#maybe i should submit to wattpad

[lilbeanz]

Sometimes when I'm writing fic, I have to step back and think:

"Is this too fanfiction?"

Like, is this good? Or is this some Troy and Gabriella bullshit?

Is this still a better love story than Twilight?

[writingquestionsanswered]

I've got young kids, work full time, went back to school to get my degree and my spouse is also in a degree program. Finding the time to write feels impossible. There's no way I can write daily.

I feel like maybe my dream to be an author is out of reach. When should you really ask yourself if you truly want to be an author? Forget an author.. do you really want to be a writer? 

Author Dream Feels Out of Reach

You've come to the right place. ♥

First, I want to tell you that what you're feeling right now is totally normal. So, so many of us go through it. I promise you're in good company.

Second, I submit that this isn't really about whether or not you want to be a writer/author. You wouldn't be here if some part of you didn't want to be a writer/author... you wouldn't be reaching for a dream you didn't have...

Third, I further submit that rather than questioning your intentions, you may just need to consider what you want to get out of writing, what your goals would be as an author, and then create realistic goals to help you get there. That's where I come in...

1 - I'm here to tell you that you don't have to write every day. I spent a long, long, embarrassingly long time parroting back the traditional "advice" that one must write every single day in order to be a successful writer and reach your author dreams. Head, meet desk! In the intervening years, I've learned that writing every day simply isn't realistic for the vast majority of people. Why? Because we're not all independently wealthy bachelors who retired in our 40s, who spend our days fishing and our evenings partying with our eccentric creative friends, and then burning the midnight oil on our latest manuscript while we sip brandy and puff on a fine cigar. If only! (minus the cigar part... yuck...) Instead, we're members of family units, friend groups, and communities. We're parents and grandparents and guardians and caregivers. We're students, we have jobs and roles and responsibilities. We're anxious, tired, and stretched so unbelievably thin. The world is falling down around us. And it's... a lot...

2 - But... that's why we write... ALL OF THAT, I say, gesturing broadly at everything, is why we write. We write to tell the stories of the eccentric brandy-sipping writers, the stressed-out-stretched-thin-parents, the overworked-and-underpaid teachers, the exhausted caregivers who feel their dreams slipping between their fingers, and still hopeful dreamers who cling to the stars with the dust of the crumbling world in their eyes. We write to tell their stories, and we write to give them stories. We write because the world needs our stories. ALL of them. The good, the bad, the clean, the spicy, the angsty, the swoony, the cringey, the comforting, the excessively long, the absurdly short, the plainly written, the purple prosey... all of it matters. All of it serves a purpose.

3 - So, why did you start writing in the first place? You don't have to answer this for me, just for yourself... many of us would answer by saying things like, "because I have story ideas that demand to be written," or "because it's something I do for fun and escape, it's self-care," or "because I love to explore human stories." Getting to the heart of why you write, outside of any goals or future plans, can help ground you in the storm.

4 - What are your author goals? Now, if time, energy, and other considerations were no object... if you could spend as much time writing as you wanted and there were no obstacles to any author goal you had, and no limit to achieving your dreams, what would your author goals be? Do you want to share your stories on Wattpad or a similar platform? If so, do you have any goals related to views/reads/comments, and how often you hope to post a new story? If you want to pursue traditional publishing, are you happy being reasonably popular within your niche, or do you want to be a big time best-seller with your books made into movies? If you want to be an indie author, is there a certain number of books you want to get out each year? Is there a certain number of sales you want to hit for each book? A certain income level you want to aim for? Figuring out exactly what your goals are is important if you want to map a reasonable path toward getting there.

5 - What's a reasonable path to get there? Imagine "reasonable" lit up with lights here, because it's so, so important. Really, the biggest reason writers get overwhelmed and give up is because we have unreasonable expectations and are trying to meet arbitrary goals that sound great, but are just not possible to meet. If you can only muster maybe three hours to write on a good week, and you can write 26 words a minute on a good writing session, if your goal is to write 10,000 words per week, guess what... that's more than TWICE the number of words it's even possible for you to write in a good week, so you're going to fall far, far short most weeks. It's an unrealistic goal.

If you're averaging roughly 11,000 words per month and your goal is to write a novel in six months and have it revised, edited, and published (or revised, edited, and sent off with queries), guess what... your manuscript is sitting at 66,000 words at the six month mark without a single second for revision, editing, or anything else. Once again, it's an unrealistic goal.

One of the best ways to figure out a realistic goal is to take an honest look at your schedule. My favorite way to do this is by the month, using a calendar I can write on. Now, I'll go through and cross out all the days I know I won't be able to write... like, maybe I never write on Sundays because they're too busy, so I cross those off. Maybe I'm going on vacation for four days mid-month, and I know I won't write the day before or after, so I cross those six days off, too. My days tend to fall apart if I have an appointment or other unusual event, so I will usually block off those days as well. Finally, I know I will probably lose at least three days a month to not feeling well or having to attend to a family member who isn't feeling well, and another three days to run-of-the-mill nonsense, so I'll cross off the last six days in the calendar. What I'm left with is a reasonable estimate for the number of days I'll be able to write that month.

Now, let's say I'm left with 17 potential writing days. And let's say I'm fairly certain I'll be able to commit about twenty to thirty minutes to writing on each of those days. And... let's say I know I generally write about 26 words per minute during the average writing session. Twenty minutes across 17 days is 340 total minutes, times 26 wpm, nets me about 8,840 words for the month... and that's not frickin' bad! In fact, at that rate you could potentially have a first draft done in six to eight months! And that's in just twenty minutes a day three or four times a week.

It isn't about time spent, it's about setting reasonable goals.

If you create reasonable goals that you can actually meet, you start building forward momentum. You're not exhausted from fighting with your schedule and failing to squeeze writing in on days when it isn't possible. You're not beaten down from disappointing yourself over and over again. You're actually getting somewhere, and you're excited about it!

So, that's it. Before you get all philosophical about whether or not you really want to be an author or want to be a writer... before you start tossing your dreams out the window or feeling like your dreams are out of reach, try this. Be realistic. Be patient with yourself. Take support where you can get it. And don't be afraid to fiercely guard whatever writing time you do have.

I'm here for support, and there a million wonderful writing communities out there filled with other supportive writers if you have some time to look for them and spend some time getting to know them.

All the best! You've got this... TRULY! ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[skzhocomments]

In the Dark - Choi Minho SHINee Fanfic - Chapter 1 - inthedark.com

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

Wattpad | AO3

Chapter 2

---

Chapter 1 - inthedark.com

chapter word count: 2.7k words

“So, tough week, huh?��� Jinki spoke compassionately, watching his best friend drink his 3rd beer in a single sip and place the cup firmly on the table, then sigh.

“You bet.” Minho replied, dejected, signalling to the waitress to bring him another beer.

“Yah, should a single dad even drink so much? What will Nari say when you come home drunk?” Jinki frowned.

“She’s with my mother tonight.” He sighed, then started drinking his 4th beer, before Jinki grabbed it from him and finished it himself.

“Instead of drinking it away, spill it out. What happened?”

“I just found out Nari’s been getting bullied at school, and I’m feeling horrible for not being able to protect her.”

“Bullied?” Jinki’s eyes grew large, as he asked his friend to elaborate.

“She didn’t even tell me. How the fuck are 2nd graders so mean already?” Minho sighed again and shook his head disapprovingly.

“No way. Since when?”

“Apparently since the first year. Her teacher didn’t tell me anything either. I thought enrolling her in a private school would be a good idea. Better education, more people around her to keep her safe… I was wrong.” He shook his head again and rubbed his forehead.

“So… what will you do? Will you move her to another school?” Jinki asked, putting his arms on the table and supporting his head with his hands.

“Of course I’ll move her to another school. I just don’t know where…”

“Hmm. Why don’t you try the public school in the area? My cousin’s son is enrolled there, and he loves it so far. He’s in the 5th grade already. It’s also closer to home.”

“I don’t know… what if she hates it there? What if she gets bullied again and doesn’t tell me? God, I kept noticing she was becoming shy and reserved, and couldn’t figure out why, and all this time, she’s been bullied by her classmates. I still can’t believe it.”

“Kids can be cruel.” Jinki sighed and leaned over the table, touching Minho’s shoulder comfortingly.

“It’s hard being a single dad to a daughter. Obviously, my mom helps out a lot, but… it would’ve just been different if she were still here…”

“I know. But Ellie died 8 years ago, Minho. Maybe it’s time… you try and let her go and find someone else.”

“How could I?” He sighed. “I still love her so much. She’s still Nari’s mom.”

“Of course she is, and that’s never going to change. But still, you should try putting yourself out there, and find someone. Date, have casual sex, literally anything at this point.”

“Casual sex?” Minho chuckled. “It shocks me to hear you suggest that.”

“What are you supposed to do then, die alone?” Jinki scolded him. “Nari also needs a feminine figure around her. She’ll grow up to be a woman, eventually.”

“She has my mom.”

“A younger feminine figure.”

“I’m not ready to date anyone.” Minho shook his head.

“You’re impossible.” Jinki scoffed. “Then go to a whore house or something, have sex with someone no strings attached and see if it helps you move on for once.”

“What, to a brothel?” Minho asked, amused. “Imagine the headlines if I would. Producer Choi Minho seen entering a brothel. They’d eat me alive.”

“Use that new site, then. In the Dark.” Jinki shrugged.

“What’s that?” Minho tilted his head to the right, furrowing his brows.

“This… website,” he gestured around with his hands. “Apparently it costs a lot because it’s really private. You submit some personal information and choose someone based on your preferences, and when you meet up with them, you aren’t allowed to talk, and the lights are completely off, so neither can see what’s going on or who they’re having sex with.”

“That sounds crazy as fuck.”

“Right? That’s what I said! But it’s a pretty good alternative when there’s no risk of others seeing you enter a brothel.” Jinki chuckled.

“And you can’t even talk?”

“No, because someone could recognise your voice, I think.”

“How do you know so much about this site?” Minho raised an accusing eyebrow.

“Oh, my friends use it all the time. Apparently, it’s a fun experience.”

“What?” Minho gasped. “Who would use such a site?”

~

~Minho’s POV~

“Who would use such a site?” I asked, but curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself googling inthedark.com at 12AM that very same day.

The site was easy to use and intuitive, you had to pay a fee to become a member, and all your data had to be verified by someone.

It was, as Jinki said, extremely private, and you had to submit a whole lot of documents, from ID card to medical records on your health. Everyone’s profile was verified, and they seemed to protect both their clients and their workers.

I created a profile and chose a username. Since it had to be something completely unrelated to my real name, to not give myself away, I picked Charisma, one of the nicknames my closest friends would sometimes use for me.

After my profile’s been completed and verified, I received a download link for my phone, and as soon as I opened it, my profile was already connected. A list of models with similar interests came up, and I had to select one. They had pictures of themselves, but their faces were not visible in any of them, to keep everyone’s identities private.

I scrolled, and scrolled, and scrolled, and while everyone was gorgeous, wearing sultry lingerie, being fit with a flat stomach and perfect thighs, it still felt like no one was really… special in any way. None of them pricked my interest.

It was then when I noticed that a bit under the Recommended Models list, there was a category called “NEW”, written in bright red letters. I clicked on it, and the first model’s name caught my eye.

Flame

I chuckled seeing her name and thought of how ironic it would be to pick her, since my full nickname was Flaming Charisma. It felt like we complemented each other, even if it was obviously nothing intentional, as I didn’t know who she was, and she didn’t know who I was either.

I clicked on her profile and scrolled through her pictures, that looked to be selfies, instead of the professional-looking pictures the other models under “Recommended” had. Her calendar was also empty, which meant she hasn’t been booked by anyone yet.

Should I do it?

I was reluctant to press on ‘Apply’. We both had to submit a list of expectations and wants, and we both had to agree to the other’s terms and conditions for a potential meeting to happen.

After considering it for a little while, I decided that fuck it, I haven’t had sex with someone in 8 years, so I booked the next night impulsively and started filling the form.

---

CHARISMA – personal form

THINGS I ENJOY: intimacy, scratching my back, holding onto me, kissing/biting (anywhere besides lips), moaning

THINGS I DON’T WANT TO DO: kissing on the lips

CONDOM / NO CONDOM (if you pick the NO CONDOM option, you have to attach a report of a recent medical check-up that ensures you don’t have an STD): no condom

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: wear a short skirt

---

After filling in the whole form, I clicked on ‘APPLY’ and waited for a bit.

Flame’s form came back pretty quickly. She accepted all my requests, and she also submitted a few of her own.

---

FLAME – personal form

THINGS I ENJOY: feeling needed, tenderness, aftercare

THINGS I DON’T WANT TO DO: anal, anything that would leave a mark on my face/arms, anything painful

CONDOM / NO CONDOM: no condom

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: please take a shower beforehand

---

Reading carefully, her demands seemed decent enough, so I agreed to her terms as well, and I received a location I had to come to the next day at 12 AM.

