#why cant I just write normal chapters for once

[surr3al1sm]

In the middle of writing chapter 6 of MLYiD I realised that it was probably going to be a shorter chapter. And it is. But don’t you worry guys. It’s only 8.2k words.

[silverislander]

have discovered a new enemy while doing research for the honours essay. why are you pretending to understand psychology and BLATANTLY misinterpreting actual terms and concepts in order to tear down a movie aimed at teenage girls, my good bitch. i'm going to start biting

[stevie-petey]

oh also,,, whenever you wanna write. chap 6 steve & robin pov blurb because i am so sure steve would be going on and on about bug once she left so my soul needs that thank you <3

im kicking myself idk why i didnt include this scene in the chapter like its PERFECT for what i have planned later but ,,, for now all i can do is make it a blurb n tell people to read it lmao

enjoy <3

"it didnt matter that you were an ass. i was still... obsessed with you." robins confession hangs in the air. her back is pressed against steves as they lay on the floor, bound together. his eye stings and his nose is numb and crusted with dried blood. he isnt sure why shes telling him this.

"even though all of us losers pretend to be above it all, we still just wanna be popular. accepted. normal."

the rope around steves wrists tense. he clenches his fists and bites the inside of his swollen cheek. acceptance. he thought he had that, once. when he was sixteen with a crowd of people who wouldve done anything for his attention.

now hes eighteen and the crowds bruises still tinge his body.

"if it makes you feel any better, having those things isnt all that great. seriously." it took him a long time to learn that. to recognize that his acceptance was merely a precedence. it wasnt real friendship. he wouldnt learn this until he met you, until you taught it to him. "it just baffles me. everything that people tell you is important, everything that people say you should care about, its all just... bullshit."

bullshit. nancy taught him that, too.

"its all just bullshit, it was so obviously bullshit. i was an idiot for not realizing it sooner," steve bites the inside of is cheek again. somehow, his lips remained untouched when he was being beaten by the russians. your lips still linger on his. "you know, the only person who saw through my bullshit was y/n. one day, before we knew about monsters and russian lairs, she said that she knew i wasnt a bad person. it... it stuck with me. here she was, y/n henderson, telling me i wasnt so bad."

"and then...?" robin is almost too afraid to press him further. shes never seen him like this, vulnerable and open. she didnt know that his history with you went beyond just a summer fling.

steve nudges his head back and sighs. "i messed up. i... i hurt people. people she cared about."

robin frowns. you wouldnt forgive someone so easily for that. theres more to what steve is saying, she just cant figure out what. "she must really love you, then. if she forgave you."

"i dont know if she loves me, but i know that she believes in me. sees someone worth putting up with." he huffs, he cant believe he will never see you again. he hates that he will never be able to thank you for seeing a version of him that no one else could. "it wasnt until i messed up that i realized she saw something in me. its ironic, isnt it? but i guess you gotta mess up to figure things out, right?"

he had to mess up to realize that he loved you, too.

"i hope so. i feel like my whole life has been one big error." robin admits. its the least she could do, offer steve a piece of herself in return for what hes offered her.

an unattractive snort escapes steve. he laughs, and his shoulders shake against robins. he understands exactly what she means. "yup."

"god, i wonder how y/n does it."

"does what?"

robin pauses, worries that she might reveal too much. but its steve. if theyre going to die together, he deserves to know. he has to know. "shes always able to see the error in people and love them anyways."

steve is quiet. he lets what she said settle over him. its what he loves the most about you. how youve always managed to see the good in people, even in someone as cruel as billy. he hadnt known that robin noticed this kindness in you, too.

she seems to understand you in a way only he and jonathan do.

"you know, i wish id known you in clicks class." its a peace offering. an extension of himself to robin for caring about you the way he does. no one really seems to be able, despite how easy steve finds it to be.

"yeah?"

"really, i do. maybe you couldve helped me pass the class." he breathes out, the thought of all he couldve done differently will always haunt him. king steve is dead, but the persona is a ghost he will never be able to get rid of. "maybe instead of being here, id be with y/n on some romantic getaway. maybe you wouldve given me the courage to do what i shouldve done sooner."

robin doesnt say anything. she turns her face away, presses her cheek against the concrete surface.

"robin?"

she swallows. "yeah. yeah, maybe. you wouldnt have been stuck slinging ice cream with me like some smuck."

steve shakes his head. hes worried hes said the wrong thing. "hey, dont get me wrong. i enjoyed being your smuck. it was fun while it lasted."

bittersweetness creeps upon robins face. she smiles, though its a sad one. shes going to die with the understanding of why youve fallen so hard for steve harrington. "yeah. it was."

then the doors burst open and the russian find them.

[angy-grrr]

guys, when hori said this story needed a longer epilogue, he didnt mean two more volumes -usually shonen and other demographics tend to finish with just a last chapter to wrap things up. Hes giving 7 instead, which is a lot considering that -even naruto didnt get more time to develop things or relationships, making a movie instead as far as i know.

idk how he’ll do it, but if that feels right for him then ill just wait and see what happens. If we think about it, there are many many topics covered already in the two first chapters -people are trying to make things go back to “normal”, but we know that cant happen; we know how the classes are doing, some are graduating and want to do something else with their world; shoto and endeavor visit dabi, who seems to be alive, aoyama leaves the course and says all that he has been feeling about his ability to be a hero, deku is in a contemplative state, probably thinking about heroism, and theres a new character that will probably test their ideals after two wars; theres also a big posibility of hori bringing up the reason why katsuki is able to just get up and do so much when he should have died, which can tie the bkdk arc.

What i mean with this is… it can happen in 5 chapters. I understand why we are getting sad, but that doesnt mean we have to assume the story will end up being shitty. Also, lets not forget bnha was supposed to end in 2022. This is what hori and his team probably think will happen, with the general epilogue already done in terms of drafts and everything planned for each chapter, but sometimes to story asks for its creators to do more. Or to do less. We have no idea how this will end, but while we wait for things to unfold, lets try to enjoy the ride.

And if you are curious about what i’ll do, im going to keep seeing the leaks and write about my observations and ideas, but i wouldnt recommend it if you are someone who feels like they cant wait, or has expectations that will make you not enjoy the content when leaks happen —its confusing, depending on who translates and makes the summaries meanings and actions completely change, you dont get to see everything at once and have to wait for hours, etc.

So keep that in mind, and choose what you think will make you the happiest.

[signanothername]

yooo, it's me the playlist/fic anon! tysm for the songs and playlists, COMPLETELY FORGOT OUT 6UP 5OH COP OUT BY WILL WOOD I FUCKING FORGOT IT HOW COULD I IT DOES FIT SO WELL

AND OFC I CAN SHARE THE FIC WHEN i'M DONE I'D BE HONORED IF YOU READ IT ONCE I GET THE FIRST CHAPTER DONE GHJOH

I'm mainly writing it based on killermar,e but it's canon, and Nightmare realizes he's attached to Killer, and starts being a bitch, before *slightly* favoring him, but Killer is pretty certain this is just Nightmare tryna get him to fuck up, to use this aganist him, right? And the Nightmare realises, oh I am a HUGE fuckign asshole.

Don't normally ship Killermare, but the urge to write had gripped me and will not let go

Sup!!! And you’re very welcome <3333

AND FR IT DOESSS!!!

And EEEEEE THANK YOU CANT WAIT ID BE HONOREDTO READ IT :D❤️🌷✨

And omg yesssss, like I always wanted a more realistic depiction of how Killermare would be y’know? It’s absolutely not a relationship that’s all flowers and roses, it can even be right down toxic and/or abusive, full of doubt and obstacles to go through before the two actually settle down chhcch (slow burn relationship fr)

Nightmare being an absolute bitch while still feeling attached??? That’s literally how i see their relationship to be like from Nightmare’s pov hdhdhdh

But ugh Killer’s doubt that Nightmare’s just trying to pin something on him YES, Killer isn’t the most trusting person nor is he trustworthy himself (if we’re talking about Killer during stage 2 at least) so him just not trusting Nightmare’s motives??? Yes sir!!! Tho I’d say that depending on which stage Killer is in, he could feel a bit paranoid (stage 1) or he could just not give a fuck (stage 2) he could alternate between stages even cause of their relationship

And honestly we all need Nightmare to realize how huge of an asshole he can be hdhdhdh

Killermare is a fascinating ship to me to say the least, it’s a complicated relationship that has so much to explore, so even if I don’t really ship it myself i’m not opposed to it by any means, and i do enjoy it even <3333

I just usually prefer platonic relationships cause ugh they mean so much to me and they’re super underrated, that’s why i love to explore Killer’s and Nightmare’s relationship without my art necessarily being killermare, there’s just something special about platonic relationships to me :D

Anyway CANT WAIT FOR THE FIC GDHDHHDHDHD

[ravs6709]

Brilliant Muse- Yoohankim

Word count: 2.1k words

or: read on ao3 here!

For @orv-gotcha-for-gaza!!! Prompt was yhk high school au, and I couldn't help but think of @/jomeimei421's yhk post so i couldn't not write it. Lemme be real i'm a vv tame person (unlike these fucking freaks) and so it's a little hard for me to write them but like. it's also so fun??? ty @sarcasticmirage for providing the prompt!!

its mostly pre-relationship but i did add a post getting together snippet for funsies <3, its a 3+1 (+1) style fic, lots of sillies

God I wish I knew more webnovel tropes. But so far orv is my first and only webnovel so cant say tm about leaning into clichés...

Warnings: swearing, minors making jokes about sex

•~•~•~•~•~•

“Han Sooyoung,” Kim Dokja said, placing his phone down on his desk. “What is wrong with you?”

“What the fuck did I do???” she asked, teeth already bared at him.

He sighed, resting his elbow on the desk and placing his chin into his palm. “Yoo Joonghyuk would not say that.”

“Who the fuck told you this was Yoo Joonghyuk, stop fantasizing about him you freak—”

“His name is Yoo Joonhyun, you are so uncreative—”

“Say that again, I dare you—”

He didn’t even have time to respond before she reached across the desk, hands grabbing at collar. When he pried one of her hands off, she scratched at his hands. What was the need for nails that long in the first place? Kim Dokja was convinced she grew them out with the express purpose of torturing him. It wasn’t like she ever let her nails stay long for an extended period of time, so clearly it wasn’t for some aesthetic purpose.

“We’re in a library,” he reminded her.

Her grip loosened on his collar, pulling them away with a sigh. “Fine, we’re leaving. My place. And I’ll buy us snacks.” She reached into her backpack and fished out a whole stack of bills.

“How gracious of you to spend your hard-earned money on me,” he said, picking up his backpack. “Always humbled to be in your rich presence.”

“I could always just buy for myself.”

“Do it, then.”

About half an hour later, they arrived in her room, tossed the bag of snacks they’d bought off to the side of the bed and sat down.

“Why are you writing Yoo Joonghyuk fanfiction?” Kim Dokja asked, getting straight to the point.

Her cheeks puffed and her jaw clenched. “His name is Yoo Joonhyun.”

“Still too close.”

“Whatever. You keep talking about him every day, so I’m writing out the fantasies I know you’ve been having about him.”

He gagged. He never once thought of Yoo Joonghyuk like that.

“Yeah, I’d gag too. The fuck is your deal with him anyway, huh? You’ve got his name haunting my nightmares and shit. Be grateful I’m catering to your dogshit taste. Nobody else would ever write your Yoo Joonghyuk fanfiction."

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were insisting that it wasn’t?”

