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hoseokisgucci · 4 years ago

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You Lift Me Up

GENRE: Fluff and Smut

WORD COUNT: 5K

PAIRING: Taehyung x Reader

SUMMARY: Taetae here sees OC at the gym, one day helps her out a little when she gets injured and somehow ends up in her bed.

WARNING: Tbh there’s some oral in there (fem receiving), some body worship, a lil of undiscovered kinks showing a sneak peek, penetrative sex, a little dialogue heavy, Taehyung being softboi max.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I originally uploaded this without the smut, but then deleted it, and now I’m putting it up again because I finally got around to finishing it. I definitely wanted to write something gym related because its my safe space but I really also wanted to make it soft because IM AN IDIOT FOR PEOPLE FALLING IN LOVE/FINDING THEIR PEOPLE.

“How different would it be anyways? I’ll just ask someone for help if I need it. It’s not like I’ll be abandoned by everyone just because I don’t have a partner.”

“Hey! We didn’t abandon you!! We have exams. Our university made you lonely, not us.” Your friend squawked over the phone.

Taking advantage of this new found chink in her armor, you added, “Yes. An institution is more important than I am. I see how it is. Hungry, partner-less and overcome with despair. That’s my life now.”

She huffed, and you could just imagine her shaking her head at you. “You’re a heathen. I’ll buy you food. Now bye. Duty calls.”

You laughed out an affirmative and slid the phone into the side pocket of your gym bag. The university gym was located close to your dorms, which made it easier for you to haul your ass to the gym even on your lazy days. You were already wondering what it would be like without a partner. You always had friends with you at the gym, be it one or two. You never had to worry about spotting or support ever before, but now these questions crossed your mind. Scenarios where you dropped a dumbbell on your toe or worse, your face flashed before your eyes. You shuddered when a haunting crack resounded in your ears, the sound reminding you to be wary of heavy lifting while you were on your own.

Getting started on your workout was easy enough. A little warmup here, a bit of running and cycling there. The music pumping through your ears helped you keep up the pace as you cycled, body starting to sweat, lips mouthing the words of the song playing through your earphones. When you hit the 15-minute mark, you figured it would be alright to cycle for 5 more minutes.

Just as the song changed, and you looked down to check if the lever for your seat was proper, your heart came up to your throat as someone tapped you. With your hand over your heart, legs coming to a stop, you turned to see the most gorgeous man ever. Scratch that. The most gorgeous being ever.

Lost in your head, you only came to when you realized that his lips were supposed to be forming coherent sentences. That were aimed at you. Raising your hand, your palm faced towards him, you said, “Wait, I can’t hear you.” His lips grimaced, as if embarrassed and he nodded his head. When you turned off your music, paused your timer and turned to look at him, torso twisting in his direction, his eyes quickly snapped to yours, as if he wasn’t just checking out the swell of your ass perched on the tiny cycle seat. You raised your brows at him, which probably kickstarted his brain again. He gulped and said,

“How long will you take?”

You were about to retort and tell him that there were other cycles too, but when you turned the other way, you saw that all of them were occupied.

“Maybe around 4 more minutes.” He nodded in response, gave a quick smile, and when he was about to turn away, you tapped his hand, grabbing his attention once more. You didn’t know why you felt good, having those eyes on you. You were probably going crazy, you imagination making you see the electricity in them.

Rethinking about your situation, you said, “Actually, I’ll get off. I was just going to do some extra cycling, but you can get started.”

He shook his head, curly hair bouncing around as he said, “No no, please take your time. I’ll just stretch some while you’re getting done.”

You nodded your head and smiled at him, hoping that he could understand how grateful you were. You got back to cycling, starting up the movement of your legs once again. Without the music to keep you occupied your eyes wandered to the mirror in front of you. As you scanned your surroundings, you noticed the guy from before, stretching his arms, gazed fixed on your form. The intensity with which he kept looking at you almost made your legs flounder, but you concentrated on maintaining your momentum.

Sighing inwardly, your eyes moved backed to him. He hadn’t noticed you looking at him, because he wasn’t focused on your face, but rather your ass. Wanting to add fuel to the fire, you stuck your ass out a little more and arched your back a little more, making your body look a little more tantalizing. As you did this, you could see his eyes widen a little, hands now hanging limp. You discreetly kept looking at him, and could see him scan your form, his gaze focusing on your face. You cycled a bit more aggressively, the motion moving you from side to side.

If he was watching, you might as well give him a good show. When you eyed him again, he was bent over, legs spread wide, hands touching the ground, stretching. But his eyes, they didn’t leave you, or rather, your butt, even once.

Your timer beeped, signaling the end of your 20 minutes. You slowed down your legs and sat there, catching your breath. When you looked at yourself in the mirror, your cheeks were flushed, sweat dotting your forehead and your face glistened. You looked thoroughly wrecked. He was still looking at you. You got off the cycle, walked to him and said, “Its all yours.”

He nodded, and you walked away. You breezed through the rest of the workout, mind occupied with thoughts of big hands and one beautiful man.

Through the next week, you kept seeing him at the gym, on a machine or doing a rep. You weren't ignoring him, per se, but what the hell would you go and say to him? "Hey I think you're pretty hot, come over and choke me?"

Definitely not.

A week without a partner goes by with no problems, but its like your beginner luck in the world of solo exercising has run out when you lose your balance while doing weighted squats. Even before starting the set, you were a bit worried, because the rod itself weighed 32 kgs, and you had added plates of 10 kgs. You never imagined that you'd get injured at the gym out of all places but, alas! Your time had come. When you felt that you had no control over the bar and your body anymore, you tried to brace yourself for impact, but two hands lifted the bar off of your shoulders, which allowed your body to gain some balance. When you looked at the mirror, you saw cycle dude holding the bar in his hands. You quickly turned around and helped him rack it.

With frantic eyes, he scans your body for any apparent injuries and asks,

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Uh no, I don’t think so. Just that, my knee might be a little sprained."

His eyes focus on your knee, hands out in front of him, ready to support you. You start walking, but you can feel a slight tinge in your right knee when you put pressure on it. The discomfort might show on your face, because he wraps your arm around his shoulder, and urges you to put your weight on him. He walks you to the bench and sits you down, your leg extended in front of you.

Squatting near your leg, fingers brushing the hair our of his eyes and off of his forehead, he asks,

"Can you call someone to take you home?"

You take a minute to think if there's anyone who actually could take you home at this moment. And you come up with no one. You tell him so.

Tentatively, eyes now darting here and there, he says

"Uh, would you mind if I dropped you off?"

You blurt out, "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why would you do that? You don't even know me."

"Well I, uh, might have a small crush on you. Not in a creepy way! I just think you're kinda cute. And I would feel better if I knew you'd get home safely."

Welp. That's kinda endearing.

"Okay. Let's go."

He asks for your locker number, goes and gets both of your bags and comes to get you. For a few minutes, you walk with your arm around his

shoulder, half of your weight held up by him. Your pace is probably slower than a snail, what with you trying to clumsily hop and him trying to support you. He stops and says,

"Okay, let's get you on my back. You can point in what direction you wanna go and I'll carry you. It'll be faster and way better for you."

You try to protest but he's already hanging both of your bags around his neck and getting on his haunches in front of you, hands ready to hold your legs. So you climb on.

As he starts walking, he says,

"I'm Taehyung by the way, your beloved servant."

"Well, my dear servant, you shall call me princess then," you cheekily reply as you tighten your hold around his neck.

He laughs and shakes his head, huffing out, "Wow, the audacity."

"I'm sorry. Thank you so much, I'll be indebted to you forever. You're too kind," you sincerely say to him.

He just hums in response, so you leave it at that. Your dorm building isn't that far, so you make it there in no time. You get in the lift, and once it opens on your floor, you tell Taehyung your dorm number.

You tell him your door code, and he walks you in, going straight to your couch and sitting you down. He takes the bags from his neck and puts them aside. Next, he takes off your shoes and puts them near your door.

"Okay, do you mind if I check your fridge? Is there anything like an icepack? To put on your knee?"

"Yeah, there is an ice pack."

He grabs the ice pack, fills it with ice cubes and holds it on your knee. The freezing sensation

sends a twinge down your knee. He urges you to hold the ice pack and goes to the kitchen. When he comes back, he presses a glass of water to your lips, and you drink.

Once you're done, he sets the glass on the coffee table, and settles beside you, grabbing your leg and gently getting it on his lap, urging you to lie down, with your head resting on the armrest. He holds your leg with one hand, and tenderly ices your knee with the other. The action makes you relax your body, all the stress unwinding. Taehyung doesn't say anything, his eyes concentrated on your knee. Feeling the pain in your knee numbing, you close your eyes.

The next thing you know, Taehyung in shaking you awake, calling out your name in his low baritone. When you gain some semblance of consciousness, the first thing that you register is the fragrance of food. Your stomach grumbles, and Taehyung chuckles at you. He helps you sit up, and shoves a takeout box in your hand. You thank him and dig in. Once you're done, he cleans up and comes back to sit beside you.

"How are you feeling now?"

You flex your leg a little, and when it doesn't hurt that bad, you say, "It feels better. I'll just take a painkiller and knock out."

He nods his head, hand reaching out to feel over and around your knee. After being satisfied, he rests his hand on your knee, and looks at you. "I'm glad. Just be careful."

In a moment of courage, you rest your hand over his and say,

"I can't thank you enough. For getting me home, taking care of me, feeding me."

His eyes crinkle as he smiles, and he rests his other hand over yours, your palm now sandwiched between two of his. He leans closer to you, and whispers,

"You don't have to thank me, doll. But I can think of a few things you could do."

The way he says these words makes tingles run up your spine, the intent clear in eyes, made clearer by his words. You close your eyes and lean back on the sofa, knowing that Taehyung's eyes are fixed on you. The knowledge that this kind, breathtakingly beautiful man has a crush on you, and moreover wants you, gives you the confidence to act a little, if not more coy. With your head now tilted towards the ceiling and your eyes closed, you channel your inner heathen and say,

"And what would they be, hmm?"

When you hear him suck a breath in beside you, you smirk inwardly. You wait for him to say something, but he just retracts his hands from yours. This action makes you open your eyes and tilt your head to look at him, question clear in your gaze.

Just as you're about to sit up and say something, you're hit with a face full of Taehyung, and suddenly his palms are grabbing your face and his lips are on yours. The shock makes your eyes widen, but as you register what's going on, your eyes close and your hand fists his shirt as you kiss him back.

Taehyung's lips feel way better than you could ever imagine, and the warmth seeping into your skin from his palms makes this experience feel real, and not just fantasy. When his lips suck on your lower lip a little harder, you arch your back, your upper body lifting off the couch. This makes him slide one hand off of your cheek and around your waist, and he pulls your body closer to his.

At this point, he's basically straddling you. When his tongue probes your mouth, one of your hands grab the back of his hair and pull. The low groan he lets out as you disconnect from his mouth and start sucking on his neck makes you quiver, the thought of hearing the same baritone in your ear as he pounds into you making you want him even more. He parts from you, and as he sits up, your hands leave his body.

"What do you want?"

You bite your lip, and instead of answering, one of your hand rises to his waistband. Instantly, his hand grips yours, and as he smiles, he leans down to kiss your palm. Against it, he whispers,

"Want me to eat you out? Wanna cum on my tongue?"

You gulp at the thought of this man between your legs, and nod at him. Something in his face hardens, and he drops your hand, only to lean over you and grip your chin.

"Use your words, baby doll. What do you say?"

You maintain eye contact with him and whisper,

"Yes."

Though your answer makes him loosen his grip on your jaw, only makes him move closer to you.

"Yes what?"

"Yes sir."

At your answer, Taehyung's eyes widen, and then a smirk spreads across his face. His hands urge you out of your top, and he throws it over his shoulder, uncaring as to where it lands.

His eyes take you in, and in a second he's getting off you and pulling your leggings and underwear down your body. You struggle a little to lift your ass off the couch, a little pain shooting through your knee at the pressure. Taehyung makes you rest your injured leg straight on the coffee table. After making sure you're comfortable, he leans down you kiss you, on of his hands making their way to your tits. When he squeezes and twists a nipple, your body arches off the couch, legs spreading wider.

Once Taehyung's satisfied from claiming your mouth, he gets down on his knees in between your legs. For the first time, you see hesitation cross his eyes as he nibbles his lower lip. You lean up, and say,

"I want you. Please make me cum, please."

A smile blooms on his face, eyes lighting up as his hands move up your thighs. He leans forward, kissing up the inside of your left thigh, his hands squeezing where they hold you. After a few kisses, he suddenly bites, which makes you reach out to grip his hair as you moan.

Indifferent to your reaction, he moves forward, his hands widening your legs as he comes face to face with your core. Sounding absolutely wrecked, he says,

"Fuck I can't wait to taste you."

With this, he kisses your mound, and then spreads your outer lips.

"Holy shit, darling, it's all for me, right?"

You card your hands through his hair as you whisper an affirmative. Happy with your response, Taehyung leans in and envelops your clit in his lips, and sucks. Slowly, he starts making strokes with his tongue, delving deeper. He speeds up the motions of his tongue, now moving it in and out, and puts a finger in your core. The slide is tight, and it makes you both moan. But he doesn't stop, if anything, he gets even more determined.

Soon, he adds another finger and his tongue moves onto your clit. The added stimulation makes the knot in your core tighten, the arousal pulsing stronger in your veins. He takes his mouth off of your clit with a pop and leans back to see his fingers scissoring as they move inside you. You tilt your head down to take a look at him, and dear God above, he looks wrecked. His hair is all messed up, thanks to your fingers, and his lips are swollen and glistening, and you're pretty sure his chin is too.

Fuck.

Your eyes roll to the back of your head as this visual ingrains itself in your eyes, a whimper falling from your mouth as you say,

"Fucking God, please fuck me. Want you so bad, please."

"I'll think about it if you cum like a good girl first."

His fingers speed up, and he leans down to capture you clit in his mouth again. This time, he's absolutely brutal with the way he goes at you, nothing gentle about his mouth or his fingers. Just as you feel yourself climbing up to a climax, he adds another finger, his tongue now flicking across your clit.

As you get closer to the finish line, your moans turn into curse words, your voice getting louder.

"Fucking Hell, Taehyung, don't stop! Shit! I'm s-so close, please, please, I'm gonna c-cum!"

Saying nothing Taehyung curves his fingers inside you as he lightly bites on your clit, and that's all it takes for you to let go. Your body pulls taut, legs shaking around him, hips riding his fingers. His fingers and his mouth guide you along your high, and even after you've come down, his mouth still keeps laving over your clit. You moan in oversensitivity and that's when he deems it enough.

He gets up, but groans out while straightening his legs. You giggle at his facial expression, and he stands over you, hands on his hips, mouth drawn into a pout.

"I just ate you out but you're laughing at me, huh?"

This makes you laugh out loud, and you say,

"Can't believe you're a grandpa."

His mouth falls open, flabbergasted. His mouth tries and fails to form a word, and his mouth just bubbles out a laugh. He's shaking his head as he takes off his tee, and throws it on the couch beside you. Oh you're definitely not laughing now.

"Well, this grandpa did get you off, baby doll. Now, where's the bedroom?"

He leans down to pick you up, his hands urging your thighs to wrap around his hips, your arms wrapping around his neck. You hold on tighter when he stands up straight with you in his arms. He leads you to the bedroom, kicking the door open and walking in. He lays you down on the duvet slowly, mindful of jostling your leg.

Once you're lying on the bed, he goes to get a pillow and puts it below your knee. You make eye contact with him, hoping your smile conveys how grateful you are. He smiles at you, expression shy. Pointing at the bedside table, you say,

"The condoms are in here."

He raises an eyebrow, but gets a condom and climbs on the bed. Once he's in between your legs, one of his hands knead your thigh, the action relaxing your muscles, making you let out a sigh. Seeing your reaction, he leans down to kiss your tummy, trailing light kisses down to your pelvis.

"You look so beautiful like this. So lovely."

His hand glides up your inner thigh, two fingers plunging into you without warning. He pulls out, only to push back in, your soft wet walls accommodating to his ministrations easily. When he doesn't hear you making a sound, he scissors his fingers, and starts sucking a hickey on your hipbone. A shiver runs through you, and you let out a whimper at the sudden influx of stimulus.

"Such a sweetheart, huh? Always ready to let me know how good I'm making you feel."

As he says this, he adds another finger, and the added stretch makes you arch off the bed. Soon, Taehyung has you moaning his name, your hands reaching out to hold onto the bedsheet. Taehyung slows down his fingers, and asks you,

"What do you want? Tell me. Tell me and I'll give it to you."

The husk in his voice makes you groan, the timber of it sending trills of arousal shooting through you.

"Want you to fuck me. Now. Right now."

Pulling his fingers out of you, he whispers, "Then that's what you'll get, baby."

He takes off his gym shorts and his underwear, his cock standing hard and proud, the tip glistening with precum. While stroking his cock, he says,

"Although everything in me is telling me to fuck you like the devil you are, I don't wanna add to your injuries. So let's have you wrap you legs around me, okay?"

Actually processing what he said, you try to move your leg, but the twinge of pain has you nodding your head in agreement.

Seeing your approval, he gives you a smile and tears open the condom. Your eyes trace him as he kneels between your legs. The soft curls falling into his eyes, the slope of his nose, adding to his charm. The strength visible in his shoulders, all the way down to his arms, makes you want things that can only be done behind closed doors. The thoughts of being manhandled, being pushed into the mattress as he takes you run through your head among other lust-filled scenarios, and these make you gulp.

Your eyes follow when he rolls the condom onto himself and strokes his cock in long motions.

His eyes, fall onto you, and seeing how you're entranced by, well, his dick, he chuckles. The sound makes your eyes flit to his, your cheeks already filling with colour, embarrassment flooding your mind.

