#thank you so much to the author for writing a character and romantic route so well done and sweet

[daisynik7]

Give You Blue

Chapter 8: How It Begins

Pairing: Eren x f!reader, Reiner x f!reader (past relationship)

cw: switching POVs (reader is 2nd person, Eren is third) angst, fluff, language

Word Count: ~3.5k

Previous Chapter | Epilogue

Give You Blue Masterlist | ao3 | Give You Blue Taglist

Summary: The conclusion of the series Give You Blue. Author’s Note: Seriously, I cannot thank you all enough for sticking with this through the end. I wanted to write a story that was realistic, relatable, and romantic, and I hope that in the end, I accomplished that. I wasn’t sure anyone would want to read a story like this, so I’m so grateful to all of you who have. I appreciate every single one of you so so much. I’ll definitely miss this series, but I’m also relieved to be give our main characters some rest LOL. Stay tuned for the Epilogue, coming out in the next week or so! 

Eren fingers are entwined with yours, hands resting on the center console of his car, windows rolled down halfway to let the passing breeze sweep through his hair. Every so often, he’ll glance at you, smiling, sunglasses covering his eyes as he drives the familiar route towards the bridge between Paradis and Marley. The radio plays songs you’ve listened with him before, during all those little hangouts inside his room. Choruses and verses he’s demonstrated for you on his guitar, impressing you with his skills. He hums each tune happily, thumb tapping against your skin in tandem with the rhythm. 

Nearly three months ago, you were in the passenger seat, that time in Reiner’s car, driving the same road, but in the opposite direction, observing the ocean blue with tears in your eyes and a broken heart. Wondering what would happen next after losing what seemed like everything to you. Because Reiner was everything to you. Was.

Now, you see your future in a clearer light. Instead of storms or perpetual rain, you envision sunshine and bright skies, filling you with warmth that has since slipped from you since your breakup. You’re no longer lost; rather, you’re wandering to something new, something different. Something wonderful. And you can’t help imagining Eren on the other side of that, welcoming you with open arms. Still, the journey isn’t over. In fact, it’s just beginning. And before you reach your destination, there’s obstacles you need to face to make it there in one piece. 

Halfway into the drive, you realize where he’s taking you. It’s his little paradise he told you about before, the special beach he goes to for an escape. It’s my super-secret spot. You have to be really special to know about it. I’ll show you this one day. You’ll love it. Even then, several weeks ago, Eren invited you into his world, deeming you special enough to share it. He trusts you, is giving his all to you. And you wish your heart wasn’t so damaged still, so that you could give him the same. The love that he deserves.  

He pulls into a spot right off the shore, letting go of your hand to put the car in park. “We’re here,” he announces, grinning. At the trunk, he pulls out two blankets, handing you one to carry. He leads you down weathered stairs towards an alcove hidden away from the main beach. The sand is soft against your feet, sinking in with each step. The distinct melody of waves crashing on the shore is soothing to your ears. It really is paradise, especially with Eren guiding the way, turning back occasionally to flash that winning smile at you. Eventually, he settles for a spot far enough from the shore to where the water doesn’t reach, laying the blanket flat. He sits cross-legged, focused on the view in front of him. He’s at ease, the tension from his shoulders relaxing, his sunglasses reflecting the glare of the golden hour. You take your place beside him, indulging in this sight. Their last moment together in the sun before you return to reality. 

The scene is amazing, streaks of orange and pink mirrored in the shimmering blue sea. It’s too majestic to stare at directly, so you watch it rippling on the ocean surface. With the sun gradually sinking into the horizon, Eren scoots closer, nudging you. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

You rest your head on his shoulder, nodding. “It is. Thank you for taking me here.”

“I know it’s not exactly the runaway you wanted, but it’s the best I could give you,” he mentions, leaning into you. 

“This is exactly what I want. To be here with you.”

The two of you sit in silence, admiring the sunset until it disappears, and the night sky takes over, like a curtain falling after the final act. You’re holding hands now, squeezing each other tight, desperate not to let go. Maybe he senses it too, the end of this tiny getaway together. 

“Eren,” you start, voice trembling. 

Before you can continue, he turns to kiss you on the forehead gently. “It’s okay. You can be honest with me. I can take it.” 

Tears stream down your cheeks, his thumbs brushing them away as he cradles your face between his palms. “I’m sorry,” you sniffle. “I’m so sorry, Eren. I wish I could give you what you want, like what you’ve given to me. But I can’t. Not right now. I need time.”

“Then I’ll wait for you,” he urges, placing delicate kisses along the corners of your eyes, collecting your tears on his lips. “I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

You shake your head, refusing. “I won’t let you do that. There’s a whole world out there, people without baggage, without a broken heart. They’re so much better for you than I am. It’ll be so much easier than dealing with a mess like me.”

“I don’t want easier. I want you.” 

“Why? Why me?”

He smiles softly. “Because you make me happy.”

You continue to cry, asking, “How can it be that simple? What if you get sick of me? What if I can’t make you happy anymore?” It’s what happened with Reiner. He decided one day that he was no longer in love with you, and in an instant, the life you built together disintegrated into a pile of dust. Remnants of precious memories wasted away into nothing. That’s what it felt like. What if the same happens with Eren? What if you weren’t meant to be loved at all?

He keeps holding your firmly in his grasp, a look of determination in his face. “There’s so many what if scenarios you can give me. I won’t pretend to know exactly what the future has in store for us. But all I know is that I’m the happiest when I’m with you. I’m not going to let something like this go just because I’m worried it might not work out in the end. If I’m going to take a leap of faith, it’s going to be for you.” He nuzzles his nose to yours, grinning. “And who’s to say that you won’t get sick of me?”

“I would never,” you reply, gazing at him through weepy eyes. “But I’m scared of becoming a failure again.” 

“Having your past relationship end doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Love isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about learning and growing. Realizing how capable you are to love somebody and allowing them to love you. Isn’t that such a wonderful thing?”

You watch him, awed by his wisdom. As much as you wish it could, it’s still not enough to take the fear away from your fragile heart. After a moment of silence, listening to the gentle waves splash on the shore, Eren says, “Can I tell you something?” It’s dark now, the chill from the night air prickling your bare skin. He unfolds the second blanket, wrapping it around the both of you. You nod, huddling closer, relishing the warmth he always surrounds you in. 

“I emailed my advisor. I have a meeting with him Monday morning. I’m officially going to change my major,” he announces proudly. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. No more running away. I’m not scared anymore. That’s because of you.” He faces you, eyes shining like emeralds in the pitch black of evening. “You’ve given me the strength to do this. To take control of my life and make decisions for me, and not for anyone else. With you by my side, I can do anything.”

“Eren,” you whisper, chest heavy with adoration. 

He presses his forehead to yours. “I wish I could take away the pain. Take whatever hurts you and make it disappear. You have no idea how special you are to me. So, I’ll wait for you, whenever you’re ready to share your heart with me. Until then, I’ll stay by your side, as your friend, as your RA, as a person who cares deeply about you. I’ll always be here for you, okay?”

You swallow hard, tears trickling down your cheeks as you kiss him, unable to express how much he means to you, letting your lips do the talking instead. It isn’t fair to love him with a broken heart; he deserves to be loved fully by someone who isn’t afraid of it. Someone who’s healed instead of damaged, steady without stumbling at every little crack in the pavement they come across. With time, you’re determined to become that somebody for him. 

Eventually, you find the will to speak. “I won’t make you wait long. I promise.”

He laughs, snuggling closer to you under the blanket. “Pinky promise?” 

“Pinky promise.” You hook your finger around his, swaying it between you. 

Eren drives back to campus with your hand in his, brushing his thumb across your skin affectionately. You part ways outside his room, kissing each other once more before stepping down the hallway to your own room. You scroll through your phone to find Reiner’s contact, determined more than ever to settle this once and for all. No more running away.

Without hesitation, you type out your message. 

Reiner. I’m ready to talk. 

~~~

Sunday afternoon, you and Reiner agree to meet at a café on-campus, one that the two of you frequented freshman year when you were a couple. Upon your arrival, you notice that he’s already sat at a table, waiting for you, two drinks set in front of him. You sit across from him, back straight and neck tall, twiddling your thumbs at your lap where he can’t see. 

“I already ordered,” he comments, pushing the coffee cup towards you, reciting the drink name and all the specifics of how you typically like it. Proving that he hasn’t forgotten. 

You take it into your hand, tipping it into your mouth. “Thank you,” you say after swallowing your sip. 

There are a few beats of awkward silence before he starts speaking. “I’m sorry about the other night. I shouldn’t have ambushed you like that.” 

You nod in acknowledgement, fixated on the lid of your drink cup, nervous to meet his gaze. 

“I meant it, though,” he adds. “I still want to get back together.”

You take a deep breath, choosing your words carefully. “Why all of a sudden?”

He shrugs, circling the rim of his cup with his finger. “I realized how much it sucks to be alone.”

“So, by default, I’m supposed to bail you out? It doesn’t work like that, Reiner. You can’t love me only when it’s convenient for you. That’s not love. That’s selfish.” This time, you do look at him, finding the confidence in your voice. 

He doesn’t speak, facing the window, averting his eyes from yours. When he doesn’t respond, you continue. “It’s hard for anyone to be alone. Imagine how I felt when you broke up with me.”

Finally, he replies, “And you’re right. I was an idiot to do that. We should have never broken up. I didn’t know it was going to be so fucked up.” He trails off at his last statement, as if he’s just realizing it himself. 

“You weren’t in love with me anymore. It wouldn’t have been fair for either of us to stay in a relationship like that. And you were right: we relied on each other too much. So much that it hurt the most when we couldn’t anymore.”

Suddenly, he holds your hand, grasping it firmly. “Then let’s go back. It’ll be better this time. I’ll be better.” He’s desperate now; it shows in his pleading eyes and quivering speech. The tightness in his grip as he clings to you, frantic. 

You don’t pull away from him, squeezing him in return. “I don’t want to go back. I want to move forward. I can’t keep relying only on other people. I need to rely on myself, first and foremost. Stand tall and make choices because it’s what I want to do. That’s what growing up is all about, right?” 

“And you’re not scared?”

“I’m terrified. But we shouldn’t let fear prevent us from moving on and being happy. I don’t know if you and I can make each other happy anymore. I was so careful with you, to a point where I was lying to myself about being fine with the decisions you made. I guess I always felt the need to protect you. It’s been that way since we were kids. As much as we don’t want to admit it, we’re different now. Everything is different. It’ll never be like it was, no matter how hard we try to recreate it.” 

He revels at your words, a glimmer of defeat in his expression, understanding that there’s nothing else he can do to change your mind. After a minute of contemplation, he ponders, “You think that it could have worked out if I didn’t break up with you?”

You don’t answer right away, delicately formulating your reply. “Somehow, we stopped communicating. I went along with whatever you said, even when I didn’t agree. And you didn’t talk to me about the fears you were having before you broke up with me. I think we were so focused on protecting each other’s feelings that we stopped being honest to one another. I think eventually, we would realize that and break up anyways.” You take another sip of your drink before asking, “Do you think it would have worked out?”

He opens his mouth, then closes it. Eventually, he replies, “I guess when you put it like that, then no.”

You keep your hand in his, because this time, it’s really the last. And it doesn’t feel dirty or wrong to do it; it feels right. Like there’s finally that understanding that you’ve been racking your brain for the last three months. 

“Maybe we were better off staying friends,” he muses. 

“Maybe. But I don’t ever regret loving you, Reiner.” You used to think the same thing, convinced that crossing the line from friends to lovers was the vital mistake that doomed your relationship. With Eren’s words replaying in your head, you can’t say you believe that sentiment anymore. After all, Reiner has and will always be your first love. The person who taught you how to love and to receive love in the first place. Despite it not working out for the better, nothing will replace that. 

He returns your smile, still holding you. “Me neither. I’m sorry. For everything.”  

Silence falls between you two once again, a comfortable one this time, full of acceptance that this is truly the end for you and Reiner. Attempting to lighten the mood, you ask, “So, are you and Christa official yet?”

He looks at you confused, then realization washes over him. “Oh, Christa! Yeah, no. Turns out her and her big in Delta Delta are super close, if you know what I mean.” He smirks, relaxing in his seat. “I never stood a chance.”

You let go of him, leaning back into your chair. “Bummer. I genuinely do think she is nice.”

“Yeah. But I’d be annoyed too if my ex was pushing us to be friends.” He clears his throat, crossing his arms over his chest. “What about that Eren guy?”

You raise a brow at him. “Really? You want to talk about him?”

“Not my finest moment, I know. But I’m still curious. Is he your boyfriend now or what?”

You shake your head. “No. I told him I need time.”

Surprised, he repeats, “Time? For what?”

“To figure myself out.”

“To figure yourself out?” 

“Yeah. I don’t want to give him my shattered, fucked up heart. It’s not right.”

He continues to study you, confused. “So that’s it? You’re not even going to give him a chance?”

“He said he’ll wait for me,” you respond, belly fluttering as you recall last night on the beach. 

Reiner leans forward on the table, invested. “He’s totally in love with you. If he’s willing to wait for you, he’s in it for the long haul. He’s already fallen for every piece of you, I guarantee that.”

“It’s not fair to him, though.”

“It’s not fair to yourself. He’s not asking you for a healed heart. He wants you just the way you are. Why deprive yourself from someone who’s already willing to love you like this?”

“Because I don’t want to make the same mistakes again!”

He sighs, drumming his fingers on the surface impatiently. “Look, I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m completely cool with it. But for the first time in a long time, I’m trying not to be selfish again. Don’t let our past influence your future. You told me you want to rely more on yourself, right? Then start with this. Trust your heart. Don’t run away. Go for it.”

“I can’t believe my ex is actually giving me dating advice,” you chuckle, seriously contemplating his encouragement. 

“Consider this my parting gift to you. As your ex and as your former best friend. I want you to be happy. And if this guy makes you happy, why wait? If it means anything to you, just know I’ll be rooting for you, whatever you decide.”

You grin. “It does mean something. Thank you, Reiner.” You no longer see him as an obstacle standing in your way. Instead, he’s on the sidelines, supporting you. Rooting for you. It took three months of suffocating to surface. And now, you’re free. “Anyways, I should go. I have a lot to think about.”

He nods, remaining seated. “Yeah.”

You’re ready to walk to the exit when he calls out to you. “Coco?”

You turn to face him, heart thumping at the familiar nickname. The youthful twinkle in his eyes returns in an instant and all your childhood memories flash before you in hyperdrive, glimpses of your past life together. Laughing so hard that you’re clutching your bellies until you’re doubled over on his bed. Hidden under homemade forts built out of pillows and cushions, shining flashlights underneath your chins, creating hand puppets with shadows on the walls. Late night drives with the windows rolled all the way down, blasting music and singing at the top of your lungs as he speeds through the highway. Splitting milkshakes at the diner, blowing out candles on birthday cakes. Endless nights spent in each other’s arms, listening to his steady heartbeat. First kisses, first times, last summer and goodbyes. Three months ago, you would have done anything to go back. Now, you’re ready to move on. The final hit of nostalgia before you go. 

He smiles at you knowingly, as if he’s watching the same scenes of your lives play out in his head. “Nothing. I just wanted to say that one last time.” 

