#my drafts are also filled with so many fics that I started reading but then I felt dizzy midway sjjsksjd

[peachhcs]

https://www.tumblr.com/peachhcs/768260981215330304/httpswwwtumblrcompeachhcs767959888939941888

okay so freaking cute.

i can’t wait to see them in san jose.

totally see them having really soft sex because of her shoulder and will just being so gentle.

a weekend in san jose

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

part 11!! WOW guys i made this into a lovely 6.3k fic filled with lots of fuff and a bit of smut! i got super carried away and because everyone seems to like longer fics sometimes, i put this all into one part woohoo (can also be read as a stand alone if u really want)

i made note in big red letters where the smut starts and ends so if you don't wanna read it, you can just skip past it. :)

if you do read the smut though warnings are: hickeys, making out, fingering, oral (f receiving), protected p in v, swearing, i think that's it? just read at ur own risk and skip if u don't wanna read! :) but anyways, enjoy this long fic!!!!!!!!! this may be the last part of this side plot unless there's more you guys think of and if you do pls send my way and i will happily write it

au masterlist

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10

samy was in san jose the next weekend. she came out of her gate in search of will who told her he'd meet her there, so her eyes scanned the crowd for his familiar blonde curls. there were so many people pushing and shoving their way through, she forgot how busy san jose's airport was compared to ann arbor.

finally, the brunette found will's taller figure near the edge of the crowd. she quickly grinned, raising her hand so he'd see her before navigating herself towards him. she came out on the other side of the crowd embracing her boyfriend in a tight hold. he held her tightly, spinning the two around a bit.

"hi, so good to see you," the girl mumbled into his shoulder.

"glad you made it safely. it's good to see you too," will cheered, pulling back so he could see her face. his hands caressed her cheek, quickly pecking her lips and then pulling her back towards the exit.

"mack's waiting with the car in kind of an illegal parking spot, so we gotta hurry back," will explained his fast pace while samy just giggled. typical.

"don't tell me you parked in the pick up lane," she raised her eyebrow. when will didn't say anything the girl hit his arm and rolled her eyes.

"what? i wasn't gonna spend an hour fighting with someone in the parking garage," he defended himself because why would he waste his time in there when he could sort of illegally park in the pick up line for ten minutes?

will navigated them through the busy airport in five minutes, way faster than samy would have gotten herself out. the warm san jose air hit her skin like a refreshing drink after spending so much time in the cold back in michigan. she giggled as the blonde pulled her towards his fancy bronco—one of the first things will spent his new money on.

"wow, i haven't seen the car in person yet," she admired how clean and sleek it looked compared to her parent's old ford suv she drove around back home. (and it was actually jack's before it was hers)

"nice, isn't it?" will grinned proudly as he helped samy get her suitcase into the back.

"hey samy!" mack exclaimed from where he moved himself to the backseat. the only rule in will's car was that samy got passenger seat anytime she was around.

"hey mack!" the girl exclaimed and ran around to quickly hug in before getting into the front.

will was in a moment later and the three of them rolled out before an officer gave them a ticket for parking in the pick up line.

"it's good to see you, mack. i haven't seen you since the draft," samy grinned.

"you too. i'm excited you're visiting this weekend. smitty was yapping in my ear yesterday about all the plans he had for you guys," the younger brunette said making will flush in slight embarassment. samy found it endearing though.

"ooh, i can't wait. i haven't been up since we moved him in at the beginning of august," the girl poked her boyfriend's arm to which he just grabbed her hand to hold it.

macklin smirked from the backseat, remembering the conversation he poked at will about a month ago about his driving. it all made sense to the shark player now.

"well when you and will aren't off doing whatever, sennecke and i wanna catch up with you. he said he'd drive up to hang out like tomorrow or something," macklin said.

"wait, yeah. i wanna see him beck. i told him i'd see him whenever i was here," samy grinned. beckett and mack were the two "freshmen" she adopted and basically took under her wing at the draft this past summer and with such busy schedules, she hadn't been able to see them since.

"not to put a dent in your plans or anything smitty," macklin eyed his friend in the front seat. will just shrugged.

"all good, we have like three-ish days to do stuff. i haven't seen much of beckett either so it'd be cool to see him," will nodded in agreement and the other two smiled.

will dropped macklin back off at his place and then went back around the block to the house. he helped samy with her luggage again and led the way into the marleau household.

"just a fair warning, pat's youngest kids will go a little crazy at first because..you know..you're quinn, jack, and luke's little sister," will chuckled a bit before he opened the door. samy flushed, a smile gracing her lips.

"dont worry, i can handle it," and with that, will carefully opened the front door.

the commotion could be heard loud and clear. it was definitely a boy house with the tv on loud and voices already arguing about something as the couple stepped in.

"hey guys, will's back with samy!" patrick saw them first where he got up from the couch to greet them.

christina came out from the kitchen with the youngest boys behind her. the older ones got from the couch too. "hi samy! it's so good to finally meet you. we've heard a bunch about you," chrisitina grinned, going in for a hug.

"it's so good to finally meet you guys too," she hugged her back and then went to give a quick hug to patrick.

"welcome to our home for the weekend! these are our boys—landon, brody, jagger, and caleb," patrick introduced the boys who shyly waved at the girl.

"you're quinn's sister!" caleb exclaimed making the others laugh. samy smiled, bending down so she was eye level with him.

"i am. maybe i can score you a signed puck or something," the girl laughed and she loved the way caleb's face lit up at that idea.

"why don't you guys get settled in and then i have some lunch whenever you're hungry," christina smiled and samy thanked them for letting her stay before following will upstairs.

she admired how will already hung up some of the things that were on his walls at boston. she especially liked the framed pictures of her and him on his nightstand.

"those boys are adorable," she turned to him as he set down her suitcase and shut the door.

"they're pretty funny. maybe they can convince you to play some driveway hockey with them," will chuckled.

"oh, 100%. they seem so nice, i'm glad you've found a home here with them," samy sat down on the bed to just take it all in and catch her breath after the plane ride and meeting everyone.

will quickly joined her. "it's..it's the life alright. i'm grateful for how kind they've been to me."

"i mean, duh. who wouldn't wanna be kind to you," the soccer player laughed as she reached over to pinch her boyfriend's cheek. he took that as his opportunity to take ahold of her hand and bring her in for a better kiss than their peck at the airport.

this one was a lot slower and filled with more love. samy curled her good arm around his neck where she toyed with the little curls on the back of his neck. her hand brushed against his chest and will curled his own fingers around her own.

"i love you. i'm glad you're here. this is gonna be really fun," the boy hummed when they pulled apart.

"i love you too, handsome. can't wait to beat your ass in driveway hockey later," she teased and will rolled his eyes.

"alright. don't gotta go that far."

"you're just mad because you know i will, even with a hurt shoulder," the brunette smirked. luckily, she was able to graduate from a bulky sling to a shoulder brace that still kept everything in place, but she had a bit more mobility than before.

plus, even though it was her right shoulder, she shot with her opposite arm and hand in hockey so she'd have no problem taking down will and the marleau kids.

later that afternoon, samy did exactly that. all the marleau boys were out in the driveway with will and samy as they teamed themselves off to play against one another. samy got brody and landon, the older ones, for the first round and she already knew they were gonna kick will's butt.

she ran right past will's feet and passed the ball they were playing with towards landon. he swiped past his brothers to shoot it right into the back of the neck. samy and brody cheered while will groaned.

"you have a hurt shoulder, i'm not gonna go hard on you," the blonde complained and made an weak excuse for the loss.

"come on, babe. i'm not broken. i can still play. you don't gotta go easy on me," samy said.

"if you say that, i am gonna go hard on you and then end up hurting you more, so i'm good," will said as the six of them sit themselves back up.

"will hurting his girlfriend? ooh.." jagger said making everyone but will laugh.

"someone record it!" samy added into the teasing which will just shook his head to.

they played for the rest of the night until christina called them in for dinner. samy got to know the marleau's more while she told them about her life at michigan and the legacy her and her brothers were leaving on the field and on the ice.

once they finsihed, will and samy hung out downstairs for a bit before calling it a night knowing there was a lot to do tomorrow with will's extensive itinerary.

"i love those kids," samy commented from the bathroom as she brushed her teeth.

"they're really great. they're always bugging me to play with them," will smiled.

"that's so cute. they probably look up to you so much in addition to their dad. i hope you cherish that," the brunette hummed.

"oh, i do, don't worry. it keeps me motivated when they watch the games and see how i do."

the youngest hughes shut the light off and eagerly crawled into will's bed. this was her favorite part about getting to visit and sleeping in the same bed together. will was always so warm, so it was especially nice when they were in michigan or boston and it was below 30 degrees. even now it added that extra comfort as the girl snuggled in close to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his torso. the sleep came faster than it had all semester and she was out in minutes with will not too fard behind her.

—

will picked macklin up again the next day as they headed downtown to the place they would meet beckett for lunch. the younger brunette was pretty chipper as he climbed into the back, probably because it wasn't 7 in the morning for once when will picked him up.

"how was your night?" macklin wondered, definitely smirking.

"it was great, how was yours?" samy asked.

"mine was great, too. did you guys—"

"macklin" will warned before the boy finished his sentence. samy just giggled.

"i was gonna ask if the boys dragged you out to play driveway hockey," macklin kept talking even though they all knew that wasn't his original question.

"they did. i beat will in an overwhelming 6-2," samy proudly said.

"6-2? jeez, smitty. you got distracted or something?" the younger brunette burst into laughter making will's cheeks flush.

"shut up," will mumbled while samy poked his cheek.

"he's just mad i can still beat him with a hurt shoulder."

the three made mindless conversation as they rode into the city. samy caught macklin up on everything happening at mich and a few things on her brothers. macklin caught samy up on things she did and didn't hear from will about the sharks and life in san jose so far. it all sounded like it was going really well which made the girl happy.

will rolled them into a parking spot just outside of the restaurant, "i think he's almost here or is here," macklin checked his phone.

a bright orange range rover rolled into the parking space two down from where they were just as macklin said that. everyone knew it had to be beckett considering the orange matcbed the anaheim colors perfectly. they all got out and sure enough, beckett's tall frame got out of the car.

he smiled widely when he saw them. "hey guys!" the younger boy exclaimed as he locked the car and hurried over to them.

"hey, beck! it's been so long," samy hugged him first which he reciporcated into a tight squeeze.

"it's so good to see you in california. hey, celly, smitty," the other two boys took their turn saying hello.

"your car is awesome, by the way. orange is very fitting," samy pointed to the car.

"oh, thanks. my mom thought it would be fun for me to get it wrapped, so i did. pretty sick isn't it?" everyone nodded in agreement before heading inside to get a table.

the four ended up on the outside patio where macklin was the first to get conversation going and ask about beckett's season so far. the younger boy excitedly explained how much experience he's been gaining and getting to make friends with the older guys on the team. of course, samy asked him about trevor for jack's sake.

"oh, he's super funny and a great mentor. he's got a lot of good tips for all the rookies," beckett smiled.

"i'll make sure to tell jack that, then," samy chuckled.

"what about all of you? the sharks have been really moving up with the recent wins," the ducks player turned the conversation to the other two boys.

"yeah, i mean it's been awesome. we're all definitely improving which i think is really good. get to spend all my time with mack over here," will roughed up his friend's shoulder making the brunette pull away from his grasp.

"totally. i love annoying him. my favorite activity, actually," macklin grinned.

"michigan has always been doing really good this season. do you think you guys are making it to the finals again?" beckett turned the conversation to samy.

"i hope so. we've definitely turned the program around in the last year, so i'm excited to see what else we can do," the girl grinned.

"sorry about your shoulder, by the way. i know that must suck," the younger boy commented and samy just shrugged.

"it's not horrible anymore. i actually beat will in driveway hockey last night so that has to mean i'm doing better," the youngest hughes teased her boyfriend again.

"damn, i mean yeah. what was the score?"

"6-2."

"6-2? smitty, what happened?" beckett had the same reaction as macklin making him and samy laugh again.

"alright, alright, i get it. i suck when my girlfriend does any competitive sport against me," the blonde shook his head, but smiled nonetheless.

the three spent the rest of lunch catching up with one another before deciding to walk around downtown a bit since beckett nor samy had been before. macklin and will took the honors of pointing things out and taking them into the shops they thought were cool.

samy's eye was caught when they made it into a small boutique. she quickly admired all of the jewlery and clothes up on the racks. will watched the girl carefully, a soft smile on his lips as he followed her around the store and let her use him to carry the things she wanted to try on.

"hey, we'll be right back," will called when samy pulled him back into the dressing room. macklin and beckett just exchanged a glance before snickering to themselves and letting the couple be.

will just stood on the outside of the stall though, handing things to samy when she asked for them and rating the things she put on. she came out in a very pretty, short, maroon dress with little flowers as the straps. will's eyes never left her as she did a small spin and he basically eyed her up and down. the color reminded him of boston.

"i really like this, but i don't know when or where i'd wear it," samy said as she looked back at herself in the mirror.

"i could think of a time," will subconsciously licked his lips earning a bright blush from the girl in front of him.

"alright, lover boy. i'm gonna change and then we can keep going," samy chuckled and shut herself back into the stall.

even though there was no occasion, samy decided to buy the red dress. she was at the register quite literally about to tap her card when will quickly slipped in and beat her to it, the payment processing onto his card instead.

"will," the girl looked at him in surprise.

"what?" he grinned.

"you didn't have to pay," samy frowned. him paying for her ticket here was already enough.

"and?"

not wanting to get into it in the store, samy decided to let it go as will grabbed the bag before she could. "thank you," she said as they walked away.

"anything for you," he kissed her cheek and they met back up with beckett and macklin outside.

"wow, you're so whipped," macklin commented when he saw will carrying samy's bag for her. beckett snickered.

"you'll understand when you have a girlfriend," will hummed, not even caring about the teasing anymore.

they stopped by a few more places before deciding to head back. everyone hugged beckett and made promises to see one another again and that beckett would try to see samy when the ducks came to detroit in a few weeks.

for november, it was surprisingly hot in san jose, so they rolled the windows down as soon as they were back in the car. will let samy control the aux, so she scrolled through her spotify looking for the right playlist as will got back onto the road to home.

one her favorites came up first which happened to be tate mcae's nwest song, two hands. the beat quickly brought the mood up and it felt perfect with the windows down. she started singing the lyrics, sticking her hand out to catch the breeze, imagining she was in the music video.

macklin and will nodded along also big fans of tate's music. samy's hair blew everywhere from the wind and she didn't see the way will's gaze kept flicking to her as she sang along. one of his guilty pleasures was listenng to tate mcrae's songs and it was the cherry on top listening to it with his girlfriend right beside him who loved her music just as much.

will thought of the lyrics, specifically the way samy sang them, especially when tate sang "i want them all to see, you look good on top of me." the blonde's mind ran a bit wild and he tried keeping his thoughts under control knowing this wasn't the time to be thinking of that.

but boy, it was hard not to and will wondered if samy was having the same thoughts.

they dropped macklin back off and will quite literally sped back to the house, samy a bit oblivious to the thoughts running through her boyfriend's head.

much to will's luck, the house was empty when they got in. he remembered that jagger had a basketball game and the older boys were still at practice, so he was gonna use all the time he had and pulled samy to the stairs.

"what's up with you?" samy laughed as she followed the hockey player into his room, lifting an eyebrow when he shut and locked the door behind them.

"i really wanna kiss you," the boy mumbled and then closed the space between them without letting samy respond.

he held her face in her hands as she let him kiss her. it was quick but passionate as the two melted into one another. samy felt will's eagerness as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and sucked her bottom lip into his.

"you're so beautiful," will mumbled between kissing and pulling back an inch for air.

"not that i'm complaining, but what's sparked this?" samy hummed as she ran her finger dow his sharp jaw.

"something about that song and you singing it had my head spinning," will confessed. the brunette smirked, a bit surprised to hear this.

"oh really?"

"figured we could test it out, you know?"

———SMUT STARTS HERE———

a wide smile spread across both of their faces as they reconnect their lips. will pushed samy back onto the bed where she laid down and he hovered above her. he remembered her shoulder, so he forced himself to slow down a bit so he wouldn't hurt her. he leaned on her good side as they made out.

samy's hands tangled into will's curls and a soft moan left his lips into hers. they really took this moment in, feeling every part of each other pushing against one another. will's hands curved around samy's hips as he worked her hips againsy his own, pressing his hardening dick against her thigh.

"shit, baby," the blonde moaned out. he was really trying to take his time knowing he didn't wanna hurt the girl even worse, but it was hard when his brain was so wired up at the moment.

samy moaned at the feeling of will's excitement agains her leg. one of her hands fell down to his chest again where she tugged at his shirt as indication that she wanted it off. the boy obliged, sitting up to peel the material off and exposing his very toned chest to her.

