#just realized this is the first time i've ever written anything in present tense???

[chipthekeeper]

Alright I can't help myself, here's a preview of my @velcintaweek project coming up in full on ao3 on Wednesday. It counts because this part fits the Day 1 prompt of First Meeting. It counts.

***

i. Pantora

The last thing Cinta Kaz needs is a girlfriend.

That’s why, when the admittedly beautiful Pantoran woman sidles up to her at the bar and tries to start making small talk, Cinta politely sends her back on her way. The woman’s smile fades as the yellow tattoos on her face droop with disappointment, but she doesn’t argue. Just leaves a lingering touch on her shoulder as she drifts away again.

“I’ll be over here, if you change your mind…”

And Cinta needs that like she needs a blaster bolt to the head, so she doesn’t bother to notice where “over here” even is.

She has much more important things to worry about than pretty Pantorans or cute blonde humans like the one that keeps stealing glances at her from the other side of the bar, which Cinta continues to pretend not to notice. She’s more worried about where her next job will come from and whether it’ll pay enough to get her off this moon, whether it’ll come with the opportunity to make the Empire bleed a little. Whether it’ll satisfy her hunger to avenge the family that had been stolen from her, if only for a little while.

Cinta isn’t entirely sure what she’s even doing on Pantora, other than drinking. Biding her time, probably. Waiting for someone to need her help. Someone always needs her help. The Empire is everywhere these days, including the very bar where she's sitting. The Imps are off duty, but she could still spot them from a parsec away, all loud and self-important. There are only three, but they make enough noise to drown out the music the band is playing. No one’s stupid enough to try to tell them to knock it off, though. Everyone knows as well as Cinta does who these men are, and they want trouble with the Empire like Cinta wants a girlfriend. Which is to say, not at all.

Cinta, on the other hand, wouldn’t mind some trouble with the Empire. So when the men all move away from the bar and start loudly trying to make conversation with someone behind her, Cinta watches them from the corner of her eye. She realizes quickly that the woman they’re attempting to flirt with – the woman they’re all but harassing already – is the same Pantoran who’d tried to pick her up.

And that the defenseless woman wants nothing to do with their increasingly aggressive attention.

Cinta springs into action, popping up from her barstool, whirling around toward the trio of Imps, and marching over to where they have the woman cornered by the wall closest to the door. She makes a conscious decision not to reach for the knife hidden at her back, under her jacket, but with a few drinks already in her she’s about to start throwing punches as she confidently tells the men to pick on someone their own size.

But just as the closest Imp is about to turn around right in time for her to introduce her fist to his face, that fist is caught in midair by a pair of soft hands that guide it back to her side.

Cinta snaps her head to her right to find the blonde woman from the bar beside her – still holding her hand with one of her own and addressing the Imperial soldiers.

“I am…so sorry, officers,” the woman says, drawing all the men’s attention, at which point the Pantoran woman makes a run for it, unnoticed. “My girlfriend here can get a bit mean when she’s drunk. So sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Cinta, flabbergasted by the gall of this strange woman, attempts to wrestle her hand back from her, but the woman’s grip is strong as she tries to back them both away and toward the door.

“You’d better see that it doesn’t,” the ugliest of the Imps warns.

“Of course, sir. Long live the Empire,” the woman says, and if Cinta didn’t already want to punch her in the mouth, that would have sealed the deal. But the woman is oblivious to that fact, and uses what seems like all of her strength to guide Cinta toward the door. “Come on, darling, let’s leave these fine soldiers alone…”

Hot with rage, Cinta suddenly finds herself outside in the crisp Pantoran night, impervious to the chill that’s accompanying the gently falling snow. She finally extracts herself from the blonde woman’s grasp as they round the corner of the block where the street is clear and quiet except for her own voice loudly questioning the woman.

“Just who in the kriffing hell do you think you are?”

“Me? I’m just the person that saved you from committing and very likely getting arrested for treason. You’re welcome, by the way,” the woman says smugly.

“I had it taken care of,” Cinta retorts, unsure why she’s even continuing this conversation. Pride, she supposes. The idea of anyone thinking she needs help makes her skin crawl.

But the woman just nods in agreement.

“Oh I believe you would have messed them up real good. I do. But then they’d have told their friends and then you’d have been caught and then they would have killed you.” The woman pauses as she crosses her arms and looks Cinta up and down with a shake of her head. “And what a waste that would be...”

Choosing to ignore the fact that she was just thoroughly checked out, Cinta scoffs. “Doesn’t seem like it would be any of your business either way.”

“Actually it is,” the woman says, meeting her gaze again, and Cinta realizes that her eyes are startlingly, brilliantly blue. “You see, unlike you I’m not just here to get drunk and fuck up an Imp or two. I’m here to do some real damage. For a real cause.”

Cinta doesn’t realize she’s been getting lost in the woman’s eyes and not paying attention to her words until the last ones make her ears perk up.

“A real cause?” she questions, and the woman grins.

“Yeah. And wouldn’t it be more fun to help me with that than to get arrested just for cracking a few heads?”

***

Do I have your attention? There's much more to this story coming up soon!

#just realized this is the first time i've ever written anything in present tense??? #wild #idk why i did that #anyway tell me what you think/where you think this is going!! #velcintaweek2023 #day 1 #i'm cheating but it's fine #it counts #velcinta #my writing

[justonemorewallflower]

Fic Tag Game!

I was tagged by @iamfandomcrazy

Thank you! I was hoping I'd get the chance to answer these!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

24

What's your AO3 word count?

92,829

What fandoms do you write for?

On AO3, Wednesday. I only have Wednesday fics posted on AO3 but elsewhere like Wattpad I have some Harry Potter and Stranger Things. I do want to start posting some Ronance on AO3

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Condolence (Wyler, 339)

2. Jealousy (Wyler, 274)

3. Freckles (Wyler, 251)

4. Bitter Coffee (Wyler, 227)

5. The Beach & Realization (Wyler, both tied at 219 kudos)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to respond to all of them albeit sometimes I forget or procrastinate to do so

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably In The Middle Of The Night or Death's Goodbye. I haven't finished A Pain Worse Than Death yet, but that will have a pretty angsty ending too

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

A Night To Remember, Realization, or Welcome to the Family

Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, not that I know of! Most of the comments I get, if not all, are positive

Do you write smut? What kind?

Yes, I do. I got into it too rather recently (back in summer) as I did a kink bingo writing event. A lot of it is kinky, obviously lol. Beyond that I'm not sure how to explain it cause they each vary/are pretty different from each other. Some are really out there/dirty and others are more tame, just depends on the fic

Do you write cross-overs?

No. I wrote a bit of one in the past for Narnia x Harry Potter, but I never did anything with it and I haven't written any since then. Unless you count Omegaverse, no

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so. I remember someone asking me at one point if they could translate one of my fics but I never checked to see if they actually did so I'm not 100% sure

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've helped other writers with ideas for their fics and they have helped me with ideas for my own but that's the extent of collaboration I've done for writing fics

What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh God, where do I start? I'd love to finish A Pain Worse Than Death but low-key don't know if I will. I also would love to finish some other AUs I have in my drafts like my Wyler Circus AU and my Wyler Goody Two shoes/Rebel AU, as well as some Ronance fics I have in my drafts

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Honestly, probably Wyler. But beyond them I also adore Ronance (Robin Buckley and Nancy Wheeler) and Shirbert (Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe)

What are your writing strengths?

Grammar and I like to think I'm decent at descriptions and characterization

What are your writing weaknesses?

Tense! I always subconsciously switch between past and present tense and it drives me insane!! It's something I always have to go back and fix/check for. And maybe dialogue, sometimes I struggle with that. As well as just finishing projects before starting a new one lol, I always have like 500 million drafts all at once that I'm working on

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it's fun to do sometimes but I don't do it much and if I do I try to do a language I am partly fluent in (like Spanish) or do a lot of research beforehand to ensure it's as accurate as I can get it

First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter I'm pretty sure

Favorite fic you've ever written?

Maybe Coffee Memories (I really like the characterization in this one) or A Pain Worse Than Death (the angst is just so delicious) or Scars Never Leave (I like the sort of hurt/comfort of this fic) or Safe Haven (it's the only Madwheeler fic I have and I like the angst and tone of it but I wrote it several years ago so it needs updated a lot) and then a lot of ideas that are just in my drafts

What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

Condolence because the first half of chapters are very short and lack content and I'd like to fix that, to try and make chapters more similar in length (like at least not like a 400 word chapter then a 3000 word chapter right after each other, yk) and Safe Haven (it's alright but could use some work to be more consistent in its plot and so it would work better, I'd just like to update it with my more recent writing style and knowledge since it's a few years old)

I tag @cosmic-lullaby @katwitchwriting (sorry if either of you have been tagged already!!)

