#I might expand this into a drabble exercise

[flowerslut]

13, 27, 28, 30

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you to write about? What is easy?

this might be a boring answer but I’m not too sure just yet! there is a LOT that I haven’t tried writing about (just as there’s a lot of topics I have tackled in some way or another) so until I actually do more writing or expand the topics I tackle then I just don’t know! I’ve always been very good at tapping into varying levels of hopelessness and how that may present within different characters (caused by trauma, circumstance, mental illness, etc) so writing about that has always come easy, although it does come with its own unique difficulties (basically the affect that writing for long enough in certain mindsets can have on my own mental state)

but there’s so much I haven’t written about!!! so I think that my goal for the next year might be to try and do more actual writing exercises! for someone who wants to improve I don’t nearly do enough. shit, I might even just go back to accepting prompts and forcing myself to churn out drabbles and one-shots all year. who knows!

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

sakura fucking haruno. and she was only ever stressful because of the story she’s in and the way the fandom acts towards her. in any scene where you write her as level-headed then she’s an out-of-character self-insert! if you write her emotional then it’s just par for the course for that useless fucking crybaby am I right? and god forbid you do both to give her the rounded-out characterization that she deserves because then you’re reaaaaally just waving the red flag in front of the sakura haters who Can and Will Find You.

sakura is one of the most mistreated, underutilized, and widely-hated characters I’ve ever seen in any fandom and I will always be biting biting biting all of her haters when they make their presences known in my ff.net reviews. sorry that I want better for that phenomenal bitch (affectionate) and forgive me for being someone who is an expert at mining the potential of neglected fictional characters, it absolutely will happen again </3

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

this might come as a surprise to anyone who has read roots but I am SHOCKEDDDD with how easy it was and how much fucking FUN I had writing maria. sure I’ve written her before (who better to subtly remind readers in cotn that jasper absolutely has unresolved mommy issues 😌) but I’ve never written from her POV and gotten in her head like this before, and holy shit, who knew that writing a completely unrepentant petty bitch would be one of the undiscovered joys in my life??? I want to write so many controversial characters now. and not to make them less-controversial (because that’s so boring to me) but to really show how far they’d go to reach their goals/etc. ugh. learning how much I love to write maria was such a gift from roots. perhaps the only real gift I got the entire time 💀

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from you dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

while I'm not a bitch who usually remembers her dreams, nor am I someone who has dreams that're coherent enough to translate into fic, I'm 100% positive that I have written-out dreams as fic before. I can think off the top of my head a naruto fic that was literally a dream I just wrote down and elaborated on, but I can't find it for the life of me (it was a war-arc one shot floating around here on tumblr somewhere). the main role that dreams play in my writing life nowadays are the ones that are inspired/caused by the things I write, as opposed to the other way around.

weird questions for writers!

[victuurikatsu]

we’ll never be royals

[For @wewritevictuuri weekly prompt “I’m going for a swim. Do you wanna join me?” And a celebration ficlet for reaching a following milestone, thank you for your continued support! 💖]

“Come on, Yuuri! What’s the worst thing that could happen to us?” Phichit asked.

The man promptly slammed down a regal looking poster atop the work space where Yuuri was working on his latest piece. Desperately, he tried to focus his attention on the piece rather than poster itself --- knowing full well it was filled with details announcing the masquerade ball being held in the kingdom.

Of course he’d already known about the ball, as he’d already been commissioned to make some of the finest gowns and petticoats for it. But this last piece he was working on, he wanted to make sure it was especially cared for, as the snowy white mask with glinted crystals and golden lining was being procured by Prince Viktor Nikiforov himself.

Yuuri could feel Phichit’s gaze burning a hole into his shirt before he responded, “Well for one, we could be hanged. And more importantly we’re not royalty. How would we even get in?”

“Dumb luck and charm.” Phichit smirked. “Besides, you can create the perfect disguises for us, can’t you?”

Being one of the most renowned tailors in the kingdom had its perks. Yuuri was never out of work and usually kept busy well into the dead of winter. His hands had created arguably the most lavish pieces seen on royalty within their kingdom and even in other lands abound. But to pull something as extravagant as whatever Phichit was conjuring up in his mind, he didn’t know if he was capable of it. In an attempt to dissolve any of the concerns that were clearly painted on Yuuri’s face, Phichit went in for the kill.

“I’ve already got us a surefire way to get in. Remember that royal guard? The one who’s usually glued to the Prince’s side?”

Yuuri could only briefly recall him, hair coiffed in strands of blonde in tight curls, eyes that were doe-like and as green as an emerald. The only reason why he didn’t know anything else was due to his attention always landing straight onto the Prince thereafter. His silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, his eyes an azure blue that always looked warm, shoulders broader than anything he’d ever seen, skin as luminous as the moon.

“Uh, Giacometti? Right?” Yuuri managed to stammer out before getting too lost in his daydream.

“The very same. He owes me a favor, so I’m cashing in on it. We’ll have access through the servants quarters. He’ll personally escort us in, no harm done. Besides, it’s not like you to pass on an opportunity to see Viktor.”

Yuuri looked over to the poster and back at the mask in his hands. A royal servant would be by to fetch it within a day or two. He was confident that by the time he finished the piece it would be more than suitable for him. He wondered if it would be a sin to want to see the mask on him with his own two eyes rather than hearing through word of mouth as he had always done for any piece he had made for Viktor in the past.

“Two conditions.” Yuuri finally said as he came to his own resolve.

“Anything!”

“If we get caught, I’m pleading hysteria. By midnight, we’re gone.”

“You sound like a folklore.” Phichit said rolling his eyes.

“Midnight Phichit, no later.” Yuuri warned.

“Fiiiiiine.” Phichit conceded, before throwing a mound of fabrics over Yuuri’s way. “Now get to work, we have a ball to get ready for!”

The days stretched on much faster than Yuuri had anticipated and before he knew it, he was critiquing his disguise in the mirror while Phichit did his best to assure him nothing would go wrong. Against the backdrop of his tanned skin, Phichit was carefully hidden under a mask in brilliant hues of red and gold to signify a dragon. The irony wasn’t lost on Yuuri as Phichit kept making jokes about not fighting back should Guardsmen Giacometti consider slaying him sometime in the evening.

Yuuri opted to be hidden like a raven in the night so his mask followed the same theme. The contrast against his honey brown eyes was jarring but subtle enough for him to feel that he would seamlessly blend into the background. After dusk had settled and stars were beginning to form, Yuuri and Phichit snuck off to the meeting point, grateful for the bustle of out of town royals marveling at the estate that the Nikiforov’s kept so prim and pristine. As Phichit had promised, the doe-eyed guard was indeed waiting to escort them into the heart of the ball.

“Why does he owe you again?” Yuuri murmured as they were led deeper into the confines of the castle.

“That’s a tale I’ll share later.” Phichit said with a smirk.

Making it to the grand ballroom, Yuuri was hit with a world of color in gold and silver. If it wasn’t the dresses that were in bright hues, it was the brilliant fans that each lady of the court seemed to be brandishing that caught high attention. Beautiful and graceful, every participant at the ball did not skimp on fulfilling the duty of showing up in proper attire, some of the pieces Yuuri had worked on weeks ago were even seen waltzing around in the space.

Heart pacing, he made a run for the nearest station where cups of mead and spirits were being passed along. It did not take long for Yuuri to succumb to his own curse as he and spirits never mixed well. Now they were even more in danger of having their cover blown.

As music brandished through the space, Yuuri through blurred vision watched colors flowing across the room as people were pairing up one by one to dance. That’s when he sees the familiar crystalized glint of a mask he would recall anywhere after spending weeks perfecting it.

It was the Prince.

Stumbling over to him, Yuuri could only manage a giggle before standing upright, thankful that the mask he had on himself was a stark black and would hopefully hide the hues of red that were staining his cheeks. Wordlessly, he holds out a hand to invite Viktor to dance, half expecting to be pushed away. But the spirits gave him no ounce of fear and all he wanted to do was follow through with ambition. He wanted desperately to dance with him. That’s why he’s surprised when he feels warmth enveloping around his finger tips.

“I know every royal there is to know, but I’ve never seen you around before.” Viktor said in amusement.

Yuuri can only think of replying in the form of a gesture. He wanted to successful sweep Prince Viktor off his feet and he does just that. He doesn’t know how many dances pass between them, but they are both flushed with joy and giddiness that causes the entirety of the room to take heed of what was unfolding. Who was the stranger making the Prince come alive for the first time in years?

The following day Yuuri finds himself leaning against a tree in the middle of his personal sanctuary. Head pounding, he watches the lake across from him glisten, ebb, and flow as he tries to center himself. Phichit had successfully dragged him away as promised at the stroke of midnight. The events that happened prior were still a blur to him. He only knew that when he awoke that morning, the town was alit with talks of a raven haired stranger whisking the Prince away in a night of dancing and laughter.

As far as Yuuri knew, no one was able to uncover his identity, and he wanted to will it to stay that way. Lost in the curse of his drinking, he strayed from being safe and nearly blew it for both himself and Phichit, all for the chance to live out a dream beyond anything he felt he would ever be worthy of. Though it was nice being able to recall the way Victor’s laughter sounded against the base of his throat.

“Hi! May I join you?”

Yuuri nearly leapt off of the ground, unaware that he wasn’t alone in his oasis and was stunned to see who was standing before him. Grasping onto the tendrils of grass beneath him to feel for sure that this wasn’t another dream, Yuuri gulped before getting up immediately to gather his belongings.

“S-sorry, I was just g-going. Please, enjoy the space your majesty.” Yuuri said with a deep bow, hanging his head low before swiftly turning his back to the man.

“I know it was you.” Viktor called out to him.

Yuuri froze, willing his shoulders to relax before uttering a simply reply, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“At the ball. You were the raven. And I’m certain you must have made my owl mask. The details never lie. I’ve always admired every piece we’ve gotten from you.” Viktor said fondly.

“M-my work?” Yuuri managed to get out.

“Mhm, and if I’m being honest, I haven’t had fun like that at a ball in ages.”