He instinctively raised his arms to block an impending lunge but to his surprise, she didn’t charge at him like a wild animal.

“This shit is specialized for you, you better appreciate it well, you asshole.”

He opened up his phone again, looking back at the first chapter draft that she’d sent him. It wasn’t nearly as polished as all of her other stories she’d written and posted were, but…

“Are you going to continue writing it?” he asked.

After a few seconds, she crossed her arms. “I’m sure I can find time for at least a chapter a week. You know, ‘cause I’m a genius writer.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

~•~•~•~•~•

⸢Yoo Joonhyun faced the constellations and smirked. “If you want to play games, then fine. I’ll play your games, hahaha.”

He was the <Ruler of Amusement> after all, there was no game that Supreme King would ever lose.⸥

“Hey, why’d you stop scrolling?” Han Sooyoung asked, frowning at him.

He frowned back. “Why is he laughing?”

She sighed. “Of course you wouldn’t understand. Don’t you get it? No, of course he would never normally laugh like that. But do you ever think about how Yoo Joonghyuk would feel throughout his lives? Gaming is his comfort, given that he always wins.”

He ignored how she didn’t even call her character by the proper name. ‘His name is Yoo Joonhyun’, what a joke. “I still don’t think he would laugh like that.”

“You’ve seriously got no sense of a character’s emotions, you know that? I’m a writer, I know full well.”

“I’m a reader.”

She scoffed. “Yeah yeah, I know that. Ugh. Whatever, I’ll maybe see to reword the scene, though I make no promises.”

He hummed, reading it over and now further on. The more he read on, the more he imagined being Yoo Joonghyuk, the more he could almost see her vision. Almost. At the very least, he could see where she was coming from. Han Sooyoung said nothing else, and he could feel her gaze heavy on him as he continued to leave comment after comment on the document.

Once he was done, she nodded, seemingly satisfied.

~•~•~•~•~•

As she figured, from the smug, cackling guys exiting the alleyway—the cackling pissed her off, so she beat them up—Han Sooyoung found Kim Dokja on the ground in said area. She stood a few metres from him as he composed himself, brushing off a few loose pebbles from his jacket.

Ugh. Annoying. Did he think being blank faced made him look cool or something? He looked pitiful, if anything. Every day she questioned why she hung around with a loser like him.

“Quit trying to act like Yoo Joonghyuk,” she said, turning out the alley.

“I'm not him,” he scoffed, “why would I ever want to act like that bastard?”

Despite his words, Han Sooyoung knew what he was probably thinking. He very much wanted to be Yoo Joonghyuk—pretty faced, strong muscles, whatever things men were aspiring to have and all that. But more importantly, to be untouchable. Nobody messed with Yoo Joonghyuk.

Probably because he's too much of an asshole for people to want to bother with, she thought.

“Ugh, speaking of him,” she said, walking on. “He’s been getting more fangirls lately. I've been seeing more people talk about him, and follow him around.”

“I know. People have been learning about his gaming and tournaments.”

“Right. You'd know, you're his number one fangirl.”

“I'm not a fangirl.”

“Sorry, number one stalker.”

“I don't stalk him.”

She rolled her eyes, even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see it. “Where's his place, from here?”

She turned to him. Obviously he wouldn't answer it, so it was up to staring at his dumb face in order to read him. Which didn't really say much, but she figured that he did know anyway.

“Whatever. I'm turning him into an animal for a few chapters, got suggestions?”

He hummed. “A wolf, maybe?”

She turned to him, disgusted. “I'm not fueling your omegaverse fantasies. I don't need your sex dreams, don't even tell me which you want him to—”

“Han Sooyoung, why was your first thought omegaverse?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Don't make him a cat, I can already tell you were going to project—”

“If I was a furry, I wouldn't be a cat, I'd be a dragon, excuse you. But I guess a wolf would fit Yoo Joonghyuk.”

~•~•~•~•~•

Han Sooyoung had just recently finished her next chapter—a more action-packed one. Honestly? Not her greatest stuff, but Kim Dokja seemed to be eating it up.

Of course, even a good author needed to make use of scenes with less emotional value or common tropes. It was about tying it all together, relating to the themes of the story. And Han Sooyoung was a genius of an author, so naturally Kim Dokja would enjoy what she wrote. She'd have to kill him if he didn't, given she put too much effort into writing it.

“Why Yoo Joonghyuk, specifically?” she asked.

He glanced up at her briefly, then went back to his little fanfiction.

“There's plenty of strong guys in the school. Or girls. Like Jung Heewon or whatever,” she continued.

He still didn't bother looking up at her. “Don't involve Heewon-ssi in your writing, she doesn't deserve that kind of treatment.”

Annoying.

“I bet I could take Yoo Joonghyuk on.”

“He goes to the gym, three times a week, and practices kendo with Heewon-ssi. The most I ever see you do is an occasional jog.”

“First off, fuck you. Second, you know I can fight, I beat up people all the time.” Beat up the people who bully you, went unsaid. “Yeah, he has size, and knows kendo, but this is a fistfight, and I will bite him."

“Gross. Don't tell me about your biting kink—”

She shoved her chair back and dove at him, hands grabbing at his collar. “Wanna die??? Want me to prove how strong I am?”

“Han—”

In the blink of an eye, her hands were pried away. She was spun around, hands now grabbing at her collar, lifting up with a stupid amount of ease.

“The hell are—”

Her eyes flitted up to see a face she hated. Stupid pretty face belonging to an asshole.

“Are you Han Sooyoung.”

She flailed, clawing at his arm, but he didn't even flinch. Bastard. What the hell was his arm made out of, metal?

“I assume you are,” Yoo Joonghyuk continued.

He turned to look at the side, and she followed his gaze, realizing that there were many pairs of eyes on them. From Kim Dokja on the floor staring up with pathetic, awestruck eyes, to Yoo Joonghyuk holding her in the air, they were drawing too much attention.

He seemed to think the same thing, leaving the library, still carrying her. What the fuck, why was he acting like she was just a bag of rice? He full on walked outside of the school, pushing her against a wall.

“I have questions,” he said.

She couldn’t even move her body enough to bite his fingers off, damn it. She gave up, looking up at his eyes. “Fine. Go on. Ask.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you stalking and spreading information about me.”

“Huh? I’m not spreading anything about you—”

“Someone leaked the fact that I’m going into gaming.”

You weren’t exactly keeping it that much of a secret, she wanted to say, but held in her tongue. Kim Dokja barely had to do anything to find that out. “Your name would spread eventually the more you play. And that wasn’t me—”

He leaned closer, hands gripping tighter. “I know it was you. I have asked many people, and it all eventually leads to you.”

She sighed. “I’m not stalking you, and I don’t have a need to know whatever bullshit you do in your spare time, leave me alone.”

A second. Two. “You’re ly—”

Kim Dokja ran into the area, panting. And he had the nerve to insult her physical capabilities.

“Why are you here.”

Kim Dokja’s stupid wide eyes finally shone more normal. “What?”

“Wasn’t she bullying you. Why are you back. Leave. I have business with her.”

“Kim Dokja, fuck off,” she said. She was definitely gonna fight this guy, but she didn’t need Kim Dokja to see the possibility of her losing.

Yoo Joonghyuk turned back to her. “Because of you, people think that I am… a furry. They will not leave me alone.”

She blinked, twice, three times. “Pft. Don’t be rude to the furry community.” She knew full well how this whole thing was going. “Wolf? Be grateful you’re not something worse—” wait, shit, “not that it’s my fault.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t know shit about you, leave me alone.” 

He glared, then lowered her down. “I am going to keep a close eye on you. Both of you.” He added, glancing at the silent Kim Dokja, then turned around and dramatically left. She could imagine an imaginary cape or trenchcoat swishing.

Ugh. She needed to avoid him at all costs.

~•~•~•~•~•

(He stuck annoyingly close. Closer than he ever had the right to be.)

~•~•~•~•~•

(Han Sooyoung opened her laptop, loading up one of her older documents. She pinched Kim Dokja’s side, trying to get his attention. As always, he was on his phone. She pinched him again, then turned her screen to face him better. “Should I rewrite this? Yoo Joonghyuk is too lame to say things like I wrote.”

“Didn’t I tell you he would not say that?”

“I’m talking about the shit you did approve of.” She huffed, leaning in to bite the exposed skin at his side.

He shoved her off of his lap. “Don’t bite me.”

“Too bad. As I was saying, I need to rewrite Yoo Joonhyun’s—”

“Are you two still writing that bullshit.”

She looked up, saw him towering over them. “What, you think I stopped just because you found out about it? A certain reader here is still desperate.”

“Don’t blame me for what you write.”

Yoo Joonghyuk turned to Kim Dokja. He bent down. “I am right here.” 

Han Sooyoung watched as he placed a firm kiss to his lips, the resulting noise muffled. “Gross. Keep that to yourselves.”

He turned to look at her again, then walked away. He didn’t even kiss her. Bastard.)

•~•~•~•~•~•

orv taglist: @subrosasteath

Want to be added/removed from the taglist? Just let me know!

[talkintrashcann]

Campout - Xavier Thorpe [pt.4]

summary: the friendgroup is going on a camping trip and miscalculated how many tents they needed, so now you have to share a tent with your least favorite person.

warnings: slow burn, enemies to lovers, multiple parts, fear of drowning

word count: 857

a/n: yeah that's right, im back bitches. i seriously lost so much motivation to continue writing this series but i keep getting dms and asks from people expressing how much they love this and how they cant wait for the next chapter. so to all those lovely people, big hugs and kisses to you!

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] . . .

———————

As you were resting your head against the tree behind you, trying to calm yourself down for a minute, Xavier seemed to have disappeared for a bit. Not that you minded, you could use the moment for yourself. The last thing you wanted was for him to laugh at you for being so scared of a little water. He had most likely just run off somewhere, not wanting to stay near a crybaby like you. But you really couldn't give a damn about where he went, as long as it was far away from you. Tears had finally stopped coming, breathing becoming normal again. The sounds of the birds chirping and the water streaming down the river definitely helped calm you down, you wanted to stay here for a while without having to worry about anything else.

In the meantime, Xavier had gone back towards the salesman to pay for the kayak that was now long gone with the stream, but the man didn't seem to mind once he saw Xavier pull out a check with way more value than the crappy kayak he lost. He even offered him a single person kayak so that he could still continue the race on his own while you stayed here waiting for the others to come back. Turning around to look at your figure peaking out from behind the large tree, he smiled to himself before kindly declining the offer.

You jumped a little when you suddenly saw a hand appearing from behind the tree you were sitting against, holding up a bottle of water out to you. Eyes moving up from the hand to the face of the owner, you gave Xavier a confused look before returning your gaze to the bottle.

"Are you gonna take it or what?". Taking the bottle out of his hands and taking a cold sip, you couldn't help but wonder what had gotten to him all of a sudden. After taking another few sips, you broke the silence by asking him a burning question. "Why did you help me just now?"

"Would you have preferred it if I took you on a three hour kayak trip?". You didn't respond to his question, both already knowing the answer to that.

"Can I ask you something?", he spoke up after a couple seconds of silence.

"Since when do you ask for permission to say something?", completely ignoring what you just said he asked the question that has been on his mind ever since the incident with the kayak earlier.

"What happened back there? I mean, you looked like you'd seen a ghost or something.", knowing that question would come at some point you decided to just be honest and tell him the truth. Besides, you're probably stuck with him for a couple hours, so you didn't think it would hurt to not spend those hours in complete silence.

