#but also its almost done it just needs an ending and major edits

[hawkfurze]

Almost finished with drawing the last few pages of CH2 of TSOO and realizing I really need to get to finishing the CH3 script

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

MTZ FIC IS NEARING 4000 WORDS

[scorpioracha]

Dating Yoongi

We've finally got the dating Yoongi headcanons!! I'm sorry it took so long but boy is it lengthy so strap in. this is not proofread and im fucking exhausted so edits to be done eventually. if you enjoy reblog, like and leave a comment. cw: does contain smut and one kys moment

Your meet cute with Yoongi ended up being more of a meet awkward than anything. It was 3am at one of the many random convenience stores in Gangnam and you were exhausted, exhausted and hungry. You were doing a year in Seoul for your major and the timezones were really fucking you up. Puffy sleepy eyes,glasses on and a sleep mask resting on your forehead made quite the picture.

It was also quite the picture when you ran into a rack of honey butter chips and wiped out on the floor.

Full wipeout.

Legs up,gravity turned on its head wiped out.

Thankfully the only thing wounded was your pride, but you kinda wished you knocked yourself out so you couldn’t see the handsome man towering over laughing so hard his eyes practically disappeared and a gummy smile on his face. He had a cup of ice and one of those americano packets balanced in one hand and a helmet dangling in his other.

“...chana?”

“Huh?”you said in a daze. 

“Gwaenchana?”he purred in a low rumble. He looked at your lost expression and sucked in a breath.

“Are you okay?”It was a little clunky and half mumbled but you didn’t want to put this man through any more mental torment so you nodded quickly.

“Ne, na gwaenchana!”you replied and quickly scrambled to your feet, almost falling once again because your ankle decided now was the time to roll. He quickly reached out and steadied you, looking at you with so much bewilderment the whole situation felt comical. He looked at the hand that still rested on your arm and quickly pulled it away, you swear you saw his pale cheeks turn pink.

“Um…”he rumbled, looking at you with weary eyes. “stay”

You nodded with wide eyes as you watched this random man run around the convenience store and come back with a juice box and a random red pouch. He looked at you and held up each one.

“Bae juice”

He held up the red pouch. “Hong sam jelly for sukchwi…one moment”

He pulled out his phone and typed quickly. He held the phone to his ear and hummed.

“For hangover”he said, pointing to the two items again. Your eyes widened and you shook your head rapidly. You weren’t drunk. He definitely misinterpreted the situation and just smiled, giving you a smile and waving goodbye before disappearing into the night.

And what do you do when a pretty man buys you pear juice and ginseng jelly in a foreign country?

You fucking c o n s u m e it.

And the next morning when you woke up late to your 8:00am lecture, you just blamed the crazy night because wow what the fuck happened.

You spent the rest of your classes thinking about that handsome stranger. Maybe you did hit your head because WHY didn’t you ask for his name or his katalk? You could have done the whole ‘oh handsome young man, I need to pay you back’ kinda schtick but your brain decided to cosplay the very first windows computer and blue screen the minute you looked at him. stupid.

“Stupid” you groaned, trudging back to your dorm. You had been blessed—got accommodations—for a single room so it was just you and your twin sized 

Oh yeah, and your pining. 

Couldn’t forget about your pining.

You needed a drink. A good drink,some good food and some cartoons to get your mind off this random man. Within minutes you had a bottle of soju and a hefty platter of tteokbokki on the way. Maybe you’d go out for bingsu sometime this week with the girls from your lecture. They were sweet and treated you just like anyone else despite the racial and cultural differences, doting on you as their new maknae and always making sure you ate between classes. It was nice to be looked out for so thoroughly, especially when you were so far away from home. You pulled your phone out to text them when you got a notification that your delivery driver was already on the way.

Huh. they were already earning themself a tip. You stood eagerly by the door waiting and even though you were watching the app like a hawk, you jumped when the doorbell rang and scrambled to open it.

“Gamsahab-”you looked up and saw a familiar set of eyes. “...-nida”

“Soju?”he raises his brow in a way that says ‘again?’. You felt your face grow hot and shook your head rapidly. He just smirked and handed over your takeout bags.

Once again you fucked up,blanked and forgot to ask for his name.

 Damn pretty boy with his pretty eyes and his stupid smile.

It was months before you had seen him again. 

Time heals all wounds and you began to move on. You hung out more with your friends, went to karaoke,saw the sights of Seoul and slowly but surely felt yourself moving on.

It was on a rainy day in May where you found yourself at your usual convenience store. The weather went from sunny skies to torrential downpour within minutes and you had just gotten your hair done. You were looking for an umbrella but found yourself in the snack aisle. 

Blame it on the wind.

What you didn’t expect to find in the snack aisle were seven men bickering. 

You kinda just stood like 🧍🏾‍♀️ until one of them finally turned and god he was stunning 

“Yah, Yoongi-yah!! Move and let this lady through!”

The ‘Yoongi’ in question quickly scooted out of the way, mumbling about how they were all in the way. 

That mumble…

“Yoongi..”you whispered before you could even stop yourself. His gaze snapped up and for once you caught him off guard. His eyes flitted over you rapidly and his mouth opened and shut like a nutcracker.

“Soju girl,”he whispered. Then the moment was lost.

"na iroumi aniya(that’s not my name)” you huffed in annoyance. You know there was an honorific you were supposed to use somewhere in that sentence but your point still stood.

“You speak Korean”another boy said and god he was tall.

“Yes I speak Korean”you said, tilting your head up at him.

“Hyung, you said soju girl couldn’t speak Korean!”a voice laughs. You squint your eyes at this Yoongi who seemingly wanted the floor to swallow him whole. He stared at you like he had seen a ghost actually which wasn’t making things much better. The tall boy sighed and took a step forward, bowing even. 

“I apologize for my hyung,”he said solemnly. “He’s usually not this dumb. I’m Kim Namjoon and these are my bandmates. What’s your name?”

You smiled and returned the bow, happy to finally have some familiarity, both language and warmth.

“I’m y/n”you said. “I think me and your hyung have some catching up to do”

Yes, to say it was a meet awkward was the nicest way to put it.

It was a fucking train wreck of events if you were being completely honest.

You had exchanged info with Namjoon seeing as he spoke the most English and was the only one who didn’t 👁️👄👁️ at you which was nice and had quickly become good friends with one another.

Seeing that their leader liked you, the rest of the boys quickly followed suit and you suddenly had a much bigger friend group than you could even imagine.

Yoongi had become a lot more reserved in a way that was off putting to say the least. You’d only ever spoken to him twice before but there was something off.

you’d asked Namjoon about it during one of your study/music/kill each other from frustration sections and he just shrugged mumbling something about ‘hyung being busy’ 

you rolled your eyes and grabbed your stuff to find out yourself. That’s what you get for asking a dumbass.

Yoongi had been exactly where you’d expect him to be, crammed into one of the practice rooms with his headphones and laptop.

“Yoongi,” you said, tapping on his shoulder. He spun around in a startle and looked at you with a relieved sigh.

“Oh god”he breathed out, “I thought you were one of the maknae begging for food”

You couldn’t help but to smile, all the prior annoyance melting out of your pores and back to the depths of hell where they belonged. Talking to Yoongi was easy, that is when he was still talking to you.

“How do you know I'm not begging for food?”you smirked, taking a seat on the lumpy couch.

“Well, are you?”he asked, raising a brow. You shook your head and leaned back into the couch.

“You’re off the hook”you said, “but I do have a question” “Which is?” “Why have you been avoiding me lately?”

The room grew silent enough you could hear a pin drop. Cornered was the only way you could describe Yoongi. His shoulders scrunched up and he seemed to fold in on himself.

“No reason,”he said plainly.

Your eyes narrowed.

“So you have been avoiding me?”

His eyes widened.

“That’s not what I meant-”

“Then what did you mean?”you asked. Your patience was wearing thin and your heart was racing something ugly.

“I was trying to give you space”

“Space for what? I didn’t ask for space!”you snapped.

“Space for you and Namjoon!”he snapped back, folding his arms over his chest.

“Me and Namjoon?”you gagged. “The last thing me and Namjoon need is space, please collect your dongsaeng cause he won’t leave me alone!”

“Well he’s your boyfriend!”Yoongi threw back.

Huh.

“Huh?!”You shrieked. 

“It doesn’t take a genius to find out,”Yoongi continued, rolling his eyes. “So you can drop the naive act”

“Naive act—Yoongi, you think I'm dating Namjoon?”you asked. You felt like you were going to be sick. Namjoon wasn’t bad by any means, he was just so older brother coded it was disgusting.

“I don't think, I know,”he said. “You guys spend all your time together,you go on dates,you take naps together; it’s obvious”

“Well since you’re such a genius”You said, “How come you couldn’t tell that i’m in love with you?”

Huh.

“Huh?”he said, spinning around in his chair to fully face you. You ran a hand over your face and honest to god laughed.

“Idiots”you said in disbelief. “You’re all idiots”

“Hey-”

“I've been pining over you for months and this whole time you think i’ve been dating Namjoon”you said, shaking your head.

“You’ve been what?”Yoongi said. 

“Crushing on you”you emphasized, “You idiot”

“i..I don’t know what to say,”he said. You sighed and fully leaned back against the chair, feeling all the blood rush to your head from your bold confession. This isn’t how this was supposed to go.

“You can let me down gently for starters”you chuckled humorlessly.

“Let you down—what are you talking about?”he asked.

“Just reject me already!”You exclaimed, waving your hands frantically. You felt like a madwoman.

“Why would I reject you?”his eyebrows furrowed.

You were going to be sick.

“I’m going to be sick”you laughed, running your hands over your face and god were you crying?

“Why are you crying?”he rumbled softly, leaning in and wiping the tears off your cheeks. You just laughed harder, but that ended up turning into a sob because you were so tired. You weren’t expecting a fairytale but this wasn’t the turn you thought today would take. You felt yourself being pulled closer and you knew you should pull away, you knew better. It was all too much and he would just hurt you, but his hoodie smelled like coffee. His hoodie smelled like coffee and his hands were warm as they wrapped around you. You always wondered if he ran hot or cold, but he was neither; Yoongi was pleasantly warm. His hand had somehow wriggled between the two of you and rested on your cheek, rubbing the streaks where your tears trailed. His breath rose and fell in a steady rhythm and for a moment you felt weighless.

“What a mess, huh?”he mumbled, tracing his thumb over your temple. “I went and made all these assumptions…because I was afraid to say I love you”

“You love me?”you whispered. 

“Mm”he rumbled in affirmation. “You didn’t know?”

“No”you said, keeping your voice low, scared if you spoke too loud, the moment would disappear.

“I thought I was being obvious,”he said.

“I thought I was being obvious,”you said. You pulled your head back to look at Yoongi and that gummy smile was on full display.

“We’re both idiots”

Actually dating Yoongi went much smoother than the confession process.

In the early days, the two of you spent a lot of time in the genius studio doing parallel play, you’d work on your assignments and he would work on music. 

Obviously with many interruptions from the maknae line + hoseok, occasionally being prodded by Seokjin and Namjoon to eat,drink and get fresh air

Y’all needed to touch grass and they were sick of it

Being so close to the band in their early days formed an immeasurable bond between you all

But it also lead to a lot of sacrifices on your part that you weren’t prepared to make. 

There was the obvious like no posting about the boys on social media,nda’s up the wazoo,etc. This was all expected and you were willing to do so.

What you weren’t prepared for was how cruel the kmedia could truly be. You weren’t from here, you were a foreigner and that already put a target on your back. The fact that you weren’t thin or pale didn’t help one bit either. 

Thankfully, the boys and Yoongi reassured you in private. Namjoon did damage control and argued with the company to do more on your behalf, while Jimin and the maknae stood by your side like bodyguards wherever you went in silent solidarity. You were never alone. Jin dropped you off at university in the morning, along with Jungkook. Scolding the two of you to have a good day and to eat something that wasn’t chips. Naturally, Jungkook would bring you back once your classes were done and continued to gripe that even though he was older than you, he was still stuck in highschool.

You still hold this over his head to this date.

So thankfully, you had support. Support that if you didn’t have you weren’t sure where you would be honestly. It really felt like you all had become a little family, and being so far from home that was something you desperately needed.

