#If I don't update often they lose their interest.

[niuniente]

That freaky feeling when you pick up a book and it's synopsis has your name on it, describing your life:

"Art had always been Niu's passion and the only thing she wanted to do in life, but mundane and repetitive commissions had killed her inspiration."

[sen-ya]

Sen's Important Info Post

Post last updated 10/29/24

Hey I'm Sen and I draw One Piece too much! I am terrible at keeping things easy to find, turns out when ur job is project management you don’t want to also do it in ur down time. My current theme is following the dopamine, keeping it as fun as it can be for me to draw. Below the cut is information on the different AUs & serializations I've got going on right now :^)

Important Links

[How to use Airtable]

[Sen's Digital Comic Book] - a database of every comic I've made that is woefully not updated often I am sorry. I gotta work on a better system for easy viewing.

[Life After Digital Comic Book] - a database of every page of Life After

[See Comics Early on Ko-Fi!]

[Life After Info Post] - Life After is currently on hiatus!

Posting Schedule

Thursday - Serialized Comics (current: Family AU//Forgetful)

Universe: Main Timeline

Comics that belong to this timeline are meant to follow through the events of canon, many of them were written while I was actively reading and didn't know what would happen next! Every comic that receives this tag happens in the same universe, so they may refer to each other in both plot-important and not important ways. These comics are largely LuLaw but include sprinkles of Heart Pirates (in general and as family), ZoSan, and general shenanigans.

Serializations:

Getting Together - Will they/won't they? They will, but they're gonna be stupid about it. Anything tagged into this series you can assume they haven't established that they're romantically interested in each other.

Established LuLaw - Two idiots in love. Anything tagged with this series you can assume they're together. They may not refer to each other as "boyfriend" or "partner" but whatever it is that's going on is clear to the two of them and that's what matters.

Law Loses - Most comics in this series deal with the aftermath of Winner Island. Law feels like a curse.

Goofs Only - These comics don't require serialization. They're just some good fun. If they include LawLu/LuLaw, they'll also be tagged as either "Getting Together" or "Established" so you have context for their reactions.

The Heart Bros - Law, Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi found each other as kids. Comics in this series act as glimpses into their time growing up and other brotherly interactions. This is noncompliant with the Law novel. Once they form the Heart Pirates, they consider each other brothers.

ZoSan - I don't draw these two a lot anymore, so this series is just a general ZoSan category!

Heart Pirate Shenanigans - I went all in on Heart Pirates Week 2024 and wrote a bunch of comics about the various crew members! Leaving this as an open series for when I inevitably fall down another Heart Pirate rabbit hole.

Universe: Older/Family AU

Comics that belong to this timeline are meant to follow through the events of canon, many of them were written while I was actively reading and didn't know what would happen next! Every comic that receives this tag happens in the same universe, so they may refer to each other in both plot-importanComics in this universe take place anywhere from 7 - 30 years post canon. Mostly LuLaw with sprinkles of other shenanigans. You can assume events from the main timeline are canon in this AU.

Serializations:

Accidents Happen - Law gets a cold and stops running a few effects that he'd taken for granted.

Getting Married - Did you know if two pirate captains want to get married, they can just say they're married?

Extras - This series is for posts that offer context/additional information about what's going on in the AU

Family Fluff - These are a series of comics where the focus is on Law and/or Luffy as a parent.

Forgetful - Law gets hit by a devil fruit that makes him forget everything that's happened since just before Marineford.

Get back to it - After spending some time on Zou in Rocy's first 18 months, it's time for Luffy & Law to get back to pirating.

Universe: The Worst Timeline

Comics in this universe branch off of the main timeline around Whole Cake/early Wano. These comics may refer to earlier 'main timeline' events, but what happens in them is so terrible I've refused to make them part of my own personal canon. Sometimes it's just too temping to make them suffer :^)

Serializations:

Rightfully Worried - This series is an AU in which Luffy gets the absolute shit kicked out of him in Whole Cake and when he arrives on Wano Law has to save his life. It's not the first time he's performed surgery on him, but it is the first time he's had to since he's cared so much about his patient.

The Worst Wake-Up Call - During an intense battle, Law makes a decision. The ones who love him deal with the aftermath.

[rinniereads123]

One-Shots

SOME OF THESE STORIES ARE MATURE! READ THE WARNINGS AND TAGS BEFORE YOU READ!

Last updated 12/13/2024

★ - personal favorites | masterlist | other recs

yours to hurt, yours to love - @purple-babygirl

They had a deal. She would surrender her control; he would take it. Love had no place in such a relationship, did it?

Come Find Me - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

You get left behind on a mission, and Bucky goes to save you.

★blurred lines - @ellemj

When choosing a female agent to send back in time to gain young Sergeant Barnes's trust, everyone's in agreement that it should be Sharon. Until Bucky, the man that you barely get along with, speaks up and lets everyone know that it could only be you.

Shared desires - @veltana

You and Bucky decide to explore something new with Steve.

The Push and the Pull - @delaber

There’s nothing Bucky wants more than to be with you - and for that reason alone, he has to break both your hearts.

Little Bookworm - @heytheredelulu

Your boyfriend can’t think of anything more adorable than watching you read. One night while you’re in the shower he picks up the book you left on the nightstand: “Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton” and thumbs through it, very quickly realizing just what kind of books his sweet little bookworm is really into.

Anywhere Away With You - @thevillainswhore

Old ghosts from your past threaten to disturb the peace you’ve made with your new life. Will temptation steer you away?

★The Ties That Bind Us - @thevillainswhore

Even though Bucky is your ex-husband, you still have to see him often because of your shared son. But the heated tension, the spark that is still very much alive after your divorce, finally reaches its peak when you come home from your date.

Warrior/Worrier - @delaber

After a mission gone awry, Bucky finds himself on your doorstep in the middle of the night.

Pink in the Night - @d0wnb4df0rf1cm3n

Some interesting rumours have been circling around about Bucky. Little do you know, it's kinda your fault.

Love Hurts - @urdepressedslut

You and Bucky get into a heated argument, things are said and done and now he won’t speak to you. You don’t think you can handle him ignoring your existence.

in losing grip, on sinking ships (you showed up just in time) - @mellowsaturns

When the Avengers pick up unusual activity, they realize that not all of Hydra was destroyed. One unidentifiable face sends the team into a frenzy but Bucky knows it. He could recognize those eyes anywhere.

I Hate You - @ellemj

After ending up on SHIELD's radar, you're moved into the tower against your will. Of course, you can't stand the one man that you have the most in common with.

One More Night - @marvelouslizzie

You and Bucky Barnes are fuck buddies for a while. The problem is you have feelings for him but you don't think he reciprocates and it just makes it impossible to continue your relationship. Little did you know how much he wants you and how hard he's trying to keep it casual.

The Things We Carry With Us - @pellucid-constellations

You were injured on a mission and didn’t tell anyone, leaving your already rocky relationship with Bucky crumbling. Was it really hate he harbored for you, or was it something else? 

Control - @bucky-bucket-barnes

John Walker makes the dire mistake of messing with Bucky’s girl. This misstep causes a major fight to break out between the two, ending in nothing but blood and rage.

I Can Save You This Time - @pellucid-constellations

It’s the 4th of July and you’ve never been more sick. Turns out you aren’t the only one in the compound that stayed home from the celebration.

Shaken Up - @jamesbuchananxsteviegrant

Steve and Bucky find their girl passed out.

Under Pressure - @banditthewriter

Y/N hides a nasty injury from the team until they know everybody is safe, and then they collapse. Bucky worries about Y/N.

Injuries - @flowinglocksofbuck

you get injured on a mission and Bucky freaks out

Wicked - @str-spangled-banner

You were injured during a mission two weeks ago and put to much pressure on your healing wounds, doing more damage than you thought possible. Bucky fears he will lose you.

