#I don't think I've ever actually drawn a dragon before

[randomthunk]

When you're the only person in a particular region that the local dragon will speak to, which gives you a chance to brush up on your draconic language skills.

[burningcheese-merchant]

"Eyes" - BurningCheese Short Story #4

I have a bunch of asks in my inbox, and I would like to answer them... but I also want to get this short story finished and posted before my SO nags me about going to bed super late again lol.

I'll answer people's messages tomorrow! In the meantime, enjoy this short! Thanks for your patience and thanks to those who reached out! I always enjoy and appreciate people taking the time to tell me their thoughts!

'Were they always like this...?' Golden Cheese wondered. 'So bright...'

Burning Spice returned her curious stare with a smile and nothing more. He quite liked this unprompted attention, honestly. Just how long would it last, if he kept choosing not to interrupt it?

'So bold... I don't think I've ever seen anything like it...'

"Birdie~" he called to her playfully. (He couldn't help it. She looked so cute when she concentrated that he simply had to say something.)

'So red... The shade of White Lily's eyes is so much more... calm. Subdued.'

"Little bird?" His smile began to falter.

'And his pupils... Were they always like this, as well? Was he born with a beast's eyes, right from the very beginning?'

"Little thief?" His tone sounded less playful and more... confused.

'What is it... Just what do I see...'

"Golden Cheese?"

"Hm?"

Only now did she realize that Burning Spice had invaded her personal space (as he was wont to do) by leaning down and resting his forehead against hers. Perhaps that was why his eyes seemed so bright, at least in part - they were hardly an inch from her own now.

When he knew she was back in the waking world, his smile returned. "There you are," he said. "Why are you staring at me, little thief? Can I help you with something?"

"I..." She averted her gaze from him, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't mean to be so rude. I was... lost in thought."

"I could tell," he chuckled. "And where did your mind wander off to? Somewhere to do with me?"

"Nowhere important," she said, still refusing to look at him.

"Come on. Tell me. Sing for me, pretty bird." He cupped her chin. "You don't want to keep being rude, do you? Not looking at someone when they talk to you is very rude. Turn those pretty eyes back to me and speak your mind."

"Eyes..." she murmured. She did what he asked and looked at him again, her gaze once more unwavering and... curious. "That's what I was thinking about, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"Your eyes," she said. "That's where my mind wandered off to, Burning Spice. Straight into your eyes."

"Ah, I see." His lips curled into another teasing smile. "What about them? You like them?"

"They're very unique," she told him. "I know plenty of people with red eyes... including a dragon and a man made of fire... and even their eyes aren't quite like yours."

"I certainly hope not. I'd rather you stare into my eyes than theirs."

She made a face at him and gently swatted at his cheek, earning her another chuckle. "I mean it," she said. "I'm not saying this lightly. Your eyes are... one of a kind."

"Such high praise," he purred. "I think and say the same of yours, pretty bird."

"I feel... drawn to them, when I look at them," she continued, past his little attempt at flirting. "I'm not sure how else to put it. I see them and I think of..."

"Of...?" he echoed.

"...Of many things," she eventually finished. "They aren't static. They grow brighter, dimmer... I almost wonder if you change them at will."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't." He leaned in the slightest bit closer, letting his nose brush against hers. "Regardless, what do they make you think of? What do you see? Tell me. I'm curious."

She paused, losing herself in thought for another moment. Burning Spice stayed put, patient but eager, waiting for her answer.

"I see... a star," she finally told him. "I see stars, shining brilliantly within the vastness of space. I see them glowing, twinkling, burning so bright... and I see them falling apart. Collapsing in on themselves. Dying valiantly in an all-consuming flame. These beacons of light in a deep, dark ocean, succumbing to loneliness at long last... but not with a whisper. With a bang. With aplomb. With the same brilliance they had possessed all their lives."

His smile grew. "Yeah? What else?"

"I see a great inferno," she continued. "A spark that grew out of control and into something too powerful for anyone to stop. Waves of fire crashing down, consuming everything in their path in mindless fury. Swallowing a forest whole and spitting out its ashes. Striking primal fear in the hearts of all who see it. Rampaging across the world until either someone puts an end to its reign of terror, or there is nothing left to consume, and so it consumes itself instead."

He hummed. For a moment, just a moment, his smile faltered again. He composed himself quickly - but not quickly enough for Golden Cheese not to notice.

"I see... a fire pit," she said, a bit more carefully this time. "A stove top, an oven, a nest of metal and charcoal... I see someone hard at work, their brows knit, tending to the flames as a mother tends to her child. Hammering away at a piece of unrefined steel, sprinkling salt into a pan, carefully molding a mound of clay. Perhaps only for a few hours, perhaps for days and nights. But at the end, when they're finished, I see them reach into those flames they cared for so diligently and pull out the fruits of their labor. A fine sword. A delicious meal. A beautiful vase. Something new, something great. From within this force of death and destruction still comes creation and ingenuity."

A blush began to creep across Burning Spice's face. "I..."

"Now, I don't see these things all at once, all the time," she told him. "They... change. The flames in your eyes rise and fall. They glow, they simmer, they explode. Never a dull moment, in those eyes of yours."

"Yeah?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she echoed quietly.

"Then... if they always change..." He let his hand wander up from her chin to her cheek, his fingers ghosting over her skin. "What do they change into... when I do this?"

He kissed her. Slowly, deeply, those fiery eyes still open and gazing into her own. And she stared right back at him, shining gold gazing into smoldering embers. Red, orange, yellow, white... all the colors of summer. Heat and light and unashamed passion, boring into her soul.

When he pulled away, he let himself linger, his lips still just barely brushing against her own. She could feel his hot breath on her lips, on her skin. Still taste it in her mouth.

"And now?" he asked. "What do you see now?"

She didn't answer. She only continued staring at him in silence, lost in his warm gaze.

"Tell me, Golden Cheese," he insisted, caressing her cheek. It was a deep red and hot to the touch. "What do my eyes look like now? What do you see in them?"

"...I..."

He pressed another kiss to her lips. "Tell me," he said again. "Please. I want to know. I must know."

"I see..." She faltered again. Another moment of silence passed before she spoke again.

"I see a hearth," she murmured.

"You do?" He smiled again... with the same warmth and adoration she saw glittering in his eyes. "What about it? What kind?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She closed her eyes, staying still and silent... and then she sighed softly, shaking her head.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm sorry. I..."

"Sorry? What for?"

She was already pulling away from him. The spell had seemingly been broken; now she was tearing her eyes away from his own and casting them any which way. Anywhere but him.

"It's rude to stare at people, Burning Spice," she said.

She turned and started walking away, her head slightly bowed. He stood frozen in shock for a moment or two, before he snapped out of it and hurried after her.

"I don't care!" he told her. "Who cares about that? I don't mind if you're rude! Be as rude as you'd like!"

"Sorry," she said quickly, shaking her head again.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "Why are you leaving me? At least let me say my piece! Let me tell you what your eyes show me!"

"Maybe another time," she told him, her cheeks turning a shade darker.

"No! Now! Let me do it now!" He rushed up to her side, now keeping perfect pace with her. "Ignoring others when they talk to you is rude too, remember?! If you don't want to be rude, then stay! Stay with me! Let us tell each other more of our thoughts!"

They stayed in this loop for a little while. Golden Cheese with her arms crossed and face a deep scarlet, walking away from her own foolishness with increasing speed. Burning Spice with his pleading look, those telltale flames now crackling frantically, always hot on her heels and fighting to take back their little moment.

Until she had enough of their charade and took off into the air, with a flap of her wings so sudden and forceful that the gust of wind nearly knocked him over, and he found himself pouting after her as she flew up and away.

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

A supernova. That's what that first thing Golden Cheese talks about is. She sees supernovae in Burning Spice's eyes. Haha.

Something I often like to do (or attempt to do) when I write is... try to tell people what something is without outright stating it. Describe an object without mentioning its name. Let people put those pieces together themselves. Let their minds wander. Leave a few spots on the canvas blank, so they can fill them in on their own. It's a fun little challenge. A guessing game. Keeps people reading, if only to figure out what you're referring to, before they skip to the glossary out of boredom or frustration.

Things lend themselves to a lot of fascinating imagery if and when you allow yourself to take on that sort of challenge and try to view them that way. Go look at a plant or a mug and try to tell yourself what it is without saying it's a plant or a mug. You start to train your mind the more you do it. Might help you write better. Hopefully. I hope it's working for me.

[factual-fantasy]

25 asks! Thank you! :}} 👹

I have it in the back of my mind, but I haven't actually made any steps in making more master posts.. 😔

ReBLOGGING is good! Its a feature of Tumblr and helps more people find my artwork! Very nice :))

RePOSTING is stealing my art and posting it on your own account. Giving you and only you all the credit. That's theft and no good!

I think I remember wanting my sona to be an object head of some kind. I think I doodled probably a dozen different ideas before I got frustrated and just scribbled my most recent attempt out.