Once the group got larger and was in a more stable position you better believe they all stopped holding their tongues, especially Yoongi. He could be a little hard to read at times but you were not expecting him to be getting himself into full on twitter wars on a burner account over you 💀

“Yoongi stop telling people to kill themselves”

“No”

Being in love with Yoongi felt easy, it was natural. He continued to take care of you in little ways whether it was packing your lunch,giving you transit fare or rubbing your temples when you were tired and falling asleep on him.

Our mans is definitely about that acts of service life. He loves quietly.

Pda made him want to die just a little inside but he wasn’t opposed to holding your hand. It wasn’t like he had anything to hide anyways, you guys were already public. 

He wasn’t the jealous type and although he’d never admit it, he loved how much you and the boys love each other. He’s got a bunch of pictures on his phone of you just in the dorms being domestic. You spent more time there than you did in your own dorm room.

 So although he doesn’t say it often, he shows it with every part of his being. The way his eyes sparkle when he sees you in the morning, his proud smile in your graduation photos. It also made his heart flutter that you got his dry humor and you dished it right back to him, smack in the middle of the maknae line teasing him and Jin about being old.

And when you learned Daegu Satoori from Taehyung to surprise him? Namjoon had to hold him back from proposing on the spot. And to think he ever thought you and Namjoon were dating.

Yoongi bits ✨tid bits about you and yoongi ✨

Yes Yoongi genuinely thought you were drunk and he wasn’t flirting(he got that nuerodivergent rizz)

When Yoongi told you the mint hair wasn’t real and washed it out you cried 🧍🏾‍♀️

You guys have two apartments together, one near Hybe and one in Daegu. You both prefer the apartment in Daegu because that means Holly gets to stay with you guys.

Everytime a new design for shooky it mysteriously appears in the apartment.

You guys have two cats per your request(a white one named sugar and a black one named gloss) the things Yoongi does for love

You guys have been happily engaged for the past year and he proposed in the most unromantic way possible 

NSFW

Baby, Yoongi is a switch with a capital S

Now I have never met a non kinky neurodivergent person and Yoongi is no exception. He enjoys a good power dynamic and has definitely explored kink in the past with previous partners so he’s experienced.

 But Yoongi does occasionally just like to fuck, no rules no dynamics. Just vanilla sex

He’s a lot softer than his image and he honestly likes the separation between the two for his own sanity. The fans think he’s this no nonsense hardass, but he’d much rather praise and reward you than dole out punishments.

He’s a softie at heart and finds a bit of bratty behavior to be cute so you can definitely get away with a lot. Not to say he’s a complete pushover but he definitely will let a good amount of back talk slide before he puts you in your place. It's almost infuriating how calm he is if you’re the type that brats in hopes of a punishment. He’ll just look at you and laugh about how cute you’re being before returning back to whatever he was doing.

It’s pretty hard to tick him off but also not impossible, the easiest way to get him to snap is to mess with him in the studio; especially if he has a deadline coming up. That's how you end up on your knees crammed under his desk not even allowed to suck his dick but just sit there and keep it warm while he works. The condescending mumbles and coos he lets out while stroking your head is enough to send you careening straight into subspace. “Just needed something in your mouth, huh?”he’d purr and gently drag his nails across your scalp

Tongue technology. We all know about it, but you get to experience this first hand at your beck and call. Yoongi is the first one to admit you’re spoiled and when you’re not being a brat, all you have to do is ask and he’ll be in between your legs. He could and has spent hours down there teasing your folds and giving you orgasm after orgasm until you can’t take it anymore.

Somnophilia. This is a kink that goes both ways for you guys but honestly he finds it really hot when you take what you need from him. Waking up groggy in the middle of the night to you fucking yourself on his cock is one of the quickest ways to get Yoongi whining and gripping the sheets. Bonus points if you tie his hands up or cuff them to the bed posts.

He’s not really a fan of quickies and prefers to take his time, but he’s not opposed to shoving you into a closet and getting you off on his fingers if you’re getting needy. He just wants to take care of his girl.

Speaking of his hands, they end up around your throat and in your mouth quite often. Whether you’re sucking or gagging on them, Yoongi makes good on this little fixation and makes sure you get your fill.

He’s down to being pegged. Somebody had to say it guys,🗣️ Yoongi wants something up his ass ‼️

Whether you have him bent over a table or you’re tied up and he’s riding you, Yoongi does enjoy penetration and he’s not ashamed of it. He likes how dazed and pliant you get when he’s bouncing on your strap all flushed and pink and whining. it’s a rush to his head and sends him over the edge faster than he can get a hand on himself.

He’s a fan of cozy aftercare and pillow talk. After you’ve both cleaned up and the bed is moderately clean, he’s off in the kitchen getting snacks and water so you two can cuddle and recap what you liked and disliked. He gets really affectionate after he cums so it usually dissolves into him mumbling praises and kissing all over your face before falling asleep.

All in all Yoongi is the best boy.

[cosmos-coma]

Hi i was wondering if you can do a Bucky fluffy angst (modern/college au if possible) where basically him and reader are friends through steve and both have a crush on each other but don't do anything about it considering bucky is sort of a playboy and thinks reader is way out of his league and reader is sort of shy and quiet and thinks bucky is way out of here league but get together in the end

College Crushes

A/N: WOW, I'm so sorry, This has been in my inbox for like 2 months and I just didn't realize???? sorry!! So I tried to write this one out as quick as I could!

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 3011

Warnings: Little editing, Awkward goobers

Bucky Masterlist

Buy me a Coffee?

_________

“Y/n, did you hear what I said at all?” Your blond friend asked a small snort of laughter hidden in his voice. 

“Hmm,” you hummed, in something akin to agreement as you lifted your mug to take a sip. 

Steve smiled, but gave you a knowing look, even if you were too distracted to receive it. He knew your painting was due at the end of this week, hence why you had been spending so much time in the studio after class hours, getting lost in the smell of acrylic and the smallest brushstrokes.

“I said: ‘You know you’re drinking paint water, right…?’” He said, barely holding back his snicker.

“Uh huh…” You mumbled, “Yeah, I totally hear what you're saying….” you continued, taking a large sip from your mug, to which your face immediately soured, and quickly spit out the paint-clouded water back into your mug. “Oh, gross! Steve!!” you complained and wiped the dribble from your face, almost undoubtedly replacing it with yet another smear of paint.

Steve was fully laughing now, shaking his head at your accidental antics, “I tried to warn you…” 

You punched his shoulder lightly, delving into your own laughter as you reached for your actual drinking mug now, “Don't laugh at me…. Punk.” you grinned and took a much-needed sip from your new mug. Steve always had a good way of putting your shyness at ease. 

He only grinned and brushed off your ‘devastating assault’, “I really do think you’re just about done… I know you still think you have a lot left, but I’d hate to see you overwork something like this.” Steve nudges you, and he would know. The two of you met not long into your freshman year, the both of you being art majors and all. While Steve tended to focus on graphite and charcoal as his medium, you had your heart covered in paint splatters from the very start. Whether oil or acrylics you found your home smoothing them across a canvas even if they didn’t always end up how you liked. 

You were thankful to have Steve, not only for his friendship which brought you out of your shell,  but also for his artistic eye; Because of your difference in mediums, Steve was always one of the first to be able to tell you if you were beginning to lose your themes by doing too much and vice versa. 

You sighed and leaned back from your painting, looking over the piece as a whole instead of its individual parts, “You’re probably right…” You scratched some of the old paint off your hand and tilted your head to the side as you continued thoughtfully, “and I can always add to it after it's graded…. Okay, you’re right… You’re right!” you held up your hands in surrender as you started packing your things away. You knew a break was for the best, and your rumbling stomach firmly agreed. 

Steve snorted and stood up with his things, “Come on, let’s get lunch before our classes start. I’m buying.”

“Well, I’ll never say no to that,” you grinned and headed out as you finished packing up the last of your things.  

You smiled as you two walked down the busy sidewalk and out of campus toward your favorite lunch spot. You finally spoke up, “Sooo, What’s the catch here?”

“No catch,” Steve smiled at you simply, “I’m just trying to be a friend worth their salt, you know?”

Steve was always a great friend, but today he was being awfully nice… maybe even too nice? As you glanced over you could see the smallest glint in the corner of his eyes. “I dunno…. “ you drawled out as you bumped him, “buying me lunch at my favorite spot when it's already so far out of our way..? Seems suspicious to me,” you observed casually with a quick shrug. 

For a moment his perfect smile faltered and his far-too-honest and good-hearted nature got the best of him, “So… I know you’re not really a party person…”

“Steve…” You groaned.

He held his hands up, “But hear me out! It won't be too loud, and there’ll be plenty of people there…. Chances are you won't have to talk to anyone if you don't really want to, but I thought it would be a nice way to get out on a Saturday night…” Steve tried to argue. 

Pursing your lips you gave him a long look, searching him for something else, “Why do you really want me to go, Steve?” 

The blond man sighed as if he really thought he might’ve had you that time, “Bucky is gonna be there….”

You shook your head so quickly you thought you’d get whiplash, “Nope. No. I’m not doing it. Sorry Steve, I can’t. I think I would actually rather drink the paint water again.”

Bucky had been, hm- how do you put this lightly? From your very first meeting, Bucky had consumed your thoughts and shaken your heart. Steve had introduced the two of you a while back now, wanting the two of his closest friends to finally get to know each other. But once you two finally met you just clammed up. You didn't even mean to! But you saw those unbelievably blue eyes and you heard his full-bodied laugh and you haven’t caught your breath since. But of course, you weren't the only one who felt this way, and you'd be silly to think so. Everyone wanted a piece of Bucky, whether for just a night, a week, or something longer and you knew you had nothing on your competition. You were far too quiet, you always had paint somewhere on your face, and you were anything but a party person. You preferred to spend your evening in with whatever takeout you could afford that week- and maybe a small game night if you were feeling especially social. But You were leagues away from what Bucky deserved, let alone from the people he’d picked and chosen from before. Yet Steve still seemed relentless in his will to bring you two together since you’d confided your feelings in him. 

He sighed and plucked out his wallet to pay for your food, “Y/n, please? I know you’re a little nervous when it comes to Buck, but there’ll be plenty of other people around to buffer and It's been a long time since we’ve all been together…” he said, looking over at you.

God, you shouldn’t have looked at those big blue golden retriever eyes…. And following a moment of hesitation, you nodded, “I… I guess I can- yeah, okay, I’ll go… just for 20 minutes,” you finally caved with a sigh, thinking only, “What am I getting myself into?”

—----

Taking a deep breath you stared at the house before you. The party wasn’t crazy or overflowing yet, but there was still a handful of people outside already trying to get a break from the noise and crowd. 

“Just 20 minutes?” Steve asked beside you, his well-meaning smile giving you an iota of comfort.

You nodded, giving him a small reassuring smile and a thumbs up. You smoothed out your sweater beneath your hands, it was your favorite one- comfortable, didn't have any smudges on it, and you thought the color looked rather nice on you. It was just 20 minutes. You could go in and awkwardly talk about something for 20 minutes, right? And if not- Well, there’s always punch.

With a short breath of confidence, you headed through the doors. A small sea of people spread out about as far as you could see, with little gaps here and there for people to sneak through or join in the already existing conversations. You bobbed your head gently along with the music, searching the crowds as you made your way through the dimly lit rooms.

It was an achingly slow start to 20 minutes, most of your time being spent sipping punch while Steve talked to anybody and everybody as if he was personally running for mayor. So you stood quietly, nodding and smiling when people laughed and making expressions that seemed to match the conversation as you looked around for anyone you knew. The whole buzz of endless conversation seemed to get monotonous and verge on overwhelming as you listened in, until a particular laugh rang out, one that was hearty and familiar and made your heart rattle in its wake. 

You turned to confirm your suspicions and lo and behold there he was. Across the room, through the sea of people, you could see Bucky standing there like a lighthouse promising safe harbor.   His blue eyes squinted with laughter as he flashed the whitest smile and made some retort you hate that you couldn’t hear. Just the sight of him made your whole body heat up pleasantly, your lips splitting into a wide smile as your eyes just refused to leave him. 

It was only when he happened to glance over that you realized you were still staring, but he didn’t seem bothered. No, he simply grinned and raised his hand above the crowd to get your attention, urging you to stay where you were while he made his way over. 

Only his path got intercepted. 