Taehyung doesn't say anything, just urges your legs to wrap around his waist as he leans over you. That one moment of silence, where you and him are just two people, closer than ever, closer than any galaxies, any stars, seems to last for a lifetime. When he slightly smiles, one of his hands coming up to stroke your hair, you feel a storm brewing where you heart is meant to be. You smile back, and then Taehyung is thrusting into you, the stars in his eyes now clouded by lust.

The first few thrusts are slow, languid and have Taehyung's eyes flitting over your features, looking for any signs of discomfort. But when he finds none, he gains confidence, his hips moving with more purpose, plunging impossibly deeper into you. Your eyes close, head tilting up as your mouth lets out little moans mixed in with whimpers.

Taehyung's thrusts slow down into him just grinding his cock into you, and he grabs your chin to make you look at him.

"Look at me, baby. You feel so good, like heaven. Maybe even more divine than heaven itself."

The sincerity in his eyes as he says this makes your clench around him, throat choking on the words you want to say. You reach out a hand and put it on his shoulder, which makes him pause his movements. Worry flickers across his face as he waits for you to say something.

"G-go faster. Wanna cum. Right now. Please."

The worry on Taehyung's face quickly dissolves into cockiness as he positions himself to pound into you better. His smirk grows as his thrust gets a moan out of you. Continuing with his ministrations, he manages to grunt out,

"This good enough for you, doll?"

When you don't answer him, too busy whimpering, he leans over you and one of his hands reach out and twist your nipple in warning, hips maintaining their momentum.

"Think I asked a question, darling. Come on, now."

The hand you had on his shoulder moves up to the back of his head, and as your fingers entangle in his locks and pull, you say,

"Yes! Yes! Dear God, yes! F-feel good."

He doesn't verbally reply to you, but he hums, the low rumble of his voice making you feel some type of way.

One of his hands land near your head, the other one grabbing your thigh, and its pound town from there. The room fills with the sounds of skin slapping on skin mixed in with Taehyung's grunts and your moans. The boy in between your legs turns into a beast chasing just one thing, and he doesn't slow down. The sound of sex resounds in the room, making you feel downright dirty.

Your eyes focus on Taehyung's face contorted in pleasure and his body glistening with a sheen of sweat. Maybe it's this realization, that you have this beautiful man fucking into you that pushes you closer to your climax.

When your walls start clenching around him, the ball of fire in the pit of your stomach so close to bursting, one of your hands reach down, two of your fingers rubbing your clit in desperation.

"That's it. Make yourself cum on my cock. Let me see you cum, baby. Wanna feel you cum for me."

His words are accompanied by his hips moving faster, hitting the spot inside you, making the fire in you unravel. Your back arches off the bed, mouth opening in a whimper as you cum, body drowning in pleasure.

Your walls tighten around Taehyung, making him let out a choked moan. With two, three more thrusts, Taehyung is cumming in the condom. He slumps on you, letting out puffs of air, catching his breath. When Taehyung taps both of your legs gently, you remember that they've been there this whole time, and, holy shit, your fucking knee was fucking sprained. Taehyung, apparently has the same realization, because his concerned wide eyes lock with yours and he slowly untangles your legs. Your knee gives a twinge in protest to movement but as soon as it's straight and on the bed, you feel fine. Taehyung pulls out, and ties the condom off, getting up to go and throw it in the bin.

When he comes back, it's to you playing with your fingers running circles on your navel. You stop your actions when you realize he's back in the room, your cheeks flushing a little in embarrassment. Taehyung mumbles a 'cute' but doesn't say anything else.

Taehyung has a wet towel in one hand, with which he gently wipes between your legs. And when he's done, he leans down to leave a kiss on your forehead, and then he's gone again. Your eyes follow his bubble butt as he leaves the room.

Exhaustion seeps into your bones, and your eyes close. They only open to the sound of something being set down on the bedside table. You open your eyes and turn your head to see that it's a glass of water, and Taehyung, Taehyung is wearing shorts again.

You sit up, grabbing the glass and gulping down the water. The thought that you're still completely naked makes you feel shy, even after all of the things you just did. Taehyung sits

beside you on the bed, taking the glass from your hand and putting it on the table.

"Uhm.."

"I ju-"

Both of you shut up, but when you lock eyes with each other, laughter spills out of you. With a smile on his face, Taehyung speaks first.

"What were you going to say?"

You think for a moment, wondering if what you're about to say will sound weird or not.

"Uh, just that, do you want to stay over?"

With disbelief painting his face, Taehyung asks, "You want me to?"

You try to keep the endearment out of your voice as you deadpan, "Oh no, the monster under my bed just liked your feet and told me to ask you to stay longer."

It takes a moment for your words to register, but when Taehyung realizes what you just said, laughter tumbles from his lips.

Your concerned friends knock on your door the next morning, and a clueless Taehyung opens the door to let them in. Your friends barge in to find you wrapped in a blanket, lying on the couch, Haikyuu! playing on your TV. Taehyung just stands there, neck full of hickies, rampant sex hair, smelling like your body wash.

Your friends look at you for a moment, then turn to Taehyung only to turn back to you. When one of them asks you what the hell you've been doing yesterday and where you've been, you lock eyes with Taehyung as you smugly say,

"What can I even say? It was one heck of a workout."

#bts fanfic #bts smut #bts fanfiction #taehyung x you #taehyung smut #taehyung x reader #kim taehyung #bts fluff #smut and fluff #kim taetae #this is filth #this is also cute #taehyung #bts tae tae #bts #bts fic #bts fanclub #dont hate me

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little-ligi · 3 years ago

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My AO3 - Question Time

Thank you so much for the tag @arthur-rex! 💚

How many works do you have on Ao3? 140.... I can’t quite believe that... I've only been on Ao3 for about 13months...

What’s your total Ao3 word count? 303,317 😲😲😲

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? In the past 15 years or so I have written for (that I can remember) 10 fandoms. In order (I think) Harry Potter, Tamora Pierce, Twilight, Merlin, Supernatural, Glee, Gilmore Girls, Dragon Age, Thunderbirds and Medici. But the only ones I still write now are Harry Potter and Merlin. Only a small fraction of these ever got published online. And only my Merlin fics are on Ao3!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? (watch me turn this into shameless self promotion 😉)

1) Secrets & Lies - Merthur - Arthur knows about Merlin’s magic and has to stop anyone else finding out.

2) Identity Reveal - BAMF Merlin magic reveal.

3) But You Love Me - Merthur - fluffy love confession after Merlin gets hurt protecting Arthur.

4) Caged - Different first meeting - Merlin caught by a witchfinder and brought to Camelot.

And then these two are tied right now with the same number of kudos:

5) Blackberries, Griffins and a Kiss For You - Mercelot - Lancelot buying gifts for Merlin.

5) “Huddling for Warmth” - Merthur - What it says on the tin, fluffy get together!

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Always! I feel like if someone has taken the time to tell me they like my fics, then I want to let them know that their comments made me smile! Although sometimes it takes me a long time to get around to doing so because when I first read nice comments all I am capable of doing is making incoherent happy noises and grinning at my laptop screen.

What is the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Probably Defiance - I even added a note at the end with a reassurance that it doesn’t actually end in the way it seems to! (Despite the sad ending, please do read it though! It’s Arthur trying to defy Uther in a matter of using magic to save Merlin’s life...)

Do you write crossovers? Not really.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Once. It was truly horrible and it almost put me off writing for a while, but some lovely people in the fandom encouraged me to ignore it and carry on!

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 😉😉 I do indeed! All different kinds! I started with a rather longer than I expected Gwaincelot fic at the end of 2020, and then after a few more here and there, I opened the floodgates with Kinkalot! (More shameless self promotion of course - I shouldn’t be allowed to answer questions like this, I just turn the whole thing into a personal advert! 😂)

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I’m aware of! I hope not.

Have you ever had a fic translated? About ten years ago or so one of my Glee fanfics was translated into Italian. The girl who translated it was lovely and translated all the reviews back into English for me as well!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Me and my sister have co-written several Harry Potter fics together - but we’ve never finished any of them - maybe this year we’ll get to that....

What’s your all time favourite ship? Merthur. Hands down. It was my first ever ship and it will always be my favourite. But close second are Mercelot and Arwen and, of course, Gwaincelot 😉 (and many more!)

What’s a wip you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? I currently have 81 wips.... I really want to finish all of them, of course, but I know some of them will never be done.

What are your writing strengths? I think I’m good at description and little details to make things really seem real. And lots of people tell me I’m good at writing dialogue - which I find weird, because I would have said that was one of my weaknesses!

What are your writing weaknesses? Sentence structure - I use far too many commas and run-on sentences. And too many adverbs. And sticking to a plan! I never stick to the plans I make before I start writing. And I’m not great at thinking up complex plots for long stories - although I would love to be able to write them.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Oooh I love it, I’ve done a little bit of French, Italian and Spanish for a couple of bilingual characters in other fandoms before. And for Merlin fics I do it a lot. Using Old English for Merlin’s spells - creating new spells is one of my favourite things to do!

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Unofficially, Harry Potter - but that was before I had ever even heard of fanfiction or fandom, as far as I was concerned I was just playing writing with the characters. The first thing I deliberately chose to write and publish fanfiction for was... Twilight.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written? Oh dear, that’s like asking a mum to choose between her children! I know it sounds arrogant, but I really do like all of my published fics - I wouldn’t publish them if I didn’t like them myself. Ummm... Can I pick three??? It’s my blog, I can do what I want. I’m going to pick three that I really like but that have been slightly overlooked in hit numbers on Ao3 (just because I am an utterly, utterly shameless self promoting prat)

1) Rub-Dub, Just Relaxing in My Tub - Ace Leon having a nice relaxing bath whilst all the other knights go to a brothel.

2) Of Tea and Dragons - Arwen - This is the first ever modern AU I wrote, Gwen meeting Arthur and Merlin in a tea shop.

3) The Prince’s Breakfast - Pre-slash Merthur - Morning domesticity interrupted by a cute kitten!

I know, I know. Ignore my self-indulgent promoting. But what’s tumblr for if not for advertising your fics! Ok, I’m done now! I promise!

Tagging: I haven’t been around on tumblr for a while so I have no idea who has already done this, so I am tagging ANYONE WHO SEES THIS AND WANTS TO DO IT!!! 💕 (Anyone who managed to wade through all of my self promotion deserves to do a little promoting themselves too!!)

#shameless self promotion #shameless shameless #ligi writes #ligi talks #my fics #listen to me bang on about my fics #bloody hell #sorry this got so long #but hey if you're looking for something new to read... here it is!#merlin fanfic #bbc merlin fanfiction #merthur #mercelot #arwen #gwaincelot #sir leon #i can't remember my tags #ligi is shameless #long post

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procrastinatorproject · 3 years ago

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Fic writer review, thank you to @thelaithlyworm for the tag <3

how many works do you have on AO3?

Ten? Oh no, it’s actualy 12 now!

what’s your total AO3 word count?

86,468

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Grand total of 1: Star Trek: Picard - although my latest offering might branch a bit into other Trek as well.

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

“Passengers”

“And a Barrel of Gagh”

“CMO’s Log”

“Preparations”

“Game Night”

Which is actually kinda interesting. I wrote Passengers, Preparations, and Game Night while the fandom was still a lot more active (especially in the Aramis in Space corner), so that makes sense. The CMO’s log has had chapters added every few months, giving it probably the most exposure of any of my fics. Barrel of Gagh, though? I think I’m gonna attribute that to Thimblerig turning it into a truly, TRULY brilliant piece of podfic. Also the fact that it’s whump involving a character played by Santiago Cabrera. ‘tis A Thing..... :D

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I really try to! I love talking with people in the comments and just... thanking the people who found the time and energy to leave comments. But especially in the last few months I have gotten very bad at keeping up with the comments and now there’s about two dozen that I have neglected to reply to for a painfully long time 🙈

But I will get there! Because I love that kind of interaction!

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

So far, none of them have had angsty endings. Angsty middles, yes, but not endings. I’m just a sucker for everyone being happy in the end. Or at least on the way to being better, and supported and cared for on that way.

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven’t yet, but I’m definitely not opposed. One of the threads of my 200k unpublishable whump scenes takes place in a continuity that has existed in my daydreams for... I wanna say six years at the very least, probably longer. It’s mostly straight-up Star Trek, but with the twist that it involves the Wraith, the telepathic, hive-minded alien race from Stargate: Atlantis that suck the life force out of you with their hands? Or, well, at least a variation thereof.

I once typed up the world building for that particular setting and it took me three hours to try and make it all make sense. So it’s... involved. But not necessarily “crazy”. And I’m not sure I’m ever actually going to publish any of the stories I have set in it (not least because that would envolve finishing any of them and bringing them into a form that is interesting to read for anyone but me...)

have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

Hm, not yet. I do enjoy reading smut, but only under very specific circumstances. I think I may eventually try my hand at smut, but the inner prude is still very strong. Writing about Rios and Xyr making out (which, honestly, was really tame, all things considered) made me melt in a puddle of blushing embarrassment, so full-on smut is probably beyond me at the moment. One day!

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. Though litigating that in a fandom like ours would be... tricky. ST:Pic is way too small to steal stories outright. But similar or the same ideas pop up all the time. And it’s a complete coincidence. Reading the book that recently came out and that has a kinda similar setting to a lot of my stories (pre-season 1, early in Rios’s history as captain of Sirena, dealing with original characters, holo shenanigans, friendship with Raffi, etc.), I was struck by just how many elements, both scenes or story beats and little details, were similar to things that have cropped up in my writing. And it is entirely coincidental, because I am beyond certain that the author doesn’t read fanfic. Just... for legal reasons. Not to mention I wrote a bunch of the things I saw parallels to while the book was already in production, and some of them are only in my drafts.

So there is a ton of convergent evolution going on in this particular section of the fandom, and trying to litigate who came up with certain plot ideas or character beats when would be a sysiphean disaster. Some things are clear and whenever I use any of them I give credit where I can, but people will have very similar ideas. It just happens. So no, I haven’t had either a full-on story or “an idea” stolen, and I might change my tune if it ever does happen, but so far, I’m trying to practice equanimity, so I’ll be better at it should I ever need it.

have you ever had a fic translated?

Sadly no. My dad keeps complaining that all my fic is in English so he can’t read any of it, but honestly? I’m kinda glad for this very convenient excuse. Maybe if I ever feel like I want to practice my interpreting skills, I will give translating the stories into German a shot. We’ll see. Otherwise, if anyone feels inspired: Have at it! Just let me know, okay?

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not quite. I have a draft of off-the-cuff worldbuilding that I wrote on Discord with @curator-on-ao3 and that I would love to turn into an actual short fic (letters from a conference on holo-ethics), but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

what’s your all time favorite ship?

I don’t really do shipping.

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT!!!! One day, I will write the next installment of Star Trek: La Sirena! I have so many ideas for that continuity and those characters. I’m not going to abandon them!

what are your writing strengths?

Hmmmmm. Probably detailed worldbuilding? Ask me something about, say, a technological or cultural aspect of Star Trek and chances are, I have thought about it in the past or will come up with three different sets of intricate lore within half an hour. (Things like... the architecture of San Francisco, or Will there still be taxi drivers? or the treaty between IKEA Intergalactic and the Borg Collective, or the Universal Translator, or Emergency Services or Why There Are Very Few Ambulances On Earth Anymore etceterah etceterah...)

I’m also good at slapping together off-the-cuff plot ideas (if, say, you need an explanation for how Seven and Agnes ended up stranded on a desert island, I could probably give you three different scenarios pretty quickly. Just don’t ask me to make them poignant or actually write them.

I’m also very, very good at beginnings.

what are your writing weaknesses?

Everything that isn’t a beginning. Especially endings, or rather: finishing something, but also just... keeping momentum.

I think my dialogue is somewhat samey and not distinct enough between characters. (Also my witty banter is... let’s just say it doesn’t come to me naturally...)

And I also struggle with keeping things brief and to the point. I can write you 30k of whump covering a span of three hours, but fitting a whole story in the same space? Much more difficult!

I have also avoided writing full-on action so far, but where it has crept in it has always been a struggle and been workshopped a lot with the indefatigable beta.

Otherwise, I don’t know. My self-perception is always a little warped, so I’m not sure what other people would say my weaknesses are.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Oof. Well. I have used Spanish sentences in my fic and done the thing where they’re translated in the end note, but I’ve mostly done it sparingly. I’ve also done the ‘“What do you want?” he said in Spanish.’ It’s tricky. But I will likely keep doing it in some instances, even if it’s a bit annoying.

(It also really helps to have a native speaker of Spanish as a beta, even if it’s Spanish from a different region than you’re character.)

Speaking of regional: I’m also torn about the whole “phonetically writing out accents” issue. Some people love it, some people hate it, I’m really unsure because I’m not a native speaker of English, so I’m not even sure I’m consistent in my narrative voice’s regional quirks. So far, I’ve mostly gone with describing that an accent is happening, and only writing out when phrasing actually differs from standard English. Like Ian (Scottish) saying “dinnae” but not writing “I” as “ah” as you’d see on, say, Scottish twitter.

Though it can be a very useful tool if, for instance, you want to indicate a characters accent getting stronger as they get tired or upset. 🧐

Anyway, I don’t think there is one right or wrong answer here and everyones milage will vary.

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Published? ST:PIC

Actually first? Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Pretty much simultaneously, though I did write more for LotR. On graph paper, mind, with my fountain pen turned upside down so I could write smaller. I still have folders worth of those stories that I urgently need to digitize before they fade and I lose them forever...

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I’m going to quote @thelaithlyworm here: I Love All My Children Equally! I honestly couldn’t say. They are different and I love them for different reasons but I love them all.