But then it hit me. I doodled two little white eyes on the scribble and I knew I had found my sona XDD

@xxthedragonrebornxx

XD Thank you for remembering my boundaries and respecting them! :)) And THANK YOU FOR THE CUPCAKE!! :DDD

I haven't read it, but I've seen it blowing up all over tumblr. It must be pretty cool! :00

@milk-powrit

<XD I won't lie, Bill is a fantastic villain. I just "hate" him because Stanley is my favorite character and Bill put his family through hell 💀

Most of the team: "Aww 🥰💞💞"

Gloria: "WHO ARE YOU AND HOW ARE YOU HOLDING ALL OF US UP AT ONCE"

@pink088

<XD These past 2-3 days have just hammered me health wise, but I can at least say that I've been sleeping enough!

And thanks for the check in! I wish you the best :))

(Pokemon violet comic(?))

:DD Thank you!! I'm glad you liked it!! :)))

If I ever really go into those series I would :00 But I cant remember the Godziilla movies- plus that would be really hard to draw <XDD

There's so many sonic medias that i wouldn't know which one to go by- and I've seen playthroughs of Poppy playtime but it never really grabbed my interest.. <XD

I'll do my best to keep up with all that <XDD Thank you!

(Frank butterfly post)

Oh there's no need to worry about Frank! It might be hard to tell- but that was actually a moth! Frank had bags under his eyes because he was out late studying moths :))

<XD Well considering Homes intentions are intended to be unknown- you're free to imagine that! :D

@skywillow28022

ohmygosh the third movie is so good I actually cant watch it anymore lest I burst into tears 😭😭😭💞💞💞 10/10 WOULD recommend cars 3--

Anyways- I ADORE the cars franchise and absolutely would have drawn them more.. if cars weren't so hard to draw <XD Plus my favorite thing to draw is angsty cuddles and hugs and big droopy eyes and tears- that's kiiiind'a hard to pull off if your characters are cars-

Of course I could always draw them as humans like many other artists have.. but idk, it just doesn't feel the same you know? <XD

Also thank you! I hope you day goes well too! :))

@neo-metalscottic (Welcome home post(?)) (Octonauts eye study) (Oxem and Pepemijo comic)

AAAAA Thank you sop much! :DD I'm glad you've been liking my recent posts!

As for Oxem and Pepemijo, I cant show images because of the stupid 30 images limit-- But Pepemigo is based on/inspired by the Year of the dragon mask, and Oxem is based on the current season of Duets seasonal guide mask! :00

I imagine there are other dragons out there, like that other sky dragon that I made one time-- <XDD I don't really have any ideas for their powers or their story, but I had intended that Pepemijo at least knocked the krill out in self defense. Thankfully they wont be hunted by krill following that event- Oxem got them to a safe place and he knows that he should steer clear of krill territory in the future <XD

And of course! I'd love to see any critters that you've made! :DDD

@sussyhahag

uhg, always disappointing to see.. thank you for letting me know though 😔

*VERY LOUD CARTOON BROKEN HEART SOUND* (I LOVE THISSS)

<XD yup.

Also even though that disclaimer is there for FNAF and Octonauts, I still get people harassing me anyways!.... :')

@vesselofmanythings

AAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :DDD And I wish you luck on your slime rancher creative adventure!! :}}}

AAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDDD That means a lot!!! :))

@starsbee

This shouldn't have made me laugh as much as it did XDD

@wolfie-777

Oh no.... THAT MUST BE ME WELCOME HOME AU COMING BACK--

@anikakitty11

Somethin ain't right with that dog <XDD

@edelgeist (Referencing this post)

oooh :00 I wasn't aware of that- thank you for the info! Perhaps I should invest in a cooling pad <XD

I have not <:( But after googling it- I love the artstyle! :DD

[pupkinpumpkin]

https://www.tumblr.com/thievinghippo/763052703781879808/31-days-of-dragon-age?source=share

Oct 23: Favorite Inquisition Companion

Cole it's Cole

Its always gonna be Cole

I adore him so much

Have I drawn him before? Yes, many times

Have I made multiple posts about him here on Tumblr that either included drawings, hopes that he was happy, or expressions of how much I like him? Oh ya

Was one of them a whole long post about why I love his Odd Things Quest? 100%

Did I create an entire PowerPoint on why I adore him so much? Absolutely

Every time I replay DAI do I go on massively long tangents to myself about how much I like Cole or how I get sad when he's sad or angry and I just want to help him like he helps others because he deserves to have a happy life like the ones he creates for everyone else by being so compassionate? Of course!

Did I read that fanfiction that's a Cole x Inquisitor slow burn enemies to lovers that's here on Tumblr? No actually, I personally don't see Cole that way, absolutely no shame to those who do though, I get it 100%, but I've also read some of the author's other stuff before, they're really really good and I highly recommend at least checking them out, they're great, I love the way they write romances (and other stuff)

@bucketsofmonsters btw

( I believe they also have an AO3, but I don't know their name there)

But ya, I don't think I really knew what a comfort character was until Cole existed. Obviously he's not perfect, no one is, but he is genuinely the sweetest and kindest person I've ever seen and he's always trying to help and his mere existence makes me want to be a better person

[moonshine-nightlight]

Hi, I'm always very impressed by your world building skills, even in shorter stories! Do you have any advice for aspiring writers on how to build their fantasy world?

So i drafted a response to this in between working just far too much and then my computer crashed and i lost it. Then i was even busier so i never got around to writing it again but i am making some time this weekend, so worldbuilding post - take 2

My main, high level worldbuilding tips are:

Rule of Cool: worldbuild things you think are fun and interesting. not only is that the best way to get ideas you like and are motivated to write about, but other people will also think they're interesting too. have fun with it.

Iceberg theory: know more about the world than ever makes it into the story. people can sense when worldbuilding is shallow, so even if they never see the true depths of the world they can often sense it's there. plus if u know the whole picture, everything the readers do see will seem more coherent

Integration: i heavily integrate the world i'm building into the story i'm telling--so dig into the plot and characters and make sure that the world and the story serve each other well. your world is there to contribute to the story so make sure its fulfilling that purpose

For more specifics about how i personally world build and for some examples from my stories of the above guidelines, see below.

So firstly, i love worldbuilding. i just think its a ton of fun and could easily spend hours just thinking about worlds in my head. (i mean what else is there to do when ur commuting to work, amiright?) i think that does make it easier for me to take the time to do it right and makes the world come through more vividly in my writing. it can get annoying or tedious or be more challenging at times, but since i like it/find world building interesting, i'm more willing to put in the time and effort to whip it into shape and i get less frustrated with that part of the process in general.

i'm also always thinking about world building to some degree in the back of my mind. picking up interesting information, facts, snatches of cool ideas or images or whatever. then i throw all that in like a junk drawer in my brain so when i sit down to more officially write or flesh out a world, i already have spare parts at my finger tips to use or drawn on.

Reading and consuming other art and worlds also makes it easier to make your own, just lik reading is a key part of writing practice. i don't just mean fiction, but just anything about the actual world makes it much easier to make up your own--that can manifest as awe at the fireflies that actually exist or spite that dragons dont. Whether that's random youtube video essays about the history of musicals or drinks or fashion to books and articles and documentaries or just my friend's niche interests (or their regular jobs). i'm always taking worldbuilding notes in the back of my mind.

For a more writing specific example, i read this short guide '50 Ways to Kill a Mermaid' (its locked for AO3 so u hav to sign in to read it) and it was super fun and cool to read that info from a writer who had studied marine biology. then when i was fleshing out Don't Shoot the Messenger a year later, the problem of Satrasi being a sea demon in a fresh water pool and bloating came to my mind because i'd stored that tidbit from the article away for later use.

My personal method for worldbuilding and plot outlining is sort a brainstorming/Q&A i have with myself (i hope this makes sense when i'm done writing this all out lol).

I've mentioned this before but the prompt that inspired Dale was: "You’re pretty sure your boyfriend was replaced by an eldritch being that can barely emulate being human. Weirdly, you enjoy a better relationship with them than your actual boyfriend."

So when that idea grabbed me, i started brainstorming about the world and asking myself questions. Why is the reader with the boyfriend if they don't really like them? What would make someone stay in a relationship like that? Do i want to make this a dark story? And i did not, i wanted it to be fun, so the arranged marriage angle came to mind. And if that's the premise then when is the story? is this our 'past' or another world entirely? diff world means more freedom so i automatically leaned in that direction.

Can the reader tell the 'boyfriend' has been replaced? Are demons a thing people know about? does the reader know that's an option? which is more fun? if the reader is worried about Dale getting caught, that's more room for hijinks so then yes, demons are known, but not common otherwise too many people would notice.

So my plot and worldbuilding are evolving in tandem and informing each other, based on the type of story i want to tell and how the characters i have in mind will react etc.

i run through a lot of ideas and turn them over in my head--trying out diff pieces to see if they fit--and am always willing to drop an idea or save it for another story if i don't think its working for the current one

For iceberg theory, i mentioned above for Dale would be the religions in that world. When i decided to introduce a priest like character (for discovery danger) i knew i needed to focus more on the religions than i previously had noted. the majority of what i came up with isn't int he story, but i think the fact that i know it helps me write when did end up in there, helped make it consistent, and means i can more easily work in allusions to it without having to work so hard those singular times.