A bright, bubbly girl maneuvered up beside him with no problem from the crowd, her arms wrapping around his bicep as she pulled him in possessively close. If that didn’t make your stomach turn enough, the kiss she planted right on his cheek surely did. 

You couldn’t even think enough hide the way your face fell, your whole posture deflating beneath you as your stomach dropped to the floor. “Hey, Steve…?” your voice squeaked out, your throat closed like a vice as you couldn’t pull your eyes away. “I’m gonna walk home, okay? I’ll see you later, I just- I need to go…” You managed to get out, not waiting around to hear out whatever argument he had to urge you to stay. 

“Y/n? Y/n, wait-” The blond urged as he looked around, immediately spotting Bucky and the unfamiliar girl he was trying to shake off, “Wait- It’s dark out, don’t walk alone!” Steve called back to you, but his only answer was the click of the closing door over the murmurs of the crowd. He went to say his briefest goodbyes and run after you when he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. “Buck?” 

“I’ll go after her,” Bucky assured him, his face worried and serious as you ran off into the night by yourself, “You stay here, I’ll walk her home.” he finished before quickly making his own way out the front door and down the dark street. 

----

You huffed an angry sigh and shoved your hands deep into your all-too-shallow pockets. “Why am I even upset?” you thought to yourself with a biting tone, “you’re the one who's out of his league! You’ve said so yourself! Shouldn’t you just be happy he has someone that will be better for him…?”

“I hate parties…” you mumbled as you passed beneath the streetlight, pulling your foot back to kick the small rock resting on the sidewalk. “Aaaand of course I missed…. ” you think bitterly as your foot whiffs right past the rock, not even a bit of movement to prove your effort. 

“Hey…” A low familiar voice sounded out behind you, its owner coming closer as they jogged up to your side “What did that rock ever do to you?” Bucky grinned at you, half joking as he fell into step beside you. 

“Bucky…?” you breathed, your mood already lightening at the mere presence of it, but you quickly tamped it down, “Oh, right well… The rock…uh, tried to mug me” you half-heartedly joked, “ Really put me between a rock and a hard place, if you know what I mean. But don't worry, I beat it off.” You said with an awkward laugh, internally kicking yourself for such a bad joke and with a pun to top it off at that. 

But Bucky still snorted a laugh, his thumb jabbing back in the rock's direction as you both continued on, “You want me to go back there and kick it for you?” 

You grinned and shook your head, “No, No, that's okay… I think it's learned its lesson…”

You two walked in comfortable silence for a moment, a small smile resting on your face, but inside your heart still weighed heavy upon you. 

“Why did you leave...?” Bucky finally asked and for a moment you swore you heard something akin to hurt in his voice, “I had finally gotten a chance to see you again.” he said, quickly adding, “I just mean… it’s been a while since you, me, and Steve got to hang out. I, ah… guess I’ve sort of missed it with everything going on…”

You tried to ignore the way your heart squeezed in your chest and looked down at your wringing hands as you answered, “I just… It was getting too much for me,” you lied, thinking back to the confident kiss that girl planted on his cheek, “and I didn’t want to distract you from your time with… other people.”

Bucky furrowed his brow as he listened and stepped in closer to you as you hit a dark stretch of broken streetlamps. He was so close now, you could smell the faint scent of cologne coming up from his jacket. Your hands, both chilled by the late fall air, brushed together as you walked in time, though neither of you were brave enough to reach to the other. 

“You mean that girl from before?” He motioned back to the now-distant party as he spoke, “I’m not even sure who that was.” He laughed a bit, “she said her friends dared her to kiss me, but I’m not sure….” 

The weight of your heart eased significantly as you took in a quiet breath of relief, “that seems… huh…” you said as you frowned and rounded the corner, you could see the porchlight your house now and the keys jingled around your pocket as you tried to fish out the right one. 

“I agree…” Bucky said, letting out an exaggerated shudder. Despite the lights now populating your last few steps home Bucky’s protective presence did not waver, his shoulders brushing against yours now and again as you stepped up onto the porch and took out your keys.

Despite fumbling with them you finally manage to open the front door and take half a step inside, “Thank you for walking me home, Buck,” you smiled, “and threatening to beat up a rock for me...” 

That pearly white grin nearly blinded you despite the dark of night, “Of course, I’m always happy to rough up a pebble for you- but uh, I might draw the line at boulders, just so you know.” 

You bit your lip as you chucked, feeling butterflies bounce around your stomach uncontrollably, “Noted…. I should probably let you go before Steve does something stupid and heroic… But I’ll see you soon?” you proposed as you leaned into the doorframe, “Goodnight, Buck…”

He couldn't restrain the grin that parted his lips at the prospect of seeing you again so soon, and seemed to stumble over himself as he backed down the short staircase, “Right… right, I should- Goodnight, y/n…” His grin never left as he finally turned to leave…

… But something stopped him at the bottom of the stairs, “Wait-” He interjected into the silence. His lips tightened as he seemed to fight with himself for a moment, before finally turning back to you with a look of nervous determination in his eyes.

“Y/n, I…” his words paused as he searched for the next ones, his whole demeanor had shifted, not quite the suave confident soul you had always seen, but an endearingly awkward version of him. “I don't know if I’ll ever have the guts to say this again, but I- Y/n, I really like you…” Bright blue eyes met yours as you continued. 

“You’re thoughtful and genuine, and you always have paint on your face- even now-” He laughed softly, pointing to his ear.

“Oh, Shit-” you mumbled, rubbing it off quickly. 

“But it’s what I love about you. You do what you love and you pour yourself into it every time. And even though you’re quiet, when you do speak your words say volumes. You're funny, and kind, and just… so far beyond me that I know I don’t have a chance, but I just had to try why I still had the nerve.” He rushed to finish, ending with a deep breath as he urged himself to wait for your answer. 

Your face burned with the full heat of the sun as you tried to take in Bucky's words, He thought you were out of his league????

“You… I…. “ You had to laugh, your heart so unbelievably light as it all really hit you- he liked you!  You! 

“Bucky, are you serious..? I’ve had a crush on you from the moment I met you. You smiled and laughed and I haven’t been the same ever since.” You rubbed your blushing cheeks, trying to will away the embarrassing hue as you continued, softer, “But you could have anyone- there’s always people falling at your feet, I just figured I could never compete with the likes of them…” 

Wait, you liked him too? You said you liked him too?? With newfound confidence Bucky took another step forward, his fingers reaching out to you in invitation, which you gladly accepted. “You’re right… You could never compete with them,” he started, “ It simply wouldn’t be fair to make them compete in something they could never dream of winning.”

Your cheeks hurt from the sheer force of your smile and as you looked down at your linked fingers you swore your heart would fly away. 

“Um… Bucky, can I-”

“Please” He rushed, his own grin spanning from ear to ear as he leaned in for a kiss.

________________

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[storiesoflilies]

Of Angels and Curses

Synopsis - In a world where Angels and Curses are locked in a never ending war, an unsuspecting seraph becomes entangled with the very thing she is fated to eradicate.

Pairings - Curse!Toji Fushiguro x f!Angel!Reader. Curse!Ryomen Sukuna x Reader. Angel!Satoru Gojo x Reader.

Warnings - General descriptions of violence and injuries, eventual smut.

A/N: I will be editing Chapter 1 as I’m not really happy with the format of it. I will let you guys know when I finish doing that, but there won’t be any major changes, just some more details here and there. I’m still getting back into the swing of writing again! Anyways, enjoy this chapter and let me know your thoughts :) Ko-Fi.

Next part — Chapter 3

-•-

Chapter 2

From that moment onwards, Y/N’s life was almost never her own. 

Gojo dove straight into his duties as her soon-to-be husband; he ate with her, fought alongside her, and prayed with her every night before she slept. If customs didn’t dictate otherwise, he probably would have bathed with and slept beside her too. It was obviously to bond with her, to know her and create more intimacy outside the ties of marriage, but Y/N would have preferred them to continue the way they had before; right up until their vows were promised, and their names written together in between a cluster of stars to form a new constellation.

Was that delaying the inevitable? Perhaps.

He also started sparring with her, which Y/N had otherwise done with Nanami ever since Geto was promoted, and was intensely invested in training her himself. Gojo was desperate, it was obvious from how his eyes gleamed dangerously every time she misstepped, every time she fumbled into him; and Y/N didn’t know how, or why, but she knew it had everything to do with Geto.

“You need to be stronger than before because of who you are now,” Gojo said, looking far too calm and collected, a tense facade, as he looked down at her heaving with exertion. “Even if you’ll never fight without me.”

That particular morning, after yet another gruelling session, Y/N had been too exhausted and in agony to even descend and fight. Gojo had taken it upon himself to cover her duties for her, and so she stood there on the grassy plains of the training grounds after he had disappeared; using up all of her mental willpower for her knees not to buckle to the ground in front of the other seraphim. There was immediate pressure on Y/N following her engagement, Angels she’d known her whole life now avoided looking at her directly, their voices shaking with reverence if they so happened to speak to her. Her new role gave her power, but expected it returned tenfold; she was expected to be an apparition, an untouchable deity that was always composed and poised. Y/N felt their heavy gazes upon her all the time, daring her to give in and fall, and felt a flash of rage course through her that settled into its usual constant underlying discontent.

Why did she feel so much anger? Was it her soul protesting its dismay over her choice to marry Gojo, it’s grief manifesting as constant rage?

How could she feel a loss so deeply for someone she’d never even met?

“He is pushing you too hard,” Nanami’s familiar voice commented from behind her, snapping Y/N out of her inner turmoil. 

A sour look was plastered on his face, but there was genuine concern in his hazel eyes; a warmth in them that he never cared to admit he had, but it was there, like a candle flickering determinedly as a reminder it was still there. Nanami had still stuck to his same routine, sparring with other Angels during her sessions with Gojo, which meant he had clearly been observing every part of her new regime. It wasn’t that Gojo was cruel to her, there was just simply no way Y/N could keep up with or even reach an equal level to his power, but she understood why the Nanami thought he was. She had no special powers of her own; her wings were just large enough to fly herself, and she barely controlled any divine power – but just enough to smite her enemies. However, her physical strength and weapon proficiency were her strong suits, which was why her and Nanami were a powerful duo that often worked together on the battlefield; they were nearly equal in terms of raw talent, two becaming one when they drew swords together.

“I’m getting stronger,” Y/N answered back, her face slightly scrunched up with pain as she started to take small steps forward. “And I have to be, I’m going to be his wife.”

Nanami said nothing at this, and walked alongside her in silence as they headed back to Gojo’s tower. She was grateful for his solid presence, it was reassuring in case she stumbled; they’d already seen each other at their worst, it didn’t matter what she did now. They passed through the grand doorway of the tower, and Y/N immediately hurried towards a padded chair in the main common room as the last of her resolve crumbled away into dust. Nanami closed the entrance doors behind them, shielding them from the outside, and since there was nobody in the immediate vicinity, Y/N could safely let out a large sigh of relief as she melted into the chair. She heard the clink of glass and a pouring noise, and her eyes drifted over to see Nanami offering her a clear glass of water.

Y/N murmured a thank you as she cradled the glass. He turned away from her, looking out of one of the windowed marble archways at the passing seraphim, with his hands held pensively behind his back. Like the rest of Gojo’s tower, the common room dripped with obnoxious opulence; intricate tapestries and paintings decorating the walls, all of them depicting ancient great battles between Angels and Curses. The numerous seating arrangements were made of oakwood, with velvet padding for comfort, enabling many to sit throughout the room. Warm sunlight filtered through the marble archways, basking the room in the light of the midday sun, and a slight breeze tenderly kissed Nanami’s golden hair.

“Always so deep in thought,” Y/N teased as she slowly sipped her water. “Don’t you have other places to be?”

“It can wait, I just wanted to stay and make sure you’re alright,” he replied, still not looking at her. “As I said, he is pushing you too hard.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Besides, you’ve wasted enough time accompanying me home when you need to be out.”

“You’re obviously in pain, you think I was going to risk you falling and crawling back undignified? Absolutely not, I have respect for you that has been there even before Satoru proposed.”

Y/N didn’t know what to say to that. Nanami respected and acknowledged Gojo’s supreme strength and value to the Angels, but he was never fond of his character. He believed the Six Eyes was obnoxious; completely unaware of the wide effects of his influence and power, and lacked true empathy for anybody outside his inner circle. She had hoped her engagement would make Nanami more partial, seeing as how it was her own choice to become tied to Gojo, but it obviously wasn’t working – and maybe it never would. 

