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sizzleissues · 9 months

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Speak my language (1250 words.)

inspired by this post by @nervousbelieverstarfish

There was a girl behind M Damocles, her hands stuck awkwardly at her sides as she made herself appear small next to him. Adrien tilted his head to the side to get a proper look but the girl shuffled away. Adrien straightened and looked up at M Damocles. Why had he led this clearly frightened girl all the way to his shady spot in the school yard? M Damocles stepped aside, gesturing to the girl with a worried smile.

“This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she's a new student here.”

Marinette whispered something quiet that went ignored by M Damocles. There was a piece of pasta on her shoulder that she didn't seem to notice and a reddish stain on her black jacket that she definitely knew was there. Her entire face was pink as she watched him from behind her bangs.

He extended his hand — that was what you’re supposed to do when greeting new people? — and tried to make his smile warm. “Hi, I’m Adrien. You have pasta on your shoulder.”

Marinette blinked and M Damocles stepped in, clearing his throat.

“She’s just moved here from China. Very little French.”

Adrien retracted his hand. (He was glad she hadn’t understood him, why had he opened with ‘there’s pasta on your shoulder’? She looked mortified already, no need to kill her.)

“I know you’re only recently returning to regular schooling after your m-,” M Damocles clammed up, his voice trailing off.

“My maman died,” Adrien supplied, forcing M Damocles to look him in his eyes as he said it. He was sick of people treating him like he couldn’t bear to hear the words. Maybe it was more that they didn’t want to say it, that they didn't want to deal with the consequences if he did break with every mention of her. It was a good thing then that he’d put all that childish grief away — along with everything else that would only hurt him in the long run.

“Err- yes. That. Anyways, you’re here longer than Marinette and I read on your file you’re fluent in Chinese. You’re also in all advanced classes so you’d be the perfect fit to help Marinette get around and teach her French on the side. If you are willing to, of course.”

Adrien had half a mind to refuse M Damocles and go back to his quiet existence on the edges of the school. That was the way he liked it and nothing ever before had made him want to change that. Then he looked at Marinette and he couldn’t find it in him to refuse.

“Do you know what dialect she speaks?” Adrien asked.

“Pardon?”

“What dialect? I speak Mandarin but she could only speak Cantonese or another regional dialect I wouldn’t understand.”

M Damocles paused, his thick eyebrows weighed with confusion. It seemed the thought had never occurred to him.

“Marinette. Do - you - speak - Mandarin?” M Damocles asked her in broken French. Adrien saw something flick across her face that was different from her timid expression before. A flash of fire in her otherwise soft blue eyes. She silently nodded in response. Adrien saw it again as M Damocles turned back to Adrien to relay the answer though he’d already heard. He had to bite his lip to contain a snicker as he caught the sarcastic flick of her eyes.

“Well then, that’s all sorted. I’ll leave you to it,” M Damocles said with a note of relief in his voice, glad the translation problem was no longer his. He strode off, leaving Marinette behind. She watched him leave with a surprisingly reluctant expression, even though he’d proved utterly incompetent.

“So, you’re new here?” He asked in Mandarin. Marinette swung her head around, blue eyes wide and frightened again.

“Y-yes.”

“I’m A-.”

“Adrien Agreste. I know,” She interrupted.

“You do?”

Marinette seemed to realise what she’d done and turned bright red.

“I mean, you already said so. Earlier. I’m not the best at French but I know when someone’s introducing themselves.”

“Right…” It didn’t explain knowing his last name, he’d never given it, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the Agreste name had made it as far as China. He moved on to the side on his bench and held his hand out to offer the seat beside him. “Do you want to sit down?”

“Okay.”

She sat, bouncing her leg as she looked everywhere but at him. Had she understood him earlier with the pasta thing? He searched his head for something to say before the silence lingered too long and it became impossible to breach.

“You have pasta on your shoulder.”

Not that!

Marinette squeaked, shaking it off and then removing her jacket altogether. She groaned into her hands. Adrien scrambled desperately for something not related to pasta to ask.

“I- I noticed you have a French word in your name?”

“Oh, yeah. My Papa is French but we’ve lived in China my whole life. Never really tried to learn the language. Regretting that now.” She laughed dryly at her own expense. Adrien smiled at her when she looked up and she immediately went back to staring at the ground, furiously tapping her foot.

“Why did you move, if you don’t mind answering?”

“To go here. To learn art at this school and become a fashion designer. I applied ages ago, I didn’t think I got in. Didn’t think I would get in.” She leaned back from hunching over, her voice getting a little louder as she settled. “That's probably why I didn’t really try to learn French but now I’m here and I don’t know a word and it's going to screw everything up. I couldn’t find any of my classes and then this- this, bitch, threw her pasta all over me when I couldn’t understand her. She had a claim over the table I’d chosen, apparently. People had been warning me and I couldn’t understand them fully to realise. How am I supposed to become a famous fashion designer if I can’t even say it in French!”

Marinette clamped her mouth shut and turned to Adrien with an alarmed expression. His Mandarin wasn’t good enough to have kept up with everything but he got the gist. She was completely lost and alone.

“I’m so sorry. You don’t want to hear about that. You’re the one saddled with teaching me and now I’m dumping this all on you. You really don’t have to.”

Adrien looked across the school yard to where all the other students had gathered, talking amongst themselves. Groans about homework, whispers of gossip and cheers as one student presented a graded project. He’d never once bothered to join in. Now he was sitting with this girl who was on the outskirts like him and she couldn’t join in even if she wanted to. The voice that told him to shut everyone out could be ignored for now. She would be his exception.

His only exception.

(He didn’t know now but soon he’d make another. For a girl with fire in her soft blue eyes. He’d look into those eyes as her hand reached to save him and know he’d have to make another exception. But that would be the last one) (Until the next.)

“It’s alright. I’ll teach you French until it's better than your Mandarin. And you can help me improve my Mandarin in return. Does that sound like a deal?”

Marinette looked down at the hand he’d extended then up at him, her eyes flooding with relief. She shook his hand, grinning from ear to ear.

“Deal.”

OK OK OK OK. I hope you liked it, i hope it was good. Let me know or whatever. Please reblog blah blah blah and have a good day

I would write more but I have so many WIPS and I’m trying to overcome doubt in my writing so I can just write again. This is an AU to the movie’s canon but also can be applied to the show if you want. I’ve also added my own slight headcanon that Adrien was only homeschooled during the period of his mother’s sickness and ‘death’ as my interpretation of the canon given to us in the movie. Take it or leave it. So he was friends with Nino prior to everything but he’s since shut him out.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #ml fanfic #ml fic #adrienette #miraculous movie #miraculous awakening #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #AND PEACE OUT #speak my language

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yukidragon · 6 months

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Sunny Day Jack - Reincarnation Headcanons

It’s been a while since I’ve gone on a proper ramble for Sunny Day Jack, so let’s start getting the ball rolling again with some good old shameless OTP self-indulgence, shall we? I have no idea how long my momentum will last, but I’m going to do my best to have fun and see where things take me.

I just loved the script teaser for the upcoming demo update that got publicly posted over on the SnaccPop Studios Patreon. It really got me thinking, and one line in particular intrigued me.

Jack: I can’t explain it, but I know this feeling. I've felt it before. I just can’t remember where...

This really gives me strong vibes that Joseph did have someone he loved before he died… and it really makes me keen to think that MC is his reincarnated lover. Or at least they remind him of a love he lost when he was murdered. This could also be a narrative parallel with the way MC used to(?) love Ian. It’s hard to say at this point.

Regardless, this did make me immediately think of my own MC Alice’s previous incarnation, Mary, who I first mentioned in a previous ramble. I also wrote about her in this very spicy two-sided first-person story, as well as a little snippet about Mary’s potential sweet reunion with Joseph after they were separated for years.

Content Warnings: this post will have mentions of death, trauma, bullying, SA, and probably touch on other dark themes. Reincarnation stories, especially those involving murder, tend to have a bit of a dark side after all. I’ll make sure to tread lightly on these topics since the focus is on indulging in a reincarnated soulmates storyline after all. I might also indulge in some spicy thoughts as well, but we’ll see.

As I previously mentioned, I’m still on the fence about whether or not I’m going to go with the reincarnation storyline for Sunshine in Hell, or stick with it being an AU thing. There’s plenty of pros and cons for both routes in my mind, and I’m still not quite decided yet. Though playing with it more in these rambles, reading that teaser, and even seeing other MCs with past incarnations have made me start to lean in that direction.

Though… it’s pretty sad to imagine that Joseph had love in his past… only to forget about it and only remember the persona of Jack that he’s wearing now. Then again, he would no doubt be sad that his lover forgot about him too. It’s not either of their fault of course. Death is a cruel thing that takes away so much…

Still, it would make more sense why Alice would feel compelled to save Jack, not just because she was in a vulnerable place and couldn’t turn away when someone was suffering and she could help him. A part of her would feel this strong sense of longing and nostalgia, a feeling that she had been waiting for this person for such a long, long time…

It also is more reason for Jack to instantly fall in love with Alice. Even if he forgot he was Joseph and anything tied to that life… he still remembered Mary, even if only as a feeling of love. Names, faces, and places aside from the lore of Sunny Day Jack were erased, but there was only ever one person who made him feel truly loved, and she found him again, just like she did before. He might not remember it, but a part of him wished for her to find him again for 40 long years.

Naturally, with a reincarnation storyline, that means that memories of the past would inevitably return. How much and how quickly are up for debate, but most likely it would be a gradual process for both of them.

It would be interesting if Alice remembered everything first. After all, Jack is practically traumatized by the idea of being Joseph. He doesn’t want to remember being that person who made so many mistakes and was so flawed. This is especially true if his death involved horrible secrets being revealed about him… secrets he never wanted Mary to know that he feared would ruin things between them forever.

Joseph would never have told Mary about his time as a bully, or why he ran away from Haberdae High. He couldn’t forgive himself for what he did, couldn’t see anyone being able to ever love someone who did something so horrible. He couldn’t let his past mistakes ruin things. He couldn’t lose her, not after he finally found her again. He wanted to be a better person for himself and for her.

Mary hated bullies, and Joseph had become the worst of the worst of them. Even if she hadn’t been his victim personally, he knew how she felt about bullies, how the damage they inflicted on someone never truly disappeared…

Having his ugly past revealed before her and the entire world in the worst way possible was no doubt soul crushing.

If the two of them had more time together, Mary could have helped Joseph open up about the things he was ashamed about and eventually forgive himself for his past mistakes, but he died at the worst possible time. It’s all the more reason why he can’t handle being Joseph anymore.

I’d have to consider all the implications of Alice remembering being Mary and if Jack would remember enough to be terrified of that idea. After all, if she remembers, sure she remembers the good moments, but she would also remember when his mask was ripped off and revealed the ugly person he was underneath. In that case, he would try to stop it from happening, deflect and avoid, terrified to let the past resurface while trying not to remember it himself.

Of course Sunshine in Hell is a story of two broken people healing and opening enough to expose their scars in order to heal. Alice would help Jack trust that he can be flawed, he can make mistakes, and she’ll still love him. It’ll take time, but eventually he’ll learn to stop hating the person he was and accept that he was always worthy of love.

While pondering possibilities, I also thought of the classic reincarnated transmigrator stories that are especially popular in the webcomic scene. The idea of Mary being reborn into her favorite story as the “villainess” Alice gives me a little chuckle. Though that’ll be an AU for another post.

Anyway, I considered how much Alice remembers of being Mary and when it started. Many reincarnation stories have the MC remember all at once when they’re young, sometimes even as a baby. That certainly wouldn’t be the case for Sunshine in Hell, since the more I thought about it, the more I knew that it would change the story, particularly when it comes to Alice and Ian’s relationship.

If Alice remembered her past life before she met Jack, it would be a painful gut punch, to say the least. There would be a strong feeling of dissociation. This life is so different from her past one, and Joseph isn’t there. It would give this feeling of not really being sure of who she was or if she should really be there. Does she deserve this life?

Then of course there’s the problems of remembering life as an adult while being stuck in a child’s body and all the issues that come with that.

Still… Mary always longed for a family who actually loved her, and Alice has that. It would be impossible for her to resist wanting to be Alice with her whole heart, to be surrounded by such love in a way she only experienced with one person. The only thing missing would be Joseph. A part of her would feel guilty about being happy without him.

But… if she was reborn, then Joseph must have been too, right? Would he remember her? How would she find him in this vast world?

Though… she did it before didn’t she? On a lonely road in the middle of nowhere, far from their old homes, somehow she found him. Even though he had changed, she still recognized him immediately. Surely she would find him again in this life too.

Mary didn’t have anyone left at the end of her life, and so she lost hope. Alice, however, has people around her who love her. She has hope and reasons to keep living. She has people who want her to be happy and feel loved, even without Joseph by her side.

So Alice would open her heart to the love all around her and live. She would also hold onto the hope that someday she would find her starlight again, no matter what name he had now.

Ian… is not Joseph. There are parallels in the game’s narrative between him and Jack, but their personalities are way too different. Ian and Alice would become friends, but romance wouldn’t develop between the two. It wouldn’t feel right for many reasons to Alice, especially since he’s just… not her starlight. She would be fond of Ian certainly and want to protect him, but she could only view him as a little brother, especially if she had the memories of an adult while they were still children.

So when poor shy Ian gathered the courage to confess to Alice, she had to gently turn him down. It just wasn’t fair to him, or to her. Maybe someday her heart will move on, but not yet, not until she finds someone who makes her feel love the way Joseph did.