"every time i'm wowed by you," samy hummed as she admired will's six pack and toned muscles across his upper half.

"i'm flattered," he grinned, reconnecting their lips.

he helped samy get her own shirt off which revealed the pretty bralette underneath. will had such a bad thing for her tits as he immediately dipped his head down and started sucking the plump flesh. the girl giggled, wrapping her fingers into his curls again to give occasional tugs.

it was a really good thing samy wasn't playing at the moment so will could leave his hickeys or love bites he liked to call them now.

"shit, baby," the girl moaned when will brought his lips to her nipple. he prided himself in her reaction and sucked harder while going and back and forth between the two.

samy began arching her back off the bed into will as he hit all the right places and her skin became littered with dark bruises that only he would know were there.

that thought had will's cock twitching in the restrictive material of his shorts and a groan leaving his lips at the feeling of samy's bare tits pressing against his chest.

"fuck, babe," he muttered, pulling his lips away.

will started moving down. he placed little kisses all the way down samy's stomach until he reached her shorts. he smirked when he saw the look of desperation on her face for him to take them off.

"want these off?" he wondered and the girl nodded.

"please."

will pulled them down her legs where that pink fucking thong that drove the boy crazy hid underneath. his mouth watered at the sight, getting flashbacks to august. "god, i love this fucking thing," he grumbled, hooking his fingers around the band and pulling to make a snap against her skin.

"wore it just for you," a smirk graced her lips making will shake his head.

"i fucking love you," will leaned down to press little kisses around her hip bone that eventually turned into him sucking hickeys because these were the places no one would ever see but him and the thought drove the boy more crazy.

the little whimpers escpaing samy's lips was doing nothing to help the problem in will's pants that he tried to desperately ignore. he wanted to focus on samy and her pleasure, trying to forget about his own for now.

"fuck, you're dripping," will said when he pressed his fingers against the thin, very wet material of her thong.

"you're not the only one with eager thoughts," samy smiled lazily as she watched her boyfriend push her the material to the side so he could slide his fingers against her.

she threw her head back into the pillow when he started pushing them into her warm heat.

"fuck, will," a moan escaped her lips.

"god, you're so wet, baby. fuck," will slid two fingers in, slowly pumping in and out and in and out to get samy ready for the real thing.

he figured he needed to get her really ready because they didn't do anything when he visited michigan considering she just had surgery. this time was a completely different story though and it was safe to say they were both craving this.

"oh my god, will. faster, please," samy begged a little.

will pumped faster before dipping his head down and replacing his fingers with his tongue. the sensation made the girl jump a little, not expecting his tongue. the surprise was quickly replaced with immense pleasure though as will worked his mouth around.

"s-shit, will. oh my god," she grabbed his curls and tugged, basically using him to move him where she wanted.

considering will didn't do this a lot, he was pretty fucking good at it. he took samy's moans as a sign that he was doing it right and let her control him with tugs on his curls. she pushed her hips further against the boy's tongue, her orgasm close.

"fuck, will. i'm gonna cum," she cried.

"cum for me, baby," will encouraged, sucking harder.

the feeling sent the soccer player over the edge. she released right on will's lips and tongue, tugging his hair hard. the blonde smiled, licking his lips as he sat back up.

"did so good for me, baby," the blonde praised, leaning down to place a gentle kiss to her lips. she flushed, slowly coming down from her high.

will leaned himself against her again and samy felt how hard he was now, still straining through the tight material of his shorts. his hips jerked forward when samy rubbed herself up against him.

"s-shit. i'm so hard for you," will moaned into her mouth.

"better do something about that, huh?"

the hockey player sat back on his heels as he unzipped his shorts, puling them and his underwear down in one go. his cock sprang up, the tip red and leaking some precum already. samy's mouth watered seeing her boyfriend's thick, throbbing cock before her.

"f-fuck," the blonde muttered as he pumped himself a few times. he leaned forward to fish out a condom from his nightstand, quickly breaking the wrapper and rolling it on.

"need to be inside you," he mumbled, eyes back on his girlfriend.

"want you to fuck me, will," samy begged a bit also eager for him to put it in.

will hovered over her again, lining himself up with her entrance. he slowly pushed in, ducking his head into the crook of her neck. they both moaned out at the first contact. the urge to cum already so strong.

"oh fuck, baby. you feel so good," will groaned, slowly rocking himself in and fighting all of his urges to just poud into her. he needed to be slow for her sake and not hurting her.

"yeah, baby. fuck, you're so big," samy moaned into his ear, her fingers scratching up his back as she let the pleasure overtake the slight pain since they hadn't done this in so long.

her walls sucked him in and he paused when he bottomed out to give the brunette a second to catch her breath. he kissed her lips, struggling to hold onto his self-control and not pound his hips.

"tell me i can move," the way she squeezed around him had his urge to cum slip fast.

"yes, move, please," samy nodded, so he started rocking his hips back and forth in a steady rhythm.

they moaned out as the pace continued building and will littered more kisses across her chest and lips. her tits pressed against his own chest again and will moaned at the feeling of her nipples rocking and bouncing against his skin with each trust.

"fuck, baby. oh—you feel so good—fuck," he wasn't gonna last. "you're squeezing me so good, practically sucking me in," the boy continued.

"feels so good, baby. shit. keep doing that," samy praised him as well, her grip getting harder on his biceps.

will was rocking his hips at a strong pace that moved the bed along with them. he was so glad no one was home right now or else he'd never be able to show his face ever again.

"mm, fuck yeah. oh, fuck yeah. you're gonna make me cum," will blabbered, the only thought in his mind was the one lyric and how he was quite literally on top of samy.

"cum for me will. wanna cum with you," samy got out.

little beads of sweat began building between their bodies and will directed his gaze to where he disappeared in and out of her. the way she sucked him so tight was gonna send the boy over the edge as his self-control slipped away.

"fuck. fuck. i'm gonna cum..i-i'm gonna fucking cum. please say you're close," the blonde cried, his hips now practically pounding into her even though he told himself to take it easy.

"i'm so close, baby. so close."

he felt her clenching around his length which meant she was about to cum. will thrusted a bit harder, hoping to push her over the edge for a second time. she buried her head into the pillow, her chest risng again to push against will's. he groaned, mesmerized with the way her tits bounced back and forth with each snap of his hips.

the sensation sent samy over the edge. she moaned loudly, releasing around will's throbbing cock that had been waiting for her to go first. the tight clench and squeeze sent the blonde over the edge too. he snapped his hips one last time into her, releasing into the condom with a moan.

"ah, fuckkk baby. jesus christ. fhhuck," the blonde's hips twitched, his sweaty body collapsing onto hers as he spilled all of his cum into the condom.

samy dragged her hand through his curls, grinning while peppering kisses across his face. "so good, will. did so good."

"fucking love you so much. we should put that song on more often," will smirked, placing his own soft kisses across her face.

he slowly pulled out, pealing the condom off and running it to the bathroom. he came back with a towel to clean up the rest of their mess. samy watched lovingly as her boyfriend cleaned her up before snuggling into her side for a moment.

"too bad i can't leave any bites on you," samy hummed when she saw how bare will's neck and chest looked compared to hers. they didn't want to risk fans seeing the marks during the season.

"you still can lower than my shoulders," the blonde smirked.

the brunette hated not returning the favor, so she pushed will onto his back and dipped her head below her shoulders which definitely resulted in will getting hard again and a second round.

———SMUT ENDS HERE———

on the last night samy was there, will planned a fancy date night at one of the restaurants downtown. she wore the dress she just bought and it was a miracle they even left the house because when will saw her come out of the bathroom, let's just say his mind ran wild again.

the atmosphere was definitely very high end and it felt like they were amongst the rich people who lived in the area on a saturday night out.

"i'm glad you came out," will grinned.

"thanks for buying my ticket again. i really appreciate it," samy grinned back.

"there's a lot more where that came from," the girl rolled her eyes a bit at his words despite the smile still on her lips.

"i'd have you out here every weekend if i could, you know that," will swirled some of his drink around in the glass, a mix between a smile and smirk on his features.

"yeah, i know. i wish. i'll probably see you soon though. when are you guys playing detroit?"

"in a few weeks i think," the hockey player hummed, the schedule not on the top of his head.

"so you'll see me then and maybe by then i'll be able to actually play," the girl scoffed a bit, but will just shook his head.

"i know it sucks, but you've been doing really good. you're gonna be back on the field in no time," he grabbed her hand from across the table. the gesture made her blush.

"i know, i know. i guess i have to think of new hobbies or something," they shared a laugh.

after dinner, they walked around downtown some more just trying to take everything in and spend every second they could together before samy's flight back home tomrorow. granted, will was still going crazy over the maroon dress hugging all the right places on his girlfriend's body, especially because it was so boston college colors, so their walk around downtown didn't last for long.

will was impatient and quite literally eager to have his girlfriend one more time because she needed to leave. his lips were on hers when they made it into the parking garage and he was pushing her against the car.

he knew the house would be full when they got back, so will did the one thing he promised macklin he'd never do—have sex in his car.

it was the best sex will ever had in the car though.

—

they got to the airport close to 6 in the morning, even earlier than when morning practice started. samy's flight was at 9 though and she wanted to be there early, so will got himself up to drive her and macklin tagged along to say goodbye too.

the drop off line gave the three deja-vu as will parked to the side and got out to help with the luggage. macklin yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eye as he got out too.

the two boys stood in front of the entrance where samy was about to disappear into.

"alright, i'll go first since smitty will take decades to let you go," macklin took the lead by opening his arms. "it was good seeing you, hughesy. we'll see you super soon."

"it was soo good seeing you, mack. keep will in line for me, yeah?" the girl joked a bit, eyeing the blonde behind them who playfully rolled his eyes.

"obviously, i will," they laughed and then macklin pulled away.

samy's gaze fell to will's sad one. she opened his arms for him where he buried his face into the crook of her neck, squeezing her tightly. "i'm gonna miss you so much."

"me too, but you'll be michigan in just a few weeks," she tried looking on the positives for them or else will would just make it really sad.

"i know, but it seems so far away," the blonde frowned.

"it'll go fast, i promise. i love you," the youngest hughes pulled back to see will's pretty face. he smiled, breathing her in one last time.

"i love you, too baby. get back safe. text me when you land," he hummed and she nodded.

they hugged one last time before samy pulled back because if she didn't they'd never let go of each other. she waved to the boys before heading inside. they waved back, will blowing her kisses until they couldn't see her anymore and some car behind them honked to get moving.

"fuck off," will said as him and macklin climbed back in.

they were basically half-asleep still, so much that when the brunette got back into the passenger seat, he didn't realize how pushed back it was so he basically fell onto his back when he got in. it caught both of them off guard.

"what the fuck happened to this seat," macklin grumbled as he fixed it so it was more upright and not as pushed back.

the realization hit him faster than will remembered the reasoning and then macklin's jaw dropped open.

"HOLY SHIT! you fucked in here! oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," the younger brunette began freaking out and will internally face palmed.

"dude, chill. chill. i promise i cleaned everything," will tried calming his friend down.

"dude, i can't believe this. oh my god, that's fucking disgusting. you said you'd never fuck in here!" the boy exclaimed.

"we had no other options! i swear it's clean," will defended himself. macklin didn't have anything else to say except shaming his head and the car behind them honked it's horn again.

will quickly drove out of the line, suddenly embarrassed that he forgot to fix the seat. he also worried macklin actually was mad until the brunette asked:

"so on a scale of 1-10 how good was it?"

there it was. it wasn't even 7 in the morning yet.

"dude," will shook his head.

"what? i feel like i deserve to know after you betrayed me like that."

"it was actually really fucking good. 10 for sure," will gave in with his answer.

"you know what? hell yeah. high five me for that one," macklin held his hand up. the blonde smacked it, a content smile on his lips now.

"now drive fast so i can get out of this car and go back to bed."

[goxjo]

Now that I’m feeling a little better, I have so many bookmarked fics to catch up on !!!!

[poppadom0912]

Excuses

Warnings: Mentions of fainting, diabetes, canon-typical injuries

Summary: You suffer the consequences just because your teacher thought you were making excuses.

A/N: First fic of 2024!!! I had plans that I was going to post weekly in the new year just like last year but things went downhill. This january and february has had its very good but also really bad moments and even writing this was a struggle. I've found myself in a weird place of wanting to write but struggling and all of a sudden not being able to balance my schoolwork and writing. So I took a lil step back to solely focus on my work but looking at everything now, my fic updates will be much less frequent but hopefully just as or if not, more fun to read.

I feel bad for not saying or posting anything since the new year but I'm here now and hopefully will be more alive. I've got lots planned for you beautiful people, several series and way too many fics in my drafts that I cannot wait for you all to read. This wasn't as long or as juicy as I intended but my brain completely failed me so I hope this is good enough. I initially wanted to post this at the beginning of March but I finished the final editing today so here you go!!

Final note before we start, I have general knowledge about diabetes but that's all from my grandma. I have no idea if it's the same for teenagers so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Happy reading!!

Your biology teacher had been on maternity for three weeks now and you were seriously contemplating life.

Because of the crappy rules surrounding maternity leave, when your teacher refused to return before her three months ended, your school had a supply teacher fill in for her till she came back.

Since day one, you knew you hated her.

It was mid lesson and you knew as soon as you started feeling sluggish that your sugar levels were dropping. Your thoughts were only confirmed when your Dexcom receiver let you know of your decreasing glucose.

This wasn't a usual occurrence. Will and Jay always made sure you had eaten enough and you had the means to maintain the needed glucose levels so that nothing happened.

Alas, you were up late revising and you were stressing about keeping up your good grades. Jay was rushing you out the door because he needed to go to a scene he'd just been called to and Will was out walking Kol and hadn't seen you leave.

In conclusion, it'd been a hot minute since you last ate something.

The school were well aware of your diabetes. It was one of the very important things your brothers stressed them about when you first started.

Most students knew about it actually, having seen your Dexcom and not understanding since a diabetic child apparently wasn't common according to them.

So, when you randomly pulled out a snack from your bag mid class, no one questioned it and instead would make sure you were okay. There'd never been a problem before in school and everyone wanted it to stay that way.

However, this new teacher, Mrs Byrne was apparently completely unaware of your medical condition.

"Y/N. You know the rules about eating in class." She said strictly, pulling away all the attention from the board onto you.

She stopped you in the middle of opening the packet of fruit gummies. You frowned, looking at her confused along with your classmates.

"I have diabetes." You said bluntly, continuing to open the packet. "I don't eat this and I'll pass out."

Mrs Byrne only rolled her eyes, smiling at you condescendingly. "I've heard that excuse hundreds of times, give those to me."

You scoffed at the audacity, refusing to hand over what was yours.

It was when she started walking towards your desk with a pep in her step that the entire class got involved. Their raised voices overlapped, some angrier than others over what was happening.

However, you too were Stubborn alike to your brothers so you kept as firm of a grip of the packet. You turned a blind eye to the anger fuelled cover teacher. You continued to smile as she spewed threats of all sorts.

Due to your frustration and annoyance over the teacher who wanted to take your gummies away, you didn't notice how everything started change; how hard it was to move your eyes and lips, your limbs getting heavier and you thoughts slowly getting muddled up.

Lost in a daze, you were no longer able to fight back when she pulled harder, successfully snatching the small packet out of your hands. It was now that the class got furious, your friends were already up and at your side but now they were verbally attacking the teacher.

Fed up with her petty behaviour, you were going to get up and go to the nurses office who would take care of you but getting out your seat was harder said than done.

With one of your friends help, you weren't too sure who was helping you from your hazy sight that cleared when you blinked too many times.

You were wobbly on your feet, taking slow and hesitant steps towards the front of the classroom but before you could leave, you felt your legs give out and everything went black.

*****

It turned out that supposed crime scene that he was imminently needed at was nothing but a prank by a bunch of college boys resulting in a grumpy Hank putting them in cuffs and having them fined for a very reasonable reason.

That's how the rest of the unit found themselves finishing up paperwork, catching up about life in general as they debated what they were getting for lunch.

Jay was smugly sitting back, eyes flickering between Kevin and Adam who were bickering over something trivial when his phone rung, catching everyone's attention.

They were all so bored and normally when one of their phones went off during work hours, it meant something came up and they were needed.

In interest, everyone turned their heads towards Jay and waited for him to tell them they got a crime scene.

Picking up his phone, Jay's brows furrowed at the number, confused as to why your school was calling him in the middle of the day. They'd only call him if two things happened: You'd gotten in trouble or you got hurt.

"Hello. Is this Y/N Halsteads brother Jay?" A voice he couldn't recognised asked, most likely some lady from the main office.

