movedcherriluvv

[movedcherriluvv]

Thinking of moving to another acc and making my main a writing one because honestly I don’t read as many fics as I use to… my current main acc will still be up since I have a lot of stuff saved in my drafts of content deleted by the authors.

Like the theme of this blog is so cute and I want to start fresh

[movedcherriluvv]

Ayo it’s been 25 days since the last chapter wtf 🧍🏽‍♀️

[movedcherriluvv]

Hanarin is a goddamn nerd but nobody calls her that because she’s conventionally pretty and popular smh.

If someone calls her out I can just see it go:

“How did you do that? I thought only the Hyuga clan could do that?” They asked, flexing their left hand as they attempted to gather chakra to their hand but to no avail the energy couldn’t reach the desired destination no matter how hard they tried.

“I memorized the locations of all 361 chakra points,” she proudly stated, her lips curled up in a catlike smile and both her hands planted on her hips.

Y/n deadpanned. “You’re such a nerd, go get a hobby, please this is so sad.”

[movedcherriluvv]

Originally Vanessa was supposed to be a Soul Eater oc dating Soul but then I got a sick idea that I couldn’t see anyone else having but I wasn’t sure about writing an au so I wrote a whole ass universe instead lol

[movedcherriluvv]

I’m thinking of adding like oc bio sheets for funsies

[movedcherriluvv]

002 - This Is How People Die In Horror Films

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Contains: Sophia slander, head trauma

wc: 1558

It had been hours since they’d last seen Rick after he volunteered himself to lure the walkers away.

Originally they were supposed to stay, Sophia had left, leaving Elsie to chase after her. But by the time the younger girl caught up to the other, she couldn’t remember the way back. While they could go with Rick’s instruction of walking with the sun on their left shoulder, the sun had since long gone down, which left them no choice but to stay put until the sun would rise again.

After eating a little of the food Elsie had managed to find earlier on the highway, they both fell asleep. It hasn’t been easy getting the frightened girl to rest, but she managed to get her to relax enough to get some well needed shut eye.

A fearful shriek awoke the brown haired girl, causing her to snap her eyes open in alert as she whipped out the swiss knife.

“Sophia!” Elsie shouted, her brown eyes landed on the screaming girl. The latter pointing at a small group of walkers limping towards them.

“E-Elsie!” Running behind the slightly shorter girl, Sophia curled in on herself, using her as a shield.

“Kill them! Kill them, please!” She pleaded, nudging Elsie into the walkers’ direction.

“W-Woah, Sophia calm down.” Recollecting herself, she slightly backed up into the girl behind her.

“Listen to me, first calm down then…” she turned around, expecting to see the blonde behind her only to see her back as she ran deeper into the woods.

‘Are you… are you fucking with me?’ Bewildered, all Elsie could do was stare—taken aback by the other girl’s actions.

‘Goddamn it.’ “Wait, Sophia!” Elsie yelled, not seeing the point in keeping her voice down when they’ve already been discovered. Scooping her up her bag as she once again ran after the older girl. “Get back here! Sophia, we need to stay together!”

It was difficult maneuvering and navigating in the darkness of the woods. The walkers chasing her didn’t make it any easier, and now she was beginning to regret going after Sophia.

‘Note to self: don’t bother trying to be the hero.’

_

At this point Elsie had given up on finding Sophia.

All night, all damn night she’d been running around in search of the girl yet came up with nothing.

What the hell was she even thinking? What, that she was going to be the one to save the day? That she could protect the both of them with a teeny tiny knife?

Stupid, absolutely fucking stupid.

They should have just stayed where Rick left them. But no, Sophia just had to leave and she just had to follow her.

Now her eyes stung from lack of sleep and her shoulders were weighed down by heavy exhaustion. She was so tired, but the moment she saw the first hint of sunlight, she pushed on. Ignoring the pain in her feet.

This was her chance to go to the highway. To find help and get a search party going.

Going in the direction where the sun was on her left shoulder—or at least should be, she continued her journey.

Then she saw it.

Through the greenery and trees and bushes she saw it.

The highway.

Relief swelled inside of her, and with renewed energy, she jogged to the edge. She brushed the low branches in her way aside and sighed. Never before had a highway made her feel this happy.

The issue however was that from where she stood she couldn’t see the RV. If it wasn’t there then that meant that she had gone to a different part of the highway. Determining the direction of the group’s current temporary base, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that. Instead she’ll just celebrate this win. It was the least she deserved for what she went through for the past hours.

Her internal celebration was cut short when she heard a twig snap behind her.

Alarmed, Elsie whirled around and came face to face with a walker.

The walker, though very much rotted, looked male. Most of its hair was gone, and its clothes were torn.

All walkers had a distinct groan, yet this one didn’t make a single peep. It became clear to her why she hadn’t heard any noise when she saw that its throat was ripped out. Were it not for the stick, she would have only noticed it when it was too late.

Just like how she did it back at the camp, she first forcefully connected the sole of her foot with its knee. The brittle bones gave in and it fell to its knees. Since her height was short, this made it easier to kill walkers. Unfortunately the downside of this method was that she could only take down walkers one at a time.

A surprised cry escaped her when rotten hands gripped onto her shirt.