Of course, if Alice remembered later on in her teens after she already had a crush on Ian, that complicates things. Sometimes traumatic incidents make people remember their past life incarnations in these stories. For Alice, her most traumatic incident was when she suffered from SA.

Boy, what an awful time to remember one’s tragic death and lost love, don’t you think?

Alice woke up in the aftermath in pain while remembering even more pain, two overlapping identities warring in her mind even as she has to deal with the fresh trauma inflicted upon her. It took her a while to process what happened to her even without adding the memories of Mary on top of all of that.

One side of Alice feels the pain of losing the love of her life as well as fresh memories of dying slowly all alone, and the other side just lost her innocence after her power and agency were stripped away from her. It would be quite a rough time, and how could she tell anyone about these memories? Who would believe her? They’re too real to feel like just a dream she had due to trauma… but what if she’s wrong? Could trauma be great enough to create memories of an entirely different life in an instant?

Fortunately, Alice has the love of her family to help her through hard times, as well as good friends like Ian to support her. It takes a while for her to really process and accept everything, but she at least knows she is loved.

In this scenario, despite the crush Alice had on Ian, she wouldn’t feel right letting it develop into anything more, especially not when her memories of Joseph and the intense love she had for him would be so much more fresh. She would feel guilty, as though she had cheated on… Ian? Joseph? Both?

Either way, Alice is not in any state to enter into a romantic relationship.

So, hey, Alice might be facing reincarnation trauma and dissociation with her identity in this AU, but she avoids a bad romantic relationship and being cheated on. Poor Ian gets turned down by his childhood friend turned crush, but at least they’re still good friends, even if she’s a bit more distant now after the… incident.

Regardless of the twists and turns remembering her past would take her to the present day, eventually Alice finds the tape. It’s just so compelling. When she sees it’s an episode of the SunnyTime Crew Show, well, there’s no way she could resist it. Just the logo would hit her with painful nostalgia and struggling not to cry in the thrift store. For a moment, she just hugs the tape to herself, remembering all the times she wrote for the show as Mary, watched the filming, and especially the last day they ever filmed… and it leaves her longing for the day she finds her starlight again.

Alice has to watch the tape.

It feels ominous too. The blood red handwritten scrawl of “‘84 Incident” makes Alice think about that incident… but surely that couldn’t be… right? LambsWork Productions destroyed every trace of the show. Surely they would’ve gone scorched earth on any recording of the murder?

Then again, if all the tapes were destroyed… that should have included the one she found in this thrift store…

Alice all but runs back home after buying the tape, not bothering with anything else she was going to purchase that day. Her hands are shaking when setting up the VCR, but fortunately she remembers how to use it. It’s almost muscle memory going through the motions of playing a VHS tape. She can’t peel her eyes away from the screen, holding her breath.

The show starts and… oh the pain from nostalgia is unlike anything else. Jack - her starlight - is there. That familiar dazzling smile shining at her as the episode starts. When he greets her and asks her name, she can’t help but answer him, though she doesn’t notice which name she gives him…

I’ve gone over thoughts of how the deal between Alice and Jack might have gone in previous posts. Seeing Joseph’s death again hurts like hell, but the moment Jack starts to talk directly to her, that’s when her heart really starts to pound.

Needless to say, Alice is just as desperate to save Jack as he is to be saved. The pact is made, and their souls are tied together, making them true soulmates.

Then again they already were even without the deal. ;3

Of course, the trauma of the pact does make Alice forget the agreement they made, but her reaction is very different when she wakes up. There’s a moment where she just has to stare at Jack, smiling gently down at her, greeting her like he used to… and she starts to shake. This isn’t a dream, is it?

Jack innocently replies that of course it’s not a dream. Her pal Sunny Day Jack is here to brighten up her day!

Jack doesn’t expect Alice to practically throw herself into his arms and hug him, but he reacts instantly to embrace her. It’s familiar, warm, wonderful, and everything he could ask for.

“I’m happy to see you too, sunshine,” Jack said with a chuckle.

Unfortunately… Jack is in character. Alice calling him Joseph is like a splash of ice, chilling him to the core and he has to correct her, gently of course.

It’s very apparent to Alice that Jack is shaken up. She tries to explain, talk of their past lives and remembering, and Jack… can’t handle it, burying himself deeply into the character of Sunny Day Jack, insisting he’s not who she thinks he is, trying to skirt away from anything Joseph. He cites off lore of the SunnyTime Crew and Sunny Day Jack that she helped write about the character back when she was on the writing staff.

It’s surreal for both of them, with mixed feelings, but Jack is ever eager to change the topic to something sunnier, to try and be the best and brightest friend known as Sunny Day Jack. Alice learns she can’t push him, at least not right now, but now… she’s left wondering if this is really Joseph… or a memory left in the tape? What if he’s just the character brought to life?

What if she lost her mind?

Still, Alice can’t bring herself to push Jack away, even if it’s a bit painful. Over time she picks up that he is Joseph after all, but he forgot everything.

Is this the result of the tape? The murder? Something else? Alice has to figure out what really happened at the studio that day. At the same time, she has to focus on figuring out where to go with Jack.

Alice wished to see Joseph again, no matter what name he had now, but she never expected something like this.

Still… she’s different now too. She’s not Mary anymore. She might have Mary’s memories, but she also has Alice’s memories, a second lifetime in different circumstances, different choices and experiences. She’s different from who she used to be.

So what does that mean for her and Joseph Jack?

Obviously the shadow of Joseph scares Jack. Alice won’t force him to remember, not when his death and what came after were so horrible. Instead she tries to get to know who he is now and figure out where to go from there.

Alice quickly falls in love with Jack. He’s not Joseph, and yet the important parts of him that she fell in love with are still the same. She sees little things of Joseph in him, but he’s also different at the same time. He’s changed, he’s masking things, but he’s still her silly starlight who never failed to make her smile.

Jack tries to overlook memories Alice stirs up in him, hints of sunshine that looked a bit different, but with the same beautiful blue eyes that always held such warmth. He focuses solidly on the present and enjoying his life now with his sunshine.

Still, Joseph’s habits slowly come back in spite of himself. Alice makes him feel so loved and accepted. He has moments where he slips, and she loves him despite it.

Needless to say, this AU would also have a happy ending. They would also get together much sooner than the main universe. While Alice would be trying to keep a respectable distance to understand who Jack was now as he is without forcing him to be someone he doesn’t want to be anymore or pushing her feelings and memories on him, Jack is a yandere who wants her badly. He’s going to notice her feelings quickly and do everything he can to encourage them.

Since Alice doesn’t have baggage from her toxic relationship with Ian holding her back, and she’s been aching to be with Joseph for so long, it won’t be long before her resolve crumbles. He’s always been so good at seducing her, even while dressed up as a silly clown. He might be wearing a different name and look, but he’s still her starlight, and he always had a knack for making her feel so loved, precious, and irreplaceable.

Jack might have buried his memories, but he’s quick to remember all of the ways he could make his sunshine melt in his arms. There are small hiccups due to her SA trauma as he has to be careful about the triggers she has from that, but he’s patient and gentle with her. He thoroughly focuses on her pleasure and comfort, making sure she feels nothing but safe and loved the entire time.

Needless to say, Alice’s first time in this universe is much more pleasant than it is in the main timeline.

It all feels familiar to both of them, the physical and emotional aspects of making love that they experienced countless times in the past, but the feelings are more intense due to the supernatural connection between them making their feelings bleed into one another. Jack at times is almost overwhelmed by nostalgia, but it doesn’t scare him when they’re making love. The nickname of “starlight” Alice used for him was always familiar, but it didn’t upset him like the name “Joseph” did, not when it’s his sunshine calling him that, saying she loves him, and kissing him so tenderly. She makes sure to call him Jack or starlight even while she’s screaming in pleasure beneath him. She’s careful to avoid old names that bring him pain, focusing on who he is now, taking care not to push him when she senses it’s causing him distress. She cares just as much about his comfort and avoiding his triggers just as he does for her.

That increase in intimacy, both physical and emotional, is the trigger that starts Jack really remembering things as Joseph, but not in a negative way. It’s an addicting feeling, one that’s hard to resist, especially when it feels so, so good and comes with so much pleasure and love.

Still, at some point Jack starts to get those fears of Alice learning… something. He still flees from those bad memories, not even wanting to know what that something was.

But over time… Alice helps Jack accept his past. It takes him a while, but when he’s forced to face it and she reinforces the fact that she accepts him, even the awful things he did back then, that she still loves him… he practically collapses into her arms, crying, just so relieved.

For 40 years he was convinced that the reveal destroyed everything, robbed him of love, and it… didn’t. Alice lets Jack be who he wants to be and accepts the mistakes he made in the past who are a part of the person he is today. She loves him even with all his flaws, and she wants to help him to keep growing to become the person that he wants to be, because he’s always been the person she wants to be with, flaws and all.

It still takes Jack a while to accept his past identity as Joseph, but Alice helps him. She can also relate, as it took her a while to accept her past incarnation as Mary too. It’s something they both can understand intimately. Even if their circumstances for being reborn as new people are different, they both understand each other in a way no one else can, and they help each other navigate what it means to live a new life while being haunted by the memories of a previous one that was less than ideal.

Fortunately, this time, their love story has a happy ending instead of a tragic one.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #Headcanon Ramblings

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henrystickminopposingthethreat · 6 months

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Hi…uhhh….it’s…been a god awful while-

Okay so, no I’m not back, I shouldn’t even be posting this right now actually. But the reason I’m doing this is because i just needed to give out a proper update on what’s going on and the future of this blog. Please don’t see this as me OFFICIALLY returning, this is just an update I need to get out. Please don’t make me regret this…

So…where have I been? I got grounded back in February of this year, not going to elaborate on why, and I got my stuff back in June but was told I couldn’t post anything on social media. I was really concerned about my friends online at the time, so i got put into therapy to try and get over everything during my absence. I’m currently working on a video for YouTube and TikTok as well, but because i made the video right away in June and still haven’t been allowed to post since, I’m going to have to rework it since some of the audio is outdated. A lot has happened while I was gone. Again, not going to say why, it’s personal stuff, no I wasn’t like assaulted or any of that crap. It was mental.

So now I want to explain…this blog….I want a fresh start for this AU entirely. Why? I listed them on Wattpad a few weeks ago, but to recap, it was a bunch of reasons, mainly drama. This blog has been constantly been involved in drama with others and my dumbass self would use this blog to antagonize one of them, which is something I regret. This blog also just…kept changing as the story went on to the point I couldn’t keep up with it myself. I also hate that this blog doesn’t even feel like a THSC blog anymore, rather an original story. And the most valid of them all……..cringe. I’ve also given up on remaking the first chapter, I only got the first 20 pages done and lost motivation.

I feel like I should do a fresh start with this blog because this AU in general has had many issues with drama and things I regret. I’ve lost friends because of this and made many dumb decisions as this blog went on. Though my biggest question is what I should do with this blog exactly.

I’m considering either deleting this blog entirely or delete the old posts and post new stuff whenever I come back. I’ll leave that for you guys to decide.

From the bottom of my heart, I’m absolutely sorry for my absence and everything. I blame my dumbass for all of this, yes things are inevitable but everything that happened is on me. The drama, my disappearance from the face of the Earth, and other stuff. Please decide what I should do with this blog, I really want to restart this AU but don’t know what to do with the blog as a whole.

I love all of you guys, you guys are the reason I’m even still going. *hugs*

As to when i will be back, I have no idea, but I will do everything I can to get back to posting again.

Thank you

-IciLaraStudios

#mod talks

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

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Glorious masquerade interlude:ms raven having to deal with a conspiracy theory that came out of nowhere the whole time while rollo later goes mad

[Related Posts: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6]

Sooo the progression for the conspiracy theory (running concurrently with the events of Glorious Masquerade) sounds like this?:

Raven gets sent to the symposium along with the other 14 (I’m including Grim, Yuu, and Trein in this count), perhaps as a representative of the headmaster? Noble Bell College should also prepare a unique masquerade outfit for Raven--

She meets and greets Rollo. “You are... Crowley-dono’s niece, correct? It is an honor to host such an esteemed guest.” Raven feels like she should be flattered, but Rollo’s gaze lingers for a little too long for her liking.

She has a fun time exploring the city and learning about its history and culture! I think she’d focus a lot on local folklore and stories, as well as the cuisine and the rare flowers (she can pluck a few to experiment with while brewing new enchanted ink colors).

The entire time, she feels like someone’s watching her (wait, is that Sebek and NBC’s student council president staring at her from behind a convenient brick wall?!). (Like, maybe the topic of Raven came up when Rollo met up with Malleus’s group for a brief tour; then both Rollo and Sebek got sidetracked trying to see if Malleus and Raven are secret distant relatives 😅)

While the NRC boys get involved in a festive dance, I think Raven would feel more comfortable observing. She doesn’t like to get too involved in these kinds of showy events; that’s when Rollo can pull her aside for a little chat (probably misreading her introversion as disapproval of using magic in this way). You know, ask about her lineage, as well as get her opinion on the use of magic for such frivolities as a celebration.

Raven could explain a little about herself, like how she used to be a regular bird without the confidence to channel any magic of her own--and now that she has a ‘proper’ body, she can experience a lot of things she wasn’t able to before, including making new friends (with the NRC kids). In a way, those new experiences are like “magic” to her, so she’s content as she is.

