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ladykatie512 · 2 years

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hiatus update

so april 18th, huh? it’d be a shame if i didn’t capitalize on this opportunity and start posting and saints again… okay, but in all seriousness that’s exactly what i’m planning on doing. i’m doing a lot better mentally, but these last few months have been an emotional rollercoaster. seriously, i can’t thank all of you enough who reached out.

updates from my last hiatus message: my personal laptop is still whacked but i’ve been getting a ton of mileage out of my work laptop and google docs. that modern au johnny/v fic i mentioned? yeah, it’s a full-blown smutty romance novel sitting at 142k right now and i’d hesitantly say it’s about 85% complete. apparently i’m also planning on posting it because of some lovely people i med on discord. i’ve also already started working on a cyberpunk space heist-type fic thing? I don’t wanna say too much because i think i’m gonna use that idea as my 2022 cyberpunk big bang fic, whenever that happens (because i’m insane and i’m not writing enough already. it’s like thanksgiving; i just keep piling things onto my paper plate hoping it won’t buckle).

i still haven’t touched my vaas fic (i know, i’m horrible), even after the dlc content came out. i loved it, btw. it was everything i could have hoped for and more. that hotel– just– ugh. it was just bad timing on my part, but also november was nanowrimo. i still can’t get over the fact that i sustained writing at least 1k a day from october 30th to december 18th (spiderman came out and i only ended up writing 500ish words that day).

as for the update i know a good portion of you all are reading this for: and saints. okay, here’s the thing, i didn’t start february thinking that bcs season 6 would be out in two months. and, hey, if i was smart and responsible, i would have pulled up and saints sooner and started tinkering with it last month when we got an official release date. yeah, no, i’m not smart. it took the swift kick in the head that was the season 6 trailer dropping and all of you coming out of the woodwork asking how things were and if i had seen the trailer or if i planned on updating and saints for season six– like, yes. yes to all of that. here’s my game plan, okay? i’m splitting chapter 39 into two chapters with three scenes each. so those two plus the next three are all around the same length outline-wise and should end up being around 5-7k words each. for those five chapters, i have collectively already written 23k words. at most, that’s only another 12k i have to write (that’s not even two weeks of writing, compared to what i had been doing. i can do this). i want all five chapters done before i start posting, because i want to do it weekly again (maybe sundays because bcs is supposed to air mondays?). i just can’t give exact dates right now because i cannot post a specific chapter on or around a specific day in april because– i can’t even say without spoiling anything. i’ll start posting again some time in april, okay? after the 5 chapters are written out i’ll see how i feel about the remaining nine (is my math right? 52 total chapters). I mean how awesome would it be if i finished and saints when the show ends, right? lol, no promises though.

below the cut, i have a hard to be a god chapter (we’re skipping a few but it’s a good stand-alone) because i literally have nothing else completed that wouldn’t be spoilery af. enjoy some jealous nacho, and take care of yourselves❤. the world is crazy right now.

TL;DR: i’m still a sad bitch, my laptop is still dead, i wrote 142k words for a modern au cyberpunk fic (like, why, though? who needs that?!), i will start posting and saints again sometime in april, check out a nacho pov scene below the cut.

“Shit, man. Tito wasn’t kidding when he said you did clean work,” Travis looked up at Nacho from where he was leaning over, his head stuck through the front window of the Javelin.

“You like it?” Nacho asked, standing near the wheel well with his arms crossed over his work shirt.

“She looks great, better than new. Thank you,” Travis stood back up and went to shake Nacho’s hand. He couldn’t help but think of the compliment Jade had given him the night previous instead.**

“So, uh,” Nacho cleared his throat as he withdrew his hand from Travis’. “Are you still planning on selling her?”

“Now that I’m seeing her done, I’ll have to think it over— Why?” Travis tore his eyes off the muscle car to give Nacho a sly look. “You thinkin’ about buying?”

“You know,” Nacho scratched at the back of his neck, “my girlfriend really loves your car.”

Travis laughed before he nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’d say.”

“Her birthday’s coming up in February, and honestly, this is the only thing I think she’s truly wanted since I’ve met her.”

“You’re gonna buy her a seventies muscle car for her birthday? Man, that’s gotta be some kind of love,” Travis chuckled before looking across the lot towards the front office. Nacho could practically feel Jade’s eyes on his back and was surprised she hadn’t run outside yet to say goodbye to the vehicle.

“It’s some kind of love,” Nacho repeated with a sigh, his eyes scanning the bright red body of the Javelin.

“Tell you what,” Travis tapped Nacho’s bicep with the back of his knuckles. “I’ll wait a week or two before I put her up for sale. Give you some time to think it over?”

Nacho contemplated the offer for a few seconds. He knew how outrageous it was to even think about buying a nineteen seventy-three AMC Javelin for his soon-to-be twenty-year-old girlfriend. Not even that, but he could only imagine how badly her parents would flip out. “Yeah, okay. I’ll call you when I decide?”

“Sounds good. Say, where is your lady anyway? I thought she’d be all over the car when I picked it up?” Travis asked and looked back towards the office.

“Uh, I think she’s upset,” Nacho shrugged and looked over for himself. The reflection of the cloudy sky on the windows didn’t allow them to see inside the shop.

“Huh, guess so,” Travis sighed, and Nacho looked back at him. If he wasn't mistaken, Travis looked a little disappointed.

“She’d probably come out if you offered her a ride,” Nacho added, despite the twinge of jealousy he felt starting to evolve into something messier, and Travis smiled at him. “Not saying you have to, but she’s been bugging me nonstop for one for almost a week.”

“And you were able to tell her no?”

“Had to, didn’t have a say. You do, though,” Nacho suggested again, trying to get Travis to agree, if only to make Jade happy.

“I’d love to, but, no offense, you don’t seem like the kinda guy to let his girl drive off with another man,” Travis argued. He was correct, and Nacho realized he must have accidentally intimidated the man and dropped his arms to his sides.

“It’s a special circumstance. Maybe if she gets a ride, she’ll get her fill, and I won’t have to dig myself such a financially steep hole,” Nacho tried smiling at the man. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from having a fit of sickly nervous jealousy.

“Maybe,” Travis nodded. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Besides, if she doesn’t come back, I’m not doing something right,” Nacho added in jest, but it only added to the tangle of anxiety and jealousy growing in his gut.

“Cool, man. I’ll go find her. I’ll bring her back in one piece, I swear,” Travis smiled widely at him before turning and heading for the office. Nacho only managed to nod again before he crossed his arms once more over his chest. After a few moments of waiting outside, Nacho wondered if Jade wasn’t in the front at all. Maybe she’d hidden away in the workshop or the storeroom.

Just as the thought crossed his mind that he should go find her for Travis, she burst through the front door.

“Are you serious?” Jade asked him as she did her best to run over in her heels. To Nacho, she looked like a wobbling newborn deer, and he tried to smile at the thought.

“Am I serious—?” Nacho barely got out before Jade’s arms were flung around his neck and her lips crashed into his. Nacho held onto her waist and did his best not to stumble backward from the force of Jade’s enthusiasm. He could taste the strawberry lip gloss Jade had been wearing and felt his heart stutter (a reaction no makeup product had ever given him before).

“You asked Travis to give me a ride? I can go?”

“Yeah,” he answered both of her questions with a single word, and Jade let go of him, stepping out of his reach. Suddenly, with a quiet squeal and her bottom lip between her teeth, her full attention was on the vehicle and Travis.

“Travis, let’s go! Where are we going?” She was already in the passenger seat as Travis reached the driver’s side door.

“I’ll bring her back, I promise,” Travis winked at him before he got into the driver’s seat and immediately started up the loud engine. The gesture made Nacho’s hands tighten into fists. He watched them drive off the lot before he forced himself to turn back for the upholstery shop. He knew he was overreacting, especially when he licked the remnants of Jade’s lip gloss off his lips, which only added to the black knot in his stomach. Even so, Nacho couldn’t help but replay that night over the summer when he’d dropped Corey and Joel off at their apartments. Nacho witnessed how quickly Jade had kissed her ex before jumping into his van, hoping for a quick escape. He couldn’t help but feel he wasn’t far off from boring Jade to that same point where she couldn’t stand to be around him any longer. Their two months of nearly steady dating felt like a miracle in itself.

“Ay, Nacho,” he was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by Sal’s voice. “You okay, ese?”

Nacho only then realized that he’d stopped walking and had been staring at the half-open garage door, lost in his thoughts for an unknown amount of time. Sal was sitting outside on a crate, halfway through a cigarette break. He didn’t remember seeing Sal outside when he had turned around to walk into the shop.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“She’s coming back,” Sal added between puffs of his cigarette. “At the end of the day, it’s only a car, y’know?”

“Right.”

#Nacho Varga #nacho/OC #nachosverde #fanfic #better call saul #bcs season 6 #and saints #michael mando #vaas montenegro #johnny/v #text post #i thought this would be a quick update and i wrote a novel instead #im sorry

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ninjakasuga · 3 years

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Sonally Celebration, Year 3, Day Seven & Eight.

Sonally Celebration Week, Year Three, Day Seven & Eight: Slip & Rest.

Due to work wearing me down some I took day seven off and combined both prompts together since they can work nicely together. I had a blast again this year, and maybe I can muster the drive to get my solo-writing back on track, as well as get back to some hiatus’d RP’s I owe people.

Slip & Rest:

Setting her stylus pen down, Sally’s eyes glanced over the proposal she had finished penning on her tablet device. Once she was satisfied with the outline, and it’s concise word usage, she manually saved the document, and then had it sent to each of the Acorn Council members to go over, and give their input before they agreed on a finalized draft to implement. “Done, and done! Nicole, what's next on the docket for today?”

Materializing from one of the many holographic emitters through the castle, Nicole the Lynx appeared. Sporting a rather nice looking lavender, women's business suit. With the dress shirt under the suit jacket a lovely cream-pink. Hands folded, she smiled at Sally as her eyes closed briefly. “Absolutely nothing else! You’re finished for the day!”

Sally blinked, and looked at the clock at her desk, “How can that be? It’s only two o’clock, I should have more work until four or four-thirty. I could have sworn I had a remaining proposal to look over-.”

With a simple wave of her hand in a dismissive gesture, Nicole interjected politely. “You did, but I delegated it, as I did the rest of your itinerary.”

Flabbergasted, Sally pushed back from her desk, but remained sitting. “W-why?! Why did you do that Nicole? Some of those documents could use my oversight!”

“Yes, but also no. None of them were documents that couldn’t be looked over by the right delegate who is knowledgeable of the topic. They will have to cross your desk again, but for today others can do your work.” Hands now behind her back, Nicole’s smile faded, her expression now mild disappointment, and also full of concern. “You’re starting to overwork yourself again, and above all else, you’re still recovering from your ‘slip’.”

Grimacing, Sally looked down at her right leg, which was in a cast. “I’m sitting down, and off of it-.” “Doctor’s orders were to elevate it as much as possible. You can’t do that at a desk.” The Lynx stated in a firm, chiding manner as she moved closer and eyed the leg in question. “Why aren’t you doing this from bed or a couch at least?”

Sighing, Sally dragged a hand over her face. “Because, I get comfy, and I want to rest, I start to let my mind wander, or get nap-craven…”

An amused expression crossed the cyber-lynx’s face as she steps closer and places a hand on Sally’s shoulder. The nanites in her hologram made her body solid so she could do so. “That’s what you get when you don’t get enough rest. Your body will eventually start to remind you it has needs.”

Whining a little, a rarity from Sally unless she was ‘tired’. “I just have so much to do-.” “You have people to delegate your workload, myself included.” Reminded Nicole with an all-too-familiar tone of playful snark. “Sally this isn’t the war, you don’t need to take the world on your shoulders.”

Running a hand through her hand, Sally sighed again. Deep down she knew Nicole was right, but she had her reasons for being hyper-focused on certain aspects of work. “I know, I know, but after what happened in Spagonia last year, I wanted to hit hard on stemming any further diplomatic issues that have cropped up since-.”

The hand on her shoulder softly squeezed, empathy deep in Nicole’s voice. “I know you’re worried about a repeat of the kidnapping. Nor have any relations with other countries soured over bad diplomacy; but the whole incident was staged by a handful of greedy jerks.”

“Greedy jerks, with a lot of pull, and a decent sized following of morons who bought their spiel, hook, line and sinker.” Sally reminded Nicole, shuddering as the memory of the whole incident made her heart clench in terror. The fear of someone wanting to hurt her babies to get back at her never truly left her. “I can’t let that happen again, ever.”

“None of us want it to happen again. That’s why we made those bracelet watches with two of my A.I.’s to be with them at all times. Whisper and Tangle are their new bodyguards and they’re among the best, and you and Sonic have been teaching them to defend themselves. In fact…” Nicole gestured to Sally’s leg. “That’s how you got that, you got over-zealous showing them some of your moves.”