For example, i'd decided to call the demon realm "the Depths" early on, which to me already invokes deep water and darkness, so i followed that through to sort height and air and light as being perceived more positively. fire and light are important symbols in this world and they primarily burn their dead--to bury someone below ground would be seen as almost condemning them and someone drowning is also seen as like, not good for their soul because what if it is 'pulled down' rather than 'ascending'. some of this was alluded to in the chapter, but most of it is not. this also helped me come up with the various "by the light" "dawn's ire" and other similar little 'religious' phrases and exclamations different characters use at times.

Meanwhile, in Sacrifice, the people living their are relatively non-religious--thats why they both don't pray to any other deities and it takes 5 years of problems to even bother trying an old god. it's not sacrilege because they're desperate people trying a long shot, not violating or abandoning a different belief. because i wanted the reader's main problem with it all to just be that they didn't think it work.

And why is she a translator? because i wanted to use the idea from that one post that goes around about how ridiculous it is in movies when their translated prophecies rhyme in english. why are they arguing about the translation? because its a dead language so no one really speaks it, that means the people who came up with it were here a century ago or longer. why aren't they here anymore? nomadic so they left and ended up staying away because of a natural disaster elsewhere. why is this town here now? a particular export/resource in this area became valuable enough for people to try to live here. the fact that its a lumber town due to some rare wood native to the area doesn't come up in the story, but i know it and i think that i know that about the town helps it feel more real, makes it easier for me to reach for new details when i need them

and going back to anything can be inspiration, let's talk about the doorlock in the very beginning of Finally Woken. its literally just a magical keypad/number pad but with different colored tiles instead of numbers because i wanted the reader to be able to get in, but i felt it didnt make sense for them to hav a physical key. and i thought it would look cool in Heshi's door and it went well with the fact that he's a glassblower . also, why is Heshi a glassblower? because i frickin' lov blown glass - i just think its so cool and pretty. that helped lead into the sort of artisan economy feel that world has.

Each of these stories has an outline and notes doc at a minimum. the notes doc is where i throw lik pics, inspiration posts, random worldbuilding ideas etc. only much shorter stories or stories that are heavily based in 'modern' world don't hav extensive random notes.

my Dale folder has subfolders for characters and the setting, as well as random worldbuilding files such as "demon summoning/magic" "spiritual belief and org" "fashion - feminine" and so on. Even excluding the plot outline and chapter notes (and not counting pics) i've got like, over 4k of random notes saved. dale is the one i hav the most of that for, but all my fics have some little section with stuff like that jotted down

in the end, i think the best way to sum up all that is with my three original rules of: put stuff u think is cool in your world, known more than you tell to help everything fit together and seem deep, and build your world around your plot and characters because they should all be working together to tell the story you want to tell.

honestly, i could ramble about worldbuilding all day so if anyone has any questions or wants more examples, just let me know ^^

[sipsteainanxiety]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

i was tagged by @coopigeoncoo @andypantsx3 @willowser and @namodawrites to do this lil self fic rec game and after finally sitting down to think about it for a very... long... time... i have done it! thank you all for the tag i kiss you each on the forehead and give you a bowl of sliced fruit<3

after looking at all the wips i have in docs right now, i can definitely say that this list would be completely different if i had finished a few of them, but for now this is my ranked list for things i've published already lol

devil's glare — demon!bkg x reader

bakugou katsuki is a powerful demon that you have the pleasure of dating. but when he pisses you off one day, you decide to get back at him in a pretty petty way: drawing a salt circle around you to force him to apologize 

i had THEE most fun writing this one shot LMAO. it was based on a tiktok of all things that i'd found back when i was still on the app pfft. i just loved the idea of bkg being all surly and aggravated that his little human had purposely drawn a salt circle to prevent him from encroaching on their space. and like... him dealing with wanting to idk kiss you so bad but you're trying to teach him a lesson and he's sooooo mad and fuck, he's gonna do whatever he can to get you to comply to him lmao. if i could draw, there's this one scene where you're wearing this like. cute little set of pjs staring up at this big ass demon, wings unfurled threateningly, snarl on his face, arms crossed with a line of salt in between the two of you. like i have a vision. too bad i can't draw it LMFAOO. maybe one day

2. holding out (just for you) — dragon!bkg x reader

in which you find a horrendously injured dragon in a cave and make it your duty to heal him, not knowing that he’s the infamous dragonshifter, bakugo katsuki, who has been cursed to remain trapped in his dragon form forever—unless the spell is broken

this fic... oh boy. i've been working on this fic since mmm 2021 i think? i can't believe it's been a year since the big bang LMFAOO. i also can't blv this shit evolved from being a standalone to having 3 spinoffs and a sequel but well. here we are. complaints aside i really do have fun writing this fic!! i dunno!! i dont think i'd ever read a dragon bkg fic before and i was like fine i'll do it myself and this happened. i added way too much plot and you guys don't even know about half the worldbuilding and shit i have planned for the sequel HAHA. i can't even talk about it bc it would be major spoilers rn rhrsfjhrjfrjrhjg. it's also been giving me such a rough time lately pfft, especially with having to make sure everything lines up for the spinoffs n stuff. im so afraid of publishing ch4 and having to go back and tweak things bc i havent planned out far enough sdkjfsjkdf. i think it just means i'm gonna have to go on a hiatus or smthn and write out all the spinoffs + ch4 at once idk

3. and i give my all (to you) — merman!bkg x reader

you think you bit off more than you could chew when you decided to do your dissertation on ocean acidification, leaving you stranded out in the open ocean. alone. for months. well… maybe you weren’t so alone after all

this is another fic that i've been working on way longer than it's been posted for pfft. i can't blv the first chapter was released over a year ago LMAOOO i am so sorry. i do like this fic tho bc it's one of the easier ones to write and i go back to it sometimes between writing for dragon bkg lol. like i have the chapters all mapped out, all i have to do is sit down and write em. ch2's at abt 3k rn tho and i hit a spot where i'm like oof i dont wanna write these descriptions dfhdkfg it's just a silly goofy story with merbaku and dealing with some of the subtle intricacies of getting to know a mermaid. actually, fun fact, this originally started off as a fic for jotaro from jjba, back when i was in my jjba era. but then i went back to my bkg era and switched it over. i didn't even have to change much LMFAOO jotaro and bkg act the same sometimes. also!! this is the first fic where i'm like... drawing little doodles for each chapter!! and it's so nice but also i'm like damn wtf do i draw for the rest of these chapters.... i'll figure it out ig

4. loving all the parts of you — pro hero!bkg x reader

in which you learn to love all the prickly parts that make up bakugou katsuki

i.. don't think i've thought about this fic for a very, very long time. but i just scrolled thru the masterlist and stuff and i... really liked writing it (when i was focused on it anyways). it's one of my gentler fics tbh. it's more of a character study of bkg, exploring a different aspect of him in each chapter. tbh i need to go through and reread it and make edits so it can better match the writing style i have now, but i rly liked thinking abt what would make bkg tick as a pro and as a person. and tbh, with what i know now of the manga and anime i think i could go very deep with it pfft. also the banner i made for this fic is so cute LOL. it's not high on my priority list rn bc i have other things i wanna work on, but i do hope to return to it one day.

5. forget me not — pro hero!bkg x reader

When you first woke up, you found yourself in a white room, lights blinding you from all directions. A bit disoriented, you squinted and looked around, realizing you were chained to a chair, your arms locked behind you. In front of you was a poster of a man, muscles rippling throughout his body, a spiky mess of ash blond hair nestled on his head, and striking crimson eyes glaring right at you from behind a black mask. In the upper right corner was the name “DYNAMIGHT” in black and orange letters. As you observed the poster, the sound of a P.A. system suddenly rang into existence, the deep, hoarse voice of an unknown person echoing around you. “Your name is [Name] [Surname],” the voice said without emotion, “and you hate the man named Bakugou Katsuki.”

THIS FIC... THIS FCKIN FIC. i have so much i can say about this fic and i am so sorry for the oncoming ramble pfft. firstly, it's both my baby and my number one fucking enemy. like, holy shit i think it gave me the most paralyzing anxiety and bc of this it took me like 3-4 years to finish (apart from being generally busy of course). i started it literally while i was in high school n applying to college, so of course there are aspects of it that i look at now and i'm like mmm don't like that. not to mention there have been so many things that happened in the anime/manga that i wasn't able to add or delve deeper into!! like the war!! bkg's fcking trauma!! midoriya's quirks!! i was an anime only when i first started releasing chapters (and i still am), so i didnt know about the endeavor agency arc or anything so i defaulted to shit with best jeanist and idkidk.

if i could rewrite all of fmn, i think i would. or maybe not all, but a good chunk of it. like i'd condense the first few chapters probably. i also have a different grasp of bkg's characterization now compared to when i was younger lmao. putting bkg in that specific circumstance (iykyk, i wont spoil it) only happened bc of certain outside factors that forced him into that position. which was how i was able to justify it. but... idk. IDK!! this fic had so many things to it that i was not knowledgeable about so i winged a lot of things without doing proper research (i.e. hospitals, police investigations, general bureaucracy and whatnot) and i feel like this has caused certain plot holes that i am not able to detect, but like.... it's been so long already that i'm too lazy to fix it.

