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serial-serializednovelreader · 3 months ago

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Do you think a Dracula MBS AU would work? If so, in what way? Hope you are doing well!!!

Sophie, I love this question!! It’s actually something I have thought of, but wasn’t sure if I wanted to make into a post on its own. And I’m doing well, hope you are too :DDDD

Yes, Dracula MBS AU could be a thing, but I would definitely need to make a few tweaks. Us Dracula book fans aren’t a huge fan of “tweaks” for…certain reasons (*side eyes adaptations*), but this one would still be faithful to the spirit of the book. :)

Note: Heavy spoilers for Dracula, and the Mysterious Benedict Society. Also, I’m basing this AU on the MBS books, not the series (Curtain is not really redeemable in this one, though he is the gremlin man you know and enjoy!). As a disclaimer, all of the MBS characters that are kids are adults in this AU — in their 20s to be precise. Everyone else retains their original ages (except for the one who is playing Dracula, of course).

Jonathan Harker -> Reynie Muldoon

You know I had to start off with my one of my favorite blorbos and honestly, this just works. These two characters are a lot alike, more than you might assume. Both are considered “average” by others, and are constantly underestimated, which they shake off in different ways (Reynie with his abilities, Jonathan through the power of Tumblr’s book club). They have a kind heart and love helping others. They are meticulous and can be bold when needed, sometimes using clever words to talk themselves out of a situation (Jonathan several times in Dracula’s castle, Reynie when Curtain catches him looking at the Executive’s list). Jonathan and Reynie are also leadership material, though you probably wouldn’t think it by looking at them.

Mina Murray -> Kate Wetherall

Yeah, so those who know I ship these Reynie and Kate may have expected this one. I can’t help it! Still, I think these two work as well. Mina is very much an extrovert and will talk to everyone she meets, just like Kate. Mina may not carry a bucket, but she does carry her journals and writing around with her! Kate and Mina are both silly at times, adding their own personal flair to situations. I would see Kate embodying Mina’s bolder side and being excited about journalism for the chance to meet people. She is fine with studying and typing (especially to help/bond with Reynie), but it’s not her favorite thing, if that makes sense. Or, alternatively, she could have more of Mina’s affinity for typing and thoroughly love it! Up to you. Those who have read Dracula all the way through also know that Mina and Kate are also alike in their need to be *in the action*, not sidelined. And they’re absolutely correct.

Dracula -> Ledroptha Curtain

Yeah, this one is pretty obvious. Both are cackling villains, both like their cat-and-mouse games: it just fits! Plus, if you compare Curtain’s weird lecture/manipulative speeches to Reynie in the first book to Dracula’s speeches to Jonathan…it’s almost uncanny how similar they are!!! Dracula and Curtain honestly use a lot of the same tactics to draw their victims in (making them feel special/isolated, puffing his own ego, etc.).

Renfield -> Crawlings

I’ll be honest, Crawlings is my favorite Ten Man and I can just see him as Renfield. He’s soooooo weird and I love him for it!!! Bro has one eyebrow and was constantly being quirky. Can I see this man eating a fly and being locked in an asylum in 1800s England? Yes, yes I can. Plus, his name is Crawlings and he follows Curtain. ‘Nuff said.

Van Helsing -> Nicholas Benedict

You probably also saw this one coming after I paired Dracula with Curtain. This Dracula AU fits a lot better than one first assumes and here is another example. Van Helsing in the novel is very much a quirky professor, befuddling his former student (Seward) with his metaphors and laughing far too much to be in the horror novel Dracula, let’s be honest. In the same way, Nicholas Benedict is a jovial, unassuming man, who one wouldn’t think to be a genius instrumental to saving the world, yet he’s in the very name of the book series! In the same way, Van Helsing has garnered a name for himself that has far outlived his first appearance in the novel: as much as Dracula lives on in the public sphere, Van Helsing is right beside him. I think this fits Nicholas to a tee. Plus, Nicholas and Van Helsing are capable of great seriousness and emotional depth when the situation calls for it.

Aaaaaaand this is where things get switched around. I’m going to list the characters first, then describe how exactly their arcs would be changed, but I want to make it clear that this Suitor Squad would not be a Suitor Squad anymore in my AU. I do not ship these characters!!!!! Just want to make that clear upfront.

Lucy Westerna -> Constance Contraire

This one is a bit of a stretch personality-wise, but it’s the clearest fit in terms of leading/supporting characters. Lucy is obviously a very sweet person and Constance is…well…the society says it best: “Constance is Constance”. However, in RoA, we do get a glimpse of a sweeter Constance and I do believe this is how Constance will be once she matures: still her feisty self, just able to let her empathetic side show more. And really, that’s who Lucy is. She has a defiant and bold streak within her: this is just held back by the confines of Victorian society (though not in the way adaptations want to portray her — I just mean she could be more sassy if she wanted to). Whether Constance adapts more of Lucy’s bubbly and sweet personality or retains her sassy and grumpy self is up to you. Either way, her and Kate (Mina) would definitely still be best friends and have a similar relationship they have in MBS, perhaps with a dash of maturity (LOL). Lucy/Constance is also the youngest, clocking in at 19, to everyone else’s mid- to late- 20s.

Quincey Morris -> Milligan

You can probably see why I emphasized the importance of not shipping these characters. So yes, Milligan now takes the role of an American cowboy and I think he would adopt this role with gusto! Of course, in this AU he’s never lost his memories so he is his cheerful self. He is a lot like Quincey in being perpetually cheerful, compassionate and a good friend to the rest of the Crew of Light (plus, earnestly cheering them up when needed and kicking Dracula/Curtain’s butt — both of these characters excel at their job). Quincey is known as the oathmaker of Dracula, always keeping the promises he makes. Readers of MBS know that Milligan also takes his promises seriously, so much so that his last promise became his very name (how his name is still Milligan when he didn’t lose his memories doesn’t make sense, but…you know…uh….*magic*). Is he Kate’s father in this AU? Perhaps. 😏 I once commented to @nobodysdaydreams that these two would be father/daughter in every universe, so I think even if they’re not biologically related, they would certainly fit that dynamic and adopt each other as such.

Jack Seward -> George “Sticky” Washington

Seward is definitely on the darker side of what Sticky is capable of, but I don’t think this is out of the realm of possibilities for Sticky. I honestly think he could’ve become something like this, had he not been exposed to Mr. Benedict and his friends at a young age. Not that Sticky is “bad” or “evil” in this AU — Jack isn’t either!!!!!! I would just say he has bad coping mechanisms and needs therapy for depression…so just hand that over to Sticky without the strongest support system and I think these two meld together well.

Arthur Holmwood -> SQ Pedalian

For all my SQ lovers, this one’s for you!!! SQ and Arthur are both sweet guys who really shouldn’t be in traumatic situations, but, unfortunately, are. Fun to be around and a beacon of light to those they meet, SQ and Arthur always try to make the best of a bad situation! I think SQ would fit right into Arthur’s role, though it won’t be easy for him as the book goes along…

Three Vampire Sisters -> Martina, Jillson and Jackson

I believe it makes sense for Curtain’s most trusted executives to also be in his castle as his vampires in this AU. Oh, and Jackson’s here too — for the vibes. :D yes, they do try to “seduce” Reynie. Yes, it is weird (though, as a reminder, minus the vampire thing they’re similar in age — Reynie is in his 20s and the vampire siblings got turned into vampires around the same age). No, I don’t want to dwell on it.

Mr. Hawkins - Miss. Perumal

While it wouldn’t make any sense for Jonathan/Reynie’s boss to be a woman in this time period, I am making Mr. Hawkins Miss Perumal anyway because I do not care. Jonathan basically calls Mr. Hawkins his adopted father and that is what Miss. Perumal is to Reynie. Whether you want to make Miss Perumal a guy or just make Victorian England less sexist in this AU is up to you (I’m rooting for the latter).

Captain of the Demeter -> Captain Noland

I think this one explains itself. Noble captain of The Shortcut becomes the noble (and, unfortunately, doomed) captain of the Demeter. 🫡🫡

First Mate of the Demeter -> McCracken

My choice here might seem strange — and it is — but I honestly think this first mate that gets more and more desperate is better filled by McCracken the Ten Man than anyone else. I truly believe if something supernatural happened to him, he would not believe it and would scoff at anyone who did — until it was too late. Then, he would try to fight the monster (as the First Mate does), and if he had no option left…flee. That’s my interpretation of McCracken’s true character anyways — just give him less weapons and less self-confidence. Plus, I wanted McCracken to be a part of this and had no good place for him (lol). 🤷‍♀️

Second Mate of the Demeter -> Canonball

The bravest “mate” on the crew, I chose Canonball as Second Mate instead of First Mate because he would be exactly the type of man to volunteer to keep watch and let everyone else get some sleep; unfortunately, that kind of selflessness is not rewarded by Dracula. :( RIP Canonball in this AU, you will be missed. 🫡

Mrs. Westerna -> Number Two

I’m envisioning a different kind of relationship than mother/daughter for Lucy/Constance and Mrs. Westerna/Number Two. I’ll explain it more when we get to my “changes”, but suffice it to say, Mrs. Westerna/Number Two is an aunt or mentor figure to Lucy/Constance rather than a biological mother. I picked Number Two for this role because she has Mrs. Westerna’s strict adherence to rules down and an anxious streak, though to a lesser extent of course. These qualities would be dialed up to 11 for the AU.