I’d imagine that this is kind of a shock to Rollo (but in a slightly different way than how he found Yuu’s answer shocking)? Maybe he gets it in his head that she would be better off without magic too, returned to her natural environment instead of stuck in the “bird cage” that is NRC. Maybe he thinks of her as a kindred spirit, someone who might be able to understand his perspective (especially upon hearing her start off with “meeting people is magic in of itself”; implying she could be happy without having magic itself). But why is she like this? Why would she willingly go inside the “cage” of NRC, allow magic into her life? Why would she find happiness in it, find happiness among magicians? Rollo cannot understand it, and that frustration only adds to his sinister ambitions. (At this point, he could assume Raven and Malleus are related, because perhaps a family member would want to defend another family member? In that case, he’ll have to be rid of Raven as well.)

And then when Rollo finally reveals his plot to everyone and Idia + Ruggie suggest “every man for himself” 🤔 I can see Raven joining Trein in shaming them (since the RSA boys sacrificed themselves).

When they decide to stay and fight back, I can see Raven wanting to help but some people not taking her seriously. Sebek would probably act all high and mighty, demanding to know what skills and abilities she has to offer that qualify her as a tactician or a warrior.

An argument ensues, but Malleus cuts in to basically tell everyone (but mostly Sebek) that they need to take everything they can get, else he will never be able to exact his revenge on Rollo for deceiving them. Because it’s his lord commanding him, Sebek has no choice but to relent. I’d like to think that Raven is able to say something to inspire confidence as well.

We don’t know where the story goes beyond part 3 right now, so I won’t go into detail about what Raven exactly plans... but Sebek could have an epiphany while they’re having the discussion (Raven at the helm and/or being a major contributor to it), realizing that she has some leadership qualities similar to Malleus. He wonders if he’s just imagining it or if it’s a sign that Malleus and Raven share blood--

“There’s no time to waste. We must stop Rollo-san before the crimson flowers engulf all of Twisted Wonderland.” Raven looks to him, her expression dark. “We need you, Sebek. Do not let us down.”

His next words come out reflexively. “Yes, milady!” He wonders if it is the ties of blood or the ties of their bond that inspires the people to act—or perhaps it doesn’t matter, for their souls shine all the same.

#twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #Malleus Draconia #Raven Crowley #Rollo Flamme #spoilers #notes from the writing raven #Sebek Zigvolt #Rollo Flamm

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insuferrablewhore · 1 year

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i hate modern society

i hate growing up like this ik i sound like one of those ‘i was born in the wrong generation!!!’ kids but i’ve just realised how awful and fucked everything is since about 2016. due to the internet advancing and things like amazon and fast fashion becoming a thing modern people are so used to this sort of instant gratification. especially with the fast fashion bit because now fashion doesn’t matter anymore, the clothing industry is dying because you can get any sort of clothes basically the next day or even delivered to your house the same day. and also because of the internet fashion trends are all over the place because of how easily widespread everything is and new things are coming out all the time, meaning even more fast fashion is produced

mentioning social media, modern social media is completely fucked

and i don’t know how to explain this but because everyone has a phone and it’s so easy to just do whatever no one actually properly talks anymore if you know what i mean, so many people don’t have hobbies because of the amount of time they spend on their phone

now i know i sound like a boomer but truly nowadays there are very little people with actual hobbies especially at our age, like you could ask a kid our age early 2000s or 90s what they like doing and they’d probably say painting/reading, hanging out with friends, playing an instrument, listening to music, collecting things, playing a sport, etc etc but if you asked a few kids today they’ll most likely say something to do with video games or the internet and hanging out with friends, maybe a sport

and we all make fun of kids our age that are ‘sheltered’ and have weird hobbies but really it’s us that’s missing out because they truly get to live

before the internet almost anything you did had some sort of purpose/outcome, painting, reading etc etc, but almost anything to do with the internet/screens idk (like computers n phones) has no gain, and i know that people use the internet to learn and to see other people’s opinions and lives n whatnot

i mean name the last ten tiktoks you saw

and the saddest thing is that when people realise this, like us, they have no option but to continue in this life because unless we reconstructed our society, there is no way we can return from this

and yes the internet is a great place to connect with people and all, but i personally think the earlier days were the best days because google was up and running but proper social media wasn’t

and mobile phones were still less advanced so you wouldn’t have people playing games on them

and it’s impossible to get away from this, because even if you disconnect and decide to not use your phone and only use google and some other websites, you will still know you live in this world because everyone around is on their phones

i’d also like to speak about how romance is dead, because it’s so easy to talk to people, recently it’s been ‘do you send’ and whatnot, but i truly think everyone is so desensitised to this sort of behaviour bc if we go back like 20 years the only way to get someone’s personal nudes was if they physically gave you photos, and talking to people was so different and idk i’m just disgusted by society

idk all of this is so utterly depressing because i know that i am being forced to live in this sort of society and no matter how much i kick and scream i will never be able to get out

this was a rant to my friend and i decided to post it here because idk, i have like 12 followers so y’all better love this shit

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dick-helmet-magneto · 1 year

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Erik teaching Charles about Judaism!

one, this ended up a bit short so i thought i'd just post it here two, i did some research and hope i got everything right. i will accept constructive criticism if delivered nicely.

Hope you enjoy!

“So…what? I thought Hanukah was like the Jewish equivalent of Christmas,” Charles states, looking up at Erik with wide eyes. “I thought it was something that was really important to you.”

Erik holds up a finger, stopping Charles, there’s a smirk on his face though. “Okay, those are two different things. First of all, no. We don’t celebrate the birthday of Jesus. I mean you don’t celebrate the birthday of Jeff who lived fifty years ago, though I’m sure he might have done something important in his lifetime. We don’t really have an equivalent. That being said, the holiday is important to me. I have a lot of happy memories attached to it. Time spent with my parents and sister. And I happen to like what the celebration is based on.”

“What’s that?” Charles asks.

Erik smiles softly. He hadn’t expected a discussion about decorating the mansion for Christmas and Hanukah to lead to a teaching moment for the professor, nevertheless, he’s not going to complain. He rather likes talking about his beliefs and culture. Plus, anytime he knows more about something than Charles, he’s going to take it.

“It’s celebrating liberation, freedom, and finding light, happiness,” He replies, “Something that maybe I struggle with, but I think it’s important.”

Charles looks at him for a moment, eyes narrowing before he asks, “Sort of like at thanksgiving when we all say what we’re thankful for?”

“…Liebling, I love you, but that’s a lot to unpack and I think I’m going to need some time to think about where to start on that one.” Best not to make comparisons there. He could come up with some that would have Charles regretting mentioning that holiday at all.

Though the food is good, he’ll give them that.

For a moment, Charles is silent, but Erik doesn’t dare return to the book he’s holding in his hands. He knows as soon as he does, there will be more questions. Maybe he should have broke out the chess set if they’re going to do this.

Before he gets the chance to move though, more questions are flying at him.

“So what holidays do you give gifts on? And what are the big holidays?” Leave it to Charles to be asking about gifts.

“The biggest holiday? Or the most important? The most important I think is Yom Kippur. A day of atonement. It’s a day dedicated to self-examination and gives up the ability to start the new year off without the past weighing us down.”

“It’s on New Year’s then? New Year’s Eve?” He asks.

“Normally late September,” Erik replies and laughs at the look on Charles’s face. “Hebrew calendar is different. That’s the first according to it.”

“And you just confess your sins?” Charles continues to ask.

“I’m beginning to think I should just buy you a book. It would do better explaining all of this in order and make it make sense,” He replies, sighing and trying to decide how to answer this question. He feels like he’s already left a trail of unanswered questions. Maybe this could be another one.

“It’s not like…Catholics, is it? We have ten days of repentance, this is the last day of it. We make amends with what we’ve done. We ask forgiveness and then out fate is decided. We don’t wait until we’re dead to be judged or whatever it is. It happens during life and we have time to make things right. The holiday has five rules.”

“Holidays with rules?” Charles asks, as though it’s a ridiculous thing and Erik can only roll his eyes.

“As though other holidays don’t have rules. Imagine Christmas with no presents or that obnoxious music or decorations. Your thanksgivings without the turkey. Only ours are proper rules instead of guidelines.”

The look on Charles’s face says he clearly doesn’t believe Erik, but he seems to accept that he has to ask as he sighs and shrugs, “Let’s hear it then. What are they.”

“Prohibitions. No eating or drinking, bathing, wearing leather shoes, anointing with oil or sex,” Erik states.

“So I suppose that means no sex in a tub filled with oil while wearing leather shoes? Erik, most of those things are things you don’t tend to do anyway,” He states.

“I didn’t say some of them weren’t dated rules. Just that there are rules. Are you thinking of converting or something?” Erik asks, making his way over to Charles, sitting next to him and sliding an arm around his shoulders.

Charles leans in, against Erik, shaking his head. “No, darling, I really am a man of science and evolution,” He assures him with a smile. “I just thought I don’t know much about your beliefs and Jewish holidays. It could be nice to learn more about them and celebrate with you. Besides, there are other Jewish children at the school as well. It’s not fair to celebrate the holidays of some and not others.”

The thought of Charles caring about something like that is enough to bring a smile to Erik’s face and he nods, kissing the top of the smaller man’s head. “Give me some time to think everything through and I can give you a rundown of it. We can start celebrating them next year and make sure to include everything.”

Charles smiles, Erik is sure he catches onto his happiness at the idea, but can’t be bothered to try hiding it. There are a lot of traditions he’s lost, holidays he hasn’t celebrated in years, and customs that he’ll need a bit to remember properly, but he’s glad for the chance to do this again. And, maybe, some of the kids can help him remember everything.

#cherik

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josefavomjaaga · 2 years

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Okay, one more Ida post, then I’ll let it go. But this is Ida’s and Ney’s first proper encounter. Again, it’s not quite clear when this happens. Sweet Ida has all her dates confused. But as Ney seems about to get married, it’s most likely June/July 1802. Ney has just returned to Paris, and one of Ida’s confidants whom she only ever designs as »D.L.« and who has been her informant in all things Ney for quite some time already, as it seems, has taken a short letter from Ida to Ney’s house. As Ida puts it:

[...] it seems that one has little spirit when one is in love, for this note was the silliest and most badly thought out I had written in my life.

It sufficed, though, because according to »D.L.«, Ney immediately requested

"Is she free? Will I find her alone?"

No Moreau anywhere anymore, right?

Ida in turn then wanted to know if »D.L.« had properly explained everything to Ney, and received the reassurance that

"Yes, everything; he knows it, believes it and will see it, and he will be too happy."

Well. Seems like a plan then.

Ney’s visit was announced for the next evening, and Ida – like every good novel heroine - spent the whole day getting nervous:

Who has not felt all the nuances of a thousand contrary feelings which succeed one another in the hours of a first expectation! Alas! I was experiencing them all together, when a cabriolet rattling along stopped: the door opened; and I had not had time to believe in my happiness when it was confirmed. I was out of my mind, but I had so much happiness that this should have been the end of my life. If Ney had been an ordinary man, one would almost have found ugliness in his face; [...]

You said that. I was biting my tongue here.

[...] but with his noble stature, with his attitude and that look which was all man; on seeing so much glory it was as if one saw beauty. A few words had hardly been exchanged between us, and already we were chatting, we felt like friends of twenty years. With what loyal probity he reminded me of the care for my future!

With regards to her future, Ney tries to talk to her about her relations to Moreau and about how she should have stayed with him or at least let Moreau take care of her financially (a topic Ida cuts short because – hey, I’m busy oogling you, stop distracting me!), and also about the marriage that Napoleon has arranged for him:

Too frank, too loyal to hesitate in the face of a duty and a confession, Ney did not let me remain unaware of Napoleon's plans for his union with a young and beautiful friend of Hortense. By dint of my admiration for such high probity, I was happy to hear him speak of this union which, by a sacred bond, would separate him from me. "But if you form this bond," I said to him, "will you lay down your arms? "Lay down my arms! I hope to remain the last on the battlefields; but, you will not believe it, it is Napoleon who generally insists on marriage. I do not know whether he is right: for what man is there who does not change a little with a family, with children?"

Ney was not a man to compromise with a duty, and I dare say that, without this conviction, he would have been less dear to me. At this moment, duty itself was sweet to him, because the woman whom one intended for him was in all things worthy of him. According to his confession of marriage, I would have feared to give Ney an unfavourable opinion of my character, by asking him to return. But how happy he made me by saying to me: "But I am still free; you will not send me back tomorrow: at what time will you be at home?" "At any hour. I only stayed in Paris for you; I only chose this retreat to receive you here; I will leave it, I will leave Paris, I will leave France when I can no longer wait for you there without crime." "You are indeed quite dangerous!" "I will never be for you. I foresee our destinies, which cannot be united; but I shall know how to prefer your glory to my happiness. In losing you, to love alone cannot be a crime, and that will still suffice for my happiness." "But how could I have inspired in you a feeling so close to enthusiasm?" "Since your name was pronounced before me by the witnesses of your worth and the companions of your glory." He clasped me to his heart with violent tenderness, and with this cry: "I swear to you forever a brother's friendship."

I hear you, brother! So … can we say Ida was something like Ney's extended bachelor party?

#napoleon's marshals #michel ney #ida saint-elme #elselina versfelt

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carbo-ships · 7 months

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Good-Night Kiss

I'd originally posted this in two different parts so I'm re-uploading it in one piece to keep everything organized!

CW: This whole thing is just Papa IV being too affectionate with Ardis and her melting into a puddle until Aether rescues her, so if you f/o Papa IV and aren’t comfy with that, don’t read this. Nothing romantic going on, she just admires him and can't handle affection.

