#i assumed each bullet point was it's own paragraph and was confused
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The New Employee - episode 5
Gah this EPISODE!! 🥰😍🥰 Here are my thoughts during and after watching:
Excellent, we're getting right into the mystery of the terrifying pen.
Omg the second hand embarrassment in this college flashback makes me curl up and hide. Also, I assume it's less obvious in Korean that Seung Hyun thought they were talking about a gift for him, because otherwise Yoo Seong is being deliberately cruel, not just self-centered and obvious, and I don't think he's supposed to be.
This is a legit explanation for why Seung Hyun freaked out though. I also would runaway if I saw something that was both evidence that my new person once dated my toxic crush and a reminder of one of my saddest and most embarrassing memories.
Lee Beom with the wise advice once again! And it sounds like Seong Hyun isn't mad at Jong Chan for this, just freaked out and stuck about how to talk about it.
These two have really good friendship chemistry. Which actors don't always manage to make clearly distinct from romantic chemistry, but these two do.
Oh Jong Chan. I mean I get it. Everyone is freaking out here. But Seong Hyun is trying to be open and vulnerable with you. You don't need to get defensive and go on the attack now.
Something about this fight and break up feels very adult to me. I mean, Jong Chan is being immature and leaping to conclusions and breaking up because he doesn’t understand Seung Hyun and he’s scared to try. But it feels like adult immaturity somehow, rather than youngness.
Oh god, Seung Hyun is having the worst week. All this heartache from the past pops up out of nowhere, your boss dumps you just as your trying to do the adult thing and talk about it, and then on top of it you keep fucking up at work and everyone is getting on your case about it. Including your he’s-not-actually-your-ex-because-he-ended-things-before-it-even-got-to-that-point. Oh man, I ache for him.
Jong Chan is in pain too, and I sympathize with him having spent the last day confused about the sudden withdrawal of the man he’s falling for, right after sleeping together for the first time. And when he finally explains why, it makes it sound like he’s still hung up on someone else. But I’m also mad at Jong Chan for not even trying to listen. Probably because it strikes a nerve—memories of trying to explain my complicated emotions to various ex-boyfriends and them freaking out about it, not listening to what I was actually saying and instead making up a story in their head about what my emotions were based on what scared them the most. Which was very frustrating.
And at first I was surprised that Jong Chan went there so quickly. I had expected more understanding from him, more willingness to work. But then his monologue to his cat made sense of it for me: "I don’t like emotional quarrels." Look, I’m not sure what of this the show is putting in there intentionally, and what is me making up complexity for a stock "cold boss seme" archetype, but I think this might be the first time when he’s faced with the complexity of who Seung Hyun actually is, rather than the sweet new kid who hero-worships him.
And although Jong Chan has been in many relationships, I wouldn’t be surprised if he never actually put the work into them, but rather ended things, or more likely retreated into his career when the emotions got hard and his boyfriends wanted things from him. That memory scene in the previous episode made it sound like non of his exes had understood his values and his love of his job, and maybe that’s all it is, but his line about hating quarreling makes me think there is more to it than that, that he in fact hasn't cared enough about anyone to actually face scary emotions. Except that now he does with Seung Hyun.
Anyway, I did like his desperately stoic face whenever he had to see or hear about or talk to Seung Hyun. And the way he grabbed his wrist and positively yanked him into the elevator to finally confront him in the storage closet. (It's not making out in a supply closet, but I'm still happy about it. Although it does make the camera angles weird and distorts their faces.) And the way he kept drinking more and more at the work party while his eyes kept tracking Seung Hyun frantically trying to be a good intern and take care of all his seniors. It seems very reminiscent of Japanese BL, although maybe its just that that's where most of the office romances I've seen are from.
And then! Jong Chan apparently couldn't stand it anymore and then goes after him. I loved his line (I'm paraphrasing) "I don't understand your feelings, and I know I'm supposed to or supposed to lie and say I do, but I just don't. But I want to." It's just so... gah! This was the moment (and their subsequent hug and giddy walk back to the work party) that turned this episode from 'some nice stuff happening' to 🥰😍! for me. It felt so honest and vulnerable and true to the character. He doesn't understand the complexity of people's emotions. But Seung Hyun makes him want to understand him.
It was also this line that made me willing to handwave the rest of the conversations they need to be having. Yes, yes, there are only eight short episodes, so we need to wrap everything up soon. But I believe, behind the scenes, they are talking about the hard stuff. Jong Chan is someone who if he says he's going to do something he does it. And I think he does want to see Seung Hyun for who he actually is.
I also have thoughts about seme/uke dynamics in this show and Seung Hyun's... passivity? Or not that exactly, but his very uke role of following Jong Chan's lead and not initiating much of anything, be it kisses, romantic gestures or difficult conversations, himself. But a) I'm not exactly sure what my thoughts are yet, and b) this is already very long and I should get on with my day.
Although this conversation gave me some insight into what was going on--the show's very traditional manga roots nestled alongside the grown-up queer story the director wants to tell, create some oddities like this, where despite his insecurities and inexperience, Seung Hyun doesn't seem like he'd be as passive as he is, but the structure of the story kind of requires him to be, so there is some dissonance there. And it also creates this thing were I'm not sure if I'm reading too much complexity into the characters and their backstories, or if it's really there.
But anyway. Their giddiness and joy at un-breaking up! Seung Hyun can't stop smiling! The relief on Jong Chan's face. That hug, they way they held each other so tightly. Their silly little argument over carrying the bags and who would enter first. 🥰
And the queerness of this show, in showing both the fun things and the glimpses of being queer in a homophobic world. The way they spring apart from their embrace when someone walks by, and their relief when he reassures them with a "cute." And the whole extremely queer you-used-to-be-in-unrequited-love-with-my-ex-boyfriend.
(Speaking of the ex-boyfriend, I still want to know more about Yoo Seong. Including who he's in love with. OOOOOHHH. I just had a thought. Second season about him? Is that what they're setting us up for with all these dropped hints?!? That would make me so happy. I don't know anything about the source material, so I don't know if this is a realistic hope or just a daydream. But if this was an English language romance novel, it absolutely would be setting us up for a second Yoo Seong book. The ridiculously attractive mysterious "rake" who hurts both of the main characters, sweeping through their lives seemingly unaware. Who seems to have fallen for some unknown person. Come on producers, give it to us.)
Ok, back to our main couple. The sweetness of their texting from opposite sides of the corporate sleepover! Their promises to communicate and stick around when things got hard. Jong Chan sneaking over just to sit next to Seung Hyun as he falls asleep. And this is all the sweeter for me, because I feel like their giddy happiness means something now.
#the new employee#the new employee the series#gillianthecat reacts to bl#tne ep 5#seme/uke dynamics#kind of like liveblogging#my ramblings#it was interesting watching this right after candy color paradox#two versions of a love confession/conversation re jealousy/clinging hug on the street at night after running away from a restaurant#also i finally figured out that tumblr treats all the bullet points as one giant paragraph#which is why it keeps telling me about the character limit for a 'block'#i assumed each bullet point was it's own paragraph and was confused#and then of course when i reopen to edit it converts my TWO shorter blocks of bullet points back into ONE overlong one. oh tumblr.
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Hands
Pairing: No-Outbreak!AU, Joel x Teacher!Reader as usual (let's just assume these No-Outbreak Joels are all the same couple tbh), established relationship
Summary: Friday nights are reserved for sweatpants and relaxation, of course. But when Joel's work week leaves his hands a bit worse for wear, the night may need to include a break for a little extra attention.
Warnings: extreme fluff once again. expect it at this point. i'm a one-trick pony, i fear.
A/N: finally got around to putting one of my many bulleted notes-app idea fics into paragraph form again! Will we get another one before the year's out? It's anyone's guess! -_-
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Friday nights are your favorites. No dinner to cook or rattling rolodex of tasks to come in the next twelve hours give you both a little room to breathe — to gently unwind from yourselves and into one another. It’s typically quiet, and when it isn’t, the volume is born of laughter from games or stories the three of you share.
Joel comes home from an exceptionally long week. You know he’s been on site every day—the whole team has—working longer and longer hours to wrap up the latest project before the client’s deadline. You’re pleased to hear his keys rattle in the door not long after five o’clock, and relieved because the air’s rapidly cooling earlier each night. Daylight Savings time is coming to an end, and today he barely beat the sunset getting home.
You know the hour means little, however, and are less than astonished at the weary grin he bears on catching sight of you and Sarah on the couch when he walks in the room. She’s already got her purse on her shoulder, eager to head out when her friends arrive, and she’s excitedly recounting the events of the trailer for the movie they’ll be catching tonight. He stands idly in the doorway for a moment, just listening to the two of you chat. You make brief eye contact and smile back, assuring you know he’s there. Neither of you wants to interrupt her avid storytelling.
“Well don’t you sound excited?” he says when she pauses to catch her breath. You both turn to greet him, and he moves more quickly toward you as you attempt to rise, gesturing to you to remain seated. He’ll come to you both.
He plants a kiss on top of Sarah’s head before leaning down to kiss you as he does each night. You place a hand on his chest and pause when he pulls back to get a good look at his face. You see the fatigue in his droopy-eyed smile, but can’t say anything to him. You already know it’s mirrored in your own expression.
The doorbell rings before either of you can speak again, and Sarah jumps up to head out the door. You wish her a good night, and he follows her to the door, checking for a familiar parent in the driver’s seat and seeing her off. You see him hand her some cash to go with his reminder to make good decisions, and he hugs her. You can’t help but giggle when she takes it with a wide smile.
He turns to you laughing when he sees she’s in the car, and shuts the door.
“What?” he asks, brow furrowed in confusion, but amused at the sound of your laughter.
“Smart girl. I gave her a 20 before you got home,” you grin back at him. He stills in understanding and rolls his eyes.
“You couldn’t tell me that two minutes ago?” he asks you in mock exasperation.
“But it’s so much funnier this way!” you add, giggling again. You both know he’s wrapped completely around her finger, though she so innocently does not. It’s one of the first things you noticed about him. One of the first reasons you fell in love.
He shakes his head fondly, and places a hand on his stomach, which begins to grumble softly at him. You raise your eyebrows and meet his gaze. “Any thoughts on dinner?” he asks, and you grin back at him in amusement.
“Handled. Pizza’s already on the way,” you respond and he feigns relief.
“You’re brilliant.” he says, walking up and grabbing your hand on the back of the couch. You run your thumb in little circles on the back of his hand and give it a light squeeze.
“Duh. Now go get changed! It’s do-nothing time starting now,” you respond, patting the top of his hand in encouragement.
“You read my mind,” he says, leaning down for another quick peck before heading off into the bedroom to change out of his work clothes. Naturally, you’ve been in sweats for over an hour now, shedding your own outfit immediately, peeling the school day from your skin. The unspoken uniform for these Friday nights is extremely specific.
The pizza arrives before Joel can even return from the bedroom in a feat of incredible timing. You’re gathering plates and filling glasses with ice when he emerges ready for the night. He moves forward to help you grab the dinner, but you shoo him away to the couch.
“Nope, I got this. You sit,” you say, lightly shoving his chest away. You leave no room for argument. He grumbles a bit and raises his hands, backing away to the living room. You follow behind him with the pizza and plates, and return once more for the drinks before settling next to him on the couch. He sits on one end, and you sit in the middle, leaving little room between you.
You lean forward, putting pizza on one plate you pass to Joel before grabbing your own, then settle back against the cushion, both sinking in so comfortably a nearly audible sigh fills the room. The comfort in this relief is palpable, and the decompressing can begin. You grab the remote and put on the series you’ve been binging together recently, more for background noise than anything else.
A few slices and sitcom episodes deep, you’ve set your plates down on the coffee table. With your bellies comfortably full, you’ve somehow slumped deeper, though Joel into the couch and you into his side. His arm is draped over the back of the couch behind you, and you’re nearly laying on him, head propped against his shoulder.
You hold his free hand in both of yours and absently play with his fingers for a second when you notice the aggressive wear this week has lent his hands. They’re a raw, angry red at the knuckles; his nails are cracked in some places and peeling in others. Moving your fingers gently down toward his wrist, you focus more directly on the state of his, catching sight of a few hangnails and stretched cuticles that can’t be comfortable. He looks down as you begin to worry them beneath the soft pads of your own fingers, and you meet his gaze, brows furrowed as you look between his face and hands.
“Keep doing that, please,” he says with a sigh before closing his eyes, “I wait all day to feel your hands on mine. They’re so soft.” He lifts your hand to his lips before pressing a feather-light kiss to your knuckles. He loves the delicate, reverent way you play with his hands, like they’re small, fragile things in need of tender attention. You take his hand once again into both of yours and gently rub it between them, looking back up at him, concerned.
“How do yours feel? They look like they’re hurting you,” you gnaw a bit at your bottom lip in thought, and he tries to assuage your worry.
“I’m alright, darlin’. Nothing worse than I’m used to,” he says. He knows from your deepening frown that you’re less than satisfied with this response.
You couldn’t care less if he’s used to it, he shouldn’t be. You know the protective callouses forged there don’t mean those hands are unfeeling in the slightest.
“Wait there. I’ll be right back,” you say, rising from his side and hastening to the bedroom. It’s his turn to frown now, both in confusion and at the sudden draft that’s appeared at his side.
You return not a minute later with a small tote around your wrist, and hands filled with half the manicure items you own. You sit down next to him and unpack, laying clippers, files, cuticle oil, and two different hand creams — a lotion he’s seen you use regularly, and a jar that must be a new addition — on the coffee table in front of you, along with the selected polishes and remover you had in the tote bag. You’ve been meaning to do your nails, anyway.
Joel looks incredulously at you, unsure where this is going. Not that he’s a stranger to nail polish — he raised a little girl on his own long enough to have worn the rainbow on his fingers, but tonight?
“Sorry, no color for you today, honey. Certainly not before these are healed,” you say. He’d chip half your handiwork away by Monday afternoon anyway the way he’s been working lately. Facing him, you cross your legs on the couch and smile, holding your hand out expectantly for his. He raises his eyebrows at you, but places his palm gently in your own.
You grab the clippers and get to work on the hangnails first. Any peeling skin or cuticle right there at the nail you clip as gently as possible, making note of the reddened and slightly swollen areas at the base of his nail from which they protrude. Those will need careful attention at the end. He doesn’t squirm or react in any way, but you know they’re more sensitive than he’s letting on.
Next, you clip back any breakages and unevenness in the nails themselves. You’d never find Joel Miller with dirty hands — he gets them clean as soon as he gets home, but all the scrubbing it takes to keep them that way takes its toll. A little trim at their length might help reduce the need for so much each day upon his return.
After clipping, you grab his first hand again and rest it gently in the palm of your left while your right files steadily to even any rough edges left behind and prevent further injury. It won’t take much, but you’re sure to get them smooth so they won’t catch on anything or bother him later on.
The cuticle oil is next. He looks at it questioningly, clearly a bit skeptical, only having seen it a few times when you or Sarah used it. He’s never ventured so far himself. While you brush it gently onto each of his nails, you explain its purpose.
“This’ll just help your nails get a little stronger. It’ll get them hydrated a bit, keep ‘em from peeling so much when your hands get dry. It’s kinda crazy how much better this stuff is for your nails than even water is. Water’ll make the peeling worse, actually. Weird, huh?”
He just nods along, listening to you, content to learn something new as always. Finger by finger, you massage the oil into his nail and nail bed. After the first round you go back through to massage again, both to make sure no oily feeling is left behind, and to prolong the rapidly concluding process. He could use the attention, anyway.
Finally, you pick up the jar he identified as a new addition: a canister of a hand repair cream labeled for “Healing of dry or cracked skin.”
“Never seen that one before,” he says, reading the label, “What d’ya need this for? Your hands are never dry! I think they’ve been soft every time I’ve held 'em since the day I met ya,” he smiles at you, and you bashfully brush off the compliment.
“I don’t need it. I use the other one,” you say with finality, opening the jar and pulling the first of his hands into yours. You don’t grab a large dollop of the stuff. You don’t want him to feel a disconcerting weight, grease, or stickiness from this unfamiliar formula, so you get a little and begin. You add a bit more each time you reach a new spot on his knuckles, palms, wrists.
You take your time, gently massaging into those roughened, tender hands far more than a simple healing salve. He understands why you have the jar now, looking at you knowingly, and you smile back. No words need be exchanged.
Once you’ve finished the last finger and the last stroke on his hands, you squeeze the one in your own, then pat it gently with your other, “There. Gotta feel better now, yeah?”
Joel stares at you like he just watched you reach up and place the moon in the sky, if for no reason other than to light his path.
“Like you wouldn’t believe. Thank you sweetheart,” he says, squeezing your hand back and smiling reverently at you. You blush beneath his gaze and look away, unsure what to do with the admiration rolling off of him in waves. You lean back against the couch, file in hand as you start going at your own nails.
“Good. Don’t let 'em go that long again, either. Where they start hurtin’ ya? Maybe we oughta make this a weekly thing. Manicure night? Been needing someone to do my right hand,” you grin, wiggling the corresponding fingers at him. He smiles back at you, then reaches over and pulls you toward his side, back to your original position laying against him, head resting once again on his shoulder.
“Sounds like a plan,” he says fondly into your hair, planting a kiss to your head in the process. You get comfortable once more, foregoing any plans to do your own nails tonight. You both know those “manicure nights” will be for him — and you’ve got Sarah to do your right hand already, when you do hers.
You grab the same free hand once again and admire your work, then lace your fingers between his own, and rest your twined hands on his leg. You’re satisfied knowing the hand behind you on the couch is comfortable now, healing from the week’s toils and melting into the comforting haze of the early autumn evening.
#oops i did it again#fluff without plot#this is my only genre#I just need more SFW care directed at this man#is that so much to ask#joel miller x female reader#joel miller x f!reader#joel miller fic#joel miller fanfiction#joel miller fluff#joel miller x you#joel miller x reader#joel tlou#joel the last of us#joel x reader#tlou fanfiction#tlou hbo#joel miller imagine#no outbreak!joel miller#no outbreak au#pre outbreak!joel
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Journal Part 4 // Jeongin
🍄 | genre: smut mini-series
☁️ | pairing: Yang Jeongin x female!reader
🌿 | wc: 5.8k holy shit i am so sorry-
🌸 | includes: milf!reader x babysitter!college student!jeongin, plot 🤢🤮, smut within smut (mentions of marking, pet names/degrading names), anal toys (plug), jeongin wears feminine underwear, nipple clamps, mentions of rule breaking/punishment, begging, face sitting, praise, degradation, mentions (not use) of safe word, pegging, the obvious overuse of the word “mommy” and “ma’am”, aftercare, buttered pasta :)
🌊 | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Finale |
The sound of his own foot tapping was enough to make him more anxious than he already was, and the light shining through the window directly onto his shiny desk to reflect on his eye wasn’t helping. He’s practiced the conversation a million times over in his head. The plan was simple: class ends, ask Professor Lee about his missing journal, and get it back. How hard could it be?
Evidentially, pretty damn hard. All throughout class, Professor Lee was staring at Jeongin, picking on him when no one else would answer easy questions, and overall making his life a living hell just by his presence.
“Yang Jeongin, come see me.” Minho sighs, adjusting his glasses as he looks up at the clock on the wall of his classroom. “The rest of you are dismissed.”
Ending class 15 minutes early was extraordinarily unusual for Professor Lee, but the other students hardly batted an eye as they collected their belongings and shuffled out of the room, leaving as Jeongin stepped up to his professor’s desk. He was practically sweating bullets at this point, all of his plans flowing out of his head with every step. The glare Professor Lee was giving Jeongin was intimidating to say the least, but Lee Minho knew all too well what he was going to say.
“You wanted to speak to me, sir?” Jeongin tilts his head, standing over his professor, giving the illusion that Jeongin had the upper hand in this situation.
“Yes, Jeongin. You left your notebook behind last class, and I just wanted to give it back to you.” Professor Lee opens his top desk drawer, pulling out Jeongin’s journal and holding it out in his hand towards Jeongin. Before his student could grab it, he pulled away, reeling Jeongin in like a fish. “You really ought to be more careful with your stuff. Don’t want anyone else getting their hands on this, do we?”