~~~

Eren is in his room, sitting on the floor, strumming the strings on his guitar randomly, not playing any particular tune. He recalls the events of last night, laying it all out on the table, confessing his feelings, revealing his vulnerabilities. He won’t pressure her to rush into this, knowing she’s still processing and healing from her trauma. Her thinking about him is enough. Until the day comes when they can both love each other fully, he’ll wait patiently. 

There’s a knock on his door. He isn’t suspecting company, so he assumes it’s one of his residents here to report a problem. When he opens it, he’s shocked to see her in front of him, staring at him nervously. 

“I told you I wouldn’t make you wait long,” she says, stepping towards him. 

His chest is heavy, fluttering incessantly, and all he can do is laugh, closing the distance between them by wrapping his arms around her. “It’s been the longest day ever, actually. You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

She snuggles her face into his chest. “Me too. I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, though.”

He kisses the top of her head, smiling. “Tell me.”

“I can get very insecure and very anxious, so you’ll have to deal with that.”

“Okay. I can handle that,” he answers, inhaling her scent through his nostrils, filling his lungs with as much of her essence as possible. 

“I want to talk about everything with you. I want us to be completely honest with each other all the time.”

Nodding, he responds, “I want that too. I want that too, sweetie.” He hugs her tighter, never wanting to let go.

“Also, sometimes I hog the blanket. But I don’t do it on purpose, I swear. I can’t control what my body does while I sleep.” She clings to him, peering up at him with the sweetest expression. 

He nuzzles her nose to hers, joking, “Ah, well, I don’t think this is going to work out then.”

She glares at him playfully, pouting her lips. “That’s your dealbreaker?”

“Well, I guess I can make an exception. For you,” he teases, kissing her. 

It began with an ending, and it ends with a new beginning. One journey closes, and another begins. It may not be easy, but what wonderful, magical adventure ever is? It’s the detours and bumps along the way that make it memorable, make it worthwhile. And with her by his side, and him by hers, Eren’s confident that they’ll get through anything. Together. 

@batafuraikisu @bloompompom @monirei @filunara @katestrophes @ichinosejager13 @hoperenae @zellskz @e-ayyy @liliorsstuff-blog @maliakealoha @holdmeclosebutdontloveme @chrollohearttags @sailorputa @squickkk @dnyllmh @hellomeow12 @s-cream-ing @potofstewie @conniesbbymama @erzascarlett28 @lem-hhn @roronoazorosbxtchh @ichigostrawberry15 @rhaelrence @lilshades @bigmoodyjoody @icansmellsouls @aangsupremacy @ashsauroras @bakuhoes-bxtch @si-kamo @jmtherula @imaddicted-b @monkemanjeager @neesiewrote @large-juice @chiinni @belovedackerman

#eren x reader #eren jaeger #eren x f!reader #eren x you #eren x y/n #eren jaeger x reader #eren fluff #eren aot #aot fluff #reiner x reader #reiner x f!reader #reiner braun #give you blue series #give you blue #eren smut

[collegetennisoriginstory]

Hello author 👋

On a scale from one to ten (one being not at all and ten being so much so it is fundamentally unrecognizable), how different would you say this version of your story is from the very first? Anything notable about the characters that have changed?

I feel like all of your characters have such defined personalities that they might have just been initially thought up that way and never changed.

Thank you for your time!

Oh!! Really interesting question! I think mostly the plot is the one that changes organically as I write, I have quite a strong sense of the characters and I use that to decide / guide the emotional beats / scenes.

I always kinda imagined that Tobin would be the "protector" archetype (strong, confident, kind), Rayyan's the "rival/lone wolf" archetype (surly, blunt, but soft on the inside), G's the "maverick" wanderer (flirty, a bit cynical, with a fear of commitment/taking things seriously) and Sam's the loveable ride or die. I'd say those bits I could feel in my gut right from the start and are unlikely to change.

As I wrote, Tobin became more playful, and Rayyan became a little more bashful in a romantic sense, G became a little sweeter, and Sam a little more of a silly eccentric character. And the lil details about their likes and dislikes, hometown, family backgrounds -- all of those I make up along the way.

I was gonna write G's ex /on and off again lover into the story but now it became's Tobin RO route (made more sense cause yall would actually get to interact with someone on the tennis team aka Felix, who was a late addition).

The side characters also came to life on their own--Addie was surprisingly delightful to write, Deepal as well. The Jacks and Emerson ship was actually thanks to a couple of early asks pointing out the chemistry...

#ct:os #college tennis: origin story #if #interactive fiction #asks #rayyan #tobin #sam #g #deepal #addie

[wavytam]

Hi! First of all thank you for your always on point theories and overall amazing Sanami content! <33

I've noticed that we've probably seen all the original main cast characters being romantically (or at least hinted to be so) connected to another character, even if the connection was one-sided. Nami was nowhere seen in a similar situation, except the gag-full marriage with Absalom. The manga is already on it's final saga and there's no sign of her having reciprocated or one-sided feelings towards another character, male or female. Personally, I think it would have been at least logical to make her reject Sanji somehow, if nothing is planned between them. He's been head over heels, willing to die for her for quite a long time and we don't see any signs or development from Nami's side, neither positive, nor negative. As of now, do you think there might be a future change in Nami's feelings or will her undefined position towards Sanji remain till the end, as we haven't seen anything after the WCI events?

Thank you once again and sorry for this long text lol!

Hello!! Oh! Thank you so much for your kind words!! I really appreciate it! 🥰☺️

About Nami not having any crush on anyone up until this point: this is a good point.

Now, about your question. "Do you think there might be a future change in Nami's feelings or will her undefined position towards Sanji remain till the end?"

(Okay, I'm really sorry for how long it got! I tried to shorten it the best that I could!!)

I think that by the end of the manga, we will find out whether she likes Sanji romantically or not.

I don't think Oda will leave this unsolved, but I do think that (if Nami does reciprocate Sanji's feelings) he might make it happen very discretly, and maybe not even give much panel time for that. Similar to when, all of a sudden, Oda gave us a coverpage of Mister 9 and Miss Monday happily together... with a kid. It was so out of the blue, and we didn't really even see any moment between them that even hinted they had a mutual interest in one another.

Of course, with SaNami, from Sanji's part it's obvious he is interested in her romantically, but what we need now is for it to be mutual, and that's the part I think that might happen "offscreen".

I know this isn't something we, SaNami fans want things to go, but I there are to reasons for me to think that:

A) The "offscreen" route seems like the standard for how shonen mangas deal with romance. Shonen Jump still focuses on content for boys, and they don't think boys want to read about romance as much as girls. So my guess is that, even if Oda wanted to portray a romantic relationship amongst the crew (I don't think he does tho) I don't think he would be able to write that many romantic scenes - so a lot of the romantic development would have to happen offscreen.

I'll give you an example: Sasu Saku in Naruto. Please consider that I am not comparing the characters themselves with Nami and Sanji, I am just analysing how another mangaka from Shonen Jump developed the relationship of an endgame couple in his story and how it might be how Oda writes it too (because he is also a mangaka writing for the same company).

For the entirety of the manga, Saku had a crush on Sasu, but we never really knew whether he reciprocicated her feelings or not. He cared about her, obviously, but for years, fans had to rely on small hints that could be interpreted either as platonic or romantic from Sasu's part.

Only by the end of the manga did the author let us know that Sasu did, in fact, like Saku romantically. And if you rearead the manga knowing that, the moments between them that before were seen as ambiguous become mostly romantic.

(Please, do not interpret this wrong, I know Kishimoto and Oda are two completely different mangakas, with completely different writting styles, but they are writing for the same company, have the same audience and therefore have to follow the same set of rules)

B) I have a feeling that Oda doesn't want to shift the dynamic between the crew.

I myself am a very romantic person, but to be honest, I'm very picky when it comes to romance being portrayed in adventures. I've always liked to ship characters and read fanfics about them, but when it comes to the official content I don't like it when romance takes too much of a story that isn't supposed to focus on it. It's a weird thing from me, I know. Go figure.

Anyway, I think that Oda is afraid of that happening to his story. One Piece is about a group of friends helping one another to pursue their dreams. If we add romance in the mix, the "family" dynamic in the story shifts, and it doesn't really add to the main message anyway, which, to me, is "found family" and "freedom". Otherwaise, the fandom would also get into bigger fights, saying things like "W character loves x character more than y" "W character would rather let y die than character x because he/she loves her/him more" when these things don't really matter.

I know that there are people out there who do that anyway, but I think Oda wants to keep himself away from that type of discussions to focus more on the fraternal love the Strawhats clearly have for one another.

Obviously, it won't stop anyone from shipping (lol here I am, writing this huge text about SaNami even with all the warning from Oda himself), but maybe the wars could be even worse if Oda chose to portray romance. If that's the reason, I really understand where his mindset comes from.

With those two points in mind, my guess is: if Nami does reciprocate Sanji's feelings and they do end up together, not only do I think it will happen doscretly but I also think it's going to be only at the end of the story.

For now, I think Oda will keep on writting ambiguous moments between Nami and Sanji (with Sanji being the one crazy in love), trying to preserve the dynamic they already have until the very last arc, and only change it when the story comes to an end.

That way, romance amongst the crew won't be portrayed during the entirety of One Piece.

Okay, sorry for the big text!! But I hope I answered what you wanted to know!!

[merrycrisis-if]

allie hi omg i’m so late but i finally played the update and I LOVED IT SO MUCH like idek where to start because i played all the routes and they’re all so good. plus the 18+ scenes got me slutting out for real 😭😭

okok listen the added details in qiu’s first flashback literally drove me crazy like “you’re a hard person to catch alone” QIU PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP IM IN LOVE WITH YOU 😭😭😭 and the new flashback!!!!!! like not to make it about me but it reminded me sm of the bday drabble you wrote me last year and let me tell you. a bitch (me) was giggling <3333 the bit where qiu wiped a bit of cheesecake off mc’s lips and mc teased them about making a move to kiss them was so fucking cute :((( and even taking them fishing and the dinner ugh just ALL OF IT!!! they really pulled all the romantic shit and even cut classes for mc and still couldn’t commit to a relationship smh

also nat…… when i say that steamy scene blindsided me and the way they did what they did underwater… i lost my damn mind over that flashback 😮‍💨😮‍💨 but omg that phone call idk what i was expecting but it wasn’t a breakup conversation. when nat said “i need someone who’s here” and “i don’t want scraps when i’ve had all of you” ……. yeah i’m fine 🥲 when mc was like “i wish nat would say smth hurtful so i could hate them” i was like yeah same because nat is so nice and supportive and so spouse material it’s literally impossible not to fall in love with them

but also shay…. god their scenes were fucking insane i was BLUSHING 😭😭😭 there was just no way for me to play different variations of their scenes and stay normal like the little motorcycle bit if you skip the show and they pick you up at dinner was so cute but also the way they make eye contact with you the whole time at their gig…. “tell me why you’re leaving and why it is that we’re kissing on borrowed time” yeah i’m mentally ill. and when they kiss your forehead and your closed eyelids and was like “stop being cute all the time” and the scene in their apartment…. yeah shay’s fucking insane but also very hot but also the biggest sweetheart. i will never be normal after all that

this is so rambly now but i really genuinely enjoyed the demo. i keep saying it but the characters are all lovable even mc’s chaotic and prying relatives which make merry crisis all the more relatable and realistic. i hold this if so close to my heart thank you for writing it 🩷

AHHH!!!! Nikka you have no idea how excited I was to see this in my inbox, and the smile on my face just kept growing and growing as I read this message. It's been a while! I hope 2023 has been kind to you!

