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#i will post this to ao3 later today but figured i'd share here now
bellaxgiornata · 10 months
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Falling For the Devil [Part one: "The Night You Met"]
Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader
Summary: You have a bad Monday back at work and grab a few drinks at a nearby bar with a co-worker who takes the opportunity to have a certain attractive lawyer buy you a drink.
Or How you meet Matthew Murdock and then repeatedly embarrass yourself.
[Series of one-shots about Reader meeting, falling for, and dating Matt Murdock.]
Warnings: 18+ for this series; contains humor, fluff, romance, angst, smut (like...a lot of it later in the series), language, some violence
Word Count: 4.2k
a/n: So I'm finally sharing a few of these installments on tumblr, but I've been posting them on AO3 since the beginning of the year. Currently there are 74 parts posted on AO3 (almost 300k words total) and still counting. I update this series a few times a week and I figured I'd finally share a few installments here and maybe, eventually, post them all on tumblr? Please heed the warnings--there is a ton of sex later in this series (y'all who've read it know what I'm talking about) and some hurt/no comfort for a bit later during what I deemed Big Angst. If you haven't heard of this series, I certainly hope you enjoy it!
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Tapping your fingers lightly against the cold bottle in your hands, your eyes fixed on your beer, you blew out a rough breath. Classic rock was playing in the dimly lit dive bar, a random one you and Katy had last minute ducked inside after work. Neither of you had been here before but after the rough Monday back at work, both of you were dying for a drink and it didn't really matter where.
"I feel like I'm chasing a goddamned dead-end," you complained, glaring at the half-finished beer. 
"Maybe you need a new angle?" Katy suggested. 
She threw back the rest of her beer from her place beside you before raising a hand, flagging down the surly bartender. The older woman behind the bar headed back towards you both and Katy ordered another drink. 
You were lost in thought for a moment, focusing on the story Ellison had been telling you to drop for over a week now. Running a hand through your hair exasperatedly, you picked up your beer in your other hand and took a long pull from the bottle. Your head was buzzing from more than just the alcohol in your system as you swallowed the drink down. 
"Didn't Ellison give you a new piece today?" Katy asked, her attention returning to you when the new beer was set in front of her.
"Yeah," you answered her with an eye roll. "Fluff piece on the local animal shelter. Which, don't get me wrong," you said, raising a hand, "I love dogs and all, but I'm not really in this to write about dogs. I didn't bust my ass to get onto The Bulletin to write fluff." You sighed, eyeing Katy beside you. "What's he got you working on now?"
"That warehouse murder last night," she answered.
"Fuck," you grumbled, slamming your head to the bar counter. Immediately you regretted the action, raising your head and pulling a face as you rubbed at the sticky dampness the bar counter had left behind. "Ugh," you grunted. "I'm on his shit list this month, aren't I?"
"Yup," Katy answered bluntly. "You know he doesn't like any of us chasing dangerous stories about mobsters after…everything that happened a little while back."
You groaned in frustration before picking up your beer and finishing the last dregs of it. Katy nudged you abruptly in the arm, just about causing you to spill the beer. You swallowed, turning to shoot her a pointed look. 
"Isn't that Karen Page?" she whispered, gesturing her head towards the blonde at the pool table. "The one everyone whispered about saying Ellison supposedly fired her because she might know Daredevil's identity?"
Your eyes turned to the pool table, examining the blonde who was laughing with two other gentlemen. "Yeah, looks like her," you answered. 
"Now she had some good shit she wrote," Katy said with a grin. "You know, before Ellison started doling out pieces on animal shelters."
Your eyes returned to your empty beer, but Katy continued to stare at the pool table, fingers drumming on the bar.
"Maybe we should stop talking about work," you said. "The point of grabbing a drink was to forget about this shitty Monday. I'm currently not forgetting."
"Mmm, I wouldn't mind forgetting about my Monday by getting underneath him," Katy replied, her eyes still on the pool table as she gestured her beer towards someone.
You glanced back over, your eyes landing on the man drinking back a beer with Karen Page. It was obvious Katy was drooling over the dark haired gentleman with the red glasses and cane. His jawline was perfect, his hair practically begging to have fingers run through it, his body clearly well-built under that tight dress shirt with buttons tempted to pop when he moved just right, and he had an absolutely breathtaking smile.
"Isn't that Murdock from Nelson, Murdock, and Page?" Katy said after a moment, her eyes narrowing. "They're the guys who took down Fisk. Shit, he's hotter in person." When you didn't respond, Katy glanced back at you, eyebrows shooting up on her forehead. "Is your silence you disagreeing about that man’s perfection?"
You shook your head, your eyes landing back on the man. It almost seemed like he was looking at you and Katy at the bar, but considering he was blind, that would have been impossible.
"He's attractive, yeah," you agreed with a shrug. 
Katy's eyes widened at you. "Really? That's it? That guy looks like sex on legs and I'm pretty sure I've heard rumors that he is amazing in bed and…that’s all you’ve got?"
"Your point?" you asked.
"Are you serious right now?" she asked in disbelief. "You wouldn't want a night with that guy?"
You let out a heavy breath, your eyes returning to the now empty bottle of beer as you debated on another or just going home and making dinner and writing that pointless article for Ellison.
