#not very plot heavy

[thoughtsonhurtandcomfort]

Shun the Light - Ch. 9 - Moments

Slow Burn | Refuge | Decision | Mend | Hunger | Thin Mints | The Garden | Philip |

Author's Notes: Not thrilled with how this one turned out but I needed to get some ideas out of my system that aren't quite developed enough to be their own chapter. It fills in some gaps and gives them a break before the next, much whumpier chapter.

Content Warnings: brief use of mind control, that's about it. This one is pretty light.

----

One more night becomes a week, and then another.

Dante never asks Matteo to leave, and Matteo never asks to if he wants him to. Neither wants to know the answer.

-

After learning what he did about the vampire, Matteo feels it's only fair to share a little about himself. One quiet evening, Matteo joins Dante in the living room and just starts talking. He expects Dante to be indifferent or even annoyed, but instead is met with rapt attention.

"I was pretty boring until a few years ago," he begins. "Had a job, a little place, I was dating." He clears his throat and starts fussing with the hem of his shirt - which is in fact one of Dante's or possibly Philip's shirts, he isn't quite sure.

"I met this guy I really liked and we started dating, sort of. It always felt like I was more into him than he was into me."

"So people are okay with that now? You being with another man?"

"Some of them," Matteo replies. "More than there used to be but still not enough. Depends where you go."

"I see. Sorry, continue."

"Well, there's not much else. He got me into some trouble. A lot of trouble, really - "

He catches the trepidation on Dante's face and quickly adds,

"I'm not wanted by the cops or anything. Like I said...no one is looking for me. But I...changed. And I knew if I stayed there I would hurt people. So I left."

Every time Matteo gets close to telling the whole truth, he diverts at the last moment. That would change everything and he isn't ready for this to change yet. But he makes a firm promise to himself to hide during the full moon, lest he put Dante in danger.

"Where did you go?" Dante asks.

"Nowhere, really. I move around a lot. I'm not sure there's a place for me anywhere anymore."

Dante sits back in his armchair and silently reflects on Matteo's story. He doesn't press for details, which is a relief but makes Matteo feel twice as guilty for being so vague.

"When you got here," Dante says after a while, "you were in bad shape. Can I ask...what happened? Were you attacked?"

"Sort of. Some guy caught me on his property and chased me into the woods with a gun. I got cut up on branches and stuff."

That much is, technically, true.

"And after all that you still gave me your blood?" Dante muses aloud.

Matteo shrugs, trying not to feel too proud of himself considering he was only there in search of shelter. Dante was never part of the plan.

"You were in worse shape."

Dante doesn't disagree. "I never did thank you for saving me."

"Well...I never did thank you for the place to sleep."

"Mm. Glad to know my life is at least worth a bed."

It takes Matteo a moment to pick up on the dry humor. Dante isn't smiling, but there's a glint in his eyes.

Matteo wonders what that somber face would look like smiling or laughing. He wouldn't be like the man in that old photograph, not anymore. Sorrow has weighed on him too heavily for too long. But maybe it would be beautiful in its own way.

Maybe he'll even get to see it.

-

Despite his often morose demeanor, Dante is a gentle soul who feeds stray cats and leaves seeds out for the birds even though he'll never get to see them enjoy it in the morning.

Living alone almost fifty years has left him with no shortage of eccentricities. He talks to himself, never has the same routine two days in a row, takes long walks alone at night, and stores blood in mason jars in the refrigerator.

His knowledge and hobbies have been shaped by what is available to him in the house - the books in the office library, the grand piano in the living room, Mrs. Townsend's knitting and needlepoint, an assortment of games and puzzles.

And, as it turns out, basic cable.

"How in the hell did you manage that?" Matteo asks, staring at the old but functioning television.

Come to think of it, the house has electricity and running water. He never even questioned it, and suddenly he has so many questions.

"A very large savings account," Dante explains calmly. Then he looks sheepish. "I may have...borrowed Philip's identity."

Matteo stares at him.

"...I'm not proud of it."

"No, no, I don't care about that, but what happens if something breaks? Or if someone from the company comes by?"

"There's this - this thing I can do. It's probably easier if I just show you."

Dante's eyes gleam unnaturally bright in a way Matteo has only seen a couple of times before.

"Pick up that book. Balance it on your head."

All other thoughts disappear; Matteo obeys without question.

As soon as the spell is broken he snaps back to reality and the book drops to the floor.

"How...wait, did you do that?"

"No. You did."

"But you made me do it."

