#thought bubbles single quotes and italics

[retiredcultistredux]

Oh that's nice, Void Termina is back. Hi Void Termina. - Lollipop anon

Void Termina: 'My friends are happy...why aren't you...?'

[millennial-star-gazer]

A Fire Dragon, His Princess and The Not-So-Terrible Party Aftermath: Chapter: 1 (Nalu Week 2020)

A Fire Dragon, His Princess and The Not-So-Terrible Party Aftermath

Nalu week 2020 Prompts: Voice, Flirt, Charm & Smile(All implied)

Genres: Romance, Humor, New Adult Fanfiction

Pairing: Nalu/Endlu (Natsu x Lucy & E.n.d. Natsu x Lucy)

Rating: M for language, steamy and mature/adult sexual content (all consensual) in these and future chapters. Reader Discretion is advised.(You've been warned!)

Summary: God knows it was all fun and games at an outdoor guild party until a drinking contest results in a not-so-great time for a certain celestial wizard much to the dismay of a protective dragon slayer and company. Even worse is Lucy's hangover with some kind of mild flu and busted ankle to boot . At least a doting Natsu is more-than-willing to provide his mate plenty of TLC. One of my entries for @nalu-week 2020  and part of the Nalu-centric anthology series The Dragon Demon and His Celestial Princess anthology series (slight au/ canon divergent).

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Chapter 1: A Worthwhile Distraction

A/N: Hey guys, it's me again with my third entry for @nalu-week 2020 in the form of a new story and is also part of The Dragon Demon and His Celestial Princess anthology (TDDAHCP); series which is set shortly after the events of 100 years quest with said quest being completed in a matter of weeks or a few months (hence why it's slight au/canon divergent). Special thanks to @mannyegb again for helping me to edit and further develop this chapter. Now without further ado, here's the story-enjoy!

Scroll Down Past The Read More Button/cut for designated links and the actual chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairytail which instead belongs to the one and only Hiro-sensei instead!

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1.  A Fire Dragon, His Princess and The Not-So-Terrible Party Aftermath

A.  Tumblr

Chapter: 1   Next (Chapter) (Click Here:) (or here: https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/624773467606319105/a-fire-dragon-his-princess-and-the)

B. Fanfiction (Click Here:) (or here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13623735/1/A-Fire-Dragon-His-Princess-and-The-Not-So-Terrible-Party-Aftermath)

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Legend

Italics: Fantasy, flashback & literary/ song quotes

Bold: First Person Thoughts

Bolded Italics: empathized word

Bolded Italics: outside of main story): A/N

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" The friction between my words and your fantasy is making the atmosphere erotic."

(Soraya Marcelo: Twitter)

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"There you go baby - everything's ready now. It should be perfect for tonight. A guild picnic at dusk and bonfire under the stars, was it?"

"Yep, that's what Mira told us. Even said so on the Magicbook * page for the event. My friends from other guilds like Sabertooth will be attending too— a bunch responded."

"Awesome baby!"

"It really is. Thanks for helping me get ready by the way, Cancer!"

"Anytime. Have fun tonight!"

"Will do— thank you! "

"All right-catch you later, baby!"

"See ya!"

" Wow—- You look beautiful, Luce."

Natsu's arms encircled Lucy's waist from behind with the soft pressure of his lips on her shoulder; which sent a tingly shiver down her spine.

"Not that ya' didn't before. He amended, a fond smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Not to mention those striking emerald eyes the celestial mage could drown in. "You always do."

Major fan of this whole look.

"I still can't believe I got such a gorgeous angel as my mate and queen. How am I this lucky?"

"Dunno. How'd you ever get so sentimental?" Lucy shot back, a teasing lilt to her words. (She couldn't help but lean back into his arms ). "If Gray could only hear you now ...but yeah, I really like all this too ."

Golden half-braided hair framed the face of Lucy's reflection in a floral-mini, skater dress; who was gazing back through a mirror. Topping the whole ensemble together was a pair of Grecian-style wedges on her feet that were to die for.

"Still can't believe you're officially mine" the dragon slayer breathed, voice thick with reverent awe. "I love you so much."

"L-love you too... hmm."

The celestial wizard let out a soft hum of bliss from the peppering of feathery-light kisses on her neck leading to her collarbone just after a nuzzle.

"Y-You trying to distract me Natsu?" she inquired, voice coming out as breathy to her own ears. God, the sensation of Natsu's scorching lips on the celestial mage's creamy skin was scattering all train of thought— almost too much to handle!

It's really hard to think right now...

"Hmm.. just maybe I am, sweetheart," came the dragonslayer's reply, timbre, a languid drawl against her skin. "Is it working?"

"Yes," was all Lucy could utter, eyes drifting shut from the sweep of his hand up the curve of her neck in a single caress. Oh and the appealing sensation of a blonde tendril being dragged through his deft fingers was an added bonus too!

"Good," The vibrations of the fire wizard 's throaty chuckle sent sparks ripping across the summoner's nerves; which effectively turned the celestial mage's knees to mush.

"That's what I was aiming for ."

"It is?"

"Yep. Did I mention how amazing you smell?" He rumbled, pulling another shiver out of his mate. "Your natural scent now permanently mixed with mine..."

Dear God, the enticing charisma of this man- so natural! Who was she deny the incredibly overpowering ecstasy exploding through her veins with how the demon hybrid's nose was pressed against the crook of her neck?.

"And is that a hint of jasmine perfume I'm catching a whiff of?"

"Mhmm..."  Goddamn-  how extremely apparent  that Lucy was pretty much rendered incapable of forming any type of response other than a single ,answering hum.

"Thought so-pretty intoxicating if ya' ask me."

"Um..."

It was then Lucy couldn't help but wonder what Natsu's ultimate end game was. No doubt the man was successful in efforts to ensare her with his devilish charms— but where did he intend for it to all lead? Did any of his plans entail steamy kissing marathons on the couple's bed? Slow-burn love-making beneath the sheets, wild romps all over their apartment? Just what if it could be?

Holy hell— that pulsating of liquid heat pulsating that shot between to the keyholder's core from the scintillant flash of images flooding her mind .

Supple digits unzipping the back of her dress, an insatiable Natsu pinning her against a wall, being lightly tossed onto the bed by said dominant dragon slayer, all-too-welcome lips leaving a high-voltage trail of electricity down her bare form before...

"Crap... the time."

Just for that little fantasy bubble to burst once Natsu pulled away from Lucy; who bit back a noise of protest at the loss of contact.

"Eh sorry, Luce," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Didn't mean to lose track of the time like that. Either way, we should probably start heading over if we don't wanna be late."

"Okay..." Lucy let out a sigh, not able to stop the wave of mild disappointment from washing over her.