"Yeah, that's me." Jay confirmed, sitting up in preparation for whatever he was going to be told.

"So sorry to interrupt you sir but Y/N collapsed in class." The lady said with guilt laced in her words. "Your other brother didn't pick up the phone. We called to let you know we had to call the paramedics and they've taken her to Chicago Med."

"Uh yeah." Jay said, collecting his jacket and keys. "Yes, thank you."

Not waiting for a reply, Jay hung up and quickly knocked on Hank's office door frame.

"Sarge, I gotta get Y/N-"

"Go get her. We're done here."

*****

Wanting to pull his hair out, Will rubbed his eyes in frustration, glaring at his patients scans that only confused him further. He was tired and was coming to half way through his twenty four hour shift.

"Dr Halstead- Uh, Dr Rhodes in T4." Maggie stumbled, looking down at her brick and making sure she read it correctly.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, confused as to why Maggie changed her mind which she usually never did.

"It's Y/N."

Now fully awake, Will followed Connor towards the ambulance bay where you were being rolled in. You were groggily sitting up on the stretcher, you hair a mess and a few scratches around your face and hands from when you fell.

"Sylvie, what happened?" Will asked the blonde paramedic while looking you over. He desperately wanted to check you over himself but let Connor do his thing. He really did not need Ms Goodwin on his case today.

"Teachers didn't tell us much but her classmates said she collapsed after not being able to eat." Sylvie relayed the minimal information she knew, shrugging her shoulders when the two doctors looked at her weirdly. "No one would tell us anything more."

"Y/N, it's Connor. Can you hear me kid?" Connor said while pulling out his penlight. He was like another brother to you, his concern just as high. "Can you tell me what happened?"

You groaned, mumbling nonsense with your eyes screwed closed. Your words were mostly unintelligible but Will understood them mere seconds later.

Fixing the problem you complained about, Will turned down the lights and let Connor continue fussing over you.

It didn't take long to find out the cause of your collapse, Will sighing at the news when he read the numbers from your tests.

"I thought she was always on top of her sugar levels." Connor said, closing the room door so you could sleep in peace.

And what he said was completely true but they weren't aware of why you couldn't today specifically of all days.

"She is." Will said, rubbing a hand down his face in frustration. "Maybe her dexcom malfunctioned or something."

Connor hummed, agreeing with his friend.

"Hmm, maybe."

*****

Arriving at Med, Will gave Jay a detailed rundown of everything he new about your medical state but also the events pre your hospital arrival.

Getting a good look at you, holding your hand in his and kissing you on your forehead, Jay was more than happy to leave you in your oldest brothers safe hands while he got to the bottom of this entire ordeal.

He noticed Sylvie was still at Med, Foster mentioning they were running low on a few supplies so they needed some stocking up. Jay took this opportunity to interview the two paramedics and try to get further understanding on this situation that wasn't making much sense to him.

Arriving at your school, Jay had some thoughts in mind but they weren't very concrete and his confidence wasn't as strong as he'd like it to be.

Walking into the school, Jay immediately noticed an entire class sitting and standing around in the corridor waiting in front of the principals office.

One of the girls who had been sitting in a chair had caught sight of Jay, her eyes widening before she smiled, gently nudging the girl next to her and pointing in his direction. The girls reaction was the exact same.

This created a sort of domino effect as the boy next to her noticed Jay and everyone was telling the other of his sudden arrival. The once silent corridor was now beginning to fill with murmurs and whispers, all their eyes glued onto his figure that moved down the corridor, their shocked faces quickly changing into smiles and smirks.

It seems that Jay had a reputation of sorts.

"Why are you making so much noise? What did I just say about talking-"

The principal cut himself off from his scolding when he suddenly noticed Jay's presence, his face blanching as all the pieces clicked into place.

"Detective Halstead! What a surprise, we weren't expecting to see you so soon-"

This time Jay cut him off, not too bothered about his lack manners. "My brothers with Y/N at the hospital so I thought there was no other perfect time."

The principal remained silent.

"Now, why don't you explain to me why my sister fainted under your watch?"

The students behind Jay couldn't help but snicker knowingly.

[ffcrazy15]

"Just Write For Yourself"

I think the thing that gets to me the most about the whole "just write for yourself!" response to writers complaining the lack of engagement in fanfic, is that it makes me realize that there's a fundamental misunderstanding between writers and readers of how much work writing fic is.

Like, there are 2-3 scenes in any given oneshot or chapter that I want to write. I usually write those first. They'll take me a couple of, very enjoyable, hours at most.

And then I have to go back and write the whole rest of the fic. Which is work. And it's usually not immediately enjoyable.

For example, one of my best fics on AO3 is a Star Trek fanfic called Rascal'ed. This was one of the fics that was easiest for me to write, one of the ones that just possesses you until it's done. It took me less than five days to create.

And I still had to go back in and fill in blank spots and cut bad prose and revise the dialogue.

If you want to see what a difficult fic to write looks like, like my fic Leap of Faith, here's what I do for my stories that I actually plan out:

And that's just the planning. I still have to write the damn thing. And there are things in the above layout—which is just for Chapter 1, mind—that got changed between this and the final published version of the chapter. You can see that the title of the story itself was changed at some point.

So when people say, "write for yourself, not for engagement!" What I personally hear is: "I as a reader do not understand how much work writers put into getting a story into a publishable form, and I also do not realize how easy it would be for them to write the couple of scenes they enjoyed writing and then to let it sit forever in their drafts."

(Of these eight fics—averaging more than 20 pages each—only two of them ever made it to AO3. The rest remain unfinished and unpublished.)

And for the record: I, personally, have wonderful readers. Kind, attentive readers who leave me comments engaging with the work. And it's because of them that I continue to publish stories! Like, I don't want to sound like sour grapes here, because I know that I get way more comments than many great writers out there.

But I've seen, across the board, writers trying to express that they are just not getting the engagement that they desire and expect for the work they put in, and people responding with "you shouldn't expect engagement; just write for yourself."

And the thing is, I know they're not trying to be rude. I know that! Of course they don't know how hard we work, who would have ever told them? We can't blame them for not knowing what they've never been told. Which is why I just felt the need to get out here and say:

Writing fics takes a lot of work. A lot of work. Hours upon hours of unpaid labor. Any fic that you see on AO3 or Fanfiction.net or Wattpad, is not something someone wrote solely for themselves. They could have just daydreamed about it, or written a couple of scenes and then left it unfinished. But they chose to put in the hard work it took to finish it. Because they wanted other people to read and engage with it.

Please engage with it.

Because if all fic writers ever hear is "you should just write for yourself"—we might start believing it.

[alexiswritingstuff]

Not just a man.

Pairing: Hiromi Higuruma x gn! reader

Warnings: none?

Summary: during one of the initial meetings in the culling game, Y/n decides to spark up a conversation with the mysterious man in the black suit.

Other mentions: like one thing about Itadori.

A/n: okay, I'm honestly not too confident about this one but if I leave it any longer it is just going to rot in my drafts, so here is my first fic with Higuruma! This is spoiler free, and even though it is based on the culling games, there might be points in this fic that don't accurately depict the situation in the manga. I have read it multiple times but my brain is something else, man. Also, be aware that there could be mischaracterisation, or general moments that would seem OOC for Higuruma. As much as I love him, this is my first fic with him so it will probably take time to nail down his characters, especially because the only thing that I can base it off is content from the manga. Either way, and despite the possible downsides, I hope you enjoy reading!

Finding a definition to encapsulate the past few days since the event had started was... difficult to say the least. While that may be because there wasn't a singular word to describe it, the options were unlimited.

Before anything had the chance to process, it was right onto the next thing. Another problem. Another fight, both physically and verbally.

It was the sort of cycle that may have already been usual in your kind of world, as there was no point in resting when curses were about, yet somehow it almost felt faster. Instead of potentially running into some form of beast, it was now an expectation instead.

Initially, you would think that was the most unnerving part, wouldn’t you?

Though, as you sat in a vast room with more people you had known in your life, it seemed that thought was more wrong than you could have known.

At some point during the game, a bunch of sorcerers were rounded up. You, somehow, just ended up being wound into it at some point. I mean, you may barely grasp the meaning of the culling game, but there were enough clues to fill it in.

There were only a few reasons why people like yourselves would gather in this way.

Something big was going down.

The room itself had become quieter over time. Most of the people within had left one after the other. Either having personal things to attend to, further discussions, or just trying to grab a breath of fresh air before even more stress.

You, however, had made yourself comfortable in one of the randomly placed seats. Or at least tried to.

In all honesty, your body was almost rigid. A lack of a want to move as the urge to fidget continuously antagonised each limb. It made it more tricky to maintain that hard exterior everyone else seemed to be able to keep up with ease. 

The whole sorcery thing wasn't exactly new to you. Your ability wasn't something you discovered young, like many others. It had given you enough time to learn about it. Grow it. Though being surrounded by other people who also had some form of ability was new.

Yeah, considering the fact that you had previously only met about a handful, it was most definitely new.

But you had to admit that it was very interesting to see the different kinds of sorcerers there were.

No matter how apparent, there was an active difference in mindsets, attitudes, personalities, and the general looks of these people. Most of what they could do even contrasted with it.

They had their own stories, their own abilities, and their own worlds. It was like the more you looked around, there was an increased possibility in becoming intrigued by something different.

And eventually, it landed on one thing in particular.

One person.

To your left was this man. He was sitting in his respective chair almost as if he were one with it, his hand simply resting against a table that separated the two of you, while his eyes gazed forward without a specific focus.

There wasn't exactly anything obscure about him. There was nothing on the surface that made him stick out from the rest; in fact, he was probably the most generic-looking person here.

He was just a man in a mere black suit and matching tie, though there was something that made it increasingly difficult for your eyes to stray.

And apparently keeping your mouth shut too.

“It's Higuruma, isn't it?”

It seemed to take a few seconds for the sound to register in his ears. Or, more so, the fact that it was directed at him if the words weren't enough. So a moment passed, he blinked, and eventually his head began to turn in your direction.

It was a lazy movement, one that soon revealed his other hand to be resting against his chin while the hook of a finger pressed into the space beneath his bottom lip. If he had glasses on, his eyes would be peering right over them, startled yet tired enough that they could barely be seen.

The man before you hummed, a deep sound that grumbled within his throat until his lips had finally decided to part. “I don't believe we've met before.”

His voice was pretty much what you were expecting it to be: lacking interest, flat, and a tad accusatory.

It was paired with this furrowed eyebrow, which created a light look of confusion, either simply because of the sudden conversation or the fact that it was with someone he hadn't paid much attention to beforehand.

To others, it may have made them uneasy. Filled them with a regret just for opening their mouth in the first place. But not for you. In fact, it had you finally settling into your seat.

“No, actually, I overheard that, uh, Itadori kid talking about your previous... interaction,” you explained, trying to use a new tone in hopes of loosening him up and making it clear that you were just wanting to talk. However, there was barely even a reaction.

A muscle in his face had slightly twitched in response to the phrasing, but otherwise he was still. He just stared back at you with those blank eyes.

He looked to be thinking, which helped relieve some of the tension, though in reality, it didn’t seem like he was one for conversing. At least not right now, anyway, and it should’ve made you turn away. It should’ve shut your mouth and made you go find somewhere else to bother. I mean, you had learned quite a few names by now. 

But the more you looked back at the so-called Higuruma, the more questions began to pile high up inside your brain. And it was only a matter of time before one would decide it was right to spill through your lips.

“Okay, look, I'm sorry, but I really need to.” You huffed out a breath, letting your feet fully plant against the ground as your torso twisted towards the man for proper delivery. “Can I ask you a question?”

There was a speck of hesitance that appeared within his gaze once it focused back on you, but nevertheless, “Go ahead." He relented, his tone enough of a warning that this was either going to continue or finish this conversation all together.

“Did you really take a bath with your clothes on?”

When the question settled for a moment, Higuruma leaned back a little, allowing a full view of you into his vision before he challenged, “Is it that unbelievable?”

“Well... I can't say that I've thought of doing it myself.”

“Exactly,” he stated without missing a beat, and it stilled your body. Your lips stayed apart for a moment, attempting to find the right words while he continued to stare into your soul. “So you just woke up one day and decided to bathe fully clothed?”

You blinked at him. He blinked right back. “Pretty much.”

Within the next few seconds, you found yourself sort of mirroring the way he sat. Like all the care you had on keeping up some form of appearance just went right out of the window.

And though a string of words failed to encompass your reaction to his experiment, it seemed that whatever expression was on your face was enough to entice a further explanation.

“Not to disappoint,” Higuruma had begun through a slight strain, somehow sinking even further into the chair until the back of his head was planted against the top rail. “But truthfully, I was only trying to do something I normally wouldn't.”

“That's all.”

Never in your life have you been more curious about a singular man. He hadn't done anything crazy; I mean, at some point, you must have had that same thought. So what the hell was it? Why was there an urge to keep this conversation going?

“And… how did that feel?” 

At this point, Higuruma's eyes had fallen closed, getting tired of staring up at the same boring ceiling, and basked in the growing silence from the fewer sorcerers. “Damp... though I must say it was better than I thought it would be.”

The only response you could think of was this barely audible hum. It was the easiest conclusion, seeing as it would acknowledge the comment while buying you time to figure out what exactly to say next. But it was rather challenging.

This whole scenario was just strange to you—something you probably couldn't even dream up if you tried. Yet here you were in the real world, having the most entertaining conversation with a man who you most likely wouldn't get the chance to if it weren't for the fact that both of you were sorcerers.

“You know, I didn't think I was going to get along with a lawyer.” you spoke up after a moment of silence, and Higuruma sucked air into his nose. His head lolled to the side, a movement fulfilled with somehow less energy than before. “That obvious?” he questioned, which in turn had you raising your eyebrows.

“What—that you're a lawyer?” you attempted to clarify, properly meeting his heavy gaze just in time to see his short nod. “You're the only one in here dressed in a full fancy suit; it was either that or you were a member of the men in black.”

It wasn’t entirely visible, but you swore the next time you blinked that the corner of his mouth that you could see sort of quirked upward. It wasn't a full smile; it had barely even created that little crevice, though it got accentuated by a huff that slightly shook his body. 

And then it faded: “Are you going to ask about my abilities too, then?”

“No, no, I got the jist,” you waved off initially, noting the way the question drained all the expressiveness from his face. “Honestly, I was more interested in the bath thing anyway, but now that you mention it, it must've taken you a while to master a thing like that.”

Higuruma hummed again, his gaze becoming unfocused once again as he started to search through his recollections. “I believe... It's been about twelve days.”

If it weren't for the statement itself, the nonchalant delivery would have also caused your eyes to widen in the way that they did. “What?” Your body turned as much as it could until your knee knocked into the crooked coffee table. The man before you remained unfazed.

“Twelve days—forget being a sorcerer; you're a damn magician, Higuruma!” you insisted, trying so hard to keep your voice at a minimum level while he lazily began to push himself to sit up straight. “Is it really that impressive?”

Your eyebrows were completely furrowed this time, your gaze narrowing on the man in disbelief. “There are some people who get their abilities at birth, and they can still not have them under control no matter what age they reach.”

“But that would also depend on the effort they put into doing so in the first place, if any,” Higuruma countered without missing a beat, though the conviction layering his voice faltered when he continued, “I… just got that chance of getting something that wasn't much different from my usual job.”

“Still, you managed to understand it—in what, a little more than a week? And it’s already at the point that you can just fully use it?” you reminded him almost at the same speed that he had, “I mean, even for a lawyer, that's got to be at least notable.”

The rest of his face may have been void of any emotions, but those eyebrows weren’t fooling anyone. His mind was moving. What wasn’t apparent, however, was in which direction it was doing so.

Higuruma may have been new to the world of sorcery, but this wasn’t something he thought was part of it.

Your genuineness, your curiosity, that look on your face—that was anything but the disgust he had seen in his own eyes. For once, he was face-to-face with something he couldn't solve right off the bat.

“How long did it take you?” He finally spoke up after a moment, and it seemed that both of you were equally unsure if the change of subject was due to it being uncomfortable or if he was now the one to be genuinely curious.

Now it was your turn to lean back a little. “Truthfully,” you started, averting your gaze for pretty much the first time since this entire interaction had begun. “I don't think mine is story-worthy, to be honest.”

Higurumas brow twitched upward. “How come?”

“Well,” You took in a breath, “not everyone has eventful lives. It’s as simple as that, really. In a world with a multitude of different abilities, there is bound to be a plethora of expectations and disappointments.” you stated with a light shrug, “Besides, I'm kinda tired of the whole 'introducing people's abilities before themselves'.”

