#I also struggled in deciding their levels of extrovert

[paparitoffxiv]

Had fun filling these but don’t consider them set in stone, the fluidity of their situation is what makes it fun!

[pinkmoontaco]

It all started at a Set || KMG Pt.1

Pairing: Actor-Idol Mingyu x Actress-Idol Reader Genre: Fluff, Idol romance Summary: This story is a heartwarming slow-burn romance between Mingyu and Y/N, a senior idol. It begins with them being cast as co-stars in a drama where their contrasting personalities—Mingyu’s vibrant, outgoing nature and Y/N’s reserved, composed demeanor—become the catalyst for an unexpected connection. Throughout their journey, they face professional challenges, emotional conflicts, and growing feelings for one another. Author's Note: This is the second story of my series, "It All Started..." As I was writing, the story evolved into something much bigger than I initially imagined, so I decided to divide it into three parts to give it the attention and depth it deserves. To everyone who has supported my series so far, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your encouragement and feedback have been a driving force behind my writing, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this part of the story. Stay tuned, because there’s so much more to come, and I promise the journey will only get more exciting from here. Thank you for being part of this adventure with me—I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed creating it! Part one _ Part two _ Part three

If you have any requests for any member or any other groups feel free to do so

Mingyu wasn’t sure what prompted him to accept the role this time. At first, it seemed like any other offer—another chance to showcase a different side of himself. But something about the script resonated with him on a deeper level. The character's struggle to balance vulnerability and strength mirrored his own challenges in navigating fame. He felt an unspoken connection to the story, as if it was calling him to confront parts of himself, he had kept hidden. Perhaps that’s why, despite his initial doubts, he agreed to take the leap. Maybe it was the persistent urging of his members, maybe it was his own curiosity, or maybe, just maybe, it was the script that had managed to tug at something deep within him. Either way, he found himself on the set of "Between Us," his first lead role in a drama, both nervous and excited.

The buzz around the project had been immediate, not just because of Mingyu but because of his co-star. Y/N, a senior idol, had been cast as the female lead. She was a name that carried weight in the industry—the leader of her group, a revered idol with an aura of mystery. Known for her icy demeanor and guarded nature, she seemed to embody mystery and restraint, creating an intriguing contrast to Mingyu’s radiant, extroverted charm. While her reserved nature drew admiration, it also set the stage for a fascinating interplay with Mingyu’s infectious energy, sparking curiosity about how their opposite temperaments might evolve together. It was a pairing that intrigued fans and critics alike.

When they met for the first table read, Mingyu was struck by how composed she was. She greeted him with a polite nod, her expression unreadable. Mingyu, ever the extrovert, tried to break the ice with a joke.

“Looks like we’re going to be spending a lot of time together,” he said, his signature grin in place. “I hope you’re ready for my bad jokes.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, the faintest hint of a smile playing at her lips. “I’ll brace myself,” she replied coolly before turning her attention to the script.

From that moment on, their interactions were polite but distant. On set, Mingyu would try to engage her in conversation, but Y/N kept her responses short. It wasn’t that she was rude; she just seemed... guarded. Mingyu couldn’t help but be intrigued. What was she hiding behind that composed facade?

As the weeks went by, they began filming scenes that required emotional depth and vulnerability. The plot of "Between Us" revolved around two people who initially clashed but slowly fell in love as they unraveled each other’s secrets. The parallels between the characters and their real-life dynamics didn’t escape Mingyu.

One evening, after a particularly intense scene, Mingyu found Y/N sitting alone by the set, her gaze fixed on the horizon. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the scene.

“Hey,” Mingyu said, approaching cautiously. “You okay?”

Y/N glanced at him, her expression softening slightly. “I’m fine. Just... thinking.”

Mingyu sat down beside her, leaving a respectful distance between them. “You were amazing in that scene,” he said sincerely. “I felt like I was watching your character come to life.”

She looked at him, surprise flickering in her eyes. “Thank you. You did well too.”

It was the first time she’d offered him a genuine compliment, and Mingyu felt a small thrill of accomplishment. They sat in silence for a while, watching the sky change colors.

“Do you ever get tired?” Y/N asked suddenly. “Of being... this?”

Mingyu frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Of always being expected to be perfect. To smile, to perform, to never let your guard down,” she explained, her voice barely above a whisper.

Mingyu thought for a moment before replying. “Sometimes. But I think it’s okay to not be perfect. People connect with us because of our flaws, not despite them.”

Y/N looked at him, her expression unreadable once more. But something shifted that day. She began to open up, little by little. Mingyu learned that behind her icy exterior was someone who cared deeply about her members, someone who carried the weight of leadership with grace but also with a heavy heart.

The rest of the cast and crew began to notice the change in their dynamic. During breaks, they often saw Mingyu and Y/N sharing quiet conversations or laughing at inside jokes. One day, a crew member walked in on Mingyu patiently teaching Y/N a card game to pass the time, his enthusiasm contagious as Y/N, known for her reserved nature, playfully accused him of cheating.

“Cheating? Me?” Mingyu feigned shock, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m wounded, Y/N. Truly.”

“Wounded or not, you’re still losing,” Y/N shot back with a rare grin.

Another time, during a particularly chilly outdoor shoot, a makeup artist caught Mingyu draping his jacket over Y/N’s shoulders without a word, brushing off her protests with a casual, “You’ll catch a cold.”

The director, amused by their growing rapport, once joked, “If you two don’t win Best Couple at the year-end awards, I’ll be writing to the network myself.”

Even the extras started to notice their synergy, with one commenting during lunch, “Their chemistry isn’t just acting—it’s real.” Mingyu’s consistent warmth and Y/N’s subtle but significant thawing became a favorite topic of conversation among the crew, adding a special layer of excitement to the production. The once distant co-stars were now sharing inside jokes, supporting each other through difficult scenes, and even eating meals together during breaks. Mingyu’s patience and warmth had managed to crack Y/N’s walls, and she, in turn, became a grounding presence for him.

The turning point came during a particularly grueling shoot. It was a night scene set in the rain, with both leads expected to deliver emotionally charged performances. As Y/N sprinted down the wet pavement for a pivotal chase sequence, her ankle twisted, sending her collapsing onto the ground mid-scene. The crew froze, and for a moment, the only sound was the rain hammering down. Mingyu, standing nearby, dropped his prop and sprinted to her side.

“Cut!” the director shouted, but Mingyu was already kneeling beside Y/N, his voice tinged with panic. “Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

Y/N tried to sit up, brushing off the mud on her hands. “I’m fine,” she said through gritted teeth, though the pain was evident in her eyes.

“No, you’re not,” Mingyu said firmly, his worry overriding his usual easygoing demeanor. He gestured for the on-set medic, his brows furrowed in concern. “You need to rest. This isn’t something to push through.”

Despite her protests, Mingyu carefully helped her to a nearby chair, his hand steady on her arm. His genuine concern was clear, and the crew exchanged knowing glances, murmuring about how protective he had become of her. In that moment, something shifted—not just between their characters, but in their real relationship as well.

The injury had forced Y/N to take it slow, and Mingyu took it upon himself to help her. He’d show up to set early to make sure the path was clear for her crutches, brought her snacks during breaks, and even offered to rehearse lines with her to save her unnecessary movement.

“You’re going to spoil me,” Y/N said one day, watching as Mingyu carefully adjusted her chair.

“Maybe,” Mingyu replied with a grin. “But I don’t mind.”

As “Between us” progressed, the romantic tension between Mingyu and Y/N on-screen began to mirror their growing connection off-screen. Their characters, who started out as strangers, gradually developed a deep emotional bond, with Mingyu’s warmth gradually melting Y/N’s cool exterior.

One evening, during a late-night shoot, the scene called for a quiet, intimate moment at the café. Mingyu’s character, Jae-min, had just confessed his feelings to Y/N’s character, Seo-yeon. The air was thick with tension as their eyes met, both characters hesitant yet longing.

“Are you sure you want this?” Jae-min asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as he reached out to gently touch Seo-yeon’s hand.

Y/N, as Seo-yeon, looked at him, her expression unreadable, before slowly nodding. “I don’t know, but I’m willing to try.”

In the next moment, Jae-min leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, a gentle but tender kiss filled with the promise of something new. The director yelled “Cut!” immediately after the kiss, but both actors were left momentarily frozen, caught in the vulnerability of the moment.