~

From the outside, the building looked like an apartment complex. I made my way to the front door and typed in the code I’ve been given, then went to the 3rd floor, to the room number that’s been assigned to me. I opened the door which led to a small hallway that was lit by dim lights, which offered access to two other doors. The first door was a bathroom, the second one was the door to the main room, which I found out from the note on it that read: “As soon as you open this door, all the lights will go out. Please make sure you use the bathroom (door on the left) before you head into the main room. Please leave all your electronic devices and any source of light in the locker room. Refusal to do so is a violation of our terms and services and will result in legal consequences. We appreciate your cooperation in order to ensure privacy on both sides. Thank you for using inthedark.com!”

I already took a shower at home, so it felt pointless to take another one now. I put my phone on silent mode and left it in the locker as instructed, and without thinking much, I opened the door to the main room.

Just as the note said, all the lights went out as soon as I pressed on the handle. It was pitch black and simply impossible to see anything.

Now what? I asked myself and let out a soft chuckle.

I kept walking straight, until a sweet scent invaded my nostrils, and I figured out that Flame must’ve been in the room as well. After a few more steps, my chest bumped into something – her hands, I figured out after touching them.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement.

What am I even supposed to do? Undress her and simply start fucking her? Is she even wearing any clothes?

I did tell her to wear a short skirt.

It was so dark, I couldn’t see anything, and the only sounds in the room were the sounds of our breathing.

I grabbed her hands and followed their trail until I got to her shoulders, and I felt her skin get goose bumps. I let my fingers trail down her body and tried to feel her around, to imagine what the clothes she was wearing could look like. Her blouse was made of a soft fabric and had ruffles, and her skirt was, as I requested, short, barely covering her ass. I went on my knees and touched the back of her thighs, trailing my hands down once again, until I reached her feet.

She was wearing high heels, which I helped take off. I wanted to know her real height.

After I stood back up, I hugged her, and she hugged me back. She wasn’t tall, and her constitution seemed quite fragile. She seemed like a delicate woman.

We broke our hug, and I pressed my hands on her face, feeling up all her features with my thumbs. Her eyes, her nose, her full lips.

She welcomed everything I did and didn’t try to push me away at all, and she even did the same things to me as she started undressing me of my suit.

We were getting to know each other this way; from small, unsure, touches that felt a bit too intimate for me to just seek pleasure from her, and for her to just seek my money.

It was getting too easy to forget that I’ve essentially hired her for the night, that we’re only going to spend 2 hours together.

Maybe it was just because I haven’t been intimate with someone in so long. Ever since my wife’s death, I haven’t touched any other woman. Instead, I just focused on raising our daughter.

Feeling Flame’s touches, though, I realised I missed intimacy badly. I liked the way her hands felt on my abs, her lips attached to my neck while she kept moving that damn hand lower, touching my dick through the underwear.

I liked that she respected my wished and didn’t try kissing my lips at all. That was the one thing I wanted to save for my late wife, the one thing I wasn’t yet ready to do. I convinced myself that sex was different, and the only honest part of me are my lips, and I didn’t want them to touch someone I didn’t love.

Flame went on her knees and pulled my underwear down, taking my dick into her mouth, and I let out an obscene groan. Her tongue on me felt way too good; the way it swirled circles around my tip while her hand was stroking me made my knees weak. I grabbed the back of her head and gently pushed my length down her throat, making her choke a bit. With my other hand, I caressed her cheek and gently touched her chin, wiping off the spit falling uncontrollably from her mouth as she was deepthroating me.

After a few more seconds, I pushed her head away and helped her stand up, before undressing her of the ruffled blouse and short skirt.

I wondered what colour they were. Not that it mattered.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bed in the middle of the room, and I pressed my naked body against hers, trailing kisses down her body as I let my hands feel her up. She smelled so good, I felt intoxicated by her scent, and I lost control of myself while exploring her body. Her tits were not too big, but they were full and felt perfect in my hands.

I moved my hands to her waist as I pressed a kiss on her lower abdomen. She opened her legs, giving me access to her pussy, and I started eating her out, keeping her body in place as my tongue moved carefully between her folds.

She moaned, and God, she sounded beautiful.

It didn’t take long to make her come. She was a panting mess and her hands found mine on her waist, squeezing them as she let go.

Smiling to myself realising I still got it, even after all these years, I made my way back on top of her and slid inside her with ease. Her hands went around my neck, and she pulled me closer, hugging me tight to her body as I pumped in and out of her.

Her nails were slightly scratching me while she wrapped around me completely, and the whole act felt so intimate, I almost forgot again that she was just a prostitute, and that I was essentially just a stranger to her; no one special.

I released myself inside of her with ease, drunk on all the pleasure her body offered me. What a messed-up thing this was, hiring someone for a couple of hours of love.

I tried not to think of it too much as I slipped out of her and she pulled me closer once more, and I remembered her requests. Feeling needed, tenderness, aftercare. Was she as lonely as me, to request these things?

Since she indulged me, why not do it for her as well? We only had one hour left, anyway. I plopped down next to her and guided her head on my shoulder, caressing her hair while our bodies hugged each other.

It felt nice staying like this, too. It almost made me wish I booked her for the whole night. Maybe we would’ve gone to sleep together embraced and pretended we were actual lovers that spent their first night together.

Maybe this was just wishful thinking.

~

A few hours after meeting Flame, I received a notification from In the Dark consisting of a review form I had to submit, that would be received by Flame. From the message on the app, she would apparently receive it, and send one back.

---

MEETING REVIEW FORM by Charisma

Rate Flame from 1 to 5 (lowest to highest): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Were all your special requirements fulfilled? (Leave empty if not applicable): Yes, Flame respected all my wishes and special requirements.

What did you enjoy? Flame was sweet and I had a great time with her :)

What should be improved? Nothing, everything was perfect.

Would you like to tip Flame? (Any amount you write will automatically be deducted from your Card after submitting this form. Leave empty if you don’t wish to tip your host): 200$

Thank you for using our service!

---

MEETING REVIEW FORM by Flame

Rate the interaction with the customer from 1 to 5 (lowest to highest): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Did the customer fulfil your special requirements? Yes, thank you for respecting my wishes

Tip received – 200$: That’s very sweet and generous of you. Thank you a lot, Charisma. I had a great time with you as well, and I hope we will meet again. ❤️

~

Chapter 2

[xxfangirl365xx]

Kobra Kid's answer to : "What is a day you'll never forget?"

Written in my wattpad a few months ago, i posted Jet's here so I'm doing Kobra's too (: enjoyyyy

Mines nothing in comparison to Jet's. I'm gonna go with a nice one. I'm not huge on being sentimental but the day Poison won a bunch of awards for his art in a zone wide exhibit was a great day.

It was mid July 2017. Girl had just come to live with us maybe a month earlier. We had gotten word about a big exhibit that was gonna happen in zone five. Poison had always been a bit of an artist and that's what he always wanted to do with his life before BL/I. He tried to keep his skill sharp in the zones but with limited supplies it was really hard. Honestly it made me really sad to see his dreams crushed. We had been trying to convince him to enter for several days before he gave in. He painted and drew all sorts of things. Scenery, people, emotions...it was really cool. We drove out to zone five and he submitted almost a dozen pieces. We walked around to look at the other entries while they were being judged.

" I wish I hadn't done this." He whined

" Why?" Jet asked

" Because...Look at this stuff... Mine's nothing like theirs." he said sadly gesturing to all the colorful papers and canvas spread out around him.

" Oh stop it." Jet said playfully smacking him

" Your stuff is way better, Pois." Ghoul said trying to cheer him up

" If I were a judge I wouldn't even bother looking at the rest of this stuff. Yours is clearly the best." He finished

" Mmm."Poison said, still not buying it.

" It's really good." Girl said running up next to the red head.

" You're an amazing art dude." She said smiling

He smiled at her, " Thank you Missile." He said bending over to give her a hug.

We all kinda separated and walked around separately but I stayed with my brother.

We walked quietly for a while just looking at the many painted and pastel cacti and sunsets... I'm not an expert but it seemed a little generic to me. I could tell he was getting sadder by the second feeling so much more inferior to the more established artists. Poison has always lacked self confidence in everything. His appearance,personality, skills. And he shouldn't feel bad because he's a unique human being and that's something to be proud of.

Poison sighed.

" You know even if you don't win I'm still proud of you Pois." I said

" You should save the pride for something worth it." He said sadly looking at a charcoal sketch of yet another cactus.

" Nope. I'm still proud of you. And I always will be no matter what you do." I said again.

"..."

" Alright Poison. Enough self pity. Look at this stuff. It's all the same thing. Sunsets and cactus. Boring bland colors and no emotion behind it right?" I asked

" I mean...sorta."

" And you put thought and emotion into your stuff. Colors and variation. "

" Thats-"

" Let me put it this way." I interrupted turning to face him.

" These guys may have some talent and knowledge for sure. They have no creativity to back it up. It's just knowledge.It's kinda like how most people can write...but only a few people can ACTUALLY write, and have a story to tell or a message to get across." I finished. He thought for a second.

" So please...don't be down on yourself for having something a lot of people can only dream of. Both knowledge AND creativity." I said, pulling him into a tight hug.

He hugged me back and I could feel him release all the tension in his body.

" Thanks Kobra." He said

" Anytime. "

*STATIC*

"WILL PARTY POISON PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE JUDGES TABLE AT THIS TIME" a loudspeaker screeched out

" I saw a flash of fear in my brother's eyes.

" relax. You got this alright?" I said

" Yeah... " He said walking away. He looked back at me and I gave him a thumbs up.

I found Jet, Ghoul and Girl.

" Why did they want Poison?" Ghoul asked

" Dunno..." I responded.

*STATIC*

"WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED AT THE JUDGES TABLE! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED THIS YEAR AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR!"

They went to the front as they were instructed and saw Poison grinning ear to ear with all his colorful creations displayed hung with diy ribbon's. He ran up to us and immediately hugged me.

" Thank you for always believing in my Kobra." He whispered

" Anytime." I said

He was wearing a scratched and chipped gold metal with the engraving of " Track and Field champions" crossed out with a sharpie to read " Reigning Zone art champion."

Everyone hugged and congratulated him. He picked up Missile Kid and spun her around while she laughed.

" I told you you'd win!" she exclaimed.

I Know it's nothing I really did but I'm still proud of my big brother for everything he has done and has yet to do. He's been competing and winning competitions all over the Zones ever since and I'm so happy to see him being what he always wanted to be.

Anyways, thanks for listening to me ramble,

Kobra Kid out

[do-not-reply11]

 A Heartfelt Message

(FIND THE FULL FIC ON MY WATTPAD @do-not-reply)

Grover Underwood x reader

The call of the Gods is a hard harrowing journey in itself. You should be halfway across America now that you've crossed the South Dakota interstate boundary, but your journey is far from over. The possibility of seeing Grover once this is all done is the only thing keeping you going. There had been a major disturbance of the peace, and thus your quest to sort out the problem was born, as the source had originated in a place where no Gods land.

You weren't the greatest public speaker, so when Chiron initially approached you about the quest, you weren't interested in accepting it. As a representative of the Gods and the half-blood camp, you would be speaking on their behalf while submitting to any consequences that came with your position. Monsters and creatures alike were growing excited to see which would fall first as the debate about the possibility of war intensified, with humanity at stake. Therefore, it was more beneficial to toss a demigod in their place and wait for something bigger to bite.

You were assigned to go alone, which is even worse. Though, you're not much of a leader in a way that you could lead a troop into the heart of America or keep watch. Not that you weren't the best at interacting with people; in fact, back at camp, you're considered a social butterfly when you work out with the kids from the Athena cabin or race around the chariot tracks with the kids from the Demeter cabin.

The quest had led you to Minnesota in the back of a moving truck that was for a renaissance circus that was relocating, and you were wedged between two sacks of coffee beans and using a wooden box labelled as FRAGILE  as a headboard.  The aroma of coffee beans fills the air, and as you find yourself alone, your thoughts always turn to Grover—his lovable smile, his kindness, and his goofy jokes. You worried about leaving camp without telling Grover about your journey and not being able to tell him about it beforehand. He's the only person at camp who has never kept secrets from you. He was an open book, yet you have kept this selfish secret to yourself. Exhaustion licked your eyelids. You were gradually falling asleep to the sound of the truck's wheels dragging over gravel roads. Yet, when you hear the familiar shimmer of water rippling, you're wide awake. For a hot second, you think it might be Chiron checking in on how the quest is going, or maybe giving you a heads-up right before you get to your final stop. You groan in frustration, already sick of this journey and its stupid rules. Staring at you from the other side of the portal isn't the camp activities director, but him. It's Grover. 

"Hey, Grover—" You start, rushing to push yourself up against the coffee bags, but the look he has on his face freezes you in place, and you practically melt back into the crevice of the coffee sacks. You notice straight away that he's been picking at his horns again. You remember the first day you met Grover while on the chase of a curious beast who had caught your interest, and in turn, led to run into him when you genuinely ran into Grover face first.