Jeongin shakes his head, holding his hand out, patiently waiting for his teacher to put the book into his hand. The room is coated in silence despite the chatter from the hall. Jeongin can feel his heart beating out of his chest, trying his best not to jump over the desk and snatch the journal out of his professor’s hands.
“So, do you like writing?” The smirk stretching across Professor Lee’s smug face is breaking Jeongin. He feels this odd sense of deja vu on top of the overwhelming anxiety. Jeongin nods again, slightly shaking his outstretched hand, urging his professor to finally hand it over. “Is that what this journal is for? Writing?”
“Professor Lee, can I please have my journal back? I have another class to get to, sir.” Jeongin dodges the question like a professional, but Professor Lee isn’t satisfied. He laughs in Jeongin’s face, rolling his eyes slightly at the boy’s wit.
“I ended class early. You have plenty of time to talk, Yang Jeongin.” Professor Lee stands up, walking to the other side of his desk and pulling out another chair from a student desk. “Sit down, take a load off. You’re one of my star students. I’d like to get to know you.”
“Aright, professor.” Jeongin’s staring at the journal, loosely dangling from his professor’s hand. Still, he sits in the uncomfortable chair as the older man leans on his desk, facing the boy. Jeongin holds out his hand again, looking up at his professor with emotionless eyes, desperate to leave this room and go home, because him saying he has another class was a complete lie. Just for right now, Professor Lee wants to play a little game with Jeongin, a game the younger doesn’t even realize he’s playing.
“You don’t have to call me professor. Right now, you can call me Minho.” Jeongin nods, slouching in the chair. “You never answered my question, Jeongin. What do you write in this journal? Notes for class I’d assume.”
“Yeah, notes for class.” Jeongin’s voice cracks as he looks back at the journal, Minho now having one of his fingers between the pages. He winces just imagining what his professor would think if he read a single paragraph on any page. “I need them to study, so can I have it back now?”
“Well, if it’s just notes, then you’re okay with me reading it, right?” Minho jolts his arm up, opening the book to a random page. Jeongin’s about to run out of the room in embarrassment before Minho holds a hand up, successfully stopping him. “C’mon, Jeongin. Do you honestly think I haven’t already read this?”
If Jeongin had anything in his stomach right now, he’d surely throw up. You reading the journal was one of his fantasies come to life, but this was a bit overkill. He’d never want anyone other than you to read his journal, let alone one of his professors.
“What’s got you so quiet now?” Minho raises the pitch of his voice to taunt Jeongin, playing up the scene. “You’ve had the audacity to write about Y/n in this book nearly every single class, but now that you’ve been caught, you bite your tongue?”
“Don’t say her name!” Jeongin gets extremely defensive, standing out of the seat to be the same height as his professor. “What do you want from me? Just give me the journal and I’ll go. I’ll even switch out of this class if you want. I don’t care!”
“Aw, Jeonginnie~” Minho rests his face on his hand, holding his own cheek as he watches Jeongin’s face get red with anger. “Just tell me, how is Y/n doing?”
“How do you know Y/n?” Jeongin’s confused, unable to connect the pieces to this puzzle.
“You’re not as smart as you let on.” Minho gets closer to Jeongin, getting right in his face to scare the young boy. “I was her husband. We were your neighbors.”
Jeongin could feel his legs shake, finally connecting every conversation, every question, every action. He steps back, vision going blurry as he’s flooded with memories of seeing none other than Lee Minho in your front lawn, playing with his daughters in the back, or sneaking out to a taxi late at night towards the end of his memories. Jeongin didn’t know your name until he started working for you, let alone know your estranged husband’s name. He felt like such a dumbass at this moment.
“So, how is she?” Minho puts his hand on Jeongin’s shoulder, forcing Jeongin to focus on him. “If you’re going to fuck my ex wife, you could at least tell me how she’s doing.”
“She’s doing well, certainly a lot better without you.” Minho scoffs, laughing at Jeongin’s weak attempt at a diss.
“And the girls are doing well?”
“Yup. I watch them every night after my classes.” Jeongin folds his arms, turning his chin up at Minho. How soon he forgets that Minho still has his precious journal.
“So that’s where she gets ya, huh?” Minho brings the notebook back to his face, flipping to a random page, putting his finger on a random line. “Is that where she, in your words, ‘gripped your cock like you’ve wanted her to for so long’? Or did that happen later?”
Half of Jeongin’s brain is struggling to come up with a response, while the other half is thinking about the first time you gave him a blowjob. He’s clenching his fists with anger, hoping Minho didn’t see him starting to pop a boner.
“What goes on between us is none of your business.” Jeongin jumps forward, finally snatching his journal out of Minho’s hands. He holds his journal tightly in his hands, clutching it close to his chest. “I’ll be leaving now.”
Just as Jeongin turns around to get his bookbag, Minho grabs his wrist and turns him around, once again finding each other inches away from the other’s face.
“She didn’t tell you anything about me, did she?” Jeongin shakes him off, rapidly walking back to his desk to get his bag. “Answer me, little boy.”
“She’s never said a word about you, Minho.” Jeongin goes for the door, finally seeing his exit within his sights. “Now leave me alone. I’ll see you on Thursday, sir.”
And with that, he’s out. Finally within possession of his journal, he minds his business walking down the hall, heading back to his house that’s less than a 10 minute walk from the campus.
Just wait until Y/n hears about this.
🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯
“He really hasn’t changed at all.” You stare out the window, taking a sip of tea from your mug as Jeongin finishes retelling the entire story to you. “I’m proud of you, Jeongin.”
“Proud of me? Why?”
“You handled him very well. Any other boy your age would have crumbled under the pressure.” You sit next to him on the couch, putting your hand on his thigh more as comfort than a tactic to get into his pants. Regardless of your intentions, Jeongin can’t help but blush and bite his lip being the horny boy he is. “Lee Minho has a way with words. His charm worked on me in high school, and I’m sure it works on the other students in his classes.”
“Oh yeah, all the girls have crushes on him.” Jeongin covers his mouth with his hands when he realizes what he says. You just giggle at him, recalling some of the sweet, romantic moments you had with your ex-husband before everything went to shit.
“Well, you know, the girls are going to his house this weekend. Maybe you should come over?” You ride your hand up his thigh teasingly, making Jeongin freeze as if he hasn’t had sex with you literally days earlier. “I’m always so worried about the girls when they’re with him. Maybe you can help me destress, baby boy.”
“I’ll help you destress, mommy!” Jeongin smiles, mentally clearing his schedule for this weekend. “Can I ask something though?”
“Ask away, baby. I’m an open book.” You lean back, one arm flailing behind your head as you take another sip from your mug.
“Why did you two… separate?” Jeongin cringes at his own words, realizing he might have crossed a line as your facial expression changes from a soft smile to a frown. “I’m just curious, sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’ll tell you.” You huff as you sit up, swinging your arms forward so you can straighten your back. “He started acting distant out of nowhere, and some nights I’d wake up to find him gone from his side of the bed. A quick glance at his phone and I saw texts from another woman. I’d rather not get into gruesome details, but that’s the jist of it.”
“You don’t have to get into details. I shouldn’t have asked.” Jeongin shakes his head, leaning on your shoulder to comfort you. You put your arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to you. “Thank you for sharing with me.”
“No, thank you for asking. It feels good to get these things off of my chest.” You sigh, feeling an odd sense of relief. You’ve never talked to anyone about this other than a therapist you had for a brief time before work took over your life.
“So… was he a sub like me?” You nearly spit out your tea, Jeongin sitting up and patting your back to stop you from coughing on the drink. “Sorry! Sorry!”
You can’t help but laugh at the curious boy, his face getting redder than you’ve ever seen. That’s the hardest you’ve ever laughed in a while.
“Do you really want to know?” You raise an eyebrow, Jeongin covering his face with his hands in embarrassment.
“I mean… a little.” He uncovers one eye, looking at your cheerful expression and immediately calming down after seeing you aren’t mad. “You’re good at… ya know. You have to have experience being a dom, right?”
“Actually, I’ve always been the submissive. Do you really think the egoist Lee Minho would let someone else be in control?” You laugh at your own remark, Jeongin catching on and laughing with you. “But thank you for saying I’m good at sex I guess. Although, I don’t know how much of a compliment that is considering you’re a virgin”
“Hey! I’m not a virgin anymore!” The red-as-a-tomato Jeongin makes a return as you laugh at his defensiveness. “Can I ask… one more question?”
“Jeez, are you interviewing me or something?” You take another sip of your tea as you gesture for the boy to ask away. He gulps, calculating his final question before he has to go home.
“Can I be your boyfriend?” Pause. You stare at the floor, thinking critically to yourself. How can you let down your sweet little boy without breaking his poor heart?
“Jeongin, you know we can’t be together.” You take one of his hands in your free hand, squeezing his fingers between yours as he nods, looking down at his legs. “I’m over 10 years older than you. That would be absurd.”
“What if no one knows?” He’s really harping on this, huh? “Or can we be another title? Maybe friends with benefits?”
“Yang Jeongin,” your quiet, commanding voice makes Jeongin look into your eyes, seeing the seriousness in your expression, “I’m your mother’s friend, not yours. I’m not sure how to define our relationship, but if you really want a label, we can be… sex partners. But no one can know that, alright?”
“I understand.” Jeongin squeezes your hand back, allowing a comforting silence to fill the room. “So, this weekend?”
“You can come over Friday night. He takes the girls in the morning, but I have work for the first half of the day. I took the weekend off, though, so I’m all yours, pretty boy.” You kiss his lips, getting caught in the taste before you pull back, stay your goodbyes, and send him home for the night before you go to bed for yourself.
When Jeongin gets back to his room, he sighs and takes out his journal, cracking his fingers before laying the pencil on the paper.
I want Lee Minho to pay. I want him to pay for breaking the heart of the woman I love, even if she doesn’t reciprocate the feelings. He must be insane for cheating on such an amazing woman. If mommy marks me up, leaving hickeys all over my pale neck, I’ll boldly wear something with a low-cut so Lee Minho can see all of the marks left by the most beautiful woman in the world. I’ll make sure he knows that I satisfy her more than he ever could. Y/n, if you’re reading this, please leave pretty bruises all over my body. I want mommy to mark me so bad, make sure everyone knows I’m hers. Regardless of the label anyone puts on our relationship, no one can deny that I’m hers. Her perverted boy, her slutty toy, her little prince, all hers. Only hers.
🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯
The weekend flies closer than he could have imagined, and after seeing you come home exhausted and drained every single night, nothing pleases Jeongin more than knowing he’s the one that will help you relax. As he walks to your house, he regrets not going to the store and getting lotions so he could give you a massage from his unqualified hands.
“Hey, baby.” You smile at him, bright and gorgeous as always. You invite him in and offer him a drink, which he politely declines. You notice he’s shaking more than usual, and although he was always nervous and awkward, you’ve never see him get this shaky. “Are you okay, Jeongin?”
“Mommy…”
“Oh, we’re right out the gate with this one?”
“I have a surprise for you.” Jeongin takes his shirt off and pulls down his jeans, revealing a hot pink, lace thong covering his half-hard cock. You look up from his cock to his chest, seeing fake, silver nipple rings adorning his pink buds. You cover your mouth as you gasp, indescribably turned on from the presentation this boy had planned. “That’s not all.”
He turns around, bending over so the thong dives deeper between his ass cheeks, but you quickly notice what he was hinting at. There’s a little pink rose peeking out of his ass, a clear decoration on a plug. He looks so fucking hot. You can’t take your eyes off of him.
“What do you think, mommy?” He holds his arms out as he turns around, facing you again as your body hasn’t moved since he’d last faced you. “Don’t you like it?”
“I love it, little prince.” You walk up to him, holding his waist in your hands as you pull him closer, licking one of his nipples, tasting the distinct metal flavor of the ring. “You never fail to surprise me, baby.”
You kiss from his nipple to his panties, getting down on your knees as you lick over the thin fabric. He twitches under the lace, getting harder every second. Before your mouth can properly suck his cock, you stand up and kiss him harshly on the lips, tasting a faint strawberry flavor. You smile against his mouth, holding his by his waist again as you pull him into your body, your chests coming in contact.
“Mommy, please sit on my face. I want to make you feel good,” Jeongin whines between kisses. Your hands run up and down his body, feeling him up and making him shiver in anticipation. For right now, you’re content with just sucking on his sweet lips, but his cock clearly needs some attention. “Please~”
“Let’s go to my bedroom, sweetheart. I’ll ride your pretty face as much as you want.” You take his hand in yours as you take him back to your room, practically throwing him on the bed. He palms himself over his thong while you undress, totally forgetting about the rules you’d set up. When you turn around, your gaze goes immediately, almost instinctively, to his hand on his cock as he half-assedly strokes himself. “Is my naughty little boy touching himself? Without my permission?”
“Sorry, mommy. I couldn’t help it.” Jeongin presses his bottom lip out as he pouts, pulling his hand off of his cock. You roll your eyes and get onto the bed, sitting over his chest before staring down at him like you’re a shark and he’s your next meal.
“I don’t know if you deserve to eat my pussy anymore.” You ponder, bringing your hand to your chin as if you’re genuinely considering not riding his face until you’re dripping. He puts his hands above his head and pleads again, whining in his adorable high-pitched voice. “Alright, baby boy, but only because I want this.”
You scoot up to his face, hovering your naked cunt over his gorgeous face. As you slowly start to lower your hips to his mouth, Jeongin eagerly sticks his tongue out and fights against his reflexes to just grab you. He laps at your folds, humming from the sweetness as you grind on his face and grip the headboard of the bed.
“Good boy, Jeonginnie. If you make mommy cum, you’ll get a reward.” He moans into your pussy, his cock twitching under his lace panties just at the thought of you rewarding him. For being so hungry for punishment just days prior, he really wanted to be your good little boy just for today. He sticks his wet tongue into your cunt, inciting you to ride his face even harder, raising and lowering just enough for his tongue to never leave your tight, needy cunt.
His tongue pulls back, leaving you empty for a moment before he starts kissing and sucking at your clit. You lean forward, putting your clit right up to his mouth all for him. Your sopping cunt was absolutely begging for an orgasm, and Jeongin was getting you there faster than you could have ever imagined. The moans leaving your throat only made Jeongin want to make you cum even more.
“Please cum on my face, ma’am.” Jeongin wastes no time returning his tongue to your pussy, his wrists still above his head as if he were cuffed. Your legs start to get uneasy, shaking around Jeongin’s head as you breath heavily and mindlessly moan out his favorite pet names and countless praises. He’s smiling against you, sucking your folds until you finally release, your cunt tightening around his tongue as you whine and grind, riding out your high on his face. You were undoubtedly euphoric, slowly coming down from an extremely intense orgasm, but Jeongin was also through the moon, tasting all of your juices leaking into his mouth.
“Ah, thank you little boy.” You flip your leg over his head, stepping back onto the floor with your weak, tired legs, a hand on the bed so you don’t fall over. You run a hand down his leg, Jeongin starting to shake with anticipation. He holds his wrists steady above his head without any help of restraints. Your palm runs over his cock, touching him over his thin panties. He lets out a huff, needy for more. “Does my sweet prince need to be fucked?”
Jeongin’s whine are so fucking pathetic. A tear runs down his cheek just from the thought of you fucking him. He watches you as you turn around and reach into your drawer, digging through until you pull out a harness and a bright pink dildo that oddly matches his panties. Jeongin tightens his hole, remembering the bulb nestled in his ass. As you put the harness on, he lifts his hips and shakes his as against the bed.
“Mommy,” he whimpers, “please fuck my ass. Need your cock in me so fucking bad!” He sounds so overwhelmingly lewd, but you loved every second of it. You attach the dildo to your harness, tightening it perfectly so it won’t budge. You cup his cheek as you reposition yourself on the bed, lifting his legs over your thighs. You watch his cock tremble, begging to be touched, as Jeongin stares directly at your face, watching your eyes dart from his cock to his hardened nipped to his quivering lips. “Mommy?”
“Yes sweetheart?” You tilt your head and smile, making a burst of warmth erupt in Jeongin’s chest.
“Please be gentle, okay?” You giggle at his cuteness and nod, reaching to your bedside to take out lube. Squirting it onto your hand, you rub the length of the dildo with one hand while you teasingly pull at his plug, pulling it out just enough to make him groan.
“You look incredible, baby boy.” You lean down to kiss him while your hand moves from your dildo to his ass, both hands pulling out the plug before you finger him with lubed fingers. All of his moans are lost on your lips, his tongue letting out and into your mouth, dancing with yours. He squeals when your fingers leave his ass, and he knows exactly what’s next.
You take his hands in yours from above his head, pulling them down to be next to his head. You lean over the boy while you line your cock with his hole, teasingly pushing the tip against his entrance.
“I’ll go slow, don’t worry angel.” Your hands hold your hips as you slowly push the strap into Jeongin, watching it disappear into his tight little hole. His thong is pushed to the side of his hole while painfully rubbing against the bottom of his shaft. You would have taken it off, but he just looks too damn sexy in them.
Jeongin writhes as you stop halfway, petting his sides to help him calm down. He feels so full, so stretched, something he’s never felt before. He’s wanted this for so long, he just wants to enjoy it so bad, especially for you, but the pain is starting to get to him. He’s whining loudly, biting down on his lip harshly in hopes of silencing some of his sounds.
“Jeongin? Are you okay?” Your voice is soft, but not delicate. You’re speaking at a regular volume, an attempt to pull Jeongin out of his head. He opens his eyes and looks at you, tears threatening to fall out. “What’s the safe word?”
“Avocado.”
“One more time for me, baby. What’s the safe word?” Without moving your hips, you lean forward to hold onto his face. He looks so gorgeous, messy and covered in sweat. You just want him to be happy.
“Avocado.” He pushes his face against your hand, his voice returning to a regular pitch. “You can go further now, mommy.”
“Are you sure, sweetheart?” You lean more to kiss his forehead, admiring his sharp facial features.
“I want you to fuck me, please.” His tone is flat, sounding almost unenthused until the final word. You nod and patiently push into him, carefully watching his face for any indication of pain. Jeongin starts to groan loudly as you bottom out, pressing the bottom of the harness against him. “Thank you.”
“Good boy, Innie. My angel’s so pretty like this.” Your hands go to his chest, dainty fingers pinching his nipples just how he likes. His moans are back to being the high, pathetic whines you’re used to from the boy. His cock twitches, a drop of precum dripping from the tip. “You ready for me to move, my little prince?”
“Yes, mommy. I’m ready!” Your heart warms watching Jeongin’s face light up for such a perverted sentiment. He looks so excited, finally starting to enjoy it. You grip his hips tight as you pull out, watching his cock stutter and his mouth hang open. When you pound back into him slowly, Jeongin feels that familiar warmth in his stomach.
“You like this, baby boy? You like getting fucked by your mommy?” Your voice is sinister as you increase the pace, rhythmically moving your hips against Jeongin’s ass. His legs shutter as you fuck him, all of his nerves standing on edge. “Who’s mommy’s little cumslut?”
“I am, mommy! I’m your little c-cum… fuck!” Jeongin throws his head back as you wrap one hand around his cock, your other hand is grounded on his hip. You start to jerk him, fast and aggressive, coaxing him to an orgasm even faster.
The dildo drags against Jeongin’s walls, brushing past the sensitive spot he didn’t even know he had. With every thrust and stroke, he can feel himself start to fall apart, all of his speech devolving into incoherent whines and cries. Sweat drips down his forehead as he finds it harder and harder to hold back his release.
“C-close,” he whimpers, “gonna cum.”
“Aw, my sweet little boy ready to cum?” You speed up the movements of your hand, tightening your iron grip on his sensitive, red cock. Jeongin feels his reality start to fade, only being able to focus on his impending orgasm. “Cum all you want, baby. Be a good little boy and cum for mommy.”
Your eyes stare intensely at his cock as he’s pushed over the edge, his body convulsing as he has the most powerful orgasm of his life. He shoots his load all over his abs and chest, some dripping onto your hand. Your hand goes still on his shaft, but your hips still slowly rut into him, easing him through his high.
“Gonna pull out now, alright pretty boy?” He nods, bringing his hand up to his face for him to bite down on his finger. You gently pull your hips back, eventually slipping out of him, watching him breath heavily as you let go of his hips and cock. “Did you like that?”
“Yes, Y/n. You felt so good,” he smiles, watching you as you stand up to pull the harness off and toss it towards the drawer for you to clean later. “Can we get dinner now?”