Mingyu quickly stepped back, awkwardly scratching his head. “Uh, sorry, was that too much?”

Y/N, for the first time in a while, let out a soft laugh, something that startled Mingyu. “No, it was good,” she said quietly, her cheeks flushed. “You just… surprised me, I guess.”

That night, as they wrapped up filming, Mingyu couldn’t stop thinking about how natural the kiss had felt—how it wasn’t just an act but something real that he had experienced with her. Y/N, despite her usually cool demeanor, had shown a glimmer of warmth, and it left Mingyu wondering if the lines between their characters were blurring.

The next scene that stood out was a pivotal moment in the drama, where Jae-min (Mingyu’s character) confesses his love for Seo-yeon (Y/N’s character) during a stormy night. They were supposed to be alone in the café, the rain tapping against the window as Jae-min, drenched from the downpour, walked in to find Seo-yeon sitting by the window, gazing out at the rain.

“Seo-yeon,” Jae-min said, his voice shaking with emotion. “I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. You’re the only one who sees me for who I really am.”

Seo-yeon turned to him, her eyes softening but still guarded. “But you know I’m not the person you think I am, right?”

The tension in the room was palpable as Jae-min walked toward her, his every step determined. “I don’t care,” he whispered, his face inches from hers. “I love you.”

The kiss that followed was more passionate, a moment of release for both characters. The scene was so intense that even the crew stayed silent as they filmed. When the director yelled “Cut,” both Mingyu and Y/N stood frozen in their positions, the chemistry between them undeniable.

During a break, Y/N walked off to the side, away from the set, clearly trying to collect herself after the emotional intensity of the kiss. Mingyu, sensing her discomfort, followed her quietly.

“Are you okay?” Mingyu asked softly, standing a few feet away.

Y/N paused, looking at him for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, just… it’s a lot sometimes, you know?” She shrugged. “This role is… difficult for me.”

Mingyu gave her a gentle smile. “You’re doing amazing. I can tell. I know acting can be hard, but you make it look effortless.”

Y/N looked at him, her walls slowly starting to crack. “Thanks, Mingyu,” she said quietly, her tone sincere.

As she turned back to the set, Mingyu watched her, his heart unexpectedly racing. They might have started out as strangers, but something was beginning to stir between them, something neither of them had anticipated.

One of the final scenes in the drama was another intimate moment between Jae-min and Seo-yeon. The two characters had gone through their fair share of struggles, and in this scene, they finally gave in to their feelings for one another. The script called for a tender, lingering kiss under the moonlight, where Jae-min pulls Seo-yeon into his arms as they both acknowledge their deep connection.

As the cameras rolled, the chemistry between Mingyu and Y/N was undeniable. The kiss was gentle at first, with both characters hesitant, but as the scene progressed, their passion deepened. Their lips met in a slow, sweet kiss that was both vulnerable and full of longing, capturing the emotional weight of everything their characters had been through.

When the director finally called “Cut,” the entire set seemed to hold its breath. Y/N, who had usually kept a distance from Mingyu, seemed to soften in his arms, the connection between them palpable even off-camera.

During the next break, Mingyu found himself sitting next to Y/N, who had become noticeably more relaxed around him since their first interactions. They were both exhausted from the intense filming, but the mood between them was no longer cold.

“I didn’t know acting could be like this,” Mingyu admitted, his voice low. “It’s… more than just saying lines. It feels real.”

Y/N looked at him thoughtfully. “Yeah, it’s like… you let yourself be vulnerable for a moment.” She paused, then added, “You’re a good actor, Mingyu.”

Her words caught him off guard. He smiled, not able to hide his feelings anymore. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”

There was a comfortable silence between them, and for the first time, Mingyu felt a genuine sense of connection to Y/N—not just as his co-star, but as someone who understood the depth of their roles and the emotions they had shared through their characters.

One memorable day, they filmed a scene where their characters shared their first kiss under a canopy of stars. The setup was breathtaking—fairy lights hanging from the trees, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves, and the soft strumming of a guitar playing in the background.

Between takes, Mingyu leaned over with a grin. “They really went all out for this, huh?”

Y/N glanced around, her lips twitching into a rare smile. “It’s beautiful. Almost makes you forget we’ve been here for hours.”

The scene required them to hold hands, exchange lingering gazes, and lean into a kiss that felt as natural as breathing. When the director finally called, “Cut!” he looked up from the monitor and clapped. “That was perfect! The chemistry was off the charts.”

Another day, they filmed a playful sequence where their characters spent an afternoon at a seaside carnival. From riding the Ferris wheel to playing ring toss, the scenes were filled with laughter and lighthearted moments. While filming a shot where Mingyu’s character won a giant stuffed bear for Y/N’s character, he jokingly handed it to her and said, “This is the closest you’ll get to me spoiling you in real life.”

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “I’ll cherish it forever,” she quipped, hugging the bear dramatically.

The most challenging yet rewarding scene to film came toward the end of the drama, where their characters finally confessed their feelings after a heated argument. The emotions ran high, and even the crew found themselves holding their breath as Mingyu and Y/N brought the raw vulnerability of their characters to life. By the time the director called cut, there was a moment of stunned silence before the set erupted into applause.

“You really outdid yourselves,” the director said, visibly moved. “This is the kind of performance that stays with people.”

Through these scenes, their bond grew stronger. Whether it was the stolen glances that felt too real or the way they naturally gravitated toward each other during breaks, it was clear to everyone that something special was blooming between them.

[mysticalserenity-tarot]

🌀 what is the energy that most closely mirrors your blood? 🌀 (Pick a pile)

{How to pick a pile? First, take a deep breath with your eyes closed to clear your mind. When you open your eyes, don't hesitate – pick the image that immediately grabs your attention/stirs up a memory, or the quote that is meaningful for you. Remember, you can pick more than one pile if you feel called to. If none of the images stand out for you, it means there's no message for you at this time. You can always come back to it later.}

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Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3 (from left to right)

Hello and always a huge thank you to everyone for your incredible support, it means a lot to me!

In this collective pick a pile reading, we'll delve into the beautiful energies that make up your essence. You might discover aspects of yourself that you may not consciously feel, but they are undeniably a part of you, waiting to be acknowledged and embraced. Let's see where your energy takes us.

Disclaimer: This is a collective reading I picked up on multiple energies, so please only take what resonates and leave the rest. When something resonates you usually feel a light energy and in your heart you can feel it's your message, and the pic that attracts you is a clearly sign.

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⚡ PILE 1

2 of Cups, The Wheel, 3 of Wands

Hello Pile 1, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in!

I sense that you may be my extroverted or ambivert pile, but you have this remarkable ability to adapt anywhere, even in uncomfortable environments. You seek harmony and are adept at finding it due to this unique ability. The Wheel of Fortune seems to confirm this, not just representing a card, but also symbolizing the way life works. You have undoubtedly experienced numerous ups and downs in your life, and challenges and obstacles no longer scare you as they once did. This is excellent! You have a broad perspective that allows you to see your goals achieved before even starting to work towards them, and I consider this a talent, as many people struggle to envision the finish line and often give up on their dreams when they don't see progress.

I feel like some of you ended up in this pile even though it may be not your pile but take this as a lesson: even if you don't see the finish line or any progress, persist and keep pushing, do not give up too soon otherwise you might regret it, ultimately hindering your growth and leaving you feeling stuck in your comfort zone. This isn't ideal, as our souls require expansion.

Now, pile 1, I sense that you share this desire for connection with people. You understand them on a profound level, which can be seen as a sign of psychics, readers, or empaths. You have strong intuition, which helps you avoid energy vampires and crowded places. To reach this level of empathy and intuition, you have likely endured more than others. I believe that many of you have prominent Scorpio or water placements or 8th or 12th house placements. Rainbows may hold significance for some of you, as my entire spread called the same vibrant colors depicted on the 2 of Cups, which is quite fascinating. Odd as it may sound, I'm suddenly observing that some of you who are tarot readers have often drawn The Tower when reading for yourselves.

Finally, this suggests that transformations and adaptation are key traits of your soul, as is your quest for harmony, deep bonds and connections, expansion, and determination.

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 1.

Note: -If you enjoyed this and my other readings, and you'd like to support me further, you can do so on my ko-fi, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's not mandatory.

