may sound peculiar but I assure you--”

“It’s stale,” Murasakibara interrupted him. He was examining the display, bored. “Let’s just leave. I told you there is nothing good today.”

“As I was saying.” Midorima adjusted his glasses, annoyance bubbling in his chest. “It tastes perfectly fine. It’s not too sweet so I’d recommend it if you are looking for something to enjoy along with your coffee.”

“This is worse than those in the convenience store,” he cut him off yet again.

“I assure you, sir, that all our desserts are freshly baked.”

“C’mon, Muro-chin. I can make something a lot better and you know it.”

“Why don’t you make it then?”

"Huh?" Slamming his hand on the counter, Murasakibara leaned over the register to level his gaze with Midorima. “Is that a challenge?”

Two things happened simultaneously: Midorima realized he had said that aloud and someone tried to separate them.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Takao said with a nervous chuckle.

His intervention only deepened Murasakibara’s glare.

Midorima remained unfazed in front of this attitude. He wasn’t one to get intimidated, even in the rare occurrence the other person was a head taller than him.

“I said what I said.” Keeping his tone even, he returned the glare with equal force. “Now, if you aren’t planning on ordering anything, I’d advise you to step aside. Other customers are waiting.”

On his side, Takao facepalmed with a groan, and he could certainly swear Himuro stifled a snicker.

They remained locked in their stare-off until Murasakibara pulled back. Turning on his heels, he stormed out without another word.

Himuro apologized for the trouble and followed him, leaving the rest of the customers to glance between them in awkward silence.

“Now what?” Takao asked.

For once, Midorima didn’t have the slightest idea.

Several days passed and Murasakibara was still absent.

Midorima went about his shifts, as usual, trying to ignore both Takao's whining and his internal monologue about the whole affair. Their manager had been furious. But no one was more disappointed than Midorima for losing his temper over something this mundane. Personal feelings aside, he should have kept his professionalism as he had always done.

Of course, he wasn’t planning on apologizing if they met each other again. While it had been inappropriate to get into a fight with a customer, Murasakibara had started it with his rude unprompted commentary. The shop had other regulars so one's disappearance wouldn’t have any impact on their earnings. It was going to be alright.

“Pretty boy alert at ten o’clock,” one of the girls announced. All three of them had gathered behind the desserts and snacks display, giggling among themselves.

Midorima seldom participated in such idle gossip. It seemed pointless and distracting. Maybe if his colleagues found something else to pass the time, they wouldn’t need to stay overtime that often.

Unlike him though, Takao seemed to enjoy the social aspect of it. So after taking a peek, he slid into Midorima’s personal space with a conspiratory air about him. “Shin-chan, you might wanna take this,” he whispered, pointing at the spot of interest.

It was one of the tables next to the shop’s glass facade. Himuro Tatsuya was sitting all alone there.

“Why don’t you go?” Midorima asked, shelving the washed cups from the sink.

“Don’t be silly,” Takao said with a laugh. “We, average guys, have our pride you know.”

That was the most absurd thing Midorima had heard in a while. Takao was by no means average-looking, considering the amount of attention he got from both men and women. But he kept this thought to himself.

“Ask someone else.”

“Don’t be like that. If you won’t do it for me, do it for Minami and the others.” He grabbed him by the shoulders. “Fighting over a guy is an ugly thing. They might break apart! Think of their friendship! Their friendship, Shin-chan!”

There was zero proof of something like that happening. Even for a reserved person like Midorima, it was plain as day those girls were joined at the hip. But whenever Takao resorted to dramatics, he could only oblige to make him stop bothering him.

He sighed. “Alright.”

Taking his notepad along, he approached the table in question. Hushed whispers followed him, making wonder with half a mind if this was some kind of ploy. His horoscope hadn’t heeded any important warnings for that day. He had been prepared with the appropriate lucky item regardless.

Himuro noticed him only when he reached him. “Hello again.”

“Hello,” Midorima replied politely, still a bit uncertain from his joyful greeting. “What can I bring you?”

“There must be a misunderstanding?” He pointed at the cup on his table “I’ve already ordered. Your colleague there brought it to me.”

From behind the counter, everyone gave Midorima a thumbs up. It dawned on him then and there. This had been a set up from the start. Forcing him to interact with Murasakibara’s friend in hopes of learning about his whereabouts.

He resisted the urge to snap his pencil in half. Even his good looks wouldn’t save Takao from his wrath when he returned to the register.

“It’s alright. I can order once more,” Himuro said, appeasingly. “I didn’t have the chance to try your famed sweets last time after all.”

Swallowing his anger, Midorima returned to his work mode. “Is there something, in particular, you’d like?”

“Some of your macarons perhaps.”

“Excellent choice. We’ve got a new batch just today. These are made from this university’s Culinary Arts Department.”

“I know. One of Atsushi’s upperclassmen is responsible for them.”

Midorima looked at him as if he had grown another head. “Pastry chef is his major?”

“I’m surprised you hadn’t figured it out already, given how often he visits this place.” Himuro’s visible eye twinkled with hidden amusement. “He eats too many sweets and snacks for his wallet to handle. This hasn’t changed since our high school days, to be honest. The only difference is that now he started making his own, so we don’t have something to bribe him with anymore,” he said with a sigh. “It’s an uphill battle to bring him to practice lately.”

“Both of you are still playing, I presume?”

“Yes, with the varsity team.” Resting his chin against his knuckles, Himuro assessed him. ”I see you’re very informed, Mr. Midorima Shintarou of Impossible Threes.”

“I’m simply acquainted with an extremely nosy person,” Midorima said. It didn’t take long for Takao to learn about the rest of Murasakibara’s teammates after meeting Himuro. “Where you aware of me from the beginning?”

“I had my suspicions since you’re quite the urban legend around here. FYI, your taped fingers gave you away,” he said with a wry smile. “As someone playing in the same position, I was surprised to learn that such a high-profile player as yourself wasn’t playing anymore.”

“Such is life. Different priorities call for different measures.”

“That is true, I suppose. Do you miss it?”

The sun reflecting on his glasses erased the current view from Midorima’s eyes. He was on the court. Everything was silent; no shoes squelching against the wooden boards; no desperate cries for victory. He was holding the rough leather ball, preparing to shoot. The motion effortless and practiced to the finest tuning possible. He always exhaled when the ball left his hands as if spelling a prayer. It went in with barely a sway of the net. It always did.

“My time is limited for the effort the sport requires,” he said.

“That’s too bad.” Himuro returned to his coffee. “I wonder if Atsushi would be more motivated if he had someone of your caliber to compete against.”

"It must be nice being so simple-minded."

"Simple-minded, huh?" He looked wistfully outside. "That's not a word I'd use to describe him."

Midorima stopped scribbling in his notepad. "Meaning?"

"Sure, to an outsider, Atsushi might appear as such. He seems to go with the flow of his surroundings because that's the easiest thing to do. It might be partly true. It's rare to see him get truly passionate about something that doesn't involve his specific interests." He stirred his coffee. "But you managed to light that fire in him, even if for a single moment. That must amount to something, don’t you think?"

This is preposterous, Midorima thought.

Not everyone had the freedom to just do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Usually, another obligation or circumstance would force someone to go against their wishes and that's how their society worked. One couldn't bend the rules as they pleased. No one had such total control over their life. Midorima definitely didn't and it made him no different than the next person. That's another fact he had accepted without a second thought. There was no way a boring person like him could influence someone's life to any degree, more so a person he had barely held an entire conversation with.

Shaking his head, he focused on the task at hand. "Will that be all?"

"Yes." Himuro smiled. “That’d be all.

The Friday afternoon shift was the quietest of the week. Students preferred to visit the nearest bar or karaoke box rather than the café. It was only natural. No one wanted to follow the same routine, more so during the start of summer vacation. Midorima simply enjoyed the opportunity to avoid interacting with any customers for once.

A storm had been brewing over the horizon for most of that day. So, after a while, Midorima told Minami to return home; criminally unprepared that girl, she never carried an umbrella. Her assistance wouldn’t have been necessary anyway. The shop was empty, allowing him to do some deep cleaning of the place with everyone gone. Halfway through polishing the tables, the rain started to fall outside; a gentle pitter-pattering on the glass ceiling at first, before the heavens opened up and unleashed their fury to the ground. This downpour accompanied Midorima for the rest of his tasks--a white noise lulling him into some peaceful trance. Nothing else mattered; not his gossip-loving coworkers nagging him; not that Murasakibara hadn’t appeared for over a week.

He had finished mopping near the entrance when the double doors rattled. The sun wasn’t bound to set for a couple more hours. Yet, the scenery outside was as dark as if night had fallen. Midorima couldn’t figure out who was out there, knocking at the door with such urgency. Leaving the cleaning supplies aside, he unlocked the door.

Humidity hanged in the air, pressing against his face like a wet blanket. “Is there something I can help--”

Midorima noticed the jacket, draped over a light-colored package the person was holding in their hands. Allowing his gaze to travel upwards, he took in their bulky torso which was clad in a drenched t-shirt. Locks of hair were glued on their cheeks and forehead like jungle vines.

Despite all that, Murasakibara appeared only mildly annoyed and maybe a bit out of breath. “Took you long enough,” he drawled.

“What are you doing?” Midorima asked.

“I came as soon as it was ready.”

Annoyance spread hot in his chest. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s raining right now!”

“That’s why I covered it with my jacket.” He had the nerve to sigh. “For someone wearing glasses, you sure are blind.”

“Excuse me?” Still processing what just happened, Midorima had lost his usual eloquence. “You...it’s been days...and the first thing that comes out of your mouth--”

“Do we have to talk about it here? It’s gonna melt if it stays outside any longer.”

You should have thought of it earlier! He cried in his mind, allowing the other inside in the process.

His sandals squelched against the tiles as Murasakibara beelined for the counter, paying no attention to the watery footprints he was living behind.

Conjuring all his remaining patience, Midorima took the dripping jacket from his hands. “I’ll get you a towel,” he said and disappeared into the backroom.

When he re-emerged, the other had made himself comfortable on a stool. Miffed by his nonchalant attitude, Midorima threw the towel on Murasakibara’s head and took a seat as well. The package was left on the counter between them. Similar to the ones their sweets tended to arrive in, the unassuming beige carton box was definitely from the Culinary Arts department.

Murasakibara peeked from under the towel. “Are you mad?”

“No.”

“You look mad.”

“I simply want to know what your issue is, coming here in such a manner.” He pointed at the box. “What is this thing too.”

“Open it.” Shrugging, he proceeded to dry his hair. “It’s for you, anyway.”

Midorima quirked an eyebrow, more baffled by this development. Since he didn’t receive any further clarification, he warily opened the box. It was a cheesecake; specifically, a red bean cheesecake like the one their dispute had been about. Perhaps it was the sentiment getting to him, but he was oddly touched.

“You made this?” He asked softly.

Murasakibara hummed in agreement.

“I can't possibly eat the whole thing alone.”

"You can share it or sell it. I don't really care as long as you have the first bite."

"We aren't allowed to put unregistered or unordered sweets for sale,” Midorima said absentmindedly. “Since you went through the trouble anyway, I suppose it’s only fair I give it a chance. I can leave the rest for the others to try. Do you want a piece too?" Seeing him hesitating, he stood up and put the machines to work. “I’ll make you something warm to drink. Summer colds are horrible to catch, especially this time of the year.”

“Yeah, sure.”

It didn’t take long for the hot chocolate to get ready. Meanwhile, Midorima found something else for Murasakibara to change into and leave his shirt to dry. As a future doctor, it’d be criminal to let someone get sick in his presence. He also dealt with the dessert, cutting two slices for them and putting the rest of it aside in the freezer. All the while, Murasakibara followed him with his gaze as he moved about like a busy bee. Midorima would prefer to renounce his lucky item of the day than admit he had missed the comfortable silence between them. In a world where everyone seemed eager to involve him in things, this moment was an oasis of tranquility.

“Alright,” he said placing the cup in front of Murasakibara.

“You won’t drink anything?”

Midorima returned to his seat. “I’m not one for sweets.”

“I thought you might have one of your canned red bean soups along with this.” He blew at his cup with an indifferent expression. But his eyes seemed to search for a reaction. “Why red and not green beans, by the way? Considering your hair.”

“I don’t mix those two.” Cutting his fork into the slice, he brought a decent-sized portion to his lips. “It’s unsightly.”

Whatever he might have wanted to add, drifted from his mind after taking that bite. It was leagues better than anything Midorima had eaten so far. Compared to this, his regular Wednesday slice might as well be from the lowest shelf of the bottom-ranked convenience store’s fridge.

“You liked it,” Murasakibara said.

It wasn’t a question, and for once Midorima didn’t feel like arguing.

“I accept my defeat,” he said with grave seriousness. “Why did you have to go through such lengths, though?”

“To prove you wrong.”

On second thought, pettiness was an acceptable reason. “I work here. There was no need to get personal.”

“Yeah, but you did.” Draping the towel around his neck, he tied his hair into a low ponytail again. “It was the first time Mido-chin reacted so strongly about anything.”

“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced to make nicknames for me.”

“I read your tag,” he said as if it was obvious.

“You’d be surprised how many people can’t do so. But that’s beside the point,” he said with a wave. “Emotions aren’t needed to do my job. In fact, this whole situation brought me a lot of trouble.”

“But you don’t look so dead inside anymore.”

Taken aback, Midorima was speechless.

“It’s true,” Murasakibara continued. “I know you don’t have to talk a lot and I didn’t mind. It made things easier for me too. I didn’t have to think about what to say back like with the others. But with nothing else to do, I watched you from my table. The only time I ever saw you enjoying yourself were in your breaks, sipping canned red bean soup in the corner, or whenever the others tried to pull you into their shenanigans.”

“I certainly don’t appreciate them making a fool of themselves in front of the customers.”

“You’re lying.” He leaned closer. “And when it’s not those moments, you’re like a beast. Pacing in the cage you made for yourself. Like you’re waiting for something. Why are you still tapping your finger if aren’t playing basket anymore?”

Clenching his fist, Midorima didn’t back down. “Let’s say you are right, and that’s purely hypothetical. What’s in for you?”

“Passionate but talentless players annoy me. But talented players choosing to give up annoys me even more.” Murasakibara sat down, his expression turning solemn. “They remind me of something I’d rather forget.”

This statement echoed personal and all too familiar. Midorima wasn’t someone that poked into other people’s business, not actively at least. Still, he could understand the sentiment. Sometimes, in the dead of night, he’d ponder over his current course in life and get mad at himself; for not pushing through harder; for leaving something he loved aside without much thought. Maybe this was finally the chance he’d been waiting to come.

“Say,” he said; his throat dry and his words timid, “if I challenged you into a match, would you accept?”

“You’re deaf as much as you’re blind.” The jab had not actual heat behind it though. “Yes, without a doubt.”

“With that settled, I hope you won’t hold back. Otherwise, I’ll obliterate you.” His ever-bored eyes widening, just a smudge, got Midorima a bit self-conscious. “Is something the matter?” he added.

“You surprised me,” Murasakibara said, rubbing his neck. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile, I think.”

“I simply enjoy a decent challenge.” He took another bite off his slice of the cheesecake. “Don't you?”

The other considered it for a moment. "Only when I know I'll win."

It roused another round of pointless bickering. But, truth be told, Midorima hadn’t felt more alive in while.