I loved writing that update, and I hold Merry Crisis very dear to my heart as well—so it always just hits me in the feels when people like it too/relate to it, ya know!

The Qiu flashback was 1000% inspired by the drabble I wrote for you last year, and I'm so glad I got to use it and expand on it in the game!! I am soooo happy that you liked the scenes, especially because I consider you a Qiu-authority at this point! And on Qiu doing literally everything except commit to a relationship.... yes. Exactly. I think this is what MC also cannot. believe.

Ahh omg. Heh. The Nat spicy scene at the beach was definitely... quite something to write. I wanted the call to really hit hard, but also offer some opportunity for redemption/hope (I wonder if you managed to get the scenes where MC does get a 'maybe' from Nat!)

Yeah, this last update was definitely one for the Shay fans—I packed in as much as I could in there, and writing the music/performance scene was fun, but so were the... bedroom / pillow talk scenes... especially for same-sex Shay!

Anyway, this message made me so so happy, so thank you so much for sending it. (It also makes me happy to know that the side characters / MC's family are also welcome and not simply an annoyance.)

Sending you a million hugs and all of my love!!

#merry crisis #asks #IF #interactive fiction #best ask ever #:') #you're the best #shay #qiu #nat

[starlightandetherealshadows]

you're the author and the story is in your hands, and I hope you can write the story you like

just a heads up that whatever I list here is a personal opinion and in no way indicates how others may feel about this. I don't want to be seen as someone who speaks for the majority because I do not engage with IF community at all except sending an ask or two per month anonymously.

i personally feel like if Z/MC/V poly will have all of stats you mentioned it will simply be near impossible to enter (which is really discouraging cause there's very few poly routes in games). I can see at least optimistic and Impulsive personality stats in that post being the ones go check, which is literally half of MCs personality stats already.

plus, you mentioned that route locks will be early in game, when the stats a very much unstable. you make one choice and you're suddenly flung to the other end of the stat bar.

I already dislike personality stats in IFs, so ig my ask is pretty much biased already. I don't like having to go to the stat menu in games at all cause that just breaks the immersion for me. its one thing to check your combat stat once every few chapters to see if you have a chance to beat up a guy and the other is having to check every single choice you make in the stat screen to make sure you won't accidentally lock yourself out of the routes you're interested in just cause you wanted MC to have one more scar/not be a brooding mess/show less emotion in this segment.

idk if you're going for that too, but I can't see stat locked routes being that replayable (unless someone wants to reread what they've read before), because the more stat checks it takes the more MC feels like literally the same person in the route replay. wanting to explore a different choice which was decided to give some personality bonus will possibly make you unable to enter the route at all because one number/a couple of percents on the stats were a bit too low/high for that character to see you as an option.

also with injuries being a thing I feel like poly route will be cutting off the possibility of players to explore more about this feature cause we will have to be avoiding it to not be impulsive/needed to be protected.

I have no idea how the code works for you, but the only compromise I can really see is making more flavor text based on mcs personality, making ROs a bit more judgmental towards an MC with the stat they don't like. that for me makes more sense than just making a whole 180 from being optimistic to being a cynic because V said they don't like that in MCs. also that feels like MCs is being actively put through "Not everyone will cater to you" (which is a nice thing to explore btw, I have nothing against it as long as it isn't literally making the player have to worry about every single choice they make) while ROs are literally fine with reshaping MCs personality just so they can see them romantically.

tldr: the decision is yours to make as an author. persinal opinion is that having stat checks on routes feels discouraging, makes the routes less repayable, having to monitor your stats is really immersion breaking, and poly potentially locks us out of exploring an in-game function.

Hi honeybee!

Firstly, thank you for expressing your opinion in such a respectful way, I appreciate it.

A clarification on the stat checks! So the current stat list is as follows:

Physical Status: Health: 0-100  

Skills (will increase or decrease by increments of 5, 3, 2,

Combat:

Science/Technology:

Charisma/People: 

Deduction/Perception:

Medical:

Alien Knowledge:

Personality: (depends on interactions with people)

Friendly or Stoic

Charming or Intimidating

Passive or Stubborn

Genuine or Sarcastic

Traits: (depends on actions/decisions)

Violent or Merciful

Selfish or Selfless

Optimistic or Cynical

Cautious or Impulsive

All stats start off at 50 (except for skills, those will start lower depending on what you choose your major to be). The stat checks will not be difficult by any stretch of the imagination. As long as you stay consistent with the type of skilled MC you're playing, you'll pass 99% of them. (Example being, if your MC is combat oriented with low science/tech, then if you pick the science based decision, you're more likely to fail that)

I'm not big on constantly checking stats myself. Failures in stat checks will allow you to try again for a better outcome, and failures in that may lead to a non-fatal injury of yourself or someone else.

Within the first few chapters, you'll have many opportunities to increase or decrease personality and trait stats. When I say you'd be locked out of the poly or C's route, that would mean that by chapter 4, you might have an MC that is above 70 in Optimistic and Friendly (for the poly) or below 30 for Friendly and above 70 for Selfish for C.

To get your stats that high, you would need to choose a lot of options that align with those traits. Like...80% of the choices you make have to align with those traits.

I think I've written the stat checks to be more complicated/intense than they are. The game itself is pretty linear in terms of major events that occur. You can't "fail" the overall missions. You won't have to check and double check your stats; make decisions that feel real for your MC and everything will be fine! MC's personality affects how they react to things, how they interact with other people and how people view them.

I hope this offers some clarification, anon.

All my love,

Cheye

#unrelated

[thechaseofspades]

18 and 20 for the writer ask game. 👁️👁️

Looking at me. Watching me. Staring. Menacingly.

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

You are talking to the author of such classics as "Lena's Groundhog Day". It's not the biggest thing on my mind if you know what I mean.

I've written or am working on a total of six stories. Two of them have homage titles ("Groundhog Day" and "Quack to the Future"), two are the titles of albums (the OMAM series), one is an actually decent title albeit ungoogleable ("Dream(s)", also the name of several songs), and one takes the Marvel / Star Wars route of calling it the name of the main character ("La Flecha Roja"). So a mixed bag. Not the best in terms of output but hey it gets the job done. You wanna know what something is? It's [thing] with ducks.

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

Characters sigh all the dang time. And they're always waking up at the beginning of stuff.

As for themes, I main Team Magic, and their big deal is just the multiple kinds of bonds they all have with each other. Somebody in my inbox pointed out how each paring in the trio has a different kind (familial, romantic, platonic) which is just mucho cool and I love writing them as equal connections. It means a lot to me.

Writing style… I really dig dialogue. I'm not great at writing action scenes. Every time I do one, it's short and quick to the point. I put a lot more emphasis on what the characters are saying and thinking, because that will inform what they're doing or will do or have already done. I live for the character moments, not so much the fight scenes. When I'm reading, I have a bad habit of skimming through action scenes or descriptors, and I'm really sorry about that. But I imagine what I'm reading to be a real episode or TV movie, so highlighting the dialogue in my brain will keep it moving along if that makes sense.

Thanks for the ask!

#thanks for the ask! #ask game #writer ask

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Interview with MN Bennet, indie author with the upcoming YA paranormal novel, Crescentville Haunting!

Tell us about your book. What's it about, and what kind of stories do you like to write?

Crescentville Haunting follows sixteen-year-old Logan who’s trying to survive high school, focus on his future, and avoid all distractions, including his flirty vampire ex-boyfriend. Thanks to a wicked Crone with an insatiable appetite, Logan’s plans go up in literal flames when she strikes. The bizarre attack leads to Logan being taken to a research facility that’ll help him reclaim his life and future, so long as he rejects all things paranormal and embraces human ideology. Logan will have to navigate his lingering feelings for Henry while unraveling what happened to him by the Crone.

Generally, I write paranormal and fantasy stories. A running trend (I only recently came to realize) in most of my books is a message of self-discovery and independence. I have this tendency of creating main characters who need to break away from their families and find out who they are and what makes them happy, which is a big message in Crescentville Haunting. This particular story is a YA. I love writing young adult and hope to work on some more YA fantasy in the future, but lately my tastes have shifted to adult. I have two other books planned for 2023 that are both adult fantasies with strong romantic plots. So if you’re interested in second-chance romances or enemies to lovers pairings in magical worlds, these might appeal to you.

How did you decide to go with indie publishing?

With lots of doubts. *insert awkward laughter* I spent years looking into self-publication as a backup plan (always reading up on the basics). It wasn’t until I stopped looking at it as a backup plan and as an actual plan that I decided it was time to invest real effort researching. I’ve always enjoyed researching things about the industry from traditional publication, indie and small presses, all the way to self-pubbing. Self-publication is A LOT of work like any other pathway. It involves most of the heavy lifting from the author, whether that’s formatting the book, finding ways to market, creating a budget (which various writer to writer), all the way to believing whole heartedly in your book. I realized going this indie route was the best decision for me.

What do you think are the advantages of becoming an indie author?

Creative freedom and flexibility are great advantages. They can also be challenges. Flexibility in when and how much you produce is wonderful, but it’s really important to make schedules. As an indie author, you have to prepare for all the steps. Drafting, revising, getting your book to an editor, edits, finding a cover artist, formatting, setting up your book for release, marketing, and other things.

I believe most stories out there are marketable. Some genres more so than others. It’s all about finding your audience, which can take time. Creative freedom allows you to write and market what you want, but it’s still important to research and understand what works in your genre for your audience. You also have to be your biggest hype person (something I’m still working on). For me, the greatest advantage has been finding a love for writing again. I do my best to avoid burnout from stretching my bandwidth too much, but since I decided to follow this path I’ve found so much joy which I hope resonates with readers.

What's it like working with an editor as an indie publisher? How do you go about finding a cover artist?

My editor is fantastic. I really love their approach and dedication. I was super nervous about getting my first round of edits, but it wasn’t nearly as daunting as I expected. I’m super fortunate to have found someone whose style meshes with mine. I think that’s the most important part for any writer: traditional or indie. You need an editor who can elevate your story, making it the best possible version, but also someone who you can connect with based on the way feedback is delivered.

Cover art is hard. I recommend reading the front matter of books that have covers you’ve loved and/or fit in your genre. Most of the time, they’ll list their artist or designer there. I definitely spent a lot of time looking for cover artists this way. Oddly enough, I found my artist through Twitter—yes, social media is another great tool for finding wonderful professionals. A thread on indie cover art was going around, asking for recommendations and pricing, and fellow writers were adding and sharing their experiences. I saw a cover I couldn’t look away from, went to the company, LOVED their portfolio, and was super grateful to have found Miblart. They’re a fantastic group with a wide range of cover design styles and pricing (two very important factors for anyone going into indie publishing).

Was there anything about the process that surprised you? What would you advise people going into becoming an indie author to expect?

Time consuming. I expected it to take a lot of time, research, dedication, and patience. But dang—there is always something new to learn or prepare for. My biggest recommendation for those going into indie is to allow yourself time to wrap your mind around all the different components. There will always be things you can’t fully grasp until you reach that particular milestone—or so I tell myself—but give yourself time to pivot when something doesn’t work or you’re thrown a new curveball.

I planned out a year in advance (some might think that’s too far out) but I still feel like I’m a little behind at times. That probably has more to do with my personality than the actual workload for indie publishing. I’m still working on compartmentalizing (something I think all writers whether traditional or indie have to learn). I’ve been getting the technical stuff ready for Crescentville Haunting’s release, but I need to keep attention on a secret WIP for something I’m hoping to release next year. There are always lots of moving parts in publishing work, so I think it helps to set a plan or schedule or checklist to keep track of what to work on.

Where can people follow your work and pick up your book?

My website has my recent and upcoming projects. You can also subscribe to my monthly newsletter where I offer updates. Author website: https://www.mnbennet.com/

Currently, my book will only be available on Amazon, which you can find in the link below. I hope to increase availability elsewhere in time, but for now this is where my bandwidth is and it’s the best place for most indie authors to find their readers.

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads Page

Linktree

Also, in my linktree is a Google Form where I’m gathering ARC readers. I’ll be distributing ARCs late January, so if YA Paranormal Fantasy is something you enjoy, please consider joining the team.