Necessary Evil - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

Y/N gets seriously injured and Bucky takes care of her.

fingers fantasy fulfilled - @purple-babygirl

If Bucky's doll wanted his metal fingers then that was exactly what she was going to get.

Lavender - @wkemeup

Not every nightmare is the same and Bucky doesn’t always wake up as the man you know. 

Give Me A Sign - @lostgirlmuseum

Bucky asks the universe for a reason to live. The universe delivers you.

Fulfilled Fantasy - @sergeantbarnessdoll

Y/N admits to Bucky that she wants to have a threesome so he has Natasha help fulfill her fantasy.

Hottest Night of Your Life - @bossbtch1

Bucky and Steve joined you for a night out at the club, but things took a dark turn when a stranger spiked your drink. Bucky and Steve were more than willing to "take care" of you.

Sharing is Caring - @sad-not-glad

Soft Dom! Steve x Sub! Bucky x Dom! reader

My Queen - @adrinktostopyourthirst

The post-battle energy rush needs a release. Suddenly, there's a willing soldier at your disposal.

all the apple cider and no more haunted houses - @witchywithwhiskey

you and bucky barnes have a love-hate relationship—you love him and you believe he hates you—but when your friends insist on going to the scariest haunted house attraction in the area, the experience ends up forcing your real feelings for each other out into light

my everything - @mrsbarnesblog

The last thing that Bucky ever expected to see was the love of his life from the past trapped in one of the Hydra bunkers in the cryofreeze chamber. Yet here he was almost two days later, staring at your still unconscious body through the window at the medical wing, imagining the horror and disgust on your face when you found out that he was no longer the innocent and happy boy you knew before.

you were mine just yesterday - @notafunkiller

It's been a while since your break up with Bucky happened, but you're still not over him. You try to move on, go out, and have fun with your friend, Steve, but you end up in the same bar you two went to often. It also just happens that Bucky is there too, with Natasha by his side. It doesn't take long for you two to end up getting into old habits.

[ruddyhotelau]

Hello, by the way, your work is amazing and I try not to miss anything or updates🌟

I have a question. I knew a lot about Emily and Lute's🥰💞, but what about Michael and vox's? How did their relationship start???

JusticeStatic's storyline in the AU begins after the main series ends. Vox was guilty of a felony, but thanks to Emily's success in convincing Michael, Vox was given a second chance to prove that he could change under Michael's strict supervision (This was Emily's idea).

So the two of them were stuck with each other and Vox had to live in Michael's palace so the King can have a better watch on him. Both Vox and Michael inherently did not like each other, but in the situation of having to be together, the two of them gradually got used to the other's presence. Over time, Vox also put away his charming, fake businessman mask because he knew that mask had no effect in front of the King of Hell.

Originally, they didn't even intend to talk to each other, but because Vox had most of his power sealed and Michael's palace was quite boring, the TV demon often appeared to bother Michael, making him feel extremely annoying. However, over time, Michael also discovered many aspects of Vox that he did not think existed.

Vox might not be as stupid as Michael thought. At one point he attempted to throw some unimportant papers to Vox for him to handle, but mainly to make Vox shut up. Unexpectedly, beyond Michael's expectations, the demon completed the assigned task quite well. Even with the sharp eyes of a businessman, he also came up with solutions that Michael had never thought of. This also left a good impression of him in Michael's eyes.

On a rare occasion that they had a serious conversation, Michael had always thought Vox would enjoy watching humanity writhe in crime and chaos, love to witness people's suffer but turn out, Vox just didn't give a damn about that. Don't get him wrong, Vox sure loves chaos and pain for others but that never is his number one priority. The demon only cares about what will bring most benefit for him, for his wants. If people being happy means he would get closer to his goal then he will make sure those bitches keep their smile still on their faces by one way or another.

While Michael hates the idea of sacrificing everything for desire, Vox is infatuated with it. For him, it is the blind pursuit of desire and stubbornness because of greed that makes human life in hell even more bustling, exciting and unpredictable because every day will pass like a mysterious and exciting gamble. Compared to angels who suppress their desires and live aimless, boring lives, wouldn't it be happier to pursue their ambitions and taste the sweet fruit at the end of the road? Like Princess Emily, for example. Didn't her dream also originate from desire?

Having finished speaking, he smiled a cold, evil smile of a scummy bastard while slowly enjoying the glass of Whiskey in his hand. At that moment, the King of Hell felt that the demon in front of him was no longer the usual flat faced TV that he knew. He vaguely saw an image of a sharp businessman in his 50s, proudly showing off a pile of money stained with innocent blood - a terrible bastard. Michael was disgusted by him, but he also didn't expect that the idiot he always despised would have such "profound" moments...

And it was also extremely interesting to see the person Michael thought was sharp a few hours ago turn into a rowdy child after losing a game of chess, just few taunts from Michael made the demon angrily flipped the chessboard.

In the end, Vox is still a hundred years old man, the "silence" between them will still happen. The moment the two stood side by side without saying a word.

The moment when Vox could be quietly smoking outside the balcony while Mike soon noticed from afar. Different from the look that irritated Michael the day before, different from the look with a sly smile the other day, even more different from the look of a noisy from before... There is something more "real" about that cunning demon. And before Michael knew it, he had unconsciously walked towards Vox.

Vox quickly realized Michael's footsteps were approaching. He turned back to look at the fallen angel and his expression immediately changed. He smirked and teased Michael a few words. Vox braced himself for a punch to land on his screen, but it never came.

This time, Mike just glared at Vox before ignoring the rest of his words and silently watching the explosions and screams from the city in the distance. Vox saw that the person next to him had no reaction to the sarcastic words. He could only roll his eyes in annoyance, then leaned back against the railing to light a new cigarette.

In that moment, a rare sight occurred. The King of Hell was currently calmly looking out at the chaos from afar while the demon he had always despised quietly leaned his back against the railing while inhaling a rich cigar…

Immersed in his own thoughts, Vox didn't notice when Michael's hand reached out. Michael was always curious about the taste of those cigars - the drug that always filled the body of the man next to him. Why is he so addicted to it? Perhaps today, Michael will break the rules and let himself try something "toxic"...

Michael suddenly snatched Vox's unfinished cigarette away, making him startled and upset, shouting, "Hey!" Michael continued to ignore Vox and slowly imitated the other person, taking a gentle breath. Gray smoke poured into his mouth, making the King of Hell frown slightly. The taste was exactly as he expected, extremely bad and completely unappealing... But Michael did not throw it away, instead continued to bring the cigarette to his lips and slowly enjoy it...

His thoughtful appearance while smoking and the image of the cloudy smoke escaping from the his dry lips made Vox's choke a bit, his face suddenly slightly warmed up. Uncomfortable with his own unusual thoughts, Vox turned to the other side of the railing, feeling the blood-scented Hell wind blowing onto the screen, causing Vox to relax a bit... And that wind also brought the smell of coffee that he always loved from the smoke of the person next to him...

Vox frowned slightly, then leaned his whole body against the railing, looking down... A rare peaceful atmosphere, both were immersed in their own thoughts and did not mind about the other's presence at that time. It wasn't until Michael finished smoking that he quietly walked inside, giving Vox back the quiet space.

A moment later, out of habit, Vox reached into his pocket to take another cigarette, but this time he discovered that the pack was empty. Vox stared at the empty cigarette box for a moment while his thumb gently rubbed the golden letters on the box. Then, suddenly and without thinking, Vox flicked it, sending the box flying down. Luckily Michael wasn't there to witness it, otherwise Vox would have had to hear him complain about littering again. Standing just a moment longer, Vox turned on his heel and walked back inside, silently closing the balcony door.