Thank you for the tag! ❤ I’ve kinda lost track of who all has done this already or has already been tagged, so feel free to ignore me! But I tink I’m tagging @curator-on-ao3, @aini-nufire, @29-pieces, @flowers-creativity, @highfunctioningflailgirl, @cristobalrios and @the-goofball. And anyone else whom I forgot or who feels inspired to do this!

#ask meme #writing #lili's writing adventures #this was fun!

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qvid-pro-qvo · 4 years ago

Note

uhm can we get a hotch x reader with prompts 1 and 5 from the dialogue prompts list? whatever you want, gender neutral🥺 ily and your writings, if you're not ok with this request it's ok :)

aaron hotchner x gender neutral reader.

word count: 2019

rating: teen, for someone you love meaning more than anything else in the world, in moments just like these (tw: hospital scenes, car crashes, canon-typical violence. hurt/comfort).

Aaron finds himself pushing through glass double doors, rushing to the desk of the emergency room. It’s his nightmare come to life, his job as unit chief colliding with personal circumstances. It’s a horror and a nightmare, and when he makes it to the nurse who’s working, he speeds through his credentials to get him through the door.

But they don’t get him through the door. Nothing gets him through the door, and when JJ and Dave come in behind him, it’s to see his face crumple.

He should’ve been there, he should’ve seen it coming. The stop sign the two of you blew, chasing a suspect, the collision with a car who didn’t hear the sirens. He should’ve known, should’ve come sooner so he could be there for the both of you. But instead, what he got was a firm no from the nurse.

“You’re not next of kin. Until I get clearance, I can’t let anyone back there who is not directly related.”

Never mind that the team is your family. Never mind that you’ve been in Aaron’s life for what should be lifetimes. Never mind that the last time he saw you, it was to kiss your cheek, tell you goodbye, only for the chase to start…

“Those are two of my agents back there,” he bites out, and the words are a little strangled, even as he tries to keep his composure. “Those are two – two of my agents, and I need to see them. Please.”

A lesser person would be terrified by the fire in Aaron’s eyes. But the nurse does not back down. The sympathy in her gaze is clear, but she simply lifts her chin, meets those eyes with ease. “I’m sorry, sir. Someone will be out to discuss the situation shortly, and talk about procedure. Until then, if or when I get the word that visitors can come in, I’ll let you know.”

Emily and Reid come through a few minutes later, and Aaron looks up to watch them push to the same front desk. Their shoulders drop, just like his did, and when they turn it’s to see Dave and JJ beside their unit chief, the three of them… waiting.

“Anything?” Emily asks, and Aaron shakes his head, dropping his chin, elbows on his knees. All of the possible outcomes are filtering through his mind, from worst-case to best, and then back down to worst. Best, unscathed. Unharmed. Worst, unspeakable. Unnamed. Because he knows the truth can only fall somewhere in the middle, he forces the extremes through his head, if only to have something to occupy his thoughts.

“You’re driving yourself crazy, Aaron,” Dave whispers to him, when the others move to get food. It’s been two hours since the crash, two hours without a peep of news. “You have to focus on the positive. The first responders got there, to the both of them. They’re here, and they’re getting treated by capable hands.”

“Two hours, Dave,” Aaron returns, not meeting his friend’s eyes, blinking up at the sight of another set of double doors barring the path to you and Morgan. “We both know that it’s not that simple.”

Soon, the team returns, and the waiting seems to start all over again. Pacing takes up the time between no news and any information they can gather, listening, watching, and needling for anything about their loved ones. And each time those double doors swing open, a beep signaling the passage of someone who could give them answers, another name is called, another family pulled in to discuss the future of those they care about.

Aaron and his team have to wait.

Make calls to Jack and Jess.

And wait.

Calls to the precinct, to the sheriff, to the Bureau, to Strauss.

And wait.

It hits five hours when their messenger comes through. A world-weary physician, who blinks down at the chart and calls out your last name. Aaron stands, suddenly, and the movement makes him dizzy, but he ignores his body just to stride forward with the rest of his team, who gather around the doctor with the same pleading eyes, begging for good news.

“For Morgan, too?” he asks, and Aaron sees Dave nod beside him, sees JJ’s hands clasp together in front of her. “All right. My name is Dr. Roberts, I’ve been in to see both of them. We ran some cursory tests – CT scans, a couple of x-rays, and a full physical exam.”

“And what’d you find?” Emily pushes, and Aaron glances to her to see her thumb held up to her mouth, biting at her nails lightly.

“Well, they got lucky. The hit came to the back half of the SUV, which means that Morgan sustained minimal injuries and abrasions. A concussion, due to the impact, but that’s to be expected.”

There’s a sigh of relief from the team, but the waiting isn’t done yet. Need another cursory glance over the chart, the man before the team hums, and Aaron finds his patience wearing thin. “Doctor,” he urges, and when their eyes meet the battle of wills commences again. “The… the other agent. Please.”

This time Aaron wins out.

“Broken leg,” Dr. Roberts responds, sighing. “Sedation has been helping with the pain, but it’s fractured enough that we’ll need to put in some pins. As soon as the on-call trauma surgeon gets here, we’ll be in the operating room.”

“Can we see them?” Reid asks. “Both of them?” His voice is hopeful, and Aaron can’t help the way his hand lifts to rest on the younger agent’s shoulder when the doctor says yes. He can feel the tension leave him at the affirmation that they’ll be able to finally get back there, find you and Morgan, take care of you.

Together the BAU gathers their things to make their way through. When they make it to the door, ready to get led back, Dr. Roberts holds up a hand to stop them.

“A couple at a time. We’ll be going into surgery in around 45 minutes to an hour,” the doctor informs you. He looks at the group expectantly, numbered five. “Can’t have all of you in a room at once. Let’s say half in each room at a time.”

The team looks around at each other. In that moment, being the unit chief doesn’t matter nearly as much as being a part of the BAU, being folded into the tight-knit group, the unbreakable family ties. Aaron thinks about you, alone, and finds his jaw clenching.

“We’ll switch off,” he tells the group. “And when they take… when the surgery starts… we’ll take turns with Morgan until he gets discharged.”

Dave’s hand comes to rest on his shoulder. The tension leaks from him, and he sighs.

“We’re still on a case. Those of us who aren’t waiting once the surgery starts need to keep on it.”

“Hotch –” Emily tries to argue, but with a firm look she nods.

“We can’t drop the ball on this. Morgan’ll tell us as much when we get in there,” JJ agrees, and Aaron looks to her with a tight smile.

“Dave, Emily, and JJ will go to Morgan.” That’s his final call. Their eyes fall on him, and he looks to Reid, who nods at the implication. “I need to make a call to Strauss, and then I’ll be in there to join you.”

When Aaron settles into the space next to your bed, he reaches for your hand immediately. Grimaces at how cold it feels, and finds himself holding it in both of his palms, just rubbing to bring blood, life, feeling back into it. Your eyes stay stubbornly closed, and though he knows the surgery went successfully, there’s a stillness that leaves him feeling… unnerved. You’re not meant to be still. You’re meant to be tapping your fingers against the sheets, pushing your hand through your hair, leaning close to him.

All he can see now is the rise and fall of your chest. The stiffness of your left leg, wrapped up and casted.

He squeezes your fingers again.

He doesn’t know what urges him to start speaking. But he does. Starts talking, and can’t find himself stopping. Reid isn’t there, the rest of the team is with Morgan settling your discharge information as well as his own. It’s just you and Aaron, and he sighs with his thumb pressed between the furrow of his brows.

He kisses your knuckles, and murmurs against them. It’s in time with the rhythm of your heartbeat, some sentences. Like your breathing is the bassline to his life. Maybe it is. And if it isn’t, maybe it should be.

“All this tells me is that I should marry you,” he says. “Not letting me in on a – on a technicality.” You don’t answer, you’re still asleep, but he can see you chuckle with it. “And you see, this is the part where you tell me you’re proud of me. I didn’t lash out at the nurse, or Dave, I just. Waited. Trusted in you to be there for me.”

The beeping continues. Steady. Strong.

“Morgan is okay. Don’t worry. Just a couple of cuts, some bruises. A concussion.”

He shakes his head. “He blames himself. He was driving after all. But I told him, I had to tell him, that it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t believe me, or anyone else, but. We’ll work on it. And once you’re awake, you can tell him, too.”

Your eyes blink open, but Aaron doesn’t notice at first. His eyes are still focused on your fingertips.

“It scares me, knowing that this is our life. That this will always be our life. But I wouldn’t trade it, for anything.”

“Neither would I,” you hum out.

When he glances up to see you awake, it’s with a smile on your face.

“Hey, handsome,” you murmur. Your voice is weak, but light, gentle, and he can’t help but shake his head with a chuckle. “Wasn’t expecting you when I woke up, too.”

“What do you mean?”

But you’re already drifting again, your thoughts running through your head and coming to the surface without much push. It’s the anesthesia, of course. You start shaking your head when you realize that one of your legs is stationary. Unmoving. “What happened?”

“Car accident. Your leg broke,” he tells you, and your frown is deep, lines around it emphasizing your displeasure.

“Well. I guess I’m on… bedrest, then. That’s… shitty.”

He laughs, despite himself, despite how much it aches to know that this happened at all, because of you. He smiles, and kisses your knuckles again, and leans close to kiss your forehead, because of all that he feels for you.

“Yes, my love. I would say so.”

“If I fell asleep again… would you be shirtless again?”

He blinks, shaking his head. Your filter is truly gone as you continue to rouse, and he smirks as you hum and do your best to move.

“Shirtless?” he dares to ask, and you nod.

“In my dream.” There’s a pleasant smile on your face, like you’re remembering something good. Something great. He laughs again. “We were in the office, and everyone forgot their shirts, and… and I asked you… ‘what – what are you doing with your shirt off?’”

Aaron can’t help his snort, shaking his head and bringing your hand up to his lips. You’re starting to doze off again, and so he pushes a little more, to let you go over the edge into dreamworld again.

“And?”

“And you told me that it was to impress me… and… convince me to stay in the BAU.”

Your words are starting to slur again, and he lets your hand rest against your body, still holding it, loose in his grip.

“Did it work?”

You hum, and your eyes flutter closed. “Honey… I’m not goin’ anywhere.” Your breathing starts to even out again, but that smile remains, and he leans forward to press a kiss to your forehead.

“Rest well, my love. I’ll be here.”

“Shirt on?”

“Unfortunately. Now, rest.”

#prompt fill #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner #gender neutral reader #hurt/comfort #tw hospital #tw car crash #criminal minds #my fic

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freddie-weaselbee · 3 years ago

Text

Coffee with Crazy

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Muggle!Reader

Warnings: Language, mentions of food/drink

Summary: One brief and very eventful coffee shop encounter has two sets of minds whirring, one person beating themselves up for being so rude and the other wondering why they didn’t care.

Prompts: Coffee Shop AU with dialogue prompts “I’m pretty sure this is illegal,” and “I missed something, didn’t I?”

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: Day 7 of @theweasleyslut’s 2k writing challenge

The life of a successful businessman was always tiring, and not just because of the whole, y’know, running a business thing. There were interviews to do, appearances to keep up, crazy fangirls to avoid. It was exhausting. Which was why Fred Weasley began to take after his father in his love for the Muggle world. It was a place where no one knew him, no constant name calling or asking about his famous relatives. He could just be at peace. Except not this morning.

He had a meeting at 11 with major investors for the shop, a meeting he had completely forgotten about until George called him 5 minutes ago. Unfortunately, Fred was in Muggle London for a morning walk and to do some exploring, so he was a good ways away from where he needed to be.

Racing down the streets he turned a few corners, trying to remember where he had gone after leaving the Leaky Cauldron. He was panicking, completely backwards in his directions. He needed help, and he needed it fast.

He looked to his left, trying to get his bearings and understand his surroundings. Right above him hung a sign for a coffee shop, one offering “The Best Coffee in London.” Hopefully they could offer the best directions too.

The little bell above the door rang loudly as Fred almost threw himself through it, causing quite a scene in the otherwise serene little building. Many heads turned to face the frantic man, but after a few seconds they all returned to their newspapers or companions, effectively ignoring him. He rushed up to the counter--thankfully no one was in line--and hit the bell about a dozen times before you emerged from the back, staring incredulously at the handsome, crazy man that was in front of you.

“Can I help you?”

“Hi, hello, terribly sorry,” he said, words rushed and slurred. “Do you live in London?”

You hesitated before answering, not knowing if you should disclose this information to an insane man in the shop. “I have all my life, why?”

“Oh thank Godric. Ok, I need directions to a place called The Leaky Cauldron.”

You chose to ignore his weird replacement for ‘God’ in his previous sentence, instead focusing on trying to recall any such place.

“The Leaky Cauldron?” you repeated. “Is that like a Halloween store or something?”

Fred slammed his hand down on the counter in frustration, making you flinch and jump back. He immediately softened, putting his hands up to show you he was harmless.

“Oh, fuck, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you, I…” He took a deep breath, calming himself. George could handle the investors if he was gone for a few minutes. He never wanted to be some work-crazed maniac, but that was just what he was turning into. He could slow down just a bit. “Let me start over, I’m late for a very important meeting and I need to go to this place called The Leaky Cauldron. Is there any chance you’ve ever heard of it?”

You relaxed, just a bit, and stepped back toward him. “I’m sorry, sir, I’ve never heard of the place.”

Fred grimaced but took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. “It’s an old, run down building. Really nasty, awful thing to look at. So bad that many Mugg--people choose to just ignore it. Ring any bells?”

You thought for a second. “You mean that old shack a few streets down? All dark and musty, one tiny sign hanging above it? I guess I never took the time to look at the name, didn’t really want to…”

“That’s it!” Fred exclaimed, clapping his hands. “Do you know how to get there?”

“Sure,” you said, now very eager to help this stranger. “Make a left out of the shop and turn right at the end of the street. Walk down two blocks and then make a left. Should be down that street about 4 blocks.”

Fred thought he was about to explode in happiness. “Thank you, thank you so much, I really do appreciate it.”

You smiled, though why you didn’t know. Creeps in the shop weren’t too common, but you had dealt with enough to know that any politeness was too much politeness. But for some reason, this man didn’t seem like the other creeps you’d interacted with. “Of course. Here, I think I can help some more.”

You opened a door to the display case that showcased many delicious treats and grabbed a small loaf of homemade banana bread. “Take this to the meeting. I’m sure whoever you’re talking to will appreciate some of London’s best bread. It’ll go great, I promise.”

Fred just stared down at the bread, wondering why you were being so kind to someone who had just barged in and yelled at you. He reached for his wallet in order to pay, but groaned when he realized he didn’t have any Muggle money.

“I’m sure it would, but I’m a little short on cash right now--”

“Take it,” you said.

He looked at you, now even more confused. “What?”

“Take it. I’ll take care of it.”

“But, but,” he stuttered, not knowing how to respond to this. “Won’t your boss get mad at you?”

You laughed, eyes crinkling in a way that Fred would only later think as cute, when he would lie in bed that night and think back about the events of the day and the pretty cashier who had given him a break. “Trust me, the boss won’t mind. I told you, I’ll take care of it. Now you’re late for your meeting, so get out of here!”

You shooed him away with your hands, making sure he grabbed the wrapped loaf before he left. As the door closed and the ringing of the bell quieted, you wondered what had come over you to be so kind to a stranger, and an awful one at that. The rest of the day it plagued you, confusing you even more on your actions. When you finally went to sleep that night you couldn’t stop imagining his frantic face which had so quickly been overtaken by care and shame when he scared you. Who in the world was that man?

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

It was exactly one week later when Fred returned to the shop. One week down to the minute. He stood outside the shop door, rethinking his decision to do this. You probably did not want to see him, but it was only right for him to pay you back. He prayed that you didn’t get in trouble for giving him the bread for free.

Much more softly than last time, he pushed open the door and walked in. The shop was just as busy as it was the last time he was in. There were people lounging around on comfy sofas and others having quiet conversations at cute little tables. It was a vibrant place full of so much personality that he wasn’t able to notice before.

Looking over at the counter he saw a few employees. One teenage girl with straight black hair and a nose piercing, one man about his age sporting a jersey for some London football team, and then--

He spotted you, standing near a coffee machine pouring shots into a hot drink, which you then stirred and set on the counter. “Order for Amelia.” He watched you scan the room, probably looking for the girl in question, before your eyes landed on him. Surprisingly, you didn’t turn away or start whispering to your coworkers about what a whack job he was. Instead, you just smiled at him warmly and gestured for him to come over.

“Hi,” Fred started timidly, not knowing what to say. “I really need to apologize for last week. I was under so much stress and was being such a complete ass and I--”

“All forgiven,” you said, smile not even faltering.

He couldn’t have heard you right. He wasn’t even done with his apology yet and you had already forgiven him?

“I don’t think you understand,” he tried again. “I’m the one who came in and yelled at you and asked directions to The Leaky Cauldron. I slammed my hand down like this, see?”

He repeated what he had done a week prior, except this time you were expecting it and didn’t rush away. “Yes, I remember. Kind of hard to forget someone like you.”

He didn’t know if you meant it as an insult or a compliment, but either way he still had to finish.

“Anyway, I came back to pay for that bread. The loaf you gave me. I, umm, I have money now.”

He pulled out a $50 American bill, hoping that would be enough to cover it. “Umm, is this enough?” he asked, handing you the bill.

You looked down at it, up at Fred, down at the bill again and then back to Fred. “That’s an American bill, hun. I don’t know if you knew, but we’re in London. As in, London, England. Y’know just across the Atlantic, that’s all.”

Fred was officially completely embarrassed. “Fucking George,” he muttered. “He said he’d get me some normal money and then he bloody gets me this! I can’t believe--”

You laughed suddenly, the sound snapping Fred out of his rant. “This George, is he a bit of a prankster?”

