k-itsmaywriting

[k-itsmaywriting]

here, take my clamouring heart (Loewe/Agate)

Fandom: Sora no Kiseki | The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Relationships: Loewe/Agate Crosner Tags: Canon Compliant, Missing Scene, Enemies to Lovers, Making Out, References major spoilers for Trails in the Sky SC Summary:

Loewe may not have lost this fight, but he certainly didn’t win it either. [Extra scene for Chapter 5 of Trails in the Sky SC]

Read on AO3

#trails in the sky #loewe #agate crosner #leonhardt #lorence belgar #the legend of heroes #loegate #loewe x agate #agate x loewe #achievement unlocked: started a new ship tag on ao3 #i will sail this ship me damn self if i have to !!! #ALSO FIRST FIC OF 2024 LET'S GOOOOOOOOO #if there are typos. i'm sorry. it's 3am and i wrote this in a bit of a frenzy #have a great 2024 #let's get weird about the things we like

[k-itsmaywriting]

But you always wait for me, with that same face (Sucrose-centric)

Relationships: Sucrose & Noelle Tags: Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, One-Shot, Noelle is a Knight of Favonius, Sumeru Akademiya Summary: Sucrose and Noelle take a vacation to Sumeru City. But unbeknownst to Noelle, there is more to this trip than Sucrose is letting on. Written for Spun Sugar Anthology 2023

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The dirt path that crosses over the hills of Sumeru is well-worn, crowded by long lines of carts and Sumpter Beasts that inch towards the entrance of Sumeru City.

The morning air sticks against Sucrose’s skin. And as she looks over the cart to watch the river pass by them, she shifts uncomfortably in her seat and wipes the sweat off the back of her neck. When they had been in Gandharva Ville, the thick canopies of the rainforest was a wonderful source of shade, but out in direct sunlight, there was no helping the heat.

The cart suddenly stops. Sucrose jerks to the side and falls from her seat. “Woah!” she yelps, throwing her hand out to catch herself against the floor–

But a steady hand wraps around her arm - and she no longer needs to.

Read the rest on AO3

#genshin impact #sucrose #genshin impact sucrose #noelle #genshin impact noelle #first fic in 6+ months omg let's gooooooooo #happy birthday to the bb girl

[k-itsmaywriting]

By the remains of that day, we burned (2/2)

Relationships: Kaeya & Jean, Kaeya & Jean & Diluc, Kaeya/Jean Chapter Tags: Grief/Mourning, Pre-Canon, Jean has parental issues, Kaeya has issues, Everybody needs a hug, Sparring in lieu of conversation, Angst with a happy ending Words: 4,567

Part I | Interlude

---

Kaeya is soaked to the bone.

The rain and wind thrash at his face as he runs against it - into his eyes, across the skin of his neck. His coat is heavy on his shoulders as he raises his arm above his head, where the raindrops glow against the surface of his Vision, ice-cold beneath his fingertips. He grips it so tight his hands numb - this gift, this curse, his anchor, and his betrayal.

It is there one moment, gone the next.

Read the rest here

#cw: grief #genshin impact #kaeya alberich #jean gunnhildr #kaejean #genshin impact kaeya #genshin impact jean #i know the last two parts i said platonic kaejean but you know what #i don't know even know about that anymore LMAO #it's a line blurring friendship what can i say #also me??? finishing a multichapter fic??? that's fuckin crazy #once again uploading a fic chapter between 1-2am i'm sorry to my sleep schedule #this may just be the single longest and most artistically challenging chapter i've ever written #BUT I'M SO GLAD I CAN FINALLY POST THIS IT'S BEEN LIKE 11 MONTHS #SINCE I STARTED WRITING THIS???? WOW

[k-itsmaywriting]

limelight (Ayalumi)

Relationships: Kamisato Ayaka/Lumine Tags: High School!AU, Impromptu Hair Cutting, Fluff Words: 963 Summary: Lumine tells Ayaka she’d look cute with a bob, and Ayaka runs downstairs to get her the kitchen scissors

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 “Ayaka, don’t laugh, I’ll cut it off wrong!”