#knb #knbsecretsanta2020 #midorima shintarou #murasakibara atsushi #takao kazunari #himuro tatsuya #knb fanfiction #knb fic #fanfiction #fanfic #coffee shop au #college au #coffee shop/college au #did I channel my feelings about work through Midorima?#yes definitely #those fantasies were the biggest reason I tried to write a coffee shop AU for the first time in my life #too hilarious of an opportunity to pass XDD #wolfswriting

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fruit-cupz · 5 years ago

Note

If you’re still taking requests, could you write a college AU for Victor from MLQC and MC?

Hiya, thanks for the request! This one ended up being really long, so I’m gonna split it into two parts :0 Also, for those who were wondering, I answer requests based on how well I think I can answer them (like how creative I feel), not in order of how they come! Sorry if you’ve waited a long time for an answer vkjndv I really do love and appreciate everyone who sends something in.

Victor x MC (College AU pt. 1)

Word Count: 1,777

Rating: Floof as always but the second part is steamy oop

The first time they encounter one another, he automatically labeled her as a nuisance.

He saw it coming. He’d predicted it when he first spotted her sitting in the grass by the track. Who even read outside and by the football field for crying out loud?

The football ripped through the air spiraling gracefully despite its poor aim. Its trajectory was straight at her; however, she sat completely oblivious to the impending injury and embarrassment she was about to face. Her nose stayed buried in whatever book she was reading.

“Hey, watch it idiot!”

Before Victor had even realized it, his legs were moving and he was in front of her swiftly catching the football with a grunt before it came in contact with its target behind him.

Many students stopped what they were doing and stared at the spectacle before them causing him to feel slightly annoyed at the unwanted and unnecessary attention. He glared in the direction of the jocks who had accidentally thrown the football her way before leaning his toned arm backwards and propelling the ball back.

For someone who didn’t play the sport, he sure looked like one hell of a professional.

“Um.” A quiet voice caught his attention, and he turned around to find himself staring at two wide, doe eyes behind a pair of thick glasses.

Her cheeks were flushed, and she had a hand pressed to her racing heart, her mouth slightly ajar looking bewildered. Her book now laid askew beside her. She hastily scrambled to stand up smoothing out her crumpled skirt.

The first thing he noticed was their drastic height difference. The top of her head barely reached his chin, and she had to tilt upwards slightly to look at him. The next thing he noticed was how she dressed. She looked extremely dorky in her thick rimmed glasses, white, ruffly button up blouse, and pastel pink skirt. Not to mention her black high-top converse.

Victor thought she looked kind of cute, but he chased the thought away in an instant.

It’s just refreshing to see a woman who didn’t seem to be dishing out her body. He justified.

“Thanks for saving me. I’m Yuna.” She offered a small, unsure smile. He must have been staring for a while because Yuna fidgeted slightly under his gaze.

“Next time pay more attention to your surroundings.” Victor snapped.

He turned and walked away feeling slightly bothered. Maybe the heat of the sun was getting to him.

Or maybe it was the heat of her eyes burning a hole through his back.

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

Later in the day, he realized that he never gave her his name.

It bothered him slightly. He knew it shouldn’t, but it did.

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

Once in a while, Victor would study at the bookstore across the street from his school. Less of the university students went there because it was small and a little run down looking from the outside. Plus, no one wanted to take the time to walk over when they could use the campus library. But Victor thought the quaint interior was homey, and the place offered peace and quiet--something he could never find on campus.

The old couple who owned the shop waved to him when he entered and asked how his studies were doing. He was particularly fond of them; they were genuine and friendly people.

After conversing for a bit, he made his way to his usual designated study spot--a secluded area in the back corner of the shop that had a rustic, oak wood table that could seat two people. He didn’t have to worry about anyone bothering him while he worked or about interested women throwing heart eyes in his direction.

Normally, his backpack would occupy the second seat, but today, the dorky girl he had met the other day was there, much to his surprise. And annoyance. After all, this was his study space.

Unsurprisingly, she had her nose stuck in another book, and she was unaware of Victor’s presence. He noted that what she was reading was different from the last time.

Yuna. Her name is Yuna. He recalled. It’s not like he had forgotten.

He contemplated finding a different place in the shop to study before sighing and dropping in the empty seat across from her. Was it because he wanted to sit by her? He didn’t know.

She jumped, startled by his sudden appearance. Victor ignored her and began to pull his laptop and books out of his backpack. The air felt tense, and he was aware that she was watching his every move.

“You’re… that guy.” Yuna finally spoke.

“Victor.” He said flatly.

“Victor.” She repeated.

It was silent again, and the awkward air persisted. The sound of Yuna rustling through her backpack broke through Victor’s concentration and caused him to look over at her. She pulled out what looked like a wrapped lollipop and silently slid it over the table to him.

He raised an eyebrow at her and shot a look that said, “What the hell is this supposed to be.”

Yuna rolled her eyes. “It’s for the other day. You know, as a thank you.”

Victor hesitated before lightly picking up the wrapped goodie and scrutinizing it. The lollipop’s shape was akin to a shiba inu dog, something he found extremely childish and mildly amusing. What an interesting way of thanking someone.

“Why is it shaped like this?” Although he sounded unimpressed, Yuna didn’t miss the slight tug at the corners of his mouth.

“What do you mean? It’s adorable, that’s the best thing about it. Not to mention they’re pretty rare to find.” She waved a hand up in the air while she spoke as if what she said was obvious.

“It looks silly, no wonder you like this kind of thing.” He retorted.

“Well if you don’t want it then fine, but I do so hand it over.” Yuna huffed and leaned forward to grab the candy back.

Victor snatched it away and quickly pocketed it. He caught her wide eyes and rosy cheeks before averting his attention back to his assignments.

Yuna let out an annoyed sigh but picked her book up and continued to read.

She didn’t leave like he thought she would.

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

The day after that, he found her again in his designated area. And the day after that. And the following day after that.

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

He learned bits and pieces of her through their short conversations that began to turn into comfortable banter. Sometimes they would be small details, like her favorite snack, or what kind of pencils she preferred. Other times it would be big, like how she didn’t have a mom, or how much of an asshole the previous guy she dated was.

She was like a puzzle waiting to be solved, and he wanted to place the pieces together.

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

“I brought you pudding.”

“What?” She gawked.

“I was speaking English. Do you not understand?”

By this point, Yuna was already used to Victor’s callous remarks. She rolled her eyes something she did a lot around him. “This is weird. Why would you bring me pudding?”

“I happened to buy some the other day, but it was too much. Didn’t you say you like pudding?” He lifted a brow. Was it that hard to believe he was doing something nice for her?

“Um yes. Thank you then…” She timidly picked up the pudding cup and spoon and mindfully peeled back the top. He was amused to see how she handled the small treat with great care.

When she took her first bite, her eyes closed, and she let out a moan. “This is so good.” She drawled.

Victor felt heat crawl up his neck, and he cleared his throat. It was hard to pretend the sound hadn’t bothered him, but he rid his mind of any dirty thoughts.

Her eyes sparkled when she opened them again. “Victor seriously, this is delicious.” Yuna smiled happily at him and took another spoonful of pudding.

Before she could place it in her mouth, Victor leaned across the table and grabbed her wrist then placed the spoonful in his instead. When he returned to his seat, Yuna was wide eyed and blushing profusely clearly surprised by the exchange. He decided then that he liked it when she blushed.

“You’re right. It tastes good.” Victor hid a cheeky smirk behind his hand as he continued to work on his assignments.

Did that count as an indirect kiss? She wondered but didn’t say anything after that.

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

The next day, she brought him a cup of coffee that she brewed herself. Yuna spluttered something about how he seemed tired, so she thought maybe he would like some. She looked everywhere but him while she spoke.

He took a cautious sip then winced. “It’s way too sweet.”

He finished the whole cup anyways.

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

Yuna was staring at him. Blatantly staring at him.

He huffed then shut his textbook. “You really like staring at my face?”

“Are you popular amongst women?” She blurted out.

Victor was taken aback by her bold question. That definitely was not what he was expecting to hear.

He tried to hide the amusement in his voice. “Tell me why you’re asking and maybe I’ll answer.”

Her cheeks turned another shade of red. It was cute.

“I-I...I just wanted to know! I mean look at you, how could you not be popular with the ladies? You’re handsome, and tall, and smart! And even though you act like a meanie, you’re a total softie. Why do you even hang around here all the time? Your girlfriend must be worried about you.”

An inexplicable warmth filled him, and he had to place a hand over his mouth to hide the smile on his lips. He would be lying if he said her words didn’t inflate him.

“Is this your way of asking me if I have a girlfriend? It’s not really subtle.” He smirked at the way her jaw went slack.

“I just don’t want your woman coming after me because we’ve been hanging out a lot.” She spat. Yuna leaned forward to grab her book attempting to seek refuge from how awkward and very much bothered she felt.

Instead, Victor grabbed her hand and held it in his. It was a lot bigger than hers and warmer than she imagined. Her heart was pumping frantically in her chest as she raised her eyes to meet his.

“There’s no other woman.” He stated simply. Then softly added. “Only you.”

He went back to work and she went back to reading; only this time, their hands remained joined over the table.

#mr love queen's choice #mlqc #mlqc victor #mr love victor #love and producer

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tardigraded20 · 5 years ago

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Witchy Questions

1. Are you solitary or in a coven? -solitary, you think i have time for humans? 2. Do you consider yourself Wiccan, Pagan, witch, or other? -Idk someone who said fuck other religions and said revive the old gods 3. What is your zodiac sign? -Gemini 4. Do you have a Patron God/dess? -I don’t, but I am open to it 5. Do you work with a Pantheon? -No, but I am looking into the norse pantheon 6. Do you use tarot, palmistry, or any other kind of divination? -tarot and rune stones 7. What are some of your favorite herbs to use in your practice? (if any) -bergamont and I use incense 8. How would you define your craft? -idk i diy religion 9. Do you curse? If not, do you accept others who do? -No, i haven't tried but I would if i was motivated for it 10. How long have you been practicing? -5 years? I guess? I don’t count 11. Do you currently or have you ever had any familiars? -lmao i wish 12. Do you believe in Karma or Reincarnation? -Karma yes, I am not sure about reincarnation 13. Do you have a magical name? -how do you find that? 14. Are you “out of the broom closet”? -Yeah, but im not sure how much my dad thinks im serious 15. What was the last spell you performed? -A positivity jar 16. Would you consider yourself knowledgeable? -about mythology yes but actual witchcraft? Kinda. 17. Do you write your own spells? -im not that original lol 18. Do you have a book of shadows? If so, how is it written and/or set up? -I do but its kinda just a book i occasionally write in 19. Do you worship nature? -somewhat, but its not a focus 20. What is your favorite gemstone? -umbalite and labradorite 21. Do you use feathers, claws, fur, pelt, skeletons/bones, or any other animal body part for magical work? -feathers and naturally fell from a bird 22. Do you have an altar? -yes 23. What is your preferred element? -fire 24. Do you consider yourself an Alchemist? -no 25. Are you any other type of magical practitioner besides a witch? -idk 26. What got you interested in witchcraft? -lmao percy jackson 27. Have you ever performed a spell or ritual with the company of anyone who was not a witch? -no 28. Have you ever used Ouija? -Yup, at school in the hallway 29. Do you consider yourself a psychic? -pfft no 30. Do you have a spirit guide? If so, what is it? -no, but I am looking into it 31. What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started? -Not everything is black and white, you can do your own thing 32. Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite? -Yeah, although mildly. My favorite is Samhain 33. Would you ever teach witchcraft to your children? -yes but i would never force it on them 34. Do you meditate? -I try too but not often 35. What is your favorite season? -autumn 36. What is your favorite type of magick to preform? -Nature based magic 37. How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life? -Appreciate nature 38. What is your favorite witchy movie? -Kiki's Delivery Service 39. What is your favorite witchy book, both fiction and non-fiction. Why? -The Raven Boys because it is fucking amazing 40. What is the first spell you ever preformed? Successful or not. -some shitty rain spell from a childs book 41. What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you? -when i was in Senior Kindergarten I saw a “fairy” 42. What is your favorite type of candle to use? -beesewax 43. What is your favorite witchy tool? -candles 44. Do you or have you ever made your own witchy tools? -I use a rock to grind shit because i dont have a pestle and mortar 45. Have you ever worked with any magical creatures such as the fae or spirits? -I want to try working with fae but I need to learn more 46. Do you practice color magic? -yes, a bit 47. Do you or have you ever had a witchy teacher or mentor of any kind? -No, I think? I have older online witchy people I talk to but no mentor 48. What is your preferred way of shopping for witchcraft supplies? -In person, but somethings you can only get online 49. Do you believe in predestination or fate? -I guess? I think that life has a story that gives you options and a new story starts on what you choose, kinda like an RPG 50. What do you do to reconnect when you are feeling out of touch with your practice? -Read into it and appreciate it more 51. Have you ever had any supernatural experiences? -yes, at my grandmas funeral 52. What is your biggest witchy pet peeve? -”I CAn PrAcTiCe CLoSEd ReligIoNs If i aM rEsPeCtFul” 53. Do you like incense? If so what’s your favorite scent? -bergamont 54. Do you keep a dream journal of any kind? -no but I should 55. What has been your biggest witchcraft disaster? -spilling wax on myself 56. What has been your biggest witchcraft success? -not burning the house down 57. What in your practice do you do that you may feel silly or embarrassed about? -chanting shit in my room 58. Do you believe that you can be an atheist, Christian, Muslim or some other faith and still be a witch too? -yup 59. Do you ever feel insecure, unsure or even scared of spell work? -of course, its dealing with things that dont have 100% safety measures 60. Do you ever hold yourself to a standard in your witchcraft that you feel you may never obtain? -lmao I one day want to be a teacher but I never feel knowledgeable enough for that 61. What is something witch related that you want right now? -my own pestle and mortar 62. What is your rune of choice? - Hagalaz 63. What is your tarot card of choice? -the empress 64. Do you use essential oils? If so what is your favorite? -Lemongrass 65. Have you ever taken any kind of witchcraft or pagan courses? -no 66. Do you wear pagan jewelry in public? -Yup, I have a cheap ass pentagram necklace 67. Have you ever been discriminated against because of your faith or being a witch? 68. Do you read or subscribe to any pagan magazines? -no because I am poor and where would I find one? 69. Do you think it’s important to know the history of paganism and witchcraft? -yes 70. What are your favorite things about being a witch? -those scared looks that karens give you, even though you are eating cupcakes and smiling 71. What are your least favorite things about being a witch? -the amount of people who keep on trying to make you christian 72. Do you listen to any pagan music? If so who is your favorite singer/band? -heatherdale 73. Do you celebrate the sabbats? If so, how? -yes, by lighting candles and making tea 74. Do you ever work skyclad? -I want to be but nooo 75. Do you think witchcraft has improved your life? If so, how? -makes me happier 76. Where do you draw inspiration from for your practice? -other witches and what makes me happy 77. Do you believe in ‘fantasy’ creatures? (Unicorns, fairies, elves, gnomes, ghosts, etc) -The fae yes, but like celtic like ones 78. What’s your favorite sigil/symbol? -I have none 79. Do you use blood magick in your practice? Why or why not? -No, because I am not ready for it 80. Could you ever be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t support your practice? -Hahahaha no, if you dont respect my religion I dont have time for you 81. In what area or subject would you most like your craft to grow? -meditation and divination 82. What’s your favorite candle scent? Do you use it in your practice? -beesewax 83. Do you have a pre-ritual ritual? (I.e. Something you do before rituals to prepare yourself for them). If so what is it? -have a bath 84. What real life witch most inspires your practice? @spellchased 85. What is your favorite method of communicating with deity? -meditation and a yes-no pendulum 86. How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients? -in jars and by aesthetics 87. Do you have any witches in your family that you know of? -my mom is interested in druidry but doesn't call herself one 88. How have you created your path? What is unique about it? -I dont know? I just did what felt right. 89. Do you feel you have any natural gifts or affinities (premonitions, hearing spirits, etc.) that led you toward the craft? If so what are they? -No 90. Do you believe you can initiate yourself or do you have to be initiated by another witch or coven? -with closed practices you need to be initiated, but with open religions thats not the case 91. When you first started out in your path what was the first thing or things you bought? -incense tray and incense 92. What is the most spiritual or magickal place you’ve been? -The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul 93. What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who is searching for their matron and patron deities? -Read. Just read a lot. 94. What techniques do you use to 'get in the zone’ for meditation? -Silence and deep breathing 95. Did visualization come easily to you or did you have to practice at it? -I need to practice it 96. Do you prefer day or night? Why? -night because i dont sleep 97. What do you think is the best time and place to do spell work? -My best time is the full moon at midnight 98. How did you feel when you cast your first circle? Did you stumble or did it go smoothly? -It was okay, nothing special 99. Do you believe witchcraft gets easier with time and practice? -old practices become easy, but you learn more complicated things 100. Do you believe in many gods or one God with many faces? 101. Do you eat meat, eggs and dairy? -I eat cheese, eggs and fish 102. What is your favorite color and why? -purple, blue and yellow because its pretty 103. What is the one question you get asked most by non-practitioners or non-pagans? How do you usually respond? -why dont you respect Jesus? Because he did nothing for me Susan. 104. Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? -sight 105. What is a pagan or witchcraft rule that you preach but don’t practice? -Karma, I keep on doing shitty things

@prettyalice13

#witchcraft #questions #pagan #paganism #wicca #105 questions #answers #religon #spiritual

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kinsbin · 5 years ago

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First Date, Darling

Title: First Date, Darling Word Count: 5010 Pairing: Star/Kray [si/canon]

Summary: Kray asks Star, his personal assistant, out on an official date. She can’t quite belief it, but, there they are at a restaurant nonetheless! Romantic shenanigans ensue.

