#(i'm honestly excited for this account and the characters i'm going to build from it)

[purpledumass]

Alsoo just sayiiing this account is going to have some dope lore in it

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo Devlog #11 | 05.08.24

AHA! Nope, we didn't forget about April's devlog. In fact, we have been busier than ever—doing early preparations for our Kickstarter, working on the demo, sorting out legal stuff...

Speaking of which...

This month we have been really busy making our studio official by the law! Now, to pay taxes and cry! YAY!

We are very very excited about it—and also terrified! We are still sorting out the studio's bank account, as burocracy isn't the fastest thing in this world, sadly. This is the first thing I wanted to talk about in this devlog, because it's such fantastic news for us! :')

Now, let's jump on the process we've made this past month, shall we? ✨

This past month, Raquel worked very hard on our second Key Art. This was originally made for Steam, but I modified the format a bit so it could also be used in other places! I honestly love this one—we have our first Key Art to represent the darker aspects of the game, and then this one to show off the characters' dynamics! Not everything's going to be horror and mystery in the game!✨💜

Also, we have been working on designing the merch for the Kickstarter, but we can't show anything yet. All we can say is that everything is looking gorgeous and we are so excited to share it eventually!

Thanks to Airyn, we've made great progress with the backgrounds! In fact, there's only one left to finish. The one you see above needs a few final touches (that will be made by yours truly!), and then I'll animate it a bit to get it ready for the build! The rest of the backgrounds are finished, animated, and integrated in the build :3

The survey icon is missing, but it'll be there!

Well, this should tell you everything you need to know when it comes to programming! The whole demo is programmed. Functional. Nothing crashes. Stuff works and I'm over cloud nine. I have been working on the final touches (revisiting scenes, checking sprites, music / sfx volume...) and the beta testing phase will begin soon. Soon as in tomorrow.

We've mainly used this month to review the auditions we received for our casting call, contacting the selected VAs, etc. Every VA has accepted their role, received the document with the lines we'll need for the demo, and we'll work hard to announce the cast publicly as soon as possible! We want to at least do a promotional short video showcasing every LI and their VA!

Sadly, making the studio official has (and will) take more time than we anticipated, and as we want to release the demo on Steam, the review process will most likely slow us down. There's the option of doing an itchio release and then a Steam one, but I'm not sure if that'll hurt the project. We are still keeping the demo release date a secret, until things settle down!

Also, I couldn't finish this devlog without talking about the Magic & Mystery Otome cross-promotion! ✨ We were invited by the amazing folks at Best Laid Plans Studios to participate in this event that showcases 12 amazing visual novels like Alaris, Obscura, Dual Chroma and more! I know I have been pretty annoying with this (can you blame me, though?!) so I won't keep rambling about it—just check everyone out, please!

I think that's all! Well, that's not all, but we gotta keep a bit of mystery surrounding the demo! We have been busy bees this month, with the making of the studio, the polishing of the demo, contacting and coordinating the VAs...

We are so excited for the demo release. I'm personally excited and terrified, but blame it on the OCD. I keep jumping from catastrophic scenario to catastrophic scenario. I'll have no control over what happens when the demo goes live, but I have control on what I can do before that happens—and that's working as hard as I've been doing this whole time.

And that's it! Please take care, enjoy the week, and stay hydrated. The Raventar team, NOW AN OFFICIAL STUDIO, wishes you all the best and sends a huge hug your way! 💜

[dalekofchaos]

I am not happy about Sektor and Cyrax's change from Cyborgs to power suits.

I am very excited for Khaos Reigns.

But I am not a fan of the redesign of Sektor and Cyrax.

I could care less that they changed their genders. But.... Jade, Sareena, Jataaka, Kia, Skarlet, Cassie & Jacqui and Khameleon were all right there.

I'm all for new interpretations of the characters, especially since this game is all about the multiverse, but MK1 has been building up to Countess Jade and Sareena has this great redesign that's wasted as a cameo.

Also? We have the perfect design from MK11 that they refused to let us play as and the new designs feel like a downgrade

And honestly MK9 did this better. Cyrax resisting automation while Sektor was fully prepared to lose his humanity to be a more efficient assassin. Cyrax gets his redemption in MK11(pointlessly killed because Ed didn't want us to play as him 🙃)

But we're doing this AGAIN for the sake of multiverse bullshit that I'm already tired of.

Also, if this is Sektor

Who the HELL is this from Sub-Zero's ending?

But what really bothers me is the change in design and going from Cyborgs to Iron Man Suits.

They took away all the depth and tragedy that came with the cyber initiative program and just made it....people in bodysuits...

So much for "gore is an important part of MK"…… Cyber Initiative was one of the biggest body horror elements of MK

It was such a traumatic event that left people scarred for life. The process of having no say in it then getting dismembered and replacing your body with machine was pure horror. Now it's just Iron Man army.

The main elephant in the room, the gender swapping, doesn’t really bother me. But taking away that fact that they’re cyborgs is mind boggling. That’s the main thing Sektor and Cyrax are known for!

It was such a terrifying and important moment in Lin Kuei history and really spoke to the lengths that Kuai Liang went to reform the Lin Kuei. It was one of the most scary and gruesome aspects of Mk, which is what mk is all about. I'm tried of these sterile and watered down versions of these characters.

If I'm being honest, storywise. The "new era" sucks in almost every way. There are good things like redeeming Sindel, Mileena being good and having a proper sisterly relationship with Kitana, Li Mei, Reptile and Ashrah. But everything else? No. Making Kuai Liang Scorpion was bafflingly stupid. Like why couldn't they just have the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu be at peace? Liu Kang's new era amounted to changing but the same shit happens anyway.

It just tells the same beats over and over again. It would've been really cool if they actually told a new and different Mortal Kombat with actually different versions of the characters or entirely new characters altogether. But in every way it's just the old story but with at best slight, insignificant alterations and at worst alterations that fail to account for what made the old stuff actually cool and interesting. It should have actually did something with Liu Kang making The Great Kung Lao his champion and that should have resulted with a new story in an early era. But they refused to take risks.

[ashleywool]

"I LOVED THAT SHOW"

I wore my How to Dance in Ohio hoodie to church today. It's Palm Sunday and we did our customary palm procession from Duffy Square into the building, which is nice and all except winter decided to come back and bite my skin off again...so that sweatshirt seemed like the best choice as warm enough for the weather + can fit under my choir robe + won't get swelteringly uncomfortable once we're inside at the service. It did the job. Truly the ultimate transition piece. Get yours today while supplies last.

At fellowship afterwards, someone from the congregation that I didn't know--she's only in NYC part of the year--pointed out my sweatshirt and said "I LOVED THAT SHOW!"

It took her a moment to recognize me (she initially confused me for Madison, which, yeah that happens, I'll never be mad about it), and we had a lovely chat about the show. And what I noticed after walking away was...the subject of autism, or me being autistic, didn't come up at all.

I love and cherish the advocacy aspect of my work on HTDIO. I love and cherish the opportunity it gave me to be the autistic representation I wished I'd had growing up. But I have to say, it was SO nice to have someone, a total stranger, talking about the show and loving the show independent of The Autism Part.

It was wonderful being part of discussions about diverse representation, and I will never turn down opportunities to eagerly participate in those conversations. But I really wanted us to stick around long enough that the "novelty" aspect of "autistic characters played by autistic actors" (or even "canonically nonbinary/genderqueer characters") would wear off sufficiently for more people, so they could focus on the story and the characters and the music and all the other things that make our show great irrespective of the Representation aspect.