"I wouldn’t know what to even say to a guy like that," you muttered. "You know outside of interviews I am shit with human interaction."
Katy chuckled lightly before shaking her head. "You do have a knack for being awkward. But you wouldn't need to say anything, just let him fuck you senseless as you're screaming his name on your back." 
Katy abruptly threw out some light, breathy fake moans that had you slapping her arm sharply and your face burning up. 
"Pretty sure you could handle that ," she teased you with a light laugh. 
"You're a fucking animal," you joked, burying your reddening face in your hands.
"You're thinking about it though," she shot back. 
You glanced at the man between your fingers, face still buried in your hands. He was holding a beer in one hand as something that looked like a smirk broke across his face. He was standing by the pool table, his gaze in your direction as his friends focused on the game they were playing. Your heart sped up at the thought of him throwing you onto your bed and you swore you saw his lips pull up even higher before you turned away. 
"Would literally never happen," you mumbled. "Guys who look like that don't talk to chicks like me." 
"Sexy and awkward?" Katy supplied. 
You snorted, rolling your eyes. "Only one of those is an accurate description," you replied. "Anyway, I should probably get back. Make dinner and slam my head into the wall repeatedly as I write that piece for the next issue."
"Or you could stay and see if you're awkward enough to scare away Hell’s Kitchen’s sexiest lawyer," Katy suggested with a playful grin. "Maybe end up finding God on your back."
She opened her mouth and got out one moan before you kicked her shin. 
She laughed, waving a hand at you. "Alright, fine. Let me chug this and I'll leave, too. I've got a lead I need to check out tonight anyway."
You watched her raise the beer to her lips and toss it back, downing the last half of the bottle before slamming it to the counter. You slid off the bar stool and turned to leave only to run head first into someone. You stumbled backwards muttering out an 'oh shit' as your back hit the bar counter, and then your eyes went wide when you saw it was the attractive lawyer you and Katy had just been talking about.
"Shit, sorry, I didn't see you there," you blurted out an apology. 
"Neither did I," he answered, a grin spreading across his mouth. 
"Right, because you're…" you trailed off quickly realizing how rude it would be to point out his disability. 
Katy appeared just beside him, her eyes going wide as she gawked at you, shaking her head sharply. 
"Blind?" the man finished for you. 
Your cheeks burned as you awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. He was somehow even more attractive up close and he had a nice, deep voice. For a moment you couldn't help but imagine him on top of you in your bed again and your heart stuttered in your chest.
"And I'm tactless," you breathed out. "Sorry, I didn't mean to literally run into you and then be completely rude. I'm just going to go," you said quickly, trying to skirt around him.
"Or you could buy her a drink," Katy blurted.
Your eyes widened as you stared open-mouthed at her, entirely taken aback. Katy shot you a look, shrugging a shoulder. The man chuckled, the sound drawing your attention back to him beside you. He was grinning in your direction and you internally groaned.
"You want me to buy your friend a drink?" he asked curiously.
Your eyes narrowed to a glare at Katy as you quickly answered him. "She's kidding," you told him. "You know, just a bad joke ," you said, the last two words coming out at Katy between gritted teeth. 
"Well," the man mused, "I may not be opposed to the idea."
Your palms immediately began to sweat as Katy sent you a wicked grin. Your heart was thundering wildly in your chest as you chanced a glance back at him. He looked entirely calm and collected as he stood there with a charming smile on his face.
“That’s uh, that’s nice and all, but I actually have work to finish tonight–”
“No you don’t,” Katy cut in sharply, eyes narrowed. “You could write that article in thirty minutes with your hands tied behind your back using only your tongue. You don’t have work.”
The man whose first name you were still unaware of chuckled good-naturedly beside you at Katy’s words. “I have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about, but that sounds like quite the talent you have,” he teased.
Katy snickered loudly as you audibly groaned, shrinking back into yourself. This was easily the most humiliated you had felt in a long time. 
She turned towards the man next and pointedly told him, “She had a bad day, she’d love another drink.” And then her attention returned to you, a sly grin on her face as she said, “Now I actually have a lead to follow up with. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” She proceeded to mouth ‘you’re welcome’ before she turned and left.
You were torn between trying to chase after her and feeling obligated to converse with this insanely attractive man who was for some reason giving you the time of day. You were tightly gripping the strap of your crossbody bag with indecision as you stood there uncomfortably. Thankfully he spoke and broke the awkward tension.
“Would you like another drink?” he asked, gesturing towards the bar beside you both. “You could maybe tell me your name?” he suggested. “And why you’re having such a bad Monday?”
“Look,” you began, “you really don’t have to. She was just being a pain in my ass thinking that she was–” You stopped short. You couldn’t exactly finish that thought and tell him she was trying to help you talk to him because you obviously thought he was attractive and you would never approach him on your own. That would have been even more embarrassing. “I just–you’re clearly here with your friends and I don’t want to pull you away,” you quickly shot out instead.
His dark brows rose up behind his glasses, a slight amused grin forming on his lips. “Oh? You were paying attention to who I was with before you even ran into me?”