A blush formed on Sally’s cheeks, going up to the tips of her ears. After the kidnapping incident, both Sonic and she wanted to start the children learning some basic self-defense. They made it a full family event with all four of them practicing, and the kids were really receptive. Then again, they always liked to see their parents show off for them, and neither Sonic nor she could resist those eyes, and pouty lips for too long.

So Sally decided last week to really show off some of her acrobatics. Even after all these years, a lot of it just came back to her, even the skills she rarely used since the war (she did keep up some of her training as an exercise regime) she found herself slipping back into use without too much catch-up practice. However, Sally was now over thirty, and was a bit more… ‘filled-out’ since her teen years. So during one wall-flip and somersault onto another surface maneuver, she miscalculated and ended up landing on her one leg, the wrong kind of way.

Luckily the break wasn’t bad, but of course Dr. Jolene had insisted on bed-rest for the majority of the next month, and to stay off the leg as much as possible. For the first two weeks, Sally obliged the order; until the itch to crack at her work got the better of her. Deep down Sally knew she was being somewhat unreasonable, but she couldn’t just be lazy all day when things had to be done!

Realizing she’d been silent for a time, and Nicole was looking at her with curious concern. Sally shook her head. “I'm well aware of how my leg got injured.” Hands on her desk, she stood up, making sure to lean on her good leg, and not let go of the desk. Reaching for her crutches, she managed to slip them under her arms and eased from the desk. In such a quick motion, Nicole didn’t have a chance to offer to help her with them. “In anycase, even if my other tasks have been delegated, I can still stop by the Council Chamber to-.”

Having had her fill of indulging the notion Sally might listen to reason and ‘rest’, Nicole decided to act and clapped her hands. Instantly she was connected to the intercom of the library. “Sonic, your lovely wife is trying to hobble out to the Council to work when she should be resting.

Eyes wide, and panic setting in, Sally glared at the Lynx who just smiled widely. “Nicole you traitor!” She turned to try and ‘hobble off’, but she could already hear not one, but three ‘booms’, followed by the sound of fast footsteps. Sally could only make a ‘meep’ sound as the door to her office flew open, and there stood her husband and children. “H-hey you three, you didn’t need to interrupt afternoon reading time. I was just seeing myself-.”

Sonic didn’t say a word, he simply crossed the distance, and instantly scooped Sally into his arms. Carrying her just like he always did. “Save the excuses for the Doc, you’re going back to bed. No work, at all. Nicole hun, can I count on you to do your thing?”

“Always my main Hog.” She smiled ever widely, nodding and with a bow, her physical form dissolved as she rejoined the castle’s nanite-network to go about her duties.

Wiggling in Sonic’s grasp, Sally puffed her cheeks, trying to look miffed, but only made herself look like a petulant child. “I can move on my own! I have crutches!” “Denied babe, kids, can you pick up the crutches for me?”

“Yes Dad!” The two seven year olds each grab and crutch and heft the item. The two lay their gazes upon their mother, practically mimicking their Father’s disappointment.

“Mama…” Kathleen puffed her cheeks, and attempted to intensify her glare. “You’re supposed to be resting!”

As they followed their Father into the hallway, J.C. began to count off as he joined his sister in roasting their mother. “Doctor’s orders, Dad’s orders, Auntie Nicole’s orders, Aunt Bunnie and Uncle Twan’s orders-.”

“I know, I know!” Sally threw up her arms, admitting defeat, if not entirely in a graceful manner. Arms crossed she grumbled as Sonic carried her, she looked to her husband. “Isn’t carrying me a bit much?” She seemed to get more antsy about this fact, than her family putting her in the spotlight.

“Nope.” With a foot he kicked the door open softly, yet swiftly.

“...Aren’t I heavy?”

“Still nope.” Sonic eyed his wife, taking notice of his wife’s look of self-consciousness about the weight comment. “Hey kids, can you do me a solid?” He turned his head to regard the apples of his eye, smiling all the while.

“What can we do for you Dad?” Asked J.C. as he set the crutch he had carried against the wall. Something his sister mimicked as they both gave Sonic their full attention.

“Zip to the kitchen, and if Miss Cream’s there, ask her to whip up some pasta, garlic bread for dinner, and whatever else you two want. After you’re done, go and play, I got Mama from here.”

“Are you sure Daddy?” Kathleen raised an eyebrow. “Mama can be wily.”

He chuckled, gosh the kids were picking up those fancy words their Mama liked to use. “She can, but I can be more, that word you used. I got this.” He smiled and winked at the two children.

After a beat, the two children shared a look. “They’re gonna be gross.” Kathleen surmised after a moment. “Probably.” Her twin nodded, and the two rushed out of the room, making sure to close the door behind them. “Sheesh, us gross?” He grinned at Sally as he brought her to the bed, carefully settling her into her side. “How slander’in can you get? By our own kids!”

Unable to help herself, Sally giggled, lifting her leg as Sonic fit a pillow under her cast-laden limb. “Well to them, us kissing and being cuddly can be seen as gross.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged, gazing at his beautiful wife for a moment. Soaking in the view before taking her hand into his. “Something up Sal? I mean besides you not taking bed-rest orders, why’re you so touchy about me picking you up? Do you really think you’re heavy or something?”

“W-well…” The blush returned, from her neck to her ears. As those emerald eyes gazed upon her she looked away. “W-well I am, thicker than before-.” “Sal, it’s called having kids. Even I know most women have some ‘thicc’ added afterward. You’re still gorgeous as ever, plus you still work out, and keep in shape.” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re the last person I’d consider fat hun. Why did someone accuse you of such?”

“No, no this is entirely on me. I’ve just noticed it more, at how ‘thicc’ I am as you’ve put it. Plus without being able to work out due to my leg, it’s like...I just notice so easily when I’ve gained weight.” She rubbed her arms, feeling so vain about being worried over her figure or weight. “I just, wonder if I was off my jump that messed up my leg because of all this extra weight on me…”

“Ahh, I see…” Sonic still felt she was being silly, but he knew he shouldn’t dismiss her concerns either. Kicking his shoes off, he rounded the bed and climbed on from his side so he could sit next to her. Slipping his arm around her waist he leaned in and rested his cheek to hers. “Sally, sweetie, trust me you’re still fine as ever. That said, I could ask the Doc if there’s some exercises you can do without your legs, and we can ask the cook staff to give ya’ mostly light meals until you’re well enough to exercise properly again.”

“I think I would like that…” She murmured, leaning into him and enjoying the contact.

“As for your weight being why you got hurt… We’re both getting older, but Sal, babe, lookit me.” Once she did he leaned in, kissing her softly. “Just cuz’ your hips, boobs and thighs are a li’ thicker than before. Doesn’t mean you still aren’t looking after yourself, you keep in shape, and well… babe, last year you tore through a buncha armed idiots with just a sword, boots and fists. None of em’ laid a hand on you. You are not losing your touch.”

“I guess, I am being a bit silly…” Sally was still not entirely convinced, but it was nice to hear Sonic’s words. Sure he could charm and butter up anyone if he tried; but she knew him well enough when he was BS’ing. Now wasn’t the case. “Although I could argue you are biased.”

He merely grinned. “So I’m biased, I happen to enjoy being biased toward the woman I married.”

“Good to know, though truth be told.” Nuzzling his cheek, Sally peppered him with soft kisses. “I’m rather biased toward the wonderful man I married.”

After the two embraced again, Sonic leaned back and gently booped her nose. “Now if you’ll just relax and get some rest…”

“I get it, I get it, I know when I’m licked Sonic.”

His eyebrows waggle, “I haven’t done any of that… yet.” A laugh tore from her throat as she lightly smacked his arm. “Sonic!! Hahaha, oh you’re terrible!” “I dunno, you didn’t complain last time.” Arms reclining behind his head, the hedgehog clearly enjoyed his wife’s laughter at his admittedly naughty commentary.

“N-no, I didn’t…” Snerking, Sally shook her head, fighting another blush on her cheeks. “I’m sorry I’ve been difficult, I just… I feel compelled to see things through myself.”

“I get’cha Sal, still, relax, rest.” He insisted as he eased her against her pillows. “I’ll rest with ya’.”

“Going to keep an eye on me, huh warden?”

“If the shoe fits.” He shrugged, his infuriating smile remaining on his face.

With a dramatic sigh, Sally reclined against the pillows, arms up as if she expected to be cuffed and hauled away. “I submit myself to the court.” “Just be sure to repeat that, as the kids are just as concerned as I am.” He stated playfully, going for one last dig. A bit low, but he wanted her to contemplate on that.

“Ouch… right, ughh.” She dragged a hand over her face. “I probably haven’t been setting a good example for them…” Knowing her children, they would milk that for all they could.

“Eh, I can’t be the only one giving em’ bad habits.” Sonic conceded with a mild shrug, before wrapping his hand over hers. “Now, how about we just lie here and chill here until supper is ready?”

Smiling softly, Sally squeezed his hand. “It’s a date, Sonic.”

#boundforfreedom #Sally Acorn #Sonic the Hedgehog #Sonally #Sonsal #Sonally Celebration #Nicole the Lynx #Fanfic #OC's #Archie-Sonic continuity #Pre-SGW

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freedom-of-writing · 3 years

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Forever my wife

Just my take on how the WayHaught wedding could’ve turned out. I wrote this before the airing of episode 4x12, so expect it to be different.

It’s here. Their weeding day has finally arrived. Nicole has been smiling her brightest smile all morning. She can’t believe she is finally getting married to the love of her life, her Angel, the Guardian of her heart. Waverly Earp. Her wife. Wow... that sounds so good.

She is all dressed up and almost ready for the ceremony, thanks to Rachel. She is wearing a beautiful maroon suit with a very simple and natural-looking makeup. It was Rachel’s idea, and she absolutely loves the result. As for Waverly, she has Wynonna to help her get ready. Obviously. Part of Nicole wishes she could just peek at them, sure they must be having a lot of fun right now. But she and Waverly agreed their wedding looks should be a surprise, so she is getting ready in the barn, while Waverly is in their room in the Homestead.

“Alright, there you go!” Rachel exclaims when she’s done with Nicole’s hair. “What do you think?”

Rachel curled her beautiful red hair, and clipped it backwards on one side, so that it is falling nicely on her right shoulder.

“Wow...” Nicole stares in awe at her figure in the mirror.

“I know. I’m pretty proud of my work too.” Rachel says with a proud smirk.

Nicole chuckles lightly at that, and then she turns to face her. “Thank you.”

Rachel smiles brightly at her, moving her hand up to fix a lock of Nicole’s hair. “I’m... I’m gonna go check on Waves. See if Wynonna needs any help...”

“Okay.”

When Rachel leaves, Nicole moves to sit on Wynonna’s bed. Closing her eyes, she tries to recall all of the milestones that led them here. Their first meeting at Shorty’s... Waverly Earp smiling at her from her front porch... her heart shattering when Waverly told her they should’ve been just friends, and all its pieces coming back together the minute Waverly kissed her in Nedley’s office... their first time, their big fight, all of the times they’d lost and found each other over the years... her regret of not having said yes right away... her hope slowly fading away in those 18 months alone... what they did on the stairs, and on the kitchen floor, and in the barn this morning... What a ride they had, huh?

That’s what she said. She can imagine Wynonna saying to her. The thought makes her smile. That woman is a real sucker for a dirty joke. And she’s part of their journey too. Who would’ve thought they could become best friends. And yet, here they are. It’s crazy how close they’ve become.

Right as she’s thinking about that, Nicole is brought back to reality by the sound of knocking on the front door. Speaking of the devil...

“May I come in? Please, tell me you’re not naked...” Wynonna asks as she walks in with a hand covering her eyes.

“Actually, I’m lying completely naked on your bed right now.” Nicole jokes.

“I’d rather not think about what you did on my bed this morning...” Wynonna says lowering her hand.

“Excuse me?!” How the hell does she know about their morning... exchange of love.

“Poor innocent Jeremy told me about it. Poor soul, I think you traumatized him for life...” she mocks her.

Nicole shakes her head in disbelief. “Just come here, and sit with me, Earp.” She invites her patting at the space beside her on the mattress.

“Huh uh, no way. I’m never touching that bed again.”

“We didn’t even do it on the bed!” Nicole yells before she can realize what she is actually saying.

“Yep. I’m burning this whole barn to the ground tonight.” Wynonna states in a joking tone before going to sit on the bed near Nicole.

When she was settled, Nicole smiled her beautiful bright smile at her, and Wynonna noticed her eyes were sparkling with tears.

“You okay, Haught?”

“I’m getting married to Waverly Earp today...” she says as if that could answer Wynonna’s question.

“You’d better.”

Nicole chuckles lightly at that, and then she asks: “how is she?”

“She’s ready.” Somehow Wynonna knows exactly what Nicole needed to hear. “Oh, I almost forgot. I got you something” She exclaims a moment later, taking a necklace from her dress, in the space right over her boob. “No pockets.” She explains with a shrug when Nicole laughs lightly at her. Same old Wynonna.