"Aw come on now, weirdo!" Natsu wheedled, light-hearted amusement coloring his tone. "No need to be so glum! Tonight's gonna be fun, remember?"

"I know." Lucy conceded, with a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Should be great to spend time with our friends from Fairytail and other guilds. " Her spirits couldn't help but be lifted by the pyro's sunny mood.

Him and that infectious grin of his...

"Great! That's the spirit!" He crowed , planting a light peck on Lucy's cheek;aka the reason for the slight flush of scarlet .

"Tonight's gonna be awesome !"

"It sure will ."

"Definitely!"

"Oh, and one more thing," Natsu paused to shoot Lucy a lingering glance. "Just a little tiny something."

" What that might be?"

"Your outfit. I was thinking that maybe it could use a little extra piece to complete the look? Like, say that necklace I gave you?"

" Oh… that gorgeous pendant? You know what, yeah! Great idea-Thanks Natsu!"

"My pleasure. And pretty sure I saw said pendant in your jewelry box. Lemme' grab it for you."

"Sure thing!"

"Great then- so it's settled!"

"You bet!"

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A/N: Magicbook is a fictional social media app and site for all magic users and citizens in Earthland- aka the Fairytail equivalent of its counterpart in real life Facebook- in case anyone was wondering. Just a little sidenote about the chronological order for the timeline each fic in my TDDAHCP anthology series.

1. Fire And Gold(prequel)

2. Tantric Flames

3. A Dragon, His Princess and the Not-So Terrible Party Aftermath(this fic)

Figured I'd provide a little guide about the chronological order in terms of how each fic in this series takes place. Anyway, that's pretty much all for now until the next chapter. Hoped you enjoyed the first installment and please free to let me know what you think by dropping a review/comment!

Once again, don't forget to check out my other Nalu week entries along with the rest of my writing! Also be sure to stay tuned for chapter 3 of Fire and Gold which will be posted ASAP once I have a chance to finish the edits and format! Did I mention my other upcoming Nalu/FT projects in the works! Bet you're all fired now as Natsu would say! Oh and why not check out the rest of Nalu week submissions from the other incredibly talented writers and artists while you're at it? (Corresponding links to all my writing and profiles can be found above in this post, the navigation bar and bio if reading this on tumblr. Also on my respective FF and A03 accounts.) Thanks again to everyone for their incredible show of support ! Until next time-take care!

[danddymaro]

My Win | Bucky Barnes x Reader

I’d like to imagine her Suit to be something like Ghost (from Antman And the Wasp) I can’t be the only one that thought she was majorly badass as fuck, right?

Flashbacks are in italics : Example

Thoughts are italics  in quotes : ‘Example’

Wordcount:  4520 

Based During Civil war and afterwards.

My Win 

The sound of frothing, scalding water emitted from the ground as black ink began to manifest over the surface, forming a figure that bubbled into a barely recognizable humanoid form.

Startled, the two elder males stared at the bizarre oddity as the younger one took quick action, having moved far before the phenomenon had occurred.

Peter cried out in surprise, leaping up high and holding onto the ceiling with two slung out webs clutched in each hand, releasing a heavy, jolted breath as he sprung to safety. His arachnid senses spiked, and true to the creature he named himself after, he secured himself with caution from the hot zone as he felt a rise of danger and forbidding.

Something seemingly sinister arose from the ground's surface and a feeling of alarm struck the youth, making him recall every single horror movie he’d sat through, momentarily regretting ever having put himself through the thrilling torture.

‘Monsters aren't real,’‘ he contemplated, ‘...But wait...aliens are...so wouldn’t they be real too?’ His inward voice argued back, causing his thoughts to mash together.

With a dark mist still oozing out from it, the appearing body stood motionless at first, hidden eyes observing the two older men with sharp interest.

Parker swallowed down hard, gathering up all his confidence before deciding to speak, forcing out the words, “So...So...You're not here after me?... right?” he asked shakily, getting a declining nod at his question from the mysterious being.

“I'm here for...

winter soldier,” it said lowly, voice distorted by the mask worn on its face. With a pointed finger aimed at the long-haired brunette, it turned over and signaled him to come towards it with patient, slow curls of its index.

“ come to me...Winter Soldier,” it said as it fizzled out his name like a speaking serpent, urging him to step forward into a vice hold.

Cautiously, Barnes stared at the signaling hand that slowly wagged it’s finger at him as though he were a trained dog.

With his feet firmly planted to the ground, he tightened his fists, feeling his heart grow anxious, feeling it grow heavier than it had already been.

The sentiment traveled from him and struck the masked figure with full force. Stopping the louring motion abruptly, the enigmatic being left stunned instead,

‘I can feel sorrow not grown from my chest... but all the same, it’s nested within me.’ (f/n) thought to herself, all whilst hiding her true face of growing sympathy behind her mask. Her hands both traveled up to hover over her chest, wanting to calm her lamenting heart’s ache, but knowing it was futile because it hadn’t come from her to begin with.

“ One of you has a great burden,” She murmured, the sound coming out as wicked as before, and instead of the soft words, distorted hissing was released out for others to hear.

‘For me to be able to sense it…’ She added silently, knowing her empathy wasn’t a strong gift of hers. In fact, she wouldn’t have known she had such a talent, if not for the scarce moments in her past she’d unknowingly utilized it.

With slow steps ( f/n) walked towards the metal armed man, her eyes focused on him only. cocking her head to the side she looked towards him, her eyes fixed on his, peaked with curiosity.

‘Could it be him?’ she wondered, eyeing the man with uncertainty.

It couldn’t be , right?

“I need you to take him down,” Tony told her, “ Nothing else but bring him in, understand?” he told her firmly, and with a short nod, she agreed, accepting his proposition.

She wanted to use her powers for good… Redeem herself.

“Oh..” he added, stopping her before she drew further from him, “ And watch out for the kid would you ?” he told her.

“ Kid?” she asked him with confusion, “You have a child fighting your battles for you,” she said lowly, her (e/c) eyes glaring at him with frost.

Dragging his hand over his face he gave a low, frustrated sigh, “ In Case you forgot Cap is a handful himself, he can take down an entire army without a sweat,” he told her, “ And his little buddy is even worse, “ He told her.

“Oh, and do I need to remind you Maximoff is off with them? So keep your guard up with her,” he warned her, “Unfortunately, you’ve already witnessed the collateral she can do, and that's unintentional...” he muttered.

“Needless to say, I need every bit of help I can,” he told her with a tight smile.

“The kid is capable, I'm just asking for you to have his back… “ he told her,  "He’s not there for anything else besides restraining Barnes. So if you see him struggling, jump in , ok ?” he asked.

With a strained smile of her own, she agreed, “Very well,” She sighed.