Taking a step back in an effort to steady herself, she sunk the blade into the side of its skull with as much force as she could muster and yanked it out.

The walker still held onto her, and now that it was dead weight, it fell on her and having already been weakened from only having small amounts of food and sleep she managed to get in before she and Sophia were chased, the weight pushed her back without giving her a chance to catch herself.

She landed head first. There was a single spike of pain, and then black.

_

Elsie, perched on the top of her grandparents’ car, looked around at her surroundings with disinterest.

One moment she was at her grandparents’ home, minding her own business and watching cartoons, and the next, she was forced to pack up her things and ushered out of the house for an unknown reason.

It’d been hours since the emergency evacuation announcement, and still, even after nightfall, they were stuck amidst a sea of cars full of annoyed, confused, and anxious civilians, without any other form of news.

“Elsie.”

She boredly snapped her head to the elderly man. “Yeah, gramps?”

“Stay here with grandma, I will be back soon. I’m just going to see what’s going on.”

“Be safe.”

The girl watched the old man make his way to a car where some people were talking, when suddenly she heard loud booming sounds coming from the city that had her jump from fright.

‘What the fuck was that? Were those bombs?’

Crawling to the opening of the roof, she slipped into the front of the car and stealthy departed from the vehicle while her grandmother wasn’t looking.

Making sure to not get caught, she kept herself as low as she could and walked off the highway and into the woods. She followed the commotion of a crowd and pushed past them until she reached the front. Once she did she froze.

‘Oh my god…’

_

‘Ughhh… my head,’ Elsie internally whined, lifting her head to rub at the spot the pain emitted from and winced when it worsened upon contact. Her movements were restricted though by something on top of her, and when she looked down, screeched at the dead walker lying on top of her.

‘What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck—’

She scrambled to get the walker off of her and stood up rapidly, causing her head to momentarily spin. She took a look at her clothes and groaned at the bodily fluids soaked into the articles of fabric, then gagged at the smell coming off of them.

Now that she was wide awake she finally noticed the state that she was in.

Her stomach was roaring in hunger and her throat was parched. The back of her head was also throbbing and she didn’t know how long she’d been passed out.

She glanced up at the sun, taking note of its position. It seemed that it was noon, however, the level of dehydration and hunger she felt said otherwise, that instead, she was there for much longer.

She took out the bottle of water. The weight was much lighter, though it wasn’t that surprising considering that the contents were shared between them, and the other girl’s anxiety caused her to drink more than Elsie’s liking.

Opening the bottle, she held it to her lips and tipped her head back as the liquid traveled down her throat, ignoring its uncomfortable warm temperature and then put it away after taking some sips.

‘First, shelter. Then, find group.’

Elsie only took a few steps away from where she woke up before stopping. She looked back at the forest.

What if Sophia was still in there?

Hesitation held her in place.

A part of her hoped that the girl had found her way back now that it was bright out, however, as bad as the thought was, realistically Sophia, who had no survival instincts or knowledge, her head fogged with distress, was unarmed, and was incapable of defending herself, would be dead.

Elsie shook her head, snapping out of it. She didn’t have time for this. First she needed to get to safety, get her strength up, and then find the group. Everything else can wait.

Taking a deep breath she made her way up to the highway.

Elsie: Like, no offense to myself and all, but what the fuck am I actually doing?

[movedcherriluvv]

Don’t get me wrong, all my fanfic is self-indulgent. This one is just incredibly self-indulgent. 

[movedcherriluvv]

Ngl my theme is actually kinda cute uwu

[movedcherriluvv]

001 - One Dumb Decision After Another

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Contains: mentions of suicide, mentions of child abandonment, mentions of physical abuse

wc: 1994k

Looking back on it now, maybe she should have savoured her life before the apocalypse more. Sure it had its ups and downs. A poor family consisting of a mother forced to pay off her husband’s debts, an unfaithful father, and a daughter that knew more than she should have. But it was a lot better than the constant looming threat of getting chomped by cannibalistic dead people.

At least her parents would be around.

She silently stared at the passing scenery through the window of Dale’s RV. Her thoughts adrift as she reminisced about what went down at the CDC.

How the scientist was going to pull the group into a mass suicide party.

How Jackie stayed behind as they all ran.

How Andrea was going to stay, but chose— no was forced into coming with them.

Elsie subtly glanced at the blonde woman sitting on the other side of the vehicle with Shane chatting about guns. She returned her gaze to the window before the woman could notice her stare. She wasn’t in the mood to set Andrea off.

The RV came to a stop.

A sea of cars blocked their path on the highway. The only thing preventing them from turning around was the RV breaking down for some reason that went through one ear and out the other since she was never interested in cars. What? She was five years away from being allowed to drive one, why would she concern herself over it at a much younger age? Plus, with how things are, would she ever get a license? And if she did drive without a license who was going to arrest her? Rick?

Deciding that her legs were in need of some stretching, she exited the large vehicle and was met with the sight of Lori voicing her opposition against scavenging through the cars. The rest of the group ignored her opinion. After all, why should they care about that? The dead walked, the world had gone to shit and they needed whatever supplies they could get their hands on to survive. It wasn’t like a couple of dead people were going to miss their things anyway. What are they going to do? Say no?

Cautiously, the young girl surveyed the cars as she roamed in search of anything of use.