Wincing, you wished a bus would just barrel through the bar and hit you, putting you out of your misery and ending this embarrassing conversation. How the fuck were you even supposed to deny that?
So you decided to do what you always did when things got too uncomfortable–run.
“You know what, I really do need to go,” you said, quickly turning and stepping away.
“Wait,” he called out.
And you did. For some unknown reason you actually paused, back still towards him. You could see his two friends at the pool table still enraptured in their game, currently either unaware or uninterested in the fact that he wasn’t back with them.
“Okay, I really am blind, so you’re going to have to actually, you know, acknowledge that you’re still here so I know I’m not just talking to myself right now,” he said.
You cleared your throat nervously, your eyes dropping to your scuffed up dress flats. “Wouldn’t exactly be too out of place in a bar, at least,” you muttered.
He laughed lightly, the sound causing you to glance back at him over your shoulder. He was smiling and the sight nearly gutted you. You wished he’d take off the glasses so you could see the entirety of his face–his eyes were probably as beautiful as the rest of him.
He slid onto the bar stool beside the one you’d just been on, folding up his cane as he patted the seat beside him. “Please, sit. Let me get you a drink,” he offered again.
The words flew out of your mouth before you could stop them. “Why, are you just that curious how far I can shove my foot into my mouth?”
Your mouth immediately clamped shut, one of your hands flying up to cover it as your eyes grew wide in horror at how your sarcastic comment actually came across. His eyebrows once again flew all the way up to his forehead, his lip twitching up at the corner in amusement. 
“Another one of your curious talents?” he asked with a slight laugh.
“Fucking hell,” you groaned, taking a step back. “This is the most embarrassed I’ve probably felt in years,” you blurted. “Which is saying something because I have a tendency to make things incredibly awkward and uncomfortable and I should just really go home now.”
He was fighting the grin on his face as he shook his head. “No, please, don’t be embarrassed. This conversation has honestly been the highlight of my day.”
“I’m glad my mortification brings you joy,” you said flatly, taking another step back, “but I’m pretty sure I’m teetering on the edge of being the first person to actually die of embarrassment. So I should probably really go now.”
“I’m Matthew,” he said, extending his hand out towards you. “Usually I just go by Matt.”
Your eyes dropped down to his extended hand, staring in silent confusion at it. Why the fuck was he offering his hand and introducing himself to you?
He cleared his throat, hand still outstretched. “I know you said you’re a bit awkward and all, so I’ll let you know this is usually the part where you shake my hand and introduce yourself, too.”
“I–” you began, hesitating as you continued eyeing his outstretched hand. “I just told you like five times that I should go…”
“I know, I’m blind, not deaf,” Matt said, grin still intact, causing you to flush further. “But yet you’re still standing here instead of actually leaving. So,” he continued, extending his hand out further towards you, “my name is Matt, and you are?”
“Dying of embarrassment,” you muttered, unable to resist the slight smile on your mouth when he chuckled again. 
And then you caved and against your better judgment you shook his hand, offering him your name as you sat on the bar stool beside him. 
“That’s a pretty name,” he told you.
“And that sounds like a line,” you quipped back.
He raised a single brow at you this time, the corner of his mouth quirking up. You watched as the bartender made her way over towards the pair of you, the surly expression on her face morphing into a large smile when she saw Matt.
“What can I get you, Murdock?” she asked.
Matt turned towards the woman, a charming smile on his face as he said, “Just another beer, Josie, and whatever this lovely lady is having.” His head tilted towards you and Josie’s eyes followed curiously.
“Uh, just a beer, thanks,” you muttered awkwardly.
She nodded, lightly tapping a hand to the counter before sauntering off to grab two beers. You took a moment to take a deep breath, not entirely sure what to make of the evening so far. Normally you’d have scared someone off by now, making them entirely too uncomfortable to try to endure conversation. But not Matt. He was still sitting beside you, clearly relaxed and comfortable.
“So why’re you having a bad day?” he asked.
You glanced over at him. He was studying you, head tilted to the side and one arm resting along the bar counter, the cane folded up on the surface beside him. With the way he was turned towards you in the bar stool, and you towards him, your knees were almost brushing.
“Just a bad day at work,” you mumbled. 
“Where do you work?” he asked curiously.
“The Bulletin,” you told him.
He appeared to perk up instantly, sitting up straighter in his chair as his head shifted further to the side. “You’re a journalist?”
“Uh, yeah,” you answered. “Or at least, I try to be when my boss isn’t throwing fluff pieces at me instead of letting me chase real stories.”
You briefly noticed the thinning of his lips at your words before Josie’s return with two beers caught your attention. You thanked her with a smile, surprised when she returned one, and watched as she disappeared. You took a deep drink from the beer, definitely feeling like you needed it to survive in Matt’s presence. When you set the beer back on the bar, your right hand absently playing with the condensation on the bottle, you turned your attention back to Matt and noticed the slight frown on his mouth.
“So you’re…chasing a dangerous story and your boss doesn’t want you to?” he asked curiously.
“Yeah,” you answered simply.
“Maybe you should listen to him,” Matt suggested.
Your eyes narrowed at him. “And what, write about the upcoming adoption event at the animal shelter forever?” You shook your head. “No, that’s not what I signed up for with this career. Your friend over there is Karen Page, right? She was the same way when she worked at The Bulletin, too.”
