#(i mean. i have my own suggestion too but it's heavily inspired by the werewolf au ladysorbus and i have been crafting 🐺🌕) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mandysxmuses · 3 years

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🐩 for each keeper

//oH BOY this might be a long one

So Niemand is one of the first ‘Keeper’ characters I created and is the one who has changed the least from his original conception. My main inspirations for him and a lot of the Keepers/the overall idea was popular dating sim and anime tropes, and in particular for him I took inspiration from the “yandere” trope, although Niemand technically isn’t one at all. I knew I wanted a cute and overall innocent character with a very dark side, but I also wanted there to be a reason for that dark side beyond it just being there because he loves someone and it needs to be there for the trope, so from the get-go I figured Jemand’s antagonistic and cruel relationship with him would be a more organic drive to bring Niemand to that point.

I could also say some Undertale inspiration helped me come up with him? Because my dream that inspired this whole thing and one of the first things I wrote with Niemand involved him shapeshifting into a rather ugly flower and accidentally scaring a Keeper off.

And I think the whole hedge maze/flower garden thing was probably Alice-in-Wonderland inspired, given that Alice in Wonderland was also inspiration for pretty much a lot of the tone of what I was going for making the Keeper universe.

Jemand is another one of the first characters I had in mind, and again, I already had a pretty basic outline of how his character and Niemand’s were supposed to be. He was supposed to be suave and clever and witty and smug, and Niemand was supposed to be more sheepish and meek by comparison. Though I will say Jemand has gone through a lot more small evolutions than Niemand has over time. He originally bickered with Niemand a lot and was frequently embarrassed by the gardener catching him up on things that he said rather than constantly being on top of things, and he did change to a much more antagonistic, domineering, outright crueler character over time -- I’ve tried to pull that back a bit because there have been times where I’ve worried I’ve made him too evil, but regardless, he’s still a lot nastier now than he was at first.

His main inspirations were, again, popular anime/dating sim tropes, so I wanted to take the trope of the suave idol-like characters who daksldmasl you know the ones you know the ones

The whole black-and-white thing was not necessarily inspired by anything (maybe Alice in Wonderland subconsciously since there’s the whole checkerboard motif he loves) but yeee

TODLICH oh m’boi Todlich, the man, the myth, the meme

The third character I had in mind from the get-go and still the most changed from his original conception that I can think of (besides Schatz but even his character changes weren’t as dramatic)

The tropes and inspirations Todlich pulls from aren’t that difficult to figure out, I’m sure there’s one in every otome game/dating sim where at least one character is an absolute trashfire but they have a route anyway because they’re physically attractive and in the game/anime so they have to come into play somewhere

But originally that’s... all he was, just an evil, killing-for-the-sake-of-killing character with zero actual motivations or story or reasoning behind it, and it made him feel very two-dimensional to me. Characters like that can work, of course, but when they do there’s always at least some story to it and mdlasdm Todd just existing like that with no story and no motivations bothered me

And this overall dissatisfaction with Todlich’s lack of character and lack of story altogether was what led to the Emma plotline, which ended up just ldsakmdl transforming the entire thing and making literally everything more fun to write for me and turned Todlich from one of the characters I disliked writing most to one of my genuine favorites dkmasldmds

(Also I lost most of my icons so I won’t have them all here but)

LAUT

Okie dokie, Laut is definitely an interesting one to talk about. He wasn’t actually a character I had in mind from the very beginning, but I came up with him soon enough after just figuring it would be neat to have an announcer talking over chases and telling everyone what’s going on

His inspirations were bookworm-type characters and socially awkward characters and I originally wanted him to be a more stern, snappy character, like one of the strict intellectual types

(And the Pringles guy, no kidding, that’s what inspired his monocle)

And he’s more like a geeky high-class dork that just sits there calling everyone a peasant

And now that I think about it he’s changed just about as much as Niemand which means not much at all, I essentially had the idea of a guy with super long purple hair and a monocle sitting in a tower watching everybody but not being able to leave, and slowly suffering from the isolation.