“Correspondent” -> Rhonda Kazembe

According to a number of posts I’ve seen on here (though I haven’t been able to find anything when I looked it up — doesn’t mean it’s not true, just means my research skills needs work!), Stoker originally envisioned a woman reporter who ended up working with the Crew of Light to take down Dracula. Whether due to time constraints or too many characters to keep track of, he dialed this character back to a “Correspondent” (gender unidentified) who reports on the Demeter’s landing, and what has become of the ship. While we don’t get much from this Correspondent, they show a lot of personality in just two entries: boasting about their running abilities and reporting about villagers wanting to be friends with a dog. I would definitely select Rhonda for this role because, while she may seem quiet and ordinary, she hides a ton of inner personality! I think I would give this Rhonda a little bit of her energy from the show because her actress just did such a good job of embodying her character and giving her an even more distinct personality that I think would go great with the Correspondent. Other than that, I do think she would work with the Crew of Light in this one, as Stoker originally intended, though how much and in what capacity, I’m not sure of.

Mr. Swales -> Risker

I was honestly thinking of picking one of the Ten Men for this one, but I think “kooky old man who you can’t tell what he’s saying half the time” fits Risker perfectly. 😂😂

Now that we have all the chess pieces into place (yes, that was an MBS reference), how do they move around the chessboard? Most Dracula fans by now will probably be shouting at me “But Nova, if there’s no Suitor Squad, how will you fulfill Lucy’s arc?” Well you see, there’s one relationship we need to consider here: that of Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict and Lucy/Constance.

So for those who may not know (on both sides of the fandom), Van Helsing considers Lucy to be his daughter in a sense. In MBS, Mr. Benedict ends up adopting Constance, though this is not an easy process, as her papers are lost to time. I intend to merge these two story arcs.

So to start, Lucy/Constance would be an orphan, not being born from a wealthy family like in the original book. She would meet Jonathan/Reynie and Mina/Kate and they would all be childhood friends, as in the original book, though perhaps Lucy/Constance understands the other two on a deeper level — as they all three know what it’s like to be orphans and to want for friendship and parents.

Somewhere along the way, Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict meets Lucy/Constance (she’s in her teens at this point) and he starts to see her as the daughter he wants to have. Unfortunately in Victorian England, there’s no legal adoption process. So basically, Lucy/Constance can only have the feeling of having a father, no papers to prove it. And just like in the MBS series, this causes her to feel frustrated and insecure (though with a bit more maturely, since she’s older lol). Another issue is that she rarely sees Van Helsing/ Mr. Benedict since he’s working on research in Germany. He doesn’t want to take her with him, since he presumes she should be out living her life and learning how to be a lady (more out of a desire for her to fit in with other girls and make friends than him sticking to the confines of society). Which is why he’s entrusted her with Mrs. Westerna/Number Two, providing her a permanent place to live. We can also work something in there about Milligan/Quincey (a family friend of his) adopting Mina/Kate along the way or them being father/daughter (you could swap Mina and Lucy’s roles here). I personally like the former option, but the latter works as well!

Living with Mrs. Westerna/Number Two is nice, but not what Lucy/Constance wants. She only wants to be with her father :(. At this point, she’s an adult and can make her own choices, so she asks her father if she can go on a trip with him. Surprisingly, he says yes!

Rather than the three iconic proposals here, I envision Lucy/Constance telling her three family friends (because Van Helsing has a LOT of those) about her impending trip instead, which they all take in different ways. Seward/Sticky does not take this well. Van Helsing is kind of a father figure to him as well and having him be away has been difficult for him to handle. Now, hearing that he’s going to “lose” someone he considers to be his sister as well is just too overwhelming for him to hear. He accepts it, but doesn’t like it. Milligan/Quincey is excited for her, but sad to see her go. He feels a “loss” as well, since he considers Lucy/Constance to be his daughter, though he’s never said it. Arthur/SQ is the only one truly excited for her, giving her travel tips, as he’s traveled himself and wants her to have only the best experience. It may not be as dramatic or exciting as proposals, but I do think this works with hitting similar emotions from the three men (grief, bittersweet, and joy).

Then we come to the sad part of our story. Lucy/Constance begins experiencing symptoms of a vampire bite and while Sticky/Seward tries to care for her himself, his last resort is to call in Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict (which he doesn’t want to do, because he doesn’t want him to see her like this and it feels too much like the end…). When Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict arrives, he understands very clearly what is going on, and it pains him to see his daughter in this condition. However, for her sake, he keeps to his jovial self (and he retains his narcolepsy, so you can play a lot with him trying not to give in to this emotional turmoil).

At first, it seems like things are working in their favor: they put up garlic and it seems to keep the evil bat away. Unfortunately, Mrs. Westerna/Number Two doesn’t get the memo and takes the garlic down, leaving poor Lucy/Constance exposed. That’s when the bad turns to the worse.

If you want maximum angst here, you can go with the canon ending…which is that Lucy/Constance dies. And if you thought Van Helsing’s reaction to Lucy’s death was bad (which is a full on mental breakdown, by the way), this is oh-so much worse. Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict is inconsolable. He won’t talk to anyone. He keeps waking up and passing out for a full day, he is SO full of emotion. He mourns that he was never able to take her on a trip or able to legally adopt her. Not to mention, Dracula/Curtain took Mrs. Westerna/Number Two from him too, so he’s mourning THAT death as well. So yeah, needless to say, he’s not in a good place. And he’s determined to avenge the people he’s lost at any price. Also, he would have to be the one to stake Lucy/Constance when she eventually turns into the Bloofer Lady (which he would be in denial about at first, though he would see all the signs). Because I need this to be more heartbreaking, apparently. By the end of this AU, him and Jonathan/Reynie are very much silently sharpening a knife, waiting for their moment to strike at Dracula/Curtain (who looks eerily similar to Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict, that’s strange…).

Since MBS is included in this, though, I don’t know if this would be what happens. I kind of believe Lucy/Constance would make it through in this AU. So either Mrs. Westerna/Number Two actually listens to Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict (which is likely, let’s be honest) or they’re able to save her in some other way. Bottom line: Lucy/Constance makes it, and she’s infinitely grateful! Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict vows to take her on a trip very soon and makes her a little adoption certificate thing. It’s not real, but to them it is! On the inside, however, Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict is very angry at Dracula/Curtain for almost killing his daughter and that’s not something he takes lightly…

So yeah, those are my ideas for a Dracula MBS AU. Hope you like it! :D

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spookyspecterino · 1 year ago

Text

Confessions

Sam Coe x GN! Reader

GN! Reader. No pronouns, no use of Y/N, or reader descriptions used.

Fighting, enemy death, language, confessions of love, kissing

Two short stories of times when you and Sam tell each other I love you.

So I started this with the typical canon scene in the game, tweaking it to how I would personally write it, and then said...wait, I could make something else entirely. So I wrote both. They're back to back, separated with a text divider.

This was requested by @wisperwin 😊 Hope you enjoy!

Requests for short 1K fics are open while I write out a longer fic. Send in your asks!

Sam’s favorite spot in Akila is more in the open than you imagined, it was basically a bar porch, but as soon as you sat down at a small table in the corner it felt like him. As if a tiny piece of himself lingered here. It wasn’t hard to imagine a younger version of Sam sitting and looking out at the courtyard on cool evenings just like this one, with the sun setting slowly on the horizon.

Even on your way here you noticed a difference. He seems happier, lighter on his feet. He’s taking his time with things, not rushing from task to task or place to place.

When he pulled you aside and invited you here, told you how special this place was to him, it had your heart fluttering like a small bird.

After sitting for a moment and looking out at Solomon Coe’s statue, Sam turns to you with a smile. “For the first time in a long time…I feel peaceful. Like I can just exist… and I have you to thank for that.”

“All I did was give some encouragement—you did all the hard work.” You say, shrugging sheepishly.

He smiles, shakes his head a little, “Don’t sell yourself short. It probably wasn’t easy dealing with my constant complaining about Lillian—and then actually going to meet her, and help her, and then escort her, and—”

He stops at the sound of your good-natured laugh. “You don’t have to list out everything, Sam. We might be here all night.”

“Yeah, yeah. What I’m really trying to say is thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’d do it a thousand more times if it meant seeing you this happy.”

His face softens, something in his eyes change. “Listen, there’s also this other thing I’ve been meaning to talk with you about.”

Your head tilts a little. “I’m all ears.”

Sam’s shoulders tense, he clears his throat, then takes a deep breath. “I have feelings for you—certain feelings. Feelings that I can’t really…that I don’t know how to…” He sighs, brows pinching together. “Sorry, this is hard for me.”