"I'm scared of drowning and sitting in that kayak just didn't feel safe to me at all. Can't really help it, I've had it for years.". You were looking down at the ground, playing with your fingers in the dirt as you were too afraid to look him in the eye right now. "Go ahead, make a stupid remark. I know you want to."

"I actually think you're really brave for still getting in that kayak, many people would've bolted the second Enid revealed we'd do something with water. That's a whole achievement on it's own, you know.". You stopped playing with the dirt and looked him straight in the eye, trying to find something that would explain his sudden kindness.

"Who are you and what have you done with Xavier.", he chuckled at your response. "Believe it or not, but I'm not an ass all of the time."

"I used to be really afraid of preforming on stage as a kid so my dad always forced me to show my talent to all his famous friends in order for me to overcome my fear, but it wasn't a great success. He was so disappointed that his only son was too afraid to use the one thing that made him unique. I went to therapist after therapist in the hopes that one of them would fix me. But, ironically, disappointing people has become my new biggest fear. It's why I push people away. If I'm not close with anyone I can't disappoint them either, right?"

Realizing that there might have been a logical explanation for Xavier's annoying behavior all this time made you think to yourself; maybe he wasn't so bad after all. He saw you at your most vulnerable moment, and instead of being a complete ass like he usually is, he's opening up about his own vulnerability to give you comfort. You appreciate what he did, you appreciate him. Perhaps you two have more in common than you think. Perhaps you could even become friends after this. It might finally give you some peace, and Enid probably wouldn't mind to have her long awaited relaxing vacation she's been longing for. Or will the two of you create some chaos together now?

To be continued . . .

———————

Taglist !¡ @wintrr13 @hayleematyas16 @deepblueoceanwaters @purexfuego @loriasposts @princekooks @hope92100 @just-amess @sweaterxav @pookiewookies @araxw @lcvecstiel @reading-writing-737 @ahintofvanilla @xavierthropepartner @poison-ivy-737 @rumoured-whispers @honethatty12 @pippipsquirtsquirt @wrenwastooshort @ambolini @potterheadquinn @ren-ni @makanirock05 @langdonsluxiouslocks @ily2lia

[fipindustries]

first course completed!

that was arc 1 of introduction to magic.

and this is the first drawing i made of the main characters all the way back in 2019

what is this

now that the first arc is done i would like to take a chance to actually stop and properly self promote a little here. it was about time.

i am currently writing a novel called Introduction to magic, an examination of a magic system i came up with by way of following the lessons of magical apprentice Katerina Dolcevita under the aprenticeship of Maria Bellanova. the best way i have to summarize the feel and tone of it all is Fantasy AU-R63! Rick and Morty. imagine if rick and morty were both women and they were exploring magic rather than sci fi.

the first arc is intended to be a prologue of sorts, to get you up to speed with the nature of this world and the nature of the two main characters.

where this came from

i came up with the story and the concept around this world proper in 2021, while reading pale. i was looking at all the extra material that wildbow had written for its magical world and i found myself really wishing that we didnt have to just see excerpts from the magical books like famulus or 100 years lost. and it came to me that if i really want a book about magic to exist then i can just write one myself.

the magic system in this story follows a bunch of my own deeply held beliefs about life and magic. mainly that is kind of silly how we insists magic doesnt exist when we have things like computers and planes and psychodelics. it occured that if we were to live in a world where magic was real we wouldnt call it magic either, we would just think of it as the normal state of affairs. there is a post i read here, which i cant find right now, which said something about how weird conciousness is, how strange the fact that conciousness arises from the specific configuration of a brain. about how conciousness is the last, mysterious, seemingly ineffable property of reality. they concluded that we live in a fantasy world where our magic system has only one spell "summon daemon". obviously a lot of it was merely poetic and rethorical devices to see with fresh eyes of wonder something we take for granted.

and a lot of this book stems from a similar wish to want to see the mundane with eyes of wonder once again, which is why i insist that low level magic in this world is things as basic as writing and lighting a fire. is also the reason why a lot of the titles that i use for the magic specializations are normal every day professions.

the second, stronger impulse was to try to come up with a system of magic that could be broad enough to grasp all possible forms of magic humans have come up with and yet simple enough that could be understood in a few pages. the classification system i use on this book is based on all the broadest, most basic forms of magic practisce that i have seen in history and fiction. manipulating signs as drawings and writing, manipulating sound as voice and song, using tools and props, moving the body, combining and refining substances and materials, handling living creatures.

what's next

as we move forward on this story the format will switch to a more traditional narrative where we will properly follow the adventures of these two ladies. ocassionally i will dip back into textbook-like sections where i infodump about another interesting concept i thought of, but even in the narrative sections most of the chapters will be an excuse to explore some concept or idea. i gather by sheer quantity 80% of the content of this story is going to be maria explaining things to Katerina.

so yeah, if that sounds at all interesting please do read this, and please do leave a comment, i really want to see what people think of this work. i dont need money or donations or to be engaged in any algorithm, all i need to stay motivated and energized and thus continuing the story is to know that people are invested in it.

thank you so much for reading.

[artemismoorea03]

Building Trust (Chirp AU)

MY TURN TO TALK HI GUUUUYYSSS aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HOLY SHIT MY INBOX HAS BEEN EXPLODING LATELTY W H A T . HOW DID WHATAMSDREP IJTRYTHMKL,JHGFDS ONE IM SUPER HONORED TO BE WORKING WITH ARTEMIS ON THIS FIC MAN I JUST. . .. . Y E AH THIER SO COOL EVERYONE.

TWO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS AND STUFF. IF YOU LIKE THISS STUFF YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT OUR SOLO FIC SERIES TANGLED STAR AND THE MONKIES DESERVE BETTER .

Anyways thank you guys so much for all the love we both really appreciate it and love reading ur comments. Im sitting here at 2am writing this and i already know by the time i wake up yall are gonna be crowding up my inbox.

Again thank you all so much for the appreciation. Cant wait to share all artemis and i have planned :D Grabs Macaque and fucking squishes him WHO WANTS BLORBO CONTENT?!?!??!

Anyways lmao enjoy the chapter !!!

MK wasn’t sure what had happened that day with Macaque and Wukong but what he did know was that it was only the beginning of a lot of changes. Both personally and in his day-to-day life. For starters, he began to chirp at everything almost instinctively.

Stub his toe? Chirp.

Drop something on his foot? Chirp.

Get frustrated or overwhelmed? Chirp.

It got so frequent and often that the other people in his life even began to take notice and question it. Pigsy asked about it and was quick to understand that it was another ‘monkey thing’. Tang thought it was a new type of stim that he was adjusting too and said, ‘it probably feels nice and calming to let out all those frustrations and anxieties so you might be chirping more and more as a buildup of stress’ which made MK feel a bit better about chirping as much, but he still worried about the effect it could have on Macaque and Wukong if they were around.

Speaking of which, both of them were beginning to make appearances around the restaurant more and more since that day. Macaque was quick to check in on him first thing in the morning before MK even properly left his apartment, his shadow figure was standing in the hall of the restaurant. He never stepped out of his shadow, only asking if he was alright, how he was feeling, and checking to make sure his head wasn’t giving him any issues. Macaque would then vanish just as quickly as he showed up just for Wukong to show up a short time later asking the same questions.

Though Wukong had the added question of “ Any sign of that rat Macaque? ”

Something MK quickly decided to lie to his mentor about. He didn’t know what happened that day but did know that he hadn’t really seen his mentor looking that vicious before. He didn’t know if Wukong could tell he was lying but if he did notice he never pointed it out.  

This continued for about a week, getting visits from Macaque and Wukong every other day, though there was once where Macaque visited twice in a row just so he and Wukong started visiting on different days to avoid seeing one another. But each time something similar began to happen until a new pattern formed.

Macaque would stay in the shadows (more so under MK’s bed once he invited the demon into his apartment) and talked to him from under there while avoiding too much light as he talked to MK or just listened to MK ramble. He also occasionally slipped pieces of paper out of the bed that were recipes, notes and even a cut out ad from a magazine.

“What’s this for?” MK asked, looking at the ad. “ Hair-and-fur shampoo? That’s a thing?”

“Yep. It’s how Wukong keeps his hair all ‘ fabulous ’ or whatever.” He said sarcastically. “If the chirping has any implications of anything, bud, you might be changing. I’m not sure how or why, but if you are starting to change I’d look into getting some of that. Normal fur shampoo will destroy your hair and hair shampoo will make your fur sticky.”

“Oh, okay thanks… but what do you mean ‘changing’?”

“Well, think about it. Chirps are the first sounds a cub knows how to make when they’re born. Could be signs that you’re turning into a monkey. Though we probably can’t be sure until you start to chatter… or sprout a tail.” Macaque said, his glowing eyes looking towards the door. “Your dragon friend is here. Cya, bud.”

Then, like that, Macaque slipped out of sight as Mei walked into the room.

“Hey, monkey man~! Are you ready to dance until your feet fall off?!” She said, then looked at MK. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”

“Huh? Oh! I dropped this.” He said, holding up the paper, “Then I sat down and started reading it.”

“What is it?” Mei walked over, looking down at it with a smirk. “ Hair-and-fur Shampoo ? Maybe you should buy some of that for Macaque. Who knows the last time he bathed.” She teased.

“Mei.” MK sighed, “You sound like Wukong.” He got up, putting the paper onto his bedside table.

“Hey, let’s keep the insults to a minimum now.” She said with a huff, “But seriously, what’s with that?”

“Uh… just started thinking, I guess. Since I started chirping I might be changing, so might as well be prepared.”

“Changing? Like what? Monkey puberty?”

MK shrugged, “Something like that. Now, let’s go before the arcade gets too crowded. I don’t want to stand in line forever.”

“Oh! Right! Leggo~” She said, taking his hand and pulling him out of the apartment.

The next day Wukong showed up in the restaurant itself.

“It always smells so good in here~” He said, sniffing the air as he sat at the stool.

“You sure have been showing up here a lot lately.” Pigsy commented, “Not that I don’t mind the business, I mean at least you pay.” He said, shooting a glare at Tang who seemed offended while MK chuckled. “Something going on?”

“Nah, just making sure Macaque keeps his grubby little hands off of you guys. I don’t know what he’s up to lately but if I show up here enough he’ll eventually get tired or face me himself. Either way, MK will be safer if I show myself sometimes.”

MK frowned, tightening his grip on the broom as he began to sweep again.

“I thought Macaque changed? Plus, he didn’t do any serious damage to MK, so… why are you out for blood, Monkey King?” Tang pointed out and Wukong frowned, then sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Macaque has ‘changed’ before.” Wukong said, quietly thanking Pigsy for the noodles and fruit dumplings in front of him. “I don’t want to think that this was like any of the other ‘changes’ but I can’t risk it, plus Macaque being near people - for any reason - is dangerous. For everybody involved.”

“You keep saying that, but what does that even mean?” MK asked, throwing his broom to the ground before he could even process that he was getting mad enough for this. “You say he’s ‘dangerous’ you say ‘he can’t be trusted’ but he saved me from you ! That’s enough for me! He saved me, helped me save you, and yes he did some bad things but he’s not a bad guy!”