#tag game #fic tag game #my fics #my wips #wips #wip #my fic writing #my ao3 works #my ao3 fics #my ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3fic #ao3 link #ao3 #wyler #wednesday netflix #ship #stranger things ships #fandom ships #ships #my ships #lgbt ships #ronance #dramione #harry potter #stranger things #my writing

[recurring-polynya]

Writing/Art Update 2/14/2023

Welp, the great "don't force myself to write when I don't wanna" experiment is over. I got real heckin' depressed and it was bad, so I started making myself write again, and it lifted. Perhaps it's a coincidence, I don't know, but this sort of holds with how the last four years of my life have been going. Trying to scrape dregs out of an empty jar isn't exactly fun, but it's what I gotta do, I guess.

Anyway, the good news is that I'm not being too mean to myself. I stole @bleachbleachbleach 's method of requiring myself to write one sentence on my WIP every day. I've managed to make it every day. One of the main things that happened (and this sort of thing always happens when I set goals) is that I realized that if I did only one sentence a day, it would take me forever to finish, which has pushed me to do more than the minimum. For the first few days of the week, I was doing about 100 words a day, which is still very paltry, but I think I've done more than that the last few days.

The thing I am working on is a story I started in 2019, which I have always been very fond of, except that it's a mess. The first paragraph is in a difference POV than the rest of it. It's mostly written in the present tense, except where it's not. Most importantly, it just sort of stops where I ran out of ideas. It's possible this was not the best possible project for me to dive into in my current mental state. I've been working on it, but I feel like it keeps getting worse 😂. Like, I re-wrote that first bit, and I just don't like it as much. Also, even though I know I should never, ever, never ever write in the present tense...I... think it works better that way? I'm seriously considering switching it back?? Also, it is primarily a world-building story, and as soon as I started on it, I realized that there were a bunch of holes in my world-building and it's been so hard to make any kind of decisions about anything. (I spent a week trying to figure out if this one guy has a wife or not. It seems like a thing I should just be able to decide except that it's also sort of the entire crux of the story)

At least I didn't have to start from nothing. The original story was about 2900 words, and my intuition is that the final product is going to end up between 5 and 10k. This is a great size for a story, the easiest size of story to write, and I'm honestly just mad that I'm so bad at all of this, and I'm worried that at the end of the day, the thing is gonna suck because I've lost my touch. Anyway, right now, it's 1768. It's nowhere near what I know I'm capable of when I'm on (when I'm really fucking on), but I'm faking it 'cause I have to, and it's going okay, I guess.

I don't know what's up with my art, either! I just don't really have any ideas I'm excited about! I did a tutorial this week with some pastel brushes, and then I turned around and did a Valentine's Day art project with the same brushes. I feel like it's probably a good time to do some skillbuilding, but, man, skillbuilding kinda sucks. 😂

The one good thing that did happen this week is that I finally made a decent loaf of sourdough! Look at these guys!!

They were so springy and good in the middle and nice and crusty on the outside! The secret turned out to be a combination of getting my starter more active generally, and actually following an every-six-hour feeding schedule the day before I baked it (the last feeding was ten hours because it was overnight and I had to get my kid off to school in the morning) It was 100% naturally leavened (no commercial yeast at all). I followed this King Arthur recipe.

The discard recipe of the week was Little Spoon Farm Blueberry Muffins, which were every bit as good as the recipe promised, if you like sweet, cakey, grocery-store style muffins. Little Spoon Farm is becoming my go-to for discard recipes, they haven't missed yet.

#writing update #art update #burnout update

[amazing-spiderling]

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change? 🌈is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with? 🪄what is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic?

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

I'm not sure if this means the style of the act of writing or the finished product, but I have a hard time identifying aspect of my own style (in writing or art) so I guess I'll answer it for the former.

I'm one of those people who "hears" voices when they are reading and writing. (At times, I would use the voices of VAs etc that I was familiar with and would sort of make my brain "narrate" them in my head as I read stories.) I didn't really think much of it until I started talking to other writers about their process and learned that dialogue didn't come easily to everyone. It usually does for me because that's how my brain organizes information, just an ongoing internal monologue- so when I think about how to create a scene, often the first thing I'm thinking about is either a conversation happening in the scene, or what a person might say out loud about it if they were alone. (This is part of why I struggle with the prose/describing settings and am often blown away by the visual imagery other people incorporate into their stories.)

I think this mindset of mine makes me approach writing a bit like a script writer? Not that I've ever written a script (except for comics), but my brain thinks of scenes in a story like I'm setting up a scene for a screen. So I'm certainly thinking about the way the characters sound, the flow of their dialogue, the beats between their words, the pauses, but I'm also very concerned with the way the prose sounds. When I'm editing, I often say things like "this line makes my brain hiccup" which just means, something about the way it sounds is bumpy and doesn't flow. It could be an awkward word choice, or phrasing, even a choppy sentence that could be better integrated elsewhere.

I don't know if this is evident in the finished product though. To my knowledge, nobody has ever mentioned it.

🌈is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

Ah, yeah. What a question. Even I overlooked the story I'm about to mention because other ones stuck out in my mind until I actually went to look.

Some years ago, I organized a Metal Gear anthology called "Lost Years" that paired artists and writers to create stories about the moments that happened between games. Stories that had been hinted at and alluded to in the game canon, but whose events we never see. It was a great project with SO much talent coming together and the stories that people produced were incredible.

For my part, I got to work on a topic dealing with the very difficult topic of CSA, an event that often gets played for laughs in some sides of the fandom (namely people who aren't doing the math and realizing the horror of the situation). It was for that reason that I wanted to do my due diligence and write the best story I could handling this topic, as well as creating a sense of underlying dread.

One of the things I did was write in present tense, which I hardly ever do- in order to make it seem like the events were unfolding in real time, with the main character unable to do anything about it. Everything is just happening to him and he's almost a spectator in his own life.

Also, I tried to take a page from Kojima's book- as a game creator, he is very influenced by movies, so I tried to think about what movies might have inspired this character dynamic, and some of the themes and visuals we do get in the game, and came away with "The Graduate", which I'd seen some years ago. It was an unsettling movie for me to see randomly on television one night (knowing nothing other than it was a "famous classic movie") but a lot of it stuck with me. I revisited the movie when I started writing this story, watching it as more of a study and singling out elements that I thought I could use to inform my own story and characterization.

The result was "Surface Tension" which comes in at a mere 3.7k and garnered a scant few comments, but it's a story I probably did the most "artistic research" for and I'm proud to have written.

🪄what is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic?

This is the one that's easiest for me to answer because it's something I consciously think about. XD After I post something (whether it's fic or art) I often make a joke like, "Never ask me for anything ever again." And while I am being silly, and of course I'm not done creating, it's also kind of a message to myself that it's okay for me to take a break and not worry about cranking out more stuff, and allowing myself to bask in the feeling of completing something for a few days. It's certainly a luxury since writing is my hobby and not my job, but I think it's easy to get wrapped up in the idea of being a "bad person" if you're not constantly making stuff every day.

I think this goes double for event fics where I've probably been stressing out about a deadline and doing something for another person. Basically just telling myself it's okay to take some time off to watch movies and read comics and enjoy "input" rather than "output" for a little while. :3

#thanks for the ask #my fic #metal gear solid #mgs fanfic #writer asks

[solarsavoy]

For the fanfic writer asks: 2, 7, and 14.

Thank you for the ask! Sorry it took so long to get back to you. 😅

2 - What is your favorite fic of yours?

I know the asks are mostly for fanfics, but I figured I'll answer for originals too. Gerit is my favorite for my originals. The style is very unique and it all came surprisingly easy. It's in past tense instead of present and Gerit as a character, just the things he pays attention to, is so unique. Definitely for mature audiences only, but if you're ever willing to give it a chance, it's really good. Like, I was surprised I had as many random readers commenting on how much they liked it good.

I think my favorite fanfic is ASR. I haven't reread it in a minute, but I think of it often and while I was posting and for the time after, I reread it the most. Kristmas Karma and Ubisoft are among my favorites too, but ASR amazes me more and more every time I come back to it. It includes my Deshi and Stag. I had no idea what I was doing at the beginning, and yet it all came together perfectly. It was my first, and I edited it the most. I'd edit it before and after each editor ran through it and I had 2 at the time, then I'd fix little things after I read through it again for fun. And even after going through it so many times, I'm looking forward to reading it again when I finally finish Bonus Round some day. And most importantly, it really grabbed the readers. Everyone commented, desperate for the next chapter. The entire experience around it once it finally picked up was truly magnificent.