Had it been anyone else she would have opposed. But she knew Stark. She trusted him and his judgment.

After all...if it hadn’t been for him she wouldn’t have the moment to pick sides.

She wouldn't have a choice of free will…

‘Could your heart be so drowned in such suffrage, you reached out to me?’ She wondered, shaking her head of the thought.

‘No...of course not…’

That couldn't be...

“This is your final offer,” she urged him, her steps quickening to come closer to him, but he refused, instead charging himself towards her, his eyes fixed on solely her.

“I’ll take this one,” Barnes told Sam, already moving to confront the new opponent, leaving the other man to keep his eyes trained on the teen instead.

As his hand flew towards the masked being, It was captured within her gloved hand, a mist of dark smoke emitting from her arm, dividing in two. It began to circle his wrist, crawling up his arm like small, twin snakes aimed right at his neck.

His eyes grew wide as he watched the strange occurrence and he began to retract his still balled fist, feeling a resisting opposition hold him back towards the enigmatic being, refusing to give in to his force whether it came straight towards her or drew back.

An echoing tisk came from his opponent and he felt his pride get stomped on yet again, as well as rising panic at the strange vapor coiling around him.

“ Again...” he said lowly, a hiss coming from him as he looked straight forth to where the stranger’s eyes would be located, glaring at the cloaked figure with aggravation,

‘First that damned kid… and now this...this thing!’ He thought with dismay.

“ I don’t even know what to call that,’ He added lowly while eyeing the being.

“ wow, really impressive there…” Sam said flatly, seconds before being shot with a sticky web and flying back to the wall behind him, bouncing off of the hard structure with a wheeze.

“Shut up and take care of that damn kid!” Bucky snapped, deciding to lunge forward, jerking his shoulder, his entire body shooting right towards the opposing force instead, following up by a brutish strike from his forehead.

Immediately, his tightened fist was released and the cloaked figure stumbled back, feet struggling to maintain balance from the sudden headbutt.

“IM TRYING!” Sam huff out as he attempted to wiggle out from the sticky strings of white snugly tightened around his upper body. “... it's just so damn hard when everyone has a stupid gimmick now!” He cried out, the force of his mechanical wings finally tearing through the restraint.

Once again he was up, taking air and focusing himself onto the young, talkative boy as he continued to jabber on during the battle.

For a fraction of a second, his espresso colored eyes strayed over to Barnes, just on time to see him get a good upper hand on his opponent, leaving him confident to keep the boy in his center of attention.

With repeated strikes to the lower ribcage on each side, Bucky attacked Stark’s ally, executing a final uppercut before sending his metal arm to sling forward, right at the center of (f/n)’s face, causing her to fall back, her body sliding across the ground as it landed.

Groaning, (f/n) arched her back, rolling over to the side with a harsh intake of breath as Bucky came to step onto her stomach.

Fortunately for her, her quick reflexes made him miss, getting nothing but ground and small debris.

Taking advantage of his misconnection she swung her entire arm, the balled fist she formed catching the back of his knee and making him fall to the ground as well. However, to her frustration, he managed to pin her down, his stronger arm falling far behind him to once again strike her masked face.

Cursing under her breath she turned her head to the side, tearing away the bothersome cover from over her face with a frustrated cry.

With a harsh breath, she snapped her face back to look up at him as he was ready to deliver another strike, her (e/c) colored eyes hardened with resolve, willing to take the strike head-on, but only with the promise of vengeance.

However, at the sight of her, he stopped his balled fist loosening,

“You're... a girl ?” he said airily, surprised at the face before him, the same one that had been blessed by feminine beauty. With complete awe his eyes strayed towards her (e/c) colored eyes, feeling himself go nearly weightless as a result of their bewitching nature.

Her lips were parted with a small ‘o’ being visible, her eyebrows raised high in shock. Long, dark lashes fanned over her face as she blinked at him with surprise, stunned as he stopped, not having expected the action.

She had been motionless at first, stuck like he was until she took notice of the look of shock on his own face. It was then that her expression began to change before his eyes.

Her (e/c) eyes peppered with little twinkles and she held back her laughter, which had been successfully calmed into a small, suppressed giggles, leaving him even more stupefied.

She took advantage of his memorization and switched their positions, leaving him to be captured beneath her instead.

His arms were spread out, held down by their wrists by the same power she had demonstrated before, leaving him completely defenseless,

“Are you afraid of me?” she asked him softly, a sweet tone fired directly at him, coated with sickly sugar. Both her hands cupped his cheeks, gently caressing them before crawling down to his neck.

He could feel his skin riddled with small risen bumps, and he swallowed down hard,

“James...Don’t fear me,” she said with the same saccharine tone, her eyes glowing, illuminated like a feline in the night.

And it seemed as though behind her (e/c) eyes a flashlight was set off, glowing magnificently.

'Could it be he's more afraid of me like this?' She asked herself.

He felt a ghastly grip coiling around his neck, shutting out the oxygen supply from reaching him, causing him to panic.  fighting her back, he managed to push her off,  immediately jumped back from her, hacking and clawing at his neck to feel nothing there.

With a foxy smirk she stared him down, watching him step back from her with cautionary steps like she had become some disease-riddled fiend, and one-touch from her would make him drop dead.

He seemed to be more afraid of her now than before when she had seemed like a monstrous entity, as each step she took towards him, he withdrew himself further by three.

‘ Because I'm a girl…? Is that why?’ she asked herself amused. ‘ That’s really cute…’

“ Oh I see…” she murmured, getting a better understanding, “ Don't tell me it hurts your pride ?” she said cooing at him, teasing him as her smirk grew into a toothy grin.

She showed him all her teeth, grinning at him like a Cheshire cat, all too entertained by the look of shock still plastered over his face, and moreso by the obvious effect of her inquiry.

He shut his mouth, holding back any remark he had because he wouldn’t dare satisfy her.

She wanted to play mind games with him, and he wasn't going to allow himself to be used again… not ever.

Admittedly it had stung at his pride, pinned under a pretty girl and getting his ass handled by some kid that sounded like he had yet to hit puberty earlier on,

So yeah...maybe he was bitter about it.

Her (e/c) colored eyes dashed towards her side to find a small chunk of cement, and with a swing to her right arm, she coated it in her dark power, chucking it towards him.

However,  with a quick defensive maneuver, he lifted his arm in front of him, his metallic forearm taking the strike head-on and saving the rest of him from severe damage.

Seeing him deflect her attack smoothly , she huffed, annoyed.

“This ends now,” She said lowly, finding no enjoyment in the prolonged quarrel.

Her body then began to levitate from the ground, ‘ I’ve wasted too much time,’ She thought with annoyance, no longer finding enjoyment in the matter, knowing that letting it go on any further would be a mistake.