-For further guidance or a personalized reading, feel free to book a reading through my Tumblr DM or email [dvinecrystl@gmail.com]. I'm here to help you navigate life's challenges and find clarity. We can decide the price together. [I will be providing more details on my paid readings in the future. Keep an eye out for it]

⚡ PILE 2

Knight of Swords, Queen of Swords, Moon (Strenght)

Hello Pile 2, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in!

I'm sensing that like pile 1, you have determination in pursuing your desires, but you can be more reckless in your approach. You may fantasize a lot, unaware of hardships, or ignore them, thinking the road is smooth, as in your fantasies (my Neptunian babies). For some of you, it's just your innate determination and search for adventures (hi, my Gemini's or air dominant!). Confirmation comes in the form of the Strength card, showing your real determination to overcome any hardships and facing them with pride. While pile 1 leans more towards an extrovert/friendly side, you're typically more on your own and keep your goals to yourself until you've accomplished them, which is the perfect way to operate. Sharing your plans with others isn't always a good idea, as you might face people who don't have your best interests at heart. Always trust your intuition and body signs.

I sense that you're nurturing, in your own way, which means tough love and no sugarcoating. You'd rather tell the truth to people, even if it hurts: "a harsh truth rather than a good lie" that's what I'm hearing - maybe one of you told this to someone.You watch over your people from above, always ready to defend and protect them (I love how both knight and queen own weapons), and you have the strength and compassion to do so. You have a mysterious aura, and no one can tell what you like or dislike. Your pile seems shorter compared to the other ones because you don't reveal who you are, which contradicts the air energy that I picked up before, suggesting that your natal charts might be interesting with contradicting elements and placements and energies.

Your energy could be described as determined, protective, mysterious, and tough-loving with a touch of recklessness. Very interesting.

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 2.

Note: -If you enjoyed this and my other readings, and you'd like to support me further, you can do so on my ko-fi, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's not mandatory.

-For further guidance or a personalized reading, feel free to book a reading through my Tumblr DM or email [dvinecrystl@gmail.com]. I'm here to help you navigate life's challenges and find clarity. We can decide the price together. [I will be providing more details on my paid readings in the future. Keep an eye out for it]

⚡PILE 3

Queen of Pentacles,  4 of Swords, The Chariot

Hello Pile 3, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in!

Another interesting energy we have here! The energy of pile 3 is all about taking care of oneself, which is something we should all adopt. This is very earthy and grounded, and it gives me a sense of peace while reading for you. You're the type to prioritize your own healing and say no to healing others until you're fully healed yourself - this is very admirable and considerate. Sometimes you ghost people, but it's with the right intentions as mentioned earlier. This also applies to readings (I sense that some of you in this pile are readers). You have a nurturing streak and vibes, and I feel like loads of people can't get enough of your energy and want to be around you, whether as friends or as lovers. I sense that even those who are romantically attracted to you but that you refuse, not your type, want at least to be your friend - how sweet. You may relate to some messages in pile 2, suggesting a similar desire for determination and protection. You're really protective of your energy, and you do not want any vampires or people with dark energies/intentions to be in yours, in any way. This is a prominent message in your reading!

You have a feminine energy, almost like a fairy. You prioritize stability in every aspect of your life, but when it comes time to rest, you don't care about anything else until you have fully recharged. For a small part, I get that you don't rest until everything is in perfect harmony and order. I sense some controlling tendencies. Let it go and just go with the flow, my beautiful people. It's admirable how you balance action and movement with rest and patience. You have a calm demeanor and certainty that we can achieve everything we want, while also taking care of ourselves. Time is an illusion, and you're aware of it. Thanks to your patient behavior, you're able to keep long-lasting connections

Some adjectives and words that describe your energy: considerate, nurturing, protective, earthy, and feminine with a touch of calmness and patience. You prioritize taking care of yourself and value long-lasting connections.

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 3.

Note: -If you enjoyed this and my other readings, and you'd like to support me further, you can do so on my ko-fi, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's not mandatory.

-For further guidance or a personalized reading, feel free to book a reading through my Tumblr DM or email [dvinecrystl@gmail.com]. I'm here to help you navigate life's challenges and find clarity. We can decide the price together. [I will be providing more details on my paid readings in the future. Keep an eye out for it]

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ANY LIKE/REBLOG/COMMENT IS APPRECIATED, ALSO IF YOU LET ME KNOW IF IT RESONATED.

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK.

ALWAYS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EACH ONE OF YOU'S SUPPORT, I'M GRATEFUL 🤗🤍

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Please note that I used AI language bot to help improve grammar and spelling in my readings, as English is not my first language. However, the interpretations and insights provided in my readings are all my work, based on my intuition and the cards' symbolism.

Disclaimer: Tarot readings are for entertainment purposes only and are not meant to predict or dictate your future. The cards provide insights and guidance, but the ultimate power of choice lies with you.

[nardos-primetime]

Social battery low all of a sudden but the drive to write is high and you all suffer for it. These headcanons don't really have a theme they're just things that are silly To Me.

Donnie is a good kicker idc what Canon says that mf can kick through a wooden door if he's in the zone (once he's out of the zone it hurts though.)

Leo is partially so all over the place because his brain gets overwhelmed a lot and his brain tends to overcompensate trying to focus on TONS of things at once, when he HAS to focus he normally uses headphones so he doesn't get distracted or off track or overstimulated (totally not projecting.) (I wanna draw something with this idea sometime.)

(^Donnie has similar issues slightly different tho)

Raph snorts when he laughs hard. The others play games where they try to get him laughing hard enough to hear it. Little comedy shows. You Laugh You Lose but it's If Raph Laughs We Win.

3 out of 4 turtles have a stealing problem. (Hint, it's not the red one.)

The boys can all dance well as a group (obv) they just struggle and can't sing together most of the time because they don't wanna focus on that part and doing a style that works all together. (Doesn't stop karaoke nights. Sometimes, they can get a good karaoke out, though, if the stars align.)

Mikey uses pencils and silverware to drum on things.

They're all scared of themselves in various ways YAY!!!

Donnie has his "sigh" and "scoff" etc, etc. Leo has "Oh yeah?! Smile emoji." "Really? Sad Emoji?" "Yay! Jumping emoji!" Or alternatively "Smile" "Frooooown" "Thumbs up!" (Totally not projecting.) (But it would also be a silly parallel to me.)

They're all undiagnosed. With what? You decide. But they live in an ND haven where since they grew up with just each other its never a "You're weird act NORMAL" thing because they thought it was just normal. Instead, it's a "You're weird, and sometimes I don't get you, but weird is also normal, so ily."

Mikey and Leo are hoppy boys! Hop! Hop! Hop!

Mikey is double jointed. Like. Everywhere. He freaks the others out with it sometimes.

Raph has a sweet tooth. He also cannot handle spicy food. On the other hand Mikey eats almost everything, Leo loves spicy food and is a masochist for levels of spice that should kill him, Donnie likes spicy food but he oddly doesn't feel much of the pain and barely responds to it.

Leo and Donnie are both omniverts, but Donnie's on the more introverted side mostly and Leo on the extroverted side mostly.

Not a single complete cishet at the turtle function.

They like to lay in piles.

That's all for now bye-bye.

[dragonfly0808]

How did you decide on who to pair with who with the platonic soul mates ? I find it interesting that in cannon they never spoken to each other but they for so perfectly in your rewrite.

OMG I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A QUESTION LIKE THIS FFUUUUUCCCCKKKK

Kay, so, the first one that was chosen was Flora and Riven.

I’ve always headcannoned that they would be besties. Just, soft girl and rough around the edges boy always make the best platonic dynamics and they’re 2 of my faves and I just thought that it would make sense for Riven to connect with Flora before any of the other girls

They both have very rough pasts but had very different responses (partially because Flora always had a support system in her family and Riven didn’t) they can bond over crappy parents and very rough situations. In a friendship group filled with royals and loving families, they are the ones who had both economic and family problems, they can relate to each other in a way that only few could

They’re biggest problems at the start of the rewrite also made them besties. Riven needs to learn to open up and be vulnerable, who better to teach him than Flora? Flora needs to learn to stand up for herself a little more, who better to teach her than Riven?

They were the easiest choice when it came to platonic soulmates.