#author interview #writblr interviews

[taeyamayang]

YOU ARE BUILDING A LIFE SIZED SLEIGH????? girl WHAT??? AND NINE (9) N-I-N-E???? REINDEER??? That is absolutely batshit crazy I love it. Are you doing it by yourself? What is the competition for? Were you told to do the sleigh and reindeer specifically or were you like “imma show everyone up by doing the ABSOLUTE MOST.” (In the best possible way ofc lol) Ok for some background info I’m an extremely artsy person and is known for doing the most when it comes to my projects. There’s a TikTok that basically goes “Unlike others, my homosexual audacity makes me believe that I have all the nesceceary skills to accomplish whatever even though I have no prior knowledge in that area.” Which basically describes me to a T. Like if I have an idea I try to do whatever I can to produce that idea. I literally just finished a Medusa head. A fully gold, clay snake-d, clay covered styrofoam head. It’s magnificent…. But it almost made me lose my shit. It was supposed to be and interactive piece but the weight of it was too heavy (despite my homosexual audicty I also have ADHD and anxiety which means I need to get everything I can fit this project done NOW. Screw waiting! Screw planning! Therefore I didn’t take into account the amount of weight it would end up being and how hard it would be to keep it hanging smh) I also had a due date for it that absolutely did not help but whatever. It’s done, and it looks pretty badass if I do say so myself. That being said, I’m really excited to hear more about the sleigh and reindeer. ALSO MOMO LOOKS SO CUTE SITTING ON THE SLEIGH???? SHES SANTAS LITTLE HELPER 🥺🥺🥺

Aria isn’t that photogenic, she usually ends up rubbing her face against the camera or worse- her butt. That was just a lucky shot. I snatched Loki to cuddle with me and he actually did for once???? He usually gets bored and walks away smh. But then he was a really cuddly baby and I was NOT gonna let the opportunity slip away.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS IN MY WRITTING!!!!! they really made my day! I really kept pushing myself to keep going even when I doubted myself. I read online a quote from a famous author (Idr which one lol) that said when writting, consistency is key, even when writting in small amounts. 200 words a day. It adds up. So I always tried to write 200 words a day and would praise myself if I wrote anything considerably more. It’s a pretty good system to be honest, bc then I don’t berate myself for not writing as much as I want myself too.

When It comes to the yams fic it originally came from one of my first Haikyuu fic ideas, which was kind of a reverse harem thing? IDK IF THATS THE RIGHG WORD SKSHJS. like kinda a chose your our adventure/route kind of thing and it would be with several different characters. The idea changed a lot, like for example the love interests you could chose from at the end would be (at some point of my brainstorming process) ALL of the first year boys from Karasuno, Noya and Suga, then Oikawa, Kuroo AND kenma. I limited it down to Tsukki, yams, hinata, (or) noya, (Idr which one) suga and Oikawa after. Basically all the Karasuno first year boys but Kageyama. I don’t think you’ll ever catch me writing for kageyama tbh. He’s very one track minded and I don’t think I’d get his personality right.

Tbh it wasn’t TOO far out there, even with the crazy cast of characters and I really liked some parts of the story idea! but I feel like a lot of the parts between those parts would feel forced or rushed. Like for example, i feel like it was very Oikawa and Tsukishima heavy (which is weird bc they are total opposites) so you could see MC’s and their relationship grow, where all the other boys relationship would feel awkward and out of place. I also feel like when stories have so many routes and options in love it takes away the feelings and what makes a good relationship for the characters, whether it be platonic or romantic in the end. Writting all that down is making me kinda miss the idea LMAO. IT WAS SO CUTE! but I know it isn’t meant to be. Even after deciding against the idea of this massive size I kept a lot of the ideas for it. Again this fic idea came right after watching haikyuu for the first time and I feel like it was my brain trying to fit in as many scenerios and stuff at once into one timeline. After watching more of it and learning more about the individual characters I was able to seperate some of these story ideas and flesh them out. Now would they ever reach any the point where they hit paper (or in my case, a fresh google doc? )That’s another question entirely

The Yams fic originally came from a scene (lmao a deleted scene ig) bASED ON MY INSECURITY. ABOUT MY FRECKLES. *gasp, I know* ok tbh my freckles are a lot different I have them spread out everywhere on my body, including my face. They always kind of annoyed me since they are just kinda randomly dotted on my face, and aren’t big enough (or enough in general) to look like constilations. They aren’t even noticeable enough for anyone to notice but me. Except the marylin Monroe mark right above my lip. I had that one all my life. But still, they annoy me. And like right after I started working on the fic, MORE STARTED APPEARING? LIKE HOW???? ITS WINTER! ITS NOT LIKE THE SUN IS GIVING KE MARKS OR ANYTHING? sigh. But anyway, the scene was supposed to have MC complaining about their freckles, which makes yams want to talk about how he hates his freckles until they say how their freckles aren’t even cute, like his are. idk it was a cute little thing based off my Insecurities. After I scraped the whole thing, along with the little scene I just mentioned, years later I read a Haikyuu or BNHA (I can’t remember which one) scenario where the boys compliment the MCs freckles, which turn out to just be acne. Then VOILÀ! The idea returned! This time new and updated! It was originally NOT supposed to so long or emotional. I just REALLY got into his character and fleshed it out a LOT. It was supposed to be a quick kind of thing, where yams gets embarrassed and flushed, then teased. All that cutesy stuff, but ik that yams has been struggling with his insecurities about his freckles for a long time, and insecurities like those don’t just go away. It’s not always something you can laugh about later. Sometimes the scabs from others words and your own thoughts don’t heal over, and with enough force, they can be picked off to show a fresh wound, like the pain never left. I know what it’s like to have severe anxiety and let small things tumble and grow into something incomprehensible. I know what it’s like to be stuck in your own head and I really wanted to show that. I’m really happy that you could feel his worries through my writing cuz that is 100% what I was aiming for. I hope others who can identity to yams in any way can see themselves in it too.

I might take you up on beta reading one day, when I get a discord. I think I had an account, maybe at some point? But I honestly have no idea how to use it. But I love how you took your psych major daydreams and put them to paper (figuratively, again) by writing haikyuu scenerios and headcannons. Putting your major to good use I see kksjkdkdk 😂. Before I started putting work on tumblr I was super scared about how people would react andd more importantly, how I would react to others reading my work and interacting with it. But tbh, I don’t really care that much? Like it’s weird, I thought I’d be obsessing over it but it’s kinda a background thought. Like it makes me happy when I see people interacting with it and I wish sometimes I cold have more validation in that aspect sometimes but it’s not a NEED. Now it makes me wonder if I should’ve started a fanfic acc before, or if I should be glad I did it now instead of before when I possibly could have let it take over me. Now I just worry about consistency- in posting that it’s.

Which leads me to another question. How do you differentiate between your different blogs? I know you have like two or three, but how do you decide what to put on you personal vs fanfic account? What to reblog on which ones? Bc I know even though I’m writing everyday, I’m not putting out work everyday so my fanfic account kinda sits vacant from time to time, where my main gets daily action (man when I put it that way it seems like my fanfic account is my side chick or something LMAO)

I LOVE HOW YOU JUST LEFT THE CLASS AFTER THEY TRIED PRESSURING YOU LMAO!! Like “oh one sec, I’ll be right back” *narrator voice* “And pea did. not, in fact be right back. She walked straight out the door, and kept walking. And walking. Till she got home. The end.” KAHSAJSJS. iconic. AND I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE BREAKING UP WITH YOUR BF! NOT GF!! There could have been a possibility you said “partner” and I assumed boyfriend, BIT EITHER WAY, I FEEL HOMOPHOBIC IM SO SORRY! but I’m glad you broke up! Like in the nicest way possible!! Dragging out relationships when there’s no spark is just trouble for EVERYONE. like idk why straight people insist on doing it for sooooo long. Like I understand it’s hard, and they are probably quite comfy and change can be difficult for everyone, but there has to be a point where you know that things aren’t gonna fix themselves? Like why wait till everything blows up instead of breaking things off like grown ass adults, not teens in some over dramatic coming of age movie? I can’t stand how in tv shows the standard husband and wife absolutely hate each other. Because it’s supposed to reflect real life (at least in America) where spouses are supposed to fall in love, get married, have kids, then fall apart. LIKE IF YOU CANT EVEN STAND TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THEM WITHOUT WANTING TO SPEW VERBAL ABUSE WHY CANT YALL GET A DIVORCE??? like I know it’s long process and shit, bit damn, anything is better than that sheesh. And people wonder why whenever someone dies they look at their spouse first smh.

Bruh those beauty standards sound like they are describing an anime character LMAO. That shit ain’t realistic! It’s so wild to hear that your aunt told you not to play too much bc you get “MAN LIKE MUSCLES???” WTF WHO SAYS THAT TO A CHILD? Good for your mom telling you otherwise.

So about the murder house at the college… I don’t go there so I wouldn’t know for sure, but it seems like no one really knows? Or cares? I mean the hs I went to being right next to it never really mentioned it and you’d think that a murder house would cause gossip yknow? I’m pretty sure it happened 20+ years ago so anyone alive during that time wouldn’t be attending the school really, or they would’ve been like infants. GIRL WHAT THE FUCK??? YOUR CREEPY DEATH TUNNEL STORY OUTWEIGHS THE CREEPY OLD MURDER HOUSE THATS NOW USED FOR ADMIN REASONS? I think it’s fucjing insane how horrible things happened and you wouldn’t even know. Whether it’s the murders in my picket fence town or the death tunnels at your Uni. Really shows you how important history books are, huh.

Tbh, when it comes to my cupcake disaster I wasn’t even that late? I thought I’d be though lol. And omg, Asian schools sound fucjing terrifying. They sound so strict and prestigious and very stressful. I don’t think my anxious ass could have handled it. Also, don’t worry you are probably way better at math than I am. All throughout my life I’ve been horrible at math, the only time I wasn’t when I was in like preschool and was excited to learn LMAO. I can’t even count how many time math has made me cry thought just the ages of like 6-18. It’s pathetic, actually.

About genshin, my bestie and tell each other everything, especially the fictional characters we simp for. She’s a big childe simp. I remember one time she told me she was talking to her friend and was like “I wanna see childe naked.” (Joking, but not yknow LMAO) and her friend was like “pedophilia????” SKaksbdjka bUT THATS BESIDES THE POINT. I send her all the pics and memes of childe and some of her other fav fictional men and she send me memes of Kuroo and bokuto LMAO. Some of our convos are WILD. Like they can go from “that’s where my trauma comes from” to “hahah GAE” in the same convo.

Like 2 weeks ago we had this convo

Me: girl I have some bad news

Her: oh no

Me: I have another fanfic idea

Her: oh no

What’s it about?

THEN I JUST DUMP EVERYTHING I HAVE IN THAT IDEA AND SHES LIKE “mood” “gay” “damn” “just like me fr” SKSHAJWH I can’t stand her sometimes. She also calls me out when some parts of the stories are familar to my other ideas (they often build off of each other since 90% of them don’t leave the drafting board of my head. She’s like “new challenge, an MC WITHOUT trauma, where the MCs parents are completely alive and well.” And I’m like 😤 “but that’s no fun!” KEBDKSJSKSB

BUT SPEAKING OF NEW STORY

Ok well technically this is an older one that’s been sitting in my head for a while. I have a really good idea for a hawks series (from BNHA). I probably will never write all of it but the begining is super solid so I might just start from there. BUT! I’m afraid this will completely divert me from my bokuto fic. I think I’m a little over half way done with it but idk my writing can get out of hand. Currently, it is 6,301 words long. The final number should probably be over 8,000 words long, but we will seee

I LOVE YOUR NEW STICKERS! I love how you made the present day(? Technically it’s not present day, but yknow what I mean) and the time skip versions!! AND I LOVE THE EMO MODE BOKUTO!!!! SO CUTE!!! THEY LOOK SO GOOD!!!

ALSO I SHOWED BESTIE THE PHOTOS OF YOUR GENSHIN STICKERS! after I showed her what I said about genshin she said: “GIRL i’m surprised you know so much but at the same time i can imagine considering how much i talked about them lmaooo”

SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHEN YOU START YOUR BUISNESS SO SHE CAN BUT ONE! AND MEE TOO!! but I’m not sure if that possible since international shipping can be a bitch. BUT WE WILL SUPPORT IN SPIRIT!