“Yeah, and you see how she no longer chases after the dangerous stories for a newspaper anymore, right?” he replied, his tone more serious than it had been.
“I’m sorry but, I just met you literally minutes ago and now you’re trying to dictate what I should be doing?” you asked skeptically.
Matt abruptly shook his head, his charming smile returning. “You know what? You’re right. I just remember Karen having some terrible situations arise because she was chasing a story. I shouldn’t project that onto you. I apologize.”
You continued to study him curiously as you raised your beer to your lips, taking a drink. You swallowed, voicing your thought aloud as you asked, “Why’d you want to have a drink with me so badly?”
“I liked the sound of your voice,” he answered easily. “You sounded nice and I thought I’d like to continue hearing you talk for a bit more tonight.”
You snorted loudly, shaking your head. “Okay, now that is a terrible line,” you said.
“Says the woman who wanted to show me how far she could shove her foot into her mouth before she even knew my name,” he countered.
You blushed furiously, shaking your head with a grin. “No, I said you wanted to see that, not that I wanted to show you,” you shot back.
“Well,” Matt said with a shrug of his shoulders as he brought his beer to his lips, “I’m blind anyway so I couldn’t actually see it one way or another.”
“How many blind jokes are you going to make tonight?” you asked him.
He grinned smoothly back at you, swallowing down his beer. “As many as you continue to easily drop into my lap,” he answered.
You laughed, your eyes darting to the beer beside you. Matt’s knee nudged yours and you glanced back at him.
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked softly.
You shrugged a shoulder, eyeing the beer again. “I can’t decide if I’m regretting staying for this drink or not yet."
"Oh, ouch," he said, feigning hurt. 
You laughed, rolling your eyes. "I mean I’m still debating whether or not you laughing at my intense embarrassment has been worth it or not yet for the current conversation."
"Uh huh," he replied. "So where are you landing with that? On a scale of one to ten?"
You pulled a face, head tilting to the side. "How would I even rate that on a scale?" you asked him curiously. 
"Well, one would be 'Oh shit I'll just stop talking and slip away since he can't see me’–'"
"Jeez, has that happened to you before?" you asked, cutting him off.
He shook his head, bringing his beer to his lips again as he answered. "No, but I get the feeling you might."
Your face reddened further as you watched him take a drink, eyes lingering on the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed. "No," you corrected, "I'd at least blurt out something weird and then sprint out of the room. You'd at least have some warning."
"Oh, well I appreciate that at least," he teased. "But really, scale of one to ten how much are you regretting staying for the drink?" 
You eyed him, bringing the bottle to your lips and thinking over your answer for a moment as you studied him and took a drink. He was charming, that was obvious, and he didn't seem even remotely put off or like he was struggling with conversation no matter how awkward you'd been so far. In fact, you'd go so far as to say that you were surprisingly having fun.
"Okay I'm pretty sure you just told me you'd at least blurt something awkward before you disappeared on me," Matt joked.
You grinned, unable to help it. "A seven," you answered. 
His eyebrows shot up onto his forehead again, an amused smile still on his lips. "A seven isn't bad but I was hoping for higher," he mused. "Why so low?"
"You could do with some better jokes and your lines are terrible," you told him.
"Duly noted," he answered quickly. 
"So what about you?" you asked somewhat nervously. "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you regret asking me to stay for this drink?"
You anxiously took a sip of your beer while he cocked his head to the side as if he was in thought for a moment. 
"An eight," he answered. "But only because I'm still waiting to find out how far you can shove your foot in your mouth."
You choked on the beer you were drinking, coughing lightly as Matt laughed and asked if you were alright. It was a moment before you recovered but his next question had you reeling again.
"You want to stay longer than that one drink? Meet my friends?" he asked when you'd recovered. 
Your cheeks flushed as you bit your lip, taking only a few seconds to think over your answer. "Yeah, sure," you said. "I've got time."
"Considering your friend said you could write your article in a half hour with your hands tied behind your back using only your tongue," he mused, "I imagine you do. You need any help with the restraints for that, by the way?"
You threw your face in your hands, groaning loudly as Matt let out another bark of laughter beside you. "I cannot believe you just said that," you mumbled.
"Really?" he asked curiously. "In the probably fifteen minutes you've been conversing with me you really can't believe I would say that?"
You began to laugh behind your own hands, turning your face to peek at him through your fingers. He was smiling wide, perfect teeth exposed, as he gazed in your direction. 
"Okay, yeah, maybe I can," you answered. 
"But you seem a little more relaxed now," he pointed out. 
He was right, too. Somehow after all the awkward tension and comments you'd found him funny and a little disarming. And he still hadn't run off, instead he seemed like he was also enjoying your company and he clearly didn't want you to leave yet. Which you certainly hadn't expected.
"Yes, maybe marginally less embarrassed," you agreed.
"Good," he responded. He slid off the bar stool, knees briefly grazing yours before he grabbed his cane and began to unfold it. "So, would you like to meet my friends? Stay a bit longer?"
You smiled, shrugging a shoulder. "Sure, let's give my anxiety a bigger audience," you joked, sliding off of your bar stool. 