Wukong tensed, looking back at him before he sighed. “Listen, bud. There’s a lot about Macaque that you don’t know-”

“THEN TELL ME!” MK said, stomping his foot with rage as the ground trembled slightly. “I don’t know anything about Macaque but I also don’t know anything about you! All I know about you, I read but I… I don’t know you Wukong.” He said, trembling as his eyes burned with frustrated tears. “I don’t know anything other than you picked an everyday, average, boring noodle delivery boy to be your successor…”

“Kid…” Pigsy began, walking around the counter. “Take a breath, you’re going to make yourself sick if you keep working yourself up.” He gently put his hand on MK’s shoulder.

“MK has a point.” Tang hummed, scratching his chin like an older gentleman would rub a beard. “All we know about the Six-Eared Macaque is some of his abilities, the Shadow Play stunt he pulled, and the way he helped us. But on a research standpoint, the Journey to The West only tells us that Macaque is one of four Celestial Primates and that he tried to use your appearance to seek out immortality. We also know that you killed him with your staff before reuniting your group and continuing your journey. Other than that one instance we have no idea what Macaque has done, and weighing the ‘good’ and ‘bads’ of the situation he’s helped more than harmed.”

Wukong popped a dumpling into his mouth, his tail swishing in a way that almost implied frustration like a cat read to pounce. “Well, there’s more to it than that. A lot more. But, no matter what that filthy monkey’s done… I have a promise to keep to him.”

“A promise?” Pigsy said as MK rubbed tears out of his eyes.

Wukong nodded, “Yeah, a promise. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you about why he’s dangerous but I promised Macaque that I wouldn’t mention it to anybody… though that was a long time ago. Before I killed him…” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, “But for respect to the Macaque of the past I’m going to keep my mouth shut. Sorry, bud…”

MK shook his head, “Whatever… I’m going on my break.” He said, his voice wavering as he walked out of the building.

MK stomped down the street, trying to calm his heart which was pounding so hard in his chest he felt dizzy. The world was so loud when he was this upset, it was like everybody in Megapolis had microphones and big speakers attached to their backs and were all screaming at the same time. It was loud, crowded, and overwhelming.

His hands found their way to his hair, pulling at the strands as he tried to distract himself from how busy his mind was becoming with each step.

‘ He promised Macaque not to say, that means he’s doing it for Macaque, but it’s also hurting Macaque! Shouldn’t a promise not count if the person you made that promise to is suffering?! ’ He thought, tugging his hair again. ‘ Macaque needs people too, and you keep chasing everybody away from him all for a promise? Unless that promise was to make sure he was alone forever I don’t think he should keep it, and even if it was… shouldn’t the ‘respect for the past Macaque’ carry on now? If the past Macaque is hurting like the Macaque in the present then we should help him. ’

Mk took a sharp breath in, the afternoon air filling his lungs and attempting to calm him. Yet that incessant pounding in his chest wouldn't cease.The pounding was beginning to hurt, his breathing was unsteady and his eyes blurred with tears threatening to fall. It was all so frustrating. Every time Wukong did this it was like…no matter how much they go through, how close they get Wukong just won't talk to him. First the Lady Bone Demon, then the Samadhi fire, and now this! Mk let their breath out and ungripped his hands. Letting go of his hair and letting his arms fall to his sides.

He tried to steady his breathing but it wouldn't work with him, the frustration and anger grew within him with every new thought crossing his mind. He wishes he was strong enough to face Monkey King and get him to tell him everything, with no lies or excuses. The complete and utter truth, yet that seems too hard for Monkey king to do.

Mk’s walk is blinded by his thoughts and the tears that drip onto the concrete. He doesn't really know where he’s going and he doesn't care much. He just keeps walking while his frustrated mind and pounding heart guide him through the city. When he finally stops it's because he can't walk anymore. His legs have become sore and his frustrations have become too much for him. He needs to sit down.

Mk raises his head to look for a seat and something calms in his when he notices Macaques dojo not too far from him. He doesn't know how he made it all the way here yet he doesn't seem to care. His legs move on their own, walking towards the dojo with every step becoming quicker by the second till he’s full-on sprinting towards the dojo. When he gets there he throws open the door and finds Macaque in the main training room.

He’s panting while standing in a fighting stance, he’s not wearing a shirt so he must have been solo training. Mk knows he doesn't look good or okay, he wishes the thoughts weren't so deafening so maybe he could have thought to wipe away the tears and snot. Breathe the red out of his cheeks and nose. Then walk into the dojo with his usual big bright smile so Macaque didn't have to deal with this. With him.

Mk doesn't realize he chokes on his breathing, little sobs that escape him as he tries to breathe normally again. So he definitely doesn't notice the sad chirp he makes and what it does to Macaque the moment he hears it.

He doesn't have to know anything wrong, he shouldn't have to burden himself with his issues, it's not his problem, Mk’s just too sensitive for his own good and gets too upset over every little thing. It's really pathetic and stupid an-.

Arms wrap around Mk and pull him into a warm embrace, Mk is quick to throw his arms around Macaque and sob into dark fur. Between sobs, sad chirps continue to escape his lips. He lets Macaque pick him up and carry him somewhere. He doesn't know exactly where since dark fur covers his eyes as he continues to cry out his overwhelming frustrations. He’s suddenly set down in the middle of something familiar and soft. Mk opens his eyes and recognizes the familiar blankets and pillows beneath him.

It's the nest he and Macaque made the first time Mk had started chirping. He had kept it here? Mk’s hiccups and sobs crawled up his throat again as he was suddenly left alone without him ever noticing. He looks around the dim room for Macaque but doesn't see him anywhere, not in the room, not in the shadows. He’s nowhere to be found. What, did he just dump him in here to cry so he didn't bother Macaque with his annoying crying. He should have known, he should have known not to come and just cried it out on his own like he normally does. Instead of burdening other people with his issues. He should have known that he wouldn't get the comfort he sought for most.

He chirped again, this one louder than any he’s ever done before, then he sobbed and after another chirp. This repeating pattern of sobs and chirps as he curled up and hid his face into his knees is what causes something to drop outside. He grips onto his hair again, hands desperate to do anything while he sobs.

Suddenly something breaks closer to him and then hits the wall, before Mk can register what exactly that sound was he’s being pulled into those same warm warms and soft frantic apologies.

“I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry.” Something else warm and fluffy wrapped over Mk’s back and then around Macaque.

“Im wasn't gonna be gone for long. I'm sorry, see I grabbed a blanket for you. I'm sorry.”  Macaque wrapped an arm around Mk’s back rubbing gentle circles and his other hand combed Mk’s hair.

“Shhh, it's okay, let it out, let it all out.”

Mk grabbed onto Macaque as if his life depended on it, letting out frustrations even he didn't think he was still holding.

First Wukong not talking to him, avoiding the subject like he always did, leading to the Lady Bone Demon disaster, his best friend almost burning alive within the samadhi fire, Wukong getting possessed. Anything and everything going wrong till their on their last legs, barely coming up with a plan to save the world from being completely destroyed.

It all weighed so heavy on him, sure everything is okay now…but it isn't. It's not okay, nothing is okay and it hasn't been for a long time.

So he cries, he cries and he cries till his throat is sore, till his arms become too stiff to hold on anymore and he leans limp against Macaque.  Face red and stained with tears. Macaque grabs something off to the side and brings it close to Mk’s face, he wipes away the snot and tears then throws the tissue in a random corner to deal with later. Mk isn't crying anymore, tears still build and fall down his face but he can't bring himself to care. He’s too tired to care at all over something as small as a tear.

Mk blinks and looks around, Macaque's house is the same as ever, he doesn’t know if that's a good or bad thing. The nest is mostly the same, a few pillows in different places but that's the only difference. Mk wonders for a moment if Macaque’s been sleeping in the nest since they made it, if it's still here then it must be being used. Right? Mk hums to himself with that thought and looks at Macaque. He can't really see his face since he’s leaning against his chest, but because of the angle, he notices scar’s on Macaque's chest. Weirdly placed scars that seem familiar but Mk cant-

Oh.

“Macaque?” Mk croaks, his voice sore and quiet due to all his crying.

“Hmm, yes? Do you need some water, another blanket?”

“Your trans?” Mk asks, looking up at macaque now, still leaning against him.

Macaque stared down at Mk, taking a breath in before answering. “...yeah,” he says, tightening his hold on Mk just slightly. Mk hums, putting his head back down.

“Me too.” he yawns, fighting the urge to let his eyes close.

“Really?” Macaque asks gently, combing through Mk’s now untangled hair. It wasn't much of a real question as it was to keep Mk distracted. Macaque had his suspicions but didn't comment on it. Felt it best not too.

“Mhm,” Mk hums, relaxing into the touch on his scalp. Something about the gentle caresses through his hair is just so…relaxing. So comforting. More so than any other form of comfort he’s experienced. It's soothing enough to just, fall asleep.

“Mei…Mei helped me get binders…and” Mk yawns “cut my hair….”

“I think you make a fine young man Mk.” Macaque hums, resting his head onto Mk’s head.

Mk sighs and finally closes his eyes “hmm, thanks…Momma.”

Macaque’s breath hitches, his fingers in Mk’s hair pauses and his tail lightly thumps against the floor.

“M…Mk?”

Mk deosnt reply.

“Kid?”

Mk breathes slowly and gently against his chest.

Macaque resumes his combing, letting his cub sleep. He needs the rest after crying that much. He can't bring himself to wake him up just to….

Momma

Macaque breathes, shaken and unsteady. His head still atop Mk’s. he doesn't know what to do when his heart leaps and something unfamiliar and scary builds in his chest. Yet it doesn't hurt, it doesn't make him cry. It's warm and protective. So he lets the feeling stay as he holds Mk against him. And with a sigh, he closes his eyes and lets himself rest.

Macaque stays there for a moment, not wanting to move MK from where he was clearly comfortable but after what happened last time MK was here he wasn't so sure. So after a moment of hesitation, he grabbed MK’s phone, but this time he didn’t bother just texting Pigsy or even calling him. Instead, he sent Pigsy’s contact to his own phone, then used his phone to call the restaurant.

“ Pigsy’s Noodles, home to the world's longest noodle. We’re not currently doing take-out orders but pick-ups are available. ” Pigsy’s voice said and Macaque hesitated.

“Pigsy, it’s Macaque. Don’t say anything, please, I know Wukong is there.”

A bit of silence, “ I see, how can I help you? ” Pigsy asked and Macaque let out a relieved sigh.

“MK just showed up at my place crying his eyes out. I don’t know what happened but I can guess… I just didn’t want you guys to worry. He’s with me, he’s safe, he’s just sleeping.”

“ Got it. Alright then. ”

“Do you want me to bring him back? I can take him to his apartment after Wukong leaves.”

More silence before Pigsy let out a sound that almost sounded like a sigh of acceptance. “ You know what, I don’t think we’re interested tonight. How about you keep the delivery at your warehouse tonight and drop it off tomorrow? I’m not sure we have the room in storage for it. ”

Macaque felt his eyes start to burn with tears as his tail flicked slightly. “Really?”

“ Yeah, why not. Other than a few bruised veggies I’ve never had any issues with your company. Just know that I’ll be keeping my eye on you and I’ll be sure to check the goods for bruises and damages upon drop off. Understood? ”

“I understand. Thank you, Pigsy… thank you.”

“ Don’t thank me. Enjoy your day off. ” Pigsy said then hung up.

Macaque looked at his phone before he put it down and relaxed.

Pigsy trusted him? After everything he’d done, Pigsy still trusted him? It was amazing and made his chest feel tight. Pigsy trusted him with MK, and he trusted him enough with him that he was letting MK stay the night. Though this did come with a bit of preparation.