The pair settled into a tranquil silence as they watched the day go by; her own time, a rare moment without Gojo infiltrating it, or anybody else coming to her for decisions on wedding preparations – not that Y/N was actually in charge of anything, it was more a courtesy to let her know what was to be done. She was aware how harsh she sounded, as if she couldn’t stand Gojo just like Nanami couldn’t, but that was far from the truth. She just wanted to stay in silence, peace and quiet, with someone choosing to share her space with as an equal rather than consume it; perhaps Nanami understood that without ever having to hear it directly from her lips, she always did underestimate his compassion and intuition for others emotions.

It didn’t last long. 

“Ah Nanami, so good to see you!” Gojo’s voice called out from the entrance, announcing his return with a great clap of his hands as he joyfully traipsed into the tower. A number of his followers filtered in behind him, like honey bees following the scent of their queen.

Satoru Gojo carried no weapons during battle, as his divine power was wielded through his hands, and they had to remain as free as possible. His silver and gold armour gleamed in the sun, not a single drop of Curse blood offending its cleanliness, his hair tousled and wild from battle; and he walked with a swagger, his entire being oozing confidence, completely untroubled by the weight of the world. Y/N felt a spark of pride, a sense of awe that crept up on her suddenly when she lay awake in the dead of night unable to sleep.

Of all Angels, Gojo is going to be my husband.

“I’ll take my leave now Gojo, I was just ensuring your future wife is well,” Nanami quipped, but still respectfully bowing his head at Gojo, while sparing a glance at Y/N with a much softer look. 

Gojo’s smile never faltered, “You have my thanks, I’ll take care of her now.”

Nanami nodded to her as he left, and she smiled at him. She hoped he knew just how much she appreciated his unwavering solidarity for her, and how much she missed him; fighting alongside him was like singing a song only the two of them knew the words to, safe and familiar. Gojo sat beside her, holding his hands together as if he was anxious, and his smile dropped completely.

“I’m sorry, are you alright? I didn’t mean to push you so hard,” Gojo asked, worry evidently lacing his words. It was strange, like he didn’t know how to handle her anymore, and she realized this new dynamic was as foreign to her as it was to him.

“It’s ok Gojo,” Y/N said as reassuringly as she could, squeezing his hand in a comforting gesture. “I know I need to do this.”

He immediately perked up at her touch, ethereal eyes twinkling with just a hint of mischief. This was something she had learned during their time bonding together; Satoru Gojo instantly responded to physical affection, and returned it intensely. It had taken sometime to adjust to, because it was something she never thought to expect from him, but Y/N felt that wide crack in her soul grow smaller with every one of his embraces; as her doubts drifted away, his cooling aura drawing her into him like a prayer.

“You’re already far better than you were a month ago, you’ve been working hard,” he praised, leaning back into the chair as he tenderly swung his arm around her. “I think I might be a good teacher you know?”

She giggled, a delicate tinkling noise, “Of course, shall we go and eat something so we can do it all over again?”

“Ah good idea! You stay here, I’ll bring some food for us,” Gojo chuckled, brushing his temple into hers, stray hairs tickling her forehead, before getting up and sauntering towards the food hall. 

Y/N sighed when he had passed out of earshot, her weariness and frustration returning at the thought of having to exert her limits once more. How much did Gojo had to have pushed himself to become limitless? Or was the Six Eyes born limitless, unable to comprehend how much a single Angel could be stretched before snapping? Would he ever come to understand when he became her husband, and would she ever uncover the sheer magnitude of his power when she became his wife?

She was overwhelmed, but marrying Satoru Gojo was never going to be easy. 

You have to get through this. You made your choice.

Y/N heard his familiar footfall approaching and quickly composed herself.

“Here we are!” Gojo exclaimed as he carried two plates laden with food, plopping down beside her again and handing her a plate. 

They dug into their meal whilst discussing their wedding, the newly appointed Sky Sentries, as well as their mutual concerns about the increasing number of deeper layer Curses emerging. More of Gojo’s followers entered the tower, relieved from their duties as the sun sank further down the sky; casting shy glances towards them despite their obvious exhaustion. At the start of their engagement, Gojo had thrown menacing glares towards anybody lingering within earshot of them conversing, and the seraphim had quickly learned to leave the couple alone. Y/N discerned that it was part of his unwillingness to let any Angel be privy to a even a slightly deeper side of him, as if it angered him to give a piece of himself to anybody he didn’t deem worthy enough.

“Don’t you think it’s strange, that this is finally happening to us?” she asked after some time, their meals long since finished and lighter conversations passed. 

“What, us getting married? It took me long enough to ask,” Gojo replied, an easygoing aura to him that seemed to only seemed to come out the longer they spent time together.

Y/N smiled nervously, twisting her fingers as mustered up the courage to ask, “Well, what made you decide then?”

Gojo’s eyes darkened, his ease falling dramatically like a heavy cloak, and he looked away. He didn’t seem inclined to answer, and she internally scolded herself for asking when she probably wasn’t ready to hear the answer, or never really needed to know.

“I don’t want to just be the strongest,” he finally said, looking at her but not directly into her eyes; like she was playing the part of the benevolent apparition. “Geto thinks that’s all I am, and that’s all I’ll ever be, he said so the last time I saw him. I want to end this war, but I don’t want our entire existence to be about it. I want to build a legacy that’s not just about my power, and you’re the only one left I care about that I want to build that legacy with.”

She froze. 

So… I’m just a means to an end? 

“It wouldn’t matter if my soulmate was here right now either,” Gojo continued, looking at her intensely. “I never planned to marry anybody else but you, I only trust you now.”

“You wouldn’t trust your own soulmate?” 

“No, I don’t know them. How can I have any trust?”

Y/N nodded silently, mulling his words over in her head. She was unsure of how to respond, and Gojo didn’t seem to want to converse anymore; he was all taut, his muscles pulled tight and ready to lash out if he didn’t find a release soon. And so they sat together watching the day turn into night, until he was summoned to fight once more.

-•-

She woke gasping for air, her body fighting back from returning to land of the living as the warm tendrils of her dreams begrudgingly released her from their grasp; still whispering to her of delightful vengeance, promises of pleasure and freedom, and pain. So much pain. Y/N frowned, her fingers splayed across her bare stomach, a familiar shard of loss tearing through her.

Why is it so cold?

She felt like she’d experienced this a thousand times before, her heart aching from an age old ailment that could never be healed. Her soul was floating downwards and out of her body, just like the Angels fleeing from their punishment of sinning, but forever doomed to remain experiencing it over and over.

A prompt rapping at her door pulled her from her state of limbo, snapping her soul back into place.

”I hope you slept well,” Gojo greeted, the door only slightly ajar to preserve her privacy. “Nanami and I are waiting outside for you, come join us when you’re ready.”

Y/N composed herself, the coldness dissipating almost as quickly as it came, and hastily donned her armour and sheathed her katanas. Gojo’s urgency was unnerving, as well as the fact that Nanami would be there as well. She huffed, shaking off the remnants of her dreams from her shoulders, displeased from her lack of knowledge. The street outside was shaded in the shadow of the towers; the sun still not yet high enough over the city to cast the light of the dawn over Heaven. Gojo was lazily stretching his thick arms over his head, not a care in the world, and Nanami stood looking away from him – not looking particularly pleased. 

“Good, you’re here!” Gojo exclaimed as he noticed her, instantly interlinking his hands with hers. 

“What’s all this about?”

Gojo looked at Nanami expectantly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Nanami sighed, already tired of having to repeat his tale like a mysterious storyteller. “I picked up the start of an odd trail yesterday just before nightfall, and so I couldn’t pursue it. I requested that you and I track the Curse that left it.”

“Naturally, I have to accompany you both on this,” Gojo interjected, earning a scowl from Nanami. “I swore to protect Y/N from any harm. Besides, this is a good opportunity to see you both fight, I’ve heard you’re a formidable pair.”

Without skipping a beat, he placed a hand on her and Nanami’s shoulders, and Y/N sucked in a breath as her psyche was stretched across the Unlimited Void. She wondered if Nanami was fighting to keep his mind closed from the Six Eyes prying, or if he even cared to shield himself; Nanami was simply incapable of sin, he was too in control of himself. On the other hand, Gojo handled her soul with more care in the Void; still overwhelming as before, but his essence didn’t control her so much – she had some freedom to take in the infinite space around her.

Within seconds, they were standing at the edge of a charred forest; the air thick with smoke and dust, leaves of the trees long since been burned away, and only their remains stood bent and broken like the bones of spindly skeleton. A lone mountain loomed overhead, spewing ash as if it was preparing to spit down on them. Y/N hated that initial breath on Earth, it reeked of death and sulphur – the smell of Curses and Hell that could never be washed away.

“Ahhh, isn’t this so much nicer than descending through all the gates?” Gojo remarked, his nose turned up as if he too was offended by the smell and ugliness of the burnt forest. 

“Descending through the gates is a mark of respect for those guarding it,” Nanami murmured, taking in his surroundings. “I heard you spent much of your power during last night’s battle, this seems like an unnecessary expense of your energy.”

”Bahh, nothing I can’t handle.”

Y/N ignored them and crouched down, concentrating hard to visualize the lingering energy imprinted in the soil. Viridescent wisps flickered in and out of sight, settling into a singular writhing root that seemed to extend from deep within her core. She knew this energy; it was like rediscovering long lost ancient knowledge from eons past, only to find that she’d never really forgotten it in the first place.

She pointed a finger towards the forest.

”There, do you see it Nanami?”

He nodded, and Gojo towered over her from behind as he studied the trace too.

”This energy… have either of you ever felt anything like this?” He questioned, his excitement palpable like a child unwrapping a gift.

Gojo didn’t skip a beat before answering anyways, “The only kind of Curse that leaves energy traces like this are their Kings. I’m guessing maybe a Third or even Second Layer King has left these.”

He was unnaturally giddy, nearly bursting with glee at the prospect of unbridled violence; the outlet for him to finally unleash himself upon. Y/N sprang up and stepped back from him. A Curse King hadn’t been killed in centuries, they rarely emerged from the depths to fight at night, much less during the daylight; surely Gojo didn’t think there was one running rampant on the Earth at this very moment?

“Gojo, you can’t be serious.”

“I am, let’s see if we can hunt it down. There’s a chance it mightn’t have descended yet.”

Gojo motioned with his head for them to follow, and he set out at a brisk run through the forest. Y/N understood why Nanami didn’t waste time yesterday trying to follow its tracks; the energy followed no clear pattern, as if the Curse had sprung up from the Hells just to jump around for the fun of it. Nanami and her kept a similar pace beside each other, while the Six Eyes forged on ahead like he was on a warpath. Perhaps it was Nanami’s previous comment, but Y/N noted Gojo seemed… erratic. When was the last time he properly slept, or even ate? That wild look in his eyes promised savage violence against his prey and anything else standing in his way, and she pursed her lips with worry; was he really in the right mindset to fight a Curse King? 

The landscape barely changed as they traversed the forest, burnt trees were all that was left from the destruction of Curses. It would have once been a mighty forest lush with life, but now there was only death to be seen for leagues and leagues as far as Y/N could see. Sadly, most of the Earth was scorched, and almost nowhere safe from Sukuna’s reign of fire and terror. What little life that grew were in various Angel strongholds scattered leagues and leagues from each other, and even then it wasn’t more than a pitiful bunches of daisies destined to be crushed underneath a soldiers boot. The strongholds were placed as closely as possible to areas of high Cursed activity, known points from which a large volume of Curses ascended from Hell; places the Angels could launch their attacks on emerging threats. They finally reached a clearing in the forest, a tombstone of burnt earth over what should have been vibrant grass, as the sun climbed to its midway point in the sky. Gojo stopped abruptly, his knuckles cracking loudly.

“Nanami, can you detect any traces?” He inquired, his evident frustration complimented with an irritated expression on his face. It was a last ditch effort, almost useless – if the Six Eyes himself couldn’t trace it, nobody else could. 

Nanami said nothing as he sidestepped Gojo’s wings, blue eyes flashing wildly upon his white feathers, and observed the ground as he tread farther on ahead, disappearing from view. Y/N moved to stand in front of him, peering up at him with worry. 

