#three paragraphs of blank space

[romijuli]

Posting this not on the post itself because I feel like ppl will get pissy but

The people tagging “no I just generally don’t like some popular pairings” are missing the POINT it’s not about “why is this pairing popular” (though I’m not gonna say I never ask that lmao) it’s about shipping culture and how it interfaces with both general fandom culture and interactions with the work itself!

[sttm99]

You've always noticed Bakugo.

Easily.

You almost took it as a thing of pride, having been able to see the potential so easily. When you were all fifteen-year old first years, you could so easily tell he was handsome. Your teenage eyes always seemed to search for him in every class, every room.

He was brash and unpolished, loud, obnoxious, and an all-round piece of shit. But that stupid, wattpad-infested, schoolgirl mind of yours couldn't help but eat it up.

You could never muster up the courage to talk to him, though. He was mean, and you weren't like Mina or Kirishima that could hang out with him and not be bothered by it.

So you settled with admiring him from afar, keeping your attraction to yourself and never really coming into the space that is Katsuki Bakugo throughout your first year.

Second year was the year you had your first encounter with him. It was in the final months of the year, when you two had been paired together for a project.

He came over to your table at the end of the school day with his bag lazily slung over his shoulder as he stood above you by your desk.

"My room this evening. 6:30. We'll start then and see how far we can go." He tells you swiftly, in that voice that had begun to crack already, eliciting slightly more mature thoughts from you.

"Sure." You murmur as you looked up at him.

He turned around and left immediately, not once turning back to look at you, his other friends following him out the door.

You knocked on his door at 6:33, foregoing your uniform for a simple, little t-shirt and plaid trousers. He opened the door almost instantly, ushering you in and shutting it quick behind you.

"This is how it's gonna go-" He begins as he takes a seat on his desk, powering up his computer. You take the small moment where he's facing away to admire his back, his shoulders bare from the sleeveless tee he has on.

When he turns back, your face is back to a blank stare, eyes directed towards the poster he has above his bed. It's an all might one, and you think you remember it being limited edition, an expensive one that was hard to get a hold of.

"Oi, over here." He scolds you, and you turn back to him.

"Sorry," you mumble, as you step over to him, standing between his desk and his bed.

He glances at you, taking in what you're wearing. "You can sit on my bed. Those aren't outside clothes, right? So it's fine."

You slowly sit on his bed as he begins to open up a Word document. The project was for history class, and you two had gotten a time period you were disgustingly educated in.

Bakugo had already started the work, surprising you a bit. He began pointing out what he'd already done, and what you'd be doing to complete it.

"And-"

"This is wrong, by the way." You cut him off.

Bakugo looks at you slowly, a scowl taking over his pictures. "Wrong?"

You nod, your shyness melting off in the presence of your intelligence. "Yeah. This -" You point to a paragraph header. "- didn't start happening until about 50 years later - 54 specifically, actually. So, if you talk about the monarch right before this, it would look weird cause he couldn't have come into power without this practice."

Your eyes are on the laptop, pointing out mistakes and making corrections. And for the first time since you started at UA, Bakugo noticed you.

It was a subtle switch, where he went from seeing you to actually noticing you; from hearing to listening.

Were you always this smart?

Was your voice naturally that way?

Have you always smelled so good?

The evening ended with you making suggestions and adding about three paragraphs to the work.

And as he closed his eyes to sleep, all Bakugo saw was you.

This is five years past. Mina had invited a small group of them to her apartment for a mini reunion, and just like in his room years before, Bakugo noticed you.

He noticed you standing in Mina's kitchen by the sink, washing off the sauce Denki had accidentally spilt over your palms, whilst the others were in Mina's living room playing a game of charades.

"Hey." You turn to look at Bakugo by the door.

It wasn't like you'd suddenly become friends after the project you two had done together, but you could tell he'd warmed up to you a bit. He looked at you sometimes, more often than before, and didn't look away immediately after making eye contact.

Sometimes, he'd ask your opinion on something(you liked when he did. He valued what you had to say), or he'd make some side comment about you when you'd pass him in the hall sometimes. But they weren't regular Bakugo mean. He was warming up to you, in his own Bakugo away, but warming up nonetheless.

"Hi." You say back to him, turning off the tap before going to wipe your hand with some paper towels.

"Haven't seen you in a bit," Bakugo mumbles as he steps closer, leaning his hip against the counter, some few feet away from you.

Whilst he came into the spotlight, bright and loud like his quirk, you'd decided to follow Aizawa's footsteps and become an underground hero instead- foregoing the limelight for a career in busting crime rings and fucking up drug lords.

You shrug, not really looking at him, your eyes instead focusing on your hands as you dried them.

You'd grown out of your little crush quickly after graduation. Even though you could appreciate just how blindingly handsome he was, just as you'd expected, he didn't have your heart racing anymore, didn't get your palms sweaty.

Sure, maybe the sight of his veiny forearms and large shoulders did something to your stomach, but you knew the difference between pure lust and actual romantic feelings.

"Kind of the point of my work, don't you think?" You ask rhetorically.

He shrugs back. "How's it going, anyways?"

It's not something he can do, the whole underground thing. His quirk isn't quite right for it, and neither is his personality. And with how his time in UA went, he was far too recognizable to go undercover anywhere.

But he could appreciate that you were good at what you did. He wouldn't admit it, but he did keep up with some of the people he didn't bother talking to after graduation. Just a few - Deku and Todoroki - sometimes he'd look at what Uraraka and Jiro are doing.

Admittedly, he checked up on you far more often than he was willing to expose. He knew a lot of your missions and was eerily familiar with your high success rate, too.

"It's fine." You say as you throw the towel into the bin and lean back against the counter behind you, your palms holding the edge as you looked at Bakugo. "Not so glamorous, a bit scary sometimes, I guess, but- that's hero work, isn't it?"

He hums, and at the back of his mind, he hopes the others don't bother coming to look for either of you soon.

"I guess so. But hey, you've been doing good." He admits.

You raise a brow and are unable to keep the smirk off your face. "You've been following up on me?" There's a teasing lilt to your voice which Bakugo had never encountered before. The tilt of your lips changes the entire dynamic of your face.

You're less melancholic now, more sultry and seductive, and it's pulling him in without him understanding why. It's something he'd never seen from you in UA, and he wonders... what else has he not seen from you?

He scoffs at your words, folding his arms over his chest as he stares you down. "I keep up with hero news."

You chuckle a bit. "You're doing well, too, though."

He shrugs. "Thanks, I guess. 'M just waiting for all those old geezers to fucking retire."

You laugh aloud at that.

Bakugo sees Kirishima step into the doorframe behind you. He glares quickly, purposefully as you're not focused on him, still laughing. He's signalling for Kirishima to leave - he doesn't want this moment with you to end just yet.

The redhead complies, not without shooting Bakugo a sly look.

As you turn back to him, his disposition is different. He's less put off, and he's gotten closer. "So -" He starts, drumming his fingers over the countertop"- what are you doing after this?"

And you smile at him, in that sly, sultry way you did before. "It's up to you now, isn't it?"

This most probably won't have a part 2. I just wanted to get it out of my drafts.

[wordsnstuff]

Hey, so i'm working on my first WIP, and i wanted to ask about drafting. When can one consider their first draft done? Does it have to have the goal word count (ie; 100K), or would being about halfway there be considered a good enough first draft, that i can move on to the second and start editing?

Concluding each stage of the writing process

It's difficult to know when a phase of a writing project has concluded and you're ready to focus on a new objective as it's developing. I tend to approach my writing projects with a clear and uniform trajectory, regardless of how diverse my projects can be. This approach allows me to remain focused, thorough, and reassured that I am covering all my bases in an organized fashion. However, it also maintains space for me to be explorative and intuitive when necessary. In regards to word count, I don't think it's entirely relevant unless you're determined to adhere to strict genre conventions. Give your story the space it needs and not an extra inch.

(Optional) Zero Draft

In this phase, you're telling yourself the story. You're doing it quickly, messily, intuitively, and forgivingly. Explore every idea that glows in the dark for you, don't throw anything away or discount any possibility. Exhaust your imagination in this phase so that when you reach the first draft, you know you're making informed decisions.

First Draft

You're crafting the structure and core elements of the story. This is often the phase of discovery. You're becoming acquainted with your characters and how they interact, you're beginning to feel at home in the world and settings you've built, and you're seeing all sides of the conflict as it evolves. The goal here is settle on a beginning, middle, and end point, and by the end of this process you want to know your characters' motivations and relationships inside and out.

Second Draft

Go back quickly through the first draft and address any points where you got stuck, where you compromised for the sake of carrying on to the end, and fill in any apparent blanks. The first time you really iron something out, there will always be a few pesky creases. This is the time to find and flatten them.

Third Draft

This is where you question everything. Identify and scrutinize your decisions, dive into the "curtains are blue" discussions with yourself, and begin to tidy up things like grammar, clumsy dialogue, over-poured descriptions, and dubious vocabulary. Comb through each paragraph and be brutal, prioritizing clarity and intentionality of how you've told the story.

The Read Through

This is the point where I recommend doing three things:

Letting it rest away from you for 1-3 months so that you can return to it with a bit of unfamiliarity and new perspective.

Hand it off to a couple of trusted readers and give them ample time to read, digest, and craft some feedback

Reread the project once all the way through making no changes (although annotations are acceptable)

Fourth Draft

Finishing touches. Vigorously and meticulously scrub and scrape between the lines and imagine giving it to your worst enemy. If you can imagine any mean (but valid) things they could conceive of to say about it, this is the time to grapple with or fix those details.

Additional Resources

Guide to Drafting

Word Count/Productivity Tracker Spreadsheet

Balancing Detail & Development

Writing The First Chapter

Writing The Middle of Your Story

Powering Through The Zero-Draft Phase

Writing The Last Chapter

Chapter Length

Happy drafting,

x Kate

[concerningwolves]

Tips and troubleshooting for scene breaks & transitions

First, understand the terminology:

A scene is essentially a small section of your larger piece where specific characters perform actions in a specific place, but the definition can be a little loose. A new scene happens when the focus changes to new characters, a new place, a new conflict/event, or any combination thereof. If you strictly follow this definition, the first chapter and a half of Northern Lights by Philip Pullman counts as one scene: It takes place mostly within a single room (save for showing us how Lyra gets into that room as the scene’s introduction), and explores the interactions between one set of characters. It ends when the focus of the narrative “cuts” to some different characters partway through chapter two.

A scene break is mostly a formatting term. It visually indicates a break in the narrative flow. This is often represented by an extra blank space between lines, or by fancier options like an asterisk(s), an asterism (⁂) or special characters or symbols. Sometimes, writers use both – there is an extra blank space between paragraphs in the first scene of Northern Lights because the narration is interrupted by Lyra falling asleep, but the actual scene break where the focus jumps to new characters in a new setting is indicated by three asterisks.

A transition is the “connective tissue”, so to speak, that connects the next scene to the one before it. This can include explaining how characters got from point A to B, indicating the passage of time, or establishing a new setting, or a mixture of these. Some transition methods are simple, little more than a phrase or sentence like “Work was unusually quiet that afternoon”; others require a paragraph or two.

And now for the advice:

In your first or early drafts:

Move on → Seriously. Hit enter twice for your double line break or use an end-of-scene style or put in your three asterisks or other fancy scene divider. Start writing your new scene on the new line. If you want to you can come back and fix it later in other drafts/revisions, but if the scene transition is stopping you from writing, move on to the next scene.

Square brackets (the writers’ beloved) → You probably know the square brackets trick, but if you don’t, it’s where you stick something that’ll require more thought inside square brackets, like [TOWN NAME], and then move on to the actual writing; the square brackets (or another character/punctuation that you don’t use otherwise) are then easy to find later with your word processor’s find tool. Put in [scene break]/[scene transition] or  summarise anything that you envision happening “off page” between scenes. Fix it later.

Okay, so now you’ve come back to the scene breaks at a later stage of drafting or revisions, and you’re not happy with them. Consider...

Move on – now with a little extra padding → Have you come back to a scene break from an earlier draft to find it still feels too sudden? You probably need a simple phrase or a sentence that will help readers to reorientate themselves to a new place or time, or to turn their attention to some new characters. A quick “Later that day...” or “After a week of travelling...” or “They arrived at grandma’s house without any further mishaps.” can often smooth the path for you.

Backfill it! → Establish what is currently happening or focus in on the new characters in the first sentence or two, then quickly summarise how events reached that point. Pullman opens the second scene of Northern Lights by telling us that “The Master the Librarian were old friends and allies…” (focuses on the new characters), and then briefly explains that after the events of the previous scene, they strolled down to the Master’s study to have a drink and sit by the fire, as they often do after something difficult has happened (links to the previous scene + tells readers important information about the characters). This takes about two sentences before he jumps straight into the scene’s current events.

Does the transition between scenes still feel too jarring? Is there information missing? Then the next points may help:

Montage it! → Not every event or series of events in a story needs its own clearly defined scene separated by a scene break. It is perfectly acceptable to summarise stuff – think of this like a montage. Different montages show different things, but they all serve as a way to pack events into a small amount of time. In The Two Towers you get that sequence of Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn running across the fields of Rohan in pursuit of Merry and Pippin. In writing, that might look something like “For hours they moved across the planes, never dropping below a swift jog as they chased the ever-cooling trail. From time to time, Aragorn would stop and study the tracks in the earth and then rise, looking more grim than ever, and the pursuit began anew […and so on].” (I realise there’s actually an example of this in the book but I don’t have the text to hand, so I made my own)

To expand on that example: the “montage” approach is more appropriate here than a simple scene break with some backfilling because it, a) demonstrates the loyalty of the fellowship to one another, b) gives a sense of the weariness and monotony of the passing time, which reinforces how determined the characters are, and c) highlights their different roles and strengths, e.g., reminds the audience of Aragorn’s skills gained from being a Ranger. You just wouldn’t get the same impact from an abrupt scene break with a little padding or backfilling.

Still stuck? Then try…

Look back → If you’re struggling to move onto the next scene and none of the above help, the problem might be because of something in the previous scene(s). For me, this is maybe like eight times out of ten a logistical problem (e.g., “How to get characters from point A to point B?” / “is the Plot-Relevant Item in the right place?”) that can be solved by tweaking the events that came before.

Add a new scene → Are you finding that you need to add a lot of backfilling or padding to link your scene with the previous? Does too much happen to be compressed into a montage-style transition? Are there certain off-page events that might actually be important or helpful to show on page? Then try adding in a new scene between the two that you want to connect.  

(Chapter) break it up → Either rearrange the way that scenes are broken up across chapters, or just add a new chapter break instead of a scene break. If nothing else, getting that scene onto a fresh page (literally and metaphorically) can help you look at things in different way.

And if all else fails, try turning the writing off then on again. Or talking to a rubber duck.

[wonlovie]

— LET ME TAKE CARE OF YOU.

You were tired. Your boss of three years has been giving you a hard time, and school deadlines are creeping up. All you can think of are the things that need to be done. You need to work more hours. You need to make money to afford school. There is no time for rest because you could be doing something.

or, you're burnt out and all jay wants to do is take care of you.

— starring. boyfriend!jay x burnt-out!reader

— tags. established relationship, hurt/comfort, angst, reader has a million things on their plate and doesn't know how to deal with it, depiction of a mild panic attack [crying, difficulty breathing]

— word count. 1.9k

— notes. i'm sorry that this isn't the heeseung fic but today was a rough day and this is pretty much just a vent/projection fic // this is also completely unedited but its currently 12:36am

Eye bags tugged at your skin like weights, urging you to close your eyes for even a moment. Your room was still, the darkness of the night overtaking the space. If your computer monitor didn’t display the time, 11:29 PM, you would have no idea how long you’d been sitting there. The curtains that adorned your window were drawn, the only light source being the small desk lamp Jay had given you for your birthday and your computer’s screen.

