#((First time trying a narrative RP post))

[wyrmguardsecrets]

Mods, double check to make sure I didn't miss any names, please. This took way more editting than I realized it would

This is way more than enough to out me to those in the know, but that's okay I guess. I fully meant what I said about Artificer Harem Goat and I do genuinely feel like they wronged me, so I'll stand on business and say it with my whole chest.

Some of the colors aren't linked bc im pretty bad. But in all screenshots my character/discord is denoted by hard red. In all screenshots the purple refers to Artificer harem goat (dark purple in the first two, lavender purple in the latter 2. Just showing my mindset and thoughts and frustrations as I was being forced to finally oocly confront this situation, after dealing with it and never bringing it up ooc despite knowing from other friends how I was being talked about.

The only reason I'm even posting about it now is because I've seen the same story from other people about them 'hijacking' people and having an issue separating the character's actions from the player themselves. And the narrative comes up that it's about 'being possessive' or an attack on their erp habits or whatever. But nah, they were objectively shitty to me on an ooc level despite me doing my absolute best to keep any criticism of them or reaction to what they were doing IC. Bc im happy with OOC conflict. Happy to give them the benefit of the doubt. Incorporated them even more heavily into my RP because I naively thought 'maybe they won't think and talk so bad of me if my character is more friendly and welcoming to them'. Yeah, no, still all the same issues, and worse they just abused that to further interject themselves into the same stories they were trying to force me out of.

Ultimately i just did a DNI and let my characters partners at the time decide what they wanted to do about it. And frankly that was the right call, even though I lost great rp in the process. Because I don't feel shitty when I log in anymore.

but man does this person still fucking suck.

.

[ravenwoodalum]

on karamelle, why it sucks, and redeeming azteca's reputation.

I just got to Karamelle for the second time, and good lord. I hadn't forgotten how much I hated it, but it hit me like a wall of bricks. And I'm already preparing myself to marathon it and be fucking done questing here for at least a year.

I think it breaks down like this.

Baby's first workers rights movement/sugary-sweet surveillance state Listen. I know this is a game that doesn't allow for player characters to have much individual impact on the in-game narrative. I know we've had to do errands for cops. I know we work for a war criminal. I KNOW there are flaws in the system. But there's something about the way that Karamelle's set up that makes it all feel so. much. worse. And that's the fact that Karamelle has such a stellar reputation within the Spiral before this. The happiest place in the Spiral, the sweetest treats in the Spiral. Everyone seems to fucking love this place. Almost no one outside of those actually working there seem to understand how corrupt it is. And so the YW is talked down to at every turn, like this is their first exposure to a corrupt environment. And sure, maybe it is within, canon. YW gets isekai'd at a very young age and then made into a child soldier, maybe this is actually the first time in canon that they've been introduced to these concepts. But (and this may just be me) it feels really rude to the player -- who might actually have experience with these ideas -- to make them feel like a fucking idiot with the dialogue options. Karamelle's characters just feel rude.

Oh, so the Gobblers were a fatphobic, Roald Dahl type thing from the start. Cool cool cool. Any of you ever read Roald Dahl's book "The Twits"? It's a very unremarkable story all things considered, except for this bit.

Aside from Roald Dahl's unavoidable history of antisemitism, does this remind you of anything? Honestly, this reminds me of the Gobbblers.

We first meet the Gobblers around level 10 in Wizard City -- creatures driven by consumption. And then we get to Empyrea and hear that the Alphoi -- skinny "civilized" creatures -- can become Gobblers if they eat too much or are unhealthy in their eating habits. Which makes one of our oldest running enemies a loop-around fatphobic thing, ESPECIALLY when we get to them in Karamelle, the home world of the Gobblers. Rosina, especially, just oozes fatphobia and diet culture. The literal vilification of being fat isn't even subtext, it's just text.

The Old One, The Cabal, and what to do when your escape from the world ends up shoving what you were escaping from right back in your face. When I was in sophomore year of college, fall of 2019, I had one of the worst mental health periods of my life. Antisemitism was fucking everywhere, I was always a moment away from a panic attack, and it felt like no one understood. While I'm lucky in the fact that I was able to get an official diagnosis for genetically inherited PTSD, alongside the reassurance that I wasn't fucking crazy, there was a period when I just needed to go home for a moment. So when I was going back to my dorm from the dining hall to make sure all my stuff was ready to go, I opened up tumblr and made a post on a long-gone RP sideblog I had for the Swedish Chef (y'know, from The Muppets? long story), and before I'd even gotten halfway across campus, I'd received threatening and violent messages from someone RPing as Borat, which only got worse when they realized they were talking to an actual Jewish person.

That escape from reality didn't even last five fucking minutes before the horrors I was trying to avoid found me.

Now, Wizard101 has always been a source of comfort for me. I made my account fourteen years ago, and I do not know what my life would look like if I hadn't done that. There are flaws with this game, yes, sure, but over the past five years (since I got a wiz compatible laptop) I've developed a bit of a reliance on it to get me through the horrors. No better form of escapism.

But no art form is free of the horrors.

And Wizard101 has the fucking Cabal and Old One.

The Cabal within the fiction of Wizard101 is a secret, nefarious organization pulling the strings on events across the Spiral, controlling history from the shadows. This term literally originates in antisemitic conspiracy theory, with the term 'cabal' originating from the term for Jewish mysticism, 'kabbalah'. And I promise you, you've heard plenty of applications of this conspiracy theory in real life too. It feeds into the idea that Jews (or 'global elite') control the government, the media, the banks.

And then, we get to the man in control of it all. The Old One. Whether or not this was intended, he's a walking, talking antisemitic caricature. The octopus as a symbol for the mythical Elders of Zion is a longstanding dogwhistle (see attached for a guide to this and many other visual dogwhistles). "Oh, he's based on H.P. Lovecraft-" So he's based on the works of a famous racist and antisemite, cool cool cool.

It's just exhausting, walking through a world that is so clearly modeled after Germany and other parts of eastern Europe, and finding antisemitism around every corner. And even more exhausting considering it's almost impossible to tell if they meant to do it. Antisemitism is so fucking ingrained in the world at this point that I don't actually know what they meant to do here, what they did maliciously or out of ignorance, or if any of it was put in with the purpose of turning it on its head. Over the past few years, it has become glaringly obvious that a lot of people don't realize when they're running across antisemitism, or even taking part in it. Including people I really thought would know better.

Side note. For those of you who know I see Dasein as Jewish, you may be wondering how I balance that out with the antisemitic nature of The Old One, since they share a physical form. I think of it like this. Dasein did not choose The Old One. He did not choose to resemble that, but he can attempt to reclaim it. Dasein's Judaism comes not from the resemblance he holds to the hatred that haunts us, but from the love that keeps us going. He questions authority and longstanding tradition, chooses to do what's right instead of what's expected, and is kind in the face of hatred. He literally makes himself, and a world, out of nothingness. Something out of Nothing. He's so Jewish you guys.