“Please tell me it’s not a boner necklace...” Nicole jokes.

“Damn it! Now I’m mad I didn’t think of that!”

That makes Nicole laugh again. And in that moment, she realizes the tears that once threatened to fall are now completely gone. Wynonna did it again. It crazy how this woman can make it all go away with just one joke.

“But seriously... here.” Wynonna says as she hands over the necklace to Nicole.

Nicole takes it and lays it on the palm of her hand, so she can study the pendant. It’s the shape of a heart, and inside it there are two small figures, two girls sitting on its outline as if the pendant was a swing. On the outline of the heart, then, there are two small inscriptions: always my sister / forever my friend. Nicole reads them, and then turns to look at Wynonna in shock. That’s definitely not the gift she was expecting to get from “miss everything’s a joke to me”.

“Waverly gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday, right before I left Purgatory... She wanted me to know that I’d always have a home here if I wanted to come back. I always have it with me. Even if I’m not wearing it. It’s like my lucky charm. Which is kind of stupid considering all the troubles I got in in my life...”

“Wynonna, I...” Nicole’s at a loss of words. No one’s ever given her something that was so special to them.

“You’re gonna be my sister now, right?” she says matter-of-factly, and Nicole can feel herself getting all emotional again.

“I’ve never had a sister…” She states, mimicking what Wynonna had told her a little less than two years ago. I’ve never had a best friend.

“You do now.” Wynonna states in all seriousness as she fights back the tears blurring her eyes. “A pretty messed up one, but...” she starts to joke, but Nicole interrupts her.

“She’s perfect that way.” She says taking hold of Wynonna’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

They stay like that for a moment, neither one breaking the peaceful silence that fell upon them. Nicole can’t take her eyes off the necklace. Waverly gave it to Wynonna, and now Wynonna is giving it to her. It’s not just a promise to be friends and sisters forever, it’s also a way for Wynonna to say “Waverly’s the most precious thing that I have, and now she’s yours to protect and love”. The idea makes her even more emotional, but if she cries now, she’ll ruin all her makeup, and it took Rachel half an hour to put it on. So she takes a deep breath to force back the tears, and then she gets up and turns to face Wynonna.

“Help me put it on?” She asks, holding out the necklace for Wynonna to take.

A tear falls down Wynonna’s cheek as she smiles at her friend. She wipes it away quickly with the back of her hand, and then, she gets up grabbing the necklace. As she is fastening it, they hear a knock on the door. It’s Rachel. In a very Wynonna-fashion she does not wait for an answer before walking in. She is here to let them know everyone’s ready, and they’re just waiting for the two of them. All of a sudden Nicole feels like she can’t breathe. It’s happening. It’s time. OMG. Her heart is racing uncontrollably, and she thinks she might get sick. That, of course, does not go unnoticed on Wynonna, who puts her hand on Nicole’s shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

“C’mon, Haught. You’ve waited long enough. Now you get to be happy.” She smiles lovingly at her friend. Best friend. God, she’s so happy for her right now. She finally gets to be happily married to the love of her life. It’s what she deserves.

When she feels Nicole is breathing somewhat steadily again, she offers up her arm for her to lean on as they walk out. With a deep breath, Nicole puts her hand on Wynonna’s arm, and she lets her friend lead her out of the barn, with Rachel in tow. It’s a beautiful sunny day, and she can smell the perfumes of a thousand flowers, and the green grass around the Homestead is glowing bright in the summer sun. Nicole takes a look at the guests waiting for them by their seats. It’s not many people, it’s true, but all the ones who matter are here. Jeremy, Doc, Nedley, Billy, Mercedes… wait. No way! No! She turns towards Wynonna in shock.

“Are you serious right now?!” she exclaims in disbelief.

“Do you know someone else who can officiate your wedding?!”

“Anyone but Bunny!”

“Listen, sheriff, she’s who I found, okay? Do you wanna get married or what?”

“You’re gonna be the death of me, Earp…”

“Oh, please, your life would be so boring without me.”

“I’m marrying your sister, I can think of a few ways to entertain myself…” she objects with a smirk.

Their banter is interrupted by Nedley clearing his throat to get their attention. “Ladies…”

Both turn to look at him. Nicole can instantly feel the tears forming in her eyes. He’s here to walk her down the aisle. This is all surreal. How is this real life? She feels like she’s in a dream.

“Wow… Look at you.” Nedley says in admiration.

“Yeah, you don’t look bad yourself.”

“I’m proud of you, kiddo.” He says in her ear as he brings her in for a tight hug.

Nicole’s been able to hold back the tears so far, but after those words she just can’t. Her parents might not be there to support her, but she has Nedley, and that’s all that matters. She allows one tear to stream down her cheek, but then she collects herself quickly. She can’t cry. Not before the ceremony has even started. Nedley smiles lovingly at her as they let go of each other, and then he holds out his arm for her to lean on. Nicole takes one last look around, and she notices Wynonna is gone. She must’ve gone get Waverly. It’s time. No more waiting. This time it’s for real. Smiling back at Nedley, she puts her hand on his arm, and they start walking towards the others. My God, this is crazy. She thinks as she sees Bunny waving at her happily. Just a perfect Earp-fashion wedding...

As they walk slowly down the aisle, her eyes get wet all over again. She just can’t help it. When she got to Purgatory she was completely alone, and now she’s getting married to the love of her life and she’s got a family who loves and supports her. She is smiling so big right now, she can feel her cheeks beginning to hurt, and just the idea of seeing Waverly makes her hearts burst with joy. She looks at Rachel, her maid of honor, and she feels so proud. The past 19 months weren’t easy for either of them, but they got through. Together. They’ve seen each other at their worst, and now hopefully they’ll get to see each other at their best too. Today a new chapter begins. A better one for sure. No matter what happens next, nothing can be worse than the hopelessness and loneliness she’s felt in those eighteen months alone.

Nicole is brought back from her thoughts when Nedley gives her hand a gentle squeeze. Nicole gives him a sweet kiss on the cheek, and then he moves away to get to his seat. All of a sudden, murmurs fill the air, and she turns to see Waverly and Wynonna walking out of the homestead and towards them. Nicole can feel her heart pounding hard. Wow… Waverly looks so beautiful… She is in a long sleeveless white lace dress. Her hair is tied up on the back of her head, and it has beautiful colorful flowers in it. Her makeup, just like Nicole’s, is very simple, and she is absolutely breathtaking. Nicole can’t help but stare at her in awe as she walks down the aisle leaning on Wynonna’s arm. And the same goes for Waverly as she studies her fiancée’s look. They both look perfect. This is all so perfect.

“Hi” “Hey” They greet each other once they’re standing side by side.

“Haught.” Wynonna says as she lets go of Waverly to embrace Nicole. “You take care of my baby sis, okay?” she whispers in her ear, her voice cracking with emotion.

“Always.”

“You got the girl, Nicole. Now go get your wife.” Wynonna says leaning back and winking at her.

What happens next is a mystery to Nicole and Waverly. All they can focus on is the person standing right in front of them, and it feels like they’re in a bubble, just the two of them. They can barely process what’s going on as Bunny takes the word to let the ceremony begin. They come back to reality when it’s time for them to say their vows.

“Sheriff…” Bunny invites her to go first.

She’s had a hard time in the past few days trying to find the right things to say, but she’s figure it out at last. Although no words could ever fully express how much Waverly Earp really means to her. As she takes Waverly’s hands into her own, she begins.

“Waverly Earp… You are my home, my love, my Angel. You are the oxygen that keeps me breathing, and the light that brightens my days. Being loved by you is by far the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You came into my life at a time when I was lost, and alone, and you turned my world completely upside down. You filled the void in my heart with joy, and laughter, and love. You gave me memories to hold onto, and reasons to fight, and stay. You turned this unfamiliar place into my home, and these strangers into my family, and all of my insecurities into my biggest strengths. You taught me to love myself just as much as I love you, and you showed me perfection where I could only see flaws. You inspire me to be the best version of me, and to always be fighting for what I believe in. You are everything I’ve ever wanted, and so so much more.” She pauses briefly to turn and take the ring from Rachel, and then she continues.

“So today, in front of our friends, and family, I take you, Waverly Earp, to be my wife. I give you this ring as a promise to love you, respect you, cherish you, and support you as my partner, my person, and my equal. And I swear I’ll do my absolute best to make you smile as bright as you do today for the rest of our lives. I vow to be a loving and protective wife, to be open to change, and ready for every challenge that comes our way. And for as long as I live and breathe, I will be by your side. Always your shield, forever your wife.”

Wow... that was a lot. Waverly knows it’s her turn now, but she is so emotional she is afraid she might forget everything that she wanted to say. She looks down at the ring on her finger, and somehow it calms her down. Looking back up into Nicole’s beautiful brown eyes, she knows she just has to speak from her heart, and the right words will come. So she takes a deep breath to steady her voice, and then she begins.

“Nicole Haught... wow, I can’t believe this is actually happening! I’ll never forget the day you walked into Shorty’s with your uniform, and your Stetson in your hands, and confidence for days. I’d been living a life in black and white for so long that I’d forgotten what real happiness felt like. But then you smiled your beautiful bright smile at me, and it all turned into colors. You showed me that it’s okay to be ambitious, and that I should never settle for anything less than what I deserve. You gave me a choice when I thought I had none. In a world of people telling me who to be, you just asked me to be myself. You held me together when my world was falling apart, and you made me feel special, when I didn’t know who I was anymore. You... you, Nicole Haught, are extraordinary. Whenever I’m in a dark place, you light my way back to safety. You are my harbor, my anchor, my rock. I don’t have anything to give you if not unconditional love, and support. And I don’t know what the future will hold for us, but I’m not afraid. Because I know that, whatever comes next, we will face it together. Side by side as it’s always been.” Mimicking Nicole, she pauses briefly to turn and take the ring from Wynonna. And then, she continues.

“Today, I take you to be my wife, on this land that’s always been my home, because you, Nicole Rayleigh Haught, are my home. With this ring, I promise to love you, respect you and support you as my love, my equal, and my partner. I will be your shoulder to cry on, and a rock to lean on. Your number one fan, the reason for your smile, and your light in the darkness. I vow to be a loving and protective wife, to love all of your flaws and imperfections, and to stand by your side for the rest of my life. Always your angel, forever your wife.”

Tears are streaming down their faces by the time Waverly finishes talking. They turn to look at their family, and they are all crying as well. Even Bunny seems to be a little bit emotional when she takes the word to conclude the ceremony.

“Alright then. Let’s make this official!” She exclaims. “By the power vested in me by... Wynonna Earp this morning, I now pronounce you partners for life, wife and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Waverly and Nicole don’t waste a second. Without letting go of each other’s hands, they lean in for their first of many many kisses as wives. It’s just a tender kiss, but it still conveys all the love they have just professed for one another. When they part, Nicole leans down so her forehead is resting on Waverly’s. And as they stay like that for a moment, it seems like everything else disappears, and it’s just the two of them. Their eyes are blurry with tears, and all they can see are the big bright smiles lighting up their faces. This is doubtless the happiest day of their lives. There is so much joy in their hearts right now that it feels as if they might even explode.

“My wife.” Nicole states in a dreaming tone.

“Forever.” Waverly adds.

“I love you, Waverly Earp.”

“And I love you, Nicole Haught.”

None of the rest matters. As long as they have each, there is nothing they can’t overcome. Their love has survived the most impossible situations, and it will last forever. Of that they are sure.

Always your shield, forever your wife.

Always you angel, forever your wife.

#Wynonna Earp #Bring Wynonna Home #wayhaught #wedding #fanfiction #fanfic #love wins #waverly earp #nicole haught

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recurring-polynya · 3 years

Note

Hi! I really like the weekly updates on writing you post (I’m in favor of adding teasers for upcoming chapters btw). This might be an obvious question, but how you keep track of your progress? Do you log evert writing session, or have a weekly round up? I write really slowly and sporadically, so it’s hard for me to gauge how much progress I’m making. Thanks!

Gosh, thanks!

So, first and foremost, I want to make it clear that tracking my writing both helps my productivity and it makes me feel good. Writing, especially long things, can be sort of a lonesome enterprise, and having some "numbers go up" aspect of it is positive feedback that gives me that sweet, sweet dopamine. For some people, tracking metrics results in stress and guilt, in which case, just don't do it! But I am happy to talk about what works for me!

So, I def do not track by individual writing session. That stressed me out even just thinking about it. 😂

I vary this up a little bit depending on what I'm working on, but I'll use my current project as an example. It's a longform story that I had been working on, on-and-off for a while, but I picked it up in earnest in July. I had about 50k words of disconnected scenes scattered around three Google docs, and a somewhat functional outline, at least for the first half of the story, although it was a little rougher towards the end. The first thing I did was to work on the outline a little more and get that into better shape.