RENEE AND VERGESS

OKAY SO I can’t take all the credit for Renee because a lot about her was suggested to me by another friend of mine, and they definitely contributed a lot to her overall character design (including her signature hat that she wears)

And I think even the spine-ripping she does may have been their idea? It has been a long time since I had this conversation with this friend so I do not know who of us came up with what besides the hat, I remember specifically she came up with the hat idea

I think they might have even picked her name mslkdkmlsak

I mainly wanted her to be a foil for the boys because they were so powerful and the Keepers definitely didn’t seem like they had much helping them at this point, and of course, the Emma plotline gave her having Keeper memories and her place in the game even more poignant

Vergessene’s character was heavily inspired by characters like Eeyore and Sadness from Inside Out, and I added him because I wanted another character to be on the Keeper’s side, but also to add even more tragedy to my big angst bowl because there evidently was not enough in the pot by that point

VERHEILER

The man of FLUFF, the fluffiest man, the most self-indulgent man I ever put into this universe

Fools may have thought I put Todlich and his physical attractiveness in for my own self-indulgence but no, NO, Verheiler was the one who I stuck in solely from what I would want in a weird fantasy world full of bizarre people who may or may not intend to kill me

I wanted a soft, tol man with bunny ears and a minty pretty soft color scheme and floofy hair and a kimono

And I wanted him to make me tea, and have a soft and gentle voice, and to be a complete pacifist, and just be the most wholesome of men

I wanted him to give hugs and lots of cuddles and be really affectionate but also respectful of boundaries if someone asked not to be touched

His inspirations were literally my own self-indulgent stupidity, and ASMR. That was a big inspiration for him, I really wanted him to be a comforting, calming, just genuinely sweet person since the Void had a distinct lack of any of these qualities before he was there.

KNIRSCHEN

Knirschen knocked down two popular tropes in one, the “tsundere” trope and the werewolf trope

He’s cold and grumpy and dismissive to people he likes, but softens up over time, ugh, I love that trope, got a weakness for that trope I have to say

Especially in Knirschen’s way, where the only reason he’s so pushy and determined to shove people away is because he’s scared he’ll transform and be more likely to hurt them if they’re close-by

I also thought, hey, I added a rabbit man, why not add a wolf character

And on that note

Egel/Walter

So since a rabbit man inspired a werewolf man, a werewolf man inspired a vampire man

But of course, this wasn’t the only inspiration for Walter. Vampires are a popular dating sim/romantic novel/generally thirsty-people-aimed media trope, so naturally he had to be in here

Though I wanted to make him also a nice, generally well-meaning character because the vampires I’d seen in some media treated their “love interests” like sacks of meat and I wanted to subvert that and by subvert that I mean yeet that idea out the window, I want a wholesome vampire

So I made a hot-pink haired, generally unintimidating, well-mannered sophisticated boyo who likes candy

But also gave him some depth by making his relentless nightly thirst for blood and monstrous reputation something he actively hates and wants to fight against rather than a part of himself he takes pride in

So he’s struggling with a very terrifying part of himself that he can’t help having, as well as being forced to use that side of himself in a horrific murder-game and even attack Niemand because Jemand’s terrible

Schatz... oh boy, Schatz

What even was the creation of this man? Of course the Void’s designated comic relief would have the most weird creation process and changes

(his inspirations were The Pirates of the Caribbean series and other pirate-like characters and series, and that one vine of the high dude possessed by a demonic spirit asking for a bagel)

First he was a regular pirate man who had a pet mouse because I’d never seen a pirate with a pet mouse before

WAIT character change, he’s a regular normal guy LARPing a pirate and just pretending all the time because he likes it

WAIT THERE’S MORE, he talks to his mouse and acts like he can have conversations with it and confuses everyone even more

WAIT, he hallucinates the mouse talking back

NO WAIT, the mouse is magical in nature and literally does communicate with him telepathically

HOLD ON the mouse is a demon now

AND the mouse can shapeshift and eat bathtubs and steal things for him

And the mouse... worships... Satan

okay, that’s enough, we’re done . . .. .