I've had a ROUGH few weeks, y'all. Truthfully, I've been going through one of the worst depressive episodes of my life. Aside from the obvious grief factor and logistical stressors, it turns out that post-operative depression is absolutely a thing. While I'd like to think I'm cognitively and emotionally mature enough to handle this level of change, especially considering how lucky I am to have robust support systems in family, friends, and healthcare practitioners, my very autistic nervous system has had a difficult time letting the sympathetic part cooperate with the parasympathetic part. So I've been a ball of tension, exhaustion, and worst of all, that soul-sucking apathy where nothing seems enjoyable or interesting, but maybe it would be if I had the energy to be interested.

It's helped to find a great physical therapy clinic that is giving me comprehensive, multi-pronged care and NOT charging me copays (because apparently my insurance pays them excellently--thank you, Equity-League and Cigna). It's helped that I got back in touch with a therapist I had seen years ago on BetterHelp (she's since left the platform and honestly, GOOD FOR HER). It's helped that I have parents with the means to help me out financially--and, crucially, the means to keep me accountable without resorting to pressure and guilt-tripping. It's helped to still live in a city where financial assistance isn't excruciatingly hard to come by if all else fails (at least compared to other states). It's helped to have agents submitting me for tons of exciting projects, and having several cabarets and readings to look forward to in this time of transition. It's helped to have a really chill, supportive church community keeping me spiritually grounded without buying into the yt American evangelical toxicity. It's helped to have my cats.

But sometimes, what makes me the happiest of all, is hearing "I LOVED THAT SHOW!"

I'll never not be proud to be known for How to Dance in Ohio and everything we stood for. I'm proud that the love was real, and the quality of the material reflected and reverberated that love. I'm proud of the representation aspect, and I'm proud that it wasn't just about that. And people who saw it, saw all of that.

It's so comforting to know that we shared this show with enough people that it's going to continue to matter.

People aren't going to forget.

I love that for us.

By the way, it was too cold to really show it off, but this is the shirt I wore underneath the sweatshirt. :)

[cowboyshit]

If I remember correctly, I think Evil Uno said something along the lines of Adam still not being happy even when he was champion. What are your thoughts on that?

oh, you don't even KNOW how excited I am about this ask. I'm going to have to tuck my answer under a readmore. this was honestly a change in hangman's character that I LOVED and always wished could have been more fully played out.

firstly, yes! evil uno told adam specifically: [The Dark Order was] there for your big moment when you won the championship, but you weren't happy. You never seemed happy. I don't know if you thought this was going to be your big moment and it wasn't enough. I hope you find what does makes you happy, but I don't think that championship was it.

I felt like this was a subtle piece of story that most people did NOT pick up on until it was a little too late, because adam lost the belt and couldn't continue telling whatever character arc he'd been working on - which I will ALWAYS BE UPSET ABOUT. some of his best work is in the subtlety of his long-term storytelling and in the brief time he had the belt we saw him go from happy to have it, to feeling the pressure of carrying the belt and the matches he was having to go through, to these brief moments where he would act like the weight of it felt burdensome. there's even a shot (one of my favorites) where he's walking down the ramp with it on his shoulder and he looks over at it and seems upset that it's there.

which is so FASCINATING for a character who chased after it for years with such a hunger, it oftentimes blew up years-long friendships. for a character who proclaimed at the very start of the company that they WOULD be the champion, to finally hold it, and not actually feel satisfied? TRAGIC! the story wasn't the chase for the belt, the story was that he needed to believe IN HIMSELF. he thought once he was holding it and he was champion all of those insecurities that had berated him for years would magically disappear, but they didn't. In fact, the insecurities stuck on even stronger, because now he had to prove that he was capable of holding it, capable of representing this company. the spotlight was front and center on him.

also, shortly after he became champion, adam added one of my favorite songs to his playlist: heavy crown by trixie matel

Heavy head and a heavy crown Had a few since you came to town Where are you gonna keep them still? Winning's losing with a couple strings It's a choosing between two things It's a two-piece suit or all the frills Did you ever think that if you got everything All the records, they don't play the same?

take into account that it was kenny he won the belt from? that added on so much more pressure!!! I honestly was fascinated by the turn of his mood toward the belt and the way he was beginning to lash out again because of it. it was such an intriguing turn of events, versus "he won the belt and now he lived happily ever after"

there was so many avenues of storytelling that I could see adam building up when he held the title, and I will always find myself a little curious to know how that story might've kept playing out. even if he (when he) gets the title again, it won't be this story again, since his character arc has grown in too far of a direction.

although I am curious what that story will be - a lot of people don't pay close enough attention to understand the stories adam is trying to tell. I think he's sorely overlooked as a storyteller in this business and I wish I could scream from the rooftops how much of a mastermind he is.

[decarbry]

I really love your worldbuilding in this newest chapter, how you've expanded on the foundation canon has established with regards to Eraserhead's place in heroics. I'm reminded specifically of that scene in season 6 where Endeavor compliments Aizawa's quirk. That scene felt super uncomfortable to me, the way he was reducing him down to his power, and you did an incredible job at only further digging into it.

It's an interesting topic to think about honestly, considering canon discusses how quirks were named as such to encourage the public to see these powers as just a part of who a person is rather than this scary thing that they had. A quirk of their character. And to see how that's evolved in modern hero society to the point where people can't separate themselves from their quirk, how it practically becomes the bulk of who they are as a person, it puts the way people equate Erasure and Eraserhead as being one in the same into perspective. Who is Aizawa Shouta without Erasure?

The complex relationship between a person and their power and how it impacts and even dictates their identity is one of my favourite aspects of BnHA and it's so exciting whenever I see it explored. Amazing chapter as always! You did an incredible making Hizashi's grief palpable, it was so raw and messy and overwhelming!

Thank you!!

It’s a great topic but I especially love it in connection to Shouta. He’s kind of his own worst enemy when it comes to this subject as his rationality and avoidance of notoriety does its own damage to making sure no one knows enough to get to know the guy behind the goggles. He’s actually a dumbass because he struggled with his usefulness as a teenager and before he settled into his post-high school life, and put a lot of belief in the fact that no one was going to value him for anything but his Quirk, which even he admits is critical. He was right, but he sabotaged himself.

And to him it’s 100% a boon. He gets to stay unknown, keep his privacy, move relatively freely. He doesn’t have to worry about being too sharp or kind with his words, or how a social media post is going to destroy his image. He’s thought long and hard about this exact subject because he went through UA’s classes that talked about reputation, and after Oboro died he consciously settled into the idea that he was not important enough for anyone to worry over. Erasure YES. Aizawa NO. He decided it was not rational for people to worry over him because he was not important. Building his whole adult life off of that one notion. The best part of all of this was that when he died, or something worse happened to him, he wouldn’t be hurting anyone else with his death. Because nobody cares. That last bit is the most important to him.

Hizashi, Nemuri— they were accidents, he settled into this after he met them and it’s too late to shake them loose. So he had to come to terms with the fact that he would hurt exactly (2) people with his death. But that’s a pretty good low number.

Except he also didn’t account for the fact that people are more complex than he gives them credit for and despite his best efforts his students adore the ever-loving SHIT out of him

So when it comes down to the wire like we’re seeing in the fic, very few people care for the actual person beneath Erasure. His students yes, his spouse yes, his friends from HS yes, maybe one or two others.