A/N: Commission for @starscloset!!! It was such an honor to write for them and I super loved doing all of this! Star/Kray is GOOD CONTENT PEOPLE UR SLEEPING ON IT-

——————————————————————————————

Star tried to figure out just how she got in this situation.

Try as she might, her mind was a miasma of events. A whirlwind of happenings rose and fall along the span of her memory as she attempted to pull it forward from the depths of her hippocampus, resulting in one or more headaches quickly quelled by Foresight state of the art pharmaceutical painkillers. The echo of her heel tapping sharply on the edge of the polished tile floors filled the void of her thoughts, the otherwise isolated hall of the Governor’s tower quiet save for the low humming of the lights overhead. They shone down their dim rays to reflect the circular perimeter of their bulbs back upwards at themselves. They were eyes staring at one another, unblinking and watchful overhead and below.

She was surrounded by those eyes, their presence making her as uneasy as being summoned abruptly to Kray Foresight’s office was making her.

The return thought of her location made a series of goosebumps trai up her neck as she bit her lip, the tapping of her heal increasing with renewed vigor as she tried to ease herself into entering the office. The summons had been an abrupt call on her phone during one of her lunch periods, the fork she was using to spear her food held mid lift to her soft lips as she read the ominous text that had brought her up to where she was. From Kray’s private number and in all lower case letters (odd, considering he usually typed as formally as if he were writing a letter) were the summoning lines that would bring about the anxiety she felt in her stomach all the way up to the top floor:

star please come to my office as soon as you are available we need to discuss something

She reread the text several times both in the lobby and on her way up, her hand shaking as she arrived at the door, where she stood now with her teeth worrying at her lip. Had she done something wrong? Was she about to be fired? The mere thought of that made her heart clench tightly in her chest, her stomach filling with a horrible sensation of acid that made her want to vomit up the chicken she had so hastily scarfed down on her way to her (possible) demise. What would she do if this was the end? If it wasn’t… then what could she possibly be needed for?

Her mind pushed itself forward, a deep breath as she reminded herself of her faith in Kray. She had put her faith in him from the moment she was hired and it had never failed her now. From the moment they had begun their work together she felt safer. At ease in his presence and happy at his side… Warm, even though the admittance brought a blush to her cheeks. Whatever the reason was for his summoning of her, she was certain that it would not be bad. She would not lose her faith in him now.

Forward she went, her steps forward activating the motion sensing door frame so that it slid open fully, revealing the beautiful view of Promepolis from far above.

In comparison to the bright outside world the room was dark, but it wasn’t cold. The perfectly heated internal temperature was set to be comfortable to most living within the facility. Its regulated degrees were relaxing enough to soothe the upstart of hairs on the back of her neck as she watched Kray from across the room.

He was standing up from his desk, his back facing her as he stared downwards at the city below him. The broad form of his shoulders and tapering torso cast an even darker shadow across his entire office space, the edge of it landing at her feet in way that made him seem so… far away. So distant despite being across a room from her. She wanted to reach her own hand out and hope that her shadow would cast itself along the edge as well, touching at his body and comforting that distant shadow of his… why was it so distant anyways, she wondered? What was its point, she thought…

“Star.”

His voice brought her back from the momentary daydream she had put herself into, her entire form snapping to attention at the voice that echoed. Hands at her sides, she blinked a few times as her hair settled back into its normal position, having fluffed up slightly like a bird alongside her emotions as she all but shook in her intonation towards him.

“Y-Yes, Mr. Foresight!” Her tone was automatic in its incantation, a natural instinct to please her boss filling the softness of her lilting speak with practiced ease. It was her job, after all. To be soft. To be at his side. To make sure she was non threatening to him so that he might allow her to do the work that was assigned to her.

When he finally faced her fully, the smile on his face was almost as blinding as the sun, its curves so perfectly in place on his lips. His gaze squinted and soft in her direction. The look of pleasant adoration made her heart leap, as it always did, and she tried to force away the growing blush on her face as she attempted to keep her eyes level with his. Her fingertips shook as she tried to keep them in place, fists clenching and unclenching on her sweaty palms.

“Star,” His voice was careful as it was reprimanding, “How many times have I told you to call me Kray when it’s just the two of us?”

She smiled despite herself.

“At least one more time today, Mr. Foresight.”

He chuckled at the banter, playful and soft in its demeanor. As though they were talking about the weather. A single gestured of his gloved hand ushered her forward and closer to him. Her compliance was quick and unhesitant, her body moving towards him so that the edges of her shoes clicked softly on the tile with resonating purpose. Her previous panic gestated in the bowls of her stomach while the comfort of Kray’s presence blossomed over her with a brightness the likes of which she couldn’t describe to anyone if she tried. It was simply… How he was, after all.

“I called you in today to ask you a question,” He stated once she grew close enough to the opposite side of his desk to deem it a polite speaking distance. He closed the rest of the distance, however, his body so eerily close to hers that she had to crane her neck to look upwards at him. How beautiful he was when he towered over her like this, she thought mildly as she bit back a smile of appreciation. His form was an adonis amongst men and she had to be blind not to appreciate the build she was with on a near daily basis, the normalcy of day to day activities doing nothing to soften the admiration.

Hey, she wasn’t blind.

“You can ask me anything… Kray!” His name was strange to say in the lax of professionalism but she tried her best. It brought a sweet smile to Star’s face as she looked up at him, her beautiful doe eyes focusing on his form with such an intensity that Kray could feel his own blush of surprise wander its way up his cheeks. He didn’t look away, though.

“Star…” That sweet tone of his voice made her tense for a moment, curious as to where it would lead. He seemed so uncharacteristically careful as he licked his lips for a moment, pursing them before finding the next words that would fully display the desires he had towards her. The intentions of his motives clear in each syllable as he worded it as easily as he possibly could:

“I’ve found myself… favoring your company in more ways than one lately. Greater than a professional relationships… And I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t let it sit any longer within me. I would… It would make me happy if we were to go on a date together, if you’d like it. Officially.”

She could scarcely hear the words above the ringing in her ears. Above the redness in her face as she stared in awe at the man before her, her stomach swelling with something between pride and shock as she tried not to shake in the spot she was rooted in. Was he… serious? Was this some sort of test? Star searched through each point of his face, finding nothing against the chiseled jawline and sweet smile that he offered down to her with a tilt of his head. His brows knit ever so slightly together in worry as her hesitance filled the space between them, a gap of silence where a response should be as she watched his face with her jaw slowly falling agape.

“I apologize if this is sudden,” Kray’s words were soft as he reached out, his hand finding her cheek where it gently grazed her skin. Despite the coolness of the gloves he wore, her body felt like fire as she watched him continue to speak, “I… simply cannot ignore the feelings I have for you any longer is all… If I’ve misread something in you and you don’t feel the same way, you have my apologies and-.”

“No!” She blurted the word out faster than she thought was possible, her hands flying outwards to cup his own between them and bring him closer again, the once shocked gaze in her face becoming as determined as it was awed. The shift in her demeanor practically put a halo of light around her hair, emphasizing the beauty of it and the passion with which she seemed to speak as she watched him with those beautifully soft eyes of hers. Kray almost startled back slightly, his lips parted with an awe to the suddenness of her oncoming determination.

It left as fast as it had appeared, however, her face heating up as she averted her gaze. Star’s eyes narrowed for a moment as she tried to get the words out from between her lips without becoming too embarrassed, the curve of her mouth a slight pout against her skin as she squeezed his trapped hand tighter with her own.

“I-I mean-! I just wasn’t expecting it was all but…” She smiled slowly, light and happy as she gazed up at him once more, “I’ve felt… I want to spend time with you too, outside of work! A date with one another… I would be happy to accept, Mr. Foresight!”

He stared down at her, watching as she found her mistake amongst her excitement and she blushed, flustered as she threw her hands in every which way in an extra effort to correct herself:

“Ah, I mean Kray! Kray, right, I’m sorry!”

He laughed, the sound soft and warm in the back of his throat. It was more of a chuff, soft and malleable like a tiger as he watched the woman before him radiate with excitement. She glowed with a beauty that only seemed to increase the longer they spent time together. A side effect of his presence against her personality, their differences like night and day but so perfectly fit against one another that it made his heartbeat quicken without his permission. It was that sort of thing that always made him confused as they spent time together. Estranged as he felt his own flames fanning against his will for her.

He wondered if this was love. He considered that it must be, for no other woman could look at him like that and have him see the stars that he did.

She was his Star, after all.

He leaned forward, his lips finding the top of her forehead in a long, gentle press of a kiss. Star went rigid under the motions, her eyes blowing wide as the smile against her mouth couldn’t help but climb its way up. This was happening, she registered finally in the back of her mind. Through all of the things they had been through together, rough and easy and bad and good, he was kissing her head like this. Intimate and soft and so completely vulnerable to her and her alone that she felt her chest swell with pride, her brain etching the single memory in a valuable placeholder for as long as she might have it there.

“Does tonight at seven suit you alright?”

She couldn’t hide it as she smiled even wider up at him, his lips parting from her body to ask the question though she wished they could stay there for eternity.

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

---

Star stared carefully at herself in the mirror of her bathroom, lips pursed as she judged the shade of lipstick decorating their edges. The soft, semi nude shade made the already warm edges of her mouth look Fuller than before. They sparkled, glossy and clear and oh so peachy, in the brightness of her home.

But what would Kray think of it? Would it be too much? Maybe it wasn't enough? Her mind worked at a million miles an hour, causing her to let out a long sigh if exasperation and reach for what was possibly her fourth makeup wipe that day.

Cleaning the lipstick from her mouth, Star had to take a moment to gaze at the outfit she had chosen for the night. A white dress, lined with peach and pink laces that cascaded outwards like a cloud close to her bottom. The thin straps upon her shoulders were hidden away by a thin but tasteful lace shawl. It was one of her finer outfits, she admitted to herself. Even though the shoes were borrowed from a friend and one size too big, they brought the entire thing together.

Well, almost. There was that damn lipstick.

She threw in the towel and pulled out the shade that normally decorated her mouth on an average work day. The reliable semi-nude peach always seemed to make her feel more at ease. Perhaps it was just a memory of it's repetition. There was safety in it's embrace. A beauty so consistent in it's reliability. She could only hope that Kray didn't mind it and wasn't lying about tolerating it for the past years they had been working together.

A knock on her suite's door startled her from her contemplation, her head turning so fast that she almost hit the open medicine cabinet with her temple in the process. A strangled gasp of surprise saved her as she scrambled for the door, her palms sweatier than she had thought they might be, and opened it slowly.

Kray towered against the frame, making the expensive wood that lined the edges of the door seem cheap when compared to his expensive suit. It was the same signature shades of white and gold as his governor's outfit was.The elegant way in which it fitted him, displaying to her the form of his muscles and arms in the process, was eye catching. She felt so mall in comparison to his form, the massive being that he was always towering over her in one way or another. Still, they coordinated in an odd way and that could only bring a small smile towards Star’s lips despite the shock of seeing him so fancifully garbed in front of her doorway.

“Good evening,” Kray greeted with his own, slightly excited, smile. It was cute to see the amount of emotion making its way across his face. So rare was Kray Foresight open to displaying himself so vulnerable in front of anyone that it made Star’s heart leap at the mere sight. She wanted to take a picture and keep it in her home forever. To frame it up on a perch next to her bed and admire him as she readied her nightly routine.

Star focused back on the moment at hand, not being able to stop the smile that spread on her lips as she shyly watching him through the frame.

“Good evening, Kray.” She greeted back as she opened the door fully to reveal herself, exiting her apartment with a quick grab at the smooth white mini purse that accompanied the entirety of her display.

A hand fell from behind his back, offering out a modest bouquet of purple orchids before her. Each flower sparkled in the light, their petals stained with dewdrops as they displayed themselves fully to her. Star gasped as she looked downwards, each beautiful purple bud making her heart beat fast as she reached out to touch the wrapping around their stems, holding them close to inhale their sweet fragrance. She felt as though she could cry there, the fact that he brought them as well as the fact that he had remembered her enjoyment of both color and plant making her delighted.

When she looked back up at him from her boquet, she was beaming.

“You shouldn’t have! This is so sweet, Kray, I appreciate them so much- oh - they smell just wonderful! I should put them in water before we go…”

Kray felt his cheeks redden at the sight of her, so beautiful in the white she wore and so vibrant in her personality as she always was. Star was a true beacon in the world that he found so unpleasant, he couldn’t deny that. She was radiant as her name suggested as she adjusted the edge of her shawl haphazardly and took a deep breath. Her smile up at him was caring, the same amount of care that she always put into her admiring eyes when she gazed up at him. It was only then that Kray realized how much she genuinely looked at him. How much her emotions were always written so beautifully across her soft face.

He didn’t resist the temptation of cupping her cheek with one large hand, making her tense in surprise as his thumb brushed across her chin and lower lip. He smiled soft as he admired the redness that formed in her cheeks.

“You look beautiful.” He murmured in an honest, sweet toned whisper of disbelief. As though he wasn’t ready for how smitten he truly would be by her.

Perhaps he wasn’t.

Star brushed some of her hair behind her ear, eyes falling to the floor as she smiled.

“You look quite handsome yourself.

