Hi!! 15 for the Fanfic writer ask game :D (also I hope the start of the week is being gentle on you ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡)
Hi!!! Thank you for playing~! 🥰
15 -> Any changes that you've noticed in your writing since you started?
Hmmm I don't think my style (if I even have one) has changed that drastically over the years. The biggest critique about my work (back when I was solely writing original fiction) was that I didn't elaborate on descriptions of the characters' surroundings and such (I tend to focus on dialogue a lot as a writer hahah 😅). Thus, at some point, I decided to try to get better at them and started incorporating them more. If there's something I feel that I'm lacking at the moment, it's diving into the emotional state of the characters for greater impact. So that's what I want to tackle next! 💪
Thanks once again for the wishes! I sincerely hope they turn out to be true, I really need a break (╥﹏╥)
1 and 7 for the ask game if you haven't answered them already! ❤︎
Thank you, dear~ 🫶
1 -> How many WIPs do you currently have?
Per fandom? Per specific ship? Like I always bring up my Excel sheet (usually unprompted) that I use to keep track of the ideas I do want to eventually write or I'm currently working on. There are just too many!
If we want to narrow it down to those that I keep in mind because they've been partly posted already, I'll say about 10.
7 -> What fic are you the proudest of?
Everyone still following me from my active BNHA days might be tired of me always mentioning What It Means To Save, which even in its imperfection, I feel I managed to get what I wanted from it. But I'm also pretty proud of my KSBB entry from last year, The Countdown to Immortality, since it was the first multi-chap I completed, and my longest fic in general (so far)! ^w^
Sorry senwe but your picture totally inspired me! I hope you like it ;w;
This is also my gift to you because I've been working on this since we first met and started to talk. If you recall, I went on a reblog spree and found your lovely picture of Maka and from then on, this story had been nagging me.
This is a repost, you can find the picture here! [ X / X ]
Medieval AU
When Maka was younger, she knew a boy who often came to the castle to deliver goods for the keep. He wasn't elegant like the other boys whom she was forced to meet. Rather, their entire first meeting was completely unrefined, and something that a lady would have never taken part in willingly.
However, whether it was God's will or wasn't, it was the best thing that happened to her.
Her entire life had a path that she could never stray from. From the moment her was born, she was ushered along a narrow road, one she could never step off from. She was chained to schedules and appointments, bound to others as they were bound to her. Even at the tender age of seven, high expectations were held for the renowned knight's daughter. In fact, on that fateful day, she had been urged to meet yet another potential suitor. Meaning: before they came to collect her to change her dress, she snuck away to the rose garden.
Maka wandered around the green shrubbery aimlessly, carving a new path that trailed deeper and deeper into the plot. It was the first time that her silk shoes met mud and the first time the hem of her dress was outlined with light brown. She spread her arms and let the gentle breeze steer her foot steps.
Her first few memories had been filled with commands and rules.
"A lady must not create trouble." "A lady must not eat like a boar." "A lady must stand straight but not appear too confident lest she intimidates her husband." "A lady must be meek but must support her husband." "A lady must always have manners." "A lady must never sweat or appear weak." "A lady must always be composed." "A lady does what she is told."
If only she weren't a lady.
She looked above her just before a cloud passed by and shielded the sun away from her eyes. The sky was speckled with white and celestial blue. Maka hadn't had this sort of moment to herself since her fifth summer, when they created plans to enlarge the keep's power. Her papa had been weak after her mama's ambitious goals stirred the staff.
She closed her eyes and dropped her arms, letting the cool of nature wash over her. It stole away her frustrated sniffles and her stiff bones. Serenity replaced her inner storm and she finally let her face relax. Her feet stopped pushing her forward and she felt the sun's bright rays caress her eyelids.
When she opened her eyes, she saw another cloud move back to allow a new ray of light to reach her. It was as if another piece of sunlight fell from the sky. She followed that beam back down to earth, where it shone on a rose bush and the boy who squatted in front of it. A cloak of light seemed to envelope him as he rose onto his feet. His shocking white hair refracted the light, brightening his face and his bright red eyes that matched the roses he held in one hand, and on that hand, was a golden ring.
"Who the fuck are you?"
Since their meeting, which inevitably led to a brawl that lasted until a gardener eventually found them wrestling in that very rose bush, they've met up together as friends, and eventually best friends. Whether their frequent encounters were secretive or palpable, any one could see that they had a bond that couldn't be severed through any means, much to the knight's horror and the maids' delight. They've always wanted to see Maka's happiness through one way or another, and with the boy, Soul, her radiance was blinding.
If only he weren't a merchant's handy boy and if only she weren't a lady.
Still, they met, as best friends, and eventually as love-struck fools, who wished for nothing but the best for each other.
As his fellow workers heaved the heavy barrels of salts and molasses, Soul had been taking inventory, cracking each barrel open to check both the quality and the quantity of materials inside. He rubbed the salts between his long fingers and licked the molasses from his knuckles, striking off the check box on his parchment as each barrel was sealed again.