[silawastaken]

HELLO, ITS CHRIXYTY FROM AO3!!!! i decided to make a tumblr account just so i can interact with you on here :3 why? because i can. dont question me. i do strange things sometimes. (a lot of the time) but dont we all?

(i was serious when i said i would stop hovering like a ghost and start interacting. you better expect a LOT of comments from me from now on BECAUSE I JUST NEED TO SHOW MY APPRECIATION.)

ANYWAYS CHAPTER 13 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️ THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL PIECE OF ART. THIS WHOLE FIC IS A MASTERPIECE AND I LOVE THE ANGST !!! (ESPECIALLY DAZAI ANGST 🤗)

like im not even joking no fic has ever made my heart pound every second i read it before...like literally nothing could be happening and my heart is pounding at 150 bpm like damn its so good you might give me a heart attack frfr.

chuuyas so dense but i can kinda get his point of view :( UGH the slow burn is just making me anticipate the moment he finds out dazai's his soulmate even more...(betting chuuya will punch dazai out of anger because he realises dazai did all those things to himself...and then he'll feel the pain from the punch and be 100% certain and will start bawling cause idk emotion overload?? i can imagine it but yea im yapping a lot haha)

OH AND HIS FRIENDS FINDING OUT ABOUT ODAS DEATH??? AHH

also it makes me happy when authors refer to the canon universe in their fics somewhere like when dazai called his friends his "little detective agency" like its a small detail but it just makes me happy.

okay im SERIOUSLY yapping way too much but i needed to get all this out somewhere. my bsf is getting sick of me talking so much grrrrr >:(

(permission to one day when this fic is finished print it all out and bind it?? so i can forever keep it as like a memento and pass it down to future generations so they too can appreciate this amazing piece of literature??)

wow i wrote a lot. if only i could write this much for my fic in such a short time during writer's block.

WAITWAITWAITWAIT. I NORMALLY TRY TO ANSWER THESE TOPIC BY TOPIC BUT BINDING. MY. FIC???? HELL YES YOU HAVE PERMISSION WHAT THE HELL??? THAT'S SO COOL??? if i ask very nicely would you make me one too..? I'd pay postage and everything 🙏🙏 i wish i had the patience to bind fics into books but it requires so much time and patience that I don't have 😭

My only thing I would want to say is that I plan on revising some of the earlier chapters where it doesn't quite flow the way the rest of the chapters do, so if I finish it before I've done that (which probably won't happen, but just in case), I would recommend waiting a little!

ANYWAY. making an entire tumblr acc just to interact with me here? ...that's dedication man🫡 I already said it but I appreciate EVERY comment i get so i will be waiting with baited breath after every chapter!!

Glad you're loving the angst tho, I'm having a lot of the time throwing dazai and chuuya into a washing machine full of stones every chapter. great character building.

The reveals are gonna be so fun I can't wait to write them honestly. I'm so excited!!! Still got ages to go tho, so strap in it's gonna be a while.

I ALSO LOOOOVE REFERENCING THE CANON WHILE WRITING. THE NYE FLASHBACK WHERE DAZAI THINKS ABOUT HIS CONVERSATION WHERE THEY WANT TO BE DETECTIVES. OMG. I WAS SO PROUD OF THAT. AND THE 'soulmate detective agency'.

Do not feel bad about writing a lot cause I loved reading this and responding and once again YOU HAVE FULL PERMISSION TO BIND IT ONCE IT'S DONE.

[dragcnlxrd]

So in like 6 hours here it will be the blessed end of 2023. And while I doubt my new year will be anything thrilling I have learned a lot during this year. I've learned that it's super easy to detach myself from giving a shit about the person that incubated me, I've learned that when push comes to shove I'm the only person in my house that will step up and take care of my elderly father, provide food on the table at the cost of my own needs, and tolerate the abuse hurled at me both physical and verbally daily by the woman that incubated me.

I've learned that you can be negative in your bank account for a bit before your bills get rejected. I've learned that while you're recovering from a broken ankle and a stroke your job and coworkers don't give a shit that you've been gone for more than 6 months because you truly don't matter to the world. I've also learned that state temporary disability will NOT pay you enough to live off of at all thus constantly in the negative funds, nor is it reliant.

But aside from all of that I also learned I can find solace in a video game, that interacting with these fictional cgi characters would fill me with some semblance of joy and what it's like to feel loved. So my first appreciation will be to Baldur's Gate 3 and to my Tav Ashtara because I've learned to be happy through her.

THAT'S not only what I want to say, I want to also say how much I've learned about myself here writing with my tiny handful of partners! You guys that continue to give me the time of day and spare a few moments to reply to my stuff have made me happy but there are a few of you that earn special places.

@ravusnightblossom is first and foremost forever going to be my number one. Fox has quickly become my bestest friend and I'm so very thankful that she flew me across the country to hang out with her for a week. It was the best week of my life and I miss being a potato on her couch. But not only that Fox has been a lifesaver for me for everything and I don't think I could ever imagine my life with out her. Ravus has become a major part of Lysander's life and I honestly think this blog basically revolves around their ship half the time! Love you!

@xx--ofmanythoughts--xx Raevon!!! Okay so I can not express how much I love you! How much I love your blog and your writing! You truly have a gift. I love that we can both scream about an unpopular opinion and agree with it! I love our HC and when we get to world build! I'm so happy we write together and I hope we bust out more in the next year.

@thescaledqueen YOU ARE SO PRECIOUS TO ME! I hope you know that! You were the only person in the GoT RPC that gave me a true chance and I am forever grateful for that! I love your Shireen to bits! And I am sorry I've not been as active with these two lately but I am hoping that this new year gives me more motivation to continue dumping love upon you and your blog!

@mystiic listen I already sent you love and answered love but I LOVE YOU OKAY! I love your muse and I'm so looking forward to the new year and building more world with you and Amari and UGH!!! yeah...

@brideofcdragons YOU! I love you! Okay?! I love your blog and I love your writing and I love your Dany and I'm always so excited when you pop on my dash and we get to write something together and I'm always just so happy to see you back to writing! You have a true gift and I cherish you so much!

@call-2-arms LISTEN! I love you okay! And no one is going to tell me you're not Jamie Fookin Lannista! Haha I also cherish the fact that you're always there to answer my silly questions or translate something from Australia! I mean BIN CHICKENS! Who would even know what that was!! You're also super fuckin talented with your writing and I am always in awe of your replies!

@untilthcyrot CHRISTINA!!! Thought I forgot about you?! I think NOT! You've been with me since my Norse Loki blog... You've continued to follow me and talk to me and write with me for so long! You're a talented and beautiful person and I love whenever we get to chat with each other! I love your blogs and I love you muchos!

This is getting to be super long and word vomity but I honestly do love and appreciate all of my mutuals! You guys just writing with me make my day. I hope the new year brings everyone happiness and joy and that we continue to write together! Please remember even if I didn't mention you here you still mean a lot to me! I cherish you!