“Isn’t that a little contradictory?” he inquired, and the defensiveness beat your urge to laugh. “What? No-- You were the one who willingly confirmed what you could do. I was only asking about–”

“The bath thing,” Higuruma affirmed before you could. “Yeah, yeah, I remember.” The look he gave you was one that had a grin fighting to take over your lips. It may have been filled with some annoyance, further concluded by a slight shake of his head. But it wasn’t the bad kind.

“Listen,” you began, trying to regain that seriousness so that you could get back to your point, even if it faltered. “All I’m saying is that we have every other day to discuss our abilities, man, but right now we have the chance to just... sit and talk about anything but that.”

That feeling of defensiveness was back, no matter its battle with amusement. And this time it was on a level that had you crossing your arms over your chest, as if it would do anything. “Then what do you have in mind?” Higuruma questioned, simply watching you complete your movement.

Your lips parted immediately for some reason. It was like your mind had pre-prepared some form of comeback as it got ready to let the words roll off your tongue… but they barely even formed into a sound. It was more like a slight croak, in all honesty. You paused. 

“... I didn't think that far."

For the first time in the minutes that you had known this man, the corners of his mouth had finally, and visibly, curled. 

He looked at you, his smile begging to grow further and further, to the point that he started biting it down. 

It was sort of unusual to see. Most of the time you looked at him, he had this blankness that latched to his face in a way that made it almost look embedded into the skin. There wasn’t really any difference in expression; it was more the movement of muscles. 

Yet now, whatever he was showing had almost reached his eyes, and it sat very nicely.

“What?” you half breathed out, a sort of nervous laugh breaking through your lips despite most of your face being screwed up in confusion. Higuruma waved a hand lazily and said, “Nothing. It's nothing; you're just…”

“It's all just been a little interesting,” he finally confessed, and though you were sure of its meaning, the phrasing put a crack in your amusement. “In a good way or a bad way?” you quizzed with a lighter tone, settling back into the chair, which never actually relieved the tension from your spine.

Higuruma shook his head once more before his gaze shifted to find your own. That previous spike of enjoyment seemed to use up the last bit of energy he had for the day as his face slowly reverted back to its usual state.

“It's good now, I think…” he started, dragging out the ending word, and it wasn’t until he lowered his chin that you realised he was gesturing in your direction. He was asking for your name. You hadn’t told him your name?

“Oh… Oh, just call me, L/n.” you informed quickly, trying to hide the confusion that had made itself known once more while the man before you simply nodded. “L/n,” he repeated quietly before continuing in a fuller voice. “Well, I hope your first impression of me wasn’t as bad as it sounds in my head,”

The slight grimace dusting over his face had you huffing out a laugh in seconds. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that any time soon, Higuruma,” you insisted, letting that smile take its rightful place on your lips to further prove it. 

And though it took a moment of looking at each other, he finally had a reason to do it too.

“Not at all.”

[thefrogdalorian]

Hello and welcome to my contribution to Dincember!

Following NaNoWriMo (which I used to complete a draft of a modern AU!Din x reader fic that I aim to start posting in January) I wanted to attempt another writing project to maintain my sanity during this festive period! I'm aiming to complete all 25 days but life can sometimes be unpredictable, especially at this time of year.

I really hope you enjoy my interpretations of each prompt and best of luck if you're also participating, can't wait to see what everyone creates. Thanks @dindjarindiaries for putting these prompts together, celebrating all things Din is a wonderful way to close out the year!

All my fics are GN!reader and I don't include physical descriptions. Nothing more mature than a bit of smooching either :)

Happy Dincember, tumblr!

Link to read on AO3 | Link to read in Chronological Order

Day 1 - Snow: After a busy few months, Din surprises you and Grogu with a well-earned retreat to a snowy paradise in the run up to Life Day. Snow-filled chaotic fun ensues!

Day 2 - Fire: During a trip to a peaceful cabin with Din and Grogu, you awake one morning and discover that Grogu is poorly. You and Din are extremely worried but after a visit from a healer and the warmth of the fire you light, his condition soon improves.

Day 3 - Gloves: As you sit watching Grogu play by the fire while holding hands with Din, you reflect on how a simple part of his body says so much about the complex man that you are so privileged to love. A simple pleasure that you would have been denied, if he had never removed his gloves.

Day 4 - Lights: You introduce Din to a favourite Life Day tradition of yours: hanging up lights. It's a tradition that he finds slightly bemusing but after a slight hiccup which is soon resolved, thanks to the abilities possessed by Grogu, the two of you set about making a cheesy new Life Day tradition all of your own.

Day 5 - Cold: After your favourite Mandalorian's latest assignment with the New Republic means that his return to your cabin is delayed, you head to bed, thoroughly miserable. But when Din finally arrives home the reunion does not go entirely smoothly, as you find yourself needing to warm him up, with adorable consequences.

Day 6 - Gifts: It's Life Day and time for you and Din exchange gifts. You love sharing in the joy of seeing others surprised with your gifts, but nothing surprises you more than the incredibly thoughtful gift Din gives to you.

Day 7 - Star: As you lie on Din's strong chest, looking at the stars and reflecting how grateful you are that your paths crossed, you discover once again, that the man with the fearsome reputation is incredibly soft underneath his hard Beskar shell.

Day 8 - Flame: A fire pit outside your little cabin on Nevarro has always been a dream of yours. So, when Din finally agrees to build one, you are delighted, especially when he secures your favourite sweet treats too. But it's Din's first time roasting candy on a campfire and things don't exactly go to plan...

Day 9 - Boots: Raising a Force-sensitive child is not an easy task, especially one as mischievous as Grogu. When the little guy decides to play a game of hide and seek without telling you and Din first, you find him in a place that you would never have expected.

Day 10 - Sweater: After his latest job with the New Republic takes him away from your home, you find yourself missing Din terribly. But, despite how sappy and lame as you feel for doing so, you find wearing his sweater brings you a great deal of comfort when you need it most.

Day 11 - Icicle: An innocent icicle causes Din to reminisce on a moment he shared with Grogu on the Razor Crest shortly after rescuing The Child from the Imps on Nevarro.

Day 12 - Warmth: After you find yourself caught up in a rainstorm that drenches you to the bone on the forest planet you call home, an unexpectedly kind Mandalorian helps you to get warm again.

Day 13 - Family: Din Djarin is a complex man, with many walls you have not yet successfully broken down. You have been slowly building a life with the man who has a traumatic past he has alluded to, but never discussed in detail. One night, Din wakes up from a nightmare and finally lets you in. You comfort him, reminding him of your love for him and how much he deserves his unlikely family.

Day 14 - Home: During a moment cuddling with Din underneath the festive lights in your cabin, Din confides in you what home means to him.

Day 15 - Candle: Despite planning a special evening to mark your final night in the cabin that you, Din and Grogu have enjoyed a relaxing vacation in, your plans are soon thwarted by an unexpected power cut. However, the sudden loss of light ends up having very romantic consequences.

Day 16 - Sweet: After a tiring day of yard work, you decide to introduce Din and Grogu to one of your favourite festive drinks: hot chocolate. Although the sweetness proves a little too much for one of your Clan.

Day 17 - Joy: Despite you and Din having plans to go to a special festive market with Grogu, you wake up feeling awful, as though all festive cheer has been sucked out of you. Fortunately, you have a loving and caring Mandalorian who helps you regain your joy.

Day 18 - Snowflake: As Din stands by the window, watching the snow fall outside your cabin in the mountain paradise he brought you to for a vacation, he reveals a hilarious memory of his first encounter with snow to you. One that you are keen not to let him forget in a hurry.

Day 19 - Coat: You and Din arrive for a vacation in a picturesque snowy mountain town. There's just one problem: you brought the wrong coat. You head into town in search of the perfect coat but after a long day of fruitless searching, fortunately you have an incredibly patient and attentive Mandalorian to help you through the shopping stress.

Day 20 - Celebration: To show Din how much he means to you, you decide to make a special gesture in celebration of him by cooking him a traditional Mandalorian feast. Despite having your heart set on a perfect evening, a certain green child has other ideas...

Day 21 - Love: Despite how much time you have been spending with Din and getting to know him, you are still none the wiser as to whether your feelings for him are reciprocated. But an impromptu night of stargazing leads to a confession that may just change everything for the two of you...

Day 22 - Cozy: When Grogu wakes up upset in the middle of the night, both you and Din are concerned for him. But getting cozy and cuddling with his Clan soon brightens the little boy's mood.

Day 23 - Frost: You and Din wake up one morning to discover the volcanic planet you call home has been plunged into a deep frost. You are awestruck by the gleaming ground and the icy crystals that cling to every surface. You and Din decide to head out for a walk with Grogu, who is fascinated by the way his favourite pond has frozen over.

Day 24 - Ice: The unseasonably weather on Nevarro causes a pond to freeze and thanks to a stroke of good luck, a passing vendor is able to offer the opportunity to skate on it. You expect that Din will be a natural, but things do not go entirely to plan.

Day 25 - Holiday Waking up before Din on Life Day gives you the opportunity to admire all the little details and features of the man you love so much.

[roomwithanopenfire]

Six Sentence Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone!! Thanks for the tags @blackberrysummerblog and @artsyunderstudy!!

This week I’ve done the big three: writing, editing, and ignoring my wips, with perhaps a bit more of the last one than I’d like. Most of my writing this week has been for an exchange fic for a different fandom, which I finally finished the rough draft of. Cue the celebration. However, even if I wanted to share anything from that, I can’t, it must remain hush-hush, but I am getting pretty excited to share it (and way more excited about receiving my own exchange fic back, this whole thing is very fun).

I’ve written less than 300 words on my COBB this week, and none of them are good, but I have gotten some editing done of Proof of Life. I can’t share any more snippets of the next chapter though because I’ve shared too much already. So instead, I figured I’d do a bit of a process post this time around, because I always love reading those. Check that out under the cut! (and i'm sorry this is long, i still have not learned brevity)

So my editing process isn’t too crazy, and is brought to you almost entirely by google docs comments. I also use the word ‘editing’ very loosely to encompass rewriting, revising, and proofreading. Sometimes editing means completely rewriting a scene/section, sometimes it just means switching around a couple of words or cleaning up a sentence. 

Mostly, I try not to take everything so seriously, because I know that I could edit something forever and ever and never post it if I let myself get too carried away. So I try to keep everything pretty chill. So here’s my steps I go through for each chapter that I edit. 

Step One: Reread the whole chapter. While I do this, I’ll leave comments on big picture things. “Maybe move this scene into the next chapter” or “The dialogue in this scene feels stilted” but I don’t add a lot of comments at this point. Once I’m done with this I’ll copy over any comments I had on the first draft or the beta reader copy over into the ‘draft two’ document. 

Step Two: COMMENTS. Again, my fics are brought to you by google doc comments. I like to go through from the bottom up, reading scene by scene and leaving comments on pretty much every single sentence. 

A lot of the time (read: most of the time) these are really vague like:

And sometimes these are more detailed like:

And occasionally these are compliments

Step Three: Once the whole chapter is filled with comments, I go through scene by scene (in whatever order speaks to me), and rewrite, edit, or fix sections. This part I find really fun, because I’m taking parts that aren’t good yet and I’m making them better. I love fixing things and getting rid of all the comments. It typically ends up being a lot of  rewriting, but I always finish a scene feeling better about it then when I started.

For example, here’s the draft one vs. draft two version of a snippet from the first chapter of Proof of Life. This is one of the scenes I pretty much rewrote. Others look a lot more similar to their original versions.

Original:

Edited:

Step Four: Then before I post a chapter, I’ll read through the whole thing and sometimes find smaller bits to fix. Then I’ll run it through a grammar checker and ignore half of their suggestions in the name of ✨style ✨.

Overall, I feel like I have a pretty basic editing strategy and I’m really pleased with it. Even though sometimes I feel like more robust edits would make everything way better, it’s a good mix of fixing things but not spending too much time on it. I remember I spent like a month on editing the very first fic I posted at that was only 6k words. If I kept doing that for everything, I'd never post anything at all. With fanfiction, I know that y'all will be nice to me even though it's never perfect <333

Tags and Hellos!! (I'm unsure if we still need the spaces, but i've been burned too many times lol)

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe @m1ndwinder @facewithoutheart @run-for-chamo-miles @raenestee

@onepintobean @prettygoododds @noblecorgi @hushed-chorus @angelsfalling16

@thewholelemon @monbons @shrekgogurt @brendughh @hertragedyconnoisseur

@beastmonstertitan @valeffelees @horsesarenotdeer @drowninginships @supercutedinosaurs

@fiend-for-culture @rimeswithpurple @cutestkilla @alexalexinii @ileadacharmedlife

@arthurkko @rbkzz @skeedelvee @bookish-bogwitch @brilla-brilla-estrellita

[luxaofhesperides]

decided to make an actually useful pinned post so here we go:

i have a newsletter that goes out every so often with my thoughts on things, what i'm reading, and occasionally a look at my original wips. it's totally free bc this is just a little thing i do for fun. subscribe if u want! here's the link

all of my writing can be found under the 'my writing' tag. edits, usually book edits, are under 'my edit'.

my ao3 is aryelee and every fic i post in here is also posted over there so if youre having trouble finding something, that's where you should go!

all my random thoughts are tagged as 'rambles' and when i live blog the comics im reading, i use 'comic read' so block either of those if you don't want me clogging ur dash.

below the cut is a look at all of my wips at the tags i use for them

ORIGINAL WIPS

this darkness swallows us whole ; the very first wip i ever started when i first began writing. it's a hot mess with too many uncompleted first drafts, but i love it so much. demons, gray morality, and one mute girl ready to start throwing hands. - #camellia

every other face ; superhero wip! with a villain taking in a child and trying to live a normal life despite the hero, her main nemesis, constantly popping in to make sure the kid is safe and she hasn't decided to cause trouble. - #caerleon community

past the pages ; isekai wip focusing on the characters trying to figure out what went wrong when the 'villainess' goes missing, ruining the happy ending the protagonist was expecting

- no tag yet! will update once i post about the wip on here.

DC

these aren't wings, they're futures ; in which tim and damian travel back in time to when jason was robin, and try to make this new timeline better while avoiding being caught by the bats for the illegal things they're doing as very young children. - ao3 link - #these arent wings

medium!tim verse ; in which tim is a medium who helps ghosts. three timelines planned: canon, polaris, and civilian. - ao3 link - #medium tim verse

manako ; my dc oc, a very tired, no nonsense baker in gotham who doesn't want to deal with bats begging for snacks in the middle of the night. ocs everywhere, and a look into the community of gotham and the life of civilians. - ao3 link (to be made) - #manako

OTHER

ghostlights requests (dc x dp) ; fics made for danny fenton/duke thomas prompts sent in to me. currently not accepting prompts. - ao3 link - #prompt fill

those who serve (dc x dp) ; danny is taken in by alfred and works as his apprentice in wayne manor. - ao3 link - #alfred's apprentice au

the harmless series (dc x dp) ; danny is reincarnated as damian's older brother + the fallout of remembering - masterpost of all parts - #the harmless series

my askbox is always open if you want to know more about any of these!