With his hand on the small of her back, Aether led Ardis through the monastery towards the residential wing. It was late – they’d dozed off cuddling in the library, and it was time they got some proper sleep. As they passed through one of the sitting rooms, they spotted Papa reading on the couch. “Good evening, you two,” he greeted them. “Off to sleep?”

“Mmhmm,” the angel answered sleepily with a nod. “G’nite, Papa.”

“Ah, ah, ah! Where do you think you’re going, signorina?” Papa scolded, setting down his novel and standing up.

Aether and Ardis stopped and turned to face him. She wasn’t sure what he meant. “Um… To bed?” she answered awkwardly.

“There’s no leaving without a good-night kiss!” Papa insisted with a poorly-hidden grin, waving her back towards him.

Her face suddenly felt warm. After a brief hesitation, she made her way to stand in front of Papa. The man took her into his arms and held her close. Tucking her hair out of her face, he pressed a long, chaste smooch to her cheek with a loud “mwah!” He pulled away and offered the stunned girl a warm smile. Her flustered expression prompted him to bless her other cheek with an equally loud kiss. He then tapped his own cheek, silently demanding one in return. Her halo flickered erratically as she summoned her courage, then pressed the briefest of kisses to his painted cheek. He laughed, hugging her and pressing three more kisses to her forehead. “So timid all of a sudden!” he teased her. “Where has this come from, angel?”

Aether watched in amusement from the doorway. He’d always known she’d had a harmless little crush on the handsome head of the church. Papa was a sweet man, and very affectionate. It only made sense that Ardis had a soft spot for him. Ardis and Aether had chatted about it early on in their relationship just to clear the air, and although she was mortified that Aether had noticed, she assured him that her heart was his alone. Too much affection just made her head go a bit fuzzy, she explained. Even Swiss had made her halo flicker once or twice while getting a bit too enthusiastic during a hug, but Papa Emeritus tended to be the worst offender.

After Papa studied her flushed cheeks, it clicked. “Does my angel have una piccola cotta on her papa?” the anti-pope tutted.

“A– A what?” she stuttered, although from the tone of his voice, she had an inkling.

He chuckled. “A crush, doll.”

Ardi’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. She looked away, embarrassed. She wanted to disappear. “I– I’m sorry, I–” came her tiny voice.

“No, no, don’t apologize!” he insisted. “I’ll have none of that. Be honest with me, Ardis,” he pleaded with a fake sigh. “Is it my ass?”

She gasped, stunned by his crude question. “Papa!”

“I know it’s magnificent,” he teased, dramatically resting the back of his hand against his forehead with a flourish. His other arm still held her close, preventing her escape. With limited options, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him to hide her red face in his shoulder. “Ardis. Ardis! I’m just teasing, my love!” he cooed as he hugged her back. He petted her hair comfortingly and pressed another kiss to her temple, apologizing when she let out an embarrassed whine. “I can’t tell you how flattering this is, dove,” he assured her quietly. He gave her a moment to calm down, then gently eased her off of him and held her shoulders. “Ti voglio bene,” he assured her. “You’re my precious little angel, sì? Ah, there’s that smile! Che dolce ragazza!”

Before he could start smothering her face in kisses again, Aether intervened. "Alright, alright, that’s enough,” he huffed, coming to Ardis’s rescue. He took the angel from Papa’s arms and into his own. This close, he could see that her face was covered in smudged papal paint. He’d have to help her clean it off before they went to bed.

“Va bene, va bene, mi dispiace,” Papa apologized with a chuckle, holding up his hands innocently. “I’ll let you two get some sleep. Good night.”

Cheeks still red, Ardis was seated on the bathroom counter. Aether used a wet washcloth to clean the smudged papal paint off of her face. When he was done, he gently took her chin in his hand and tilted her head slightly to examine his work. He couldn’t help but think how cute she was when she was embarrassed. Her flushed cheeks nicely complimented those big doe eyes of hers, he thought to himself. Satisfied with his work, he gently kissed her forehead. “Let’s get some sleep,” he said when he pulled away. He helped her off the counter and took her hand in his.

After reaching his bedroom and saying their prayers, they crawled under the covers. He opened his arm to her invitingly, and she rested her head on his chest. He pressed another kiss to her forehead. He loved that he didn’t need to wear his mask around her anymore. While they’d shared a bed almost the entire time they’d known each other, it felt different when there wasn’t that physical barrier between them. It also meant he could kiss her whenever he liked. Smiling at the thought, he did it again.

“Do I smell like him?” Ardis asked the ghoul timidly.

He chuckled, rubbing her arm. “Yes, a bit. Not too bad, though.”

She seemed embarrassed by the notion and went quiet for a moment. "Can you make me smell like you again?”

“I–” Aether’s face felt warm. He paused. “Uh, sure. I mean– Sorry, what? You want to smell like me? I thought you couldn’t even tell.”

“I can’t, I just… Um…” She wouldn’t look at him.

He gave her a sympathetic smile. “What are you asking for?”

She shifted closer to him and nuzzled her face into his neck, grumbling something unintelligible.

“Oh, I see,” he tutted. She wanted that aggressive, dominant, all-consuming affection that often came along with the territorial nature he fought to suppress. He adjusted his arms to hold her tight, slipping one hand under her shirt to rest against her bare back, and entwined his legs with hers. Once they were properly tangled up, he brought his lips to her ear. “Yeah, I can do that.”

#carbo writes

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cara-delaney-author · 7 months

Text

Blog post inside a blog post? It's more likely than you think!

Over on my website, I write monthly posts about the craft of writing, self-publishing, and sometimes tomatoes. For October, I've written up a little overview of my planning process - how do I go from idea to manuscript?

If you're curious, and maybe are getting a late start on your Preptober, go take a look!

Post pasted below the cut as well for your reading convience 👇

Plan a book with me!

Well. We’re here. Tomb of Heart and Shadow is finished, I’m just collection the last files I need to upload it to KDP and Ingram, and then off to the presses we go. This means that all the active parts are pretty much done, and it’s about time that I start a new project.

Plan a new project, I should say. Believe you me, I have learned my lesson, I’m not starting anything anymore without a solid plan. So why don’t you join me in my office, pour yourself a cup of tea, and let’s take a look at just how, exactly, I do all of that planning?

Step 1 – the notes That’s how every project starts – with some notes in my dump file that I keep on my desktop. At some point, when one random jumble of words stands out among the rest, I take that jumble and give it its own file. Everything goes in there. Every idea, character, setting, stuff I come up with during walks gets transferred from my notes app. I won’t use all of it, but it’s better to write something down and not need it than to wake up in the morning remembering that you had a brilliant idea at 4am but nothing else.

Step 2 – the elevator pitch This is about as classic as it gets. The dreaded two-sentence summary that distils the story down to its core concept. A mermaid and a pirate fall in love, and must work together to escape an angry ex-fiancé. A woman returns to her hometown and finds that everyone is behaving really strangely. When she starts snooping, she discovers a terrible secret. Two adventurer friends find a valuable relic, but when they take it, they accidentally unleash an ancient evil. They race against time to bottle it back up before one friend – and the entire world – becomes consumed by it. Now, this is not necessarily set in stone. If you’ve read my books, you’ll recognise the first two and notice that a lot is missing. That’s normal. This is just supposed to be a starting point. Since I’m not pitching to anyone at this stage, I don’t need it to be perfect, I just need it to be exciting to me.

Step 3 – the blurb Exactly what it says on the tin. For this step, I expand my elevator pitch into a proper blurb, like what you might find on the back of a book, or a store page. I give myself a little more space than what I would normally write as back copy, so roughly 250-300 words. Normally, I try to keep my back copy at around 150 words. This part is supposed to hit the big plot beats. That way, if I read it back and think “wow, there’s no way beat #6 would follow from beat #5”, I know that stretch of the story needs more work. But once I’ve got it all flowing smoothly and coherent, I move on to the next step.

Step 4 – the bullet point outline This is where the story really takes shape. I take the blurb, write down each beat as a bullet point, and then I start filling out the list around those beats. I don’t bother with details or any research that isn’t directly plot-relevant. For this part, I just need to get the story down on paper from start to finish. There will be lots of notes and comments here for later. If something needs foreshadowing, I will mark that. If a specific character development needs more setup, I will make sure to remind myself. If an aspect of the worldbuilding becomes relevant to the plot, I add a reminder to mention or explain that ahead of time, so as to not make it sound like I winged it in the scene. Since I write romance, I will also make sure to periodically note the relationship stage we’re in, just so I know that the progression makes sense.

Step 5 – the narrative summary This is the point at which I start writing the story. I’ll take that bullet point list and turn it into an extremely shortened version of the story. For reference, the narrative summary for my space horror is 3900 words long, the summary for my next romance project 3500. This summary allows me to get a better idea of the narrative flow and overall feel of the story. I can tinker with my bullet point outline, add and change as necessary, and incorporate all of those elements I put in the notes in step four. This process can take anywhere between a few days and a few weeks, depending on how much I’m changing, whether some aspects of the story need restructuring, and also what else I’m working on. But it’s important to me to get this right, because it will become the foundation upon which the story is built. If this is flawed, the entire construction will be lopsided. Right now, this is the step I’m at. I finished my narrative summary, and now I’ll give it a week or so to sit and simmer before I get back to it for the next step.

Step 6 – the actual outline Now this one, I’ll be experimenting with again. I do very much like chapter-by-chapter outlines, because there is something extremely satisfying about being able to see these self-contained little bits of story that I can start and finish in a day if I want to, and that look really neat when I’m done. But while this was fine with single-POV, or a dual-POV structured A-B-A-B, I’m not sure how well it works, really, for dual-POV where the chapters don’t neatly alternate. So I might shift this step from chapter-by-chapter to scene-by-scene. I don’t think it will make a huge difference in the end, but it will make it easier for me to shift scenes around, and see the overall balance of the different POVs (especially once I feed it into Atticus and start working on it in there).

And once this is done, there’s nothing left but Step 7 – writing the story.

So there it is, my current process as I go through a project from inception to writing “the end” underneath. Looks like a lot? It’s really not. Truth be told, without the majority of this prep work, the actual writing process would take so much longer. Having it all laid out and ready to go makes it so much easier not just to find flaws ahead of time (and thus avoid extensive rewrites), but to write the actual book day to day, without getting stuck in research, character development, and wondering if the entire thing hasn’t gone wildly off course forty pages ago, and I just didn’t notice yet. If you’ve never tried planning a long-form project, maybe give this method a go.

Now, if you’ve been reading this blog or following my socials for a bit, you might be wondering: It’s almost November, and she’s outlining a new manuscript, is she-

No. I’m not. There will be no NaNoWriMo for me this year, and this time, I mean it.

I haven’t missed a year since 2011. It’s time for a break. So this year, on October 31st, instead of counting down to November to get my first 1000 words in, I’ll be chilling on the couch, watching The Fall of the House of Usher, having a drink or two, and when the clock strikes midnight, I’ll think: “Maybe I should go to bed.”

And that will be all.

– Cara

#writing #self-publishing #writing tips #nanowrimo #preptober #blog post

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poppyseedspshelpmesleep · 8 months

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There's gotta be something poetic I could write about finding it in myself to post on Kakashi's birthday but like, nah. In some of my previous posts here about TCO I mentioned a lil something else I've been working on. So, here's the first chapter of a lil prologue of sorts!

Also, happy late birthday to Sakumo!!

Check out TCO chapter one here.

The Four Stooges [5+1]

Chapter One | At First Glance

A month into the academy, and Sakumo still wasn’t used to all the noise. One would think he’d have a harder time out in the village proper, but while that was certainly true on occasion, something about the closed building filled with other genin-hopefuls just made everything louder.

He still wasn’t sure how he felt about having to attend, either, but it was easier knowing his closest friend had to go through this with him.

Speaking of, Sakumo turned just as Tsunade sat down with a huff next to him. She kept her eyes closed and crossed her arms, and Sakumo just knew someone had stopped her before classes to ask about her family.

Knowing she wouldn’t want to talk about it, Sakumo nudged her arm and pointed at the ceiling.

“Sensei still hasn’t brought down the pencil Tadashi threw last week,”

Tsunade looked up and huffed again, letting her arms fall as she leaned forward to peer around the kids in front of them.

“If he hasn’t taken it down, I bet he’ll leave it until we graduate.” She turned to grin at him, “500 ryo that pencil’s still there when Nawaki starts attending?”

Sakumo looked back to the pencil.

“I don’t know, maybe it’ll fall out on its own before then?”

“No way! Tadashi’s good at throwing, I’m sure that pencil’s buried enough it won’t fall.”

“Still, maybe-”

“Settle down for attendance everyone, class is starting.”

Sakumo sat up in his seat while Tsunade rolled her eyes and put her arms on the table.

“Think he’ll be on time today?” She murmured without turning.

Sakumo gave her a side glance. “Probably, Sasuke-sensei said he’d give us a group project today, remember?”

“Ugh.”

Sure enough, when their sensei called out for Jiraiya, a white haired boy close to the middle of the class raised his hand even as he continued whispering not to his friend.

Roll call finished, the teacher went on to explain the group project he was assigning. In groups of four, they’d have to decide on an older shinobi from the given list to interview. Afterwards, they’d have to find any records on them to verify that they’d been told the truth. The next day they were to return with a concise report of their findings. All shinobi listed were volunteers and would be easily found in the village, and students were welcome to try different espionage techniques they’d gone over last week to follow them around before talking with them.

Tsunade and Sakumo were paired with Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

////

“Of course you’d get us stuck with Saburo of all people!”