“Satoru,” she whispered, tilting her head to encourage him to look at her.

His eyes flitted down to her, uncaring. “Hmm?”

”I don’t think it’s here anymore, the Curse must have descended.”

”Tsk, maybe you’re right. It doesn’t matter, that thing won’t live through the night. I’ll hunt it when the sun sets.”

Y/N smiled, knowing well enough that he would keep his promise.

A black flash sliced through the air.

Their blood spilled from a sword buried to the hilt through both their midriffs.

White hot pain coursed through her.

And then, a tidal wave of raw energy crashed over her as she stared at their assailant behind Gojo. 

And stared.

And he stared right back at her.

It was a Curse, but he looked much more like an Angel would. He was tall and handsome and made of rippling muscle, like the waves of the sea during a storm; radiating just as much powerful energy, charging the air with a brutal force that demanded attention unlike anything Y/N had ever felt before. His black hair fell over deep forest green eyes that pierced right through to her soul, forcing another shockwave of his energy into her; and she took it gladly, maybe even eagerly, greedily. He glanced from her to Gojo then back to her, as if trying to figure out who they were to each other, and his eyes widened a fraction at her as he loosened the grip on his weapon ever so slightly. 

She knew who he was.

She’d seen him a thousand times before this moment.

That dangerous gleam deep within his irises were so familiar to her, promising her violent delights full of sin that only he could deliver.

Y/N knew him from dreams buried deep within her soul; she’d walked with him through the ages, through time and space itself.

She was so deep in their trance she barely felt Gojo’s hands on her shoulders, and before Y/N could register anything he was pushing her away from him. His blade passed through her once more, her blood bursting forth from her mouth and gushing wound, and she collapsed to the ground as there was a blast of blue energy. Y/N weakly raised her head, her vision clouded with black spots, and her ears rang loud and true like the bells in Heaven. Still, she could make out Gojo standing defensively in front of her, and the Curse crouched some distance ahead, his head bowed and raven hair obscuring his facial features.

Her heart beat faster; the weaves of fate had finally been tied together, and there was no escaping it now.

”You’re fast, but something’s off with you, King,” Gojo sneered, his palms poised and ready to unleash his power once more.

He rushed forward at the Curse, and Y/N screamed as she was carelessly flung back through the air from the backlash of energy as both Angel and Curse clashed together in a flurry of slashes; the sky sporadically lighting up with hues of red and blue. Her head smacked into a tree trunk, vision nearly completely blackened now, and more blood trickled down her face as Y/N sensed her wing bones were crushed from the collision; making sickening crunching noises as she hacked up more blood. 

What is happening? 

Y/N felt his confusion, overwhelming rage that could have set fire to her soul, and perplexing elation that disoriented her.

Their bond had set, her soul was complete; and she knew what it was he wanted.

Oh God help me, he’s in me. 

Run. Now.

Gojo’s voice reverberated painfully through her head, and Y/N grunted and gritted her teeth as she willed her vision to return, but was barely able to move herself. She screamed in agony and anger, trying again, her wound threatening to tear her in two as her legs managed, albeit shakily, to keep her upright. Her head swam as Nanami’s face engulfed her field of vision, sharply inhaling in pain as he pressed his hand onto her stomach while shouting something to her. His words were muffled, she couldn’t make out any clear words, and her eyes drifted behind him. Y/N couldn’t see neither Gojo nor him. She felt Nanami sling her arm around his neck, hoisting her from the ground as her head rolled forward and panic gripped her like a vice.

“Nanami, no,” she heaved, shaking her head wildly, her vision and hearing clearing only just slightly. “Nanami.”

“We need to ascend, you can’t fly can you?”

She shook her head again. Nanami’s wings were just like hers, large enough to fly himself but not enough to support another beings weight, and Gojo was too distracted fighting to send them back to Heaven through the Void. 

They were both stuck until the Six Eyes won his battle. 

“Nanami,” Y/N sobbed, her words a blubbery mess, “That Curse, I can’t-.”

“Don’t worry, Gojo can handle it. We need to get to safety, otherwise we’ll be killed in their crossfire.”

“No no no Nanami, no. The Curse, it’s - he’s - my soulmate. I can’t leave.”

Nanami halted, “Are you quite certain?”

Y/N could only nod, and Nanami paused to look back over his shoulder, “You’re too injured, we have to go.”

“Nanami, please. Please!” She begged, gasping as she tried to dig her heels into the earth, flailing against his strong hold on her.

Nanami looked torn as he gazed down at her with such pity, as if he shared her heartbreak and pain, and murmured, “Y/N, I can’t help you. I can’t fight the Six Eyes. He’s too strong for either of us.”

Y/N shuddered as her limbs gave out, her head rolling forward. Would she feel it when Gojo ended his life, her soul ripping from his like tearing flesh from bone? Nanami hoisted her up again, apologies falling from his lips like prayers as he carried her farther away from him. 

“Well well, seems like you Angels come in threes! How unbelievably lucky!”  Both of them looked up sharply at the figure chuckling in front of them; undoubtedly a Curse, its energy rhythmically pulsating from it, enveloping them in a mist of negativity and hopelessness. It had a strange shade of long silver hair, even stranger haphazard stitches all across its body, and mismatched coloured eyes that glinted with fake sympathy that masked a malicious intent. 

Nanami set Y/N down gently as he unsheathed his blade.

”Hmm, I wonder if killing three Angels is considered lucky too?” It pondered, almost childishly considering an answer to its own question. 

Nanami didn’t hesitate after that.

He launched towards the Curse, swinging his blade in a great swooping arc. The Curse giggled and crossed its arms to block the attack; lilac energy sparking off from where the blade hit it. 

”You’re strong!” The Curse exclaimed cheerfully, wonderfully naive. “This is going to be such fun.”

Its unsettling gaze fixated on her, and Y/N tensed in fear; she was far too vulnerable, unable to defend herself if it decided to come at her. Nonetheless, her bloodied hands reached for her katanas.

A flash of anger, his anger.

The silver haired Curse tore its gaze from her as Nanami took another swing at it, and they danced together in a deadly whirl of his blade and lilac fists of cursed energy; neither of them able to land a proper blow on the other. Y/N staggered backwards as it reached out to her, gripping her katanas defensively as Nanami grabbed it by the leg and, with a great display of strength, flung it backwards and away from her. Y/N frowned as three small oddly shaped clods flew through the air, and thudded at her feet.

Instantaneously, they all erupted into life. 

She barely had time to react as they metamorphosed into grotesque Curses, snarling and spitting unintelligible words, and she slashed at the closest one to her. Another barrelled into the right side of her, knocking the wind out of her, and she stabbed her blade into it as she was pushed into the dirt. The last one seemed to be waiting for her to make a move, swaying back and forth on its hind legs like a disfigured frog, babbling yes yes yes! over and over again. Y/N sliced its clawed hands, the severed limbs flying through the air, and brought down both her katanas through its head. Her heart hammered in her chest, life force rapidly draining as her blades slipped from the hilts sullied with her spent blood.

Perhaps they were both meant to die today. Maybe they were meant to lock eyes upon each other for the first and only time, and then shut them forever as their souls passed on to the next world. But was there any version of the afterlife where they could be together? He was a Curse, she was an Angel, and God hadn’t made a paradise for them to co-exist.

What was the point of it all?

Her pain was dulled now, her heart slowing. Her legs finally failed her and sent her to the ground, her blood pooling around her. 

“Y/N I’m here, don’t give up.”

Nanami was pressing a hand down on her stomach, and Y/N’s broke for him. Half his body was severely burned, pale pink flesh rippling in the sunlight; his armour and wings in tatters, as his blood dripped from an empty eye socket onto her face. He looked haunted, desperately fighting a lonely losing battle of holding onto both their lives, the inevitable mercilessly creeping forward like hungry rats ready to devour them.

”Nanami, go,” she mumbled, pushing against him weakly. 

She didn’t notice the crown of silver behind him until it was too late; the Curse placed a hand delicately on Nanami’s exposed flesh, as if caressing a blossom that threatened to fall apart. 

Still, Nanami smiled at her like he was seeing her again after a long time.

No no no.

”Y/N, I’ll see you again. You take it from here.”

And then her golden haired guardian burst into nothingness right in front of her eyes; showering her in a cooling mist of his blood, an almost soothing farewell.

Time stopped. 

Y/N took a deep breath in, her weak body rattling in shock as tears rolled down her cheeks, and the Curse kneeled in front of her. 

“There there,” it cooed, and she closed her eyes, shuddering in disgust as she felt it stroke the feathers of her wings. 

“Just end me already,” she rasped, a last cough sputtering out as she spoke, her final display of whatever strength she had left.

Defiance… and his desperation. 

The Curse cocked its head at her, as if it was the most bizarre thing she could have said.

”Why? Your soul has the strength of more than one, it would be a waste.”

It wrapped its hands around her neck, smiling softly at her as Y/N’s eyes fluttered open and searing heat spread across her back. The sky started to seem farther away, like it was shrinking. No, the Earth was crumbling away underneath her, like she was sinking into her own grave that kept on extending further and further. The Curse stayed put on top of her, a hue of bright red appearing behind it as the last glimpse of the Earth faded away into nothingness. 

She succumbed into darkness after that. 

-•-

[inkskinned]

hey it's nanowrimo. i have tips bc i've done it about 34 times.

Don't edit. Ever. Stop it. If you just decide to start a new project half thru this one with all new characters, no problem. pick up and keep writing as if you'd already written the first half of that.

"but i spelled it wrong" whatever. "but the grammar" whatever. make it exist first. no time for sense. think like you're working on a typewriter. no backspace. only forward go.

Don't re-read further than a paragraph or two backwards. "did i mention the gun before?" listen - it doesn't matter. if you need there to be a gun there, the gun is there. put it back in once you finish the book.

"i forgot the specifics of X thing i already wrote" whatever. change it, make a note/comment to figure it out later, and just write what makes sense for the moment. "no raquel it's legit the characters name and origin" idc that character is now reborn as Claudius from Elsewhere. it's fine.

only you see your mistakes. nobody else knows. one of the ways writing and dance overlap - only you know the choreography. nobody else will know if you miss a step, so just keep dancing and pretend you meant to do it like that.

it's an illusion that you need to write linearly - from point A to point B to point C. Nah; that's just timeline propaganda. I've written a LOT of books out of order and just reordered them once i've finished. if you have a scene you'd LOVE to write but can't get there yet because of plot, just fuckin write the scene. I've always found its easier to establish "point F" "point J" and "Point A" and then wiggle my way between those scenes.

write what you WANT to write. 230 pages of smut? of well-researched discussion on bread? whatever. the point is to strengthen muscles however you can.

if you miss a day, a week, whatever. not the end of the world. we all have dry days. also time is a myth so u can do this challenge whenever u want.

as soon as you try to write for a specific audience, you kill your voice. you are writing for yourself. stop thinking about how people will take ur book. it don't matter. what matter is u, enjoying writing. i luv u.

play to your strengths. i have characters talk so much because i don't know how to write a plot if it kills me but i'm really good at dialogue so.

i love a flight of fancy. write a poem in there. shift tactics and write in code. keep it fun for yourself.

see what happens if you shift something major about ur main characters - gender, wealth, superpowers. or if you change point-of-view. or if you kill everyone in a big explosion. do NOT edit anything before this or after it. often these little weird one-off exercises teach me what interests me about what i'm working on. it is never what i thought. plus it is a fun way to add like 1k words.

stretch.

it's for fun and for practice. stop doing that project if it's giving you anxiety. once my nano was literally 50k words of half-started stories. just things i tried and tried and tried and wasn't able to flesh out. oops. but i am now 50k words of a better writer.

add dragons?

read books/listen to books on tape/etc. people often make the mistake of "buckling down" to just write. you need inspiration. you need to like. fill up on words. you need to remember how it feels to lose yourself in a story.

i don't have the time or space to really talk about this in this post but a lot of creative people turn to drugs/alcohol because it can help you be more creative. this is harmful, and walking a blade that only cuts deep. if you notice you and your loved ones are turning more to substances, please know i love you and i hope you are able to get help soon. i feel like this almost never gets mentioned because it's kind of a hazy underbelly to art. you are always more important than the work.

on that note. drink your fukin. water.

don't talk about a story until you've finished it. once you tell the story, it exists already, and isn't about discovery. i usually have a very canned "haha we'll see" response.

grapes :) tasty snack.

i love you be free.