"Are you in the back of a truck?" Grover's eyes have sunken in and stress lines crinkle his youthful face, now sporting a look of torment. He calls your name so soft, "Where did you go?" And your heart sinks. "I thought we were friends..." 

"We are." You reply in earnest, but it's too late and your heart is beating out of control as his glare sharpens through the shimmering rainbow. 

"Friends don't just disappear without a word. They don't go off on a quest without telling anyone, let alone vanish into thin air for an entire week!" His voice rises, matching the strain that is beginning to develop in your shoulders as your body begins to tremble violently. The pain in his voice almost forces you to smash through the wall that separates you from the driver's seat and order them to turn around. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

You open your mouth to explain, though nothing comes out. Unlike your defensive nature to retort, there was no reply coming to your mind. No banter, no excuses, though you had none. You knew you should've told him. Of course, you should have, but how could you? He has so many responsibilities, and you... you couldn't burden him with this. The guilt gnaws at you as you fumble for an excuse. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" Grover repeats, and this time, there's no stopping the hurt that spills into his voice. "And why did I have to find out from Chiron, of all people?"

[lizmindpalace]

English love affair

This is inspired by English love affair by 5SOS and sort of by Lost in reality It is basically what I wanted from the UR+ card "A misty town". Pairing: Obey me Lucifer x f!reader.

Summary: Lucifer does not pay enough attention to you, and you are growing tired about it.

Word count: 7.3 K

Status: Complete.

Warnings: None, really, just some little innuendos. Pure fluff. Summer vibes.

This is 100% self-indulgent because the few last months were really tough for me and my heart was in need of some comfort.

Find it on AO3 and Wattpad.

The lights had turned down a while ago, the windows were open, and the sound of a light rain had drowned any noises around the house, but not the pictures burning in his brain. Heavens tears were dripping on the windows' glasses, beating them in synchrony with his heart, both the rain and his heart beat, slowly increasing their pace, as he kept wandering in that distant land, more than seven thousand miles away from home and days ago in time. 

It had all started on a weekend in May, the nights were clearer, and the heat had reached its maximum. He had been doing some paperwork that had to be submitted that same night, even if it was Saturday. It was hard enough to get to focus on something that dull while the temperature made his cheeks blaze and his brain slow down, but it became harder when he decided to open the windows so he could get a bit of the late spring breeze and then had to contemplate how the other inhabitants of the house looked to be enjoying the weather, playing around, abandoning the house for a night out with the promise of leaving a unforgettable memory for the years to come. 

Among the joy radiating from his brothers, as if it was a dark cloud in a clear blue sky, he could perceive a shadow that had a despondent face hidden between colourless fingers.

"Cm'on, MC, let's go to the casino, the drinks are on me".

"Sorry Mammon, but I'm not feeling like going to a casino tonight".

"She'd rather go to the spa with me".

"Or to the collectible merchandise pop up store for the new comedy 'I wished I lived in my Otome game and then it came true and now finally I'm living the life I wanted ' that is only open for limited time with me!"

"Actually, no boys, I think I'll pass tonight, and I'll stay here and wander around the garden, you guys go out and have fun, bring me some souvenirs".

 After a few moments of disagreement, the crowd vanished, the breeze had scattered them as though they were tree leaves, leaving only a shadowy figure under the tree, in complete silence and loneliness. 

"You should go out and have fun too, MC". 

"I did not feel like it". 

The man sat down by your side, and looked at the reddish sky, it was the closest you could have to a sunset, you looked at it as well, it was pretty but not as much as the stunning sunsets from the human world; you loved the Devildom and you had learnt to think of it as home, but sometimes you really felt homesick about the human world. His gaze met your glistening eyes. 

"May I know the cause of your sorrow?" he asked with a soft voice, despite the fact his usual severity was present, you could tell he was worried, maybe he was afraid that you were not taking care of yourself. 

"I'm not sad". You tried and he rolled his eyes at you.

"I presume you are homesick. Perhaps we could arrange that Diavolo allows you to go to the human world for a week, or a couple of weeks if possible, I consider that would solve any problems regarding your mental health". 

You panted but nodded.

"Whatever, you'll let me know, right? You should go back to work, it looks like it is very important". 

He frowned. 

"You certainly do not seem happy with my resolution, but I'm not able to help you further if you do not tell me what the issue is".

"It's nothing, I mean, what could be wrong? I've always loved to spend my Saturday nights alone in the darkness, I mean, that's what you have a boyfriend for, right? That's just the ideal date: being all alone in the garden while he complies with his owner's orders, and that is as well the perfect definition of a boyfriend, the kind of boy who is working in his office all day and night long, and he ends up being so tired it takes him a second to fall asleep, and in addition, he forgets you exist".

You were not that kind of person, but lately everything felt like too much, he was never around when you needed him, and you had started to feel really bad about it, and yes, maybe you were homesick too, you longed for the human world's summertime.

"I beg your pardon?" Lucifer looked at you, he was confused, and he could not believe you were behaving like this and expressing your feelings in such way. 

"You never spend time with me anymore! I'm tired of being broken hearted, it is like you take me for granted all the time".

 Those words sent a different kind of pain to his chest and a bitter taste to his mouth. Had he been that thoughtless? Had he been so careless? He knew well his six brothers, lower range demons, some of the angels and even Diavolo himself and all members of the student council had fallen for you, and you had chosen him, you were dating him and not the other way round, as much as that expression hurt his pride, he would not care less; and yet, it did not sound like he deserved such honour. 

His face remained calm, but his heart was beating faster than ever. 

"I apologise about that" he whispered, he was almost wordlessly, he could only reach out for your hand as answer. 

"It's ok, I did not mean to throw a hissy fit about that". You said after some moments of silence. "It is not important. Go back to your work, I will listen to your advice, and I will go out and have some fun instead, being locked up here is getting on my nerves".

You let his hand go and rose, then walked towards the house of lamentation, vanished into your bedroom. Lucifer sighed, and returned to his office as well, he left the window open so he could keep an eye at the entrance and at you, he did not think you would dare go out alone despite your words, he was sure you acknowledged how dangerous it was to venture yourself into the blackness of the Devildom streets, but he would like to check in case you did or something else happened.

 The hours in front of the monitor had affected his already tired eyes, he blinked several times, he was almost blind. He rubbed his eyes when a cloud in his eyes came to life, and moved around as if it was an actual being. He approached to the window and noticed it was not an effect of the light, but it was his human going out as he had suggested. But why were you dressed like that? 

A short sparkling dress indicated what your plans were, Lucifer did not want to think too hard about it. He did not want to be possessive, but it was his true nature, he could not help it, and he would be lying if he said that the mere thought of you being seen by everyone like this did not make his blood boil, or maybe it was the thought of you meeting someone attracted by you who would make you think was a better option than he was. Which was another thought he was not being able to bear, even if they were probably right about it.  

"So... are you going out after all?" He had decided to casually interfere, now that he was coming closer his pace was slow, and he was glad you didn't see when he literally ran out of his study so he could get to you before you finally left, his demeanour was calm, but fire flowed through his eyes. 

"I am". You said nonchalantly, hanging your bag on your right shoulder, looking at the pocket mirror in your hand, and approving the way you looked. He approved it too, but he did not approve you were going out and all of those demons got to see you too. 

"May I know where you are going?"

"You have interest in me all of a sudden?" You teased him, with a tiny smile. You had known what his reaction was going to be all along. 

"MC..." 

"Asmo said he had changed his plans and he would be in a bar with some of his acquaintances, I felt like dancing, so see you later, have fun with your work". 

Lucifer looked astonished at you, his mouth and eyes wide open. 

"No" he said, it took him less time than you had expected, it had been a long time since the last time he had talked to you in that way, determination impregnated in his voice. 

"Sorry?" You frowned, looked at him in feigned confusion. 

"You're not going there".

"And why not? Just because you don't want me to go?" You mocked him. 

"Just because you're going somewhere else". 

You frowned again, trying to catch your thoughts because you were now clueless about what his words meant, but he did not hesitate, and soon he had you against the closest wall with no way out, his lips so close to your collarbone, you could feel his warm breath in your skin, sending shivers throughout your body, leaving you like a little inoffensive sheep cornered by a wolf; showing you why he was called the avatar of pride and the ruler of the underworld. 

" You have five minutes. Pack your things up, we're leaving for a whole week".

A smile was drawn on your lips, lightning up yours and Lucifer's faces as well, there was some kind of complicity between the both of you that made your hearts race, then, you bit your lower lip and nodded after he whispered into your ear "it's an order, attendant". 

You did as you had been prompted. You hurried upstairs and got some clothes in your bag, as well as some basic supplies. Soon you had a backpack with you, and you were waiting for Lucifer to knock at your door.

Which he did, sort of. He did not wait for an answer and just entered your room, taking your bag. 

"But what about your work? And Diavolo? And everyone else?, they could get worried if we just leave like this". 

"They'll have to deal with it".

He took your hand in his and hurried out the house of the lamentation, dragging you along with him.

"You did not even tell me where we're going". 

He remained silent, you imagined you were going somewhere near the devildom, but once you saw you were coming closer to the border with the human world, you knew.

"Didn't we need some kind of authorisation from Diavolo to leave the Devildom?" 

Lucifer shrouded. He never stopped until you two were walking down the wet pavement, surrounded only by orange buildings whose white mouldings stood out in the gloom of the night.  You were trying to figure out where you were, but nothing gave you the slightest clue about it. 

You had no option but to follow the man inside the orange building and then to the single bedroom for two. You looked through the window while he arranged everything related to your stay there. You saw the fancy houses and cars parked outside of them, it was really Lucifer like, you did not have a single clue where you were, until the blue and red flag let you know. 

"Is this Mayfair?"

He smiled. 

"You wanted to go to a bar, didn't you?" 

You did not notice when he got rid of his coat, still wearing his devil every day clothes, he forced you to leave again. 

The pub was overflowing with people and loud catchy music, you could get lost in such a crowd at any second, because the lights danced leaving blindness behind. 

Fortunately, the so-called avatar of pride never let go of you, and soon you noticed you two were swinging to the beat of the music in the background, he had placed your arms around his shoulders and his hands held you in place with a grasp on your hips. 

Your body had captivated him, but once your foreheads were close enough, your eyes stole his complete attention, you could see yourself in them, being unknown in such a crowd was revitalizing, his movements let you know he was enjoying himself more than ever, and you realised how much mistaken his brothers were when they thought Lucifer did not know how to have fun. Maybe it was the fact he had already drunk three glasses of wine, you did not expect him to get drunk off human alcohol, considering that demonous was at least fifth times stronger, but he was proving you wrong. 

His always earnest, composed, paper like face, was now cheerful, his sharp teeth stuck out of his lips, as if they were thirsty for blood, your blood. In addition, a distinct gleam was radiating from his eyes, the kind of gleam he had when you were around and you pretended you weren't aware of his gaze, and that he would hide away when he realised you had noticed. This time he was not trying to skulk it, it was in plain sight, as he wanted you to notice. It felt as though he was devouring you using only his eyes, and you could feel your legs shaking, almost making you fall to your knees and hit the floor.

Summer heat impregnated your bodies and your minds, Lucifer's demonic personality stood out on the changing environment surrounding both of you. Your movements had made the two of you get closer. His hands on you lower back, yours in his hair. He would not say it out loud, but you could perceive he was waiting for more, for the next step, but he doubted, because you were sure he did not want to harm you and that was why he would patiently wait, although you were sure, it would not be for so much longer. 

It was your turn to take his hand, to take the initiative to let him know it was fine, you got to the silent streets, where you hailed a taxi, what a blessing the taxi had some kind of compartment and the driver was not able to see the kisses you were stealing from your demon, and how he was devouring your mouth in return. 

The car stopped and you two hurried your way upstairs to the flat Lucifer had got for you, something burned inside you, you wanted to be closer to him, even closer since you were already closer than ever already, your kisses were preventing you from getting to your bedroom, the avatar or pride was slowly ousting the avatar of lust and taking his place. The door opened as if welcoming the two of you. You did not notice when Lucifer was over you, staring with his lustful eyes at you, as if you were his prey with no way to escape. 

You wanted to say something, but your senses were preventing you from thinking, you were not able to remember your actions either, so probably you had managed to say Lucifer's name, because he had also heard a whisper, his name slipping away from someone's lips, he left your neck for a second, leaving the heat behind for a moment, staring at the darkness, something was wrong, something felt odd, he had recognised that voice. 

"For hell's sake..."

You let totally go from Lucifer's grasp and stood up. 

"It's not fair you thought you could have MC all for yourself!"

"And all the fun". Asmodeus seconded Belphegor. 

He rolled his eyes at his brothers, your cheeks reddened, while you were trying to recompose yourself, hoping no one had seen your previous scene. 

"Of course, no one would like to invite the otaku shut in along, I had that coming". 

Lucifer sighed, took his hand to his forehead and rubbed it in frustration, shutting his eyes close. His plans had been spoiled in the worst of ways. 