Yuuri found himself spinning around to plead for forgiveness, but all he could hear was giggling and the feeling of a cloth that still felt warm landing on top of his head. Drawing his hands up, he pulled on the cloth and saw that it was an undershirt. Eyes trailing to the ground, he saw a pattern of scattered clothing ranging from trousers, boots, even the lavish magenta hued petticoat.

That was when he saw him, shimmering in the middle of the lake like an ethereal being come to life. The way the sun cascaded against his silver hair making him even more luminous than ever, how his eyes seemed even brighter than the skies above. Yuuri searched for any ounce of distrust or hard feelings, but only found that Viktor was still warm and inviting. Soon enough, his lithe hand was outstretched to him, in a way of beckoning, possibly a calling.

“I was wondering if we might be able to continue in the spirit of fun. I’m going for a swim. Do you wanna join me?”

Yuuri looked on dazed, seeing a brilliant smile gracing Viktor’s lips.

Would it be a sin for him to say yes?

[mercurygray]

hello and congrats on 1000 followers! i just read through the darkening sky in about seven hours and i have to say that it’s the best fic i’ve ever read from any fandom at any time. it’s truly astounding work.

i have a few questions (and feel free not to answer them if you want to keep some things to yourself for the sake of later writing/surprises/etc.)

1) you’ve written joan x dick x nix on your ao3, but tds seems like it will be just joan x dick. are there any groupings or pairings in tds that you see developing into a polyship or polyamory?

2) in one of the chapters, a character (joan? marj maybe?) mentioned that there are girls who like girls and guys who like guys in easy company. besides annie sutton and connie (maybe? if i’m remembering correctly), do you mind expanding on who those people might be? maybe some of the guys?

again, feel no pressure to answer these questions. this is my first time writing in about a fic, but tds is truly one of the best things i’ve ever read and i cannot thank you enough for writing it!

Gosh, Nonnie, that's quite a compliment - thank you! I'm glad you liked the fic and am pleased to be so found.

Neither of these are spoilers, really, and they're both good questions! I'm putting part of the answer under a cut for brevity.

Simple answer - yes, it's really just Joan x Dick that's endgame. The thruple concept exists solely as an AU idea to the main fic and was something I started tossing around later in my writing process as a thought exercise - nothing more. I'm sure we could say something here about competing representation needs - that wasn't one I was setting out to solve when I started writing, so it's not in the main fic.

The thing that makes Lewis x Dick x Joan work as a thruple is that all of them have chemistry with each other - for some of the other pairs, one or more components don't quite have that energy with the other characters who are often paired together. Marj, for instance, gets along really well with Lip but wouldn't know what to do with Speirs; Maggie loves Lieb but vehemently hates Webster. And even if I were to make, say, Molly and Billie a thing, which I did contemplate, Molly and Speirs is another pairing that just doesn't quite compute and Billie and Tab works better as a friendship.

The ONE thruple that I don't think has ever really been mentioned outside of my group chat is Billie x Speirs x Grant, which actually does feel like it could go somewhere. (That is also courtesy of @basilone, who is responsible for Billie x Speirs as a thing that exists, and who has a lovely Speirs x Grant fic The Long Bright Dark.) Again - it's a thought experiment, not an endgame.

I do have one other polyamory thing that I write from time to time, and it's for The Pacific - it's Andy Haldane x Eddie Jones and an OFC named Marie Atcheson, whom you can read about in Knowing How to Pick 'Em on AO3.

2. It's Marj who makes a comment about how there are plans 'being made for getting laid' but never takes it much beyond that; there's also a drabble on my tumblr where June tells Chuck “Girls can like girls, Chuck…Wouldn’t surprise me if we’ve got a few guys who like guys in this unit, either. And that’s fine - long as they aren’t getting bitchy about who gets to fuck who. That’s why we’re keeping this low….So no one gets hurt.”

Beyond that, however, no mention has been made of men who like men in the main fic, and, to be honest, I haven't given it much thought. Again, something could be said about competing representation needs. I set out to write what I wanted to write and sort of side-lined a lot of other things.

I think, as of right this moment, if I had to add some of that in, and I think that's a fair ask, the first people that occur to me are Skip and Penk. Since Connie is friends with them, the adage that all the gay kids sit together could be said to be true, and it would make for some interesting stage business as they're trying to figure out what gets sent home.

[sonder-paradise]

hello! i just wanna say that i'm a really big fan of your writing, and think you're really cool! do you happen to have any tips/ideas when encountering writer's block? i've been stuck with it for a while now :(

wahdbajdn imma blush tysm for the compliments!!😖💕

ack writer’s block is the worst but i just recently got out of one so i could try helping you out :D

— don’t force yourself to write if you don’t feel it.

the most frustrating thing is sitting down, writing something you hate and then throwing it away. or even just sitting there, getting distracted and unmotivated. just live life in the meantime. inspiration can come at the most random times and it’s always good to romanticize things till an idea natural comes again.

— drabble with small pieces in the meantime

if you’re desperate to write like i get sometimes but you’re in a block, i recommend handwriting your work down. just drabble with anything that comes to mind for fifteen minutes. only fifteen. then stop, put it down and don’t look at it. come back tmrw and continue for another fifteen. you can continue doing it till you feel more confident writing a longer piece :)

and don’t gimme the “but i write fanfiction i could never hand write it” >:(( i wrote all my old fics by hand and typed them out on desktop. i still do it today when i can 😤

— do small writing exercises that force you outta your comfort zone

hear me out, i know it’s dumb. it’s silly. but coming from someone who’s been writing for abt 10 years of the 18 years she’s been on this planet, it’s rlly helpful for expanding your writing knowledge and experience.

if you’re good with descriptions and imagery;;

pull out your own ask game where the writing has to be dialogue only / only write dialogues or incorrect quotes

if you’re better with dialogue and one-liners;;

do an ask game where you describe your followers/mutuals or pull up an image and describe it with words

they’re quick and short so you might be able to find some creative drive from the little exercises :)

— no stress and remember writing is for fun!!

your writing is for yourself and no one else. just remember what got you started or drove your passion for it 💕

[dethkomic]

Hi, Dawn. I've wondered how you keep track of so many characters? You don't have to answer this publicly since it's not really about the comic only.

Well hi, Furby! Sorry I haven't come around to answering this sooner, but I absolutely will answer it publicly, as it is a fine and noble question!

In case you weren't here last time, here's the cast of the first Dethkomic. Left to right: Nita, Skwisgaar, Ange, Nix, Jason, Glennda, Eden, Pickles, Badger, Angelique, Jenna, Teja, Lenya, Toki, Charles, Murderface, Sparkles, Janet, Nathan, #216, Caj. I did that mental exercise just to see if I could remember each one. Once again, this was a story/art I did in my 20′s, so I am a bit rusty. However -- it’s funny how things can stay with you, despite years and years of time passing since the last time you worked with any of it. That said, most of these characters aren’t mine...

...they belong to other artists and fic writers of the time, many of whom became dear friends of mine I still keep in touch with, today. For that reason, I got to know each of them in their own stories, in their own ways. That made it easier to know them. That made it easier to remember them fifteen years on. This is why, when working with your own characters, I recommend writing drabbles, fiction, comics -- whatever, as “thumbnails” to test the waters. You don’t have to share this work, and in fact, you might not like a lot of them so you won’t want to. Just a few sentences will do. See how the tone fits the character. If it leaves a bad taste in your mouth (or a nice taste that still somehow doesn’t fit), toss it. Do another one. Just keep writing. Share with others when you can. Someone might come along and write/draw something with your characters (and so many wonderful people have done this for me over the years and I can’t thank them enough for giving their time to give my stuff a nod) and it might expand your own vision of them. In this way, we all can share a little chess game. A roleplay with everyone reading and writing their own things. A little universe.  Support your fellow creators and care about what they create. You will care more deeply about what you create, and you will want to write about each one you’ve come to meet, just as fervently as your favorites. You can do this when you have to write for someone else’s creations on a professional capacity, too -- but you should do this especially if it’s just for fun. Else, why are you doing it?

Thanks for the question! Dethkomic loves you!!

[takoyakitenchou]

Some Domestic Family Fluff for Genesis Verse, please? You can choose the ship!

yes!!! this is a sorina and ryoali-centric drabble featuring Yukihira Kaede and Kurokiba Auden. They’re both babies in this one, but Auden will end up in gen 119. Kaede develops an interest in architecture pretty early on and never attends Totsuki (she does cause a shitstorm there later but that’s a story for another day lol) but if she did, she would be in gen 121.

It was rare for Nakiri Erina to be at a loss of words, but watching her seven-year-old daughter boss around her older cousin with all the tyrannical authority she herself had once exercised back when she was a kid really left her speechless.

“Kurokiba!” Kaede said shrilly, and Erina was thrown by how venomous her daughter’s disgust was. “You cannot use all the vodka for merlons! Save some for the embrasures! Have you forgotten everything I taught you!?”

“What the shit are those?” Auden said as he continued to assemble Fort Kaeden using all of his dad’s carefully organized spirits. That Alice would let her son swear like a damn sailor before he even reached his double digits was appalling to think about, but then Erina remembered that the kid’s dad was Kurokiba Ryo. Shit happens.

It was close to two in the afternoon, and Erina was supervising the kids’ construction process behind the bar of Ryo’s old pub in Denmark. Babysitting (and to be honest, parenting in its entirety) had never been her forte, but all relevant inexperience aside, it didn’t seem particularly legal to allow pre-tweens to manage a bar. 

She only had to survive ten more minutes until Auden’s parents came back. Only ten minutes, and then Erina would be relinquished of all culpability if someone or something — you never knew with kids — blew up.

“Audie, honey, I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” Erina tried anxiously as Auden stacked two bar stools to complete the finishing touches at the top of Fort Kaeden.

“Aw, relax, mom. He’s gonna be fine,” Kaede said flippantly as she passed Erina a stick of the tanghulu she’d whipped up in the adjacent kitchen, her mismatched eyes imbued with a healthy dose of her mother’s acute intelligence.

Erina ran her fingers through Kaede’s strawberry blonde hair. “Sweetie, I just don’t want him to get hurt.”

“He’s a Kurokiba,” Kaede deadpanned. “He’ll die before he gets hurt.”

Now just who had let Yukihira Kaede possess the same brutally vicious honesty as her mother?