The Spiral's "Worst World Award" goes to... I know we all say "fuck Azteca" pretty often on this website, but I don't think it deserves to be deigned the worst world in Wiz. My main gripe with Azteca is how inaccessible it gets after Xibalba strikes -- the flashing lights aren't exactly photosensitive friendly. Which further lends frustration to my completionist nature, meaning I have to finish all quests, badges, and fishing before I finish the world (making it take forever to finish). Aside from that, there really isn't that much wrong with the world (and if you argue that it sucks because you can't save Azteca, I get it, but some tragedies are inescapable by their very nature). It's a problem of gameplay, versus a problem of plot in the case of Karamelle. And maybe its just because I'm a writer, but problems with plot feel much more egregious. I really do think Karamelle deserves more vitriol than it gets.

G-d, I can't wait to get to Lemuria.

[vickyvicarious]

I think Jonathan talks to Jack the most out of all suitors before All That since he is the third main record keeper, but their interactions are off screen and alluded like:

"Harker has gone back, and is again collating his material. He says that by dinner-time they will be able to show a whole connected narrative. He thinks that in the meantime I should see Renfield, as hitherto he has been a sort of index to the coming and going of the Count."

And since the impression he gives to Jack is "quiet, business-like gentleman", yeah I'd say he'd use RP!

(in reference to this post)

Agreed! Jonathan also met Jack first of the suitors, he's staying in the guy's house, and of the three Jack is the least overwhelmingly rich. This is also kind of a side effect of Jack being the next main record keeper but in helping Mina go through the records, he may have gotten a bit used to reading his thoughts or even potentially hearing them spoken (depending on whether he was mostly helping Mina organize things she had already typed, or if he ever took a turn listening too) and thus felt a bit closer to him in a way even before much direct interaction. Not to mention, that interaction you quote shows Jonathan's interest in Renfield, which would naturally lead him first to Jack (I constantly curse the lack of Jonathan/Renfield interaction, it could be so fascinating had Stoker not just Forgot He Was There). Those may be a couple additional reasons he might want to or feel more comfortable coordinating with the doctor more directly. Also Arthur is still very sad and Quincey is still very concerned about Arthur so I can see them being a little less likely to initiate much socializing than they usually would.

But Jonathan's mostly offscreen, helping Mina with the records, going off hunting after boxes... Of course there are some offscreen conversations taking place, and they surely wouldn't be only with Jack, but if what we see in the documents is any indication, Jonathan is fairly quiet and only really speaks up about 'business' (AKA Dracula-hunting) matters. And even then mostly only when he has something new to contribute. He isn't going on any epic rants (yet) and he isn't volunteering to be the one to explain everything from his experience, just bringing up relevant points for discussion or connections. And if he is trying to a) be businesslike/professional b) seem as calm and sane as possible under the circumstances of these people knowing what he's been through and how it's affected his mental health c) be polite with people he is not very familiar with yet... then yeah, I totally can see him using RP during all this time.

So his outpouring of utter emotion on October 3 is a big change, to be sure. And dropping into his natural accent while doing so would be an excellent way to illustrate how every other consideration just completely falls away for him as soon as he knows Mina is being attacked. He can't spare any attention towards sounding sophisticated, his wife has been targeted by his former tormentor and he is out for blood (/vowing to be out for literal blood should worst come to worst).

[heybiji]

hi!!! i just wanted to say i really love all of your MASKS stuff. i'm something of a newbie when it comes to the TTRPG community, but MASKS seems to be not very well-known and i think that's a real shame. i'm a huge fan of old-school superhero-adjacent stuff, especially the silver- and bronze-age ones!

by the way, i was wondering if you'd be willing to share some tips for a first-time GM? you don't have to if you'd rather not! i just figured i'd try asking since i was planning on GMing a MASKS campaign for some of my friends later, but despite my decade's worth of roleplaying experience i've never been in a TTRPG campaign nor a GM (or similar) role before

Thank you so much!! I was just lamenting about how I felt bad for the MASKS tag because it is now flooded with all my npc nonsense hahah so this is really nice to hear.

It's awesome you're planning on running a MASKS game for your friends!! There is an indispensable post on twitter I saw that has a LOT of great tips for running MASKS that I recommend checking out. But for my own personal tips that are just me things, here's what I got. Sorry it's gonna be extremely long-winded, it may take a few months to read through it.

(Note: I am also hugely into RP and probably put more into it than what is necessary, especially with MASKS which is meant to be able to be played out of the box. It was definitely not played out of the box in our case because I require a lot out of myself and everyone else to feel good about running something. if anyone else wants to continue seeing me as a normal human being please don't click the Keep Reading)

Since you're running it, make the world interesting to you. If the world runs around themes you're personally interested in then you'll have a much easier time coming up with answers on the fly. For me, themes I'm interested in that lend themselves well to a superhero world: money, power, family, celebrity, media, the 24 hour news cycle and the desensitization of violence. Because I'm interested in this stuff anyway, wrapping a world around them makes it much simpler for me to figure out how the world ticks and thus how the characters fit into it and how the world reacts to them, and I am DESPERATE to find out how the characters react to all the questions and expectations the world is imposing upon them.

Make sure your players have a good grasp of the tone of story so they can make characters that gel well within it. For me the tone is a lil more adult because I'm not personally into younger morality tale stories in tone, it's pretty grounded, and I think comedy and tragedy work hand in hand so I lean into them.

Talk. A lot. Talk about the characters, talk about the world. MASKS is fun because it's a LOT of talking and figuring out the narrative together. It's not a lot of crunchy mechanics, it's all around seeing how the characters react to the world narratively, all hurt and comfort and emotions which (for me) requires people to have a good grasp on their characters and the world. I like to give my players "homework" where I ask them a question involving their characters in some way like "what hero did your character look up to as a child?" so they get to come up with past heroes, or "How does your character feel about _____?" etc etc. The only fans are gonna be your table and fans love to talk so be the biggest fans of the PCs!!

Figure out your framing. I know in MASKS they suggest framing it like a comic book, and basically talking about the frames on screen. For me, because I'm more into movies and tv than comics, I frame it like that. So I have an active "camera" in play during sessions and will ask things like "would anyone like to grab the camera?" to encourage the players to put the character into a scene or "what does the audience see as the camera focuses in on your character in this emotional moment?" There is a LOT of playing up to the camera and framing the sessions as episodes of a show, so it's like, okay, you have several options but what is going to be interesting for the audience to see? I find this encourages the players to have their characters take bigger swings and feel comfortable letting us into how their character is feeling because it all looks GREAT on camera. The camera loves it. The PCs are the story after all.

Because I frame it a show, I also like to play individual ending songs over the "credits" at the end of each episode. So I asked my players to make playlists for their characters so if I feel an episode had a lot of emotional focus on one character in particular, I can play one of their songs at the end of the episode! I also made a general MASKS playlist with a bunch of songs from the era we set it in (2004) to pull from. It's a fun little addition that I really enjoy and that I hope makes it all feel more special.