Next chosen were Stella and Sky

Their friendship began with my choice to make Erendor, Radius and Oritel best friends. It made sense to have Stella and Sky know each other since childhood, that, combined with Stella knowing about the switcharoo created a dynamic between Stella, Brandon and Sky and from there, came the dynamic between Stella and Sky

They’ve known each other their whole lives, they bond over the pressures of being royals and struggling to communicate with their parents.

They were also both pressured into acting mature (Stella by her mom, Sky by both his parents) so it makes sense that, when together, they feel safe enough to just be goofy with each other and act like the teens that they really are.

I loved this dynamic of childhood friends bonding over the fear of growing up and having to carry more responsabilities every year but also bonding over their insane sense of duty to their respective planets.

Next came a happy accident Bloom and Timmy

Bloom and Timmy being platonic soulmates was not planned. I was writing Tecna’s birthday scene in s1 and wrote Timmy playing a car game, since Tecna was having a conversation, I wrote Bloom to be the one playing against him since I felt like those 2 would be the most intense when playing videogames, teasing and trying to kick each other to win.

That’s when it kinda clicked in my head like… wait a minute… they’re both huge nerds… huh

And that’s how they became platonic soulmates because as a fellow nerd I know that nerd friendships don’t necessarily require similar interests, just equal levels of enthusiasm when talking about said interests

Bloom is a nerd about mythology and history, Timmy is a nerd about technology and figthing technique. They bond over being able to info-dump all they want to one another and having similar levels of enthusiasm. They’re also both introverts who only become extroverts either with the extroverts that adopted them (Stella and Nabu/Brandon) or when talking to each other or about their interest

This was when the rest of the platonic soulmates were decided right as I was wrapping up s1, I knew what the last few platonic soulmates would be

Musa and Helia

She was punk, he did ballet. That’s it. That’s their dynamic

Kay so, Musa and Helia are the writers of the group. They’re not the only artists, but they’re the writers and the ones who’re the most verbal about their art if that makes sense.

They both also have a darker side that they try to keep railed in. They both have frequent nightmares and are the ones who’ve dealt with depression the most throughout their lives

I don’t want to say that they’re ‘tortured artists’ but they can bond over only being able to word certain feelings through songs and poetry. They can bond over having a knot in their throat that they’re working to get rid off that vanishes the second they have a pen in their hand

They’re the ones that have too much to say but don’t always know how to say it. How to get it out. It made sense to pair them together

Next up, Aisha and Brandon

Brandon is one of the softest of the squad. He just radiates comfort and warmth and is a protector at his core. Aisha, especially at first, really needed someone like that (aside from Flora).

Brandon really helps Aisha come out of her shell. They’re both extroverts but Aisha has a lot of social anxiety, the girls and Brandon help her out with that a lot.

They also bond over sports. They both loving pushing themselves to the limit. They bond over skateboarding, surfing, rock climbing, swimming, anything that gets them out and tired.

Aisha is also one of the few people that can get it through Brandon’s head that he doesn’t always have to be the protector. That that’s not all there is to him. That he deserves to also be protected from time to time.

Finally… Tecna and Nabu

I don’t think I can fully explain the bond between these two… these two are… comfortable silence

They are both very calm but… light… at the same time if that makes sense?

They just give me that vibe of someone that you met and just click with. They live in similar wavelengths and have similar mentalities

Tecna is compelled to trust Nabu due to his energy and the way he just… gets her effortlessly. Nabu adores Tecna because of how unapolagetic she is

They are people who just enjoy each others mere presence, they don’t try to get each other out of their comfort zones. They’ll be drinking coffee and having breakfast while casually talking and working on projects and feel so at peace just by being around each other, they have that kind of effortless yet beautiful friendship

Hope these explanations were enough to give a little peak into my thought process of choosing the platonic soulmates!

[thatuselesshuman]

Warning! Personal shit ahead (aka: the stuff I usually never post lol)

So, ik I never usually post any of my personal struggles or anything (mostly because I like to keep my blog lighthearted), but I've decided to share this in the case that my ranting and irrationality may resonate with someone.

Aside from the occasional mention of my many illnesses, I never share anything mental health wise. Apart from it being because of the previously mentioned lightheartedness, it's also because I often feel unworthy of feeling off. I feel fine most of the time. I'm a generally happy person, and I don't really have a mental illness or anything, so I tend to feel like any sympathy or pity would be unwarranted because my life is great. People have gone through terrible things, and I haven't, so it makes me feel icky when people spend 'unworthy' sympathy on me.

Anyways, that's not really what I wanted to talk about in this post lol. All that was to say, I don't really have any mental health issues. I'm not depressed, I don't struggle with anxiety, etc. But one thing I do struggle with is loneliness. The feeling that, even in a room full of people, I could disappear and no one would notice. That no one really wants me around. That they're all perfectly happy while hanging out with other people, and that I should just move on.

I know, logically, that I have friends and that they truly do want me around, but logic has very little room in your mind when you see a big group having the time of their lives and your off to the side, alone. It has very little room when you're curled up in bed, unable to sleep, and your mind is dead set on making you feel achingly empty. It has very little room when people who you thought cared about you in the same way that you cared about them seem to find any excuse to hang out with their 'better friends.' It has no room when your loyalty isn't reciprocated.

I'm an extrovert and highly loyal by default, and that's a deadly combination when you also experienced crushing FOMO as a result. I can't survive without people, and it hurts when people can survive without me. It hurts when I know that, no matter how loyal I am to a friend, they aren't obliged to be the same. Everyone is different, and some people just aren't like that. It's okay, it's natural to have different levels of friends, and someone I consider a best friend could see me as the second option. That's just how life works, and it's okay. It just doesn't feel okay when they leave me crying at night behind sunglasses in a café because, despite telling me that they would hang out with me, they found a guy that they want to date and they just can't pass up the opportunity.

I hate being alone because that's when my thoughts have the time and the way to tell me that they can live without me. I hate being alone because the words my mind whisper in my ear aren't even entirely false.

[bluegekk0]

Can I just say how much I adore your Grimm design? The more muscular torso in contrast to his slim figure in the game is incredibly intimidating on its own, but the added horror that is his cape makes him terrifying. I particularly love how you draw his mouth. The inclusion of his fangs and the way his face is structured makes him snakelike, especially with his scaly torso texture. He is certainly something bugs would see in their nightmares. Bravo.

The fact that he’s dating a puppy-eyed, round-bellied, therapy-needing shrimp beast makes him even better.

aaah thank you! it means so much to hear this!! i'm personally very happy with his design so i'm glad to see that people like it!

i will admit that the shapes i chose for him were purely self-indulgent. my brain goes crazy for top heavy characters, it's such an aesthetically pleasing silhouette design for me and i think it fits him very nicely, even if it kind of flips his body shape upside down compared to the canon (he's a lot more bottom heavy there). also, i think it's quite obvious by now that i miiiiiight have a lil crush on him haha. not in the usual sense (aroace here after all) but man his design is just so attractive on an aesthetic level to me, i'm obsessed with him. and judging by some of the comments i get under my art of him, it seems to be contagious. so it's a double win in my eyes hahahah

the cloak was a late addition, i struggled with it for a while. if you look at the older art i made of him, there was nothing really unusual about it. it went from a doctor strange like cape (the oldest design, i don't really like it now but i think it looked kinda cool at the time) to something closer to his in game sprites. the biggest change at that point was the addition of the fluffy collar, mainly because i thought it fit him but also because it was less frustrating to draw than those damn collar noodles/petals. i didn't get the doc ock idea until very recently, but it started as something i had in mind for nightmare king as opposed to just grimm. then i decided that screw it, he's a god even in his physical form. he can have a wacky tentacle cloak as a treat. rule of cool and all that. very happy that i went with that in the end, it really gives him that oomph. as a bonus, the way it behaves (splitting, twirling around, forming into sharp spikes) was inspired by the recent spider-man 2 gameplay reveal, and by extension venom in general

the head was also a somewhat recent change, i did stick to a more canon-like round headshape for a while, but i found it to look too pug-like, especially in ship art with fpk. so i returned to my grimm design roots and gave him a longer snout like on the very first design (long snout = more kisses >:) ). very happy with how snake like it ended up looking. i loved the idea of him having vampire like fangs (LOVE vampires. they're like, the coolest. and the sexiest) so the snake appearance was a coincidence, but i am so glad it happened. and like you said, it makes him look even more like a creature from nightmares

and yes, love me a good contrast in a ship. a big beefy vampire that oozes confidence and charisma, and a sad little lizard shaped like a sack of potatoes? yeah they're perfect for each other in my eyes. big "extrovert adopts an introvert" energy there, plus visually they just look really cool together i think. the height difference and the contrast in appearances really add a lot to how dynamic they are as a ship imo

but yeah thank you so much for this again! i went on a bit of a tangent there but it's because it makes me so incredibly happy when people say they enjoy my designs. i try my best to make the au versions of the character "my own" if that makes sense, so it really means a lot to hear positive feedback!