i just really wanted to write about having amnesia but... still having this muscle memory and ache of the person you were in love with. that you can fall in love with them all over again. but, jeez, i put the reader through so much that there's so much... trauma and brainwashing and just rhhrhjrkhrhgrkjg. she's a mess and a half!! and this makes it so difficult to read fmn bc she's so frustrating!! but! at the same time idk it was interesting exploring that kind of ptsd and recovery. i think at my core i love writing about truly heartwrenching topics and horror. i rmb i had the most fun writing about reader's nightmares or that one chapter where she was messing around with illusions. actually- one of the things i would change is the reader's fckin quirk and hero name LMAOOOOO what the fuck i made her so op i basically just smashed together dr strange's and wanda's powers for her pfft. i'd also tweak her personality a little, i think.

i digress. anyways. im in the process of editing all of fmn (just like. writing tweaks. changing the phrasing of certain sentences. adding more fluff to descriptions) and i can really see how much my style has evolved lol. like, i am the most happy and proud of the later chapters, where you can really feel certain emotions with bkg and reader. like... the beach scene, or the stakeout scene, or the party scene!! i think i would also add more substance to the investigation and how being a hero is like post-war. the antagonists as well!! there's just so much that could've been built on, but at the same time... i didn't want to go too deep into it bc i was writing an amnesia recovery story.

flaming aside, i am very glad i was able to pull those plot twists successfully LOL. i loved reading people's theories back when i was still updating it, seeing them question things and being like wait a minute... no way... it can't be... it was an era i will never forget pfft. but... because of that expectation i think i was very nervous to reveal specific things or even write the ending bc i didn't know if people would be satisfied lol. fmn was so complicated and for what sdfkjhs. fanfic shouldnt make you this anxious fr and yet there i was. i'm glad im done with it, but at the same time.. i do miss it.

tldr: fmn is the fic that i am the most proud of but also the most insecure LMFAOO. i do eventually want to get to the extra chapters from bkg's pov for it but... idk. i don't wanna even look at it right now sdhfskdfjsf

thank u all for coming to my ted talk B) i'm sorry if u've been tagged alr in this but here we go anyways!! no pressure tags: @earthtooz @call-me-ko @thecatduet422 @boo-kugo @theloveinc <3

[aemonds-little-belle]

FEELINGS SOLD SEPARATLEY

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (THE MISUNDERSTANDING)

Modern!Aemond x Reader

TAGS - (REPOSTED FROM AO3)

Alternate Universe - Sugar DaddySugar BabySugar Baby AUAUokay this is a whole ass story that's just one long ass brain fartliterally i am just coming up with this on the spotlow key really love it thoughSugar Baby/Sugar Daddyobviouslytalks of class issuesaemonds been hurt in the pasti think there will be some sexy stuff eventuallywait fuck i didn't mention this is a modern!aumodern!AUAlternate Universe - Modern Setting<3Aemond "One-Eye" Targaryen is Bad at Feelingsstop that was recommended but so accurateI don't know how to do tagsI'm SorryI promise it's goodAnd no one diesand it's just so classically a sugar baby/ sugar daddy au it hurtsreader works at a cafe ... obviouslythis will follow a similar storyline to the show just modern and also not at allFamily Issueswait probably dom/sub vibes tooDom/subLight Dom/subclearly i don't know where this is going yetmy readers are always written fat because i am fatso keep that in mindSlow Burnit's so slowbut I think it's greatlike genuinely two idiots in lovebut they take soooo long to noticeUghI love fanfiction

NOTE - I'm sorry for leaving y'all hanging for so long! This chapter is slightly shorter than past ones, and probably not as great, seeing as I've been stressed while writting it, I just, it just happened like that, and I'm sorry! Please enjoy!

(Special thank you to @throughgoeshamilton who laid their own series headcannons on me and then me expand them, and also listened to my headcannons and helped me expand them as well. Truly thankful!!! <3)

+ + + + + +

A movie played quietly in the background, the world outside darkening as Y/n and Aemond enjoyed the calm that surrounded them. Aemond was sat up straight, his posture hardly ever wavering, Y/n laid across the couch, head in his lap. Aemond didn’t mean to let his hand wander to Y/n’s hair, nor did he mean to rub soothing circles against her scalp with his fingers, and yet neither of them seemed to mind. “Stop wiggling.” Aemond hummed, Y/n’s legs moving about every few seconds. 

“My pants are itchy.” Y/n huffed, her body going limp in a dramatic flare. 

“Hmm.” Aemond still hadn’t even glanced her way, his eye drawn, and seemingly stuck on the movie. “Take them off then.” 

“What?” Y/n questioned, abruptly sitting up to look at him. 

“If your pants are uncomfortable, take them off.” He explained matter of factly, his hand reaching for the remote, the tv soon silenced. Y/n looked to Aemond with shock dripping from her features, her eyes scanning his face for any sign he was doing this to make fun of her, to mock her soon to be bare legs, to have her vulnerable and pantless, in his apartment. But she shook her head, knowing it wasn’t her worry, but Alys’s words making her second guess Aemond’s intentions. 

Her eyes met his, Aemond smirking slightly as she stood up, a puff of air leaving her chest as worry flooded through her veins, her hands went to the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up slightly to access the button. Her hands slightly shaky as she popped it open, the zipper soon pulled down before she froze slightly. “Um, did you mean for me to actually take my pants off or were you just kid…” 

Aemond shook his head, leaning forwards and wiggling his fingers through her belt loops, pulling her closer towards him, her calves brushing against the couch. “I’m not kidding, little dragon.” He said seriously, his eye meeting hers as he tugged slightly, her pants lowering a few inches. “I want you to be comfortable in my home.” He tugged again. “You don’t wear pants at your home, I don’t expect you to wear them here either.” He teased, reminding her of the morning she answered the door pantsless. 

“Aemond.” Y/n placed her hands on his, stopping the tugging, pulling them away, her underwear now on display slightly, Aemond humming up at her as she spoke. “I just, I don’t, you …” She stuttered, unable to find the words she wished to speak. She took a step back, a few tears that werent there a moment ago lining her eyes, falling down her cheeks. “I want to go home.” She whispered, stepping away from Aemond, her hands shaking as she pulled her pants up, closing them, her eyes frantically looking around the room for her coat, her legs practically sprinting to the door, pushing the elevator button like her life depended on it. 

“Y/n!” Aemond called, his voice filled with worry, his legs following the same path she took, just not fast enough.

“Bye.” She smiled as best she could, stepping into the elevator. “Thank you for dinner. Sorry, I’m sorry.” She cried, the elevator doors closing. 

+

Y/n hadn’t left bed for hours, the sun out, city busy, her building creaking as the hours passed by. She had called in sick to the coffee shop, Eyla worried, but understanding as she reassured Y/n she would be okay. Y/n told her it was her burn that hurt, that she wasn’t ready to get back to work, that she needed a day to adjust. But in reality her burn was fine, stinging if she touched it, or pain radiating it if it chafed against the gauze at an uncomfortable angle, but she felt fine, it was her mind that hurt, thoughts rattling around without end. “Y/n.” A voice called, knocking at the door following. “Y/n.” The voice said louder, Aemond’s deep tone distinguishable that time. 

Y/n took a deep breath, her tears ran out an hour ago, and yet they threatened to spill once again. When the door opened she was met with Aemond, his eye as intense as ever. “Hi.” Y/n smiled, realizing she didn’t message him saying she wasn’t feeling good, rule ten shattered once again. 

“Hmm.” Aemond nodded, glad that she at least knew part of why he was here, stepping past her as she stood still, hoping that maybe if she didn’t move he wouldn’t see her. “When Eyla said you had called in sick I was confused.” He leaned against her kitchen counter, his hands clasping it on either side of himself. “I thought maybe my ringer was off, or maybe my phone had died.” He smirked, his eye flicking up to Y/n’s frame, a large t-shirt on, yet pantsless once again. 

“I meant to ca …” 

“I don’t want excuses, you broke a rule, Y/n, I just want to know why.” He was clearly mad, his words short and to the point, his knuckles snow white against the counter, eye squinting slightly, hell the use of Y/n’s name, not once, but twice, was good enough evidence that he wasn’t happy. 

“I’m scared.” Y/n admitted, her hands crossed over her chest, her eyes avoiding him. “What if I can’t satisfy you, Aemond? Like Alys can?” Aemond felt a shiver run down his spine, he should have talked to Y/n about Alys’s words more than he did, her vile accusations clearly causing the damage she wished they would. 

“Y/n.” Aemond sighed, adjusting his stance.

“No, I just.” She sighed, unsure of how she should bring her next point up, if she should bring it up. “Did you sleep with all of your Sugar Babies?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes trained on the ground still, every ounce of her being filled with dread.

“Y/n, I don’t think …” He began, hoping to avoid this conversation, but Y/n persisted.

“I want an answer, Aemond, I need to know.” A few tears finally slid down her cheeks, falling to her shirt, creating small wet spots.  

“Yes.” He shifted, his arms now crossed against his chest, his jaw clenched, eye closed, his head lifted to the sky, a last attempt, a call to the gods to stop the conversation. 

“But not me?” Y/n couldn’t believe the words she spoke. ‘Why am I mad? Jealous?’ 