The Dino Donut Effect: create landmarks in your world. (OK THIS IS GONNA BE LONG BUT WORK WITH ME HERE) They don't have to be locations, more solid landmarks of the story that the characters can refer back to and lean on to make the world feel more "real." I call it the Dino Donut Effect because in our world the thing that made everything click into place was talking out the backstory of one of the PC's figuring out they had the power negation ability. We were talking one night trying to figure it out; we wanted the character to fall out of a building and be caught by a flying superhero and accidentally turn off their powers, so they toss the kid to another flying supe whose powers also get turned off. But we were like... holy shit what is the height of a building needed that can handle this much action in the air without them hitting the ground in 3 seconds. So after a long night of talking about terminal velocity and looking at Splat Calculators we figured out the height of the building, and we needed them to crash into something that wouldn't fuckin kill them. The first suggestion was a truck full of bananas. Nah. We landed on a giant balloon that could take the impact. And the balloon became a giant T-Rex holding a donut that was the mascot of the city's beloved decades old donut shop Dino Donut. And so we decided that one of the two flying supes grabbed onto the kid and the other and flew into the giant balloon to try and keep them all alive, which destroyed the balloon, which was a city institution, and there was a crowd of children there that day that saw their friend Dino Donut die. Killed by a superhero. The balloon deflated loudly so it sounded like Dino Donut was screaming in agony. All the kids were traumatized (screaming crying throwing up), the city was furious because everyone loved Dino Donut, it was constantly in the news cycle, and it ruined the career of the supe that "killed Dino Donut." AND THEN THEY REPLACED THE DINO DONUT BALLOON WITH A LAME "UPDATED DESIGN" DINO DONUT STATUE which everyone hates and people consider to be a memorial to the old Dino Donut. ANYWAY, the Dino Donut effect is that now all the PCs have one single incident to refer back to that they all have feelings about. A couple of them were there that day and heard Dino Donut scream, one is now the protege of the disgraced superhero that killed Dino Donut so she feels uncomfortable talking about it, there's the kid that was saved that day but was sworn to secrecy by the supe so no one would find out about his power negation ability, and then there's the kid that wasn't there because she's an alien that just arrived to earth and now the kids have to explain the incident to her with all their varying opinions. Now the PCs' meeting spot is at a Dino Donut. Having this one solid incident that is both funny and kind of goes into the themes of the world has been an absolute treat. Creating "landmarks" like that in the world has done so much and now I'm like okay I'm gonna try to do this moving forward with any other thing I run.

anyway these are my extremely specific to me tips. my RP standards are kind of high which makes me a bit of a terror but also when the flowers bloom from it it feels GREAT. i'm not sure if this will help but hopefully there is something there that can be useful!

MASKS is fun and simple once you get the hang of it, though, so I'm sure whatever you do you and your players will have a lot of fun! especially if you're someone who is into RP which is the background I'm coming from too; MASKS is extremely narrative! i'll be looking in the tag for your game hehe

(The Day Dino Donut Died art by JD)

[icykalisartblog]

About this post. @marchstarling This was exactly it, really well said! In my first playthrough of this game, I was RPing as a noble character with similar values to Wyll, so I ended up romancing him because they became fast friends who agreed on so many things. I still had my character press for Wyll to not sacrifice himself and instead choose to be free in the late-game, but they were very similar people.

But Wyll is super stubborn, as you say. And he is extremely afflicted by learned helplessness (because of how he's been failed and tormented in life by authority figures) and leans into toxic hyper excellence because of how he was raised and then traumatized. Wyll can't choose freedom as a companion if a player character doesn't tell him to. While he pushes for others to be free and always wants the best for his fellow party members, this never causes him to self-reflect without a player character's intervention. He needs support at that pivotal moment. So when I played as him, I had a problem. I didn't want him to sacrifice himself, but how was I going to RP as him and make those choices knowing that normally he can't if left to his own devices? I really want to discuss this narrative and pairing in detail, more (spoiler warning for BG3) below the cut:

I had Astarion as a party member in my first run, and I did like his dynamic with Wyll. I liked that they are both lacking in life experience but they can sort of cover for the gaps in each other's experience. They have an idealist vs. cynic and monster hunter vs. vampire dynamic. They're friendly and generally complimentary when talking to other people about each other, but argue 90% of the time in their overworld banter together. Wyll liking Astarion (provisionally) but also being adamant that he make good choices is the kind of support Astarion needs. I also saw that they were attracted to each other, but all Origin characters show that they're attracted to each other to some degree, so I didn't take much note of that. I basically saw them as a nice pair of friends. I also really felt like Astarion's character arc was a roller coaster ride of emotions, in which I kept the guy around because he was funny and useful and I had been his friend for too long to turn on him, but I was always slightly terrified that he was going to turn into a carbon copy of his abuser by the end of his story. I was extremely surprised and relieved when instead he became quite calm, nice, and oddly optimistic once freed instead. Given how deeply traumatized he is and how long it takes for him to be free, I never really understood how so many people were saying they enjoyed romancing him, either... I was like, surely he doesn't need a romantic relationship at this time? Wouldn't that end up feeling exploitative?

All of my opinions shifted once I started my Origin Wyll run. From the very start, Wyll and Astarion were having heated debates about heroism and sacrifice and arguing often, and since I was playing as Wyll, I realized he desperately needs this. The fact that Wyll matches Astarion's energy and is often more pointed with him than he is with anybody else is good—because that's Wyll being honest and genuine. It's not the Blade of Frontiers act he always feels the need to rely on. And once Wyll was forcibly transformed into his devilish form, I felt like in the melancholy haze of his mind that he was trying to so hard to push through and cover up, he needed the playfulness and kinship he had with this vampire who was also turned against his will.

Wyll normally takes things really slow. He believes in fairy tale romance and courtship, and doesn't feel like he can have sex until marriage. In fact, he's the only romanceable companion to have no sex scene. This is despite the fact that he says his father always pushed for him to engage in "revelry" more often. But I think once Wyll was touched by the Hells, he sort of... gave up. He felt like he could never be forgiven even if he did save his father, and so in a moment of weakness, Wyll stumbled into something with Astarion. I don't think Wyll saw it as casual, because he doesn't feel like he can let himself be casual. I think he felt like this was all he deserved, and that as a monster, maybe he could at least make his fellow monster's existence a little better. In a way, I think Astarion and Wyll were both using each other and making things way more complicated than they had to be. Deep down, they were just two guys who like each other and like bickering with each other. I bet Wyll thought he was in love, but wasn't yet, because he felt like if he was with someone, he had to be in love and everything had to be happily ever after. However, the constant arguing and pushing each other to be better made him start to realize this wasn't a fairy tale, it was something more grounded—something even better.

I'm not sure when Wyll started to feel love for real. I think it was around the same time Astarion decided to say that Wyll is an incredible person and that Astarion wanted a relationship but wasn't sure how to have one, because throughout Act II Astarion began being quite protective... and Wyll isn't used to that. He's always had to be everyone else's hero to feel wanted and needed. In Act III, once they killed Cazador—which was amazing because Wyll freed Astarion turn one and then he Eldritch Blasted Cazador close to the abyss, giving Astarion the opportunity to use Mobile Shot to push him all the way off and defeat him in a smooth display of synergy—I think Wyll realized that he wants this real, unconditional love with Astarion. That he can finally be secure in the knowledge that no matter how they argue, even if those arguments end in tears, Astarion will always stand by his side and they can work through differences in opinion without Wyll being abandoned. That he wants to live! And that's why I had him tell Astarion in the graveyard that he wants and loves him.