"Yeah. I can make someone think they were never here. It isn't harmful...I think. And I swear I didn't use it on the Girl Scouts."

Dante seems uncomfortable admitting to using this skill, but Matteo is unperturbed. Even a little jealous - his condition doesn't come with any cool powers.

"What about shopping? I guess you don't have the internet...but maybe the home shopping network?"

"No...no mail. It's not worth the risk of someone stopping by every day."

Matteo chews his lip, thinking.

"I have an idea. What if I went shopping for you? I can go out in the daytime. And I could get some real food...not that I don't appreciate the cookies! What do you think?"

Dante looks stunned.

"You'd do that for me?"

-

The next day, while Dante sleeps, Matteo follows the path of the winding, overgrown driveway to a main road and follows that until he finds a small shopping plaza. It's a long walk but he feels stronger and healthier than he has in a long time.

That evening Matteo sits back with a bowl of soup and watches as Dante eagerly goes through the bags. He had only requested a few new books, the most recent newspaper, and some new pens and pencils, but Matteo threw in some extras just because.

I owe him for letting me stay. That's what he tells himself.

It's all going too well. He should know better than to get comfortable anywhere...or with anyone. As the waxing moon grows larger each night, Matteo knows he should leave.

But he doesn't.

#vampire #werewolf #mind control #angst #loneliness #bonding #a lot of dialogue #not very plot heavy #not very whumpy #whump writing #my writing #my ocs #matteo #dante #shun the light

[limesquares]

more dragon design concepts

#lime art #oc: SIX #dragons #all my recent creature designs are actually being compiled into a single universe :D #its just very slow going and not plot heavy at all. im having fun with designs and themes atm #anyway. enjoy this beast. i really like them :') #those two forms are in light and in darkness btw. cave type beast.

[4lph4kidz]

i was thinking about your dirk and hal poll and i want to mention that i think your concept for ink and iron where dirk creates hal from his reflection by enchanting a mirror is so cool 😌

thank you! hal's predicament and purpose within the canon narrative is so fascinating and i felt it was really important to find a way to explore what i find most interesting with him. i can't take full credit for the concept though i took inspiration from a few placees (one of my friends pitched the idea of the mirror accidentally dumping him onto jake's doorstop for example) but overall i think the idea is very fun and i'm really excited to write more hal stuff!!! also i'm going to take the opportunity to share this oldish doodle i found:

the mispelling of angel as angle was NOT intentional (<- dyslexia haver) but it probably explains a lot. he's pointy

#obviously an AU is going to be different from canon #but i like AUs specifically *because* i have a lot of fun trying to translate canon ideas into another setting or genre in general #in this case its a riff on the fairy tale magic mirror #hal is still an experiment gone wrong/artificial being created to serve a purpose trapped in a non-physical form and denied personhood #as well as being an extension of dirk's selfhood and very literal expression of his self image #this time with extra gender problems as per my original intentions for the fic. which now feel more than a bit heavy handed but whatever #point is hal gets to play up the trapped demon/spirit/almost genie-esque angle isntead of the artificial intelligence schtick in canon #which i am having a lot of fun writing! #he is also a very important plot device. multitalented 💕 #for anyone wondering i&i is NOT an abandoned project its just huge and whipping it into shape is slow going #i've taken breaks to work on other stuff too #ink and iron #i guess that's a tag i should start using #even though i'm not too happy with the title still. lmao

[hamable]

Fantasy high junior year is so real. Funniest shit I’ve ever heard for one half of the episode and the most real, tangible post-road-trip exhaustion and dread of having to return to responsibilities and how heavy it all is in the second half and it’s just so good.

#all my faves going on vacation or leaving just as our heros are returning like ships in the night #feels very Plot Relevant but it’d be so funny if Brennan was just sending Gilear off on vaca to not deal with him #Ik he would never Gilear is his Favorite Guy #dimension 20 #fantasy high #fhjy #fantasy high junior year #no but for real the tangible heaviness I feel for all 6 of them is so real this season is gonna destroy me #Fabian got home to see his mom leaving and I was already ready to cry #I’m so happy Adaine is on Riz’s level about college bc if he was fully one sided in that it would destroy me #Adaine and Riz best friends this season please

[officialspec]

hey. can anyone who knows the law slash industry standards tell me what the protocol is for posting abotu a potential show pitch (POTENTIAL) while its in development (as in not being pitched yet) (not for a long time) bc i haeve no goddamn idea