[colorlesschristmastree]

I was wondering who ran the justfeysand acc? it’s no longer active & i loved that account for us feyre girlies 😭 or queerincrisis too who i used to love. i’ll never forget when of the coolest people deactivated from fandom and their name was hotdiscodauce ..wherever you are hotdiscosauce feyre girls miss you. cant even blame people for saying “fuck this” lmao. i love feyre too much to crumble though so i suffer thru the toxicity of this fandom just to ride for my girl !!

the only thing that could make me inactive is if she doesn’t do shit in hofas while nesta’s mid self gets a pov while also being randomly paired with bryce when really that should be feyre. if the pregnancy ends up as a plot device to sideline her or the bargain i know ill be pissed and leave. especially if she has no cute scenes with bryce. just bc they aren’t that similar doesn’t mean i want to see bryce with nesta and bryce of all characters. and it better not just be rhys in the spotlight for hofas with amren sjm since only they know the language

Hiii! So sorry for responding late to this but I actually have the answers to your ails! Justfeysand was ran by my sweet sweet moot who has just become a little busy and less interested in SJM recently. Fear not though my dear anon for she is still here in the form of @moonfyre-s!! Aggressively defending our high lady Feyre and also giving us some darklina and miscellaneous content.

And the lovely aqueerincrisis is still here as well!! You can find them dishing out their hot takes on @acourtofcriticalthinking! Dw nonnie, our love for Feyre will always be there even as our interests and lives change :)

Honestly I'm very aware of the fact that I haven't been as active lately and I feel really bad about it, I still do reblogs and such but I just haven't been making as much original content recently. I've been trying to cut down on the anti content I post here and keep more of my criticisms in the Feyre server, I don't have a lot of energy to actually argue on here like I used to so I just talk my shit over there. Once cc3 comes out and I get Feyre crumbs though I swear I will be back to yapping, I just need more juice for my inspiration to come to me.

Some people in the Feyre server and I might be rereading the series after we've all wrapped up cc3 though so I'll def make some content during that. :) And I completely agree with everything you said, I don't really care that Nesta is going to be talking with Bryce as it is just a bonus chapter and I'm of the belief those genuinely aren't that important and only exist for marketing and to possibly build some excitement about certain things, I just hope that during their brief time in cc3 all of the acotar characters Feyre get treated well and we get some interesting scenes from them.

I'm not really a fan of cc3 theories that put one acotar character as objectively more important than others in the grander scheme of the SJM multiverse. I think they're all just cogs in one large machine and all these theories saying "X character is actually going to be the key player because of Y reasons!" is always silly to me. Tbh I'm not really a huge fan of the acotar characters becoming things outside of the context of their own universe/stories (if that makes sense)? Why can't they just be helping Bryce out? Why must one of them secretly be the key to everything? Or the Mother? Or the CC gods? Or a prince of Hel? BLAH!

anyways I got off track! It's so sweet that you noticed those two blogs were missing and they were both very touched when I told them I had an anon reach out to inquire about their wellbeing. You're a sweetheart!

[warlordfelwinter]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @cappurrccino

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

34

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

229,622

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

destiny, dishonored, ffxiv (although those are only on tumblr cause i had a weird period where i wasn't posting anything to ao3). one warframe. i'd like to write more warframe but uhhhh got no ideas. i'm hoping the new war will give me some whenever i'm brave enough to start it

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Various Accounts of Corvo Attano - 194

Oddities - 156

Breathe - 115

No Kingdom to Come - 89

Winter's Guile - 78

5. Do you respond to comments?

i try to, even if it's just "thanks!" although sometimes i'll say "i'll respond to that later" and then i forget. you know how it is

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

No Kingdom to Come ends with all the Iron Lords being killed so probably that one

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

a lot of them... i tend to prefer a happy ending. i'm not sure how to quantify happiest. but i also really really rarely write chaptered fics so it's sort of hard to say 'ending' for a thousand word doodle. As It Was has a happy ending, i suppose

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

nope. i did get someone (lightheartedly) criticizing me giving Juno Nezha for an eidolon hunt which wasn't hate and also i found it hysterical. true warframe player right there to comment on my unoptimized build on a fic. not even remotely close to hate but i did just want to bring it up. it's like my favorite comment i've ever gotten

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

not that i post and honestly just not at all anymore really

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

nah. i've thought about a few but they're sort of like aus to me where it's just not usually my cup of tea

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

not that i know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

also not that i know of

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

@cappurrccino wrote some parts for the Devil Went Down to Faerun, which was a novelised version of an old dnd campaign we were in

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? 

Felwinter/Timur

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

Legacy. i have a lot of it written. i just keep. not posting it. i'm deeply sorry to the people in the comments of that fic who were really excited to see i started posting it again. i genuinely don't know what keeps happening

16. What are your writing strengths? 

uhh... i don't know... dialogue, probably. i cannot identify my own strengths but i usually like my dialogue exchanges

17. What are your writing weaknesses? 

plots. and atmospheric description. combat description also

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

i think it can be fun but i'm usually too scared i'll translate something wildly wrong lmao. i use greek as a stand-in for celestial in Tales from the Dancing Sea Dragon (another dnd campaign fic) bc i also use it at the table in that game bc i'm trying to learn greek and i do think it's fun to pepper in another language to your dnd character dialogue, especially if common isn't their first language. gives the roleplay a bit more flavor

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

hmm... transformers maybe? or warrior cats... i don't remember that was ages ago and those fics are all long gone

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

i'm biased so it's DWDTF. it was fun to write, trying to accurately put down the silliness of the table into writing, and it's fun to read (to me) and is easily the longest thing i've ever written. asra is still my favorite dnd character i've ever played, so i like to go back and read his adventures sometimes

Tagging:

@wingedarrows @flowers-of-io and. i am blanking so hard. on a) who juri already tagged and b) who else of my friends writes fic. so i'm terribly sorry. if you see this and juri didn't tag you consider yourself tagged by me

[regretisstoredintheme]

HI OMG!!! IT'S YOU I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND YOU AGAIN HIIII!!! You are so awesome I'm so happy you exist please continue existing argahhrhs I remember sending an ask a long time ago and you replying so nicely and making me happy and I have not forgotten about you since (I forgot ur username but also I forget my own birthday so like/lh) rahrah I hope that's not weird m sorry if it is I uhhh

Neeways for the asks thing!! If if you're still taking (idk when u reblogged it I didn't see)

what made you start your blog?

tell a story about your childhood

what’s some good advice you want to share?

Pls have the greatest day and have a very good year this year (im manifesting it this is a threat/silly)

AAAAAAA YOU FOUND ME!!!! WELCOME BACK MY CHILD COME HERE!!!

Thank YOU for existing 😭😭 I’m literally nothing w/o you guys I love you so much — which ask we’re you if you don’t mind me asking??? :0 I don’t remember a lot of my works BFJBSJS

anyways! Answer time!

what made you start your blog?

I started it because I had been talking to a mutual on another account I believe? In any case @tmntxthings is a huge reason why I had the guts to post my stuff :(( ❤️❤️ they were a huge support and even gave me ideas for my first post: Leo x ShyFelineReader. They are AWESOME and you should check em out >:)

share a childhood story!

Ooo boy… which one should I pick? Alright. I don’t remember a lot from my childhood, but this one’s pretty funny in hindsight.

in 5th grade, I was definitely the “everyone needs to act their age” kid.. it wasn’t cute but anyway— one day when I was playing on the playground I noticed a little spider in the wood chips. I bent to look at it and a few girls surrounded me to see what I was looking at. They freaked out upon seeing the spider but I insisted I just wanted to help it and attempted to scoop it up.

just then, a shoe comes out of nowhere and steps on the spider (and, effectively, my fingers.)

now I have a huge respect for life, so my teachers pet looking ass stood up and shoved this girl. Not like pushed — like SHOVED. “That’s an innocent creature! This is his home! It WAS at least— how would you have liked it? How would you like it if I squashed you and left you to die!?” Looking back I was intense asf as a little 12 y/o but eventually I ran off after scaring the shit out of this girl.