He shifts his weight slightly. “You know what, I’ll just say it. The truth is…I’m in love with you. I have been for a little while now.” He scoots to the edge of his chair, leaning in and placing his hands on the table. “I’ve been meaning to say something, but the timing was always off, or we were busy getting shot at.”

You can’t help but softly and breathlessly agree. “We get shot at a lot.”

“Exactly. I just uh—I needed to tell you before some other crisis inevitably came up. And I know this might be coming out of nowhere for you, I’m not—I’m not the most obvious guy.” He takes a deep breath. “So, if this is too sudden, or if you need time to think about it, or mull over your own feelings—I’m good with that. I’ll give you some space.”

His blue eyes find yours in the dim evening light. They’re uncertain, nervous. The way he holds himself, he’s trying not to fidget. He grips at the edges of the table one moment, then brings his hands up to trace his fingers along the lines in the wood top surface.

You’re caught watching his hands dance skittishly. Since you’ve met him, Sam Coe has worn the cool, calm, and stoic nature of a typical Freestar Ranger. His nervousness solidifies how seriously he’s taking this.

Without much forward thought, you reach across the table and hold his hands in yours. Maybe—once, or twice—you imagined what you might say to him if you were ever presented with this situation. But that all went out the window as soon as you started talking.

“It may be a little sudden—you’re a hard man to read sometimes—but I’m really glad you said something.” You give his hands a reassuring squeeze. “I love you too. Since NEON.”

Sam lets out a breath he’d been holding, some of it comes out in a chuckle. “Since NEON? Like, when we first got there, or when we last left—?”

“Does it really matter?” You ask, teasingly.

“Guess not. I just…now it’s my turn to be surprised. I really thought you were gonna turn me down.”

“You can’t be serious. I’ve been flirting with you so much.”

This makes him laugh. “I thought I was imagining things for a little bit, but when I started flirting back…”

“That was you flirting back?”

“Yes. I was really trying—oh, you’re teasing me, you’re having fun with this.” He shakes his head with a fond smile, leaning in too. His voice is affectionate. “Smartass from the moment I met you—knew you were trouble.”

Your faces are close now. “Ah, but you love me for it.”

“Damn right I do.” He pauses, eyes glancing down at your lips. One of his hands lets go of yours to bring your face closer, gently tugging at your chin. “Come ‘ere, you.”

He kisses you softly. Bristles tickle your face with just a brush of his lips against yours, they leave a hot trail in their wake. Searing and lingering on your skin.

Sam knows the effect he has on you, and if by some chance he didn’t before, he knows now as your breath shortens and you fight not to chase after him.

That half smile-half smirk breaks through his love-struck expression. “I love you. And later on, maybe I’ll show you just how much.”

Gunfire blasted into the metal walls around you. The sharp whizzing of bullets was much louder due to the enclosed space of the enemy ship. Crouched behind some cargo crates, you looked across the aisle to the other side of the narrow dead ended hallway. Sam leans up against his cover, also a short stack of Cargo.

He caught your eye and half-smirked. “Not looking good, is it?”

“Chances are slim, but—", you duck as a bullet whizzes past, “—but we’ve been through worse.”

He snorts, firing a few blind shots from cover. “When?”

“Oh, you know, that one time.”

“No, I don’t think I do—please, refresh my memory.”

“We were getting shot at, just like this.”

“Sweetheart—” He fires another shot but flinches back as chunks of the cargo crate fly near his face. “—that’s just about every day for us.”

“Yeah, but it was a really specific time.” You fire two shots, ducking in and out of cover. You don’t have time to count how many heads you see. “Uh, maybe like when we went to that zero-grav casino?”

“Almagest?”

“Yeah! That was definitely worse.”

“No way, we had that place cleared in 20 minutes, tops. And there was plenty of cover—” he leans, firing wide shotgun blasts in two concentrated areas “—and plenty of ammo, and we were never cornered, and—"

“—Sure.”

“What do you mean, ‘sure’? Why’d you say it like that?”

“I must have a different memory of how it went down, is all.”

He leans back against the cargo and laughs. “Are we really debating in the middle of a gun fight?”

“I’m happy to give this one to you. Really, I am.”

That made him laugh even harder. “Oh, you’re letting me win—you’re somethin’ else you know that?”

You hear a gap in enemy fire and take the opportunity to peak around. There are at least eight or nine more enemies crouched and moving around. You see the muzzles of their guns and crouch behind your cover just as their returning fire starts back up.

“Let’s say I was wrong—” He starts.

You’re quick, grin lighting up your eyes. “—is this a hypothetical? Are you doing hypotheticals now when you can’t admit you’re wrong?”

His head hangs down, you can see his shoulders bouncing. “Goddammit, you’re too funny for your own good.”

“I love making you laugh, even when we’re about to die or be captured by pirates.”

Enemy fire patters out, there’s some shouting from their end. Heavy footsteps approach. Sam readies his pistol; you pull out a knife. As soon as boots come into view, you kick the pirate’s legs. Sam fires a shot, and you sink your knife into their chest. The pirate jerks once and lies dead.

Sam straightens a little, calling out. “Hey, how ‘bout you send a few more down here! We could use the change of pace; this is starting to get old!”

The pirates immediately begin firing again.

He leans back against cover. “My point is, that if we’re in a worse position than when we were on Almagest, then these might be our final moments together.”

“Kind of a downer to start something that way but go on.”

“I wanted to say a few ‘thank you’s, for all you’ve helped with.”

“Oh wow, is this like…your last will and testament? Are we doing that now?”

He laughs again as he leans out from cover and fires. “I’m trying to be serious here.”

You join him, firing at a pirate’s exposed leg. Your first shot clips a calf and there’s shouts of pain. Sam manages to take out a pirate that exposes themselves too soon. You both lean back into cover when Sam’s shotgun needs reloading.

“I wanted to thank you for helping me and Cora with pretty much everything. You didn’t have to, but you still did. That means a lot to me.”

“It was worth it, for you and Cora.”

Sam’s smile melts into a look of pure warmth and affection. It makes you pause, humor giving way to the gravity of the situation. He said his piece, it might be a good time to say yours. And if you end up living through this, then, you’d still have finally said what’s been on your mind for weeks.

You clear your throat, momentarily busying yourself by checking over your rifle. “And, since we’re being serious now, there’s something I wanted to tell you too.”

Somehow you feel more nervous saying this than facing the pirate firing squad behind you. When you’ve taken a deep breath, you meet his eyes. “I love you.”

You’re not sure how to read his wide-eyed expression so you just keep talking. “I don’t know exactly when it happened or when I knew for sure, but I’m head over heels for you, Sam. And if this is how we go out, then I’m just glad it’s with you.”

A gap in noise is your cue to fire. You straighten from cover, doing your best to quickly find a target. The top of a helmet is exposed. You catch a glimpse of the visor shattering as your rifle round hits. Something bumps your leg. You’re so caught off guard that you drop down, reaching for a knife.

But it’s Sam. He used your fire as cover to cross the aisle.

Before you can really say anything, he takes your face in his hands, pushes you up against the cargo, and roughly kisses you. It’s messy, a tangle of lips and rough, scratchy beard. Your teeth click together once or twice. The intense heat from his lips against yours and his hands on your face grounds you—tells you it’s real.

You’re too busy grasping at his jacket, shirt, the back of his neck—doing anything to bring him closer—that you don’t hear shouting or gunfire stop. There’s only faint recognition that new shots are being aimed somewhere else, or that it’s moving away.

It’s the ringing in your ears and the deafening silence that catches both of your attention. You each snap into action, pulling guns and whirling toward the aisle, expecting to see a pirate come into view. But no one’s there.

Instead, an altogether different voice calls out, “Freestar Rangers! If there’s anyone there, show yourself!”

Your hands go up immediately, Sam’s do too. “We’re not pirates! Don’t shoot!”

“Come out real slow, hands up!”

Moving out of cover, you see the ranger uniform and badge. The ranger’s eyes go wide. Their gun lowers. “Hot damn, Deputy. Got yourself into a pickle, didn’t ya?”

“Wouldn’t know what we would’ve done without you ranger, thank you.”

The ranger tips their hat in acknowledgement. Another voice—presumably a second ranger, calls them. They half turn to listen, then with a curt, parting nod they turn to leave.

You take a breath, caught by surprise at the rescue and more than a little mixed up emotionally. Clearing your throat, you try to act normal. “Well, we didn’t die. Shall we claim this as a victory or chalk it up to a stale—"

Sam’s gruff voice, followed by his hand spinning you around, gives you chills. “Hang on, I’m not done with you yet.”

This kiss is less desperate, it’s slower, and passionate enough to make your knees go weak. Sam’s hands knead at your hips before moving to your lower back to pull you against him.

When he leans back, leaving your head reeling, his smirk is the first thing you see. “I love you too, just in case that wasn’t obvious.”

Your grin is slow to spread, but it lights up every inch of your face. “I’m sorry, what was that? My ears are ringing, didn’t quite catch it.”