#ive been limiting my angels peak posting just in caseys. but i want to talk about them for real again. unless its illegal #likeee obviously heavy plot details are way out. but can i talk about the premise/characters or will i be killed #I HAVE GUYS I HAVENT EEVEN POSTED BEFORE BC I DONT KNOW THE LEGAL RAMMIES im very stupid #i shouldve asked about this in my showrunning class. oups #i need some ocs that arent for a Project so bad im going crazy

[valentronic]

“The real game will begin momentarily… Stay tuned :)”

Costas Mandylor as The Warden in Death Count(2022)

#gifset #robo gifs #< that’s a new one! never thought i’d be posting gifs on here but i couldn’t find any of this character #so i made my own :] #the warden #death count #there’s no way there’s an actual tag for this movie so i’ll tag the actor i guess ?? #costas mandylor #this movie was. strange and not very good but i REALLY enjoyed this character #he’s such a freak i loved how sadistic and yet kind of childish he was like the way he’d smile giddily as he tortured people #as for the movie as a whole it felt very very confused about what point it was even trying to make #liked the concept of a killer game show host having an audience control the fates of the contestants #but the plot itself kind of bogged it down and it was too heavy handed about social media being bad while not making an actual point about i #didn’t mean to turn this into a film review oops

[wiltking]

several books could benefit from daring to be so succinct

#to be very clear i dont dislike sex scenes in books. at all. but if youre going to be boring about it...... #nothing wrong with a good ol fade to black #also no need to write out every single one. i say as someone writing a very sex heavy story #but this one has a lot of good plot going on and i was relieved to see this. to be honest #really kept the pacing going #and made me smile #book thoughts #the same breath

[samarecharm]

My younger sister is playing the base p5

#chattin #i walked into the livingroom and saw the opening and nearly screamed #she said its bc she saw me play strikers and got curious #im so shocked; she would NOT have been able to play this game like 4 years ago #shes like. not very good on story heavy games. its too boring for her #but shes been watching a streamer play bg3 #and shes invested in the plot. and shes like huh! these ARE fun and engaging! #and she heard me and my mom talk about my moms dwindling attention span w Stories that arent spoonfed to her #so shes ALSO trying new games #i dunno. just very happy :) i get to see ryuji again! #shes been fun to watch. not to be that person but shes autistic (so am i) and very loud and excitable about plot twists n stuff #shes SO into it. also her first comment on ryuji was ‘thats me! i did the same thing w my suspenders :)’ so she liked him immediately LOL #the grind is also something nice for her bc she gets to watch her stream inbetween battles #i will say; the juggling of social stuff and shopping and fighting is ALOT for her. she left the palace to re up on magic #and she forgot to do ANYTHING; no weapons bought; no acessories or protectors; no items; no hangouts #and when i came back from my room (i noticed she had full magic) i asked if she did all that and she was like. shit. #she has to learn the hard way unfortunately #she is insistent on using all her magic; and so when she gets caught w strong enemies WITHOUT it shes like. uhoh. lunge it is. #shell learn

[bluerosesburnblue]

@oveliagirlhaditright I'm putting my Missing Link thoughts in another post because it would be too long, and honestly I have SO MANY thoughts about why the basic premise of KHML was a bad idea (completely separate from my own distaste for the "Ephemer is Xehanort's ancestor" stuff that might be in it)

Because you're right to mention Pokemon Go and it really, REALLY feels to me like it's just trying to ride the hype from the mobile ARG boom that started with Pokemon Go a whole eight years ago. Because KHML as a concept doesn't even seem to be utilizing any of the unique features of an ARG that make them appealing

There's two real franchise-based mobile ARGs that I ever remember hearing about: Pokemon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite*. These two projects do make sense to me, as opposed to KHML because of the way that both franchises make use of the central concept of the augmented reality feature. They're additions to reality, which both series already played around with. HP takes place in our reality, but with a "what if magic was real and just hidden" premise, so it's insanely easy to make an ARG that's just "yeah, you're one of the people in on the secret magical society that always existed in the real world." Pokemon takes place in an alternate version of our world; every location in Pokemon is based on a real-world location. So that's also a natural progression for it, and it's easy to pretend that the "reality" you see in the ARG is just the Pokemon world. Other than location names and the presence of Pokemon, the Pokemon world is practically identical to reality

