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#wip: many worlds beyond
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i was thinking about writing stuff based on ideas i had when i was in middle school, particularly mwb and how difficult it was to give the villains motivations that made sense when younger me was like "they did this because they're evil and i wanted it happen in the plot." as i've become a better writer my writing process has focused much more around character arcs and plot events as a result of character-motivated actions instead of "a thing happens and characters react to it"
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evil-ontheinside · 1 year
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Another wip! Because I can't write one thing at a time, here's a (different than that one post I had) byler royal au
"You can't be serious."
Dustin knows this is a bad idea. He can smell bad ideas from miles away - if they're not his own bad ideas but that's not the point right now Steve, shut up - and this is a bad idea. The worst actually.
"I can be and am very serious."
This is bad. Very bad. This can't be happening. Shouldn't be happening. Why is no one doing anything about this? Oh, right, because Dustin is the only one who knows. How is he the only one who knows? There should be people all around this place. Someone must've heard something, right? Right.
"You do realize how bad this idea is, right? You will get caught."
Dustin is above any formalities at this point because this is stupid. Absolutely mad, actually. He should do something about this, not that he can. He can't tell anyone, that's against everything Dustin stands for but he can't just let this happen either. He will get in so much trouble and if anyone finds out Dustin knew about this- he doesn't want to think about it. It won't end well, is all he knows.
"I won't get caught. No one will even notice."
Where did he get that confidence and how can Dustin steal it? Does anyone sell potions of confidence or something? He's pretty sure they are illegal in this kingdom. A lot of things are illegal in this kingdom.
Finally, Michael turns around from where he has been rummaging through a drawer. His face, pinched in slight annoyance and concentration, softens a little at the distress coming off of Dustin in waves.
"I will be fine, Dustin."
[...]
Michael turns back around to the drawer and adds in the most casual voice Dustin has ever heard: "Oh, I'm taking Holly, too. But it will be fine. She really wanted to go on a little adventure and it's hard to tell her no."
Nevermind. This will be a disaster. 
"You're taking your sister?!"
The prince's annoyed "shhh" doesn't really register in Dustin's brain. He wants to take his sister, Princess Holly, on his runaway scheme. Dustin will be thrown into the pit for this.
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grasslandgirl · 2 years
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Genuinely don’t know what noble pining is about but youve hyped it to the part that I want to read it when it drops
anon i hope you know ive been treasuring this in my askbox since you sent it in- it's both an honor and incredibly terrifying to think that there are people who are already excited for noble pining, despite the fact that i have neither finished writing nor started posting it skfjvskjfb it's a wip that is so special and dear to me and also something that's always felt like something of a pipe dream, given the subject and pairing of it isn't something that anyone's written before or shown any interest in lsfkjvnskfjbn!! it's also the longest thing ive ever written to date, and idk what i'n going to do with myself when i finally finish it- much less what im going to title it, because noble pining has always been intended just to be a working title skjfvnbsjkfvn
but for those interested parties ill give an overview of noble pining thus far: adaine/gorgug/fabian, fig/ayda, royalty au wherein adaine is a princess and gorgug and fabian are her guards, it's a non-dnd fantasy au (there is magic, but no dnd classes/tieflings/elves/etc), it's currently at around 80k words and I'm working on the fifteenth chapter, with loose plans for at least four or five more chapters on top of what ive already written 🤪
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ideal scenario is that i like thinking about this like, essential short story adventure where winston and tuk hook up w/a couple [that bachelorette party] members, and as a foursome/quartet because they have these parallel stories of two pairs of friends who are like "sure i'd have sex with you if things aligned for that" and now are living that short story about expanding a dynamic & becoming closer friends for the end of it (of course billions only wrote winston as standing next to tuk next episode, instead of rian as he's often written to be standing with incl in a previous finale, to shove him out of the path of getting material and let taylor have confusing nonresolution w/rian based on this proximity and coincidence instead. but who can't say that that, And winston next not even trying to sit with tmc in the last finale appearance which at this point is probably for the best and instead again hanging out with tuk and then ben, isn't about having been closer for whatever all happened there in obtaining casual sex together)
and they can have perpendicular stories of also just having some nice chats and enjoying other interactions together such that maybe it's just fun for this one night of crossing paths, maybe anyone stays in touch at all, who even knows, if winston or tuk are dating anyone it's probably only going to come up again in how they were last dumped for being too much effort for how unepic they are, so godspeed to offscreen unmentioned dating. but just friendly acquaintanceship, or again this one-time spontaneously crossed paths night's acquaintanceship, is also a lot of fun. and why not imagine that winston "he's not allowed to not feel self-loathing or, by doing basic things like talking or initiating Or oppositng anything, Not operating as though he's too low in a social hierarchy here to be allowed thusly" type of material where his spontaneity, vivacity to bon vivantocity, self-assurance that is apparently arrogance/aggression to every who thinks he ought to be self-effacing instead, etc, is actually just a social success in other less wretched non-work situations, and his personality is taken as a contribution to the proceedings even before anyone takes up his proffered contribution of himself as a potential sexual partner. and lending confidence to tuk as like one person who won't, at any given time, go into hostile mode with him or even like take up the position of issuing this criticism, which is an inherently elevated (over tuk) one when it's a unilateral thing. such that tuk's personality can be a potential contribution as well. and winston and tuk's Friendship Developing Moments can be happening then, too, b/c Maybe they've hung out outside work on their own aleady, but also maybe they've never really been interacting with a larger group outside work, such that that group is less likely to include some people, or entirely people, who will suddenly go sicko mode on either or both of them. and then meanwhile, who knows anything abt this bachelorette party, could be already a cohesive friend group who all see each other all the time, or people who see each other more infrequently meeting up on this trip, or a mix; could be fun and chill or something so scheduled/demanding it's kind of like a work trip, or fluctuate....and of course zero info abt the individuals such that imagining anything abt them is entire OC territory, and i'm bad at that, or at coming up with stories, so not exactly a lot of details here from me but godspeed if two of them unlock another tier of friendship here b/c like parallel to winston and tuk, they're like hmm okay so we're mutually down re: potentially having a foursome here, and spending some time away from the larger group
(or of course the scenario that tuk and winston can also have that moment but just as putting "and/or: a threesome?" as an option, and that tips the scales for someone who might've otherwise felt more indecisive like "hmmmm casual convenient hookup, or spending more time out & about like this / whatever other activity...." but then is like oho Well, if it's a threesome, i'll seize that opportunity, sure....such that then maybe afterwards [winston and tuk hanging out together] happens sooner, if the third member feels more third wheel about things lol, since now they'd be the only two who already know each other. like ooh who knows, round n+1 in the aftermath just one on one (and/or i mean, maybe another thing the third party's still around for, re: further casual sex opportunities that don't just fall into your lap every day), and/or talk, watch tron together, go back out on the town even. where the conclusion of this truly is the essence of "it Is easy to imagine that winston and tuk are real Genuine Friends for the implicit further offscreen time spent together outside work / interactions between them here. and fun" and with that flair of "and give that a juxtaposed parallel in it being the same for a couple bachelorette attendees, why not, good for them"
#winston billions#not even overt winstuk ideas. at least not in the sense that this or other ideas i have in that realm would necessarily be distinct from#the realm of ideas abt their being actual regular friends. even when it's like ''ooh & what if they kissed'' ideas.#it's [aroace] it's [relationship anarchy] it's [for the most part if i use ''romance/romantic'' as a term it's a shorthand for convenience]#not the most interesting dynamic i'm working towards here. like even w/the world of [many Tayston ideas that involve their both extensively#navigating this world of What Are We] most fun ideas aren't that they Just want to say ''i love you(tm)'' especially not wherein that in#turn is supposed to be a shorthand for Romance; Huh? that itself elides everything else w/more Meaning that can be discussed or organically#figured out by further navigation when what's more honestly going on is that they want more options in how they interact w/each other#which is included in fun ideas that they do enjoy & go ''jk unless??'' when ppl assume they Are dating / together romantically(tm) lol....#all that to really take a long tangential way around to ''and i don't even think much abt what billions canon could offer re tuk & winston#being friends beyond further very occasional very isolated very peripheral glances outside of knowing a) it'll be a joke on both of them#and/or b) it'll be a joke on just winston; in that tuk is the one who must Transcend this genuine friendship'' and i certainly don't expect#much in general given that i'm not even presuming winston's not written out early in season 7 or anything#to even write some nebulous Positive Enough / Genuine Enough riawin dynamic material for my tayriawin wip sure is essentially equivalent w/#writing this What If Their Friendship Was Positive/Genuine Enough. and tbh taking it back to pre 5x08 rian of the short hair & busy desk#when there was still that potential re being a character b/c whoops weren't yet cast into being taylor's mirror & only plot Device vs Drive#great times out here. could get actual character material if she's actually criticized vs w/e taylor says abt her is [their mood ring]#evidently hypocritical in how she treats winston; which is to say: uses him; most often by bullying him; & seems to have interacted w/his#ever indeed having a crush on her by consciously taking advantage of that for....only more bullying. so based on That canon precedence it's#like....considerations of how they could interact now that might be more romance(tm) proximate are. certainly not Good lol.#the one true This Could Be Good And Enjoyable billions canon has proven to yield: Put It All On Taylip Baby. As Personal All/Anythings 🙏🙏#hilariously similar Seeming premise w/riawin like wow they're rivals when feeling petty but can & want to work together. they're peers.#they're foily. they're offbeat enough. they're a duo of somethings. they're Aware of the language & the rules & the behaviors. they're#crucially unusually cooperative in general but esp. with each other....and yet. apparently At All Costs winston must be a joke and rian mus#be correct; other characters insisting on thusly so much that there's no indication the writers are even aware of any other possibilities#when perhaps core themes of analyzing perceived intrinsic vs extrinsic incongruity fails to apply this to Autistic Ppl Are Real....shrugh!#i have no idea if the fact rian has no clue she also ever uses people to her benefit & will keep at it b/c she can get away with it is also#aligned thusly like. writers think pwning winston is A Neutral; Unquestionably Correct simple fact of human interactions/relations.#still nonzero suspicion that [no; rian isn't meant to simply be correct] but if you write him off / nobody's said shit to her except for#winston himself (ignored by characters & potentially viewers) or even blinked; as has been the case so far....then where are we exactly.