“Sweetheart, you need to rest!” You walk to the side of the bed and give him a peck on his forehead, soon kissing him on his plush lips. He lays on your bed, limbs spread out as he’s lifeless and naked. “You did so well for me. I’ll cook you dinner while you take a nap, alright?”
“I’d like that, mommy. Thank you!” You pull the discarded comforter over his body, forcing him to get warm and cozy under your covers. He looked so sweet in your bed, snuggled against the soft bed that smelled like you.
“How about pasta? Does my boy like pasta?” He nods, shutting his eyes and rolling to his side, preparing to sleep. “I’ll be back in an hour. Rest well, Jeongin.”
“Thank you~”
Jeongin dozes off as you get dressed in lounge pants, a loose shirt, underwear and no bra. He looks so peaceful sleeping, so you’re extra quiet when you slip out of your bedroom to the kitchen.
You gather the ingredients and start to boil the water when you get a call. Just as before, it’s your ex-husband, Minho. You groan and hesitantly press the green phone button, turning the call to speaker before setting your phone on the counter.
“Y/n? Hello?”
“What do you want, Minho?” Your voice sounds disinterested to say the least, and Minho immediately gets the hint that his call was not wanted.
“I’m gonna cut to the chase. One of my student’s grades are suffering because of your relationship with him-“
“Shouldn’t you be watching my kids?” You don’t have the mental capacity to listen to Minho scold you right now. Your motherly instincts are tingling, and he should be watching your little angels right now.
“They’re with their stepmom right now.” You grumble at his use of the word “stepmom” considering your daughters still call her by her first name, but nevertheless, you go silent, hoping he’ll get on with this call. “As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, you need to stop playing games with Yang Jeongin.”
“Playing games?” Your face turns red as anger suddenly fills your brain. “We aren’t playing games, Lee Minho. We’re adults. Neither of us need your permission.”
“You’re playing with this kid’s feelings. Don’t you feel bad?” You pause, watching bubbles start to rise in the pot. “This kid is suffering just because you want to be fucked and you’re too prideful to-“
“Don’t even say that, Minho.” You reach for the box of pasta, dumping the noodles into the pot of boiling water. “I’ll never get back with you. You know that.”
“What does he have that I don’t?” You hear a loud tsk through the phone, Minho taking a break in his talk to ponder his next move. “You’d rather fuck a college student than a real man?”
“Jeongin’s more of a real man than you’ll ever be!” You’re nearly yelling at this point, rage overwhelming you. “What do you know about our relationship anyway? It’s none of your business.”
“Oh, but it is!” Before you have a chance to respond to his outlandish comment, he chimes back in. “He writes in his little fantasy book every single class, and every time I look over his shoulder, I have to see your name scrawled over every page. He’s obsessed with you, Y/n.”
“Shut up! Just, shut up!” You stop stirring the pasta to collect your thoughts, breathing in before you lash out at Minho over the phone. “Go watch my kids-“
“Our kids.”
“Go watch our kids and never speak to me about this again. I’ll tell Jeongin to get his grades up. Just, for fuck’s sake, leave me alone.” You hang up, angrily throwing your phone onto the counter again. You hear the floor squeak behind you and you turn around, a scared Jeongin standing behind you with the blanket wrapped around him.
“I’m sorry, Y/n.” His eyes well up with tears, fearful of how you’ll respond. “This was a mistake.”
“Jeongin, baby, no!” You drop the spoon to the edge of the pot and bring Jeongin in for a hug, squeezing him tightly. His arms wrap around your neck, the blanket falling to the floor to reveal him wearing one of your big shirts. “Don’t mind him. How much did you hear?”
“A-all of it.” He sniffles, collecting himself with deep breaths. “I didn’t know I’d cause so much trouble.”
“It’s Minho who’s causing trouble, not you.” You pet down his back, trying to get him to calm down and stop crying. “Go back to my room and lay down, babe.”
“Can I stay out here and watch you?” You lean down to pick up the blanket, wrapping it around Jeongin again. His eyes are puffy and red as if he’s been emotional for a while, and your heart aches just looking at his disheveled state.
“Of course, baby. Go sit on that stool.” He pulls the stool out from under the kitchen island and gets comfortable, leaning on the counter with his elbows. You go back to stirring the pasta, watching it rise and fall. “I love you, Jeongin.”
“I love you too, Y/n. Thank you for inviting me here today.” He swoons at your bright demeanor, a stark contrast from the bitter persona you’d taken while on the phone with his professor. “What did you mean when you said I’m a… real man?”
You laugh a bit, dropping the spoon to the side and getting butter and a bowl out for the pasta. “Lee Minho was never a good man. He takes advantage of everyone who comes into his life. You’re not like that.”
Jeongin tilts his head. “Then what am I like?”
“You’re, uh…” you put your hand on your chin, scratching at your skin in thought. “You’re very kind and genuine, which is a bit surprising for a boy your age.”
Jeongin hated every time you brought up age. It only furthered to remind him about how different you two were, and how he never had a chance with you from the start. In your eyes, he’ll never be more than a kid, and that ate away and him. Jeongin’s only goal with you was for you to see him as an equal rather than a child, but he wasn’t sure how to go about reaching that.
“So I’m a real man?” Jeongin smiles, his heart fluttering thinking of you calling him a man.
“Pasta’s ready! Do you want cheese?” You pour the pasta from the strainer into the bowl, mixing it with the butter. Per your request, Jeongin gets the powdered cheese out of the refrigerator, sitting at the kitchen island again, this time with you right next to him, piling pasta onto his plate before yours, your motherly instincts kicking in again.
“Thank you mo- I mean, Y/n!” You both giggle at his adorable slip up, appreciating each other’s company.
“You’re welcome, baby boy.” You push his hair from his forehead and kiss his nose, his cheeks quickly turning a deep shade of pink. “So cute.”
taglist: @milkym00n @sparklysung @starsareseen @sailorhyunjinz @gothicstay @vogueinnie @mariannaab
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problems – lmh
synopsis: you would always have problems on minho’s girlfriends. that was until you realized you were the problem.
genre: college au. f2l. fluff, angst.
warning(s): cursing, you might cringe at how cliché this is
word count: 6,920 omg pls be proud
a/n: bullet point form. i’ll write in bullet point if i can’t seem to find it in myself to write in a whole ass paragraph form. bear with me, this is the first time im actually posting a full ass fic hdfbdfj for skz, that is. please dont let me flop thanks :<
you and minho are the very best friends
since high school
you don’t even remember how the two of you became best friends
all you remember is that one day, you’re laughing so hard at his jokes
and ever since that, you two were inseparable
whenever minho’s absent, you would be on the corner sulking
other kids would be offering you to come with them
but no you wanted minho :((
but you also didn’t want to be rude so you end up going with them
lmao you
but when you were the one who’s absent, minho would be pouting all day
he won’t talk bcs he wants you to be the one whom he tells his stupid jokes to
but he would go with the other kids too
but he would still be pouting
when you both graduated, you both went camping
went to the highest place you both know
watched the sunrise together
but now you two are in college
it’s also when minho started to go out
every month, different girl
minho would always introduce them to you
minho’s eyes would always light up as you and the girl would talk
and when she leaves
minho would ask for your opinion
but you always answered the same
“my opinion doesn’t matter, go date who you want to.”
and minho would always response the same
he pouts
you don’t know why either
but you would always just find a problem
in
each
and
every
girl
he
dates
one was kinda mean
one was possessive of minho
one eats loudly (do that in front of me and i’ll kick you to mars)
one was too snobby
one was too shy
and everytime
it’s always the girl who breaks up with him
and everytime you ask him, he would response the same
“we just don’t click” and then minho would smile
and here you are now, in jisung’s dorm
ranting on him about a girl minho is now currently dating
you sat on his computer chair as he sat on his bed
you were a bit shrunk down
arms resting on the armrest
on thumb on your teeth as you looked at the ground
“are you sure she’s the problem?” jisung asks
you looked up at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion
“who else would be? minho? minho does nothing but to please the girl. it was irritating to watch. i could slap the hell out of her.” you said
you weren’t a war freak
but with minho, you could go into war just for him
jisung chuckles. “not minho.” jisung says and then he points at you
“me?!” you said. “why me?”
jisung smiles, “how the hell do you manage to find a problem in each and every girl minho dates?” jisung asks. “i mean, so far the most stupid i’ve heard from you was the girl was too kind. seriously, y/n.”
“but it was true! she was too kind, it’s too irritating. and when you look at her do her good deeds, it doesn’t even seem sincere.” you ranted, glaring at the ground
jisung looks at you. “are you hearing yourself?”
“obviously,” you said, rolling your eyes
jisung giggles. “seriously, y/n. think about it. how the hell do you manage to find a problem on each and every single girl that minho dates?”
you sigh, looking at the ceiling
“i just want someone who would treat minho right. i want someone who deserves him.” you said
“and what kind of girl is that?” jisung asks
“the opposite of the girls he dated.” you answered, looking at him
“you?” jisung says and you just stared at him
“what are you implying?” you asked
“that you’re in love with your best friend.” jisung says
you stared at jisung, silence falling the atmosphere as jisung only smiles at you
you were unable to speak
you never thought of that
but no, you’re not in love with your best friend
you’re just shocked that jisung would assume that
the silent atmosphere was mixed with a tension
you don’t know what to say
you don’t know what to do
“HELLO, JISUNG!” hyunjin greets as he slams the door open
you blinked twice, standing up as you picked your wallet and phone from the computer desk
“oh, hi, y/n.” hyunjin greets with a grin. “what are you talking about? minho again?”
there are times when hyunjin would be with you and jisung when talking about minho
and being honest, jisung and hyunjin were the ones who you trusted the most
other than minho
but mainly about the minho fiasco
hyunjin and jisung looked at each other
jisung smiling at hyunjin and then hyunjin gets it
“oh, finally realized that you’re in love with minho?” hyunjin asked
and you grabbed a pillow from jisung’s bed, throwing it at hyunjin
“i’m not in love with minho. ew.” you said, dramtically shuddering
“deny it all you want, everyone could see it, love.” hyunjin says, winking at you
jisung laughs and you lightly punch jisung on the arm
“i’ll be going now.” you said with a sigh
“good night, y/n.” jisung says
“good night, mrs. lee—i mean, ms. y/l/n.” hyunjin teasingly said
you punched hyunjin on his arm as you past by him
he dramatically falls on his bed, clutching on his arm
“ouch!” hyunjin shrieked
“good night, boys. thank you.” you said
“anytime.” jisung says as he stands up and tackles hyunjin on the bed
you giggle lightly as you closed the door of their dorm
you turn to the direction of your dorm
and you immediately plopped into your bed since you were on your pajamas already before you left to go to jisung’s and hyunjin’s
you thought to yourself as you lay there
are you really in love with your best friend?
you shuddered at the thought and turned to your side
you see the cat plushie minho gave you on your birthday
you sigh as you hugged it
you close your eyes as jisung’s word repeated again and again in your head
“are you sure she’s the problem?”
nonetheless, you let slumber take you
for weeks you watched minho go around, pleasing the girl
you could see right through minho that he gets irritated by it
but still he faced you with a smile
you were mad
what riled you up the most is when you and minho were having lunch together and she rudely went up to minho to force him to do her homework because she has to go out tonight
i repeat, force
not ask
you see minho look at her blankly
you trust minho enough to know his self-worth
“i can’t,” minho says. “i have my own homework.”
“so? do it both.” she says and minho rolls his eyes
“i can’t. i have a lot on my plate right now.” minho calmly says and she rolls her eyes
“have a lot on your plate?” she repeats and then she turns to you. “why do you keep hanging out with her—looking time to hang out with her if you ‘have a lot on your plate’?”
“not here.” minho grits as he shakes his head
minho’s girlfriend rolls her eyes and leaves the both of you
you were stunned, but you were so irritated
you could feel minho’s eyes on you but you looked down at your food
“i swear, she used to be nice when we first started dating.” minho says, probably read through you that you were getting mad
“i’m not mad at you, don’t worry.” you said and a sigh leaves your lips
“i don’t even understand. she used to be really nice.” minho says with a sigh
“i never saw it.” you admitted and minho looks at you
“when you introduced me to her, all you did was try and please her so she wouldn’t get pissed or something. i knew it from the very start.” you said and minho nods
“why didn’t you say anything?” minho asks
“i told you, it’s your life. date who you wanna date.” you said. “you probably must’ve seen something in her that i didn’t.”
it was the first time you voiced out to minho that you have a problem with his girlfriend
should you tell him about the past ones as well?
eh, it doesn’t matter
minho nods, understanding your point of view
later that night, you crashed once again in hyunjin’s and jisung’s dorm
“just admit it, y/n.” jisung says. “you’re in love with your best friend.”
“i don’t have anything to admit because that is not how i feel.” you said and hyunjin snickers
“i never heard any other problem from but minho.” hyunjin says and you stare at him
“well, he’s my best friend.” you said with a pout
“whom you’re in love with.” jisung says and you sigh, shaking your head
then your phone dings
you look down to see minho messaged
“can we hang out? are you in your dorm?”
you immediately stood up from jisung’s computer chair
hyunjin’s and jisung’s eyes on you
but you stopped your movements
you stare at minho’s message, then towards you, particularly at nothing
“what is it, y/n?” hyunjin asks
and then another ding
“hey, where are you? i’m outside your dorm.”
most likely, it’s another breakup
you would lie to yourself when you say that you’re not tired of it anymore
you’d always run to your dorm just to see if minho’s alright
you’d always drop everything that you’re doing just for minho
even if he just woke you up at 3 in the morning
you typed a reply, hitting send as you sat back on jisung’s chair
“i’m sorry, i can’t, min. :( i’m in my friend’s dorm. she needs help with something.”
if you were being honest, you’d always drop any friend that needs your help just to go to minho
you locked your phone, putting it in silent mode as you placed it on jisung’s desk behind you
you turned to hyunjin and jisung who were curious at your sudden movements
“so how have you guys been?” you asked them
“what happened, y/n?” jisung asks
“nothing, it’s just, hyunjin’s right.” you said and hyunjin raises an eyebrow. “enough about minho, enough about me. how are you two?”
hyunjijn and jisung looked at each other with doubt in their eyes
but they thought it was good for you to take your mind off of minho, too
so, they talked
“i woke up with a big lizard on my head.” jisung answers
the next morning you found out his girlfriend broke up with minho
it was the best for minho anyway
you hung out less with minho
but you still reserved lunch for him
but that was it
but it was also very hard
when minho happens to bump into you during your vacant
the thing you hate the most is most of your vacant is his as well
you only have one vacant that didn’t much with minho’s
so, you saved those time slots for minho
vacant periods and lunch
,,,,, and weekends
it was hard to avoid minho
you don’t even know why are you avoiding minho
so here you two are
saturday night after you both went around town to forget all the stress that college gives
you and minho were laying on your bed, bodies facing each other with an arm underneath your head, same with minho
watching three stooges
minho giggles loudly at one scene
“i remembered when you and i were messing around and then suddenly your index and middle fingers were coming for my eyes. i really thought you were going to hit my eyes.” minho says with his giggles that you love so much, your heartstrings tugging
what
“i got the trick from this movie.” you informed him and minho hums
“remember when i put chili in your—“
your eyes shifted on minho, seeing him with eyes close
breathing even
he was probably tired
he was the one who asked you to go out with him
but you were the one who got excited and drag him everywhere
minho was sleeping peacefully, the tv’s dim light was enough for you to see minho’s sharp features
unconsciously, but gently your fingers ran through his features
your fingers stayed longer on his lips
then your move your hand to his hair, brushing it back, revealing his forehead
he was fucking beautiful
you wanted to appreciate him, litter kisses all over his face as you cup his cheeks on your hands
but he wasn’t yours to appreciate
wait, fuck
oh, no
you are in love with your best friend
you woke up, eyes fluttering open
how,,,
did,,,
you,,,
end,,,
up,,,
in,,,
minho’s,,,
arms ???
minho’s arm underneath your neck, your head pressed on the crook of his neck
minho’s other arm around your frame, your arm was over his torso and your legs underneath the cover were tangled with each other
only two things could be heard in this very quiet morning
(1) minho’s quiet snores
(2) your pounding heart against your ribcage
it wasn’t that you and minho never cuddled
you did, a freaking lot
but there was something in this very cuddle session
it’s probably because of the feelings that you’ve discovered last night
fuck it
you closed your eyes, snuggles further into minho’s touch
you should just drink these moments up and savor it while it lasts
because you know you’ll never have minho likes this just because you want to
because just like that, minho belongs to someone
but that someone is not you
for what felt like minutes, when in reality an hour and half passed
minho finally woke up
you immediately untangled your body from minho’s pretending you were still asleep and you just moved to the other side
you kept your eyes close as you felt minho stretch his arms and limbs
“y/n?” minho groggily calls and you feel minho’s hand on your shoulder
minho looks at you and sighs
soon, you felt minho pulling away but his head lays on the curve of your body
minho stares at the ceiling, not knowing what to do
until he hears and feels your stomach grumble
minho giggles, turning to you again
“hey, wake up.” minho says as he lightly shakes you
actually, you were just partially pretending to sleep
because you’re actually getting sleepy again
you groaned
“come on, you’re hungry.” minho says, grabbing your wrist
minho’s hand come under your waist, lifting your upper body up so you would sit
then you opened your eyes
“eeeeeeh, minhoooooooooo,” you whined, a pout finding it’s way on your lips
minho chuckles
you don’t know if you were still sleepy and it was just your imagination
or it really did happen
but you think you saw minho almost lean in to kiss your lips
“wake up or i’m throwing you.” minho says and you stick your tongue out to him
“come on, let’s get breakfast. i’ll pay.” minho says and you whine louder
minho sighs, a soft smile displaying on his lips as he sat on your bed, pulling you into his lap as he tucks your head in his neck
you frown a bit as you felt your heart pound loudly again
minho’s hand come up on your arm, running up and down
fuck feelings
you pull away from minho smiling at him as you stood up
you fixed your hair and grabbed your phone
“you go have breakfast,” you said as you opened your phone to see the time. “i remember i promise a friend i’ll help with a project around 8 in the morning and it’s now 9.”
minho pouts, but nods as he stands up
“you’re not replacing me with that friend, are you?” minho says as he lightly pinches your cheek with his index and middle finger in a teasing manner but you could see the fear in his eyes
you shook your head. “never, minho.” you said with a soft smile
minho returns the smile, believing you
so you put your phone on your desk, going inside the bathroom to brush your teeth
luckily you have an extra so minho brushes his teeth as well
yes hygiene first
after, you grabbed your phone from your desk and wallet from your bag as minho grabs his things
you both went out of your dorm as you locked it
“bye, y/n,” minho says and he kisses your forehead
that’s the first time
it was probably because of the domestic-y theme you had since you both woke up
“bye, minho,” you said and starts walking to the opposite direction as you
you started to walk but you stopped, turning around
“min?” you called and minho turns around with a smile on his face, never leaving
his smile was contagious
you love it
“you know you’re my number one.” you said, smiling as you lightly tilt your to the side
minho chuckles, grinning at the ground
“and you know you’re mine.” minho says
you grin, extending your arm, pointing your index finger at him and winked at him
minho does the same and you turn around to go to your friend
which turned out to be jisung and hyunjin
yes, you lied to minho
because frankly, as much as you want, you don’t think you’re gonna last any longer with him acting like that
you arrived in front of jisung’s and hyunjin’s dorm, you knocked loudly
you waited and for another that passed no one answered
you knocked again, this time not stopping until it opens
when the door opens, it revealed a sleepy hyunjin
eyes half closed, hair ruffle with one ponytail to keep his bangs up
“what are you doing so early in the morning?” hyunjin mumbles
jisung groans as he presses his face into the pillow
“you two wanna get breakfast with me?” you said and hyunjin looks at jisung
jisung nods and stands up
“we’ll just go get change.” hyunjin says
“eh, don’t bother.” you said. “i’m in my pj’s, too.”