“You’re different, Y/n, I’ve made that clear.” His voice was low and demanding, his anger clear, yet it’s destination wasn’t. 

“So you won’t fuck me because I’m poor?” She scoffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, her head shaking before she spoke again. “Or is it because I’m fat, Aemond?” Y/n angrily questioned, she hadn’t felt so frustrated in a long time, the thought of being seen as less than throwing her off an invisible ledge.  

“I would never fuck you.” He began, Y/n’s angry reserve breaking, her pleading eyes back again. He panicked. “I won’t fuck you because I like you, Y/n.” Aemond was shocked at his own words, he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit his feelings yet, if Y/n would even care for them, and yet they wouldn’t stop making themself known. The room went silent, Aemond waited for Y/n to intervene, to get angry, and she waited for him to take his words back, say he was just joking, that he didn’t mean he liked her, that everything was a lie, a ploy, a game. “I don’t want to fuck you, then buy you a purse.” He tried not to seeth, not let his anger for Alys and her mischievous ways slip through in what he said, and yet it did ever so subtly. “I want to take care of you, be there for you. I want to be more than a fuck buddy and a wallet for you to use as you please.” Aemond’s chest heaved, his heart racing as the room went silent.

“I don’t want you to be a fuck buddy either.” Y/n whispered. 

The room fell silent again for a moment, the two of them kicking themselves mentally for not speaking their minds the night before, the miscommunication useless and problematic. “But you want me to fuck you?” Aemond smirked. 

“No.” Y/n mumbled, her cheeks warm, her bare legs suddenly at the forefront of her mind. 

“You looked sad, when I said I wouldn’t fuck you.” Aemond’s smirk never left his mischievous lips, his arms still crossed against his chest, though he leaned towards her slightly, and even though he stood feet away, he felt much closer to her than he had been mere moments ago. 

“Jealous.” Y/n quipped back. “I was jealous, and confused, not sad.” The anger her eyes held only minutes ago crept back in slightly, Aemond’s smirk growing, his chest puffing full of air, he missed the teasing, the banter, the car ride to the grocery store popping into his mind. 

Aemond shook his head slightly. “No more running away.” His voice was serious once more. “You have a habit of running away when things get tough, and it can’t continue.” His crossed arms tightened slightly against his chest. 

Y/n pouted, lifting her hands in defeat. “See! You already have to change the rules, I’m bad at this!” Her anxieties crept back in, the conversation taking another nose dive. “But Aly’s …” 

“Stop.” Aemond barked, trying his hardest not to yell. He uncrossed his arms, taking long strides to Y/n, his hands cupping her face, forcing her to look at him, to really hear him. “Stop comparing yourself to her.” His voice was breathy, desperate. “I like you. I like your smile, your jokes, I like you.” She nodded her head. “Alys and the others meant nothing to me. But you, Y/n, you have me wrapped around your finger.” He smiled, chuckling slightly in disbelief over his own words, shocked he was so willing to admit what he had known since their first meeting.

“Which finger?” Y/n smiled, making a joke as she tried not to cry, his words genuine and scary, yet exciting. 

Aemond just laughed, his head tipping forward, Y/n leaning in so their foreheads touched, then their noses. “Whichever finger you want, little dragon.” He whispered, his words meant only for them, this moment made only for them. 

Y/n leaned in a little closer, tilting her head to the side slightly, Aemond’s eye watching her ever so seriously. “Aemond?” She asked, her hands lifting to grasp his wrists, not to pull them away, but to ensure he didn’t let go. 

“Y/n?” 

Her breath hitched as he leaned in closer, his head tilting the opposite way as hers had just as second ago. ‘Just a little closer’. The two of them were silent, sharing breaths as the room around them seemed to fade from their minds, the light buzz from her fridge filling their ears. “Can, can you.” She pleaded, trying to push her face towards his, but he just chuckled and pulled away, his hands tilting her head back, his thumb brushing against her bottom lip as she crumbled. “Please, Aemond.” 

“Hmm.” He hummed, teasley leaning in, ‘Am I really going to do this?’ ‘Yes.’.“Your manners mean nothing if I don’t know what you're asking for, little dragon.” His thumb brushed trailed along her bottom lip one last time, making it’s way back to her cheek. 

“Please, kiss me.”

[anneapocalypse]

🎇20 Questions for Fic Writers🎇

Tagged by @dreadfutures 💙 Thank you!

Tagging @chocochipbiscuit @farfromdaylight @rakshadow @skyeventide

Blank questions for your convenience! My answers are below the cut.

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

3. what fandoms do you write for?

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

5. do you respond to comments?

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

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

8. do you get hate on fics?

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

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

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? T

16. what are your writing strengths?

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

19. first fandom you wrote for?

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Answers!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

If I count everything, 181. If we're not counting meta pieces, 163.

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

802,674

3. what fandoms do you write for?

I've written for quite a few, but my big ones have been Fallout, Red vs. Blue, and Dragon Age. I've also written for The Penumbra Podcast, RWBY, Mass Effect, Person of Interest, and The 13 Clocks. (And now I'm also writing for Final Fantasy XIV, though I haven't posted anything yet and probably won't until after I'm caught up with MSQ.)

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Homecoming (Red vs. Blue, Tucker & Junior, rated T)

Juno Steel & the Fox's Teeth (Penumbra Podcast, Juno/Peter, rated E)

Sensibility (Penumbra Podcast, Juno/Peter, rated E)

Respite (Red vs. Blue, North/Wash/York, rated T)

Home Front (Fallout 3, Amata/F!LW, rated T)

I was genuinely surprised and charmed at how well-received "Homecoming" was (and continues to be), as I considered it fairly niche at the time of writing, but then, Tucker is a popular character. The response to my Penumbra fics certainly caught me by surprise, in the manor of, "OH, this is what it's like to write the popular pairing!" "Respite" was one of my very early RvB fics and it's not one I'm particularly happy with now, as I think I would have done certain things differently had I written it later, but nonetheless it was well-received; not a lot of people were actually writing North/Wash/York at the time. "Home Front" is one of my favorite Fallout fics I've written; I'm still proud of it.

5. do you respond to comments?

Yes, I try to! Sometimes I take a bit longer these days, but I do try to reply to every comment, barring the odd rude one which I'll just delete or ignore.

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It's maybe cheating to say The Fall, given that it's the second in a trilogy so the story isn't actually over at the end of that fic. But that fic is a downer the whole way and ends with the main character's probable death, so. It's pretty angsty. After that, I'd say "Please (Don't Leave Me)", an RvB South/CT fic where CT doesn't live and South is dealing with the aftermath, poorly.

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

I'd say I've written quite a few--I'm a big fan of the hard-won happy ending. I'm going to distinguish happy from fluffy here--I could pick any number of my one-shorts for fluffiest ending--and say The Landing, because relative to what comes before, and also canon, it's an incredibly happy and optimistic ending for Maine.

8. do you get hate on fics?

Rarely. The vast majority of my readers are perfectly sweet and kind. For some reason, my Mainelina fic has drawn the most bad commenters out of any. I wouldn't call those comments hate, but I have gotten a few that were pretty rude and/or backhanded. My guess is that I hit a particular unfulfilled niche with a long Maine-POV fic that happened to appeal to a particular kind of RvB fan, a kind who like Maine and like the fic but also felt the need to like, flex on me about it. Most of them have seemed not overly familiar with fandom etiquette and transformative fandom culture in general. Embarrassing for them tbh. I just ignore or delete them.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Whatever kind I feel like! Less in recent years perhaps, but that's less a lack of interest and more that I get bored easily if I feel like I'm writing something repetitive, and writing non-repetitive smut can be genuinely challenging! We only have so many words, descriptors, euphemisms, and slang terms that actually sound appealing when you're trying to write erotica, so I think writing good smut requires no small amount of creativity and resourcefulness, and I always admire those who do it well.

Bondage is a theme I've explored repeatedly. I would say that I enjoy writing established relationship smut the most because it can be assumed that the characters already know each other's likes and dislikes. But first-times can be fun too. I think I most enjoy writing smut between characters who trust each other and have a high level of emotional intimacy, whatever the specific activities involved might be.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

To be honest I'm just not really a crossover person. I can find the idea of a crossover interesting, but at the end of the day I just don't enjoy transplanting characters out of their home setting as much as I enjoy exploring who they are within that setting and how it's shaped them.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes. I had a kink meme fill straight up plagiarized once, very obviously, such that when I took it to the mods it was an open and shut takedown.

I've also had less cut and dry incidents, and those are much harder to know how to deal with. I have had people basically rewrite a scene that I wrote, using pieces of the same dialogue, almost as if they thought we were both interpreting a scene from canon when we were not, it was something that I had made up. And yet it's not really plagiarism strictly speaking, and it wasn't worth the social fallout of calling them out on it, so I never did more than grumble vaguely about what happened. I've also had things where like... I ran across something pretty distinctly inspired by a fic of mine that I know the author had read, without bothering to give me a shoutout. That's not theft, but it is a bummer.

