#Smurfs brains and brawn

[hahaweevil]

Getting used to a new(ish) style via Brains and Brawn

[bluebluebluewoods]

He’s pouring his heart out- is nothing gonna come of that?

[iamthegaysmurf]

I saw your follower post. It’s so deserved! Your Spooky Road Trip fic was AMAZEBALLS. How did you pull all of that research together? How did you even write it? It’s so great.

Thank you so much, anon!  I just feel truly grateful to have such wonderful followers.  You guys give me feedback and encouragement and ask me important questions and even send me silly things from time to time.  Honestly, it’s more than I ever could have hoped for!  :D

The research for Spooky Road Trip was definitely a process.  lmao

When I first got tagged to write this prompt, I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me.  I wanted to give Waverly and Nicole sort of a standalone, monster-of-the-week type adventure for just the two of them, because I’ve always felt like they make an incredible team when working together.  Both intellectually and physically.  The “brains vs brawn” thing was an extremely important concept I wanted to include.

So, with that being said, it was time to start looking for the right monster.  I studied up on myths surrounding desert environments, the majority of which were primarily grounded in Persian mythology.  The one that stood out to me the most was the ghoul, which I definitely liked, but then the question was…  How do I make this fit?

And that’s when I began searching legends and lore specific to the region where they would be road tripping.  And I discovered that the American Southwest is flooded with incredibly rich folklore.  Some of the stories I read were fascinating.  I worked as many of them into my story as I could – even as red herrings – but, seriously.  If you ever get the chance to read up on some of the history and legends surrounding the deserts and the settlers and the Civil War and the gold rush, I promise you won’t be disappointed.  :)

When I found the three legends that all had such similar elements, that’s when I knew that I’d found my story.  Obviously, they wouldn’t all fit together in their original form, but I thought that with a bit of tweaking and modification, I could blend them into one single, larger tale that would make for a good story.  Then it just became a matter of filling in the blanks.

I think one of my favorite parts of the research was going in search of an acceptable fiancé for Marisol (credit to @piratekane for choosing her name, btw).  He was originally going to be just a standard guard for the stagecoach.  And then for a while, he was going to be Pinkerton, hired by the people that had lost their haul.  

But then an amazing opportunity presented itself…  What if he was a U.S. Marshal?  I knew that I didn���t want to actually turn this adventure into a BBD case.  That would have been too coincidental, even for me.  But I thought it would be a really neat lead-in for the story of the ghost being held captive.  Plus the extra added bonus of him having heard of Wyatt Earp.  ((I’m aware the dates are a little off for that to have actually been true, but.  As I said.  I had to take a bit of creative license with the rest of the story, so I figured a little wouldn’t hurt here, too.))

And that’s when the hunt began.  Because, sure, I could have just fabricated a U.S. Marshal.  But, honestly…  where would have been the fun in that?  lmao

I researched pages and pages and pages of Marshals from roughly the right time period and roughly the right area.  (Pirate laughed at me because at one point, I randomly screamed into our chat “WHY ARE ALL OF THE GOOD AND INTERESTING MARSHALS FROM ARIZONA?!”)

But then I found him.  The perfect Marshal.  John Hicks Adams.  He was from the right time frame.  He was from California.  He served time as both a Sheriff and a Marshal.  And he already had an incredible history with the Mason Henry Gang, known for robbing stagecoaches.  

He was more perfect than I ever could have hoped for.  His own personal built-in nemesis just added that much more weight to the story I wanted to tell with the ghostly legends.

I never really dreamed that I would get so attached to his character.  But the more I wrote about him, the more I began to see the opportunity to have him be a parallel reflection of Nicole.  It just…  I felt like he (and his literal undying love for Marisol) made my story so much stronger than it started out to be.  I would be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult for me to write the part when he was killed.  I accidentally got more attached than I thought.  lol

Anyway.  I’ve rambled on long enough about this.  Sorry for that.  But needless to say, the rest is history.  Once I had all of my players lined up and fleshed out, and the legends pieced together to make a single cohesive story, all that was left was actually writing it.

I was a little nervous about being able to pull it all together.  About the pacing, and keeping things interesting for you guys without revealing too much of the facts too quickly.  About building the suspense in a natural and organic manner.  About the payoff of the major action scene not being a let down after all of the build-up.  And, of course, about the resolution and breaking of the curse.  (And then also the bonus epilogue, and whether or not you guys would feel like it belonged, or if it was an unnecessary addition.)

But, thankfully, I got an incredible amount of support from @piratekane, who did everything from help me iron out some of the smaller details of bringing everything together, to kicking my ass daily to make sure I would hit my deadline in time.  And also some amazing encouragement from @belikebumblebee, who didn’t get to know the story in advance, but still took the time to just help keep me motivated and encouraged when I was doubting myself.  This story seriously wouldn’t have happened without the two of them.  So be sure to drop them a little love, too.  Tell them the Smurf sent you.  ;)

And that is how the Spooky Road Trip came to be.  

[bluebluebluewoods]

I love you for psychological reasons.

[bluebluebluewoods]

hefty acts straight and thinks he’s straight but the fucking moment some hairy fem twink gets the tiniest bit flirty he’s willing to throw all his morals and ideals away to become a henchman

[bluebluebluewoods]

smurvish bonding rituals don’t involve any clothing, they’re very private and silent. However, human weddings? The entire concept of divorce???? Iconic. Brainy and gutsy can’t get enough of this shit. The fashion?!?! The dramatic dresses???!?? Serving someone divorce papers in public? Cant get enough.

[bluebluebluewoods]

brainy and hefty... brainy and gutsy... or all three... i wish i could think of Scenarios um. lads being lads (homo

[bluebluebluewoods]

You have to imagine a bear eating berries in the woods

[bluebluebluewoods]

why don’t you put your boxing gloves on

and punch your punching bag

[bluebluebluewoods]

Have you considered not being endlessly hostile and unpleasant

[bluebluebluewoods]

My gracious companion

With your eyes of doe and thighs of stallion

By your hand is the only end I foresee

I have been dreaming, you’ve been dreaming about me

[bluebluebluewoods]

Not sure what application would be that one would need a rodent that is ready-to-pour, but it's been a long time since I was in a bio lab.

[bluebluebluewoods]

Screenshot redraw! Such a cute shot…

[bluebluebluewoods]

Exploring a crumbling labyrinth, a witch runs out of power after an injury and has to rely on a wandering barbarian for assistance.

[bluebluebluewoods]

What you're gonna play to my masculine insecurities? Well guess what buddy I'm gonna regret this!!

[bluebluebluewoods]

I eat all the local plants to see which ones will get me sick. I don't know their actual names. Spiny Milky Dude is a def not eat though.