The words filled him with a pride that manifested itself in the form of a bubbling laughter as he removed his hand from her and offered it, palm up, instead so that she might take it. She did, her smaller fingertips gentle on him as he held her close and brought her to his body with all the confidence Kray Foresight seemed to have within his form. He exuded it, softly but surely, and it made Star feel safe and loved all at once, the method in which he brought her towards him making her head spin as she bit her lip to hide the next smile that wanted to claim the softness of them.

As they moved through the halls of the building, the world felt like a dream. Even as she stepped out of the building and into Kray’s expensive car nothing felt real. The world was a miasma of happiness, ever changing but never a solid form in her life. Star couldn’t find it in herself to mind, though. If this was a dream then, damn, she certainly didn’t want to wake up. Not as Kray’s hand held hers firmly even when they entered the car, the warmth of the seats traveling up her back as his body radiated its own furnace of comfort at her side. She adjusted herself so that her shoulder would touch his arm gently, all but bathing in the comfort that the closeness offered them. Star shut her eyes for a moment and sighed, content. Kray watched her as she did, his gaze fixed on her as the ghost of a smile touched his lips.

Their talk shifted in the car, from projects of work to more personal topics. The end discussion of why their favorite color was their favorite color was trivial but easy to bring up back and forth as the two discovered just how well they made for debate partners on either end. Kray defended his enjoyment of white, a pure and untouched form of ironclad beauty while Star spoke easy about her own enjoyment of the shade of purple. The conversation never rose above a whisper, the tones relaxed and intimate even as they pulled up to the restaurant Kray had declared he had chosen for their relaxing evening out.

Its front was italian in stylature, the corinthian columns fading upwards to a tympanum of beautifully done architecture reminiscent of the ancient renaissance style. Lithe fingers of angels touched at one another while halos of painted gold were emphasized by glowing lights behind them, faces boring into one another’s soul as the story told appeared different to each person who walked by.

Star stopped for a long moment to admire the decor, her heart pounding as Kray’s hand found its way to her back. His large palm rested placidly on her spine, the touch sending another shiver up her entire back as she averted her gaze from the decorum to the man at her side.

Yes, she decided after a long moment, he was much better to look at.

“Shall we?” He smiled, his voice clearly amused by the gaze she held as he held the door to the restaurant open for her.

Her hand touched at her chest, just over her heart, as she smiled up at him.

“Why yes! We shall!” She giggled back, entering the door as she did so. Kray stood for a moment, his gaze dumbfounded by the beautiful sound that was her soft laugh, so warm and bell like in his ears that he never wanted to forget it. A moment passed before he was able to collect himself enough to follow after her, his smile still even as they entered.

Their seats were perfectly within the restaurant, bushels of plants and sweet smelling flowers blocking them from public view. Star knew all too well how the media would bend over backwards against themselves for a bite of a story that involved the elusive governor’s private life. As a keeper of his public persona, she was aware that fending off a multitude of grabby paparazzi was as exhausting as it was a game of calculation. A habit of staying two steps ahead of those who wanted their information and smiling smugly at them when they could not get it. It was a game of cat and mouse that she would secretly get bored without and, Star felt, it was a nice way to pass the time at least.

Star sighed as she opened the menu that had been put out in front of her, only to immediately close it and slam the piece of laminated plastic down with a wide eyed gaze of disbelief.

“Kray this place is-!”

“Beautiful? I know,” He smiled, his tone teasing as he was well aware of the actual word daring to fall from her lip as she leaned forward.

“E-Expensive! Are you sure it’s alright for us to be here? Wasting all of this one me is-”

“It’s not a waste.” Kray’s tone was sharp. It left no room for debate in his heart as he tilted his head slightly, his gaze steady on her face as he reached outwards. HIs hand found her own trembling one and gave it a firm and loving squeeze, mouth curling up into a smile.

“It’s not a waste when it’s to spend time with you. You deserve the best and that’s what I will give to you. There’s no arguing about it now, alright? So, please, get whatever you want and I’ll do the same.”

She couldn’t find the breath to argue back.

Instead she hid behind her menu as she ordered her food, a nice and simple dish that she would still find an immense joy in while Kray seemed to go all out with his steak and seafood medley. Lobster decorated with prime rib meat and spun about with a light sauce, asided with a heaping helping of vegetables for good measure… Star couldn’t help but drool slightly at the sight of his food, her eyes following his hands as he cut off a piece of lobster to eat.

Sensing her awe, however, Kray smiled and held out his fork to her.

“Here, would you like to try?”

“Oh! Um…”

Star smiled wide, biting back the laugh of enjoyment she got from the situation before nodding and leaning her head forward. Her mouth opened, perfect pink lips forming the softest ‘o’ shape before she bit down on the fork full of delicious food. The flavors exploded in her mouth, the world spinning around her with its buttery richness. The galaxy seemed to bloom in the back of her mind as she chewed, her heart racing at the deliciousness of the single bite she had experienced. Kray watched all of the emotions spread across her face inch by inch, the shape of her mouth and the red of her cheeks drawing forth on her feelings like a curtain. Long and endless in its display of beauty, he sighed slightly to himself as he watched her enjoy his food.

“You should have ordered it yourself.” He commented with light amusement.

“But this pasta is also really good!” Star protested as she took a bite of her own pasta, nibbling on the end of the chicken within it as she smiled through her own fork, “I just think it’s some sort of significant other tax that your food tastes better than mine.”

“Significant other?”

She stared at his surprised look for several seconds before her own horror dawned on her. The realization of what she had said, what she had IMPLIED, was permanent in her mind as her body deflated for a moment in acceptance of the words. Star choked slightly on the pasta between her lips, coughing as she held out her hands and blushed vibrantly.

“N-No I mean-! I didn’t mean to rush into it and-! It wasn’t supposed to come out like that I promise I was just trying to-! I swear-! Ohhhhhhh…. “

She ended on a bemoaning wail, holding her face in the palms of her hands as she tried to hide away from the world. To push the embarrassment away in favor of burying herself ten feet underground and never coming out. Let the magma at the earth’s core consume her, she thought with a bitter wheeze to her indignation, she didn’t care anymore. It would be a welcome death over what was going on here.

She felt his hand again though, warm and large as it ever was, touch at her arm with the gentlest of movements. “Star, please look at me…”

His voice was so soft, the tone a gentle coercion that made her want to listen. Star hesitated for only a moment before she peeled her hands from her face, peeking between the tips of her fingers as she opened up a singular eye to examine the face of the man before her. Kray simply watched her, his form patient and kind as he waited for her to be comfortable. As she uncurled herself from her shell in order to reveal herself to him. It was something like putting down crumbs for a timid mouse and letting them approach him, Kray mused. It would be terrifying to the mouse to approach a lion such as himself, so patience was necessary in promising no harm would come to her. Which it wouldn’t, of course, because… well… She was Star, wasn’t she?

When she finally lowered both of her hands down, simply placing one of them atop of his own, the room was quiet for a long moment. The distant clangs and clatters of other diners paying them no mind filled the void of their quiet communication, a long and thoughtful sort of moment they shared despite the awkward conversation that had ensued not a moment earlier. Star could feel the uneasiness fading away with every moment they were touching. Every second they were connected made her heart thrum faster and faster. She felt like a wind up toy, being pulled taught to its gears and then let go to hum and thrum accordingly to its movements. Only her movements were wide-eyed stares and slightly parted lips to ask a question that never fell from her lips fully.

Then he leaned forward. Then the world moved in slow motion.

Kray’s lips were softer than she had thought they would be, the kiss gentle and careful in its exploration. It never pushed too far. It never moved too fast. It was simply his warm, soft lips on hers as her eyes widened for a moment in shock. He was kissing her! He was kissing HER? He was… kissing her…

And her eyes fluttered closed, the quirk of a smile finding its way on the edge of her lips as she kissed him back. He tasted like ash and the flavoring of the butter on the seafood he had eaten not moments before, an odd but pleasant combination that reminded her of a cookout in the summer. It reminded her of being warm and surrounded by care and safe above all else. Kray could taste the flavor of Star’s lipstick on his own mouth, a sweet strawberry gloss that matched the perfume she had worn and he wanted to devour her there and then.

Instead they parted, their lips lingering close to one another as they mourned the loss of the intimacy they had adjusted in themselves. Still, Kray smiled. He never faulted, as Kray never did, and squeezed her arm gently.

“I wouldn’t have invited you out if I didn’t want this. You… are beautiful. No matter what you call me, I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine.”

She fought back the tears of appreciation as she smiled, the glimmer of her moist eyes diamonds in the candlelight as she gave a quick nod and laughed through them. She spoke the words he most wanted to hear from her. The words that made his heart quake in the intimacy and his breath disappear amongst the chatter as she reached out to hold his hand gently in return, the reaffirming squeeze only echoing in her words:

“I’m yours.”

And it was that, Kray was sure, that made this night perfect.

#kinley talks #COMMIssion #commission work #kinley writes #promare #kray foresight #promare oc

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cloudbattrolls · 5 years ago

Text

No Fit State

Etuuya Vannyn | Temasek Spaceport | Present Night

Imperial ships thrum and crackle, the psiionic energy powering them occasionally throwing off sparks. They’re sleek things, red and black and gray for the most part, swarming the landing pad in all their myriad shapes and sizes. The shouts of air traffic controllers and psiionic taxi drivers fill the air, and the vendors’ sizzling grub kabobs would probably be tempting if you could eat them.

In such a public place, normally you’d have your face concealed - but among so many imperials, you’d simply attract more suspicion. Presenting as an unremarkable jade is better - you turn a head or two, but people’s eyes drift onwards to the bustling activity soon enough.

Temasek’s always been this way. It’s consistent, you suppose, if nothing else.

Did Lettie come from here? Or was she assigned without a choice? You didn’t get much out of Palana, but Lettie always seemed sharper. She drank in every word of Uunive’s stories, and when you were bored and played cards or games with them, she tended to be the best match for you.

The crowd moves swiftly on the paved walkways, trolls either running to or from ships, couriers hauling packages with the assistance of lusii. It’s not long before you’re standing at the entrance to a building that’s as much biowire and framing as it is metal.

You buzz the intercom, and a voice sharply asks you for identification. No crackle or distortion, and the buttons feel warm to the touch - biotech, with capabilities you can only guess at. Hopefully blood temperature detection isn’t one of them.

Holding up your ID for scanning, you really hope Karina knew what she was doing when she gave you this alibi.

The voice recites your fake name with boredom, and then allows you through, doors sliding apart to admit you.

You have to force yourself not to walk cautiously - it would be a dead giveaway. Instead you adopt the casual but purposeful pace of a troll with an appointment, eyes drifting around the halls but ultimately facing forward.

“No - really? Is that how they run the church here now? What an embarrassment...”

There’s almost nowhere to hide, but you dart behind a column of pink wire and spun metal.

Lettie and a tealblood walk past, laughing together. She has new glasses now. You replaced them when they wore out, and it hasn’t been so long that they’ve worn again, has it? Or did her old pair break?

You’re so still they don’t notice you even when they pass your side of the column, absorbed in their conversation as they are. It’s not merely polite talk or work discussion either - the teal asks after her pet gnawbeasts (you didn’t know she liked gnawbeasts), her hovercycle (well, you couldn’t have known that), and her writing tutorials on grub tube that are apparently quite popular.

You smile in relief; of course, she always liked reading Uunive’s stories. It makes sense she’d write her own. You did know her.

The teal gets a call and leaves, promising Lettie they’ll have lunch tomorrow. You step toward her -

- and she draws a gun pointed right at you.

“This is a fleet-issue laser.” She says, quiet and serious as her eyes drill into yours. “I bet it’d give even you something to think about.”

You raise your hands in the air, not that that means anything coming from you. She seems to know that, her expression hardening further.

“I see you got my message.”

Her lip curls.

“Follow me.”

The halls are empty of other trolls, dotted only with the occasional plant or column. The sound of footsteps is the only noise.

As she unlocks a door and lets you in, you see notebooks and pencils and pens sprawled everywhere in an orderly sort of disorder; there’s obviously some kind of system allowing for only mildly precarious walking and sitting. A mug of tea rests on a coaster, with words on it reading ‘Until it’s half empty, don’t talk to me.’

“What do you want? I have work to do.”

“Uunive misses you.” You reply, quiet. Your hands clasp together, and you try to hold your ears still.

Lettie snatches a piece of paper from a nearby notepad hanging off a lamp and scribbles what you assume is contact info down, then places it within your reach. With a careful, slow hand, you put it in your sylladex.

“She can use that handle. Now leave.”

You pause, not wanting to argue, but at the same time, is this really it?

“I saw Palana recently.”

Lettie inhales sharply, putting two fingers to the bridge of her glasses. The gun’s still gripped firmly in her other hand.

“Go, Tuuya. If I wanted to talk to Palana, not that it’s any of your business, I’d do it myself. Just get out.”

You blink, genuinely taken aback.

“Don’t you miss her? Or the others?”

Lettie slams the gun down and swings to face you, her yellow eyes tinged with orange.

“Are you trying to be friendly?” She says, voice low and deathly cold. “Are you trying to pretend you didn’t steal over a hundred and fifty sweeps of my life? I have descendants who hatched and died when I was stuck down there. I had a moirail who was culled weeks before I was in a state to see her, and they said she’d been plotting treason. Why? I’ll never know.”

She takes a breath, exhaling hard.

“Everyone thought I was dead. Everyone wanted to know why I could barely speak for myself, would lose time staring into space because I was waiting for a voice in my head that had gone.”

Her gaze pierces you dead in the eye. You can’t speak. Can’t even move.

“You know, I thought of calling the Empire when you messaged me. When they explained what had happened, I didn’t believe it at first. It seemed too insane. But it was the only way to explain it all, and they showed me the dead worm they cut out of my thinkpan. That did it.”

“Why didn’t you?” Your voice is hardly a whisper.

Lettie’s laughter has no humor in it.

“Because they’d keep you alive until they made replacements.”

You open your mouth to ask a question, but she’s there before you.

“Just killing you isn’t going to make up for those endless sweeps of half-life, stumbling along as your puppet. You can only die once, and that’s not even close to as many times needed to be fair.”

“You want to torture me?” You ask, unsure.

The jade looks at you with such disdain you want to hide from her eyes, coward that you are.

“Torture you? Can you even feel pain? No. I want you to go through what I was forced into. I hope you live a nice, long life and lose everything before you die. Starting with Uunive, if she hasn’t left you already.”

“Please - ” you burst out. “Not her - please, she never knew anything - "

“Stop begging.” Lettie snaps. “It’s pathetic. I’m not going to hurt her.”

“She hasn’t left me.” You mumble, voice laden with shame.

Lettie’s smile is sharp. Full of hate.

“So you’re still lying to her.”

“No! I told her everything, only a few perigees ago. She never knew before then. She’s innocent.”

Whatever Lettie wants, she can’t hurt Uunive. Never Uunive. You’ll do anything.

“Then she really needs her auntie to guide her, doesn’t she?” Lettie’s tongue clicks in sympathy, just like it did when Uunive showed her a bruise as a child. “Poor girl never had a lusus. But she liked Palana and I best, so maybe it is worth calling her up.”

No. Uunive never had a lusus, did she.

“Palana would love to hear from you.” You say quietly.

“I’m sure. Now leave.”

She picks up the gun again and points it at you.

You waste no time walking out.

—

You sit and watch the ships come and go until the sun rises, and then you stay out even in its blinding rays, soaking its heat into your bones. Troll flesh, even a jade’s, burns after too much exposure.