"What are you doing here?" Lucifer did not try to hide his annoyance. A tiny smile was drawn on Satan's face. 

"How did you know we were here?" You finally asked.

Lucifer got his phone out of his pocket and checked it carefully because Satan's gaze suggested he knew something he did not. 

"We have an alert when you leave for the human world, you know, and as every time you do it you bring MC with you, we just wanted to check she was fine". Satan replied, the cunning smile never fading. 

"So, we should all have a sleepover, since it's too late to go out now".

"Or we could all join Lucifer and MC in their activities, I think they were having fun". 

You blushed again, failing at hiding it and your eyes meeting the floor.

"I think the sleepover would be better, there are always snacks in a sleepover". Beel commented. "And human snacks, which is even better". 

"I think it sounds like a good idea, the eight of us can have fun that way. I'll just go to put my pajamas on". 

You panted once you were alone in your bedroom for the night, even if you pretended a sleepover with all of them was a good idea and you loved all seven of them, you had really been looking forward to spending some time with Lucifer, alone. It tasted as if you had swallowed disappointment. You looked yourself in the mirror and forced yourself to smile.

Throughout the night, Lucifer and you were only able to exchange looks while his brothers were not paying attention, because they would always interfere when you were trying to speak, but with a single blink, he let you know he would find a way. You were trying to focus on the board games, and at the end you managed to have a good time when you were singing karaoke together. None of you knew when you had fallen asleep on the floor. 

The morning came sooner than expected, it was summer, school was supposed to be over, so why were they forced to wake up at that time in the morning? 

"Lucifer, for g- Diavolo's sake, what do you think you're doing silly? We had a blast last night, I have barely slept, and I need my sleeping beauty".  

The demon whose arms were crossed over his chest looked annoyed at them, he was not happy, he was not even joyful, even considering the fact he was getting to punish his brothers, one of the things he enjoyed the most in the world. 

"That's the consequence of leaving without authorisation, Diavolo called me when he noticed none of you were at home, and I had to promise him, this would do some kind of good to the Academy in order to cover the expenses, so we're going to the museum, and you'll submit afterwards a detailed report about it. I've booked tickets for the first tour in the morning, so stop complaining; haste your breakfast and hygiene, we're leaving soon". He looked at his watch in his wrist before speaking again: "and that's in fifteen minutes, so hurry up, or you'll never see the sunlight of the human world ever again, I guarantee you". 

Lucifer's threats were always serious, his punishments would always be something to remember, the crowd showed disapproval during the next fifteen minutes and during the walk towards the museum that took them about thirty minutes, but Lucifer remained silent, he was concentrating on something the others were not able to tell. 

All of them, strolled together along the corridors and through the white marble halls of the museum, the guide explained every single detail in every single painting and sculpture, that outlined human genius from different times and places. There was something about humans, it did not matter where they were from, how they looked like or what language they spoke, they were all the same, just fascinating. All of the demons admired the way they were able to expose their feelings and true colours in those art pieces, it did not take long for them to get lost in the world created by the human's eyes, they soon realised it was as captivating as you were.

A couple of hours passed by in complete calm, Lucifer himself was not able to believe he was having some time in peace, and the weight on his shoulders was slowly vanishing. 

"Lucifer?" A whisper broke the silence everyone was in, it felt as though blood had stained the white veil of the wedding dress everyone dreamed of you wearing in their fantasies. "I cannot find MC". Beelzebub raised his voice, he had not been able to help it, fright and confusion were drawn on his face.

Lucifer finally paid attention to him, now the same expression could be read in his face: bewilderment, if he had to describe it. He looked around, looking for those red cheeks he knew so well.  

"She does not pick her phone either". 

He had been staring at his phone now, he had been thinking of calling you as well, hearing that made him freeze. Even if he knew the human world was safer than the Devildom itself, your whereabouts were always a reason of concern. 

"Remain calm, everyone" Although the one who had to take that piece of advice would have to be himself. "I'll go check with the guard, I'm sure she's in another room or in the toilet, stay together, I don't want more disappearances". 

Everyone remained quiet and silently agreed to his instruction, Beelzebub suggested the tour guide to give them the lunch break at that moment so they could stay together in a single place. The six brothers sat in the museum's café, they were trying to have lunch but instead they kept staring at the entrance, waiting for Lucifer, they expected to see MC by his side wearing a shy smile. 

But that did not happen.

"Now Lucifer is taking an awful amount of time".

"Leave it to me, I'll call him". Mammon suggested after hearing Asmo saying what he was thinking. 

"Beel, why is Lucifer's phone in your pocket?" Satan raised an eyebrow in suspicion. 

"Oh no, he was so worried he forgot about it. And now if he gets lost, he won't be able to enter the food delivery app, he will starve to death". Everyone could see Beel was really worried about that scenario, he even left his chips by his side for a moment, his face showing worry.

"Let's wait a little longer, and then we'll go back to the flat if they don't show up soon". Satan said and everyone agreed in silence.

It was a shame they were trapped inside when the day outside was so beautiful.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" You asked a bit worried.

"That's why we escaped from the Devildom in the first place, isn't it? Stop worrying about them and enjoy me instead". 

Your cheeks blushed and Lucifer remembered why he had fallen so hard for you, those colours that made you different to anyone else had captivated him. You kept walking together, you were now far away from the museum.

"I know, but they'll be worried, what if they make this bigger than it is?"

"There was no other way, and I would appreciate if you changed the subject, I don't want to think of them at the moment". 

You sighed.

"I thought you were the adventurous kind; you know, the girl studying abroad in the Devildom, falling for the bad guy, you should be enjoying this". He snickered at you, and you rolled your eyes at him, but just after a moment, you joined him and laughed, he was somewhat right. 

You surmised he was completely right after all, and you should enjoy your little adventure by his side, after all, his brothers had been the ones to show up without permission and without invitation and had spoiled your little time off. You took his hand in yours while you walked down the street after reflecting on this. 

The fresh summer breeze was slapping your face, messing with your hair while your eyes fought to stay open, it made you feel at home, at ease, the feeling got stronger when you remembered you were with your lover, as if you were complete, your heart danced, and your blood rushed through your veins to reach it out. 

"Fancy some tea? What? We're in London, aren't we?"

"Are you really offering me tea even considering this heat?"

"Would you rather have an ice cream, instead?" Lucifer said and your eyes shone while you nodded in approval. The both of you reached out to the park, it was greener than ever before, and the trees danced to the beat of the wind, Lucifer got you an ice cream that handed to you, and you suggested to sit down in the swings, he looked at you as if you were one more of his childish brothers, but at the end, he gave up, he smiled once you two were slightly moving back and forth, enjoying the good weather and your dessert. The sound of the tree leaves reminded you of a waterfall, the sun warming your body and the sound of people gave you the sort of relaxation, you had been longing for so long.

"Did you leave your phone at the flat as I advised?"

"They'll find it on the bedroom's vanity". 

"Good, Satan won't be able to track us down this time". 

You shared his devilish smile, knowing you had got your way this time. 

"May I try yours?"

Lucifer frowned at you, your smiling face produced some kind of affection to his chest that changed his behaviour every time, it was weird to be seen in public like that, but no one knew him there, he remembered, so he obliged and fed you with his own ice cream. 

"Try mine..." you made a grimace when he refused. "Don't make me force you". 

"I would like to see you try".

"Sta-"

He groaned, irritated. 

"I can do it. There's no need to do that". 

He licked your ice cream while you chuckled, perhaps you were actually of the adventurous kind. 

"It has a good taste, I think it's almost as sweet as you, although..."

You could not help yourself, seeing his lips move like that, you wished you were the ice cream instead, and therefore, you hurried to steal a kiss from him before he started talking. He blushed, he had not been expecting it, you had caught him off guard, it felt different in comparison to the night before, when you were anonymous, since now everyone around was looking at you two, or at least that's what he thought. 

He froze for a second, his pride sheltering him, as if he was in a bubble, a bubble you were breaking with your daring actions, he was completely red, almost out of control when a light split the sky into two, drops falling from the sky started landing on your faces, lowering the temperature, you looked up, definitely there was a huge storm coming. 

You did not mind, as long as you could keep holding your beloved one as close as you were now, however, he cared, because he stepped away, and took an umbrella from his coat. 

"You didn't bring yours, did you?"

You shook your head. He sighed. 

"We should seek shelter before it's too late, we can continue whatever we were doing there".

You stared at the sky, that morning when you looked at yourself in the mirror you had been glad of your choice of clothes, black shorts and black sneakers with a shirt with hues of red, you felt pretty and according to the summer, now that the sky was graying out, you were regretting your choices for the day, perhaps it was not appropriate enough now for the approaching storm. You looked at your bare legs with worry, but then another thought came to your mind, you noticed you had been wearing matching colours and you failed at hiding a smile when you realised it. 

You did not want to leave but the grasp of Lucifer's hand made you rose and start walking again down the streets, leaving the natural scenario behind.

"You take it" he forced you to take his transparent umbrella, you looked up and noticed how the drops fell on it, it was a nice umbrella, you could not help but smile while seeing the sky above, crying over you. The calm suddenly changed though, since soon you noticed the light rain turned into a heavy downpour. 

"Come here, you're getting wet".  You gestured at the space by your side, under the umbrella.

"I'm fine, you cover yourself". 

"I don't want to look after a sick demon when this is supposed to be fun, unless you're doing this because you're too embarrassed to be seen with me in public, which you could openly tell me, I'm not willing to beg for your attention ever again, we can leave things like this right now". 

Lucifer took a deep breath, and then after a moment of hesitation, a step closer to you, and then passed his arm around your shoulders, while you kept holding the umbrella. 

"If we walk slow enough none of us will be wet". 

"And if I keep you this close you won't be cold". He whispered. 

You smiled, made him stop in the middle of the street and carefully, placed your arms around his neck, leaving another kiss on his lips. The only thing covering you both was the see-through umbrella and the raindrops falling over it.  Everyone around was looking at you and his cheeks were red as were yours, but you could not care less, you liked it when you made him blush. Even if it was only a side effect of his prideful character. 

"You're being very naughty today, aren't you? I think I will have to do something to correct that behaviour". He leaned in and kissed you roughly this time, as if he was trying to demonstrate he could do better than you at being naughty, while he was demonstrating you, he would not care about his perfect image being scratched by you, he had made that decision, even if there was a chance you were encountered by his brothers again showing affection to each other like this. "I missed you, and I promise you, I'll never let work take over my time like this again". 

He looked around after leaving you breathless, people had started to pass you by, ignoring you, however he must have seen something, because he stopped. "They found us". He took your hand and simply started to run without giving you any opinion on the matter, the umbrella no longer preventing the water from getting into you, making your body freeze, almost producing pain, and two minutes later your hair and clothes were soaking wet, leaving you tired after that little race. You took the red bus after you had stopped, although you had no idea where it was going to. 

"I think we lost them again" Lucifer shook his head, plumping up his hair using his hand. Everything in him was hypnotizing and you could not help but admire his wet hair falling over his forehead, his bright red eyes thinking of something you could not imagine, giving him a mysterious look. You could tell there was some kind of malice in his grimace, he was having fun, he was a damn sadist after all.   

"So, who was following us?" You asked trying to get out of your thoughts, trying to remain calm, you looked at the window, attempting to catch a clue of what was happening. 

"My brothers, of course".

"How did they find us?"

Lucifer shrugged as if it was no important at all, and then held your hand in silence for the rest of the trip. 

Some blocks later across the wet London streets, Lucifer held you by the waist, helping you to descend the bus steps so you would not get wet by stepping into the puddles, as if you could get wetter. 

He took you through another narrow hallway, another tall building showing in front of you and covering the sky, and the rain, the only sound that could be heard were your sloppy steps. He led you upstairs, never letting go of your hand, it was silent. You did not stop climbing until you reached out the roof, the wooden door opened before you, leaving the two of you outside, under the no more gray sky, but rather painted in pink and orange hues, due to the fact the sun was coming back.  The view was spectacular, the whole city of London could be appreciated from there, the wind hit your face, reminding you it was not a dream, you were there in flesh and blood. 

"I'm glad it was here on time."

You glanced over at the table by the balcony, there was pizza and chips, as well as some drinks, you noticed then you were actually starving. 

"Be my guest", he gestured and helped you to have a seat. 

You soon were taking a big bite to your pizza slice. The feeling of being chased and your head revolving around was slowly decreasing thanks to the fact you were getting some energy from your meal, and now you were all of a sudden laughing.

"What is it the matter?"

"I cannot believe they followed us all the way here". 

"My brothers have always shown some kind of protective affection towards you, it was just logical, although inconvenient, especially when you're trying to have a date". 

Your face blushed, and then you stared at your pizza.  

"How did you get the food?"

"Beel, he was quite helpful this time... Listen, it might not be the kind of date you were expecting, and I promise you..."

"Stop right there" you cut him off. 

"I only wanted to spend some time with you, some quality time with no paperwork just you and I alone, no matter what we're doing, and I am very fond of pizza, so I won". 