_____________________

Basically, their relationship will start really slow. It's a long amount of time to change from hate to love. Like it just their slice of life of understanding more about each other and find out that maybe the other wasn't that bad and eventually, slowly open themselves with the other and enjoy each others' company... This just some of what happen in their daily life when they live together. Sorry if you guys found them kinda messy and hard to understand because our explanation is kinda long and not to the point much. I guess t is is more lia an oneshot than a real ans to er the question.

But I hope you guy can at least see some reason behind why we ship them and even love them as we do?

If you can read to the end and see my silly ranting then thank you so much for reading this. I really appreciate that!!! >=333

Bonus some JusticeStatic arts for you guys who don't use X

[wolken-himmel]

hey, are you doing ok? I haven’t seen you posting anything in a really long time.

Hey guys! I know it's been ages since my last post 🫠 I started university this summer and the first semester went really well! I'm really happy with my current situation, and I'm about to start my second semester soon. So yes, I'm doing more than okay 💕

Sadly, university is taking up most of my time and I've currently lost interest in twst and writing in general (I probably won't be updating my quotev books anytime soon either)... so I'll be on a break!

Me losing interest in writing has happened before, and the motivation to pick up writing again often came back really out of nowhere 👀 I don't know what the future holds, but this isn't a permanent goodbye. For now, I'll be taking a break from Tumblr and writing

I want to take this opportunity to really thank you guys for your support and all the fun I had interacting with you here. I spent two years writing my heart out and chatting with you all — two years I'll never forget 💕💕

[s1i9d]

I hope you don't mind, but now that I've finally found someone who's listening to Magnus Protocol but hasn't listened to Magnus Archives I will be studying you like a bug under a magnifying glass. I've been dying to know how the show hits from a non archives perspective. So in that vein, if you don't mind me questioning you, what are your overall thoughts on the show so far? Also what's it like seeing the fandom response from people who have listened to archives? Have you been successful in avoiding spoilers?

Honestly I’ve been loving Protocol.

I’m not 100% sure what to translate since I don’t know what Archives context I’m missing, but I can try to tell you what I really like about Protocol.

I really do love the format of Protocol. It’s mostly an office drama story, which on its own is appealing, but the statements from FR3-D1 put in each episode gives the story this underlying horror aspect to it. So when I listen to an episode, often times if the statement portion feels lacking, the office drama really brings up the episode and the vice versa.

Then things start to get a lot more creepier when the two intersect (The Magnus Institute, Mr. Bonzo, Lady Mowbray, the Drowning Victim, the Archivist, etc.) and by this point in the story, we’re so close to having a full merge.

Since this is my first real dive into horror podcasts, I do want to engage with the fan community, but it’s hard to balance being spoiler-free at the same time. I do know some general spoilers that I haven’t updated in a while, but is mostly still accurate. I don’t know what an Archivist is, but I am aware that AU versions of Archives characters have made their debut here.

I am aware that Protocol is going a lot faster than Archives. From what I understand of Archives, it has a lot more slow build up rather than Protocol which I has a pretty good pace. Might be because Protocol has less than half the episodes as Archives.

It’s really interesting how the fandom keeps losing their minds over stuff that I’m just like “yeah cool let’s see where that goes”. Like E26 where the Archivist was named, I felt like I took on the perspective of Alice/Gwen/Sam where I’m like “okay… and this means what?” while the rest of the fandom is taking the Celia perspective of “OH NO”.

Or even this recent episode where this Minister Trevor Herbert dude was. Like I have no idea what this dude is and why everyone is absolutely screaming, crying, throwing up that he’s here, and that is fascinating.

It’s been pretty interesting when I bring up something that felt weird or off that just went nowhere, and my friends revealing some info. I’m like “WHAT” and they’re just like “oh thats not common knowledge?” And I’m just there like “huh?!?” Which turns out, the Hilltop Centre was actually important.

I mostly wish the fandom would tag archives spoilers with #tma /#the Magnus archives / #tma vague just so that spoilers could be tagged a little bit better, but to be fair I am one of the rare people that doesn’t intersect the Venn diagram between archives and protocol.

But overall, I really am loving Protocol. I don’t know when I’ll listen to Archives (probably after Protocol’s three seasons are over) but I will listen to it eventually. Feel free to send more asks my way.

[alexxncl]

‼️NIGHTBRINGER LESSON 57 SPOILERS‼️

masterlist | theories/spoilers | all lessons | season 3 | lesson 57.1 | lesson 57.2

fair warning, this is gonna be sad and i yap a lot

i just realized what the devs are doing

raphael feels like he's losing the brothers and simeon just like the players irl feel like we're losing them since the game isn't being updated anymore

raphael came to the devildom in part because michael told him to, but also because he missed his brothers. he missed not being able to see them. but he knew deep down that the devildom wasn't his home and that because of it, his time there wouldn't last forever. his time with his brothers wouldn't last forever

mc (the players) stumbled into the devildom on accident and started to see the brothers as a second family of sorts, assuming that they (we) had one to go back to in the human realm

the game ending is a direct parallel to everything he's going through right now, and i genuinely don't know how to feel about that. on one hand, it's interesting that they're acknowledging it in-game without "breaking the fourth wall", but on the other, it feels so blatantly obvious that this is an attempt at easing fans into the reality of the game's end

they're trying to hammer home the fact that "just because the game is ending, doesn't mean your story with them has to" but even with that narrative, it feels like things are ending

i really really hope to see more fan content about not just the boys, but everything that we didn't get to see in the game itself

this would've been a really cool storyline if it wasn't laced with the bittersweetness of the reality of the game's fate. and it still is a cool storyline, but it feels like a cop-out now that i'm thinking harder about it. they planned this shit

yes, we'll get irl content, though it probably won't be outside of japan that often, if at all

yes, we'll be able to play the game and re-read the stories and events, but we won't get new in-game content or lore drops or big reveals

idk. maybe it's the seasonal depression, but this actually, GENUINELY feels like a punch in the gut the more i think about it

the worldbuilding potential, the side characters' backstories, michael, the brothers' father, lilith, adam, the celestial war, nightbringer barbatos, diavolo's father, and so many more things that i'm probably forgetting could've been expanded on if we had more time

[mimiyewaffles]

A FEW INTERESTING THINGS

I guess I need help

So if y'all dont know, I'm trying to revise my boyfriend's d3ath.

It's been two months since I have been affirming and a few days since I got into the concept of void. Now, I'm trying to get into the void.

I've noticed a few crazy things, that I would love to share.

I've always affirmed that “everyone will forget about my boyfriend's demise because it was just my nightmare and no such thing ever happened. He's all alive and healthy” So I guess my affirmations are kinda playing out.

1.

When I got to know about his demise, I sent him like 100 texts that day, I was so emotional and poured down everything to him. He not only is my boyfriend, but also is my best friend. The bestest friend ever and it was the worst day of my life. I was never ready to lose him.

I sent those 100 texts to him on Snapchat and obviously, my texts were just delivered. Nobody read them because that "nobody" Was long gone. I'm talking about feb, 2024. So I checked his snapchat after a few days of emotional ranting, and those texts didn't show up. I thought it might be a glitch and now after like 3 months, I went back to check on him because I missed him and guess what? ALL OF THOSE TEXTS ARE GONE!

Now idk if I'm tweaking but wtf? Snapchat has this feature where messages get deleted after 24 hours of being seen. But nobody saw my messages to begin with, where are those texts????

Like... All the snaps, that were sent before those texts and even after those texts are still in delivered, not seen.

Can anyone tell me if this is a glitch? This couldn't be, right? It's been 3 months to that incident, if it were glitch, it would have been fixed by now but idk-

2.

My bf would post about his travelling and stuffs in Instagram reels and I often visit his account to look at him all alive once again and one day, I noticed one of his reels cover has changed 💀 and I even showed it to my sister and friend and they were shocked too. I thought it might be a glitch too. But it stayed like that for 3 days and then switched back to what it was before.