“Elsie!” Lori called out to her.

Said girl poked her head from behind a car and looked at the woman.

“That applies to you too. Stay in sight so we can see you.” Though the little girl wasn’t her child she was a child nonetheless. When her family’s were met because no matter what they would always be her first priority, it was then that she would check in on Elsie. She wasn’t the only one to do this. Others in the group as well have done what they can for the girl, but it wasn’t easy when she kept everyone at arm's length. Although, no one could blame her after what happened a month into the apocalypse…

“Yes, Lori,” Elsie responded despite fully knowing she wasn’t going to abide by the mother’s order, and went back to her search.

After some walking she came to a stop.

In one empty car, she spotted a semi large brown backpack.

Taking a quick look around her surroundings, she opened the conveniently unlocked door and took the bag before searching the rest of the car.

Inside the bag she found a half empty reusable water bottle, a passport belonging to a Bradley Sams which she then tossed aside, a couple of melted chocolate bars (which she sadly had to leave behind since the weather wasn’t cool enough to harden the sweet treats), two mens briefs, socks, two t-shirts, jeans, and a copper swiss knife.

Elsie decided that the clothes would go to whichever men in the group wanted them and she would keep the rest for herself. Including the knife. It would be stupid of her to leave herself weaponless. While she was in a large group of people that cared enough to help each other, unlike the two other kids, Elsie was alone. She had no parents to care for her, and you know what? Maybe it was better that way. Her family after all wasn’t apocalypse material.

Elsie checked the small contraption to make sure it worked well. It wasn’t unfamiliar to her. Her grandfather owned one although he never let her touch it, and back in third grade, a scrawny boy in her class brought it to show off in hopes of gaining some sort of rise in popularity. He let them play around with it until their teacher confiscated it. Did he even get it back? She didn’t remember.

She was about to place the knife back into the bag but changed her mind last minute. Elsie instead slipped it into the back pocket on the right side of her denim shorts. Thankfully she didn’t have to worry about the bulge it created since she had a flannel shirt tied around her waist.

After checking the rest of the car, she found nail clippers, a blue hoodie that thankfully didn’t smell, a lighter which to her joy still functioned and rotten fruit.

Yeah she was going to leave the last one behind.

Satisfied, Elsie moved onto other cars. At one point she spotted Carl grab what looked to be a black hatchet and examined it with a sparkle in his eyes.

Deciding nothing of it, she continued her search which was shortly interrupted.

“Get under the car!” Suddenly whisper-shouted Rick. “Carl, Sophia, Elsie, get down now!”

Although confused, she followed his instructions anyway, and removed the bag from her back to slide underneath with more ease. Now underneath the car, she took out the swiss knife from her pocket in case she needed it. She didn’t know the reason behind this until she saw some feet walk past her. Holding in her breath, Elsie’s grip tightened around the handle. Her entire form rigid in fear as walkers passed her hiding spot.

She’s done it before killing walkers. She had to do it the night their camp had been attacked. Everyone was so focused on protecting themselves and their own family and she had no choice but to pick up the nearest branch and swing at the approaching creatures to defend herself. But that didn’t mean that she was used to it or any less scared.

Then she heard Sophia’s panicked shriek and her heart sank.

From the car she’d hidden under, she watched in horror as the little girl slipped out and ran with a walker in tow.

Now Elsie wasn’t exactly close with Sophia or the group. She didn’t see the point in getting too close with them when death followed them all in a physical, monstrous form wherever they went. When things get tough it’s only normal for creatures to prioritize their lives or the lives of their loved ones, and Elsie didn’t have any loved ones. She didn’t have anyone to protect or to be protected by, which meant it wouldn’t be all too surprising if she was sacrificed when it came down to it.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t like any of them.

Sophia was a kind girl. Albeit shyly, she remembered the blonde girl approaching her and invited her to play even though they were strangers. She didn’t tease Elsie for colouring colour books or took it personally whenever she declined to go with her. On top of that, Elsie pitied her. While her father may not have been the greatest man, never would he ever lay a hand on his own wife and kid. Ever.

After she realized that she’d been abandoned by her parents, and watching her grandparents die horribly, Elsie vowed that she would survive no matter what.

What she should’ve done was stay under the car and then regroup with the others. However the image of sweet, innocent Sophia, scared and alone within a forest teeming with walkers made her chest tighten, and so, throwing all caution to the wind, Elsie slipped out from under the vehicle and went after Sophia without looking back.

_

“Sophia, Sophia wait!” Elsie called out. ‘Shit,’ she internally cursed when the other child continued to run.

She knew that yelling was risky, but she hoped that if she was loud enough the walkers would divert their attention to her.

The girl must have been starting to tire herself because her pace was slowing before she tripped.

“Sophia!”

Elsie wrapped her hand around the girl’s thin wrist and pulled her up.

She tilted her towards her right where she guessed the highway was and tugged the arm in her grasp. It wouldn’t do them any good if they strayed too far and got lost. “This way.”

Sophia shook her head, lips quivering with fear. “No, that’s where the walkers are!”

“Sophia, there are walkers everywhere,” Elsie pointed out. Briefly she turned her head in search of the walkers previously chasing them. Her breath hitched when she saw them not so far away and heading towards them. “We need to stay close to the highway so we don’t get lost.”