“I’m not the one who kept fooling around and made us the last group that got to pick!”

Sakumo winced as Tsunade poked at Jiraiya’s chest, understandably miffed he was trying to divert the blame.

“Saburo-san is a respected jounin and esteemed member of the Yamada clan, why are you upset that he is our assignment?”

Jiraiya groaned and ran his hand over his face as turned to look at Orochimaru. “That’s exactly the problem!”

Tsunade grimaced in agreement. “Saburo-san is known for being harsh in his expectations, and Ojisan’s gotten complaints that he gives those under his command ‘tests’ even during missions.”

Sakumo sighed. “So odds are he’ll make our assignment more difficult?”

“More than likely.”

Jiraiya groaned again. Orochimaru blinked at them before shrugging. “Then we just have to find a way to get around his plan.”

Sakumo grimaced as Tsunade got her thinking face on. The last time she did that, he found himself stuck to the ceiling of the hokage office and it was not a fun experience.

“Orochimaru, you’ve managed a perfect transformation technique already, right?”

They boy nodded, eyes curious. Jiraiya huffed but notably didn’t say anything.

Tsunade cracked her knuckles and grinned, “then I think we’ll be making good use of our resources.”

*////*

The plan was this: while the boys read over scrolls from the library, using special passes given by the academy for this purpose, Tsunade would be raiding the hokage’s storage room back home in order to find a simple area-locking seal.

Armed with more information, they would locate their target and confirm his position before finding a nearby clearing. Once rendezvousing, the seal would be placed and the group would head back to their target, ready to act as if they had just begun their assignment. As they conversed with and interrogated Saburo, Tsunade would lay a subtle genjutsu she’d been taught over their immediate surroundings, gradually changing it to make it look like they were moving.

While it was likely the jounin would notice, they were banking on not being called out on it. Afterall, Saburo, though known to be a hardass, was still required to let them try whatever they wanted. Presumably he would call them out after their technique was over, but that’s when their plan would really kick into action.

With the genjutsu was in effect, Sakumo would be terraforming their surroundings as they started walking, giving everything more of a genuine edge until it seemed as if the genjutsu had worn off and they were truly in a different area. Which would be true, for at that point they’d really be in the clearing and the genjutsu would be focusing on disguising the seal.

Once Saburo was in the seal, Tsunade would activate it and dive behind a barrier Sakumo along with him. A separate barrier was made close to Orochimaru where Jiraiya would hide, and as their target was distracted by the seal and a change in the genjutsu, Orochimaru would transform into an accurate rendition of one of the hokage’s direct anbu, courtesy of Tsunade. Jiraiya would act as a voiceover, as they’d found out he could drastically change the way he sounded, and together the two boys would lead Saburo into thinking he was actually being interrogated by the hokage’s anbu.

Which brought them to where they were now, with a freaking out jounin confessing to having contacts in Iwa and smuggling confidential information.

“Oh. That is- that is bad.”

“No kidding, Jiraiya! Now shut up!”

“Don’t go telling them my name, princess!”

“Like that’s not telling!”

“...”

“Orochimaru can you watch over them while I go get an actual anbu?”

The boy poofed back into himself and nodded at Sakumo, who promptly took off.

Tsunade may have had a way to immediately get the anbu’s attention, and as he struggled to catch sight of one, Sakumo zoned in on a police officer.

“Uchiha-san! Over here, please! We have a traitor!”

Catching his breath, it was only as the gasps around him sounded that Sakumo realized shouting about a traitor in the middle of the village wasn’t the best idea.

“Uh- we already caught him, you just have to come get him.”

The police officer was already communicating with others, and as Sakumo led the way back, a few anbu joined them.

Seeing the Nidame himself show up to release Saburo from the seal and into custody was just icing on the cake. The man stared down at Tsunade with a grave look in his eyes, before giving her a small smile and rustling her hair.

“Well done.”

Tsunade preened and turned to look at them. “My friends helped too, Ojisan!”

The hokage turned to them as well. “So they did. I’ll be sure to tell Sarutobi Sasuke what a great deed his students just accomplished for the village.”

They boys thanked him and Tobirama left to deal with what had happened.

“So,” Tsunade started. “Seems like we make a pretty good team, eh boys?”

Jiraiya grinned and threw his arms behind his head, “Of course, cause we have me!”

Orochimaru huffed but gave a small smile. “Seems so.”

“Do you think this will count our assignment as completed?” Sakumo furrowed his brow, not paying attention to what the others had been saying.

They stared at him.

“What?”

#poppyseedshelpmesleep #Hatake Sakumo #Tsunade #Orochimaru #Jiraiya #The Four Stooges fanfic #Silly Shenanigans au

3 notes · View notes

mcg-127 · 1 year

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FIC WRITER ASKS!

{ OG post by Ahdriking. The questions about smut have been removed because I don’t write that stuff and don’t read it unless it’s safe, sane and consensual. }

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

I usually try to write multi-chaptered fics, but I tend to jump around a lot between chapters and other fics. If I focus on single chapters instead of the entire fic and go at my own pace, it’s easier to not get overwhelmed. Oneshots are fun, but I often can’t resist the urge to write more!

Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

I write a vague summary for each chapter, then a rough draft, and then the final version. If I’m super inspired and have a clear vision for the chapter, I can start with the draft or even the final version straight away. I love those ones, they’re usually my best work!

Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

I have separate Google Docs for each of my fics. In one, I have all the general ideas for the fic. In another, there are the “chapter notes”, where I do drafts. Under each chapter’s title, there are other headings: such as ‘Scenario’ (chapter synopsis), ‘Timeframe’ (when in the fic’s timeline the chapter takes place), ‘Characters’ (list of characters that appear in the chapter), ‘Vague Summary’ (the summary I mentioned in the question above) and ‘Dialogue & Simple Desc.’ (a rough draft of the chapter I edit as I go along). This helps me organise my thoughts and go wild with writing in the same document; I always get excited creating the doc for a new fic.

Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Other peoples’ fanfics are inspiration central, for me! Some of my fics are inspired by others’ works, and if that’s the case, I always credit the authors. If I don’t feel like reading, though, I usually scroll through fandom Tumblr or look at fanart on Pinterest.

Do you like constructive criticism?

Yes, absolutely! I love receiving feedback on my fics. When you write, you often become blind to your own mistakes because you read those stories so often; others’ opinions are extremely valuable. As long as the person is polite with their con-crit, it’s wonderful.

Do you have your work beta’d? How important is this to your process?

If working on a fic with someone else and reading each other’s writing counts, then yes! I wouldn’t say it’s super important to me because I haven’t done it a lot. But, I’d love to have more people to share my writing with and have them give me con-crit.

How do you choose which POV to write from?

I… don’t really know, haha. I just go with whichever POV gives me the most inspiration, whichever character I know the thoughts of in that scene the best. If I struggle to get into the mindset of a certain character, I just write that scene in 3rd-person POV instead.

Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

Definitely the middle. I always struggle to figure out how to end a story, and beginnings are tricky if there’s not a fully fleshed-out plot. My writing often consists of a bunch of different scenarios set within a vague sort of plot, and proper timelines are the bane of my existence. That being said, I always try to world-build and ensure everything makes sense.

Do you comment on stories you read?

I never used to, because I’m socially anxious even online… but I do now!! I have actually come to enjoy offering my opinion and explaining which parts of the fic I loved most. Whenever someone comments like that on my fics, I get the warm fuzzies. Comments are my lifeblood!

Cltr+f “blinks” on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

I’m not sure if I’ll ever publish this fic, but I’m writing a bunch of exile scenarios. There’s a chapter in which Dream returns to Logsted a few days after punishing Tommy badly, and quote-unquote ‘helps’ him recover. Weirdly, that’s the one where “blinks” was used most often.

“ Brows furrowed, Tommy blinks dazedly at Dream, struggling to focus on where he knows the man’s eyes are. He’s being so pathetic right now, he doesn’t understand why Dream is being merciful. ”

Link your three favourite fics right now

Gods, you’re asking me to pick just three? If I could, I’d honestly link most of the DSMP fics I’ve bookmarked on my AO3. But since I gotta pick 3 favourites of right now, I’ll do that.

The entire ‘Checkmate’ series by Love_Lucigoosey

‘mon dieu’ by s_mol

‘The Dead Don’t Dream’ & ‘Wake up.’ by PenInk (technically that’s 2 but it’s a series so it counts… right?)

How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

Well… I’ve only just started publishing on AO3, and I’ve only published 2 stories - one of which I worked on with a friend until we both lost inspiration. I absolutely love receiving feedback and support, but I’ve gone so long just keeping my writing to myself that it… isn’t that important? Like, if I kept publishing but didn’t receive comments, that might get me down a bit - but it’s not the end of the world, because I like my fics and that’s kinda the entire point.

What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

“Show emotion, tell feelings”. Poetic and symbolic descriptions are my favourite, and I always try to get as much detail into my prose as possible. Of course, there are some things that don’t need extra flowery language, so I try not to overdo it.

How do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

I’m a very empathetic and sensitive person, so emotional scenes are quite impactful for me. I tend to feel what the characters feel - or, at least the good characters. For example, I don’t feel the sadism and cruelty that Dream feels when tormenting Tommy; but I do feel the revulsion and fear Tommy does in that moment. I think it depends on the scene, some hit harder than others. I love the “whumperflies” that come with an angsty/whumpy scene. I don’t have a lot of life experience, yet, but I try to draw from personal experiences as much as possible.

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Oh, way too many. I have so many WIPs that they take up the majority of my Google Drive, lol. My ADHD makes me jump around between ideas a lot… the only fic I’ve managed to properly finish and publish so far is ‘(Lost at) Hide & Seek’. I’m planning to publish more of my writing, but I prefer finishing it and then posting the chapters on specific dates afterwards.

One of the fics/worlds I’m in love with right now is my Hybrids AU. It’s loosely inspired by Origins SMP, but I made it ten times angstier/whumpier and, of course, made Tommy the main character and Dream the main villain. It would take ages to explain the entire story - plus, I might end up publishing some of it someday - so that’s all I’ll say for now.

What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (Maybe a lack of inspiration, or writer's block)

Sometimes I get either a lack of motivation & an excess of inspiration or a lack of inspiration & an excess of motivation. When it’s the former, I tend to try to push through it and just write something, literally anything, to get past that block. When it’s the latter, I do the inspiration-searching techniques I listed above: other peoples’ fics, fandom Tumblr and fanart on Pinterest.

Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

I usually give my fics generic titles like ‘Hybrids AU’ since I don’t often publish them. But for specific chapters, I create a simple title before writing, then a better title when it’s finished. I find single-word titles easiest to create, but longer or poetic titles more satisfying. The title of a chapter is usually a word or phrase mentioned in or relating to the chapter itself.

What is the most-used tag on your AO3?

Again, I haven’t published many stories, so I can’t really say…? There is one tag, however, that I created myself: “c!Dream Being a Creepy Bastard”. I tend to add it to every DSMP fic I publish because I write exactly that so often.

Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I think there are a few expressions and metaphors I use quite often, but I couldn’t list them off the top of my head, lmao. The dynamic I write about the most is, of course, c!Primeboys. The 2nd most common dynamic in my writing appears to be c!BedrockBros. As for settings, when it comes to the canon DSMP universe, Logstedshire is the most common, followed by the Arctic Commune. I definitely want to branch out, and write different dynamics… but brainrot’s gotta brainrot. Writing about my hyperfixations gives me happy chemicals!

Would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story?

I’ve done this before, actually! We… didn’t finish the story, though ;-; I’d love to collab again, whether it’s with an IRL friend or a writer I meet online. Keep in mind that I am very socially anxious, though, so I’m awkward even talking to people with similar tastes.

Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

I am absolutely NOT interested in writing explicit noncon/dubcon stuff, but I might be able to if it’s fade-to-black or implied. My other squicks are as follows:

Any sort of anti-LGBTQ+ behaviour

Any sort of ableist or saneist behaviour

Any sort of rape, pedophilia, incest or sexual predation

I’ll reluctantly write characters being racist/sexist etc. if it’s canonical and minor

Animal abuse, death or violence

Graphic medical procedures or surgical scenes

I’m arachnophobic so no spiders please & thank you

Those are the ones that come to mind right now. If I think of any more, I’ll update this.

Best writing advice for other writers?

Write what you would want to read

Write for your own enjoyment, first and foremost

You don’t owe anyone regular updates if it’s impacting your health

Don’t be afraid to ask other writers for advice

Don’t be afraid to tell haters to fuck off

Look for inspiration everywhere, even in real life

Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

I don’t actually think I’ve received any terrible writing advice before. I’m sure I will in the future, but there’s none in the past I can remember.

What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

I’ve only published a couple of stories so far and both got a decent reception, so I’m pretty satisfied in that regard right now.

Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Either my Hybrids AU or ‘Hide & Seek’. I got the former idea when the first season of OriginsSMP began, and I’d been working on the latter for 2 & ½ years. The Hybrids AU has so much worldbuilding and plot to consider, and ‘Hide & Seek’ was my 1st finished-and-published work. They’re both very close to my heart.

What is your most and least favourite part of writing?

My favourite part is getting such a vivid and detailed idea that I jolt awake in a cold sweat at midnight in order to write it down. My least favourite part… lack of inspiration or motivation at inopportune times. Plus, ADHD makes it hard to focus on one story at a time.

On average, how much writing do you get done in a day?

Honestly, it depends. I could get an entire chapter done in one day, then not write at all for a week. My inspiration & motivation tend to wax and wane with the moon, I’ve noticed.

What’s your revision or editing process like?