Fred slowly smiled, putting the bill back in his pocket and running a hand through his hair. “You have no idea.”

You giggled again, for some reason so entranced by this mystery man. “What’s your name?”

He straightened up when you asked that, internally smacking himself for never properly introducing himself to you. “Sorry, I’m Fred. Fred Weasley.”

He stuck out a hand for you to shake which you gladly took. “That’s an interesting last name, where’s it from?”

Fred shrugged. “Old wizard family name, don’t really know.” He caught his mistake after he said it, but thankfully you just laughed as if what he said was a joke.

“Oh, so you’re a wizard, huh? Think you can turn the 50 into usable money?”

He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, I promise I’ll be back soon to pay you with real money.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

You nodded, moving to grab something from behind the counter. “Of course. You seemed like you needed a break that day. And something tells me you need another one today.”

Before he could protest you grabbed a coffee that was sitting on one of the back counters and handed it to him.

“Quad shot caramel mocha. I made it for myself but haven’t had any yet. It’s all yours.”

Fred’s mouth was agape and eyes wide. There’s no way this was happening. He had come to apologize and beg for forgiveness from a cute barista, not be awarded with another free item.

“No, no, I can’t”

“Oh come on, it’s like $5. It’s not like I’m giving you a free car.” He softened a little at your teasing and reached out to grab the drink.

“I’ll pay you--”

“No you won’t.” You crossed your arms and stared him down, even though he was a great deal taller than you. “I’m good at reading people, and even though you’re a whack job nothing has told me that you’re completely mental yet. I like you. So you’re gonna take the coffee and you’re gonna be grateful, understand?”

Fred gulped, simultaneously nervous and intrigued at your forcefulness. “Yes ma'am.” He grabbed the coffee as another customer approached the counter, signaling for you to get back to your job. “You sure your boss won’t--”

“No, I’ll take care of it. Now scram before I make Johnny chase you outta here.” She gestured at another coworker who had just walked out of the back room, and Fred knew immediately that this man was not someone he wanted to be in a fight with.

“Noted,” he said gulping. He went back to the door but paused before pushing it open. “What did you say your name was?” he called back, hoping he wasn’t creating too much of a scene.

You looked at him and smiled, that same kind smile that you had been giving him all day, though he didn’t deserve it. “Y/N.”

He nodded, smiling back, before heading out the door.

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

“You know, I’m pretty sure this is illegal.”

It was the third time Fred had visited the coffee shop, finally with suitable Muggle money that he knew would cover what you had given him previously. He had offered the money, even counted it all out down to the coin, but you refused to take it, instead giving him a new drink you had made for him to try.

“Illegal?” you questioned, still trying to hand him the latte.

“Yeah, you’re gonna get fired for this! I know I’m incredibly handsome and everyone just falls at their feet for me, but you can’t keep stealing from this place to give me free stuff.”

You rolled your eyes, retracting your hand that was holding the drink. “I have told you time and time again that I’ll take care of it. Why can’t you just let me be nice?”

“I’m not going to be the reason you lose your job, alright? I don’t care how nice you wanna be, I’m not going to--”

“Bloody hell you’re difficult.” He could tell you were fed up with him, but all he was doing was trying to help you out. “Watch this.”

You walked to the middle of the shop where everyone could see and hear you. “One free coffee for anyone in here. If you’d like one please form a line up here and Stacy will take your orders.” You looked over at Stacy whose eyes were wide as she saw the amount of people who stood up. “Don’t worry Stace, I’ll make them all, you’re fine.”

“It’s alright, Y/N,” Stacy replied, “I’ll just make Johnny come help me, you go explain everything to your mystery man.” She raised her eyebrows at Fred and winked at him before turning to take the first order.

“I’ll give you each an extra $30, remind me before you leave,” you called to Stacy who nodded happily.

Fred looked from you to the girl Stacy to the line of customers that grew by the second. “I missed something, didn’t I?”

You laughed at his confusion, sticking your hand out to shake his. As he took it you introduced yourself to him for the second time. “Y/N L/N, owner and operator of the shop in which you’re standing.”

Fred stood there dumbfounded, feeling even more stupid than he had the last two times he had come in. “You...you own this place?”

“Yes, sir!” you said, dropping his hand. “Opened it a few years back and it’s been a blast ever since. But we’re short staffed at the moment which is why I’m always helping up front.”

The gears in his head were still spinning, trying to comprehend what was happening.

“Let’s sit,” you said, dragging him to an empty booth.

“So that’s why you gave me the stuff for free.”

“Yep. Who’s gonna fire me, me?” Fred laughed and relaxed into the seat, glad he had taken the morning off of work so he had nowhere to be.

“Well in that case,” Fred said leaning closer, “we have a lot more in common than I realized. My brother and I are actually business owners as well.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. “No kidding! What kind of shop?”

Fred’s eyes twinkled with mischief, a smirk forming on his face. “If I told you that my brother was George, would you be able to guess.”

You gasped in realization. “A joke shop! That’s incredible, oh I love joke shops.”

“And I love coffee shops, what a coincidence.”

Giggling, you stood up to go grab some coffees for the both of you, as well as some food to snack on as you talked. And talk you did. The two of you spoke about anything and everything either of you could think of, from how the business started to family and friends to favorite places to eat in London.

“Speaking of places to eat,” Fred said after his second cappuccino and third muffin, “Would you ever consider getting dinner with me some time? I promise, I’ll pay.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I trust you to do that. Might bring some Canadian coins.”

“Maybe I’ll take you to dinner in Canada then. Heard it’s lovely this time of year.”

Fred had grown to develop a major liking for you in just the past few hours you’d been talking, and it was fairly obvious that the feeling was mutual. Whatever had made you decide to be kind to him that one time, and the time after that and the one after that was unknown to the both of you. You could only describe it as a feeling that there was something more to him and you wanted to get to know him better. Whatever it was, Fred was glad it happened, as now he had a date for this Friday evening with a beautiful, savvy, smart business owner. Pretty much himself but in a miniskirt.

“I have to warn you,” he said as they finished up their last drinks, “there’s a lot about my life that’s really crazy.”

“Crazier than you?” you teased, but Fred looked serious.

“A lot crazier than me. I just wanted to let you know before you got involved that a lot of things might be hard to believe, downright impossible even.”

“What, you’re not talking about your ‘wizard family name’ or something like that, are you?” You expected Fred to laugh at your joke, but he just pulled at his collar and fiddled with a ring on his hand.

“You could say that. Just want to prepare you, that’s all.”

You reached forward and put a hand on top of his, steadying his twitching. “I’m prepared. I really like you Fred and I want to get to know you, even the crazy stuff. Besides, how weird could it possibly be?”

Tag List:

@famdomhideout @amourtentiaa

#theweasleyslut's 2k writing challenge #fredweasley #fred #fred weasley x reader #fred x reader #Fred weasley fluff #coffee shop au #coffee shop

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oof-musicals · 4 years ago

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Together, you and me//chapter 2

Part two! This one took a bit because I've been preparing for school stuff but here it is! I've never been to Vermont, it's only research. Of course, let me know if you want to be added to the tag list and here it is:]] it's also very dialogue-heavy and kinda rushed whoops.

Tag list (let me know if you'd like to be added): @tarantulas4davey, @racecrack-higgins

Race gets bored very easily and two people trying to sleep in the backseat in a car isn't the best idea. First stop: Vermont.

Aka: Albert loves Race in 1419 words.

Word count: 1419

Read on Ao3

**Please Reblog/Queue if you like**

If you told Anthony Higgins five years ago that he'd be traveling to all 50 states with his boyfriend, he'd probably tell you that'd be something he'd do. But when he thought about it, this was probably the most expensive risk he's taken in a while.

Also the longest.

He knew it was going to take a long time, sure, this wasn't England where it took five hours to get from coast to coast. They were going to spend a lot of time in the car. But it sounded easier to be in a car for days at a time in theory rather than in practice.

Vermont, luckily, was only around 5 and a half hours away from Manhattan. If they avoided making too many stops, they could make it there by eight-fifty.

It took Race until about four pm to start complaining.

"It's only been 30 minutes, you'll live," Albert rolled his eyes in response to Race’s whining. “You aren’t even the one driving.”

“Exactly Albie!” Race complained, crossing one of his legs over the other. “I have nothing to do.”

Albert stifled a groan and turned off the radio that had been playing 90s songs for the past half hour. "Okay, let's just, talk."

Race looked out the window. "I don't really know what to talk about."

"You're really annoying,"

"That's my job." Race winked.

“What about astronomy? Where are your star facts?” Albert suggested as he changed lanes. “Come on, I miss them.”

“Fine, you win.” Race groaned. “There are nine thousand and ninety-six stars visible to the naked eye in the entire sky. That’s a cool fact.”

“I thought you told me it was like a trillion before,” Albert questioned.

"That's galaxies," Race clarified, but decided to move on. "Uh, what else? Oh! Callisto, the pretty moon I showed you once is ninety-nine percent as big as Mercury is." He grabbed a notebook from his backpack, flipping through pages of detailed notes and mumbling softly. “The first supernova was recorded in 145 AD AND nearly 2000 years after that, the remains were still identified.”

The rest of the ride consisted of Race rambling on about astrology and Albert loving every second of it. He might have the whiniest boyfriend in the world, but oh did he love this idiot.

___________

As the car pulled into the rest stop 4 and a half hours later, Race let out a comically loud yawn.

"Tired, huh?" Albert joked, turning the gear into park and unbuckling his seatbelt.

"You might be the one driving, but that doesn't mean it's not exhausting to be in a car for 5 hours." Race remarked.

"You could drive.”

Race ignored him, unbuckling his seatbelt and grabbing sweatpants from the backseat. “Do you really think that is a good idea?”

“Absolutely not, actually.”

Ten minutes and a never-ending banter later, the two found themselves laying down in the backseat. Race on the edge, Albert with his back facing the seat. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but if they’re going to control their budget, they can’t spend every night in a hotel.

“And tomorrow, we can hopefully hike that Antone Mountian,” Albert rambled about their day tomorrow while Race hummed sleepily. “But now, you’re around one sentence away from passing out, so we can talk about it later.”

"Yeah,” Race yawned, giving Albert a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight Albie."

"Goodnight, T."

"I love you."

Albert smiled, his stomach still did a flip every time Race uttered those three words. He doesn't really know why he felt like a giddy teenager, considering he's in his mid-twenties, but the words never failed to make him feel just, so lucky. "I love you too."

Albert stayed up a little bit after Race closed his eyes. Not that he had any trouble sleeping, he could practically fall asleep anywhere he wanted. Race didn’t have the same advantage, even at home, where he was probably the most comfortable, he had trouble falling and staying asleep. It was only going to be more challenging in the backseat of a sedan with half of the space being filled with an ungodly amount of snacks.

It was really hard to find a position comfortable for the both of them. They could've really done without the snacks but Race insisted. If there was one thing Race was, it was persistent.

This was going to be a long trip. But if Albert was with Race, he’d do it a thousand times.

_____

Turns out, two people sleeping in the back of a sedan is not a foolproof plan. They found that out the hard way. Well, Race found it out the hard way - Albert didn't find out until the morning.

"Wake up," Race poked Albert in the side, resulting in Albert only groaning and slowly opening his eyes. It couldn't have been past 8 am, the sun was still rising. Why in the world was he being woken up this early?

"What are you doing up? You've never woken up early in your life." He asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Fell off the seat," Race grumbled, taking a seat next to Albert, leaning his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I've been trying to fall back asleep since like… four am? The sun came up and you were taking too long to wake up."

"'m sorry," Albert yawned. It was way too early to be up for someone who had to spend the day hiking mountains, that's for sure. He was going to need some coffee. Coffee sounded real nice right now. "What time is it now?"

"What am I a clock? I don't know."

"You are rude when you're sleep-deprived." Albert grabbed his phone, checking the time before setting an alarm. "It's 7:15. I say, we go back to sleep for two hours and then start out the day."

"You're sleeping on the edge this time."

Albert ignored Race's comment, slipping his arm under the pillow propped up against the blankets, one of which he took and tossed over his eyes to avoid the sun.

Race hated hiking. If that's one thing he decided today, it's that.

When he thought about it, the trail wasn't that bad, it really wasn't. And the view was probably beautiful, but hiking sucked.

"Maybe this hiking thing was a mistake. My legs hurt."

"You're dramatic," Albert called from up ahead. "Come on track star, you got this!"

"You've never been hiking before," Race jogged up to Albert. "I'm surprised you aren't dying right now."

"We walk around New York every day." Albert rolled his eyes "You shouldn't be dying."

Race "I hate you. So much." He said, tripping and nearly slipping off the trail.

"Don't fall off the trail there, Tones." Albert grabbed Race's arm, pulling him up. "Heard mountain lions like blonde idiots."

"Duly noted." Race replied sarcastically. "Don't think there are any mountain lions in this area though, wouldn't they have already gotten to me?"

"You're right."

"Well!" Race wrapped his arm around Albert, "Guess you're stuck with me."

"Shit, guess that's the worst-case scenario for me."

Race rolled his eyes and stopped complaining for most of the hike. And he was right, the view was pretty - breathtaking even. The rolling hills and never-ending trees… this was definitely worth the hike. This was definitely worth the trip. For all Race complained, he was having a great time.

"So!" Albert started the car, "Vermont, what'd you think?"

"I mean, I'm looking forward to other places. South Dakota has Mount Rushmore - which, no matter how many times you say, is cooler than the photos, I'm sure of it. Vermont just has mountains," Race adjusted the air conditioning, "but I didn't have the worst time."

"Mount Rushmore is just like the photos though," Albert rolled his eyes. "And if you don't want to go to states just for mountains, you didn't have to agree to go to every state."

"Albie, we've been dating for six years, you think I was going to not take it seriously?"

"I guess you're right, T. But if you keep complaining I'm not taking you on a road trip again."

"Rude," Race pouted.

"Only love, baby."

“But, I did like it.” Race admitted. “For all my complaining, I’m having a great time.” He took Albert’s hand, “Not to get sappy or anything but, thank you for bringing me along on this trip.”

Albert didn’t even have to say ‘I love you’ at that moment, Race already could tell.

#newsies #long roads au #ralbert #albert dasilva #racetrack higgins #yes race has a career in astrology #who am i if i dont work in every possible headcannon into one fic?#audrey writes #sorry for the wait guys finals are approaching and the work seems like it never stops #albert is in love with race.#we know this but #i will never shut up about it

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nickydestati · 4 years ago

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i was tagged by the amazing @morallygreywaren, thank you so much!!! 💛

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

(i’m only including the ones i already posted on ao3)

1. stay: Sometimes, Yusuf regrets learning Nicolò’s language, because now he can actually understand what he’s saying the whole time.

2. interrogation: The thing about mortality is that torture is way more efficient.

3. like stars: Yusuf’s kiss is like a sip from the river Lethe.

4. casting shadows: In general, Yusuf likes being Joe.

5. bear against horse: The Battle for the Brooch has been going on for two centuries.

6. trees: “You have everything with you?” Nicky asks when Joe and Nile are about to leave the safehouse.

7. my beginning and my end: Of the two of them, Nicolò always had the sharpest mind, his memory precise as his sniper gun.

8. the music of your soul calling mine: Nicky has lost count of how many times he has visited the museum by now.

9. refrigerators: When all is silent and his family has settled in the warm embrace of sleep, Nicolò sneaks out of the house.

10. you do not believe me: Andromache has not been to the sea in 183 years.

11. does he know?: The repetitive sound of the whetting stone on his blade makes Nicolò’s mind come to rest.

12. night of the new moon: It is said you should stay clear of the water when the new moon resides in the night sky.

13. who did you see in the mirror?: They did it because they were bored.

14. on which balcony are you?: Usually, Joe was more of an improviser, a let’s-see-what-the-moment-brings kind of man.

15. between the lines: Once upon a time, there was a simple artist by the name of Yusuf.

16. sing, o muse: Sing me, o Muse, of the love of Yusuf and Nicolò, / stronger than hatred and all-consumer death, / one that saved many men from the house of Hades, / strong-greaved Greeks and Trojans alike, tamers of horses.

17. it is not enough: Yusuf has always loved marble.

18. why don’t you come with us?: Sebastien does not know how they find him because even he does not know where he is anymore.

19. saturday night: Joe’s heart never fails to go batshit insane as soon as he lays eyes on Nicky.

20. who am i? what am i?: Nicolò used to think there was only one heaven and that it was unattainable for people like him.

analysis: i sure don’t like long sentences to begin with lmao and i should work on trying to start more in the middle of things or with dialogue i think! As for my favorite, it’s either 16 because i love the iliad or 10 because i’m pretty proud of that fic in general!

many of you have probably been tagged already so feel free to ignore me if that’s the case, but i tag: @marwanckenzari, @demonicneonfishy, @spacewitchqueen, @eternalpearls, @monicashipsnickyjoe, @raedear and @lazynbored

#ty laurel this was so much fun!!!#but also i should work on my opening lines lmao #tag game

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y00ngiverse · 4 years ago

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THE ONE I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x female reader

Genre: angst, fluff, friends to lovers AU

Warnings: Toxic relationship in some way I guess? Totally SFW.

Word count: 3.4K

Summary: After a messy breakup, you realised that the one you've been looking for has been in front of you for so long.

A/N: Hi guys, so this is my first time trying to write something. There might be dialogues or references from TV shows/movies. Please show some support!!

You have been in a relationship with Hyunwoo for the past 5 years. You always thought Hyunwoo was the one, but you were wrong.

