#I looked at the list of recurring character and thought to myself

[no-nightingales-iwanttodie]

Alright I'm gonna venture into the world of camp here and there now. Do I need a good luck for this? Probably but here I go!

[tsukimefuku]

old regrets and guilt ridden pasts (2) ꕥ higuruma hiromi

part 1 → this part → part 3 (soon) | mdni!

summary: you get home, only to find that hiromi is there ready to talk after your failed attempt to open up about your past. he intends to confront you on that, among other things.

tags: +18!, non-explicit! sex scenes, implied smut, f!reader, established relationship higuruma x reader, little to no cursing, reader is kind of emotionally stunted, romance, mentions of death, grief, angst, fluff, hurt + comfort (a lot of comfort, this is healing).

wc: 1.8k

notes etc.: heavy spoilers for "sand and snow" readers. this might be the loveliest thing i've written to date. thank you so much @redlikerozez for betaing it 🧡 written to the sound of running up that hill (kate bush) and heart skipped a beat (the xx) - the second one is the song that inspired the main scene. as always, i write flawed characters that can (and will) sometimes be assholes, but they're trying their best.

ꕥ collection of stories: "jujutsu partners au" → masterlist for fics listed in chronological order of events

When you came inside your apartment, there were no lights on. However, from the open door to your bedroom, you could see that Hiromi was laying down on your bed, probably fast asleep by this point.

Defeated, you left your things on the table and silently got in the room, stepping inside the bathroom to wash away all the grime and dirt (and hurt) from a godawful day.

'Godawful day' is definitely a good name for having memories of people long gone stirred up and thrown at your face, reviving your grief all over again.

You were still feeling guilty for not having talked to Hiromi about it, unable to not shut him out, yet again.

Why do I keep doing this? I'm such a jerk.

Upon finishing your shower, you came back into the room, and slid yourself into comfortable clothing before laying down beside him. Hiromi had his back turned to you, but he must've felt you on the bed, because he didn't take long to roll himself on the mattress and look at you.

He seemed upset, and with good reason.

"You could have entrusted me with your pain too, you know," Hiromi began, not giving you much time to muster up anything to say. Not even a good night.

You exhaled slowly, trying to collect your thoughts around it all. This day was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.

"For you to learn my pain, I’d have to explain it, and I just... It is hard to explain exactly what happened and remembering that day," you offered. "Aside from me, Nanami is the only one who also saw it happen."

Hiromi considered what you said for a moment, but you could see the resolute way in which he softly shook his head.

"Still. I can’t fight you every step of the way for you to let me in. I’m your boyfriend."

The word lingered in the atmosphere around you.

He was, in fact, your boyfriend. You had been dating for a while then.

"We’re supposed to share these kinds of things so that we can be there for each other," he stated, a chide with a plead for understanding, while his thumb came up to press softly against your chin.

"I… I know. I’m sorry."

And you were, truly and deeply sorry, for everything. For pushing him into going along with that stupid idea of letting you inside his domain to get rid of your cursed technique temporarily, for retreating back into yourself when things grew dire, and for not letting him in when he expressly asked you to.

"What are you so afraid of?" Hiromi asked, in earnest.

You took some time to think about his question.

What were you so afraid of, after all, that you couldn't let him in — or at least felt like it, many times? 

Then, you realized.

"I'm scared that… That you will leave me too," you began, "I'm terrified that I will have opened myself up, all vulnerable and shit, and then for some reason, I'm left alone again. That's a recurring theme in my life."

"My love, in case that ever happens, keeping me at arms length won’t make it hurt any less."

You chuckled bitterly.

"Funny you should say that. I said the same thing earlier today."

Hiromi edged himself closer softly under the covers, approaching you gently.

"It takes one to know one, right?" he offered, in a kind and loving voice.

"I guess it does," you answered with a minute smile on your face.

"So, will you let me in now?" he inquired, holding your gaze. "Please."

You knew he'd surely be aware of at least the gist of the story, due to the evidence inside the envelope he never got to open before you confessed to your brother's "murder".

Still, it was different. He had to hear you say it, tell him the whole story.

So, you inhaled deeply, ready to dive in the murky lake of your past, before proceeding.

"My brother. He was…" considering for a moment, there was no word that could really convey it. Not entirely. You settled for "everything."

A sigh.

"He was… The sun to my moon. My brother was the laughter, the joy, the silly jokes, the shoes thrown around the house, the noise, the annoyance, the smell of curry in the kitchen, the helping hand, the coming home to, no matter how dire things got."

Silence.

"And then, in one night, there was… none of him anymore. Nothing, just his cold dead body laying on the ground."

A moment that felt like ten.

"I… We were twins, and a part of me, I guess… just died with him. I don’t think I’ll ever get it back. So here I am, still living with this hole inside me, where some piece used to be. His piece."

Hiromi stayed quiet for a second, pulling your knuckles kindly against his lips.

"My sun is gone, and I'm drifting, untethered. I…" You took a heavy huff of air inside your lungs. Yet, you were still breathless, the ache weighing on your thorax like a hydraulic press.

"This grief is like a tar pit, and no matter what I do, this faceless monster just keeps sucking me under." 

Your last words dropped to the drum of a eulogy, the one you never got to do.

His palm descended lightly on your cheek as the night breeze gently brushed over the window. The room was dark, dimly lit by moonlight and streetlamps bleeding through the curtain, but it became remarkably quiet. Silent.

Cotton filled ears while the world stopped moving for a second, waiting under a muted heartbeat.

One. Two. Three. Four beats.

His gaze softened — rather than darkened — as his lips approached, all pacify, and yearning, and empathy, and commiseration. Upon contact, your eyes fluttered into a deeper dimness, letting your mind drift around, away and back again, as he began his first attempt to tether you.

You may have lost your sun, but you wouldn't keep drifting away, not anymore.

He wouldn't let that happen.

My love…

Yes?

Eyes on me.

One. Two. Three. Four beats.

Okay.

Dexterous hands pulled you back to Earth, drawing you deeper into his orbit when they fit themselves securely and unfaltering against your waist.

Warm digits kneaded over the celestial wanderer drowned in the tar pit of painful remembrance.

Your senses thickened, your pupils grew wider, and your touch found the nape of his neck, seeking the halo of his comfort.

He was always so comfortable.

Just like coming home to.

He felt at home in you, too.

Another kiss. Gentler. Kinder.

The dark against your fluttered-shut eyelids didn't steal you away from him again, though. He had placed himself firmly around you, with an inevitable gravitational pull, all understanding, warm and welcoming, with the soft press of his entire body against yours.

Your senses heightened — you smelled him, touched him, heard him, felt him. The rhythm of his breath, now softly hitched. His chest, up and down, pulsing with longing. His skin, silvery glow under the moonlight. 

Hiromi smelled…

Well, he smelled like Hiromi.

The best smell there was.

Earthly bound, finally.

His mouth, teeth, lips, all made their way to slit themselves against the edge of your jaw.

May I?

Please.

One, two, three, four beats.

A sharp exhale leaves your lips as his teeth sink against the softness of your chin, crawling up to your mouth, hot breaths mixing with one another, two stardust clouds melting together.

He bit your bottom lip and let it go, then brushed his own mouth against yours. So feathery. So delicate.

Another kiss.

You lock against each other with little to no exploration — you've walked these paths before. You do so with the soft embrace of familiarity. The velvety reassurance of known lovers.

All to the gravitational beat that surrounded you both.

You grasped each other's hands against your clothes, and gentle as could be, the fabric slowly unraveled itself from your bodies, sliding their delicate way down the floor, forgotten.

Hiromi began nosing his way down your skin, but your hands cupped his jaw, pulling him back.

A pause.

Four heartbeats.

Eyes on me, remember?

A huff, almost a laugh, and the kindest peck.

Okay, my love.

His hand made its way under the duvet, all electric, and liquid, and cold, and hot, pressing the air out of your lungs. He was happy to inhale you in, open-mouthed and muddy, as you hitched and whimpered to his rhythm.

You were quick to fall apart, undoing to him, arching your entire body. Almost losing yourself.

But he pulled you back, the other hand resting over your shoulder blades, remembering you.

Eyes on me.

As you tried descending yourself, he held you back. 

This time, it would be all about you.

Gently pulling you under, his thumbs brushed against your shoulders with tenderness. His eyes flickered with trepidation and affection, as your foreheads pressed to one another. Hiromi pushed and sunk slowly into you, hooked nose snuggled beside yours.

To say he was making love to you wouldn’t be wrong, but paled in comparison to this.

He was loving you tenderly, honestly, just so you could take some of that love he poured into you and give it to yourself, filling the gaping hole left behind by an abrupt absence. The forever and always empty seat in the front row of your life.

He pleaded internally, please, may this be enough.

He was loving you so wholeheartedly, giving you all the warmth you offered to most people but yourself, that you could’ve wept — you probably did, the dampening on his cheek brushing against yours made that evident.

"Touch me." Love me.

"Yes." I do. I will.

Hiromi tried, kind and gentle, loving this grief into vanishing, willing it into non-existence. 

My love. My whole, entire love.

But he couldn't, it was engraved in black all over your flesh, your bones, and your soul.

Each kiss while he wrapped his arms around you, tucking you underneath him, was an attempt at chipping away on your armor of pain and loss.

As he rocked your hips gently, he imprinted on your skin every inch of affection you needed to soothe yourself, but you were finding it difficult to pick up these pieces and ensemble the puzzle.

You found it hard to let all your guilt go, after all. It was already an old companion of sorts.

Drinking your voice in as you tipped over the fall, he thought for a moment, could I steal her pain away?

He'd do it in a single heartbeat if he could, if only to repay you for saving him after he had gone past the point of no return.

Some days after that, coming back to this moment, you would finally understand other people's shortcomings from a deeply personal and subjective perspective.

It was hard, after all, being forgiven without forgiving yourself.