This might be a glitch idk honestly but my friend said it might be a "timeline/dimensions overlapping"

3.

Two of my close friends are really logical minded and I never told them about my manifestation/shifting to a reality where my bf never got into an accident, because they wouldn't believe me. They don't even believe in multiple realities... So, not worth it.

A week ago, I texted one of these friends, saying that I feel like my bf is alive (emotional ranting) and all she told me was to hold up and move on, I'm thinking way too much 😮‍💨

And that's that. We didn't talk much about it.

After a few days of that, she texted me herself telling me that she feels the same. She feels as if my bf is alive too and maybe faking a death. We didn't get into the conclusion but yeah, we are still in doubt.

Also I would daydream about meeting my bf once again and i would make infinite possibilities to proof my reasoning mind that he's alive. So one of my imagination was my friend texting my bf's brother (they have nothing in common, they don't even know each other yet I imagined them talking) and his brother would say that my boyfriend is actually alive. And that scene exactly happened, except for the alive part. my friend talked to his brother to get his "last" Pics and guess what? They don't have that. Which is super weird because that accident just happened this year and those photos are gone. I texted one of his other brother who always replies to my texts and always give me updates about how their family is grieving but when I asked about pics, he left me on seen— again very weird.

Moreover, all of them (his family members) have moved on completely. They are enjoying and travelling. Idk how but like in a month of my bf's demise, they started partying a stuff which is super weird to me.

.....

I guess my affirmations are kinda becoming true. My 3D is maybe conforming slowly (?) Idk 😭

Lemme know what y'all think. Any tips on revising such thing would be appreciated. Thanks for reading 🎐

I'm sorry if I don't make any sense, I'm probably being delusional. Sorry for the rant 🥲🤌

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 79 (Winter is Here and Ash Has Another Sibling!)

Brindleton Bay's first snowfall of the year was picturesque, but the light dusting of white on the ground was merely a tease. The snow didn't stop once winter had begun and it wasn't long before the coastal town was coated in thick white powder.

Ash loved hanging out in the snow, and he and Conrad loved to make snowmen while Heather took care of his baby sister.

They wanted to get to the city to visit Heather's sister, Holly, who had recently welcomed her second daughter with her husband, Kris. In keeping with their commitment to fish names, Tetra's little sister was named Betta.

(Tetra Daisy and Betta Cecilia Bell, for those interested!)

But newborns in both households made it difficult to travel, so they settled for sharing updates by phone and made plans to spend time together in the city for the upcoming Winterfest holidays.

Genius Ash wasn't all that interested in the crying, stinky baby who now lived in his house, and with one sister at home in Brindleton Bay, Ash met his other new sister, Bridgette, on his first weekend at his dad's after she was born.

"What do you think of your new sister, there, Ash?" Geoffrey warmly embraced his grandson, while Malcolm was prouder than he thought he'd be to introduce his son to his new daughter.

"Lavender and Bridgette don't do much," Ash complained. "But they're pretty cute, I guess."

"What sort of name is Lavender, anyway?" Nancy scoffed and Geoffrey shushed her.

"Where's Bridgette gonna sleep when she's out of her bassinet? I sleep on the pullout bed when I'm here, but there isn't room for two pullout beds in the living room!"

"Your Gramma and I used to talk about adding a third bedroom, but we never really needed the extra space before now."

Nancy forced a grin in front of her grandson. "And we decided adding another room to the top floor would disrupt our morning view, Geoffrey."

"We've got enough views," he said. "I'd rather see our grandkids well-rested and happy."

"You are always complaining that you can't turn your music on when Ash is asleep in the living room," said Miko sweetly. "Ash, would you mind sharing a room with your sister when you visit?"

"If she cries a lot, I might, but I'm almost used to Lavender. I bet I can get used to Bridgette's crying, too!"

While the Landgraabs set to work finally building Ash a bedroom at the penthouse, he bonded with his second little sister. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

NOTE: The boujis medieval cc crib I downloaded for my UDC and haven't deleted appeared randomly but is honestly perfect for a Landgraab princess. And technically the lack of a bedroom for Ash is my fault. He was small and wasn't there that often so I could stick a toddler bed wherever, and it took me a while to figure out where to build the third bedroom in the Spire Tower suite without gutting the layout, which is my nightmare. But they needed that third bedroom and I figured it out. I'll debut it once Bridgette is an infant, because when I took photos of it that's how big she was.

ALSO at Heather and Conrad's he technically has his own room but he's sleeping in the guest room. I'm waiting for Lavender to grow up a little before renovating some spaces! I think they'll lose their guest room but I haven't decided yet. So we can give Nancy hell for this, sure, but it's redirecting wrath that should actually be on me. 😂

[thoughtsforsoob]

their s/o is a teacher! - nct dream

a/n: lmao ig im just gonna have to ignore that hate ive been getting! I'm gonna write for nct dream this time because for some reasons some MOA's are not being very kind towards my work. That is not an attack towards MOA because I am one of the biggest MOA's I know...it's jut not fair that some of the people I should be cool with are being so incredibly rude...over and over. anyways, that is all from me on that. please enjoy! as always, requests are open!

(I'm gonna add a cut off here so if you don't wanna read, you don't have to)

☆ mark lee ☆

he thinks it's so cute, especially if you teach little ones (kindergarten/1st grade)

he loves asking you about your classroom and how your work is going

he even helps you grade students assignments and he loves seeing what they say on their assignments

he also likes seeing their art work

he meets your students when you have a classroom part and he helps you set up

they immediately start to ask 100 questions, like kids do, ad he is totally okay with it.

he enthusiastically answers all their questions and they love him

they always ask for him every day after that

☆ huang renjun ☆

renjun thinks it's funny if you teach middle school

he is too good at listening to what happened during your day

he laughs at all the stories of students running around and causing chaos

he love's looking at the assignments you give them and tries to do them himself

he whines when he can't get something right and whines even more when you tell him you students got 100% on that question

☆ lee jeno ☆

he's one that thinks you teaching the older ones is cool

you're actually a college professor so he think's that's WAY cooler

he enjoys hearing you talk about the subject you teach and love's to hear you talk about your students and the assignments you gave them

when you offer to give him a your of the campus you work at, he is jumping at the chance

he even buys gear from the university you work at and wears it all the time (the letterman style jacket you got him is his favorite! he wear's it often and even wore it during a soundcheck of one of nct dream's concerts).

you bump into a few students and say hello, introducing jeno as your boyfriend

☆ na jaemin ☆

you teach kindergartners and he adores it

you helps you set up the different bulletin boards in your classroom and helps you organize/set up everything else

he loves to ask you about your lesson plans and you always ask him for ideas for activities and he helps you every time

he really want's to meet the little ones so after the year is done and they are graduating, he attends the event

they ask you, "teacher, who is that handsome man you were with? is that your boyfriend?"

they all giggle and go "ooooo!" and you tell them yes, that's him!

they run to meet him after the ceremony

☆ lee haechan ☆

he would probably find it interesting if you teach high schoolers

since the first time you told him about all your students, he always asks about them and want's you to update them about how they're doing

his favorite thing to do for your students is to send them stuff!

he gives you money so you can buy them snacks for your classroom (and other supplies! my teachers in high school always had sanitary pads, tampons, snacks, and other stuff in them in case students needed them)

he wants to help you make sure your students feel safe in their classroom

he also funds the senior pizza party at the end of the year and even makes an appearance!

☆ zhong chenle ☆

I believe Chenle is also good with little ones since he's always posting with his family (especially his, I believe, little nephew)

he love's helping you choose coloring pages for your students to do when they're done with their minute math sheets (the stress it causes is always rewarded with coloring time!)

he also likes to buy nice supplies for you students

you tell hi not to do it, because kids love to break things and lose them, but he doesn't listen

he love's going supply shopping (he get's all the brand names like Crayola :0)

he also helps grade assignments!