I look forward to seeing your sticker buisness grow and I’m excited to see how the sleigh looks when it’s finished! Keep me updated!!! Bonus cat pics for you!

i did!! i'll attach the photos below so it wouldn't get in the way with the texts. actually it was like a community competition idk to build camaraderie among neighborhoods so when the adults were brainstorming for an idea i suggested a santa's factory theme and they were like yeahhh that's nice but it would be much cooler if have santa and his reindeer pulling his sleigh and when everyone's asking if anyone could do it NO ONE WAS ANSWERING. so a thing about me in groupworks is when the group grows silent and no one feels confident to try, i dive in head first (as long as i can pull off the task. besides, i want to give it a try too lol. i love creating things) so i volunteered and my mom was supportive of it, actually the entire neighborhood is. i sent them progress pictures and they liked it so much so they encourage me throughout the tedious task and that kept me going. btw that sleigh can fit 2 toddlers i know because i have 2 toddler nephew and niece and they can sit on it side by side lol. anyway, it's purely made from recycled materials :D DAMN your medusa craft sounds amazing!!! omg do you have a photo of it i wanna seee omg!! so we do have smth in common! we love creating things and when we get into the zone we do it with 100% focus

ohhh i like the idea of the reversed harem but just as you said it might be difficult to pull off since there may be characters that are less emphasized than the others so it will be oikawa or tsukishima heavy. that's why it is not recommended to write for many characters because it will be hard to give them the their own spotlight and it will turn out messy and may even risk the plot. if i'm not wrong the maximum characters (major characters) you can write for is 5 but ideally 3 is okay. i tried that tho with my halloween interactive fic (which i have not written for in SO LONG lol i'll get to that) so i tried to incorporate all the characters i could write for in haikyuu but i didn't give them a spotlight. i picked a few to give an elaborate background of, then they others were minor characters. i feel like i'm giving an unsolicited advice 💀 i'm not the best person to give you it but i'm glad i could discuss things related to writing to someone. maybe you can push through with the story idea but pick maybe 3-4 characters you want to focus on and others are minor characters.

about the yams story!! tbh i couldn't relate to the freckles thing but they remind me of my tiny moles 💀 i have them all over my body and even on my face. in our culture it could be seen as a beauty mark but i just couldnt love the one above my mouth (tho it gets complimented by my friends, i just couldnt) but i have fondness for freckles (ironic i know) i find them cute as it somehow adds softness to the person's features hence when i was reading your message i was like "NO WAYYY FRECKLES ARE ADORABLE! WHAT DO YOU MEAN!! I LOVE THEM." but then it reminds me of my tiny moles and i just 🧍🏻‍♀️ lol maybe it's human's nature to love what they don't have and dislike what they have. so even though i do not have freckles, with the emotions and realness of the characters' conflict in your yam's fic i was able to connect/relate to it. keep writing!! :)

yess!! i'm omg i would love to try beta reading heh if i reply late (i always do anyway 😭) send me an ask of your discord name so i can add you immediately and get on w the writing!! aaahh i'm excited hihi yeah!! my major actually contributes a lot to my writing lol. talk about consistency ahhh it's harder to be consistency esp when you're busy (me 💀) about the 2-3 blogs, this (main) blog is purely for fluff fanfics or fics rated general since i started this blog i never intended to write nsfw since i'm more of a fluff writer but since i'm trying to explore more writing styles i opened a nsfw blog. that's my most recent blog and i only have one fic posted there lol i find it difficult to whip a nsfw blog since i don't think that's my strength lol and the personal blog that's where i rb art, fics, post shits (personal shits), and other things lol it's like a dump account honestly. i created a personal account mainly because i didn't want my main blog to appear messy for the readers if ever they want to check my blog. i do post personal things on my main blog but only that is not too personal? or i think is interesting for many to know smth like. it actually depends on my mood whether i'm comfortable to have many people read about what's going on with my personal life aka my childhood enemy who turned hot but my college struggles that gave me anxiety that's kept on my personal blog bc it has less followers and all of them are my mutuals here sooooo heh are you thinking of running more blogs?

it's fine!! it's okay if you thought of a bf instead of a gf lol no worries. omg thank you for congratulating me on breaking up bc i'm proud i did it. breaking up ia tough because it means hurting the person close to you but yeah we have the same idea, i think it's pointless to pretend in a relationship that you are not into. it's like you're wasting you and your partner's time and i don't think anyone deserves to be treated half of how they treat someone they like. i'm kind proud i was able to do it. it is hard lol 💀 but i'm happier now. YEAH i want a more diverse family on shows. single parents, homosexual parents, found family, etc.

i could tell you more stories about the crazy place my uni sits in if i remember them lmao but overall i like experiecing creepy stuff thus the death tunnel thing. my college friends and i are amused by creepy things 💀

if i think of it now... ASIAN SCHOOL DID GIVE ME ANXIETY AND NOT ONLY ANXIETY, LOW SELF ESTEEM TOO WTH dude i think they have a kink for making you feel dumb. i mean, a competitive environment is good but when opportunity to grow is limited, it only gives the students anxiety. i remember having a private tutor until before 7th grade but beginning 7th grade was also the start of my summer classes in math (I AM BAD AT IT I SWEAR I CRY TOO LOL i never aimed to be the best i was okay being average and when i get an above average score at a test I AM OVER THE MOON) and on my senior yr in hs i attended a cram school (i think that's what it is commonly called) it's to review you for college entrace exams because the results is revealed nationwide (more anxiety, everyone knows your taking it ha ha) and it's almost a must for us to pursue a college degree otherwise the elders will think of it as a waste if you don't(?) smth like that so yeah after school and classes i attend cram school where we review lessons from 7th grade to senior hs and we answer tests EVERY MEETING so yeah that burnt me out.

the beauty standard iS THE ANIME. the standard is skinny women with humongous boobs like bruh that aint even possible without an implant like how could all fats be isolated on someones chest and not on other parts of their body that's like basic science THEY MAKE US STUDY SCIENCE SAYING IT'S IMPORTANT BUT MEN HAVE UNREALISTIC HUMAN ANATOMY STANDARDS LIKE WTF now that we're on this topic, i realized i have not adhered to the crazy body standards we have (ofc i used to but that was younger me feeling pressured and all it wasn't a good year in my life but yeah) like tatts and piercings are a taboo and more so if you're a woman and here i am with 7 piercings and planning a tatt. they want petite body and big boobs? you know what? *points at my stomach* this is a flab *points at my boobs* and my tits are small HAVE FUN LMAO i don't think i'm the type to go by the rules or at least the strict standards set by society bc i feel chained. even when my aunt told me to stop engaging in activities that would make me grow man muscles, i'm lifting weights now 😭 idk man i feel like the more i feel boxed in a set of ridiculous rules the more i'm prone to breakaway lol. anyway thats just a quick rant 💀

OMG YOUR FRIEND SOUNDS AWESOME i feel like i can vibe with herrr and that she is a childe simp bRUHHH SHE IS FUN btw the childe naked thing had me chuckling lmaooo that was so out of context and it does sound weird for outaiders bUT DAMNNNN CHILDEEEEE UGH IM SIMPIMG i ship him with zhongli does your friend ship them? i. need. to. know. and!! cynari please kaveh and alhaitham too GOD MYVE Y SHOULD PLAY SO WE CAN SCREAM no pressure BUT !!!! LMAOOO

thank you for the photos i appreciate them A LOT your cats make me happy esp UNDER A CHRISTMAS TREE AHHHH

here's the sleigh as promised (i only have them taken at night since i thought you'd like to see the lights. it's placed on a roof btw lmaooo it's crazy) and here's my friends dog. his name is gokong wei SUCH A CLINGY BABY

thank you for writing to me!! i always enjoy talking to you! may you have/had a great new year and i hope we can end 2023 together too! merry christmas and happy new year, myve ♡

#myve.😺 #if there are typos #NO THERE ARENT #peas.tmi.sessions

[butwhatifidothis]

In the analysis of CaptainFlash's fic, a common theme of the notes is "this is not how Edelgard is", as in the claim is that she is being mischaracterized. But for how much the claim gets thrown, there's little in the way of "this is how she SHOULD be written". And so a question I have is - for fanfic writers, how do you think Edelgard SHOULD be written in order to be true to canon? Assume both from a perspective of BL/GD fic and a BE fic.

Well, I believe that I have put in guidelines at the very least lol, but I get where you're comin' from.

Edelgard is bold, fearless, arrogant, self-serving. She is detached from others for the most part, she does not like being challenged (and not just because the other person is oh so wrong and it just annoys her because how could they be so wrong - no, when her flaws are pointed out to her she does not listen to what the other person says). She allows those in her care to be hurt - sometimes mortally - to get what she wants, and almost always without any guilt or regret. She thinks she's the smartest person in the room, the most capable, the most correct. She uses people, lends out her men like tools. Violence is the first option, and peaceful surrender something she will never consider when asked to do so. She looks down on those who oppose her, no matter how they do so, whether they stand their ground and fight to the end or if they try to surrender - that they've fought against her at all is worthy of derision in Edelgard's eyes. She's racist towards the Nabateans and will always kill them. She looks down on religion and those who believe in it. She's deceptive and manipulative. She's selfish and power-hungry. She has no self-awareness, saying things that are factually incorrect without knowing that they're incorrect often, accuses others of doing the morally reprehensible actions that she performs often.

Those above traits ought to always be incorporated into her character no matter what the route - at the minimum, these are the traits an author must work of off from a ground level in the beginning of their fic, because these traits are always present in Edelgard. Of course there are nicer traits - she's a romantic, she's secretly childish (and not in the strictly derisive way either, but that she likes sweets and teddy bears and is embarrassed about it), on the rare occasion she'll try to accommodate for someone (Bernadetta... when she's not setting her on fire that is), she very obviously cares a good deal about family (again, I don't really count Dimitri here for her since she forgot him and even then didn't know they were step-siblings). Edelgard isn't literally, actually, 100% No GMO's evil evil, she has her traits that can make her likeable, but there's a very big reason why she's not just an antagonist, but a villain.

If an author genuinely wants to make Edelgard grow out of a villainous status and be a genuinely good person, they must work through the numerous flaws she has. Her moral bankruptcy, her selfishness, her hunger for power, etc. etc., these must be actually addressed in order for her to have even a chance at being better.

Like, take Flayn's kidnapping for example. In canon, we know that Edelgard willingly hands over the Death Knight to Thales with quite literally no fear in her at all, and we know she must have had, at the very least, some clue as to what the guy was using the Death Knight for (since she teleports to directly where Flayn and the Death Knight are, and will even take them both away if over 25 turns have passed). There are a couple ways to go about this scene in a fic trying to make Edelgard a better person: either 1) have sufficient build-up of Edelgard's very gradually growing morals, have her commit the crime anyway, and then feel a twinge of guilt that steadily grows larger as she grows as a character, or 2) have her commit this crime with little to no guilt at the current state of her character arc, keep building her character until she gains more self-awareness over what all she's doing, and then have her feel guilt. These possibilities (and likely more that I can’t think of at the moment) keep her flaws intact while still allowing her some room for growth; the flaws are acknowledged, and so they can be properly grown out of.

But look at Cap'n's version of events. Remember, in canon, Edelgard was directly involved with the kidnapping. Cap'n, however, not only has it to where Edelgard was forced to hand over the Death Knight, not only was she terrified of Thales while doing so, but she had no idea that Flayn was being kidnapped. It ignores all of her flaws and places her into a status of helpless victimhood, and places her on a higher moral ground than Thales when in reality, in that moment, she is just as bad as him. Her flaws can't be grown out of because they've been erased. This is a prime case of canon!Edelgard being swapped out for Woobiegard - we aren't seeing Edelgard feel guilt for allowing Flayn to be kidnapped, we're seeing Woobiegard feel guilt. Woobiegard doesn't have these flaws that Edelgard has, so she doesn't have to have them acknowledged - which, I don't think needs to be said, is terrible from a fanfiction writing standpoint.

Edelgard has been morphed and twisted so much as to not even really resemble her canon iteration much at all. Woobiegard isn't bold, she isn't arrogant, she isn't morally bankrupt - or at least, isn’t intentionally these flaws, or other flaws - she lacks so many of the deep, troubling flaws of Edelgard because, frankly, they make her too mean and Cap'n very clearly doesn't like that. But, in erasing those flaws in her, instead of writing a fic where Edelgard grows as a person due to the positive influence of Byleth (and, through Byleth, the Black Eagles), he’s writing a fic where Woobiegard feels oh so much guilt for things she just shouldn’t feel guilty for because the poor little darling didn’t have any way of stopping anything. 

Edelgard is a conqueror, as said by her creators themselves. She mows down anyone who stands against her convictions and ideals, even if she knows them personally. This is true for all routes, even and especially CF (as it is known as the Military Rule route), and so this must be kept in mind when writing Edelgard whenever someone tries to write her base character as someone better than she is in canon. What Cap’n is doing is basically writing an OOC crack-fic, except he’s doing so unintentionally. He flat out removes every single flaw Edelgard canonically has, pretends as though he didn’t do that, and then flaunts how much Woobiegard has “grown” thanks to Byleth. But, again, since Cap’n doesn’t want to write Edelgard’s flaws he’s never really written Edelgard. It’s the same idea as keeping Claude never fully trusting his friends in mind when writing him - this is a large part of his character, and leaving that out means leaving out a significant portion of who he is as a character. That has to be acknowledged before having him grow out of it, or else you haven’t really written Claude, as that is a huge part of who he is.

So I guess a TL;DR version of this answer is that to properly write Edelgard, one has to keep in mind her flaws and have her actually act them out before having her grow out of them. It’s just that for Edelgard, because of who she is, it would take a lot of time and effort for the fic to realistically have her grow out of all of these flaws (or at minimum grow out of the more severe ones). That stays whether from a BL/GD perspective or from a BE one. Hope that answers the question!

#ask #anti edelgard #Anti-edelgard #Edelgard critical #just to be safe #some more that I couldn't fit in: #it also has to keep in mind that just because CF is Edelgard's route doesn't mean she's suddenly a better person #since she performs MANY of the exact same actions on her route as she performs off it - and that's even with Byleth's ''positive influence'' #which is why it can't just start off in CF and be something akin to ''skipping to the nicer version she becomes in canon'' #because to be frank there IS no nicer version she becomes in canon - she stays mostly the same no matter what #so it MUST be built upon in the fic itself #(unless of course the fic is upfront about being OOC for Edelgard - which is fine btw! I've done that plenty of times before!) #(it's just good to recognize that THAT'S what you're doing and not that you're ACTUALLY writing her in character or anything)

[13uswntimagines]

Cliche (Tobin x Reader)

Request: Marriage Proposal 

Author’s Note: Special Thanks to @literaryhedgehog​

“I’m just saying, I opened my inbox. SOMEONE should have messaged me,” Tobin said, tugging on her hair frustratedly. You watched in amusement, loving the way the sunlight caught her hair, as you exited the movie theater. She was so focused on her tirade that she didn’t even look down as she stumbled over an uneven brick in the patio, just continued walking. “It’s been open for days and I reblogged several of those ‘send me a number and I’ll answer a question’ posts!”