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a-dying-wish-if · 2 months
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A Dying Wish is an interactive story about being a bird.
Well, not just a bird.
Thousands of years ago, you were worshipped - maybe they built grand temples and statues of you, maybe secret little shrines in the darkest parts of the endless woods...
But none of that matters anymore. The statues and temples of old have crumbled into dust and the woods burned away in the fires of industry.
Yet you are still there today, unknown and uncaring, hidden in the rubble of this broken world, in which a humanity far beyond its peak slowly grinds towards its own erasure.
Although fatigue should be unknown to you no matter what physical form you assume, you find yourself to be tired. That's why you chose to become a mortal bird, fragile but free, and seek out one of the few remaining forests to starve to death in relative peace - not that you're sure what death actually means to a being like you.
But as you come to rest on the branch of a lone maple tree in the midst of countless birches, you find that you are not alone... a human is bleeding out beneath your tree.
Genre: Romance, Horror Setting: Pseudo-Postapocalyptic ('90s Russia/Yugoslav Wars vibes) Note: there's only one (customizable) RO Objective: find your place among the many monsters in this world and worm your way into the RO's heart
Demo: TBA. This project will only occasionally be worked on as I focus on my main wip, Орлёнок.
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obsolete-stars-if · 2 months
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I have shared this on Reddit as well, but here is a semi comprehensive long list about all the if wips I read in the past 4ish years. They include abandoned/hiatus wips as well wips that took their demo's down/are demo TBA. Obviously both on dashing as well as twine.
I tried my best to keep the wips I included to small/ish authors that I think absolutely deserve more spotlight for the things they have written. As well as it's only wips, so published/finished stories beyond "public demo concluded" aka the story is in it's beta, aren't included. There will be errors and things I've gotten wrong, just happens sometimes.
I encourage looking into it, maybe you'll find something you will enjoy? And if you do, please tell the authors and support them, it really absolutely means the world to us.
Sadly it is way too many people to be able to tag them all individually.
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trippinsorrows · 3 days
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with me + part one
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authors note: well, i got some type of writers block working on two other RR wip's so opened a new google doc and ended up with this. prob gonna be 3 parts, maybe 4. there's an almost five year time jump after this one, can you guess why? also, joe's wife is an oc, not galina.
first time posting my roman writings on here and trying not to freak out tbh
warnings: angst, infidelity, language, suggestive content
song inspo: with me by destiny's child
word count: 4,000
You know that assignment everyone at some point in their education where they research what they want to be when they grow up and share it with the whole class for a grade? Yeah, that big mammoth of a question that somehow you’re supposed to have confidently answered before even reaching double digits.
That was always super easy for you.
From as far back as you can remember, you wanted to be a teacher. It took until you were in middle school, almost high school for you to settle on an elementary school teacher, college for a specific grade. But, the teaching profession always called to you.
You chalk it up to your grandmother, undoubtedly one of your favorite people in this entire world. She was also an elementary school teacher who taught until she was expectedly called home when you were 14. Some part of you wonders if you’ve never even allowed yourself to entertain any other professions because of her loss. She was your best friend, and following in her footsteps was wanted but also felt somewhat necessary. Like you had to in order to honor her and her legacy.
A couple years into your career, you still think about that, how you’ve known from such a young age what you wanted to do with your life. Well, one part. 
In other areas, maybe the most important areas, you were lost as all of the outdoors. Mostly in one area, if you’re being honest, and truthfully, it’s not even what you want in as much as it is how you get there. The path is relatively simple: find a man, fall in love, get married, have babies, live happily ever after.
It’s such a stereotypical trajectory, but one you’ve also envisioned for yourself since your late teens. You’d gotten partying all out of your system during the early college years, somewhat in high school as well. Now in your mid 20s, soon to be late 20s, all you want to do is prepare to eventually settle down. Sooner rather than later.
And the issue isn’t even having no prospects. You have a prospect, he’s just unavailable. 
Because he’s already fucking married.
But can you even call him a prospect when that implies there’s some chance? Because there’s zero chance. You know this. You know this very well, too well. So why you still allow him into your bed and inside of you is beyond you. Yes, the sex is out of this world, but you desire more than that. Maybe not at first, but almost three years deep into this arrangement, most definitely.
You still think back to your first meeting.
Your best friend won a contest that not only granted her two front row tickets to a Smackdown show but backstage passes as well. You met so many wrestlers that night, some you grew up watching on TV as the little tomboy that you were as a kid. But, it was one wrestler in particular: tall, muscular, hair more beautiful and silky than any silk press your beautician mother could ever style, that changed your life. Whether for better or worse remains to be seen. 
He was attractive, extremely, possibly one of the most beautiful men you’d ever met. But, the attraction was short-lived when you spotted the wedding band on his left hand. You’d be lying if you tried to say that was when the attraction sizzled out. It diminished, but it was still there. Still, you didn’t think much of it, that was until you received a call from a number on your phone that you didn't recognize. 
Why you even accepted the call is still a mystery. You never answered random calls, yet that one was an exception, an exception that resulted in you having an unexpected phone conversation with Roman fucking Reigns. He explained that he got your number from your friend who’d exchanged contact information with a wrestler she met that night as well. They were messing around too, that much you knew. And good for her. He, unlike Roman, was not married and therefore free to fuck around.
The conversation lasted much longer than it needed to, especially given the flirtatious nature it quickly took on. It was wrong, you knew this well, very well. He took vows, but you were also aware of those vows. And heat no point pressured you into anything, you could have cut it off. Flirtatious he was, but forceful he was not.
The conversations increased in frequency and length over a matter of weeks that turned into months, and before you knew it, your day started and ended with either a text or phone call from the wrestler. 
A small part of you knew that it would eventually escalate into more, a man like him seemed like he needed more. But, you stupidly tried to tell yourself that when that time came, you would remain strong and draw the line in the sand with just communication. Even if it was just as wrong as anything else.
It was a silly thought. 
Your resolve was weak.
You absolutely did not need to accept his invitation to fly you out to one of his shows, and you damn sure didn’t need to allow him to take you back to his hotel where your legs ended up wrapped around his waist as he pounded into you—among other things—until the early hours of the morning.
The days after that were rough. You felt absolutely disgusted with yourself. It was one thing to flirt with a married man, but it was an entirely different thing to fuck a married man. He wasn’t yours. He belonged to someone else. He had a life with some other woman. You had no right to insert yourself into that union, so you decided to sever contact with him, deleting his number from your phone and shoving the experience in the ‘biggest regret of your life’ box with no intention of reopening it.
Unfortunately for you, Roman, Joe, as he asked you to call him, was a persistent bastard.
You ignored his texts, so he called. You ignored his calls, so he texted. You ignored both, and this motherfucker showed up at your goddamn door. There were multiple times you could have and should have ended things, that being another perfect opportunity. If you told him to leave that night, not allowed him into your apartment, he would have listened. He was stubborn and resolute but also respectful. If you told him to leave, really told him, he would have done so.
But, you didn’t. You allowed him into your place and similar to the last time you were in his presence, ended up spread out on your bed with him balls deep inside you until you couldn’t feel your lower half. 
Now, fast forward three years later, not much has changed. You two don’t communicate quite as much in the day, and his visits are more spread out given the company’s current efforts at pushing him as the new face of the company. But, that doesn’t stop his visits to come see you and flights he puts you on to come see him, both of which always end with him leaving your legs jelly and throat raw.
All the while his wife sits at home unaware of her husband’s consistent residence between your legs.
The thought alone makes you sick, revolted at yourself, at how you’ve allowed yourself to reach this point in life. Closer to 30 than 20 and going on 3 years of being a mistress to a married man, a man who can never give you the future you want yet refuse to let go. 
Not that you’d ever allow yourself to really acknowledge why. 
That’s….that’s just too much.
________
Pillow talk was just something that naturally happened between the two of you. It made sense given that your relationship started out with just talking. He seemed interested in knowing more about you, about your likes and dislikes. He shared his as well. You weren’t beyond admitting that Joe was insanely easy to talk to, the flow of conversation always natural, never forced. There never seemed to be a dry spot between you two. 
And whether it was an innate ability to pick up on the emotions of others or just his, you could always tell when something was bothering him, could see when he came to you with a burden he didn’t want to discuss.
Not that that stopped you from asking. If he declined to talk about it, you respected it, didn’t push. But, more often than not, he would end up sharing things with you, mostly concerns regarding his career.
It seemed he visioned one thing for himself, while Vince McMahon saw another. He felt frustrated at times, especially when the fanbase started pushing back more. He never admitted as such, but you could see it hurt his feelings. How could it not? Kayfabe or not, Joe was still a real person with real feelings, regardless of the role he played.
And at some point, his visits to see you stopped always involving sex. That happened majority of the time, but there were occasions when he just seemed like he needed someone to be around, a distraction, someone to talk to. 
Someone like you.
“Come on.” You jumped up off the couch and offered your hand that he looked at with disinterest. “Don’t make me drag your big ass. It’ll probably break my back.” He lifts his brow, and you roll your eyes. “Joe, come onnnn.”
“Where are we going?” He finally asks, all the while sighing heavily and standing up. Though unnecessary at this point, he still takes your hand. You try not to think too much of the gentle squeeze he gives.
“To my kitchen.” 
Glancing over, he gestures with his thumb. “The place that’s like 3 feet away.”
You suck your teeth and shove against him. “Don’t be an ass. We’re gonna bake cookies.”
“Bake?”
“That’s what I said.” Though clearly skeptical, he follows you into the kitchen and watches as you start gathering supplies. “I spent a lot of summers with my grandma, and whenever either of us were having a bad day, she’d take us into the kitchen and we’d bake chocolate chip cookies. She’d always say there’s nothing a good chocolate morsel can’t cure.” 