There was a brief moment of silence before they heard a blend of enraged squalling, various cracking noises, and a very raucous shattering of many bottles of liquor.

“SHIT!” Auden yelped as he landed face first on top of the broken glass.

“AUDEN!” Kaede and Erina screamed simultaneously, rushing to pick him up off the floor. They turned him over and Erina prayed desperately that the kid was still alive and functional.

Auden’s entire front was drenched in what had to be the strangest combination of various alcoholic beverages known to man. He was laughing; it took Erina a full thirty seconds to conclude that this was a good sign. The Kurokiba Nakiris were really a strange bunch.

Kaede sighed. “Dammit, Kurokiba. We’re gonna have to start over.”

“Kaede! Your cousin could have seriously been injured just now. And who said you could use bad words like that?” Erina scolded. Maybe she did have some potential in parenting after all.

Kaede frowned. “Uncle Ryo did. He said expanding my vocabulary is healthy. And pops agreed.”

Dammit, Souma!

“And Uncle Hayama and Auntie Hisako, too,” Kaede offered. “They said I can do whatever.”

Them, too!? Erina resigned herself to the fact that she was officially the only sane person in the friend group. 

“Kurokiba, you’re bleeding,” Kaede pointed out, and Erina blanched.

There was a small cut under his lower lip — if Auden had a matching one on the other side, he could pass for having fangs. Erina was clearly not the only individual who noted this; Kaede laughed and said, “You’re half a vampire!”

Auden grinned. “That’s amazing! I’ll bite you!”

Kaede gave a shriek. “Try and I will replace your shoelaces with overcooked ramen noodles,” she warned. “By the way, we should clean up the mess here before Uncle and Auntie come back.”

Just as Erina was poised to commend her daughter’s thoughtfulness and responsibility, Kaede added, “That way we can pretend like nothing happened.”

Morals, indeed.

It was then that the uncle and auntie in question decided to make their re-emergence.

“The fuck happened in here?” was Ryo’s first comment. He dropped his phone, keys, and wallet, and vaulted over the bar. “Good lord, kid, did you spill all the vodka?”

“Hey, dad,” Auden greeted. “Nah, it was only 73% of it. We had to make melons and pretty-sures for our fort.”

“Merlons and embrasures,” Kaede corrected him.

Alice threw a pointed look at Erina as she approached them. “I thought you said you’d be fine handling them for an hour?” The blonde gave a sheepish smile. 

“I mean, they’re still alive,” Ryo said. “It’s all good with me.”

“Come on, Ryo, you gotta back me up!”

“I am, don’t worry.”

“Holy SHIT, Audie, did you cut yourself on the glass!?” Alice yanked her son to her and examined his face. Ryo, Erina, and Kaede leaned over her shoulder to take a closer look.

“Yeah, I did, ma,” Auden replied. “I’m totally okay, though. Kaede said I’m like a vampire! Isn’t that so cool?”

Alice sighed. Erina said sympathetically, “Kids will be kids.”

Ryo gently wiped the blood off Auden’s chin. “It doesn’t look that bad.”

Erina, who had some minor theoretical experience thanks to Hisako’s expertise in the medicinal field, mused, “This might scar.”

“Good lord,” Alice said. “At the very least, I hope the fort was worth it.”

“Yeah! It was!” Kaede chimed in.

Ryo took his son by the shoulders. “Listen, Kurokiba Auden. Nothing will change because of this scar, understand? I will still love you forever. But if you end up as stupid as your uncle, I will disown you.”

Erina chafed — there was significantly more truth to the statement than she would’ve preferred.

“Hey, my pops is smart,” Kaede protested. “Don’t say that kind of thing about him!”

“What about me?”

Everyone whipped around. Yukihira Souma was standing in the doorway of the pub bearing a small duffel bag and his typical billion-watt smile. He stepped in and gave Erina a quick kiss before twirling Kaede into the air. “Hey, honey!” 

“Hi, daddy! Kurokiba might get a scar and Uncle Ryo said if he ended up as dumb as you he’d disown him!” Kaede reported.

Souma raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Did he, now? Well, I guess your Uncle Ryo doesn’t know that I can destroy him in a shokugeki any day, every day. Isn’t that right, Kaede?”

“Damn right, pops!” Kaede crowed triumphantly.

“Only when your stars are aligned,” his wife mused.

“What the hell?” Ryo bellowed.

“My dad’s the best!” Auden defended.

“Babe, he’s beaten you a lot more than you’ve beaten him,” Alice said, trying to keep a straight face.

Souma gave Alice and Kaede fist bumps. “This support crew is intense,” he sang. “We don’t need anybody else. We’ll make them jealous, won’t we?”

“Duh,” Alice said, crossing her arms over her chest. “See, look! Erina’s already fuming.”

The Nakiri in question gave an annoyed huff. “How am I fuming!? Come on, Auden, Kurokiba. Let’s show these plebeians just who are the best chefs in here right now.”

And of course, in a classic Nakiri-Yukihira-Kurokiba manner, the six of them would cook for the rest of the day, talking shit at each other, laughing, drinking (kombucha for the kids, of course), gathered around the bar until the Arato-Hayamas arrived, and then the cycle of shokugekis would start again.

It had always been like this, and this was how it was always meant to be.

[kittae]

Trust Me

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x reader

Side characters: Min Yoongi

Summary: A drabble series where Taehyung is a successful artistic erotica actor but has to expand his areas of expertise in the rapidly evolving world of adult film. Lost and inexperienced in everything that doesn’t involve classy settings, flattering lighting and romantic scripts, he basically has to start from scratch to make it in the online porn community. As a highly demanded A-lister in that community, you take him under your wings (or better yet, between your legs).

Genre: Smut, fluff, a bit of comedy here and there. Maybe some angst, who knows.

words: 1475

A/N: Will do a double update this week! Next part will have smutttt

« previous — next »

“This is humiliating… I haven’t embarrassed myself like this since– Ugh!” Taehyung’s voice strains in a strangled groan as he flops face first down on the couch in his dressing room.

Yoongi leans against the closed door, arms crossed watching the younger faceplant in misery, brows furrowed in concern. He doesn’t say anything, for now. The only times Taehyung allows himself to be anything other than the epitome of professionalism and perfection is when he’s alone with him.

“I don’t think I can go through with this, hyung,” The younger mumbles into his pillow, almost too muffled to be understood.

Now, this? This is something Yoongi needs to nip in the bud as soon as possible, though.

“Wait...What’s that sound?” He squints, looking around the room.

Taehyung lifts his head from the pillow. “What?”

“Sounds like a whiny little bitch giving up.”

Taehyung catches on quick. “Probably just the wind,” he shrugs before rolling over and stubbornly showing his manager his back.

“You’ll hear the wind of my hand flying through the air on its way to whoop your ass, Taehyung. Now get up and get your shit together so you can get back in there.”

Tae shrinks himself into shrimp position on the couch, lips pouting and head shaking ‘no’.

Yoongi sighs, but can’t bring himself to be actually frustrated with the younger man this time. He’s prepared himself for this scenario in advance, knowing he’d have to exercise a lot of patience today. Taehyung’s clearly feeling upset and incapable, probably beating himself up inside. He knows exactly what to say to console him and relieve him of his inner turmoil, but then all of this would’ve been for nothing and he wouldn’t have learned a thing.

“You said you haven’t felt this embarrassed since your first shoot ever, right?” Yoongi starts, ignoring the daggers the actor shoots him with his eyes for bringing it up again, “What if you’d never pushed through with that first shoot? What if you’d given up without really trying your best to make it work like you did back then?”

Taehyung slowly turns back around to face Yoongi, cautious, but listening.

“Was it Messy? Definitely. Could it have gone, like, a lot better? Absolutely–”

“Hyung!” Taehyung wails in horror.

“–What I’m trying to say is, you pushed through that day and became an incredible actor and an even more wonderful person. You’ve learned so much along the way, all because you didn’t give up when it was hard. So why would you now? Did you think you’d already made your fortune? You’d have nothing more to learn?”

Tae shifts uncomfortably, “No, but–”

“This is your chance to make the most out of the situation that’s presented to you. Right here and now, you need to decide whether you’ll leave and let this be nothing more than a disastrous shoot for the rest of your life, or you’ll take the bull by its fucking horns and learn something from this experience and become a better actor and person because of it.”

It’s quiet for a good few seconds until Taehyung exhales loudly, blowing out air he seems to have been holding in for the entirety of his manager’s speech. “I swear I could hear some patriotic music in the background while you were speaking. That was intense.”

“But did it work?” Yoongi grins. “How do you feel now?”

Tae slightly cocks his head to the side as he thinks over his answer, “Hmm… A bit annoyed, slightly nauseous and… weirdly motivated to make this work, actually.”

“Good enough for me, I’ll take it.” Yoongi gives his friend a fatherly pat on the back. “Now let’s get back to the studio, I’m sure everyone’s wondering what’s taking us so lo- OOF!”

He should be able to see the tackle-hugs coming from a mile away by now, yet they continue to take him by surprise as the taller one crushes him against his well-built chest, cheek squishing against his pecs.

“Taehyung, get your tits out of my face,” he barely manages to mumble through the crumpled shape his lips are forced to be folded in.

“Shhh, just let it happen.” Taehyung tightens the iron grip around his manager’s head, ignoring the hiss slipping from Yoongi’s lips while gently swaying him from side to side with an endeared smile on his face as if he was cradling his newborn son.

You’re happy to see Taehyung and Yoongi back on set when you come out of your dressing room, after having your makeup fixed and drinking some water. Your co-star looks noticeably less distressed and more refreshed from when you’d last seen him fifteen minutes ago. You took your sweet time freshening up, knowing he’d probably need more than five minutes to get back on his feet. Seems like Yoongi managed to talk him through it pretty well.

The crew doesn’t seem bothered by the delay in the slightest, some staff even leisurely hanging out by the coffee machine as they talk about how they’d spent their weekends. Carefully approaching the duo, you try to gauge Taehyung’s mood by watching his facial expressions as he talks to his manager.

You don’t mean to interrupt, so you wait until the tall blonde (dyed a greenish blue at the moment, though) stops talking to take a sip of a water bottle.

“How are you feeling?” You ask, voice soft and agreeable to avoid making him jump.