In every such case if the author had just asked me, "Hey, can I borrow your idea here? Can I post a remix of your fic?" I probably would have said yes without hesitation. Hell, even if they had not asked and simply given me a shoutout in their author's notes, I would have been pleased to have inspired them. But they didn't do that, and there's nothing I can do about it but I am going to be cranky about it.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

I did have someone ask about translating a fic of mine once, and I gave permission, but I never heard back after that, so I don't know if they ever did. (This is something I have blanket permission for, by the way, so long as you let me know about it!)

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

Sort of? A friend and I did post a polished-up RP as a fic once, though we ended up not keeping it up. In general I think I'm a pretty solitary writer, though I wouldn't rule it out entirely, but I'd have to really feel that both my style and my writing process meshed well with my collaborator.

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

I'm too much of a multi-shipper to have a real answer to this.

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

If I want on any level to finish it, then I consider it still on the table. It might take me years to get back to it, but I still mean to. I still want to finish Small Blessings. I still want to finish Radio Silence. I trust that their time will come, even if it's not now.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Character voice, I think. Both dialogue, and getting inside a character's head and writing a plausible inner monologue.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Combat, always combat and action scenes, though I do think I'm getting better with practice.

Selfishness. As soon as I need to write something as an obligation to someone else, I don't want to do it, which is why I'd make a terrible professional writer, at least one who has to write to order.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Just write it. You don't have to italicize it or put some kind of indicator marks around it. Language is language. I think it's fine to post translations as a footnote but I don't think it's 100% necessary all the time, when it's something the reader can easily look up for themselves. I know I'm willing to do that kind of legwork for a fic I'm enjoying. I suppose it depends on the reader, and what kind of reader you want.

There are also times when it's perfectly fine to just write it in English (or the default language of the piece) while indicating in the narrative that the character is actually speaking in another language, such as ASL. Again I don't think you need to italicize or use some kind of weird formatting. Just write "He signed," and what he said in quotes like you would any other dialogue. If you've firmly established already that a character primarily speaks in ASL, you might not even need that. The reader can keep up.

Things do shift a bit when you're writing in a fictional language, especially one that's very incomplete and not a true conlang. I'll go with the obvious example of Dragon Age's Elvish (and yes, canonically the language is called Elvish or Elven, it's not called Elvhen, that's the people, not the language). Even if I string the appropriate words together, the meaning might not always be strictly clear to the reader out of context because Elvish is a pretty simple cipher. It doesn't have conjugation, for example. Nonetheless, I think often context clues can be enough for an engaged reader, especially if it's a word we encounter a lot in canon. Where it might not be clear, and if it's very important to the story, I will usually simply work some kind of translation into the narrative itself. This can work particularly well when your POV character also has it as a second language. Example from my Briala/f!Tabris draft:

Gheyna and Cammen, having finished tending to the halla, stood aside, hand in hand, and Gheyna waved. "Dareth shiral, Keeper. Talith, Briala, dareth shiral. Sylaise ma ghilana vhenas." Cammen added solemnly, "Dareth shiral, Talith. Elgar'nan ma ghilana, lasa mala enasalin." At that, Talith's expression grew solemn as well. "Ma serannas, lethallen. Dareth shiral." Briala recognized a few words. Dareth shiral, "Safe journey." Vhenas, enasalin. And the names of the elven gods. Gheyna had bid the Hearthkeeper guide them safely home.

I personally prefer to stick to what we have in canon for Elvish (I'm not going to set myself up to be jossed if I don't have to), or if I ever really need an unknown word I'll make something up for myself. While there are some fanmade Elvish dictionaries out there, I'm not comfortable hanging too much of my own work on someone else's fanon, and also I inevitably disagree with some of their decisions on ambiguous canon words. (Ma does not mean "my," it means "you." This is consistent with every canon use of "ma" except one, and that one is in DA2 and is thus really, really likely to have been an oversight due to rushed development; every other instance of "ma" supports it meaning "you." Sorry, that has been eating at me for ages and I needed to get it off my chest. 😅) That said there are multiple fanmade Elvish dictionaries out there at this point, so if you're going to use someone else's, in this case I would strongly recommend supplying the reader with a link, both to credit the author and so the reader knows where to go to look up the words if they choose to. Don't assume that everyone knows you're using so-and-so's Elvish dictionary; I had never even heard of the big popular one until a couple years ago.

That was a lot, but at the end of the day, it's all about making a judgment call on how much you need to hold the reader's hand, as with anything; I personally tend to err on the side of trusting my reader, and if I assumed too much, well, maybe that's my mistake and maybe that reader wasn't my target audience anyway. 🤷🏻‍♀️ You'll figure out what's right for your work.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

The first fandom I wrote for was actually Dragon Age, but that early writing never saw the light of day. First fandom I posted fic for was Fallout.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

OH MAN. That's hard! I referenced The Drop, my Mainelina trilogy for RvB, multiple times in this post so obviously I'm still pretty fond of it. I'll add to that Inroads, my Kimbalina series. For Fallout, I'm real happy with Home Front (Amata/F!LW) and Cast Your Bread Upon the Water (Dr. Li/Star Paladin Cross, past Dr. Li/Catherine/James). And for Dragon Age, my current faves are No Woman Rules Alone (Anora/F!Tabris) and A Pot to Piss In (Sera backstory fic).

[areeis]

Coop [spoilers/nudity/violence]

Notes below [DD/DDDA/DD2 spoilers]

(1)I love that you can buy houses in DD2, I really do. I still feel cheated, though, because you can't ever buy a house and get more than one bed. The Arisen's main pawn will confirm that you chose to rest, so of course with only one bed you have to assume they share it (especially later when you can get more expensive houses with a double-sized bed and nobody else enters it on their own). I would assume you'd want your MP rested most of all, since you could always rehire your support pawns, so that checks out. I also would like it if you could confirm your suppawns don't just have to sit out on the street all night, though. Since you can also give your MP pawn quests which resolve in the morning, I keep thinking they rest for a bit, then head out, and then just travel beyond the rift until it'd be time for them to return, which also hopefully gives them enough time to rest. Since pawns are naturally drawn to an Arisen, especially their own Arisen, I think it would only be natural for them to subconsciously get closer to them, too. Time spent sleeping and resting is such a vulnerable time and would happen frequently, too, so I think it would be perfect for that. As always, I think any new Arisen, if they were not familiar with pawns beforehand, would be at least a little confused about pawns. On one hand I think it'd be only natural for a MP to not want to get all up in their Arisen's business, on the other I think, because they're naturally drawn to them, it'd only make sense for them to use any opportunity to get even closer to them. Spectre only really wanted to stay for a while, though. The gear is taken from DD1, just because I've drawn it before. (2)I love the fancy Bakbattahl house and I wish you could buy it earlier in game. It's oozing character and the view is amazing, too. I'd want to spend more time there. Considering the circumstances of the offer the price is ridiculous, though.. First time coming to Battahl I went the 'quiet' mountain route and ran from a drake, so when I finally entered Bakbattahl I went to shop for better equipment, as you do. Spectre would never actually choose to wear anything like this on his own, but at the time it was the best gear gold could buy, so I wanted to draw him in it at least once. Around that time dragonsplague became more of a concern, since levelling more slowly meant I was keeping pawns for longer. Dragonsplague is really interesting. Not only are pawns not aware of it, but it also makes them bolder. For a 'calm' pawn like Spectre this would mean questioning Ryoken's orders and decisions in battle, but I kept thinking about what that would mean outside of battle. Surely a new thought would cross a pawn's mind and linger. A new thought, emboldened by dragonsplague, seemed like it could awaken them to something that might later define them as a person, too. Since pawns get dragonsplague from other pawns, it only seemed fitting to sneak a little rift depiction in there, too. Drawing their dragon self was hard, since any depiction of the model is so vague. You could argue that Spectre awakens to the more selfish sides of love for his Arisen here, too, wanting to stay by his side more than he wants to be dutiful. I like that he also argues for himself for the first time here, since it'd also be a sign Ryoken's treating him well. I think by this point in the story your MP should almost be done cooking to determine the end sequence, so it'd also show how far they've come together :>

[miladydewintcr]

Writing Prompts

Hello!! Welcome to my prompts page!! On Fridays, I'll be taking prompts for the Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle.

(More info below the cut!!)

I'm happy to explore pretty much all the dynamics- platonic, romantic, antagonistic, I don't mind! I'm also happy to write platonic interactions between... anybody!! Or just single character-focused drabbles!!

I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort, and for fluffy little ficlets, so expect to see a lot of those.

This week I'm feeling: I've been playing Veilguard all week and I'd love to explore the character dynamics a little!! I'm still not finished, so please don't spoil anything for me (I've picked up all the companions!! Currently I'm wrapping up all the side quests before I do the next Plot Mission). My canon ship is Rook/Bellara!! I'd love to write some cutesy, pre-relationship, friends-to-lovers kinda stuff for them as that's v much how I'm reading them where I'm at atm!! I'm also interested in writing some interactions between the Veilguard crew, and some (platonic!!) professor/student interactions between my Mourn Watch girl and Emmrich!