Something deep rumbles in his chest, he presses his lips to yours, separating out his words with stubborn kisses. “I’m—in love—with you—too.” He can see the glint in your eyes as you slowly open your mouth. “You can’t play the deaf card twice in a row.”

“Damn. Ok, just say it one more time before we go back to the ship.”

Sam chuckles, one hand coming up to brush a thumb along your jaw. “How about I show you later, instead?”

#sam coe #sam coe x reader #gn reader #starfield

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dreamwavesexploringreality · 2 months ago

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Hi hi! I hope you're doing splendid today ^^ Here's the thing, I got a fic idea for Chishiya and reader and thought you'd be the perfect writer to ask for it. Of course, you're free to decline or pass :))

Anyway, here's the general gist. Chishiya and reader are in a somewhat confusing relationship (more than friends, less than lovers, no label kinda thing), which of course the man hates. So he has a habit of pushing her away whenever she gets too close or he feels as though he's becoming a bit too attached. It doesn't help that reader is an affectionate person :00

So, one day, Chishiya gets overwhelmed by her admittedly significant presence in his life (probably after a game where he witnessed deaths that reminded him of her mortality), and pushes her away and calls her clingy. Hurt, reader tries to give him space and turns to other friends for her dose of affection (bonus if Chishiya gets kinda jealous here). Then the plan rolls around, followed by the 10 of Hearts, and he's so worried because she's not near by.

I'm thinking they could reunite in the Jack of Hearts, but it's up to you how to end it! I'm sorry for rambling, and I don't mind at all if you tweak it up, I trust your judgement wholeheartedly :)) Thank youuuu!

Hi hi! I absolutely love your fic idea! it sounds fantastic and full of emotional depth. I’m definitely adding it to my list! It’s a great concept, and I’ll be sure to dive into writing it when I have some time. I really appreciate you thinking of me for this! Stay tuned for updates, and thanks again for sharing such a thoughtful idea. 😊

#aib x reader #alice in borderland #niragi suguru #aib #chishiya shuntaro #chishiya x reader #fanfic #arisu ryohei #ao3 #kuina hikari

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demonicchicken1121 · 1 year ago

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Road to Hell Cassidy stuff

Cassidy is the oldest, she was 14 when she died. Jeremy was 11, Fritz and Gabriel were 9, and Susie was 7

Cassidy had a pretty shit home life, and some untreated anger issues. William killed her because she reminded him of how Michael acted before the bite.

Cassidy had the most brutal death of the mci. William also saw some of his more negative traits in Cassidys behavior, which made her death more personal to him. Cassidy heavily resents the other kids at first; not only because of her more painful death, but she also felt as if they were more innocent and naive compared to her. She would complain that she was “stuck in the afterlife with a bunch of shithead crybabies”.

Even worse is that William and Cassidy did have a genuine connection. William is a shit father figure sure, but he gave her more attention than Cassidy had ever gotten from her own parents (and more attention than William was giving his own children)

It’s very much a springtrap and delilah situation (because I love that comic), and it’s the same with all the mci kids, not just Cassidy. William genuinely did care for them, but he was incredibly unstable and unpredictable.

Cassidy is also trans, and people would ridicule and ignore her when she said that she was a girl. William didn’t really care, he had a lot of internalized prejudices, but he didn’t really care about Cassidy. He just saw her as a kid playing pretend, which is still a harmful idea about trans kids, but William just played along with it. He used her preferred name and pronouns, and that wasn’t something anyone else had been willing to do.

Cassidy had mixed feelings about being Golden Freddy, even separated from the fact that she had been killed. She did actually like Gfreddy, he was her favorite animatronic, but he was a male character, and she didn’t like being seen as such, especially after working so hard to grow her hair out and train her voice.

This was originally supposed to be about ALL the MCI, but it ended up just being about Cassidy. I’ll probably make these for the rest of the mci at some point.

also sorry if Williams character is inconsistent from post to post. He’s a bit of a writing experiment/challenge for me, so I’m having to tweak his personality a lot.

#fnaf #five nights at freddy’s #william afton #fnaf cassidy #cassidy miller #the vengeful spirit #the one you should not have killed #mci #fnaf mci #fnaf au #fnaf road to hell #road to hell au

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nvrsaidiwasinurcloset · 7 months ago

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hiiiii anon who has had 9 of their requests written. Ig i’ll use the squid emoji from now on to represent myself 🦑

you asked if there were any other requests of mine you haven’t gotten to and im genuinely having a hard time remembering all the requests ive sent you 💀

But ik there is one i requested about ethan and reader having phone sex when being in a long distance relationship

one angsty fic that ends in smut where both ethan and reader think the other person doesn’t have feelings for them anymore

i think i suggested one the notebook coded one

and i think i suggested one where its super fluffy smut where ethan and reader lose their virginity, and are at first nervous because they want it to be special, but realize it’s special purely because it’s between them

oh and i requested a second part to the voyeur fic (that og request was mine as well 🤭)

AHHHHH ILYSM

-🦑

Ahhh, my favorite cephalopod ❤️

okay OKAY the phone sex one…have they ever met in person at any point of their relationship? Or is it like a met online kind of situation? Just want to know if Ethan’s already familiar with readers body or not🫣

The angsty smut one where reader thinks Ethan doesn’t like her anymore, I was kind of leaning more towards a friends with benefits situation but they both have their feelings (readers made hers obvious, but Ethan’s scared of heartbreak), and Ethan gets a little cold towards her, like not acting like he always does around her, and she thinks he doesn’t want her anymore, which leads to Ethan thinking she doesn’t want him because she just kind of does her own thing(I still have the request so I know how you want it to end, I don’t want to give the whole thing away because someone else might read this and I’d ruin the story👀), seriously, let me know if that sounds okay!

With the Notebook coded one, the only thing I’m really caught up on is how much time passes between the breakup and when they see each other again, and if they both still try to date other people during the breakup or if it’s more like…they both just don’t want to because they still love each other sm that they can’t even really think about anyone else (I’ll admit it, I only half-watched the notebook once👀)

The virginity one I’ll get to soon, because I just need to write some super sweet fluffy smut in my near future lmao

And the voyeur fic, I’ve actually been working on that one a lot lately! I keep bouncing back to it and tweaking a few things, because obvi reader and Ethan see each other after she sucked the soul out of him and like, there’s SO MUCH TENSION.

For real, if you want to talk about this stuff through asks, we can! Or if you want to message me, I’d of course still keep you anonymous! I’m sure you’ve realized that I like to go into detail, like it’s probably awful tbh, but I want to make sure something I write is exactly what you want! ❤️💕🫶🏻

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findroleplay · 6 months ago

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**Kingsman | The Secret Service - Canon x Oc + some other fandoms**

Hello hello hello! 🙂

**Basic info and writing preferences**

26, she/her, **I am 18+ so all characters and partners must be 18+ too!**

I have been roleplaying since 2010 but have just recently came back after a bit of a hiatus so just going to leave this post and hope to catch some one’s interest!

I write in 3rd person POV, paragraph format with a minimum of 200+ words, word length doesn’t really bother me tbh just as long as we both have enough to work with, that being said i definitely can and will do longer novella styled responses if that’s more your jam too! I usually prefer MxF for my side but happy to write any pairing for yours! ** I definitely prefer my roleplays to be plot focused, I love telling a story plotting with my partners so please feel free to share your ideas with me**

I love romance, slow burn, drama, angst, all the jolly good things to torture our characters with!

We all have lives outside of RP, so don’t worry about taking time with replies! I will always try to reply as often as I can, which can be multiple replies a day or one a week, but I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop if I’m too busy to get to reply asap!

**~ On to the fandom ~**

So I’m really looking for someone to play Eggsy Unwin against my female OC. I do have an idea for this, but I’m dying to rp this fandom so I’m also willing to change it ideas!!

So for my initial idea:-

Before Eggsy went through his Kingsman training, there was a girl who worked behind the bar at The Black Prince that he fancied the pants off of. He used to force the boys there for pints, just so he could see her. He had enjoyed some light banter with her and she humored his flirting, but he’d never gotten the chance to ask her out - mainly because a lot of Dean Baker’s boy’s, especially Rottweiler seemed to be trying to fire into her any chance they got. Not that she seemed she was anywhere near interested.

Eggsy went off on his Kingsman training and picture that kind of that moment at the end of the first movie where he completes the mission, he grabs the champagne and glasses, ignores Merlin trying to communicate with him on the radio, Slave to Love kicks in and he heads straight to the Princess’ cell?

Well imagine like THAT vibe but going back to the girl he’d always been too chicken to ask out. Leaving a boy in a tracksuit and coming back a MAN in a tailored suit who kicks A$$.**

We could start at the beginning and build up that background relationship or start when Eggsy had already joined Kingsman and include flashbacks to their earlier days, tbh I could go each way and every way with this one!

**>>Also very willing to completely ignore the plot of Golden Circle or tweak it to fit our style!<<**

As always, I am more than happy to double up! :) I’m dying to rp this too so i can definitely do another fandom for your side!