Taehyung’s eyes widen slightly, not having expected your presence already (as you’d expected) and quickly gulping down the slug of water down his throat.

“Ah- Hi! I feel much better, thanks… ” He chuckles a bit embarrassed, fluffing up his hair in an attempt to give himself some posture but just ending up looking adorable. Such a stark contrast with the confident, radiating and even slightly intimidating presence from when you first introduced yourselves. “Listen, about earlier… I–”

“Actually, Yoongi told me you haven’t, uh...I mean I know you’re a great actor, I saw your movies–” You shut your eyes and shake your head in an attempt to get yourself back on track just so you wouldn’t physically knock some sense into it, “Yoongi told me this isn’t quite your...genre.”

Tae raises his brows, eyes big and surprised, “You watched my movies?”

You laugh, your cheeks heating up involuntarily,  “I thought you were gonna ask me how Yoongi and I know each other but you’re trying to make me flustered on a porn set.”

“Well, you brought it up,” He flashes a flirty smirk, “I promise I don’t mind.”

You’re about to say something when a loud voice interrupts you, simultaneously saving you from probable further embarrassment. What is wrong with you today?!

“Alright, if everybody feels rested and refreshed we can try this again.” Director Lee calls out again, making eye contact with you and nodding, “Improvisation is allowed. Might help to roll into it more naturally. Everybody in place!”

You nod back at the director, straightening your spine and taking your place back in the sofa to pick up where you’d left off. Taehyung does a good job pulling himself together, seeming as if nothing ever happened in the first place. Yet, after years in this profession, you can tell when actors are out of their element. Taehyung might look at ease, his face schooled and eyes soft as he bows and apologizes quietly to the staff for the delay on his way to the set. You feel the discomfort he’d only slightly showcased on his face earlier still lingering in the air when he takes his place next to you on the couch.

“I’m sorry for my mishap earlier, it won’t happen again,” he tells you as well, the small curve in his lips meant to be apologetic and reassuring, but in reality loaded with unease and discomfort.

“Don’t mention it,” you lay your hand on his knee in understanding, mulling over your next words. “Do you… We could go off script for a bit if it makes you feel more comfortable? I could take the lead so you can ease into this. It’s not easy to just go ahead and do something like this when you’re not familiar with it…”

Taehyung visibly struggles with your proposal, brows creased as he hesitates. “I-I’m not sure if… I mean, what about the script, I…”

He bites his lip, seriously considering it but something holding him back. You figure he just needs a little push.

“Do you trust me?” You ask softly, your hand still soothingly stroking his knee.

Taehyung swallows thickly, gaze briefly flickering to your hand on his knee and back to your eyes where he finds a reassuring, determined gleam shimmering in them.

“I trust you.” He decides with a firm nod of his head, his large hand coming to lay atop yours.

Heliotrope masterlist

[daughterofhecata]

hey uh dumb question probably but idk how to google this... and since you write a lot, i thought you might know? whats the difference between a drabble and a one-shot?

Hey!

Not a dumb question at all! It's always hard to figure out what specific words mean in specific contexts, especially if you can't look them up in a regular dictionary or something. Took me a while too, but I think I figured it out (not claiming i'm definitely 100% right tho).

From what I've read and how I use the terms, a oneshot is literally just any fic that consists of a single chapter. Which means it can be, like, any length, as long as the story is in one chapter. As in, you know, it narratively makes sense to keep the story as a single chapter. (For me, when I use it, it's also a way of marking as story as finished and done with, as in "look, i wrote this concept, i'm probably not going to expand on the topic/universe/etc").

A drabble is a fic that is exactly 100 words. Not 99 words, not 101 words, but exactly 100 words, which makes it both very short and a very interesting writing exercise. (And I definitely have to try that some time!)

Sometimes also (incorrectly?) called a drabble would be a ficlet, to introduce yet another word, that is just, a short fic. Could be 102 words, could be 300 words, could be 784 words. Not sure if there's a defined upper limit, but I'd probably stop calling something a ficlet at around... 2000 words?

Again, i'm not claiming any authority on fic terms and I may have gotten something wrong, but that's how I understand and use the words!

Hope that helps!

(Otherwise, try googling Fanlore, they probably have some info at least concerning drabbles, but I'm on mobile and i'm too lazy to look it up myself right now.)

[pubefest2020]

Let’s get ready to writeeeeeee!!!

Sunday is when the author signups open, so time to get your engines fired up! The prompt list is here, but I saw tumblr being an asshole and not opening it the other day, so I’m going to paste below the cut. Take a look, pick your top five, and get ready to kill us all on Sunday (I’ll send out prompt assignments on 11/11). If you have a friend who wants to write, please encourage them! We’re talking small here: 2k to 8k. Knock that drabble off your to-do list!

Prompt list under the cut:

Shameless PWP where Harry is too busy with work to keep up with his normal trimming and person B insists that they have sex anyway. Turns out that his full bush (including butt pubes) gives him the strongest musky smell and person B can’t get enough of it. Rimming perhaps?

Harry is shooting for some artsy magazine that has him doing a lot of tasteful partial nudity. At one point he’s almost completely nude and jokingly wants to do some shots that focus on his bush. Person B (probably the photographer) is obsessed and encourages it and they end up with lots of close ups on his thick bush and his fingers in it/pulling it/emphasis on rings and nail polish in this situation

Harry has found an appreciation for being tied down and having person B pull on his pubes; especially those on his mons pubis, but everywhere else too.

Something centred on lesbian Harry’s thoughts about how her grooming habits have changed over the years since no longer feeling the pressures of being in a girlband in her early adult life. Can be either solo or with Person B

Harry + person B, gentle caretaker Dom shaving sub Harry

Harry + person B, rough oral with a lot of focus on nose in pubes?

Harry + Person A + Person B, one holding Harry and being all gentle and sweet, the other shaving Harry’s legs for him. Bonus for bondage and a D/s flair, but I’m not married to that part.

Armpits are gross, right? Smelly and hairy and weird. So why is it that Harry is fixated on B’s? (armpit kink!)

Girl Direction: Harry worships her hirsute girlfriend’s chest, nipple, and belly hair.

B makes a bet with Harry that Harry won’t be able to go the whole summer without shaving. It turns out Harry likes it much more than ever expected.

Trans masculine Harry is excited by all the changes he and his boyfriend (also trans/GNC and on T) are going through, but growing body hair is his surprise fave.

Girl Direction: Her newfound exercise habit means that Harry is seeing a lot more women naked, and she’s starting to feel self-conscious about her pubic hair. B reminds her what’s so great about it.

Girl Direction: Harry is an aesthetician who spends all day long removing body hair and giving skin care treatments. In her fantasies, she’s making women hairier instead of taking it away.

Girl Direction: There’s something about an angry dyke with hairy armpits that makes B wet. Enter Harry, tits out, armpits bushy, and absolutely flirting with B. It shouldn’t make B think about burying her face in Harry’s side, but it really does.

Alien! Harry is still trying to adapt to all the strange things about the human form he’s taken, but body hair is the thing he finds most fascinating of all.

ABO where alphas and omegas get extra hairy when they’ve met a suitable mate. It’s the first time this has happened for Harry or B and they’re really turned on by it.

MPreg: As Harry gets more pregnant, his treasure trail expands and thickens right along with his growing belly.

ABO: Omega Harry would bathe in Alpha B’s sweat if it were possible. Since it’s not, Harry settles on burying themselves in all the most scent-concentrated places of B’s, right among B’s armpit and pubic hair.

Girl Direction: Harry is a proper southern belle whose mother taught her to shave her legs at an early age. As an adult, she’s kept up the practice, but when she meets and falls for B, B’s hairy legs might change that.

GayABO: Alpha Harry isn’t supposed to like the smell of other alphas, but with a rut coming up all they want is for their significant other, alpha B, to let their pubes and pit hair grow so their scent intensifies too.

GayABO: Omega/Omega: Harry loves what slick does to their omega partner’s pubic and leg hair.

Harry is insecure about his lack of chest hair. person b makes him feel better

Armpit licking fetish. Either harry has one or person B has one. I just want some armpits getting licked.

Harry needs help having his ass shaved for some reason (swim team? Photo shoot?) and he enlists person b and it turns into rimming

Harry has a Forced feminization fetish, so body hair shaving/waxing and then cross dressing please  

Harry has a fetish for guys with facial hair/beards eating his ass and making him raw. Maybe the story revolves around person B wanting to shave and harry being sad? And then smut!

Harry likes having his pubes pulled out/pubic hair torture. Person b is freaked out but also supportive and eventually  gets into it

Girl direction! Harry has a bush fetish and loves to go down on natural girls/smell them

After harry comes out as a lesbian she decided to stop shaving and her bff person b also does it in solidarity and she realizes she’s really turned on by it, wants to lick her gal pals hairy pits etc

Harry is a femme lesbian who shaves everything and her partner is a butch lesbian who loves watching the ritual of it, then smooth leg worship sex ensues!!!

Harry’s insecure about her hairy legs at summer camp because she forgot her razor but luckily her hot lesbian cabin mate helps her feel better in more ways than one

Girl direction panty fetish fic that centers around wearing lace panties with pubes escaping the sides, panty sniffing, too tight thongs, sweaty/post work out sex. Harry is submissive, person b is a femdom.

Girl harry joins the gucci gay commune and starts to let all her hair grow out, finds a home with her new found family, falls for the girl wearing the cat mask. Lots of hairy pussy eating and nipple sucking please

harry gets a tattoo on his pubic bone and has to shave his pubes and is very sad about it

all of harry’s friends are talking about having to shave their beards except for him, who barely has any facial hair at all. feeling left out, he decides to shave his pubes, because at least he actually grows hair there.

harry isn’t really allowed to mess around with his hair during the height of 1d, growing it out is the most he can get away with. but he really wants to, so he just starts to colour his pubic hair different colours instead, shaves it into funny shapes, etc

trans girl harry is finally comfortable enough to start presenting as female in public, loves to wear dresses, make-up, and high-heeled boots, but with that comes the general expectation to shave or wax your legs, armpits, and pubes. she struggles with that decision because she actually loves body hair and feels comfortable with it and doesn’t really want to remove it.