"Ah, good sir, it is a joy to see that our granary shall be filled with such high-quality goods, or is it that you just wanted to sample the rare ingredients?"
He lifted his head, grinning openly with the girl who had her hands on his shoulders, trying to peer at his list. "Nay, lady. My company prides its success on the honest trades that we conduct. It is our humble pleasure to make sure our standard is kept."
Her tittering laughter rung through his chest. Maka bit her lip as she pulled Soul's arm, gesturing to the alley not too far from the docks. He handed the parchment to Harvar, who couldn't keep his teasing from reaching his eyes, and followed Maka to the coolness of their hidden space, hand in hand.
"How did you get out?" He watched as Maka pressed his finger to her mouth, licking off the molasses that stuck to it. Her soft hands held on, and he looked to the clear skies that stretched above them. A flock of geese emerged from the cover of the roofs and disappeared once again. As expected, the most beautiful sights were always with her.
She tugged him into a close embrace, something none of them would dare to do lest they were certain that they were alone. "I climbed the vines in the southern wing again. They've grown back since you were away in the kingdom over. Oh, I have much to tell you! Papa tried to introduce me to another man today, but he couldn't stop the disapproval from his face. Mama believes that it is a good match this time."
Soul swallowed, "D-did you..."
"Heavens no, Soul. Though his finery was rather impressive. The gifts he bestowed to Mama and Papa were extravagant, but his demeanor was positively languish."
He released the breath that he didn't know he was holding. His hand, licked free of any sweet residue, found its way to her hair, stroking it softly. "One day, Lady Maka, you'll have to choose a husband. It's only right..."
Hurt flashed in her eyes but it was quickly replaced with resignation. "Please don't call me a lady, not when we are alone." She pressed her face into his neck. "Can't I have this moment with you without remembering our titles? Can we just be "Maka" and "Soul" for now?"
Something twisted inside of him and he looped an arm around her, holding her closer. His mouth felt dry and he closed his eyes. "Then don't bring up your duties if you are so keen on reminding us of them."
She sniffed haughtily, "I told you, I had much to tell you."
"Then tell me." They pulled away, and sunk into the wall. She beamed up at him as she recounted the tales that caused him to fall even deeper for her, and her alone.
The sky was eventually dyed with reds and orange, and the light was low enough to reflect from their faces. They sat close to each other even then to preserve their warmth.
"That was really why Harvar wears his hair up now. Molasses is incredibly difficult to wash off, as you know from the time you fell into one of our barrels while trying to tackle BlackStar as we were unloading."
Maka simpered and slapped his upper arm. "Hush you, someone needed to teach the smithy a lesson that day. I'm just happy he fell in after me!" Her impossibly green eyes continued to shine as she made note of the setting sun. "Walk me back to the keep. It's only right as a man."
He smirked, "Oh, I'm a man now? Surely the last time we met, you called me a lad."
The pinkness of her ears deepened as she pursed her lip. "You've always been a man to me."
There it was again, a sharpness that impaled his heart as it cut through the fine line of their relationship. What would it take to remove that line all together? Soul rose to his feet, and reached out to her. She gripped his hand, pulling herself up, but didn't let go even after her color returned to her.
His ring pressed against her as it made itself more noticeable, and Maka looked down at its glow with soft eyes. Words unspoken hung in the air as Soul drew away his hand, slid off the ring, and slipped it onto her ring finger. He sniffed a chuckle, seeing that it was too large for her size, and placed it into her palm instead. Maka closed her hand around it, holding her bundled fist to her chest.
"A-are you sure?"
"Yeah, it doesn't mean anything to me anymore."
She looked back down at it and opened her hand again. "Then it will mean everything to me."
Maka unhooked her gold necklace and strung the gold chain through the ring. She handed it to Soul and turned around, brushing her golden, sun-lit hair back to reveal the nape of her neck. He traced the hair over her skin to reveal more of her, feeling goosebumps ride under his fingertips. As he clipped the latch into place with shaking hands, she reached behind to hold one steady.
The next time they met, she skipped to him with shining eyes with the ring that still hung from a chain, bouncing around her neck.
Maka smiled to him with the sky behind her. "Welcome back!"
And Soul pulled her into a hug, ignoring the chortles and hoots from his peers. "Good to be back."
"You won't believe what happened to me while you were away."
If Will and you dad were hanging from a cliff, which one would you choose? (I'm evil, I know)
(SO EVIL.)
"What kind of a question is that?! You expect me to be able to live without either one of them?!"
"I know my dad’s older and I’m going to lose him one day eventually, but I don’t want that to happen until it’s his time. And even if Will doesn’t love me back, and probably never will, he is my best friend and without him in my life I’d be nothing. I’d never be able to forgive myself no matter who I chose to save, because I’d regret not being able to save the other one for the rest of my life."