At that point, I started a few Google doc and set my tracker to 0. As you might expect, the early part of the fic was a lot better filled out than later sections. I started at the beginning, and copy-pasted the scenes from one of the three old docs into the new one until I hit a hole. Then I had to fill in the hole before I could move forward. I sort of do this on a chapter-by-chapter basis, where I am allowed to have TODOs (I literally mark things I haven't written with the word TODO because it's easy to use the search function for) within the current chapter I am working on. As I finish each chapter, I make a note in the outline as to how many words it is.

Now, because I have been keeping these sorts of statistics for a few years now, I have a very honest understanding of my own writing productivity. I know what 1000 words feels likes and I know what 10,000 words feels like. After getting about three chapters filled in this way, I said, 'this is going to take me 1-2 weeks per chapter, working at my normal pace.'

Every week, as you know, I do a post on Tumblr, which includes how many words I wrote, and also some stuff about how I felt. I literally just do a Shift-Ctrl-C to get my total word count and subtract the number from the previous week's Tumblr post. These posts are very valuable to me for a couple of reasons:

1) Accountability. I'm more likely to meet a goal if every week I have to own up to how much work I did.

2) Looking back at the week before and saying, hey, what worked? What didn't work? Sometimes I just have bad weeks. Sometimes I hit a piece of sticky writing and my word count might be really low because I re-wrote something sixteen times. It happens. It's okay. The goal is for me to know how I am, because that helps me better set my expectations.

3) Looking forward to the upcoming week. Maybe my kid has a big project due at school, and it's helpful for me to say, "I'm not gonna get a lot done this week and that's fine." Or, I might say, "This week looks clear and I have every expectation of finishing Ch 7 this week" and then I do it.

Setting achievable goals and then consistently meeting them is an extremely powerful productivity skill. I do this in micro, too. I said earlier that it would stress me out to track wordcount per session, but what I do do is I sit down with an intention. If I have a big open section with nothing written, the goal might just to freewheel a little, to get some ideas on the page, to see where it's going. Conversely, I might have three scenes that are almost done, but they lack beginning or endings or they don't flow together properly, and that might be one evening's work. (Which is sometimes, like, 7 sentences, but those 7 sentences can be harder to write than 50 sentences of the freewheeling). I'm not super strict about those per session goals, but it's something to focus on and I meet them more often than not.

A lot of people talk about having a certain time to write every day. I do, because that's just the way my life works-- It's usually about 7:30-9:30 pm, between the times that my kids start their pre-bed wind-down time and when my husband and I watch tv together. This is not 100% writing time-- it's also when I draw or write Tumblr posts and I also just goof off a lot, it's just my free time. I may have other times that I get to write, especially now that my kids are back in school, but I've had this time blocked out for several years now.

Every time I try to describe one of my writing processes to my husband, he makes fun of me, because it turns out to be some bastardized software engineering technique. If this sounds like a pared-down, one-woman version of Scrum, it's because it is.

To summarize:

- I set a realistic goal over a medium length period (two weeks for one chapter)

- I set a mini goal every time I sit down to work

- Every week, I report on my progress, reflect on how the last week went, and think about the week ahead

- I track word count because it's very measurable. How many words I write in a given time period is one measure of "how well I did" but it also gives me a sense of the pacing of the story and how to get the chapters balanced. Different stories are different-- in the one I'm working on, the chapters are 7k-12k each, but in another fic they're 2-4k. There is no right or wrong answer, the purpose is just to have self-knowledge.

Oh, one more thing I do is to keep up with my outline. When I start a new chapter, I look at what I already had written down (sometimes I find things I forgot about). I add any new bullets, because I may have brought up something in the previous chapter that I need to address further. I do a strikethru on any scenes I've already written. I refer to the outline a lot while I'm working on the chapter, and by the time I'm done, the outline reflects every scene in that chapter and an overall wordcount. In the end, I might need to go back and add a scene somewhere, or move some things around, and having an accurate, shorthand overview gives me insight into the overall structure of the story and makes it super-easy to figure out which chapter could handle an extra scene. (oh god. OH GOD. I document my own fanfic. throw me right in the garbage)

I really, really hope some of this was helpful! This probably sounds like a lot of work, but without this kind of structure, I feel really unmoored and it's easy to become depressed and overwhelmed. Doing it this way makes me feel like I know where I am in the journey and I'm able to feel concrete progress every week or two, which is really motivating for me. Good luck!

#writing advice #productivity advice #i am a very cool person and lots of fun at parties #this isn't true at all but i am a great co-worker and a champ at finishing things on deadline

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queen-swagzilla · 3 years

Text

So Much Worse Than A Phantom Limb, Chapter 4 [PREVEIW]

"You been doing your homework, nerd?" he barked as he barged into the room. Izuku was propped up by pillows and elbows deep in their quirk theory textbook. His head snapped up and he looked at Katsuki with wide, slightly red eyes. "And have you been sleeping?"

"Do the homework or get sleep, Kacchan. Can't be both." Izuku replied, a little bleary.

"They are never gonna let you out of the hospital if you don't take care of yourself, fucker," Katsuki snapped. "You know that."

"I'm trying to catch up!" he cried, frustrated.

Katsuki glared at him fiercely. "If you focus on your physical health now, it'll be easier to do the catch up. It'll go faster because your body will be able to handle it. Do this shit the right way, nerd. You know I'm right."

Izuku pouted. It was not cute. It wasn't. "I just feel pathetic," he mumbled.

Katsuki took a deep, calming breath. Yelling in the hospital was bad form. "You nearly got fucking deleted by a villain, Deku. Two weeks isn't enough time to fully recover from two months of internally dissolving. What if it were me in the bed? What would you tell me?"

Izuku flushed and looked at Katsuki sheepishly. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Katsuki mocked him. "I get being restless, but you gotta be smart, dumbass. Take it easy in the beginning and work your way up to doing more every day."

"Fine." Izuku flopped back into his pillows.

"Take a nap while I check over your work," Katsuki instructed. "I'll wake you up when its time to review."

"Don't you have your own homework?"

"Yeah, but I'm basically studying by checking your work," he shrugged. "Don't sweat it. I got some of it done during lunch, and I'll get to the rest after they kick me out."

Izuku seemed to know better than to argue with him (for once), and settled in to take his mandated nap while Katsuki picked up his binder of makeup work and began to flip through it.

Katsuki, Momo, and Aizawa had come up with a makeup plan for Izuku almost as soon as he'd woken up. It included a lesson plan, the notes and study guides that they had compiled, and a binder of assignments that he'd have to complete in order for Aizawa to deem him caught up enough to take the semester's final exams.

It meant that Izuku would likely be working to catch up for the duration of their two- spring vacation, and he wouldn't be entirely caught up for a while. He was months behind his classmates after he'd been doing so well and it frustrated him to degree he'd never experienced before. It made him angry.

Fuck Hiroki Takeda. Izuku wanted to Detroit Smash him in the face for stealing two whole months from him. For terrifying his friends and family, too. He kinda wanted to slap the villain's head off. But he wouldn't because he was a hero. Dammit.

Katsuki let Izuku sleep for two hours before waking him up to go over corrections. He could feel Deku's bubbling frustration, even as he tried to absorb what he was being taught with a positive attitude.

"Oh good, you're still here." Deku's doctor let himself into the room and addressed Katsuki. They were reviewing the math assignment that Izuku had done almost perfectly. There were a couple slip ups, but they were minor. Better safe than sorry, though. Both boys looked up at the intruder, blinking owlishly.

"Uh...yeah," Katsuki uttered intelligently.

"Hope you're not overworking yourself, Midoriya," the doctor warned, eying them suspiciously. "Or else I might rethink my decision to discharge you and allow you to complete your rehab in Recovery Girl's care."

Izuku's eyes widened. Damn, Recovery Girl worked fast. Katsuki was impressed. "What?" Izuku yelped, jolting forward.

"I understand that you've agreed to be his primary caregiver in the dorm, Bakugou? You're planning on managing his recovery and academic plans?" the doctor continued as though Izuku hadn't interrupted. "That had a fairly large bearing on my decision, so I'd like to confirm some details with you before I officially sign off on it."

Katsuki nodded, even as Izuku turned those wide eyes on him. "What?" Izuku demanded.

Katsuki ignored him. "Yeah, that's the plan. Our classmates will be helping, but I agreed to be the main contact. Aizawa will be monitoring his progress, too, so that'll be an extra set of responsible adult eyes on the nerd."

"That's good to know," the doctor agreed, both of them ignoring Izuku's incredulous sputtering. "If we do this, Recovery Girl will be taking over as the primary physician. You'll need to go to her for weekly checkups and report any problems to her as soon as possible. I've already sent her the care plan we've following, but I'd like to go over it with you. There are a lot of physical therapy exercises that he'll need to do daily, and a fairly strict diet plan. He'll also need to take medications, and there are signs of fatigue you'll need to watch for."

"Kacchan, you don't need to—"

Katsuki cut him off with a ferocious glare. "Do I ever—ever—do anything that I don't want to do?"

Izuku opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking like an odd green fish out of water. "N-no?"

"Then shut up and let me talk to your doctor, nerd."

"O-okay. Alright," Izuku complied, sitting back but not taking his huge, amazed eyes off of Katsuki. He tried very hard not to flush under the scrutiny.

"Hit me, doc."

The doctor (who was thoroughly amused by the two flustered boys) outlined Izuku's care thoroughly, handing Katsuki sheets of paper and explaining them in detail. Pointing out particulars of Izuku's injuries and weak spots on the boy's body and explaining how each exercise was done and how it helped. Katsuki's focus was laser-sharp, and he asked questions attentively—turning over every detail until he was sure he'd be able to take care of the nerd flawlessly.

"I think I feel comfortable releasing you into UA's care, Midoriya. You're lucky to have friends like Bakugou, here," the doctor smiled. But then his face darkened slightly, and he cut his eyes to Katsuki. "Not many people would take such good care of their friends' families in situations like yours."

Katsuki remembered then, that this was the doctor that had banned the 'Dekusquad' from the hospital. Katsuki shook his head ever so slightly. This was not the forum for that conversation. The doctor pursed his lips, but moved on, even as Izuku eyed them both suspiciously. "I'd like to keep you one more night so that we do one more round of regen therapy before you leave. Bakugou, you can pick him up in the morning. He'll need a wheelchair any time he's walking more than fifteen feet—do not argue with me—it is non-negotiable."

Izuku grumbled but agreed because honestly, he was way more excited about getting to leave the hospital than he was bummed about his lack of mobility. "When did you agree to be my caretaker?" he asked once the doctor had left.

"Today, after class," Katsuki replied, turning back to the homework. "Went to Recovery Girl. Noticed you were getting antsy." He looked up when Izuku didn't say anything because a silent Deku was nearly unheard of (unless the asshole was in a fucking coma), and found Izuku staring at him with a look so soft and warm that it made him want to tuck tail and flee. "What?" he demanded, self conscious.

"Nothing! Just...thank you, Kacchan. You're amazing."

Katsuki squirmed. "You've been saying that since we were four. Careful or it'll lose meaning."

"You're also a complete dick," Izuku replied, a little wry.

"Watch it, or I'll push your wheelchair down the stairs, Freckles," Katsuki barked. "Let's finish this chapter, and then I'm gonna go baby-proof the dorm for you."

"I'm not a baby!"

Read the rest on Ao3!

Like it? Buy me a coffee!

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snarkwrites · 3 years

Text

first; jimmy darling | ahs:freakshow [ m]

Notes:

So.. I am.. quite rusty. It's been a while since I sat down and wrote anything at all, let alone anything smutty. Recently, I got back into watching American Horror Story and naturally, I started with one of my personal favorite seasons, Freak Show.

I'm not saying this oneshot is going any further than that.. But I did do certain things to leave the door open for that. Only if you guys think you'd like to see more. If not, this smutty first time idea is OUT of my head, rust is being written off... Hopefully.

Warning:

18+ only. This is sexual content. It is not meant for children, m'kay? If you're under 18+ you need to navigate away from this post because it is absolutely not meant for you.

If you're sticking around, here are the things you need to be aware of:

First time / virgin OFC, body fluids, unprotected sex... Very.. emotional.

Tagging:

There's actually nobody on my American Horror Story taglists. If you'd like to be tagged in the future, go [ here ] and add yourself or you can hit me up, tell me where to add you and I'll happily do that.

Other stuff:

[ faq | tag list doc ]

“ It’s your turn, Jenny… downstairs.”

Anna’s words drew me out of my own thoughts and I swallowed hard, staring at the basement door for a few seconds; unsure of what I’d let Anna and my friends talk me into. Trying to convince myself it wasn’t a big deal and that girls like me = the plain ones, the shy ones, we didn’t have many options when it came to becoming a woman. Reminding myself that I was the one who wanted this. That it was either Jimmy Darling or Dandy Mott and I’d rather die than let Dandy Mott within a foot of me.

,, Then there’s the fact that when you saw Jimmy in the diner last week, there was this magnets pull. That feeling like you’d known him your whole life… Not to mention the dreams it stirred up after.”