“But—”

Sophia screamed and Elsie all but jumped out of her skin when Rick seemingly popped out of nowhere. She didn’t know that he was following them but was thankful nonetheless that he showed up.

The man shushed the distressed girl to calm her down. He then kneeled down to their level. “Are you girls alright? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine—”

“Shoot them!” Sophia cried, promptly cutting off Elsie, and clawed at the gun strapped to his waist.

“No, no,” Rick said, pulling her away from the weapon. “Those walkers on the road would hear it. Then it wouldn’t just be two, it’d be hundreds. Now come on.”

Lifting the blonde girl into a bridal carry hold, he turned to make sure that Elsie was there and ran with the latter following closely behind. When they reached a quarry Rick stopped and placed Sophia down.

“All right, just hold here. Stay there.”

Then he jumped and landed with a splash.

“Come on.” He gestured to the two girls.

First he helped Elsie down, the water reached way above her knees but thankfully didn’t soak the bag. Then he carried Sophia once more, this time bringing them to (insert whatever the hell he hid Sophia in).

“Elsie, Sophia, you have to do exactly as I say.” He pointed to the (hole, cave, thingy). “Hide in there. Squeeze in tight, I’ll draw them away from you.”

“No, no, don’t leave us,” she pleaded.

“Listen, listen, listen, listen. They don’t get winded. I do. I can only deal with them one at a time. I wouldn’t be able to protect you both. This is how we both survive. You understand?”

Sophia and Elsie both nodded their heads.

“Okay? Go, go, go, go.”

The two squeezed themselves tightly.

Rick and Elsie shared a glance.

“Sophia…” Elsie began softly, holding the little girl’s hand, “it’s going to be okay. We’ll be alright.”

“If I don’t make it back, run back to the highway, back to the others straight the way we came. Keep the sun on your left shoulder.”

Rick looked up at the walkers and backed away from the girls, he created a commotion, and once he had their attention, he ran with them following closely behind.

When they were out of sight, Elsie felt Sophia shift and saw her leaving.

“What are you doing?” The former whispered.

“We can’t stay here,” Sophia whimpered, clutching her stuffed toy closer to her person.

“He’s going to come back.”

“What if he doesn’t come back?”

“We won’t know unless we wait.”

Shaking her head, she began walking away. Elsie called after the girl, but when she didn’t show any sign of coming back, the brown haired girl let out an irritated sigh and went after her.

Sophia: I made this friendship bracelet for you.

Elsie: You know, I’m not really a jewelry person.

Sophia: You don’t have to wear…

Elsie: No, I’m gonna wear it forever. Back off.

[movedcherriluvv]

000 - Healthy States Of Mind Where?

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Contains: mentions of violence, mentions of death, internal infidelity accusations, who thought kids being mature for their age was a good thing?

wc: 1327k

Standing there, watching the reunion of the once separated family of three hold each other dearly and desperately from afar, emotions, many of them swirled inside her, but none of them were good. None of them matched the relief and happiness that others felt, and as selfish as she knew it was, Elsie felt an all too crushing disappointment and sadness and envy.

Seeing them she couldn’t stomach the sight. All those negative emotions were augmenting the longer she stood there.

Alone she walked back inside of the RV and closed the door behind her. Plopping herself onto one of the cushioned seats she hugged her knees to her chest as she tried to ignore the gradual blur of her eyesight.

Always, she’d been the realistic, borderline cynical type by the age of nine. Having been disappointed time after time by one of the few people who should never have made her feel so on multiple occasions made her this way, and yet, because she was just a child, she still held onto the foolish, dimwitted, childish hope that maybe just maybe her parents would find her and hold her close and never let her go again.

She scowled. A mean and horrible thought came into her mind. Why did Carl get to see his dad again? It was unfair, completely and unjustly unfair. He already had one parent and a father figure while she had no one. Absolutely no one.

It was as if god decided to rub it into her face that she was an orphan, and if that was his true intention, then he succeeded. Her nails sunk into the exposed skin of her knees and her teeth sunk into her cheeks in an attempt to prevent the scream of resentment and anger from tearing its way out of her mouth.

She wanted to strike something with a hard wooden bat, she wanted to stomp something under her feet, she wanted to punch her fist into something, she wanted to snap something between her hands, she wanted to—

The door to the RV opened, and through it, Dale peeked in as if this wasn’t his vehicle that he owned. “Hey kiddo, are you okay?” he asked in a kind voice, and she aggressively wiped the angry tears from her eyes.

“Fine,” she bitterly mumbled but she wasn’t fooling anyone. Dale softened. Everyone knew about Elsie, the little girl cruely left alone in this world at such a young age. Though she carried herself maturely compared to the rest of the children so she was trusted to regulate herself by many of the adults, she was still a child herself and it was evident in this moment. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how she must be feeling at this moment—seeing another family reunite while hers were out there most likely dead.

Still he wasn’t going to force her to talk, especially not in this state, so he mustered a smile for her and said, “remember, if you need anything, I’m here for you. We all are, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” she responded quietly, ducking her head, and with one last sympathetic smile, he left. The door closed behind him and she was left on her own.