Your eyes burned as you typed, a lifeless gaze following the words on the document. Your hands felt ice cold, hours of typing causing your circulation to falter. The stiffness of your fingers made it hard to type, but you pushed on. After all, you couldn’t afford to stop. There was no time.

You were working on an essay that was due the next day. You had foolishly put it off for too long, instead working long hours to make up for the shifts you were missing to attend classes. You’d convinced yourself that you could finish it, that there was enough time, but suddenly there wasn’t.

The document page wasn’t even half full, despite you having been working at it for a few hours now. All you had typed was an admittedly messy intro paragraph and half of the first body paragraph. The cursor blinked, mocking you for your lack of progress. The blank space on the page upset you, angry tears filling your eyes as you clenched your jaw. 

Before you could begin typing again, your phone buzzed. A part of you hoped that it was Jay. You weren’t sure if you could handle it being anyone else at this hour. But when you picked it up, to your dismay, it wasn’t Jay. Instead, it was your boss.

“I need you to work tomorrow. Lia called in sick.”

You sighed, closing your eyes in frustration and exhaustion as you simply typed an okay. You had class tomorrow morning, something that your boss was aware of. You made a note to ask a classmate for the notes.

Looking back at the half-empty document, you felt your chest tighten. Your throat felt uncomfortably dry as you swallowed harshly. Your fingers shook uncontrollably as you rested them on the keyboard in a futile attempt to start again. You had typed two words when someone knocked on your door, making you jump in surprise.

Frowning, you glanced at the time again. 11:42 PM. Before you could even wonder who it was, you heard the front door open. Your shoulders relaxed ever so slightly as you presumed it was Jay. After all, he was the only other one who had a key to your apartment.

You listened as he made his way through your house and toward your bedroom door, the sound of him kicking off his shoes and shucking off his jacket unmistakable. The tight feeling in your chest grew, rearing its ugly head at you as it screamed in your ears with a silent cry. The second your bedroom doorknob started turning, you felt like you had been punched in the throat.

Jay stepped into the room with a sleepy smile, his unstyled silver hair falling into his eyes. By his side, he had a convenience store bag filled with what you assumed were snacks. “Hey,” he whispered, not wanting to be too loud so late at night. “You told me you were working on an essay, so I came with snacks!” He grinned at you, holding up the bag proudly.

“I brought your favourite; those chips from when we went to the arcade. You know, it was stupidly hard to find them, and I had to go to like two different stores, but—” Jay stopped in his tracks, his face falling when he looked up from the bag and at you. “Are you crying?”

You blinked dumbly, quickly wiping at your cheeks. The sleeve of your sweater grew wet, surprising you. “I guess I am,” you murmured, voice wet and quivering. “I’m sorry. I… I don’t know why I’m crying,” your voice cracked, and you choked out a sob that you didn’t know was holed up in your throat.

Jay was quick to drop the bag of snacks and rush over to where you sat, pulling you to your feet and into his arms. While his warmth and comforting touch were usually enough to comfort you, you couldn’t breathe as you felt sob after sob rack your body. He rubbed up and down the small of your back, stepping backwards until the backs of his legs hit your bed.

Slowly, he moved you into a sitting position, never once letting go of you as he sat next to you on the bed. “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked in a small voice, his heart breaking at the sight of you like this. He didn’t ask again when you didn’t respond, rocking you back and forth against his chest. He pressed a tender kiss against your forehead when another particularly harsh cry escaped your lips.

You fisted the fabric of his shirt, wrinkling it in the process. In your haze, everything felt fuzzy. You couldn’t focus on anything except for the tightness in your chest and the pounding of your heart. You briefly thought back to the essay that sat unfinished at your desk and the text from your employer, the thoughts only making you cry harder.

Loud, heartbreaking weeps left your trembling body, and each second that passed felt worse than the last. Jay’s brows were stuck in a furrowed position, and the corners of his lips tugged into a deep frown. He hated how helpless he felt, having nothing to do except hold you. 

He wasn’t sure how long you stayed like that together, with you in his arms, crying your heart out. It might’ve been ten minutes, it might have been an hour or two. It felt like your cries were neverending, but when they did start to slow, his heart was in his stomach. He hated seeing you like this. He knew how often you’d hide your true feelings behind a smile, always assuring him that you were okay, but he knew you better than that.

Once the sobs quieted down and you were left with only shaking breaths and wet eyes, Jay pulled away to see your face. His heart ached for you at the sight of your pain-stricken features and tear-stained cheeks. He pulled his sleeve over his hand to wipe away your tears, although new ones were quick to trail down your irritated and raw skin.

“What’s wrong?” he asked again, just as gently. “Is it the essay?”

You shrugged, not trusting your voice as you avoided his eyes. He smoothed down your hair, cupping your face in his large hands in a silent plea for you to look at him. “Did something happen at work?” The pained look in your eyes let him know that he was getting closer, and his frown deepened. “Did your boss say something again?”

“Kind of,” you finally spoke, your voice just barely above a whisper. “He asked me to work tomorrow.”

Jay’s eyebrows knitted together. “You have class tomorrow.”

“I’ll have to skip,” you relented, gnawing at your bottom lip in anxiety. You started thinking of how much information you’d be missing, and you know that some of your professors like giving out surprise quizzes, and you could not get a zero for not attending. If you got a zero, if you failed, then what was the point of working so hard?

“Baby,” Jay mumbled, “Why don’t you tell your boss you can’t work?”

You shook your head, the thought of speaking up causing your throat to close. “I… I can’t do that, Jong. My boss always tells us that saying no to him is a sign of our disloyalty, and I’ve seen him fire someone who said no too many times. I can’t… I can’t get fired, I can’t lose this job. I need the money, Jay, I can’t…” You cut yourself off, your voice breaking.

Jay took your hands in his, rubbing the back of them gently with his thumbs. “There are other jobs, love. Other jobs with more understanding employers.”

Once again, you shook your head, fresh tears falling from your red eyes. “No, no, you don’t understand. This job pays really well, and the fact that I got hired in the first place was a fluke. Don’t you remember how hard it was for me to find a job before? How many… how many rejected interviews I’d gotten? I can’t quit.”

“But,” Jay interjected. “You’ve always told me how much stress you have working there. Your boss is unfair to you. He doesn’t give you breaks, and he asks you to come in too much. You’re a student too, love. I barely see you because you’re always either in class or at work. That’s not healthy.”

You looked into his eyes for the first time since he arrived in your room, the sight of his own watering eyes breaking your heart. “I can’t not work, Jong. That’s not an option. I need the money to pay for everything. I need money to pay for my tuition and for my books. And this apartment wasn’t given to me for free—I can’t just stop working, even if I wanted to.”

Jay pursed his lips. “Can I be honest with you?”

You nodded, a subtle jerk of your head that he barely caught.

“You have so much more support than you realize,” he rasped, holding onto your hands tighter as if it’d convey his message better. “Right now, if you were to stop working, you’d still be able to pay for the rest of the school year. You worked so tirelessly through the summer, and I know you have a lot saved up. You could take time off. Your parents could help with paying for school or rent—hell, I could help if you let me.

I know you’re scared and anxious, but please believe me. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you took a break. You need it, baby. Your life isn’t going to fall apart if you don’t have a job for a few months.” He let go of one of your hands to cup your cheek. “I love you so much. Seeing you like this is so painful, and all I want is for you to realize that it’s okay to just… do nothing. It is okay to not work. It’s okay to breathe.”

Your lips trembled, another sob threatening to rip out from your throat at his kind words, words that you didn’t know you needed to hear. 

“I know I’m supported,” you whispered, holding the hand that cupped your face. “I know that, which is why I’m so frustrated with myself. I… I feel like if I’m not doing everything by myself and if I’m not working, then all I am is a failure.” You spat out the last few words, new tears filling your waterline. 

Jay shook his head, leaning forward to press his forehead against yours. “This world is harsh, and it pushes people to work beyond their limits. I wish things were different, but I can’t change how society views things.” He nudged his nose against yours, looking into your eyes with a look of what you could only describe as love. He offered you a gentle smile. “But what I can do is help you realize that. I just need you to let me in, yeah? You don’t need to be this stressed alone. I don’t want you to be alone.” He brushed away the wetness that remained on your cheeks before pressing a soft kiss against both cheeks, your nose, and finally, your forehead.

“I love you,” he murmured into your skin. “I love you, and you are worth so much more than you realize.”

[toorusluvr]

❥ ҉   CHAPTER SEVEN - BACK IN THE GROOVE

❥ ҉ CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of reader having anxiety in earlier paragraphs + smut in chapter + penetration sex + p in v + protected sex

❥ ҉ NOTE FROM NIS: hello it's me again omg it's been so long since the last update i truly apologise for the late updates! i'm trying my best to finally finish this series! anyway, enjoy chapter 7! i felt like i have forgotten how to write good lord please bear with me.... as usual, reblogs, likes, and comments are very very much appreciated! <3

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After you have been discharged from the hospital, nothing has really changed. Everything feels numb, and you can’t feel any emotions at all. Literally. It always feels like life is on loop. You go to school, eat, cry yourself to sleep, and repeat. Your eyes are begging you to stop crying but you just… couldn’t . 

Iwaizumi witnessed you being trapped in your soulless body. Sometimes you just spaced out with no expressions at all. It’s heartbreaking to see you this way because it reminds him so much of himself, which is why he doesn’t want you to be this way for any longer. Breakups happen every time but the post-breakup? It’s like your entire soul is being tortured. He does not know how he can console you because he himself was struggling for a long time until he realized that his life didn’t end when his relationship was over. 

Sure, some people would say high school relationships don’t matter but to him, it was the first time he discovered that he is indeed capable of loving someone. But the grief of losing them afterwards… Iwaizumi was almost sure he didn’t want to fall in love again if it hurt this bad. 

Iwaizumi would say he has moved on from his ex-girlfriend. To be saying he didn’t feel any ounce of hurt after finding out that Semi cheated on you with his ex, that would be a big slap to the face. Fuck it, he was deeply offended and hurt at the same time. If anything, he’d be sure to destroy the man in the face for cheating. Semi and his ex-girlfriend – God knows what business do they have with each other, can go to fucking hell for cheating. Iwaizumi did not want to play the victim here, shit– he was indeed a victim, but his ex-girlfriend went out of her way to cheat with multiple guys while they were in a relationship. In the end, Iwaizumi would still take her back because he has always thought every relationship has its ups and downs. That was solely his mistake for being so naive. 

You stared at the blank blackboard in front of the class, not hearing Oikawa and Iwaizumi have been calling your name several times. Then, you felt a hard smack on your shoulder, snapping into reality. “OW!” you groaned in pain. You looked over to your right side, where you could see Oikawa was fuming mad (well, not really) while glaring at you.

“We’ve been calling your name for the past few minutes,” Oikawa enunciated the last three words. You could sense he was a bit annoyed that you didn’t hear him calling. His expression proved it all. It’s not exactly that he could hide his expressions well. He just loves being dramatic sometimes. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” you cleared your throat as you turned your body to face him. 

Oikawa rolled his eyes at you, “Iwa-chan was asking you if you wanted to be his partner for the project. I am teamed up with someone else because we did our last project together. Iwa did it solo but this project needs to be a pair work. Can you partner up with him?” 

You looked at Iwaizumi, who was sitting behind both of you in class. He raised his eyebrows at you, waiting for your answer. A glimpse of his tan skin and the luscious lips… wait . Hooking up with him is one thing and partnering up with him for a project is another. But what could hurt? Your soul is already damaged, anyway. This decision can go straight to your list of disappointments and regrets. 

“Sure, why not?” you answered with a smile. “You good if we start working on it after school, Iwa? I want to get it done as soon as possible. You don’t have to skip practice, just come to my house after practice ends. I’ll text you my address later.” 

“I was thinking of asking you that earlier. Sure, I’ll come to your house later,” Iwaizumi agreed with the plan you made. The earlier you get the project done, the better. He needs to focus on the assessments, the upcoming exam, and also the preliminary. The pressure he has on himself is crazy. But, people don’t always see that because he hides it so well. 

Oikawa wiggled his eyebrows at Iwaizumi, “Oh, alone times,” he sing-songed. Iwaizumi glared at him before he continued to work on the task given by your teacher. This dude never gives up on teasing both of you just because you guys were each other’s one night stand. He once told Oikawa to grow up because he was annoying him too much.  

“Go find someone to get laid, pretty boy,” you snickered at Oikawa and the last thing you saw before facing forward was his jaw dropped open at the comment you just made. 

After his practice ended, you waited for Iwaizumi in the living room when he texted he was almost there. The doorbell rang; it was none other than Iwaizumi himself. “Come in!” you said cheerfully, even though there was barely any energy left inside of you. You didn’t want to make Iwaizumi worried over your worsening mental state. He’d probably nag and call you stupid but hey, you’ve heard him called Oikawa worse. 

The raven-haired boy gave you a light smile once you opened the door for him. He was freshly dressed in a white t-shirt and black sweats. The outfits combination that makes every girl drool. 

“Is no one home?” Iwaizumi asked as he stepped into your house. He looked around your house and followed your steps to your room upstairs. It was his first time coming to your home and being in your bedroom. 

“I told you before that my mom is barely home at times like this. She'll be home late at night,” you answered while leading him to your room. You opened the door to your room and invited him in. He followed after you and his eyes did a quick scan of your bedroom. 

“Oh, I forgot about that. Send my regards to your mom when she's home soon,” Iwaizumi said.

You let out a soft chuckle and nodded to his request. Both of you started working on the project, laying out all the outlines and possible drafts. You divided the tasks that needed to be done fairly between Iwaizumi and you. Iwaizumi contributed the ideas and points needed for the project. Both of you had a discussion over it for almost an hour when your stomach suddenly made a loud noise. You glanced up to see Iwaizumi was already staring back at you. 

Iwaizumi raised a lone brow at the sound. “Hungry there, princess?” 

Princess . Never thought you’d get butterflies being called that. What a funny thing. Though his tone showed mockery but hell the butterflies were swarming until it left no room in your stomach. 

Iwaizumi caught the brief flustered expression that was all over your face. But you turned expressionless immediately. Huh . Good to know he is capable of making you flustered, then. 

“Let’s order some food. Are you okay with that?” You asked as you grabbed your phone beside you. Iwaizumi immediately said yes as he was hungry too. He didn’t have any time to grab any snacks right after practice ended. 

Both of you perused the online menu and soon the food will be delivered to your doorsteps. While waiting, you and Iwaizumi picked up where the project was left off – to wrap it up for the night before the food got here. 

When the food was finally delivered, you and Iwaizumi sat in your kitchen to dine in. You told Iwaizumi to make himself comfortable as he looked so awkward standing there. “Is it your first time being at a girl's house?” You let out a laugh as his expression turned sour. 

If there’s one thing that Iwaizumi dislikes, it is being accused of things. He HAS been to a girl’s house before. Yes, for hooking up and whatnot. But, not for having meals together, that’s for sure! 

“Not really. It just feels too domestic, no?” Iwaizumi replied in all honesty. He sat on the barstool and you slid a glass of water to the man. You paused to look at him briefly. Well, he got a point there! 

“Damn. You’re right. But hey, that’s what friends do too. So we’re good,” you retaliated with a downturned smile. Iwaizumi just let out a snicker to your response. Both of you then devoured your food because hunger took over your consciousness. 

He was not much of a talker at first but after practically forcing him to talk, he finally did. It wasn’t much because this man is indeed great at keeping his secrets to himself. You wondered if he told Oikawa enough about himself and his emotions when things get tough. Does Iwaizumi ever do that? Curiosity definitely gets the best of you sometimes but that’s another topic for another day. 