Reflecting on those memories, so fond and cherished, brings a despondent smile to your face.
His eyes fall on you, sensing the sudden sadness. “You miss her.”
“Every day….” Shaking your head, you make a conscious effort to not make this about you and your grief. “Now, we need music.” You settle on some random “cookout” playlist that aids in setting the playful mood. To your surprise, yet not surprise, Joe keeps up without struggle. He's a fast learner, easily following along to your detailed instructions and explanations. Things get messy at times, as one does when baking, but it only causes the two of you to share laughter. Especially when you ‘accidentally’ get flour on each other. For you, it was an accident. His was definitely intentional. 
Still, between the laughter, light conversation, and New Edition serving as backdrop, it’s a sweet moment. 
“And now we wait,” you announce, plopping down on the sofa. “Wrestler by day, baker by night. Who’d a thunk it?”
He chuckles. “I never knew you could cook.”
At that, you nearly choke on the water bottle you’d grabbed off the coffee table. “Me? Cook? No. Not at all. There’s a reason every thanksgiving, my family only asks me to bring the drinks. My mom is the cook. Grandma was the baker. I can make cookies and a few select items. That’s it.”
You can still hear your grandma’s voice in the back of your head, chiding you for never allowing your mom to teach you how to cook. It just never garnered your interest, even when they swore up and down you’d never find a husband without knowing how.
Maybe they were right.
He joins you in the living room, settling on the other end of the sofa. “Maybe I could teach you then.”
His words—and offer—suprise you. “You can cook?”
“Don’t look so surprised.” He rolls his blue eyes. Some days you love the contacts, others you hate them. Today is a love day. They make his beauty even more exquisite. “Because of the big age difference between me and my siblings, it was just me and my mom a lot of times. They were either out and about or had either moved out. She’d ask me to help her out in the kitchen, and I picked up on a couple things.”
“You’re a fast learner.” That much is very obvious, in several areas of his life. “Was it ever hard? Like, not really having them around?”
He seems to think about her question before answering. “Yes and no. The twins moved to Florida when I was like three, and we became close instantly. It was like suddenly having two new brothers. Obviously, they didn’t live with us, so they weren’t always around, and those times were hard, I guess. But the older we got, the more we did together.”
The Usos. Also wrestlers trying to make names for themselves. He really does hail from a legendary dynasty. “I get that. It was just me and my mom, and she worked a lot to support us, so that’s why I spent so much time with my grandma. And I loved it, but sometimes it got lonely not really having siblings.” You look over at him, studying this massive specimen of a man who seems so unsure of himself right now, unsure of his future. He’d hinted at such during their prep, but you bookmarked the comment to revisit. “It’s all gonna work out, you know.”
His gaze is on you, partially disinterested, mostly in disagreement. Joe knows what you're referring to. He chuckles, darkly, “you sound sure.”
“I am,” you counter calmly. Moving to sit on your knees, you continue, “no matter what it takes, you make them respect you. You can do it, and when you finally find your footing, you’ll be one of the best to ever do it. Mark my words.” 
You’ve never been one to build up false hopes in anyone, far too familiar with the sting of disappointment. So every word leaving your mouth drips with sincerity. Joe is so much more than a “pretty face” or someone who got lucky by being born into a wrestling dynasty with a golden spoon in his mouth. He’s worked his ass off, you see how he works his ass off, so the last thing you’d want to witness is him become his own worst enemy by getting too into his head.
“You’ll see. They boo now, but pretty soon they’ll be cheering.” Moving to your knees, you lift your arms in a theatrical display. “Roman, Roman, Roman.” You yelp when his strong arms pull you into his lap, legs spread on either side of his thick thighs. “Would you let me hype you up? Like, damn.”
His smile, so beautiful and genuine, warms your soul. His spirits are lifted, and that’s all that matters. Joe’s hands are on your hips, palms massaging you through your shorts. You move your arms around his neck, resting on his strong shoulders “Thank you.”
It’s at this moment, you foolishly allow yourself to wonder. Wonder what it would be like for this to be the norm, for him to always return to your place when he has time off or in between shows. Wonder what it would be like to consistently be this safe space for him, to be in his corner and not just in the shadows, but in the light. To be supporting him ringside. To be his.
And for a second, you pretend. You pretend that you are his, and he’s yours. That this is your man, and you’re his girl. Just the two of you. Nobody else.
But the comedown from that is devastating, like a boulder sitting on your chest, a butcher knife to your heart. Because he isn’t yours. He never was, and he never will be. 
Mood sullen, you lower your arms to separate yourself. “I should…” You clear your throat, climbing off of him. The air is suddenly too stuffy, the room too small. You need space. “I should go check on the cookies.” 
Joe’s not stupid, far from it. You know that he has to pick up on your 180 in mood, yet he doesn’t pursue you, doesn’t ask questions, and you’re thankful for that. You need to not be around him right now, not so close, not so connected, not so in love.
You need to let him go. ________
“I can’t do this anymore.” 
Joe’s in the midst of sliding his shirt over his head, sitting on the edge of the bed when your voice, low and quiet, stops him mid movement. “What?”
“I said.” You blow out a big breath, unsure why your chest suddenly feels so heavy. “I can’t do this anymore.”
At that, he angles his body so that he can look at you, assess your face. He’s a big eye contact person. “What are you talking about?”
Irritation piques. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Joe.” Gesturing between the two of you, you kick the blankets off and quickly reach for your t-shirt that got discarded last night. Being naked in front of him suddenly feels uncomfortable. “This. It’s done.”
He pauses for a second and then shakes his head, resuming his dressing. “Okay.”
His tone is dismissive, like he doesn’t believe you. Like he thinks you’re playing around. Of course he would be in one of those moods, where he’s more irritable, less receptive and fucking stubborn. “I’m serious.”
“I’m not doing this shit with you right now.” Joe gets up and continues dressing himself, prompting you to climb out of bed and move in front of him. 
He can’t avoid his way out of this. You won’t allow it. It’s time to finally rip the bandaid off. 
You’ve sat on this for the last two weeks, since he last left your apartment and you realized you’d stupidly allowed yourself to fall for this man. Fall for a man who walks around with a wedding ring on his left hand, who’s always had that wedding ring from the moment you met him. You’re not upset with him, not as much as you’re upset with yourself.
You grew up the product of an affair, felt the stinging pain of being rejected by a parent whose selfishness resulted in the creation of life, a life he wanted no part of. Seen how your mom literally begged your piece of shit father to be in your life, to play some role. Heard how he cruelly rejected her, rejected you, calling you your mother’s bastard. A mistake.
It devastated you so deeply that you still can’t really talk about it without getting emotional. 
And yet, you idiotically found yourself playing the same role you used to judge your mother for: the other woman. 
It’s a role you stepped in, and one you must now step out of.
“There’s nothing to do.” You run your hands over your face and shake your head. Choosing to have this conversation at almost 4 o’clock in the morning probably wasn’t the best move, but you also know that if you give yourself more time, you’ll find a reason not to do it. And you need to do this. “You have a wife, Joe. A whole ass woman who loves you and would probably let you fuck her just as much as you like to fuck me. Go be with her, and if not her, find someone else, cause I won’t be that for you. Not anymore.” 
You’re not exactly sure what part of what you just said registered with him, but it’s obvious something did by the change of tone he takes. “Where is this coming from?”
“It’s coming from where it should have come a long time ago,” you answer, crossing your arms over your body. “This was never right, and I refuse to partake in it anymore. I won’t be your whore anymore.”
You didn’t expect hurt to flash in his beautiful eyes nor for him to move closer to you, that hurt intensifying when you back away. He can’t touch you. You can’t allow that, because all it takes is only touch, one longing gaze, and you’ll be putty in his hands. This has to end. “Is that really what you think you are to me?”
“I don’t know what I am to you, Joe,” you answer, honestly. It’s something you’ve battled back and forth with for nearly three years. Just what is it about you that keeps him coming back, keeps him in your bedroom, inside of you. At face value, it’s the sexual compatibility between you. Below the surface level though, there’s maybe more. You’ve never allowed yourself to venture there, and you’re certainly not about to right now. You know how you feel about him, but you refuse to really ask yourself how he feels about you. “And truthfully, it doesn’t matter, cause it doesn’t change anything.”
“So, that’s just it?” His voice is wounded, handsome face painted into a mixture of scowl and a frown. “Almost three years, and you want to throw it all away, for what?”
“For what…..Joe, you are married. You have a whole wife at home. Whatever issues you have that cause you to step out, work that shit out. Learn how to be with her. Cause I’m not doing it any more. I—I can’t.” Emotion imbues your voice toward the end, and you hate that shit. You don’t want him to see, to know, how much this has been eating you up as of lately. “I’m gonna be 30 in a few years. I want to be married. I want to have a family. I deserve that, and I’ll never have it as long as I’m messing with you, so I’ve gotta let you go.” You swallow the deep lump in the back of your throat. “And you’ve gotta let me go.” 
This time, this time you can see the part that wounds him, that digs into his chest. You’ve gotta let me go. 
Joe is fast, fast enough to move directly in front of you, large hands holding your face. He says your name, desperate almost. “Tell me what to do, tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. Just….” He stops, and you close your eyes, refusing to see if it’s his own emotions coming up. You can barely handle your own cascade of feelings right now and refuse to take on his. “I can’t lose you.”
What you want…..
What you want is for him to never leave. What you want is for him to stay with you, to be with you. What you want is for him to have never met Jadah, never married her, never committed his life to her. 
What you want is for him to be yours and only yours, but what you want….is also what you can never have. 
“I—I want you to leave, Joe.” The words burn your lips, scorch your throat, ache your soul. “And this time….don’t come back.”
You can’t bring yourself to open your eyes, to see the result of your heartbreaking, even if honest request. It’s because you know seeing him hurt will only cause your resolve to crumble, and you can’t have that. You have to be strong, have to be the woman your mother couldn't.
So, you remain there, remain silent as he steps away from you, his touch vanishing. There’s such an emptiness in his wake.