Bearing the thoughts in mind, I took a deep breath and stood. My legs were shaky and my heart was pounding away at my chest like it wanted to break free. I reached for the doorknob and Anna called out with a gentle, teasing laugh, “Oh come on, don’t back down. If it helps… He’s real gentle. Real sweet.”

I swallowed hard again, nodding. Turning my back to the other girls and reaching for the doorknob all over again. It felt like everything was passing by in slow motion, from stepping through the basement door, walking down the stairs, but finally, I stood in the basement.

The brunette male glanced up at me. The others had been whispering all night about his magical hands… The things he could do with those webbed fingers of his, but all I could do was stare at his eyes. Drown in the molten brown depths silently.

“C’mon doll. I don’t bite.” Jimmy spoke up, flashing me the teasing grin of a charmer. The kind of grin that normally, I’d think was too easy, too relaxed. The kind of grin that spelled trouble most of the time.

His smooth coaxing tone when he spoke caught me off guard, making me focus on what was about to happen and not just my own thoughts. My heart sped up just a little more.

I took a step towards him, twisting a mousy brown strand around my fingertips. “Yeah.. Anna, she told me you were gentle.” I managed to mumble as I gazed up at him.

He stepped closer. Smiled down at me.

During all this, I hadn’t gazed down at his hands a single time. He hadn’t dropped my gaze a single time, either, those eyes locked on mine. Almost as if he were staring right into my soul. I took a shaky breath.

He eyed me for a few seconds. Swallowing hard. I watched his throat bob as his eyes settled on my lips and he cleared his throat and asked me quietly, “Do I know you? You remind me of somebody.”

I shook my head no. Despite the very vivid recurring dreams that started after I saw him in the diner. Because there wasn’t any way I could know him, I’ve lived in Florida since I was born.

,, but what about the dreams you had when you were a kid? That you lived in a little travel trailer?”

Jimmy didn’t seem to believe me, but he didn’t dwell on it. “Anna told me you were wantin’ more.” he chuckled quietly. Raising a webbed hand, raking it over a soft mess of brown curls as he looked me up and down. Waiting on an answer.

That answer felt like it was stuck in my throat. My mouth opened and closed and all I could do was nod.

He stepped closer; continued to speak. Calm and quiet, soft. “You sure? Because you don’t look real sure right now, doll.”

His hands skimmed over my sides. I didn’t flinch away or anything. I just stood there. Staring. Trying to will myself to answer. Trying to reconcile both this magnetism I felt pulling me to Jimmy and the fact that despite having never met him before in my life, he felt so familiar, as if I’d known him a lifetime.

“Anna told me I was gonna like you.” he stepped just a little closer, our bodies brushing. His hands still skimming over my sides, going still at the hip. He stared me down, waiting. Chuckling quietly. “C’mon, doll. You gotta talk to me.”

And finally, I managed to speak.

“I’m sure. I… I want to do this.” I stammered out quietly. I managed a smile. Reaching down into the pocket of my pale pink dress for the money I’d bought with me. “I’ll, uhh.. I’ll even pay extra.” I stumbled over my words, keeping my eyes trained on my feet.

He laughed quietly. Reaching up and tucking webbed fingers beneath my chin as he made me look at him. He shook his head no. “Keep your money, doll. Normally, I’d take you up on it. But I’m feelin generous tonight.”

I started to protest. I knew he needed the money, that was the whole reason Anna was throwing this party. She’d talked to him when he stuck around after her mom’s Tupperware party the week before and he’d mentioned money being tight.

Despite my attempt at protesting, he caught hold of my hand with his other hand. Shaking his head no all over again. “Relax.” he coaxed gently as he closed the distance between our bodies. The contrast of hard muscle against my softness had me exhaling sharply. Staring up at him quietly, in awe.

“Just curious here.. How far have you gone before, doll?” Jimmy asked.

I bit my lip and took a shaky breath. “Kissin. And I wasn’t so good at that, either.” I mumbled quietly.

“Maybe you were kissin the wrong man, doll.” Jimmy muttered as his fingers tangled in loose waves, using his grip on my hair to pull my mouth into his. Rough lips bumped against my mouth clumsily, latching on to my bottom lip as his free hand lowered, settling on my hip. He rubbed me against him and my breath caught in my throat, a gasp breaking free and lingering in the space between our mouths before being swallowed, Jimmy’s tongue tracing the outline of my lips as it slipped between them.

“ Anna was right.” Jimmy muttered breathlessly as I raised my arms, slipping them around his neck. Molding myself against him even more. “Oh?” I mumbled in a daze as the kiss deepened and my teeth latched onto his bottom lip, tugging, making him growl quietly as he continued, “When she said I was gonna like you, she was right.” and chuckled to himself quietly as the kiss broke and we pulled apart to breathe.

My thighs were starting to get slick and this dull throbbing ache was settling in. He scooped me up and stepped over to the mattresses nearby, dropping me on top of them carefully. Lowering himself to settle on top of me. One rough webbed hand caressed my cheek as he rocked himself against me.

I whimpered quietly, feeling the way he strained against worn denim. My hand disappeared between us, shaking fingers trying to pull the button of his jeans free. He chuckled quietly, burying his mouth in mine all over again as he lowered the hand placed on my cheek, guiding my hand away from the button of his jeans. I whined and rocked myself against him clumsily and he muttered softly against my ear, “We got all night, doll. I’m gonna take my time with you, sweetheart.”

The warmth of his breath against my skin sent an electric tingle racing through my body. My fingertips dug deeper into broad shoulders and I met his gaze, nodding.

The music from upstairs drifted down and the door at the top of the stairs banged shut quietly as it faded away, leaving nothing behind but the sound of our heavy breathing. Jimmy pressed into me a little more, carefully. Pulling his face away to stare down at me.

“My hands scare ya?” Jimmy questioned quietly. The tension that crept into his body as he waited on me to answer had me trying to get closer. Pulling him down on top of me completely. Raising one of my hands to his cheek and rolling my thumb over his bottom lip. Trying to relax him as he’d done for me earlier. I shook my head no. Gazing back up at him. Reaching for one of his hands. Wrapping mine around it. “Not at all, Jimmy.” I answered.

My answer seemed to have him taken aback. For seconds that seemed to stretch to hours, we lie there, staring at one another. His eyes searching mine. Maybe he thought I was lying. I wasn’t. I was being totally honest.

“Anna told me somethin else, doll…” Jimmy muttered at last, breaking the silence between us. Dragging his fingers over my cheeks as he gazed at me thoughtfully.

“Yeah?” I breathed out the word heavily, reaching up to caress his cheek. Pulling his face down, putting his mouth closer to mine. “What’d she tell you?” I breathed out as my lips brushed against his clumsily, latching onto the corner.

“She told me about what you said. When you saw me at the diner last week?”

I felt my cheeks heating up. Oh, I remembered exactly what I’d told Anna. It wouldn’t do me any good to play coy, I knew I couldn’t hide it if I tried. There was just something about those deep and thoughtful brown eyes as they locked on me, waiting on an answer.

“Which part?” I asked, my words coming in short and breathless pants as I dared to graze my lips against his.

That handsome and charming smile was back as his mouth crashed against mine all over again and he mumbled softly, “ The part about you saying I was a handsome guy. Oh, and my favorite part, me havin the kinda lips you longed to kiss… Color me curious doll, is it turnin out to be everything you imagined?”

I let out a ragged breath. At least she’d told him the tamest of the things I’d confessed to her when she kept bugging me about why I was staring so hard at the guy. I smiled up at him, gasping as he pressed himself into me a little more, pinning me flat against the bed. “ You are. Too handsome for me, actually. As far as the kissable lips,” I breathed out the words as I pulled away slightly to stare at him, “ Beyond what I imagined.”

Rough and webbed fingertips pressed against my soft lips as he shook his head and hushed what I’d been about to say. “Don’t say that, doll. Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are? Do ya?” as he bucked himself against me. Grabbing hold of my hand, guiding it down to the bulge strained at worn denim. “Do you feel what you’re doin to me? Trust me, doll. When I say you’re gorgeous and I want you real bad, I mean it.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m not, I’m really not.”

I wanted to believe him, but I was smarter than that. When you hear enough people tell you otherwise, you start to accept what you hear as fact.

His lips strayed from mine, dancing down my neck. I rubbed against him and he growled quietly, one of his hands drifting down to squeeze my hip, rocking himself into me. Catching my gaze and licking his lips as he took several shaky and drawn out breaths. His mouth brushing against mine just barely. Enough to tease. “You are.” he rocked himself against me all over again and I lowered my hand, palming at the front of his jeans. Whimpering as that needy ache built to a fever pitch.

I could feel myself starting to drip. The more his mouth and hands roamed. The harder he pressed into me and the more he rocked against me, the wetter I became. He crashed his mouth against mine again and muttered into a deep kiss, “There’s too much keepin us apart right now, sweetheart.”

I nodded in agreement, despite knowing that nobody had ever seen me naked before.

,, You were the one who said you wanted to change that… Remember? And tonight feels special. Better than you thought it was going to feel. He’s being so gentle and thoughtful.”

He tried to unbutton the front of my dress and untie the tie at the waist himself, but I could tell he was having problems. I sat up. Jimmy was agitated with himself, apologetic with me, sitting on the edge of the mattresses, staring at his hands as he grumbled quietly about not being able to do something as simple as undress me. I tapped his shoulder and caught his face in my hands, crashing my mouth against his. “It’s okay. It’s fine. I… I can help.” I offered in a quiet whisper.

“If I wasn’t a freak, you wouldn’t have to, sweetheart.” Jimmy muttered, shaking his head. Dropping his gaze. It hit me then, just how insecure Jimmy Darling, the man with the magic fingers, truly was. I bit my lip and took a few shaky breaths, pulling myself together. Gathering up the nerve. I’d come too far to be talked out of what I wanted, my reason for letting Anna set this up for me tonight.

All I had to do was follow through.

“Could you turn around?” I asked the question timidly. Jimmy chuckled. Biting his lip as he stared at me for a few long seconds before nodding and turning to face the wall. I unbuttoned and untied the dress, letting it fall to the floor at my feet. Leaving me in my pale pink slip.

I slipped off the mattresses, walking up behind him. Pressing against his back. Jimmy turned around, his eyes roaming hungrily. “You sure you wanna do this? With me?”

“For the last time. Yes. It has to be you, okay? I… I want you.” I muttered as I rose to tiptoe, pulling his mouth against mine. My hand dropped between us, tugging up the white tank top over his head. Letting it settle on the floor as soon as I got it off him. I drug my fingers down his chest, giving a soft giggle when I heard him growl quietly and felt him shiver a little at the soft touch. My fingers hooked in the waistband of his jeans and I paused, staring up at him. Swallowing hard. Trying to keep my nerve.

He gulped and stepped into me. I took a few steps back as he nodded towards the mattresses behind me, standing still when the backs of my knees brushing against the edge of the mattress. He pushed me down gently. I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, letting them pool to the ground. Jimmy tugged his boxers down, his thick cock springing free. Making me stare, my eyes widening at the sight of it, standing at attention, the tip glistening with precum. I swallowed hard, muttered mostly to myself, “It’s so big, I…” as I wondered if I could take all of him.

Jimmy chuckled. Settling between my legs to keep them spread as he leaned down and crashed his mouth against mine. “It’s not gonna hurt long, doll. I promise. I’ll be real gentle, okay?”

“O-okay.” I muttered. Jimmy tugged the slip up my body, letting me sit up so he could pull it off completely. Then he gently pushed me flat against the mattresses all over again, his thick cock rubbing right against my throbbing, wet center and making me gasp and writhe against him, desperate for friction, for anything that might help the ache.

“No panties, huh?” Jimmy mused in awe as he worked his mouth down the side of my neck.

“I…” I whimpered, fingers curling against the mattress and carding through his hair as he rubbed against me all over again and gazed down at me. “I knew what I was coming to do tonight.. Wanted to make it easier for you...”

Jimmy chuckled. “Good girl. Such a good girl.” his voice was velvet and gravel and a stubble lined jaw brushed against my skin, sending shivers through my body all over again. One of his hands captured both of mine over my head, holding them against the mattress as his mouth latched onto my neck carefully. Too carefully.

“Jimmy, c’mon.” I begged breathlessly.

“What do you want, doll? Use your words. C’mon, talk to me.” Jimmy coaxed, locking eyes with me as he tilted my face so that I couldn’t look away.

“Kiss my neck… Like you were before…”

“It might leave marks behind, doll… You don’t want me doin that, do ya?”

“I do.” I gasped as his the tip of his cock teased against my opening, turning a dull throb into a pounding ache that had my stomach coiling and had me dripping even more. “If I leave marks, doll.. Means somethin. Somethin a little more than what you came down here for tonight… Ya understand, sweetheart?” Jimmy’s eyes settled on me expectantly and he licked his lips as he let them roam.