Highly recommend both. ^^ (Warning, Gerit is unfinished. Well, it's finished, but the pictures aren't, so the writing hasn't been posted yet. Sorry. 😅)

7 - How do you edit your fics? What do you look for in your edits?

As of now, I'm editorless, and I'm a huge procrastinator (excluding me being sick) and as of now, I just run the spelling and grammar check on my Google Drive. That's all. 😅 However, editing was a journey and not to give the wrong impression of it simply being "perfect" once it's written, I'll explain how it started.

Beginner: I wrote First Fragment and it was crap. All of it. Cardboard characters, no description of anything so everywhere was just a giant white room of nothingness. It was bland and boring and tasteless. My editors were kind (referred to as 1 and 2 for now) and as I began reading through it to self edit, I realized it would be better to just rewrite the entire thing. So I did. Every word save for 1 line and a handful of phrases. I've learned that it's important to treat your work as though it can always be greatly improved in order for you to truly bring out some of your best work. I also learned that every piece of advice can be helpful, if you see it as such.

Novice: My writing slowed down a bit so I could think about the sentence before writing it. I learned tricks, practiced using my commas (editor2) and started asking if this is what the character would really do here (editor1). And after this round of self edits did I submit First Fragment to my editors again. It was greatly improved, but a little disappointing to hear that it was still greatly lacking (enter editor3 who was a very harsh critic). I ended up rewriting 70% of it over again. This time, I learned just how vast the possibilities are if you go to different editors. None of these people are professionals, but there are different types of editors regardless. And with practice, you can actually outgrow them.

Intermediate: This is where I think I am now. I often edit as I go, rereading a paragraph back, or a couple paragraphs, or even a page or two, two or three times, checking for things that the editors have taught me. Are the characters in character? (editor1) Am I following the grammar rules or using creative expression? (editor 2) It's important to note that rules must be intentionally broken for it to "be okay". I always see things about how you follow all the rules of the language or none of them at all, and either way it can be good writing. Well, they forget about the part where you do it intentionally. Any rule can be broken in writing, but if you aren't doing it intentionally, then it's lazy writing.

Oh, in case you were wondering what I learned from editor3? Not much. He's a freaking jerk. >.> But I did learn that not everyone will interpret things the way I intend them. If I say "the moon is full and bright", I might assume the reader knows it's nighttime, but there are plenty occurrences of seeing the moon "full and bright" when the sun's still up too, so you should probably say if it's day or night unless it doesn't matter to you as the writer what the reader envisions. And he reminded me that not everyone will love my work. That doesn't make the criticisms any easier though.

TLDR; When I can manage it, I edit while writing, then run it through spelling and grammar check, then read through it again, then beg Deo to read it (he doesn't anymore, I write too much 😆), then post it, then read through it once more after it's posted. The past month or so, I edit while writing and then run it through the grammar check and post it because it's already late. 😅

14 - What is something you wrote in a fic that you are hoping readers picked up on but you don't know if they did? And/or, what is something that you were excited that readers did pick up on?

Lol, so, the only ones I remember are in ASR. 😅 I promise I'm not just trying to push it on people. One that I can share in its entirety, the chapter names. In Round Two, I change which character I've altered depending on the POV. For POV 1, I use the exclamation point: 1st K!ll. For POV 2, I use 1: 2nd Kil1. No one really noticed, or mentioned it at first, so after a few chapters, I asked. They didn't link it to the POVs. 😄 And then in Round Three, I did it again. >:D Same symbols for the POVs.

Also, I wasn't sure because not many really commented on it at first, but translating the binary. Because so much else was going on, few said anything about it unless I brought it up, but then my sweet @henbit-7...

This is between two comments: Ok, so I clicked through the chapters to see what comment's you've respnede to and the BINARY in the summary basically jumpscared me 😭😭😭😭 I cannot BELIEVE you've managed to create a connection in my mind between this fic, and literally ever seeing Binary again 😅😥😭😭😭 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 As in, the page loaded, and my eyes caught on the binary, and my stomach DROPPED. As in, I now have an emotional connotation when seeing binary. Its ridiculous 😭😭💜💜💜💜💜💜

And the last, which I won't fully explain, are the "spoilers" for Krystar. It won't be fully understood until Second Fragment is out, but there are spoilers for Krystar in ASR. Very small ones in the overall storyline of Krystar, but they mean a lot for the character(s).

Thanks to everyone for reading! I hope I made sense because no editing was done on this post because I still feel horrible, but I've wanted to answer this one for a while now. I still love asks and have this one linked in my pinned post as WIP Ask Game 2. Hope I didn't ramble too bad. 😅 Love you all!

#solarsavoyasks #writerslife #my writing

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

Happy FFWF! What was the most recent fic you wrote, and what inspired you to write it? What makes your fic unique, and why did you take it in the direction that you did?

happy ffwf choco!! the most recent fic i wrote is it was more than worth it, aka my kincoy 7+1. honestly, my big inspiration for that fic was a) my obsession with kincoy lmao and b) my desire to write some kind of exploration of claire and jack's relationship from start to finish that was a bit different than the other fics out there that do the same, hence why i ended up using a lot of outsider pov in the story. i also really wanted to include jack's relationships with his ADAs following claire, which is how the +1 section came about. and tbh i think those qualities are also what makes the fic unique -- it's one of few kincoy fics i've seen that a) looks at their relationship from the pov of others (rather than claire or jack's pov) and b) includes interactions with jamie, abbie, serena, alex, and connie. i also wanted to experiment with a bit of new writing style, and this fic proved to be the perfect opportunity; the +1 part (aka "Those Who Followed," jack's ADAs after claire) is written in present tense with intercutting past-tense flashbacks of claire and jack together, and every section ends by beginning the next. because i'm vain, here's an example:

“What do you mean?” Jamie asks. “You say you shouldn’t miss her like you do—how do you miss her?”

“Like someone who loved her.” The words spill from Jack’s tongue before he can stop them, and he can’t meet Jamie’s eyes. “Like someone she loved.”

Realization dawns across Jamie’s face, her expression carefully neutral until this point. “I see. You didn’t deserve to love her then, and you don’t deserve to mourn her now.”

Jack’s jaw tightens at her words, but he’s all but said them himself. He nods stiffly. “We never should have—”

xxx

“—tried to do this trivia, we’re bruising our egos with our own ignorance.”

Claire rolled her eyes at Jack’s comment, though a smile tugged at her lips. She didn’t put the newspaper down, either, still folded neatly in half so they could look at the weekly trivia together without seeing the answers on the back page. “We can’t give up yet, we’ve only tried the first half.”

i also transitioned through time (i.e. between jack's new ADAs, for lack of a better description) in a similar way, just using a different line break to designate the jump:

Jack swallows hard, and he closes his eyes a second time. “Thanks, Jamie,” he whispers. “Thank you.”

A chair creaks, and soon Jack feels a hand on his shoulder, a touch so gentle he can almost pretend it’s hers.

“You’re welcome.” A pause. “If you need anything, you can always call me. Even if I can’t—”

~*~

“—believe you dated a girl that gorgeous. No way, Jack. No fucking way!”

Jack laughs as Abbie looks at him, at the photo of himself and Claire, then back at him again, shaking her head in amused shock.

“Tell me about it,” he says, grinning. “Every day I asked myself how I got so lucky.”

“It wasn’t your good looks, that’s for sure,” Abbie says, but she’s grinning, too, as she hands the photo back to him.

AND THEN, with the ending of the fic, i took the poem Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep and intercut it with scenes between claire and jack, now in present tense, bc at the end of the day those we love never truly leave us 💛 here's a snippet:

“Do you?” she whispers, uncertain, and Jack’s hand slowly falls from his mouth.

“Yeah,” he says, honestly. “Yeah, I do.”

And a small, almost bashful smile tugs at Claire’s lips. “Good.” She reaches over to lace her fingers through his. “Because I think I might love you, too.”

Jack grins, too, because they are—

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

—standing at his door with wet eyes and weary faces.

“There’s been an accident, Jack,” Anita Van Buren says, her voice cracking.

“It’s Claire,” Adam Schiff says, older than he’s ever been.

Jack can’t breathe, because he is—

I am not there.

—kissing Claire Kincaid for the first time, his heart pounding out of his chest.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Jack murmurs, pulling away.

“I want to do this,” Claire counters, tugging him down into another kiss.

She wants to do this, because she is—

I did not die.