Not you.

What can you do? What sort of amends can you make that wouldn’t be hollow and worthless? Lettie doesn’t want anything from you, because she’s far cleverer than poor Palana. Because she threw off your manipulations and lies and sees you for what you really are.

You bless her for it. For giving you the courage to realize what has to be done for Uunive’s sake, and for going out with any sense of decency.

Humming, you ponder how long it will take to get to Firebird, how much weaponry you can reasonably cram in your ship.

No matter what happens, at least one monster will die. One fewer to make people suffer.

Isn’t that wonderful?

#tw suicidal ideation #it's a v brief mention but it's there #cloud writes #etuuya vannyn

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shalebridge-cradle · 5 years ago

Text

Sibella probably spends more time in front of a mirror than most people. Not that she’s ever thought that’s a negative thing; there’s nothing wrong with taking pride in how you look. Hell, it’s practically a public service – everyone gets to enjoy her perfect makeup and her timeless sense of fashion, and she gets to enjoy being enjoyed.

Well, there hasn’t been any of that going on lately.

Sibella stares at her reflection in the ancient bathroom cabinet’s mirror – awful. Ugly. One out of – no, she’s at least a five, even with the bags under her eyes and the neck brace and the expression of complete done-ness. But, nevertheless, the fall and what came after have driven her to her wit’s end.

Well, if she can’t look nice, at least she can be clean. With great effort, she opens the cabinet to fetch her toothbrush.

Unfortunately for her, there’s a disembodied head dressed like a 19th-century explorer in the way.

“AH-HA! YOU FOOL! YOU’VE FALLEN RIGHT INTO MY AMBUSH! PREPARE -” The bellowing stops for a second, and the anger drops from the severed head’s face. “Wait, I told the rest of me to wait behind the door… shocking lack of military discipline. I shall give it a right thrashing later... a biting, at least...”

Sibella closes the cupboard, turns on her heel, and all but runs out the bathroom door into the long, long hallway.

Highhurst Castle. When that woman from the legal chambers told Monty he’d inherited the place through his mother’s family, Sibella’s reasons for marrying him (which were already pretty good) were immediately validated. A castle! They’d won the real estate jackpot, and people have to call her ‘Lady Navarro’ now! Monty’s a peer of the realm! Are you a peer of the realm, Lionel, you cardboard box of a man?

Well, now she bitterly regrets admiring how much space the castle had, all the hallways – she is a target when she walks down to and from the bathroom, in the dining room, and the myriad unnecessary rooms – not even the master bedroom is safe. Once she acknowledges their existence (and even when she doesn’t), they take the opportunity to drive her up the wall. Doors do not stop her foes, nor the stone walls supposed to defend her – nothing does.

The woman with the shocking amount of feathers (and blood) on her gown is further down the hall, and does a funny little run to keep up with Sibella.

“Good morning! Now, from where we left off, Lord Southcliffe and Basil are alone for the first time. The stage is set, you can cut the tension in the air with a knife – and it just so happens there are two swords mounted above the fireplace. Who shall make it out alive to confess their love to the fair Selene? Have you written the other part down yet?”

No, Sibella hasn’t. It’s the worst play imaginable. She is ashamed to have hallucinated the person who came up with it.

A young man in a green jacket steps through a wall, accompanied as always by a maddening buzzing noise. “Hello again! Did you know that bees have little teeth on their wings? They lock together when the bee is flying. Isn’t that fascinating?”

Don’t talk to them, Sibella reminds herself. They’re not real. You must have read that bee thing somewhere and you’re subconsciously remembering it. Ignore them, and they’ll go away.

They do not go away. Well, at least the fox hunter isn’t here yet. Just the buck-toothed priest, doddering about like a child lost at a fair.

“Hello!” the priest says as she passes, then, in the exact same friendly tone of voice, “You don’t belong here! Get out!”

Only a few more steps to the dining room. Monty will still be having breakfast. But, as she reaches the door, she hears his voice – unless he can see the phantoms too (which he definitely can’t), he shouldn’t be making phone calls this early. Sibella presses her ear to the door.

“I know it’s unusual, but if I just give the money back… yes, I know that’s not how loans work, but there are medical reasons… no, she’s not dead – well, she came back from… She isn’t sleeping. She’s miserable. I don’t know what it is about this castle, but it’s damaging her recovery, and I want what’s best for her. I ask you, out of common decency -”

There is a long silence.

“I see. My mistake. Thank you for your time.”

A numb sensation comes over Sibella. She’s touched, if unsurprised, that Monty would be willing to give up his birthright to keep her, but from the defeat in his voice it sounds like that isn’t an option. If only renovations were cheaper! If only the housing economy were more open to young buyers! If only she hadn’t fallen out of a bloody window and been cursed with highly realistic hallucinations!

A deep, disapproving female voice says in her ear, “It isn’t ladylike to eavesdrop.”

Sibella jumps back. A sopping wet Victorian woman gives her a disapproving look.

“It isn’t ladylike for you to exist,” Sibella replies, far too fast to sound confident, and makes her escape while the woman makes the most offended scoff she’s ever heard.

There is nowhere to run, she realises. Not from her mind, not from her economic troubles, not from the castle itself. It’s like something out of a horror movie, or a gothic novel. Yes, that’s what it is, she’s the innocent maiden who gets driven mad, stuck in a house that may or may not be haunted, and the author-slash-director leaves it up to the audience to figure out. She hates stories like that. They can’t just tell you, can they? It’s all symbolism, it’s all vague because they need to feel clever and artistic and pretend they’re so much smarter than you. Bloody hell, if she has to be stuck in a story, why does it have to be this one?

Sibella is so lost in how bad the novel of her life is that she almost misses the sound of someone limping down the hall.

Oh, shit. It’s the fox hunter.

Since this is probably the worst time for insensitive comments on... well, everything, Sibella ducks into the nearest room in hopes of evading him. She’s quick enough, but the dust old reading room (It has to be, with all the bookshelves) reveals yet another problem.

She’s young. In blue, probably another Victorian. Sibella’s walked past a portrait that looks just like this one so many times. She’s reading an open book on the side table, its pages covered in dust, before she jumps at the sound of Sibella slamming the door.

“Stop it!”

The blue-clad phantom’s eyes are wide. “Stop what?”

“Stop yelling at me to get out! I can’t! Not until me and Monty pay off his loan, and in this economy that’s probably gonna be the rest of my life!”

“But I’m not the one haunting you,” the woman stammers, shrinking in on herself. Her voice is high, soft, and ridiculously upper-class. “I never agreed to it. It’s a beastly thing to do, to drive you out of a place you rightfully own!”

“Listen. Even though you’re a much nicer broken part of my mind than the others, you’re still part of the problem. Connect – what’s those electrical parts of your brain called – connect to the other neutrons and tell all those other hallucinations to bugger off!”

The young woman’s jaw hangs open for a good ten seconds, before she says, “Oh. I understand. You think we’re figments of your imagination.”

“Well, what’s more likely, that the castle is haunted or that I have brain damage from falling out of a window?”

“Ah, well, yes. I am afraid this is the exception to the rule. But, the good news is that you’re not mad. There are ghosts bound forever to the grounds of Highhurst Castle, and through whatever twist of fate,a living person can see us for the first time.”

“Bullshit.” At the absolutely horrified look she receives from the ‘ghost’, Sibella feels a knot of unjustified guilt twist in her stomach. “If you’re ghosts, how did you die? Suicide? Murder most foul?”

“Well, my brother, Henry, the one in the olive suit. He was stung to death by bees.”

…Okay. The buzzing sound made sense now, at least. “I can hazard a guess with the guy in the pith helmet.”

“Major Bartholomew, yes, decapitated while weightlifting. Reverend Ezekiel fell from the eastern tower, Lady Hyacinth drowned in the lake, Lord Adalbert – red coat – died in a hunting accident, and Lady Salome’s prop dagger was mistakenly replaced with a real one during a performance.”

“What about the one with no trousers?”

The ghost’s face turns red. Surprising, given the lack of blood. “We’ve all been trying very hard not to think about that. It was quite embarrassing for everyone involved, as I understand it.”

“Oh, so, like, a sex thing.” Sibella ignores the sharp intake of breath. “And you? Or is it still too soon?”

“No, no, it’s quite all right. You know, I can’t recall how I died. This didn’t come across as strange to me, you would think you’d be a bit distracted with... well. You know. Henry passed before me, apparently he saw the whole thing – he says I was poisoned.”

Sibella feels like the ghost should be more than mildly concerned by this. Then again, she’s had time to get over it, hasn’t she? Wait, no, no she hasn’t, Sibella thinks, because she’s not real and you’re talking to thin air. It just so happens that thin air is very knowledgeable, and way more posh than you.

Then again. Adalbert is not a name she would have thought up in a million years, even for a lord’s ghost. She wonders how much that man’s mother hated him, if he had one.

“What’s the name of the sex ghost?”

“Asquith. Asquith D’Ysquith Junior, actually, and please never call him the… that name you said just now, again.”

“Asquith?!”

The detrousered phantom in his music hall outfit pokes his head through the wall. Sibella doesn’t flinch as badly, this time, and silently congratulates herself. “Yes?”

“Is that your name? Asquith?” Sibella asks.

“It is,” he hums. “You could have asked me yourself. I admit I didn’t take you for the bashful type, but, nevertheless, it is something I can work with.”

“She’s married,” the seated phantom snaps, “and this is a private conversation. Please take your leave.”

Asquith winks at Sibella, and vanishes once again. After suppressing a gag, Sibella turns back to the remaining ghost.

“I can’t believe Asquith is a real name, let alone one good enough to use twice. You know, I’m seriously starting to believe you’re real.”

“I should hope so,” the ghost remarks.

Sibella sits down opposite the apparition. “Right. I’m stuck here. You’re stuck here. How do we make this work?”

“If I knew a simple answer to that, you would not be in this situation.” The ghost thinks for a moment. “I do think some of my family members could use a reminder they are no longer the lords and ladies of the house. The others may do better with a softer touch, however. Henry is a gentle soul, after all.”

“Can you ask him to stop telling me bee facts when I’m trying to sleep?”

Then ghost smiles. “I can manage that.”

“Great. And the actress wants me to publish her play – I’ll post it online anonymously and hope she’s happy with that.” The ghost has the blank eyes and nervous smile of someone who has no idea what’s being said, but wants to remain polite. “The priest has no idea what’s going on, does he?”

“Not most of the time, no,” the phantom admits.

“So it’s really just the fox hunter left to worry about.” Sibella thinks telling him women have the vote now might make his head explode, and then the problem would be solved. She tries and fails to stifle a smirk at the thought.

Then, a sudden thought hits her.

“What about you?”

The ghost blinks. “Me?”

“Surely you need something. Do I have to find your murderer and get revenge? Get a reverend to bless your grave? What will help you?”

The ghost blinks again. And again. Then, tears start streaming from her eyes..

Oh. Oh no. Sibella is no good in these sorts of situations. When she makes someone cry, she usually means to. What is she supposed to do here? She raises her hand to pat the spectre’s shoulder, but it passes straight through her body. The ghost shudders at the failed contact, and does break out of her despair for a moment.

“Did I say something wrong?” Sibella asks, still semi-panicked. Now that she thinks about it, the ‘blessing her grave’ thing is probably what set this off. You wouldn’t hire a cleaning lady for someone else’s house, now would you?

“It’s been s-so long since someone’s done something for me,” the ghost sobs. “It’s been all squabbling and brooding for decades! Then, when someone alive can finally hear us, they keep doing the same thing, over and over again!”

Another dull realisation settles over Sibella, as she mumbles reassurances to the weeping phantom. That’s what ghosts, do, isn’t it? They cling to the lives they once had.

Is that what she does? Replay victories and ruminate on failures, time and time again?

“They will change,” Sibellla says, “I shall make them change. I shall do what you advised. A good shock to the system might get them out of their rut, and I am excellent at providing those. Just ask my sister – ten years and she still hasn’t forgiven me.”

The ghost gives a watery smile. “Thank you. Thank you so very much.”

With new-found purpose, Sibella strides towards the door, uncaring of whether the beings are truly ghosts or simply strange reflections of herself. Whatever is being confronted, she will be better for it.

When she opens the door, it’s not the dreaded fox hunter, the actress, nor the wet moral guardian.

It’s Monty. He looks over her shoulder, his gaze passing over the still-hiccupping phantom – he doesn’t see her.

“Now Sibella – I don’t want to upset you, but I have checked that we’re the only ones in the house. I mean, apart from the pigeon, but unless you’re talking about all his pigeon friends when you say you’re going to make them change, it might be a good idea to go talk to the doctor again.”

That’s a thought. It would prove it, one way or the other, if these quirky characters are bound to the house or just arguing personifications of her brain damage.

But, Monty is the one who convinced her the ghosts are just hallucinations. If they are ghosts, how is she going to convince Monty she hasn’t just gone insane?

A lightbulb goes off in her head.

She checks none of the other spirits are listening in, leans over, and whispers in Monty’s ear. His eyes widen, and his mouth hangs open.

“Asquith? Junior?!”

#gglam #the cradle will write #i'll post the other thing when i get home

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coffeeandcalligraphy · 5 years ago

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Moth Work Intro + False Idol | Writing Update

Hey People of Earth!

Today I thought I’d do a writing update on a project I’ve mentioned a lot in my vlogs but haven’t mentioned as of yet on here! This is a personal ‘passion project’ that I’ve been picking away at since January and have recently taken on as my transition project from Rewired to my next book.

So yee! MOTH WORK (or ‘boys on a boat’ for those who keep up with the vlogs lols) has been my current project for the last few weeks since finishing REWIRED. I didn’t really mean to expand it as much as I have as it simply started off as a spinoff story of my boys Lonan and Harrison which I write every few months when I’m having a breakdown and need something to cheer me up. :-)

I’ve mentioned a few of these stories in the past (like Fishbowl and Mandarin), though this story is a bit different, as I’ve expanded it quite a lot more than I intended to! If you aren’t super caught up with Rewired, I’d definitely scroll through a few of my last updates so this one will make more sense!

What’s it about?

Moth Work is a FOSTERED spinoff story following Lonan and Harrison (dumb+dumber) at the peak of their relationship. I *was saying* that the plot went loosely as follows: after finding a photograph of a woman in Lonan’s father’s dark room, they set out to find her, HOWEVER, because I never stick to plans, I have yet to follow through with this main plot thread, lol. Vaguely, I’d just say the most important part of this story is their relationship at its most fragile because who is plot I don’t know her.

Moth Work follows the events after REWIRED, and is a bit of a bridge between it and the next book. This makes it kind of hard to explain because a) it’s in a different POV, and b) context, but hopefully that makes sense! In essence: Lonan + Harrison’s relationship is big sad and Harrison tries to make it less big sad and it gets even more big sad.

I’ll share a very quick profile of both of the boys so there’s some context for the following excerpts I’ll share!

Harrison

My boy

Generally very outgoing, tho around Lonan this fizzles. Only wants the best for Lonan despite their history. He’s the ‘main’ narrator of the piece (third limited to him though I’m guilty of head hopping lol), so the work has a softer tone than I’m used to. Though Harrison tries to be a Macho Man, around Lonan he’s most himself--mellow, a lil stupidly romantic, and vulnerable.