You met Hyunwoo in college, he was in the same class as you. It started with being project partners and then you found yourself staring at him occasionally. He was sweet, calm and understanding, basically everything that a girl could look for in a guy. It took you 2 years to realize and finally confess that you liked him. Luckily, he liked you too. Since then you went on small dates, it could be a fancy restaurant or a trip to an ice cream shop or even a movie date in a blanket fort, but you enjoyed every moment you spent with him, he was everything you ever wanted.This was until he was met with the addicting taste of alcohol. For quite a while, he could handle it well, but his traumatic childhood caused him to drink booze everyday. His mother used to beat him, compare him to his friends and say that he was the worst son a mother could get. You felt bad for him, you really did, you also tried everything in your power to relieve him of his trauma, but it didn't work, none of it worked. After that he became a different person. He would go to parties every night and return at around 4AM, that pissed you off. You both hardly spent time together. But you ignored it, because the next morning, he would come to you and apologize with that face of his, that face which made you fall in love with him.

You have been best friends with Taehyung since the 4th grade. He was there for you every single time that you needed him. You both got into the same college, but he took a different major. You would sometimes wonder what you did in your past life to deserve a friend like him. There were times when you had arguments, but there were no bad intentions behind them. Like the time you both had an argument because you think that mint chocolate flavoured anything tastes amazing, and Taehyung strongly disagrees with that statement even till today. There were also times when you guys would argue and not talk for a day or two. But it hasn't been once that you stayed away from each other for more than 2 days. One such argument has happened once, when you pulled a prank on Taehyung. Well lets just say, he was really upset but all it took to resolve this argument was a bucket of ice cream and an avengers movie :)

You have spent a lot of time together, but since you guys have careers now, it is hard to meet very often. But you both still talk, because none of you can even think of living without the other. You owned a clothing app. It has less customers , but you're hoping to make it bigger. Taehyung is a fashion photographer. You both have become a bit busy these days, but Taehyung isn't gonna leave your side so easily and neither will you.

He never liked Hyunwoo. The first time they met, all that Taehyung did was roll his eyes, discreetly of course, But you noticed. You loved Hyunwoo and you decided that you would convince Taehyung that Hyunwoo loved you too and that he's a great guy. Taehyung didn't think that he was a bad guy, he was just a bad guy in his life, because he had feelings for you.

And it hurt, it hurt everytime you would come and tell Taehyung how Hyunwoo caused butterflies in your stomach for the millionth time. But he couldn't do anything because he didn't want to take away your happiness.

FLASHBACK

"Hey Y/N, would you like to go out with me again?" Hyunwoo asked, emphasizing on the word 'again', since you had a study date last weekend. "I would love to! Say, Saturday?" You replied with the widest smile of yours. "Sure! See ya!" He said and you walked away while waving at him, all the while internally screaming.

As you went out, you saw Taehyung sitting on a bench just outside your university. You ran to him, grinning like a maniac. Nothing could take away your happiness at this moment. You felt like the happiest person.

"Oh! hey Y/N" he said with his boxy smile. "Hi!" You said. "I needed to tell you something." Taehyung said, his smile glued to his face. "Oh my god wait, listen to me first, do you know what happend!?" You almost said screaming, almost. Taehyung smiled, "No I don't, but thanks to you, I will now." He chuckled.

"So! Hyunwoo asked me out again!! He's so sweet, I think I like him, a lot." You said with dreamy eyes. Taehyung's heart dropped to his stomach. He was gonna tell you that after all these years, he had started liking you. When you first told him about the study date you and Hyunwoo had, he never thought it would turn into something serious. But a second date….

His smile faded, but the corners of his lips turned upwards again, as if on reflex, because if you were happy, he was too. Of course it was more of a sad smile. "I'm so happy for you! Go get him Y/N!" He said as you chuckled. "Anyways what did you wanna tell me?"

That I like you. "Oh nothing! I just found this new ice cream shop! We should go there!" He said, all the while thinking, if only you knew Y/N.

"Yeah sure! We can go on Sunday maybe!" You replied and he nodded. He knew. He knew that

It was too late…

END OF FLASHBACK

When you started telling him about the fact that Hyunwoo probably had an alcohol addiction, He knew something was wrong. He could feel it, he tried warning you, but you always replied with "No, Hyunwoo's a great guy, he wouldn't do anything wrong."

Right?

You loved Hyunwoo, but that didn't mean you were going to trust him over Taehyung.

So when Taehyung said that you should be careful, you were cautious, looking out for any red flags.

Present

1:42AM

The clock read. This was normal for you now, you were used to waiting for Hyunwoo. The keys jingled, you were surprised. It's too early for Hyunwoo to be here. That's odd. Hyunwoo entered and closed the door behind him, you could smell the strong scent of the alcohol. He faced you now. "I love you Y/N." You furrowed your brows once you saw his teary eyes, his messy hair, his messed up clothes. But the thing you saw next was the biggest shock of your life, your eyes widened once you saw the purple marks on his neck. Hickeys. "No.." Your eyes started tearing up. It has to be a misunderstanding, you thought. " I really love you Y/N, I'm sorry I'm so sorry!" He sobbed. You just couldn't believe it. He cheated on you.

"Hyunwoo, I-"

"Listen to me babe, I'm sorry I didn't mean to, the girl, I thought it was you, she was wearing the same dress as you." He said and you noticed his eyes looking groggy. Just as he finished his sentence, he fainted, due to the alcohol, but you held him just in time and put him on the couch.You were still shocked, you couldn't move, your feet glued to the ground. Your heart was thumping at a rapid rate in your chest, you could hear the blood rushing through your veins. You decided to talk to him about this the next morning. You ran to your room, shut the door, and fell on the ground. This has to be a nightmare, it has to be...

You thought. You couldn't control all the pain anymore, so you let it all out. You cried and you cried, louder and louder, not caring about Hyunwoo waking up, but he didn't, he was passed out, completely drunk.

Millions of thoughts crossed your mind. All the memories you both spent together flashing in front of your eyes. You thought if you should forgive him or not. He was drunk, it's just a mistake. Right? A part of you thought. But the greater part of you knew, that you couldn't forgive him. You couldn't live like this, him partying all night while you're at home making plans with him which will never take place. You really wanted to help him with this problem, you really did, but nothing was working. He was addicted and you couldn't do anything anymore. You both rarely were together now. It was sickening. The thought of breaking off this relationship, that lasted for 5 years, it was sickening. It made you cry all over again. You couldn't sleep that night, you couldn't sleep knowing what you'd have to face the next morning. So you packed your bags, ready to leave.

The next morning

You woke up, not realising that you had fallen asleep. You still couldn't believe it, you were hoping that all of last night was just a bad dream, but looking at the bags that you had packed told you otherwise. You didn't want to do this. You loved Hyunwoo, you really did, but what he did couldn't be forgiven. You went to take a bath and went out after getting dressed up. You saw Hyunwoo sitting on the couch, rubbing his temples. You couldn't bear the sight of him after his disgusting actions, so you started tearing up again. No, you can't cry in front of him. You thought. As he saw you coming, he got up. "Y/N, I'm so sorry i-" you cut him off and raised your palm signalling him to stop. "I know Hyunwoo, you didn't mean to, you thought the girl was me, but what's done is done. You cheated on me Hyunwoo."

You said, eyes glassy with tears. His eyes softened, realising what he had done to you. He broke you. He could see it in your eyes. He really loved you, but he knew that what he did was wrong. As he saw your suitcases, his eyebrows furrowed. "You- you're leaving?" He asked, his voice breaking. "Do you expect me to stay, after all this you expect me to stay?" You answered, anger visible in your eyes. He looked down to his feet, he couldn't expect you to stay, he had no right, but it's not wrong to have hope."I loved you Hyunwoo, I still do, but apparently that wasn't enough to make you stay." You said, tears now falling. "I'm sorry.." he said, after all he couldn't say anything else. You started walking away. Just as you reached the door, "Can I kiss you, for the last time?" He asked, his voice heavy with tears. You wanted to, you wanted to kiss him one last time. "No Hyunwoo, I can't, not after knowing that those lips have kissed someone else." You said, voice breaking. "I-i understand." He said. "Goodbye Hyunwoo." "Goodbye Y/N, I'm so sorry." You nodded, him being able to see just the back of your head. And you left, you walked out of his life just because of his one mistake. You left.

Since you had nowhere to go, you went to Taehyung, he was your only support, your last light of hope right now. You knocked on the door. He opened the door, his eyes widening. "Y/N?" He could see the bags under your eyes, your stained cheeks. He knew something was wrong. "Why did you bring your suitcases?" He asked. You didn't answer. You walked up to the couch and sat there, saying nothing. He bought your bags inside, closed the door and came to sit beside you. At the moment, you felt numb. You were speechless, it was too much to take in. You hugged him tight and you cried as loud as you could in his arms. Then the realisation hit him. "What did he do?" He said through gritted teeth. He couldn't see you like this, he couldn't see you broken like this. You didn't say anything, you were still crying. He caressed your hair, letting you cry as much as you wanted to. "It hurts Taehyung, it hurts, plea- please make it stop, it hurts!" You cried out. He felt tears rolling down his cheeks, you shouldn't be going through this, he wished it would've been him instead. After what felt like an eternity, you stopped crying, and he gave you a glass of water. You couldn't even gulp it down, everything made you nauseous. You told him everything. After listening to you, All he could think of was to ruin the pretty face of that jerk. "It's gonna be okay, I'm here for you, everything will be alright." He took you in his warm embrace again.

Few months later

All these days, Taehyung has taken care of you, handling you like a delicate doll which could break anytime. For a while, everything made you think of Hyunwoo. It hurt so much. He hurt you deeply. You had gotten over Hyunwoo, but just a little. You couldn't get over him so quickly, after all you lived with him for 5 years. It was sickening. Taehyung did everything he could to make you feel better. He even called your other friends; Jimin, Jungkook, Jin, Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi. They stayed over for many nights. You had sleepovers with pizza, ice cream and classic movies. Getting over Hyunwoo was going to be tough, everyone knew that, they loved you and hence, they did whatever they could. It was better now. Your friends were by your side every moment, and it made you feel better. You had these amazing people as part of your life and it made you happier. You had almost gotten over Hyunwoo, almost.

2 years later

After these years, your clothing app has become much more famous. Taehyung's career has grown much more too. He has been getting offers to photograph for the biggest brands. You both still live in the same apartment. You have gotten over Hyunwoo. It has been long, and you don't even think about him anymore. But since these past few days, you've been feeling different around Taehyung. It's a feeling similar to the one you felt around Hyunwoo. Everytime you see him, you feel butterflies in your stomach, and your cheeks get heated up. Is it possible that you like him? No, stupid Y/N, you're probably just sick, hahaha. Before going to sleep, he's the only thing on your mind. You go to sleep with a smile on your face just because of the thought of him. That definitely means you like him, maybe even love him. You're screwed.

And as for Taehyung, he still likes you and he thinks it's safe to say that he loves you now.

Present

"Hey Y/N, should we go to the beach tonight? We can watch the stars, we haven't done that in so long!" Taehyung asked, excited just by the thought of spending more time with you. "Yeah sure, but before that can we have dinner in that cafe nearby!?" You asked, more excited than him. "YES!" he replied a bit too enthusiastically. You both chuckled.

Before Taehyung came back from his shoot for the day, you started getting ready. You were making a mess of your closet and your bed right now. "I have nothing to wear!" You whined and lay down on the bed. Ooh, I could wear the dress Taehyung gifted me! You thought and you rushed to remove the burgundy coloured fit and flare dress that he gifted you and paired it up with white sneakers. You also wore the matching bracelets you both had and you left your hair open. You put on a simple make up look, not trying to look extra and you put on your favourite perfume. "I haven't looked this good in a while, muah!" You said to yourself in the mirror and giggled. You have decided, you will tell Taehyung that you have feelings for him today. You can do it.

You heard the door of the apartment opening, Taehyung came back from the shoot. "Y/N! I'm home!" He said.

You replied from your bedroom "Yeah okay! You can freshen up and get ready!".

"Sure thing!" He rushed to his bedroom and removed his best outfit. He decided to wear his black and white hoodie along with his jeans and a pair of sneakers. He never removed your guys' friendship bracelet, so he was also wearing that.

Taehyung got ready and called you down. "I'm coming!" You came down the stairs and he stood with his mouth agape. "Wow, you look- beautiful Y/N!" he said. For the first time in a while, you looked and felt alive, you looked happy. You both got into his car and drove to the cafe. After having dinner, you are now laying on a blanket that you placed onto the cold sand, the cold being felt through the blanket. For some reason, he looks more attractive than usual today and it isn't going too good for you. All that was being heard were the waves crashing onto the land and the sound of the birds. After a while you've finally decided to speak up. You got up and sat, Taehyung's eyes following your movements. "I-i need to say something." You said while fiddling with your fingers. Taehyung sat up, facing you. "Mhm, go ahead." He said. He was wondering what was making you so nervous. "So. Taehyung, we've been friends for decades. You've been there for me when no one else was. You've always supported me, you've helped me stand up for myself and it's because of you that I could pursue my passion today. You were the one who convinced my parents for letting me do the things that I love. Even after my breakup, you've taken care of me for a long time and I truly appreciate that. After all these years, I've realized that the one who I have been looking for has been in front of me for so long and I just couldn't see it. I'm sure of this because whenever I see you I feel butterflies in my stomach and I feel safe with you, I feel secured in your arms and I feel happy whenever I'm with you. Kim Taehyung, I love you." You finished with a sigh and you looked up seeing a shocked Taehyung. His mouth is wide open and he is very surprised. Did you screw this up? "Tae, will you say something?" You asked, moving your hands in front of his face. He coughed, coming back to his senses. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear this from you Y/N. I can't believe it, you love me? I've been in love with you since 7 years. I've been waiting for you Y/N, because I love you too much to let you go. I love every single thing about you. To me, you are perfect. Y/L/N Y/N, I love you too."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" You asked, you were really happy at this moment. "Because that guy asked you out on a second date on the day I was gonna confess." He said, referring to Hyunwoo, with his signature boxy smile. You squealed and hugged him tightly. It felt so safe, so good to be in his warm embrace. "I wish we could be like this forever." You said. "I promise you, we will." He replied. You could feel his heartbeat. You pulled away from the hug and looked up at him. You saw his eyes flickering from your eyes and down to your lips. You pecked him on the lips and quickly pulled away, giggling, feeling the heat rushing to your cheeks. He pulled you back into the kiss, you could feel him smiling into the kiss. You had been waiting for this, and you immediately melted into the kiss. It was a passionate yet sweet and gentle kiss. You pulled back,

"I love you Tae, and I will, forever." You said.

"I love you too Y/N, and I will never let you go" He said and he pulled you back into his warm once embrace again.

You were sure of it. He is the one you've been looking for.

A/N: Hey guys, this was my first and last oneshot and I hope y'all liked it. Feel free to give your honest opinions in the comments. Give me your suggestions and I will truly appreciate that.

#kim taehyung #bts #i love him #i love you #this was fun #taetae #bts taehyung #tae × reader #oneshot #give me your opinion #❤��

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aasfandoms · 4 years ago

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Hiya, I feel like I've asked this before but I'll ask again. I'd like a bit of writing advice if that's alright with you? Just, how do you write thousands of words without making your story feel like it has too much going on or without making it super purple and wordy? Your fics always strike such a lovely balance between long and not overly detailed. I just struggle to write 1000 words without accidently writing the entire plot in one chapter, even if I try padding it out a bit, it's still too short for my taste.

This is tough to answer because honestly most of it comes with practice, which isn't always fun but is necessary. I find that I can strike a decent balance by including descriptions of the scene or items/people in it (but don't OVER describe, or describe every little thing; you want to mainly give the general vibe/description, the reader's brain will fill in details), what the characters thinks about those things, and their physical or emotional reaction to anything that sticks out.

It also helps to just... add things. Add a tiny thing that happens here and there, doesn't have to be plot relevant, just a little thing that the characters notices then moves past, or a small detail that just expands your length a little. Or something a little bigger that better reveals the characters personality or thoughts.

Here are maybe some examples that might help (featuring BkDK A/B/O);

Instead of saying something like;

"He went to the club right after work and hurried inside. After paying the entrance fee he slipped through a crowd to get to the main stage, where he waited eagerly."

Try expanding and adding some little things;

"After work Katsuki rushed home to change into something nicer than his plain civilian clothes. He chose a plain black shirt with a purple button-up over it and black pants. There was an attempt to do something with his hair, but it did not work. Oh well. He brushed his teeth, hastily wrapped his gifts, and hurried out the door. Maybe, just maybe, he sped a little too.

It was 5:45 by the time he got to the club. He left the gifts in the car and hurried inside. “Has Zuzu danced yet?” He asked the lady behind the counter who took his cash and marked his hand.

“No, but he’s up next.”

“Thanks,” he scurried inside.

It was busier than two nights ago, but that made sense. It was Friday. Every pervert in the city was rushing to the strip clubs to spend their evening getting trashed and watching sexy dancers.

Technically, he was now part of that demographic, but he chose to ignore that fact.

The bar was busy but he didn’t give two shits about getting a drink or snack anyway. Instead, he pushed his way through the crowd to get to the main stage. A pretty female Omega was finishing up her dance, so he stood back until she was done. No sense taking up space that a paying customer could occupy. Wouldn't be fair to her at all. Once her song ended and she strutted off, he pushed forward and planted himself firmly against the stage.

His heart was racing. All he could think about was seeing Izuku again."

So we've added a detour to the house to change and get ready. We added a short conversation with the lady behind the counter. We've added his thoughts/observations about the club. We added a dancing lady that created more realism and lengthened our word count.

Additionally, by mentioning the counter lady and dancing lady, we've reminded the reader that there are other people in this world that effect it (instead of hyper-focusing on our two main characters) and we've shown how our character reacted to them and thereby gave him a little more depth.

We can tell he's eager and worried about being late by the convo with the counter lady. He was polite to wait and allow the dancing lady to make more tips instead of being rude and taking a spot from someone else, showing that even though he'd very focused/eager right now he still considers others and reacts to them, rather than ignoring them.