**other fandoms I can do for your side:-**

Harry Potter

Stranger Things

Once Upon A Time

Peaky Blinders

Friends

Disney

Marvel- I can do the most of the main MCU for this!

a few others that I can’t think of right now, you can definitely feel free to reach out with fandoms but if it’s an anime it’s probably gonna be a no, sorry!!

Please send PM or react to post if interested! 🫶

#roleplay #rp #marvel rp #disney rp #friends rp #peaky blinder rp #once upon a time rp #stranger things rp #harry potter rp #Kingsman The Secret Service rp

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cozyrosykay · 7 months ago

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Well….I made myself very sad 😭 I wrote this in like 20mins so it’s not amazing. But I wanted to get it down while I saw it in my head. I’ll tweak it and then add it to AO3. I want to make it more rip your heart out. As I am a Renee/Jean shipper and that will not change, but if I’m going to write them breaking up then I want to be absolutely destroyed by it 😳

@capcavan @broken-heart-raven-queen this is what ya’ll inspired 🥲

Renee stared down at her plate. Untouched food stared back at her. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to say goodbye. She didn’t want to break her own heart and his but she didn’t know what else to do.

They weren’t good for each other.

They weren’t right for each other.

She wished she could love him the way she wanted too and she knew deep down that he didn’t love her romantically either.

But how do you say goodbye to someone that you love? Who hasn’t done anything wrong? Someone that she did love with all her heart just not romantically. How do you say goodbye to a person who has been through so much and who looks at you, as though you hung the sun itself. And that was part of the problem, wasn’t it? His affection often felt more like worship than love. She didn’t want to be on a pedestal, she wanted to be loved and wanted for the flawed human being that she was.

She knew what she had to do. And now was the perfect time. Alone in his apartment and she was leaving for the PeaceCorp in two weeks. She could mourn alone and away from her friends worried gazes. And he would be going to stay with Kevin next week for a month so he wouldn’t be alone.

Jean stared at Renee. She wasn’t eating even though he had fixed her favorite and her eyes were sad. He knew what was coming. He knew that she was just working up the courage to let him go.

He hated it.

But also knew deep down that she was right. He just wasn’t strong enough to be the one to end them, to let her go; but she’d always been stronger. He was alive because of her strength.

He had known long before now, that what they had wouldn��t go the distance they didn’t love each other the way people who stayed together and got married and had children with a white picket fence love each other they.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure he would ever want to be a father. And he knew that being a mother was something Renee longed for one day in the far off future.

They loved each other, but not enough.

He often felt that she loved him with the care a mother, a good mother unlike his own, loved her child, or the way a deity loved their disciple. Part of that was his own fault, he held her up on a pedestal and it made her uncomfortable. But how could he not? She was his savior. He stopped believing in God, but he would never stop believing in Renee Walker.

So yes, he knew it was coming when he caught her looking at Matt and Dan with the same naked, longing that he knew he wore looking at Andrew and Neil. He never thought he would be jealous of Neil now that he was also free from Edgar Allen. But he was when he saw the fierce but subtle adoration that Andrew and Neil held for one another.

He knew it was coming and he knew it would be today; at this dinner. She would want clean break before leaving for the Peace Corp, and she wouldnt want him alone. Which is probably why she had enthusiastically encouraged his trip to see Kevin.

He didn’t know how he was going to live without her or if he would want to because being loved by Renee even when it was lacking in what he wanted was better than being not loved at all. What if she left and and his parents were right that no one would ever truly love him? Would she stay if he begged? No one else ever had. But he knew that she would, and eventually it would destroy them both.

Jean startled when he saw a tear roll down her cheek. And the small, shocked sound she made had him thinking that she hadn’t realized that she had started crying.

“I can’t do this” she whispered, her voice husky with the husky tears she was trying to hold back.

“I know”his voice was weak and sad.

At the sound of his voice Renee gave up the fight with her tears “I’m so sorry Jean”

“I know” he said again, his own tears beginning to fall “I am too.”

Renee choked on a sob “I do love you.”

Jean looked to the ceiling, hating to see her in such distress and also hating the awful feeling in his own chest “I love you too, it’s just not enough.”

Renee got up from her chair and moved to his lap, burrowing her face in his neck as she cried, and he clung to her tightly, afraid that this might be the last time he ever held her in his arms. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you in my life” he hated the words as soon as they left his mouth, hated their weakness. He wasn’t shocked when she pushed herself out of his arms but he was shocked to see the fierceness in her eyes “You will NEVER not have me in your life Jean. As long as I’m breathing you will always have family and someone who loves you. The end of our romantic relationship is not the end of us in each others lives.”

The relief that Jean felt at her words was overwhelming, he knew she meant them. He was not losing her completely. Their relationship would change but not end.

He hugged her back to him fiercely “thank you” he whispered against her ear.

“You will find someone Jean Moreau, you will find someone who will love you in the way the I can’t. They will adore the ground you walk on. They’ll see all the amazing things that I do and they’ll fall head over heels in love with you, and at first I’ll be jealous that it couldn’t be me and then I’ll love them because they love you.”

Jean sobbed into her neck. He believed in Renee Walker and hoped that she was right.

#aftg #all for the game #broke my heart #break up fic #very sad #not gonna tag the pair cause I don’t want to bring down that thread lol

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kats-kradle · 7 months ago

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Do you listen to music when you write?

3. Computer or pen and paper?

17. What writing habits or rituals do you have?

18. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about?

21. Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write?

27. Favourite line/scene

36. Last sentence you wrote

40. Share some backstory for one of your characters

45. How much world building do you do?

46. Do you reread your own stories?

Answer any one/combination of these that you'd like! I'd love to hear anything you want to share about your stories, friend :)

Thank you friend! 🥰

1. Do you listen to music when you write?

For writing fanfiction, I don’t really listen to music unless it’s a song that inspired that fic. Then I listen to it in repeat😂😂 When I’m writing my own stuff I tend to listen to a few playlists on YouTube that are like “epic music for writing” or other various playlists that don’t have music with words. I’ve got a few I cycle through depending on the type of scene I’m writing.

3. Computer or pen and paper?

For fanfiction, the notes app of my phone because I can just do it whenever. When I’m writing my own stuff I use my laptop because its easier for me to think bigger if that makes sense😂😂

17. What writing habits or rituals do you have?

Hmmm I think the only habit/ritual I really have is that every other time I sit down to write I read through and tweak the last thing I wrote. I know that TECHNICALLY you’re not supposed to edit as you go but it just makes it so much tidier in my brain.

18. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about?

Honestly if I could collaborate with anyone it would be my older sister. The biggest fan of our original writing is our younger sister and my older sister and I want to write her a story that has two of our characters interacting together (her two favorites). The problem is we can’t find time to plan it since my little sister is always in the house😂😂

21. Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write?

Oooooo this one is actually tricky😂😂 I think for fanfiction I more enjoy playing around and pushing preexisting dynamics so I don’t think there’s a specific character right now. For my personal writing… oh boy my babies. So far I think it’s Quinn, the snarky and jovial sci-fi pilot/smuggler who’s moral compass points firmly towards money… until children are involved. He also has a British accent. Yes, it is important to his character. He’s one of those characters who feels things very deeply but tries to put on a facade about it. Absolutely delightful to write he’s here for a good time, not for a long time (much to the chagrin of his first officer and close friend whose self appointed job is keeping Quinn alive).

27. Favourite line/scene

Favorite scene I’ve written (this is cheating) is probably my fic Little Talks. It’s a Les Mis Jacert lives and is redeemed fic and it’s got so many good scenes in it that came out even better than I thought they would that I can’t pick one.

36. Last sentence you wrote

Last line I wrote was from a WIP for Star Trek TNG. It’s a fic where Riker gets deaged by Q and it’s discovered that his father was abusive to him. Because that ep with his father… super dubious parenting and I think someone should address it so what’s fics for besides forcing people to address things? Also of those lowkey vent fics tbh😂

“What you deserved,” Picard said lowly, “was nothing but love from your father, and it pains me to hear that you believe you deserved such abuse from him.”

40. Share some backstory for one of your characters

I’ll give you the backstory for one of my side characters in one of my fantasy stories. His placeholder name is Romeo and he was like the equivalent of a medieval fantasy playboy. A true bard. He broke the heart of a sorceress and she cursed him to be nothing but a skeleton until he learned how to love selflessly. He is AWFUL and I love him. He’s just sour and feral all the time and regularly eggs people on the make bad decisions. Which is objectively hilarious coming from a skeleton.