"I have a feeling they're going to like you, too," he assured you.
You smiled nervously, feeling your palms sweating a bit again and trying to discreetly wipe them against your dress pants as he led you towards the pool table. He'd just said he liked you and you felt yourself becoming a bundle of nerves all over again.
But he couldn't possibly have meant it like that , right?
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missgryffin · 1 year
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So today I reached (and then surpassed) a follower milestone, and I am seriously blown away 💗 Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading and engaging with my stories. Thank you for sharing in your love for Jily with me. You guys are the best 🥹
I wanted to share something with you to celebrate, but I've been doing much more outlining than writing as of late, so I thought I'd pull back the curtain on one of the stories I'm working on right now—something that's flitted around in my head for ages and that I'm stoked to be finally writing in earnest:
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As Old as Time
A Beauty and the Beast + Fairytale AU 🥀🏰🕯 (Or, what happens when you end up binging Disney movies and OUAT, which turns into googling why the Beast was a prince and not a king, and then before you know it you've been reading about Rumpelstiltskin for an hour.) The following things are known: i) Obviously Gaston = Gilderoy; ii) on that note, LeFou = Peter = LePou, which translates to head louse and is more than fitting for our brawny pig's sidekick (I dare you to go watch "Gaston" now with that in your head); iii) yes, Rumpel is Snape, and yes, his name must be edited to Rumpelsnapeskin; iv) no, Prince James cannot be an actual "beast," lest that somehow be construed as needing a bestiality tag on AO3 (*shudders*); and v) the plot of [redacted], in which [redacted] but [redacted], and then [redacted]. The following things are still unknown: i) whether this will remain a one shot or spiral even further out of control; ii) whether this will manage to be my first (only?) T-rated fic or inevitably turn steamy enough to warrant an M; and iii) whether this will be ready to post at some point "soon" or some other undetermined time "later." With all that in mind...
Prologue
Once upon a time, in the hidden heart of the realm of Gryffindor, a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the spoiled prince was arrogant, selfish, and unkind. He taxed the village to fill his castle with the most beautiful objects, and his parties with the most beautiful people.
Then one night, while a bitter storm’s rain lashed at the windows and the arrogant prince danced obliviously with yet another beautiful woman, an unexpected intruder arrived at the castle.
The grand double doors burst open; the bitter storm’s gale snuffed out all of the candles with its icy breath; the music ceased; and everyone watched with bated breath as the prince approached the cloaked figure in the doorway.
The figure lowered his hood, revealing himself to be a slight man with a pointed, imp-like face and curtains of oily black hair that flapped forward as he bowed before the prince. 
The imp-like man was there to collect on a deal. Not one that the prince had made, no—one that the prince’s father had made, decades before, when he feared the end of his line because his wife remained barren despite years of their efforts. 
The deal was simple: a first-born son, in exchange for control of the son’s fate.
Desperate for his line to continue, even if it meant submitting to the wiles of the imp-like man, the prince’s father had accepted the bargain.
Upon learning of this, the prince was enraged, and he turned the imp-like man away, vowing never to let his life be controlled by such a snake. The imp-like man warned the prince that his father’s bargain could not be undone, though it could be supplanted by a bargain of his own.
But the prince was proud, and he refused to deal with someone he found so slimy and repulsive. 
When he dismissed the intruder again, the imp-like man’s eyes turned pure black, and he snapped his fingers. At once, a red rose—as lush and beautiful as those in the rosebushes of the castle gardens—appeared in his hand. Holding the rose aloft, he cursed the prince as punishment, placing a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.
Days bled into years, and the prince and his servants were forgotten by the world, for the imp-like man had erased all memory of them from the minds of the people they loved. He had sentenced the prince to his fate after all: to be forever bound to his castle, immortalized in his body of twenty-five, yet alone and forgotten, forced to live knowing that his line and his very existence would disappear into oblivion exactly as his father had feared.
But all magic must have a loophole, and the prince’s was this: if he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell from the rose the imp-like man had enchanted, the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain in his forgotten castle, ageless yet alone, for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope—for even if someone could learn to love a cursed man like him, an even more impossible element remained: who could ever find him? 
Unknown to the prince and his forgotten castle, the surrounding realms were increasingly subsumed by the spiteful realm of Slytherin. Rumors of dark magic flitted about in whispers, for sorcery left as ugly a stain as blood. But no one dared speak aloud the name of the one who was said to have the wicked Queen’s ear, not even when her own mother and stepfather died in a mysterious accident, thereby allowing her to ascend the throne.
Each day of her reign, the vain, cruel Queen consulted her Magic Mirror: “Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall. Who is the fairest one of all?” And each day, the Mirror answered, “You are the fairest one of all,” until one day, the Mirror replied, “Beyond Hufflepuff’s valley, across Ravenclaw’s glen, near the heart of Gryffindor’s wild moor, dwells Snow White, fairest one of all.” 
Fearing that her stepsister, the baby Princess Snow White, would not only someday surpass her in beauty but would also challenge the Queen’s connived claim to the throne, the Queen had gotten rid of her years before. But in a moment of weakness, unable to kill a young child with her own hand, the Queen had dressed the little Princess in rags and sent her afloat on the Winding River with an omen of death instead. 