“yeah, everyone walks around in their pj’s. we’re in a compound of a university, no one will judge.” jisung agrees as he goes to the bathroom to probably brush his teeth
hyunjin whines and you roll your eyes
“you still look good even though you just got out of bed, jin.” you said
“r-really?” hyunjin asks and you look at him
he shoots a wink and you flick his forehead
classic drama queen, hwang hyunjin presses a palm on his forehead as he groans in pain
“yah—jisung, have you seen that?” hyunjin says as he momentarily looks at jisung’s way
you lightly giggle
a ghost of smile on hyunjin’s lips as he turns around from you to go brush his teeth
soon, the three of you strolled around the university’s compound
settling for a vintage dinner
as you can see i really love vintage lmao
just as you expected, the customers were students that are in their pj’s as well
you settled in one booth, hyunjin beside you and jisung across you
you all ordered and soon the food was on your table
“so, how’s the date with the boyfriend?” jisung asks in a teasing manner
“it was not a date and he is most certainly not my boyfriend.” you answered and pouted
“what’s with the pout?” hyunjin asks and your eyes remain on your lap
“you guys were right.” you mumbled
“with?”
“i’m in love with him.” you mumbled and you looked up at the two boys who just stared at each other
pretty soon jisung is sliding a cash towards hyunjin
“what’s that?” you asked
“i won,” hyunjin grins and jisung rolls his eyes
“with?” you asked
“we had a bet about you,” jisung says
“about?”
“how long will it take for you to admit it.” hyunjin answers
and you looked at them back and forth
“you made a bet about me?!” you exclaimed
and they both snort
“that’s okay,” hyunjin says
“you make bets about me, too.” jisung says
“and me.” hyunjin adds
you looked at them in disgust, jokingly
“so, tell us what happened.” jisung says
and so you did
everything that happened from last night up to earlier this morning
they both listened attentively
“he feels the same way.” hyunjin says after you told them the whole story
jisung nods, agreeing
“don’t be silly.” you said
“there are times when i see you with minho but you two seemed to be enjoying with just the two of you that’s why i never greet you when you’re with him.” jisung says
“shut up, we’re just really that close.” you said
“when you two are talking and then you both start to laugh, minho randomly grabbing your hand and lightly tugging at it excitedly?” hyunjin points out
“holding your hand when walking together?” jisung points out
“randomly hugging you out of nowhere as if he never saw you for thousands of years?”
“having his arm around you when crossing the road?”
“he never gets tired of you, too.”
“he’s also really clingy of you.”
“well, i’m clingy, too!” you defended
“but he can never stay away from you.” jisung says. “stop denying it, y/n.”
“but why is he dating other girls?” you asked
“that’s what you need to find out.” hyunjin says. “confront him before it’s late again.”
ever since hyunjin and jisung pointed things out
you realized, minho really is touchy towards you
but it wasn’t the kind where you get uncomfortable
it’s the kind where it makes you feel safe
but it always left you wanting for more
he wasn’t even like that with his girlfriends
just with you
for months, it went like that
minho didn’t introduce you to any girl for 3 months
you’re surprised yourself, but you know it’s not going to last long
and you know that when the time comes, it’s going to hurt this time
“hey, you okay?” the boy in your thoughts coming to life as he takes the seat across you
you only stared at him, cheek on palm, arm supporting your head, elbow on the table
so minho mimics you
you sigh and minho pouts
“hey,” minho says, reaching a hand out to your elbow. “you okay?”
you nod, dropping your hand to the table and minho is quick to catch it
he massages your hand and you smile at him
“what is it?” minho asks, his voice full of concern but still it makes you feel safe
“nothing, they just gave a lot of homework and it pissed me off.” you lied with a giggle
minho smiles, nodding
“i can help you if you want.” minho offers as he puts your hand softly on the table
“it’s okay,” you said. “the deadline is not even tomorrow.”
minho nods and you both let the comfortable silence take you in
you were lost in thought once more about the boy in front of you
you suddenly flinched when a cat jumped beside you
but you relaxed soon, patting the soft head of the feline
minho smiles at you as you got entertained with the feline
then you suddenly looked up, seeing hyunjin
you suddenly raised your other hand to wave at him with a grin on your face
hyunjin waves lightly, shooting you a wink as he gestured towards minho
you stuck your tongue out to him and he puckers his lips lightly as he giggles to himself
you smile as you watched hyunjin turn his back to you and walk to where he’s supposed to
“who was he?” minho asks, but you failed to notice the reluctance in his tone to ask
“hyunjin.” you answered as you kept on petting the feline
“hwang hyunjin?” minho asks and you nod. “you two seem close.”
“we are!” you said with a smile, but your focus is still on the cat
“how?”
“he’s my friend’s roommate.” you answered. “you know, my friend jisung?”
“oh.” minho says
you failed to notice how minho’s smile immediately wipe out of his face when you waved enthusiastically at hyunjin
when minho saw hyunjin wink at you
minho was just :|
was hyunjin flirting with you? minho could only sigh as he looks down, lost in his thoughts
you knew there was something wrong with minho
he wasn’t as teasing anymore
he isn’t as smiley as he was
he isn’t as jokeful as he was
it felt like he was a whole new person
even though he never stopped hanging out with you, it felt like he wasn’t really hanging out with you
for a week, it felt like you were hanging with someone else and not minho
you just didn’t want to pry him into telling you with what’s happening
so you let him be for now
but after two days, you just can’t function properly without minho
by lunch, you immediately went straight to the cafeteria
you see minho in your usual seat
you were walking up to him
but you halted when you see a girl slid in on the seat you would always sit on
minho’s eyes lit up, smile wide as he looks at the girl
just great
it
hurt
so
bad
did minho purposely avoid you and have dated another girl without telling you?
he would always tell you about it even if they’re just a minute into the relationship
why was minho even avoiding you?
“y/n!” someone called and you turned around
with the call of your name, minho’s attention was grabbed
his eyes immediately were on you and the guy who called you
you looked down, as you looked at the books that your arms were hugging
you looked up to see hyunjin who had a wide smile
but it was immediately wiped out
“why-why are you crying?” hyunjin stutters and you immediately have a hand reaching to the corner of your eye
you were crying
hyunjin’s gaze shifted on what you were possibly looking at
then, he locks eyes with minho
hyunjin sees the girl who confusedly looked at minho and then follows minho’s gaze
hyunjin immediately grabs your books and grabs your wrist, dragging you somewhere
you see hyunjin heading for the dorms
and soon enough, hyunjin was opening the door of their dorm
hyunjin put your books on his bed, taking his phone out immediately to text jisung
after 15 minutes max, jisung enters the dorm and was quick to see you on his computer chair
“what happened?” jisung asks
“i just saw y/n crying and then when i looked at where she was looking before i came, i saw minho with another girl.” hyunjin explains
“i’ve anticipated it and prepared myself for it, but it just hurts so bad.” you said as you looked away from your friends
hyunjin and jisung slowly comes to you
“i was so confused when he became distant the week before, i was gonna go to him when i saw her sit with him.” you continued and they looked at you with sympathy
you pouted, tears streaming down your face as you think of minho with that girl
“l-let’s go out,” jisung stutters, not sure if it’s a great idea. “we don’t have classes anymore, do we?”
you and hyunjin shook your heads
“let’s take minho off that pretty mind of yours.”
it…
was..
the..
worst..
everything
and i mean, everything reminded you of minho
everything that you two used to do
the arcade
you and minho would always play rock paper scissors on who would pay
the movie theater
you and minho would always go to it, but one of you would always end up sleeping
the samgyupsal places
you and minho have eaten in each and every samgyupsal place in town already
the ktv
every song that hyunjin and jisung selected were the songs minho would always yell sing his heart out to
hyunjin and jisung came into conclusion that going out was: useless
you, hyunjin and jisung were walking back to the dorms
when you passed by a convenient store
“hey,” you weakly said and they both looked at you
“you wanna grab some soju?” you asked them
it’s a saturday tomorrow anyway
,,,,,there’s no minho that would hang out with you
the thought of it makes you wanna curl up in a ball
right here, right now
hyunjin and jisung nods
and the three of you enter the convenient store to buy bottles of soju
luckily, you were bringing a large ass bag
so you were able to hide it as you entered the university
you said you would just go to your dorm to change into your pajamas
jisung offered to go with you
so you both went to your dorm
you changed into your pj’s and an oversized shirt
,,,,,which was minho’s
but jisung and hyunjin didn’t have to know that :)
you grabbed the cat plushie on your bed and jisung offers to bring the bag of soju
you both went to their dorm
then you waited for hyunjin and jisung as they changed into their own pj’s
they got some snacks
and then you three had finally had the first shot of the night, bumping your shot glasses with each other’s
you three talked about the most random things
a shot became two, then became three, then finally you don’t even remember anymore
you, hyunjin and jisung fell asleep on the floor
you woke up with your head pounding, a knocking on the door making it worse
you, hyunjin and jisung were on the floor, circling around the bottles of soju
one arm was hugging your cat plushie
other arm was extended with your hand holding your phone
then the knocking started again
you winced, the pounding of your head getting worse than ever
jisung and hyunjin groaning
hyunjin rolled underneath his bed while jisung grabbed the pillow under his head and covered his head with it, trying to block the noise
you stood up, eyes squinting as you dropped your phone and plushie on the ground
you walked up to the door
your hand reached to the door knob, unlocking it and opening the door
minho was standing on the other side and before you could even process it was him, you were turning around to walk to hyunjin’s bed, thinking it was just jisung’s and hyunjin’s friend
you turn your head back as you realized it was minho
then you turned to him full body
“minho,” you mumbled. “what are you doing here?”
“we need to talk.” minho says.
“about?” you mumbled as you leaned on the door, hands playing with the doorknob
if only you and minho weren’t on a serious situation right now, he most definitely thinks that you’re cute
“the message you sent me.” minho answers and your eyebrows scrunch in confusion
you looked at your friends and then back to minho
wait, oh no
“jisung, hyunjin,” you called and the two giggled in a drunk way. “i’m giving the two of you an advice and that is, never fall in love.”
“does it hurt?” hyunjin says as he rests his head on your lap
“it does!” you giggled and jisung pouts at you as he pats your head as if you’re a dog
“i’m thinking,” jisung says
“that’s not good,” hyunjin teases as he gets off of your lap and you giggle
“the three of us should get a shared house, then y/n wouldn’t have to go back and forth to her dorm and ours.” jisung says and you clap, nodding
“yes! yes! let’s just stay together.” you said
“but you would leave your best friend all alone!” hyunjin says with a pout on his lips. “minho, right? yeah! at least say goodbye to him.”
“are we moving tomorrow already?” you asked and hyunjin shrugs, giggling
“let’s!” jisung says. “go say goodbye to minho, y/n!”
“okay!” you said
“pour everything! tell him how you feel and all.” hyunjin giggles and you grab your phone, stumbling over a bit
you dialed minho’s never that even despite you were inebriated, you still memorize it
you lay on your back, hugging the cat plushie on your arm
other hand is pressing the phone against your ear
you scoffed, “voicemail.”
“minho! my best friend. i just called to say that i will be moving tomorrow with my friends, jisung and hyunjin! it would be rude if i don’t say goodbye to my best friend which is you!” you giggled
even a dumb person would know that you’re drunk
“but i would like to confess, too. i am so in love with you. it hurts so bad to see you with that girl earlier today. i would always tell you that my opinion doesn’t matter, go date who you want, but honestly, i never, ever liked any single girl you’ve went out with.
“one is too rude, the other too possessive, the other one was too kind, the other one did nothing but still, i don’t like her! i didn’t even know why. that was until jisung and hyunjin told me that i am in love with you.
“i denied it at first, but when we were watching three stooges and you fell asleep, my heart beat so loud, i thought you were going to wake up on how loud it was. i realized then that i was in love with you from the very start.
“you know, if only you asked me out a long time ago, you probably wouldn’t have gone through lots of heartbreaks as you did. i would’ve tried to be the perfect girlfriend for you. i would never do anything to hurt you, you know. your last girlfriend was too rude. it was honestly irritating to watch you go around and please her.
“don’t feel guilty, though. you’re still my best friend, but i have to keep my distance from you for now.” by now, tears were streaming down your face. a soft sob left your lips and you clamped your hand over your mouth as you sob
“i’m so in love with you.” you continued. “but i’ll try to be over it as soon as possible. i hope your new girl treat you well. remember, you’re my number one, always.
“good night, minho.” you said and ended your voicemail.
you cuddled with your plushie and hid your face on it as tears streamed down
you feel jisung patting your head and hyunjin on your legs
you clamped your hand over your mouth, pushing the door, slamming it on minho’s face as you remembered everything last night
you sigh, putting your hands over your face
fuck, fuck, fuck, you fucked up big time
jisung and hyunjin groaned loudly but you didn’t care right now
“y/n, please, we have to talk.” minho says and you turn your back on the door, leaning against it
your hands on your face, frustrated as you don’t know what to do
“how’d you know i was here?” you asked
“i went to your dorm, but when you weren’t answering, i used the spare key you gave me and you weren’t there and i came here only to ask them where you are, but here you are.” minho answered
you feel like crying again
how could you be so stupid?
“minho, please, go away.” you said
“no, let’s talk about this. we have to talk about this.” minho says
“i don’t want to.” you said
“i’m not going away, y/n.” minho says
you pull your hands away to see jisung looking at you
“who is it?” jisung asks as he stands up
“minho,” you said and jisung walks up to you, grabbing your shoulders and rubbing them comfortingly
“y/n, please, let’s talk.” minho says and frankly, you could hear the desperation in his tone
“not now, please.” you said and minho sighs
“please?” minho mumbles
you shook your head, looking up at jisung
jisung’s eyes screams that you need to talk to him
“y/n, you have to.” jisung says
“but i don’t want to.”
“running away is not going to fix this.” jisung says as he grabs your shoulder, pulling you forward as he opens the door
he shoots minho a smile, which minho gratefully returns
“jisung, please,” you said
“y/n, talk to him.” jisung says and you shake your head. “he’s your best friend, what could go wrong?”
everything. minho could dump you and throw your whole friendship away
as if reading your mind, jisung says, “you’re important to him, he won’t throw your friendship out of the window just like that. okay? do what you should’ve done a long time ago. talk to him.” jisung says
your shoulders slump, giving up as jisung lets go of your shoulders
jisung pushes you gently of the door and smiles at you
he closes the door and you look at the ground
then, you felt minho turning you around to face him
he wraps you in his arms, placing your head on his neck
“i could never do that, you know.” minho mumbles and you just let him be
you didn’t move, you didn’t speak
you wanted him to go first
“you’re an idiot, y’know?” minho mumbles and you sigh, nodding. “she’s not my girlfriend, dummy.” minho says. “i don’t even know who she is, she was just asking if she could share the table and i agreed, i don’t want to be rude.”
“then why were you so distant these days?” you mumbled
minho pulls away and looks at you
“wanna know the real reason of my breakups?” minho asks and you sighed, nodding. “they kept on making me choose between them and you, naturally, i would’ve picked you.”
you looked down. “you know, if you really genuinely liked them, you could’ve just picked them and talk to me, i would’ve understood, y’know.” you mumbled
“listen,” minho says with a light laugh, cupping your cheeks as he made you look up at him. “the recent one hit me the most, though.”
“why?”
“she told me to stop dating everyone if my heart belongs to you.” minho says and you looked at him in pure confusion. “it won’t click if i keep on forcing myself to like someone else knowing it was you all along.
“for years, i kept on dropping hints that i’ve liked you for so long until it became deeper. but you didn’t seem to notice, so i started to date other girls because you only see me as a best friend and nothing more.
“but i was stupid, too. i thought you and hyunjin were flirting with each other and i got jealous that’s why i got distant.”
stupid minho, stupid you
equally stupid
“i’m sorry for hurting you all this time, y/n.” minho says and you look into his eyes as he looks into yours. “give me a chance and i promise i will never ever hurt you.”
“i’m sorry, too,” you said. “for being stupid.”
“that’s okay, i was, too.” minho says as he lightly laughs
you wrap your arms around his waist and minho kisses your forehead.
“so, what do you say?” minho asks. “will you be my girlfriend or should we go through another phase of denying our feelings?”
you giggle, looking down as a blush crept through your cheeks
“i think the best option is the first one.” you said as you look up at him and smile
minho looks at you as he places his hand on the your lower back
“can’t resist your number one, can’t you?” minho says teasingly as he looks at you with a smile
he shoots you a wink and you chuckle
“you really don’t know how wink, do you?” you teased and minho rolls his eyes
“can we please focus on more important things like me flirting with you?” minho asks and you laughed
“get to the part where you ask me if you can kiss me!” you said with a giggle and minho tries his best not to laugh, but he still grins at you widely
“well, can i kiss you?” minho asks and you nod
“by all means, go.” you said and minho leans in
you stare into his eyes as he gets closer
when he was an inch close, he pulls away
“are you sure?” minho asks, teasing you
“yes, now hurry up!” you said with a frown
minho leans in again, when your breath mingles
“are you really sure about this?” minho whispers
“more than anything,” you whispered back as you place a peck on his lips
minho smiles, looking at your lips as he dives in for a breathtaking kiss that you’ve been waiting to have
you pulled away lightly, your lips still brushing against his
but minho whines
you chuckle and minho takes the reins, not being able to take your teasing
minho kisses you on the lips, smiling against your lips as you do to
and soon, you two are grinning, making it hard to kiss
you look into minho’s eyes, smiling
“you really do hold the universe in your eyes.” you say as you have hand running up and down soothingly on minho’s back
“that’s your reflection, babe.”
omg, i hope that wasn’t so bad i was so scared to post this. thank you for reading, i hope you like it :(( uwu <3
#stray kids imagines#stray kids scenarios#stray kids oneshot#stray kids x reader#stray kids blurbs#stray kids drabbles#stray kids fluff#stray kids reactions#stray kids angst#lee minho imagines#lee minho scenarios#lee minho fluff#lee minho oneshot#lee minho blurbs#lee minho drabbles#lee minho x reader#minho imagines#minho scenarios#minho blurbs#minho drabbles#minho fluff#minho angst#lee know imagines#lee know scenarios#lee know blurbs#lee know drabbles#lee know x reader#lee know fluff#lee know angst#rain's work
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Fanfic Formatting on Ao3 For Beginners (and People Looking to Improve)
It's not a rare occurrence to see a story with a great concept and story, but just very very incorrect formatting. Depending on the reader and the exact mistakes being made, this can make or break the readability of your works.
So today I'm going to walk you through what you need to know to make your works understandable for English readers (because this tutorial is in English and different languages have different formatting rules)!
Let's begin under the cut!
Using the right format settings
[ID: Screenshot of Archive of Our Own text input screen for uploading or writing content with the "Rich Text" option selected and underlined.]
Ao3 has two format settings, HTML and Rich Text. HTML will be chosen automatically, but assuming that you are a beginner at formatting and do not know HTML coding, you should select the Rich Text (RTF) option.
RTF was created by Microsoft, but it's not exactly universal. There are slight variations in it's code that might need some corrections if you are copy and pasting from a document, but for the most part it's not too bad.
What does RTF do?
RTF will automatically preserve links, images, italics, bold, underline, strikethrough, bullet points, and text alignment if pasted from a compatible document. If you type directly into the work text box, then it shouldn't be a concern.
Additionally I think the most useful thing it does is automatically increase the line spacing when starting a new paragraph. This is called a paragraph break.
[ID: Screenshot of two paragraphs that have white space between them that indicates they are separate.]
The image above is automatic RTF formatting on Ao3 when pasted into the Work Text box.
[ID: Screenshot of two paragraphs that lack a relatively increased space between them.]
Compare that to my writing in google docs, which doesn't increase the large space between paragraphs. Instead it gives you a line break.
To summarize: Paragaph Break - the big space. Line Break - no big space.
The paragraph break feature is important for readers that have trouble keeping their place in text or processing condensed information. It is especially vital if you're not indenting each paragraph, as the distinction becomes lost.
Downside of RTF
It doesn't preserve or support paragraph indents made with the tab button. Visually, it's not too big of a deal with the additional line spacing, but it might bother some people. Luckily it can be amended by putting 3-4 spaces at the beginning of each paragraph, making a sort of psuedo-indent.
You do not need to indent when you use a paragraph break, but you must indent if you are using line breaks.
There might be additional issues with incompatibility depending on what you're pasting from (if you are pasting from another document). I use Google Docs, and as of now the text alignment and indents are the only things I have lost in translation (in terms of basic formatting). I have not yet seen if Ao3 supports highlights and text color, save for when using a work skin.