It’s only when you hear the front door of your apartment shut that you finally feel it, the caving of your stomach, the heavy lump move from the back of your throat, the release of the loud sob you didn’t realize you’d been keeping at bay. 
It’s when you finally allow yourself to feel all of the emotions of a woman who just told the only man she’s ever loved to leave. 
If only you knew his departure was just the beginning of the rest of your life.
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Hi! Do you have any tips how to not lose interest in a story and be enough interested to start/do write if? Personally I just get hyperfixated on a story idea I have, do the brainstorming, even the planning, sometimes world building and if I get serious I make lists about almost everything but never end up writing even if I have interest still, but at most cases at the point I could start writing I just loose interest and get bored of a story when I'm done figuring out what it'll be about and maybe because I don't really like thinking about the climax or the end of the story...
Hyperfixation on Planning Story, But Can't Write It
I do have some tips on rekindling your interest in your story, which I'll link below, but first I think it's worth addressing the specific issues you mentioned: that you don't like to think about the climax or end of the story.
Have you thought at all about why you feel that way? There are a few potential reasons I can think of:
1 - Your story doesn't have a conflict, so your story doesn't have a natural climax or ending. Stories revolve around conflict, or in other words a problem that needs to be solved. This problem could be in the character's heart and mind (internal conflict), in the character's situation/life/world (external conflict), or you can have both at the same time. Many stories these days have a parallel internal and external conflict. Stories are ultimately about someone (or a bunch of someones) trying to solve a problem. In order to solve that problem, they need to reach a particular goal or accomplish a particular thing. The bulk of the story will be their struggle to reach this goal as they overcome the obstacles along the way. The climax of the story is where they face down the cause of the conflict once and for all, whether that's a villain (like an evil wizard or corrupt corporation) or a force (like illness or a natural disaster) and try to solve the problem once and for all. Everything after that is the aftermath... whether they succeeded or failed, patching up their "wounds" from the "battle" (again, it doesn't have to be actual wounds or an actual battle), and settling into the post-conflict life. That's your ending.
2 - You have a conflict, but haven't figured out how it would be resolved, so the climax and ending are fuzzy. If you have a conflict but aren't sure how it would be resolved, it might help to think of the conflict as a problem that needs to be solved. For example, in The Hunger Games, the conflict was the Hunger Games Event... the problem was that Katniss volunteered to compete which put her life at risk. So the solution to the problem was to survive the event.
3 - You know what the climax and ending are, but you are enjoying the characters and world and don't want the story to end. This is one I think many writers can relate to. It can be really hard to let go of a story when you've enjoyed writing it, have gotten attached to the characters, and feel comfortable/familiar with the world. It can also be a little scary to think about diving into a whole new story. But, we do have to learn to let go of stories when they're finished and let them come to their natural conclusion. You can always go back to the world and characters, even if just for yourself, later on. It wouldn't be weird to write "fan-fiction" of your own story, and many writers turn these kinds of stories into prequels, sequels, companion series, and companion short stories that their readers enjoy, too.
Here are some tips for getting excited about your story again if you just need your motivation rekindled:
Guide: How to Rekindle Your Motivation to Write 5 Reasons You Lost Interest in Your WIP, Plus Fixes! Getting Excited About Your Story Again Getting Unstuck: Motivation Beyond Mood Boards & Playlists Feeling Unmotivated with WIP
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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!
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Patch
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Modern!Aemond Targaryen x reader
Summary: Aemond and you come across a one-eyed puppy at the farmer's market. // Words: 1k// A/N: Besties, this is just pure self-indulgent, tooth-rotting fluff. Listen, I know I have many wips, but it's been raining like crazy and I've had this soft scenario in my head for days. Hope this isn't too OC lol.
The light drizzle falling outside your window was the perfect excuse for you and Aemond to stay the whole Sunday in bed. Your partner was just too warm and comfy, with his long limbs tangled around you under the covers.   
Plus, he’d never been one to turn down an offer to stay in bed – being the major home-body that he is – which is why it’s beyond you, why he gets up from the bed and shakes you insistently, urging you to get dressed so you could carry on with your regular weekend plans of going down to the farmer’s market for breakfast.
He throws your coat on the bed while you sit there rubbing the sleepiness from your eyes, before reluctantly doing as he wishes.  
Although you couldn’t really complain, when the rain also gives you the chance stay close to him under the black umbrella that he holds in one hand, while his other is tightly linked with yours, walking through the endless booths and tents of the market.
He’d gotten you parfaits with fruit before indulging in a couple of croissants that were all the right kinds of buttery and fluffy, with hot drinks to warm up from the cold weather. 
Whatever resistance you’d had completely washed away, much like the dirt on the cobblestone paths thanks to the rain that was now beginning to subside. 
With your full bellies and content hearts, you keep wandering around, arm in arm, when suddenly something makes Aemond halt in his step. 
First thing you register is a bout of barking, turning to find a puppy biting Aemond’s ankle before standing on his hind legs to rest paw at Aemond’s pants.
The puppy barks and barks and jumps like an unstoppable ball of energy all over Aemond, making him all flustered and frozen for the sudden attention – before he kneels down, chuckling as the puppy immediately attacks Aemond’s face with kisses. 
An old man sitting on the sidewalk laughs at the sight; he’s in a heavy raincoat, sitting with a cardboard box of puppies by his side.
“This is the first time he’s ever run up to someone!” He calls to you both with a gruff voice. “He normally recoils from strangers and is so quiet. I’ve never seen that little fella this excited.” 
Aemond chuckles while trying not to fall back from how aggressive the puppy is with his affections – he scoops his small body up in his arms and rocks him as if he was a little baby – and that’s when he notices.
His heart sinks at the sight of the puppy’s missing eye – the same one that Aemond lacked, and that he covered with an eyepatch.    
You realize just a second later, heart forming a tight fist within your chest.
The puppy’s got the face of a little angel, looking up at Aemond as if he was his whole world, with his big, glistening black eye and his tongue out. His fur is short, but so soft looking and a little bit curly, and is the color of salt and pepper – race unknown. 
 “What happened to him?” You ask the man, as you kneel beside Aemond and the pup. 
“I found him and the rest of the pups abandoned in an alley. It was his crying that got my attention in the first place. I took him and his siblings to the vet but it was too late for the little one. The rest are a lively group but him – he’s always been really quiet. Doesn’t like playing with the rest and gets anxious around strangers.” 
A hopeful smile rises in the man’s lips when he sees just how loving the puppy is being with Aemond. 
Aemond merely smirks back shyly, before looking back down at the tiny baby in his arms, who’s paws were wiggling up in the air as if he was running, with his tongue out as if he was grinning with glee from Aemond scratching his tummy.
“Yes, I think I can relate to this one.” He murmurs a little brokenly, but only you can hear the change of pitch in his tone. 
When he’d confided the story of his own missing eye to you, you’d embraced him tightly, and had carefully kissed the scar that now traversed his left cheek.
All his life he’d been heavily bullied by his own family. His brother and cousins teased him about an array of mindless things that you could never comprehend, and at last, when he got the courage to defend himself, he’d been hurt. Pushed down to the gravel by his young nephew Luke, face landing right on a spiky rock as he fell. 
It’s part of the reason why he’s so quiet and reserved. Why his trust isn't given easily.
When you’d first met him in college  – you’d been instantly attracted to him, no doubt, but you couldn’t deny how intimidating he was. Soon you realized that he was simply desperate for affection, without a clue as to how to ask for it, or give it. But with consistency, time, a lot of patience and even more love and devotion, you’d found out just what an enormous heart Aemond had locked away within him, and you considered yourself immensely fortunate to be the one to care for it. 
With an arm around Aemond, you ask the man “Are they up for adoption?” to which he nods. “How much for him?” 
The owner shakes his head, brows furrowing earnestly as he looks up at the young pup, “Nothing at all. I just ask that he gets taken care of properly, gets his shots at the vet and goes to a loving home. I’d love to be sent photos to see how the little one is doing.” 
He gazes at the three of you with nothing but heartfelt gratitude pouring from his eyes, as he stands up to go kneel beside Aemond, and give the puppy one final pet. 
“Does he have a name?” Aemond asks – smiling as the pup clings to his shoulders, vigorously licking his cheeks and neck and nose, every lasting inch of Aemond’s face that he can reach. 
“Nah, not yet. But I call him Patch because of the little tuft of black hair that he has on the spot of his missing eye. Looks like an eye-patch.”
The three of you chuckle, and Aemond leans back to look at his new son, with his thumbs caressing the puppy’s cheeks and ears lovingly.  
“Patch.” Aemond softly repeats to himself, testing the name on his tongue and making the puppy bark enthusiastically. 
“You think he’ll get along with Vaghar?” You ask, referring to Aemond’s great dane. An old lady that had been with him ever since his accident – who’d been his one and only friend until you came into the picture. 
Aemond's face illuminates with a smile so big and bright like you’d never seen before on – the kind of smile that reveals those handsome dimples on his face that are otherwise hidden. “She was the only one to comfort me back then, I don’t think she’ll have a problem with Patch. After all, this little one and I are alike in many ways, it would seem.” 
The sound of Aemond’s laughter is one you want to keep forever, as he stands up, bringing Patch up in his arms and giving him a kiss on his delicate head. 
You thank the man on behalf of the two of you, then exchange phone numbers to keep in touch and send him updates on the puppy. 
Later that night, when the three of you are cuddled up in bed watching a movie whilst Vaghar slept in her own bed downstairs, you realized that maybe this was fated all along. You were meant to carry out your Sunday plans, regardless of a little rain. 
For Aemond was meant to cross paths with a little angel of his own, in the form of a loving puppy to keep softening up all of his hard edges. 
And rainy days, from now on, it wouldn't ever be gray and daunting as long as you had your very own patch of sunshine to keep you company.
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leebrontide · 1 year
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Ok so I said I would do a post on “reasons you’re not writing” from the POV of a writer/therapist who works with anxious, depressed, and neurodivergent clients. If you dig that, read on.