Moving slowly he formed a clone to take his spot as MK’s pillow, continuing the pattern of hair petting that Macaque had been doing before Macaque left the room. He went to a more lofted area where his hammock was spread out and his clothes were discarded all around the room. He scrunched his nose, going towards the wardrobe as his tail swished. He didn’t have a lot of clean clothes left but he had a long-sleeved red shirt and black sweatpants with a blue and black “RavenClaw” patch on the left thigh.

‘ They’re all I’ve got to work with so he can use these. I just hope they’re not too big. ’ He thought, grabbing them both and taking it to the nest. He then put the clothes down on the corner of the nest, checking on the clone who gave a smile and a thumbs up telling Macaque that he can keep doing what he was doing.

Macaque smiled softly walking back into the main part as his tail swished.

‘ Now… dinner. What do kids eat? Noodles? It's too risky with Wukong there. Uh… maybe I have something ?” He thought, walking over to his cupboards.

Moldy bread, soggy old crackers, rice that had been gotten into by mice (gross), the milk could have been categorized as its own ecosystem just by looking at it through the carton, and there was something growing in a tupperware at the back of the fridge. Macaque’s ears drooped slightly, as he began to dump all of the food into the trash. One trash bag turned into two, then three. Finally, all that was left was canned soups that expired nearly a year prior. Hell, there was even a can that expired 5 years ago.

‘ What is this my emotional support can of soup? Why did I bring this everywhere with me? ’ He thought, flicking his tail with annoyance as he held it over the trash bag. ‘ It’s probably still good though. ’ He decided, putting it back in the cupboard.

Once the cupboards and fridge were clear of old and rotten food he took the bags out towards the alleyway dumpster. He then got to work on clearing the counter of old, broken, moldy, or plastic/paper dishes were either thrown away or put in the sink to be washed.

‘ When was the last time I cleaned? Why am I cleaning now? I guess it’s a good idea, MK could get sick if I don’t. I need to make sure the dojo is at least safe for him to walk through and stuff. ’ He thought, tying off another bag once it was full.

He continued cleaning the dojo, little by little making mental notes about broken glass, broken pieces of floor, and anything that was growing in corners. The longer he worked the more comfortable got until finally, he reached a point of comfort in the situation that he even began to sing and hum to himself.

Songs from musicals, old songs he’d caught others singing or new songs he’d heard over the radio. It didn’t matter, he sang whatever came to mind as he cleaned.

The dojo - for the first time since he trained MK - felt light and warm. A new kind of safety, comfort, and joy seemed to flow through the broken windows and empty halls. But why couldn’t he have done this when MK wasn’t here? Why could he only do it now that MK was sleeping in the other room? It didn’t make sense but honestly, Macaque didn’t need it to make sense.

Because it felt right.

It felt safe .

‘ Mama… ’ He thought again, ‘ I think I could get used to that… ’

When MK woke up it was to the sound of singing from another room. He blinked open his eyes, whimpering at the tightness in his chest where his binder sat as he sat up and rubbed his ribs. He then went to speak to Macaque who was now sitting behind him just to pale slightly when he realized by the slightly off appearance that it was a clone.

“Macaque?” He asked hesitantly as the clone picked up some clothes from the edge of the nest and held it out to him. The clone then tapped his shoulder where the binder straps sat. “You want me to change?”

The clone nodded.

‘ Macaque’s clones are strange… they’re not like mine but they’re not like Wukongs. It’s weird. ’

MK grabbed the clothes then got up as the clone dropped into the shadows and slipped out of the room without saying a word. MK then shook his head, pulling off his shirt before putting it on the nest. He then rolled up the binder slightly, slipping his thumbs under the shoulder straps as he pulled it up then over his head. The shirt that had been given to him was a bit dusty but not unbearably so and thick enough to hide himself. He shook the dust out of it, before pulling it on, the large shirt going down to his upper thighs making him feel like a little kid in his dad’s shirt. It was fun! He then pulled off his jeans, replacing it with RavenClaw pajama bottoms.

‘ RavenClaw, huh? ’ He thought, tying the strings so that they were snug around his waist. The only problem was that the pants had a small hole in the back for Macaque’s tail, but at least the shirt covered the hole. ‘ This is nice… but why? ’ He thought, picking up his phone as he looked at the messages he’d received since falling asleep.

Wukong had sent; Sorry, bud. We’ll talk about it someday, I promise. I hope you’re not too mad. Please be safe.

The message had hurt a bit, but knowing that it was as close to an answer as he was going to get for a while he just let out a sigh and went to the other message he’d gotten.

Pigsy had said; Told the monkey to watch after you tonight, that being said your window is unlocked if you want to come home. Take care of yourself, kiddo. We’ll see you tomorrow.

MK smiled, that explained some things at least. If Macaque was told to let him stay then of course Macaque would try to find him something to sleep in. Though, that didn’t tell him what the singing was about.

Walking towards the door he slowly peeked out and into the main area of the dojo. To his surprise it was clean. Something that MK hadn’t seen since he had been training with Macaque. Though there was something even more surprising and that was the fact that Macaque was the one singing as he swept the floors. He looked and sounded so happy.

‘ Did he want a sleepover that badly? ’ MK thought, stepping the rest of the way out. “M-Macaque?”

Macaque quickly turned, then cleared his throat. “O-oh! Hey, bud. How’d you sleep?” He asked, looking a bit sheepish.

“Good, how long was I out?”

“Uh, about an hour or two? How do the clothes fit?”

“They’re a bit big, but they’re cozy.” MK said, gently flapping the sleeves of the shirt as they fell over his hands.

To both the surprise of MK and Macaque the dark-furred monkey let out a soft almost purring-like noise before he coughed into his fist.

“Great! Uh, so I don’t have a lot of things to eat so I hope you can at least tolerate some of this canned stuff?”

MK looked at the options, eventually picking up one of the cans. “I’ll try this one. Pigsy spoils me quite a bit so I don’t eat a lot of canned things.” He laughed.

“That’s good. Canned shit isn’t good for people to eat all the time.” Macaque said, grabbing a can and opening it with the can opener before gently taking MK’s can and popping it open too. He then poured the contents of MK’s can into a pot and put it on the stove while he just grabbed a fork and began to eat straight out of the can.

“You’ve done a lot of cleaning, it looks really good.” MK said, watching as Macaque’s tail flicked at the praise.

“Yeah? Don’t know what got into me if I’m being honest. Just kinda started and didn’t stop, y’know?”

MK nodded, “Yeah, I get it. You should have woken me up though, I could have helped.”

“No way, cub. You’re a guest, you don’t get to clean.” He said, stirring the pot for a moment. “So… wanna talk about what made you so sad?”

MK looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “I… was arguing with Wukong. It was dumb and I lost my temper so I stormed off like a child.”

Macaque shook his head, “Cub, you are a child, that doesn’t mean that you’re acting childish. You were hurt, mad, and sad. Your fight-or-flight kicked in and you chose flight until you could calm down. Knowing when to walk away, especially when you’re pissed , is important.” He said, booping MK’s nose with his tail, making MK giggle.

“Really?”

“Of course, bud. If you never knew when to walk away from an argument then every little squabble would turn into a fight to the death. It’s just as important to know when to walk away as it is to know when to keep on fighting.” Macaque said, pulling the food off of the heat, pouring it into a bowl with a spoon that he sat at an island for MK to eat.

“But… I thought heroes were never supposed to back down from a fight?”

Macaque shook his head, “Nah, the real heroes are the ones who know which fights need to be fought to the end.” He said, taking another bite of his cold still-canned food.

MK nodded slowly, sitting at the island as he began to eat his food. “Macaque… why does Wukong keep saying you’re dangerous?”

He regretted asking the question as soon as it came out, watching the way the monkey bristled slightly then looked down as though avoiding the scolding of a parent.

“Because I am dangerous, MK. Sun Wukong… he’s right about that. I’ve hurt people, a lot of people including him… especially him. Wukong isn’t wrong for trying to keep me away from you and honestly if I could stand breaking your heart even just a little I would be staying away from you because I know that Wukong is keeping his eyes on me. He doesn’t trust me, and he has no reason to.”

“But you’re different, you’ve changed! You’re-”

Macaque put his can in the trash before he walked over, gently taking MK’s face between his hands. “I’m dangerous. Even if I’m not a danger to you at this moment… I’m still dangerous.”

“But how ? What aren’t you guys telling me? Why do you guys insist on keeping secrets from me to protect me but don’t explain when they hurt me?” He asked, not as angry as before but still just as hurt.

Macaque’s golden eyes scanned MK’s face sadly, “Okay… I’ll tell you a little, but I can’t tell you the full thing. Okay?”

MK relaxed, he would finally get answers? Really? Or was this just another trick? Gods, he was sick of tricks.

“Remember that story I told you; the one about the Hero and the Warrior?”

MK shuddered and Macaque shrunk down on himself slightly.

“I’m going to take that as ‘I wish I could forget’.” He said sadly, fixing MK’s hair before he jumped up onto the counter and sat down. Macaque rubbed his hands on his face, “Well, do you remember the part where I mentioned ‘the sun and the moon’?”

“I think so?”

“‘ The Hero and the Warrior were like the Sun and the Moon. Their light a protective glow shining upon the world. Together, there was nothing that could stop the two of them. Either in the Celestial Realms or on Earth’ .” He said and MK frowned, wondering where this was going. “It wasn’t all… metaphorical. I mean, most of it was but… not all of it. See… the moon itself has no light of its own. It doesn’t glow or shine at all without the help of the sun. But if the sun left the moon could - hypothetically - get other light from nearby stars. Does that make sense?”

“Not at all.” MK said as Macaque let out a soft laugh.

“Alright, more direct then. My powers are weak, bud. I have very little power compared to Monkey King - to you - but I am able to absorb access powers that more powerful Demons and Celestials put out in their day-to-day lives. It’s how I was able to do all that stuff with your powers the first time we met. But that was ‘the moon’ forcefully stealing light from the ‘sun’ and the ‘stars’.”

‘OH, I’M A STAR! Okay, things might make a bit more sense now.’ He thought but kept listening.

“With more casual and comfortable friendships and relationships and whatever I can gain power even faster. But… at a cost.”

“What kind of cost?” MK asked.

Macaque hesitated, ruffling his hair. “Story for another day, bud. Eat your food, that stuff tastes terrible cold.”

“Oh, okay… Wait, then why did you eat yours cold?!”

Macaque laughed, “Lack of self-preservation, don’t worry about it.”

“I’m immediately worried about it.” MK said with a soft scowl.

Macaque placed his hand on Mk’s face and gently pushed, chuckling at the way Mk’s face scrunches up and he stumbles in place. “Don't.” Macaque removes his hand and jumps off of the table. Then sets his empty bowl into the sink.

“I will.” Mk retorts immediately, staring down Macaque.

Macaque takes the empty dish from Mk’s hands and boops his nose, again chuckling as his face scrunches up cutely.

“ Ack, stop doing that!” Mk demands, watching Macaque put the dish in the sink.

“Hmmm.” Macaque approaches Mk.

“No,” he says, booping Mk’s nose again and earning the same reaction. Mk shakes his head and glares up at Macaque with no real venom while Macaque just smirks. Macaque reaches up to do it again but is stopped when Mk grabs his arm and then slaps his hand onto Macaque's face. Macaque lets out a surprised noise and brings up his other hand to grab at Mk but he lets go of Macaque and runs off laughing.