 But Ayaka just can’t stop. Her shoulders shake as she leans forward, face in her hands as she giggles into them, remembering the sound of the kitchen scissors behind her head and the thought of them cutting across the length of her hair. Her tummy is starting to hurt. Or are they butterflies?  

 Lumine is laughing too. Her fingers tremble where they gently hold Ayaka’s hair between them. And where Ayaka looks at the two of them in her vanity mirror, her other hand holds the scissors high and away from her while she rocks about in her chair.

“I can’t,” Ayaka wheezes. “I’m just too excited! I’ve never had my hair so short.”

Read the rest on AO3

#genshin impact #kamisato ayaka #lumine #genshin impact ayaka #genshin impact lumine #ayalumi #it's not a ship oneshot from me unless i'm posting it at 1am #icb i wrote most of this in like an hour #while i was possessed by the yearning spirit of Closer by RM #str8 up blacked out with that song on loop and suddenly this was done #anyway pls enjoy me getting weirdly deep about girls' hair and social expectations and identity or smth

[k-itsmaywriting]

By the remains of that day, we burned (Interlude)

Relationships: Kaeya & Jean, Kaeya & Jean & Diluc Chapter Tags: Jean has parental issues, Kaeya has issues, everybody needs a hug Words: 1,914 Summary: Years ago, Kaeya took Jean to see the stars.

Part I

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Kaeya crept across the old floorboards of the attic. On the toes of his feet he shifted through the thick, humid air of the summer night.

He held his breath as he moved, careful not to make a single sound. For if experience was a teacher, then its lesson was that there was no noise in the night that Adelinde wouldn’t catch, no matter how asleep she seemed.

 And he was not particularly eager to spend his night explaining himself to her.

Read the rest on AO3

#genshin impact #kaeya alberich #jean gunnhildr #kaejean #(platonic) #genshin impact kaeya #genshin impact jean #icb this was meant to be the opening scene of part ii #but then it got so long it was like #I GUESS THIS IS KINDA A CHAPTER OF ITS OWN NOW #classic #happy end of 2022 ie the year i fell down the genshin hole

[k-itsmaywriting]

lean on me

Relationships: Kaeya/Sucrose Tags: Fluff, Comfort, Dating, Allusions to Anxiety, Kaeya needs a hug Words: 3,807 Summary: Sucrose has never seen Sir Kaeya so exhausted.

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Experiment #3

Starshroom glowed for 26 minutes out of soil. Did not restore Lumenstone Adjuvant energy under lab’s lighting conditions. Energy restored only in low light? How low? Or only at low altitude? Oxygen amounts?

Sucrose warily turns from her notes to the carton taking up half her bench. Buried in rocks and soil, the faint blue glow of the starshrooms seeps beneath the lid. She reaches her hand to it and lifts it slightly, quickly counting the number of shrooms left.

Ten. She hopes she won’t have to call in the Honorary Knight to retrieve some more samples for her, with the Chasm in Liyue being so far away. And that’s not even mentioning the potential changes she could make to the ecosystem harvesting so many of them at once. Perhaps it would be a better idea to run the experiments at The Chasm itself.

She sighs to herself.

“Sucrose.”

Sucrose jumps out of her skin, quickly turning in her chair to follow the voice. When she finds white-blonde hair beneath her door frame, she sighs with relief. “Mr Albedo,” she breathes, “Is something the matter?”

He gives her a small, apologetic smile. “Nothing in particular. It’s only that, ah…” He clears his throat. “Captain Kaeya is waiting outside.”

Read the rest on AO3

#genshin impact #kaeya alberich #genshin impact sucrose #kaecrose #kaerose #sukaeya #genshin impact kaeya #kaeya x sucrose #FIRST KAEROSE FIC YEAAAHHH FINALLYYYYYYYY #<3 <3 <3 #i love this ship sm they're so gd CUTE!!!!!