But firstly, a disclaimer. This list is far from comprehensive. Don’t yell at me if your experience isn’t represented. This is a tumblr post. Have realistic expectations.
Also, sometimes the reason you’re not writing is that your other obligations are just taking all of your energy and focus. Fixing that is well beyond the scope of this.
That said, here’s a bunch of barriers I see people run into all the time.
1) You’re afraid of failing, and subconsciously feel like it’s safer not to try.
This is a tricky one, because it's probably messing up many areas of your life, which in turn means you're going to frequently feel stressed out in general, which speaks to the point above.
This is around about where the general internet will tend to offer you an array of affirmations to use to sooth yourself. And that's fine. If those work for you, then use them! BUT, if the affirmations aren't working, then friend you have a bigger project on your hands.
You need to get comfortable with failing, particularly at creative projects. I know that can feel scary and vulnerable, but you won't take risks if you can't fail, which is going to hem in your creativity so hard that your motivation will starve. This is why people talk about writing a garbage draft. Not because they want to make garbage, but because they need the option of making garbage in order to take risks. That may or may not work for you, but either way, you really might wanna look at how to lower your stakes.
2) You’re not sure what you’re trying to communicate.
You can make things happen in the story, but you feel like you’re wandering around aimlessly. You don't find you're making decisions with conviction. It might be hard to really fall in love with any of your writing decisions.
For this one, I suggest stepping back and figuring out what the core of your enthusiasm for a story consists of. That CAN be a message or philosophy. It can also be a feeling or a vibe or a dynamic. That gives you a structure that you can build your decisions around, that you can be enthusiastic about.
3) You switched hyperfocus. And maybe your new hyperfocus is a lot of fun, but you feel sadness thinking about the WIP you left behind.
This one has a similar need to the one before, with an added layer of nuance, because you're probably already struggling with identifying what does interest you. This can make people feel really hopeless and helpless.
I have three totally different suggestions for this one. The first is to just be patient with yourself. Sometimes it's good for your brain to just indulge, and let your brain mine for dopamine where it can. Like, lean in. Spa day for your brain, as long as it's feeling good.
Secondly, see if you can find creative ways to weave your hyperfocus into your writing. Is there a dynamic in your favorite show that can inspire your writing, even if it's an original work? Do you want to take a moment to think about how transportation works in the history of your world? Can you consider your MCs relationship to old movies?
It doesn't always work, but sometimes instead of trying to switch things over, you can build a bridge, that gives depth and texture to your work.
Finally- consider embracing short fiction! Do some writing inspired directly by the hyperfocus du joir while it's around.
4) You feel like nothing you say will be interesting to anyone else.
We understand this is a self-esteem issue, right? You're gonna have to develop the trust that your experiences are not so utterly unrelatable to everyone else that your perspective has no value.
Friend, you are a human, with human experiences, writing for other humans. Trust me, you can do this.
It can help to think about your actual convictions. What do you know? What have you experienced? What matters to you? Funnily enough, the cure for feeling like nothing in you is worth expressing is to pour more of yourself into your writing.
5) You’re collapsed. It’s hard to feel enthusiasm and energy for things.
You're not gonna like this, but for this one I encourage you to put your keyboard or notebook down and stop trying to write right now. I know that when you're feeling better the writing feels good, and you're trying to feel better because everyone is telling you to feel better.
But it's not working, is it? If it was, you wouldn't be reading this.
For many people, writing requires them to be able to feel investment and excitement, because those feelings help steer them towards what's going to work and be exciting for the reader.
Your best bet is to focus your energy on finding gentle little activities that aren't so hard to focus on. Ideally, ones that get you moving just a little bit. You'll have a better time writing when you're less collapsed.
Shaming yourself and getting hopeless and anxious because you can't do this really difficult task right now will make you more collapsed, not less, which will be the opposite of helpful.
And yes, these are depression symptoms. Consider reaching out for supports and assessment around that if you can.
6) You can’t figure out the next step.
Thank God for the internet, this one is a lot more actionable than it used to be.
The first thing to do here is step back and ask yourself "where am I getting lost?" If you have someone to talk this through with, even better.
Then you hop on to your favorite search engine and type in "Stuck on my outline 2nd act" or "can't get started editing" or whatever. People LOVE giving writing advice. There's plenty around. Read some advice! Try things out!
Now here is the critical point- when and if that advice fails, stop and figure out why it failed. For example, I have a short term memory disorder. Most writing process advice is for people who do not have short term memory impairments. So a lot of the advice just plain didn't work for me.
By figuring out that my subpar memory was in the way of my writing process, I was able to put together processes that work for my specific brain and my specific process. You can read about that in more depth here and here.
Frankenstien yourself a process out of stolen bits of other people's processes, with an understanding of your own personalized needs as the lightning that brings it all to life. If you have even traits of ADHD or autism or other forms of neurodiversity (no diagnosis needed) you might also google "ADHD editing hacks".
Finally, and maybe most importantly, chuck anything that you can't adapt right into the trash. I don't care how great the writer who gave the advice is. That's what works for their life and their brain. You have neither. Writing advice is only as useful as it is adaptable.
7) You think of yourself as someone who doesn’t finish things, possibly with history to back that up.
Oh, I feel this one. This was me so hard. For so long.
Make room for the idea that you can and will change over time. Getting shit done is largely a matter of developing a bunch of skills. You've already developed so many different skills in your life that you might not even recognize some of them as skills. But I promise you that you have.
But you see #6? Go read that one again. If you're not finishing things, it's because there's something missing in your routine and process that you haven't developed skills around yet.
I'm not gonna tell you it's easy, but you can find and isolate the barriers and figure out ways around them.
8) You have too many projects and feel frozen when you try to pick one to work on.
Ask yourself if this is a real problem. It may be! Maybe you dream of making a living off of your writing! That requires a level of consistency.
But it also might just be that you've had it drilling into your head that not finishing things is some kind of personal failing.
Write out all your WIPs and story seeds.
See if some of them can be mushed into one. Some AMAZING stories come from people combining story ideas that seem separate into a single story. That's fun.
See if some of them are not for finishing. What's that post going around? Some stories are for finishing, and some are just for "getting the wiggles out"? That's solid advice.
Maybe some stories are just for daydreaming on the bus. Maybe some stories are actually only 1/3rd of a story, and you want to leave it to grow in the ground before you try to do anything with it. That's incredibly valid and common!
If you actually look at the stories that you have that are for finishing, right now, you may find a much more manageable number. And if you only have like 2 or 3 things you're working on, you can just let them take turns as the passion for each project takes you.
Keep a file somewhere of these undeveloped ideas. I have a scrivner file that has each idea it's own little sub-document so I can add thoughts to them for years as they percolate.
9) You get lost in preparation and don’t make it to the page.
A couple different things can be happening here. One thing that may be happening is that you're just a writer who needs a lot of research and prep time before you write. I'm like that. I will prewrite intensively for a year before I write a single sentence. That sounds ridiculous to a lot of people but it works with how my brain works and then when I do start writing I can easily and happily churn out a consistent 2-4k words per hour. If it works it works! Don't let anyone shame you!
The other option is that you feel like you're going to get something wrong/fail/get in trouble if you get anything "wrong". You feel safer doing research, so that's where you stay.
Only you can figure out which it is. Introspect. Then you know whether to focus on managing anxiety or just keep preppin.
10) You want to write, but when you sit down to write suddenly it’s two hours later and you’ve written like 5 words but curated 3 new playlists, read some fanfiction, and argued with some strangers on the internet.
Brains are rough, aren't they.
There are two schools of thought here. Both work, but not for all the same people.
Option 1 is to clear distractions. Download one of those apps that keeps you off the internet. Put your phone someplace that you need a ladder to reach, so you have to very actively decide to go get it. Noise cancelling headphones. Comfy clothes. Protein rich snacks and a beverage within easy reach. Pee ahead of time. Make a routine out of it to train your brain into associating this with focus.
Option 2 is to figure out the optimal level of distraction. When I write nonfiction I almost always have mindless home renovation shows on at the same time. Because nonficiton writing isn't quite stimulating enough to hold my attention. So my attention wanders and I end up doing something that WILL hold my attention. When I write fiction, I need music OR to be outdoors where I can look at trees or clouds or people on the sidewalk. I can't watch any kind of TV.
Think of your attention like a pie chart. Different writing tasks may take up different percentages of that pie. If you're awesome at focus maybe you can just put 90% of your focus on writing, and the other 10% is just making sure you don't forget to eat or something. But if you can't reliably conjure up more than 70% for one thing, then fill the rest of the pie with things you can easily pick up and put down. I only look up at the home decorating shows when my passive audio scanning suggests it's something I want to look up at.
These are both good approaches. Ignore anyone who demonizes either. That only means they've found the version that works for them.
You have your brain. Build a process for your brain.
I hope this helps. I have a free monthly newsletter if you like hearing my rants. It is...not consistently about writing advice or mental health. One time I wrote about how genetically modified goats are related to French colonized Madagascar in the 1800s as well as the modern US military. One time I broke down modern challenges to medical privacy practice policies. This is all to do with what I write but in an idiosyncratic way.
Cause I gotta write about what I care about.
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deciphered-narrator · 2 years
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figuring out character arcs for mwb and one of them is just
depression -> committing crimes against the government
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yoonia · 1 year
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The Bedroom Hymns | myg ● fic teaser
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⟶ Summary | Being the only daughter of the Wicked King has kept you living in a sheltered life. Never once were you given the chance to see the world beyond the walls of your father’s old castle, and yet, it had never stopped you from hearing all the dark rumours of your father’s indiscretions which had left you to continue living in the shadows.
When the day comes for your father to send you to live in his castle by the sea, he leaves you with a new rule set in place. You are left with a set of keys, one which would lead you to travel through the thousand magical doors inside his castle, but you are to never leave through the front door or to step foot through the golden door at the end of the hall. The magical doors become your escape, giving you the chance to see the world that you had never seen before. Until one day, your life changes as one of the magical doors leads you to the Fairy Prince.