45. How much world building do you do?

Before I start writing, I like to have done enough world building that I understand the general vibes and structure of the world. This looks different for every story tho tbh. One story I’ve been meticulously building for four years and another I made up as I went along. I guess it’s more accurate for me to say then that I do enough that I can understand the characters’ relationships with the world. I’m very much a “people” writer and focus on the characters more than anything else (like, unfortunately, the plot😭)

46. Do you reread your own stories?

Look at risk of sounding arrogant there are very few of my stories that I do not enjoy rereading, and it’s mostly just the ones I wrote when I was like 15. I am the target audience for all of my stories and I will unashamedly admit that I regularly go to my own AO3 page and read my own fics and go “that was a good one good job me”

Thank you for all the questions friend! Prepare your inbox 😈😈

ask game here

#asks #ask game #thank you!!#writing

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rp-partnerfinder · 6 months ago

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Hello hello hello! 🙂

**Basic info and writing preferences**

26, she/her, **I am 18+ so all characters and partners must be 18+ too!**

I have been roleplaying since 2010 but have just recently came back after a bit of a hiatus so just going to leave this post and hope to catch some one’s interest!

I love romance, slow burn, drama, angst, all the jolly good things to torture our characters with!

~ On to the fandom ~

So I’m really looking for someone to play Eggsy Unwin against my female OC. I do have an idea for this, but I’m dying to rp this fandom so I’m also willing to change it ideas!!

So for my initial idea:-

Well imagine like THAT vibe but going back to the girl he’d always been too chicken to ask out. Leaving a boy in a tracksuit and coming back a MAN in a tailored suit who kicks A$$.

>>Also very willing to completely ignore the plot of Golden Circle or tweak it to fit our style!<<

As always, I am more than happy to double up! :) I’m dying to rp this too so i can definitely do another fandom for your side!

other fandoms I can do for your side

Harry Potter

Stranger Things

Once Upon A Time

Peaky Blinders

Friends

Disney

Marvel- I can do the most of the main MCU for this!

a few others that I can’t think of right now, you can definitely feel free to reach out with fandoms but if it’s an anime it’s probably gonna be a no, sorry!!

Please send PM or react to post if interested!

#18+ rp #kingsman roleplay #kingsman rp #eggsy x female oc #slow burn #drama #angst #Harry Potter rp #Stranger Things rp #Once Upon A Time rp #Peaky Blinders rp #Friends rp #Disney rp #marvel rp #mcu rp

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masterofrecords · 1 year ago

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Angstober day 9: The Catch

Aaand this concludes the stuff I was supposed to write yesterday. Oh well, at least I'm finally making progress...

The Summoning

“Um, sir?”

William looked up from the cumbersome arrangement of dictionaries and reference materials, taking a moment to stop thinking in two languages at once. One of the older students – Sam? Stan? – was peeking in through the crack in the door, clearly making effort to suppress a smile.

“Mrs. Young is here to see you.”

William blinked. There was absolutely no reason for his mother to be at the university. A family emergency?

But then a booming laughter sounded from the door, a sweet yet indelicate sound. “It’s Bloydd, lad. Now, off you go, I don’t think I need to be announced like a royal guest just to see my husband.”

...right, of course it was Gwen.

Back when he proposed, she, six years his senior, laughed in the same way. “Sweetheart, I don’t think even marrying you can make me young again. I’ll keep my name, thank you.”

(A little baffled, William then carefully asked if she wanted him to take her last name. She ruffled his hair, kissed his nose and asked how many books and articles had already been published under his name.)

Swan left, still looking confused, and William quickly jumped up to clear out a chair from a stack of ungraded papers.

“My dear,” they kissed and she gracefully sat on the squeaky chair. “I didn’t expect you, sorry it’s a mess here.”

“It’s always a mess with you,” she laughed, and the room suddenly felt bigger and lighter. “In fact, I came to see you because our home’s been terribly orderly lately. You’ve been spending way too much time working, don’t you think?”

William laughed, hoping it didn’t sound too awkward and wondered if the office was dark enough that she couldn’t see the bags under his eyes.

“It’s just that…” how did he explain it? Was there anything he could say about the book strategically buried on his desk under manuscripts and papers, anything that would let her know of its importance without worrying her too much?

“Is it urgent?” Gwen asked patiently, bless her soul.

“In a way?” William tried. He looked around the office, painfully aware of where the traces of chalk hadn’t fully worn off, where the edges of a circle were still visible on the floor.

“Okay,” Gwen continued, taking her hand into his. “Any chance you can ask… the dean, or whoever’s responsible? to extend the deadline?”

William blinked. There was no deadline, per se. There was a warning, there was a promise – and not of a good kind. But perhaps he didn’t need to make sure he’d read the entirety of the tome now, didn’t need to understand the details of each and every ritual described in it?

Perhaps what he needed to do, really, was to extend the deadline – find a way to keep the book safe for as long as he needed to study it.

In fact, wasn’t one of the first rituals in the book intended for protection of an object? A ward, to hide it and make sure only the person with a key could open it. With minimal tweaking, William probably could…

“And there you go, off thinking again.”

He laughed nervously, trying to conceal his excitement, “Sorry, you’re right, I should… I should do that.”

“I think you’ll find that I’m pretty much always right. Which is precisely why you should listen to me more often.”

He couldn’t help his smile, and leaned over to kiss her again. “I will. But right now I need to get that extension.”

“Right, right,” she got up, fixing her skirts. “I’ll leave you be so long as you promise to be home for dinner.”

“Promise.” Another kiss stolen. It was as if her mere presence gave him energy.

She left, satisfied, and William waited for her footsteps to die in the distance before hurriedly locking the door and getting the chalk out.

He knew the symbols and patterns by heart, having done the same many, many times. He pricked his finger with some difficulty, the skin, scarred over and over, growing thicker. The last symbol, to close the circle with the blood – a name uttered in a whisper, so as not to let any strangers overhear it – and the familiar black smoke swirled inside the circle, forming a vaguely humanoid shape.

“You again,” the devil rolled their eyes, the stinger at the end of their tail rocking back and forth in irritation.

“I just have a quick question,” William explained. These conversations had always been awkward – it was obvious the creatures didn’t want to be there, and he felt a little rude asking even if he always made a point to pay for their answers. “I… Right, so I got the book, and – if I put a ward on it, so it would be hidden from prying eyes and only I – as the rightful owner of the key – will be able to open it… would anyone still come for the book? As in, will it work on… otherworldly creatures, too?”

They usually go away for a while to search for the answer, but this time, the devil lingered. There was a smile on their face, and William felt like he’d missed something terribly important.

“Mhm, I can answer that,” the devil looked smug. “The book will be safe, be assured.”

“Ah,” William breathed out in relief. “Very well. Thank you.”

He handed over the payment – some gold, and a few trinkets he’d figured out this devil liked. The devil grinned again.

“Oh, no,” they intoned, and this time they looked quite genuine. “Thank you.”

As it disappeared into the smoke, their grin grew wider.

“Until we meet again,” echoed in the small room, as William was already grabbing his coat to finally go home, to hot dinner and his wife’s loving embrace.

The door closed behind him, the key’s jingle hurried and joyful.

The smoke dissipated, leaving little but a memory of a laughing voice. “May it be soon.”

#angstober2023 #masterofrecords angsts #masterofreocrds writes #day 9

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smileysuh · 2 years ago

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ok so i'm working on my february svt wip and-

when i tell you, tsundere seungcheol and y/n have horrible narratives because they're both in fight, flight, freeze during their scenes-

but Joshua, Gyu and Jeonghan are a joy to write-

this fic is going to be such a dumpster fire-

god i love it so much

like- how do we go from this:

“You slept in,” Seungcheol finds himself stating. “We weren’t sure we’d bump into you today.”

“Right…” you trail off, giving Seungcheol a quick once over before your eyes return to Mingyu, and an easy smile works its way across your face again, “Have you been skiing long? I mean, I get the feeling that I’m the only person on the trip who doesn’t have much experience with all of this- you guys all brought your own skis.”

“Yeah, we’re all big snow sports people,” Mingyu tells you. “Seungcheol was actually almost an olympic level snowboarder-”

“Really?” Now you’re looking at Seungcheol. Really looking at him. “But… you brought skis?”

“He’d be much too fast on his board,” Mingyu grins. “Skis slow him down, make him level with the rest of us. But, he’s still pretty good at skiing too.”

“Could give you a few pointers if you want,” Seungcheol says, earnestly.

He’d gotten a good look at what you were doing wrong before they approached you, and a few minor tweaks would have you skiing with the best of them-

“Erm, thanks, but no thanks, I think I’m good learning at my own pace for now.”

He notes the way you avert your eyes, upper lip curling slightly with disdain.

He should have never bothered to offer you help.

Seungcheol takes a deep breath. “You two are probably more compatible for your level, and I want to do some harder runs. I’ll see you around.”

And with that, he leaves you and Mingyu, taking off down the mountain at a speed his friends can only dream of.

to this:

Sitting in his mother’s hotel room, watching her do the final touches on her wedding look, Joshua is struck with memories of the past.

There’d been many mornings growing up where he’d sat on the closed lid toilet, watching her brush through her hair, sometimes braiding it, before taking him and Jeonghan to school.

In the quiet of their small apartment bathroom, nothing could come between them, not Jeonghan whining for whatever reason, nor the angry father who’d disappeared from the picture when the boys had turned ten.

To Joshua, the moment feels like peace, or at least, as close to it as he’s ever come.