Person B suggests that Harry waxes his ass and/or balls and Harry complies. Once they actually do it Harry is overwhelmed by the pain and super turned on by it.

Harry loves Person B’s body hair and pubes, he especially loves it when he is completely clean shaven himself (maybe even being shaved by Person B?) and Person B keeps pointing out their difference in body hair.

Harry comes home from the gym hot and sweaty and person B finds him irresistible. Sex ensues including hairy pit worship and strong sweaty pube focus.

Person B can’t resist the urge to ejaculate in Harry’s bush and proceeds to touch/lick/pull/ etc.

Harry loves to see his wispy chest hair peek through a floral lace top, his hairy legs adorned in knee high socks, his light stubble contrasted with some pink lipstick. Only Person B gets to see his pubic hair spill out the sides of a silk panty and they’re just as obsessed.

Canon compliant NB Harry wants to wax/shave his (or her or their) pubes and underarms and legs for the first time but is anxious about both Person B’s and their fans’/ the public’s reaction. Ft… gender exploration, insecurity, body worship, praise kink. Also maybe focus on Harry’s thought process/emotions before during and after?

something centered around sub lesbian harry feeling insecure abt her body hair and pubes and person b reassuring/ praising her (basically lesbian praise kink and body worship)

GirlDirection 70s/80s pornstar AU: Harry + Person A oral with emphasis on those 70s style bushes. Bonus for feathered hair and bad 70s porn tropes! Maybe a Person B too?

Harry loses a game at a party and is punished by having his legs waxed in the bathroom. It’s painful and he never wants to do it again, but he can’t deny he loves the way his legs feel and wants the stranger he’d been eyeing all night to feel them too. Thigh fucking would be nice

Harry is pregnant and the hormones make him hairier than he’s ever been and he doesn’t know what to think. Person B might be obsessed. Pubes/chest/armpits/etc.

Highly detailed wank fic where Harry plays with himself and loves his bush and hairy balls (and foreskin 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Being on tour is stressful. Harry finds the act of shaving his legs in a dark hotel room with a bunch of candles lit oddly relaxing. Getting off afterward while scratching up his smooth thighs is just a bonus.

Girl direction fic where Harry usually shaves her pubes but let them grow after ending things with her last partner. She meets person B on a night out and they go home to hook up, but Harry remembers she hasn’t shaved and gets really self-conscious, until person B assures her they’re into it

Person A is trans masc and recently started T, and they’ve just started growing stubble on their face and are really excited about it. Person B worships it and experiences beard burn while getting eaten out

Girl! Harry is a model doing a photo shoot that involves posing with flowers in her bush - maybe she hooks up with the photographer, or maybe just admires the way it looks herself?

Girl direction where Harry is attempting to shave her pubes in the bathroom but is having trouble, so she nervously calls her roommate/best friend in to help and there is a lot of sexual tension that leads to Harry getting eaten out for the first time and the two of them admitting their feelings for each other

50s/60s/70s Girl Direction AU where normally pasty Harry spends a summer in LA and gets super tan. Her girlfriend comes to visit and is obsessed with the way Harry’s tan lines look against her full bush. Maybe they take pictures?

canon compliant xf era Harry has never been as close to another boy as he is to Louis. He’s fascinated by their differences in their bodies especially body hair wise

Girl Direction: Harry and Person B are both not into shaving very often, if at all. Harry (or person B) have only ever been with people who are clean shaven. Together they decide to explore the hairy side to being a lesbian, maybe rubbing?

I’m struggling with a less severe form of trichotillomania, a disorder where you have the urge to pull out your hair and I’d love to see a fic about it. Person A struggles with trichotillomania (in which way and which intensity is up to you). Person B is trying to help them recover (in which way and how successful that is is up to you, they could help them find professional help) and expresses love for person A’s body hair.

No pairing, just Harry. Harry has been letting his body hair grow, and he likes the sensation of it against his fingers. When masturbating he accidentally gets his rings caught in his pubes and realises that he loves the pain.

Harry casually lets his grooming habits slip a bit. Maybe he’s busy and doesn’t think it’s too big of a difference. Person B notices but doesn’t mind so it never really gets brought up. One day Harry is taking nudes and suddenly realizes what a difference it is and maybe he’s obsessed with it.

Recently out queer girl! Harry has a history of dating men who shame her for the slightest trace of body hair. Person B is the first girl she’s dated, and Harry keeps herself completely hairless at first because of old habits. It comes up in conversation one day and Person B reassures Harry that it’s ok to let her hair grow if she wants, so she does just that, and Person B shows her exactly how much she loves it.

Person B loves running her hands over girl!Harry’s soft back and tummy hair. Harry thinks they are grossed out by this at first and gets insecure, but quickly realizes that they find it sexy on her

Person B (a work colleague) one day mistakes Harry for a woman from behind because of his long hair and is quite embarrassed about it. Harry assures Person B he’s not offended and casually slips that it excites him a bit when people make this mistake. Afterward, Harry’s innocent comment becomes more and more sexually charged in Person B’s fantasies and Person B decides to be an adult and do something about it. Luckily, Harry’s just as horny.

Harry wants to dress as a mermaid for Halloween , and decides to wax in preparation (for his custom-made shell bra top and shimmery sequined tail) (any pairing)

Person B is on the set of the Lights Up mv enjoying how wet and hairy Harry is and he can’t wait for them to wrap up filming so he can ravish him

Harry and person B try full suspension bondage for the first time, but realise maybe they should have shaved harry’s pubes first as they keep getting caught in the rope. Not to worry, turns out harry enjoys the feeling more than they could have anticipated

Girl Direction or standard - Asexual Harry starts dating person B, who is completely accepting of Harry being ace. Together they go on a journey together to explore different forms of intimacy. The thing Harry likes best is when person B spends times stroking and appreciating her/his bush and pit hair because it feels nice and she/he feels safe knowing that person B won’t take it any further. Person B finds it deeply erotica and together they work out ways for person B to feel sexually satisfied without Harry feeling uncomfortable/bored

harry and person b 69-ing with lots of focus on them smelling/touching/licking/biting/pulling/appreciating each other’s pubes

Sub Person B worshipping dom Harry’s pubes. Maybe including face sitting?

Anything about body hair turning gray with age! Could be just Harry’s, or with a Person B, girl (woman) direction, whatever you want.

Harry is turned into a werewolf and notices that he’s suddenly growing more body hair than he used to, even when it’s not a full moon

Girl Direction: Harry watches Person B curse someone out for making a comment about her unshaved legs and pits, and immediately falls in love and has to show Person B’s body hair her appreciation

Girl Direction: Harry and Person B go on a road trip in a hippie van and decide to forego shaving in order to get the real hippie experience. By the end of the trip, they’re super into it.

Harry is a mermaid with pubes! Maybe human Person B is surprised but intrigued by it?

Harry has a gay epiphany when he can’t stop staring at other guys’ body hair at the gym - in the showers, or in the locker room, or when they’re all sweaty and gross from working out..

Person A and B loving and appreciating Harry’s body hair during a threesome!

Harry and Person B often help each other shave or wax or trim their body hair, purely for practical reasons, of course. It’s totally platonic. Until it isn’t.

Harry is a professional hockey player who’s been hooking up with his tream captain for months. Who knew the stench of an after game lockerroom could be a such turn on? (body worship, hairy/sweaty men, smelling kink)

[tikiniki]

How about expanding/elaborating more on the An Exercise In Daring story? OWO I remember you wrote a short companion piece drabble on here!!! LOVE

This is so embarrassing, but that’s more than what I remember 😂 I wrote a companion piece for An exercise in Daring? I might be suffereing from very specific amnesia, I’m sorry dear... 

But you seem to be some guys who want more of the An Exercise in Daring universe, which is fun cause I didn’t know it had so many fans really xD, so I’ll see what I can do!

[sineala]

hi uh, it's the stupid-question anon again. what i meant is, even if you manage to complete a story, it's stuck at around 5-6K words, and you somehow just can't write anything more than that measly word count, whether complete or not. but it seems you've never had that problem, so thank-you anyway for the response!

It’s still not a stupid question, and, yes, absolutely I have been in that situation. Before I did NaNoWriMo I definitely hadn’t written more than 5k of anything and literally none of it was finished. It took me a while to get to Hey You Can Finish Things and then Hey You Can Write Long Things and then Hey You Can Finish Long Things. These are all separate stages! I promise you I did not spring into being knowing how to finish a 100,000 word story. I learned how to do it and I firmly believe that you can too. I started off writing extremely mediocre unfinished Iceman/Gambit hurt/comfort songfic in which the song in question was in French and all accents were spelled phonetically! If you read it you would cry! And they wouldn’t be good tears! 

First off, I wouldn’t call a 5-6k story measly. Some of my favorite stories are short stories. @kiyaar, for example, can routinely DESTROY ME in about two thousand words. Sometimes less. I have favorite stories in other fandoms that are literally just drabbles, traditional hundred-word drabbles. Some ideas just lend themselves to being told in 5000 words. That’s not a problem, in my view. That’s just the nature of the particular story that you’re trying to tell. And, hey, I would say that if you are actually FINISHING STORIES, of any length, that is amazing and that is a heck of a lot better than I was doing when I started. So go you!

But if what you’re saying is that you are dissatisfied with the length of the stories that you are writing and you would be happier with your writing if only you could write long stories, that is a different problem. I am no kind of writing professional, but this is what I would suggest:

Try NaNoWriMo, or a similar writing challenge with a length requirement. The goal is just to get the words out. It doesn’t matter how good they are. It doesn’t matter if your plot makes sense. Just start with something, anything, and keep writing. You are going to sit there and write 1,667 words per day for a month and by the end of the month you will have 50,000 words. They might not be your favorite words, and you might not be finished with the story by the end, but they will be 50,000 words of a story. As long as you keep putting words on the page, you will get there. Just keep going. Look, in my one NaNo novel I made half of the story take place in a dream of the characters’ past lives on an alien planet and this was probably a terrible narrative idea but while I was writing it it was amazing because if I couldn’t think of what to write in the actual plot I could just make all the characters fall asleep again and have another dream.