I kinda just… read the chapter over and over, looking for mistakes and correcting them as I go. Often, I feel the need to completely rewrite a certain part or the entire chapter. Very rarely am I satisfied with a chapter immediately. It varies from fic to fic.

Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?

I wait until it’s all polished, then publish the chapters on specific dates. That’s what I did for ‘Hide & Seek’ at least, and it’s what I plan to do for future fics!

Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

In terms of original works - I do worldbuilding, then weave the plot, and then create characters to fit those two other prerequisites. In terms of fanfiction - I figure out which scenario I want to write, then choose the characters, and then start drafting the chapter.

Name 3 of your favourite fanfic writers.

Again, I can’t possibly pick just three!! Right now, I’d probably say the authors of the favourite fics I mentioned earlier. Also, LunarDragon618 on AO3 - their c!Primeboys content is some of the best I’ve read, it’s absolutely amazing.

Do you want to be published someday?

Yes! I’ve always wanted to write my own original story and get it published. But fanfiction will always be my favourite, so I’m glad I have the courage now to publish those.

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

Hopefully, doing something related to writing as my job. I know becoming a fully-fledged author is a long process, but it’s definitely a goal of mine.

What is 1 essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

Not all villains have to be redeemable!! They can just be rancid bastards who have a blast being rancid bastards until the end of time. A perfect example of this is c!Dream - or at least, how I write him. Oh, and if you’re doing a redemption arc… please do it properly. The villain has to genuinely want to get better and make tangible steps toward repentance. That being said, please do NOT brush off the shit said villain has done!! Other characters will be affected by it and some may never reconcile with the villain, and that’s completely okay.

How do you write kissing scenes?

I… have never written a kissing scene in my life. I have no idea how I’d write them, lmao.

How do you choose where to end a chapter?

That depends on the chapter. Some might feel better if ended with dialogue, some might need a poetic line of prose to wrap it up nicely. It depends on the vibes.

Would you ever write commissions?

I mean… yeah, I guess?? It depends on what the request is, honestly. I’d love to get paid to write fanfiction - I’d do it as my job if I could! But I wouldn’t accept a commission if the request was something I wasn’t comfortable with or interested in writing.

Share a snippet from a WIP

A oneshot I’m working on at the moment is a what-if ending of exile. Tommy ran back to L’Manburg after The Incident and begged them to help him, which they did. Dream has been arrested and locked in a cell beneath L’Manburg’s White House. This oneshot goes over what happens when Tommy goes to visit Dream… and what goes horribly wrong.

“ Upon glimpsing neon green, Tommy flinches violently and looks meekly at the ground instead. Dream is there, he’s right there, so close, too close. Vaguely, Tommy registers Tubbo gently guiding him inside the room. The door shuts with a damning clang behind them both. There’s no going back now, no escaping the confrontation he knows is coming. Already feeling trapped, Tommy huddles close to Tubbo’s side for some semblance of shelter. This space is choked with Dream’s magic signature; buzzing static, stinging acid and clinging tar. Tommy shudders convulsively, feeling it reach out in eager tendrils toward him. Dream’s attention is wholly on Tommy, and Tubbo can obviously tell. The blond knows his friend is silently glaring at the masked man, and Tommy considers hissing at Tubbo to stop. No vain defiance is worth the painful consequences of Dream’s fury, not anymore.

“Tommy…?” Dream breathes almost reverently, as if unable to believe it.

Fuck- even just hearing the man say his name has Tommy flinching like he’s been shot. [...] ”

If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Any part of the confrontation between Tommy and Dream in chapters 2-3 of ‘Hide & Seek’. There are plenty of currently unpublished scenes I’d love to see fanart of, too!

Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

It depends on the fic, honestly. There are some I could read over and over, and for others, I’m like “just one read is satisfying enough for me”. Quite a few longfics I could see myself reading again, whereas oneshots are kind of a mood thing.

What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

I’m currently in the process of reading ‘Heal What Has Been Hurt’ by SunlitStruggles on AO3. Even without having read the entire thing yet, I’d recommend it!

Do you take sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more of an "If you hurt them I would kill everyone in this room and then myself" kind of person?

Oh, whump is one of my favourite things ever! I always find myself looking forward to writing those kinds of scenes, and reading them in others’ fics. That being said, there does come a point where fluff is needed to wind down from the angst a bit. I am simultaneously a “Yes, sweet suffering!” kind of person and a “[...] kill everyone in this room & then myself” person.

What mistakes do you keep making no matter how many times your beta corrects you?

I don’t really have a beta reader(s), so I can’t really answer this one, lol.

Do you want to break your readers’ hearts or make them laugh?

Both, in equal measure! Well… maybe the former, just a little more >:3

How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

My style is definitely driven by the characters’ thoughts and emotions. I love getting into a character’s head and portraying what’s going through their mind.

How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Many, many times. I love reading my own writing! Going over it and adding things as I go is very satisfying. Seeing a chapter slowly morph from a rough draft into the final version is great.

What do you look for in a beta?

Well, I’m not really sure, since I’ve never really looked for one before. But I’d say they’d need to be open-minded, polite and share at least some of my tastes. On the other hand, I should be able to scream about my writing and get excited with them!

Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

Fortunately, at the moment, I’ve never received a particularly negative comment or review. Let’s hope it stays that way. As for how I’d deal with them, I set the comments to “moderated” for a reason - I can always just delete it if I can’t rebuke it.

How long is your longest fic?

In terms of fics I’ve published, definitely ‘(Lost at) Hide & Seek’. In terms of fics I haven’t published, I have no idea! I’d like to think it’s around the same length or longer than H&S.

What��s your total AO3 word count?

Including the fic(s) I worked on with a friend and haven’t finished? I did the math, and it’s 35,552 words! Pretty impressive for a starting point.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes, I always try to respond to every comment I get! I love interacting with my readers and getting excited about my writing with them. A sense of community is very comforting for me.

How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, or writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

Generally, I’d say about a 50/50 split of both. Day by day, though, it fluctuates.

What’s your favourite part about the fanfiction writing process?

I love getting the perfect vision for a scene in my head, and then somehow being able to get it down in writing pretty much flawlessly. That doesn’t happen often, but it’s great! I also love the rush of satisfaction upon finishing a draft or even the final version of a chapter. Reading over my writing is fun because I get to see how I’ve improved over time.

Of the characters you write for, which is your favourite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers’/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

Definitely c!Tommy, or just any version of Tommy in any of my AUs. So far, people seem to love how I write his character, so I’ve become more confident with it.

What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

My penchant for soul-crushing angst/whump and poetic prose/description. That’s a combination I think is wonderful to both read and write.

Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished?

Since I jump between stories a lot, I usually edit as I write. Before publishing a story, I go over it one more time to make absolutely sure it’s ready.

What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc)

I think I kinda answered this before. But I love the initial excitement of thinking of a new idea, and I love the satisfaction of slowly transforming a chapter from a draft into the final version.

Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? If not, would you tell anyone?

I tend to tell everyone I meet that I write, not that I write fanfic. There are a few people in my life I’ve told that I write fanfic, and the reception was overall positive.

Have you had a writer you admire comment on your fic? What was that like?

I have, actually! Not necessarily huge well-known writers in the fandom, but rather smaller writers I’ve read and enjoyed the works of. I always get so excited when I recognise a username in my comments, I feel very honoured if I get to chat with them!

Why do you continue writing fics?

Because it gives me happy chemicals! Writing in general makes me happy, but there’s nothing like writing fanfiction - it’s just super special in a more personal way.

Thoughts on cliffhangers?

Reading them? Often well-written but still agonising. Writing them? Hella satisfying, especially when people comment on them!

Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing - in your current project, or a future project

I’m looking forward to actually getting some chapters of the Hybrids AU done. There are two separate arcs I’m working on - the ‘past’ one which is angst/whump galore, and the ‘present’ one which is all about healing & recovery from the angst/whump.

How do you deal with writing pressure (ie. pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc.)?

Since I’ve only just started publishing, there’s not a lot of this I’ve dealt with yet. I’m sure it’ll become more prevalent in the future, though.

Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

I usually like completely independent ideas, but prompts/challenges are good for when I’m lacking inspiration and need a baseline to leap from.

What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

I already answered this one, in the “What do you do when writing becomes difficult?” question.

What work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

I don’t think there are any I’m embarrassed about, but there’s at least one I’m worried about the reception of when I eventually publish it. I try to tag and warn as much as I can, but sometimes people just have the reading comprehension of 3-year-olds.

When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

I’m enthusiastic to tell people I write, but kinda embarrassed to tell them I write fanfic. Some people hear that word and immediately get the wrong idea ;-;

When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, etc.?

I have Google Drive folders for each of my fics! Separate documents hold the worldbuilding, plot, character details etc. I also separate the drafts from the final versions.

What order do you write in? Front of the book to back? Chronological? Favourite scenes first? Something else?

Again, I jump around a lot when it comes to writing. I usually go wherever my inspiration goes, which is usually from chapter to chapter - or even story to story.

What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

I try to make my formatting as neat and legible as possible. I also try to include every possible relevant tag, to ensure people know what they’re getting into.

You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

The paragraphs are pretty large

It’s in the ‘justified’ alignment

There’s proper spacing between each paragraph and dialogue line

There are a lot of tags

Very rare use of “says/said”

Poetic, detailed description and prose

What scene in [Fanfic Name] took the longest to write? What was difficult about it?

In ‘Hide & Seek’... huh. Probably the scene where Tommy hides in the box, in chapter one. I struggled a lot with the description of that one ‘cause there wasn’t a lot going on.

Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of [Fanfic Name]?

It took a few rewrites of ‘Hide & Seek’ before I was happy with it. Some of the chapter drafts are quite different from the final versions I published.

Do you have a favourite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter?

I definitely love the confrontation between Tommy & Dream in chapter 2 of ‘Hide & Seek’. It’s so tense and spine-chilling, I’m very proud of the characterisation and dialogue. The description of Tommy’s Stockholm Syndrome and touch-starvation is some of my best work.

#writing asks #writing #fanfic #about me #first post

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fantastic-wiles · 2 years

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Sneak Peek for a one-shot? I’m not sure. I could end up re-writing it. We’ll see. Could not end up posting it at all.

Damian is no stranger to dimensional hopping, time travel, and unusual circumstances.

However, this is the first time he’s woken up in an entirely different body, in the middle of a narrow alleyway.

It’s hard to turn when you can barely lay down on the ground between two walls, but Damian didn’t let that deter him from attempting to maneuver himself upward. For a moment, he just breathes, and then he takes some time to let the situation settle in his mind. Damian rummages through the file cabinets in his mind. There must be a reason why this happened, he thinks, because though he cannot see what’s going on with his body, he can feel that it’s wrong. It’s not his. It’s never been his. So, in search of an explanation, he searches through recent memories.

Damian can’t find anything that makes sense. He remembers flashes – a katana – green robes – Grandfather?

Damian looks down at his lap.

Rags.

That’s all he was wearing – street rags – for someone who didn’t have a home.

Damian closes his eyes, allows the image to imprint into his mind, and then remembers. It’s nothing that he wants to recall. It’s not important information that he’s looking for, but it’s vital enough to provide Damian the context that he needs. Damian perfectly recollects a truckload of memories that don’t belong to him. Jesse Galloway is the name of the body that he’s in.

He’s an orphan.

He was caught twice by CPS, ran away from all his foster families, and had been looking for a safe place to rest before Damian took over his body. Jesse was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, ten-year-old, with little hope in the world. His innocence – due to the sheer amount of crime he had witnessed – had been completely taken away from him. Jesse was cynical by nature, no thanks to his environment. He had little trust in the other street-rats, even less trust in the adults. It was accompanied by an understandable hatred for authority figures. Damian couldn’t blame him. Gotham cops were corrupt. It was a fact. If you wanted justice – it would be best to live in a different city. Gotham’s need for several vigilantes attested to the fact that the GCPD were bad at their jobs.

Willfully, in fact.

Damian couldn’t tell you why he somehow knew everything about Jesse Galloway. If one wanted a near-baseless speculation, Damian would theorize it had something to do with being in his body, but aside from that? It was confusing. Damian didn’t know what he was doing in his body to begin with. It felt wrong. It felt like he’d been buried into the body against his will.

“This is utter insanity,” Damian mutters to himself. He cringes. Ugh, his voice. It was nothing like his own.

Damian struggles to get up on his feet, a surprisingly hard task.

Think, Damian, think.

He squeezes his way out through the alley, exits through the only gap, and takes a step out into an empty street

I was fighting someone. I recall that much.

Damian looks up at the foggy sky. It was evening, that much he could tell. It was cloudy enough for a bat signal. Damian watches it light up the sky like a beacon at the end a dark tunnel. Without proper transportation, Damian knew it’d take him some time to make it to the spotlight’s location. It seemed pointless from where he was standing. By the time he arrived, whoever had showed up to talk to Commissioner Gordon would be long gone, and Damian would be stranded on the rooftop.

I’ll just go to the manor, Damian plans, forcing himself forward. I’ll explain what’s going on to Father and-

Damian eyes stop on a newspaper laying at his feet. It’s melted against the asphalt. It’s also staring up right at him, with his face.

Damian Wayne Returned from Over-Seas Trip

Damian’s mind is blank as he reads the title over again. Then, his eyes are drifting for the date, and his face hardens once he makes out when it had been published.

Two days ago, huh?

Damian continues to trace over his face with blue eyes that aren’t his.

Perhaps, he shouldn’t be so hasty in his plan, since there might be an imposter walking around.