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⟶ Title | The Bedroom Hymns; a Bluebeard Retelling ⟶ Pairings | Min Yoongi x female reader ⟶ Genre | Fairy Prince!Yoongi, Princess!reader, Strangers to Lovers au, Fantasy au, Fairy Tale Retelling au ⟶ Ratings & Warnings | +18 / M for Mature; nothing yet for this teaser, but I will add warnings as I continue writing this ⟶ Estimated word count | 40k words ⟶ Teaser word count | 2,1k words
⏤ Written for the Once Upon A Fantasy collab
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⟶ Author’s note | As the result of my latest poll, you have chosen for me to finish this story first out of the rest of my April WIPs. Thank you so much for everyone who voted! If you are interested to join my fic taglist, please enter your information here. If you are only interested to be tagged on this fic, please only enter your url in the replies.
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𝕺𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖚𝖕𝖔𝖓 𝖆 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊, 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝕱𝖆𝖗 𝕱𝖆𝖗 𝕬𝖜𝖆𝖞…
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Stargrave castle.
The castle with 1000 doors which was built right on the top of the Earthpeak cliff, the ocean edge of the Nythelean Empire’s territory. You have learned a little about this castle on the morning you first arrived, under the guidance of Lord Gordan, the royal advisor working for your father, King Aneas.
You have only been here for less than a week, and you know for sure that you still have much to learn about this castle. The place that is to become your new home. It still feels foreign to roam through the hallways, and you constantly find yourself being amazed at how expansive this place is compared to the manor you have been residing in since your childhood.
No, this castle was said to be your real home.
Your father himself had said so. This is the place where you were born. The place where you had once lived peacefully and happily with your father and mother together, before the Queen tragically passed and you were taken away while you were still a young, helpless child. This is the place that holds the old scars and the wounds that your father must carry with him for many years until he lost all of his happiness and his warm smile.
No wonder he kept you away from this place for so long.
The darkness terrifies you when you try to step out of your bed chamber at nightfall. The long corridors feel like a maze, with numerous doors and several open galleries welcoming you whenever you get lost on your way. Oftentimes, you only feel safe when you are in your private chamber, or when you are having your high tea with Nanny Abigail in the garden, where you would find yourself wasting time until the sun sets each day. There is never a day passed when you didn’t miss your old home, the Seacrest Manor. But as days continued to progress, you soon realise that if this is where you are to spend the rest of your life, you must soon make it your mission to make this place home.
Surely, it wouldn’t be such a hard task to do, would it?
Not with Lord Gordan and Nanny Abigail by your side to guide you through it. And now that you are finally back at the home castle, you will also have more time to spend together with your father compared to how it used to be before. That would certainly help you learn more about this place, about the home territory that you were never allowed to see, and maybe help fix the fragile bond you have between you and your father.
Or so you thought.
“I have to be away for at least six weeks. There are matters needed to be dealt with and it would be too taxing of a journey if you should join me,” your father suddenly announces on the first day of your second week of being home. “Make this castle your home the best you possibly can while I am away and enjoy yourself. You might need help to go around the castle in my absence, so here—”
You barely find the words to respond to him with when he suddenly grabs your hand and places a heavy set of keys right at the center of your palm.
“Here are the keys to various rooms within the castle. As you may have noticed, we have many doors right here at the home castle that has been kept locked because I am always away and you haven’t been back home, and I am the only person who has the access to each of them. Now, you will have the ability to open them all by using these keys.”
You keep your eyes on the keys in your hand, studying them closely with pure interest as your father explains this. Varied in colours, sizes, and materials, they look nothing at all like any set of keys that you would normally see for regular houses or manors. Not even your old home. Your father falls silent for a moment before he continues to explain what the keys are for, his small smile is hidden while you are not paying attention to his face, but simply to his voice.
“These are the keys to the storerooms; where I keep my best furniture and gifts from the many Kingdoms I have visited,” he says as he picks the ones made of brass from the bunch. “Make use of them as much as you need. You can also bring some of them to fancy your bed chamber should you need any changes to be done and make your stay comfortable.”
Hearing this only excites you. For days, you have been thinking of how plain and boring your new bed chamber is, and have been wishing that you were able to take some of your old belongings to fill your room with. Your father seems to be pleased to see your reaction, and continues by pointing at the slightly smaller-looking keys which seem to be made of bronze.
“These are the keys to the treasure rooms; where you can find all the silver and gold plates that I have gathered through my journeys, the casket of jewels which are part of our family treasure, and the safe where I keep all the money which belongs to the family,” he explains, while you are left speechless at how easy he is to hand over such a huge responsibility onto you. As if sensing your doubt, your father raises your chin so he can look at you straight in the eyes and say, “You are free to use them all to fill your needs, as long as you use them wisely while I am gone.”
You swallow hard and nod. There is something in his stern voice that demands your attention, letting you know that there is an underlying threat hidden in his warning, that you have no other choice but to pledge, “I will be responsible for them, Father. I promise.”
“Good. I have faith in you, Princess,” he says, sounding relieved but still cautious, and then he looks down at the keys to point at the pair that looks slightly bigger than the rest. “Now, this is the master key to all the private chambers, including yours and mine. You can use my room or my study should you need them. And this one will take you to the main library. I know that you love your books, and you shall find everything you may ever need to learn more about this land.”
Hearing about the library, all of the disappointment you felt about your father being gone begins to shift, and you start feeling a semblance of hope. If you cannot earn the information that you needed from your own father, perhaps you would be able to find your answers among the books in the library. Maybe you can also learn more about this realm, and how your father’s empire somehow exists between the two realms—the human realm, and the magical realm within the land Far Far Away.
Still with your eyes on the keys, your attention is drawn towards a pair of keys that seem to sparkle brighter from the others, calling for your attention. You look at them both with awe, amused by how magic seems to appear even in the smallest things you can find in this realm. Just like the keys you are holding in your hand.
You study those keys closely without saying a word, marvelling at each detail. One key is made of silver, while the other from gold. Both of them are glowing brightly and are nearly humming with an enticing aura as if they are made with enchantment. It makes it hard for you to look away, as if you are completely drawn to them, unable to ignore their presence and their calling.
“What about these keys, Father?” you question your father when your curiosity gets the best of you.
King Aneas leans closer just to have a better look, even if it is quite obvious that he could already tell which keys you were referring to. With gentle fingers, he pulls the silver one from its bunch. “This silver key will take you through the doors with the silver embellishments. Those doors you may enter, but only under a few specific rules.”
For some reason, his voice sounds ominous as he explains this. You look at him curiously, wondering why this key demands certain rules to be followed, unlike the others. Looking at your father’s face helps only a little to reassure you, as his face is completely stern when he begins to explain,
“Beyond the silver doors lies a strong kind of magic. One that has been so demanding of our family’s powers, and also the type of magic that should be kept secret, no matter what. Once you go through them, you will understand why it is important for me to defend this castle and our home territory.”
As you listen to his explanation about the silver doors and the magic behind them, your curiosity grows stronger. Living in the Seacrest Manor has kept you from learning anything about magic, and now that you are suddenly thrust into the place where magic seems to thrive, you feel eager to learn and experience them yourself to understand everything better. And that curiosity strengthens once your father continues to give you the rules that you must follow,
“You are free to visit each of these silver doors only for one visit each day. You must make sure that you will never remain on the other side of the door of your choice for more than six hours and you must always, always, only return home by going through that very same door you came from. Can you remember this?”
Suppressing your eagerness so as not to make him worry, you simply nod and promise, “Yes, I will remember,” while making sure to remember every detail, every warning, so you wouldn’t make any mistake to disappoint him in the future.
Just as your hope of learning new magic arises, the golden key begins to vibrate in your hand, calling for your attention. Noticing where your eyes are drawn towards, your father’s expression turns grim.
“This golden key—” he says, gently lifting the key from the bundle as he tells you more about it, “—will allow you to open the twin doors at the end of the great gallery on the top floor of the South tower.”
Your eyes grow wide with interest, recalling the night you first arrived at the castle and how the South Tower seemed to be calling your name. You feel the curiosity building, your eagerness to venture to the hidden parts of the castle rising, only to deflate when your father says,
“This one, I must forbid you to use.”
You stifle a gasp and question him. “But why, Father?”
Your father’s expression grows even darker once he takes notice of your interest in the golden door. He places both of his hands on your shoulders before you can ask more. “Never open the golden doors. Never walk past it, and never look what is inside,” he demands with a voice that comes out as a warning, before he softens and begs you, “Princess, I need you to promise me.”
Once again, you are left speechless. Baffled by his demands, yet his voice leaves you no chance to argue that you can only give in and say, “Yes, I promise.”
The King remains silent for a brief moment, as if he is trying to read your thoughts, wondering if you are hiding any intentions of defying him. But then he sighs, and your father finally lets you go with a reassuring nod.
“Good. Make sure never to forget this. Oh, and there is one more thing that you must always remember—” he quickly adds before you can say anything. “You are free to roam about through these doors — of course, except for the golden doors — but you are not to leave this castle by stepping out through the great door at the front gate. Not when I am not around, and never without a guard.”
You find this instruction quite odd. Just as odd as his rules and warnings regarding the magic doors, but you dare not to question him, understanding how little your knowledge of magic is to begin with to help you argue against his demands. So you put all of your curiosity aside, choosing to gain his trust and confidence as you promise him,
“I’ll remember.”
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⟶ Estimated posting date | TBA; (hopefully) by the end of April 2023
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— © 2023 @yoonia​, all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any kind, translations, unsanctioned adaptations are not allowed.
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basilone · 2 days
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Folks, I hope whichever writing you’re working on today creates joy for you!
Just this past week, I wrote a good 3k worth of words that were born from an idea 2AM me had. 2AM me is a different animal, you know. 😉 2AM me does not really care about what I’m “supposed to be working on”. 2AM me sees my prompt-filled inbox and shrugs at it. 2AM me has never met an outline she can’t ruin, has never encountered writer’s block once she gets going, and has most certainly never given a hoot about if there are going to be people willing to read the thing. 2AM me cares about one thing and one thing only: does writing this vague idea fill me with complete and utter joy?