I… ended up apologizing once my favorite teacher’s aid had us talk to each other but STILL BADASS FOR A TEACHERS PET WHO DIDNT GET IN TROUBLE FOR ANYTHING!

what’s some good advice you’d like to share?

honestly? For someone who’s just starting out as a writer, especially a fanfic writer, here’s what I got.

Write your favorites. Nothing quite like writing what you want to give you motivation. Have an idea? Go! Do it right now! Write the dumbest version! Build the skeleton that will build your life. It’s worth getting over the hurdle of just… starting.

Don’t do requests you don’t want to. take this with a grain of salt, but you’re never going to please everyone. It can be great to get out of your comfort zone and try new things with new characters, but if you’re just starting out? Stick to the ones that make you excited, the ones that make you think “that’s such a good idea!” Or “I know just the setting for that!” And take the idea and run with it!! Most tumblr users don’t even expect their ask to be answered.

[lordrandreaming]

Abt my Elden Ring playthrough:

I can confidently say after 18ish hours in ER, i am level 39 and am quickly making my way around, snagging all the Sites of Grace i see. The game is a BLAST to play, its utterly refreshing!I just wish i had ps+, i don't have the money for that right now, so I'm doing the game without human help, I'm still using npc summons ofc! (Thx Roiger, you were a great distraction for Margit..)

Just like i did DS3 my first run! Barely to no human help. Sure i won't get invaded by people, or be able to invade.. But know, if i was invading, i would fucking get you. 

But im offline! And seek to stay offline. 

I really wanted Elden Ring when i learned abt Maliketh, at first i thought he was a half beastman like from Bloodborne, but i learned his was a big ole wolf, i was set.. And then i learned more about Varre, instead of thinking he was calling me bitchless, he just stated i couldn't level up basically. I want to smash both of them. And i will. 

I love fighting Artorias, so flighty isn't going to be a problem. Im honestly very excited to fight Maliketh! I plan on finishing Gurranq's quest before i fight him, so he's all there and i get a special dialogue!

I honestly really love Elden Ring, it's just so fun. It's like discovering DS3 for the first time all over again, and that... Well, that was 6 years ago. About to be 7.. It makes me nostalgic. Im level 350 and have been in NG+7 way before Ashes of Ariandel was even announced. Sure, i played through as a Sorcerer and a Miracle build, but i prefer playing with my op as shit quality build! Which, started off as a strength build.

Elden Ring reminds me of first ending up in the world of Dark Souls, it's beautiful mystery, the crippling depravity, how everyone has lost hope.. Hollows everywhere, having my shield up basically 24/7 when i first explored. I'll never forget the sense wonder and magic i felt the first time through. After DS3, no DLC yet, i moved onto Bloodborne, which is second place in my favorites of the Soulsgames, it sits with DS2. My number 1 faves though, have to be DS, DS3, and now, Elden Ring.

I LOVE Bloodborne. I platinumed it, and honestly think it's easier than Dark Souls, on account of how fast you move, the guns, and when you get hit you get the chance to recover lost health. It was a different feel, its so unique to itself! The lore is very intruiging and fucked up, like any Souls game, the character's are sparce but still around, and oh my god.. Don't get me started on the general macabre beauty of it all! I crawled all the chalice's, i got all the endings, i did it all with BB and DS3.

DS itself.. Oh my fucking god. I only have the original Prepare to Die version, as i been had it long before the remaster was announced. My save wouldn't be on there, and i already progressed *so much*.. I didn't think it worth 40$ for visual upgrades that i didn't like. Not to mention, it helped me cut off a toxic friendship, so im definantly not getting it.

Anyways, the original DS journey is such a gorgeous and tragic one, and us, the Chosen Undead go on some wackass pilgrimage all the way to Gwyn's tomb, the Kiln of the First Flame. After all I've seen, enemies I've felled, i knew the right choice would be the Dark Lord Ending. Because, linking the first flame gives us DS3. The world collapsed in on itself at the very end, the.. Kiln no longer exists. I like the ending where everything stops, but it all just starts again anyway.

Artorias was the first true Character i fell in love with. His lore makes me cry every time, he's my fucking babygirl.. I adore him so much, and the Original DS. I remember seeing it around when i was 10-11 years old. I didn't know what the fuck it was, but heard it was really hard. (At this time i rage quitted.. Alot.) So i steered clear of it, until years later and i got addicted to the series.

Dark Souls, Soulsborne in general, just mean alot to me. It helps me cope with the harshest fuckin reality. I don't care if people think im lost in my head in a non-existent fantasy land of depression, difficulty, and darkness. But.. Here's the thing. Even admist all the chaos, all the hoplessness, the hollowing, there's still this unbridled determination, that someone is coming along to fix things, or do something that no one else has done. And we, the Chosen, do just that. NPC's can't believe we are still kicking, after we die however many times yet still we make progress. We overcome the challenges no one else has been able to, and everything is new to the pain and suffering.

It's an incredible journey that im glad i was finally able to complete. The Nameless Song always makes me so nostalgic, reminding me of a time i don't have anymore, and never will have again.

DS2, on the other hand, well. I haven't completed it yet! But it's super fun. It's not a Miyazaki masterpiece, but it's still a Souls game. The sense of direction isn't very clear, so i have to look up where to go next, but regardless, im enjoying my journey through Drangleic. It's defiantly different! But it's not bad like some people want you to.

I used to hate it really, and i regret it. For it's a great game, and a good Souls game. I used to say: It's a good game, but not a good *Souls* game. But.. I see things differently now. I've grown up, and see the beauty of it's world. The diverging routes are many, and they run deep. From 16 years old, until now, i didn't appreciate the game for what it was worth. And I apologize, DS2 for treating you like trash. I see now, why people still defend it's greatness to the teeth. But it will never hold a candle to the brilliance of the original DS. 

Bloodborne, is a whole new can of fucked to open up and explore, exposing it's raw sins and secrets to our hunter. It's extremely unique, and overall very fun to play. Almost maxed out my game into NG+7, I've been at the end of my NG+6 playthrough for a very long time, because i like just. Getting to be around, DS3 let's you stay and not move on to the next NG, but.. All the other's don't let you do that. So, i go wherever i want, without anyone gatekeeping me because, well, i already murdered everyone.

When i first began BB, i didn't know what to expect. With Souls games, i pick up bits and pieces of lore, not gameplay, before i jump in. I like going in blind- with some help from the Internet if i need it. Bloodborne has a seamless path, easily leading you everywhere and nowhere at once! I highly recommend playing it. Though if you use a shield 100% of your playthrough in any DS.. Good luck buddy!

The Old Hunter's DLC is BRILLIANT. The fights (not you living failures.. Still fun though.) are incredible! Especially Lady Maria.. Catch me being Bisexual in BB. She can step on me, beat the crap out of me, and i would thank her.. I've actually streamed my NG+6 Maria fight and talked about lore! I'll link it in the comments so whoever cares can go watch me play! Maybe I'll stream Elden Ring at some point.. But anyway!

Old Hunter's is absolutely worth the money and time.