The fairy lights over your head suddenly turned on, as well as the lights coming from the distant city, you could see the reflection of the sun on the Thames, little ships travelling down its course with their bright flags and lights standing out the growing darkness. It was the phenomena you had been missing, one of the few things that the Devildom could not equal, Lucifer admired the landscape as well, it was likewise, one of his favourite things from the human world, the balance between light and darkness, good and evil, just as it was comprised in its inhabitants. 

"I just wanted to make sure you still..." you interrupted yourself, leaving the sentence unfinished, as if you were choosing the correct words to deliver your message.

"I still and I will always love you, MC". 

You could not help but smile even wider, you were not able to look at his eyes, you felt like a teenager again, maybe even worse, your legs shook every time you thought of him, your checks reddened when you saw him, and your voice stuttered when you talked to him.  You wanted to tell him you loved him as much, but for some reason you could not get the words out of your mouth.

" I love you too, Lucifer". You finally managed to whisper.

Some fresh music started to sound in the background as if magic had produced it. 

"You wanted to dance, didn't you? We've been interrupted every time".

He rose before you could say anything, and dragged you along, soon he had you spinning around the floor, you both laughing because it was something embarrassing (even more embarrassing for the avatar of pride), although you decided he was just enjoying himself as much as you were, which was not usual for him, and you concluded that once in a while, leaving his brothers without surveillance in the middle of the human world creating chaos, was not that bad. 

Your body danced to the rhythm of the music for longer than you imagined; his grip on your waist, your hands around his neck, his perfume invading your senses, even standing out the smell of petrichor, the gift that rain had left for you; the sun had totally set when you separated your dreamy eyes from his, and the moon was now shinning over your heads, with its silver light falling over you, casting living shadows over the floor, the stars were sparkling as much as your eyes were. Your hearts were racing, he was not able to take his eyes off you, or his hands, you were both in some kind of trance, you were sure he had managed to cast some sort of spell on you because your brain was not able to command your limbs, they were only controlled by the electricity of his contact. 

 You did nothing to stop him when his kisses became warmer and more intrusive, or when his hands fought the resistance of the fabric of your clothes; your breath hitched in your chest due to the anticipation with every single kiss and touch, you let yourself fall into his trap of love and seduction, letting the sparks fly in the middle of the fire and the rain. That night, you allowed him to take over your body and soul, you were his prisoner, and you did not want to escape. 

 The music produced by the scattered raindrops on the glass roof woke you up, it was late, but not that late, the stars were still visible, and the sunlight was barely perceived in the horizon. Everything was quiet, then you remembered who you were with when you felt his warm embrace and soft breath under you. 

"Don't leave".  He said, showing some kind of vulnerability he would have hidden if he had been fully awake, that made you heart melt as he had done with your mind and body just a few hours ago, he would not say it out loud, but his heart was completely strung out. "I need your angel eyes". 

You snickered and hugged him back. After that night you would not be able to leave him ever again even if you tried. Why had you waited so long to elope?

 You softly kissed his lips. It took several minutes for you to get up, none of you wanted to let go the other, but at the end, the responsible side of Lucifer finally showed up. So, you were forced you took a shower, while he took care of making breakfast. 

You fixed your appearance in front of the mirror. Lucifer casually walked in to inform you "It's time for breakfast, and then we'll have to leave" and held you from behind and kissed your cheek, then you two stared at each other in the mirror, your faces looked filled with joy and Lucifer particularly, looked as if he had come back to life after being dead for some centuries.   

You nodded. Something was wrong with Lucifer today because he was spoiling you too much, the English breakfast before you was not only appetizing to your eyes, but also to your tastebuds. 

"The breakfast was amazing". You smiled at him once you had finished. 

"I am glad to hear you enjoyed it". He nodded behind his cup of black coffee. 

"Thank you". You smiled at him and he, as a natural effect, smiled back at you. "I enjoyed this little trip. Even if it was just a night, instead of the seven days you had promised". 

"I apologise about it, I will find a way to compensate it". 

You agreed with his statement, you would have liked to stay longer, to do something else, but it was time to go. 

The way back on the bus was calm, people was minding their own business and you enjoyed the trip looking at the buildings and the crowds outside. 

"Who was following us before we took the bus yesterday?"

Lucifer chuckled and you raised an eyebrow.

"No one was following us, I just sort of felt creative".

You hit his arm and laughed. 

"I knew your brothers weren't capable of doing so, they are good boys, you just have to be a bit more patient with them". 

"What are you, their lawyer?"

"Please?"

 He sighed. 

"Fine, but you'll be responsible for their bad behaviour if you insist on defending them". 

You nodded. You knew they would get into trouble often, but it was part of the fun. And most of the times it was nothing serious. 

You soon arrived to the Mayfair place where you had first arrived the previous night, a crowd was reunited there and there were some ambulances as well, the street was automatically cosed and Lucifer had to double check it was the correct street, hoping it was the incorrect one, but deep down knowing it was not, he could almost see the scene before his eyes: he could see Mammon starting the problem, Levi and Asmo panicking about it, Beel being too busy eating to notice, Belphie smelling the smoke and deciding it was not worthy enough to wake up, Satan rolling his eyes. Lucifer moved his head in disapproval, sighed in frustration and wasted no time and started to think of an appropriate punishment, whereas you almost fell in his arms when you finally realised the flat and the whole building where you had been staying had been burnt to dust, and it had only taken them a night alone. 

"I'm glad you'll get to do the cleaning this time, my little apple-pie". Lucifer whispered into your ear, when you finally met the dusty faces of his six brothers, then he chuckled.  

Definitely, you would look for a way to stop acting as their attendant and- what? Lucifer had called you his little apple-pie? For some reason you decided to change your mind. Maybe you could wait a bit longer and keep up with your duties as their attendant.  

-

The way home was as bittersweet as the chemistry that produced those strange feelings inside him towards you because Lucifer was mad at his brothers, and they were fearing for their fate and the punishment Lucifer would give them but there was as well an unobtrusive smile drawn on his lips because of the memories of your previous night together. He was less severe this time, maybe because of what you had told him or maybe for some other reason you were not able to tell, but maybe it was the happiness you two were sharing and weren't able to hide away. With time things settled down, life became what it used to be before your little adventure, although you weren't wretched anymore and every time and then, when Lucifer noticed he was not giving you enough attention he would find a way to have some time alone with you, he would count the days until he could bring you back to him. 

"Are you going to sleep or are you going to stare at me all night?" You said, you were not able to sleep because he was not sleeping either and you could feel his red eyes on you even in the dismal darkness. 

"Your picture haunts me in the dark while I'm falling asleep, it is not my fault". He sometimes felt like a rag doll, whose pieces belonged to you, and you could manipulate as you wished, and for some odd reason he was fine with it, he had given in, and stopped trying ways to turn it around. 

"Oh, shut up, if we want to ride the London eye, we'll have to wake up early". You softly smiled and hugged him, truth be told, you weren't able to escape him anywhere either, not even in your dreams. He kissed your scalp and closed his eyes, you were right. 

This was the first day of your second trip together and you could not wait for the adventures to come by Lucifer's side, under the rain in the misty town of London. 

- Note: I took the idea of the pet name "apple pie" from some post here on Tumblr because I found it adorable, I just cannot remember who was the user who came up with it, so, if you're the one, let me know to give you credit here :3

[asterthemegadisaster]

The House on Saint Street -- Chapter 1

So back in like 2017 I wrote an original story called The House on Saint Street on Wattpad. It sucked because I was like 14. ANYWAY I'm rewriting it and submitting it for Tumblrs consideration :) lmk what you think

Content warning: description of gore, involuntary cannibalism, mild adult language, horror

WC: 2.3k words

AI generated image via FreePik AI ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The air was cool and pleasant as my twin sister, Stella, and I walked home from school. It was Friday, which meant our mom worked late tonight. There were benefits to it of course, we got to order pizza and stay up late since we didn’t have school the next day, but it also sucked too. Ever since the divorce, Mom had been working late more and more Fridays until suddenly it was every Friday. I enjoyed the excitement of ordering pizza, but if I was being totally honest, I missed my mom too. 

As my sister walked beside me, our steps perfectly synchronized, I was snapped out of my daydream with the realization that Stella had slowly been diverting our path until we were standing directly in front of an old and abandoned house. House was a strong word, it was really more of a shack at this point. Many shutters hung by a single hinge, although with all the holes in the windows they wouldn’t have done anything anyway, had they been fully attached. The front door was covered in red tape, a reminder to curious teens that the home was condemned and unsafe to enter. 

The once beautiful and inviting home had become a stain on our town, a reminder of something the whole town wished could just be forgotten. I really didn’t like to think about it, but I did know the story. Everyone did, how could we not?  I tried not to think about it as I wrapped my jacket tighter around myself and a chill settled into my bones. The air no longer felt pleasant, but harsh as the wind howled in my ears. 

I planted my feet, refusing to walk any further. “Oh come ON!” Stella urged. “Can’t we just go poke around inside? Maybe there’s some money in a safe or something!”

“That doesn’t even make any sense, the police would’ve taken anything left in the house,” I retorted.

“Yeah, anything that’s evidence. Money’s not evidence,” Stella replied, “ugh whatever, maybe I’ll come back without you.” I just rolled my eyes as she retreated to the other side of the road. I followed her, desperate to get away from the haunting atmosphere of the dilapidated building. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, but I could’ve sworn I saw someone looking down from the upstairs window. I didn’t care to look twice as I increased my pace to catch up with Stella. 

As Stella and I walked in silence, a gentle drizzle began, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. I walked up our driveway and onto the front porch just as the sky opened up and the drizzle became a downpour. I was grateful we got home in time, I wouldn’t be able to bear Stella’s complaining about the rain causing her mascara to run. I unlocked the door and we rushed inside to prevent our cat, Cheese, from escaping. We latched the door, dropped our belongings, and plopped down onto the couch. Cheese crawled into my lap, purring, as Stella got her phone out, “Where should we order pizza from this week?”

“Whatever you want is fine,” I answer absently as I scroll through the list of streaming services, selecting the one I know has our feature film for the night. 

“Domino’s it is!” Stella declares as she punches our go-to order in the app, “ooh, Twilight tonight? Hell yeah!”

Stella and I both shared a love for The Twilight Saga, and with the weather being so dreary, it’s a natural choice. Working late meant Mom won’t be home until after one; I glanced at the clock, 3:30, it read. Stella and I made great time on our walk home, despite our hold up at the house, which meant we could probably binge the whole saga before she got home. I hit play on the movie as Stella hit “order” for our pizza. 

We sat, silently watching the movie, until the doorbell rang out ding dong. “Pizza’s here!” I exclaimed, placing Cheese beside me as I stood up to answer the door, “can you get the plates out please?” I asked Stella as I moved towards the door. 

“$40.23 please,” the delivery driver said flatly as he held the insulated bag of our dinner.

“Sure thing,” I replied as I turned to face Stella in the kitchen, “Stell, can you get the money off the counter please?” I turned back to the delivery driver, “Sorry, just a sec please.” Stella appeared behind me with the money and I handed it to the driver.

“Keep the change,” Stella said with a gentle smile. The driver passed her the pizza and me the plastic bag of soda, told us to have a good night, and walked away as I shut the door. “Ugh this smells soooo good,” Stella mumbled as she took the boxes to the kitchen. 

I padded along behind her and set the plastic bag on the counter and removed the bottles. I passed the Diet Pepsi to Stella and kept the Mtn. Dew in front of myself. We each plated up our pizza and stuffed breadsticks and settled back down on the couch to finish our movie. 

After what felt like an eternity, I glanced at the clock again, 1:12. Stella was asleep beside me with a blanket up to her neck and Cheese curled up in her lap. I smiled at the sweet scene as I turned off the TV and went upstairs to our tandem bathroom. After sitting in darkness for so long, the bathroom lights were almost blinding. I brushed my hair and teeth, preparing myself for bed. As I washed my face, a groggy Stella appeared behind me, “Move, I need to brush my teeth,” Stella said as she nudged me out of the way. I turned to her and asked, “Will you braid my hair?” and she nodded. I patiently waited for her to finish brushing her teeth, then to brush her long blond hair. She turned to face me and motioned for me to turn around and I complied as she deftly plaited my hair. “Want me to do yours?” I asked.

“Sure,” she replied, as she turned to face the doorway, “what time is it?”

“Probably around 1:30,” I answered as I struggled to manage her long golden locks, “Mom should be home soon,” I added. “There, all done!” I said proudly as Stella turned to face me, “Goodnight,” I said gently.

“Goodnight,” Stella echoed as she moved toward her bedroom. I walked to the opposite end of the bathroom and entered my bedroom, the dark walls and soft lighting welcoming after the harsh bathroom lights. I changed into my pajamas and gingerly crawled into bed. I plugged my phone in, turned off the light, and got comfortable. Cheese pushed open my bedroom door and I felt his small but heavy feet on the bed, and he crawled onto my chest, laid down, and began to purr. The soothing sound of his purring quickly put me into a deep sleep.