“It’s getting late. It would be best if you go home now. Your parents must be worried,” you yawned. You peeked over the clock hanging on your wall, and it’s almost 11 p.m. but your mother wasn’t home yet. 

“Yeah. I should go home. Hey, you should take a rest. You look tired. You okay?” Iwaizumi asked as he stood upright. He slung his backpack over his shoulders while looking at you, expecting your reply. 

You nodded, “I’m good. You don’t have to worry about it.” 

“Sure. I’m going home. Make sure you aren’t staying up too late,” Iwaizumi advised. He wasn’t sure of what he was feeling, but he had this instinct that you were hoping he would stay with you through the night. He didn’t want to seem like he’s a know-it-all – worse, a pushover so he chased his instincts away. 

“Take care, Iwa. See you tomorrow!” you bid goodbye as you watched him entering the cab that was waiting in front of your house. Iwaizumi paused as he grabbed the door handle of the cab, looking back at you. 

“See you tomorrow,” he said with a curt nod. You waved him goodbye and waited until the taxi took off. 

One thing about getting anxious is that it comes uninvited. Your anxiety came creeping in later that night. You laid on your bedroom floor helplessly, gasping for air to breathe normally. Your tears were streaming down your face non-stop while you tried to reach your phone to dial for anyone in case things went south. It felt like you went back and forth to hell while battling the anxiety alone. You wished you had asked Iwaizumi to stay with you earlier. But then he would find out your weak point and the fear of him using it against you was enough to snap you out of reality. Cynical or not, you are done with people using your weakness against you. 

About a week later, you and Iwaizumi promised to have another discussion. This time, he asked you to come to his house. You agreed to it without thinking any further because the deadline was getting closer! Iwaizumi wasn’t able to contribute over the weekend due to his volleyball practices. But, you covered his part and explained what he needed to do later on. He was super grateful for your understanding. 

“Wait a second. Shit , I forgot that I ran out of my sticky notes. Do you mind if we drop by the book store?” Iwaizumi stopped walking and your steps faltered as well. You looked up at him and nodded. 

“Yeah, sure. There’s the book store,” you said as you pointed a finger to the bookstore that has the navy blue signboard outside. It looks quite old but surely they have a lot of stuff there. 

Iwaizumi shook his head, “I need to go to the bookstore that I always go to. It’s like 15 minutes from here. Do you mind?” 

That’s one thing you didn’t see it coming. The Iwaizumi Hajime has a favorite bookstore? Surely his secret admirers would love this and go batshit crazy with the news. 

“You have a favorite bookstore?” You asked. Iwaizumi bit the inside of his cheek, “Yeah, is that a problem? What? I cannot have a favorite bookstore because I am not smart enough for you?”

His defensive reply definitely got you laughing, wait no , howling of laughter. You couldn’t believe that he gets so defensive over something so trivial! Surely everyone has their favorite bookstore. Having a favorite bookstore does not make you a nerd. If anything, it makes you look smart. And God knows that leaves a good impression. 

“Good God, do you need an exorcism?” Iwaizumi asked while rolling his eyes. Man, the last thing he needed today was you howling of laughter. It took a hit on his pride and yeah, he was offended a bit. 

Your laughter slowly faded away. Iwaizumi was still staring at you with that scowl that could leave a permanent mark on his beautiful face. “No, dude. You should have seen the look on your face when you got so defensive just now. Chill, man. I was just asking you a question. Did someone used to make fun of you or something? Geez, seek therapy then.” 

Iwaizumi heaved out a deep breath. You like to test his patience sometimes and God, he doesn’t need another friend to give him constant headaches. “Alright, I was at fault for getting too ‘defensive’ then,” he did an air quote with an annoyed expression. 

“Take a joke, babe,” you groaned and he put you in a headlock that had you gasping for air. Iwaizumi didn’t use much of his force and let go when you squealed, begging him to loosen the headlock. You quickly brushed your hair using your fingers, “Remind me to not piss you off because I almost died. I wonder how Oikawa is still alive when he’s getting headlocked by you at least 3 times a week!” 

“I don’t do it that often,” he said in the same defensive tone again. His eyebrows all scrunched, lips almost pouty. 

You furrowed your eyebrows, “ Really? ”

“I’ll leave you here if we don’t start moving in the next 3 seconds. I’m not joking,” Iwaizumi said determinedly. He once left Oikawa at a bus stop because he was taking too long to do his hair. He hated being stalled because he’s always punctual! Why can’t other people do the same?

“I’ll report you to the police for negligence,” you huffed a reply as you fell into his steps side-by-side. Iwaizumi snorted with laughter, “That was merely a threat, princess. Take a joke, babe .” 

He said the last line so casually while giving you a smirk. Damn him and that attractive as hell smirk because it could kill people! Damn him and damn the universe for trying to fuck you up with this weird feeling. 

You shook your head with an annoyed smirk, “I hope the bookstore is closed. You better hurry!” 

“Nah, not funny, princess. Let’s go,” he said as he dragged you with him. Thank goodness he didn’t run or sprint or else you’d have tripped on the pavements. 

Once you guys showed up in front of the bookstore, Iwaizumi didn’t waste any time and headed straight to the sticky notes section. He didn’t think twice about picking the sticky notes and some highlighters. You were off to the next aisle just to check out some books. Iwaizumi then appeared by your side. 

“You looking for anything?” Iwaizumi asked as his eyes carefully scanned the books shelves. 

You shook your head, “Nah. Let’s go if you’re done. It’s getting late.” 

Iwaizumi hummed and just when he turned his heels around, he saw two familiar individuals that he never expected to meet at all. At this place. Your gaze diverted to the same two familiar individuals when Iwaizumi stopped in his tracks. 

Just like a deer getting caught in headlights, the two individuals stopped talking to each other as well. 

Your heart dropped at the sight of the two people who ruined your life just a few weeks ago. Now that they’re here in front of you, you feel nothing but pure rage. Your eyes were locked on the ash blonde guy that gave you nothing but a stab in your heart. A 3-year relationship went down the drain just like that. He threw you away as if you were nothing to him. 

Semi looked at you for what felt like a minute and then he moved his gaze to the man next to you. The girl next to him had her eyes locked on Iwaizumi. Her ex boyfriend of 2 years. Your breathing became ragged and what felt like anxiety spreaded all over your system like it was a virus. 

You tried to control your breathing, kept your cool but fuck was it so hard to do even just that. Shit. Semi still has his power over you and you fucking hate it. This is not attraction or admiration. This is just pure hatred and disgust. Cheating was your final wake up call and no more tolerance over this son of a bitch! 

Overwhelming rage almost took over you and only the thoughts of being violent were playing at the back of your mind. Maybe Iwaizumi saw your clenched fists and the fact that you almost lurched at his ex-girlfriend, he instinctively held your hand in his. His touch woke you up from the violent vision from clouding your mind. 

You looked down at where his hand was holding yours. Slowly, you moved your gaze to meet his dark green orbs. His gaze showed genuine concern. “We’re better than that,” he whispered quietly. Your breath hitched. Right. You don’t like to resort to violence unless you really need to. 

“Huh, fancy meeting you here, Hajime,” the girl with the shoulder-length hair spoke up, arms to her chest as her eyes stared at the man next to you. Iwaizumi’s jaw ticked at the sound of his ex-girlfriend's voice. Well, it was once his favourite. Emphasis on once . Now it’s just this annoying noise that he is starting to despise so much. 

“New girlfriend?” The girl snickered when her gaze met yours. Iwaizumi might not want to start a fight or worse, a brawl or hair pulling, but you were so damn ready to punch this girl in her smug face. You do not know what kind of woman Iwaizumi is into, but this bitch was obviously nowhere in his league. Yes, she might have a pretty face but a nasty attitude mirrors her whole appearance. 

You were disgusted at the sight of her and your blood level rose tenfold when you saw Semi’s hand trying to pull her back. Semi shook his head slightly when she noticed his hand on her forearm. 

“As far as I’m concerned, who I am dating at the moment is none of your business,” Iwaizumi said – his voice stern, subtly indicating that both of you are currently dating. You didn’t oppose the idea. Amused, more like it. 

His ex-girlfriend stifled a laughter. “Impressive work, Hajime. I didn't peg you to enjoy someone’s leftover,” she mocked. 

Cheating with Semi is one thing but calling you as his leftover? This bitch knew how to push your buttons. Your eyebrows furrowed at her sudden insult. 

“Well, guess I shattered your expectations. Don't worry, I'll make sure to savour every last bite of something her ex will never get a taste of,” Iwaizumi glanced over you and pulled your waist closer to his side. 

You slowly smiled at both of them. “Pretty bold of you to make such an accusation. Hell, one thing that I know is that I sure as hell don’t go after someone else’s boyfriend. One of us is a fucking slut and Hajime, just between us , it is sure as hell ain’t me or you.” 

Her sinister smile slowly faded from her fucking smug face. 

“I don’t think so you need to go that far, Y/N,” Semi’s stern voice broke the temporary silence. Iwaizumi’s eyebrow furrowed in confusion. If anything, his ex-gf or Semi’s current gf or whatsoever started it first. He dared to spin it against you now? The audacity that some people have is unnerving! 

“You don’t get to talk, cheater,” you sighed loudly. “You know what? Both of you deserve each other. I truly hope both of you rot in hell happily ever after.”

You gripped on Iwaizumi’s wrist and made your way to the cashier. You stopped in your tracks when the girl had an iron grip on your other wrist. “Where do you think you are going?” 

Iwaizumi let out a sigh at her stubbornness. She is in for it and Iwaizumi knows too damn well you are not going to let this slide easily. How hard it must be for you to encounter these two people who kinda ruined your life in one day. For what it’s worth, Iwaizumi would love to see you destroy his ex-girlfriend. She deserves it. 

“Who the fuck do you think you are to touch me? Eita, I do not peg you as someone who enjoys fucking crazy girls,” you looked at the girl dead in the eyes before looking back at Semi. “Fucking touch me one more time and your pretty face will be covered in bruises next. Tell your pretty girlfriend to not cause herself any harm, will you?” 

You loosened her grip on your wrist and shoved her shoulder away from you. Iwaizumi gave the two people a once over and caught up with your pace. 

After Iwaizumi paid for his stuff at the cashier, he followed you out of the book shop. You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed loudly. “Fucking damn it. They ruined my day again!” You said frustratedly. 

Iwaizumi examined your expression. Yeah, you were mad as hell now. He would be too if he was in your place. “You need to cool down first?” Iwaizumi asked. 

You turned to look at him with tears welling up in your eyes. “ Shit , I don’t know. Let’s just go to your house, okay? I’ll be fine,” you said as you patted him on the arm. Iwaizumi watched you step away from the book shop area. 

“Actually, we are going this way!” Iwaizumi raised his voice a bit and you cursed yourself for being too distracted. You immediately turned back and grabbed him in the arm. “Let’s go!” You said determinedly. Iwaizumi couldn’t help but laugh at your demeanour. 

The moment you arrived at Iwaizumi’s neighbourhood, your jaw dropped. The houses here are almost elite . You immediately turned to look at him, “You never told me that you are rich.” 

“I’m not rich,” Iwaizumi shrugged his shoulders. You eyed him suspiciously while following him from behind. He opened the door for you and the moment you stepped into his house, your jaw dropped again. His living room is huge and well-decorated! Surely his parents are loaded. 

“You’re rich, Iwa. Just admit it, man. Good lord, you have such a beautiful house!” You gushed– your eyes wandering around the living room area. Iwaizumi shook his head at your gushing and endless praises of how beautiful his house is. Well, it’s his parents’ house not his . 

Iwaizumi turned to look at you, “Done gushing? You need anything? Water? Snacks?” 

You shook your head. “Let’s get it started.” The earlier you can get it done, the better. 

Iwaizumi then showed you his room, where the discussion took place. He told you that his parents were working so they might come home later than expected. You were fine with it. Having Iwaizumi as your partner in this project is a blessing, you gotta admit. He is so fucking smart. Obviously, everyone has a thing for the smart guys. A bonus point, he looks very handsome as well. With the tan skin, the perfect height, athletic, everyone drools at the sight of him. Sometimes hilarious. Yeah. 

He had the upper hand of knowing the subject teacher so he knew what the teacher needed despite being given the question paper. It was like he read the teacher’s mind. You were impressed with his sharp observational skills. Even though he missed contributing some of the parts, he still managed to do everything quickly. A smart and athletic man? Yes, definitely a huge 10/10! 

“Why did you break up with your ex? What was her name again?” You broke the silence. Iwaizumi stopped twirling the pen with his fingers and shot you a puzzled look. 

He cleared his throat and sat upright. “Why did you ask?” 

You let out a soft sigh, “Just curious, that’s all. Mind telling me? Please ?” 

Iwaizumi’s interest was piqued. The way you added please at the end of your sentence did something to him. Something unrecognisable that made his stomach swirl . Huh. What a weird feeling. 

“You really want to know that bad, huh?” Iwaizumi asked again. 

You nodded as your eyes scanned the interior of his room. Like expected, his room is well-kept. Tidy and minimalistic from little to none decorations around the room. His study desk – where the books are arranged neatly, unlike yours back home. 

Your eyes then caught the Godzilla plushies sitting next to his bed. “You have plushies?” You couldn’t help but ask the question because having a plushie is a bit out of character for him. 

Iwaizumi let out a soft sigh– his shoulders slumped. “Guess who got it for me?” 

The way he worded his question answered everything you needed to know. “She gave it to you?”

Iwaizumi nodded weakly, “Never a fan of plushies. She just gave it to me because she saw how much I like Godzilla. That’s all. It was a nice gesture until she went and cheated on my cousin’s friend behind my back. The worst thing was, my cousin’s friend had a girlfriend too at the moment. It was messy as hell because the girl decided to attack her and I just stood there, clueless. That was not even her first time cheating behind my back! So, mine is quite similar to yours, I assume.”

The end of his sentence got you rethinking your entire breakup. Now that he said it out loud, yes it was similar. Except that Iwaizumi found out too late and yours was at the perfect time. Worst, planned by the bitch herself. Oh she’s definitely not a girl’s girl. A homewrecker at the age of eighteen. Yucks. 

“Well, look at us. A product of someone who got cheated on in their relationship. Welcome to the club. Do you want to be the leader? I’m comfortable being the co-leader,” you joked. Iwaizumi just shook his head with a slight smile on his lips. He then dismissed the joke with his hand. 

You took it as a cue to continue doing your discussion. Most of the time, it was just you getting distracted by his veiny hands and his raspy voice. You kept on remembering the sex you guys had before this. Slowly exhaling a deep breath, you tried to focus. 

“What’s the matter with you?” Iwaizumi asked confusedly. He was busy mapping out your discussions and you were exhaling a few times– louder than usual. You looked like you were growing agitated. 

You looked at him apologetically, “Well, can our friends with benefits arrangement still go on? Or have you found someone else?” 

Iwaizumi’s jaw ticked. He couldn’t believe such a question got him all hot and bothered. Maybe it was a joke but you did not look like you were joking either. 

“What do you have in mind?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“Wanna fuck?” You asked sheepishly. Well, blame it on the hormones and the man himself. How dare he look all gorgeous and sexy while holding a discussion on an important subject?

Iwaizumi was almost sent to the emergency room at that moment. He let out a raspy laughter, “You really wanna do that right now? Good lord, you’re unbelievable.” 

He was saying that as he unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt. You smirked knowing his tactics. Iwaizumi then reached the front of your shirt, almost popping all of your buttons in one go. He pushed your body on the carpeted floor and you broke into giggles. 

The man then snaked his hand under your skirt. His palm slowly caressing the inner of your thighs that made your blood run cold. Your chest rose heavily, breath staggered at his every touch. 