28 years old when a drunk driver smashes into the left side of her car.

and it goes on from there. STYLISTIC EXPERIMENTATION!! always a good time 😌 anyways this response is Way Too Long lmao, thank you for letting me ramble 💛

#amy answers #ffwf #chocomd

[meatloafhoagie]

hello! I would like a headcanon for my oc and the band or my oc and noodle. my oc is Stacy Adams and he's an autistic actor/singer/musician and owner of Kingworld (which is a multiverse record label and collective that Gorillaz signed in) who is in a open relationship with noodle. he is also a member of the band as of now due to the trauma of the tranz video has almost breaking him down. It's started when he saw the video for the first time back in 2018 and he was terrified ever since. He started to have a beef with the band when they play the song live with the video after it's release. then 2020 came and he begins to forgive them after Song Machine was released. Then 2021 came and they played it again in London and this makes Stacy get traumatized again. he thinks that they betrayed him after all of the rekindling and stuff. And they ignored him not knowing how bad his mental state is. now with him being a co headliner of the Gorillaz world tour, he started to get more irritated and depressed even start a fight off stage with the band and Damon. my ideas for a headcanon is how they doing in the studio or stage, what would they do if Stacy has a breakdown, and how they cheer him up or anything.

hii @kingworldent !!

first off, id like to apologize for answering your request so late.

secondly (i think that's a word), i love your oc! he sounds very cool and i love how meticulously and detailed you have written him out. ocs are always so fun to create!

now, let's get into the headcanons on how the band would comfort Stacy!

2D

2d is surprisingly good at handling breakdowns

As someone who has had his fair share of dealing with his own breakdowns, 2d knows a thing or two because he's seen a thing or two

2d, being a bit empathetic, can kinda feel it in the air when Stacy is about to have a breakdown.

"oi, why dont you come to a quiet area wif me?"

And so the two go

2d asks Stacy what he can do for him

sometimes 2d will even play soft tunes on an instrument for him

NOODLE

Noodle, being the faithful partner that she is, also knows what to do

She ultimately cares about him, so she asks him what will help him and what will not

she will ask if its ok to comfort him in a way that involves touching or not

if a breakdown DOES happen, she stays by his side no matter what and listens to him talk

she also may notify the other partners in the relationship that Stacy is not in a good place so that they can also be there for him :)

girlfriend of the year award goes to the one and only Noodle

RUSSEL

as i've seen in the past with interviews with Russel, he is a bit awkward when it comes to emotional matters

so in the event of a possible breakdown with Stacy, Russel simply is present

he believes that sometimes advice is not needed, and sometimes the most effective and impactful advice is the kind given in silence and just being there

so he sits with Stacy to let him know that he is there, as he believes a friend should

MURDOC

sometimes Murdoc gets very riled up (understatement)

this means that his...shall we say...boldness and livewire-ness can sometimes induce Stacy's stress

however, he is not the same curmudgeon he was back in phase 1 and has grown into a nicer individual (we can only hope that he continues to be alright like this, that he continues to mellow out)

so when he realizes that Stacy is overwhelmed, he begins to tone it down a bit to show that he is sorry

saying sorry is such an odd and out-of-character thing of Murdoc, so his toning-it-down will ease the tense situation, he hopes

And that's all! I hope these are good! they are my first ever headcanons published on the Internet, and if there is something you dont like about them, please let me know so i do not make the same mistakes in the future :)

[fandomscraziness22]

fic writer asks: 1, 2, 7, 29, 38!

hi shelly my beloved

Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

answered here

2) Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

hmmmmm i think 'there's only one bed' maybe? i freaking love that trope but i dont think i've ever written it (maybe con au????)

7) Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

answered here but i'll find another one for ya. heehee from a fic you HATE here's a bit from i miss the days when

The day itself is no different than any other day, save for the chocolate cake his mom makes and the few presents his parents give him. Luke manages a small smile and thank you at the sight of the necklace and new pair of socks, but inside he feels like a ticking time bomb, just waiting to explode.

The loneliness he’s felt every day over the last few months increases ten-fold. His friends should be here, celebrating this landmark occasion of Luke surviving till adulthood. It used to be the running joke between them all, mostly lighthearted teasing mixed with a touch of concern about his runaway life. But now it just feels like the universe is laughing at him, seeing how much it can screw with Luke before he gives up completely. 

He looks in the mirror and flinches at the realization that he’s older than Reggie was. Than Alex was.

Was.

Luke hates the fact that he has to talk about his brothers, his family, in the past tense. They should be here. They should be smiling and laughing and basking in the glow of the Orpheum even months after the gig. But they aren’t, and Luke is left sitting in front of a mirror begging to go back in time, to a young and innocent seventeen year old that didn’t know this kind of pain. 

i'm proud of this fic for a lot of reasons, and one of them is how i was able to get the mental anguish across well, as the physical pain is easier for me to write.

29) If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

oh man, i have no idea! can't think of anything off the top of my head

38) Talk about a review that made your day.

literally all of them lol. but i searched through my comments and found this one on right this way from @cassiopeiakaleidoscope (which you probably don't even remember bc it was soooo long ago lol) but it means a lot to me because this fic was one of my first truly self-indulgent fics. i wrote this because i really wanted to read it, and to have such a positive review made me feel like i truly knew what i was doing!

Yes!! This is so good, I absolutely loved it!! You did such an amazing job of capturing all of those sweet, sweet parallels, and your characterization of all of the band members is spot on. I loved that you were drawing comparisons to both moments in the musical/show and the characters in them. I was so happy that you had Reggie acknowledge Johnny and Davy's jokes; in my mind, Reggie's personality is somewhere between Johnny's and Davy's, and I think you did a really good job of showing how the characters are similar not just in their trauma and experiences, but in their humor and friendships, too.

I also particularly enjoyed your interpretation of Luke's reaction to the "I don't need to be rescued"/"What if I do?" scene, which is one of my favorite moments from Bandstand. Both of these couples really are just out there rescuing each other, aren't they?? Ugh, it makes me so emotional!! And the idea of Julie doing the lift from Nobody--yes, please lol  

#hi friend i love you #answered asks #fanfic asks #writing asks

[johnsamericano]

𝔖𝔲𝔤𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔧.𝔧.𝔥

Hi everyone! As promised, here’s one of the two most voted fic continuations. There will be more chapters to this story though I'm not sure how many yet. Thank you for reading!

warnings: sugar daddy jae, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language.

taglist: @thoreeo @trustmahluv

Sugar rush m.list.

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

Where did everything go wrong?

Your string of thoughts was cut off by a call from your aunt.

Your string of thoughts was cut off by a call from your aunt.

“Hello?” Your voice was raspy from not using it. There was no one to talk to in the quiet, hospital room but the nurses, who weren't especially keen on chatting.

“How’s your dad, sweetie?”

“They let him out of ICU, but he doesn't look good to me.” Your fingers traced the cuts in his chiseled cheeks that would soon turn into scars, ruining his perfect skin. Your eyes then diverted to his head, thoroughly covered in bandages to protect his damaged skull.

“Honey, I've got bad news...”

“They rejected the case, didn't they?”

“Not precisely.” She deeply inhaled before continuing. “It’s a tough case, almost impossible to win, nonetheless, they're willing to take it. But their fee is a little...”

“Expensive.”

“Yes.”

As expected from the best firm in town, they wouldn't take less than $8,000. Your bank account didn't have enough money to even cover half of it, and with your job at the convenience store, you'd only earn so much to cover your expenses.

“We can take the lawyer that the government provides us with, it would be free.”

“But then I'm sure we’d lose.” You groaned in frustration, using your free hand to rub your forehead. “Don’t worry, I'll find a way to get the money.”

“Why don't we just accept the compensation they're offering? It could pay for the hospital bills and you'd still have some left to pay for your tuition.”

“That would be like putting a price on my father's life. I don't want their money, I want them to make themselves responsible for what they've caused.” The sound of wheels approached the door of your father's room, signaling the nurse was outside with his meds. “It’s okay, Auntie, I'll take care of everything. You can go back home, I know my uncle isn't doing so well.”

“Are you sure, darling?” It was undeniable that she wanted to head back to her little ranch fat away from the hectic city life to take care of her sick husband, but still, her brother was laying down on a hospital bed, fighting for his life.

“Yes, I'm an adult, I'll find a way.”

“Take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to call me if you're having any difficulties. I'll be there in the blink of an eye.” She said before sending a kiss into the speaker, proceeding to hang up.

You sighed. It was never usual for you to ask for help, as you were an extremely prideful and independent person, and you doubted this time would be different.

“Don’t worry, dad. Everything will be alright.”