[ape-apocalypse]

There's been a lot of talk about Mae since Kingdom's release and she seems to be the character most people are split on, especially with the ending. After much pondering, here are my own thoughts about her, the alternate ending that almost was, and her path in upcoming movies. Spoilers ahead!

Straight to the point, I liked her character. In a lot of ways, she reminded me of Caesar. Her entire goal is focused on protecting humans no matter the cost to apes, much like what Caesar did to protect apes from humans. She has a no-nonsense determination to complete her mission and she doesn't trust apes, even Noa who she spends the majority of the film with. I watched Kingdom thinking it was odd that there was no real bond between Noa and Mae but I think that was on purpose. Though they both rely on each other to complete their individual missions and they concur that Proximus should not have access to what is in the vault, they don't fully trust each other. I know some people are upset that she brought a gun to her final meeting with Noa. Honestly, I don't blame her because they don't trust each other! 

Freya Allan revealed in a recent interview that the goodbye scene between her and the chimp was originally filmed differently. "In the scene that I shot, Mae was going there to kill him because he scares her. His intelligence scares her. Mae doesn't want to kill him, but she feels she has to... Originally, you actually see her pull the gun on Noa, but his back is turned to her. And so you think, 'Oh my God, is she about to shoot him?' Mae is crying as she's doing it... and then she doesn't. The minute he mentions Raka's name, she puts the gun down. But then in the edit, they wanted it to feel more subtle, and I honestly way prefer what they've done with it. It's so much smarter and really allows you to think more... so it becomes a very emotional goodbye, one with tragic, lingering doom."

I'm really relieved that they changed the ending. If she had actually drawn the gun on Noa, especially when his back was turned, I would have been pissed. But the ending we received, with an almost old school Western stand-off between two opponents, with them actually debating if this town - this planet - is big enough for the both of them, I think it perfectly sets up the tension between humans and apes heading into the next movie. 

Now I do wish they had done something to make her a little more sympathetic to hating the apes. There is the briefest mention that Proximus' apes killed the other humans she was traveling with but it's really glossed over. I wish when she and Noa were making the plan, Mae had mentioned the group again. Maybe that someone she cared about was killed or just how vicious the attack was and she saw terrible things. First, this would have connected Noa and Mae more because of the attack on Eagle Clan and the death of Koro, which Freya Allan confirms: "Proximus' apes killed her camp, similarly to Noa's, which is what's so bizarre about it". Second, it would have made Mae have some personal stake in the downfall of Proximus. This clearly was the intention because Allan says in defense of her character's actions, "She's gone through so much, she's lost all the people she cares about, which was a large part of how I justified everything she did." The backstory was there but a few extra lines would have made her thoughts clear and perhaps gotten more of the audience on her side. Allan elaborates that she even "...created a backstory that her parents had also gone off and tried to do the same mission, but they never came back and presumably died". I'm not sure if they were worried about the already long length of the movie that they felt the need to leave this out but I really wish they had added in even a few lines that would have allowed people to empathize with her.

Regardless of how she was portrayed in this movie, I'm already starting to theorize for the next film (with the hopes that Disney will announce its approval soon!). I think the next movie will have Mae fully on the side of the humans in her base/bunker and whoever they connected with. She completed her mission in Kingdom and there will be a new mission to recover the planet for humans that she'll be part of. She will be fully invested in it but something will change by the end of the film that will make her want peace between apes and humans. Then she'll spend the third film in the trilogy helping Noa to find a way to end bloodshed between the two species. 

There is a little part of me that wouldn't mind a female bad guy, because there hasn't been one in any of these films, even back to the originals. But honestly, I do want to see Mae and Noa reconcile and become friends and partners. Who knows, maybe Dichen Lachman's character Korina (the human in the hazmat suit who comes out to greet Mae at the end, who I adore in the TV show Dollhouse) will be the leader of the humans and the main villain of the next film, satisfying my wish for a female baddie? That would leave Mae free to have a redemption story where she helps Noa and works with him to protect apes from whatever the humans are plotting.

[sirenofthegreenbanks]

🐝🪳🪰

henlo!! (bops you on the nose) thank you for these great questions! im overflowing with fics i nEED to rec!!!!!!!!!!!!! (i realized all of these fics are longfics and that u may not necessarily enjoy reading those; feel welcome to drop me the same bugs in my inbox and ill do a short version for you <3)

🐝 recommend a fic with great symbolism, or themes, something really clever, or, like. just something you could write a whole literary essay about!!!

there are honestly so many fics i could write a literary essay about so im restraining myself to the first option

within us an orchard by mintyfish (guckindieluft). QY, WOH, pre-canon/canon divergence, wenzhou, tian chuang era, secret garden-esque, grief/mourning, identity shenanigans, injury tending, murder husbands, M. zhou zishu, leader of tianchuang, enlists the mysterious intruder he caught in the middle of stealing into his manor to garden work. while they heal his miserable excuse of an inner courtyard garden, zhou zishu also finds his will to live.

something something nature, grief, intersections:

By month's end, the north-facing branches of the plum tree were as black and twisted as the half-consumed wreckage of a house fire. If he stood on his roof, Zhou Zishu could see the flecks of budding plum trees painted across the city. His might just be slower—but a hard dark certainty had taken up residence in his gut. It wasn't going to bloom. In a week, Zhou Zishu would drive the second nail into his meridians.

Wen Kexing's approving little nods couldn't mask what was surely now obvious to both of them: Zhou Zishu had created a killing jar. Was it really so surprising that everything in it was dying?

But then, the book said—fire. Really, of all the things Zhou Zishu had done in the garden these weeks, treating the plum tree should have been the most familiar: cut down what must be cut down, cauterise what might be saved, and burn out the rot before it could spread. Court factions, families, trees—contain them or kill them, the tools were the same. Whether the tree would survive, the book could not tell him.

🪰 recommend a fic that makes you sad (in the best way!!)! Some great angst and/or hurt/comfort!

ripple by notoneoftheheroes. QY, WOH, pre-canon/canon divergence, wenzhou, alternative version of events, identity shenanigans, happy end, whump, angst, siji manour, M. a trick allows zhou zishu to move his sect back to the jianghu, (almost!) out from under the thump of the crown prince. but his sect, the family of his choosing, gets more and more dissatisfied with the choices zhou zishu makes to maintain that delicate balance and ensure their survival, and things start to tighten around zhou zishu‘s throat. will he lose everyone he loves? zhou zishu is an unreliable narrator in this one, and as things get worse and worse with the sect members he views as his family here, you can watch as each side makes terrible choices that lead them almost to a terrible end.

the two headed dragon by lisbeth_laufeyson. WOH alternative canon universe, childhood friends to lovers, angst, grief/mourning, manipulation, optimistic but open end*, E. out of the shadow, someone wants siji manour ill. things take a turn for the worse when wen kexing himself, one of the two leaders of tianchuang, gets fatally wounded and almost dies. over the course of his long coma, zhou zishu is vulnerable and falls into dark waters while trying to save his sect. this fic really examines zhou zishu‘s potential for committing atrocities, caused by his desire to do good and stoked by someone he trusts but shouldnt. you know who is behind it, thats not a spoiler, but they dont, and it hangs over the story like a dark cloud. this fic comes with a major character death tag! as with the last chapter that is not up to date anymore! there is a sequel! *important edit for clarification: its a bad ending! the only thing that could inspire u to be optimistic about it is that the person u think is dead turns out to not be dead!

🪳 recommend a great AU!

in a city sorrow built by wearealltalesintheend. WOH pre/canon divergence/alternative universe, family of choice, grief/mourning, fluff, T. the ghost valley is no place for a child, and thus wen kexing grows up on top of a mountain with an old monster, a goofy swordsmith, and a grieving old lady. yet, he clutches that glooming coal of rage and sorrow close to his chest, and decades later his revenge unfolds. i loved this so much for how it changes basically everything about wen kexing‘s backstory, and thus creates this alternative universe in which wen kexing Has It Better, but manages to examine how in the end it only marginally makes an impact on his desire for revenge and chaos. i loved the different faces of mourning and grief and how here, even more people join the collection of loved ones wen kexing loses. only now he truly isnt alone in his grief and he‘s arguably better emotionally prepared for it. this is a wip!

bug me for fic recs!!!!! do it!!!!!!!!

[sarcastic-pasta-games]

Updates on Glitch:

Sushi and I came back to the team to talk about its future and what to do. With some rearranging of the events, we think we can simplify the game a lot while still telling the story we ultimately want to tell, but it’s possible it will be a trilogy, as finishing the game may mean making it a bit shorter. That being said, we will still give you time to get to know the new egos who come with this chapter and, of course, Sushi and I will be helping out with the writing and I have every intention of writing the finale myself exactly as I planned it.

Some new games have been added to chapter 3 (or what chapter 3 originally covered), which requires some time to set up, but that actually gave us time to program in some rather impressive Cuphead-like battles. Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to share any pictures right now, but it’s looking good so far.

Updates on Truth and Consequences:

I’ve made it to the first trial of the third case! I had to pause for a bit because this case required a sheepish face for Athena and I didn’t have one, but I plan to get right back into it. At this pace, I’m expecting it to be finished relatively soon, but these cases take a very long time to make and this is the first multi-day one I’ve ever done, so there’s a lot to consider.

Oh and you didn’t think I’d end this little update without showing you that sheepish Athena face, did you? This is edited into the first case, but you can rest assured that you will see it and one other custom facial expression in this case.

Final thoughts:

I noticed that a lot of people have unfollowed us on our platforms, and I suppose it makes sense if you’re not interested in Ace Attorney, but we are still working on Glitch. As I told someone today, I can’t control the dopamine. This is the project my heart needed to work on. But that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to see Glitch through to the end. It’s just that the strain of directing such a large project was getting to me while T&C doesn’t require a major team. It’s very much my game, not quite a solo project but almost entirely written by me and I’m very pleased with it.

So if you enjoy games like Danganronpa or Zero Escape or Your Turn to Die, please give Ace Attorney a look! It’s well worth it, particularly the trilogy. Had Jack actually played the series, perhaps there’d be more interest, but he never got around to it (his loss) so I’m doing my best but I know there isn’t a huge overlap in audiences. I do want to hear from you guys though. What are your thoughts on this? Are you upset I’m working on a different game or because progress has been slow?

I don’t want to disappoint you all, but I also don’t want to put all my time and effort on something I don’t feel passionate about, and that was starting to stress me out.

~Dev Lily (Katie)

[writing-intheundercroft]

20 Qs for fic writers

thank you for tagging me @pluviowriting my fellow toe <3

How many works do you have on AO3? 13

What's your total AO3 word count? - 353,267

What fandoms do you write for? - Hogwarts Legacy but ya girl is starting to dip her toes into other fandoms like Stardew Valley and Ninth House

Top five fics by kudos? - Your Ivy Grows (My Ominis fic, I promise I'll be back for you baby) When We're Older (my Sebastian longfic that is ALMOST DONE) You're Gonna Go Far (Modern AU Ominis) Tis the Damn Season (Garreth Weasley hehe) and The Night Shift (Auror!Seb)

Do you respond to comments? - I try not to go on AO3 every day because I fall into a dark hole of feeling like I'm not writing fast enough. Some comments fall through the cracks if I'm not checking every day but for the most part I do try!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - Of my published fics, it's currently Bite The Hand (Auror!Seb prologue).

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - Either Auror!Seb or You're Gonna Go Far but I promise all of my fics are happily ever afters

Do you get hate on fics? - I have not! and plz don't start

Do you write smut? - my autocorrect changes anything that ends in -ock to COCK so you tell me

Craziest crossover? - House of the Dragon and Hogwarts Legacy (simping over Knight!Sebastian right now)

Have you ever had a fic stolen? - No, and I hope to never!