Basic Formatting Rules
The most frequent mistakes I see in formatting revolve around paragraph breaks and dialogue. Here are some outlines of the rules.
How to Format Dialogue
When to Start a New Paragraph in Fiction
If you want additional information about formatting, Purdue Online Writing Lab has articles on like, EVERYTHING. I mostly use it for academic writing but it does have creative writing resources as well. If you click around there's details about punctuation, grammar, story structure and aspects, etc etc. All that good stuff.
It's honestly a little bit confusing to navigate if you don't know exactly what you're looking for so here's the Site Map! If you're still having trouble, hit control + F and type the keyword you're looking for to search the page for it :^)
Image Descriptions (IDs)
If you have images in your fic, it’s ideal if you can explain what's going on for people who are visually impaired. A great guide for that can be found here.
Image descriptions can be added under text or included in the code of the image. In the “Misc” section of this guide I linked an HTML code helper that can help you add ID’s and insert images in general.
Fanfic Specific Formatting Gripes
Okay, this last section is more informal. It's to address common things I see in fanfiction that don't have actual rules (that I know of) but are often executed in a way that is confusing.
Use of Multiple Languages
Unless you are writing specifically for a multilingual audience (which you should note in the tags or summary if you are), you shouldn't be putting untranslated text in the middle of your work. Unless none of the characters are supposed to know what it means, you need to have a translation right next to it.
It's okay to have loan words that don't have English equivalents in your story, as long as readers can figure out what it means by the surrounding text.
When the reader needs to scroll all the way down to the author's note in the middle of a conversation to figure out what someone is saying, it breaks the flow of the story and makes it unnecessarily confusing. You can amend this by putting a translation in brackets next to the dialogue.
UPDATE: There’s also multiple work skins that can be used to provide translation easily. Before I link them let me introduce some pros and cons to using them.
PROS: looks very nice I suppose
CONS: incompatible with phones and tablets (or anything without a cursor that can hover), likely incompatible with screen readers, may be confusing to code
Because they’re only compatible with laptops and most likely visually, this method is probably ideal for things that wouldn’t be a big deal to gloss over (like a reminder of the meaning of a fantasy or sci-fi term like a “varga” (~1 hour).
Now there’s 2 methods, I don’t know what they’re actually called but I call them “floating boxes” and “hover text”. Floating boxes will create a small box that shows the note when you hover over text, and hover text will change when a cursor hovers over it. Here’s some images to give you an idea what you might prefer, links to tutorials in the captions.
Floating boxes (image from tutorial by ozhawkauthor):
[ID: previously described floating box text]
Hover text (screenshot from tutorial by La_Temperanza):
[ID: previously described hover text, first image showing the text underlined in it’s original form, second showing the underline gone as it reveals the hidden message].
For My Chat Fic Writers
You are actively running off readers with memory issues by using nicknames in your fics that can't automatically be linked to the character. No, putting a guide in the authors note does not fix that, maybe unless you have a cast of under 5 people.
So here is my advice: either use nicknames that can be interpreted easily by someone who only knows the character's name, or include their name in the nickname.
Pulling from real life example, in discord servers I always include my name after my display name. This way I can still use jokes or change my display to the character I'm roleplaying, but people don't have to go back to the introductions to find out who I am. Here's some examples of how I write that:
"retired theatre kid | den"
"Izuru Kamukura [emoji] den"
"den || off brand fischl"
"Monomi (den)"
On another note, please start tagging your Chat Fics as "Chat Fic" or "Chatfic" or something! Ao3 has great tag filtering, but it can't be used unless you are tagging your fics! Chatfics tend to be tag heavy because they often have large ensemble casts, but this is really frustrating to readers who are trying to browse for different kind of fics. Especially for people who can't read chat fics because they can't tell what's going on.
Corrupted Text and Special Fonts
[ID: Screenshot of stylized font that obscures the text saying "you do not have permission to view this file name" with random symbols and lines.]
[ID: Screenshot of stylized text that says "Loading..." and "Audio playback failed" in a retro digital font.]
This stuff. I am admittedly guilty of using this too, as this screenshot is from my own writing.
The problem with "corrupted text" is that unless whatever you are writing is meant to be illegible, people are going to miss whatever is there. It doesn't entirely obscure what is being written, but for many people it's hard to read, and for some, impossible.
"Special fonts" have a similar problem with readability. They're not actual fonts, they're Unicode characters. This article here explains exactly how this is a problem for screen readers and accessibility.
You can still use them, but like with using multiple languages you should either specify that the story is meant to be a visual experience, or you should provide a translation. In this case that would be something akin to an image description, which you can learn how to write- huh oh wait! That's a previous section. And also I did it under the images in this post. BUT please note in the case of the IDs for this post, I don't specify what is being said in the screenshots because it is irrelevant to the context. That will change in the context of your fic.
Misc
If you need to use HTML but don’t know HTML (like for the author’s notes that lack a Rich Text option) I personally use this online HTML editor. You type in RTF on the left and it comes out in html on the right.
[ID: Rich Text input into the left being translated into HTML on the right side of the screen]
It’s pretty easy to use, the one thing to watch out for is after pasting in text I suggest highlighting all the HTML and hitting “clean” before you continue just to get rid of unnecessary formatting.
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DiceJar Campaign 0.1: A Slippery Slope (2020/01/03)
So I return to the mighty throne of the GM Screen! To pull the strings, interpret the weavings of fate, mold the world to my whims and desires!
However, I’m going from a module, namely Crypt of the Everflame, made famous by Trix’s adventures. So I’m treading old ground, though with fewer players, and only one returning from that adventure. The better part of a decade has passed since I played it, so plenty of details should’ve left the veterans.
The reason I’m playing out of the module is as a sort of learning experience: Viewing box text and published adventure design so that it may help develop my original adventures. As for why I chose this one: I really like the opening premise. New young adventures thrown together deliberately for their origin story. Often players get focused on making an exciting backstory that they forget to make what happens at the table be the most interesting part of their life. I think it’s charming.
It’s an element/theme I want to incorporate in future campaigns.
Anyways, how will the tomb dive go without Team Pesto?
Cast
Mogui (IndigoDie): A Hedge Mage for a Lord Grey. Essentially a living lawn ornament. He helps take care of the Lord’s menagerie. Sole repeat player of the Module.
Bernard ‘Bean’ Dipp (NavyDie): Still just a child, but his father is (supposedly) suffering polio, so young Bean needs to become the man of the house. GM of the campaign I just finished. Revenge time?
Yot (LimeDie): A traveling mercenary slash adventurer nevertheless being pulled into things because some players struggle with direction. Player is a vetran of an Improv club Navy and I were also members of.
Delilah Dunford (VermilionDie): The unruly daughter of the local snobby nobles. Roguish interests and talents. Player is also from my high school days, but not the High School game group.
Game Master (SepiaDie/Me): Everyone and thing else. Nervous wreck caught in his own head. Attended a High School once and participated in a college Improv Club.
Session One
I failed to change any proper nouns like I wanted, but I also avoided needing to say anyone’s names, so there’s still time.
There’s an immense backstory I summarized, because it was too long for me to read out and I can’t trust players to read.[1] Kassen is a town that evolved out of a hold built by a guy named Kassen, a soldier turned adventurer. One day, he went to fight an evil band of… bad people. Kassen succeeded, but succumbed to injuries taken. He was entombed in a crypt, where an eternal flame was lit. Every year, the mayor rides out to bring back a lantern lit by the flame to bless the town to survive the winter. Every couple of years, town youths are sent instead as a rite of passage.
This is one of the rite of passage years.
The mayor first meets with Mogui, a lonely mage working for one of the town’s two noble families. The mayor awkwardly stumbles through his invitation, which Mogui gladly accepts.
Next, the Mayor finds Bean waiting in the market square. The mayor, again, stumbles through his invitation, which Bean seems rather confused by the semantics of, needing to be specifically told not to just wait in the town center for two days but to come back on the actual day of departure.
Yot is found in a tavern, and attempts to talk a big game as the Mayor asks him to join the adventuring party. I still need to force a firmer connection between Yot and the town of Kassen, as my original plan of Yot belonging to what once was Kassen’s band of mercenaries was sunk before I could work it in.
Delilah pops up from behind the Mayor as he’s on his way to her family’s manor, and she eagerly joins the quest.[2]
Thus is our party arranged!
Two days later, at the predetermined time, they walk into the market square and I gently prompt them to give physical descriptions of their characters. Delilah is described as having slightly asymmetrical dark hair, while the rest focused more on height and relative ages.[4]
Mogui arrives with some sort of bipedal creature. Indigo didn’t actually know what he intended the creature to be, so I’m going to assume it’s a chocobo until gently corrected.[5] Everyone promptly forgot about it, even though it supposedly was following them.
The four mingle for a bit as I lost focus trying to recenter myself and review the next step. I tend to let my players just fill time until they get bored of their scene. I probably should work on keeping a good pace with the plot, but I also don’t want to step on their fun. It’s a difficult balance, especially if there’s no NPC handy to gently snark at them to move forward.
The bells of the Church of Polyhymnia[6] ring in the noontime.
The townspeople, dressed in blacks and other dark clothing, start to form a crowd around our adventurers. The mayor emerges with an old pony pulling a cart of supplies. He distributes backpacks to the adventurers, gives a prepared speech,[8] and sends our young heroes on their way.
Mixed into their supplies is a fourth of a map that, at an actual table, is supposed to be a real piece of paper torn and distributed to the players. Since we’re not in the same room and split between two states, I instead alluded to the paper in their bag for them to ask about, while also prepared to gently drop the detail if the players don’t engage. Pivot and roll!
Initially the torn map pieces are overlooked, and the party walks south, into the Fangwoods, following a trail that starts well-worn, but progressively fades.
A few hours into their hike, they come upon a fallen tree. Three orcs emerge from behind it, and initiative is rolled.
I overlooked a mechanic I was supposed to employ, a problem I had throughout the session. The module imbedded vital instructions mid-paragraph in the description, which means I overlooked having the players roll to disbelieve when they land hits or are hit. I did read the module in advance, though, but it’s easy to forget the details, especially details hidden away like that.
I’m a terrible note taker. In school, if I was taking notes, then I wasn’t paying attention to the lesson because I was focused on writing. This also made me a terrible stage manager. Half the reason behind these write-ups is to get the information down and in circulation in my memory because I’m not able to mid-session.
What I should be doing is reading (or writing) the module, and making a bullet point list of the bare mechanics. I sometimes do similar when trying to learn new systems.[9]
Delilah climbs into a tree to shoot arrows at one of the three Orcs, the other three taking the ground battle.
The orcs are quickly defeated, their corpses fading away. What a curious event that I’m sure has no explanation to be uncovered in the future. An utter curiosity.
At this point, the party finally pauses to ask if they know where they’re going.
Ah, time for pay off.
At this point, I describe how they’d been following a shrinking trail, but soon they won’t have it to rely on.
I’m asked to post the list of supplies to the text chat for them to pour over. A careful edit of the description of the map is needed, and I do so.
The party discusses the supplies shortly, and someone looks at their part of the map. I tell them it appears to be a fourth of a map.
NavyDie shrewdly asks if they’re all the same fourth of a map. He likely learned from the time I gave my players descriptions of dreams then later threw some wood blocks at them not to take paper for granted.[10]
I confirm that they each have a different fourth of the same map. So they jigsaw puzzle it, and Mending is cast. Now they have a single map, and a burned spell slot![12]
They follow their map for the remainder of the day. The sun began to set, and the party needed to make camp.
When the opportunity arises, players will want to roll dice, because rolling dice feels good,. So everyone rolled for the survival check meant for one.
Bean, our ranger, was the only one who failed. I punished him by having him punch a hole in his tent. Everyone goes to bed, though Yot elects to take watch for a few hours, with no intention of waking anyone to take a shift after him. He chose enough time, and made the proper check, to spot a wolf investigating the border of the campsite before slinking off.
Yot decides to increase the length of his watch a little longer. So he was still awake when the wolf returned with three friends.
New combat! Yot shouts to rouse his allies, succeeding in waking Bean and Mogui, who come out of their tents to assist. No one thinks to go wake up Delilah, so she gets to sit out of this combat.
A few rounds occur, with the lead wolf eventually knocking Yot down and mauling him a tad. Mogui uses magic to scare off the other two, but lead wolf stays intent on his objective:[13] food.
The wolf makes his way into the camp, takes a mouthful of food, and skedaddles. I declare the end of combat. Bean buries the remainder of the food,[14] and everyone goes back to sleep.
With the morning arrival, and the completion of a long rest, the journey to Kassen’s Crypt continues.
The map leads them to the shore of a large lake on a misty morning, the grey skies and fog obscuring the horizon. A bandit lays dead on the beach. Our protagonists investigate the body, and find signs of an attack by a massive serpent. The body also has a sword and a wallet of gold on him, but they are left as the body is entombed into a shallow, sandy grave.
Travel continues, and they crest a small hill overlooking a serpentine valley, within which rests Kassen’s Tomb.
This then proceeds into my second big mistake: I overlooked the acrobatics check hidden with the descriptions and had my players roll directly on the failure table. Again, the table carefully set apart drew my eye. I’m learning! Poorly!
Still, someone ran into three different trees on the way down, so at least it was amusing, if unnecessarily punishing. I’ll quietly retcon away any damage taken in apology at start of next session.
Down the overly slippery hill, a small stable’s worth of dead mounts await: two horses and three ponies, the horses long dead, the ponies a little more recent. None the same day our party arrived, however.
A description of a fancy rune in the doorway’s keystone is given, and the session ends, exploration of the dungeon saved for the next session a fortnight later.
As usual, the session was characterized with me being stressed over keeping it running and attempting to follow the script of the module. The few times I’ve managed successive sessions has hinted that I’m able to settle in as things go on and the players figure out the table dynamic. I’m mostly confident I’ll figure it out.
While I am learning the value of boxtexts,[15] modules still invoke a sense of containment on me. A fear that if I, as a GM, stray too far, I’ll accidentally break something. I don’t enjoy scripts, that’s why I did improv. Scripts means you can make mistakes that need course correction.
But I’m playing with friends, we’re learning to be a cohesive performance troupe, and hopefully this will turn into a podcast. For the future.
Until next time, may your dice make things interesting.
-
[1] I’ll grant them the benefit of the doubt that they’re literate.
[2] I’m seeing a combined Trix and the Sorceress[3] from her party. I’m going to have fun with that.
[3] Indigo says her name was Makenna.
[4] Which will make the process of creating sprite pawns for them slightly more difficult. I’ll ask them on the discord for physical appearances when I’m done writing this.
[5] Were it not bipedal, I might’ve steered him into making it into a riding jackalope. They’re… kinda my pet fantastic beast. Usually ridden by mail carriers.
[6] Originally the Church of a Pathfinder Deity, but I’m transplanting the module into D&D Fifth Edition anyways, so might as well sneak the details of my setting[7] into the margins. Helps everyone’s already just human.
[7] Is this canon with the abandoned Genesys campaign? You decide!
[8] When I have something to read, the mayor loses the stammering and uncertainty he has when I’m doing it off the cuff. This is because I’m not awkwardly trying to do things off the cuff.
[9] I should have a file that’s basically Maid RPG Lite floating around due this same habit.
[10] The one time I planned for my players to ‘cheat’ and show each other the notes I gave them, and the clowns kept the notes to themselves. You literally cannot rely on anyone to do anything like they should.[11]
[11] I’d say you can trust players to make things harder for themselves, but return to footnote 10.
[12] When I played through this module, I arrived after the mayor distributed the backpacks, and the party already had investigated their maps. So I don’t know how this puzzle was solved then. I also don’t remember the Orc encounter.
[13] Behind the screen fun: while I rolled three times fairly, I applied the single success to who I wanted. For narrative reasons. I often play favorites in this manner.
[14] Sure.
[15] Along with listening to Dice Friends streams/podcast.
#SepiaDieGMs#crypt of the everflame#Dungeons and Dragons#Fifth Edition#NavyDice#IndigoDice#LimeDice#VermillionDice
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a good man goes to war
so, in lieu of doing a big long multi-paragraph essay about what was good and bad about “A Good Man Goes To War” I’m just going to bullet point it.
I have....a Lot of thoughts about this episode
the good:
The Last Centurion “I have a message and a question”. The framing of all of this was spectacular. Also, who knows what with the rebooting of the universe, but I’d love it if the Last Centurion was still a legend. I think Amy implies that he still is, which...frankly doesn’t make sense, but Hey! Moffat. Nothing’s going to make sense so I’ll take the fun stuff.
Rory the Roman in general is pretty cool. I mean, I love Rory. Also, now I’m thinking that he’s the one who taught Amy to use swords, since she seems to know what she’s doing in the pirate episode? Unless she was just taking fencing on her own who knows. (i love the headcanon that Rory worshiped/still prays to Fortuna occasionally)
Madam Vastra and Jenny! they might not be as well written as they should be in later episodes, but this introduction to them is fab
“A Sontaran nurse?” God. THAT is great. to be on a field of battle but unable to participate? I can unreservedly say that’s brilliant. Strax is great, like even his bedside manner is good but also keeping in character with a Sontaran soldier?
The light in River’s eyes when she tells her pops it’s her birthday, before she knows it’s Demon’s Run. She’s just!!! A kid!! excited to see her parent!!! not that we know that, of course, but still. This is one of those episodes where Alex Kingston’s talent really shines through.
sidenote: this is one of the few (only?) River episodes I can think of that didn’t revolve around her romantic relationship with the Doctor, and frames her more with Rory and Amy, which is fantastic. You can tell she’s remembering all those times she cried for her mummy and daddy and all she had was Kovarian but now she gets her parents and it’s. Good but awful.
and then the way her face falls when Rory says “they’ve taken Amy and our baby” like!! That’s her mom and River knows what comes next, her fucking terrible childhood and she just maybe wants her dad now?
“this is the day he finds out who I am” which is why River can’t be there til the end...I’m assuming this is because Moffat is finally observing the basic rules of not interacting with your own time stream (a rule which apparently doesn't apply to Amy?)
the prayer leaf is lovely
“don’t slump, it’s bad for your spine,” Says the Sontaran nurse, whilst holding a gun on you. bless
“good men have no rules. this is not the day to find out why i have so many.” this is a much more sinister version of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, who says that since he hasn’t a heart he must take care to never harm anything or hurt anyone because he wouldn’t feel remorse. I do like this. The Doctor isn’t always Good. The Doctor sometimes has to try very hard to be good, and I’m all right with that
Rory and Amy crying at each other. Nurse Rory checking his daughter to make sure she’s okay
(”let the others die first” is funny, very Amy, and seems like a believable response to everything Amy’s been through)
Honestly....the caliber of acting in this episode is off the charts, particularly in the last ten minutes and specifically with Karen and Arthur. Amy and Rory’s devastation and then numbness is just heartbreaking. And the way they’re almost disgusted with the Doctor--he told them to trust him, and look what happened
The moment with Rory and Strax is just great. Honestly, this episode has a lot of good emotionally-vulnerable-but-not-letting-it-slow-him-down moments for Rory
this is one of the first times the Doctor says he’s so sorry, and you can tell--you can just tell that for Amy, sorry isn’t enough
the bad:
the slightly ambiguous opening where you’re like “ohhhhhh DAMN the baby is the Doctor’s” like. that’s unnecessary.
the headless monks--mostly just the forced volunteering of personnel to join a religious order. paired with the rampant loss of bodily autonomy in this collection of episodes, a gay man being forced into religious reconditioning and bodily harm is...not great. might not be as noticeable in a different context but in this episode? yeah. not good
“the Doctor’s darkest hour” ok so....Moffat just really ignores the Waters of Mars. I remember him downplaying Ten’s struggles in the 50th as well. Am I arguing that this is not a truly terrible moment for the Doctor? No. But he’s not threatening to become the literal worst version of himself by making himself a god, so.