Tag list (that I keep forgetting, sorry): @yammy-yammy-yama @g-kleran @otomesass

Reblog divider by @benkeibear

[the-letterbox-archives]

file (0)0-40-000: writer questionnaire

thank you @ominous-feychild, @paeliae-occasionally, and @the-golden-comet for tagging me! this is a writing questionnaire, and before i answer them i wanted to say that i love this game idea! as much as i love loredumping about characters and plots (as bad as i am at plots), i also really value talking about my process and general writing questions like this! alright, let's get on with the answers...

about me

when did you start writing?

i wrote my first novella in two weeks (it wasn't very good or edited, i'm not that good haha) during the 2020 lockdown, and have on that rhythm ever since, albeit on a much slower, yet bigger scale. in terms of writing overall, i've been doing it since i could read. i'm very excited to reach my fifth year of 'official' writing, with 3 books privately released and a fourth on the way!

are there genres/themes you enjoy reading different to the ones you write?

honestly, i don't read as much as i should. i read more as a kid, but i've kind of lost that spark due to poor mental health, busy schedules, and other reasons. but to zero down on the question, i don't hold myself to genres, because i prefer character focused stories, but i like speculative content the most, which is what i write. i don't really vibe with contemporary and slice-of-life stuff, through no fault of the genre, i'm just not that interested in it generally.

is there an author you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

i don't think my work has reached enough people to be compared to any author, at least nobody has told me i write like someone else. i've done emulation work in school before, but i don't like writing like that, it feels disingenuous with how stream-of-consciousness my writing is. so no, i don't want to emulate anyone.

can you tell me a little about your writing space?

writing anywhere but my house is incredibly stressful, i can't focus on creating stuff unless i'm at home, either in my bed, at my desk, or just in an armchair. nothing too special.

what's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

i wish i had a foolproof way to get my energy going. but since i don't have much obligation to write on a schedule, i'm allowed to write whenever inspiration hits. but it's easier to get in the writing headspace with some non-distracting music/videos.

did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

for settings, not consciously. i don't like writing about real places, i usually use a fantasy world or an ambiguous place without relying on real-world settings for anything less than minor inspiration. in terms of my characters, most of them have parts of themselves taken from me or my past. the most active example of this is basically every character in insincere., all of whom are based of me, my dysregulated emotions, or certain social/societal issues. to sum it all up, my trauma makes for interesting casts.

are there any recurring themes of your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

i try to put a lot of emphasis on character relationships, so i imagine a lot of themes there come up more than once without my active thought towards it. i often just write what feels right, so themes do recur across multiple stories, but i wouldn't be surprised if someone pointed out that some themes come up again, i wouldn't be surprised. i do want to put some emphasis on the theme of trauma and love of all stripes. on the love side, tales from a dying heart is the prime example of this, hell, the entire thing is about love. however, all my stories with genuine character relationships do focus on the concept of love. father-son with laszlo and yaromyr, one-sided platonic with daphne and faye, obsessive distant romance with sunny and darcy, mother-daughter with sasha and dulcinea, the list goes on. trauma is present through everything i write, i'm unable to write anything without it (insincere. i'm looking at you). and they'll all evolve and change, in different ways.

my characters

would you please tell me about your current favourite character?

i don't think i could pick just one, i have so much love in my heart for all of my characters. i adore ven's tired attitude, sunny's humour, daphne and faye's dynamic, laszlo's ambition, sasha's motherly love and intelligence, yaromyr and danareth's relationship, sissy's obnoxious clairvoyance, the list keeps expanding.

which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

i'd have to go with ven, sunny, laszlo, and daphne. i think those four would both be people i'd want to befriend, and people who'd want to befriend me (hopefully).

which of your characters would you dislike most if you met them?

i think if i ended up on the wrong side of the fence with danareth, i would hate his guts. i love writing him, but he's such a slimy jerk sometimes that i don't think i would get along with him. i also don't think i'd like the owl from insincere., who's name is yet to be revealed. he sucks, but he does bite sissy, so he gets some goodwill. the last one i can think of would be arthur blackwood, just because he's rich and socially dense, and in the episode i'm writing, he's rude to daphne. and nobody can slight daphne without me hating them (characters i mean). nobody in school rules nor dulcinea is dead has rubbed me the wrong way yet, thankfully.

tell me more about the process of coming up with your characters.

it's hard to pin down my process since it's so emotionally driven. i just make characters on instinct, usually starting with a scene of conversation between multiple characters that i imagine based off a feeling. that's how it works for basically all of my characters. they just kind of... appear in my brain half-formed, then i begin to refine them.

do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

i've considered doing protagonist profiles to find similarities between all of them. i mostly write teenage protagonists, and i like writing characters who are super driven to achieve their goal. additionally, a lot of them are traumatised or will be traumatised in their respective series. a lot of emotional turbulence in store for all of my characters!

how do you picture your characters?

i don't, at least in any way i can properly describe. when i imagine scenes in my head every single character has a fully realised appearance, but it exists beyond any way i'm capable of explaining it. i can say i picture them in live-action, yet recently when i picture insincere. i picture it in 2d animation, with very minimalist animation for ven (like moving at a slower frame rate if that makes sense), sissy with rubberhose animation kind of like spinel or jax, and the owl being very expressive in its animation.

my writing

what's your reason for writing?

there's a lot of reasons. i've always been borderline maladaptive daydreaming and had minor dissociative episodes recently, it just feels easier for me to exist in a world i design to my own tastes. it's easier to cope with my existence when i do stuff like that, which probably isn't healthy but whatever. i write to get everything out of my head and because it's fun!

is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

i'm honestly still shocked i have readers! that aside, i love all comments, but the ones that really tell me people care about what i write is theories, headcanons, and other noticings like that, those types of comments just make me feel amazing. i also find the "x is just like me fr" funny because that's how i express my love for a character and it shows me that character is either funny or semi-relatable.

how do you want to be thought of by those who read your work?

i just want to be someone who inspired some thought in the reader, and just gave them a good time! i'd be insanely flattered if people took massive meaning from my work and made those amazing tumblr mini-essays about the themes or characters i write about, but all in all i think i want to be thought of as a writer who writes things that people simply enjoy, and want to come back to, maybe make some fan content about. just a small set of slightly memorable pieces in an infinite archive.

what do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

this is gonna sound sad, but i often can't see distinct admirable traits in my writing. if i had to think further out, i might go to my characters. i love my characters so much, and i think because i think about them so much, the nuance that exists in my head about them bleeds into my writing and makes my characters interesting and memorable (hopefully haha).

what have you been frequently told by others is your greatest strength as a writer?

i've been told a few things. no commentary straight from the archives, at least from anything i can remember, but in my real life i've been told i write dialogue well (which i somewhat agree with) and that i write enjoyable/interesting characters.

how do you feel about your own writing?

very mixed. i can't give a solid verdict because i hate my older work because it's cringe, but the stuff i'm writing currently and that i'm still passionate about i enjoy reading back (sometimes), and i think i like what i write now. i'm so proud i got my writing out there into the archives, either way.

if you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

of course! that's what i was doing since before 2020, and even then my books were only circulated around family and close friends, as more of a symbolic gift than anything. i didn't get too much insight back, except for from certain relatives, which i always immensely appreciated. to circle back to the question, having an audience is still very new to me, and if it came down to the criteria the question proposes, i would still write.

when you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? if it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

what i enjoy. i am now conscious of my audience, but then again i am not especially writing for an audience, like that's not what's at the forefront of my mind when i write. as grateful as i am for an audience at all (you guys are amazing <3), i'm writing for myself, as i have been since i was a kid.

wow, this was an insightful questionnaire! thank you again for tagging me in, my tag list is just below!

@introchasingstars, @honeybewrites, @noxxytocin, @moltenwrites, @tc-doherty,

@the-ellia-west, @theverumproject, @thecrazyalchemist, @laylathewordwitch, @dragonedged-if,

@leitereads, @autism-purgatory, @gioiaalbanoart, @drchenquill, @fenmere,

@leahnardo-da-veggie, @melpomene-grey, @yourpenpaldee, @corinneglass, @agirlandherquill,

@willtheweaver, @nczaversnick, @davycoquette, @glassfrogforest, @princeofhags,

and @wyked-ao3!

[morelikeravenbore]

🦋 Writer Interview Game

Thank you for tagging me @theladyofshalott1989! Everyone go read her Like Moths to a Flame series pls (it's on my to-read list and I'm really looking forward to it!)

When did you start writing?

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I used to hand write entire novels lol. At school, they'd assign us a little writing project and I'd show up with like 28 chapters, ongoing. I remember reading one story aloud once and the whole room was dead quiet after, and one girl goes: "whoa." anyway, eventually they were like, hey I think this kid is gifted (or autistic LOL but why not both.)

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write? 

Not really haha. My brain really goes: HEY WE REALLY REALLY REALLY LIKE THIS ONE THING AND WE'RE NOT INTERESTED IN ANYTHING ELSE. I mean, I do enjoy reading non-fiction, and I love the classics, but mostly I like fiction/romance/light fantasy stuff. 

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often? 

Nah. I just write like me. I guess the HP series had a huge influence on me since I was SO obsessed with it, which is probably why I write past tense/third pov limited. Sometimes I'll re-read a lot of Austen and end up using a bunch of old timey words in my next chapter, but mostly I just write and it comes out sounding like me. 

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space? 

I don't have one. I write 99.9% of my work on my phone wherever I happen to be. My brain is chaos but it works for me. (Right now I am writing this on the beach while my dog digs holes beside me.)

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

It's kinda rare that I can't find a muse. Usually I just burn myself out, so reading, resting and rotting helps restore my creative energy.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

HahahhA y'all this is too personal for me *sweats* but yes: grief and shitty parents. No, that does not surprise me. I also seem to have a thing about orphans and red heads.

What is your reason for writing?

I don't know how to stop.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

With fanfic, when people tell me my characterisations of canon characters are spot on, or when people tell me my original characters feel like canon characters, hehe.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I don't want to be thought about by my readers at all, which is why I'll always write as an anonymous gremlin. And as far as my characters and stories go, I honestly don't give much thought to it. People are free to think what they like, it doesn't really bother me.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Getting inside my characters heads, I think. Understanding their motivations and writing them as real and flawed and human as I can.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Honestly, I love it haha! Sometimes I might cry for three days believing that I'm absolute garbage, but that's just life innit. Mostly, I write because it's one of the greatest sources of joy in my life and it just makes me happy.

Np tags: @galaxiasgreen @lyworth @gingerlegacy07 @sloanesallow @thesuperiorfeeling

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Lou's writing!

Socials: @waterloou (Tumblr) | hugharekillianmelou (AO3)

❀

Part One: Author Interview

Q: What do you consider your strengths as a writer?

A: I’m using these quotes from sparrow bc I’m gonna be honest and say I really don’t know how to perceive myself: “Off the top of my head, I would say you are very good at lyrical prose, imagery and atmosphere, thoughtful characterization, anddd I don’t know how to articulate this as cleanly, but like… the way you handle dark subject matter (like MCD) in a way that makes it feel... like something that should be dangerous to handle, but it is safely contained. Like one of those poisonous Victorian era books with the striking green colour [Scheele's Green] displayed in a glass case. Also, you maintain canon characterization even in AU settings, which is honestly a skill not everyone has. I love AUs, but some people lose sight of canon so quick and it ends up feeling very OOC.”

Q: What’s your favourite fic you’ve written for this fandom?

A: It’s called Lay Me Gently in the Cold Dark Earth and it’s from Wylan’s perspective when he’s 6 feet under and how he interacts with the earth around him and Jesper. Idk how else to describe it. 

Q: What advice do you have for those facing writer’s block?

A: My only suggestion is just to switch to notebooks and use prompt lists. I struggle with writers block far too much it’s hard for me to sit down and write something most of the time. 

Q: When did you first start writing? What keeps you going today?