So. Here I am. 3k words into a mafia AU that will likely not see publication beyond a groupchat with friends. 3k words into a story that features no canon characters from the shows we love, but features several of my original characters instead. 3k words into a story that is, in no particular order, doing the following: feeding my love for particular tropes, allowing me to explore my OCs in a different setting, giving me a better handle on how my OCs express certain emotions and ideas, fueling and clarifying certain aspects of the main fic these OCs inhabit, and taking away all my self-imposed pressures about needing to have a finished and publishable story as “proof” that I have spent my precious free time well by being productive.
And, friends, I’m having a blast. I’ve talked some of my friends to death about this already because I’m so excited. I’ve spent more time working on the outline for my actual fic in this past week than I have in all the weeks of this year so far because writing this silly AU gave me the confidence boost to sit down and figure that out. (That pesky outline that's been eluding me for months? Pretty much complete at the time I write this.) I’ve gained a truckload of stuff to use as special tools that will help other writing later on. And it’s all made possible because 2AM me had an idea and morning me went “well okay why not try it on for size just once”.
So, I’m writing you a permission slip. Work on what sparks joy. Work on something that inspires love in you for an aspect of your storytelling, for your characters, for the world you’re creating in. Forget about your inbox and comments and requests. Forget about your WIPs you’re either rotating in your head or threatening to smack like a piñata until the complete fic rolls out. Forget about prompts, polls, and whatever you think people’s expectations of your writing are. Work on the little idea you can’t shake, the OC that’s bugging you, the ship that won’t let go, the AU that can fit soooooo many tropes in it, and I promise you that all your other writing is going to fall into place too.
Give yourself the opportunity to love and be joyful about your creativity! I’m allowing it! 💙
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graceshouldwrite · 11 months
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4 Ways to Get Back Into Your WIP
You know when you might have taken a long break, worked on other projects, talked to other people about it, and basically did EVERYTHING to get yourself back into it, but it’s not working?
Even though you still want to LIKE your WIP and work on it? 
These tips are based on my own experience dealing with that feeling. I went through something like that for around a year, but now, I’m getting past it and returning to my main WIP more excited than I’ve been for a long time! 
1. List out WHAT you don’t like and fix it
COMMON CORE ISSUES:
Plot + Subplots? 
They might seem too (among other things):
lackluster
complex
unnecessary
confusing
You might not know how to:
develop the plots
make them believable
add the scenes you want without giving the book 800+ pages
choose scenes to cut to fit the word count goal...
Characters?
A BIG ONE: some writers try to force themselves to like X character for whatever reason (e.g. based them on a specific aesthetic, felt forced to add specific rep, etc), but they just DON’T. 
Or, maybe:
you don’t know how to develop your characters
their group dynamic is too difficult to write/doesn’t make a lot of sense
your character voices, personalities, or appearances might not be distinct enough
Prose?
You might:
want to add more humour (prose is too depressing and atmospherically dark)
want to add more gravity (prose is too comedic and romantic)
want to shift from past to present tense, want to tell story from another POV, etc. 
Organization?
OFTEN, the book’s just TOO COMPLEX with all the characters, subplots, etc. and it’s too intimidating to try to sort out all the mess that’s your WIP 
SO…
The lists I gave you are most of the big, common issues. Once they’re sorted into SPECIFIC types of problems, don’t they get less intimidating to look at? 
I know you might think, gee, Grace, these problems will take [insert comically large time frame] to solve. 
Well, if you genuinely want to like your project again and work on it, DO IT.
Slowing down your WIP finish date is worth it if it helps you get back into it. If you never get back into the project, you’ll NEVER FINISH IT. Late > never.
Heck, you might not even be too late—you might find yourself back in the passionate fever you were when you started it, and be in the headspace to write furiously :) 
I think you know how to solve these broken-down problems. Some require more sheer line-editing, while others require big executive decisions (e.g. getting rid of a character or rewriting an entire subplot/the plot). But, it will be worth it when you start to love your project again.
2. Remember why you started it 
Before each project, write a STATEMENT OF PURPOSE at the beginning of your doc to remind you why you’re writing this story in the first place. If you didn’t do this, it’s not too late to start one now! 
It could be something as close to heart as “I want to express how unrequited love feels,” or something as grand as like “I want to write a tragic allegory of the political and economic state of the world that explores human nature” (I am projecting in both of these examples, but you get it). 
Something SPECIFIC is a lot better for this than things like: “I told X this story idea and they liked it,” or “I promised to write this for X,” or “I want to tell this story just cuz.” These latter examples probably won’t fill you with passion. 
3. Listen BEYOND your WIP playlists. Look at images BEYOND your WIP aesthetics 
Many people think revisiting your old playlists / boards help, but that often contributes to the staleness!!!! 
Instead, by purposefully expanding your scope of consumed media, you open yourself up to more inspiration and ideas of where you want to take your project.  New images and new songs will give you new ideas on atmosphere, mood, scenes, and so much more. 
4. Compare your WIP to a similar book you like
You know THAT BOOK that comes to mind whenever someone asks you which book is your favourite/impacted you deeply? Think of how your book will impact readers in the same way. All the emotional turmoil and mental enlightenment That Book gave you is what YOU will give to the readers who resonate with YOUR book one day!
The author of the book you’re thinking about went through drafts, edits, and maybe even wanted to give up at some point, (LIKE YOU!) but pushed through it. Now, their book is on the bestseller list/on a bookshelf/a classic (whatever appeals to you)!  Don’t stop before YOUR book is there, too. 
∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘
instagram: @ grace_should_write
A LOT of this comes from personal experience; I had this mental tussle with my main WIP a while back, so I hope this helps anyone else dealing with the same problem :)
Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated <3333
Happy writing, and have a great day!
- grace <3
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peachdues · 10 months
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Phantasmagoria — Extended Teaser
Sanemi x F!Reader (Tell Me to Stop Modern AU)
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A/N: omg hi. It’s been a while since I’ve give you all a teaser of the upcoming WIPs, but since you all were so lovely during Bar prep, I thought I would give you a treat.
The teaser below consists of snippets from several scenes from all three parts of Phantasmagoria — including a small NSFW teaser and a POV from Kyojuro. Every divider line represents a time skip; the story mainly takes place over the course of the summer between their junior and senior year of college. Major angst ahead, see the CW for the warnings.
Synopsis: Y/N, Sanemi, and Kyojuro were an unstoppable trio in their youth. But right as they prepare to enter college at Ubayashiki University, tragedy strikes and Y/N mistakenly confesses her love for Sanemi at the worst possible time. Now, a year and a half has passed, and Y/N hasn’t spoken to either of her best friends since, but that’s all about to change as their friend groups converge and Y/N explores an experimental new drug called Wisteria.
TW: drug/alcohol abuse, toxic friends with benefits (later to lovers), grief, trauma, literally everyone needs to go to therapy. Wisteria is supposed to be an analogue to ecstasy.
CW: toxic FWB, sex/drugs/alcohol as a coping mechanism, reader lowkey uses Sanemi because she thinks he’s using her. Brief NSFW snippet (oral F!receiving, penetrative sex). Sanemi pines HEAVILY in this one.
Song inspiration here ; playlist here
I hope you all enjoy!
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
But even though the sour drinks made her feel so warm and so vibrant while she was out dancing, there were still moments when clarity hit her and she missed them.
She missed the way Kyojuro’s strong arm would drape around her shoulders, heavy and warm but his embrace felt like home, his deep laugh contagious.
She missed the way Sanemi would pretend to hug her unwillingly, but would leave his hands lingering on her back or her waist after she moved to pull away, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his tantalizing mouth. She missed the smell of his cologne, clean and a little pine-y as he would lean in close to her face to tease her until she blushed.
She missed them so much that the sharp sting of alcohol stopped dulling the pulsing ache in the cavity where her heart once beat. No matter how many shots, no matter how many sticky acid drinks she tossed back, the gnawing in her chest would not cease.
Then, one night, Shinobu pressed a small, lilac pill into her hand and everything changed.
Initially, Y/N was apprehensive, because the pill perfectly matched the hue of the eyes of the person she wanted to forget most. But Shinobu promised her that this pill — Wisteria — would have her feel like she did as a kid on Christmas, and Y/N caved.
At first, she’d felt nothing, no impact beyond the slight buzz provided by the round of shots she’d done upon first arriving at the Kizuki Club. But then, as Mitsuri twirled her beneath flashing lights of pink and yellow, Y/N’s world exploded with a vibrance she’d neither seen nor felt in nearly two years, and suddenly everything seemed magical; effervescent; infinite.
—————————————————————————
(….)
And as his eyes fell upon her, she chanted over and over in her mind for him to not say it, to not let her name fall from his lips, because she could not bear to hear it. It would’ve been easier, so much easier, if he simply pretended like she didn’t exist because then she could go on pretending like she wasn’t walking around without a heart; like he hadn’t been carrying it with him even all these months later.
He smirked, and said her name, in that voice, and it took everything Y/N had not to fold right there.
But she couldn’t, she wouldn’t let him know that he still held any power over her, and so she merely raised an eyebrow at him and smirked back, challenging him.
“Sanemi.”
—————————————————————————
(…)
“And where have you been hiding all this time?” Y/N fought the shiver that threatened to lick up her spine at the sound of that cursed, gravelly voice that had always made her weak at the knees.
But Y/N had not spent the last twenty months learning how to keep off of Sanemi Shinazugawa’s radar for nothing, hadn’t learned to keep her grief and rage and pain locked deep inside the empty cavern of her chest just to crumble under the intensity of that lilac stare.
Y/N threw her head back to swallow the shot to tequila the bartender had placed before her before turning to face him. Sanemi looked every bit the simpering, cocky asshole she’d always known him to be, leaned up against the sticky wood of the bar, one fist resting idly under his cheek as he watched her.
She met his gaze evenly, shoulders loose with a relaxedness that she didn’t feel. “I’ve been right here,” she replied smoothly.