☆ park jisung ☆

you teach middle school and he loves it

he loves hearing the stories of your students acting out during class because it makes him giggle

just give him a glare and he will stop laughing at your misfortune

he helps you grade their papers

sighs every time he get's a that says 'idk'

it's all fun and games until get's those papers...then he wants to flip the kitchen table other and help you quit your job

because he knows how much they stress you out, he's always making sure you're distressing at home.

fetching you a warm cup of coffee/tea, making/buying dinner, giving you massages, helping you with other class stuff.

[halliescomut]

The Boy Next World Official Trailer

Official trailer is out. I'm very excited to see where things go. It's clear some changes were made from the novel, which is exciting, because that gives an opportunity to kind of experience it with new eyes.

Official release is January 5th on MMY's YouTube as well as uncut on iQiYi.

I'm going to talk about novel to series changes that seem to be happening, so HEAVY spoilers below.

I'm going to assume if you're here, you at least watched the trailer all the way through, and I'm VERY intrigued at the choice of twist. I've seen comparisons to Two World and Vice Versa, but I didn't finish Vice Versa, so I can't speak for that in particular. To be honest, my first thought was A Christmas Carol, which is probably a little bit because of the time of year. Either way if we're doing a switch into the parallel worlds or alternate futures actually being real, I like that change SO MUCH.

The twist in the novel was so wildly problematic, to a degree where it certainly wouldn't get a pass in this day and age. And TBNW is one of Mame's older novels, so updating it for what fan/societal expectations are today is a really smart move on her part. I do wonder if she'll be updating the novel once the series is done, since she is changing a major plot point.

I'm going to talk about some other points in the novel, but I don't want to kind of repeat myself with explanations, so go check out this post where I kind of run through the things I hope to see in the series: link

To start, we see from the cast list that Ozone (or Zone) is present, being played by "Vino" Chavid Pevec. I was concerned that this character might get cut from the story, as with "colder" characters, I think having a sibling helps to give a human side to them, especially as a love interest is just getting to know them. We don't see much in the way of the side story that revolves around Cir and Zone's family, which while not a massive part of the novel, does speak to some of his motivations there, but with the changes being made, maybe it's not necessary. IDK. In the end, I can't really determine if it's a good move or not until we series the series and what was actually included.

I did make a point though that if they chose to include Cir's history and abuse at the hands of his mother I would hope they go for discussion only, versus casting a young actor to portray it, so if they've kind of removed that story, I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Wim and Jin are clearly present and we see confirmation that they will be the second couple for the series. I'm not sure how much of their characters will stay the same as the novel, as Phu and his friend group are a bit eccentric and silly, and I kinda hope we don't lose that. Going off the costuming for Jin it doesn't seem like it, so I'm hopeful.

The one of the bigger overarching points in the story is Phu actually dealing with his grief over his father passing, and we don't see much in the trailer for me to know if that's included in the series, but some of the story points in the novel really added depth to Phu's character, so I do think it would be a shame to minimize it or cut it altogether. One thing it does look like they've kept, which I'm very certain will break my heart, is Phu falling for Cir, and coming to terms with the fact that he's 'stolen' alternate world Phu's love and pushing for Cir to try and get back. In the novel, we see Phu as quite silly and a bit full of bravado, but he's also quite soft. His understanding of how much he's come to love Cir in such as short time and then considering how much more alternate world Phu would have loved him, considering they had years together is so beautiful and so sad, and handled with what I'll admit is a surprising level of subtlety that we don't often see from Mame. It's an all-around very complex situation with a lot of complex emotions, and I think it gives an opportunity for Noeul specifically to really show some range in the role.

I will say though, watching the trailer, I'm struck by the beauty of some of the shots. Like truly beautiful, so I definitely want to mention the director Mame is working with here, Thanpisit Jiradechakul. I know a lot of ppl assume that Mame directs all of her shows, and while she is heavily involved, I would say works as a co-director, she's only solo-directed Wedding Plan, and I'll be honest, you can tell the difference. I did try and look to see what other projects Thanpisit has worked on, and it looks like this is his first series. He's got commercials and some other smaller projects on his vimeo, but nothing of this scale. He is the credited editor and director for the Love in the Air music video though, so he has history with Mame, Boss, and Noeul.

Also, since I feel like it must be mentioned, yes of course the chemistry between Boss and Noeul is chemistry-ing... no one is surprised.

[strayrumia]

Road to Relationship (Ch. 2)

lee know x fem!reader

Synopsis: [Y/N] and Minho have been best friends since childhood. The two have never talked about the possibility of a romantic relationship between them, but then again, why risk losing a friendship? As they continue their college years, [Y/N] starts to take interests in the guys around her. Unbeknownst to [Y/n], her best friend may actually take that risk the more she goes after guys who don't really deserve her. - or - [Y/N] starts to crush on other guys, but Minho doesn't like the idea of other guys being beside her romantically but him.

Follow these best friends as they navigate their feelings for one another!

Genre(s): fluff, best friends to lovers, angst, love triangles Other tags: jealous/possessive minho, bts side story, fake texts au, semi-social media au + written Content Warning(s): swearing, suggestive themes, mention(s) of forgetting to eat/take care of yourself -> will be updated every chapter! This Chapter in specific has: mention(s) of fighting physically and verbally

Minho stared dumbfoundedly at his message with his best friend. 'She actually got his number? Wow...' he thought to himself. He honestly expected her to text him about her failed attempts and how she looked like a mess trying to entice Jungkook, but he did not expect an immediate number to be shared. 'Knowing that they have a class together, they most likely got lucky being paired together for an assignment. Jungkook hyung is a nice guy after all, so I wouldn't be surprised if he offered his help...'

Jungkook to Minho was his superior, his seonbaenim (except Jungkook would never let him call him that and resorted to 'hyung'). He often had classes with him as Jungkook's field aligned with Minho's and their passions went as far as joining the on-campus club for dance. He often shined in his rehearsals and group performances, which caught the interest of many local professionals that suggested he have his own show to perform. These rare times that Jungkook took these offers and required back-up dancers, he would extend the invite to Minho, to which he accepted immediately.

Because of their similar passion and talented charisma, it was no surprise that they would get along so well. It was a surprise, however, to hear how much [Y/N] would talk about Jungkook. Minho didn't think she would be interested in him because her awful situationship made it seem like she liked the more reserved, mysterious guys. Jungkook did fit the criteria, but he was widely known to be an all-around nice guy.

'Maybe she learned?' Either way, Minho's attempts at logically thinking about the situation did not erase the unease he started feeling in his heart.

How would Jungkook even treat her if they were together? How would he react if he knew how [Y/N] was really like? Would he treat her any differently? Would he like her knowing that sometimes when she has a really good slumber, she would wake to a pool of drool on her pillows? Would he actually be attentive enough to her to know that she forgets to check both sides of the street sometimes before she crosses, that she almost never sees that last car be stubborn enough to go despite the pedestrian light being on because she was too busy spacing out? Would he even make sure she ate because she loses track of time and forgets to eat in a day?

There were many questions coming one after another in Minho's head along with many possible scenarios. He even thought about the possibility Jungkook gets turned off by her that he would come up to him and ask about her, or even the thought that [Y/N] would be so aloof on the idea of him walking out because she's just too comfortable.

Would he even take care of her?

After a long time thinking, Minho tapped on a certain someone's contact and put his phone to his ear.

"Minho!" came a familiar, cheery voice from the other side of the phone.

"Chan hyung, did Jungkook hyung ever have a relationship?"