She drew her arms up, rising far above her head and cutting through the air. “ No hard feelings,” she said under her breath, lifting her eyes to the two men in her vision.

Bucky was still on the ground, getting up from one knee, and as for Sam, he was hovering above his companion, scanning Peter through his eye-wear to try and find a loop somewhere.

“Move out of the way kid,” she said addressing Peter, who quickly leaped to her side, standing on top of the broken rubble, huddling close to the cracked wall. “Yes mam, “ he said landing, standing at full length and staring in wonder as he saw everything before him coated with a layer of dark ink.

“That's so cool,” he said breathlessly, his brown eyes growing large beneath his mask. He itched to touch the strange coating, his fingers twitching in wonder, wanting to know how the strange aura would feel at his own hand but held back from doing so.

Looking to her side secretly, she gave the faintest smile, melted by the youth’s astonishment,

‘He really is just a kid…’ She thought to herself.

She had been told he was just a teenager, a young boy still, something she had skepticism in.

‘ Stark’s an idiot...’ She thought with a shake of her head.

The kid had no business messing with problems he didn't know about… but then again…

‘ So am I… Because this isn't  any of my business either.’

She began to lift up all of the broken rubble and objects scattered around the bit fo area, taking in a harsh breath, feeling herself strain.

'I have to make it count,'

She was then ready to strike, but Falcon flew towards her, spearing her right at her midsection, and making her fly back, the breath being knocked out of her. His arms began to circle around her, planning to slam her down when Parker intervened.

With a web sticking towards Sam’s back,  pulling him away with all his strength, Spiderman sent the soaring man flying the opposite direction, effectively tying him up in the process.

Moving quickly, he swung towards the woman, shooting out a web to stick to the center of her chest before she collided with the hard ground,

“ I've got you!” he exclaimed, pulling her up towards him, bringing her close to his own body, arm wrapping around her and securing her in a tight grip,

"Pretty good huh?" he asked her, receiving an appreciative nod. "A quick thinker," she said truthfully.

“Nice," he muttered, " So...could you put a good word in for me for mister Stark?” he asked her as he shot out another web, “ it’s just..I’ve really got to impress him,” he added with small hope, embarrassed to ask such a thing and with a strong heave she hung her head,

“Sure kiddo,” she said sighing, relieved to have been saved from the nasty fall.

Just then a small, red mechanism shot towards them. Instantaneously, they both caught sight of it, but all too late.

The arm that had secured a web to the ceiling was captured and tied by redwing as it continued to fly out, dragging the two along with it.

They both hollered as they were chucked outside, shooting out from the building and dropped immediately afterward.

Her eyes bugged, and frantically she clawed at the air, only to find herself falling further.

‘calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down!’ She repeatedly told herself, taking in a deep breath, vapor seeping out from her entire body, slowing her fall.

She gave a sigh of relief before she remembered the other falling person at her side, “ The boy!” she exclaimed, shooting out her hand to him, also coating him in the strange aura, “ I've got you Spiderboy!” she said with a happy smile, straightening herself out, her feet stretched out beneath her for when she landed safely.

Together they descended like falling snowflakes, worry-free of harsh impact,

“It's actually spiderman,” he said sheepishly, waving his hands up and down, wiggling his legs back and forth too, feeling weightless.

“So," he started, " The powers," he added, interested in what amazing event brought them forth.

���I was just born weird... normal mom, normal dad,” she said chuckling, taking notice of how his shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“You?” she said interested, truly peaked with interest as to how he came about his own powers,

"Is it you, or the suit,?" She asked him.

"It's me," He replied, “They came from a Radioactive spider when it bit me” he answered her with a shrug as though it wasn’t impressive which would be far from true.

"Radio-active spider…" she muttered dumbly.

‘How bizarre…’ She thought to herself.

“I’m so sorry, I didn't ask for your name!” he said with worry.

“(f/n) (l/n),” she said welcomely, but he crossed his arms, and though she couldn't see it, he pouted.

“What's wrong?” she asked him.

"I didn't think you'd give me your actual name," he admitted with disapproval, “ Don’t you go by something cooler?” he asked her, making (f/n) repeatedly blink at him with a blank expression. “I should have one...shouldn't I ?” she asked with amusement, chuckling.

“Later on you can help me out, deal?” she asked him, and with a crudely performed salute, he agreed, “ Awesome! I already have a couple in mind!” he told her.

“ Then let’s save that for later, right now we’ve got to go kick some butt,” she told him, forming a tightly balled fist, jutting it up into the air.

Unfortunately, Rogers had fled, taking the wanted man along with him, the (h/c) haired woman left huffing, annoyed due to their earlier encounter.

............................................................................................................

( A Couple of years after)

With a deadpan expression, she set her eyes forward, not actually staring at anything in particular, instead just avoiding looking at the man that fell into step beside her.

“Come on Doll, after all that talk before, now you've got nothing to say?” he asked her, chuckling.

“ I knew you were a sore loser, “ she started, “ but a sore winner too?” she said with flattened astoundment, gazing her eyes over to him to see that darned grin of his as he maintained his attention towards her and moreso her obvious annoyance.

“Me, a sore loser?” he asked her, snickering, “ I Don’t recall a time you have ever had me beat,” he said shrugging.

Raising her brow, she began to grow a haughty smirk, “Did you really just say that Barnes?” she challenged him.

‘You're just begging for it,’ She thought with amusement.

"I didn't stutter," he said with an eye roll. " Or did I ?" He added.

"Oh… Ohohoho," she began to laugh, waiting to settle down from her chuckle before she put him down.

“Say, Buck,” She started, “ Remember when I beat you up?” She said with complete seriousness.

And at the mention, Bucky immediately settled down from his earlier merriment and prepared himself for a loaded serving of humble pie.

Slowly, (f/n) lost her composure. Laughing jovially, she held her stomach as the soreness from her earlier workout strained her.

Bucky could run faster than her all he wanted, and pick on her all he wanted afterward as well, but the win she had on him that day she met him would always be on the scoreboard, carved into it to always remain.

Grumbling he crossed his arms, “You didn't beat me up,” He argued with a flat look, staring dead at her with steel-cut eyes, and it tickled her even more to see him practically pouting.

The grown man was pouting like some cute, little baby...

“What happened to not being a sore loser?” She said giggling, shoving him aside and moving along with a perky walk. “I just knew you'd get all pouty and in denial,” she added, making sure he heard her, despite their growing distance.

“ Oh! And then before that you had your run-in with Petey,” She added, making sure to remind him of that fail too. Spinning on her heel to walk backward, she focused her eyes on him,

 “I saw him manhandle that itsy bitsy punch of yours.” she tisked, loving the growing distraught on his face.