[k-itsmaywriting]

in which diona sneaks into the dawn winery in an attempt to sabotage, and diluc foils her plans by being nice

“Well, well, if it isn’t Little Miss Diona from The Cat’s Tail.”

Diona pounces from the barrel and flips onto the ground. Heart in her throat and bow in her hands, she breathes hard as she steadies her feet. She looks up, and finds, standing at the door to the cellar, a man in a black coat and hair as red as fire.

She hisses, “Diluc.”

Diluc steps across the threshold. His posture is elegant and proper, and his expression mild - as expected of a renowned businessman. How infuriating. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” he says kindly. “I’ve heard lots.”

He walks towards her, and Diona finds herself backing away. Until her back hits another barrel, and Diluc slowly holds out his hand.

Diona swallows. Her eyes dart to his outreached hand, then to the arm that snakes behind his back. She can’t see a weapon, but…

She hugs her bow closer to her chest while she reluctantly shakes his hand. She might hate it, but her daddy always taught her manners.

Diluc takes a step away when he draws back his hand. And Diona asks, “How did you know my name?”

Diluc hums. “Well, some of my patrons at the Angel’s Share like to enjoy the occasional drink from The Cat’s Tail too. And they have much to say about the talents of their youngest bartender, especially relating to her one-of-a-kind cocktails.”

Diona grumbles. Talents, they say. She’d much rather they hate her drinks so much that they never touch alcohol again. Ugh, so much for that.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” asks Diluc. “I was just about to head home after checking on some things here, but I’m sure Adelinde wouldn’t mind a last-minute guest.”

Diona reels, scowling at him as if he’d just slapped her. “Dinner? With you?!” She scoffs, crossing her arms. “Why would I ever–”

Her stomach roars.

It’s an uncomfortable sound, squelchy, and Diona is sure that Diluc heard it too. Her cheeks burn with humiliation.

“You must be hungry from the long journey from Mondstadt,” he says. A note of amusement colours his voice as he steps aside. “Come now, I’ll show you the way to the dining room.”

#genshin impact #genshin impact diona #diluc ragnvindr #genshin impact diluc #a small thingy cross posted from my twitter #that i may or may not complete but just in case i don't HERE IS SOMETHING🤣 #written bc i just find something so delightful in diluc- #ie genshin's batman #accidentally adopting a 12 y/o bartender catgirl who sees him as her ultimate nemesis #and he's just like *shrug* being 12 is just Like That

[k-itsmaywriting]

Pro Tip: The Way You End a Sentence Matters

Here is a quick and dirty writing tip that will strengthen your writing.

In English, the word at the end of a sentence carries more weight or emphasis than the rest of the sentence. You can use that to your advantage in modifying tone.

Consider:

In the end, what you said didn't matter.

It didn't matter what you said in the end.

In the end, it didn't matter what you said.

Do you pick up the subtle differences in meaning between these three sentences?

The first one feels a little angry, doesn't it? And the third one feels a little softer? There's a gulf of meaning between "what you said didn't matter" (it's not important!) and "it didn't matter what you said" (the end result would've never changed).

Let's try it again:

When her mother died, she couldn't even cry.

She couldn't even cry when her mother died.

That first example seems to kind of side with her, right? Whereas the second example seems to hold a little bit of judgment or accusation? The first phrase kind of seems to suggest that she was so sad she couldn't cry, whereas the second kind of seems to suggest that she's not sad and that's the problem.

The effect is super subtle and very hard to put into words, but you'll feel it when you're reading something. Changing up the order of your sentences to shift the focus can have a huge effect on tone even when the exact same words are used.