I'm sure Wyll was envious of how kind and optimistic Astarion became once he was freed, because Wyll still has to deal with his own abuser's presence. But I think that envy as well his and Astarion's love were enough to push Wyll to choose freedom, to outwit Mizora, to save his father, and finally to tell his father that he can forgive but not forget. Wyll was empowered enough to express that he doesn't want the mantle of dukedom, that he doesn't want the acceptance from his father that he's sought for so many years to come with yet more expectations. And it's so nice that in the end, Astarion—who always felt safer being selfish than selfless—is so eager to become a hero by Wyll's side.

[aroaceleovaldez]

how do you reach the askblog demographic you want?? Me & a friend recently started one and we have very little interaction despite trying to tag relevant things, advertise on our main blogs, etc. Also just tips for starting one in general would be appreciated lmao

I've gone over tips for how to start an askblog [here], but as for the rest:

A.) Make sure that you actually are an askblog and not an RP blog. Some people will use those terms interchangeably or call their RP blogs askblogs and those are not the same thing. This is actually a very common problem. If you are doing RP stuff but calling it an askblog people will not send you askblog asks because they will assume you are a mislabeled RP blog. Sometimes also vice versa. Making sure it is labeled appropriately will make sure people are going to interact more because they can identify your blog more clearly. If you're unsure about the difference, I have a rough definition:

A tumblr askblog is generally defined as any tumblr blog in which there is a subject/focus on a “muse”/character to whom followers/the audience can direct questions to via the blog’s inbox. The “mun”/mod/admin(s) of the blog will respond to these questions in-character. This is different from a roleplay blog, in which the audience always plays the role of characters the blog’s muse will interact with directly, usually providing a narrative prompt to reply to/continue off of. Askblogs can be of a variety of formats, including illustrated/“drawn-response” askblogs, text-response askblogs, cosplay askblogs, voice acting askblogs, and more.

B.) Be careful when you tag things - if you are cross-tagging too much (i.e. posting about one character but tagging another character not referenced) people in those tags may actually block you, or tumblr may flag you as a bot. You can usually tell if your blog accidentally got flagged because your inbox and messaging icons will disappear when you look at your blog's dashboard preview. Do not crosstag! It is never a good thing on tumblr and will never help you. Only tag stuff that's strictly and entirely relevant. In PJO-sphere the only real exception to this is tagging anything PJO related "Percy Jackson" because that is both the series and the character, so people will not get on your case for that. That one is fine, nobody really cares. "Riordanverse" is the common all-encompassing tag for all PJO-universe series and etc though.

Other than that, making original posts frequently and having original posts on your blog that people are more likely to reblog (ex: normal fanart outside of askblog asks, shitposts/memes, etc) will help people find your blog more. People are not likely to reblog advertisement posts, but will reblog general fanart and memes. Try not to reblog too much stuff to your blog especially at first because that clutters it a lot and people will have a harder time figuring out what your askblog is like when you're actually answering asks (also only original posts count towards your blog appearing in tag searches and etc).

C.) I actually have a dedicated blog for this exact type of thing - @askblog-index. The format there is basically people submit an index of their askblog and that gets posted so people can filter for specific fandoms or other criteria to find askblogs they might be looking for. Because looking for askblogs can be difficult in the tumblrsphere. I usually post indexes pretty quickly so if you submit one I will absolutely get on that.

As some extra tips, make sure you enable your blog's custom theme (you don't have to do much setting up for the theme itself, though if you want it is really easy to do so. Recently I've quite enjoyed the theme Vision, though particularly for askblogs you can never go wrong with good ol' Redux). Double and triple check your inbox is open. And in your blog settings there is a "featured tags" thing that you can edit - edit your blog's featured tags to whatever the subject of your askblog is. Fandom, main character(s) of the blog, the terms "askblog"/"askblogs," etc etc all that jazz. This feature literally tells tumblr how to recommend your blog to people.

[bettertwin1]

Hi, old follower here from before you had 100 followers. I've got a semi serious question for you.

When I first followed you, I got the impression that you were a RP blog, in the case where you would RP with your "brother" (bettertwin9000), so I followed the rules as such. But later on it seems that this blog is your persona? In terms of everything said to this blog is a personal question to you? It's a weird situation where people asking those intrusive questions make sense for a RP blog, but in a normal blog situation it makes it intrusive.

Tldr, I think many are confused if this is an RP blog or you having Leo as your persona, so can you confirm what this blog actually is?

OMG HI LONG TIME FOLLOWER!!

And, for the sake of things making a little bit of sense, as much as sense as we can manage, keep in mind that we have OSDD, we're a system-

PUTTING IT UNDER CUT CAUSE IT'S LONG 😅

At the start of the blog <- in which we were advertising it as a roleplay blog, it was being run by our host and partially by me though I had no clue what I was doing at the time and bettertwin9000 was being run by our partner <- (which btw, made for some strange asks)

We continued advertising it as a roleplay even when we began suspecting and having full breakdowns over the idea of being a system due to some little things and some big things and lots of research and therapy and blah blah BUT we kept going back on it cause tbh DID is a hard thing to accept and we didn't want it <- still don't

SO now I was trying to run the blog more all the while trying to keep us grounded, IGNORING the possibility of DID and thinking, nah, this is just a really bad cause of delusions and we NEED to get reality checked NOW.

But I ALREADY KNEW i'm not REALLY Leo from rottmnt, but I am him, I was formed from that guy, created? Idk. He made me in his own image type reference audio. WOW IM NOT EXPLAINING ANYTHING 😭😭 did I mention we have a tendency to overexplain <- but specifically for me in the case of explaining things that are hard to explain, ANYWHIZZLE.

We kept going back and forth, confirming and denying the conclusion "we have osdd" cause that's terrifying and while this was happening I was still trying to force us to post and interact and involve ourself in arcs for the sake of distraction from EVERYTHING happening irl and the blog kind of made it worse but in a light hearted way cause suddenly the asks became really gross, and I felt really gross.

Sure, maybe someone who was roleplaying Leonardo would have no trouble answering asks about dead relatives or near death experiences or villains that have physically harmed you and your 'siblings' or about my crippling inability to speak about feelings and whatever else people diagnosed me with on here but I was having trouble answering it, I was getting uncomfortable and I was feeling genuinely overwhelmed because everything that definitely would be great material for a roleplay account was making me just feel, bad. <- which wasn't great considering at the time, feeling bad was not something i could have been affording to do

SO at some point, I started putting boundaries, didn't explain why, just continued under the guise of hey, roleplay guy here, the intruvsive invasive asks about my family and my mental health and my anatomy is making me want to die so please stop andbonly ask fun stuff like idk, if i put salt in donnie's coffee sometimes and everyone was like, yes leonardo in unison.

Then I slowly started getting more adamant on pushing the narrative that I am LITERALLY Leo from the show cause pushing that seemed to really help with the questions, and then the roleplay blog became more like. A personal blog for some dude who happened to be a ninja turtle alter and it'd unfortunately gotten so out of hand that explaining this now kind of made us even more exhausted cause oh man, we might get fake claimed huh <- we had worse things to deal with, internet drama didn't need to be added to this.