Macaque huffs and chases him, back into the room where the nest is. He vaguely recognizes how broken his doorknob is. Look he’s not accountable for the things his instincts do, he heard a crying baby. He's gonna break anything and anyone to get to the crying baby.

Suddenly Macaque is attacked by a heavy pillow hitting him in the face

“Hah payback!” Mk yells pointing at Macaque with another pillow in hand. Macaque pulls his pillow down and raises an eyebrow at Mk’s giggling shenanigans.

“Ooooh you do not want to go down that route kiddo,,”  Macaque says playfully. Mk’s glare on Macaque hardens.

“Bring it. Old man. ”

Macaque gasps with half fake offense “you little-” Macaque leaps towards Mk and Mk yelps, jumping away from Macaque with his pillow.

Macaque is quick to drop the pillow and chase Mk on all fours, jumping on different tables and chairs as Mk continues to scream and run through the room. Dodging Macaques every ‘attack’. Till finnaly Mk trips on a blanket and Macaque leaps to grab Mk, they both yell and tumble into the nest laughing. They end up in the middle of the nest, Mk laying on Macaques side and both of them laughing till their lungs hurt.  

“Haha…who’s old now… squirt, ” Macaque said between laughs and breathes.

“Still you.” Mk laughed out.

Macaque grabbed Mk by the middle with a fake roar and pulled him close. Again Mk yelped and faked an attempt at escaping.

“Nooooooooo!” Mk laughed while Macaque dug his head into Mk’s head.

“Yeeeeeeessss!” Macaque grumbled.

Macaque smiled, loosening his grip on MK slightly, before running his finger through the kid's hair once again. “As fun as all of this is, if you keep picking a fight I will have no choice but to bring out the big guns and break my promise to your father~”

“Big guns?” MK tilted his head, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you keep calling me old, I’ll have to do this. ” He grabbed MK’s headband, using it to turn his head to the side before he blew a raspberry on MK’s cheek.

MK let out a shriek, kicking his feet as he laughed, grabbing at his headband. “Stop! Mercy! You win!”

“Oh? Are you sure? Because there’s a lot more where that came from, I’ve been saving them.” Macaque said as MK chuckled.

“I’m sure.” MK said, “You’re not old.”

“Good.” Macaque let him go and relaxed.

“You’re ancient. ”

“OI!” He said, grabbing MK again. But this time he rolled Mk over forcefully and pulled him into his chest. The little cub squirmed a bit but Macaque didn't let go, even as his tail grabbed the nearby blanket and pulled it over them. Mk finally freed his head from Macaque's hold and took a deep dramatic breath in.    

“You stink.”

“What?”

“Your old and your stinky,” Mk said digging his face back into Macaques fur.

“Am I really?” Macaque chuckles lightly.

“Yeah and I bet you snore like an old man, an old stinky man.”

“Your so kind.” Macaque sighs.

“Mhm, I know.” Mk smiles, wrapping his arms around Macaque. Macaque does the same, then commands a shadow to reach up and flip the light switch. Turning off all the lights of the room.

The moonlight is now the only thing illuminating the room. Macaque traces its light with his eyes and how it leaks through his windows and over the various pieces of furniture and blankets till it reaches Mk. His cub really is adorable, especially with the light illuminating his features. If Mk didn't look like he was trying to fall asleep Macaque would pinch his cheek right here and now bit decided against it to let him sleep peacefully.

Macaque wrapped his tail around Mk and sighed, again noting how the moonlight covers his cub. His cub, normally illuminated by the sun’s blinding light. Now here resting within the moon's dim lights, happily content and comfortable.

Macaque only wishes he could experience this more often.

Mk slurps loud and obnoxiously on his cheese tea, then munches down on a fresh and hot croissant.

Macaque had nothing good or fresh to eat for breakfast, he should probably get some for the next time Mk comes around. As long as other food things. He’d sure like to try some new snacks along with making sure Mk was fed well whenever he was around. But since he didn't have any good things to eat this morning he decided to buy himself and Mk some breakfast. Mk had insisted on cheese tea while the croissant was Macaque's idea.

“Thanks, Macaque!” Mk said, muffled by the croissant stuffed into his mouth.

“Sure.” Macaque tapped Mk’s back with his hand, gently pushing him “but maybe you should try taking smaller bites”

Mk leans over due to the push and his face scrunches up, he then straightens up and with his eyes closed tightly he swallows the entirety of the croissant. Macaque silently prepares himself to care for a choking cub, he’s sure that after this Pigsy is going to beat him away with a wooden spoon the next time he comes around. Although it seems Mk’s just fine as he throws a thumbs up with his free hand

“Hah, did it!”

“Why?” Macaque asks. Mk hums

“Because I can!’ He decides and Macaque chuckles to himself while shaking his head.

When they get to the noodle shop Macaque tenses, searching for any sign of Wukong yet he finds none, and most-not all he’d be a fool if he let down his guard tension falls.

“Hi, Pigsy!” Mk yells out, waving to the pig demon at the front of his shop messing with the open sign.

“Hey kid” Pigsy waves. Mk runs over to Pigsy leaving Macaques's side empty. As he approaches the two talking he takes notice of how empty it feels without Mk beside him, his tail gently grazing the ground where Mk once stood beside him. He dug his hands into his pockets and looked around the street. Trying not to feel awkward as Mk and Pigsy talked.

That is until the pig approached him with a white bag in his hand.

“Good job with the kid,” He said, holding the bag on his side. Macaque nodded.

“Y-yeah, anytime…for him,” Macaque said, watching as Pigsy stared him down. He almost felt like he was on the chopping block as Pigsy searched for something within him. Whatever he was searching for he seemed to find because the next thing he knows Pigsy is shoving the white bag into his arms.

“The kid likes you, I don't know why…I don't know what he sees in you but it's something…”

Macaque notes how the bag is warm with a container inside.

“Whatever it is for his sake I hope he’s right…about you”

Macaque sniffs the air and realizes its noodles, fresh and warm noodles.

“Don't disappoint him, okay,” Pigsy says. Letting Macaque grab the bag and removing his own arm from his chest to step back.

Macaque looks up from the bag and to Pigsy. Something clicks in him. Seeing Pigsy confront him while Mk stands a bit of a ways behind him. Just enough so that their conversation is private but Mk is still present. Pigsy cares for Mk just as much as Macaque does. Protective and warm. He wants to hold onto this feeling. He never wants to let it go. Not again. He can't ever let his light fade from his life again.

“Okay…”

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Hehehe i wrote the breakdown scene btw hehehhee If ur from my fics YOU KNOW THE DRILL LINE UP Kicks bucket TEARS GO IN HERE THANK YOU VERY MUCH. FOR COMPENSATION YOU GET A WEIGHTED BLANKET AND A HOT DRINK. Thank you so much for reading. See you guys next time!!! -Stella

(Stella is so awesome, if you haven't checked out their stuff you should. Their writing and art is just absolutely amazing! I also hope that these chapters help make up for the lack of chapters of Monkies Aren't Alright lately. I'm trying to give the Season 4 Specials/Season 4 to come out in English. But I'm still working on it, I promise :D) - Ari

[yesimwriting]

i am absolutely obsessed with final girl!!! it is so good and the way you write everybody, including y/n is perfect ! i love how y/n is observant and picks up on a lot of the weird things that stu and billy do and say and then brush it off cause of her upbringing, its a perfect way to have the reader pick up on the clues yet not ruin the plot! (please use this ask to explain and rant away about it because i am obsessed with their dynamic in every way possible!!)

im curious, does the reader being from texas mean anything for the plot and the backstory? if not then i am seriously overthinking it and im going mad 😭😭

i cant wait for the next update but of course take your time!! hope you have a good day/night!!

Hi!! omg this ask is exactly what i needed!!

Thank you for picking up on how Y/n is observant but then brushes it off!! that's something i'm super intentional about when writing chapters, especially bc i've always felt like fics feel more realistic/immersive when the reader does notice things that can influence plot,, but sometimes it's hard bc i have to think of a way for billy and stu to cover up what they do 😭

but i try! a large reason it works is bc of their dynamic,, that i will always be willing to go into heavy detail about!

Y/n doesn't have a ton of experience with close guy friendships. It's partly bc of her mom being relatively "strict" in that area and that area alone, and it's partially bc of where she grew up. Lots of lifelong friendships in a small, southern town before the move,, which i'll be exploring a little more really soon in the series!!

but anyways, the point i'm getting at is that in those towns, any guys you're friends with barely feel like boys bc you've grown up with them. They're basically your brothers. So Y/n's a little...i don't like using the word naive bc it's not exactly that...i see her as trusting and inexperienced.

She's aware just enough to be like hm...this feels a little weird, but once billy or stu offer any kind of explanation or breeze past it casually enough she just assumes that it can't be too bad. A tiny bit of it is a gender assumption thing...like oh, it's a guy thing to be a little cagey and play around with girls that are just friends like that bc they're a little flirty.

But that's just a fraction of why she dismisses things, it's a baseline thinking that she chooses to lean into subconsciously bc billy and stu wanted her to feel borderline dependent on them,, and honestly, they've done a good job so far.

ik we don't have a tonnn of canon details on the og friend group when things were nice and normal before billy and stu went on their little stab spree,, but i definitely picture them as being that group,, you know the ones where they're super solid but still feel comfortable hanging out in different combinations of pairing. I feel like they're also the kind of friend group where people that go to the same school/are in the same age range see hanging out in public and a tiny part of them wishes they were apart of it bc once you're "in" you're "in" and even if you're kind of a sideline piece in the friend group, it'd still be great.

(Opening of part 8 is actually a friend group bonding thing to explore this a little more!!)

Anyways, all this is to say that Y/n's still feels like she's circling around "in",, so at first, she lets things slide bc she likes all of them and the friend group is the only thing making the move bearable. And if you're referencing all the advances they get away with--especially Stu--it's bc it's also done in front of the entire group, and if it's not a big deal to everyone (especially their girlfriends), why should she make it a big deal? Plus, when Stu goes out of his way to do it,, it's kind of like announcing that y/n's "in".

Then, after some time has passed, they started getting away with more and more until they got to the point that we see them in in the actual fic. The end goal was always to have y/n look like the group's friend (to keep from suspicion) but be closest to them,, and they're not smart for nothing, it's definitely working.

Now the reason they get away with so much isn't so much y/n being scared of losing out on the group, but scared of losing them. Even though y/n definitely sees everything that's happened between them as platonic, they're her boys now. Things are easy to dismiss because she feels like she knows them. Sure, there might be the odd comment or reaction, but it's nothing worth looking too closely at. Not when she's comfortable, and they've been consistent enough that even the new questionable things can fall under the umbrella of 'oh they're just like that'.

They're also tactful about the behavior they make obvious and planting seeds that explain it, especially billy. I see billy as being a little more in touch/at least aware of how other people that are wired without the murder mindset feel. Like he knows that bouts of possessiveness/jealousy that aren't justifiable make him look bad and might even make him off putting.

I think this awareness comes from how close I picture his mom and him being. I've always felt like there was probably some unhealthy co-dependency between billy and his mom, which factors into how he views attachment and gave him some more awareness on other people's feelings. It's not a perfect view, but at least something he factors in. Definitely feel like the thought of being left makes billy panic, so that's why he at least tries to think things through. If he acts normal in front of y/n and thinks about how things would make him seem, she won't leave.

That's part of the reason billy goes out of his way to plant explanations for behaviors that aren't under control. He tells stu to mention his family when he apologizes and he'll mention his own dad when he wants sympathy points. He knows how to tug on y/n's heartstrings/empathy.