He gaped for a few moments before shutting his mouth and glancing at his side in a scorned manner,

“ Doesn't ring a bell. “ He said under his breath, glowing red at the recollection.

Possibly one of the most embarrassing moments of his life was having some 15-year-old brat cancel him out so easily, and then on top of that throw him around a couple of times for good measure.

“Did... Not... happen,” he claimed.

The sound of crunching ground was heard coming closer as their dark-skinned friend finally caught up to them, having been pushed aside by the two earlier on as they had a childish race to finish their afternoon run.

Truth be told, the only reason (f/n) even caught up to Bucky was because she flew through the last few laps.

It technically counted…

' The deal was to finish the rounds,' she defended herself. Because nothing was said about not running them, the deal was to just pass them.

“ Oh no, he’s pouting again,” Sam said while calming down his breathing, coming to match the other two's calm pace.

Nodding (f/n) confirmed it, “Say… you were there too Sam, remember when I kicked Bucky's ass?” she asked.

Sam started speaking, about to leave his poor boy in shame when he was cut off by a quick elbow to the rib, not hard enough to break anything, but enough to leave him behind.

'Not now.' Bucky thought to himself, shooting a grimacing side glance at the hurt male.

Hissing Sam doubled over, being left behind by the walking pair yet again. “Real mature!” he said out loud, deciding to rest on the concrete ground.

His legs hurt, his muscles had begun to ache and on top of that the metal armed baby decided to hit him.

"I need a break," he grumbled.

(F/n) gave him a quick glance back, craning her neck to look behind Bucky to where Sam sat and shook her head, sighing as she redirected her attention back to Bucky.

“You're such a diva. “ she commented, rolling her eyes for good measure.“Is it so hard to admit I beat you up?”She asked him.

“You didn't beat me up!” he insisted. “ last I remember I had you down on the floor, remember that?” He asked her, making her stare at him with confusion, one she exaggerated and faked of course,

“ Doesn't ring a bell,” she said shrugging,” Not in a million years,” she challenged him, before he used one of his legs to make her stumble.

He seemed to dip her low before falling with her, supporting himself on a knee at first.

She landed safely as one of his hands stayed behind her head and wide-eyed she looked up at him as he sat on top of her.

“I remember it went something like this,” he told her, smirking.

“Remember me?” He said holding her down, smirking at the vexed expression she gave him, her teeth bared as she pressed them tightly together.

“ What's the matter doll? Don't tell me it hurts your pride.” he sang, glaring down at her with the same boastfulness she had shown him earlier.

His two hands gripped her wrists, holding her down with the point of his nose grazing over hers.

“Or Are you afraid of me?” he added tauntingly.

“You have some nerve,” she said lowly, not backing down from his stare-down.

Keeping her eyes on him she melted into the ground, her body turning into dark mist and escaping .

Oh, it made her heart race, remembering just how he held her down, thinking about it as he did the same during the present time,

“Fine,"  she muttered, “just get off,” She said huffing. “You proved your point,” she added, giving in easily, her will to fight him back sucked out of her.

Her quick submission made him grow suspicious and before long he grew to understand why,

“Hold on...wait…” he said softly, “ Are you being shy?” he said surprised, raising his two brows up high and grinning wildly at the discovery that she could actually glow so brightly, and in such an adorable manner.

It wasn’t like her to be so off guard, much less cave in so easily.

Heck, she was like a mule sometimes , hardheaded and stubborn.

An admirable trait on some days, absolutely annoying on others.

As he asked her that , she grew even more flustered, “Roll your big ass off me now!” she screeched, pushing him away, repeatedly shooting her palms straight towards his chest to get him off.

“Oh your so cute, “ he said laughing. “...But if you really wanted me off, you would have just done it already, like before,” he commented, coming down closer to her, making her face glow darker with rouge.

“Face it...you like it when I'm right here ... on top of you.” He said lowly. 

“Barnes… I'll make sure you lose that other arm of yours, “ She threatened him.

“You’re so cute,” he said dismissing her vicious warning, looking down at her with a sweet smile.

“I’m being serious,” she said gruffly. "I'll tear it clean off," she added.

"I know, and I love that," He replied back, causing her flustered state to rise.

Now a long way from them Sam rolled his eyes, cupping his hands over his mouth, “ Get a room you two!” he said out loud, before beginning to stand.

"So..." Bucky said suggestively, causing (f/n) to chuckle,

"You wanna go-"

"Shut up," she huffed, interrupting him.

[twentyninefeelingokay-blog]