—

Time passed, though her feelings were no longer as intense as they previously were, the bitterness still remained. Fortunately though her head was much more clear and calmer, and because of that it came to her mind a memory, a memory long ago when she asked Carl if Shane was his father one day while they were colouring. The question wasn’t far-fetched considering how close Shane and Lori acted with one another. It didn’t slip her attention that the two were always conveniently missing at the exact same time, and how fatherly he treated Carl. She’s seen it all before. To her surprise though Carl had told her that in fact, Shane was not his father and was actually his father‘s best friend since childhood, and that his real father was dead.

‘Should I say something?’ She internally asked herself, taking a sip of water from a brown mug borrowed from Dale and eyeing Rick who recounted his experience of when he first awoke in the new world of roaming monsters of the dead.

In his lap was his son, and beside him, caressing Carl’s head lovingly was Lori. It was a picture perfect image of a family that loved each other.

‘…Nah.’ She ultimately decided. It wasn’t like it was her place to say. ���He’s a cop anyways. He'll figure it out.’

But now what will happen with Lori and Shane’s relationship? Will they come out about it? Or keep it secret?

Either way, she kind of hoped for an entertaining outcome because there were only so many pages in her colouring book left to keep her busy.

She tapped back into the conversation at the mention of Daryl Dixon.

‘Ah that’s right. They forgot him.’ She remembered, referring to Merle Dixon who the scavenging group at the time left behind cuffed on roof in Atlanta. When she first met him she decided right off the bat that she would avoid him as much as possible because that man was one of the trashiest men she’d ever met in her life. She thought of this as karma for being a constant ass and didn’t feel an ounce of pity for him. The only person she felt bad for in this situation was his brother, Daryl, because unlike the older of the two men, he seemed to be a decent person from what she’s seen. Quiet yes, but at least he didn’t continuously run his mouth with bullshit.

“I’ll tell him. I dropped the key. It’s on me,” T-Dog said.

Elsie muffled a snort by pretending to sip from her drink. How on earth does one accidentally drop a key down a drain? She wouldn’t blame him if he'd actually done it on purpose. Merle Dixon was a prick.

“I cuffed him. That makes it mine,” Rick interjected.

“Guys, it’s not a competition. I don’t mean to bring race into this—” ‘But you will anyway.’ “—but it might sound better coming from a white guy,” Glenn suggested.

“I did what I did. Hell if I’m gonna hide from him.”

“We could lie,” Amy pipped in.

“Or tell the truth.” Was Andrea’s suggestion which contrasted morally to her sister’s. “Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he’d have gotten us killed.” She tilted her head and looked at Lori. “Your husband did what was necessary, and if Merle got left behind it is nobody’s fault but Merle’s.”

“And that’s what we tell Daryl?” Dale asked the group. He shook his head. “I don’t see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?”

‘We can’t just not tell him.’ Is what Elsie wanted to say but remained silent since she didn’t want to be shut off or sent to the camper for an early rest. God that would be embarrassing. That and no one would tell her anything if she asked so this was her only means of finding stuff out.

“Word to the wise—we’re gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt,” Dale finished.

“I was scared and I ran. I’m not ashamed of that.”

“We were all scared,” Andrea responded to T-Dog, “we all ran. What’s your point?”

“I stopped long enough to chain that door.” T-Dog then went on to explain that Merle may still be alive since the door was chained shut with a sturdy chain and padlock, and there wasn’t enough space for more than a dozen walkers to loiter in the narrow stairwell.

“That’s on us,” he said before getting up and leaving.

Elsie glanced at the sheriff to see his reaction, illuminated by the low flames of the bond fire there was a look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place her finger on, she knew right there and then that the miracle of a man was someone she could trust.

Elsie: I'm so tired of this life. I want to be a roomba. I want knives taped to me. And I want to be set loose.

[movedcherriluvv]

Hayloft Masterlist

This story contains violence, gore, murder, main character deaths, mentions of infidelity, mentions of cannibalism, mentions of child death, mentions of abuse, mentions of child abandonment but not really, swearing, Shane slander, Andrea slander, amputation, etc. Please read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer - The Walking Dead and it’s canon characters are not mine, and the credit belongs to their rightful owners. This fanfiction and original characters are mine. Please do not plagiarize or repost my content.

Synopsis - The last thing young, yet far more mature for her age, nine year old Elsie didn’t expect to happen during her stay with her grandparents after being sent away by her mother was the apocalypse. Parentless and grandparent-less, Elsie must survive in a kill or be killed world where mindless corpses roam with an insatiable appetite for flesh and the living are just as dangerous.

Chapters

Season 1 & 2… 000, 001, 002, 003

Season 3…

Season 4…

Season 5…

Season 6…

Season 7…

Season 8…

Season 9…

Season 10…

Season 11…

[movedcherriluvv]

You died and found yourself revived as your max level character in your favourite game. But centuries have passed and the land has undergone a renaissance and nearly everything you know is outdated - including the new max level. You’re going to need to grind back up to survive in this new world

[movedcherriluvv]

Words for Skin Tone | How to Describe Skin Color

We discussed the issues describing People of Color by means of food in Part I of this guide, which brought rise to even more questions, mostly along the lines of “So, if food’s not an option, what can I use?” Well, I was just getting to that!