"Hmm... he's a pretty private guy when it comes to his relationships. I'm honestly not sure... maybe he had a situationship beforehand?"

'Ah... so there's no way to know.' Minho thought. He did get the feeling that Jungkook was all about privacy when it comes to his love life, but if even someone as close as Chan is unsure, then who would know? At this point, Minho felt like it would be better to assume that Jungkook was too focused on his career goals and passion to really go after anyone.

"Why do you ask? Hey, Is this about [Y/N]?"

The sudden mention of his best friend's name took him aback. Minho blinked a couple of times before he made out his reply. "Why? What do you know?"

"I know that the chances of you knowing about [Y/N] being interested in Jungkook is very high. What do you plan to do with this information, Minho?" There it is. Although Chan is the only one that Minho allows out of his male friend group to tease him and get away with it, there's no beating him when his big brother side comes out - not only to him, but to [Y/N] as well.

"It's nothing. If she is serious about him and Jungkook hyung might go out with her, then I just want to make sure my best friend is in good hands. We remember what happened the last time she got with someone?"

Her situationship.

Before [Y/N] was ever really interested in going after Jungkook, there was someone that she impulsively decided to get with for a bit. However, it was not a very good memory for anyone to remember. What she thought was a real relationship turned out to be nothing more but a situationship, especially on the other's end. They had their fling with her, lead her romantic feelings on, called her for their own selfish desires, and neglected her emotionally for as long as anyone can remember. As much as her friends told her to leave that situation, she was naive and believed that there would be more.

She was in so much pain, yet continued to believe in someone who didn't treat her the way she deserved to be treated. With every second that she would cry to Minho, it was every second Minho had to fight the urge to go up to the individual and call them out on their behavior, let alone resist throwing a punch or two. It was also at that moment when she cried on her decision to walk away from them that Minho realized just how fragile and gentle this girl actually became after the hurt.

"Listen, Minho," Chan began. "I know how protective you are of that girl, because honestly, me too, but you and I also know Jungkook well. He wouldn't hurt her, interested or not. He's not that type of guy. You're just gonna have to trust them both."

"Trust her? I trust her to not put herself in dangerous or hurtful situations, but she still puts herself in them! If you nor I are there, who's to say Jungkook won't really be a bad guy behind the curtains?" Minho retorted. His blood was boiling at the possibility of [Y/N] being put in another situation because the guy she's with didn't care or respect her enough to treat her better. His memory of her crying, disheveled, and saying negative comments about herself was etched in his brain. He would never forget the feelings she entrusted to him, and in turn, the ones he felt when he held her in his arms.

"Then I ask you this, Minho. Who can you trust to be by her side and not harm her?"

The question caught the air in his throat. There's not a lot of people he can trust right now to be by her side, knowing how she portrays herself to be and how she really is. He's not sure if there's anyone he knows other than himself who knows her through it all and can stay beside her regardless.

'Wait... Other than myself?'

"Minho?"

"I-"

Before he can continue, he felt sudden vibrations from his phone, leading him to check his screen. A new incoming call. He doesn't know if he was either saved or had the worst timing.

"[Y/N]'s calling, hyung. I'll have to answer you some other time."

"Don't stress about giving me an answer, Minho. I think it's more important that you figure out yourself before you can even tell others. I do hope you give others a chance, not everyone is a bad guy, and you know it."

Chan was right, Minho knows it. ''You figure out yourself'? What?' That was the only statement that made him confused. While his words were getting to Minho, he couldn't help but feel upset. Seeing his best friend like that did something to his heart that he couldn't explain clearly. Maybe that's what he meant by 'figuring out himself' or maybe he needs to actually think about who he can even trust to be [Y/N]'s significant other without hurting her as deeply as her past experience did. Maybe he meant both.

Either way, the conversation stayed in his mind as he exchanged goodbyes and recollected himself to answer [Y/N]'s call.

"Minho! Hi, are you busy?" Her voice was coming in a little fuzzy and muffled yet still audible.

"No... what are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm driving home now!" she nervously laughed, knowing full well what she's about to get into with her response.

"[Y/N], what did I say about being on your phone while driving?"

"Don't worry, I called you while I was parked! Now, I'm gonna start driving." He swore he can feel his worry increase everytime this girl doesn't think about her safety. As long as she's being safe, it's alright.

As they started their conversation, they asked about each other's day. Minho told her how he was up early to go to the gym and that he had finished eating breakfast before the call. He omitted the information regarding his call with Chan. He was sure that if she knew, she would be curious and ask more questions that would not help him. More importantly, he wanted to hear her out first.

[Y/N] told him about how she was thought she would be late to class because she overslept again, but made it with 5 minutes to spare. She also immediately added that she'll eat her first meal once she gets home and recuperates after the lecture-filled morning and...

She told him about her class with Jungkook.

The uneasy, now with the addition of uncertainty, feeling slowly continued to rise.

"Maybe I should try to talk to invite him out over a lunch date or something. Just a little thing to do to be more comfortable with each other before we work on our project and it would probably make us be able to call each other friends!" She pondered happily. "Maybe we can do something like barbecue? Maybe even invite another person, that way it wouldn't be too awkward? Maybe not barbecue though if that's the case, for it to be a first platonic date and it's with others, I would-"

"[Y/N]."

"Oh, yes?"

"Why exactly are you crushing on Jungkook hyung?" he asked, trying his best to sound normal or confused, though it was coming off more accusatory than anything he intended. Worrying a little, he tried to play it off. "I mean, I was assuming you liked the more mysterious types."

Luckily for him, his best friend thought nothing of it. "I don't blame you, but I think maybe my interest towards the type might've been the problem. Also, a lot of you guys kept trying to warn me but I didn't listen. So, maybe it's important for me to listen now?"

'Oh, it's important to listen to your friends now?' he thought, slightly bitter from his own memories of trying to tell her his warnings and her continuing to deny them.

"Anyway, I think you wouldn't mind Jungkook! After all, aren't you good friends with him? I know Chan is! I thought to myself, 'if my friends are friends with him, then surely, Jungkook is a good guy'! So, that's pretty much one of the main reasons. Other than that, he's a really attractive guy, multi-talented, passionate, and a good guy to be around. I think he might be a nice person who can treat his partner well... and I hope I can be that partner."

Hm... that explains it. Although Minho wants to convince himself that it's most likely a crush and it won't go anywhere, her feelings are valid. If she really likes Jungkook enough to want to even try going on dates with him, then why not? Maybe he really should try to put his unease away for her sake.

"Maybe this might be my chance to be in a real relationship, and who knows, Minho? What if he and I are meant to be? I won't be hurt ever again!" she said, her feelings of hope and yearning clear to him as day. Minho remained silent, but she didn't notice as she got distracted with something that happened during her drive that gave her a good laugh. She began to explain the story, but unfortunately, the story was falling on deaf ears.

Now her words were getting to him. The possibility that she won't be hurt again, that was something he wanted and hoped for her, but something about what she said wasn't sitting right to him.

What if he and I are meant to be? I won't be hurt ever again!

He should be happy and he should trust his hyung - both Chan and Jungkook actually - that the latter wouldn't hurt her. He knows he's a good guy, he knows he wouldn't harm her whether or not he has a romantic interest with her. Hell, he even looks up to Jungkook! If anything, he really would be the best candidate in making sure [Y/N] never has to cry over a relationship ever again. He should trust him, he would make her happy if all works out. In return, if she's happy, then so is he. That's the way it would be.

Right?

...

But it's not.

Minho doesn't want that.

No, Minho does want her to be happy and if she's happy, then yes, he will be too. But not with someone who's barely had more than five conversations with her. Not with someone she barely knows and only bases off her feelings from how he portrays himself to be. Good guy or not, no one ever knows anyone's real intention but the individual themselves.