A: Jonas Brothers YouTube imagines. I had a little flip notebook on a family vacation and lots of time to kill so I wrote my own imagines/fanfiction. It was also like not a self insert but like I’d insert someone age appropriate and live vicariously through them.  I have so so many ideas and only I can execute them correctly so obviously I need to keep writing. It’s a tough job but if I want the content I need to make it 

Q: Who is your favourite character? What do you love about them?

A: JESPER LLEWELLYN FAHEY!!!! He’s just so complex and loving and I also relate to him most bc of his sadness and feelings of inadequacy and using humor as a cover up. I saw the trailers before I read the books and then I read the books before I watched the show but that one clip of Jesper in those first trailers had me hooked ever since.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the Grishaverse, where would you go?

A: Shu Han because it looks like I’d have the most fun there. 

Q: If you could be friends with any character in the Grishaverse, who would it be?

A: Tolya!!! He’s got a lovely disposition and it’s nice to have someone with similar interests.

Q: Have you had a chance to interact with the SAB cast? Tell us about your experience(s).

A: The only interaction I’ve had is Jack liking my drawing of him. Honestly tho even tho this cast is amazing I think I’d be fine never meeting any of them. There’s already all my questions answered and I’d probably make a fool out of myself if I met them. 

Q: What are some recurring themes you’ve noticed in your writing?

A: I am using more sparrow quotes bc my only answer was “Hozier coded” and idk if that answer was enough: “I think grief/death/mourning is definitely something that comes up a lot. Related to that... I want to say 'transcendent love,' if that makes sense. Definitely also strong platonic bonds, so friendship... Oh, balance and opposites (how the latter interacts and achieves balance)... sometimes with concepts like life and death, but also with people like Wylan and Jesper.” Ty sparrow ur iconic 

Q: What kind of music do you like to listen to while writing?

A: Hozier, lots of like folk or floaty type of genres. 

Q: Are there any songs you strongly associate with a favourite character or ship?

A: "half return" by Adrianne Lenker could be associated with either Wylan or Jesper and their childhoods. I do think it’s odd that this is the first fandom where music is not the driving force of my writing or associating with characters.

Q: What is one of your favourite scenes from the source material (book or show)?

A: Jesper’s introduction in the show is a classic and he’s just SO COOL.

Q: If could change anything about (book or show) canon, what would it be?

A: 😭 besides it being cancelled? Matthias’ fate. 

Q: What are some headcanons you have that you consider your personal canon?

A: MODERN AU: Jesper is an engineering major. Wylan is a chemistry major (hates it), switches to biology and music double major. Jesper makes and sells jewelry on the side.  REGULAR SETTING: Jesper lives for a long long time and Wylan reincarnates many times and they are together until they both pass. 

Q: Tell us about something in your fics that you’re proud of and wish would get more notice.

A: I do like the poetic flow they have from time to time! It’s nice reading something I wrote and being invested. This is a cop out answer but I think they’ve been appreciated an adequate amount! Everyone is so sweet reading and commenting!

Q: What’s something you haven’t written yet, but want to write in the future?

A: OH BOY I have a list: - This is written but mouse wylan  - sci fi au  - Hozier song wesper series  - human meat business crows serial killers  - Hellraiser au wesper  - whump wesper jesper shot  - Halloween series  - vampire crows au 

Q: What’s something you wish you could write, but don’t think you ever will?

A: Most of the ideas listed above. My brain just doesn’t want to write the ideas. Also Smut. Did it once idk if I could write it again

Q: How do you feel about your fics being translated into other languages?

A: Go ham. As long as it’s credited to me idc

Q: Apart from sight, what is your favourite of the senses to describe when writing?

A: Touch I love touch descriptions because you can get an insight into how the characters experience the world.

❀

Part Two: Selected Works

Two corpses we were, two corpses I saw

Not Rated | 275 words | Wesper Hozier coded, Decay, Burial, Happy Ending

Short diddy about knight/pianist wesper

Golden slumbers

Teen | 460 words | Wesper Grief/Mourning, Pre-Grief, Aging, Jesper-centric

Jesper would always be a mourner

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

Not Rated | 388 words | Wesper Hozier coded, POV Wylan, Character Death, Happy Ending

Wylan needs Jesper, even after life

❀

Part Three: Author's Recs

without pity by demigodbeautiies

Mature | 21.9K | Wesper Non-Con Drug Use, Whump, Mild Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending

It’s 10 am on a Wednesday when Wylan Van Eck’s life crumbles around him. Which feels ridiculous, honestly, but that��s life, isn’t it?  - Jesper gets drugged with jurda parem. Wylan tries his best to deal with it. That, apparently, is hard to do when his life is falling apart.

A Lack Of Air Supply by Milkfrog

Mature | 106.7K | Wesper Past Child Abuse, Agoraphobia, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Wylan Van Eck

"Wylan Van Eck, until the age of 8, felt like royalty. Like the world was made for him, and him alone. He could do anything he wanted to. He could dream of a future so expansive he'd have to live multiple lives in order to fit everything he wanted to do. But Wylan Van Eck, at 22 years old, cannot even leave his apartment." (aka. Wylan has agoraphobia n Jesper moves into the apartment next to him <3)

Before Sunrise by @aphroditestummyrolls

General | 2.1K | Colm & Jesper, Colm/Aditi Good Parent Colm Fahey, Colm-centric, Baby Jesper

He’d like to say he expected it— it’s a well known fact that babies cry. The first months of parenthood are a tiring business. That was what everyone said, and the ones who didn’t say it were certainly thinking it. But, not all babies cried like Jesper Fahey cried. Just like every night for the past 2 and a half months, the second Addy stopped her gentle rocking and pacing, it started up again— first, as disgruntled fussing, huffing and puffing like a grumpy little bear cub. His downy fluff of curls pressed against his mama’s palm as he scrubbed his nose into her collarbone, tiny fist clenching in her night dress. Colm sighed. OR Jesper is a colicky little baby, and Colm just wants his poor wife to be able to sleep.

❀

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[mazzystar24]

Hi, a 'BT' here! (Although I also happily ship buddie too because multishipping is so valid!) I come in peace and just looking for some discourse if that's okay? I saw the ask in regard to apparently BTs are saying that all the focus on rg means he's leaving? I haven't seen anyone say that on either side so a strange one huh!

But it was more your comments in terms of pushing for Tommy to replace Eddie as lead when Ravi is right there and I just wanna say I agree! And I have seen many bucktommy shippers including myself pushing for Ravi to be main cast. He absolutely should be and deserves it and is an absolute darling angel and I love what he brings to the whole dynamic!

My biggest hope for Tommy is for his to be recurring much like Karen! Speaking of, there's another character I'd love to be main cast and who I think is ahead of the queue in front of Tommy to be main cast. Heck I'd love if all of them got to be main cast but, as much as I love bucktommy, I definitely can see there's an order to who should be main cast and don't want any 'queue jumping'

One other thing I want to out out there as food for thought, is that on both sides I see a lot of discourse thrown out through anonymous asks of 'oh the bts are saying this' or 'the buddies said this ridiculous thing!' And something I would love both sides to seriously consider is... did they really? Or are there just a few people out there who feed on the chaos that it all brings and will send out anon asks that they know will increase this 'fandom war'and pretend they are kn the other side when doing so just to get a reaction and give ammunition to 'their' side to make it seem like one side is delusional and the other side isn't?

Tldr I just wish we all got along and stopped taking messages intended to stir up hate as gospel.

Peace and love

Glad you agree on the Ravi/ main thing front!

As you know I want tommy out already so no recurring hopes from me sorry 😔💔 ngl at first I was like hmm it can be interesting and I’m not opposed to exploring bt and their potential dynamic and maybe they can redeem him and make him likeable it’d be perfect (like my comparison was if they wrote him like Hannah from bones) but like buddie endgame but as eps went on both he and a section of the fandom became so insufferable to me that I’m like I don’t care about the potential juicy storylines I just want this man off my screen - but it’s totally cool if you like him and ship them it’s just not my cup of tea

For the other part I totally get what you mean and that may be the case like I totally agree that that is possible but I hear like so many things that happen in the bt fandom secondhand cos I’ve got so many of the toxic/annoying ones blocked (my block list is a mile long genuinely) and so many have me blocked too but usually stuff that my anons mention will be talked abt by more people in the fandom (like this is) or like there have been times where if I ask my anons for elaboration links ss etc and they are able to do so

That’s why half the time when I reply it’s more so like “damn didn’t know that if that is the case then xyz” you know? Or if I saw something I’ll mention it and be like oh yeah I saw xyz and this is my opinion on it or answer

Also like I’ve first hand seen things that are like 10x worse or more delusional than the “rg must be leaving and s8 lfj main” thing like no lie some of this stuff makes that seem tame in comparison so it’s like the chances they’ve said this are like HIGH

Genuinely I agree with you on that last point I do wish that this fandom was how it used to be and more peaceful but certain things I follow this kinda mental rule I’ve always had which is that I won’t respect a disrespectful opinion

Like from the very start of the discourse I’ve been very oh let ppl ship what they want and enjoy their fandom space and from the start I’ve encouraged proper tagging to help people do that and like even if you’re fully delusional abt your ship I fully respect that (not saying YOU are but I’m saying like let’s say one side is like yesss they are getting married in s8 and having a baby on the first episode I would genuinely just mentally be like woah that’s a bit delulu but love that for you and move on)

My only issue really has been where people from the bt fandom (not saying they are the only ones who do this but I’m saying personally speaking it’s what I see and what I experience also not saying it’s all the bt fans and I do try to say that as much as possible) being disrespectful whether this be through being racist, being ableist or rude to the buddie fans just to boost their ship

Like I’m so not against hating stuff like seriously idc hate whatever you want rant about it and make twenty posts and make so many jokes but when you’re being disrespectful or when it crosses certain bounds it’s like you’re a piece of shit

Anyways I got carried away but thanks for being so nice and respectful in your ask 🫶

[coraniaid]

🔥 about tara

OK, so for the record I like Tara a lot. She's definitely in my top ten favorite characters. I am still in the early stages of a (painfully slow) Season 4 rewatch, and one of the things keeping me going is the thought I will get to see Tara again soon.

I think Tara's death is very sad and I can understand why Amber Benson felt poorly treated by the way it was handled (especially with the stupid gimmick of adding Tara to the opening credits just for that episode). On balance -- and especially given the context arround her introduction and her relationship with Willow -- I think that it was probably a fairly significant mistake from a writing perspective for at least a couple of reasons. (It's not really a good look to kill off half of your show's groundbreaking lesbian couple, whatever the context, and the writers didn't really seem to have any sort of coherent plan for what to do with Willow afterwards.)

But it kind of irks me when I see it described as an obvious case of the Bury Your Gays trope because ... it really isn't?