He pressed his thumb over your dampened cotton underwear. With a slow caress, you took a deep breath as you tried to ease yourself. Iwaizumi’s lips ghosted over your neck, gently nibbling on your skin. His free hand crept to your wrist and pinned it down beside your head.

“One touch and you’re already wet, princess?” His words hung over the air – his dark green eyes held your gaze. 

You looked at him with a dazed stare, “Well, you were busy sitting still and looked pretty for me. I guess it made me feel something.” 

One of the things that Iwaizumi likes about you is that you kinda match his snarky remarks. It’s not easy to match his kind of joking around without others taking it to heart. Trust him, he has tried. 

A small grin appeared on the corner of his lips. His two longest fingers brushed over your wet slit. A small whimper came out of your lips, earning a smug grin from the man. “A mere touch got you whimpering? You need to learn how to last long, princess,” he said in that raspy voice of his. 

What he said just now turned you on. Damn him and his dirty talk that got you all worked up. The rough feel of his fingertips lightly scratched against your sensitive pussy down there.

His fingers worked their way up to your entrance, slowly circling around your entrance before he made it up to your clit. Iwaizumi dragged his fingertips around your puffy clit that got your body jerked in his hold. You breathed heavily, trying not to make any noise like he said earlier. 

“Want me to continue, princess? You’ve been real quiet,” he got up on his knees just to say it into your ear.

Your eyes locked with his gaze, “Yes, please .” 

Iwaizumi’s sharp gaze bored into yours before he spoke up. “Pleading looks good on you, princess.”

His lips caught yours in a split second, nibbling on your lower lip. His free hand cupped the column of your neck before moving it to your nape, pressing your lips harder against his. You tried to breathe but he was quick to shove his tongue into your mouth. 

You got impatient and immediately unbuttoned his slacks. His pants were getting tighter each second, especially the groin area. It’s amusing how easily you can affect him. The things that you make him feel, gosh. 

One of Iwaizumi’s fingers crooked on the waistband of your skirt and pulled it down, revealing you in your cotton underwear. You sighed when he brought the same finger and let it linger on the wet spot a tad bit longer. The rough feel of his fingertip created a friction you never knew was so daunting. 

Both of you now half-naked in each other’s lap. Iwaizumi positioned you in his lap. His face was just the right level with your clothed breasts. You unbuttoned your school shirt for him and he watched it with a thirst that almost burnt his throat. Sharp breaths accompanied his impatience while watching you get undressed. 

You reached the back of your bra to unhook it. Iwaizumi got aroused just seeing how fucking pretty your tits are. He gulped hard. So hard that it was audible to both of you. 

Iwaizumi is a patient man. Maybe not to a bunch of people but he sometimes has the patience of a saint. But now, he is being tested as a man. Well, he finds himself enjoying watching you stripping out of your clothes but right now, he’s like a man being starved for so long. His patience was running thin and it was very fortunate he didn’t rip your bra apart. 

“Fuck, I love your tits, princess,” he sighed breathily as he buried his face in your breasts. You bit on your lower lip, suppressing the moan. 

A warm feeling coated your pert nipple as a strong hand massaged another breast. You sighed when Iwaizumi gently sucked on your sensitive nipple. His other hand was busy kneading your other breast. His touch is magical, if it makes any sense. Any other stress that you were having before, they have disappeared. 

Your nails scratched his scalp while your hips were busy grinding back and forth on him. Iwaizumi groaned every time his dick twitched in his pants. Not now , he grunted to himself. He wanted to savour your taste firstly first before he fed his hunger and lust. 

“Your mouth feels so good, Iwa,” you half-whispered. Iwaizumi’s hand travelled to your ass and gave it a hard squeeze. You chuckled under your breath, knowing it was his silent way of acknowledging what you just said. 

His tongue circled your nipple, saliva coating your sensitive nipple. Iwaizumi’s both hands were now pinned on your waists. His face glanced up at you and you gave him this pleading eyes that got him rock hard again. 

Shit, the voice at the back of his mind said. Iwaizumi didn’t say anything but caught your lips with a hard and punishing kiss. You were caught off-guard that you almost stumbled backwards. But his strong hands stopped you before it even happened. 

The kiss was making you feel lightheaded, not even realising both of you were undressing each other in the light of speed. Your shirt, his shirt. Your skirt, his pants. Your underwear, his boxer. Both of you are now fully naked on his carpeted floor. 

“Fuck, I can’t wait to get inside you,” he whispered against your lips and you nodded without any doubts. 

“Condoms,” you gasped softly and Iwaizumi immediately reached for the drawer beside his bed. He tore the foil with his teeth and rolled the condom on. You found it hot that he was getting impatient and so did you. Your mouth also watered at the sight of his dick. He always stretches your pussy so good and that’s a memory you cherish forever. But he doesn’t need to know it.

Iwaizumi then looked at you. His eyes were questioning you whether you’re ready or not. You nodded as if both of you could read each other’s minds. He then suggested getting on his bed or else both of you would get back pain. 

Your weight dipped into his soft as hell mattress. Wow. It felt like clouds laying down on his bed. You just prayed his bed is also… soundproof and less creaking. “Shoot. Your mattress is comfy as hell,” you complimented as he got on top of you. His body caged your body. 

Iwaizumi’s eyebrows scrunched a bit. Man, you are so random sometimes. “Princess, you do love to think your thoughts out loud, do you?” 

A chuckle filled the momentary silence. You then circled your arms around his shoulders, bringing him down nose-to-nose with you. “You’re getting impatient, aren’t you? Well, come on now. Show me how bad you want to fuck me,” you said seductively against his lips. 

His cock nudging between your legs. Iwaizumi’s smirk slowly plastered on his lips. He bit on your lower lip until you winced in pain. “Such a vulgar language,” his voice rasped. He propped an elbow as his other free hand lined his cock along your entrance. 

The tip of his cock slid inch by inch – your mouth gaped open, back arching as your pussy stretched to his size. Iwaizumi let out a soft groan as he bottomed out. Your nails were already clawing into his back. 

His fingers clawed onto his bedsheet, hips slowly rocking forward. Fuck, he felt like he was in pure bliss once he was inside you. Your pussy was so warm, so inviting and so fucking tight that it hurt. He almost came the second he was inside you. Bless the universe for not fucking with him that moment. 

Your legs wrapped around his waist, locking him in. His hand then squeezed your breasts in both of his hands. Looks like you finally figured out what kind of man he is. 

The truth is, Iwaizumi leaned more towards the guys who prefer ass. He was not a douchebag. He simply has preferences but it’s not like he is going to announce it to the real world. Why couldn't his hands leave your tits? Because your tits were on his mind all day. Especially the way your sports attire you were wearing earlier hugging every curve of your upper body and the sports bra you were wearing definitely triggered some of his primal instincts. 

His thrust was hard and punishing. He fucked you so hard that your tits bounced wildly in his face. The man was so lost in how lewd his sight was right now. Your breathless moans, the continuous whispers telling him to keep going. Fuck. He missed this. He missed fucking you and being inside you. 

“Princess, your pussy is so fucking tight,” he leaned down to whisper. Your eyes slowly opened, revealing his handsome face and the sweats that glistened on his forehead and abs. 

The man has a set of abs that was carved by God himself. Every line and crevice is deep and curved to perfection. His V-line too. Good lord. Suddenly, you were hit with a pang of jealousy. How many women did he sleep with? How many nudes did he send before you? Ugh! Jealousy couldn’t have come at the worst time.

Iwaizumi glanced over your fucked out expression. Eyes closed, lips swollen and glossy from the kiss. He cupped your cheek, “Did you hear me, princess?”

You nodded hurriedly, “Don’t stop, Iwa. Fuck. S’so good.” 

Your words were all over the place. Not even your mind could be able to function properly with how good his cock was stretching you out. The tip of his cock nudging your spot, bringing you closer to climax by each second. You clawed at his shoulder at the slow sensation building up in your core. 

“Fuck!” You hissed when you felt it coming. Iwaizumi groaned when your pussy clenched around his cock like a tight vice. 

One of his hands found your clit. His thumb rubbing circles on your weakest spot that left you crumble like a broken vase. All of your senses heightened. Goosebumps prickled and your core tightened into a twisted knot. Your breath started getting heavier but Iwaizumi wouldn’t stop his thrust – from fucking into you harder.

It was all too much. If he kept going, you might scream at the top of your lungs. You didn’t want him to stop either. 

The man himself was losing his composure. He couldn’t last long but fuck, you were so close. So close to the brink of an orgasm. That’s a thing he wouldn’t let slide so easily. 

His thumb found your clit again, his cock thrusting in and out of you mercilessly. You were so wet that there was no restriction. His thumb circled your clit, building the rhythm to make you come. 

“Come on, princess. Give me all you got, hm? Don’t hold back. Let go, beautiful,” he leaned down next to your ears, panting heavily. His eyes shut closed, trying to last longer than you. Your bodies were so close, chest-to-chest. The noises were so lewd you were afraid if someone was outside, listening to everything. 

You moaned again. Your sweet moans lulling the sound of the skin slapping against skin. It was only a matter of time before your orgasm crashed. 

“Fuck, baby, I’m so so close!” You pleaded. Iwaizumi kept going, his thrust didn’t stop or get any sloppier. He kissed you hard on the lips that had you gasping for breath. 

You gasped for air, “Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!” 

Your cries were his cue that your orgasm was in a matter of seconds. Iwaizumi shut you up with his mouth again. The tight knot crashed. White spots covered your vision as your breath slowly became normal again. Iwaizumi pressed his forehead against yours and gathered his breath. 

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as he slowly pulled out of you. You felt empty without him being inside you. 

You let out a soft gasp watching him tying the used condom and tossing it into his dustbin. The man then grabbed a pair of shorts to wear. He rummaged through his closets to find a clean towel to help you clean up, though there wasn’t really any big mess to clean after. 

Iwaizumi tossed the clean towel to you. “You need to take a quick shower? You can use my bathroom.” 

You let out a disgruntled sound, “Thanks.” 

Iwaizumi’s eyes trailed after your movements as you made your way to his bathroom. He was fortunate enough to have his personal bathroom. It makes it easier every time he has company over. Girls, especially. 

You are the second girl he has ever invited to his room. His bed , vis-a-vis. Most of the time he prefers to do it at their house instead. But he is not the type to fuck around a lot. It’s a waste of his time to focus on the wrong thing when he could be focusing on his final year and volleyball. 

The man then threw his weight on his bed the second you locked the bathroom door. He placed an arm over his eyes, reminiscing the whole sex fiasco just now. How pretty your moans and cries were. Just by remembering the tiniest part of it got him hard again. Double shit.

Your eyes widened at how fucking beautiful his bathroom was. The interior was to die for, and you meant it literally! It could be one of your dream bathrooms! Just how rich is he?! 

Iwaizumi is a very organised man. He arranged all of his products where they were supposed to be. You gawked at his bathroom before finally getting into the shower. It was spacious as hell, enough to fit both of you. 

Nope ! Not going there!  

Just when you were about to get dressed, your mind finally clicked that you did not bring any of your clothes inside the bathroom. That also meant you had to go out and re enter again. Shit and shit! 

Without thinking any further, you just came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around your body. It was a bit short but enough to cover your everything . 

Iwaizumi’s eyes brightened with amaze once his gaze landed on you. “Forgot your clothes? You know you could have called me to bring it to you, right?” 

You huffed, “Obviously my brain cells weren’t working! Geez.” You looked at your clothes scattered on the floor and you sighed. Great! Now you needed to crouch to pick them up. 

“Hajime!” A woman’s voice suddenly boomed outside of his door. Both of you jumped in surprise at the sudden presence. 

“Your ex came back?” You gasped.

Iwaizumi looked at you with the “ are you fucking serious? ” expression. Duh ! It was his mother! The only thing that should have been the first thing on your mind! Iwaizumi hurriedly asked you to put on your clothes but damn it, it was so hard to focus on the simplest task at times like this! 

“Hajime! Do you have your friends over?” His mother knocked on his door countless times. She even tried to hear what was going on inside of his room. 

Iwaizumi tried to breathe normally, “Yes, mom! We’ll be out in a second! Just- finalising our school work!” 

Mrs. Iwaizumi let out a huff, “Sure. Come out when y’all are ready. I ordered some takeouts.” 

“Okay, mom!” Iwaizumi said loudly. He listened to his mother’s footsteps fading away into the distance. He let out a relieved sigh, “Shit. That was close. Okay, get dressed.”

You hurriedly hooked your bra when he wasn’t looking. “What do you think I am doing right now?” You replied sarcastically.

“Always a fun time with you, princess,” Iwaizumi shot you a glare as he put on his sweats and hoodie. He ruffled his hair so he looked at least presentable in the presence of his mother. 

Couldn’t afford getting caught red-handed by his mother. Truly a nightmare if it ever happens. Iwaizumi shuddered at the thought. 

You carefully smoothed your hair using your fingers. After ensuring you looked neat, you told Iwaizumi that you were good to go! He unlocked his door and asked you to step out first. 

Iwaizumi walked ahead of you. In the living room, there sat his mother waiting with a magazine in her hands. Her eyes shot to where both of you were standing like deers being caught in the headlights. 

“Oh, it’s not Oikawa! Hello!” His mother chirped. She rose to her feet and walked towards both of you. You shied behind Iwaizumi but he slowly pushed you to the front. 

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Iwaizumi. I’m Hajime’s partner. Study partner, I meant,” you immediately corrected yourself after the vague meaning. Wouldn't let his mother think otherwise. 

Weird. Being friends wouldn’t even justify that you guys are fucking. 

You shushed away the tiny voice in your head. Iwaizumi’s mother extended her hand to you and you shook her hand. 

“Nice to meet you too, Hajime’s girl friend,” she chuckled and glanced over to his son. 

Iwaizumi let out a soft sigh, “Mom, please.” 

“I was just kidding, sweetheart. What’s your name, sweetie?” Iwaizumi’s mother asked. 

She looked friendly and so warm. There’s something about her aura that made you comfortable being around her. 

“Just call me Y/N, Mrs. Iwaizumi,” you smiled politely.

His mother’s smile reached her eyes, radiating positive vibes. “Alright, Y/N sweetie. I actually bought some takeouts. Please have some before you head back. Come on, let’s go to the dining room.” 

She said and took your wrist with her. You looked back at Iwaizumi and he just shook his head in defeat. 

“Just play along,” he mouthed. Your lips formed into a thin line. His mother seemed nice and you did not have the heart to turn her down. 

Well, a dinner wouldn’t hurt! At times like this, you weren’t sure whether your mom was already home or not. 

Mrs. Iwaizumi loved to tease her son a lot. Iwaizumi kept getting his ears red because of how much his mother liked to poke him around. You couldn’t help but stifle a silent laughter. He’d destroy you if you enjoyed this too much. Well, he already gave you a sign by glaring at you. Before he puts you in a headlock, you better take a step back just to be safe! 

Iwaizumi was not having it. Thank goodness his father was not around or else it’d be  double the trouble. His father’s overseas meeting spared him the headache. He kinda enjoyed the dinner but maybe there was no need to admit it to your face. You’ll gloat and he cannot afford another petty human being in his life. 

God knows how handful they can be at times. But to him, it almost felt like he had met his match. 

[echantedtoon]

Love Is Blind Ch4 A Hesitant Agreement

(Warnings: Depictions of Kagaya's illness and scars Yn has a small panic attack.

Just for context. For the story at the moment Kagaya is 20 and Y/n is 19 years old.)

Quietness filled the space with uneasy silence.