Enraged to learn her stepsister still lived, the Queen commanded her Huntsman to find the Princess—and bring back her heart.
A Small Provincial Town
Sunshine spilled over the distant hills, golden and glowing as it reflected along the Winding River and woke the quiet little village nestled there beside the Forbidden Forest. 
Why it was forbidden, Lily had no idea; it had simply been that way—dark, still, seemingly untouched—for as long as she could remember. 
Of course, there were those who spoke of legends about dangerous packs of wolves prowling the Forest and eating any person who dared venture too deep into the wood, and maybe they were true; from the cottage she called home on the outskirts of town, near the Forest’s edge, Lily had often heard the distant, eerie howls of wolves at night. 
But the Forest was also where she’d learned how to use her bow; where she gathered herbs and flowers that didn’t grow in their own garden; where she sometimes rode, careful not to venture beyond where the trees turned dense, and she could inhale the crisp, almost stinging scent of pine in her nose. 
Something about the Forest called to her; it always had.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Lily forced her gaze away from the beckoning trees and resumed her daily walk into the village.
🌲🏰🕯🥀
[cutting it off there before I copy/paste the whole damn file]
[stay tuned!]
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quinnsqueries · 2 years
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Benefits To Writing Fanfiction
There are a lot of people out there who find fanfiction to be weird. There are also a lot of people out there who are ashamed to admit they write fanfiction. Well, today I hope I can break down that wall a bit and show everyone that writing fanfiction is not only a legitimate form of writing but also a beneficial one!
I write a lot of fanfiction - I'll admit it. Maybe one day y'all will figure out what my AO3 account is, maybe not. And yes, I am a hardcore fan of AO3 it's the best fanfiction sharing website out there, no doubt. If you disagree I'm sorry for your loss. But, yeah. I write a lot of fanfiction and read a lot of fanfiction and honestly? I think I've grown a LOT as a writer since then. Here's why.
It helps you explore new genres
As a writer I find it hard to step out of my comfort zone when writing. Does anyone else feel the same? Well, regardless of if you do or don't, since writing fanfiction I've found myself writing genres I wouldn't have even considered writing before. I think this is mainly because I'm usually taking already existing universes and expanding on them with my own ideas. Some of the work is already done for me, which makes me feel more comfortable putting my feet in the door of this new genre. It doesn't seem as scary - and in turn it's a lot more fun.
Often authors are scared to try something new in fear of messing up, but with fanfiction you already have something to work with that's not just a rough idea for a story, and all you have to do is test the waters. This makes the fear of writing in that genre with your own idea a lot less scarier later down the line.
Gaining Experience From Having Your Work Read
Without fanfiction I doubt I would have had many people read my work. Some of my friends have read my original stories - and also my fanfiction - and some of my family has read it as well, but other than that nobody that I know personally has read my work. Then I started writing fanfiction.
My writing was mostly trashy at first, not gonna lie. When I started posting my fanfiction online it was actually on Wattpad and I've grown tremendously as a writer since then. Without the constant feedback and validation from everyone who had read, commented on and liked my stories I don't know where I would be as a writer today. I've grown so much because of my fandoms, and now I'd like to say I'm pretty good at writing.
Borrowing Others Ideas
I think, one of my favorite things about fanfiction, is that you have so many different worlds to borrow from. If you like a character you can write about them. If you want to see your favorite characters in a different world you can do that. You get to test so many different things out and you can really improve your weak spots as a writer or just have fun with your strengths.
Because you don't have to come up with every little thing as a writer, you really just get to have fun with pre-made elements. And you also really grow from this too. You're studying already made storylines, worlds, and characters. And, if you're anything like me, this might cause you to think about your own story and how to develop it more. So really, learning more about characters like Luz Noceda from The Owl House or Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson on such an intimate level can help you develop your own characters and see where they're lacking. The same goes for world building and plot lines.
Rebooting Your Love Of Writing
How many of your write every day. Or every week or month etc...
Me neither. Before really getting into fanfiction I would write maybe once every six months. It can be draining, especially when you don't know what you're doing. But once I started writing fanfiction - lots of it, I started writing at least once a week. And now I write almost every day! And I'm writing for myself most of the time, but the love and validation from the people who read and comment and like my work can really keep me motivated too. When they have ideas and I know they're wrong, or are just surprised by a twist or maybe mad at something that happened. Any and all feedback really keeps me going.
And a lot of the time, when I'm tired of writing fanfiction...
Well, then I get motivated to work on my original pieces.
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Writing fanfiction is just a great way to practice your own writing skills, all in all. And even if you aren't working on any of your own original ideas, or you don't have any at all, fanfiction is still a great way to write and keep in touch with your creative side. Because, at the end of the day, fanfiction is a form of writing, and there is no wrong way to write.
So never be ashamed to write fanfiction, guys. It's honestly such a great thing and fanfiction writers should be respected everywhere!
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illfoandillfie · 2 years
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okay its been a little while so i figured i should do a little update post lmao
1. work technically starts back next week but because of the whole covid sitch here theres some question about it all so idk i might be working from home? i might not? hopefully we'll find out sometime today. I will also be working 4 days a week this year.