“Babe, you run an anonymous fandom blog for a sci-fi television show that stopped running 15 years ago,” you said, rolling your eyes. 

“19 years, ago,” Tobin corrected, “and it has a pretty strong fanbase! That fanart I made got at least 100 likes.”

“You’re just lucky they didn’t match the brush strokes or something and figure out it was you. Like they did with your other fake Tumblr. They’re like crazy detectives,” You said side eyeing your girlfriend. 

“I mean, I was making fanart of us on that one, it was pretty obvious.” 

“I love it when you paint me, but It’s really creepy that you put it on the internet,” You huffed, crossing your arms tightly across your chest. 

“Oh come on, I only posted the ones I made from press photos. You have a problem with the high definition, you talk to Alyssa’s girlfriend. She’s the photographer.”

“As long as you keep your drawings just for us, yeah?” You asked. Tobin had quite the eye, and she often found her greatest inspiration when you were relaxed. When you let your guard down. That mess the that many of her sketches of you were most certainly not suitable for public consumption. 

“Anything I draw from life instead of from a screen I keep.” Tobin winked at you and linked her arm through yours. “So, what did you think of the movie? Or was it too romantic for you, you action-thriller loving fiend?”

You shrugged. “I think it was a little too cliche. Like who the fuck brings a diamond ring to the airport and uses the intercom to propose to the girl who just dumped him for a job across the country? And then she chooses him?” Some plots just made zero sense. At least your action movies didn’t force a girl to choose a person who was completely wrong for her. 

“Oh come on, everyone loves cliches. I’ve seen the number of ‘there were only one bed’ fics you’ve read.” 

“Those aren’t forced heteronormative love stories that don’t actually care about the characters” You scoffed. 

“I have seen your archive of our own bookmarks, do we want to continue this conversation?” Tobin said sweetly, looking at the windows of the shops you passed, though you could see her suppressing a smile. She loved winning, be it argument or soccer game. 

“My archive history doesn’t count,” you grumbled, pouting. It wasn’t your fault you had been kinda into Bellatrix dating Hermione, especially when they were both the same age and you got to see some Hogwarts hijinks (it helped you weren’t a Ron fan either). 

“Sure, sure. Tell you what. You don’t like my new favorite Rom-Com? Show me you can do better,” Tobin gestured to the outdoor coffee shop along the route ahead. “Real life coffee shop AU. Here’s your chance to defy heteronormative love stories and cliches in the most romantic way possible.” 

“Just please don’t spill your drink on me ok? You already have my number,” You asked, raising your eyebrows. You happened to like this shirt and didn’t want it to get ruined. 

“That would be a cliche, wouldn’t it? I thought you wanted to avoid those?” Tobin said, raising her eyebrows to mirror yours as she pulled out a chair from one the tables, “you’re chair, mon chere?” 

“You can be quite the Gentlelandy miss Heath if I do say so myself,” You smirked, settling into the chair she had pulled out for you, kissing her cheek. 

“Why thank you,” Tobin said, tossing her hair back playfully before settling into her own seat. She grabbed the menu and opened it up. “So, what are you thinking? Asking the barista to make heart-shaped foam? Splitting a pasta dish and reenacting lady and the tramp?”

“I was thinking a cafe mocha with no whip, and I’m pretty sure this place doesn’t sell spaghetti,” you said, setting your chin on your hands, leaning on the table. 

“I think I’ll get a nice chai latte. And a muffin on the side.”

“Lame. How do you live in Portland and hate coffee?” 

“I thought you were supposed to say nice things. We already know each other, this can’t be enemies to lovers AU!”

“You’re still stuck on that?” You asked, sighing when Tobin raised her eyebrow at you. “Fine. How nice of you to choose a predictably unusual drink, and healthy snack for our date. Better?” 

Tobin snorted. “Undeniably.” 

“Good,” you watched her as she placed your orders with the waitress, thinking over what to do. She managed to place the order with her usual level-headedness, but she had the slightest smirk as she turned back to you. It was both loving and a challenge. 

“Babe,” you said, “I literally have no idea how to make this a living coffee shop AU. I can’t remember the last time I read one of those where neither of the characters was a barista.”

“First I think we talk about random things while sipping our drinks, wondering how we get each other so well,” Tobin started, setting your drink on the table in front of you. 

“So basically do what we normally do, but with added pressure?” 

“Yep! Wanna start? You can tell me about that new fanfic writer you’ve been reading? The one who writes the really cute Sonnett fics?”

“Oneanddone has a couple… it’s like they actually know about Snippets from her and Lindsey’s relationship,” You said, your lips ticking up. 

“That sounds fun and not at all creepy,” Tobin said, leaning forward. 

“The best one was where Lindsey flew all the way to Sweden to propose. It was cute, but entirely too cliche,” You winked at Tobin, so she knew you were continuing the joke. “She just showed up and proposed after Emily won the championship and Emily kissed her hard hat and all. Like they would give the fans that much PDA in one shot,” 

“Hmmm, better check for cameras then,” Tobin said, ruffling in her pocket. You heard the sound of candy wrappers, as usual following a movie with her. 

“What?”

Tobin got down from her chair and kneeled in front of you. “Y/M/N, I have liked you since the first day I met you. You were smart, beautiful, and had a hell of a right hook. Watching you on that punching bag was one of the sexiest things I had ever seen, up until the day you agreed to go out on a date with me. And the date after that, and the date after that. I fell in love with a woman who’s not afraid to have an opinion, who will ask to pet every dog she sees, and who loves listening to me rant about any subject over the moon. Now I know you don’t like cliches, so I didn’t get you a diamond,” She pulled her hand out of her pocket and held the ring pop up for you to see, “I got you a cherry. I also have a grape and orange in my purse. Will you marry me?” 

“Yes,” You breathed out, forgoing the ring pop in favor of kissing your girlfriend- fiancé. 

“Such a cliche,” she murmured against your lips, threading her fingers through your hair. 

“Shut up and kiss me,”

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #tobin heath imagines #tobin heath x reader #literalhedgehog

[heartfragment]

ughh i just finished clive's route and i am absolutely IN LOVE. your writing is amazing, the art is beautiful, and it is absolutely BONE CHILLING YOU DID INCREDIBLE WITH EVERY ASPECT OF THIS GAME AND IT DESERVES SO MUCH MORE ATTENTION! AND SO DOES CLIVE HE IS MY HEART AND SOUL I SWEAR TO GOD. and on that note, i'm curious, who's your favorite love interest?? that's all i have for you, have a great day creator!! <3

OMG I often forget to check my ask box so I'm so sorry if this is a bit late. But thank you sooo much!!!! I'm super glad you enjoyed what you've played so far! I'm curious which Clive route ending you got - platonic? Romantic? Which branch? It's very exciting to know what makes the biggest impression on people when they play Heart Fragment. ❤️ While Book Two is slightly delayed, I can happily say that if you love Clive, you'll probably love Lana's route. She's the only route character with only platonic endings so Clive and a few other characters are optional romance subplots in her route.

For the question you asked, I'll confess I've always had a soft spot for Kay. He was a very interesting character to write and the way he seemed to take control of the scenes he's in made me end up forming a weird author/character bond with him. I do love all the characters, though, and I have a particular bit of love for the protagonist (Xani).

#heart fragment #author note

[eunkimmie]

Heya!! I’m loving the the latte undertale fic and was wondering where your thoughts are on the restraining order and them possibly moving forward with charges on their ex? I’m really interested on if you plan on going the route of trying to eventually press charges and if you’ll make it harrowing and stuff or if it’ll end up being like the end of this chapter where something bad happens but arrest and trial are condensed for simplicity. Sorry if this catches you off guard but I really like hearing authors ideas and the last two anon answers with characters thoughts so!!! (Great job btw 🤎🤎🤎)

hey there! thank you so much for reading and for sending an ask in <3 spoilers ahead, but that was probably already obvious hehe. also this ended up being long whoopsie, i just really love talking about this fic !!!!! so please please feel free to send in anything about it, or undertale <3

so, here’s what i have planned as of right now— chapter 11 (it could be subject to change in the future, it all depends on where my mind decides to take this fic in the future

i’ve seen a lot of comments predicting or worrying that the reader’s ex will make a return, and here’s my answer on the matter (again, my plans as of chapter 11)

tldr: he isn’t returning

the longer version is this: in subtle details of descriptions focusing on the reader’s thoughts about all of this, and in my own little mind, the reader is simply just tired. this issue centered around their ex boyfriend has been haunting them for four years now, and it will continue to haunt them in the future no matter what. they’re just exhausted of it all, and they want this to be the last of it. at the end of chapter 11, as it stands, the reader now has a granted three year restraining order against their ex and can renew it after those three years are up, if they so please. to me, this is where it ends. i elaborate more in the beginning of the next chapter of where the “ex arc” stands, but it’s basically clarifying that, no, the reader’s ex boyfriend will not be returning after chapter 11. he will still come up in mention, sure, but the physical presence is a done deal, the reader will never have to see him again.

(i have seen many comments telling me they wished the ex was killed which made me laugh to myself so hard but unfortunately he is canonically alive :( but maybe one day if someone wants me to i can write an “alternate timeline” sort of one shot where the skeletons “deal” with the ex lolol)

the process of court shit is lengthy and boring, and even though i did do a lot of research about restraining orders (seriously. my search history is concerning without context) and stuff like that, i didn’t want to go into the details since this fic is supposed to be about skeletal love LOL

and, since the next chapter delves deeper into the psychology of it all, i feel like this is an appropriate time to mention that i try and make sure i deal with mental shit like this in a relatively realistic way. so, even though the reader will never have to see their ex again, their trauma because of their ex won’t just go away because the arc is over. if you can believe it, i really take care to make sure the reader’s personality and reactions to certain things is rooted in the psychology of their in-lore past, but that’s just me going a little overboard lol

but don’t think that everything will be sunshine and rainbows from here out. i want this to be a fun and romantic lighthearted harem reader insert, but there are some more drama-centered arcs i have planned for the future, one of which was heavily pointed towards in past chapters heheeheheheheh

anyways, thank you for sending an ask in and for listening to me ramble on about this fic i’ve gotten too desperately attached to. i absolutely love talking about my thought process and future plans i have for this fic!!!!

#i like you a latte

[secretshinigami]

making the most of it

Author: @realtruesuccessor For: @yagami-raito-kun Pairings/Characters: Near | Nate River/Yagami Light, background Linda/Matsuda, Near | Nate River, Yagami Light, Linda (Death Note), Matsuda Touta, Watari Rating/Warnings: Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, just typical superhero/action movie stuff Prompt: Near is a superhero, Light is a supervillain, they get set up on a blind double date and have to roll with it to protect their secret identities Author’s notes: This was super fun to write! Thank you for the amazing prompt! I hope this is what you were looking for, and that you enjoy it!

--------------

Nate River had never given much thought to the idea of romance. He had experienced fleeting crushes in the past, but never any serious feelings, and he had never even been kissed at the ripe old age of eighteen. There were much more pressing issues in his life besides the lack of social milestones, so Nate wasn’t too concerned about his deficits in romantic experience. 

  Unfortunately, his roommate Linda did not have the same opinion. 

  “You’re going to die alone if you keep this up.”

  Nate looked up from the small toy robot that had been occupying his attention before Linda opened her mouth. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

  Linda sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve never seen you go on a date,” she said, as if that clarified anything. 

  “So?”

  “So, you’ll end up alone and unhappy unless you find yourself a nice man.”

  Nate raised an eyebrow, and he lifted his hand to curl a finger around a strand of wavy white hair. “You’re making an awful lot of bold assumptions.”

  “Am I wrong?”

  Nate paused, took a moment to consider the brief crushes he had in the past, and then admitted a small concession. “Not about my preference for men, but about my impending lonely fate? That remains to be seen.”

  Linda approached Nate’s spot on the floor, where he was surrounded by tiny action figures. She sat down next to him, and picked up a small gray object from the circle of toys around him. “I’m worried about you, Nate,” she explained. “You’re always holed up in your room, messing around with these toys, but I think you should get out more and I have the perfect idea to help with that.”

  Eyeing the object in her hand, Nate uncurled his finger from his hair. He reached over and plucked the tiny gray circle from her grasp, then stuffed the item into his pocket. “Your concern is noted,” he said, perhaps a bit too sharp. “Unfortunately for you, I disagree.”

  “Can you hear me out, at least?” 

  “You’ve given me no compelling reason to do that, so the answer is no. Please leave me alone.”

  Silence rang throughout the apartment, echoing with the sting of Linda’s hurt feelings. Nate didn’t feel sorry in the least; in fact, he felt entirely justified. After all, Linda had barged into his room and insulted his lifestyle. He was in the right to be short and snappy with her.

Nate watched impassively as Linda’s face fell. His roommate’s usually bright smile turned into a sullen frown, and her blue eyes became downcast. If Nate had been a different sort of person, he might have been moved by this display, but as it was, Linda’s wounded emotions did nothing to stir his heart or change his mind. 

  “Well, that’s disappointing,” Linda muttered, her voice small and hurt.

  “I have no idea why you’re suddenly so invested in my romantic life, but whatever your reasons, you brought this on yourself by disparaging my hobbies.”

  “Okay, okay, I guess you’re right. I should have gone about this in a different way.”

  “Yes, you should have, but there’s no changing the past and no use lingering on this topic anymore. Weren’t you leaving?”