Three failed job interviews and one more to go. Your feet were killing you, the high heels covering them already worn out from walking to avoid taking the bus. Every penny counted, and as long as your legs worked, you weren't spending any more money than what was necessary.

You sat down in the waiting room of the company, massaging your neck to relieve some tension. College was becoming a burden. Maybe you'd take a semester off to focus on working, that is if someone wanted to hire an inexperienced student.

“Y/n, Y/l/n?”

“Here.” You darted up, gathering your belongings to enter the room on which your life almost literally depended.

You gave all the right answers, earning a polite ‘we’ll contact you’ in return. But you could see that they weren't convinced with your lack of experience, no company in their right mind would be.

As soon as you arrived at your apartment, you slid out of the uncomfortable pencil skirt, tucking yourself under the covers with your phone screen almost hitting your nose.

To take your mind off things, you decided to watch some videos. Halfway in, an ad popped up, interrupting the interior deco video you were watching.

A picture of a girl about your age hugging an older man was right in the middle of your screen. Written with fancy letters, the words ‘make your life simpler’ could be read, followed by what you guessed was the title of the app. Sugar rush.

Out of pure curiosity, your finger tapped at the small icon that led to the app store, absentmindedly clicking the download button. A few seconds later, an icon with the letters ‘SR’ was added to your home screen.

“Log in?” You murmured out loud, squinting your eyes to adjust your eyes to the bright, white homepage.

Just as you were about to click out, the phrase from the ad reappeared, stopping your finger from moving any further.

You could always delete your account if something went wrong, right? Nonetheless, you decided to use a false name, and that's how Melanie Kim’s profile was created. You left the circle of your profile picture empty for now, only filling the spaces that asked about your likes, dislikes, age, and all that stuff that people care about so much.

You knew what the app was for, but that didn't stop you from being surprised when a list of men and women of different ages greeted you. Right then, a small rectangle obstructed your sight, two buttons offering opposite things.

‘Pick the role you'd like to develop.’

Sugar daddy/mommy / Sugar baby.

Clearly, you didn’t have nor the money or the years to be the first, so you clicked the opposite button without giving it more thought.

‘Welcome. You've been registered as a sugar baby at Sugar rush. Meet thousands of men and women willing to finance you for free!’

You hummed.

‘As we're always looking to make our users’ experience better, we've developed Sugar Rush premium, a membership to meet the richest and hottest people in your surroundings. Get the premium version for only $5.95 a month. Click here to get Sugar Rush premium.’

Your finger pad was dangerously close to the blue button, almost grazing the screen of the phone. It was then when you were pulled out of your trance, blinking as if just then you'd realized what you were doing.

“I must be crazy.” You turned off your phone, not bothering to turn on an alarm for the next day. You had no interviews left. You had nowhere to go.

Waking up was getting harder with every passing day. Not being able to call your dad to go out for breakfast or even sending a simple good morning message hurt you deeply. You missed him. But seeing him laying down on a hospital bed, unable to do anything by himself, was even worse.

Ding

A notification filled the silence in your room.

‘Come back, you haven't finished setting up your account yet!’

You scoffed at your past self. What were you even thinking when you downloaded the app?

You simply turned off the phone before standing up to take a relaxing shower. As the water soaked up your tense body, your mind started wandering off back to the app. A million what-ifs filled your head, nonetheless, there was one that remained the most persistent.

‘What if this can pay for a lawyer?’

Your part-time job surely couldn't, and you had no one to assist you financially speaking. The whole idea of paying that ridiculous membership seemed more tempting as your fingers started getting wrinkly under the showerhead.

You decided to take some time to consider it, after all, you still had a week to give the lawyers an answer.

Hot soup seemed like a good option to comfort you, and thankfully, there was a store right in front of your place that claimed to sell the best soups in town.

It wasn't bad, but not nearly as good as the one your dad cooked when you were a kid. You sighed, wondering if you'd ever be able to eat it again. Just then, a woman about your age came into the shop, carrying a couple of bags where names of popular brands could be read. A pinch of jealousy made your heart stir as you glanced at yourself through the reflection in the glass at your side. You looked devastated, your skin pale and your cheekbones slightly sunken, a sign of the lack of rest and food you'd been getting.

Out of pure impulse, you pulled out your phone, clicked on the app you'd recently downloaded, and finally accepted the charges for a premium membership.

‘Welcome, new member of our wide community, click ok to get started!’

Well, no turning back now.

Right after pressing the blue letters with your thumb, you were presented with a list of potential prospects, some of them including pictures, some of them only including name and a brief description of what they were looking for. The minority included their ages, but most left the space blank.

A bunch of old men looking for a youthful, pretty woman to be by their sides, some of them even went as far as writing the weight and height their ideal partner should have. Of course, there were also some women in the look for young meat, but the number of men overpassed them.

About to exit the app in defeat, a profile caught your eye. His pale pink hair was parted, allowing his thick eyebrows to stand out. His high cheekbones made him look like a statue, the details in his face almost too perfect for a mere human. He must be the incarnation of a Greek God, you thought.

‘Jung Yoonoh. 41 years old. Owner of N & C.’

“Should I...?” You asked yourself in a voice lower than a whisper.

He has probably gotten hundreds of messages, so what would be the point of sending one yourself? Your eyes scanned the picture over and over again as the remains of your soup started getting cold.

He was probably the only acceptable man in the whole app, so why not give it a try?

You already spent five whole dollars on it, might as well make it worth the money.

‘Hi.’ Sent.

“Holy crap.” You breathed out, regretting every single action that led you to take such a stupid decision. “Ah!” You squeaked as three small dots appeared beside his profile picture, signaling he was writing a reply.

What if he rejected you right from the beginning? God, that would be so humiliating. His message stopped your train of thought.

‘Hi!’

Followed by:

‘How are you?’

Sweating like a pig, thank you for asking.

‘Fine. You?’ Read.

‘Thrilled. No one had messaged me since I created my account two weeks ago.’

‘How is that possible?’ You imprinted your thoughts on a message.

‘It’s hard to trust people nowadays. I guess people might think either my picture is photoshopped or I'm lying about my job.’

‘Their loss, ig.’ Read.

He was taking some time to answer. Had you said something inappropriate?

‘Hahaha.’

The conversation stopped there, as you didn't know how exactly to answer his message. But a few minutes later, another text from him popped up at your chat.

‘If you're okay with it, we can start talking about a possible arrangement.’

Already? You've known each other for like five minutes. But then again, arrangements were the whole purpose of the app.

‘Sure.’

‘May I ask your reasons for joining the app?’

‘I need urgent money, but my job doesn't pay nearly enough.’ You omitted the part of your agonizing father, he didn't need to know that. ‘And you?’

‘I need someone to be my partner at public spaces.’

‘Alright.’ Read.

‘Do you happen to have some free time tomorrow at lunchtime? I think it’d be better to meet first before making any decisions.’

‘Yeah, I'm free.’

‘Great, I’ll send you the address.’

You thought a day would be enough to prepare yourself, but time passed by quicker than usual, and soon enough, it was time to get ready for your meeting with Mr. Jung. He was only a few years younger than your father, and calling him by his first name wouldn't feel right.

Unsure if you should wear something formal, you threw on a beige (the color you'd agreed on wearing so it’d be easier to recognize each other) summer dress, pairing it with the gold hoops you'd inherited from your grandma to make it look more elegant.

The hardest part of your routine was makeup. Your sunken cheeks couldn't be covered, and only after a few layers of blush and highlighter, you could bring your skin back to life.

On your way to the cafe, you went through the things you'd say when you met him. It was your chance to get your father what he needed.

You stood at the entrance with wide, scared eyes, shyly scanning through the place to look for your date.

“Melanie?” A hand on your shoulder had you jolting. “I’m Jung Yoonoh, nice to meet you.”

What you saw after turning around was breathtaking. A handsome, healthy man, with the most beautiful pair of dimples.

“Nice to meet you.” You managed to blurt out without stuttering, extending your hand to make the greeting more formal. The fake name didn’t seem necessary anymore. “It’s actually y/n, I didn't want to use my real name.”

“I understand. Let’s take a seat.” He offered with a kind smile.

He left you seating at the terrace while he made your order, a latte, and a chocolate cookie. Your fingers played with your hoops anxiously, trying to regulate your breath.

“They’ll bring our food in just a sec.” He offered a warm smile. “Your dress is pretty.” Yoonoh said out of nowhere.

“Thank you.”

“I see you're not a chatty person.” You were about to object, but he started speaking again. “It's not a bad thing! I usually talk a lot, so it’s a nice way to balance things.”