Tara doesn't die because she's gay: she doesn't die shortly after coming out, she isn't targeted because she's a lesbian; she isn't, in fact, targeted directly at all. Her death is basically just a stupid random accident. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Neither is Tara treated as more expendable by the narrative because she's a lesbian. By the time Tara dies, Buffy (and the Angel spin-off) had already killed off (among other recurring and at least occasionally sympathetic characters) Jenny Calendar, Kendra, Larry, Doyle, Forrest, Joyce and Darla. By the time both shows end the writers will have also killed off Jonathan, Anya, Cordelia, Fred and Wesley. Buffy isn't quite a show where Anyone Can Die, but certainly it's one where anyone can die if they're not in the Core Four (and if they're not vampires Buffy has slept with, in which case they can die for a little bit but they'll get over it).

And nor is there some sense that Tara's death affects the rest of the group any less than any of the others on the above list. On the contrary, other than Joyce, who is the protagonist of the show's actual mother and had been a presence in the show for almost twice as long as Tara was, she gets mourned for longer and by more people than anyone else on that previous list. (Xander and Willow's supposed childhood friend Jesse gets mourned so little I couldn't even bring myself to add him to the list.)

Yes, the show is far from perfect. It definitely is, at various times, racist, sexist and homophobic, often in ways that cannot at all be dimissed as the show being a product of its time. I think you could certainly argue that Tara was a victim of the show's persistent narrative misogyny (Willow's first girlfriend, Giles's first girlfriend on the show, and both of Xander's girlfriends die, but neither Oz nor Riley die and neither Angel or Spike die in a way that matters).

But Tara's death isn't automatically an example of the Bury You Gays trope just because she dies and was a lesbian. Even though, as I said, it was a probably the wrong decision for the character and the show and I wish it hadn't happened.

--

Oh, also, a bonus hot take:

In a hypothetical Season 7 where Tara survived, I really don't think I can see her relationship with Willow lasting long. The show sort of forgets about it in favor of advancing the subplot in which Willow becomes a magic addict after her Evil Friend Amy takes her to see a drug dealer and then forces her to relapse, but .... Willow's supposed magic addiction isn't why she and Tara broke up. They broke up because Willow was messing with Tara's memories and consent, well before she'd ever met Rack or de-ratted Amy. Willow hadn't actually done anything to address the things that made her take Tara for granted and consider herself entitled to mess with her mind with magic at all. She'd been sad about the relationship ending, sure, and Tara missed Willow, but ... Willow was absolutely the same person who did this to Tara.

The show doesn't bother to address the actual reason she and Tara broke up, preferring the cheap shock death just when they'd gotten back together again. But after a while I think Tara would have realized this, and without the shock of losing Tara in the first place I think Willow would find it very hard not to fall back into her old habits. Habits which have nothing to do with Amy's supposed malign influence. After all, Willow was trying to use magic to change her best friend's mental state without his consent as early as Lovers Walk, a full year before she ever met Tara. And when she and Oz broke up that same season she very quickly started talking about wishing she had a way to "make [him] trust me". This is much more a part of who Willow is than any addiction to evil magic.

[kaleidoscope-ize]

I’ve been thinking about my childhood this morning. I have this recurring feeling of having not had one, but I did. And it was a very full one.

I went to the river as often as I could. I once spent an entire summer biking miles to the river every day. Some days it felt like it was the only way I could think straight. I couldn’t get in the water if other people were in it though. I needed to be alone.

I put together yearly camping trips for my friends where we’d get high and play board games and make s’mores. I went to visit the campsite one last time before I moved from my hometown to find it had been sold and turned into an outfitter’s.

I lied about girlfriends. Ones who existed online. Ones I told my friends lived hours away. Ones who embodied so many things I wanted to be, back when I didn’t know how to articulate those thoughts. Didn’t every boy just want to date the girl they wish they could be?

I organized all-night movie marathons with cohesive themes and snacks and it was always so fun to see how they would derail. We never finished all of the movies I had planned, but I never minded. They were hosted at my girlfriend’s house. Those nights were some of the first times I had ever confronted my gender in an uncomfortable way. It was the first time my mom saw me in a dress.

I’d spend entire spring breaks at houses other than my own, looking for adventures with my friends and learning to love their parents as my own, temporary step-parents. It felt like I was getting to demo living a different life, which was fun to me even if I didn’t mind my own life.

I made cosplays for myself and my friends and went to a few conventions. Building the costumes was just as fun as showing them off.

I stayed up as late as I could, in Skype calls and Facebook group chats with my friends. I couldn’t get enough of them, even when they were mean to me.

I roleplayed in forums, in ask blogs, in private messages. More characters. More looking for myself in them.

I single-handedly started the D&D craze in my high school. What started as one group of me and my six friends soon had a waiting list of curious classmates. Watching them break off to teach themselves to play was so cool to me.

I had crushes, but no romance. Relationships that fizzled because neither of us knew how to develop them. Unrequited love from someone who was probably just as confused as I was. All people that I desperately needed validation from.

I was in band and drama, and put as much effort as I could into every school spirit week outfit. I was never not busy.

I often think of my childhood as lost time. Important films and shows I should have watched, romances I should have had, discoveries I should have made. There are days where I retreat into my nostalgia only to find an empty room. But when I really think about it, there wasn’t a single afternoon, weekend, or summer vacation that I wasn’t doing something with people I called my friends. I felt a disconnect from everything, but that didn’t stop me from constantly attempting to connect.

It was a childhood of reaching. A childhood of missed opportunities. But a childhood of experiences nonetheless.

[hinamie]

hi hina! in terms of your art, what would say is your strength(s) and what is your weakness?

!!!! omg ily mariam you're always so good at asking rly thoughtful questions that make me take a step back n Ponder,, tbh im not sure if this is just a Me thing or if every artist experiences this but i feel like my main strengths/weaknesses in my art are just reflective of the strengths/weaknesses i have in all areas of my life .., i am not going to unpack that too much tho smile :)

strength(s)

a bitch is Persistent !!! when I decide to learn how to do something i put in 200% to learning it and learning it Well . ths how i got good at drawing a lot of the things im told i'm "good" at --i did it with hands i did it with torso anatomy i did it with clothing ,, i did it with yuuji's gd hair,, the list goes on !! also i think this is maybe related to why i love making character reference sheets ? granted they take forever and i hate it while i'm in it but at the end of the day i am a proud character sheet Advocate. if u ever want to really hammer something into ur brain .. character sheets.... angles......just sayin ! shit works.......

character design listen i dont want to sing my own praises too much but character design rly is one of my favourite kinds of art to do and i think . im maybe a bit good at it.,, idk,... :3 fr though I put so much time and effort in2 the research and ref compiling and it takes Hours on pinterest and 543254 open tabs but finally getting to put the pieces all together to make something cohesive makes all the pain worth it . whether it's for an oc or an existing character i love designing outfits or alternate forms that Tell u something abt the character i love translating personality into clothing choices and silhouettes and colours and hiding little defining Traits and !!! idk i just have so much fun :'> it reminds me why i love art

weakness(es)

kind of the dark side of persistence, a bitch is Stubborn and Resistant to Change (not just an Artist Flaw(tm) but also a recurring Character Flaw i need to work on gsfdhjfsgd) . I find i don't know how to easily break habits or push myself outside of what's Worked for me in the past, even if i know that other, better ways exist ,,. like I joke abt working harder not smarter and complaining about it but that's not even a joke that's just what I do because I'm too afraid of being Bad at something or trying something and having it not work so I just stick to what I know :( smh if comfort zones r meant to b left why r they comfortable.......

perspective/rooms/dynamic poses,, look ik im microdosing on these rn but a lot of it is still so HARD ,, improvement jail.... :( unique poses r starting to come easier with reference but rooms i hate u . how do u make objects look like they are in a scene and not on it . how to give objects Weight ????? i dont get it...

[wingedcatgirl]

hey there everynyan it's time for a new pinned post again

i'm mintleaf wingedcatgirl, it/she, local snuggly transfem catgirl #2424. i'm an adult but i've made it a policy that the entire internet is not just inherently entitled to my exact age on demand. if you truly must know, i'm sure you can dig up some birthday post i made before i had this policy and work it out yourself.

you may know me from being gay and not going to bed on time.

things i'm into include final fantasy xiv, fallen london (character list down below the cut), balatro (i'm making a mod! go look at it! it's fun!), tales of symphonia, terraria, kingdom hearts, puyo puyo, miraculous ladybug, cats (the animal, not the musical), and being queer and awesome. i write fanfic sometimes and am also vaguely attempting to work on original fic, so hello to writblr as well. a works list is below the cut

we're plural, but the headmates currently don't talk much here. this may or may not change in future. you can always say hi if you wanna

if you wanna find us elsewhere for such reasons as *gestures vaguely at fucking everything about this webbed site*:

your most reliable option is dreamwidth; we don't post there much but we do check regularly so a comment on any of our posts will get our attention

you can ask for our discord @ if we're friends (read: have interacted twice ever) or our server links if we're acquaintances (read: you're not a spambot)

we also have a sorta dead and disused forum, trouble cube. It's There™

but tbqh we don't plan to leave tumblr unless we're forced to. by the entire website being shut down, for example.

below the cut, some lists:

list of some things we're making:

Leaf Story, an OC insert fanfic of Tales of Symphonia (blog tag for it, also)

Minty's Silly Little Mod, a mod for Balatro that adds a new suit (3s) and a bunch of random other stuff because we thought it was amusing

we'll add more to this when we actually do stuff instead of letting it sit on our WIP pile forever

our fallen london character list for fellow fallen london enjoyers:

Inessa Fonseca, the Curious Lady (main, Light Fingers, Midnighter, non-canon Seven-Fold Knock someday when i feel like tormenting myself)

Inessa Fonseca in a rather more dire timeline (Seeking alt except the Seeking is canon so maybe the other Inessa is the everything-except-Seeking alt? Heart's Desire)

Lucky Kity (cat, Bag a Legend, I saw @waterlogged-detective's Boots the Cat and was like "CAT!!! i have a recurring cat character what if there was ANOTHER cat in london")

Lila Rossi (sure, crossover roleplay account for our Nemesis alt, i guess) (don't expect her to be as active as dire!Inessa and Lucky)

sideblogs we have:

@elakha-house-cube, the roleplay blog that currently consists mainly of asks from one friend

a lewd sideblog. mostly for reblogging. you can ask for it if you're cool

[busy-baker]

✨Writing Interview Tag Game✨

Thank you for tagging me @spagyricqueen and @kalmiaphlox 💚💙

When did you start writing?

I started around 14/15 and posted work in TeenInk. I fell off of it for a while, wrote a little in college and then picked it up again in December 2023 because of BG3 and I’ve been going steady since.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I enjoy reading horror and mystery but sappy romances will always have my heart.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

Not really. Everyone has their own thing

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I usually write in bed with YouTube in the background or listening to music. I like to have tea or coffee too

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Just chatting with others. Ideas get tossed around and then one hits and I’m like “Let’s add that to the list.”