  With a heavy sigh, Linda got up and left Nate to his own devices.

  ~

  The city was dark at night, lit only by the occasional street lamp.

  “Where is the tracker now, Watari?”

  Near made his way through the gloomy city streets, dodging the warm circles of light cast by the lampposts. He stuck to dark, shadowy corners like glue, crouching behind parked cars and navigating narrow alleyways. 

  A voice crackled over the communication device in Near’s ear. “One block away, Near,” Watari said. “The location is pinging from that abandoned grocery store on the corner.”

  As Near approached the store, he tugged his dark cowl down over his hair and eyes, shielding them from view. The streets were mostly empty, but he didn’t want to risk being identified, even by the vagrants who frequented this part of the city in the dead of night. After all, his white hair and gray eyes were rather distinctive. If Near ever let his guard down, it wouldn’t take a genius to eventually trace the actions of the vigilante Near back to the identity of one Nate River.

  “Alright, I’m standing in front of the store now.”

  “Yes, thank you. The tracker you placed on that nasty fellow is still pinging from inside that building.”

  “Hmm, I really do hope this doesn’t end in physical violence. You know how much I hate fighting.”

  “I’m aware of that, and I also know that you’ve had a very long night already, but at least Lidner will be pleased to hear that you were finally able to put some of her training to good use.”

  Near made a face. His mouth twisted into a displeased frown. “That’s not funny.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be funny, I’m being completely serious. She’ll love to hear that you fought off a villain with a stick.”

  “First of all, this isn’t exactly a stick. It’s a bō,” Near corrected. “Second of all, perhaps you’re correct. She seems to puff up with pride whenever I acknowledge her skills.”

  “Yes, people tend to do that when you pay them a compliment.”

  Ignoring Watari’s snark, Near began the task of sneaking into the dark building. He crept forward, towards the front of the store, keeping low to the ground. There wasn’t any light coming from the windows or the door, but Near had learned from experience that one could never be too careful when dealing with villains. The building seemed lifeless and empty from the outside, but there could be traps set inside - or even the villain himself, tracker and all. So, Near was sure to be stealthy as he peeked into the store from a low, dirty window.

  The interior of the old shop seemed to be exactly what Near had expected. Mostly empty, save for a few shelves, and thick layers of dust covering every visible surface. Clearly, the store hadn’t been active in many years. It was the perfect place for squatters to take refuge - or for mysterious villains to set up a hideout. 

  “Best entrance route?” Near asked, eyeing the door in the corner of the shop, which appeared to lead somewhere deeper into the building. If Near had to guess, he would say that the door probably led to some sort of old office or employee break room. The door was dark and heavy-looking, with a shiny silver knob that could have easily been rigged with a villainous trap. 

  “You mean, besides walking right through the front door?” Watari teased.

  “Watari, please, this is serious.”

  “Alright, alright, I understand, I’m searching for an aerial view now.”

  As Near waited for Watari’s next message, he took another look around the interior of the store. None of the dust seemed to be disturbed; the floor and the shelves all appeared to be completely untouched by human feet or hands, at least for the past few months. 

  Still, Near considered, the room could be monitored with hidden cameras and microphones. Best that I don’t use the main entrance unless there’s no other option.

  “According to the aerial view, there’s a skylight towards the back of the building,” Watari announced. 

  Near frowned, and reached up to rub a strand of his own white hair between two fingers. “I don’t see a skylight from my current location, so the skylight must lead into the back room of the store. I can skip the main shop area entirely.”

  “Well, that works out nicely.”

  About fifteen minutes later, Near found himself on top of the roof, breathing heavily from exertion. “I’m never doing that again,” he managed in between gulps of air. 

  “Never say never, Near.”

  After catching his breath, Near approached the skylight and peered through it. The bright moon illuminated the room beneath the glass, casting everything in a soft white glow. Through the skylight, Near could see the back room of the shop, which appeared mostly empty, save for a wooden desk. 

  “I’m entering the building now,” Near said, reaching to unlatch the skylight.

  “Wait, Near!” Watari cried out, at the exact same time an unfamiliar voice whispered: “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Near whipped around, bringing up his bō staff in a fluid motion.

  A masked man stood before Near, with his gloved hands raised in mock surrender. 

  “Who are you?” Near asked, his tone dark and serious. 

  The man smirked, then nodded to one of his hands. A familiar, small gray object rested between the fingers of his red leather-covered hand. 

  The tracker.

  “Shit,” Near muttered under his breath.

  “Looking for this?” The man asked, sounding carefree and quite pleased with himself. His voice was slightly deeper than Near had imagined, but it suited him just the same.

  On impulse, Near jabbed at the mysterious villain with his staff.

  As though he moved through the shadows, the man expertly evaded Near’s attack. He dodged, twisted, and kicked out. His dark boot landed in the center of Near’s chest, pushing the hero back. 

  Near stumbled back, tripping over his own feet. His ankle hit something behind him, probably a ledge of some kind, and suddenly, he was falling. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as the world warped around him. 

  Like something out of a movie, Near found himself falling in slow motion - legs bending, glass cracking from somewhere behind him, his body descending further and further into darkness. 

  Before Near could even process what was happening, the villain turned away. His silhouette was illuminated by the bright backdrop of the moon. He glanced over his shoulder as Near fell through the skylight. His brown eyes sparkled with the dual flickers of triumph and pride.

  The villain’s smug grin was the last thing Near saw before darkness enveloped him completely. 

  ~

  “I can’t believe you finally roped me into this nonsense,” Nate River said. 

  Linda and Nate sat on a bench together, as the sky darkened and the air became thin and cold. She wore a coat and a light scarf over her dress, while he was dressed in only a collared button-up shirt and comfortable pants. The bright yellow bulbs from the nearby carnival casted the two roommates in a soft glow. Despite the warm light, Nate shivered, and Linda looked around frantically; her foot was tapping incessantly against the hard concrete of the sidewalk. 

  “Yes, well, this nonsense is going to do wonders for your social life, if those silly boys ever show up,” Linda said, glancing down at her phone with a frown. 

  Nate rolled his eyes. “First of all, my social life is perfectly satisfying as it is, thank you very much. Second of all, I’m sure they’ll be here any minute now.”

  “I guess you’re right about that second thing,” Linda conceded, pointing towards a pair of young Japanese men who were quickly approaching their bench. “And we’ve already been over the first thing.”

  The two men arrived at their bench, and Nate got a good look at both of them for the first time. One of the men, whom Linda greeted as ‘Matsuda’, had dark hair and big brown eyes that suited his handsome face and gentle expression. The other man was introduced as Light Yagami, a close friend of Matsuda’s and a fellow Japanese exchange student. Light’s hair was significantly lighter than Matsuda’s, and although his eyes were a similar shade of brown, his gaze spoke of a sharp intelligence that far exceeded his bumbling friend.

  Nate knew those eyes.

  That attractive pair of brown eyes had smirked at him, only a few nights ago, on a moon-drenched rooftop.

  “Light Yagami, was it?” Nate clarified, his eyes traveling over every inch of Light’s pretty face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  After a beat, Light smiled at Nate. His smile was polite, but had an air of deceptive falseness about it. There was something lurking underneath the surface of that mask - some dark and dangerous secret that only Nate could truly see. 

  “It’s a pleasure to see you too, Nate,” Light said. His voice was familiar to Nate, just as deep and attractive as Nate remembered.

  Unlike Matsuda, Light spoke English with a near-perfect American accent. 

  As Linda pulled Matsuda towards the carnival, Nate fell into step beside Light. The pair of them walked in silence for a bit, each of them calmly observing their surroundings. Nate noticed that the lights from the carnival complimented Light’s warm brown hair very well; his pretty locks seemed almost golden under the electric buzz of the soft outdoor string lights. Not even Linda’s incessant babbling could distract Nate from his careful observation of Light Yagami’s lustrous hair.

  Suddenly, Light tore his gaze away from a crowd of people near the food vendors. As the group he had been watching moved on, Light turned his head to face Nate and looked at him - truly looked at him - for the first time. 

  “Are you cold, Nate?” Light asked, glancing down at Nate’s chest. 

  Nate could see that Light’s preppy jacket protected him from the slight chill of the night air. After all, Light wasn’t shivering at all, whereas Nate couldn’t help but tremble at the brush of a breeze against his pale skin. He really, really couldn’t help it - he had always been sensitive to temperature changes, ever since he was a young child. It wasn’t a particularly debilitating condition, but it could sometimes be annoying. 

  Such as, right now.

  Nate’s brain was suddenly filled with images of Light offering him his jacket, like a scene straight out of a cheesy romance movie from the 1980s. 

  “No,” Nate said, like a liar. “I’m not cold.”

  “If you insist. In that case, perhaps you’re simply eager for this double date to be over with, so you can go home?”

  Nate raised an eyebrow, suddenly very thankful that Linda and Matsuda had moved out of earshot. “That’s awfully observant of you.”

  Light shook his head, and a small smile crept onto his face. “No, I’m just projecting a bit, I think.”

  “Ah, I see. So, you don’t want to be here either.”

  “That’s correct. Matsuda wanted me to come along though, and I had no good reason to say no. If I had alternate plans, trust me, I wouldn’t be anywhere near this place.”

  “You couldn’t have said that you were studying, or something like that?”

  Once again, Light shook his head. He glared at a flimsy-looking carnival ride. “Matsuda is my roommate, and one of my oldest friends from back home in Japan. We also share many classes together, and he knows my schedule almost as well as he knows his own. He knows I don’t have any exams or major assignments coming up anytime soon.”

  “Hmm, I see, that must be difficult.”

  Light nodded. 

  A moment of awkward silence stretched between them, before Light broke the silence with a question.

  “And what about you, Nate? Why are you really here, if you’re not actually interested in dating?”

  “Similarly to yourself, I was compelled by my roommate to attend this little meeting. She made it clear that Mr. Matsuda wanted to go on a date with her, but he insisted on a double date, and so she needed me to step in and serve that role.”

  “That makes sense,” Light said, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Matsuda has always been anxious about romance and relationships with women, so he thought more company might take the edge off of his nervousness.”

  Nate glanced over at Linda and Matsuda, who were standing a few booths away, at one of the carnival games. Through the crowd of happy fairgoers, Nate could clearly see the wide smile on Linda’s face. Matsuda said something to her, and she threw her head back and laughed with abandon. Nate recalled Linda’s pleading face from earlier, when she had practically begged Nate to go on the date with her, and her appearance now was certainly a stark contrast to that face.

  Unable to stop the small smile from creeping onto his face, Nate turned away from Light. “Well, they seem to be having fun, so I suppose this night isn’t a complete waste of time.”

  Light nodded, eyeing one of the nearby game booths. “Perhaps we can have some fun as well?” He asked, gesturing to the booth.

  “You can’t be serious. I thought you didn’t want to be here.”

  “True, I’d love to just go home right now, but I can’t without letting my roommate down, so I might as well make the most of this night, right?”

  “I suppose you have a point.”

  With that, Nate and Light approached the game booth.

  Ten minutes later, Nate was holding a giant fluffy white bunny - a stuffed animal that Light had won at the silly dart game. 

  Nate frowned, staring down at the offending rabbit. “You’re better than me at darts,” he grumbled.

  Light chuckled. “No, I think I just got lucky,” he said, looking at Nate with a curious expression on his face. “Regardless, I hope you like it. Are you going to give it a name?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” Nate said. He stared at Light’s face, observing the other man with a careful attention to detail. “His name is Kira.”

  There was a beat of silence.

  “Oh? You figured that out rather quickly, didn’t you?” 

  Nate nodded, then glanced away. Light’s expression and words told him everything that he needed to know.

  “And? What are you going to do with Kira, now that you have him?” Light asked, his voice laced with double meaning.

  Scoffing, Nate hugged the bunny closer to his chest, and continued to avoid Light’s gaze. “I’ll turn him over to the proper authorities, of course.”

  It was Light’s turn to scoff. “You won’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Kira is helping society, and also, you’re wildly attracted to me.”

  Nate almost dropped the stuffed rabbit. He turned towards Light, and a soft pink blush spread across his cheeks. His eyes went wide.

  “Kira kills people,” Nate managed, cursing himself.

  “Only rotten people,” Light corrected. “This world is rotten, but Kira is making it better, so good people can live happy and peaceful lives.”

  Nate shook his head. “Murdering a few corrupt politicians and businessmen isn’t going to magically make the system just or right. All it does is make Kira a murderer.”

  “Hmm, well, if Kira is simply a murderer and a villain in your eyes, what about that vigilante? Near, wasn’t it?”

  “Near doesn’t kill people.”

  “Yet, the police are still hunting him with the same energy that they use to hunt Kira. Isn’t that interesting? I imagine they’d be grateful to receive any hint of Near’s true identity, no matter the source of the information.”

  Well, that was a threat.

  At that exact moment, Linda rushed up to them, holding a plate full of funnel cake. “Come on, guys, Matsu bought me this cake and I can’t eat it all on my own! Share it with me!” 

  Nate looked from the cake, to Light, and then back to the cake. After a moment of hesitation, he reached up and grabbed a small piece of fried dough from the plate. He held the piece up towards Light’s lips. 

  “Here,” Nate prompted. “Have you ever tried funnel cake before?”