Sanemi shook his head, clicking his tongue disapprovingly at her. “Nah, you haven’t,” he downed his own shot of vodka, before returning his eyes to her, looking her over in consideration. “Though, I guess it would’ve been hard to know it was you anyways.”
Y/N felt herself stiffen slightly, but she kept her voice light. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
Sanemi watched her carefully for a moment, though his eyebrows furrowed, as though he was struggling to choose his words.
“I just wouldn’t have ever expected to see you in a place like this.” He decided, after a moment, a frown tugging at the corners of his sinful mouth.
It was Y/N’s turn to smirk. “That would assume you knew me at all to begin with,” she challenged, motioning the bartender for another shot.
Something tightened in Sanemi’s eyes as he held her gaze, and it tightened the knot of unease Y/N had tried all night to ignore in her stomach. “I did, once.”
Y/N kept her face impassive. “Maybe, as a girl.” She accepted her second shot from the bartender and brought it to her lips, biting down on a wince as the sharp burn of the cheap liquid slid down her throat. “But not as a woman.”
Though she did not show it, his words struck a wound deep within her that she’d not realized still festered; because, as hard as she tried to pretend that the man beside her was a mere stranger, his words reminded her of the harsh truth.
She was still in love with him; had been, ever since she’d learned what love meant.
A shadow flashed across his face before disappearing, that insufferable smirk sliding onto his face once more. “I guess you’re right; a girl doesn’t wear a dress like that.” Sanemi purred.
—————————————————————————
(…)
Sanemi’s lips met the band of her thong and he growled, deep and guttural as he pressed his nose against her, inhaling deeply as his tongue flicked out once more to lap at her wet cunt over the rough lace obscuring her from view.
Y/N was nearly sobbing from overstimulation, and she knew she needed him to fill her, and to do it now.
“Sanemi,” she whined, and his eyes flicked back up to hers, dark with want. “Please, I need you.”
Her words had an instantaneous effect on the heaving man between her legs, because suddenly his body was covering her own, and his pants were gone, and he was slamming into her with a force that left her breathless and writhing against his soft sheets
He pulled her legs over his forearms and braced his hands on her inner thighs to spread her wide as he pounded into her, leaning down into her face to make her blush, just like he used to do. Only now instead of teasing her, he was whispering filth that had her turning scarlet and begging for more.
—————————————————————————
(…)
Y/N leaned against the counter of the bar, nursing her beer as she watched her pink friend giggle and murmur sweetly to the black haired boy dancing with her, the latter’s hands hesitantly gripping her friend’s waist.
“You don’t approve?” A familiar voice rose over the pounding bass of the club music from her side. Y/N didn’t have to turn her head to know who’d sidled up next to her — she would know his blistering heat anywhere.
She tapped her fingers against the sweaty side of her glass. “I just don’t understand why he won’t make a move.” Y/N said after a long moment, a frown pulling at the corners of her red-painted lips.
Sanemi followed her line of sight and his mouth pressed into a hard line. “Maybe he wants to, but he thinks it’ll just make things worse.” He replied after a moment, voice quiet.
Y/N hummed in disagreement. “He’s making it worse by not doing anything at all - he’s made her think it’s her fault things arent working out between them.”
“He does care about her, though. More than she realizes.” Sanemi offered, watching as Obanai delicately brushed a strand of Mitsuri’s pink hair from her eyes.
Y/N finally rolled her head to the side to look at him, and idly she wondered if her eyes looked as numb as she felt. “If he did, he wouldn’t keep hurting her; wouldn’t have hurt her to begin with.”
Sanemi stared back at her, and it made her heart squeeze to see that there is the faintest trace of pain in his gaze, even in spite of his small smile. “‘S not that simple, though.”
She looked away. “It could’ve been,” Y/N took a long sip of her drink, part of her hoping that he couldn’t hear the jaded edge that crept into her voice. “And now all they know how to do is use one another.”
—————————————————————————
(Kyojuro’s flashback)
Where’s your date, Shinazugawa?” Rengoku chuckled, reaching for a beer though disheartened to see that only one was left, Sanemi having finished at least three since arriving back home.
“Called off,” Sanemi said thickly, his words slightly garbled as he tried to fake his own sobriety — the surest sign he was already drunk off his ass.
Kyojuro clapped his shoulder sympathetically. “You or her?”
Sanemi took another swig of his drink. “Me.” He looked up at his best friend and Kyojuro was shocked to see how forlorn and sad the hothead looked. “None of ‘em are her.”
It was rare that Sanemi brought her up, especially in the wake of everything that had happened after Genya’s death — but Kyojuro hadn’t been foolish enough to think that a substantial part of the chip on Sanemi’s shoulder hadn’t stemmed from his complicated feelings about her — Y/N.
Their best friend, at least, once upon a time.
Though, Kyojuro supposed, it wasn’t as if Sanemi’s feelings about their friend were really all that complicated — he’d known the abrasive loudmouth had longed for the trio’s only girl since any of them had understood what it meant to long for someone.
Kyojuro had seen his friend’s feelings on display countless times since they were teenagers — he saw it in the way his eyes softened every time she smiled at him, or the way Sanemi seemed to always lean into her touch whenever she brushed something from his hair.
Then, there had been that time after Y/N had her braces put in — they’d been around thirteen or so — and she’d refused to smile with her teeth, until Sanemi had snapped at her and said she’d looked constipated.
Y/N’s eyes had filled with tears, and her cheeks had burned with her embarrassment, until he’d squatted down in front of her.
“Why’d’ya wanna hide your smile anyways — it’s too pretty.” He’d said, very matter-of-factly, leaning in close to her face as he always did when he teased her. “C’mon, show me! I wanna see your smile.”
Shyly, Y/N had smiled at him, braces and all, and Sanemi had grinned back, nodding in satisfaction. “See? What’d I tell ya? Pretty as a picture.”
Then, there had been their senior prom, when Sanemi had gotten wind of another boy’s plan to ask her to be his date. Though the big dance had still been more than six months away, Sanemi had stormed into the cafeteria, plopped down across from her as she ate with the Koyuki girl, and demanded she attend with him.
When the night of their prom arrived, Kyojuro thought Sanemi was going to pass out the moment he saw Y/N descend the stairs at her mother’s house, dressed in that floor-length emerald dress. Throughout the whole night, Sanemi had treated their best friend as though she were made of glass, his hands for once hesitant and uncertain as he’d found her waist during a slow dance. Kyojuro’d truly thought his friends would finally, finally kiss and admit their poorly-concealed feelings for one another. But Sanemi had returned Y/N to her mother, the latter only parting with a soft kiss against the flustered boy’s crimson cheek before disappearing inside.
How could they have known, that night, just how far they’d all fall? How could they have known how Genya’s death would shatter more than his brother, but indelibly fracture their life-long bond and transform them into total strangers?
(….)
“Look, I love and worry after Y/N too, but she’s using you-“
“So what if she is?” Sanemi croaked, taking a harsh drag of his cigarette. “She can use me as much as she wants. I don’t mind.”
Kyojuro’s eyes softened. “Sanemi —“
“At least it means I can keep an eye on her.” Sanemi flicked the dying butt to the ground, crushing it beneath the toe of his boot. He began to walk away, holding his hand up to wave over his shoulder as he set off back across the lively street.
————————————————————————-
(Y/N’s POV)
“Why won’t you let me care for you?” He asked quietly, and Y/N felt her stomach twist because she’d known this conversation was coming, but that didn’t mean she wanted to have it.
“Why do you want to?” She sighed, running an anxious hand through her hair as she slumped against the kitchen counter.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
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hgejfmw-hgejhsf · 2 months
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Six Sentence Sunday!
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Happy Sunday, loves! While I haven't been able to do much writing since Wednesday, I do still have lots of content out there and available for you all to peruse from my many, many WIPs, so what I'm going to do is follow the lead of the lovely @typicalopposite and share with y'all six different single sentences from six fics for today's Six Sentence Sunday.
Additional thanks and love and hugs and all good things to @kiwiana-writes @leaves-of-laurelin @agame-writes @heybuddy-drabbles @getmehighonmagic and @magicandarchery for the tags already this morning!
The Texas sun on his skin would definitely be warmer than the glow of ancient chandeliers.
“Touching yourself, sweetheart?” Alex asks, but his attempt at teasing is immediately drowned in the thick, syrupy drawl of his voice, a telltale sign that he’s close.
“You’re the one who suggested skullduggery, sweetheart. I’m just following your lead,” Alex says, suddenly swinging himself up and over Henry’s lap, bracketing his thighs on either side from his knees.
“So go ahead, dearest, and ask me what you’ve been dying to ask from the start.”
If this is a dream, and he isn’t yet convinced that it isn’t, he decides, as Alex’s tongue is exploring his mouth, that he’s going to give in and let it play itself out, hoping beyond all hope that he gets to keep at least some part of it when he wakes.
“Nobody asked what the two of you get up to in the bedroom, babes,” Pez says, and Henry’s ears go pink automatically, but he raises a rare middle finger and receives a round of applause from the room, including Pez.
Tags for some wonderful humans behind the cut, with an open tag floating out into the world for anyone who would like me to see what they're working on!
@adreamareads @affectionatelyrs @anincompletelist @barbiediaz @bigassbowlingballhead @cha-melodius @daisymae-12 @duchessdepolignaca03 @firenati0n @gayrootvegetable @guillermosfamiliar @happiness-of-the-pursuit @indestructibleheart @inexplicablymine @itsmaybitheway @junebugclaremontdiaz @leojfitz @littlemisskittentoes @lizzie-bennetdarcy @msmarvelouswinchester @mulderscully @ninzied @nocoastposts @notspecialbabe @onthewaytosomewhere @priincebutt @rockyroadkylers @ships-to-sail @songliili @sophie1973 @sparklepocalypse @ssmtskw @stereopticons @suseagull04 @theprinceandagcd @thinkof-england @tintagel-or-cockleshells @user-anakin @vanillahigh00 @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @whimsymanaged @wordsofhoneydew @zwiazdziarka
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