-- AND Schatz only LARPs as a pirate as a form of escapism because the Void is a ball of angst and Catnip is slowly but surely absorbing more power from all the suffering everyone is enduring and one day--

Kanonier

Oh boyo, dis guy

The man who literally exists just to have a butt bigger than Jemand’s and muscles slightly larger than Todd’s

no that’s not why he exists of course not but

I mainly just always wanted a rival character for Schatz after he showed up because dlsakdmslkd gosh we already have a pirate man who’s trying so hard to be a pirate, there has to be someone on the other end of the spectrum

(Apparently there is a spectrum ranging from Cowboy to Pirate)

Of course Toy Story is kind of an inspiration, but honestly, I kid ya not, Old Town Road was a big part in forming this guy’s character and you can decide how cursed that is.

Begleiter

Now, some of the inspiration around here gets a little more personal and deep to me.

This guy had a variety of inspirations, either drawing from things as bizarre as Dora the Explorer and those awkward creepy moments of her staring, to Daniella in Haunting Ground and her robot-like behavior -- to an app I had called W.oebot which was essentially made to help cope with mental health problems but always had me internally struggling. I knew this app was meant to help me, but I always felt this deeper sadness that the “person” I was talking to was just a pre-programmed app sending automatic messages in response to specific words, rather than a person genuinely listening and caring about what I was saying

(not judging anyone who would use this app and is helped by it, of course, just speaking of my own experiences and how I felt)

The human element wasn’t there and it could be deeply felt to me, and it inspired a lot about Begleiter and his own personality, especially in his past relationship or lack thereof with Emma, whose thoughts and emotions toward her and others could only be felt after he got his “upgrade” and a more humanoid body.

Serpentin

OOOOH Serpentin

His main inspirations were cryptids, body horror, a smol genuinely hilarious video of a cryptid-like man slowly creeping toward this dude in his garage, a game called “IT LIES” about a monster using yours and other people’s voices to lure it to you like prey, and Spongebob

........... a big helping of Spongebob

Subversion of a trope was another thing I was going for here, I wanted a genuinely creepy, terrifying looking character who based on appearances seemed like someone you’d want to hide in a closet from and cry over

But turns out this terrifying thing you just saw just saw you drop a penny and didn’t want you to lose it, so he came to return it to you, please don’t be sad

Clara Wilson

Clara is the... least fleshed-out character that I have, and I feel like that’s understandable, given that her own inspiration was from classic otome game/romance novel/dating sim characters, whose personalities and decisions and moral standings are usually given to them by the player rather than their own will

(Or, if they’re in a TV show or something, their personalities are kind of blank so that people can insert themselves more easily to the situation)

Her personality switches depending on the route she’s on, much like a protagonist in a dating simulator’s might. I’m still glad I added her on here, but XD I’d be lying if I said there was all that much to her, she’s just kind of a character that exists and has her personality filled out depending on who she’s interacting with, kind of like a character with literally dozens of AUs

#M; The Keepers #Anonymous

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twitchesandstitches · 5 years

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Firstly, because of your first inclusion of Magnus the Red, I started binge-watching the TTS series (which has been absolutely hilarious), so thanks for that! Secondly, I was wondering if any other WH40K characters (esp. the other Primarchs) play any notable roles within the setting/cosmology of CrossThicc?

now you know the joy i feel whenever Brotrip 40k gets another upload : D you are most welcome!

since 40k is one of my favorite series (if more so with a lighter tone that takes the grimdark much less seriously), concepts from 40k are all over the place: the realms of magic are more or less a gentler version of the Warp mixed with Dragon Age’s Fade (and travel through those realms is essentialy 40k warp travel), the multiverse’s versions of orcs and elves draw heavily from the Orks and Eldar, and thus important characters from those species would be highly important among their peoples here.

for the Primarchs, you have to start with the Emperor. I’ve mentioned elsewhere that he, and the Primarchs, are explicitly magical/divine here, and there’s more of Warhammer Fantasy Battle’s tones here mashed up with 40k. The Emperor himself is the God of Humanity as a whole; the part of the outer realms defined by ‘human’ being a Thing, and he’s very much like his TTS counterpart; loud, complaining and loves to swear and mess with people. he IS more compassionate, though, and has no real problem with aliens and mutants; he’s more concerned that humanity stay alive than that it is dominant or in a specific form.

it should be noted that the Imperium of canon no longer exists; something similar DID, at one point, but that was a long time ago and it has since collapsed, and spanned the multiverse as a fulfillment of the Emperor’s original plans. Similar groups (such as the Imperial Commonwealth) are disavowed by the Primarchs, who REALLY don’t like the Commonwealth. In part, the commonwealth is inspired by the worst aspects of the Imperium from canon... but then, everyone in the know is ashamed of what the Imperium has become in canon.