The silence was temporary interrupted by a shaky hand gently reaching out to grab a warm cup off the table sat in front of him. The warmth had a sigh escaping his lips before the cup pressed against the smile. Sweet tastes of green tea and honey danced along his taste buds and soothed the dull stinging leftover in his throat from earlier coughing. The relieving feeling was bliss. Despite the fact that he felt at least three pairs of eyes staring at him but he had the before thought of expecting this reaction to first seeing his face.

"As I was saying......even he ....... happily filled life......Wedding!"

F/c eyes stared at the blind man in front of you. Kagaya smiled continuing to drink the tea a maid brought him earlier after his grandfather had practically carried his body back into the house. You remained silent however. Your mind blank and numb trying to process the reality that was presented to it. Your mother and father sat next to you equally as bamboozled and shocked at this entire situation constantly exchanging glances and looks at one another as if hoping the other had an answer to this. The only one who really seemed to make an effort to keep talking was Mr. Kotoya who smiled and kept speaking. You couldn't comprehend what he was saying, only small pieces of entire paragraphs the old man continued to ramble on about otherwise all you could comprehend was white noise and a ringing in your ears as your blank mind still stared.

"The garden........I just know-........ excellent cakes in town!.......... precisely!" Mr. Kotoya looked to laugh after finishing whatever he was currently rambling on about your mind didn't hear before reaching out to pat his grandson's back fondly. Kagaya didn't say anything but smiled politely at him. "Did........I............kimono fitting!"

It was only then after minutes of this happening you were snapped out of your long stupor by your mother slapping an arm around your shoulder before scowling at the men in front of her. "There is absolutely no way on earth my daughter is going to be fitted for a wedding dress tomorrow! Are you foolish?!"

You were finally snapped back with a jump as you blinked and all at once you were hit with the ice cold reality of it all. Of the situation. Of Kagaya.

"I'm only suggesting that we make preparations is all."

"Preparations?! I'm not allowing you to just marry my daughter off like a matchmaker!"

"My lady, it's already fated by the gods! Why else would they bring our children together but to be married? And if I say so it's a perfect match!" He gushed clasping his hands together and smiling widely. "An herbalist! That's almost as wonderful as a doctor! Kagaya will be in such good hands with someone who could take care of him!"

Take care of him?

The question echoed in your mind bouncing off the walls of your skull as you just stared at him now freezing up with hard realization brought up by that statement. Take care of him. You were expected to....take care of him? Like a patient?

"Are you sure you're Kagaya Ubuyashiki?" The question escaped your mouth before you could stop yourself.

Kagaya only nodded calmly. "I am."

It was Kagaya Ubuyashiki.....

THIS WAS YOUR SOULMATE?! F/c eyes looked him up and down and up and down. Over and over again. Staring at the white orbs of his eyes. The shaking of his hands. The purpled old scars sat upon the upper part of his face. No...No it just couldn't be! This just HAD to be some kind of mistake! There was absolutely no way that THIS man was your soulmate...

"But....You can't be." Your head shook slowly. Your words had the blind man slightly lowering the cup from his face. "You're not-...." You couldn't find the words to finish your sentence.

He was absolutely nothing like what you've been imagining about and praying for. All that time praying to the gods as hard as you could. All the small offerings you left out, taking painstakingly long hours to pick the freshest fruits and baking the sweetest foods in order to appease the gods. All the time making sure you'd be on your best behavior to not anger them....It was all for nothing?!

The dreams you had of having someone to travel with you. Share sweet memories with. Of a handsome man taking you by the hand as you two walked along a beach-

"*COUGH COUGH!!*" Kagaya carefully but hastily placed the cup back down as another small round of coughing erupted from his body causing him to turn his head.

THIS MAN COULD BARELY STAND ON HIS OWN LET ALONE WALK!! Your whole reality shattered around yourself. The feeling was intense. It was like having a nice house you've worked on decorating for years to hopefully be standing up strong one day only for giant hands to wrap around the walls squeezing it all until it cracked and crumbled into nothing but ashes, and then someone offering up a second rate hutt with a shrug and saying-

"This is the best we could do. It still kinda fits with what your life is. Be grateful you got this."

The coughing continued the more you stared. And an emense overwhelming feeling of disappointment bubbled up from deep in your chest. This is who the gods decided was your perfect match?? This is what they thought would be the ideal life partner was?

"Please excuse me," Kagaya rasped out raising a shaking hand to cover his mouth with a handkerchief in a vain attempt to still be polite. "I-I do not mean to come off as such."

Mr. Kotoya patted his shoulder. "Don't apologize for it. It's not your fault, but things will be better now."

Kagaya did not respond to his grandfather but turned his half covered face in your direction and shakily reached out a hand. "I do deeply apologize to you for not exactly being what you might've expected of a future husband, Y/n. But I do want to be able to have a chance to get to know you better. I've been curious about you ever since I read your name upon my hands." A softer closed eye smile was given to you as he lowered the handkerchief.

You just stared at him. Flashes of hypothetically scenarios flashing in your mind at the speed of lightning after the words 'future husband' left Kagaya. A vision of yourself having to literally carry your husband down the aisle at your own wedding, watching as your guests laughed and danced as you could only sit next to your husband not being able to enjoy any of the activities with him because he was too weak and tired. A vision of you trying to kiss him only for him to go into a coughing fit each and every time. A vision of you struggling to calm down a crying newborn and other children fighting, trying to parent them yourself as their father could only weakly watch from his bed. A vision of you walking him around, having to help him eat, and having to constantly watch over him day after day night after night for the rest of your life staying forever confined to his bedside. His own bedside nurse for everything and anything he needed. Never again being able to have freedom or time to yourself because you'd be tied to him by a commitment through ceremony.

You didn't notice too distracted by the rapid thoughts running through your mind but your body back in the real world started hyperventilating.

Everything that you every worked for-..GONE!! Everything you wanted to do-.. FORGOTTEN!! Anything you had already accomplished-.. WOULD BE ALL FOR NOTHING!! Your entire life would be stripped from you and your desires would be nothing but an afterthought. You'd be nothing but someone's personal assistant for the rest of your life!! It was all over.

"Miss Y)n, please calm yourself." 

A voice called out to the panicked mind.

"Shh. Shh. You must listen." 

You jolted back as something gentle grabbed either of your cheeks and something pressed against your forehead. F/c eyes deeply staring into white orbs. Confusion filled with panic,mouth panting heavily heaving fresh air into  burning lungs.

"Shh. Shh. There you go. You're alright. There, there. I've got you." Something-.. SOMEONE soft and warm and gentle pressed against your forehead continuing to gently speak."Breath in through your nose and out of your mouth slowly. It helps to calm your heart."

You stared at the blind orbs of Kagaya as he calmly smiled at you literally forehead touching to forehead silently......All panic and reason was thrown right out of your brain as a fountain of scalding hot red passed over all through your neck and face making your pale hair look like a cherry was wearing a wig.

"Hhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaa-!? Off, off, off!!"

You had finally found your voice again squealing the words and harmlessly slapping at his hands holding your face. Kagaya only chuckled and slowly obeyed your wishes removing himself from you and sitting back down. Your flustered face burnt a red. Your mother looked one second away from throwing herself across the small table and strangle Kagaya as she glared deeply at him. Your father seemed to be both surprised and thinking about something. Meanwhile Mr. Kotoya never lost that bright smile of his.

"This meeting has no more need to continue on," Kagaya spoke calmly and exhaled, "It's clear to everyone that she wasn't properly informed of my condition before coming here, and it's more than obvious that the thought of any kind of relationship between us is not something she wants. Ms. Y/n will not be coerced or forced into any kind of lifelong commitment."

Everyone stared in surprise at Kagaya but after a moment you sighed in great relief. Oh thank the gods for this fix up. Kotoya sputtered looking at him in disbelief.

"Kagaya, do you have any idea what you're saying?!"

"Yes. I am highly aware."

"But she's your soulmate. The gods have chosen her!" The old man's hands desperately grabbed onto the blind man's haori coat despite Kagaya not even batting an eye. "The gods have sent her to you to be your wife! It's her duty to be by your side-"

A single, shaking hand was instantly held up silencing the old man instantly as if he feared the invoking the blind man's supposed wrath. "I will not take a marriage that is founded on force and deceit. If Ms. Y/n wishes to not engage in this then that will be my final decision. No one here will make her take my hand."

Your father's brows rose higher. Your mother still frowned but looked surprised. You just felt an emense sense of relief. Oh thank the gods for this. You supposed Kagaya really was an honorable man like Rengoku mentioned.

"Well then...If that's your final answer then we really don't have anything else to discuss here." Your father slowly stood up. "And no more reason to be here." He bowed lightly. "But we thank you all for your hospitality."

Kagaya also smiled and bowed to him. "Thank you for coming to visit me. It was very nice to meet all of you." Kotoya sputtered strange sounds looking between all of you and Kagaya moving his arms until  Kagaya reached a hand out to grab his grandfather's arm. "Be still. I apologize for all the trouble caused by my grandfather. He wants what's best for me but he went about it the wrong way."

Your mother huffed before also standing up and pulling you with her. "Well next time he gets it in his head to harass someone, you better knock some sense into that thick head of his!"

"HONEY!! I apologize for my wife. She can have a temper when she's stressed."

"It's quite alright considering everything that's happened. He should've asked properly." 

You were relieved. You could go home. You could have that life you've always wanted-

"Which is why I ask you, Mr. and Mrs. L/n, for your blessings to court your daughter."

A glass shattering sound went off in your mind. WHAT?!

There was a soft grunt escaping from Kagaya as he reached out to push himself up, struggling to get to his feet but eventually able to slowly stand up on his own carefully. Smiling politely right at you. "Ms. Y/n, I would also like your permission to start courting you."

You blinked. "What?'

"I will not force you or try to change your mind if you still say no, but I meant it when I said I would like to still get to know you better. Perhaps we could find a way to allow us to talk more?"

You stared at him mouth wide in shock. "I-.....I-I don't know."

"Hire her to help you for a year!" You nearly jumped as Mr. Kotoya jumped up with a smile and solution. "She'll be paid, have her own room, and have free reign of the grounds!" Kagaya tilted his head at him. "All she have to do is help you a little bit and make some medicine when you need it! That way you two can really get to know one another and she can decide if she wants to live here permanently! If she's not satisfied by the end of the year then she can do whatever she wants!"

Kagaya hummed in thought. "...That does not seem like a bad idea." He turned back to you. "But again it's entirely up to her."

"..... Would you excuse us for a moment?" Your father reached out to pull your surprised mother across the room and turned their backs towards the lot of you. He pulled her close and the two of them began to whisper on about something. You could only watch as they spoke. At one point your father pointed back towards Kagaya. Both briefly looked up at him, spoke a little more, before turning back around as your father cleared his throat. "Well we've talked it over. Our reason for coming here was to stop all the harassment from your grandfather as my daughter deserves to have a life of her own. However Mr. Kagaya Ubuyashiki, your kindness and understanding of the situation has not only moved us but shows how mature about the situation you are. BUT-..." Your father sternly held up a hand pointing at him (despite the fact he was blind). "I meant it when I said my daughter deserves to have her own choices. She's a grown woman now and can make up her own mind. If she chooses to go back then we'll support her and won't force her to be in any marriage soulmate or not." You mother nodded agreeing with everything he said 

You sighed relieved and smiled. You were so lucky to have such wonderful parents like them.

"However like I said she can decide what she wants to do with her life. If she wants to accept your deal, then we'll allow her without fighting to change her mind. You'll have our blessings to court her if and ONLY IF Y/n agrees to it, and only if we're promised she'll be treated fairly."

"You have my word she'll be treated with the upmost respect." Kagaya bowed his head to them. "I thank you both." Before he tilted his head back to you. "But your choice is entirely yours. I will respect any choice you make."

Your choice huh? You froze being put on the spot as four heads turned to you. Staring and waiting for an answer. It was intense, nerve wracking even. Even though you wouldn't be forced at all and freely given the choice. You really didn't want to but for some reason before you even knew what you were doing, a single word escaped from your mouth-

"Yes."

[nanowrimo]

The Unfunny Person’s Guide to Writing Humor

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. First Draft Pro, a 2022 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a collaborative writing app built for story-nerds. Today, they’ve partnered with novelist and screenwriter Sam Beckbessinger to share some tips on writing humor. Don’t forget to check out the offer to NaNoWriMo writers to try out First Draft Pro for free this month!

Here’s the problem: you love a joke. You’re perfectly able to get into a good banter with your buddies. You’re hilarious in a DnD game. You’re the comedian of your group chats. But put you in front of a blank page and suddenly you’re about as funny as a statistics textbook*. Your manuscripts are full of notes like << INSERT JOKE HERE??? >>. You wouldn’t actually want to sit next to any of your characters at a dinner party.

* There is a marginal likelihood that a funny statistics textbook exists somewhere, but it would be a real outlier.

Well, I have good news for you! Writing humor is a skill that can be learned like any other.

How comedy works

If you’re going to try to write humor, it helps to understand how comedy works. It’s very simple: the logic of humor is surprise.

Fundamentally, here’s how most jokes work: you create an expectation, and then you do something wildly unexpected. Take standup comedian Mitch Hedberg: “This shirt is dry-clean only, which means it’s dirty.” The first sentence by itself isn’t funny; it becomes funny when the second sentence subverts it. A joke is a story, and a punchline is a mini plot-twist.

You’ve got to build up to the subversion. Humor has a specific rhythm to it. You start off slower and more detailed, establishing the pattern, painting the picture, ratcheting up the tension… then BAM, you come in with the twist. Take this exchange from Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:

“You know,” said Arthur, “it’s at times like this, when I’m trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.”

“Why, what did she tell you?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t listen.”

Notice the rhythm of this exchange. The first paragraph is slow, with long sentences and dry multisyllabic words, then the writing speeds up to deliver the punchline. You build the tension, then you break the tension. A lot of humour is in the timing.

So if you’re trying to be funny, the trick is to pull off this little tension > surprise dance on every level of granularity in your prose. There are funny words, funny individual sentences, funny situations, and entire characters who are hilarious (usually, the ones who take themselves very very seriously).

And there are specific tricks to help you do this, like:

The rule of three

Double meanings

Exaggeration & absurd comparisons

Callbacks

Come join us over on the First Draft Pro blog, where I’ll show you how they work!

Sam Beckbessinger writes weird horror stories and kids tv shows, and helps people learn to adult better (she's still figuring it out herself).

[thecomfywriter]

Any advice on how to turn a 3 sentence writing prompt into a full-fledged (long) story?

Oooh this is a good one. I literally had a post about this in my drafts, but that was more oriented towards giving prompts, not expanding on them. So let’s get into it!

┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛

How to make a story out of a prompt:

Whether it’s three words or a whole paragraph, prompts are tools to inspire a story out of a storyteller. That’s you. There are three ways to go about this:

1) Review the prompt(s) on their own:

Let’s break down what this means. Say I’m doing a three word story, and the words are spider, thief, and ring. I like to consider the foundations of any book and try to apply them to each word. So how can I fit spider into the theme of this story I want to tell? What kind of story would centralize spiders as a motif or a symbol for the theme it carries?

I know personally, when I think of spiders, I think of arachnophobia. So maybe I want to use spiders as an integral component of the protagonist or antagonists’ characterization. Maybe that fear is what propels the story forward. The main character’s fear of spiders is what causes the inciting incident to occur (i.e. they scramble away in fear, try to kill the spider with the first object they find, only to realize the object is their secret inheritance being gambled away; or maybe the spider is the reincarnation of an ancient deity who curses the protagonist into the world of spiders/the body of a fly to try to punish them for being scared when THEY are the spider’s predator. you can take it in so many different directions). OR, if you’re taking the villain route, maybe the fear of spiders in the villain is what started their villain arc. Their older, cruel sister locking them in a box filled with spiders and leaving them there overnight could cause them to become a serial killer that targets anyone who resembles their sister or shares her features and kill them by suffocating them in a box of insects (eek that’s morbid sorry)

Then, for the thief. Another integral character, plot point, or character arc for your protagonist. Is your protagonist forced to resort to thievery to fulfil their quest, or maybe thievery IS the quest, or perhaps that is who they become along the way.