Lonan

My problematic son/probably should be cancelled

The “issue” in the relationship loool. He’s emotionally immature and lacks accountability, but because of his past, lacks the ability to recognize these faults and work on them. Because of this, he’s fundamentally stayed the same for the last few works he’s been in (if not gotten worse). Lonan requires a lot of emotional assistance, though he isn’t self-aware enough to recognize this. This is often the cause of much conflict.

Conception:

Like I mentioned, I often write short spinoff stories following these boys because it’s a safe happy place for when I’m feeling stressed. This is basically how this piece started, though I’ve continued it for different reasons which I’ll get into. I don’t remember how the first scene was brainstormed, but I do know when I started writing this a few months ago, I wanted it to be a lot longer than my previous stories--a place where I could just dump my writing, even when it wasn’t good. I think I did this to cope with the stress of my writing class honestly, lol, I think I needed a break from ‘serious’ writing AKA a place I could just goof off and have some fun.

The writing bit:

Writing this story has been a bit inconsistent. I’ve been drafting it in little pieces since the beginning of the year, and only recently picked it up as more of a ‘full-time’ work. This is subject to change depending on whether or not I get more of book 7 done. I’ve gone from writing 20 words a day to 0 to 1000--there’s really no consistency with the drafting process here.

I have recently decided that I’ll most likely expand this into either a novella or novel itself because there is literally so much tea left to explore and it’s surpassed 10k words. Drafting Moth Work has been so helpful in easing me back into the world of FOSTERED and piecing together the huge time gap from the end of book 6 to the start of book 7. I’ve been a bit anxious to really dive into book 7 for the fear of the unknown, so inching myself closer to that timeline through this project has been very helpful!

The editing bit:

I recently did an edit around the line level for this entire piece (it’s about 12k words right now) because a) it really needed it b) I was losing steam/starting to get embarrassed and c) I needed a refresher of what had happened because je suis tres forgetful. This edit made me feel so much better about the project. It initially started off as a work where the writing didn’t actually matter and this mentality was working until I got so embarrassed of the prose I found it difficult to read through old scenes to refresh myself and thus couldn’t productively draft.

This project isn’t written exactly in my usual style--it’s pretty stripped back and actually reminds me a lot of how my style would’ve been in book 3 had I been a better writer four years ago lol. I think the looser style works for the voice/the story itself but I def wouldn’t categorize this as litfic (what I usually write). Although the prose isn’t very complex, it took me a really long time to get comfortable enough to edit?? But once I got into the rhythm of it a few days ago, I completed the edit fairly quickly, and I’m 100% feeling better about the project overall! Though the prose is still not my top priority I’m not as embarrassed of it currently lols.

I also divided the project into chapters because it was getting pretty long to just be one mass of text. I currently have 3 chapters. This update will cover chapter 1.

Playlist:

Yo this is literally the best part of writing this project, lol, I get to listen to so much different music?? I’ve made a comprehensive playlist for this story with a character by character breakdown (if anyone wants to see that/highlights, let me know!). This playlist pulls from every song from my library, so we span genres and artists like crazy. Nothing But Thieves has been the primary artist for this story (specifically their self-titled album). These songs (all NBT oop) are the most relevant if you want to get the general tone lol (anything with a star has explicitly inspired the project):

Excuse Me*

Honey Whiskey*

Tempt You (Evocatio)*

If I Get High (II)

Gods

Lover, Please Stay*

I Was Just A Kid*

Get Better

Hell, Yeah*

Afterlife

Reset Me

Particles

Sorry

Number 13

Excerpts:

I don’t have *many* because prose hasn’t really been a top priority for this project, but I’ll try to include at least one per scene.

This is one of the opening paragraphs from chapter one which I’ve titled ‘False Idol’. In short, the chapter follows the boys first attempting to destroy the dark room and then getting distracted and eventually not pulling through after Harrison finds a picture of Ominous Lady.

The chapter’s chronology is wild so we can break it up as follows:

Scene A

The boys enter the dark room with the intention of burning it down

Harrison reaches for his lighter and drops it which prompts him to find the photograph of Ominous Lady

Him and Lonan mildly argue about Ominous Lady until Lonan takes it too seriously and throws a tantrum :-DD

Scene B

Not really a full scene, just a bridge between scene A and C.

Harrison has been waiting for Lonan to return to their campsite for the entire day and he decides to at the very last moment

“hey so i’m unable to apologize for anything but also! cigarette! let’s share it! lungs!”

Scene C

The boys exercising their canoeing skills

This leads us to our first “beat”.

Lonan interrupts Harrison’s peaceful evening by having a mild crisis

This takes place right after the events of Lolita, Lolita (chapter 16 of REWIRED). We then jump back to the fictive present.

This alternates like 5 more times lol then the chapter is done!

The following excerpt describes their entry into the dark room. Don’t know how smart it is to be smoking in a room full of highly flammable material but we out here.

I don’t think she’s particularly special but I also don’t hate her so!! hoping an aesthetic photo will make it read better :’)) I ! don’t ! think ! it does ! but !

Harrison shoulders the door first, traps it open with the clip of his boot. Dust and streaks of light rake behind him as he pushes through cardboard boxes, mountains of photo paper on the ground. Lonan follows silently, still wearing Harrison’s jacket. Trails of smoke from his cigarette catch in the negatives hanging by the clothespins, chemical peel between the layers of ink. In one hand he tends to his cigarette, and in the next, lugs in the canister of gasoline they found in the cabin’s cellar. As Harrison fumbles for his flashlight, Lonan sets it down by the table so it sloshes like the Pacific.

This is a bit of when Harrison finds the photograph of Ominous Lady:

He turns the photograph over, and shines the flashlight on it. It’s scratched and developed wrong, little bits of orange obscuring the woman’s face, but it’s very much a woman. A dark bob and bangs in her eyes, jewelry hanging from her septum. Sunshades enough to reflect the European street behind her. The discreet jet of ink on her skin, blues and greens peeking out from under her sleeve. Izzy, he recognizes. Lonan’s mother.

Nudging Lonan with an elbow, “I didn’t know your mom has tattoos.”

Lonan takes the photograph cautiously, holding it by the corners like it’ll burn him. His brow trembles, but it takes him only seconds to say, “That’s not my mom.” He takes the flashlight from Harrison and examines it closer, fingers nimble and tracing the edges. In the grey light of the dark room, he looks nullified. Just a monochromatic hum of chromosomes and skin.

that’s not my MOM

After the boys find the photograph, Lonan gets triggered at Harrison’s suggestion to find the woman (he presumes her to be someone involved with his father) and promptly has a tantrum and exits. This leads us into the next scene where the boys! actually! get! on! boat! In this scene Lonan tries to say sorry for his tantrum by offering Harrison a cigarette (lol) and because Harrison is hopelessly romantic and also hopelessly dumb, says yeeeees sir! They go for a canoe ride on the water. Thought it was going to be sweet, ended up being a shitstorm but!

This paragraph is kind of toast but:

The canoe isn’t hard to get into the water. After a few nudges from the dock into the slow dip of tide, it stabilizes easily. Harrison is convinced it will capsize but Lonan knows it won’t. They take one ore each, and ignore the life jackets at the back of the shed.

The moon is large and mesmerizing. As Harrison and Lonan take turns pushing the canoe into the water, mast first, then its entire belly, it colours them silver. Lonan’s protected the cigarette in the pocket of his shirt. Harrison stares at its faint outline stretched under the fabric. Lonan steps into the canoe first, rocking with the current, and extends a hand for Harrison. He pulls him in and they row until the cabin is the size of a fingernail, the wave steady and dense. Each cut of the paddle feels like plunging a scalpel into flesh and Harrison watches Lonan do it easily. In the distance, the cabin doesn’t look so menacing. Reeve has left the lamp on by the loft, and it glimmers back like an eyeball, effervescent and tiny. Nothing but a reflective penny in the distance.

Here’s some Harrison being lame:

The water laps at the base of the canoe, and Ris reaches over and touches it like it’s holy. He makes the sign of the cross and it feels perverse, cold water dripping from forehead to chin.

For a while it’s quiet. Just the distant hum of crickets, the slash of the paddle, and the off-chance flash of something in the distance; an animal, a flashlight. Ris tries not to think about Lonan’s dad, like a dead man slithering through the water, following their boat. He picks at a saltine, sucks it between his tongue meditatively. Against the sky, Lonan is backlit and lovely and flecks of his hair peek up from around the jacket’s collar. Harrison wonders if as a child, everyone said he looked just like his father.

On top of lacking accountability, Lonan is also a professional canoeist so he takes over while Harrison eats saltines and reminisces about an encounter they had weeks prior. This leads into the solid chunk of backstory that I weirdly jump in an out of for the entire chapter. :)

Backstory consists of drunk Lonan having a crisis while Harrison tries to have a peaceful evening of taping up his drawings to his bedroom ceiling. The following excerpt describes the moment right after Lonan enters the room.

Harrison’s lips secured around his cigarette, his hand mid-air with packing tape and line drawings of the moon. A tinny country song dribbled through the radio. The minute-meal he’d heat up in the microwave lying forgotten and cold on his desk. Harrison set the pile of drawings down and turned off the music.

“Emily left?” Lonan asked. He kept his face upward, stared clumsily at the ceiling. Harrison watched his eyes trace the new drawings, following the uncalculated pattern.

This paragraph is made up of 5 similes and this is the only reason I’m sharing it :)))):

Lonan has stopped paddling. The canoe sits in the middle of the lake, lifeless, like a bone in the water. He’s turned so Harrison can see him in profile, and Ris can’t tell if it’s relieving or worrying to see his face. Lonan’s jaw is taut, like there are words he wants to say there but can’t. Filling up the hollow bone. He blinks slowly, like he’s trying to re-centre himself, his chest quivering with breaths meant to steady him. The water laps at the base of the canoe, whirling. Dark hair tangles down his cheeks like the fingers of a poltergeist.

I think that’s a pretty good way to end this post lol! How many similes have you put in one paragraph? What’s your record lol this is probably mine!

Hope y’all enjoy the intro to MOTH WORK. I have two other chapters already written which I’ll update on in a separate post! For now I hope you like this more laid back project, let me know what you think!

---Rachel

#writing #writingupdates #writeblr #amwriting #writerblr #fostered #mothwork

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danganronpasenariosuwu · 5 years ago

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Some Danganronpa babes confessing to their long-time crushes

Holy shit, I've been very inactive! I'm super-duper sorry! I've been very, very busy, and now that summer is finally here I'll be more active, yay! So, as an apology, I'm going to post my second scenario, and I hope that at least one person actually reads through it! Hopefully, the Danganronpa community isn't dead yet!

Makoto Naegi-

♣Although he had planned for this for weeks, he was still anxiety-filled.

♣This could go two ways, assuming his luck didn't play into it as well. A simple yes or no, it wouldn't hurt him too much, right?

♣Wrong. He wasn't sure what he'd do if you said no, nor if you said yes.

♣He wanted to do it the classic way- confessing to you after school behind a cherry-tree. It had worked for all of those anime characters, why not him?

♣He was observing the tree when you arrived, so his back was to you. He turned around-

♣He tripped, abort mission

♣After a bit of laughing, you helped him back up, and asked him why he wanted to talk, although you thought you knew already.

♣After a bit of stuttering, he managed to get it out.

♣”Y/N, you've been one of my best friends for a long time. No matter what my luck manages to do, you're always there with me to help me up, quite literally! I've liked you for such a long time, and I was wondering if you'd like to go out?” He said, in a very fast pace. You could barely understand him.

♣Whether or not you said yes was up to you, but he hoped that his luck would finally work it's magic.

Byakuya Togami-

♕Honestly, he wasn't too concerned. He figured that his money could help buy you over, since his wealth was clearly one of his best attributes.

♕But, he was too aloof to just ask you in person. And, since he clearly couldn't write his feelings for himself, he asked for help.

♕Specifically, he asked Naegi for help, which in retrospect wasn't the best choice for him.

♕After successfully obtaining the note from Naegi, he sealed it up and signed his name on it.

♕The next day at school, just before class started, he slipped it into your locker, which was convieniently close to his.

♕During class, he was a bit quieter than usual, not bothering to shoo Touko, as his mind was completely focused on you, and how you'd respond.

♕Of course, he hoped you would accept, but he did also realize that he could easily replace you if you said no, though it would pain him a bit.

♕After class was over, you went to your locker to grab your books. A letter fell out.

♕You opened it, and read it through.

♕It read- ‘Dear Y/N. My heart has found its way to you with all my love. I want you and no one else because you mean everything to me. I think we should try and make this work. I hope you know you're the one and only one that I want. You're the perfect friend, and I hope we can and will grow to be more. I could never ask for better than what we already have. I hope you're feeling the same way because my heart is set on you and only you.’

♕You already knew it wasn't in his own words, but you were touched nonetheless. It took you awhile to think about it, but you soon had your answer.

Kyouko Kirigiri-

♢You two had been close for a while, and you had managed to be one of the few lucky people to get to know her.

♢She adored everything about you for quite a while, though it never showed. ♢Since she had recently found out that you both enjoyed the same book series, she figured she could confess through that. ♢You were on the second book, almost done and ready to go onto the third. ♢She had checked it out before you, though, and paid the librarian for the damages she would cause, although small.

♢She flipped through the pages until she found the last one, in which the main character confessed to the love-interest. She underlined the words the character had said, and opened to an empty page which was right after the end. She grabbed a purple ballpoint pen. ♢’Y/N, I’d greatly enjoy it if the two of us could be as close as protagonists in this book. I'm hoping you already know who I am, so you can come and speak with me.’ ♢She closed the book and went back to return it. ♢A few days later, you went to go check out that exact book, and in a week you managed to finish it.

♢However, what caught your attention was the bold underline on the confession. You flipped to the last page and read the note, which was addressed to you, surprisingly.

♢Knowing fully well who it was, you decided to go confront it about her, your answer completely clear to you now.

Hajime Hinata-

☞He was a bit afraid to tell you how he felt. What if you didn't like him back because he was too plain? What if he messed up? ☞So, he asked Chiaki to help him, and she delivered, like any good friend would. ☞After a while of her rambling about a hard dating sim she had heard about, she tried giving him advice. ☞”Well, in dating sims they usually ask them out on a date to their favorite place. Do you know Y/N’s favorite place?”

☞”Their house?” He asked. As if that was a good place to go on a first date. ☞”No, like a restaurant or something.” Chiaki sighed, already getting too tired to deal with this love-retarded boy. ☞”I mean, they like to go to that one park with all the cherry blossom trees..” He thought. ☞After talking to Chiaki for a while, he agreed on asking you out to said park. ☞So, after school one day, he pulled you aside. You looked confused. Your best friend, Mahiru, was waiting for you, since you always walked home together. ☞”Hey, Y/N, I like you a lot, and I was wondering if you'd like to go to the park with me tomorrow?” He silently prayed you said yes. ☞Though it was short, your heart warmed a bit after hearing the confession. You had to give him your decision quick, or Mahiru would get angry, so you thought for a second and spoke.

Nagito Komaeda-

♧He knew you'd say no, it's just that some kids from his class had been pressuring him into telling you. ♧He liked you a lot, and hoped you could be more, but he knew it wouldn't happen because who would love trash like him? ♧Nekomaru had given him a pep talk before he went to tell you, hilariously enough. It mainly consisted of him making Komaeda yell his (and your) name. It embarrassed him even further, his face already tinted red. ♧So, after class one day, he tapped your shoulder in an attempt to get your attention. ♧However, his luck had decided to strike, and once you turned around someone pushed you into his chest, officially making the both of you red faced.