(last edited: 7.21.24)

[velvetwyrme]

oouuouua please make a follow up on the superhero pap x reader theyre one of my favorites also im excited to see tf fic from yuo

im glad you enjoyed it!!! i got a comment on it recently while i was thinking abt how to continue it and that seemed to click my brain into action LMAO

EHEHEHE hopefully! soon!! ive got a few things in mind but im also waffling over Really Starting because i have so many things ongoing but... auauugh the IDEAS plague me!!!!

also heres a sneak peek into my brain because im in the mood to chatter, but feel free to skip it if you so desire:

for Origin Story im LOOSELY planning any continuation/s to be kinda standalone stories all centered around a superhero trope (like the Origin Story ;]) because i think that could be fun to work with. i enjoyed writing some of the larger Undertale cast, something that i WOULD have liked to do in FF, except Edge and the MC in that are both pretty reclusive socially abfjfbdjdghkf,, oh well.

anyway. i have tons of ideas for the various tropes, so its really a matter of picking a place and Writing. i really want to feature more of Alphys in this because i love her dearly <3

as for TF fic... most of them are reader inserts unsurprisingly lmaooo but ive got a few non-reader inserts floating around there too. im kinda just throwin stuff at the walls of my mind to see what sticks, but heres a few of my draft titles for your perusing pleasure:

into the fire: noble-ish au with a human reader who is supposed to be gifted to one of the members of the household. reader makes a failed escape attempt torn bedsheet style and is saved :] inspired loosely by the visual novels i used to read/play back in high school LMAO. skeletiano, i will forever be sad i could not romance you.

between you, me and soundwave: reader writes rpf abt mechs on earth LMAO. i see people mention humans writing fanfic about Cybertronians in passing but i think itd be funny to put that at the forefront. extremely silly and low stakes fic. probably.

drift compatibility: mecha! pilot! au!! exists purely because i read 1 (one) fic about plugsuits and just went "hmnngh... mecha pilots are fun to imagine interacting with Cybertronians... also there's DRIFT compatibility... i can totally do some fucked up shit with that" and now it's spiralled wildly out of control because at some point i started thinking about Governments and Social Structures and got distracted with worldbuilding lol. i have many many many ideas and i can only hope i can string some of them together so I can EXPLODE it out of my brain either through writing or art. also theres smut that happens wayyyy down the line which ill probably end up writing first and posting separately LMAO

penance is a prison: my take on Titan AU but as a fic because my brain is so so full of thoughts abt this au. i'll probably just end up drawing a lot of these scenes instead but like. its there! partially written!! im emotions abt it!!!

self explanatory long title: human/borrower au constructicons/jazz/prowl poly. i love rare not-so-pairs a lot and im particularly fond of this set. also i just like thinking abt either jazz and prowl getting menaced by a bunch of tiny guys OR the opposite where a group of construction workers have two borrower roommates. this one is more just random idea dumps instead of a fic but still fun to think about LMAO

ALSO! MINI REC. while you wait for me to (eventually maybe) write TF fic, you should check out boostergoldishh's works on ao3 for some tasty tasty TF reader insert fics. im still planning on making a rec list but they updated today and im filled w/ much love for good writing.

and as a bonus if you got this far (thank you!!): the super secret draft chapter title for the next NEXT FF chapter because its pretty silly

if my cowriter sees this hi. ill share the doc soon but its pretty much empty, its just there to remind me whats coming next LMAO 👍

[johnslittlespoon]

ok 1. these are my tough and sweet drafting docs, i have never been this insane about outlines in my life this is what getting on adhd meds does to a man. someone sedate me (i have also Never drafted out a fic until i started writing for this fandom jfc) (also sry i forgot to mute spotify b4 making the vid and i cbf to reexport)

and 2. i think i've mapped out the whole storyline for TAS gahhh my heart already hurts. i'm pretty set on an ending and it's gonna rip my heart out to write (in the best way) but leaves space for a long epilogue (or possibly even a second fic lol we'll see if my interest holds, i either fixate for a few weeks on an idea or i'm locked in for a year). as of now the fic will be set from july 2005 to june 2006 + the epilogue aughghgh but i gen have sm more i could write if i were to do a time skip and write a second fic, i just have so many other aus i wanna write if i can prove to myself i can commit to chaptered fics like this so :')

all the major events are plotted, most gaps in between are filled with the scenes i've been brainstorming in my docs, but i'm sure i'll come up with plenty more as i go knowing how i operate rip lol. esp going thru asks, i still have so many to get back to regarding tas i'm sorryyy!! honestly sometimes i read them and have to go straight to my doc to plot and then i forget to respond to the actual ask lol y'all are cooking <3

this fic is gonna be sooo long, def longer than yadiym. i'm thinking minimum 12 chapters if i end up sticking to this stupid long wordcount per chapter but the story/plot keeps expanding as i write so i'm probably gonna eat my words and idm as long as i can keep myself fixated/inspired lol :')

also don't mind me i'm just yapping to myself atp bc it helps me to post my progress somewhere other than in my notes app so i can refer back easier and also bc it makes me hold myself accountable if i speak it into the universe lmaoo i'm peer pressuring myself xoxo

[ofmdee]

😵

been having some thinky thoughts today, and for a while, rly, abt my Feelings abt breathing underwater and i tried to type something up on twitter but that jsut was not letting me think my thoughts correctly

i love BU........... so goddamn much. it started out as nothing more than a silly idea abt little mermaid ed meeting stede and kind of ballooned into what ive built it up into today. it's so important to me... but it's making me a little miserable right now?

miserable because i dont want to work on it, but i WANT TO want to work on it, i want to tell this story and read the finished product, ive got so many ideas, but i just. cannot get myself to do the actual WORK of making sentences and then staging all the pics........... what used to be a fun little pastime now feels like a chore, an obligation, a compulsion almost. it sucks, but it sucks more NOT doing it, you know what i mean? idk.

i know ive built it up into this big THING to myself, like... idk, i do this so often, i have big ideas and love to plan and organize them and then i get going with such intensity until i abruptly fizzle out. i start things and dont finish them, and i guess i just rly dont want this to be another thing that gets thrown on my unfinished projects pile :/

i have the next 2 parts drafted, but every time i go back to poke at them and edit them i just get so disheartened because it's obvious that my heart wasn't really in writing them, and it's difficult to salvage a rough draft like that. part of me wants to just delete those parts entirely and say fuck it im taking an indefinite hiatus, and i will start fresh when this is fun again! which would probably be the best thing, actually, but... i am reluctant to do that, because i just dont have anything else to rly fill my time rn.

i havent been getting a lot of joy out of... anything, rly, for a long time now, im so bored and apathetic and even my normal go to things arent cutting it anymore. and idk if it's a depression thing or if im truly outgrowing some interests, but either way i know i need to get more Things in my life somehow, because writing and sims are my two biggest pastimes, and then i combined them, and then i got sick of both so ive got so little to go on! so i keep poking at the things that i used to love, hoping to find that spark again 😪 i love these little guys and their little world!!! and it makes me sad that im not actually having Fun with the PROCESS.

it doesn't help that i am constantly torn between man i wish more ppl read my fic!!! i work so hard on it!! and man i never want anyone to perceive me or my writing ever it's so amateur!! idk what i want and idk what i want to DO about it!!

so, idk!! idk where this is all going, lol, i just... wanted to try and organize these thoughts somehow.

trying to reason w myself that at the end of the day, i am writing a fanfiction. that's it. it's not that big of a deal, and yet it feels huge to me, somehow. I don't wanna let down the ppl who are reading it, and i dont wanna let myself down again, either.

BUT it's not supposed to make me feel miserable it is supposed to be fun i am lowkey crying rn because like urghghghgh why isnt it fun?!!?!

so. i think i gotta do some more thinking, because not making any kind of decision is making things worse! and idk, if all of this hasnt put u off of the idea of my fic, here is the series page lmfao i could use some encouragement i guess......

but i am going to seriously put more thought into an official hiatus, because i think i am getting Too preoccupied with it again and it's messing with me!!!

i actually had a decent time doing those kitty ed pics today, even tho they didn't do so hot, so maybe i am just gonna try to focus on that kind of thing, doing stuff that actually catches my attention, and also doing things without the intention of sharing them at all. allowing things to be messy. i get so caught up in the thought of someone else seeing my work that i paralyze myself trying to make it PERFECT.

i had a decent time doing that oneshot from ed's pov as well. so maybe i need to work on projects that are a bit smaller scale. i dont have to say goodbye to BU stuff forever, but i am just so ALL OR NOTHING that it feels like a way bigger decision than it actually is 😓

so i guess....... im gonna sleep on it for a while. think about it and try and come to a firm decision. because if i take a break, i need to REALLY take a break, which includes not thinking about it all the time and constantly beating myself up for not doing it 😅

idk, thank you if you read this far, here are a few kitty pics of ed for ur time:

[syoish-aot]

HOLY SHIT IT'S DONE!!

I was having some intense posting paralysis all morning (I think I reread the last scene like 15x just to make sure it was worded exactly right).

*he terrifying fear when you write something you really love and you're scared no one else will like it as much as you do*

ANYWAY -

Thank you so much to everyone that's been regularly reading slash commenting on I Found You! It was my first time posting fic to tumblr and I had a lot of fun doing it!

I always have SO MANY ideas for fics, but I get overwhelmed by the idea of seriously perusing them. A lot of this comes from the fear that no one will read them and I'll have spent all of my time writing for absolutely nothing. BUT I've been trying to humble myself lately and recognize the joy in the writing process itself and the satisfaction of getting my ideas fully fleshed out on paper aka google docs regardless of the attention they get.

Despite that, anyone who writes fic understands how shitty it feels when you work for DAYS on something and get crickets in the comments. It sucks. And that's sort of how I've been feeling with my fics on Ao3 lately- which kicks my motivation right in the ass.

In writing I Found You, I think I got some of that motivation back. Not JUST because I was getting regular commenters (again, thank you so much) but also because I was able to slip fully into my self indulgence and finally write out one of the verses that's been existing in my mind palace for MONTHS!

So, all of this rambling is to say this -

I really liked sharing this story with you guys on tumblr, and I'm for sure going to be doing more of this style in the future.

I'll be posting I Found You to Ao3 as well, but I want to edit it a bit (and possibly add a few more scenes) before doing that.

Basically the version I posted here is more of a rough draft, and then the final version will be the one on Ao3.

If you like my writing, consider checking out my Reader/Eren long fic "Ten Seconds" (100k, complete on Ao3) or the post-canon Jean/OC fic I'm working on "The Letters She Wrote"

If you read all of this, then here's your reward - a sneak peak at the VERY LONG isekai/time travel fic that I'm going to be working on next...

Chapter 1 - "You, 2000 years in the future"

Shiganshina High - 2024

You’d taken Ancient History as an elective to fill your schedule because no other class fit in the period. 

Also to piss off your dad about not taking AP calculus.

(But mostly it was the schedule thing.)

It wasn’t that you disliked Ancient History, you just found it painfully boring and mind numbing. It was the class right after lunch and every assignment was another boring paper that sounded the exact same over and over and over again.

(Although it did leave you wondering how many times you could start a paper with “the oxford dictionary defines discovery as…” before Mr. Arlert, the ancient old man who taught the class, caught on.)

Thankfully, you didn’t have to put too much effort into the class to get a good grade and because of that the class was an easy A that you could use to maintain your honor roll. Mr. Arlert was retiring at the end of the year, so he was pretty much entirely checked out. You had a feeling he didn’t actually read any of your papers and gave your grades out based on how well he assumed you did the assignment. Which, again, meant you got an A on every one. So Mr. Arlert had a habit of putting on documentaries instead of actually teaching anything. 

And you weren’t about to complain about that.

Armin was sitting next to you furiously taking notes on the documentary that Mr. Arlert, his grandpa and teacher, had put on. You understood his struggle to impress his grandpa in the class he taught on a personal level. You used to be like that when it came to math, but now you normally felt yourself doing the opposite. “The opposite”, meaning:

Not taking AP calculus.

Writing the wrong answer on a quiz, even after doing the work to prove the correct one.

Asking pointless questions in class just to see him get that constipated I-can’t-treat-you-like-my-daughter-right-now-because-you’re-my-student-but-god-do-I-wish-I-could-ground-you look.

You smiled at the memory, feeling quite pleased with yourself, until the monotone voice of the documentary playing at the front of the class pulled  you back into the present:

“The ancient people of Paradis elected large walls, presumably to protect themselves from invaders during this time.” You looked back at the projector. There was a poorly done animation of what historians suspect the three large walls may have looked like, back when they still stood almost 2000 years ago. 

The documentary, just like every documentary Mr. Arlert put on, seemed pretty pointless to show to a class of eleventh graders who were already very aware of the mysterious history of Paradis. 

You’d all grown up here and had been taught about this stuff since grade school. Paradis was a major hub for ancient history. There were dozens of museums throughout the island, all holding different ancient artifacts and pieces of your country’s history. Pieces that’s functions had been lost to time, leaving archeologists only able to guess the true history of your people and what these items were for.

“...purpose of them is still unknown, some archaeologists theorize they were used for early agriculture, although others argue they may have been used for religious reasons…”

On the screen was one of the most mysterious relics of ancient Paradis. Two metal cylinders, attached to some sort of strap. Normally, they were found with a large box of metal that was meant to hold something, along with canisters of unknown contents. The were rare, but a few dozen of them had been uncovered in the last hundred years and have only continued to add to the mystery of ancient Paradis. 

Of course, you were curious what their origins may be too, but not curious enough to look into it further than this class and the occasional trip you make to the Paradis Museum. 

“...these large man-eating monsters were an important part of Paradis folklore, some argue they were likely worshiped as go-”

The bell rang, finally saving you from your mind numbing documentary focused torture.

“Ah!” Mr. Arlert jerked awake at his desk. “Yes, well- I hope you all learned something important today!” He quickly said as he stood. “Don’t forget, your final papers are due on Monday morning. Despite it, I hope you’re able to enjoy your weekend!”

You hoped so too.

God, did you hope so...

[httpknjoon]

the scariest thing | kth

plot | You were invited to tell your story about the scariest thing you've ever done.

words | 3.6k

genres | angst, unrequited love au, one sided love au, best friends au

pairing | ceo!taehyung x reader

note | was this fic sitting in my drafts for almost a year now? yes. did i read it over and over again that i eventually forgot about it? yes. but here it is. i apologize it took so long. i hope you'll enjoy reading this. let me know your thoughts!

main masterlist | read the first part here! | series masterlist

“Please tell us something about yourself.”

You sat on a wooden stool chair in a middle of a plain white background. The bright studio lights both stood on each side of the camera, which made you a little blinded at first. But you got used to it since you arrive at this studio almost fifteen minutes ago. Your supposed interviewer, Nayeon, is a friend of a mutual friend who invited you to this project. She seemed like a really organized and creative woman. Earlier, when you arrived, she explained to you about their channel. She concluded that their production group has this YouTube channel where they posted videos about stories or opinions of many people. You found it strange at first but decided to join in since you have free time to spare. For now, only three staffs are in the room. The editor, the interviewer, and the cameraman.

“I am Y/N, currently in my early 30s.” you softly smiled after introducing yourself shortly.

Being the center of attention or staying in front of a camera is something you do not usually do. In fact, you usually avoided any kind of these situations ever since you were young and you don’t really have many photos in your apartment now. The one scrapbook you keep is filled with pictures of places you went to, family, and friends you were close to. Especially those you met in college.

“So you were invited here by our editor, Nina, who is your friend. Right?” Nayeon asked and you nodded in answer. “And she told us that you are commonly shy around cameras, what made you agree to come to join us for today?”

You giggled, “I kind of want to try something new.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, my life’s been pretty boring from childhood to graduate school.” you joked and you spotted Nina chuckling in the background.

You met Nina back in your sophomore year in college and she is well aware of how you prioritized your studies a lot before. She is the ex-girlfriend of one of your close friends from your first two years in college. You two managed to still communicate every now and then even after they broke off their short-lived romantic relationship.

“Oh, let’s see about that.” Nayeon smiled before looking down at her notebook with a black pen in her right hand. “I am going to ask a question and maybe you can tell us a story answering it. Will it be fine?”

“Okay,” you replied before a thought popped in. “Wait, how many questions? Nina told me that there going to be twenty of them, which made me a little freaked out.”

Nayeon laughed, “It’s only one main question! Then, some additional ones along the way just to clarify things.”

You rolled your eyes playfully at Nina, who is covering her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud, “You liar.”

After a few more laughs and shared banter with Nina, which Nayeon joined in, the interview continued. The camera guy, Eunwoo, who you also met earlier was grinning hearing how you and your friend tease each other.

“What’s the main question again?” you asked before any banter start again.

“What is the scariest thing you have ever done?”

You crossed your leg over the other as you think of an answer. Looking back on three decades of your life, you only thought of three things.

“Oh, I have three answers. Probably cutting class one time in high school, opening my social media accounts, and…”

“Wait, opening a social media account?” Nayeon repeated, squinting. “How?”

“Well…” you clasped your hands. “I personally think that it’s a messy and toxic place. Many people can say something to someone just by their posts. They can already judge you a lot. So I am not really active on my socials, I only use them when needed. And I am a really private person, I don’t post a lot unless it’s necessary.”

Nayeon nodded at your explanation, “Okay, I get it. How about your third answer? What is it?”

“Oh, uhm…” you paused as you pursed your lips, having second thoughts if you should answer it. Whatever. You exhaled, “This is really cliché. But it’s when I confessed to a very close friend.”

“Can you tell us more about it?”

“Uhm, yeah. Sure.” you forced a smile. “I have been friends with this guy ever since elementary. He was a really good kid and a social butterfly! I, who was a very shy kid, somehow got to befriend him, who is a very extroverted boy. I remembered those times he would pull me into their playground games every single time. He always made sure I am never left out. That’s how we became close over many years. High school came, and he became really into sports and famous. Like, you know, those overused teen movies characters.”

You see Nayeon chuckled and you continued, “Nonetheless, we remained best of friends at those times. He still hasn’t changed. Me too. Gladly, unlike those nerdy movie characters, I was never bullied by the mean girls for being close with the popular guy.”

You raised your hands to put air quotes on certain words, emphasizing them with sarcasm in your tone.