Have you ever had a fic translated? - I have not but that would be so cool

Have you ever co-written a fic before? - My Modern AU Dad! Sebastian is practically a co-written fic because you hoes keep giving me such amazing ideas

All time favorite ship - Sebastian Sallow x Theo Caulfield duh

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - Priest!Ominis is one of my most diabolical and sad drafts I've ever written but also one of my favorites

What are your writing strengths? - Tender smut and soft Sebastian. I was also an english major and wrote for a zine in college (jfc did I just say zine) so I feel like I'm pretty good at editing.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? - I wish I could write in another language; I studied french in college but I am pitiful at it in duolingo

First fandom you wrote in? - HP, THG, and the Jonas Brothers (I pulled a muscle in my face cringing at this because its aging me)

Favorite fic you've written? - When We're Older because Theo is my baby and I love her but also In a World of Boys, He's a Gentleman because Leander needs love too

No twentieth question but following suit - thanks to the HL fandom for consistently inspiring me to write. This was my first foray into a fandom, and I've met such amazing people and really came out of my shell in the last year. Ily <3

No pressure tags to some of my favorite writers out there: @blueraineshadows @slytherizz @intotheseas @legacygirlingreen

[lovesastateofmind1]

20 Questions Game

tagged by @sssammich and I'm gonna do this instead of editing so yall know where to point the blame for the delay

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

9

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?

372,061

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Supercorp currently

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

You, Me and The In Betweens

Tempo

Heaven is a Place on Earth

Can I Have Your Attention Please

Hey There... Lena

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do respond to majority of them. I miss a few here and there and I don't respond to the rude ones. I also take ages to actually reply, which is because I'm super flattered and don't know how to properly convey that in words so I procrastinate. A lot.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

If we're solely talking endings, Sweet Dreams probably

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of them end on a positive note. But in my personal opinion, Heaven is a Place on Earth

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Every now and then, but usually it comes from Amy - yall know Amy - and even when it doesn't, its typically in relation to my plot choices and not a critique of my skill

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Bro. Yes lmao. Not super kinky. Not entirely vanilla either. Idk that I could really give you a 'kind.' It's solely based on how thirsty I'm feeling on any particular day and then when I have to actually edit it, I want to punch my past self in the face.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Never written one, probably would though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes and it was so cool to see. Still endlessly grateful.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

*sigh* I call myself cowriting a fic with @fyonahmacnally and @chaotic-super. I also call myself cowriting a different fic with @sssammich. And then of course that series that we absolutely aren't writing. But thus far, most of the 'writing' has taken place inside our own imaginations. Maybe we'll make progress. Someday.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Do you really have to ask me that?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I think I'll finish all of them honestly. May take 3-5 years. But I think I'll finish.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Injecting the most misery possible into a single fic. Smut. I think I have a nice prose too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing lmao.

I think most things are a weakness for me. I'm told my descriptive writing is great, but I always think it needs so much improvement because of my inability to visualize anything ever. But if yall can see it, then that's fantastic. Otherwise, long scenes with dialogue. I struggle so bad with extended dialogue.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Would stress me tf out lol. I think it's great. I've almost done it. But I don't trust google translate near enough and I don't personally know anyone who speaks fluent French. So we all just gonna have to use our imaginations when Lena walks through that parking garage.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically, Law and Order SVU, though it was never finished or posted anywhere. I needed Katie McGrath to come grab my inspiration by the throat, evidently.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Lie to Me. Without question. I put the most into it and I'm incredibly proud of it, even if I wanted to set it on fire most days. It's simultaneously the easiest and most difficult thing I've ever written and I hope I always love it this much.

Tagging @mssirey, @sneezewizard, @someoneyouloved93 and anyone else who wants to give it a go, zero pressure of course!

[thedeliverygod]

What would you do/buy if you had unlimited funds for a day

random but okay lol

first purchase would undoubtably be a new car because mine is a 2006 and now that I'm commuting to work every day my fear of it dying on me is ever present

a house because obvs a place to live is essential

anything my parents need especially my dad because he has had zero income for a while now and much like me has been selling things to make ends meet.

new clothes... I've been screenshotting stuff and saving it to a "window shopping" folder lately so I can hopefully get some things when I have some spending money. Because of my weight gain I wear a lot of clothes that don't really fit and aside from physical discomfort it gives me a lot of body dysmorphia too. I did buy a new pair of jeans to wear to work because I hate switching back and forth between 1 pair of jeans and cargo pants. haven't had the chance to wear them yet because of my work's server imploding & having the past 2 days off lol.

a bunch of cat food/litter so I can stay well stocked for a while.

pay off my payment plan for my surgery & also my phone [I think my phone is almost done but my surgery is definitely not lol]

whatever the fuck I want in the grocery store I want because I'm tired of everything being so expensive I have to pick and choose what I truly ~need~

edit: oh oh a shit ton of grubhub/door dash gift cards so I can get easy food on my bad days.

a ps5 so I can play FF7 rebirth and eventually KH4 lol

the rest of the older stray kids albums I don't have yet + skzoos I don't have

the damn yato figure that is impossible to get for less than $700 (at least a nendo is coming out soon so I can pre-order him)

I think that about covers majority of things that come to mind right away. of course if I ever won the lottery or whatever I'd hire a financial advisor but in this magical situation where its an endless amount of money within 1 day that wouldn't be necessary.

as an after thought I would love to book a vacation somewhere; anywhere really. preferably outside of the USA because I haven't left it yet but tbh I'd be happy to go anywhere. But with this stipulation in place I would have to make sure everything was pre-paid or else I wouldn't be able to do it (like most hotels wait until after you check out to charge your card etc so idk if I could afford a hotel stay atm). the easiest thing I could think of is honestly Walt Disney World because I could just buy a shit load of gift cards and pay with them for everything because I've known people who have done that but yeah lol.

[talenlee]

4e: The Blackguard Sucks

It is this blog’s position that D&D is a fun game, and that the best edition of D&D is and has been since its creation, 4th edition. This is mostly an entirely contrarian position that is merely backed up by playing 4th edition, and being completely unimpressed with every single thing I’ve ever seen 5th edition used to do. 5th edition, I can say, is pretty good for the content that people make, from the grand list of:

Here’s something about D&D 5th edition you haven’t examined

Here’s something about any other game you can implement in D&D 5th edition

Here’s an entire campaign of a game that could be run in almost any system because you’re watching comedians and improv artists who are used to the ropiest of systems and not prone to getting sulky because the elf maiden gave them a cold shoulder

Here’s how 5th edition is actually bad

Here’s how that person saying 5th edition is actually bad is wrong, and a hater

It’s a miserable place honestly, because I’m paying money to watch the campaigns, which are fun and good in a way completely unrelated to the game, and my friends are unfortunately in a space where some days are just taken up by twenty posts of a trans woman having to once again answer for the crime of not liking 5th edition. This also leads to a lowering of all discourse where entirely untrue things are said about a game where whatever sins it has going on, the most pertinent to the conversation are its fans who are really,

really

annoying.

Nonetheless, it is important to interrogate your biases in a reasonable and thorough way and to that end I would like to present to you this true thing about 4th edition D&D, my favourite edition, that in addition to the Vampire, and the Seeker (huh never wrote about the Seeker?) the Blackguard sucks.

Art Source

And it kinda sucks because of its attempt to satisfy nostalgia.

The Blackguard in 3rd edition was a class I never saw in play. It was one of the first Prestige classes, and was designed to have a special reaction to the Paladin. Because of the Paladin being a core class that also had a lot of limitations that made it bad, almost every book included something to try and address the Paladin’s problems, and those things became support for the Blackguard. Because of this, the Blackguard is one of the most diversely supported Prestige Classes in 3rd edition which is an interesting accolade to hold for a class that completely sucks ass.

It’s not like the core prestige classes were bad. The Shadowdancer, Loremaster and Eldritch Knight are all perfectly fine. Shadowdancer even gets Hide In Plain Sight, which rules.

Anyway, the Blackguard is part of the identity of the Paladin. A Blackguard is a Paladin who falls, and is part of an entire story perspective that I still feel invites the embarrassing attention of complete tools, and kind of works completely against the point of 4th edition. This is doubly so because 4th edition has rules for respeccing a character, meaning major changes to your character can be done within the existing rules, and the term it has for an evil Paladin who has turned its back on its entire philosophical outlook is Paladin. This creates one of my favourite ideas in all of 4th edition, of the Unleashed Paladin.

Anyway, point is the Blackguard presents something that 4th edition doesn’t need.

But people want it.

You can play a Paladin who turns bad and starts using their powers for evil, even changing the powers you’ve taken and the feats you’ve taken, too. That’s Players Handbook compatible. But it doesn’t get to be called a Blackguard, it doesn’t feel like you’re really becoming a Blackguard, and so this need from people I don’t understand, was addressed in D&D essentials, which gave players the the Blackguard Class.

The Blackguard was a Paladin that had several features repurposed to change it from a hard-hitting melee defender with options that let it hit striker-level damage to become instead a hard hitting melee striker with options that let it hit striker level damage. And you might notice there’s an awkwardness in that sentence and you’d be right.

See, one of the quirks about the Paladin is that in the very low levels of the game, a strength-based Paladin is one of the most powerful melee attackers available. Not a striker, a defender. Over time, the strikers pick up the pace, but the Paladin is always working with a starting package that allows for some really absurd damage, and the weakness of the Paladin after that point is not in its damage output but instead in its ability to protect a party. Paladins need to be mobile, and aggressive and that’s okay for chasing one opponent down if they’re not too fast but it can lead to a lot of wasted turns if you’re not building for it, and splitting up a party can be a risk.

Point is, Paladin was always a melee damage beast.

The Blackguard is not better than the Paladin at melee damage.

It’s not better.

It doesn’t have mark punishment, it has access to the same powers, and worse, its striker powers added to the Paladin power selection means that the Paladin is now capable of making the same attacks if it’s willing to sacrifice attacks that may be better used for defending a party to instead start doing Blackguard damage. Utility powers added to the Blackguard like Deathguard’s Stance let it share healing around and get value out of being a heavy damage dealer, but then the Paladin can take those powers too, meaning that the Blackguard makes the Paladin better at tanking! There’s no reason for a Blackguard to be a type of Paladin except to satisfy the people who want it for nostalgia and as a direct result players get access to a mid-value striker that doesn’t outpace the real damage dealers, and makes their direct class competition, the Paladin, better by comparison.

It’s not like the Blackguard is a terrible class.

After all, it’s not the Vampire. The Vampire can at least attest to the way that it has a cool flavour that holds it together and doesn’t involve resuscitating alignment restrictions, to go along with its incredibly mediocre damage output and novel rules design.

Wait hang on, that makes the Vampire more interesting than the Blackguard.

Oh well.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[astaroth1357]

Brothers with an Insanely Lucky MC

Lucifer

Honestly, that kind of takes some weight off of his shoulders…

It’s a lot easier to keep a lucky MC alive, even if they’re only dodging death by the narrowest margin.

He really wasn’t sure how to take their impeccable luck at first… It was more than the fact that a weak human somehow surviving within the world of demons. Small things always seemed to go their way…

If he set them on a task, it would always somehow get done even if they forgot about it. Lesser demons could try to eat them, but they'd narrowly avoid their waiting teeth every time...

When he finally noticed that his brothers' plans wouldn't fail quite so horrendously in their presence, he actually started to encourage them to be around them more.

Don’t get him wrong, this wasn’t out of some brotherly desired to see his family succeed or anything. There'd just be less mess for him to have to clean up later... 🙄

Mammon

MC is his new religion.

You think I'm joking? After he discovered that the MC was like a talisman of luck or something he started worshiping them like a living deity.

Man waits on them hand and foot, if they need a drink then he's got it. If they need food, he'll feed them. Rest? How about a back-rub?

Of course, he's not doing this for nothing. They're his ace-in-the-hole baby!!

Pretty much uses the MC like a good luck charm of sorts. He makes them do a whole bunch of weird superstitious rituals when he goes gambling like blowing on his dice or picking numbers for him.

It all must work, because he starts getting into winning streaks more often than not!

Even MORE possessive of them if you can believe it. He almost never lets them leave his sight, lest they disappear and his future riches with them...

Pretty much proposes to them every time they net him another jackpot. He's only half joking...

Leviathan 

It took him longer than Mammon to realize how lucky they were (largely because he was mostly in his room) but even he could see it.

He started catching on when he began taking them to his merch giveaways. Any time he brought them with him, he always got something no matter how rare, how scarce, or how astronomically unlikely it was...

More or less converted to the Church of MC along with Mammon after their presence got him a limited edition Black Mage Ruri-chan figurine, of which only 10 of its kind in existence... 