2. im kind of thinking of doing a bit of a sleepover event over this weekend! probs not blurbs but all the other usual stuff - ask games and small tarot readings and that sort of thing, idk.
3. i've got a few more AKOT cards to share over at @akindoftarot and i'll reblog them here as well so i'm hoping to do that today
4. I've also spent a few days over these holidays updating my Ao3 account so now allll my blurbs and things are available over there. I still have the kinktober posts to go but that's what i'll be working on today.
5. I am working on the next ADKoE so that should be my first fic of the year and hopefully I can make a big dent in it tonight. I'd love to have it up by next week but we'll see, depends how much research i end up needing to do.
6. If anyone's interested I have revamped my book side blog over at @readingoals . I know a few of you were into bookish stuff when I did the readathon last year and idk i might be tempted to set up another readathon later this year and host it over there.
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lethesomething · 6 years
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A writer tag thing
I was tagged by @tottwritesfanfic and it’s an excuse to talk about fanfic. Let's do this!
1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?
Uh. Um. Since I am an Old, this username has existed since forever, and acquiring it involved a goth themed IRC chat room and some virtual naked table dancing. The Lethe refers to the River of Oblivion in ancient Greek Underworld mythology, because again, I was Very Goth at the time. I'd… I'ma leave it at that.
2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos).
That'll be Chocolate Hearts. It's not the one with the most hits, because it's not porn, but it's getting there, considering it was only posted in August. That whole fic was such an incredible experience, because I was getting daily feedback from people as I was writing publishing it.
3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?
It's Shimizu Kiyoko, because I still mostly write Haikyuu, and because she's awesome (and I, too, wish to be awesome).
Let’s put a cut here because this is Long.
4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?
I'd rather not name names, but I met at least one of my friends through AO3 comments. There's also a commenter whose style I liked so much that I started copying it for comments on other people's work. I absolutely notice when people drop by regularly, and I love every one of those people. I try to follow them back. There are few feelings more rewarding to me as a writer than seeing someone like one of my stories, and then go through the other ones I wrote for that fandom.
 5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?
I don't regularly re-read fics, because I have enough trouble keeping up with fiction I feel like I *should* be reading. In that sense, the ones I keep going back to are the long ones I'm subscribed to. Bell, book and candle is my go-to plane fic for when I'm travelling, for instance. It's a 1k page pdf on my phone and I try to go back and comment on the chapters I finished when I get to a computer (or like three months later, most likely).
6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?
*Opens statistics page* I don't so much subscribe to stories, as I do to people. And I'm apparently subscribed to 22 people. I have 33 bookmarks, but that's mostly because sometimes I'll go back through my history and bookmarks stuff that I still like a few months later.
7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?
Urban fantasy. That seems to be the AU where my mind goes into every single direction and comes back with 60k worth of words every time. Also, a disproportionate amount of characters in my fics end up being bakers or baristas. So, uh, make of that what you will.
8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)
Um, I have 36 user subscriptions. 299 bookmarks. And 117 subscriptions to various fics.
9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)
Well, there's always stuff you come up with that maybe shouldn't be put to paper. When it comes to very self-indulgent, or very smutty, I try to stay my hand. I struggled a long time with whether or not I should publish any smut at all, because I don't want like… my colleagues to find it. What I ended up with, was several fail safes, and the promise to myself that I would only write… acceptable smut (so no werewolf orgies for you! not that I, uh, would write them otherwise).
10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.
So, uh, the very specific reason I started writing smut at all, was because that is the hardest thing to do. For me. Sex is, a lot of the time, awkward and funny and feely and there's a lot of emotions and actions going on, and I very specifically do not want to write lifeless mechanical porn sex. Because that's not what I'm here for. But that's difficult. I write to have the kind of stuff I want to Read, and I'm very friggin picky when it comes to smut, so it takes me longer to write 1k of smut than it does to write 20k of teen rated fluff. I wish I was better on that front.
11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?
It's a mixed bag. I'm pretty sure me and @leeva-art  are the pioneers of all ShinToko content. And I did that whole SugaTen one. Looking through the list, I actually did a fair amount of rarepair shorts. I kinda like writing rarepairs because there's a lot more of the dynamic for me to explore.  But I'm currently writing a series full of popular ships (YamaYachi, DaiSuga, KageHina, IwaOi), because sometimes, those are popular for a reason. To be honest, I think the ship I write most is 'x reader', and I'm fairly certain that's an under-reported popular ship.
12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?
I have 21 works on AO3 in total. All of those are finished one-shots or multichapters, except the one I'm currently working on. Yes, I'm proud of this :P.
13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?
Oh god. So apart from the current multichapter one I have… one longish romance story that's been gathering dust for two years (The Aomine. I swear I will finish it one day), and… about four smut shorts in various states of unfinished-ness. And an Aizawa short that is like smut in the sense that it's a lot of action and feels and I'm Struggling.
14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?
I do both. I'm a bit of a daydreamer, so I like to play ideas and scenarios in my head for a while, and then I jot them down when they've grown enough. But I'm also a talker, and anyone who has chatted with me for any length of time probably knows that an Idea can take root in a convo and I basically talk it out and two months later there's a massive fic brewing. My brain is an overexcited puppy.