(Something like a Big Bang is also a possibility, in which you would be matched with an artist; I find them motivating because for me a great writing motivation is the fear of disappointing other people who were counting on me to finish the story. You may want to wait until you know you can write to that length before trying one. Or just throw yourself in the deep end of the pool! It’s all good.)

If you have the ideas but the problem arises in the act of Getting The Words Out, finding a group of people who do writing sprints may be helpful. (You can also do them yourself, but I find that having other people is the key for me.) Basically this is everyone setting a time and then writing for 15-20 minutes and then cheering each other on. On the 616 Steve/Tony server we actually have a bot to run sprints for us and keep statistics of your wpm and personal best and so on.

If the problem is that the ideas you are thinking of just can’t sustain a longer story, there are also answers to that one. There are probably books about plotting and various writing exercises and whatnot and if any of that seems like it’s helpful to you, then go for it, but off the top of my head, the way to Get More Words is twofold:

One: Just be more wordy. Expand sentences, expand thoughts, describe things more. Maybe this is where one of those writing-exercise books would help. I don’t know what your style is, but if you’re not verbose, play around a little. Use all the adjectives! What is your POV character thinking right now? How about now?

Two: Get another plot or two. Honestly the reason I end up with these monster stories is that I generally underestimate how long it is going to take to resolve my B-plot. But the more plots you add, the longer the story will be. Say you want to write a story where Steve and Tony have to learn to love each other again at the beginning of Avengers v4 and trust each other and deal with all their unresolved Civil War feelings. You could have them have a few conversations and that would be over in 5k, easy. But if they’re still trying to learn how to be friends again and the problem is also that Tony was damn near positive that the SHRA database was deleted because he has the amnesia to prove it, but now someone is abducting kids with minor superpowers whose only commonality is that they were probably on the list that he no longer remembers and he has to work together with Steve and Steve’s sneaky black-ops team and deal with all the feelings he has about that (possibly especially given that Steve is dating Sharon again who is on the black-ops team, and maybe that isn’t going so well)... well, that’s more than 5k, and also sign me up because I wanna read that. Goddammit, I might even want to write that. 

I hope that helps some. Really, honestly, this is a thing you can learn to do. I promise it is learnable. It’s not magic. It’s practice. It’s a lot of practice and a lot of just sitting there and getting the words out.

[lovingnikiforov]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the survey! I got a lot more answers than I was expecting and hearing from the people who read my fics was absolutely wonderful!

I also wanted to make a quick announcement that, based on the positive support from y’all, I will be launching a Patreon in April! More news will come at the end of March or you can sign up to get an email from when it goes live! For anyone who apologized for not being able to support, please know that just reading my stories is a sign of support to me and I never would have considered this a possibility without all of you! ��

Survey Results Under Cut

I’m not going to go through all the questions but there are a few I wanted to highlight! (fair warning: I’m a data nerd, pls prepare yourself)

Big Take Away:

Before I jump into the specifics I did want to address a concern that I saw crop up multiple times that was really touching. A lot of people mentioned that they want me to keep writing what I enjoy and not to worry about what others want to read. My response is two-fold: 1) thank you for being so sweet!!! 2) you don’t have to worry about me in that area.

When it comes to my long and more time-intensive fics I’m never going to start one unless it’s an idea I absolutely love and am willing to devote months of work to. There’s points along that writing process where it’s hard to stay motivated to finish an idea I love so I can’t imagine the agony of doing it for an idea that I’m writing out of some sense of obligation: that’s not a line I’m willing to cross.

That being said, I don’t have any problems writing oneshots and drabbles that are heavily requested because I find writing prompt fills really good exercise! I also enjoy finding ways to work in little nods to your requests into ongoing fics: it’s my way of saying thank you for continuing to read. So, as long as the request isn’t rude or demanding, feel free to send them my way whenever I ask for them!

Question One: Fandom Breakdown

So it’s not a surprise that most of the respondents read my BSD fics because I’ve found that my readers from Bungou Stray Dogs are very active both on tumblr and on AO3. What did surprise me was how many of y’all are reading across both fandoms. I previously assumed the overlap was a lot smaller so hello to you!!

Question Two: Expanding into other fandoms? 

72% of respondents said they weren’t interested in seeing me write for more fandoms and 28% said they were. Based on answers to later questions, it looks like mostly y’all are good with much more content from my current fandoms which is works for me!

Some fandoms that were mentioned as suggestions that I want to highlight:

Code Geass: I love this series and I’d be interested in trying my hand at maybe a oneshot or two

No. 6 👀👀

FMA: This was mentioned more than once and I love the series. I’m up in the air about whether I’m interested in writing fic for it because I’m just so satisfied with how canon went.

BnHA: Also mentioned more than once. I should confess that I’ve only watched like one episode so you probably don’t want me making a mess of that.

Other Sports Anime: YOI is the only sports anime I’ve watched all the way through so this is also unlikely. Sorry!

Question Four: Rating Preferences

I just find it funny that 80% of y’all answered Mature and, coincidentally, 83% of my chapter fics are rated at least Mature. That’s literally all I have to say.

Question Five: Chapter Lengths

First of all, for you poor souls who prefer up to 5k, I’m sorry I can’t shut up. (Unless you’re reading Rent a (boy)Friend in which case, we’re meant to be).

Secondly, I’m really pleased to see the number of you who are down to read longer chapters. As my average chapter length has increased over the last year I was worried that I was starting to write more than people wanted to read in one sitting. 

Question Six: “I wish you would write more...”

This was one of the questions where a lot of you answered that you wanted me to write whatever I want. You’re all sweethearts, thank you! 

For those who got specific, here’s a few answers I wanted to highlight:

Soukoku: This was almost half the answers 😂 you’ve been heard loud and clear!

In-verse Extras: This is something I’ve been doing more of with wyll and enjoying, so I’m going to try and continue that!

Character Pieces and seeing Skk from an outside POV: why hello, have you heard of the kyouka-centric dyetyd sequel coming up? You might enjoy it ;)

More Phichuuri: I’m down if you’re down.

Fluff/Cute Moments: This was the 2nd most common answer. I’m planning to write more fluffy oneshots with the launch of my Patreon (don’t worry, those fics will also be posted on AO3: patrons will get early access). So be on the look out!

Smut: Another common response. I also plan to ramp up smut oneshots soon.

Politics: politics are my jam they will be in like every chapter fic

Fantasy: I was surprised by how often this cropped up so I’m now considering this for future stories!

Break them psychologically: I assume you read my BSD fics. I always will, it’s my favorite song.

Questions Seven and Eight: Patreon

I’d like to reiterate what I said at the top of this (very long) post. Even if you’re not able to support my Patreon I still value all of your support. Just by reading my fics and leaving comments and sharing them you’re basically my fave.

A post will be coming at the end of March with a bunch of specific details about what this will look like, but here’s a few quick notes:

Birthday Commission Fic Tier: This will be the $15 tier. However, there is not a time requirement for how long you’re a patron at this tier. If you have an interest in commissioning a fic from me at any point, just select this tier for one patron cycle and then either cancel your pledge or switch to a lower tier. (even if it’s not your birthday)

Patron Shout Outs: You, random survey respondent, get a cookie for a great idea. This will be included in the final setup!

Choose the plot direction polls: There were a couple concerns about not wanting to influence the direction of the fic. Please don’t worry! I already do polls like this on my twitter whenever I’m up in the air about a detail in the story, and the options provided will always be options I genuinely want to write!

A details post and a launch post will be coming up in the next couple of weeks. If you’re interested about possibly becoming a patron but don’t follow me on tumblr/twitter or are worried about missing the post you can fill out this Google Form to join an email list.

Thank you again to everyone who answered!

[moonlessmondays]

Merry Christmas, Darlin'|| Falice Christmas Drabble

A Falice Drabble written for @thextremefangirl

Hope you like it!! Merry Christmas everyone!

-------------

Christmas has never been a big deal for the residents of the South Side, or at least, it hadn’t been as big a deal as it is on the North Side where all the houses from each block glitter with the shining Christmas lights, and each house has theme as decoration. One house would be filled with Santa decorations, and the other littered with Snowmen on their lawn. It’s a sight to behold, really, and is nothing compared to the junk and liter in the trailer park on the South Side.

Alice Smith doesn’t care much about Christmas, has never really gave it so much as a second thought, because for as long as she can remember, it’s just another excuse for her old man to get even drunker than he usually is. After all, it’s the season to be fucking merry, and merry he’d tried to be. So merry in fact, that her mother would be sporting the evidence of it the next day.

So, Christmas is just one dour tradition that Alice doesn’t care much about.

Until, of course, she’d attended Riverdale High, and she’d seen exactly the appeal of the festive season. She’d seen pomp and grandeur, and she’d resolved to make this year’s Christmas a good one. Of course, she has to drag FP into it, no matter how much he’s complained, because if anything he’s the only who understands her, knows her, and strives to put a smile on her lips, no matter what.

And so with a disgruntled and befuddled FP in tow, she buys some Christmas decoration she can hang by their secret hideout (decorating her trailer home would be an exercise in futility, and she does not even want to try)—the one she’s built with him at 15, and the same place they’d run to and meet up when things got tough. She’d decorate the Whyte Wyrm, but she’s not entirely sure how appreciative the Serpents would be about that. So the secret hideout it is then.

It’s nothing but an old abandoned trailer that no one has touched for years—it’s bare and positively dank and miniscule as far as these trashy trailers go, but it’s enough for them. It is definitely enough for her to make FP hang some lights he had swiped from the department store (not sure how he managed that, and doesn’t want to ask) by the window, and some of the garlands and tinsel she had gotten (she’s not about to tell him how, either).

FP is a good sport through all of it, does as she asks even when she can see it in his face that he does not, could not, see the point. He drapes the lights in another way when she tells him it’s all crooked and wrong, and then does it in another way when she finds herself dissatisfied.

She can see it in his eyes, can almost hear the words that are just at the tip of his tongue: there is no point in sprucing this stupid, old dumpster of a trailer. But she appreciates that he doesn’t. He might not exactly know why, but she knows he understands her need to do this—he might not understand that she needs to, for once in her life, feel like she has a semblance of a home that’s been unrightfully not given to her, even if it’s just this stupid, old, dingy trash house.

So they decorate it, every day after school, they both have something, something to bring, to add to their winter wonderland, to this little Christmas.