[lesbianrobin]

i was rereading light my way and i'm just curious about how you decided to write eddie as having difficulty forming closer bonds that go beyond doing shared activities together. also in your rockie fic you mentioned eddie never having plans except on certain days. i keep seeing ppl portray the cc boys/older hellfire members as being v close w eddie, and ppl mentioning the list of eddie's friends dustin and max were calling when they were trying to find him as proof that eddie is a social butterfly/v extroverted. i don't disagree but i'm curious about how you decided to characterize him that way.

hi thank u for reading my fics!!

so i know i'm like the odd man out in this and it's entirely just like my own opinion/creative choice like i don't think i'm any more Right than other people. just like to preface my justification. so anyway there are a few different reasons why i went that route!

personally i had a lot of good friends in high school who i literally only hung out with during theatre classes and rehearsals. while we spent a lot of time together and considered each other good friends, we didn't often hang out outside of those activities, and i think that's pretty common as a teenager in school, you know? eddie in particular seems to self-identify as an outsider and he emphasizes hellfire club as a place for "lost little sheepies," which makes me think that maybe he started/joined corroded coffin and/or hellfire specifically to find and keep friends because he struggled to do so otherwise. also, being a DM requires a lot of planning time alone, and so does learning sick-ass guitar solos almost immediately after an album drops, so i think eddie probably spends most of his non-club time either by himself or dealing.

the sheer number of friends they check on when searching for eddie makes me think that eddie is the kind of guy who's outgoing and has a lot of casual friendly acquaintances, but very few people who are actually close to him. in episode one we primarily see eddie with hellfire/corroded coffin, and he is just flat-out performing the whole time. he isn't just having lunch with his buddies in the cafeteria scene, he's holding court. he's putting on a show! it's quite a stark contrast to how he behaves when the group finds him in the boathouse and for the rest of s4, and later in the season we see a far more self-deprecating and unsure eddie. while i do think eddie and the hellfire guys are friends who genuinely like each other, i just don't think they're like... super close. i personally get the impression that eddie is always performing around them, probably because he thinks that being funny and outrageous is What Makes Them Like Him and that he's gotta keep it up or he'll lose them. the fact that he chose to hide out alone in the boathouse indicates to me that he doesn't feel safe enough with any of his friends to have gone to them for help. he didn't think that any of his friends would believe him or have his back, and i think that if he were really close with the hellfire guys, he probably would have gone to one of them first, because i think he was very freaked out by being alone after chrissy's death.

also, on a more practical level, in light my way that just served the story far better. i had zero desire to make up personalities for eddie's friends and write them interacting with the rest of the gang, especially because it would limit my ability to let el just exist as el and let the characters potentially reference Strange Things if they wanted. but of course if they're really close friends of eddie's it would make sense for them to be at his birthday party. so it was just easier to go with the idea that they typically hang out at school and predetermined meetings for hellfire/corroded coffin and that their friendship is relatively surface-level. it also served the emotional arc of the story about eddie finding a sense of belonging! in the rockie fic i put less thought into it, but eddie's hardass nature about lucas missing hellfire in episode one makes me think he's very big on sticking to plans and schedules, and in the rockie fic universe he's become quite good friends with steve and robin, so they can assume with relative certainty that if he's not doing hellfire or with his band he'll be down to hang with them. i imagine they hang out most of the time anyway.

so yeah that's most of it ig?? i also just think eddie is afraid of how people would respond to The Real Him and thus he keeps people at arm's length with his hellfire persona and the only reason dustin and the others managed to crack open his shell and get to the eddie inside is because he witnessed a brutal supernatural murder and was scared shitless. so yeah <3

[personality-corner]

ESFPs + Enneagram Combination Breakdown

Disclaimer: The descriptions of each type aren’t necessarily how every ESFP with these enneagrams are going to act. I am merely describing how common traits of each enneagram type may overlap with traits of ESFP characters.

Most Common Enneagrams

Type 7s

A lot of type 7’s traits overlap very easily with ESFPs cognitive functions… especially their Se. Type 7’s are described as spontaneous and fun loving, and an ESFP’s desire to take in their surroundings in the moment can be a perfect example of this.

A type 7’s Se may be used in a more active way, rather than an observant way, and they may sometimes react without thinking. They want nothing more than to experience the world around them.

Think of Jasmine from Aladdin.

Other Common Enneagrams

Type 2’s

Type 2’s are actually extremely popular for ESFPs, and with good reason. ESFPs are extroverted and can connect with people very easily, through their Se. Their Fi can provide a level of morals that allow them to want to protect the world around them.

ESFP type 2s may be observers or experience and are often very insightful about the world around them, having both a personal perspective and a good understanding of the world around them. Because of this, they may be so caught up in a cause, and doing what they feel is right for everyone around them, they may not realize when others take advantage of them, or when to cut off boundaries.

Enid Sinclair and Percy Jackson are good examples of type 2 ESFPs.

Type 3’s

Another common enneagram for ESFPs is type 3. In general, type 3’s are ambitious, charismatic, motivated and want nothing more than to be successful and to put out a positive view of themselves out into the world.

ESFP type 3’s are adaptable, often being able to understand the world around them enough to reach their goals. They can also take things personally when someone insults something they’re proud of, and may seem defensive. They have strong personal feelings, but also seek the approval of the world around them in different ways, and can sometimes make impulsive decisions out of anger or frustration.

Two examples of type 3 ESFPs are Angel Dust and Amy March.

Other Possible Enneagrams

Type 6’s

Type 6’s, at their best, can be loyal, supportive and playful, and at their worst, be pessimistic and stubborn.

Type 6 ESFPs can be protective of their environment, and especially protective over other people, which may overlap with their Fi tendencies. They can also adapt to their environment, in order to protect those they care about, and may sometimes act impulsively, without considering their own needs.

Ellie Williams, from The Last of Us, is a type 6 ESFP.

Type 8’s

Type 8’s are often described as protective and assertive people, who hate being controlled by others, which quite frankly covers alot of ESFP stereotypes, which is why I was surprised to find it’s not as common as other combinations.

Type 8’s hate being controlled, so they combat this, by taking control of their own environment, which is where ESFP’s Se may be able to overlap alot in this area. They may make impulsive decisions, or quick, in the moment decisions to ensure they have full control.

Their Fi may manifest in a way where they go out of their way to subvert social norms, so that they don’t become controlled by this. Like Nimona from Nimona or Ron from Harry Potter

Type 9’s

I was debating on whether or not to put this more under “unlikely enneagrams” as statistics seem to vary when it comes to type 9 ESFPs, but I have decided to stick it here instead.

In general, type 9’s hate conflict, and may avoid it at all costs. They also tend not to act immediately in certain situations, so it may not seem like there is much overlap, but there can be.

Because of their Se, they may be focused on making decisions based on environmental factors, rather than jumping right in. Their Fi may also cause them to struggle with confronting other people after that make impulsive decisions or decisions they don’t will be liked by others. Kevin Ball from Shameless is a type 9 ESFP.

Unlikely Enneagrams

Type 4’s

Generally, most type 4’s are introverted, so it’s unlikely that an extroverted type, like ESFP will be a type 4. However, cognitive extroversion is different than social extroversion, and while most ESFPs may both.. they can still hold some of the same traits as a type 4.

Some ESFPs can also be interested in finding identity, and may be interested in separating themselves from others around them. Technically, you don’t have to be an introvert to be a type 4, but due to ESFPs Se tendency, they may not be as interested in separating themselves from the rest of the world. In fact, many ESFP type 3’s have a 4 wing, like Angel Dust.