This final portion focuses on describing skin tone, with photo and passage examples provided throughout. I hope to cover everything from the use of straight-forward description to the more creatively-inclined, keeping in mind the questions we’ve received on this topic.

Standard Description

Basic Colors

Pictured above: Black, Brown, Beige, White, Pink.

“She had brown skin.”

This is a perfectly fine description that, while not providing the most detail, works well and will never become cliché.

Describing characters’ skin as simply brown or beige works on its own, though it’s not particularly telling just from the range in brown alone.

Complex Colors

These are more rarely used words that actually “mean” their color. Some of these have multiple meanings, so you’ll want to look into those to determine what other associations a word might have.

Pictured above: Umber, Sepia, Ochre, Russet, Terra-cotta, Gold, Tawny, Taupe, Khaki, Fawn.

Complex colors work well alone, though often pair well with a basic color in regards to narrowing down shade/tone.

For example: Golden brown, russet brown, tawny beige…

As some of these are on the “rare” side, sliding in a definition of the word within the sentence itself may help readers who are unfamiliar with the term visualize the color without seeking a dictionary.

“He was tall and slim, his skin a russet, reddish-brown.”

Comparisons to familiar colors or visuals are also helpful:

“His skin was an ochre color, much like the mellow-brown light that bathed the forest.”

Modifiers

Modifiers, often adjectives, make partial changes to a word.The following words are descriptors in reference to skin tone.

Dark - Deep - Rich - Cool

Warm - Medium - Tan

Fair - Light - Pale

Rich Black, Dark brown, Warm beige, Pale pink…

If you’re looking to get more specific than “brown,” modifiers narrow down shade further.

Keep in mind that these modifiers are not exactly colors.

As an already brown-skinned person, I get tan from a lot of sun and resultingly become a darker, deeper brown. I turn a pale, more yellow-brown in the winter.

While best used in combination with a color, I suppose words like “tan” “fair” and “light” do work alone; just note that tan is less likely to be taken for “naturally tan” and much more likely a tanned White person.

Calling someone “dark” as description on its own is offensive to some and also ambiguous. (See: Describing Skin as Dark)

Undertones

Undertones are the colors beneath the skin, seeing as skin isn’t just one even color but has more subdued tones within the dominating palette.

pictured above: warm / earth undertones: yellow, golden, copper, olive, bronze, orange, orange-red, coral | cool / jewel undertones: pink, red, blue, blue-red, rose, magenta, sapphire, silver. 

Mentioning the undertones within a character’s skin is an even more precise way to denote skin tone.

As shown, there’s a difference between say, brown skin with warm orange-red undertones (Kelly Rowland) and brown skin with cool, jewel undertones (Rutina Wesley).

“A dazzling smile revealed the bronze glow at her cheeks.”

“He always looked as if he’d ran a mile, a constant tinge of pink under his tawny skin.”

Standard Description Passage

“Farah’s skin, always fawn, had burned and freckled under the summer’s sun. Even at the cusp of autumn, an uneven tan clung to her skin like burrs. So unlike the smooth, red-brown ochre of her mother, which the sun had richened to a blessing.”

-From my story “Where Summer Ends” featured in Strange Little Girls

Here the state of skin also gives insight on character.

Note my use of “fawn” in regards to multiple meaning and association. While fawn is a color, it’s also a small, timid deer, which describes this very traumatized character of mine perfectly.

Though I use standard descriptions of skin tone more in my writing, at the same time I’m no stranger to creative descriptions, and do enjoy the occasional artsy detail of a character.

Creative Description

Whether compared to night-cast rivers or day’s first light…I actually enjoy seeing Characters of Colors dressed in artful detail.

I’ve read loads of descriptions in my day of white characters and their “smooth rose-tinged ivory skin”, while the PoC, if there, are reduced to something from a candy bowl or a Starbucks drink, so to actually read of PoC described in lavish detail can be somewhat of a treat.

Still, be mindful when you get creative with your character descriptions. Too many frills can become purple-prose-like, so do what feels right for your writing when and where. Not every character or scene warrants a creative description, either. Especially if they’re not even a secondary character.

Using a combination of color descriptions from standard to creative is probably a better method than straight creative. But again, do what’s good for your tale.

Natural Settings - Sky

Pictured above: Harvest Moon -Twilight, Fall/Autumn Leaves, Clay, Desert/Sahara, Sunlight - Sunrise - Sunset - Afterglow - Dawn- Day- Daybreak, Field - Prairie - Wheat, Mountain/Cliff, Beach/Sand/Straw/Hay.

Now before you run off to compare your heroine’s skin to the harvest moon or a cliff side, think about the associations to your words.

When I think cliff, I think of jagged, perilous, rough. I hear sand and picture grainy, yet smooth. Calm. mellow.

So consider your character and what you see fit to compare them to.

Also consider whose perspective you’re describing them from. Someone describing a person they revere or admire may have a more pleasant, loftier description than someone who can’t stand the person.

“Her face was like the fire-gold glow of dawn, lifting my gaze, drawing me in.”

“She had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny.”

Even creative descriptions tend to draw help from your standard words.

Flowers

Pictured above: Calla lilies, Western Coneflower, Hazel Fay, Hibiscus, Freesia, Rose

It was a bit difficult to find flowers to my liking that didn’t have a 20 character name or wasn’t called something like “chocolate silk” so these are the finalists. 