Belgium. February. 2019

I planned on making this whole blog writing thing a regular event this year....and that hasn't quite happened. It's not like I've got nothing to write about, but doing it takes so so much energy out of me because my plan is to be as open and honest as possible, and that pals, is knackering! So what's been going on? Whats the hot goss? what's the 411? (get used to the Mean Girls quotes, that film shaped my university years, and has been the foundation of many of my friendships) WELL, I'm currently in Belgium. Say whatttt. Not entirely sure how this happened to be honest, at the end of last year I was fully intending to move to London and settle, get a base, join a choir, go to the gym regularly, have a routine like a normal person. But I'm not very good at 'settling', I'll stay somewhere a bit and then I'll hear the seductive lure of an adventure to be had, it's becoming an obsession, to always be somewhere else. Friends and family don't even get sad about me leaving because it's an ingrained part of me now, that I don't think I'll ever shake off. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so, but then sometimes I have my doubts. "Travel is Good for the Soul" is one of those 'inspirational' quotes you always see on your Social Media feed, plastered in curly italics over a lame stock image of an aeroplane wing in the sky. And I wholeheartedly agree, but the people who make these bloody things don't talk about the other side of travel, the bit where you get addicted and end up floating around the world feeling like you don't quite fit anywhere. Oh woe is me, I'm aware that this is a very First World problem, I know how lucky I am to be able to incorporate travel in to my work, or that I have a lifestyle which means I can just bugger off to South East Asia for 3 months to 'find myself' (spoiler: I was right there the whole time) and I appreciate every opportunity to experience different cultures. I have no doubt that I'm a better person than my pre-travel self because of the people I've met, the things I've learnt and the ridiculous experiences I've had. I'm SO much more accepting, chilled and open now. But I'm also constantly yearning. When I was younger and a lot more naive, I assumed that travelling would be the answer to all my problems, that I'd just feel better about everything if I was in a different place with different people who didn't know me that well. I now realise (mainly thanks to therapy) that I had very low self worth, I really really didn't like myself for most of my formative years- maybe I'll go in to the contributing factors at a later stage when I feel a bit braver, baby steps. I had these vivid images in my mind of life just being that little bit better elsewhere, and if I'm quite honest I don't remember a time when I didn't feel like that. We weren't a well off family growing up, but my parents always made sure that we had at least one holiday a year, if only to Cornwall to go camping, and I cherished those times. Everything's always better when you're on holiday. It's balmier, fuzzier around the edges. And when it came time to leave that lovely, lovely bubble I would be distraught beyond belief, crying for the entire car journey home, locking myself in my room under a blanket of despair at why the world was so unfair. Why couldn't myself and all my new holiday friends live on that campsite in Newquay forever? Why did I have to live in the Midlands with my shit self worth and inability to fit in? And the more I travelled, the more I felt that way, the less desire I felt to go home, the addiction was rife in me. But here's an eye opener, travel won't fix everything, sure it'll broaden your mind with incredible encounters, it'll teach you more empathy and compassion than you've ever experienced, it'll give you connections with people like you've never had, however, it will not erase all of your problems. You can't just turn your back on them and yourself,  and expect them to go away because you're on a deserted island in Cambodia (as stunning as that is). For example, I went travelling for 3 months last year to get away from the fact that my Grandma (my best friend) had recently died, I was stuck in the middle of a messy divorce between my parents, I had just ended a 10 year relationship, and I was feeling very lost. My plan was to leave it all behind and come back refreshed, ready to start all over again. That didn't quite happen...I'd met someone just before I went away and we'd fallen in (what we thought was) passionate, hold nothing back love very, very quickly. We agreed that I would go off on my adventures and have my time of being young, free and single. That also didn't happen...on my fourth day in Thailand, I fell off a moped, fractured my wrist in three places and had to have surgery. Cue me spending 5 days in a Thai hospital as well as 6 weeks in a cast with only one working arm and a ridiculous amount of deep cuts all over my body. He became my life jacket, my home comfort. My plan to spend no time on my phone communicating with people went straight out the window and I ended speaking to him all day every day, we'd wait for each other to wake up just to get that message. I couldn't continue my day without hearing from him, he the same, I can only just admit it now, but we became dependant on each other. Don't get me wrong though, I still managed to have an awesome time and I look back on that time to remind myself how bad ass I can be. I could have jacked it all in and gone home, I didn't! If I hadn't have stayed I wouldn't have banging travel stories about the time our tour bus slid half way down a muddy mountain in the pouring rain, or the time I woke up in my hostel bed to find a colony of ants eating my wounds, or memories of beautiful sunsets over temples, beaches and cities, singing karaoke in local bars, making lifetime friends, more importantly I wouldn't have realised how strong I am.

[keepermcge]

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES AESTHETICS.    

repost, don’t reblog. bold whatever applies. italics for somewhat. 

THE SHAPE OF WATER.    

early mornings. art on an easel.  being trapped. flashy cars. self-righteous intolerance. speaking volumes without a word. being submerged.  learning and adapting. raindrops on windows. bubbles rising in water. cats. taboo desires. tanks of water. kitschy nostalgia. kissing underwater. silence. isolation. golden age hollywood. sign language. scales. egg shells. jell-o. the smell of cleaning supplies. creature features. the space race. red coats. monstrous fairy tales. lab coats. lunches in brown bags. the click of shoes. smog. dance routines. slices of pie. toxic masculinity. chains. government secrets. seeing past flaws. floating aimlessly. needles. greens and blues. deep, inexorable scars. gills. music from the 30′s. retro-futurism. bloody handprints. routines. record players. old movies. love in unexpected places.

PHANTOM THREAD.  

a doll in a gilded birdcage. butter to bread. the death of a mother. cycles. hidden messages. a disruptive presence.  longing. wedding gowns. posh control. post-war. brightly colored socks. inner turmoil. poison.  an air of quiet death. hallucinations. family dysfunction. rich fabrics. curses. soft piano music. restrained anger.  spinning out of control. artist and muse. dark love. pastels. peace in the countryside. clockwork dynamics. perfection. wild mushrooms. giving up every piece of yourself. rags to riches. ghosts. new year’s. lingering gazes. needle and thread. fine dining. hearing every sound. being ambushed. ego. flowing dresses. a person out of place. defiance. ink to paper. an artist tortured by their art. obsessive personalities. peepholes. soothing elegance. silk. spiral staircases. driving at high speeds. high society.

THE POST.      

typewriters. newspapers. tense climates. distrust of authority.  internal battles. a legacy at stake. secrets. cover-ups. defending what you believe. peering through windows. melodrama. political corruption. behind closed doors. sniffing a scoop. ringing phones. lying for over a decade.  cramming and crowding. cold grays. war.  fluorescent lights. treason. shuffled papers. the jungle. a weight on your shoulders. fresh coffee. thousands of deaths.  burglary. finding your voice. risking everything. propaganda. tough choices. exposure. type being set by hand. workplace rivalries. abusing power. security breaches. hierarchy. a bed strewn with papers and books. paranoia. orders. clicking keys. redacted files. desk clutter. cigarette smoke. precious cargo. vanished technologies. suspenseful conversations. facing charges. courtroom battles. suits and ties.

DARKEST HOUR.  

never surrendering. duty. countless negotiations. the flash of cameras. beaches. historic buildings. guzzling booze. resignation. utter catastrophe. bunkers. radio broadcasts. going against the odds. bathed in red light.  a sense of humor. allies. shouting matches. small square windows. selfishness. walking with a cane. war rooms. chandeliers. dust floating in air. righteousness. a poor reputation. an elevator surrounded by darkness. a world at war. needing a miracle. interruptions. a last hope. cigar smoke. quoting poetry. photos of a loved one. a single sunbeam. monarchy. vanity. rescue missions. refusing peace. allied chambers. military uniforms. taking a stand. common folk. suicide missions. drums of war. tears down sullen cheeks.  reluctance. complete collapse. evacuations.  enveloped by fog. changing history.  blood, toil, tears and sweat.

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI.      

severe burns. police uniforms. sirens. the calmness of a deer.  strumming guitars. grieving. horrifying memories. sucker punches. a lack of respect. facing threats. skin under fingernails.  flicking cigarettes. awkward dates. nasty rumors. claustrophobia. lush green pastures. molotov cocktails. the fire of anger and revenge. strangers. no remorse. bashing in windows. the midwest. provoking a fight. pointing fingers. being pressed for time. rundown old houses. grey morality. dark undercurrents. insurmountable losses. cruel laughs.  the american flag. dive bars. guilty no matter what. buildings in flames. ambulances. coughing up blood. spitting. chewing on fingernails. one versus many. black and red. not understanding another’s feelings. a mother and child. the pain of others. a quest of justice. abandoned billboards. a hardened gaze. driving to nowhere. small towns. last letters. absurd violence.