In linguistics, this is referred to as "end focus," and it's a nightmare for ESL students because it's so subtle and hard to explain. But a lot goes into it, and it's a tool worth keeping in your pocket if you're a creative writer or someone otherwise trying to create a specific effect with your words :)

#writing advice

[k-itsmaywriting]

An album about Shirayuki and her friends’ daily lives in Lilias

1.  0714 - Breakfast with Ryuu

2. 0957 - Suzu in the Pharmacy

3. 1424 - Yuzuri in the Greenhouse

4. 1731 - Obi Under the Lanterns

5. 0126 - Shirayuki in the Library

#akagami no shirayukihime #akagami no shirayuki hime #snow white with the red hair #mei writes music #it was so nostalgic listening to all of these #they were all written 2019-2020 #i hadn't uploaded this til now bc there was supposed to be another track btwn obi and shirayuki #but it was unfortunately never completed😭 #but i thought it'd be a shame for the rest of them to never be heard together so #here it is!!! #i hope u all enjoy it <3 #update: i just realised this is my 200th post on this blog WOW THE SYMBOLISM

[k-itsmaywriting]

An arrangement of the first half of The Meeting: A Day of Destiny from the AnS OST :)

Score

#akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #akagami no shirayuki hime #obiyuki #mei writes music #(not really bc it's an arrangement ASDLKJNK) #but #the entire meeting series from the soundtrack is my fav #and i wondered how the soundtrack (which i think of as Her soundtrack) would change #as she grew up and matured in the north #and obi officially becoming a knight #:')

[k-itsmaywriting]

twt threadfic

kaeya spotting vera’s melancholy on jean’s desk when he finds her asleep in her office. she has a hardback copy of it - worn and loved, read so many times some of the pages are starting to come loose from the spine. it’s an old favourite of hers.

he’s read it before, years ago. he was curious about the story and what drew jean to it so much. he carried it around with him so that she could approach him about it if she wanted, but she never did.

doesn’t mean he didn’t find her noticing it though.

her eyes flitted to the cover and lit up. at least, before she remembered a gunnhildr has no time for hobbies and shuttered away.

but kaeya wanted her to know he understood her. knew what it was like to yearn for a life not meant for them.

he knew her like the back of his hand.

she knows him like the back of her hand.

she knows it was him who threw that surprise party for her. that it was he who took her work out of her hands when she needed it - got it all done with the help of the knights no matter how much she insisted she could do it herself.

so when he shows up at her office one night, mere hours before sunrise, to report sightings of an alarmingly large hilichurl camp at cape oath…

she knows he’s lying. it’s crafted too perfectly - urgent enough to get her on her feet but not enough to make her worry.

but she knows that for kaeya, to lie is to protect. what exactly he’s protecting now, she can’t quite put her finger on.

but she trusts him nonetheless, and lets him lead her all the way to cape oath.

he shows her the most beautiful sunrise she’s ever seen.

coming over the horizon, the sun washes the world with golden light, painting the skies and the seas that span past the edges of the world.

and he tells her he loves her.

she doesn’t expect to laugh.

how unfitting of a knight - to laugh at one bearing their heart so openly to her, especially that of her most trusted aide. her confidant. her dear friend.

but it’s hard not to when she’s just so happy. so surprised.

because how could he not know-?

-she loves him too.

(music)

#kaejean #kaeya alberich #jean gunnhildr #kaeya x jean #genshin impact #genshin impact kaeya #genshin impact jean #crossposting to tumblr again weehee #kaejean just make me so 🥲🥲🥲 #THE CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIP THE HISTORY THE SHARED TRAUMA #HRGHHHHH

[k-itsmaywriting]

from a twitter thread i wrote the other week

#genshin impact #kaeya alberich #genshin sucrose #kaerose #kaecrose #kaeya x sucrose #posting this here bc i liked it #they have so much ship potential imo!!!!!! #an A+ jock nerd ship #and if i'm going to be the only one banging my pots and pans in this ship tag then SO BE IT

[k-itsmaywriting]

By the remains of that day, we burned (1/2)

Relationships: Kaeya & Jean, Kaeya & Jean & Diluc Tags: One-sided Jealuc, Pre-Canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grief/Mourning, Funerals, Arguments, Jean has parental issues, Kaeya has issues, everybody needs a hug, two-shot Words: 3,087 Summary: The news of Crepus Ragnvindr’s passing came too quick, too sudden. And oh, the way grief can change a person, Jean would never wish it upon anyone.