15. Have you ever co-authored a story?
Nope. It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not sure how that would work practically.
16. How did you discover AO3?
It's all Rin's fault. I pretty much only got into fanfic after watching Free! and discovering the joys of tumblr. Fairly certain I discovered AO3 while looking for Quality SouRin.
17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?
Ahahahaha…no.
18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?
That would be weird? I'm not Lady Gaga.
19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?
I've been writing since I was a little girl. So the first stories I wrote were probably inspired by that one teacher I had when I was eight, that kept saying I was good at this. But I remember in my teens, wanting to write like Anthony Horowitz, and later like Terry Prattchett, or Douglas Adams. As for writing fanfic, that is the fault of Aleramicci and A Shadow so Great. That was the first time I saw someone take that level of world building and lore creation and character development, and spin it into this… epic tale. Because I have always imagined scenarios and characters in my day dreams, I was creating alternate endings for the Three Musketeers at 13, but I didn't think anyone else was willing to read them. I thought fanfic was, well, smut. And she showed me that you can create worlds out of nearly nothing (please remember that 2014 League of Legends Lore was total shit), and do it Well, and write it well, and… ugh.
20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?
Ok, where's that meme. I think the main thing is… just do it. You've got stories, you write them. But know that it is work. Like every hobby, it takes time, it takes energy and effort. You need to Make that Time. Very few people can sit down and just have the words flow out of their fingers. For most, it's Work. Once you know that, and you make the conscious decision to do the work, you can get shit done.
21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?
I try to plot up to a certain level but I leave room for a lot of improv. Like especially for longer fics, I'll have a vague idea of where the characters end up and what needs to happen for the finale to… happen. The actual scenes aren't plotted though. I write better when I just let the scene take me where it wants to go. I've learned a lot from the Lock, the Key and the Sacrifice, in that it was my first Very Long multichaptered fic and it was Mostly Improvised. This meant that some character development got lost, and that I had to write myself out of some weird situations but also, some of the best scenes in that fic are complete bursts of random inspiration. Since then, I've gotten a bit more organized. I use OneNote to jot down 'spur of the moment' scenes to slot into stories later, and to make time lines and character profiles and all that. The actual fic is still me opening the Word doc and going 'ok, it's day six in this story, what should happen today'.
22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?
I don't think so? AO3 readers are very nice and disciplined, I think. Either that or I've been very lucky. All I've gotten were a few comments that left me flustered, mostly along the lines of 'when are you updating', when I keep a very tight schedule. That sort of thing. I just leave those be.
23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)
See above: smut.
24. What story(s) are you working on now?
Currently, My Girlfriend is a Goddess?!, which is a fantasy exchange gift that ballooned into a very long, multichapter and possibly trilogy book type thing.
25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?
The Plan is to finish book one of My Girlfriend is a Goddess?! (the YamaYachi, aka the actual exchange gift), then take a break for some one-shots and whatnot, and then continue to book two (the DaiSuga one). So yes, I do try to stay somewhat disciplined. This isn't to say that inspiration can't strike like a vengeful god and I have to rearrange the whole thing. Chocolate Hearts happened while I was trying to work on the TenSuga, and it got written in like a month of furious typing. Shit just happens, man.
26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?
No. I have a very unstable work schedule, and sometimes I'm just tired. I try to get certain chapters finished on a weekly basis though. I learned with NaNo that when I try to write too much in one go, the output is also not that great. I need to write, and then do a whole bunch of editing, and then write again.
27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?
Things are certainly going smoother now than they did two years ago. It's a certain… confidence? I think? A rhythm you get into. I got wordier, too. Not sure if that's a good thing.
28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?
This is hard. That is a hard question. For the longest time, my fave story was Balance. But if I read it now, it does show its age. So I'm going to say The lock, the key and the sacrifice. I will always be super proud of that, because that's my first and currently only 'book' and I worked a year and a half on it. Not every part of it is amazing, but there's some Pretty Good Parts and I just felt such an immense relief and… satisfaction on finishing it.
29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?
One of the first things I published was an Iwaizumi smut short. It's… ok, but it has some issues that I would iron out if I were to write it again.
30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?
When I was little I had this Plan to write a bestseller and sell it to Hollywood and then buy a castle in Scotland and basically be JK Rowling, but I sincerely doubt that's going to happen. Goals, tho.
31. What is the easiest thing about writing?
Coming up with random shit that blossoms into big, huge ideas and worlds and complicated plot lines. Like… that happens without me trying.
32. What is the hardest thing about writing?
The bit where you sit down to write through a part you've been struggling with. Those few paragraphs that you need to connect scene A and scene B, for it to make logical sense.
33. Why do you write?
Because I like it. Because I enjoy building worlds and scenes and characters, and sharing them. Because like all kinds of creative work, it has gained me relationships and connections to people I resonate with. Also, ngl, for the kudos and the comments. I get a lot of joy from seeing people enjoying my work.
 The tagging part. Um, I dunno if @skittidyne has done this one yet.  Also the usual suspects: @bsinoranges, @haruhi02 and @thekuroiookami   Consider it a subtle nudge if anyone else wants to do this.
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