“this is the day he finds out who I am” also goes here because...did he know who she was when he took her ice skating earlier? I get so confused about when the Doctor knows things and how River knows if he knows and if they know that’s great, but I, as a viewer, would also like to know
the headless monks have robes and laser swords so...they’re sith. they’re literally just headless Sith Lords
this is, I think, the first time we’ve seen the Doctor this cruel to his enemies? We’ve seen hints of it, certainly, with Ten and Harriet Jones and Ten and the spider star lady, but this is, as i’ve said before, a different temperature. Where Ten’s anger was fire, Eleven’s is ice
Amy and Rory haven’t see each other in almost a year....let them hug
ok so...I remember when Martha was cloned, and the clone smelled bad? and the the Doctor smells Melody and Amy...you’d think something like that would. you know, mean something.
ok, props to the show for reminding us that the Time Lords only became such after millions of years of exposure to the untempered schism, and Madam Vastra brings up good points about how that would affect humans during conception, but like...it’s still a bit eh. Melody being conceived next to the Time Vortex suddenly makes her a Time Lord, or at least mostly-Gallifreyan? Okay, then, so Rose, in swallowing the Time Vortex, is definitely capable of regeneration and Idris might have been if her body had survived. Thanks for the new canon, Moff!
I’d honestly buy Melody being a Time Baby if she’d developed in utero on the TARDIS. More exposure to the vortex. But the implication is basically that they waited for Amy to get pregnant and then immediately kidnapped her. Which also means they were scanning her, waiting for her to get pregnant. Gross.
the moment the Doctor looks at River, realizing who she is is wonderful, it’s heartwarming, but it’s also, for me, undermined by the fact that he’s not just...happy to meet his best friends child, but that she’s his sort-of-girlfriend?
the absolutely appalling:
Amy is a literal hostage of a group of people who literally just wanted her for her babymaking abilities
repeated use of “guys” by a military commander addressing his troops
The Doctor not remembering Lorna. Bullshit. I suppose this could feed into a greater narrative about how unconcerned the Doctor is with Little People, idk, but it seems fairly out of tune for the Doctor as a whole
The Doctor’s reaction to finding out Melody is River is, to me, weird. Like, when you find out you’ve been dating/making out/??? with your best friend’s kid, wouldn’t that give you pause? For just a moment?
“I know where to find your daughter, and on my life she will be safe.” Unless he’s talking about adult River in the Stormcage, this makes me incredibly angry. because the next thing we find out is that the Doctor didn’t find her, didn’t make sure she was safe because she was being brainwashed into a child assassin. Again, like with Ganger!Amy, if he knew but didn’t do anything, that’s not okay. that’s worse.
River says he finds her and keeps her safe but....when? I mean, isn’t the ideal time for that before she tries to kill you and gets jailed for it????
he then just leaves his incredibly traumatized best friend all alone in the place she was held hostage, leaving her grown daughter to explain that she’s Amy’s baby....jerk move
also, he supposedly leaves to find River, doesn’t reach out to Amy and Rory, and still doesn’t find River. You can talk, if you want, about how he can’t change his past or River’s past or timelines or what-have-you, except that this is the Doctor and these are his friends, and the only reason Amy and Rory don’t get to raise her is so that she can wind up dating and marrying the Doctor and maybe it’s somehow less weird if he’s not in her life when she’s a child?
There’s really no reason for the Doctor to not be able to rescue River
Except, of course, the idea that what makes a female character “strong” is how much you can make them suffer and still live, I suppose
the surprisingly great:
when River is dressing down the Doctor about what he does, about how he instills fear in people and then those people banded together and kidnapped a child that they’d turn into a weapon just to defeat him, I had the unexpected reaction of DRAG HIM BABE.
because the Doctor only knowing what he knows, he’s right to be angry at this person who he asked for help and who did not give it
but River is also very much in the right since she was kidnapped, brainwashed, probably emotionally abused because people were afraid of him and wanted to kill him. She’s right because he promises her parent’s that she’ll be fine, and yet. And yet she still goes through all of that. She still misses out on being raised in a loving home, surrounded by people who care for her
so yeah
DRAG HIS ASS, RIVER
the music. not surprising, but still fantastic. River’s theme is beautiful and haunting and still my fave
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Breathing Onto Embers
@the-flame-and-hawks-eye guess who’s your secret santa?
Shay did you like the clue I left in your inbox? lmao
I noticed you like turning Riza into an egg.
This is only the first chapter. I have a few other planned out. Still no solid plot but more snippets of moments from this AU.
So enjoy egg!Riza. Oh and young!royai in the beginning.
Premise of this AU for everyone else: Everyone has a “alternate” form that’s a mythical creature. Riza is a phoenix, Roy is a dragon. Others are not relevant atm.
“I have a question.”
Riza pauses her reading, interested immediately in what the question may be. He sounds hesitant and it makes her curious.
The peaceful afternoon studying across the table in the library had been slow and comfortable. She had just gotten up to bring them a snack when he had spoken.
It was the first time either of them had talked in over twenty minutes, each of then engrossed in their own reading.
Roy had been her father’s apprentice for years now, and she thought of him more as her friend more than her father’s student. Most of the time.
“A question for me, I’m assuming,” she responds dryly, a smile edging onto her face.
“You assume correctly,” Roy is quick to reply, amused smile softening his hesitance.
Riza raises her eyebrows in question as the silence stretches.
Roy fidgets in his chair before looking down at the book opened in front of him, fingers running along a paragraph she’s not at an angle to read.
“I’ve been reading about phoenixes…”
She isn’t surprised to hear that, she has been reading up on his form as well, however she’s curious to hear the question that has apparently arisen from his reading.
“I’m not sure if it’s a personal question is all,” Roy prefaces the question, giving her an apologetic shrug as their eye meet. “Or if you’d know the answer.”
She doesn’t reply, waiting to hear what the question is. She tries to think of the most intrusive question she can imagine but can only think of grooming habits which, while not exactly a matter for the general public, wouldn’t be out of place between friends….She thinks. It depends, Riza guesses.
She feels nervous despite herself, bracing for any awkward questions or answers.
“How does being reborn work?” Roy asks, eyebrows coming together in earnest confusion. “There isn’t much about it the books I’ve been reading, but it’s what phoenixes are most known for. It seems…strange.”
Riza feels her tense anticipation melt away in an instant. Of course that was what he wanted to know.
“I don’t know much, it doesn’t happen often,” Riza admits, watching as Roy’s confusion deepens.
“Really?”
She hums, nodding her head and retaking her seat across from him.
“Really. It’s actually pretty rare,” she shrugs, “I don’t really know any other phoenixes, but I think so.”
“This book says ‘reborn from the ashes’,” Roy says, eyeing the book in front of him. Riza looks and sees an illustration of a red bird emerging from a glowing golden egg, wings spread in triumph.
It brings a small smile to her face.
“I do know that’s not right,” she says, reaching over to point at the picture.
“What?”
“When it happens the person won’t be fully grown. They just hatched, so they’re chicks.”
“You turn into a baby?” Roy asks, incredulous and nearly sounding concerned.
“No,” she corrects, amused by the way Roy’s eyes narrow in suspicion and thought. “I said ‘chick’, they’re alternate form is young. The human form stays the same age, except healed of injuries. You can’t turn back into a human until you grow up enough in your bird form, but I think it doesn’t take as long as actually growing up.”
“I would hope so,” Roy mutters, looking back at the book again. “So…the ‘ash’ part…?”
“Egg, not ashes,” Riza replies. “But there is probably ash left over from when you turn into an egg, and ashes and other flammable and warm things are good nests. Maybe that’s what it means.”
“Why is it rare? Besides the trouble it is to be an egg again.”
“Because it’s really dangerous. If someone tries to do that they’re probably going to die, because of how risky it is you could die anyways from just trying. It’s putting out your Fire, and that’s usually deadly.”
Roy knew enough about a phoenix’s fire to understand that. It was the reason Riza didn’t like rain very much. In young phoenixes even rain could be dangerous if they were out in their bird forms. And if Riza was any indication even in their human forms it could make them susceptible to illness.
If it went out then the phoenix died.
“Usually?”
“Always. Except when trying to be reborn. Then our Fire is put out, it’s why it’s so deadly. All that’s left is our Spark.”
“Never heard of it,” Roy admits.
“I guess if our Fire is like breathing then our Spark is like our heartbeat,” Riza said slowly, testing the comparison. “I don’t know how to explain it. The Spark is the Fire’s beginning, there can be a spark and no fire, but not the other way around.”
“Like an ember.”
“Yes, like that. Once it dies…we can’t come back. No matter what.”
There was a moment of silence as Roy digested the heavy statement.
He was lost in thought, contemplating the illustration in front of him, until Riza spoke again.
“Why would that be a personal question?”
“It’s death?” Roy says, unsure. He was embarrassed now. “Some people don’t like to talk about it, or it’s rude. And it’s also a…health thing, I guess. I don’t know, I wanted to be safe.”
It’s sweet, Riza thinks. And a little funny.
“I think molting is a bit more personal,” she reasons.
Roy flushes at the mention of it but tries to keep his expression blank.
He didn’t care what Riza said, her feathers were pretty and to see stray bright plumes around the house was nothing compared to the patches of scales he was prone to leave behind. His scales were gross like that, in his opinion.
“Most people will never have to try to go through being reborn,” Riza says, bringing his out of his thoughts of embarrassing scales. “If you have to try then something already went badly. Bad enough that the risk is worth it.”
Riza bites at her thumb nail, eyes focused somewhere in the middle distance as she falls silent. Roy wonders what she’s thinking, almost asks but decides that the hint of sadness in the lines of her expression are enough of a warning to steer clear of the subject.
“Well, thanks for explaining, Riza.”
She smiles in response, and Roy returns it.
It was a mistake.
A stupid one.
And the mistakes of a commanding officer too often got soldiers killed.
She had warned him, that was the worst part.
It wasn’t as if he’d ignored her, wasn’t as if he hadn’t taken what she’d said into account. He had, Roy wasn’t so impressed with his own strategic genius as to ignore others when they spoke, especially not his lieutenant. She was his right hand for a reason, he trusted her to take command in the event that he couldn’t.
He had taken her concerns into consideration, had decided to move forward anyways.
He didn’t care that an official review of his orders had found him blameless. He didn’t care what anyone said.
He had made the wrong call and someone had gotten hurt.
It was always a risk, they were soldiers and soldiers got hurt. Soldiers died following orders from their superiors. Dying in your uniform wasn’t an unrealistic thing for them to expect, Roy knew that.
It didn’t matter though, none of it mattered.
He’d fucked up. To make it worse he should be the one in the hospital, he should’ve been the one bleeding to death, the one with a wound on his heart.
“This would have happened anyways, sir,” Havoc stated, interrupting his thoughts.
“Maybe,” he agreed, taking in the smell of cigarette smoke.
Entertaining his morbid thoughts outside of the hospital’s main building Roy is too tired to be surprised that Havoc had found him here. He’s even less surprised that the second lieutenant would use his vice as an excuse to stay.
“Can’t smoke inside,” the man had explained, flipping open his lighter.
It didn’t explain why he had chosen this side of the building to smoke at, but Roy didn’t have the energy to snap at him for it.
It had been over a week since the mission gone awry, over a week since she’d been admitted into the hospital.
Today they were expecting her to wake, they had stabilized her enough to try to coax her into a life saving procedure.
It was in the nature of the Phoenix to be reborn in the face of death, but it was a balancing act that required careful monitoring.
Most of all they had to stabilize her first. Death was so much faster than even fire, even with her nature it had been close. Too close.
The second bullet compounded with the infection proved to much, had she been anyone else….anything else, she might have already been dead.
She might still be dead, he quickly amended, hating himself.
“No wonder they kicked you out, you’re smoking too.”
Once again snapped from his thoughts Roy glared at his subordinate. He couldn’t deny the trail of ashy smoke escaping his mouth and nose, it burned his sinuses and the back of his throat felt raw. His eyes stung from the smoke, now that he’d taken notice of it.
He hadn’t noticed.
His smoke was different than a cigarette’s. It smelled (and tasted) strongly of sulfur, and was harder to ignore than a cigarette’s milder scent.
Roy was still angry. At himself, at the criminals, at the hospital for asking him to ‘please calm yourself.’
That was his subordinate they were taking care of, his lieutenant. She was his-!
“Colonel.”
More firm this time, even Havoc was losing patience with him. Doubtless the other man was tense and agitated as well, this situation was easy on none of them.
“If you calm down, they’ll let you back in,” Havoc noted dryly, Roy even thought he could detect an underlining hint of impatience.
He probably wanted to be inside, but had decided to follow his wayward temperamental Colonel outside instead.
Admittedly it was what she would want. They both knew that.
“What’s going on in there?” He asked instead of replying.
“Same thing. Waiting,” Havoc took a moment to take a drag, the end of his cigarette glowing bright, “…they called in next of kin.”
“The General,” Roy clarified.
“Rebecca,” Havoc corrected, “but she called him, yeah.”
Right, Grumman wasn’t on Riza’s official records as next of kin even if he should be. He realizes he never asked when Riza had put down Catalina. Had it been when she was deployed to Ishval? At that point in her life she would have had no one else…
“They’ll most likely be here soon,” Havoc continued, “and wonder where Hawkeye’s commanding officer disappeared to,” he finished pointedly.
Roy clenched his teeth, tasting ash and feeling too long teeth try to fit themselves into his mouth.
“Fine,” he spat, turning to march back inside.
He ignored Havoc extinguishing his cigarette behind him.
Maybe he had been outside longer than he’d realized. Catalina and Grumman were both already there. In a turn of what he expected the general was in civilian dress and Catalina was in uniform.
He was his civvies as well, but it was still a surprise.
“Mustang,” Grumman sounded tired when he greeted him but not angry.
Roy nodded in acknowledgement, turning to face Catalina. He braced himself.
From the moment he’d entered the room he had felt her glare, a chilling dagger aimed at the side of his head.
They’d had a strange tolerance that sometimes warmed to friendliness with each other, but sometimes it regressed to outright hostility. Riza had claimed that they were too headstrong to get along without problems.
Havoc had, more accurately in Roy’s opinion, said that they were too competitive and protective of Riza (and her attention) to get along.
She said nothing, dark blue eyes glaring holes into him until she looked away without a word.
He almost said something, but couldn’t find the words. He was too angry, too worried, to think of what to say. If he tried he doesn’t doubt he’d start an argument and the last thing they needed was a scene in the hospital.
He might not have liked Catalina all the time, but he did like what she did for his subordinate. As long as he’d known Riza she’d never had a friend like Catalina, one that could almost be a sister. Family that was outwardly protective and loving, fierce in her affection, was something Riza had never had. Roy appreciated that more than anything.
Even now he and Grumman were put to shame in the presence of Catalina, their quiet muted affections for Riza seemed terribly halfhearted in comparison.
Grumman who was not even listed as kin, Mustang who had put her in the hospital in the first place. Both of them superior officers who kept Riza at an arm’s length unless in the most private of venues.
Roy spared a moment for another mental kick to himself for his stupidity and thoughtlessness.
The thought was reinforced in the next moments.
“Rebecca Catalina?”
Every head snapped up to stare at the nurse who had approached them.
The woman in question sprang to her feet in response.
The nurse spoke to Catalina in hushed tones, Roy couldn’t make out the words. His heart was pounding against his ribs, the anxiety was painful.
Rebecca turned to address them, tense but not distraught. Roy felt himself relax an iota at the sight.
“She’s awake and Riza agreed to try,” a moment of hesitation before continuing, quieter and more anxious, “…they figure the infection might get worse at this rate, so this could be the best time. She’s as strong as she’s going to get.”
“Can we see her?” The question left his mouth the moment Catalina had stopped speaking.
The nod he received in response was all the permission he needed.
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Developing Websites for Older Adults
According to the 'Administration on Aging', approximately 605 million people were 60 years or older in 2000. By 2050, that number is expected to be close to 2 billion. When putting this into business perspective, is this large target market one you want your company to miss out on
Having aging parents, I recognize the importance of developing web sites suitable for a senior audience. Not only do I want my parent's user experience on the web to be simplified and free from confusion, I realize it also makes good business sense.
Older adults are devoted users. Besides sending and receiving email, older adults search the web for health, retirement, entertainment and cooking information. To help make the most of the web, I've put together some guidelines that can help web developers create websites that work well for older adults.
Make Web Information Easy for Older Adults to Find
Computer functions that younger people use automatically, such as scrolling, clicking buttons and surfing the web through links, may be unfamiliar to older adults. In addition, advanced age may bring memory loss, which may hinder the ability to recall the location of links in a given space. Therefore, it is especially important for navigation of a website to be consistent.
Use standard page layouts and page templates
Navigation buttons should remain in the same place on each page.
Repeat the same colors, symbols and icons throughout the site.
Arrange page links carefully so the fewest possible clicks are needed to find information
Avoid using pop-ups and visuals that are not relevant to the task that may distract attention.
Put Key Information First
Older adults have a wide variety of physical and mental abilities. Motor skills may deteriorate earlier for those with arthritis or other age-related issues. Scrolling a mouse, for example, in combination with movements such as using pull-down menus can become difficult or confusing.
The most important information should always be located where users can find it easily, such as at the top of the website with H1 tags. Also, try to limit the length of the pages of your website to minimize or eliminate scrolling.
Older Users Often Have Slow Internet Connections
Web designers should assume that older adults may still have dial-up Internet connections versus a high-speed connection. In addition, those adults may be using older computers that are slower than the newest technologies the market. Therefore, make sure images are optimized to the smallest possible size and important page content is kept short for the fastest loading time possible.
Keep Paragraphs and Sentences Short
Older adults may experience short-term memory which becomes less reliable over time. Therefore, paragraphs should express only one main idea. Sentences should be simple and straightforward. Consider using bulleted lists for important information or key points so they stand out prominently.
Keep New Technology to a Minimum
For many older adults, using the Web is new territory. For these people, many are learning to use computers and the Web on their own and for them, the task is a daunting.If you have any concerns pertaining to in which and how to use sexy anime lingerie, you can get in touch with us at our web site.
Those of us who have used computers as a part of everyday life have much more experience on the web. Older adults simply have not had the opportunity to grasp what more experienced computer users consider standard features such as buttons and links, and how to react to the outcomes. So keep widgets and gadgets, scrolling galleries and fancy Java Scripts at bay and instead stick with standard text to display information.
Including Other Media
Information delivered as text only may not meet the needs of all older adults. For example, people with declining vision may find an automatic audio reader easier to understand, and those who have trouble reading may prefer to view a video. However, if using video or audio, do not automatically start it when the page loads as this may startle some viewers. Instead, allow them the option to start the video on their own with clear, distinct stop and play buttons.