“What’s it mean?” I asked quietly. Clinging to him as best as I could. Pulling him down on top of me even more. I wanted him closer. What I really wanted was to feel him buried inside me, but given my lack of experience, I felt it was for the best if I let Jimmy take the lead here.

“Means you’re my girl.” Jimmy’s mouth caught against mine, his lips locking on my top one. I felt his hand slip down between us, fingers dragging slow over my wet sex as he gave a quiet growl. He stared me down, curious gleam in his eyes. “I don’t think you want that, doll. Trust me.”

“ What if I do?” I asked, rubbing against him. Begging for more. Repeating my question when he didn’t say anything because I wanted him to know that I chose him and tonight for a reason. Otherwise, I’d have kept on the way I’ve been living. I just wanted him. I needed him. “What if I do, Jimmy Darling? Is that so bad?”

Jimmy blinked in shock. Bit his lip as he seemed to mull it over. His fingers slipping inside my throbbing sex, working me open carefully. Slowly. Stopping quickly when I tensed and grimaced at the sharp sting of pain that came with being stretched out for the first time. Waiting until I started to relax and tried to rock myself against his fingers, desperate for some kind of relief, anything to dull the ache.

“You’re jokin.” he muttered as he pressed into me, his mouth against the shell of my ear, nipping at my earlobe. “You can’t want that, sweetheart. I got nothin to offer. Nothin.”

“Maybe I do. There’s something about you, I… I can’t explain it. I don’t want things, okay? I don’t want empty words. I want you.”

“There’s something about you too, doll… But the life I live.. My hands…” Jimmy countered, stubborn. His fingers worked me open even more. Thrusting deeper inside, scissoring. I gasped and arched my back, clinging to him.

“It’s better than what I have going on. Quiet little librarian. No family. Nothing keeping me here. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I saw you in the diner. I even dream about you, Jimmy Darling.”

He chuckled huskily against my neck. His lips finally latching on, suction forming. His fingers slowed and I got a chance to catch my breath, relax a little. I could feel a mark forming on my neck. “We’ll see, okay? If you don’t try and find me after tonight, guess I’ll have my answer.”

I had no doubt in my mind. I was going to take any chance I could to try and find him.

Things happen for a reason.

“Jimmy, p-please.” I stammered out, rocking as best as I could against his scissoring fingers, “I need you now.”

His mouth dove against mine all over again. Needier. Deeper and more frantic. “Now, huh?” he muttered lazily as the kiss finally broke.

“Now.” I begged, rocking myself against his fingers as they scissored in and out of me faster and faster. My stomach coiled tight and my breath caught in my throat. I dug my fingers into his shoulder and the mattress and I tried to dig my heels in too, but nothing helped. I needed friction. I was so close to getting off that frustrated tears stung my eyes. “Please, baby?”

The term of endearment seemed to make something within him snap.

“It’s gonna hurt a little. I can’t help that, doll.” he groaned against my neck as his lips moved over it erratically. His cock teased against my sex and I tensed a little as it buried inside me. He stilled on top of me, peppering kisses and gentle nips against my face and neck, dragging his tongue over the outline of my lips as he stared down at me with a tender gaze before muttering quietly, “You okay now, sweetheart?”

“Mhm.” I mumbled, grazing my lips against his neck as I rocked myself into him, determined to get friction, one way or another. “Jimmy, c’mon. Please?”

He flashed me a tender smirk. “Like I’m gonna deny you anything, doll.” he mumbled as he started to slowly fuck into me, a hand moving down to my hip, stopping my movements. “Let me take care of ya, okay?”

I nodded, pouting up at him. His hips crashed against mine slow and steady and when his mouth found mine, my tongue slipped past his lips eagerly. The kiss deepened to a point where I felt myself getting light-headed. Clinging to him as I moaned his name over and over, making him smirk each time I did and it got a little louder. When the kiss broke, I muttered softly, “When do I get to take care of you, huh?”

“Later, sweetheart.” Jimmy promised as his cock buried inside me completely, stretching and overfilling me, making me grip onto him tighter. My lips grazing against his neck and latching on, leaving a small mark behind and making him growl, start to pound away at me a little harder and faster before he had to slow down all over again.

I clung to him, whimpering. Begging him for my release.

“Not yet, doll. Not done with you yet. You feel too fucking good.” Jimmy groaned into my mouth as his lips engulfed mine. His cock strummed against my spot and I writhed beneath him, dragging my fingers up and down his back, stopping when he tensed up just a little and winced.

“Sorry.”

“ ‘S okay, doll.” he muttered into the deepening kiss. My orgasm built to an almost blinding ache that had me shaking, barely able to hold on as he fucked me deep into the mattresses beneath me, his hips slamming into mine erratically, his hands and mouth all over me.

“Fuck. Oh fuck, doll. Don’t wanna stop.” he breathed against the shell of my ear, “But I can’t hold on much longer… Let go for me?”

I needed no coaxing at all. My orgasm tore through me, leaving me shivering and shaking as I struggled to keep the pace he set. His hips stammered and he rose up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, driving him even deeper inside, “Don’t stop.. C’mon, baby. Let go.” I coaxed breathlessly.

He bit his lip, staring down at me as he slowed down, tried to pull himself back from the edge. I clung to him, rocking my hips up to meet his thrusts and despite him trying to still my hips, I managed to keep going, making him shiver and melt against me as the warmth of his release flooded me, making me moan all over again as he settled on top of me, capturing my hands in his and burying his mouth against mine.

He collapsed to the mattress, pulling me against him as his arms wrapped around me. I went to say something but he shushed me, muttering quietly, “Let’s just lay here. I just…I wanna lay here, hold you and pretend.”

I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to pretend anything, but I knew he wouldn’t hear it. I knew I’d have to prove him wrong.

And honestly, I was fine with it.

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sugarcomatosed · 3 years

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i love your stories so much!! and was wondering if you can give some writing tips perhaps? 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

Breaking this up into sections for you + putting it under a cut cause I went overboard. 😅

General Writing Tips

These work for both academic and creative writing.

Make an outline.

It doesn't have to be a formal one, but having at least a general idea of the scenes you want to include is helpful. If I know my fic is going to be a longer one (like Don't Hesitate was and my current WIP is), I break down the larger story beats i want to hit on a piece of paper or my iPad.

It's good to know what you're planning to do, in a any piece I usually have a single specific scene I want to do and depending on what it is, I might either just do the scene I want to or turn into something longer.

Draft, draft, draft.

I cannot stress the importance of going through and reviewing your work. This is a big part of any sort of writing.

Your first idea isn't always your best idea. As you work on a piece you might find your original idea is holding you back, focus shifts! Don't be afraid to let your work change as you go. It's not always easy to let go of your original idea but if you find it's not working, you have to let it change. Sections will need to be rewritten, things have to be readjusted to fit with later sections. Reread for clarity while you're drafting and look to see if this makes sense to you, or reads well to you. If you can't follow it and you wrote it, chances are your reader can't either. Did you use the same phrase again and again? Find and search it on your doc to double check.

Sometimes you have to cut things you really like because they just don't contribute to the fic anymore. Save those bits and use them somewhere else!In a lot of my longer pieces I will write a paragraph, realize that's not where it should go and cut/paste it into another part of the doc because the pacing/scene doesn't make sense where I had it originally, but it works somewhere else.

If you're stuck, skip around, come back and then stitch the bits you have written together.

Don't Focus on a Word Count

This might be controversial, but I'm of the opinion just because something is longer does not make it better. Some works are short, and that's okay! I very rarely try to aim for a specific count of words unless it's for a prompt exchange or a personal challenge. I write till I feel the piece is done. Some stories require more words, some require less.

Don't Hesitate is a great example of this again, because all I wanted to do was a bittersweet first kiss fic, but jumping write into the kiss wouldn't get the full effect I wanted. Meanwhile, with Old Habits all I wanted to do was write dumb comedic kisses, we didn't need a 2k preamble.

Get Someone You Trust to Edit

My go to editor for the past six years or so is one of my good friends. She has edited everything from college papers to my fics for me before I post them to read for clarity, find any funky phrases or misspelled words I missed, and I do the same for her when she asks! A fresh set of eyes makes a world of a difference. Find someone to trade fics with or ask a friend! They might have good suggestions you never thought of, or be able to tell what you were going for when you don't even know yourself.

I also rely on my friends a lot to brainstorm and talk my ideas out before I start because it helps me think and figure out what I need. It's super common for me to text someone and say "im gonna spitball at you, that okay?" and then spend twenty minutes chatting through my ideas.

Have Reference Material

For my 13sar fics, I regularly go back and review/screenshot videos of the dialogue to make sure I am staying consistent with story events, character nuance and small details. You don't have to go crazy, but it is really helpful to have your source material to go back to and check yourself against. In non creative writing I always had a pile of papers highlighted with my own notes on the margins.

Take Breaks/Pace Yourself

Know your own limits, and if you are working and working on something and it's not coming out leave it alone and come back to it. I'm really bad at this personally because when I get an idea in my head I want to see it through but sometimes you gotta step back! It's not healthy to keep working on things and overwork yourself. Stretch, get up go for a walk.

Write What You Want to Write

Don't focus on what people want to read. Focus on what you like. Find a topic, a scene, anything that you are passionate about and the rest will follow. The only time I write fic for other people is when I am writing for a friend. Even prompt requests I only take open ended ones, if I am not interested in writing it it's not gonna happen. I know it's super hard and I get really anxious sometimes about letting people down now, or worrying people won't like something but then I step back and remind myself this is a hobby and I'm doing it for fun.

Play to Your Strengths

You shouldn't try to write like me, you should try to write like yourself. Find what skills you have and use them to your advantage!

I can't give you a step by step list to write like me, because nobody in the world has my background! We're all unique. Everything I've listed so far I know because I'm not a beginner anymore! I'm in my twenties and have come from a strong academic writing background.

I took on an intensive course load in high school, and then went onto college for a sociology degree. I very rarely had test based finals and at the end of each semester would have five 10-15 page papers to submit. Straight up some of my skills come from having read and studied the works of anthropologist Clifford Geertz. I am not saying you should read anthropology/sociology texts. Unless you like that sort of thing lol

I also have 6+ years of theater experience (acting & directing), I use this all the time for my writing. When I think about a scene, I think about how I would work through it as an actor, how the character would move, and how would things read to an audience. The GOTE ("Goal, Obstacle, Tactics, and Expectation") method of acting by Robert Cohen is really useful hear if you want a more technical breakdown of what I mean by that.

This leads to a lot of what we called "business" in acting, doing small tiny things while you talk or move around on stage to give the sense you're a real human. I don't have to think or try on these sort of things because they're in my skill set already!

Things I do Personally

As in, these are not transferable skills this is just the stuff I do while working on projects.

Find a Vibe™️

I come into any fic with usually a goal I want to hit, a line of dialogue or something I want to capture. Just like, the general idea of a feeling a song even if the lyrics don't match up. Make a mood-board, a playlist, just find something you wanna do. It's less about the actual words on the page and what you're aiming to do.

Look to things that inspire you

Don't Hesitate got written because I wanted to write a fic that captured the same vibe as a scene in Macross Frontier, where two characters have a bittersweet kiss before the final battle and that scene still has me fucked up six years after watching it.

My current WIP is doing the same thing but with the song All I've Ever Known from Hadestown. Two characters working through loneliness, the sudden feeling of falling in love and the frustration that feeling can bring on sometime.

I don't plagiarize them word for word, but these are scenes that inspire me! I also patchwork quilt ideas together. Using Don't Hesitate again, I also ended up pulling from a bunch of shoujo anime, Toradora, Sailor Moon, Yona of the Dawn, Princess Tutu...specific scenes I enjoy to blend and create something new.

Goof Off While You Write

I name my documents stupid things, I write dumb placeholder dialogue or vague sentiments like "insert better word here", I make memes when I'm struggling and roast myself and my predictable tastes.

I spent twenty minutes texting a friend Juro's name with different letters spelt out and then the "fuck your chickenstrips" vine saying it was Juro during destruction. Just have fun with it!

Listen to J-POP On Loop for Hours at a Time

i am not kidding I do this all the time. Perfume, AKB48, anime idol osts, Sailor Moon's OPs/ED, vocaloid songs. I like technopop and Japanese is good because it usually doesn't distract my brain since I only know random phrases, but still know what the meaning og the song is.

I love music, it helps me vibe out.

Thank you so much for enjoying my work ;o;

I hope this is useful to you in some way! I'm so sorry it's so long winded but I am overly thorough and love to teach people ;w;

#sugar speaks #sugar writes #okay to reblog

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wickedobsessed101 · 3 years

Text

Fanfic Writer Asks

[SOURCE: criminal-minds-fanfiction: Most of the writer ask posts I come across are only like ten or so questions long so I thought I’d try to make a longer one because we like talking about our writing! Feel free to reblog!]