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Very stubborn characters that won’t quit until they get what they want. I don’t know if it’s my own stubborn attitude that I’m wanting to portray but it happens every time.

What is your reason for writing?

It’s been the hobby that’s made me happiest recently. I was in a really dark place before all of this and now I have something to look forward to most nights.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Any variation of random letters lol I love the excitement or those really long comments with quotes from a chapter

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I don’t really know. Just as someone who writes stuff that they like, I guess?

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I just received the compliment yesterday about how loving my characters are and I adored that. It’s cheesy, but I love love

How do you feel about your own writing?

It’s a love/hate relationship. I read it and think, “Well this is nothing compared to (insert fic here)” but then other times, I’m so proud of what I’ve done, even if I’m the only one that’s read it.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

It’s a mix. A lot has been for myself because the idea won’t leave my mind but there’s been times I’ve been influenced and it all turns out well.

Tagging: @cassieuncaged @davenswitcher @ladyduellist @nerdallwritey

[thrythlind]

Katalepsis MotW Arc 7 Level Up

So... first thing I'm going to do is give both Evee and Raine an extra level up I didn't give the other characters. This is to account for a development that makes itself known almost immediately (within the first 3-4 parts).

Some might wonder why I'm giving those two a level up rather than the other two. I've been keeping level-ups equivalent for my own benefit, but since one of the main ways a hunter gets experience is by rolling poorly, that means you do get some uneven leveling up. Hunters that build themselves to be more reliable and effective from the get go (such as having a Monstrous start with both Unholy Strength and Unnatural Appeal so that they can roll half their basic moves with their massive Weird scores) tend to level-up slower than characters that make things harder on themselves.

Given that Raine and Evee are both partially out of commission at the start of arc 7, I think that justifies saying they had a bit more bad luck with their dice.

Now, what am I spending this on you ask? Why this one particular advanced improvement:

There are three characters I considered as the potential for being second hunters:

Zheng

Nicole Webb

Praem

And yes, I know Praem is currently on Evee's character sheet as an Ally. Well, this is not an unknown phenomenon for me. Let me go over the list of second hunters that have happened in my longer campaigns.

A second character planned from the get-go who was delayed joining because the player thought it was important that at least on hunter know how to drive. (Was the Exile)

An Italian police inspector who had been investigating the players' secret agency and whom I had cause problems off screen when they rolled low dealing with locals or doing investigation. (Became The Flake)

A recurring character who was a college kid that died and whom they accidentally semi-resurrected without noticing. Apparently the answer to "who's going to explain to her she's undead" was "we'll make her a PC".

A random girl they rescued from an incarnation of entropy in a Tibetan temple.

The original person who belonged in the body that the Monstrous had been possessing since the beginning of the campaign.

That was three different groups of players.

I seem to get a lot of people who go "hey, you know that NPC we all like? Can I make them my second hunter?"

Anyway. on to picking who these new characters.

Praem is a natural, she's one of the new hunters, and I'm going to pull up a third party playbook I rarely involve myself with. I've been considering this for her for a while, but I've also been considering changing Evelyn into a not-yet-released playbook that is focused on working with allies. Amusingly, one of the improvements for said not-yet-public playbook is to designate one of your allies to become a new hunter should your character "die" and said ally-turned-hunter would get a +1 to every roll they take towards either avenging or reviving you. To quote one of my playtesters from a sci-fi game who giggled on finding this "I'm going to be the angriest drone". And if I had STARTED Evee out as that playbook... this circumstance would have fallen SOOO neatly into that. But I started Evee off as the Expert. I might still have her go to that playbook later.

So, now, let's look to the cases for Nicole Webb vs Zheng.

In all honesty, either one feels like they're going to be a bit hit or miss on whether they are around or not. But I point again to the fact that players not required to play both their hunters all the time. So that's fine. Zheng has a lot more history with the team, but also Nicole's introduction is this weird blend of coming way out of left-field but also doing so that makes plausible sense and fits seemlessly into the story with no stress to suspension of disbelief. Heck the arrival of some sort of police officer was foreshadowed a lot earlier than that.

Also, Webb is a bit easier for me to model without duplicating playbooks. I already have a Monstrous and a Hard Case. Zheng is probably doable as a Summoned, though she herself isn't really a herald of Doomsday, and that's a fairly big part of the Summoned central story, so that's a bit hard. Divine would be another option, especially given that in addition to being able to make up your own mission, there's one that states that the Divine is just sort of on Earth for their own reasons.

Also I just like Zheng as a dangerous and chaotic Ally rather than fellow hunter. Similar to Lozzie, actually.

Finally, as I said, Nicole just feels like the sort of thing a player would throw into the mix. "Hey, that police officer we just caught, can I make her my second hunter?"

So that brings to what sort of hunter she is. I've thrown around the ideas of The Gumshoe and The Mundane... but I think I'm going to play her as The Professional and that's going to be a twist because The Professional usually works for an Agency that explicitly hunts monsters, but we're going to build her using the resources of the police force with said police force being out of the know.

But before we do that, we're going to create Praem as a hunter.

As I said earlier, she is going to be "The Constructed", a playbook which represents exactly what it sounds like: an animated statue or other object.

The Constructed starts with three moves, two mandatory and one selected from a list of five.

The first Mandatory move is "Inhuman" which gives Praem difficulty in understanding human behavior, mannerisms, and emotions. In this case, it feels more like her limited expression is hampering her than her understanding but the effect is the same. Also, this move means that Praem has 10 Harm boxes instead of 7 and she never goes unstable. This gives her more health than Raine, but she's still not as invulnerable as say Twil who may have less Harm, but is far harder to damage and heals rapidly.

The second is Recharge: You may repair yourself by immersing yourself into a source of your animating force, but it's dangerous. It's basically an option to swiftly heal that fleshies don't have. In Praem's case this would likely be a magic ritual to repair and replace her into a body.

For the third move, there are three that stand out: "Mystic Focus" meaning her body can act as a component in use magic and rituals; "Hide in Plain Sight", where if you stay very still people tend not to notice you... typically this is because they mistake the Constructed for a statue, but that's easily refluffed into her just generally "suddenly there" bits. But the one I'm going with is "But Why?" where her struggles to understand people mean she gets more out of people than they mean to give and that fits very well with how quickly she's learning.

I've usually been skipping Gear selections, but for The Constructed some of their gear options involves their body, so I'm going to focus in on that option right now and give her "Fists" and "Wrestle" to represent her great strength.

Finally, I think her basic Weird move is going to be "No Limits" similar to Twil.

Now, for stats. All Constructed get Tough +2, so what remains is to choose which of the five stat-lines for Constructed she'll take. I want her to have positive Weird, so that cuts the options to two:

Charm -1, Cool -1, Sharp +0, Tough +2, Weird +2

Charm 0, Cool +1, Sharp -1, Tough +2, Weird +1

Both have solid points in their favor: Praem is a bit of a hot-head for as much as she has few words to express it so her Cool could be low, but also she does teamwork well and handles hazards better than most. So you could also Cool is pretty high. Her ability to talk to people is limited and mostly dependent on being around people who are her long time friends. She is not unobservant, but also she doesn't often do the investigative side of things.

I think I'm going to go with the option for +1 Weird though, for a wider range of stats representing Praem after some more growth. If I had introduced her as a new hunter right from when she was introduced, I would have gone with the first line.

Now, for her Purpose, a special feature of The Constructed. The options are "Weapon" meaning she'd do more damage with her attacks, "Guardian", making her better at protecting people, "Asisstant" which makes her better at teamwork, and "Experiment" which lets her start off with an extra move from another Playbook.

She also has an "Animating Force" which is going to be "Magic" as I noted earlier. Unfortunately her generally tough nature means she doesn't heal naturally on her own. The fiction doesn't match this, so I'm going to be addressing that with a later improvement.

And actually... while Assistant would probably be more to the intention Evee had, the way the story developed feels more like Experiment and I'm going to work in a bit of how she's a bit good at detecting danger while not often doing the research side of things: "Tactical Genius" a Professional move that lets the hunter use Read a Bad Situation with Cool instead of Sharp, taking her Read from a -1 to a +1, better than most people in the world.

And speaking of The Professional, lets move on to Nicole Webb... and I have to say I ALMOST changed her to The Gumshoe so that she'd have less direct involvement with the Police whenever she got involved. What stopped me was The Gumshoe's Code which, as long as they adhere to it the individual would be immune to any sort of supernatural possession or charm among other benefits tied to other moves. And I just don't think Nicole's there yet. Currently, the Code I'd give her would be "Attention to detail, it's part of the job" but I'm not sure how that code would lead to dramatic situations where she's tempted to break it. Which is another reason for skipping on Gumshoe.

So, back to The Professional. We're going to start with stats this time and, as a note, all Professionals have +2 Cool, keeping their head on straight is what they are best at. And looking at the stat lines there's one that stands out for her:

Charm +1, Cool +2, Sharp +1, Tough -1, Weird +0

She's not much of a fighter, but she notes she was called in to talk to witnesses as a soft touch and she's pretty damn observant. So +1 Charm and +1 Sharp are both good choices (remember +1 is better than most people out and about).

Now for her Agency, we have to design the Sharrowford Police Department. It will get two Resources (good traits) and two Red Tape options (bad trait).

I already know the Red Tape here and it's going to include one of my not-yet-public traits for Agencies, but I'll just reveal this one since people could easily homebrew these traits (heck the not-yet-public project gives advice on how to home brew stuff for this game). Anyway, the Red Tape will be "Skepticism" and "Hostile Superiors" because her bosses don't like her and the department doesn't believe in the supernatural.

Now, for Resources: I think "Official Pull" and "Recognized Authority" are both good options here.

The Professional gets Four moves, one of which is mandatory: "Deal with the Agency" which represents their attempts to leverage the Agency for the mysteries and how they might get suspended or even under investigation if things go badly.

For the optional three, we have a list of seven moves to choose from. We're going with "Mobility" because she has a car, though I don't think it is ever described (but I may have just missed it). It will have two good things and one bad one, so saying "anonymous" and "toolkit" for the good things, and "gas-guzzler" for the bad thing. I'm also giving her "Bottle Up" which allows you to take bonuses on rolls to Act Under Pressure with the understanding that the Keeper can turn those into penalties against you later on a different roll as those bottled up emotions come rolling out. And for the third, I'm left with options that she doesn't quite demonstrate, but could have done off-screen. I'm going with "Battlefield Awareness" so that she's always counted as having +1 armor on top of whatever she's wearing, to a maximum of 2. Meaning if she wears a concealable vest, then she has comparable mechanical armor to Twil.

For her Weird basic move, I'm going with Trust Your Gut, similar to Raine.

Also, I realize I need to consider whether to include these two newbies in the Team Playbook... Praem certainly does, but I'm going to hold off on Nicole Webb for a bit. I don't think she's fully initiated and I'm also not sure what supernatural weirdness to get her as a full coven member. If she turns back up, I assume something will present itself.