Anyway, if you read through all that junk, i'm sorry 😭, but i think it helps explain why the impression of the blog is so confusing cause it was being run by two ppl, a host and an alter who were constantly trying NOT to be those things until pretty recently when we started accepting the fact that we have Osdd

SO TIMELINE.

The blog starts off as an rp blog by our host and I unbeknownst to us both

The blog is fun and we start gaining traction

We also start gaining more mental health problems and have a full breakdown multiple times on many different social medias

We push through to cope

We talk to the other blog runners who are systems <- (Mikey, Raph and at the time when their account was apart of this, April) and they kindly answer and guide us through some things

We start adding boundaries for my sake

We talk to other systems on other social media and they help us with more stuff

We talk to our therapist

We do a ton of research on top of old research we'd apparently already done before <- suddenly we have a long document with so much information

We tell no one about the discovery when we start accepting the possibility

More funny stuff ensue and personal life things happen <- #ONLYTHEREALONESKNOW!

The only announcement I ever make that i'm an alter are one off comments in tags or answers that I never address again until I make an intro post that says I'm an alter in a system

The blog is what now?

The blog is still a roleplay account. Sometimes, canceled arcs that we would have done would have been considered roleplay <- a canceled christmas arc. But usually, this is just a blog. Like, this is just a blog I use to entertain people and to get some of my thoughts out like a singlet would. It's both i guess, it's whatever I want it to be and whatever you guys consider it to be.

The blog is just, my blog, I don't know how else to explain it 😅😅

Also, Bettertwin9000 was pretty much going through the same thing at the time and fun fact, he is actually my "brother" cause he's a Donnie alter <- (yay!)

Shoutout to the host who has their own blogs that they never really post on! couldn't have done it without you! <- and the many kind individuals who gave us their research material and links and answered our questions and stuck w/ us through the most confusing part of OUR LIFE

Srry again if this didn't answer your question like at all by the way, i THINK it at least explained some things but you know 😭 SORRY IDK

[paw-patrol-pack-leader]

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Ryder, I'm 14 years old and the leader of the Paw Patrol rescue pups team! Some of my pups and friends were having a lot of fun here on Tumblr, getting to meet people and making new friends, so I decided to join the fun. Now I'm here to answer all your questions and make new friends too!

Please read the rules under the cut before interacting. Hope you'll have a good time here!

This blog is run by Mod Lary and Mod Blue. Both go by she/her. Lary is of age, Blue is almost there XD

ATTENTION: The mods for this blog are NOT Search & Rescue professionals, nor First Responder professionals. If you need real help, look for a local professional!

GENERAL INTERACTION RULES

1- Be respectful! There are two real people running this blog - and the character may be fictional but he has feelings too.

2- Our Ryder is 14 years old, older than the canon age (in the series he's 10~11 years old). He's still a minor anyway, so no NSFW of any kind is allowed here.

3- Since Ryder is pretty much a very mysterious kid as the show/movies don’t give us much info about him (at all), lots of things in this blog will be made up to fit into the narrative, or may be Headcanons created by the Mods. All posts and answers which include headcanons will be tagged accordingly. Please don’t take everything as Canon!

4- Crossovers (interactions between characters from two different medias) are okay, but PLEASE message us first! There are two Mods running this blog, we gotta check if any of us know about the other media at all, before any kind of interaction.

5- Additional rules will be added accordingly whenever we see fit.

ABOUT ROLEPLAYING

1- Please message us before sending an original starter, so we can talk possibilities, plots, ideas, etc.

2- Anyone is welcome to send prompted asks/starters from posts we reblogged with lists of sentence starters. Discussing possibilities/plots/ideas is still a good idea though.

3- Ryder can interact with and befriend personals, you don’t need to be a roleplayer with an original or canon muse for it.

4- We roleplay mostly in third person, paragraphs style. You don’t need to match the same length we write, but it would be best to try and “keep up” with it - don’t reply to two paragraphs with an one-liner, for example. Describe your character’s actions, reactions, thoughts, etc!

5- Ryder is always portrayed as being 14 years old, unless if we specify something different for plot reasons.

6- Any of the pups will show up for RPs as needed be, but not for asks.

9- Additional rules will be added accordingly whenever we see fit.

Important note: Again, there are two Mods running this blog. One will not interfere on the other’s roleplays, though.

ABOUT MAGIC!ANON (M!A)

We will not accept Magic!Anons in this blog. No, no one’s turning Ryder into a dog, sorry.

[krowjones]

Written vlog-style ask blog for Krow Jones (Casey Jones Jr.) from the Radiant Souls AU, run by @holopossums

Curious? You caw, they'll caw back.

Previous art/writing can be found in the tag krow jones

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

BLOG RULES/ABOUT (under cut)

Tcesters and "Proshippers" DNI. You'll be blocked on-sight.

Asks don’t have to be in any special format. Go ham!

You may ask for particular versions of Krow (teen, old) to answer! If not directed toward any particular one, it’s up to the writer. Sometimes both may respond if their answers are different. (E.g. Teen!Krow may answer first, and Old!Krow would add on.)

Some asks MAY be answered with art, or art + writing, but this is hardly a guarantee. Art can range from quick sketches to fully colored, rendered art. All up to the writer's time/energy/motivation.

NSFW will be accepted, but it must ONLY be directed toward Old!Krow. If neither are specified, it will be assumed it’s for the Older one. Anything too sexual/inappropriate directed at Teen!Krow will be deleted and you'll be blocked. Even if he’s technically of legal age, the writer is not comfortable writing NSFW of teens.

All NSFW asks/posts will be marked as Mature. This will hopefully prevent minors from seeing them while still allowing them to interact with everything else. I, the writer, will use tools available to me to block minors from NSFW content (Mature labels and proper tagging), but I am not responsible for minors lying about their age when signing up on Tumblr. The ball’s in their court.

Answers will typically (but not always) come in the form of 2nd or 3rd person, literate para/multi-para narrative style. I know it’s atypical of an ask blog, which are often in 1st person and assumes the character themself is running the blog. But bear with me, it will be fun to pretend you the reader are watching vlogs or interacting with them through video! Easier for me to write this way too, it helps express characters through action/verbal tone/etc.

Minors are free to follow/interact publicly (likes, reblogs, replies, asks), but keep in mind that the writer is much older and the characters are both adults in their own right. If this makes you uncomfy, don't follow. Please be reasonable and respect boundaries, otherwise you’ll be blocked.

Writer will not respond to minors through DM. You must be 18+ to DM me or otherwise talk with me privately. DM is for OOC interaction ONLY. I don't RP there, all RP is public. You will be turned down if you try and blocked if you persist.

OOC posts/reblogs will be tagged as such. Things that are not tagged with "out of caws" are likely IC. OOC comments on IC posts will be denoted with two slashes before.

This is a side blog, so likes and follows will come from holopossums.

I’m here to have fun and play my AU versions of the characters, nothing more! Don’t expect much from me.

[neon-virus]

AO3 Questions Tag Game!

Tagged by: @theroyalspiderart

Tagging: honestly anyone who wants to do it tbh

1- How many works do you have on AO3?

had 2, deleted 2, now i just have the one.

2- What's your total AO3 wordcount?

right now, it says 84,697, sheeeshh-

3- What fandoms do you write for?