We also didn't over-describe the club. We know it's busy, we know there's a bar, we know there's a stage. Granted, this particular bar was described a little more in a previous chapter, but the general vibe was the same; we don't need details or the layout, just the important bits.

Here is an example of showing emotion through actions, not words;

Rather than saying;

"He finally received a text back. He stopped punching the bag to check his phone. He was eager to see what it said."

Let's do this;

"The text went unanswered for a few hours. Katsuki nearly forgot about it, so lost in showing this free-standing bag who was boss. He punched it hard enough to knock it over, then used his foot to force it back up. Just as he went for another swing he heard his phone chime. He nearly tripped over his own feet hurrying over to it."

It's a little longer, has a bit more character, has a bit of humor, and we've displayed that he's so excited to receive that text that he nearly fell over to see it. I like to include small, almost silly details like that because it feels human and it tells us what kind of emotions that person is feeling without actually just stating the emotion.

Another thing I like to do is bleed the real world or certain actions with characters thoughts. Here's an example;

"Hideki was standing outside, but his attention was on the dancer. Katsuki probably could have slipped right in past him, but he opted to just lean against the wall nearby and wait. His erection had, thankfully, disappeared, and these few moments alone allowed him to ground himself a little more. Stop exuding horny pheromones, exude some neutral or pleasant ones instead, straighten his clothes, check his hair, make sure he didn’t actually have any droll on his face, look presentable goddamnit."

Katsuki is taking a moment to gather himself and make sure he looks okay and we can tell he's nervous about it by the last 3 words, in which his inner dialogue has bled into what was real-world description.

We can combine these two things as well! Example:

"His schedule was next. It was the same as usual. Patrol started at eight. Lunch from noon to one. Patrol done by five. Same shit different day-

His phone chimed and he nearly dropped his coffee in the scramble to get it out of his pocket.

“The heck? You okay?” Eijiro asked.

“Shut up,” came the venomless bite. A text. From Izuku. Exactly what he’d been hoping for. His heart hammered in his chest."

His inner thoughts were cut-off my real world events and he reacted in a mild panic. By using very short sentences we can also show that his thoughts are racing and he's anxious to see what the text says.

When it comes to writing there are a lot of little tricks you can use to both lengthen your work and make it more fun to read. These are the ones I use most. Hopefully, it was helpful, or at least readable. I'm always happy to expand on something too or offer critiques!

Don't beat yourself up about not being as good as you want to be right now either. Like I said, it takes practice. My writing style now is very different from ten years ago and significantly better, but I've written and LOT of fics since then, read a lot of fics since then, and taken in writing advice I've gotten from others. It takes time to improve but that's no reason to stress! Have fun with your writing, you created it from nothing!

#a lot of little advice adds up #i hope this helps you out #let me know if you want more details or clarification!

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inkforhumanhands · 4 years ago

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1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 (BABYYY), 12 (Matttttt), 16, 18, 22?

1. give short descriptions of all your current WIPs.

gonna go super vague/silly on this since i’ve already answered this question a bunch:

foggy confesses his love to matt and matt makes like dean winchester

foggy “i am only one night stand material” nelson

we are just actors acting out a kiss and that’s it no homo (mattfoggy)

matt doesn’t know how to tell foggy he doesn’t need a wingman he needs him

haven’t you heard the rumors, foggy? matt is dating daredevil

matt is a lying liar who lies and foggy tries to be a detective

matt backflips out a window after telling foggy he’s going to off himself

drunken back of taxi kisses (mattfoggy)

exchange fic (depression??? haven’t figured this one out yet)

collab fic w/ happybeans: matt reluctantly takes on a bodyguard gig and foggy doesn’t know what’s up but he’s going to join forces with jessica jones to find out

3. what makes you love writing?

hmm i mostly like having written so i guess the moment when i write a sentence and then i step back and i’m like “okay yeah that’s a banger”

oh also i guess i like exploring feelings through words.

4. what does it take for you to be proud of something you’ve written?

hell to freeze over ahahaha /jk if we’re talking long-term pride that’s a tough one...i guess both the writing has to be “good” and the premise has to be something i actually care about personally (so like probably not from a prompt)

5. what do you think is the most important part of writing?

finding your own voice

8. which of your own projects have shaped your writing the most? in what way?

Probably The Man Who Would Not Be King because it was the first time I really attempted a long, multi-chaptered fic. It helped me kind of start to develop my own writing style, and in particular I started to do a thing where I gave each chapter a motif and interwove that into the writing and the feelings of the characters. Before that I’d always been disappointed with the way I wasn’t great at describing settings or physical things, but I realized you don’t really have to, depending on what’s important in the story.

9. what are you best and worst at when writing?

best at finding ways to describe moods and inner dialogue that’s not “dialogue-y”. worst at natural-sounding dialogue. like if i have one line that i think a character would say whatever their speaking partner comes back with usually makes me cringe when i read it back. somebody do all the dialogue for me lmao

10. which patterns keep popping up in your projects/characters?

eyyyy, self-loathing. also crack?? i didn’t know i was such a crack person until this year tbh

11. give three songs or images that fit [You Would Never Call Me Baby].

Okay well the obvious one is the song that inspired it, Hood by Perfume Genius, particularly the following lines:

You would never call me baby If you knew me truly

Underneath this hood you kiss I tick like a bomb

why not another Perfume Genius one? This is from Sides, I like to think of it as from Foggy’s perspective

Look Sometimes you forget To just let me in a bit Baby, just - Where do you go sometimes - Idle and empty-eyed?

and that’s all i got for right now lol sorry

12. give three songs or images that fit [Matt Murdock].

Asleep in the Chapel by Thursday:

Three chalk outlines sleep in the dirty street And in our beds Under the sheets They're the halo of guilt hanging around your neck Next to the rosary You count, falling asleep

andddd i am drawing a blank on anything else atm

16. to what extent do you research for your writing?

not very much tbh i’m pretty lazy. if it’s something that’s pretty important to know though i will make some effort to look it up, like for Flip the Script i looked up the symptoms of chloroform poisoning and discovered it’s actually much worse for you (and works a lot slower) than on TV. (and then i chose to ignore the speed issue XD)

18. how do what you look for in your own writing vs someone else’s coincide? how does your writing influence your reading?

I feel like I tend to focus a lot more on the words/writing itself when I’m thinking about my own writing but when I’m reading someone else’s my primary concern is whether I can get immersed in it or not. So like writing quality is still an issue if it’s going to pull me out of the story but it’s also less important than how I would grade my own work. Sometimes I read things with an eye to “hmm if I was writing this I would have expanded on that” etc. but I usually just read fic to read. I think I’m more critical of published fiction.

22. how much of your own self/experiences do you believe pours into your projects? if this differs per project, which projects have the most and least of you?

I project really hard onto one Matt Murdock so if the fic is angsty there’s going to be part of me in it, whether personality-wise or drawing on experience-wise. I will say there is A Lot of me in You Would Never Call Me Baby (WIP). As far as crack things I don’t think there’s much of me in them at all other than my horrible sense of humor.

#suicide mention #ask games #happybeans #asks #writing

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liamoftheirish · 4 years ago

Text

Task 24 - OOC About Your Character

1. What do you want to get out of playing this character(s)?

To see him and his story develop, especially with relationships.

2. Describe your character(s) with three words.

Strong, fierce, caring.

3. What made you decide to write this muse?

Liam was my first muse in this game, and I always wanted to play someone that went against typical fantasies of wealth and power, instead someone simple-life oriented, quiet, reserved, cold who could develop into something more if unlocked.

4. If you could change one event in your muse’s life (in their main or canon verse), what would you change?

Nothing really, everything is carefully crafted to put Liam in the mindset he needs to be in; I already re-wrote his history when I left the game and came back, to flesh him out better.

5. If you could tell your muse one thing, what would you tell them?

Don’t be afraid to open up and love again.

6. If you could give your muse one gift, what would you give them?

He’s not very sentimental or materialistic, but if possible, maybe one more day with his wife that would let him get closure.

7. If you had to take one positive thing away from your muse, what would you take away?

His unwavering conviction: He has his beliefs, he has his loyalties, and those don’t stray, and it’s an admirable trait to have a strong conviction that you don’t let falter.

8. If you could “borrow” one aspect of your muse and apply it to yourself or your own life, what would you borrow?

His confidence in himself and his beliefs, to not care so much what others think.

9. Do you genuinely want your muse to be happy? What do you think would make them most happy in life?

I would love Liam to be happy, I thought there was a chance at first, but that fell off; since then, it seems the options are there, but it’s on him to be more open to allow for it. Clearly the man has lived a violent, angry, and lonely life, one that he created himself because of his nature. He hasn’t allowed himself to love since his wife passed (by his hands in a blood rage), and he hasn’t allowed himself to love again. There’s been a few that have nearly unlocked that, but it’s not until he allows himself to admit it and forgive himself, that he’ll ever be truly happy.

10. Do you enjoy putting your muse through angst? What do you think would break their heart the most?

I do, even if he doesn’t seem ‘angsty’, fact is stuff bothers him inwardly and he worries. He just doesn’t like to show weakness or too many sides to himself. He has been more open, and recently been questioning some of his actions. Hurting him the most would be him harming someone he cares deeply about.

11. What do you love about your muse?

His confidence, and again, his unwavering conviction. His simple-life mindset is also something I greatly appreciate.

12. What do you hate about your muse?

His coldness and closed off mindset.

13. What about your muse amuses you?

The fact that pop-culture references just go flying over his head, because he just does not care a thing about film or TV.

14. What about your muse makes you sad?

The fact that he feels so lonely despite his friends.

15. How would you describe your muse to someone about to meet them, in person, for the first time?

He’ll be cold, distant, a bit stand offish. May be a bit intimidating, and maybe a bit too matter-of-fact in speaking, seems to lack any real filter. If you can accept that and work past it, he’s a good friend to have though.

16. Would you like your muse as a person if you met them in real life?

Probably, but it’d be hard for me to feel comfortable to call him a friend; I’d be pretty intimidated around him until I got to know him.

17. In what ways are you better than your muse? In what ways are they better than you?

I’m more open, empathetic, able to befriend people easier, but Liam has a confidence and conviction that I lack and wish I had. I wish I could care less about what people think of me, and be more confident in who and what I am.

18. Why do you think you connect to your muse?

We both care deeply about people we love, we’re both a bit quieter, and both of us aren’t the most social of butterflies; while Liam would prefer to sit at home wood working and working on cars, I’d more than happily sit at home and write or watch movies.

19. What aspect of your muse’s personality is most important to you? What aspect of your muse’s personality do you think is most important to them? Is it the same? Why or why not?

Again, it’s his pure and unwavering confidence and conviction. I think that probably is the same with Liam as well, holding onto his identity is so invaluable to him, because if he loses that he’ll lose control and that’s when he’ll slip back into what he used to be. He struggles with the fact that he’s a violent, insatiable killer, but at the same time has compassion for life and doesn’t WANT to just attack and kill. And he has to make sure he accepts that aspect of him, of what he WANTS to be, so he can balance that against what he can be. His confidence and conviction helps maintain that balance.

20. Has your character(s) changed over the time that you have been playing them? How have they changed?

While Liam’s fundamentals, his rules to live by and moral convictions have mostly stayed the same. He has slowly opened up more, been more open to listen and talk with people; though, he doesn’t often talk about himself, he can let a bit of his past slip in here or there. He’s learned to not look at others as potential enemies or victims, but instead daring to call some of them friends. He’s able to laugh more, joke more, hopefully someone’s willing to push that to the next level someday.

About You!

1. What is your name?

Matt

2. What is your profession?

Beer and Wine Steward

3. What do you do to relax?

Listen to music, write, watch films, play video games.

4. What is your favorite treat (desert)?

Ice Cream on fresh-baked brownie/cookie with fudge dripped over it all.

5. Favorite movie -

I’m a massive film buff, so almost every movie is a favorite to me in some fashion. I adore Star Wars for several reasons, not all of them good. Maybe my favorite movie is probably a toss up between The Big Lebowski or No Country for Old Men, any film with incredible dialogue really. But then I also absolutely love beautiful BS like the MCU films and got shivers during the Portals scene in Endgame, so yea... no idea really.

6. Favorite book -

Currently: The Immortal Irishman - Timothy Egan (This needs to be made into a movie)

7. Favorite vacation spot -

My favorite vacation I ever went on is a toss up between trip with friends to Portland for a wedding, and Chicago for Star Wars Celebration, but I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland. I intend to try next year.

8. Favorite Disney movie -

The Lion King (I’m basic bitch like that, don’t at me.)

9. How did you first get into role playing?

I started playing back when I was around 13 or 14, back on AOL, playing a Jedi in a D&D like setting... because that’s what I knew. People were accepting of it, and it was some of the greatest experience. I love story telling.

10. What was your first platform? If it was something other than Tumblr, what made you get into Tumblr?

AOL. And why Tumblr? AOL moved to Greatest Journal, which died, and moved to Insane Journal, and I met a girl there who told me about Tumblr RP, which I said ‘that sounds stupid’... and now I’m here. So there’s that. I still really don’t know what I’m doing half the time on Tumblr, no idea how to discover games on this platform, lol.

11. What’s a grammar rule you find yourself breaking or ignoring a lot?

100% it’s tenses. Past/present, I just write how I talk and it’s bad writing, I know. I will also simultaneously explain way too much in depth, and other times get ridiculously lazy writing in-depth.

12. Are there any languages besides English in which you think you could comfortably roleplay?

Just English. I’ve tried to learn other languages, but for whatever reason it’s very hard for me to wrap my mind around sentence structure and grammar rules in other languages.

13. Do you listen to music while your write?

Depends. If it’s just basic writing, an easy-going scene, probably not? I can get distracted from time to time; however, if I’m trying to get into a specific mood most definitely. Or if I feel a scene is heading somewhere that needs a good soundtrack? I’m a sucker for soundtracks in film, and music can really drive my mood (which is why it can be a distraction). And sometimes I write a scene specifically because I was hearing music that put me in that mood.

14. Are you a morning, day, evening, or night writer?

Evening. Which is why changing positions at work will help me, when I start working more during the day. When I work at night it’s hard for me to get up and get going enough in the morning to write.

15. How does tiredness affect your writing?

Do you know how many times I write something exhausted, and when I come back to read it I absolutely hate it? It affecs me greatly...

16. What is your biggest obstacle to writing every day, if time doesn’t count?

Motivation, mood. I’m up and down in my moods, and sometimes I’m feeling down, exhausted, both, or sometimes I just feel inadequate in my writing and hate writing because I judge my abilities and suddenly don’t want to write.

17. How many drafts is a paralyzing amount?

None? It’s more my mood and how far I get behind that’s paralyzing, but when I’m not feeling down or depressed, I’m in a normal mood or a great mood, I can write 30 threads in a single sitting and not miss a beat. I’m sure others can attest to how far I can turn around a reply when I’m on my game. (probably annoyingly).

18. Is there anything character-wise or writing style-wise that you can’t stand?

It’s probably Godmodding, it takes away from the fun of writing WITH people if you’re trying to control their actions.

19. What kind of anonymous questions are your favorite?

Things that make me think about my character, or have my character think. Things that make me really develop my character’s mind.

20. What is your weakest point in writing? Angst, fluff, dialogue, etc.?

I love dialogue in film, so maybe it’s a bit ironic that writing dialogue can easily be an achilles heel for me. It’s hard for me to write fluff or small talk, because I’ve personally never been very good at small talk, and focusing that in my writing is difficult. Fluff is kind of the same way, because it’s all romantic and cheesy and really? I feel a bit embarrassed when writing it. Though that’s more or less for some characters more than others. Murad I can get a bit more fluffy and small talky because I can be outwardly weird with him, where as Liam... his quiet reserve and demeanor make those difficult.

#theinstitutetask #task 24

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hellzyeahwebwielingessays · 5 years ago

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The Not-So-Amazing Mary Jane Part 32: AMJ #5.1

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Well here we are at the final issue of this arc, of what was originally supposed to be the end of this series. I think it’s safe to say that it’s too far gone to be salvaged now. But let’s wrap this up and see if any further damage is done.

As always we have the recap.

Once more, the full title of the movie is here in the recap and yet to be in the story itself, although we got half of it last time.

The recap reaffirms this story’s misguided idea that Beck was trying to be a better man, with his desire to make a film as the only proof. Something just occurred to me about that actually. This story spins out from ASM but in those issue the idea of Beck becoming a better man was never even hinted at. So did Williams just ignore that stuff and impose whatever story she wanted to tell? If so that’s pretty lame writing. At least organically pivot to that. Try to make the transition from Mysterio in ASM to the redemption mode Mysterio not feel as abrupt and part of the same story.

It also doubles down on this horseshit that MJ would honestly let Mysterio walk around free because she connects with him on art. See part 12 for why exactly this is horseshit.

The recap also mentions the Savage Six’s attacks. Nothing wrong with that although it just drives home how (like with beck and the other criminal crewmembers) MJ knows bad people are doing something bad but is doing nothing to stop them doing those bad things. Does that remind you of another story? Like say one from 1962?

Finally I just despise the final line of the recap. It frames MJ and Beck as buddies which is just gross.

As we open up the story proper, we see beck and MJ shooting a scene from the movie. It entails the pair surrounded by robot soldiers and MJ fighting them off. She leaps from a cliff making Mysterio scream ‘Noooo!’. It’s over heard by nearby civilians in the park. Back at the set MJ exits the bouncy castle she landed on and ‘McKnight’ asks Master Matrix if they got the footage; they did.

Not much happens in these pages but there is still a fair bit to unpack.

First of all the fact they are still filming this stuff tells me (maybe I’m wrong) they were more than a few days away from finishing filming last issue. So that’d be even more time that the crew and innocent people have been in danger from the Savage Six.