------

The rain has poured for days ever since Crepus Ragnvindr died.

On and on, as if Celestia above cried for him, the raindrops pitter-patter against a black cloud of umbrellas, huddled in the mountain clearing.

Surrounding them are the gravestones of the Ragnvindr’s generations of old. Outlines of elegant silhouettes and signatures are carved into the stone, so well-kept that they shine even under the greyest clouds.

Read the rest here

#cw: grief #genshin impact #kaeya alberich #jean gunnhildr #kaejean #(platonic) #genshin impact kaeya #genshin impact jean #i have once again forgotten how many tags tumblr actually puts in searches #also wowie long time no angst :'D

[k-itsmaywriting]

Sad things you can do in a book other than killing of a character

Character death is sad, but it also has huge consequences on your plot that can’t be reversed. Not to mention, depending on your genre, character deaths are often reserved for later in the series as a way of telling the reader that things are getting serious. 

So, until that moment, here’s a quick list of things you can do to tug at your readers emotions: 

1.- Destruction of an item of value. For this to work you’re going to have to set this up early on, it could be a childhood toy they need to sleep at night, a necklace they swear gives them good luck, and old family trinket or any number of things. The important thing is you show just how important it is to the character, make them happy and excited just to talk about it. Later on your character will feel loss and so will the audience. 

2.- Arguing. Two characters with a strong bond arguing can be heartbreaking, even if you know the argument is going to resolve itself eventually, going from cuddles and banter to cold looks and the silent treatment, can easily hurt the audience just as much as the characters. 

3.- Betrayal. When well done, it’s worst than character death. When you as a reader fall head over heels in love with a character, only for them to betray the rest, it’s heartbreaking, especially if when you read back the foreshadowing was there. It was so obvious yet you were all so blind! As blind as the other characters. Also, unlike character death, they’re still there, there to taunt you with their mere existence. 

4.- Failure. We have probably all felt that emptiness, that feeling as the world crumbles around us, haplessness, when we failed an exam in school or just couldn’t get the house clean in time for that visit. Take that feeling and reflect it into your characters, it doesn’t have to be an exam, it can be anything, a task they’re parents asked them to do and they tried their best, a mission, anything. Just let them fail and feel the world crumble. 

5.- Being forced to stay behind. Following from point four, if a character is not good enough they can be left behind, perhaps it comes from a place of love, an attempt to protect them from enemies too strong, yet it still hurts. Perhaps they haven’t failed, perhaps they are left behind for another reason, because they are “too valuable”, or because they’ll be more useful back home. Either way, watching those close to you go of to fight for what you believe in, without you, can be painful. 

6.- Finding out something they believed in was a lie. It can be something relatively insignificant, an assumption they never bothered to question. Or something world shattering. Allow me to offer up an example with an unimportant spoiler from my second book (it’s not even out yet but oh well): in this book, while talking about some law, Henry realises his daughter believes he and her mother were married. This is an assumption Itazu made and never questioned. It affects nothing, nothing changes, yet finding out her mother and her father were not the happy married couple she’d always pictured, it’s painful. 

This could also be something huge, finding out you’re adopted for example. 

7.- History. Oh, history, how depressing it can be. And if you have a fantasy world you have many opportunities to go into this. From slaughters to slavery, finding out how society got to where it is, the base on which it is built. Well, it’s pretty depressing. Obviously be careful how much inspiration you take from real world history and always be respectful and do your research! 