That leads me to my next point…

2) What is the connection between the words?

Or rather, what connections can you make? How can you push your character through pivotal events that force them to encounter each of these words, or fulfil the conditions of the prompt? In which situations would they say a certain quote, and what events would lead up to that? How would you want to fill the blank space between the dots to create your puzzle?

That’s the greatest part of being a storyteller— the answer is entirely unique to your imagination.

3) Polish your characters:

This may be better as the first thing you do actually, but consider the lens the story occurs from. Who is telling this story? Why are they telling this story? Why is it THEM specifically that encounter these three objects or words? How does the themes of the story apply to them?

By fortifying your characterization of your protagonist and antagonist, you create the fundamentals of the story itself— the goal and the opposition. The rest of the cast can be introduced as helpers or obstacles to reaching that goal or preventing it from happening, but that is the bare bones essence of storytelling. What is the goal? What is stopping your protagonist from reaching that goal? What tools or oppositions (this is where your three words may come in to help answer this question) help or delay their journey towards their desired outcome?

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions, and thanks for the ask!

Happy Writing!

[bi-dykes]

MAAAARIIIIII

I need your help.

Ok so, How to write?

I told you that I write, right? Well actually I didn't write them properly. I wrote them in screenplay format.. Now I want to write them properly but I don't know how 😭😭 my mind is blank.. Even when I manage to think up on how to write, it's so shit.. I have so many ideas but I have no clue on how the heck am I supposes to put them out.. Do you have any advice? How do you usually write? Please help.

*casually implodes* alright. Okay. Excellent.

This just might be the best ask I’ve ever received. I’ve always wanted to teach others how to write, I’m really passionate about writing stuff, and I’m majoring in education in university rn, so I sure hope I can answer this well lmao

But, nevertheless, I finally have the opportunity:

✨ Mari’s Writing Crash Course that I may or may not have composed while tipsy: a short guide to novel formatting ✨

There’s only, truly, three factors that are the most noticeably important: Formatting, Dialogue and Writing Voice.

You said you’ve been writing in screenplay format? Immaculate. You’re already halfway there. If you know how to write ANYTHING (short stories, novels, screenplays) you already- hopefully- understand the basis of composing stories. Character arcs, plot lines, worldbuilding, etc. I’m not getting into ANY of that, bc your ask referred to formatting and formatting only. I gotcha luv.

The Step One: The Key to Novel Formatting

You’ve already written in screenplay format before. That’s great. You’re already, like, more than halfway there. I’ve tried screenplaying before, but I never got that far in. Not my best medium.

I’m assuming what you’ve worked on before looks like this (format wise, not content wise lmao)

Caps lock indication, space down, and dialogue.

Well here’s the neat thing: novel writing, while very different from screenplays, is much closer to screenplays with more detail:

Caps lock indication, italicized setup, space down, and dialogue.

OTHER THAN describing the camera angles, this has very similar content to a novel: describing portions (sometimes equal portions, usually not) of both dialogue and descriptions.

So! Remove the caps lock indication on who’s speaking, make that italicized setup into the flow of a paragraph, remove all the stuff on camera angles, and put that dialogue under quotation marks.

Now it looks like this:

OH WOW! IT LOOKS LIKE A NOVEL NOW!!

Don’t overthink it: you just take your same thoughts from your screenplay format, and then… transfer it. Piece of cake 🍰

The sub-category of Part One; Part One Extended I guess: Present or Past Tense

What tense do you want your novel to be written in? Present tense? Past tense?

I used to say, “ ALL books are written in past tense. Because as the reader, we’re looking into a story that has already been written. If a book is in present tense, that means the story is unfolding, that means the author is writing it while we’re reading it, and that’s impossible since we’re holding the copy of the book in our hands. NO books should be written in present tense 😡👎”

And then I opened up The Hunger Games and saw it was in present tense.

So it looks like I’m just wildly wrong about that.

I will say tho, most books are written in past tense. And that might, or might not, be more comfortable for the reader and writer. However, it is up you. Contrary to my former opinion, there is no right or wrong tense for your book to be in.

Here is a visual guide:

Once you pick one, though, stick with it. Jumping between past and present these, UNLESS it’s for any stylistic choice (character’s flashbacks, time travelling, etc.) will most likely be awkward to read.

The Step Two: The Importance of properly formatting dialogue

Quotation marks go THROUGHOUT a sentence.

“Why don’t you guys go look at my taco salad post” and “she said” is all ONE BIG SENTENCE.

“Why don’t you guys go look at my taco salad post.” She said. ❌

“Why don’t you guys go look at my taco salad post,” she said. ✅

Each dialogue before the end of the sentence completes with a comma instead of a period. Exclamation marks and question marks can be used in whatever dialogue format, since they’re tone indicators. There aren’t strict rules for tone indicators.

Commas and periods aren’t really tone indicators, so there’s a quick key on how to write that stuff:

Remember, if dialogue ends with a “she said” “she exclaimed” “she spoke” etc. etc. etc. it’ll be part of the same sentence. But, if dialogue ends with an action “she walked to the door” “she took a forkful of that taco salad” etc. etc. etc. it’ll be an entirely new sentence.

THIS is what it looks like:

Also, not every set of dialogue needs to have an end quote to it. This is what that looks like:

I mean, you could but brackets in dialogue. But I just want to warn you: I read a book like that, can’t recall the author’s name, and it distracted me greatly from the characters, plot, atmosphere, etc. I’d stay away from that.

The Step Three: The Writing Voice

So what is narrative voice, anyways?

This is essentially how you form your entire story. The tone, emotion, and descriptions of your story.

I know, I know, the idea that every single word you use reveals your writing style might sound daunting, but trust me, writing voice comes naturally. As long as you let it come naturally.

Essentially: people who know you really well, your closest friends and family, who recognize your quirks, your colloquialisms, and your speech patterns, will most likely recognize your writing style. Because it will sound like you.

And that’s all writing voice is. Your own style. Even this answer I typed out for your ask, it’s in my writing style. It’s in my voice. It’s a blend of eloquent words, long sentences, and a dash of humour here and there. My novel, albeit sounding obviously much different than me making a post on tumblr, also sounds like this. To an extent.

You write like how you speak, even if you’re writing from a specific character’s perspective.

An example is Rick Riordan’s writing sounds wildly different from Becky Chamber’s writing. Even though they’re both talented and hard working, excellent writers. Every book looks different Every book sounds different. Every book feels different.

So, how do you find your own writing style?

Of course, a published novel of yours will sound different than your personal diary. But, those differences aside, they both have your voice. So let yourself speak, let yourself write.

Your story is going directly from your brain, to your laptop screen, or pen and paper, or whatever. Let yourself get into it. Sometimes I read what I’m writing out loud. Sometimes I don’t. Do not overthink your writing voice, or try to force your novel to sound more formal, or more casual, or more poetic, or more or less descriptive, or more wordy. Just let it be.

The more you write, and the more drafts you create, you’ll find your writing voice without even needing to search around for it.

There is a website called, I Write Like This. You can copy and paste passages of your writing, a few hundred words at a time if you want, and it’ll analyze your flow of descriptions, dialogue, punctuation, and match it up with whatever famous author your voice sounds similar to.

I copy and pasted my entire second chapter, a few thousand words, and this is my badge:

My writing voice is similar to our beloved @neil-gaiman . Of course, our writing voice is not identical, as no two authors ever are, but the flow of the writing, the mood, the tone, the energy… it’s a little bit on the same page.

The bonus step four: write shit 💩

You said you write shit?

Good.

Write shit.

This is odd advice to give, I know. But when I say write shit, I mean as a start.

If you had sent an ask saying, “I’ve NEVER touched a pen, paper, or laptop in my life, I don’t know how to write!!” I’d be… daunted. Not an impossible task, but a daunting one. Just slightly harder to get into, slightly harder to give advice for.

I’d much rather you write like shit than not write at all. The hierarchy goes like this:

Good writing >>> shit writing >>> not writing at all.

I can’t remember where I heard this from, but to quote, “you can edit a poorly written page, but you can’t edit a blank page”.

So go, my lovely Sana. Be free. Write all the shit in the world. Fill up your pages. Get writers cramp. Get writers block. Recover from writers block. Make typos. Make messes. Write glorious, delicious, silly, stupid, and beautiful things. Your first draft is not supposed to be perfect. The time will come for pristine, polished, ready-to-be-published writing, and you do not need to rush into there. At all.

Write shit 💩 New-writing is the most necessary shit in this world.

[songmingisthighs]

[11.09] high school student!junghoon × high school student!reader

⇀ bus crush gone wrong

⇁ TIS THE JUNGHOON IDEA I SUDDENLY GOT @flowerboykun YOU DID THIS !!!! YOU ENABLED ME !!! TAKE RESPONSIBILITIES !!!!

wc : 2.3 k

genre : fluff, high school au

buy me coffee ??

For reasons your friends don't know, you've always liked taking the bus. Some would say those buses are too packed, too many creeps around, and too suffocating no matter the time or day, but not you. Maybe it's because your school and hakwon are rather close so you didn't have to ride the bus long, maybe it's because your bus is usually isn't as packed as the others. Or maybe it's the cutie from your hakwon who you share your bus with.

It might be creepy-adjacent for you to be gawking at him every now and then but how could you not? You've seen him around with some of his friends, some from the grade above and some in the same grade as he. You've seen them running around to and in the hakwon before the class starts or after as they rush out to the bunsik stand at the corner or to an arcade. Not much is known about him as you both don't share the same class other than the fact that his name is Kim Junghoon and he was from a school near yours and they dismiss their students around the same time as yours so you get to wait at the bus stop with him, ride the bus with him, and go to the same hakwon as him.

So it wasn't even surprising to see Junghoon at the bus stop before you did. He was sitting on the bench casually with his headphones on. You were curious about the kinds of music he likes but you had no way to know or even to ask if you could know because let's be honest, the man looks unapproachable. So you settled with just looking at him from afar.

Once the bus arrived, Junghoon and the other few people at the bus stop got into the bus first before you did which was a wrong move on your part. When you got in, you realized that the bus was more packed than before, so instead of going to your usual seat, you were stuck standing. Luckily enough, you were able to stand next to Junghoon who barely noticed your presence anyways so you settled with standing right next to his seat with your body facing the front of the bus. During the ride, he was busy playing on his phone as he would usually do but from where you were, you were able to take several accidental peeks at what he was doing on it like playing this cat games and texting his friend group or his mom which was absolutely surprising and adorable because he wasn't even texting her with just one or two words but a full-blown two paragraph detailing what he did, what he ate and what he planned on eating after hakwon.

When the bus arrived at its next stop, more people got in and only three people got off. Now you were starting to understand why your friends hate the bus. People were shoulder to shoulder with each other but there was still space to breathe. Unfortunately, as the bus started driving, one dumbass decided that he didn't want to be in the middle back side of the bus and he started moving forward which caused other people and you to shift around awkwardly. It wasn't until the bus slowed down at a red light that you lost your balance and before you could stop yourself, you fell on Junghoon's lap.

For a moment, your body froze in the same position and with eyes wide staring across you in absolute shock. Slowly, with fear running up your spine, you turned to look at Junghoon who was simply looking at you with a blank expression, seemingly unfazed by the surprising turn of events. You thought you could skate by, apologize and just move far away from him as you curse yourself for thinking that standing next to him was a good thing. God, you wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole.

However, Junghoon opened his mouth before you could do anything.

"Can you move?"

Chills ran up your spine from hearing his voice but also from the dreaded realization that he had just said something that the whole bus heard loud and clear. The way the words were phrased made it seem like he was annoyed by what happened even though it was by accident. Embarrassment punched you in the gut and suddenly it felt like everyone was staring and snickering at you and you know you shouldn't feel as bad because it was definitely an accident, you didn't want it to happen but it did and there was nothing you can do to undo the unfortunate accident.

The bus suddenly came to a full stop at another bus stop which was only two stops away from your usual stop to your hakwon. But you didn't care about going to hakwon anymore. You simply muttered a soft 'sorry' to Junghoon and dashed off without looking back. Had you looked back, however, you would realize that Junghoon was taken aback by your reaction to him asking you to move. You ran past the bus stop, not really knowing where to go but you stopped once you rounded a corner to crouch down and let the horror sink in. You had absolutely no idea how you were able to have possibly one of the best but at the same time one of the worst days ever, the notion was beyond you but it did happen and it sucks. Without thinking twice, you covered your face with your arms and let out the stress away with a muffled scream, completely oblivious that the bus you rode passed by behind you and that there was a pair of eyes watching you until the vehicle drove off.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

For the next couple of days, you decided to avoid Junghoon altogether. You didn't even went to hakwon the day you fell on him which promoted the hakwon to call your mom asking about your attendance which then got you scolded for skipping. Although, when you told her what happened, her anger slipped slightly and while she still scolded you for skipping, she completely understood the fear and within two hours, you both were able to have a more logical conversation about coping strategies that don't involve running away and skipping your responsibilities. One of them was taking the bus before or after him and since before was not an option, you were forced to take the bus after the one you usually take. But the unfortunate thing about that plan was arriving at your hakwon late and receiving a tardiness notice twice for both days you tried getting on the later bus. The shitty thing about your hakwon was that the third notice of the semester means that they would check you absent on your attendance record and that might ruin your chance of getting into the good CSAT prep class and you just couldn't risk that.

So you found yourself on the third day taking your usual bus with dread in your gut, making it seem like you wanted to puke. It was horrible and even more so because it seemed like you were being beyond paranoid for actively trying to avoid Junghoon. You hated the feeling. In fact, you absolutely detest it. So you decided to not even wait at the bus stop at the risk of having Junghoon see you and maybe it was just your fear but you did not want him to announce to the whole bus stop that you fell on him three days ago. Heck, you even wore a hoodie to cover your uniform in case he remembered. So you just kept to yourself a little further away without even checking if Junghoon was there until the bus arrived. Even then, you made sure to get in a little later than everyone else, a couple moments before the door closes even. Rushing to the back and passing Junghoon in his seat.

Or, someone who you thought was Junghoon.

Because just as the door closes, a figure slipped in and looked around before he made eye contact with you. Your eyes widened and almost immediately you wanted to jump out the window or move away to a more secure location on the bus (which let's be honest, doesn't exist because it's a bus and not a fallout bunker). Not wanting to be thought of as a jittery freak by other passengers, you planted your feet firmly and just let Junghoon approach you like some kind of animal. It was surprising, to say the least when he stopped right in front of you and suddenly changed the position of his backpack from his back to his front, covering his chest. Then he did something that made your heart skip a beat from fear, nerves, and uncertainty, he used both of his hands to hold onto the overhead handgrips, making you even more nervous than you already were for no reason.

The first five minutes were the worst, you think. You wanted to get your earphones and watch videos on your phone but you were overthinking everything so much that you were unable to do anything other than look down at your foot. You don't know what exactly was Junghoon doing or what he was thinking when he suddenly appeared in front of you like that. Though you don't know if you wanna find out because what if this was his revenge for making him uncomfortable several days prior? Whatever it is, you simply wanted to coast through this ride before possibly disappearing off the face of the earth leaving the legacy of the history of your embarrassment. Should be fun, right?

But of course, your body betrayed you when the SAME red light caused the bus to slow to a stop and as expected, you stumbled and fell onto Junghoon, or more likely his bag.