He knows deep down he should trust Jungkook and [Y/N], but there's just this feeling he's getting over the thought of her being with another guy. Another guy who not only has the chance of not hurting her, but also has the chance of actually hurting her. In all honesty, Minho doesn't know Jungkook very well other than them having the same interests and having their normal conversations every now and then during club meets. It's more of a reason to trust Chan's words, but no.

Unfortunately for [Y/N], Minho isn't going to be supporting this possible relationship. Unless he can see and say for sure that he won't hurt her and she won't be sad, he can't support it. So far, she's only talking about the things she's planning to do to make her moves, which is fine - she can take the lead to get what she wants. He'll emotionally support her then, but to actually help out? He doesn't want any part of it.

'No, I don't want some stranger by her side. He doesn't deserve her. She can try all she wants for him, but the moment I hear him make her shed a tear? It's over.'

Is this the realization Chan wanted him to figure out? He's not so sure. He's not sure if he's feeling so riled up because of the fact that Jungkook is a stranger to her and she barely knows him, that as bright as Jungkook shines, there's still a possibility there's something darker behind the curtains that isn't so safe for her, or if there's another reason he can't quite put his finger on. Either way, there is one absolute thing he knows he feels and will always stand by.

To be continued...

Prologue | <- Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 (You are Here) | Chapter 3 ->

Profiles | RtR Masterlist

TAGLIST (OPEN): @nappynapnaps @jisuperboard @kaiyaba

[justanoval]

Life Updates

Hey Tumblr gang!

If you've noticed I've been active less on platforms like Patreon, Twitch, Discord, and even a little less frequent with my YouTube uploads, this post will address that.

The biggest reason is that I simply do not have enough energy to delegate anymore. With my health issues progressing, I've been slowly losing my energy to give out to different areas, and I've had to decrease my focus.

My main focuses are now animations, music, merchandise, and Creeper County.

That's the jist. If you want more specifics, you can keep reading further.

Twitch

I really really struggle to have any energy for streaming. I can't keep up the hype and I feel like I am not doing anything by just being live. I want to have the freedom to do other things whenever I want, and I don't want to feel like I am being judged with every creative decision I make. A few decisions of mine revolving around how I built my audience is what lead me here, so while there's ways I can see myself coming back to Twitch, I just don't have the energy for it at the moment.

Discord

Discord was my biggest strategy to help grow my Twitch channel--and it worked fantastically. But now that I'm inactive on Twitch, I've decided to delegate the energy used on Discord for something else.

I don't expect myself to like, delete my Discord, but it's just something I am fine with being there primarily for announcements right now.

I'm focusing more on creating a smaller, more intimate community with Creeper County. This is what I've always wanted in building a community.

Patreon

I've made an announcement there already if you're interested in reading. The jist is that it isn't a reliable income source for me to dedicate that much time to it. It's just going to sorta stay as a donation platform for the time being. Not that that's bad (it's what most people tend to do), but I think it's still reasonable for me to make clear.

YouTube

I wouldn't say I'm too inactive here, I just don't upload as often. It's like, as opposed to once every 4-7 days, it's once every 7-10 days maybe now.

Big reason here is, of course the energy, but also I'm just exploring many different art forms right now. Had a dip in motivation with main channel animations and needed to figure out why. For the most part, I have figured out why, but there's still some direction I need to find.

Though you can look forward to a shrimp miku video coming soon.

Postmortem in Nuuspace

This isn't one I have really been inactive in, since I never promised an activity level. But still figured I can address that I am planning out a much larger story that will be based in this universe, which is why my current writing rhythm will be quite sporadic.

Not to say this will ever be finished, or published, or whatever (it might idk), but it's just what I am doing.

I know I didn't have to make this post, but it gives me some closure! I didn't want to leave anyone in the dark, and this way I know that I haven't (unless people don't read this, but that ain't on me).

In the future, I honestly expect that most of my energy will come down to video game development. It's like, all of these little things I am doing will just point towards one massive thing. And given my experience with Godot engine, making music, writing, 3d art, pixel art, animation... you see where this is going.

So, stay tuned.

[iraprince]

do u have any advice for those that want to run a quest?

it feels a LEETLE silly answering this when all my own are currently on hiatus bc i got busy (SORRY TO CALLIST0 READERS LOL) BUT!!! yes i do. i have only ever run quests/interactive comics on the site questden, so i guess as a baseline this will kind of all be geared towards that, but i think most of this should translate to any hosting situation

you have to be cool with your plots branching and mutating in unexpected ways, and you have to be willing to play ball with your readers. quests are a collaboration between the author and the audience. it often feels a lot like gming a tabletop campaign (and that's the origin!! questden, specifically, was originally an offshoot of /tg/.) -- we've all had or heard about bad GMs who view their position as that of a narrative dictator who exists to punish and prod a captive group of players thru their own personal novel, but a good GM is interested in telling stories as a group. u have final say and have to stay true to the important stuff abt ur story, but if u get mad or frustrated when ur readers want to explore something "off topic" or aren't following the threads of ur narrative the way u expected them to, u don't actually want to run a quest, u just want to make a webcomic w mandatory comments. (the flip side of this is: consider if the story u want to make is the right one for an interactive quest. if it is REALLY important to u that the plot beats of a story go a certain way, maybe save it for a medium where u have more control!)

keep it loose and fast. the art does not matter. i am rly guilty of not following this one, but i still think it's really important! one of the things i like best about quests is the barrier to entry is very low and you SHOULD be able to start and maintain one very quickly. if i were better at keeping my art scrabbly and sketchy and loose, my stuff would not go on hiatus as often as it does. draw fast! it's NICE if the art is gorgeous to look at and definitely will draw readers, but it's way better if the art is simple enough that you can update frequently and without much stress. the quality of ur writing + character building, and whether u are telling a story that's engaging and that ur readers feel meaningfully involved in, is 100000x more important than the art.

on the more nitty gritty side: try to have a hook in each update. one of the most common reasons suggestions die off is readers being unsure of what they're supposed to do next. sure, too much spoonfeeding could end up feeling like railroading, and you don't have to end every single update by getting right in their faces and yelling "WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT??", but when you finish an update try to take a second to put yourself in a reader's shoes and see if there's an obvious next step. is there a course of action to decide on/debate, are there clear questions they can ask an npc, etc -- i can't think of a great way to describe it, but you want to avoid ending an update on a note where the player character and readers are basically sitting there looking at each other like "um... okay. that's that, then." some ppl even just end all their updates w multiple choice options, which is a super simple way to keep things moving if it fits the style of what ur doing. if you don't want it to be that overt but you still can't think of a way for there to be a clear hook, you can at least try to leave a little nudge in the narration that invites the readers to try to tie whatever they've just done/learned back into the pc's main goals/motivations or current tasks. (on this subject, VERY useful for your main character to have a very specific goal or end destination that everyone is on the same page abt. it's harder for your plot to lose momentum if you can always point at what your readers are supposed to be moving toward!)

finally: KEEP UPDATING EVEN IF YOU GET VERY FEW/NO SUGGESTIONS. it's a niche genre. questden is a small website. it's hard to get people to read something new, especially if it's in a new and unfamiliar format (and especially especially when it's on a website that looks like a chanboard lmao). picking up readers takes a long time, and a lot of people lurk without suggesting (ESPECIALLY if it's a difficult/plot-important decision, and also especially in the opposite, if it's a very obvious next step and someone else has already commented what most ppl would say). it's very tempting to want to wait for more suggestions bc u "only" have one or two, and then that wait becomes stagnation, and then you're frustrated and u end up dropping the quest bc "nobody cares." instead u just have to push thru!!!! u only have two suggestions and u wish u had more? maybe next update u'll get more. u have NO suggestions and u feel like that means ur quest is dead in the water? NOPE! the solution is to update again, bc maybe ppl with latch on more and have something to say in the next scene. the more u update ur quest, the more u'll be able to talk abt it (and maybe get more readers), and specifically in the case of questden the more ur thread will be bumped to the front page. think abt how many times you've seen ppl talking abt a webcomic or a book and thought "i need to check that out eventually...." but it takes months for you to actually do it. 99.9999% of the time, ppl need to see something MULTIPLE TIMES before they check it out!! most readers do not come from clicking something the very first time they see it!! i know it can feel lonely and discouraging, but u owe it to ur art and the stories u want to tell to keep trying, even if engagement is very low at first, otherwise you're killing it before it's even had a chance. like, get shameless about it. ask your buddies to comment on your quest. but give that horse a few really good whacks before you decide it's dead!! i think that's my main thoughts. if you have any more specific questions i'm happy to help if i can! but also i think you'll learn the most by just jumping in and fucking around. quests are easy to pick up and easy to drop, and imo do really well as a playground where u test different ways to draw and tell stories, so might as well just get messy.