“He was always invited to these parties and he would ask me to come with him. Then, I would remind him about the school activities we need to do. We were often partners in school projects. I think we balance each other back then. He would be the one focused on having fun while I would concentrate on our academics. It was kinda weird how we remained friends in high school since I know others grew apart.”

Stories of teens growing apart in high school were things you always read or hear from some of your patients as a psychiatrist. Somehow, you felt lucky that you and Taehyung managed to keep your friendship past high school.

“No matter how much I hate loud events, I always made sure to watch him play in his basketball games. Knowing that his scary dad does not really support him in that aspect, I hoped that having my presence there gave him the motivation to continue with his hobby. The first and only time I cut a class in high school was the time their team had a game at another school. I remember sneaking out with a friend and I was so terrified while my friend assured me that it was going to be fine since she was already used to cutting classes. Then fast forward, forty minutes later, we arrived at the other school’s gymnasium. We found an empty spot near their bench so he easily spots us in the middle of that game. He looked surprised but grinned widely that time and I remember my heart skipped a bit. It felt like cutting class was really worth it.” you laughed.

“Did he do that common mischievous wink before shooting the ball in the hoops?” Nayeon asked with a teasing tone.

You laughed again, shaking your head, “Fortunately, no. I would really find it corny if he did that. And I think we were both not a fan of public displays of affection. We prefer doing things in our own little worlds. Nonetheless, I never knew how he really show affection since we both didn’t date anyone back in high school or college, that I know of!”

Nayeon’s eyebrows raised when she heard your statement, “You never dated anyone in those years?”

“No.” you shake your head again. “Me, personally, do not really have plans in dating back in high school. Even though that was where my feelings began for my friend. In college, I set my eyes on doing my best in my course as I want to keep my scholarship. For my best friend, I don’t know if he dated anyone back in college since we lost it.”

“You lost it?” Nayeon pushed her glasses up as she repeated your words.

“Yeah, we kind of drifted apart during the first two years of college. We went to different universities, which includes me moving miles away since I got accepted to this really great school. Maybe this is where the growing apart phase happened. I met new friends, including Nina,” you smiled at your longtime friend. “And really improved my social life then. As I said, I rarely use social media so I do not really have any updates from my best friend. It was two years of just texting each other on phone occasionally. It’s really just a bunch of greetings to one another.”

“Then, what happened?”

You smiled as you can hear the mix of curiosity and excitement in her tone, “Then, junior year happened. Things were getting really pricey. An old roommate of mine moved out and that worsen my expenses for a couple of months. So I was about to look for a roommate on Craiglist– it was what my friends recommended– when I got a call from an old friend. The one I cut classes with before. She studies at the same university and told me that she saw my best friend around the campus. He even chatted with her a bit and shared that he is transferring.”

You remembered how surprised, worried, and a bit angry you were when you heard that from a mutual friend. You took some hours alone before calling Taehyung about it, wondering why he hasn’t told you about his transfer plans. Was he mad at you? Did something happen? Are we still friends?. The questions that all popped into your head were later asked when you called him. You remembered how he defensively denied that he have any negative emotions towards you, claiming that he was just ashamed of the unfortunate path he was walking on.

“So, I called him. I think I was too aggressive that time, throwing questions at him.” you laughed. “But I was really worried about what could possibly happen to him. Then, he shared that he was looking for an apartment near the campus and I immediately asked him to meet. After a quick catch-up, I offered my apartment because I trust that man with my life. So I don’t need any more talking just to get to know him!”

You emphasized how you trust Taehyung with the emotions and tone of your voice. You see Nina smiled. Although you’ve been friends since college, she, herself, never met your best friend. She moved to another country at the same time Taehyung moved in to be your roommate. Up until now, she probably doesn’t know who you were talking about.

“So, what happened?”

“He moved in later. I got to teach him things again just like back in middle school except it’s all about basic living needs. That guy doesn’t even know how to budget his allowance. In his first week, he bought a lot of unnecessary things and junk food with his dad’s money. And it only took him three days to finish it all! Ah, it was really unhealthy.” you shook your head while the image of Taehyung having his fourth donut of that day played inside your mind. “Gladly, he later learned how to cook, which I know helped us both a lot since I know I won’t be doing all the cooking alone and he will learn.”

“Wait, with all of these happening, do you still have the same feelings you had for him back in your high school years?” Nayeon wondered.

Your lips pursed as you think quietly, organizing your thoughts before speaking out. 

“The thing is… it was never gone. The feelings are just always there… or here,” you told her as your hand unconsciously landed on your chest while you explained. “Back in high school, I can say that all I felt for him was possibly a tiny, tiny spark of crush. Then we drifted apart for two years and all the feels lie low, I guess. But I knew, it was still there. Because in every important event, I was like a little kid excitedly waiting for his messages.” you giggled at that memory.

“And when we got more time together in our last years in college, I could say that it grew into more than just a crush. Unfortunately.” you grimaced sarcastically. “He’s not hard to like… or even love.”

This time, you looked down as a soft, bitter smile stays on your lips. Your eyes remained on your shoes as you continue to talk, “He is a nice guy even though he said he messed up a lot in his first years in college. He always told me how he wants to be a better person than his dad and I think he is doing well now. He always thinks of himself as a jerk or something bad. But, he’s not... He is always willing to learn and good at accepting change. He is so much friendly with everyone that my college friends became his friends too after just a day of hanging out.”

Your friends first guessed that you two were dating before they visited your apartment and met Taehyung. It took them two months to move on and be convinced that you and your Taehyung are nothing but roommates and best of friends. But it never dies down, since there were times they tried setting you two with different people and without even talking to each other about it, both of you declined. There was a time that they suspected you of keeping your relationship a secret but you and Taehyung just laughed it off, calling it silly.

“So yeah, to make it short, the feelings I had grew. Especially when he began doing things that fed my adoration for him to grow more.”

Nayeon leaned in a bit, still out of the camera shot, “Things? What things?”

“Okay, first was he left these sweet mini chocolates that I really love in my stuff. He would place them near my textbooks on our dining table or even on my study desk. We never talked about it but I knew it was him. One time, he slipped one into my laptop bag. But it was later colonized by these annoying ants and I ranted about it during dinner for hours and it never happened again. I appreciate it nonetheless.” you chuckled. “The second was when he watched movies with me during my down days. There were times I am tired and would just wrap myself in a blanket for the whole day. And then there was this time, months after he moved in, he sat beside me to watch this really funny movie with me. Later on, we ended up cuddling. It ended up being a weekly event until our senior year. There were times we ended up sleeping like that. Just quiet and peaceful. And I swear, it warms my heart every time I think about it.”

“Until now?” Nayeon asked with a little hope and teasing in her voice.

You nodded, “Until now. The last one that I really kept with me is when he gifted me something handmade. I really loved it since I love handmade stuff! That was the most memorable thing I received ever. It was so awesome and beautiful. I think even ended up taking it on the bed with me at some point.”

“So, when or how did you confess?”

“Oh, it was sometime before we part ways after our college graduation.” you smiled as you remembered it like it just happened recently. But in fact, it all happened almost a decade ago. “I actually didn’t plan it, which is very not me. We were just talking alone, looking back to our years. Maybe because of the ambiance during that moment– I don’t know. But I just thought, fuck it! Just say it. So, I gathered courage through alcohol. And just said it right there.”

“And… how was it?” Nayeon asked.

Her tone was in the middle of the curiosity and care scale. A little awkward. She was careful as she don’t want to assume how your confession turned out. Even though, she hoped it headed to a good aftermath. But you inhaled sharply, your chest heaving before you exhaled the answer,

“Heartbreaking.” An awkward laugh follows. Then, you continued, “He rejected me and it was my first time. So yeah, it was heartbreaking and made me feel shit for like months. At the same time, I was also confused why because I thought we felt the same thing. But turns out, he didn’t. Maybe I just misunderstood everything…”

Your voice trailed off as you look back to that time. That rejection really caused you a lot of confusion and questions to yourself. It took you months to finally accept that you probably just misunderstood your best friend and his actions around you. But once in a while, you still wonder about why he rejected you since he never really explained it. Your eyes looked away from the camera for a few seconds before turning it back there again, forming a small smile.

“Guys, guys, guys! Don’t worry, I already moved on. It’s been years!” you lightheartedly laughed as you see the gloomy expression from Nina and Nayeon.

The latter pouted before asking another question, “What happened to you two after that?”

“We did not talk again after that. Even though we still lived in the same apartment for like a few days. But we were already preparing to move out at that time. To avoid awkward moments, I decided to pack early, secretly leave the place– much earlier than we planned, and stay back home in the meantime. I didn’t ghost him. I e-mailed him that I just had to go back home early for a cousin’s wedding. It’s an obvious lie. I know that he knew it. I think that was the only I addressed my confession to him and let him know that we are still friends. But we became acquaintances for years before we finally met again. Our friendship rekindled, I think, sometimes when I was in med school.” you shared.

Nayeon’s eyes widened, “So, you still talk now?”

“Of course, he is still my friend. We still hang out if we can. But due to our conflicting schedules and workloads, we rarely do anything together now except for video chatting or calls. We tried planning a dinner or something but there will always be something that would stop it. So, we just settled in virtual meets.” you chuckled. “So yeah, those are the scariest things I’ve done. The confession is, of course, the highest.”

“Okay… So let’s base it on the scariest one which was the confession. Our last question is… on a scale of 1 to 10, how scary was it?” 

You poked your cheek with your tongue as you think of it. And answered, “Probably 10.”

“Why?”

“Other than it was really nerve-wracking…” you paused for a second and bit your lower lip. “I have more than 10 years of friendship with him to risk before making a decision to confess. It was a fun, crazy, decade-long platonic relationship and I love every nanosecond of it. And for me to decide to confess, I was aware that I had to make sure that all of it will not go to waste. So yeah, a big 10 for me.”

“Did I ever meet this guy?”

Nina walked you out of their studio after you finished your appearance for their video and said goodbye to their small team. You chuckled as you two entered the elevator.

“No, I doubt that you met him in college. You probably saw him in pictures though.”

She gasped and immediately pulled out her phone from her back pocket. You laughed.

“Good luck with finding him. You need to scroll back to years of your ex’s posts to spot the guy I talked about.” 

It was a useless warning. Nina was unbothered and scrolled as you reached the ground floor for parking spaces. You easily spotted your car. Nina sighed, putting her phone back in her pants.

“I’ll look for him later.” she sneered. You just smiled. Nina spoke again, “But thank you for coming today, Y/N! I’m really happy to see you again after years.”

She hugged you and you hugged her back, “Me too. Thank you for inviting me.”

After more minutes of planning to meet again soon for drinks and bonding, Nina finally lets you go. You waved to her from your car before driving away. You took a glimpse at your phone that sat on the passenger seat, no messages. It was only six in the evening. Here you are heading straight home. You got nothing to do anyway. You don’t have any work schedule anymore, you already did them before the interview. You thought of going to a drive-thru for a burger and fries. But maybe you’ll just order online. 

This whole interview thing has worn you out a little but it felt refreshing at the same time. You’re probably from all the talking and limiting the things you could share. Nonetheless, it was nice to talk about the past. You get to relive that part of your life for a short while. High school, college, and all the memories you had with Taehyung. 

It’s probably for the best.

That’s what you always thought when you found yourself reminiscing about the time he rejected you. You really had your hopes up before confessing to him, you always thought that there was something. But you had to learn you were wrong the hard way.

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[quillofspirit]

Light as a Feather

The beginnings of a young maiden, with wings and a bright smile.

Set in LOTR, but I certainly made mistakes throughout. This is not meant to be true to everything Tolkien, just my thoughts on the life an oc with wing might have in Middle-Earth. Also, there is no dialogue.

Word Count: 7,340

Status: stand alone fic, completed

tw: loss, grief, some guilt

I read this fic by @entishramblings a few weeks after the first draft, it's worth a read. It's not the same idea, but they both have wings! If you want more winged-people in Middle-Earth, go read The Innocence of Brutality.

There will be a point in the story, where I highly recommend you listen to Romantic Flight, by John Powell, from How to Train your Dragon. Trust me.

It had been a while since her last visit. The woods had stayed the same, tall trees lush with green leaves, full from the summer sun. The warm westward wind had allowed her to make good time, arriving almost one full day before the start of winter. Her wings had grown strong from three seasons of exploration, beating ferociously in the air, carrying her above the clouds for the first time since her feathers grew, many moons ago.

She was young at that time, yes, just half her father’s size, yet small feathers grew each day, in two spots between her shoulder blades. At first, it was a wispy down poking out of her skin, like an old pillow in need of new filling. The skin of her back was often sensitive, irritated by loose feathers and the growth of what later became her wings.

When her parents took notice of her discomfort, and lifted her smock, they found the beginning of plumage. Scared at the red skin, and thinking the shaft of the feathers had pierced her skin from the outside, they spent a few delicate minutes picking them out one by one. She cried a lot that night, worried she misbehaved, somehow, and at the pain of each feather tearing away from her skin. Her father held her hands and told her to breath, to follow his own rising chest, while her mother did her best to be gentle.

With all feathers gone, her mother wiping her hands on her apron, her father took her into his arms, and held her close. Her eyes were wet and red, but no tears fell anymore. Her mother circled her arms around both, and they stayed, hugging and grieving the events of the day, until the sun was well under the horizon.

In the morning, they looked at the wound. It was better, less irritated, and starting to heal. Her parents looked relieved, and so she was too. There had not been feathers for a few days, until the itching started again. This time, she was careful not to show her discomfort, afraid they would think her a fool for getting feathers into her back again. Wherever they were coming from, they were determined to grow, and she did not want to spend every few days with the burning pain she had felt that night.

No, she would keep it to herself, and she would find a way to hide them.

It worked, and she was able to keep her back away from her parents’ worried eyes, until the feathers grew too big and too uncomfortable to hide beneath her chemise. She cried again when they talked about what they would do, debating amongst themselves. It was the only time she had thought of running away, but she knew not to where, so she stayed, feet firmly planted in the ground, fists closed tight and looking anywhere but her parents’ faces.

They approached and knelt in front of her slowly, searching for her gaze, until she let them catch it. They told her then, that whatever was happening, it was not something they knew about, but they would see what it became, what she became, and they would do their best to help. She gave a wet sob and launched herself into their arms then, and she told them about the way her clothes kept rubbing at the feathers, pulling and scratching her. They spent that evening adjusting her smocks and chemises, the three of them cutting and sewing a perfect little opening.

Eventually, the townspeople took notice of the strangeness of her back, and after a few questions to her parents, they decided that it was not a problem. She was still young, a smart child, always willing to help, with a bright smile. They would not ask more of her.

As the down became feathers, and limbs grew, her mother always tried to reassure her, saying she had gone through this as a babe, when her teeth were first growing in. This time, however, she was able to vocalize her discomfort in more constructive ways than wailing, not that she did. For the most part, she kept it to herself, and could be seen rubbing her back against anything that would hold, like fence posts and the great hickory tree that stood on the hill.

When she wasn’t foraging for pecans under it, eating them then and there, or bringing them back home for her mother to candy, she was climbing its tall branches. She once fell asleep on one, face down on her arms, her belly full and heart content. The whistling wind passing through the leaves and the sun shining high had lulled her to sleep, satisfied that from her high perch and behind the thick curtain of green foliage she could not be seen.

It was not long after the first real feathers grew in, the length of her father’s hands and no longer fluffy and wispy, that a tall grey bearded wizard came into the village, looking for the “young maiden with an unusual condition.” The wizard had a hat as long as his beard, and he grew more interested in her each time he came, for the limbs continued to grow and yet remained little more than decoration on her back. Although the wizard, Gandalf, as she had since learned was his name, had no explanation for her predicament, he promised to look to friends for answers.

He tried to convince her to go with him to the elves, that they might know enough to help her, or at least why she had wings. But she was young, and afraid of being scrutinized by any unknown eyes, especially those of the elves. She had only seen one, once, in a dream. She could have sworn it a memory, but her parents had been quite certain she had never left her small village.

It was early morning, dawn reflecting in the morning dew, soaking through her dress and leaving it stuck to her body. She stayed laying beneath the soft orange light of the sun making its slow ascent over the horizon, simply admiring the way the light shone through each droplet, turning blades of grass into tiny filaments, like fine crystal.

The wind was blowinggently, making her shiver in her wet smock. It carried a scent with it, soft and fruity, that had her sitting up, head tipping to follow it. With the light shining as it was, she had some difficulty to locate the source, but she did. There was someone, standingon a hill a few furlongssouth of her. They were looking at her, and she could feel the weight of their eyes, but she felt safe, like they were looking over her. She knew them to be an elf, though she could not explain why.