Onto DS3.. My first Souls game. I got it when it released in the US, and had NO idea what i was gettin into. And yeah, i raged at Gundyr and took a week long break before i came crawling back to not get my ass beat, but to first try Gundyr with a new character! Gilligan was his name. He still exists! But.. Not with his original save. I killed Emma and made a big regretti, so i deleted him and started over with my now 350 character, Tyberious.

Before i delve into DS3, i just want to say, all my main DS character's, and even my Bloodborne and ER character's are all the same one soul. They are all different, lead different lives, did different things, but they are all connected. Starting with Selvirous (DS), to Ivaan (DS2), to Tyberious (DS3), to Octavious Xavier Targrei (BB), and now, Daedra (ER). All the same soul, only Daedra has an inkling these past lives, dreaming and remembering fragments from each. 

So. DS3, the first taste of Souls i got. The bosses are amazing, some more or less than others. My favorite fight will always be the Abyss Watchers, and my favorite covenant will always be the Watchdogs of Farron. I have a necklace with the covenant symbol on it, and have worn it for 6 years. I have NEVER taken it off, and i never will. I will die with this necklace.

Anywho.. My DS3 journey was amazing. Visually stunning, jaw dropping experience i will never forget, and DS3 will always have a special place with my heart. It helped me cope with the lost sense i felt, and the great grieving i was in for a very long time. It's not 'Just a Game'. It's a experience that teaches you, you don't just play it, you learn from it.

I already loved Medieval media, had a collection of swords (which.. I don't have anymore. Tragic story, yada yada.) And a friend showed me the Japanese Ocerios cutscene. From then on, i wanted the game. And yeah, loaded up and got my ass kicked. I didn't understand ANYTHING. So.. A week later. I come back, with a new character.

Off i went to begin my journey, and it only took me 125 hours, at level 105-110 to beat the Soul of Cinder. I felt accomplished. I went outside on a lovely summer day, and sat. I felt accomplished.. For ten minutes. I wanted more.. So i started my NG+ playthrough, and had just as much, if not MORE fun!

Especially since i hit so hard. I did years of Co-op and invading, hosted many fight clubs and joined many more. I won't lie, i dearly miss those days. I don't have that anymore, i don't pay for Xbox Live or PS+. Im strictly offline anymore, and im saddened i don't get to see phantoms of people running around, having the risk of being invaded 30 million times, and no human co-op summons.

But.. I'll get through it. I don't need Online experience to fully enjoy the game. I just miss companionship. I'm confident in myself though, and am certain i can beat the game with NPC summons.

Back to DS3- When Ashes first came out, i finished it in the same night. Freide, a Three Phase boss was NOT expected by anyone. After downing her and Ariandel, me and my three phantoms started waving and bowing, and then the health bar came back.

It was fun! But sweetly short. 

Around the time The Ringed City came out, i.. Was just robbed. Long story short, the people i was with took in a family friend's kid, who was a known drug addict and.. Yeah. While no one was home, he just took everything I had. Specifically Mine. I was lost.. For a while. I was heartbroken, and cried alot.

But no worries! My sorrows were fixed, and i replaced some of what i lost. But.. All my old consoles and games were gone, all my progress lost. But.. At least i had DS3 again, and my save was safe. But.. I had to start Bloodborne all over again. It didn't save to the cloud, but no worries. Clearly, i made up for the lost progress. (I was at the end of the game too..)

Onto the Ringed City. What a beautiful sendoff for the Souls series specifically.. It's a brilliant end to Dark Souls, and provides many answers to our many questions. But.. We come up with our own. And gods, I can't tell you how many times i fought Midir. IN MAXED OUT NEW GAME! I had a problem. He's difficult, but I'm determined.

I remember all the times i helped my low level friend's, being 300+, it was so funny to see invaders panic at how hard i hit. I helped with all the bosses, all the time.. And i don't do it anymore. But.. I hope to one day play with my friend, who bought me Elden Ring. Until then, i sit beside him and help him out how i can.

So.. 720+ hours spent in DS3. I say that time was well spent. Hours of fun, suffering, anger, and reward. All worth it in the end.. And in the beginning of Elden Ring.

I will admit, i was screaming and yelling out of how much i loved it. It's GORGEOUS. Absolute BEAUTY. The day-night and weather cycle greatly remind me and my buddy ole pal of The Witcher 3. Which, we both think the update was unnecessary, they just wanted to upshow ER and they are already making a remaster.. Just make the fuckin remaster, and leave the original alone. It was a dumb decision.. Anyway.

Elden Ring sends me over the moon every time i play it. I can't explain in words how much i love it, the looks, the feel, the fighting, everything is just beyond amazing, and i couldn't be happier to have it. 

I can't wait to play more, progress further, and one day complete the game however long it may take me. 

Thanks for reading. Im sorry I'm not writing as much. Real life is kicking my ass, but I'm still around, massing more prompts to one day finish. I'll be posting again.. One day.

[arijensineink]

ari jensine ink 2022 writing wrapped

2022 was by far my weirdest year for writing. 

Honestly, this is less of a “wrapped” post and more like a reflection of what I began to build and rebuild this year, as well as what I did not give up on.

The Wolfena

Putting this manuscript aside for 2 years while I focused on healing my body was the hardest decision I ever had to make. The Wolfena is my heart-story, and the characters in it give me strength, so reaching a place where I couldn’t work on it... wasn’t heartbreaking it almost destroyed me. Tbh if I hadn't found BTS when I did, I'm not sure I would be here.

But this year I was able to pick The Wolfena (and myself) back up. I had a goal for NaNo to rewrite all of Jimian’s chapters, but didn’t accomplish that because I got so focused on my blog/website. Even so, I’m really excited for where the manuscript is headed, and this is going to be a clean rewrite/edit with all sensitivity reader and alpha reader feedback already applied.

What matters most is that I’m organized, and the moment I want to hop back on that WIP it’s ready to go.

Rotten Candy/The Candy King

I started developing these stories both within the last 6 months so they’re super fresh, but I’m somehow proud of what I accomplished in terms of brainstorming and rough drafting for this world though it's minimal. 

Rotten Candy will be the main novel and I have a three characters for it—Cherry, Seujinne, and Mezereon—who I think have huge potential. I'm still working on developing them.

The Candy King is an Ateez (K-Pop) fic I’ll rewrite into original fic and man… I have to say. I think it’s actually something. I haven’t felt so inspired on a rough draft since I started writing again, and I didn’t even realize it was the perfect prequel to Rotten Candy until I was already writing it. A couple of my favorite lines from Captain Hongjoong:

"Feed him to the squids!"

"We need some fuckin' horses."

Fighting For Writing Blog/Medium

Truthfully, my biggest writing accomplishments this year had little to do with fiction. My experience as an SEO Ghostwriter isn’t exactly glamorous, but the tools it provided for me to launch my website and blog were invaluable. 

I set up a project for my blog to write 10 articles based on how to maintain your writing practice and integrate it more deeply into your life, and I accomplished that. I’m in the process of revising those articles right now, and I am beyond proud of them and excited to share them with the amazing writing community I’ve rebuilt around myself in 2022. 

On top of that, I reactivated my Medium account and have been publishing consistently on there. This is just… such a huge accomplishment for me. Again, it might seem small to others, but it means a lot to me. I remember looking at that account a few years ago and thinking “100 followers to the Partner Program? Puh. I'll never be able to do that.”