8.- Scarring. An injury can be painful, it can be scary. And depending on what caused it, leave you with traumatising memories. Now add to that a physical visible reminder on your skin you can never remove. Well, that can be pretty horrible. Imagine the scar came from a battle the protagonist longs to forget, but can’t because every night before going to sleep they can’t help but glance at their arm where the nasty scars forever lies. 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

This another post I could probably do a part two on someday. Can you think of any books where any of these are done effectively? Do any of these happen in your owns book? Please tell me! I love hearing from you all. 

#writing advice

[k-itsmaywriting]

When you see this, share 3 random lines from 3 random WIPs

Over the years, Jean had grown up to know this boy. The inquisitive gleam in his eye even when he stood tall and proper, and the slight curl to his smile as if he knew the world’s secrets and all the horrible ways he could reveal them. The conviction he took with every step. The intention he spoke with every word.

The boy that stood in front of her now was not that boy.

---

Kaeya stares at her and oh, how Sucrose longs for crickets. If only to hide away the racing pound of her heart in her ears.

But she will not turn away from him now.

He blinks slowly. “Are you…offering me a hug?”

---

Yamamoto breathes – looks out to the distance with a solemn look so unlike him Hayato wonders if it’s a trick of the mid-afternoon sunlight on his face. The pain he carries must cut deep. An old, jagged thing that scarred his heart forever, never to heal clean.

#so many wips so little time😭😭😭

[k-itsmaywriting]

Thank you to whoever made this cute thing, very helpful. Here’s some advice to anyone who wants it!

#writing advice

[k-itsmaywriting]

A Quick Guide to Varying Sentence Starters

One of the things that really winds me up about my own writing is looking back and seeing a multitude of sentences beginning with “I” or “And” or “But”. I’m a messy first-drafter as it is and I do a lot of line edits, but it’s still takes up a significant portion of my time going back to change things. 

So, I’m here today to share with you the ways I try to vary my sentence starters and some tips and tricks for drafting and edits” 

-.-.-.-

We all know why it’s important to vary your sentence structure, and by extent, your sentence starters. Besides obvious intentional things such as creating tension, or specific mood/tone/atmosphere, we should be aiming to vary how we start sentences to keep the reader engaged and not it being repetitive.

This is especially important if you, like me, write in first person and begin a lot of sentences with things like “I was” or “I am” etc. Or if you have a habit of beginning sentences with characters’ names. But what other options do we have? Here are five general categories that I like to use:

ING WORDS Coughing, she pushed her way through the blaze.  Smiling, he leaned in for a kiss. 

SIMILIES (and other techniques) Like the chattering of a typewriter, their eyes flittered over the group in front.  Sweeping in like a dove, she cut through the awkward conversation.

PREPOSITION (beside, near, with, across, around, out, at, in, etc.)  On the starter’s whistle, I pushed forward.  Under the heavy fog, the streetlamp glowed valiantly 

CONNECTIVE (Because, but, and, despite, after, before, etc.) After he left, I slipped the dagger back into its brace.  But I wasn’t about to give in now.  ED WORDS Distracted, she let the ice cream fall from her hands.  Stunned by his words, they stopped in their tracks. 

.-.-.-.

Obviously you can make these examples much more complex and attuned to your own styles! There are lots of other ways you can vary your sentence openers, these are just what I personally use - so hopefully you can get some use of them! 

.-.-.-.

Hints and Tips!

Use the highlighting treatment! Go through your WIP and focus on your sentence openers. Select a different colour for each category (Blue for She/He/They/I starters, red for ED Words, yellow for ING words, as an example) and use it to help you see where you may need to add some more variation! 

This also is a great exercise to do with a published book you really enjoy or by an author you admire - it’s a great learning experience!

Use a good mix of short, long, and medium sentences! If you find that your writing feels a bit samey or dry, even with varied openers, try changing the structure of the whole sentence itself! 

Experiment and play around with word order and structure - free write for a few minutes every day and try something new! It’s all practice and even if it never sees the light of day in your WIP, it’s still a worthwhile thing to do! 

.-.-.-.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide and/or found it useful!

If you’d like to request a particular guide, please pop into my inbox and leave a request!

#writing advice