I walked through the front door of an unfamiliar house that somehow I knew was mine. My wife greeted me with a glass of wine in her hand as the smell of a freshly done stew wafted by, but something was off; Her smile was too wide, her voice too high. “How was your day, sweetheart?” She inquired, passing me the glass of wine.

“It was long,” I answered as I swirled the wine in the glass, “where are the kids?” They should’ve been at the door by now, excitedly greeting me and telling me about their days. My eyes shut as I blinked, and when they opened again I was somewhere else. When I looked down, my form was female and wearing a dress, no longer the burly male body I had been in previously. I surveyed the room I was in and saw daylight streaming in. I was standing in the kitchen, smoothly chopping vegetables. A pot of boiling broth sat on the stove and my body seemed to move on its own as I tended to the stew. I expertly slid the vegetables into the pot off the cutting board and turned to cut up the meat. A perfectly butchered chunk of meat I couldn’t identify was sitting on the counter and I picked it up and placed it on the cutting board, carefully cubing it. I turned back to the stew, added the meat, and stirred it. I began wiping blood from the meat off the counter and poured two glasses of wine as I heard the lock on the front door. 

I moved to greet my husband, the scene feeling familiar, asked him about his day, and handed him the glass of wine with a smile as a dutiful wife should. He took a sip of the wine and inquired about our children, “They’re napping,” I swiftly answered without thinking, “give me your coat dear.” I said as my husband turned to allow me to remove his jacket. I hung it up and headed back to the kitchen, “Supper is almost ready!” I called as I retreated. I stirred the stew one more time and got to work on the thickening agent. The timer went off and I quickly silenced it and pulled the rolls out of the oven, setting them on the counter. I turned off the stove and moved the pot onto a different burner, then placed the rolls into a basket. Grabbing the rolls and the butter holder, I carefully walked into the dining room and set them on the center of the table. 

Returning to the kitchen, I smoothly served up two bowls of stew and set them on mine and my husband’s place settings. I refilled my glass of wine as my husband sat down at the table and quickly began eating his stew. “Oh this is delicious, dear! But only two place settings, aren’t you going to rouse the children?” My husband asked innocently.

“No,” I replied, saying nothing else as I sipped my glass of wine. I slowly ate my stew as my husband rose from his chair.

“I’m going to wake the children, it’s quite late, they shouldn’t still be napping,” he said as he walked upstairs. I just sat at the table, watching. A loud scream pervaded the air and a wide smile crossed my face. I rose from the table and followed my husband’s footsteps to our oldest child’s bedroom. My husband stood in the doorway, a mixture of shock and horror on his face.

“What’s wrong dear?” I asked, my voice sounding distorted to my own ears.

“What have you done?!” he cried, rushing into the room. Our daughter’s mangled body lay on the bed and my husband rushed to cradle her broken body. “Oh God!” he wailed, “wait a moment,” he said, realization creeping in, “where is her arm?” I waited a moment to let the pieces click. 

“Mary, you didn’t!” He cried out as he began gagging. The smile on my face widened as I slowly stepped back. I turned to my right and saw a mirror, and looking back was Stella. My…her…our mouth moved, “Abby! Abby!” we called.

I awoke from my nightmare, sweaty and gasping for breath as Stella shook my arm. “Abby!” she whispered sharply without relinquishing her hold on my arm. I was still reeling from my dream re-enactment of the crime that took place at the house just a few blocks down from us. The one that had unsettled me so much earlier today. “What?” I snapped back, glancing at the clock reading 3:00

A wide grin spread across her face as she realized I was finally awake, “come on, let’s go!” she whispered excitedly, dragging me out up and out of bed. I stumbled up helplessly, surprised by my twin’s strength. “Get dressed and meet me at the front door in 5 minutes,” Stella whispered. 

Nodding my head I quietly replied, “okay,” and began dressing myself as she exited my room silently. I wrapped myself in my robe and slid on my slippers, shuffling quietly out of my room and down the stairs. “What do you want? It’s 3am!” I half whispered and half yelled at Stella.

“I want to go explore the house!” Stella whispered excitedly. The way she emphasized “the” let me know she was referring to the house that paralyzed me with fear, the house I had just dreamt about. “If you don’t come with me I’m just going to go by myself!” Stella stubbornly stated. I knew she was right too, but who knew what kind of things were hiding in there that could hurt her. I couldn’t let her face it alone.

“Okay,” I said, reaching for my jacket, “just let me get some socks because I am not walking out there in these flimsy-ass slippers.” Stella nodded her head and I quietly went back upstairs to grab some socks. As I came back downstairs, Stella waited by the door with her jacket and shoes already on.

“Mom won’t be up until probably noon, I saw an empty bottle of wine on the counter,” Stella said softly, “that gives us plenty of time to explore and get back before she wakes up.”

I rolled my eyes, “If we get in trouble, I’m snitching,” I said plainly. Stella just shrugged and opened the front door, stepping out into the cold night. I followed her, and we descended the steps of our front porch and walked down the driveway into the cold and endless night. 

[mercurygray]

There's still time to submit posts for this year's Thankful Thursday!

Here’s how this is going to work. Drop a message in my box, or submit a post to my blog describing your OC a little to me, and reminding me of the fic I can find them in. Think of this like…introducing me to a friend at a cocktail party. Why should I be friends with this person, or read their story?

An example: “This is my friend Joan. She joined the Army to follow a long military tradition in her family, and she lives to prove people wrong. A woman who just wants to be taken seriously at her job, who she’s making heart-eyes at is pretty obvious …to everyone but him. You can find her (and a lot of her friends) in The Darkening Sky on AO3.”

Then when I post it, I’ll add some links to your AO3/Wattpad/Tumblr so people can go do some reading! I need some time to do my homework finding links to your stuff, which is why I’m posting this now.

Posts will go live on Thursday, November 23rd.

No characters of your own? Maybe you’d like to give a shoutout to the author of an original character you really enjoyed reading this year?

There were already a lot of great OCs when I joined this fandom, and I know that more have been added that I just haven’t gotten to meet yet - so let’s fix that!

I’m going to be tagging all of these with ‘thankful Thursday meet and greet’ so if you’d like to go back at a later date to see all of them, they’ll be there for you!

[mbavholidayexchange]

Hi I’m trying to submit my work but it’s telling me I’m missing a ‘author_tumblrlog_id’ I’m not 100% sure what that means I thought maybe I had to tag my giftee in the submission but I can’t find there @ I was just wondering if I could have an example of the layout?

this should be how the submission page looks (forgive me, i am on mobile desktop mode for this), please remember to check the 'i accept the terms of submission' button. if you cannot find your giftee's url, mods will edit it in post. if you still cannot submit a post properly, please send it via ask using images & links supported by tumblr only.

if you are copying and pasting a fic, please know that tumblr's word count cuts off right around 4k, so it most likely won't post if you submit it that way. we accept ao3, wattpad, or whatever fanfic site link of your choice if you are submitting fic. for fanart and edits we only accept file types supported by tumblr (jpg, png, and other supported video files) as long as they are within the file size limit.

as long as you submit your work, don't worry about tagging your giftee! chances are you have their discord or other social media name instead of their tumblr, and mods will add it in post when adding it to the queue. thank you for your question.

- mod kingsley

[brokendevilwrites]

Here’s how to report a fic: https://archiveofourown.org/abuse_reports/new I’ll submit one on your behalf if there are anymore, maybe your followers can help?

Thank you, darling.

One of them is on Wattpad? Whatever that is. I've sent a message saying I'm the original author so we will see.

I'd be more chill about if a) you weren't pretending my 112,000+ words were your own after I wrote them for goddamn free and b) it wasn't RPF? and c) ya'll didn't ask????

Anyway if this doesn't prove I should have published this crap I don't know what does.

Luckily Beyonce came through for me and saved my morning with this new album.

[mysteriouschar]

FED UP! part 1

also available at wattpad

Part2 Part3

It hadn't taken her long she realised that the class wouldn't believe her and Agreste junior was a spineless coward who would never do what was right. It had only been 2 weeks since Lie-la had come/ returned. The class believed her, Agreste junior was giving the horrible advice of taking the high road.

So she had made a plan not to expose Lie-la or anything but get rid of these leeches cause that was what these people were. First she would have to submit a transfer maybe to another class or maybe do online schooling. Second turn the tables on Lie-la.

ding. I look at my phone.

Lila: See I fulfilled my promise all your friends believe me and Adrian is mine. You lose. I am going to make your life a living hell.

she doesn't know but she just helped me (smirks)

Marinette: thats where you are wrong if you forgot I am still the class president. And I am the person they come to when they need help unlike you who while claims to have connections no one asks your help so how the heck do you think you have won Lie-la. Guess your mother knew who she birthed she literally named you lie.👌😂 

Lie-la would take the bait and she knew how she would react. She had just started and she was sure she would succeed. ahh! forgot the main person. Third defeat the fashion less villain shadowmoth.

Next day-

When she entered the class she could smell the animosity coming from the class but she kept quiet once she was seated. Lie-la started the waterworks " Do you guys not like me-e y-y-ou never as-k fo-o-or my help for anything I can help you with my connections but its alright if you don't believe me."

"NO girl why would you think that ? we trust you." said the tabloid writer.(aka alya)

"well you always ask Marinette for help but never ask me is it because she thinks I am a Liar." and starts the waterworks again.

"Marinette what did you say to Lila can't you stop being so jealous, you are such a bully." said tabloid writer.

"You should apologise Marinette as class president you should be an example." said Miss Caline Bustier.

[longlivefeedback]

hi. so i’m just gonna get right to the point here:

writing is basically the only thing i’m good at. like i’m ok at other stuff, but writing is the only think i’m really actually good at, and it just means so much to me. anyway, not the point. the point is, i put my heart and soul into my writing, and i get so excited whenever i get to publish a new story. but then it doesn’t get nearly as much exposure as i would’ve liked, like maybe only 100 hits or so. and it’s not even kudos or comments that bother me—don’t get me wrong, i love comments and kudos as much as the next person—it’s just that i worked so hard to create something that i wanted to share, and then no one ever reads it. and i’ll use some lines and scenes that i’ll really really like, and then i can’t use it again because i’ve already used it, but i feel like i’ve wasted it on something no one even bothered to read. and it’s just really disappointing that i put so much into something that pretty much no one even noticed

sorry for ranting or if that whole spiel made me sound like an ass, i just wanted to know if you had any advice for me.

Hello, Anon!

It made my heart go "Awww" to read that you are able to indulge in something you feel so passionate about! Good for you and I hope you have many many more years of reaping joy from the act of writing ❤

In terms of advice, see if any of these are useful:

Join a writing group. These are people who are focused on writing as a craft. They do not have to be fans of the same fandom as you and may not consider themselves "fans" of anything at all. The type of feedback you will receive might be different (i.e. they probably can't gush with you about how well your fanfic referenced canon), but they should still be able to opine on your writing in terms of plot, prose, pacing, characterization, etc. It is also more likely that they will be able to give you (or at least easier to set the expectation and ask for) more critical feedback that's focused on improving your writing as a skill. It's something to consider if that's a type of feedback that you're interested in.

Get a beta/enabler/irl friend to give you feedback. This way, you're getting some feedback at least. Be bold in your ask. Be specific in your ask. Point out the bits you really want to share and ask them what they think. Talk about it with them. Satisfy that itch to scream and share and be proud of yourself!

Ask for feedback in private. This can be from the people mentioned in 1 and 2 above, but the key here is the setting. Do not wait until you've posted to AO3/ffn/wattpad. The infrastructure of these sites are not necessarily made for receiving in-depth feedback or conversations that would be best held in private, such as criticism. So, if you are looking for prolonged conversation, I suggest seeking feedback on a different platform e.g. tumblr DMs, discord, gdoc comments, and etc.

Engage and look for feedback in different communities with a different feedback culture and etiquette. I am too young to have experienced LiveJournal and fandom culture in that format, but I believe Dreamwidth is its (spiritual) successor and from what I've heard, it is more discussion and forum based vs posts with character limits/walls of texts that feel like you're yelling into the void.

Send in a snippet of your work to me and I'll review it. It's something I offered this anon, and I have no idea how this will go, but if you want someone to give you positive feedback on a piece of your work, submit a phrase/paragraph that you are particularly proud of and I will tell you what I think of it.

I hope you find these helpful. Maybe we just need a venting blog......

[skzhocomments]

Hello can i request one where the reader and Taemin casually meet eachother in Paris, and they have flashbacks because the city was their last trip together before breakup? Thanks:)))

Hello! TYSM for submitting a request. I know it took some time, but I got to writing it, and I hope you will enjoy it!

Rencontre moi à Paris (Lee Taemin)

Pairing: Lee Taemin (of SHINee) x Reader / OC (story is written in first person and no name is mentioned)

Genre: angst, romance, mature

Word Count: ~3.8k

Warnings: mature, swearing, angst, explicit sexual content.