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About me
Review & Full Album Premiere
Review & Full Album Premiere Before submitting a evaluate, I ask myself whether I could be comfy if my identity as a reviewer was identified to the authors. Passing this “identification test” helps make sure that my evaluate is sufficiently balanced and fair. I'm aiming to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the quality of the paper that shall be of use to each the editor and the authors. I assume lots of reviewers approach a paper with the philosophy that they're there to determine flaws. But I only point out flaws in the event that they matter, and I will make certain the review is constructive. I try to be constructive by suggesting methods to enhance the problematic features, if that's attainable, and also try to hit a peaceful and friendly but in addition neutral and objective tone. This isn't always simple, especially if I uncover what I think is a severe flaw within the manuscript. Also, the journal has invited you to evaluation an article based in your experience, however there shall be many stuff you don’t know. So when you have not absolutely understood one thing within the paper, do not hesitate to ask for clarification. It can take me fairly a long time to write down an excellent evaluate, generally a full day of work and generally even longer. The detailed studying and the sense-making process, in particular, takes a long time. Also, generally I discover that something just isn't fairly right however can’t fairly put my finger on it till I actually have correctly digested the manuscript. I normally don’t determine on a advice till I’ve learn the complete paper, though for poor quality papers, it isn’t at all times necessary to learn everything. I begin with a short abstract of the outcomes and conclusions as a method to present that I even have understood the paper and have a basic opinion. I all the time touch upon the type of the paper, highlighting whether or not it is well written, has right grammar, and follows a correct structure. When you deliver criticism, your comments ought to be trustworthy however all the time respectful and accompanied with recommendations to enhance the manuscript. My reviews are likely to take the form of a abstract of the arguments within the paper, adopted by a abstract of my reactions and then a series of the specific points that I wished to raise. I typically refer back to my annotated model of the net paper. I normally differentiate between main and minor criticisms and word them as directly and concisely as possible. When I advocate revisions, I try to give clear, detailed feedback to information the authors. Even if a manuscript is rejected for publication, most authors can profit from ideas. I attempt to persist with the details, so my writing tone tends towards neutral. The evaluation process is brutal sufficient scientifically without reviewers making it worse. Using a duplicate of the manuscript that I first marked up with any questions that I had, I write a quick abstract of what the paper is about and what I really feel about its solidity. Then I run via the precise factors I raised in my summary in more detail, in the order they appeared in the paper, offering web page and paragraph numbers for many. Finally comes a list of really minor stuff, which I try to maintain to a minimal. I then sometimes go through my first draft wanting on the marked-up manuscript once more to verify I didn’t miss something important. If I feel there may be some good materials in the paper but it needs lots of work, I will write a fairly lengthy and particular review mentioning what the authors have to do. If the paper has horrendous difficulties or a confused idea, I will specify that however won't do a lot of work to attempt to suggest fixes for every flaw. I print out the paper, as I find it easier to make comments on the printed pages than on an electronic reader. I learn the manuscript very rigorously the first time, attempting to follow the authors’ argument and predict what the subsequent step might be. However, I know that being on the receiving finish of a review is sort of tense, and a critique of something that is shut to 1’s heart can easily be perceived as unjust. I attempt to write my critiques in a tone and type that I might put my name to, even though reviews in my area are normally double-blind and not signed. I believe it improves the transparency of the evaluate process, and it additionally helps me police the quality of my own assessments by making me personally accountable. A evaluate is primarily for the benefit of the editor, to help them reach a call about whether or not to publish or not, but I try to make my evaluations helpful for the authors as nicely. I always write my reviews as if I am speaking to the scientists in particular person. At this first stage, I attempt to be as open-minded as I can. I don’t have a formalized guidelines, but there are a variety of questions that I usually use. Does it contribute to our information, or is it old wine in new bottles? Mostly, I am making an attempt to identify the authors’ claims within the paper that I didn't find convincing and guide them to ways in which these factors could be strengthened . If I discover the paper especially fascinating , I tend to offer a more detailed evaluate as a result of I need to encourage the authors to develop the paper . My tone is one of trying to be constructive and helpful despite the fact that, of course, the authors may not agree with that characterization. I begin by making a bullet point record of the primary strengths and weaknesses of the paper after which flesh out the evaluate with particulars.
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Plain English writing tips
Having lived an illiterate life in South Korea for the past 2.5 years, I know what it’s like to go from basic reading skills to being expected to fill in a complex Korean bank form.
And that’s one of the reason’s why I’m a plain English advocate. I know what it’s like to not understand a letter sent home from The Monsta’s kindy or how to correctly interpret an electricity bill.
A whopping 46% of Australians don’t have the literacy and numeracy skills to successfully function in contemporary Australia. Can those people successfully interact with your website and your digital products to get the information need or complete the task they need to do? Are you bleeding customers because of it? Are your users pounding their keyboards in frustration?
The more government and other organisations use plain English to communicate with their website users, the more success Australians will have in their everyday lives.
And the more we see plain English around us in our everyday lives, the more everyone will expect it. And then the more organisations will shift towards plain English as the norm.
Plain English will become less of an unexpected delight.
What is plain English?
Plain English is content your reader understands quickly, easily, and completely.
When I talk to clients and their staff about plain English, I often get resistance. That’s because they think plain English is ‘dumbing down’ content or writing in a way that talks down to their readers. But that’s not the purpose of plain English. Not at all.
When you explain that plain English helps their readers understand something the first time they read it, they start to get it.
And once they see their content transformed from ‘bureaucrat speak’ into plain English, they really get it.
Why use plain English?
Plain English is about helping your readers and website users do the thing they need to do quickly, easily and without confusion.
I work with a lot of government clients. Their website users are not visiting their website for fun. They’re there to find information or complete a task. It’s something they HAVE to do, not something they WANT to do. I don’t fill in my Business Activity Statement (BAS) form each quarter for fun or apply for a passport because that’s how I get my kicks. Nope. These are things I HAVE to do.
Helping people find and understand the information they need is the best way to give them a positive experience. #plainenglish #ux Click To Tweet
Helping people find and understand the information they need is the best way to give them a positive experience. They might not remember how gorgeous your site looked but they will remember feeling frustrated and confused if they:
couldn’t find what they needed
couldn’t complete the task they need to do
No one wants to feel like a silly-dibby-dubby (as my 6-year-old would say).
Everyone prefers plain English. Even people with doctoral degrees would rather read plain English content over dense academic or bureaucratic text.
As well as user success, plain English content results in fewer enquiries. For a large organisation, plain English can significantly reduce the load on call centres.
Tips for writing or editing in a plain English style
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Want to know how to write in plain English?
While there are no fixed plain English writing guidelines or rules that must be followed, there are ways of ensuring your content is written in a plain English style.
But here are my tips for writing content that easier to understand the first time someone reads it.
Plain English tip #1 – Be concise
Use short sentences.
Avoid writing sentences more than 15 words long.
Comprehension is usually around 100% for short sentences of up to 8 words.
Comprehension drops to 90% for sentences from 9 to 14 words long.
Can you guess what it is for sentences longer than 40 words? It drops to 10%. Don’t do that to your readers.
Break longer paragraphs up into shorter sentences. It’s OK for a single sentence to be a paragraph. The more clear space you have around your text, the easier it is to read.
Use my Plain English Dictionary to find alternative ways to say things, simpler.
Plain English tip #2 – Be clear
Don’t be ambiguous.
Make sure there is no other way to interpret your message.
When we’re too close to the content, we often can’t see how others might misinterpret our message or instruction.
Ask someone else to read your content to check if your meaning is clear. Even better – user test it with your target audience and learn where people stumble.
Plain English tip #3 – Be direct
Talk directly to your reader or user.
Use words like ‘you’ and ‘your’ when talking to your reader.
Use words like ‘I’ or ‘we’ when talking about yourself or your organisation to your reader.
For example:
❌ The Department of Nuisances can help people with solutions to their problems.
✔️ We can help you solve your problem.
Plain English tip #4 – Use the active voice
Use the active voice.
Don’t hide behind the passive voice.
Bureaucrats love the passive voice because it absolves them of responsibility.
For example:
❌ The fee is charged by the Department of Nuisances.
✔️ The Department of Nuisances charges the fee.
The active voice is direct and more concise. Less words = better reader experience.
Plain English tip #5 – Use lists
Use bullet lists for general points where appropriate. Bullet lists are a great way to break up a long sentence.
Bullet lists aid scanning behaviours and draw attention. If you have a key message, a bullet list is a great place to put it.
Use numbered lists for content that is part of a process or the content has a specific order.
Plain English tip #6 – Avoid jargon
Chances are your audience won’t understand your jargon, so don’t use it.
Even if your readers or customers are in the same industry, don’t assume they’ll understand the jargon. If you’re an accountant and your content targets other accountants, then it would be fine to use commonly recognised and understood industry jargon. But if you’re an accountant writing content for your clients, don’t assume everyone knows what a CPA is or what BAS means.
Don’t use marketing buzz words either. Nothing will date your copy quicker than the latest marketing jargon. See how much ‘synergy’ you create while ‘ideating’ with your ‘peeps’.
Sometimes we’re so entrenched in our own lexicon that we don’t realise that we’re using jargon. Note the ironic use of lexicon? 🤪
Plain English tip #7 – Spell out acronyms
Write acronyms in full the first time you use one and then place the acronym in brackets after it. For example, write:
National Bank of Australia (NAB)
After that first time, then you can use NAB throughout your content. But if you write a new page of web content, spell it out again the first time you use it on that page. Don’t assume a reader has visited the other page where the acronym is spelt out in full.
You don’t need to spell out commonly accepted acronyms like ATM or SCUBA.
Plain English tip #8 – Write for your audience
Know exactly who you’re writing for. It’s all about context.
I often write content for very broad audiences. My current audience for a local government page about paying rates will have backgrounds that range from:
highly educated academics
people with low English literacy levels from culturally diverse backgrounds
everyone else in between
(Note that the above list was originally a very long sentence that I converted to a bullet list to make it easier to read. Walking the talk!)
That’s when I know plain English is the only way to go. That’s when I’ll don my ‘brutally plain’ badge of honour and strip the content right back. I’ll focus on saying what needs to be said in the least amount of words so it can be understood when first read.
But I’ve also recently edited content for a niche group of tertiary-educated information managers and while I applied the principles of plain English writing listed in the tips above, I ‘allowed’ some jargon to flow through. I knew that my readers would understand it in context.
Plain English tip #9 – Use digits
Use digits instead of writing out numbers, even for 1–9.
Many print-based style guides will encourage you to spell out ‘one’ through to ‘nine’ and then use digital from 10 onwards. But this is now old school thinking, especially in the online world.
Digits are easy to recognise.
It also avoids your readers confusing two with the words to or too.
Applying plain English
Are you up for the challenge of applying a plain English approach to your next writing project?
Plain English writing tips was originally published on Sandra Muller
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Editing and Feedback Checklist
I wrote this for myself a while back and recently shared it with my writing group. Hopefully it’ll be useful for other people too!
You might have the best idea in the world, but if it isn’t presented appropriately, you’ll get nowhere. I use all of the lists below in my own editing. This first list will be most useful when giving feedback to your peers; sharing creative ideas is helpful. The second list is my editing and proofreading one. This stuff is seriously important. If you get all of that right, you’ll look like a writer who knows their shit. Make sure you know your shit. The last list I usually use when I’m coming to the end of my edits and I’ll double check I haven’t left any of those points unattended. They’re fairly obvious, but when you’re editing several thousand words, it’s hard to get everything in one sweep, so you usually have to look for a few specific things at a time. This is, by far, not a conclusive list. It’s just a useful guide that I use in my own work and that I thought I’d share to help people out.
Questions regarding the story as a whole
1. Plot:
a. Is the scene set well?
b. Do you like the events? Is there something else you would have liked to have seen happen? Another direction the story could have gone?
c. Strong first sentence?
d. Strong first paragraph?
e. Satisfying ending (anyone writing ‘she woke up and realised it was all a bad dream’ will be shot – you’re better than this!)
f. Is there any part of the story that is predictable?
2. Pace:
a. Were there any paragraphs that are too fast/slow?
b. Did you want more description anywhere? (People and place)
c. Did you find there was too much description in places?
d. Is the action described appropriately? (Quick and effective – like a mugging. This isn’t Hollywood: we don’t do slow motion action scenes of bullets flying and damsel-in-distress-screams. Trigger pulled. Bang. Body hits the floor. Game over.)
e. Is there any point in the story where you lost interest/skipped words and sentences? Be honest – this is important.
3. Characters:
a. Are they realistic?
b. Are they consistent (an emotional character at the start of your story might be a little disturbed after witnessing someone be pancacked by a double-decker.)
c. Are there too many/too few?
d. Are they different enough from each other?
e. Are they introduced gradually – not five all in one go so that the reader has no clue which one is the one with purple hair and a nipple-piercing.
4. Tense:
a. Is the tense appropriate?
i. Would it better in present/past tense? If you’re unsure, change your first paragraph to the other tense and use that to inform your decision.
5. Person:
a. Is third person most appropriate, or first?
i. Like the above, if you’re unsure, change your first paragraph to the other.
6. Style:
a. How close is the narrator to the reader? Are they chatting away to you over a cup of tea, or is it more of an ‘Attenborough’ narrator, describing what he sees and why they do things?
b. Is the style appropriate for the story you’re telling? Sitting on the shoulder of a narrator might be perfect for a murder mystery, but maybe less so for a fantasy tale with complex concepts. Figure out how ‘attached’ you want your reader to be – do you want your reader to see everything your character does, or is it a little more omniscient?
c. Lexis (not a typo for the car) – what is your vocabulary like? As a university student, you probably know big words. These aren’t usually appropriate for a fictional novel. Choose your words carefully.
d. Think about who is telling the story and how they would speak. Would the narrator use colloquial and contracted language, or would it be written with full and ‘proper’ English?
THE IMPORTANT STUFF
If you’re sending anything off to anyone that isn’t part of your writing group, you need to make sure all of this stuff is perfect. I’m not kidding: not even your mum wants to read something riddled with typos and grammatical errors.
1. Capital letters. Full stops.
a. Sounds like obvious stuff, but when your fingers are flying at 30-keys a second, you want to make sure you catch these bad boys before you get your manuscript shoved back in your face. Grammarly and digital proofers will usually pick these up, but make sure you double-check.
2. Apostrophes
a. These are easy to miss when you’re in ‘the zone’. I won’t hold it against anyone who misses a few on their first edit. After edit two, these errors should be gone. That’s why you have writing friends and English nerds.
b. It’s/hasn’t/she’s – these are all using the apostrophe to replace a letter. They are two words glued together.
c. They donkey’s left bollock – this shows the left bollock belongs to the donkey. I don’t know who the right one belongs to. The apostrophe is possessive.
d. James’ dad likes to eat wild mushrooms – this one is also possessive. This is more of a stylistic thing, but in other countries, it could be written James’s. The UK way is like the first example, and most broadly accepted.
3. Commas
a. The first draft always has weird commas. You look at them and think ‘how the hell did you get there?’ It’s usually with these little shits that the thought comes up ‘Oh my God, I’m a terrible writer, I’m never going to make it.’ This is why we have editing!
b. Before you tell me commas aren’t that big of a deal, have a look here: ‘Let’s eat Grandma/Let’s eat, Grandma.’ I don’t know about you, but I prefer my Grannies roasted. Here’s another: ‘This book is dedicated to my siblings, Jenny and God.’ Now, if you’re siblings with his almightiness, then this works fine. If not, then you’ve got a bit of ambiguity here.
4. Semi-colons:
a. I love these things. Read this: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon
5. Typos
a. We all cringe at the random autocorrected work that Word thinks is right. Make sure you check your work for duck’s sake!
6. Clarity
a. Whatever you write, you want people to understand you. If you’re going through your writing and tripping up a little or getting lost, have a restructure. Usually, it’s nothing a little punctuation can’t fix.
b. Use language everyone will understand – not everyone knows
7. Speech
a. There’s usually quite a bit of confusion about how to write speech. Where do you put the commas? How do you punctuate it when you have a dialogue tag? What about action?
b. “My uncle is as dim as that lightbulb,” James said, pointing to the lampshade. // Laura frowned. “But it’s off.” // “Exactly,” he grinned, “that light was switched off years ago.” Okay, so that last bit doesn’t make a lot of sense, but you can see what I’m doing with the punctuation.
c. Each time a new person speaks, a new paragraph ensues. In the above example, the // shows the paragraph breaks.
d. Use ‘said’ or use action. Anything else use sparingly. Do this and your reader will throw darts at a printed picture of you: “Red,” Kyle said miserably. “Blue,” Tiffany said excitedly. “Yellow,” June said uncertainly. “Why are we saying colours?” Rory said nervously.
e. If someone shouts, do not put it in capitals; you’re not texting.
f. Italics are for emphasis. Don’t do what I’ve done in this and underlined stuff. You don’t see it in your novels, so don’t do it in yours.
Last checks
The above are all the things you need to go over with a fine-tooth comb. Make sure all that stuff is in order and tidy. Now you need to look for changes that will make your writing sparkle!
1. Use common language.
2. Omit needless words.
3. Don’t dump all your fantastic research in one go – fly tipping is illegal, and no one likes it.
4. Don’t be obvious.
a. ‘She nodded her head.’ Well what else is she going to nod?
b. ‘He clapped his hands.’ Well what else is he going to clap? His feet!?
c. ‘She blinked her eyes.’ You get it by now.
5. Try and avoid the words up/down.
a. ‘He sat down on the bench.’ You can just say ‘he sat on the bench.’ Nothing is lost and it’s easier to read.
b. ‘She climbed up the stairs.’ You don’t really climb down stairs.
6. Give your reader credit.
a. As much as we might think it, they’re not stupid. They have brains. If you say ‘they sat across from each other,’ we assume they’re say on chairs, probably at a table, probably directly opposite.
7. ADJECTIVES
a. You misuse these, and I’ll tell Stephen King. Sparingly is the only way.
8. Clichés
a. These are bad.
b. Unless you’re twisting them or playing with them, just don’t.
9. Use character action to express emotion
a. ‘He was angry. He punched her in the face.’ You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to know that a punch to the face usually means someone is pissed with you.
10. Verbs are what sets an amazing writer aside from a good writer.
a. I’m serious. A good writer might do something like this, ‘He walked down the road, wincing every time he put his ankle down. He looked in a shop window, saw the security camera, and moved swiftly on.’
b. An amazing writer will have more fun with it: ‘He limped down the road, head down, hands in pockets. He glanced in a shop window, spotted a security camera, and hurried on.’ Good verb choice takes your writing up a level. Be an amazing writer.
At the end of the day, if you’re ever unsure about anything, go to your bookshelf and pick out a traditionally published book (you’d be safer learning from a traditionally published book). Flick through and find an example of what you’re stuck on. See how the pros do it. If they’ve been published, it means a whole team has read that book. A professional editor, proof reader, and copy editor has gone through it and done their job. These are the industry standards, and you need to make sure you’re on their level.
#writblr#Writing#Editing stuff#Checklist#This is a really old list#hope it helps#sorry for the long post
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10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers
I watch a lot of YouTube videos about the best ways to clean your bathroom.
In fact, I realized that I spend way more time watching “hacks, tricks, and tips” about how to efficiently clean a bathroom than I do actually cleaning my bathroom.
Given the hundreds of thousands of views on these types of videos, perhaps it’s not just me. And I started thinking … this might be similar to bloggers who read about editing tips.
Editing, like cleaning a bathroom, isn’t always the most fun, so bloggers might spend more time reading about editing tips than actually implementing them.
We’d like to have a polished bathroom or a polished blog post — we just don’t always want to perform the work required to produce that shiny end result.
The 10 modern editing tips I’ll share today should invigorate you to put in the elbow grease … at least when it comes to your writing.
1. Become the Editor-in-Chief of your blog
Even though blogs have been around for a long time, some people may still associate them with sloppy, weak information posted on a website. And that’s what some blogs are.
But that’s not what you do.
While the writing rules you follow certainly depend on the audience you serve, your presentation must be thoughtful.
Blog posts that work for your business ideally satisfy a need for both you and your readers.
Here’s my definition of an Editor-in-Chief that serious bloggers like you can use to demonstrate your commitment to quality:
Editor-in-Chief (noun): a person who assumes complete responsibility for, and ownership of, all of the communication he or she puts out into the world to enable a self-directed, creative career.
2. Build editing momentum
You don’t start physical exercise without some gentle stretches, and you probably don’t even start drafting a blog post without some writing warm-ups.
So, don’t just jump straight into editing your writing without some preparation either.
Instead, energize your brain to tame wild words with your audience’s best interest in mind.
You want to feel ready to shape and craft your text rather than simply read it.
To build momentum to edit with ease, begin your editing routine by:
Reading your favorite authors for inspiration
Studying the structure of the lyrics in a song from your favorite musical artist
Writing free-form creative content that is separate from your blog
Those are just a few activities you can try. How do you get ready to edit? Share in the comments below at the end of this post.
3. Bond with your audience over a shared worldview
As I mentioned above, your blog post should be a thoughtful presentation that considers your audience’s desires, hopes, and needs.
And you don’t always need to write more to create the most engaging, useful, content possible. Sometimes you might just need to arrange your ideas in a way that is easy to consume.
That may include:
Revising your headline or subheadlines
Adding bullet points
Rearranging your sentences or paragraphs
Deleting confusing tangents
Turning a long blog post into a series
Editing is more than just checking for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It’s your opportunity to extract your winning difference from your draft and shine a spotlight on it.
4. Sleep with one eye (and one ear) open
We know writers are always working, so look for meaningful snippets everywhere, even if they seem to have nothing to do with the topics you write about.
Why is this an editing tip?
Your draft may be a straightforward article that offers helpful information, but during the editing process you can infuse it with your own writing voice and incorporate interesting elements that hook readers on your blog’s style.
Go ahead, make the competition irrelevant.
More on writing voice on the blog tomorrow …
5. Ask yourself questions
It’s common to take a break after writing before you begin editing to help clear your mind. After all, it’s difficult to review your own writing objectively.
Another thing you can do is ask yourself critical questions about your content:
Does this introduction explain why someone should keep reading?
Is there too much hype and not enough value?
Can I simplify this point?
Since your headline is always a good place to start, check out: Ask Yourself These 3 Questions to Craft Better Headlines.