♧He pulled back quickly, and apologized profusely. ♧”Bro, it's okay, it wasn't your fault anyways.” You giggled.

♧”Anyways, there's something I'd like to tell you.” he began, nervously fiddling with his thumbs.

♧”Y/N, I've found myself liking you with a passion that friends shouldn’t have. I know you'll say no, since it's impossible for someone to like trash, but I'd like to ask if you want to go out?” ♧You didn't hesitate to respond, since you've already been thinking about how you'd respond to something like this, and because your second class was about to start. Hopefully you don't put this boy into despair.

Chiaki Nanami-

(Some clarification in this- You're the ultimate game designer in Chiaki’s scenarios) 🎮Sure, Chiaki was good at video games. But there's one genre that's hard for her.

🎮Dating sims. And, because of this, she wasn't too sure about how well she’d be able to confess.

🎮Taking it upon herself to study a bit more, she downloaded a dating sim labeled as ‘Mildly easy’.

🎮After a day or two of attempting to beat it, she stumbled upon a character that eerily resembled you. It's name was (Your name but with some letters swapped). She decided that she had to go that route, since she figured it would help her confess.

🎮It took her about fourteen hours to finish, but the confession at the end made it all worthwhile..

🎮It read, ‘(Your name but with some letters swapped), Ever since I met you I've been endeared to you. From your looks to your personality, I like it all. You're all that I want, and I hope you feel that way too?’ 🎮And, from the way the character responded, Chiaki supposed that the exact same confession should work for you.

🎮So, Chiaki decided to tell you immediately at school tomorrow.

🎮You were walking through the halls until Chiaki walked up to you, looking determined as ever. 🎮She recited the confession, using your name instead of the character’s, and your response was a short, simple giggle. 🎮”Nanami, did you find my dating sim? I knew you'd play it someday!” You smiled, although the girl in front of you was very, very confused. 🎮After having a short laugh, you gave Chiaki your answer, either letting her down immensely or making her day even better.

Shuichi Saihara-

🔎He may or may not have cried while thinking about how you'd respond.

🔎He was obviously too shy to tell you in person, even after Kaede’s inspiring pep-talk. 🔎So, he wrote a letter that conveyed all of his emotions, though it might be a bit long.

🔎It read, ‘Dear Y/N. Every word you confide in me, every wonderful and terrible moment you share with me, melts me inside.

You let yourself be vulnerable with me and trust me beyond my comprehension. I never imagined I would truly find another who I would want to spend so much time with, who could truly touch my life the way you have, even without trying. I look forward to many more special moments together. When I see you, I see my future. This is not just talk. It truly comes from the heart. I am consumed by the desire to be with you, to talk to you and to feel you near me. I want to hold you, talk to you, laugh with you, cry with you. I want to play, walk, dance and just be one with you. I think you could become my everything. I know I want to be everything to you. I love you, Y/N L/N.’ And he signed it at the bottom. 🔎But, last second, he chickened out, leading to Kokichi stealing the letter, reading it and laughing. And Shuichi’s ego deflated even more, if possible. 🔎Kokichi ran up to your locker and put it in for the other boy. 🔎Y’see, Kokichi was a hardcore shipper of you two, and wanted to help- 🔎And so, after class you opened your locker and read it. It made your heartbeat pick up its pace, and your face turn red. 🔎You confronted Shuichi immediately. 🔎If you say yes, he’ll probably cry. If you say no, he’ll probably cry AND become depressed. Good luck. Kokichi Ouma- ♖He isn’t nervous at all. He was SURE you'd like him back. ♖But that's a lie, of course. He was scared. There's a small chance of you liking an asshole like him, so he only had a small amount of certainty. ♖He's not necessarily shy, so he decided to do it in person, since that's the most head-on way to do it. ♖So, like most of the others, he chose to tell you after class. ♖You were walking out of class when you were caught off-guard by him jumping on you. ♖And you fell over, as a result, and you ended up in a weird position in which he was straddling you, and his hands were on your stomach. ♖At this point, there's absolutely NO going back. So, in a state of rushed panic, he suddenly yells out- ♖”Y/N, I LIKE YOU A LOT” ♖And now you're both blushing a deep red. ♖Before you could answer, he gets up and runs away, which surprised you immensely. ♖Now you need to go find a flustered boy and tell him if you like him or not. Good luck with that, and don't die. Kaede Akamatsu- ♬She was DETERMINED. ♬Nothing could stop her now. She was literally on her way to your house right now to go and confess to you. ♬At 2 AM. ♬On a Sunday. ♬But she didn't even care. True love was worth it, right? ♬So, when she burst through your window, effectively breaking the glass and ripping the curtains, you were surprised, to say the least. ♬”Kaede what the FUCK are you doing in my house at 2 AM?” ♬”Y/N I’M HERE TO PROCLAIM MY LOVE FOR YOU” ♬On comes a long, and passion-filled confession. It was so early that you weren't thinking when you responded. You either made a decision that would literally keep you bound to her for life, or make her day horrible and make her gross sob to Shuichi. It all depends on how your dreary form at 2 AM responded.

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everbrilliantheartbreaker · 5 years ago

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Fanfiction Reader Tag

Tagged by @eyeliner-vampire ♡ ♡

Fanfiction Reader Tag!

1. When did you start reading Fanfic (How old you were or how long ago)?

When I was probably...11 ish? so like 13 years ago

2. Do you have an AO3 account?

Yeh (LadyWisteria)

3. Do you read WIP (work in progress)? Why or why not?

All the time. I’m not picky about this at all. I’m a simple person. I see fic I think I’ll like? I read. doesn’t matter if it’s finished or not. I’ll make up my own ending til it is lol. also authors need that encouragement. finishing stuff is hard

4. What time of day is your ‘fic reading time’?

Usually late at night (like 1 a.m. and later..much later) but sometimes I’ll waste an afternoon instead (2 p.m. ish til I either have to go to work or I finish the fic)

5. How much time do you spend reading fic per week?

Not remotely as much time as I used, that’s for sure. Anywhere from an hour (if I’m rereading That favorite fic) to 2-4 hours if my friend has sent me a longfic again.

6. Do you listen to podfic (fanfic recorded like an audiobook)?

I...didn’t even know this was a thing tbh, so no. Sounds very neat but also I don’t listen to audio books anymore bcus my attention span re: audio input has gotten so bad over the years I can’t focus for more than a few minutes.

7. What’s your favorite fic genre to read?

AUs AUs AUs. and fantasy. and fantasy AUs (although good long AU fics are harder to find). I am a very simple person. I see magic mentioned, I read. I also read a lot of romance fic (proving once again that fanfic writing is often better than mainstream original writing, bcus romance is one of my least favorite YA/movie genres). I don’t read as much of them but I also love mystery and paranormal fics

8. Are there any genres that you tend to avoid?

Super angsty no happy ending type stuff. “Major Character Death” is an automatic nope lmao (unless the summary looks reaallyyy interesting or it was recc’d to me). Tragedy is definitely Not my thing

9. What tag(s) do you track?

I don’t track any fic tags (I stopped tracking tags at all since Tumblr changed it from “keeping track of new posts in said tag” to “dropping random posts from that tag into the middle of your dash, and usually the same three”)

10. How do you find new fic?

Nowadays I mostly just read what friends send me or the new stuff a very few writers I follow post, but sometimes I also come across stuff through Twitter or Tumblr and curiosity wins out

11. How do you organize your fic bookmarks?

I..don’t? Is this a thing people do?? If I wanna reread something I either search through my bookmarks by title/author or just. filter by fandom.

12. Do you subscribe to authors or stories?

Yeh. I only keep up with a very select few of them though. altho part of that is due to several of them being people I followed on fanfic.net years and years ago and never unfollowed, even though our interests may no longer be the same. (the other part is me going “oh I’ll read that later” and then just. never doing it.)

13. What is your favorite fanfic trope?

fake dating and bed sharing are always good

everyone is gay. also Good

14. What kind of plot line are you always here for?

“everything’s the same but they’re soulmates” (oh my god they were soulmates)

mafia AU

MAGIC

I really like in-between scene fics too. the events and character interactions that happen off-screen. I like writing those

15. What can an author do to make you love them?

write about my faves frequently

cool AUs

write about minor characters

good sense of humor

16. What can an author do to make you avoid them?

not into mpreg fics

a/b/o fics make me super wary I usually pass on those, even if the summary looks mildly interesting. they’re rarely if ever done in a way that isn’t rapey and gross

don’t care for fics period that have rapey scenes but you’re supposed to find them romantic

adult/minor ships

characterization is a big deal to me so if I don’t like how they handle the characters, especially faves I probably won’t be back

17. What do kudos mean to you?

when I get one I have a few seconds of “oh someone kinda liked this thing I wrote” and then I carry on about my day >.>;;; (I do appreciate them tho)

18. What kind of commenter are you (No comment, short comment, keyboard smash)?

I don’t comment as often as I mean to or wish I did, but when I do they’re loong comments (I’ve passed the AO3 character limit at least once kshg)

I tend to quote favorite parts and then react to them, and I like to theorize and ask questions about character’s thoughts at a certain part or what author imagines happens before/after the fic

19. Have you ever stopped reading a fic? Why or why not?

Yes. Once because I stumbled into a very sexually explicit fic when that was. Not at all what I was expecting (I was also very young lol), I think there was a very few I quit because they were boring or very poorly written, but most often I “quit” a fic for the same reason I don’t do audio books anymore lmao: because my attention span is sht and my motivation and commitment are extremely fickle things. I either forget or just wander away for a bit and then forget. Often I mean to come back and finish it; it’s just a matter of how long it takes. (I also second hand embarrassed out of a fic so hardcore that it’s been a whole 9 months since I’ve touched it khdfgd)

20. Have you ever read a fic more than once? What is it about that fic that makes you want to read it again?

YES. This requires like a minimum 4 separate posts to really answer but:

Behind Bricks and The Penance of a Killer by Deathbelle

this person is my fricking favorite author ever and these are two of my fricking favorite fics ever, I must’ve reread Behind Bricks 6 or 8 times now and Penance is the BokuAka-centric companion piece to my favorite fic of all time that I always wanted

Mending Bonds and If the Heart Breaks, Does That Mean There’s No Home? by RussianSunflower3

Mending Bonds is soft found family fluff centering on a very minor fave of mine and If the Heart Breaks is very angsty found family fluff that also focuses on some minor characters and it always hurts my heart but the ending and the soft middle always heal it right back up (“[Hanamaki] has a heart big enough for everyone in the world, and then some.” ohhhh my godd)

Boiled Frogs by ReginaGalaxia

this one is. a really hard read centered around emotional abuse and manipulation and hoooo boy it is a rough read especially if you’ve experienced any of that personally but it’s so well written and the character dynamics are great and in its lighter moments it’s fricking hilarious.

(bits and pieces of) The Roost by Ugglabarn

bits and pieces only bcus Roost has a lot of very heavy dark content that I’d have to be in a specific mood to reread the whole thing because it hurts my heart way too much but also it’s one of the best Fukurodani-centric longfics I’ve ever read (PLUS AN AU..!!) and I love love how they write the characters and how much focus there is on the minor members and ships and in its lighter moments Roost is also really funny the most recent chapter was hilarious

Expensive Hotel by Crown_of_Winterthorne

smut. explicit smut. excellent explicit smut with loving polyamorous boyfriends and plenty of consent discussion and kissing. my entire jam right there

Class 1-A Whomst? by Ya_Boi_Hal

this is the funniest chatfic I’ve ever read in my life and the first good chatfic I ever read. absolutely hysterical. also has some really good serious content in the middle and some Aizawa dialogue that punched me right in the feels. 12/10 will read again. sometimes I just randomly say “Mineta whomst??” and cackle to myself

and back in the day it was:

The Flame of Betrayal by DataIntegrationThoughtEntity

I guess traitor! Tahu was a popular trope back when Bionicle fandom was at its peak?? and not everyone liked it apparently but I enjoyed this fic greatly every time I read it it was well written and had interesting OCs and I am actually highly tempted to go reread it again

and Asleep Beneath a Wheat Field by Feline Freak

this was a very peculiar little OC-centric one shot that was also very sad and I don’t know why it grabbed me like it did but I remember rereading it 3 or 4 times at least

21. Do you like sequels?

The fics I like don’t usually come with sequels but The Penance of a Killer is one so Yes

22. Do you like dabbles?

I guess? I haven’t read too many I don’t think but hey, more fic is more fic. Who’s gonna complain about that?

23. What do you wish more fic authors would do?

Write about minor characters more

24. What do you wish more authors would stop doing?

that thing where they latch onto one facet of a character’s personality - or worse, one that fandom made up - and write them as if that’s the only trait they have

25. Do you like one-shots or multi-chapter?

Multi-chapter. I mean both are great obviously but the majority of my faves are multi-chapter and obviously if I like a fic I’m gonna wanna spend as much time in that universe as possible

26. How long do you like chapters to be?

Usually I feel the longer the better. once in a while I’ll hit one that’s so long it’s kind of distracting but extremely rarely

27. What’s your favorite POV (point of view) to read (first, second, third)?

Third

28. What do you think of OC’s?

I didn’t use to care for them very much but as I started reading fic by more advanced writers I found several I really liked. have a very small list of OCs from recent fics I’ve read I would actually kill a man for I love them so much

29. Do you download fic?

No, but seeing as my absolute favorite Bionicle fic vanished off the face of the earth several years ago and I cannot find anything about it an y wh ere sometimes I think about saving my faves. I never got to finish reading that fic and I am absolutely devastated every time I think about it.

30. Tell me something else about your fic reading! Anything else!

best thing is when my friend and I buddy read a fic and send each other our favorite parts

Tag!