Stu's tactic is the opposite of being subtle. He gets away with things because he's him. I think he definitely hides darker/more serious toxicity under a layer of open toxicity that feels lighthearted. Like he's easily 'set off' but his moodiness doesn't off put y/n bc it's played off as being almost meanly oversensitive. It'd annoy y/n a lot more from anyone else bc when stu's good, he's great, and he's always been open about it.

And as far as y/n being from texas there are some reasons!! it comes up a little in part 8 for the first time! no spoilers, but part of the reason is bc i pictured Gloria, y/n's mom, as one of those southern-y, larger than life moms. There was also a scene that I took out of part 6 that I'm going to use later (probably in chapter 8, but might reserve it) about y/n and her ability to shoot. Texas has pretty lax gun culture, so there's a scene where y/n shows that she's a good shot bc her mom's been taking her to a shooting range for years. It's a way for her defend herself from ghostface!!

I also wanted y/n's hometown to be far away for a couple reasons. More of a start over feel, if she ever tries to go back it could cause some tension bc of distance, explains why she doesn't have anyone else around, etc

[capcavan]

AFTG tfc ch2 Re Read by cavan

Chapter 2 notes under the cut

back to learning English

It was the weight of his teammate's stare that brought Neil's gaze almost right to him the minyard stare <3 "the normal one"

bro i would end my career there if they all refereed to me as basic bitch Milport Dingo damn they all like their animals don't they "the all black assemble aarondrew wore did nothing to make him taller" damn neil had no idea you are fashionista about what colour pronounce what silhouette types anyone marked that down? Brakes screeched as taxi slammed to a stop inches from aarondrew's pint sized body Kevin had been glued to Andrew's side since the transfer- ofc he is they are dating even if Andrew did not got the memo, one sided Anvin is my jam

I'm sure i am not the first person to point this out but the way neil already ships it has me Both of Kevins husbands share the fact that they told him to fuck off I don't believe in forgivness Do you belive in fate Do you belive in luck do you read tarot Aarondrew minyard chapter 2 Aarondrew is such not careful asshole driver i demand you all to start writing him getting into traffic accidents what the fuck, literary the only reason he is avoiding any right nos is him being in very noticeable nice black car nobody wants to risk damaging "It's too nice of a car to wreck" "Don't be so afraid to die" You are playing for class 1 team (worst one but still!) with Kevin on your side , People are always willing to bleed for him, you've seen the news i have seen it ok.. what was on the news ??? Kevin day and his adoptive brother Riko Moriyama , ok second time <3 <3 <3 kind of off they keep having to refer to this as adoptive brother lmao marking this once would be enough considering they are different ethnicities

ok but kevin had his hand broken what was riko doing? why did he missed game in january ???? in ec its supposedly mentioned testuji beat him up love that :) nicky has jet black hair and brown eyes and darker skin tone ... jet black .. hair ... literary never seen anyone draw him this way nicky deserved so much better "i am hella materialistic" who tf introduces themselves this way neil noting that he cant escape by jumping out of the window makes me wonder how this series would go if the fox dorm wasn't so high up? woudl they get attacked by the mob throwing rocks and other shit into their dorm ? woudl neil escape dorm through windows ?

Neil examining aarons package yeah its not the cigarettes you are after i know it wymacks apartment -covered in paperwork -empty coffe mugs -overfilled ashtrays neil has this thing going on where he can taste blood when stressed i shall remember that nicky stealing painkillers I wonder if andrew just ... casually helps stealing whiskey for kevin on regural ,, i hate coming home and finding you in my apartment" i would too if i lived in such mess "i don't need to be persuasive you just learn to do what i say" sorry my kness are weak

[ganondoodle]

Hey, I adore your artstyle mate, I loveeee all the vivid colors and the fact that most of it lacks lines?? You doing the hard stuff, but it paying off 💜

can I ask, as I’d like to get into comic making, how long does it take you to finish a a single panel?

Hi!! thank you very much!! drawing lineart is incredibly frustrating to me so im very glad i was able to make the jump to mostly lineless artwork, tho im very much still at the beginning to learn how to do it xD

to answer your question, i .. cant say really, it depends on what is on the panel, and i always jump around when working on a page, i draw half of the very last panel, then jump to another, maybe i see something i want to change right away and work on the third besides i ... dont know anything about panel composition, i think in movies so i play it and try to pause it on a frame that could work as a panel, whichs is probably why it goes alot slower than normal comics, idk how much to skip gndfjknvgfdjk

im by no means an expert in making comics, you kinda have to find your own way of what works for you, i have done many in the past but all failed, i gave up before getting even one chapter done many times

general advice i can give you is, most importantly, dont wait, i know its daunting to start, but you have to start, even if you dont think you are good enough, you will always change and improve anyway, better start now or you might do it never, and remember, when a page is done its done, i know how tempting it is to go back and redo it, but if you start with that it will only lead to an endless cycle of remaking it over and over

a cause that made me abandon my old projects, was partly lack of support/recognition, but mostly that i was forcing myself to things that werent fun, like one i made in black and white bc i thought you had to do it bc color takes too long, but i live for colors, so it drained the fun out of it immediately

the only "rules" i have set for myself is that its understandable, the flow of the action doesnt flip around too much, speech bubbles are aligned in a way that guides you (of course im not perfect at that either and always learn); i dont jump between pages, i jump between working on panels, but i dont start another page before the previous is at least acceptable, otherwise id get ahead of myself and get impatient, just wanting to skip ahead and neglect older pages; and that i only work on a panel/page as long as it has acceptable quality and is fun to draw, when i notice im getting bored or frustrated i finish it quickly as best as i can and move on, otherwise it might drag the entire project down, which is why each panel or page in 'Destiny' varies alot in quality

i can barely look at the first pages .. or even at the last one i made for that matter, but its also fascinating, how much my art changes within even one update which takes me about a month for 4 pages, since i have set my 'fun' rules at least, it used to take much longer (i wish i was faster, and i could be, but i have a job, and have to look out for my health, both physically and mentally, so i take whatever time i need and draw however much i feel like drawing, no rushing)

my progress so far is that i write a rough script, what happens, what dialog, where it ends, and so on, it doesnt have to sound good, god knows mine are shitty xD but its a good guideline, even if rough! then i make a rough draft, basic panel layout, dialog (it always changes fro mthe script, again its more liek a guideline than a rule ;) ) then i start with actually drawing the first page, my art and way of .. art and writing changes incredibly fast (idk if its for the better lol) so .. by that point i redraw the rough draft version of the page if i see how it works better, rewrite dialog too, and even cut stuff from the rough draft

im not done with the first chapter (im slow af lol), but wrote the script for the second one when my hand was injured and i couldnt draw for a month, once im done with this chapter i will draw the rough draft for ch2, then write the script for ch3 then go and draw ch2 fully, at least thats the plan the more time passes the more i know what the next chapters are gonna be, tho i know the important points long before; right now i have the entirety of the first arc sepeareted into chapters, and the end of it all too, but between there its still a lil blurry and im adjusting everytime i think of soemthing better

anyway, sorry for that long ass ramble, its late and i thoguht about this ask bc im trying to get my want to draw back (not feeling well rn nkfdnkd) so i randomly decided to answer it .. probably in the most unhelpful way possible, alot of stuff noone aksed for lol

anyway, sorry, and goodnight uwu

[misslauwie]

Why hold them to a different bar?

Am a baby army. And honestly I am not sorry to say that Jimin recruited me and hes my ultimate bias within the Group. Hence why I will write this post which I think also applies to the other members as well not just Jimin.

I do wonder sometimes why BTS fans hold BTS to an impossible standard? Been reading in the socmed where some have been criticizing JM for his lack of updates in social media. How then hes perceived and called the laziest member. & im indignant by those comments floating around on the internet. Because if you follow their story, lazy would be the farthest adjective to describe them. Each one of them.

Looking back for the past 10 years, they have produce more albums than Coldplay. Coldplay themselves have admitted it during one of the interview. And their songs broke language barrier by having beats that is so catchy you catch yourself singing along even though you cant speak Korean. And when you dig down to the meaning behind their songs / music, you find a message so profound and good that is much needed in the current time where people like to tear eo down behind anonymity.

So lets become a better human as Jimin always strive and lets learn to love better. They have teach us to love ourselves better and we owe it to them to love them better too. By giving them time and space to breathe and most importantly trust them that they will come back to us when they are ready.

If you are real army, you wont miss how much content they have provided for us for the last decade. Other idols / artists at least western ones dont even operate like BTS do. BTS have given the best 10 years of their youth to army. And even if Im a baby army, I feel sad sometimes coz surely they have their own needs too. Some says its occupational hazard. Is it really? Remember Chris Martin said that he feels protective of BTS coz they dont have the same freedom like other artists do. I agree with Chris.

Need to reiterate that they are more than just idols or comedians during Run eps to lift your moods up. They are brilliant musicians that comes only once in every generation. This is clearly shown by songs that they have produced individually. They love us enough to share their love to music.. dont sour it up and made them apathetic towards music because that will be the tragedy of the century.

Actually as much as I stan them and miss them and wait for new content. Sometimes I wonder if its fair to expect them to immediately come back as a group after their military duty. Even currently they are taking time to produce solo works and go to military one by one so that army can get contents. This is very heart warming. As Jimin said their argument within the group typically stem from how they feel about army. And now please lets pay it back and forward by giving them space and time and freedom to grow more beautifully in their 2nd chapter. A love that is stifling will stunt their growth instead of letting them florish.

Sometimes I wonder why they cant be like US musicians and also live a normal life. Because they are human first just like us. They have their own wants, needs, aspirations, family... Let them breathe and live life..

I really do feel that if more army send their assurances to each members that we will still be there waiting for them and love them and support them.. and they do not need to join the rat race... then they will be able to bloom even more brilliantly and will present us the best of their music that is even more stunning in colors from their rich life experiences. Remember they are musicians, artists.. and good art is not instant or made-to-order.

So lets stop second guessing what they are doing right now, why they are not hanging out w eo so much like previously. They live together for the better part of their teenage years. I do think its healthy that they branch out and have friendships / relationships outside of their group. If life teaches me something, some people that you have bonded especially in your younger days will stay through thick and thin even though you dont spend every waking moments with them. When you meet with them again you just click and bond again. Trust after this period of growth, their bond will continue to be strong. And who are we really to judge just from a glimpse of their lives thats pretty much curated for us to see?

I get it that BTS is inspiring and we love them so much because they are relatable. They are generous in terms of sharing their personal struggles and wins. And we should be grateful that they did. But its not a standard that we should hold them to for the rest of their lives.. They should be allowed their personal space to grow. Namjoon has said that KPoP doesnt allow them time to grow. Lets support them right now by giving them time to flourish individually.

Sorry for the ramblings but my heart just ache when I think that after 2 years of gruelling military duty where im sure its physically draining, mentally challenging.. we expect them to immediately become our personal entertainers by coming out as a group. I love them, i love their content, excited when they drop content but at the same time I dont want their "black swan" song to materialize.

If nothing else, pls realize that a musician or artist like BTS dont come in every generation. So please dont take them for granted and appreciate them.