Also, like last issue MJ can suddenly pull off these very gymnastic moves out of nowhere.

Furthermore let’s consider that the scene is in the middle of being filmed right? But there are these robotic soldiers with pencil thin waists. They can’t be people in suits. The sheer number of them and the size of them mean they can’t be models either and the way in which they move means they would either have to be

CGI. Except CGI is inserted after a scene is shot, you can’t capture it on camera whilst the actors are filming it in real time

Real robots. Except Mysterio’s budget for practical effetcs was cut way back in issue #2 and creating or hiring out at least 12 (I counted) actual robots would surely be beyond their budget

They are illusions created by Beck. Except last issue he said he’d only use illusions to make MJ look convincingly like Spider-Man. If he’s changed his mind and is more willing to be less authentic why bother having a real actor complete the scene with Spidey at all?

Finally civilians can overhear Beck’s scream. But wouldn’t park goers also have heard the megaphones or other loud noises from the set? Remember in issue #3 how the whole reason they relocated to an abandoned zoo in the first place (and thereby scared Charlie away) was to maintain secrecy? If they are within earshot of a friggin park how has no one overheard the megaphones or other loud noises that the film set is bound to make? Are you telling me that they really never needed to film outside of the caves before this day? That’s rather contrived isn’t it?

On the next page we learn that it’s the last day of filming and MJ just wrapped up her scenes.

However, the investor from issue #2 is open to the possibility of funding another leg of secondary photography. This means that the movie might continue to film and they could reinstate stuff they cut, including scenes with MJ; presumably this would include the romance cut in issue #3.

There are two major points to bring up here.

The first is that I personally suspect that the movie possibly being extended was not Williams’ original plan for this issue. It strikes me as something written once she knew that this series would continue beyond issue #5. As in since the series is continuing the film they are making continues too in order to possibly provide more plot for consequent issues. It might also be Williams being meta.

The more significant point though is that by extending the shooting it means that the crew and all those people from issue #4 would still be in harm’s way due to the Six and the paparazzi they employed.

Notice how no one bothers to think of them with MJ simply delighted and commenting upon how her character’s scenes could be restored. Once more Williams writes MJ as totally selfish here.

We then get a splash page of Mallorie using a megaphone. She instructs the crew that they only have an hour (magic hour specifically) to film the last scene. One hour and one last chance to finish the movie.

Nothing much to say on this beyond repeating that the park goers should be over hearing Mallorie.

I also find the editorial box a little pretentious but that’s just me, it’s not something to fairly hold against the story.

MJ and Beck talk about the fulfilment of the latter’s dream. Beck explains he feels strange. MJ is surprised at this because he’s getting more money for his own work. Beck clarifies that he feels strange to have made it to this stage. Because they’d faced so much adversity he had expected nothing else. He’d been emotionally preparing for failure. Now he feels strange because he has to face the possibility of success.

He continues that in this final scene he shall envision himself fighting his own demons. He credits his success to MJ personally. She in turn affirms how proud she is of him and that she never disbelieves in them. She heads off to relax and Mallorie assures her that she’ll be called when they wrap up. After all, they need to break up the set pieces.

There are three things notably wrong with this page.

The smallest of these is the dialogue. ‘We faced so much adversity that I’d begun to anticipate nothing but. Deep down, I’d been emotionally preparing…’

It just doesn’t read well and at first glance seems like it’s a grammatical error. As in the intent was meant to be ‘anticipate nothing. But, deep down…’ It’s not technically wrong, but the word choice makes the intent less clear. Using ‘nothing else’ or something other than ‘but’ at the end of the sentence would’ve made the dialogue flow much better.

The more significant problem is MJ talking about Beck getting more money for his ‘own work’. The way the emphasis is placed is clearly intended to mean that prior to this moment Beck wasn’t getting money for his own work but someone else’s.

This is likely a reference to the first two issues wherein Beck got funding by selling the investors on a different movie than the one he was delivering. The problem is the money they have been using up until now and the additional funds they might get haven’t been off the back of Beck’s own work. The fact that he’s gained trust and money whilst pretending to be Cage McKnight, failing to inform the investor he’s a criminal and has hired criminals mitigates ‘his own work’.

MJ and Beck have no idea if the investor knew of McKnight’s reputation or past work. They don’t know if on some level that influenced his decision to finance them. Even if he didn’t the mere fact he didn’t know he was indirectly giving money over to criminals on the run (some of whom are murderers) makes MJ’s point moot.

Most people wouldn’t have done that for ethical reasons or just out of concern for themselves. It’s not as bad but it definitely shares similarities to Otto as Peter Parker dating Anna-Maria Marconi. At best that’s unethical and deceitful and so is failing to inform the investor that he’s financing a criminal.

The biggest problem though is the continued sympathetic framing of Mysterio. Oh how lovely for his character to have had a change of heart and now believes in himself. Good for him.

How wonderful MJ helped him reach a more positive place in his life and fulfil his lifelong dream. Sure hope none of elderly people who’s life savings he took had dreams of helping their families after they died. Sure hope Gwyneth didn’t have any dreams or ambitions for her life beyond high school.

Fuck this misinterpretation of Mysterio seriously. And no, I have zero faith at this point that Williams is setting up a big rug pull down the line. Everything up until this issue has convinced me this is just how she sees Mysterio.

And even if she is planning a bait and switch, the fact that she’s had MJ and Beck become sincere friends is aggressively problematic. For God’s sake MJ is so sad Beck has demons. She’s so proud of him. So happy her belief paid off and he fulfilled his dream.

She’s saying all this about a man who abducted her, faked the death of someone she loves, tried to frame, psychologically attack and murder the love of her life. He’s not even expressed any remorse for any of that!

Later MJ records a video message to Peter.

The PeterxMJ shipper in me loves this scene when it’s removed from all context (like how MJ has continuously lied to Spider-Man). I think Williams and Gomez love these scenes too. All three scenes focussing upon MJ and Peter’s relationship have made good use of their chemistry as characters and successfully delivered romantic moments. The art in particular is worthy of praise. The body language Gomez gives MJ converys her flirtatiousness and fun and her facial expressions (within the context of his style) sells you on the idea that she’s talking to someone she is in love with.

It’s nicely followed up on with the first line of the next page where MJ admits being in love makes her dorky.

MJ goes to hang out by the fence (for some reason) where she spots a van pull up. The Savage Six exit from it along with Charlie, who hands over some contact details to Vulture. I’m not sure if MJ is overhearing this herself or if it’s just for the reader’s benefit, but someone from the set emphasises the crew have but one shot to finish the movie. MJ sighs and removes her earrings as the Six make their way up the hill towards the set. Clearly she is ready to fight.

Way to make Charlie comically irredeemable Williams. He’s not been a nice guy up until this point but we might forgive a normal man for being intimidated by these ix violent crooks. But she just has to have him actively try to maybe get some employment out of the situation. On top of everything else it’s just a step too far and it makes him cartoonish. That’s not too much of a problem if he was an actual super villain but he’s just a normal person who’s being written as going the extra mile to be an asshole. He’s not even slightly upset he’s probably helped get many innocent people killed right now.

I also do not buy for a second that van could possibly fit all those people. Yeah, six normal humans sure. But look at the sheer size of Rhino, Scorpion and Stegron. It’d be doubtful it could fit or take the weight of any one of them. But ALL of them and four other people too? Bullshit.

As for MJ in this scene, isn’t it convenient she decided to chill-out by that fence and it happened to be the exact spot the Six were going to pull up in front of. And she happened to do it at the exact time too. What an insane coincidence.

I have mixed feelings about her framing in this scene. Because it’s bad ass and cool and normally I like seeing her like that. But at the same time why is MJ so utterly casual about this situation. She’s not even slightly worried. She doesn’t even look determined. She looks totally non-plussed. Friggin Spider-Man himself wouldn’t be non-plussed by this situation and his odds of survival are vastly better than MJ’s.

MJ is framed and acting like she’s Batman facing some B or C listers. But the ‘power scale’ is simply not like that in this context. The reality of the situation is far more serious than that. She cannot reliably be sure she’s win this fight at all.

I get Williams wants MJ to come off as awesome in this series. I get that she wants to celebrate her character. But this is not the way. Show the characters with flaws, concerns, with weaknesses. But that’s indicative of MJ throughout this story. MJ has been framed as awesome, cool and totally capable throughout this story. That’s great for maybe an issue, maybe even two. But five in a row?

For five issues in a row, MJ always has an answer to every problem. For five issues in a row she’s unflinchingly pragmatic. She never makes a mistake beyond not doing fight choreography fast enough? The closest the story comes to depicting her as imperfect is her discussion with master Matrix last issue and that was framing her as possibly wrong. Then everything since that moment has shown her to have been justified in her convictions. The only thing she’s truly failed at is keeping Charlie on set but she came up with a solution to that immediately that in turn made her look awesome again.

It’s like this series has taken the idealized view of MJ Peter would have of her and then treated that as her actual character even when the story isn’t from his point of view. Her failings and set backs are minimal whilst her successes are huge. She’s redeemed Mysterio, made his dream come true, made a whole movie click, patched every hole, literally saved the live of the crew.

And now she’s nonchalantly going to kick the asses of six guys who Spider-Man himself has rarely found to be pushovers. Okay maybe nowadays Spider-Man might find beating them easy due to his experience. But in his earliest encounters that wasn’t the case. MJ has never one-on-one battled any of these guys before to my knowledge. But now on her first try, with no powers, no weapons or equipment, no real training, she’s nonplussed about fighting all Six of them at once.

Jesus Christ.

Remember how Spencer within his first 12 issues had MJ confront some concerns she had over dating Peter again with the Lookups?

Remember how Spencer in his first issue had Spider-Man save the day but not be non-plussed or supremely confident about it? Remember how it wasn’t framed as easy?

Shit, MJ’s most iconically bad ass moment wasn’t framed this way. She was scared of Chameleon.

The story framed her as determined in spite of her vulnerability.

She wasn’t going in sure she could win, but she was going to damn well try. Her victory was even a surprise to her

That is absolutely not the case here. Sure, we as readers know MJ is going to win because she wouldn’t be killed off in her own ongoing series. But that certainty comes from outside the context of the story, whilst the framing here is outright telling you MJ is going to be a bad ass and will win.

Maybe we don’t know the specifics of how, but there isn’t the slightest ambiguity conveyed. The framing has neutralized the danger and suspense. You aren’t reading the next few pages so see if or even how MJ is going to get out of this one. You are reading to simply see how the Six are gonna get their asses kicked.

What’s so frustrating is that this is not how Williams framed MJ in issue #3 when the Six initially attacked. There she played things correctly, MJ was framed as in peril and had to psych herself up to get the job done.

That was great.

But that’s not here. Here Mary Jane is framed as casually confident in spite of the exact same situation. Only worse because she’s not got Beck there to actually do the fighting for her.

It’s deplorable writing. It’s deplorable framing. And Williams doubles down on it immediately with the next panel when MJ insults the Six. Then tells them they’ll have to get through her first. They laugh of course (which is a prelude to her obviously winning).

Vulture demeans MJ by calling her an attractive accessory. She then hits him with her palm, which seemingly injures his face.

How wonderfully original.

I’ve never in my life seen a story where seemingly threatening people (usually men) dismiss and demean a female character as a non-threat and just a pretty face, only to be proven totally wrong. That’s oh so original in fiction, in comic books and in Spider-Man comic books too.

Also, I question if MJ could really hurt Vulture that way.

This guy has been punched in the face by Spider-Man himself and that was without his helmet. The guy has super strength so is Mary Jane basically shoving him really going to hurt him? If so then that’s a huge design flaw for a genius inventor to make isn’t it?

Everything else I could say about this page I already mentioned about the last page and in the description for this one.

The art and facial expressions are very good though, kudos to Gomez.

Oh wait, there was one teeny, tiny little thing I forgot to mention. So the Six’s goal is to get to the set right?

And there are six of them right?

And one of them can fly, some of them can leap large distances and others can just break through walls right?

And there is a huge fence right?

Why don’t they just go around Mary Jane?

They are treating this like MJ is the one and only entry point to the set when she isn’t.

They have numerous options for at least one of them getting to their target.

But stupidity is par for the course with this series isn’t it.

The next page is a beautifully drawn splash of MJ hitting Tarantula with some of the set.

I respect Williams knows enough about MJ to understand she uses her limited resources to her full advantage. The dialogue makes that clear. She clearly understand how MJ fights. But again the framing is jacked. Out of context it might seem cool but in context it’s asinine, especially when you consider she could’ve ended this threat altogether with a phone call to some super heroes. Cloak and Dagger are delivering food to this set but she can’t ask them to fight the Six for her?

More problematically where the fuck did that set piece even come from? I checked the art and couldn’t find any yellow thing in sight. We don’t even see how MJ got a hold of it between panels. She palmed Vulture then off-panel grabbed a set piece from thin air, jumped up and smacked it on Tarantula.

That is shitty fight choreography. Fight scenes in comic books are supposed to have a sense of flow, to clearly convey how we got from A to B. Here is a much better example of how you do it featuring Spider-Man fighting (a different) Tarantula.

In contrast to that AMJ #5 is just reaction A jumping immediately to reaction B.

I’m leaving it there for now. We’ll wrap up the issue and initial arc next time.

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svtskneecaps · 4 years ago

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i’ve been enabled

here’s the sitch on the goddamn harry potter hogwarts mystery app game

it fucking sucks

here’s my main issues in a handy list i’ll go down later:

the gameplay

energy

art / visuals

the story

the writing

the choose your own adventure like elements (technically gameplay since there isn’t much else l m a o)

and i have receipts for most of this stuff. fun fact, i’ve been taking videos of all plot relevant events since year 1.

some context:

i’ve played up to year 3 myself. i have watched up until the very beginning of year 5 in someone’s youtube series (will bits? that was his main character [henceforth referred to as MC]’s name, however that was a year ago and it was in the background like a podcast so the details are sort of fuzzy. i have not played the game since march (it’s september, ish), but i’m loading it up as i type this just to get a feel for it

idk whether to assume my audience has or hasn’t played the game. i’ll keep my complaints as clear as possible.

i’m mainly an author so the storytelling sections are where i’m really going to pop off, since that’s something i have the most experience with and passion in, but i’ll be touching on everything else because compounded it’s all pissing me off lmao

[a couple hints at spoilers for maybe an event in year 1, and year 3, but nothing major]

let’s start with: THE GAMEPLAY

there isn’t any

literally. there’s like. zero gameplay.

you tap some highlighted figures, and then sometimes you get to trace a little shape, and sometimes you get to play rock paper scissors to fight somebody (they did manage to make duelling slightly better but it’s still not good by any standard)

sometimes you get to choose between three dialogue options, but those have barely any impact on the story or on your character. any impact they have is limited to a couple stat points, or maybe some house points, or like. some event at the end of the year. but like barely any make any real serious difference (but i’ll touch on that more later)

and then there’s the factor of stat points (and this gets kind of mathy, so feel free to skip to the bolded sentence)

for those who haven’t played the game, you have three stats (empathy, courage, and knowledge) that you can level up by taking classes, 1, 3, or 8 hours, for various rewards

back when i stopped playing, i had gained 8914 points in courage. if i recall correctly i was only about halfway to leveling up that stat. if you take an 8 hour class, you receive consistently 200 stat points, with a possibility of extra rewards that i can’t count for since those are randomly generated.

to get those 8914 points, i would have had to take 44.57 8 hour classes (while 8 hour they only take about 7, counting for the 2 hours it takes my energy to recharge to full). with 44.57 classes taking 7 hours each, to get halfway to level 24, i would have had to have done:

THIRTEEN STRAIGHT DAYS OF GRINDING, ASSUMING THAT ALL I HAD BEEN DOING WAS CHECKING ON THE HARRY POTTER HOGWARTS MYSTERY APP

and again, I WAS ONLY LIKE HALFWAY TO LEVELLING UP

I AM BARELY BEGINNING FOURTH YEAR. I AM NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH THIS GAME.

i think they’ve fixed this now; it said i had 8914/1550 courage and when i got stat points it fixed itself and jumped me from level 23 to 28, so thanks for that jam city.

but it doesn’t change the fact that the grinding is fucking horrible and i’ve done my fair share of hours, and who knows what it’s going to look like when i get to a higher level again

the energy

yes, i know it’s an app game. i know they want my money. but holy FUCK the energy recharges disgustingly slowly, and every bit they expand my energy bar is an insult

“here, have another energy capacity!” they say, and then add to the amount of energy it takes to complete a task at the same time, so now shit just takes me even damn longer

it’s an insult. don’t think i didn’t fuckin notice jam city.

since it’s an app game, naturally, energy requires paying real world money or the (semi) rare in-game currency to get more if you blow through your bar. they want your money. i know they want my money, but it doesn’t make me any less disappointed by how damn blatant they’re being. app games like bakery story probably also want my money, but at least those are still fun to play.

the art / visuals

now i’m not an artist. nor am i a 3-d modeller. but if solo indie devs and 10 men teams can make video games that have to have models with a much fuller range of motion (since there’s ACTUAL GAMEPLAY and not just little cutscenes of characters moving around) and that don’t make me sick to watch, then jam city working on a HARRY POTTER GAME should be able to (jk rowling fucking sucks but her books have brought in so much goddamn money that they can afford to pay their devs enough to make the game look good; in this case i’m not entirely sure where the blame lies)

there’s like. 10 motions characters can use while in the cutscenes and talking. like 10. and i can recognize every one of them, and there is not a single motion unique to a character. the characters are something i’ll touch on later in the storytelling sections, though. just, please god give them SOMETHING even SLIGHTLY different. like make two versions of a couple of the crowd animations at LEAST, so that when people celebrate at the end of the year there’s not twenty people in the shot doing the same “pump my fists in the air in celebration” motion at the exact same time. PLEASE.