@yaelathewordsmith and @samantha-girlscout ♡ ♡ ♡

#Toa does a meme #long post #i didn't forget about this i've just been picking at it ever since u tagged me

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elenajohansenreads · 5 years ago

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Books I Read in 2019

#102 - All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders

Mount TBR (66/100)

The Reading Frenzy’s “Bookish Treasure Hunt” Challenge -- A bird in the title or on the cover

Rating: 1/5 stars

All book reviews come with personal bias attached--as much as many reviewers (myself often included) like to think we are working from some hypothetically universal standard of "good" writing, we can't always agree on what those standards are and how to apply them fairly across all books. I say this now, because I'm about to write a negative review for this book, but for once, I recognize that my intense dislike is coming from a deeply personal place, and that my experience with it isn't necessarily a good sign post for whether or not this book is worth reading. I often write bad reviews for books because of things that I don't think other people want to be reading--unchallenged racism, sexism, homophobia, or pedophilia being the big ones, and I stand by those. I will continue to do my part warning people away from books that promote harmful ideologies, whenever I can. That isn't the case here. I can't stand this book because it reminds me too much of how I wrote when I was a teenager, and of all of the people who read my work then and told me how terrible it was. Yeah, it's personal. So, I didn't finish. I read the first hundred pages, and I gave up. I couldn't stand the constant misery, and I mean that quite seriously. Laurence and Patricia don't have much more personality than "I'm so weird and nonconformist that everyone bullies me." Laurence is science-flavored on top of that, Patricia witch-flavored. But they're such thin characters, and they simply can't support a story solely about the two of them without more development. To pile on extra misery, all of the members of both families are also horrible people who also mistreat them in some way. In that sort of environment I'd expect the two of them to become close friends, to be the only spot of good in each other's awful lives--but despite the overall narrative the blurb is trying to sell me, I'm not at all convinced these two are friends at all--they tolerate each other at best, and at worst they spend weeks not speaking to each other--and this setup does not have me confident that they're going to eventually fall in love. I'd be laughing at the reviews that call this book "romantic" if I weren't so disappointed, because I adore real romance, and I don't feel like I'm going to get that here. Let's go back to that science vs. witchcraft characterization. Because at a hundred pages in, I had only just gotten what looked like a plot, rather than chapter upon chapter of "look at how miserable and bullied these two kids are, don't you feel for them?" Theodolphus Rose, master assassin posing as a school counselor, tells Patricia that Laurence is an enemy of nature and must be killed. That's the conflict, and in other circumstances I might be interested--pitting kids against each other isn't new at all, but done well, it can certainly be compelling. Pitting potential romantic partners against each other can be awesome, whatever age group. So I'm not opposed to this basic plot. I am opposed to it taking almost one hundred pages to show up, and I'm opposed to the flimsy world-building that has done nothing to define the relative power of science and witchcraft. At first (in the very first chapter when I still thought I might like this book, it looked like my kind of weird,) I was enchanted by Patricia's magic and her talking to birds and going to the forest to see the Parliament. But there's no rules to anything related to magic, and without any sort of standards or explanations, there's really no upper limit on what magic can do in a story, whereas the real world has definite limits on science. Without the author setting up a system deliberately to make science and magic balanced, I find myself assuming magic can be more powerful (if Patricia ever gets access to it again, if not, this will be a dull story I didn't finish) so magic will obviously win. And that's just not interesting, if there's an obvious winner before the battle is even fought. Now, there are ways to subvert that expectation, and there are ways to move forward from the point where I stopped reading that might result in a better book than I expect it to be. But that low bar I have set in my mind is a result of that slapdash, flimsy world-building that amounts to "this is basically contemporary fiction but I want to put whatever I want into it and call it sci-fi and magical realism at the same time." I don't have a problem with genre-mixing. I'd be a giant hypocrite if I did. But a work doesn't get a free pass on mixing genres sloppily because it's quirky. It's the "quirky" thing that really gets me. I love absurdist humor, and there are elements of it here. Theodolphus' introduction at the mall almost had me laughing, it was so over the top and ridiculous, in just the way I like. I can't take it seriously in context, because it's so off-tone from everything else I read surrounding it, but in isolation it was hilarious and I loved it. For a brief moment, I felt like the author was channeling Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, and I was on board. But if the whole book is meant to be absurdist, it doesn't go far enough, and absurdity for its own sake is exactly what my teenage writing (yeah, we're back to the personal part) was mocked by my peers for. And occasionally my teachers as well. I was a weird kid. I have no problem admitting that, though I was never bullied anything like Laurence and Patricia are shown to be. I had friends--it's not impossible to be weird and also have friends. I was also often an unhappy kid--teenagerhood was not particularly a good time for me--and writing was a thing I did to cope. I wrote escapist fantasy. I wrote about magic. I wrote about absurdity. I wrote about depression and misery. I wrote things in high school that were very like this story, both in tone and overall quality. The nearly universal response to these stories, when I was brave enough to let my friends read them or turn them in for writing assignments, was basically derision and ridicule. "It's too weird." "I don't get it." "What's the point?" "I don't like how strange it is." "It doesn't make sense." No matter how many times I tried to defend some of the most "weird" pieces by explaining that the absurdity of it was the whole point, the overall reaction was "stop being so childish and write things that make sense." I do, now. I've found ways to channel my love of the absurd in more palatable directions. I've studied my craft and "grown up," so to speak. I take great pains to make my worlds, no matter how "strange" they are, internally consistent and understandable. So here's the incredibly, undeniably personal part that you absolutely shouldn't apply to yourself and whether or not you want to read this book: I am (mildly) professionally envious and angry that this book is so praised when it reads exactly like the stuff I churning out by the notebook-full at fifteen that everyone hated. It stings. I cringed constantly with second-hand embarrassment while I was reading this, as if all of my flaws had come back to haunt me. Thin world-building because I wanted it the way I wanted it and I didn't do the work making it cohesive. Awkward and stilted dialogue. An "me against them" mentality in my main characters. No plot to speak of for ages because I was more interested in making my world weird than having a story take place in it. Objectively speaking--as objectively as possible for me, at this point--I don't think this is a good book, but obviously its weirdness resonates with a lot of people, and you might enjoy it. If you think it sounds good, then maybe for you, it will be. Speaking with extreme and noted bias, this book is bad, and I can't stand it, and I will never finish it and wish I hadn't spent the few hours I already did attempting to read it. I want that time back. **After I spent a solid hour writing, rewriting, and editing this review, I wondered if I should even post it in full. After all, it is highly biased and not particularly applicable to other people in many places. I thought about it a lot. I considered where I could cut the stuff that shouldn't matter to anyone else, the stuff that revealed too much of me, the things that might do more harm than good. But I've always written honest reactions to books, because I think reviews are only useful and helpful when they're honest. So I'm posting the whole thing, because I worked hard putting my thoughts and feelings in order and being up front about my biases. Whether or not this is a helpful, useful review is only part of the point. It was cathartic to write, and if another writer sees this and feels understood, then it's worth it.

#booklr #writeblr #book review #all the birds in the sky #my reading challenges #mount tbr 2019 #the reading frenzy

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stan-and-the-newbie · 6 years ago

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A kpop newbie’s reaction to BLACKPINK

Alexa: bold Alex: italic

today you are reacting to... BlackPink!

o damn, are you sure this band isn’t your favourite?

pFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT- ok, good one, anyway this is them :3

((she tried sending me a picture but it didn’t work))

awh come oN

~ technical difficulties, please stand by ~

dfgfd shhhHhhHhH i know wot im doin smdh. this is alreaDY GOING BADLY

...should i just google them?

its okay, i got it. this is them

o damn. they're very pretty, but that was to be expected

yep.. so what concept do you think they have? lol as if it isnt obvious

idk man three of them are giving me death glares. uhh black? and pink?

tbh,,,,,they have the girl crush concept, like, theyre all badass and stuff

oh, well that’s.. interesting

i cant believe im letting you edit this post.. anyway, opinion on them? they dont look that similar, thank god

well the red-haired one i like the most so far since she doesn't look like she wants to choke me (and not in the kinky way)

fgjgfghj yes i see

the one wearing the 2b outfit is probably your goth waifu

omf

and the pink(TM) one looks like she's the sugar mommy of the group

m o o d

i'm guessing she's the leader? it could just be the thanos throne

they dont really have a leader.. this is also them

ah, lovely, a picture where they don't look like they want to murder me

yes, finally

a bunch of talented asian cuties, wot is new

to be honesT. i'll start with the first one from the second picture

alrighty

her stage name is rose

the first two from left to right are the prettiest imo

o rlly

i'm gonna get lynched alive for saying that, aren’t i

so, opinion?

she's uhhh 23? and a singer, and she's the goofy one

well youre right about her being a singer.. shes 21, and yes, she is pretty goofy. she is fluent in english because she is australian

n i c e

this is her kickin everyone's ass

((Then she showed me this video))

skinny legend

and they said infinity war was the most ambitious crossover... asian idols wearing brazilian carnival outfits as some dude sings that song from shrek 2? sign me tf up

LMAOO gee her voice still gives me chills rose step on me

alexa that's lewd, let us move on swiftly

sorry i just like her shes also a good dancer

i'm guessing she's gonna be my favourite

english speaking idols get bonus points, and she seems to excel at everything else, so...

yes, she is amazing. oh, she also cried over her fish's death

;-; oof

:( bless her anyway, you have any questions?

nop, she's gucci, let us proceed

right, the next one is jisoo

she's a qt ;; she looks like a dork i want to shake her hand and give her a hug

this is her smiling

see thats the heart smile

is she the radiance? because my retinas are burned

SDFGFDSADFG MOOD

literally no one is gonna get that joke

wat if they do?

then they are people of culture

opinion?

uhh, she is the soft one, and.. she's short because why not, and she's 22 and she sings ;;

o- i mean, she isnt really tall, but she isnt that short. yes, she is a singer, the oldest, 23 y/o and she is a goofball, a derp. very entertaining tbh

she looks adorable and has a cute name and is a goofy dork god bless

all of them are good at english but her. but she Tries- and is confused.

o o f

tis a baby

she deserves all the hugs

she isnt the best dancer, but shes a Great singer, and very stable on stage

their hair alexa their hair is so fucking aesthetic

i KnoW

i am in pain, pack your dictionary we're moving to korea

fuck yeaH the next one is lisa

abs of JUSTICE

hot diggidy she's the sass queen, and she's uh.. 23, and a rapper

oh, this is also her

she is also 21, and yes, a rapper!! a very swaggy one

jackpot

but shes a whole cutie, and the youngest

awh ;;

and she gets embarrassed easily

i see, so she's the tsundere of the group

she is from thailand, and i think shes fluent in four languages, including english

nice, man

she is also an Amazing dancer

n i c e , m a n

shes kinda my wife but theyre all my bias so i cannot decide it is Too Hard

i only have one bias u-u

ofc u do

remember to only have one waifu alexa, too many waifu will ruin your laifu

a baby

they’re all cuties this is fucking illegal

it i s do you have any question about baby lalisa over there :(

so far this is a very solid kpop band

lots of english speakers, cute dorks and pure babies everywhere

;-; yes

it has my seal of approval

n i c e the last member is jennie

o damn. jennie? j-just jennie?

just jennie. she doesn’t need anything else

is that an ACDC shirt

apparently

why do they all look so good and fashionable, and both glamorous and cute and pure at the same time, alexa the space-time continuum shouldn't allow this

pffft opinion?

hmm.. she's both a rapper and a singer, and uhh.. she's the second sassiest, but also a goof, and she's 23. I'LL STICK WITH MY 23 also damn nice thighs

she does have amazing thighs tbh.. WAIT HOW DO YOU KNOW SHES ALSO A RAPPER AND A SINGER

well usually in smaller kpop bands one of them does the support for both singing and rap..r-right?

,,,,,,,,,now that you say it

it finally happened folks, i taught alexa something about kpop

badass

THEY'RE ALL SO PURE, FUCC

THEY ARE, they have the badass girl crush concept, BUT THEYRE ALL FUCKIN CUTIES IRL also, take this

my poor heart

jennie is so smol ;; jennie is the smolest

i'm sorry, i was distracted by the thicc

mood tbh she is also fluent in english lmao

pack your shiT ALEXA WE'RE GOING TO KOREA

y ES theyre all really cute and entertaining, they dont go over the top, but theyre still pretty funny - as funny as a girl group can be anyway

pfft i find all of them entertaining tbh. show me some songs fam

o, alrighty. this is a dance practice, it was the first thing that was released and everyone went nuts

((Then she showed me the dance practice video))

lisa is the one with shorts, jennie has the cap, rose is the one with braids and the last one is jenniejisoo

oof, a bit too edgy for my taste, sorry. but the routine is great!

well, they were kinda made to be badass

yeah, i figured

also, a little side note

their company is one of the biggest companies out there, but theyre known for their shitty management, as in, they dont really give idols many comebacks or promotions, so they dont have many songs;; even tho they debuted two years ago

well, that kinda sucks

yep..

i imagine this business is pretty finicky behind the scenes. i guess it can’t be all sugar and glitter all the time

true.. anyway, this is is one of the two songs in their debut ep lol

((Then she showed me “Whistle”))

also, may i add, their mvs are hella aesthetic

they seem to be.. not a fan of the super edgy american-ish songs though

yeh, their second ep was better. this is from the second ep

((Then she showed me “Playing With Fire”))

pyromaniac title, piano in the first second. this one's gon' be gud

yeah, this one was definitely better - well, not objectively, just imo

yeah then theres this beautiful beautiful song

((Then she showed me “Stay”))

that title gives me the hibby jibbies

y e p p

nvm i saw a mcdonalds in the background and now i'm chuckling

sdfdsdfg honestly the mv is So Pretty

ALEXA I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR SAD TIMES

shhh its a nice lil song just dont read the lyrics lmao

...i'm reading the lyrics now I THOUGHT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE A BADASS GROUP WHAT IS THIS

the chorus is so nice tho, with the claps

it is.. well, that was mildly depressing

at the end they hold hands and laugh and jump around in a circle in the mv and its just.. i rlly like the mv and the filter is very pretty

a e s t h e t i c

anyway, back to badass

((Then she showed me “Ddu-du Ddu-du”...?))

this is their most recent release, this time with a mini album

and i see thanos’s throne is back

y eS

these sets look expensive as fucc.. is that a fennec fox?

maybe..

and the evil parrot from rio? what is this, a crossover episode?

THE MOST AMBITIOUS CROSSOVER

first we had the shrek 2 song, now this they gon' hit me with dat turu turu du alexa halp meh

i k r wat u gon do

is that.. a sparkly tank?

y ES jennie is an icon

i feel like i've ascended

tbh all these things were so unnecessary yet they did it anyway

well i certainly don’t regret it

that breakdown at the end is kinda cheap, but i think the diamond tank made up for it

definitely

sdfvbvGJHGthere are two mvs left

oh, just.. just two?

y es

i feel bad for them ;; did u say it's been two years

yeah..

this is so r00d

yes, always feel bad for yg artists

what’s yg?

its a company - their company

ah, i see

their shitty company

oof

here's their debut song (which i dont really like but Oh Well.)

((Then she showed me “Boombaya”..? who the hell comes up with these names?))

well, in all fairness if they're one of the biggest they probably have a lot of bands to manage

not really.. they had very successful bands though, so that kinda paved the way for the ones nowadays

ALEXA THESE FUCKING LYRICS ARE KILLING ME

ASDFGBFVDS MOOD CLICK CLACK BADDABING BADDABOOM QUEEN

"i'm so hot i need a fan i don't want a boy i need a man" BISH YOU'RE A 5 FOOT 20-SOMETHING ASIAN IDOL CHILL

hjkjhghj shhHHH

this is a whole drugtrip

it iS

are those.. black leather biker pants... mixed with blue jeans? this is some next level shit alexa i can't handle this

y ES fashion icon

why do coke when you can watch this for free and legally?

ikr theres one last mv, and its better, trust me

..alright...

theyre cute in this one

((Then she showed me “As If It’s Your Last”))

jisoo is the one with the heart magnet and i love her

awh ;; man these titles are edgier than 13 year old me

oh come on, its a love song

that dancing, it's s-so lewd <-<;;

it iS oh, i forgot lisa's rap is in english

n o i c e i didn't know jennie had her own ice cream business

girl is going places okay but 1:36

what about it?

th-the cotton candy part

pfff

sorry i remember the first time and saw it and was like fukc thas cute

well, it was. it was pure ;;

alright, final thoughts?

well, they're a bunch of cute and talented dorks, but that ain't nothing new. either way, 10/10 for the lewd dancing and the fact that they speak english. give dem more comebacks, fam

they have lewder choreos, but thats for another day. justice4blackpinkcomeback edition

yeS, let’s make a petition

Heya peeps, it’s a boii mod Alex here. This was the first time I put together a Reaction Wednesday post, so uh.. yeah... I think it turned out pretty good! But seriously, a lot of work goes into these, even though it may not seem like it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! See you next week!

#reaction wednesday #kpop reaction #kpop #blackpink #lisa #jisoo #jennie #rose #mod alex #mod alexa #reaction #introduction #guide #kpop guide #kpop introduction #blackpink guide #blackpink introduction

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