Cotl rn, but who knows i might write for others in the future

4- What are your top five fics by Kudos?

Idk if this means my fics or ones i enjoy, so I'll assume its means my own and its just the one since i only have one XD

5- Do you respond to comments?

I try to! but i do forget, a lot.

6- What fic have you written with the angtiest ending?

No fic ive posted probably xD

7- what fic have you written with the happiest ending?

Shrug, i figure the one im writing now will have a happy ending, probably.

8- Do you get hate on fics?

not yet!

9- Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nope, the only NSFW ive written is genuinely dangerous things, now suggestive? maybe.

10- Do you write crossovers?

not yet? but ive rped so idk if that counts.

11- Have you had a fic stolen?

Probably not.

12- Have you had a fic translated?

Nope!

13- Have you co-written a fic?

Nah, but that just sounds like rp with extra steps.

14- What's your all time favorite ship?

Honestly, I think it's just Narilamb, as I typically don't ship cannon characters together often.

15- What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

well I only have one thing im writing, so hopefully not that.

16- What are your writing strengths?

uhhhhh, if i have them I certainly don't know-

17 – What are your writing weaknesses?

Lmao imagine knowing how to pace a story and write compelling narratives, couldn't be me.

18 – Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

IRL languages? it'll probably be the most google translate looking thing ever, unless its Japanese because i have a brother who can help with that. Fake languages? id write the shiet out of that.

19 – First fandom you wrote for?

u...Undertale.

20 – Favorite fic you've written?

The current fic im writing :D

Thanks for the tag, uh, dont step on third rocks on rivers.

[kotaka-kun]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

saw @middleearthpixie doing this and I wanted to do it too :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

249 works

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

380,279 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Most recently I’ve been writing for Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies, but according to my AO3 dashboard, I’ve posted fics for just under 40 fandoms and naming them all seems excessive... That being said, my top five are Lord of the Rings, Phantom, MCU (mostly Captain America), Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Harry Potter. 

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. thank you for the food (ATLA, zukka, Fluff, Domestic Bliss, Modern AU) 2. Simple Happiness (ATLA, zukka, Fluff, Living Together, Modern AU) 3. Bucky has a belly kink, but Steve doesn’t mind in the least (MCU, stucky, ABO, Belly Kink, Pregnancy Kink) 4. Surprise (MCU, stucky, ABO, mpreg, Birth, Twins) 5. New Colors (One Piece, zosan, Fluff, Color Blindness, Gifts)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do try, though I know I’ve missed a few over the years... but I do love and treasure every single comment I get!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I’d have to say that it’s probably a tie between The Worst Thing (MCU, Steve/Bucky, omegaverse, infertility, miscarriage) and overboard (LOTR, Frodo/Sam, trauma, depression, suicide attempt)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Hard to say, since aside from the two mentioned above, I write mostly fluffy happy endings... 

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Thankfully, no. But maybe that just means I need to write more divisive fics? 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do write smut, and it’s probably mostly -- if not all -- omegaverse tbh... 

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I love love love writing crossovers! I think they’re fun and silly and a good time all around. Don’t know if I have one that’s significantly crazier than the rest, but I think i read the hobbit (in 1937 when it first came out) is one of my favorites to think about. I’ve got a soft spot for ws!Bucky is all. Putting him in Middle Earth and adding him to the Fellowship was just for funsies :)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A reader translated New Colors into Chinese, which was super neat!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Absolutely, 100% -- in the sense of collaboratively plotting out and writing a story, as well as taking turns in an improvised narrative style RP, and also something in between where the premise of a fic was agreed upon and each of us had characters to write, RP style. 

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don’t think I can pick a singular ship to label as my favorite... I’d call Zoro/Sanji my OTP, but only because they were the first ship I got involved in fandom for -- I haven’t read a fic of them in years. I’m reading almost exclusively Erik/Christine fics right now, but I’ve come across Erik/Raoul fics that have made me fall in love with them, as well as Erik/Raoul/Christine fics that are so so good... I guess in terms of longevity and my ability to always come back to them, Steve/Bucky has been a solid ship for me? 

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Gonna go with Zoro’s Promise, since it’s the only multichapter fic I never bothered to move from FF dot net to AO3. It’s literally been ten years since I updated it lmao

16. What are your writing strengths?

On one hand, I guess my ADHD-fueled hyperfixation that allows me to write fic after fic could be considered a strength...?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

On the other hand, as soon as my ADHD-fueled hyperfixation loses its vice grip on me, I lose all motivation to write. Especially if I’ve already written out the scenes that I had in my head, I become incapable of filling in the gaps and making it a cohesive fic... I honestly don’t think I have very good writing hygiene even after taking classes on being better about being a hobby writer oops 

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I personally tend to avoid writing in another language, because I think it’s hard to do well. Sometimes it takes you out of the fic because you have to copy-paste it into Google Translate to figure out what they’re saying, sometimes it takes you out of the fic because you speak the language and the author evidently doesn’t and they used Google Translate. 

19. First fandom you wrote for?

First fandom I wrote fic for and then posted would be One Piece... but in actuality, I’ve been writing fanfiction from long before I knew that’s what it was called. I was probably in second or third grade when I wrote self-insert Peter Pan fics. Also Shrek fics. I don’t have the notebooks I wrote them in anymore, but I have a very vivid memory of writing them.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

This is maybe the hardest question of all to answer, because while I like a lot of my fics, I don’t know that there’s one that I could call my favorite. My current WIP stranger than you dreamt it (PotO, Erik/Christine, ABO) is one I’m excited to keep working on because, well, omegaverse. But also time and time again (LOTR, Frodo/Sam, Time Travel, Fix-it) was one of the first multi chapter fics I’ve actually finished, so in that regard I’m rather proud of it. I liked the time-travel-y premise of it as well. And even though what comes after (HP, Snape/Harry, Time Travel, Fix-it) is still technically a WIP, I’m still pleased with how it’s coming along... though it’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated it oops

tagging... you! 🫵 if you're an author, i'm tagging u! i want to know about what you write!!!

[dernarrleid]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER. REPOST DO NOT REBLOG

NAME: Lav

PRONOUNS: she/they

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: Tumblr IMs because I'm more likely to pay attention to a message here than discord. I have quite a lot going on there. I have a discord for RP reasons but I rarely use that one xD

NAME OF MUSE(s): Kenzou Tenma, Wolfgang Grimmer, Nina Fortner/Anna Liebert, Johan Liebert, Logan Howlett

BEST EXPERIENCE: The first couple weeks after really talking about character motive/interactive style. I think I do my best writing here, which I why I try not to be no neglectful of this blog.

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS: Callout posts; they don't make sense to me and in this day in age especially, they've lost majority meaning. That's it, but I'm sure there's something on that confession's blog I've sneered at.

MUSE PREFERENCES: Gravitate more toward occult/criminal types because it's easier on the characterization. Huge fan of crossovers/new worlds so almost any muse to me is on the table. I've warmed up to Real face claims, but if an RP is depicting the actor/singer it's a no go.