They stood against the sun andthey felt familiar, as warm as the rays drying her dress. They stayed still, looking at each other, though she looked more in their direction rather than atit, until the round sun behind them was almost completely above the hill, its stomach kissing the grass. The dew had gone and her dress was dry when they turned and disappeared behind the hill.

She had not seen an elf since, though she had heard of them sometimes going through the woods by the village. There grew tall, dark green dressed trees, that gave a welcome respite in the few sweltering days summer brought.

Over the next few years, her feathers grew to the size of her arm, and the stumps at her back grew into limbs, and eventually, into very small wings. They stayed quite useless for many years, growing large but still too weak to carry her. The townspeople started to love them, just as they loved her, and they looked forward to making her laugh, if only to see her wings flutter from happiness.

Everyone in town had soft pillows, made of the down she lost when she moulted. It became tradition for her to give a pillow made of her own feathers when a child in town reached five years of age.

And as the wings grew, so did she. she became a beautiful young woman. Many noticed the changes, for her warm demeanour became visible, a slight hue emanating from her skin when she smiled. It became quite evident to everyone that she had more in common with the elves than humans.

The wizard visited when he could, but never brought answers. No, he added questions to the list, though he always tried to bring her trinkets from various places. Secretly, though she suspected it, he was hoping to entice her into leaving the village in search of knowledge, and the world.

When she reached 17, the wings had grown to an almost unmanageable size. She walked sideways through the doorways in her village, and could only stretch when on the hill, by that tree she loved so. It became quite cumbersome, to say nothing of the alterations her dresses required. Though she did not have many, they needed the back cut, and fitted around the base of each wing, with a strap buttoned in between to close it off. A small salvation of her dignity, for her dressing would be quite improper without.

She often found herself spending entire days outside, after her work was done, flapping her wings in hopes of one day lifting more than a few feet off the ground. Once she could glide, she developed the habit of walking up the hill to swoop down over the village, often delighting the townspeople with her airy laughter as she passed over their heads.

Once, when the wizard was in town, she told him to stand in the square and look to the sky. Her smile was wide, and her wings flittering behind her, so he did as she said. She ran up the hill, where she picked up every red, orange and yellow leaf her apron could hold. She climbed up the first few branches, and took a deep breath before jumping and opening her wings.

As she swept through the air, she let her apron fall open, and the leaves slowly descend to the town, sending a flurry, the colours of sunset, bathing the town and delighted people into a myriad of colours. They glistened in the light, still wet from the morning dew, reflecting sun rays and slowly floating down, where children ran to catch them before they fell. She heard the wizard’s deep chuckle amongst the townspeople's laughter, and felt her chest grow light with joy. The colours became more vibrant, saturating the leaves with more light, like tiny flames, drifting down to the town.

She barely made it back to the village, after one of her more successful landings, that she was striding up to the wizard, and asking to meet the elves. He considered her, eyes crinkling and let out a knowing sigh. If she had not been convinced before, she knew then that he was hoping for that.

They travelled together, and she was happy to be spending a little more time each day in the air. Though she often went to sleep with her muscles sore, she did not stop launching herself into the sky, delighting at the feeling like it was new each time.

The weather was still comfortable when they reached Rivendell, and she met Lord Elrond, a tall and dark haired elf, who regarded her with keen eyes. Once they had eaten and were alone in a circular room, filled by books, he asked to see the wings fully. She did her best to stand tall, and spread her wings carefully, amazed that she could open them without touching neither walls nor ceiling. She let him examine her wings silently, before he spoke to Gandalf, who did not have much to offer, until he stood in front of her and asked for what she knew.

It was a short conversation, but she was relieved when Lord Elrond said she could stay as long as she liked, if only so she could learn to fly better. When she was dismissed, she did not linger to hear what Gandalf and Lord Elrond discussed, for she was eager to lie in a bed for the first time in weeks.

She awoke on a soft bed, sinking into it like freshly fallen snow, and she fell into her routine much too easily. Her face squished into the padded pillow, more comfortable than her own, she hugged it tight, contracting her whole body before loosening every muscle, sighing contently. For the first time since the lumps had become limbs, she did not wish she could sleep on her back, and her neck did not feel stiff from the position.

Her back was free of any soreness from the day before, and she felt the soft weight of her wings by her side, not squeezed into the tight space of her room, or needing to cover her shivering body. She smelled lavender and chamomile, making the ascent from deep sleep to an awakened state more like a climb than a walk. For a moment, she stayed there. Breathing in deeply, and relaxing even more into her bed, she allowed her mind to think about the past few weeks.

As they walked to Rivendell, with Gandalf telling her about the elves and what to expect, she found she knew the way. Not like she could explain the way back home, but her feet knew the way. Like she knew it was an elf standing on the hill, in that dream.

The closer they got, the more she found she could run ahead and she would always take the right path. Though he did not question her, she knew the wizard found her lack of hesitation peculiar. A few times, he sighed dramatically as he seemed to ponder the way, and yet she always knew.

Once they reached Rivendell, and after Gandalf explained that it was named Imladris in one of the elvish tongues, it was like she had spent the last 17 years of her life submerged in water and she finally surfaced. She breathed in, and the feeling grew in her chest, that she knew this place and it was welcoming her back. She had not admitted the thought to Gandalf, but felt at peace, more at home, in Rivendell than in her parent’s cottage.

Her village had been warm, despite the weather, and the people kinder. The few rangers and visitors that had passed through the village had given her a few looks, and sometimes a few comment had floated in the wind to her ears, but they quickly understood, by the sharp looks and sharper retorts, that she was not an oddity to be ogled. Everyone greeted her the same, merchants conversed easily with her, and children did not shy from bringing her flowers or small rocks they found.

The first time a stranger scoffed at her as she passed, the merchant he was dealing with stopped in the middle of passing the bread, and promptly gave him back his coins. They argued, though the stranger quickly realized that none in the village would now barter with him. Grumbling about lost opportunities and superstitious folk, the stranger resolved to walking to the next village where ‘better people would take his coin and let him talk'.

All in the village looked after her, but they treated her like a precious gem, afraid to get too close lest she crack and the beauty fade. She had been an outlier, however many times she participated in celebrations, invited every time, for every event no matter how small. And she was the first they looked to when a child needed cheering up, for her soft feathers and softer smiles always seemed to bring spirits up. They did not treat her like the town jester either, she was respected. And yet, she could not help feeling like she did not quite belong.

It was the small things, the pinch in her chest at the though of altering each new dress, or the times events were moved outside, for however careful she was, her wings always seemed to knock things over or bump into the ceiling. Having to stand, unless she brought that one chair the town had commissioned for her 15th birthday, when sitting into chairs became too uncomfortable. Waking up with a stiff neck unless she slept on the branches of the big hickory tree, where she could wrap herself in her wings.

And despite how much she loved her parents, and how much they loved her, the sad looks they all shared when her friends talked about getting proposed to, and what they wanted their future house to look like. Because she knew, eventually, she would have to build herself a house and live in it, with only friends and family to visit, but never one to stay.

No one in the village had approached her with anything more than friendly interest. She had many friends, and yet none with which to share her life. She had grieved that thought, and found it particularly foreign when she arrived in Rivendell, for there was much to learn, and even more to explore.

She breathed in once again, to remember the smell and feeling of the soft linen pillows and the plush sheets of the bed. She sighed before tentatively opening her eyes.

She could see an open window and the morning sun, only just starting to cast a pinkish glow on the white walls, and hear the soft wind blowing in fresh light air, full of the sounds and smell of the many waterfalls. When she stood from her bed, she looked around the small but airy room.

Tentatively, she stretched her arms, and with them her wings. She had never been able to do so inside her room, though here she found them almost fully deployed before they brushed upon anything. Wary of the damages she could do, she brought them back to herself, and a shy smile graced her lips easily, the first of many in her day.

On a chair by a simple desk, she found a beautiful blue dress, of airy silk. As she put it on, she discovered it had already been altered to fit her back, and her heart grew with warmth at the thought. She could move her wings with ease, and it was the most beautiful cloth she had ever worn.

After spending a few minutes putting her hair in a loose braid, she walked out, determined to explore the wondrous and sinuous walkways of Rivendell. She walked, her hand on the cold finely carved walls, watching the sun slowly rise and the waterfalls glitter like a million fireflies.

START LISTENING TO ROMANTIC FLIGHT HERE

Her meandering led her to a bridge, over three mighty waterfalls that led into a wide river below. Had she no wings, she would have felt terror at the height, knowing a fall like this to be fatal. Instead, it filled her with excitement at the possibilities.

She considered the fall, then her feathers. They had grown more golden since her departure from her village. She had not yet been able to fly more than half an hour, though she supposed she was here to get some answers. This would answer at least a few of her own insecurities.

She took a deep breath, feeling the small mist of tiny droplets floating up from the cascades. The sun was still rising, and she let her excitement bubble up in her chest. Before doubt could get the better of her, she walked to the edge and let her body tip forward. She could almost see her reflection in the running water, her blue dress swirling in the wind.

As she neared the river below, she tilted her head and fixed her eyes to it. She breathed out deeply, and opened her wings wide. The wind rushed across her face, between each feather, and it caught in the great expanse of her wings. She felt her body begin to drift upwards, and she inclined her wings down. She kept her eyes straight, focusing on the shore, than the mountain range opposite the river. Before she hit the water, she gave a big beat of her wings and was lifted towards the sky with an ease she had never known before.

She soared up in the air, wings beating and bringing her closer to the sky, higher than the bridge she stood upon moments ago. The sun was up, and the first rays of sunlight were hitting Rivendell, illuminating more of the elf-city as she rose. When she felt the sun warm her skin, she closed her eyes and gave one last beat, savouring the feeling of weightlessness and warmth. Completely at ease in the air, she felt happy, truly, incandescently happy.

She smiled then. With nothing to hold her to what was and what could be, she was free. For years, she had longed for the moment her wings could carry her. She had been patient, though it had failed at times, when angry tears spilled from her eyes and she had lamented having wings only to be chained to the ground. Now, oh now she was free.

From a nearby pathway, an elf and a wizard were discussing. They were talking about her, about her extraordinary fate and what it would mean for her. When she stopped in the middle of the bridge, the elf looked at her intently, but did not seem startled to see her lean forward and fall.

The wizard smiled, and his eyes shone with pride when she rose again. As she flew to the sky, he remembered how she used the hill near her village to glide over it, and how she soared across the plains on their way to Rivendell. Now, she looked quite like a bird, flying towards the sky with the same agility of a sparrow in summer. Her feathers glowed golden when the sun passed through them and she looked radiant then, illuminated by the sun and her own happiness.

That was the first time she felt the wings to truly be a part of her. From then, she flew, gliding between trees and manoeuvring with more ease each day. She spun between branches, and slid between valleys, skidding between the tall walls of canyons with a giggle. Her wings continued to grow, though not as quick as the rest of her, and her longest feathers were now the length of her legs, a rich golden yellow along the shaft of each feather, with a few deep brown steaks. Along the ones closest to her shoulders, there was a dark grey, speckled with white dots.

Her muscles were strong now, able to carry her against the wind, though not for long. But her stamina was gaining, and her eyes shone with pride everytime someone asked to see her full wing span. When kept against her back, the top of her wings stood a good feet above her head, and her lowest feathers swept the ground when she walked. Completely unfurled, both were three times her own height.

She had never quite outgrown her habit of physical touch, having grown with human parents who doted on their daughter. She could not help herself, sometimes so overcome with happiness to see someone that she enveloped them into a tight hug. When she flew back to her village, after two years away with the elves, she had not been able to hold herself back.

She saw it from afar, the smoke billowing out of the small houses, and the children playing in the square. She dove to circle the village, and a child looked up, curious at the sudden shadow on the ground. He squeaked with joy and quickly called others to attention. She landed, amongst children that had grown since she last was here, and merchants that did not seem to age.

She strode to her parents' cottage, and called their name, her voice breaking from excitement. They looked up from their work, and met her halfway. They looked upon her, tears glistening and eyes shining with pride as they took in their daughter. Standing tall, with wings the same colour as the autumn sun, and a smile to rival it. They fell into each others arms and she curled her wings around them, maybe in an attempt to bring them closer.

They stayed there, in the soft embrace of family, for a while, softly talking to each other, like they had done that one night so long ago. When they broke apart, they decided to eat outside, in the grass. The townspeople only interrupted their reunion briefly, to welcome her back.

She spent a few weeks with her family, happy to help where she could, and delighting the children and adults alike with stories of the elves and Rivendell. She told them of great halls, open windows, and many waterfalls, of the soft linens, and the pretty dresses. They did not grow tired of hearing her describe the walkways, and the rivers passing underneath, neither did they seem bored by yet another story about the views, and the kindness of her host. The children lined up to experience the feeling of flight, and she grew strong with carrying young boys and girls over the square, laughing with them and sharing their exaltation.

Before she left again, the village celebrated her, and she spent the night dancing and laughing with friends and family. She hugged her parents close the next morning, and she waved them goodbye, and left them in a whirlwind of their own thoughts.

She went back to Rivendell, where she continued to grow into herself. The elves still did not know where she came from, even a few years after she had come to them, but they admired her light, so similar to theirs, and yet, her own.

She befriended an owl from the forest, who seemed to look at her like a clumsy newborn. It showed her how to swoop down from branches, and to spiral horizontally, using her momentum to pass between close trees. Then, it was how to use her wings to hide or to keep warm.

Last, it showed her to hunt from the air. She had learned from the elves, but always found herself too clumsy on the ground. Her wings would cast shadows, or drag on the floor and attract the attention of her prey. The hunters encouraged her to try from branches, but they did not have wings and could only help so much. Now, she knew how to use it to her advantage.

The first time she was able to pick up an unsuspecting rabbit from the ground without disturbing any of the grass around it, it panicked a little in her grasp, but she put it gently down on the ground and watched it hop away. She startled an elf nearby when she passed overhead, squealing in glee. She learned to fly silently, and it became her favourite hobby.

She knew better than to hope elves would not feel her coming, but she had yet to test it on others. So, when the wizard next visited, she took great pleasure in showing just how well she flew, and how much her wings had grown. When before she could scarcely hold her own weight in the sky, she could now comfortably fly against the wing. She told him about carrying the children in her village. He smiled at the thought, truly delighted to see her giddy with excitement. Then, she left him to talk with Lord Elrond, who she could swear had a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he watched her walk away.

Perched on the top of one of the great halls, she waited for him to walk near. Just as he stopped to look at the setting sun and its reflections on the many waterfalls, she dove and grabbed his hat. He looked up too late, and saw her retreating form before he heard her laughter. He did not keep the smile from gracing his lips, and it stayed there until supper, where she graciously extended a hand, holding the hat. He tried to look stern, but the mischief in her eyes and the happiness in her features was enough to convince him not to.

Two winters came and went before she decided to go explore the world. Goodbyes were harder than she imagined, but she promised to come back before the next cold, since she found it too strenuous to fly in the snow. She would need a few years still to get used to it.

She had to see why people chose to be rangers, living in the wilderness and never staying long in a single place. She met one in Rivendell, a kind and calm man, who was curious but respectful of her wings. They talked, not often and never for long, but she appreciated the company of another man. No matter how much he reminded her of an elf, in his manner of speaking, and his steady gaze, and yet, there was a touch of unruliness, in the way his eyes betrayed the feelings behind. They shone bright with compassion, and worldliness, as only one who has seen much and wants to do more has. She enjoyed his company, if only as a respite to the airy and imposing personalities of the elves. They were kind, but she always felt like a child around them, feeling so much of the world.

She had to see things, and learn out of the safety of Rivendell. So she prepared a few supplies, keeping it light, as she would have to carry everything. It would make for good exercise, she insisted, possibly to reassure herself. Still, Gandalf seemed to have every confidence she would be back before the winter, so she trusted. In him, and her wings. They would carry her home.

She found it harder to barter the further from Rivendell she strayed. She could hardly hide her wings under a cloak, and she often found the best way to get supplies was to ask rangers when she saw them close to villages. Unfortunately for her, it also meant that sometimes, she encountered the ungracious kind.

One tried to shoot her when she walked up to him, believing her to be some kind of orc spy. Of course, another tried to run away with her coin, believing himself to be faster than her, which she quickly corrected. She was sure at least half of the rest lied about the prices, but she preferred it to the mothers hiding their children’s eyes, and the murmurs of abominable fates.

Most treated her fairly, and with grace, as they invited her to share a fire. They exchanged tales, and warned her against certain villages that were more superstitious. She always tried to give them something before flying off, and sometimes all she could manage was a few arrows, fletched with her own feathers.