He brings her a wreathe, used and seemingly outdated, some of the sprigs are missing, even, and God knows where he got those, but it makes her happy nonetheless, makes her smile and squeal, makes her jump into his arms and kiss him silly. They hang it by the door, inside of course, and it looks odd but not misplaced in this junk.

She brings some baubles she’d found in the junkyard, and they’re practically new—maybe the handiwork of the snooty North Siders (those bastards throw stuff away as though nothing hold value for longer than 5 minutes, really), and some of them had been broken, but she manages to save 4 out of seven, and that makes her extremely happy.

FP helps her hang those in their garlands, and then the next day, he brings her more.

She doesn’t know how to express her joy or gratitude to him, for indulging her, so she just kisses him, drags him to the bedroom where they placed an air mattress and fucks him silly.

And when she thinks she cannot love him more, he goes and does something more for her, and it’s stupid really, how something flutters in her chest, and how her heart expands and expands inside her until it seems to break.

He brings her a tree.

Some weird ass, pathetic attempt of a Christmas tree, but she knows it’s cost him an afternoon helping Fred Andrews sell those in his backyard, so she appreciates it anyway. She happily instructs him to place it on the corner, before she brings out the baubles he’d brought her a few days ago, and they begin to decorate it.

“You’re doing it wrong,” she says exasperatedly, as she catches him placing the Christmas bauble on the wrong branch again.

He rolls his eyes at her and scoffs. “Ali, there is no wrong way to do it,” he tells her, sounding exhausted and exasperated and even amused all at once.

But he doesn’t understand, there is the right way to do it, and his is not.

“You’re doing it,” she points out as she moves the bauble he just placed to the other side which makes their tree more even and aesthetically pleasing. She smiles and claps her hands. “See?”

He shakes his head, but doesn’t say anything, only pulls her close to him.

“You’re adorable, Ali,” he tells her and she frowns at that.

“I am not,” she tells him in a voice that books no further argument. But he doesn’t argue, just kisses her softly, until she’s soft and pliant in his arms, kissing him back while her own arms snake around his neck. When she pulls away, she stares deep into his eyes. “Thank you for doing this for me, FP.”

He smiles softly and shakes his head once more. “Anything for you,” he tells her, and deep inside she knows it to be true. “Merry Christmas, Darlin'.”

And what a very merry Christmas indeed.

Fin (12/26/2017)

[itsstrangelypermanent]

52. How did writing change you?53. What does writing mean to you?

I’m going to cheat and answer these together.

Writing to me is an exercise in decompression. I work a high-stress job in a fast-paced environment and deal with both customers and operations in a supervisory context, and there are just some days that if I don’t find a healthy means of getting that tension out, there might be a meltdown. Loud angry music is a good relaxer, as is writing. It gives me somewhere to dump my emotions after a long day, and is generally exceeding cathartic.

Before I really started writing, I was an angry little monster. I had the stereotypical teenage-life crisis in highschool and since my drawing ability is shit and I lived in the pre-highspeed internet era in a rural area, writing was a logical outlet. Most of my notebooks from those days are gone, but I had dozens (not exaggerating) of notebooks of fanfic. seaQuest, Babylon 5, Star Wars/Trek and the books by Mercedes Lackey were my early fodder. They were expansive worlds where I could lose myself, find a bit character and expand on them and make them real. In hindsight this was totally me projecting but eh.

Writing has been, and will continue to be, that escape. For a long time I never really posted anything of substance though, as you can tell from my ff.net account. It’s mostly crackfic, one-shots, drabbles. Apparently others actually likw my deeper stuff though, which I personally find amazing, but I’ve been feeding off of kudos and shit as of late. Like holy shit. Even the pieces that I don’t like, that I feel aren’t up to my standards, are apparently readable by others? I feel like the shiba from the doge meme. Much wow. Amaze.

I guess if you want a simple answer to both, it’s this: I write for myself because it’s soothing and let’s me still be a kid in a adults body, and I write for others because I enjoy bringing people enjoyment.

[porcelaindagger]

since this won’t show in the tags from the actual blog

After speaking with some people privately, I had been under the impression that I had been doing a good enough job keeping my head down, minding my own business, and not making a fuss, but it’s evident that this is not the case. I have been back in the community for about a year now as Elle, and since then I have made every effort to use this new alias as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, make a new start, and be an unobtrusive and altogether quiet presence in the community. I came back simply to write – not to make a fuss or make waves, and I was open and honest about my identity and my past mistakes with those who came to me to ask, and have a small group of people who know that I am Beth, who have known for quite some time now. It was not my intention to “fool” anyone by returning under a different alias, but to exercise the change that I’d implemented in my own life and to show both myself and those who I’d so horribly hurt in the past that I have changed, and that it is possible for people to change for the better. I think the fact that I’ve flown under the radar until now is decent proof that I am not the person I was a year ago; a year ago, I would have gone absolutely nuts in the face of the PSA that’s floating around, and I would have lashed out with irreparable damage – we all saw it happen last time, and it’s because of that that I was so determined not to do it this time. I understand completely why people would not want to be close to me given what I’ve done in the past; I lied, I talked about people behind their back, I pretended to be someone else to hide from what I’d done, I spread slanderous lies about someone who had been nothing but a dear friend to me, and I kept that same friend’s group from receiving the love and praise it deserved simply because I was bitter, paranoid, and malicious in my mindset. I was in a horrid place and going through a downward spiral in which I could not recover from – and though I knew I could not recover, I lashed out and pulled people down with me simply because it was the only option my toxic mindset gave me. I wrecked people who I’d considered family, who’d followed me through hell, high water, and two roleplay groups which ended with my complete meltdown. It was all building up from mistakes I’d made, even before that – in 2013, I copied things from a drabble someone had written; in 2015, I encouraged a friend to write a PSA about another friend simply because I felt that they were drifting from me, and I was so selfish and paranoid that I just couldn’t handle it. I was immature, and felt as if I didn’t have to own up to my mistakes, but as I see the error of hiding from this all and hoping that it’ll just blow over, I think that it’s time for me to put it out there. I was Wesley, I was Beth, and this blog was supposed to be Elle – the new leaf. Elle would never start a positivity blog, only to filter the messages; Elle would never send nasty messages; Elle would never vague blog; Elle would never strongarm someone out of playing the same character; and Elle would certainly never steal, though Beth once thought she could get away with it, and owned up to it.

In my personal life, the last semester has been an absolute trainwreck, and this blog, in my own corner with a small collective of people who I’d told, and in the roleplay groups that I’d chosen to join, was an oasis, and I am incredibly proud of the progress and of the changes that I’ve made in my life, as reflected by my unobtrusive and quiet presence in the RPC. I’ve done my best to be nothing but positive – and those who I’ve found myself close to can attest to that. I never thought of this attempt at a positive new start as an attempt to “trick” anyone with friendship and kindness, and I am so sorry that it’s come across as that, or as anything even remotely underhanded. I hoped that by being Elle and by starting over I could somewhat start to make right the wrong I’d done when I was Beth, and by being kind to those I’d wronged in any way I could, I thought that I was. I never intended for any of this to become a question of lies, victim shaming, or anything of the sort – I was just trying to keep my head down, and mind my own business. I’d even become close friends with one of the people I’d wronged in the past, proving to them that I’d changed before they even knew who I was, and I spoke to another, leaving things on what I assumed was a peaceful note. Perhaps it was a mistake to apply for a character that I’d played so often while I was using my old alias – but I never thought that it would start the wildfire that it did, since I’d been nothing but supportive in doing it. If anyone would like to message me privately, and not anonymously, to discuss the things that I have done, I would be more than willing to do so openly and frankly at my new url, which was created not to hide but to post fandom content rather than rp content without clogging up anyone’s dash.

I do, however, wish to address the claims of plagiarism that have been floating around, as this may be the only chance I have to do so. I understand that everyone’s concerns have merit; I have been a horribly sketchy person in the past, but the claims that are going around now are ones I hold issue with, and I’d like to address them here. Firstly, I’ll start with the claim that I plagiarized an OC from the group I used to run, Fidite Nemini. The character in question is named Holly – I don’t even remember the OC’s last name. A wonderful OC, written by a wonderful person; perhaps the best OC I ever had the pleasure of writing with. But the fact that I also have two characters named Holly is now being called plagiarism, and with this I take issue. First, I have Holly Blanchard, named as such for Holly Golightly. I’ll link her biography HERE. Second is a character in another roleplay that I ran named Holly Gilmore, who was named as such for the plant reference, and because I was going through a heavy Gilmore Girls phase at the time of writing her. Her bio is HERE. I cannot link you to the bio of the OC simply because I deleted the Fidite Nemini main and have no way of finding it. I don’t know where it is, I don’t know what her last name is; the only similarities between these characters is the fact that they’re named Holly and that they’re generally nice, sweet people. I can see how, upon first glance, having a character named Holly might raise some eyebrows, but upon actually reading the bios, it is quite clear that there is no other overlap.

I was also accused of stealing things from the person who played Bellatrix in my group – I cannot link anything here since the Fidite Nemini main has been deleted, but I used, in applying for a Marauders group recently, the bio that I, as an admin, had written as a jumping off point for an application. I’d gone through the old player’s blog to find the biography that I’d written since the main was deleted and I hadn’t saved anything for my own use, and I understand how that must have looked, but had I not deleted everything I could when I left Tumblr the first time. I’d be happy to dig through my google docs and link the application that I’d written up in this post, but I regrettably cannot access the Fidite Nemini bio anymore, or I would. The person who played Bellatrix at Fidite Nemini is, without question, one of the greatest writers I’ve ever had the pleasure of collaborating with, and I must say that it would be very obvious had I stolen from them, as their writing truly stands alone.