"So you're just clumsy, huh? Here I thought that was just your way of introducing yourself to me,"

The speed of your head snapping up to him was enough to give you a whiplash. You were surprised that he was smirking down at you playfully, teasingly even. Or was it just your imagination? Was he mocking you?

Once again, the bus stopped at the next stop which was the stop you got off and ran out to several days prior. But this time, even with Junghoon teasing you, you made no move to get off which, not that you realize nor know, Junghoon was glad for. As people boarded the vehicle, Junghoon shifted which made you press your back to the seat next to you out of surprise. From his initial position of simply being in front of you, he had now moved to your side slightly and he moved one of his hands to grip the overhead handgrips so that he was completely covering you from other people. It wasn't like the bus was packed or anything, so what was he covering you from?

"I... Noticed you weren't on the bus these past two days but you were at the hakwon," he started, which made you cringe at his realization of your existence around him. Had you looked up, you would've seen Junghoon cringing at how he phrased his words. Maybe he should listen more to Minjae when he said he needs to brush up on his vocabulary and communication skills because as the man said, Junghoon has the same communication and social skill as a raccoon. "I-I mean, I usually see you on the bus before hakwon but you weren't there but then I see you at the hakwon during breaks so I was... Confused," you looked up to him in curiosity to see that he was avoiding your general area in favour of looking to the side and you even noticed that there was a slight tint of red on his cheeks which made you double-take just to make sure. Never would you have guessed that he was capable of being so devastatingly adorable that it made you bite back a smile. "You... Take notice of me?" you asked, slowly becoming braver due to your curiosity about him. Junghoon glanced back at you only to see you looking at him with eyes that made his heart skip a beat and a lump form in his throat. He nodded slowly at your question, however, "Kind of," lies, he DEFINITELY notice how you always sit in the middle of the row and on the right side of the room in your hakwon classroom. He DEFINITELY noticed the fact that you don't usually snack on your way to hakwon but you would sometimes swing by the convenience store to get your favourite drink and no matter the weather or day, you would more often than not drink the same thing. He DEFINITELY noticed how you're just a naturally kind person, always considerate of others without even having to try. Yeah, he didn't 'kind of' notice you.

At the revelation that he might have (definitely) noticed you, you couldn't help but stand a little taller and took a half step closer to him. Your initial embarrassment and need to evade him were completely gone and your love of taking the bus was renewed.

Moreover, Junghoon leaned even closer to you and let you slightly rest your weight on his arm, he was trying to be as discreet as possible but you couldn't help but notice what he was doing. Knowing that the both of you were still slightly awkward slightly with each other, you decided to not point it out and just enjoy the closeness with him.

"D-do you think I can accompany you to the bus stop after hakwon?" he asked in a soft voice.

Yeah, bus stops are great. People who said otherwise don't know what they were talking about.

network :

permalist :

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@cultofdionysusnet @kflixnet

[freeuselandonorris]

hello freeuselandonorris! i’ve asked you for writing advice/ideas a couple of times (POV decisions and something in Nov, can’t remember exactly what it was), and i find your advice so helpful (/srs) so i hope it’s not annoying i’m asking again lol.

i find i can only write when i have extreme motivation, like an idea literally possesses my brain and the words almost write themselves - gonna out myself here, the last thing i wrote was the water inflation fic i appropriated from you; it just took over my mind and i wrote/edited it in like two days (though the speed is for sure because the entire plot was essentially your idea lol).

basically, i have lots of ideas but it’s hard for me to actually think of scenes in specific, and then i just end up not writing at all. do you have a method for coming up with a progression of a specific scene?

i am doing a horrible job of explaining my q lol so for example, my current wip involves interview panels/youtube collabs etc, but i’m finding it hard to write those because it’s so different from anything i’ve tried writing before. what do you do in those kinds of cases?

sorry for the ramble and if this makes no sense, love u 😭

hiiii lovely anon (or semi-anon lmao) you are not annoying in the SLIGHTEST, i love talking about stuff like this and it makes me really fucking happy to know that my self-indulgent rambling about writing is occasionally helpful to read ❤️

SO. i have two pieces of advice on this one, speaking from my own experience because for a very long time i was also like this and would write in fits and starts and felt very like i had to ~wait for the muses to bless me~. it’s actually something i was taught at a writing course i took years ago now and it sounds so blah and obvious when you first read it but if you stick with it, it works. BRIEF DAILY SESSIONS.

aka, you write a tiny little bit every day. if you can’t commit to every day, say five days a week (but every day is better). i do NOT mean write 1000 words a day or spend three hours doing it or freak yourself out or beat yourself up or abandon your social life or your responsibilities! the idea is you just pick a time that feels feasible (i started off with 15 minutes a day and i think this works well) and you commit to doing that every day. it doesn’t have to be anything good. it can be 15 minutes of you describing lando’s eyelashes in minute detail. it can be 15 minutes of notes for a plotline. it can be 15 minutes of dialogue you KNOW is shit and wooden and will be getting deleted the minute you get to the edit stage. doesn’t matter. just do your 15 minutes.

what this does is it breaks the hold your brain has on this idea of “oh no i have to be INSPIRED before i can possibly think of writing”. at my course they compared it to musicians practising scales, or athletes doing training. we could think of it like drivers doing their sim runs. they don’t just turn up on a race weekend and expect to be great, they have to keep their eye in.

side note: it’ll feel horrible at first, you’ll hate it and resent it and everything you write will feel awful. stick with it. if you miss a day, it doesn’t matter, you haven’t failed, just start again tomorrow. if you miss a week, you haven’t failed, start again tomorrow.

this is more of a long-term thing, so for your specific piece and the issue you mention about progressing a scene, the way i get around this is to start by writing the bit(s) i CAN imagine. so for instance here, you’d write one interview scene, or one youtube collab scene. even if it’s just a little bit of dialogue, or a couple of paragraphs of like, oh i can see oscar rolling his eyes and lando sees it and gets annoyed but he can’t say anything because there are cameras on them… or whatever. just write that bit. then leave a blank space in the gdoc and write the next bit. don’t worry about the order or anything.

once you’ve written all the little bits you can think of, read them through and you might be able to see links between them, like — oh that bit could follow on from this bit up here, or these two bits could kind of go together. reorganise stuff a bit, chop it up, get rid of anything that doesn’t work (copy it into another document called ‘cutting room floor’ if you don’t want to fully get rid).

THEN write yourself some notes. go through your bits and bobs and in between them, just write stuff like [SOMEHOW THEY GET FROM THE FILMING TO THE HOTEL ROOM???]. don’t just write [SOMETHING HAPPENS HERE], you need to give yourself little breadcrumbs to follow. so like there you go, okay, so they need to be in a car or a lift or some sort of transitional space (you see these crop up a lot in my fics — lifts, hallways in hotels, the backs of taxis). or if they’ve started off talking about one thing and you want them talking about this other thing by the end of the scene, write [THEY CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT LUNCH UNTIL IT GETS AWKWARD AND THEN THEY SOMEHOW END UP TALKING ABOUT OSCAR’S CHILDHOOD]. okay, so it got awkward. how did it get awkward? write that bit. what happens after it’s awkward? does lando double down or try to gloss over it? write that bit. how does oscar react to that? write that bit. etc.

in essence, don’t try to see the entire thing at once because you’ll paralyse yourself. give yourself a direction to aim in, and a place to start, and then just focus on the next bit until you get from A to B.

and if all else fails, find a nice pithy line to end the scene on, use an asterisk scene break and start again somewhere else 🤷

SORRY THIS IS SO LONG i really hope i didn’t bore the hell out of everyone afkjeskfjkldsj but yes THANK YOU AGAIN and i hope this is useful in some way!! you can do it i know ittttt

[psylunari]

Even more AO3 tips and tricks by psyluna

Here’s another collection of tips for AO3 users. The first post is here. You can skip to the section you want to read, it’s not sequential. In order, you’ll find tips for: 1) Posting and formatting; 2) Filters; 3) Site skins; 4) Popular tag meanings; and 5) A few Alternate Universes (AUs). The last section is more fic-related than AO3-related. Enjoy!

PDF version here.

♥ Posting and formatting ♥

You can save a story or chapter draft. AO3 keeps it for up to 30 days if not published.

AO3 does not automatically save what you write on the chapter text box. You have to press “Save as draft” for that. If your browser crashes or refreshes, or just about anything happens, it is gone. It’s highly unadvisable to write fic directly in that text box. The website tells you that all the time, but so will I: always keep a copy (or two, or three) of your work.

You can backdate a story if it was originally posted years ago. You cannot date your story for a future day, though.

Queuing chapters for automatic posting is still unavailable as of 2022-11-13.

Changing the posting date to “today” without any changes or updates is considered rude and unnecessary. People will search via tags and pairings anyway, and some won’t even check the most recent, especially in big fandoms.

There might be formatting issues copying text from Google Docs and pasting on AO3, even with the Rich Text option. Here is a fix. Follow the instructions and you’re good to go.

Also from Google Docs: sometimes, copying and pasting directly will add extra blank paragraphs on your chapter. One fix is to add spaces between paragraphs on the Docs file. Select your whole text, click the “Line and Paragraph Spacing” option on the toolbar, click “Add space between paragraphs”. Copy the chapter, paste on AO3.

Here’s another way to fix the undesired blank paragraphs.

Posting “works” that go “help me find this fic, I forgot the name” is a violation of the Terms of Service. Help requests are not fanworks, and AO3 doesn’t archive those. Do not post them, and you can report them if you ever come across one.

Not all works with low/no word count are against the Terms of Service. Some are fanart, podfics, or chatfics coded with CSS. Yes, you can post those on AO3.

♥ Filters ♥

Filtering in the tags you want is already effective, but so is filtering out. Set the “Include” and “Exclude” options on your filters for the results you want.

Type otp: true on the “Search within results” box if you’re looking for fics with only one pairing. Useful for rarepair readers and excluding ships written as background couples.

If your fic is on hiatus/discontinued, don’t mark as complete. Adding [on hiatus] or [discontinued] to the title/summary is better

Having trouble with multifandom one-shot collections clogging the search? You can skip some by excluding crossovers.

Sorting by kudos gives you an okay lead, if you’re new to a fandom and don’t know what to read. However, kudos count isn’t a quality meter, it’s a popularity meter. Some fandoms have juggernaut ships taking over 50% or more of the fanworks, and other pairings lean on the ignored side. Others are written divinely, but are unlucky, unknown, or just niche.

Alternatively, sort by bookmarks to find fics with returning readers.

♥ Site skins ♥

There are four official site skins: Default (white/red), Low Vision Default (white/red with increased font size), Reversi (dark mode), and Snow Blue (white/blue). You can change easily to one of them via the “Customize” section on the bottom left of the page.

There are many public skins available to use and/or modify. Go to your Dashboard → Skins → Public Site Skins to check out the options.

There are even more skins posted as works (yes, you can also post those). Copy the CSS, “create” a skin, paste on the text box, save, and apply, no coding required.

If you’re well-versed in CSS, you can make your own skin or modify a preexisting one. It’s a pain if, like me, you have no idea what you’re doing, but doable with time and patience.

When trying to create a skin, some preexisting CSS will not conflict with others, so you can mash them together no problem.

I highly recommend using Notepad++ for editing CSS.

♥ Popular tag meanings ♥

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat: “what it says on the tin”. If there is a tag for [thing], you’re going to find [thing] in the fic. Usually found in fics with controversial content, but not restricted to them. Serves to reiterate taking the tags seriously. More on Fanlore.

No Beta We Die Like Men: “fic posted without beta reading”. Might have variations, replacing “men” with the name of a character who dies, or something else like “no beta we die like my grades”. More on Fanlore.

Character Study: “work exploring a character in-depth. More on Fanlore.

Canon Compliant: “agrees and follows canon”. More on Fanlore.

Canon Divergence: “disagrees with/diverges from canon”. More on Fanlore.

Fix-It: “tries to repair ‘damage’ done by canon content”. More on Fanlore.

Aged-Up Character(s): “character(s) are depicted as older”. More on Fanlore.

Slow Burn: “fic with slow development, usually romantic”. More on Fanlore.

Hurt/Comfort: “a character is in pain or emotional distress, while another character takes care of them”. More on Fanlore.

Found Family, aka Family of Choice: “two or more characters treat and/or consider each other as family, even if not blood-related”. More on Fanlore.

Bunny Farm Escapee: “a plot bunny the writer has tried to contain from becoming a fleshed-out fic, but couldn’t, and this is the result”.

Long Live Feedback Comment Project: refers to the Long Live Feedback initiative.

♥ A few Alternate Universes (AUs) ♥

Check this list for many more!

Soulmate: two or more characters are connected or fated to meet. The nature of that connection varies, from having the same birthmarks to hearing the other person’s thoughts. They might be a perfect match, or just forced to be a pair by chance. In some stories, bad things could happen to them, or the world, if they don’t get together.

Coffee Shop: characters work in a coffee shop and/or are regulars there.

Omegaverse: characters have different biology from regular humans. Your mileage may vary as to how different, but in summary, there are three subcategories (alpha, beta, omega). They involve some “canine-like” things, like being in heat, even cisgender men.

No Powers: characters who have powers in canon don’t have them here.

All Human: characters who are non-human in canon are human here.

Flower Shop & Tattoo Shop: characters work on one or the other in nearby shops.

Wrong Number: characters meet by texting or calling the wrong number.

Fake Dating: characters pretend to be in a relationship.

Hanahaki Disease: one or more characters are affected with a disease that makes them cough flowers when in love with someone. Usually, they’ll be cured if their object of affection reciprocates their feelings. If they’re unrequited, they might die by suffocation, or undergo surgery to remove the source of the flowers, blocking them from ever loving again.

Pen Pal: characters meet and/or talk by exchanging letters.

Opposite: characters’ personalities and/or backstories are swapped.

Reverse: characters change roles, like heroes to villains and the other way round.

Hope you’ve learned something new! See ya.

[rayclubs]

Hey I was just wondering, so you have any tips for pacing when you’re writing your fics? I only ask because I’m having a bit of trouble with it at the moment, and you never seem to linger too long or gloss over things too quickly in yours. Anyway that’s all, hope you’re having a great day!

Yeah! I mean, I'm sure as hell no expert on pacing, god knows I struggle with it A LOT, but I feel like I've learned some things over the years that I can share, and then maybe it'll help somebody!

The advice I've seen a lot in variations is "always have everything planned". Every scene has to make sense. Every bit has to contribute. Every line needs to be important. Always have an ending in mind. Yadda yadda yadda. Well, I'm some type of neurodivergent and I really can't do that at all, I rarely have any more than a setup, a bit in the middle, and a vague idea of a fade-out 90s song ending - if not less.

The way I go around this is: if you don't know how to write a scene, don't write it.

Characters are at Point A, but I need them to travel to Point B. The scene of them traveling is a goddamn pain in the ass. How do I write it? I don't. I say "At Point B, they-" and continue the story.

Another good trick is to remember that you are writing in a non-linear space, meaning you can skip over things and then come back.

Sometimes when two things don't work one after the other, I swap them and see what happens. Sometimes I combine them - like, in the last chapter of Blank Slate, I was supposed to write Heavy meet Pyro, the Scout, but I thought Pyro and Scout at the same time would be more exciting. Dunno if it worked as intended, but I like it better.

Setup and payoff is also good. When you introduce something - that's setup. When that thing resolves - that's payoff. Thespace between them is like a circle, the setup and payoff are giving your text a li'l hug. For a good example of this see my fic Close Call, it's packed with these. For a simpler example see Speak Up, it's got like three or four circle, like a matreshka. I can do a detailed breakdown sometime but it feels kind of obnoxious, I'm a bit, uh, shy about my writing.