Although she saw much, especially when she flew and took the wind. There was a feeling unlike any other, high as she was, to look upon the marvels beneath her. Her favourite moments were when she found mountains and canyons deep and wide enough for her to explore, her wings just brushing upon the sides. But she had no one to show these amazing things to, and no one to tell at night. There was no one to share her food, and certainly no one to contemplate the stars with.

When the loneliness got the better of her, she veered to her old village, her heart aching for the warmth of neighbourhood and friendship, subjected for a little too long to cold stares and colder hearts. That night was the longest, as she flew without a rest, and she arrived, just as the sun rose onto the hill. Just below the clouds, she could feel its warm rays and tears sprang into her eyes when the first roofs came into view. Hastily, she dove and landed on the narrow path, in front of her parents’ cottage.

She knocked before she took a full breath, lungs still stinging from the effort. The door opened and she almost threw herself at her parents, but she quickly drew back when she recognized the now grown up girl she used to entertain in her youth.

She was only a few years younger, but it made all the difference now. The girl – now a woman – wiped her hands on her apron, and invited Avelina in to share breakfast. She followed, mostly out of habit, but her mind was reeling.

Had she forgotten her own home? She never thought a few years would erase the memory of her childhood, but as she looked around, sat at that table, she recognized the slight uneven step at the back door, from years of passage. The table still held that crack she had made once as a child, when she attempted to jump off it to fly, still young enough her wings barely reached her wrists. She had fallen to the ground harshly, and the table had followed, a corner of it splintering.

Her finger traced it now, and her friend set a bowl of porridge in front of her, sitting down across.

Her expression was sombre, and she looked to be choosing her words. When she spoke, it was with a soft tone, and Avelina would have thanked her for it. She started with expressing joy at her return, but slowly moved to the concerns she knew she would hold in her place, to find a stranger in her parent’s home.

Without much thought, Avelina corrected her. It was not her presence that made her uneasy, and she certainly was not a stranger, they knew each other too well for that. No, it was the fact that she had yet to see her parents.

Her friend cast her a sad smile, and told her of their passing peacefully in their sleep, about a year ago.

Avelina felt like her wings could not have carried her away from the way the ground opened beneath her. She felt light-headed, and the room spun around her, but she held her grief close, and thanked her old friend for her honesty. Though her friend's face was blurry, she thanked her for the meal also, and walked out, not having eaten a bite of it.

She did not know how to feel. This was new to her, the grief. Suddenly she felt very jealous of the elves she knew, wishing to feel nothing of what was quickly overcoming her. The ground felt unsteady, and her childhood felt more like a burden, pushing on her shoulders.

Her heart felt ten times its usual weight, and the enormity of having left her parents, in their last years, to tend to their garden, and the farm, when she could have attended to them, brought a strangled cry to the surface. She clutched at her heart, and tried to heave in a breath, but it was interrupted by a sob.

Living with the elves, she did not see her parents grow old, and she certainly did not think of them aging. Instead, she took her time, honing her skills. She did not feel prepared that the last time they talked was exactly that.

With a big gust of wind, she flew to the hill, where stood a tall hickory tree. At the highest point, it soaked in the autumn sun, orange with it. She sat at the base of it, and brought her wings around herself.

She cried there until her eyes were raw, and the sobs turned to hiccuping breaths. The sun was slowly setting, and she was exhausted. She almost fell asleep, leaning on the tree, looking out at the village, her wings around herself. But she was tired of being alone with the stars, and she felt as fragile as the dry leaves by her, beneath that great tree. She wiped her cheeks in an attempt to remove the stains she could feel, and pushed herself up. She walked back to the village, and there found many of the same faces she had grown with.

Her return was full of smiles and well wishes from the townspeople, and she tried, oh she tried to return them, but her heart was heavy and her guilt too close. Some saw it, she knew in the sad looks she received, but they did not mention it. Not yet. They would a few days later, when the idea did not sound as foreign. For now, they welcomed her back, all smiles and tight hugs.

It was not until the late evening, when celebration was dying down and she was walking back with her friend to the house. She almost refused the invitation, but even if it was not her home anymore, it was her friend’s and for now that would do. They had just put down the last blanket, when her friend called her name softly, and seeing the warmth of her eyes made the grief too big of a burden to bear alone.

She collapsed in her friend’s arms, sobs making her tremble with the immense emptiness she felt in her chest. They stayed there, her friend softly rocking her and slowly untangling the knots in her hair. When the night was at its darkest, Avelina’s tears had run dry for the second time, and she clung to her friend. There was a great big anvil on her heart, but she would carry it. And with a lullaby, she easily drifted to sleep, exhausted as she was.

She stayed two weeks in her village, but the incoming winter was pushing her to return to the elves soon. Avelina hugged her friend for a long time that morning, after they had gathered supplies for her. When she left, she flew above through a cloud for the first time, and the wet air felt refreshing.

The climb was difficult, it was hard to breathe the higher she went, but she was determined. She forced her wings to beat harder, and her lungs to draw in more air before she broke through the first cloud. Even as she relished in that small step, she continued to climb, and soon found a warm wind. It was easier to fly here, she could glide if she followed the stream.

Though the air was cold, and it froze what might have been tears or the effects of passing through a cloud, she wanted to stay there for now. Up here, in the cold and above the clouds, she could let her thoughts run, not afraid of being seen. Up here, it was just her, her wings and the endless sky.

She remembered that dreadful night, the one she spent crying with her parents. When they resolved themselves to her situation, they pulled her close and apologized for making her suffer needlessly. She was too young at the time to understand, but now, she wished she had thanked them.

Thanked her father everytime he went up the hill with her, catching her when she launched from a branch and did not fly very far. Thanked her mother for altering her clothes, and trying different ways until she found the one most comfortable. Thanked them for picking her up everytime she fell, and encouraging her to try again. Thanked them for the cheers she heard everytime she flew a little bit higher, and for letting her go to the elves when she needed answers.

She passed through a thick cloud, and shut her eyes at the sudden chill. It was colder than the air, and she felt tiny pin pricks on her skin. When the feeling stopped, and she was out of the cloud, she opened her eyes again and left the wind stream to reach higher.

The sun was bright here, but she did not need to dodge or twirl. There was nothing in the way. So she climbed until she was becoming dizzy from the lack of air. And then she let herself fall down.

She put her wings close to her back, and dove to the clouds below. For a moment, her heart beat ferociously in her chest, and she had a fleeting thought of fear. She did not know what she would find beneath the clouds, she had been flying so long, and faster than before with the wind, so she could very well be above mountains, hidden behind the soft, white blanket.

She pulled up just at the last moment, and steadied just before she broke through, her wings barely brushing against the wet mist, and yet it clung to her. It reminded her of flying low over lakes, her fingers breaking through the cold surface, tiny droplets lifting in her wake.

How proud her parents would be. She was soaring through the sky, agile as a sparrow. As much as they loved her, and she knew they did, for it would not hurt this much if they did not, they longed to see her happy and confident. And this? Trusting her wings, and herself, going where she pleased and knowing she was loved? This was a happiness that filled her to the brim with light, so much so that it poured out of her.

Though she knew her heart would ache to share it with them, she cherished her memories. And as much as she wished to thank them for giving her a truly golden childhood, she could be at peace with their last moments. They had seen her ecstatic, sharing her gift and shining with pride. They had shared in those moments, and she would ask no more.

She breathed in deeply, and looked ahead. There, poking through the clouds, was the top of a mountain, surrounded by a vast ocean of pure white. She knew these mountains, she had dreamed of going over them since she first saw them. She smiled, and felt the timid flame of hope warm her chest. She tilted down, and dove through the mist.

When she broke through the surface, she was taken by the beauty of the valley below. From this high, the rivers looked like tiny filaments of silver, passing through lush green hills. At the foot of the mountain, there stood her second home.

A small shuddery breath left her, as she dove to it, and suddenly felt the warmth of the sun. Above the clouds, she felt numb from cold, too caught up in her thoughts to realize she was freezing.

She was fast approaching Rivendell, and she recognized someone in a hat, walking along an elf on the walkway to the supper terrasse. She smiled, and veered just above them, swirling in the air, and shook the ice that had formed at the tip of her feathers, and in her hair.

The movement sent hundreds of small crystals of ice through the air. They caught the light, and burst into a myriad of hues, a dance of changing colours on the ground. For a moment, she was struck by the view, like she was seeing colour for the first time. All around her, the ice was glittering, like faraway stars. They were sending rainbows through the air, to the ground below. She laughed fully, elated by the sight and the feeling of the sun on her back.

On the walkways, the wizard and the elf had stopped walking, instead looking up at the magnificent display. Rainbows could often be seen in the fine mist lifting from the bottom of the waterfalls, or over the streams running through Rivendell. But this was different, like each crystal was its own rainbow, glittering in the sun and the light of the giggling girl flying through it.

Did I write 7,000 words centered on a phrase spoken by Matthew Madfadyen in 2005? pffft I -

Thank you for taking the time to read this! If you enjoyed, do leave a little comment, let me know what you thought 💚

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I do not give permission to repost or translate this story or any of its parts.

These are my personal dividers, please do not use them.

[dragonnarrative-writes]

1, 3 and 34 for the writer ask game!

Hello my friend! 💜

Do you prefer writing one-shots or mulit-chaptered fics?

Well... I think right now I prefer writing multi-chaptered fics, but I have a few one-shots in the works.

I like a long story, and I like the way the physical break between chapters changes how I read and write stories. As much as I hate a cliffhanger, I love the way a page break adds to the tension of a story.

I also like multi-chaptered fics as a writer because it lets readers interact with me and influence the story. The Gaz and Soap interludes in Slasher Handler came from asks, and they helped me flesh out their characters in my head and decide where the story is going. @mi-i-zori had a huge hand in helping me decide how I want Simon and Bambi to interact in Transferrable Skills.

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

Whoo. This will be long!

First, I do an "Okay So...!" summary. Basically, I ramble in the discord or write in a physical notebook anywhere between a sentence and (checks notes) 1500+ words. It's a bit unorganized. Some of it is quotes, a lot of it is "script" format dialogue, most of it is rushed transitions. There's a lot of placeholder text that represents its own couple of paragraphs.

(For example: I'm working on making the idea from this post into a one shot. That bit of ramble is 222 words. That part of the story that I'm actually writing became 1931 words. It's gonna be a long-ass project.)

From there, I workshop with friends and my partner. If I'm rambling directly in discord, I'm rolling with some of what my friends are telling me. My partner asks me the really annoying necessary questions, like "why this scene?" and "does that help get you to the smut?" and "are you letting your blorbo be a blorbo or are you trying to force a story you don't want to tell?"

Then I write a first draft. Sometimes the first draft is the only draft, but that's not the case very often anymore. I try to let myself be wordy and imperfect. Get the more detailed idea out in chunks of a few paragraphs, then reread and put in more details.

If there are multiple people in a scene, then I start with dialogue and inner thoughts, then physical actions. In this chapter of Autumn Embers, I wrote the dialogue between Gaz an Wildfire without any direction, then added in the handshakes, Wildfire arching an eyebrow, stepping to the side of the walkway, etc.

Then I let my partner read it! And he points out all of my typos.

Then I shuffle paragraphs around, and fill in spots that become a bit awkward, and then I show my partner again. And then I share it in the discord. Then I unashamedly BASK in the endorphins I get from my friends interacting with the story.

Then I rinse and repeat! Eventually, I identify where the chapter breaks are going to be, if I haven't already.

I do most of my writing in Scrivener, which allows you to write documents within documents and move them around. Sometimes I have chapters already separated. Sometimes I keep a long "working document" and then break it into chapters.

Tagging the people who I riff with often: @sentientcave, @gemmahale, @mortuarywriting, @mi-i-zori, @cordeliawhohung, @cosmicpro, and I'm missing so many other people who's blogs I can't recall off the top of my head or don't know if they'd be okay being tagged.

34. Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

Five years from now I'll still be writing fanfiction, though I'll probably have moved to other fandoms by then. I think I'll probably still write CoD, since I still love all of my past blorbos.

I think that by 2029, I will also be finishing up editing an original novel that I want to publish, if I'm not already publishing the second one. I've already written most of 3 novels, and plan to do another one next month.

I do not see myself writing full time, or relying on it as a source of income. I wouldn't be opposed, but I want my writing to be for me, first and foremost. When it's a job, it becomes about what other people want, and I don't think I'd be ready for that by then. Still, it would be fun to get the original stuff out there.

Ask Game

[alpineshift]

Hi! Prompts! Yay!

I really loved the miscommunication April prompt fic so I wonder if you could please use that world for prompt 23. I thought I lost you. ? Except it’s just Nico being over dramatic when he can’t find Jack on the magic school campus (he’s just in the library basement trying to find a rare book for his latest research paper).

(More thoughts: I love the idea Nico being the softy cute dramatic one & Jack is just like why my guy? I know I look good but no one wants a pretty face that has opinions (only want that pretty mouth for other things). So he’s kinda suspicious and that’s also why the flowers were such an insult!!!! Because Jack took it as ‘I don’t want you for your thoughts, just be pretty & dumb for me’ and that’s happened so many times before that he’s had Enough. And has started to respect himself more (no dick is worth being undervalued like that) so courting Nico is a Big Deal. And sometimes he hides out in the library buried under his books & research. But nico thinks he’s lost! And searches all the other libraries and greenhouses before finding him. And Jack has to reassure him that no I do like spending time with you I’m not hiding from u but this is new because I haven’t been courted / dated someone before that o want to make it work with and it’s a lot to process. And Nico reassures him like baby I love that u study pls let me proof read ur drafts (j’s sentences are too long because he writes like he thinks so there’s no breaks which is also how I write oops) and rant to me about the archaic views you read about today.

(then they fuck about it) and they all lived happily ever after

lol this is probably longer than ur bullet stories would be but here ya go 🎁

anon I think you may have already written the prompt yourself LOOL (ilu ❤️). for context, this is the OG miscommunication prompt fill!

23. “I thought I’d lost you.”

After their absolutely ridiculous first meeting (and first misunderstanding!) Nico, understandably, takes it slow with courting Jack.

Slow, because he thinks it's unwise to go all in for a fresh relationship anyway, unintentional offences notwithstanding, but also slow because Nico's paranoid he's going to make another awful faux pas and gift Jack flowers that accidentally says his ass is flat or something. He's spending an absurd of time researching American courting culture and losing sleep over it.

"Just bring him out to dinner and go for a walk to see the sunset," Timo tells him, exasperated. "You're trying to date a guy, not an alien from outer space."

Look, Nico just wants to do a good job, okay? And hopefully charm himself into Jack's good graces while he's at it. Except, it's getting weirdly difficult to find Jack, to bring him food or gifts or ask him out on a date. The Bern Campus isn't actually that big; where on earth can Jack be? He wanders across the grounds, trying and failing not to look like a sad puppy as he searches for the other witch. What did he do wrong? Was it too late to beg for forgiveness?

And suddenly--there's a frenzy of people rushing down to the lake. "One of the Americans fell in!"

Nico nearly pulls a muscle rushing over, only to stop short when he sees one of Jack's colleagues crawling out of the water (he remembers them; he was one of the few snickering the night Nico insulted Jack with the flowers), furiously embarrassed after getting caught goofing off in a restricted area on the docks. And suddenly, there's someone standing next to him, a snort, and a familiar voice. "Man, way to live up to the asshole stereotypes, just what we needed."

It's Jack, in broad daylight, kind of under-dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, chilling next to him. Nico gapes at him before Jack glances over, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Uh, Nico? You ok--?" And Nico just pulls him into a hug and blurts out, "I thought I'd lost you."

He'd be mortified at his own admission if he didn't hear Jack's breathing hitch by his ear, and feel Jack's arms immediately rest along the spot between his shoulder blades, hugging Nico back. "Lost me? But I'm right here?"

So Nico had been half-right; Jack isn't avoiding him, but he did lose track of time working in the basement of the library. Jack also doesn't hate him, but he does have a bit of a hard time believing Nico has no ulterior motives when it came to quote unquote 'buttering him up'

"People are assholes, Hischier, and I'm not saying you are but, look, there's just been a few jerks lately with all their assumptions that's put me off dating for little while, alright? They think they can send me cupid-charm cards or pay for dinner once and I take my pants off for them."

"Then I'll court you until you say you're ready to date, if you ever want that at all. We go at your pace, we pause when you think I'm being too much, and if you realize you don't like me at all--well, we'll call it off." (It hurts to say it, but more than anything, Nico just wants to reassure Jack). "I can respect that, I promise."

He needn't have worried, honestly. Because there's a slow, flustered smile creeping up on Jack's face, and his cheeks are rosy with the most endearing blush. "Well, hang on. I didn't say anything about calling anything off. Fuck, let's get outta here--last thing I want is an audience when we talk about our feelings. And the basement's actually not half bad."

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