I would now like to address the claims that I stole a fair bit of characterization from the user who wrote the PSA about me. I’ll start by saying that yes, I did pin a few of their pins on Pinterest (but I went to a lot of Pinterest boards to create my own), and we have reblogged some of the same things – were I to remain a large presence in the RPC, I would make a point not to reblog musing from anywhere but inspo blogs to avoid this. But I must raise some issue with the claim that I stole a headcanon about sunflowers, a headcanon about running/athleticism, and a FC. I use flower symbolism in a fair number of my applications and characters, and this particular headcanon was written when I read the ProFlowers description of what sunflowers meant (in fact, at the time I was buying flowers for my grandmother, whose birthday I had forgotten, and thought sunflowers might be nice according to the description). I’ll link the headcanon HEREas it includes a link to the article. The running/athleticism headcanon is twofold – the graphic linked HERE is from a quiz which many people in the tag were using, and was therefore not my own doing. But I had put some stock in the character’s athleticism, since it’s both canon that she’d have to be athletic, and because the character is suffering, in the plot, from severe PTSD. It is often recommended to sufferers of PTSD, like myself, and like my combat veteran father, to put much of their anxiety into athleticism, as linked in the headcanon HERE. I put a lot of myself into my characters, and I thought that, as I am dealing with my own battle with PTSD, it would be appropriate to make a point of expanding upon it in the development of a character who very clearly has it. This is not copied and pasted from any blog, nor was it written in an attempt to mimic anyone else’s portrayal. And to insinuate that I am stealing simply because there is overlap in the usage of two face claims is also up for question – I will admit that I did take an interest in Lindsey Morgan as the character because the author of the PSA used her, and I commend you for your excellent FC choice. But the second mentioned, Deborah Ann Woll, is merely a coincidence, and I must take issue with the idea that face claims are exclusive.

In the PSA, it linked things from my old Alice blog that I’d recycled because I am who you all now know I am – were I trying to hide, I wouldn’t have done that. I’d have never been so obvious. I was too optimistic, I suppose, in that I’d kept my head down enough to play this character again, and I truly am so sorry for making you all uncomfortable, and for making you all feel as if I was trying to be devious by going under another alias. All I was doing was trying to mind my own business – and that is what I’m doing now, by turning my writing blog into a simple fandom blog. I’m even further in my corner now, and though I have no intention of leaving my corner, I thought it appropriate to leave this here as both an admittance of everything I’ve done, and a defense of the new character that I’ve built for myself. I understand that the PSA was made to warn people about someone horrible – but I’m not that person anymore. I have nothing but remorse for what I’ve done to those I’ve hurt, and I will never stop regretting the friendships that I destroyed. I considered so many of you my family, and I hurt you. It’s irreparable, and I will never ever stop trying to be a better person because of it. All I wanted was to turn over a new leaf, and to have fun writing with those I could reconnect with, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart for drudging up old hurts. I never want to hurt any of you again, and I never plan to. If anyone wishes to come talk to me about this, so I can explain and own up further, or if you would like a direct apology, I’m now at arhwen. I hope you’re all well, and finish out 2017 well, too.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Two-part Drabble Game: 10 - After a near-death experience & 16 - “There’s nothing to be scared of, okay? I’m right here.” for Connor/ConHayth uwu <3

@balsaminaceae​

Fandom: Assassin’s Creed

Characters: Connor and Haytham Kenway

warnings: incest tw, modern au, stabbing tw

pairing: ConHayth

word count:1,930

summary: A normal work day for Connor ends terribly.

Connor was in the break room, eating lunch with his fellow coworkers and watching the tv. His father was at a press conference and they’d decided to tune in to see what he was talking about. Most of his coworkers seemed to be only half listening, but Connor, as ever, was completely focused on Haytham… Although the young man could readily admit that he was enjoying listening to the sound of his father’s voice, though the fact that Abstergo was expanding their veterinary clinic program from the initial three clinics that they’d opened last year to another eight - three outside of the US, in other countries that Abstergo had offices and other work buildings in - was rather exciting.

The young man had been tempted to apply for one of the veterinarian positions at the first three clinics… But they were a bit far from where he and his father lived - and with a closer Abstergo Employee housing… It was possible that he might have been tempted to move… At least while his father was jet-setting around the world for work purposes, although it would be very strange to be living in two apartments, and not something that Connor was very interested in… Besides while Connor had loved working as a vet in the small village that he had settled into while he had been there…

The setting of being back in a veterinary clinic might remind him of the small village, and while he knew that the anarchists were working against his father and would very clearly do anything in order to achieve their goals… Including and especially if they had the chance to kill his father, the young man still occasionally felt guilty for just up and leaving them as he had done … In order to protect himself from kidnapping… But still. Occasionally the feelings of guilt would remain, despite the fact that Connor was very much aware that he had left in order to protect himself… The young vet worried that he might feel guilty working in such a place - or it would remind him of where he’d worked previously…

Besides, he really enjoyed working in the research department with the raptors. Connor made sure to focus more on Haytham again as the other continued to talk, doing his best to not get distracted by the small smile on his father’s face - or the way the other’s tie brought out the blue in his father’s eyes. Haytham concluded the speech and was met with dozens of questions - each of which his father expertly answered. Once the press release was over, Corbin - one of his coworkers - switched the channel to a music channel while everyone finished the last of their lunches.

~

The young man was headed home from work - it was about a mile walk, but Connor enjoyed it, and it allowed him to exercise his legs a little before and after work every day. He stopped for a moment, frowning a little as he thought the saw someone familiar, sitting at a nearby café table. Was… Was that Myriam? He blinked in surprised and frowned a little, glad that he was on the other side of the street - even if she wasn’t Myriam, the resemblance was uncanny - and given the fact that she’d been directly involved in stealing the… Piece of Eden? That’s what the bitter old man who’d tried to take it from him had called it. Not that Connor had let him do such a thing.

He cautiously made his way down the sidewalk, hoping that if Myriam was, for some reason, at that café, that she wouldn’t notice him among the dozens and dozens of people walking on both sides of the streets - or through the cars that honked and slowly rumbled their way down the road. Not that he glanced at her more than one or two more times, as he didn’t want her to potentially see him looking at her, having recognized her if the person he was trying to get past really was Myriam.

A lightly accented voice sounded in his ears, right behind him, causing the young man to startle and try to get out of the way, but for several moments, whoever it was managed to hold him completely still which was a rather terrifying feat in and of itself “It’s a pity that he’s got you so deeply under the spell of the Piece of Eden. Hopefully this will wake you from it and you will realize the truth.”

“Let me g-mmph!” Connor tried to yell as loud as he could, but the person muffled him with one of their hands, as he felt something cold and sharp stab into his back. There was a cloth in the other’s hands and he tried not to inhale, but as he struggled, he found that he desperately needed to breathe and something that was quite possibly chloroform caused a deep darkness to overtake him. He heard shouting and felt the person let him go - and the sound of running as he passed out.

~

Connor woke up with a pounding headache, in a room with too much white and too much light. He covered his face with one of his hands as he groaned and tried to sit up, hissing in pain as his lower back ached. Memories of what had happened last filled him and the young man sat bolt up right, eyes switching to his second sight, despite the pain and the dizziness that was coursing through his body. He didn’t see anyone who was an enemy nearby… But he also didn’t see anyone who was a definite friend, either, which made the young vet rather nervous.

He switched his sight back to normal, and it was clear that he was in a hospital of some kind. There was a saline drip attached to his arm, but it had a rolling base to it, which was why Connor started to get out of bed. Someone had taken his clothes and everything else that he had on him and placed it in an open-faced cubby on the far side of the room, and he was going to get to it. He didn’t know if his father had been contacted - if the hospital he’d been taken to even knew that was necessary or not..

Had he been stabbed and kidnapped by the anarchists, so that he wouldn’t be able to escape as he had the last time they’d tried kidnapping him? If so -why was he in a hospital? Unless he was in an Assassin-controlled hospital? Connor had no idea how long he’d been out for, which was why he was very carefully swinging his legs over one side of the hospital bed and very carefully shifting so that bit by bit, he was starting to put his weight on his feet, one hand on the metal post that his IV bag was attached to, the other hand firmly gripping onto the hospital bed.

Haytham burst into the room, arguing quietly with someone in scrubs - either a doctor or a nurse, Connor couldn’t entirely tell “- and I’m telling you, I am very certain that my son is in this room and I will be seeing… Connor get back into bed. Now. You were just stabbed in one of your kidneys.”

“I… Rake:ni! I… I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten kidnapped again and was hoping to get to my phone to call you.” Connor murmured gratefully, leaning back against the bed, pulling his feet up carefully. 

Haytham moved further into the room, and the young man gratefully held tightly to his father’s hands when his beloved drew closer to be touched. He hadn’t realized that he’d been trembling until his father murmured gently “There’s nothing to be scared of, okay? I’m right here. I won’t let anyone try to cause you any harm.”

The younger man nodded a little, feeling himself relax a little, as he tugged the blankets up higher. He felt really cold. He blinked a little, feeling tired. “Okay. I’m glad that you’re here.” He wasn’t sure how long it would take for him to heal, but the young man was well aware that he healed a lot faster than most people. He wondered if they were in a normal hospital, or in the place where his father had been taken to, when the other had been dying. “Where are we? I mean… I know that we’re in a hospital but… Which one?”

“Meridian Park Hospital. A dozen people witnessed you suddenly collapse and start bleeding out - one of them thought to call for help - but not before someone stole your wallet - which is why no one here knew who you were, as none of them thought to go through your phone. I tracked your location through the phone and came as soon as I could. I knew that something was wrong when you weren’thome and was an hour and a half later than when I usually get home, and you hadn’t texted me about working late, orstaying out with coworkers or friends. So  I’ve already dealt with the potential identity theft issues on the drive over here, so you need not worry about that… And I informed your place of work that your work-badge had been stolen when you were injured, so you need not worry about that either.” Haytham explained, and the medical staff member frowned a little at that, although Connor couldn’t imagine why - perhaps that someone would steal his wallet and ID badge, but not his (very expensive) phone?

He nodded, still feeling dizzy. “Okay… Thank… Thank you for taking care of everything and coming to find me. I… I’m tired…” Connor yawned softly, though he hid it as best as he could, not wanting to be rude.

“Then rest. I will be here when you wake, I promise.” His father murmured, voice warm and gentle as the other lightly brushed a stray lock of hair that had come undone from his braid, tucking it behind one of his ears.

Connor nodded sleepily, sending the other a small smile as he settled into bed, grumbling a little “Wish I could sleep on my stomach… Stupid cord won’t let me.” His father chuckled softly at that, a wonderful sound that helped the young man fall asleep within moments.