This is just a story that doesn’t describe Taemin's true character in any way. It’s just a product of my imagination and should be treated as such.

This story is also on Wattpad (click here) and AO3 (click here)

A/N: As any other writer out there, I would appreciate reblogs and your comments on this story. Please let me know if you enjoyed it, and most importantly, have fun!

Summary: basically the request

---

Mature content ahead.

18+

©storminsidemycore All Rights Reserved

---

Rencontre moi à Paris (Lee Taemin)

Paris.

Bustling cafés, crowded streets, and people rushing either to their jobs, or to the newest art gallery with temporary exhibitions opened in town.

The rampant palaces, domes and monuments built in a Gothic style contrast the tall buildings with intricate sculpted designs, making the city the perfect mix between modern and traditional, between functional and pleasant to look at.

It's already been 5 years since I've last been here, and walking through these busy streets again feels simply surreal. Many memories I tried to forget about are resurfacing, and even though I enjoy seeing this city again, my mind wanders off to that time, and it feels bittersweet.

I breathe in the November air and continue walking, the familiar unfamiliarity somewhat comforting, and after 20 minutes of going through narrow passages in-between boulevards, I finally reach my destination, and I'm glad to see it's still here, opened, despite the unappealing area that's surely deprived of tourists to keep it alive.

Rencontre moi à Paris – or 'Meet me in Paris', a café I accidentally stumbled upon last time I came here after getting lost with my then-boyfriend.

The weather that time was similar as it is now, and I, too, am similar, even if it's been 5 years since then. The only difference is that now I have an umbrella, whereas then we stumbled upon this café soaked wet and dripping from the merciless rain outside, both of us unequipped and powerless against the black November clouds. That was nothing new, though, as we almost always ventured into things unprepared, head-first as if we were invincible, and our relationship was no different.

Maybe that's why it all went down in flames, leaving me this acidic feeling in my stomach.

It's funny, really. I haven't thought about him in years, but being here, all of the sudden I'm the same 25-year old girl with hopes and dreams, madly in love with him, and heartbroken by his absence, to the point of no return. This truly makes me realise that I never got over him, and I probably never will. It's just that the gaps between thinking about him got longer, they became years instead of seconds, and I somehow turned 30 and haven't seen or spoken to him in 5 years.

After standing like an idiot in front of the café in the pouring rain, I realise that it's best to walk in. The smell of freshly roasted coffee beans immediately invades my nostrils, and I smile to myself noticing the décor is still the same, with vintage round metal tables and matching slightly rusted chairs in front of the large arched windows viewing the street.

I head to the table I once shared with him, displeased to notice a half drunk coffee cup with steam still coming out of it, and a discarded coat on the back of the chair.

Tsk. I utter to myself and sit down at the next table, my back turned to that space filled with good memories and laughter.

I lazily grab the menu and skim through it, pondering between a hot tea and a coffee. On one hand, I'm feeling pretty tired and could use the caffeine, but on the other, bad weather is most enjoyable with a cup of warm tea, so I settle for some green tea, the perfect mix.

Looking outside absent-mindedly, I follow the raindrops fallen on the large glass windows. There is no sign of anyone brave enough to set out in this weather. I don't hear the person behind me returning to their seat, and I get startled when they tap me two times on the shoulder.

I turn around, and my eyes can't believe what I'm seeing. I must've gone as white as a ghost, because he starts chuckling immediately, his warm smile sending alarm bells to my poor heart, that started beating faster.

There he is, dressed in black trousers and a black fitted turtleneck, with his brown hair and perfect pearly whites, looking at me with surprise in his eyes.

"It's really you! How weird to meet you here!" He exclaims with a soft chuckle, and I stand up, shocked.

"Taemin...?" His name plays on my lips, burning my tongue. I haven't said it out loud in years. In fact, I avoided it like the plague, afraid of what saying it would make me think about, but now that I said it, it felt like it was the most natural word that ever came out of my mouth, like my lips missed it, and they wanted me to shout it out all this time I've stayed silent.

All of a sudden, his arms encircle my body and he pulls me in for a hug, and my body reacts unconsciously, grabbing onto his waist and holding tightly, not wanting to let go.

However, we let go, as we can't possibly stay embraced in the middle of a café. I'm not sure he wanted to, anyway.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him, feeling my eyes swell up with tears that I try to swallow back. He looks like he's moved on, and his life looks amazing, and everything is fine, but I... don't really want him to know about mine. I tried so hard to stay away from him, but now...

"I should be asking you the same thing." He chuckles. "Would you join me for a cup of coffee? Or a warm tea, since I know it's your favourite drink when it rains."

I smile, remembering how attentive he's always been about my likes and dislikes. Even when we accidentally found this café 5 years ago, we got caught up in the rain because I mentioned in passing that I'd love to see an unknown painter's works and he found an exhibition in some obscure museum with 15 reviews on Maps. With his bad sense of direction and both our phones discharged, we unsurprisingly got lost, and ended up finding this place to take shelter in from the rain.

I nod and sit down at his table, in my exact same spot from the past, just as the waitress brings me my green tea, her eyes scanning the familiarity between me and the man in front of me.

"Being here, I kept thinking about us. What have you been up to?" He asks me with curiosity, slightly leaning in, as if he would hear me better. He always used to do that in the past, which I loved. It felt like being listened to, being heard.

"Oh, you know... just the usual. Work, chill in bed with Kkoong, meeting up with friends. Nothing much, and certainly not as interesting as what you've been doing." I smile, pointing at his successful career.

"Mhm. Even if my work took off, I truly am the same simple guy I was when we used to-" He abruptly stops and scans my face, before changing the subject. "Anyway, is Kkoong good? Ddaeng misses you two."

"I miss you- I mean, I miss Ddaeng as well." I correct quickly, mentally slapping myself for letting my heart take the lead.

Of course I missed him. So many years have passed, and I am still stuck in a state of inertia. Being with him here again, at this same café, feels like we are still the same clueless 25-year-olds, visiting Paris for the first time, full of hopes and dreams that would only end up crashing and burning in front of our eyes as the weight of the world got too much for us to bear, and love doesn't conquer all.

Taemin doesn't seem to mind my little slip-up. He knows how I've always worn my heart on my sleeve. After all, we've been together for many years, before ultimately breaking up. He knows me the best, and I know him like the back of my hand, still.

"The name of this café is pretty ironic." He says, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Ironic? How so?"

"I mean, Meet me in Paris? Isn't it funny that I've searched for you everywhere in Seoul, but I ended up finding you here, in a café lost in time on the outskirts of Paris?" He looks at his coffee cup, now empty.

Perhaps as empty as the two of us.

Taemin has always been like this, expressing himself in cryptic ways, especially when it comes to feelings that don't easily lend themselves to words.

He searched for me? I wouldn't have known.

When we broke up, I decided to let go of everything I once knew, and left my life with him behind. I took Daeng and I left, I changed my number, deleted my socials, and did everything to stay out of radar, while Taemin did the exact opposite, being everywhere: on billboards, in magazines, on TV...

We were simply too different from each other. We lived in incompatible worlds.

"I also didn't expect you to be here." I smile. "Isn't a star like you too busy to waste his time in a deserted café?" I mock his fame, and he blushes. "Also, I assume the drinks are on you."

"Of course they are!" He exclaimed quickly.

"I don't know, you used to be pretty stingy with money." I shrug playfully, and his cheeks only grow redder. He gets embarrassed and avoids my gaze, before scratching his nape and starting apologetically.

"I was kind of an ass, wasn't I?"

We both laugh, and we talk about anything and everything, watching as day turns to night and noticing the exasperated gaze of our waitress.

"The poor girl wants to go home." I say after a while, noticing her sighing for the 10th time in the past 3 minutes. We've been her only clients today, and she probably hated us for spending so many hours and ordering drinks one after another.

"Would it be so inappropriate of me... to invite you back to my hotel?" Taemin asks hesitantly, and I so desperately wished I had the power to refuse him.

But I don't refuse him, because I missed him, and I want him so much still, and just for these few hours spent talking to him, I felt like breaking up with him might've been a mistake, because I was so painfully still in love with him.

He is perhaps but a guilty pleasure.

We walk out of the café at the end of the world and begin walking slowly next to each other. The rain has stopped, and even if the ground is still wet, Paris stays pretty.

The way we are quietly walking next to each other is in such a stark contrast to how we left the café 5-years ago, embraced, and in love, and loud, that it's almost funny. Maybe we've matured in the meantime, or maybe we just aren't brave enough to grab onto each other so openly in the street anymore.

Maybe we simply aren't as happy. Taemin used to smile so much more brightly, being able to light up any room he was in with his cheerfulness. I've never been that joyful, except for when we were together, because he used to bring out the best in me, until he didn't.

Actually, thinking about it, Paris was not only our last trip together, but also the last time I recall being happy next to him. We broke up not even one month after, and it felt so life-altering in that moment, that it's funny to think that it was simply a regular Wednesday morning. Caught in the moment, he said things he regretted, and I paid him back in the same coin, and it was just the last drop that filled the glass of on-going arguments and differences between our life choices.

I know that we didn't work out because we wanted different things from life, but at the end of the day, it's just water under the bridge.

We continue walking to the hotel without saying much, and I wonder how people see us. In the past, they would be looking at us and chuckling to themselves seeing two dumb idiots in love, but now, there was a palpable tension in the distance between our bodies, that wanted nothing more than to touch each other again.

Of course, his hotel is 5 stars in a good area, and his room is on the last floor. We hop on the elevator and wait and wait and wait, and it's moving so slow, it's eating at me and making me reconsider if this really is a good idea.

Last time we were together, we made out everywhere. On the street, on empty hallways, under the burning eyes of the paintings at the museum – but now?

I turn around with determination and watch how awestruck he is still looking at me, 5 years later, and I wrap my arms around his neck and let my body take the lead, remembering his. Our lips brush against each other shily, but after a few seconds, automatism kicked in.

It's way too easy to fall back into each other's arms.

We start kissing passionately, his hands holding onto my hips so tightly, it might bruise, as if he were afraid I would disappear if he didn't hold onto me, and he pins me up against one of the walls and sticks his tongue down my throat. It's so obvious that my mouth missed him, as they sync perfectly, and it feels as good as it feels bad, like we're eating popping candy each time our tongues touch.

Thankfully no one joins us in the elevator, and Taemin keeps grabbing onto me as we make our way towards his room, that's so large it's ridiculous.

We had limited financial resources back then, so our rooms when travelling were always small and cramped, but we were in love, and it didn't matter. A room this large must've felt cold, when he was here alone.

My back finds the mattress of his king size bed quickly as he undresses me hungrily, and soon enough I am naked waist-down and he is towering over me with a look of raw desire in his eyes.

He presses small pecks on my abdomen and kisses downwards slowly and sloppily, until his mouth makes contact with my thigh, and he spreads my legs apart. I let him do whatever he wants, I just revel in the feeling and let my body remember how he felt like on top of me.

When his mouth connects to my core, tongue licking stripes up and down, I roll my head back and put my hand in his hair, caressing him gently, letting him know what a good job he's doing. He's always loved praise, especially in bed. I wonder if his partners after me knew how to praise him; these small gestures and touches that make him feel appreciated.

His tongue continues working on my clit for a bit, before he moves it down, teasing my entrance, just as he knows I like it.

"You taste so good, baby." He says, letting his tongue enter me, and I moan.

"Taemin, please." I whine, impatient to feel him more.

"Please what?" He chuckles, and I playfully slap him on the head, when he looks at me, a dumb smirk playing on his lips.

"I want you so bad." I whimper, and his smirk drops. He immediately gets on top of me, pressing his body against mine, as if he were my knight and I, his Queen, and I've commanded him something.

There is no time to think anything through with the urgency he's undoing his belt, and the feeling of fullness is quick to overcome me as he slips his dick in me, thrusting mercilessly as if it's the last time we're ever going to be together.

And it might be.

The room is filled with moans and whimpers, and we hang onto each other desperately, our bodies remembering each other perfectly. Our clothes are quick to disappear completely. He slips my blouse off and clasps off my bra, his mouth instantly connecting to my nipples, and I, with the same neediness, grab on his turtleneck and help him take it off. Seeing his naked body, I involuntarily clench around him, and the way he moans sends shivers down my spine.

"I missed you so fucking much." He says, voice full of painful beauty as he kisses my collarbones and nibbling on the sweet spot between them and my neck, and I melt once again against his touch, and I know that I'm going to get my heart broken again, but once you start something and the lines start blurring, it's already too late to stop, for you get greedy and you want more.

"I missed you too." I cry out and indulge myself in his touch.

The way he caressed my body was still the most intimate someone touched me. I've had my fair share of partners before him, and many others after, and this still hasn't changed. Taemin's body and mine are made for each other, and this fact gives my heart a sharp pang.

"My love, ever since I lost you, I searched for you in every woman I've been with. I am no longer creative, and I so desperately want it all back, the way it was. I want us back." He confesses while he's thrusting in me.