Type 1’s

Type 1’s are perfectionistic, well organized and rational, and while it is not necessarily impossible for an ESFP to be these things, a lot of type 1 traits align better with high Si, and high Te which is why it’s a popular type for ESTJ & ISTJs.

That being said, an ESFP type 1, may be more focused on the moralistic aspect of type 1, due to their Fi, and may have a strong view on “right” or “wrong”.

Type 5’s

Type 5’s often seek comfort through their environment, by learning everything they can about it, and can sometimes have an objective view on it, which is why alot of type 5’s are thinkers.

However, an ESFP with well developed Te may fit type five pretty well. I mean, a lot of ESFP type 6s have 5 as their wing.

[heretherebedork]

The writing is really smart for BMF. One of my complaints was always that Kawi changed too much in the future, but in this episode we saw how easy everything could go wrong, how he decided to play with the band instead of being with Pisaeng, how alcohol was offered to him etc. So his strange extroverted alcoholic self that we saw in the future is finally making sense. He also became more mature, and I felt for him, when he was so stressed out because of Pear. He was with her for years, and he obviously loves her. Not like as with Pisaeng, but I believe he cares for her dearly.

Playing that character is really a challenge. It feels like Krist has to play 3 characters at the same time: We have the childish Kawi who lives in his shell and blames everyone else for his misery, we have the extroverted superstar Kawi who can't fix his problems, and we have the Kawi in the middle, who is finally doing the right thing, while still being awkward, but also more open and confident. But strangely enough it feels like watching the same character, even when you think about it, they are very different.

Also, this drama does justice to ALL its characters not just Kawi and Pisaeng. And just Character Development is so good to see!!!

I never had an issue with the future changes. If anything, the future always felt like a standstill from where we were in the past. They were always facing the exact same crisis and issue in the future without ever having changed their stance of anything. Kawi started drinking and playing a bad? Famous drunk superstar! Piseang finally confessed and said he would wait? Waited year after year with no change and celebrating the day he confessed to Kawi as their special day. Pear knows Piseang doesn't like her and Kawi does? Was dating Kawi only to move onto the next most assholish character.

So, that was never my issue. My issue has been that when Kawi comes back to the past his change always feels sudden and surface. This episode was better because it did show more of the smaller changes and the reasons and the awkward moments and the struggle of trying to do such huge and sudden changes while still also just... being a person. It was good to see in a way that made sense to me.

The show is doing a good job. Well, mostly. Kwan and Not absolutely frustrate me on so many levels it's hard to articulate because the show has given us nothing (not that I want a lot, honestly) but is now giving us these scenes that make me feel like I'm supposed to understand Not but mostly just find him gross? And I can't figure out what Kwan sees in him that makes her so desperate to keep him that she stays as a loveless side piece for eight years in the future-verse we last saw because... what? He's a jerk without an ounce of kindness in him.

That's what I meant by the future never changing, by the way. Like... eight years is a huge time span to cover without anyone changing anyone they love or care about except Pear dropping Kawi so we didn't get to see any of their relationship.

[b-lessings]

We’ve been mutuals for a long time so I remember your occasional mentions about therapy and healing, which actually played a role in prompting me to try and understand my own trauma I was in denial of for a very long time and starting my journey towards getting better I guess. I’m still really struggling with my anxiety, have been for a really long time, sometimes the triggers are too overwhelming and feels like therapy and trauma work only make me understand enough to want to run away again, due to how much my body reacts in social settings, or at the thought of how out of control everything is in my brain. Can I ask, perhaps in vague terms, what was your journey like in the beginning? Does the anxiety ever start to lessen in intensity? Do you ever get to the point where you can process your trauma enough to finally face the reality of it’s remnants in people and places? How long does it take till you begin to seek happiness instead of the vicious internal destruction? How (if at all) does the dynamics of your healing journey change when you let another person you love into your life?

By the end of (reading) this ask I was like ouuff 😮‍💨 that's heavy😅

Salam my dear, I appreciate you sending this ask, I see your courage and your will to get better and get a bit of control over your life, and that's only a sign of strength and bravery, I am proud of you 🤍

Now, I am not sure if I am gonna answer all your points or get carried away by my own thoughts but let me give it a try.

First of all, from personal experience (obviously all my answers will be based on that) I don't think anxiety is something we can totally heal from or get rid of, it is not a feature we can deactivate, and do not take this the wrong way, I will explain later, but with therapy we learn to cope with our anxiety, we learn to make peace with it, and live with it in the most cooperative non-impeding ways.

One of the most memorable sayings that my therapist told me so early on in my journey is that her and my anxiety are both trying to do the same thing: protect me, they are not working against each other, they would actually work together (if my anxiety wouldn't be so stubborn lol).

Anxiety is in simple terms or at a very primal level a reaction to a trigger, you brain detects something that it deems wrong or dangerous and it alerts your body - there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, as human beings we relied on that trigger-response for God knows how many thousands of years to survive and get to this point in history. But then anxiety is perceived as a problem once it becomes a disability, in the sense that it would prevent the person from going on about their day normally.

Now what happened is that I lived like 27 or 28 years of my life not even realizing I had anxiety. I would hear people talk about it all the time and it never clicked, for me not even once that hey that's what I have! Until my therapist said the word. And I was like " anxiety? Me? Noway! I am an extrovert, I have a lot of friends, I am not scared of crowds, I love trying new things and living new experiences blah blah blah" but I had no idea that I had actually been repressing it all in for all those years.

So after the acceptance, the second phase was that anxiety took over my life! I had become fully afraid of everything and I just retrieved to myself. Everything was emphasized. I sorta kinda cut off people and stopped going after things and experiences blah blah .. I remember telling my therapist, since the day I was faced with the diagnosis, seems like anxiety is all that I am! I want to get my old self back, I want to get my life back! Anxiety stole my life! It was painful, it was uncomfortable and it was also my excuse for everything..

But then, one of the biggest turning-points in my therapy journey was when I decided to love my anxiety, and understand it better, understand that it does not want to do me any harm but actually protect me, so I became more aware inward and outward, I became very attentive to the changes and the signs my body gives me, you can catch me whispering " what is it babygirl, what's wrong? " as soon as I feel that stomach ache, lol. I honestly do talk to it, I can proudly say I befriended it and that's how I managed to get on its good sign and take control of my life back.

Now I even anticipate it. I sorta know my triggers, so I can te that I will have an episode, I have learned a few techniques on how to calm myself down or distract my mind, sometimes when it is intense I would allow myself a day off or even an hour off just to myself to do something that brings me comfort, I journal a lot, I analyze my thoughts and whatnot.. and that's what therapy is good for, it equips you with tools to cope with the issue at hand. And yes, that's how it lessens in its intensity like you said. That's how you gain back control over your life. That's how you get closer to feeling and achieving peace, because listen boo, we are not looking for happiness, the goal is actually peace. Happiness is only a moment in time, it's fleeing, it's just an instant. Inner peace and mental peace is what lasts.

I can't tell you how much time it takes because every journey is personal and different, to each of us their path, and relapses do happen, setbacks do happen, after all we are only human, and especially for us girls, the hormonal imbalance is a nightmare and it does affect our psyche.. there is also life events always happening and affecting our mental health.. but the most important part is that you never stop, never give up, you keep walking your path of healing and you keep asking for help! I always say that the keys to having a good experience with therapy are the 3Ps: perseverance, patience and practice!

I have been in therapy for I think 3 years next month, and proudly I can say we don't have the scheduled regular sessions, I do not need them anymore, Alhamdullillah, now it is basically only in cases of emergency like if something really intense happens, other than that, Alhamdullillah I am capable of managing my anxiety attacks, which are neither that frequent not that intense anymore, Alhamdullillah.

P.s. I did not mention trauma because tbh with my therapist we haven't been working on that. And I am well-aware of how sensitive and different our traumatic experiences are, so I chose to sit this one out.

Anyways, I hope I managed to answer your questions or at least bring you some hope! And again, I am very proud of you, I know how gard and tricky it gets but I promise you it gets better, so keep going 🤍

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

If you had to choose who your favorite character is from all of your works, who would it be? Why?

As a writer, what are the kinds of things that you find most easy to write about, and what are the things you avoid (+ Is there anything you'd like to improve)?

Let's say your main cast of characters find themselves trapped in a life-threatening situation. How would each one of them react? Who would be the most selfish and who would likely be the most selfless?