You nodded, seemingly uncomfortable with the man sitting in front of you.

“So, uhm, this is my first time doing this, so I'm not really sure where to begin.” He pulled out a folded paper from the front pocket of his dressing pants. “It’s a bit creased, but I can always print another one. I brought it so you could take a look and let me know if you wanted to change anything. I don't mean to pressure you, but you said it was urgent, so...”

You read the paper under his attentive gaze, making sure not to miss a single word. Everything seemed correct, except...

“Six months?”

“Is that too much?” A small wrinkle formed between his eyebrows, a sign of deep concentration. “Okay, so let's do this instead.”

He took back the contract, pulling out a pen from the pocket in his dressing shirt to correct the original stipulations.

“Four months, and if by the end of them you don't absolutely hate me, we can extend the time. Deal?”

“Just one more thing.”

You cleared your throat, conscious that your following words might jeopardize the whole arrangement.

“Are you sure you want to make it official already?” You had to stop for a moment as the waiter left your orders on top of the wooden table. “I mean, it's not that I have a problem with it, but it's your money and maybe you'd like to give it a better thought.” You resumed.

“The fact that you're concerned about me proves I'm making the right choice. Now, tell me, how much would you like to receive as a weekly allowance?”

Would it be too reckless to ask him straight up for the $8,000?

“H-how much are you willing to give me?” You felt dirty, accepting a stranger’s money like that.

“Whatever you need.” His hand suddenly reached forward to yours, causing every ounce of blood in your body to rush to your face. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, I'm here to help you.” His voice tone dropped, acquiring an almost soothing feeling.

“I need eight thousand by Thursday, next week.” His eyes were wide open, mouth having difficulties remaining closed. “I-I know it's too much, but...”

“I can find a way to give you that money, but I'd like to know the reason why you need it. Just to make sure it's nothing illegal.”

You puffed your cheeks, trying to find an excuse good enough to justify the amount of money you were asking for.

“It isn’t illegal, is it?”

“No!” You retrieved your hand from below his, now embarrassed at the possibility of him having a bad image of you. “I need it for my father.”

“I suppose you don't want to talk about it.” He started at his palm, lips pressed in a thin life. “But when it comes to arrangements like this, we need to trust each other, alright?” You barely knew each other, yet, he demanded to know a very personal detail of your life. Not that he didn't have a good reason for wanting to know, it wasn't a particularly small amount of money.

“He had an accident at work...” You started, fearful of looking up to find pity in his eyes. “I need a lawyer to make his company legally responsible. They intend to throw it under the rug and pay a somewhat decent amount of money to make it go away. The firm I intend to hire is supposedly the best in town, probably my only chance of getting justice.”

“And why don't you just accept it? There's no guarantee that your lawyer will win the case.” You fisted the delicate fabric of your dress, eyes watering as you tried to hold back your anger.

“My father’s life is priceless, and if you think what I'm doing is a waste of money, then fine, we can both look for someone else to help us.” It sounded more aggressive than you'd first intended, but you meant every word that came out of your mouth.

Before you could even stand up, his slim fingers had already wrapped themselves around your wrist.

“I never said that.” He whispered with an almost sad tone. “Come on, sit down.”

He tugged at your arm the slightest, showing off his charming dimples once again.

“I’ll give you the money on one condition...” He raised one of his thick eyebrows. “I’ll go with you to see the lawyer.”

“Why...?”

“That’s my condition, take it or leave it.”

“Okay.”

The days before your meeting with your potential lawyer were nerve-wracking. You'd seen Yoonoh another time to sign the contract, which finally made your arrangement official.

You’d visit your father every day, always hoping he'd be sitting with his arms wide open, ready to hug you. But nothing had changed ever since he first came into that room.

“I’m here to see Mr. Kim.” The secretary's gaze lingered on Jaehyun a few seconds before he finally snapped out of it. “Y/n Y/l/n.”

“Just a second.” He opened his agenda and quickly found your appointment. With a warm smile, he guided you through the corridors of the building, all the way to the elevator. “It’s the only office on the last floor, I'll be at my desk if you need anything.”

Once again, he shot Jae an uneasy glance before the metal doors slid close.

“What was all that?” To be honest, you couldn't care less. But a small chat might calm your nerves and prevent you from throwing up all over the place.

“What do you mean?” He grinned, pressing the button to the top floor.

“You know what I mean.” You scoffed, annoyed at his evasive behavior.

“We just happen to know each other, nothing special.” Before the conversation could continue, a loud ding resonated through the metal cubicle. “Let’s go.” His hand found its place at the small of your back, pushing you towards the glass door. Through it, you could see a black-haired man reading a pile of documents, occasionally raising a photo to examine it with his gold-rimmed glasses supported at the bridge of his elegant nose.

Jaehyun extended his arm over your shoulder to knock on the door, earning an almost annoyed ‘come in’ from the man inside.

“Let’s go.” Once again invading your personal space, he reached for the doorknob with you trapped between his arms.

As soon as the door opened, the man raised his eyes from the documents he was checking.

“What are you doing here, Jung?”

“I knew something was off...” You murmured, loud enough for the man at your side to chuckle.

“I brought you a client, you should be happy.”

“Miss y/n, I suppose. Have a seat.” His demeanor completely changed while speaking directly to you. “I spoke with your aunt last week, she explained the details of the lawsuit, but I must say, it isn't an easy case.”

“I know that, but I've been told you're the best firm in town, I know I'll have more possibilities of winning if you're my lawyer.”

“Best firm in town my ass.”

“Be silent or I’ll kick you out of the building.”

That was enough for Yoonoh to zip his mouth. For a while at least.

“I suppose she also told you about our fee.” He pushed his glasses up using his thumb. “We’d also keep 25% of the lawsuit money assuming we win the case, is that okay with you?”

“Yes-”

“Okay, stop.”

“I’ll call security, Jung.”

“Look at me, y/n.” He squeezed your arms. “This clown is trying to scam you...” He pointed his finger at the lawyer without breaking eye contact. “You’d be spending loads of money for someone who isn't even confident in his abilities. It isn't worth it.”

“And I suppose you'd do better than me, then.” The black-haired man scoffed. “If that's the case, then you can both leave. I'm quite busy at the moment.” With a turn of his wrist, he signaled you to leave the room.

You were fuming, stomping out of the building with Jaehyun right behind you.

“I found a great restaurant nearby, we can go there and-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Calm down-”

“Don’t tell me to calm down when you just fucked up my only chance to give those bastards what they deserve.” The sun was starting to set, yellow light casting shadows over his tender cheeks.

“Can you listen to me for a second?”

“Are you laughing right now?” You bit your lip, hard, trying to hold back the tsunami of tears threatening to come out of your eyes. “Asshole.”

“Ouch.” He furrowed his eyebrows mockingly. Oh, how close you were to punch that pretty face of his. “Can I explain now?”

You remained silent, staring at the ground with the smallest frown between your eyebrows.

“How do you think I know Kim Doyoung?” Before even giving you a chance to answer, he continued. “That son of a bitch has been stealing my clients for ages.”

“Your clients...?”

“He isn't even that good of a lawyer compared to me.” He scoffed with fake arrogance.

“You're a lawyer?!” You slammed your palms into your face, whining at the newly acquired information. “Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?”

“Just wanted to swing by and annoy him a bit. Don't worry, I wasn't gonna let you accept his deal.” He winked playfully.

The sun was now hidden, the sky darkening as the moon rose to take its shift.

“Though I gotta say, I'm kinda offended I wasn't even an option. I'm a pretty great lawyer, you know?”

“Sorry.”

“I’ll forgive you if you join me for dinner. What do you say?”

As you walked into the darkness of the streets, his shoulder occasionally bumping yours, you wondered if meeting him was a casualty. Maybe the world was finally smiling at you.

#nct smut #nct angst #nct fluff #nct au #nct imagines #nct ot21 #nct x reader #nct #nct 127 #nct scenarios #nct jaehyun

[jaytoddsdoll]

A/N: I had this idea a while ago and thought it was pretty cool, I'll try my best!

Pairing: Jason Todd × Reader

Prompt: You have been together with Jason for a while, you both said "I like you" and gone in a couple of dates, you enjoyed each other's company, but all changed when Jason said "I love you", you were scared, saying I like you is one thing but love... That scared the shit out of you, so you distanced yourself from Jason... Will you be able to tell him I love you back? Or will you be too scared of your emotions and back away?

Warnings: swearing and slight smut ( not hardcore don't worry)

Song: Naked- James Arthur

I'm Standing Here Naked

What the hell am I supposed to do... He said he loves me... But I'm so scared, I've never been in a proper relationship, Jason was the first one...