But what point is there in wanting? I think, but it's so hard to stay focused, with his dick grazing against my sweet spot over and over, when I'm almost seeing stars.

My toes become a curling mess and I wrap around him, and oh, how well he knows me, for he realises I'm so close, and knows exactly how to move his hips right, and I reach my high and hold him so tight, our shadows become one, completely indistinguishable. It's so good that I start getting ashamed of the loud sounds I'm making. Taemin, however, doesn't seem to mind, it even seems to send him over the edge, because his thrusts become sloppy, and his eyes are closed tightly; he looks focused, faint lines on his forehead giving him away.

I am moaning his name, and he is moaning mine, and dancing the Devil's tango has never felt so right, but in the end, if what we're doing is a sin, then we should just be sinners.

He presses his plum lips on mine, muffling both our moans, and he comes inside me, cupping my face with his hands.

"My muse, please don't leave me again... I promise you I won't make the same mistakes..." He kisses me hard, and if until now I was able to control my tears, they are now breaking my wall of strength, and he wipes them off my cheeks with his thumbs and kisses them away.

"Taemin... empty promises will wear..." I say, and he shakes his head.

"Please... don't leave me again... I've just found you..." He insists, sounding so needy, I melt. But how can I go back to how we were in the past? What if what he's feeling for me is not love, but limerence?

I no longer want to make any mistakes. We were so wrong for each other; what guarantee is there that this time we'll get it right?

At the end of the day, we are still different people, living our lives in different ways, so...

He guides me to the bathroom and we wash each other, just as we used to do. Five years ago, when we came here, we had such a small bathroom, we barely had space to shower at the same time. This bathroom now, however, is so much bigger, it's almost uncomfortable.

There's too much space between us we simply can't fill.

We then head to bed and fall asleep embraced, but as I always used to, I wake up way too early, and being tangled up in his sheets like this makes me think that maybe giving us another chance wouldn't be so bad. However, even if we share the same bed, we still have different dreams, and that's not something that can get changed easily. If it were, we would've never broken up in the first place.

I get up, careful not to wake him up, and get dressed slowly, thinking thinking thinking thinking.

I could get out and make sure he'll never see me again.

But... is that what I really want?

~

~one year later~

Paris is still the same bustling city I remembered it to be, but my safe corner is as quiet as usual.

Rencontre moi à Paris still smells of coffee beans, the chairs are still rusted, and not much has changed in a year, except for the wallpaper on the wall that's slightly ripped around the corners.

I slowly head to my table, occupied by a brunette man in a black fitted turtleneck, who sits with his back turned.

I don't say anything, I simply walk over and sit right in front of him, in my empty chair, and he raises his gaze from the cup, his eyes glimmering in the soft lights.

"Taemin." I smile. "You really came."

"You're fucking crazy." He shakes his head in disapproval. "Who leaves like that?"

"Like what?" I chuckle and play dumb.

"Like what?" He imitates me, and I stick out my tongue at him. "Normal people leave their phone numbers at least, but you?! You fucking- who the hell leaves a note like this?!" He angrily takes out a napkin carefully folded and throws it on the table in front of me.

Rencontre moi à Paris, 18 November, 15:00. Is what is written in pen in my handwriting.

Seeing it, I chuckle.

"You kept it!"

"What if I wouldn't have been able to change my schedule and come here?" He scolds me, but I just shrug.

"That would've meant nothing's changed, and that I made the right choice to not give you my number last year."

"I told you, didn't I? I won't make the same mistakes again. I really want to make us work."

"Then... shall we go back to your hotel? I really missed you. Besides, we don't want the waitress to stare daggers at us again, do we?" I whisper with a slight laugh and stand up, giving him my hand, and he takes it quickly and kisses it tenderly.

"I missed you too, my love. Please never disappear on me again..."

I smile and nod, and we get out of the café hand in hand. His thumb slowly brushes against the back of my hand, and I smile, because I truly missed him, and I was glad he actually listened to the stupid note I left on the napkin and came here.

Perhaps we won't fuck it up this time around, and we will finally be happy together, for we are already in madly love, and time apart hasn't changed that.

After all, two negative signs added together make a positive, right?

~The End~

[lokolokong-manunulat]

Sincerely

Series Part: Part 1 of 2

Word Count: 956

Warning/s: Nothing much, maybe it's gonna make you panic a bit but no one dies.

Notes: This is pretty old so this hasn't seen the light of spell and grammar check. The lyrics are romanization and it doesn't include the Japanese characters so I'm sorry for that.

Wattpad Link: Sincerely (Hetalia Prussia x Reader)

Song Featured: "Sincerely" by True

Part Link/s: Sincerely | My Light

Shiranai kotoba wo oboete yuku tabi omokage no naka te wo nobasu no (Each time unknown words come to mind, I reach my hand toward the traces they leave.)

I carefully touched the letter in my hand, my eyes read each sentence over and over again.

Dakedo hitori de wa wakaranai kotoba mo aru no kamo shirenai (But there may be words that I can't comprehend all alone.)

When I finished reading it, I clutched it close to my chest as I looked out the open window of my house.

Sayonara wa nigakute aishiteru wa tooi nioi ga shita ("Goodbye" is so bitter, while "I love you" carries a far-off scent.)

I gave a small smile, even if I know that I'm hurt inside that he had to leave for the war.

"Gilbert, come home safely. I love you." I whispered as I could feel the tears building up in my eyes.

Tatoe you no nai kono omoi wa totemo kowakute dakedo totemo itooshikute (This incomparable feeling is so very frightening... but so precious at the same time.)

For a moment, thought I saw him. His silver hair flying in the wind as he gave me a mischievous smirk. His red eyes were looking at me, lovingly with a hint of sorrow before he turned around to walk away.

Watashi nande naiteirun darou kokoro ni nante kotaetara ii? (Why am I crying right now? How should I answer my heart?)

He faded away as he walked further away. It wasn't real. It was just my memory.

I could feel the lump in my throat and I could feel the tears slip down from my eyes.

Kotoba wa itsudemo kataru demo nakute soko ni aru bakari tsunoru bakari (The words are never spoken. They're just there... they just keep building up.)

I looked down and submitted to my sorrow, sobbing silently.

Watashi wa anata ni aitaku naru (I start wanting to see you.)

Kirei na kotoba wo oboete iku tabi jibun no koto ga iya ni narisou (Each time I learn a beautiful word, it feels I might start hating myself.)

I looked at a newly received letter from Gilbert, his handwriting seemed to be a little bit in a hurry.

Dakedo se wo mukecha ikenai kotoba mo aru no kamo shirenai (But there may be words that I mustn't ever turn my back on.)

I opened it with fear in my heart.

"Please don't let my fears be confirmed." I whispered before I decided to read the letter.

Kanashimi wa tsumetaku arigatou wa nukumori ni irozuku (Sadness is cold, while "Thank you" is colored in warmth.)

"Dear [Y/N]," I read. "I'm going to the battlefield tomorrow again, this time in the front line where the fighting is the fiercest. I don't know if I'll be able to make it back. Even though, I still want to say thank you. Thank you for everything. Also I want to tell you that I love you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you."

Katachi no nai mono fureru tabi ni anata no koe ga mune no oku de hibiiteiru no (I hear your voice echoing deep inside my heart.)

I could feel my heart crumbling as my eyes welled up in tears as I read the last lines.

"Sincerely, Gilbert Beilschmidt"

Days passes by slowly as I awaited yet another letter.

But none came.I sat in front of my desk, thinking of what to do until it struck me.

"I think I'll write a letter to pass the time." I mumbled before I reached for the writing tools to start writing.

Kakikakete wa yameta (I began writing, but stopped.)

I was writing vigorously and when I was about to write the address of which I was to send the letter to, I suddenly stopped.

Is the address of the military base Gilbert is in-is he even still there?

Atesaki no nai tegami wa kaze ni yureru todoketai hito no machi made hajimari no owari wo tsutaeru tame ni (This letter with no addressee flutters in the wind, seeking the city of my desired recipient to report the end of a beginning...)

"Is Gilbert even alive?" I whispered.

Knock! Knock!

I lifted my head before I went to answer the door.

I saw Ludwig, Gilbert's little brother, outside.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

I paused for a moment.

Has the moment I feared so much finally happened?

I nodded. "You may. Please, come in."

Ikiru koto yamenai koto (I'm living my life. I'm never giving up.)

"He's not dead. He's just unconscious." Ludwig's words echoed in my head. "It's going to take some time before he is fully recovered."

Anata ni kyou wo hokoreru you ni (So that you can take pride in these current days.)

"I've been receiving news that you weren't your normal self and that Gilbert might be the cause. I'm here to give you reassurance. So please, continue living your life." That's what Ludwig said.

Watashi nande naiteirun darou kokoro ni nante kotaetara ii? (Why am I crying right now? How should I answer my heart?)

I broke down, crying.

I could feel Ludwig wrap his arms around me.

"That's-That's such a relief. Thank you, Ludwig." I managed to say.

Kotoba wa itsudemo kataru demo nakute soko ni aru bakari tsunoru bakari (The words are never spoken. They're just there...they just keep building up.)

"He'll be alright soon. And once he does get well, we'll send him here to live with you." Ludwig patted my back, comforting me.

I just nodded as I cried.

What a relief. . .

I can't wait to see you again, my love. My Gilbert. . .

Watashi wa anata ni aitakunaru yo (I start wanting to see you.)

[lovelyysiriuss]

chromatic | eight

*gif not mine

AUTHOR'S NOTE: feedback is always appreciated! I can't tell if y'all are enjoying since you're mad silent LMAO

PAIRING: Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader / Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT: 434

INSPO: a series on TikTok by @serenaivory of the same name.

CHROMATIC MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST | ASKS! REQUESTS! TAGS! | SUBMIT ANYTHING! | WATTPAD VERSION

prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

“I want you to understand that this is truly nothing personal.” Zemo stood up, pacing the room, “You are only collateral damage to the plan, just like how my family was. Your friends know about that, I’m sure that they will understand.”

“Bucky, I know you’re in there. Don’t do this, please, come back to me.”

An empty stare, along with hoarse dialogue, “Don’t talk to me, I don’t know who you are.”

“Such a fascinating turn of events. His wife and his best friend. It’s almost… pathetic, really.” Zemo smirked, “But it does make things a lot more interesting.” She scoffed, making the soldier tense. “Now, soldier,” Zemo confirmed.

The glock in the soldier’s hand pointed toward her, glossy orbs bored into his. His eyes morphing into a new shade of his shining blue, overpowering his current brewing of emotions—dark and haunted. Almost hallow, screaming out for deliverance.

“Please don’t do this, it’s me.” She sobbed. “Bucky…”

The gentle burning in her chest gradually turned to poison. Ironic. The love that poisoned her is about to physically destroy her.

Something within himself snapped, woken up from a trance. Hypnotized or brainwashed? He could not sense the distinction; maybe there was none. The voice was oddly familiar, he could not place it, yet it echoed within his hallow mind. Perhaps it was not hallowed, possibly reprogramming itself to be better.

He uttered her name, though it appeared to sound like a question. Perhaps questioning why he must constantly place himself in terrible predicaments such as this. A recurrence of wrong place, wrong time.

His being consisted of endless questioning with no true answer.

“Do it!” Zemo ushered.

“No.” With a boom and a snap, Zemo fell on the floor, unconscious.

She was beaming, staring into his eyes that bloomed a smidgen of life. “Bucky?” Heaven. Her voice was oozing milk and honey, the sweetest things in life. Though, the pain was overflowing between them like a river. Mountains grew, flourishing trees with branches, and breathing life. Is this the afterlife? Since when did heaven make one feel so alive?

His hands possessed the desire to hold, suddenly. Contemplation of should I? I’m frightened. Flesh acquainted itself with her features, tracing her lips and cheek. Delicate and shaking.

Don’t be afraid. I’m right here. She leaned in.

Their lips met halfway, a wildfire of emotions gathered in their mouths. Tongue, teeth, and lips chased each other. Unable to breathe, as if the struggling of their breaths gave them oxygen.

The calm came subsequent the storm once she paused, resting her forehead against his. “You’re back.”

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[sapphicunicorn]

How do you share your original writing?

Do you have a whole book posted on Tumblr or WordPress or LiveJournal? Do you only share scenes? Do you post on FictionPress or Wattpad or Ao3's original tag or whatever site is popular now? Do you submit to magazines/websites?

Do you worry about your writing? Do you keep it to yourself so no one can steal it? Do you actively seek out constructive criticism? Do you develop your ideas with someone? Are you part of a writing group?

I always see so many amazing original ideas and blogs dedicated to WIPs, but a lot of them don't seem to have an endgame (besides the love of writing, of course) or even a way to read all available scenes.

I've wanted to share my original writing (you can find my fanfics easily!) but as someone with only one finished (ignoring plot holes and missing scenes) project, my other projects stagnant and desperate for imagination, I wondered how you dealt with sharing.

(Or maybe I should continue to avoid writing, share nothing, and just stick with private aesthetic boards over on Pinterest!! 👀)