sometimes animations in story events and classes sync up too, which is. beyond distracting. like it’s completely immersion breaking and i mean please, please jam city, if you haven’t fixed that please fix it. please.

the animations that roll in flying class are fun, ONCE. when you’ve seen them eight hundred thousand times because you’re grinding up your courage stat, they get hella boring. all of the classes are like this to some extent but flying is the biggest offender since those were the longest animations. if they haven’t implemented a skip button since i last played it, they should. they fuckin should.

also the fertilizer animation in the greenhouse scenes is gross. you pick up a deformed cone of dirt with your shovel like a slice of cake and then shove it clipping through the edges of a pot, where it disappears without a trace. i hate it. jam city please make the game look good.

if you still play the game please tell me it looks better; i’ll be playing through a couple things after i post this but it’s hphm. it’s gonna take me a goddamn long time to hit all the points and confirm whether what i complained about has been fixed or not

also also, wearing dresses is so distracting, especially while dueling. the way the dress flexes around your legs is like you’re wearing clothing made from jello and when my character does the idle animation her hands clip through her skirt, and there’s all kids of glitches with hair where it clips through outfits (and why in the fuck do the necklaces float a full foot from the character’s body)

the storytelling

alright there’s a lot to cover so strap in

i’m not mad about the story having some of the same beats as harry potter. whatever, right? if it worked, it worked. having a big climax at the end of the year just works well for storytelling. having a school bully antagonist also works well for easy storytelling (it’s kinda cheap, but whatever works, right?) it’s what you DO with the archetypes you use that makes or breaks your story

jam city broke it

i don’t know how to organize my thoughts so here’s a bulleted list

it is very clearly obvious they wrote this as they went along (ex. a previously unseen character pops up in year 3 and was supposedly the best friend of your greatest enemy in previous years) and didn’t think to fix the plot holes

there’s too many goddamn characters (i love them, but with a big cast comes a whole host of problems [I WRITE FOR A KPOP GROUP WITH 13 MEMBERS, I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH THAT], and we’ll get there)

there’s too much goddamn filler for the sake of forcing us to spend time and in-game energy (yes i KNOW it’s an app game and they want our money but THEY COULD BE A LITTLE MORE SUBTLE ABOUT IT)

what honestly pisses me off the most about it is that IT COULD BE GOOD

IF THE STORY WERE GOOD, I WOULD FUCKIN IGNORE ALL OF THAT OTHER SHIT

but it’s not, and here’s the biggest gripe i have:

none of the choices you make matter. none of them. to the point where it’s immersion breaking at BEST

for example, while my MC is a hufflepuff, i know a lot of people play in slytherin. scenes where snape gets upset with your character and takes away house points no longer make sense for a slytherin MC, because snape would be infinitely more likely to give you three years of nightly detentions, or pitch you off the astronomy tower, than he would be to take house points from slytherin

honestly, they should have waited. if they wanted to put choose your own adventure elements into the game, they should have planned out every single one of those story arcs in detail, and THEN released the game. they could leave some of the more basic choices in and those choices only mattering for short term effects wouldn’t irk me as much as it does right now because THERE WOULD BE CHOICES THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE.

your very first choice over how you felt about your brother’s disappearance only matters for what wand you get (which i immediately forgot which really says something about the impact of that choice :)))) ). no matter what you pick, you still end up chasing after him for the rest of the game, so who cares?

story beats don’t land different based on your house. you could absolutely play it that merula hates you regardless of your house, that’s fine. just remember that if your MC is slytherin and lives in the female dorms, she probably shares a room with merula. which makes things fucky for all kinds of reasons, none of which jam city addresses in the current game, as far as i’m aware

also, there’s the deal with rowan

rowan is a character that goes into your mc’s chosen house no matter what (and as rowan changes pronouns with your player, i’ll be using “they” [or “she” as my player is a she and that’s what i’m used to; i’ll try to refrain but i might slip up occasionally] ). as far as i can tell, rowan’s personality remains the same no matter what house you’re in. they don’t try to play up the traits that match the house, rowan is just usually a sweet bookworm. why would the hat have put them in gryffindor? rowan khanna for me has never seemed to display any gryffindorish traits; or at the very least, no traits that should be prioritized over, say, the ravenclaw traits they have VERY STRONGLY (since rowan fills a sort of hermione role; rowan knows things about things and is your go to for research)

can we just put rowan in ravenclaw? sure, it would make it hard for fans in different houses to communicate between each other about the story for a time since certain sequences of events would play out differently, but here’s the thing:

if events play out differently based on your choices, people will want to play your game multiple times to get every ending

that’s the fun of a choose your own adventure game. if events play out distinctly differently if you’re a hufflepuff or a ravenclaw or a slytherin or a gryffindor, then people will want to play through the game four times at LEAST, once for each house, to get all the fun pieces of story (WHICH MEANS, they’ll be spending more and more time and using more and more energy, so you can make the same amount of money off people buying energy and watching the ads and maybe MORE while being able to cut out some of the more shitty pieces of filler)

in the current version, your house is just, what color are your robes and who is your prefect. i haven’t watched anyone who wasn’t a hufflepuff, but i’m sure that certain scenes and conflicts play out the exact same no matter what house you’re in

as an example, your house should affect how the duelling confrontation in year one should have gone. snape and flitwick should have different dialogue based on whether you’re a slytherin, or a ravenclaw, or a gryffindor, or a hufflepuff. snape fucking hates gryffindors, so he should be far less lenient against gryffindors, and on the flip side he should be battling between himself with how strict to be if you’re a slytherin; maybe he hates your guts because of a grudge against your brother, but you’re still in his house and we all know snape plays favorites. flitwick should be more disappointed if you’re a ravenclaw, because that’s his house and he had higher expectations for you. neither of them have many ties to hufflepuff that would skew the confrontation in a drastic direction, but had this been the first version of the game, then the confrontation that plays out in the current version we have would work fine for hufflepuff; you’re one of flitwick’s favorite charms students and he taught you this skill, and he’s disappointed to see you use it in this way, but not nearly as much as if you were one of his own

AND NOW PEOPLE WANT TO PLAY THE GAME MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET ALL THE DIALOGUE, WHICH MEANS MORE TIME, MORE ENERGY, AND MORE MONEY, JAM CITY, ARE YOU HEARING THIS??? MORE MONEY!!!!! IT’S A WIN WIN FOR EVERYONE

while we’re at it, change jacob to match his house. if you’re still gonna make him have the same house as the MC, make him match it. from how all the characters describe him that bitch is as slytherin as they come, if you’re gonna make him a hufflepuff with me then give him a clear, hufflepuff motive god damnit

finally,

the characters

there’s too many.

the problem with a big cast is no one gets enough screen time and some characters end up getting shunted to the side. that’s just what happens. you HAVE to zero in on four or five side friends and let the rest of them slip to the side. looking at my friends menu there are 17 characters you can befriend, not including hagrid, the quidditch crew, dobby, talbott, and chiara (since those are, as far as i know, unlocked via side quests, which are... fine. i don’t have any particular gripes about the side quests except for the thing with lupin being twice the size of tonks which, if you’ve read the seventh book i don’t need to explain how weird that is to you)

and BECAUSE there are so many, a lot of them have to be defined by one trait. ben is a coward, rowan’s clever and booksmart, penny has her hand on the school’s pulse and makes potions, liz likes creatures, charlie fuckin loves dragons, tonks likes pranks (seriously that’s her whole personality), andre likes clothes, barnaby is a dumb jock that likes creatures

like, traits are fun. but if that’s ALL THEY HAVE, that’s when things get a little fucky

how many of these characters have dimensions? i’m in year 4 chapter 4. the first screen recording of the game i took was on december 5 of 2019, and assuming i played about a minimum of 8 hours a day (”““played”““) until the final screen recording [may 20, 2020] before i dropped the game for about six months (i know for certain it was more than that, since i had some kind of activity going on at just about all times for at least a month of that, but i’ll take the generous estimate), at bare minimum that makes 1344 hours i spent playing this game, or about 56 days (keep in mind, this is a LOW estimate)

in those 56 days of gameplay, i don’t know ANYTHING about the characters other than their utility in my quest. i don’t know penny’s favorite color or even her favorite potion to brew, or how and why she started and when [there’s a reveal in third year that i watched someone play through, but i don’t know if i ever played through it myself; i don’t have any screen recordings of the event]. i don’t know anything about ben or his family aside from the fact that he’s muggleborn. i know some basic facts about barnaby’s family, and that he’s tough and likes creatures. rowan grew up on a tree farm and i have a vague recollection of her mentioning siblings. do we know anything about them?? do i know anything about how the characters interact with each other?? are barnaby and liz friends? they both like creatures. do they talk to charlie?? do ben and penny hang out while we’re not there? are ben and jae friends?? are jae and charlie??? DO THESE CHARACTERS EXIST WHEN THEY AREN’T NEEDED FOR THE CURSED VAULTS???

why in the fuck don’t i know these characters?? why don’t we know anything about tonks other than her affinity for pranking?? there’s a sharp bias in who the writer’s favorites are (they like the characters with angsty pasts they can twist around; what do we know about ben aside from his blood status? and he’s been around since first year; he’s the second friend you unlock. i know more about barnaby and i’ve known him for a much shorter time)

if you separate the routes, you get a chance to zero in on certain characters and actually develop them. if you’re a gryffindor, you befriend ben, charlie, and jae much more quickly and they make up the closest of your friends, along with rowan, if jam city is determined to keep their tutorial character constant across all plotlines (i still think rowan should be solely a ravenclaw, but i’ll allow rowan’s house to change so long as their personality shifts to emphasize certain qualities in order to match the change in house; your house should not just determine the color your robes are)

if you’re in slytherin, maybe you befriend barnaby in place of ben in the original game, or maybe there’s an arc where you clash heads with merula (who can still be an enemy even if you’re both in slytherin; merula doesn’t like competition and the MC is exactly that) and the rest of the slytherins in your year find themselves caught in the middle; maybe there’s an arc where your MC finds themself totally alone without allies due to the conflict between them and merula (might i suggest year two, while coming up on the climax of the year?)

hufflepuffs get to focus on tonks and penny much closer. ben can also be in this plotline, but he shouldn’t take center stage (characters should cross over plotlines, but only take center stage in one, aside from perhaps rowan if rowan remains constant). maybe chiara can get implemented into the main plotline to fill out the roster, and if not, diego caplan can get implemented earlier (i haven’t met him yet and know nothing about his character)

and ravenclaws get the ravenclaw characters BUT YOU GET THE POINT, i don’t want to bore anyone by repeating myself; this is long enough as is

what i’m saying is, these characters all have a different enough base that each route will be different just by focusing on different characters; ben and jae will respond to a situation much differently than penny and tonks might, which would ALREADY shake up the storyline of each house based on which house you choose in the beginning, and then characters overlap plotlines so you could leave hints in each route to the other characters’ unique backstories and motivations that leaves the player wanting to get to know the rest of your WELL DEVELOPED CAST (((MAKE SURE THEY’RE WELL DEVELOPED OR THIS WILL NOT WORK)))

WHAT I’M SAYING IS, THIS GAME COULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD

if they put more effort into the story then maybe i would have gunned through the hufflepuff route so quickly and then restarted to go through all the rest of them. if you want people playing your game for longer then THAT is the way to go

yes, it will take time. yes, it will take effort. but you know what?

IT’LL ALSO MAKE YOU A FUCKTON OF MONEY FROM PLAYERS PLAYING EACH ROUTE IN FULL AND THEN PLAYING THEIR FAVORITE ROUTES AGAIN SO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR

anyway, what i’m saying is, i hate this game so much because of the potential it had to succeed, and the potential it had to be a really good game. even if they didn’t change the gameplay much, even if they didn’t change the models, i could get past ALL OF THAT if the story was interesting

so uh. jam city, if you’re reading this, please. i will let you take away all of my days of playing this. i will let you render all of my progress obsolete and send me plummeting back into my first year at hogwarts to go through the game again, if you JUST, MAKE, MULTIPLE, ROUTES!!! MAKE MY CHOICES MATTER DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!

i’m also willing to let you use the ideas i posited here without credit or payment. because that sounds like a legal hassle and i am far too lazy to deal with that sort of thing, i just want to play a good game. please. please give me a good game to play.

also, make energy take 3 minutes to recharge. please.

so uh

TL;DR : i hate this game. and i wish i didn’t hate this game.

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goldenretriever-nicknelson · 5 years ago

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Hey b! ;)) 18, 29, and 61 from the dialogue list with our fave Peter Parker! ily! 💚💚

Hi Syd ofc! ILY too! I wrote is as Enemies to lovers and I’m not sure where i went with it but here it is.

Word count: 1.1k

Warnings: none :)

You and Peter Parker did not get along. It was an old rivalry that dated back to middle school and was clear to anyone you met. They could see the tension the moment that one of you entered the same room as the other. The continuous roll of eyes or scoffs when the other spoke.

What was worse was that you were made to be in each others company. When you were both recruited by Tony Stark and brought to Berlin, no one could have ever predicted that you two would end up in arguments at each given point.

“Do you know what Y/n, I could just-.”

Peter prided himself on having a good temper but somehow you knew exactly how to push his buttons. He gritted his teeth and stared at you from across the table after you had just kicked him again. It was childish and immature and he should have just ignored it but this wasn’t the first meeting you had teased him.

“Fight me, then!” You smirked and gave Peter a look, foot resting on his shin. He rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw.

“You two! Shut it!” Tony looked between you both before reiterating the plan to the group. He gave everyone their positions and then they were flying out towards the airport.

It was a blur of fighting. You remembered getting nearly hit with a flying car, throwing fists with people who you had only read about. You kept your eyes out for Peter without really knowing why, you saw him take down the giant on the other side and then get knocked across the airport runway. You ran and made sure he was okay before helping him back to the hotel.

He shrugged you off and insisted he could get back by himself. You bit back a groan and a roll of your eyes. “You’re so annoying.” He laughed as he limped back to the hotel and still managed to beat you there.

Needless to say you were both exhausted. You were sure that Peter had gone straight to sleep so you happily entered your own room without worry of Tony’s usual lecture that “you should be looking out for each other.”

You switched the light on and illuminated the luxurious room only to find that your bed was already occupied. You looked on in shock as you saw Peter shirtless and asleep on your pillow.

You cleared your throat loud enough to wake him. “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?” You crossed your arms against your chest and glared at him, keeping the amusement you felt at bay.

Peter opened his eyes slowly before spotting you and waking himself up quickly. He stammered and held the sheets up to his chest.

“I-um, I- wrong room.” Peter quickly picked up his clothes, shaking his head quickly and avoiding your eyes as he went to run out of the room. Before he left, his eyes met yours and a moment passed between the two of you.

Your breath hitched as you stared into his brown eyes. It was hypnotising, intoxicating to look at him and that’s the only reason you could think of as to why you kissed him. He gasped against your lips, eyes wide before he kissed you back.

It was passionate as if all those years of built up hatred were finally being released. Peter seemed to find a new confidence as his tongue skirted over your bottom lip, you accepted his tongue into your mouth and reached your hands up to his curls.

You accidently stumbled back into the wall and parted from the kiss to laugh. Peter smirked before his eyes met yours again and your laughter died in your throat. “Y/n I-.” There was an unsureness in his voice now but before he could finish the rest of his sentence the door to your room opened. You both jumped apart as you saw Happy standing in the doorway, arms across his chest.

“We have thin walls here.” He left without anything more than a suspicious glance between the both of you.

“Sorry Happy.” Peter’s breath was still heavy as he smiled apologetic with an awkward wave. You facepalmed at him with a laugh before bidding him goodnight. The moment had already been ruined anyway.

Peter smiled unsurely as he leaned in to kiss your cheek sweetly, making you blush. Peter left and you sighed. You knew everything would be different now and you weren’t sure how to feel.

Luckily you didn’t have long to dwell on it because the next morning was a rush to get to the jet and fly home. You watched news coverage of the events of the past few days and you couldn’t help but feel sad that the avengers were no longer a team.

“You know it’s going to be okay.” Peter looked over your shoulder at the video on your phone and you tried not to focus on how your heart raced, instead shrugging him off and avoiding his eyes. You were still trying to come to terms with the fact that you had feelings for Peter Parker.

You avoided him as much as you could on the small jet for the rest of the trip and sighed in relief when you landed in New York. You were just following the crowd through the airport when Peter grabbed your wrist.

He groaned in annoyance as he looked at the crowd of people waiting and you looked at him confused. He nodded towards where his Aunt was stood happily waving. “So I might have sent my Aunt a photo with you in the background by accident and I might have said you were my girlfriend.” He spoke all in one breath and let out a nervous laugh.

“What?!” You asked, eyes wide. Peter gulped and nodded.

“I need you to be my girlfriend for about 5 minutes.” He panicked as his Aunt walked over. You didn’t even get out a response before Peter was grabbing your hand and smiling. You couldn’t ignore the way your heart sped up and neither could Peter.

“Hey May!” Peter was brought into a one armed hug with the kind looking woman before she looked to you with a kind smile. “This is Y/n.”

“So nice to meet you.” She pulled you into a hug and then parted quickly, smiling at how your hands were interlinked. You smiled back and nodded, entering a conversation about the trip and the Stark internship before Happy brought around your bags and you excused yourself to call a cab to go home. “Nonsense, I’ll take you home.”

You smiled at her kindness but before you could protest that you would be fine, Peter was squeezing your hand and encouraging you to come with him. You nodded and tried not to blush, waiting before May had turned before whispering in his ear.

“You owe me Parker.”

He smirked and kissed your lips before whispering back with a wink. “How does a date sound?”

Marvellous Blurb Week

#peter parker fluff #peter parker x reader #fluff #katiesblurbs

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