  Light’s eyes widened, and he stared at Nate in disbelief. “No, I haven’t,” he admitted, shocked and quiet. 

  Nate held the cake up a little closer to Light’s face, and Light leaned forward slightly, meeting him halfway. When Light took the cake into his mouth, his lips brushed lightly over Nate’s fingers. The lips were warm, and felt almost electric against Nate’s skin. Nate resisted the urge to shiver. Something deep and primal was stirring inside of him, something that he couldn’t really place, but certainly didn’t feel familiar. 

  Something that made him want to be closer to Light Yagami, despite the knowledge of his date’s true identity. 

  From that point onwards, the date proceeded normally for the most part. Nate and Light attempted to act naturally around Linda and Matsuda, saving all double-life talk for later. After all, neither of them wanted to duke it out in front of their roommates, or the dozens of other citizens strolling around nearby. So, they made more polite conversation as Linda and Matsuda dragged them around to different booths and rides.

  Finally, the night seemed to be reaching an end. Linda and Matsuda had snuck off somewhere, presumably to say goodbye to each other properly before parting ways. Nate and Light were left alone, near an empty patch of grass. 

  An awkward silence hung between them, not for the first time that night. Nate wasn’t exactly sure what to say, or if he should say anything at all. He couldn’t exactly leave the carnival and go turn Light over to the police - for one, he didn’t have any physical or concrete evidence that Light was the villain known as Kira, and perhaps even more concerning, Light had vaguely threatened to out him to the cops if he was ever caught. All of which put Nate in a very uncertain position: he knew the identity of the villain Kira, but wasn’t in any position to do anything about it.

  Light cleared his throat, which drew Nate’s attention. When Nate glanced over, he saw that Light was staring at him with another odd expression on his face, a look that Nate couldn’t really identify. 

  “What?” Nate asked, shifting uncomfortably, and clutching the stuffed bunny tighter against his chest.

  “I--”

  Whatever Light had begun to say was cut off with a sharp BANG! 

  Nate nearly jumped out of his own skin. His upper body grew very tense, very quickly, and he shuffled closer to Light. 

  On what must have been some kind of protective instinct, Light reached out and put his arm around Nate’s shoulders. “It’s okay,” Light said, suddenly calm and soothing. “It’s just the fireworks.”

  “Fireworks? Linda didn’t say there would be fireworks.”

  “Maybe she didn’t know? I take it you’re not a fan of loud, sudden noises, huh?”

  Nate shook his head. “I’m not a fan of them in the best of times, and these happen to be the worst of times, so you can only imagine how I feel in this moment.”

  Light winced, and pulled his arm away. Nate found, quite strangely, that he missed the subtle warmth and pressure of Light’s hand on his body, even though it had only been there for a short while.

  “I want to apologize,” Light said softly, barely audible over the continued explosions from the fireworks. 

  “For what?” Nate asked, genuinely confused.

  “For your tumble through the skylight. I know you seem to be fine now, but I’m sure falling through a window and landing on a hard floor hurts like hell at first.”

  Nate blinked. “Yes, it does. And no, I don’t accept your apology, because I don’t believe you’re actually sorry for what you’ve done, or for what you continue to do.”

  Light didn’t respond to that, only gazing at Nate in an impressed silence.

  Suddenly, Linda and Matsuda reappeared, both of them pink-cheeked and out of breath. Before Nate and Light could say much more to each other, they’re both pulled away by their respective roommates, pulled apart, and brought home.

  ~

  At home, in the quiet and darkness of his room, Nate felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment. 

  A sudden buzz lit up his phone, and he glanced down without thinking - only to see a text from an unknown number splashed across his screen. He read the message silently, and then smiled softly to himself. 

  Nate knew that he would eventually be the one to bring Light Yagami to justice, regardless of the cost to himself. But he still had to gather evidence to prove his case, and in the meantime, well...why not have some fun and make the most of it?

#fanfiction #death note #submission #moonriver #near #light yagami #linda #matsuda #watari #lindaxmatsuda #ratings: teen #realtruesuccessor #yagami-raito-kun #Near's Bday Finale 2k21

[chrysanthemumgames]

Hello dearest and most loveable author! If you have the time and if you want to (no pressure!), can you perhaps write a short (very short if u want) sneak peak of how the romance route with Charon would be? I'm kinda torn whether I should go with him or with Hades. They both seem so loveable and charming. I just feel so so torn. Thank you so much! <33

Ah, hm. I’m not sure I have the confidence to do a proper snippet of it, as beyond the first game and like... character information, future stuff is there in my head but nebulous. I’m kinda letting the writing take me there to some extent. 

But!

I can furnish you with some information if that might help. 

Charon is to me one of the characters with the deepest personal contradictions. In fact his arc as I foresee it is kind of about those. He has perhaps the softest, most serene personality out of the group, and yet there is a sense in which he feels that this is a necessary lie. The identity he used to have, and the things he has done in the past, haunt him. He believes he already has more happiness than he deserves, but he is happy, in a sort of contented sense, and he’d fight tooth and nail to keep it. 

He is simultaneously a cynic and a romantic, and this conflict tends to mix with the one above and result in a very gentle way of keeping anyone he might be interested in at arms’ length. Or it would, if he were actually any good at it. But his feelings for a PC romancing him are strong, overpowering in a way that taps into the part of himself under the layers of serenity. That part’s not all bad, but it scares him, because the strong feelings he’s capable of have led him dark places before, and he wants so very much to remain inside the little niche of goodness and almost-joy he has now. 

There’s a lot going on with him, to put it bluntly. He does have some commonalities with Hades, and this gives them the understanding of each other that makes them best friends. But his arc and his romance are going to be very much about accepting all of who he is, not just the parts he likes, and perhaps remaking the destiny once portended for him. His sense that there’s something a little bit fated/cosmic about his connection with romanced!PC will also complicate his tendency to view fate in a very negative, nihilistic way, heh.

#ask #characters #charon

[missshezz]

Saw your post about people interacting with authors so...here I am ;) I recently started reading your pson fics and I adore them! Your OC Sorcha is a delightful addition to the ensemble cast, and dare I say? I much better friend and companion for Bright. In a sea of fics with Bright/Dani as the primary love interest what made you choose this route?

Oh, anon, this was so sweet to find in my messages! 🥰 it definitely brightened a gloomy weekend! So, first, thank you so much for sending this! It means the world!

Second, thank you for reading my works! That definitely gives me a boost to the ego that I needed!

So, the truth about Sorcha and Malcolm is I never intended them to become a couple. When I first wrote Sorcha, it was for a one shot idea I had about Malcolm’s hand tremor (I have a serious love affair with Tom’s hands). However, the other thing that frustrated me was how they always portrayed Malcolm as having ZERO friends.

It just didn’t make sense to me since I know people in real life who issues ranging from spectral disorders to complex PTSD (with night terrors) and they all have a group of close friends (of which I’m one). So, I decided to give Malcolm a friend. I also felt a female friend would be more in line with Malcolm’s character.

As I started writing Tremors, friends was all I planned for them to be. I even started Here Comes the Sun with the intention of showing his Harvard years and how they were largely happy years with friendship and some bits of normalcy in them (for college years). Then these two started talking and decided no, let’s make them have a bit more than friendship going on but have Bright clueless about it because he’s clueless about such things. So, I started the running gag where they denied it but nobody believed it (especially JT, who became their biggest shipper for humor).

I also never ignored Eve/Malcolm as it happened in canon (written badly but I digress). It fit into my stories as a wedge between Sorcha and Malcolm. Something they had to work through and a character builder for each (since it goes to Malcolm and his being socially stunted and awkward).

I will, however, ignore the Brightwell moment in season 2 because it is horribly written (considering Dani spent 3/4 of the season mistrusting Malcolm, being short and bitingly sarcastic with him, and talking bad about his family to Gil at the beginning of the season which indicates to me she doesn’t see Malcolm romantically). Season 2 is a cluster in general which is why Seven Devils goes as it does with Malcolm having dreamed he choppy choppy Endicott and not actually having choppy choppy him.

I have a story started that follows Devils and it will take Sorcha and Malcolm into a new direction (not giving it away since I haven’t finished it at this point lol).

It’s amazing to me how this series came about since I never intended for PSon to become such a dominant fandom for me. I was solidly a Batman writer who made brief forays into other fandoms. These two really took the wheel and steered the story where they wanted it to go 🤣

Anyway, I hope that answered your question! Thanks for asking it! 🥰

#prodigal son #malcolm bright #sorcha corbin #asked and answered

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

Hi Eff! Your blog is probably one of my favourites on tumblr. It's really interesting hearing about your story writing processes and how you also share with us your wonderful ideas and characters. I was wondering what has been your process with writing if? I'm currently trying to come up with a new idea since I have lost quite a bit of interest on my other wip and have decided to shelf it for now. How do you come up with such creative ideas? Honestly I've been trying to come up with something for months but like my two braincells can't seem to come up with anything. Any tips would be appreciated. Also I would like to thank you for running this blog for so many years despite some rude anons you have gotten. (looking at you SJM and TWC fanpeople 🗿). It's really fun to read your blog and you seem like a genuinely kind person, and your writing style from what I have seen along with your characters are great. I wish you all the best with your wips and everything else. Please do continue sharing with us your wip processes and ideas, they're honestly really interesting and fun to read. Sorry for the long ask lmao, but hope you have a great day. 💕

Hey Nonny! No need to apologize for this kind and sweet message! <3 It's made my evening for sure and I'm glad you enjoy the blog, I think running it been a positive experience overall even if I've made mistakes and/or stepped in doo-doo every now and then.

Now, for your question about writing IF, aka interactive fiction (which I assume is your main question, sorry if I misunderstood). I don't actually have a process yet, since this is pretty much my first time ever attempting anything like this. This means that I'm entirely the wrong person to approach, unfortunately, but I can share what I've learned so far and hope that it's helpful in some way!

Rambling under the cut.

Fundamentally, writing an IF is very different from writing a novel, and I'm a planner-type writer who needs outlines and a pretty firm grip on my world and characters, especially my protagonist, whom I always try to make the most interesting person in the story for obvious reasons.

With an IF, you don't have that level of control. You have to, to some degree, give up a bit of your authorial power over the narrative and give it to the player. But I would say that this also gives you the freedom to explore different paths that your characters and your world can take. For me, this means that I'll have to write different versions of the same characters depending on what path the player chooses to pursue, which can be treated as a sort of character study but on a more involved level. For example, I have one character that serves as the main antagonist in every route but his own, where he in turn becomes the love interest. This means I have to figure out a way for him to both be a convincing villain and a romantic partner, in a way that's faithful to his character fundamentally.

I tend to prefer IFs with a more limited scope and fewer customization choices where the author's intent is more clear and the experience is more guided and linear, it usually makes for a more interesting story and feels a bit more gratifying than just having a vast, expansive world and generic characters that you can customize to the tiniest degree but which ultimately has little to no impact on the story at all. This is also my justification for writing such an IF, where I still get to be in charge for most of the time while offering controlled narrative options.

Obviously, you'll always be in charge ultimately, and you should write what you want to write instead of forcing yourself to give the hypothetical player choices that you don't feel are as interesting as the others. I think it's better to have a strong artistic vision that limits the player's input than to give the player the power over nearly every thing that happens in the story and end up losing a lot of that strong storytelling and emotional impact.

(Now, I'm not saying you can't have both, but it's a lot more difficult and not something I myself personally think I could, or would want to, handle.)

As for how I come up with things? I don't. I let other people come up with things and then twist them around to something I like even more. Good artists borrow, great artists steal. I'm not calling myself a great artists, because I'm not, but the idea is that you take something that exists and make it yours. I've played TWC and liked it at first, but then realized I was disappointed by many aspects of it. I also really love vampires in general, and lately I've been enjoying What We Do in the Shadows. So I got the idea to write my own IF where you can romance vampires who are a bit goofy and weird and lovable, who also follow some of the more traditional vampiric lore that I personally find compelling and feel is often ignored by modern vampire literature because it's not "sexy" enough for vampires to have silly weaknesses.

So I've got the baseline idea to write a vampire-centric IF from TWC, the tone and character inspiration from WWDITS, and my own love for vampire lore to inspire the worldbuilding. This idea is a conglomerate of existing media. It's not original at all, but it tickles my pickle and makes me happy to write it, which is the point of creation methinks.

I also tend to approach most of my writing ideas like this, where I find something I think I can improve upon and/or do better, something I love and want to emulate, and something I don't see enough of and want to add to. That might be a good starting point for you, maybe?

Another thing that convinced me to try writing an IF in the first place is the fact that I'm fundamentally a romance writer, and a lot of my stories involve romance to some degree. But the bad thing about writing romance is that you have to pick one story only, and for me it also means that I only write the romance between two characters (I'm not polyamorous nor do I write it, though I might try one day, who knows). Writing an IF means I get to explore different characters and how they would exist in a romantic relationship without having to come up with new worlds for them to exist in or write sequels or prequels or side-stories. I can just write it and it'll be just as canon and valid as the others. I don't have to pick a favorite to write about, and can instead leave that choice to someone else. And this is just ... fun? Like, it's fun to write this stuff, for me. So I wanna do it more.

So just grab some ideas you like from elsewhere, stitch them together in a fun way that makes you excited to make it exist, and go for it!

Hope you got something useful from this answer, and good luck! <3