That is literally the central concept of an ARG. To make the game part of reality. And that just doesn't work with KH, a game about flying through space to reach Disney worlds. Sure, some of us might have wanted to pretend to be Keyblade wielders as kids, but did we want to be wielders in our small backyards? Not even imagining that they were another location, but the yards as they were? No! We wanted to be in the Disney worlds! Or Traverse Town! The central facet of ARG gameplay doesn't mesh with the functionality of a story-based canonical title. And so what do they do to force it to work? Complicate the lore with the Astral Planes, which completely take the "reality" out of Augmented Reality aside from... a map? Like, it might have worked with Quadratum depending on how much of "our reality" that ends up being, but that's not at all what they're doing

Additionally, ARGs are not conducive to story-heavy games! You're supposed to play them while walking around town, maybe stopping for a few minutes to take a break. Or you play them on work/school breaks. You need to be able to pick them up, play a bit for 10 minutes, and put them down. The typical gameplay cycle for most ARG players does not include 20 minutes just to watch cutscenes to get the Exclusive Lore before being able to do anything, and the people who like KH for the story aren't going to want to wait all the time for their mobile game energy to recharge before they can get their cutscenes (a thing that even KHUx did away with for story chapters after some time!)

The entire decision to make KHML an ARG, to me, feels like corporate checking off a box of "style of game that got popular in recent memory" and trying to copy it rather than thinking of the gameplay as a medium in and of itself to tell a story. Nothing about the ARG concept works with what KH is at its core, and I honestly feel like they unintentionally admitted that when it was announced that you'd be able to play it without leaving home. What is the point of making it an ARG at all if you're going to remove literally the only benefit that it has as a medium, as opposed to something that could benefit the story you're trying to tell? We are a long way from the days of TWEWY making revolutionary use of the DS technology to have its gameplay tell a significant part of its story

In an ideal world, I think that KHML should have been an MMO like we thought KHx was going to be back when it was announced. They wouldn't have to mess with the lore to make it work, other players running around would help to "populate" Scala ad Caelum in a natural way, people could form "families" with their friends to further the bloodlines narrative, and MMOs can function on the drip-fed narrative style that they wanted. It doesn't even have to be a big-budget MMO like FF14, because I actually do like KH3's artstyle and KHML's simpler usage of it (it manages to be distinctive and colorful, working in hallmarks of Nomura's hand-drawn style while still being more detailed than the PS2-era). It could just be... basically what it is now, but they add in new Disney worlds every couple of months to keep the story going

And now here we are, with a game that was supposed to be out by the end of 2023 still missing (lol) and only having had two betas by the near-midpoint of 2024 because they're having developmental issues that I would personally guess have to do with the game's self-defeating nature. I find it very frustrating

*Adding in, Wizards Unite literally ran for less than three years (June 2019 - Jan 2022) before shutting down so even being tied to a big-name franchise couldn't save it. I have a strong hunch that the Covid-19 lockdowns played a huge part in killing the ARG boom so it's doubly insane to me why Square Enix thought trying to bring it back was a good idea

#liz's shenanigans #kingdom hearts #khml #kingdom hearts missing link #yes this is a negative post so feel free to not look if you want to keep your khml hype up #i figured it should be its own post though since i had someone ask me my thoughts in dms #and like man idk i want to like khml but i have so many issues with the very premise and the way that khdr introduced the bloodlines thing #that i am just not feeling it #will i probably check it out? sure. but right now i'm not excited about it #tldr; khml being a mobile arg (for playing on the go and interacting with reality) feels contradictory to kh as a lore/plot heavy #action game series set in a purely fictional setting

[anto-pops]

I’m torn between posting the first chapter of the friends/enemies/lovers fic now or waiting until I finish the second chapter. I’m not used to this. How do you multi-chapter writers cope with these types of decisions

#FUCK #this is why long fics stress me out #chapter one is short and dense (intentionally) cause I didn’t want all that action/plot crowding up the dialogue heavy second chapter #but it’s for that very reason I wanted chapter 2 done so I can just put that out right after #AUGH #gonna chug wine and think on it while I keep writing #a.txt

[aurinkomoukari]

Chapter 11 summary: The plot is thickening. You finally get the answers you’ve wanted for a long time from Grace, and there’s good news and bad news - plus stuff that's just straight up unfathomable. But something about your new acquaintance throws you completely off your game and you suddenly find your entire world being turned upside down…

#jim root #james root #slipknot #slipknot fanfic #AO3 fanfic #THE DEMON QUEEN HAS ARRIVED!!! #only two more chapters to go 🥺 #THIS ONE IS VERY PLOT-HEAVY BUT DONT WORRY - THE SMUT CONTINUES IN NEXT CHAPTER 😁

[wttcsms]

i want to get back into reading fanfiction more often so pls send me any of your fave writers, im gnawing at the bars of my enclosure for something to read and obsess over