He can tell, by the way his mom smiles when she looks at herself in the mirror, that she’s truly happy, and it’s all he’s ever wanted for her.

The moment is fleeting, as Jeonghan enters the room and brings with him a certain level of chaos, the kind of windswept mayhem that follows him everywhere, like a moving storm.

like- this is literally cheol every time he sees y/n

so help me god this fic is already like 5k words, and i've only done 7 of 24 scenes-

if this ends up being another cheol fic that's close to 20k i think i might riot and try to run away from him

i might have to give simp joshua a spin off cuz he's literally stealing my heart in this fic

in other news, i'm keeping a tally of my daily work on this fic in my masterlist :)

#february svt wip

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pisoprano · 10 months ago

Text

Back when I posted the page before this one, I thought to myself, “I’ve done a bunch of work up front for this next page, so it will probably be out sooner than normal, right?”

Wrong. This page needed so much tweaking to get everything to fit (I shrunk so many things to make them take up less space) and juggle all these characters (especially the spot that’s just Oni-Chan mowing down all the temp heroes) and to draw all the little details (because where the characters are and what they can see are important information instead of just set dressing) and to have it all flow narratively (so many iterations went through for what exactly Carapace and Catwalker would say) and then to try to present it all in such a way to not confuse the reader with all these jumps (I’m still not convinced I got that right, but the transcript should help clarify a few things for anyone who’s scratching their heads)…

But none of that was the biggest obstacle to getting this page done. No, that honor goes to the fact that things in my personal life kept conspiring to keep me from being able to do the work.

(The rest is all just personal stuff, not comic commentary, so feel free to check out now)

First, we have my laptop. It has a touch screen that I can draw on with my stylus and it is what I’ve used to create every page of my comic thus far.

It decided to go into a coma.

So while I wait for it to come back from the repair guy, I took some time off, did a bit of writing for my other WIP on my phone, and then it happened: Loveybug.

What is Loveybug? She’s basically the opposite of Catwalker in that she’s an alternate Ladybug identity who is very over the top in love—me, blur0se, and asukiess all spent way too much time playing with her and the madness has now spread through the fandom here on tumblr. (Go look through the #Loveybug AU tag, she’s very fun and I love her).

About this time, my computer got fixed and I gladly brought it home and promptly started drawing this picture with everyone’s Loveybug designs at the time. I did start work on the comic again shortly after that, but my laptop was back in my possession for only a week when it decided that, no it did not want to deal with my enormous art files anymore and it would rather be dead instead.

I sent my computer back to the repair guy to get it fixed again, but shipping parts this time of year takes forever and I was not likely to see my computer again very soon. Taking advantage of a sale, I purchased for myself the cheapest drawing tablet I could find and plugged it into an old desktop computer that I ended up with when the company I used to work for abruptly closed. It’s a fairly clunky setup that’s uncomfortable to use, but I eventually got it to work well enough to make decent pictures. But still, I wanted my old laptop with its much more familiar drawing setup.

Finally, after a month of waiting, my computer was fixed a second time. Sure most of my files weren’t actually able to fit on the laptop anymore, but the repair guy gave me a hard drive with backup copies so it wasn’t completely lost. And, being the conscientious person I am, I decided to run a scan on the backup hard drive before I started trying to migrate the files back to my laptop.

It became a brick. Again. Not even 24 hours after having it back this time.

So now I am still waiting for my laptop to be fixed for the third time and I have been using a half-baked setup to draw to finish up the comic. I was hopeful that I’d be able to spend much of Christmas to get everything I needed to done to post it the following day.

My stomach had other ideas.

I’ll try to not get too into the details, but for the week leading up to Christmas, my stomach went into full-on boycott mode—it didn’t want food, it didn’t want drink, it didn’t even want water. And when your stomach refuses to let you even drink water, that can lead to this little thing called dehydration. Fortunately the hospital was able to give me something to help my stomach to chill out, but it also meant that all my plans to work on the comic on my day off were instead replaced with many hours with medical professionals trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with my body. Fun.

Fortunately this final delay only pushed me back by a week and I was FINALLY able to finish this page and post it.

Now I turn my face toward the next page in the pipeline and hope that I’ll be able to handle juggling everything I want to have happen in the next phase of this fight—it’s going to be a lot, so I’ll see you guys whenever it’s done.

Part 25. Best Friend Erasure (Oni-Chan 2.0, part B)

< First | < Previous | Next >

Description below the cut

Catwalker approaches Ladybug as she stands on a roof. She points off in a far away direction.

Catwalker: Ladybug! Oni-Chan is back, and this time her powers are—

Ladybug: I need you to go to one of the rooftops way over there and stay right there.

Catwalker: Are you sure? I could do more here if I—

Ladybug: Just. Go.

Catwalker: ...Yes, Ladybug.

Ladybug swings towards a rooftop where the other heroes have congregated near a Find Adrien billboard. Viperion looks up at Ladybug.

Viperion: Ladybug! Why isn't Catwalker with you? Did you talk to him about... that thing I told you?

Ladybug: We talked. He wasn't hiding what you thought he was.

Viperion: Oh.

Ladybug stands in a ‘take charge’ pose right in front of the billboard with Adrien’s face. Most of the heroes gather in to look towards her, but Carapace looks off towards the direction Catwalker took instead.

Ladybug: And everybody, gather around! You should all know this. Catwalker is on probation until further notice.

Viperion: Probation? Isn't that kind of extreme?

Ladybug: I have my reasons. He's keeping his miraculous, but you're the people I'm going to rely on to beat the akumas. For now, consider him an observer and just ignore him.

Carapace starts using his shield as a phone to text his girlfriend.

Carapace (texting): Rena, why is Catwalker allowed to keep his miraculous? We *have* to stop him from causing more damage.

Rena Furtive (texting): I'm watching him, don't worry.

Cut to Rena hiding on a rooftop as she uses her flute simultaneously as a telescope to spy on Catwalker and a phone to tap out a reply to her boyfriend.

Rena Furtive (texting): But if you want to try to get more info out of him as Carapace...? I'm sure Ladybug wouldn't mind...

Carapace leaps towards Catwalker, who looks at him suspiciously.

Catwalker: Carapace? What are you doing here?

Carapace: Ladybug said you were alone, and I thought you shouldn't be.

Catwalker: You should go back. Ladybug needs every hero she can get.

Catwalker perches himself on the ledge of the building he’s atop of.

Carapace: Then why did Ladybug send you all the way out here?

Catwalker: She needs me. I just... need to wait here. Until she comes up with a plan for how she can use me.

Carapace: If you want to help, we can always work to protect Adrien Agreste.

Carapace opens his arms wide and tries to give a disarming smile, but he can’t help but show his underlying malice.

Carapace: If you know anything at all, I'm all ears! Even if it's something you need to keep on the down low, I can be your confidant. I'm a hero, after all! You can trust me to keep secrets.

Catwalker, completely uninterested in going through another round of ‘my best friend pretends to like me when I know he’s secretly mad at me’ points his finger in accusation.

Catwalker: I see what you're trying to do and I'm not going to fall for it.

Carapace: Whaaat? I'm not trying anything!

Catwalker: Nino.

Carapace: How did—I mean, who's Nino?

Catwalker: You forgot to tell Adrien that he shouldn't reveal secret identities to anyone.

Carapace, completely off put, tries to make this new bit of information add up.

Carapace: He told you about me? Why would that even come up? Unless... Did he tell you he had a superhero for a best friend to try and convince you he didn't need you?

Carapace points an accusatory finger at Catwalker. Catwalker tries to placate, but he’s distracted by a burst of red light in the distance in the direction of the other heroes.

Carapace: And then you forced him to leave when he didn't want to and—

Catwalker: You have it all wr—Oh no.

Oni-Chan rapidly teleports between temporary heroes (all of whom had just been staring towards the giant face of Adrien) and hits them with her sword in quick succession: Vesperia, Viperion, King Monkey, Purple Tigress, Polymouse, Pegasus, and Pigella are all frozen before they can do anything to fight back.

Oni-Chan: You! Won't! Get! In! My! Way! Anymore!

Oni-Chan lunges for Ladybug, but she manages to swing out of the way with her yo-yo and escape, unable to be tracked because she was the only member of the group who hadn’t been staring at Adrien’s face.

Catwalker: Come on! Ladybug needs our hel—

Catwalker leaps into the sky to follow Ladybug, but as he is in midair, a green sphere forms around him.

Carapace: Shell-ter!

After the sphere hits the ground, Catwalker looks up at Carapace, who stands at the edge on top of the nearest building tauntingly.

Catwalker: I don't want to fight you.

Carapace: Good! Because you won't be able to fight anyone!

Catwalker: Look, we're both heroes right now. We need to be able to work together to help Ladybug.

Inside the sphere, Catwalker kneels and looks down dejectedly.

Carapace: Ladybug doesn't want your help!