I’m answering all of these b/c I love Q & A’s about my writing, both for my fics and other things.

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction? It was 2013, so I was 14 years old. I’m now almost 23.

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one? I’m mostly in the Wicked Musical fandom, but I like to read for other fandoms, like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Chronicles of Narnia, ect.

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer. OCs, but I’m more than willing to create an OC for someone based on characteristics they give me.

4) What is your favourite genre to write for? I love me some fluffy romance and hurt/comfort, but I also love some angsty drama.

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi-chaptered stories, which would it be and why? OMG, don’t make me choose! They’re all my babies! I love all my children equally! They all hold special places in my heart.

6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why? Goodness, most of my stories prior to 2017, because I was in high school and had no idea what I was doing because I was just getting my feet wet with writing.

7) When is your preferred time to write? Anytime really. The latest I’ve stayed up writing a fic was 4AM. *Glares at ‘Threads of Truth’*

8) Where do you take your inspiration from? Where ever it happens to come up. I’m not picky. Movies, music, people I’ve seen on the street, random thoughts that enter my head, anything.

9) In your xxx fic, what’s your favourite scene that you wrote? In ‘Threads of Truth’, it’s a tie between Villy’s first date, and an argument that happens in an upcoming chapter. And that’s all I’m saying about that.

10) In your xxx fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind? In ‘Play The Game’, I liked the epilogue ending that I gave Elphaba with her family, even without Fiyero. I like writing her with kids. Another ending would be with the Fiyeraba still together, but I’m satisfied with the ending it has.

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it? I’ll go back and fix typos that are pointed out, but I don’t change plot stuff. Like, I wrote what I wrote and I will amend my technique in future stories.

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why? Other than my OCs, because I get to fully create them and my lowkey babies, I’d have to say G(a)linda. She has so much potential and she’s so much fun.

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why? Boq. Not because I hate him (I don’t!), but because I don’t normally know what to do with him. If he’s not with Nessa, he’s literally just standing there like a brick wall. No offence, Boq!

14) How did you come up with the title for the xxx? - You can ask about multiple stories. [Ask me about a specific story(ies)]

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names? I usually change consonants and vowels to already existing names, or add unnecessary letters because... reasons.

16) How did you come up with the idea for xxx? [Ask me about a specific story]

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on. “Hopefully, this will soak up any more leaks.” (Upcoming Wicked fanfic)

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them? Yes, 2. Both of them are a few years old and I’ve grown as a writer since then. Maybe one day, I’ll edit them and repost, but not anytime soon.

19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to? Not everything can have a sequel, y’all! XD

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently? Yes! Around 60% of them.

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire? @vinkunwildflowerqueen @raven-curls @mylittleelphie @weaselspeedfanfic Ultimate Queen of Cliffies

22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it? This goes back to Question #6; most of what I posted prior to 2017.

23) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence? Silence. I need to focus.

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes? I can’t write it. They’ll make out, and then be pregnant in the next chapter. Y’all can do the math for yourselves.

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story? YES! Yes, I have! Both sad tears and tears of joy. I’ve also cringed from second-hand embarrassment at the things the characters do and say. I’m not in control of their actions all the time. Sometimes they tell me what they’re gonna do, and I’m like, “Well, alright, then.”

26) Which part of your xxx fic was the hardest to write? [Ask me about a specific story]

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow? I write bullet points of things I want to happen in a chapter on the Word Doc, or in the story as a whole, and I try to keep those bullet points in order. And the Notes App on my phone holds a lot of my ideas, and sometimes full scenes.

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction? That I’d become obsessed with writing and continue doing it for almost ten years, as well as expanding to writing plays and musicals.

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like? Yeah. I’m not gonna say which one, but just know there’s one... or a few.

30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at? Yes, and I’m still not gonna say which one(s). I want all the love!

31) Send me a fic recommendation and I’ll post it for my followers to see! (The asker is to send the rec, not the answerer) Yeah, sure!

32) Are any of your characters based on real people? Yes. Villy Doiir from ‘Threads of Truth’ is based on 4 people I know in real life, all mixed together into one wholesome, mother figure/ mentor. Perhaps that’s why I like writing her so much.

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten? All reviews keep me going, no matter the length. But I love it when people review saying that they picked up on little references that were really just for me. It makes me feel like we’ve shared a moment.

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten? A guest reviewer once said, “You tend to write Fiyero as an abusive person”. It wasn’t harsh, just... NOT TRUE. Especially for the story they were reviewing.

35) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest? Close to my chest. I’ll share it with the world when I’m ready.

36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s? NOPE! You’ll just have to wait and see! LOL!

37) What’s the funniest story you’ve written? I... really don’t know. My stories all have their funny moments.

38) If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? (Perhaps this question will inspire some collabs!) If you’re shy, don’t tag the blog, just name it. I’m very busy, and collabs aren’t really my thing, but I’m always willing to lend an extra pair of eyes pre-posting.

39) Do you prefer first, second or third person? I’ve written one story in the first person and it was fun to get into the character’s head, but I love third person, cause I like knowing what everyone is thinking. Second person makes me feel a certain way and that don’t really like.

40) Do people know you write fanfiction? IRL, no. It’s not something I bring up over dinner. I’ll talk about my plays and musicals, but not fanfiction. I like keeping my fics for the online peeps and my more personal writings for the RL peeps.

41) What’s you favourite minor character you’ve written? My OC, Princess Hannalyn, from ‘A Royal Romance’. She was so much fun!

42) Song fic - What made you decide to use the song xxx for xxx. I haven’t done a song fic.

43) Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it? Not fully, but they’ve had little inklings, but certain details were still a surprise. And I’m not mad about it.

44) What is the last line you wrote? “I don’t want this to be the last time we see each other.”

45) What spurs you on during the writing process? When I’ll have one idea, and it spirals into many others, and when the characters write themselves. It makes it so much easier for me. Sometimes they tell me that they’re about to make a bad decision, and I just go along with it. They need to learn and grow somehow.

46) I really loved your xxx fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it? [Ask me for a specific story]

47) Here’s a fic title - insert a made up title. What would this story be about? [Ask me]

48) What’s your favourite trope to write? I love a good Royalty AU (not fully AU ‘cause of our princey-prince, but still) and Holiday AUs. And I’ve never written a Coffeeshop AU, but I LOVE reading them. I’ll read anything. I’m not picky, and I love to see what ideas others have.

49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about? Yes, and both of them were Gelphies: 1 - “Easier Said Than Done” by mecelphie - It’s part of a long, wonderful series of Elphaba and Glinda together at Shiz and how their lives evolve together and has many lovable OCs. 2 - “The Thropp Diaries” by denpa wave chick saki - It’s first-person Elphaba POV of the book. It expands on lots of mentioned moments and we get to journey through Elphaba’s thoughts.

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? I’d have to say fluff, so I can get my escape from reality. But it’s hard to write pure fluff without a little bit of conflict.

If you wanna read my stories, they’re all right here: Fae’sFlower

#wicked the musical #wicked #wicked fanfiction #fiyeraba fanfic #faesflower #Q & A #Fiyeraba #gelphie #Elphaba #Fiyero #Glinda #Galinda #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction.net #let me tell you about my writing and my stories #writer #Q & A with Nia

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yunatheintrovert · 3 years

Text

shot through the heart (and you’re to blame) | Chapter 2 [Russell Adler/Female Bell!Reader Soulmate AU]

I hear the drums echoing tonight

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation She's coming in, 12:30 flight-

“Change of plans?” you guessed, pulling your headset down to rest at your neck. You could still faintly hear the familiar sound of Toto’s Africa coming from your Walkman’s headset. It took something for you to set down your Walkman.

And upon seeing the expression on Lazar’s face, you knew it was one of those times.

After all, it was either that or someone had just broke the news to him that hamburgers were not on the menu in the outpost. Either one was important.

Hamburgers were not breakfast food. But at this point, you’d take whatever the hell you could get.

“Sandstorm forecasted to move in before the scheduled exfil.” Lazar explained as he leaned against the wall next to you, “Time frame’s been moved closer.”

“How soon?” you asked, already bracing yourself for whatever the hell Hudson and Adler had decided on.

"Zero six hundred hours."

“No shit?” you sighed. The one lesson you learned in Cuba was that the devil was in the details. There had been a rush to get there. Limited intel, high risk. It was a mess from the start.

You did not want another Cuba.

“And that’s not even the start of it,” Lazar said agitatedly, “We’re not just parachuting in, we’re doing a damn HALO jump.”

“Well,” you said with a sigh, “I’ll try to convince the cook to make hamburgers for the two of us while you’re gone.” Lazar had past HALO experience. Although, he never did quite like parachuting after Cuba.

“Nice joke, Bell. We’re all going.”

“...I’m cleared for this mission?” That surprised you for more than one reason. Aside from being an agent the CIA had barely spared, you were also not cleared for a goddamned HALO jump.

No formal training.

...Well, there was Vietnam, specifically those “memories”. You could easily recall the vivid memory of falling through the heavy fog over Laos during one of the MACV-SOG operations you were in on with Adler.

But that didn’t count for a goddamn thing.

This didn’t make any sense whatsoever.

That’s all you could think about as you stood from your seat quickly and secured your Walkman at your waist as you pulled your headset back to rest at your ears.

“Good luck with Doc, Bell,” Lazar said, already knowing what you had in mind.

You said a quick thanks to him before making your way through the halls of the command wing of the outpost.

After all, you sure as hell were going to need it.

I bless the rains down in Africa Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)

It hadn’t taken much time to find the man in question. After all, outpost Libreville was a modestly-sized outpost located near the borders of Angola in Gabon. The airstrip built and improved over time made it ideal for special forces operations and those of the clandestine nature.

You had found him in the once empty corner office that belonged to an officer on leave. The small space of the corner office allowed smoke to curl and cloud around the room. Despite that, you easily noticed the schematics of the satellite and reports on the predictions of the timing of the satellite's crash scattered on the desk.

“Need something, Bell?”

“Sir,” you said tensely before bracing yourself and adding, “The HALO jump...I’m not cleared for it.”

“I cleared you for it. We’re CIA, not military,” Adler said before adding, “You’re having second doubts.”

“I’ve never done a HALO jump in my life, sir,” you explained, “My...memories of Vietnam didn’t count for anything.”

“Now, that’s just bullshit.”

“What are you talking about-”

“The feedback you gave on that HALO operation over Laos. No untrained person would have been able to replicate that kind of detail,” Adler took a drag of his cigarette before adding, “The scripts, Bell. I gave you the outline, you filled in the details.”

“With all due respect, sir,” you said tensely with a bit too much emphasis on the honorific to really be respectful, “That doesn’t mean a single damn thing when I don’t remember any of that.”

“Bell,” you felt yourself stiffen under his gaze. He was always wearing those sunglasses and you could never tell his emotions or who he was even looking at times, “I pulled a hell of a lot of strings to get you back here. I trust you won’t disappoint me and the team.”

You fought to stifle your shock.

Russell “it was never personal” Adler, the very man who put a round in your chest point-blank, was the one to request your reassignment to the team?

And of course there was that damnable feeling that lingered in your chest.

Everything about you was linked back to this team. It was your anchor in this new life of yours. And it felt...good to be back…

And as much as you wanted to deny it because really it was just such a damnable foolish feeling-

“I...I won’t let you down, sir.”

-you couldn’t help but feel relieved that Adler wanted you back.

And really wasn’t that just pathetic?

You felt the stinging sensation in your palm as nails pressed into your gloved palms. The sudden tightness in your chest made for a sudden urge to just get out of that small corner office.

It was the smoke, you told yourself. It lingered heavily in the cramped space. Of course, it would cause your chest to tighten.

Despite the sudden, desperate urge to just leave, you remained rooted to the spot at the front of Adler’s desk.

“If the main chute fails to deploy and affects the reserve chute, how am I supposed to react in time?”

“Do whatever it takes to get it open,” Adler simply answered before adding, “If that doesn’t work...well I would say aim for the bushes. But we’re going to be in the fucking desert. Aim for a sand dune and pray it’s quick.”

“Good advice,” was all you could quietly say.

...sometimes it still felt as if he wanted you to die.

“Anything else, kid?”

You took a breath. If you were going to die...well-

“About my Walkman…”

You were going to go out the way you wanted.

Lazar must have known your little conversation with Adler in his corner office wouldn’t take that long as he was standing in the nearby corridor with a rather grave look.

“Come on,” he had simply said, “I need backup in the cafeteria. Apparently it’s Chili Tuesday…”

Food was the last thing on your mind.

So honestly you hadn’t paid much attention to that little bit of information.

Although, you had bothered to switch out your mixtape which had long since stopped playing with the only other cassette you had on your person. You vaguely trading with one of the soldiers on the military transport you flew in on to get a new cassette tape. You could only bring a limited amount of items with you and you didn't want to risk breaking any of your priority cassette tapes. And you needed a song that you hadn't listened to before...even if it wasn't what you normally lent towards.