After that point… well, he was almost as possessive and demanding as Mammon.

Chances are at any point of the day, Mammon and Levi are squabbling over who gets to be with the MC, especially if there's a drawing or contest happening soon.

He can, will, and has summoned Lotan against his brother before and is not sorry about it. Merch is serious business!!

Satan 

Doesn't believe in luck… or at least he didn't at first.

But after watching the MC for a while he did take notice that things often went their way… If they hadn't studied for a test, the teacher would be sick or they'd always be just in time for the last dessert in the cafeteria.

After some time he just couldn't ignore how… "lucky" they were. So he had to run some tests…

He spent a whole week doing little experiments with them. At one point he gave them a coin, told them to pick heads or tails and then had them do a 100 flips…

It was heads 90% of the time. That… that just shouldn't happen… And the rest of the tests went similarly. By the end of it, he was utterly astonished. It was like they were a black hole warping the statistics of the world around them!

In truth, they converted him to a firm believer in luck… not that he planned to use them nearly as much as Mammon or Levi.

He was more than happy to use them to his advantage when pranking Lucifer, thoug. Get the MC in on his schemes and 9 out of 10 were always successful (in some way or another). Good luck, Lucifer!!

Asmodeus 

Didn't think their luck was anything major until they started scoring the attention of even Devildom nobles…

And it’s not like they were some master of flirtation or anything. They’d just happen to be in the right place or say the right thing to become the center of attention without even trying! They could be having a completely unrelated conversation and then bam, whole room laughs! What kind of social sorcery is that??

He tried asking for their secrets but it turns out they’re just that lucky… Good for them.

Not nearly as obsessed with their luck as Mammon or Levi, but still thinks that it comes with its advantages all the same...

Asmo likes to take them out when he's looking for hookups because even he has better luck if they're backing him up.

Shopping trips are also a must. Sometimes they’ll walk into a store right as it has a sudden flash sale on his favorite brands and it makes him want to kiss them right then and there!

For Halloween, he helped them dress up as one of those Lucky Cats he sees in Levi’s anime sometimes, but that backfired hard because all it did was make Satan carry them off for the night... That was supposed to be him, dammit!

Beelzebub 

Honestly the last to notice how lucky they were, even behind Levi.

Beel’s a very “take things as they are” sort of guy so he didn’t expect that there could be a pattern to his human’s surprisingly charmed life.

Sure he noticed that he won more games when the MC attended, but that could have been anything right? He’d joke that they were like a good luck charm, but he never meant it.

Then he started to notice that the kitchens would mess up and give him bigger (than usual) portions when he’d bring the MC along…

Again, that could have been anything right…? Right?

Finally started suspecting that the MC had something to do with it when he saw Levi and Mammon fighting over them like some kind of deity meant to give them blessings… Huh…

Even after he figured it out the most he ever asked of them was to attend his games. He figured that his brothers Mammon and Levi would take enough of their time as is... Poor human.

Belphegor 

Couldn’t have cared less if they were lucky or not. He’s not a scumbag like Mammon or pathetic like Levi so he wasn’t about to go begging for them to “bless” his shoes or something.

Of course, he did get some passive benefit from it like everybody else. They were sleeping buddies after all.

He found out that on the nights they slept together something would usually happen in to the school the next day to cause either a late start or early out…

Pretty neat, but unfortunately he’d have to literally pry them out of Mammon’s whiny, irritating grasp to do so which meant it didn’t happen often.

Similar to Satan, he picked up that his pranks usually went better with them around. They didn’t even have to do much, they could just poke a tube or something and bang! Instant success.

Between Satan and Belphie, Lucifer really started to regret letting the MC help his brothers with their schemes...

Also realized that a more motivated man could try them out at the stock market, but that wasn’t him and he figured Mammon was so dumb that even luck couldn’t fix his stupid so he never brought the idea up to him. His loss.

[world-of-fire-and-flight]

It’s been a long road to bringing Fire & Flight, the first book in my epic fantasy trilogy, the Heirs of Tenebris, to this point. While I’m super excited about Fire & Flight’s release day on July 19th, I’ve not only been humbled by this process but also overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from my friends and family. As we’re only a couple weeks away from the big day, I wanted to take a look back on the process I went through to write Fire and Flight. I hope that my experience—and the time it took—can encourage others in their writing, no matter how long it may take for your writing to come to life! Without further ado, this what my road to Fire & Flight looked like:

My young adult fantasy novel was born on the spot. I mean that literally, because my Creative Expressions teacher had me write a paragraph à la “stream of conscious,” and the first thing that came to my fingers as I typed, was the haphazard awakening of the girl who would become my protagonist, Nyla. I didn’t have a name yet either. There was only a girl with silver hair and lilac-colored eyes, and a forest.

Rolling with this first paragraph and developing the kingdom that would be called Tenebris, Fire and Flight slowly grew into the novel it is today. It would take years and many revisions to get here, but as the narrative of the Heirs of Tenebris grew, so did my dreams.

During the summer of 2017, I pushed hard to finish my first draft before the next school year. My Creative Expressions teacher showed a great interest in helping me through the editing process, and I can almost guarantee that some of my best pieces of writing advice were stolen from him. I not only finished draft one in August of 2017, but also my first complete read-through. That’s a feeling I’ll never forget, but it was also overwhelming! By the time I was done, all 49,359 words were bleeding in pink corrections (red pens are pretty scarce on my desk!), and my head was spinning.

What happened next? How was I supposed to edit this, especially when there were parts I knew were rushed or needed to be ironed out?

I decided to wait out the summer and shelved Fire & Flight until the school year had started again.In September 2017, my teacher and I were getting ready for the long haul. With both of us working on our respective novels, I learned what’s probably the hardest but most helpful editing tip of all time: rewrite or retype your entire first draft. As you create draft two, you revise and expand what’s already written in draft two, making it better than it was before. Drafts are meant to be an evolution, and so I found myself using draft one more as the outline for what draft two could be because I never did outline Fire & Flight. In doing so, my second draft became everything that draft one wasn’t. My story started to blossom, and I couldn’t wait to see it bloom.

2018 was a hard year to map for me, as it’s drowned in revisions and obsessive periodic read-throughs to make sure I was on track with the goals I’d set. Through this revision process, I realized not only had my style of writing changed throughout draft one as I grew as a writer and learned more techniques, but the perspective had changed too! Frustrated and disenchanted, I pretty much abandoned the progress I’d made and began what I’m going to call draft two-and-a-half.

By June 2019, I’d completed a major overhaul as well as my last check-point read-through of draft two-and-a-half so I could finish it by the end of the summer (spoiler: I didn’t finish by the end of that summer), and move onto the next stage.

When November of 2019 rolled around, I finally had my draft three, and my novel was nearly perfect. I still had some details I wanted to iron out and things that could be tweaked just a little more, but I couldn’t be prouder of how far Fire & Flight had come. From its measly 50,000 words to 127,625 words, all I had left to do was one “final” read-through to fix any remaining issues in early March of 2020.

I deemed Fire & Flight as “officially” finished on March 27th at 128,307 words.

It was around this time that I began looking at the different publishing options and the industry as a whole. While I’d researched literary agents and sent a few queries out, my heart wasn’t entirely in the process. The more I learned and the more I researched, the less compelled I was to pursue traditional publishing. Taking a bit of a break from Fire & Flight and the whole process, I opted to regroup and come up with a plan. It was then that I decided to self-publish Fire & Flight.

There were many reasons I decided to take Fire & Flight’s fate in my own hands, but I won’t get into that here, but know that I couldn’t be happier with this decision and am proud of the lengths I’ve traveled to bring my novel to this point!

From its short-circuited beginnings, Fire & Flight has grown so much from the novel I was writing between classes and in my free time, but I’ve also grown too. It’s been a long road for both of us—novel and author alike—and I can’t thank everyone enough for their overwhelming support throughout this journey. I can’t wait to share Fire and Flight with everyone this summer, or that this is the year I got to hold my book in my hands. And for all my fellow writers out there, I truly hope my experience reminds you that no matter how long it takes to tell your stories, it is never too long! Whatever your process and the time it may take, it’s just the perfect amount of time for it to come to life😉

[idrellegames]

which writing program do you use to write wayfarer? do you use scrivener or google docs? what's your workflow look like?

I use MS Word as my word processor, in addition to the Twine 2 editor and Notepad++ for coding. I've considered switching to Scrivener, but I'm honestly so used to my own system that I'm not too bothered to find a new one. 😂

My current workflow looks something like this:

Detailed chapter outline based on my game beat chart that breaks the current chapter into sections, the sections into scenes, and the scenes into beats.

I do almost all my outlining by hand since I like the tactile feeling of writing by hand. Because I think and plan very visually and spatially when it comes to managing branches, it's faster and easier for me to do things this way.

Draft in chronological order, section by section. Do not mix branches together; finish one branch before starting another.

When starting a section, revisit the outline and break it down into smaller pieces so it's easier to tackle and the branches are easier to see. I usually have my handwritten outline next to me and also a page for making notes while I write so I can keep track of things.

While writing, subdivide smaller branches and beats with colour-coding. Mark off each branch as they are finished.

The X is a marker to tell me that I finished writing the branch/outcome

I also add any specific coding notes while I write so I can remember to do specific things later on (usually conditional statements involving approval, previous choices, or what's in the player's inventory). I do not code and write content at the same time.

These are always colour-coded so I can easily see where one conditional segment ends and the next starts.

Once a section is done, I send the file(s) to my proofreader who fixes my typos and also flags any issues using Word's comment function

Once I get the files back, I edit and make adjustments

The game's raw text files are in subdivided folders. There's a main folder for the raw text files, then subfolders for each chapter. Sometimes each chapter has its sections put into subfolders as well. Each file is labelled with the chapter number and a title that references what's going on in that file.

So, Chapter 1's sorting system looks something like this:

I also have spare folders where I throw any major cuts I make (I may want to reference that content later) or any text inserts I make for a patch (an insert is basically a block of text that shows up in multiple places in the game that I need to add after-the-fact).

Worldbuilding notes and such are similarly subdivided and labeled.

Once I'm done writing a section, I'll start coding. I don't write a full chapter and then code--I'm working with so much content that it would be overwhelming to do everything all at once. When I reach the end of a defined section, I'll switch to coding.

The coding process is something like this:

I transfer the text from the Word documents into Twine. This is when I do the coding; I do not code in Word (it's generally not a good idea to code directly into your word processor; if you have curly quotes turned on, it will mess with any code that uses straight quotes. “this” is different from "this").

Since most of my systems are in place, coding involves a lot of copy/pasting bits of repeat code I have saved in Notepad++, so it usually doesn't take all that long.

These are my notes for any time the player passes or fails a skill check; I just need to copy/paste them into the appropriate passage instead of typing it out each time.

For code-heavy sections (like the Origin/Ancestry selection screens), I sometimes code in Notepad++ instead of Twine because I can see things better there and I can get syntax highlighting. I do all of my CSS and JavaScript edits in Notepad++.

To be honest, the coding in Wayfarer is not very complicated so I'm usually fine coding directly in the Twine editor.

I don't work in a single Twine file since the Twine editor lags once you pass 500 passages. On a game this large, I also find it easier for me to compartmentalize into sections, so I have multiple story files for each chapter, divided by section.

My current Twine library still has Chapter 1 in it, so it looks like this:

WAYFARER is the first file, it contains the landing page, the character creator, the Prologue and the start of Chapter 1. Chapter 1.1. is the rest of Route A. Chapter 1.2-1.6 is Route B. Chapter 2.1 is the first scene of Chapter 2. And the Codex is the codex.

The drawback is that because the story files aren't connected, I can't seamlessly playtest without first publishing and compiling the files. I tend to do most of my personal playtesting of the new file within the file itself. However, I'll test different choices/conditions by adjusting the variables manually in a specific file's StoryInit passage, so it ends up being a lot faster to than compiling the files, making a character from scratch, and running through the game.

Once I'm satisfied that the new file is working, I'll publish all the story files to HTML files. The HTML files are then compiled with Tweego into one file (takes about 3 seconds once the compiler is set up). I'll then compress the new master HTML file with the images/assets folder into a ZIP file, and update the build!

Any bugs/errors caught by the playtesting team don't usually take too long to fix as long as I know exactly where the error occurs. Once I make any fixes, I do a new compile and update.