For Praem, I'm giving her a Monstrous Move: and it's going to be "Something Borrowed" (yes, I use that one a lot) and the move she's borrowing is "Prepared to Defend" from the Searcher which means that if she Kicks Some Ass or Protects Someone, she suffers 1 Harm less. For her Curse, Pure Drive: Love. Praem does a lot of unwise things in the name of helping her friends.

Also, for reference, I think Nicole is the second hunter for Evee's player and Praem is the second hunter for Raine's player. Mostly because of the line about how "she's bitter you'd like her" being told to Evee about Nicole and the way Praem tends to playfully engage with both Heather and Evee a lot.

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

Now for level ups.

This was a long one, and I'm going to do the following:

Evee, Raine, Twil, and Heather will each get two more improvements (accounting for them being a bit more reliable with generally higher stats and thus leveling slower.)

Nicole and Praem will get four level-ups. Because this was a long'un and they be newbies, so more poor rolls to deal with. Partially because this puts Nicole in range of changing playbooks soon if the plot sees her quit or get fired. In which case, I might take her to either The Searcher or The Gumshoe.

I'm also giving the Team Playbook 2 level ups. Perhaps some people gave some of their XP to the Team Playbook.

Moving on, let's deal with Heather's level ups. She's a newbie Hex but she's already flirting with the Hex advanced moves. Felt like she was on the verge of going Apotheosis, then leaned toward Synthesis by saving Sarika's life, but she's go a ways to go before she can make the choice between those two (she'll only ever get to pick one).

On the matter of how she freed Zheng, I could see that as Force of Will, but that is generally only a temporary suppression. However, it could serve as part of a Big Magic ritual and the effort taken does feel like it fits. I could also give her another Rote. What I'm going to do is give her +1 Weird for sure, to max her out at +3. She be as weird as the weirdest monster now. I'm also going to let her borrow a move from another playbook (something The Hex can only do once) to pick up "Third Eye" from the Spell-Slinger (think Harry Dresden) because of how often she started using her hyperdimensional math to analyze and define people, spells, and things.

I considered giving her a Rote to explain resurrecting/saving Sarika. But I think that was possibly a one-time mystery thing for now, once I see it or something like it repeated: New Rote.

Also... can I just say... wow was The Hex and Addiction a good choice for Heather... holy cow... she even almost followed straight across the moral event horizon when she considered killing Nicole at first. (here's me imagining Heather's player saying "I'm just going to kill her" and Evee's player saying, "Actually, can I make her my second hunter?" "What?" and the Keeper going "What if Lozzie talks you down.... again I'm reframing a bit of fiction... if something like that happened in Hungry's stream of consciousness as she was writing this, I'd be astounded.)

Now, on to Raine. For her two level-ups, I'm taking two of the Hard Case unique ones: giving her another +1 Harm so that she's even harder to kill and I'm giving her last move (until she changes playbooks) and having her borrow Unfazeable to take her cool to +3... because she took a frigging nap in a house that was literally going to hell as if it was no big deal.

On to Evee. Well, Evee is losing the ally she got for Adept Sorcerer since Praem is now a hunter and has her own agency (but not Agency, that's Nicole) and everything. And, you know what... I'm going to use one of my not yet public optional advanced improvements to give her a second basic Weird move which will be Summoner and yep, that's a new one coming up, suffice to say it is about calling monsters into being to do jobs for you. And for her second level up.... I'm changing her playbook to Covenant a playbook all about working with allies.

Now, on changing playbooks, there's nothing about Evee's stats that really need changing or removal... I'm crossing out Adept Sorcerer, but that would have happened anyway. This playbook comes with a free ally or ally team and an ability to protect allies that fall once per session. In Evee's case I'm going with a Rolodex representing a team of allies that have varying specialties and operate individually. If Praem were still an Ally, I'd have instead gone with Watson for a single extra-competent ally. Evee's allies are summoned demons.

In addition to those elements, this playbook gets two other moves and those will be Smash Cut where you reveal that you had sent a particular ally to do a task for you off screen and Who Said I Was Alone? allowing an ally to suddenly appear on the scene at the last minute to protect you from disaster. And I've kind of seen Praem do both of these things already. I don't expect that Evee will create another ally nearly as emotionally invested as Praem in the rest of the story, switching to this playbook does feel like an expansion and mechanical shaping of things she has already done in the past.

Now, on to Twil. I'm considering changing her playbook, but I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand, I'm thinking of changing her to the playbook I borrowed some of her moves from. On the other I think she's also leaning very heard into the idea of The Protector, a third party playbook I've seen played on The Monster's Playbook podcast. Because I'm not sure which direction to go though, I'm instead going to hold off and spend her two level ups on increasing her Cool twice, to get it to +1. So she's now better at dealing with hazards and teamwork (for example, grabbing Evee so that both of them are behind Heather could be an example of helping Heather Protect Someone... which Heather really needs... because she's not that tough). That uses her +1 Cool and her +1 any improvement so until she changes playbooks, that's as high as that's going.

I have been told that Twil is a bit off but I wouldn't know why yet. Not sure I've hit that point of in the story where I realize what I got wrong yet.

For Praem, for one of her level-ups I'm giving her a second Animating Force in the form of "Meditation" similar to how Zheng did it. It takes time and leaves them vulnerable to attack and notice, but it does mean that she doesn't depend on a mage to heal her all the time. Just in catastrophic cases, and that better fits the fiction. For another level up, I am going to give her +1 Weird to get it to +2. I'm also going to borrow a move from another playbook: Helping Hand from the Initiate so that when she helps out she grants +2 instead of +1. Finally, I'm going to give her +1 Cool so that it goes up to +2 which will affect her Help Out, Act Under Pressure, and Read a Bad Situation.

For Nicole, I'm going to borrow The Naked City from The Gumshoe and say she has contacts with Police (Local), Accountants, Media, and Criminals (Street). The Media is mostly a nod to the end of the arc where she gets some national attention her way. I'm also giving her +1 Sharp and +1 Charm. I'm also giving her "Leave No One Behind". I know she didn't actually pull Sarika single-handedly out of danger... but fake it til you make, you know?

For the Team Playbook, I'm going for Zheng as a new Team Ally and another team move: Bell, Book, and Candle which is a move that makes the group very very good at performing rituals that should take a lot more people. Basically, each member of the group counts as three people for the purpose of Big Magic. Feels like that could explain how they punch over their weight class so thoroughly in a lot of cases.

Which results in the following character sheets:

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Team Playbook: Coven

Team Playbook: Coven

Team Style: Superheroes with Fangs, Oath: The means determines the ends.

Team Ally: Lozzie, Zheng

Team Enemy: The Eye

Team Moves: Laws of Hospitality; How Awful Goodness Is; Bell, Book, and Candle

Team Asset: Headquarters, Archive, Leyline Map, Wards and Barriers, Ritual Cupboard, Armory

Improvements

Take two more dots worth of Assets: Leyline Map

Take two more dots worth of Assets: Wards and Barriers

Take a new Teambook Move: How Awful Goodness Is

Take two more dots worth of Assets: Ritual Cupboard and Armory

Take a new Team Ally: Zheng

Take a new Teambook Move: Bell, Book, and Candle

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

Heather Morell - The Spooky The Hex

Charm +2

Cool +1

Sharp +1

Tough -1

Weird +3

Moves

Basic Weird Move: Use Magic

Advanced Basic Moves: Use Magic, Read a Bad Situation

Spooky Moves: The Sight, Tune In, Jinx, The Big Whammy

Hex Moves: Bad Luck Charm, Burn Everything, Wise Soul

Borrowed Moves (Spooky): Guardian: Tenny (Ally Type: Bodyguard, to intercept danger), FINISH HIM! (Fire)

Borrowed Move (Hex): Third Eye

Dark Side: Paranoia, Guilt, Pain

Temptation: Addiction

Rotes

Out: 1-harm, nausea, touch target. roll +Weird, 10+ send them where you want and you can retrieve them. 7-9 you lose track, they or their disappearance will be a problem. 6- you're unable to complete it and attract bad attention.

Fire: 0/10 (Fire increases when)

Each 1 Harm suffered

Each time a friend is hurt

Each time someone defies Heather

Harm: 0/7 (Unstable at 4, Dead at 8)

Weapons:

The Big Whammy - 2-harm, close, obvious, ignore-armor. (Kick Some Ass with +Weird)

Burn Everything A - 3-harm, area, magic, obvious (Use Magic)

Burn Everything B - 3-harm, ignore-armor, magic, obvious (Use Magic)

Mark of Kinship

Changeling Move: They are my People

Unknown Heritage: Strange Thoughts, Sensory Bombardment

Improvements

Take a Spooky Move: The Big Whammy

Take a move from another playbook: Guardian (Searcher)

Increase Charm +1, max 2

Take a move from another playbook: FINISH HIM! (Hard Case)

Increase Cool +1, max 2

Use Magic and Read a Bad Situation advanced

Change Playbook: The Hex

Increase Weird +1, max 3

Take a move from another playbook: Third Eye (Spell-Slinger)

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Raine Haynes - The Hard Case

Charm +1

Cool +3

Sharp +0

Tough +3

Weird -1

Moves

Basic Weird Move: Trust Your Gut

Advanced Basic Moves: Kick Some Ass, Manipulate Someone

Hard Knocks: Bodyguard

Hard Case Moves: Furnace (Fire), Stone Cold, Inspired Guesswork (Fire), Weapon Master, Unstoppable (Fire)

Borrowed Moves: Background: Burglary (Crooked), Unfazeable

Fire: 0/10 (Fire increases when)

Each 1 Harm suffered

Each time a friend is hurt

Each time someone defies Raine

Harm: 0/9 (Unstable at 5, Dead at 10)

Mark of Kinship

Monstrous Move: Something Borrowed: Ancient Fighting Arts

Curse: Pure Drive (Violence)

Gear: A spell formula written on a napkin, pistol (2 harm close), Crowbar/Baseball Bat (2-harm hand messy innocuous, 3 Harm with Ancient Fighting Arts), Huge Fucking Knife (2-harm hand messy, 3-harm hand with Ancient Fighting Arts)

Improvements:

Increase Cool +1, max 2

Increase Tough +1, max 3

Take a Hard Case move: Weapon Master

Take a Hard Case move: Unstoppable

Add 1 Harm box before the unstable line.

Take a move from another Playbook: Background: Burglary (Crooked)

Kick Some Ass and Manipulate Someone advanced

Create a Second Hunter: Praem

Take a move from another playbook: Unfazeable

Add an extra harm box to your harm track before "Dying"

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

Evelyn "Evee" Saye - The Expert The Covenant

Charm +0

Cool +1

Sharp +2

Tough -1

Weird +2

Moves

Weird Move: Use Magic, Summoner

Known Summons: Tardus venandi, Servitors

Advanced Basic Moves: Use Magic, Investigate a Mystery

Expert Moves: Often Right, Dark Past, Preparedness, I've read about this sort of thing.