For the Primarchs, they are also gods who embody a fundamental aspect of the sapient mind/will, as expressed through humans. Vulkan is humanity’s compassion in all its forms, Magnus is its potential for magic and intellectual achievement, and so forth. Their canonical homeworlds are centers of cross-species society that fulfill their goals, and while their avatars may rule there, mosto ften their space marine children (who can be men or women here) are spiritual leaders to them, with varying degrees of directness. Sort of like different warrior societies throughout history; some advise the rulers, others ARE in charge. In general, they’re like knightly orders infused with the power of their god-liege to become something more than human.

All the Primarchs are still alive! This DOES mean that Horus is kicking around somewhere, as is Sanguinius and the others who died in canon.

Vulkan: my favorite primarch, and so one with a great deal of relevance to the AU; he’s largely as per TTS and canon, a big and lovable goofball who embodies the best in humanity and is a paragon of the IDEA of being a paragon; has some draconic aspects, and he has lava-like cracks appear when he powers up. Worshiped as a god of heroism by the orks, he is taking on some of their mannerisms and physical traits. His Salamanders are a core part of the Endowed Fleet, and he himself may be part of the God Squad pantheon. Is a VERY big hugger!

Magnus: Much of his character has pretty much been shown already; his exact plans are mysterious and unclear, and he has arrived at the Library of Wan Shi Tong for unknown purposes, but he probably is just trying to safeguard knowledge for its own sake, and he’s deadly afraid of another cataclysm wiping out civilization for good. Embdies the power of magical achievement, and to an extent, the idea of knowledge.

Jaghatai Khan: POSSIBLY associated with the Air Nomads, revered by him in some capacity; possibly this is what led Magnus to that world to begin with. Chogoris, beneath the leadership of his most trusted heirs, has expanded into a large interstellar empire that is prosperous and just. It’s unclear what his domain is, but its probably to do with controlled ferocity. Somehow a patron to all who revere their rides.

Leman Russ: is an actual werewolf here, as are his space wolves. (Mix them up with the Uratha of the New World of Darkness; shapeshifting man-wolf spirit guardians!) His domain is also unknown, but may involve ruthlessness; his an Magnus’ rivalry is still quite intense, though its less to do with personal vendettas and more with conflicting agendas and ways of doing things. He is likely the source of werebeast-ness in some way, a proto-typical Father of Werewolves; either as far as humans are concerned, or the modern manifestation of that particular gift.

Sanguinius: Not too sure what his domain might be, but I definitely think he has some link with the Dolorosa of Homestuck, and the two of them are somehow linked to the existence of vampires. She is the mother of ALL vampires, and he may be the father of the more recent modern strains! Perhaps they have something going on there, or are reflections of a similar primal concept? Either way, he’s basically the most fabulous and good-hearted vampire knight-ideal there ever was. HE is bitey Galahad

my knowledge of the other Primarchs in general (especially those given most of their character in the Black Library books) is a lot more spotty, so i welcome suggestions or ideas from anyone who has a thought on ‘em! same iwth any 40k character in general, ESPECIALLY the xenos!

#queued #anon replies #replies #crossthicc AU #crossthicc!wh40k #Anonymous

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funkzpiel · 7 years

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May I please request darkcreature!gramander fluff? With the two of them as dark creatures, but still so very much happy and in love with one another?

[a/n] @hamelin-born of course! I’d be happy to! Sorry this sat in my inbox so long. It was super fun to write though (I admit, fluff is not my strong suit. I’m not super practiced at it… but I hope this suffices!). Besides, it’s about time I give the boys some comfort and fluff. Maybe I should make it a thing. 1 fluff for every 5 fics of pain. XD Hope you enjoy!