Another thing I love is using sentence length to communicate scene energy. Short sentences for action, long structures for instrospection. Long to short for sudden stops and accents, short to long for scene transitions and timeskips. Also, intersperse long dialogues with action blocks to create smaller sections with more contained dialogue topics that are easier to follow.

Cutting useless dialogue is always good. I like to say a line is no good if you can't tell who's saying it without a dialogue tag, but you can't always follow that rule. Still. Good to keep in your head.

Dialogue order, too! If Character A and Character B are talking, and A is saying a line in Paragraph 1, A's next line will be on Paragraph 3. If you have A's line on 1, B's line on 2, action on 3 - well, you can't put A's on 4, you need another action on 4 so A lands on 5. I hope this makes sense. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll go more in detail. I try to always follow this rule, at least within one scene, sometimes across scenes - it really helps cutting out unnecessary dialogue tags that clutter the text.

I think I do this thing where I overexplain everything. Honestly still not sure if the dialogue between Spy and Sniper near the end of Close Call was obvious to everybody or so obscured in round-about hints that nobody got it. But it's fine! Generally I think you want to have your audience figure some things out, I think. Not restate the same clever plot point many times beause you fear people won't get it. Just say it once and pray to god. It takes some major balls tho, if I'm being fully honest.

This is getting long so I'm gonna close with: write what you're excited to write! If you're not excited about writing a scene, don't think "How am I going to write this?", think "How am I going to avoid writing this?". Kill the first draft servant in your brain, it's only malicious non-compliance from here onward.

[castielsprostate]

WAIT WAIT WAIT.!!!! so edward bakes cakes and treats for garth right??? do you think garth makes edward like, blood pudding or something?????????????????? like in a heartshape????????/

OH MY GOD YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!! do. do you think it's.. it's his own blood? like he just. hes a dentist, he has tools. i can probably draw blood, right? what if he made it with his own blood 🥺🥺🥺

my immediate thought is the concept of the taylor swift blank space cake!!!!! but he fills it with his own blood pudding🥺🥺🥺

And the thing is, Garth loved to bake and cook. He was very specific and particular in the ingredients he used, he had often spent hours researching what the best sorts of flour were for different types of bread, cakes and cookies or what different types of sugar do. When his college girlfriend, Bess, had gone through his laptop's internet search history she was fully prepared to find porn- not cooking websites.

Each site was a different recipe, ranging from simple toast dishes to salmon wellingtons and blueberry lemon key pies, mentioning spices she'd never even heard of and cooking utensils she'd never even seen. Bess had known Garth could cook, experienced it herself even, but this, this was beyond her imagination- especially considering the 74 tabs of recipes open in his browser.

(read more because this got. LONG)

So yes, Garth loved to cook- and bake. It was his main love language, even, one which he practiced with such care and consideration he'd often tune recipes to those he was cooking for. Like Bess' favourite pasta dish, a light lemon chicken with a hefty white alfredo sauce and spinach, he'd make for her birthday or Dean's favourite pie, crumbly and juicy apple with a hint of honey and vanilla, he'd always give as a thank you.

But those were all humans, well, mostly humans. Even after Bess had turned, she could never turn down her favourite pasta prepared exactly to her tastes. So rather, he had never made anything for anyone non-human that he hadn't known before- though Benny had eaten a piece of the cherry blossom pie that one time- he'd also been quick to expel it again.

But in walked Edward. All shrouded in mystery and . So Garth needed a peculiar dish for a very, very peculiar man. A superfluous challenge but man, did Garth love a challenge.

He plucked a few books he thought could prove useful from the modest shelf in his living room. Most of them were copies of Bobby's, hand bound on weekends he could squeeze it in during his dental program. Two of the books he grabbed had come from Carlisle Cullen, one of Garth's attendants during his residency rotations.

He waddled his way back into the kitchen, dropping the books onto the small island counters. Garth had some basic knowledge on vampires, for one that they could eat human food, but they'd have to expel it, mostly willingly as Benny had said. Other than that, he had come up empty.

He started to flip pages, indexing to the 'vampire' chapters. Much was the same, basic anatomical facts, how to kill a vamp, the weaknesses and strengths, but nothing useful. Sure, there were paragraphs filled with how a vampire feeds and drains- not nothing about how a vampire eats.

What started as a simple research sesh, had quickly turned into hours of dead ends and loose threads. Garth groaned, a headache blooming at his edges. He needed help. He needed someone with a greater arsenal of lore anyone's ever known and knew exactly where to find it in and instant. Someone that would leave no stone unturned and no leaf thoroughly examined- and he knew exactly who to call.

With a sigh hanging at the tip of his tongue he pressed the number saved under '🩸📚🤪🔪🫎', impatiently waiting as the ringing filled his kitchen, tapping his fingers on the wooden table.

It took three full rings before,

"Hey, Garth- why are you calling at... eleven AM?" the man that answered on the other side sounded a little far away, both physically and mentally, the sound of something Garth couldn't immediately make out was ringing in the background.

"Hiya Sam!" Garth chirped, despite his earlier annoyance it felt good to hear Sam's voice again, it'd been too long, really, "I was researching, er, something but I couldn't find anything conclusive,"

"Uhm, give me a moment-" Garth couldn't really make out the rest from what Sam was saying, the only bits being 'I told you to not-' also 'no, Dean-" and "he set the kitchen- fire-". Most of it was unintelligible, but he could fill in the blanks easily enough.

Garth skimmed some more of the pages he'd pulled out as the grumbling on the other side continued

"Okay, what do you need exactly?" the background noise had mostly faded, replaced by the occasional soft footstep of what Garth assumed to be Sam's.

"I'm-" Garth paused. He hadn't actually thought this far ahead, he hadn't even really thought this through at all when the realisation of what he was doing hit.

He was calling Sam Winchester, a fellow hunter not known for his kindness towards monsters and a disturbingly impressive kill count, on what a vampire would be able to eat.

Love made blind, or something like that.

"Garth?" Sam's voice boomed, "are you still there?"

Another beat of silence before a meek "yes," sounded with an added, "I'm just- figuring out how to word this without it sounding, hm, weird?"

"Hit me, I've heard worse,"

"Alright," Garth sighed, quickly tacking on, "what do you know about vampires and eating human food?"

Garth had predicted a silence, a long, achingly pressing beat of silence to befall upon them as Sam Winchester would study his words and grind them to a pulp in his head trying to make any sort of sense out of it.

He hadn't predicted the immediate hostility of, "Garth-" there was fight laced in Sam's tone, a cold lilt edging along.

"Sam, I- please? He's- he's a good one, and you know I can handle myself," Garth was rambling, his arms flailing, "and truthfully, I was skeptical at first as well but-" Garth hesitated, his heart pounding in his throat as the other side was deathly silent, "it's just a thank you, Sam,"

It was silent for a second too long, Garth felt his neck heating, his cheeks burning before a loud and loaded sigh rung through the air.

"Right, so," Sam grumbled, the slices of pages turning filling the dead air, "it says here- hold on-" a rattle and a fuss later, the man sighed, "right, vampires can usually hold their food, it gets rejected later, blah blah, hm- alright, it says here that 'if it's interlaced with blood the vamp will be able to hold it down and process it like regular blood'- there's nothing else except a few doodles of vampires eating,"

Garth nodded absentmindedly, knowing full well Sam wasn't able to see him, as he mulled over the words.

"So, I just- add blood? How much of it?"

Sam huffed a laugh, "This isn't a cookbook, man, I don't have measurements for you,"

"Okie dokie," Garth rubbed his temples between his thumb and index fingers, "well, thank you, Sam, I think I can actually get somewhere now,"

"Call us if- you know, just call us, yeah?"

"I will, tomorrow," Garth quickly added, "don't breathe a word of this to Dean,"

Sam was slow to agree, but did so in the end, something Garth was incredibly grateful for. He didn't need Dean to pester him about this or worse- show up and 'handle it' himself.

They gave their farewells, with a promise on Garth's end to call to say he was either alive or a cry for help, and a promise for Sam to keep quiet to his brother.

Garth allowed himself a moment of silence, staring at the books and papers in front of him before scooting his chair back and scavenging his home for whatever he had. He had needles around somewhere to practice injecting anesthetic to his dental patients, and he should have some sort of a tube to connect to it.

He grabbed some other things during his hunt, some bandages and a few vials, alcohol. The basics. His heart thumped in his throat as he put everything down on the counter, ranked from first to last needed.

He was doing this. Actually, really doing this. Garth gingerly grabbed the needle, denying himself the second thoughts niggling at the back of his mind, hissing as he slid it under his skin and into his brachial artery.

He drew three vials, filled to the brim with his blood.

He took a deep breath, setting them down next to the flour and sugar, and went to work. Carefully writing each step of the 'recipe' he winged down, next to every precisely weighed ingredient and where to acquire it.

His night went on with adrenaline buzzing in his veins.

Garth let out a grunt, wiping his forehead with a satisfied smirk lining the quirks of his mouth. The kitchen was surprisingly spotless- cleaning up along the way really was one of his most prized skills.

The sweet he baked sat proudly on the counter as he snapped a quick picture to send in the groupchat, and one for his baking Instagram, and one to print out for his booklet of personalised recipes he'd collected over the years.

With a sigh he began to clean the last out of place pans, carefully placing the cake in the refrigerator and wiping down the counters one last time before retreating upstairs.

It was morning, Garth thought it was at least, meaning he powered through the night without a second thought, and Edward wouldn't be over for another solid few hours.

So he took a nap, a well deserved and very much needed nap.

"I made you something," Garth fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve, "I researched a bit, even called someone with more knowledge about it,"

Edward eyed the man in front of him, how his jumper had a spot of white dust clinging to it, how his hair was slightly disheveled and unruly and how the rims around his fingernails were puffy and pink. He looked homely, utterly exhausted, but oh so sweet- like a drop of fresh honeydew, intoxicatingly addictive.

"It's," Garth gestured towards the small kitchen table, just below the south baywindow. He'd gotten some fresh flowers from his garden after his nap, lavenders- Edward's favourite- and even replaced the runner with a lilac floral trim white one, matching the colours of the vase, "not much, really, but I wanted to, well,"

A simple white cake sat atop a cutting board, heart shaped with perfectly imperfect piping lining the top and bottom edges. A black hilted knife laid next to it, glinting under the LED light kitchen light.

Garth pulled the hem of his jumper, the details that felt out of place sticking out like a sore thumb.

But Edward didn't seem to care about the creased table cloth, or the skewed chairs- his gaze was steadfast on the man in front of him, making Garth squirm.

"Go ahead,"

Edward took it as permission, almost, and grabbed the knife, raising it slowly, then down all at once, Garth's reflection getting caught as the knife plunged deep into the cake. You couldn't see it immediately, but you'd know- the scent of iron penetrating your very being as the thick, dark liquid oozed out little by little.

Garth really regretted putting down a white runner now.

"Is it- I didn't know where to get blood on short notice," Garth bit back his embarrassment, barely, as he replayed the events of the night before. Researching, calling Sam of all people, drawing his own blood like a sacrament. Was he losing it, he wondered, ghosting his fingers over his arm.

Edward's expression was unreadable, his eyes trailing the drips of blood. Garth bobbed on the balls of his feet, his fingernails softly digging into jis flesh as he carefully watched the vampire's every little twitch and stir. The crease on Edward's forehead smoothed over ever so slightly, barely a hint of it happening if it wasn't for the few millimetres his eyebrow dropped.

"Thank you," Edward said, the quirk of his mouth ticking up, "you don't comprehend what you just gave me,"

And that's when Garth Fitzgerald IV, a shoddy half edged werewolf, knew that he would give anything for and to Edward Cullen, a bloodthirsty, ice cold vampire. His home, his blood- his own heart freshly carved out of his brittle chest by his own hands and serve it on a platter.

[unofficialadamtaurus]

FINALLY HAVE TIME TO READ AGAIN LETS FUCKING GO EPILOGUE!!

holy SHIT you weren’t kidding when you said this one was all about the vibes! Which is like my absolute FAVORITE thing about your work. legit the first paragraph already had me like 🫨 and I AM FUCKING LIVING for all the details that just add more to Adam. it is EVERYTHING!!

the whole description of mine #9 is amazing!! the sounds, the lighting, the weather, the state it’s in??? for real you just have this way with presenting a scene and setting that is 😩 SO GOOD.

His palms twinged and he gingerly tugged off his gloves. On his palms, up his fingers, and even across the backs of his hands lingered silvery bands of scar tissue from that foolish attempt to escape. He couldn't even remember the reason for the argument with his parents that had prompted him to run; he only remembered the pain in his hands and his father yanking him down to cover moments before a spotlight swept over where he had been. He remembered, too, his mother cleaning and wrapping his wounds with tears shining in her eyes.

GODDAMN first memory in and I’m already emotional. that memory is so fucking poignant

“Come," he told the wolves, and though his voice shook his will did not.

THAT IS FUCKING HYPE

And seriously I gotta it again because holy SHIT I LIVE for how everything is presented

THIS PART ESPECIALLY

He turned from the main path onto the smaller one splitting between the faunus dorms. He paused at the second building on the left. Its back half had collapsed, but the doorway remained—though the door itself hung crooked on its hinges and had gotten stuck in the ground.

If he looked, and he could not bring himself to do so, he'd find a series of scratches in the metal frame, each one labeled with initials. His height, the heights of other children who had grown up and died here.

He closed his eyes. Beneath the wind, there were echoes: conversations too distant to remember more than the hum of voices, sharp peals of laughter, and encouragement for the weary.

When all of that resolved into a sharp shout to get back to work, Adam opened his eyes. His gaze dropped automatically to the scratches and for the first time he saw that three of the height markings formed a distinct symbol, disguised amid the rest.

JFC LEGIT one of my favorite moments in HP right there. oh my god it is constant gut punches reading this part, and the mix of describing his memories and the scenery is v well done!

The woman hadn't realized Adam was listening. She probably would have regretted putting the idea in his head if she had. Gods knew she would regret what he became.

GOD MY FUCKING CHEST HURTS

"I'd ask forgiveness," he told the roses, "but I think I've done the unforgiveable."

UGHH god that line but also THEY’RE ROSES. THE FLOWERS SHE GREW WERE FUCKING ROSES I-😭

These roses were only out of control because he, in his cowardice, had refused to return. The least he could do was bleed as he made his apology.

STOOOPPPPP IT GUY. HE IS SOOOOO IWBZSUWBVSUBWBWKB

He traced those names with his fingers. The stonemason he'd commissioned had looked at him with such pity when he made his request. The first names without last names, the blank spaces, the names he knew he hadn't recalled correctly, every single one a story cut short.

This was a flawed memorial. It was also the only one he had. His attempts to track down records, personnel lists, company documentation—all had ended in failure. No one had bothered keeping a record of the faunus who had lived and died here. Their ghosts were his and his alone.

GODDD. Like I just know he carried that the whole time. How he went searching for info. In every mission, every win or loss in the WF ughh 🤧

His sorrow and nostalgia here are so heart wrenching. Just how and what he lost is really put into detail and it fucking HURTS. and he still wants to do good, and he now fully believes he CAN now 😭😭

My guy I fuckin' salute you for making it all the way through to the end and giving me these top-tier reactions the whole time. The fact that the vibes in the epilogue came through crystal-clear to you puts a huge smile on my face.

It was very satisfying for me to have one chapter at the end of Hollow People to actually give Adam a backstory and - even if it's belated - kind of bring things full circle for him. His history's alluded to throughout the story, you get a pretty good idea of it from the way he acts and thinks, but he's actually kind of a black box...right up until the epilogue. And that's when you can look back and see his perspective so much more clearly (at least when he's not sleep deprived and trying to murder his ex).

It's an ending that I hope leaves you feeling as bittersweet as hopeful.