Now I’m at 142 followers on Medium and counting, and am approaching my first dollar of revenue made from people reading my articles.

2022 - Year of the Phoenix

2022 was all about rebirth for me and my writing. In a lot of ways I felt like I was starting from square one. I have to say, it means a lot to me that others in my Discord server are also working on getting back into writing regularly.

I realized this year that I have no one to place a silver spoon in my mouth, so it’s up to me to polish all the metal in my life until it’s glowing. I got paid to write, I picked my big projects back up, I reconnected with my writing community and made tons of new amazing writer friends, started a blog I’m deeply passionate about, won NaNoWriMo, and submitted my first short story to a pub in 4 years. 

I often refer to writing as my Ikigai, but only now that I’ve committed to it in all facets of life do I truly understand what that means. Some nights I literally can’t sleep because I’m just so excited to work on my book or blog. 

I don’t know what more I could ask for on my way into 2023. 

[rosysugarr]

married people stuff

So. This is the fic that caused me to no longer be able to use twitter! I've been really scared of reposting it as such, but... hopefully, tumblr will be kinder to me than twitter was, since yall seem to have such a much more clear understanding of. Life in general, honestly.

Basically, the backstory is this: I wrote this in around April of last year, and posted it to ao3. It got a lot of really positive feedback, and I even talked about it and shared it on twitter itself, and likewise got positive feedback. So, happy with that outcome, I moved on, and eventually forgot I'd even written it.

Aaand then six months later, someone found it, saw my age on my profile, and made a callout post with several screenshots insisting I was being creepy and breaking the ccs' boundaries. That tweet got over 500 retweets before I was forced to deactivate my account due to the harassment I was receiving... plus, I was rapidly losing followers.

This was... a massive blow to me, because I'm an aspiring streamer, and I'd finally begun slowly but regularly gaining new followers and was a hair away from being able to become an affiliate when this happened. In one fell swoop, that callout tweet, and the reaction to it, caused me to lose followers both on twitter and twitch, to lose friends, and to feel like I'd lost my chance at being even a small streamer. All of my audience had been gained from twitter, a platform which I can no longer use due to a large part of the mcyt fanbase there now believing me to be some kind of creep. I was even accused of being an irl shipper over this fic, which... is silly, given the original description on ao3 literally stated that this was about the characters, and that I do not ship ccs or condone doing so.

Anyway. All that to say, posting this is the scariest fucking thing I've done in a long time, but... I think, maybe, I'll be okay sharing it here. Maybe it'll help me feel a little less shit about the whole ordeal.

(And, by the way, if you'd like to help me start rebuilding my attempt at a streaming career, my channel can be found here; I'll be streaming from a brand new lore-based SMP in the near future, and stream other games as well. I'd appreciate it if you gave it a look!)

So, without any further ado... here is the fic, and I hope you enjoy it.

married people stuff Rating: G (there's not even any swearing, this thing is clean as a whistle.) Summary: c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo share a moment, and some shiny new feelings, while building the Bee 'n' Boo hotel.

"I think we should do more married people stuff."

That was absolutely the furthest thing from... well, anything that Ranboo was expecting to hear Tubbo say, and it made him pause, the heavy block of glossy yellow terracotta in his hands slipping just a bit as he turned to look down at him. The other boy's expression was almost comically thoughtful, dark hair in his eyes and his lips pursed as he considered... something. It was an expression that Ranboo knew all-too well, and generally couldn't help but feel a mixed surge of anxiety and amusement at the sight of-- it generally lead to either a bizarre declaration not unlike the one he just heard, or some exciting new idea.

"... what do you... mean?" Ranboo's voice was cautious, his words carefully-chosen, as he returned to his previous task of carefully fitting the block into the intricate pattern on the floor of their new hotel, shifting it to ensure the lines flowed together as intended.

"Well, y'know," began Tubbo's response, and Ranboo braced himself for whatever would come next almost instinctively. "Like, married people... there are things that married people do, right, that is like... expected of them, you know?"

"... uh-huh." Well, if he hadn't been worried about where Tubbo was going with this before, he certainly was after that remark. "Tubbo, I don't know... what you're--"

"No no no, like... erm, nice things, I think! You know? Like when they give each other flowers and stuff." Tubbo shrugged his shoulders as he went to one of the storage chests in the center of the growing hotel, and Ranboo couldn't help but chuckle as he dug into the dirt foundation, clearing space to put down another block of terracotta.

"So, you want me to give you things. Tubbo, we already do that."

"Well! No, come on--" Tubbo had to raise his voice to be heard over his husband's rasping bursts of laughter, his face flushing at being called out so bluntly. When the taller boy turned to glance at him, it only made him laugh that much harder, the sight of Tubbo's face lit up pink in offense, his round face pulled into a sharp frown and bottom lip stuck out. "Aw, come on, Big Man!"

"It's fine, Tubbo, it's fine!" Ranboo tried his best to recover his composure, though laughter still bubbled just beneath his words. He peeked into his inventory for something, quietly looking over the contents; after a moment, he pulled out a single, freshly-cut pink tulip, and he offered it to Tubbo, a smirk tugging at his odd face. "Here. Is this what you wanted?"

"... well, it's not all romantic now!" The smaller boy continued to pout, even as he reached out to accept the flower, holding it carefully in his dirty hands. Ranboo couldn't resist the urge to lean down, to slip his fingers into Tubbo's hair, petting him affecionately, and he tilted his head up to peer at Ranboo's face from beneath his bangs, dark eyes round as he considered him.

"Awww..." Ranboo did not sound sincere, not in the slightest, and it only drew a darker flush from his husband, who... despite his best attempts, couldn't resist smiling at just how silly the whole conversation was.

"I really mean it, though. We should do something romantic together."

... wait. Was... he being serious? Ranboo paused, blinking down at him in growing surprise, his own mismatched skin starting to warm up at the implications behind the words.

"Are you... I mean. Do you... want to do something... romantic, Tubbo?"

"Yeah! I mean, I did marry you!" As if it should be obvious.

Oh. Oh.

Well. The beginnings of a flush that had been mere pinpricks at Ranboo's face before bloomed into something much more obvious at that, and for a moment, Ranboo found himself unable to string words together to respond. Tubbo, his best friend... wanted to actually get romantic with things? Sure, they were married, but it had been for tax reasons, right? He hadn't actually planned on things being like that... right?

Or... had he just been oblivious the whole time?

"Oh."

The way Tubbo's face scrunched displayed very clearly that "oh" was not the response he'd been hoping for.

"What? Did you not know that marriage is somethin' people do for romance, Ranboo?"

"I-- no, I know that, I just--!" Oh, god. He straightened, hiding his face in his mismatched hands, suddenly at a loss of what to do or say. "I just didn't-- I-I thought..."

"... I mean, yeah, like... yanno, taxes and all that, but like... you've seen the movies, right, Big Man? Things happen sometimes!"

At this point, Ranboo could no longer tell if Tubbo was making his request out of genuine interest, or out of some kind of idea of "this is how things go, this is how it goes in the movies." He sighed, running his hands down his face.

"... Tubbo." His voice was lower, just a little bit more firm. "Are you asking about romance because you saw this happen in a movie once, or because you just... want... to be romantic... with me?"

"Ermm... both of them, I imagine," was the reply, marked with an innocence that sat squarely at odds with anything Ranboo knew about the former president, and he couldn't help but smile. How very Tubbo.