There were many sides of Gravesthat Newt loved. He loved the director that could back him into a corner, alllong lines and powerful edges, and simply devour him with hot breath and evenhotter lips. He loved the man that woke up earlier despite going to bed late,just to help Newt with his chores around the enclosures of his case. He lovedthe friend that made sure to walk Queenie home after an unexpectedly late nightat the office. He loved the sympathetic human being that decided to turn ablind eye to a certain kind no-maj and his bakery when he realized just wherethose creature-inspired pastries Newt loved so much were coming from. He lovedthe way he doted on the Niffler when he thought Newt wasn’t looking, or how heseemed particularly in awe of the powerful grace of the Nundu despite theirdangerous (and very illegal) presence.

He loved him when he had Newt inhis arms, his lips at his shoulder whispering kind words into his freckled skin.He loved him when he woke up trembling and he loved him when he lost himselfbeneath Newt’s touch and he loved him when he tried to hide the fact that heused reading glasses because he thought it made him old.

There were many sides of Gravesthat Newt loved. But this one… Gravescurled up on the couch – hair mussed and sleepy eyed and clad in an old andbattered Ilvermorny sweater – dozing sweetly with the faintest snore… This wasone of his favorites.

Newt came to stand beside thecouch and delicately set the bowl of oil he had been carrying down on the sidetable before leaning down to gently check Graves’ temperature by pressing hisforehead up against the other man’s brow. Warm, still feverish from the change.Newt nodded, expecting no less, before gently taking the paperwork from Graves’slack grip and gently setting it aside as well.

“M’not done with that,” Gravesmumbled, one eye cracked open to watch Newt with a frown – but he made no moveto stop him. Newt smiled.

“It’ll still be here for youlater,” he said simply, before turning back to the director and gently brushinga sweaty lock of hair from his brow. Even narrow as they were, he could stillsee amber peeking out inside the dark depths of Graves’ brown eyes. “How are wefeeling?”

“Told you m’fine,” Graves grousedeven as he sunk a little more into the baggy comfort of his sweater, his jawtipping instinctively into the callused curve of Newt’s hand as he brought itdown to cup his face. “I need to get used to this.”

Newt sighed, amused and a littleimpatient.

“You can’t just will this away,Percival,” he said as he took one of Graves’ trembling hands into his own andwilled heat into his fingers – easing the tremor from the director’s bones. “Whatyou really need to get used to is taking care of yourself.”

Graves scowled even as a deep,contented purr blossomed in his chest from Newt’s administrations.

“I don’t have time to take offafter every full moon, Newt,” he said.

“One day a month wouldn’t killyou,” Newt pressed as he eased his thumbs into the aching flesh between thetendons of Graves’ hand and moved up to start rubbing away the ache in the man’swrist – slightly swollen from the transformation earlier that morning. “If youdon’t listen to your body, it’ll make you listen. The last thing you or yourteam needs is their director passing out in the middle of MACUSA because you pushedyourself too hard.”

Graves looked away at that, moreawake now than he had been – a cute little wrinkle between his brows fromfrowning. Newt apologetically kissed his hand at the sight of his troubledlook. Graves wasn’t used to having to take it easy. Before Grindelwald, hispower had been uncontested. His body had been strong, his magic even stronger. Accordingto Tina, the man never got sick. His work had been his life. Sometimes he evenslept in his office. He had never needed to slow down before. To rest.

And like many things, Grindelwaldrobbed him of that too.

Newt hadn’t believed it at first.He had never heard of a man becoming a werewolf without having been bitten byone. But sure enough, when they found Graves he was half mad from starvationand captivity and the pain of his oncoming transformation. And there hadn’teven been so much as a scar to suggest the man had ever been bitten. Graves hadtried to warn them, though. He howled at them to close the door – to leave. Theaurors just thought him crazed and panicked. They didn’t listen. They advancedon him with soothing whispers and eager hands, and all the while Newt couldn’thelp but feel like something was wrong as he watched Graves press himself asfar into the corner as he could – small and terribly thin and trembling. Eyeson the window. Afraid.

Afraid of himself.

They thought he was afraid ofGrindelwald returning. Newt didn’t notice that it was the rising moon the manwas watching until it was too late. Thankfully, Graves couldn’t rememberanything after the transformation. Newt was grateful for that every day.