You’ll definitely want to avoid purple-prose here.

Also be aware of flowers that most might’ve never heard of. Roses are easy, as most know the look and coloring(s) of this plant. But Western coneflowers? Calla lilies? Maybe not so much.

“He entered the cottage in a huff, cheeks a blushing brown like the flowers Nana planted right under my window. Hazel Fay she called them, was it?”

Assorted Plants & Nature

Pictured above: Cattails, Seashell, Driftwood, Pinecone, Acorn, Amber

These ones are kinda odd. Perhaps because I’ve never seen these in comparison to skin tone, With the exception of amber.

At least they’re common enough that most may have an idea what you’re talking about at the mention of “pinecone." 

I suggest reading out your sentences aloud to get a better feel of how it’ll sounds.

"Auburn hair swept past pointed ears, set around a face like an acorn both in shape and shade.”

I pictured some tree-dwelling being or person from a fantasy world in this example, which makes the comparison more appropriate.

I don’t suggest using a comparison just “cuz you can” but actually being thoughtful about what you’re comparing your character to and how it applies to your character and/or setting.

Wood

Pictured above: Mahogany, Walnut, Chestnut, Golden Oak, Ash

Wood can be an iffy description for skin tone. Not only due to several of them having “foody” terminology within their names, but again, associations.

Some people would prefer not to compare/be compared to wood at all, so get opinions, try it aloud, and make sure it’s appropriate to the character if you do use it.

“The old warlock’s skin was a deep shade of mahogany, his stare serious and firm as it held mine.”

Metals

Pictured above: Platinum, Copper, Brass, Gold, Bronze

Copper skin, brass-colored skin, golden skin…

I’ve even heard variations of these used before by comparison to an object of the same properties/coloring, such as penny for copper.

These also work well with modifiers.

“The dress of fine white silks popped against the deep bronze of her skin.”

Gemstones - Minerals

Pictured above: Onyx, Obsidian, Sard, Topaz, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz, Rutile, Pyrite, Citrine, Gypsum

These are trickier to use. As with some complex colors, the writer will have to get us to understand what most of these look like.

If you use these, or any more rare description, consider if it actually “fits” the book or scene.

Even if you’re able to get us to picture what “rutile” looks like, why are you using this description as opposed to something else? Have that answer for yourself.

“His skin reminded her of the topaz ring her father wore at his finger, a gleaming stone of brown, mellow facades.” 

Physical Description

Physical character description can be more than skin tone.

Show us hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands…body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not necessarily all of those nor at once.

Describing features also helps indicate race, especially if your character has some traits common within the race they are, such as afro hair to a Black character.

How comprehensive you decide to get is up to you. I wouldn’t overdo it and get specific to every mole and birthmark. Noting defining characteristics is good, though, like slightly spaced front teeth, curls that stay flopping in their face, hands freckled with sunspots…

General Tips

Indicate Race Early: I suggest indicators of race be made at the earliest convenience within the writing, with more hints threaded throughout here and there.

Get Creative On Your Own: Obviously, I couldn’t cover every proper color or comparison in which has been “approved” to use for your characters’ skin color, so it’s up to you to use discretion when seeking other ways and shades to describe skin tone.

Skin Color May Not Be Enough: Describing skin tone isn’t always enough to indicate someone’s ethnicity. As timeless cases with readers equating brown to “dark white” or something, more indicators of race may be needed.

Describe White characters and PoC Alike: You should describe the race and/or skin tone of your white characters just as you do your Characters of Color. If you don’t, you risk implying that White is the default human being and PoC are the “Other”).

PSA: Don’t use “Colored.” Based on some asks we’ve received using this word, I’d like to say that unless you or your character is a racist grandmama from the 1960s, do not call People of Color ���colored” please. 

Not Sure Where to Start? You really can’t go wrong using basic colors for your skin descriptions. It’s actually what many people prefer and works best for most writing. Personally, I tend to describe my characters using a combo of basic colors + modifiers, with mentions of undertones at times. I do like to veer into more creative descriptions on occasion.

Want some alternatives to “skin” or “skin color”? Try: Appearance, blend, blush, cast, coloring, complexion, flush, glow, hue, overtone, palette, pigmentation, rinse, shade, sheen, spectrum, tinge, tint, tone, undertone, value, wash.

Skin Tone Resources

List of Color Names

The Color Thesaurus

Skin Undertone & Color Matching

Tips and Words on Describing Skin

Photos: Undertones Described (Modifiers included)

Online Thesaurus (try colors, such as “red” & “brown”)

Don’t Call me Pastries: Creative Skin Tones w/ pics I 

Writing & Description Guides

WWC Featured Description Posts

WWC Guide: Words to Describe Hair

Writing with Color: Description & Skin Color Tags

7 Offensive Mistakes Well-intentioned Writers Make

I tried to be as comprehensive as possible with this guide, but if you have a question regarding describing skin color that hasn’t been answered within part I or II of this guide, or have more questions after reading this post, feel free to ask!

~ Mod Colette

[movedcherriluvv]

Merri: You need to be more careful!