[ladykailitha]

A Heads Up and a Schedule Update

Just a few things to go over with you today!

Posting schedule

What's Next Story Wise

Halloween and WIP Wednesday

My permanent tag list

1- First up, my posting schedule. The days AREN'T changing. This is just an update on which stories will be released.

This Sunday is the last chapter of Icarus (metal band) and I will start posting its sequel "Around the World" and it's epilogue "The Rise of the Fallen".

Because I want to get as much of "Around the World" out as possible in the spooky month, it will post starting on Tuesday, Oct. 22 and will post one chapter every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday until it completes. Then once it is done, "The Rise of the Fallen" will premier at the first Sunday AFTER "Around the World" is done. So if it ends on Oct. 31st then it will come out on Nov. 3rd. But if it ends on Nov. 5th, the epilogue will premier on Nov. 10th. Does that make sense?

"The Rise of the Fallen" only has two chapters so there is no need to rush them out. So the two chapters will release a week apart.

The Hellfire Club (stripper) is nearing it's completion and will have 13 chapters. It will continue to release every Friday ending on Nov. 22.

Now, depending on what finishes first, "The Au Pair Boy" (nanny) will premier the following week. So if the Fallen verse ends first, then it will come out on a Sunday, if Hellfire does then it will come out on Friday Nov. 29th.

As always I am constantly writing so as these finish I move onto other stories and will begin posting new stories once they get at least 3 chapters in backlog. Which brings me neatly to number two!

2- What's next story wise?

I have so many ideas (waves at my Discord chat, if you know, you know).

Some really interesting ideas that I've come up with recently are:

Noir AU

Mafia AU

FB Prompt

Amnesia

Steddie as Dragon Dancers (which I haven't written up for Tumblr yet)

And any or all of them will be used as I finish the other stories. If you have one you'd really like to see, put a comment or tag in and I'll see about moving it to the top of the list or at least closer to the to the top.

3- Halloween and WIP Wednesday.

I won't be having WIP Wednesday on the 30th, because I'm doing the Trick or Treat ask game on the 31st.

This is how I will be doing it. I will have two pick wheels up on my laptop. You send Trick or Treat (with the name of a current WIP) and the first wheel determines whether you get a trick or a treat. A treat is a snippet from that WIP or if it's a trick it will go into the second wheel where it pick a number and I will answer the corresponding ask from this list.

Just like with WIP Wednesday you can play as often as you like. You know me I love asks. Any remaining asks will be answered the next week as part of the usual WIP Wednesday.

4- Permanent Tag List.

It's that dreaded time of year again. Trimming and rearranging my tag list. About every six months or so, I go through all my stories and if you haven't liked, reblogged, or commented on a story in the last three months, I give you a whole month of me constantly, almost aggressively tagging you to respond whether or not you want to remain on the list.

I do this because sometimes people fade from a fandom and I don't want to keep tagging someone who isn't interested in my writing anymore. It's not fair for them, and it's not fair for the other people who want to be on the list but can't.

If after the month and you haven't responded or if you respond that you want to be removed from my list (which I am 100% okay with I promise!) you'll be removed from the and refill any vacancies to the list.

I have a hard max total of 40, and depending on how many I lose this time that might go down.

THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO REQUEST TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST PLEASE!!!

I already having a waiting list of SIX people who comment, like and reblog my stuff all the time that I want on it. And they will be given top priority to be added. @fearieshadow

@dreamercec @blondie1006 @kultiras @thesecondfate @sadisticaltarts

If there is any room after I add them, then I might be open to requests. But again it depends on how many is left. Like if after the six get added and I have 37, then I'll open for three more. But if I have 35, I might lower the hard limit to the 35 so more casuals can get a chance to be tagged in a specific story as my story tag lists have a hard limit of 50. Which means as it stands only 10 casuals can request to be added at this time.

So starting on Nov. 2nd I will send out the call. And every Saturday until the end of Nov. I will repost (not reblog as a reblog doesn't RE-notify you) with how many days you have left to reply.

Then on Nov. 30th I will trim the unanswered and the removals from the list and add the wait list. Then if there is any room I'll do an open call. If there isn't enough room for all six, I will use a pick wheel to fill the list to keep it fair. Same will go for the extras if more than required amount to fill it goes over.

[darkfictionjude]

I've followed blogs without a demo before and while sometimes it has paid off - I find myself doing it less and less overtime because all too often I go back to a blog 3/4 months later and find it dead with no demo.

That being said in a lot of cases the demos never being finished feels like a cycle of :

*wanting to foster interest and community around your writing* -> *writing an IF is a huge task and it takes longer than expected to learn coding/write a branching narrative/limit story scope to a feasible level* -> *interest dies down because it has been a long time with no demo* -> *low/no interaction on posts ends up feeling demotivating especially when compared to other IF authors so they lose passion for the project*

To compromise, on my part I don't often follow blogs with no demo but if I'm genuinely interested in the story I try to go back to the blog and like/reblog posts or ask questions if there's anything I'm curious about. I definitely think you should write what you want for yourself without necessarily expecting attention - but attention and interaction is always going to feel good regardless.

At the end of the day as an audience member you're never actually 'owed' free content (especially given that its more often then not a passion project) so I have no hard feelings for writers who make demo blogs just to share some fun info about their characters/story and then dip - even if it can feel disappointing.

It 100% feels weird/kind of scammy to have a patreon if you haven't actually written anything though, because you're taking money from people (who often don't have huge amounts in the first place) before they even know if they like your writing/world/story - and before they know if you're capable of actually fulfilling any of the promises you make (which given that IF is generally much longer than a traditional novel is a *massive* promise to make to your audience in exchange for their financial support).

After an author has dropped a demo (even before any/consistent updates) patreon is all good in my book. At that point the audience has a 'sample' of the writing and can use that as a method to judge if they enjoy it. As long as the promised content on the patreon tiers are being fulfilled - you as an audience member are now getting what you've paid for - and can unsubscribe at any point if you no longer wish to keep paying for it.

Yeah I do feel like writers tend to want to work on something that will sell, and why not? It feels good to know your hard work is recognized and appreciated

This is a very nuanced take, I feel that some people even get angry when writers disappear, which yeah I’ve been burned before but like I don’t understand getting pissed when at the end of the day there are more games out there and as you said, no one is owed free content. IF writers are hobbyists, like this is a side thing for most of us it’s a gruelling hobby not only work load wise but also if you unfortunately get anons being mean to you

Yeah I didn’t want to say that but it does feel strange when there’s no work but there’s a Patreon. Because Patreon is just additional writing, it’s meant to be complementary to the main work. People pay for additional writing because they hope it adds to their experience when reading the IF proper.

I mean based on the name it is a modern version of being a painter in Europe during the renaissance and have a richer patron pay you to make art 😭