PLOTS OR MEMES: Memes, sometimes I turn them into a thread but I always approach with the expectation that plotting is a double edged sword. Most of my longer threads have little narrative forethought but a lot of great introspective replies.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: Lately short (2 para, university sucks) but normally 3 para-novella.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: Just after reading a book/fic or watching a good show. My ability is 100 times over and my inbox gets zeroed out over a few days. Can't seem to summon enough juice outside of that, and I don't find those gems often.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S): Hell no. If I ever seem like it, call the authorites.

tagged by : @furiaei

tagging : @strywoven ; @malefikant ; @co1one1jgr ; @mannequinentity ; @unladielike + you

[itsmissing]

Hi, you said we were allowed to ask random questions, so I wanted to get your take on this if it is ok. I have followed you for years at this point, and your creations are incredible! They inspire me so. I recall some time ago posting a.... reskin? Revamp? Of one of your DnD characters? I know most of your characters are not dnd nor should people use them in their own games, but if I am reading this correctly it means you yourself play or have at least played TTRPGs in the past. So, since you are welcoming questions, I thought it fair to ask an insanely creative person like you.

So I am in many DnD games right now, and most of them are very RP heavy. I find I can articulate myself well digitally when I can edit what I'm saying to make myself look thoughtful and knowledgeable. But when I RP verbally in the moment - particularly characters that have different thought patterns than I do- I flounder and words become difficult.

Suffice to say- how do you approach RP from a creator's stand point? Creating many different characters and making them unique from yourself but still compelling and competent? What is your thought process to RP?

If you do not feel comfortable answering this ask and that is perfectly fine- I realize this is coming out of left field but you did say you were bored and wanted asks, so I thought this line of questions was fair game. Regardless, I do wish to share how insanely creative and incredible I find your works. If you do not mind more questions in the future, I would love to ask a bit more of your inspirations and thought processes towards how you approach art, but instead I'll settle on my odd ask and hope I am not egregiously overstepping.

thanks for the question! bit of a long answer so i'll put it under a Read More.

i've actually played a couple of campaigns of dnd and blades in the dark (tho they were all over discord calls, and none of them ever concluded naturally), and i totally understand where you're coming from! tho i'll be honest, i haven't played ttrpgs in general in a good long while. i definitely had frustrations in my first ever couple of sessions of dnd (using a character i lovingly designed from scratch), and i think a lot of those pain points stemmed from me trying to force a narrative journey i already had in my head, pre-planned, that i imagined during the design phase for that character. but at the end of the day, dnd is improv, and if you're not used to that, your character's going to end up a little different than how you imagined, and that's ok! a session is always going to be a collaborative roleplaying space, where the party's stories as a group and as individuals are crafted gradually, over time, and some of the ideas you had for your character at the start-- their backstory, their personality, the way they talk and think-- are going to be constantly workshopped into something different, naturally, over the course of a campaign as you get more comfortable. i also find it's a lot easier to rp when you stop trying to inhabit The Exact Character That You Made With Love, and instead try to rp with their essence in mind instead. the most important thing for me when roleplaying is to understand the basics of my character-- whether they're nice or mean, outspoken or reserved, polite or straightforward, etc-- more than anything else. more practical, actionable advice is that it helps to ask yourself questions in your off time and try to answer them as best as you can, out loud and in-character. interview yourself as your character! what's their favorite fruit?

thanks for the question, and also the kind words about my art! i had typed a lot more than this out but i felt like it was mostly incoherent rambling. this might still qualify as that, actually. hope this helps in any way!

[delusionaid]

🌿 Author portrait. Get to know the author behind the blog! repost, do not reblog.

Basics.

Name/nickname: Min(a) Age: 32 Pronouns: She/her Years of writing: I've been writing little stories and fantasy things and scenes from books I liked as long as I remember.. As for RP and fanfic.. I think it's been around 18 years?

Reflection.

Why did you pick up writing? Because I wanted more of the stories and the characters I enjoyed and very often I also wanted different things than canon was presenting to me - e.g. a dead favorite surviving the plot, a world in which a villain wins, a crossover between two worlds, a ship that wasn't canon. There was no more canon (because the book ended) or canon left me wanting something I didn't get, so I started reading fanfic and at some point realized - hey, I can also just write my own versions / stories :)

Do you have any writing routines? First, I cry and bemoan that I picked this as a hobby. Then, I often actually lie/sit down on my couch or something and picture the scene in my head in detail (including dialogue - think of it like "trying out the script), and then once I feel like I know where I want it to go, I sit down at my PC and start writing a rough draft in note form. Final step I write it out in proper sentences. Depending on the mood (of the post) I also listen to instrumental / classical / film music or ambient sounds (e.g. forest noises). I can't listen to anything with lyrics, that distracts me too much. In between all those stages I get distracted 48472 times, which is why it takes me so long to reply to anything.

What's your favorite part about writing? Creating things that I want to see/read but that aren't there yet (/will never be in canon). It also brings me joy to simply try my best at understanding a character and trying to recreate his mannerisms/attitudes/personality in new situations. And of course bringing joy to someone else - and I think that's my actual favorite part. Yes, I write for myself = because I want to do it; but if I didn't also majorly enjoy the feeling of writing something for someone else that excites them or makes them happy, then I wouldn't be RPing or publishing fics.

Three things you like about your writing.

One. I can "recreate" canon characters in new settings / new scenes to an extent that I am content with. Like most people I have certain muse types, but I think I can somewhat successfully mimic a lot of different muses, at least enough to be happy with it.

Two. I can create some variation when I want to. In RP you usually will see me write in my go-to way (choice of tense, narrator, focalizer, etc) but I do switch it up sometimes for narrative effect and I have written some pieces in the past that I thought worked out pretty well in that aspect.

Three. I can make people yell, cry or laugh with it. It may not be perfect but if I can make someone feel something with it, that's good enough for me.

A question for the next person.

Write a question for the next person to answer. Once you've answered it, leave a new question for someone else to answer.

When life throws you lemons, and gets you down, does writing become something that you're drawn to as to get you through it, or do you feel like it does the opposite?

I can't write when I feel really bad, I don't have the focus or the energy. But the stories are still in my head and the stories are always what my mind goes to. When I was younger and struggling with things I actually imagined characters that I wrote in my situation to somehow process it better, because it was easier to think about them and how they'd react than knowing that for myself. Writing/creating never does the opposite (aka make me feel worse in any way) but the actual act of sitting down and creating a good piece of writing usually is too difficult when I am in a bad state. That said, sometimes it can be helpful to write something that matches my mood - e.g. something sad or angry.

New question: Do you have a favorite genre to write (e.g. horror, romance, action, angst), and if so what is it and why? If you have more than one favorite, what are your top 3 and why?

Tagged by: @araneitela Tagging: @dhabibi @immobiliter @wishkept @helbroth

[avoidcrow]

Hello! Sorry if someone already asked this, but I just wanted to ask if you had any favorite characters (yours or other's) and what you like about them?