Leah, who was dragged into Merri's issue: Careful? CAREFUL?! I'LL CAREFULLY WRAP MY HANDS AROUND YOUR THROAT-

[movedcherriluvv]

Main Masterlist

Headcanons

Oneshots

Series

Hayloft, TWD

oc x oc | From elementary student to survivor, Elsie is thrust into an apocalypse where the walking dead aren’t the only enemies out for her blood. (Incomplete)

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call me cherry | she/her | 18 y/o | writing sideblog <3

ao3: @cherriluvv

masterlist

Some of my writing can be triggering due to the topics in my stories and I also have a habit of romanticizing things that shouldn’t be viewed in such a light. For all my writings I always put warnings above the cut. In case I didn’t put the right warning or I forgot to put any warnings please let me know! A few things that can be seen in my stories are blood, gore, violence, sexual themes, yandere, noncon, dubcon, abuse, alcohol, drugs, piss, hybrids, etc. So before reading please read the warnings first. Content that is explicit will be marked as so. While I know that putting MDNI on my posts won’t stop minors from reading mature works, if you are a minor please do not like, reblog, or comment on anything for +18. Thank you.

Not a frequent updater or post at all because I’m disorganized and keep losing motivation for projects while gaining motivation for new ones on top of my schooling

Thank you so much for reading my introduction post. I hope you enjoy my writing even if it is amateur level! ♡

[movedcherriluvv]

##✰ kaomojis para twitter, blog, amino e etc ⸼⋆

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Para letras personalizadas: https://www.messletters.com/pt/

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Ꮚ˘ ꈊ ˘ Ꮚ          ૮₍ 𖦹 ˕ × ₎ა          𖦹 ´ ᯅ  𖦹

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૮₍˶• . • ⑅₎ა        ૮ • ﻌ - ა.      ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ

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૮ฅ• ᴥ •ฅა           ૮₍ • • ₎ა           ૮₍˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶₎ა

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૮₍´˶• ᴥ •˶₎ა         ૮₍ • ᴥ • ₎ა              ᐢ..ᐢ

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₍˄·‌༝·‌˄₎.     ₍ ᐢ..ᐢ ₎            ૮ • ﻌ - ა

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૮・ﻌ・ა             ૮ • ᴥ • ა  ��         ૮ ’• ˕ • ა

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(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)         ૮₍ 𖦹 ˕ × ₎ა          Ꮚ˘ ꈊ ˘ Ꮚ

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૮₍˶• . • ⑅₎ა        ૮₍˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶₎ა          ૮₍´˶• ᴥ •˶₎ა

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𖦹 ´ ᯅ  𖦹              (# >o<)      ( :‌:‌:‌[‌:♡:]‌:‌:‌:‌)

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ᜊ( ' ⩊ '𖦹)ᜊ      (    っc   )     (˵ ⸍ ᯅ ⸌ ˵)

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૮₍ ˃‌᷄ . ˂‌᷅ ₎ა ㅤ ㅤㅤ(๑•‌ ᎔ ก‌๑)ㅤ   ㅤㅤ૮ ˊ‌ . ˋ‌ ა

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૮₍ ´𖦹 ˕ × ₎ა ㅤ૮₍ ˶• ˔ ต ₎აㅤㅤ૮₍ ๑ • ᵜ ก ๑ ₎ა࣪

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ㅤ(˵ˊᯅˋ˵) ㅤㅤㅤ  ૮˃‌֊ ˂‌ აㅤㅤ  ㅤㅤ•᷄ࡇ•᷅

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ㅤ૮₍｡´• ˕ •｡₎აㅤㅤ૮₍ ´ ꒳ ₎აㅤㅤ  ㅤฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ

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ㅤ૮₍´˶• . • ⑅ ₎აㅤㅤ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა ㅤ ㅤ૮₍´• ˕ •₎ა

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ㅤ૮₍´˶ᵔｪᵔ˶₎ა ㅤㅤ૮₍⇀‸↼‶₎აㅤ   ㅤ(⑉･‌⌓･‌⑉)

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ㅤ૮₍ ˃‌ࡇ˂‌ ₎აㅤㅤㅤ₍ᐢ˵• ࿁ กᐢ₎ㅤㅤ ㅤ꒰˵ˊᯅˋ˵꒱

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ㅤ₍ᐢ⸝⸝› ‹⸝⸝ᐢ₎ ㅤ ㅤ૮₍｡ •᎔• ｡₎ა ㅤ ㅤ ꒰˵• ﻌ •˵꒱

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ㅤㅤᐢ. ֑ .ᐢㅤㅤㅤㅤ૮ / / / ⍝აㅤㅤㅤㅤ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎⊹    ۪

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ଘ(˵╹-╹)━☆      ૮₍˶Ó﹏Ò ⑅₎ა       ଘ(|lI.‸.)

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ᜊ( ' ⩊ '𖦹)ᜊ          ₍⑅ᐢ..ᐢ₎  𖤣𖥧         ૮ᵔ ᵕ ᵔა

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      ᓚᘏᗢ          (๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭           ଘ(*. .)   

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ᵔᴗᵔ      ˶ᵔᵕᵔ˶       (·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )    ᘏ⑅ᘏ  'ㅅ'    ᵔᴗᵔ   

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ᴖ.ᴖ      ᵔદᵔ   (ᐢ ��� ˕ • ᐢ)  ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭    (๑ ' ◡ ' )

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