[collectionoftulips]

hi! it's me! (once again, I'm so sorry if this is long or stupid, just feel free to ignore it!)

first of all, i dont know if it is intentional or if it is something that just grows out of you as you write further chapters, but i feel that these last chapters are more... intimate? i mean, they *feel* more intimate for us readers (or at least me). and it's so cool that as they begin trusting each other more and more, their relationship building up, so does the writing style. it's a bit magic, actually ✨

i would give my life for gregory and hyacinth in this fic, no questions asked. their support to anthony!!! i mean obviously the family is supportive, but something about the way they are so hyped warms my heart. and on the same line, i can already see hy and kate watching kate's old performances and kate helping her and becoming her role model, somehow (and anthony obviously melting at the sight of this)

also i feel like anthony every chapter when the new dance style is mentioned, searching on youtube. i know zero about dances so it is always fun and interesting to learn!!

i dont know what else to say, appart from that i love this fic and im always thinkin "oh i want to read the next one" and become frustrated when i just cant because of time. but it makes me happy to see the update email! and i find myself thinking of scenes througout my day

and... quotes time!!

"The lack of memory was not immediately apparent, but rather something that only became clear once he tried to backtrack his steps, there was just… nothing" im not going to lie, this sentence and at the beginning really scared me, i thought that he might have messed it up

"It wasn’t so much that he could remember seeing her, only that he could recall being aware of her." i GASPED. i don't know why, because it is actually not that huge, but this sentence really screams that he *likes* her, he *notices* her

"He told himself that there was something good about the fact that she waited by the door, holding it for him, instead of running in the other direction. That it was normal for the pang of affection that warmed his heart to be there as they stood almost near enough that he could smell the lilies of what he suspected was her hair conditioner." okay, this one is long but my sweet bean trying to convince himself that the pang is normal! oh sweetie

"The judges only saw a snapshot of his dancing, Kate saw everything, all the flaws and mistakes as well as the small progresses, and if she thought he could do this - who was he to disagree?" + "The certainty she expressed by stating this fact was almost enough to quell Anthony’s doubts" he trusts her so much and he is so moved by her trust, i could cry

"It was just dancing, Anthony knew that, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it didn’t feel a little bit like magic." just, screaming. that's it

and that final quote... my boy is flling fast!!

once again, thank you thank you thank you for this fic! im sorry if this is messy or has typos but im writing on the notes app so that i dont forget anything, just fresh out of the reading. anyway, thank you and have a great day! ❤️❤️💕

It is not long or 'stupid' in the slightest - don't apologise. I am just sorry it's taken me ages to respond. I blame the cold I had though, which seems to have robbed the concept of time from me entirely. I really love these asks I get, they genuinely make my day.

I'm so glad you feel like the chapters are growing gradually more intimate - it was definitely something I was hoping to convey with the progression of each chapter and each stage of the competition. I'm so thrilled you like it ❤️

I love writing Hyacinth and Gregory in this story. I also find their unwavering support for Anthony's endeavours really endearing and hopefully this most recent chapter that I just posted gives some extra context as to why and hints a bit more clearly at the type of relationship they have with him.

I don't know anything about these dances either and I actually look up some of the basic steps on YouTube and learn some vague rules for each dance to help me write it a bit better, and it's so much fun.

Genuinely, thank you so much for these asks, they are so sweet and kind ❤️ Been feeling a bit iffy about my writing recently and this helps me a lot not being all like 'I'm just gonna throw in the towel because clearly my writing is meh'. So thank you ❤️

[blackhallow]

I CANT BELIEVE ITS FINISHED ALREADY 😭😭😭 CANT WAIT FOR WHATEVER U HAVE PLANNED NEXT !!!

SUGURU AND MAKI BONDING WAS HONESTLY SO SATISFYING THAT ENTIRE PART WAS VERY SLAY (I GET WHAT U MEAN WHEN U SAID SUGURUS REALLY GOING THROUGH IT)

NOBARA BEING #LOYAL🙏💪💪🔥🔥🔥🔥

yuki's little ducklings 💀 im just imagining those ducks that cross the road woth the milf duck being at the forefront and the ducklings following and then just people road raging in the background because of the traffic

todosistermaki 😍😍😍 (that is all i cannoot express it in words....so my keyboard smash will have to do pojigyuvgedckvogturjnewkgt....hope u got all of that)

nobara and todo might be getting into fights with students at their school (im genuinely assuming abt nobara but tbh it rly sounds like something she would do like she would totally get into a fist fight with someone) but yuki's getting into fights with the parents. every parent-teacher meeting is a nightmare for nobara WAIT I JUST REALISED THE IMPLICATION THAT TODO DROWNS HIMSELF IN AXE BODY SPRAY HELP IM DYING AT THIS 😭😭😭 (SOMETIMES I GENUINELY FEEL CONCERNED BY WHAT YUKI TAUGHT HIM.....THEN AGAIN SHE PROBABLY HAD AN AXE BODY SPRAY PHASE TOO....)

UNSURPRISINGLY THE SIBLING BONDING WAS MY FAVORITE

she rly took her takada shirt off just so that maki wouldnt come to know 😭 todo wanting to marry takada (poor thing was so engrossed by the idea of marrying an idol he sees like maximum once a month idk how often fan greets happen that he didnt notice the way takada made moves on mai 😭😭 maybe one day very far into the future)

OREO STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT AS ALWAYS <333

“Oh so when he wants to cuddle he’s yours but when he’s a problem he’s my son?” 😂😂😂😂😂

KFC???? IN THIS HOUSEHOLD????? NAUR WAY LMFAO (i thought for a second this was abt the satosugu breakup but then i realised its actually a tradition in japan for people to get kfc during christmas HELP)

NOBARA FUMI SAORI REUNION AT LAST !!!!! fumi being unsettled by panda (he probably catches on at some point and starts messing with her on purpose)😭😭 saori not batting an eye like the true city girl she is 💪💪 nobara being very!!!! obvious!!!!! abt maki but its so sweet tbh

(SATORU'S ROMANTIC ESCAPADE BEING TRAUMATIZING FOR HER HELP 💀💀🙏🙏🙏🙏BUT ALSO GOOD FOR HIM I THINK)

I LOVF THE YUKI APPRECIATION IN THIS CHAPTER OMG I STAN OUR CLEANLINESS QUEEN ( I TOO CANNOT STAND THINGS NOT BEING CLEANED IMMEDIATELY I LOVE HER FOR THAT) GETO DESCRIBING HER AS "BEING LIKE A CHILD" 😭

THIS CHAPTER WAS JUST SO SWEET OVERALL OMG

JDHFSJDHSJSJ HELLO YOU ARE VERY SLAY!!!!

It is over and that makes me very sad but reading all of this has made me extremely happy so tyyy <3333 And now I wish I could draw because that image of like Yuki and the kids as ducks crossing a road is going to be forever engraved in my brain and I love that!!!! Omg. She's truly embarrassing yes she is, poor Nobara man she has to deal with that but in return Yuki has to deal with HER so .... idk who is more stressed out.

And omg I was rereading Todo's scenes in the manga right and volume 5's extras say that he always smells nice and it bothers the girls at the Kyoto school and I was just like mmm why would it bother them??? So that's where the axe thing came from kshdfkhasSDJ not to mention the extra also says he's mad at the rule that bans idols from dating because he wants to marry Takada RIGHT NOW (literally Gege's words, not mine) This man is so unserious that girl is clearly gay but anyways. Teenage Yuki having an axe body spray phase... no words. That has killed me. But !!!!!! I'm actually so glad that part was your favorite because I was kicking my feet twirling my hair writing it I found it hysterical sdkfhds

And I wondered if anyone was going to mention stsg with the KFC thing SDHGFASJFGD listen. They have appropriated that in this fandom but I'm taking it back. It's normal ok?

Stoppp Panda messing with Fumi SDHSDJF that is so real. Mannnnn like always your asks just make me laugh my ass off. In regards to Geto and Yuki I am obsessed with the idea that Yuki just has fun in her time off and she's just like. very chill. likes to party. And Geto's like... a boomer who goes to sleep at 7pm and complains about jetlag. LMAO.

ANYWAYS thank you for this!!!!!! Seriously puts a smile on my face :D :D I'm glad you enjoyed it and so happy you take the time to send me these because SDJGEISAKFS

[m1ckeyb3rry]

TODO THROWING HIMSELF AT Y/N LMAOOO im crying the idolization is so funny

Ok the little friendship with todo thing is funny and cute in a this-is-kinda-weird way LMAOO I’ve never seen a work that incorporates Todo as a friend of y/n this is very entertaining to read LOL

Gojo singing Taylor swift is so real LMAOOO

Ok time skip because I got lost in reading LOL but “you’re a freak” “you’re a girl” BRO??? That’s so Naoya you captured him so well but also I CANT it’s almost TOO naoya but y/n todo unlikely friendship????

Ok got to shibuya and WOW wasn’t prepared to cry!! You’d think that after reading the manga like twice and seeing everything that’s happened you’d be desensitized to the angst in jjk but NOPE!! This just brings me back to when I first read through the shibuya arc oh god Im gonna need some goofy soccer boys after this….also you know its bad when i read Kurusu as Karasu LMAOO

Ok but NOOOOOO TULLIA???? Crying fr but also seeing all the complexities and hardships y/n has to go through….all the drama and complications with the clan heads and higher ups and seeing her own decisions >>>> y/n giving up fighting makes me feel slightly conflicted ngl but that’s the nature of jjk (haha! Ha…) either way beautifully written I spent like the entirety of the day reading all this

By the photo album was the last straw HEBFLISHSS now I remember why I dropped jjk im not built for pure angst like this (also I have no idea what’s happening in the manga rn but that’s besides the point)

Ok THANK GOD Y/N IS NOT DEAD just finished and WOW that was a ride “cool story bro” indeed…ok but in all seriousness seriously beautifully crafted and so well developed I loved how each facet of y/n’s background as also touched on and delved into during the progression of the story…..I’m never getting over Gojo’s death though this just transported me back to jjk era and made me so emotional (in a good way) LMAO thank you for your service once again o7 I can guarantee you Yuta nation was well fed with this series!!

-Karasu anon

NDDJDHSHS TODO + Y/N HAVE THE BEST FRIENDSHIP i also really haven’t seen many stories where todo is friends w the mc especially not in a serious way — either he’s there as comedic relief or the mc hates him!! and while he’s def comedic relief in pi he and y/n also clearly respect one another and they have some serious moments hehe i love them sm

gojo the swiftie 😫 i do not think that man would have an eclectic music taste truly it’s whatever is on the radio for him 😭

the y/n and naoya beef is insane but i hate him so it only makes sense my girl does too!! plus she loves maki and considering what naoya has done to maki it would make zero for sense for them to get along even slightly

POMEGRANATE INK SHIBUYA CHAPTER MY BELOVED it’s like one thing after another w that chapter truly one of the most insane things i’ve written…i really liked the way it turned out though!! at least to me it fit the vibe of jjk and shibuya well without copying/stealing anyone’s storylines outright

the photo album feels like an end credits scene to me if that makes sense?? like it would play at the end of the movie/final episode of the show and it would make you cry HAHAHA it made me so emotional writing it like they’re really come so far from their first year 🥹😭💔

HEHEHE had to hit ‘em w a spin move 😈 i had so much fun making y/n as a character and expanding on her and the pomegranate ink version of jjk…she’s not complex in the sense that she’s a pretty normal person but there was a lot of thought put into her and with how long the story ended up being there was a lot of time to really get to know her and everything abt her!! she struggles a lot but in the end she somehow makes it through and even though it’s not a perfect victory because so many are dead…SHE made it which in the beginning of the series didn’t even seem likely

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT!! hehehe best friend’s brother (otoya’s version) should be out soon so you’ll have something silly w that