DUNKIRK.  

burying a body. warm cider. narrow escapes. a race against time. a small boat. all hope lost. being unable to come home. taken prisoner. shipwrecks.  assuming the identity of someone else.  setting fire to it all.  smoke rising from a crash. sea foam. seaports. rendered blind. dropping to take cover. land, sea, and air. entangled in chain. toast with jam. suspense. waiting for escape. wounded men. lying in the sand. trauma. blank spaces. sinking ships. commended a hero. cocking a gun. swallowed by darkness. bullet holes. obstacles and delays. a hero’s welcome. planes overhead. the sounds of a ticking clock. bullets ricocheting off metal. people by the thousands. shell-shocked. the explosions of shells on shores. the sound of destruction. rising tides. head injuries. target practice. compressed time and space. the perennial threat of death. oil ignited into flames. lying for the greater good. blocking out the noise.  primal dangers. taking command. sole survivor.

GET OUT.      

deer antlers. suburbs. hypnosis. strange behavior. familial tension. chopping wood. uneasy stares. tears and a smile. deception. fight or flight.  blindness. survival. sinking into the floor. watching but powerless. strapped to a chair. plugged ears. a failed handshake. car accidents. sunken places. something out of a nightmare. going hysterical. bingo cards. smoking cigarettes. static on a television set. doing more harm than good. a hint of a smile. a stranger in any environment that is foreign to them. waiting for someone to come when they never will. overturned candles. wealthy garden parties. constantly looking over your shoulder. silence no matter how hard you scream. trances. catharsis. a battle of wills. layers being peeled back. a cup of tea. nosebleeds. addiction. last bits of life leaving a body. black and white photography. sprinting at high speeds. conspiracies. surgery. blankly polite speech. noise of a spoon scraping across a teacup. a deer in headlights. staring at your own reflection. unable to sleep. loyal friends.

LADY BIRD.        

california landscapes. budding romance. uniforms. consolation. plain and luscious colors. apologizing. boorish sex. prom dresses. secondhand dresses. strong personalities. the ups and downs of adolescence. the theatre.  being simultaneously warm and scary.  battling depression.  90’s fashion. dreaming of elsewhere. partying. signatures on a cast. living on the wrong side of the tracks.  not being bound by any era. rejection. sparklers. thrift stores.  high school. identity crisis. a place that looks like a memory. going behind backs.  disappointed parents. catholicism. poverty. busy new york city streets.  monotonous hometowns. shitty bands. anarchy.  drifting in and out of friendships. menial jobs. red hair.  self-given names. coming-of-age. a broken arm. excessive drinking. first kisses. cupcakes. smudged eye makeup. bruises gained unknowingly. strained relationships. screaming in the middle of the street. thoughtful letters. standing out. decorated bedroom walls. having a change of heart. expressing individuality.

[craigedwardgiven]

Write Myself Empty

Writing Gnats

As I struggled to regain traction on my novel, my head was abuzz with distracting gnat clouds of ideas and issues. Prewriting seemed the accepted and logical solution, so I broke my manuscript into individual scenes in Scrivener as a precursor to outlining the entire plot. This, unfortunately, served only to stir up additional clouds of writing gnats. So my next attempt to silence them was a technique I use at my day job: write myself empty. It is as if I literally pluck the distractions from my mind and stick them to the paper. The effort of articulating an item is an acknowledgment and respect of its importance. Then that gnat is content to remain in storage, quietly awaiting its turn to be at center stage and to find resolution. Let’s seek inspiration from the work tool (which I’ll call the “fly paper”) that I use to snare and subdue distractions.

Fly Paper for Day-Job Gnats

Project Name

About

The “About” section rarely appears for most projects

It can be used to keep milestone or milestone dates top-of-mind

It can be used to capture names, addresses, or numbers of particular consequence

In Progress

A concise statement of one task to be accomplished

All items are dated since a superior may ask when an issue was reported, resolved, delegated, due, etc.

ISSUE: Issues are prefixed with an uppercase label to make them easy to identify because they also tend to be urgent

Items that are awaiting a response or action from another party can be prefixed with “AWAITING:” or colored (I use fuchsia)

Bold text, red lettering, and/or yellow highlighting identify important or urgent items

Next Steps

Like the “In Progress” section, except for items yet to be undertaken

On the Horizon

Like “Next Steps,” but for items much farther into the future

This section won’t exist for most projects

Completed

The reason for keeping a completed section is not so much for a sense of accomplishment, but a quick reference when a superior wants a status update 

All items in the completed section use a gray font to deemphasize them

Issues that have been dealt with receive a prefix of “Resolved,” “Work-Around,” “NAPWAD” (not a problem, working as designed), etc.

This section is also a place to document major decisions made, who made them, and when they were made

Although, the title on this document is “Status Report,” it’s not actually something seen by my superiors. I’m the primary beneficiary and I use this document to juggle multiple projects—some of which can be complex, lengthy, and large in scope. Every workday morning I open this document to set my course, and it stays open to capture the inevitable additions that pop up throughout the day. It helps me silence distractions, focus on the top-tier tasks, and ensure next-tier items don’t fall through the cracks.

Oh, wait! That sounds a lot like writing a novel! The structure of the fly-paper for writing gnats will be different than day-job gnats. But it shares the same act of capturing and the same benefit of silencing. If you’d like to apply my “Status Report” template to a project at home or work, I’ve shared the file below, in Microsoft Word format, for download. For those without MS Word access, I’ve also uploaded and converted it to Google Docs and hopefully that will provide beneficial.

Which Fly Paper for Writing Gnats?

Mind Maps versus Flow Direction

Finding the right technique is not the same as finding the right tool to perform that technique. Instead of assuming the same tool can be applied to the technique, I wanted to carefully consider which “fly paper” would be best at capturing my writing gnats. The first idea that came to mind was the popular and obvious solution of mind mapping. There are plenty of mind mapping tools available, including Scrivener’s sibling Scapple. However, despite its integration advantage, Scapple is only available on Mac and Windows, so it doesn’t work on mobile devices nor is it cloud based. And even though I’ve tried some mind mapping solutions that are cloud based and available as mobile apps, I haven’t been satisfied with the results. Mind mapping is great on a giant whiteboard or even on a big sheet of paper. But most screens can only show a portion of a map legibly. And no matter the device, onscreen mapping doesn’t flow like handwritten mind maps. Instead it stutters and drags since I cannot dedicate my focus to mapping—some attention must be diverted to operating the technology. I’ve persevered when such mind maps were part of a group event, or a presentation, or when I needed to capture or publish the results. So I know that, with enough dedication and practice, mind mapping software could fit your need. If you’re already at that point, be sure to share your software recommendations (in the comments below) for your fellow readers.