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

You are literally so mean lol... (jk. It's just that these are some IMPOSSIBLE questions)

I don't have any "favourite" characters. I love all of them. There's a special place in my heart for each one - even characters that aren't meant to be likeable. Like Bret, for example... in the beginning, you're not really supposed to like him. You start sympathising with him more when you find out more about his life and what he's been going through lately.

If we're talking about which character I'd most likely be friends with, then probably Elise. I've mentioned this a few times already, but she's the character I've given most of my personality to. She's super sweet and friendly, but also an introverted bookworm. It would be so cool to have a friend like that irl... we'd swap book recommendations all day long.

The others are more rebellious and extroverted, so they'd probably be too much for me lol. That being said, I like to give ALL my characters a little piece of me, and I take a lot of inspiration from my life and experiences. So I'd probably vibe with each of them to some level (e.g. Dylan with his family drama).

(More below)

I think the thing I find easiest to write is conflict. I just love creating chaos for some reason...

No, but really. It's something I've always been good at (well, being good at something is different from finding it easy/doing it all the time, but you get what I'm saying). I like throwing things off the rails. I like writing arguments. In Steph's Crew, there are like 5 main conflicts/arguments before we even get to the midpoint lol.

(It's a real problem of mine. When I was a kid, and I'd play dolls with my sister, I used to be the one to come up with all these random conflicts and plot twists for no apparent reason. It would seriously tick her off lol.)

Something I struggle more with is coming up with realistic dialogue. Which may sound weird, considering the fact that I'm literally posting a series of ONLY dialogue, but that is actually part of why I decided to do that! I like practicing writing conversations, it gives my mind a clear idea of what is going on, and planning out dialogue helps me practice more in that weaker area.

I'd also say writing romance of any kind is something I'm not 100% comfortable with, either (purely due to lack of experience lol). And I would avoid it in my own work... if I didn't love it so much. I need at least one love story in most of the stuff I write, I just love love too much! (Another serious problem of mine... )

Your third question is actually super interesting, and I'd actually like to tackle it in it's own separate post if that's ok. I just really need some more thinking time with that one!

Thanks for the ask!

[thewriteflame]

Meet the Writer

Thank you @the-finch-address for the tag! ^^

Rules: use this picrew to make yourself and answer the questions

Three fun facts about me:

When I was little I hated my hair being brushed and messed with so my thick, curly hair was always long and unruly. It was even past my elbows when I was eleven. Then I read The Princess Diaries and decided to cut my hair short like Mia's and that's when I discovered the freedom of short hair! I've kept it above my shoulders (usually in a bob or pixie) since.

I took Japanese for half a year in high school (age 14) before I changed to going to an online school. The only thing that makes me really regret changing schools is that I could have been semi-fluent or fluent in Japanese now. :/ (also Japanese was the only class I truly enjoyed so I really missed it)

Speaking of high school.... My grades were mediocre at best when I entered high school so the school stuck me in reading class. The teacher for the class just happened to be my first grade teacher and she looked very confused when she saw me there. They tested us to see where our reading level was and I was the last to start the test but first to finish. The school moved me to the advanced English class the next day and never looked further into why I was struggling so much. It was a decade later that I realized I have ADHD and most classes just aren't stimulating enough for me.

Favorite season: spring and first part of summer (before it gets too hot)... so like March-June

Continent where I live: North America

How I spend my time: Procrastinating lol... helping my grandma, scrolling through tumblr, watching anime, reading, writing, listening to music, watching Asian dramas, playing video games.

Are you published?: Honestly, I'm not sure I want to get published. I haven't even finished 1 novel so yeah....

Introvert or extrovert?: Introvert!

Favorite meal: I'm a foodie so there's so many meals I love but nothing beats Navajo tacos.

Not sure who all has done this, I'm sorry if you have. >.< Tagging: @blue-kyber @megarywrites @emelkae @ofbloodandflowers @pinespittinink

[filleguernesiaise]

Living in the middle: The unique life of an ambivert.

I'm one of those people who loves to hang out with family and friends but also craves some alone time, I recently found out that means I am an ambivert. It basically means that I enjoy socialising and feel energised by spending time with family and friends but I also need time alone to recharge.

Ambiverts have a mix of extroverted and introverted qualities, balancing the need for connection with the need for solitude. This balance allows ambiverts to thrive in both social settings and quieter reflective time by themselves.

Here are some key characteristics of an ambivert:

Social flexibility - Ambiverts can adapt and shift between social and solitary settings with ease from feeling energised in social settings but knowing when to step back when feeling drained.

Balanced energy levels - While extroverts gain energy from social settings and introverts recharge alone, ambiverts have a mix of these tendencies. For example ambiverts might enjoy a weekend with friends but then feel perfectly happy to spend the next weekend alone.

Strong listening and communication skills - Ambiverts tend to be good listeners and communicators as they understand both the extroverted need to engage and the introverted need to reflect.

Empathy and perspective - In the same way as being good listeners and communicators as Ambiverts understand the perspectives of both extroverts and introverts so it means they can often relate to a broad range of people.

Adaptable social preferences - Ambiverts have an equal preference for being with family and friends or enjoying time alone, depending on their mood, This adaptability can make them less likely to suffer burnout then extroverts and less likely to feel isolated than pure introverts.

So all in all being an Ambivert can have a lot of advantages, the only thing I personally struggle with is indecisiveness as decision making has never been my strong point. I sometimes find it difficult to decide if I'd rather be social or be alone which can lead to myself over committing, at the same time I also hate missing out so I can struggle to find a balance. This is something I am learning to overcome later in life and my decision making has definitely improved over recent years along with my life balance.

So I would say don't be afraid to say no when your friends invite you out if you know you actually need some alone time to recharge, it's about setting your own boundaries. Also don't be afraid to admit that to your friends as maybe one of them might need to hear it as a reminder for themselves too.

[licdu]

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

English: I refused to watch this anime for a long time due to several reasons: 1.) It was produced by Netflix. 2.) I played the game when it was released, and I was quite disappointed. 3.) I'm not a big fan of the 'Sci-Fi' genre, and I despise 'Mecha.' 4.) The ones who praised it the most were usually the ones with whom I often disagreed Anyway, I decided to give it a watch simply because it had 10 episodes, and I was going on a trip with nothing else to watch. That's when I realized I had been completely wrong. I got hooked after the first episode :))) Although the story started out simple, it gradually became better. I liked the entire concept of the new human society, especially the mechanized part, because there are heaps of people living on the streets and in all sorts of rundown places. David's mother dies right at the beginning, and she took great care of him. However, she was barely making ends meet financially. David is smart but not very calm as a child. He manages to enroll in the best school, which his mother could barely afford. He gets into trouble because he beats up the director's child who used to bully him. On the way home, his mother dies in a car accident caused by two gangs shooting at each other. David barely survives, and with no one left to support him, he ends up on the streets. He meets a girl named Lucy, who introduces him to the other characters. David undergoes a procedure to implant Sandevistan, which is military body technology, giving him advanced abilities. All David wants is to make Lucy happy and make his mother proud. David's friends die, one by one, until only a few remain. There's a time skip of about a year or a little less, and David undergoes a complete physical transformation. David and Lucy now live together, but after realizing who their real enemy is, they are forced to separate, and David must become even stronger to defeat the enemy. He and his team manage to find the most advanced combat technology. However, even before, David struggled to maintain his sanity due to various gadgets and enhancements he installed in himself. So now he has to use an even stronger calming liquid. In the end, David, along with his remaining friends, reaches the Arasaka corporation to save Lucy. His main goal is to defeat Faraday (the main antagonist in the story), but he is attacked by Adam Smasher (from what I heard, this character should also exist in the game), who is on the same level of strength as David. David loses to Adam Smasher because he runs out of calming liquid, but he manages to save Lucy, leading to their final kiss, which also calms David down. This part is supposed to be the one that made everyone cry, but I didn't, probably due to the environment I was in while watching. Nonetheless, it was indeed sad, and I liked how everything was packed into 10 episodes. I'm really glad I decided to give it a chance. After watching the anime, David also made it into my top 10 favorite characters because he's basically me, but extroverted. Maybe in the future, I'll try playing the game again, but I'll see because I'm not doing well on the computer, and I don't want to spend money on a PS4 copy right now.