I don’t know how this is even possible.

Damian’s mind tries to draw some conclusion to the phenomenon that he was witnessing. It could be that it was actually him in the newspaper article, even if he didn’t remember posing for the camera, but his memory wasn’t all that reliable at the moment. Something could have happened to him in the last two days. Something that put him in this position.

Or, Damian thinks hollowly, someone could have taken my body.

Damian might not remember a lot, but he did recall Grandfather’s face. He remembers struggling for his life, fighting as if he had everything on the line. It would not be so far-fetched to assume that the person in the newspaper, with squinted green eyes that stare critically into Damian’s soul, might be his very own grandfather in possession of his vessel.

Damian bends down to pry the newspaper off the ground. It comes up in pieces. Damian does not mind. Since he can still turn the page, it is not a wasted effort.

Damian’s suspicions start to sound more reasonable when he reads the next bolded headline.

Robin Gone Rogue? Criminals Fall by the Dozen!

Damian doesn’t bother reading what the article has to say. He grits his teeth so hard that he feels they might crack, and then he crumbles the newspaper in his hands. Damian throws it onto the ground. Then, with the raise of his foot, he stomps on it. Hard. It’s the only thing he can put his anger into.

I need to figure out what’s going on.

Damian tries to calm himself. It is a difficult task.

If his suspicions were correct, which seemed likely, how was he supposed to get his body back? Damian didn’t know how his body had been stolen to begin with. It seemed that Grandfather was having a field day running around in his body, hacking up enemies against Batman’s code. Damian didn’t quite understand the purpose behind his horseplay. It could be to provoke his father. It would be the ultimate satisfaction.

Watch your son become a killer again, he might be attempting to communicate, though Father would not understand the extent of the message.

Two can play at this game, Damian inwardly growls. I will give you a message of my own, Grandfather, and you will not be able to ignore it.

#sneak peek #draft #fanfiction #damian wayne

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ultramagicalternate · 28 days

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ULTRAMagic Interlude: Shadowland Chapter 21

Previous | First | Next

Master Post

Andelin’s explanation of Milosh was a long and complicated one. She detailed the original conflict between the Vozenilek’s and the Haugen’s, which was reignited behind the scenes when the Proch’s entered the fray. The problem stemmed from the Vozenilek’s and Proch’s being outsiders, ideologically driven to conquer. Milosh was just another ne’er-do-well that felt entitled to things that were never his. Andelin attributed this mentality to the man’s mother, who instilled repugnant values in him. The Fear grew increasingly appalled as Milosh’s true intent was explained to him.

“That… that… oh, that piece of excrement! He’s dumb dumb dumb! I’ve been bamboozled!” The Fear declared as he paced in circles. “That villain! He’s one of those people that don’t care about anything but themselves!”

“Exactly,” Andelin agreed. “People like him never break free of their ignorance, preferring to fight tooth and nail to protect their ego. It happens an inordinate amount of times in the Cosmos proper.”

The Fear went over to his drawings, poised to tear them up. He grabbed the drawing of Milosh and got ready. “How badly I want to… No, no. Brother wouldn’t approve…”

“I take it that Hunger is an artist too?” Odo inquired.

“Yeah…” The Fear sighed. “I better not. You can continue, Andelin.”

“Quite. Now with all that in mind, I trust that you can fill in the blanks. There is no Scary God, Milosh wanted to overthrow Englehart and Sten, Dunja was manipulated to be a pawn, that spell you cast was an attempt at subversion, The Beast was not actually helping Milosh save The Iron city, and The Eternal Church is a bog standard cult.”

After taking a second to process everything, The Fear began making a series of incoherent, angry noises. It would have been endearing had the subject matter not been so dire. “Forget all of those shadowy demon things outside my vision, we’re going to Shadowland right now!” He then got out a backpack and began putting his stuff in it. “Is his majesty, King Sten, free at the moment? I need to apologize now.”

Andelin chuckled. “He should be. It’s only been twenty-four hours, so we should still have three days before the big demolition.”

Maximus yawned and stretched. “Jeez, has it? That time flew…”

“Oh, Maximus? I’m sorry for all those illusions I put you through” The Fear said as he finished packing.

He laughed. “It’s alright. I was the one who started chasing you after all.”

Leading the group outside, Andelin snapped her fingers once she was out in the open. The portal that had been used appeared before them. It would now remain active in Gummi’s house as they no longer had to worry about the cult. Aside from some leftover stuff from The Fear of Old, there was nothing of value in that reality error. Back at Gummi’s place, Gratiana was in her rocking chair, reading another book. Dunja and Torunn had returned to their business while Gummi was out doing something. Gratiana was surprised to see The Fear of Old with the group.

“Goodness, all of you were away so long that everyone went off to go do their own thing. I take it that things went well?”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Andelin replied. “We took breaks while I explained the whole shebang and whatnot… leaving so soon, Maximus?”

He was already at the door. “Yeah. I hate to up and dash so soon, but I need to get out of this small form. Want me to give Sten the heads up?”

“Actually, dear, Torunn has requested your assistance” Gratiana answered. “There’s been quite a ruckus at Warehouse Zeta.”

Maximus put two and two together, followed by a soft cackle. “Ah, I see. Stay safe, everyone.” Once outside, he returned to his normal size and ran off.

The Beast also went to the door. “Speaking of which, I better go check on Rumbler. I know my boy is itching to get into trouble. Take care, guys.” Unlike Maximus, he stayed small for obvious reasons.

Odo was a bit lost. “Wait, what’s going on exactly? Did something happen while we were in the error?”

“Most definitely” Gratiana clarified. “Early this morning a… well, I don’t want to say a riot, but there’s been much chaos at multiple cult hotspots.”

“Blast it all, I hope no one’s getting too hurt,” The Fear lamented.

“Well sadly it’s the nature of things. People are going to hurt no matter what, but don’t fret. Torunn is making sure nothing bad happens.”

The Fear sighed, going to Gratiana for a hug. “Are you doing okay?”

“Yes, yes I am. And it’s good to see you again under such better circumstances.”

He then went to the door, with Andelin and Odo following. “Alright, let’s go see Sten then.”

“Do you want to come with us, Gratiana?” Odo asked.

“For now, no. It’s probably best that I don’t get spotted at the moment.”

He nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Everyone might be a little too heated at the moment, hehe,” Andelin pointed out.

Not wanting to get caught in an unfortunate situation, Andelin got out two of her cards and placed Odo and The Fear inside of them. They would be safe in her deck, allowing her to move through the city with ease. Naturally she wanted to get a peak at the chaos, but she could hear the fighting off in the distance. While passing through Strike Street to the castle, Andelin noticed that the church in the distance was being occupied by Sten’s knights. Things were getting interesting now that The Fear’s spell was gone. Thankfully she did not have any problems as she entered Castle Haugen.

“Sten! Have I got good news for you!” Andelin announced as she strode into the throne room.

The king was speaking to several of his captains, dismissing them as Andelin approached. “You do? Well it best be important. Things are incredibly hectic right now…”

“Perhaps you’d like to speak to Odo and the anomaly?” She tossed out her cards, causing the two to appear before them. Both were a little dazed, however.

“Oh my, that was dizzying…” Odo remarked as he got up, collecting his bearings. “Your royal highness? With help, I found The Fear of Old!”

Sten clapped. “Haha, excellent! Well done to you and everyone involved. Now I assume this boy here is the primordial in question?”

The Fear looked up, utterly terrified by the king. “Um, y-yes, your majesty… That would be me. I would like to start out by saying…” There was a pause, followed by him getting on his hands and knees. “I’M SO SORRY FOR EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING!”

Sten was taken aback by The Fear’s prostration. “My boy, it’s alright. I forgive you…”

“NO, YOU CAN’T JUST FORGIVE ME THAT EASILY.”

The king quietly laughed in sympathy. “Yes. I can. It wasn’t your fault that you were deceived by that scoundrel. Plus it’s obvious you dispelled the magic you cast at his behest.”

“Your royal highness, please arrest me…”

“Why, if I may inquire?”

Andelin looked at The Fear, then back to Sten. “Perhaps we should humor him…”

“Right… Um, guards, place The Fear into custody and stand by.” Two of them walked over, put handcuffs around his wrists, and stood next to him. They felt a bit silly doing this.

“Thank you, your majesty…” The Fear said as he looked at his bound wrists.

Sten sighed. “Fear, the fact that you are accepting responsibility like this means you were never a bad person to begin with. I’ve spent decades dealing with Milosh, so I’d dare say I have a good judge of character.” He then looked at Odo. “Well done, Sir Odo. You may return to The Market District as you see fit. Although I humbly ask that you stay here until The Eternal Church is demolished.”

“Ah, I see. Well I don’t see too big of a problem with that. I don’t think the cult’s going to cause any more problems…”

“And you’re sure you don’t want any reward? That was quite the deed after all.”

Odo thought about it. “It’s alright, Sten. I took this job out of concern for everyone… although, you could bail out The Fear here, hehe…” The request was spoken in a humorous tone.

Sten chuckled. “Of course. Guards, release The Fear of Old. He has served his time.”

“What? Hey!” The Fear complained as his cuffs were removed. The guards returned to their posts, trying not to laugh.

“Now Fear, what do you wish to do now that you are no longer under Milosh’s thumb?” Sten inquired.

“I’m not sure, your majesty. I need to find a new place to stay while my brother is off doing his job. Then I guess I’ll go back to drawing… And maybe I could also study Alchemy while I’m at it.”

Before Sten could give his thoughts on this, Dunja and Aureolus entered the throne room. “Aunt Dunja, why’d you never go to Fyodor for help with void magic?”

“Ha, Sweetie, I spent at least ten years being his adversary…”

“Oh yeah, my bad.”

“Aureolus, I trust your training went well?” Sten inquired.

“Yes it did, your majesty. Yes it did.”

Dunja giggled. “Even I learned some new things…” She then noticed the very familiar boy across from her. “Fear? Fear!” She rushed over and picked him up, holding him like she was his mother.

“Dunja! I did bad things, Dunja…”

She chuckled. “Yeah, so did I, sweetie. Don’t worry, things are going to be a lot better now. I take it he’s up to speed, Andelin?”

She nodded. “One hundred percent caught up.”

“Don’t worry, Sten, I fully plan to take this boy home with me and keep him safe and sound… Dealing with his brother is going to be something else though.”

“It’ll be alright, Dunja,” the Fear said as he was set down. “Just let me know when he shows up.”

“Also my apologies for how sudden that was, Sten. I trust you’re okay with my plans?”

“I have no objections. If something happens in The Iron City, send him our way as soon as possible. We will take care of him as if he were one of our own.”

“Thank you, cousin.” Dunja paused to get a glass of water, as her throat was parched. “Fear, you are going to like Englehart. He’s nothing like what that worm told you, I can guarantee that.”

“Yeah, grandpa is really cool. I’m Aureolus, by the way. Nice to meet you” he said as he held out his hand.

The Fear was hesitant at first. “Oh my, a being of darkness. That’s kind of scary… but hi, I’m The Fear of Old” he replied as he accepted the handshake.

“Want to hang out?”

“Um, sure.”

“Your majesty, may I take The Fear with me to Claudius’ house?”

Sten thought about it. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt, but bring him back here immediately if there is any sign of trouble, no matter how small.”

“Will do, your majesty. Come on, Fear. Want to see my magic notes?”

Once the two boys were gone, Dunja chuckled. “I can’t wait for him to meet Blood…”

Sten cleared his throat. “Dunja, could you summon Torunn and Gratiana?”

She was caught off guard by this. “I beg your pardon?”

“Torunn has informed me of the obvious.”

Andelin shuffled her deck and set it down. “Okay, I suppose. We have plans for her though…”

“Of which I am also aware,” Sten replied. “I hereby veto your duel. Please summon her.”

Dunja was flabbergasted. “Sten! This duel clearly means a lot to her!”

“You all have my sympathy, but this is of utmost importance. The fervor currently grasping my people has made me realize that the cult still has fangs. We need all the strength we can muster. If it means that much to her, I will organize an entire tournament when this is all said and done. Now please, summon her with due haste.”

Next: Chapter 22

#chaotictempleknight #ultramagic alternate #fantasy #sciencefiction #sciencefictionfantasy #literature #fiction #writing #story #writers on tumblr #chapter

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talenlee · 1 month

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Vox Maxima Story Spotlight 3 — The Million Eyes

What follows here is a discussion of what, if I had the means and writer tools to make my Custom Magic set have proper story spotlight material, it’d look like this, it’d be built out of this. This is basically about story mechanics underlying a game system, and I want to present it to you so you can have a handle on what it looks like when I’m trying to explain game narratives for the presentation of conventional narratives.

This third section indicates the midpoint of the story and the collapse of a lot of hopeful ideas; this is where the party meets with the Jatku Outcasts in their jungle fortress, and learns the horrible truths about the Necrocalypse, the Emperor, and the truth of the dead woman Jatku, mother to one of the Princesses.

Vox Maxima is a custom magic set created by Talen Lee. It’s composed of 187 cards, with 71 commons, 60 uncommons, 41 rares, and 15 mythic rares. Vox Decima is a custom Magic: The Gathering set, with at least one card spoiled a day, on Cohost, Kind.Social, and the r/custommagic subreddit.

WOTC Employees: This post in full presents unsolicited custom Magic: The Gathering card designs, which I understand current employee practices forbid you from looking at unsolicited. You shouldn’t be here!

Goals

This should represent the first major space for revelations about the assumptions of the setting. The characters are far from the Imperial heart and are never going to get back to it – the rest of the story is an arc around and away from this central hub of control.