Catwalker: Maybe not right now, but—

Carapace: Why did you think she sent you so far out of her way? She can't even stand to look at you! No one needs you. No one wants you. You should just give up your miraculous and save us the troub—

Carapace’s attention is caught by something happening across the skyline of Paris: with the Agreste mansion at the epicenter, a flurry of black ribbons launches into the sky, each one racing toward a Find Adrien billboard. Where each ribbon touches, the place where Adrien’s picture should be has been replaced by an empty white void.

Carapace (to himself): What the...? ...the Adrien billboards... All the pictures of Adrien... He's gone.

Carapace points down at Catwalker accusingly and brings his shield in close.

Carapace: Why couldn't you have just done nothing and let his real friends help him? Some magic ribbons just wiped Adrien from existence!

Catwalker: That's impossible. A sentimonster probably just got rid of the Adrien ads.

Carapace: You don't get it! He exists nowhere! And I'll prove it!

Carapace uses his shield to navigate to the pictures on his phone. His hand touches at the shield when it displays a picture of Nino and Adrien smiling together, nothing erased.

Carapace: I'll show you how this picture of the two of us is—

Catwalker: Wait. Carapace, you need to drop it. Now.

Carapace (to himself): Huh...?

Catwalker: Adrien is alive, I promise—

Carapace (to himself): He's still here with me...?

Catwalker: —but she's going to find you if you keep looking—

Oni-Chan pops in and out of existence just long enough to stab Carapace in the back, sending his body off the edge of the building. Below them, Catwalker looks up and destroys the sphere around him.

Oni-Chan: Begone!

Carapace: Ack!

Catwalker: No! Cataclysm!

Catwalker leaps into the air, arms reaching towards Carapace’s petrified body, all while the shield Carapace dropped in the commotion falls next to them.

Catwalker: I've got you!

Catwalker tearfully embraces the frozen Carapace from behind.

Catwalker: I am so sorry. For everything.

Catwalker continues to hug Carapace tight as a flood of emotions spews forth.

Catwalker: I never wanted to hide behind a mask, especially not with you, Nino. You've always encouraged me to be myself. Even though I've never been able to fully show you everything I am, you accepted the 'me' I could give. It meant so much to know that you cared, not just about the idea of me, but the real me. And now I'm less 'me' than I've ever been. Maybe it would have been better if I did nothing. But when she tried to kill me, I just... ran. Ran and insisted I was fine like I always do. And now you're the one paying for my rash decisions and I feel so powerless to stop it. I hope one day you'll forgive me.

Catwalker places Carapace’s body upright and touches his back in a gesture of farewell.

Catwalker: I wish I could talk to you for real. But I can't. I can't leave when I might be needed. Even if everyone hates that I'm here, I've got to help however I can.

Catwalker gives Carapace a fist bump in one final promise of their friendship.

Catwalker: I'll come home as soon as it's safe again. I don't know how long it'll take, but I promise I will come back.

Below is the same image as above, only without text:

#runaway catwalker #personal

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duckprintspress · 3 years ago

Text

Capitalization and Em Dashes and Parentheses and Dialog, Oh My!

Two weeks ago when we posted our "Formatting Tweaks to Help Your Typesetter Have a Great Day" post we mentioned that the "Capitalization Quirks" section became so long that we decided to break it out into a separate post. That didn't get put up last week cause of debuting May Trope Mayhem, but the time is NOW!

Capitalization Quirks, or: How to Get More Capitals and Lowercase Letters Right So Your Editor Has One Fewer Thing To Do!

At the most technical, literal, simplistic level, all sentences in English should start with a capital letter. If you google “should I always start a sentence with a capital letter,” all the top results say yes. But! That’s overly simplistic. For example:

“I was just saying—”

“—That you’re tired.”

That’s wrong, because it’s not a new sentence. The “—t” needs to be lowercase. Thus, this should read:

“I was just saying—”

“—that you’re tired.”

Then, there’s sentences that “trail in” with an ellipse. For example:

“…when did you say that?”

This one, on a technical level, could go either way. Duck Prints Press goes with lowercase on this, using the same reasoning as the em dash case: it’s not a complete sentence, more of a fragment.

Some other examples where there shouldn’t be a capital (I’ll bold the letters that shouldn’t be capitalized).

Case 1: “In any event”—taking a deep breath, she flopped into her chair—“it is what it is.”

Case 2: After I got to the event (which took way longer than it should have, but that’s a different story!), we went to our seats together.

Case 3: Every time he thought he was finished—every time!!—he realized he’d made a mistake and had to start over.

Those cases are relatively simple and clear cut. Not all sentences will be. Often, when writing dialog, people use many permutations of sentences, not-sentences, ellipses, em dashes, and more. Keeping track of what needs to be capitalized and what doesn’t requires knowing a lot of quirky rules. People especially often end up confused about when text following quotes should have a capital letter and when it shouldn’t. The rule of thumb is, if the text in question is a dialog tag, it should be lowercase, even if the dialog before it ends in a question mark or exclamation mark.

(Again, bolding the lowercase/uppercase letter in spots where people most often get mixed up.)

“This example needs a lower case letter after it,” she explained.

“Does this—?” he started to ask.

“Yes!” she interrupted.

“What about this one?” he said.

“Yes, that one too…” she replied, sighing.

If, on the other hand, the narrative text after the dialog is an action (as in, not a direct dialog tag indicating how the thing was said), then it should be uppercase.

“I’m still confused how this works.” Rubbing his brow, he took a deep breath.

“I promise it’s not that hard.” She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and started writing down examples.

To help keep clear when to do this: if what you write can be replaced with say/said and still make sense, then it’s a dialog tag. If it can’t be, then it’s not a dialog tag and it should be capitalized.

“I don’t know when what follows counts as a sentence and when it doesn’t,” he pointed out with a frown.

“It depends how you’re describing what the person said.” Her voice took on a frustrated tinge.

But! That’s not all!

“What about if I, I dunno…” He looked at the examples she’d written down. “What if there’s more dialog after the first thing said and the first batch of narrative description?”

“Then”—she grabbed the pen and started writing more sample sentences—“it depends. For example, if I’m interrupting my own dialog with an action and no dialog tag, then it should probably be between em dashes, and only the first letter of the first sentence is capitalized. But if instead I interrupt myself with a dialog tag,” she continued, “then that uses commas, and again, only the first sentence is capitalized.” She paused, took a deep breath, then added, “But because that’s not confusing enough, if I stop, then use a narrative line that ends with dialog tag and a comma, then keeps going as dialog, then both the narrative sentence and the start of the dialog sentence needs a capital.”

“What about if everything is a sentence?” He grabbed the pen from her hand and scrawled down a few notes. “Then is everything capitalized?”

She threw him a thumbs up, an unspoken “you’re getting it now!” implied by the gesture.

Aghast, he blinked at what she’d just demonstrated. Finally, after working his mouth in silence for at least a minute, he managed:

“Does this ever make sense?”

“No,” she allowed, “but when you do it enough you start to get used to it.”

Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s the worst. I probably forgot at least two permutations, too, but I tried. Fixing capitalization on all of the above is a constant effort. Good luck?

All of these more-or-less follow the established rules of dialog capitalization, but there are some cases that simply don’t have a standard. For these, it will often depend on which style guide is being used, what editor is doing the work, what each individual publisher has decided, etc. Here’s some examples, with explanation of what they show.

“I don’t— Like, what am I supposed to do if there’s no standard?” Frustration was clearly starting to get the better of him. (This is: self-interruption to start a new sentence—we use: em dash + space + capital letter.)

“Hmm…probably your best bet is to just pick a way to handle each case and make sure you’re consistent.” (This is: self ellipse-marked pause/trail off that continues as the same thought—we use: ellipse + hair space + lowercase.)

“So if I…I don’t even know… What if I can’t remember what I did before?” (this is: trailing off, then continuing with a new sentence—we use: ellipse + space + capital.)

“Just—just—just figure it out! How am I—just a person trying to give a tutorial!—supposed to predict every kind of dialog you’re going to want to write?” she spluttered. (First part is: stutter/self-interruption, incomplete/continuing thoughts—we use: em dash + lowercase (no space). Second part is: em dash interjection in dialog, which uses the same rules as em dash interjections in narrative—we use: em dash + lowercase (no spaces).)

“Wh-wh-wh-what, that’s all you have to offer?” (This is: stuttering incomplete words—we use hyphen + lowercase (no spaces).)

Damn it… Do you really expect me to make all the decisions for you? she thought…but then she realized she should be kinder—this was hard stuff! “I guess I’d just suggest…make yourself a ‘personal formatting’ doc and write down how you did…whatever you did…when it came up?—that way, when it happens again, you’ll at least have a paper trail so you don’t have to scroll back to check what you did.” (This is: the same approaches as described above before, applied to thoughts and narrative text.)

And, that’s basically that! Did I miss any? Questions? Comments? Thoughts?

In conclusion…

“I hate English,” he grumbled, taking up a lighter and burning the paper on which she’d written her examples.

“Me too,” she agreed fervently.

Uh...happy writing? Or at least good luck!!!

Have a writing question? Send us an ask!

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#duck prints press #writing advice #on writing #editing #editing advice #original content

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