#i don’t mind just smut fics #but if u have any fic recs that are plot heavy (either w or w/out the smut) those would be VERY appreciated! #you’ve all seen my writing and my posts you know who my faves r and what tropes i adore #but im down to read anything and everything #it does not matter what fandom it is

[achairwithapandaonit]

my cat is a wonderful fanfic writer. look what she added onto my current wip

#this is a very plot heavy xxxholic crossover for anyone who's curious. it has absolutely nothing to do with xxxholic except for the fact #that the entire plot hinges on a wish sabo makes at yuuko's shop at the start of the fic. i am very tempted to write a sequel fic with a #lot more yuuko in it tho. if i can finish this one. so far it's about 1600 words and i've vaguely planned out the first half of the fic #me on the rare occasion i pull out my notebook and draw up a timeline: oh wow suddenly the writing got easier

[parlerenfleurs]

I'm perplexed by people who think Xue Yang could have redeemed himself given the opportunity.... It's a sentiment I see echoed a lot but it has no basis in the text or in simple logic.

The dude had plenty of opportunities to do it on his own before even meeting Xiao XingChen, when he had both a better material situation and protection from powerful sects. But sure, he was protected with the aim of making him do more bad things, and Jin GuangYao is a terrible frequentation to have if you want a chance to turn out better at some point in time, and also yeah, everyone knows emotional connection and genuine love are what truly nourishes the soul, so let's say he's a big brat bastard who needs a little more than that to grow up, and let it slide.

But then he ends up with Xiao XingChen. He ends up with him, the embodiment of pure-heartedness, with a miraculous blank slate because the dude is blind and doesn't have a clue who he is! That's the perfect opportunity to bask in the wonderful feeling of true kindness, and then of true affection, right? And what does he do? Not right away, mind you, no, he had the time to heal from his injury and dilly-dally about what to do next, he had plenty of time to make a different decision, to wait a bit more before making it, to stop being an evil asshole and sit down for five minutes. But no, what he does is, he tricks Xiao XingChen into killing innocent people. And he gets a huge kick out of doing it. AND he does it again, repeatedly, even after years have passed and they have truly bonded.

Like? I don't know what more people think he can get, as second chances go. He's a very fun villain but he is an irredeemable one. Of course, he feels love and care, in his own way, sure, yeah. Cool feelings, still manipulation and murder.

#Xiao Xingchen #Xue Yang #it's very weird to me because ending up with a blind Xiao XingChen WAS his chance #it very unmistakably was #that's like. the whole plot of 2ha in a way?? #and in 2ha it's well done because [huge spoilers] #so it's nothing like the Xue Yang situation #Xue Yang has little reason to do evil and a big fat desire to do ir #and then he breaks the one beautiful thing in his life #the one genuine thing #he does that on his own #no one makes him do it #if Song Lan had arrived and Xue Yang had done nothing in all this time AND had become a better person #then it would have turned out differently #many ways it could have gone without turning into a tragedy he had a heavy hand in creating #he would have had to pay for his crimes #but Xiao XingChen would have been alive #and it's something he would have liked supposedly #as it is he provokes his death and then wants to bring him back as a toy #to never let him rest #come on dude you've done enough!

[juregim]

RUSSIANS MADE A PROPAGANDA MOVIE ABOUT THEIR INVASION OF UKRAINE???????

#i’m watching tv with my grandma so ofc we’re watching russian channels because ussr programming runs deep #anyway i see a trailer for a full melodrama movie about the ‘war’ in Ukraine with like an mc and a plot and VERY HEAVY PROPAGANDA #i feel like i’m in another dimension

[candyunicornsateme]

I feel like art or writing wise for me Kenny is either pretty expressive or not very expressive at all. In heavy moments, he's not very expressive, like if you wanted to picture things the same as in my brain, that's how it'd be. With Kyle it's expressive either way, bright when happy, very visibly upset and pissed when... upset and pissed lol.

#rimble ramble #kenny mccormick #I was just thinking about how #even if i wrote out a scene with them #how some may invision things slightly differently #which would be cool/interesting to me #but in my head for certain moments Kenny's pretty pensive #like he's all in the eyes #if its heavy its no bashful blush and shit... #he's like .... [gestures vaguely] scorpio inside #intense i guess lol #(tho I also think its cute to have him be silly and expressive too) #I was thinking this bc a very specific scene came to mind #for a fucking fic that I barely have a plot/timeline for lmao #did u guys know amber has fic ideas??? #did you know it's eating her alive inside???