"... so, you do... want things to be... romantic, with us?"

Tubbo was quiet for a beat longer that time, letting the words hang in the air, his gaze drifting back down to the flower still clutched in his hands.

"... yeah, I think so!" And then his gaze was, again, lifted back to meet Ranboo's, and there was a bright grin on his face, and Ranboo could feel his face heating up all the way to the edge of his crown.

"... ah." The Enderman was quiet for a long moment, his hands nervously lacing together in front of his chest. "... so..."

"Aw, come on, what are you bein' all awkward for? We're already married!" Ah, Tubbo was clearly aware that things had turned back in his favor, the sight of his tall husband visibly flustered emboldening and endlessly amusing to him. He grinned, rocking up onto his tiptoes to be closer to his eyeline-- not that it made much difference, all told.

"I know, but..." Ah. Oh no, what should he do now? He'd never really... been very good at romance. He'd never really had much of a chance at it before. And now, here he was, with a husband standing before him, expecting to be wooed, he supposed, and how on earth do you even do that?

"Come down here!" Suddenly, Tubbo was reaching out, grabbing a handful of Ranboo's tie, and the taller boy was shocked, unable to do anything to resist being pulled down to his husband's eye level. Tubbo simply grinned at him, seemingly proud of himself.

"See? That's not so hard, now, is it?"

Ranboo couldn't help the laugh that broke loose from his tightened throat.

"-- is this what married people do, Tubbo?"

"Well, it's not my fault you're all the way up there. I had to get you down here somehow."

"You did. Well, here I am."

"Yep!"

And then, without giving him a moment to respond, to process what was happening, Tubbo leaned in... and pressed his lips against the other's. It wasn't a good kiss, or an experienced one, or even really all that romantic... but it was indeed a kiss, and, for a second, it was enough to make Ranboo's entire mind freeze over and stop, his breath hanging in his chest.

And then it was over, and Tubbo just smiled sweetly at him, and Ranboo was certain that he had never turned that particular shade in front of anyone before.

He cleared his throat.

"... oh!"

"S'that all you've got to say, big guy?" Tubbo didn't seem hurt, although something questioning hung just beneath his smile-- was that alright? Should he have done it? Did he mess something up?

"... Tubbo..."

Ranboo sighed; he leaned down more properly, reached in with his hands to cup his husband's face, and this time, he kissed him first. And it was better. A little bit, anyway. He'd only seen them do this in movies, but... he had some idea of what to do, at least.

When he pulled away, Tubbo's eyes were closed; he hummed in his throat, and then he opened them, gazing up at Ranboo with a grin. One of his hands lifted from holding the flower to lay over one of Ranboo's own.

"You hopeless romantic, you."

As if he had any room to speak.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hey! did you listen to the new dimension 20 show they started? I'm excited to see a new DM on the team and was curious to hear what you thought about it

oh MAN I'm so glad you asked, because I was gonna post my thots about the new characters whether anyone asked for it or not, because I love them all so much!

Whitney is such a gem! he initially comes across as such a typical dumb jock, but he has SUCH a good interpersonal intelligence and natural leadership that's SO well-acted by Lou. he sort of reminds me of Bellow, a character from Rude Tales of Magic who's 100% a hot idiot frat boy but is also very soft and emotionally aware and overall a very Good Boy. LOVED to see Whitney so quickly stepping up to take on a unifying leadership role for the group, especially when he SKEWERED whatever Aabria was planning by intervening in Evan's meltdown.

Dream is so SO interesting to me right off the bat, and I love that Erika didn't stop at parodying and making fun of Harry Potter and went ahead to poke some fun at more toxic aspects of fangirlish culture as well. from the initial acknowledgement that she is basically a cyberbully working in the name of "accountability" to her straight up admitting that she has a hard time interacting with people without breaking them down into tropes, there's a LOT going on there that I REALLY hope there will be time to deconstruct and explore in the remaining episodes. failing that, I hope she can at least have an arc about learning to embrace pink glittery things.

Sam is so fun and upbeat! I'm really excited to get to see more of her and Danielle in general, since she's the only cast member who I'm not already familiar with. from what I've seen so far, she seems funny as hell; the way she set up the cucumber and sausages joke and the name of her pig familiar were both rock solid goofs, and I can't wait to see more of that sense of humor. of all the PCs I feel like we go to know the least about Sam outside of her initial gimmick as a content creator, but I can't wait to learn more about her - and her relationship with Dream! WHAT is the history!!

Aabria is a great GM!! she seems so completely at ease running the table and making the dome her own, and is so SO great at blending her humor with her players' and supporting them to build out funny scenes - right out of the gate, her playing all of Whitney's teammates was pure gold. I adored her as a PC in Pirates of Leviathan, and this is only making me want to track down and watch every session she's ever run anywhere. summer of Aabria, baby!!

what do I even say about Evan Kelmp? probably the same thing my housemate said REPEATEDLY while we were watching the first episode, which was "WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU???" I'm a huge sucker for nice characters being plagued by some evil bullshit they want nothing to do with, and Brennan is playing Evan with a great mix of painful sincerity, high anxiety, and unpredictable outbursts that is SO compelling. I see a lot of comparisons to Gilear, but honestly Evan reminds me a lot more of Ayda, and I LOVE how Brennan plays Ayda. either way, can't wait until he unhinges his jaw like a snake and eats Harry Potter Digsby Whatshisname alive.

love them!!! love them all!!! I can already tell my biggest complaint about the season is going to be that there's no NEARLY enough of it.

[carladuquette]

Okay okokokok... SO

First off: I love your Close Your Eyes, Count to Ten and I honestly have to say I would have NEVER thought about Lu and Rebe. Like, that is a pair I did not expect to see, even though I always wanted Rebeka to be the gay one when she was first introduced to the show. Obviously my gay ass wanted Lu to be gay.... for reasons. Anywhooo!

I love how you give more background to the development towards the story. For example, going back to certain memories and building upon that to show (in current) how that has an effect to a situation o how just a basis in general. I absolutely love it all!

I'm surprised no one is married at this point, honestly. Mostly from Guzman and Nadia. That's a couple I thought you would have married already earlier in your story, pero I digress.

I'm invested and I'm interested to see how you'll be ending this story of yours. I love Lu and I also love Rebeka (she's easily my favorite) and I'm just excited to be on this adventure you (thankfully) are choosing to continue with. I'm publicly saying this so you can choose to hold me accountable, pero no matter how long it takes you to update, you have my word that I WILL BE THERE TO THE VERY END!

Keep up the great work and always work at your own pace! I cannot wait for the next update.

THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️ Truly. I do have a plan now for how I want to end this, and as I’ve previously mentioned, it’s a happy ending! It’ll take some time still to get there (because I’m slow) and the waters will get (remain? lol) choppy, but Close your eyes will 100 percent have a proper ending. I so appreciate you saying you’ll be there for it.

I totally understand your… reasons, right there with you 😆 Lu and Rebe had great chemistry in my eyes and I still can’t believe the writers never did anything with it on the show. But hey, just taking things into my own hands now.

You are too kind. I’m trying to build well-rounded characters whose actions make sense. Lu and Val in particular are in the places they are in now because of what happened to them in the past- and because of what they did. Their memories shape their characters. The fact you noticed that makes me happy 🙂

Again, thanks for sticking with me through the big changes and despite the snail’s pace updates.