6. Add carbonation to your flat water
Plain water is fine, but isn’t sparkling water a little more fun?
As you examine your draft, vary your word choice and fine-tune your language throughout your post — especially at the beginning of paragraphs.
For example, if you begin the majority of your paragraphs with “Something you could try …,” or “Make sure …,” the text is going to look repetitive to a reader.
Also, take a look at the list items in this post. They aren’t merely “1. Edit,” “2. Proofread,” etc. They state unpredictable, unusual actions that guide the reader through the post in an unexpected way.
Be an artist. Play with your words and look for different ways to present your ideas.
7. Bring an umbrella (just in case it rains)
It happens to the best of us. We can all get a little … wordy.
Shield your final draft from extra explanations with your trusty word-repellant umbrella.
Aim to not get too attached to your words and swiftly cut out sections of your draft if they don’t benefit your audience. (Save them for later because they might fit perfectly into a different post!)
You want your article to be complete, but communicate your main message in a precise way.
8. Complete a “revision triangle”
Once you’ve set up a post in WordPress:
Edit in the Text Editor screen
Proofread in the Text Editor screen
Proofread once again in Preview mode
I call this a “revision triangle” because a triangle has three sides and these are three steps that help ensure you have thoroughly reviewed your writing.
Since many mistakes are often not caught until you proofread, let’s look at my favorite proofreading technique.
9. Keep the reader in your created reality
In the draft of this post, I accidentally typed “learn” instead of “clean”, “person” instead of “perhaps,” and “always” instead of “also.”
If these errors had published, they would have jolted readers out of the experience I created for them.
They could reread the text and figure out my true intentions, but that’s a bit disappointing for readers — and extra work for them.
Catch these types of mistakes by proofreading from the end of your post to the beginning in Preview mode.
Remember that proofreading is not reading.
You need to slowly inspect each word in your draft.
10. Zig when others zag
This tip is also known as “double-check details other bloggers may overlook.”
Properly attribute any quotations you use and verify their accuracy (no missing or incorrect words).
Look up the exact names of companies and products. You don’t want to write “MasterMix 300” when the product you’re talking about is actually called “Master MixIt 2000.”
It’s easy to skip over hyperlinked text when you proofread, so give those words special attention.
Fact-check event information, such as the day of the week, date, and time.
There isn’t just one set of editing tips that help your blog stand out; you build respect and trust by getting the details right over time.
Strengthen your editing habits to differentiate your blog
Now that we’ve got a handle on practical editing techniques we can all use this year, I’ll resolve to also stay on top of my cleaning chores.
Should I straighten up the area around my bathroom sink?
It’s a start.
The post 10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers appeared first on Copyblogger.
from Local SEO http://ift.tt/2i5YEBC via Local SEO
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10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers
I watch a lot of YouTube videos about the best ways to clean your bathroom.
In fact, I realized that I spend way more time watching “hacks, tricks, and tips” about how to efficiently clean a bathroom than I do actually cleaning my bathroom.
Given the hundreds of thousands of views on these types of videos, perhaps it’s not just me. And I started thinking … this might be similar to bloggers who read about editing tips.
Editing, like cleaning a bathroom, isn’t always the most fun, so bloggers might spend more time reading about editing tips than actually implementing them.
We’d like to have a polished bathroom or a polished blog post — we just don’t always want to perform the work required to produce that shiny end result.
The 10 modern editing tips I’ll share today should invigorate you to put in the elbow grease … at least when it comes to your writing.
1. Become the Editor-in-Chief of your blog
Even though blogs have been around for a long time, some people may still associate them with sloppy, weak information posted on a website. And that’s what some blogs are.
But that’s not what you do.
While the writing rules you follow certainly depend on the audience you serve, your presentation must be thoughtful.
Blog posts that work for your business ideally satisfy a need for both you and your readers.
Here’s my definition of an Editor-in-Chief that serious bloggers like you can use to demonstrate your commitment to quality:
Editor-in-Chief (noun): a person who assumes complete responsibility for, and ownership of, all of the communication he or she puts out into the world to enable a self-directed, creative career.
2. Build editing momentum
You don’t start physical exercise without some gentle stretches, and you probably don’t even start drafting a blog post without some writing warm-ups.
So, don’t just jump straight into editing your writing without some preparation either.
Instead, energize your brain to tame wild words with your audience’s best interest in mind.
You want to feel ready to shape and craft your text rather than simply read it.
To build momentum to edit with ease, begin your editing routine by:
Reading your favorite authors for inspiration
Studying the structure of the lyrics in a song from your favorite musical artist
Writing free-form creative content that is separate from your blog
Those are just a few activities you can try. How do you get ready to edit? Share in the comments below at the end of this post.
3. Bond with your audience over a shared worldview
As I mentioned above, your blog post should be a thoughtful presentation that considers your audience’s desires, hopes, and needs.
And you don’t always need to write more to create the most engaging, useful, content possible. Sometimes you might just need to arrange your ideas in a way that is easy to consume.
That may include:
Revising your headline or subheadlines
Adding bullet points
Rearranging your sentences or paragraphs
Deleting confusing tangents
Turning a long blog post into a series
Editing is more than just checking for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It’s your opportunity to extract your winning difference from your draft and shine a spotlight on it.
4. Sleep with one eye (and one ear) open
We know writers are always working, so look for meaningful snippets everywhere, even if they seem to have nothing to do with the topics you write about.
Why is this an editing tip?
Your draft may be a straightforward article that offers helpful information, but during the editing process you can infuse it with your own writing voice and incorporate interesting elements that hook readers on your blog’s style.
Go ahead, make the competition irrelevant.
More on writing voice on the blog tomorrow …
5. Ask yourself questions
It’s common to take a break after writing before you begin editing to help clear your mind. After all, it’s difficult to review your own writing objectively.
Another thing you can do is ask yourself critical questions about your content:
Does this introduction explain why someone should keep reading?
Is there too much hype and not enough value?
Can I simplify this point?
Since your headline is always a good place to start, check out: Ask Yourself These 3 Questions to Craft Better Headlines.
6. Add carbonation to your flat water
Plain water is fine, but isn’t sparkling water a little more fun?
As you examine your draft, vary your word choice and fine-tune your language throughout your post — especially at the beginning of paragraphs.
For example, if you begin the majority of your paragraphs with “Something you could try …,” or “Make sure …,” the text is going to look repetitive to a reader.
Also, take a look at the list items in this post. They aren’t merely “1. Edit,” “2. Proofread,” etc. They state unpredictable, unusual actions that guide the reader through the post in an unexpected way.
Be an artist. Play with your words and look for different ways to present your ideas.
7. Bring an umbrella (just in case it rains)
It happens to the best of us. We can all get a little … wordy.
Shield your final draft from extra explanations with your trusty word-repellant umbrella.
Aim to not get too attached to your words and swiftly cut out sections of your draft if they don’t benefit your audience. (Save them for later because they might fit perfectly into a different post!)
You want your article to be complete, but communicate your main message in a precise way.
8. Complete a “revision triangle”
Once you’ve set up a post in WordPress:
Edit in the Text Editor screen
Proofread in the Text Editor screen
Proofread once again in Preview mode
I call this a “revision triangle” because a triangle has three sides and these are three steps that help ensure you have thoroughly reviewed your writing.
Since many mistakes are often not caught until you proofread, let’s look at my favorite proofreading technique.
9. Keep the reader in your created reality
In the draft of this post, I accidentally typed “learn” instead of “clean”, “person” instead of “perhaps,” and “always” instead of “also.”
If these errors had published, they would have jolted readers out of the experience I created for them.
They could reread the text and figure out my true intentions, but that’s a bit disappointing for readers — and extra work for them.
Catch these types of mistakes by proofreading from the end of your post to the beginning in Preview mode.
Remember that proofreading is not reading.
You need to slowly inspect each word in your draft.
10. Zig when others zag
This tip is also known as “double-check details other bloggers may overlook.”
Properly attribute any quotations you use and verify their accuracy (no missing or incorrect words).
Look up the exact names of companies and products. You don’t want to write “MasterMix 300” when the product you’re talking about is actually called “Master MixIt 2000.”
It’s easy to skip over hyperlinked text when you proofread, so give those words special attention.
Fact-check event information, such as the day of the week, date, and time.
There isn’t just one set of editing tips that help your blog stand out; you build respect and trust by getting the details right over time.
Strengthen your editing habits to differentiate your blog
Now that we’ve got a handle on practical editing techniques we can all use this year, I’ll resolve to also stay on top of my cleaning chores.
Should I straighten up the area around my bathroom sink?
It’s a start.
The post 10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers appeared first on Copyblogger.
via marketing http://ift.tt/2i5YEBC
0 notes
Text
10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers
I watch a lot of YouTube videos about the best ways to clean your bathroom.
In fact, I realized that I spend way more time watching “hacks, tricks, and tips” about how to efficiently clean a bathroom than I do actually cleaning my bathroom.
Given the hundreds of thousands of views on these types of videos, perhaps it’s not just me. And I started thinking … this might be similar to bloggers who read about editing tips.
Editing, like cleaning a bathroom, isn’t always the most fun, so bloggers might spend more time reading about editing tips than actually implementing them.
We’d like to have a polished bathroom or a polished blog post — we just don’t always want to perform the work required to produce that shiny end result.
The 10 modern editing tips I’ll share today should invigorate you to put in the elbow grease … at least when it comes to your writing.
1. Become the Editor-in-Chief of your blog
Even though blogs have been around for a long time, some people may still associate them with sloppy, weak information posted on a website. And that’s what some blogs are.
But that’s not what you do.
While the writing rules you follow certainly depend on the audience you serve, your presentation must be thoughtful.
Blog posts that work for your business ideally satisfy a need for both you and your readers.
Here’s my definition of an Editor-in-Chief that serious bloggers like you can use to demonstrate your commitment to quality:
Editor-in-Chief (noun): a person who assumes complete responsibility for, and ownership of, all of the communication he or she puts out into the world to enable a self-directed, creative career.
2. Build editing momentum
You don’t start physical exercise without some gentle stretches, and you probably don’t even start drafting a blog post without some writing warm-ups.
So, don’t just jump straight into editing your writing without some preparation either.
Instead, energize your brain to tame wild words with your audience’s best interest in mind.
You want to feel ready to shape and craft your text rather than simply read it.
To build momentum to edit with ease, begin your editing routine by:
Reading your favorite authors for inspiration
Studying the structure of the lyrics in a song from your favorite musical artist
Writing free-form creative content that is separate from your blog
Those are just a few activities you can try. How do you get ready to edit? Share in the comments below at the end of this post.
3. Bond with your audience over a shared worldview
As I mentioned above, your blog post should be a thoughtful presentation that considers your audience’s desires, hopes, and needs.
And you don’t always need to write more to create the most engaging, useful, content possible. Sometimes you might just need to arrange your ideas in a way that is easy to consume.
That may include:
Revising your headline or subheadlines
Adding bullet points
Rearranging your sentences or paragraphs
Deleting confusing tangents
Turning a long blog post into a series
Editing is more than just checking for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It’s your opportunity to extract your winning difference from your draft and shine a spotlight on it.
4. Sleep with one eye (and one ear) open
We know writers are always working, so look for meaningful snippets everywhere, even if they seem to have nothing to do with the topics you write about.
Why is this an editing tip?
Your draft may be a straightforward article that offers helpful information, but during the editing process you can infuse it with your own writing voice and incorporate interesting elements that hook readers on your blog’s style.
Go ahead, make the competition irrelevant.
More on writing voice on the blog tomorrow …
5. Ask yourself questions
It’s common to take a break after writing before you begin editing to help clear your mind. After all, it’s difficult to review your own writing objectively.
Another thing you can do is ask yourself critical questions about your content:
Does this introduction explain why someone should keep reading?
Is there too much hype and not enough value?
Can I simplify this point?
Since your headline is always a good place to start, check out: Ask Yourself These 3 Questions to Craft Better Headlines.
6. Add carbonation to your flat water
Plain water is fine, but isn’t sparkling water a little more fun?
As you examine your draft, vary your word choice and fine-tune your language throughout your post — especially at the beginning of paragraphs.
For example, if you begin the majority of your paragraphs with “Something you could try …,” or “Make sure …,” the text is going to look repetitive to a reader.
Also, take a look at the list items in this post. They aren’t merely “1. Edit,” “2. Proofread,” etc. They state unpredictable, unusual actions that guide the reader through the post in an unexpected way.
Be an artist. Play with your words and look for different ways to present your ideas.
7. Bring an umbrella (just in case it rains)
It happens to the best of us. We can all get a little … wordy.
Shield your final draft from extra explanations with your trusty word-repellant umbrella.
Aim to not get too attached to your words and swiftly cut out sections of your draft if they don’t benefit your audience. (Save them for later because they might fit perfectly into a different post!)
You want your article to be complete, but communicate your main message in a precise way.
8. Complete a “revision triangle”
Once you’ve set up a post in WordPress:
Edit in the Text Editor screen
Proofread in the Text Editor screen
Proofread once again in Preview mode
I call this a “revision triangle” because a triangle has three sides and these are three steps that help ensure you have thoroughly reviewed your writing.
Since many mistakes are often not caught until you proofread, let’s look at my favorite proofreading technique.
9. Keep the reader in your created reality
In the draft of this post, I accidentally typed “learn” instead of “clean”, “person” instead of “perhaps,” and “always” instead of “also.”
If these errors had published, they would have jolted readers out of the experience I created for them.
They could reread the text and figure out my true intentions, but that’s a bit disappointing for readers — and extra work for them.
Catch these types of mistakes by proofreading from the end of your post to the beginning in Preview mode.
Remember that proofreading is not reading.
You need to slowly inspect each word in your draft.
10. Zig when others zag
This tip is also known as “double-check details other bloggers may overlook.”
Properly attribute any quotations you use and verify their accuracy (no missing or incorrect words).
Look up the exact names of companies and products. You don’t want to write “MasterMix 300” when the product you’re talking about is actually called “Master MixIt 2000.”
It’s easy to skip over hyperlinked text when you proofread, so give those words special attention.
Fact-check event information, such as the day of the week, date, and time.
There isn’t just one set of editing tips that help your blog stand out; you build respect and trust by getting the details right over time.
Strengthen your editing habits to differentiate your blog
Now that we’ve got a handle on practical editing techniques we can all use this year, I’ll resolve to also stay on top of my cleaning chores.
Should I straighten up the area around my bathroom sink?
It’s a start.
The post 10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers appeared first on Copyblogger.
0 notes
Text
10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers
I watch a lot of YouTube videos about the best ways to clean your bathroom.
In fact, I realized that I spend way more time watching “hacks, tricks, and tips” about how to efficiently clean a bathroom than I do actually cleaning my bathroom.
Given the hundreds of thousands of views on these types of videos, perhaps it’s not just me. And I started thinking … this might be similar to bloggers who read about editing tips.
Editing, like cleaning a bathroom, isn’t always the most fun, so bloggers might spend more time reading about editing tips than actually implementing them.
We’d like to have a polished bathroom or a polished blog post — we just don’t always want to perform the work required to produce that shiny end result.
The 10 modern editing tips I’ll share today should invigorate you to put in the elbow grease … at least when it comes to your writing.
1. Become the Editor-in-Chief of your blog
Even though blogs have been around for a long time, some people may still associate them with sloppy, weak information posted on a website. And that’s what some blogs are.
But that’s not what you do.
While the writing rules you follow certainly depend on the audience you serve, your presentation must be thoughtful.
Blog posts that work for your business ideally satisfy a need for both you and your readers.
Here’s my definition of an Editor-in-Chief that serious bloggers like you can use to demonstrate your commitment to quality:
Editor-in-Chief (noun): a person who assumes complete responsibility for, and ownership of, all of the communication he or she puts out into the world to enable a self-directed, creative career.
2. Build editing momentum
You don’t start physical exercise without some gentle stretches, and you probably don’t even start drafting a blog post without some writing warm-ups.
So, don’t just jump straight into editing your writing without some preparation either.
Instead, energize your brain to tame wild words with your audience’s best interest in mind.
You want to feel ready to shape and craft your text rather than simply read it.
To build momentum to edit with ease, begin your editing routine by:
Reading your favorite authors for inspiration
Studying the structure of the lyrics in a song from your favorite musical artist
Writing free-form creative content that is separate from your blog
Those are just a few activities you can try. How do you get ready to edit? Share in the comments below at the end of this post.
3. Bond with your audience over a shared worldview
As I mentioned above, your blog post should be a thoughtful presentation that considers your audience’s desires, hopes, and needs.
And you don’t always need to write more to create the most engaging, useful, content possible. Sometimes you might just need to arrange your ideas in a way that is easy to consume.
That may include:
Revising your headline or subheadlines
Adding bullet points
Rearranging your sentences or paragraphs
Deleting confusing tangents
Turning a long blog post into a series
Editing is more than just checking for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It’s your opportunity to extract your winning difference from your draft and shine a spotlight on it.
4. Sleep with one eye (and one ear) open
We know writers are always working, so look for meaningful snippets everywhere, even if they seem to have nothing to do with the topics you write about.
Why is this an editing tip?
Your draft may be a straightforward article that offers helpful information, but during the editing process you can infuse it with your own writing voice and incorporate interesting elements that hook readers on your blog’s style.
Go ahead, make the competition irrelevant.
More on writing voice on the blog tomorrow …
5. Ask yourself questions
It’s common to take a break after writing before you begin editing to help clear your mind. After all, it’s difficult to review your own writing objectively.
Another thing you can do is ask yourself critical questions about your content:
Does this introduction explain why someone should keep reading?
Is there too much hype and not enough value?
Can I simplify this point?
Since your headline is always a good place to start, check out: Ask Yourself These 3 Questions to Craft Better Headlines.
6. Add carbonation to your flat water
Plain water is fine, but isn’t sparkling water a little more fun?
As you examine your draft, vary your word choice and fine-tune your language throughout your post — especially at the beginning of paragraphs.
For example, if you begin the majority of your paragraphs with “Something you could try …,” or “Make sure …,” the text is going to look repetitive to a reader.
Also, take a look at the list items in this post. They aren’t merely “1. Edit,” “2. Proofread,” etc. They state unpredictable, unusual actions that guide the reader through the post in an unexpected way.
Be an artist. Play with your words and look for different ways to present your ideas.
7. Bring an umbrella (just in case it rains)
It happens to the best of us. We can all get a little … wordy.
Shield your final draft from extra explanations with your trusty word-repellant umbrella.
Aim to not get too attached to your words and swiftly cut out sections of your draft if they don’t benefit your audience. (Save them for later because they might fit perfectly into a different post!)
You want your article to be complete, but communicate your main message in a precise way.
8. Complete a “revision triangle”
Once you’ve set up a post in WordPress:
Edit in the Text Editor screen
Proofread in the Text Editor screen
Proofread once again in Preview mode
I call this a “revision triangle” because a triangle has three sides and these are three steps that help ensure you have thoroughly reviewed your writing.
Since many mistakes are often not caught until you proofread, let’s look at my favorite proofreading technique.
9. Keep the reader in your created reality
In the draft of this post, I accidentally typed “learn” instead of “clean”, “person” instead of “perhaps,” and “always” instead of “also.”
If these errors had published, they would have jolted readers out of the experience I created for them.
They could reread the text and figure out my true intentions, but that’s a bit disappointing for readers — and extra work for them.
Catch these types of mistakes by proofreading from the end of your post to the beginning in Preview mode.
Remember that proofreading is not reading.
You need to slowly inspect each word in your draft.
10. Zig when others zag
This tip is also known as “double-check details other bloggers may overlook.”
Properly attribute any quotations you use and verify their accuracy (no missing or incorrect words).
Look up the exact names of companies and products. You don’t want to write “MasterMix 300” when the product you’re talking about is actually called “Master MixIt 2000.”
It’s easy to skip over hyperlinked text when you proofread, so give those words special attention.
Fact-check event information, such as the day of the week, date, and time.
There isn’t just one set of editing tips that help your blog stand out; you build respect and trust by getting the details right over time.
Strengthen your editing habits to differentiate your blog
Now that we’ve got a handle on practical editing techniques we can all use this year, I’ll resolve to also stay on top of my cleaning chores as well.
Should I straighten up the area around my bathroom sink?
It’s a start.
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