“Newt?” Graves asked, breakingthe magizoologist from his thoughts. “Are you alright?”

Newt blinked, pinned beneath theworried warmth of Graves’ gaze – still glowing ever so faintly from his night asa wolf. And when Newt didn’t answer right away, Graves gently pulled his handaway and for the first time, Newt saw the man nervously avert his eyes.

“You don’t have to keep doingthis. I know you’re busy,” Graves said softly, and Newt flinched when hefinally recognized the man’s body language for what it was – shame. “I can take care of myself.”

Newt wasn’t sure what the man wasexpecting. But it obviously wasn’t the scoffing snort Newt let out at the man’sstatement. Graves whirled to look at him with wide eyes as Newt took advantageof his shock to grab at the waistline of the man’s pants and ease them down hislong legs, past his swollen and aching knees, until finally they were off theman altogether.

“If that were true, these,” Newt said, hot hands on thedirector’s knee caps, “Wouldn’t be so swollen. And I wouldn’t have had to arguewith you to get you to stay home for once in your life.”

Graves scowled and opened hismouth to argue, but Newt quickly lifted himself up to silence the man with achaste kiss before leaning back – smiling.

“I know you can take care ofyourself,” he said, eyes crinkled at the edges as he made sure to rememberevery line that made up the soft, shocked expression on Graves’ normallycontrolled and stoic face. “That doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.”

Without another word, Newt dippedhis hands into the minty oil he had brought for Graves and shuffled down tokneel by the man’s legs. Gently, he eased them straight – lips soft andapologetic against the man’s shin when the cartilage in his knee poppedangrily. Newt didn’t miss the way the director flinched or how he was bitingthe inside of his cheek to keep from groaning.

“Ssh,” he said, eyes looking upthe long line of Graves’ body to meet his feverish gaze. “I’ve got you.”

He willed the skin of his handshotter as pressed his thumbs around the swollen edges of Graves’ right knee. Heknew what it must feel like. Minty coolness and warm flesh and deliciouspressure as he rubbed away knots and untangled the muscles that had beenaggravated from the change. He rubbed until Graves’ bitten off groans turnedinto soft little huffs of pleasure beneath his breath. He kneaded the flesh, workinghis palms from the back of the man’s knee down into the meat of his calve, until Graves’ body had sunken into the couch – head back. He moved to the other legonce the man’s eyes slipped closed, Graves’ hands trembling for a completelydifferent reason.

And all the while, Newt smiled.He drank in the sight of this Graves;the normally fierce and powerful director turned puddle on the couch. Thestrong lines of his face soft with pleasure and his body slackbeneath Newt’s touch. Messy hair and inelegant clothing and glistening skin. Hecherished every second of easing the baggy, battered sweater up the hard planesof the man’s stomach. He kissed and worshiped every inch of pale skin thejourney exposed and loved the way Graves grumbled sleepily as Newt guided theovergrown sweater over the man’s head. He memorized the feel of the man’s firmbody beneath his hands as he rubbed away the weariness of the werewolf’s shoulders andthe tautness in his back. He didn’t stop until Graves was well and trulylost to the world, half asleep and blissed out from the magizoologist’sattentions.

And when Newt was finally contentwith the quality of his work, he simply eased Graves’ upper body up so that hecould slide his lap beneath the man and join him on the couch. Newt smiled aslong, powerful arms threaded themselves around his waist so that Graves mightpress his nose into the redhead’s stomach – his ribs rumbling heavily against Newt’sthigh beneath the weight of his contented purrs. Yes. This was one of his favoritesides of Percival Graves; the side he never showed the world.

“What an odd pair we must make,”Graves mumbled sleepily into Newt’s belly. “A werewolf in the lap of a dragon.”

Newt smiled down at him andbrushed the director’s dark hair back from his brow even as he willed his body hotter, eagerto soothe Graves’ aches.

“I think the word you’re lookingfor is ‘perfect’.”

#Gramander #dark creature gramander #werewolf graves #dragon newt #newt scamander #Percival Graves #Original Percival Graves #Graves Fic #Newt x Graves #Mini Fic

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