Express the Jatku character:

Show the resilient nature of the Swarm. Characters can be killed and restored reasonably easily – perhaps show a major character dying and then them returning to life later in a new body grown from a cocoon.

Show the interconnectedness of the Swarm. Jatku characters are always communicating – where the hum of the swarm is, these characters are basically ‘online’ and able to readily transmit information to one another. This means they often seem to be arguing with people who aren’t there, muttering or talking to themselves.

Establish key terms; the Million Eyes as a term for themselves, the Process and Being Processed to refer to the transformation from non-insectile Jatku creatures to the insectile type of creatures they are now.

Show that Jatku are fundamentally not anchored to single bodies: Single insects are vessels for souls that flow from source to source – it’s hard to kill a Jatku wholly because you need to kill everything that they can attach their souls to, and it assumes that a Jatku’s soul is isolated in the one spot to start with.

Show the attitudes of the Jatku towards the Empire: some want to be entirely isolated from it, some want to actively consume the Empire, some want to share their Process with the Empire.

Show another example of a Planeswalker character that also, cannot Planeswalk in Elise, and how she is drawn to something about Primrose.

Present the first major threat to the characters; small threats like rogues and bandits and people who don’t recognise their importance is one thing. The Jatku recognise these characters as being emissaries from the Empire and they are angry at them. The Jatku characters who have interests in exploiting the protagonists are all competing with one another and at war with someone shepherding them through the space.

Explain who Jatku was, as a person.

Present her as a thoughtful, dedicated researcher whose willingness to focus on her research and refusal to give up on the importance of nature.

Present her relationship to the Emperor as being initially a respectful peer but somehow turning extremely negative. The Jatku as a faction hate the Emperor even if they’re not sure why. It is a ‘shared instinct,’ which they do not realise is Jatku’s influence in the Million Eyes.

This should be also used to resonate with Ksen, her biological daughter, and Jatku II, who is Jatku’s original body reanimated by the emperor.

Present a conflict between Cazas and Cura. Cura is going to remain behind and become a Jatku, and she shares the story of seeing the Emperor’s mass graves as part of her inevitable break. While this is also a chance for Jatku II to leave the group, we don’t want the group to fracture wholly at this point. Cazas II’ eventual allegiance is ambiguous – write to what you think works best. Cazas II may wind up working well as a villain at the final arc or she may be the redeemable replacement for the emperor based on the love she has for her sisters.

Reveal that the Necrocalypse happened, and there was a period of rebuilding after it. This is an obvious problem with the ten year time period.

End with the characters escaping the Jatku. There’s a conflict here, a real source of potential harm that Cura winds up holding back as her friends escape.

Mention and direct the characters to the Research Bubble that Jatku left in the ocean, which puts them in the path of the Aszyt.

Represent that Niamh can truly understand people who differ so much from her and her holistic view of empathy has a purpose and a place, even with the alien minds of the Jatku.

Characters

The Jatku swarm is spread out over a huge area with their own territory, reaching from the edges of a desert on one border of the empire into a vast sprawling jungle with stone structures and hives throughout. Homes are seen as places to put bodies, not places that need to necessarily be lived in. Jatku can be extremely mobile and stay in the same spot at the same time, thanks to The Process.

Elise is a human thief running from the Cremains traders in the desert that are on the edges of the society. She is found first in the ruins of a Jatku raid where a city is flattened and grown over with insects and plants. Elise feels strangely unaffected by the Jatku, and does not understand why she feels no empathy or care for the horrors of war she discovers. This is to reflect the way that part of Elise’s soul is trapped in another world thanks to her Spark.

Coronat the Approachable is the first Jatku ‘boss monster’ seen. She is very patient and keeps her distance from the group. She does not seem to stalk them but she is always ahead of the group as they progress. They’re passing different bodies she’s left around. When they do approach her, she’s cordial and polite but she also is very clear about how the further they move into Jatku territory, the more they will need to become Jatku.

Belisari is a direct daughter of Jatku, just like Ksen, but where Ksen is a wanderer curious about secrets for their own sense, Belisari wants to attack the Empire on principle. She is explicitly enraged by the idea of the intruders in her space, and pursues the group. The fact there are so many of her and how hard she is to track when she’s hunting people comes up here.

B’aktu is a vast, moving swarm, a huge cloud of insects that seems completely apathetic to the presence of others. B’aktu moves like a kaiju and should be encountered like a weather event. The story of B’aktu can be explained by Primrose communing with the insects in the swarm and be one of the demonstrations to Elise that Primrose is special somehow.

Ksen is a ‘seeker,’ someone interested in finding something mysterious and true that is ‘waiting to be known.’ This is how she learned a long time ago about the Necrocalypse. She is free to volunteer this tale when it is asked of her and even offers it to the heroes when she is hunting them – she may even offer to tell it to them before they die as a sort of ritual, and that may be the chance to open negotiations with Ksen. Ksen does not want to kill or hurt Jatku II.

Bolbo is a seer and priestly type, and happy to explain to the party what they do not know. He is diplomatic and kind, and even gets up when killed – Ksen or Elise might kill him in surprise at some point visiting his temple, and he will get up in another body and try to reassure them that everything is okay. Bolbo was a human whose Process was absolute and complete – he is now completely disconnected from humanity and considers negotiating with them an act of care.

Jatku, the original, is a presence throughout – whispering information to Primrose in a confusing cacophany of voices whenever she tries to commune with a bug in the space, and then directly ordering Jatku pursuing the heroes, interrupting them at opportune moments for escape. Jatku is alive but disordered – she is too wide, spread too far, and it makes it hard for her to consider slower, more immediate concerns. The Process will help everyone, eventually.

Scene

The crew travel across the desert with Ravite towards the Jungle. Along the way they see Kraivh settlements that make a living by testing the desert dust and sifting Cremains from the sandstorms.

Ravite returns to the college but warns them about the dangers presented by the jungle, and the insects there.

The group continue on their journey and find a destroyed settlement in a crater, a ruin that had been turned from a town into a hive, with no people visibly alive in it except the lone thief Elise, who is struggling with how she feels about what she saw. Elise begs to travel with the group, and they take her.

The group begins a cat and mouse game with the Jatku responsible for the destruction of the settlement, Coronat the Approachable. Coronat is always a step ahead of the group, and when they approach her is the only time she doesn’t harrass them. They eventually realise there are multiples of her and they are set up so the party can always approach her and speak to her, if they are unafraid.

The group progress into Jatku territory, where they encounter Jatku factions in no particular order. Some of these encounters are terrifying and some are mysterious, but they all leave the group with the feeling that they are under siege and helpless in the face of implacable and unnatural forces.

The group finally follow clues until they come to a research station owned by Jatku herself. In this, Jatku II sees what she thinks is a polished mirror in which she can see herself but Kraivh IV shows her is a diagram of Jatku the original. They talk about how it matters to be your mother’s child, and how they both wish they could remember their mothers.

The research station responds to Jatku II’s body, strangely, and reveals to them a lot of research, explaining the process and finally presenting them with part of Jatku’s diary. In this diary she explains a lot of things about the emperor’s degeneration over time, the timeline of the Necrocalypse and about the idea that ‘the memory is in the brain, meaning that if you can reanimate a brain, you can choose what memories to bring back.’ The diary is written in Jatku II’s specific voice and cadence and uses her idioms and metaphors.

The research station is attacked and the group are brought to Bolbo for negotiation, where he refuses to be protected by guards. The group kill him a few times. He eventually negotiates with them some information, gets Ksen to settle down in her hunt of them.

Belisari shows up to the negotiations and says that Jatku II is a zombie of her mother. She’s not totally wrong. She demands to fight. Cura steps in to defend Jatku II, and gives the others a chance to escape.

Belisari, Ksen and Cura fight to a standstill. Cura finally admits now that the others are far away, why she was willing to stay here to fight and her horror at the emperor. She asks to understand the Process, and next time is seen as a cool wasp lady.

The remaining princesses head to the time bubble revealed in the diary and by Bolbo – out to the ocean, knowing this puts them in the path of the Aszyt.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Custommtg #Vox Maxima #Games #Magic: The Gathering #Making

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pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer · 4 months

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Doesn’t seem right to do a proper “Games in 2024” post about the Pokémon Violet DLC Epilogue since it’s not something that can be bought by itself. Still, spoiler-free tl;dr: they went full Silly Mode on this and I love that for them, hoping this becomes the blueprint for future Mythical events.

First of all, it took me too damn long to figure out how to start the epilogue so I want to explain it for your benefit. After getting the Mythical Pecha Berry through Mystery Gift (via Internet), you need to go to Peachy’s in Kitakami and specifically examine the portion of counter where something that looks like a big purplish fruit is sitting. The trailer for the epilogue did linger on this object at the very end, but that’s literally the only thing telling you where to go. Even if they had just made it so approaching Peachy’s activated the event, that’d be a lot better IMO; cryptic shit can be fun but I don’t think it’s the right choice for debuting a brand-new event-exclusive. Oh, I should also mention the list of pre-requisites to complete before the epilogue can start: you need to beat The Way Home, The Teal Mask, The Indigo Disk, and at least 1 Academy Ace Tournament. It’s an “epilogue” for a reason.

The quick summary is that you meet up with the gang back in Paldea, Kieran invites you all to Kitakami, and then a Mythical Pokémon decides to cause some chaos. The sequence of events takes…maybe an hour or two? I didn’t keep track. But it was nice to see the old gang again! Arven becomes a tsundere, Penny says more Penny Things (she points out your Switch when they visit your house), and Nemona continues to be a lovable battle maniac. It’s our first real chance to see where the former two settled after the resolution of their character arcs, and to see them all interacting as friends under normal circumstances rather than a team on a mission, and I like that! Similarly, we get to see Kieran really pick up the pieces after what happened in Indigo Disk, and this was my favorite stretch of time spent with him by far. He and his relationship with the protagonist felt a lot more believable this time, and I really appreciate that. Early on we see the aftermath of Nemona defeating him, and he starts to get depressed over losing, only for Nemona to counter with her upbeat “battling is fun even if you lose!” mentality, and I kinda love that being brought into your wider circle of friends is what helps cement Kieran’s new, healthier mindset. Anyway, it’s at about that point where things get silly.

You see, while this is very much an epilogue to all of the events thus far, it’s ALSO the distribution event of a brand-new Mythical Pokémon! We haven’t had a Pokémon officially designated as such since Zarude; I’d begun to think that the Pokémon introduced in DLC were essentially the replacement for this model, and while I think there’s still a conversation to have there (this one IS still locked behind the DLC after all), this new Pokémon is explicitly stated to be a new Mythical. And folks, if you were one of the fans wishing for the return of full events for Mythicals rather than just having them dropped into your PC, do I have good news for you! Not only is this little fucker given a proper in-game event, I’m willing to declare it the BEST in-game Mythical event we have EVER had! It’s similar to Victini’s event in that there’s an actual mini-plot containing a string of battles, but again: this event is also the epilogue to everything that’s happened in the game up to this point. It’s a mini-story focused on a Mythical that is directly tied into the main story! And, as SV has taken to doing, it ends with a proper boss battle against the Mythical with a massively inflated health bar! Not to mention that these battles aren’t just fodder: most of them are Double Battles with Kieran as your partner, and start with Pokémon in the high 70s before ramping up to a final one-on-one with Pokémon in the mid-to-high 80s! I’m being 100% serious when I say I want this to be the way Mythicals are handled going forward. It has far more personality than a simple distribution, and I’d argue it’s even more satisfying than most of the movies made to promote new Mythicals (RIP).

Not to say that it’s perfect, of course. Our new Mythical friend, Pecharunt, really does just sort of show up and cause chaos for no discernible reason, and ideally I’d like a bit more. This is mainly because it’s easy to conclude that there IS more to show: it’s made super obvious that Pecharunt is connected to the Loyal Three, and Ogerpon recognizes them if you bring her to the fight, but nothing is ever directly said about any of this. It’s possible that this was done to keep focus on the main characters, which would be worthwhile if that was the case. Still, I would’ve at least liked there to be an NPC you can speak with who explicitly relates Pecharunt’s backstory to you.

But you may be asking, what makes this so silly? Well, Pecharunt is able to take control of people by feeding them poison mochi, and the affected do the chicken dance and constantly say “mochi mochi!” The one full-on cutscene in the epilogue is Pecharunt shooting mochi into Penny and Arven’s mouths in dramatic slow motion, while the protag casually sidesteps one, and another bounces off of Kieran’s forehead. It’s mad. The second-hand embarrassment is potentially lethal. 10/10 would recommend.

Also I do want to say, I can’t help but find Pecharunt to be incredibly clever on the part of the designers. I already appreciated the reversal of the Momotaro legend we got in Teal Mask, it’s funny to continue that with an actual peach, I adore the consistency of incorporating the name of the pre-existing berry based on the peach into its name, AND, since that berry normally cures poison, this evil peach is a Poison type! Well fucking done!

Completing the epilogue also adds Kieran, Carmine, Nemona, Penny, and Arven to the League Club Room; the Kitakami siblings haven’t showed up for me yet since they’re random chances, which is a little annoying. I’m glad they were added—it would have been a huge missed opportunity to never let Nemona visit Blueberry Academy, and we get to see them all interact with a wider cast of characters. Also, after thinking carefully about which Pokémon to trade each of the coaches, I can confirm it does not matter what you give them, because I gave Penny a Glaceon and she didn’t comment on it.

#Pokemon #Pahrak plays Pokemon

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