It's true I've had my flings from time to time with boys, but never anything serious, I liked that, mostly because in those "relationships" I didn't have to open up, I would just enjoy time with them, have sex, and later break it off without having my heart broken.

I thought I would always be from flower to flower without getting attached, and when I was starting to feel something towards the guy (apart from sexual attraction) I would run away and forget about it....

But all of this changed when I met him... Fucking Jason Todd.... He had that bad boy vibe that I liked so much, and how smooth he was as well as well build, damn that body of his...

It started with just casual sex, we met at a bar and decided to have a one night stand, but we found each other again and without knowing it we started dating, I don't know why I didn't get away this time, there was something about him that made me stick close to him...

After nine months dating, one afternoon, we were at his flat, I was outside in his balcony admiring the sunset, it was definitely a beautiful sight, when I felt two arms wrap around my waist and pull me towards a strong chest

"Hey babe" Said Jason giving me a small peck on my neck

I only hummed in response and laid my head on his chest relaxing my whole body against his, turning around slowly and reaching for his face giving him a kiss

"(y/n)..." The kiss started to get more urgent and his hands slide down to the lower part of my back, pressing me harder against him

"I love you..." He said breaking the kiss

It took me a couple of seconds to realize what he said, and as soon as I did my eyes opened wide and I pushed him away from me

"What... Jason I..." " Why would you say that..."

"What do you mean why? I love you (y/n)" " I really do, look you don't have to say it back, do it whenever you are ready..." He said leaving a small kiss on my forehead and going back inside

After that day things started to get bad, I would always try to change the subject when he brought up the matter, and when he would say I love you I would tense up, and after weeks of being like that Jason bursted

"I'm tired (y/n), I'm fucking tired of this shit...(A/N:I just want a relationship so I'm gonna give you a bunch of reasons why you should date me... Ok, sorry lets continue) I know I told you I would wait for you but I don't know how longer I can wait, I want to take the next step but you won't let me..."

"Jay, what next step? We are already dating is not like we are fuck buddies without any romance involved"

"(y/n)... I want you to move in with me to present you as my girlfriend to my family and I meet yours, to level up things, but I can't do that unless I know you want it too, that you love me as much as I love you..."

" Jay I told you I'm not ready...I..."

"You keep saying that all the time!! Whenever I try to talk to you about it you change the subject or get all tense and ignore me... I'm done with that bullshit (y/n)!! I'm giving myself fully to you but I only get a part of you!"

"Jay..."

"No, I'm tired of always trying to know more things about you but you not letting me..."

At this point I was starting to get mad

"Then you shouldn't have said "I love you"!!"

I yelled and Jason looked at me with a surprised look on his face later replaced by an angry scowl

" Not say "I love you", so I'm just supposed to shut my feelings?! "

"No! But you put a pressure on me that I don't like... And I..."

"You know what, whatever (y/n), I'm done, I'm going to give you space to think, I can't keep waiting on you like a lost puppy, I've waited long enough.... Make your fucking decision, because I can't take it, either you finally tell me how you feel about me or we are through... Goodbye (y/n)..."

And just like that he grabbed his keys and left my apartment leaving me there dumbfounded with tears slowly threatening to fall down my cheeks...

Weeks passed and I felt like shit, I couldn't sleep, I kept waking up in the middle of the night searching for that warmth that used to be next to me, holding me, keeping my nightmares and fears away, but there was nothing there, only cold sheets

Was this feeling love? To feel that you can barely take a step knowing that person is not going to be waiting for you at home, that you are going to look at your phone and no longer see a text from him making you smile... Or his touch...

I've tried talking with my best friends Barbara and Cass, to see if they could help me, but that only helped me realize that I was right this... Whatever I'm feeling is love... And I can't help but think that I fucked up... I ignored the only person who made me feel this way, and all because I was scared... Scared of getting hurt, scared of opening up and being judged...

A couple of days after talking with the girls a letter came to my house, my name was written on the envelope in beautiful gold cursive letters, very majestic if you asked me. It was an invitation to the next Bruce Wayne gala, at first I didn't understand, Jason never said anything about me, so why was I invited? Turns out the Bruce Wayne was going to host a gala to raise money for Gotam's hospital, which meant that I would be attending due to the fact that I'm a doctor working in said hospital, the thing is that if Bruce was the host, Jason would be there...

The day of the gala came and I was in the car with Barbara and Cass heading to the Wayne's Mannor, Dick ( Barbara's boyfriend and Jason's brother) was driving us there, and I couldn't help but wish that Jason didn't attend, which was pretty probable due to his dislike towards galas...

An hour in everything seemed to go smoothly, you chatted with some of your colleagues, with your friends and drank some champagne, until you saw him... He was looking breathtaking, he wore a black tuxedo with a red tie, damn he looked so handsome, that's when you found his gaze straight at you, looking you up and down, you were wearing an esmerald dress with no strips

It looked like he was going to approach you but stopped and turned around leaving the room

You tried following him, you know what to do, and you wanted you boyfriend back, you had fucked up so much already, you needed him

You couldn't find him, it was like if earth had swallowed him, just then the scenario lighted up and Bruce appeared

"Thank you everyone for coming, I would like to inform that thanks to your cooperation a big amount of money is being raised, and for that I thank you again... Now I would like to present my son Jason Todd, who has an important message for a special someone"

The lights went a bit down and Jason stepped on the stage, thanking Bruce and getting the microphone from him, and a melody started playing...

🎵Hey, you there

Can we take it to the next level, baby, do you dare?

He looked directly at me and the crowd in front of me made place for me to walk closer, but I was shocked and couldn't move, until someone pushed me *ahem* Barbara *ahem* making me stand in the front row

Don't be scared

'Cause if you can say the words, I don't know why I should care

I dropped my head down

'Cause here I am, I'm givin' all I can

But all you ever do is mess it up

Yeah, I'm right here, I'm tryin' to make it clear

That getting half of you just ain't enough

I could feel tears starting to form in the corner of my eyes

I'm not going to wait until you're done

Pretending you don't need anyone

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I'm not gonna try 'til you decide

You're ready to swallow all your pride

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

My heart started to beat fast and I felt glances fall up on me but I couldn't take my eyes from Jason

Hey, get out

I've got nothin' left to give for you give me nothin' now

Read my mouth

If you ever want me back, then your walls need breakin' down

I could feel how hurt he was and after those lines my hands reached up and covered my mouth

'Cause here I am, I'm givin' all I can

But all you ever do is mess it up (all you ever do is mess it up)

Yeah, I'm right here, I'm tryin' to make it clear

getting half of you just ain't enough

My tears started slowly going down my cheeks

I'm not going to wait until you're done

Pretending you don't need anyone

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I'm not gonna try 'til you decide

You're ready to swallow all your pride

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I wanna give you everything

I wanna give you everything

I wanna give you everything

I wanna give you everything

I'm not going to wait until you're done

'Cause you pretended you don't need anyone

'Cause you see that I'm naked (naked, naked)

Oh, you see that I'm naked (naked, naked)

I'm not going to try 'til you decide

You're ready to swallow all your pride

I'm standing here naked (naked, naked)

I'm standing here naked (I'm standing) (naked, naked)

I'm standing

I'm standing here🎵

When he finished a roar of applause grew among the room, but I didn't hear it, I could only hear my heart pounding in my ears, and without thinking I ran up the stage and jumped on Jason, giving him the most passionate kiss we've ever shared, not caring about the rest

At first he didn't respond but after a second he rapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up pressing our bodies together

After what seemed minutes but were roughly seconds we pulled apart, I gazed at him while he removed a tear from my cheeck

"I love you Jason Peter Todd"

And with that he kissed me again and a louder roar of applause was heard

That night we both returned to his apartment and took each other's clothes off, kissing and feeling each other, which felt heavenly after all that time apart

(You know what happened next...)

We were both laying on his bed hugging each other and Jason giving me soft kisses all over my face and neck

"I love you (y/n)"

"I love you too Jaybird"

He pecked my lips and brought me closer to his chest, both falling asleep in each other's arms and the warmth that they both had so much missed...

THE END

Hope you liked it! I enjoyed so much writing this!! And I love Jason Todd😍😁

Till next time! Let me know if you have any requests...