Covenant Moves: Covenant, Friendship: Rolodex, Smash Cut, Who Said I Was Alone?

Borrowed Moves: Dark Negotiator, Adept Sorcerer: Praem (Ally type: Subordinate to follow your exact instructions)

Haven: Mystical Library, Protection Spells, Magical Laboratory, Guardian

Harm: 0/7 (Unstable at 4, Dead at 8)

Mark of Kinship

Fractal Rote: Roll +Weird, 10+ the symbol is stable and will last some days of passive use and hours of active use. 7-9 the symbol wears out quickly and will break down much more rapidly. 6- the symbol will fail at the worst possible moment.

Summoning Rote: Roll +Weird, 10+ the summoned creature will be strong and responsive, 7-9 the summoned creature will be strong or responsive, but not both, 6- the creature will go out of control.

Temptation: Vengeance

Improvements

Increase Weird +1, max 2

Take a move from another playbook: Adept Sorcerer (Exile)

Take a move from another playbook: Dark Negotiator (Monstrous)

Take an Expert move: Preparedness

Take an Expert move: I've read about this sort of thing.

Add an option to your haven

Use Magic and Investigate a Mystery advanced

Create a Second Hunter: Nicole Webb

Add a second Weird Move: Summoner

Change playbooks: The Covenant

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Twil Hopton - The Monstrous

Charm +0

Cool +0

Sharp +0

Tough +2

Weird +3

Breed: Werewolf

Curse: Vulnerability Silver

Natural Attack: Claws (3-harm hand), Fangs (3-harm intimate)

Moves

Basic Weird Move: No Limits

Advanced Basic Moves: Protect Someone, No Limits

Monstrous Moves: Something Borrowed: Invincible, Unquenchable Vitality, Shapeshifter, Preternatural Speed

Borrowed Moves: Predator and Prey, Symbiosis (Benefits: Can't be possessed, non-physical symbiote, Downsides: Limited Communication)

Harm: 0/7 (Unstable at 4, Dead at 8)

Armor: 2 (Invincible)

Mark of Kinship

Spooky Move: Hunches

Dark Side: Secrets, Poor Impulse Control

Improvements:

Take a Monstrous move: Shapeshifter

Take a Monstrous move: Preternatural Speed

Take a move from another playbook: Predator and Prey (Host)

Take a move from another playbook: Symbiosis (Host)

Increase Charm +1, max 2

Add another natural attack option

Protect Someone and No Limits Advanced

Increase Cool +1, max 2

Increase any +1, max 3 (Cool)

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Praem - The Constructed

Charm +0

Cool +2

Sharp -1

Tough +2

Weird +2

Purpose: Experiment

Animating Force: Magic, Meditation

Moves

Basic Weird Move: No Limits

Constructed Moves: Inhuman, Recharge, But Why?

Experiment Borrowed Move: Tactical Genius (Professional)

Borrowed Moves (Constructed): Helping Hand (Initiate)

Harm: 0/10 (Dead at 11)

Mark of Kinship

Monstrous Move: Something Borrowed: Prepared to Defend (Searcher)

Curse: Pure Drive (Love)

Improvements:

Add a second Animating Force

Increase Cool +1, max 2

Increase Weird +1, max 2

Take a move from another playbook: Helping Hand (Initiate)

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

Detective Sergeant Nicole Webb - The Professional

Charm +2

Cool +2

Sharp +2

Tough -1

Weird +0

Agency: Sharrowford Police Department

Resources: Official Pull, Recognized Authority

Red Tape: Hostile Superiors, Skepticism

Moves

Basic Weird Move: Trust Your Gut

Professional Moves: Deal with the Agency; Mobility: Anonymous, Toolkit, Gas-Guzzler; Bottle it Up; Battlefield Awareness; Leave No One Behind

Borrowed Moves (Professional): The Naked City: Local Police, Accountants, Media, Street Criminals (Gumshoe)

Harm: 0/7 (Unstable at 4, Dead at 8)

Improvements:

Take a move from another playbook: The Naked City (Gumshoe)

Increase Sharp +1, Max 2

Increase Charm +1, Max 2

Take a Professional move: Leave No One Behind

[kingofthenorth]

Horror recommendations from someone formerly too afraid to enjoy the genre

I spent almost my entire childhood too chicken to watch scary movies, only occasionally trying to brave and get through one here and there. I lost countless hours of sleep over trailers I'd seen on tv for various horror movies, which then went on to shape the nature of my fears--and nightmares--for the rest of my life. But in my late teens I decided to try and conquer my fears by facing the genre head on, and in the process... it actually became my favorite genre.

If you're scared but want to jump in, this is my gift to you, as someone who used to be in your shoes. This list is broken down based on the kind of experience you're looking for, so you can get your feet wet on your own terms. It's not that these movies aren't scary (scary is subjective, after all!), it's that this way you can at least know the general vibe first.

Disclaimer #1: Horror tends to be absolutely teeming with common triggers, so much so that I don't trust myself to individually warn for each item on the list. I suggest using a site like Does the Dog Die? or similar registries to look up anything you might need to filter out. Assume death and violence to be a common theme here. Disclaimer #2: This list is far from perfect. Please don't come into my inbox saying "but what about [insert movie here]?"...

Emotional

If wanting to connect to characters and their situations is a big priority, and you're tired of ye olde "one dimensional teens on summer vacation get picked off one by one" vibes from movies you've considered, here are some deeper, heavier options.

Before I Wake: A couple adopts a child who has been in and out of homes, only to discover the reason why no one will keep him is because he has the ability to physically manifest his dreams as he sleeps... and often has recurring nightmares about a horrible, menacing creature. This movie is an excellent take on the tough issue of how adoption means shouldering a child's baggage, and how difficult that can be, even when you want the best for them.

The Monster: On a long drive through a fairly remote stretch of road, a young mother and her daughter have to deal with both the figurative monster that is the strain on their relationship and the much more literal monster that is the thing hunting them in the woods. For being relatively straightforward in plot, this movie does a lot to tug at the heartstrings.

Train to Busan: A man's train ride to take his small daughter to visit her mother goes south fast when a zombie outbreak hits. Zombie movies aren't for everyone, but even as someone with mixed feelings on the genre, I consider this a must-see that balances drama, action, and fear amazingly well.

Fun

Every horror fan has a different definition of what a "fun" horror movie is, but hopefully you can see eye to eye with me on these movies being a good, entertaining ride.

Nope: Following their father's death, a brother and sister investigate the perplexing occurrences plaguing their family farm. One of my top "go in blind" recs. The less you know, the better. It manages to balance fear and humor while also being a fresh take on a classic concept.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: A group of friends find a book of scary stories, one that's all fun and games until their own names start popping up in the tales. Whether you read the book or not as a kid (which I didn't), this one is incredibly nostalgic. It feels like it belongs at a sleepover, or perhaps retold around a campfire. Perfect viewing for a Halloween party!

Malignant: Surrounded by mysterious deaths, a woman can't help but suspect her childhood imaginary friend may be the one responsible. A fantastic example of a movie where the creep factor is unique and well thought out while also being fun in an almost absurd way.

Unsettling

Sometimes, instead of being outright terrifying, you want a movie that makes you go "hey, what the fuck?"

The Boy: To get away from her own troubles, a young woman accepts a nanny job with strict rules while the parents leave on holiday... only to discover right away that the "child" she must watch is actually a doll. This movie is creepy, subtle, and keeps you guessing. Honestly, it's a great first horror movie if you're looking for something iconic but not so classic you already know the whole plot.

Oculus: A young woman manages to track down the haunted mirror she blames for destroying her family's lives many years ago, and she intends to prove that supernatural forces are behind it all. This remains one of the most interesting horror movies I've watched, combining past childhood terror with an investigative spirit in the present as it jumps back and forth in the story.

Savageland: This mockumentary the trial of a man charged with slaughtering an entire small town because he walked away the lone survivor. Another "go in blind" rec, and honestly a hidden gem. The reflective tone of looking back on the events creates a sense of safety for the viewer, and yet, watching the mystery unfold is positively chilling.

In the Tall Grass: In an attempt to help a boy they spotted from the side of the road, two siblings enter a disorienting field of tall grass. Arguably a bit more "advanced" in its creepiness than others in this category, but I feel like I'd be amiss not to include at least one Stephen King adaptation, and this one makes the cut by not bearing as much pop culture baggage as his better known works.

It's Not That Deep

If you don't want a heavy, involved plot, and would rather focus on the scares, then these movies have you covered!

Sweetheart: A young woman shipwrecked on an island must survive not only the wilderness itself, but the strange beast that wanders onto land at night looking for a snack. If the first episode of Lost set your hopes high for a more creature feature vibe, then this movie will scratch that itch nicely.

Dark Skies: After repeated unexplained occurrences in their home, a family begins to accept that their problem may be extraterrestrial in nature. A fantastic and spooky alien horror flick for both UFO buffs and casual viewers alike.

Willow Creek: While filming a small documentary about the famous Patterson-Gimlin bigfoot film, a couple realizes they aren't alone as they try to reach the site of the film itself. As silly as it starts off, this one captures the simple but powerful fear of not being alone in the woods at night, and is to bigfoot what Dark Skies is to aliens; perfect for both cryptid fanatics and those unfamiliar. Also, it made me hate sleeping in tents even more than I already did.

Staples of the genre

Popular movies are popular for a reason. Here are some ones you've undoubtedly heard of (and maybe even seen parodies of) but get a spot on this post because they're Just That Good. No plot summaries on these, as you likely already know more about them than I could say in any brief description. Just pure opinion from here on!

Ringu/The Ring: Whether watching the original or the American version, this one is a must. I say this despite it being the movie with the trailer that scared--and scarred--me the most as a kid. Onryo are among my worst fears now. Enjoy!

Paranormal Activity: Despite people making fun of it, this one (and its sequels) actually makes amazing use of subtle-but-realistic effects. When I finally watched it, I was shocked by how simple yet high quality it was. I think everyone should watch this at least once.

The Woman in Black: One of my first serious attempts at getting into horror. It's everything you could ask for out of a haunted house movie, hitting all the classic elements without feeling too predictable.

The Blair Witch Project: You know this one. Everyone knows this one. It was THE genre defining found footage movie, so go watch it!

The Conjuring: Yet another great haunted house movie, and one that scratches that "based on a true story" itch to boot! The trailer for this one also scared the snot out of me, except that I was already an adult (I think?) by then. Somehow, it's practically an old friend to me.

Midsommar: As much as this one dealt a devastating blow to critical thinking (particularly of white women), it really is a good movie. Just... please try not to miss the point.

The Ritual: Okay, not quite as iconic as the others in this section, but any creature design fanatic can tell you that this one holds a special place in the hearts of many horror fans. No, it's not one that anybody and everybody has heard of, but it's very well known inside the broader horror fandom.