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and filet gumbo 'Cause tonight i'm gonna meet ma cher amio PIck guitar, fill fruit jar and be gayo-

Of course, it just happened to be about food.

Trying to stop yourself from muttering about how your Walkman had to be cursed, you had just nodded and followed him down the corridors to the cafeteria. It was a fairly-sized open space with the usual setup.

Although, strangely there weren’t many soldiers there. It was almost time for meal service.

“Still on for the mission?” Lazar asked as the two of you sat yourselves down on the same table Sims had situated himself at.

“Yeah," you admitted before adding, "I swear he’s trying to kill me.” Although, you didn't really want to think about that. It was out of your control at this point.

“Well, you are Adler’s protégé,” Sims casually commented, looking up from his plate of...food? “I heard lions throw their cubs off cliffs to make them strong or shit like that. Maybe Adler’s doing the same to you.”

“I’m not his-” you cut yourself off. There was something more important you noticed, “Wait how did you get that?”

It was baked beans. Perfectly normal and cooked beans.

Nothing remarkable but it was normal, the standard canned kind.

“Heard about Chili Tuesday, specifically this one. Apparently, they’re serving 20-year old rations to us due to a supply shortage. They’re quite stingy-”

“How did you get it, Sims?” Lazar interjected.

“I have my ways of procurement.” And as you heard the exchange prices Sims listed, your jaw dropped.

You already had to pay for all those mixtapes and cassettes you bought on a weekly basis. You weren’t going to spend that much on some cans of beans at an outpost in the middle of nowhere.

Yet as you saw the churning red mass somehow called chili put on the cafeteria pans, you felt your stomach roll.

The idea of eating that before a HALO jump in the next few hours-

“Where are you going?” Sims asked as you stood from your seat abruptly.

“I have a mixtape to make.” you said, hurriedly excusing yourself. You’d rather have hunger pains than eat that before jumping off a C-13 Hercules at 30,000 ft in the air.

Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and filet gumbo-

Nope, you thought fervently as you pressed pause on your Walkman. You did not want to be thinking about food right now.

Although, truly what you told Sims wasn’t quite a lie.

If you were going to go HALO jumping with no conscious experiences whatsoever, you were going to at least die trying with your Walkman.

All you had to now was make a whole new mixtape in the three hours you had remaining.

#Russell Adler #Russell Adler x Bell #Russell Adler/Bell #Female Bell #Fem!Bell #Female Bell!Reader #fanfiction #cod cold war fanfiction #fic: shot through the heart (and you're to blame)#soulmate au #soulmate songs/music au

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popatochisssp · 3 years

Note

Hello! I know you're doing skele and right now but I just wanted to ask how you outline your fics, personally, I can't outline my stuff if my life depended on it and I was wondering if you had any tips or advice on how beginners should outline their stories. Love your stuff <3

Disclaimer, I don’t know how useful any of this will be, for a beginner or otherwise, because every creative brain works a little differently and there’s always at least some trial and error while you figure out what works for you, specifically...

But that said!

My outlining process boils down to throwing everything on the page and refine from there until it’s polished.

I start by writing down everything, all the ideas and concepts and daydream fodder that was previously just floating around in my brain needs to go down somewhere, usually in a word doc but in a pinch, I’ve definitely used the Notes app on my phone--because let’s face it, in the middle of the night when you’re supposed to be sleeping is one of those times that inspiration and cool ideas sometimes run rampant and I’m not gonna get all the way up to get my laptop but the phone is right here and this needs to get written out.

Obviously, if I just left it all like that, I’d have a very messy list of Random Stuff and no idea what to do with any of it, so from there I try to organize. Move things around into an order that kinda makes sense, like Thing X happens before Thing Y, and Thing Z actually can’t happen until at least Thing Y has happened, stuff like that.

I find that step also helps for figuring out the bits you might be lacking in the early stages. You can see all the points laid out in some approximate order and if it looks something like ‘Point A, Point B, Point D,’ your brain will often be able pick out that there’s a gap there that doesn’t work, and that you need to come up with a Point C to bridge it.

“I’ve connected the two dots.” “You didn’t connect shit.” “I’ve connected them.”

But once you’ve got that, you’ve got at least a bare bones outline, and that’s really the framework for everything!

At that point, for me, it’s just a matter of coming back to it a few times and expanding it, so in the super-basic outline, you might just have something like ‘first date, bonding & flirting.’ When you come back to it to add more, you might decide what kind of date they’ll be having, what they might talk about or how they might flirt with each other, maybe a few actual lines of dialogue if you happen to think of anything good.

I do this with every chapter I think a fic is going to have before I post any of it, because by then I feel like I have a solid enough basis to follow through on the whole idea with, and there’s only two steps left for the outline after that: pre-writing and writing.

The pre-writing step, I try to tackle within a week of when I know (or hope to know) that I’ll have time to write, so everything’s fresh. Basically, though, pre-writing is just taking one of the already semi-fleshed out chunks of outline and making it even more detailed. You’re more or less making an outline of this one bullet point on your outline, taking the basic concept (‘first date, bonding & flirting’) and all the extra details you added on (where they’re going, what they’re saying, etc) and arranging them/filling in any blanks you can find until it’s pretty much a rough cut of what the chapter will look like.

I think about a lot of framing stuff in this step, like how the chapter is going to open and how to segue it into the stuff that’s supposed to happen, body language and facial expressions, more dialogue/banter, setting up so that you’re on track for flowing into what the next chapter is supposed to be.

Right around here is also sometimes where you might realize you can’t do that effectively and there might’ve been a transition chapter left out of your original outline because you hadn’t yet realized you need it-- not a big deal, it’s happened for both of my longer fics at least once (FGTC was supposed to be 10 chapters, DL was supposed to be 20, oops)--but you can sort that out with a brainstorming session or two at some point and just doing what you did for all the other chapter outlines to add one or a few more.

But then, once you’ve done all that, the only thing left is the writing step! Which is to find a time (or a few times) that work for you in terms of energy and other RL obligations to just sit down and write it. By then, you probably have a very detailed outline going on, so it’s just a matter of refining all those notes you made about how everything happens, in what order, who says what, etc, etc into actual sentences in your narrative.

Read over it again once you’re finished, maybe run it by a beta if that’s how you roll (I’m the worst combination of impatient and sensitive, so I just read it over twice instead! XD), and then it should be ready to post wherever you so happen to post.

...But like I said, that’s just my method and General Process, it’s totally possible that you might find a different way that works for you better.

I hope some of that rambling mess was helpful to you, and good luck with any future projects! <3

#ralathekira #crinkling #resources #for reference #behind the scenes #et cetera

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flowerthornsart · 3 years

Text

Drabble I had written in my journal during class and typed up last night in google docs. I’m pretty happy with it!

Simbako belongs to @plaguenevermore !

I can’t cut this (on mobile rn) til later so please block the tag “long post” if you want to skip over it!

—

Her eyes closed, feeling the cool breeze on her face as the opened the door leading to the roof of her apartment building. Looking over the bustle of the city from above always put her heart at ease. Maybe it was seeing the world in a wider scale, or that it all looked so small from up above, or maybe it was that siren call of swinging her legs over the edge yet still being able to overcome it. Either way, it was a sort of sanctuary after a long day. It was something that she was sure she wasn’t supposed to have access to, and it was merely coincidence that the few staff who would have any reason to be up there didn't lock the door. She was sure no one else really knew the door could be opened.

So it shocked her to see someone already on the roof, sitting on the edge of the roof and a beer in hand. Mantis looked at her own strawberry lagers in the six pack hooked on her fingers before cutting her eyes back. The city lights outlined his silhouette, messy hair evident as well as what looked to be bandages wrapped up to his elbows. That’s when it finally hit her. Eyes widening, her words escaped her lips before she even had the chance to stop herself.

“Simbako-?”

He immediately tensed, straightening up at the sound of another voice. He quickly turned to face her, already looking hostile and like he was trying to find his words. “The fuck are you doing here?” He snarled, though he was already planning how he’d make an escape; or if push came to shove, he was sure he could handle her on his own. Mantis put her free hand up, a small gesture as she moved forward.

“I could ask you the same, this is… er,” she faltered for a moment, thinking over her words. She couldn’t possibly tell him she lived in this complex. “... I usually relax here ‘cause it’s quiet.” to be fair, that wasn’t a lie, but the way his eyebrow raised made her realize how much more suspicious she sounded. She shook her head, pulling one of the glass bottles from the cardboard six pack she was holding and offered it out to him as she got closer. “Here, relax. I swear I’m not here to do anything. Er… do you mind having some company?”

Simbako looked to the hero, then the lager in her hand, before taking it with a resigned shrug. “Thanks, I think.” He muttered, looking away as Mantis sat just beside the edge, resting her drink on it’s raised eaves before crossing her arms over the edge. The silence between them was thick with tension, neither sure what exactly to say before Simbako finally spoke up.

“... So why the hell are you being so nice to me?” He watched her as she kept her eyes fixed on the city skyline, quiet for a moment longer before she finally answered.

“You haven’t really done anything to me yet,” she hummed, “Plus, I’m more of a ‘small time villain’ sort. I’m nowhere near as strong or useful as the others, and I’m pretty sure the couple times I got in fights with you and Rayne were ‘cause I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He merely nodded along to that, taking a sip of the lager she had given him. His face scrunched up a little.

“This is really sweet.”

“Beats the convenience store beer you got.” She laughed, taking another swig of her own bottle. “So, why are you up here? Shouldn’t you be home?”

Simbako shrugged, the condensation of the glass bottle soaking into the wraps around his palms. “ I dunno, its just… some time to slow down. Nosy little shit, aren’t ya?”

“Hey, just trying to make some conversation.”

There was another stretch of silence between the two, but instead of it being tense, it felt like a more comfortable silence. At least, to Mantis it did. Her antennas twitched, slugging through half the bottle, the way only someone used to- or unbothered by the bitter burn could. Her eyes drifted from the city lights and the low din of cars and people to Simbako’s face. It wasn’t hard to notice the bags under his eyes, the unkempt scruff on his face. She knew this man was someone to be wary of- or hell, scared of- but most of what she was feeling was some sort of sympathy. He looked absolutely exhausted, eyes glazed, and it wasn’t because of the alcohol. Seeing his eyes suddenly cut over to meet hers, she quickly looked away, finishing off the rest of her bottle before setting it aside and already pawing for a second.

“What ya mentioned before; you’re a lot fuckin tougher than you look, it’s almost annoying. I swear ya held your own pretty good against Rayne.”

Mantis stopped mid pull of the second bottle cap, shocked by the sudden compliment and her mind clicking back to what exactly he had meant. “Uh- really? She tased my ass til I could taste peanut butter for a couple days, I’m pretty sure she won.” He held back a laugh, only a small huff escaping him before he continued.

“Didn’t say ya won, just that you’re tough. Between that and staying in Daxton, I thought for sure you’d be gone by now. This place is a shithole.”

“The whole world pretty much is, y’know?”

“... not what I’d expect from miss “I wanna play hero”.”

It was Mantis’ turn to glare up at him, a frown on her face as she studied the very light smirk on his face.

“Just ‘cause things are bad doesn’t mean I can't make the world better for someone, mister… erm-... mister half naked all the damned time!” That one did make him laugh a bit, shaking his head. “You’re just jealous you can't walk around like this.”

“I-! … Okay, maybe I am a little bit…!” Mantis laughed, obviously a bit tipsy but her laughter was sweet and genuine. “Really though, I’m not here to lecture you on hero stuff. I’ve just… have my reasons.”

“And I have mine.”

“Such as…?”

“There ya go being fuckin nosy again.” He had to admit her laid back, joking manner was contagious, to the point that even his usual grumbled retorts took on a lighter tone. Mantis was about to reply when a soft melody played from her pocket. She fished her phone from her pocket, tapping the screen a couple times until the alarm finally stopped. “Ugh, I can’t be up here much longer, I gotta sleep.”

“ ‘bout time, I thought you were gonna talk my ear off.”

Mantis rolled her eyes, picking up the half empty six pack and putting the empty bottles in the slots to throw out. As she picked up the empty convenience store one from Simbakos’ side, she gave him a sheepish grin. “...Uhm, thanks for keeping me company. I appreciate it. If you…” She stopped before shaking her head and continuing. “Just, you know where to find me most nights. I’m not gonna turn you away or be upset if you stop by again.” There was a mix of confusion and surprise on his face as she trailed off, but he simply nodded and turned away again. There wasn’t much else to say to that, so Mantis opened the roof access again, quietly closing the door behind her. Face to face with the stairs again, a mixture of different emotions and the alcohol warming her body kept her in place at the top for a moment. She was sure that’d be the last she saw of him, outside of watching Blade and the others fighting him, and all she could do was sigh, shake her head, and take that first step.

At least she had gotten him to laugh, she felt a weird sense of pride at that.

#my writing #long post #I always say this bit I need to write more pasldkwkd

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