Hello! Oh no this might be a dangerous question, I am obsessed with characters, how do I even narrow this down

My favourite personal character is definitely my fursona! I'm really proud of his design and he's the first fursona I've had that really feels like myself and not just a character

(Oops he is missing a thumb in this picture how did I never notice that before)

Some of my other personal OCs I like the best are

Lee, Winter, and Rook

The thing they all have in common is that I've spent ages working on them, they're very different but they all have stories (RP or otherwise) that resonate with me and I've spent a long time on

They're also all in very difficult relationships, I guess I just like drama

For other people's characters, first of all I love my friends' characters! I don't want to post their images without permission but @every-captain, @keifujimi, and @holmgren13 are amazing character designers and/or writers. They really bring their characters to life

And with fandom stuff, I could probably talk about them forever so I'll try to NOT do that

Some of my favourite fandom characters are Ryou Bakura from YuGiOh! Duel Monsters, Kino from Kino's Journey, Pearl from Steven Universe, and Youko Nakajima from The Twelve Kingdoms

I think all of them have really interesting development, either through backstories or going forward with the narrative. They change and grow a lot, I love characters that can be viewed completely differently at different points in their stories. They're also all VERY flawed, doing terrible things at points, struggling with their personal issues, while still being compelling people

Once again, I think I just enjoy the drama

I could literally talk about them forever so I will stop here but thank you for asking and giving me the opportunity to babble!

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

Writers Truth or Dare | Open

@sleeplesswork asked: 🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction ( roleplay ) ?  🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction ( roleplay ) ? Both, actually, I got into around the same time for the same fandom, and also kind of for the same reason! The good, age old reason of 'I love this story and this character, LET ME SELF INSERT'. So, my first RPs were literally just me and my best friend and fellow fan of this obscure ass anime playing our RL selves and also, taking on each others favorite characters to romance lol. As for my fanfiction, it was very much mary sue 'everything depends on you and you're the chosen one AND you have all our powers, avatar style, AAAAND your fave is fated to fall in love with you'. It was my beginning, guys, don't worry, I pay my penance by rereading and cringing now and again lmao.

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings Welp, since this says SHIPS and not SHIP, I think I'll give a headcanon for a few ships. Top three are my main FF7 ships, each of which I am currently working on one passion project fic each (Strifentine one is currently one chapter up! available on ao3!), and then two more are because they're some of my extra faves that I've been exploring on here with a great partner!

Strifentine: This has actually been explored in RP with a brilliant partner, and will be explored in the fic, but Cloud makes it a point with Vincent to interact with and understand the others within him, affectionately deemed Headmates. Vincent has spent too many years thinking them either burdened or fellow monsters locked in a cramped cell, when not just trying to completely ignore them. And that has been Vincent's choice, at times, because of his judgment of himself and others. But, he has grown to realize, with Cloud's support, he does not truly hate them. They're just as stuck as he is, they were just as violated as he was, and though they do not live traditionally and much at all now while inside him (just barely living when they take over his body), they are still conscious beings. And so Cloud makes an effort to ask about them, to be aware of them, to help Vincent be aware of them, and when Vincent feels willing to allow them free in a healthier form, IE not due to battle, Cloud is there to greet them and simply be there with them, to keep company, to interact, and if they get out of control, to keep them under control. It has helped them all grow into a more comfortable, balanced existence, though it's not without it's complicated times.

Sephesis: maybe not a normal headcanon, since it branches into What If scenarios. But, still. It is my firm belief, even if to some it seems like they must be doomed by the narrative and in that they could never communicate and reconcile properly, HOWEVER. Say they weren't lol. If the Nibelheim incident had gone another way, either pre fire, or post fire, and Sephiroth and Genesis had time to face once another again, get out grievances but also have a chance to apologize if they weren't so stubborn, I think we can all agree Sephiroth would have given his cells. If he was back in a place to see Genesis as the friend he cared for and had been losing, if he could recognize their situation more clearly without the trauma making it far more negative, and if he could believe it would save him and not make them both more monstrous, he would not have hesitated. Genesis was one of the single most important people in his life, and there were many stages in their time together that he would give everything just for them to be side by side, and Genesis RECOGNIZE they were side by side, equals. Sephiroth would have done anything to hold on to Genesis, if he hadn't been in such a state where his mind and heart was made to believe everything he had once held onto was dead, gone, or a lie.

Sefikura: In complicated scenarios, unhealthy as they can be, even if it were a scenario where Sephiroth was returned and could live a balanced life, however he might have to atone, with Cloud, they both still have a puppet issue. More often than not it is a subject of distrust and discomfort because of the risks it poses. But Cloud can't deny the bliss that can come with giving over to another's control completely, to not have to be responsible for who and what he is, and Sephiroth of course clings to the power because if he controls the one he loves, they can never leave him. And on the flip side, in scenarios where it was ever possible (stretch of canon possibility of course), in scenarios of Cloud's jenova cells becoming stronger or even just his influence as Sephiroth's anchor in returning to existence being a part of it, though Cloud would not enjoy enacting the power too often, Sephiroth has a weakness for it. Cloud isn't the only one who could enjoy the sweet release of loosing control, if only Sephiroth could give that control to someone he trusts wholly. Someone who could end him if need be, and love him against all reason. To be under Cloud's control, to be in his grip, it is a very complicated euphoria.

Rufus/Reno: It takes a great deal of time, trauma, closeness, complications, and finally balance between the two of them but Rufus is the only one to know some of the most important things about him. Few others know it all. About his name, his brother, and his mother. Tseng knows his former name, Tseng knows about his brother and Rude knows a gist about his complicated family crap and a few more details about his brother. But Rufus is the only one that Reno finds himself willing to confess the gritty details to. The details that aren't just for clarity of the job, or for mental assessments. The details that could be shared, between the two of them, for the sake of sharing and relating. Because they're both just boys who's families were hell and fell apart, and they're just doing their best to make the most of themselves, despite being sad boys at heart, angry at their failed parents and morning the loss of one.

Rufus/AU-Vincent: In this AU, Vincent is forced to train in Deepground to better his control of his 'beasts', especially Chaos, but all the while to teach those in Deepground close to his level in monstrosity, IE the Tsviets. He is a multipurpose tool of ShinRa at this point, mostly owned by Hojo, as in he can tug his leash at any time, but he loans him off back to the Turks most of the time, unless he needs 'retraining', to which he is either brought back to secure labs in Deepground for conditioning and refining that involves tampering with his memory at times, or he's thrown back in to training with the Tsviets, or both. Given this, he is very much a slave to his emotions and so he has to restrain them often. If he looses control, he looses control of them, and finds himself in Hojo's grasp again. So when he's been working as Rufus' body guard long enough (as he is pulled away from said duty a few times for different reasons, more so before Rufus is every VP much less president). But in his time with Rufus, as his complicated nature and how he is forced ot deal with it is made more clear to Rufus, the VP and eventual president begins working to expand training options. Better ways to keep his emotions level. Better ways to assess the nature of those within him and how to cater to taming each, or using them. And working through all the control Hojo has. It's a subtle mission, but with Rufus' help, by the time he's president, he is already working Vincent out of Hojo's clutches, though there is always risk and dread. However, Rufus greatest ally is also the greatest threat of Vincent's beast. Given Vincent's training, Chaos is the strongest, smartest, and most self aware and able to take control. And with training and focus, he is intent on overriding Hojo's tools of manipulation. But his chaotic nature and hidden motives are as much a threat to Rufus as anyone else. It takes winning him over, to some level of mutual trust through mutual gain, that they will override Hojo.