I'm working on a dedicated page for my OCs, but in the mean-time they're:

Eleri Tabris- duelist rogue, Zevran romance, convinced Alistair and Anora to rule jointly, spared Loghain. Eleri can be very soft-- she tends to be very understanding towards children, and people on the lower rungs of society. Amongst the nobility though--- she spent 99% of DA:O threatening violence to every nobleman she met. She trusts none of them. Noblewomen (and generally any nobles who aren't men) get a bit of a pass, but they are on thin ice. Loghain was the first one she offered a chance to (much to Alistair's dismay!!). He intrigues her, as someone who didn't grow up amongst the nobility. Her relationship with Zevran was sort of "slowly, and-then-all-at-once". In my game, it played out so that

Zevran's loyalty mission triggered on the way to rescue Anora from Arl Howe

Arl Howe is ofc in the palace where Eleri's extremely traumatic backstory took place, so she's just about not having a panic attack the whole time

I mis-clicked and Zevran offered her his earring during this mission. She said she only wanted it if it meant something. He reacted as he does (imo he lashes out here because this is his attempt at making their relationship transactional-- you helped me, I'll give you this. He understands transactional. He doesn't understand his feelings, and confronting them terrifies him)

Eleri gets taken to Fort Drakon before they can reconcile. Zevran is part of her rescue team

He then re-offered her the earring soon after. I think it worked well this way because I can say the fear of potentially losing her at Fort Drakon is what made him realise that he actually really does want to spend the rest of his life with her, if she'll have him (which she will ofc, she adores him)

Neria Surana- spirit healer mage, Leliana romance, backed Anora for the throne, let Alistair kill Loghain. Neria's life before joining the Wardens was incredibly sheltered. The Circle is all she remembers. The world she encountered outside of Kinloch Hold is terrifying-- but so incredibly exciting, and honestly less scary than the older mages would've had her believe- darkspawn and all. She was drawn to Leliana, who had seen so much of the world already and who had so many fascinating stories to share. And slowly, over time, their nightly story-telling sessions evolved into something more. Post-DA:O their relationship is predominantly long-distance, although Leliana visits Neria wherever she's stationed when she can-- and once Leliana is made Divine, Neria suddenly has a lot of business to attend to in Orlais?? They snatch moments together when they can, and love each-other completely.

Coralie Hawke- purple f!Hawke mage, Anders romance, backed the mages, Carver is a Warden. Currently I'm working on a long-fic about Coralie where she escapes the Fade and builds her happily ever after with her found family. Generally, though-- humour is Coralie's coping mechanism. Since her father died, it's been her job to hold her family together. To keep them happy. And also, generally speaking-- if someone is laughing at her jokes, they aren't paying so much attention to the sparks dancing around her fingers. As her life and her family fall apart, she clings to her poorly-timed jokes like a raft. If she's laughing, it's okay. If people are smiling at her, she's alright. The mask only comes down amongst a few select people, and only in private. Essentially: she seems like the happiest, most confident person you've ever met, but she's actually held together with pieces of string and with hope.

Hissera Imekari Adaar- necromancy mage, romanced Josephine, sided with the mages. She has several names. Hissera (hope) is the one that she identifies with most, although her parents used both it and Imekari (child) interchangeably throughout her childhood (with 'Immy' remaining their nickname for her, however old she gets). Adaar (weapon, fire-thrower) is the name she adopted when she started work as a merc-- there aren't many jobs in the Free Marches for a qunari mage. I like to think post-DAI, she adds Montilyet to her long list of names, too. Hissera is somewhat awkward, especially around polite society. She puts a lot of effort into being lady-like, because she worries constantly about how her actions reflect back on Josie. Trying her best. Full of anxiety. Just wants everybody, in the entire world, to like her and be her friend.

Viveka Ingellvar- Mourn Watch death caller mage, romanced Bellara. I'm still playing the game so this bio is still v much a WIP! But essentially-- she's a goth girl, she's always cracking jokes, and she loves her new friends. She's also incredibly homesick bless her.

Prompts:

softer love prompts

misc. sentence starters with a dash of angst

Taylor Swift lyric prompts

platonic sentence starters

[penroseparticle]

Penrose Song of the Day Day 41: Feel Good by Gibbz ft. Russ Liquid

I'm having trouble writing because I'm having trouble deciding what's worth saying. What is there to say that hasn't been said already. I'm but one monkey with a typewriter, cut me some slack.

I've been thinking about taste, and recommendations, and what the music we like says about us. I've been thinking about arrogance, and cruelty, and a little bit about No True Scotsman fallacies, too. I just. I don't know. What is "good" music and why are so many people fans of "bad" music.

I don't think bad music even exists, at least not really. I think music like any medium has so many competing and often contradictory delivery methods, goals, audiences, and interpretations that a categorical verdict like that is, frankly, Quixotic. I think about things like Throbbing Gristle and Clown Core, like Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons, like Jungkook and 21 Savage and JVKE and Drake and AJR and all of the people who would say you're not listening to "real music" or "good music". There's a pity that's normalized with the superiority of your music tastes.

On the other hand, the more you learn and deeper you dive into anything, the more repetition you hear. The more you see things as hackneyed or trite. You've seen it before, heard it before, etc. You learn when someone was stolen from, when an artist is just rehashing something or taking from an entire genre/subculture that they weren't part of. Wider eyes see the ugly truths right?

I don't know. It's tough. I wonder if there's an answer that's satisfactory.

I saw Gibbz live, actually. Back in... 2017? I was seeing... I think A SIlent Film? With my good friend Katie. This was back when she would suggest we go see a band and I would just say yes. I think Gibbz opened. I don't remember. Shout Out Rock and Roll Hotel, I miss that venue.

Gibbz wasn't what I was expecting. A little smooth, a little mischievous. Like a wink between good friends. Electronic but soulful. A Silent Film was more classic, traditional rock. Gibbz was one guy at the front with a synth and a crooner's deathgrip on the microphone.

I went up and spoke to him after his set. It was a small venue, he was an opening artist, I just told him I loved his stuff and I really loved I Really Love You (which is still my favorite Gibbz song, for the record). He was kind. He said thanks, and how it was humbling to be playing live. It was a nice interaction.

I think, given the time and money to do so, I want to get back to doing this. Just going to shows blind, of artists I've never heard of, in genre's I've never imagined.

What does all this have to do with taste. I meander, I know. I'll bring it back.

I think I have pretty basic, milquetoast tastes. I like pretty average music. I have a passing interest in things with more obscurity- I like melodic forms of metal, I keep a finger on the pulse of industrial for Lauren. I'm finding myself drawn more to house, classical, and jazz. I like Math Rock.

But cards on the table, my favorite type of music with a bullet is Hot Pop Girlies Having Fun (tm). The Sabrina Carpenters. The Dua Lipas. My second favorite type of music is apparently Men Being Sad (the Hoziers of the world). I don't think that's ever going to change. And I'm trying to be more ok with that. I'm trying to stop letting audience or surveilance or observation change what I like and what I enjoy. I'm trying to unlearn shame.

I don't know. I just want to listen to something I love. You know?

I've stopped sharing music with a lot of people in my life (I'm aware of the irony of having that rumination on this kind of post, thanks). There's like 3 people I share music with IRL and I basically only listen to music with headphones these days. I want to make music one day but I'm struggling to see what the point is. I gotta remember the effusive joy that comes from creation, but I also need to remember, somehow, some way, that sharing music is good, actually.

Anyways, enjoy this song. I hope you feel how this song feels, at least to me. Chill, soulful, grateful to be alive, and above all, I hope that you feel good.

You could be dead right now. Go listen to something you love.

[snezhnayansnow]

I know no one cares but I want to blog...

I'm watching One Piece with my husband.

For reference: my older brother loves One Piece, and I absolutely abhor, hate, loathe, despise the art style... But I'll give credit where credit is due. I love that the men cry. I love when Sanji was on his hands and knees crying his tears fell the right way... Down. Not down his cheeks like a lot of shows animate or comics draw. I played the one video game with my brother too. I've even cosplayed Sanji! I made my older brother a Zoro cosplay and my little brother a Luffy cosplay... We're the moster tiro always!

My husband never was into One Piece but he liked the story after watching the live action on Netflix.

Hell, even my dad liked the live action. (I'm proud to say, my father and I have the same taste in fictional men... Dracule Mihawk is best character)

So now I'm actually watching One Piece...

To save myself some headache, I skipped a few seasons (my brother talks to me about it and I played the game so I already know what happened mostly) and joined my husband for the pirate adventure for, of course, goth island (Thriller Bark).

I mean... Goths! Pirates! All I need is some giant lizards and I'd be so fucking happy.

I won't even go into how much I despise how the poor female characters are written, drawn, portrayed... So on so forth.

It's a real love hate relationship.

I want to love One Piece but so much makes me hate it smh...

Anyway, hubby and I are currently in the middle of Punk Hazard atm. Yes... The dragon....... I don't think I've ever hated a dragon before in my life. What a shitty design. And such small wings for such a fat dragon. I hope it was at least tasty.

Btw: One Piece a million times better high af. Except for that fight with Magellan... Literally gave me a panic attack. Lmfao.

[mikesbasementbeets]

can't stop thinking about the alleged "time jump" now.... i'm trying to find the actual source of the widespread idea that there will be a several year time jump after the first two episodes... and from everything i can find it's like 99% fan speculation. there is ONE quote from ross duffer that is the only source every other article refers to as "confirming" the time jump in season 5 and it's this:

At least one aspect of Season 5 does sound like it’s written in stone. Given how quickly the show’s young leads are growing up, “I’m sure we will do a time jump,” says Ross. “Ideally, we’d have shot [Seasons 4 and 5] back to back, but there was just no feasible way to do that.