Author out✌🏻

#jason todd #jaybird #fluff #jason todd imagine #song imagine #reader #jason todd reader insert #dc reader insert #dc heroes #batfam

[cafecliche]

for promts: I'd love to see what you'd do with Victor's POV, especially if you subscribe to the headcanon of Victor with depression or similar. I've been wanting a giant Victor Angst Fest with him trying to navigate Yuuri's (unknowingly) 'mixed-signals' and his first ever roller coaster 'he loves me, he loves me not'-crush in season 1, but their time in St Petersburg from Victor's POV would be lovely as well. 'So this is what it feels like not to be lonely. But what if he leaves?' Thank you :)

Working my way through the latter half of prompts - thank you all so much for your patience!!So first of all, thank you so much for this opportunity - it was so much fun to try! I gave your second prompt a shot. It’s bit more ‘wistful fluff’ than ‘angst’ because I seem to be incapable of making these kids permanently sad, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!Also thank you so much @kevystel for encouraging me to post what I had written of this earlier this week! It seriously helped me think through this.Fic below the cut! Also, mild warning for oblique references to depression (plus a bit of anxiety with regard to sense of self?) Also also, this owes so much to this post.

“Idon’t…” Yuuri pauses, worrying at his lip between his teeth, and shifts theunfamiliar bag higher in his lap so he can better dig through it. “I don’t havethe steadiest hands,” he says. “So you’ll have to hold still.”

Hesays it like they’re already in the middle of this conversation, like he’s nottotally aware he hasn’t said anything out loud since he leveled Victor withthat long, studying glance over the couch and told him to come here. Hehasn’t noticed that Victor’s not following yet. That’s okay. Victor is morethan capable of catching up.

Ittakes Yuuri setting out the cuticle kit and one, two, three bottles of nailpolish for them to get there.

Victorblinks. “Did you buy these?”

“Foundthem in your closet.” Yuuri glances up through his lashes, still bent over histask. “I can put them back?”

Byway of answer, Victor slides in, accordions their legs, and offers his hand.

Yuuritakes it, inspects the size and shape of Victor’s nails like he’s dismantling abomb. It’s that look he got at Euros, right before the free skate. Focused.Present.

(Areporter, misreading him, asked if Yuuri was worried about Victor’s comeback.Yuuri barely paused, shifted Victor’s skate guard, water, and tissue holder inhis arms, and softly said, “I’m just trying not to drop anything.”

Victorwas on the ice at the time, but Chris sent him the link the second it wasposted to YouTube. Chris is a good friend.)

WhenYuuri gets that look now, it usually means he’s going to dig through the spareroom, or take a different route through their neighborhood. Victor trailsafter, sometimes. But there’s still plenty he looks past.

“Hey.”Yuuri’s mouth twitches upwards as he eases the clippers past the leather. “Nomoving.”

“Yourhands aren’t unsteady,” Victor says.

“Theyshake, sometimes,” Yuuri says. “I told you about that press conference beforemy senior debut. Everyone thought I hadn’t eaten. People were giving me theirgranola bars.”

“Thatwasn’t about your hands,” Victor declares, and holds firm when Yuuri glances upat him through narrowed eyes. People look for excuses to give Yuuri things.That’s objective fact.

“Areyou going to hold still or not,” Yuuri says.

It shouldn’t be possible to holdstill with a flourish. But Victor is very talented.

Yuuri takes his time with thecuticle cream. Victor’s noticed that Yuuri likes this kind of repetitive motion, from his compulsoryfigures to the circles he wears in the carpet when he can’t sleep. It should beimpossible to forget that Yuuri lives with him now, and yet Victor regularly wakesup at 2:30 in the morning, alone in bed, and listens to the faint rustling in the living room, wondering if he’s being robbed.

Even without Yuuri next to him,there are enough little differences to tell now from then: the things on hisshelves, the texts on his phone, the looks on the faces around him. They’re gettingfewer and further between, now, those moments where he catches something out ofthe corner of the eye and, briefly, forgets what year it is.

“Now.These are carefully-selected options,” Yuuri says, a little arch, as he nudgesthe three bottles of polish with his toe.

“Iwould expect nothing else,” Victor says.

“Mightbe a tough choice,” Yuuri says, looking up from the cuticle cream just longenough to grin. “Option #1—” a nudge to the bottle for indication, “coordinateswith your short program costume, where Option #2—” another nudge, “is a perfectmatch for your free skate. So it depends on where you want the most impa—oh.”

He’sstopped, fully focused on Victor now, and his mouth slants a little. “Option#3, then.”

It’sfirm, like they’re in agreement, and Victor finds himself, once again, trying to catchup. He doesn’t think he made a face. He doesn’t think his face looked like muchof anything. And yet.

“Whatdoes that one match?” is what Victor finally asks.

“Me?”Yuuri stays on task, even as his cheeks pink. “I. Um. Wear a lot of this color.”

Victor’sshoulders uncoil. Weird. He doesn’t quite remember tensing them. “Perfect.”

Yuurishifts the first hand closer with a decisive nod, carefully dabs the excesspolish on the sides of the bottle, and starts on the first thumbnail with slow,deliberate strokes. He’s visibly struggling to keep the color even. Victorwants to tell him that’s what the second coat is for, but it seems rude tobreak his concentration now.

“You’reallowed to talk, you know,” Yuuri says.

“Youdid tell me to stay still,” Victor says.

Yuuri’smouth shifts into a smirk. “Most people manage to talk without their hands.”

“Wow,” Victor says, mock-scandalized. Butwhen Yuuri’s face settles back into something serious, he prods. “What do youwant to talk about?”

“Well…”Yuuri trails off long enough, starting on the next nail, that Victor’s startedto think he forget they were talking. But eventually, he finishes, “You don’thave to if you don’t want to, but – you could talk about whatever it is that’son your mind?”

Victor’sjaw barely stays closed.

“Everything’sfine,” he huffs out.

“Okay,”Yuuri says, and his narrowed eyes say everything he doesn’t.

Itwould be nice, Victor thinks, if he could be quite as succinct. Almost as niceas if there were words at all for the someone’s-walked-over-my-grave feeling ofcoming back from the rink in the dark of midwinter, the streetlights blazingclear against the sharp cold air like they always have and always will.

Besides.He knows the exact contortions of Yuuri’s thinking by now.  No one but Yuuri could be so sure of his insignificanceto others and his complete and total responsibility for everything wrong intheir lives at the exact same time.

“Nothingyou need to worry about,” is what he settles on eventually.

Yuuri’shand twitches, splashing the next stroke of polish across the side of Victor’sfinger. With an I-told-you-so sigh, Yuuri swipes it away with the edge of hisown nail. He pauses for a second, as if considering whether or not to put thebottle aside. But he keeps going.

“Victor,”he says. “Do you remember our first competition? Someone from the press askedwhat you would say to those who felt I’d never be a serious contender unless Igot my nerves under control, and you said—”

“Thatanyone who underestimated you would come to regret it,” Victor says.

“Iwas so mad.” Yuuri laughs softly. “Icould just see it. I was going to fail, reallyfail, and that clip was going to go viral, and you’d go back to Russia andI’d be a meme.”

“Iremember that.” Despite himself, Victor smiles. “You said all of that out loud,actually.”

“Right,”Yuuri says. “And then I thought about it afterwards. And I realized it was thenicest thing anyone had ever said about me.”

Hiswords hang there, fragile. They’re both looking up now. “So?” Victor says.

“So,”Yuuri says. “Don’t start underestimating me now.”

Oh.

Victor’sexhale punches out of him as he sprawls deeper into the floor, his arms aroundYuuri’s waist. From somewhere above him, Yuuri says, “You’re not going to letme finish, are you.”

“Itlooks perfect,” Victor says.

“Youhave a nail and a half painted.” Fingers comb through Victor’s hair.

“I’llstart a fashion,” Victor says.

“Low-maintenance.”Yuuri’s smile is audible. “I like it.”

They’requiet long enough that when Victor speaks again, it could easily beunconnected. A random, fleeting thought. “I read this theory once that apersonality isn’t a constant over time. That it’s a set of externalcircumstances internalized.”

“…why were you reading that?” Yuuri asks. Victor still can’t see his face.

“Myphysical therapist was behind and it was on the table.” Victor shrugs the besthe can from his current position.

“Okay.Well.” Victor can feel the rise and fall of Yuuri’s ribs. He’s chewingsomething over. “If that’s true. If.Then we’re both people we’ve never been before, right?”

“Both?”Victor says.

“Sure,”Yuuri says. “I’ve never been here before. And – and you’ve never been here withme before.”

Hecan’t put his finger on it. But something, undeniably, clicks.

Victorpresses his face into Yuuri’s side and, distantly, realizes there will never bea better opportunity to joke about reusing all his best pickup lines. He doesn’ttake it.

Theyfinish his nails the next night.  

#yuri on ice #fic by me #yoi fic