Favorite Character: Martinez, David Serbian: Dugo sam odbijao da gledam ovaj anime iz više razloga: 1.) Napravio ga je Netflix 2.) Igrao sam igricu kad je izašla, i baš sam se razočarao 3.) Ne volim baš toliko 'Sci-Fi' žanr, a 'Mecha' prezirem 4.) Oni koji su najviše govorili da je odličan, bili su oni sa kojima najčešće ne delim mišljenje Uglavnom, odlučio sam da ga pogledam, čisto zato što je imao 10 epizoda, a ja sam išao na put i nisam znao ništa drugo što bih mogao da gledam. Tada sam shvatio da sam se teško prevario. Navukao sam se odmah posle prve epizode :))) Iako je priča počelo prosto, kasnije je počela da postaje sve bolja. Svideo mi se čitav koncept novog ljudskog društva, barem onaj mehanizovani deo, zato što ima gomila ljudi koji žive na ulicama i kojekakvim rupčagama. Davidu na samom početku umire majka, koja se jako brinula za njega. Ipak, finansijski je jedva sve izdržavala. David je pametno, ali ne i toliko mirno dete. Uspeva da upiše najbolju školu, koju je njegova majka jedva uspela da plati. Ulazi u nevolju zato što je prebio direktorovo dete koje ga je pre maltretiralo. Majka mu umire na putu dok ga vozi kući zbog dve bande koje su se za to vreme pucale. David jedva ostaje živ, i, pošto nema više ko da ga izdržava, ostaje na ulici. Upoznaje devojku po imenu Lusi, koja ga upoznaje sa ostalim likovima. David ugrađuje u sebe Sandevistan, što je vojna tehnologija za telo čoveka, i ima veoma napredne sposobnosti. Jedino što David želi jeste da učini Lusi srećnom, i majku ponosnom. Davidovi drugovi umiru, jedan po jedan, dok ih na kraju ne ostane nekolicina. Imamo tajmskip od nekih godinu dana ili malo manje, David se fizički totalno promenio. David i Lusi sada žive zajedno, ali nakon što shvate ko im je zapravo neprijatelj, primorani su da se razdvoje, a David, kako bi pobedio neprijatelja, mora da postane još jači. On i njegov tim uspevaju da pronađu najnapredniju tehnologiju za borbu. Međutim, David je i pre jedva uspevao da održi razum zbog raznih stvarčica i poboljšanja koje je ugradio u sebe. Tako da je sada morao da koristi još jaču tečnost za smirenje. Na kraju David, zajedno sa svojim preostalim , dolazi do Arasaka firme kako bi spasio Lusi. Glavni cilj mu je da porazi Faradeja (glavnog netivca u priči), ali ga napada Adam Smešer (ovo bi, barem koliko sam čuo, trebalo da bude lik koji postoji i u igrici) koji je, po jačini, na istom nivou kao David. David gubi od Adama Smešera jer mu je ponestalo tečnosti za smirenje, ali uspeva da spasi Lusi, te tako dolazi do njihovog poslednjeg poljupca, koji ujedno i obuzdava Davida. Ovaj deo bi trebalo da bude onaj uz koji su svi plakali, ali ja nisam, verovatno zbog prisutnog okruženja dok sam gledao. Sve u svemu, jeste bilo tužno, sviđa mi se kako je sve ubačeno u 10 epizoda, i jako mi je drago što sam ipak odlučio da mu dam šansu. David mi je takođe, nakon gledanja animea, ušao u top 10 likova, jer je bukvalno ja, samo je ekstrovertan. Takođe, možda u budućnosti probam opet da igram igricu, ali videću još, zato što mi na računaru ne ide dobro, a trenutno mi se ne daje novac za ps4 kopiju. Omiljeni Lik: Martinez, David

[cringefailcabitha]

Cabby saying that despite all this she still kept trying to connect with people is so powerful to me like. It's very common for people to retreat into themselves when faced with rejection repeatedly in the way that Cabby did but even as she got hurt and even as it pushed her out of her comfort zone she really did keep trying?

It's not just words she says for the finale you can go back and look at her trying to reassemble the original Thinkers, giving Montgomery to Yin-Yang and encouraging Yin when Yin told her he lost Sprinkles, Trying to encourage Paintbrush after noticing them struggling with what felt more like home, letting someone else choose who they should try to eliminate, becoming friends with Yin-Yang and finding a way to keep both of them from getting eliminated, trying to correct her Bot file in Spring on the Breakfast, Deciding to follow Balloon's lead in the elimination vote, Still hearing Balloon's idea out in The Great Bluish Bakeoff after he got her first 2 friends and the last member of her alliance on the show eliminated, Sticking with said alliance until she was the only one left, The list of examples is exhaustive.

You can see that despite the pain she expressed in her exit interview she does come back and keep trying to connect with and understand people when she rejoins because it's something she loves doing, and she just isn't someone who can keep to herself ("would someone extroverted require constant input from other people to feel alive?").

And she Still gets negativity in return in some of these cases: Test Tube assuming she was motivated by ego and needed to go in episode 10, Paintbrush not wanting to talk to her after she accidentally overstepped while bringing up Lightbulb, Bot lying to her about themselves, Walkie Talkie telling her she makes others uncomfortable because she tries too hard, etcetera. I truly hate how it turned out for her for so long and I also think that level of strength in her convictions is incredibly admirable.

Just idle thoughts in light of the finale from accidentally saying a lot in IID so. It may seem to end rather abruptly? but:

Whenever Cabby is important to a scene if not straight up in it it has something to do with her trying to trust people or her confidence or how the people around her perceive her and. Before she was eliminated, Yes there are times where she comes off as cocky or pushy but I agree with Clover saying she was never a particularly malicious person. Imo by allowing Cabby to win it like. Shows her that the confidence she lost was not unwarranted and that there was never anything wrong with her using her files. The way she interfaces with the world is fine and she deserves to be celebrated after all the work she put in and what she went through.

For a lot of the show Cabby struggles to form proper connections with some of the other contestants because her disposition came off as intense in a way that intimidated the others ("I'm a tryhard, remember?" I think there are a lot of situations in real life where people can tell when someone is putting a lot of effort in and they find it offputting. Hello social outcasts can you see inside this parentheses). Like. Remember when Test Tube in episode Two said "Fan's discomposure is... understandable. Even I'm not feeling up to par today. But Cabby's just got so many notes! How can I compete with that?" Note how she's fretting about how she can "compete with that". Despite them being on the same team, And Cabby giving no indication that she wanted to compete with the two of them at that point.

None of the contestants that find her intenseness to be uncomfortable really try to understand her or examine why they feel that way until she gets eliminated and rejoins and even then. It's not until episode 12 that she receives sympathy or attempt to understand from any other players on her team, Which I find rather sad, But. After 3 episodes of her gone and the only person that was "close" enough to her to know anything about her being the same one who betrayed her. It seems like everyone sort of accepted what Test Tube said without thinking about it, Since they were all nervous about Cabby anyways for reasons aforementioned,

And then Test Tube, being the kind of person she is. She has a strong sense of justice but I don't think she is very perceptive when it comes to other people's feelings so the combination of already being intimidated by Cabby's disposition, Fan getting eliminated, and the information Cabby has being extensive to a point where if she was not a good person she could use it to cause quite a lot of trouble, She assumes that Cabby must not be a good person and once Test Tube decides something like that (that someone is not a good person, or that they are at fault for something important to her) she becomes really stubborn when it comes to that person and, to varying degrees, Closes herself off from understanding their point of view (Suitcase, Fan, Lightbulb, Microphone). So of course when Cabby comes back she immediately assumes Cabby must be out for "revenge" like she's some sort of supervillain and that eliminating her "is what needs to be done". And when she gets eliminated in spite of her own efforts she tries to leave without really saying anything to Cabby about how she actually feels about everything that went down. Which Cabby being the kind of person who just Has to know why, Couldn't let her just leave like that. And Test Tube tells her that "it's great" that she "cares about all this" but all she's done is "make people scared of her" which I think is something that holds true for Test Tube herself because who came up to her and told her that they were afraid of Cabby?

And how exactly is Cabby supposed to take a revelation like that, except by trying to overcompensate by attempting to put away the parts of herself she thought might be intimidating people?