...And that's it for now! I might edit it to include some others, though, since I had to leave tons of ones I dearly love out, and my willpower to resist mentioning them is not strong.

[byzantine-suggestions]

Theodora: A Summary

So, a few months ago, I decided to torment myself by reading Theodora by Samuel Edwards, a deeply questionable "vintage" novel from 1969 that, in many ways, makes Robert Graves's Count Belisarius look tame. I did a whole summary of it that I never posted because it got too long and unwieldy, but I got bored this past weekend, so I went back and edited it down to bullet points and individual sub-parts for more readability. So, if you're interested in Highly Questionable Byzantine Shennanigans, here goes:

The book starts off normally enough, detailing the gossip circulating around Constantinople in the weeks before Justinian and Theodora’s engagement. It quickly introduces several important characters by basically just listing their names and their thoughts about Theodora; predictably, the patricians all dislike her, the other courtesans are all jealous of her, the Monophysite clergy love her because she’s championing their cause, and Belisarius has no opinion whatsoever about her because he’s too loyal to Justinian to give a shit about his romantic entanglements. And *then* the book introduces Narses, and it immediately gets weird. Basically, Narses is sexually attracted to Justinian, to the point of having frequent erotic fantasies about him, and he’s therefore disappointed upon hearing of Justinian’s courtship with Theodora. This is a one-off sentence or two in the intro, but don’t worry, Narses’s crush on Justinian (and general sexual deviancy) will become a major recurring theme. So we’re already off to a great start.

The reader is then introduced to Justinian, who is quickly established as a.) mysterious, b.) devoted to his work, and c.) completely fucking insane. We are told that he only sleeps 3 hours a night and frequently goes 72 hours without rest, and is still somehow completely functional, so “the sleepless one” is a literal moniker. He’s also, inexplicably, a talented swordsman (this never comes up again) who’s so strong that he can walk around without guards because he can defend himself using his sheer physical prowess, and he recently graduated college, having completed fourteen years of coursework in five years. Basically, he’s amazing at everything to an absolutely ludicrous degree. The reader meets him in a flashback to the night he first met Theodora, so he’s presently very lonely, wandering Constantinople and pondering the emptiness of his heart.

It isn’t long before Justinian, still lonely and sexually dissatisfied, goes to the Hagia Sophia to seek life advice from God. Of course, Theodora is in the Hagia Sophia, and he’s instantaneously attracted to her, because of course he is. We are told that Theodora has long black hair and purple eyes like a teenage girl’s OC, her waist is so tiny that Justinian can encircle it in his hands, and she looks much younger than she is (it takes Justinian a while to realize that she’s in her twenties and not, in fact, sixteen. Her apparent youth, of course, makes her more attractive to him.) When Justinian first notices her, she’s reading a book, and he finds this astonishing. So astonishing, in fact, that he basically just walks up to her and demands that she read some lines aloud to him in order to prove that she’s actually reading and not just, I don’t know, quietly staring at paper. So she reads him a paragraph or so, but he’s still not satisfied, so he makes her translate some more lines for him, and it’s just kind of exhausting. Justinian really comes across as, like, an angry nerd who walks up to a girl wearing a Star Wars T-shirt and goes “oh, you like Star Wars? Prove it by answering my trivia!” But Theodora indulges him, then they get into an argument about the divine nature of Christ, and she’s so charmed by his shitty attitude that she decides to follow him home.

We are then introduced to Justinian’s house, which is a decrepit hovel that desperately needs a woman to make it into A Home. (Obviously, Theodora is that woman.) She makes Justinian dinner because he’s too inept to feed himself, Justinian infodumps to her about bread, and then he gets called away to some meeting. When he returns from his meeting, he discovers that Theodora has miraculously transformed his terrible house into a habitable environment, then fallen asleep on his couch. So he decides to let her stay, and she basically moves in with him (having known him for a sum total of a few hours). It has the same energy as, like, someone bringing home a stray alley cat, then adopting the cat because it turns out to be really good at interior decorating.

The next morning, Theodora has someone make Justinian his favorite stew, and he’s like “HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS IS MY FAVORITE?” and she’s like “idk, it was a lucky guess :)” But then the narration reveals that she has been obsessively targeting Justinian for weeks, noting all of his movements in the hopes of attracting him and ending up as his mistress, and, as part of her campaign to worm her way into his heart, she’s been following workmen from the same region as him and observing what they eat so she could use that knowledge to make Justinian meals that remind him of his childhood. Which is so incredibly Machiavellian that it kind of circles back around to being amazing. I mean, that’s delusional stalker behavior, but I respect it!

It turns out that Theodora also has access to some important intel about the general Vitalian, which she got by, idk, being a courtesan and knowing things, and right after she admits this to Justinian, Narses and Belisarius conveniently show up with a problem regarding Vitalian. Theodora is able to fix the problem (to Narses’s envy) and Justinian is so happy about this that he gives her some expensive jewelry, which makes her cry. The entire time she’s crying, he just hovers over her and does nothing, like a creep. And then they have sex, because there’s nothing sexier than crying.

They start living as a couple, obviously, but Theodora quickly becomes kind of a homebody, refusing to leave the house or go outside for any reason. This is obviously weird and abnormal, and Justinian is unnerved by it, so he asks her what’s up. Lo and behold, the issue is the Prostitute Dress Code.

What is the Prostitute Dress Code, you ask? Well, it’s a bizarre, inexplicable, completely ahistorical set of rules that governs what color socks prostitutes can wear. Prostitutes of a certain rank have to wear a ridiculous yellow outfit, and prostitutes of another rank have to wear a ridiculous red outfit, and you can be upgraded from a yellow prostitute to a red prostitute, and it’s all just really stupid. And that’s why Theodora doesn’t want to go outside. Because she’d have to wear red socks. I don’t know.

(As an aside, Theodora has been wearing red and purple this entire time. She was introduced in chapter one wearing purple, even though she was a penniless prostitute at the time. Which kind of takes the bite out of “purple is the noblest shroud,” right? If everyone can wear purple whenever they want, and purple has no special significance to her beyond being pretty and fun, her whole speech becomes kind of meaningless.)

Anyway, Theodora doesn’t want to wear the Prostitute Socks, but she doesn’t want to *not* wear the Prostitute Socks because that would mean breaking the law, and this leads to an argument between her and Justinian, which culminates in him proposing to her. As one does.

That concludes the courtship and falling-in-love montage! If you're thinking "this relationship sounds shaky and Justinian sounds very unpleasant," hold on to your stolas; it gets worse in part two.

[radjerda]

⛲ Welcome all! ⛲

I'm Radjerda (she/her, in my 20s) and I guess I just thought I might stick an intro post here for everyone to help keep my blog organized!

About Me: Like I said, I'm Radj, and I like to draw sometimes (I also crochet)! I've got an interest in a variety of media, but at the moment I'm very into Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's other related works. Also in my frequently recurring interests are likely to be: Half-Life, Dishonored, Tron, and others. Fun fact: I recently taught myself to write English with Tengwar out of boredom.

Important: Feel free to send me asks, messages, and whatnot on anything! I'm shy when it comes to starting interactions, but I always love to talk! (Responses may occasionally be slow, but don't take that to mean I'm ever bothered by interactions!)

Favorite Characters of the Day: Glorfindel & Ecthelion & Arwen Undomiel (Tolkien), Alan Bradley & Tron (Tron), Alyx Vance & Barney Calhoun (Half-Life), ARAMIS STILTON (Dishonored)

About the Blog: I like to post art (both my own art and others'!) and that's primarily what I use this blog for. This is a side blog, so most interactions from me that aren't reblogs will be from my main @portalthief. I post art from a bit of whatever I like, so be warned that this is a multifandom blog (though it likely will go through blocks of content as I do). I'll always tag posts with their fandom and other relevant details to make filtering content easy as needed, I'll write more on that below!

Other Places to Find Me: My main blog is @portalthief

Tags and How I Use Them (Under the Keep Reading):

A List of My Frequent Non-Fandom Tags and Their Explanations for All Your Blog-Searching and Content-Filtering Needs:

#Radj Draws -- my general art tag, used for all art.

#Radj Doodles -- used for my less-finished art pieces, silly doodles and the like

#Radj Screenshots -- used for my gaming screenshots, usually done like in-game photography, but sometimes sillier

#Radj Rambles -- used for posts where I do a lot of talking (like this one!), as well as my answers to asks and the like

#of those demons of power ecthelion queue three -- my queue tag, used for things I stuck in my queue! Original quote is from The Fall of Gondolin and reads "of those demons of power Ecthelion slew three," I think I'm funny

#not my art -- this is fairly self-explanatory, this tag is for art I haven't done myself

#not radjs art -- my own specific tag for reblogged art pieces that aren't mine, this way posts from my blog alone can be filtered to just my art (or just others' art) if using tumblr's filtering settings

#art from my lovely gf -- used for art done by my lovely gf! She gets a dedicated tag just because 💞 (go look at her art @graedari)

[altschmerzes]

for that post u reblogged!! Is there a scene you can’t wait to write for a WIP (the same story?) :)

oh boy IS THERE EVER

there's scenes i'm like, beyond jazzed about for all my wips tbh but for same story particularly, man, there's some real good ones (at least i think so) coming down the pipe so lemme just bullet some out real quick. there's too many to narrow it down to just one. so, here we go, list of top scenes i'm PSYCHED to get to in ted lasso mediafic:

one of the things i really enjoyed doing in barn raising (my 2x08 tag) is that every character in the main/secondary team cast had what i called their "spotlight moment" where they got to have a moment individually or in a small group that highlighted them and how they were dealing with and relating to the situation. i am also doing that in same story, for the characters who don't have like, repeated/recurring threads and more extended scenes (like dani and, though his haven't come up yet, sam). some of them have already happened (jan, half of moe's) but a lot of them are still coming up (isaac, colin, thierry, richard, the other bit of moe's) and i actually really love those bits. i love working with some of the more secondary/minor characters, those parts always end up really fun and i develop a lot of thoughts and feelings on characters i may not have otherwise!

we have not seen the last of roy's sister and i'm really looking forward to writing her again. there's i think... three? three more scenes with sarah kent and one in particular where she and jamie chat about the fact that he's been at roy's for a while and she says some things about that to him that puts it in perspective, and that scene is one i've had planned for a while and is an anvil of a conversation. i like writing her a lot, and this talk needs to happen.

jamie's first game back after the attack. what i'll say about that scene is i did manage to get myself choked up working on it already using the baby shark song.

i mentioned that sam's scenes/mini arc has yet to arrive and that's one i'm really looking forward to as well. it's been quietly building off-screen for a while, so to speak, and when it boils over it results in some of my favourite conversations i've drafted. i adore sam and he's been really fun to write, and he's got some valuable stuff to contribute here. i'm a little nervous on how the resolution of some stuff he's working on is gonna play out but i think if i can pull it off it's gonna be great.

about one million other things. i could keep going but i won't, for your sake more than mine XD