“So these are all discussions we’re going to have with our writers when we start the room up,” he continues. “Believe it or not, we’re still working on Season 4. We’re trying to finish the final two episodes, they’re so massive.”

... that's it. outside of that one incomplete and otherwise paraphrased quote, i can't find any other time or place they've mentioned it (please lmk and link if you find another direct quote on this anywhere else... istg i've watched a video of this interview but i can't find it anywhere).

what they have talked about in several places is the fact that they expect season 5 to be shorter than season 4, specifically because it won't require the same amount of build up that season 4 had (.............due in large part to the time jumps bwteen seasons......)

referring to season 5 in this the wrap interview:

Matt Duffer: They’re going from the beginning. There’s going to be less ramp up. And I think people will understand what I’m talking about when they see the end of this season. It’s like, we’re just going.

Ross Duffer: Yeah. Normally it’s like, oh, we get to revisit the characters in their normal lives and how they’re doing and what are their relationships like?

Matt Duffer: And they’re playing Dungeons & Dragons or whatever.

Ross Duffer: And then something happens, and then there’s an incident and it goes from there. There’s build up. There’s a lot of build-up and set-up [each season], and 5 is just going to be pedal to the metal from the opening scene. At least that’s what I remember from the outline.

and in the Happy Sad Confused podcast, they say this about season 5:

"We don't expect it to be super long, as long. And the only reason we don't expect it to be as long is because typically, or, this season, if you look at it, it's almost a two hour ramp up before our kids really get drawn into the supernatural mystery. And, you know, you get to know them, you get to see them in their lives, they're struggling with adapting to high school and so forth.... none of that obviously is going to be occurring in the first two episodes of this.... for the first time ever, we don't wrap things up at the end of four, and so... it's gonna be moving, I don't know if it's gonna be going a hundred miles an hour at the start of five, but it's gonna be going pretty fast. Characters are already gonna be in action, they're already going to have a goal and a drive, and I think that's gonna carve out at least a couple hours."

as far as i can tell (and as far as i can remember from when these came out back in july)... this is where the "two episodes" before the time jump association comes from. they never confirm when they would include a time jump, and outside of that one tvline quote from when they were still finishing season 4, they never actually "confirmed" anything. but everyone took that "i'm sure we'll do a time jump" and leapt with it

[cartooncreaturelover]

Hello it's me again!

So I have some more asks, some relating to art, some just random stuff I think of XD

1. Favorite character of yours that you like drawing?

2. What's your favorite show/movie? (If you don't have a favorite, just name ones you like)

3. Oldest oc you have? How did they change throughout the time you had em?

Thanks in advance!

✨ Hi! Thank you so much for asking more questions! (You're literally the first person to send in more than one ask before! Thank you for bringing some life to my ask box, lol!)

Question 1. I don't know if I have a favorite character of mine to draw, but the first character that popped into my head was Darragh, probably since I used to draw him A LOT & know how to draw him pretty well from all the times I've drawn him before! (I'm hoping to get a light board this holiday season so I can actually finish an updated version of his reference sheet soon!)

Question 2. I like a lot of shows & movies, so I'll just list the many that I like instead!

Some Of The Movies I Like Include... Back To The Future (trilogy) Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Ferris Bueller's Day Off Gremlins Gremlins 2: The New Batch How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) Wolfwalkers Shrek 2 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The "Spider-Man: Spider-Verse" series The "Kung Fu Panda" series The "Sing" series The "Trolls" series

Some Of The TV Shows I Like Include... Bluey The Owl House Infinity Train Ducktales (2017) Gravity Falls Steven Universe My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) Our Flag Means Death Bob's Burgers Central Park SpongeBob SquarePants (Seasons 1-3)

(You know, writing this list out has made me realize how much I like musicals... & DreamWorks Animation???)

Question 3. The oldest OC that I have is my first OC! I haven't drawn her in a long time, but her name is Magic & she initially was one of those classic "character a child likes, so they barely recolor the character & call it their own;" the actual character was Spyro from the Skylanders series! (Yes, I love "Pug Spyro!") Initially, the only difference was that she had white accent colors instead of gold/bronze. As I got better at drawing & designing characters, I began to actually make her more original & less like Skylanders' Spyro (pictured below!)

The first drawing (which is actually the first drawing I ever made of her!) is from 2014, I think in April; I believe we were going on a school field-trip that day to a trampoline park as a reward for the good students? I drew her with no reference in class with my pencil & colored pencils on a piece of notebook paper! Whenever that day was, it was the day I decided to take art seriously & was the start of my journey to getting as good at drawing as I am today!

The second drawing is (I think) from around 2018 when I really started to try & make her legally distinct from Skylanders' Spyro; different shaped horns, fin-like ears, furred belly & (not pictured) tail tip (kinda like Banjo's)! I made that drawing with my old & cheap watercolor set on what (I think) is sketchbook watercolor paper; & yes, that tiny little portrait is in a tiny little picture frame!

The third drawing is a concept doodle for a 4.0 design for Magic from around 2021 or 2022? I never finalized the design, but the idea was to really change her body type into being more chubby & pear-shaped like some stuffed animals I have, as well as adding stars to her design since I think of her as my "spark of inspiration" for where I am now! Since I've been working on redesigning another dragon-like character of mine recently, perhaps I'll finally get around to finalizing Magic 4.0, who knows!

You (or anybody else who may see this!) can totally ask me more questions about my interests or old/new characters of mine if you’d like! Thank you so much for taking the time to ask me fun questions to answer! ✨

[hugedwarflover]

It's been an eternity since I've drawn my Mythical AU for The 7D, along with my Vampire AU and all the AUs I haven't even gotten to fucking draw yet. I'm thinking about making a lot of changes to my Mythical AU. Bashful is still gonna look like Snufkin while everyone else will have at least some part of their outfits looking different than before and kinda make it look a little bit like Dungeons & Dragons. I'll make it where Grumpy and Doc don't have their normal hats as a part of their outfits and I wanna make their outfits look more unique. Sleepy could still be a fashion designer, but there could be something about him that actually is related to the mythical world. At first, I was thinking that he would be in a musical group with Happy, Sneezy, and Dopey, but after I watched That Thing You Do!, directed and written by and starring Tom Hanks, I'll just make an AU based off of that movie where they are all a part of a band. Sneezy is still gonna be a viking in my Mythical AU, and maybe while Dopey won't be a phoenix wrangler or whatever, he could have the amulet that I had Happy wear, where he could transform into any mythical creature. It simply makes more sense for Dopey to have that ability instead of Happy, but the amulet would work on anybody who wears it. I'll have to think about what Happy could be or do and wear in this AU. I still haven't drawn Queen Delightful as a fairy or even Lord Starchbottom as a leprechaun, considering that yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. I almost forgot that I made it where the Glooms could be dragons and I haven't drawn them for this AU either. I also have my Hospital AU that I completely forgot about. I'll just get rid of it since I do have a shitload of AUs already. I also have my AU where the 7D are all humans and have different names, along with my Equestria Girls AU that I haven't wrote for on Wattpad in awhile ever since I finished writing the whole Friendship Games thing, and now I haven't even gotten started on the one for Legend of Everfree.

[thegirl20]

I mean I don't think I've ever shipped a pair that I KNEW there was literally zero chance of it happening. I kind of don't even wish for it to happen if that makes sense? Like I obviously wouldn't complain if it did but I've played the games and know enough about the books to ship Yen with Geralt. They just have SO MUCH chemistry as you said and also potential. Plus Tissaia is😍 So I'm kind of okay with it being only fanon. What I'm NOT okay with though is them putting Tissaia with that man🤮

I've shipped lots of couples that I knew would never be canon, so this is the standard for me 😉 I've always been drawn to ships that have a lot of room for interpretation and making stuff up that could happen, rather than playing with established relationships.

I haven't played the games or read the books, so I actually find Yennefer and Geralt's relationship in the show to be almost entirely lacking in depth. Related to what I said in that other response, the show just doesn't give me enough reason to care. They meet, he links her to him with a wish, they meet up sometimes to have sex and she leaves before he wakes up, they meet on a dragon hunt and have an argument about him controlling her...and that's it. Suddenly in season 2 I'm supposed to believe they're in love. I do not buy it one bit. I don't find it compelling and I have no reason to want them to be together.

And I think that's another reason I enjoy Yennefer and Tissaia's relationship - there's real history between them. They spent years together at Aretuza, developing a bond strong enough for Yennefer to return at Tissaia's (apparent) request, fight in a war she cares nothing for, and release the full force of her magic for the first time, all the while protecting Tissaia from it. I believe in that bond. I don't believe in Yen and Geralt.

Yeah, I think everyone hates Tissaia's relationship with [expletive deleted]. But, again, it's because we didn't see it develop, we don't know where it came from and we suspect that one or both of them are playing the other but have no confirmation of it. The Witcher is a frustrating show in terms of what it tells the viewer - i.e. not much.