For me, however, when it comes to writing gnats, the goal is to eliminate distractions, not accommodate or outperform them. My energy and focus needs to go to actual writing, and that as quickly and easily as possible. But more importantly, mind mapping flows in a direction very different from writing. Writing in English flows from left to right and down the page. In contrast, mind-mapping expands from the center of the page in all kinds of directions. So I need a tool that works with the natural flow of writing. The relationships that were previously captured in the bubbles and lines of a mind map can be transformed into headings, indents, and other rubrics that are compatible with the directional flow of writing. Those methods have already proven both their ability to capture and organize thoughts in my day-job tool and will work equally well on writing gnats. And since my mind is already practiced in those features, I want a tool that not only offers them, but also allows me to invoke them without interrupting my flow (i.e., intuitive and easy controls).

Before listing my test bed, I feel the need to address the tangent of “distraction-free” writing apps. Unfortunately, that term is often code for “dumb” and the creators are trying to sell a lack of features as if it were a benefit. I’ve tried a few of these apps and haven’t found any benefit to them. Perhaps you are the type who is truly distracted by menus and toolbars, but I have found these “distraction-free” apps a waste of money and time. I do, however, have to give Scrivener credit for its offering, because it hides rather than eliminates features. Also, Scrivener gives you control over that “distraction free” experience such as selecting a pleasing backdrop, scaling the font, setting the editor width, etc. But for me “distraction-free” is not about what is on the screen, but rather what is buzzing in my head, and the features that will quell those distractions are:

Rubrics

Size, color, highlighting, bold, italic, underline: to draw the eye and triage importance

Strikethrough: to indicate a consideration was made but rejected

Headings: to organize and navigate the document

Layout

Indents: to show dependencies and relationships

Bulleted lists: the core element of the tool, and when sequence is not relevant

Numbered lists: when sequence and hierarchy are both important

Platform

Desktop: To leverage a full sized keyboard, mouse, and dual monitor setup (Microsoft Windows in my scenario)

Mobile: The ability to work on a project while away from a desk by using a phone or tablet (iPhone and iPad for my scenario)

Cloud: Allows work in a browser and ease of switching platforms because the files are stored in or synchronized through the internet.

Copy & Paste: I should be able to transfer what I’ve captured to a finished document. That's typically via Copy & Paste, and the platform should not mangle the style or destroy proper typographical elements such as:

urved double quotes, single quotes, and apostrophes: “, ”, ‘, ’ versus " and ' 

Hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes: -, –, and —

Ellipsis: … versus . . .

The Contenders

Scrivener

How is Scrivener a contender when it’s not even a cloud product? First, it is vigorously targeted at writers, so I want to know if it can stand up to the rigors of my demands. Second, its Dropbox support makes it somewhat cloud friendly. Dropbox sync is nearly automatic on desktops and on mobile the manual sync is so simple it’s hard to consider obtrusive. And, lastly, the iOS Scrivener app qualifies it for the mobile requirement.

Although it delivered on nearly every requirement, I found the interface quirky. Adjusting to its nuances had a slightly steeper learning curve than other products with which I’ve experimented. I also found its support for headings and numbered lists weak and indents can only be used with lists unless you elect to manually wrestle them into place. The most glaring issue was Copy & Paste, and a search of their forums found other Scrivener customers of the same mind. In the screenshots below you can see where I’ve pasted text into Scrivener. In the first example, the lines overlap each other and in the second they pasted as hyperlinks (although without any actual destination).

Google Docs

Google Docs passed with flying colors and offered all the features needed. It even made the sweet spot in the headings department, offering four pre-built levels (the need for levels deeper than four quickly diminishes as the hierarchy grows). The editor is responsive and fairly intuitive, and being browser-based not only qualifies it as cloud-based but multi-platform as well. But its crowning achievement is the price of “free.”

iOS Notes

I didn’t expect the Notes app to be a serious contender. But recent improvements under iOS 11 and iCloud support made it worthy of at least a passing mention and experimentation. Unsurprisingly I found font manipulation and list features minimal, so it’d only serve those with equally undemanding requirements. But, for those with an iPhone always within reach the convenience is hard to deny for short and simple captures.

Office365

Microsoft Word is the dominant platform when it comes to word processors. And this admission comes from a WordPerfect expert who remained loyal to the very end. But the end did come, and in the long years following, Word retained its throne legitimately with a powerful feature set. Its iOS versions are incredibly close to their desktop counterparts, but the browser version had two issues.  The most significant issue is the lack of smart quote support.  Instead of getting curly quotes and apostrophes (like “this” and ‘this’ it gives you "this" and 'this'), which is important if you’re writing dialog or using contractions. Of lesser impact is that Word Online lacks decent tab key support, which customers have decried since 2012. Tables can be used as a work-around for the lack of tab key support. But I thought I’d mention these two shortcoming and Microsoft’s extended attitude towards these issues. And it’s worth noting that Google Docs handles both these features without issue.

Then there is the price. And that’s exacerbated by being bundled in a hard-to-resist office suite. For less than a hundred dollars a household of five not only gets Word, but Excel (spreadsheet), PowerPoint (presentations), Access (database), OneNote (like Evernote on steroids), Publisher (desktop publishing), Outlook (email), and a terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage and synchronization. While you’re certainly getting value for your money, it also cannot be called cheap, especially when it must be paid annually. 

As a power user familiar with all the products in the bundle, with nearly 20 years of experience, and having multiple computers that can leverage the device licenses, it was easy to justify the subscription. But even into my second year of a subscription, I didn’t find myself using it fully due to a mental block. Despite my investment in Office365, I would catch myself in Google Docs to creating articles, idea lists, or project notes.

I couldn’t blame habit and familiarity because it only happened for personal documents—I dive into Word and Excel without hesitation every day at work. I can’t blame accessibility because even multi-factor access is both quick and flows smoothly. Nor can I blame capability because I hadn’t spent enough time using it to know if the features fell short or not. I was puzzled by my irrational reluctance until I realized that the annual subscription was haunting me, and that I was subconsciously treating its cost as a risk. Perhaps that was due to Microsoft’s troubled OneDrive history (I was an early adopter of the now defunct SkyDrive and Window Live Folders). But Google isn’t blameless either when it comes to abandoned customers (e.g., Reader, Picasa, Wave, etc.). So, I’ve begun to be intentional in my usage of Office365 to stamp out my irrational reticence and to surface and solidify any real concerns should they exist. 

Conclusion

Productivity is the goal, so if you’re already proficient and content with a tool then stick with it. However, if you’re without a tool then pick one compatible with your financial assets, your mindset, and your skill set. Google is free, quite powerful, and a great place to start your journey. Scrivener is an affordable solution targeted at authors who want an integrated writing environment and only need a basic text editor. And finally, Office365 is for users who relish a rich feature set instead of being daunted by its power or its price.